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An Investigation Of The Relationship Between Service Quality, Transaction-Specific Satisfaction, And Overall Satisfaction In Predicting Golfers' Revisit Intentions, Joon Choel Lee

All Dissertations

ABSTRACT
Every year, approximately 37 million people play golf and use golf course facilities with friends or family, and each group's perception of satisfaction differs. It is important and worthwhile to examine the variables that influence golfers' perceptions of service quality and satisfaction. Understanding which variables best predict behavioral intentions to revisit certain facilities is an important issue in the tourism industry, but few studies have investigated the relationships between service quality, transaction-specific satisfaction, and overall satisfaction in predicting revisit intention.
The purpose of this study is to compare and investigate conceptual frameworks that represent the relationship between golfers' perceived …

Circuit Modules For Broadband Cmos Six-Port Systems, Chaojiang Li

All Dissertations

This dissertation investigates four circuit modules used in a CMOS integrated six-port measurement system. The first circuit module is a wideband power source generator, which can be implemented with a voltage controlled ring oscillator. The second circuit module is a low-power 0.5 GHz - 20.5 GHz power detector with an embedded amplifier and a wideband quasi T-coil matching network. The third circuit module is a six-port circuit, which can be implemented with distributed or lumped- lement techniques. The fourth circuit module is the phase sifter used as calibration loads. The theoretical analysis, circuit design, simulated or experimental verifications of each …

Successional Vegetation In The Jocassee Gorges, South Carolina, Maxwell Boyle

All Dissertations

Multifactor ecosystem classification systems provide a three-pronged approach to identifying site units across the landscape based on repeating patterns of vegetation, soil, and geomorphology. Ecosystem classification models have been developed for a diversity of forest landscapes throughout North America, and are beneficial as an ecosystem management tool because the outcome yields data models that can be utilized by scientists and natural resource managers alike. In contrast to the enormous amount of classification studies undertaken in relatively stable, older-aged forests in eastern North America, there have been few studies that have employed multifactor classification techniques across a successional gradient, or heavily …

Spidroin N-Terminal Domain: A Ph Sensor In The Spider Silk Assembly Process, William Gaines

All Dissertations

Spider silks are protein-based fibers with remarkable mechanical qualities. Perhaps even more impressive is the spinning process in which the spider silk proteins (spidroins) are assembled from a highly soluble storage state into a well-ordered and insoluble fiber. Indeed, the ordered arrangement of spidroins, which is endowed by the spinning process, is the basis of fiber strength. However, the forces driving fiber assembly and the mechanisms by which spidroins respond those forces are only poorly understood. Spidroins have a tripartite domain architecture consisting of a large and repetitive central domain flanked by small, non-repetitive N- and C-terminal domains. Both terminal …

Gamma Ray Bursts As Probes Of Dust In The Evolving Universe, Adria Updike

All Dissertations

Dust is ubiquitous in the universe. Understanding where it comes from and where we observe it can have major implications to all astronomical observations. In this study, we investigate how gamma ray bursts (GRBs) can be used as probes of dust in the evolving universe. Making the simplification that silicate dust comes from core collapse supernovae and that graphite dust is produced in the winds of low- to intermediate-mass stars, we present numerical simulations of the resulting dust evolution in GRB hosts and show how the SEDs evolve. Dust extinction laws are re-derived from scattering theory of small particles and …

Predictors And Outcomes Of Occupational Commitment Profiles Among Nurses, Lindsay Sears

All Dissertations

Occupational turnover is a costly problem afflicting much of the nursing industry, and occupational commitment is a strong predictor of withdrawal from one's profession. Traditional organizational research examines most commitment-behavior relationships from a variable-centered perspective, focusing on the relationships between constructs. The present study adopts a configural, or person-centered approach aimed at identifying and describing clusters of individuals who share a similar set of occupational commitment mindsets. The present study extends current literature by a) investigating the existence of several occupational commitment profiles and describing their characteristics; b) examining situational and demographic predictors of profile membership; and c) testing differences …

Development Of Guidance For States Transitioning To New Safety Analysis Tools, Priyanka Alluri

All Dissertations

With about 125 people dying on US roads each day, the US Department of Transportation heightened the awareness of critical safety issues with the passage of SAFETEA - LU (Safe Accountable Flexible Efficient Transportation Equity Act - a Legacy for Users) legislation in 2005. The legislation required each of the states to develop a Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) and incorporate data-driven approaches to prioritize and evaluate program outcomes: Failure to do so resulted in funding sanctioning. In conjunction with the legislation, research efforts have also been progressing toward the development of new safety analysis tools such as IHSDM (Interactive …

Agreement Between Clinician And Patient Ratings Of Adaptive Functioning And Developmental History, Jared A. Defife, Rebecca Drill, Ora Nakash, Drew Westen

School for Social Work: Faculty Publications

Objective: Psychiatric researchers rely heavily on patient report data for clinical research. However, patient reports are prone to defensive and self-presentation biases. Recent research using practice networks has relied on clinician reports, and both forensic and personality disorder researchers have recently turned to quantified data from clinically expert observers as well. However, critics have raised legitimate concerns about the reliability and validity of data from clinician informants. The aim of this study was to assess the validity and diagnostic efficiency of clinician reports of their patients' adaptive functioning and developmental histories, using patient reports as the comparative standard traditionally used …

Give Back, Give Books: A Formative Program Evaluation, Wendy Lynn Fritz

Education Doctoral

For over a decade, the Rochester City School District (RCSD) has reported substandard test scores and graduation rates. In 2007, in response to negative press regarding academic achievement, Rochester Mayor Robert Duffy launched a city wide campaign designed to eradicate illiteracy in the city of Rochester. Part of Mayor Duffy’s literacy initiative involved engaging the community in this effort. In conjunction with the Mayor’s campaign, the Rochester Education Foundation (REF), a non-profit organization whose primary goal is to improve learning and success among Rochester city schoolchildren, began its Give Back, Give Books program. REF was established in 2005 and their …

Black Students Perceptions Of Their Access To Precollege Counseling Practices, Tonja M. Williams

Education Doctoral

Despite an increase in college enrollment for all racial groups over the past three decades, the rate at which Black students attend college continues to significantly trail that of White students. A contributor to this gap includes Black students inadequate access to college-going and financial aid information. The purpose of this study was to understand how access to school counseling activities impacted Black high school students college choice decisions. this study included, seventeen 12 th Participants for grade Black male and female students who attended two high schools in an urban school district in New York state. Eight of the …

The Short-Term Influence Of Free Digital Versions Of Books On Print Sales, John L. Hilton Iii, David Wiley

Faculty Publications

Increasingly, authors and publishers are freely distributing their books electronically to increase the visibility of their work. A vital question for those with a commercial stake in selling books is, “What happens to book sales if digital versions are given away?” We used BookScan sales data for four categories of books (a total of 41 books) for which we could identify the date when the free digital versions of the books were made available to determine whether the free version affected print sales. We analyzed the data on book sales for the eight weeks before and after the free versions …

Documents From The December 1, 2010 Meeting Of The Associated Students Of The University Of Montana (Asum), University Of Montana--Missoula. Associated Students

Senate Meeting Agendas and Minutes, 2007-Present

Agenda and meeting minutes from the December 1, 2010 meeting of the Associated Students of the University of Montana (ASUM).

The Association Of Religiosity, Sexual Education, And Parental Factors With Risky Sexual Behaviors Among Adolescents And Young Adults, Kristin Haglund, Richard J. Fehring

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

This study examined the association of religiosity, sexual education and family structure with risky sexual behaviors among adolescents and young adults. The nationally representative sample, from the 2002 National Survey of Family Growth, included 3,168 women and men ages 15–21 years. Those who viewed religion as very important, had frequent church attendance, and held religious sexual attitudes were 27–54% less likely to have had sex and had significantly fewer sex partners than peers. Participants whose formal and parental sexual education included abstinence and those from two-parent families were 15% less likely to have had sex and had fewer partners.

Psychometric Properties Of The Arabic Version Of The Depressive Cognition Scale In First-Year Adolescent Egyptian Nursing Students, Abir K. Bekhet, Jaclene Zauszniewski

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Background: Identifying depressive cognitions in adolescent nursing students can be an important step to prevent the development of clinical depression, which is positively associated with suicide. Purpose: This study focused on the psychometric testing of the Arabic version of the Depressive Cognition Scale (A-DCS) among 170 first-year adolescent Egyptian nursing students. Methods: The questionnaire was assessed for internal consistency, homogeneity, and construct validity using factor analysis and convergent validity. Results: Cronbach's alpha for (A-DCS) was .86. The homogeneity of the instrument was supported by item-to-total correlations between .30 and .70. Factor extraction generated only one factor with eigenvalues greater than …

Native American Students: Perceptions Of Lived Experiences Attending A Small Predominantly White University In The Upper Midwest, Dennis Richard Simons

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to better understand the lived experiences of Native American students when studying on a predominantly white campus at a small university in the Upper Midwest. Using a phenomenological approach, the researcher interviewed each of the eight participants for one hour, although there were two interviews that took longer. Two participants agreed to meet for a second interview and, again, the time taken was approximately one hour. The resulting audio-recorded interviews were then transcribed, coded, and analyzed.

Three themes emerged from the analysis of the data. Theme One: Participants depended on the support of …

Finding Myself: The Maturation Of Spirituality And Its Influence On Behavior During Late Adolescence, Deanna M. Mason

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this grounded theory study was to develop a theoretical model describing the influence of spirituality and/or religiosity on late adolescent behavior. Multiple quantitative research studies have linked spirituality and/or religiosity with both decreased health-risk behaviors and increased health-promotion behaviors during adolescence. However, as reductionist methods have not revealed underlying reasons for these relationships, the ability to apply this knowledge to practice is limited. Additionally, there is a lack of clear definitions for spirituality and/or religiosity firm enough to bridge disciplinary boundaries. A qualitative research perspective, which takes into account the embodied experience and development of individuals during …

Hydroxyurea And Acute Painful Crises In Sickle Cell Anemia: Effects On Hospital Length Of Stay And Opioid Utilization During Hospitalization, Outpatient Acute Care Contacts, And At Home, Samir K. Ballas, Md, Facp, Robert L. Bauserman, Phd, William F. Mccarthy, Phd, Oswaldo L. Castro, Md, Wally R. Smith, Md, Myron A. Waclawiw, Phd

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

Recurrent acute sickle cell painful crises are the hallmark of sickle cell anemia. These events may be mild, moderate or severe in nature and often require treatment at home, in acute care facilities as outpatients, and in the hospital with oral and/or parenteral opioids. The type, dose, route & frequency of administration of opioids, as well as the length of hospital stay (LOS), are not well known for adults with sickle cell anemia (SS). We analyzed these aspects in the 299 patients enrolled in the Multicenter Study of Hydroxyurea (MSH) in SS. For these patients there were 16818 home diaries, …

A Study Of The Perceived Effects Of School Culture On Student Behaviors., Linda Cox Story

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research has confirmed that the behaviors of human beings are influenced by their social environments. The school is the principal social environment of adolescents; thus, the school environment necessarily influences the behaviors of students to some degree.

This research project used the interview method to focus on perceptions of school personnel with regard to the elements of school culture that may negatively influence students' behaviors both inside and outside the school environment. The primary influences of school culture on students' behaviors were found to be peers, teachers, administrators, and parent involvlement. Governmental regulations, including those resulting from the Individuals with …

Exploring The Effects Of An Art Based Trauma Protocol With An Active Duty Police Officer Experiencing Symptoms Of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Khaki Wieters

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

Because of repeated exposure to traumatic events as part of their job requirements, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder is a common problem found among police officers. Although treatments in some agencies are limited, they can include, Critical Incident Stress Management, mandatory referrals to mental health professionals, and trained peer support. Art therapy is an efficient treatment for trauma because it bypasses defenses and aids in processing and integrating traumatic imagery by naturally connecting the brain’s right and left hemispheres. Police diagnosed with PTSD may benefit from art therapy since it can penetrate resistance and has proven effective for processing traumatic imagery.

This …

Selective Self-Stereotyping And Women’S Self-Esteem Maintenance, Debra L. Oswald, Kristine M. Chapleau

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

The process and implications of gender-based self-stereotyping are examined in this paper. Women displayed a tendency to selectively self-stereotype for personality and physical traits such that they endorsed positive stereotypic traits and denied negative traits as descriptive of the self and closest women friends. However, negative traits were endorsed as descriptive of women in general. Cognitive stereotypes were endorsed as more descriptive of all women than of the general university student. The tendency to selectively self-stereotype on physical traits was positively associated with appearance, social, and performance self-esteem. The results are discussed for their theoretical and practical implications.

Families' Perspectives On The Effect Of Constipation And Fecal Incontinence On Quality Of Life, Astrida S. Kaugars, Alan Silverman, Margo Kinservik, Susan Heinze, Lisa Reinemann, Megan Sanders, Brian W. Schneider, Manu Sood

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Objectives: Understanding families' quality of life can be important for interdisciplinary treatment planning. The present study examined child and parent perspectives about how constipation and fecal incontinence affect families' quality of life.

Patients and Methods: Semistructured interviews were conducted with 8 children/adolescents and 8 caregivers. All of the children met Rome II criteria for functional constipation. Interviews were analyzed by an interdisciplinary team using a content analysis approach, which included developing a coding manual that described emergent themes from the interview transcripts.

Results: Qualitative and quantitative responses revealed the varied experiences of participating families. Child and parent views may be …

Transition: The Journey From Tribal Colleges To Four-Year Institutions, Jeanette R. Gravdahl

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of the transfer journey transition faced by Native American students transferring from a tribal college to a four-year institution. This qualitative study sought to find out what could be done by tribal colleges, receiving four-year institutions, family, and tribes to make the path smoother.

Fourteen former Little Hawk tribal college students participated in the study. They had earned at least 30 credits at Little Hawk tribal college, and transferred to one of two four-year institutions. The participants were all non-traditional students but their experiences differed depending on the institution they …

Student Perceptions Of A Dropout Prevention Academy, Dale Edward Miller

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if the Academy Program of Fargo North High School helped students reach graduation, and to identify the respondents’ perceptions of the Academy Program of Fargo North High School. This study examined the relationship between respondents’ participation in the Academy Program in 9th grade and 10th grade and the Average Freshman Graduation Rate (AFGR) of their 9th grade cohort, respondents’ perceptions of the Academy Program, and the transition to their 11th grade year.

The research questions which guided this study were:

1. What is the graduation rate of students in the Academy Program of …

Five Songs Of Northeastern Brazilian Folklore By Ernani Braga, Harmonized For Voice And Piano: A Performance Guide, Sergio A. De Moura Miranda

Theses and Dissertations

This paper provides a performance analysis of one of Ernani Braga's most well-regarded compositions, Cinco Cancoes Nordestinas do Folclore Brasileiro (Five Songs of Northeastern Brazilian Folklore). I include a biography of the composer, a complete catalogue of his songs, and an analysis of the music construction and technical performance challenges of his folk song cycle. By doing so, I also hope to draw attention to Braga's compositional output for voice and piano, and to raise awareness of his importance as great Brazilian musician and accomplished composer.

African American/Black Undergraduate Students: Perceptions Of Their Experiences Attending An Upper Midwest University, Deola Y. Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to gain an understanding of the perceptions held by African American/"black" undergraduate students of their experiences attending a predominately white institution (PWI) of higher education in the Upper Midwest. Participants consisted of a sample of six African American/black juniors during the 2009–2010 academic school year. Social Identity Development Theory and Critical Race Theory were used as a guide in designing interview questions. Participants were interviewed and the audio recorded interviews were transcribed and then analyzed for codes, categories, and themes.

Four themes emerged from analysis of the data. Theme One: When students were …

Perceptions Of Male Versus Female Students Enrolled In Science, Technology, Engineering And Mathematics Courses Regarding Peer Tutoring, A Component For Student Retention, Cheryl D. Kingsbury

Theses and Dissertations

Academic departments in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, strive to develop in students the ability to problem solve, analyze, and to critically think about solutions to problems. Academic departments are committed to success, yet retention rates are lower than would be expected for females in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields of study, where female students are underrepresented.

The purpose of the study was to explore the perceptions of male and female traditional and nontraditional students who participated in a science, technology, engineering or mathematics STEM course during the spring 2010 semester regarding peer tutoring, and to …

Out Of The Blue: A Mother's Memoir Of Our Family's Transgender Experience, Roxanne Moore

Theses and Dissertations

OUT OF THE BLUE: A MOTHER'S MEMOIR OF OUR FAMILY'S TRANSGENDER EXPERIENCE is a memoir about what it has been like to discover that the baby girl I gave birth to almost forty years ago, now identifies as a female to male transgender person. He began his transformation both physically and legally over five years ago. Though it is a story about our entire family's transformation, it focuses mainly on what this has been like for me as a mother and the relationship I have with my first-born child.

Noted psychologist, Arlene Ishtar Lev states in Transgender Emergence: Therapeutic Guidelines …

Modeling A Longitudinal Relational Research Data System, Michelle D. Hunt Olsen

Theses and Dissertations

A study was conducted to propose a research-based model for a longitudinal data research system that addressed recommendations from a synthesis of literature related to: (1) needs reported by the U.S. Department of Education, (2) the twelve mandatory elements that define federally approved state longitudinal data systems (SLDS), (3) the constraints experienced by seven Midwestern states toward providing access to essential educational and employment data, and (4) constraints reported by experts in data warehousing systems.

The review of literature investigated U.S. government legislation related to SLDS and protection of personally identifiable information, SLDS design and complexity, repurposing business data warehouse …

Job Satisfaction Among Minnesota High School Principals, Steven Duwayne Heyd

Theses and Dissertations

It has been reported the demands of the high school principalship in the United States has deterred qualified candidates from accepting the position. The purpose of this study was to investigate levels of job satisfaction among Minnesota high school principals within a potentially dwindling supply of qualified candidates as reported in other studies.

Data were gathered fall 2010 using the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) short-form to answer the following research questions: 1. What is the level of intrinsic job satisfaction, extrinsic job satisfaction, and general job satisfaction among current Minnesota high school principals; 2. What is the relationship, as perceived …

Clinical Decision Making Of Rural Novice Nurses, Teresa J. Seright

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to develop substantive theory regarding decision making by the novice nurse in a rural hospital setting. Interviews were guided by the following research questions: What cues were used by novice rural registered nurses in order to make clinical decisions? What were the sources of feedback which influenced subsequent decision making for processing of cues?

Theory development was based on an in-depth investigation of 12 novice nurses practicing in rural critical access hospitals in a North Central State. This study consisted of face to face interviews with 12 registered nurses, nine of whom were observed …