Digital Commons Network^™

Information-Seeking Strategies Of Doctoral Students And Implications For Design Of The Graduate School Web Space, Debra Winter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation looks at the information-seeking practices of doctoral students in the context of their search for a doctoral program and considers the implications for design of the graduate school Web space. Of particular interest is the description of patterns of Web use and the practices related to students' preparation for interactions with technology, the nature of the interactions, and the thinking that occurs. An exploratory study that brings together hypertext theory, contextual, holistic approaches, and information behavior, this research includes a focus group of current undergraduate and graduate students to gather fresh details about information-seeking for a graduate program …

The Biochemical Reactions Of Dry State Dna, April Marrone

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The biochemistry of dry state DNA is of interest to the fields of forensics, ancient DNA, and DNA storage. The exact chemical nature of the degradation of the DNA molecule in the dry state has not been studied prior. If determined what chemical changes the DNA molecule undergoes, to what degree and in what time frame then protocols can be implemented to bypass the impact of this damage or to repair it when necessary. It is suspected that similar reactions occur to the dry state DNA molecule as does to the hydrated molecule. It cannot be assumed, however that these …

Water And The Mountains: Maya Water Mangement At Caracol, Belize, James Crandall

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Water management techniques in the Southern Maya Lowlands are both regionally diverse and site specific. This thesis examines the water management strategies of the Classic Period Maya at the site of Caracol, Belize. While it is likely that elites at Caracol controlled the redistribution of resources, i.e. craft and agricultural products, it is probable that the production of agricultural resources and the maintenance of water resource acquisition took place on a more local level. In order to test this hypothesis, a sample of five reservoirs were examined through original research -- and situated in conjunction with past settlement studies -- …

A Biocultural Analysis Of Nubian Fetal Pot Burials From Askut, Sudan, Lauren Britton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The skeletal remains in this study were excavated from the Nubian archaeological island fortress site of Askut (ca. 1850 BC - 1070 BC, New Kingdom/Third Intermediate period), located at the 2nd Cataract of the Nile river in Sudan. These remains were recovered as part of an archaeological expedition from 1962-1964, which was an effort to learn as much as possible about this site before the building of the High Dam in Aswan. Seven fetal skeletons (dated ca. 1260-770 BC) were examined for their biocultural significance. Biological analysis of these individuals indicates a range in developmental age from 36 to 40 …

Habitat Use By The Southeastern Beach Mouse (Peromyscus Polionotus Niveiventris) At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, Kathryn Simmons

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Successful recovery of the federally threatened southeastern beach mouse (Peromyscus polionotus niveiventris) depends in part on an understanding of their habitat requirements. I studied habitat use by beach mice at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida from March 2005 until March 2006. I livetrapped six grids, three on coastal dunes and three within scrub located inland from the coast. On each grid and trap station, I quantified the extent of bare ground, woody vegetation, non-woody vegetation, height of vegetation, and percentage of coarse sand in the surface soil. I assessed trap success relative to these habitat variables using linear and …

Application Of Alkylsilane Self-Assembled Monolayers For Cell Patterning And Development Of Biolocial Microelectromechanical Systems, Kerry Wilson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Advances in microfabrication and surface chemistry techniques have provided a new paradigm for the creation of in vitro systems for studying problems in biology and medicine in ways that were previously not practical. The ability to create devices with micro- to nano-scale dimensions provides the opportunity to non-invasively interrogate and monitor biological cells and tissue in large arrays and in a high-throughput manner. These systems hold the potential to, in time, revolutionize the way problems in biology and medicine are studied in the form of point-of-care devices, lab-on-chip devices, and biological microelectromechanical systems (BioMEMS). With new in vitro models, it …

Nanofiltration Membrane Pilot Studies For Disinfection By-Product Control, Eric J. Lynne

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Watertown, South Dakota currently uses conventional softening to treat ground water to remove hardness, iron and manganese, and natural organic matter. The distribution system has experienced elevated concentrations of disinfection by-products, which will require additional treatment to comply with future limits set by the Stage 2 Disinfectant/Disinfection By-Products Rule. A nanofiltration membrane system has been proposed to remove additional natural organic matter from the softened water. Removing the natural organic material disinfection by-product precursors should reduce the concentration of disinfection by-products. The use of nanofiltration membranes has been previously documented to reject total organic carbon, while allowing desirable levels of …

An Examination Of Condom Use And Meaning In Life In College Students, Cahryn Anderson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Household Economy Of An Island Settlement In 18th Century Connecticut, Benjamin Mcmanus Kelsey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Are The Training And Operational Capabilities Of Mississippi Urban Search And Rescue Personnel Commensurate With Nationally Accepted Usar Standards And Practices Employed By Fema And Outlined In Nfpa 1670?, James Russell Mccullar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Competition On The Nitrogen Uptake Ability Of Juncus Effusus : An In-Situ Field Experiment At The University Of Mississippi Field Station, Clint. Helms

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Locals, Scientists, And The Problem Of Proof In The Search For The Ivory-Billed Woodpecker, John Rory Fraser

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Moshing And Thrashing And Headbanging (Oh My!) : Gender, Genre, And Authenticity In The Extreme Metal Subculture, Ben Hutcherson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Monitoring Effects Of Hurricane Katrina To The Mississippi Gulf Coast / By Crystal Warren, Crystal Warren

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Internet And Political Engagement, Dana King

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Ethanol Teratogenesis In Japanese Medaka : A Morphometric, Biochemical And Epigenetic Analysis, Yuhui Hu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Foster Mothers' Experience Of Parenting A Foster Child With Attachment Problems: An Empirical Phenomenological Investigation, Cynthia Byers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explored foster mothers' experiences of parenting a foster child who displayed problematic attachment. This topic is important because research suggests foster children presenting with attachment problems often experience disrupted foster placements, which are known to be detrimental to their continued development.

An introductory letter seeking foster mothers with difficult to care for foster children between the ages of 2 and younger than 6 years was sent by seven foster care agencies in Allegheny County to all of those agencies' foster mothers. Foster mothers were not told in advance that the study involved attachment-disordered foster children. Six foster mothers …

Fitzgerald In The Late 1910s: War And Women, Richard M. Clark

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation analyzes historical and cultural factors that influenced F. Scott Fitzgerald's portrayal of women in three of his early works. In "Sentiment—and the Use of Rouge, " This Side of Paradise, and "Head and Shoulders, " women act as usurpers and destroyers, infiltrating male territory and taking on traditionally male roles. Fitzgerald reacts to changes in the status of women that had been occurring since the late 1800s. But the late 1910s, when the author composed these works, witnessed a hastening of women's progress and an intensification of the male anxiety resulting from these changes. Repercussions of the war …

Zinc-Mediated Dimerization Of Proteins Through A -Cxcxxxxcxc- Sequence, Tyler Collins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Dimerization of cellular proteins has become an intense field of study due to its importance in signal transduction and gene expression, amongst many other functions. Arguably the most intriguing quality regarding dimerization is the high incidence of simultaneous dimeric events occurring within the cell, where each constructed dimer individually controls a single pathway with high specificity. Additionally, the discoveries of new motifs possessing this seemingly common functionality participate in truly unique and often poorly understood mechanisms. CopY, a metal-responsive bacterial repressor from Enterococcus hirae possesses distinctive dimerization properties. We show that this cysteine metal-binding motif, which contains a metal-reactive C-terminal …

Dialogues Between Feminists And Jacques Lacan On Female Hysteria And Femininity, Katerina Catherine Daniel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This theoretical dissertation aims to initiate a dialogue between Lacan and Irigaray, Butler, and poststructuralist Anglophone feminists on the relationship between hysteria and femininity. The very existence of hysteria has been called into question by the majority of Anglophone feminists, who have criticized its diagnostic proliferation, claiming that it has negative implications for social change and has played a central part in women's oppression. The Anglophone feminist tradition views Lacanian psychoanalytic theories of sexuation and hysteria with a critical eye, arguing that Lacan's oeuvre is another version of patriarchal discourse, another reductionistic paradigm of female suffering, and another essentialist scheme …

Characterization Of Linear Chromosome Segregation And Condensation Of Streptomyces Coelicolor, Rebekah M. Dedrick

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

DNA segregation and condensation must occur accurately during cell division to ensure the survival of daughter cells. Most prokaryotes have a single, circular genome, which is simultaneously replicated, segregated and condensed during cell division. Streptomyces coelicolor is a sporulating, filamentous bacterium with a large, linear genome. Syncytial aerial hyphae contain numerous copies of the genome, which must be synchronously segregated into prespore compartments while up to 100 septa form. The proteins that control and accomplish this complicated process are of interest. Genetic analysis revealed that S. coelicolor can survive without three DNA segregation proteins, SMC, FtsK and ParB, which normally …

An Examination Of The Factors Underlying The Motivation And Learning Strategies Of Generation 1.5 Korean American Students, Rosa Cho Stoffa

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Comprehensive research into student learning has established that the effective use of learning strategies will enable students to take responsibility for their own learning, enhance their motivation in the learning process, and improve their academic success (Sternberg & Grigorenko, 2001). However, little research has investigated the learning strategies used by immigrant students and how these strategies relate to academic excellence. While survey instruments currently exist for assessing these constructs in the general population, the construct validity of theses scales has yet to be examined within immigrant populations.

The subjects who participated in this study were randomly selected from the Korean …

Selective Lesion Of Cholinergic Neurons Of The Septal-Hippocampal Tract: Memory And Learning, Nicholas Fitz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

It is hypothesized that the loss of cholinergic function in the medial septum (MS), observed early in many forms of dementia, contributes to memory losses characterized in these diseases. The studies of this dissertation examined whether the selective loss of cholinergic neurons in the MS impairs acquisition of a delayed matching-to-position (DMP) spatial memory task. The results suggest a significant contribution of MS cholinergic neurons in acquisition of the DMP task. Specifically, 192 IgG-saporin SAP lesioned rats acquired the task at a slower rate and required more days to reach criterion. The results also suggest that male rats typically adopt …

Principles For Developing Inculturated Theology In The Diverse African Context: Steps Beyond Traditional Heritages, Jane Catherine Hagaba

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation critically examines the foundational significance of Christ for contextual theologies in the African Catholic Church. It begins with a presentation of Benezet Bujo's approach and contextual methodology. As a critical study, this dissertation is premised on the principle that the object of Christianity is the transformation of peoples and their societies. Therefore, the study examines the ways in which African societies founded on an immutable principle of blood kinship can open to the Christian faith and to the globalizing world today. The dissertation grapples with this issue to unravel the weaknesses and limitations of African theologies of inculturation. …

Imag(In)Ing Neuro-Psychology: A Multi-Perspectival, Critical, Autoethnographic Study, Kristen Hennessy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Neuropsychology in the United States initially strove to diagnose brain damage. Recently, this diagnostic task has been largely usurped by the emergence of neuroimaging. Despite the encroachment upon the traditional territory of neuropsychology, neuropsychology has continued relatively unchanged. Personally encountering neuropsychology from the multiple positions of patient, family member, and training professional, I wondered about the forces operating that prevented neuropsychology from evolving. I speculated that unseen forces operated to keep neuropsychology stagnant and that the neuropsychologist's function was largely unarticulated. I further speculated that the hidden functions involved very particular (problematic) relationships. This dissertation aims to begin to highlight …

Modulation Of Dendritic Cells With The Interleukin-10 Gene On Polycation-Modified Polymeric Particles, Liang Jia

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Gene therapy has emerged as a field to modulate cell functions by introducing genes of interest to target cells. An emerging focus in this field is to employ non-viral vectors to deliver immunosuppressive cytokines to dendritic cells (DCs) to attenuate damaging immune responses. DCs serve as potential targets for suppression of T cell responses. In this work, we investigated the ability of polycation-modified polymeric particles complexed with interleukin-10 (IL-10) gene to modulate DCs. The delivery systems (designated as PSO10H6 and PLGAO10H6) were formed by coating cationic peptide O10H6 (O: ornithine; H: histidine) on the polystyrene (PS) and poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) …

The Identification And Characterization Of Estrogen Receptors In The Mouse And Human Lens And Their Role In Cataract Development, Mary Rachel Kirker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The increased risk of age-related cataracts in postmenopausal women and studies in animal models suggest that estrogen may have a protective role in the lens. However, very little is known regarding the role of estrogen and its receptors in the lens. To begin unraveling the estrogen signaling mechanism in the lens, the following aims were investigated: 1) to determine if estrogen receptors are expressed in the lens, [125I]-17beta-estradiol binding and mRNA expression of ERalpha, ERbeta, and GPR30 were examined in the mouse and human lens; 2) to determine if the loss of ERalpha and/or ERbeta receptors will induce spontaneous development …

The Lived-Experiences Of Clinical Supervisors In Rural Mental Health Settings, Lauren Kuhn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Supervision is an essential component to the counseling field and is a distinct intervention (Bernard & Goodyear, 2004). The primary purpose of supervision is to enhance a counselor's professional development and ensure client welfare. The role of a supervisor carries a tremendous amount of professional, ethical, and legal responsibilities. Therefore, supervisors require specific training, skills, and knowledge related to the provision of mental health services in rural areas in order to provide quality supervision services. The intent of this study is to provide a rich description of the supervisor's experience of supervision in the rural context and its effect on …

A School For Our Children: A Case Study Of A School Closing The Student Achievement Gap, Monica Diane Lamar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the student achievement gap from the perspective of a school closing the student achievement gap. The intent of the dissertation was to discover or identify factors as to how an elementary school eliminates the student achievement gap as delineated by accelerative factors theory (AFT). In addition, the student achievement gap is an educational problem that emphasizes race. Critical race theory (CRT) was utilized to view how race and racism was situated in the school. These methodologies were chosen specifically to garner critical information of the efforts utilized by the parents, teachers and administrators to close the student …

Use Of The Electronic Health Record In Private Medical Practices, Archish Maharaja

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine the use of the electronic health record (EHR) by physicians in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Five research questions were designed to inquire about the physician practice characteristics and its relationship to the EHR deployment, the importance of educational intervention in the EHR adoption, and the physician's belief if the EHR contributes to improvements in the quality of patient care and practice productivity and profitability. A survey of The Use of Electronic Health Records by Medical Practices was used to collect 169 physician responses from the two counties. This survey …