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Newsroom, Georgia Southern University

Newsroom (2006-2023)

• Georgia Southern University ROTC Program Named One of the Best in the Nation
• ROTC Commander George Fredrick Promoted to Colonel

Economically Disadvantaged Students: A Case Study Of Resilient Qualities That Encourage Academic Success, Stephanie Kim Hawkins

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This case study examined academically successful economically disadvantaged (ED) students from one intact Caucasian family through parents', students', and teachers' perceptions of the reasons for resilience. The problem is that little research exists exploring qualities of academically successful ED Caucasian students. Because being a high school dropout significantly affects students, families, schools, and society, risk factors were explored; protective factors that help students overcome risk factors were also investigated. This study describes why academically successful ED students from one intact Caucasian family in Tennessee thrive despite risk factors working against them. Findings include the importance of Christian faith to the …

Discipleship Within The Home, Mark Edwin Smith

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

God considers parents the primary disciplers of their children. He created the family to be the incubator of a teenager's spiritual growth. God has given parents the responsibility of creating an environment suitable for their teen to become a follower of Christ. He also expects parents to maintain the maturation process while their children still live at home. More specifically, the father has been given the privilege of being the catalyst of each family member's unique journey in becoming like Christ. This thesis will help parents understand why God has given them the enormous task of discipling their teenagers, what …

Expression Of Lpp3 In Bergmann Glia Is Required For Proper Cerebellar Sphingosine-1-Phosphate Metabolism/Signaling And Development, Alejandro Lopez-Juarez, Sara Morales-Lázaro, Roberto Sánchez-Sánchez, Manjula Sunkara, Hilda Lomelí, Iván Velasco, Andrew J. Morris, Diana Escalante-Alcalde

Health & Biomedical Sciences Faculty Publications

Bioactive lipids serve as intracellular and extracellular mediators in cell signaling in normal and pathological conditions. Here we describe that an important regulator of some of these lipids, the lipid phosphate phosphatase-3 (LPP3), is abundantly expressed in specific plasma membrane domains of Bergmann glia (BG), a specialized type of astrocyte with key roles in cerebellum development and physiology. Mice selectively lacking expression of LPP3/Ppap2b in the nervous system are viable and fertile but exhibit defects in postnatal cerebellum development and modifications in the cytoarchitecture and arrangement of BG with a mild non-progressive motor coordination defect. Lipid and gene profiling studies …

Micromachined Differential Scanning Calorimeter For Cellular Differentiation And Metabolism Monitoring, Robert Blise

Master's Theses (2009 -)

This thesis presents a micromachined differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) for cellular differentiation and metabolism monitoring. The misregulation of cell physiology due to disease increases the metabolic rate of the cell and therefore its heat output. Observing or monitoring the cell's heat output will lead to a method to detect diseased cells and distinguish them from normal cells.

The calorimetric chambers of the DSC were fabricated on a silicon nitride thin film, which allows for rapid thermal equilibrium and insulation. The temperature sensing element was a resistive temperature detector fabricated from nickel. The DSC incorporated integrated nickel resistive heaters to apply …

Identification, Cloning And Characterization Of Van Operon In Cyanobacterium Synechococcus Sp. Iu 625, Robert Newby, Jr.

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

No abstract provided.

Impact Of Sexual Harassment On Women Undergraduates' Educational Experience In Anambra State Of Nigeria, Carina Maris Amaka Okeke

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Impact of Sexual Harassment on Women Undergraduates' Educational Experience in Anambra
State of Nigeria

Sexual harassment in educational settings is a common problem globally. While it is well addressed in college and university campuses in most developed countries of the world through specific policies and mechanisms of enforcement, it remains a taboo topic in African
colleges and universities particularly in Nigeria. This study investigated the impact of sexual harassment on women undergraduates in public and private institutions of higher learning in one region of the West African nation of Nigeria, Anambra State. Its purpose was to identify the extent of …

Comparative Analysis Of Hepatic And Pulmonary Immune Mediators During Postnatal Development, Michelle Mack

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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A Structured Project-Risk Management And Life Cycle Framework For Complex Systems: Ship Repair And Maintenance (Sr&M) Projects, Michael Craig Plumb

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation contributes to insights regarding the implications of using Project Risk Management (PRM) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) in managing projects for a complex system. The PRM approach apprehends many forms of risk both internal and external within a given project and assists the manager in determining the level of importance of each individual project phase and component to optimize project success. The life cycle approach to project management is used with short-term limitations with respect to a product's life cycle over several years. The literature discusses many tools and techniques that assist project managers in implementing optimal solutions, …

Social Networking And Individual Performance: Examining Predictors Of Participation, Michael Anthony Brown Sr.

School of Public Service Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation addresses relationships between social networking and individual performance. The "act" of social networking is a process and practice by which people and organizations are drawn together by family, work or hobby to interact via websites. The explosion of these new network connections in the workplace suggests the need for an exploration of the various ways organizations can affect and improve performance and productivity.

This dissertation suggests a social networking participation model that may help organizations predict and understand the value proposition that affects acceptance or rejection of participation. Innovation adoption, governing by network and social capital are important …

Spatially-Explicit Agent-Based Modeling Of Ecosystem Change And Epizootiological Impacts On Caribbean Spiny Lobster, Panulirus Argus, Thomas William Dolan Iii

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Agent-based models explicitly incorporate interactions and variation at the individual level, just as in the real world. As a result, agent-based models are realistic, intuitive, and generally less complex mathematically than their analytical counterparts. Their primary disadvantage is the large amount of detailed data required to construct and parameterize them. Although the use of agent-based simulation is increasing in ecology, they are highly specific, so are rarely used for development of theory. To demonstrate the flexibility and utility of this approach I developed a multi-species, agent-based, spatially-explicit model of the spiny lobster nursery of southern Florida that incorporates changing salinities, …

Population Dynamics Of Sheepshead (Archosargus Probatocephalus; Walbaum 1792) In The Chesapeake Bay Region: A Comparison To Other Areas And An Assessment Of Their Current Status, Joseph Charles Ballenger

OES Theses and Dissertations

Sheepshead recently have seen an increase in fishing pressure in Virginian waters of the Chesapeake Bay. This increase in fishing pressure has led to demands to install effective management measures to protect the fishery. However, no study regarding the population dynamics, and thus potential yield, of sheepshead has been conducted north of Cape Hatteras. We addressed the need for information regarding the population dynamics of Chesapeake Bay sheepshead by investigating their age distribution, growth rate and reproductive biology. We used this information to construct yield-per-recruit models, which local management agencies may use in the formation of scientifically based management measures. …

Dispersion Or Re-Segregation: A Spatial And Temporal Analysis Of Public Policies And Their Impact On Urban African American Mobility, Brandi Lynette Blessett

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Studies

This study seeks to test Hirsch's second ghetto thesis in the city of Baltimore, Maryland. Hirsch suggested that the role of government, public policies, and administrative discretion were responsible for the re-segregation of African Americans into second ghetto communities in Chicago. Many scholars have used Hirsch's framework to explain ghetto formation. This investigation seeks to extend the literature in several ways. First, several national policies were investigated to determine their impact on African American mobility in Baltimore: the Housing Act of 1937 (public housing), the Housing Act of 1949 (urban renewal), and the Interstate Highway Act of 1956 (transportation). Second, …

Instruction Cost Report, Spring 2011, University Of Northern Iowa

Institutional Effectiveness & Planning Documents

Shows the costs associated with running the University of Northern Iowa broken down by college and department

Learning Feature Dependencies For Noise Correction In Biomedical Prediction, Ghim-Eng Yap, Ah-Hwee Tan, Hwee Hwa Pang

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

The presence of noise or errors in the stated feature values of biomedical data can lead to incorrect prediction. We introduce a Bayesian Network-based Noise Correction framework named BN-NC. After data preprocessing, a Bayesian Network (BN) is learned to capture the feature dependencies. Using the BN to predict each feature in turn, BN-NC estimates a feature's error rate as the deviation between its predicted and stated values in the training data, and allocates the appropriate uncertainty to its subsequent findings during prediction. BN-NC automatically generates a probabilistic rule to explain BN prediction on the class variable using the feature values …

Two-Layer Multiple Kernel Learning, Jinfeng Zhuang, Ivor W. Tsang, Steven C. H. Hoi

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Multiple Kernel Learning (MKL) aims to learn kernel machines for solving a real machine learning problem (e.g. classification) by exploring the combinations of multiple kernels. The traditional MKL approach is in general “shallow” in the sense that the target kernel is simply a linear (or convex) combination of some base kernels. In this paper, we investigate a framework of Multi-Layer Multiple Kernel Learning (MLMKL) that aims to learn “deep” kernel machines by exploring the combinations of multiple kernels in a multi-layer structure, which goes beyond the conventional MKL approach. Through a multiple layer mapping, the proposed MLMKL framework offers higher …

Environmental Harms, Use Conflicts, And Neutral Baselines In Environmental Law, Todd S. Aagaard

Faculty Publications

Accounts of environmental law that rely on concepts of environmental harm and environmental protection oversimplify the tremendous variety of uses of environmental resources and the often complex relationships among those uses. Such approaches are analytically unclear and, more importantly, insert hidden normativity into putatively descriptive claims. Instead of thinking about environmental law in terms of preventing environmental harm, environmental problems can be understood more specifically and more meaningfully as disputes over conflicting uses of environmental resources. This Article proposes a use-conflict framework as a means of acquiring a deeper understanding of environmental problems and lawmaking without favoring any particular normative …

“What Kind Of Magic Is This? How Come I Can’T Help Adore You?”: Lars Von Trier’S Dancer In The Dark As A Religious Film, Gilbert Yeoh

Journal of Religion & Film

This article argues that, while it is not apparent, Lars von Trier’s musical Dancer in the Dark (2000) has a crucial religious dimension. Specifically, von Trier’s film enacts a sustained allegory of Christian redemption and further uses the genre of the musical to evoke von Trier’s vision of Christian religiosity. This article also discusses the larger implications of viewing Dancer as a religious film. Doing so enables us to see how Dancer is a companion piece to von Trier’s explicitly religious Breaking the Waves (1996). It also enables us to strengthen our view of von Trier as a religious filmmaker …

New Tricks (2011), John Nelson, Amy Virginia Woolston

New Tricks

This publication was produced and sponsored by Sigma Tau Delta, DSU's chapter of the English Honor Society, English.org. Submissions enclosed are original poems, prose, and artwork created by campus faculty and students with cover artwork by Angela Behrends, an etching title, "Moon."

Spring 2011 Aasu Data Digest, Armstrong State University

Armstrong Office of Institutional Research: Armstrong Data Digests (Archived)

No abstract provided.

Long Term Surface Power Generator Design For Mars: Autonomously Deployable Photovoltaic Solar Arrays Along With Regenerative Fuel Cell Modules, Omer Demirok

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This thesis studies the feasibility of incorporating a large autonomously deployed photovoltaic solar array power system as the primary power source for a large fixed Mars base. A mission duration of 10 Earth years has been assumed and the nominal power demands have been specified as a minimum of 40 kW, during daytime operation and a continuous 10 kW. demand for nighttime operation.

The overall system design developed in this thesis has an estimated total mass of 7,400 kg, when utilizing hydrogenated amorphous silicon thin film solar arrays and an estimated total mass of 5,100 kg when utilizing polycrystalline copper-indium-diselenide …

A Comparison Of Adrenal In Toad-Eating And Nontoad-Eating Snakes, Shabnam Mohammadi

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Toads are chemically defended by bufadienolides, a class of cardiotonic steroids lethal to most predators, including many snakes. Bufadienolides bind to Na+K +-ATPase, inhibiting their ability to transport ions. In cardiocytes, this inhibition cause arrhythmia and severely increased contraction strength, which, if prolonged, lead to death. However, several snakes are resistant to bufadienolides and consume toads with no ill effects. Adrenal glands produce hormones that are important for the maintenance of Na+K +ATPase, and may therefore play an important role in countering the negative effects of bufadienolides. Indeed, the toad-eating specialist Heterodon platirhinos has been known to possess enlarged, and …

Interface Thermal Resistance Between Liquid Argon And Various Solids, Ziyuan Shi

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Heat conduction between two parallel solid walls separated by liquid argon is investigated using three-dimensional molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Liquid argon molecules confined in silver and graphite nano-channels are examined separately. Heat flux and temperature distribution within the nano-channels are calculated by maintaining a fixed temperature difference between the two solid surfaces. Temperature profiles are linear sufficiently away from the walls, and heat transfer in liquid argon obeys the Fourier law. The temperature jump due to the interface thermal resistance (i.e., Kapitza length) is calculated by extrapolating the temperature profile in the bulk region on to the wall and is …

Analysis Of Attitude And Achievement Using The 5e Instructional Model In An Interactive Television Environment, Gamaliel R. Cherry

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to examine attitude and achievement among fifth grade students participating in inquiry and lecture-based forms of instruction through interactive television. Participants (N = 260) were drawn from registered users of NASA's Digital Learning Network™. The first three levels of Bloom's Revised Taxonomy were used to measure levels of achievement while the Science Attitude Inventory II was used to measure science attitudes.

Results indicated a significant interaction between inquiry and topic area, as well as achievement for remember, understand, and apply levels of Bloom's Revised Taxonomy. Differences between mean scores were in favor of …

Manipulating Particles For Micro- And Nano-Fluidics Via Floating Electrodes And Diffusiophoresis, Sinan Eren Yalcin

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The ability to accurately control micro- and nano-particles in a liquid is fundamentally useful for many applications in biology, medicine, pharmacology, tissue engineering, and microelectronics. Therefore, first particle manipulations are experimentally studied using electrodes attached to the bottom of a straight microchannel under an imposed DC or AC electric field. In contrast to a dielectric microchannel possessing a nearly-uniform surface charge, a floating electrode is polarized under the imposed electric field.

The purpose is to create a non-uniform distribution of the induced surface charge, with a zero-net-surface charge along the floating electrode's surface. Such a field, in turn, generates an …

Evaluation System Design And Academic Performance Analysis Using Clustering And Simulation, Volkan Cakir

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The starting point of this study was to understand the possible causes of evaluation system change in a military academic environment. With that motivation the objectives of this study were defined as examining student profiles in a military academy, establishing the nature of academic performance, comparing student groups that were identified by course scores, analyzing student performance changes over time and developing a manageable evaluation system and curriculum by comparing different scenarios.

An analysis was performed on the literature on academic performance prediction, cluster analysis methodologies and their development, and specifically summarized cluster analytic academic performance studies where these two …

An Extensible Mathematical Model Of Glucose Metabolism, Caleb L. Adams

Mathematics & Statistics Theses & Dissertations

The American Diabetes Association reports that diabetes is the fifth leading cause of death by disease in the United States. An estimated 23.6 million individuals, or seven percent of the population, have diabetes. Nearly one-third are unaware that they have the disease. The total of the direct and indirect medical costs associated with diabetes in 2007 was projected to be $174 billion, or approximately one out of every ten health care dollars.

One must understand the glucose regulatory system of the healthy body to understand diabetes. Blood glucose concentration returns to a constant level after eating and is maintained during …

Moving An Incisor Across The Midline: A Treatment Alternative In An Adolescent Patient, Jose A. Bosio, T. Gerard Bradley, Arthur F. Hefti

School of Dentistry Faculty Research and Publications

A 13-year-old sought treatment for a severely compromised maxillary left central incisor and an impacted fully developed left canine. Extraction of both teeth became necessary. As the key component of the revised comprehensive treatment plan, the right maxillary central incisor was moved into the position of the left central incisor. All other maxillary teeth were moved mesially to close any gaps. Active orthodontic treatment was completed after 34 months. Frenectomy, minor periodontal surgeries, and bonded lingual retainers were used to improve aesthetics and stabilize the tooth positions. The patient was pleased with the treatment outcome. Cone-beam computed tomography provided evidence …

The Book Of Memes, Michael Ray Owens

English Theses & Dissertations

The Book of Memes describes the classic battle between free will and mind control. In a process similar to installing new software on a computer, an investigator modifies the behavior of unruly high school students by implantation of new memes, tiny bits of information that regulate human behavior much the same as genes regulate human biology. In short order the students change from thugs to model students. But in the rush to get the job done, the investigator ignores issues such as freedom to choose, and the students are given no choice whether they want new memes or not.

Fusion Of Visual And Thermal Images Using Genetic Algorithms, Sertan Erkanli

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Demands for reliable person identification systems have increased significantly due to highly security risks in our daily life. Recently, person identification systems are built upon the biometrics techniques such as face recognition. Although face recognition systems have reached a certain level of maturity, their accomplishments in practical applications are restricted by some challenges, such as illumination variations. Current visual face recognition systems perform relatively well under controlled illumination conditions while thermal face recognition systems are more advantageous for detecting disguised faces or when there is no illumination control. A hybrid system utilizing both visual and thermal images for face recognition …