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A Study Of An Attempt To Improve The Reliability Of Teachers' Holistic Scores Of Elementary Writing Through In-House Profess, Lisa Farmer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study evaluated the effectiveness of a school-based training that attempted to improve the reliability of holistic scores teachers assigned to the writings of elementary school students. Seventeen teachers at one suburban elementary school located in the Southeastern United States participated in three training sessions that allowed for scoring practice and group discussions. The trainers, or presenters, were "faculty-experts." A comparison of scores the participants assigned to students' writings before and after the training was conducted. The analyses included t-tests that compared the participants' mean scores to the scores assigned by raters from the state, a within-group analysis of reliability …

An Investigation Of The Efficacy Of The Text Talk Strategy On Pre-School Students' Vocabulary Acquisition, Heather Batchelder

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Using a single subject Multiple Baseline design, this study examined the efficacy of the Text Talk vocabulary acquisition strategy with regard to the use of new vocabulary by pre-kindergarten students in an inclusive classroom within a public charter school. Five pre-school students participated in the study. Students with varying exceptionalities as well as students with typical development were included in the study. Three classroom teachers implemented the Text Talk strategy utilizing eight books and vocabulary scenario models during an interactive story time that included the direct instruction of vocabulary in the study. During the baseline and intervention phases data collection …

An Investigation To Determine The Perceptions Of Resilience In Educational And Business Leadership Personnel In Central Florida, Craig Domeck

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Leadership is a challenging task. Vibrant enduring leadership over time is a greater challenge. Cultivating "leaders that lasts" is the desire of this study. The purpose of this research was to determine the resiliency of leaders in Central Florida. Additionally, this study examined the resilience of educational leaders in Central Florida along with leaders from the business community. The analysis and comparison of the results revealed beneficial information regarding the factors that are substantial in resilient leaders and how these factors might be further cultivated. Educational leaders were randomly selected from school administrators in the Central Florida region, as well …

Development And Forensic Application Of Dye Probe Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer For Improved Detection Of Changes In Dn, Micah Halpern

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Discovering, screening, and associating changes in DNA sequence are important to a broad range of disciplines and play a central role in Forensic Science. The typical types of changes include sequence variations [single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP)] and length variations [short tandem repeats (STR)]. The steps for forensic DNA sample processing are similar for both types of changes but diverge at the point of detection. A number of approaches are being explored for SNP genotyping while STR analysis primarily consists of size-based analysis by capillary electrophoresis. Limitations exist for all current detection methods that pose significant impacts to forensic analysis. Bi-allelic …

Perception And Displays For Teleoperated Robots, Linda Upham Ellis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In remote or teleoperational tasks involving humans and robots, various aspects of the remote display system may greatly influence the individual's interactions with the teleoperated entity. This dissertation examined various configurations of display systems on several measures of operator performance, physiological states, and perceptions of the task. Display configurations included altering the camera placement (attached to the robot or placed overhead), screen orientation (horizontal or vertical), and screen size (small or large). Performance was measured in terms of specific task goals, accuracies, strategies, and completion times. Physiological state was assessed through physiological markers of arousal, specifically heart rate and skin …

Trait Arousability And Its Impact On Adaptive Multimedia Training, Sae Schatz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Today's best intelligent, adaptive, multimedia trainers have shown excellent performance; however, their results still fall far-short of what good human tutors can achieve. The overarching thesis of this paper is that future intelligent, adaptive systems will be improved by taking into account relevant, consistent, and meaningful individual differences. Specifically, responding to individual differences among trainees will (a) form more accurate individual baselines within a training system, and (b) better inform system responses (so that they interpret and respond to observable data more appropriately). One variable to consider is trait arousability, which describes individual differences in sensitivity to stimuli. Individuals' arousability …

Health-Care Seeking Behaviors Of Puerto Ricans With Diabetes Mellitus Who Live In South Florida: An Exploratory Study, Laura Gonzalez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Latinos are the fastest growing minority population in the United States (U.S.) and have the worst access to health care of any ethnic group. The chronic disease of diabetes is twice as common in adult Latinos as in non-Latino whites, and the risk of death related to diabetes is twofold. Reasons for this disparity have yet to be clearly identified. This study had two purposes: 1) to explore cultural beliefs regarding health-care seeking behaviors in Puerto Ricans with diabetes who live in South Florida; and 2) to examine Puerto Ricans' perceptions about their health-care providers. The cultural phenomena of interest …

Integrated Optical Spr (Surface Plasmon Resonance) Sensor Based On Optoelectronic Platform, Hyungseok Bang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Current major demands in SPR sensor development are system miniaturization and throughput improvement. Structuring an array of integrated optical SPR sensor heads on a semiconductor based optoelectronic platform could be a promising solution for those issues, since integrated optical waveguides have highly miniaturized dimension and the optoelectronic platform enables on-chip optical-to-electrical signal conversion. Utilizing a semiconductor based platform to achieve optoelectronic functionality poses requirements to the senor head; the sensor head needs to have reasonably small size while it should have reasonable sensitivity and fabrication tolerance. This research proposes a novel type of SPR sensor head and demonstrates a fabricated …

Extended Focus Range High Resolution Endoscopic Optical Coherence Tomography, Kye-Sung Lee

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Today, medical imaging is playing an important role in medicine as it provides the techniques and processes used to create images of the human body or parts thereof for clinical purposes (medical procedures seeking to reveal, diagnose or examine disease) or medical science (including the study of normal anatomy and function). Modalities are developing over time to achieve the highest possible resolution, speed of image acquisition, sensitivity, and specificity. In the past decade, advances in optics, fiber, as well as laser technology have enabled the development of noninvasive optical biomedical imaging technology that can also be applied to endoscopy to …

Resiliency Factors And Pathways To Incarceration In Female Survivors Of Childhood Sexual Abuse, Kia Asberg

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Studies find consistently that survivors of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) are likely to suffer from depression, post-traumatic stress, and problematic substance use, and may experience also a variety of adjustment difficulties in several emotional, behavioral, and interpersonal domains. Involvement with the legal system is one such outcome to consider, especially given the increasing number of women serving time in correctional facilities with nearly two-thirds of these women being survivors of CSA (e.g., Browne, Miller, & Maguin, 1999). The current literature lacks comparisons between female survivors of CSA who have legal involvement and those who do not; hence, the current study …

Investigating The Effects Of Tactile Stress On A Military Touniquet Application Task, Razia Nayeem

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In combat, soldiers encounter stress from multiple sources including loss of sleep, extremely high levels of physical and psychological discomfort, extended periods of increased vigilance, and intense danger. Therefore, it is imperative to train such personnel on how to cope with these stressors. One way to do this is to include stressors in different forms of training to acclimate soldiers to the subsequent stress of combat. Due to their advantages, tactile trainers are being investigated increasingly for the use of training Army medics in this context. The present work examines how vibrating tactile sensors, or tactors, can be used as …

Game On: The Impact Of Game Features In Computer-Based Training, Renee Derouin-Jessen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The term "serious games" became popularized in 2002 as a result of an initiative to promote the use of games for education, training, and other purposes. Today, many companies are using games for training and development, often with hefty price tags. For example, the development budget for the U.S. Army recruiting game, "America's Army" was estimated at $7 million. Given their increasing use and high costs, it is important to understand whether game-based learning systems perform as billed. Research suggests that games do not always increase learning outcomes over conventional instruction. However, certain game features (e.g., rules/goals, fantasy, challenge) might …

Single Walled Carbon Nanotubes Induce Indirect Cytotoxicity By Medium Depletion In A549 Lung Cells, Gordon Chambers, Alan Casey, Fiona Lyng, Maria Davoren, Eva Herzog (Thesis), Hugh Byrne

Articles

The ability of two types of single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT), namely Arc Discharge (AD) and HiPco® single walled carbon nanotubes, to induce an indirect cytotoxicity in A549 lung cells by means of medium depletion was investigated. The nanotubes were dispersed in a commercial cell culture medium and subsequently removed by centrifugation and filtration. Spectroscopic analysis confirmed the removal of the nanotubes and showed differing degrees of alteration of the composition of the medium upon the removal of the nanotubes. The ability to induce an indirect cytotoxic effect by altering the medium was evaluated using two endpoints, namely the Alamar …

Initial Validation Of Novel Performance-Based Measures: Mental Rotation And Psychomotor Ability, Philip Fatolitis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Given the high-risk nature of military flight operations and the significant resources required to train U.S. Naval Aviation personnel, continual improvement is required in the selection process. In addition to general commissioning requirements and aeromedical standards, the U.S. Navy utilizes the Aviation Selection Test Battery (ASTB) to select commissioned aviation students. Although the ASTB has been a good predictor of aviation student performance in training, it was proposed that incremental improvement could be gained with the introduction of novel, computer administered performancebased measures: Block Rotation (BRT) and a Navy-developed Compensatory Tracking task. This work constituted an initial validation of the …

Electronic Properties Of Zig-Zag Carbon Nanotubes : A First-Principles Study, Pavan Kumar Valavala

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Carbon nanotube (CNT) is a one dimensional (1-D) nanostructured material, which has been the focal point of research over the past decade for intriguing applications ranging from nanoelectronics to chemical and biological sensors. Using a first-principles gradient corrected density functional approach, we present a comprehensive study of the geometry and energy band gap in zig-zag semi-conducting (n,0) carbon nanotubes (CNT) to resolve some of the conflicting findings. Our calculations confirm that the single wall (n,0) CNTs fall into two distinct classes depending upon n mod 3 equal to 1 (smaller band gaps) or 2 (larger gaps). …

Electrical And Computer Engineering Research Report 2008, Department Of Electrical And Computer Engineering, Michigan Technological University

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Annual Reports

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Intermittent Water Supplies: Challenges And Opportunities For Residential Water Users In Jordan, David E. Rosenberg, Samer Talozi, Jay Lund

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Intermittent access to improved urban water supplies is a large and expanding global problem. This paper describes 16 supply enhancement and 23 demand management actions available to urban residential water users in Jordan to cope with intermittent supplies. We characterize actions by implementation, costs, and water quantities and qualities acquired or conserved. This effort systematically identifies potential options prior to detailed study and shows that water users have significant capacity to affect demand. We suggest several methods to evaluate options and highlight the need to include local water management decisions in integrated water resources management and planning at utility and …

Pyrene Fate Affected By Humic Acid Amendment In Soil Slurry Systems, Y. Liang, D. Sorensen, Ronald C. Sims, Joan Mclean

Biological Engineering Faculty Publications

Background

Humic acid (HA) has been found to affect the solubility, mineralization, and bound residue formation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). However, most of the studies on the interaction between HA and PAH concentrated on one or two of the three phases. Few studies have provided a simple protocol to demonstrate the overall effects of HA on PAH distribution in soil systems for all three phases.

Methods

In this study, three doses of standard Elliott soil HA (ESHA), 15, 187.5, and 1,875 μg ESHA/g soil slurry, were amended to soil slurry systems. ¹⁴C-pyrene was added to the systems along …

The Power Of Soil: Using It To Our Advantage, Judith L. Sims, R. Otis

Biological Engineering Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Check-List Of The Genus Biarum Schott In The Flora Of Turkey, With A New Record For Turkey: Biarum Syriacum (Spreng.) H.Riedl, Hasan Akan, Mehmet Maruf Balos

Turkish Journal of Botany

A check-list of the genus Biarum Schott in the Flora of Turkey is presented, with 10 taxa, of which 2 are endemic to Turkey. A list of taxonomical changes that have occurred since the publication of the Flora of Turkey, Supplement II is given. In addition, Biarum syriacum (Spreng.) H.Riedl is recorded for the first time (C6 Gaziantep) from Turkey. In this paper an expanded morphological description of this species is provided. Moreover, an image of a type specimen, a photograph of a plant from the field, an illustration of a plant, and a distribution map are presented.

Taxonomy And Threatened Categories Of Three Achillea L. (Asteraceae-Anthemideae) Species Previously Cited In The Data Deficient (Dd) Category, Turan Arabaci, Bayram Yildiz

Turkish Journal of Botany

This study presents the taxonomy and threatened categories of 3 Achillea L. (Asteraceae-Anthemideae) species: A. membranacea (Labill.) DC., A. brachyphylla Boiss. & Hausskn., and A. boissieri Hausskn. ex Boiss. These species belong to sect. Babounya (DC.) O.Hoffm. and were previously placed in the data deficient (DD) category in the Red Data Book of Turkish Plants. Descriptions, localities, distribution map, and images of the species are given. Threatened categories of the species were determined as A. membranacea in VU, and A. brachyphylla and A. boissieri in EN.

Studies On The Effect Of Maleic Hydrazide On Root Tip Cells And Pollen Fertility In Trigonella Foenum-Graecum L., Farha Jabee, Mohammad Yunus Khalil Ansari, Danish Shahab

Turkish Journal of Botany

In the present investigation, the effect of maleic hydrazide (MH) has been studied on seed germination, mitosis, and pollen fertility of Trigonella foenum-graecum L. to test its cytotoxicity. Six different concentrations (0.01%, 0.02%, 0.03% 0.04%, 0.05%, and 0.06%) of maleic hydrazide (MH) were given at seed level. The abnormalities noticed were both physiological and clastogenic. Fragments, stickiness of chromosomes, univalents, multivalents, and anaphase bridges were the most frequent abnormalities. The decrease in seed germination and pollen fertility was found significant at 0.05 level. Mitotic index reduced gradually as the concentrations of Maleic Hydrazide increased and it was found significant at …

Verbascum Samniticum Ten. (Scrophulariaceae): A New Record For The Flora Of Turkey, Gülden Yilmaz, Feruzan Dane

Turkish Journal of Botany

Verbascum samniticum Ten. (Scrophulariaceae) is recorded for the first time for the flora of Turkey with the specimen collected from A1(E) Kırklareli. A description of the species and descriptive illustrations are given based on the collected specimen. Its relationship with V. phlomoides L. is discussed.

A New Record For Turkey: Malcolmia Intermedia C.A.Mey. (Brassicaceae), Murat Ünal, Fevzi̇ Özgökçe

Turkish Journal of Botany

Malcolmia intermedia C.A.Mey. (Cruciferae/Brassicaceae) is recorded for the first time (A9 Kars) for the flora of Turkey. A description, scan, and distribution map of the species are given.

Two New Arrhenia Fr. Records For The Macrofungi Of Turkey, Abdullah Kaya, Yusuf Uzun, Kenan Demi̇rel, İbrahi̇m Hali̇l Karacan

Turkish Journal of Botany

Arrhenia rickenii (Hora) Watling and Arrhenia spathulata (Fr.) Redhead (Tricholomataceae) were recorded for the first time from Turkey.

Theodor Von Heldreich (1822-1902) And His Turkish Collections, Asuman Baytop, Kit Tan

Turkish Journal of Botany

The distinguished German botanist Theodor von Heldreich (1822-1902) visited Anatolia on at least 6 separate occasions as documented by specimens cited in Flora of Turkey and Flora Orientalis. His first visit was in 1845 and his last, to İzmir, in 1852. Within this period of less than seven years he collected c. 3000 sets of specimens. They included the types of nearly 200 new taxa and, if including syntypes and lectotypes, the figure is 207. The majority stem from the first expedition of 1845. The non-type specimens cited in the Flora are 280. It is difficult to trace Heldreich´s itinerary …

Balance Sheet Disclosures: An Ifrs/Pfrs Compliance Report Of Ten Publicly Listed Companies In The Food Industry, Heminigilda E. Salendrez

DLSU Business & Economics Review

From the beginning of January 2005, publicly traded companies in the Philippines have had to comply with the Philippine Accounting Standards (PAS) and the Philippine Financial Reporting Standards (PFRS) for their consolidated financial statements. It has been suggested that the new accounting standards will facilitate the process of international harmonization of financial statements. This study shows the outcome of the examination of ten publicly listed companies in the food industry’s financial reporting practices as regards their compliance with the financial reporting requirement embodied in PAS/PFRS and Securities Regulation code Rule 68 and 68.1.

Sacred Sound: Experiencing Music In World Religions. By Guy L. Beck, Editor, Greg Hansen

BYU Studies

Guy L. Beck, editor. Sacred Sound: Experiencing Music in World Religions. Waterloo, Ontario, Canada: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 2006.

Sharing The American Dream: Towards Formalizing The Status Of Long-Term Resident Undocumented Children In The United States, Ragini Shah

Suffolk University Law School Faculty Works

The legal status of the estimated 1.8 million undocumented young persons currently in the United States is a pressing issue that must be addressed by lawyers and policymakers in the near future. These young people arrived in the United States at a very young age yet do not have, and cannot obtain, lawful immigration status. This article examines their complex position and advocates statutory reforms that better account for their unique developmental and cultural attachments to the United States. This article surveys the history of U.S. immigration policies in relation to undocumented youth as well as current reform proposals to …

Old Blood, Bad Blood, And Youngblood: Due Process, Lost Evidence, And The Limits Of Bad Faith, Norman C. Bay

Faculty Scholarship

Under the law of lost evidence, absent a showing of bad faith, no due process violation occurs when the police lose potentially exculpatory evidence. This is so even though the evidence may be critical to the defense and even though post-conviction DNA testing has exonerated more than 200 individuals. Ironically, the case that developed that rule of law, Arizona v. Youngblood, is founded on the conviction of an innocent man. This Article critically examines Youngblood and provides a conceptual framework for examining the constitutional right of access to evidence. Supreme Court precedent reflects two different, sometimes competing, visions of procedural …