Digital Commons Network^™

Depression, Volition, And Death: The Effect Of Depressive Disorders On The Autonomous Choice To Forgo Medical Treatment, Matthew Butkus

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many contemporary models of medical ethics champion patient autonomy to counterbalance historically paternalistic decision-making processes. These models tend to suggest an autonomous agent free from cognitive bias and systematic distortion (e.g., Kantian or Cartesian rational agents). Evidence is emerging from the fields of cognitive psychology, cognitive science, and neuroscience that fundamentally challenge this cognitive model, demonstrating the dependence of cognition on deeper, avolitional structures (e.g., backstage cognition, cognitive heuristics and biases, automaticity, emotionally-valenced memory, etc.), and hence, shifting the cognitive model towards reductionistic and deterministic philosophies and psychologies. Medical ethics models must adapt their sense of autonomy in light of …

Telementoring And Computer Mediated Discussions: A Description Of Online Instructors' Support, Mary Sue Cicciarelli

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate online instructors' characteristics and preferences concerning telementors' characteristics and role during a computer mediated discussion. In addition, this work looked for relationships between online instructors' characteristics in correlation to their support for the utilization of telementoring. Two thousand online instructors from a convenience sample received a request to participate email that contained a link to an anonymous contingency survey. Of those contacted, 323 instructors responded to the survey. Online instructors responded to questions about their characteristics, level of support for telementoring, and perceptions on a telementor's characteristics and roles. Spearman rho tests …

Model Validation For Aqua Ammonia Scrubber Process And Exploratory Research Into Alkyltin Pollutants: Alkyltin Method Evaluations, Kathleen Stutz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

NETL Project Abstract: This study constitutes an application of electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (ESI/TOF-MS) for the analysis of aqueous ammonia chemical species produced in a model reactor developed by The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) of the US Department of Energy. The reactor is the result of experimental research performed by NETL on applying aqueous ammonia solution for the simultaneous reduction of acidic gaseous emission from fossil fuel-fired utility plants. The goal of using ESI/TOF-MS was to evaluate NETL process efficiency through analysis of the aqueous ammonia species present at various points aqua ammonia scrubber process, and to validate …

Microbial Transformation Of Arsenic And The Characterization Of Clostridium Sp. Strain Ohilas, Edward Fisher

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The impact of electron donor (acetate, pyruvate, lactate, formate, and hydrogen) and arsenate concentration (1, 5, 10, and 20 mM) on microbial arsenate reduction in freshwater sediments from the Ohio River, Pittsburgh PA was investigated. Hydrogen (with acetate as the carbon source) appeared to be the best electron donor and 5 mM sodium arsenate the most effective for both growth and orpiment (As2S3) production. A mesophilic, spore-forming, motile, low-mole %GC gram-positive bacterium was isolated from Ohio River sediments on medium with 20 mM lactate and 10 mM arsenate. Although pH 8 was optimal for growth, 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis …

Solid-Phase Induction Of Xenopus Laevis Animal Caps By Fgf-2: A Novel Developmental Approach, Peter Maropis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cells become different in development due to induction, a ligand-mediated cell interaction. This type of interaction is an area of intense research for developmental biologists studying the effects of different growth factors (during development). The conventional approach to induction with Xenopus Laevis, African Clawed Frog, employs placing cells or tissues in a growth factor solution. This design reveals an enormous amount of information and insight into developmental processes, but it is not an accurate approach to simulate in vivo conditions. Here, I use a novel approach, termed solid-phase induction, as a more realistic and controllable approach. I utilize a glass …

Nietzsche's Dialogic Ethic After Illusion: Rhetoric And Difference, John Prellwitz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

What is the nature of the relationship between communication ethics and rhetoric? How may study of the interplay between dialogue as a communication ethic and ground of rhetoric contribute to greater understanding and constructive meeting of the narrative and virtue contention that characterizes the contemporary postmodern historical moment? A prominent alleged source of postmodern value contention and a neglected source for advancing the study of the interpenetration of ethics and rhetoric, Friedrich Nietzsche, as a novel hermeneutic entry to engage these questions and demarcates the fields of inquiry this study addresses.

The present work begins with meeting the contemporary historical …

A Mechanistic Evaluation Of How Melatonin Enhances Alkaline Phosphatase Activity In Human Adult Mesenchymal Stem Cells, Nicholas Radio

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Current osteoporosis therapy is directed toward inhibiting the activity of bone-resorbing osteoclasts. Decreased bone producing osteoblast efficiency however, is largely responsible for osteoporosis development. Therefore, novel osteoporosis treatments should stimulate osteoblast formation and activity. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to determine melatonin's role and subsequent mechanism(s) involved in differentiating human adult mesenchymal stem cells (hAMSCs) into osteoblasts as assessed by alkaline phosphatase activity (ALP) and determine whether receptor compartmentalization facilitates these signaling mechanisms. Melatonin significantly increased osteogenic medium-induced alkaline phosphatase activity, an enzyme associated with functional osteoblasts, indicating melatonin enhances osteoblast differentiation. The mitogen activated protein kinase signaling …

The Effects Of Sex And Reproductive Condition On Chemosensory Communication In The Terrestrial Salamander, Plethodon Shermani, Stephanie Schubert

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Non-volatile chemosensory cues may be detected by sensory neurons of the vomeronasal organ (VNO) and elicit changes in reproductive behavior and physiology of conspecifics. In the terrestrial salamander, Plethodon shermani, the VNO of males is larger than that of females, despite males' smaller overall body size. I hypothesized that a larger VNO reflects an enhanced ability to detect chemosensory cues, and that animals with elevated levels of steroid levels would be more sensitive to cues from the opposite sex.

Chemo-investigatory behavior was both sexually dimorphic and hormonally modulated. In contrast, responsiveness of the VNO (as measured by agmatine uptake, a …

Authentic Dasein As Pathway To Heideggerianism As A Political Philosophy - A Political Vibration Of Being And Time, Thomas Akpen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the history of Western philosophy, Martin Heidegger is the only philosopher after Plato and Aristotle to have seriously investigated the question of being. Instead of dwelling on particulars as previous philosophers did, Heidegger probes the question of being by investigating the being of the investigator of being. This being is Dasein, understood as human existence. Dasein is not just a thinking thing (res cogitans) or a political animal (politicus animalus), but essentially a being-in-the-world. Dasein has two modes of existence in its being-in-the-world -- inauthentic existence and authentic existence.

To exist inauthentically is to reject the clarion call of …

A Comparison Of Quality Of Life In Adult Patients With Heart Failure In Two Medical Settings: A Heart Failure Clinic And A Physician Practice, Janet Bischof

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Heart Failure (HF), a major chronic disease that affects 4.8 million Americans, traditionally is medically managed by a primary care physician, with acute treatment at hospital emergency rooms often followed by inpatient admission. Ongoing support (prevention, diagnosis, treatment, intervention, symptom management, and end of life care), education, and intervention over the continuum are important to manage HF. The Modeling Role Modeling theory (Erickson, Tomlin, and Swain), is the study's conceptual framework. When an individual knows about their illness, they mobilize internal/external resources to gain, maintain, or promote equilibrium. These resources affect daily activities. The purpose of this descriptive study is …

An Historical Study: The Translation Of The Mission And Vision Of The School Of Education Of Duquesne University Into Action Through The Major Pursuits And Achievements Of The Deans In Response To The Needs Of The Profession 1929 To 2004, Fred Webb

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Translation of the Mission and Vision of the School of Education of Duquesne University into Action Through the Major Pursuits and Achievements of the Deans in Response to the Needs of the Profession from 1929 to 2004, is an historical qualitative study based upon a document analysis of the public archive records at Duquesne University. This study traces the mission of the School of Education from its founding, the translation of the mission into visions by the Deans and their resulting actions, pursuits and major accomplishments. The purpose of the study is to document the translation of the mission …

German Culture As Reflected Through The Developments Of Two Children's Educational Television Programs, Tracy L. Case

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Five Stories / By Jonathan Tucker, Jonathan Tucker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Enhancing Vocabulary Acquisition Through Synthetic Learning Experiences: Implementing Virtual Field Trips Into Classrooms, Alicia Sanchez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A Synthetic Learning Environment (SLE) the Virtual Field Trip (VFT) was designed to increase vocabulary acquisition and knowledge by utilizing simulation based technologies and leveraging sound educational findings. Vocabulary acquisition is considered a prerequisite to becoming a good reader and therefore a critical predictor of academic and lifelong success for early learners, however, teachers report that students lack the real world knowledge required for vocabulary knowledge. The VFT provides a meaningful context for anchored and situated instruction. Second grade students were assigned to either use the VFT or to listen to stories read aloud by a researcher on a video …

The Effect Of School Culture On Science Education At An Elementary School: An Ethnographic Case Study, Lori Meier

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This ethnographic case study investigated one elementary school to understand how the school's culture influenced its science curriculum design and instruction. The main data was formal and informal semi-structured interviews with key teachers to understand their values, beliefs, practices, materials, and problems with science instruction. To triangulate these data, the researcher observed classroom practice, school-wide activities, and collected artifacts and documents. Data were analyzed using a theoretical framework that emphasizes that culture cannot be reduced to beliefs, values, practices, materials or problems, but rather each aspect of culture is interdependent and mutually reinforcing. The main finding suggests that the school's …

Identification Of System Design Features That Affect Sickness In Virtual Environments, Julie Drexler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The terms "simulator" and "VR" are typically used to refer to specific types of virtual environments (VEs) which differ in the technology used to display the simulated environment. While simulators and VR devices may offer advantages such as low cost training, numerous studies on the effects to humans of exposure to different VEs indicate that motion sickness-like symptoms are often produced during or after exposure to the simulated environment. These deleterious side effects have the potential to limit the utilization of VE systems if they jeopardize the health and/or safety of the user and create liability issues for the manufacturer. …

The Evolution Of French Identity: A Study Of The Huguenots In Colonial South Carolina, 1680-1740, Nancy Maurer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the changes that occurred in the French identity of Huguenot immigrants to colonial Carolina. In their pursuit of prosperity and religious toleration, the Huguenots' identity evolved from one of French religious refugees to that of white South Carolinians. How and why this evolution occurred is the focus of this study. Upon arriving in the colony in the 1680s and 1690s, the Huguenots' identity was based on several common factors: their French language, their Calvinist religion, and their French heritage. As the immigrant group began to build their new lives in Carolina, these identifying factors began to disappear. …

Challenging A Traditional Social Norm In A Second Grade Mathematics Classroom, Lisa Egendoerfer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In an attempt to examine classroom dialogue within a second grade classroom, I encouraged students to participate in mathematics discussions without needing to raise their hands before speaking. I challenged this traditional social norm and established sociomathematical norms as the study progressed. My study showed the effects of this change on the dialogue of students in my classroom. Focus was placed on the participation in classroom discussions when traditional social and sociomathematical norms were in place as well as when new norms were established. The study helped determine the effects of student-centered dialogue on conceptual understanding as demonstrated in the …

Working Memory, Search, And Signal Detection: Implications For Interactive Voice Response System Menu Design, Patrick Commarford

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many researchers and speech user interface practitioners assert that interactive voice response (IVR) menus must be relatively short due to constraints of the human memory system. These individuals commonly cite Miller's (1956) paper to support their claims. The current paper argues that these authors commonly misuse the information provided in Miller's paper and that hypotheses drawn from modern theories of working memory (e.g., Baddeley and Hitch, 1974) would lead to the opposite conclusion – that reducing menu length by creating a greater number of menus and a deeper structure will actually be more demanding on users' working memories and will …

The Effect Of Social Presence On Teacher Technology Acceptance, Continuance Intention, And Performance In An Online Teacher Professional Development Course, Jo Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) could explain the relationship between teacher's acceptance of an online teacher professional development course and their continuance intentions regarding online teacher professional development (oTPD). This study focused on the perceptions of the teachers as opposed to the design or implementation of oTPD. The participants (N=517) were mostly teachers (88.8%) enrolled in a statewide online course to provide classroom teachers with the latest knowledge of research-based instructional reading strategies. The course was offered over a 10-14 week period during the Spring 2006 semester through a public state …

In Transition: An Activity Theoretical Analysis Examining Electronic Portfolio Tools' Mediation Of The Preservice Teacher's Authoring Experience, Rebecca Fiedler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Co-chairs: Dr. Donna Baumbach Dr. Gail West Background: Electronic portfolios are increasingly used to make critical decisions about teacher candidates and program accreditation. Adoption rates for portfolios are at nearly 90% for schools, colleges, and departments of education (Salzman, Denner, & Harris, 2002). Over 50% of institutions who rated themselves or were nominated by others as exemplary users of electronic portfolios use web-based database-driven electronic portfolio systems (Strudler & Wetzel, 2005b; Wetzel & Strudler, 2005b). There is a paucity of theory-driven, systematic, rigorous research on electronic portfolios and a need for in-depth, context-aware research on such initiatives. Purpose: To explicate …

A Focus Group Of Adolescent Haitian Immigrants: Factors Affecting Their Perceptions Of Academic Success In A Florida Public High School, Mercedes Pichard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this ethnographic research was to examine the perceptions of academic success of adolescent Haitian immigrant students who have arrived in the United States within the last five years and attend a public high school in Florida. The Haitian students were asked to explain the tensions they perceive between Haitian societal and educational norms and beliefs and American ones, and explain their perceptions and concerns regarding success. The importance of their perceptions as influences on their behavior was related to Bandura's Social Cognitive Learning Theory. The relevance of certain questions concerning academic success for Haitian students was investigated …

Silence, Absence, And Mystery In Linda Hogan's Mean Spirit, Solar Storms, And Power, Kathryn Erickson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In Mean Spirit, Solar Storms, and Power, Linda Hogan uses the devices of silence, absence, and mystery to articulate the oppression and marginalization of Native Americans. Specifically, because of the environmental crises that produce conflict in each novel, the project benefits from ecocriticism, ecofeminism, and ecopsychology. Also, because of various interpretations that open up when silence is examined, theories of deconstruction strengthen the thesis. Ultimately, Hogan's characters move from silence as a form of tyranny to silence as a form of reconnection with tribal ways. As the characters discover pathways to native traditions, they also discover spiritual connections with the …

The Taino Are Still Alive, Taino Cuan Yahabo: An Example Of The Social Construction Of Race And Ethnicity, David Cintron

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Definitions and boundaries of race and ethnicity are socially constructed. They are malleable inventions created by the negotiation of ascribed ideas from outside groups and asserted notions from the inside group's membership. The revitalization of Taíno identity and culture within the Puerto Rican and related communities is a classic case example of this negotiation. Although objective conditions exist to recognize the descendants of these Caribbean aboriginals as an identifiable group, their identities are contested and sometimes ridiculed. Even though Taíno heritage is accepted as an essential root of Puerto Rico's cultural and biological make-up, this group has been classified as …

A Fluid Structure Interaction Model Of Intracoronary Atherosclerotic Plaque Rupture, Eric Teuma-Melago

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Plaque rupture with superimposed thrombosis is the primary cause of acute coronary syndromes of unstable angina, myocardial infarction and sudden death. Although intensive studies in the past decade have shed light on the mechanism that causes unstable atheroma, none has directly addressed the clinical observation that most myocardial infarction (MI) patients have moderate stenoses (less than 50%). Considering the important role the arterial wall compliance and pulsitile blood flow play in atheroma rupture, fluid-structure interaction (FSI) phenomenon has been of interest in recent studies. In this thesis, the impact is investigated numerically of coupled blood flow and structural dynamics on …

The Relationship Between Self-Reported Chronic Stress And Divided Attention Performance, Diane Petrac

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

While previous research has extensively examined the effect of acute stress on cognitive performance, relatively little research has explored the relationship between chronic stress and cognitive performance. The current study aimed to control for current state anxiety to better isolate more chronic stress, when examining the relationship with performance on divided attention tasks. Fifty-four university undergraduates, who self-reported a wide range of perceived chronic stress (10-item Perceived Stress Scale), completed the Trail-Making Test and a dual (auditory and visual) Continuous Performance Test (CPT). Hierarchical regressions were performed to explore cognitive predictors of chronic perceived stress. After covarying for state anxiety …

New Developments On High-Resolution Luminescence Spectroscopy And Their Application To The Direct Analysis Of Organic Pollutants, Shenjiang Yu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs), which comprise a complex class of condensed multi-ring benzenoid compounds, are important environmental pollutants originating from a wide variety of natural and anthropogenic sources. PACs are generally formed during incomplete combustion of pyrolisis of organic matter containing carbon and hydrogen. Because combustion of organic materials is involved in countless natural processes or human activities, PACs are omnipresent and abundant pollutants in air, soil, and water. Chemical analysis of PACs is of great environmental and toxicological importance. Many of them are highly suspect as etiological agents in human cancer. Because PACs carcinogenic properties strongly depend on molecular …

Image-Based Material Editing, Erum Khan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Photo editing software allows digital images to be blurred, warped or re-colored at the touch of a button. However, it is not currently possible to change the material appearance of an object except by painstakingly painting over the appropriate pixels. Here we present a set of methods for automatically replacing one material with another, completely different material, starting with only a single high dynamic range image, and an alpha matte specifying the object. Our approach exploits the fact that human vision is surprisingly tolerant of certain (sometimes enormous) physical inaccuracies. Thus, it may be possible to produce a visually compelling …

A Comparative Study Of Ant Colony Optimization, Matthew Becker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) belongs to a class of biologically-motivated approaches to computing that includes such metaheuristics as artificial neural networks, evolutionary algorithms, and artificial immune systems, among others. Emulating to varying degrees the particular biological phenomena from which their inspiration is drawn, these alternative computational systems have succeeded in finding solutions to complex problems that had heretofore eluded more traditional techniques. Often, the resulting algorithm bears little resemblance to its biological progenitor, evolving instead into a mathematical abstraction of a singularly useful quality of the phenomenon. In such cases, these abstract computational models may be termed biological metaphors. Mindful …

Pharmacological Characterization Of Brain Angiotensin Ii Receptor Function And Ligand Binding, Surinder Kaur

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.