Digital Commons Network^™

Principals And Library Media Specialists Working Together: A Case Study Of One Elementary School, Diane Elaine Gregg

Dissertations

Elementary school principals are busy people. They are torn away from instructional duties by daily emergencies and are challenged to track student achievement and plan for improvements. Library media specialists are in a position to help principals improve teaching and learning. Gaining a better understanding of a positive and productive working relationship between a principal and a library media specialist will give the field valuable insight into how present-day schools can meet the needs of instructional and administrative leadership. This qualitative study examined the working relationship of an elementary school principal and library media specialist in a public school setting. …

The Role Of Communication Channel, Feedback Valence And Cultural Differences In Performance Appraisal Outcomes, James C. Matchen

Dissertations

The effects of feedback valence (positive or negative) across culture (Individualistic or Collectivistic) for both the verbal and nonverbal communication channels on performance appraisal outcomes were investigated. It was hypothesized that participants would react differently to the performance appraisal they received based on (1) their own cultural values and on (2) the valence of the verbal feedback and nonverbal feedback provided by the manager. Main effects of both verbal feedback valence and nonverbal feedback valence were predicted and found. Participants reported more positive reactions to both the performance appraisal process and to the manager after receiving positive feedback than after …

Wireless Lan 802.11x In U.S. Educational Institutions: Technology Adoption And Digital Divide Perspective, Sang-Baek (Chris) Kang

Dissertations

The current study of wireless local area networks (WLAN) adoption in educational institutions is motivated by three reasons. First, most students are exposed to information technology when they are at K-12 schools. Indeed, educational institutions represent the largest segment in the WLAN market in the United States in terms of the number of adopters. Second, WLAN requires a substantial financial investment before it can enable an "anytime, anywhere" learning environment, and may thereby aggravate the digital divide between rich and poor schools. Third, although WLAN is infrastructure technology, it has different characteristics compared to other infrastructure information technologies; traditional infrastructure …

Nurturing Peace: United Nations Peacebuilding Operations In The Aftermath Of Intrastate Conflicts, 1945-2002, Duk Hyang Kim

Dissertations

After World War II, intrastate conflicts rapidly replaced interstate conflicts as the dominant threat to international peace and security, a trend that has become all the more evident in the post-Cold War era. Given the prevalence of civil wars, there is increasing awareness of the need for post-conflict settlement procedures, development of local capacity for conflict resolution, and long-term peacebuilding efforts. In his 1992 An Agenda for Peace, former UN Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali encouraged the international community to take responsibility for the full range of post-conflict management roles by introducing ?post-conflict peace-building.? Even though the term ?peacebuilding? did not …

Structural Models Of Comorbid Anxiety And Depression In A Primary-Care Older Adult Sample: Effect Of Medical Illness Severity, Threat, Chronicity, And Progressiveness On Model Fit, William Michael Palmer

Dissertations

Recent research suggests that anxiety disorders may be more common in later life than previously thought. Among other factors, the presence of comorbid mood disorders and medical illness confounds accurate assessment and diagnosis of these conditions in the elderly. There have been few studies, however, examining the structural relationships between anxiety and depression with older-adult samples, and even fewer have considered the effect of medical illness on these relationships. This study examined three established structural models of anxiety and depression, using a clinical sample of older adults seeking treatment in a primary-care setting (N = 2,163). It was hypothesized that …

Characterization And Modeling Of Low-Frequency Noise In Hf-Based High -Kappa Dielectrics For Future Cmos Applications, Purushothaman Srinivasan

Dissertations

The International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors outlines the need for high-K dielectric based gate-oxide Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistors for sub-45 nm technology nodes. Gate oxides of hafnium seem to be the nearest and best alternative for silicon dioxide, when material, thermal and structural properties are considered. Usage of poly-Si as a gate electrode material degrades the performance of the device and hence gate stacks based on metal gate electrodes are gaining high interest. Though a substantial improvement in the performance has been achieved with these changes, reliability issues are a cause of concern. For analog and mixed-signal applications, …

Mobile Information Communication Technology For Crisis Management : Understanding User Behavior, Response And Training, Elizabeth Avery Gomez

Dissertations

SMS text-messaging is an interoperable communication vehicle known to be dependable for mass media alert notifications in crisis management. SMS text-messaging also offers potential as one viable two-way communication alternative for field responders in crisis response. Both continuously changing mobile information communication technologies and the importance of precise information exchange constitute a need for communication protocol training and practice. This study introduces a technology-mediated training technique based on speech act and communicative action theories. These theories are used to inform the design of a baseline measure for task performance improvement and to suggest a model to predict communication readiness. Because …

Ion Assisted Magnetron Sputtering Of Tantalum Thin Film Deposition And Characterization, Hua Ren

Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to investigate the effects of ion bombardment on the crystallographic phases of tantalum films during their deposition by magnetron sputtering process, and to gain understanding of the mechanism of the ion-solid interactions during the thin film growth. Tantalum (Ta) exists in two distinct crystallographic phases: a stable α-phase with a body centered cubic (bcc) lattice structure and a metastable β-phase with a tetragonal lattice structure. The tough and ductile α-phase Ta is desired in most industrial applications, such as diffusion barrier layers in integrated circuits, metallic corrosion protective layers, and in biomedical devices. The …

Design And Application Of Near Infrared Tunable Filter For Atst And Nst, Jun Ma

Dissertations

This thesis includes the following sections: a general design of the Near Infrared Tunable Filter (NIRTF) of Advanced Technology Solar Telescope (ATST) project and the Near Infrared Imaging Magnetograph (IRIM) of the New Solar Telescope (NST), the design of achromatic waveplates, the narrowband continuum observation of a Sunspot at 1.56 µm using IRIM instruments, and the coronal hole observation using the Digital Vector Magnetograph (VMG) at Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO).

A near infrared tunable filter system is designed with detailed optical parameters for each component in the system. Among these components, the achromatic waveplates, which used to be an …

Novel Model Of Cerebrospinal Fluid Dynamics Based On Hemodynamically Driven Cyclic Brain Compliance Variation, Bruno A. Mantilla

Dissertations

This study provides a novel explanation for the CerebrQ-Spinal Fluid (CSF) flow pattern observed in phase contrast cine-MRJ studies. CSF dynamics has been traditionally explained as a bulk flow from the site of production to the site of absorption. Studies done with phase contrast cine-MRI show a more complex CSF movement, that is not explainable by the bulk flow paradigm. This study describes a mechanism explaining how the energy delivered by the heart in each cycle is responsible not only for the blood flow, but also for the CSF circulation. This mechanism is based on a cyclic variation of brain …

Designing Multimodal Interaction For The Visually Impaired, Xiaoyu Chen

Dissertations

Although multimodal computer input is believed to have advantages over unimodal input, little has been done to understand how to design a multimodal input mechanism to facilitate visually impaired users' information access.

This research investigates sighted and visually impaired users' multimodal interaction choices when given an interaction grammar that supports speech and touch input modalities. It investigates whether task type, working memory load, or prevalence of errors in a given modality impact a user's choice. Theories in human memory and attention are used to explain the users' speech and touch input coordination.

Among the abundant findings from this research, the …

Interaction Of Methoxyethyl Methyl Imidazolium-Based Ionic Liquids With Uranium And Its Effect On Bioreduction Of Uranium, Hao Wang

Dissertations

Ionic liquids (ILs) are new materials with unique properties such as non-measurable vapor pressure, low melting point below 100°C and tunable physical-chemical properties. These liquids demonstrate tremendous potential applications in many fields, including nuclear waste treatment.

In this study, new MOEMIM (methoxyethyl methyl imidazolium)-based ionic liquids were synthesized. Their properties were characterized by UV-Vis spectroscopy (UV-vis), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ETIR), mass spectroscopy (MS) and NMR (Nuclear magnetic resonance). The interaction between ILs and uranium has been explored by various analysis techniques, including pH, potentiometric titration, UV-vis, MS and EXAFS (extended x-ray absorption fine structure). Among all the ILs studied …

Automatic Physical Database Design : Recommending Materialized Views, Wugang Xu

Dissertations

This work discusses physical database design while focusing on the problem of selecting materialized views for improving the performance of a database system. We first address the satisfiability and implication problems for mixed arithmetic constraints. The results are used to support the construction of a search space for view selection problems. We proposed an approach for constructing a search space based on identifying maximum commonalities among queries and on rewriting queries using views. These commonalities are used to define candidate views for materialization from which an optimal or near-optimal set can be chosen as a solution to the view selection …

New Approaches To Scaled-Up Carbon Nanotube Synthesis And Nanotube-Based Metal Composites And Sensors, Amit Goyal

Dissertations

The first phase of the work presented in this dissertation is the development of a scaleable process for the cost-effective synthesis of single walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) by thermally-induced catalytic chemical vapor deposition (CVD). With the goal of understanding the growth mechanism and optimize the synthesis process, the effect of CVD and catalyst parameters on nanotube formation was investigated in detail. It was found that nucleation and growth of SWNTs occurred within a few seconds of the introduction of the carbon source, carbon monoxide, at temperatures above 675°C over a Co-Mo/MgO catalyst/support system, resulting in the formation of high quality …

Design And Implementation Of Split Tcp In The Linux Kernel, Rahul Jain

Dissertations

The Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) was designed for reliable communication between computers over networks of unpredictable quality. It has admirably succeeded in satisfying the needs of the growing internet. Yet, there are combinations of network problems too bad even for TCP. In particular, in the situation of simultaneously very high delay (e.g. a satellite link) and high loss or even fading (a low quality earthlink or wireless link) on the same connection TCP can break down.

A known solution is “Split TCP” where one or more proxies (called Helper Boxes) are introduced to break the end-to-end connection into few (almost) …

Solar Activity Detection And Prediction Using Image Processing And Machine Learning Techniques, Gang Fu

Dissertations

The objective of the research in this dissertation is to develop the methods for automatic detection and prediction of solar activities, including prominence eruptions, emerging flux regions and solar flares. Image processing and machine learning techniques are applied in this study. These methods can be used for automatic observation of solar activities and prediction of space weather that may have great influence on the near earth environment.

The research presented in this dissertation covers the following topics: i) automatic detection of prominence eruptions (PBs), ii) automatic detection of emerging flux regions (EFRs), and iii) automatic prediction of solar flares.

In …

Design, Fabrication And Testing Of A Fiber Optic Stress/Strain Sensor For Soft Stretchable Materials Using Polarization Imaging Technique, Jianjun Zheng

Dissertations

The polarization imaging technique has been used to obtain high quality surface images of turbid media. This technique can be slightly modified and used for noninvasive sensing of strain and stress in soft stretchable materials, such as latex and human tissues. Previously this sensing method was developed with free space bulk optics. In this study, a fiber optic based system is developed to investigate the potential application of this technology on the strain/stress as well as surface roughness measurements of stretchable materials. In this system, polarizers are simply attached to the fiber ends to form a polarizing three-fiber probe. Furthermore, …

Cognitive Vs. Supportive Therapy For Distressed Collegians, Jean Clore

Dissertations

Rates of depressive symptoms, psychological distress, and low self-esteem appear to be growing on college campuses. Determining how best to help distressed collegians is an important public health concern, as these individuals appear to be at significant risk for further deterioration, disrupted quality of life, and impaired ability to succeed in college. This study compared the effects of (a) six sessions of cognitive therapy (CT; training in two cognitive modification strategies—building positive self-thoughts and disputing negative self-thoughts) to (b) six sessions of non-directive, supportive therapy (ST). Fifty-three students from a large mid-western university reporting low self-esteem and significant levels of …

A Post-Marxist Perspective On Chuck Palahniuk’S Early Novels And The Four Plays Of Incarcerated, Ron Riekki

Dissertations

Incarcerated: a collection of four plays includes the plays Home Schooling, Good Behavior, 2 Mics, and All Saints' Day. Incarcerated explores Foucault's carceral networking and Althusser's Ideological and Repressive State Apparatuses as exemplified in characters faced with such cataclysmic events as the Holocaust (Home Schooling and All Saints' Day) and the degradation/slavery of the American prison system (Good Behavior and 2 Mics). In this RCG-centered working class playwriting, we see how performativity is in inherent in carceral sociology, where each character in all four plays has to take masks and costumes and roles in order to …

Nude With Anything, James D'Agostino

Dissertations

Nude With Anything is a book-length manuscript of poetry that sources itself in a painterly world, one in which a visual vocabulary privileges the materiality of language in all its attempts to rival experience. Its teleos leans often toward velocity, a fevered stacking up of phrases, and so its range of poetic forms documents attempts at building calm into the rapids, intersecting verbal excess with contrasting silences, a kind of late-phase Henry James short through by haiku. With each syntactical tactic and shift in diction, Nude With Anything employs an abiding collage aesthetic, braiding different strands of discourse and seeking …

The Effect Of Chloramphenicol On Bb88 Murine Erythroleukemia Cells, Peter K. W. Harris

Dissertations

DNA microarrays can be used to measure genome-wide transcript levels. These measurements may be useful in understanding cellular changes induced by a chemical agent. In this study, Affymetrix microarray technology has been used to study the effects of chloramphenicol, an antibiotic that inhibits bacterial and mitochondrial protein synthesis, on the transcription profile in mammalian cells. Transcript levels in BB88 murine erythroleukemia cells treated with 50 micromolar ( mu M) chloramphenicol, a concentration shown to inhibit BB88 proliferation, are measured. Using total RNA from treated cells, biotin-labeled cRNA was prepared and hybridized to Affymetrix U74Av2 microarrays. From these hybridizations, expression levels …

A Study To Investigate The Relationship Between A User’S Thermal Comfort And Seat Pan Materials, Anil Raghavendra Kumar

Dissertations

Workers performing sedentary tasks in job types such as administrative, technical, customer service and executive could be seated for four or more hours during their normal work shift. Due to the prolonged periods of sitting, a worker could experience dissatisfaction, discomfort, and fatigue, which could lead to reduced performance. Symptoms of discomfort could over time lead to injuries and illnesses such as low back pain, cumulative trauma disorders, disc herniation, and pressure ulcers.

Christian Attitudes Toward The Jews In The Earliest Centuries A.D., S. Mark Veldt

Dissertations

This dissertation examines the historical development of Christian attitudes toward the Jews up to c. 350 A.D., seeking to explain the origin and significance of the antagonistic stance of Constantine toward the Jews in the fourth century. For purposes of this study, the early Christian sources are divided into four chronological categories: the New Testament documents (c. 50-95 A.D.), the Apostolic Fathers (c. 90-135 A.D.), apologists and theologians (c. 130-260 A.D.), and an era of conflict (c. 250-350 A.D.). Within the last period, special attention is given to the work of Eusebius, particularly The Proof of the Gospel (Demonstratio ). …

Public Administration Theory And Views Of The Human Person, Gerald L. Zandstra

Dissertations

Public administrative theory, despite its reach into American life, lacks broad agreement about its field of inquiry, its underlying presuppositions, and its purpose. Theorists such as Herbert Storing, Stephen Bailey, Richard Stillman, David Hart, Vincent Ostrom, William Dunn, Bahman Fozouni, Mark Rutgers, Michael Harmon and others have observed and lamented these shortcomings. Without well-developed theory, the objectives of public administration are a moving target.

This project does not attempt to resolve this deficiency. Instead, it is intended to address a primary question pertaining to public administration's core principles: what is the nature of the human person? The line of argumentation …

Evaluating The Immediate Impact And Short-Term Therapeutic Effects Of The “Internalized-Other” Interviewing With Couples, Shai M. Brosh

Dissertations

The present study examined empirically the immediate and short-term therapeutic effects of the internalized-other interview (Tomm, 1996) with couples during a single session and compared it with the standard method of interviewing couples (i.e., treatment as usual). Thirty-two married couples (N = 64 participants) were randomly assigned into one of two conditions (internalized-other versus standard interviewing). Couples attended an initial interview session and two follow-ups (one and four-weeks respectively). Self-reported measures of session impact were taken immediately after the session, while self-reported measures of marital satisfaction, intimacy, closeness and empathy were taken at baseline (before the session) and during …

Work Stress, Non-Work Stress And Mental Health Among School-Based Speech-Language Pathologists: Effects Of Social Support, Lena Gloria Caesar

Dissertations

This study utilized secondary data from the Work and Well-being of SLPs survey (Caesar, 2004) to examine possible sources (predictors) of work stress, job satisfaction, and psychological distress among 409 speech-language pathologists (SLPs) employed in public school settings in Michigan. This study also investigated the relationship of work-related and non-work-related stress to the mental health status of SLPs and sought to determine the mediating and/or moderating effects of varied types of social support on the mental health of respondents. Data analysis was done in three stages. First, each of the dependent and independent variables were described statistically. Secondly, correlation analyses …

Private Narratives In Public Places: The Experiences Of Predominantly White Gay Male Undergraduates On Lgb Classroom Panels, James Patrick Dolan Jr.

Dissertations

The scholarly literature addresses the common practice and effectiveness of using classroom panel presentations by lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) speakers to increase awareness of LGB experiences and to change attitudes. However, little is known about the experiences of the speakers themselves or how the experience may affect the speaker's sense of self or identity. From an identity as narrative perspective, the goal of this study was to learn what effect the repeated telling of a coming out story in a public setting may have on the teller's identity, the story they tell, and the meanings and feelings associated with …

Coordination, Collaboration, And Culture: Local Economic Development In A Time Of Networks, Gregg G. Guetschow

Dissertations

Social coordination takes form in accordance with three pure types: markets, hierarchies, and networks. The research that is the subject of this dissertation explored coordination through interorganizational networks involved in policy implementation. Of specific interest was the decision on the part of network participants to cooperate with other network participants to undertake implementation tasks. Conventional models of decision-making do not account for the interdependent and strategic nature of these interactions. To address this gap in understanding, a model of decision-making was developed. Central to this model are the influences of political, organizational, and professional culture and focal effects directing network …

An Investigation Of Successful And Unsuccessful Students’ Problem Solving In Stoichiometry, Ozcan Gulacar

Dissertations

In this study, I investigated how successful and unsuccessful students solve stoichiometry problems. I focus on three research questions: (1) To what extent do the difficulties in solving stoichiometry problems stem from poor understanding of pieces (domain-specific knowledge) versus students' inability to link those pieces together (conceptual knowledge)? (2) What are the differences between successful and unsuccessful students in knowledge, ability, and practice? (3) Is there a connection between students' (a) cognitive development levels, (b) formal (proportional) reasoning abilities, (c) working memory capacities, (d) conceptual understanding of particle nature of matter, (e) understanding of the mole concept, and their problem-solving …

A Phenomenological Study Assessing African American Women’S Perspectives On Successful Heterosexual Relationships, Shamika Yolanda Latrell Hall

Dissertations

This study seeks to understand successful African American relationships from the perspective of African American females. Recognizing the impact of structural factors on African Americans, as well as the limits of imposing Eurocentric definitions of successful relationships, this study seeks to understand how African American women themselves describe successful relationships and to identify factors that have influenced their ideas about what is required for them to have healthy, happy, long-lasting, nurturing relationships. Design of the present study is informed by findings from Stephens-Williams' (1992) study of successful African American relationships, as well as a broader review of structural, sociological, and …