Digital Commons Network^™

From Coverture To Contract: Engendering Insurance On Lives, Mary L. Heen

Law Faculty Publications

In the 1840s, state legislatures began modifying the law of marital status to ease the economic distress of widows and children at the family breadwinner's death. Insurance-related exceptions to the common law doctrine of "marital unity" under coverture permitted married women to enter into insurance contracts and protected life insurance proceeds from their husbands' creditors. These early insurance-related statutory exceptions to coverture introduced an important theoretical question that persisted for the rest of the nineteenth century-and into the next-as broader legal and social reforms took hold. How could equality of contract for married women be reconciled with the traditional dependencies …

Vico, Llewellyn And The Task Of Legal Education, Francis J. Mootz Iii

McGeorge School of Law Scholarly Articles

No abstract provided.

Cirt Newsletter--January 2011, Center For Instruction & Research Technology (Cirt)

CIRT News

This issue contains:

Faculty Spotlight: Concept-focused Presentations with Prezi

Using and Publishing Open Textbooks

Upcoming Events: You Choose!

Digital Thinking: Demonstration Video

Best Practices Online: Discussion Boards

Blackboard News: Bb 9.1 Upgrade

What's New in CIRT?

Conference Poster Printing Update

Catalog 2011-2012, University Of North Florida

UNF Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Beyond Intellectual Property: Matching Information Protection To Innovation, Kristen Osenga

Law Faculty Publications

William Kingston frames this book around a clearly stated premise: the focus of information protection regimes has shifted from benefiting the public to benefiting private individuals with interests in the game—and this shift is not good. Early on, protection of information was shaped by actors with no personal stake but rather a desire to encourage invention and innovation for the public good. These actors were primarily limited by constitutional provisions and bureaucratic inefficiencies. As time went on,and as information became a more important commodity, information protection schemes were fashioned, or perhaps twisted, by the parties that would derive the most …

A Mixed Methods Study Of How The Transition Process Impacts The Autonomy Of Pre-Service Secondary Mathematics Teachers, Linda Kasal Fusco

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This mixed methods study sought to identify the impact that transition into the practice of teaching had on the autonomy of pre-service secondary teachers of Mathematics.  It was based on the belief that a Mathematics teacher’s autonomy depended on: beliefs about Mathematics and how it was learned, reflections on the teaching practice, and social constraints of a secondary school culture. Data was collected between January 2009 and March 2010.  In Phase I (Quantitative) the participants (N = 30), selected from ten State University of New York teacher preparation colleges and universities, completed five instruments to quantify the three factors of …

Magnetic Shielding Studies For The Neutron Electric Dipole Moment Experiment At The Spallation Neutron Source, Susan Kate Malkowski

Theses and Dissertations--Physics and Astronomy

The neutron Electric Dipole Moment Experiment at the Spallation Neutron Source requires an overall magnetic shielding factor of order 10⁵ to attenuate external background magnetic fields. At present, the shielding design includes an external (room-temperature) multi-layer μ-metal magnetic shield, a cryogenic (4 Kelvin) Pb superconducting shield, and a cryogenic (4 Kelvin) ferromagnetic shield composed of Metglas ribbon. This research determined how to construct a Metglas shield using minimal material that produced axial and transverse shielding factors of ~267 and ~1500. In addition, the μ-metal and Metglas shields were modeled using finite element analysis. The FEA model includes external coils …

What’S The Point?: An Exploration Of Students’ Motivation To Learn In A First-Year Seminar, Jody E. Jessup-Anger

College of Education Faculty Research and Publications

This qualitative case study explores how undergraduate students and their instructor made meaning of students’ motivation to learn in a one-credit, pass/fail first-year seminar. The findings point to the importance of addressing structural motivational barriers and ensuring that instructors possess the instructional, motivational, and developmental strategies necessary to foster motivation.

Achieving Real Development Impact Among Pastoralists: Lessons From Ethiopia, D. Layne Coppock

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Linkages To Public Land Framework: Toward Embedding Humans In Ecosystem Analyses By Using “Inside-Out Social Assessment", Joanna Endter-Wada, D. J. Blahna

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

This article presents the ‘‘Linkages to Public Land’’ (LPL) Framework, a general but comprehensive data-gathering and analysis approach aimed at informing citizen and agency decision making about the social environment of public land. This social assessment and planning approach identifies and categorizes various types of linkages that people have to public land and guides the tasks of finding and using information on people in those linkages. Linkages are defined as the ‘‘coupling mechanisms’’ that explain how and why humans interact with ecosystems, while linkage analyses are empirical investigations contextualized both temporally and geographically. The conceptual, legal, and theoretical underpinnings of …

Flexible Use Of Anti-Predator Defences, Ximena J. Nelson, Robert R. Jackson

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Belonging to a size category that makes them vulnerable to a wide variety of predators, spiders have evolved a bewildering array of anti-predator adaptations, which can be clustered under two broad categories, primary and secondary defence. Primary defences are ploys by which the spider avoids provoking pursuit by, and interaction with, the predator. Camouflage and masquerade are especially common examples. Secondary defences come into play once an interaction with a predator is under way, and these are the defences that have been most thoroughly studied. However, elements of anti-predator defence may often be integrated into other aspects of the spider's …

A Quantitative Analysis And Natural History Of B. F. Skinner’S Coauthoring Practices, Todd L. Mckerchar, Edward K. Morris, Nathaniel G. Smith

Research, Publications & Creative Work

This paper describes and analyzes B. F. Skinner’s coauthoring practices. After identifying his 35 coauthored publications and 27 coauthors, we analyze his coauthored works by their form (e.g., journal articles) and kind (e.g., empirical); identify the journals in which he published and their type (e.g., data-type); describe his overall and local rates of publishing with his coauthors (e.g., noting breaks in the latter); and compare his coauthoring practices with his single-authoring practices (e.g., form, kind, journal type) and with those in the scientometric literature (e.g., majority of coauthored publications are empirical). We address these findings in the context of describing …

Hindfoot And Forefoot Kinematic Differences Among Individuals With And Without Functional Ankle Instability, Cynthia Wright

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Following lateral ankle sprain, many individuals experience recurrent injury and symptoms of giving-way, known as Functional Ankle Instability (FAI). It has been proposed that altered joint kinematics during activity may contribute to instability in these individuals, however research findings have been inconsistent. Objective: To capture foot and ankle kinematic data during two common tasks (walking gait and jump landing) among three groups: individuals with FAI, healthy controls and copers. Design: 3-group observational cross-sectional study. Participants: Participants included 23 individuals with a history of ≥ 1 ankle sprain and at least 2 episodes of giving-way in the past year (FAI: …

New Insights Into The Outlet Conditions Of Late Pleistocene Lake Bonneville, Southeastern Idaho, Usa, Susanne U. Janecke, R. Q. Oaks Jr.

Geosciences Faculty Publications

Geologic, geomorphic, and geophysical analyses of landforms, sediments, and structures in northern Cache Valley, USA, document a revised history of flooding and recession of Lake Bonneville, the world's premier pluvial lake. Crosscutting relationships suggest that the Riverdale fault produced a surface-rupturing earthquake ∼25 km southeast of Zenda shortly before, during, or after the Bonneville flood, as well as possible younger surface ruptures. Thus fluctuating stresses and pore pressure induced by changing lake levels may have triggered a large earthquake that, in turn, triggered the Bonneville flood. The flood scoured ∼25 km of Cache and Marsh Valleys and activated landslides during …

Developing Foundation-University-Grantee Collaboratives As A Model For High-Impact Philanthropy, Michelle B. Nayfack, Priscilla Wohlstetter

The Foundation Review

· This article reports on results from the Weingart Foundation’s Urban School Districts Reform Initiative. The goal of the initiative was to improve urban education, and ultimately raise student achievement, by supporting sustainable reforms in school districts educating high numbers of low-income students.

· The Weingart Foundation determined the scale and scope of the effort, and set forth specific goals and timelines; the districts were invited to propose projects that were organic and integrated into their own strategic plans.

· Based on research conducted by an intermediary, potential grantees were identified; six grantees were interviewed about their strategic plan priorities …

Assessing Nonprofit Networks Prior To Funding: Tools For Foundations To Determine Life Cycle Phase And Function, Patricia Zerounian, Janet Shing, Kristi D. Hanni

The Foundation Review

· Foundations and other funders can use life cycle analysis tools to determine a nonprofit network’s stage of development and functional characteristics as a precursor to funding network activities. Characteristics that determine a network’s readiness for funding include network cohesion (trust and communication), cooperation (mutual purpose and goals), and capacity for externally focused action.

· Network Mindset Survey analysis can help determine a network’s readiness for funding by measuring members’ understanding of the power and utility of networks; degree of membership engagement; identification of specific, common concerns; and readiness for productive action.

· Three networks that received foundation support for …

Finding The Fix: Embracing Philanthropy’S Role In Transforming An Urban Education Landscape, Kristen L. Mcdonald

The Foundation Review

· Education funders have historically used a “demonstration project” approach to funding, designed to lever change by demonstrating a new program and providing technical assistance to foster broader adoption.

· Despite demonstrating success with many of its grants, the Skillman Foundation’s education reform initiatives were derailed and undone by the instability of the district leadership, political landscape shifts, and disintegrating neighborhoods.

· A complete turnaround model must address the many issues facing a failing school, including culture, curriculum, school leadership, professional development, and classroom instruction. The stability of the central administration must also be considered.

· The new look at …

The Quest For Deeper Learning And Engagement In Advanced High School Courses, Suzie Boss, Cynthia Johanson, Stephen D. Arnold, Walter C. Parker, Diem Nguyen, Susan Mosborg, Susan Nolen, Sheila Valencia, Nancy Vye, John Bransford

The Foundation Review

· GLEF and a research team from the University of Washington worked with Washington's Bellevue School District to develop and assess the impact of project-based learning on upper-level courses in high school.

· Research suggests that Advanced Placement (AP) courses may focus too much on accelerated content at the expense of deeper conceptual learning.

· The number of students taking AP courses has grown, but along with this the number failing has increased. GLEF and the research team tested project-based learning (PBL) to counteract this trend.

· Results after two years are promising. Students in the PBL-AP courses are performing …

Turning Into Teachers Before Our Eyes: The Development Of Professional Identity Through Professional Dialogue, Jessica Mantei, Lisa Kervin

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This paper examines the development of professional identity in early career teachers enrolled in an “add-on year” of an undergraduate teacher education degree. Through a series of readings focused on reflection and pedagogy, participants engaged in professional dialogue as they made connections between the themes in their professional readings and their own understanding of the professional practice of a teacher. Dialogue was recorded and shared on a developed website. Participation in this dialogue afforded teachers opportunities to reflect on their professional identity in connection with literature, personal experiences and experiences of others. Further, uploading audio files to the site created …

Pre-Service Teachers' Epistemological Beleifs And Conceptions Of Teaching, Harun Yilmaz, Sami Sahin

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This study aimed to investigate pre-service teachers’ views about teaching and the relation of those views to epistemological beliefs, gender, and subject areas. The data collection tool was adapted from “The Traditional Teaching (TT) and Constructivist Teaching (CT) Scale,” developed by Chan and Elliot (2004). Participants consisted of 490 pre-service teachers from different teacher education programs in Turkey. Principal component analysis was carried out, and nine items were removed from the adapted questionnaire because of low loadings. The data analysis showed that pre-service teachers preferred constructivist teaching views more than traditional teaching views, and this correlated with their epistemological beliefs. …

Content Area Reading And Writing: Practices And Beliefs, Mustafa Ulusoy, Hakan Dedeoglu

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The main purpose of this study was to investigate science, social studies, and classroom teachers’ reading and writing practices, and to investigate their beliefs about content area reading and writing. One hundred and forty-three teachers filled out the survey developed to learn their content area reading and writing practices and beliefs. In the second part of the study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 teachers. The study results showed that teachers did not employ specific reading and writing strategies. They used question-asking strategy before, during, and after reading. This study concluded that there is a need for content area reading …

Measuring Student Support For Participative Assessment And Related Strategies: Development And Testing Of The Beliefs About Participative Assessment Instrument (Bapai), Christine Brew, Philip Riley

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Participative assessment is well established in higher education. However, students’ concerns about the appropriateness of participative assessment create resistance to successful implementation. Strategies for addressing student concerns are needed because participative assessment practices appear to improve learning outcomes. The literature lacks validated scales to measure the subjective support for participative assessment. Presented are validated scales measuring support for self- and peer-assessment, group assignments and a proposed correlate, support for a discussion-oriented classroom derived from the responses of 213 pre-service teachers (both first year under-graduates and graduates). Graduates were more supportive of self- and peer-assessment than first year undergraduates and level …

Self-Efficacy Beliefs Of Novice Teachers And Their Performance In The Classroom, Hasan Ozder

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This study examined the data related to the novice teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs and their performance in the classroom. The researcher collected both qualitative and quantitative data for this study. According to the findings, teacher self-efficacy beliefs of the novice teachers were found to be at a sufficient level. The novice teachers reported that they frequently use “verbal reprimands” , “establishing classroom rules and routines collaboratively with students”, “daily lesson planning”, “reinforcement towards student achievement”, “multiple intelligences activities”, “discussion technique”, “concrete exemplification”, “visually supported extra activities”, “oral questioning”, and “itneractive teaching methods” in the classroom.

Direct Instruction In Mathematics: Issues For Schools With High Indigenous Enrolments: A Literature Review, Bronwyn Ewing

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Direct instruction, an approach that is becoming familiar to Queensland schools that have high Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations, has been gaining substantial political and popular support in the United States of America [USA], England and Australia. Recent examples include the No Child Left Behind policy in the USA, the British National Numeracy Strategy and in Australia, Effective Third Wave Intervention Strategies. Direct instruction, stems directly from the model created in the 1960s under a Project Follow Through grant. It has been defined as a comprehensive system of education involving all aspects of instruction. Now in its third decade …

I Know What Literacy Means: Student Teacher Accounts, Sorrel Penn-Edwards

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This paper explores beginning pre-service teaching students’ common perceptions of the meaning of the term literacy. The methodology used is described in terms of phenomenographic analyses and the outcome, an array presentation of concepts in diagrammatic form. It establishes that students’ conceptions of literacy are embedded predominantly in the reading and writing of written texts which is at variance with contemporary teaching practices of critical literacy. This paper proposes that this process and presentation is useful to pre-service teaching institutes in engaging in the debate highlighted in recent public reports, of the need to demonstrate competency in literacy as a …

Automated Quantification Of Biological Microstructures Using Unbiased Stereology, Om Pavithra Bonam

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Research in many fields of life and biomedical sciences depends on the microscopic image analysis of biological images. Quantitative analysis of these images is often time-consuming, tedious, and may be prone to subjective bias from the observer and inter /intra observer variations. Systems for automatic analysis developed in the past decade determine various parameters associated with biological tissue, such as the number of cells, object volume and length of fibers to avoid problems with manual collection of microscopic data. Specifically, automatic analysis of biological microstructures using unbiased stereology, a set of approaches designed to avoid all known sources of systematic …

Using A Focus Measure To Automate The Location Of Biological Tissue Surfaces In Brightfield Microscopy, Daniel Toby Elozory

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The study of microstructures in brightfield microscopy using unbiased stereology plays a large and growing role in bioscience research. Stereology enables objective quantitative analysis of biological structures within a tissue sample. A first step in the stereology process is to calculate the thickness of a tissue sample by locating the top and bottom surfaces of the sample. The aim of this project is to fully automate this location process by using the relative optical focus measure as an indicator of tissue surface boundary.

The current method for identification of focus bounding planes requires a trained user to manually select the …

The Impact Of Supply Chain And Network Structure On The Environmental Performance Of Sustainability-Focused Companies, Ozan Ozcan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this dissertation was to contribute to our understanding of the relationship between supply chain structure and the pursuit of a sustainability-driven corporate strategy. The literature indicates that in order to pursue a sustainability-focused strategy, an increased level of integration across the supply chain is required. However, there are also industry-level dynamics that impact observed levels of vertical integration. That is, some industries are naturally more integrated than others based on the maturity level of the industry. Thus, some firms may experience opposing forces regarding their sourcing strategies once they choose to pursue a sustainability-focused strategy.

To explore …

Cattle Ranchers And Conservation Easements, Roslynn Brain

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Confluence Of European Activism And American Minimalism: Patentable Subject Matter After Bilski, Patrick E. King, Ryan M. Roberts, Andrew V. Moshirnia

Santa Clara High Technology Law Journal

No abstract provided.