Digital Commons Network^™

Becoming Transcultural: Filling The Cultural And Communication Gap Within The Black American Community, Quanda Le Boldin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to define transculturalism by exploring the Black experience through collectivism/individualism, Black identity and the ability to be transcultural. The study included 83 male and female Black American, college students, graduate students and college graduates. The participants answered a 4-part survey that measured collectivism/individualism, Black identity, the ability to be transcultural and minority hardships. Results revealed that the Pre-encounter, Immersion, Emersion and Internalization phases of Black identity are predictors of minority hardships. There were also significant results for the Internalization phase of Black identity and the ability to be transcultural. In conclusion, Black Americans that …

Reading Motivation In Upper Elementary Students: How Children Explain Reading For Pleasure, Rebecca Lynn Poppe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study investigated the phenomenon of the pleasure reading experience in fourth and fifth grade students. The purpose of the study was to create a dialogue with children regarding their leisure reading habits in an effort to inform our understanding of aliteracy, a term that refers to having the ability to read but choosing not to. Fourth grade students were surveyed to uncover their attitudes toward pleasure reading and eleven students were chosen for interviews. Comparative data was obtained from those students who conveyed either extremely negative or extremely positive attitudes toward reading. Students of both genders were selected …

Constructing Educational Criticism Of Online Courses: A Model For Implementation By Practitioners, Kelvin Thompson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Online courses are complex, human-driven contexts for formal learning. Little has been said about the environment emerging from the interaction of instructor(s), learners, and other resources in such courses. Theories that focus on instructional settings and methods that are designed to accommodate inquiry into complex phenomena are essential to the systematic study of online courses. Such a line of research is necessary as the basis for a common language with which we can begin to speak holistically about online courses. In this dissertation, I attempt to generate better questions about the nature of online instructional environments. By combining prior works …

Relationship Between Adolescent Behavior And Civic Engagement, Michael Ernst

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Citizenship - commitment to and participation in a political community - is the heart of constitutional democracy and a free society. Knowledge of the rights, responsibilities, and privileges are the electrical impulses that keep a steady beat. Without the participation of educated citizens, a democratic republic can not and does not function. This study analyzed the relationship between adolescent behavior and civic engagement. This task was accomplished by examining the amount of civic knowledge possessed by two groups within a population. The population examined, a high school in Flagler County, was composed of "at risk" students (those who had an …

The Sputnik Crisis And America's Response, Ian Kennedy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

On 4 October 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the world's first artificial satellite, and the Space Age had arrived. While not an American achievement, Sputnik stands as a significant juncture in United States history. This thesis explores the resulting American political crisis, its development in the final three months of 1957, and the impact Sputnik had on American life. The thesis also examines the social and political context of the Sputnik crisis and will challenge some long-standing analysis of how America's reaction to the Soviet satellite developed. To accomplish this task, it was necessary to consult both primary and …

Micromachined Electrochemical Sensors For Hydrogen Peroxide And Chlorine Detection, Anjum Mehta

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Hydrogen peroxide and chlorine detection is critical for many biological and environmental applications. Hydrogen peroxide plays important roles in a variety of fields including plant physiology, medical, environmental and biochemical applications. Its role in plant defense and signal transduction, diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzhemier's, industrial processes such as disinfection and wastewater treatment and biochemical enzymatic reactions is critical. Given the gamut of areas that hydrogen peroxide is a key component of; its detection assumes great importance. Similarly chlorine has long been used as a disinfectant for making drinking water safe, but excessive chlorination is an environmental and health hazard …

Resource Allocation Using Touch And Audition, David Mortimer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

When people multi-task with inputs that demand attention, processing, andencoding, sensory interference is possible at almost any level. Multiple Resource Theory (MRT) suggests that such interference may be avoided by drawing from separate pools of resources available when using different sensory channels, memory processes, and even different response modes. Thus, there should be advantages in dividing tasks among different sensory channels to tap independent pools of attentional resources. For example, people are better with two tasks using the eye and ear, than when using two auditory or two visual inputs. The majority of the research on MRT involves visual to …

A Study Of The Cost-Utility Of Outcomes Of Various Methods Of Increasing The Four-Year Graduation Rate In Osceola County Public Schools, Isaac Harold Berger

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine which interventions were deemed to be effective at increasing the four-year graduation rate in Osceola District Schools. This had become a concern due to the fact that this rate had decreased in recent years, and may be utilized as a predictor of the dropout rate. The interventions were then prioritized according to Levin's cost-utility theory, so that the order of implementation could be prioritized. The study was conducted in January and February of 2005, and responses were elicited from 600 people. Students currently in Osceola District Schools high schools comprised 200 of …

Stephen Sondheim's Gesamtkunstwerk: The Concept Musical As Wagnerian Total Theatre, Diana Louise Calderazzo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Stephen Sondheim, famous for writing such musicals as Company, Into the Woods, Sweeney Todd, and Assassins, is often referred to as the originator of the modern concept musical. Despite varying definitions of the concept musical, it is generally agreed that the form embodies a specific identity or mood, which it communicates to an audience both emotionally and intellectually. As such it offers audience members a complete experience resembling in theory the idea of "total theatre" proposed in the nineteenth century by composer Richard Wagner. My thesis will argue that the similarity between Sondheim's concept musical and Wagner's total theatre is …

Designing For A Japanese High-Context Culture: Culture's Influence On The Technical Writer's Visual Rhetoric, Russell Carpenter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis analyzes the challenges technical writers face when designing documents for high-context cultures, such as the Japanese. When developing documents intended to cross cultural gulfs, technical writers must take into consideration cultural expectations, preferences, and practices in document design and communication. High-context cultures, such as Japan, design documents using drastically different design strategies than those used in the United States. Japanese communication habits are more ambiguous than communication in the United States. Thus, the Japanese often use visuals for their aesthetic appeal, not for their ability to complement the text that surrounds the visual. The ambiguous nature of high-context …

Negotiating Place: Multiscapes And Negotiation In Haruki Murakami's Norwegian Wood, Kevin Gladding

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In Murakami's Norwegian Wood, romance and coming-of-age confront the growing trend of postmodernity that leads to a discontinuity of life becoming more and more common in post-war Japan. As the narrator struggles through a monotonous daily existence, the text gives the reader access to the narrator's struggle for self- and societal identity. In the end, he finds his means of self-acceptance through escape, and his escape is a product of his attempts at negotiating the multiple settings or "scapes" in which he finds himself. The thesis follows the narrator through his navigation of these scapes and seeks to examine the …

Arr Genes From Arsenate-Reducing Low G+C Gram Positive Bacteria Bacillus Selenitireducens Strain Mls10 And Clostridium Sp. Strain Ohilas, Mrunalini Ranganathan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The gene encoding the small subunit of the respiratory arsenate reductase (arrB) from the haloalkaliphilic low G+C Gram positive bacterium Bacillus selenitireducens strain MLS-10 was amplified by PCR, cloned and sequenced. The amplicon was larger (~ 1.2 kb) than predicted indicating that the degenerate reverse primer hybridized to a region further down stream. The amplicon contained all of arrB and the 5'end of another open reading frame. The arrB (693 bp) predicts a 26.3 kDa protein of 230 amino acids with a pI of 5.5 and four iron-sulfur binding domains. The protein shares a 50% identity and 66% similarity with …

Whither Color-Blind Love? A Foucauldian Discourse Analysis Of Love In Black And White, Brian A. Mcelwain

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Interracial marriage remains one of the most emotionally charged issues in the troubled racial history of the United States. Love in Black and White: The Triumph of Love over Prejudice and Taboo is Mark and Gail Mathabane's relatively popular memoir of their interracial marriage. Using this text as a means of access to the discourses surrounding interracial marriage in the post-Civil Rights era, this study applies the key Foucauldian concepts of discourse, power, subjectivity, and critique to an interpretation of this text in relation to its sociohistorical context. Color-Blind Love emerges as the dominant discourse of the memoir and this …

Requirement Elicitation Of Large Web Projects., David E. Frazier

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

One of the most important aspects of developing a large Web-based project is getting the correct requirements from the client. Time and money can be lost if the requirements are incomplete or inaccurate. Traditional Web design sources tend to gloss over this important activity.

Software engineering is a mature field that can help in the quest for more complete and accurate requirement gathering. This paper explores the ways that traditional software engineering techniques can be applied to Web projects. A methodology is presented based on both existing and new techniques. Several experiments are conducted to determine the usefulness of each …

Use Of The Sreb Leadership Development Framework In Preservice Principal Preparation Programs: A Qualitative Investigation., Robert C. Vick

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Although nearly everyone agrees that principals need formal training to prepare for their positions, few agree on what the nature of this training should be. Advanced university education may teach examples of leadership behaviors, but is it likely to transmit the practical knowledge and behaviors that are the hallmarks of successful principals?

This study focused on the 13 critical success factors for school leaders as created by the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB, 2002). The purpose of the study was to identify the extent to which these 13 standards have been addressed in formal and informal development training experiences of …

Type Image And The Art Of Protest., Wendy R. Blair

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is the culmination of my work as a graphic artist thus far. I chose to investigate the use of type and image in the production of social protest art, as it relates to historical and contemporary art as well as my own. Methods used in gathering the data include references from books, periodicals, websites, and hands-on application of the artistic process. Conclusions found within this paper suggest that using type and image within a multimedia process, serves to communicate important messages and attempts to educate the viewer on important political and social matters. Protest art has and will …

Gender And Site-Name Recall Of Geographic Sites Varying In Distance., Joshua Sean Godsey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research project was to replicate, refine, and extend research by Zinser et al. (in press) of the site-name, associative memory of male and female college students of nearby to very distant geographic sites. A test booklet included eight schematic aerial maps. The maps were of 20 to 50 geographic sites participants attempted to match with their names. The number of campus buildings, campus city sites, regional cities, U.S. cities, U.S. states, world cities, world countries, and world continents/bodies of water matched correctly were determined. A demographic questionnaire was also presented. Overall, men performed significantly better than …

Role Of Macrophage Apoptosis In Atherosclerosis., June Liu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The presence of apoptotic cells in atherosclerotic lesions has been broadly reported in the past ten years. The majority of these apoptotic cells are macrophages. However, the pathogenic role of macrophage apoptosis in the development of atherosclerosis remains to be elucidated. Elevated expression of Bax, one of the pivotal pro-apoptotic proteins of the Bcl-2 family, has been found in human atherosclerotic plaques. Activation of Bax also occurs in free cholesterol-loaded and oxysterol treated mouse macrophages. In this study, we evaluated the influence of Bax deficiency on apoptosis in macrophage-like P388D1 cells by using small interfering RNA (siRNA) to suppress Bax …

Burnished Souls., Floyd Thomas Williams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis, in support of the Master of Fine Arts exhibition entitled Burnished Souls at East Tennessee State University, Carroll Reece Museum, Johnson City, Tennessee, November 25- December 18, 2004, describes in detail three aesthetic themes that have informed my work; The Refined Sense of Beauty, A Newly Defined Function, and The Artistic Element of Smoke and Fire. These aesthetic themes are discovered and explained through both historic and contemporary influences and are described in relation to their influence on my current work.

Dose-Dependent Effects Of Salmon Calcitonin On Bone Turnover In Ovariectomized Rats., Beatrice H. Owens

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the United States, osteoporosis results in about 1.5 million annual fractures, costing approximately $15 billion. Calcitonin is safe and effective in slowing osteoporotic bone loss, but its effect is transient. The current studies were designed to explore the dose-dependent effects of salmon calcitonin on bone turnover in ovariectomized rats and to determine if the decrease in therapeutic effectiveness of calcitonin demonstrated over time with higher doses is due to oversuppression of bone turnover. Doses of 5, 15, & 50 IU/kg BW/day of calcitonin were compared to placebo in 12-week-old ovariectomized and sham-ovariectomized Sprague-Dawley rats for 24 weeks. The spinal …

Human Visual Processing Of Orientation In Broad Stimuli., Bruce C. Hansen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recently our lab has shown that with broadband stimuli (either visual noise or natural scenes), performance for detecting oriented content is worst at horizontal, best at the obliques, and intermediate at vertical orientations--an anisotropy (termed the "horizontal effect") quite different from the well-known "oblique effect" (worst performance obliques) obtained with simple line or grating stimuli. This horizontal effect can be explained by a proposed anisotropic normalization model that operates at the level of striate cortex by implementing the known numerical biases of striate neurons preferring different orientations as well as the strength of those responses from neurons tuned to similar …

A Reconstruction Of Moreau Chambers' 1937 Excavation Of A Chickasaw Village In Northeastern Mississippi, Ladonna F. Brown

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

An analysis of the archival data relating to the earliest professional investigation of a Chickasaw village site was done in order to reconstruct the excavation and place the artifacts in their appropriate context. A progress report written near the beginning of the project, excavation photographs with annotations and catalogue entries for the primary documentation were available to begin reconstruction. The original field notes have been lost but there were a limited amount of data that were abstracted from them by an earlier researcher. Although an overview of the excavations was derived, there was not sufficient data to allow the reconstruction …

Genome-Wide Analysis Of Gene Expression Changes In Drosophila Melanogaster With Variable Sensitivity To Mptp, Xinyu Chen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) treated mice and monkeys have been widely used as models for the study of Parkinson’s Disease (PD). The similarities between the toxic action of MPTP in PD animal models and the occurrence of dopamine (DA) neuron degeneration in human mutant a-synuclein transgenic fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) suggested that the fruit fly may share the same toxic response to MPTP as primates and planaria. We have hypothesized that relative sensitivity to MPTP in the fruit fly may represent a correlate to genetic predisposition to developing PD in human. Using the MPTP survival test for selection of insensitive flies and …

Authentic Versus Tourist : Reexamining A Collection Of West African Art In Light Of New Debates And Old Ambiguities, Sarah Joy Walker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The issues in defining, describing, and ultimately displaying “authentic” West African traditional art in the museum environment are often wrought with arbitrary distinctions concerning aesthetic value, artistic intention, and function in a ritual atmosphere. I examine a West African art collection, the Fulton-Meyer Collection, at the University of Mississippi Museums, and identify these works of art in terms of contemporary criteria found in both ethnographic and art history texts for specific tribal and ethnic affinities. I compare works deemed “authentic” and those that meet the tourist art criteria. I explore the reasons for these distinctions, and apply the contemporary studies …

Childhood Experiences Of Appalachian Women Who Have Experienced Intimate Partner Violence During Adulthood., Amy L. Reeves

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recent national surveys in the United States estimate one in five females will experience abuse by an intimate partner during her lifetime. Previous quantitative research linked childhood victimization to repeated victimization in adult relationships. This qualitative study explored the lived experiences of childhood in eight female victims of intimate partner violence who were born and reared in southern Appalachia. Interviews were analyzed using a descriptive-interpretative phenomenological method, as described by Van Manen. The three essential themes from childhood were identified as: living 'as if' an orphan; surviving in chaos; and, manifesting a devalued self. These themes were congruent with findings …

A Blending Of Purpose: The Juxtaposition Of Functional And Aesthetic Qualities In Pots Of Use., Jessica Lindsay Decker-Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis supports the Master of Fine Arts exhibition entitled A Blending of Purpose at East Tennessee State University, Carroll Reece Museum, Johnson City, Tennessee, November 4 – 22, 2004. It discusses the artist’s desire to create exceptionally crafted functional work which focuses on both compelling aesthetics and strong utilitarian considerations. Topics include the artistic validity of functional works, aesthetic and functional qualities, tactile sensation as a consideration, machine-made works versus hand-made works, a characteristic described as the Life Quality, and the piece’s completion in use.

The artist examines her influences including work ceramists Dan Finnegan, Nick Joerling and …

Building A Model Of Campus Diversity: An Organization-As-The-Individual Based Approach, Ian Spencer Ray

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Diversity is a vital concept when engaging with modern social science research and among higher education practitioners. Despite the pervasive discourse surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, quantification of diversity remains a challenge across the social sciences. This study proposes a new conceptual framework, applies the framework to the quantification of diversity and measurement of its impacts. Further, this study demonstrates the robustness of the new conceptual framework alongside the positive impacts of diversity on institutional outcomes.

The Organization-As-The-Individual (OATI) framework arises from an integration of the social and biological sciences. The framework argues that humans, as biological organisms, …

Perceptions Of Stakeholders In The Pi Beta Phi Elementary School Parks As Classrooms Program., Johnny Michael Henry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the fall of 1991, Pi Beta Phi Elementary School in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, in partnership with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, began development and implementation of a Parks As Classrooms curriculum that encompassed all nine-grade levels of the K-8 school. The purpose of this case study was to evaluate the Parks As Classrooms program and how it impacts the students and the community.

Multiple means of data collection were necessary in order for valid assessment to take place. First, interviews were conducted with principle stakeholders. Observations of field trips were done. These data were imported into NUD^*IST …

West African Food Traditions In Virginia Foodways: A Historical Analysis Of Origins And Survivals., Lisa R. Shiflett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The degree of African cultural survivals in African-American culture has been debated since the Civil War. Convincing research that West African cultural traits did survive in African-American culture, particularly in African-Amercian foodways, focuses on the lower south, neglecting the upper south. This thesis fills that gap by identifying West African traits in African-as well as Anglo-America foodways in Virginia, focusing on four broad research areas: Native American and Anglo-American foodways during the colonial and early Republic eras; West African foodways; African-American foodways during slavery; and current trends in Virginia foodways. Primary sources consulted for this study included archaeological reports, eighteenth …

Early Speech And Language Development: A Comparison Of Typically Developing Children To Children With Cleft Palate., Holly Jannice Mcgahey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Previous research has shown that parent implemented intervention is effective in increasing the speech and language development of children with cleft lip and palate. To further determine the efficacy of this intervention, this study compared the speech and language development of children with CLP, who received parent implemented intervention, with a group of younger, typically developing children, matched for vocabulary size. This study also evaluated the language differences between the mothers of both groups of children. Speech and language assessments were administered to the typically developing children and their mothers at two times to mirror the time of assessment for …