Digital Commons Network^™

Quality Of Life In Older Breast Cancer Survivors, Victoria Loerzel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Quality of life (QoL) in cancer survivors is an important area of research. While data are available about QoL and breast cancer, there is a paucity of research regarding older breast cancer survivors. The purpose of this research was to examine QoL in older women with early stage breast cancer, within the first year of post-treatment survivorship. The specific aims of this study were to: 1) Describe the changes in overall QoL and the four QoL domains of Physical, Psychological, Social, and Spiritual well-being; 2) Examine the effects of a psychoeducational support intervention on QoL outcomes in older women; and …

Infrasound Wind Noise Predictions / By Jiao Yu, Jiao Yu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

What Everyone Knows About Fellowship Estates : Investigating Perspectives On A Neighborhood Association's History Through The Lens Of The Sociology Of Knowledge / By Sarah Walsh, Sarah Walsh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Space Matters: An Institutional Critique Of Distance Learning Within The University Of Central Florida English Department, Lori Mumpower

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines distance learning within a local, particular context: UCF's English department. In order to fully examine distance learning in this specific environment, I employ institutional critique as my methodology, a rhetorical and spatial approach that allows me to map distance learning within UCF's English department. Drawing upon the work of David Harvey, I examine the experienced, perceived, and imagined spaces of distance learning in our department. Through an examination of the history of naming UCF, rhetorical analyses of institutional documents that reference technologies, analysis of survey results noting faculty attitudes and perceptions of online learning, and postmodern mapping …

Recreational Technology And Its Impact On The Learning Development Of Children Ages 4-8: A Meta-Analysis For The 21st Century Cl, Joey Templeton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research focuses on technology (specifically video games and interactive software games) and their effects on the cognitive development of children ages 4-8. The research will be conducted as a meta-analysis combining research and theory in order to determine if the educational approach to this age group needs to change/adapt to learners who have been affected by this technology. I will focus upon both the physical and mental aspects of their development and present a comprehensive review of current educational theory and practice. By examining current curriculum goals and cross-referencing them to research conducted in fields other than education (i.e. …

Patchwork Culture: Quilt Tactics And Digitextuality, Michelle P. Barrett Ferrier

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Embedded in the quilt top, the fabric patches are relays, time pathways to stories and memories of their former owners. Through the quilts, the voices of the past survive. The stories trace a path of connection between oral traditions, storytelling, the invention of meaning, and the preservation of cultural memory. The theory and method described herein use the quilt patchwork metaphor as the basis for a web interface for designing and modeling knowledge-based graphical, narrative, and multimedia data. More specifically, the method comprises a digital storytelling and knowledge management tool that allows one or more users to create, save, store, …

Psychopathic Traits And Social-Cognitive Processes In Aggressive Youth, Colleen Morris

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Psychopathy is associated with severe and violent aggressive behaviors, poor treatment outcomes and high rates of recidivism. In youth, conduct problems and callous/unemotional characteristics are associated with characteristics of adulthood psychopathy. Downward extending adult criteria to youth is problematic. However, there is substantial evidence that adults with psychopathy traits began that developmental trajectory in childhood. This study adds to the developing literature clarifying the construct of psychopathy in youth, including the nature of callous/unemotional traits and the relationship to social-cognitive processes. Results indicate the callous/unemotional trait significantly predicted empathic concern, perspective taking, cognitive dysregulation, and outcome values in obtaining a …

Sacrament Of Deification: The Eucharistic Vision Of Alexander Schmemann In Light Of The Doctrine Of Theosis, Janet Puppo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study posits that the Eastern Christian doctrine of theosis, or deification, informs, enhances and illuminates Eucharistic understanding. It argues that the Eucharistic vision of Orthodox priest and theologian, Father Alexander Schmemann, offers the most cogent evidence in support of the intrinsic link between the Eucharist and the doctrine of theosis. Based on Schmemann's observations that a Eucharistic crisis exists in the Church as a result of liturgical indifference and secularism, this study seeks to retrieve the patristic vision of the Eucharist that synthesized the world, the Church and the Kingdom of God in an interdependent and harmonic balance. The …

The Postmodern Turn In Higher Education: Incorporating Narrative Literacy Into The Discipline Of Communication, Leeanne Marian Bell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The consensus across the curriculum of the centuries is that education is imperative and important, a 'good' for public life and a means by which to attain the good life. This dissertation will focus on a constructive hermeneutic that allows one to ask: 'What is the conversation taking place during this historical moment in education, and how can communication and rhetorical studies provide one potential answer through communicative engagement with our postmodern moment?' This question, the focus of this project, rests on the need to recognize narrative multiplicity in the classroom, particularly in the communication classroom in higher education. This …

Reflective Analysis Of The Role Spirituality Plays In Educational Leaders' Coping Successes With A Focus On Gender Divergence, Bettie Bertram

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between spirituality and the ability to cope as an educational leader. The role gender plays was also analyzed to determine if there were any differences in the ability to cope as an educational leader founded on gender. The sample for this study consisted of 65 executive leaders from the public educational sector ranging in age from 32 to 64 years of age. The sample was composed of a mix of women and men, the majority of participants Caucasian. The participants selected were college graduates with at least 12 years of …

Site Directed Mutagenesis Of Lozenge: A Yeast Two-Hybrid Analysis Of Transcription Factor Protein Interaction, Lailla Boumaza

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Lozenge is a transcription factor. It is a member of the Runx1 homology group that includes Runt, Acute Myeloid Leukemia1, and Core Binding Factor alpha1. Expressed in the fruit fly Drosophila, Lozenge contributes to the determination of neuronal and non-neuronal cells by regulating the expression of many fate-determining transcription factors. In addition to Lozenge expression in wide varieties of tissues, it also participates in the pattern formation and specification of the photoreceptors R1/R6 and R7 and cones and pigment cells of the fly eye. A growing number of fate determining transcription factors are influenced by Lozenge during eye development. For …

Microbial Transformation Of 3-Nitro-4-Hydroxybenzene Arsonic Acid (Roxarsone), Bryan Crable

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Land application of chicken litter from production houses that use the organoarsenical 3-nitro-4-hydroxybenzenearsonic acid (roxarsone) results in deposition of significant quantities of arsenic into United States soil each year. Used widely as a feed additive in the poultry industry, roxarsone was originally thought to be stable in the environment. However, recent evidence from our lab, as well as others, has established that this benign compound is readily transformed via several intermediates into inorganic arsenate. While microbial activity has been implicated in this process, there is no direct evidence suggesting the specific processes or the organisms involved.

Using a physiological and …

Characterization Of Steroid Sulfatase In Human And Mouse Tissues And In The Mouse Mc3t3-E1 Pre-Osteoblastic Cell Line, Heidi Difrancesca

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Steroid sulfatase cleaves the sulfate group from 3Β-hydroxysteroid sulfates. This enzyme is widely distributed among mammalian tissues, and it has been suggested to play a role in the in situ conversion of inactive steroids to active forms in a variety of tissues. Two tissues in which steroid sulfatase may be particularly important are breast cancer and bone. Our laboratory is interested in the role of steroid sulfatase; consequently, I worked on four projects characterizing steroid sulfatase in human and mouse tissues and investigating the role of this enzyme in mouse bone cells. Recent evidence indicates that steroid sulfatase could be …

Small Farmers And The Agro-Industrial Production And Services Cooperative Of Coronel Oviedo: Opportunities For Growth, Tara Farnan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the relationship between a group of campesinos and a Cooperative in Coronel Oviedo, Paraguay that were undergoing a debt default crisis. I spoke individually with small farmers and staff members about their experiences working with the Cooperative and their opinions about the future of the organization. Their responses grouped into themes that suggested ways to improve the relationship between farmers and their Cooperative as well as improve farmer involvement in the Cooperative. Based on recent scholarship in effective agricultural extension methods and rural development, I saw three main opportunities for the Cooperative to improve its relationship with …

Confocal And Tem Analysis Of Microbial Communities In Modern Stromatolites At Highborne Cay, Bahamas, Jonathan Franks

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A large reef complex with actively growing modern marine stromatolites lies along the eastern shore of Highborne Cay, Exumas. Previous studies identified the cyanobacterium Schizothrix gebeleinii as the predominant microbe involved in the accretion of surface oolytic layers. Here, three additional ooid accreting communities are described. The first is a community with yellow or pink pigmentation populated by the stalked diatoms, Striatella unipunctata, Licmorpha paradoxa, and L. remulus. A lectin-FITC was used to fluorescently label the stalks and demonstrate their presence in the subsurface of the stromatolite. The second community, which formed cohesive pustular masses, was dominated by an unidentified …

Patient Experiences With The New Nurse Practitioner Role In New Brunswick Canada, Trudean Hahn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The role of nurse practitioner (NP) has been flourishing in the US since the late 1960's. In Canada, the implementation of the role was slower to get established and has experienced a new thrust in recent years with shortages of family physicians and the implementation of new NP programs. The role of the NP was given royal assent in the province of New Brunswick, Canada in June, 2002 and the first NPs were hired in 2003. The purpose of this interpretive description study was to examine patient responses to this new role of NP in New Brunswick. Purposeful sampling was …

A Comparison Of Anxiety Levels Among Women In Mixed Gender Substance Abuse Treatment Facilities And Women-Only Substance Abuse Treatment Facilities, Veronica I. Jones

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether women who participate in a mixed gender residential substance abuse treatment facility experience more general anxiety during treatment than do women in a women-only setting and whether there a difference in the general anxiety levels of women in a women-only substance abuse treatment facility whether children are present or not. The voluntary participants of the study included 64 women who were selected from 4 residential treatment settings, 2 mixed gendered and 2 women-only, 1 with women and children. The women were asked to complete the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) that …

Is There A Place For Sexual Difference In Ernesto Spinelli's Existential Phenomenological Psychology? An Irigarayan Response To The Work Of Ernesto Spinelli, Aloysius Joseph

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

My critique begins with the philosopher-psychoanalyst Luce Irigaray's claim that all inter-subjective relations are subtended by sexual difference, and that forgetting this is ignoring a foundational aspect of human relations. For Irigaray, sexual difference is not mediated by biology or some ontological difference that culture identifies as "man" or "woman," but a particular relation to the body and to language that structures inter-subjectivity. I draw from the work of Ernesto Spinelli, as he is a contemporary scholar-practitioner of existential phenomenological psychology who is particularly attuned to the constitution of inter-subjectivity in therapeutic praxis. I began with Spinelli's critique of contemporary …

An Examination Of The Perceptions Of Elementary School Counselors Regarding Grade Retention, Mariellen Kerr

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The role of the professional school counselor encompasses a variety of responsibilities, each contributing to the ultimate objective of student success. Grade retention is an intervention often utilized by educators to remediate students' lack of success. Elementary school counselors are often involved in the retention decision-making process and yet there is a dearth of research connecting elementary counselors to the vast body of research that exists on grade retention. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of elementary school counselors' regarding grade retention. The Grade Retention Survey, developed by Manley (1988) and used in previous studies to …

The Impact Of Organizational Culture, Feminist Theory And Leadership Of The First Seven Presidents On The Historical Development Of Mercyhurst College (1926-1972), Mary Lee Lynch

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The religious heritage and ideals of many American Catholic colleges and universities are associated with the orders of women religious that established women's colleges in the 19th century and served them through the 20th century. The social histories of their individual colleges are just beginning to be written. This study provides historical information on the first seven Sister of Mercy presidents of Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pennsylvania. It searches out the role each of these presidents played not just in maintaining the culture of the institution but also in making significant adaptations to it. The study focuses on female centered …

Acquisition And Retention Of Cpr Knowledge And Skills For Junior Level Baccalaureate Nursing Students, Andrea Ackermann

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The acquisition and retention of CPR knowledge and skills has been a topic of concern for the past 20 years and there is concern that severe deterioration of knowledge and skills has been evident in only a few weeks after training. The use of human patient simulation (HPS) scenarios has been beneficial in teaching a variety of nursing skills in a risk-free environment. This type of training has been recommended by nursing educators but there is no evidence of increased acquisition and retention of CPR skills for nursing students using HPS scenario.

A quasi-experimental design was used to compare the …

Regulation Of Steroid Sulfatase By Glucocorticoids In Human Breast Cancer And Bone Cancer Cell Lines, Suman Barua

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Steroid sulfatase is an enzyme involved in the conversion of active estrogens and androgens from inactive systemic precursors such as estrone sulfate (E1S) and dehydropiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS). This protein is known to play a role in the fetal-adrenal endocrine axis during pregnancy and it is suspected to have additional physiological functions. Steroid sulfatase has also been implicated in stimulation of hormone-dependent cancers; consequently, a substantial amount of research has been undertaken to develop inhibitors of this enzyme. By comparison, relatively little is known about the regulation of steroid sulfatase. Previous work in our lab had suggested that glucocorticoids may affect …

Learning By Wandering: Using Technology To Nourish The Spirit, Marie Martin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

My purpose in this dissertation is to explore aspects of the nature of learning and to address the question of how to use technology in education to nourish the human spirit. To do this, I use a combination of critical and historical analysis. I reconnect first of all with my native ancient Irish culture. From this perspective, I gain an understanding of learning as a spiritual quest for transcendence effected through learning by wandering, and an insight into technology’s noble role in nourishing this hunger of the human spirit. I find that this vision is given historical expression in the …

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, …

The Elgamal Cryptosystem Is Better Than Th Rsa Cryptosystem For Mental Poker, Ipek Tetikoglu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cryptosystems are one of the most important parts of secure online poker card games. However, there is no research comparing the RSA Cryptosystem (RC) and Elgamal Cryptosystem (EC) for mental poker card games. This paper compares the RSA Cryptosystem and Elgamal Cryptosystem implementations of mental poker card games using distributed key generation schemes. Each implementation is based on a joint encryption/decryption of individual cards. Both implementations use shared private key encryption/decryption schemes and neither uses a trusted third party (TTP). The comparison criteria will be concentrated on the security and computational complexity of the game, collusions among the players and …

A Comparison Of Self-Acceptance Among Counselor Education Master's Degree Students At The Beginning, Practicum Level, And Graduation From Their Program Of Studies, Baljinder Uppal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The focus of this study was counselor trainees' self-acceptance; because this examiner proposed there is a parallel process between the client's relationship with the counselor and the counselor's relationship with oneself. This study was an investigation of the differences between three nonequivalent groups: Group A - Beginning Counselor Students, Group B -- Beginning Practicum Counselor Students, and Group C - Graduating Counselors to measure differences between the three groups. The study was researching their responses from the Unconditional Self-Acceptance Questionnaire-Revised (USAQ-R) as an individual assessment instrument. This investigator measured the effects of gender to determine if group differences in response …

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 …

Structure And Mobility Through Capillary Electrophoresis, John T. Williams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Through the modification of capillary coating procedures electroosmotic flow was controlled without altering the buffer properties. Aqueous buffers of differing ionic strengths were utilized in order to develop a better understanding of the surface properties of nanocrystalline lattices known as quantum dots. Secondary determination of nanocrystal surface properties was determined through the use of a zetasizer.

Non-aqueous buffers were utilized in order to determine the effect of the coating on aseparation of hydrophobic, biologically relevant fatty acids. A dynamic capillary surface coat was compared to a successive multiple ionic layer (SMIL) polymeric coat in reguards to resolution and stability. The …

Confidence And Willingness Among Preservice Teachers To Use Technology To Support Learner-Centered Strategies That Address The Diverse Needs Of Students: A Multimedia Experience, Junko Yamamoto

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the change in preservice teachers' attitudes towards using technology to meet the needs of diverse students as noted by the National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers (NETS*S) III. B. This research included two interventions: a research paper assignment and a hands-on practice using technology to assist students with special needs. The study took place within the coursework in an instructional technology class offered for preservice teachers. After the pre-intervention survey was collected on the 10th week of the semester, the instructor explained the research paper assignment for assisting students with special needs …

Life Of The People, Body Of The People: Re-Reading The Imagery Of The Body Politic, Wade Roberts

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

According to traditional interpretations, the language of the body politic is regarded as an essentially marginal turn of phrase which, if it does have any theoretical importance, simply refers to the civil order formed by agents who agree to exit from the state of nature by transferring their right of self-defense to a duly recognized sovereign authority. From the standpoint of Agamben and Foucault's work on biopower, however, corporeal language is no longer viewed one-dimensionally, as a metaphor of popular consent; rather, we can re-read the body politic in a more literal way, as the intersection of cooperation and antagonism …