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"Defining A New Normal": An Exploration Of Psychosocial Adjustment In Young Adult Survivors Of Adolescent Cancer, Kristen J. Quinlan

Open Access Dissertations

Psycho-oncology has been limited by inconsistent definitions of adjustment, leading to inconsistent information about the correlates of adjustment among adult survivors of pediatric cancer. Further, adolescent survivors are seldom broken out for special analysis, even though there are vast medical and developmental differences between those diagnosed during adolescence and those diagnosed at a younger age. The current study utilized a mixed method approach examine adjustment with 7 female and 5 male survivors of cancer who were diagnosed during adolescence. Thematic analysis revealed that adjustment is the process of changing one's perspective or redefining oneself as one works to determine a …

On The Boundedness Character Of Third-Order Rational Difference Equations, Eugene P. Quinn

Open Access Dissertations

We investigate the global behavior of the solutions of rational difference equations. In particular, we study the global stability, the periodic nature, and especially the boundedness character of their solutions. In the first manuscript we study the equation[special characters omitted]and establish that every solution of this equation converges to a (not necessarily prime) period-two solution when γ = β + δ + A and β + A is positive, and that unbounded solutions of this equation exist whenever γ > β + δ + A. In this case, we establish a very large set of initial conditions that produce unbounded solutions. …

Cupolets: Chaotic Unstable Periodic Orbits Theory And Applications, Kourosh Zarringhalam

Doctoral Dissertations

Recent theoretical work suggests that periodic orbits of chaotic systems are a rich source of qualitative information about the dynamical system. The presence of unstable periodic orbits located densely on the attractor is a typical characteristic of chaotic systems. This abundance of unstable periodic orbits can be utilized in a wide variety of theoretical and practical applications [19]. In particular, chaotic communication techniques and methods of controlling chaos depend on this property of chaotic attractors [12, 13].

In the first part of this thesis, a control scheme for stabilizing the unstable periodic orbits of chaotic systems is presented and the …

Surface Wind Response To Oceanic Fronts, Qingtao Song

Open Access Dissertations

The surface wind response in mesoscale to oceanic front was analyzed by using a combination of scatterometer (NSCAT and QuikSCAT) wind data and Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) sea surface temperature (SST) data in conjunction with numerical simulations made with Pennsylvania State University (PSU)-National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Mesoscale Model (MM5). MM5 simulations of the response of the marine atmospheric boundary layer (MABL) to a sharp SST front are compared with observations made during the Frontal Air-Sea Interaction Experiment (FASINEX) in the North Atlantic. The fully three-dimensional (3D) MM5 with the Medium-Range Forecast (MRF) boundary-layer model captures the …

The Postcolonial Body In Queer Space And Time, Rebecca Fine Romanow

Open Access Dissertations

This dissertation examines the ways in which the notion of the postcolonial correlates to Judith Halberstam's idea of queer space and time where, in "[detaching] queerness from sexuality" (1), chronologies represent a "diminishing future [which] creates a new emphasis on the here, the present, the now" (Halberstam2). Emphasizing authors from Africa, the Levant, and Southeast Asia in the diaspora in London from the mid-1960s through 1990, the reading of both postcolonial lands and subjects as "queer counterproductive" space reveals a depiction of bodies in these texts as located in and performing "queer space and time." I argue that the first …

An Examination Of The Relationship Between Perceived Parental Involvement And Adolescent Eating And Exercise Habits, Pamela Lea Steadman

Open Access Dissertations

Pediatric obesity is a major public health concern with alarming increases in prevalence rates over the past three decades, despite improvements in treatment and prevention efforts. Much of the focus on pediatric obesity prevention has revolved around children; however, little attention has been targeted toward adolescents. The current study is the first to examine the contribution of parental and adolescent perceptions of parental involvement in adolescent eating and exercise habits. Forty-six adolescent-parent dyads completed measures of perceived parental concern, responsibility, control and pressure exerted over adolescent health behaviors (AHB). Adolescents completed measures of current physical activity, eating habits, weight control …

Objectification Or Liberation? Bisexual And Lesbian Women's Experiences With Physical Appearance, Amy Black

Open Access Dissertations

Using a multi-method qualitative design and analytic approaches derived from grounded theory, the current study examined the appearance standards within lesbian and bisexual communities and how these norms relate to lesbian and bisexual women's psychological experiences with physical appearance. The study investigated how the women's diverse social identities relate to these experiences. Participants consisted of a relatively diverse sample of 24 bisexual (n = 10) and lesbian (n = 14) women who took part in 1 of 4 focus groups. From this sample, 4 bisexual women and 6 lesbians were recruited to participate in in-depth interviews. Participants represented a broad …

Social Capital And The Intent To Graduate Among Black And Hispanic High School Students, Erica E. Conners

Open Access Dissertations

Blacks and Hispanics have the highest high school drop out rates in the United States. The purpose of this study was to explore variables derived from "social capital" theory for their potential impact on Black and Hispanic students' intention to graduate high school. This study hypothesized that, beyond academic ability alone, Black and Hispanic adolescents respond to the level of "social capital" they perceive and experience from their families and school environments. Three "social capital" variables, parental educational encouragement, school responsiveness and extracurricular engagement, were examined for their contribution to intention to graduate among these populations. The participants were 181 …

Space-People-Language: A Grounded Theory Of A Place-Based Pedagogy In A First Year Writing Class, William Burns

Open Access Dissertations

This qualitative study uses grounded theory and teacher research to describe and analyze a place-based composition assignment experienced by a first year writing class at the University of Rhode Island in Fall 2004. Results suggest that participants used interconnecting spatial, social, and discursive techniques to construct familiarity and comfort in campus and writing environments, making explicit the relationships between spatial awareness, rhetorical strategies, and composing practices. These relationships have been previously theorized upon but have not resulted in in-depth qualitative accounts of pedagogical experiences. This study of spatial, rhetorical, and pedagogical theories and methods explores these relationships using the critical …

High School Teachers' Attitudes Toward Inclusion Of Students With Special Needs, Catherine Ernst

Open Access Dissertations

The movement to include students with disabilities in general education classrooms has experienced a shift toward thinking about restructuring of schools (Lipsky & Gartner, 1996; Stainback & Stainback, 1996). This shift is reflected in the growing body of literature about general educators' perspectives regarding inclusion (Avramidis & Norwich, 2002; Balboni & Pedrabissi, 2000; Van Reusen, Shoho & Barker, 2001; Wilczenski, 1992). Teacher attitudes are of particular importance because they will be implementing inclusion on a daily basis in the classroom (Hasazi, Johnston, Liggett & Schattman, 1994). The purpose of the present study was twofold. The first involved the development of …

Discourse On Diversity: A Qualitative Study Of A College Communication Course In Multiculturalism, Mary V. Gormley

Open Access Dissertations

The result of a semester long participant-observation study of an upper level Communication Studies course on multiculturalism, this dissertation investigates the efforts that students undertake with regard to multiculturalism, collaboration, and social change. Critical multiculturalism, like other forms of multiculturalism, encourages a pluralist perspective and acceptance of diversity, but it also looks at the social structures that underlie difference, at the intersections of differences, and at issues of privilege, power, oppression and social justice. It focuses not on difference as essentialist but as constructed, and it seeks to create and/or recognize opportunities to transform power relations. Similarly, cultural geography and …

Particle Dynamics And Shelf-Basin Interactions In The Western Arctic Ocean Investigated Using Radiochemical Tracers, Kate Hagstrom

Open Access Dissertations

A fundamental question in Arctic carbon cycling is the extent to which particulate organic carbon produced over the shelves is exported to the slope and interior basins. In this dissertation, the particle-reactive radionuclides 234Th (t1/2 = 24.1 d), 228Th (t1/2 = 1.9 y), and 210Pb (t1/2 = 22.3 y) were used as tracers of particulate organic carbon (POC) export fluxes, rates of particle aggregation, and sediment focusing. Samples were collected as part of the Shelf-Basin Interactions (SBI) Phase II field program in the shelf-slope region of the Chukchi Sea along a series of shelf-basin transects during the spring and summer …

The Rhetorical War: Class, Race And Redemption In Spanish-American War Fiction. Stephen Crane, Frank Norris, Richard Harding Davis And Sutton Griggs, David Scott Kramer

Open Access Dissertations

One of the primary purposes and contributions of this study is to recover and discover a place in literary history for an under-examined genre: fiction of the Spanish-American War of 1898. While scholars have extensively described the general contours of Spanish-American War rhetoric, its literary representations have been largely overlooked. I argue that a close analysis of the fictions of Stephen Crane (1871-1900), Richard Harding Davis (1864-1916), Frank Norris (1870-1902) and Sutton Griggs (1872-1933) complicates our understanding of the Spanish-American War and the rhetoric it generated. Compared to the bloody wars immediately preceding and following it, the short, decisive and …

The Pharmacokinetics And Pharmacodynamics Of Mycophenolic Acid In Kidney Transplant Recipients, Chirag G. Patel

Open Access Dissertations

Mycophenolic acid (MPA) is a common immunosuppressive agent administered as combined therapy with either cyclosporine (CsA) or tacrolimus (TAC). Since transplant patients are maintained on numerous other medications for co-existing conditions, drug interactions are commonly encountered in transplantation. A pharmacokinetic drug interaction study for MPA with either CsA or TAC was performed in 24 stable kidney transplant recipients. Patients with concomitant CsA displayed higher exposure to MPA as compared to patients on TAC. This was in contrast to results reported by similar studies. We owed it to the fact that our group of patients on CsA was also maintained on …

Determining The Effects Of A Foundations Of Education/Diversity Preparation Class On The Multicultural Knowledge, Skills And Dispositions Of Preservice Teacher Applicants, Christine M. Wilson

Open Access Dissertations

The importance of preparing teachers to work in diverse environments has been well established, yet there is little research indicating what methods work to prepare teachers. Many teacher education programs use foundations or multicultural preparation classes to develop the multicultural knowledge, skills, and dispositions of preservice teachers. In this study, a semester-long foundations of education/diversity preparation class of 26 students and one professor was examined; the goal was to determine what methods work to advance multicultural knowledge, skills, and dispositions. Mixed methodology was used. The quantitative aspect consisted of a pre/post test using Roysircar-Sodowsky's (1994) Multicultural Inventory-educator version. The qualitative …

A New Instrumentation For Particle Velocity And Velocity Related Measurements Under Water, Weijia Zhu

Open Access Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the capability of a new instrument for small particle velocity measurement and velocity related signal analysis in an underwater environment. This research started from the laser beam quality test, which was performed in air. It was conducted mainly by means of an optical fiber sensor combined with a computer controlled stepping motor as well as two other methods, edge detection and needle-tip scattering. The stepping motor offers a constant velocity to the fiber sensor, so that the beam separation can be accurately measured by using the constant velocity value and the transit time determined by the cross …

Liquefaction Potential Of Non-Plastic Silts, Aaron S. Bradshaw

Open Access Dissertations

Though soil liquefaction is commonly associated with loose sands, silt has been known to liquefy during large earthquakes. Unlike sands, however, the cyclic resistance of silt is difficult to quantify because current semi-empirical correlations are based largely on sandy soils having a fines content of less than about 35%. To better understand the cyclic resistance of silt, a cyclic triaxial testing program was conducted on non-plastic silts recovered from various sites in the Providence, RI area. A new modified moist tamping method was introduced for preparing reconstituted samples of silt for liquefaction testing. By comparing the results to undisturbed block …

The Virtual Eelgrass Meadow: A Simulation Of Zostera Marina L. Linking Physiology To Population Level Processes, Lora Anna Harris

Open Access Dissertations

The Virtual Eelgrass Meadow (VEM) was developed to link the population dynamics of eelgrass ramets with a mechanistic, physiological model of eelgrass growth that simulates rhizome elongation rates and new lateral shoot branching in two dimensions. The programming structure relies on an Individual Based Modeling approach emphasizing the botanical details of eelgrass ramet production and utilization of space. Growth rates depend on forced values of nitrogen loading and sediment sulfide concentrations, as well as the dynamic variables of light and temperature that also determine allocation of new production to leaves, rhizomes, or new lateral shoots. The pattern of lateral shoot …

Self, Other And The Sociopolitical In Politically Active Women Survivors Of Domestic Violence, Molly Ann Hedrick

Open Access Dissertations

This research examined experiences with interpersonal, intrapersonal, and structural violence in politically active women survivors of domestic violence. This study also explored how (if at all) these women described processes which Freire (2003) called critical consciousness and liberating action, and what these women can tell us about the processes of change. Participants were 16 survivors of domestic violence recruited from Sisters Overcoming Abusive Relationships (SOAR) in Rhode Island. SOAR is an organization run entirely by survivors of domestic violence and provides political activism with the goal of ending domestic violence. I utilized a mixed-methods, transformative and social constructivist concurrent design. …

An Investigation Of Thermal Stabilizing Additives And Interactions Between Electrolytes And Electrodes In Lithium Ion Batteries, Wentao Li

Open Access Dissertations

Capacity loss of lithium ion batteries develop over the period of a few years at room temperature and accelerate at elevated temperatures. It results partly from the electrolyte decomposition and degradation of solid electrolyte interface (SEI) on the surface of electrode materials. Efforts have been made to improve performances of lithium ion batteries based on the role of electrolyte and its interactions with the electrode materials. Dissociation of LiPF6 is the source of instability of the LIPF6-carbonate based electrolyte. The generated acidic species, PF5, HF and POF3, initiate and catalyzed the decomposition of the electrolyte. A series of Lewis bases …

Interannual And Seasonal Phytoplankton Variability In Massachusetts Bay From Remote And In Situ Measurements, Kimberly Joy Whitman Hyde

Open Access Dissertations

This study investigated the feasibility of augmenting monitoring data collected in Massachusetts Bay with satellite ocean color data to increase the spatial and temporal resolution of quantitative phytoplankton measurements. In coastal regions such as Massachusetts Bay ocean color remote sensing can be complicated by in-water constituents whose quantities vary independently of phytoplankton and by inaccurate modeling of absorbing aerosols. An evaluation of in situ and SeaWiFS measurements demonstrated that SeaWiFS overestimated chlorophyll a mainly due to atmospheric correction errors that were amplified by absorption from elevated concentrations of chlorophyll a and color dissolved organic matter. A regional empirical algorithm was …

"Man With Box", David D. Malley

Open Access Dissertations

Dating back to Edgar Allen Poe, short story criticism has pointed to the genre's ultimate and crucial goal of achieving an effect upon the reader. Indeed, a short story's effect upon the reader is integral to an explication of the story's themes. Further, the short story in its purest form visits upon the reader the effect of experiencing a perception of reality which lacks those psychic defense mechanisms that dominate our perceptions in everyday life. One can achieve the effect spoken of above in a number of ways. However, given my chosen themes in this collection of stories, the majority …

Testing For Explosives: Forensics And Hazards, Suvarna Kishore Marimganti

Open Access Dissertations

Hair has been used extensively for detection of drugs. Hair analysis has also been shown to be quicker and less invasive than other methods used for analysis of environmental pollutants in biological systems. This study examined the ability of hair to pick up explosives [2, 4, 6-trinitro toluene (TNT), hexahydro-1, 3, 3-trinitro-s-triazine (RDX), pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN), ethylene glycol dinitrate (EGDN), 2, 4-dinitrotoluene (2, 4-DNT), nitroglycerine (NG), triacetone triperoxide (TATP) and diacetone diperoxide (DADP)] via vapor diffusion. The results showed that the sorption of explosive to black hair is significantly higher than brown, blond and bleached hair. The hair did not …

Effects Of Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals On Fish Reproduction And Reproductive Indicators, Lesley Judith Mills

Open Access Dissertations

The central hypothesis tested in this dissertation is that endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) found in the aquatic environment disrupt reproductive processes in fish. To gain a broad perspective of existing evidence, a review of the current literature was conducted. From this literature review, the lack of a dependable method or indicator to assess reproductive fitness of fish in situ was identified as an outstanding need. In laboratory experiments, reproductive endpoints (egg production, fertility and viablity) were measured in the marine fish Tautogolabrus adspersus , or cunner, implanted with estrogens. Estrone and ethynylestradiol significantly reduced egg production in treated cunner at the …

Nonparametric Approaches For Analysis And Design Of Incoherent Adaptive Cfar Detectors, Ashwin Sarma

Open Access Dissertations

This thesis provides methods for nonparametric analysis and design of incoherent adaptive CFAR detectors. Adaptive CFAR detectors, both parametric and nonparametric, require a reference sample to learn the statistical properties of the noise. An important issue but one that is often overlooked is the need to choose a reference sample that is representative of the noise in the test cell. An approach to dynamically choose these windows is developed and studied. A powerful test for randomness based on the Mann-Kendall rank test is employed in this approach. Next the issue of when to use a nonparametric test versus a parametric …

Functional Silane Based Polymers For Sensing And Separations, Aruna M. Velamakanni

Open Access Dissertations

The work reported in this dissertation has focused primarily on two areas: Synthesis of functional silane based polymers and application of these polymers for separations and sensing. In the first part we reported on the design of a library of silane based copolymers synthesized with various side groups and substitutions on phenyl ring and their characterization using FTIR, UV, H1NMR, TGA and DSC. In the second part of this work, we describe the self-assembly of the above mentioned copolymers into multilayer onto various substrates, characterization of the materials on layered substrates and finally application of these polymers as sensors. The …

Acid-Base Property Of Double-Strand Polyaniline And The Preparation Of Inorganic/Organic Composite By Physical Adsorption, Hui Wan

Open Access Dissertations

This dissertation consists of two manuscripts. The first manuscript concerns the question of why the pKa for the conductor-to-insulator transition of polyaniline is shifted significantly when it forms a non-covalent complex with a polymeric anion. The second manuscript concerns the physical adsorption process to form inorganic particles coated with the conducting polymer, the double-strand polyaniline. The experimental data in both manuscripts show that the electrostatic interaction is the underlying driving force for these two apparently different phenomena. In the first manuscript we studied the reason for the large pKa shift of double-strand polyaniline complex. The amount of the pKa shift …

Metabolic Activities In Deep Subseafloor Sediments, Guizhi Wang

Open Access Dissertations

Microbes in subseafloor sediments account for a significant fraction of the Earth's total biomass. It has been argued that these communities are sustained at extremely low respiration rates, based on estimates of sulfate reduction rates and cell abundances. It is conceivable, however, that respiration rates may be much higher due to iron reduction. Iron reduction is difficult to directly quantify due to the removal of dissolved Fe(II) from pore waters. Additionally, hypothetically competing respiration pathways have been suggested to co-occur in deep subseafloor sediments based on qualitative analysis of chemical profiles. Yet, the vertical distributions of these processes and the …

Forensic Tools For Mobile Phone Subscriber Identity Modules, Wayne Jansen, Rick Ayers

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

Mobile phones and other handheld devices incorporating cellular capabilities, such as Personal Digital Assistants, are ubiquitous. Besides placing calls, these devices allow users to perform other useful tasks, including text messaging and phonebook entry management. When cell phones and cellular devices are involved in a crime or other incident, forensic specialists require tools that allow the proper retrieval and speedy examination of data present on the device. For devices conforming to the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) standards, certain data such as dialed numbers, text messages, and phonebook entries are maintained on a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM). This paper …

Designing A Data Warehouse For Cyber Crimes, Il-Yeol Song, John D. Maguire, Ki Jung Lee, Namyoun Choi, Xiaohua Hu, Peter Chen

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

One of the greatest challenges facing modern society is the rising tide of cyber crimes. These crimes, since they rarely fit the model of conventional crimes, are difficult to investigate, hard to analyze, and difficult to prosecute. Collecting data in a unified framework is a mandatory step that will assist the investigator in sorting through the mountains of data. In this paper, we explore designing a dimensional model for a data warehouse that can be used in analyzing cyber crime data. We also present some interesting queries and the types of cyber crime analyses that can be performed based on …