Digital Commons Network^™

The Role Of Digitally Native, Nonprofit News Media In The Future Of American Journalism: An Exploratory Study, Rebecca Coates Nee

Theses and Dissertations

Unprecedented changes in journalism practices have been occurring since the 21st century ushered in the digital age. News gathering methods, means of information delivery, and consumer habits have altered dramatically because of technological advances, causing a disruption in the traditional business model. Newspapers, historically the key instrument for investigative and public affairs reporting in the United States, have been the media sector facing the biggest decline in revenue and circulation. While the audience is migrating to traditional news outlets online, the advertisers are not. Free services such as eBay and Craig's List have contributed to a nearly 50% drop in …

How Husbands Can Support Their Wives In Achieving Weight Management Goals: The Development Of A Self-Help Resource, Christi Lynn Kush

Theses and Dissertations

The nationwide prevalence of obesity calls for more effective strategies for weight loss and maintenance of desired weight. The majority of weight loss programs focus on behavior change (diet and exercise) with some success, although lost weight is often regained. Interventions that boost the long-term effects of weight loss achievements are greatly needed. Marriage provides an ideal context for the lifestyle changes required for effective weight maintenance. Although well-intentioned, spouses may not know how to support their partner's weight loss efforts. Because women are more likely than men to attend to their spouses' health needs and women struggle more than …

Religious And Spiritual Beliefs, Practices, Professional Attitudes And Behaviors Of Clinical And Counseling Psychology Interns, Jeanette Francis

Theses and Dissertations

It is important for clinicians to address religious and spiritual matters in their psychological treatment. Personal religious and spiritual beliefs can have a significant impact on the consideration of religious and spiritual issues in psychotherapy. The religious and spiritual views of clinicians form as a function of general development and may be influenced by graduate education and training. The current study sought to determine the religious and spiritual attitudes, beliefs, and practices of doctoral students in clinical and counseling psychology, their views on religious and spiritual clinical interventions, and the effect of graduate education and training on both of these …

Cultivating 21st Century Competencies In A Virtual Worlds Learning Environment, Terry K. Smith

Theses and Dissertations

Education reforms in recent years have pressured schools to show achievement results through testing and conformity to standards. Problems of low student engagement in the current test-heavy environment have been a serious barrier to learning in schools across the United States, especially in low socioeconomic areas. After years of unsuccessful testing programs, educators and researchers are calling for approaches that enhance student engagement and foster the 21st century competencies that students need to succeed. Researchers have found that engagement, 21st century competencies, and learning can be enhanced using virtual worlds approaches (Arici, 2008; Barab, Dodge, & Ingram-Goble, 2006; Dede, Nelson, …

Uncovering And Analyzing Potential Gaps In Teaching Graduate Programs In Leadership By Way Of Online Education, Joseph E. Craig

Theses and Dissertations

With online education becoming a more viable option to students around the globe, the ongoing problem of optimal ways of teaching leadership in this format has become an issue to be investigated. The design of teaching leadership at a graduate level in which the format is conducted at least 60% online has been the focus of this study. In investigating this, the research has centered on a quantitative and qualitative study, which came about as the result of responses from 27 professors out of 78 across the nation whom were sent requests from schools that met the aforementioned criteria. In …

A Study To Determine Differences In The Level Of Perceived Preparedness In Teaching Algebra To Eighth Graders Between Teachers In The United States And Teachers In Lebanon, Seta Khajarian

Theses and Dissertations

Algebra is a branch in mathematics and taking Algebra in middle school is often a gateway to advanced courses in high school. The problem is that the United States and Lebanon had low scores in Algebra in the 2007 Trends in Mathematics and Sciences Study (TIMSS), an international assessment administered to 4th and 8th graders every 4 years. On the 2007 TIMSS, Lebanon's average score in Algebra was 465, a lower score than the United States' average of 501. This paper attempted to determine if there were differences in the level of perceived preparedness between teachers in Lebanon and teachers …

The 1955 Union And The Future Of Friends, Ruth M. Pitman

Quaker Religious Thought

No abstract provided.

The Four Pillars Of Constitutional Doctrine, Suzanna Sherry

Vanderbilt Law School Faculty Publications

Constitutional interpretation, and thus constitutional doctrine, is inevitably controversial. Judges, scholars, lawyers, politicians, and the American public all disagree among themselves, not only about the correct constitutional outcome but even about the right approach to constitutional interpretation. We are unlikely to reach consensus on whether we should read the Constitution as a living and evolving document or instead read it in accordance with a fixed original meaning, much less on whether it does or does not protect campaign contributions, reproductive rights, affirmative action policies, gun ownership, or any of the other contested issues that have recently come before the Supreme …

A Study Of Positive Emotions And Turnover Intentions Among Hong Kong Police Officers : The Mediating Role Of Psychological Capital And Work Well-Being, Chun Lok Lui

Lingnan Theses

With reference to Fredrickson‘s (2001) broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions, the current study investigated the mechanism of how positive emotions contribute to desirable outcomes to the organization through psychological capital (PsyCap), which is a positive, state-like, and performance-related resource comprising self-efficacy, hope, optimism and resilience. To date, only few studies have been done particularly on the relationships between PsyCap and positive emotions among Chinese employees. Studies on PsyCap of police force are even rarer. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the underlying mechanism relating positive emotions and work outcomes, specifically to examine the separate roles of positive …

Spousal Abuse And Social Workers : When Private Sphere Goes Public, King Fan, Veronica Shek

Lingnan Theses

This study uses the concept of public and private spheres to analyze how Hong Kong‘s social workers manage spousal abuse cases. Victims of spousal abuse in Hong Kong generally see their experiences as "family shame‖" something that belongs to the private domain - and are therefore reluctant to disclose them to third parties. However, there is a public conviction that social workers are appropriate agents to handle spousal abuses. This study examines the roles and responsibilities of social workers and their service recipients in spousal abuse cases. The analysis is based on eleven semi-structured, in-depth interviews conducted with social workers …

Regulation In The Behavioral Era, Lisa Schultz Bressman, Michael P. Vandenbergh, Amanda R. Carrico

Vanderbilt Law School Faculty Publications

Administrative agencies have long proceeded on the assumption that individuals respond to regulations in ways that are consistent with traditional rational actor theory, but that is beginning to change. Agencies are now relying on behavioral economics to develop regulations that account for responses that depart from common sense and common wisdom, reflecting predictable cognitive anomalies. Furthermore, political officials have now called for behavioral economics to play an explicit role in White House review of agency regulations. This is a significant development for the regulatory process, yet our understanding of how behavioral insights should alter regulatory analysis is incomplete. To account …

Some Hypotheses About Empirical Desert, Christopher Slobogin

Vanderbilt Law School Faculty Publications

Paul Robinson has written a series of articles advocating the view that empirical desert should govern development of criminal law doctrine. The central contention of empirical desert is that adherence to societal views of justice“ defined in terms of moral blameworthiness will not only satisfy retributive urges, but will also often be as efficacious at controlling crime as a system that revolves around other utilitarian purposes of punishment. Constructing criminal laws that implement empirical desert has the latter effect, Robinson argues, because it enhances the moral credibility of the law, thus minimizing citizens desire to engage in vigilantism and other …

Democracy's Distrust: Contested Values And The Decline Of Expertise, Suzanna Sherry

Vanderbilt Law School Faculty Publications

This response to Professor Dan Kahan’s recent Harvard Foreword, Neutral Principles, Motivated Cognition, and Some Problems for Constitutional Law, argues that while Kahan accurately describes the contemporary “neutrality crisis” and the consequent popular mistrust of the Supreme Court, he has mistaken its cause and thus proposes the wrong solution. Kahan attributes the crisis to “motivated cognition,” and asks judges to adopt techniques that rely on and foster an underlying popular agreement about cultural values. This response essay instead acknowledges the existence and inevitability of contested values in our constitutional democracy. The essay contends that the real causes of the neutrality …

Two-Photon Cross Section Enhancement Of Photochromic Compounds For Use In 3d Optical Data Storage, Gheorghe Luchita

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Rewritable photochrome-based 3D optical data storage requires photochromic molecules with high two-photon absorption (2PA) cross sections. Currently, the low value of two-photon absorption cross sections of existing photochromes makes them unsuitable for practical application in 3D data storage. Worldwide attempts to increase the cross section of photochromic molecules by altering the chemical structure have yielded poor results. In this work, two ways to increase the two-photon absorption cross sections of photochromes were investigated. In the first method, partial success demonstrated by extending the conjugation of a photochromic molecule, a high two-photon absorption cross section of the closed form isomer and …

Addressing The Achievement Gap And Disproportionality Through The Use Of Culturally Responsive Teaching Practices, Angela Griner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Culturally responsive teaching practices in schools and classrooms have been shown to be an effective means of addressing the achievement gap, as well as the disproportionate representation of racially, culturally, ethnically, and linguistically diverse students in programs serving students with special needs. While there has been a recent influx in research discussing these issues, teachers and school staff lack clear examples and tools for best practices that will aid them in addressing the achievement gap and disproportionality effectively within their schools. Conducted in three phases, this research provides a framework for developing, implementing, and evaluating a culturally responsive tool for …

Self-Assembly And Photophysics Of Selected Organic Materials And Two-Photon Bioimaging With Profluorescent Nitroxides, Polyelectrolyte Nanoparticles, And Squaraine Probes, Hyo Yang Ahn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Two-photon absorption and upconverted fluorescence has been utilized in a variety of applications in pure science and engineering. Multiphoton-based techniques were used in this research in order to understand photophysical and chemical characteristics of several fluorescent dyes and to demonstrate some of their key applications. Two-photon fluorescence microscopy (2PFM) has become a powerful technique in bio-photonics for non-invasive imaging in the near-infrared (NIR) region (700~1000 nm) that often results in less photobleaching. In Chapter 1, there is a brief introduction to fluorescence, examples of fluorescence materials, and a discussion of the advantages of two-photon absorption. 2PFM imaging was utilized in …

Selling "Dream Insurance" : The Standardized Test-Preparation Industry's Search For Legitimacy, 1946-1989, Keegan Shepherd

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis analyzes the origins, growth, and legitimization of the standardized test preparation ("test-prep") industry from the late 1940s to the end of the 1980s. In particular, this thesis focuses on the development of Stanley H. Kaplan Education Centers, Ltd. ("Kaplan") and The Princeton Review ("TPR"), and how these companies were most conducive in making the test-prep industry and standardized test-preparation itself socially acceptable. The standardized test most frequently discussed in this thesis is the Scholastic Aptitude Test ("SAT"), especially after its development came under the control of Educational Testing Service ("ETS"), but due attention is also given to the …

Role Of Membrane Lipids In Modulating Protein Structure & Function, Ray Supriyo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A-B family of toxins consists of plant toxins such as ricin and bacterial toxins such as cholera. The A subunit is the enzymatic domain and the B subunit is the receptor binding domain. Commonly, these toxins bind to the target cell plasma membrane receptors through their B subunit followed by endocytosis and a transport to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Inside the ER, the A subunit dissociates from the rest of the toxin, unfolds and triggers the ER quality control mechanism of ER-associated degradation (ERAD). Most ERAD substrates are purged out of the ER into the cytosol for proteasomal degradation. However, …

Hybrid Adult Neuron Culture Systems For Use In Pharmacological Testing, Darin Keay Edwards

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Neuronal culture systems have many applications, such as basic research into neuronal structure, function, and connectivity as well as research into diseases, conditions, and injuries affecting the brain and its components. In vitro dissociated neuronal systems have typically been derived from embryonic brain tissue, most commonly from the hippocampus of E18 rats. This practice has been motivated by difficulties in supporting regeneration, functional recovery and long-term survival of adult neurons in vitro. The overall focus of this dissertation research was to develop a dissociated neuronal culture system from human and animal adult brain tissue, one more functionally and developmentally correlative …

Characterization Of The Nonlinear Refractive Index Of Carbon Disulfide Over An Extended Spectral And Temporal Range, Marcus Seidel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The intensity dependent refractive index change of a medium is frequently described in terms of the product n₂ · I where n₂ is the nonlinear refractive index and I the light intensity. The nonlinear refractive index is often treated as constant which is a reasonable assumption if the light interacts only with bound electrons. In the case of carbon disulfide (CS₂) however, nuclear motions contribute to n₂. These motions occur on the sub picosecond time scale and thus become especially relevant for ultrashort laser pulses. The neat liquid CS₂ is studied because it exhibits a large nonlinear refractive index in …

An Approach To Improve The Failure Rate Model Of A Solid State Laser By Utalizing The Physics Of Failure Methodology, Omar L. Thompson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The ability to predict the failure rate of any military laser is very critical. In-field laser usage does not support the troubleshooting and repairing of a complex electro optical system. The only published laser failure rate model was last updated by the Department of Defense in 1975. Consequently, the failure rate predicted is inaccurate due to model deficiencies. This dissertation has developed a laser failure rate model for diode pumped lasers with improved failure rate prediction accuracy. The model has surpassed the capabilities of the Department of Defense model by the inclusion of key performance attributes that are currently not …

Outsourcing, Modularity, And The Theory Of The Firm, Erin O'Connor, Gregg Kirchhoefer, Margaret M. Blair

Vanderbilt Law School Faculty Publications

Firms have increasingly moved productive activities from within to outside the firm through outsourcing arrangements. According to some estimates, the value of outsourcing contracts has been nearly 100 billion dollars per year since 2004. Firm outsourcing happens for a number of reasons, including to save labor costs, capture the benefits of regulatory arbitrage, and take advantage of economies of scale in the provision of firm needs. We review a number of outsourcing contracts for evidence that contract techniques are used to help modularize the relationship between the firm and its service provider. Consistent with what modularity theory might predict, some …

The Law Of War In The War Against Terrorism, Michael A. Newton

Vanderbilt Law School Faculty Publications

The struggle to define the contours of the legal regime and to correctly communicate those expectations to the broader audience of civilians is a recurring problem that is integrally related to the current evolution of warfare. Shaping the expectations and perceptions of the political elites who control the contours of the conflict is perhaps equally vital. The paradox is that as the legal regime applicable to the conduct of hostilities has matured over the last century, the legal dimension of conflict has at times overshadowed the armed struggle between adversaries. As a result, the overall military mission will often be …

香港文學的現代主義 : 六、七〇年代歐洲電影與香港文學的關係, Pak Shing Tse

Lingnan Theses

大量的史實證明，香港五、六○年代銳意介紹西方現代主義的文藝雜誌與 副刊跨越了不同的藝術媒介，為香港現代文學奠下了重要的基礎；而這個基礎 有兩個重要的特質：一它是一個連續的累積過程，二它具有跨越媒介的特色。 由《文藝新潮》（1956－1959）以降，到《新思潮》(1959)、《好望角》(1963) 等提倡現代文藝的雜誌，它們所累積的現代主義文化根基及對不同藝術媒介的 包容吸收，到了六○年代的《中國學生周報》仍然秉承這份精神。本文把西方傳入的現代主義思潮看成是一個在香港連續發展的整體。

現代主義雖然是西方思潮，但在香港的特殊背景之中，反而把其消化成香港獨特的文學風格，令香港文學更加本土化；而對於六○年代在香港成長的作者，歐洲電影更是一個吸收現代主義思潮的重要途徑。本文以現代主義及歐洲電影兩條線索在香港交匯的事實構成一個視角，一方面考察香港本土意識的形成，另一方面探討電影與文學在美學及文化上的互動關係。

在這個視角下，六○年代《中國學生周報‧電影版》所討論的歐洲電影成為本文重要的文獻，而本文會抽取當中較有代表性的電影作品，並以之為章節， 看其對香港文學的影響。討論的作品以長篇作品《剪紙》（1977）及《我城》 （1979）為主，旁及《養龍人師門》（2002）、《象是笨蛋》（1969）以至也斯及西西的影評，以及他們回應某些歐洲電影的文學作品。與過往的評論不同， 本文把這兩部作品放在歐洲電影與現代主義文學交錯的脈絡中，重新發掘其背後的影響來源，討論的電影包括阿倫‧雷奈（Alain Resnais，1922－）的《去 年在馬倫巴》(Last Year at Marienbad， 1961)、路易士‧布紐爾（Luis Buñuel， 1900－1983）的《模糊的情慾對象》(That Obscure Object of Desire，1977)、 安東尼奧尼（Michelangelo Antonioni）的《春光乍洩》（Blow-Up，1966)、路 易‧馬盧（Louis Malle，1932－1995）的《莎西遊巴黎》（Zazie dans le m�tro， 1960）等，並旁及這些導演其他電影作品及當時歐洲的電影文化，以至它們背後的文學原著，包括法國情色文學作家皮亞‧盧維（Pierre Louÿs，1870－1925） 的《女人與玩偶》（The Woman and The Puppet，1898）、 南美魔幻寫實作家科塔薩爾（Julio Cotazar，1914－1984）的短編作品、法國新小說作家的電影劇本等，並以也斯和西西早期作品為參照，察看當中受電影文化影響的轉變過程。

Investigation Of Nanoceria-Modified Platinum-Gold Composite Electrodes For The Electrochemical Reduction Of Oxygen In Alkaline Media, Rahul Hegishte

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Platinum-gold and nanoceria-modified platinum-gold electrodes were prepared on a platinum surface via electrochemical reduction of solutions of platinum and gold salts in the dispersion of nanoceria. The molar ratios of Pt and Au were varied in both PtAu and PtAu/CeO₂ electrodes while the total concentration of the metals was maintained at 2 x 10⁻³M and the concentration of nanoceria was maintained constant at 5 x 10⁻³M. The electrodes were characterized by their cyclic voltammetry curves in 0.5M sulfuric acid solution. The electrochemically active area of the electrodes was determined using the copper underpotential deposition method. The linear sweep voltammograms of …

The Application Of Two-Photon Absorbing Probes In Lysosomal, Zinc Ion Sensing And Folate Receptor-Targeted Bioimaging, Xuhua Wang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Two-photon fluorescence microscopy (2PFM) has become a powerful technique for bioimaging in non-invasive cancer diagnosis and also investigating the mechanization and original of a variety of diseases by tracking various biological processes. Because the fluorescence emission by two photon absorbing (2PA) is directly proportional to the square of the intensity of excitation light, this intrinsic property of 2PA provides 2PFM great advantages over traditional one-photon fluorescence microscopy (1PFM), including high 3D spatial localization, less photodamage and interference from biological tissue because of using longer wavelength excitation (700-1300 nm). However, most 2PA probes are hydrophobic and their photostabilities are questionable, severely …

Risk, Speculation, And Otc Derivatives: An Inaugural Essay For Convivium, Lynn A. Stout

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

Speculative trading, including speculative trading in derivatives, is often claimed to provide social benefits by decreasing risk and improving the accuracy of market prices. This assumption overlooks the possibility that speculation can be driven not just by differences in traders' risk aversion and information investments, but also by differences in traders' subjective expectations. Disagreement-based speculation erodes traders' returns, increases traders' risks, and can distort market prices. There is reason to believe that by 2008, the market for OTC derivatives may have been dominated by disagreement-based speculation that contributed to the Fall 2008 credit crisis.

Rulemaking In 140 Characters Or Less: Social Networking And Public Participation In Rulemaking, Cynthia R. Farina, Paul Miller, Mary J. Newhart, Claire Cardie, Dan Cosley, Rebecca Vernon

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

Rulemaking—the process by which administrative agencies make new regulations—has long been a target for egovernment efforts. The process is now one of the most important ways the federal government makes public policy.  Moreover, transparency and participation rights are already part of its legal structure. The first generation of federal erulemaking involved putting the conventional process online by creating an e-docket of rulemaking materials and allowing online submission of public comments. Now the Obama administration is urging agencies to embark on the second generation of technology-assisted rulemaking, by bringing social media into the process.

In this Article we describe the initial …

Rulemaking 2.0, Cynthia R. Farina, Mary J. Newhart, Claire Cardie, Dan Cosley, Cornell Erulemaking Initiative

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

In response to President Obama's Memorandum on Transparency and Open Government, federal agencies are on the verge of a new generation in online rulemaking. However, unless we recognize the several barriers to making rulemaking a more broadly participatory process, and purposefully adapt Web 2.0 technologies and methods to lower those barriers, Rulemaking 2.0 is likely to disappoint agencies and open-government advocates alike.

This article describes the design, operation, and initial results of Regulation Room, a pilot public rulemaking participation platform created by a cross-disciplinary group of Cornell researchers in collaboration with the Department of Transportation. Regulation Room uses selected live …

The Predictability Of Juries, Valerie P. Hans, Theodore Eisenberg

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

This article discusses the meaning of jury “predictability” and whether jury research supports claims of unpredictability. It then analyzes the factors that are associated with perceptions of civil jury unpredictability using data from (1) surveys of corporate and insurance attorneys’ views of the civil justice system, and (2) the outcomes of civil jury trials in state courts. Perceptions of punitive damages dominate business and insurance industry attorneys’ jury predictability ratings. Punitive damages data are significantly and strongly related to attorneys’ judgments about jury predictability across states. This strong association occurs despite evidence of infrequent punitive damage award requests and less …