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Indian Involvement In Afghanistan In The Context Of The South Asian Security System, Melanie Hanif

Journal of Strategic Security

This article focuses on the regional requirements for a pacification of Afghanistan. For this purpose, Afghanistan is analytically "reframed" as part of South Asia. The hypothesis is that India is the only regional actor that might possess both the incentives and the capabilities to deal with the negative security externalities emanating from Afghanistan.In South Asia, material characteristics such as the delineation of the region and its power polarity are unclear. India's role within the region is even more controversial. By examining India's role within its security environment, this paper will suggest how this lack of clarity could be remedied. In …

Unsettling Nostalgia: The Difficult Journey Home, Susan Shiver Barrow

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Contained within the following pages is a narrative inquiry which analyzes the impact of place upon those who have occupied particular rural Southern spaces. This ethnography pays special attention to life forces and attempts to confront issues of gender, race, class, religion, and community by analyzing the larger cultural forces at work within those spaces. It attempts to encourage ways of living in the world more ethically and more inclusively. In many cases cultural influences have come to constrain the lives of young girls, women, and other marginalized people in the region. Historic economic structures and tendencies to devalue education …

Soil Modification And Potential Allelopathy: An Investigation Into How The Invasive Casuarina Equisetifolia L. (Australian Pine) Modify Their Environment, Charlotte P. Buehler

Theses and Dissertations

Casuarina equisetifolia L. is a noxious plant species known to be invasive in the West Indies. Not much is known about its impact on its host environment. This study’s objective was to quantitatively compare physical and chemical soil differences between sites dominated by and devoid of Casuarinas. This study also conducted growth chamber experiments to determine potential for allelopathy. It was demonstrated that sites dominated by Casuarinas differed significantly in K, P, organic matter, and leaf litter depth. Application of Casuarinas leachate showed reduction in germination of radish and bean seeds by at least 32% and 70%, respectively. Once germinated …

We Are Clay People: The Struggle Against Choctaw Communal Dissolution, 1801-1861, Gary Coleman Cheek

Theses and Dissertations

Acculturation has become an integral part of scholarship about Native Americans in the Southeast. Recent studies have focused on trade the eighteenth century and Choctaw entry into the American market economy during the beginning of the nineteenth century. This study analyzes acculturation from 1801 to 1861, carrying the story about cultural change and persistence through the Removal era and to the American Civil War. It argues that while Choctaws acculturated to survive, prosper, and protect autonomy in a changing world, they continuously battled communal dissolution, which threatened to destroy their nation. Some individuals attempted to promote new methods of subsistence, …

Exceptionally Well-Preserved Quaternary Fossils From Sawmill Sink Blue Hole, Abaco, The Bahamas, Nancy Ann Albury

Theses and Dissertations

A diverse assemblage of exquisitely-preserved fossil animals and plants were collected from Sawmill Sink blue hole in Abaco, Bahamas. More than 40 species have been identified including extinct tortoise, an extant crocodile, and birds that no longer live in The Bahamas. This study addresses the mechanisms that preserve fossils in blue holes and discusses paleoecological implications from faunal diversity and sediment composition. Blue holes are waterilled caves with surface openings that may trap animals and surface-driven vegetation. In Sawmill Sink the talus cone within the halocline acts as a substrate on which organics collect that drive microbe ecology. Their byproducts, …

An Effective Strategy For Leadership Development In The Cell Church, Dea Hee Kim

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this project is to understand the cell church and leadership development in the cell church, and invent an effective strategy for leadership development in the cell church through literature research and a case study of New Covenant Fellowship Church (NCFC). The case study will focus on the strategic process for leadership development at NCFC. This thesis will also analyze and evaluate the current situation of NCFC based on responses to a questionnaire survey from 140 leaders of NCFC, its historical documents, and its website. This thesis intends to develop healthy spiritual cell leaders who have characteristics that …

What Every Christian High School Student Should Know About Islam: An Introduction To Islamic History And Theology, Bruce Kelly Forrest

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

In 2006, sixty-one percent of the young adults of America felt that Islam was a peaceful religion. Fifty-six percent had a favorable opinion of Islam and fifty-one percent feel Islam teaches respect of others. Only ten percent felt prejudice against Arabs and Muslims. Some, perhaps, are encouraged by these numbers, for it appears that our young adults are growing up to be a very tolerant people. Most of our youth, after all, have repeatedly been told by our national leaders, "Islam is a peaceful religion." If this is true, why should we not reciprocate? In some ways, this is very …

Innovative Entrepreneurs Workbook, Arcot Desai Narasimhalu

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

The workbook provides a step by step approach to identifying innovation opportunities and the key aspects of Innovation development

Systematics And Evolutionary Paleoecology Of Crinoids From The St. Louis Limestone (Mississippian, Meramecian) Of The Illinois Basin, Lewis Anderson Cook

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Very little attention has been paid to crinoids of the St. Louis Limestone since the 19th century. Now that the stratigraphic boundaries of the formation are well defined and a collection of crinoids specific to the St. Louis has become available, updated systematics and evolutionary paleoecology is possible.;Previous work recognized a significant transition in the macroevolution of crinoids that occurred during the Mississippian Period. The diversity of crinoid taxa changed substantially from faunas dominated by camerates and primitive cladids to those dominated by advanced cladids. Much of that change took place during the Meramecian Stage, which includes the St. Louis …

Freedom Road: Black Refugee Settlements In Northwestern Pennsylvania, 1820-1870, Timothy P. Konhaus

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In the first half of the nineteenth century many blacks fled from slave states looking to escape the oppression of bondage. These people largely fell into two categories; the first group fled the oppression of bondage, and readily sought freedom by taking flight, while the latter group already free, sought to avoid the possibility of legal codes forcing them back into bondage. Between 1820 and 1870, two groups of black settlers arrived in Mercer County, Pennsylvania looking for a refuge from chattel slavery. Although each group arrived under different circumstances, they shared a common refugee experience. The historiography of black …

The Natural And Social Production Of A Lake Shore Environment: The Case Of Erie And Presque Isle, Pennsylvania, Christopher R. Schaney

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The objective of this research has been to combine geographic traditions of physical and human geography to investigate the role each play in the conceptualization of place utilizing the City of Erie and Presque Isle as a case study. From its inception, the economic structure associated with the City of Erie has been primarily centered on the presence of Presque Isle. Early industry focused on shipbuilding, shipping related to heavy industry. By 1907, the shipping industry at Erie was third largest on the Great Lakes, behind only Buffalo and Chicago. When the shipping industry began to wane in the mid …

Predicting Species Composition In An Eastern Hardwood Forest With The Use Of Digitally Derived Terrain Variables, Richard D. Flanigan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This thesis addresses the need for improved classification of remotely sensed imagery in the complex hardwood forests of West Virginia. A geographic information system (GIS) was used in conjunction with forest plot data to develop a model to predict species composition in the eastern hardwood forest of West Virginia. The study area was located on the West Virginia University Research Forest (WVURF) in northern West Virginia. Terrain variables including aspect, curvature and slope change drastically at a local scale within the forest to greatly influence species composition. Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data was collected for the entire WVURF, which …

Evaluating The Impact Of Oceanic/Atmospheric Teleconnections On Historical Wildfires In West Virginia (1939--2006), Cary Lynch

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Oceanic/atmospheric oscillations affect climate in many ways. This study quantitatively examined climate teleconnection patterns and in turn analyzed the influence of climate on wildfire activity within West Virginia from 1939--2006. Identifying the linkages between oscillations and climate variability has the potential to greatly improve seasonal forecasting capabilities. Despite the complexity inherent in local fire regimes, regional fire activity often oscillates in phase with year-to-year climatic variability. This climate-fire connection raises the possibility that historical factors inherent in the local ecosystem are overridden by regional climatic events and trends. A robust statistical analysis that utilized correlation, regression, principle components, and Superposed …

Beyond The Ritual Of Exchange: The Culture Of Alienation Shared Between Soldiers Along The Rappahannock During The Winter Of 1862--63, Lauren Kristin Thompson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Between December 1862 and April 1863, the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia and Union Army of the Potomac remained stalemated across from one another on the Rappahannock River. Following the victory at the Battle of Fredericksburg, the Confederate Army held the city while the Union forces remained across the river in Falmouth, Virginia. Soldiers on both sides had several reasons for discontent at this point in the war. The larger causes that drove these men to enlist and fight faded as larger political issues, incompetent commanders, and the difficulties of camp life intensified. Union and Confederate soldiers felt infringement on …

El Huisache Es Pocho, Pero Las Raíces No: Poems, Isaac Chavarria

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This project is a collection of pocho poetry. The poems in my collection emphasize my identity as pocho. The term “pocho” is often used as a derogatory term describing a Mexican American who has lost the ability to speak Spanish. I recontextualize the border pocho as an occupant of two nationalities, as well as several social classes. Along with poets who identify themselves as Chicano/a, I am inspired by family and acquaintances who self identify as Chicano/a, Hispanic, Mexican American, or Mexican. I believe the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas is a unique enclave influenced by its people, landscape, …

Angel Walking: A Documentary, Jesse F. Garza

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This creative thesis is divided into two parts: “The Critical Introduction” & “Angel Walking: A Documentary Screenplay.” In the “Critical Introduction to Angel Walking: A Documentary” I define the modes used and how similar documentaries and movies have helped me formulate a stronger story to showcase cerebral palsy from a 12 year old Latino’s perspective. I discuss how filming the documentary was an engaging process and led me to find a connection with the subject. This leads to how the development of writing the screenplay is somewhat of a “backward-process.” Therefore, the second half of this creative thesis is the …

Transnational Integration Regimes As Development Programs, Laszlo Bruszt, Gerald A. Mcdermott

Faculty Publications

In drawing on recent advances in international and comparative political economy, this paper argues that diverging paths of institutional development among emerging market democracies are driven by the Transnational Integration Regimes (TIRs), in which a country is embedded.

As development programs, TIRs differ in their effectiveness not simply in terms of their incentives and largess and more in terms of their emphasis on building institutional capacities, empowering a variety of domestic state and non-state actors via multiplex methods of assistance and monitoring, and their ability to merge monitoring and learning at both the national and supra-national levels. We develop a …

Getting Down To Business: An Efl Curriculum Design For The Business Setting, Gabriel Brito Amorim

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In today's world of international commerce and technology-driven communication, the exchange of information across countries and cultures has become crucial to creating a global citizenry. After World War II, efforts to create a global commercial market resulted in the promotion of communication across cultures. The purpose of this thesis is to outline a theoretical rationale for a beginner English for Specific Purposes (ESP) curriculum in a foreign setting (Brazil). The curriculum consists of four courses organized around three pillars: (a) the production of spontaneous contextualized communication in the target language, (b) the development of cultural competence specific to the business …

The Once And Future Steel Town: The Narrative Identities Of A Local Community, Jason R. Rine

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This thesis examines the changing identity of a local community, Weirton, West Virginia, in terms of narratives shared by members of that community. Weirton was home to Weirton Steel, one of the largest steel mills in the United States. Since 1909, when Weirton Steel was founded, the mill provided residents with a narrative. However, this is starting to charge. With Weirton Steel's final closure on the horizon, Weirton will lose the main defining characteristic it has relied on throughout the years. In order for the community to maintain its unity, it must now create a new collective narrative. The research …

Stream Fish Metacommunity And Metapopulation Ecology In A Mined Appalachian Watershed, Roy Worth Martin

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Chapter one is a direct empirical evaluation of metacommunity theory using stream fishes in a heavily mined and least impaired region of the Monongahela River basin. Metacommunity ecology, a new multi-scale paradigm, has provided important insights into mechanisms controlling regional patterns of assemblage structure. Metacommunity ecology offers four competing hypothetical models---neutral, patch dynamic, species sorting, and mass effect---each differing slightly in its underlying mechanistic framework.;Our results overwhelmingly supported the mass effect metacommunity model, which suggests that regional patterns of diversity are maintained by local habitat heterogeneity and dispersal among local assemblages. However, our findings also indicated that natural communities are …

Teacher Depth Of Knowledge As A Predictor Of Student Achievement In The Middle Grades, Tracy Henshaw Jackson

Dissertations

Schools strive to hire highly qualified teachers to educate and empower students to become high performers (NCEE, 1983; Erickson, 1995). As a part of this effort, teachers are required to obtain specific skills and certification to meet students’ academic needs. While the intent is recognized, there continues to be a discrepancy between highly qualified teachers in the middle grades and student achievement (The Nations Report Card, 2005; Turner-Bissett, 1999). Therefore, it is imperative to examine teachers’ perceptions and instructional strategies that may influence students’ achievement.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether there is a correlation between high-performing …

Utilization Of The Seven Principles For Good Practice In Undergraduate Education In General Chemistry By Community College Instructors, Jennifer Panther Bishoff

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In recent years, higher education has undergone many changes. The advent of assessment, accountability, and a newfound focus on teaching have required faculty to examine how they are teaching. Administrators and faculty are beginning to recognize that learning is not a "one size fits all" enterprise. To this end, Chickering and Gamson developed an inventory that examined faculty utilization of the Seven Principles of Good Practice in Undergraduate Education. The seven principles included by the authors included faculty-student interaction, cooperative learning, active learning, giving prompt feedback, emphasizing time on task, communicating high expectations, and respecting diverse talents and ways of …

Basin Analysis And Aqueous Chemistry Of Fluids In The Oriskany Sandstone, Appalachian Basin, Usa, Jamie C. Skeen

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The Oriskany Sandstone of the Appalachian basin is a widely distributed saline aquifer which has produced large quantities of hydrocarbons. Currently the Oriskany is host to numerous gas storage fields and is a potential target for large-scale geologic storage of CO2. Published and unpublished data of rock characteristics, pressure, temperature, and formation water geochemistry, along with new brine samples were integrated within a geographical information system to better understand the regional-scale hydrogeological regime and its relation to geologic CO2 sequestration potential. The up-dip flow of the Oriskany Sandstone formation waters is generally controlled by outcrops at high elevation to the …

Further Hydrogeologic Investigations In The Davis Spring Drainage Basin, Greenbrier County, West Virginia, John Kazimierz Tudek Jr.

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

An 11 month investigation was undertaken to determine the nature of the flow system feeding Davis Spring. Davis Spring was monitored for stage, temperature and conductivity. Milligan Creek, a major infeeder to the system was also monitored. Quantitative and qualitative dye traces were performed to establish travel times through the system as well as further define drainage basin boundaries.;From tracer analysis, storm pulse travel time analysis and hydrograph peak analysis Davis Spring was determined to be an open flow conduit during most of the year. Exceptions may occur during the winter-spring when intense rain and meltwater may fill the system. …

Selective Intervention And Economic Re-Engineering: Lessons Form Singapore's Parks In Indonesia And India, Caroline Yeoh, Siang Yeung Wong

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

No abstract provided.

Toward The Development Of A Model To Estimate The Readability Of Credentialing-Examination Materials, Barbara Anne Badgett

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to develop a set of procedures to establish readability, including an equation, that accommodates the multiple-choice item format and occupational-specific language related to credentialing examinations. The procedures and equation should be appropriate for learning materials, examination materials, and occupational materials. To this end, variance in readability estimates accounted for by combinations of semantic and syntactic variables were explored, a method was devised to accommodate occupational-specific vocabulary, and new-model readability formulas were created and calibrated. Existing readability formulas were then recalibrated with the same materials used to calibrate the new-model formulas. The new-model and recalibrated …

The Boys' Club: An Exploration Into The Social World Of A Las Vegas Casino Sports Book, Frederick W. Krauss

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This ethnography of the La Mesa Casino Sports Book explores the characteristics that frame the social world its regular patrons create. Specifically, I explain the characteristics of La Mesa’s sports bettors, the types of people who bet on sports, the mechanisms used to sustain participation in the scene, and how the sports bettors view themselves, their social world, and those outside of it. I argue that regular sports book patrons do not use the environment simply for sports betting. Rather, their complex interactional dynamics create a robust social world they come back to again and again to create a meaningful …

Use Of An Animal Model To Explore Prenatal Predictors Of Insulin And Glucose Metabolism In Southwestern Alaskan Yupiit, Julie Jo Kachinski

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Compared to other North American indigenous populations, Southwest Alaskan Yupiit exhibit very low rates of type 2 diabetes despite the occurrence of common risk factors. Contemporary Yupiit obtain a substantial portion of their calories from traditional foods, which contain high amounts of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Epidemiological and experimental animal research has linked glucose and insulin homeostasis with a diet high in omega-3s. This study used an experimental animal model to explore potential diabetes protective effects (for adult offspring) of prenatal maternal nutrition modeled on traditional locally-obtained Yupiit diets. The results of this study showed that the adult offspring whose …

Weapons Labs And City Growth: Livermore And Albuquerque, 1945-1975, Layne Rochelle Karafantis

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This thesis traces the transformation of two cities in the American West: Albuquerque, a medium-sized metropolitan area in the generally low-population state of New Mexico, and Livermore, California, a relatively small town on the fringe of the massive San Francisco Bay Area metropolis. The federal government built nuclear weapons labs in both places after World War II, and as a result, they encountered phenomenal growth. This is not surprising, as authors such as Peter Hall and Ann Markusen have argued that federal installations in the postwar years affected the economies of many western cities. However, this thesis asserts that rural …

Fire On The Mountain: Growth And Conflict In Colorado Ski Country, Michael W. Childers

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This dissertation examines the environmental, economic, and cultural conflicts over the private development of ski resorts in Colorado's National Forests between 1910 and 2000. Downhill skiing emerged as an increasingly popular winter activity during the first half of the twentieth century, particularly in western state such as Colorado. A part of the a larger outdoor recreational boom throughout the United States' during the interwar years, downhill skiing challenged the Forest Service's ability to meeting the public's growing appetite for year-round recreational opportunities. These challenges increased following World War II as the nation's growing population and affluence drew millions to their …