Digital Commons Network^™

Parallel Computations In Quantum Monte Carlo Simulation Of The Van Der Waals Cluster Vibrational Eigenstates, Haisen Li

Open Access Dissertations

The Quantum Monte Carlo computation of the van der Waals cluster vibrational states involves heavy-duty linear algebra computations of large matrices and many iterative procedures containing such computations, which constitute the major bottlenecks of the computational flow. Parallel algorithms can speed up these parts of computations significantly. The study of this dissertation is to parallelize these heavy-duty computations to reduce the overall run time. This thesis first reviews a method to compute the vibrational eigenstates of van der Waals clusters with the Quantum Monte Carlo method, identifies the bottlenecks of the computational flow, introduces the parallel computation facility, and discusses …

The Birth Of Bizdames: A Rupture In The Conversation, Engaging The Body In Decision-Making, Kathleen Mallon

Open Access Dissertations

Organizational studies consistently find that managers spend more time talking than any other activity (Mintzberg, 1973; Simon, 1945), that strategic decisions are developed and enacted through interactive talk (Perlow, 2003; Shaw, 2002), and that a diversity of perspectives has a positive effect on decision-making and organizational performance (Agyris, 1977). Conversely, the evidence suggests that cultures that perpetuate silence are less effective (Bourgeois, 1985; Enz & Schwenk, 1991; Morrison & Milliken, 2000; Ryan & Oestreich, 1991). Thus, knowledge about the inter-relationship of the micro-mechanisms of silence and talk and their effect on organizational performance is critical to management theory and practice …

Parents' Descriptions Of Ideal Home Nursing Care For Their Technology Dependent Child, Themselves, And Their Families, Michele A. Mendes

Open Access Dissertations

Home care for technology dependent children is one of the fastest growing segments of the U.S. health care industry, but the nursing literature lacks clear directions to guide home care nurses in planning a family-centered practice. The purpose of this study is to address this gap in the literature by eliciting descriptions of ideal home nursing care for technology dependent children from the perspective of their parents, and to compile a comprehensive list of helpful and supportive nursing interventions. A qualitative, descriptive design was used to examine the following research questions: (1) How do parents of technology dependent children describe …

Revaluing The Literary Naturalist: John Burroughs's Emotive Environmental Aesthetics, Stephen Mark Mercier

Open Access Dissertations

This dissertation widens the circle of environmental aesthetics and ecocriticism by considering the role of the emotive in "appreciation." I demonstrate that emotion is a central feature in the literary naturalism of John Burroughs (1837-1921). Burroughs's model for environmental aesthetics combines narrative knowledge, sensory immersion, and emotional responses. Furthermore, I argue that Burroughs's "sentimental" emotions perform crucial roles in politics and therefore have serious implications for environmental consciousness. The rhetorical strategies inherent in Burroughs's paradigm for environmental aesthetics is essential to contemporary efficacious environmental discourse. This dissertation reclaims the importance of emotional affiliation with creatures, particularly birds, and their habitats. …

Freedom's Children: Fifth Graders' Perceptions Of The Effects Of Peace Education In The Form Of Kingian Nonviolence, Sylvia Carolle Spears

Open Access Dissertations

This ethnographic study examines students' perceptions of the effects of peace education in the form of Kingian Nonviolence. Nine fifth grade students and seven parents were interviewed using life-story methods to elicit participants' perceptions regarding how the students' study of nonviolence affected their beliefs and behaviors. Data were coded and then analyzed utilizing constant comparison methods. Analysis of interview transcripts resulted in two categories of data--the fifth grade experience and social and personal change. Analysis of interview transcripts revealed that the fifth grade experience had three distinct phases--a phase of initial anxiety and concern, a middle phase during which the …

Macrozooplankton And Micronekton In The Arabian Sea Oxygen Minimum Zone, Mary Rapien

Open Access Dissertations

As part of the U.S. Joint Global Ocean Flux Study, zooplankton were collected day and night in vertically stratified MOCNESS net tows at six stations, during four seasonal cruises in the Arabian Sea. Organisms comprising the large size fraction, primarily fish, shrimp, amphipods, and euphausiids (macrozooplankton and micronekton), were identified and enumerated, and their abundance and distributions from 300-1000 m were examined in relation to environmental factors including the OMZ and the monsoon cycle. Contributions to carbon cycling were also estimated for several taxa. Few animals showed significant seasonal differences in abundance. Abundances and distributions of many taxa varied geographically, …

New Results For Z-Cyclic Generalized Whist Tournaments And Z-Cyclic Generalized Whist Frames, Brian J. Travers

Open Access Dissertations

Mathematicians began studying the generalized whist tournament in the late 1990's. As with traditional whist tournaments (that is, whist tournaments with 4 players per game), many specializations can be examined. In this study, such specializations as Z-cyclic generalized whist tournaments, directed generalized whist tournaments, and generalized whist tournaments possessing the Moore property are considered. Additionally, several new infinite families of Z-cyclic generalized whist tournaments are established for the cases (t, k) = (2, 6), (2, 8) and (4, 8).

The Factors That Influence Middle-Level Teachers To Incorporate Community Service-Learning Into The Curriculum, Andrea J. Hainey-Turcotte

Open Access Dissertations

This study examined the factors that influence middle level educators to incorporate community service-learning into the curriculum. Eleven participants, each a teacher of middle level students, were interviewed to determine the extent to which they were influenced by intended outcomes for students, the community, and themselves. Findings suggest that participants were influenced to include community service-learning in the curriculum by anticipated benefits to students and community members. Participants hoped that by engaging in community service-learning activities, their students would become better scholars, leaders, citizens, and/or people. It would seem that participants were also driven to the implementation of community service-learning …

Individual, Organizational, And Contextual Determinants Of Realized Strategy In Not-For-Profit Organizations, Henry T. Ulrich

Open Access Dissertations

This study addresses organizational direction form the perspective of organizational strategy. It explores the factors that influence realized strategy and especially the degree to which realized strategy is deliberate or emergent. A model is offered that proposes both direct and indirect factors as determinants of realized strategy. Specific direct and indirect factors are hypothesized and the relationships are statistically examined. The sample is composed of twenty nonprofit organizations with a primary base of operations in southern New England. Data was collected for multiple respondents within each organization representing the various levels of management. Most participating organizations were mid-sized, social service …

Nursing Practice In A Magnet Hospital: A Descriptive Study, Kathleen M. Stolzenberger

Open Access Dissertations

The organizational context of hospital nursing practice has gained international attention as a growing body of research demonstrates its significance as a factor affecting the supply and performance of registered nurses and the quality of patient care. Studies of organizations designated by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) as magnet hospitals demonstrate significant and positive relationships among organizational, nurse, and patient variables. However, knowledge about the nursing work environment as an influence on practice is limited by the absence of studies exploring the actual practice of staff nurses and the nursing unit as the more immediate context in which it …

Sociocultural Contexts Of Asian American/Pacific Islander Women's Hiv Risk Enhancing/Reducing Responses, Jennifer C. Huang

Open Access Dissertations

HIV prevention issues for Asian American and Pacific Islander (API) women are complex and multifaceted. Comprehending the risk enhancing/reducing responses of API women in heterosexual relationships requires an examination of various sociocultural influences, such as gender roles, cultural expectations, community, economic conditions, acculturation and public policies that shape API women's decision-making and HIV risk enhancing/reducing responses. In order to address these issues, a mixed method study (i.e., qualitative and quantitative) was conducted to elucidate these sociocultural factors. Additionally, this study sought to investigate the various ecological levels that are associated with API women's sexual risk enhancing and reducing behaviors. Participants …

Evaluation Of Hot-Melt Extrusion Technology To Improve Dissolution Rates Of Poorly Water Soluble Drugs, Rina Chokshi

Open Access Dissertations

The bioavailability of orally administered drugs mainly depends on solubility and permeability. Since the advent of high throughput screening (HTS) in drug discovery process the resultant compounds are often high molecular weight and highly lipophilic, that show poor solubility. Scientists have tried to address solubility issues by various pharmaceutical interventions. Today amongst many methods available to improve solubility and dissolution rate, preparation of solid dispersions and solid solutions has gained enormous attention. Hot-melt extrusion is one of the most widely applied processing technologies in the plastic, rubber and food industry. Today this technology has found its place in the array …

Self-Reported Medication Adherence Among Patients With Diabetes, Zlata Cerimagic

Open Access Dissertations

Diabetes is a prevalent, chronic disease and it affects more than 16 million Americans. Strict adherence to a prescribed medication regimen has been identified as an essential factor that may delay, slow or prevent early development of diabetes related comorbidities. The objective of this research project was to document the prevalence of self-reported medication adherence in a large population of patients with diabetes and to explore the association between self-reported medication adherence and: (a) methods of administration of prescribed hypoglycemic medication among patients with type 2 diabetes treated with insulin or pills; (b) length of time since diagnosis among patients …

Culture Of Summer Flounder Paralichthys Dentatus: Environmental And Endocrine Synchronization Of Growth And Settlement In Larvae And Identification Of Stressors In Juveniles, Steven Gavlik

Open Access Dissertations

This dissertation addresses the variability in settlement behavior, growth and development during metamorphosis of summer flounder. There were three objectives: (1) Expand basic knowledge of hormonal and environmental factors that regulate timing of metamorphosis, (2) develop hormonal and environmental techniques that promote synchronization of metamorphic growth and settling behavior in order to eventually reduce cannibalism in juveniles, and (3) identify stressful culture practices and evaluate their long-term effects on growth in juvenile flounder. The first and second objectives were accomplished through manipulations of cortisol and thyroxine and of rearing salinity. Endogenous whole-body cortisol concentrations increased through the late larval stages, …

Domestic Violence Screening By Nurses In The Primary Care Setting, Karen Hetzel

Open Access Dissertations

Domestic violence is one of the most important health care issues in the United States. One of every four women is a victim of domestic violence each year and thirty-one percent of women have a lifetime prevalence of domestic violence. Since most women receive their health care in primary care settings, nurses can play a critical role in decreasing the cycle of violence through screening and intervention. Although the research literature on domestic violence is voluminous, little is known about nursing practice related to routine screening of women for domestic violence or intervention in primary care settings. This study examined …

Determination Of Chlorophyll A Concentrations And Phytoplankton Primary Production In New England Estuarine Waters Using Ocean Color Remote Sensing From Low-Flying Aircraft, Darryl Joel Keith

Open Access Dissertations

The response of coastal systems to the addition of nutrients (especially nitrogen) is generally to stimulate phytoplankton biomass, measured using the concentration of chlorophyll a as a surrogate. However, the concentration and distribution of chlorophyll in the aquatic environment is variable in space and time. Historically, random to systematic design strategies have collected samples from specific locations in space (i.e. a point measurement). These strategies also are limited in sampling intra-annual, seasonal, and episodic events. Therefore, in order to sample on all time scales of interest over large geographic areas, a large number of point measurements and resources are required. …

Evaluation Of A Child Abuse Awareness Program, Jacqueline Jackson Kikuchi

Open Access Dissertations

Archived data from the Sexual Assault & Trauma Resource Center of Rhode Island (SATRC) was used to evaluate the effectiveness of their abuse awareness programs for fourth grade students. The goals of the program included helping children recognize potentially abusive situations so the abuse can be avoided, decreasing the length and extent of abuse through early disclosures, increasing disclosures so victims can received needed services and offenders can be arrested and convicted, decreasing the guilt and shame the victims feel when abuse happens, deterring juvenile offenders, and teaching children and adults how to discuss abuse and help victims. Fifty percent …

The Role Of Glycolytic Substrates In The Initiation And Maintenance Phases Of Colonization Of The Mouse Large Intestine By Escherichia Coli Mg1655 And Escherichia Coli Edl933, Regina L. Miranda

Open Access Dissertations

Escherichia coli is a gram-negative motile rod, and is one of the most common bacterial strains isolated from the human intestinal tract (1,2). E. coli K-12, strain MG1655, is a non-pathogenic laboratory strain of E. coli whose genome has been fully sequenced (1). E. coli O157:H7, strain EDL933, a shigatoxin-producing E. coli (STEC), is a human pathogen, whose genome has also been fully sequenced (34). E. coli EDL933 was first isolated in August of 1982 from patients in the United States suffering from an outbreak of bloody diarrhea, which was traced to contaminated hamburgers (8,9,10,11). E. coli O157:H7 infections are …

Preschool Teachers' Sense Of Teaching Efficacy: Scale Development And Correlates, Leah Alison Whynacht

Open Access Dissertations

The current study developed a scale to measure preschool educators' sense of teaching efficacy and then used the scale to explore relationships between efficacy scores and program and teacher variables. Participants were preschool educators from eighteen states and one country outside of the US (n = 131). A 121-item scale was used in data collection. A series of Principal Component Analyses with Varimax rotation resulted in a 36-item scale with factor loadings ranging from .82 to .58 (Cronbach's alpha = .97). The scale was comprised of the following four factors: Efficacy for Working With Children With Varying Abilities and Needs, …

Prolegomenon To The Literary Study Of Hypertext, Edward Steven Shear

Open Access Dissertations

This dissertation is intended as contribution to the development of a framework and methodology for the literary study of hypertext. Its first purpose is to analyze the term "hypertext" and related keywords in respect to their widely varying usages in multiple disciplines to provide required clarification to identify the object of study in literary hypertext studies. The second purpose of the study is to propose a framework by which pre-computer literary works may be examined in relationship to the contemporary form of hypertext. These two goals work hand-in-hand to provide a groundwork of a literary history of hypertext. The first …

Preparation Of Optically Pure Anti-Diolepoxides Of 2-Fluorobenzo[A]-Pyrene And Their Dna Adducts, Tianle Yang

Open Access Dissertations

Benzo[a]pyrene (BP) is a prototypical PAH and undergoes metabolic activation in vivo to highly mutagenic/carcinogenic diol epoxide derivatives (BPDE) that bind to DNA, ultimately initiating sequence-specific mutations. Structural studies indicate that BPDE-modified DNA exist in three major conformations: base-displacement, minor-groove, and classical intercalation. The relative conformeric ratios of these structures are known to vary depending on the modified base and the base sequences surrounding the lesion site. Our long-term research goal is to investigate the sequence dependent conformational heterogeneity of BP-DNA adducts with 19F NMR technique, which then requires preparation of (+)-and (−)-anti-2-fluorobenzo[a]pyrene diol epoxides (2-FBPDE) as 19F NMR probes. …

Essays On Fisheries Management, Ramesh Baskaran

Open Access Dissertations

This dissertation consists of three manuscripts that explore the present issues on both commercial and recreational fishery management in the United States of America. It reviews recent development and different management strategies in fisheries, which shows the need to expand and improve the present fishery management in order to entail sustainability of resources as well as the economic well-being of the fishery participants. The first manuscript is policy oriented and suggests a rights-based cooperative approach may provide an incentive for the rational management of Atlantic sea scallop fishery. Due to excessive harvest capability and regulatory inefficiencies, the sea scallop industry …

Micromechanical Modeling Of Constitutive And Damage Behavior Of Heterogeneous Asphalt Materials, Qingli Dai

Open Access Dissertations

A computational and analytical study has been conducted to develop micromechanical models for heterogeneous particulate asphalt materials. Inelastic, softening and damage-coupled viscoelastic behaviors of the matrix material were considered in studying the micro-structural response of these asphalt composites. Asphalt concrete is composed of aggregates, mastic cement and air voids. The load carrying behavior of such a material is strongly related to the local load transfer between aggregate particles, and this is taken as the microstructural response. The first microstructural model incorporated a network of special frame elements with a stiffness matrix developed to predict the load transfer between cemented particles. …

Forensic And Biological Applications Of Vibrational Spectroscopy, Edita Botonjic

Open Access Dissertations

Determination of the age of a bloodstain can be used to establish the time when a crime was committed. As blood ages, deoxyhemoglobin (HbO 2) is converted into methemoglobin (MetHb), which is evident by the color change from red to brown. Fluctuations in temperature will cause blood to age at a non-constant rate. It has been shown that higher temperatures cause deoxyhemoglobin to oxidize more rapidly to methemoglobin. Human blood from vein and capillary vessels was used in this investigation. The samples were prepared by placing blood on various substrates such as gauze and watch glasses. Mid-IR and near-IR spectra …

Management Of Flounder Infectious Necrotizing Enteritis (Fine) In Cultured Juvenile Summer Flounder, Eric Joseph Gauger

Open Access Dissertations

Knowledge that can be applied towards the diagnosis and prevention of Flounder Infectious Necrotizing Enteritis in summer flounder ( Paralichthys dentatus), caused by the bacterial pathogen Vibrio harveyi, are presented in this research. Biochemical profiles are insufficient to differentiate V. harveyi from other closely related species. Biochemical profiles can, however, be used in conjunction with 16S ribosomal DNA sequencing to provide a reliable method for identifying V. harveyi. A monitoring program for V. harveyi and other potential bacterial pathogens in cultured juvenile summer flounder found that V. harveyi was the most abundant and commonly found bacterial species in juvenile summer …

Geochemical Correlation, Variation, And Petrogenesis, Of Ignimbrites In Central America And Associated Caribbean Sea Tephra Layers, Benjamin R. Jordan

Open Access Dissertations

The Central American Tertiary Ignimbrite Province covers an area of 170,000 km2. A total of 112 marine tephra and 79 terrestrial samples from Nicaragua and Honduras were analyzed during this study, using an electron microprobe for major oxides and laser ICP-MS for trace elements. Cluster analysis resulted in the division of the samples into 6 geochemical groups. Visual inspection of these groups resulted in the reclassification of these 6 into 14 distinct geochemical groups. The geochemical correlation is strengthened using factor analysis in which the REE values for each sample were reduced to 2 factors. The Lesser Antilles can be …

Ecological Determinants Of Lyme Disease In An Endemic Community, Neeta N. Pardanani

Open Access Dissertations

We investigated potential risk factors for Lyme disease at the level of a southern Rhode Island community where vector ticks ( Ixodes scapularis Say) and human Lyme disease are endemic. We recruited homeowners with and without household histories of Lyme disease that would permit sampling of ticks and small mammals around the wooded edge of their properties. Entomologic factors including nymphal tick abundance, rates of tick infection with Lyme disease-causing bacteria (Borrelia burgdorferi ), and the density of infected nymphs were measured. We evaluated the relationship between these variables and the history of Lyme disease cases within households. The relationship …

Survival During And After Khmer Rouge, Sara S. Brown

Open Access Master's Theses

My personal life trauma experiences during the Khmer Rouge regime are described in this paper along with applications to Constructivist Self Development Theory (CSDT). This theory provides a basis for understanding the interrelatedness of biological and psychological self adaptation necessary to surviving and maintaining a consistent sense of self and the world. Five areas of self that were described in CSDT and which were applicable to my experiences of trauma are as follows:

1. Frame of reference: one's ability of understanding self and world, including spirituality. Although I was only seven years old at the time, somehow I understood the events …

Development And Validation Of The Proactive Health Lifestyle Measures, Norma Jean Perez

Open Access Dissertations

This research project targets the three leading causes of death in the U.S., cardiovascular disease, cancer, and stroke through the successful development and validation of six culturally sensitive Proactive Healthy Lifestyle measures (Stage of Change, Decisional Balance, Self-Efficacy, Skills, Relapse, and Processes of Change) targeting diet, exercise, and smoking. 574 college students were recruited and completed self-report surveys. Data from 418 non-Hispanics was used to develop (N = 209) and validate (N = 209) each of the measures. Data from 155 Hispanics was used to further successfully validate the measures, and explore differences in this group with the non-Hispanic group. …

An Observational And Numerical Study Of The South Atlantic Circulation, Regina Rodrigues Rodrigues

Open Access Dissertations

To better understand the South Atlantic wind-driven circulation, mean absolute transport potential for the upper 1000 dbar is estimated for the regions of the Brazil Current (BC) between 25°S and 40°S and the South Atlantic Current (SAC) between 40°S and 45°S. These transports are obtained by combining Gravest Empirical Mode (GEM) fields, calculated from historical hydrography, with data from isobaric RAFOS floats deployed in the area. The results show: a BC transport of 5 Sv (1 Sv = 106 m3 s−1) at 25°S and 25 Sv at 35°S; a pair of recirculation cells in the southwest corner of the subtropical …