Digital Commons Network^™

Seeking A Spiritual Home For Women : A Comparative Study Of Chen Ran's And Amy Tan's Fictions., Jing He 1979-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

With increasing cross-cultural infiltrations and accelerated interflows among people of all nationalities in this globalized world, the focus of comparative literature has experienced a shift from traditional Eurocentric cannons to a broader space incorporating literary works from marginalized cultures in its exploration of both particularities and commonalities. This dissertation aims to address the loss and reconstruction of women's self-identities as reflected in the fictions of contemporary Chinese woman writer Chen Ran and Chinese American woman writer Amy Tan. Drawing ideas from identity theories and postmodern feminist theories, the author compares the major motifs, rhetorical devices and writing strategies of the …

The Content And Critical Metaphor Analysis Of Illustrated Print Advertisements In China., Chun Jiang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation takes Chinese advertisements as the research subjects to see in what way a quantifiable large number of advertisements with its metaphorical nature and instrumental mission can reflect social cultural change, in specifics, ideology and identity change of China in the last thirty years by combining four methods of research: content analysis, Critical Discourse Analysis, Conceptual Metaphor Analysis and Pictorial Metaphor Analysis. The dissertation goes through the sign or ad interpretation process of linguistic, semiotic and critical analysis of 300 sample illustrated print advertisements collected from popular and award-winning illustrated print advertisements in Chinese media in the three periods …

An Investigation Of The Utilization Of Soil Water And Nitrogen Among Diverse Forage Plant Species And Mixtures, Sallee Reynolds

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Species diversity achieved by adding novel functional groups (warm-season grasses and non-leguminous forbs) to pasture land, along with traditional grasses and legumes, could aid in the capture of nutrients and water in pasture systems by offering complementary rooting architecture to aid in water and nitrogen uptake and decrease nitrogen leaching. Because these species may differ from commonly used grasses and legumes in their seasonal pattern of productivity, they could also extend or enhance growing-season productivity. The goal of this project is to better understand the role of plant diversity in 1) nitrogen use and 2) distribution of rooting dynamics and …

Preventing Accidents In Offshore Oil And Gas Operations: The U.S. Approach And Some Contrasting Features Of The Norwegian Approach, Michael S. Baram

Faculty Scholarship

This working paper deals with the U.S. approach for governing the safety of offshore oil and gas operations and preventing major accidents during exploratory drilling and production. It evaluates the statutory and regulatory framework, and agency implementation and reliance on industrial standards, and then suggests reforms to improve the efficacy of this governance system. References are made to the blowout at the drilling rig operated by British Petroleum to support the evaluation and reforms. References are also made to Norwegian laws and regulations governing oil and gas operations in the North Sea. As one of the world’s largest sources of …

Data Mining And Analysis Of Lung Cancer Data., Guoxin Tang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States and the world, with more than 1.3 million deaths worldwide per year. However, because of a lack of effective tools to diagnose Lung Cancer, more than half of all cases are diagnosed at an advanced stage, when surgical resection is unlikely to be feasible. The main purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between patient outcomes and conditions of the patients undergoing different treatments for lung cancer and to develop models to predict the mortality of lung cancer. This study will identify the demographic, finance, …

Postwar Sierra Leone : Are Programs Of Reconstruction Addressing The Causes Of War?, Lovetta Anita Thompson 1985-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This multilayered study is an appraisal of some of the ongoing post-conflict reconstruction efforts in Sierra Leone in light of the causes of the conflict, which lasted from 1991-2002. It begins by providing a critical examination of the historical antecedents leading up to the war. The problems of colonialism which brought together different nationalities under one political umbrella by force of arm, along with other motley of issues such as corrupt leadership and inter-ethnic violence led to the outbreak of war in 1991. Although different studies have discussed these factors, very few, if any, have tried to make a connection …

More Real Than Real : An Anthropological And Phenomenological Exploration Of Imagistic Sacred Space In The Contemporary Elegy And Fine Art Photograph., Amy Liann Tudor 1968-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The creation of liminal spaces has been used for centuries cross-culturally to create sacred or taboo meanings in rituals, people, places, or objects. Liminality is constructed by the overlapping of cultural categories and "ruptures" an object or event's connotations, imbuing it with new and often transcendent or spiritually charged meaning. The photograph is an example of liminal space, since it freezes even the living in a state of corpse-like stasis. With the invention of this new medium, as well as its application to memorializing the dead, previous forms of commemorating death such as the eulogy and the poetic elegy were …

English Language Learners In Focus : Predictors Of English Proficiency And Academic Achievement., Yuliya Ardasheva

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Academic achievement of English language learners (ELLs), the fastest growing population in the U.S. schools, deserves greater attention. This non-experimental study investigated the unique contributions-above and beyond other individual difference and school characteristics-of language learning strategies (LLS) to student academic outcomes in a second language (L2). The sample comprised 1,057 ELLs (651 elementary, 275 middle, and 131 high school) attending 38 schools in one urban school district. Descriptive analysis results indicated that ELLs used a large array ofLLS; yet, except for metacognitive strategies, most LLS were reportedly used only at a medium level of frequency. The results also indicated a …

Social-Cognitive Predictors Of Physical Activity Initiation In Type 2 Diabetes Following Diabetes Self-Management Education : Application Of The Health Action Process Approach., Jason E. Bonner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Type 2 diabetes presents a public health crisis and a global pandemic. Successful management of diabetes requires engagement in a daily regimen of self-care behaviors to achieve optimal glycemic control and to reduce the severity of diabetes-related complications. Regular engagement in physical activity has been demonstrated to improve glycemic control and overall quality of life among patients with diabetes. Diabetes self-management education (DSME) has become the hallmark for instructing patients with diabetes to engage in physical activity, yet physical activity patterns of DSME patients remains largely unknown. Further, it is unclear what factors could account for such behavior change in …

Quality Teaching In Addressing Student Achievement : A Comparative Study Between National Board Certified Teachers And Other Teachers On The Kentucky Core Content Test Results., Harrie Lynne Buecker 1952-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation focused on the link between quality teaching and its potential impact on student achievement. National Board Certification is used to represent quality teaching and student achievement is measured by the Kentucky Core Content Test. Data were gathered on the reading and mathematics scores of students of National Board Teachers who were certified in literacy, early childhood generalist, or middle childhood generalist. These scores were compared to students assigned to teachers who were not National Board Certified Teachers. This dissertation is comprised of five chapters. Chapter One provides an overview of the dissertation and establishes the rationale for the …

Determination Of Variables Which Predict Success On The National Council Licensure Examination (Nclex-Pn)., Mary A. Kleber

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nursing is one of the most frequently chosen programs by those entering postsecondary institutions in preparation for a career. This is in part due to the job opportunities available, interest in healthcare, and a pending shortage of nurses in healthcare. One strategy for meeting this shortage is the career pathway which encompasses the concept of lifelong learning and provides a mechanism for advancement of nurses along a continuum. Regardless of the level that a student enters the nursing education continuum, failure on the national licensure exam becomes a burden to both graduates and faculty in time and resources expended. Whereas …

Adult Perceptions Of The Impact Of Kentucky Education Reform Act Initiatives On Achievement : Insights Of Rural Gifted Students., Jan Kathryn Weaver Lanham 1954-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological study investigated perceptions regarding the impact of the tenets of the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) on the self-reported achievement and underachievement among adults who had been identified and served as gifted students in a rural Kentucky school district between 1994 and 2004. Through a series of interviews of 30 young adults selected through purposive sampling, the study addressed three research questions relating to (a) the perceptions of the former students regarding each of six KERA initiatives--Portfolios [writing and mathematics], Ungraded Primary, KIRIS/CATS assessment, Proficiency as a performance goal, School Based Decision Making [SBDM] council policies--in fostering or …

Gender Role Stereotypes In Advertising : A Test Of The Match-Up Hypothesis On Advertising Effectiveness., Sara Picklesimer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Images in advertisements often depict social expectations for gendered behavior, reinforcing stereotypical masculine and feminine behaviors. This study examined the effectiveness of using gender role stereotypical images in advertisements by matching two products with a male and female, based on the match-up hypothesis. Two gender congruent and two gender incongruent advertisements were created to test the effectiveness of gender congruency on perceived message clarity, advertisement believability, perceived argument quality, attitude toward the advertisement, attitude toward the brand, and purchase intention, based on the information-processing model. Though gender congruent advertisements were perceived as slightly more effective than the gender incongruent advertisements, …

Do Sovereign Wealth Funds Mitigate Authoritarian Rule?: A Statistical Analysis Of Sovereign Wealth Funds And The Resource Curse., G. Jason Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The famous oil baron' John Paul Getty once defined his secret to success in three parts, "Rise early, work hard, strike oil." This recipe, however, has not lead to political and economic success for oil-reliant, emerging market states. Rather than experiencing a resource blessing, these states have been plagued by a resource curse. This project introduces and tests my theory that sovereign wealth funds offer an exit to the resource curse and pathway back to the resource blessing. This theory is based on two observations I noticed during previous research on the subject: states with sovereign wealth funds boost occupational …

Leadership, Curriculum, Instruction, And Accountability Scores : Evidence From Kentucky Scholastic Audits., Rebecca Curry Todd

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In 1983 the National Commission on Excellence in Education released A Nation at Risk, which triggered an extended era of school reform culminating in today's accountability movement. In Kentucky the school improvement process, in which principals play an integral part, is based on the Standards and Indicators for School Improvement (SISI--with nine standards and 88 indicators overall) and the Scholastic Audit, a measurement tool based thereon. Murphy's (2004) mediated model of instructional leadership recognizes that complex school reform necessitates both direct and indirect skills. The central research question captures the purpose of this study, testing Murphy's model: Based on Scholastic …

Factors Affecting Nurse Educators' Decision To Teach., Linda J. Thomas 1946-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The field of nursing currently faces a shortage of both nurses and nursing faculty. Yet, little is known about why clinical nurses opt to become nursing faculty. Qualitative investigations into this phenomenon are particularly rare. This study addressed these gaps in the context of career choice of faculty associate degree nursing (ADN) programs. The qualitative analysis was guided by Astin's (1984) psychosocial model of career choice. The central research question was, "What factors influence the career choice of nurse educators currently teaching in Kentucky associated degree nursing programs?" Faculty from the 20 ADN programs in public community colleges and 4-year …

Longitudinal Predictors Of Disciplinary Alternative School Placement And The Risk Of Subsequent Juvenile Detention In A Cohort Of Third Grade Children., Judi Elisa Vanderhaar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Alternative school settings for students who are identified as "disruptive or dangerous" are playing an increasingly prominent role in the world of public education, yet many gaps in the research literature are abound. This dissertation study is an effort to contribute to an understanding of the students placed in these alternative schools, identify longitudinal predictors of placement, and assess the risk of subsequent involvement of the juvenile justice system. The study sample consisted of an entire cohort of third grade children in a large metropolitan school district. Through the use of the methodological technique of discrete-time hazard analysis, time-constant and …

Civil War Treasures: Louisiana State University And The American Civil War, Leah Wood Jewett

Civil War Book Review

Louisiana State University and the American Civil War

Sagestep News, Winter 2010, No. 11, Sagestep

Newsletters

Seasonal newsletter of SageSTEP.

Residential Landscape Water Check Programs: Exploring A Conservation Tool, Diana T. Glenn

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In response to drought and regional growth in the arid western United States, urban water demand management is increasingly important. Single family residences use approximately 60% of their water consumption to irrigate landscapes often in excess of plant water requirements. This study utilized a quasi-experimental design to investigate outdoor water consumption and assess the effectiveness of a landscape water check conservation program. Study objectives included describing a contextualized landscape system to reveal variables influencing water use, identifying better ways to evaluate landscape water use, and more effectively targeting and delivering water conservation programs.

The study was conducted during the 2004 …

Assessing Linkages Among Landscape Characteristics, Stream Habitat, And Macroinvertebrate Communities In The Idaho Batholith Ecoregion, Andrew C. Hill

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Understanding the composition of lotic communities and the landscape processes and habitat characteristics that shape them is one of the main challenges confronting stream ecologists. In order to better understand the linkages among landscape processes, stream habitat, and biological communities and to understand how accurately our measurements represent important factors influencing biological communities, it is important to test explicit hypotheses regarding these linkages. Increasing our understanding of aquatic communities in a hierarchical context and recognizing how well our measurements represent factors structuring aquatic communities will help managers better evaluate the influence of land management practices on aquatic ecosystems, direct conservation …

Interclonal Variation Of Primary And Secondary Chemistry In Western Quaking Aspen And Its Influence On Ungulate Selection, Damon A. Winter

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) clones within close proximity to one another can exhibit drastically different levels of browsing by ungulates. The objectives of this study were to (1) determine interclonal differences in plant chemistry between adjacent clones exhibiting different degrees of herbivory which may influence the browsing behavior and patterns of ungulates, and (2) determine if correlation exists in the levels of salicortin and tremulacin between current year's suckers and current year's growth on older trees. This second objective was meant to indicate a protocol for land managers for identifying clones meriting increased protection from herbivory after treatment …

Enhancing Out-Of-Season Production Of Tomatoes And Lettuce Using High Tunnels, Britney L. Hunter

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The growing season for vegetable crops is limited by freezing temperatures in arid high elevation climates such as northern Utah. Logan, Utah (41.73 N, 111.83 W, 1382 m elevation) has a short, variable growing season with an average frost-free period of 135 days. Extending the growing season provides growers with an opportunity to extend revenue into a normally unproductive period and benefit from out-of-season price premiums. High tunnels have been used to effectively extend the growing season for numerous crops by providing cold temperature protection. However, limited high tunnel research has been performed in arid high elevation regions that experience …

A Comparison Of Muscle Activity Responses Of Adults And Children During Whole Body Vibration, Dustin Blair Nash

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Results of recent studies have suggested that attenuation and transmissibility of WBV in adults and children are similar, but due to anatomical differences, it is hypothesized that children employ different strategies. One suggested strategy is that of muscle tuning, whereby muscle activity levels are adjusted to control potentially dangerous accelerations produced by vibration resonance. The purpose of the study was to compare muscle activity responses between children and adults exposed to whole body vibration. It was hypothesized that the muscle activity in children would be greater than that in adults due to muscle tuning strategies. Eleven adults and fourteen children …

Dynamic Testing, Finite Element Modeling, And Long-Term Instrumentation Of A Box Girder Post-Tensioned Bridge For The Long-Term Bridge Performance Program, Timothy Paul Thurgood

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

As part of the Long-Term Bridge Performance (LTBP) program, a flagship research program funded by the Federal Highway Administration in response to the aging bridge network, the Lambert Road Bridge near Elk Grove California was selected as the California Pilot bridge set to undergo non-destructive testing and monitoring. The purpose of the program is to obtain a database of scientific quality data concerning the health and maintenance procedures currently in use across the nation. FHWA program managers along with members of the Utah State University LTBP research team selected the bridge with the assistance of the National Bridge index and …

Using No-Show Modeling To Improve Clinic Performance, Laura P. Sands, Joanne K Daggy, Mark Lawley, Deanna Willis, Debra Thayer, Christopher Suelzer, Po-Ching C. Delaurentis, Ayten Turkan, Santanu Chakraborty

School of Nursing Faculty Publications

‘No-shows’ or missed appointments result in under-utilized clinic capacity. We develop a logistic regression model using electronic medical records to estimate patients’ no-show probabilities and illustrate the use of the estimates in creating clinic schedules that maximize clinic capacity utilization while maintaining small patient waiting times and clinic overtime costs. This study used information on scheduled outpatient appointments collected over a three-year period at a Veterans Affairs medical center. The call-in process for 400 clinic days was simulated and for each day two schedules were created: the traditional method that assigned one patient per appointment slot, and the proposed method …

Prism Vol. 2, No. 1, Center For Complex Operations

PRISM (Full PDF Issues)

PRISM is published by the National Defense University Press for the Center for Complex Operations. PRISM is a security studies journal chartered to inform members of U.S. Federal Agencies, allies, and other partners on complex and integrated national security operations; reconstruction and nationbuilding; relevant policy and strategy; lessons learned; and developments in training and education to transform America's security and development apparatus to meet tomorrow's challenges better while promoting freedom today.

Testing The Use Of Molluscs To Infer Climate With Special Reference To The Late Cenozoic Molluscs Of The Meade Basin, Southwest Kansas., Brian William Steffen 1975-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Twenty-six fossil assemblages of land and freshwater molluscs from the Pliocene to the present, were collected from locations near the town of Meade, Kansas, U.S.A. and were analyzed (along with the extant molluscan fauna of Meade County, Kansas) to look for changes in molluscan diversity through time. The fossil assemblages were analyzed for two reasons: I) to test the hypothesis that diversity (measured as taxonomic richness, dominance, turnover and habitat type) did not change through the five million years of this study (HOI); and 2) to test the hypothesis that there is no relationship between the taxonomic composition of a …

School-Based Decision Making (Sbdm) Councils And Their Efficacy And Productivity As Perceived By Council Members., Shawna Shrout Stenton 1976-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the perceptions of Kentucky SBDM council members concerning the productivity and efficacy of the councils. The major variables studied were council member position, council member demographic characteristics, perceived efficacy, and perceived productivity. The research data came from an already completed field survey. This study used the methods of descriptive analysis, causal-comparative analysis, and correlational/predictive research. Statistical procedures included calculation of means and standard deviations, as well as multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), ordinary least squares multiple regression, and random effects analysis of variance (ANOVA). The results of the study showed that, in general, council members had a …

Messianic Light : Utopian Discourse In The Work Of Theodor W. Adorno, Luce Irigaray And Giorgio Agamben., Heather Anne Thiessen 1956-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

What is the idea that "utopia" names? How can discourse represent that idea? Setting aside temporarily deeper problems with the idea of representation, and focusing on how a complex philosophical discourse might approach the problem of conveying or representing a large, only fairly precise, and important idea is the question of this dissertation. It ultimately answers that question obliquely, by focusing on the way the utopian discourse present in the work of three late 20th century philosophers, Theodor W. Adorno, Luce Irigaray, and Giorgio Agamben, addresses a subject position that can be named a "subject of possibility." How this subject …