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2006

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Effect Of Computer-Assisted Instruction On The Reading Skills Of Emergent Readers, Louise B. Barnett Jan 2006

Effect Of Computer-Assisted Instruction On The Reading Skills Of Emergent Readers, Louise B. Barnett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) on the reading skills of emergent readers in kindergarten classes at select Reading First schools in the School District of Palm Beach County, Florida. The reading software analyzed was Destination Reading (Riverdeep, 2001), used during the 2004-2005 school year. Comparisons were made between users of the program and nonusers. Comparisons were also made between English language learners who used or did not use the program, as well as Exceptional Education students who used or did not use it. Another factor analyzed was how teacher attitude toward …

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Effects Of High Alkalinity Cements On The Control Of Alkali-Silica Reaction For Reinforced Concrete, Jorge Alejandro Suarez Jan 2006

Effects Of High Alkalinity Cements On The Control Of Alkali-Silica Reaction For Reinforced Concrete, Jorge Alejandro Suarez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

In previous research, cements with high alkali content (EqA 1.0-1.2 percent) extended the corrosion initiation time of reinforcing steel in concrete. During this study, laboratory tests were performed to determine the suitability of high alkalinity cements to improve concrete durability without modifying physical properties and to control the risk of alkali-aggregate reaction (AAR). A mix design for the FOOT-Class V concrete served as base material for this study. On a cubic meter basis the cementitious material in this concrete included 363 kg of Type l/ll Portland cement and 83 kg of Class F fly ash. The water-to-cementitious material ratio of …

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Energy-Efficient Target Coverage In Heterogeneous Wireless Sensor Networks, Wael Awada Jan 2006

Energy-Efficient Target Coverage In Heterogeneous Wireless Sensor Networks, Wael Awada

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

We consider a heterogeneous wireless sensor network, which has several supernodes for data relay and a large number of energy-constrained sensor nodes that are deployed randomly to cover certain targets. Since targets are covered by many sensors, we create several cover sets that are active successively to save power. We introduce the Heterogeneous Connected Set Covers (HCSC) which aims to find at least one cover set that covers all the targets and is connected to a data-relaying supernode. A sensor node can participate in different set covers but the sum of energy spent in all sets is constrained by the …

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Exploratory Investigation Of Sources Of Individual Differences In Chemistry Performance: The Potential Role Of Visual And Verbal Working Memory And Student Affect In Chemistry Problem Solving, Jason Klein Jan 2006

Exploratory Investigation Of Sources Of Individual Differences In Chemistry Performance: The Potential Role Of Visual And Verbal Working Memory And Student Affect In Chemistry Problem Solving, Jason Klein

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

This was an exploratory study of factors that predict individual differences in chemistry learning. Consistent with cognitive learning theory, working memory was assumed to be an important predictor of chemistry knowledge. Measures of chemistry affect, cognitive ability, demographics and mathematical ability were examined in relation to visual/schematic and algebra-like stoichiometry chemistry word problem solving ability and strategy use. 139 undergraduate students (91 females, 48 males) at a major Southeastern university participated in this study (Age ranged from 18 to 39 years (M = 20.70 years of age)). Perceived usefulness of the chemistry material, mathematical ability, GPA, and SGPA uniquely predicted …

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Euclid, The Van Hiele Levels, And The Geometer's Sketchpad, Elpida Thompson Jan 2006

Euclid, The Van Hiele Levels, And The Geometer's Sketchpad, Elpida Thompson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

As an educator, my greatest concern is to provide my students with instruction that will raise their level of understanding in mathematics. For geometry in particular, the van Hiele Theory is a way to measure a student's level of geometric understanding. Geometry instruction that raises a student's van Hiele level can be enhanced with two important resources, the ancient text of Euclid's Elements a contemporary dynamic geometry software program like the Geometer's Sketchpad. Euclid's Elements can be read as a book of geometric constructions rather than a list of theorems neatly arranged in logical order. The Geometer's Sketchpad is a …

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First Language Attrition Of Colombian Spanish Speakers In South Florida, Gwynne. Gonzalez Jan 2006

First Language Attrition Of Colombian Spanish Speakers In South Florida, Gwynne. Gonzalez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

This research study compares the use of the Spanish preterite and imperfect forms of stative verbs between native Spanish speakers in an L1 Spanish environment (E1) with L1 Spanish speakers in an L2 English environment (E2). The study specifically targets subjects' Spanish L1 attrition of these verb forms in an English L2 environment by eliciting their use in an informal interview.

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Factors Affecting Success In Organic Chemistry, Andrea Maria Zaplatynski Jan 2006

Factors Affecting Success In Organic Chemistry, Andrea Maria Zaplatynski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

In this study we correlate academic and non-academic descriptors with Organic Chemistry final grades for students enrolled at a Florida public university. Using multiple regression analysis, the following predictors are analyzed for a sample population of 904 students: age, gender, ethnicity, academic classification, SAT scores, major, overall grade point average (GPA), semesters lapsed between courses, institution where General Chemistry was taken, prerequisite grades, and number of math and science courses taken with their respective grades. Results indicate strong correlations exist between final grade in Organic Chemistry, GPA and General Chemistry final grade. Additionally, Organic Chemistry final grades correlate with academic …

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Firewall Formulation Driven By Risk Analysis, Sriram Jr Srinivasan Jan 2006

Firewall Formulation Driven By Risk Analysis, Sriram Jr Srinivasan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

At the turn of the new millennium, the focus of Information Technology Management turned to Information and Systems Security, as opposed to competitive advantage investment. In catering to the security needs of various firms and institutions, it is seen that different entities require varying Information Security configurations. This thesis attempts to utilize Risk Analysis, a commonly used procedure in business realms, to formulate customized Firewalls based on the specific needs of a network, subsequently building an effective system following the "Defense in Depth" strategy. This is done by first choosing an efficient Risk Analysis model which suits the process of …

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Exposure To Reading And Motivation To Read As Mediators Of The Relationship Between Socioeconomic Status And Reading Comprehension Skills In Adolescents: A Multi-National Investigation, Kevin J. Vagi Jan 2006

Exposure To Reading And Motivation To Read As Mediators Of The Relationship Between Socioeconomic Status And Reading Comprehension Skills In Adolescents: A Multi-National Investigation, Kevin J. Vagi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

This study examined the hypothesis that both exposure to reading materials in the home and intrinsic motivation to read mediate the relationship between socioeconomic status and reading comprehension skills in adolescents. Data were derived from the Program for International Student Assessment 2000 dataset (PISA 2000). Six countries out of forty-three were chosen on the basis of country-level SES: two from the bottom 25th percentile (Thailand, Mexico), two at the 50th percentile (Austria, France), and two at the 75th percentile (Norway, United States). Data analysis was conducted on a total of 27,351 participants and 823 schools. Hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) analyses …

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Genetic Variation Amongst Different Populations Of Typha Domingensis And Typha Latifolia (Cattails) In The Florida Everglades, Manuel N. Tapia Jan 2006

Genetic Variation Amongst Different Populations Of Typha Domingensis And Typha Latifolia (Cattails) In The Florida Everglades, Manuel N. Tapia

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

This thesis is intended to explore the genetic variation between cattail species (Typha spp.), within T. domingensis in different locations, anthropoegenic conditions, and possibly discover a hybrid in the Florida Everglades. Typha domingensis is the dominant cattail species in the Everglades, while Typha latifolia a less common species is also present. Five nuclear and chloroplast protein encoding genes from around 20 samples of cattail plants were collected randomly in the Water Conservation Areas of the Everglades Protection Act, cloned and sequenced. The results of sequencing showed differences between the two species studied, using an insertion within an intron of the …

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Figurations Of The Literary Hero, Teresa M. Maybee Jan 2006

Figurations Of The Literary Hero, Teresa M. Maybee

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

Going back to Gilgamesh and Achilles as foundations for surveying centuries of protagonists we now call heroic, while synthesizing and modifying critical forerunners, this study reviews the patterns and the constituent elements of the literary hero both synchronically and diachronically, in order to trace changing figurations of the heroic ideal in Western literature, from texts of antiquity to modernism, and with particular emphasis on Anglo-American and French traditions.

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Fuzzy Vault Fingerprint Cryptography: Experimental And Simulation Studies, Alex J. Kotlarchyk Jan 2006

Fuzzy Vault Fingerprint Cryptography: Experimental And Simulation Studies, Alex J. Kotlarchyk

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

The fuzzy vault scheme introduced by Juels and Sudan [Jue02] was implemented in a fingerprint cryptography system using COTS software. This system proved to be unsuccessful. Failure analysis led to a series of simulations to investigate the parameters and system thresholds necessary for such a system to perform adequately and as guidance for constructing similar systems in the future. First, a discussion of the role of biometrics in data security and cryptography is presented, followed by a review of the key developments leading to the development of the fuzzy vault scheme. The relevant mathematics and algorithms are briefly explained. This …

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From Wise Woman To Mutilated Hag: Witchcraft Violence In Ghana, Laura A. Truxler Jan 2006

From Wise Woman To Mutilated Hag: Witchcraft Violence In Ghana, Laura A. Truxler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

Gender based witchcraft violence in Ghana is one of the ways in which violence against women manifests itself in the society. Historical analysis of witchcraft in Africa is widely addressed in the literature, however, there is a comparative neglect of the gender dimensions of witchcraft violence and consequences for such women in terms of human rights violations. Within the northern agriculture regions of Ghana, the legitimacy of female land inheritance, in addition to government pressure to seek out western medical care instead of low-cost traditional herbalists, are threatening power structures and sparking witchcraft violence. Locating witchcraft violence in Ghana within …

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Framing Bad Art: A Semiotic View Of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Blithedale Romance, Scott B. Givonetti Jan 2006

Framing Bad Art: A Semiotic View Of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Blithedale Romance, Scott B. Givonetti

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Blithedale Romance has been criticized contemporaneously and subsequently by such figures as F. O. Matthiessen, Mark Van Doren, and Rudolph Von Abele for its lack of romanticism or realism, depending upon the critic. This thesis uses a semiotic approach to explore Hawthorne's deconstruction of his first-person narrator, Miles Coverdale, and the resulting confusion among critics regarding authorial control in what some call his "anti-romance." Coverdale, as a detached artist, is responsible for reality's misinterpretation and misrepresentation, somewhat lampooning Transcendentalism. The triadic relationship of object, sign, and interpretant modeled by Charles Sanders Peirce is discussed using Liszka, Sebeok, …

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Foucault's Techniques Of Power In Street-Level Organizations, Kathleen A. Mcginn Jan 2006

Foucault's Techniques Of Power In Street-Level Organizations, Kathleen A. Mcginn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

This study uses Foucault's (1979, 1983, 1995) theoretical work as a guide in examining relation of power and resistance within the unique context of street-level bureaucracies (Lipsky, 1980). It explores relationships by asking how employees and managers are objectified within street level organizations, if there are any similarities in objectifications across organizations providing different government services, and how these objectifications intersect within relations of power and resistance. As an artifact of the relations of power between street-level bureaucrats and managers, ten purposively selected collectively bargained contract documents from public organizations in Florida are analyzed in this research. Ethnographic Content Analysis …

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Global Feedback In Hierarchical Motion Pattern Formation, Stacey W. Brownlow Jan 2006

Global Feedback In Hierarchical Motion Pattern Formation, Stacey W. Brownlow

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

An array of four motion quartets (stimuli for which either horizontal or vertical motion is perceived depending on quartet aspect ratio) is arranged in a diamond configuration such that two global motion patterns are formed: (1) Rotation---alternating counterclockwise and clockwise motion is perceived, and (2) Parallel path motion---the perceived motions of all the elements are simultaneously horizontal or simultaneously vertical. The perception of rotation resulted in global feedback that biases the motion perceived for an individual component motion quartet to be more consistent with rotation than aspect ratio. Stronger rotation produced greater bias. Under certain conditions, the feedback-induced bias occurred …

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Gifts From Home: Material Culture And American Immigrant Women In The 20th Century, Victoria L. Thur Jan 2006

Gifts From Home: Material Culture And American Immigrant Women In The 20th Century, Victoria L. Thur

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

This thesis will explore material culture by focusing on textiles and needlework of American immigrant women in the twentieth-century. It will feature three textiles: the Fishman bris dress from Britain, traditional Ukrainian embroidery, and refugee Hmong story cloths. Material culture is an interdisciplinary field that incorporates a wide variety of sources, theories, and interpretations. Social history incorporates voices and sources that have been disregarded in the mainstream narrative. Without scholarship in material culture, these sources would be lost forever. Textiles and their study allow for a wider and more inclusive interpretation of the American experience as immigrant and female. Most …

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Hamiltonian Methods In The Quantization Of Gauge Systems, Ruslan Vaulin Jan 2006

Hamiltonian Methods In The Quantization Of Gauge Systems, Ruslan Vaulin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

The new formalism for quantization of gauge systems based on the concept of the dynamical Hamiltonian recently introduced as a basis for the canonical theory of quantum gravity was considered in the context of general gauge theories. This and other Hamiltonian methods, that include Dirac's theory of extended Hamiltonian and the Hamiltonian reduction formalism were critically examined. It was established that the classical theories of constrained gauge systems formulated within the framework of either of the approaches are equivalent. The central to the proof of equivalence was the fact that the gauge symmetries resuIt in the constraints of the first …

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Heartland Germans: Cultural Maintenance In Mid-Nineteenth Century America, Madelyn Witt Lavigne Jan 2006

Heartland Germans: Cultural Maintenance In Mid-Nineteenth Century America, Madelyn Witt Lavigne

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

Midwestern Germans who populated Indianapolis, St. Louis, Chicago and St. Paul represented a kind of cultural identity that revealed an ethnic pride. Through the church, the press, their language, social organizations and political involvement, these Germans demonstrated the tenacity of a people willing to risk the security of their homeland for a better life in America and in the process established a set of cultural norms that reflected a significant attempt to maintain their ethnic identity. During the years 1830-1870, the pull of cheap and available land fueled the chain migration that led to the largest influx of German immigrants …

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Historical Analysis Of Development And Its Impact On The Ecology Of The Grassy Waters Preserve, Michael A. Yustin Jan 2006

Historical Analysis Of Development And Its Impact On The Ecology Of The Grassy Waters Preserve, Michael A. Yustin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

The purpose of this thesis was to document human impacts to Grassy Waters Preserve and correlate that to environmental change. Aerial photographs and archives provided a history of human impacts. These impacts included roadways, canals/levees, development, and landfills. To determine if environmental change occurred vegetation maps were digitized and compared from three study areas using 1940 and 1999 aerial photography. These vegetation maps included open water, transitional marsh/prairie, cypress, upland forest and human feature categories. Within all study areas the vegetation maps indicated decreases in the open water community. Within two areas major increases in cypress and uplands occurred. Vegetative …

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Impact Of Reading Instructional Methodology On Student Achievement Of Black Males Based On The Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, Deedara. Hicks Jan 2006

Impact Of Reading Instructional Methodology On Student Achievement Of Black Males Based On The Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, Deedara. Hicks

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

For the past 20 years the gap in reading achievement has widened between Black and White students across the United States. The No Child Left Behind Act and the Florida A+ Plan require that all students meet proficiency on state-mandated assessments. As individual schools struggle to meet these guidelines, no student can be left behind. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of two different reading instructional methodologies on the 2004 fourth-grade FCAT norm-referenced test (NRT) for Black males. The reading instructional methodologies examined in this study, Harcourt Basal Series and SRA Direct Instruction Program, have been …

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Implementation Of The Sensor-Mac Protocol For The Jist/Swans Simulator, Veerendra. Tippanagoudar Jan 2006

Implementation Of The Sensor-Mac Protocol For The Jist/Swans Simulator, Veerendra. Tippanagoudar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

In recent years, advances in wireless technologies have enabled novel applications for wireless devices. Sensor network is one such application that consists of large number of battery-operated nodes. To simulate such networks with large number of nodes, a wireless sensor network simulator that is highly scalable is vital. JiST/SWANS is one such simulator that is highly scalable. However, the JiST/SWANS MAC layer implementation of 802.11b is not suitable for sensor networks, which are energy-constrained. Hence, our main focus is to implement the S-MAC protocol in JiST/SWANS. The S-MAC protocol allows the nodes to go to sleep and thereby it helps …

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Instructional Leadership In High Schools: The Effects Of Principals, Assistant Principals, And Department Heads On Student Achievement, Tara Lynn Todd Jan 2006

Instructional Leadership In High Schools: The Effects Of Principals, Assistant Principals, And Department Heads On Student Achievement, Tara Lynn Todd

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

The purpose of the study was to examine the influence of instructional leadership on student achievement through the instructional leadership of principals, assistant principals and math department heads at the high school level. The Principal Instructional Management Rating Scale was used to quantify instructional leadership in ten different job functions. The research questions were as follows: 1. Can the instructional leadership of principals, assistant principals, and math department heads be described at the high school level? 2. Whose instructional leadership has the greatest relationship to student achievement, principals, assistant principals, or math department heads? 3. Does team alignment in instructional …

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Initial Evaluation Of Organotin Monomers And Polymers As Potential Anticancer Agents, Randy D. Doucette Jan 2006

Initial Evaluation Of Organotin Monomers And Polymers As Potential Anticancer Agents, Randy D. Doucette

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

A large number of metal-containing compounds show significant activity against cancer cells and incorporating a metal into a polymer offers several possible advantages. Compounds of the type R2SnCl2 (R = methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, t-butyl, octyl and phenyl) were tested for the ability to inhibit the growth of Balb 3T3 mouse fibroblast cells and CAOV3 human ovarian carcinoma cells. Polymers of 2-chloro-1,4-benzenediamine and the same organotin dichloride were synthesized and tested as well. For both monomers and polymers, the pattern of growth inhibition relative to the R group was butyl > propyl = t-butyl = octyl = phenyl > ethyl > methyl. This …

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Investigation Of Flow Patterns Using Geochemical Tracers In The Floridan Aquifer System, Naples, Florida, E. Edward Rectenwald Jan 2006

Investigation Of Flow Patterns Using Geochemical Tracers In The Floridan Aquifer System, Naples, Florida, E. Edward Rectenwald

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

This study investigated flow patterns in the FAS and tested Kohout's theory of "cyclic flow" in the vicinity of Naples, Florida. Temperature logs were analyzed to identify a reverse geothermal gradient in the Floridan aquifer system. The geochemical analysis consisted of inorganics (major cations and anions), stable isotopes (2H, 18O), radiocarbon (14C), and noble gas (He, Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe) data. The temperature logs were inconclusive in identifying a reverse geothermal gradient in the study area. The geochemical analysis suggests that within the FAS relatively old meteoric freshwater circulates in the UFA over relatively young seawater of the MCU and …

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Isolation And Biosynthesis Of Terpenes In Pseudopterogorgia Elisabethae And Leptogorgia Minimata, Saalfeld Silke Von Jan 2006

Isolation And Biosynthesis Of Terpenes In Pseudopterogorgia Elisabethae And Leptogorgia Minimata, Saalfeld Silke Von

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

The marine environment has proven to be an extremely rich source of novel natural products with activities in a variety of biological assays. The field of marine natural products chemistry has enjoyed an explosion of growth over the past 40 years and currently there are marine-derived metabolites in clinical trials for cancer, analgesia, allergy and cognitive diseases. Even with this tremendous development, it is clear that chemists and pharmacologists are only beginning to scratch the surface of the biomedical potential of marine organisms. One problem with this source of new pharmaceuticals is that the supply of such compounds can be …

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Interaction Between Surface-Based And Edge-Based Motion Mechanisms In The Perception Of Apparent Motion, David F. Nichols Jan 2006

Interaction Between Surface-Based And Edge-Based Motion Mechanisms In The Perception Of Apparent Motion, David F. Nichols

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

The motion of an object may be perceived based on a change in location of either its surface or edges. By isolating the luminance changes produced by a moving object from the physical displacement of its surface and edges, it was found that a static object appears to move when the luminance changes are restricted to a narrow area adjacent to it. Therefore, changes in the luminance contrast of edges are sufficient for the perception of object motion. However, the existence of different motion signals based on luminance changes of edges and surfaces was confirmed by the occurrence of different …

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Markers Of Hypoxic Stress In Fishes Of The Kissimmee River, Lynda J. Dirk Jan 2006

Markers Of Hypoxic Stress In Fishes Of The Kissimmee River, Lynda J. Dirk

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

The channelized Kissimmee River experiences seasonally low dissolved oxygen levels which have changed the ecosystem to favor air-breathing species, while gamefish populations have declined greatly. In 2001 , the central portion of the river (Pool C) was physically restored. To evaluate the usefulness of various stress markers and assess the success of the partial restoration, the stress responses were analyzed (brain monoamines, heat shock proteins, and plasma cortisol) of air-breathing fish (bowfin, Florida gar), versus gamefish (largemouth bass and bluegill sunfish). Fish were collected from hypoxic and normoxic water at three sites in the Kissimmee River. Statistical analysis (MANOV A) …

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Masks, Carmel Codd Leen Jan 2006

Masks, Carmel Codd Leen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

The story of an Irish grandfather, Brendan Doran, covers the period 1918 through 1966; the story of his granddaughter, Maisie Doyle covers the summer of her seventeenth year. Brendan's perceptions are given in the first person viewpoint; Maisie's in the third-person viewpoint. A faithful following is given of Brendan's vernacular in young manhood; then, as he grows in sophisticated use of language his first-person narration reflects this. Both stories trace the psychological development of the two, leading to questions regarding the similarities and the differences between the romantic dreams of a young man and a young woman. An omniscient narrator …

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Mitigating Worm Propagation On Virtual Lans, Xiaoguang. Sun Jan 2006

Mitigating Worm Propagation On Virtual Lans, Xiaoguang. Sun

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

Recent worms have used sophisticated propagation techniques to propagate faster than the patch distribution and have utilized previously unknown vulnerabilities. To mitigate repetition of such epidemics in future, active defense mechanisms are needed that not only identify malicious activity, but can also defend against widespread outbreak. We provide a framework capable of reacting quickly to quarantine infections. The fundamental components of our framework are detector and VLAN switch. We have provided a proof of concept implementation, where we use the Blaster worm as an example, and demonstrate that detection of worms is possible, and individual infected hosts can be isolated …

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