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2006

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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 …


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 …


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 …


Indicators Linked To The Success Of Students With Psychological Disabilities In Urban Community College Allied Health Sciences Programs, Deborah A. Casey Jan 2006

Indicators Linked To The Success Of Students With Psychological Disabilities In Urban Community College Allied Health Sciences Programs, Deborah A. Casey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

The purpose of this study was to identify what climate indicators (attitudinal, support provision, student interaction) found in allied health sciences classroom and clinical settings at a northwest community college contribute to the success of students with psychological disabilities. Three climate assessments and a series of interviews revealed crucial information regarding academic support necessary to assist students with psychological disabilities within the allied health sciences. Utilizing mixed methodologies, the researcher collected and analyzed data during the Fall 2005 academic quarter from 177 climate assessments and facilitated 33 interviews, five student focus groups, and five follow-up interviews with students with psychological …


Instructional Leadership: Principals Making A Difference With High-Poverty And Minority Populations To Improve Instruction And Increase Student Achievement, Julie. Hopkins Jan 2006

Instructional Leadership: Principals Making A Difference With High-Poverty And Minority Populations To Improve Instruction And Increase Student Achievement, Julie. Hopkins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

The purpose of the study was to examine instructional leadership through an in-depth multi-case study of three high poverty and high minority elementary school sites where the principals had been identified as instructional leaders. The study identified how schools with unique populations practiced instructional leadership and compared the methods used to the six standards described by the NAESP. In addition, the research identified actions of instructional leaders used to enhance school improvement efforts in schools serving high poverty and high minority populations while contributing to the understanding of the principal's role as an instructional leader. The three findings were: that …


Influence Of Consumers' Trust Beliefs On Intentions To Transact In The Online Environment: An E-Tail Study, Enrique P. Becerra Jan 2006

Influence Of Consumers' Trust Beliefs On Intentions To Transact In The Online Environment: An E-Tail Study, Enrique P. Becerra

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

With the increased importance of retailing through the Internet, or e-tailing, researchers and practitioners alike have been interested in the role that trust can play in intentions to transact online. However, influences of trust on intentions to provide personal information to complete the transaction, and influences of trust in the product category, and/or in the brand, on intentions to transact, have received little attention. This research fills the gap in the exiting literature by understanding the influence of product category trust, brand trust and vendor trust on intentions to transact online, a combination of intentions to purchase and intentions to …


Intimate Partner Homicide Methods In Heterosexual And Homosexual Relationships, Krystal D. Mize Jan 2006

Intimate Partner Homicide Methods In Heterosexual And Homosexual Relationships, Krystal D. Mize

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

From 1976 to 2001 over 50,000 people in the United States were victims of documented intimate partner lethal violence. In a study of intimate partner homicides in Chicago, Block and Christakos (1995) found that the weapon used varied based on the offender's gender. Relative to heterosexual partners, homosexual partners experience added stress due to a lack of social support of their relationships. The current study examined the effect of sex and sexual orientation of intimate partner homicide offenders on brutality of killing methods. Two hypotheses were formulated addressing the brutality of the murders as a function of the offender's sexual …


Label Routing Protocol: A New Cross-Layer Protocol For Multi-Hop Ad Hoc Wireless Network, Yu. Wang Jan 2006

Label Routing Protocol: A New Cross-Layer Protocol For Multi-Hop Ad Hoc Wireless Network, Yu. Wang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

Compared to the traditional wireless network, the multi-hop ad hoc wireless network (simply called ad hoc networks) is self-configurable, dynamic, and distributed. During the past few years, many routing protocols have been proposed for this particular network environment. While in wired and optical networks, multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) has clearly shown its advantages in routing and switching such as flexibility, high efficiency, scalability, and low cost, however MPLS is complex and does not consider the mobility issue for wireless networks, especially for ad hoc networks. This thesis migrates the label concept into the ad hoc network and provides a framework …


Key Management In Mobile Ad Hoc Networks, Bing. Wu Jan 2006

Key Management In Mobile Ad Hoc Networks, Bing. Wu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

In mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs), providing secure communications is a big challenge due to unreliable wireless media, host mobility and lack of infrastructure. Usually, cryptographic techniques are used for secure communications in wired networks. Symmetric and asymmetric cryptography have their advantages and disadvantages. In fact, any cryptographic means is ineffective if its key management is weak. Key management is also a central aspect for security in mobile ad hoc networks. In MANETs, the computational load and complexity for key management are strongly subject to restriction by the node's available resources and the dynamic nature of network topology. We proposed …


Iptv On Copper-Lines Converging Into "All-Optical" Trunk Transport: A Next-Generation Local-Loop Solution, Angela S. Perez Jan 2006

Iptv On Copper-Lines Converging Into "All-Optical" Trunk Transport: A Next-Generation Local-Loop Solution, Angela S. Perez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

A promising next-generation version of service that could be availed from local exchange carriers (LECs) refers to streaming Internet protocol based television (IPTV) programs into subscriber premises via traditional copper pairs. The present study addresses provisioning economically-budgeted and optimally-engineered bit rates (EBRs) in implementing IPTV technology in the local-loop via copper-pairs using the so-called (ADSL2/ADSL2+) technology (with high-speed/large bandwidth considerations plus copper-bonding for bandwidth sharing capabilities). Also studied is the way to extend the backhaul transport of IPTV on copper-lines (plus any other local-loop transmissions that may co-exist) onto an "all-optical" trunk of the inter-office facilities (IOFs) in the edge/core …


Leadership Styles Of Secondary School Principals As Perceived By Secondary School Teachers, David Brian Ross Jan 2006

Leadership Styles Of Secondary School Principals As Perceived By Secondary School Teachers, David Brian Ross

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

The purpose of this research was to examine secondary school teachers' perceptions of the leadership styles of their principals. The study explored perceptions of leadership styles in relation to selected demographic variables of the teachers (age, gender, ethnicity, level of education, teaching discipline, and years of teaching experience). It also examined differences among the responding teachers' perceptions of their principals' overall effectiveness as managers or leaders using the Leadership Orientations (Other) survey based on the four frames identified by Bolman and Deal. Secondary teachers employed by The School District of Palm Beach County were surveyed during the spring term of …


Marketing The Television Apparatus For American Consumption: Producing Meaning In Contemporary Magazine Advertisements, Kimberly J. Maskevich Jan 2006

Marketing The Television Apparatus For American Consumption: Producing Meaning In Contemporary Magazine Advertisements, Kimberly J. Maskevich

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

Contemporary magazine ads for television sets have much in common with their post WWII counterparts, the latter being produced during an era when the new technology was first getting installed in homes across the United States. Much has changed in the TV landscape since the postwar years. In particular, digital technology has altered the general terrain and set choices themselves are more diverse. Digital television began penetrating the marketplace in the 1990s and is predicted to become mainstream by 2010. Even though the cultural climate has shifted since the postwar era, along with the concept of the familial and traditional …


Isolation, Characterization And Synthesis Of New Diterpenes From Pseudopterogorgia Elisabethae, Zhongliang Wan Jan 2006

Isolation, Characterization And Synthesis Of New Diterpenes From Pseudopterogorgia Elisabethae, Zhongliang Wan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

Pseudopterogorgia elisabethae is a known source of structurally interesting bioactive metabolites. A detailed search for new, related compounds was undertaken in this study which resulted in the isolation and characterization of more than ten new diterpenes with serrulatane and ileabethane skeletons. Some of the new compounds isolated are closely related terpenes with significant biological activity and others are likely to be key biosynthetic intermediates. As a component of the development of a production method of anti-inflammatory compounds such as seco-pseudopterosin and elisabethadione, a synthesis of a seco-pseudoperosin aglycone from elisabethatriene was developed.


Morbid Jealousy From An Evolutionary Psychological Perspective, Judith A. Easton Jan 2006

Morbid Jealousy From An Evolutionary Psychological Perspective, Judith A. Easton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

Individuals diagnosed with morbid jealousy have hypersensitive jealousy mechanisms that cause them to have irrational thoughts about their partners and to exhibit extreme behaviors. Because morbid jealousy is defined as a malfunction of evolved jealousy mechanisms such that they produce increased chances of perceiving partner infidelity, research guided by an evolutionary psychological perspective can add insight to the understanding of the disorder. The present research tested eleven evolutionarily relevant hypotheses about jealousy, in an attempt to improve the understanding of the etiology of morbid jealousy. To investigate a large enough sample, I created a database of all the morbid jealousy …


Mother-Adolescent Conflict And Relationship Quality In Youth With And Without Behavior Problems, Paloma Lopez Prata Jan 2006

Mother-Adolescent Conflict And Relationship Quality In Youth With And Without Behavior Problems, Paloma Lopez Prata

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

Adolescence is a period of significant changes in relationships with mothers, specifically parent-adolescent conflict increases from childhood into adulthood. The present investigation is designed to address these differences by using adolescent and mother reports of conflict and relationship quality. The investigation addresses four research questions. (1) Do characteristics of conflict with mothers differ for adolescents with and without clinical problems? (2) Do perceptions of mother-child relationship quality differ for adolescents with and without clinical problems? (3) Do family characteristics moderate differences between clinical and nonclinical youth in motherchild of conflict? (4) Do family characteristics moderate differences between clinical and nonclinical …


Mothering And Male Masochism In Mary Elizabeth Braddon's Aurora Floyd, Denise Hunter Gravatt Jan 2006

Mothering And Male Masochism In Mary Elizabeth Braddon's Aurora Floyd, Denise Hunter Gravatt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

Feminist literary critics often praise Mary Elizabeth Braddon's sensation novels for undermining Victorian gender ideologies, and yet by failing to scrutinize aspects of maternity and female sexuality, they overlook some of her work's most subversive potential. In Aurora Floyd, for instance, Braddon deploys the trope of the missing mother to deconstruct the Victorian maternal ideal of a pure, passive angel in the house. Her text proposes a notion of motherhood, which is more concerned with internal goodness and vitality, rather than with the Victorian era's emphasis on external proprieties and socially constructed notions of femininity. Braddon's Aurora is a motherless …


New Results In Group Theoretic Cryptology, Michal Sramka Jan 2006

New Results In Group Theoretic Cryptology, Michal Sramka

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

With the publication of Shor's quantum algorithm for solving discrete logarithms in finite cyclic groups, a need for new cryptographic primitives arose; namely, for more secure primitives that would prevail in the post-quantum era. The aim of this dissertation is to exploit some hard problems arising from group theory for use in cryptography. Over the years, there have been many such proposals. We first look at two recently proposed schemes based on some form of a generalization of the discrete logari thm problem (DLP), identify their weaknesses, and cryptanalyze them. By applying the exper tise gained from the above cryptanalyses, …


Neural Network Approach To Bayesian Background Modeling For Video Object Segmentation, Dubravko. Culibrk Jan 2006

Neural Network Approach To Bayesian Background Modeling For Video Object Segmentation, Dubravko. Culibrk

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

Object segmentation in a video sequence is an essential task in video processing and forms the foundation of content analysis, scene understanding, object-based video encoding (e.g. MPEG-4), various surveillance and 2D-to-pseudo-3D conversion applications. Popularization and availability of video sequences with increased spatial resolution requires development of new, more efficient algorithms for object detection and segmentation. This dissertation discusses a novel neural-network-based approach to background modeling for motion-based object segmentation in video sequences. In particular, we show how Probabilistic Neural Network (PNN) architecture can be extended to form an unsupervised Bayesian classifier for the domain of video object segmentation. The constructed …


Nutrire: Nurture, Nursing A Material Culture Analysis Of Invalid/Infant Feeders And The Aesthetics And Caring Of Nursing, Nancy K. Smith Jan 2006

Nutrire: Nurture, Nursing A Material Culture Analysis Of Invalid/Infant Feeders And The Aesthetics And Caring Of Nursing, Nancy K. Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

This dissertation analyzes a nursing artifact: the infant/invalid feeder. A material culture analysis, developed by the author, is utilized for the in depth study of 12 feeders. This work assumes that Caring is the core value of what constitutes nursing and nursing practice. The expression of the aesthetics of nursing through the act of feeding and use of infant/invalid feeders, aesthetic knowing and expression of that knowing, links caring and caring presence. The act of feeding another, whether sick or infant has been the domestic sphere of women throughout history and is also considered one of the most important duties …


Multicultural Discourse: A Comparative Case Study Of Government Practices In Facilitation Of Multicultural Public Discourse In South Florida, Dragan M. Stanisevski Jan 2006

Multicultural Discourse: A Comparative Case Study Of Government Practices In Facilitation Of Multicultural Public Discourse In South Florida, Dragan M. Stanisevski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

Modern societies are increasingly becoming more culturally diverse. In theories of multiculturalism and governance two approaches to government involvement in managing the dynamics of multicultural interactions prevail, majoritarian and consociational models of democracy. The discursive model of democracy is offered in this study as an alternative model that allows for citizen engagement in public deliberations of conflicting issues. I argue that government has an active role in facilitating multicultural discourses in communities. In facilitation of multicultural discourses I consider public recognition of cultural differences as one important element for citizen inclusion in public deliberations. The practices of three county governments …


Music, Rhetoric And The Creation Of Feminist Consciousness In The Marian Songs Of Hildegard Of Bingen (1098--1179), Beverly R. Lomer Jan 2006

Music, Rhetoric And The Creation Of Feminist Consciousness In The Marian Songs Of Hildegard Of Bingen (1098--1179), Beverly R. Lomer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

This dissertation examines the sixteen songs to Mary in the Symphonia armonie celestium revelationum of twelfth century nun composer, Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179). The analysis demonstrates that the idiosyncratic musical style of the Symphonia cycle represents an innovative application of the rhetorical procedures of the medieval ars praedicandi and the ars dictamen to music centuries in advance of an articulated concept of musical rhetoric, and that one goal of the Marian repertory was to affect the self-consciousness of the all-female audience in a positive direction. The effect is achieved through the strategically constructed and inextricable relationship between text and melody. …


Permutation-Based Transformations For Digital Multimedia Encryption And Steganography, Daniel Socek Jan 2006

Permutation-Based Transformations For Digital Multimedia Encryption And Steganography, Daniel Socek

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

The aim of this work is to explore the utilization of permutation-based transformations to achieve compression, encryption and steganography in the domain of digital videos. The main contribution of this dissertation is a novel type of digital video encryption that has several advantages over other currently available digital video encryption methods. An extended classification of digital video encryption algorithms is presented in order to clarify these advantages. The classification itself represents an original work, since to date, no such comprehensive classification is provided in known scientific literature. Both security and performance aspects of the proposed method are thoroughly analyzed to …


Photodegradation Of 2-Mercaptobenzothiazole Disulfide And Related Benzothiazoles, Zuzana Zajickova Jan 2006

Photodegradation Of 2-Mercaptobenzothiazole Disulfide And Related Benzothiazoles, Zuzana Zajickova

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

Benzothiazoles are heterocyclic compounds used predominantly as rubber vulcanization accelerators. The overall goal of our research was to investigate the photodegradation behavior of 2-mercaptobenzothiazole disulfide, its degradation product 2-mercaptobenzothiazole, and further degradation product benzothiazole. Modern analytical techniques were utilized to follow photodegradation process at arbitrary intervals. A chromatographic method using reverse phase liquid chromatography was developed for the separation of benzothiazoles in the irradiated mixture. Direct photolysis of benzothiazole and 2-mercaptobenzothiazole in methanol at 253.7 and 313 nm in the presence or absence of oxygen was investigated at first. Benzothiazole was found to undergo photodimerization into 2,2'-bibenzothiazole, and in the …


'Persistent Heterogeneity' V. 'State Dependence': A Cross-Sectional Test Of Gottfredson And Hirschi's Low Self-Control Stability Hypothesis, Sandra Medlicott Jan 2006

'Persistent Heterogeneity' V. 'State Dependence': A Cross-Sectional Test Of Gottfredson And Hirschi's Low Self-Control Stability Hypothesis, Sandra Medlicott

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

In A General Theory Of Crime Gottfredson and Hirschi (1990) suggest that "low self-control" is an enduring individual characteristic that is the product of inadequate child-rearing. Sampson and Laub's (1993) Crime In the Making: Pathways and Turning Points Through Life somewhat supports this contention. However, the latter authors also suggest that later life experiences might change the direction of the life path (and self-control). This thesis examines whether adequate child-rearing is the key causal determinant of low self-control in later life. It further tests whether later life-course transitions might alter and/or impact low self-control. The results suggest that the impact …


Polymorphism And Selection At Exon 2 Of The Class Ii Beta Chain Of The Major Histocompatibility Complex In Forpus Passerinus, Jaclyn M. Walbroehl Jan 2006

Polymorphism And Selection At Exon 2 Of The Class Ii Beta Chain Of The Major Histocompatibility Complex In Forpus Passerinus, Jaclyn M. Walbroehl

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

Female mate choice has been proposed to be a major force acting to maintain the polymorphism of the MHC, the most genetically variable genes known. I genotyped seventy-two individuals from a free-living population of the parrot, Forpus passerinus, in order to determine whether disassortative mating is the mode of selection acting at this locus. Both the high rate of nonsynonymous amino acid changes at the peptide binding regions of exon 2 of the class II beta gene and the unprecedented number of alleles found in this population provided strong evidence for the operation of selection. Despite this, a chi-square test …


Penny Stock Ipos As Investments, Daniel K. Konku Jan 2006

Penny Stock Ipos As Investments, Daniel K. Konku

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

Researchers of Initial Public Offerings, IPOs, have, traditionally, filtered out low-priced stocks with cut-off prices depending on individual study. This study examines underpricing, short- and long-run performance of one special class of such low-priced stocks. I examine IPOs filed for and issued as Penny Stocks, as defined by the amended SEC Act of 1990. The study finds average first-day excess returns of 128% over a benchmark NASDAQ Decile 1 Index. The excess returns on nonpenny IPOs issued on the same markets as the penny stocks are 7.6% over the S&P 500 Index. Cross-sectional analyses show that lower-priced penny stocks and …


Prediction Of Broadband Self-Noise Of An Airfoil, Carlos L. Gomez Jan 2006

Prediction Of Broadband Self-Noise Of An Airfoil, Carlos L. Gomez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

With the increase of air traffic and the introduction of larger aircraft and therefore larger engines, the noise generated by aircraft engines have become of greater importance. In order to address these problems, noise prediction codes must be developed in order to better understand the noise generating process. This thesis addresses important issues related to broadband self-noise from ducted fans based on the prediction model developed by Glegg and Jochault [1]. By addressing issues regarding the prediction of broadband self-noise from an isolated airfoil with the observer in the far field directly overhead (at 90° above), improvements can be made …


Range Assignment Problem And Security In Wireless Networks, Mohammad O. Pervaiz Jan 2006

Range Assignment Problem And Security In Wireless Networks, Mohammad O. Pervaiz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

This thesis considers two important issues in wireless networks. In first part, we address Energy-Efficient Range Assignment in Heterogeneous Wireless Sensor Networks (HRA) and in second part, we present a survey on security attacks in ad hoc wireless networks. We address the HRA problem by selecting the transmission range for each energy-constraint sensor node such that a multi-hop communication path exists between each sensor' node and a resource-rich supernode while maximum power required is minimized. This is the first work to address this problem. We propose several solutions: an Integer Programming approach, a distributed greedy protocol, and a minimum spanning …


Privatization As An Administrative Reform: The Case Of Bangladesh, Md. Rafiqul Islam Jan 2006

Privatization As An Administrative Reform: The Case Of Bangladesh, Md. Rafiqul Islam

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

Privatization has been a major policy and administrative reform all over the world for the last twenty-five years. Public bureaucracy is one of the first institutions of government to be affected by privatization as a reform. The major purpose of this dissertation was to examine the perception of the civil servants of Bangladesh towards privatization with respect to national development. In order to examine the perception of Bangladeshi civil servants, this dissertation has examined the answers to the question: "What are the perceptions of civil servants in Bangladesh towards privatization with respect to national development?" It has also examined the …


Residue, Susan L. Carlson Jan 2006

Residue, Susan L. Carlson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

This creative thesis contains 19 poems exploring and examining the association of residues, primarily through that of memory and memories, through a process of defining and (re)defining those associations of memory (the residues) that attach themselves to memory and the actions of and upon memory. This thematic thread is woven throughout with narrative prose and verse, traditional and free verse, and the melding of each in an effort to exemplify the relationships between memory and its residual associations through structure, form, and language. Speakers are most often characters who represent the roles of memory and the associate value of the …