Digital Commons Network^™

Effects Of Simultaneous Exercise And Speech Tasks On The Perception Of, Heather Koblick

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of voice production and perception of dyspnea in aerobic instructors during simultaneous tasks of exercise and speech production. The study aimed to document changes that occur during four conditions: 1) voice production without exercise and no use of amplification; 2) voice production without exercise and the use of amplification; 3) voice production during exercise without the use of amplification; 4) voice production during exercise with the use of amplification. Participants included ten aerobic instructors (two male and eight female). The dependent variables included vocal intensity, average fundamental frequency (F0), noise-to-harmonic …

Improving Metacomprehension And Learning Through Graduated Concept Mod, Eleni Kring

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Mental model development, deeper levels of information processing, and elaboration are critical to learning. More so, individuals' metacomprehension accuracy is integral to making improvements to their knowledge base. In other words, without an accurate perception of their knowledge on a topic, learners may not know that knowledge gaps or misperceptions exist and, thus, would be less likely to correct them. Therefore, this study offered a dual-process approach that aimed at enhancing metacomprehension. One path aimed at advancing knowledge structure development and, thus, mental model development. The other focused on promoting a deeper level of information processing through processes like elaboration. …

The Impact Of Selected Socio-Demographic, Travel-Related And Psychogra, Nichakarn Peerapatdit

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Several researchers have attempted to understand the tourism expenditure patterns from the traveler's perspective (Cai, Hong, and Morrision, 1995; Dardis, et al., 1981; Prais and Houthakker,1971; Sheldon and Mak , 1987; Jang, et al.,2003). However, an examination of the previous studies indicates that only limited understanding of the traveler's expenditure patterns has been provided either because of only anecdotal evidence in the studies, or because of their failure to examine the impacts of the factors affecting expenditure patterns. This study examined the effects of socio-demographic, travel-related, and psychographic variables on travel expenditures. The expenditure patterns included lodging, meals and restaurants, …

Dispersion-Managed Breathing-Mode Semiconductor Mode-Locked Ring Laser, Bojan Resan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A novel dispersion-managed breathing-mode semiconductor mode-locked ring laser is developed. The "breathing-mode" designation derives from the fact that intracavity pulses are alternately stretched and compressed as they circulate around the ring resonator. The pulses are stretched before entering the semiconductor gain medium to minimize the detrimental strong integrating self-phase modulation and to enable efficient pulse amplification. Subsequently compressed pulses facilitate bleaching the semiconductor saturable absorber. The intracavity pulse compression ratio is higher than 50. Down chirping when compared to up chirping allows broader mode-locked spectra and shorter pulse generation owing to temporal and spectral semiconductor gain dynamics. Pulses as short …

The Lack Of Diversity On The Bench In Florida's State Courts, Verlinda Wells

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Diversity in the judiciary is essential to ensure impartiality, public confidence, and the perception that all members of society are represented on the bench. Minorities and women are significantly underrepresented as judges in Florida in proportion to their numbers in the general population. Because we live in an increasingly global world, diversity is best described when people of different races, colors, ethnicity and genders work to develop a mutual respect for each other. It was important to use diversity in this research because it required recognition, understanding, and acceptance of the special contribution that each member of a group can …

An Investigation Of The Relationship Between Racial Identity Developme, Franklyn Williams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between racial identity development and career thoughts for Black seniors at an urban high school. The available population was 557 Black senior students at a high school in Orange County, Florida. With respect to this population, socioeconomic status, influences on career interest, parental level of education, parental occupations, post-secondary intentions, and plans to take the SAT or ACT were some of the specific demographic variables that were analyzed. Results from a variety of simple regression analyses revealed significant positive relationships between Black seniors' perceptions of their racial identity development and …

The Effects Of Stimulus Motion On Contrast Sensitivity: Dynamic Sensi, Merrill Zavod

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Static Visual Acuity (SVA) has been called into question for some time as a measure of overall visual system function and as a predictor of performance on real-life tasks requiring vision (i.e., operating an automobile). Specifically, it has been pointed out that the targets employed in most SVA testing (high contrast, stationary letters) are an insufficient analog to actual targets encountered in everyday activities, which are often in motion and/or of less-than-perfect contrast. In addition, the size-threshold methodology typically used to measure SVA is incongruent with current theories of a multi-channel visual system. Dynamic Visual Acuity (DVA) and Contrast Sensitivity …

Towards Direct Writing Of 3-D Photonic Circuits Using Ultrafast Lasers, Arnaud Zoubir

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The advent of ultrafast lasers has enabled micromachining schemes that cannot be achieved by other current techniques. Laser direct writing has emerged as one of the possible routes for fabrication of optical waveguides in transparent materials. In this thesis, the advantages and limitations of this technique are explored. Two extended-cavity ultrafast lasers were built and characterized as the laser sources for this study, with improved performance over existing systems. Waveguides are fabricated in oxide glass, chalcogenide glass, and polymers, these being the three major classes of materials for the telecommunication industry. Standard waveguide metrology is performed on the fabricated waveguides, …

Mikado Lighting Design, Adrienne M. Becker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

My thesis will encompass the completion of the lighting design for W. S. Gilbert and Sir Arthur Sullivan's opera The Mikado and a post-production written documentation of the entire production process. The thesis will involve the completion of a lighting design with all of its accompanying paperwork generated in AutoCAD and Excel. The design will require lights for a two-act, multi-locational musical. Lights will need to provide a bright environment that can transform to the various locales. The entire design process will involve close communication with the entire design team, the director and the shop crew. As lighting designer, I …

Il Pazzia D'Innamorati: A Commedia Dell'arte, Jennifer Hart

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

My thesis proposal is to research, workshop, develop, script, direct and produce my own commedia dell'arte. This proposal stems from my desire to explore improvisational comedy theoretically and practically. The genre of commedia dell'arte is not only timeless, but continues to further our ability to create characters and scenario for future projects as the root of improvisation. By coupling research on commedia components (character, lazzi and scenario) with the creation of an improvisational troupe, a commedia piece will be developed, documented and performed. The first part of my thesis will consist of research on the history of improvisational comedy. The …

The Merry Wives Of Windsor: A University Actress's Approach To The Role Of Mistress Ford, Brook Akya Hanemann

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Art is too ethereal a thing to judge by tangible measure. There is no scale to weigh a performance on, no level to gauge a character’s balance, no plumb line to measure its depth. No critic can appoint an allotment of stars to represent the worth of a production, and the audience, though a vital participant within the performance experience, cannot act as Jury and deliberate together to reach an absolute verdict of approval or disapproval. How then can an actor go about working towards giving a successful performance? The Merry Wives of Windsor was written at a time when …

The Challenge Of Playing Multiple Arthurian Characters, Cynthia Lowa

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the portrayal of multiple roles in a production of Camelot, written by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe. Performance and content analysis identifies and explores the difficulties and challenges in portraying multiple roles in this production, including the understudying of the leading role of Guenevere. A detailed historical analysis provides background into origin of the Arthurian legend and an examination of its historical development. A social analysis provides information on the role of women in medieval society with a discussion of the customs and laws that applied to them. Furthermore, a structural analysis of the script examines …

Minutes From Pragma, Juan M. Martinez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Minutes from Pragma is a collection of twelve pieces--a memoir, five short stories, and six short-shorts--exploring ways in which estranged characters may find refuge from chaos and entropy. These stories attempt to deal with bleakness and despair through playfulness and humor. In Enterprise Carolina: A Capsule Review, time has stopped, but somehow everyday life goes on as usual. In Errands, children work in razorblade factories. In Roadblock, the narrator lives with a relative who repeatedly sets his possessions on fire. The collection concentrates on hardship and alienation, but suggests ways in which characters may confront and endure hard times. Characters' …

Getting To The Pulp Of Haruki Murakami's Norwegian Wood: Translatability And The Role Of Popular Culture, Jacquelyn Zuromski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Haruki Murakami's Norwegian Wood (1987) veers from his favored detective-fiction genre by offering readers a 1960s coming-of-age romance, a story whose plot nonetheless spins around the protagonist seeking out his personal identity. The conflicts between Japanese tradition and modern, global perspectives are illustrated through the inclusion of popular culture elements such as music, literature and films. This thesis seeks to show how the novel's references to popular culture of the 1960s combine to help the protagonist establish an identity for himself as well as his place within the universal community. First, though, the project explores the impact of the translatability …

Women's Experiences With Distance Education, Jane Elizabeth Moody

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines issues that affect women in online learning, and discusses four women's particular experiences in the University of Central Florida's distance learning program. Online education involves aspects of support and communication that may affect women's learning experiences either positively or negatively. Distance learning may also allow women to pursue their education while still taking care of their families and outside work. In order to get a better idea of how distance learning impacts women, I discuss several studies that examine how distance learning affects women in particular. I identify three areas from this literature that seem to be …

Transforming Learning Into A Constructive Cognitive And Metacognitive, Haydee Cuevas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the effectiveness of embedding a guided, learner-generated instructional strategy (query method), designed to support learners' cognitive and metacognitive processes, within the context of a computer-based complex task training environment (i.e., principles of flight in the aviation domain). The queries were presented as "stop and think" exercises in an open-ended question format that asked learners to generate either simple (low-level elaboration) or complex (high-level elaboration) sentences from a list of key training concepts. Results consistently highlighted the benefit of presenting participants with low-level elaboration queries, as compared to the no-query or high-level elaboration queries. In terms of post-training …

The Use Of Selected Water Quality Parameters To Identify Fecal Coliform Sources In Support Of The Sinking Creek Total Maximum Daily Load., Susana Maria Floresguerra

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sinking Creek, located in upper east Tennessee, is on the 303(d) list for not meeting minimum water quality standards for recreation. A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for fecal coliforms was developed. The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of water quality parameters to identify areas that contribute to the fecal coliform loading. Concentrations of nitrate-N, orthophosphates, BOD, alkalinity, hardness, and optical brighteners (OB) were monitored at fourteen stations monthly for one year. Site 3 (agricultural region) exhibited the highest average nitrate-N loadings (627.34 mg/sec) and orthophosphate (as PO₄^3-) loadings (84.83 mg/sec). Alkalinity loadings …

Development Of A Test For Measuring Knowledge Of The Discipline Provisions Of The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act Amendments Of 1997., Jerri Nave Lyons

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to develop and refine an instrument to assess knowledge levels of the discipline provisions of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997 (IDEA '97). Such an instrument will assist in determining whether or not and to what extent additional training opportunities may be needed for school personnel who are responsible for disciplining students served in special education under IDEA '97. School officials who do not have proper knowledge and understanding of these provisions may violate students' rights by denying them the free appropriate public education to which they are entitled.

The initial …

Adjusting But Not Assimilating: International Students At East Tennessee State University., Yumiko Okuda Owens

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As the number of international students grows, the importance of understanding them grows also. This thesis analyzes in-depth interview data from 17 international students from 12 different countries at East Tennessee State University who discussed their experiences as international students. Findings show that they are willing to adjust to the new culture and a new educational system, but they are reluctant to assimilate further. After they obtain their education, most of them want to return to their home country with their degree to work, even though situations are often better in the United States. These students serve as cultural ambassadors, …

The Effects Of Neoprene Sleeve Application On Knee Joint Proprioception In Adolescent Female Athletes., George Ballou Barrett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Fifteen female subjects ages 13-16 were recruited to determine if differences exist in knee joint proprioception, with and without application of a neoprene knee sleeve (NKS), when performing reproduction of target angle test (RTA), movement sensation test (MS) using a Biodex testing machine, and single leg standing test. Ten subjects had not worn a NKS and five subjects had worn a NKS.

After completing all IRB approved documentation subjects underwent a test trial of each of the three testing methods. Subjects were randomly assigned a number that determined if the subject began the test trial with or without a NKS. …

Towards A Taxonomy Of Aspect-Oriented Programming., Mario Bernard Hankerson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As programs continue to increase in size, it has become increasingly difficult to separate concerns into well localized modules, which leads to code tangling- crosscutting code spread throughout several modules. Thus, Aspect-Oriented Programming (AOP) offers a solution to creating modules with little or no crosscutting concerns. AOP presents the notion of aspects, and demonstrates how crosscutting concerns can be taken out of modules and placed into a centralized location.

In this paper, a taxonomy of aspect-oriented programming, as well as a basic overview and introduction of AOP, will be presented in order to assist future researchers in getting started on …

Alienation And Isolation In Interracial Marriages In East Tennessee., Sheila Dianne Morris

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

I conducted this study to determine if African American men and women who marry white men and women in East Tennessee perceive experiences of isolation and alienation from their families and friends as a result of their selection of a mate from a race other than the one into which they were born. I interviewed ten individuals who are or have been interracially married. As a result of my research, I found that my results compare favorably with those of scholarly studies that discovered alienation and isolation among interracial couples.

I used descriptive research methods to analyze a segment of …

Factors Forecasting The Effect Of Rapid Prototyping Technologies On Engineering Design Education., Jeffrey Dale Mather

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents information gathered and analyzed through an electronic internet-based Delphi Survey process. The purpose of this study is to identify a consensus of factors that might forecast the future effects of Rapid Prototyping (RP) technology on engineering design education when used for the purpose of overcoming the limitations of 2D representation of 3D space. The identification of consensus was developed from the collection of opinions from a panel of experts in RP technology.

Early adopters of emerging technologies can reduce risk through careful research, but decisions must often be made before significant quantitative data are available. Expert subjective …

Using The Survey Of Inmates Of State And Federal Correctional Facilities To Compare Female And Male Inmate Characteristics., Jacqueline Anita Black

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the differences between female and male prison inmates using the Survey of Inmates of State and Federal Correctional Facilities, 1997. Variables examined included current offense, criminal history, drug use history, victimization history, program participation in the institution, disciplinary infractions in the institution, family history, and interaction with family while in prison. Results indicate that male inmates have worse criminal histories and longer sentences than female inmates. Female inmates have more extensive drug use histories, greater victimization histories, more program participation in the institution, and more criminality in their families of origin than …

Faculty Adoption And Integration Of Technology At East Tennessee State University., Tammy L. Barnes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify and describe the demographic characteristics of faculty related to (1) faculty integration of technology, (2) the utilization of technological tools, (3) and the knowledge of computers and information technology of full-time faculty members at East Tennessee State University.

Four hundred forty-three full-time faculty from East Tennessee State University were surveyed. The total mailed and e-mailed returned responses for this study were 205. Eighteen hypotheses generated from 3 research questions were tested using Pearson Product-Moment Correlation, Analysis of Variance, Two-Way Analysis of Variance, and Multiple Regression Analysis.

This study showed that full-time faculty …

Interworking Methodologies For Dcom And Corba., Edwin Kraus

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The DCOM and CORBA standards provide location-transparent access to network-resident software through language independent object interfaces. Although the two standards address similar problems, they do so in incompatible ways: DCOM clients cannot use CORBA objects, and CORBA clients cannot utilize DCOM objects, due to incompatible object system infrastructures.

This thesis investigates the performance of bridging tools to resolve the incompatibilities between DCOM and CORBA, in ways that allow clients to cross object system boundaries. Two kinds of tools were constructed and studied: tools that bind clients to services at compile time, and tools that support dynamic client-server bindings. Data developed …

Visual Framing: A Study In Face-Ism From The Websites For The 108th United States Congress., Beth Johnson Anderson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Websites are being used by increasing numbers to target a market with a message unfiltered by the media. This content analysis examined the website front-screens for the members of the 108th United States Congress to determine if the photographic images displayed reinforced the media's stereotypical frame of female politicians. A total of 3,892 photographic images were captured from 540 websites and coded using the face-ism index. Overall, the results supported the face-ism theory. Images of females were cropped lower on their bodies than images of males. The face-ism effect was not supported until the number of people in the photograph …

A Sense Of Place., Neli Ilieva Ouzounova

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Concerned with anxiety and displacement, the artist explores a sense of place within the self. Personal experiences are presented as an accumulation of fragmented symbols, textures and pattern. Symbolic imagery is being created, influenced by a devaluation of established norms and a reorganization of cultural identity. The individualÆs interaction and experience with the surrounding world affirms his idiosyncratic symbolism. The artwork is a visual language that through the use of disparate segments sets up the portrayal of the fragmented self and psychological journeys of the artist.

Individuals establish themselves in many ways, including gestures as part of expression. This expression …

An Investigative Analysis Of Teaching Business Ethics In Tennessee Community Colleges., Carol Slagle Cole

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate what Tennessee community colleges were currently doing in preparing students in the area of business ethics. The study explored preparedness of faculty members in teaching business ethics, motivations for teaching business ethics, preferred methods of business ethics instruction, proportion of time devoted to teaching business ethics, and faculty member perceptions of responsibility, importance, and effectiveness of teaching business ethics. Personal and professional demographic factors were collected, such as age, gender, degree earned, teaching experience. These were useful in developing a profile of business faculty members in the 13 Tennessee community colleges.

An …

The Role Of Erp57 In Hras Intracellular Trafficking And Function., Jaime Lyn Parman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Ras is a central player in signal transduction that mediates cellular proliferation and differentiation. Recent evidence has shown that lipid and non-lipid modified domains participate in Ras traffic and that plasma membrane association is mediated by vectorial vesicular transport from the endomembrane system. ERp57, an ER chaperone, has been shown to specifically bind farnesylated Hras but not non-farnesylated Hras. The objective of this study was to determine if ERp57 participates in Ras trafficking and function. First, the effect of ERp57 knock down by siRNA technology on Hras function was studied; there was a reduction in ERp57 cellular levels that led …