Digital Commons Network^™

Developing Students As Researchers - It's All A Muddle, Pauline Kneale

The Plymouth Student Scientist

Prof Pauline Kneale, Director, The Higher Education Academy Subject Centre for Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

The Therapeutic Effects Of Working With Dartmoor Ponies: A Pathfinding Project, Dawn Chaplin

The Plymouth Student Scientist

The area of Animal Assisted Therapy, and in particular therapy with Equines, was investigated to assess whether this sort of therapy could contribute to Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL). It was proposed that quantitative and qualitative measures would suggest an increase in social and emotional functioning following an Equine Facilitated Learning (EFL) intervention. Three ‘at-risk’ adolescent males were nominated by teaching staff to participate in a quasi-experimental research design, whereby measures were taken but no variables manipulated. Quantitative data provided weak support for the hypothesis although qualitative data suggested an improvement in functioning followed by a decline in …

Beneficial Roles Of Microorganisms In The Coral Reef Ecosystem, Katie R. Laming

The Plymouth Student Scientist

Coral reef biodiversity has declined over the past few decades and despite recent significant scientific interest in reefs in light of noticeable effects of climate change on this fragile habitat there is still much undiscovered about the true diversity of the symbiont community. There is also much to ascertain about underlying holobiont mechanisms relating to beneficial properties resident bacteria possess to help their hosts defend themselves from pathogenic xenobacteria or how symbionts provide the holobiont and other reef organisms with nutrition by utilising the carbon and nitrogen cycles. These are some of the questions addressed in this literature review. It …

The Effect Of Different Dosages Of Caffeine On Time To Exhaustion In Prolonged Exercise In Trained Athletes (A Meta Analysis), Kristina Marshall

The Plymouth Student Scientist

Background The world anti doping organisation removed caffeine from the banned list of substances in 2004; yet, research shows over recent years caffeine has become one of the most widely used ergogenic aids by athletes in the UK. This analysis investigates one of the suggested ergogenic benefits of caffeine, increasing time to exhaustion, and whether this effect relates to specific dosages of caffeine ingested before exercise. Objectives To assess the effects of two different dosages of caffeine on trained athlete’s time to exhaustion in endurance exercise. Search methods “caffeine” and “time to exhaustion” were entered into Pubmed, Scirus and Google …

The Effect Of Physiological Arousal On Item And Associative Memory Consolidation, Lucinda Sturton

The Plymouth Student Scientist

This article does not feature an abstract.

The Experiences Of Mississippi Weekly Newspaper Editors As They Explore And Consider Producing Internet Editions, Cassandra Denise Johnson

Dissertations

This dissertation focused on the challenges Mississippi weekly newspaper editors faced when deciding to have an online edition and the issues these editors encountered when they adopted a Web newspaper. The study expounded on four areas—the operational changes weekly newspapers have had to make to produce Web editions, the different type of newsroom staff that are needed to create both editions, the content that is going in the online edition, and the financial pressures that editors work through to keep the newspapers profitable. The study was modeled after similar studies from three organizations—the Pew Research Center, the Bivings Group, and …

A Separation Of Church And Growth? The Intersections Of Seventh-Day Adventism And Economic Development In Puerto Rico, Josefer Montes

Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the intersections of religion and economics, specifically the Puerto Rican economy and the Puerto Rico Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA). Chapter II investigated the relationship between an economy that exports its currency and one that imports its currency by researching how United States monetary policy impacts the Puerto Rican economy. Through the perspective of the Optimal Currency Area (OCA) framework as posited by Mundell (1961) and employing a vector autoregression (VAR) model, the impact of U.S. monetary shocks was investigated by regressing those effects against Puerto Rican employment data. While the Puerto Rican business cycle generally follows that …

Information In Context': Co-Designing Workplace Structures And Systems For Organisational Learning, Mary M. Somerville, Zaana Howard

University Libraries Librarian and Staff Articles and Papers

Introduction. This paper discusses an 'information in context' design project at Auraria Library in Denver, Colorado which aims to collaboratively create organizational structures and communication systems with and for library employees.

Method. This action research project is founded within shared leadership, informed learning and organizational learning principles and implemented using participatory design processes. The first phase involved an appreciative inquiry process resulting in an organizational realignment of personnel and the introduction of shared leadership. The second phase involved the co-design of organizational information and communication systems and subsequent implementation of initiatives.

Results. This project resulted in several of the co-designed …

Depmap: Dependency Mapping Of Applications Using Operating System Events, Ryan Matteson

Master's Theses

Applications are increasingly hosted on shared, heterogeneous distributed systems. Web applications and “cloud” computing are broad examples of this, but even relatively isolated servers often depend on shared, network-accessible resources. This standardization around service layers abstracts aspects of service delivery, but often entails a large collection of component systems. The complexity that is abstracted from a functional perspective can give rise to runtime issues. Critical issues arising out of this model include resource utilization (sizing, capacity testing, resource monitoring) and dependency management (identifying and monitoring dependencies between components and potential for impact to an application).

This thesis presents an automated …

Is Obama Black: The Pseudo-Legal Definition Of The Black Race: A Proposal For Regulatory Clarification Generated From A Historical Socio-Political Perspective., Gloria J. Liddell, Peason Liddell Jr.

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

Barack Obama’s successful run for President of the United States exposed many intriguing sociological and political issues in American society, not least of which was the question of race. Obama was the offspring of a mother of White European ancestry and a father of African ancestry. Obama is considered “Black,” though some would argue he could have been called “White” just as justifiably. The public discourse surrounding the election of President Obama highlights the need for clarification. In this Article, we explore the past to provide a foundational perspective. In proposing a somewhat unconventional definition, we seek to contain within …

Legal Reading And Success In Law School: The Reading Strategies Of Law Students With Attention Deficit Disorder (Add)., Leah M. Christensen

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

The new reality in legal education is that a certain percentage of our students will come to us with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or with another learning disability, either disclosed or undisclosed. Yet there has been little empirical research on how law students with learning disabilities read and understand the law. This study examines how three law students with ADD read a judicial opinion. The results suggest a relationship between successful law school performance and the use of problematizing and rhetorical reading strategies, and between less successful law school performance and the use of default reading strategies. Further, the results …

Taking Texas Back: A Voter Turnout Analysis Of South Texas., Emily Cadik, Dori Glanz

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

For the Texas Democratic Party (TDP), the ability to win statewide elections hinges on the ability to raise turnout in South Texas. Voter turnout in South Texas is consistently lower than the state average in general elections. Impediments to voting, like a lack of resources in the region, complicated voting logistics, and more traditionally emphasized barriers to turnout (such as socioeconomic status) contribute to low turnout. The South Texas region, however, reported exceptionally high performance in primary elections, where incentive structures and competition operate well. Nonetheless, the typically cited problems cannot on their own explain low voter turnout in general …

Secrets And Lies: The Intelligence Community's Don't Ask, Don't Tell., Andrew Olivo

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

No abstract provided.

Boarding Up The Fair Housing Act: Time Barring Design And Construction Claims For Handicapped Individuals., Matthew R. Farley

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

The Fair Housing Act (FHA), enacted as Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, prohibits the discrimination of the sale, rental, and financing of residential dwellings based on race, color, religion, or national origin. Eventually, Congress amended the Fair Housing Act by adding disabilities and family composition to the list of protected classes. This change was enacted to combat the wide assortment of discriminatory issues that these now-protected individuals experience. Disabled individuals are likely to face discrimination due to the design or construction of residential homes. Though Congress has made a conscious effort to address and minimize the …

Lords Of The Manor: Fighting California Slumlords With Private Multi-Plaintiff Implied Warranty Of Habitability Litigation., Christina Sosa

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

Abstract Forthcoming.

The Cycle Of Violence: Domestic Violence And Its Effects On Children., Rosie Gonzalez, Janice Corbin

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

Abstract Forthcoming.

How Texas Can Better Protect Seniors From Financial Abuse And Mismanagement Associated With Alzheimer's Disease., Hayden Colby

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

Alzheimer’s Disease is a prominent terminal ailment affecting a vast number of the world’s senior citizens. The Disease causes a cognitive deterioration in brain cells which results in limited or no ability to do basic activities. Texas has seen a disproportionate amount of Alzheimer’s cases due to senior citizens relocating upon retirement. Alzheimer’s Disease costs American citizens thousands of dollars in healthcare services every year. In the early stages of Alzheimer’s, one loses his or her ability to manage their finances. This leads to a lack of independence and a greater susceptibility to financial abuse by those wanting to take …

Risk Identification And Project Approval: An Importance-Performance Analysis Of Taxonomy-Based Risks In Information Technology Projects, Tiago Ferreira Da Silva

Theses

The dissemination of project management practices is consolidating project as a great mean of achieving an organization's strategic plan (PMI, 2008, p. 10). But there are no resources and funds available to all, and competition among alternative projects is increasing. Funding institutions, government agencies, and credit rating organizations started considering project risk in project evaluation, instead of only using financial metrics such as ROI (Return on Investment) or NPV (Net Present Value). In order to obtain resources needed to implement projects, and thus contribute to an organization's objectives, it is necessary to identify the risks that have greater influence on …

Determining Characteristics That Increase Success On The National Asthma Educator Certification Exam, Karen Kain

Dissertations

The National Asthma Educator Certification Board, Inc. (NAECB) is a voluntary health certifying board created in 2001 to evaluate the professional competence of asthma educators. The primary purpose of the NAECB is to prepare and conduct examinations to test the qualifications of candidates for certification as asthma educators. Certification is voluntary and is not required by law for employment in the field, although some agencies may use AE-C® certification as a basis for employment, job promotions, salary increases, or other considerations. The mission of the NAECB is to promote optimal asthma management and quality of life among individuals with asthma …

Tylophora Indica- A Multicentric Clinical Verification Study, C Nayak, Vikram Singh, Krishna Singh, P Chakraborty, Subhash Kaushik, R Ray, R Yadav, M Rai, Darshan Singh

Indian Journal of Research in Homoeopathy

No abstract provided.

Paths To Upper Level Positions In Public Relations, Patrick J. Bishop

Dissertations

Preparation for a career in the field of public relations (PR) is based on a set of unique core competencies typically found in liberal arts. Though PR professionals rarely gain business degrees, they acquire knowledge, skills, perspectives, and strategies wellsuited to executive-level positions in business. Additionally, managerial positions in PR offer greater potential for influence than task-oriented roles with limited strategic opportunity.

This study examines the advancement of PR practitioners into upper-level management positions in business. The purpose of this research is to identify factors and behaviors that contribute to, or hinder, PR professional’s attainment of top-management positions. This study …

An Examination Of The Leadership Practices Of Effective Rural Superintendents: A Multiple Case Study, Mark Forner

Dissertations

This research examined the leadership practices of rural superintendents who have led their districts to significant improvement in student academic achievement. The overall research goal was to examine how Waters' and Marzano's six correlates of effective superintendent leadership practice have been applied by school leaders who have successfully pursued academic reform in their rural school districts. A multiple case study approach was used to examine the work practices of seven superintendents leading rural school districts in Michigan where student academic performance was on the rise.

A criterion-based selection methodology was used to identify the superintendent subjects and their districts. A …

Coalition For Prisoners' Rights Newsletter, Vol. 35-B, No. 12, Coalition For Prisoners' Rights

Coalition for Prisoners' Rights Newsletters

¡Up With The New!

The Unity We Have

Concession: Semi-Contact Visits

End of Lethal-Injection Drug

Voices in Solidarity

El Secretario de Comercio de EEUU

An Investigation Into Omani Physical Education Teachers' Beliefs About Physical Education Teachers' Characteristics And Their Roles In Omani Schools, Nasser Al-Rawahi

Journal of Educational and Psychological Studies

The purpose of this study was to investigate Omani physical education teachers‟ (pre -service and in-service) beliefs about the characteristics and roles of physical education teachers in Omani schools. Interviews were used to achieve this purpose by interviewing 29 participants: 12 student teachers and 17 teachers. Data were analysed qualitatively by using analytic induction and interpretive analytic framework. Qualitative results show that student teachers and teachers have similar beliefs about the general and professional characteristics of a physical education teacher. Between 70% and 95% of participants believed that the essential general characteristics of physical education teachers are: having a strong …

First Generation Hispanic High School Students Going To College: Experiences That Support Decisions And College Going Pathways, Norma Ibarra-Cantú

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

In this study I examined the question: How do first generation Hispanic high school students decide to attend college? To understand how the students made college decisions and what supported their pursuit of college aspirations, I interviewed six Hispanic high school students from five different high schools in a south Texas-Mexico border town. Student participants were the first generation in their immediate family to graduate from high school and to consider going to college. I conducted qualitative open-ended interviews with each of the participants and used inductive multilayered analyses to identify how students made decisions to attend college and how …

Avid Through Student Perspectives: A Qualitative Study On Avid Students' Experiences In The Program, Aidee Vasquez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The purpose of this research was to examine how Hispanic high school students represent their experiences in one college readiness program, Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID), which is designed to prepare students in the academic middle for four-year college. Utilizing social and cultural capital theories, I examined student perspectives on the supports AVID provided for them to gain the social and cultural capital needed for success in school and entry to college. I conducted eight forty-five minute semistructured interviews grounded in an ethnographic perspective. Eight participating AVID students came from low socioeconomic backgrounds, were Hispanics in the academic middle (GPA …

Photonic Crystal Design And Fabrication Assisted By Tunable Femtosecond Oscillator Laser, Kristofer B. Ohlinger

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Photonic Crystals have the potential for engineered light interaction as directed by the photonic bandgap, a property that details the prohibited propagation region and ultimately the ability to guide light. A so called, photonics-on-chip, would incorporate arbitrary light guiding with functional elements in one package. The realization of such a device is subject to the fabrication paradigms implemented and this thesis is concerned with holographic lithography as a means for creating polymer photonics crystal templates and two-photon polymerization for incorporating light guiding pathways.

In this thesis, the design of the to-be-fabricated structures has been co-opted by computational exploration of the …

The Impact Of Caesar Augustus On Roman Trade, William Edwin Wilson

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This paper studies Gaius Julius Octavian Caesar (Augustus) who combined the military/political expertise of a Roman Patrician with the practical business sense of the upper middle class (Equites) and as a consequence, his administration revived Rome’s economic fortunes and launched a new period of economic prosperity for the Empire. It also explores the specific actions of Augustus and those near to him that led directly to the revival of Rome’s economic fortunes and the remodeling of Rome and its many celebrated monuments and essential buildings. It concludes with a final summation of the man and his contributions to Rome’s success …

A Critical Analysis Of The Identification, Placement, And Assessment Policies For Achieving Educational Parity Of Bilingual Learners, Lilia Rocio Estrada

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This study analyzed the process of proper identification, placement, and assessment of Bilingual Learners (BLs) by investigating the perceptions of members in the Texas Language Proficiency Assessment Committee (LPAC). The findings focused on LPAC perceptions of their decisions to identify, place, and assess BLs as well as how these compared among members with different positions. Also, the LPAC members’ perceptions from schools that followed a dual language education program were compared to those schools that followed a transitional bilingual education program. It was found that majority of LPAC members lacked the confidence in assessing BLs, LPAC members holding higher positions …

Estampas De Mi Tierra- Vignettes Of My Land, Angel Berrios

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

With the intention of expressing my heritage, I have recalled all of my artistic knowledge in order to create this series of art works. I am very much in agreement with the route of artistic expression that I have followed in order to capture these images. I have given form to my message by following a technique involving the application of a combination of strokes and dots of color. I do not have, nor did I use photographs or any other visual resource to aid me in the creation of these paintings. I am solely inspired by my ideals as …