Digital Commons Network^™

Cross-Cultural Composition 2.0: Mapping/Remapping Spaces Of Language Minority Students In The Contact Zones, Marohang Limbu

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

My dissertation "Cross-Cultural Composition 2.0: Mapping/Remapping Spaces of Students in First-Year College Composition Courses" examines the curricula, syllabi, course materials, pedagogy, and theories and practices of first-year composition courses. Having traced issues, I theorize cross-cultural composition 2.0 (CCC 2.0) in my dissertation, which is a construction of inclusive and democratic spaces in first-year composition courses. CCC 2.0 includes multicultural materials, Web 2.0 tools (wikis, facebook, blogs, MySpace, Google group/sites, Flickr, twitter, podcasting, and YouTube), critical pedagogy, students' prior academic and cultural literacies, and contemporary theories of composition studies. I incorporate these elements/theories to create spaces for varied student populations in …

Cracked Spaces And Body Acts, Maria Miranda Maloney

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Poetry of resistance, political, dealing with topics of identity, geography, forms and language.

Microstructure And Property Evaluation Of Lifepo4 Thin Films For Application In Microbatteries, Jose Marcos Mares

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The shortage of fossil fuels and the requirements to produce clean, environmental friendly, efficient, and economical energy are the principal problems in the context of energy technology for current and future generations. Therefore, advanced energy storage and conversion capabilities with higher capacity and efficiency are desired. Currently, there is an enormous interest in the development of high energy density rechargeable batteries for use in domestic applications, automotive industries and portable electronic applications. The present research focuses on the development of LiFePO4 thin films for solid-state thin-film microbatteries. The present effort was performed with a specific purpose of understanding the effect …

Training To Detect Deception: The Role Of Intelligent Tutoring Systems And Impression-Based Cues, Stephen Worth Michael

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Research attempting to train individuals to detect deception has demonstrated small, inconsistent effects. The methods with which previous studies have trained participants and the cues to deception used in these training programs may be partially responsible for these findings. The current study investigated the effectiveness of a novel, interactive training program for deception detection which used an interview setting with virtual humans and an intelligent tutoring system. This training program was compared to a non-interactive training program. Participants were trained on eight indirect, impression-based cues that have been empirically demonstrated to be diagnostic of deception. Results demonstrated that indirect, impression-based …

The Effect Of Crime Severity And Confidence On Mock Jurors' Verdicts, Abigail E. Moore

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Previous studies of eyewitness testimony have found confidence and errors in testimony have an impact on credibility ratings and jurors' verdicts. The current study used the three factors of confidence, errors, and crime severity to determine their effects on witness credibility, verdicts, and guilt ratios. It was hypothesized that highly confident witnesses of a violent crime would be rated as more credible and result in more convictions compared to low confident witnesses. It was also expected that well calibrated witnesses of a nonviolent crime would results in higher credibility ratings and more guilty verdicts compared to poorly calibrated witnesses. Results …

The Impact Of Cartel Related Violence On Ongoing Traumatic Stress And Self-Medication In Young Adults Living Along The U.S./México Border, Thom J. Taylor

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Ongoing Potentially Traumatic Stress (OPTS) as a result of violence and insecurity along the U.S./México border remains understudied. Many residents of the border may be both indirectly and directly exposed to potentially traumatic events on an ongoing basis, particularly in the city of Cd. Juárez, México. The present study examined the impact of the violence and insecurity on daily traumatic stress levels and the potential for self-medication via alcohol, cigarettes, and illicit drugs within Spanish speaking young adult residents and commuters to Cd. Juárez, Chihuahua, México. Participants (N = 121) completed multiple online reports of location in and travel to …

Phosphorylation Of The Glycine Transporter 1, Javier Vargas Medrano

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The extracellular levels of the neurotransmitter glycine in the brain are tightly regulated by the high-affinity glycine transporter 1 (GlyT1) and the clearance of glycine depends on its rate of transport and the levels of cell surface GlyT1. Over the past years, it has been shown that PKC activation diminishes the activity and promoted phosphorylation of several neurotransmitter transporters including the dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine transporters however, its role is unknown for the glycine transporter. To get insights into the role of PKC activation on GlyT1 regulation, we used three N-terminus GlyT1 isoforms stably expressed in porcine aortic endothelial (PAE) …

Using Soil-Borne Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (Pahs) And Organic Carbon In Soil For Projecting Pollution States Of Pahs In Ambient Air, Chika Yamaguchi

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) are of environmental concern due to their ubiquitous nature, long-range transport, long half-lives, and toxicity. PAHs enter the environment as a consequence of incomplete combustion and cause adverse health effects. Because they are omnipresent pollutants, PAH distribution is not only a local issue, but also a global issue. Therefore, monitoring PAHs in ambient air and identifying their sources and distribution patterns have tremendous importance in assessing public health. However, sampling and analyzing airborne PAHs with conventional methods is time consuming and costly. In addition, an active sampling method remains unfeasible in many cases because it requires …

The Role Of Sumoylation Of Ledgf/P75 In Hiv-1 Infection, Murilo Tadeu Domingues Bueno

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The lens epithelium-derived growth factor (LEDGF) proteins p75 and p52 are transcriptional co-activators that protect cells from stresses through modulation of stress and heat shock-related genes. Besides regulating such genes, LEDGF/p75 is also important in the process of HOX gene expression and leukemia transformation driven by the MLL histone methyl transferase complex. By exploiting a similar mechanism of interaction between LEDGF/p75 and MLL, the HIV-1 viral protein Integrase (IN) associates with LEDGF/p75 in order to execute efficient viral DNA integration. This present work has identified that LEDGF proteins are posttranslationally modified by SUMO-1 and -3. SUMOylation was found to target …

Popular Plotlines And Passionate Conversations: Interpreting The Sex And The City Breast Cancer Storyline, Monica Victoria Alvillar

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Using the framework of entertainment-education as a media strategy, the present study sought to determine how viewers of Sex and the City (SATC) interpreted its highly gripping breast cancer storyline through conversations and group sense-making. Some 17 heavy viewers of SATC, all women, participated in this study, watching three episodes of the SATC breast cancer storyline in small group contexts. The viewings sparked conversations and discussion on a variety of topics, and five major themes emerged from an analysis of the transcripts: (1) personal identification with SATC's characters, especially with Samantha, (2) the importance of social support during a cancer …

Vocabulary Acquisition Of Bilingual Students Through The Implementation Of Dialogic Shared Storybook Reading Techniques, Samantha Kamille Ariaz

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Children who are learning English as a second language and whose caregivers speak only Spanish were chosen to participate in the study. Parents were trained using Dialogic Shared Storybook Reading (DSSR) techniques (Whitehurst, 1988). The study was a single subject multiple baseline design across behaviors. Reading conditions were counterbalanced to control for acquisition of new vocabulary. There were a total of five participants, three children and two mothers (n=5). The participants were separated into two families. Each family was exposed to three reading book conditions while the parents implemented the specified techniques: 1. Shared reading with an electronic, bilingual Spanish/ …

Experimental Study Of The Effects Of Green Tea, Alejandra Avila

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Background. Leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease caused by an intracellular parasite belonging to the genus Leishmania. The cutaneous form of the disease causes often significant disfigurement, accelerates progression to clinical AIDS and tuberculosis, and is associated with a number of adverse economic, psychosocial, and nutritional consequences. An estimated 350 million persons are at risk for this globally distributed disease and 1.5-2 million new cases occur annually. Leishmaniasis is endemic in 88 countries on five continents. It is distributed throughout most of the Americas ranging from southern Texas to northern Argentina. It is also regarded as a threat to the readiness …

Polarized Infrared Emission Using Frequency Selective Surfaces, James Ginn, David Shelton, Peter Krenz, Brian Lail, Glenn Boreman

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Faculty Publications

An emission frequency selective surface, or eFSS, is made up of a periodic arrangement of resonant antenna structures above a ground plane. By exploiting the coupling and symmetry properties of an eFSS, it is possible to introduce polarization sensitive thermal emission and, subsequently, coherent emission. Two surfaces are considered: a linearly polarized emission surface and a circularly polarized emission surface. The linearly polarized surface consisted of an array of dipóle elements and measurements demonstrate these surfaces can be fabricated into high polarization contrast patterns. The circularly polarized surface required the use of an asymmetrical tripole element to maintain coherence between …

Construction Innovator, Summer 2010, Construction Management Department

Construction Innovator

No abstract provided.

A Historical-Contextual Analysis Of The Final-Generation Theology Of M. L. Andreasen, Paul M. Evans

Dissertations

Topic

This study analyzes the teaching of the early twentieth-century Seventh-day Adventist writer M. L. Andreasen regarding a final-generation perfection that vindicates God in the great controversy between good and evil, comparing Andreasen’s views with related concepts in the writings of previous Adventist writers.

Purpose

The study has the limited objective of attempting to trace possible antecedents for Andreasen’s final-generation theology in the writings of other Adventists, in order to determine the degree of uniqueness or variance in Andreasen’s views. By means of this historical-contextual analysis, relationships are clarified between Andreasen’s views and those of other prominent Adventist writers, such …

Paying Women For Their Eggs For Use In Stem Cell Research, Pamela Foohey

Scholarly Works

On June 11, 2009, the Empire State Stem Cell Board (“Board”), which administers the $600 million in New York State funds allotted to stem cell research, voted to allocate a portion of those funds to compensate women up to $10,000 for “donating” their eggs for use in stem cell research. The Board's decision makes New York the first state to affirmatively allow state funds to be used to compensate women for providing their eggs for use in stem cell research beyond mere reimbursement of associated medical and other expenses, and, similarly, distinguishes it from most international countries, which either prohibit …

The Phenomenology Of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder From The Perspective Of The Adult Support Group Attendee, Richard R. Thomas Jr.

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This qualitative phenomenological dissertation utilizes the empirical descriptive phenomenological method, a modified Husserlian (1931) approach developed by A. P. Giorgi (1975, 1985, 1997) in order to lend voice to a vulnerable population of eight (four men and four women) adult Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) sufferers while also gleaning a greater understanding of their in vivo (or lived) experience. Though extensive quantitative research into the disorder exists, this study utilizes the words of the participants and searches for emergent themes amongst their collective experience. This study addresses the treatment gap of this crippling disorder, increases community awareness, and allows for emergence of …

Monkey Brains And Monkey Bars: An Ecological Approach To The Values Of School Recess, Emily L. Stanley

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Recess is a cherished part of the school day for countless children. Its value, however, has been increasingly questioned in many communities as academic performance standards and management of playground risks take precedence over play. This research examined the multiple outdoor play values held by constituents of a small, independent school for dyslexic students. Students have the choice of several recess options, including traditional playground equipment and a woodland with a stream. Ethnographic methods, including videotaped observations and interviews, were used to inquire into the values that children demonstrated through activity in their chosen play settings, as well as those …

Anatomy Of A Sex Trafficking Case, Terry Coonan

Intercultural Human Rights Law Review

This article contends that a different conceptual model is needed to describe and analyze contemporary U.S. sex trafficking. The experience of the North Florida sex trafficking victims makes clear that neither the semantics nor the underlying ideologies that have dominated the current debate - especially as regards the role of consent in prostitution - are particularly helpful or illuminating. This article proposes a third model entitled "Commercial Sex as a Compromised Choice" that seeks to more accurately delineate the role of consent in prostitution and sex trafficking cases. It also proposes that U.S. law incorporate the provision of the UN …

Crisis Leadership For The New Reality Ahead, Barbara S. Gainey

Faculty Articles

It is too easy, according to business consultant Laurence Barton, Ph.D., for businesses to operate on cruise control, sure of the familiarity of the road and without the protection of a current crisis response plan that could offer some protection for the bumps and hazards to come. Numerous researchers, however, are sounding the alarm. Without the sense of urgency of a 9/11-scale crisis, the number of organizations without current crisis plans in place is slowly decreasing, according to a 2005 American Management Association study. Yet the warning signs of uncharted territory ahead are everywhere. Organizations must prepare for new crises …

Rare's Implementation Strategies Of Environmental Conservation In Indonesia, Alvaro Arvizo

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Like most developing nations, Indonesia is at a crucial stage in its modern political and economic history. Opposing forces are constantly at work, a government struggling to make Indonesia a modern nation and the economic demands of a growing population. This presents the country with a multitude of problems. One of several is that nature's resources are exploited for personal economic gain with no regard for the long-term effects. This is a major concern for environmental conservation and non-profit government organizations (NGOs) worldwide. The American NGO Rare is at the forefront of this issue. Its aim is to meet community …

The Acquisition Of Colloquial Speech And Slang In Second Language Learners Of English In El Paso, Texas, Patricia Brannon Bradford

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Colloquial and idiomatic speech seem to be some of the more difficult areas for achieving native-like language competence in the acquisition of a second language (L2), though very few studies have been performed on this topic. Acquiring the colloquial speech of a community is crucial for second language learners who wish to achieve native-like proficiency in the target language. The majority of studies done on this area have focused on the attitude towards the teaching of colloquialisms in a formal classroom setting, or the attitude that native speakers have towards non-native speakers' use of colloquial speech and slang. Typically, L2 …

Sastrería, Laura Cesarco Eglin

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Book of poems

Breaking The Silence: A Health Narratives Approach To Understanding Tuberculosis In El Paso, Texas, Angelica Forero-Quintana

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Tuberculosis is a chronic illness affecting people in El Paso, Texas. TB continues to be a disease of great concern along the US-México border. The TB rates in El Paso for 2008 and 2009 were 5.4 and 8.9 per 100,000 and 13.5 and 13.3 per 100,000 in Ciudad Juárez. The number of new TB cases in 2008 and 2009 for El Paso were 40 and 67 cases and in Ciudad Juárez, they were 311 and 306 cases (Moya, 2010). This study relied on interviews with fifteen people undergoing treatment for TB (and three of their children) using a health narratives …

The Composition Of Precipitation In El Paso, Texas, Sonny P. Emmert

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The composition of precipitation reflects the transport of particles from varying air mass source regions as well as input from local environmental and anthropogenic activities. Air research in El Paso, TX, U.S.A/Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico has been traditionally limited to studies of local inputs of air pollution; no transition has been made to studying the scavenging, washout, and transport of pollutants by precipitation. The goal of this research project was to identify transported pollutants in precipitation, and determine if there were any health and ecological implications. The research investigated biological, chemical, and geological constituents in precipitation samples collected between September …

Ni De Aquí Ni De Allá: Transnationalism And Political Participation In Latino/A Communities, Sergio I. Garcia-Rios

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

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Structural Investigation Of Atp-Utilizing Enzymes: Structures Involved In H+ Homeostasis And The Proliferation Of Hormone-Dependent Cancers, Zacariah Louis Hildenbrand

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

ATP is a multifunctional nucleotide considered to be the "molecular unit of currency" of intracellular energy transfer. ATP is utilized ubiquitously for the transport of chemical energy within the cell in addition to acting as a substrate in the regulation of many metabolic and signaling transduction pathways such as kinase-mediated signaling cascades. Interestingly, the functional mechanisms of many enzymes require the binding of ATP to trigger key structural and conformational changes that ultimately result in enzyme-directed catalysis. Two of the most omnipresent ATPases within the cell include the V-ATPase rotary proton pump and the Hsp90 protein-folding chaperone. Structural and biochemical …

A Variational Approach To Non-Newtonian Flow In Angular Pores: An Application To Enchanced Oil Recovery, Nithin Kavoori

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

With an alarming rise in carbon dioxide (CO2) emission from anthropogenic sources, CO2 sequestration has become an attractive choice to mitigate the emission. Some popular storage media for CO2 are oil reservoirs, deep coal-bed, deep oceanic-beds. These have been used for the long term CO2 storage. Due to special lowering viscosity and surface tension property of CO2, it has been widely used for enhanced oil recovery. The sites for CO2 sequestration or enhanced oil recovery mostly consist of porous rocks. In this thesis work, I focus on understanding the flow through porous at pore-level using variational approach.

Variational approach is …

Passing, Segregation, And Assimilation: How Nella Larsen Changed The Passing Novel, Vivian Maguire

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In 1929, Nella Larsen wrote Passing, a novel that delves into the lives of two African-American women living in segregated society. Passing portrays the reunion of two childhood friends, Clare Kendry and Irene Westover. The two had lost touch when Clare's father died and Clare was forced to move in with her two white and racist aunts. When they meet again, Irene is living in Harlem with her two children and her husband, who practices medicine. Clare has married a successful businessman, John Bellew. Clare's husband however, is a white racist who is unaware that Clare is in fact black. …

Identification Of A Novel Cytokine Inducible Stat5 Phosphoserine Site (Ps193) That Positively Regulates Its Transcriptional Activity And Is Found Constitutively Activated In Certain Hematopoietic Cancers, Abhisek Mitra

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Hematological malignancies such as leukemia and lymphoma, can develop from aberrant changes in the cell signaling molecules to drive their uncontrolled cellular proliferation and differentiation. Activation, maturation, expansion and differentiation of T cells are critically regulated by the dynamics of various transcription factors activated by a variety of cytokines. Additionally, multiple effector molecules that mediate these T cells dependent signals include the JAK (Janus Kinase)-STAT (Signal transducer and activator of transcription) cascade. These signaling proteins are activated in response to a broad array of cytokines. Constitutively activated JAKs and STATs have been described in several T cell malignancies. A growing …