Digital Commons Network^™

Factors Associated With Successful Hispanic Students In Higher Education, Ana G. Linares

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Hispanic population in the United States already constitutes the fastest growing minority group in the United States and by the year 2050 this group will constitute 24% of the total population and one fourth of the national workforce. Because this is a very young population whose median age is 27.2 years old, the education of this group is pivotal to the future of this nation. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceived importance of personal and external factors found in the literature as significant in Hispanic college success for a sample of 137 Hispanic college seniors …

Enterprise Resource Planning In Higher Education: A Comparative Case Study, Aaron Charles Marterer

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Case study research on enterprise systems in higher education organizations has shown that the challenges associated with implementing enterprise systems in higher education occur when unique organizational characteristics found in universities do not align with the standard characteristics built into the software programs. Based on such findings, the purpose of this study was to further explore the interaction between higher education organizations and enterprise systems during Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) implementations in order to gain insight into the effects of ERP implementations in higher education. Through the theoretical lens of actor-network theory, the purposes of this comparative case study at …

The Problem Of Religious Learning, Marc O. Degirolami

Scholarly Articles

The problem of religious learning is that religion-including the teaching about religion-must be separated from liberal public education, but that the two cannot be entirely separated if the aims of liberal public education are to be realized. It is a problem that has gone largely unexamined by courts, constitutional scholars, and other legal theorists. Though the U.S. Supreme Court has offered a few terse statements about the permissibility of teaching about religion in its Establishment Clause jurisprudence, and scholars frequently urge policies for or against such controversial subjects as Intelligent Design or graduation prayers, insuffi- cient attention has been paid …

Generalization Of The Hybrid Logistic Model For More Than One Rare Risk Factor, Mamunur Rashid

Mathematics Faculty Publications

Logistic models are commonly used to analyze case-control data. For case-control studies, if there tends be rare disease in the control group with the risk factors, then the estimation procedure using logistic regression model for such factors becomes difficult. To overcome such situation, Chen et. al. (2003) proposed a hybrid logistic model in which they first estimate the problematic risk factor assuming that proportions having disease of such risk factor are treated equal for all permissible strata of the other risk factors, and then the residual of the risk factors are modeled by using logistic regression model. The purpose of …

The American Presidency, The 2008 Election, And The Constitution's Natural Born Citizenship Proviso, Sarah Helene Duggin, Mary Beth Collins

Scholarly Articles

The following discussion describes the historical context of the natural born citizenship clause; explores some of the issues the proviso raises in contemporary American society, particularly its impact on Senator McCain and future presidential hopefuls; and offers a brief reflection on why the United States needs to amend Article II to eliminate natural born citizenship as a qualification for the presidency and vice presidency.

Corpulent Counter-Publics: Radical Cheerleading And Resignification Of The Fat Body, Emily Dianne Cram

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This thesis investigates the power of language, discourse, and symbols in the dominant construction of corpulence, and how it simultaneously constricts subjectivity and offers avenues of resistance and revolt. I focus my analysis on the public protest actions of San Francisco's radical cheerleading troupe The Bod Squad. I argue that The Bod Squad's protest constitutes a counter-public sphere in its rhetorical functions of positive self-representation and public confrontation. Through their protest actions, The Bod Squad stretches dominant ideologies of corpulence to create discursive space for alternative articulations of identities, interests, and needs. This thesis challenges traditional counter-public sphere theory and …

Virtual Prototyping With Surface Reconstruction And Freeform Geometric Modeling Using Level-Set Method, Weihan Zhang

Doctoral Dissertations

"More and more products with complex geometries are being designed and manufactured by computer aided design (CAD) and rapid prototyping (RP) technologies. Freeform surface is a geometrical feature widely used in modern products like car bodies, airfoils and turbine blades as well as in aesthetic artifacts. How to efficiently design and generate digital prototypes with freeform surfaces is an important issue in CAD. This paper presents the development of a Virtual Sculpting system and addresses the issues of surface reconstruction from dexel data structures and freeform geometric modeling using the level-set method from distance field structure. Our virtual sculpting method …

The Effect Of Free Chlorine And Monochloramine On Lead In Drinking Water And Epitaxial Electrodeposition Of Tin Sulfide, Sansanee Boonsalee

Doctoral Dissertations

"Electrochemical deposition is utilized in various electronic and photovoltaic applications and in the protective coating industries. This dissertation primarily addresses the environmental aspects of electrochemical deposition. In the first part of this study, Pb dissolution in drinking water was investigated in the presence of two disinfectants: free chlorine (in the form of HOCI/OCr) and monochloramine (NH₂Cl). In the second part of this study, epitaxial SnS nanodisks were electrodeposited onto a Au(100) substrate. Water utility systems use either free chlorine or monochloramine in their disinfection program. Whereas free chlorine reacts with natural organic matter in the water to produce halogenated organic …

Population Based Estimates Of Medial Ulnar Collateral Ligament Injury, Samantha Lynne Sweet

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Injuries to the elbow are common among overhead throwers, especially in baseball players. There has been speculation that medial ulnar collateral ligament (MUCL) injuries have been increasing over the past fifteen years, however, population based estimates of MUCL injuries currently do not exist. The purpose of this study was to determine MUCL injury incidence rates derived from the National Center for Health Statistics over a three-year period. Non-identifiable, aggregate data provided by the National Center for Health Statistics were used in this study. The two main databases utilized were the NAMCS and the NHAMCS. Injury data from 2003 - 2005 …

Lex Naturalis And Jus Naturale, Kenneth Pennington

Scholarly Articles

After the air attacks of September 11, 2001 the United States government decided to fortify all public government buildings and spaces of importance in Washington, D.C. that might be targets of future attacks. The expenditures for these projects ran to millions of dollars and included the White House, Congress, and the Supreme Court. These extensive fortifications were inspired by widespread fear at all levels of the American government that extreme measures were needed to protect themselves and government buildings. This culture of fear quickly became an accepted part of American political discourse. Fear was no longer cowardly; it became a …

Understanding The Absence Of A Duty To Reasonably Rescue In American Tort Law, Marin Roger Scordato

Scholarly Articles

The absence in American tort law of a duty to reasonably aid a stranger in peril is perplexing. It is an odd gap in the otherwise nearly pervasive presence of a duty of reasonable care in the modern law of negligence. It utterly fails to accurately articulate our conventional sense of morality and appropriate social behavior. It stands in stark contrast to the treatment of this issue throughout the rest of the world. It is a rule of tort law for which very few commentators have had a kind word.

This Article sets forth a spirited defense of the traditional …

Of Panjandrums, Pooh Bahs, Parvenus, And Prophets: Law, Religion, And Medical Science, George P. Smith Ii

Scholarly Articles

This Monograph derives from a Lecture, under the same title, given in Sydney, Australia, honoring Michael D. Kirby, AC, CMG, Justice of The High Court of Australia. The first part of the Monograph analyses the significant contributions that Justice Kirby has made as a compassionate champion of human rights and acknowledges what is styled as the Kirby Ethic which, in turn, is seen as the foundation for the body of work of the Justice as well as the moving force in his private life as well. Building upon a theory of transcendent idealism which interprets God's purpose as safeguarding the …

‘Slender Knowledge’: Sovereignty, Madness, And The Self In Shakespeare’S King Lear, A.G. Harmon

Scholarly Articles

In King Lear, the English law of madness, especially the aspects of testamentary devises, royal accession, waste, and plunder, is thematized in such a way that the conflict between civil order and savage nature is brought to the foreground. This dynamic overshadows, and to some extent disguises what truly lies at the heart of ancient Britain’s woes: a deficit of ontological self-inquiry on the part of the sovereign and his royal retainer, Gloucester, from which all of the other complications ensue.

God, Gold, Or Glory: Norman Piety And The First Crusade, Samuel Andrew Bartlett

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Recent trends in crusade historiography depict the Frankish participants of the First Crusade as acting out of piety, while their Norman counterparts remain as impious opportunists. This thesis challenges this prevailing point of view, arguing that the Norman crusaders met the same standard of piety as the Franks. To support my theory, I looked at four different facets on the question of Norman piety, dividing them up into chapters of my thesis. In the first chapter, there is a brief discussion of the current portrayal of the Normans in modem crusade historiography. In the next chapter, I established what piety …

Modeling And Synergy Testing Of Drug Combination Data: A Pharmacokinetic Analysis, Jacy Rebecca Crosby

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this paper, we present and implement a method to assess the mathematical synergy of two-drug combinations based on a stochastic model. The drugs in question are two isomers that are applied to the human eye via a liquid eye drop. Techniques applied to the data in this paper can be applied to other two-drug combination studies.

We derive the mean and the variance terms of the drug combination "effects" in closed form using Ito's method of stochastic differential equations. The model fit of the data to the individual subject is examined by both statistical and graphical methods. Two estimation …

All For One: A Review Of Victim-Centric Justifications For Criminal Punishment, Adam J. Macleod

Scholarly Articles

Disparate understandings of the primary justification for criminal punishment have in recent years divided along new lines. Retributivists and consequentialists have long debated whether a community ought to punish violators of legal norms primarily because the violator has usurped communal standards (the retributivist view), or rather merely as a means toward some end such as rehabilitation or deterrence (the consequentialist view). The competing answers to this question have demarcated for some time the primary boundary in criminal jurisprudential thought. A new fault line appears to have opened between those who maintain the historical view that criminal punishment promotes the common …

Predicting And Reducing Warranty Costs By Considering Customer Expectation And Product Performance, Naresh Kumar Sharma

Doctoral Dissertations

"This dissertation develops from quality loss function to warranty loss function in which customer expectation is also considered to be a variable. First, Taguchi's quality loss function for the larger-the-better case, which is different from the smaller-the better and nominal-the-best cases, has been assimilated into the other two by introducing a term called the target-mean ratio. Further topics addressed include the implications of a finite target on the classification of LTB characteristics, a new concept of a "Complementary Characteristic", operating window, complexity, and SN ratio based on complexity. A warranty is a buyer's confidence owing to the seller's assurance to …

User-Generated Content And Virtual Worlds, Greg Lastowka

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

Many legal commentators have claimed that virtual worlds owe their popularity to their focus on user-generated content and user creativity. While this is true in part and authorial freedom may draw consumers to virtual worlds, user-generated content can also pose risks to virtual world business from both an aesthetic and legal perspective. A significant tension exists between permitting participants to create content freely and building a successful virtual environment. In some instances, user-generated content can overwhelm virtual worlds. The future of user-generated content in virtual worlds is not clear, given the significant practical and legal problems that accompany user-generated content.

Pornography, Coercion, And Copyright Law 2.0, Ann Bartow

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

The lack of regulation of the production of pornography in the United States leaves pornography performers exposed to substantial risks. Producers of pornography typically respond to attempts to regulate pornography as infringements upon free speech. At the same time, large corporations involved in the production and sale of pornography rely on copyright law's complex regulatory framework to protect their pornographic content from copying and unauthorized distribution. Web 2.0 also facilitates the production and distribution of pornography by individuals. These user-generators produce their own pornography, often looking to monetize their productions themselves via advertising revenues and subscription models. Much like their …

Fantasy Crime: The Role Of Criminal Law In Virtual Worlds, Susan W. Brenner

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

This Article analyzes activity in virtual worlds that would constitute crime if they were committed in the real world. It reviews the evolution of virtual worlds like Second Life and notes research which indicates that more and more of our lives will move into this realm. The Article then analyzes the criminalization of virtual conduct that inflicts "harm" in the real world and virtual conduct that only inflicts "harm" in the virtual world. It explains that the first category qualifies as cybercrime and can be prosecuted under existing law. Finally, it analyzes the necessity and propriety of criminalizing the second …

A Libel Law Analysis Of Media Abuses In Reporting On The Duke Lacrosse Fabricated Rape Charges, David A. Elder

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

The broad outlines of the monumental injustices involved in the Duke lacrosse rape-that-never-happened case are well known. An unethical local prosecutor, Michael B. Nifong, for partisan political reasons, pursued the Duke lacrosse team and ultimately indicted three of its members based almost solely on the accusations of a wholly unreliable, self-proclaimed victim. Nifong received generous support and sustenance from many left-leaning, politically active Duke faculty, an extraordinarily inept (or worse) Duke administration, and almost the entirety of the mainstream media. Ultimately, following a detailed analysis by his office, North Carolina Attorney General Roy A. Cooper publicly excoriated Nifong in concluding …

Xiaoning V. Yahoo! Inc.'S Invocation Of The Alien Tort Statute: An Important Issue But An Improper Vehicle, Denae Thomas

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

U.S.-based Internet service providers (ISPs) are faced with a dilemma when operating in countries with restrictive Internet speech laws: should they comply with these governments' demands for personally identifying information of Internet dissidents or respect their own country's dedication to free speech and refuse to comply? On behalf of Chinese dissidents who were imprisoned for violating Chinese speech laws, human rights advocates have invoked the Alien Tort Statute (ATS) in an attempt to hold ISPs accountable for their acquiescence with the Chinese government's demands. This Note examines one such case, Xiaoning v. Yahoo! Inc., and ultimately concludes that, while the …

Access This: Why Institutions Of Higher Education Must Provide Access To The Internet To Students With Disabilities, Nina Golden

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

No one questions whether the ADA applies to institutions of higher education. Title II applies to public colleges and universities, while Title III applies to private ones. With some exceptions, colleges and universities must make their programs and services accessible by providing reasonable accommodations to students with disabilities. What is significantly less clear, and thus the topic of dispute among courts and commentators, is whether the ADA requires colleges and universities to provide access to the Internet to students with disabilities. Much of the dispute revolves around the meaning of the term "place of public accommodation." Some courts have required …

The Fair Use Doctrine And Trackjacking: Beautiful Animal Or Destroyer Of Worlds?, S. Wayne Clemons, Jr.

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

"Trackjacking" is the unauthorized replacement of the original soundtrack of an audiovisual recording, such as a movie or television show, with another that is designed to alter substantially the plot and/or characters of the original work. While trackjacking is a creative and entertaining form of art, it may also constitute copyright infringement if the original work is one that is copyrighted. However, if certain criteria are met, the "fair use" doctrine provides a mechanism for courts to excuse what otherwise would be considered copyright infringement. Because the unique nature of trackjacking allows the new work to be distributed in such …

Why Music Should Be Socialized, Matthew Reynolds

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

Setting aside commodities of necessity like food and clothing, perhaps no other product is as universal and popular as music. It is no surprise that millions of dollars are spent trying to package and harness it into a marketable form. Perhaps it is that same quality of universality, its "primal nature," that makes music such an untamable and unruly beast these days. The question of how to sell music effectively (and for some, whether or not it should be sold in the first place) is one that has been hashed and rehashed by those inside and outside of the industry. …

Wringing Songwriters Dry: Negative Consequences Of Compulsory Licensing For Ringtones, Daniel H. Mark

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

On October 16, 2006, the United States Copyright Office concluded in a Memorandum Opinion (the Ringtone Opinion) that, subject to certain caveats, the Copyright Act's § 115 statutory license applies to ringtones. The Copyright Office concluded that ringtones (including monophonic and polyphonic ringtones, as well as mastertones) are phonorecords, and deliveries of ringtones by wire or wireless transmission constitute digital phonorecord deliveries subject to compulsory licensing under § 115.2

In the Ringtone Opinion, the Copyright Office provided a testto determine whether a particular ringtone will qualify for thestatutory compulsory license under § 115. The opinion noted that...

"whether a particular …

Just Click Submit: The Collection, Dissemination, And Tagging Of Personally Identifying Information, Corey Ciocchetti

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

As the twenty-first century bustles forward, the e-commerce arena becomes an ever more dangerous place. On a daily basis, Websites collect vast amounts of personally identifying information (PHII) and mine it in sophisticated databases to discover consumer trends and desires. This process provides many benefits--such as tailored Web sites and relevant marketing--that few Web surfers would care to do without. However, serious threats lurk in cyberspace and are enhanced by consumers who continue to submit vast amounts of information in a state of relative unawareness. Not wanting to miss out on their Web surfing experience, visitors submit their personal information …

Modeling, Analysis And Experimentation For Building Ice Parts With Supports Using Rapid Freeze Prototyping, Frances D. Bryant

Doctoral Dissertations

"Rapid Freeze Prototyping (RFP) is a freeform fabrication method that freezes water droplets into ice in a layer-by-layer manner to additively create a 3-dimensional part. Each layer of a geometry is deposited and allowed to freeze before the next layer is added. Ice parts produced by RFP can be used in investment casting to replace wax patterns and in other applications which may benefit from the unconventional method of using ice as a pattern or mold. More recently, a sacrificial support material has been incorporated into RFP so that over-hung areas and complex geometries can be fabricated. The research presented …

Business-Oriented Software Process Improvement Based On Cmm And Cmmi Using Qfd, Yan Sun

Doctoral Dissertations

"Software Process Improvement (SPI) has become the key to the survival of many software development organizations. Many international SPI models/standards are developed for SPI. The Capability Maturity Model (CMM) and Capability Maturity Model Integrated (CMMI)) from the Software Engineering Institute are two SPI models. In this study, several existing SPI models and approaches are reviewed, their advantages are identified, and their drawbacks are discussed. A set of new SPI frameworks integrating Quality Function Deployment (QFD) with both CMM and CMMI are developed by combining the best features of previous approaches and addressing their limitations"--Abstract, page iii.

Modeling And Simulations Of Diphasic Composites For Development Of High Energy Density Dielectrics, Sandeep K. Patil

Doctoral Dissertations

"This research is focused on diphasic dielectric composites for high energy density storage applications in pulsed power and power distribution systems. Composite materials are particularly attractive because they can synergistically combine high permittivity with high breakdown strength of the individual phases. Energy density, which captures permittivity and dielectric breakdown strength as vital material parameters, dominates this research challenge. Avenues for increasing the effective permittivity and breakdown strength may be found by gaining fundamental understanding of the response of diphasic dielectrics to an applied electric field. Improved understanding of these characteristics will ultimately lead to dielectrics with increased energy storage densities. …