Digital Commons Network^™

Humor Me To Heaven: Humor's Redemptive Role In The Works Of Eudora Welty, Flannery O'Connor, And Marilynne Robinson, Stephanie Johnson

Masters Theses

Humor is the topic of many psychological, social, and cultural studies, but this project examines humor under a new lens. Humor's unique qualities explored in this study prove that humor is capable of more than just causing laughter; the nature of humor allows it to unveil truths about humanity, both spiritual and physical, through exposing man's flaws. This quality is especially important to consider when analyzing humor in the context of literature, in which humor also works as an aesthetic element. This study searches several short stories by Eudora Welty and Flannery O'Connor along with Marilynne Robinson's Gilead to reveal …

The Effects Of Berberine And Nitroxl (Hno) On The Glucose Uptake In L929 Fibroblast Cells, Jude Terver-Jeremiah Chenge

Masters Theses

Berberine, which has a long history of use in Chinese medicine, has recently been shown to have efficacy in the treatment of diabetes. While the hypoglycemic effect of berberine has been clearly documented in animal and cell line models, such as 3T3-L1 adipocytes and L6 myotube cells, the mechanism of action appears complex with data implicating activation of the insulin signaling pathway as well as activation of the exercise or AMP kinase-mediated pathway. There have been no reports of the acute affects of berberine on the transport activity of the insulin-insensitive glucose transporter, GLUT1. Therefore, we examined the acute effects …

Restoring The Richness: The Influence Of Utopia On Walker Percy’S Love In The Ruins, Kyle Matthew Mccarthy

Masters Theses

There has been much scholarly investigation regarding Thomas More’s Utopia and Walker Percy’s Love in the Ruins, but never into the relationship between the two texts. This thesis attempts to rectify this omission by explicating the influence that the former has on the latter. In order to do so, a brief historical background of each author and the environment in which they lived is offered. While separated through the vast chasm of spatial and temporal context, Percy used More’s work to create a character, develop a landscape, and convey a message for the modern world. He did so by …

The Problem With Nuclear Diplomacy: Jimmy Carter And Pakistan's Nuclear Program, Brittany Raymer

Masters Theses

A detailed history of Pakistan's attempt to build the atomic bomb in the 1970s and Jimmy Carter's reaction to the tense diplomatic situation.

Defined By What We Are Not: The Role Of Anti-Catholicism In The Formation Of Early American Identity, Brandi Hatfield Marchant

Masters Theses

From the colonial era through the mid-nineteenth century, anti-Catholicism colored key points of development in America's early history. Amidst the English colonial experience, the Revolution and establishment of the republic, and the educational reform efforts of the nineteenth-century, anti-Catholicism emerged as a fundamental factor in the development of America's characteristically Protestant political and religious identity. While many studies of early American anti-Catholicism focus on one region or time period, drawing connections across geographic boundaries and constructed historical periods attests to the sentiment's pervasive and enduring influence. While this sentiment varied in intensity throughout America over time, its presence profoundly shaped …

Ask Not What E-Books Do For People, But What People Do With E-Books: An Exploration Of The Uses And Gratifications Theory In Regards To E-Book Technology, Emily Birgitte Defosse

Masters Theses

Paul F. Lazarsfeld's theory of uses and gratifications looks at why people chose to use or not use the media that is available to them. It was first used with the technology of radio and eventually applied to various other forms of media technologies such as comic books, television, and the Internet. In this study, the researcher expands uses and gratifications research to include one of the newest communication technologies -- e-books. Participants of the study completed a survey in regards to their electronic and print reading habits, and the results of the survey along with quantitative data found in …

To Post Or Not To Post: An Examination Of Gender Differences In Undergraduates' Self-Disclosure On Facebook, Alyson Thompson

Masters Theses

Due to the popularity and role Facebook plays in society, the present study seeks to better understand why undergraduates disclose on Facebook and what they are willing to share. The research questions for the study include: RQ 1: Are undergraduate women, ages 18-23, or undergraduate men, ages 18-23, more likely to disclose personal information on Facebook?, RQ 2: Are undergraduate women, ages 18-23, or undergraduate men, ages 18-23, more likely to disclose contact information (e-mail address, phone number, address, instant message screen name) on Facebook?, and RQ 3: Are the reasons for engaging in self-disclosure different between undergraduate women, ages …

From A Rodent To A Rhetorician: An Ideological Analysis Of George Alexander Kennedy's Comparative Rhetoric, James Begley

Masters Theses

George Alexander Kennedy, a professor of classics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has given birth to a new understanding of rhetorical studies: he argues for the evolution of rhetoric from animals to humans. Using Sonja Foss's methodology of "ideological criticism," this thesis examined Kennedy's case as presented in his book, Comparative Rhetoric: an Historical and Cross-Cultural Introduction. This study discovered that the book was heavily influenced by a secular, pro-evolutionary ideology which dually contributed to its selective use of scientific evidences and production of inconsistent arguments. Evaluated on the basis of Biblical principles, this thesis concluded …

American Sueño: Hispanic Immigrants' Cultural Adaptation In American Small Cities, Tatiana Almeida

Masters Theses

This study investigated certain aspects of the cross-cultural adaptation process of Spanish-speaking Hispanic immigrants residing in small cities in the United States. Using Young Yun Kim's cross-cultural adaptation theory as a theoretical framework, the researcher investigated the journey those sojourners undergo and how their cultural identities are shaped throughout the process. The two questions that guided the research were: (1) What are the difficulties that Hispanics that migrate to small cities in the United States encounter? (2) What are the mechanisms (media usage, language acquisition, habits, life style etc.) utilized by them in order to adapt to the new environment? …

Orientalism And Three British Dames: De-Essentialization Of The Other In The Work Of Gertrude Bell, Freya Stark, And E.S. Drower, Lynn Sawyer

Masters Theses

Although postcolonial criticism has run its course for thirty years, a fresh look at Edward Said's Orientalism offers insight into how Orientalism functions in the writings of three British dames. Gertrude Bell in The Desert and the Sown, Freya Stark in The Southern Gates of Arabia, and E.S. Drower in The Mandaeans of Iraq and Iran, however, challenge Said's theory. Their writing raises questions about how gender alters the discourse about the Other, and whether Said essentializes the Occident. Bell, Stark, and Drower serve as case studies in which to analyze the politically and rhetorically complex interactions between the West …

Investing In Happiness: An Analysis Of The Contributing Factors To The Positive Professional Work Environment, Alena Naff

Masters Theses

The professional workplace is an environment prone to both jubilation and disdain. Research indicates that employees in a more positive work environment are more productive and satisfied in their work. Understanding the contributing factors to a positive work environment is the first step to creating a more satisfying workplace for employees. These contributing factors may be material or relational and hold different levels of influence. Guided by the theory of structuration, this study employed a three-phased Q-methodology, including a Q-sort questionnaire, semi-structured interviews, and a cluster analysis. Participants included the employees of the Southeastern region financial institution, BB&T. Two research …

You Sir Are A Fine Young Gentleman. Thank You, My Lady: A Rhetorical Analysis Of Eighteenth Century Conversations Regarding Gentility And Gender, Kati Overbey

Masters Theses

This study rhetorically analyzed the eighteenth century work of Richard Steele and Joseph Addison's The Spectator and Eliza Haywood's The Female Spectator using Kathleen Turner's framework for rhetorical history as social criticism integrating text and context. Ten essays from The Spectator as well as ten essays from The Female Spectator were selected based on content and subject matter regarding manners and gentility. When Turner's framework for analysis was applied to the essays, defining characteristics of gentility were revealed. A presentation of the results of the textual and contextual analysis of these twenty selected essays is provided. An analysis of the …

Influence Of American Media Upon Korean Broadcasting Culture - Analyzing 'American Idol' Vs. 'Superstar K Ii', Han Na Shin

Masters Theses

This study examines the influence of American media on Korean broadcasting culture, based on analysis of American Idol and SuperStar K Season II. Viewer ratings were analyzed to find out the popularity of American programs in South Korea. Web-based surveys and individual interviews were analyzed to figure out the difference between both programs and its influence upon Korean viewers. The result shows that American programs currently influence the Korean media and Korean viewers, and that influence is getting more produced. With those findings, the study concludes it affects Korean viewers and Korean society as well. Audition programs become one of …

Reading Between The Lines: Gender Perception Of Lean Media, Jennalee Conner

Masters Theses

Over the years, communication methods have evolved from face-to-face conversations to computer-mediated communication including: e-mail, instant message, and text message interactions. Since the methods have changed, a large aspect of communication, nonverbal cues, have become nearly impossible. These methods of communication that lack nonverbal cues are therefore referred to as lean media because they lack the richness of facial expression, vocal expression, and immediacy. In order to modify more recent forms of communication to include nonverbal cues, individuals have created their own nonverbal cues. While each individual is unique, though, genders normally tend to think or behave in similar fashion. …

A Hierarchy Of Love: Myth In C.S. Lewis's Perelandra, Joseph Walls

Masters Theses

In C.S. Lewis's Perelandra, the transposed creature is drawn up into its "kindly stede" as a sacramental symbol of Christ through that fictional planet's unbroken relationship between meaning and form. Although Perelandra's "wheels-within-wheels" hierarchy may at first seem reminiscent of Catholicism's teachings on symbol, as a Protestant, Lewis believes that human beings cannot be truly sacramental symbols until the return of Christ. Lewis's optimistic depiction of a cosmic hierarchy is one of perfect love: superiors rule their subordinates with agape, and creatures who discover their submissive roles reciprocate with eros or adoring love. Every created being in Perelandra is part …

Evaluating The Effects Of Lithofacies And Thin Shales On The Lateral Distribution Of Hydrothermal Dolomite Reservoirs In The Michigan Basin, Peter J. Feutz

Masters Theses

The southern Michigan Basin contains numerous hydrothermal dolomite hydrocarbon fields, including the giant Albion-Scipio Field. The fields typically encompass narrow zones of faulting and fracturing which have been altered from a tight host limestone into a more porous and permeable dolomite by upward-moving hydrothermal fluids. Alternating layers of dolomite that spread laterally away from the main vertical fault conduits imply that structure alone may not define the resulting reservoir architectures within the region. A detailed analysis of primary depositional facies and thin shale seams suggests that secondary stratigraphic controls play a significant role in the development of reservoir rock within …

Gender And The Boundaries Of National Identity: U.S. Women As A Citizen Class In The Long 1960s, Sara Bijani

Masters Theses

This text analyzes the public ideologies and institutions that underpinned women's unequal status within the national collective of United States citizens during the long 1960s, paying particular attention to the executive office of Lyndon Johnson, Congress, and the national security establishment. Women were frequently framed within these institutions as a separate special class of citizen, with rights and responsibilities not akin to those of the elite—male bodied—members of the national collective. Allowing for the imaginative construction of "women" as a subject class in U.S. society, this text argues that even with the guarantee of formal political rights in place, women …

Heart Rate Artifact Suppression, Christopher Dickson

Masters Theses

Motion artifact strongly corrupts heart rate measurements in current pulse oximetry systems. In many, almost any motion will greatly diminish the system’s ability to extract a reliable heart rate. The artifact is most likely present due to normally non-pulsatile components of the body, such as venous blood and tissue fluid, which become pulsatile during motion. This paper presents a motion artifact reduction method using an accelerometer that attempts to recover a usable heart rate sensor signal that has been corrupted by motion. The method was developed for a wrist pulse oximeter sensor and was adapted for a ring sensor, both …

Refinement Of The Cast Microstructure Of Hypereutectic Aluminum-Silicon Alloys With An Applied Electric Potential, Alexander Joseph Plotkowski

Masters Theses

Hypereutectic aluminum-silicon (Al-Si) alloys are widely used in the aerospace and automobile industries because of their low density, excellent wear and corrosion resistance, low coefficient of thermal expansion, good strength, and excellent castability. They are used in applications that typically require a combination of light weight and high wear resistance, such as liner-less engine blocks, pistons, and pumps. However, the performance of these alloys depends on the fineness of their cast microstructure, especially dendrite cell size, primary and eutectic silicon particles. In this study, the effects of applied electric current on the cast microstructure of Al-13 wt.% Si and Al-20 …

Dominant Upper Extremity Kinematics And Muscular Activity In Sonographers During Kidney Scanning, Jennifer Elizabeth Edwards

Masters Theses

Due to the prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders in sonographers, this study evaluated upper extremity kinematics and determined if co-contraction was present during kidney scans. The results provided a greater understanding of joint range of motion and muscular activity, which could be helpful in assessing risk of injury. Four sonographers had reflective markers and surface electromyography electrodes placed on their dominant upper extremity. A Vicon MX motion capture system was used to record the marker positions and electromyography data while the sonographers were scanning a volunteer’s kidneys. The shoulder joint center was determined using the instantaneous helical axis method. The …

A Novel Electronic Laparoscopic Training Device, Paul Allen Shields

Masters Theses

Laparoscopic surgery is a modern surgical technique gaining popularity due to the advantages of smaller incisions, reduced pain, and shorter recovery times when compared with open surgical techniques. Training for laparoscopic surgery is a multiyear process in which candidate’s progress through a series of surgical simulations beginning with simple dexterity and coordination building exercises and ending with actual human surgeries. Early laparoscopic surgical training is performed using simulators as high tech as virtual reality computer simulations and as low tech as mirror box trainers. Studies have clearly demonstrated that variation in surgical training devices can produce variation in training results. …

Automatic Atlas Based Analysis Of Radiotracer Uptake In Bones From Fused Nuclear Imaging/Ct Data Sets Of Mice, Jeffrey Lee Vanoss

Masters Theses

Preclinical in vivo imaging is a powerful tool used for a wide variety of biomedical research applications including oncology, cardiac disease, and neurological disease. Disease physiology can be imaged in vivo with molecular imaging such as PET and SPECT. Quality analysis of molecular in vivo images currently requires an expert technician. The feasibility of large preclinical molecular imaging studies is limited by the man hours required to process the overwhelming amount of data created from preclinical scans. Our proposed solution to the bottle neck of manual image analysis is to implement automation of preclinical molecular image analysis. The method described …

Effect Of Using Hand-Weights On Performance In The Standing Long Jump, Austin Filush

Masters Theses

Previous standing long jump studies have shown that jumping with hand weights can significantly increase jumping performance. The purpose of this study was to investigate the mechanisms that enable performance improvement in the standing long jump when using hand weights and test the hypothesis that releasing the hand weights during flight can further increase jump distance. Four college-aged male subjects were chosen based on participation in athletic activities and physical ability. Each subject executed 24 jumps (six trials for each of four different standing long jump techniques: without weights, with weights, releasing the weights backwards near the high point of …

Development Of A Computer-Aided Detection (Cad) Tool For Contrast Micro Computed Tomography Imaging In Diagnosing Liver Metastases, Anderson Steadham Peck

Masters Theses

High morbidity of metastatic tumors in the liver has been observed in several different types of cancers. Liver failure from metastases is one of the primary causes of death in these patients. Effective treatments for liver metastases do not currently exist. However, new pharmaceutical treatments are being explored in a preclinical setting where the cancer and its treatments are designed in vitro and then studied in vivo in mice. Therefore, effective and accurate techniques for non-invasive imaging and analysis of liver metastases in mice are critical to the development of new treatments.

In-vivo micro CT imaging is not only one …

Effect Of Exercise On Adult Neurogenesis In Crayfish, Jennifer E. Klutts

Masters Theses

Adult neurogenesis, formation of new neurons, has been determined to be a part of the normal physiology in all species of animals studied to date. There have been several factors observed to increase the number of newly formed cells; the most potent of these factors being exercise. Though exercise has a strong effect on neurogenesis by increasing proliferation and new cell survival it has not been extensively studied in many model organisms. This study is the first to look at the effect of exercise on neurogenesis in an invertebrate through the use of crayfish, Orconectes propinquus. Experimental designs, drying protocols …

The Acute Responses Of Different-Sized Coronary Arteries To Testosterone, Sampath Madanu

Masters Theses

Coronary arteries supply blood to the myocardium. The blood flow within the coronary arteries is altered by various compounds produced within the body. Sex hormones such as testosterone are known to cause the relaxation of large coronary arteries. But the response to testosterone is greater in in vivo conditions compared to in vitro conditions. We hypothesize that the responses of LADs (left anterior descending arteries) and its side branches to testosterone are heterogeneous and testosterone-induced vasodilation is greater in its side branches. Therefore, our study was designed to determine the effect of testosterone in different-sized coronary arteries. LADs and one …

Effects Of Ailanthus Altissima Soil Leachates On Nodulation And Expression Of Two Genes That Regulate Nodulation Of Trifolium Pratense, Jesse Michael Lincoln

Masters Theses

Ailanthus altissima (Simaroubaceae) is an invasive tree from China that has spread over much of North America. A number of characteristics contribute to its success, notably tolerance of nutrient-poor soils, rapid growth rates, prolific production of wind dispersed seeds, escape from predation, and the production of allelopathic compounds. That Ailanthus altissima frequently co-occurs with legumes in nutrient poor soils alludes to a possible relationship between Ailanthus altissima and nitrogen fixing legumes. Legumes increase the biospheres supply of bio-available nitrogen through facilitating the fixation of atmospheric nitrogen within structures on roots called nodules. Thus, increased nodulation of legumes caused by Ailanthus …

Sweetness And Strength: Codes Of Femininity And Body Image In Branded Social-Networking Messages And Consumer Responses, Anne M. Holcomb

Masters Theses

This study critically analyzes visual and text updates posted by two clothing brands to the social-networking site Facebook.com, including consumers' interaction with these marketing messages. A semiological textual analysis was conducted using Facebook updates by the Victoria's Secret PINK and Nike Women apparel brands, and the responses of fans who subscribed to these updates. Advertising aimed at women in print media has previously been analyzed in this way, revealing patterns of sexualization and objectification that can be harmful to women and men alike. My analysis builds on this tradition. Social-networking sites such as Facebook allow individual users unprecedented access to …

Understanding Wildfire Hazard Vulnerability Of Residents In Teton County, Wyoming, Lucas Kanclerz

Masters Theses

The research examines significant differences in wildfire home protection activities between local and seasonal residents in Teton County, Wyoming. Significant differences of wildfire home protection activities results in hazard vulnerability to a whole community. An extensive literature review establishes the purpose and hypothesis of the research to understand if seasonal residents are creating wildfire hazard vulnerability to local residents. A survey-based methodology using nominal YES/NO questions and ordinal Likert-type scale questions were used to understand residents past wildfire experiences, perceptions on the effectiveness of home protection activities, and if residents actually do these activities. Statistical analysis revealed that seasonal residents …

A Cross-National, Longitudinal Test Of Institutional Anomie Theory, Marc Alan Kittleson

Masters Theses

Institutional anomie theory, developed by Messner and Rosenfeld (1994), explains variations in crime rates across geographic areas and time as resulting from the interrelationship between social institutions and culture. Their theory predicts that when the institution of the economy dominates all other social institutions, and when norms and values focus heavily on monetary success, crime rates will be higher than when there is less dominance of the economy. Institutional anomie theory has been tested using a number of different methods and data from county-level to international-level aggregates. This study addresses the research question of whether variations in crime victimization can …