Digital Commons Network^™

Layering Literacies: Computers And Peer Response In The 21st Century, Christopher Warren Dean

Doctoral Dissertations

Research into peer response work has a long history in the field of composition, and the work of my dissertation is to extend that research into the newer subfield of composition, computers and writing. Specifically I focus on the way students use multiple linguistic competencies (oral, print and electronic competencies) to perform a variety of selves in peer response. Drawing on the work of Erving Goffinan, the extant literature of peer response, work done in ethnomethodology, and research done in three first year composition classrooms, I outline the contours and strategies that students use to engage in peer response while …

The Geochemistry Of Boron And Lithium In Mid -Ocean Ridge Hydrothermal Vent Fluids, Alison Marie Bray

Doctoral Dissertations

Examining the chemistry of hydrothermal vent fluids can provide insight into processes occurring below the seafloor along the mid-ocean ridge axis. Boron and lithium in hydrothermal vent fluids were studied because previous results indicated that these elements might be useful tracers of water-rock processes. The B concentration and the Li isotopic signature of hydrothermal fluids from four areas on the mid-ocean ridge were examined in order to better constrain the physical and chemical controls on these elements.

The results for B suggest that water-rock reaction and phase separation are important controls on the B content of hydrothermal fluids. Boron concentrations …

The Relationship Between Fruit Color Traits And Anthocyanin Genes In Diploid Fragaria, Chaoyang Deng

Doctoral Dissertations

A candidate gene approach was used to determine the likely molecular identity of the c locus (yellow fruit color) in Fragaria vesca, a diploid (2n = 2x = 14) strawberry. Using PCR with degenerate primer pairs, intron-containing segments of structural genes coding for the enzymes: chalcone synthase (CHS), chalcone isomerase (CHI), flavanone 3-hydroxylase (F3H), dihydroflavonol 4-reductase (DFR), anthocyanindin synthase (ANS), and one Del-like regulatory gene (RAN) in the anthocyanin biosynthetic pathway were amplified, cloned and sequenced. Intron length polymorphisms for each of these genes were detected among three diploid varieties: F. vesca Alpine variety 'Yellow Wonder' (YW) (Europe); DNIC, an …

It's Not As Thick As It Looks: Unpacking The Rehearsal Practices Of Theatre Professionals And The Significance For The Teaching Of Reading And Writing, Dale Lorraine Wright

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of my study was to identify and describe the components of theatre rehearsal and their implications for the teaching of reading and writing. Using qualitative methods of inquiry such as direct and participant observation and group and individual interviews, I documented the rehearsal process and literacy practices of members of a professional theatre company that performs only in academic environments. In analyzing the data I used Anderson and Jack's strategies for listening and determined that there are four major components of theatre rehearsal: chunking (the breaking down of the script into smaller, more manageable pieces), repetition (the constant, …

Physics Experiences And Calculus: How Students Use Physics To Construct Meaningful Conceptualizations Of Calculus Concepts In An Interdisciplinary Calculus /Physics Course, Karen Ann Marrongelle

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the manner by which students enrolled in an integrated Calculus/Physics course use their understanding of physics to inform their conceptualizations of calculus concepts. This study utilized a multiple case study design with analysis by and across cases. The cases represent eight first year students in the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences at the University of New Hampshire who enrolled in an integrated calculus/physics program. Data was gathered in a three-part process: (1) Semi-structured task-based interviews, (2) Participant-observation in the calculus/physics course, and (3) Obtaining copies of students' in-class notes, in-class activities, …

The Relation Of Acculturation, Criminal History, And Social Integration Of Mexican American And Non -Mexican Students To Assaults On Intimate Partners, Ignacio Luis Ramirez

Doctoral Dissertations

Studies that have compared intimate partner violence among Mexican Americans and Non-Mexican Whites have found conflicting results. The results can be grouped into three categories, those that found Mexican Americans have higher assault rates, those that found Mexican Americans have lower assault rates, and those that found no differences between both ethnic groups. This study analyzed a sample of 348 college students to examine the role that Mexican ethnicity and acculturation into Anglo American society by Mexican Americans plays in predicting intimate partner violence. Additionally, the role of criminal history and integration into society were analyzed to understand their unique …

A Model For Backscattering Angular Response Of Gassy Sediments: Applications To Petroleum Exploration And Development Programs, Luciano Emidio Neves Da. Fonseca

Doctoral Dissertations

The location and distribution of near-surface gas in continental margins is of particular interest for oil exploration and development programs. The presence of gas seepages can be evidence of the possible existence of subsurface hydrocarbon reservoirs. Gas is also a potential hazard for offshore facilities, as it decreases the strength of unconsolidated sediments increasing the risk of seafloor failures and slumps.

Acoustic remote sensing systems such as multibeam and sidescan sonars can be used for mapping and detection of near-surface gas in marine sediments. These systems provide a realistic depiction of the seafloor by means of the simultaneous acquisition of …

Numerical Simulation Of Acoustic Waves In A Rectangular Chamber, Normah Mohd. Ghazali

Doctoral Dissertations

Numerical simulation of acoustic waves in a closed two-dimensional rectangular chamber is considered. The waves are generated by a membrane or piston boundary condition on one wall. The simulations are performed through many acoustic cycles. A stack of heat exchanger plates are sometimes included. The study is motivated by thermoacoustic refrigeration, a phenomena which uses soundwaves in a chamber to achieve a cooling effect.

The present study treats the flow numerically. The governing equations are the viscous compressible Navier-Stokes system, assuming a perfect gas. The numerical method employs a finite difference spatial discretization and semi-implicit time-marching procedure. Verification is accomplished …

Estimating The Environmental Costs Of The Hydro Fuel Cycle Using Life Cycle Assessment Techniques And Economic Valuation, Benjamin Harwood Ellis

Doctoral Dissertations

A Life Cycle Assessment model, with an integrated impact assessment, is used to estimate average external economic damages from the hydro fuel cycle. Aggregated average damage assessments of the hydro fuel cycle are complementary to marginal and site specific assessments, and are useful for general energy policy planning. For the upstream inventory assessment, detailed material input data from the Morrow Point Dam is used to estimate material inputs at 174 New England, and 4 Quebec, concrete hydroelectric projects. LCNetBase input-output life cycle assessment software, developed by Dr. Gregory Norris at Sylvatica, is used to estimate upstream emissions associated with material …

Regulation Of Mammalian Photoreceptor Phosphodiesterase (Pde) By Its Noncatalytic Gaf Domains And Its Two Small Subunits, Gamma And Delta, Hongmei Mou

Doctoral Dissertations

cGMP phosphodiesterase (PDE) is the central effector of visual transduction in retinal rod photoreceptors. The overall goal of this work was to investigate the possible regulatory mechanisms of PDE in mammalian rod photoreceptors by its noncatalytic cGMP binding sites on the PDE catalytic dimer (Palphabeta), and by the interactions between the inhibitory Pgamma subunit and Palphabeta in their phosphorylated and non-phosphorylated states.

First, the binding of cGMP to the noncatalytic sites on membrane-associated PDE (PDE-M) and soluble PDE (PDE-S) was characterized. We found that PDE-M holoenzyme contains 2 non-identical high-affinity cGMP binding sites; one of the cGMP binding sites is …

Multi -Mission Attitude Determination System For Balloon Flight, Liping Mo

Doctoral Dissertations

MADS (Multi-mission Attitude Determination System) is a new software package used to determine the attitude of instruments on a high-altitude balloon employed for scientific experiments. There is no existing system for the automated determination of the attitude of instruments in balloon experiments, so we have developed MADS to do the data analysis for balloon experiments to find the location of astrophysical sources such as gamma-ray or x-ray sources.

The two areas that required most work were modeling star trackers and modeling the motion of the balloon. Star trackers are used on satellites, but are far too expensive and sophisticated to …

Mathematical Modeling For Fabricating A Microstructure With A Pre-Specified Geometry Using Laser -Induced Chemical Vapor Deposition, Chaoyang Zhang

Doctoral Dissertations

Laser-induced chemical vapor deposition (LCVD) is an emerging new technique with many practical applications. To optimize the system for fabricating a microstructure with a pre-specified geometry in pyrolytic LCVD, a three-dimensional mathematical model is developed for predicting temperature distributions and laser dwell times across the substrate scanned by the laser beam. A microstructure is fabricated layer by layer, and for each layer the laser beam moves from one pixel to the next. The complicated correlations among temperature distribution, deposit growth rate, and laser dwell time are investigated. A purely heterogeneous reaction is assumed and any gas-phase transport is ignored.

A …

A Study Of Mathematics Course Sequence And Student Performance In Mathematics In A Block Scheduled High School, John Harvell Moody

Doctoral Dissertations

The 1983 study of the condition of American Education, A Nation at Risk, brought a significant amount of attention to the way in which schools provided students with the skills necessary to be productive citizens. Many of the recommendations contained in A Nation at Risk focused on the perceived poor performance of American students when compared to their counterparts worldwide. The year after publication of A Nation at Risk, the National Commission on Time and Learning published Prisoners of Time, a report that called for the establishment of high academic standards for students and a major restructuring of the school …

War, Reform And State -Building In Brazil And In The United States: Slavery, Emancipation And Decision -Making Processes In The Paraguayan And Civil Wars (1861--1870), Vitor Izecksohn

Doctoral Dissertations

The present dissertation undertakes a comparative-historical analysis of the impact of the American Civil War and the Paraguayan War on the American and the Brazilian populations. It investigates how both war's dynamics interfered with the social orders existent in both countries. It underlines the impact of recruitment to show how the pronounced growth of each national state during wartime interfered with the lives and customs of the populations subjected to the draft.

War mobilization is always a dramatic event in any society. Increasing government intervention during wartime normally leads to a temporary invasion of local prerogatives through recruitment and mobilization. …

Learning And Understanding In Abstract Algebra, Bradford Reed Findell

Doctoral Dissertations

Students' learning and understanding in an undergraduate abstract algebra class were described using Tall and Vinner's notion of a concept image, which is the entire cognitive structure associated with a concept, including examples, nonexamples, definitions, representations, and results. Prominent features and components of students' concept images were identified for concepts of elementary group theory, including group, subgroup, isomorphism, coset, and quotient group.

Analysis of interviews and written work from five students provided insight into their concept images, revealing ways they understood the concepts. Because many issues were related to students' uses of language and notation, the analysis was essentially semiotic, …

Life On The Edge: Community And Trade On The Anglo -American Periphery, Pemaquid, Maine, 1610--1689, Neill De Paoli

Doctoral Dissertations

Seventeenth-century New England's northern frontier has been an important but poorly understood place of contact between a diverse array of English, French, and Indian actors who traded, socialized, and fought with one another over land, commercial and political alliances. The English fishing settlement of Pemaquid was a key player in this world. Pemaquid emerged as one of New England's earliest year-round settlements after its beginning as a migratory fishing station in the early 1610s. In those early years, Pemaquid benefited and paid for its strategic position on the northern edge of New England. It was situated in a region that …

Maasai Oxen, Agriculture And Land Use Change In Monduli District, Tanzania, Andrew Bernard Conroy

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation examines the sustainability of the use of oxen by the Maasai and Arusha (WaArusha) people, in Monduli District, Tanzania. Traditionally pastoralists, the Maasai are undergoing a social and agricultural transformation process of sedentarization in this region. The villages included in the case study were Arkatan, Engaruka, Esilalei, Lashaine, Lendikenya, Lolkisale, Losirwa, Mbuyuni, Mswakini, and Selela. Using semi-structured interviews the heads of 130 Maasai homesteads (bomas), as well as, other informants were interviewed. The history, issues of technology transfer and future prospects of animal traction were examined, as well as, the obstacles and constraints facing the Maasai in their …

Children's Song-Makers As Messengers Of Hope: Participatory Research With Implications For Teacher Educators, Peter J. Baird

Doctoral Dissertations

Pete Seeger, Ella Jenkins, Suni Paz and six other leading children's musicians in the U.S contributed their experience to this study about the crucial role of music and singing for social justice in children's lives and its shrinking presence in U.S. pre-school and elementary schools. The study built its theoretical framework on arts and music education, transformative education, and folk and socially conscious children's music. Participatory research, based on the revolutionary education theories of Paulo Freire, guided the dialogues with the participants. These activist singer-songwriters were asked how they define social justice, how they involve children in singing, and what …

Coming To Voice: Exploring The Experiences Of Teacher Education And Special Education Professors Of African Descent In Institutions Of Higher Education, Kimberly L. Mayfield

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to explore the perceptions of employment experiences and the pursuit of promotion and tenure by teacher education and special education professors of African descent. This study investigated the perceptions held by teacher education and special education professors of African descent in the areas of recruitment, retention and the tenure and promotion process. Lastly, the present study engaged in an inquiry with these professors regarding their perceptions of critical areas of research needed to improve educational equity and achievement for African American students. This population was encouraged to reflect on these areas in terms …

Sources Of Empowerment For Native American Women: Pomo Women's Critical Reflections, Heidi F. Morgan

Doctoral Dissertations

The main purpose of this study was to explore from the perspective of Pomo women, the sources of empowerment that enabled them to overcome oppressive experiences in their lives. Through the process of participatory research, the participants were asked to identify strategies or factors that enabled them to overcome those oppressive barriers in an empowering instead of selfdestructive manner. Participants were also asked to name existing problems young Native American women face today, utilizing Paulo Freire's (1994a) approach of problem posing and action.

The women then discussed what guidance they would offer to young Native Women struggling with issues like …

The Impact Of Training On The Attitudes Of Mental Health Professionals Toward Borderline Personality Disorder, Suzanne R. Fraser

Doctoral Dissertations

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Searches For Neutral Higgs Bosons In Quark-Antiquark Tau-Antitau Final States Using The Opal Detector At Lep, James Andrew Hocker '91

Doctoral Dissertations

Searches for neutral Higgs bosons have been performed with the OPAL detector at LEP. Approximately 170 /pb of e+e- collision data at a center-of-mass energy of 189 GeV have been used to search for the SM process e+e- to HZ as well as for the processes e+e- to hZ and e+e- to hA which occur in extended Higgs theories. The searches are sensitive to final states containing quarks and tau leptons, for which an artificial neural network for the identification of tau leptons was designed. The results have been combined with OPAL searches for other final states to obtain a …

Religious Involvement And Dispositional Characteristics As Predictors Of Work Attitudes And Behaviors, Tami Leigh Knotts

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to empirically examine the effects of (1) religious involvement on job attitudes, (2) dispositions on job attitudes, and (3) religious involvement on workplace behaviors. This study also assessed whether job attitudes mediated the effect of religious involvement an workplace behaviors or the interaction effect of religious involvement and dispositional characteristics on workplace behaviors.

Higher levels of religious involvement were hypothesized to lead to more positive work attitudes and behaviors. Conservative and self-transcendent values along with positive well-being were expected to lead to positive attitudes at work. The effect of religious involvement on work behaviors …

The Importance Of Communication Skills: Perceptions Of Is Professionals, Is Managers, And Users, Ruth A. Spurlock Miller

Doctoral Dissertations

Information systems (IS) research has shown that communication skills tend to be more important than technical skills to IS staff in project development activities. Yet, research findings indicate that IS staff are lacking in the communication skills they need to interact successfully with users and managers during systems development. Thus, the two purposes of this research were (1) to determine whether IS staff, IS managers, and IS users differ in their perceptions of important communication skills that IS staff need and (2) if differences do exist, to assess the impact of the differences on user satisfaction with IS product and …

Fluid Flow In Micro-Channels: A Stochastic Approach, Hilda Marino Black

Doctoral Dissertations

In this study free molecular flow in a micro-channel was modeled using a stochastic approach, namely the Kolmogorov forward equation in three dimensions. Model equations were discretized using Central Difference and Backward Difference methods and solved using the Jacobi method. Parameters were used that reflect the characteristic geometry of experimental work performed at the Louisiana Tech University Institute for Micromanufacturing.

The solution to the model equations provided the probability density function of the distance traveled by a particle in the micro-channel. From this distribution we obtained the distribution of the residence time of a particle in the micro-channel. Knowledge of …

Effect Of Cooperative Learning (Student Teams -Achievement Divisions) On African American And Caucasian Students' Interracial Friendships, James Edward Cook

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to gauge the impact of cooperative learning teams on interracial friendships. The participants were 256 sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students in English classes (20% African American and 80% Caucasian) at a rural middle school in Louisiana. After delivery of instruction, the experimental group studied worksheets in teams, received rewards based upon the team's performance, and received individual grades based upon individual exam scores. The control group studied worksheets individually and received individual grades. This eight week study utilized the sociometric question, “Who are your friends in this class?” as the pretest and posttest …

A Hybrid Finite Element-Finite Difference Method For Thermal Analysis In A Double-Layered Thin Film, Teng Zhu

Doctoral Dissertations

Thin film technology is of vital importance in microtechnology applications. For instance, thin films of metals, of dielectrics such as SiO2, or Si semiconductors are important components of microelectronic devices. The reduction of the device size to the microscale has the advantage of enhancing the switching speed of the device. The reduction, on the other hand, increases the rate of heat generation that leads to a high thermal load on the microdevice. Heat transfer at the microscale with an ultrafast pulsed-laser is also a very important process for thin films. Hence, studying the thermal behavior of thin films or of …

Orthogonal Grid Generation, Non-Reflecting Boundary Condition, And Parallel Computation For Fluid Flow, Shaopeng Sun

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to investigate one of the most interesting areas in computational fluid dynamics. The content of this paper is divided into three parts. The first part is the orthogonal grid generation. The second part is the non-reflecting boundary condition in curvilinear coordinates. The third part is parallel computation by Message Passing Interface.

The grid generation method is presented by solving elliptic partial difference equations. The elliptic grid generation method is based on the use of composite mapping, which consists of a non-linear algebraic transformation and an elliptic transformation. The elliptic transformation is based on the …

Bulk Micromachining Of Silicon For Moems Prototype, Sung-Dong Suh

Doctoral Dissertations

In this dissertation, the optical application of silicon micromachining technology was investigated in order to create the three-dimensional microstructures that can be used as the components for the MOEMS prototype. These microstructures were designed and fabricated by utilizing corner compensation techniques and silicon bulk micromachining technologies. The fabricated microstructures are silicon mirror arrays that have a 1250 μm etch depth and through-holes across the OE-MCM substrate that has sixteen-fan-out OCDN on front side and a 1mm thickness.

Guided-wave OCDN on MCMs are designed and fabricated to meet the high-speed clocking requirements of next-generation digital systems through a realization of superior …

Kinetics Of Laser Chemical Vapor Deposition Of Carbon And Refractory Metals, Feng Gao

Doctoral Dissertations

Three-dimensional laser chemical vapor deposition (3D-LCVD) has been used to grow rods of carbon, tungsten, titanium, and hafnium from a variety of hydrocarbons and metal halide-based precursors. A novel computerized 3D-LCVD system was designed and successfully used in the experiments. A focused Nd:Yag laser beam (λ = 1.06 μm) was utilized to locally heat up a substrate to deposition temperature. The rods, which grew along the axis of the laser beam, had a typical diameter of 30–80 μm and a length of about 1 mm. The precursors for carbon deposition were the alkynes: propyne, butyne, pentyne, hexyne, and octyne. Propyne …