Digital Commons Network^™

The Value Of Semantic Networking Tools For Instruction In The Creation Of A Hypermedia Environment, Carla Hodgins Haaven

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Grain Handling Facility Safety Program, Leif H. Schonteich

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Systematic Exploration Of A Whole Language Curriculum In Order To Discover The Learning Potential Of The Curriculum, Nicole J. Weisz

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Screening Practices For Domestic Violence By Primary Health Care Providers, Kamrin L. Macki

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Regulatory Activity Of Cd8+ Cells In Vitro, Delayed Type Hypersensitivity And Genetics In Theiler's Murine Encephalomyelitis Virus-Induced Demyelinating Disease, Paul W. Denton

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Pineal Gland, Via Melatonin, Protects Dna, Coordinates The Endocrine System With The Immune System And Controls The Timing Of Reproduction, Craig L. Anthony

Theses and Dissertations

The pineal gland secretes the hormone melatonin (n-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine) with a circadian rhythm. This secretion's rhythm becomes disrupted with age. When melatonin secretion is decreased with advanced age, the immune, endocrine and reproductive systems fail to function optimally. Melatonin possesses lipophilic and anti-oxidant properties, providing it with access to nuclei. Melatonin protects the DNA, preventing cancerous mutation. Hippocampal degeneration and age increase and prolong the adrenocortical responses to stress. Melatonin supplementation reduces the prolonged exposure to harmful hormones.

Titrating And Evaluating Multiple Drug Regimens Within Subjects, Margaret Shih

Theses and Dissertations

The dosing of combination therapies is commonly undertaken empirically by practicing physicians, and there is a lack of a coherent algorithm to approach the problem of combination dosing. Current methods of evaluating multiple drug combinations in clinical trials generally do not provide information regarding the location of more effective dosages when the combination is not found to differ from the standard, even though the absence of a difference does not necessarily mean the new combination is ineffective. Additionally, if a new combination is found to be more effective, often a large proportion of the subjects has not benefited from the …

A Comparative Study Of Murine Mast Cell Progenitors, Shirley K. Desimone

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is a comparative study of variables affecting differentiation and proliferation of progenitor cells from various embryonic and fetal tissue sites as they differentiate into mast cells. Embryonic stem cells from gestation day 4.5 (d4.5) differentiated exclusively into mast cells when cultured in semi-solid media with stem cell factor (SCF) and Interleukin-3 (IL-3). The same was true of d8-1 1 yolk sac cells and d8-1 1 cells from the embryo itself. However, culture with SCF and IL-3 of cells from dl4 fetal livers differentiated into mast cells, cells of the erythrocyte lineage and a few "macrophages" which may have …

Participant Reference In Narrative Discourse: A Comparison Of Three Methodologies, Stephen A. Clark

Theses and Dissertations

In recent years several linguists have developed quantitative methods for analyzing and describing how speakers of languages refer to activated participants in narrative discourse. One of the first of these was Talmy Givon, whose method (referred to by some as the Recency/Distance method) measured three factors in participant reference: referential distance, potential interference, and persistence. A few years later, Russell Tomlin proposed an alternative model, which he labeled the Episode/Paragraph method. He felt that Givon's method fails to account for the fact that the thematic paragraphs or "episodes" found in narrative texts largely determine the amount of coding material used. …

Cognitive Inhibition And Impulsivity In Adult Children Of Alcoholics And Controls, Louise A. Weller

Theses and Dissertations

The genetic transmission of a pattern of impairments associated with alcoholism has been supported by research literature (Dawson, Harford, & Grant, 1992; Schuckit, 1986). No single factor appears to cause the development of a substance abuse problem, but a family history of alcoholism may be one predictive factor (Goodwin, 1985). The offspring of alcoholics are more likely to display disinhibited behavior and impulsivity (Pihl, Peterson, & Finn, 1990) and are more likely to develop drinking problems than the general population (Goodwin, 1971). Researchers have found patterns of cognitive deficits (Tartar, Jacob, Bremer, 1989) and neuropsychological differences (Gabriella & Mednick, 1983) …

Alternative Solutions For The Use Of Outdated Computer Hardware, Benjamin Erickson

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Genetic Characterization Of Cytosolic And Mitochondrial Matrix Isoforms Of Nucleoside Diphosphate Kinase., James Gunder Mehus

Theses and Dissertations

Nucleoside diphosphate kinase (NDP kinase) is an enzyme which transfers the gamma phosphoryl group of a nucleoside triphosphate donor to a nucleoside diphosphate acceptor. NDP kinases have been implicated in a wide range of biological phenomena including tumor metastasis, differentiation, gene regulation, signal transduction, and mitochondrial energetics. Prior experimentation documented in the early biochemical literature has given strong evidence for the presence of a mitochondrial NDP kinase. In particular, pigeon liver mitochondria possess an unusually high level of NDP kinase activity confined to the matrix space. Despite extensive work on vertebrate NDP kinases in the last decade, no genes had …

Modifications By Ehrlich Ascites Tumors, In Vivo, Of The Mouse Hepatic Glucose -6 -Phosphatase System., Jay Wiedemann

Theses and Dissertations

The enzyme glucose-6-phosphatase (Glc-6-Pase, E.C.3.1.9.3) plays a major role in the maintenance of blood glucose levels. Ehrlich ascites tumor cells pose a stress on the host to maintain blood glucose. Therefore, the Glc-6-Pase and associated substrate/product translocases, must function in response to cancer since the enzyme is common to both the glycogenolytic and gluconeogenic processes. Earlier kinetic studies showed there was a diminished inhibition by exogenous Pi of Glc-6-P hydrolysis in native hepatic microsomes of Tumor-bearing mice compared with controls (Lucius et al. (1995) Biochem. J. 311, 537–540). The first purpose of these studies was to determine the time of …

The Relationship Of Small Mammal Species To Habitat Variables In West-Central Georgia And East-Central Alabama, Patricia Maureen Kosky

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this investigation was to assess the impact of environmental variables upon small mammal species distribution in 60 plots on Fort Benning, Muscogee and Chattahoochee Counties, Georgia and Russell County, Alabama. The small mammal fieldwork was carried out in December of 1994 through January of 1995. The vegetation was inventoried in June through October of 1995. During this period, 235 small mammals were trapped in a total of 5950 trap nights. A total of 10 small mammal species and 234 plant species were identified. The small mammal species abundance's were determined by using snap trapping along the plot …

Reputation Management: The Effect Of Ceo Behavior During A Crisis, Ellen J. Shockley

Theses and Dissertations

This purpose of this thesis was to study how CEO behavior during a crisis impacts the organization's lasting reputation.

A thorough review of relevant publications, as well as intercept surveys, content analyses and email surveys, was conducted to test the hypotheses.

Fifty intercept surveys were conducted over two weekends to discover opinions about the issue. Respondents appearing to be age 25 or older were randomly selected. A content analysis was conducted using articles from Newsweek and The Wall Street Journal to determine the media's tone on the CEOs of Odwalla, Jack in the Box, Dow Coming and Exxon. A total …

A Child Centered Approach To Education, Carolyn J. Fischer

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Flooded Lifeways: A Study Of The Garrison Dam And Its Environmental Impact Upon The Three Affiliated Tribes Of The Fort Berthold Indian Reservation, Brian K. Russell

Theses and Dissertations

On December 22, Congress authorized the Flood Control Act of 1944, later named the Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program (PSMBP). The primary purpose of the PSMBP, which would require the construction of six main stem dams on the Missouri River, was to provide flood control, navigation, irrigation, and hydropower. The Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara nations, the Three Affiliated Tribes, maintained a reservation and way of life on Fort Berthold which lay in the direct path of the water that would form the reservoir behind one of the dams, the Garrison Dam.

It is important to acknowledge that the Garrison Dam also …

Hardware And Software Requirements For Graphic Designers, Denise M. Patterson

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Resident Teacher Program: Perceptions Of Those Involved, Sara Beth Vinje Triggs

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to describe and understand the experience of master's students in an elementary education resident teacher program The experience of the resident teachers was generally defined as how resident teachers made meaning of a resident teacher program through the perceptions of the resident teachers themselves. The resident teachers' perceptions and experiences were studied from January 1999 through the completion of their teaching experience in May 1999.

Qualitative research methods were used in this phenomenological study, including a brief period of observation, analysis of mentor/resident teacher communications journals, and interviews with participants in the Resident Teacher …

An Evaluation Of Coastal Community Response To Sea Level Rise On The Delmarva Peninsula, Timothy Villanueva

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this project is to evaluate the response of coastal community comprehensive plans to the threats posed by sea level rise. The communities evaluated are Chincoteague, VA, Ocean City, MD, and Rehoboth Beach, DE. The results of the evaluations illustrate to what extent these communities are prepared to deal with sea level rise and provide a basis for recommendations to improve plan quality. The level of community risk and the components of the individual comprehensive plans are evaluated using new models created for this project. Risk level is measured using computer disaster simulations, topographic and demographic data. The …

Early Literacy And Writing With Native Americans Students, Barbara B. Delorme

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Reinforcement Activities On Reading Comprehension In A Third Grade Classroom, Jessica A.C. Tobin

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of reinforcement activities on the reading comprehension of third grade students. It was hypothesized that students who completed a hands-on art activity after hearing a story would score significantly higher on a reading comprehension test than those who finished a worksheet activity. Both the students who completed a hands-on art activity and those who did a worksheet activity would score significantly higher on a reading comprehension test than those who received no reinforcement activity after hearing a story. All 23 students in the third grade classroom were given all three …

The Effects Of Performance Based Activities On The Achievement Of The Theme Assessment For Beginning Sounds In Kindergarten, Renee Kruse

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if students who receive performance based activities would perform better on activities that required the identification of beginning sounds than those who were taught using traditional teaching methods.

The sample in this study consisted of 89 students from a public kindergarten in southern New Jersey. The experimental group consisted of 45 students who received the sorting performance based activities. The control group consisted of 44 students who were exposed to more worksheets and verbal identification of beginning sounds than performance based activities.

A pretest and posttest was used to determine if sorting …

Cybercrisis Management: Handling Crises At The Speed Of Light, Thomas Stanley Jason

Theses and Dissertations

This study's purpose was to compile information on how to handle different types of cybercrises and compile them into an easy to use guide for experienced public relations professionals. The data search included library and Internet searches for information on handling cybercrises. Additionally, an e-mail survey was sent out to on-line public relations personnel to determine their experience with cybercrises. From that survey, professionals who stated that they have handled cybercrises were interviewed via e-mail.

The study determined that 20 percent of those surveyed had faced a cybercrisis. The study determined that the most important parts of cybercrisis management were …

The Yemen Journals., Yahya Frederickson

Theses and Dissertations

The Yemen Journals is a collection of original poems that address experiences I had in Yemen and Ethiopia. Many of the poems examine the life I confronted in the physical and social settings of those countries, where beneath the exotic sense impressions and imagery lay questions of identity. The poems in The Yemen Journals chronicle my contact with unfamiliar cultures and consider the ways I changed during my six years in Yemen. I became fluent in Arabic, converted to Islam, married an Ethiopian-Yemeni woman, and became the father of twins. The more time I spent in Yemen, the more I …

The Effects Of Acute Alcohol Intoxication On The Cognitive Performance Of Adult Children Of Alcoholics And Controls., Stephanie Marie Fuller

Theses and Dissertations

A decreased sensitivity to the effects of alcohol has been consistently demonstrated in adult children of alcoholics (ACAs) and has been hypothesized as a predictor of future risk of alcoholism. The present study investigated whether family history of alcoholism would influence response to alcohol on a number of cognitive tasks. ACAs and controls were administered either a dose of alcohol in the form of 1.25 ml/kg body weight of absolute ethanol or placebo and subjected to the FAS test of word fluency, the Sternberg memory scanning task, a reaction time task, a test of prose memory, the WAIS-R Digit Span …

The Role Of Acetaldehyde In The Pathogenesis Of Alcoholic Heart Muscle Disease., Qiangrong Liang

Theses and Dissertations

Alcohol abuse is a major health problem in the United States with 14 million people affected. Long term alcohol abuse leads to alcoholic heart muscle disease (AHMD) in one third of alcoholics. Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain alcohol's damaging effects on the heart but neither the mechanism nor the ultimate toxin has been established. The principal candidates for the specific toxin are alcohol, acetaldehyde and fatty acid ethyl esters. In order to test the hypothesis that acetaldehyde, the major oxidative metabolite of ethanol by alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), is the specific toxin responsible for AHMD, seven lines of transgenic …

Computers In The Classroom – Do They Really Make A Difference In Student Learning?, Colleen Fitzgerald

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if the utilization of computers in the classroom would increase student learning. The participants were eighty-two seventh grade students from Demarest Middle School in Demarest, New Jersey. The students were organized into four heterogeneously mixed classes. The study was conducted over approximately two weeks. All students received introductory instruction on amphibians and frog anatomy and physiology. Two classes then completed the traditional specimen dissection, while the other two classes completed a computer-simulated dissection. The classes then switched and performed the alternative dissection procedure. Their performance was measured by the results on the …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of A New Mathematics Problem-Solving Program, Audrey L. Becker

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to implement and evaluate the effectiveness of a mathematical problem-solving program for eighth grade students in the Margate School District. The researcher used a quantitative quasi-experimental design in correlation with a qualitative case study design. The subjects consisted of low to average ability students enrolled in a preexisting skills development course. The students were separated to form an experimental and a control group. A pretest/posttest instrument was used to determine the quantitative results, and daily field notes were recorded to evaluate the qualitative conclusions.

The level of student growth due to the completion of …

Gender Preferences In The Recreational Reading Of Sixth Grade Students, Dorothy H. Holmes

Theses and Dissertations

This study compared what sixth graders like to read for pleasure by gender with the collection of the Voorhees New Jersey Middle School media center. An interest survey was given to 105 sixth-grade students. A sample of the Voorhees Middle School library was done. A comparison of the two analyzed what is available in the library with what the students like to read. The influence of the Harry Potter books on recreational reading was also studied. This study showed that males and females have favorable attitudes towards recreational reading and enjoy both fiction and nonfiction as well as a variety …