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Evaluation Of Simulation Extracted Metals-Acid Volatile Sulfide (Sem-Avs) In Lacustrine Sediment (Lake Champlain), Estuarine Sediment (Narragansett Bay) And Under Laboratory Conditions, Elizabeth M. Lacey

Open Access Dissertations

In the process of development of sediment quality criteria, trace metal bioavailability is an essential consideration because different sediments can exhibit differing degrees of toxicity for the same concentration of contaminant. Various sediment phases are responsible for binding trace metals and rendering them non-bioavailable. In 1990, it was shown that acid volatile sulfide (AVS) is responsible for binding certain divalent metals on a molar basis. By measuring AVS and the simultaneously extracted metals (SEM), potential trace metal bioavailability may be determined. In this research, sediments from Lake Champlain and Narragansett Bay were analyzed by a variety of methods to determine …

On Baptism And The Spirit: The Ethical Significance Of The Marks Of The Church, Vigen Guroian

Institute of Liturgical Studies Occasional Papers

(Excerpt)

As the church rounds the close of its second millennium, Christians must recapture the ecclesial and sacramental character of Christian ethics. They must see clearly once more that their ethics belongs to the mystery of the incarnation and the redemptive mission of the church. They must see afresh that their ethics issues directly from their adoption through baptism as sons and daughters of God.

Indicated Silences In American Novels, Catherine Adamowicz

Open Access Dissertations

Studies have tended to focus on implied, not indicated, silences and/or to define the silence as the opposite and inferior condition of speech, reproducing and reinforcing the man/woman hierarchical binary.

This study, defining silence as the complement of speech, analyzes the significant of silences indicated by words and/or punctuation. Its purpose is to illustrate that the author's uses of silence reflect her subject position during a particular historical moment, that trends in uses evolve gradually, and that their direction can be predicted. The principle novels and authors used as examples are At Fault and The Awakening by Kate Chopin, …

A Quantitative And Qualitative Assessment Of Adolescent Hiv-Risk Predictors, Michelle A. Lang

Open Access Dissertations

HIV-risk was assessed, and staged by the Transtheoretical Model, among 239 adolescents, ages 13-19 (mean age 15), with a 163-item self-administered questionnaire, supplemented with qualitative data from 28 focus groups. Thirteen psychometrically reliable scales were isolated and validated with 457 youth pooled from previous samples: factual, transmission, and perceived AIDS knowledge, misconceptions, perceived susceptibility, self-efficacy, homophobia, substance use and abuse, communication assertiveness, condom use assertiveness, and risk histories for self and partner(s). AIDS risk was defined by frequency of unprotected occasions and number of intercourse partners. Sexual activity was indicated by 54 percent of the sample. Young men reported significantly …

Cynics, Spaces, And Subjects: Toward A Tactical Ethics Of Rhetoric, Kristen Francis Kennedy

Open Access Dissertations

Cynics, Spaces, and Subjects: Toward a Tactical Ethics of Rhetoric explores the problem of ethics within the postmodern, a moment, as well as a theoretical posture, that leaves questions of transformative subjectivity and agency to be answered by an ethical "anything goes." In response to the often destabilizing tendencies of postmodern ethical theory, my dissertation is a rhetorical response to claims that there are no foundations for ethical thought and action. I argue that rhetorical theory is well-suited for this task because of its emphasis on action and discourse. At the same time, however, I borrow some of the insights …

Investigations Of Conductive Polymer Coatings For Corrosion Protection Of Aluminum Alloys, Robert James Racicot

Open Access Dissertations

No abstract provided.

An In Vivo Evaluation Of The Lhrh Agonist Deslorelin For Therapeutic Application, Lori Ann Hayes Underhill

Open Access Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Investigating The Effect Of The Degree Of Newness Of A Discontinuous Technological Innovation On Individuals' Judgments, Paschalina Ziamou

Open Access Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Inter-Gyre Exchange: A Process Study, Stephanie Dutkiewicz

Open Access Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Geochemical Evolution Of Tambora Volcano, Indonesia, Helene Marie Grall-Johnson

Open Access Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Complicity Of Industrial Groups In The Underdevelopment Of The Mexican Economy, Darryl Brent Lanoue

Open Access Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Alternative Communication Strategies To Influence Risky Behavior: Addressing The Aids Pandemic, Timothy Blair Greenlee

Open Access Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Program For Educating Parents About The Effects Of Divorce And Conflict On Children., Kelly Dawn Shifflett

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Based on empirical research in the area of parental conflict and child adjustment and evaluations of several existing programs available to separated/divorced families, a parent education program was developed to address the relationships between parental conflict, divorce, and child adjustment. The present study explored the impact and consumer satisfaction associated with participation in the k.i.d.s.: kids in divorce and separation program, a 4-hour psychoeclucational program for parents that is specifically focused on divorce and parental conflict. The impact and consumer satisfaction associated with participation in the k.i.d.s program were examined by comparing a treatment group of parents who participated in …

A Feminist Theory Of Malebashing, Susan H. Williams, David C. Williams

Articles by Maurer Faculty

No abstract provided.

Continuities Of Metric Projection And Geometric Consequences, Robert Huotari, Wu Li

Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Publications

We discuss the geometric characterization of a subset K of a normed linear space via continuity conditions on the metricprojection onto K. The geometric properties considered includeconvexity, tubularity, and polyhedral structure. The continuityconditions utilized include semicontinuity, generalized stronguniqueness and the non-triviality of the derived mapping. Infinite-dimensional space with the uniform norm we show thatconvexity is equivalent to rotation-invariant almost convexityand we characterize those sets every rotation of which has continuousmetric projection. We show that polyhedral structure underliesgeneralized strong uniqueness of the metric projection.

The Ability Of Children With Specific Language Impairment To Participate In A Group Decision Task, Lee Robinson, Martin Fujiki, Bonnie Brinton, Valyne J. Watson

Faculty Publications

This study examined the ability of 6 children with specific language impairment (SLI), ages 8:10 to 12:5 (years; months), to participate in a group negotiation task. Each child interacted with two peers to select toys that children their age would enjoy. Performance was compared to both chronological age-similar (CS) peers and language similar (LS) peers performing the same task. Analyses of the resulting interactions indicated that subjects with SLI produced significantly fewer utterances than the other children in the triad. Similar differences were not observed in the CS or LS triads. Additionally, significantly fewer utterances were addressed to the children …

Suppressing Memory, Lynne N. Henderson

Articles by Maurer Faculty

No abstract provided.

Without Narrative: Child Sexual Abuse, Lynne N. Henderson

Articles by Maurer Faculty

No abstract provided.

The Relationships Of School Organizational Health And Teacher Commitment To Student Achievement In Selected West Virginia Elementary Schools., Louis Kent Watts

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study was designed to assess the relationships between school organizational health, teacher commitment, and student achievement as measured by third and sixth grade CTBS test scores. The purposes of the study were to determine whether relationships existed between school health and achievement, teacher commitment and achievement, and the combined variables of school health and teacher commitment and student achievement. A sample of 504 teachers in 29 identified schools in four counties of southwestern West Virginia was chosen. Each participant was provided a packet which contained a cover letter, a sheet with five demographic questions, the Organizational Health Inventory for …

Identity Management And Decision-Making Strategies Of Lesbian Women At Various Stages Of Identity Development: An Ethnographic Study., Joy Sharon Whitman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This was a qualitative study designed to explore how women at various stages of lesbian identity development manage and make decisions about managing their identities. Management of identity was explored in terms of how women came out or stayed hidden and how they made decisions to both disclose and conceal. It used Cass' (1979) Stage Allocation Measure, based on her model of homosexual identity development, as a means to categorize women at various stages of lesbian identity development. Twenty-five adult women were individually interviewed, using a semi-structured interview schedule. In addition, participants agreed to maintain a journal for one month …

Post-Soviet Transitions In Policy And Management Of Zapovedniki And Lespromkhozi In Central Siberia., David Miller Ostergren

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 changed the government bureaucracy and dismantled the centrally controlled economic system. Directors of zapovedniki (strict nature preserves) and lespromkhozi (forest industry dependent communities) are experiencing a challenge to their ability to manage, protect and/or study the lands under their supervision. This study investigates how changes in the social-political system have affected the forests and protected areas in Central Siberia, and how managers have adapted to the current political and social climate. This investigation used case study methodology and three sources of empirical data; open-ended interviews, documentation from archival and secondary sources, and personal …

Monte Carlo Studies Of Instabilities In Solids Under External Strains And Stresses., Anatoli M. Peredera

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

We use dynamical Monte Carlo simulations to investigate instabilities of solids in the presence of externally applied stresses or strains. One of the instabilities is the classical Euler buckling instability of compressed rods. We address, for the first time, the dynamical aspects of this instability, that is, we study how an initially straight flexible chain reaches the final buckled configuration at long times. We find that this process has much in common with coarsening phenomena such as the spinodal decomposition or unstable mound growth in molecular beam epitaxy. Evolving chain's profile is like a wave with a wavelength which grows, …

Performance-Tunable Distributed Execution Of Object-Based Software., George Braden Rinard

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The central challenge in software engineering research and practice is to improve the quality and performance of software systems, while decreasing the cost for producing such systems. While the combination of parallel execution with component-based software construction provides opportunities for addressing the software development challenge, it also raises a fundamental distributed software engineering dilemma, not adequately addressed in the literature. This dilemma is a result of the following two observations: (1) The quality and productivity benefits of reusability accrue only when reusable components are used without modifications. (2) For improved performance in a distributed environment, it must be possible to …

Examination Of A Common Conceptual And Treatment Model For Ptsd In Vietnam Veterans, Rape Survivors, And Victims Of Child Abuse: A Clinician Survey., Josephine A. Ridley

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The present study examined biases in diagnosing, treating, and conceptualizing PTSD based on clinician variables, such as theoretical orientation, and patient population characteristics, such as type of trauma, patient gender, and patient age. Surveys were mailed to members of APA and AABT containing case descriptions of a child sexual abuse victim, an adult rape survivor, and a Vietnam combat veteran, each meeting criteria for PTSD, and five questions requesting: (a) working diagnoses, (b) target symptoms, (c) treatment goals, (d) recommendations for treatment, and (e) etiology. A total of 126 completed surveys were returned from an equal number of male and …

Postsecondary Persistence Of Ged Students., Maria C. Rose

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

More nontraditional students are attending college, and many of these students are enrolled with GED certification. The validity using GED certification as postsecondary admission criteria has been questioned. Participants included 251 students enrolled with GED certification as admission criteria to a small Mid-Atlantic college in the Spring 1997 semester. The influence of ACT, GED, literacy scores, learning and study skills, and the number of successfully completed developmental classes on grade point averages was researched. Students were interviewed to gain insight into students' perceptions of factors contributing to persistence in college. ACT scores were found to be good predictors of grade …

Increased Exposure To Specific Types Of Narrative As A Mechanism Of Change In Theory Of Mind Development., Nicole Marie Ruther

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Over the past decade, researchers have become increasingly interested in children's developing "theories of mind," the attribution of thoughts and beliefs to both themselves and others, and the description of relations between mental states and actions. Although earlier work was focused on identifying the age at which children obtain such knowledge, more recently researchers have begun to investigate the mechanisms responsible for the development of a child's theory of mind. The purpose of the present study was to experimentally examine the importance of narrative as a mechanism through which children come to understand relations between people's thoughts and actions. Thirty-seven …

Conceptual Knowledge Of A Normative Life Event: The Impact Of Intellectual Ability, Age, Experience And Attachment On The Concept Of Death., Elizabeth Rooney Levelle

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The present study investigated differences in the conceptualization of death among children and adults with and without mental retardation (MR). Thirty-five adults (17 adults without MR, 18 adults with MR) and 29 children (21 children without MR, 8 children with MR) participated in the study. The study employed a 2 x 2 design with Age and MR as the factors. Participants completed several questionnaires, cognitive developmental tasks, and intelligence assessments. Results indicated that diagnosis of mental retardation was slightly more influential than chronological age in determining participants' responses about death. This effect was evident for the Universality and Causality components …

An Exploration Of Critical Thinking, Learning Style, Locus Of Control, And Environmental Perception In Baccalaureate Nursing Students., Sandra Elizabeth Marra

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This descriptive correlational study was conducted to explore the relationships among the constructs of Critical Thinking (as measured by the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal), Learning Style (as measured by the Kolb Learning Style Inventory), and Locus of Control (as measured by the Adult Nowicki-Strickland Internal-External Scale) in baccalaureate nursing students. A convenience sample (n = 68) of senior students from two classes was recruited to represent the last group graduating before (n = 47) and the first group graduating after (n = 21) curricular revision generated to better facilitate Critical Thinking. A subsample (n = 20) described their perceptions of …

A Recorded Tape Analysis Of The Types And Frequencies Of Decisions Made By West Virginia School Boards From August 1990 To August 1995., Linda K. Mccall

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study examined the relationship between the types of school board decisions identified by the Hange and Leary study (1996) and the duration of time spent on these decisions. The source of information for this study was electronically recorded minutes of selected West Virginia school board meetings during the time period of August 1990 to August 1995 and the types and frequencies of decisions identified by the Hange and Leary study (1996) of the same period. The duration of time spent on each decision type was determined by reviewing videotapes or audiotapes of meetings which corresponded to the selected written …

A Neural Network Based Inference Engine Generator For Comprehension And Translation Of English And Spanish Commands To Unix "E-Mail" And "Vi" Editor., Mohammad Reza Moozoun

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Since the advent of computers, scientists have tried to use the human languages for communication with computers. This pursuit has led several scientists, such as Chomsky to establish that there must be a specific part of the brain adapted to language learning and processing genetically, namely the "language organ". Humans are able to understand and produce sentences that they may have never heard. This leads to the understanding that language must follow some strict rules of processing which is referred to as "grammar of a language". The Artificial Neural Networks (NN) inspired by the neural networks of biological systems have …