Digital Commons Network^™

Research And Development Of A Programming Solution To Auto-Populate And Engineering Drawing Using Autolisp And Microsoft Access, Mitchell Jones

Theses and Dissertations

A study was conducted to determine if a practical working software routine could be developed using Auto-LISP to import drafting data from an external database into an AutoCAD drawing for the purpose of auto-populating the title block and parts list. The main goal of the study was to determine if it was technically and economically feasible for a small business to develop a software routine in-house versus having a professional software programmer develop it for them.

The study consisted of researching literature on document management and programming AutoCAD. This phase of the research was conducted to establish if previous researchers …

Matoaka: Pocahontas In The Age Of Identity, Matthew Shifflett

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis details the labors of research and judgment that informed the writing of Matoaka, a Play in Three Acts. Specifically, the thesis explores the historical puzzles surrounding the life of Pocahontas and justifies the decisions made in dramatizing her life in the aforementioned play. Non-fictional works of the last four hundred years are considered, as well as popular dramatic performances of the nineteenth century. These works are examined closely in order to reveal the Pocahontas story as a point of contact between many concurrent social discourses. Reflections are also offered on the production of the aforementioned play and its …

Music And The Modern Maya: A Reception Study Of Rock-Maya Music In Guatemala, Malcolm Miguel Botto

Theses and Dissertations

The current global flows of people, capital, technology, images and ideas--a phenomenon described as "mediascapes" by Arjun Appadurai (1996), traverse the most isolated Maya communities in Guatemala. These flows have recently influenced the creation of hybrid media products among the Maya. Among them we find an emerging indigenous musical genre called "Rock-Maya." I use reception analysis methods to document the encoding and decoding of this new indigenous medium of communication. Through qualitative interviews I attempt to show how K'iche'-Maya youth appropriate, what Motti Regev (1997) calls, the rock aesthetic to promote a sense of K'iche'-Maya youth identity in a modern …

Religious Networks As A Sociolinguistic Factor: The Case Of Cardston, Benjamin Joseph Chatterton

Theses and Dissertations

Religious affiliation and its inherent membership in an associated social network as a sociolinguistic factor is examined in the community of Latter-day Saints (LDS) in Cardston, Alberta. Building on Meechan's 1998 findings that the LDS community in the area used Canadian Raising in a different set of phonotactic environments than the surrounding non-LDS English speakers, the study aims to determine if the LDS community uses other Canadian speech features differently or less frequently and if any Utah features (defined as Utah English in the literature, being the language of LDS English speakers in Utah) have continued from the settling of …

How Can Elementary Educators Use Multicultural Literature To Help Prepare Students For Life As A Global Citizen?, Kathryn Oleksy

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore ways in which elementary educators can use multicultural literature to help students learn about the world they live in. The study was based on the implementation of a unit in which students were introduced to four countries using multicultural literature. Students then learned about the culture, citizens, geography, history and so forth through multiple strategies and approaches to enhance the learning process. Upon completion of the unit, student writing samples and exit interviews when compared with pre-unit interviews, revealed students had made significant gains in relating to people in other countries as …

Evolution Of Urban Design In Practice (Case Studies Of Chicago, Detroit And Cleveland Through Time), Sulabh Aryal

Theses and Dissertations

Throughout the twentieth century various urban design theories came into light. These theories were sometimes original and sometimes derivative of some previous theory.These theories can be broadly categorized in different urban design models. The chronological study of different urban design theories gives us the theoretical and generic evolution of urban design. The practical evolution of urban design in any city can be different from the generic evolution of urban design. This thesis examines the urban design of three Midwestern American cities from their origins to the present day. The urban design of these cities, related to different time periods is …

Storming The Castle: Non-Secular Subversion Of The Pas D'Armes In The Castle Of Perseverance, John Moss

Theses and Dissertations

It is important to remember that the categories of medieval performance were established far removed from their period in history. As a genre, the morality play includes a wide diversity of time, geography, content and performance styles. Such disparities have made it difficult to develop a comprehensive definition, without which comparisons between works cannot be consistent. As scholarship continues to explore these works in context of their performance, it becomes increasingly important to identify which performance styles best inform their production. In examining The Castle of Perseverance within the parameters of pas d’armes, new meanings can be drawn from its …

Making Time, Christine Coffey

Theses and Dissertations

We are living in an age where the quantity of information has exceeded its quality. No doubt the digital and information revolutions have provided the world with countless positive improvements, but they have also increased the speed at which we live and work to the detriment of the heath of our world. This project explores ways in which designers can aid in an effort to slow down in order to reinvigorate a more sustainable graphic design product.

The Effects Of The Friend Networking Site Myspace On Adolescents' Global Self Esteem, Amanda L. Pietrangelo

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of the popular friend-networking site, MySpace on young adolescents' global self-esteem. The hypothesis of the present study states that adolescents who spend more time on the friend-networking site, MySpace, will experience lower overall self-esteem than their peers who spend either less time on the site, or no time on the site. Further, predictions were made on the basis of gender, suggesting that adolescent girls with adequate access will be more likely to experience these affects than will their male counterparts. Participants in this study were 95 (31 males, 64 females) …

Typography As Performance: Bringing The Stage Into The Design Process, Ann Ford

Theses and Dissertations

Graphic design is historically a visual language consisting of text and image composed for the purposes of sending messages in print format. The voice of graphic design is typography—structuring and arranging letter forms into visual language. Over the past two decades, new communication formats such as motion and interaction have frequently been related to performance. My intention, however, is to explore how performance can influence typography in two and three dimensions, and even in digital environments.

A 17-Year Assesment Of Changes In Biomass In The South Of Chile, Using Landsat Satellite Images, Fredy A. Bernales

Theses and Dissertations

Southern Chile is recognized by different international organizations such as UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), and Conservational International as an ecologically sensitive area. The country of Chile is home to one third of the earth’s remaining temperate forests. Monitoring and assessing land cover changes in these forests is important not only to international organizations but to the people of Chile. The lack of multi-temporal studies that evaluate changes in land cover biomass make this study an important one for increasing awareness of how the evolution of the landscape affects environmental planning and development of legal precedents aimed …

An Investigation Of The Relationship Between Class I Railroad Employment And Teu Traffic At The Ports Of Long Beach And Los Angeles, California: 1997-2006, James Augustus Burt

Theses and Dissertations

The twin ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, California have become the focal point of the influx of containers from East Asia and China. The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between monthly Class I Transportation (T&E) employment and combined monthly TEU traffic at the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, California for the years 1997 through 2006. The Spearman Rank-order Correlation Coefficient was administered to analyze the relationships. Results indicated that proximity is not the sole factor in a relationship between monthly Class I Transportation(T&E) employment and combined monthly TEU traffic at the Ports …

The Impact Of Teacher Characteristics On A Secondary Career And Technical Education Program In Mississippi, Robin Ann Parker

Theses and Dissertations

This research was conducted to determine if characteristics of teachers impact student learning in the secondary career and technical education Allied Health program area. This research was conducted for the following reasons: (a) to determine if teacher participation in professional learning opportunities impact student learning, (b) to determine if the use of curriculum and instruction resources impact student learning, (c) to determine if the implementation of researched-based teaching strategies impact student learning, and (d) to determine if other characteristics impact student learning. The data collected include responses from the fall 2007 MS-CPAS2 Allied Health student scores and survey responses from …

Exploratory Study Of The Caregivers' Perceived Barriers To Healthy Eating In The Mississippi Delta, Caroline Ruth Mccracken

Theses and Dissertations

The Mississippi Delta has been recognized for its poverty level and high rate of obesity. As an effort to combat the obesity issue while also considering the poverty issue of the population, a descriptive analysis was developed to understand what intervention might be beneficial. Focus groups were conducted to determine barriers to healthy eating behaviors for children, grades K-2. Focus groups (n=6) with parents or guardians of children from the six elementary schools in the Mississippi Delta were conducted in the Spring of 2007. The emergent themes included, perceived healthy foods, where diet information had been retrieved, and the efforts …

An Investigation Of The Ecology Of Nesting Golden Eagles In North Dakota, Anne Marguerite Coyle

Theses and Dissertations

Few studies have focused on golden eagles nesting in North Dakota. This project investigates the ecology of, and the potential effects from energy development on, nesting golden eagles in North Dakota, by collecting historical data, conducting nest checks and surveys (2002-2006).

Historical information was not sufficient for population estimates. Nest checks/surveys indicated that nest densities, occupied nest sites and territories was greatest near the riparian river bottoms. There were 176 potential extant territories. The average minimum distance between occupied nest sites was 6.32km (7.20km to 3.85km). The mean territory area was 8.95 km2 (SD = 4.25 km2, min = 3.09 …

Causative Factors Of Crashes Between A Motor Vehicle And The Amish And Old Order Mennonite Horse And Buggy, Cory Anderson

Theses and Dissertations

Horse and buggy transportation is spreading as rapidly as its Amish and Old Order Mennonite users are, as are buggy crashes with motor vehicles. This study examines the primary causes of 76 reported horse and buggy crashes in Pennsylvania in 2006. The main crash types identified include a motorist rear-ending a forward-moving buggy, motorist failing to pass a buggy, buggy struck while crossing an intersection, and buggy struck while making a left turn. While causative factors varied for each crash type, major factors include the motorist or buggy driver incorrectly comprehending speed differentials, the motorist acting carelessly around the buggy, …

A Study Of The Effectiveness Of Annotations In Improving The Listening Comprehension Of Intermediate Esl Learners, Ryan K. Rocque

Theses and Dissertations

This study seeks to answer the age old question of what kind of input is best for ESL learners, but it approaches the question with a new perspective. There are many options when it comes to a choice of curriculum, both in terms of the method that is used and the materials that are available. Feature film is one important resource that has received increased attention in recent years. Curriculum specialists and teachers are incorporating various film clips into instruction to enhance a grammar point, to teach culture, or as a way to motivate learners. Yet adequate research does not …

Palestinian Women's Roles After The First Intifada, 1987-1992, Bader Seetan Almadi

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is a study of Palestinian women’s roles following the First Intifada, or Palestinian uprising, which began in 1987. This study considers whether Palestinian women found greater participation in their social life outside of the home during the challenges of the Intifada. In Palestinian society, traditional family roles and the various interpretations of Islamic teachings about to the family have severely restricted the role of women in society, and these limitations have served to increase the desire of these women for greater participation outside of the home.

This dissertation will focus on how religious forces, in addition …

Hidden Village (42sa2112): A Basket Maker Iii Community In Montezuma Canyon, Utah, Donald G. Montoya

Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT This thesis focuses on the Basketmaker III period of the Ancestral Puebloan culture commonly known as the Anasazi, which means ‘ancient stranger’ or ‘ancient enemy’ in the Navajo language, or as preferred by the Hopi; "Hisatsinom" for "The Ones Who Came Before." I use the terms Anasazi and Ancestral Puebloan interchangeably in this study. My particular focus concentrates on a Basketmaker III settlement (42Sa2112 – Hidden Village) in Montezuma Canyon in southeastern Utah. My thesis presents data and an interpretive hypothesis that village formation and complex social organization emerged earlier than most standard texts (Plog 1997) assume. Analysis of …

Cultic Niches In The Nabataean Landscape: A Study In The Orientation, Facade Ornamentation, Sanctuary Organization, And Function Of Nabataean Cultic Niches, Holly A. Raymond

Theses and Dissertations

Niches are common features in the Nabataean landscape (Healey 2001; Starcky 1966: cols. 1008-10; Patrich 1990:50-113). From their frequent appearance in the archeological record, it is evident that the Nabataeans placed great importance on these cultic features. However, very little is known about them. The purpose of this study was to find and record Nabataean cultic niches in a field survey and then to interpret these niches as part of a research design that proposed purposes of niche variation in construction, orientation, and placement of niches on the landscape. My research addresses several neglected issues in the study of cultic …

Marcel Schwob Digital Collection, Michele B. Squires

Theses and Dissertations

This project outlines the discovery and digitization of previously unpublished correspondence composed by late 19th century author and literary critic, Marcel Schwob. Inspired by the inquiry of Bibliothèque Nationale Librarian Bernard Gauthier, Professor Daryl Lee alerted me to the presence of Marcel Schwob materials at BYU. I found that former BYU Professor John Green established a Marcel Schwob Memorial Collection and successfully published two books using the materials he gathered: Chroniques and Correspondance Inédite. After thoroughly researching the catalogued Schwob materials at BYU and comparing the contents to other Schwob publications, I found 72 previously unpublished letters. The majority of …

Extending Cfd Modeling To Near-Continuum Flows Using Enhanced Thermophysical Modeling, Abram E. Claycomb

Theses and Dissertations

The constitutive relations found in traditional Navier-Stokes-based computational fluid dynamics solvers are known to be limited in altitude. The presence of nonequilibrium phenomena beyond what these methods are able to predict becomes more prevalent at higher altitudes, or increasing Knudsen number. The bulk viscosity, normally assumed to be zero in most computational fluid dynamics applications, is examined as a means of increasing the range of applicability of computational fluid dynamics. The bulk viscosity model used was from recent calculations available in the literature, from a new anisotropic potential energy surface, and is restricted to temperatures below 2000 K. The normal …

A Novel Communications Protocol Using Geographic Routing For Swarming Uavs Performing A Search Mission, Robert L. Lidowski

Theses and Dissertations

This research develops the UAV Search Mission Protocol (USMP) for swarming UAVs and determines the protocol's effect on search mission performance. It is hypothesized that geographically routing USMP messages improves search performance by providing geography-dependent data to locations where it impacts search decisions. It is also proposed that the swarm can use data collected by the geographic routing protocol to accurately determine UAV locations and avoid sending explicit location updates. The hypothesis is tested by developing several USMP designs that are combined with the Greedy Perimeter Stateless Routing (GPSR) protocol and a search mission swarm logic into a single network …

Determining The Surface-To-Air Missile Requirement For Western And Southern Part Of The Turkish Air Defense System, Omer Alkanat

Theses and Dissertations

An air defense system is vital for countries to protect their homelands. Today, air defense systems consist of integrated systems such as early warning radars, fighter aircraft, airborne early warning aircraft and surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems. The Turkish air defense system does not have long range SAM systems. Turkey plans to procure SAM systems to protect her borders. This research develops two location optimization models to optimally locate SAM sites to defend specified areas of the nation. One of the models finds the minimum number of SAM sites to cover the specified area; the other finds the maximum coverage for …

Zinc! By Thunder!: A History Of The Rush Creek Mining District, Marion County, Arkansas 1886 To 1918, Jane-Ellen Ross

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the history of the Rush Creek Mining District from 1886 to 1918. The Rush Creek Mining District is located in the southeast corner of Marion County in north central Arkansas. During the 32 year period from 1886 to 1918 approximately 26,000 tons of zinc ore concentrates were mined from the district, making it the largest producer of zinc in northern Arkansas. During these years the community of Rush grew from a tiny mining camp to a town of approximately 1,500 to 2,000 people during the height of the mining boom during World War I. A review of …

Historical Comparative Case Study Of Emerging Hegemonic Behavior: Perspectives On The Peoples Republic Of China, Samuel Achinonu Onyegam

Theses and Dissertations

Will the future of hegemonic politics resemble the past? In the post-Cold war world, emergence of new actors will likely reshape hegemonic politics and potentially reconfigure the balance of power. As the world shifts from one era to another, the behavior of emerging actors like China will have far reaching implications. As the post-Cold war world's emerging hegemonic power, China presents the most challenging questions for scholars of international politics. This study draws from historical patterns detected from the behavior of two key hegemonic powers of the past fifty to a hundred years—Germany 1866-World War II and the United States …

Gershwin's Fascinating Rhythm: The Rise Of The Jazz Musical, Amy C. Baumgartner

Theses and Dissertations

The shift in the American economic viewpoint before and after World War I left an indelible mark on the arts, allowing the only indigenous music to arise, jazz. In the transitory period following the war, it was George Gershwin who paved the way for jazz to become America's only indigenous music. Yet, the current definition of jazz is so racially polarized that it has lost focus on the music. This work explores George Gershwin's role in creating a jazz culture in a xenophobic country and argues for an inclusive definition of jazz, one based on the music itself.

On Zeitgeist, James Sham

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is an exploration into the possibilities and repercussions of articulating zeitgeist, that is, the spirit of our current age. The parameters and ramifications of such a project are, in this writing, analyzed in reference to the notion of historicity, and the narrative gaze that it perpetuates. The mechanism of canonization, and a discourse's capacity to be viral are examined.

Choreographing Cabaret: A Guide To Storytelling Through Dance And Movement, Katie Claire Bradley

Theses and Dissertations

American Musical Theatre is one of the unique American methods of storytelling that exists in performance. In a musical, text, song, movement, and dance tell a story. In Music Theatre, when a character can no longer express what they desire in words, they sing. If singing cannot satisfy the need, the element of dance comes into play. Richard Kislan states, "What sets dance apart is the universality in movement and gesture which is not bound like language to nationality or culture. Dance transcends geography in a way that language cannot. Dance humanizes expression in a way that music cannot."(237) In …

Attitudes And Perceptions Of High School Career And Technical Education In California's Central Valley, Michael Bard De Vore

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate and analyze the attitudes and perceptions of community college leadership, union officials and high school school-to-career counselors regarding high school vocational education in the California's Central San Joaquin Valley, and to identify characteristics deemed most necessary in the design of a high school vocational education program. This researcher investigated this problem using the following questions as guides: 1. What are the attitudes/perceptions of community college leaders, union officials and high school school-to-career counselors, regarding high school vocational education in California's Central San Joaquin Valley? 2. How do the attitudes/perceptions of community college …