Digital Commons Network^™

College Drinking, Greek Affiliation And The Need To Fit In: An Analysis Of Social Norms And Motivations Associated With Fraternity And Sorority Binge Drinking, Chantel Dufrene

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study proposes that members of Greek social organizations have higher rates of binge drinking as compared to other college students due to their greater acceptance of norms and motives that support binge drinking. The College Alcohol Study, a survey conducted by the Harvard School of Public Heath, was administered to 10, 904 university students. The survey measured various aspects of students' experiences at their respective universities including experiences with and perceptions of alcohol use. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine normative and motivational predictors of binge drinking for Greek and non-Greek students. The results show that Greek members …

Simplified Low Copy Number Dna Analysis By Post Pcr Purification, Pamela Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Frequently evidentiary items contain an insufficient quantity of DNA to obtain complete or even partial DNA profiles using standard forensic gentotyping techniques. Here, various methods of post PCR purification were evaluated for their effects on the sensitivity of fluophore-based allelic detection. A method of post PCR purification is described which increases the sensitivity of standard 28 cycle PCR such that low copy number DNA templates (<100 pg DNA) can be analyzed. Full profiles were consistently obtained with as little as 20 pg template DNA without increased cycle number. In mock case type samples with dermal ridge fingerprints, genetic profiles were obtained by amplification with 28 cycles followed by post-PCR purification whereas no profiles were obtained without purification of the PCR product. Allele drop-out, increased stutter, and contamination (allele drop-in) typical of LCN analysis were observed. A single incident of contamination was observed in a reagent blank (not duplicated upon re-amplification) however, no contamination was observed in negative amplification controls.

Community And The Meal: A Rhetorical Investigation, Richard J. Mills Jr.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

From ancient Greece to post modernity, the meal as a focal point of community life and a cultural practice, and the meaning of eating, have been the focus for numerous scholarly studies and their rhetorical significance. This dissertation will define how interpersonal communication and the enactment of the meal are rhetorical partners within a community. Cultural differences, communication style, and values affect one's perception of the culture's narrative structure, inclusion and exclusion, private and public space, and civility and incivility practices in relationship to the community. These differences impact the meal, food choices, tastes, and communication style and ultimately shape …

Dopamine Uptake Inhibition Potency Fluctuations Of Cocaine At The Dopamine Transporter, Suneetha Ramanujapuram

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cocaine and other dopamine transporter (DAT) inhibitors block synaptic dopamine uptake by binding to the DAT. Cocaine, a powerful psychostimulant, potentiates the dopamine mediated signal transduction in the reward areas of the brain resulting in physical dependence on the drug. Amphetamines are psychotomimetics that act as substrates at the DAT and potentiate dopaminergic neurotransmission leading to addiction. It was previously reported that a conservative glutamate-for-aspartate substitution in transmembrane 1 domain of the rat DAT protein (D79E) significantly decreased the binding affinities of several classical DAT inhibitors, but had little or no effect on the dopamine uptake inhibition potencies (DUIPs) of …

Won't You Be My Neighbor?: Child Abuse In A Community Context, Gabrielle Rebottini

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project quantitatively and spatially examines child abuse reports in a neighborhood context based on the analysis of Allegheny County in Southwestern Pennsylvania that is divided into 98 zip codes. Based on data on child abuse reports obtained from ChildLine from 1994 to 2004, this research tests a relationship between variables traditionally associated with child abuse rates and reporting rates. Next, neighborhood assets are compared to determine their relevance. They include grocery stores, parks, libraries, hospitals, schools and religious institutions. Results include significant relationships between reporting rates and unemployment, vacancy rates, marital status, the elderly population, and the location of …

Crisis Or Opportunity: An Investigation To Determine The State Of Graduate Programs In Adult Education In The United States And Recommendations For Survival In The 21st Century, James J. Mccarron

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The history of adult education has extended over a relatively short period of time in the United States, and so concurrently have the programs of graduate education in the schools of Higher Education. Through the years, the backgrounds and occupations of the students enrolled in adult education changed. Graduate students in the fifties and sixties were primarily administrators from university-based programs (Houle and Buskey, 1966). The late sixties and seventies found those working in adult basic education (ABE) entering programs. During the seventies there was an increase in the number of students from the private and public sectors, along with …

Evaluation Of Alternative Water Resources For Cape Coast And Its Environs In Ghana, Alex Kumah

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cape Coast once a national capital of Ghana and its environs in recent years have constantly suffered perennial acute water shortage. The Brimsu dam which takes its supplies from the Kakum River with current production capacity of 1.4 × 104 m3/day cannot meet the water needs of the study area. The operating levels of the dam during crisis have reduced from 7.3 meters to 4.7 meters over the years with subsequent reduction in water production by 35%. Recently, the operating level has reduced further to about 3.5 meters with 60% reduction in water supply. This study evaluated alternative water resources …

A Mathematical Study Of Malaria Models Of Ross And Ngwa, William Plemmons

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Malaria is a vector borne disease that has been plaguing mankind since before recorded history. The disease is carried by three subspecies of mosquitoes Anopheles gambiae, Anopheles arabiensis and Anopheles funestu. These mosquitoes carry one of four type of Plasmodium specifically: P. falciparum, P. vivax, P. malariae or P. ovale. The disease is a killer; the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that about 40% of the world's total populations live in areas where malaria is an endemic disease and as global warming occurs, endemic malaria will spread to more areas. The malaria parasite kills a child every 30 seconds. In …

The Effects Of Science Inquiry In A Fourth Grade Classroom, Stephanie Luke

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects that science inquiry would have on fourth grade students' ability to communicate about scientific concepts learned, their perceptions about science and scientists, and my role as a teacher. The study took place in an elementary school setting for twenty weeks. Fourteen fourth grade students participated. Qualitative and quantitative methods were used to gather data for the study. Pre and post questionnaires and Draw a Scientist Tests were used, along with observations, field notes, videotaped lessons, and reflections. The data revealed that students' ability to communicate about science concepts improved during …

An Examination Of The Service-Learning Program At A Comprehensive University Through The Lenses Of Program Theory And Institutional Theory, Cathy Duff

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Case study design, employing qualitative research methods, was used to document and examine a mandatory service-learning program at a new, comprehensive, public university. The study examined service-learning from multiple perspectives. Institutional theory provided a framework for examining the influence of the environment on the conceptualization, adoption, and implementation of service-learning. Program theory was used to identify and analyze the program's conceptual underpinnings, including goals and objectives, intended outcomes for students, and program processes. Knowledge of how a program is supposed to work is useful for developing assessment questions, evaluating institutional effectiveness, and improving program performance. The study included a review …

Parental Involvement: Teachers' And Parents' Voices, Karen Shearer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Parents have been involved in the education of their children since the early days of our nation. Their roles have evolved from teaching the basics of reading writing and arithmetic in Colonial times to overseeing the selection of teachers and designing the curriculum during the early 1800s to providing academic support in the home up through the present time. Although educators are generally viewed as professionals and in charge of their students' education, the importance of parental involvement is readily acknowledged. Confusing to both parents and educators is what constitutes parental involvement. The research revealed numerous definitions for the term, …

Noise Characerization For Proposed Ucf Phyiscal Science Building Sites., Jorge Martinez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Today's Advance Technology Facilities require low noise levels and increased noise monitoring. Ambient noise can interfere with the accuracy and precision of experiments and manufacturing processes. Therefore preconstruction site surveys are needed to develop strategies for mitigating noise. Vibration and low frequency electromagnetic fields are particularly detrimental for sensitive instruments, and they are also difficult to mitigate. However a large part of these costs can be avoided or minimized if a quiet building site is selected in the first place. Accelerometers and gauss meters combined with a computer for acquisition and analysis provide a low cost method of evaluating noise …

The Impact Of Mental Transformation Training Across Levels Of Automation On Spatial Awareness In Human-Robot Interaction, Sherri Rehfeld

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

One of the problems affecting robot operators' spatial awareness involves their ability to infer a robot's location based on the views from on-board cameras and other electro-optic systems. To understand the vehicle's location, operators typically need to translate images from a vehicle's camera into some other coordinates, such as a location on a map. This translation requires operators to relate the view by mentally rotating it along a number of axes, a task that is both attention-demanding and workload-intensive, and one that is likely affected by individual differences in operator spatial abilities. Because building and maintaining spatial awareness is attention-demanding …

Every Cloud Has A Silver Lining: Positive Effects Of Deviant Coworkers, Gergana Markova

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to recognize and explore the reactions of employees to a deviant coworker. Specifically, I focused on the potential positive effects for employees who are in the presence of a coworker perceived as deviant, dysfunctional, or negative. Consistent with a labeling perspective on deviance, I argued that an employee may become a deviant as a result of social construction, fostered either by observed norm violations or the perceived dissimilarity of this person. Drawing on diverse theories from social psychology and sociology, I hypothesized that in the presence of a deviant coworker, other employees may have …

Kantian Meadows: A Just Nursing Home Grounded In The Categorical Imperative, Faith Bjalobok

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the structures of contemporary nursing homes and argues that the structure is conducive to the objectification (treatment of a human being as a non-person) of nursing home residents. In order to eliminate the potential for objectification, this project employs the Kantian categorical imperative as its theoretical framework. Based on that framework Kantian Meadows is created as an example of a just nursing home.

Values As A Component Of Leadership And Their Relationship To Organizational Efficacy And Culture; An Ethnographic Study Of Leaders' Influence At A Pennsylvania Non-Profit Organization 1965-2005, Emma Lee Mccloskey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

An ethnographic case study approach of a Pennsylvania non-profit organization was used to develop an understanding of leaders' values as they relate to organizational culture and organizational efficacy using testimony of organizational leaders and followers as well as organizational documents. Past Executive Directors, the current Executive Director, past Chairpersons of the Board of Directors and a random sample of Leadership Council members were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide to answer the following research questions:

How, if at all, do the values of a leader affect the organizational efficacy?

How, if at all, do the values of a leader affect …

The Role Of Christian Faith In Public Moral Discourse: A Comparison Of Selected Works From H. Tristram Engelhardt, Jr., Stanley Hauerwas, And Richard A. Mccormick, Andrew William Getz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation asks, "What is the proper role of the Christian and the Christian community in the ethical arena of a pluralistic society?" The inherently social nature of human beings means that all ethical judgments regarding right and wrong and the good of the human person have social implications. This is also true of ethical judgments of a religious or theological nature. This dissertation examines how faith "in-formed" ethical judgments function in a society of diverse faith commitments by examining some of the different understandings of the role of faith in the ethics H. Tristram Engelhardt, Jr., Stanley Hauerwas, and …

Examining The Impact Of Crisis Assessment Training In The Triage Assessment Model, On The Self-Efficacy Of Residential Treatment Facility Staff, Chad Snyder

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The differences between residential treatment facility staffs' self-efficacy levels post-crisis assessment training are investigated in order to identify alternative means to restraints as the primary crisis intervention strategy. In order to assess the participants' level of self-efficacy to deal with crises, the self-efficacy assessment tool for crisis (SEAT-C) was developed utilizing a semantic differential design. Through pilot testing, the SEAT-C was determined to be a reliable and valid instrument. Training in the Triage Assessment Model for crisis intervention was provided to 79 residential treatment facility staff employed at a child and adolescent residential treatment facility in the southwestern part of …

Development Of Thermally Processed Nanocomposites With Controlled Surfaces, Petya Georgieva

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The ever increasing need for technology development requires the integration of inexpensive, light weight and high strength materials which are able to meet the high standards and specifications for various engineering applications. The intention of this work is to show that the suitable material selection and the utilization of plasma spray processing can be of potential interest to a large number of industrial, biomedical and everyday life applications. This research demonstrates also that plasma processing is a promising engineering tool for multifunctional coatings and near-net-shape manufacturing. Further, the theoretical and experimental results are combined in order to explain the mechanisms …

An Authentic Ecg Simulator, Paul Michalek

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

An ECG (electrocardiogram) simulator is an electronic tool that plays an essential role in the testing, design, and development of ECG monitors and other ECG equipment. Principally an ECG simulator provides ECG monitors with an electrical signal that emulates the human heart's electrical signal so that the monitor can be tested for reliability and important diagnostic capabilities. However, the current portable commercially available ECG simulators are lacking in their ability to fully test ECG monitors. Specifically, the portable simulators presently on the market do not produce authentic ECG signals but rather they endeavor to create the ECG signals mathematically. They …

Video Content Extraction: Scene Segmentation, Linking And Attention Detection, Yun Zhai

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this fast paced digital age, a vast amount of videos are produced every day, such as movies, TV programs, personal home videos, surveillance video, etc. This places a high demand for effective video data analysis and management techniques. In this dissertation, we have developed new techniques for segmentation, linking and understanding of video scenes. Firstly, we have developed a video scene segmentation framework that segments the video content into story units. Then, a linking method is designed to find the semantic correlation between video scenes/stories. Finally, to better understand the video content, we have developed a spatiotemporal attention detection …

Removal Of Refractory Tkn From An Effluent Wastewater Using Sodium Ferrate, Lucia Lettie

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research addresses refractory forms of nitrogen that, even with advanced biological nitrification-denitrification systems are not removed completely from domestic wastewater. TKN (Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen), ammonia plus organic nitrogen, is one of the forms to measure the levels of nitrogen present in effluent wastewaters. Ferrate, a strong oxidant, was used for the treatment of these nitrogen forms with the objective of producing nitrogen compounds that can be removed by subsequent biological processes. Bench-scale experiments were performed on effluent samples taken prior to chlorination from an Orlando, FL wastewater treatment facility, using a biological nutrient removal process. The samples were treated …

While America Slept, Mark Fischer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study briefly examined the terrorist attacks that occurred between the first bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993 and the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon that occurred on September 11, 2001. Specifically, this study examines the reactions of the public and press to the attacks on the military barracks in Riyadh, the bombings of the U.S. Embassies in Zambia and Kenya, and the attack on the U.S.S Cole in Yemen. This study examines the effect public opinion had on the President and Congress and their reactions to the public pressure. The primary purpose of …

A Study Of The Relationships Between Superintendent Longevity, Board Member Longevity, Board Member Training, And School Districts Demonstrating Adequate Yearly Progress (Ayp) During The 2004-2005 School Year, Edward Maritz Jr.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Expectations for school districts and educators are high; and expectations for those governing schools are even higher yet. NCLB poses a substantial challenge to those governing school districts: all students must be 100% proficient in language arts and mathematics by 2014. In the face of the demands of the standards movement and the increased accountability placed upon those governing schools, school board members need to know if the research base has identified any characteristics to their service on school boards that can be found to have a correlation to improving the effectiveness of their school districts. This study employed correlation …

Exploring Transient Identities: Deconstructing Depictions Of Gender And Imperial Ideology In The Oriental Travel Narratives Of Englishwomen, 1831-1915, Carrieanne Deloach

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Englishwomen who traveled to the "Orient" in the Victorian era constructed an identity that was British in its bravery, middle-class in its refinement, feminine in appearance and speech and Christian in its intolerance of Oriental heathenism. Studying Victorian female travel narratives that described journeys to the Orient provides an excellent opportunity to reexamine the diaphanous nature of the boundaries of the public/private sphere dichotomy; the relationship between travel, overt nationalism, and gendered constructions of identity, the link between geographic location and self-definition; the power dynamics inherent in information gathering, organization and production. Englishwomen projected gendered identities in their writings, which …

A Descriptive Comparative Study Of Traditional And Non-Traditional Master's Of Science In Nursing Degree Programs Offering The Education Track In The State Of Florida, Mary Goetteman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this research was to determine how the nursing faculty shortage in Florida was being addressed. The purpose of this descriptive, comparative study was to explore program length, size, and admission criteria of master's of science in nursing (MSN) degree programs. Characteristics of both traditional and non-traditional programs that offered the education specialty were examined. Non-traditional programs included registered nurse to master's of science in nursing (RN-MSN) degree programs. Characteristics of students enrolled in the education track of these programs were also compared, based on participant's entry level into nursing practice. The three comparison groups included diploma prepared …

Health Attitudes, Knowledge And Literacy Of Primary Caregivers With Elementary School Children, Susan Stuib

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Previous research has indicated that physical activity and healthy eating in elementary school children are the exception rather than the norm. Increased attention to the rising rates of childhood obesity, coupled with the recognition that changes in the school environment are critical to reducing this trend, has intensified the need to adopt better practices in school nutrition, physical activity and physical education. Apart from being physically active, children need to learn fundamental motor skills and develop health related physical fitness (cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility, and body composition). Primary caregivers play an important part in developing and teaching …

Coercion And Empowerment In The Treatment Of Individuals With Serious Mental Illness / Kristen M.Strack, Kristen M. Strack

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Landsat Scene Normalization Using Modis 250 Meter Tree Cover Map, Bernard Adusei

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

High spatial resolution Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) and Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM +) bands 4, 5, and 7 coupled with pre-existing Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) 250m resolution maps as reference information were employed in an attempt to catalog anthropogenic impacts on the Congo Ba in's humid tropical forest. The utility of Landsat multi-spectral data depends both on the extent to which surface properties can be estimated from the radiometric measurements and on the ability to observe the surface through the atmosphere. Cloud cover is a major impediment to optical remote sensing of humid tropical regions. Accordingly, applications may …

Central Effects Of Aminopeptidase-Resistant Analogs Of Ang Ii In The Rat, Ranjita J. Kokje

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.