Digital Commons Network^™

Spatial Pattern Analysis Of Agricultural Soil Properties Using Gis, Corrin Jared Mccarn

Theses and Dissertations

Agricultural soil properties exhibit variation over field plot scales that can ultimately effect the yield. This study performs multiple spatial pattern analyses in order to design spatially dependent regression models to better understand the interaction between these soil properties. The Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC) and Calcium-Magnesium Ratio (CaMgR) are analyzed with respect to Calcium, Magnesium, and soil moisture values. The CEC and CaMgR are then used to determine impact on the yield values present for the field. Results of this study show a significant measure of model parsimony (0.979) for the Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) model of the CEC with …

Time To Career: Science And Engineering Education To Career Trajectories, Angie Nim Choi

Theses and Dissertations

Two waves of data from the 2006 and 2008 Survey of Earned Doctorates and Survey of Doctorate Recipients were used in this study to investigate time to doctorate (TTD) and time to career (TTC) for science and engineering PhDs. Three-way factorial ANOVAs were conducted, and TTD results indicated main effects for gender, US citizenship, and Biglan classification, and interaction effects for gender and US citizenship. US citizen PhDs progressed to their career approximately one mean year faster than foreign PhDs. For TTC, PhDs who held postdocs progressed to their careers in 14 and 15 years for females and males respectively …

An Analysis Of The Effects Of The Social Disorganization Theory On Juveniles In Georgia, Anna M. Watson

Theses and Dissertations

Social disorganization is represented by an inability of community members to attain mutual goals or to resolve commonly experienced problems (Bursik, 1988). Clifford Shaw and Henry McKay were the first sociologists to denote this occurrence in Chicago. Shaw and McKay are examined as reputable sociologists and a summary of their work on this topic is discussed. This thesis sought to determine the social disorganization in Georgia by examining and analyzing the rates of juvenile delinquency. This thesis contains a literature review, a methodology and an analysis section. The literature review covered the history of the theory, tracing it back to …

Certayn And Tru Good Nues: Early English Printing And The 1480 Siege Of Rhodes And The 1565 Great Siege Of Malta, A Comparison, Kevin Stanford

Theses and Dissertations

This paper will compare English print concerning the Siege of Rhodes in 1480 and the Siege of Malta in 1565 in order to address how the responses differed and why. Although there is abundant scholarship on the two sieges and the press, most research concentrates on each specific period rather than comparing the two. The Historians Theresa Vann and Donald Kagay for example, described how John Kaye transformed Guillaume Caoursin’s Obsidionis Rhodiae urbis descriptio through translation for an English-speaking readership and the Order’s relationship to the printing press during the period surrounding the Siege of Rhodes. Helen Vella Bonavita discussed …

Use Of Personality Profile Assessments In The Construction Industry, Brian Richard Childs

Theses and Dissertations

Various industries are using personality profile assessments as tools to help reduce employee turnover. Employee turnover is a continuing challenge in the construction industry that has negative effects on construction companies. Research found that it was difficult to know if companies in the construction industry are using personality profile assessments as a tool to help reduce employee turnover. After understanding that other industries were using personality profile assessments in their hiring, promoting, team building and leadership development to reduce turnover, it was desired to understand if the construction industry was doing the same. This research performed a survey among the …

A Space For The Contemplation Of A Sacred Subject, Katie West

Theses and Dissertations

This paper discusses a Fine Art Master thesis exhibition. The show was on the topic of the Latter-day Saint doctrine of a Mother in Heaven. It contains a project statement detailing the theological meanings and reasons, an overview of the visual elements of the exhibition, and a section contextualizing the exhibition within the art world.

Diversification And Speciation Across Sundaland And The Philippines: The Effects Of 30 Million Years Of Eustatic Flux, Luke J. Welton

Theses and Dissertations

I highlight two squamate lineages endemic to Southeast Asia, the Asian water monitors (Varanus salvator Complex) and the Angle-headed lizards (Agamidae: Gonocephalus), and elucidate their systematic affinities and historical biogeography. My results represent novel phylogenetic inferences, with biogeographic histories and diversification events corresponding to major climatic fluctuations over the past 30 million years. Additionally, I solidify the taxonomy and systematics of the Varanus salvator Complex, and enumerate more than a dozen Gonocephalus lineages as candidate species in need of taxonomic scrutiny. Lastly, I investigate contemporary and historical patterns of dispersal throughout Sundaland, and between Sundaland and the Philippines.

Liberty, Equality, Indebtedness: Thomas Jefferson, John Adams And The Problem Of Debt In A Revolutionary Age, Martha Salazar Cantu

Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis I examine how the issue of debt contributed to the political tensions between the New England region and the Chesapeake region during the Revolutionary Age. The merging of the two regions’ economies into one federal union caused political divisions, which remained beyond the period of the Early Republic. Examining the cultural attitudes of each region towards debt provides a better understanding of the political problems between these two regions. The integration of the consignment culture of the Southern states with the Puritan ethic of the New England states caused economic difficulties for the young Republic. The research …

Tabacaleros Al Grito De Guerra: The Mexican Tobacco Industry And The U.S.-Mexico War, Jorge A. Hernandez

Theses and Dissertations

This study analyzes the role of the Mexican tobacco industry during the chaotic years from 1845 to 1847. In nineteenth-century Mexico the tobacco industry was an important financial contributor to Mexican government’s efforts to sustain the war against the United States. Without any significant success, the Mexican government tried to confront and solve the problems limiting the amount of revenues that was expected from the tobacco industry. Regional interests, political factionalism, administrative negligence, and tobacco contraband limited the amount of money the tobacco industry contributed. In spite of all the problems the tobacco industry experienced between 1845 and 1847, the …

The Vocabulary Research Database: A Compilation Of State-Of-The-Art Academic Vocabulary Research, Melissa Ann Young

Theses and Dissertations

The Vocabulary Research Database (VRD) is a research tool comprised of a compilation of state-of-the art academic research in the field of vocabulary acquisition and pedagogy. The VRD has flexible search features that allow users to obtain higher granularity than is possible with other free databases and online search options currently available, making the results more relevant and manageable. These features include the ability to constrain results by date, author, publication, sub-topics, keywords, citation numbers, journal impact factors, and participant ages. It is anticipated that the ability to manipulate results, combined with relevant and current content, will provide language professionals …

Institutional Factors Influencing African-American Male Involvement In Undergraduate Student Organizations, John Mark Davenport

Theses and Dissertations

Students attending colleges and universities who have purposeful opportunities to interact with peers and faculty about educational matters and who are challenged with consistent encouragement report higher levels of satisfaction with their collegiate experience and have higher persistence rates than students who do not receive these opportunities (Kuh et al., 1991; Pascarella & Terenzini, 1991; Schroeder & Mable, 1994). In higher education, African-American males are neither retained from admission through graduation at a rate comparable to majority students nor African-American women (AASCU, 1988; ACE, 2008; Harper, 2012). In this study I set out to determine which institutional factors influence African-American …

Resistance, The Church, And A Comparison Of Ceramics From Sixteenth-Century Caluco, El Salvador, Alison Denise Hodges

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines ceramics from the church of San Pedro y San Pablo, Caluco, El Salvador, to investigate the pressures of Spanish evangelization during the Colonial Period. It compares the church's ceramic assemblage to two privately-owned houses, also within Caluco. Examining choices in ceramic styles for serving food and drink is one way to examine the colonial policies of reducción, which were to instill a regular, commonplace Christian order in everyday life. The materials in question were a large number of Spanish majolicas, as well as 300 locally-made vessels, and form, decoration, and ware was noted for each. The relative …

Fan The Flames Of Discontent: Contemporary Labor Literature And Social Movements, Ericka Rae Wills

Theses and Dissertations

Fan the Flames of Discontent: Contemporary Labor Literature and Social Movements balances a literary approach to textual analysis with socially grounded reflections on diverse worker organizations. Chapters analyze Leslie Marmon Silko's Almanac of the Dead, Helena Maria Viramontes's Under the Feet of Jesus, and Thomas Pynchon's Against the Day alongside worker-writers' texts and testimonies, such as Fran Leeper Buss and María Elena Lucas's Forged under the Sun / Forjada bajo el sol and The Heat: Steelworker Lives and Legends, a collection of United Steelworkers' Institute for Career Development writings. In each of five chapters, this dissertation respectively discusses how literature …

Exploring Lds Missionary Blogs: How Culture Manifests In Self-Narratives Of Foreign Missionaries, Karina Marie Gathu

Theses and Dissertations

Missionaries serving in foreign countries provide a unique perspective on culture that they chronicle on public blogs. A content analysis of these blogs showed that missionaries use their own cultural and religious frame to make observations, some good and some bad, about cultural habits and beliefs foreign to their own. Through the medium of blogging, we see how missionaries use self-narratives to understand and make sense out of differences in culture and beliefs that ultimately impact how they identify themselves.

A Multilevel Approach To Recidivism: The Role Of Risk For Criminal Opportunities At The Neighborhood Level, Grant Drawve

Theses and Dissertations

In the past, research has focused on individual-level characteristics in examining recidivism, which could, in part, be because recidivism relies on the offenders to commit crime. In short, people recidivate, so research focuses on individuals, the ‘who’. With such a spotlight on individual characteristics, other, potential influential factors of recidivism are limited in research. One potential aspect of recidivism research that may add to the understanding is that the offenders are going back to neighborhoods. The expansion of research on recidivism to examine the neighborhood factors builds from identify the ‘who’ and working towards understanding the ‘where’. The purpose of …

Investimet Në Sektorin E Arsimit Në Kosovë, Aida Dibra

Theses and Dissertations

Arsimi përfaqëson fushëveprimin parësore të zhvillimeve shoqërore, politike dhe ekonomike të çdo vendi. Sektori i arsimit përbën mundësinë kryesore të çdo shoqërie për t’u zhvilluar ekonomikisht dhe për t’u emancipuar në rrjedhat kulturore dhe politike. Një vend i cili dëshiron të jetë konkurrent ekonomikisht, ai vend duhet të ketë sekretin e arsimit teje të zhvilluar. Pasuria më e rëndësishme në shoqëritë bashkëkohore konsiderohet Arsimi.

Kosova ende nuk e ka të qartë arsimimin i cili është një sektor shumë i rëndësishëm për zhvillim. Nëse marrim parasysh skemën buxhetore të Qeverisë së Kosovë për këtë sektor, shihet qartazi se arsimi në Kosovës …

Calibration And Validation Of The Rapidscat Scatterometer Using Natural Land Targets, Nathan Mark Madsen

Theses and Dissertations

RapidScat is a Ku-band scatterometer that was launched September 2014 and is currently operating on the International Space Station. It estimates ocean vector winds through accurate measurement of the normalized radar coefficient (σ⁰) of the ocean surface. In order to ensure the accuracy of σ⁰ measurements and consistency with previous Ku-band scatterometers, post-launch calibration and validation is necessary. Calibration and validation is performed using natural land targets, namely the Amazon and Congo rainforests, to complement calibration efforts over the ocean. The σ⁰ response of the targets is estimated with respect to viewing angle and time of …

Assessment Variability Among States In Determining Part C Eligibility Criteria, April Siktar

Theses and Dissertations

Early intervention (EI), known as Part C, is an integral component of providing young children with individualized attention that enriches their development. The EI services are provided to children zero to two years old that are deemed eligible by specific diagnosis, clinical opinion, or based on assessment scores. States have flexibility on which assessments should be used and the qualifications of the examiner. The variations among states and districts can have implications on who is eligible to receive services throughout the country. The purpose of this study is to investigate the assessments and examiner's qualification in each state. The ongoing …

The Innovation Makerspace: Geographies Of Digital Fabrication Innovation In Greater New York City, Kathryn Dickerson

Theses and Dissertations

Desktop digital fabrication technology has the potential to powerfully alter the economics, geography, and sociology of production. The desktop technology cannot reach its potential for widespread impact until it improves in quality and decreases in price. Makerspaces have emerged in the United States in the last eight years as informal social organizations where innovation in this technology may be occurring. This study examines whether innovation in digital fabrication technology has occurred, or has the potential to occur, at makerspaces in the New York City area.

The Doha Round And Globalization: A Failure Of World Economic Development?, William E. Keating

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this thesis is to analyze the WTO’s Doha Round and its numerous developmental objectives, assess the major issues that led to its stagnation, as well as examine the economic prospects for developing nations and the potential future of international trade and development.

Women Workin’ It In Gis: A Mixed Methods Study Of Underrepresentation And The Gendered Experience Among Female Gis Practitioners, Livia M. Betancourt Mazur

Theses and Dissertations

Through novel empirical research, this thesis explores the experience of women working in the professional field of geographic information systems (GIS), adding to GIS literature, as well as to academic geography and wider science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) discourses, addressing gaps in these bodies of knowledge.

Transportation And Sanitation Drivers Of Land Use/Land Cover Change: Loss Of The Jamaica Bay Wetlands, Margaret Joy Cytryn

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents an analysis (1830-2014) of the historical events of land use/land cover change in the Jamaica Bay estuary, identification of the agents of change, and a perspective on the potential drivers of transportation and sanitation in land use/land cover change.

Genetic Structure Of Rhizobia Associated With Chamaecrista Fasciulata, Hanna Elizabeth Dorman

Theses and Dissertations

The legume-rhizobia relationship is an important symbiosis. Studies have found variation in specificity and the functionality of symbiotic specificity can vary among plants of the same species and among rhizobia, as well as in concert with geographical variation. Here, we examined the diversity and geographic structure of rhizobia nodulating Chamaecrista fasciculata, which grows throughout the east-central U.S. and is symbiotic with Bradyrhizobium species. We investigated the association of geography and soil variables on rhizobial diversity by sampling plant nodules and soil across Mississippi and evaluated variation in rhizobia housed in different nodules of individual plants. Using nifH and truA, we …

An Examination Of Net Primary Production In Southern Appalachian Wetlands, Mike Maguigan

Theses and Dissertations

Southern Appalachian wetlands have yet to be studied in terms of net primary production (NPP), thus few studies have been conducted to examine what environmental factors have relationships with NPP. To that end, this research investigates several facets of southern Appalachian wetland production. The research was divided into three studies. The first study was conducted to answer the question of what environmental factors have relationships with NPP. It appears that stream discharge and annual precipitation had the strongest relationships with NPP (r = 0.91, p <0.05 and r = 0.81, p <0.05, respectively), yet both factors showed multicolinearity (r = 0.97, p <0.05). The strong relationships between hydrologic factors and NPP is similar to montane wetlands in the western United States. The second study was conducted to examine the relationship between water chemistry and NPP. Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg), and pH were examined in order to determine if any of the aforementioned factors had a relationship with NPP. Neither Ca (r = -0.34, p = 0.0835) nor Mg (r =-0.38, p = 0.0535) had strong relationships with NPP, though pH (r = -0.66, p <0.05) had a strong negative relationship with NPP. The acidity of the stream water, driven by the acid rain in the southern Appalachians, creates enhanced conditions for wetland plants to grow. The third study was conducted to establish which vegetation index was best for estimating NPP from proximally and remotely sensed data. The findings suggest that VARIRed Edge was best for examining NPP at the in situ level, NDVI was best for examining NPP at the airborne level, and the DVI was the best for examining NPP at the satellite level. NPP in southern Appalachian wetlands is driven by the chemistry, specifically the pH, of stream discharge and annual precipitation and can be monitored by NDVI using NAIP data or DVI using Landsat data. The examination of NPP in southern Appalachians in response to environmental factors and water chemistry along with the examination of vegetation indices at three levels of platforms will help to monitor and manage these rare and unique ecosystems in the future.

Comparisons Of Lygus Lineolaris Populations From The Mississippi Delta And Hills Agricultural Regions, Daniel Edward Fleming

Theses and Dissertations

Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois) is a pest of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) in Mississippi, particularly in the Delta region of the state. It is estimated that 3.1old more insecticide applications are needed to control this pest and it costs producers 3.6old more in the Delta region than in the Hills region. These differences have been attributed to increased insecticide resistance in the Delta and the possibility of a biotype of L. lineolaris in the Delta that is better adapted to cotton than the population in the Hills. A series of experiments were undertaken to evaluate these differences. The first …

A Parsimonious Two-Way Shooting Algorithm For Connected Automated Traffic Smoothing, Fang Zhou

Theses and Dissertations

Advanced connected and automated vehicle technologies offer new opportunities for highway traffic smoothing by optimizing automated vehicle trajectories. As one of the pioneering attempts, this study proposes an efficient trajectory optimization algorithm that can simultaneously improve a range of performance measures for a platoon of vehicles on a signalized highway section. This optimization is centered at a novel shooting heuristic (SH) for trajectory construction that considers realistic constraints including vehicle kinematic limits, traffic arrival patterns, carollowing safety, and signal operations. SH has a very parsimonious structure (e.g., only four acceleration parameters) and a very small computational complexity. Therefore, it is …

Evaluation Of Hybrids, Planting Dates, And Planting Densities On Corn Growth And Yield Under Rainfed Systems In Mississippi, Matthew W. Hock

Theses and Dissertations

Improved hybrid genetics and more efficient farming techniques have increased corn (Zea mays L.) production and grain yields for Mid-South farmers. Early planting is one technique to mitigate heat and drought stress that negatively influence grain production. The first objective was: a) determine the effect of early planting on grain yield, b) to determine the effects on physiological characteristics and c) determine if some hybrids are better suited for early planting. Data suggest there were yield advantages for early planted treatments. Starkville 2014 yields exhibited the greatest reduction of .80 Mg ha-1 for each week that planting was delayed. A …

Suitability Of Great South Bay, New York To Blooms Of Pfiesteria Piscicida And P. Shumwayae Prior To Superstorm Sandy, October 29, 2012, Pawel Tomasz Zablocki

Theses and Dissertations

Pfiesteria piscicida and P. shumwayae are toxic dinoflagellates implicated in massive fish kills in North Carolina and Maryland during 1990s. A set of physical, chemica l, and biological factors influence population dynamics of these organisms. This study employs i nformation gathered from relevant literature on temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, pH, turbulent mixing, and dissolved nutrients, bacteria, algae, microzooplankton, mesozooplankton, bivalve m ollusks, finfish, and other toxic dinoflagellates, which influence Pfiesteria population dynamics. The research focused on whether conditions in the Great South Bay, Long Island, New York were suitable to blooms of Pfiesteria species prior to the passage of superstorm …

The Role Of Physical Fitness And Physical Activity On Academic Achievement Among Eighth Grade Students In Alabama, Jessica Baker O'Neal

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this correlational study was to determine the extent of the relationship between physical fitness, body composition, physical activity, and academic achievement. School leaders have justified the reduced time for physical activity and physical education as they take away from classroom instruction time; yet, national assessment outcomes have indicated the condition of education in America has failed to measurably improve student achievement. An additional public health concern, increased sedentary lifestyles and unhealthy-weight conditions have significantly increased in the past 30 years among American children and adolescents.

The researcher incorporated a quantitative design to examine these relationships in an …

Delimiting Species And Varieties Of Cycladenia Humilis (Apocynaceae), Holly Kathryn Brabazon

Theses and Dissertations

Taxonomic delimitation of rare species is vital for accurate assessments of diversity and for their conservation. Cycladenia humilis, the sole species of Cycladenia, is an enigmatic perennial widely dispersed across the western United States. Within this species there are three currently recognized varieties: C. humilis var. humilis in Northern California, C. humilis var. venusta in Southern California, and C. humilis var. jonesii in Utah and Northern Arizona. Some populations occur geographically in areas between the typical distribution of each variety and the presently accepted taxonomy inadequately addresses these populations. Using five nDNA regions, we seek to clarify relationships between current …