Digital Commons Network^™

A Systemic Investigation: Developing A Guide To North Dakota Legal Research For The Educator And Citizen, Rhonda R. Schwartz

Theses and Dissertations

Educators and citizens in North Dakota often need to research North Dakota law. They need to research primary authority materials (e.g., the North Dakota Constitution, the North Dakota Supreme Court opinions, the North Dakota Century Code, the North Dakota Administrative Code). Educators and citizens also need to utilize secondary authority materials that help them locate, update, explain or interpret the law (e.g., digests, citators, law reviews or treatises). There is no guide for North Dakota legal research materials that serves to help the educator or citizen in these research efforts.

The following methodology was used to produce a guide for …

Coping With Stressful Situations: The Use Of Humor As A Preventative Coping Mechanism For Preceived Stress In Public Speaking, Randall J. Smies

Theses and Dissertations

This study attempted to determine the effects of using a humorous intervention as a preventative coping mechanism to lower the perceived stress that can be associated with public speaking. Further, it examined the effects that the humorous intervention would have on both the perceived self-efficacy for the current public speaking and for future public speaking situations. It was hypothesized that a humorous intervention administered before an actual stressful situation in an individual's life would lower stress and also increase their perceived self-efficacy regarding the stressor in the present and in the future.

Participants included 64 college students recruited from an …

Analysis Of Articles Published In Eight Selected Higher Education Journals On Selected Variables To Reveal Scholarly Development Of The Discipline, Kathy Brock Enger

Theses and Dissertations

The development of a discipline is reflected in its literature. Higher education is a fairly young discipline, as shown by the large amount of its literature beginning in the 1970s or later. Studying the literature of a discipline reveals various aspects of its development, and gives those engaged in its development an assessment of what is being done and who is doing it at a particular point in time. Using bibliometrics, or the literature as data, this dissertation examined articles in eight selected higher education scholarly journals in 1995 and 2000 to determine characteristics of the authors producing higher education …

Indicators Of Resiliency Among Urban Elementary School Students At-Risk, John L. Rausch, Cheryl R. Lovett, Christopher O. Walker

The Qualitative Report

This study was designed to investigate the phenomenon of resiliency among urban elementary school students in an at-risk environment. In contrast with previous studies narrowly focused upon the identification of risk factors, this study utilized a phenomenological qualitative approach to investigate indicators of resiliency from both individual and contextual perspectives. The narrative descriptions of 25 elementary school students in an at-risk environment were analyzed. The results indicated that the participants had strong individual and contextual resiliency indicators through the fifth grade despite being educated in a school district with almost a 60% drop-out rate before high school graduation.

Understanding Reliability And Validity In Qualitative Research, Nahid Golafshani

The Qualitative Report

The use of reliability and validity are common in quantitative research and now it is reconsidered in the qualitative research paradigm. Since reliability and validity are rooted in positivist perspective then they should be redefined for their use in a naturalistic approach. Like reliability and validity as used in quantitative research are providing springboard to examine what these two terms mean in the qualitative research paradigm, triangulation as used in quantitative research to test the reliability and validity can also illuminate some ways to test or maximize the validity and reliability of a qualitative study. Therefore, reliability, validity and triangulation, …

Practice Approaches And The Ethnography Of Communication: Investigating For The Possibility Of A Mutually Beneficial Relationship, Keith Berry

The Qualitative Report

In this essay, I explore the areas of accord and discord between two efficacious modes of research: practice approaches and the Ethnography of Communication (EOC). As an interpersonal and intercultural scholar, I carefully analyze these approaches in order to find innovative ways to describe the diversity that I see in modern social interaction. Working against paradigms that suggest using either one approach or another, I engage this project hoping (expecting?) to find and/both alternatives for communication study. I argue that, in spite of their differences, practice and EOC traditions co-exist in a mutually beneficial relationship for the study of communication …

The Impact Of Devolution On Organizational Effectiveness: An Exploratory Case Study Of Faith-Based Child Care, Javier Stanziola, Tania Schmitz

The Qualitative Report

Although the foundations of President Bush’s faith-based initiative could be traced back at least to Colonial times, the re-packaging of this idea has raised concerns about the role of the federal government in the affairs of faith based organizations, the professionalization of social services, rent seeking, and the crowding out of private funding. This paper aims to examine the local implications of decentralizing the provision of social services in Lee County, Florida. More specifically, we will identify how devolution has affected the organizational effectiveness of faith-based organizations in the day care sector. For this paper, organizational effectiveness was defined in …

Dynamic Modeling Of Compliant Constant-Force Compression Mechanisms, Cameron Boyle, Larry L. Howell, Spencer P. Magleby, Mark S. Evans

Faculty Publications

A mathematical dynamic model is derived for compliant, constant-force compression-mechanisms, based on the pseudo-rigid-body model simplification of the device. The compliant constant-force compression mechanism (CFCM) is a slider mechanism incorporating large-deflection beams, which outputs near-constant-force across the range of its designed deflection. The equation of motion is successfully calibrated with empirical data from five separate mechanisms, comprising two basic configurations of CFCMs. The dynamic equation is derived from a generalized pseudo-rigid-body model. This allows every configuration to be represented by the same model, so a separate treatment is not required for each configuration. An unexpected dynamic trait of the constant-force …

Healing Following Placement Of A Subperiosteal Orthodontic Anchoring Device, Oliver Hoffmann

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Background: A method to accomplish orthodontic anchorage using a hydroxyapatite-coated disk that is placed below the periosteum in the mid-palatal area has been developed (OnPlant, Nobel Biocare, Yorba Linda, CA, USA). This report describes the early to 8-month healing events of the first 8 consecutive cases of placement of the OnPlant device at the Advanced Periodontics Clinic at Loma Linda University School of Dentistry. In addition, it presents the results of a questionnaire on how the patients experienced the various procedures. A radiographic analysis of the side of placement of the device was performed.

Methods: At 2 weeks and at …

Information Recovery In A Study With Surrogate Endpoints, Song Xi Chen, Denis H. Y. Leung, Jing Qin

Research Collection School Of Economics

Recently, there has been a lot of interest in statistical methods for analyzing data with surrogate endpoints. In this article, we consider parameter estimation from a model that relates a variable Y to a set of covariates, X, in the presence of a surrogate, S. We assume that the data are made up of two random samples from the population, a validation set where (Y, X, S) are observed on every subject and a nonvalidation set where only (X, S) are measured. We show how information from the nonvalidation set can be incorporated to improve upon estimation of a parameter …

Optimum Currency Area In Europe: An Alternative Evaluation, Yoonbai Kim, Hwee Kwan Chow

Research Collection School Of Economics

In this paper we explore an alternative scheme to assess the suitability of adopting a common currency by Western European countries. It is based on the role of common regional shocks in the determination of output. The results show that the OCA theory well explains and predicts participation decisions in EMU. We also find that our OCA index is highly consistent with two popular schemes that have been introduced by Bayoumi and Eichengreen.

The Impacts Of Hong Kong's Currency Board Reforms On Its Interbank Market, Yiu Kuen Tse, Paul S. L. Yip

Research Collection School Of Economics

Among the economies with a Currency Board System (CBS), Hong Kong (HK) is probably the one with the largest and most developed financial sector, as well as the highest capital mobility. Hence, studying HK’s CBS is not only crucial to HK, but also important for the understanding of the modern CBS. This paper outlines the major monetary reforms in HK since the late 1980s. The impacts of these reforms and the 1997–1998 Asian Financial Crisis are then examined empirically. We focus on the differentials between the US and HK interbank interest rates. We assume the conditional-mean equation follows an autoregressive …

Objectivity, Information, And Maxwell's Demon, Steven Weinstein

Dartmouth Scholarship

This paper examines some common measures of complexity, structure, and information, with an eye toward understanding the extent to which complexity or information‐content may be regarded as objective properties of individual objects. A form of contextual objectivity is proposed which renders the measures objective, and which largely resolves the puzzle of Maxwell's Demon.

Divided We Fall: The Federal Government Confronts The Digital Divide, Charmaine Jackson

Journal of Student Financial Aid

This research examines the potential consequences for higher education access if the U.S. Department of Education continues to move forward with its technology plan for financial aid delivery. More specifically, it explores how the transition of Federal Student Aid (formerly Student Financial Assistance) toward a Web-based financial aid application process will affect college applicants'particularly low-income students who often lack access to technology. Using a national data set of financial aid applicants, discriminant analyses (several stepwise) are conducted on selected demographic variables to ascertain the potential impact of this migration.

A Survey Of Student Term-Time Employment: Choosing Subpopulations For Further Study, Patrick Hughes, Bruce I. Mallette

Journal of Student Financial Aid

Despite substantive research at the national level, local institutional information on students who work off campus while enrolled full time has been sparse. After considering the need for local studies examining the causes of term-time employment and employment's role in persistence, this research explores the appropriateness of using total student cohorts as opposed to subpopulations restricted to financial aid applicants. Distinguishing between residency groups is also considered. The analyses demonstrate that employment was locally substantial, persistence studies are best paired with total populations, and employment studies are best paired with populations restricted to students who have financial aid data on …

Spectrum Of Complications And Mortality Of Bacterial Meningitis: An Experience From A Developing Country, M. A. Rabbani, A. A. Khan, S. S. Ali, B. Ahmad, Mohammad Asim Beg, M. A. Khan, Mohammad Wasay

Department of Medicine

Objective:

The aim of this study was to obtain data on predisposing factors, causative organisms and their associated mortality and complications related to acute bacterial meningitis.

Methods:

The chart review of all patients in whom acute bacterial meningitis was diagnosed at The Aga Khan University Hospital from January 1995 through December 2001.

Results:

One hundred ninety-four patients were included in study. There were 146 males and 48 females. The mean age of our study population was 41±12.3 years. One hundred and ninety (97.9%) patients had community acquired meningitis; only 4 (2.0%) patients developed meningitis nosocomially. The two most common predisposing …

This Movement Won’T Be Buried, Leonard Witt

Faculty Articles

Presents an outlook on reports of public journalism's demise in the U.S. Motivation of public journalists; Evidence of the enduring presence of public journalism in U.S. society; Financial resources of public journalism.

Summary Of Seres V. Lerner, 120 Nev. Adv. Op. 95, Sally L. Galati

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

The sister of a manslaughter victim, on her mother’s behalf, brought an action against the felon, who wrote a book regarding the killing of the victim, seeking to recover the felon’s book proceeds under the Nevada “Son of Sam” law. The district court found the applicable Nevada statute to be unconstitutional and dismissed the plaintiff’s action. Plaintiff appealed.

Summary Of Smith V. State, 120 Nev. Adv. Op. 96, Sally L. Galati

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

Defendant appealed from a judgment of conviction for one count of burglary following a jury verdict. Defendant’s primary contention was that the district court erred in refusing his proffered jury instruction on the lesser crime of trespass.

Score Tests For Inverse Gaussian Mixture, Zhenlin Yang

Research Collection School Of Economics

The mixed inverse Gaussian given by Whitmore (Scand. J. Statist., 13, 1986, 211–220) provides a convenient way for testing the goodness-of-fit of a pure inverse Gaussian distribution. The test is a one-sided score test with the null hypothesis being the pure inverse Gaussian (i.e. the mixing parameter is zero) and the alternative a mixture. We devise a simple score test and study its finite sample properties. Monte Carlo results show that it compares favourably with the smooth test of Ducharme (Test, 10, 2001, 271-290). In practical applications, when the pure inverse Gaussian distribution is rejected, one is interested in making …

Fiducial Predictive Densities And Econometric Duration Analysis, Zhenlin Yang

Research Collection School Of Economics

In this article, we propose using fiducial predictive density (FPD) as a density estimate, which leads naturally to estimators of survivor and hazard functions and provides a simple way of constructing shortest prediction intervals. This approach is studied in detail in the context of two flexible duration models proposed in this paper, namely the trans-normal and trans-exponential families, by presenting the FPDs, their basic properties, their Bayesian correspondence and their applications in econometric duration analysis. Empirical evidences show that the FPD method provides better estimates of survivor and hazard functions, particularly the latter, than does the usual maximum likelihood method. …

Kill A Brand, Keep A Customer, Nirmalya Kumar

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Kill a Brand, Keep a CustomerMost brands don't make much money. Year after year, businesses generate 80% to 90% of their profits from less than 20% of their brands. Yet most companies tend to ignore loss-making brands, unaware of the hidden costs they incur.That's because executives believe it's easy to erase a brand; they have only to stop investing in it, they assume, and it will die a natural death. But they're wrong. When companies drop brands clumsily, they antagonize loyal customers: Research shows that seven times out of eight, when firms merge two brands, the market share of the …

Ecology And Management Of Raccoons Within An Intensively Managed Forest In The Central Appalachians, Sheldon F. Owen

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The raccoon (Procyon lotor), a generalist meso-predator, is commonly found throughout the eastern United States. Many researchers have examined the ecology and spatial requirements of raccoons in agricultural and wetland areas of the mid-western and southeastern United States. However, no studies have quantitatively examined raccoon habits in the forested central Appalachians and their response to forest management. During the fall of 2000 through the spring of 2003, I monitored the spatial movements and den site selection of raccoons within an intensively managed forest.;I investigated the occurrence of raccoon roundworm (Baylisascaris procyonis) in raccoons (Procyon lotor) within my study area. I …

Metrics Application Designed For Dentists In The Office, Eleanor Chan

Masters Theses & Doctoral Dissertations

Chan software is a well-run system company. We practice with economic efficiency, employee involvement, and a commitment to quality, delivers quality service at affordable prices. lts service is of value to the clients and can improve their business. We can design databases for the web and other applications. We've worked with a variety of databases, such as Oracle, Microsoft Access, and MySQL. We're especially skilled at developing large-scale systems based on MySQL that use replication for high reliability and performance. Chan Software has been contacted by Grafton Family Dentistry ("Grafton") to design and implement a centralized client server Web based …

"Stay And Fight It Out": Henry W. Slocum And America's Civil War, Brian Christopher Melton

Faculty Dissertations

This dissertation examines the life of Henry W. Slocum, focusing particularly on his time as a commander in the Civil War. Born in Onondaga County, New York on September 24, 1827, Slocum initially followed a military tack, but later left the army to engage in law and business. When war broke out in 1861, he tendered his services to the government as colonel of the 27th New York regiment. He commanded these men at Bull Run, where he was wounded in the leg. Receiving a promotion to brigadier general, he took command of a brigade, and later a division during …

Molecular Phylogeny Of Haematoloechus Looss, 1899 (Digenea: Plagiorchiidae), With Emphasis On North American Species, Daniel R. Brooks, Virginia León-Règagnon

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Phylogenetic hypothesis of 23 populations corresponding to 18 species of the digenean Haematoloechus from America, Europe, and Africa, based on ribosomal DNA 28S partial sequences (~890 bp), is presented. Genetic divergence between the in-group and the out-groups ranged from 9.7 to 14.5% and within the in-group, from 0.9 to 12.2%. Eight most parsimonious trees 569 steps long were obtained, with a consistency index of 72%. Groups in the tree are not congruent with those in previous classification schemes of species in the genus, based on a small number of morphological characters. For this subset of Haematoloechus,/i> species, plesiomorphic hosts are …

Presidential Address: Flavor Buds And Other Delights, Robin M. Overstreet

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Presidential address at the 78th Annual Meeting, American Society of Parasitologists, August 2, 2003, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, by Robin M. Overtsreet.

The Cherokee Removal And The Fourteenth Amendment, Gerard N. Magliocca

Duke Law Journal

This Article recasts the original understanding of the Fourteenth Amendment by showing how its drafters were influenced by the events that culminated in The Trail of Tears. A fresh review of the primary sources reveals that the removal of the Cherokee Tribe by President Andrew Jackson was a seminal moment that sparked the growth of the abolitionist movement and then shaped its thought for the next three decades on issues ranging from religious freedom to the antidiscrimination principle. When these same leaders wrote the Fourteenth Amendment, they expressly invoked the Cherokee Removal and the Supreme Court's opinion in Worcester v. …

Determinan Kepemimpinan, Bob Wawo Runtu

Makara Human Behavior Studies in Asia

The purpose of this research is to look for determinants that effect leadership. The research was conducted in 13 airports and in the head office of its managing organization consisting of 84 different working units on different levels. The sample size is 3.048 respondents from a total of 4.150 employees. The findings are 22 hypotheses explaining leadership significantly: 16 independent variables determine positively and show a mutual impact as well as an accumulative direct influence to and from leadership. Only one variable shows a positive impact on leadership without any impact back. Five variables show a negative and non-accumulative effect …

Regulation Of Na,K-Atpase Activity By Tyrosine Phosphorylation In Lens Cells., Larry Darko Bozulic 1974-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Na,K-ATPase is essential for the regulation of cytoplasmic Na+ and K+ levels in lens cells. Insufficient Na,K-ATPase activity is associated with cataract formation. Based on earlier studies in which Src-tyrosine kinase inhibitors were found to suppress Na,K-ATPase activity changes that occur in response to either thrombin, endothelin, or dopamine, I hypothesize that regulation of Na,K-ATPase activity might occur through phosphorylation of the Na,K-ATPase a1 (catalytic) subunit by Src-family tyrosine kinases. Here, I tested the influence of Src-kinase family members on tyrosine phosphorylation and Na,K-ATPase activity in membrane material isolated from porcine lens epithelium. Western blot studies indicated the expression of …