Digital Commons Network^™

Memoirs Of The Persecuted: Persecution, Memory, And The West As A Mormon Refuge, David W. Grua

Theses and Dissertations

The memory of past violence in Missouri and Illinois during the 1830s and 1840s shaped how members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Latter-day Saints or Mormons) saw themselves, their persecutors, and the states and the nation where the violence occurred. This thesis explores the role of collective memory of violence in forming Mormon identities and images of place from 1838, when governor Lilburn W. Boggs expelled the Latter-day Saints from Missouri, to 1858, with the conclusion of the Utah War. I argue that Latter-day Saint authors during these two decades used the memory of persecution to …

"They Were Neither Typical..Nor Unique" : An Exploratory Study Of Enlistment Decisions Of American Veterans From Past To Present, Kelly Alexis Brogden

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This is an exploratory study of American veterans' decisions to join the military. Nine veterans from various branches of the military were interviewed regarding their decision process and what factors influenced their decision to join, including how they decided which branch to join, peoples' reactions to their decision, and how they reflect on their decision now. They were also asked their opinion on whether veterans today are receiving the services or acknowledgement that they think they should be getting. Participants were from various war eras and ranged in age from 24 to 88. Major findings regarding the decision to join …

University Of Nebraska At Omaha, August Commencement 2008, University Of Nebraska At Omaha

Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

Vietnam Combat Veterans : Readjustment Through The Lenses Of Identity And Social Drama, Michael S. Slevin

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This thesis asks whether Erik Erikson's theory of psychosocial development and Victor Turner's theory of social drama can be usefully integrated to help social workers better understand the experiences and challenges of Vietnam veterans. Specifically, this thesis will apply Erikson's phase of identity consolidation and confusion that occurs in late adolescence. Turner's processual social drama will be applied to the rules, roles, and institutions of a changing society. The phenomenon is twofold: first, it comprises the social and ideological upheaval during the decade of the 1960s; second, it comprises the individual stories of challenge and change in the lives of …

Vital Statistics And Components Of Population Change, David J. Drozd

CPAR Presents: A Data and Research Series for Community Impact

This presentation features: A population changes in 2 ways . . .; Migration is a somewhat complex topic . . .; Migration Considerations; Census migration data; Birth rates vary by mom’s age (2006 Nebraska Data); Fertility rates are increasing among Nebraska’s 3 major race/ethnic groups; Looking at Rates Provides Additional Information; and 2 major points from the Nebraska Births Report.

Census Overview:Basics, Acs, & Estimates, David J. Drozd

CPAR Presents: A Data and Research Series for Community Impact

This presentation discusses: Terminology & Definitions; Decennial Census Datafiles; Other Datafiles on American FactFinder; Geography; Geography vs. Data (A Duel); PUMA geography; The American Community Survey: What is it?; ACS Goals; ACS History and Timeline; ACS Methodology in Brief; ACS Methodology—Sampling; Differences between Census 2000 and the ACS; ACS and Census 2000: Other Differences; ACS New Subject Areas; Changes for the 2008 ACS; Nebraska ACS Data: Current Time Series; Nebraska ACS Data “On the Way”; ACS Data Release Schedule (full implementation in 2005); 2007 ACS Data Release; Small Area Data for Test Sites; Small Area Data for Test Sites (continued); …

An Introduction To Gis, Loren Ditsch

CPAR Presents: A Data and Research Series for Community Impact

This presentation discusses: What is GIS; GIS Uses; GIS Map Layers; GIS Layer Features and Attributes; GIS Surfaces; Zip Code Shape Files; Downloading Census Data; Census Data and GIS; Combining Two Excel Documents; Joining Tables; Using Symbology to Illustrate Data on a Map; and Creating A Final Map.

Health Data And Vital Statistics, Richard Schultz

CPAR Presents: A Data and Research Series for Community Impact

This presentation features: Purpose; Organization; Birth Certificates: Filed 100% Electronically since 2005; Death Certificates: Approx. 20% filed Electronically since 2005; Vital Statistics Data Analysis, Table, Pie Chart, Bar Graph, Point Map, Region Map, Disparities; BRFSS Survey, Items, Trend Analysis; Health and Geography; GIS in Environmental-Lead; and GIS in Health Surveillance.

What Are The Factors That Influence Whether A Clinician Discusses Race In The Crossracial Therapeutic Encounter?, Anna Cristina Goett

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This study attempts to gain insight into cross-racial therapy from the point of view of the clinician. Engaging in dialogues about race is one method identified in the literature that is said to facilitate the cross-racial therapeutic process. The primary research question is: What are the factors that influence whether a clinician discusses race in the cross-racial therapeutic encounter? This researcher hypothesizes that certain clinician characteristics, such as race, years of clinical experience, and graduate training affect the ways in which clinicians address racial difference in the cross-racial therapy. A quantitative survey was used to collect the data, and 56 …

Statistical Methods For Polarimetric Imagery, Daniel A. Lemaster

Theses and Dissertations

Estimation theory is applied to a physical model of incoherent polarized light to address problems in polarimetric image registration, restoration, and analysis for electro-optical imaging systems. In the image registration case, the Cramer-Rao lower bound on unbiased joint estimates of the registration parameters and the underlying scene is derived, simplified using matrix methods, and used to explain the behavior of multi-channel linear polarimetric imagers. In the image restoration case, a polarimetric maximum likelihood blind deconvolution algorithm is derived and tested using laboratory and simulated imagery. Finally, a principal components analysis is derived for polarization imaging systems. This analysis expands upon …

Cube Sat Launching Investigation, Elham Shahmari, Karan Molaverdikhani, Hooman Jazebizadeh, Sahar Bakhtiari Mojaz, Mahsa Taheran

Small Satellite Conference

Today different groups started to manufacture cubesats because of the low cost of manufacturing and launching the satellites. With the growth of cubesat manufacturing, the scientist has tried to produce the small launchers to respond the needs of new researchers and young scientists. In 1980 the manufactured the commercial small launcher and starting launch in 1990. Also Russia with improvement of their ballistic missile and performing changes and improvement tried to manufacture small launchers with a minimum cost to launch the cubesat in the planed orbits. The cubesat will be launched into space together with other cubesats inside a so …

Oil And Gas Projects In The Western Amazon: Threats To Wilderness, Biodiversity, And Indigenous Peoples, Matt Finer, Clinton N. Jenkins, Stuart L. Pimm, Brian Keane, Carl Ross

Latin American Energy Dialogue, White Papers and Reports

The western Amazon is the most biologically rich part of the Amazon basin and is home to a great diversity of indigenous ethnic groups, including some of the worlds last uncontacted peoples living in voluntary isolation. Unlike the eastern Brazilian Amazon, it is still a largely intact ecosystem. Underlying this landscape are large reserves of oil and gas, many yet untapped. The growing global demand is leading to unprecedented exploration and development in the region. Without improved policies, the increasing scope and magnitude of planned extraction means that environmental and social impacts are likely to intensify. We review the most …

Comparison Of Results Between The Miniature Fasat-Bravo Ozone Mapping Detector (Omad) And Nasa’S Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (Toms), Juan Fernez-Saldivar, Craig Underwood

Small Satellite Conference

The Ozone Layer Monitoring Experiment (OLME) on board the FASat-Bravo microsatellite launched in July 1992 observed backscattered UV to retrieve atmospheric ozone using two instruments: the Ozone Ultraviolet Backscatter Imager (OUBI) and the Ozone Mapping Detector (OMAD). Initial results from this experiment have shown good qualitative agreement with data from NASA’s TOMS instrument [1]. More recent studies of OMAD data have found quantitative agreement in their radiances and even indicated detection of a volcanic eruption plume from the Nyamuragira volcano [2].

Defining A Fire Year For Reporting And Analysis Of Global Interannual Fire Variablility, Luigi Boschetti, David P. Roy

GSCE Faculty Publications

The interannual variability of fire activity has been studied without an explicit investigation of a suitable starting month for yearly calculations. Sensitivity analysis of 37 months of global MODIS active fire detections indicates that a 1-month change in the start of the fire year definition can lead, in the worst case, to a difference of over 6% and over 45% in global and subcontinental scale annual fire totals, respectively. Optimal starting months for analyses of global and subcontinental fire interannual variability are described. The research indicates that a fire year starting in March provides an optimal definition for annual global …

Pinellas Teachers Conduct Aquatic Research In Pilot Program, August 12, 2008, Melanie Marquez

USF St. Petersburg Campus News and Press Releases

No abstract provided.

Erosion And Trail Building: A Case Study Of The East Tennessee State University Trail System., Joshua Callahan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Natural and accelerated erosion from trail users affects the sustainability of trail systems. Designing and building sustainable trail systems will greatly decrease the effect that erosion has on a trail. Trails that allow multiple types of users, such as hiking and mountain biking, must be able to sustain both groups. At East Tennessee State University the trail system was originally designed for hiking. Mountain bikers have become the main user group on the trail system leading to erosion problems on certain areas of the trail due to trail design flaws. The study seeks to identify the problem areas of trail …

Learning Differences In E-Commerce I Online Classes In Public Secondary Schools In North Carolina., Pamela S. Pitman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to measure differences in learning styles in an online E-Commerce I class in public secondary schools in North Carolina. Students' observations and achievements were evaluated by gender, grade level, course of study, online experience, and expected grade. This type of study could identify relationships between the online model and the four areas evaluated. This information may aid designers of online curricula as well as the teachers.

The literature review covered several topics including technology, online learning, gender-based education, learning styles, maturity, and expectations. Each topic was related to the success of students in an …

From The Us To China, By Way Of Israel, Shakhar Rahav

China Beat Blog: Archive 2008-2012

I have recently returned to my native Israel after a long sojourn in the USA. One of the things I have been looking for here is the way in which China is covered and portrayed in the Israeli media, and what images of China arise in local discourse.

As elsewhere, there is much media coverage of China these days–most of it fed by economic and commercial interests on the one hand, and by interest in the Olympics and the Olympic-hype on the other.

Indeed, most interest in China is generated by commercial interests and as such reflects our globalizing world, …

Patterns And Consequences Of Segregation: An Analysis Of Ethnic Residential Patterns At Two Geographic Scales, Kenneth N. N. French

Department of Geography: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

American cities are diverse, with people from various ethnic backgrounds calling the city their home. Instead of having numerous culturally mixed neighborhoods, many residential areas are segregated by ethnicity. Also, social opportunities, such as access to jobs and quality education, are not evenly distributed in urban space. In short, separate living spaces may not mean equal living spaces. What are the impacts of living in White or African American or Hispanic or Asian neighborhoods? Thus, it is worthwhile to investigate the patterns and consequences of ethnic residential segregation. This dissertation employs several cartographic, geographic information system (GIS), and statistical techniques …

Underground Facilities In Loess, Dimcho Evstatiev, Yordan Evlogiev

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

The underground facilities in loess in Bulgaria have a long history. The loess represents one of the best studied geological formations, its stratigraphic and engineering geological properties being well explored. It is characterized by a thick aeration zone, reaching up to 80-100 m. After the depth of 3-4 m from the surface, low humidity and constant temperature (15-16⁰) are maintained in it. The composition of sandy and silty loess, is dominated by quartz, while the clayey fraction contains high amount of Са²⁺, which determines the relatively low hydrophilicity. Moreover, loess is easily excavated, keeps vertical slopes …

Evaluation Of Liquefaction Potential And Post-Liquefaction Settlement Of Tzuoswei River Alluvial Plain In Western Taiwan, C. P. Kuo, M. Chang, R. E. Hsu, S. H. Shau, T. M. Lin

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

Taiwan is located in the conjunction area between Eurasia Plate and Philippine Sea Plate. As a result, the geology condition of the island is complex and the earthquake activity is frequent. On September 21, 1999, a severe earthquake (M_L = 7.3) hit Chi-chi Town and resulted in significant damages and casualties in the mid-west plain of Taiwan. The alluvial deposits of Tzuoswei River, the largest river system of the island, had also experienced serious liquefaction damages during the shaking. The aim of the study was to as-sess the potential of liquefaction and the associated post-liquefaction settlement of the area. …

Case Histories Paper: Jackup Rig Spud Can Penetration: A 6,000 Ton Load Test, Eric J. Parker, Francesco Mirabelli, Lorenzo Paoletti

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

One of the most exciting geotechnical problems for the offshore engineer is the prediction of mobile jack-up rig spud can penetration. Jack-up drilling rigs are used to drill offshore oil and gas wells in water depths up to about 100 m. The rigs are supported by circular “spud can” foundations fitted at the end of extendable platform legs. Upon arrival to the site the jack-up extends the legs to the sea floor and self-elevates out of the water. This action forces the spud cans into the seabed until soil capacity is attained. Prior to jacking the rig out of the …

Incorporating Case Study And Site Visit For Teaching Of Earth And Hydraulic Structures At Universiti Putra Malaysia, A. M. Thamer, A. A. Aziz, B. B. K. Huat

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

Case studies are widely used in civil engineering research but not in education and training. Case studies are important in the teaching of various subjects in the field of civil engineering. Site visits can also help to facilitate the students in recognizing and understanding the behaviour of structures and systems, especially when the students do not have any idea about them. The field of civil engineering covers a wide range of structures ranging from small to mega structures. Usually, small structures are seen regularly by the student and their behaviors are easy to comprehend. But mega structures such as dams …

Ethnojournalism: A Hybrid Model Of Ethnography And Journalism To Create Culturally Diverse News Content, Valica Boudry

Theses and Dissertations

This research's purpose is twofold: to study a newsroom culture to see how news is constructed and to change the approach reporters take to constructing news using ethnojournalism, a hybrid model of ethnography and journalism. The core part of this research focuses on the training of reporters in the use of ethnographic techniques to use in newsgathering. The underlying reason was to see if the ethnojournalism approach would promote culturally diverse story selection and content in newspaper stories. This research addresses the issue that the dominant paradigm in journalism is not objective in the scientific sense of objectivity. It is …

Commencement Convocation Program, Usf, August 9, 2008, University Of South Florida

USF Graduation and Convocation Programs

King O'Neal Scholar - Shamik Dwivedi

Commencement Convocation Exercises - August 2008, Prairie View A&M University

Commencement and Convocation Exercises

No abstract provided.

An Examination Of The Prevalence Of Obesity And Student Performance In A Low Socioeconomic School District, Mary L. Hillones

Theses and Dissertations

Since few studies exist that examine the relationships between adolescent obesity and academic performance, the purpose of this study was to examine the impact of obesity on high school students’ academic performance in a low socioeconomic school district. The topics addressed in this study included prevalence of overweight and obesity in high school students and the impact of overweight and obesity on student academic performance. The potential population of this study consisted of 236 high school students aged 14 to 19 years old enrolled in a rural Mississippi school district in grades 9 -12. However, only 35 students had usable …

An Assessment Of Suspended Sediment In Weeks Bay Reserve, Baldwin County, Alabama, Using Geospatial Modeling And Field Sampling Methods, Jamie Cindi Thomason

Theses and Dissertations

This study compares suspended sediment and land use/land cover in the watershed of Weeks Bay, Alabama. Using Landsat thematic mapper imagery, potential high and low erosion sites were determined based on the increase in urban development form 2002 to 2005. In situ sediment sampling was used to test the hypothesis that the high erosion potential sites have larger amounts of suspended sediments. Additionally, sampling was performed along the Fish and Magnolia rivers to establish a background total suspended sediment level. The background study established an average total suspended sediment concentration of 18.71 mg/L for the Fish River and 17.47 mg/L …

Multi-Scale Evaluation Of Mechanisms Associated With The Establishment Of A Model Invasive Species In Mississippi: Imperata Cylindrica, D Christopher Holly

Theses and Dissertations

Of concern in this research were the ecological parameters associated with the establishment of a model invasive plant species, Imperata cylindrica, across a scale of ecological organization. Specifically, the study addressed the species’ ability to: differentially respond to abiotic and biotic constraints during seedling establishment, exhibit a novel underground competitive interference mechanism, and alter the decomposition dynamics in newly invaded ecosystems. Finally, the last portion of the research was centered around creating a predictive habitat model that will provide information on the most important variables responsible for creating habitat for this species. The population level seedling study indicated that soil …

Design Of Frozen Orbits For Lunar Navigation And Communications Missions, Joel Jefferson Konkle Parker

Theses and Dissertations

Eccentric lunar frozen orbits are analyzed in this study in relation to lunar navigation and communications missions, particularly the proposed Magnolia-1 mission. An overview of the Earth/Moon system, frozen orbits, and the Magnolia-1 mission is provided. A review of existing literature is presented, and potential limitations are discussed. Both preliminary and numerical perturbation analyses are presented, and a general set of perturbations for further analysis of high-altitude lunar orbits is identified. Analysis of potential orbits for the Magnolia-1 mission is performed through calculation of a maximum deviation metric and through visualization as a function of initial orbital elements. Trends are …