Digital Commons Network^™

500 Essential English Words For Esl Missionaries, Carrie A. Thompson

Theses and Dissertations

In order to help ESL missionaries teach the gospel from their hearts using their own words, I have developed a 500-word list of core gospel vocabulary in English. To enhance the 500-word list, I included a lexicon with simple definitions, some grammatical information, and examples of the words in context. The resulting product complies with the standards for master's projects established by the Department of Linguistics and English Language. Published literature shows that the development of specialized corpora can be beneficial for students learning another language. Additionally, specialized corpora act as a catalyst for in-depth vocabulary analysis and the development …

Microbial And Chemical Affects On Leachate From Calcareous Soils Treated With Wastewater Effluent, Craig M. Paul

Theses and Dissertations

Increasing human populations are placing greater strain on water resources, prompting the use of treated wastewater effluent for irrigation in some areas, including the desert regions of the Western United States. To determine the potential effects of using secondary effluent for irrigation, we applied wastewater effluent and irrigation waters to natural and artificially constructed calcareous soils in greenhouse and field lysimeters, and in soil columns. The leachate from one field lysimeter contained increased fecal coliform counts than the effluent. Leachate coliform counts were decreased or not significantly changed in two field lysimeters. Electrical conductivity (EC), sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), chloride …

Tauser Killed Both Dogs And Other Suburban American Family Folklore, Kristina Whitley Gashler

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis attempts to answer the questions "What purposes do family pets and the narratives we tell about them serve in modern American society?" and "What do these stories tell us about what Americans value and about where we locate our ‘value center’?" In Chapter 1, I discuss how Americans define loyalty in our pets now that our animals generally no longer help us work. I conclude that since the shift from agricultural to suburban settings, animals prove their loyalty individually and in human-like ways, rather than as "good" members of their own species, but at the same time because …

Catastrophic Crisis Communication: A Study Of Hospital Crisis Planning Following The September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks, Daniel Matthew Lockwood

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine whether hospitals in southern New Jersey and throughout the United States were prepared to respond to catastrophic crisis situations and find out if hospitals have changed or improved crisis plans since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

To examine preparedness and improvement of crisis plans since September 11, 2001, the researcher employed qualitative and quantitative studies. The researcher conducted in-depth personal interviews with public relations specialists from four southern New Jersey hospitals and sent email surveys to 40 hospitals throughout the United States to find out if these facilities felt prepared to …

The Connection Between Gender And Literacy In A First Grade Classroom, Jessica V. Feldman

Theses and Dissertations

This study is a qualitative case study that explores the connection between literacy and gender in a first grade classroom environment. The subjects for this study are twenty first grade students in a regular education classroom located in a southern New Jersey elementary school. For this study, students were observed with the attempt to answer three questions: 1) What gender stereotypes have these first graders internalized coming into the classroom? 2) How are these gender beliefs expressed in the language arts classroom? 3) What are teachers doing to foster these biases in their students? Data collected includes student writings, discussions, …

Phylogeny And Biogeography Of Ice Crawlers (Insecta: Grylloblattodea): Evidence From Six Molecular Loci, Karl J. Jarvis

Theses and Dissertations

Ice crawlers (Insecta: Grylloblattodea) are rarely encountered insects that consist of five genera representing 26 species from North America and Asia. Asian grylloblattids are the most diverse, but North American ice crawlers (genus Grylloblatta) are known for their adaptation to cold conditions. Phylogenetic relationships among grylloblattid species and genera are not known. Late Pleistocene glaciations had a major effect on the current Grylloblatta distribution, because their specific habitat requirements restrict them to small geographical areas. Six genes were sampled in 37 individuals for 18S rRNA, 28S rRNA, histone 3, 12S rRNA, 16S rRNA, and cytochrome oxidase II (COII) from 27 …

Gravin Targets Pka Rii To Subcellular Sites In Cultured Cells, Xiaohong Yan

Theses and Dissertations

Gravin, an A Kinase Anchoring Protein, has been shown through biochemical studies to bind to the regulatory subunit of type II PKA and to PKCα. Preliminary studies also show that gravin localizes to the cell periphery but redistributes to an intracellular vesicular compartment in response to PKC activation using PMA. Although the intracellular targeting mechanisms of some AKAPs have been explored, the targeting domains and possible targeting mechanisms of gravin remain unknown. In addition, the capacity for gravin to affect the subcellular distribution of PKA has not been investigated in vivo. To identify the domains critical in determining the subcellular …

Crustacean Phylogenetic Systematics And Opsin Evolution, Megan L. Porter

Theses and Dissertations

Composed of a chromophore bound to an integral membrane protein (opsin), visual pigments are phenotypically characterized by the wavelength of maximal absorption (λmax). The underlying molecular mechanism controlling λmax is the interaction between the opsin amino acid sequence and the chromophore. While a plethora of studies have looked at structure/function relationships in vertebrate opsins, fewer studies have investigated similar issues in invertebrates. Furthermore, those few studies undertaken in invertebrate systems suggest different mechanisms of spectral tuning and photoactivation compared to vertebrate systems. This dissertation research is focused on expanding our knowledge of opsin evolution in invertebrate systems, particularly from non-insect …

Assessment Of Cell Death Parameters In Bovine Parvovirus-Infected Ebtr Cells, Lubna Salah Eldin Abdel Latif

Theses and Dissertations

Bovine parvovirus (BPV) is a helper-independent parvovirus. It has a small icosahedral capsid with a single stranded DNA genome. It is a highly stable virus with a narrow host range. It causes acute gastroenteritis in calves. It is considered to be a cytolytic virus because it kills the host cells. However, the mechanism by which the virus causes cell death is not known. The work described in this thesis assessed different parameters of cell death in BPV infected embryonic bovine tracheal (EBTr) cells. There are several ways for viruses to induce cell death. Viruses can induce apoptosis in the infected …

Stable Polymer Micelle Systems As Anti-Cancer Drug Delivery Carriers, Yi Zeng

Theses and Dissertations

Several temporarily stable polymer micelle systems that might be used as ultrasonic-activated drug delivery carriers were synthesized and investigated. These polymeric micelle systems were Plurogel®, Tetronic®, poly(ethylene oxide)-b-poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) and poly(ethylene oxide)-b-poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate-lactaten). In previous work in our lab, Pruitt et al. developed a stabilized drug carrier named Plurogel® [5, 6]. Unfortunately, the rate of the successful Plurogel® synthesis was only about 30% by simply following Pruitt's process. In this work, this rate was improved to 60% by combining the process of adding 0.15 M NaCl and/or 10 µl/ml n-butanol and by preheating the solution before polymerization. Tetronics® were proved not …

Explicit Building Block Multiobjective Evolutionary Computation: Methods And Applications, Richard O. Day

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents principles, techniques, and performance of evolutionary computation optimization methods. Concentration is on concepts, design formulation, and prescription for multiobjective problem solving and explicit building block (BB) multiobjective evolutionary algorithms (MOEAs). Current state-of-the-art explicit BB MOEAs are addressed in the innovative design, execution, and testing of a new multiobjective explicit BB MOEA. Evolutionary computation concepts examined are algorithm convergence, population diversity and sizing, genotype and phenotype partitioning, archiving, BB concepts, parallel evolutionary algorithm (EA) models, robustness, visualization of evolutionary process, and performance in terms of effectiveness and efficiency. The main result of this research is the development of …

Characterization Of A Rotary Flat Tail As A Spoiler And Parametric Analysis Of Improving Directional Stability In A Portable Uav, Troy A. Leveron

Theses and Dissertations

The United States Air Force Research Lab, Munitions Directorate, Flight Vehicles, Integration Branch (AFRL/MNAV), has developed a flexible wing micro air vehicle (MAV) to be used with special tactics groups. In keeping with the requirement that this MAV be compact, previous research developed a rotatable tail mechanism which resulted in tail movement similar to that of a bird's tail. In this study the design of this tail was modified to produce a more storable vehicle. The redesign also allowed the tail to deflect upward to large angles, enabling the tail to be used as a spoiler. The aerodynamic effects of …

Disproportionate Representation Of Minority Students In The Special Education Program At The Kingsway Regional School District, Anthony J. Fitzpatrick

Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of this study were to (a) determine the proportion of representation of minority students in special education programs on a federal, state, and district-wide level; and (b) determine the needs of the Kingsway Regional School District in addressing any disproportionate representation that exists. The subject sample was the special education population in the United States as determined by IDEA. The sample population would be studied to ascertain the proportion of representation and the determination standards used to classify them. It was concluded that Kingsway did not have a problem with disproportionate representation but rather an issue with consistent …

Effectiveness Of A Treatment Approach For Major Depressive Disorder: A Case Study, Lisa Gail Mazzagatti

Theses and Dissertations

This case study assessed the efficacy of a treatment approach for a thirty-seven year old Caucasian female who was diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder. The intervention utilized techniques from several therapeutic approaches including cognitive-behavioral, psychoeducational and gestalt. The Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II) was used as an outcome measure. It was administered at the third, seventh, eleventh, fifteenth, and nineteenth session. Results indicated a decrease in depressive symptomotology over the course of treatment. Client self-report, clinical observations and a client satisfaction survey also supported the overall effectiveness of the treatment approach. The case study presents a psychosocial assessment, literature review, …

Glbtq Characterization In Young Adult Novels, 1998-2004, Debra I. Lecates

Theses and Dissertations

Since the first young adult (YA) novel with gay content appeared in 1969, the number of gay-themed novels available for teens has increased significantly. However, research has shown that the long-awaited movement away from stereotyped characters and conservative storylines and into more realistic portrayals has been slow in materializing. This study utilized a content analysis of 22 YA novels with homosexual content to investigate whether changes have occurred in the portrayal of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (GLBTQ) characters and themes between earlier studies and 1998-2004. A total of 26 characterization and plot elements in each novel were analyzed …

A Gis Model For Predicting Potential "High Risk" Areas Of West Nile Virus By Identifying Ideal Mosquito Breeding Habitats, Robert Charles Wallis

Theses and Dissertations

West Nile virus has become a major risk to humans since its first appearance in New York City in 1999. Physicians and state health officials are interested in new and more efficient methods for monitoring disease spread and predicting future outbreaks. This study modeled habitat suitability for mosquitoes that carry West Nile virus. Habitat characteristics were used to derive risk maps for the entire state of Mississippi. Statistical significance tests yielded objective evidence for choosing among many habitat variables. Variables that were significantly correlated with diagnosed human cases for 2002 were combined in weighted linear algebraic models using a geographic …

Monte Carlo Simulations For Small-World Stochastic Processes, Terrance Maurice Dubreus

Theses and Dissertations

We conduct a computational statistical study of nonequilibrium processes with and without small-world interactions. We first investigate the motion of a passive random walker on growing nonequilibrium one-dimensional surfaces with or without small-world connections. The walker always moves to a higher connected site on the evolving surface. The surfaces examined are related to the evolution of parallel discrete-event simulations, with or without small-world connections. We have also examined the Kim-Kosterlitz surface growth model. In particular, we study the probability distribution function of the distance between the walker and the global maximum of the surface at saturation. We find that the …

Evaluating The Impact Of A Biology I Professional Development Series, Jacquelyn Scipper Sampsell

Theses and Dissertations

Effective professional development offers opportunities for teachers to reflect on their practices, modify and implement changes in the classroom, and eventually impact students? learning. However, professional development must be evaluated to determine whether the desired results are actually occurring in the classroom. The Program for Research and Evaluation for Public Schools, Inc. (PREPS) created a Biology I Workshop series to assist school districts in Mississippi in aligning curriculum, instruction, and assessment that will ultimately improve student achievement in the classroom and performance on the current high-stakes test. This study evaluated the PREPS Biology I Subject Area workshops by using Thomas …

Homosexual Prejudice: Comparing Self-Report To Perceived Interaction, Megan C. Kleefeld

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to determine the level of homosexual prejudice that existed in the sample population and to determine if there were differences in the way that high versus low prejudice individuals reacted to a situation in which they believed they would be working with an individual who was a homosexual. A questionnaire completed by 254 college students (69 male, 185 female) was used to determine their level of prejudice. At a later time, 53 students (25 males, 28 females) participated in a second phase where they believed that they would be interacting with a partner who …

The Effects Of Subliminal Weapons Effect On Aggressive Behavior In College Level Students, Gary A. Roskoski

Theses and Dissertations

This study evaluated the difference in displayed aggression in subjects randomly assigned to either a subliminal weapons effect condition or to a controlled condition. 30 students from a small public University in New Jersey signed up for the study to receive credit for their introductory psychology course. The subjects were then randomly assigned to one of the two conditions; the subliminal weapons effect conditioned consisted of a poster of "Scarface" holding a gun pointed toward the subject on the blackboard (the poster had a sign asking that it not be removed by a professor). The controlled condition had no stimuli …

Impact Of The Lack Of Sleep On Academic Performance In College Students, Tammy L. Hampton

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to research the effects that sleep has on a college student's academic performance, measured by the student's self-reported grade point average (GPA), and to examine whether there is a difference between graduate students' and undergraduate students' results. 136 students at Rowan University in southern New Jersey, 61 graduate students and 75 undergraduate students, were asked to complete a short survey on their sleep habits, demographic information, self-reported GPA, and average number of hours of sleep per night that they received. An independent Two-Way ANOVA was then performed to analyze the information indicating the following …

Visual Motor Coordination And Reading: A Correlational Analysis Part Ii, Marita C. Marcionese

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a correlation between reading rate and visual-motor coordination. This study was a replication of the researcher's prior study. The population of interest was the only differing aspect. This study used 32 high school 9^th and 10^th grade students from an all boys college prep school. Reading rate was measured by two tests: the Nelson-Denny Reading Test and a 40-letter test. The game Perfection and a bead stringing task were the measures used to determine visual-motor coordination. Aggregated scores combined the z-scores to create a total score for …

Does Birth Order Affect Intelligence?, Carolyn M. Lambert

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this exploratory investigation was to determine whether birth order has an effect on intelligence. Seventy-four undergraduate students from Rowan University participated in my study. During class-time, I handed out a questionnaire with questions pertaining to the student's birth order within their family and SAT scores. The SAT scores served as a measure of intelligence. The SAT scores were broken into seven different ranges, between 800 - 1400 & above. The birth order variable was broken down into four levels; firstborn, middle child, youngest and only child. The different levels of birth order and SAT scores were compared …

An Investigation Of Vocal Abuse In School Teachers, Jodi L. Franczak

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of vocal abuse in school teachers and teacher's aides pre and post one academic term. Vocal abuse was defined as any of several behaviors, including long periods of talking, yelling, smoking, consuming alcohol, etc. that can result in damage to the laryngeal mechanism. Initially, the participants of the study included fifteen elementary school teachers and five elementary teacher's aides from two schools: the Red Lake Madsen Public School, and Golden Learning Center. Six participants were excluded from the study for various reasons. Participants were randomly assigned to either Group 1 …

The Effect Of Teaching With Acoustical Guidance (Tag) On The Mastery Of A Grand Rond De Jambe (En Dehors) And A Ballotte, Heidi Dutch Schneider

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the effect of Teaching with Acoustical Guidance (TAG) on the mastery of two ballet skills, the Grand Rond de Jambe (en dehors) and a Ballotte'. Dance technique classes still follow traditional methods of teaching and mastering skills without much integration of motor learning concepts. TAG Teach is a method that uses positive reinforcement, shaping, and a hand held device that produces an acoustic sound to mark correct behaviors at the moment they occur. The purpose of this study was to determine if TAG was a faster and more effective technique to aid in the mastery of two …

Learning Implicit User Interest Hierarchy For Web Personalization, Hyoung-Rae Kim

Theses and Dissertations

Most web search engines are designed to serve all users in a general way, without considering the interests of individual users. In contrast, personalized web search engines incorporate an individual user's interests when choosing relevant web pages to return. In order to provide a more robust context for personalization, a user interest hierarchy (UIH) is presented. The UIH extracts a continuum of general to specific user interests from web pages and generates a uniquely personalized order to search results. This dissertation consists of five main parts. First, a divisive hierarchical clustering (DHC) algorithm is proposed to group words (topics) into …

Digestibility, Nitrogen Balance, And Blood Metabolites In Llama And Alpaca Fed Barley And Barley Alfalfa Forages., Heather Loree Davies

Theses and Dissertations

These projects were conducted to determine the digestibility of forage diets with differing CP levels in llamas and alpacas. The Utah study was designed to compare llama and alpaca nutritional parameters to determine if nutritional recommendations for llamas can be directly extrapolated to alpacas. The first study evaluated the effects of forage quality on blood metabolites and nitrogen balance in mature, intact male llamas (n = 4, 36 ± 4.4 months, 87 ± 17 kg) at high altitude in Letanias, Bolivia (4,267 m = aprox.14,000 ft above sea level). A second experiment was conducted with eight adult gelded camelids (n …

Praying, Playing And Happy Families: An Examination Of The Relationship Between Family Religiosity, Family Recreation, And Family Functioning, Sarah Taylor

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between family religiosity, family recreation, and family functioning. Mahoney's Joint Religious Activities Questionnaire was used to measure family religiosity, while Zabriskie's Family Leisure Activity Profile (FLAP) was used to measure family leisure involvement. Olson's Family Adaptability and Cohesion Scales (FACES II) was used to measure family functioning. The sample consisted of 121 parents and 99 youth from various faith groups and were selected using a convenience and snowball sample. Results indicated that there was a relationship between family religiosity and family recreation, and that both family religiosity and family recreation …

Establising A High-Frequency Standard Reference Sequence Stratigraphy, Sea-Level Curve, And Biostratigraphy For Morrowan Strata Of The Lower Absaroka I Time Slice Based Upon The Bird Spring Formation, Arrow Canyon, Nevada, Kristen Phelps Briggs

Theses and Dissertations

For the same reasons which prompted its ratification in 1990 as the Global Stratotype Section and Point for the Mid-Carboniferous boundary, namely, section completeness, abundant fossils, and excellent exposure, the Morrowan Arrow Canyon Bird Spring strata is recommended as a candidate standard sequence stratigraphic reference for the Morrowan portion of the Lower Absaroka I supersequence. The stratigraphic architecture of Morrowan strata in Arrow Canyon was largely controlled by high-amplitude (100-m), high-frequency sea-level changes. Outcrop data and facies stacking patterns define 59 fifth-order fundamental cycles. These fundamental cycles stack into ten third-order sequences with an average duration of 320 ka. Changes …

Peer Mentoring: Providing A Partnership For Guidance Through School, Geoff Haines

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to provide at-risk students with peer mentors to guide students as they make the transition from the intermediate school level to the middle school level. The study resulted in the creation of a program that formed a partnership between 7^th-grade at-risk students and honor roll 8^th-grade students who participate in after-school programs. Subjects were 35 7^th-grade students, identified as at-risk students, at the Egg Harbor Township Middle School in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey. The subjects' grades, incidences of discipline referrals, and attendance were analyzed. After the at-risk …