Digital Commons Network^™

The Effects Of Adult Interaction On Toddler Behavior In The Classroom., Sarah Webb Hackney

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of positive adult-to-child physical interactions and negative toddler behaviors in the classroom. Twenty-one licensed childcare centers participated in this study. One center was used to field-test the researcher-created tally instruments. The 20 centers remaining were observed to identify the number of positive adult-to-child physical interactions. They were then ranked from the classroom having the highest amount of adult-to-child interactions to that having the lowest. Three classrooms were then randomly selected from both the top and bottom thirds, providing six classrooms for the final study. Negative toddler behaviors were then observed …

Parameter Estimation For A Modified Cable Model Using A Green's Function And Eigenvalue Perturbation., Scott Lewis La Voie

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis we developed the Green's Function for a tapered equivalent cylinder model of dendritic electrical propagation. We then use the Green's Function to develop a Carleman linear embedding scheme which is used to estimate the effects of a nonlinear ion channel hot-spot on the tapered cylinder solution. Mathematica^© was used to implement the Carleman embedding scheme.

Misguided Instructions: Do Jurors Accurately Understand The Law In Death Penalty Trials?, Chasity Anne Stoots-Fonberg

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Sixth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees individuals’ right to trial by an impartial jury. However, empirical research indicates that the jury system is flawed, especially regarding judicial sentencing instructions. More specifically, jurors frequently misunderstand or misinterpret State patterned instructions. On a more encouraging note, there is evidence that comprehension of jury instructions can be improved. Thus, this research assessed improvement in juror comprehension using revised sentencing instructions. For the current investigation, participants included 201 volunteers called for jury duty in Western Tennessee. Data were generated via a questionnaire, which allowed for the collection of information relating to participants’ …

An Investigation Of The Impact Of Integrated Learning System Use On Mathematics Achievement Of Elementary Students., Vicki Carpenter Kirk

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between time spent on an integrated learning system (ILS) entitled, SuccessMaker^®, as a supplement to traditional mathematics instruction on achievement as measured by standardized achievement tests of elementary students. The variables of grade-level, ability level, and gender were also considered. The population consisted of students who were second-, third-, and fourth-graders during the 1997-98 school year. Data were gathered that covered the three-year period beginning in 1997 and ending in 2000. The final sample consisted of 348 students who participated in Computer Curriculum Corporation^© mathematics instruction and …

The Curricular Practices Of Early Childhood Teachers Working In Public Sschool Primary Grades., Elizabeth Ely Brading

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Little is known about the curricular practices or thinking of early childhood teachers attempting to use developmentally appropriate practices in public school primary grades. The purpose of this study was to investigate four primary grade teachers' thoughts and classroom practices, through observation, interviews, and classroom schedules. Data were analyzed following the procedures for open, axial, and selective coding as explained by Strauss (1987). All four teachers exhibited common elements: educational beliefs consistent with those of the National Association for the Education of Young Children; frustration with their school's curriculum; and the combination of a rich pattern of guidance strategies in …

The Relationship Between Participation In Goal Setting, Company Size And Performance, Commitment, Acceptance And Job Satisfaction In The United States And Macedonia., Kristin Michelle King

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

While some researchers have suggested that participative goal setting increases performance, acceptance, commitment, and satisfaction, others have suggested that it does not. Additionally, much research on goal setting has been done in the US while none has been done in Macedonia.

The purpose of this study was to clarify the relationship between participation in goal setting and company size on these variables and to determine if there are differences in the effects of participation in goal setting in the US and Macedonia. The independent variables were country, company size, and type of participation and dependent variables were performance, commitment, acceptance, …

Phonological Awareness Training In A Preschool Classroom Of Typically Developing Children., Sara Phelps

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to assess the effectiveness of phonological awareness (PA) training with typically developing preschool children in a classroom setting. The PA training incorporated a range of PA skills and the training outcomes were assessed along a broad spectrum of PA abilities, pre-literacy skills, and general language abilities.

This study consisted of 21 children (11 Experimental, 10 Control). The classroom PA training program was conducted with the Experimental class in one large group for 5 weeks with 20 minute sessions conducted three times a week. A variety of fun, play-based PA activities were used with …

An Attempt At Balance: Staging Guare’S The House Of Blue Leaves, Richard Albert

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This paper is an account of the fully realized production of John Guare’s The House of Blue Leaves, presented at the University of Mississippi, November 19, 20, 21, and 22, in the Studio Theater of Bryant Hall.

The first chapter offers a brief history on the play, including some reviews of both the original production and the revival. The second and third chapters offer an analysis of the play and a journal of the production, respectively. The forth and final chapter gives an evaluation of the work done.

The Bilingual Motets Of The Old Corpus Of The Montpellier Codex., Kimberly Adelle Harris

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The bilingual motets of the old corpus of the Montpellier Codex (Montpellier, Faculté de Médecine, H 196) are collected in the third fascicle of this thirteenth-century codex. These eleven motets provide a sample group for the study of interrelationships among the contents of a manuscript. Elements of the music, text, and tenor sources work together to unify each individual motet as well as the eleven motets in the fascicle.

While the motets of Mo have been studied in detail, this small collection has been neglected, perhaps because of its simultaneous presentation of sacred and erotic love. It is this trait, …

A Lighting Design Process For Twelfth Night, Erin Alberts

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The profession of theatrical lighting design is a relatively young one. For many years the responsibility of lighting the stage fell on the shoulders of directors or technicians. In this ever-changing world, lighting, like so many other jobs, has grown not just with technology but with the functions lighting executes. Requirements of lighting now include: special effects, revealing as well as hiding, and texture of the stage. The need for illumination of the stage is a given; the people and things on stage must be seen. It is the artistry and technology that now goes along with this field that …

Tina Modotti And "Idols Behind Altars"., Andrea Jeanne Deetsch 1976-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is an examination of the transformation Tina Modotti's photography underwent because of the "Idols Behind Altars" project which she completed on an expedition with Edward Weston in 1926. The thesis begins with an introduction to Modotti's photography from 1923-1926, pre-expedition, exploring the conditions of the "Idols Behind Altars" trip, the issue of attribution of the "Idols Behind Altars" images, and Modotti's development of "indigenismo" as a life philosophy. The thesis uses art historical analysis based on research directed at a comparison of images to argue that the trip was the catalyst for Modotti's photographic transformation in late 1926. …

Extensions To Opengl For Cagd., Chunyan Ye

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many computer graphic API’s, including OpenGL, emphasize modeling with rectangular patches, which are especially useful in Computer Aided Geomeric Design (CAGD). However, not all shapes are rectangular; some are triangular or more complex. This paper extends the OpenGL library to support the modeling of triangular patches, Coons patches, and Box-splines patches. Compared with the triangular patch created from degenerate rectangular Bezier patch with the existing functions provided by OpenGL, the triangular Bezier patches can be used in certain design situations and allow designers to achieve high-quality results that are less CPU intense and require less storage space. The addition of …

Two Approaches To Eliciting Vocabulary From Users Of Aac, Dana Kristen Yarbrough

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Study Of Students' Learning Styles In Itv Broadcast, Remote, And Traditional Classrooms At East Tennessee State University., Donna Sue Crabtree

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if the learning styles of students enrolled in ITV sections and students enrolled in a traditional section of the same course, all taught by the same instructor, had any influence on the academic performance of the students enrolled in those courses.

A two-part survey was used to gather data for this study. The first part was designed by the researcher to gather demographic information about why each student selected the instructional form in which he or she was enrolled, as well as a student's preferences for classroom format. The second part of …

The Effect Of Prior Consensual Sex Between The Victim And The Offender On The Prosecutor's Decision To File Charges In Sexual Assault Cases., Kimberly Brooke Hollifield

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research has shown that both legal and extra-legal factors are used by the prosecutor in a sexual assault case when making the decision to file charges in the case. However, no study on sexual assault prosecutorial discretion, at this time, has examined the effect of prior consensual sex between the victim and the offender and the affect that it has on the prosecutor’s decision to file charges. Using data from a National Institute of Justice Study on sexual assault case processing, this study tests whether evidence of prior consensual sex between the victim and the offender plays a role in …

Increasing Diabetes Awareness In Adolescents Through Educational Programs., Sandra J. Reese

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to increase knowledge of diabetes and promote healthy lifestyle behaviors to reduce diabetes onset in a community with a relatively high incidence of type 2 diabetes. Three hundred eighty seven students grades 7 – 12 participated in the program and taste test. Changes in knowledge before and after an educational program focusing on diabetes prevention were measured by comparison of identical pre, post, and retention tests. Students were also asked to name specific behaviors they could use to decrease the risk of diabetes. Responses were analyzed using Chi square analysis and content analysis. Overall, …

Some People Call Them Dolls: Capturing The Iconic Power Of The Female Form In Non-Ferrous Metals., Alison Greer Pack

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The artist discusses her Master of Fine Arts exhibition at East Tennessee State University, Slocumb Galleries, Johnson City, Tennessee, October 28-November 8, 2002. Her exhibition was a personal narrative of her southern upbringing in small town Appalachia as well as a reflection of her inner thoughts and feelings towards feminism, adolescence, sexuality and Barbie. She chose to reference the female form, void of an actual body, implied through clothing. Works are figurative and sculptural and are constructed of copper, sterling and fine silver. They are sculptural hollow vessels, raised, formed, and colored with gesso and prismacolor pencils.

Topics discussed: the …

Writing As Conversation: The Importance Of Communication In Laurence Sterne's Tristram Shandy., Christie Dawn Wilson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Laurence Sterne’s Tristram Shandy is a novel consumed with conversation. The conversations that the characters have with each other and the ongoing conversation between Tristram and the reader all address the importance of communication. This study examines the theme of communication as Sterne presents it in his novel. The first chapter explores the personalities of Walter and Toby Shandy with the assumption that an understanding of their eccentricities will illustrate the reasons for the difficulties they encounter when trying to communicate with others. The relationships between the sexes are the subject for the second chapter. Sterne recognized the opportunity that …

Bulgarian Contribution In Building The Byzantine Commonwealth In The Ninth And Tenth Centuries., Pavel Stoyanov Murdzhev

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines factors contributing to Bulgaria’s important role and involvement in the creation the Eastern European Orthodox Community under the cultural influence of Byzantine Empire from the middle of ninth century.

The study primarily uses original Greek and Latin sources translated either in Old Church Slavonic or in contemporary Bulgarian, Russian, Serbo-Croatian or English. The approach of this thesis places Bulgarian-Byzantine relations in the context of the creation of the Eastern European Orthodox Community, illustrating that adopting and interpreting of Byzantine culture by the Slavic nations is a process of mutual acculturation, with paramount importance for the creation of …

Fire, Soil, Native Species And Control Of Phalaris Arundinacea In A Wetland Recovery Project., Richard Douglas Foster

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Southern Appalachian Phalaris arundinacea control was investigated by: 1) correlating cover and species richness with soil characteristics across transects; 2) burning and herbicide use to determine conditions facilitating native plant establishment; and 3) hemi-parasitic Pedicularis lanceolata tested as a biological control.

Phalaris cover was correlated with subsoil consolidation; areas without Phalaris had consolidated subsoil while Phalaris at >50% cover established on loose soil. Phalaris cover inhibited species richness (r²=0.78). No soil characteristic predicted species richness.

Herbicide reduced Phalaris cover and aerial biomass by 23% and 63% respectively, compared to controls. Burning was ineffective. Two summers after herbicide Phalaris …

Protection Of Pifithrin-Α And Melatonin Against Doxorubicin-Induced Cardiotoxicity., Xuwan Liu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The current studies were designed to explore the protective effects of pifithrin-α and melatonin against doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity. Doxorubicin was injected at a dose of 22.5 mg/kg (i.p.) in mice to induce cardiotoxic effects. Meanwhile, doxorubicin caused a significant increase of cardiac cell apoptosis following injection (14.2 ± 1.1% for doxorubicin-5 d vs. 1.8 ± 0.12% for control, P < 0.01). Ribonuclease protection assays and Western blot analyses revealed that doxorubicin upregulated the p53-dependent genes Bax, BclxL, and MDM2 at least 2-fold. p53 was phosphorylated at Ser 15 in mouse hearts 1 h following doxorubicin injection, and p38 and ERK1/2 MAPKs mediated the phosphorylation of p53. In addition, caspases-3 and -9 were activated 24 h after doxorubicin injection. A p53 inhibitor, pifithrin-α, inhibited doxorubicin-induced apoptosis when administered at a dose of 2.2 mg/kg. Pifithrin-α abolished p53 transactivation activity, but did not influence doxorubicin-induced phosphorylation at Ser 15. By effectively inhibiting the expression of p53-dependent genes, pifithrin-α blocked doxorubicin-induced activation of caspases-3 and -9, thereby preventing cardiac apoptosis. In addition, pifithrin-α attenuated doxorubicin-induced structural and functional damages, without diminishing its anti-tumor efficacy on p53-null PC-3 cancer cells. The protective effects of melatonin and its metabolite 6-hydroxymelatonin on doxorubicin-induced cardiac dysfunction were evaluated in an isolated perfused mouse hearts and in vivo doxorubicin-treated mice. While perfusion of mouse hearts with 5 μM doxorubicin for 60 min resulted in a 50% suppression of HRxLVDP and a 50% reduction of coronary flow, pre-exposure of hearts to 1 μM melatonin or 6-hydroxymelatonin eased the cardiac …

"And Gladly Wolde He Teche": Chaucer's Use Of Source Materials In The "Clerk's Tale.", Robert R. Brandon Ii

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Few of Chaucer’s works provoke such animosity as does his “Clerk’s Tale.” Modern critics are divided by the social and gender issues that to which the tale lends itself. However, the tale was immensely popular to Middle Age audiences and was one of the best loved of the Canterbury Tales. Therefore, to dismiss this tale’s literary values outright, as some critics have done, is a mistake. By examining the history of the Griselda story, Chaucer’s use of his source materials, and the tales placement within the Canterbury Tales, this thesis is an attempt to examine the tale in more …

Employability Of Individuals With Varying Disabilities And Costs Of Needed Workplace Accommodations., Bram Cassidy Bevins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present study examined the relationship between an individual's disability and needed workplace accommodations and employability. The participants for this study were businessmen and businesswomen in Southwestern Virginia who possessed the ability to hire employees. Results indicated that an individual with a physical disability was thought of as more employable and favorable than a nondisabled individual, a blind individual, and an obese individual. Results also indicated that a physically disabled individual would be hired before a blind individual and an obese individual when workplace accommodations were needed. One possible explanation for these findings is that it is desirable to hire …

The Role Of Celebration In Building Classroom-Learning Communities., Virginia Farr

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Today, teachers are expected to play a major role in the socialization of their students. Crafting strong classroom communities that incorporate celebration is one technique some teachers have developed to enhance a sense of belonging in their classroom.

The purpose of this study was to determine the perceptions of teachers regarding what the practice of celebration accomplishes for the teacher, student, and class in reference to building and maintaining a classroom learning community. This study also examined approaches that teachers found to be the most successful in creating celebrations.

A multiple-site study design was used to gather qualitative data at …

The Formation Of A Leadership Team At The Canton Church Of Christ, Paul Alan Fike

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project/thesis concerns the formation of a leadership team at the Canton Church of Christ in Canton, Texas. Unhealthy leadership patterns have plagued this church resulting in poor staff relations, controlling leaders, and a church split. The elders of this church desired to have a more biblical and healthier approach to leadership in order that the church might flourish. The formation of this team, made up of elders, deacons, and the pulpit minister, is a response to this problem.

How Do Undergraduate Mathematics Faculty Learn To Teach Online?, Margaret Mcdonough Pankowski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the training that faculty receive to teach undergraduate mathematics courses online and the effectiveness of that training. An online survey was distributed to 64 faculty who taught undergraduate mathematics courses online. In responding to the survey, faculty supplied information about the duration, topics, and types of training they received both before and after beginning to teach online, about their use of best practices for online education, and about their attitudes toward online education. Subsequent to completion of the survey, four focus group interviews were conducted with a total of 14 of the survey respondents. During focus group …

Cloning And Expression Of Dazl In Rana Pipiens, Jamie Boorech

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The DAZ gene on the human Y chromosome has been implicated in male fertility. Humans and other animals possess an autosomal version of this gene, referred to as DAZ-like or Dazl, which functions in gametogenesis and fertility. In order to expand our knowledge of Dazl, I cloned Dazl from the northern leopard frog Rana pipiens. To obtain the clone, I screened a R. pipiens ovary cDNA library with a RpDazl-specific PCR-generated radioactive probe. RpDazl, as determined by sequencing, is 3.5kb in length, with an 843 nucleotide open reading frame (ORF) and a 3' untranslated region (UTR) of 2635 nucleotides. At …

Transformation Of Arsenic Oxyanions In Bacterial And Model Systems, Ganna Polshyna

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The HPLC-UV-Vis method with 7.5 mM sulfuric acid as a mobile phase and 195 nm wavelength detection was used for the separation and quantification of As(III) and As(V) in bacterial media used for growing of Clostridium sp. Strain OhILAs bacteria. In this method, the arsenic species were eluted in order As(V) > As(III), and the retention time were not affected by bacteria media matrix. It has been shown that the shape of the curve of increasing of the As(III) concentration is similar to that of bacteria growing. The main disadvantage of the present method is its failure to separate As(III) ions …

Using Pc12 Cells And Rat Cortical Neurons To Evaluate Poly(Caprolactone) And Collagenous Microcarriers For Applications In Nerve Guide Fabrication, Rebecca Waddell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Tissue-engineered nerve guides can provide mechanical support as well as biochemical stimulation for nerve regeneration. PC12 cells and rat cortical neurons were used to test poly(caprolactone) (PCL), collagenous microcarriers (CultiSphers), and a novel composite of the two materials as an initial step in the fabrication of multi-channeled nerve guides. PC12 cells were found to attach, proliferate and differentiate on laminin-coated PCL and on CultiSphers. When the initial concentration of PC12 cells was increased, the percentage of CultiSphers with cells attached increased as well. Changing the cell culture conditions from static to dynamic, however, had the opposite effect on cell attachment. …

Oxonitriles: Cyclizations In Total Synthesis, Pravin Iyer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Oxonitriles are versatile synthetic intermediates. The thesis provides a survey of the synthesis and reactions of cyclic oxonitriles followed by an approach to Kuehneromycin A that features oxonitrile chemistry. The discussion presents a synthetic route to the sesquiterpenoid, Kuehneromycin A, using oxonitrile-based methodology. A key feature is a new oxidative cyclization reaction that has been developed as a method for assembling functionalized trans-decalins. The mechanism of this reaction is presented to explain the excellent stereoselectivity. Similarly, a mechanistic analysis of a novel isomerization of quarternary centers is presented in detail.