Digital Commons Network^™

Torah, Tradition, And Trina: Analysis And Development Of Trina In William Finn's Falsettos From A Faith-Based Perspective, Margaret-Ellen Jeffreys

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

When an actor approaches a character, s/he examines many facets of the play-the setting, the time period, the politics surrounding both of the former. S/he also looks into elements of the character-any noted physical attributes in the text, his/her financial and social status, what s/he wants and what obstacles are standing in his/her way. Often the last thing that the actor studies is the character's spiritual and/or religious life. When I was cast as Trina in UCF's production of Falsettos in the winter of 2005, I knew I wanted to approach the character from an oft-neglected area: her faith. Judaism …

Role Of Thyroid Hormone In The Intestinal Development Of Eleutherodactylus Coqui, Srikanth Singamsetty

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Thyroid hormone (TH) is required for the metamorphosis of the long, coiled tadpole gut in Xenopus laevis into a shorter mature adult gut. Eleutherodactylus coqui, a direct developing frog, lacks a tadpole. Its embryonic gut is a miniature adult form with a mass of yolky endodermal cells attached to the small intestine to provide nutrition. The requirement of TH for the gut development in E. coqui was tested in this study. Inhibition of TH synthesis with methimazole arrested gut development in its embryonic form. T3, the active form of TH, induced gut development. Embryos treated with methimazole failed to utilize …

Relationship Between Nurse Educators' Cultural Competence And Ethnic Minority Nursing Students' Recruitment And Graduation., Pearl Ngozika Ume-Nwagbo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this exploratory study was to measure the cultural competence of nurse educators in accredited baccalaureate (BSN) nursing programs in Tennessee (TN) and investigate the relationship, if any, between nurse educators' cultural competence and the percentage of minority nursing students recruited into and graduated from these schools in the previous 5 years.

With the rapid rise of the minority population in the United States, more minority healthcare providers, including nurses, are needed to provide culturally congruent care in underserved communities. Literature has implied that nurse educators' lack of cultural competence and sensitivity regarding minority nursing students' educational needs …

Herpes Simplex Virus Glycoprotein D/Host Cell Surface Interaction Stimulates Chlamydia Trachomatis Persistence Via A Novel Pathway., Jennifer Vanover

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

When presented with certain unfavorable environmental conditions, C. trachomatis reticulate bodies (RBs) enter into a viable, yet noncultivable state called persistence. Two hallmarks of persistent chlamydiae are swollen, aberrantly shaped RBs, as viewed by transmission electron microscopy and a decrease in infectious progeny. Several models of chlamydial persistence have been described, including interferon-γ (IFN-γ), IFN-α, IFN-β, and tumor necrosis factor-α-exposure and nutrient deprivation. Previously, we established an in vitro co-infection model of two of the most common sexually transmitted pathogens in the United States, C. trachomatis and Herpes Simplex Virus-2 (HSV). Data from this tissue culture model indicate that: i) …

Altered Developmental Programming Of The Mouse Mammary Gland In Female Offspring Following Perinatal Dietary Exposures : A Systems-Biology Perspective., Caleb Deen Bastian

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Mishaps in prenatal development can influence mammary gland development and, ultimately, affect susceptibility to factors that cause breast cancer. This research was based on the underlying hypothesis that maternal dietary composition during pregnancy can alter developmental (fetal) programming of the mammary gland. We used a computational systems-biology approach and Bayesian-based stochastic search variable selection algorithm (SSVS) to identify differentially expressed genes and biological themes and pathways. Postnatal growth trajectories and gene expression in the mammary gland at 10-weeks of age in female mice were investigated following different maternal diet exposures during prenatal-lactational-early-juvenile development. This correlated a decrease in expression of …

A Global Education Transition: Computer Simulation Of Alternative Paths To Universal Basic Education, Mohammod T. Irfan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As an acknowledgment of the critical role of education in realizing other development targets, the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) of the United Nations include education in a framework of development targets. The MDG targets for education include achieving universal primary education and gender parities in all levels of education by 2015.

Recent global campaigns have added to the momentum of the rapid progress of educational expansion, which began in roughly the 1960s. Countries with universal or near universal participation and completion in elementary education have started to look beyond primary, towards free and compulsory basic education- education up to lower …

Gene Expression And Phenotype Response Of Drosophila Melanogaster To Selection., Kenneth W. Mcdonald

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The evolution of phenotypic plasticity is currently a topic of paramount interest in a diverse field of sub-disciplines. Salience is placed by all fields in describing the interaction of selection and phenotypic plasticity and the consequence of this interaction more broadly on evolution. Lacking in the discussion is substantial empirical description of genotype/phenotype interactions that by definition constitute the plastic response to novel and stressful environments. Here, I present empirical observations that bring the interaction of genotype and phenotype into focus. Drosophila melanogaster populations subjected to selection for tolerance to low food or high alcohol conditions each exhibited an enhancement …

Synthesis Of Novel Agrochemicals As Potential Plant Immunization Agents., Arrey Besong Enyong

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The world's population is expected to grow from 6 billion to about 10 billion by 2050. The greatest population increase is expected to occur in Africa, Latin America, and Asia. To feed a world with huge increases in population and to sustain the well-being of humans, a large increase in food production must be achieved. The projected increase in food production must be accomplished on the existing cultivated areas because the expansion of new land is limited by environmental concerns, urbanization and increasing water scarcity.

Different compounds have been developed for the "immunization" of plants against several pathogens. These compounds …

Monitoring Metal Containing Particulates Distribution On A College Campus Using Dandelion (Taraxacum Officinale) Leaves As Receptors., Suresh Chandra Regmi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study aims to determine the distribution of particulates carrying heavy metals at selected sites on a college campus using dandelion leaves as collectors. As a comparison, sites far away from the campus surrounding Bristol Motor Speedway Car Racing Stadium were also monitored. To reduce the probability of memory effects from the long-term atmospheric deposition or absorption of metals from soil a seasonal plant, dandelion, was used to monitor the metal contents. The metals monitored are cadmium, calcium, copper, chromium, iron, lead, and zinc. Fourteen sites were monitored and samples were collected once a week initially (growing time of the …

Effects Of Glutamine Supplementation On Maximal Performance And Recovery From High-Intensity Exercise., Mandy Lynn Jacobs

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of acute glutamine supplementation on maximal performance and recovery from high-intensity exercise. In a placebo-controlled, crossover study, seven (six males and one female) healthy subjects performed maximal treadmill exercise one-hour after the ingestion of 0.03 g·kg body mass -1 glutamine mixed with caffeine-free fruit juice or placebo. Expired gases, respiratory exchange ratios (RER), heart rate (HR), ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) and blood samples were collected pre-, during, and post-exercise. In addition, urine and saliva samples were obtained pre- and post-exercise. No significant differences in oxygen consumption, CO 2 production, …

Investigation Of The Association Between Attendance In Preschool Programs And Achievement Of Elementary School Students In Greeneville, Tennessee., Anita Marie Conner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if a difference in achievement test scores exists between students who attended preschool and those who did not as measured by standardized achievement test scores of students in the 3rd and 4th grades. The variables of grade level and gender were also considered. The population consisted of students who attended 4th and 5th grades during the 2007-2008 school year in the Greeneville City Schools. Data gathered were from Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program achievement test scores obtained from the 2006-2007 school year. Analysis of variance was used to identify any relationship between variables. …

Generative Response., Catherine Juanita Martin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Within this supporting paper, the artist discusses Generative Response, her Master of Fine Arts exhibition. This paper is a narrative of the artist's development, philosophies, and methodologies. Further, it illustrates how her work and development have been affected by studies in humanity, social activism, human responsibility, and environmental consciousness.

Generative Response communicated the artist's ideology of process as metaphor for living life, involving the viewer in an "unfinished dialogue" wherein works of art undergo processes translating their role as part of a generative cycle. Generative Response was composed of seven sculptural components called "stations" depicting the processes of growth, …

Factors Predicting Academic Success For Impoverished Urban High School Freshmen., Jonathan W. Rysewyk

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to identify which factors are most closely related to academic success during the freshman year for low socioeconomic students in one urban high school. This was an ex post facto study conducted in one urban high school in East Tennessee. The subjects were students enrolled in the 9^th grade during the 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 academic school years. Low socioeconomic students were divided into 2 groups based on academic performance during their freshman year of high school. Students with GPAs of 2.5 or higher were classified as higher performing, low socioeconomic status (HLSES). Students …

Evaluating Satisfaction And Benefit Of Nutrition Counseling Provided By A Registered Dietitian Among Cancer Patients Receiving Radiation Therapy., Bethany A. Stuart

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if patients with cancer receiving radiation therapy were satisfied with the nutrition counseling they were receiving and if they obtained any benefit. Radiation increases the risk for side effects such as taste changes, chewing/swallowing problems, constipation, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting. When these side effects are present, a decrease in food and fluid intake occurs, which leads to weight loss, increased risk of morbidity and mortality, as well as decreased quality of life. Subjects were recruited from a regional cancer treatment facility and a survey was administered to those who met criteria. Subjects …

The Relationship Of School Size And Socioeconomic Status To Middle Grades Growth Status On End Of Grade Tests In North Carolina., Andrew Peoples

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to compare student achievement, as assessed by the ABC (Accountability, Basics, Local Control) end of grade tests, of students in different sized schools and of different socioeconomic backgrounds. The population consisted of 379 middle schools in North Carolina. Data were gathered from the 2006-2007 school year. Several t-tests for independent samples, analyses of variance, and chi square analyses were used to identify relationships between variables. The measures of growth used were the change ratio, which is used to determine high growth status and mean growth, which is used to determine expected growth or …

An Examination Of Science Nce Scores Of Students Of Participating And Nonparticipating Teachers In East Tennessee State University Summer Science Institute., Kevin Ward

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of East Tennessee State University's summer science institute training through the effect on mean Normal Curve Equivalent science test scores of students in a Northeast Tennessee school system whose teachers participated in the ETSU summer science institute training. Data analysis were compiled using students' science NCE scores to determine if there were significant differences in scores for those students whose teachers participated in the summer science institutes and those who did not participate. Students' NCE scores were compiled from the middle school setting over a 3-year academic period: 2004-2005, 2005-2006, …

Job Satisfaction Levels Of Juvenile Detention Education Faculties And The Implementation Of Best Teaching Practices Compared To Overall Program Efficacy., Rebecca Minton Painter 1958-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Federal legislation in 1992 entitled the Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Act reordered many of the previous methods employed in the detention of juvenile offenders. Among the reform measures required by the act, there was a mandate to separate adult and juvenile offenders, provide educational opportunities, and established a process for ensuring juvenile rights. The shift in emphasis from simply incarcerating young offenders to providing educationally sound programs including both academic and life skills continues to be a challenging concept. Even though the legislation was passed in 1992, not all juvenile detention facilities have adopted every reform measure. One of the …

Role Of Transient Receptor Potential Canonical-6 (Trpc6) Channel In Metastasis Of Glioblastoma Multiforme, Rajarajeshwari Venkataraman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is one of the extremely fatal brain tumors. The main reason that makes it so lethal is its capability to invade and spread to other parts of CNS producing secondary tumors. Among other factors hypoxia, reduced oxygen availability, is linked to higher metastatic potential of cancers. Hypoxia causes numerous changes in genome and proteome of the cell. These changes help a normal cell to adapt to nutritional deficiency, but the same changes can increase the malignancy and metastasis in tumor cells. Extensive research by a number of curious scientists reveal that various pathways involving numerous proteins cross-talk …

Determinants Of The Well-Being Of Police Officers In The Turkish National Police, Serdar Yildiz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research evaluates the relationships of time balance, social relations, role conflict, perception of work environment, and fourteen control variables to police officers' well-being in Turkish National Police. Well-being is identified in the management literature as having a strong relationship with performance. Therefore, by finding the factors affecting well-being, this research seeks to identify intervention strategies, which can promote a healthy workforce and police performance. Such interventions, in addition, may improve police performance through improved well-being. Individual police officers were analyzed to better understand the relationship between work environment on family life, social life, and the well-being of the police …

A Comparison Of Coping Responses To Stress Among Counselor Education Students At The Beginning Stage, Practicum Stage, And Graduating Stage From Their Program Of Studies, Jill Maloney

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a difference in coping responses to stress among students in a Master's level counselor education program. The study was an investigation of the difference between three nonequivalent groups: Group A- Beginning counseling students, Group B- Practicum counseling students, and Group C- Graduating counseling students. Data was obtained through a demographic sheet developed by the examiner and a self report measure. The COPE inventory was administered to 65 graduate counselor education students to assess 15 different coping styles. The study had 15 hypotheses based on the 15 scales of the …

Health Seeking Behaviors: Life Histories Of African Americans Who Are Older, Have A Low Income, And Live In Rural South Alabama, Leigh Ann Chandler Poole

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The study provides information on health-seeking behaviors across the lifespan of African Americans who are older, have a low income, and reside in rural south Alabama. A qualitative naturalistic inquiry was conducted utilizing de Chesnay's (2005) life history methodology. The aim of the study was to produce knowledge that could be utilized in developing age, race, and socio-economically appropriate health promotion intervention strategies for this population.

Participation was voluntary and confidentiality was protected. Participants (N=7) were informed on the purpose of the study, methods of data collection, and their right to withdraw. Inclusion criteria was utilized to purposefully select study …

Evaluation Of An Augmentation Of Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep At Badlands National Park, South Dakota, Teresa J. Zimmerman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Audubon’s (a.k.a. Badlands) bighorn (Ovis canadensis auduboni [Merriam 1901] now O. c. Canadensis [Shaw 1804]), described as a subspecies of bighorn sheep, was extirpated from its range by 1924. In 1964, 22 Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep were translocated from Pikes Peak, Colorado, to Badlands National Park (BNP) in southwestern South Dakota. Based on the estimated effective population size and analysis of molecular data, the bighorn sheep population at BNP underwent a population bottleneck at founding. Recommendations to restore genetic diversity in the BNP population included a mixed-sex augmentation (n > 30) from an outbred, native population of Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep. …

Evaluation Of A Simple Intervention To Increase Self- Efficacy For Independent Exercise In Cardiac Rehabilitation Participants, Sherry A. Barkley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: While benefits of exercise after a cardiac event are well documented, participation in and adherence to cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programs is often low. The purpose of this study was to test the effectiveness of a self- efficacy coaching intervention (SCI): a simple theory-based behavioral intervention to increase self-efficacy for independent exercise as well as independent exercise behavior in CR patients. It was hypothesized that persons receiving the SCI treatment (T) would have higher levels of self-efficacy for exercise and greater participation in independent exercise than participants in an attention control (C) group.
Methods: People referred to a hospitalbased CR …

Nesting And Brood-Rearing Success And Resource Selection Of Greater Sage-Grouse In Northwestern South Dakota, Nicholas W. Kaczor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Understanding population dynamics and resource selection is crucial in developing wildlife resource management plans, particularly for sensitive species. Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) populations have declined range-wide at a rate of 2% per year from 1965 to 2003. In South Dakota, populations have generally declined. Reasons for the decline are mostly attributed to human-induced factors such as sagebrush degradation and removal, improper range management practices, oil and gas exploration, and West Nile virus infection. Sage-grouse occupy habitats at the eastern edge of their range in western South Dakota. We conducted a 2-year study to investigate the nesting and brood-rearing ecology of …

Going Solo : The Benefits Of Creating A Single Parent Magazine / By Ellen L. Mcclurkin, Ellen L. Mcclurkin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Social Presence, Satisfaction, And Perceived Learning Of Rn-To-Bsn Students In Web-Based Nursing Courses, Susan Cobb

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

While the development of online education has been progressing rapidly, further evaluation research is needed (Atack and Rankin, 2002; Halter et al., 2006). There is a need for further research on nursing students' experiences and satisfaction with online education, and correlating factors to promote the quality of online learning. Social presence is one factor that has been shown to affect outcomes such as satisfaction and perceived learning in online courses (Gunawardena and Zittle, 1997).

The purpose of this study was to assess social presence in online nursing courses and its relationship to student satisfaction and perceived learning. The theoretical framework …

The Experience Of Older Men Living Alone: A Phenomenological Perspective, Leslie Susan Yetter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to uncover older men's experience of living alone. This study was pursued because much of the literature reports that older men who live alone face the highest risk of death, mental illness, physical disability, and social isolation in our country. Based upon this literature, nurses appeared to be ignoring the needs of this vulnerable population. Using Giorgi's phenomenological method, 14 men 60 years and older who lived alone were interviewed and asked about their experience living alone. In the data analysis, the themes of self-growth, self-determination, structure, balance and sense of purpose emerged. Essentially, …

Using Stable Isotopes To Assess Population Structure And Feeding Ecology Of North Pacific Humpback Whales (Megaptera Novaeangliae), Briana Witteveen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The North Pacific humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) is a wide-ranging baleen whale species with a complex life history and population structure. As seasonal migrants, humpback whales are known to inhabit cooler, high-latitude waters when foraging and low-latitudes for mating and calving. Beyond this general migratory pattern, a number of demographic characteristics including, abundance, distribution, seasonal occurrence, and prey preferences remain unknown or poorly described. A complete understanding of humpback whale ecology is therefore lacking. Many methods used to explore these aspects of cetacean ecology are either prohibitively expensive or limited in the scope of what can be learned from their …

Evaluation Of The Antecedents Of Cultural Competence, Mary Harper

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: The threefold purpose of this research is to identify the essential antecedents of cultural competence as identified by international nurse researchers, to compare the content of the extant cultural competence instruments to these antecedents and to potentially identify gaps in their conceptualization. A secondary aim of this research is to initiate validation of Harper's model of ethical multiculturalism. Conceptual Basis: The model of ethical multiculturalism depicts the attributes of ethical multiculturalism as the fulcrum of a balance between two ethical philosophies of fundamentalism and relativism. The attributes of moral reasoning, beneficence/nonmaleficence, respect for persons and communities, and cultural competence …

Factors Associated With Iron Status In A Hutterite Population, Jane M. Osowski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Several factors are known to influence the absorption of dietary iron. The type of dietary iron consumed, what foods or supplements are consumed with dietary iron can all influence iron absorption. Understanding these factors can lead to better knowledge of what may or may not influence iron absorption. Obtaining accurate dietary data is important in nutrition research. Food frequency questionnaires can be used to estimate intake over a year time period, however, validation of a food frequency questionnaire against the 24 hour recall is essential for assessing the accuracy of the food frequency questionnaire. The following chapters of this dissertation …