Digital Commons Network^™

Cost Effective Human Protein C Purification From Cohn Fraction Iv-1 Using Mini-Antibody., Doh Gyeuhn Ahn 1969-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Protein C (PC) is an important anticoagulant, antithrombotic, and antiinflammatory in blood plasma. PC deficiency can lead to severe venous thrombotic events, including lung embolism, stroke, and heart attack. In the body, PC is activated only when it is needed, and, therefore, PC does not cause bleeding problems that currently available anticoagulants may do. Purification of PC from plasma is currently done by immunoaffinity chromatography using monoclonal antibodies (Mabs), which is very expensive. Single chain variable regions (mini-Mab) with a PC binding capability, which can be produced in recombinant E. coli , were developed for PC purification. Compared to Mabs, …

The Process Of The Enlargement Of The Russian Regions : Economic Balancing Or Landmark Of "Kremlinization"?, Igor Yurievich Danchenko

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Every state, regardless of its size, faces a problem of spatial organization and distribution of its power over territory, particularly in times of the formation of its statehood and the establishment of the system of governance. The territorial-administrative reform in modern Russia has taken an unprecedented scale over the last five years. Recollecting the experiences of the imperial Russia and the Soviet Union, Putin's reforms aim at elimination of a whole tier of Russia's federative units---autonomous okrugs---by merging them with adjacent regions. Arguably, the enlargement of Russian regions and the reduction of their number from the current eighty-nine would be …

Optimization Of Interhospital Transfer Of Patients To Reduce Emergency Department Overcrowding., Brandi Marie Hill 1980-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research project is to evaluate the feasibility of interhospital patient transfers (within a hospital corporation referred to as NESW Hospital Co.) as a means of reducing emergency department overcrowding. Customer satisfaction is a highly weighted factor in the event of interhospital transferring of patients, as providing quality health care is of the utmost importance to the NESW Hospital Co. Interhospital patient transfers are considered in times of high patient volumes when the referring hospital lacks an available bed to care for those patients whom, via the emergency department, must be admitted to a nursing unit. NESW …

Defining The Mechanisms Of Neutrophil Exocytosis Using Proteomic Techniques., George Lominadze 1978-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Exocytosis of intracellular granules is critical for conversion of inactive, circulating neutrophils to fully activated cells. The p38 MAPK pathway plays a central role in neutrophil exocytosis, although its mechanism of action is unknown. We used several proteomic approaches to identify granule proteins and find targets of the p38 MAPK and its downstream kinase, MK2, on granules. Our analysis identified 286 proteins on neutrophil granules, four of which were known MK2 substrates. Known p38 substrates were not detected. However, MRP-14 was identified as a novel p38 MAPK substrate. MRP-14 was phosphorylated by p38 MAPK in neutrophils upon cell stimulation and …

High Tech Spatial Concentration Human Capital, Agglomeration Economies, Location Theories And Creative Cities., Songmei Li 1970-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explores four economic development theories – classical location theory, human capital theory, agglomeration economies theory and creative cities theory, and their effectiveness in explaining the spatial distribution of high tech industries across metropolitan areas. This study identifies a strong and positive role for education and top-ranked research universities on high-tech employment concentrations, thus supporting the human capital approach that promotes investment in education and academic R&D to stimulate regional high technology economic development. This study also suggests that successful high technology regions are the regions with the presence of multi-regional and multinational corporate headquarters and accessibility to an …

The Concerto In G By Maurice Ravel : An Analysis With Neo-Riemannian Applications To His Non-Functional Harmonic Progressions, Grant Wall

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This paper presents an original analysis of the Concerto in G by Maurice Ravel in five areas: form, harmony, melody, rhythm and orchestration. In addition, the paper gives a summary of neo-Riemannian theoretical principles and an application of these theories with some expansion to the concerto. Framed by a brief introduction and conclusion, the body of the paper is divided in five chapters: biography of the composer, review of the composer’s musical style, review of neo- Riemannian theory, analysis of the concerto, and application of neo-Riemannian theory to the concerto.

Synthesis And Characterization Of Polymer Nanofibers Produced By Emulsion Polymerization, Suxiang Wei

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Surfactants in aqueous media can form a variety of microstructures such as micelles of various geometries, emulsions, microemulsions and vesicles. Cetyltrimethylammonium p-toluene sulfate (CTAT) has been found to cause large increases in solution viscosity in certain concentration ranges. This phenomenon has been ascribed to the formation of wormlike micelles. Using this, we have synthesized polystyrene nanofibers by emulsion polymerization in wormlike CTAT admicelles in the presence of added sodium chloride (NaCl). Polystyrene nanofibers approximately 3 µm in length and 20~ 60 nanometers in width, were created by emulsion polymerization at 50°C for ten hours using 2, 2’-azobis-isobutyrInitrile initiator. The impact …

Interpersonal Change As An Outcome Of Time-Limited Interpersonal Therapy., Nicholas Lawrence Salsman 1978-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined two questions related to interpersonal change as an outcome of Time-Limited Interpersonal Therapy (TLIPT). The first asked if clients experience both symptom change and interpersonal change when treated with TLIPT. The second explored factors that contribute to interpersonal changes in clients treated with TLIPT. The study examined a sample of 61 clients who identified interpersonal problems as a primary therapeutic issue and were treated with between 9 and 76 sessions of TLIPT. Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) of the first question revealed that clients experienced significant reductions in measures of symptoms and interpersonal distress. Clients also …

Ridge Augmentation Comparing A Cancellous Block Allograft To Freeze Dried Bone Particles And Utilizing An Acellular Dermal Matrix Barrier Membrane., Brenton Lahey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Aims. The primary aim of this randomized, controlled, blinded clinical trial was to compare the clinical and histologic results of ridge augmentation comparing a cancellous block allograft to a particulate mineralized freeze dried bone allograft using acellular dermal matrix as a barrier membrane. Methods. Twenty-four patients that met the following inclusion criteria were sequentially entered into the study: 1) at least age 18; 2) had at least a one tooth ridge defect treatment planned to receive a dental implant; 3) the defect was bordered by at least one tooth; and 3) an IRB approved informed consent was signed. Twelve test …

Crack Growth Investigation Of Aluminum Fiber Metal Laminates Under Fatigue Loading., Sarah Elizabeth Gutierrez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Aluminum fiber metal laminates (AFMLs) are a promising new type of fiber metal laminate that consists of aluminum foils interleaved with layers of a graphite fiber-polymer matrix composite (PMC) material. AFMLs combine the attractive features of aluminum with the advantages of traditional graphite polymer-matrix composite. There are a number of anticipated benefits of such a material including weight reduction, improved bearing capability and high conductivity for lightning strike protection. The presence of the fiber-reinforced composite also provides a method to arrest cracks in the aluminum layers via fiber bridging. In order to understand crack initiation and growth in AFML specimens, …

Groundwater Remediation Technologies For Trichloroethylene And Technetium-99., John Nicholas Uhl 1960-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Technical Advisory Group (TAG) of the Innovative Treatment Remediation Demonstration Program (ITRD) made technology recommendations after reviewing thirty in situ remediation technologies for implementation at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant (PGDP) to treat groundwater contaminated with trichloroethylene (TCE) and technetium-99 (Tc-99). The 1999 data used in the ITRD final report were considered to be obsolete as of the year 2004. In this work, cost and performance of the ITRD recommended technologies were updated and compared to newer technologies not in the original review. The technologies were described and case studies were used to evaluate cost and performance with costs …

Primary Sex Reversal In Female Betta Splendens Following Treatments With Temperature And Trenbolone Acetate., Tracy S. Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sex reversal in fish can occur as a result of disturbances in natural conditions or laboratory manipulations. Trenbolone Acetate (TBA), a synthetic anabolic-androgenic steroid used mainly in the cattle industry, was applied to female Betta splendens, a sexually dimorphic fish. Previously, females were analyzed for secondary sex characteristics after treatment with TBA, increased temperature, or a combination of both. This study focused on primary sex characteristics by histological examination. Gonads were surgically removed and prepared following basic histological techniques. Following H&E staining, sections were observed for signs of ovarian regression, as well as signs of testicular formation. The presence …

Look Younger, Lose 10 Pounds, And Influence Your Audience: A Content Analysis Of Popular Men's And Women's Magazine Cover Blurbs And The Messages They Project To Their Readers., Rhajon Noelle Colson-Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research examined cover blurbs on popular men’s and women’s magazines and the messages they communicate to their readers about women. The content analysis looked at the covers of Esquire, Gentlemen’s Quarterly, Vogue, and Good Housekeeping from 1999 through 2003 to see what these magazines were cultivating and framing through their cover text during the time surrounding the new millennium. The women’s magazines examined promoted gendered messages, messages encouraging an idealistic or unattainable ideal of women, to their readers more so than the men’s magazines researched. There also appeared to be an increase of gendered messages in the men’s and …

Two From The Underworld: Short Fiction., Stephen Glass

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The following thesis contains two works of short fiction. The first, “Afterlife,” is narrated by Jeff Carlton, whose unenthusiastic passage into fatherhood is complicated by his girlfriend Charlene’s obsession with mummification. The second, “Jolly,” is the story of Calvin Edwards, a young bus station attendant haunted by his father’s ghost and visited by a cadaverous stranger, Jolly, who also sees the dead. The stories are preceded by an introduction in which the author discusses his views on implied motivation in character development.

Efficacy Of Cardiac Education On Dietary Habits Of Subjects Participating In Cardiac Rehabilitation., Marie-Rose Antoine Abdo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if cardiac nutrition education can affect dietary patterns of subjects participating in Cardiac Rehabilitation. Surveys, a pretest given prior to the first cardiac class and a second identical test, administered following cardiac rehabilitation classes, were conducted. Fifty-five randomly selected participants from the outpatient Cardiac Rehabilitation Program were initially given the posttest. Thirty-three of the 55 surveys were returned. Cardiac health classes offered by various health professionals included cardiac nutrition education, group nutrition classes, guest lectures on nutrition, and cooking demonstrations. The tests were compared to measure changes in diet and were analyzed …

A Comparison Of Academic Achievement And Value-Added Grades On The State Report Cards In Tennessee, 2001-2003., Kyle Allen Evans

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study uses the state report cards published by the Tennessee Department of Education to compare the academic achievement grades to the value-added grades to determine if there is a relationship between the two grading systems. The data used for this study are from the 2001, 2002, and the 2003 state report cards published for each school using the five subject areas of reading, language, math, science, and social studies.

One thousand sixty schools in the state of Tennessee were for this study. The socioeconomic status (SES) of the schools was used as a covariate to determine if the socioeconomic …

The Perceptions Of Students, Teachers, And Parents Regarding The Value Of The Lifeskills And Lifelong Guidelines Program., Jessica Anderson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In recent years there has been an increase in the number of children committing extreme acts of violence prompting many schools to adopt and implement character education programs. Character education has been defined as educating students to understand, act upon, and care about universal virtues like respect, truthfulness, responsibility, and caring. There are many character education programs available from which a school's staff can choose. The LIFESKILLS and Lifelong Guidelines program is one that focuses on producing a caring community of responsible citizens for life.

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to evaluate the perceptions of students, teachers, …

Juvenile Commitment Rate: The Effects Of Gender, Race, Parents, And School., Mitchell Andrew Thompson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to analyze those factors that affect the commitment rate of juveniles and how outside variables such as gender, race, parents, and school attendance affect the commitment rate of crime and delinquency. The variables used for this study came from the Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.) data collected by Esbensen and Osgood (1999). The analysis revealed that females are more likely to have a higher commit rate than males, that Whites have a higher commit rate than other races, that those juveniles living with their father have a lower commit rate than those living …

Family Violence And Divorce: Effects On Marriage Expectations., Hollie Nicole Dillon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Family violence and divorce can have influential effects on marital expectations. The present study analyzes the effects of gender, family violence, and divorce on marital expectations. Participants were 293 students enrolled in an introductory psychology course at a southeastern university. The mean age of the participants was 19.67 with 62.5 % being female and 37.5% being male. Participants completed the Conflict Tactics Scale to assess the presence of violence in the participant’s family of origin. Participants were also assessed on their parent’s marital status and, if applicable, their age at the time of divorce. This information was gathered via a …

A Study Of The Southern Appalachian Granny-Woman Related To Childbirth Prevention Measures., Harriet P. Masters

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Documented as serving in the midwife capacity from the 1880s to the 1930s, the “granny-woman,” often was the only line of defense regarding childbirth support practices for many childbearing age women living in the region during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The early twentieth century saw the granny-women discredited and subject to elimination as a result of a purposeful campaign conducted by the male-dominated medical profession. Using knowledge of herbal remedies, the granny-woman played an integral part in the survival of the inhabitants of the region, especially related to childbirth. These centuries-old, herbal-based ministrations have been explored to …

A Survey Examining The Attitudes In A College Population Toward Suicide Attempters., Kandi Shearer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Suicidal behaviors are common and problematic among young populations, and attitudes held towards such behavior likely impact the frequency of its occurrence. The present study was conducted to gain insight into the attitudes held towards suicide attempt victims amongst a traditional college population. Undergraduate students (n = 360) were administered a survey to assess demographics, suicide ideation levels, and perceptions formed after reading a short suicide attempt report. Results indicated that ideation levels had the most impact on perceptions, with ideators being significantly more likely than non-ideators to view suicide attempters as more intelligent, more justified in their actions, more …

A Solemn Assembly., John Michael Cline

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A group of oil paintings completed in partial requirement of my MFA degree is discussed. The paintings are on wood panels and are the result of a combination of old master techniques of under-painting and glazing and more contemporary approaches to the painting process. Each painting represents a particular concept or event from Mormon theology; whereas, the pictorial structure is inspired by Medieval manuscript painting. Thus, this body of work is a synthesis between two worldviews existing centuries apart, yet sharing certain core values and beliefs.

Social Disruption In The Gothic Novels Of Horace Walpole, Elizabeth Inchbald, And Jane Austen., Lia Criselda Lim Pun-Chuen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Gothic novel plays on the exaggeration of prescribed sex roles and uses various narrative techniques to produce a social commentary on gender politics and to illustrate the consequences of a destroyed social structure. Through the examination of the construct of the Gothic narrative and its fragmentary style, the novels of Horace Walpole, Elizabeth Inchbald, and Jane Austen reveal similar treatments of the sexuality of their characters. The implementation of key Gothic elements—such as the castle, tyrannical father, and distressed damsel—serve to propel the novels’ questioning of the patriarchal system, the theme of women as commodities, and the economic value …

Does Joint Attention Mediate The Relationship Between Temperament And Language?, Brenda J. Salley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Individual differences in child temperament have been associated with individual differences in language development; similarly, relationships have been separately reported among temperament, language and early nonverbal social communication (joint attention). The present study examined the relationship between temperament and language, in the context of joint attention as an underlying developmental variable mediating this association. Temperament, language and joint attention were assessed in 51 Appalachian 21-month-old toddlers. Results indicate a relationship between aspects of temperamental difficulty, including low executive control and high negative affect, and low language. A relationship was also found between temperament and joint attention, such that aspects of …

An Analysis Of How Student Transience Is Related To Achievement Test Scores In A Northeast Tennessee Elementary School., Dixie Chapman Bowen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Few data exist that specifically examine the relationship between student transiency and achievement test scores. No concrete data exist on any of the Bristol, Tennessee, City Schools that specifically examine the relationship between student transience and achievement test scores. Few studies use quantitative measures to investigate the relationship of transiency on achievement. This study is significant because the researcher used data collected through quantitative methods to examine the impact of transience on one school.

This dissertation addressed the question, “How is achievement related to transiency?” Additional questions included: “How do nontransient first through sixth graders perform on the Terra Nova …

Factors Associated With Successful High School Distance Education Programs., Kathy Murphy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of this research project were to identify the extent to which online courses are available to high school students in Tennessee, to describe the characteristics of current online programs, to identify barriers to the implementation of online courses in school systems that are not currently offering such programs, and to offer recommendations that could facilitate implementation of these programs. The research went in two directions. A study of past and current online educational programs was completed in order to learn the nature of successful programs across the country. Then, a survey was constructed and sent to appropriate technology …

Intimate Violence: The Effects Of Family, Threatened Egotism, And Reciprocity., Jessica Lynne Holt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study was undertaken in an attempt to investigate the impact of family, threatened egotism, and reciprocity on a person’s use of intimate violence. Threatened egotism proposes that aggression is the result of high but unstable self-esteem, which is conceptualized as high self-esteem coupled with high narcissism. Self-report questionnaires were administered to randomly selected cluster samples of 423 college students, 147 males and 276 females. The mean age is approximately 22 with 93% indicating they are White and 7% non-White. While no support was found for threatened egotism, violence witnessed in the family of origin and reciprocity were found to …

Storytelling And Story Reading: A Comparison Of Effects On Children's Memory And Story Comprehension., Matthew P. Gallets

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For years, storytellers have been going to schools to share stories with children. However, to date only limited research has been done on the effects of storytelling on children’s learning. This project was part of an ongoing study involving several researchers. In this portion of the project, the effects of storytelling and story reading were compared. The population studied consisted of kindergarten, first, and second grade students. Half the students were read stories aloud, the other half were told the same stories by a storyteller. Data were collected regarding students ability to recall facts they had heard, as well as …

Extending The Abstract Data Model., Matthew Bryston Winegar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Abstract Data Model (ADM) was developed by Sanderson [19] to model and predict semantic loss in data translation between computer languages. In this work, the ADM was applied to eight languages that were not considered as part of the original work. Some of the languages were found to support semantic features, such as the restriction semantics for inheritance found in languages like XML Schemas and Java, which could not be represented in the ADM. A proposal was made to extend the ADM to support these semantic features, and the requirements and implications of implementing that proposal were considered.

Efficacy Of A Nutrition Education Program Designed For Grades K-3 Piloted In Johnson County Schools., Allison Nicole Lowry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to increase the nutrition knowledge of elementary school students by implementing nutrition education lessons. The subjects included 49 kindergarten through third grade students in Johnson County, Tennessee during the fall of 2004. Knowledge increase was measured by pretest and posttest scores. The tests were analyzed by paired t-tests. While all students showed an increase in mean score, kindergarten and first grade students did not show a significant increase in posttest scores. However, second and third grade students showed a significant increase in posttest scores, indicating an increase in nutrition knowledge.