Digital Commons Network^™

Educational Applications Of Achievement Goal Theory, Michelle Hinzman

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

In the past two decades, achievement goal theory has been found particularly useful in explaining student motivation (Kaplan & Maehr, 2007; Kaplan, Middleton, Urdan, & Midgley, 2002). The purpose of this study was to analyze differences between the achievement goals espoused by middle school and elementary teachers. A mixed-method approach was utilized that required teachers in an urban, eastern Iowa school district to complete a survey regarding their motivational beliefs. Select teachers were then identified based on survey results to be observed and interviewed in an attempt to further analyze instructional practices as they related to student motivation. Results of …

Service Learning : A Vehicle To Reflective Thinking, Janelle Lynn Hawk

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Education reform is a topic that has been around for a long time. With the passage of No Child Left Behind in 2002, states set out to set high standards for students. While setting high standards is a worthwhile goal, the method to reach those high standards has not been mandated. This research study sought to determine if exposing students to a service-learning project would increase reflective thinking, communication, and social interaction skills.

The questions that guided this study were:

1. Does engagement in a service-learning project impact the individual's development of reflective thinking? If so, what is that impact? …

Do Pull-Out Programs Create A Mirage Of Long-Term Results For At-Risk Youth?, Varotta Mi'chele Johnson

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Educators and researchers cannot afford to ignore the achievement gap between at-risk students and their counterparts. The review examines educational practices for this targeted population. Historically, educational experts have supported the belief that teaching in isolated settings is one of the most effective practices for improving student achievement. Smaller class sizes are proposed as reform methods to substantially impact student performance (Odden, 1990). However, class size reduction must be coupled with research-based instructional strategies proven to further academic development. Traditionally, at-risk students receive instruction through pull-out interventions. A pull-out program in this study shall be defined as the removal of …

Tsunami Hazard And Total Risk In The Caribbean Basin, X. William Proenza, George A. Maul

Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Deadly western North Atlantic Ocean tsunami events in the last centuries have occurred along the east coast of Canada, the United States, most Caribbean islands, and the North Atlantic Coast of South America. The catastrophic Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 reminded natural hazards managers that tsunami risk is endemic to all oceans. Total Risk is defined as hazard (frequency of tsunami events) times measures of elements at risk (human exposure) times measures of vulnerability (preparedness) in a given epoch (Nott, 2006). While the tsunami hazard in the Caribbean (averaging 19 ± 22 years between deadly events) is lower than Pacific …

Developing Deep Understanding And Literacy While Addressing A Gender-Based Literacy Gap, Jianwei Zhang, Yanqing Sun, Marlene Scardamalia

Educational Theory and Practice Faculty Scholarship

Online discourse from a class of 22 students (11 boys and 11 girls) was analysed to assess advances in conceptual understanding and literacy. The students worked over a two-­‐year period (Grades 3-­‐4), during which they contributed notes to an online Knowledge Building environment—Knowledge Forum®. Contributions revealed that both boys and girls produced a substantial amount of text and graphics, and that their written texts incorporated an increasing proportion of less-­‐frequent, advanced words, including academic vocabulary and domain-­‐specific words from grade levels higher than their own. Brief accounts of classroom discourse indicate how deep understanding and vocabulary growth mutually support each …

Knowledge Society Network: Toward A Dynamic, Sustained Network For Building Knowledge, Jianwei Zhang, Huang-Yao Hong, Marlene Scardamalia

Educational Theory and Practice Faculty Scholarship

The Knowledge Society Network (KSN) “takes advantage of new knowledge media to maximize and democratize society’s knowledge-­‐creating capacity” (www.ikit.org/KSN). This article synthesizes the principles and designs of this network which were initiated over 15 years ago, and presents an exploratory study of interactions in the KSN over four years, elaborating different network structures and the potential of each for knowledge advancement. Four major sub-­‐network structures for participant and idea interaction are described, as reflected in social network analysis of discourse in the KSN. Strengths and weaknesses of work within each sub-­‐network were identified with suggestions for creating a more dynamic, …

Early Development Of Graphical Literacy Through Knowledge Building, Jianwei Zhang, Yongcheng Gan, Marlene Scardamalia, Huang-Yao Hong

Educational Theory and Practice Faculty Scholarship

This study examined growth in graphical literacy for students contributing to an online, multimedia, communal environment as they advanced their understanding of biology, history and optics. Their science and history studies started early in Grade 3 and continued to the end of Grade 4; students did not receive instruction in graphics production, nor were they required to produce graphics. Results show that students spontaneously produced graphics that advanced along seven dimensions, including effective representation of complex ideas, use of source information and captions, and aesthetic quality. On average, the scores for the seven dimensions were higher for Grade 4 students …

Characterization Of An Inductively Coupled Plasma Produced In Argon At 13.56 Mhz., Lim Ai Nuan

Student Works (2010-2019)

The electrical and plasma characteristics of radio frequency (13.56 MHz) inductively coupled argon plasma (RF ICP) were studied in this project. On the electrical breakdown properties, the breakdown voltage has a general appearance of Paschen’s curve and the minimum is achieved at 0.1 mbar. After ignition, two modes of discharge exist, namely, the E mode at low RF power and H mode at high RF power. Mode transition that occurs is accompanied by abrupt changes in both electrical and plasma characteristics. Hysteresis is observed in the mode transitions and has a minimum at 0.1 mbar. The resistance reflected into the …

Providing Real-World Experiences: The Virginia Tech Externship For Mathematics Specialists, B. Kreye, J. L. M. Wilkins

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

We describe the structure and implementation of the yearlong Externship experience associated with the Mathematics Specialist program at Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University (Virginia Tech). We discuss the assignments and experiences included in the Externship, the alignment of those experiences with the job description developed by the Virginia Mathematics and Science Coalition Task Force, and teacher comments on the effectiveness of their Externship experiences [1].

What Counts In The Preparation Program Of Mathematics Specialists And What Lessons Have We Learned About What Needs To Be Added?, S. S. Overcash

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

No abstract provided.

Contents

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

No abstract provided.

Title Page, Introduction

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Elementary Mathematics Specialists, P. F. Campbell, N. N. Malkus

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

Elementary Mathematics Specialists are placed in schools to construct leadership roles and to provide on-site professional development addressing mathematical content and pedagogy in order to enhance instruction and to improve student achievement. A three-year, randomized, control study found that, over time, Specialists had a significant positive impact on student achievement in Grades 3, 4, and 5. This effect on student achievement was not evident at the conclusion of the Specialist's first year of placement. It emerged as knowledgeable Specialists gained experience and as the schools' instructional and administrative staffs learned and worked together. Specialists who were highly engaged with a …

Early Algebra And Mathematics Specialists, M. K. Murray

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

This paper discusses early algebra as it relates to the Mathematics Specialist program. Early algebra is described based on research and readings from the body of literature focused on early algebra. Reasons why early algebra should be emphasized in elementary school mathematics are discussed, followed by a description of the role elementary school Mathematics Specialists must play if schools are to begin to focus on early algebraic instruction. Finally, some suggestions are made for ways the Mathematics Specialist program might encourage more explicitly an early algebraic approach to elementary school mathematics.

The Investigation Of Hardness And Bonding Behavior In Xb_4, X = {Ce, Th, U, Pa}, Tetraborides By First-Principles, Sezgi̇n Aydin, Aynur Tatar

Turkish Journal of Physics

The mechanical and electronic properties of XB_4, X = {Ce, Th, U, Pa}, tetraborides have been studied by using first-principles based on density functional theory. The results show that these boron-rich solids are mechanically and thermodynamically stable. From the calculated band structure and density of states, we obtained that they have metallic character. When the calculated parameters related to the crystal structure were considered with the bonding characteristics, the microscopic hardnesses of these boron-rich solids can be theoretically calculated. The obtained hardness values indicate that, these materials are hard, but not superhard. Furthermore, from the detailed hardness analysis, we found …

Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Study Of Vo^{2+} Doped Single Crystal Of Ferroelectric Guanidinium Uranyl Sulphate Trihydrate, Mohammad Imtiazul Haque, Mohammad Umar

Turkish Journal of Physics

We report result obtained from an EPR study of vanadyl ion (VO^{2+}) in a single crystal of ferroelectric guanidinium uranyl sulphate trihydrate. The Spin-Hamiltonian parameters were also determined via EPR data. VO^{2+} enters the lattice interstitially at two distinguishable sites and resulting vanadyl complexes have nearly axial symmetry.

Convective Inertia Effects On The Squeeze Film Between Rectangular Parallel Plates, Sikiru Adigun Sanni

Turkish Journal of Physics

This paper investigates the effects of convective inertia on the lubricating characteristics of the squeeze film between parallel rectangular plates. Relaxing a simplifying assumption of the conventional lubrication theory, the paper retains some terms of the convective inertia terms of the Navier-Stokes equations, leading to a derivation of a modified Reynolds equation. The introduction of the convective inertia terms induces two inversely related dimensionless parameters, m and R (the Reynolds number), into the characteristics of the flow behavior. The dimensionless normal (or squeezing) velocity increases monotonically from the lower plate to the upper plate for given value of R. At …

Automatic Grading Of Programming Assignments, Ashlesha Patil

Master's Projects

Solving practical problems is one of the important aspects of learning programming languages. But the assessment of programming problems is not straightforward. It involves time consuming and tedious steps required to compile and test the solution. In this project, I have developed a online tool, Javabrat that allows the students and language learners to practice Java and Scala problems. Javabrat automatically assesses the user's program and provides the instant feedback to the user. The users can also contribute their own programming problems to the existing problem set. I have also developed a plugin for a learning management system, Moodle. This …

Mobile Search Engine Using Clustering And Query Expansion, Huy Nguyen

Master's Projects

Internet content is growing exponentially and searching for useful content is a tedious task that we all deal with today. Mobile phones lack of screen space and limited interaction methods makes traditional search engine interface very inefficient. As the use of mobile internet continues to grow there is a need for an effective search tool. I have created a mobile search engine that uses clustering and query expansion to find relevant web pages efficiently. Clustering organizes web pages into groups that reflect different components of a query topic. Users can ignore clusters that they find irrelevant so they are not …

Efficient Tethered Aerostat Model Formulation Using Non-Recursive And Recursive Rigid Body Dynamics, Bradley C. Hembree

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Reliable Broadcasting In Vanet, Pat Jangyodsuk

Master's Projects

Vehicular Adhoc NETwork (VANET) is a rapid growing wireless ad-hoc network model where the vehicles play the nodes role in a network. Major application of VANET including hazard warning application requires effective broadcast mechanism. Typically, selection of the next relaying hop is the major problem in VANET broadcasting. To get the smallest propagational delay, the number of relaying hops must be minimize. Meanwhile, the transmission reliability must also be preserved. Both of these two constrains must be taken into consideration. However, these two aspects often collide to each other since increasing one of them always result in decreasing of another. …

Performance Analysis Of Srcp Image Based Sound Source Detection Algorithms, Praveen Reddy Nalavolu

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Steered Response Power based algorithms are widely used for finding sound source location using microphone array systems. SRCP-PHAT is one such algorithm that has a robust performance under noisy and reverberant conditions. The algorithm creates a likelihood function over the field of view. This thesis employs image processing methods on SRCP-PHAT images, to exploit the difference in power levels and pixel patterns to discriminate between sound source and background pixels. Hough Transform based ellipse detection is used to identify the sound source locations by finding the centers of elliptical edge pixel regions typical of source patterns. Monte Carlo simulations of …

Doing Wrong Without Creating Harm, Lawrence M. Solan, Joseph Sanders, Matthew B. Kugler, John M. Darley

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Issues Related To The Numerical Implementation Of A Sparse Method For The Solution Of Volume Integral Equations At Low Frequencies, Kiran Arcot

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Computational electromagnetic modeling involves generating system matrices by discretizing integral equations and solving the resulting system of linear equations. Many methods of solving the system of linear equations exist and one such method is the factorization of the matrix using the so called local-global solution (LOGOS) modes. Computer codes to perform the discretization of the integral equations, filling of the matrix, and the subsequent LOGOS factorization have previously been developed by others. However, these codes are limited to complex double precision arithmetic only.

This thesis extends and expands the existing computer by creating a more general implementation that is able …

Audio Scene Segementation Using A Microphone Array And Auditory Features, Harikrishnan Unnikrishnan

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Auditory stream denotes the abstract effect a source creates in the mind of the listener. An auditory scene consists of many streams, which the listener uses to analyze and understand the environment. Computer analyses that attempt to mimic human analysis of a scene must first perform Audio Scene Segmentation (ASS). ASS find applications in surveillance, automatic speech recognition and human computer interfaces. Microphone arrays can be employed for extracting streams corresponding to spatially separated sources. However, when a source moves to a new location during a period of silence, such a system loses track of the source. This results in …

Examining The Relationship Between Weight, Food Insecurity, Food Stamps, And Perceived Diet Quality In School-Aged Children, Elizabeth Lucas Marshall

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

A paradox exists between food insecurity and obesity. Childhood obesity has tripled in the past three decades. This study aimed to understand the relationships between food insecurity, poverty income ratio, food stamps usage, perceived diet quality, and weight status in children. A child’s weight status is determined by many different factors and this study investigated several of these aspects. It was found that the family’s poverty index ratio had the greatest effect on a child’s BMI, but household food security status, ethnicity, and the perceived inability to serve balanced meals were all found to be statistically significant when considering a …

Comparison Of Stabilization Methods For Fixed-Speed Wind Generator Systems, Mohammod Ali, Bin Wu

Faculty Publications

Static Synchronous Compensator (STATCOM), Pitch control system, Braking Resistor (BR), and Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage (SMES) have recently been reported as stabilization methods for fixed-speed wind generator systems. although the individual technologies are well documented, a comparative study of these systems has not been reported so far. This paper aims to fill in the gap, and provides a comprehensive analysis of these stabilization methods for fixed-speed wind generator systems. The analysis is performed in terms of transient stability enhancement, controller complexity, and cost. a novel feature of this work is that the transient stability analysis of wind generator system is …

A Methodology To Estimate The Future Extent Of Dryland Salinity In The Southwest Of Western Australia, Peter Caccetta, Robert Dunne, Richard J. George, Don J. Mcfarlane

Natural Resources Research Articles

In the southwestern agricultural region of Western Australia, the clearing of the original perennial vegetation for annual vegetation-based dryland agriculture has lead to rising saline groundwater levels. This has had effects such as reduced productivity of agricultural land, death of native vegetation, reduced stream water quality and infrastructure damage. These effects have been observed at many locations within the 18 million ha of cleared land. This has lead to efforts to quantify, in a spatially explicit way, the historical and likely future extent of the area affected, with the view to informing management decisions. This study was conducted to determine …

High Frequency Vco And Frequency Divider In Vlsi 90nm Technology, Paesol Veerakitti

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

A Voltage Controlled Oscillator (VCO) is essentially a tunable frequency generator. A VCO is used as a part in PLL system which is a system that generates a stable oscillating signal. As the digital electronic industry demands an ever increasing performance in speed, VCO's are required to create higher frequency signals. However, the phase noise performance of a VCO decreases as the operating frequency gets higher. The LC VCO is developed in this thesis to be used in with a tunable frequency divider as a part of a PLL system. The LC VCO structure design takes the advantage of a …

New Concept For Luminescent Solar Concentrators, Subhash Chandra, Sarah Mcormack, John Doran, Manus Kennedy, Amanda Chatten

Conference Papers

We have studied the excitation rate of Lumogen Red dye molecules by enhanced local electromagnetic field of Au nanoparticles for thin film luminescent solar concentrator (LSCs).The localized enhanced electromagnetic field of Au nanoparticles leads to an increase the excitation rate, and consequently in emission rate of dye molecules. By varying the distance between Au nanoparticles and dye film we showed transition form quenching to enhancement in edge emission and resultant ISC current output of thin film LSCs. When dye molecules were placed in the range of enhanced electromagnetic field of Au nanoparticles. Two competing factors affected the edge emission of …