Digital Commons Network^™

Measuring Prosocial Behavior Through The Implementation Of A Violence Prevention Intervention, Erin Lindsey Martin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Childhood aggression is the best-known behavioral predictor of future social adjustment difficulties. Children with early onset aggression are likely to engage in aggressive behavior throughout the life course (Hester, Baltodano, Gable, & Tonelson, 2003). Early aggressive behavior is also strongly associated with later criminal behavior and deviant peer relations, poor school achievement, school dropout, and unemployment (Haemaelaeinen & Pulkinnen, 1996; Hay & Pawlby, 2003; Kokko, Tremblay, Lacourse, Nagin, & Vitaro, 2006; Scourfield, John, Martin, & McGuffin, 2004). Recently, researchers have focused on determining the positive behaviors that could potentially stop aggressive situations from progressing. These helping behaviors are defined broadly …

Determination Of Trivalent And Hexavalent Chromium With Mass Balance In Dietary Supplements Using Speciated Isotope Dilution Mass Spectrometry, Naudia Martone

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In order to assess the benefit or toxicity of chromium in dietary supplements, trivalent chromium and hexavalent chromium must be measured and verified with mass balance (sum of both species equaling total chromium). This is necessary because dietary supplements report trivalent chromium, an essential trace element, as an ingredient, but hexavalent chromium, a toxic carcinogen, may also be present. Because trivalent chromium is stable in acidic conditions and hexavalent chromium in alkaline conditions, interconversions between species occur and increase the difficulty of quantification. Therefore, EPA Method 3060A was first performed to extract hexavalent chromium. Then, EPA Method 3052 was performed …

Graduate Recital, Collaborative Piano, Catherine Muldowney

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Throughout my graduate work, I focused on studying the music of Brahms and the differences between solo music, chamber music, and vocal music. The art songs found in this program portray a variety of tempos and characters, and when combined with the selected solo piano pieces, they show the journey of love. Beginning with Serious Song No. 4, Brahms shows us that love is the greatest gift. Then, he leads us through the journey of love through a child's eyes, O wüsst' ich doch den Weg; new love, Meine Liebe ist grün; married love, Das Mädchen spricht; the first signs …

Wallace Stegner's Wolf Willow And 1960s Critical Essays: Renarrativizing Western American Literature For The West And For America, Ruth Newberry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As writer, essayist, environmentalist, and westerner, Wallace Earle Stegner (1909-1993) confronted what he understood to be an imagined and literal American West constructed by myths of frontier conquest, pioneer settlement in and transformation of the western landscape, and cowboy exceptionalism that erased an historical legacy of hardship, failure, and destruction of land and people, and also a West constructed by Eastern publishers and literary critics who diminished western American literature to local color writing. In Wolf Willow: A History, a Story, and a Memory of the Last Plains Frontier (1962), Stegner uses fiction, history, and memoir to engage the mythic …

Attachment And Anxiety In Aggressive Children And Adolescents, Erinn Obeldobel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There is rising concern among the general public regarding childhood aggression and its impact on society. This study sought to further the understanding of childhood aggression by examining the variables of anxiety and current attachment in an aggressive population of youth. There is a substantial body of research that relates poor attachment to aggressive-related behaviors (e.g., Allen, Hauser, Borman-Spurrell, 1996; Gacono & Meloy, 1994; Meesters & Muris, 2002; NICHD-ECCRN, 2006; Simons, Paternite, & Shore, 2001). In comparison to the research on the relationship between attachment and aggression in children and adolescents, the relationship between anxiety and aggression is more contradictory …

Optimization Of Calcium Aluminate For Use As A Bone Scaffold Material Through Physical And Chemical Surface Modification, Rachelle Nicole Palchesko

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Calcium aluminates were tested as biomaterials and show promise as bone scaffolds. Initial concerns of biocompatibility led the field to focus on calcium phosphates. Here, the work focused on improving the biocompatibility and creating an optimized calcium aluminate biomaterial. To accomplish this, the physical and interfacial properties of the material were varied. The physical properties of the calcium aluminate were varied through the room temperature casting procedure and five different mixtures were created and evaluated for mechanical strength and biotolerability. The results showed that the optimal mixture had an average pore size of approximately 100 µm and that autoclaving the …

Influence Of Vegetation On Sediment Bacterial Community Structure, Microbial Enzyme Activities And Phosphorus Retention In Constructed Freshwater Wetlands, Rani Menon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Agricultural activities are major sources of non-point pollutants causing eutrophication. Constructed wetlands are used as a best management practice for sequestration of nutrients from agricultural runoff. This dissertation focuses on the influence of vegetation on bacterial community structure, microbial enzyme activities, and phosphorus retention capacity of constructed wetland systems. A greenhouse experiment was conducted using unvegetated or vegetated mesocosms with Juncus effusus, Carex lurida or Dichanthelium acuminatum var. acuminatum in monoculture or mixed culture.

To study the influence of vegetation on the bacterial community structure and microbial enzyme activities, sediment samples were taken from monoculture mesocosms in the greenhouse. β-1,4-glucosidase, …

Bp's Use Of Twitter As A Crisis Communication Tool During The Gulf Oil Spill Crisis Response Phase, Lindsay Ann Jordan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

On April 20, 2010, British Petroleum's Deepwater Horizon drilling rig located in the Gulf of Mexico exploded, creating the largest oil spill in U.S. history. BP launched a major public relations response that targeted its online audience through strategic use of its corporate website, Twitter feed, Facebook page, YouTube channel, and Flickr photostream. This content analysis examines BP's use of Twitter during the crisis response phase of the oil spill. BP tweeted on 1,161 occasions from the time of the explosion to the capping of the well. All tweets during this 13-week period were coded by two separate coders to …

Part A: Studies Towards Total Synthesis Of An Anticancer And Antifungal Natural Product, Pseudolaric Acid B; Part B: Synthesis And Biological Evaluation Of Berkeleyamide A And Its Derivatives, Swapnil Jayant Kulkarni

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Part A: Studies towards total synthesis of an antifungal and anticancer agent, Pseudolaric acid B. Marked by the uncontrolled cell proliferation, cancer is one of the deadliest diseases, accounting for about 7.0 million deaths in 2007. Cancer is second leading cause of death worldwide, according to the American Cancer Society. Cancer chemotherapy has evolved through many years of painstaking research, and as a result, today we are able to cure at least some of cancers. One of the major impediments in the development of new drugs for treating cancer is that most of the approved drugs are themselves toxic and …

Avian Cerebellum Specialization In Relation To Acrobatic Courtship Displays In Manakins (Pipridae), Steven Ray Wilkening

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The courtship displays of male manakins (Pipridae) involve an array of acrobatic and postural elements. Previously it was found that species with elaborate displays exhibit specializations in motor planning and coordination areas of the brain. Several studies have suggested a relationship between cerebellum (Cb) morphology and distinct motor-related functions for the anterior Cb (somatosensory, flying, hopping/walking), posterior Cb (vision, audition, flying, hopping/walking), and vestibular Cb (flying, hopping/walking, vestibular). The anterior, posterior and vestibular Cb as well as basic morphological features of the Cb were measured and tested for a relationship with courtship display complexity in manakins. I compared Cb morphology …

Seismic Tomography For The Integrity Assessment Of Earthen Dams And Levees., Leti Teklu Wodajo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Dams are a vital part of a nation's infrastructure. Considering the fact that many of the dams in the United States have approached or are approaching their projected life expectancy of 50 years, these critical infrastructures represent a risk to public safety. Minimizing this risk requires an ongoing safety inspection, monitoring, maintenance and rehabilitation program. This research examines the use of a non-invasive geophysical seismic method to provide additional information where the usual visual inspection is insufficient and the comboring investigation is not an option. Even though seismic techniques provide valuable information of the subsurface strata, the interpretation is not …

Development Of Molecular And Cellular Imaging Tools To Evaluate Gene And Cell Based Therapeutic Strategies In Vivo, Jixiang Xia

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Molecular imaging modalities are important tools to evaluate the efficacy of gene delivery systems and cell-based therapies. Development and application of these modalities will advance our understanding of the mechanism of transgene expression and cell fate and functions. Physical gene transfer methods hold many advantages over viral vectors among gene therapeutic strategies. Here, we evaluated the efficacy of biolistic (“gene gun”) gene targeting to tissues with non-invasive bioluminescence imaging (BLI) methods. Plasmids carrying the firefly luciferase reporter gene were transfected into mouse skin and liver using biolistics, and BLI was measured at various time points after transfer. With optimized DNA …

Design And Optimization Of A Wave Energy Harvester Utilizing A Flywheel Energy Storage System, Steven Alexander Helkin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis details the design and optimization of a buoy used to collect renewable energy from ocean waves. The proposed buoy is a point absorber—a device that transforms the kinetic energy of the vertical motion of surface waves into electrical energy. The focus of the research is on the mechanical system used to collect the energy, and methods to improve it for eventual use in an actual wave energy harvester. A flywheel energy storage system was utilized in order to provide an improved power output from the system, even with the intermittent input of force exerted by ocean waves. A …

New Perspectives On The Quatrefoil In Classic Maya Iconography The Center And The Portal, Rachel K. Egan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The quatrefoil is a pan-Mesoamerican symbol with considerable time-depth. For the Maya, use of the symbol peaked during the Classic Period, reaching its highest frequency and largest geographical spread. Consequently, understanding its meaning has the potential to illuminate information about Precolumbian Maya worldview. While there have been several studies that focus on Preclassic Period quatrefoils, a similar study is lacking for Classic Period. Furthermore, the evaluations of the quatrefoil that do exist for the Classic Period are limited, often focusing on a select few examples. This thesis attempts to rectify the gap in extant research through an examination of the …

The Relationship Between Number Of Toys, Infant Distractibility, And Mothers' Teaching Utterances, Lap Van Nguyen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship among the number of toys in an infant’s play environment, infant’s distractibility, and how often a mother teaches her infant during a play session. This study takes samples from videotapes of 12-month old children playing with their mothers during a 5 minute free-play situation. Twenty-two mother and infant pairs were selected for this study based on their previous participation in a language study. The measures used in this study were: (1) the number of maternal teaching utterances to her infant; (2) the total number of utterances that mother used during …

Stable Carbon And Nitrogen Isotope Analyses Of Subfossil Rats From Liang Bua (Flores, Indonesia), Kelly C. Anderson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research study investigated the level of bone collagen preservation of rat femora from Liang Bua cave on the island of Flores, Indonesia, as well as conducted carbon and nitrogen stable isotopic analyses on well preserved samples. Although Flores is located in a hot intermediate tropical zone and the burial environment of the bone samples within the cave is considered less than optimal for collagen preservation, significant preservation of the bone collagen was found. Collagen yields, C:N ratio and carbon and nitrogen concentrations were investigated. However, this research study argues that carbon and nitrogen concentrations are an appropriate means to …

Birth Of A Mother, Ashley Rae Curran

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Birth of a Mother is a memoir that tells the story of how my unplanned pregnancy helps me to transform from a damaged adolescent into an empowered mother. Using a first person, present tense narrative, I relive the nine months leading up to the unmedicated home birth of my first child, exploring the conflicts I faced over my obesity, over having no job and no place to call home, and over developing a relationship with a man who was not the baby's father. Weaving in past tense vignettes, I attempt to show how I prepared myself for impending motherhood by …

The Relationship Among Perceptual And Objective Reflux Measures In Singers, Adam Thomas Lloyd

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) is currently one of the most prevalent conditions associated with voice disorders being treated in voice care centers worldwide. Many singers experience voice related disturbances but are unaware that these disturbances may be the result of LPR. The purpose of this study was to quantify the perceptual symptoms and objective measures of LPR in a population of singers in order to understand the relationship between perceived symptoms, laryngeal findings, and evidence of acid exposure to the larynx. The Reflux Symptom Index (RSI), Reflux Finding Score (RFS), and the Dx-pH monitoring system were used to quantify participant symptoms, …

Modeling Mass Care Resource Provision Post Hurricane, Tammy Marie Muhs

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Determining the amount of resources needed, specifically food and water, following a hurricane is not a straightforward task. Through this research effort, an estimating tool was developed that takes into account key demographic and evacuation behavioral effects, as well as hurricane storm specifics to estimate the number of meals required for the first fourteen days following a hurricane making landfall in the State of Florida. The Excel based estimating tool was created using data collected from four hurricanes making landfall in Florida during 2004-2005. The underlying model used in the tool is a Regression Decision Tree with predictor variables including …

The Effectiveness Of Virtual Humans Vs. Pre-Recorded Humans In A Standardized Patient Performance Assessment, Joel Palathinkal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A Standardized Patient (SP) is a trained actor who portrays a particular illness to provide training to medical students and professionals. SPs primarily use written scripts and additional paper-based training for preparation of practical and board exams. Many institutions use various methods for training such as hiring preceptors for reenactment of scenarios, viewing archived videos, and computer based training. Currently, the training that is available can be enhanced to improve the level of quality of standardized patients. The following research is examining current processes in standardized patient training and investigating new methods for clinical skills education in SPs. The modality …

Biology, Ecology And Control Of The Invasive Channeled Apple Snail, Pomacea Canaliculata, Christina M. Trexler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Invasive species are detrimental to native biotas worldwide. Recently, Florida was invaded by a freshwater snail (Pomacea canaliculata) native to Argentina. This snail is a serious pest of rice crops in Asia, but little is known about its interactions within Florida ecosystems. Possible competitive exclusion of the native congener (P. paludosa) is a concern because it is the almost exclusive prey of the federally endangered Everglades snail kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis). My research consisted of three parts. First, to identify possible methods to control P. canaliculata in the egg stage, I experimentally evaluated the effects of photoperiod, substrate availability, and food …

The Effects Of Using An Interactive Student Notebook On The Understanding Of The Concepts And Algorithms Of Addition And Subtraction Of Fractions And Mixed Numbers For Fifth Grade Mathematics Students, Brian J. Twar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this action research study was to observe the effectiveness of the utilization of an instructional tool in my three mathematics classes. Using a tool, called an Interactive Student Notebook, or ISN, the goal was to equip my students with a tool that would allow them to take and keep daily notes as well as conduct guided and independent practice in an organized fashion. I believed that my students would therefore utilize their notes and class work as a reference and study tool to assist them with their homework as well as studying for assessments. Weak to moderate …

Young Thinkers, Jaclyn Ann Elgeness

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Young Thinkers is a collection of short fiction dealing with what it means to earn wisdom in the twenty-first century. When our phones can remember everything for us, and we’re plagued by a sense that everything has already been said and digitally cataloged, insight becomes even more important, particularly to the thoughtful characters explored throughout the collection. The prolonged American adolescence facilitated by the economic crisis, as well as the societal acceptance of marrying and having children much later in life, creates an atmosphere of intense self-doubt. A young man working at a gas station after college witnesses a high …

Are We Becoming Superhuman Cyborgs? How Technomorphism Influences Our Perceptions Of The World Around Us, Heather Christina Lum

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Although traditionally researchers have focused on making robotics more user-friendly from a human perspective, a new theory has begun to take shape in which humans take on the perspective of a robotic entity. The following set of studies examined the concept of technomorphism defined as the attribution of technological characteristics to humans. This concept has been mentioned anecdotally and studied indirectly, but there is nothing currently available to tap in to the various forms that technomorphism may take. Therefore, one goal of this dissertation was to develop a scale to fill that purpose. The results of the Technomorphic Tendencies Scale …

Monitoring Long-Term Controlled Grave Scenarios Using Ground Penetrating Radar, William T. Hawkins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Geophysical techniques, such as ground-penetrating radar (GPR), have been successfully used by law enforcement agencies to locate graves and forensic evidence. However, more controlled research is needed to better understand the potential and limitations of this technology in the forensic context. The goal of this study was to determine the potential of GPR using both a 250 MHz and 500 MHz antennae to monitor eight controlled graves with six different burial scenarios using pig carcasses as human proxy cadavers. In addition, a conductivity meter was employed to determine the applicability of using this technology to locate unmarked graves. For the …

Wires And Light, Ashley Inguanta

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Wires and Light is an experimental story cycle composed of fiction and hybrid pieces, which blend poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction together. The characters in these pieces are propelled by uncertainty and a strong desire to be connected to places, people. If these characters do find the connections they are searching for, most of these ―joining‖ moments are fleeting. A girl, straight out of high school, misses her ―wonder boy,‖ befriends a woman nearly a decade older, fists her in the desert while California‘s on fire. A woman who dives horses off the Atlantic City Steel Pier is forced to …

Variability Of Carbon Stock In Florida Flatwoods Ecosystems Undergoing Restoration And Management, Kathryn Elizabeth Becker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The global community is struggling with mitigating the effects of widespread habitat loss and degradation; the effects of which are being further magnified in the face of global climate change. Quality natural habitat is becoming increasingly limited and atmospheric carbon levels continue to rise. Therefore, land managers responsible for multiuse management are often faced with the dilemma of managing ecosystems for biodiversity, as well as optimizing ecosystem services such as carbon storage and sequestration. However, some management techniques used to meet these objectives may yield conflicting results, specifically, the management tool of prescribed fire. Fire is crucial in maintaining species …

Stem Cell Biology And Strategies For Therapeutic Development In Degenerative Diseases And Cancer, Angel A. Alvarez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Stem cell biology is an exciting field that will lead to significant advancements in science and medicine. We hypothesize that inducing the expression of stem cell genes, using the embryonic stem cell gene nanog, will reprogram cells and dedifferentiate human mesenchymal stem cells into pluripotent stem cells capable of neural differentiation. The aims of initial studies are as follows: Aim 1: Demonstrate that forced expression of the embryonic stem cell gene nanog induces changes in human mesenchymal stem cells to an embryonic stem cell-like phenotype. Aim 2: Demonstrate that induced expression of nanog up-regulates the expression of multiple embryonic stem …

A Cultural-Historical Activity Theory Analysis Of Factors Affecting Technology Adoption By Higher Education Program Faculty, Rolando Jose Marquez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: Researchers have revealed that among the reasons provided as barriers to the adoption of technology are: lack of technology resources, time, professional development and support (National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education, 1997; Parker, 1996; Sheldon & Jones, 1996; Sheldon & Jones, 1996; NCATE, 1997; Shelly, Gunter & Gunter, 2010, U.S. Congress, 1995). Several models used to explain the usage of technology within education such as the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) have been somewhat ineffective in explaining or providing a holistic view of the factors that come into play when examining technology infusion and diffusion as they …

Applications Of Airborne And Portable Lidar In The Structural Determination, Management, And Conservation Of Southeastern U.S. Pine Forests, Claudia De Mendonca Costa Synek Listopad

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Active remote sensing techniques, such as Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), have transformed the field of forestry and natural resource management in the last decade. Intensive assessments of forest resources and detailed structural assessments can now be accomplished faster and at multiple landscape scales. The ecological applications of having this valuable information at-hand are still only being developed. This work explores the use of two active remote sensing techniques, airborne and portable LiDAR for forestry applications in a rapidly changing landscape, Southeastern Coastal Pine woodlands. Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of airborne and portable LiDAR, the tools used to extract …