Digital Commons Network^™

A Study Of The Level Of Interest Among Adolescents In Physical Education, Brooke N. Davitt

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

There has been an incredible amount attention given to the issue of childhood obesity in America today because the prevalence and incidence rates have grown at alarming rates. When addressing this problem, there are multiple things to consider, (a) diet, (b) exercise, (c) support systems, (d) healthy behavior modification, and ( e) interest toward physical activity. This last item mentioned is of significance for the current study. In this study, adolescent children, ages 11 to 18, were asked to evaluate their interest in physical activity, specifically badminton, volleyball, and HALS Pals, during their physical education class. These children were also …

A Case Study Of A Rural Iowa School Preparing To Meet New State Guidelines For School Libraries [Dissertation], Karla Steege Krueger

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The national school library guidelines place the greatest emphasis upon the teaching and learning component of school library programs led by professional school librarians. Despite findings linking school library programming, including instruction by professional school librarians, to increased student achievement on standardized tests and improved content learning through student inquiry using library resources, the importance of the instructional role of the school librarian remains largely unrecognized by administrators and teachers.

A qualitative case study of one rural Iowa elementary school provided insight into the issue of small schools without library programs as they are preparing to meet the Iowa reinstatement …

Deliberative Democratic Practices In Tourism Planning: Towards A Model Of Participatory Community Tourism Planning, Oksana Grybovych

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to compare and contrast the current practices of citizen involvement in community tourism planning with the framework of deliberative democracy. The goal of this study was to expand the literature on tourism planning which currently lacks a working framework for participatory community tourism planning. Drawing from political philosophy, democratic theory, and planning literature, this study utilized the framework of deliberative democracy and planning as communicative action, in order to contribute to the development of a model of participatory community tourism planning.

The current practices of citizen involvement in community tourism planning were examined in …

Guidelines For Deploying Wireless Sensor Network In Manufacturing: Star Topology Study Using The Rssi To Test The Network Performance, A. Hameed Madwar

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are varying in kinds and can be used for many purposes. It can be extensively used in monitoring, reporting, and decision routines. Therefore, WSNs are very important to integrate with manufacturing since they can help not only in monitoring and decision making but also they can increase productivity and decrease the wiring costs. However, WSNs are facing some challenges in manufacturing as they need to resist the interferences that could be generated by the electrical and mechanical fields created during the manufacturing processes. Some of these interferences could be due to the high temperatures, blocks of …

Crafting Content: Searching For The Individual In Craft Making, Megan Marie Hosch

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

My creative thesis is a visual exhibition exploring the genre of craft in fine art and investigating the relationship of craft making to the artist. I am personally and professionally involved in craft making due to its strong presence in my identity as an artist, a woman and educator. As a child, I was a paper weaving master, dedicated to coloring inside lines, painting by numbers, and carefully following the cross-stitch patterns. However, during my undergraduate studies in art education, I steered clear from re-enacting earlier activities involving craft making. My ideas about craft making were easily conformed to the …

Western Images In African Media: A Semiotic Investigation Of Three Nigerian-Made Films, Terence Ebi Ekiseh

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study makes a critical analysis of the portrayal of Western images in African-made films as represented in three selected Nigerian home-made movies. In other words, the study seeks to find out how images of Western European and North American cultures are portrayed in African films. The three films selected for the study are Spirit cf Love, Market Seller, and One Dollar. The films were selected on the basis of their popularity among Nigerian film audiences. They were also selected because they are recent, and are produced by renowned Nigerian filmmakers. The study utilized qualitative method to achieve its objective. …

Energy Efficient Correlated Data Aggregation For Wireless Sensor Networks, Seung Jong Park, Raghupathy Sivakumar

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Data aggregations from Sensors to a sink in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are typically characterized by correlation along the spatial, semantic, and temporal dimensions. Exploiting such correlation when performing data aggregation can result in considerable improvements in the bandwidth and energy performance of WSNs. For the sensors-to-sink data delivery, we first explore two theoretical solutions: the shortest path tree (SPT) and the minimum spanning tree (MST) approaches. To approximate the optimal solution (MST) in case of perfect correlation among data, we propose a new aggregation which combines the minimum dominating set (MDS) with the shortest path tree (SPT) in order …

Social Network Analysis Of Video Bloggers' Community, John Warmbrodt, Hong Sheng, Richard H. Hall

Business and Information Technology Faculty Research & Creative Works

Video blogs (or vlogs) have become increasingly popular in recent years. As the main motivation for vlogging is to interact with other vloggers, it is important to investigate the structure of the videobloggers' community and the interactions among vloggers. This research conducted a quantitative analysis using social network analysis. A list of personal vloggers was identified from VlogDIR and linking patters of vlogs were analyzed. The results suggest that video bloggers' community is highly decentralized and exhibits a core/periphery structure.

Book Review: In The Public Interest: The Report And Research Papers Of The Law Society Of Upper Canada's Task Force On The Rule Of Law And The Independence Of The Bar, By The Law Society Of Upper Canada, Janet Leiper

Osgoode Hall Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Extending The Reach Of The State Into The Post-Sentence Period: Section 26 Of The Criminal Justice Act 2007, Mary Rogan

Articles

The Criminal Justice Act 2007 heralded a plethora of changes to Irish criminal law and procedure. The law on sentencing was also affected by its provisions. The focus of this article is on section 26 of that Act which introduces a general power on a court to make an order while passing sentence which will take effect on the expiration of a sentence of imprisonment. Under section 26 a court can impose two such orders, the “monitoring” order and the “protection of persons” order. The author assesses the background to the introduction of these dispositions and the potential application and …

Digital Radio Policy In Canada: From Analog Replacement To Multimedia Convergence, Brian O'Neill

Articles

Digital radio policy in Canada has moved from a position of seeking to migrate all radio broadcasting onto a single digital transmission system (Eureka-147) to a multi-platform, cross-media and multimedia approach. The most recent digital radio policy of 2006 suggests a range of new possibilities for radio broadcasting, including multimedia broadcasting, but as a result has compromised the early adoption of the Eureka-147 standard. This paper contrasts the different policy contexts of 1995 and 2006 and argues that the competing technological options for digital audio delivery now pose significant dilemmas for broadcasters and policy makers.

That's Life:An Examination Of The Direct Consequences Of Life-Sentence Imprisonment For Adult Males Within The Irish Prison System, Clara Geaney

Dissertations

Although Ireland compares relatively well in terms of international crime rates, there has been an increase in the number of prisoners serving life-sentences in the Republic. The current system for managing life-sentence prisoners in this jurisdiction is that they are likely to earn their temporary release after having served about fifteen years in prison. However, there is limited research in Ireland on the effects of imprisonment, and certainly for life-sentence prisoners, criminology in the Republic has failed to examine the issues faced by this group at all. Very little is understood about the coping mechanisms specific to life-sentence prisoners; the …

Intrafamilial Child Sexual Abuse, Links To Subsequent Sexual Exploitation And Prevention/Treatment Programmes: A Literature Review, Kevin Lalor, Rosaleen Mcelvaney

Reports

Evidence that the sexual abuse of children is universally widespread, and is most frequently perpetrated by family members, neighbours and others known to the child or adolescent is indisputable. Studies have consistently found that victims are vulnerable to subsequent sexual revictimization in adolescence and adulthood. They are also more likely than non-victims to engage in potentially harmful and damaging high-risk sexual behaviours, such as early age at first intercourse, multiple partners, low contraception use and prostitution. Ecological models, which incorporate explanations at the individual, family, community and societal level help explain this link. Interventions in the area of prevention of …

El Surgimiento Del Derecho Ambiental Global, Robert V. Percival

Faculty Scholarship

Legal systems across the globe are responding to environmental concerns in surprising new ways. As nations upgrade their environmental standards, some are transplanting law and regulatory policy innovations derived from the experience of other countries, including nations with very different legal and cultural traditions. New national, regional, and international initiatives have been undertaken both by governments and private organizations. Greater cross-border collaboration between government officials, nongovernmental organizations, multinational corporations and other entities is shaping environmental policy in ways that blur traditional private/public land domestic/international distinctions. The result has been the emergence of a kind of “global environmental law” – law …

Capture, Accountability, And Regulatory Metrics, Sidney A. Shapiro, Rena I. Steinzor

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Acting For Peace – The Effectiveness Of Drama And Theatre As A Tool For Promoting Peace-Building And Reconciliation, Mary Moynihan

Books/Book Chapters

This research booklet examines the effectiveness of drama and theatre practice as a means to promoting peace building and reconciliation within the Irish context. The research considers five drama and theatre projects in Northern Ireland and border counties, which have been designed and delivered to contribute towards peace building and reconciliation.

Child Sexual Abuse And Hiv Transmission In Sub-Saharan Africa, Kevin Lalor

Articles

The purpose of this paper is to examine the risks of HIV transmission to children through sexual abuse and exploitation in sub-Saharan Africa. The paper is based on a review of pertinent literature. Child sexual abuse in this region must be defined broadly enough to encompass widespread coercion or violence in early sexual relations in some regions, the practice of ‘transactional sex’ and constructions of masculinity, emphasising multiple sexual partners and power over women and girls. The high HIV prevalence in SSA is briefly described. Research evidence showing the link between child sexual abuse and HIV transmission is reviewed, although …

A Study On The Use Of Ontologies To Represent Collective Knowledge, John Mcauley

Masters

The development of ontologies has become an area of considerable research interest over the past number of years. Domain ontologies are often developed to represent a shared understanding that in turn indicates cooperative effort by a user community. However, the structure and form that an ontology takes is predicated both on the approach of the developer and the cooperation of the user community. A shift has taken place in recent years from the use of highly specialised and expressive ontologies to simpler knowledge models, progressively developed by community contribution. It is within this context that this thesis investigates the use …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Novel Chiral Ionic Liquids And Investigation Of Their Enantiomeric Recognition Properties, David K. Bwambok, Hadi M. Marwani, Vivian E. Fernand, Sayo O. Fakayode, Mark Lowry, Ioan Negulescu, Robert M. Strongin, Isiah M. Warner

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

We report the synthesis and characterization of amino acid ester based chiral ionic liquids, derived from L- and D-alanine tert butyl ester chloride. The synthesis was accomplished via an anion metathesis reaction between commercially available L- and D-alanine tert butyl ester chloride using a variety of counterions such as lithium bis (trifluoromethane) sulfonimide, silver nitrate, silver lactate, and silver tetrafluoroborate. Both enantiomeric forms were obtained as confirmed by bands of opposite sign in the circular dichroism spectra. The L- and D-alanine tert butyl ester bis (trifluoromethane) sulfonimide were obtained as liquids at room temperature and intriguingly exhibited the highest thermal …

The Two Homologous Chaperonin 60 Proteins Of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Have Distinct Effects On Monocyte Differentiation Into Osteoclasts, Vr Winrow, J Mesher, S Meghji, Cj Morris, M Maguire, S Fox, Arm Coates, P Tormay, Dr Blake, B Henderson

School of Biomedical Sciences

No abstract provided.

Entrepreneurs With Disabilities: Profile Of A Forgotten Minority., Thomas Cooney

Articles

The hosting of the Special Olympics in Ireland in 2003 compellingly brought to the forefront of public consciousness the capacity of people with disabilities to significantly contribute economically and socially to the nation. However, a body of research now exists highlighting that people with disabilities are less likely to be gainfully employed and will have lower earnings than non-disabled people. These differentials are caused by a variety of factors, including perceived and actual discrimination. An alternative career option for people with disabilities is to become self-employed, which has the benefits of the freedom, flexibility, and independence associated with self-employment, as …

Estimation Of Earthquake Loss Due To Bridge Damage In The St. Louis Metropolitan Area: Part I - Direct Losses, Ronaldo Luna, David J. Hoffman, William T. Lawrence

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The risk associated with earthquake hazards on highway systems is dependent on the complexity of a network and its redundancy in providing traffic flow. Earthquake loss estimation studies can provide decision makers with an appreciation of the importance of having a highway network resistant to earthquakes and information to make the network resistant to these events. The direct economic loss was estimated for a major metropolitan area, St. Louis, for a series of earthquake scenarios. The primary component of the study was damage to bridges within the highway system. The study zone covers the St. Louis metropolitan area and its …

“She Called Me A Mexican!”: A Study Of Ethnic Identity, Simona Florentina Boroianu

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Ethnic identity is a dynamic construct whose conceptualization has raised ongoing controversy among researchers. It has been suggested that ethnic identity includes several components that can be examined individually or in combination.

The purpose of this paper is to study ethnic identity in Mexican-origin children, as one of the multifaceted aspects of the adaptation process that immigrant children experience in their transition to becoming a part of the United States' mainstream culture.

No formal assessment of ethnic identity in Mexican-origin children in Iowa has been conducted yet, therefore this study is meant to fill a gap and bring in knowledge …

Disability And Difference: Adolescents' Interpretations Based On Television Viewing, Paula Anne Schmidt

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study was conducted in order to decipher adolescent interpretations of disability that were portrayed on television. Employing qualitative methodology and methods, I conducted focus groups with adolescents during which they viewed television programs containing portrayals of characters with disabilities, or otherwise defining differences. The sixth grade participants freely shared their perspectives of the programs and characters in addition to their thoughts about the nature of difference in general.

Although I originally intended to interpret adolescents' reactions toward characters with disabilities, I found that it was not only characters with disabilities that they viewed in a judgmental manner. As the …

Laboratory Schools Annual Report, 2007-2008, Laboratory Schools, Illinois State University

Annual Reports – Laboratory Schools

Illinois State University Laboratory Schools annual report

The Relationships Between Cyber And Non-Cyber Bullying And Depressive Symptoms Among Adolescents In Western Australia, Mitch J. Read

Theses : Honours

Much research has explored the nature, prevalence and impact that bullying behaviours have on children and adolescents. Correlations have been found between bullying behaviours and depression, suicidal ideation, anxiety, loneliness, psychosomatic symptoms and conduct disorders. With a rapid increase in the availability and use of information and communication technologies young people are now able to bully others in a relatively anonymous, removed fashion, often referred to as cyber bullying. This paper provides a review of the research that has investigated the nature, prevalence and impact of cyber and non-cyber bullying. The bullying literature highlights the negative consequences this behaviour often …

Case Analysis Of Information Security Risk Perceptions, Alexis Guillot

Theses : Honours

The scientific rationality used by experts towards risk evaluation is expressed as the product of its likelihood of occurrence with its consequences or impacts (ENISA, 2006a). This directly opposes the subjective nature of risk perception, often appearing as inconsistent if not completely irrational (Byrne, 2003). Risk perception theories are a pathway to explain the subjective nature of risk and a deeper insight into the human's cognitive system. Those theories may help to explain why people see, act and plan for risks in the way that they do, the weaknesses that exist in the human decision mechanisms and their impact on …

A Watershed Moment: Reversals Of Tort Theory In The Nineteenth Century, Jed Handelsman Shugerman

Faculty Scholarship

This article offers a new assessment of the stages in the development of fault and strict liability and their justifications in American history. Building from the evidence that a wide majority of state courts adopted Fletcher v. Rylands and strict liability for unnatural or hazardous activities in the late nineteenth century, a watershed moment turns to the surprising reversals in tort ideology in the wake of flooding disasters.

An established view of American tort law is that the fault rule supposedly prevailed over strict liability in the nineteenth century, with some arguing that it was based on instrumental arguments to …

Structural Validity Of The Mood And Behavior Rating Scale For Youth – Parent Form (Mbrsy-Pf): A Parent Informant Questionnaire To Assess Bipolar Disorder In Children And Adolescents, Laura A. Nemcek

Theses

Empirically validated techniques to reliably assess for bipolar disorder in children and adolescents are crucial toward timely and effective treatment efforts. Rating scales and behavior checklists are often considered a valuable alternative to the semi-structured interview, as they can provide quantified information regarding symptom experience, and values can be compared to both age and gender norms as a supplement to clinical expertise (Kahana, Youngstrom, Findling, & Calabrese, 2003). Converse to semistructured interviews, rating scales are brief and time efficient, inexpensive, simple to administer, require much less training to deliver and interpret, and can be utilized for screening purpose by a …

Transmute, Joseph Montroy

Theses

Man has an enduring subconscious connection with anthropological imagery and narrative. This association extends to the methods and practices that place importance on certain objects over others. In every culture throughout history the shared understanding of existence has been determined by images, symbols and archetypes. Intuitive logic and shared unconscious knowledge pervaded the daily lives of pre-modern man. Early people maintained a stronger connection with nature, spirituality and the subconscious. Archaic man acknowledged one stone among many as possessing spiritual properties. That stone could become a sacred receptacle that differentiated it from all others and saturated it with meaning and …