Digital Commons Network^™

Taylor Field: A Diamond In The Rough, George A. Lea, Iii

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the construction of Taylor Field in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. The facility was built by the Works Projects Administration. Construction began in 1939, the first year in which the field was used by the city's professional baseball club, and completed in 1940. In addition to covering the construction of the field, the first two seasons of baseball played at the field are examined. However, the field has had many uses over the years of its existence. For example, the Negro Leagues had about a dozen games at the field in 1940, there were three political rallies held at …

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 …

Density Of Gutta Percha By Weight In Straight Root Canals And Curved Root Canals After Single Cone, Cold Lateral, And Warm Vertical Condensation, Gerald Clay Sparrow

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to compare the density of gutta percha following three different obturation techniques using two split-tooth models. One split-tooth model was constructed with a straight rooted maxillary incisor and the other with the curved palatal root of a maxillary molar. Each tooth was obturated using single cone, cold lateral, and warm vertical obturation techniques without sealer. Each obturation technique was performed 20 times for each of the root systems. The weights of the gutta percha were recorded for each root type and obturation technique by subtracting the post-fill weight from the pre-fill weight of the …

The Influence Of Timed Reading Practices On Reading Gains And Comprehension Levels Of Third Grade Readers, Kristi D. Stuck

Theses and Dissertations

Since the signing of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) has been used by many schools to document students' reading gains. The purpose of the study was to investigate the influence of timed reading practices on the reading levels and comprehension scores of third grade students as they participated in literature discussion groups. Data collection included: reading levels from Developmental Reading Assessment, students' reading reflection logs, and transcriptions of language patterns during literature discussion groups. The findings revealed no statistical significance for students who participated in timed reading drills in …

Differences In Methamphetamine Users And Crack Cocaine Users, Kilby Erwin Raptopoulos

Theses and Dissertations

This research addresses basic differences between crack cocaine users and methamphetamine users. The sample consisted of stimulant users who tested positive for either crack cocaine and/or methamphetamine from three rural counties in eastern Arkansas. This study seeks to further existing knowledge concerning drug use by examining demographics, drug use patterns, criminal histories and parental substance abuse. The study used Respondent-Driven Sampling to accumulate a sample size of 211 participants. Data was obtained through self-reported demographic information, drug use, criminal histories, and parental substance abuse problems during individual interviews, which were also matched with the results from a urinary analysis to …

Using Elliptical Fourier Analysis To Compare Size Of Morphospace Occupation Between Modern Edentulous Freshwater Unionoid Mussels And The Fossils At L6516 (Slope County, North Dakota, Usa), With Remarks On Preservation, Mathew E. Burton-Kelly

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this project was to use outline morphometric techniques to determine the number of freshwater mussel taxa present at locality L6516 (“Das Goods”),which is located in Cretaceous strata in the basal Ludlow Member of the Fort Union Formation in Slope County, North Dakota, U.S.A. Secondary goals were to improve the outline morphometric procedures that have been previously used to characterize fossil and extant freshwater mussels, and to describe in more detail the preservation of the edentulous unionoid specimens from the Das Goods area.

Outlines of individual mussel valves were used for morphometric analyses due to lack of preserved …

The Viability Of Learning Journals As An Instructional Methodology For Adult Learners, Gale R. Mazur

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study used student and faculty focus groups to examine learning journals' effectiveness as an instructional methodology for adults enrolled in undergraduate and graduate Organizational Leadership (OL) degree programs. Learning journals are assigned to encourage reflection; however, concerns have arisen from student complaints that they constitute busywork. The study's purpose was to examine learning journals' viability by determining to what extent they deepened and broadened students' understanding of leadership, generated greater self-awareness, provided a leadership development tool, and encouraged the application of leadership knowledge. Students nearing degree completion as well as faculty teaching in the OL programs participated in …

Prediction Of Breathing Patterns Using Neural Networks, Pavani Davuluri

Theses and Dissertations

During the radio therapy treatment, it has been difficult to synchronize the radiation beam with the tumor position. Many compensation techniques have been used before. But all these techniques have some system latency, up to a few hundred milliseconds. Hence it is necessary to predict tumor position to compensate for the control system latency. In recent years, many attempts have been made to predict the position of a moving tumor during respiration. Analyzing external breathing signals presents a methodology in predicting the tumor position. Breathing patterns vary from very regular to irregular patterns. The irregular breathing patterns make prediction difficult. …

The Influence Of Differently Framed Information On Decision Making In The Public Budgeting Process: Does Budget Reform Mean A Damn?, Robert Dennis Malarkey

Theses and Dissertations

Public budgeting has become a central artifact of American government – the principal means for establishing and implementing policy. Modern public budgeting was introduced in the early Twentieth Century as an adaptation of objects of revenue and expenditure budgeting used in commercial businesses. Since then - over a hundred years - a series of budget reform movements have sought to overcome a major drawback to this model: the lack of a direct link between revenues and expenditures and any measure of the quality or quantity of public benefits derived from budget allocations. While a number of major budget reforms have …

Assessment Of Seminary Education On End Of Life Issues, Stefan Hakon Pomrenke

Theses and Dissertations

Background: The US health care system faces increased costs from end of life (EOL) care. The intensive approach to EOL treatment with greater use of procedures in ICUs has led to decedent spending six times greater than that of survivors in the hospital. Experts in ICU and Palliative care fields have called for greater utilization of end of life planning and education. To date, EOL education has been dominated by the technologically driven medical field and the church has been under-utilized. The US population relies on clergy support for many mental health and EOL issues. Clergy report feeling uncomfortable in …

The Effect Of Cell Type On The Efficacy Of Cmv Antiviral Drugs, Benjamin Meza

Theses and Dissertations

Until recently, all in vitro drug susceptibility assays of cytomegalovirus (CMV) were performed in clinically irrelevant fibroblast cells. This study sought to test if drug susceptibility was affected by cell type. MRC-5 embryonic lung fibroblasts and ARPE-19 retinal pigmented epithelial cells were infected with BADrUL131-Y4 epithelial/fibroblast tropic virus under serial concentrations of ganciclovir (GCV) or maribavir (MBV). Virus was quantified using plaque reduction, GFP fluorescence, and yield reduction. Both drugs performed less efficiently in ARPE-19 cells. A cell type effect was observed for both plaque reduction and yield reduction assays with implications for the treatment of CMV retinitis as well …

Effects Of Smoking And Gender On Tetrahydroisoquinolines And Beta-Carbolines In A Healthy Population And During Alcohol Detoxification, Satjit Singh Brar

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the effects of smoking and gender on 1) tetrahydroisoquinolines (TIQs) and beta-carbolines (BCs) in a population of healthy subjects and 2) TIQs in an alcohol-dependent population undergoing in-patient detoxification. Comparison in plasma TIQs between the populations was additionally conducted. To support the clinical investigations, a HPLC-FD method was developed and validated to assess plasma concentrations of BCs, harman and norharman, while a HPLC-ESI-MS/MS method was validated to quantify the TIQs, R/S-salsolinol along with dopamine. Forty-one young volunteers were recruited including 19 nonsmokers (NS), 11 light smokers (LS) and 11 heavy smokers (HS), …

Properties And Recent Applications In Spectral Graph Theory, Michelle L. Rittenhouse

Theses and Dissertations

There are numerous applications of mathematics, specifically spectral graph theory, within the sciences and many other fields. This paper is an exploration of recent applications of spectral graph theory, including the fields of chemistry, biology, and graph coloring. Topics such as the isomers of alkanes, the importance of eigenvalues in protein structures, and the aid that the spectra of a graph provides when coloring a graph are covered, as well as others.The key definitions and properties of graph theory are introduced. Important aspects of graphs, such as the walks and the adjacency matrix are explored. In addition, bipartite graphs are …

The Teaching Of James Joyce : Pedagogies As Presented In Selected Works By James Joyce, Ruihua Liu

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Grapholects As A Justification For Grammar Instruction, Loren Nieuwsma

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Clothes Encounters : The Transgression And Transformation Of Gender In Male-To-Female Film Representations, Christopher M. Stoner

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Nasa And The Technology Transfer Process : An In-Depth Appraisal, Susan H. Raizer

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Pine Ridge Reservation's Early Economic Initiatives And Intercultural Relations, Elisabeth M. Saunders

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Epr Modified Plla For Food Contacting Applications, Pratik Bhandari

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Personality Characteristics Of Counselors Across Levels Of Interest And Experience In Disaster Response, Anne M. Freier

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Solid-State Nanocrystalline Gas Sensor Array Demonstration, Nathaniel Palenaka Ambler

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Relationship Between Body Image And Dietary Supplement Use, Charlene D. Heule

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Closed Ecological Systems For Life Support, Limits Of Stable Functioning, And Algorithms Of Control, Yevhen I. Holubnyak

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Recreation Use Characteristics Of The Maah Daah Hey Trail, James C. Lindstrom

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Robot Controller Architecture: Layered Mode Selection Logic With Fuzzy Sensor Fusion Network, Traig E.B. Born

Theses and Dissertations

A behavior based robot controller was implemented using Layered Mode Selection Logic as a behavior coordination mechanism and a Fuzzy Sensor Fusion Network to provide perception. A series of collision experiments were conducted to create a Fuzzy Sensor Fusion Network capable of detecting collisions using acceleration readings from wheel encoders. An obstacle avoidance behavior was created, and it was demonstrated that the robot could be constrained by movable obstacles. The avoidance behavior was modified to create an obstacle manipulation behavior. This behavior allowed the robot to escape when enclosed by movable obstacles. The fuzzy sensor fusion network was enhanced to …

Self-Reported Listening Strategies By Students In An Intensive English Language Program, Holly Montgomery

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to add to knowledge about cognitive and metacognitive listening strategies by second language learners. A survey was developed and administered in which questions solicited a retrospective self-report of students' listening habits. The listening strategies used for this study are limited to main idea identification and translation, because they succinctly exemplify the broad groups of strategies to which they belong. Respective sections of the questionnaire address academic, authentic, and informal listening contexts, in order to isolate and differentiate between the strategies' reported use in each, revealing discrepancies and similarities between reports of strategy use in …

A Correlational Study Of Standardized Test For The Assessment Of Reading (Star) With The Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (Tcap) On Third Grade Reading/Language Arts, Terri Kay Pike

Theses and Dissertations

Two school districts in rural Tennessee utilizing the Standardized Test for the Assessment of Reading (STAR Reading) assessment were studied to determine the correlation of STAR with Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) with 469 third grade students. The STAR Reading Assessment is marketed by Renaissance Learning as a formative assessment measure. A total of 26 teachers were surveyed in order to determine the adjustment of classroom instruction based on the district-mandated curriculum. Results indicated a high level of correlation between STAR Reading and TCAP; however of the 17 teachers who returned the teacher survey, teachers indicated infrequent administration of the …

Network Security In Two-Year Colleges, Tamya Jean Stallings

Theses and Dissertations

Network security has become a growing challenge in industry and education. With the increase of viruses, spam, hackers, and identity theft, organizations are beginning to look at areas to improve the protection of their Information Technology structure. Higher Education has the highest vulnerability to network security threats especially the two-year institutions. Two-year institutions are known for open access admission. Open labs, limited staff and resources hinder security measures for these institutions. This thesis focuses on the two-year institution delving into the Information Technology Departments and how security is handled. What challenges have these institutions faced trying to protect data and …

Demonstration Or Dbae? Using Each Approach In The Fourth Grade To Find Which Works Best, Christine Anne Nixon

Theses and Dissertations

There are many ways to teach art effectively, but which way reaches all levels of learning successfully? A study was conducted using two fourth grade classes in a parochial school in Little Rock, Arkansas. Class 4A was taught by using the demonstration approach, while Class 4B was taught using the Discipline-Based Art Education (or DBAE) approach. A Native American unit was developed and three lessons were taught to each class. All students were successful creating works of art, but Class 4B was engaged in additional activities such as writing, debating, critiquing, reflecting, and small group discussions. In the end, Class …

Effect Of Thyroid Hormones On At1r Mrna Levels In Hek 293 Cells: Implications For Early-Onset Hypertension In Children Born Of Preeclamptic Women, Amanda Eddins

Theses and Dissertations

This experiment tested the effect of thyroid hormones, T3 or T4, on angiotensin II type 1 receptor mRNA levels in human embryonic kidney cells (HEK). Maternal preeclampsia is a prediction of higher ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) in the exposed offspring. The mother's blood pressure affects the blood pressure of the fetus since the placenta mediates blood flow. Thyroid hormone can increase production of angiotensinogen, which is a part of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS). RAS regulates blood pressure. Hypothesis: HEK 293 cells treated with T3 and T4 will have more angiotensin II type I receptors than those not treated with T3 …