Digital Commons Network^™

Male Visual Dominance Continues: A Global Study Of Images Of Men And Women In 750 Online Newspapers In 74 Nations., Kelly Blake Price-Rankin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined how women were represented globally in online newspapers. Depiction of men and women in online newspapers was investigated via cropping of photographs. The photograph was examined to determine if emphasis was placed on the face or body of the human image.

The researcher used the Body Index Scale coding instrument. A simple random sample of 1,969 published photographs in 750 global online newspapers was examined.

A major finding was that men dominate the front screens on global online newspaper Web sites. The data concluded men were cropped with an emphasis on the head, emphasizing intellect. Women were …

Involvement In Sports And Engagement In Delinquency: An Examination Of Hirschi's Social Bond Theory., Randy Hass

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sports have been proposed as a means of reducing participation in delinquency. One criminological theory that would support this hypothesis is Travis Hirschi's social bond theory. The involvement element of that theory proposes that engaging juveniles in non-delinquent activities reduces engagement in delinquency. However, the relationship between sports and delinquency has not been adequately tested. Data from the first wave of the National Youth Survey were examined by ordinary least squares regression to determine if there was evidence supporting school sponsored sports programs as a means of reducing delinquency. No evidence was found to support the research hypothesis. Involvement in …

An Analysis Of The Academic Success Achieved By Five Freshman Cohorts Through A Community College Developmental Education Program., Nancy K. Gray-Barnett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The challenge of underprepared students' entering America's colleges and universities is not new. Because of their "open door" policies, community colleges are more likely to enroll students who are not college prepared. This retrospective study focused on the performance of students who had completed required developmental education courses compared to the performance of students without developmental requirements. The study examined developmental education success measures for five cohorts of first-time degree-seeking freshmen each tracked for a six-year period enrolled at Walters State Community College located in Tennessee.

The success measures compared included grade point averages earned in college-level mathematics and English …

Stakeholder Beliefs, Satisfaction And Assessments Of School Climate After Implementation Of A Year-Round Calendar., Robin Lee Adams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Year-Round Schooling (YRS), a calendar or scheduling concept, has become quite common in this country over the past thirty years. Generally schools have adopted YRS scheduling in an effort to: (1) increase efficiency in the operation of the schools and (2) enhance student development and learning.

The University School at East Tennessee State University (ETSU), a public K-12 school located on the ETSU campus, implemented a YRS calendar in the Summer of 1996. Over a period of six years data were collected to assess the effectiveness of YRS at University School. Study participants (students, parents and teachers) were surveyed initially …

Principal Selection And The Stories Superintendents Tell., Linda L. Baker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In addition to licensure and certification, there are particular qualities and personal characteristics superintendents look for when hiring a principal. With fewer principal applicants and increased projected needs for principals, it was important to explore the superintendent's reasoning when hiring a principal.

A qualitative research method employing elite interviews was used to explore the criteria that superintendents employ in their process of selecting a principal. When talking about the hiring of principals, superintendents invariably began with the selection process. Teachers, community members, parents, former employers, and college professors gave input in formal or informal ways. Superintendents looked for experience both …

Electronic Books: An Overview Of The First Two Generations., Todd O. Doman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The electronic text reading device, or e-book, is an idea that has reached the implementation stage. Technology has only recently made possible the production of a device to challenge the printed book’s dominance as the media for information transmission. These microprocessor-based devices are attempts to exceed the limitations of printed texts while retaining their strengths. Two generations of these devices, and the companies that created them, have reached the marketplace.

This thesis provides a short history of electronic text readers and gives an overview of the first and second generations. The issues that will affect the adoption of the e-book …

Weaving Accessibility And Art In Marilou Awiakta's Selu: Seeking The Corn-Mother's Wisdom., James David Basinger

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In Selu: Seeking the Corn-MotherÆs Wisdom, Awiakta enlists the reader to participate on the path to knowing Selu, Corn-Mother to us all. In particular, the book provides a reader with a text that blends ancient Cherokee teachings of the oral tale of Selu with contemporary Western, Appalachian-American thought and experience. Awiakta adopts and adapts Selu in order to capture and express the essence of the tale within a contemporary American aesthetic.

Though Awiakta's approach is didactic, it rises above mere teaching to achieve an aesthetic characterized by accessibility, simultaneity, and liminality. She purposely combines stories, poems, teachings, histories, and cultural …

Iron Acquisition In Rhodococcus Erythrolpolis: The Isolation Of Mutant(S) That Do Not Produce A Siderophore., Jaishree M. Vellore

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Rhodococcus, a soil bacterium, displays a diverse range of metabolic capabilities with a number of potential practical applications. To exploit the metabolic potential of Rhodococcus, their basic physiology, genetics, and especially the acquisition of essential nutrients like iron, must be understood.

R. erythropolis strain IGTS8 releases a small compound called a siderophore, that scavenges ferric iron from the environment. To learn more about the genetic control of iron acquisition, mutant(s) defective in siderophore production were isolated. Mutants were generated, by inserting a mutagenic plasmid, pJCS506, into the bacterial cell using electroporation. The plasmid, which cannot replicate in these …

Antibiotic Resistance: Multi-Drug Profiles And Genetic Determinants., Lashan Denise Taylor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Antimicrobial susceptibility profiles were assembled for isolates of Moraxella catarrhalis collected from the Mountain Home Veteran's Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) clinical laboratory in Johnson City, Tennessee. The goal of the study was to identify isolates for genetic characterization using comparisons of susceptibility profiles. Isolates of Moraxella catarrhalis collected from July 1984 through 1994 were analyzed for β-lactamase production using a Cefinase disk assay.

A multi-drug profile consisting of 11 β-lactam antibiotics was performed on the 41 M. catarrhalis isolates. Kirby Bauer disk assays were performed for 7 cephalosporin and 4 non-cephalosporin antibiotics.

In summary, 2 observations implicate more complex resistance …

Laurel, Mississippi: A Historical Perspective., David Stanton Key

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Laurel, Mississippi, exemplifies the new southern development that occurred in the years following Reconstruction. Coinciding with continental rail building and the depletion of northern timber resources, Laurel emerged as one of Mississippi's great industrial centers. Laurel's survival after the early twentieth century timber boom predicated itself on the diversification of its industry coupled with the continued growth of its infrastructure. Although Laurel's industrial ascension is not unique in the annals of southern history, its duality regarding northern capitalistic impulses and southern labor and material serves as a successful industrial model in the era of "cut out and get out" sawmill …

Perceptions Of Online Distance Education Within The North Carolina Community College System By Chief Academic Officers And Chief Distance Education Officers., James A. Benton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the perceptions of chief academic officers (CAOs) and chief distance education officers (CDOs) regarding faculty satisfaction in areas of released time for training and course development, workload, overall support of distance education, and extra compensation.

One-hundred-sixteen surveys were sent out by e-mail to all 58 community colleges in North Carolina. The data for this study came from the returned surveys. The combined return rate of surveys was 78%. The SAS Institute program procedures were used for the analysis of the data. An alpha level of .05 was used for all statistical analyses. …

Comparison Of The Academic Achievement Of Primary School Students In Multiage And Traditional Classrooms., Mary Frances Harmon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to ascertain whether students in a kindergarten/first-grade multiage class achieve at a different level than students enrolled in a traditional kindergarten or first-grade class in a selected primary school in East Tennessee. The question of the interaction between gender and type of instruction was also analyzed.

The causal comparative quantitative research method was used to analyze data differentiating between students enrolled in multiage and traditional classes, retrospectively. A t-test was used to determine the level of performance the students demonstrated on the BRIGANCE K Screen at the beginning of the study. The number of …

The Factors Associated With The Use Of Computers In The K-4 Classrooms Of The Maryville City School System., Jesse A. Robinette

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the use of computers for instruction in the K-4 elementary schools of the Maryville City School System. A survey was distributed to every regular education classroom teacher in each of the four elementary schools of the system. Respondents were asked to provide: (a) demographic data in regard to age, gender, years of teaching experience, grade level taught, level of education, home computer ownership, and technology committee membership; (b) an implementation score based on teacher response to grade-level student performance indicators provided by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE); and (c) …

Molecular Studies Involving The Rev Protein Of Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis Virus And Visna Virus., Bridget Michele Graves

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Caprine Arthirtis Encephalitis Virus (CAEV) and Visna Virus are two viruses of the lentivirus family. They encode three structural genes (gag, pol, and env) and two regulatory genes (rev and tat). The Rev protein regulates Gag, Pol and Env expression by transporting their mRNAs to the cytoplasm by binding to the RRE (Rev Response Element) found on their mRNAs. Previous studies have indicated that Rev may be toxic to transfected cells, overexpression of exogenous RREs or a better binding RRE can inhibit Rev activity and Rev-C (CAEV Rev) can trans-activate RRE-V (Visna Virus …

The Impact Of Dismissal Of Non-Tenured Teachers On Principals In Tennessee., David W. Messer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the issues that principals face in making the decision or recommendation to bring about the involuntary separation of non-tenured teachers. I was concerned with identifying the emotions, feelings, conflicts, and misgivings that principals experience during this process. Related concerns were identified. They included the issues of principals using professionally ethical ways to encourage or coach teachers to resign prior to dismissal, dealing with "lame duck" teachers between notification and the end of the school year, and writing positive letters of recommendation for teachers they have decided not to renew. These questions were …

The Accidental Experts: A Demonstration Of The Existence, Utility, And Emergence Of Implicitly Learned Tacit Knowledge In Assistive-Augmentative Technology Users., Douglas Eugene Masini

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

I investigated the presence, utility, and emergence of tacit knowledge in 9 study participants who used assistive-augmentative technology. I conducted phenomenologic interviews, audio-taping, and transcribed the interview with the written consent of the participants. Sixteen highly trained experts critiqued the final product of the interviews and answered a 25-question survey instrument. Non-parametric statistical processes were chosen to conduct inferential hypotheses testing. Wilcoxon - Mann Whitney U tests and Kruskal - Wallis One-Way ANOVA (alpha level of 0.05) were used for questions 1-10, and a 2 x R (R = 3 or 4) contingency table and Fisher's Exact Chi-Square were used …

Frank O'Hara's Oranges : Poetry, Painters And Painting., Karen Ware 1973-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis focuses on twentieth-century poet Frank O'Hara and his relationship to painting and painters in New York in the 1950s. An examination of the concept of ekphrasis functions as a theoretical frame and substantiation for the discussion of O'Hara's life and poems. Painters Larry Rivers, Jane Freilicher, and Grace Hartigan had significant relationships with O'Hara, both personally and artistically. Michael Goldberg, Norman Bluhm, and Joe Brainard collaborated with him on several projects, each of which are discussed in terms of their combination of verbal and visual elements, of poet and painter working together or in tandem. Another example included …

The Effects Of The Alexander Technique On The Respiratory System Of The Singer/Actor, Barbara Huskey Hudson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

An Investigation Of The Attitudes Of Selected Voice Teachers Toward The Use Of Gospel Music In Studio Instruction, Dani Small Jones

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Why Volunteer And Is Volunteering Worth The Effort?, Patricia Avery Bellamy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis analyzes why people volunteer in two counties of East Tennessee. The study describes the concept of volunteering and its positive impact upon society on a regional and national level. The characteristics of people who volunteer, why people choose to volunteer, and the significance of their volunteering were assessed through a survey questionnaire. The survey questionnaire was administered in Carter County (Elizabethton) and Washington County (Johnson City) Tennessee to 13 charitable and non-charitable agencies that utilize volunteers aged 18 years and over. Out of 243 survey questionnaires distributed in Elizabethton and Johnson City, Tennessee, 124 individuals responded. Data collected …

The Impact Of Logging On Aquatic Salamander Communities., Heather Noel Mcdonald

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For this study, the abundance of the salamander fauna in two streams was compared to determine the impact of logging activities. After five months of study, the area around one stream was logged by the National Forest Service. Following logging, the abundance of salamanders in the stream was greatly reduced, while the population in the undisturbed stream remained relatively unchanged. Six abundant species were used as indicators; two of these species (Desmognathus quadramaculatus and Desmognathus ochrophaeus) were negatively affected by the logging, while four species (Demognathus fuscus, Desmognathus monticola, Eurycea wilderae, and Gyrinophilus porphyriticus …

Using Software Engineering Metrics In Ap Modularization., Kwaku Owusu-Tieku

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Significant amount of work has been done in software engineering in terms of reuse. With the use of object-orientation and design patterns that support the development of reusable modules, it appears that the development and reuse of software modules in creating new systems is becoming more and more common. The software engineering world, however has taken reuse more seriously than database; more research and improvement in reuse has been made in software engineering than in database. This paper investigates how software engineering metrics can be applied in the development of reusable database modules. This research provides a model for predicting …

Socioeconomic, Demographic, Attitudinal And Involvement Factors Associated With Math Achievement In Elementary School., Jennifer N. White

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which socioeconomic factors, demographic factors, parent and student attitudes, and parent involvement were associated with math achievement. Students in Grade 5 were selected as the population for this study. Random sampling procedures were used to select the sample. Students in the sample completed a modified version of the Fennema-Sherman Mathematics Attitudes Scales. Normal Curve Equivalent Scores (NCEs) from the math scales on the TerraNova Standardized Achievement Test were obtained for all students from the individual school records. Parents of the students also participated by answering questions pertaining to …

Eliza Haywood's Feigning Femmes Fatale: Desirous And Deceptive Women In "Fantomina," Love In Excess, And The History Of Miss Betsy Thoughtless., Emily Kathryn Booth

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Within the pages of Eliza Haywood's novels, masquerade is often used by female characters as a means by which to gain control or power. More specifically, Haywood's female characters often misrepresent themselves as a means by which to achieve sexual power and even to obtain sexual gratification.

Haywood also explores the theme of women's uses of deception and even disguise as methods by which to skirt the confines of a male dominated society and as modes devoted to escaping the boundaries they inflict upon themselves in trying to maintain their virtue.

Remembering The Forgotten Genocide: Armenia In The First World War., Dana Renee Smythe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Ottoman Empire was in serious decline by the late nineteenth century. Years of misrule, war, and oppression of its various nationalities had virtually driven the Turks from Europe, leaving the weakened Empire on the verge of collapse. By the 1870s the Armenians were the most troubling group, having gained international sympathy at the Congress of Berlin. As a result, violence against the Armenians had escalated dramatically by the turn of the century. They felt, however, that their fortune had changed when the liberal Young Turks seized power from the Sultan in 1908. Unfortunately, the Young Turks had a much …

A Study Of Ten Prominent Clarinetists : A Presentation Of Their Methodology And Pedagogy, Michael Magruder

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Fight The Power: Protest, Showdown And Civil Rights Activity In Three Southern Cities, 1960-1965., Kyle Thomas Scanlan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis describes the significant events of the Civil Rights Movement from 1960 to 1965, examining the campaigns of Albany, Georgia in 1962, Birmingham, Alabama in 1963, and Selma, Alabama in 1965. In the wake of the freedom rides of 1960-61, Martin Luther King's Southern Christian Leadership Conference was looking for a way to dramatically reveal the racial injustice of the South. Stumbling into a campaign in Albany, SCLC found thr right method in the use of nonviolent direct action. While Albany was a failure, it was this campaign that led to the campaigns of Birmingham and Selma which led …

Life Annuities Under Random Rates Of Interest., Lesley J. Baker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

We begin by examining the accumulated value functions of some annuities-certain. We then investigate the accumulated value of these annuities where the interest is a random variable under some restrictions. Calculations are derived for the expected value and the variance of these accumulated values and present values. In particular we will examine an annuity-due of k yearly payments of 1. Then we will consider an increasing annuity-due of k yearly payments of 1, 2, ⋯ , k. And finally, we examine a decreasing annuity-due of k yearly payments of n, n - 1, ⋯ , n - k …

Attitudes Toward Suicidal Women Based On Gender Of The Participant And Race Of The Target Figure., Carrie E. Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of gender on attitudes toward Black and White suicidal females.

Participants included 37 Caucasian graduate students who completed demographic questionnaires, Suicide Behavior Questionnaires (SBQ) (Ellis & Jones, 1996), and one of two scenarios with a modified version of the Suicide Attitude Vignette Experience Scale (SAVE) (Stillion, White, Edwards, & McDowell, 1989). The research design was a 2 (sex of participant) x 2 (suicide ideation of participant) x 2 (race of target figure) independent groups factorial. Independent ANOVAS were performed to interpret the significance of main and interaction effects.

No main …

Synthesis And Use Of Chiral Surfactants., Xiaoye Yang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

It has been previously shown that micelles formed from surfactants with chiral head groups serve to induce a chiral reaction medium, leading to enhanced enantioselectivities in the reaction products. This utilization of chiral surfactants will offer an economical alternative to traditional chial solvents while simultaneously reducing organic waste. We have successfully dimethlated S-leucinol in an 85% yield, and have synthesized a hydrocarbon-based surfactant with this molecule as a head group. We have also formed polymeric surfactants that have polydimethylsiloxane as the hydrophobic portion with the (S)-dimethylleucinol as a head group. Tests of the solubility of these surfactants have been conducted. …