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2009

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Integrating Universal Design For Learning Through Content Video With Preservice Teachers, Sara Aronin Jan 2009

Integrating Universal Design For Learning Through Content Video With Preservice Teachers, Sara Aronin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Given current legislation to ensure education for students with disabilities and that institutions of higher education are required to use universal design for learning (UDL) principles, the purpose of this study was to explore the impact of video modeling on preservice teachers' knowledge, understanding and application of the three principles of UDL. Preservice teachers were randomly assigned to control or experimental groups to determine if video embedded with UDL principles impacted their thinking. Specifically, pre and posttest information of knowledge and understanding as well as self-perceived ability to teach students with disabilities using UDL was analyzed. In addition preservice teacher …

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Videotaped Oral Reading Fluency Lab: An Alternative Approach To One-On-One Interventions For Intermediate Elementary Students With Learning Disabilities, Beth Christner Jan 2009

Videotaped Oral Reading Fluency Lab: An Alternative Approach To One-On-One Interventions For Intermediate Elementary Students With Learning Disabilities, Beth Christner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The ability to read aloud fluently is a reflection of one's ability to automatically decode words and comprehend text at the same time (Samuels, 2006), a task which may be difficult for many intermediate elementary students with learning disabilities (LD) (Ferrara, 2005). Previous research shows that audio-assisted repeated readings and goal-setting with feedback are effective methods of improving oral reading fluency (ORF) (Chard, Vaughn, & Tyler, 2002; Morgan & Sideridis, 2006; Therrien, 2004) but implementing these interventions may be time-consuming for teachers and tedious for students. The purpose of this research was to determine the impact of including repeated reading …

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Exploring The Relationship Between Marital Expectations And Marital Satisfaction Between Married African Immigrant Couples And U, Evadne Ngazimbi Jan 2009

Exploring The Relationship Between Marital Expectations And Marital Satisfaction Between Married African Immigrant Couples And U, Evadne Ngazimbi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Marriage is still considered a universal institution in many countries worldwide. Marriage provides benefits for wives, husbands, children, families, and communities. Why Marriage Matters (Wilcox et al., 2005), outlined the benefits of marriage, including improved physical and mental health, biological and social benefits for husbands, wives, children and families in America. In sub-Saharan Africa benefits emanating from marriage included increased survival rates for young children (Omariba & Boyle, 2007); reduced maternal morbidity and mortality rates for women due to reduced risks from self-inflicted abortions (Garenne, Tollman, Kahn, Collins, & Ngwenya, 2001); and improved economic management in homes due to exchanging …

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Ucanfnsh: A Virtual Learning Environment Created To Engage And Inspire Self-Determination In Middle School Students With Learnin, Kara Rosenblatt Jan 2009

Ucanfnsh: A Virtual Learning Environment Created To Engage And Inspire Self-Determination In Middle School Students With Learnin, Kara Rosenblatt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the efficacy of using a virtual college campus to teach self-determination skills to middle school students with learning disabilities. Teaching self-determination skills is considered best practice for students with disabilities as they transition into adulthood. Three measures, a self-determination knowledge measurement scale, a behavior rubric, and 15 multiple choice questions measured self-determination knowledge and skill application ability with 71 middle school students with learning disabilities. The measures were used to determine whether the students who learned about self-determination skills in the virtual college setting during one training session displayed more knowledge and application of these skills than …

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The Effects Of A Modified Learning Strategy On The Multiple Step Mathematical Word Problem Solving Ability Of Middle School Students With High-Functioning Autism Or Asperger's Syndrome, Peggy Schaefer Whitby Jan 2009

The Effects Of A Modified Learning Strategy On The Multiple Step Mathematical Word Problem Solving Ability Of Middle School Students With High-Functioning Autism Or Asperger's Syndrome, Peggy Schaefer Whitby

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Students with HFA/AS present with a unique set of cognitive deficits that may prevent achievement in the mathematics curriculum, even though they present with average mathematical skills. The purpose of the study was to determine the effectiveness and efficiency of the use of a modified learning strategy to increase the mathematical word problem solving ability of children with high functioning autism or Asperger's syndrome; determine if the use of Solve It! increases the self-perceptions of mathematical ability, attitudes towards mathematics and attitudes towards solving mathematical word problems; and, determine if Solve It! cue cards or a Solve It! multimedia academic …

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Hedonic Property Value Modeling Of Water Quality, Lake Proximity, And Spatial Dependence In Central Florida, Patrick Walsh Jan 2009

Hedonic Property Value Modeling Of Water Quality, Lake Proximity, And Spatial Dependence In Central Florida, Patrick Walsh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Hedonic property value analysis is one of the leading methods of environmental valuation. This non-market technique uses variation in home sales to infer the values of amenities or disamenities. While there have been numerous studies about air quality and hazardous waste, the number of papers focusing on water quality is much smaller. Consequently, there are still many unanswered questions about the proper handling of water quality through hedonic methods. Furthermore, estimates from hedonic property price analyses are rarely used in government cost benefit analyses. This dissertation investigates several important hedonic issues in a large analysis of water quality in central …

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Examining Factors Taht Affect Knowledge Sharing And Students' Attitude Toward Their Learning Experience Within Virtual Teams, Jinxia He Jan 2009

Examining Factors Taht Affect Knowledge Sharing And Students' Attitude Toward Their Learning Experience Within Virtual Teams, Jinxia He

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined factors that might impact student knowledge sharing within virtual teams through online discussion boards. These factors included: trust, mutual influence, conflict, leadership, and cohesion. A path model was developed to determine whether relationships exist among knowledge sharing from asynchronous group discussion and the above five factors. In addition, this study examined if there are any relationships between quality and quantity of knowledge sharing and students' grades. A correlation design was conducted to discover if there are any relationships among these five factors and knowledge sharing within virtual teams. Participants in this study were 148 undergraduate students from …

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Extending The Technology Acceptance Model Using Perceived User Resources In Higher Education Web-Based Online Learning Courses, Cheng-Hsin Ku Jan 2009

Extending The Technology Acceptance Model Using Perceived User Resources In Higher Education Web-Based Online Learning Courses, Cheng-Hsin Ku

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to examine students' acceptance of the World Wide Web Course Tools (WebCT) online learning system. The Perceived Resources and Technology Acceptance Model (PRATAM) was created based on previous research to address the factors of perceived resources, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, attitude toward using, behavioral intention to use and actual system use. The aim for this research was to investigate the critical determinants and provide the causal relationships regarding students' acceptance behaviors when using WebCT. While institutions are expecting to adopt online learning to reach more students, there are still many challenges for …

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A Confirmation Factor Analysis Of Teaching Presence Within The Florida Online Reading Professional Development Program, Melinda Stevison Jan 2009

A Confirmation Factor Analysis Of Teaching Presence Within The Florida Online Reading Professional Development Program, Melinda Stevison

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Community of Inquiry model provides a framework for recognizing and evaluating interpersonal behaviors in online educational settings. One of its three components, teaching presence (TP), describes those behaviors that are under the auspices of the online instructor. By examining these interactions and behaviors through the theoretical lens provided by teaching presence, and by measuring them with the Teaching Presence Scale (TPS), it may be possible to gain greater understanding of the practices employed most effectively by online instructors. This dissertation describes the background, theoretical and empirical foundations, methods, and results of a study on TP. The purpose of the …

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Evaluation Of Juvenile Justice Education Programs: What The Numbers Say About Juvenile Recidivism, Kevin Egan Jan 2009

Evaluation Of Juvenile Justice Education Programs: What The Numbers Say About Juvenile Recidivism, Kevin Egan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Each year more than 100,000 juveniles are incarcerated in residential rehabilitative facilities. As part of their course of treatment, educational services are mandated for these incarcerated youth. Programs serving these individuals must provide adequate and appropriate educational programs for these juveniles. With a growing public concern over juvenile delinquency and recidivism, programs are being held accountable for the effectiveness and quality of the programming they offer. In Florida, juvenile justice programs offering educational services are monitored annually by the Juvenile Justice Education Enhancement Program. These programs receive a Quality Assurance (QA) rating as determined by a review team that spends …

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Self-Efficacy Beliefs Of Florida School Principals Regarding Federal And State Accountability Measures, John Mccullers Jan 2009

Self-Efficacy Beliefs Of Florida School Principals Regarding Federal And State Accountability Measures, John Mccullers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined how self-efficacy beliefs, a central construct of social cognitive theory, might be used to inform educational leadership and policy decisions related to school accountability measures. A survey of 112 principals in Florida was used to investigate the degree to which principals believed the goals of federal and state school accountability measures (the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and the Florida School Grades Plan) were actually attainable, and to what degree they believed their leadership actually helped achieve these goals. A large majority (83.8%) of respondents believed the state goals to be attainable, whereas only a …

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Elementary School Student Achievement: An Analysis Of School Size And Student Achievement, Natalie Odom Jan 2009

Elementary School Student Achievement: An Analysis Of School Size And Student Achievement, Natalie Odom

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Student achievement is the cornerstone of educational intuitions. Having a comprehensive understanding of what factors into having a successful student achievement rate requires the use of previous research and analyzing of historical accounts. The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a difference in student achievement when elementary school size was a factor. The analysis of the results offered beneficial information pertaining to Florida's public schools while providing a stepping stone towards future research. The results of this study and subsequent studies can provide information and guidance to decision makers regarding school size relative to student achievement. …

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Character Education: Examining The Perceptions Of Elementary, Middle, And High School Teachers In A Central Florida School District, Jason Ampel Jan 2009

Character Education: Examining The Perceptions Of Elementary, Middle, And High School Teachers In A Central Florida School District, Jason Ampel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

While schools are academic institutions to prepare our country's youth for their future, developing a child's character and civic responsibilities is necessary and is often deleted from the explicit curriculum set forth in most school districts throughout the country. This study investigated the perception of character education of teachers in a Central Florida school district, as it related to teacher importance, teacher efficacy, and teacher practice of character education. This study investigated the responses of 497 classroom teachers surveyed within one Central Florida school district. The questionnaire used in this study was designed to illuminate teacher perceptions of character education, …

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Interrater Reliability Of Psychomotor Skill Assessment In Athletic Training, Jason Craddock Jan 2009

Interrater Reliability Of Psychomotor Skill Assessment In Athletic Training, Jason Craddock

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Assessment in athletic training education is an evolutionary process that is determined by each individual Athletic Training Education Program. The autonomy authorized by national accreditation standards allows academic programs to determine the appropriate assessment practices that facilitate the meeting of student learning outcomes. Even with autonomy, formative and summative techniques are to be employed in both the didactic and clinical arenas of athletic training education programs. The major objective of athletic training education is to prepare students for entry-level practice in athletic training. The purpose of this study was to assess interrater reliability of athletic training faculty and approved clinical …

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Content And Citation Analysis Of Interdesciplinary Humanities Textbooks Within A Framework Of Curriculum Theory, Julie Guidera Jan 2009

Content And Citation Analysis Of Interdesciplinary Humanities Textbooks Within A Framework Of Curriculum Theory, Julie Guidera

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to analyze the content of textbooks used in undergraduate survey courses in interdisciplinary humanities to understand the content of the curriculum and how an author's viewpoint shapes the product. By enumerating the texts and images authors and their publishers used to illustrate 20th century culture and the transition into the 21st century, the analysis generated a description of the range of perspectives from traditional to postmodern found in six sampled textbooks. Textbook content provided chronological data, while authors' source citations established identity properties of the works' contributors. Through a ranking system of authors' treatment …

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The Commitment Of Elementary School Teachers To Inclusive Education For Children With Disabilities, Margaret Cox Jan 2009

The Commitment Of Elementary School Teachers To Inclusive Education For Children With Disabilities, Margaret Cox

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the commitment of elementary school teachers to inclusive education for students with disabilities (SWD), and whether the commitment to inclusive education between general and special education teachers was equal. Measurements were based on Richard Clarke's Commitmemt and Necessary Effort (CANE) theory, severity of disability, and demographic factors including teaching assignment, number of students in class, number of years teaching and number of years working in an inclusive setting. A four-point Likert-type survey(Appendix A) adapted from a combination of Spencer Salend's (2008) "Teacher's Inclusion Survey and Interview Question to examine the Experience of …

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Individual Reactions To Organizational Ethical Failures And Recovery Attempts: A Recovery Paradox?, James Caldwell Jan 2009

Individual Reactions To Organizational Ethical Failures And Recovery Attempts: A Recovery Paradox?, James Caldwell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The vast majority of behavioral ethical research focuses on the antecedents of unethical behavior. Consequently, questions involving the consequences of organizational unethical behavior remain largely unanswered. Therefore, extant business ethics research largely neglects the impacts of organizational unethical behavior on individuals. Moreover, questions involving what organizations can do to correct or recover from having engaged in unethical behavior as well as individual responses to those efforts are also mostly ignored. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of unethical activity on employees and explore organizations that have failed ethically and their attempts at recovery. This study …

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An Examination Of An Antecedent And Consequences Of Supervisor Morally Questionable Expediency, Rebecca Greenbaum Jan 2009

An Examination Of An Antecedent And Consequences Of Supervisor Morally Questionable Expediency, Rebecca Greenbaum

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Supervisor morally questionable expediency occurs when subordinates perceive that their supervisors engage in morally questionable behavior to expedite their work for self-serving purposes (Greenbaum & Folger, 2008). A supervisor's preoccupation with the bottom-line (Greenbaum, 2007; Greenbaum & Folger, 2008; Wolfe, 1988) is examined as an antecedent of morally questionable expediency. It was hypothesized that subordinates experience deontic reactions (Folger, 2001) in the form of a moral psychological contract violation. Consequently, subordinates were hypothesized to reduce performance, engage in antisocial behavior and supervisor-directed deviance. Survey data from 259 subordinate-supervisor dyads provided general support for this hypothesized model. However, post hoc analyses …

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A Theory Of Complex Adaptive Inquiring Organizations: Application To Continuous Assurance Of Corporate Financial Information, John Kuhn Jan 2009

A Theory Of Complex Adaptive Inquiring Organizations: Application To Continuous Assurance Of Corporate Financial Information, John Kuhn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Drawing upon the theories of complexity and complex adaptive systems and the Singerian Inquiring System from C. West Churchman's seminal work The Design of Inquiring Systems the dissertation herein develops a systems design theory for continuous auditing systems. The dissertation consists of discussion of the two foundational theories, development of the Theory of Complex Adaptive Inquiring Organizations (CAIO) and associated design principles for a continuous auditing system supporting a CAIO, and instantiation of the CAIO theory. The instantiation consists of an agent-based model depicting the marketplace for Frontier Airlines that generates an anticipated market share used as an integral component …

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Dags: An Information System Design Research Framework Supporting The Design, Development And Delivery Of More Effective Informat, Lascelles Adams Jan 2009

Dags: An Information System Design Research Framework Supporting The Design, Development And Delivery Of More Effective Informat, Lascelles Adams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many IT systems fail to realize their objectives because not enough attention has been paid to the business context in which the system functions. One reason expressed--an emphasized technical focus which tend to omit business and organizational issues germane to the organization's and the system's success. When an organization's information system is in line with, and provides support for its business strategy--strategic alignment--superior business performance is often the result. Within the Requirements Engineering (RE) community there has been several attempts to develop and utilize approaches which can illuminate business and organizational informational needs. In this dissertation, the DAGS framework is …

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Analytical And Numerical Solutions Of Differentialequations Arising In Fluid Flow And Heat Transfer Problems, Erik Sweet Jan 2009

Analytical And Numerical Solutions Of Differentialequations Arising In Fluid Flow And Heat Transfer Problems, Erik Sweet

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The solutions of nonlinear ordinary or partial differential equations are important in the study of fluid flow and heat transfer. In this thesis we apply the Homotopy Analysis Method (HAM) and obtain solutions for several fluid flow and heat transfer problems. In chapter 1, a brief introduction to the history of homotopies and embeddings, along with some examples, are given. The application of homotopies and an introduction to the solutions procedure of differential equations (used in the thesis) are provided. In the chapters that follow, we apply HAM to a variety of problems to highlight its use and versatility in …

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Development Of Theoretical And Computational Methods For Three-Body Processes, Juan Blandon Zapata Jan 2009

Development Of Theoretical And Computational Methods For Three-Body Processes, Juan Blandon Zapata

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis discusses the development and application of theoretical and computational methods to study three-body processes. The main focus is on the calculation of three-body resonances and bound states. This broadly includes the study of Efimov states and resonances, three-body shape resonances, three-body Feshbach resonances, three-body pre-dissociated states in systems with a conical intersection, and the calculation of three-body recombination rate coefficients. The method was applied to a number of systems. A chapter of the thesis is dedicated to the related study of deriving correlation diagrams for three-body states before and after a three-body collision. More specifically, the thesis discusses …

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Tunable Terahertz Detectors Based On Plasmon Exciation In Two Dimensional Electron Gasses In Ingaas/Inp And Algan/Gan Hemt, Himanshu Saxena Jan 2009

Tunable Terahertz Detectors Based On Plasmon Exciation In Two Dimensional Electron Gasses In Ingaas/Inp And Algan/Gan Hemt, Himanshu Saxena

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The observation of voltage-tunable plasmon resonances in the terahertz range in two dimensional electron gas (2-deg) of a high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) fabricated from the InGaAs/InP and AlGaN/GaN materials systems is reported. The devices were fabricated from a commercial HEMT wafer by depositing source and drain contacts using standard photolithography process and a semi-transparent gate contact that consisted of a 0.5 [micro]m period transmission grating formed by electron-beam lithography. Narrow-band resonant absorption of THz radiation was observed in transmission in the frequency range 10-100 cm-1. The resonance frequency depends on the gate voltage-tuned sheet-charge density of the 2deg. The …

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Decoherence In Semiconductor Solid-State Quantum Computers, Diego Valente Jan 2009

Decoherence In Semiconductor Solid-State Quantum Computers, Diego Valente

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation we discuss decoherence in charge qubits formed by multiple lateral quantum dots in the framework of the spin-boson model and the Born-Markov approximation. We consider the intrinsic decoherence caused by the coupling to bulk phonon modes and electromagnetic environmental fluctuations. In the case of decoherence caused by phonon coupling, two distinct quantum dot configurations are studied and proposed as setups that mitigate its nocive effects : (i) Three quantum dots in a ring geometry with one excess electron in total and (ii) arrays of quantum dots where the computational basis states form multipole charge configurations. For the …

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Search, Characterization, And Properties Of Brown Dwarfs, Ramarao Tata Jan 2009

Search, Characterization, And Properties Of Brown Dwarfs, Ramarao Tata

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A trend in polarization as predicted by theoretical models was validated, and atmospheric dust grain sizes and projected rotational velocities for these objects were estimated. Comprehensive studies of UDs are proving to be crucial not only in our understanding of UDs but also for star and planet formation as brown dwarfs represent their lower and upper mass boundaries, respectively. Brown dwarfs (BD) were mere theoretical astrophysical objects for more than three decades (Kumar (1962)) till their first observational detection in 1995 (Rebolo et al. (1995), Nakajima et al. (1995)). These objects are intermediate in mass between stars and planets. Since …

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Neurocognitive Correlates Of Body Image Disturbance, Elizabeth Frei Jan 2009

Neurocognitive Correlates Of Body Image Disturbance, Elizabeth Frei

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Body image, broadly defined as an individual's general experience of his or her physical appearance, is a multidimensional phenomenon that has been found to affect functioning throughout the lifetime. Although some degree of dissatisfaction has been found to be a common aspect of the female experience, research suggests that a disturbance in body image can result in a number of clinical complications, particularly the development of an eating disorder (ED). Despite the relationship between body image and EDs, examinations of the cognitive underpinnings of the relationship between body image disturbance and EDs are relatively few and inconclusive. Research indicates that …

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Association Between Unirhinal Olfactory Processing And Self-Reported Empathy In Schizophrenia, Vidyulata Kamath Jan 2009

Association Between Unirhinal Olfactory Processing And Self-Reported Empathy In Schizophrenia, Vidyulata Kamath

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Empathy represents one multifaceted component of social cognition that is thought to be significantly impaired in individuals with schizophrenia. Psychophysical tasks of smell identification and hedonic processing of pleasant, neutral, and unpleasant odors share common neural networks involved in empathy. Therefore, we investigated the relationship between odor identification, odor ratings, and self-reported empathy in 25 outpatients with schizophrenia and 25 nonpsychiatric individuals. Group differences on empathy scores and unirhinal smell identification performance (with hedonic and intensity ratings) were examined, along with the relationships between smell identification scores, self-reported empathy, and schizophrenia symptomatology. The preliminary findings suggest that individuals with schizophrenia …

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In-Situ Gas Phase Catalytic Properties Of Metal Nanoparticles, Luis Ono Jan 2009

In-Situ Gas Phase Catalytic Properties Of Metal Nanoparticles, Luis Ono

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recent advances in surface science technology have opened new opportunities for atomic scale studies in the field of nanoparticle (NP) catalysis. The 2007 Nobel Prize of Chemistry awarded to Prof. G. Ertl, a pioneer in introducing surface science techniques to the field of heterogeneous catalysis, shows the importance of the field and revealed some of the fundamental processes of how chemical reactions take place at extended surfaces. However, after several decades of intense research, fundamental understanding on the factors that dominate the activity, selectivity, and stability (life-time) of nanoscale catalysts are still not well understood. This dissertation aims to explore …

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The Impact Of Intraorganizational Trust And Learning Oriented Climate On Error Reporting, Dana Elizabeth Sims Jan 2009

The Impact Of Intraorganizational Trust And Learning Oriented Climate On Error Reporting, Dana Elizabeth Sims

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Insight into opportunities for process improvement provides a competitive advantage through increases in organizational effectiveness and innovation As a result, it is important to understand the conditions under which employees are willing to communicate this information. This study examined the relationship between trust and psychological safety on the willingness to report errors in a medical setting. Trust and psychological safety were measured at the team and leader level. In addition, the moderating effect of a learning orientation climate at three levels of the organization (i.e., team members, team leaders, organizational) was examined on the relationship between trust and psychological safety …

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The Effects Of Screen Size On Performance Of A Modified Code Substitution Task, Shawn Stafford Jan 2009

The Effects Of Screen Size On Performance Of A Modified Code Substitution Task, Shawn Stafford

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The smallest display while indistinguishable from the larger three displays in the 3000 ms condition has significant accuracy diminution in the 700 ms and 300 ms conditions when compared to the three larger displays. Understanding the effects of the visual display size of a task on human performance has long been a goal of research in the United States Military. The present work is a series of three studies which focus on distinguishing which specific aspects of display size each affect performance response capacity. The three sequential studies represented here manipulated viewing conditions and task type. These studies were derived …

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