Digital Commons Network^™

Slovakia's Surge: The New System's Impact On Fiscal Decentralization, Phillip J. Bryson, Gary C. Cornia

Faculty Publications

Slovakia's transition history long paralleled that of the Czech Republic, but the former adopted bold new reforms early in tis decade. This paper is a comparative treatment of fiscal decentralization since 1993 and more recent reforms of public administration, the two efforts representing the foundation of the New System. Czech experience is invoked simply to provide an appropriate benchmark for the evaluation of Slovakia's New System introduced in 2004, including the 19% "flat tax" and other striking measures in local public finance. The second focus of the paper is on the macro-economic impact of the New System. It is too …

Earmstrong, Armstrong Atlantic State University

Armstrong News & Publications: e-Armstrong Newsletter (Archived)

No abstract provided.

Development And Integration Of An Organization's Information Systems And Enterprise Web Applications Via Enterprise Portals Of Sap, Ankit Jain

Masters Theses & Doctoral Dissertations

This Project uses an enterprise portal which integrates organizations applications and information for different sets of users, enabling employees and managers to carry out there routine tasks from anywhere and anytime, serving as a single point of information for an organization's employees, customer or partners and helps them access a company's services as per their individual access levels. This project also develops an enterprise application which allows employees to file their benefits enrollment online. The application developed is then displayed with in the organizations enterprise portals. The project uses SAP provided development tools and supported technologies and is developed for …

A Small Community Web Site, Dale O. Brovold

Masters Theses & Doctoral Dissertations

Small communities have difficulties in trying to retain and attract new families. Many people who are looking at new communjties do not have a place to check out information about these communities. Large commuruties have dedicated websites to attract new farrulies and businesses. These sites provide information about local business, government, and school information. Large communities also have the resources to develop and maintain websites for this purpose. Small communities usually do not have these resources available. This project will provide a solution to this problem by providing a web site that provides the basic communjty information about local businesses, …

Service Center Project, David Stendel

Masters Theses & Doctoral Dissertations

This report is concerning the creation of a service center system for the Business, IT & Public Services department at Valencia Community College (VCC) in Orlando, Florida. Since the department did not have a formal system in place for tracking faculty and staff problems and requests, one was built to assist and centralize communication and documentation. It would also facilitate the department with justifying budget changes. The main components of the system include a single telephone number, a Web site, a database, and an e-mail aspect. The Web site is made up of a home page to link the other …

University Of Minnesota Horse Owner Survey: Building An Equine Extension Program, Krishona Martinson, Marcia Hathaway, Julia H. Wilson, Betsy Gilkerson

Journal of Extension

The University of Minnesota conducted a statewide survey of 1,008 Minnesota horse owners to characterize their preferences for education on equine topics. The mail survey engendered an excellent response rate (67%) and clearly identified the need for a statewide horse program in Minnesota. The majority of horse owners currently obtain information from equine magazines, other horse owners, veterinarians, trainers, and farriers. When asked how they would like to obtain horse-related information, horse owners preferred short publications, the Internet, and evening seminars. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first survey conducted to determine the educational needs of horse …

4-H Animal Welfare Assessment: Does It Work?, Kimberly Anderson, Karen Waite, Camie Heleski

Journal of Extension

Contained in this article are results of a pilot 4-H equine welfare assessment contest. The results were used to examine the success of the first equine welfare assessment contest for 4-H members. Knowledge of equine welfare concerns was assessed, along with opinions about those concerns. Enhancement of awareness of equine welfare issues occurred by the conclusion of the experience. Additional contests, incorporating multiple species, would be beneficial for 4-H youth.

Evaluation Tool For Community Development Coalitions, Holly Berry, Sally R. Bowman, Rebecca Hernandez, Clara Pratt

Journal of Extension

Assessing the impact of community development coalitions over time is relevant to Extension professionals who may wish to measure success and lessons learned. We describe an evaluation tool in which coalition members and key informants assess community goals before the existence of the community coalitions and after the coalitions have been operating, utilizing a retrospective pretest. The responses of coalition members are posted, and a facilitated discussion allows members to change their ratings. Key informants are then interviewed using the same questions. The responses of informants and coalition members are compared, resulting in a comprehensive yet quick evaluation.

Experiential-Based Learning And Peer Teaching Boost Elementary Students' Calcium Intake, Kathy Savoie

Journal of Extension

This article describes a nutrition education project that exposed students to experiential-based learning activities and peer-teaching models to improve their knowledge and dietary behaviors related to dairy foods. The students engaged in hands-on activities like milking cows, measuring portions, and the Dairy Detective Adventure at the county fair. 4-H club members were included in the project as peer-teachers. Dairy Food Frequency Questionnaires (pre and post program) indicated that students made significant changes in the variety and frequency of dairy food consumed. Upon completion, close to 90% of the students were consuming at least three dairy servings each day.

Using A Multi-Phase Community Assessment To "Chart The Course" Of Communities In Southern Ohio, Jeffrey C. Fisher, Deanna L. Tribe, David K. Apsley

Journal of Extension

Extension must be responsive to the communities it serves in order to remain relevant. A multi-phased community assessment process was designed to acquire a holistic understanding of communities and perceptions of residents regarding broad issues within 16 counties in southern Ohio. This process has helped us better understand these communities and has served as a conduit to increase community awareness of Extension, build stronger and more efficient Extension teams, foster new and enhance existing partnerships, and stimulate positive change.

Developing Culturally Appropriate Evaluation Instruments For Hispanics With Diabetes, Marisa B. Warrix, Ruben D. Nieto, Mary Ann Nicolay

Journal of Extension

Type 2 diabetes is a major health problem among Hispanics in the United States. This article describes the process of developing a Spanish-language version of an evaluation instrument of Hispanic seniors who participated in a diabetes education program. Content, face validity, and reliability are also discussed. A team of Extension educators, evaluation experts, diabetes educators, and community partners representing the Hispanic community contributed to the success of the process. The process can be used with other non-English speaking groups with diabetes. Recommendations for other methods of data collection are discussed.

Extension's Role In Developing "Choice" Food Pantries In Southwest Ohio, Daniel Thomas Remley, Toni Gallagher, Joyce Mcdowell, Mary Kershaw

Journal of Extension

Extension can play a key role in developing "choice" food pantries. Choice food pantries differ from traditional pantries in that they allow families to choose food items based on preference and need rather than have food "handed" to them in a box or bag. Extension programs, such as Ohio's Family Nutrition Program, can help families who go to choice pantries make healthy food choices and improve resource management skills in order to foster long-term health and food security. Extension educators can also play a role in developing a "point" system to allow choice based on nutrition principles.

Anger Management Toolbox For Parents, Michaelyn (Mikki) Bixler, Alice M. Crites, Jo Anne Kock

Journal of Extension

It's Monday morning, Mom and Dad are tired, their children aren't cooperating, and this is adding tension to an already stressful day. Before they react to their children with anger, parents can try reaching for the Anger Management Toolbox. Or, it could be that their three-year-old has not yet learned how to share her toys with others and this is causing quite a problem within the family. What can they do? The Anger Management Toolbox can help. This novel parenting tool gives positive strategies for handling "hot button" issues that often occur when raising children.

Women’S Health In Developing Countries, Javed Rizvi, Nadeem F. Zuberi

Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology

Healthcare priorities are different in developing and developed countries. A more effective resource allocation, complemented by efforts to implement only those practices that are effective, should be a priority for improving reproductive health services in developing countries. A large burden of gynaecological disease exists in developing countries and it is difficult to envisage serious reforms and improvements without an increase in public-sector spending. However, communities themselves could assume some responsibility for women's health in ways that prioritize women's own perceptions and primary needs. In this chapter we have compiled existing evidence regarding various gynaecological problems faced by women in developing …

Implant Esthetics Using A Nobel Replace Standard Implant Vs. Nobel Perfect Scalloped Implant Placed In Immediate Extraction Sockets In The Esthetic Zone Of The Maxilla., John W. Mcgehee

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Aims. The primary aim of this study was to compare esthetic outcomes for the Nobel Replace Standard implant vs. the Nobel Perfect Scalloped implant as determined by hard and soft tissue measurements and objective and subjective esthetic indices. Methods. 18 patients with a tooth in the maxillary esthetic zone scheduled for replacement with an immediate implant who had at least one adjacent tooth were included in the study. Nine test patients received a Nobel Perfect scalloped platform implant and 9 positive control patients received a Nobel Replace 2-stage flat platform implant. Prior to suturing a fixture level impression was taken …

Multivariate Discretization Of Continuous Valued Attributes., Ehab Ahmed El Sayed Ahmed 1978-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The area of Knowledge discovery and data mining is growing rapidly. Feature Discretization is a crucial issue in Knowledge Discovery in Databases (KDD), or Data Mining because most data sets used in real world applications have features with continuously values. Discretization is performed as a preprocessing step of the data mining to make data mining techniques useful for these data sets. This thesis addresses discretization issue by proposing a multivariate discretization (MVD) algorithm. It begins withal number of common discretization algorithms like Equal width discretization, Equal frequency discretization, Naïve; Entropy based discretization, Chi square discretization, and orthogonal hyper planes. After …

Factors Of Effectiveness In Kentucky Nonprofit Social Welfare Organizations., Peggy Proudfoot-Mcguire

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is an exploratory, mixed methods study using grounded perspective to examine how stakeholders (including consumers, administrators, and practitioners) in social welfare organizations perceive effectiveness in the nonprofit social welfare sector. Focus groups were held in eight regions constituting the Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) in Kentucky. A total of 25 people participated in the study. A theoretical framework of nonprofit social welfare organizational effectiveness emerged from the data indicating that the five most significant factors identified by stakeholders as constituting effectiveness in the nonprofit social welfare sector in Kentucky were (a) client services, (b) organizational structure © workplace …

A Continued Investigation Of Craniofacial Growth In Infant Heart Transplant Recipients Receiving Cyclosporine, Gabriel Enriquez

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Since the mid 1980’s, Cyclosporine has proved to be an effective immunosuppressive drug and now has a widespread application in organ transplantation. Several studies, however, have implicated cyclosporine as adversely affecting craniofacial growth in the pediatric population. ^16,18 The purpose of this follow-up study was to continue to evaluate the possible untoward effects of long-term use of cyclosporine on craniofacial growth in a group of infant heart transplantation recipients by re-evaluating as many subjects as possible from the original study and evaluating new subjects. A pediatric group (N=13) was composed of six Caucasian subjects (4 male and 2 female, ages …

Psychosocial Adjustment Among Refugee Children, Nola Ivana Lawrence

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Refugee children are faced with multiple stressors. These stressors include unresolved issues with country of origin, transition to a new country, and long-term adjustment. War is a traumatic situation. For children who have gone through the trauma of war, parents may contribute one of the major influences to their psychosocial adjustment. The purpose of this study was to assess the role that parental mental health, as measured by the Hopkins Symptom Checklist - 25 (HSCL-25) and parenting sense of competence as measured by the Parenting Sense of Competence Scale (PSOC), plays in children’s psychosocial adjustment to war trauma using delinquency …

Reefer Madness: Broken Windows Policing And Misdemeanor Marijuana Arrests In New York, Bernard E. Harcourt, Jens Ludwig

Public Law and Legal Theory Working Papers

No abstract provided.

An In Vitro Model Of Ovarian Cancer: Studying The Effects Of Talc And Pycnogenol®, Amber Renée Buz'zard

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Ovarian cancer is the sixth most common cancer and accounts for more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive system. The American Cancer Society has suggested that poor diet, talc and industrial pollutants may increase the risk of developing ovarian cancer. Talc is ubiquitous and concern is raised about its safety, role as a possible carcinogen and known ability to cause irritation and inflammation. Due to the silent nature of ovarian cancer, chemoprevention is a high priority. The most useful chemopreventive compounds will inhibit, delay or reverse carcinogenesis, and can be taken for long periods of time with …

Resorbable Barrier Effect In Sinus Graft Using Anorganic Bone, Kyung-Soo Choi

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The effect of a resorbable membrane on new bone formation in human maxillary sinus augmentation using anorganic bovine material is unclear at the present time. As a pilot study, six patients who required bilateral maxillary sinus augmentations for endoessous dental implant treatment were grafted with anorganic bovine bone material. All six patients had a resorbable collagen membrane placed over the graft material on only one side for the sinus augmentation. At the time of implant placement, a minimum of 8 months following sinus graft healing, a biopsy was made of each side to permit histomorphometric analysis.

Similar amounts of new …

Roadblocks To Success: What Is Preventing The Literacy Achievement Of Mexican-American Students?, Barbara J. Ross

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Cognitive Impairment And Substance Abuse: Implications For Treatment Planning, Hunter Downing Alessi, Mary Ballard, Alan Kirk, Nicholas Montalbano

Faculty Articles

The cognitive abilities of 24 males at an in-patient substance abuse facility were assessed using the Neurobehavioral Cognitive Status Examination (Cognistat). Findings suggested that there were significant changes in cognitive functioning during the 21-day in-patient treatment as measured by the Cognistat. Implications for mental health professionals working with this population are discussed.

The New Hampshire, Vol. 96 [97], No. 22 (Dec. 1, 2006), The New Hampshire

The New Hampshire Print Edition

An independent student produced newspaper from the University of New Hampshire. This volume was printed as 96, but it is the 97th volume in the series. This was corrected in pencil.

Annual Pastural Land Condition Report: 2005 / 2006 Financial Year, Department Of Agriculture And Food, Western Australia

Natural resources published reports

The following 2005/06 Annual Report to the Western Australian Pastoral Lands Board presents an assessment of overall land condition on pastoral properties throughout the Rangelands of Western Australia.

The Western Australian Rangelands pastoral estate consists of 466 Stations covering approximately 910 000 km2. This equates to 42% of the States Rangelands. The total number of pastoral leases has continued to decline from the previous reporting period and there are currently 478 stations (525 Leases).

The Rangelands are made up of a diverse range of climates from the semi arid tropics in the north to the arid south. Topography and rainfall …

Feeding And Managing Sheep In Dry Times, Ian Mcfarland, Mandy Curnow, Mike Hyder, Brian Ashton, Danny Roberts

Bulletins 4000 -

Feeding sheep is a significant cost to any sheep or mixed farm enterprise in southern Australia. The cost is usually managed by annually sourcing feed on-farm. However, this feed source can become scarce when we experience unusual dry spells within seasons (termed a 'dry season', such as a dry winter or spring), a late break to the season, a drought year, or even worse, successive drought years.

Climate change research suggests that southern Australia will experience higher annual temperatures and a decline in mean growing season rainfall (particularly winter and spring) over the coming decades. This will affect the productivity …

Bend It Like Beckham: Embodying The Motor Skills Of Famous Athletes, P Bach, Sp Tipper

School of Psychology

Observing an action activates the same representations as does the actual performance of the action. Here we show for the first time that the action system can also be activated in the complete absence of action perception. When the participants had to identify the faces of famous athletes, the responses were influenced by their similarity to the motor skills of the athletes. Thus, the motor skills of the viewed athletes were retrieved automatically during person identification and had a direct influence on the action system of the observer. However, our results also indicated that motor behaviours that are implicit characteristics …

The Role Of Feeding Plate In Reducing Some Nutritional And Health Problems Accompaniment To Cleft Palate Infants, Huda Abid Al-Hameed Jassim

Baghdad Science Journal

The present study was designed to indicate the influence of the feeding plate on the nutritional and general health problems of the isolated cleft palate infants. For this study fourteen infants were taken, their ages between one day to one week, refered from cosmetic surgery and palate center to cleft lip and palate rehabilitation center in institute of technical medical/Baghdad for feeding plate purpose. Four infants put them as normal group; all those infants were subjected during (6th) month to evaluate the body weight, feeding problem and the respiratory infection. According to tables and figures this study showed a gradual …

Effectiveness Of Aquatic Phytoremediation Of Nutrients Via Watercress (Nasturtium Officinale), Basil (Ocimum Basilicum), Dill (Anethum Graveolens) And Lettuce (Lactuca Sativa) From Effluent Of A Flow-Through Aquaculture Operation, Derek J. Dyer

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Effluent from the aquaculture industry is a source of nutrient loading upon water bodies nationwide. Aquaponics, the simultaneous cultivation of fish and plants, has the potential to effectively reduce nutrient concentrations through phytoremediation, with the added benefit of producing a valuable crop. The purpose of this preliminary research was to determine if watercress ( Nasturtium officinale) could be used to reduce nutrients from aquaculture effluent in sufficient concentrations to be functional as a remediation technique. Additionally, basil (Ocimum basilicum), dill (Anethum graveolens) and lettuce (Lactuca sativa) were correspondingly examined. Conditions which affected plant growth versus nutrient remediation were also to …