Digital Commons Network^™

A Qualitative Study Of Florida Tech Graduate Teaching Assistants’ Response To Coaching, Video Playback, And Coaching Paired With Video Playback With Regard To Their Concerns, Self-Reflections, And Practice Of Teaching, Angela Marie Fennell

Theses and Dissertations

Florida Tech’s campus-wide GTA professional development training, the GTA Seminar, has no clear theory on which it was designed, employs only measures of satisfaction and open-ended feedback, and performs limited follow-up on GTAs. Further, two pilot studies I conducted indicate that GTAs’ concerns may not be fully addressed by this seminar. This is notable because the GTA Seminar is often the only means of professional development available to more than half of the GTAs on campus. The purpose of my study was to investigate 13 GTAs’ teaching concerns, self-reflections, and practice when implementing three professional development sequences during their assignments …

Build-And-Fill Development Of Lower Ismay (Middle Pennsylvanian Paradox Formation) Phylloid-Algal Mounds Of The Paradox Basin, Southeastern Utah, Lincoln H. Reed

Theses and Dissertations

Phylloid-algal mounds form heterogeneous hydrocarbon reservoirs in the southeastern portion (Blanding sub-basin) of the Paradox Basin. Well-studied Lower Ismay mounds exposed along walls of the San Juan River gorge in the vicinity of Eight Foot Rapids, the west limb of the Raplee Anticline, and at the classic Honaker Trail locality (southwestern Paradox Basin) have often been cited as outcrop analogs of productive subsurface mounds. Until now, however, there has not been a complete description of the distribution, size, and spacing of outcropping algal mounds at the classic Eight Foot Rapids locality. The Lower Ismay sequence was analyzed in the context …

High-Performance Polymer Monoliths For Capillary Liquid Chromatography, Pankaj Aggarwal

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on improving the chromatographic efficiency of polymeric organic monoliths by characterizing and optimizing the bed morphology. In-situ characterization techniques such as capillary flow porometry (CFP), 3-dimensional scanning electron microscopy (3D SEM) and conductivity measurements were developed and implemented to quantitatively characterize the morphology of poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) monoliths. The CFP measurements for monoliths prepared by the same procedure in capillaries with different diameters (i.e., 75, 150, and 250 μm) clearly showed a change in average through-pore size with capillary diameter, thus, certifying the need for in-situ measurement techniques. Serial sectioning and imaging of PEGDA monoliths using …

Limitation, Subversion, And Agency: Gendered Spaces In The Works Of Margaret Mahy, Cynthia Voigt, And Dia Na Wynne Jones, Elizabeth Ann Pearce

Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, I argue that adolescent literature featuring female protagonists often illustrates complicated relationships between gender and space. My contention is that because of their gender, these protagonists are uniquely constrained to the home, which creates a literary pattern that has serious ideological implications. While I argue that the dominant discourse of these novels implies that girls should adhere to specific cultural norms, some of these works, however, provide room for subversion and agency, including new ways of looking at patriarchal constructions. To demonstrate these issues at work, I use the novels of three female authors from three different …

Peer Mentoring For-Profit College Students, Diane Mcgeehan

Theses and Dissertations

A peer mentoring program for new students at a for-profit institution was implemented at a campus over five quarters. Peer mentors with high GPAs were matched with students for eleven weeks to help with academic success. A Business Club was created to support the mentoring program and campus activities. A professor monitored the program and collected data about the mentors, mentees, and the program's initiatives. Qualitative and quantitative research practices were used. Most mentees completed their first quarter coursework and re-enrolled for multiple quarters. The peer mentors learned valuable skills that they will apply to their workplaces. The campus was …

Using Writing Studio Pedagogy To Help Students Reclaim Their Disabilities And Sexualities In A High School Writers' Workshop, Matthew Kim

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is an exploration into what students stand to gain from being mentored in terms of reclaiming their disabilities and sexualities. Writing studio pedagogy supports the following ideas: an understanding that composition is a social process and, therefore, must take place in a social environment, an acceptance of multiple composing tools, multiple problem-solving strategies, an acceptance that students possess many and different creative thinking processes, an awareness that spatial design matters for successful teaching and learning, and, finally, an understanding of writing as play. My primary research question is how can practicing writing studio pedagogy transform the writing classroom …

The Effects Of Community Support On Posttraumatic Growth Outcomes For Parents Of Children With Chronic Illness, Colleen Gannon

Theses and Dissertations

Parents of children with chronic illnesses face many stressors on multiple fronts as a result of their child's care needs. Posttraumatic growth is positive psychological outcomes of stress for those who have experienced a traumatic event, such as the diagnosis of a child with a chronic illness. While much is known about the challenges of caring for a child with a chronic condition, there is little research on these parent's growth outcomes. Of the research that does exist, much focuses on internal predictors of posttraumatic growth, such as personality characteristics. The purpose of this study is to begin to investigate …

Cell Wall And Autolytic Properties Of A Cold-Sensitive Listeria Monocytogenes Mutant Deficient In Branched-Chain Fatty Acid Biosynthesis, Anthony M. Martini

Theses and Dissertations

Cellular membranes modulate several critical functions of bacterial physiology, including solute diffusion and nutrient transport. Biophysical properties of phospholipids, as well as environmental pressures such as temperature, can have a profound effect on these membrane functions and the kinetics of associated enzymes. Listeria monocytogenes is a facultative intracellular pathogen capable of robust low temperature growth, a characteristic thought to be facilitated by a membrane highly enriched in branched-chain fatty acids (BCFA). Mutants deficient in the biosynthesis of these fatty acids exhibit severe growth defects under low temperature and extreme pH conditions. Morphological investigations have also revealed these mutants to undergo …

The Effects Of Opedix < Sup > Tm < / Sup > Knee Support System, Philip Mathew

Theses and Dissertations

INTRODUCTION: Knee supports are often employed to decrease adductor angle and/or adductor moment and thus medial knee joint loading in persons with medial knee osteoarthritis. It is compelling that these gait alterations would also be considered beneficial in healthy individuals from a prophylactic application. While the Opedix product was designed specifically as a knee support system, in the present study lower extremity kinematic chain with emphasis on hip and knee were investigated.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to test Opedix garments and describe the changes in sagittal (X), frontal (Y), and transverse (Z) planes for both kinematic and …

Implications Of Vertebral Degenative Disease And Vertebral Ligamentous Ossification In Native Populations Of The Lower Tennessee River Valley, Sarah Ann Boncal

Theses and Dissertations

Cervical vertebrae are an effective biomechanical proxy for understanding physical activities of a populace due to the osteological reactivity of nuchal muscle use to extensive weight and pressure. Differentiation in the distribution of osteophytosis (OPL), osteoarthritis (OA), and ossification of the ligamentum flavum (OLF) along the cervical vertebrae may indicate particular biomechanical stresses and/or burden-bearing differences between subsistence strategies.

A collection of 287 pre-Columbian Native American individuals (N = 854 vertebrae) was analyzed for presence and severity of OPL, OA and OLF. The sample consists of remains from six archaeological sites located in the lower Tennessee River Valley: three sites …

Comparing Speech Movements In Different Types Of Noise, Sarah Jane Scott

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the impact of several noise conditions on speech articulator movements during a sentence repetition task. Sixty participants in three age groups ranging from 20 to 70 repeated a sentence under five noise conditions. Lower lip movements during production of a target sentence were used to compute the spatiotemporal index (STI). It was hypothesized that STI would be lower (indicating greater stability) in the silent baseline condition. There were changes in speech production under several of the noise conditions. The duration for the 1-talker condition was significantly shorter when compared to the silent condition, which could be due …

Refinement And Characterization Of Synthetic Vocal Fold Models, Shelby Charisse Ward

Theses and Dissertations

Understanding vocal fold mechanics is an integral part of voice research and synthetic vocal fold models are an essential tool in characterizing vocal fold mechanics. These models contain multiple layers with varying stiffness, much like human vocal folds. The purpose of this thesis is to improve the current models and modeling techniques, as well as investigate the impact of asymmetry on model vibration. A new design for an MRI-based model is detailed. This model has a more realistic geometry than the simplified models and mimics some of the vibratory characteristics observed in human vocal folds. The MRI-based model was used …

Source Apportionment Of Wastewater Using Bayesian Analysis Of Fluorescence Spectroscopy, Daniel B. Blake

Theses and Dissertations

This research uses Bayesian analysis of fluorescence spectroscopy results to determine if wastewater from the Heber Valley Special Service District (HVSSD) lagoons in Midway, UT has seeped into the adjacent Provo River. This flow cannot be directly measured, but it is possible to use fluorescence spectroscopy to determine if there is seepage into the river.Fluorescence spectroscopy results of water samples obtained from HVSSD lagoons and from upstream and downstream in the Provo River were used to conduct this statistical analysis. The fluorescence 'fingerprints' for the upstream and lagoon samples were used to deconvolute the two sources in a downstream sample …

Verifying Molecular Dynamics Using Dielectric Spectroscopy, Joshua Dee Smith

Theses and Dissertations

The electrical properties of proteins in solution are important for their structure and function. Computational biophysics studies of proteins need accurate parameters to ensure that numerical simulations match physical reality. Past work in this eld has compared the electrical properties of proteins obtained from dielectric spectroscopy to numerical simulations of proteins in water with adjustment of pKa values to try to capture the inevitable changes in electrical conformation that will occur in a complex structure such as a folded protein. However, fundamental veri cation of the charge parameters of the amino acid building blocks in common molecular dynamics software packages …

Targeting Of Receptors For Advanced Glycation End-Products (Rage) Diminishes Acute Secondhand Smoke-Induced Inflammation In Mice, Tyler Thomas Wood

Theses and Dissertations

The receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE) has increasingly been demonstrated to be an important modulator of inflammation in cases of pulmonary disease. Published reports involving tobacco smoke exposure have demonstrated increased expression of RAGE, its participation in pro-inflammatory signaling and its role in irreversible pulmonary remodeling. The current research evaluated for the first time the in vivo effects of short-term tobacco smoke exposure in RAGE null and control mice compared to identical animals exposed to room air only. Quantitative real time PCR, immunoblotting, and immunohistochemistry revealed elevated RAGE expression in controls after four weeks of exposure and an anticipated …

Examining Academic Performance Of Polynesian Student-Athletes Using The Theory Of Planned Behavior, Sierra Terina Keung

Theses and Dissertations

This study used Ajzen's (1991) Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) to explore Polynesian student-athletes' motivation to improve academic performance (AP), while participating in Division I (D1) college football. Specifically, this study examined how attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control influence motivation to achieve a higher GPA. Furthermore, ethnic identity, family obligation and cultural values were examined as potential contributors to subjective norms. The sample consisted of 70 Polynesian football student-athletes at 10 U.S. D1 universities. A modified TPB questionnaire was used to assess the TPB variables (attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control) as contributors to Polynesian football student-athletes …

Secondary Teachers' Perceived Role In Suicide Prevention And Intervening With Suicidal Students, Victoria R. Hatton

Theses and Dissertations

Best practices in adolescent suicide prevention include teachers as major participants, because teachers are in a unique and frontline position to support students. Unfortunately, many teachers are unaware of their role in suicide prevention efforts. In addition to confusion about their roles, teachers may feel uncomfortable and/or lack confidence in their abilities to identify warning signs and intervene with suicidal students. This study assessed secondary teachers' (N = 74) perceptions of their role in suicide prevention as well as how they perceive their comfort and confidence levels in identifying and intervening with suicidal students. In addition, this study explored possible …

Using Ipads To Self-Monitor Aggressive Behavior Of Juvenile Delinquents, Helena Nieman

Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of this study were to: a) examine the effects on self-monitoring using iPads for juvenile delinquents, b) increase appropriate behaviors and reduce verbal and physical aggression, and c) evaluate student satisfaction with the self-monitoring approach using iPads in behavior management. The participants included five African-American adjudicated males, aged 13, in a day treatment facility. They were instructed to self-monitor their behaviors using an iPad app to learn three appropriate behaviors including: 1) using appropriate language, 2) keeping hands to self, and 3) calming down when upset. A single subject design with ABAB phases was used for six weeks. …

There Is An App For That: Uses Of Print And Digital Materials In The Lives Of Three Preschoolers, Rebecca Hickman Mccraw

Theses and Dissertations

This ethnographic study examined the uses of print and digital materials in the lives of three preschoolers over a five-month period of time in the children’s home and community contexts in the southeast region of the United States. The research question asked: What can I learn about the literacy practices of three preschoolers as they use print and digital materials in their worlds? The children were the primary focus of the research, but adults (specifically, the children’s mothers) also served as informants. Grounded in sociocultural theory and informed by constructivist and media theories, the study is important because, while we …

High School Students' Perceptions Of The Non-Medical Use Of Adhd Prescription Stimulant Medications, Kyla Lucey

Theses and Dissertations

A review of existing literature has documented a rise in the misuse of stimulant medications by those with a prescription for ADHD, as well as, the nonmedical or illicit use of stimulant medications by those without a prescription or a diagnosis of ADHD. This phenomenon has been particularly present on college campuses. The purpose of this study was to examine prevalence of misuse and nonmedical use of ADHD prescription stimulant medications in high school students, as well as, the attitudes and perceptions of high school students about the misuse and nonmedical use of ADHD prescription stimulant medication. Specifically, this study …

Secondary Dormancy And Summer Conditions Influence Outcomes In The Pyrenophora Semeniperda - Bromus Tectorum Pathosystem, Katie Karen Hawkins

Theses and Dissertations

Variable mortality of Pyrenophora semeniperda–infected Bromus tectorum seeds has been referred to as a “race for survival.” Dormant seeds are highly susceptible to P. semeniperda infection. While much is known about primary dormancy little is known about secondary dormancy in B. tectorum seeds. Dormancy status is not the only variable determining outcomes within the Bromus - Pyrenophora pathosystem. Varying temperature and intermittent hydration may strongly influence germination outcomes of B. tectorum in the presence of P. semeniperda. While it has long been assumed that B. tectorum seeds are infected by P. semeniperda in the fall it was recently suggested that …

A Model Of Grammatical Category Acquisition In The Spanish Language Using Adaptation And Selection, Camille Lorraine Judd

Theses and Dissertations

Most typically developing children have achieved a knowledge of the grammatical categories of the words in their native language by school age. To model this achievement, researchers have developed a variety of explicit, testable models or algorithms which have had partial but promising success in extracting the grammatical word categories from the transcriptions of caregiver input to children. Additional insight into children's learning of the grammatical categories of words might be obtained from an application of evolutionary computing algorithms, which simulate principles of evolutionary biology such as variation, adaptive change, self-regulation, and inheritance. Thus far, however, this approach has only …

A Model Of Children's Acquisition Of Grammatical Word Categories Using An Adaptation And Selection Algorithm, Teresa Young

Theses and Dissertations

Most children who follow a typical developmental timeline learn the grammatical categories of words in their native language by the time they enter school. Researchers have worked to provide a number of explicit, testable models or algorithms in an attempt to model this language development. These models or algorithms have met with some varying success in terms of determining grammatical word categories from the transcripts of adult input to children. A new model of grammatical category acquisition involving an application of evolutionary computing algorithms may provide further understanding in this area. This model implements aspects of evolutionary biology, such as …

Respite Care, Stress, Uplifts, And Depression In Single Mothers Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Ruthann Grawe Christensen

Theses and Dissertations

Single mothers of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are likely to experience high levels of stress and be at risk for depression. However, respite care can reduce parenting stress and lower psychological distress in parents of children with disabilities. This study focused on single mothers of children with ASD and their reports of stress relative to respite care received. One hundred and twenty-two single mothers completed the Respite Care Instrument, Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, Hassles and Uplifts Scale, and Caregiver Burden Instrument. Results were mixed. Respite care was positively related to daily uplifts, but not significantly related …

Population Genetics Of Greater Sage-Grouse In Strawberry Valley, Utah, Paula S. Dunken

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined population genetics of greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) in Strawberry Valley, Utah located in the north-central part of the state. The Strawberry Valley population of sage-grouse experienced a severe population decline with estimates of abundance in 1998 less than 5% (~150 individuals) of similar estimates from the 1930s (>3,000 individuals). Given the population decline and reduced genetic diversity, recovery team partners translocated sage-grouse from four different populations into Strawberry Valley over 6 years (2003-2008). Translocations have been used as a strategy to increase both population size and genetic diversity in wildlife populations. We assessed whether genetic diversity …

Discovery Of An Allosteric Site On Furin, Contributing To Potent Inhibition: A Promising Therapeutic For The Anemia Of Chronic Inflammation, Andrew Jacob Gross

Theses and Dissertations

Release Date: October 2017

Anemia of chronic inflammation (ACI) is a condition that develops in a setting of chronic immune activation. ACI is characterized and triggered by inflammatory cytokines and the disruption of iron homeostasis. Hepcidin, a small peptide hormone, is the master regulator of iron homeostasis, and rapidly responds to iron supply and demand. Under conditions of chronic inflammation, hepcidin is elevated, and alters the way that iron is absorbed and disrupted throughout the body, resulting in disrupted iron homeostasis through inhibition of the iron exporter protein ferroportin. Anemia arises when insufficient erythropoietic activity combined with inadequate iron supply …

Bioinformatic Solutions To Complex Problems In Mass Spectrometry Based Analysis Of Biomolecules, Ryan M. Taylor

Theses and Dissertations

Biological research has benefitted greatly from the advent of omic methods. For many biomolecules, mass spectrometry (MS) methods are most widely employed due to the sensitivity which allows low quantities of sample and the speed which allows analysis of complex samples. Improvements in instrument and sample preparation techniques create opportunities for large scale experimentation. The complexity and volume of data produced by modern MS-omic instrumentation challenges biological interpretation, while the complexity of the instrumentation, sample noise, and complexity of data analysis present difficulties in maintaining and ensuring data quality, validity, and relevance. We present a corpus of tools which improves …

Barriers To Native American Women Veterans’ Health Care Access On Tworeservations: Northern Cheyenne And Flathead, Luma Issa Al Masarweh

Theses and Dissertations

Little research has addressed the needs of Native American veterans. This study aims to provide a better understanding of Native American women veterans’ experiences using data from the Veteran Administration and Indian Health Services. Fifteen interviews were conducted with special attention to quality and quantity of health and mental health care services available to veterans, the barriers and local contextual factors in accessing and utilizing services, and potential solutions to service gaps for women veterans from two Montana reservations, the Northern Cheyenne and Flathead Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. American Indians and Alaska Natives serve at a higher rate in …

Becoming An Altruistic Learner, Aaron W. Snyder

Theses and Dissertations

This master’s thesis is a qualitative research project that explored the transformation of multiple individuals who initially learned for self-interested purposes, but later had a shift in their desire to learn so as to benefit others. The author collected rich narratives that described this phenomenon and provided insight into the following question: what is the experience of a learner who transitions from learning out of self-interest to learning out of altruistic purposes? The author found the following five major themes across six participants as they transitioned to more altruistic learning: humility, self-efficacy, resources, success and agency. These themes give insight …

Validity And Reliability Of A Mini Situational Judgment Test (Sjt) For Pilots, Lu Shi

Theses and Dissertations

The situational judgment test (SJT) was developed by Hunter (2002) to test pilot judgment. SJT is very useful. However, this test takes too long for participants to complete. A mini SJT was developed with shortened questions. The purpose of this research was to determine the reliability and validity of mini SJT comprised of 16 of the original 51 questions. Validity and reliability were the two key elements in psychometrics. Face validity was used as a method to measure validity. Reliability was determined by Cronbach's Alpha, the correlation of split half and even odd, and Pearson s correlation of test retest. …