Digital Commons Network^™

Developing A Review Rubric For Learning Resources In Digital Libraries, Heather Leary, Sarah Giersch, Andrew Walker, Mimi Recker

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

This paper describes the development of a review rubric for learning resources in the context of the Instructional Architect (IA), a web-based authoring tool. We describe the motivation for developing a review rubric, the process for creating it by synthesizing the rubrics of other education-related digital libraries, and the results of testing the rubric with teachers. Analysis of usability and reliability indicates that the review rubric influences how teachers design online learning resources.

Validity And Problem-Based Learning Research: A Review Of Instruments Used To Assess Intended Learning Outcomes, Brian Robert Belland, Brian F. French, Peggy A. Ertmer

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Problem-based learning (PBL) spread from the medical school to other university and K-12 contexts due, in part, to the stated promise that PBL produces the target outcomes of deep content learning, increased problem-solving ability, and increased self-directed learning (Hmelo-Silver, 2004). However, research results have been unclear. This paper examines how the three target outcomes of PBL were measured in 33 empirical studies. Results indicate that few studies included 1) theoretical frameworks for the assessed variables and constructs, 2) rationales for how chosen assessments matched the constructs measured, or 3) other information required for readers to assess the validity of authors’ …

Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry For The Determination Of Methylprednisolone In Rat Plasma And Liver After Intravenous Administration Of Its Liver-Targeted Dextran Prodrug, Shuang-Qing Zhang, Helen R. Thorsheim, Suman Penugonda, Venkateswaran C. Pillai, Quentin R. Smith, Reza Mehvar

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

A specific and sensitive liquid chromatography (LC)-tandem mass spectrometric method for quantitative determination of methylprednisolone (MP) in rat plasma and liver was developed and validated using triamcinolone acetonide as an internal standard. Liquid-liquid extraction using tert-butyl methyl ether was used to extract the drug and the internal standard from plasma and liver. The separation of MP was performed on a C(18) column with a mobile phase of acetonitrile:0.5% formic acid aqueous solution (85:15, v/v) over 4 min. The assay was based on the selected reaction monitoring transitions at m/z 375 -> 161 for MP in plasma, 375 -> 357 for …

Nonpoint Source Pollution, Lu Lin, Zhi Qiang Deng, Daniel Dianchen Gang

Faculty Publications

A critical review of the peer-reviewed literature published in 2008 on topics related to nonpoint source pollution (NPS) is presented. This review is divided into three sections: sources of NPS pollution, modeling of NPS pollution, and NPS control strategies. Copyright © 2009 Water Environment Federation.

The Intellectual Foundations Of The Global Financial Crisis: Analysis And Proposals For Reform, Cynthia A. Williams, Frank Jan De Graaf

Articles & Book Chapters

Much has been written about the current crisis in the global financial system, and many thoughtful analyses have examined the causes and consequences of that crisis. This paper joins those analyses that argue that the crisis reveals flaws in the theoretical underpinnings of capital market regulation, particularly in those markets that had relied upon the assumptions of ‘market fundamentalism’ as a regulatory philosophy. We suggest a more Northern European approach to market regulation better accommodates the social values necessary to ensure stable, equitable economies. In these approaches, economic actors make decisions after having consulted relevant stakeholders. By taking this view, …

Bisexuals Need Not Apply: A Comparative Appraisal Of Refugee Law And Policy In Canada, The United States, And Australia, Sean Rehaag

Articles & Book Chapters

This paper offers an analysis of refugee claims on grounds of bisexuality. After discussing the grounds on which sexual minorities may qualify for refugee status under international refugee law, the paper empirically assesses the success rates of bisexual refugee claimants in three major host states: Canada, the United States, and Australia. It concludes that bisexuals are significantly less successful than other sexual minority groups in obtaining refugee status in those countries. Through an examination of selected published decisions involving bisexual refugee claimants, the author identifies two main areas for concern that may partly account for the difficulties that bisexual refugee …

Advent Devotional Guide 2009, Belmont University

Advent Devotional Guides

No abstract provided.

Shadows And Light: Addressing Information Asymmetries Through Enhanced Social Disclosure In Canadian Securities Law, Aaron A. Dhir

Articles & Book Chapters

In this paper, I explore the mechanics of social disclosure in Canada. In section II, I review the extent to which Canadian companies have been reporting social information. In section III, I canvass the degree to which such disclosure is actually required under securities law vis-a`-vis the continuous disclosure obligation that requires public companies to provide periodic and timely disclosure to investors. I focus on three of the key components of periodic disclosure - quarterly/annual financial statements, the management discussion and analysis and, most importantly, the annual information form. Although many firms are underreporting, it is clear that a sufficient …

Developing A World Tax Organization: The Way Forward, By Adrian J. Sawyer, Neil Brooks

Articles & Book Chapters

No abstract provided.

Irrigating The Famished Fields: The Impact Of Labour-Led Struggles On Policy And Action In Nigeria (1999-2007), Obiora Chinedu Okafor

Articles & Book Chapters

Between 1999 and 2007, a broad-based labour-led movement which focused most of its energies on its struggle against unpopular fuel price hikes in Nigeria was able to exert considerable, though limited, influence on an Obasanjo-led executive arm of government that was at best quasidemocratic in its orientation. This article argues that, despite the very important roles played by other factors (notably the presence of more democratic space in Nigeria post-1999), the movement's adoption of a mass social movement approach facilitated its ability to exert such influence.

Encyclopedic History Of Utah State University, Robert Parson

Library Faculty & Staff Publications

From "A-day" to "Women's Athletics", this encyclopedic history of Utah State University by USU University Archivist Robert Parson covers people, buildings, programs, events, organizations, songs, school colors, traditions, and more.

Mathematical Aids Epidemic Model: Preferential Anti-Retroviral Therapy Distribution In Resource Constrained Countries, Nadia Abuelezam

HMC Senior Theses

HIV/AIDS is one of the largest health problems the world is currently facing. Even with anti-retroviral therapies (ART), many resource-constrained countries are unable to meet the treatment needs of their infected populations. ART-distribution methods need to be created that prevent the largest number of future HIV infections. We have developed a compartment model that tracks the spread of HIV in multiple two-sex populations over time in the presence of limited treatment. The model has been fit to represent the HIV epidemic in rural and urban areas in Uganda. With the model we examine the spread of HIV among urban and …

An Empirical Analysis Of The Link Between Entrepreneurship And Economic Growth In West Virginia, Maribel N. Mojica, Tesfa Gebremedhin, Peter V. Schaeffer

Regional Research Institute Working Papers

Entrepreneurship variables constructed from county-level proprietorship and firm birth data were included in an endogenous growth model to determine the relationship between entrepreneurship and economic growth in West Virginia. The empirical estimates using weighted least squares (WLS) and 2-stage least squares (2SLS) regressions generally show empirical evidence regarding the positive contribution of entrepreneurial activity to economic growth. Counties with more proprietors and business start ups exhibited higher growths in population and employment growth compared to less entrepreneurial counties. However, none of the entrepreneurship variables used in the study is statistically significant in determining per capita income growth.

A County-Level Assessment Of Entrepreneurship And Economic Growth In Appalachia Using Simultaneous Equations, Maribel N. Mojica, Tesfa Gebremedhin, Peter V. Schaeffer

Regional Research Institute Working Papers

This study provides evidence of the contribution of entrepreneurship to economic development in Appalachia. Using data on Appalachian counties, a system of simultaneous equations is empirically estimated to measure the effects of entrepreneurship on economic growth and development. We present an expanded Carlino-Mills growth model using changes in population, employment, and per capita income to represent growth. The goal of the investigation is to increase the understanding of entrepreneurship’s contributions to economic growth, and its potential as a development strategy for a region, such as Appalachia, that is characterized by poverty and underdevelopment. The results show that start-up businesses contribute …

Linking Tourism Resources And Local Economic Benefits: A Spatial Analysis In West Virginia, Jinyang Deng, David Dyre

Regional Research Institute Working Papers

Tourism has been playing an increasingly important role in the economic development and promotion for the state of West Virginia. However, how tourism resources are spatially distributed across all the state’s 55 counties has not received much attention. This study could be among the first in West Virginia to create a tourism resource inventory database at the county level, and to spatially examine tourism resource distribution patterns across all counties, based on the tourism resource quantity measured by size, length, or number, as well as on the quality determined by the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) through surveys of 191 visitors. …

Who Creates Waste? Different Perspectives On Waste Attribution In A Regional Economy, Christa D. Jensen, Stuart Mcintyre, Max Munday, Karen Turner

Regional Research Institute Working Papers

We use a regional input output (IO) framework and data derived on waste generation by industry to examine regional accountability. In addition to estimating a series of industry waste-output coefficients, the paper considers a series of methods for waste attribution, and practical use for policymakers. The paper first considers perspectives on attribution of domestic waste generation using basic Type I and Type II industry multipliers, and also compares these with multipliers derived from a trade endogenised linear attribution system (TELAS) which permits a greater focus on private and public final consumption as the main exogenous driver of waste generation in …

Achievement Of Boys And Girls In Single-Gender Kindergarten Classrooms At One Elementary School In Western Michigan, Celeste L. Diehm

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The impact of single gender classrooms on kindergarten students’ acquisition of literacy skills was investigated in this research project. A sample of 144 kindergarten students in one public school district in western Michigan participated in this quasi-experimental, quantitative study during the 2008-09 school year.

The development of reading skills is important for a child’s success throughout his or her educational career and is influenced by many factors. This study explored the impact of the variables of age, developmental readiness, socioeconomic status, family structure, and teacher experience on the acquisition of literacy skills among children in different classroom compositions including all-girls, …

Overreaction Then (Korematsu) And Now (The Detainee Cases), Fritz Snyder

Faculty Journal Articles & Other Writings

In light of the "detainee cases," this article uses Korematsu v. U.S. as a case study in how things can go grievously wrong when the government overreacts to the threat of terrorism and individual rights disappear.

Using Dogs For Emotional Support Of Testifying Victims Of Crime, Marianne Dellinger

Animal Law Review

Courts and prosecutorial offices around the nation have started using service dogs to support emotionally frail child witnesses who are unwilling to testify but for the calming presence of a dog. Proponents claim that this new type of therapeutic jurisprudence helps bring criminal defendants to justice in cases where the testimony of the complaining witness is crucial to the prosecution’s case. Opponents fear the infringement of the defendants’ rights to a fair trial because of the dogs’ potential to prejudice a jury to come out in favor of the witnesses.

This article analyzes the legal foundations supporting the use of …

2007-2008 Legislative Review, Nancy R. Hoffman, Robin C. Mcginnis

Animal Law Review

No abstract provided.

Animals As Vulnerable Subjects: Beyond Interest-Convergence, Hierarchy, And Property, Ani B. Satz

Animal Law Review

This Article presents a new paradigm, premised on the equal protection principle, for the legal regulation of human interactions with domestic animals: Equal Protection of Animals (EPA). EPA combines the insights of vulnerability theorists with the equal protection principle and capability theory to create a mechanism for recognizing the equal claims of human and nonhuman animals to protections against suffering. Under such an approach, domestic animals—like humans—have claims to food, hydration, shelter, bodily integrity (including avoiding pain), companionship, and the ability to exercise and to engage in natural behaviors of movement.

Existing animal welfare and anti-cruelty laws, despite their stated …

Son Of Sam And Dog Of Sam: Regulating Depictions Of Animal Cruelty Through The Use Of Criminal Anti-Profit Statutes, Emma Ricaurte

Animal Law Review

In 1991, Congress enacted 18 U.S.C. § 48, which prohibits the interstate sale and distribution of depictions of animal cruelty, in response to the proliferation of animal “crush videos” on the Internet. In 2008, the Third Circuit, in United States v. Stevens, a case involving dog fighting, held that the law was an unconstitutional restriction on free speech. In April of 2009, the Supreme Court of the United States granted certiorari. Discussions about the regulation of depictions of animal cruelty have largely focused on whether the child pornography or obscenity exceptions to the First Amendment should be extended to include …

Barnes V. Yahoo Motion To Dismiss Amended Complaint

Section 230 Archives

No abstract provided.

Vindicating Vaccines, Poonam Kaushal

Quill & Scope

Autism, an atypical complication of vaccines, has single-handedly created a public health controversy regarding the overall efficacy of vaccinating children. While experts battled out their positions in newspaper articles and TV talk shows, measles cases have been on the rise, cumulating in 2008 with the most cases since 1996. The public controversy coupled with landmark federal cases have allowed the layperson to think that vaccines are indeed harmful and as such has seemingly discouraged their use in health maintenance. Emphasis has shifted away from the appropriate scientific criterion that determines the relationship, or lack thereof, between vaccines and autism. In …

Medicare Must Adapt For Aging Baby Boomer Population, J. Paul Nielsen

Quill & Scope

Since Medicare was established in 1965 to provide insurance for the elderly and handicapped, the benefits offered by Medicare have scarcely changed except for a few added preventive services. Sustained growth in Medicare expenditures and the aging of the “baby boom" generation are placing growing strains on Medicare's financial sustainability. Under current practices, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Trustees estimate that the Part A Hospital Insurance Trust Fund will only remain solvent until the year 2018. On January 1, 2006, Medicare's new Plan D prescription-drug coverage plan was launched. Critics have charged that unlike existing government health plans, Part …

Uf Law Spring 2009, University Of Florida Levin College Of Law

UF Law Magazine

Celebrating 100 Years of UF Law 1909-2009

Introducing Women's Global Health And Human Rights, Padmini Murthy

Quill & Scope

In today's world, discussion of women's health and human rights are often given short shrift. A new book, Women's Global Health and Human Rights, does much to shed light on this overlooked area. This book is unique in that it addresses the similarities and differences in health and human rights challenges faced by women in different regions of the world. The diversity of backgrounds and geographic locations of the invited authors contributes to the book's rich content. Find out more in this article by one of the editors, Dr. Padmini Murthy.

Towards A Greener Future: Gc-Ms Analysis Of Poly-3-Hydroxybutyrate (P3hb) Content In Panicum Virgatum., Adesh Seuraj

Theses & ETDs

Plastic production has increased markedly over the last hundred years. With greater consumption rates today, than ever before, serious attention to the consequential and fringe effects of the plastic industry has provoked the scientific interests of ecologically minded individuals. A non-polluting alternative is the use of plants to produce plastics that are biodegradable, easily commercialized, and specialized for aesculapian applications. In the formulation of a more benign product, the performance integrity and properties of traditional plastics remains uncompromised. Butanolysis is a primary screening technique for the presence of poly-3- hydroxybutyrate in the early life cycles of a plant. At Metabolix, …

Horizontal Models For Social Movement Organizations: A Case Study Of The Coalition Of Immokalee Workers, Jolene Elberth

Theses & ETDs

The purpose of this study was to analyze how social movement organizations function when using a horizontal model of leadership. This model of leadership employs direct democratic practices. These practices 1) do not have a hierarchy or leader and 2) vests authority in the organization as a whole rather than in the individual. These models have been largely ignored in the social movements literature. Therefore, this study bridges the gap between work organization literature on directly democratic organizations and social movement literature. In order to analyze this alternative model of leadership, I conductive a qualitative analysis of a horizontally-run social …

The Claremont Foodshed: A Historical Analysis, Allie Comet

Pomona Senior Theses

On the southeast corner of the Pomona College campus a small community farm and lush oasis is nestled in the suburban jungle of Claremont, California. ‘The Farm’ is a two-acre food forest that produces a wide variety of annual vegetable crops, fruits, and perennial herbs and berries in a landscape otherwise covered largely in asphalt and lawn.From my experiences on the Farm and in the classroom studying environmental analysis , I have developed a great interest in sustainable food and farming. The failures of the modern food system, destructive to the natural environment and inadequate in providing the world’s population …