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North Of Ourselves: Identity And Place In Jim Wayne Miller’S Poetry, Micah Mccrotty May 2019

North Of Ourselves: Identity And Place In Jim Wayne Miller’S Poetry, Micah Mccrotty

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Jim Wayne Miller’s poetry examines how human history and topography join to create place. His work often incorporates images of land and ecology; it deliberately questions the delineation between place and self. This thesis explores how Miller presents images of water to describe the relationship between inhabitants and their location, both with the positive image of the spring and the negative image of the flood. Additionally, this thesis examines how the Brier, Miller’s most prominent persona character, grieves his separation from home and ultimately finds healing and reunification of the self through his return to the hills. In his poetry, …


The Eco-Smart Can V2.0, Darack B. Nanto May 2019

The Eco-Smart Can V2.0, Darack B. Nanto

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

On a scorching summer day in 2015, a campus maintenance worker was observed emptying a trash bin. Upon closer observation, it was noted that the bin was not full; in fact, it was less than one third full. There were other bins that were full and needed to be emptied urgently. It was confusing and problematic to see that bins that needed more attention were not prioritized. After extended research, it was found that maintenance operates on daily routes to pick up trash at designated times, regardless of the level of trash in the bins. Therefore, to tackle this issue, …


Introspections Into Rational Fanatics And Thoughtful Deceivers: Examining The Use Of Memoirs In The Works Of James Hogg And Charles Brockden Brown, Tucker Foster May 2019

Introspections Into Rational Fanatics And Thoughtful Deceivers: Examining The Use Of Memoirs In The Works Of James Hogg And Charles Brockden Brown, Tucker Foster

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The memoir as a specific and unique literary genre has only recently been broached for in-depth critical study, with two major, book-length examinations of the genre appearing in the past decade. While the genre has been around in various formats with various conventions for as long as humans have written, only the memoir boom of the late twentieth and early twenty-first-century called for a more sophisticated look at the genre. This thesis will use these recent observations on the memoir as a genre to shed new light on two classics of gothic literature: Charles Brockden Brown’s 1798 novel Wieland and …


The Correlation Between The Act, Inc. Explore Test And Student Success In High School Advanced And Advanced Placement Mathematics Courses, Virginia Story May 2019

The Correlation Between The Act, Inc. Explore Test And Student Success In High School Advanced And Advanced Placement Mathematics Courses, Virginia Story

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to compare the relationship between the mathematics portion of the EXPLORE test with students successes in advanced and Advanced Placement(AP) mathematics courses in high school. The data was collected from a rural Tennessee school system consisting of five years of data among graduated seniors. Analysis was completed to determine the difference between the two county high schools in advanced coursework. The findings of this study concluded a positive correlation between EXPLORE scores and the frequency of students who took advanced mathematics courses. Positive correlation between EXPLORE scores and student successes in advanced courses was …


Resistance To Statism In Frontier Era Upper East Tennessee, 1760-1820, Casey Price May 2019

Resistance To Statism In Frontier Era Upper East Tennessee, 1760-1820, Casey Price

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis analyzes efforts among frontier settlers of Upper East Tennessee to resist particular elements of state-craft from the 1750s until 1820. Building on the work of James C. Scott, this study suggests that some residents of the area may have resisted acceding to what they considered the negative aspects of residing within state sovereignty. These included, taxation, land enclosure, organized religion, and regulation of economic activity. Analyzing from outside the lens of the state, this study attempts to explore why organized government remained largely ineffective and widely disregarded in the Upper East Tennessee region even as governance rapidly and …


Taking Notes: Generating Twelve-Tone Music With Mathematics, Nathan Molder May 2019

Taking Notes: Generating Twelve-Tone Music With Mathematics, Nathan Molder

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There has often been a connection between music and mathematics. The world of musical composition is full of combinations of orderings of different musical notes, each of which has different sound quality, length, and em phasis. One of the more intricate composition styles is twelve-tone music, where twelve unique notes (up to octave isomorphism) must be used before they can be repeated. In this thesis, we aim to show multiple ways in which mathematics can be used directly to compose twelve-tone musical scores.


Paleoecology And Land-Use Of Quaternary Megafauna From Saltville, Virginia, Emily Simpson May 2019

Paleoecology And Land-Use Of Quaternary Megafauna From Saltville, Virginia, Emily Simpson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Land-use, feeding habits, and response to seasonality by Quaternary megaherbivores in Saltville, Virginia, is poorly understood. Stable isotope analyses of serially sampled Bootherium and Equus enamel from Saltville were used to explore seasonally calibrated (δ18O) patterns in megaherbivore diet (δ13C) and land-use (87Sr/86Sr). Overall, this dataset suggests an open forest with relatively constant temperatures year round that were similar to modern conditions. Neither Bootherium or Equus individuals spent a significant amount of time at higher elevations in the nearby Blue Ridge geologic province. These analyses provide a unique perspective on long-term response …


Transparency And Communication Patterns In Human-Robot Teaming, Shan Lakhmani May 2019

Transparency And Communication Patterns In Human-Robot Teaming, Shan Lakhmani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In anticipation of the complex, dynamic battlefields of the future, military operations are increasingly demanding robots with increased autonomous capabilities to support soldiers. Effective communication is necessary to establish a common ground on which human-robot teamwork can be established across the continuum of military operations. However, the types and format of communication for mixed-initiative collaboration is still not fully understood. This study explores two approaches to communication in human-robot interaction, transparency and communication pattern, and examines how manipulating these elements with a robot teammate affects its human counterpart in a collaborative exercise. Participants were coupled with a computer-simulated robot to …


Game, Set, And Match: A Content Analysis On The Commentating Of Tennis Broadcasters For The 2018 Us Open Championship Weekend, Ana Gerbasi May 2019

Game, Set, And Match: A Content Analysis On The Commentating Of Tennis Broadcasters For The 2018 Us Open Championship Weekend, Ana Gerbasi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Previous research has shown a difference on the athletes’ portrayal based on gendered language use on television broadcasting of sporting events. A content analysis on the 2018 Tennis US Open Championship Weekend for both men’s and women’s tennis matches explains the structure of the broadcasting commentating done by the network that has the rights to this tournament. The study looks at different categories of the content of the comments and the descriptors that are used to refer to both female and male athletes. Framing and priming theories were the theoretical frameworks for this study. Findings revealed no significant change was …


Chemical Composition Of Preclassic-Period Maya Slips: Analysis And Interpretation Of Flores Waxy Ware And Paso Caballo Waxy Ware Sherds From Holtun, Guatemala Using Pxrf Spectrometry, Anna Kebler May 2019

Chemical Composition Of Preclassic-Period Maya Slips: Analysis And Interpretation Of Flores Waxy Ware And Paso Caballo Waxy Ware Sherds From Holtun, Guatemala Using Pxrf Spectrometry, Anna Kebler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Slip, a fluid suspension of clay that is applied to the surface of a piece of ceramic, allows for increased control over the functional and aesthetic properties of a finished vessel. The potter can select a slip to provide a more appealing color, texture, and/or luster to the vessel's surface, while maintaining the favorable functional qualities of the paste. Though slip color has long been used as an attribute for classification in the Maya lowlands, only recently have the raw materials of slips been used to inform studies of production and exchange, with much of this work using Late and …


Factors Contributing To Low Adequate Prenatal Care Rates In Orange County, Florida, Lauren Daniel May 2019

Factors Contributing To Low Adequate Prenatal Care Rates In Orange County, Florida, Lauren Daniel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In 2017, only 56% of births in Orange County, Florida, received adequate prenatal care - care that has been shown to prevent maternal and infant death. The Florida Department of Health uses the Kotelchuck Index to determine care adequacy. This index rates care adequacy based on when the mother first receives care, and how many recommended appointments she attends. Prenatal care is rated "inadequate" if it starts after the fourth month of pregnancy, and/or if less than half of the recommended appointments are attended. Receiving earlier and consistent prenatal care has been shown to be an effective way to improve …


Success Rate Of Student Accessibility Services Determined By Students Cumulative Grade Point Average, Christine Brown May 2019

Success Rate Of Student Accessibility Services Determined By Students Cumulative Grade Point Average, Christine Brown

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: National studies have previously found that those within the disabled population are underserved in regard to healthcare, education, employment and medical access. Historically, the majority of those who are disabled due to this engrained inequality receive government assistance. Multiple laws have been enacted to protect those who fall into this minority such as ADA, section 504 and IDEA. These laws ensure the disabled equal access to employment, public services, education, public accommodations and telecommunications. Federally funded departments called student disability services (SDS) are on college/university campuses to ensure equal access and treatment throughout a student's college career. Under the …


Readability Of Patient-Reported Outcome Measures For Persons With Aphasia, Sara Gray May 2019

Readability Of Patient-Reported Outcome Measures For Persons With Aphasia, Sara Gray

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The relationship between positive health outcomes in persons with aphasia (PWA) and personcentered care is highlighted by personally relevant information obtained directly from the PWA. Such is often facilitated via patient reported outcome measures (PROMs). In order to provide accurate responses to PROMs, PWAs must to read, comprehend, formulate and generate answers to a variety of questions. PROMs designed for other clinical populations assessed/treated by speech-language pathologists have been found to be largely unreadable. Despite the significant role of PROMs in assessment and management of aphasia, no study to date has examined the readability of these measures. Four readability formulae …


Implementation Of The Roles And Responsibilities Of Speech Language Pathologists In The Schools, Tamar Nir May 2019

Implementation Of The Roles And Responsibilities Of Speech Language Pathologists In The Schools, Tamar Nir

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine how the roles and responsibilities of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in schools are being implemented, whether speech-language pathologists in schools feel comfortable with their roles, and whether they are willing to engage in professional learning activities to hone knowledge and skills in role areas in order to inform pre-service and in-service learning This study utilized an online survey to collect responses. The survey included questions related to the rate of implementation, comfort level, and desire for further professional learning with regards to the roles and responsibilities prescribed by American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) …


The Mathematics Achievement Gap In Virtual Education, Sara Glover May 2019

The Mathematics Achievement Gap In Virtual Education, Sara Glover

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological study examined the lived experiences of online Algebra I teachers as they relate to the instruction of minority students. There is an academic achievement gap that exists between minority students and their non-minority peers in United States public education (Sousa & Armor, 2016). Although national educational policy has sought to narrow the academic achievement gap, it is persistent and must be addressed because public education affects the future of our nation (Fullan & Quinn, 2016). Virtual education is a growing platform for learning, with nearly 300,000 students enrolled across the United States. Achievement data demonstrates the existence of …


Noninvasive Myographical Assessments Following Unaccustomed Resistance Exercise, Carleigh Boone May 2019

Noninvasive Myographical Assessments Following Unaccustomed Resistance Exercise, Carleigh Boone

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Traditionally, post-exercise muscular alterations have been examined using invasive techniques that lack the ability to single out individual muscle groups. Sonomyography, tensiomyography, and electrical impedance myography allow for noninvasive skeletal muscle assessment. This project aimed to examine changes in muscle contractility and composition that occur in the early stages of recovery following unaccustomed exercise. METHODS: Twenty-one untrained adults (21.9 ± 1.9 y) performed exercise – 10 × 10 maximal eccentric knee extensions – with their nondominant leg. For each repetition, participants moved through 90° range of motion at 90°•s-1 with a passive return to the start position. Each set was …


Effects Of Rest Position On Ultrasound-Derived Morphological Characteristics Of The Vastus Lateralis And Lower-Body Force Production, Alyssa Varanoske May 2019

Effects Of Rest Position On Ultrasound-Derived Morphological Characteristics Of The Vastus Lateralis And Lower-Body Force Production, Alyssa Varanoske

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

INTRODUCTION: Ultrasound assessment of the lower body typically encompasses 10-15 minutes of supine rest prior to examination because of the potential influence of gravitational fluid shifts on tissue size and composition. However, examination of the vastus lateralis (VL) muscle requires individuals to lay in the lateral recumbent position, and this change in position may influence muscle morphological characteristics and their ability to predict muscle function. PURPOSE: The purpose of this investigation was to examine the effect of rest position on ultrasound-derived morphological characteristics of the VL and to determine whether or not rest position affects the relationships between muscle morphological …


The Migration Of Indians To Eastern Africa: A Case Study Of The Ismaili Community, 1866-1966, Azizeddin Tejpar May 2019

The Migration Of Indians To Eastern Africa: A Case Study Of The Ismaili Community, 1866-1966, Azizeddin Tejpar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Much of the Ismaili settlement in Eastern Africa, together with several other immigrant communities of Indian origin, took place in the late nineteenth century and early twentieth centuries. This thesis argues that the primary mover of the migration were the edicts, or Farmans, of the Ismaili spiritual leader. They were instrumental in motivating Ismailis to go to East Africa. Although there were other Indian groups from the general geographical area of Western Indian and Gujarat who also migrated to East Africa, the crucial factor in the migration of Ismailis were the edicts or Farmans of the Imams. My thesis argues …


Gamification: Badges And Feedback, Brian Macon May 2019

Gamification: Badges And Feedback, Brian Macon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Gamification, the implementation of game elements in a non-game context, is a rapidly growing field of research. One element of gamification that has experienced a rapid growth in popularity is the use of digital badges. Despite widespread adoption in educational settings, there are still gaps in the understanding of their effects on motivation, engagement, learning, and other factors. Furthermore, feedback delivered through badges can include a symbolic reward for successful completion of a task, providing a credential for gaining a skill, or acknowledging mastery of a particular piece of knowledge. This study implemented digital badges in online courses at a …


Chemistry And Dissipation At Mineral Surfaces In The Space Environment, William Tucker May 2019

Chemistry And Dissipation At Mineral Surfaces In The Space Environment, William Tucker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The composition and morphology of mineral surfaces is known to play an important role in various phenomena relevant to planetary science. For example, the synthesis and processing of complex organics likely occurs at mineral surfaces strongly affected by the space environment. Furthermore, the dissipative and adhesive properties of dust grains may depend strongly on the chemical state of the surface including the presence of dangling bonds, adsorbates, and radicals. In this dissertation, experimental results are first presented which demonstrate that mineral grains subjected to high temperatures in a reducing environment lead to iron nanoparticles which are strongly catalytic for the …


Government Responsiveness In Matters Of Racial Sensitivity, Vickie Carnegie May 2019

Government Responsiveness In Matters Of Racial Sensitivity, Vickie Carnegie

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study assesses factors influencing the responsiveness of government officials in Alabama, Mississippi, and South Carolina regarding the public display of the Confederate Flag on state grounds in the aftermath of the Charleston, South Carolina shooting. The purpose of this dissertation research is to understand the factors influencing how government officials make decisions during racially/culturally sensitive events. Two research questions frame this study: 1) What factors are relevant to understanding state government officials' decision- making regarding the display of the Confederate Flag on public grounds? 2) Under what conditions of public decision making regarding the Confederate flag is executive authority, …


Assessing Institutional Response To Sexual Violence On College Campuses: The Relationship Between Organizational Characteristics Of Colleges And Adherence To National Guidelines, Lisa Macri May 2019

Assessing Institutional Response To Sexual Violence On College Campuses: The Relationship Between Organizational Characteristics Of Colleges And Adherence To National Guidelines, Lisa Macri

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is a cross sectional exploratory study assessing adherence to the federal campus sexual violence Clery Act and Title IX guidelines among a national sample of (n=94) institutions of higher education (IHE) to determine if there are any relationships between organizational characteristics and CSV policy adherence using a three-part index of compliance: (1). Levels of IHE compliance to federal policies; (2). Levels of IHE provision of CSV prevention services and programs; and (3). Levels of IHE provision of CSV interim and supportive measures. Resource Dependency Theory (Pfeffer & Salancik, 1978) informed the study's primary hypothesis that an IHE's reliance …


The Effects Of A 10-Week Judo Program On Cortisol And Stress In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Justine Renziehausen May 2019

The Effects Of A 10-Week Judo Program On Cortisol And Stress In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Justine Renziehausen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often have increased levels of stress, leading to dysregulated production of cortisol. Elevated levels of cortisol have numerous known adverse health consequences, and therefore, interventions should be established to help attenuate cortisol production. As judo combines physical activity and mindfulness practice, it may aid in stress reduction and decreased levels of cortisol. Purpose: To examine the effects of a 10-week judo program on stress reactions and salivary cortisol levels in youth with ASD. Methods: 20 children with ASD participated in the 10-week judo program. Changes in acute (before and after one judo session) …


The Heralds Of The Dawn: A History Of The Motion Picture Industry In The State Of Florida, 1908-2019, David Morton May 2019

The Heralds Of The Dawn: A History Of The Motion Picture Industry In The State Of Florida, 1908-2019, David Morton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Often overlooked in its contribution to cinema history, the State of Florida has the distinction of being among just a handful of regions in the United States to have a continuous connection with the American motion picture industry. This relationship in turn has produced iconic entertainment that has shaped the state's image to the outside world, while production spending has served as an important booster for local economies across Florida. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate how the sometimes cooperative and often contentious dynamics between film and television producers and state politicians have influenced this history of film …


Biogeochemical Effects Of Sea Level Rise-Induced Transitions Within Coastal Wetlands, Havalend Steinmuller May 2019

Biogeochemical Effects Of Sea Level Rise-Induced Transitions Within Coastal Wetlands, Havalend Steinmuller

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As sea level rise (SLR) affects coastal wetlands, ecosystem responses can include vertical accretion, landward transgression, or submergence. Sea level rise-induced transitions can alter key biogeochemical transformations within wetland soils, impacting the ability of these systems to provide ecosystem services, specifically carbon (C) storage and water quality regulation. Through a series of complementary laboratory and field-based studies, biogeochemical responses to salinity, vegetation shifts, and submergence were investigated. Changes in nutrient dynamics associated with saltwater intrusion were evaluated by artificially adding saline water to different freshwater wetland soil types, indicating that potential exports of critical nutrients (forms of nitrogen, phosphorus, and …


Chemistry And Structure Of Ru/Sio2 And Ru/Al2o3 Interfaces, Sameer Ezzat May 2019

Chemistry And Structure Of Ru/Sio2 And Ru/Al2o3 Interfaces, Sameer Ezzat

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The resistivity size effect in nanoscale metals is of both scientific and technological interest, the latter due to its importance to interconnects between transistors in integrated circuits. In this work we report the variation of resistivity associated with surface scattering of ex-situ annealed single crystal Ru thin films grown on sapphire substrates by sputter deposition. A set of samples were overcoated with dielectric and subjected to a variety of reducing and oxidizing anneals. The changes in the chemistry and structure of the dielectric interface induced by the anneals, as determined by x-ray reflectivity and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements, are related …


Detection Of Mercury Through Surface Plasmon Resonance Of Immobilized Gold Nanorods, Khang Trieu May 2019

Detection Of Mercury Through Surface Plasmon Resonance Of Immobilized Gold Nanorods, Khang Trieu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Mercury is a known environmental pollutant that can damage the brain, heart, kidney and lungs upon exposure. Emissions from fossil fuel plants can release mercury into the air, where it can settle into the water supply and be exposed to human and aquatic life. The use of gold nanorods functionalized on solid substrates as a mercury sensor in tap water samples is investigated herein. The functionalization of the substrates involves the physical immobilization of the nanorods onto the solid surface through the use of (3-mercaptopropyl)trimethoxysilane (MPTMS). The immobilization of the nanorods drastically increases their stability, allowing for use in complicated …


Novel Fuel-Producing Fungi And Methodologies For Increasing Fuel Production, Yuemin Wang Kovaleff May 2019

Novel Fuel-Producing Fungi And Methodologies For Increasing Fuel Production, Yuemin Wang Kovaleff

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

An endophytic fungus Hypoxylon sp. (BS15) has recently been isolated and found to produce volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that have potential relevance as hydrocarbon fuels. In the work described here, the traditional refined carbohydrate (e.g., sucrose) diet source was replaced by simple sugars produced using a solvent free green chemistry mechanocatalytic method involving ball milling in the solid. BS15 is able to grow on this degraded cellulose as well as the more traditional potato dextrose broth. The volatile compounds produced from both media were largely the same. Unfortunately, it is observed that long term in vitro growth of BS15 results …


Synthetic Design And Characterization Of Polycyclic Aromatic Compounds In Molecular And Extended System, Gavin Pour May 2019

Synthetic Design And Characterization Of Polycyclic Aromatic Compounds In Molecular And Extended System, Gavin Pour

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The work presented herein focuses on the synthesis and characterization of polycyclic aromatic compounds for a wide variety of toxicological, analytical, and electronic applications. First, the modular synthesis of 12 dibenzo- and naphtho- fluoranthene polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) via a Pd-catalyzed five-membered ring closing procedure is discussed. By understanding the various modes through which the Pd migrates during transformation, structural rearrangements were bypassed, obtaining regioselectivity through various redesigns in the synthetic route. Each compound in the serious was rigorously characterized via 1D/2D NMR, absorption and emission spectroscopy as well as cyclic voltammetry, which shows vast differences due to small structural …


Living With Cain: Associations Among Sibling Trauma, Sibling Aggression, Social Adaptability, And Risk Taking In College, Chad Collins May 2019

Living With Cain: Associations Among Sibling Trauma, Sibling Aggression, Social Adaptability, And Risk Taking In College, Chad Collins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study evaluated the relationship between three different dimensions of sibling abuse– verbal, physical, and sexual– and communicative social adaptability and risk-taking outcomes. A quantitative survey (N = 477) explored the frequency of such abuse among college students and self-reported risk-taking behavior, social experience, social wit, appropriate self-disclosure, social confirmation, and social composure. Moreover, participants responded to nominal prompts asking whether they ever reported their sibling abuse. Independent sample t-tests and correlation tests show that survivors of sibling trauma are moee likely to appropriately disclose socially and are more likely to report engaging in an index of various risky behaviors …