Digital Commons Network^™

Coping With The Demands Of Mature Age Student Life, Jenny E.M. Cowell

Theses : Honours

In Australia, mature age students are 20 years of age and above in the year that they commence study and comprise approximately 65 per cent of students enrolled in Australian universities (EIM Support, 201 0). There are many reasons why they may choose to commence tertiary education (Hoskins, Newstead, & Dennis, 1997) with their transition into university likely to require them to make changes across many life domains (Gall, Evans, & Bellerose, 2000). There is much evidence to suggest that mature age students are capable of completing their undergraduate degrees, however they have a relatively low retention rate, especially in …

The Decision Making Process Involved When Changing Career: A Qualitative Study Of Registered Nurses Who Have Left The Profession, Katherine S. Gallager

Theses : Honours

Career choice is an important decision an individual has to make during their lifetime. Personal, environmental and organisational factors all assist this decision process as individuals strive for a work-life balance within careers that meet their needs and realise their potential. This research study investigated which factors contributed to the decision process of Registered Nurses (RNs) who have left the profession for a career change. There is currently a global shortage of RNs, which is of major concern to healthcare policy makers in most countries, including Australia. This qualitative study examined the narrative interviews often females over the age of25 …

Near Infrared Photovoltaic Micro-Cell For Optical Fibre Based Power Harvesting, Gary Allwood

Theses : Honours

A photonic power system using a silicon or germanium based device as a photonic power converter was proposed. The properties of each device were investigated to determine the optimum structure, design, configuration and efficiency for power conversion. These included, but were not limited to, device geometry, doping concentration and the wavelength of the incident beam. Relevant inferences were made from the results obtained and compared to previous work. Currently, research into photovoltaic power converters is focused on the efficiencies of complex heterostuctures made from gallium-arsenide compounds. Here, the properties of a silicon device were investigated in detail as the predicted …

Our Grandparents, Our Parents, Our Future Selves: Optimizing Function In Old Age., Thomas Michael Gill

Center for Policy Research

Most of my research at Yale University School of Medicine over the past several years has focused on identifying older adults at risk of functional decline and disability, identifying events that may precipitate the transition from functional independence to disability, and developing strategies to postpone or reduce frailty and disability. As a result of the Precipitating Events Project (PEP) and other research conducted by the Yale Center on Aging/Pepper Center, we now realize that age is only a proxy for other factors that lead to disability, and that some of these factors can be modified to reduce the risk of …

Low Income And Impoverished Families Pay Disproportionately More For Child Care, Kristin Smith, Kristi Gozjolko

Carsey Publications

According to research based on the 2004 Survey of Income and Program Participation, working families with young children living in poverty pay 32 percent of their income on child care, nearly five times more than families living at more than 200 percent of the poverty level. This brief asks policy makers to consider allowing more subsidies to be available to those who could benefit most from them.

Health Care Expenditure And Income In The Oecd Reconsidered: Evidence From Panel Data, Badi H. Baltagi, Francesco Moscone

Center for Policy Research

This paper reconsiders the long-run economic relationship between health care expenditure and income using a panel of 20 OECD countries observed over the period 1971-2004. In particular, the paper studies the non-stationarity and cointegration properties between health care spending and income. This is done in a panel data context controlling for both cross-section dependence and unobserved heterogeneity. Cross-section dependence is modeled through a common factor model and through spatial dependence. Heterogeneity is handled through fixed effects in a panel homogeneous model and through a panel heterogeneous model. Our findings suggest that health care is a necessity rather than a luxury, …

Emotional Comfort: Patient Perspectives Of A Therapeutic State, Anne Williams

ECU Research Week

Presented at the Celebrating Nursing Research Showcase within the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Postgraduate Medicine

Author Biographies

Basic Communication Course Annual

No abstract provided.

The Consequences Of The Sinking Of The M/S Erika In European Waters: Towards A Total Loss For International Shipping Law, Eduard Somers, Gwendoline Gonsaeles

Journal of Maritime Law and Commerce

No abstract provided.

Painting Over Long-Standing Precedent: How The Rhode Island Supreme Court Misapplied Public Nuisance Law In State V. Lead Industries Association, Fidelma Fitzpatrick

Roger Williams University Law Review

No abstract provided.

Three Perspectives On Health Care Reform: National Health Care Reform, Health Care Reforms In Other States, And Implications For Health Care Reform In Rhode Island, Elizabeth Roberts, Lindsay Mcallister, William Coon

Roger Williams University Law Review

No abstract provided.

The 2009 Analysis Of Information Remaining On Disks Offered For Sale On The Second Hand Market, Andy Jones, Craig Valli, Glenn S. Dardick, Iain Sutherland, G. Dabibi, Gareth Davies

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

The ever increasing use and reliance upon computers in both the public and private sector has led to enormous numbers of computers being disposed of at the end of their useful life within an organisation. As the cost of computers has dropped, their use in the home has also continued to increase. In most organisations, computers have a relatively short life and are replaced on a regular basis with the result that, if not properly cleansed of data, they are released into the public domain containing data that can be relatively up to date. This problem is exacerbated by the …

Collaboration Between Victim Services And Faith Organizations: Benefits, Chanllenges, & Recommendations, Dana Dehart

Faculty and Staff Publications

Although many crime victims seek support from members of the faith community, faith leaders may feel unsure of their abilities to assist. This paper describes findings from a descriptive needs assessment that preceded a national project to link faith-based organizations and victim service programs in five high-crime neighborhoods. Approximately 90 participants were interviewed, including faith leaders, victim service providers, and other professionals. A majority saw positive implications of faith-secular collaboration but also identified concerns. Findings focus on perceived obstacles and facilitators of collaboration, addressing climate for faith-secular collaboration, disciplinary differences, community engagement, and church-state separation. Implications for collaboration are explored …

Cognitive Restructuring Through Dreams & Imagery: Descriptive Analysis Of A Women's Prison-Based Program, Dana Dehart

Faculty and Staff Publications

This report describes process and outcome evaluation of an innovative program based in a women's maximum-security correctional facility. Methodology included review of program materials, unobtrusive observation of group process, participant evaluation forms, focus groups, and individual interviews with current and former program participants. Findings indicate that program was a great source of emotional respite, release, and support for the women, with women describing increased insights into themselves, their traumas, and their crimes. Implications are discussed, including popular appeal of dream work and its potential clinical relevance to prisoners' inner conflicts.

Using Jackknife To Assess The Quality Of Gene Order Phylogenies, Jian Shi, Yiwei Zhang, Haiwei Luo, Jijun Tang

Faculty Publications

Background
In recent years, gene order data has attracted increasing attention from both biologists and computer scientists as a new type of data for phylogenetic analysis. If gene orders are viewed as one character with a large number of states, traditional bootstrap procedures cannot be applied. Researchers began to use a jackknife resampling method to assess the quality of gene order phylogenies.

Results
In this paper, we design and conduct a set of experiments to validate the performance of this jackknife procedure and provide discussions on how to conduct it properly. Our results show that jackknife is very useful to …

Impact Of Microfinance On Socioeconomic Status Of The Poor: The Case Of Malawi, William J. Oliver

Student Scholarship

Over the past 30 years, microfinance (MF) has grown to a $30 billion industry involving over 3,000 organizations. Half of these microfinance institutions, however, have nothing more than anecdotal stories about the impact of MF on poverty. The connection between MF and poverty eradication is far from resolved. This paper addresses an ongoing debate by drawing upon two bodies of literature: poverty eradication and microfinance measurement. It articulates a causal model of the effects of MF on poverty that is unique in three regards. First, it measures the effect on socioeconomic status (SES) using for the first time a reflective …

Changes In Fall Prevention Training For Apprentice Carpenters Based On A Comprehensive Needs Assessment, Vicki Kaskutas, Ann Marie Dale, Hester Lipscomb, John Gaal, Mark Fuchs, Bradley A. Evanoff, Carpenters' Joint Appreticeship Program Instructor Team

Occupational and Health Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Social Networking Sites: Evaluating And Investigating Their Use In Academic Research, Fiona Redmond

Dissertations

Researchers must collect and analyse new data that will enhance the body of knowledge. It is for this reason that data is of major importance to researchers. All aspects of a research project involve data, from navigating existing data, to understanding how data is used in the world and why it is important to learn to collect data and make predictions. Researchers need to consider the types of data that are possible and examine and weight each option so they can determine what sources of data will answer the research questions or hypotheses.

Researchers, who require a large amount of …

Production Decisions And Time Allocation: A Guide To Data Collection, Raymond B. Hames

Department of Anthropology: Faculty Publications

In this chapter I deal with methods for collecting behavioral and economic data on productive inputs and outputs. Any attempt at the collection of quantitative data requires that the researcher should ideally have prior knowledge of the full range of economic activities and perform preliminary evaluations of the accuracy of data collection procedures and coding schemes. This will prevent false starts, increase cross-cultural comparability, and lead to a more systematic account of activities. Whenever possible, I encourage researchers to rely on observational data as a kind of gold standard: it produces data amenable to sophisticated quantitative analysis, is crucial for …

Lipid And Ndf Analysis Of Ethanol Byproduct Feedstuffs, Virgil R. Bremer, Crystal D. Buckner, Andrew W. Brown, Timothy P. Carr, Ruth M. Diedrichsen, Galen E. Erickson, Terry J. Klopfenstein

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

A newly developed biphasic feed lipid extraction procedure has increased accuracy relative to Goldfisch ether extraction, especially for condensed corn distillers solubles samples. A pre-NDF fat extraction must be completed prior to analyzing high fat feeds for NDF. Corn should be ground through a 1-mm screen on a Tecator Cyclotec sample mill to accurately determine corn NDF content.

Effect Of Calving Season And Wintering System On Cow Performance, William A. Griffin, Don C. Adams, Leslie Aaron Stalker, Richard N. Funston, Jacqueline A. Musgrave, Terry J. Klopfenstein, Galen E. Erickson

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

Four years of data from three different calving seasons and two different cow wintering systems were evaluated utilizing 218 cows/year. Cows calved in spring, summer, or fall and were wintered on native Sandhills range or cornstalks. Calving season affected cow body weight (BW) and body condition score (BCS) throughout the production year; calving in the fall reduced number of calves weaned per cow. No differences were observed between cows wintered on Sandhills range and those wintered on cornstalks.

Feeding Fiber From Wet Corn Gluten Feed And Corn Silage In Feedlot Diets Containing Wet Distillers Grains Plus Solubles, Amy R. Rich, Matt K. Luebbe, Galen E. Erickson, Terry J. Klopfenstein, Joshua R. Benton

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

A feedlot experiment evaluated the effect of increasing fiber in distillers grains diets on ADG, F:G, and nutrient mass balance. The treatments consisted of 1) 30% modified distillers grains plus solubles, no roughage (MDGS), and 2) 30% modified distillers grains plus solubles, 30% wet corn gluten feed, and 15% corn silage (MDGS+fiber). The remainder of each diet consisted of a 1:1 ratio of high moisture corn and dry rolled corn and 5% supplement. Feeding MDGS+fiber increased (P < 80.02) ADG, DMI, and HCW; however, it did not improve F:G compared to MDGS. By increasing the fiber content of the diet, more organic matter (OM) and N remained in the manure. Percentage N loss was not different between dietary treatments; however, amount of N lost increased with MDGS + fiber due to the greater N intake and excretion.

Their Love Is Here To Stay: Why The Supreme Court Cannot Turn Back The Hands Of Time, Marsha B. Freeman

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

No abstract provided.

Corruption In Contemporary Nigeria, Gabriel K. Afolabi

DLSU Business & Economics Review

Events in contemporary Nigeria point to the fact that corruption is a cankerworm that has eaten into the fabric of every facet of national life. Public officials demand payment of ransom before and/or after performing their legitimate functions. Businesspeople shortchange their customers through unfair dealings, while law-enforcement agents demand bribes and collaborate with fraudulent elements in the society. Employee theft is a common occurrence in many organizations. This study focuses on the nature of corruption, as well as causes, and strategies to adopt in curbing this disease in contemporary Nigeria. It concludes on the need to adopt a multidimensional approach, …

Port Development Labor Issues, Alastair Deans

Sea Grant Law Fellow Publications

No abstract provided.

Taking Stock: The Magnuson-Stevens Act Revisited. Background Materials On The Msa, Jacqueline Rolleri

Sea Grant Law Fellow Publications

No abstract provided.

Demography, Health Status, And Mortuary Rituals Of The Late Woodland Poole-Rose Ossuary, Ontario, Canada: A Study Of The Clavicles, Nicole Elizabeth Smith

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis is an analysis of the clavicles from a pre-contact (1550 A.D. ±50 years) native ossuary burial from Ontario, Canada. The Poole-Rose ossuary clavicles were analyzed for demography, pathological processes, trauma, and cultural modifications. Demographic markers on the clavicles are derived from the minimum number of individuals (MNI) estimation, medial epiphyseal age, and sex. Pathological processes are indicated by the presence of degenerative joint disease (DJD), periosteal reactions, and lytic lesions. Trauma includes healed fractures and cuts from defleshing of the clavicles. The presence of pre-burial cut marks is an indication of cultural modifications that were likely part of …

A Qualitative Exploration Of Christian, Native American Families, Mandy Lynn Swanson

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Research on Native American families is limited and emphasizes the deficits of families and overlooks those Native American families that are thriving. This study seeks to illuminate the strengths of highly religious, Christian, Native American, married couples. The study employs a strengths-based perspective to examine how and why religious coping is meaningful and influential for these Native American couples’ enduring marriages and in their efforts to be responsive parents. From interviews of fifteen heterosexual, Native American, married couples (n=30), five themes emerged from the coding and analysis: 1) Faith and Culture: “They go hand in hand”, 2) Influence of Faith …

Hydrodynamic Modeling Of San Elijo Lagoon, California, Mary Elizabeth Nee Friedmann Bourgoyne

LSU Master's Theses

Decisions on where to concentrate management efforts need to be guided by an ability to accurately simulate and predict physical and ecological changes. Many restoration projects experience difficulties due to a lack of understanding of the ecological response and evolution of wetland systems (Goodwin et al., 2001). There are several approaches that can be taken in analyzing a system. The appropriate selection should be based on the available data, the spatial scale of the wetland, and the physical processes governing the system (Goodwin and Kamman, 2001). Predictive tools are essential for good long-term management (Goodwin et al., 2001). The objective …

Analysis Of Teacher Efficacy And Perspectives About Literacy Implementation In Selected Elementary Schools, Joy Rene' Abernathy-Dyer

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Each teacher has a set of beliefs and knowledge as it relates to teaching and learning. In this study, we examine “How do the ways in which teachers perceive mandated literacy implementation impact their classroom instruction?” Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore some of the issues that attempts to change teachers’ instructional practices in the classroom and seeks to reveal some of the issues that influence as well as hinder instructional reform within that setting. This qualitative case study uses observations, interviews and questionnaires to highlight teacher efficacy from four first grade teachers and classrooms through the …