Digital Commons Network^™

Spiritual Leadership As An Effective Leadership Style For The Public School Superintendent, Sherri Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Historically, the job of a public school superintendent has been to manage the operations of the district. With the pressures and changes in today's world, there is a requirement for school leaders to command more skills than merely management skills. In order to understand what skills effective school leaders need, more research into effective leadership techniques and skills is necessary. More current research has begun to study a higher moral method of leadership, one in which the leader allows his spirituality to guide all of his decisions and relationships. The study of spiritual leadership focused on education, specifically, the superintendent, …

Cyber Sexy:Electronic Game Play And Perceptions Of Attractiveness Among College-Aged Men, Elizabeth Wack

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The current study was conducted to determine whether or not electronic gaming is related to the formation of certain body ideals and appraisals of attractiveness. A sample of 219 college-aged males (age 18 to 32) completed a variety of measures designed to gather information about their game play habits, their perceptions of their own attractiveness (MBSRQ, SMAQ), and their perceptions of women's attractiveness (BCRS, FRS, photographs of women of different BMIs). Results indicate that men's ratings of women's attractiveness vary across the genres of games most frequently played but that frequency of play and age of commencement of game play …

The Relative Sensitivity Of An Olfactory Identification Deficit In Individuals With Schizotypal Personality Features, Vidyulata Kamath

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Olfactory identification deficits have received recent attention as a potentially useful endophenotype for schizophrenia. Examination of this deficit in individuals with schizotypal personality features (SPF) offers an alternative approach to multiple confounds present when examining individuals with schizophrenia. The aim of the current study was to compare the relative sensitivity of performance on measures of olfaction identification and sustained attention to the presence of SPF. Twenty-six undergraduates were defined as having SPF based on scoring in the top 10% of the Abbreviated Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ-B; mean age 19.6, SD = 1.1; 62% female). These individuals were compared to twenty-six …

A Cultural Contingency Leadership Model For A Multinational Higher Education Joint Venture, Frankie Albritton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation addressed the need for empirical research on the leadership of multinational virtual teams (Davis & Bryant, 2003; Early & Gibson, 2002; Ilgen, Lepine, and Hollenbeck, 1997; Prieto & Arias, 1997), particularly in the field of educational leadership (Cheng, 1995). This was accomplished through the development of a model based upon the cultural values discovered through the use of Hofstede's (1980, 2001) Values Survey Module 94 (VSM 94). As workers will bring values from their own cultures to the multinational workplace (Bochner & Hesketh, 1994), research was conducted to determine the cultural values of economics professors in the United …

Resiliency In Adolescent College Students, Nancy Ahern

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The construct of resilience has gained considerable attention over the last four decades since researchers observed that children and youth could cope and adapt in spite of adversity. Resilience involves a dynamic process involving an interaction between both risk and protective processes, internal and external to the individual, that can modify the effects of an adverse life event. Adolescence is considered to be a period of vulnerability for most individuals as they often partake in high risk behaviors. Further, those individuals who are in their early college years are faced with the developmental challenges of this life phase which can …

Verification Of Pilot-Scale Iron Release Models, Stephen Glatthorn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A model for the prediction of color release from a pilot distribution system was created in 2003 by Imran. This model allows prediction of the release of color from aged cast iron and galvanized steel pipes as a function of water quality and hydraulic residence time. Color was used as a surrogate measurement for iron, which exhibited a strong linear correlation. An anomaly of this model was an absence of a term to account for pH, due to the influent water being well stabilized. A new study was completed to evaluate the effectiveness of corrosion inhibitors against traditional adjustment. Two …

Quantification Of Emissions From Lawn And Garden Equipment In Central Florida, Megan Leigh Crum

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study was to evaluate the practical limits of EPA's NONROAD 2005 to accurately simulate Central Florida conditions, especially with regard to lawn and garden equipment. In particular we investigated a NONROAD emission inventory using default inputs and then created a locally specific emission inventory. These emission inventories were prepared for Orange, Osceola, and Seminole county and focused only on the VOC and NOx emissions caused by lawn and garden equipment. The model was manipulated to assess its ability to represent this specific category of nonroad equipment for a given airshed first by running a base case …

Synthesis Of Novel Aziridine Derivatives Of Podocarpic Acid, Stephen Rhoden

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Podocarpic acid (a diterpenoid resin acid extracted from the Podocarpacea specie of plants) has shown cytotoxicity against carcinoma of the nasopharynx. Since this discovery has been made, research has been performed in order to alter the structure of the resin acid so as to increase the anticancer activity. The carboxylic acid and phenol functional groups, which are present in podocarpic acid, make it possible to synthesize new derivatives selectively at the C-15, C-13, and C-7 positions as well as by substitution of the phenol hydroxyl group. Thus numerous derivatives can be prepared, in high yield, for the purpose of investigating …

A Model For Humane Economic Development: Hernando De Soto, Property Rights, And The Preferential Option For The Poor, Robert Van Der Waag

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A Model for Humane Economic Development: Hernando de Soto, Property Rights, and the Preferential Option for the Poor provides a constructive dialogue between the works of the Peruvian economist Hernando de Soto, President of the Institute for Liberty and Democracy, and Catholic social teaching in order to assist people in less developed nations (LDCs) to escape the cycle of poverty. The dissertation argues that Hernando de Soto's insights to protect property rights, in conjunction with the Catholic Church's theological commitment to promote human dignity and human rights, through a preferential option for the poor, offers practical resources for sound economic …

Advertising As Epideictic Rhetoric And Its Implications For Ethical Communication, Cem Zeytinoglu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the ancient sense, epideictic rhetoric was considered as a simple opposition to pragmatic discourse, which predominantly was involved with public business. Public business refers to the matters of the polis and the political setting. On the other hand, epideictic does not address to the political or deliberative situations. It addresses the celebrative situations of a community or a society in which values are created and commemorated.

Epideictic is also different from deliberative public discourse in means of approach toward to audience. Deliberative rhetoric asks audience to decide to take a course of action in a public/political business, whereas epideictic …

Integrated Topologies And Digital Control For Satellite Power Management And Distribution Systems, Hussam Al-Atrash

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This work is focused on exploring advanced solutions for space power management and distribution (PMAD) systems. As spacecraft power requirements continue to increase, paralleled by the pressures for reducing cost and overall system weight, power electronics engineers will continue to face major redesigns of the space power systems in order to meet such challenges. Front-end PMAD systems, used to interface the solar sources and battery backup to the distribution bus, need to be designed with increased efficiency, reliability, and power density. A new family of integrated single-stage power converter structures is introduced here. This family allows the interface and control …

Reviewing The Effects Of Alternative Fuels, Average Speed And Idling Time On Emissions From Orange County School Bus Fleet, Ali Bayat

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Orange County, FL has been experiencing ozone concentrations in the past several years which in some cases exceeded the national and state standards. The high concentration of ground level ozone can cause a variety of health problems including chest pain, coughing, throat irritation, and congestion or it can worsen bronchitis, emphysema, and asthma. Other effects include reduction of agricultural crop and commercial forest yields, lower growth and survivability of tree seedlings, and higher susceptibility of plant to diseases, pests and other stresses such as harsh weather. The ozone generation rate is directly related to the ambient concentration of nitrogen oxides …

Network Performance Management Using Application-Centric Key Performance Indicators, Susan Mcgill

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Internet and intranets are viewed as capable of supplying "Anything, Anywhere, Anytime" and e-commerce, e-government, e-community, and military C4I are now deploying many and varied applications to serve their needs. Network management is currently centralized in operations centers. To assure customer satisfaction with the network performance they typically plan, configure and monitor the network devices to insure an excess of bandwidth, that is overprovision. If this proves uneconomical or if complex and poorly understood interactions of equipment, protocols and application traffic degrade performance creating customer dissatisfaction, another more application-centric, way of managing the network will be needed. This research …

Learning Human Behavior From Observation For Gaming Applications, Christopher Moriarty

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The gaming industry has reached a point where improving graphics has only a small effect on how much a player will enjoy a game. One focus has turned to adding more humanlike characteristics into computer game agents. Machine learning techniques are being used scarcely in games, although they do offer powerful means for creating humanlike behaviors in agents. The first person shooter (FPS), Quake 2, is an open source game that offers a multi-agent environment to create game agents (bots) in. This work attempts to combine neural networks with a modeling paradigm known as context based reasoning (CxBR) to create …

Urban Infilling Impacts On Florida Solid Waste Facilities, Ravi Chander Nalamothu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Increasing urbanization in the US is leading to development or re-development of lands adjacent to solid waste facilities and these lands are being considered for residential communities and commercial projects. Thus, the potential for nuisance complaints against the pre-existing solid waste facility operations has become an increasing reality. The objective of this study was to develop a methodology to gather scientific and quantifiable data related to potential nuisances caused by landfills to determine setbacks and buffer zones near landfill and transfer station operations. Appropriate recommendations for these setbacks were made from case studies conducted at two landfills in Florida. The …

Fate Of Nitrogen And Phosphorus Species From A Black And Goldtm Nugget Mix In A Laboratoy Column Simulated Septic Tank Drainfiel, Timir Shah

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The presence of nitrates and phosphorus in ground water is a worldwide problem. A septic tank with drainfield that is conventionally designed does not typically remove nitrogen in the form of nitrates. The main risks are in "Blue baby" syndrome and suspected carcinogenic effect of nitrates on humans and the nutrient enrichment of receiving waters. In some areas nitrate and phosphorus removal are essentially required. Thus the information in this report concentrates on using media in the drainfield for the removal of nitrogen and phosphorus. Extensive work has been conducted in the past few decades in order to find suitable …

A Framework For The Assessment And Analysis Of Multi-Hazardsinduced Risk Resulting From Space Vehicles Operations, Serge Sala-Diakanda

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

With the foreseeable increase in traffic frequency to and from orbit, the safe operation of current and future space vehicles at designated spaceports has become a serious concern. Due to their high explosive energy potential, operating those launch vehicles presents a real risk to: (1) the spaceport infrastructure and personnel, (2) the communities surrounding the spaceport and (3) the flying aircrafts whose routes could be relatively close to spaceport launch and reentry routes. Several computer models aimed at modeling the effects of the different hazards generated by the breakup of such vehicles (e.g., fragmentation of debris, release of toxic gases, …

Biostability In Drinking Water Distribution Systems In A Changing Water Quality Environment Using Corrosion Inhibitors, Bingjie Zhao

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this study, the bacterial growth dynamics of 14 pilot drinking water distribution systems were studied in order to observe water quality changes due to corrosion inhibitor addition. Empirical models were developed to quantity the effect of inhibitor type and dose on bacterial growth (biofilm and bulk water). Water and pipe coupon samples were taken and examined during the experiments. The coupons were exposed to drinking water at approximately 20°C for at least 5 weeks to allow the formation of a measurable quasi- steady-state biofilm. Bulk water samples were taken every week. In this study, two simple but practical empirical …

The Effect Of National Board Certification On Burnout Levels In Educators, Tanya Judd

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Teacher attrition and retention has become a major issue facing education policymakers and practioners as our nation's school age population continues to grow, but the teaching workforce does not. This study seeks to examine the impact of certification by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) on burnout levels in educators. The potential benefits to teachers who pursue NBPTS certification include a sense of professional pride, new leadership roles and responsibilities for teachers, recognition of outstanding teaching practice, and higher salaries (Shapiro, 1995). Some of these potential rewards seem to address a number of the factors that are related …

An Investigation Into The Predictors Of Adoption And Utilization Of Information-Sharing Networks By Local Law Enforcement In Three States, Joe Conrad Saviak

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT A major change in longstanding police organizational behavior is increasingly evident in the recent emergence of computerized information-sharing networks in public safety. From both theoretical and empirical perspectives, a better understanding of the determinants that can explain and predict the rise and growth of this new and significant development in American policing is needed. A highly limited body of empirical studies has endeavored to validate effective predictors of adoption and utilization of electronic information-sharing networks by local law enforcement agencies. Utilizing an integrated theoretical framework largely built upon Rogers' diffusion of innovations theory, sixteen hypotheses were tested through logistic …

Virtual Vistas: High School Students Describing Their Experiences In Online Courses., Amy Scheick

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Current research indicates that distance education courses can be as effective as traditional courses when the method and technologies used are appropriate to the instructional tasks. The number of states, counties, and school districts that provide online courses for high school students has rapidly expanded during the last ten years. The number of students, who enroll in these courses, has often grown by double digits each year. Understanding K-12 students' experiences in, and expectations of, online learning is important for many reasons. Online learning is certainly growing and may become a graduation requirement in more states. Currently Michigan requires every …

Impact Of Zinc Orthophosphate Inhibitor On Distribution System Water Quality, Xiaotao Guan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation consists of four papers concerning impacts of zinc orthophosphate (ZOP) inhibitor on iron, copper and lead release in a changing water quality environment. The mechanism of zinc orthophosphate corrosion inhibition in drinking water municipal and home distribution systems and the role of zinc were investigated. Fourteen pilot distribution systems (PDSs) which were identical and consisted of increments of PVC, lined cast iron, unlined cast iron and galvanized steel pipes were used in this study. Changing quarterly blends of finished ground, surface and desalinated waters were fed into the pilot distribution systems over a one year period. Zinc orthophosphate …

Double Duty: Processing And Exhibiting The Children's Home Society Of Florida Collection As An Archivist And Public Historian, April Anderson-Zorn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Children's Home Society of Florida, often referred to as "Florida's Greatest Charity", is the state's oldest non profit welfare agency. Founded in 1902, the society was instrumental in creating and reforming child welfare laws as well as helping countless children in the state of Florida find loving homes. This paper focuses on the archival processing of the Children's Home Society of Florida Collection papers and the creation of a subsequent web exhibit. The role of archivist and public historian is examined to see how each profession works toward a common goal.

Kaho'olawe:A Case Study Of A Movement And The Media In Reclaiming A Hawaiian Island, Danielle Pedro

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The reclaiming of land can provide for heated controversy between communities. The controversy at the outset may seem simple, but is actually quite complex involving hegemonic factors such as social, political, and economic influence. One such factor is the media. This research examines media coverage via framing in a battle between the United States Navy and the Hawaiian people to claim ownership of a Hawaiian island named Kaho'olawe. This research analyzes 519 newspaper articles from two Hawaiian newspapers--The Honolulu Star Bulletin and The Honolulu Advertiser--over a seven-year period. Six framing devices--advocate, economic, environment, Hawaiian, military, and political--are devised and implemented. …

Russian Cultural Factors Related To Perceived Criminal Procedure Fairness: The Juxtaposition Of Policy And Practice, Olga B. Semukhina

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between the Russian culture and citizens' perceived fairness of the new Criminal Procedural Code of Russia of 2001 (CPC of 2001). The CPC of 2001 is a key policy in the Russian criminal law reform with the purpose of implementing adversarial procedure elements in Russia. The existing literature has documented the lack of public support along with observed violations of the CPC's major provisions which as made this an important area for study. It is theorized that the apparent contradiction between the underlying values of the Russian culture, and CPC's …

Human Development Ranking: Predictors And Implications For Haiti, Jean Michel Basquin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study is an effort to identify some of the predictors of human development index ranking and their implications in the case of Haiti. Secondary quantitative data from a variety of sources were used and complemented with qualitative data collected from Haiti using a key informant interview guide. Because of the unavailability of the secondary data and the nature of the some of the variables, three groups of countries were studied. One group contained 64 countries, another 96, and 121 countries. The Human Development Index (HDI) of the United Nations Development Programs (UNDP) was treated as the dependent variable. Eight …

40 Years Of Southern Living / By Summer Hill Vinson, Summer Hill Vinson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Eating Pie : Digesting Food Production And Consumption In Faulkner / By Katherine Rawson, Katherine Rawson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Factor Analytic Study Of The Boredom Proneness Scale And Its Relationship To Meaning In Life In A College Student Sample, Amanda Melton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Fro Spot My Spyryt Per Sprang In Space : Transgressing Ineffable Boundaries In Pearl / By William Storm, William Storm

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.