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Beyond Stewardship: Toward An Agapeic Environmental Ethic, Christopher J. Vena

Dissertations (1934 -)

This dissertation is a work in theological anthropology and environmental philosophy. It seeks to provide a conceptual framework for a Christian environmental ethic rooted in love.

The heart of the crisis of ecological degradation is found in human attitudes and behaviors. In the late 1960's it was suggested that Christianity was a key source of the problem because it promoted the idea of human "dominion" over creation. This spurred a variety of responses designed to show that Christian faith was compatible with environmental care. A key theme emerging from this debate was the image of humans as Stewards of God's …

The Role Of Optimism And Working Alliance And Its Utility In Predicting Therapeutic Outcomes In Counseling Relationships, Michael A. Hauser

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

Achieving positive therapeutic outcomes is the goal of all involved in the mental health field. The last 10 years have seen ever increasing demands for recognition of the elements that constitute empirically supported treatments (EST) and research on those elements, not only by professionals in the mental health field but also by third party providers (health insurance companies) and clients. Yet over the course of this increasing demand, research has repeatedly, and authoritatively, demonstrated that the most significant and consistent contributor to therapeutic outcome is the working relationship between client and counselor, not specific theoretically-bound techniques.

In spite of the …

Leadership Development Programs In Two-Year Colleges: Critical Components, Delivery Methods, And The Role Of Distance Learning Technology, Mary Clare Digiacomo

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

Post-secondary education will face an impending shortage of leaders in the near future. Two-year colleges in particular are facing a dearth of leadership. Many administrators and faculty that were part of the great growth period in community colleges in the 1960's are near retirement. Therefore, developing or sustaining sufficient institutional leadership is a critical and urgent issue that must be addressed. Two-year colleges need to develop and implement leadership development programs in a timely manner to ensure a qualified pool of faculty and staff are ready to ascend to leadership positions.

The purpose of this study was to examine the …

Efficacy Of Dual Enrollment In Rural Southwest Virginia, Karen Glass Carter

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

The intent of this dissertation was to determine if enrollment into a career and technical education dual enrollment program encouraged students to continue their education into postsecondary education and if workplace readiness skills were increased. This study completed a factorial analysis of student demographic and factorial data as associated with the enrollment of career and technical education dual enrollment in rural, southwest Virginia. Specifically, the study explored secondary students (N = 221) currently enrolled during the academic school year 2008-2009 within a Virginia approved career and technical education dual enrollment course. These students attended one of four career and …

Emerging Workforce Trends And Issues Impacting The Virginia Community College System, Mary Greer Landon

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

The mission of the Virginia Community College workforce development leaders is to expand their training and development services to new and emerging high growth occupational areas in support of Virginia's economic growth and changing workforce needs in each of their regions. This research was designed to identify: high demand occupational skill needs; current training services; the shifting and changing trends based on technology, competition, and workforce composition; and the need for partnerships. A survey, based on current and emerging trends and their impact on workforce development training services, was sent to the 22 Virginia Community College workforce development leaders. This …

Molecular Dynamics Study Of Single Stranded Peptide Nucleic Acids, Anna K. Manukyan

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

A PNA molecule is a DNA strand where the sugar-phosphate backbone has been replaced by a structurally homomorphous pseudopeptide chain consisting of N(2-aminoethyl)-glycine units. PNA binds strongly to both DNA and RNA. However, an analysis of the X-ray and NMR data show that the dihedral angles of PNA/DNA or PNA/DNA complexes are very different from those of DNA:DNA or RNA:RNA complexes. In addition, the PNA strand is very flexible. One way to improve the binding affinity of PNA for DNA/RNA is to design a more pre-organized PNA structure. An effective way to rigidify the PNA strand is to introduce …

Prosecuting Core Crimes In The United States: Recent Changes And Prospects For 2010, Naomi Roht-Arriaza

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

The Usu Mild/Moderate Distance Degree And Licensure Program: Where We’Ve Been And Where We’Re Going, Nancy K. Glomb, Benjamin Lignugaris / Kraft, R. R. Menlove

Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling Faculty Publications

Providing access to quality special education teacher training programs for all qualified applicants is particularly pertinent in light of the national shortage of special education teachers. In addition, there are increasing numbers of students enrolling in Utah schools, and a percentage of that increased enrollment includes students with disabilities. The Mild/Moderate Distance Degree and Licensure Program at Utah State University began in 1995 to help address this shortage. Initially, the program was designed to recruit and prepare qualified mild/moderate special education teachers in one rural area of the state that includes two school districts. Over time, the program expanded to …

Systematic Approach To Prostitution Laws: A Literature Review And Further Suggestions, Dana Lynn Radatz

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Here Tunggë Made Here Slayn: Dangerous Speech Acts In Four Exempla From Robert Mannyng Of Brunne’S Handlyng Synne, Emily Russell

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

In this project, I consider four exempla from Robert Mannyng of Brunne’s Handlyng Synne: “The Tale of the Bloody Child,” “The Tale of the Sacrilegious Carolers of Colbek,” “The Tale of the Midwife Who Christened the Child Wrongly,” and “St. Gregory’s Tale of the Nun Who Spoke Naughty Words.” I read these exempla through the theoretical texts of Georges Bataille, Jacques Derrida, Julia Kristeva, and Mary Douglas, as well as others, and conclude that speech acts, whether deviant or sanctioned, make identity at any level (de)constructable. I hope to show that while this is particularly noticeable against the historical …

Examining The Association Between Depressive Symptoms And Performance On Executive Function Measures In Children, Hillary A. Mangis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A variety of cognitive deficits have been linked to depression. In particular, data exists to suggest that persons with depression are subject to poorer executive function compared to normal controls. Establishing the connection between depression and impaired executive function is particularly important in childhood as a child's daily functioning, including social interactions and academic performance, may be impacted. The purpose of this study was to explore if children with significant symptoms of depression displayed deficits on tasks designed to measure the executive functions of attentional control, information processing and cognitive flexibility (Anderson, 2002) compared to a clinical control group. A …

Substantive Representation Of Women And Its Consequences: The Passage Of A Gender-Based-Violence Law In Rwanda, Joan Marshall

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

How can the increased political participation of traditionally excluded groups, particularly women, impact policymaking on issues that affect those groups? Using the passage of legislation on gender-based violence (GBV) in Rwanda as a case study, this thesis examines how increased women's "descriptive representation" can lead to "substantive representation" in the context of a political and social environment supportive of women's political inclusion. In addition to the increased political presence of women in parliament as a result of the gender-quota laws, the support of an executive government committed to the political inclusion of women and expansion of women's rights and an …

"An Insect View Of Its Plain": Nature And Insects In Thoreau, Dickinson, And Muir, Rosemary S. Mctier

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The simultaneous emergence of ecocriticism and cultural entomology has created a critical need for a discussion of the appearance and function of insects as they appear in literature. While nineteenth-century nature writing is frequently examined by ecocritics, very few have chosen to explore how critical writers such as Henry David Thoreau, Emily Dickinson, and John Muir incorporate insects into their work. This study explores three interrelated issues connected to encounters with and explorations of the microscopic and unacknowledged position of insects in nature: first, how insects factor into their growing knowledge about nature and ecology; second, how nature serves as …

I Promise I Won't Say 'Herstory': New Conversations Among Feminists, Jannelle Ruswick, Alycia Sellie

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Case Study: Implementation Of The Top Five Freedom Of Information Act Cases Into Media Law Of The Republic Of Tajikistan, Muhabbat Yakubova

Communication

The purpose of this study is to explore and study the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) in five cases. The study will analyze the importance of FOIA for the growth of media for developing countries like Tajikistan. The study conducts a comparative analysis of the FOIA cases. The study will examine FOIA adoption history in the United States of America's legislative system; the reasons, purposes, and the implementation of FOIA by media personnel; and current media law of the Republic of Tajikistan. Also the study will discuss where certain aspects of FOIA could fit in Media Law of Tajikistan that …

Participation In Governance From A Comparative Perspective: Citizen Involvement In Telecommunications And Electricity In The United Kingdom, France And Sweden, Dorit Rubinstein Reiss

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Technology And Uncertainty The Shaping Effect On Copyright Law, Ben Depoorter

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Synergies And Tensions Between Rural Social Movements And Professional Researchers, Marc Edelman

Publications and Research

This essay outlines approaches to analysing and managing relations between rural activists and academic researchers. It suggests (a) that contemporary social movements engage in knowledge production practices much like those of academic and NGO-affiliated researchers and (b) that the boundaries between activists and researchers are not always as sharp as is sometimes claimed. These blurred boundaries and shared practices can create synergies in activist– academic relations. The essay then examines tensions in the relationship, including activists’ expectation that academic research will be immediately applicable to their struggles and researchers’ expectation that movement participants will accommodate their needs. The final section …

Is Arbitration A Threat Or A Boon To The Legitimacy Of International Investment Law?, Charles N. Brower, Stephan W. Schill

Chicago Journal of International Law

The present Article addresses three distinct issues that are central to the critique of investment treaties and arbitration. First, it discusses the virtues of granting investors an independent right to initiate dispute settlement directly against the host state instead of forcing them to rely either on dispute resolution in domestic courts or on interstate dispute resolution. Second, this Article shows how investment-treaty arbitration takes into account private and public interests in deciding whether state conduct has violated the rights granted to investors under investment treaties. It thus argues that concepts related to investors' rights, such as fair and equitable treatment …

The Clash Of Commitments At The International Criminal Court, Tom Ginsburg

Chicago Journal of International Law

On July 10, 2008, International Criminal Court ("ICC") Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo informed members of the UN Security Council that he would be issuing an indictment against Sudanese President Omar Hassan al Bashir on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity for events in Darfur. The indictment, issued July 14, brought into stark relief the consequentialist debate over international criminal justice. Opponents of impunity celebrated the possibility that the international community might at last be willing to take concrete steps toward ending the Darfur genocide. On the other hand, aid groups on the ground feared retaliation and expulsion, and diplomats argued …

Form, Function, And The Powers Of International Courts, Dinah Shelton

Chicago Journal of International Law

This Article examines the interplay of form, function, and the powers exercised by international courts. It first considers the functions or attributes of any institution that carries the name "court" or "tribunal" and reflects upon whether there are powers that must be deemed inherent in such an institution to allow it to fulfill the judicial function, irrespective of limitations placed on the court's jurisdiction or the type of proceedings it conducts. This analysis can serve not only to understand international judicial powers, but also to aid in distinguishing international courts from nonjudicial treaty bodies and other international institutions concerned with …

Cognition And Star Trek: Learning And Legal Education, Kate Bloch

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Consolidation Of Parental Monitoring Variables And Scales: Preliminary Evidence For Construct Validity, Ryan J. Anderson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The aim of the present study was to improve definitions of parental monitoring constructs by reducing the domain of content from which researchers have sampled in previous investigations. For example, between the years of 1991 and 2007 researchers developed at least 49 different parental monitoring scales comprised of a total of 310 questions or items. Visual inspection of these scales as well as thorough review of the parental monitoring literature suggested that researchers primarily were interested in assessing five domains of content (the sum of which is described as parental monitoring). These five domains of content are (1) adolescent perceptions …

High Performance Web Based Automated Dental Identification System, Ali Bahu

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Forensic scientists are using different kinds of systems and techniques for the identification of missing and deceased individuals. Researchers from West Virginia University, Michigan State University, and University of Miami proposed an Automated Dental Identification System (ADIS) which utilizes dental features for the post mortem identification process. A web-based ADIS, namely Web-ADIS, was developed. The initial testing shows that the system can be used efficiently with a small database.;A new and improved system design has been proposed in this research enabling practical use of the ADIS with a large database. We designate this new system as High Performance Web Automated …

Development And Commissioning Of A Small Engine Test Cell, Jacob R. Brown

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

For the purposes of providing the Center for Alternative Fuels, Engines, and Emissions (CAFEE) of West Virginia University (WVU) with the ability to perform engine dynamometer and emissions testing on small engines in the range of 40 horsepower or less, a new test cell was built and commissioned within the CAFEE annex facility in the Morgantown Industrial Park in Westover, WV. The test cell was designed to be used with existing CAFEE emission testing equipment.;Test cell commissioning demonstrated the ability of the system to properly operate full steady state test cycles, as well as capture steady state continuous gaseous emissions …

Assessment Of The System Of Professional Development For West Virginia Pre-K Teachers, Sally Byard

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study examined the system for professional development that exists in West Virginia for education staff who teach in the West Virginia Pre-K program. This information should be used to increase the understanding of policy makers and early childhood system planners within a framework of policy areas as described by the National Association for the Education of Young Children in Workforce Designs: A Policy Blueprint for State Early Childhood Professional Development Systems to support quality improvement. While several components of a comprehensive professional development system are present, further coordination and alignment is necessary to meet the diverse needs of individual …

The Effects Of Aquaculture Production Noise On The Growth, Hearing, Disease Resistance, And Survival Of Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus Mykiss) And Methods For Minimizing Noise In Fiberglass Aquaculture Tanks, John W. Davidson Iii

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Intensive aquaculture systems, particularly recirculating systems, often require noise producing equipment such as pumps, blowers, and filters that inadvertently increase sound levels within the culture environment. These systems are often very effective at culturing healthy, fast growing fish; however, the potential impacts of underwater noise on fish within intensive aquaculture systems have not been evaluated. Limited research suggests that subjecting fish to noise could result in impairment of the auditory system, reduced growth rates, and increased stress. The studies presented within this manuscript were conducted to gain a better understanding of aquaculture production noise and its potential impacts on rainbow …

The Effectiveness Of Four Translation Strategies On Nurses' Adoption Of An Evidence -Based Bladder Protocol, Jamey S. Frasure

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Background. Mixed evidence exists regarding the effective use of the use of the four translation strategies of educational materials, educational meetings, reminders, and audit and feedback on the adoption and implementation of interventions by nurses. Many clinical practice guidelines for the care of the stroke patient advocate for bladder training, but evidence-based bladder protocols for the stroke patient are not available. The best available bladder protocol identified was a prompted voiding algorithm from the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario. Review of the literature reported 32--79% of hospitalized stroke patients suffer from urinary incontinence. Strong support for prompted voiding demonstrated the …

In Mid -Stream: A Qualitative Case Study Of A Young Deaf Woman - Becoming 'Leigh', Ann Darby Getty

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this longitudinal case study was to closely examine one deaf child's lived experience. The research was designed to examine linguistic development, academic experience, and personal and social conditions through the use of multiple interviews with a 'hearing' mother and her deaf daughter. Their perspectives have been shared as well as that of the narrator/inquirer.;The study begins when 'Leigh' was identified as having a profound, bilateral hearing loss at the age of 12 months, and continues to date with her current status as a twenty year old, college sophomore. The raw texts analyzed include: interview excerpts, results of …

Fuzzy Rock Typing: Enhancing Reservoir Simulation And Modeling By Honoring High Resolution Geological Models, Vida Gholami

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Rock typing is an essential part of building geologic model for an asset. Millions of dollars are invested in logs, core measurements, SCAL studies, and geological interpretation that result in definition of different rock types. Rock types overlap and do not have crisp boundaries.;Upon definition of rock types for a series of geological formations geoscientists use approximation of multiple and overlapping rock types to identify a dominant rock type for any grid block in a reservoir simulation model. This defeats the original purpose of performing detail geological, petrophysical studies as far as reservoir flow models are concerned.;The objective of this …