Digital Commons Network^™

Effects Of Domestic Violence Exposure In Colombian Adolescents: Pathways To Violent And Prosocial Behavior, Roberto Mejia

Theses and Dissertations

A multidimensional model of associations between domestic violence exposure and risk of violence and prosocial behavior was tested in a sample of Colombian adolescents, with attention to impulsivity and substance use problems as mediators of these associations. A representative sample of 1,152 school youths and a convenience group of 148 juvenile offenders aged 11-19 years was recruited from Medellin, the second largest city in this South American country. Assessment was carried out in classrooms in the school sample and in correctional institutions for juvenile offenders. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was utilized to test the conceptually derived models. Similarly, multisample analyses …

Lip Profile Preferences In Varying Sagittal Mandibular Positions, Grant Gordon Coleman

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of sagittal mandibular position on preferred lip position in profile. Five androgynous silhouette profiles differing only in the degree of mandibular retro- or prognathism (-25º, -18º, -11º, -4º, & +3º facial contour angles) were created. Using a computer animation program, evaluators moved the lips independently into the position deemed to be the most esthetic for each profile. Evaluators included adolescent orthodontic patients, parents of patients, and orthodontists. In general, no differences in preferred lip position were found between the –11º & -4º profiles or between the –18º & +3º profiles, …

Short Term Observations Of In Vitro Biocorrosion Of Two Commonly Used Implant Alloys, Hsin-Yi Lin

Theses and Dissertations

Orthopedic metal implant materials may mediate a variety of adverse tissue reactions by releasing ions through corrosion. Adverse tissue reactions include inflammation, fibrosis and hypersensitivity. All of these reactions eventually lead to implant failure. The goal of this study was to provide a better understanding of the cellular-material interaction at the metal surface. The hypotheses were that 1. the attachment of cells and their released reactive inflammatory compounds (e.g. hydrogen peroxide H2O2, superoxide O2. and nitric oxide NO.) on the surfaces alter the alloys? corrosion and surface properties and 2. the changes in corrosion and chemical properties of the surfaces …

Adsorption Of Organic Pollutants Onto Natural Adsorbents, Arun Subramani

Theses and Dissertations

In this research, the adsorptive capacities of kenaf, peat moss, hay, and peanut hulls were evaluated for the removal of TNT and 2,4-DCP from aqueous solutions. Adsorbent loading capacities determined by batch studies were verified by continuous column experiments. It was found that the adsorption capacity of the candidate adsorbents were significantly lower than granular activated carbon (GAC). The impact of surface modification techniques, such as surface oxidation, were evaluated to study the effect on adsorption capacity. At lower equilibrium concentrations of the adsorbate (less than 10 ppb), surface oxidation by ozone showed an increase in the adsorption capacity. The …

A Framework For Automatic Ontology Generation From Autonomous Web Applications, Giovanni Modica

Theses and Dissertations

Ontologies capture the structure, relationships, semantics and other essential meta information of an application. This thesis describes a framework to automate application interoperability by using dynamically generated ontologies. We propose a set of techniques to extract ontologies from data accessible on the Web in the form of semi-structured HTML pages. Ontologies retrieved from similar applications are matched together to create a general ontology describing the application domain. Information retrieval and graph matching techniques are used to match and measure the usefulness of the ontologies created. Matching algorithms are combined together to produce global ontologies based on local ontologies inherently present …

Determining The Mobility Of Metals Through Coal Combustion Byproducts In Surface Impoundments By Analyzing Leachate From Modified Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity Tests, Michael Joseph Trofinoff

Theses and Dissertations

Surface impoundments are used extensively throughout the utility industry to store the combustion byproducts, or ash, from coal-fired generating facilities. Following combustion, the metals, naturally contained within coal at low concentrations, may become highly concentrated within the ash. These combustion byproducts are then piped out in a water-ash slurry to the surface impoundments where the ash weathers to- a clay- like substance after approximately 10 years. It is feared that these metals that are contained within the ash could possibly leach into the ground and contaminate the local groundwater. Utilizing a open column percolation test to determine the hydraulic conductivity …

Between Fiction And Documentary: Dangerous Liaisons And The Self-Reflexive Film, Jennifer J. Bottinelli

Theses and Dissertations

As the two primary modes of filmic representation, fiction and documentary have long been separated by their distinct associations with subjectivity and objectivity respectively. Documentary film, with its ties to lived reality, has been especially hampered by a too direct connection with objectivity. Regarding the documentary film's representation of actuality, there is a tendency for the authority behind the construction of the documentary image to go unexplored and unquestioned when the documentary subject is thought to be objectively represented. Neither fiction nor documentary image are likely to be destabilized when each mode neglects to recognize its connection to an alternative …

Developmentally Appropriate Experience In Art With Young Children, Evangeline N. Smith

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Ossetian: Revisiting Inflectional Morphology, Bela G. Hettich

Theses and Dissertations

Ossetian, a language of the Northeastern group of the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European stock of languages, has not received as much linguistic attention as it deserves. A few major studies on Ossetian were written in the 19th and 20th centuries, most of them in Russian. While these works are a solid foundation in the study of Ossetian, its description is not complete.

The present work, written in English, offers Ossetian to a wider international audience. Relying on new developments in linguistic theory, it reexamines phenomena in the inflectional morphology of Ossetian.

The preliminary chapter on phonology provides an overview …

The Awara Verbal System, Susan R. Quigley

Theses and Dissertations

Awara is a language in the Wantoat family spoken by the Awara people of Papua New Guinea. Though it has been mentioned in papers written about the Finisterre-Huon languages and about the Wantoat language (another language in the Wantoat family), it has not been described in depth.

This paper presents a description of the verbal system of the Awara language. The major grammatical constructions described are 1) the verbal morphology, 2) serial-verb constructions, 3) clause chaining, and 4) subordination.

Interesting aspects of the language shown here are 1) the variety of clause types based on the type of subject-indexing suffix, …

Synthetic And Computational Studies On Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Derivatives, Nucleoside Analogs And Peptides, Felix Nyuangem Ngassa

Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, the understanding of the structure and functions of biological macromolecules has advanced rapidly, the result of which is a better mechanistic understanding of many biological processes. As an outgrowth of this understanding, organic molecules that react with biological macromolecules (DNA) or adopt conformations responsible for specific functions in biological macromolecules (peptides and proteins) have been synthesized and computational modeling studies performed. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and β-peptides are among synthetic organic compounds known to interact with natural biological macromolecules. This interaction may affect the specific biological functions of the biomacromolecules. A variety of synthetic methodologies have been …

Valence Change And Oroko Verb Morphology (Mbonge Dialect), Lisa Friesen

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the valence changing processes that are indicated by Mbonge verbal morphology. Mbonge (Mbóñgá) is a dialect of Oroko (Orókó), an agglutinative Bantu A language of Cameroon with very rich morphology. After a brief overview of the structure of Mbonge verbs, attention is concentrated on the verbal suffixes which affect valence. Five suffixes—passive, stative, reflexive, reciprocal, and anticausative—are used to decrease valence. Five other suffixes—causative, indirect agent causative, indirect effector causative, applicative, and instrumental—are used to increase valence, as is the syntactic combination of bola 'do/make' plus another verb.

Suffixes which do not affect valence are also briefly …

Depression And Help-Seeking Behavior Of North Dakota Farmers: The Impact Of The Farm Crisis, Wanda J. Mcsparron

Theses and Dissertations

Little is known about the psychological impact of the current farm crisis. This study examined the incidence of depression and the help-seeking behavior among North Dakota farmers. A secondary purpose was to determine the relationship of economic stress, as well as demographic variables, with levels of depression and help-seeking behavior.

A sample of 500 North Dakota farm operators was randomly selected from Prairie Grains Magazine mailing list and asked to participate in a mail survey. 199 farm operators and 120 spouses/partners responded to the survey. Each participant was asked to anonymously complete and return the Personal Data Questionnaire, Financial Stress …

Longitudinal Predictors Of Weight Fluctuation In Men And Women, Kelly L. Bishop

Theses and Dissertations

Previous literature has indicated that weight loss maintenance represents a major challenge in the management of obesity (Brownell, 1995; Stunkard, 1985). The vast majority of individuals who diet lose and regain weight many times, a pattern often referred to as weight cycling.

The present study was a prospective attempt to understand weight maintenance and fluctuation in a general/normal sample of individuals (n = 315) and in a select group of weight loss maintainers (n = 19). Participants were assessed twice, six months apart, and weight change over this period was correlated with several predictors assessed at Time 1. These predictors …

Antioxidant Defense In Exercised Skeletal Muscle Of The Aging -Delayed Ames Dwarf Mouse., Mark Andrew Romanick

Theses and Dissertations

The Free Radical Theory of Aging is considered to offer a viable explanation for the phenomenon of the aging process. The rate of aging according to this concept depends on an organism’s ability to control oxidative stress within its cellular environment. The experiments in this study center around the Ames dwarf mouse, a mammalian model of aging that has demonstrated both extended life span and heightened antioxidant defense, and skeletal muscle, a tissue whose function is significantly affected under the influence of aging. Hindlimb skeletal muscle from dwarf and wild type mice at different ages was tested for its antioxidant …

Protein -Protein Interactions Between Aldolase, Lactate Dehydrogenase And The Cytoskeleton Using Green Fluorescent Protein-Labeled Enzymes., Karl Alexander Wald

Theses and Dissertations

Interactions between the glycolytic enzymes lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA), lactate dehydrogenase B (LDHB) and aldolase and F-actin o f the cytoskeleton were studied by constructing enzyme/GFP (green fluorescent protein) fusion proteins and measuring the interactions via in vitro co-precipitation analysis and in vivo localization analysis using fluorescent and confocal microscopy. Primers were used to isolate the genes o f LDHA, LDHB and aldolase from human muscle and heart cDNA libraries by PCR. GFP-fusion proteins were designed in N-terminal and C-terminal directions. GFPfusion proteins containing the 10-terminal amino acids from both the N and C terminus o f these enzymes were …

Screening Lytic Phage Display Libraries For Proteins Which Interact With Camp -Dependent Protein Kinase Regulatory Subunit Type I-Alpha., Robert A. Blanco

Theses and Dissertations

Cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) is an essential signaling element involved in the regulation and modulation of cardiac function. It is an integral part of several signaling pathways. Evidence is mounting showing the necessity for subcellular localization of PKA regulatory subunits (R) for linking effector to response. Colocalization of PKA with specific substrates streamlines signaling while maintaining agonist specificity. Discerning which PKA actions require type-specific localization and how localization is effected is important for a better understanding o f the multiple roles PKA plays in the heart. RII is localized through interaction o f its dimerization domain with A kinase …

A History Of The Latter-Day Saints In The Columbia Basin Of Central Washington 1850-1972, Rick B. Jorgensen

Theses and Dissertations

The Columbia Basin of Central Washington has a relatively recent Latter-day Saint history among the regions of the western states. Most of the sparsely populated rural areas in the west that have large concentrations of Latter-day Saints were originally established as "Mormon" settlements. The basin referred to lies between the Snake and Columbia Rivers and now has thousands of Latter-day Saints who have chosen to inhabit the historically barren land and call it their home. A brief visit or casual observance of the area leads many to question what were the major factors and characteristics leading to the twentieth century …

The Memory And The Legacy: The Whittlin' Whistlin' Brigade -- The Young Company 1974-2001, Ruth Ann Lay

Theses and Dissertations

The Memory and The Legacy: The Whittlin' Whistlin' Brigade - The Young Company 1974-2001, is a history of the children's theatre of Brigham Young University. The Whittlin' Whistlin' Brigade - The Young Company acts as a training ground for graduate students working in theatre for young audiences. Then directing a production for The Whittlin' Whistlin' Brigade - The Young Company, students are instructed to perform all functions required of a professional company. As the The Whittlin' Whistlin' Brigade - The Young Company (WWB-TYC) spends much of its performance time on tour, those responsibilities are relegated to the students. Developed and …

Analysis For Cooperative Behavior Effectiveness Of Autonomous Wide Area Search Munitions, Sang M. Park

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to investigate how a simulation model can accurately represent the performance of the autonomous wide area search munitions, and to find the effectiveness of the cooperative behavior on the autonomous munitions. Though it does not provide a practical solution for the development of the autonomous wide area search munitions, this research will show some meaningful allocations of the munitions tasks that are applicable to the development of the autonomous munitions. For the first phase, this thesis presents how accurately a simplified simulation model can represent a proposed weapon system by comparing the simulation results …

Legislating Citizenship In The United States: The Impact Of State Building On Woman Sufferage Legislation, 1848-1918, Eric C. Dahlin

Theses and Dissertations

This is a state-level analysis of the impact of state building on woman suffrage legislation in the United States. This study examines all states in which state legislatures were conferred the power to submit a constitutional amendment to the electorate for approval. I use a sequential random-effects logistic regression model to estimate the effects of state building on legislative outcome. Legislative outcome is measured in three stages: whether or not a bill is introduced in either the House or the Senate during a legislative session, whether or not a bill is voted on in either the House or the Senate …

An Aminopeptidase Acting As A Potential Factor In Host Adaptation Of Mycoplasma Gallinarum, Xiufeng Wan

Theses and Dissertations

Unlike most other host-specific mycoplasmas, Mycoplasma gallinarum exists as a commensal with a host range including most poultry as well as some mammals. This property of M. gallinarum may reflect unique mechanisms for its colonization and persistence in hosts. Whereas M. gallinarum shows leucine and arginine aminopeptidase activity, the genes encoding the enzymes had not been cloned and characterized. We identified an aminopeptidase gene (APN) by oligonucleotide hybridization to a genomic library of M. gallinarum in lambda ZAPII bacteriophage. Nucleotide sequence analysis of overlapping phage clones identified a 1,362 bp open reading frame (ORF) encoding a putative leucine aminopeptidase gene. …

A Device For Imposing Uniform, Cyclic Strain To Cells Growing On Implant Alloys, Larry Chad Winter

Theses and Dissertations

Since bone tissues grow in intimate contact with implant surfaces in vivo, there is a need to investigate how bone cells respond to mechanical loads adjacent to implants under well characterized loading conditions that stimulate the bone-implant surface. Thus, the objective of this study was to demonstrate an effective means for applying known, uniform, cyclic strain to cells growing on implant materials in vitro. A cell culture strain plate device was developed based on the application of the four-point bending principle. The device uses a small electric motor to drive belts attached to shafts which turn a set of cams. …

The Sedimentology And Stratigraphy Of The Sentinel Butte Formation Around Beicegel Creek, Mckenzie County, North Dakota, Joseph L. Stone

Theses and Dissertations

Approximately 580 ft of the Sentinel Butte Formation (Paleocene) is exposed within this study area. A stratigraphic and sedimentologic study of these exposures was done in order to gather new information about the formation, to interpret paleodepositional environments, and to possibly develop an overall depositional model.

Stratigraphic analysis identified four major sand units within the study area, separated by intervals of mudstone and lignite. The lowermost sandstone unit is identified as the Basal Sandstone (Royse 1967). All of the sandstone units exhibit sedimentary structures that suggest a fluvial source for their deposition. They tend to be laterally consistent and when …

Using The Index Of Biotic Integrity Of Fish Communities To Evaluate Habitat Quality In Middle Chattahoochee River Tributaries, Theodor W. Roever

Theses and Dissertations

An ichthyological survey was conducted within the lower Piedmont and upper Coastal Plain physiographic regions of the middle Chattahoochee River drainage basin between August 1998 and September 2000. Sampling was conducted by Columbus State University (CSU) under contract to Columbus Water Works for the purpose of obtaining biological measurements of watershed health. Objectives of the survey were the establishment of a data baseline of IBI scores for this ecoregion and to ascertain if there was a correlation between the IBI score and human influence. The thesis to be tested is: 'Fish community IBI scores of different watersheds within the Middle …

Survey Attitudes Toward Stem Cell Research, Ejinkonye C. Anekwe

Theses and Dissertations

In the following research study, a self-administered questionnaire was utilized to assess opinions regarding embryonic stem cell research based on three objectives: willingness to accept stem cells, educational background, and religion. A total of 1 13 fixed-alternative questionnaires were distributed to a diverse group of respondents. Nonprobability sampling using the accidental approach was performed. Support of stem cell research was dependent on Question 9, which asked what people thought about the cloning of human embryonic stem cells. The data revealed that most respondents from all groups surveyed opposed stem cell research. Neither education nor religion was a major determinant in …

Impact Of Corticosterone And Zinc Deprivation On Memory And Hippocampal Functioning, Patricia Lynn Moulton

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of long-term exposure to corticosterone (CC) and chronic zinc-deprivation (ZnD) on memory performance and hippocampal damage in rats. Previous work has examined the impact of exposure to CC or the impact of ZnD, but no previous work has examined the combined impact on memory performance. Previous work suggests that chronic exposure to CC or ZnD results in hippocampal damage and memory deficits.

The present study utilized a broader range of memory tests than previous studies and administered the memory tests early and late in the time period of CC exposure …

Msl: Michif Sign Language-The Noun Phrases, Jacqueline Foster Ferraro

Theses and Dissertations

By focusing on the noun portion of the conventional Michif sentence, consisting of Cree verb phrases with the intertwining of French noun phrases, the objective of this research is to attempt to reveal some novel parallels in languages, as an initial step in the process of understanding more about the genesis of Michif and American Sign Language. In examining the separate and individual histories and applications of French Sign Language (FSL), American Sign Language (ASL), North American Indian Sign Language (NAISL), and the Amerindian Michif Language, certain commonalities and parallels are indeed present, even transcending the boundaries of diverse races, …

Visual Execution Analysis For Multiagent Systems, Chong Kil

Theses and Dissertations

Multiagent systems have become increasingly important in developing complex software systems. Multiagent systems introduce collective intelligence and provide benefits such as flexibility, scalability, decentralization, and increased reliability. A software agent is a high-level software abstraction that is capable of performing given tasks in an environment without human intervention. Although multiagent systems provide a convenient and powerful way to organize complex software systems, developing such system is very complicated. To help manage this complexity this research develops a methodology and technique for analyzing, monitoring and troubleshooting multiagent systems execution. This is accomplished by visualizing a multiagent system at multiple levels of …

Mpa/Msa Program Survey Of Columbus State University Alumni, Judith A. Frix

Theses and Dissertations

Questionnaires were mailed to all Columbus State University MP A/MSA alumni, and the responses were used to evaluate alumni perception of the program. Survey questions included: indication of the alumni option area; selection and evaluation of program objectives; relationship of the degree to the objective; year of graduation; perceived importance of the degree to life success; job status during and after completion of the degree; rankings of curriculum, support facilities, and advising; value of degree versus the cost of acquiring the degree; the fulfillment of learning expectations; career goals reached through program training; contribution of the program to the general …