Digital Commons Network^™

Clinical Practice Guidelines For Emerging Ultrasound Applications Drafting For Validity And Usability, Kathi Keaton Borok

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) are viewed by many people with interests in health care as valuable tools for reducing practice variations that undermine patient outcomes and increase medical costs. However, guidelines themselves vary in quality. Assessment tools generally base quality measures on strength of guidelines' evidence base, but particularly for newly emerging applications of ultrasound, standards for measuring guideline quality are controversial. The validity of a guideline is considered likely when strong research-based evidence supports its recommendations, but for newer medical procedures such as emerging ultrasound applications, available evidence is sparse. Existing assessment tools must be modified if they are …

The Academic Word List Reorganized For Spanish-Speaking English Language Learners, Robert W. Bushong Ii

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Published in TESOL Quarterly a decade ago, the Academic Word List (AWL) (Coxhead, 2000) has become increasingly influential in the field of TESOL. With more than 82% of the AWL comprised of words of Latin and Greek, much of this important list logically consists of English-Spanish cognates because Spanish originated from Latin. In order to serve Spanishspeaking English language learners (SSELLs) better, their teachers need to know which AWL words are cognates. Using published sources and linguistic analysis of the 570 items in the AWL, the research in this thesis has resulted in a newly reorganized AWL divided into four …

Estimating Diet And Food Selectivity Of The Lower Keys Marsh Rabbit Using Stable Isotope Analysis, Matthew James Gordon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Understanding the effect of food abundance on feeding behavior can benefit conservation efforts in many ways, such as to determine whether impacted environments need food supplementation, whether different locations of threatened species contain different food abundances, or whether reintroduction sites are missing key components of a species’ diet. I studied the relationship between feeding behavior and food abundance in the Lower Keys marsh rabbit (Sylvilagus palustris hefneri), an endangered subspecies endemic to the lower Florida Keys. Specifically, my study set out to measure the relative abundance of the primary plants within the natural habitat of the Lower Keys marsh rabbit …

Evaluation Of A Simulation-Enhanced Obstetric Clinical Experience On Learning Outcomes For Knowledge, Self-Efficacy, And Transfer, Mary Elizabeth Guimond

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Simulation using computerized patient mannequins may be a useful mechanism to teach safe and effective nursing care, thus improving the quality of education for nurses. As nursing program enrollments grow, clinical placement is becoming more difficult and may not offer consistent learning opportunities that reinforce safe and effective nursing practice. This study applied Ford, Smith, Weissbein, Gully, and Salas’ (1998) model of learning transfer as the theoretical framework to design a simulated obstetric clinical learning experience to augment the current clinical practice model, an approach that may lead to an improved educational experience. The purpose of this study was to …

Social Comparison, Self-Objectification, And Objectification Of Others Investigating The Vicious Cycle That Leads To Body Dissatisfaction And Disordered Eating, Danielle M. Lindner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to test a new theoretical model that integrates self-objectification, objectification of others, and social comparison as contributors to the development and maintenance of body image disturbance and disordered eating behavior. Within the new theoretical model, self-objectification, objectification of others, and social comparison are conceptualized as a self-perpetuating cycle, rather than as processes that occur independently of one another. Four hundred fifty-nine female college students between the ages of 18 and 32 completed measures of self-objectification, objectification of others, social comparison, body shame, body dissatisfaction, and eating disorder symptomatology. Structural equation modeling with nested model …

Increasing Self Reported Argumentativeness In College Level Public Speaking Students, Kim E. Long

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Argumentativeness, or the predisposition “to advocate positions on controversial issues and to attack verbally the positions which other people take on these issues” (Infante & Rancer, 1982, p.72), has been associated with a number of positive outcomes. Research among student populations indicates that compared to people who are low in argumentativeness, people high in argumentativeness display higher ability to learn, higher self esteem, greater ability to creatively manage conflict, and higher ability to see both sides of a situation (Barden & Petty, 2008; McPherson Frantz & Seburn, 2003; Rancer, Whitecap, Kosberg, & Avtgis, 1997). Promoting argumentativeness among college students should …

Dialectical Tensions Between Glocalization And Grobalization For Wal-Mart In The United States, Laura Lord

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative analysis examines Wal-Mart managers‟ perspectives of the strategies that the U.S. corporation has implemented in order to increase its sales and profits at more than 4,000 stores in local U.S. communities. Two theoretical paradigms are specifically used: glocalization and grobalization. The former refers to cultural adaptation; the latter means standardization. The ultimate goal of the researcher is to identify the dialectical tensions between those two current forms of globalization. In-depth, face-to-face, qualitative interviewing of ten Wal-Mart managers in Central Florida allowed the researcher to actually comprehend managers‟ perspectives, gather fresh data, and construct a final product to enlighten …

The Communication Implications And Related Experiences Associated With Transracially Adopting A Child From Vietnam, Lan Marie Malin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the communication experiences of adoptive parents of children transracially adopted from Vietnam. Though adoption has been extensively studied in communication research, transracial adoptions involving children from Vietnam has not. Thus, this study examined adoptive parent communication experiences using dialectic theory and relational dialectics. By examining adoptive parents’ communication with their adopted child and others, we can determine tensions that occur in different communication experiences. Data were collected through eight qualitative in-depth interviews conducted with adoptive parents of children from Vietnam. Openness with both strangers and the adopted child(ren) and preservation of key aspects of the adopted children’s …

Survey Of Meteorite Physical Properties Density, Porosity And Magnetic Susceptibility, Robert J. Macke

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The measurement of meteorite physical properties (i.e. density, porosity, magnetic susceptibility) supplements detailed chemical and isotopic analyses for small samples (thin sections or ~300 mg portions) by providing whole-rock data for samples massing in the tens of grams. With the advent of fast, non-destructive and non-contaminating measurement techniques including helium ideal-gas pycnometry for grain density, the Archimedean ―glass bead‖ method for bulk density and (with grain density) porosity, and the use of low-field magnetometry for magnetic susceptibility, all of which rely on compact and portable equipment, this has enabled a comprehensive survey of these physical properties for a wide variety …

A Wearable Head-Mounted Projection Display, Ricardo F. Martins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Conventional head-mounted projection displays (HMPDs) contain of a pair of miniature projection lenses, beamsplitters, and miniature displays mounted on the helmet, as well as a retro-reflective screen placed strategically in the environment. We have extened the HMPD technology integrating the screen into a fully mobile embodiment. Some initial efforts of demonstrating this technology has been captured followed by an investigation of the diffraction effects versus image degradation caused by integrating the retro-reflective screen within the HMPD. The key contribution of this research is the conception and development of a mobileHMPD (M-HMPD). We have included an extensive analysis of macro- and …

Transplantation Of Ips Cells Reduces Apoptosis And Fibrosis And Improves Cardiac Function In Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats, Sarah Elizabeth Neel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: Streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetes leads to various complications including cardiomyopathy. Recent data suggests transplanted bone marrow stem cells improve cardiac function in diabetic cardiomyopathy. However, whether modified ES, iPS cells, or factors released from these cells can inhibit apoptosis and fibrosis remains completely unknown. The present study was designed to determine the effects of transplanted ES cells overexpressing pancreatic transcription factor 1 a (Ptf1a), a propancreatic endodermal transcription factor, iPS cells, or their respective conditioned media (CM) on diabetic cardiomyopathy. Methods: Experimental diabetes was induced in male Sprague Dawley rats (8-10 weeks old) by intraperitoneal STZ injections (65 mg/kg …

Initial-Value Technique For Singularly Perturbed Two Point Boundary Value Problems Via Cubic Spline, Luis G. Negron

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A recent method for solving singular perturbation problems is examined. It is designed for the applied mathematician or engineer who needs a convenient, useful tool that requires little preparation and can be readily implemented using little more than an industry-standard software package for spreadsheets. In this paper, we shall examine singularly perturbed two point boundary value problems with the boundary layer at one end point. An initial-value technique is used for its solution by replacing the problem with an asymptotically equivalent first order problem, which is, in turn, solved as an initial value problem by using cubic splines. Numerical examples …

Detection And Approximation Of Function Of Two Variables In High Dimensions, Minzhe Pan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis originates from the deterministic algorithm of DeVore, Petrova, and Wojtaszcsyk for the detection and approximation of functions of one variable in high dimensions. We propose a deterministic algorithm for the detection and approximation of function of two variables in high dimensions.

A Model Of Flow And Play In Game-Based Learning The Impact Of Game Characteristics, Player Traits, And Player States, Davin Pavlas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, the relationship between flow state, serious games, and learning was examined. Serious games, which are games that convey something other than enjoyment (e.g., learning), are increasingly popular platforms for research, training, and advertisement. The elements that make serious games useful to researchers, trainers, and practitioners are closely linked to those that make up the positive psychology construct of flow state. Flow state describes an optimum experience that is encountered when a variety of factors are met, and is characterized by high focus, engagement, motivation, and immersion. While flow state is often discussed in the serious games literature, …

Tiny Supernovas, Jesse Jay Ross

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This work seeks to expose the truth in as many different forms as possible. As the title, Tiny Supernovas, suggests, it is influenced by the concept of the explosions of super-massive stars. This explosion is known as a supernova. It is only through a supernova, only through the death and subsequent explosion of one of the largest sequence of stars, that we obtain many of the elements necessary for life here on earth. All heavy metals come from supernovas. Everything we and our planet are made from comes from these explosions. Yet, there is a similarly prolific release of energy …

Adhd Behavior Problems And Near- And Long-Term Scholastic Achievement Differential Mediating Effects Of Verbal And Visuospatial Memory, Dustin E. Sarver

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The current study examined verbal and visuospatial memory abilities as potential mediators of the relationship among ADHD behavior problems and near- and long-term scholastic achievement. Scholastic achievement was measured initially and at 4-year follow-up in an ethnically diverse sample of children (N = 325). Nested composite (reading, math, language) and domain-specific reading structural equation models revealed that ADHD behavior problems exerted a negative influence on scholastic achievement measures, both initially and at follow-up. Much of this influence, however, was mediated by verbal memory’s contribution to near-term achievement, whereas visuospatial memory contributed more robustly to long-term achievement. For the domain-specific math …

Strategies For Lidar Characterization Of Particulates From Point And Area Sources, Michael D. Wojcik, Kori D. Moore, Randy S. Martin, Jerry Hatfield

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Use of ground based remote sensing technologies such as scanning lidar systems (light detection and ranging) has gained traction in characterizing ambient aerosols due to some key advantages such as wide area of regard (10 km2 ), fast response time, high spatial resolution (m) and high sensitivity. Energy Dynamics Laboratory and Utah State University, in conjunction with the USDA-ARS, has developed a three-wavelength scanning lidar system called Aglite that has been successfully deployed to characterize particle motion, concentration, and size distribution at both point and diffuse area sources in agricultural and industrial settings. A suite of massbased and size distribution …

Effect Of Electrical Double Layer On Electric Conductivity And Pressure Drop In A Pressure-Driven Microchannel Flow, Heng Ban, Bochuan Lin, Zhourui Song

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

The effect of an electrical double layer (EDL) on microchannel flow has been studied widely, and a constant bulk electric conductivity is often used in calculations of flow rate or pressure drop. In our experimental study of pressure-driven micropipette flows, the pipette diameter is on the same order of magnitude as the Debye length. The overlapping EDL resulted in a much higher electric conductivity, lower streaming potential, and lower electroviscous effect. To elucidate the effect of overlapping EDL, this paper developed a simple model for water flow without salts or dissolved gases (such as CO₂) inside a two-dimensional …

Solar Radiative Heating Of Fiber-Optic Cables Used To Monitor Temperatures In Water, Bethany T. Neilson, Christine E. Hatch, Heng Ban, Scott W. Tyler

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

In recent years, applications of distributed temperature sensing (DTS) have increased in number and diversity. Because fiber-optic cables used for DTS are typically sheathed in dark UV-resistant materials, the question arises as to how shortwave solar radiation penetrating a water column influences the accuracy of absolute DTS-derived temperatures in aquatic applications. To quantify these effects, we completed a modeling effort that accounts for the effects of radiation and convection on a submersed cable to predict when solar heating may be important. Results indicate that for cables installed at shallow depths in clear, low-velocity water bodies, measurable heating of the cable …

Improving The Reliability Of Aquatic Biogeochemical Models: Integrating Information And Optimizing Complexity, Cory P. Mcdonald

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

No abstract provided.

Water Resources, Health, And The Sustainability Of Interventions To Achieve Water And Sanitation Targets Of The Millennium Development Goals In A Changing World, Lauren M. Fry

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

This dissertation addresses sustainability of rapid provision of safe water and sanitation required to meet the Millennium Development Goals. Review of health-related literature and global statistics demonstrates engineers' role in achieving the MDGs. This review is followed by analyses relating to social, environmental, and health aspects of meeting MDG targets.

Analysis of national indicators showed that inadequate investment, poor or nonexistent policies and governance are challenges to global sanitation coverage in addition to lack of financial resources and gender disparity. Although water availability was not found to be a challenge globally, geospatial analysis demonstrated that water availability is a potentially …

Giant Raman Enhancement On Nanoporous Gold Film By Conjugating With Nanoparticles For Single-Molecule Detection, Lihua Qian, Biswajit Das, Yan Li, Zhilin Yang

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Research

Hot spots have the contradictively geometrical requirements for both the narrowest interstices to provide strong near-field coupling, and sufficient space to allow entrance of the analytes. Herein, a two-step method is employed to create hot spots within hybrid nanostructures, which consist of self-supported nanoporous gold films with the absorbed probes and subsequent nanoparticle conjugates without surface agents or mechanical motion. The molecules confined into 1 nm interstice exhibit 2.9 × 10⁷ times enhancement in Raman scattering compared to pure nanoporous gold. Giant enhancement primarily results from strong near-field coupling between nanopore and nanoparticle, which is theoretically confirmed by finite-difference …

Male Remating Success And The Frequency Of Copulatory Plugs In The Green Lynx Spider Peucetia Viridans (Araneae, Oxyopidae), Martina G. Ramirez, Angelik C. Achekian, Catherine R. Coverley, Rachel M. Pierce, Sarah S. Eiman, Melissa M. Wetkowski

Biology Faculty Works

Peucetia viridans males were allowed to mate with three virgin females and most matings resulted in live spiderlings, even when males lacked palpal paracymbial processes. Among females, the presence of copulatory plugs was inconsistent, and when present, their condition was not uniform; broken-off male paracymbia were often found in epigynal orifices. There was no size effect in a male’s ability to completely plug a female’s genital orifices, as well as no significant change in the pattern of plug production over consecutive mating trials. Among mated, field-collected females, the presence of plugs and paracymbia was variable, with females from some sites …

Proteomic And Physiological Responses Of Leopard Sharks (Triakis Semifasciata) To Salinity Change, W. Wesley Dowd, B. N. Harris, J.J. Chech Jr, D. Kültz

Biology Faculty Works

Partially euryhaline elasmobranchs may tolerate physiologically challenging, variable salinity conditions in estuaries as a tradeoff to reduce predation risk or to gain access to abundant food resources. To further understand these trade-offs and to evaluate the underlying mechanisms, we examined the responses of juvenile leopard sharks to salinity changes using a suite of measurements at multiple organizational levels: gill and rectal gland proteomes (using 2-D gel electrophoresis and tandem mass spectrometry), tissue biochemistry (Na+/K+-ATPase, caspase 3/7 and chymotrypsin-like proteasome activities), organismal physiology (hematology, plasma composition, muscle moisture) and individual behavior. Our proteomics results reveal coordinated molecular responses to low salinity …

Chinmo Is A Functional Effector Of The Jak/Stat Pathway That Regulates Eye Development, Tumor Formation, And Stem Cell Self-Renewal In Drosophila, Maria Sol Flaherty, Pauline Salis, Cory J. Evans, Laura A. Ekas, Amine Marouf, Jiri Zavadil, Utpal Banerjee, Erika A. Bach

Biology Faculty Works

The Drosophila STAT transcription factor Stat92E regulates diverse functions, including organ development and stem cell self-renewal. However, the Stat92E functional effectors that mediate these processes are largely unknown. Here we show that chinmo is a cell-autonomous, downstream mediator of Stat92E that shares numerous functions with this protein. Loss of either gene results in malformed eyes and head capsules due to defects in eye progenitor cells. Hyperactivation of Stat92E or misexpression of Chinmo results in blood cell tumors. Both proteins are expressed in germline (GSCs) and cyst stem cells (CySCs) in the testis. While Stat92E is required for the self-renewal of …

Substrate Specificity Of The Tim22 Mitochondrial Import Pathway Revealed With Small Molecule Inhibitor Of Protein Translocation, Deepa V. Dabir

Biology Faculty Works

The TIM22 protein import pathway mediates the import of membrane proteins into the mitochondrial inner membrane and consists of two intermembrane space chaperone complexes, the Tim9-Tim10 and Tim8-Tim13 complexes. To facilitate mechanistic studies, we developed a chemical-genetic approach to identify small molecule agonists that caused lethality to a tim10-1 yeast mutant at the permissive temperature. One molecule, MitoBloCK-1, attenuated the import of the carrier proteins including the ADP/ATP and phosphate carriers, but not proteins that used the TIM23 or the Mia40/ Erv1 translocation pathways. MitoBloCK-1 impeded binding of the Tim9-Tim10 complex to the substrate during an early stage of translocation, …

Writing Center Handbooks And Travel Guidebooks : Redesigning Instructional Texts For Multicultural, Multilingual, And Multinational Contexts, Steven K. Bailey

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

In an increasingly interconnected world characterized by the accelerating interplay of cultural, linguistic, and national difference, the ability to negotiate that difference in an equitable and ethical manner is a crucial skill for both individuals and larger social groups. This dissertation, Writing Center Handbooks and Travel Guidebooks: Redesigning Instructional Texts for Multicultural, Multilingual, and Multinational Contexts, considers how instructional texts that ostensibly support the negotiation of difference (i.e., accepting and learning from difference) actually promote the management of difference (i.e., rejecting, assimilating, and erasing difference).

As a corrective to this focus on managing difference, chapter two constructs a theoretical …

Electron Transport In Molecular Systems, Haiying He

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

The remarkable advances in nanoscience and nanotechnology over the last two decades allow one to manipulate individuals atoms, molecules and nanostructures, make it possible to build devices with only a few nanometers, and enhance the nano-bio fusion in tackling biological and medical problems. It complies with the ever-increasing need for device miniaturization, from magnetic storage devices, electronic building blocks for computers, to chemical and biological sensors. Despite the continuing efforts based on conventional methods, they are likely to reach the fundamental limit of miniaturization in the next decade, when feature lengths shrink below 100 nm. On the one hand, quantum …

Patch Selection By Wintering White-Tailed Deer : Consequences For Eastern Hemlock Regeneration At Local And Landscape Scales, Jill Christine Witt

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Tsuga canadensis (eastern hemlock) is a highly shade-tolerant, late-successional, and long-lived conifer species found throughout eastern North America. It is most often found in pure or nearly pure stands, because highly acidic and nutrient poor forest floor conditions are thought to favor T. canadensis regeneration while simultaneously limiting the establishment of some hardwood species with greater nutrient requirements. Once a common species, T. canadensis is currently experiencing widescale declines across its range. The hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae) is decimating the population across its eastern distribution. Across the Upper Great Lakes region, where the adelgid is currently being …

Golden-Winged Warbler Habitat Model Validation For Northern Wisconsin And Central Minnesota, Alexandra E. Wrobel

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Between 1966 and 2003, the Golden-winged Warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera) experienced declines of 3.4% per year in large parts of the breeding range and has been identified by Partners in Flight as one of 28 land birds requiring expedient action to prevent its continued decline. It is currently being considered for listing under the Endangered Species Act. A major step in advancing our understanding of the status and habitat preferences of Golden-winged Warbler populations in the Upper Midwest was initiated by the publication of new predictive spatially explicit Golden-winged Warbler habitat models for the northern Midwest. Here, I use …