Digital Commons Network^™

Effective Science Teachers’ Professional Development: A Multiple-Case Study Of District-Level Science Supervisors’ Perspectives, Chris J. Schaben

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

At its heart, science teachers’ professional development is about continual growth and improvement (Yager, 2005). Conducting research to understand what constitutes effective professional development is inherently complex (Hewson, 2007). The imperative to link research on professional development to student achievement (Fishman, Marx, Best, & Tal, 2003) increases complexity of research on the topic. These complexities require multiple research approaches and indicate that all stakeholders could provide insights to identify what constitutes effective professional development. District-level science supervisors’ voices are missing from the data on effective science teachers’ professional development and this provides a potential gap in the literature (Banilower, Heck, …

Inquiry, Art And Consummatory Experience: A Deweyan Account Of The Instrumental And Aesthetic Modes In Human Well-Being, Eric A. Evans

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This dissertation argues that a Deweyan reconstruction of philosophical theories of human well-being is needed. While philosophical interest about human well-being has existed for millennia, significant interest in such theories among philosophers has re-emerged during the past twenty-five years. During this same time there has been a resurgence of interest in the work of John Dewey. His critique of the “philosophical fallacy” is used to examine the legitimacy and value of the theories of human well-being offered by Plato and L.W. Sumner in which the target for evaluation is “happiness” and the criterion is, respectively, P-justice or preference fulfillment. It …

Validation Of Chinese Women’S Alcohol Expectancy Instrument, Yue Qiu Yu

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The present study was designed to develop and validate the Chinese Women’s Alcohol Expectancy scale; and to examine gender differences in alcohol expectancy. 134 interviewees from Canton, Kaiping and Hong Kong participated in study 1. 1,550 students from thirteen universities in three provinces, Beijing, Yunnan and Wuhan, China, completed the women’s alcohol expectancy questionnaire in study 2. The findings in study 1 revealed six prominent categories that inform women’s alcohol expectancy. Findings in study 2 provided 7-subscales (α > 0.7) for the instrument’s reliability and validity. Additionally, there were significant differences in alcohol expectancy by genders. Implications related to expectancy theory …

Community College Faculty Perspective On Changing Online Course Management Systems: A Phenomenological Inquiry, Kathleen Eitzmann

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This is a phenomenological research study about a college that is changing course management systems for online courses and the experiences that the full-time faculty go through during the transition from one course management system (CMS) to another.

Colleges are seeing a student enrollment shift away from the traditional classroom toward the online environment. This demand in online learning means colleges have to offer more online courses, train more faculty, and support the technological requirements of online learning. Many colleges purchase a course management system to support their online courses. When a college changes the course management system, faculty must …

Examining The Effect Of Medical Risk, Parental Stress, And Self-Efficacy On Parent Behaviors And The Home Environment Of Premature Children, Kathryn Woods

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between medical risk and parenting stress and the extent to which parental self-efficacy moderates the relationship between medical risk, parenting stress, specific parenting behaviors (i.e., parental responsivity, acceptance of child, parental involvement) and the home environment (i.e., organization of environment, learning materials, variety in experience, and IT-HOME total score) of premature children. Participants included 72 parent-child dyads with premature children between the ages of 7 and 35 months corrected age. Measures included parent reports of medical risk, stress, self-efficacy, and the IT-HOME. Results show that medical risk was not significantly …

World Food Crisis: Imperfect Markets Starving Development, A Decomposition Of Recent Food Price Increases, Christine Costello

College of Business: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The recent decade has experienced two rather substantial food price spikes. This thesis sets out to provide an in-depth look at the recent food price increases by achieving two goals: assessing the forces driving food prices, and determining the magnitude of those forces. These goals are reached by reviewing selected rhetoric on the recent food price increases, analyzing case studies, and lastly determining our modeling capabilities in decomposing food price changes. Additionally, this thesis will serve as a tool for stakeholder's to better address critical policy issues surrounding food, agriculture, and energy policies.

Adviser: Hendrik Van Den Berg

Characterization Of The Tolerance Response In The Soybean Ks4202 To Aphis Glycines Matsumura, Travis J. Prochaska

Department of Entomology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Since the introduction of the soybean aphid, Aphis glycines Matsumura, to the soybean growing regions of the United States, the soybean aphid has caused considerable economic damage and yield loss to soybean growers. The objectives of this research were to evaluate selected genotypes for resistance to the soybean aphid and characterize transcriptional changes in response to aphid feeding to better understand the underlying tolerant mechanism(s) in KS4202 and genes contributing to its tolerance response. A field study (2009) was conducted to evaluate selected soybean genotypes during their reproductive stages for resistance to A. glycines. The economic injury level (EIL) …

“The Grin Of The Skull Beneath The Skin:” Reassessing The Power Of Comic Characters In Gothic Literature, Amanda D. Drake

Department of English: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Neither representative of aesthetic flaws or mere comic relief, comic characters within Gothic narratives challenge and redefine the genre in ways that open up, rather than confuse, critical avenues. Comic characters in the Gothic texts of Horace Walpole, Ann Radcliffe, and Clara Reeve establish the comic as a serious and legitimate part of the Gothic aesthetic. Comic characters continue to appear in all forms of the Gothic, including its parodies, well into the nineteenth-century, suggesting that these characters endure as necessary and vital elements within the evolving Gothic genre. As the genre evolves, the characters evolve as well, progressing from …

Identification And Characterization Of Putative Allergens In Pecan Species, Jelena Spiric

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The identification and characterization of soluble pecan proteins was found to be qualitatively dependent on the chemical characteristics of the extraction buffer that also had a significant influence on the total protein content of an extract. The ionic strength of the extraction buffer had a greater impact on protein extractability than pH. A high salt phosphate buffer (0.01 M PBS, 1M NaCl, pH 7.2) was used as an optimal extraction solution that allowed remarkable detection of clinically relevant allergens.

The 2S albumin family of seed storage proteins has been shown to be one of the most stable allergens, thus potentially …

Biological Analysis Of Prebiotics In Various Processed Food Matrices, Kristina Elise Moore

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The addition of prebiotic to a variety of food products has become a more common occurrence in recent years. Although research on the stability of prebiotics has been conducted, knowledge of the stability of prebiotics in processed foods is limited. The purpose of this research was to determine the biological stability of five prebiotics in a variety of food matrices when processed under various conditions. A biological test, the prebiotic activity assay, was used to test for stability of six food products (muffin, cookie, granola bar, breakfast cereal, sports drink, and bread) containing five different prebiotics (fructooligosaccharides (FOS), inulin, galactooligosaccharides …

Adaptation And Validation Of Food Product Specific Analytical Methods For Monitoring Prebiotics Present In Different Types Of Processed Food Matrices, Rebbeca M. Duar

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Prebiotic carbohydrates are now added to a variety of processed foods to beneficially affect the gut microbial composition and activities. However, published data remain limited on the stability of prebiotics during food processes, such as baking, extrusion, pasteurization, high temperature heating, low pH condition, etc. As the complexity of the food matrix may also affect the ability to test for prebiotics, product specific analytical methods, including UV-vis spectroscopy, GC and HPLC, were developed and validated to monitor the stability of FOS, inulin and GOS in different types of processed food (breakfast cereal, cookie, muffin, sports drink and a nutritional bar). …

Poeta Portugués Y Clásico Castellano, Luís Vaz De Camões (C.1524–1580): Edición Con Introducción Y Notas De Sus Sonetos Castellanos, Rose M. Sevillano

Department of Modern Languages and Literatures: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This dissertation concerns the Castilian sonnets of Luís de Camões, a sixteenth century Portuguese poet known for his epic work Os Lusíadas (1572). Camões’ sonnets comprise the greater part of his minor works. I present those written in Castilian, which have not been fully explored. The study commences by focusing on its historical-literary context, revealing the background for the tradition of the lyric in the Iberian Peninsula, and incorporates a section dedicated to the history of the sonnet. In later chapters, I analyze the sonnets, and include endnotes that explicate the poetic language. Camões follows Petrarch, although stylistic factors betray …

Climatic Controls On The Summertime Energy Balance Of A Thermokarst Lake In Northern Alaska: Short-Term, Seasonal, And Interannual Variability, Brittany L. Potter

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Shallow, thermokarst lakes that develop atop permafrost are a prominent landscape feature on the Arctic Coastal Plain (ACP) of northern Alaska. The ACP is vulnerable to ongoing climate change and landscape modification, as thousands of thaw lakes and ponds are impacted by changes in temperature, precipitation, thawing permafrost, and human activity. Although summer in the Arctic is short, incoming solar radiation and lake evaporation are relatively high, and both factors play a significant role in the landscape water balance. Furthermore, lake evaporation is anticipated to increase as the ice-free season lengthens and water temperatures become warmer. To improve our understanding …

Abiotic Stress Responses In Photosynthetic Organisms, Joseph Msanne

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Cellular and molecular aspects of abiotic stress responses in Arabidopsis thaliana subjected to cold, drought, and high salinity and in two photosynthetic green alga, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and Coccomyxa sp. C-169, subjected to nitrogen deprivation were investigated. Cold, drought, and high salinity can negatively affect plant growth and crop production. The first research aimed at determining the physiological functions of the stress-responsive Arabidopsis thaliana RD29A and RD29B genes. Cold, drought, and salt induced both genes; the promoter of RD29Awas found to be more responsive to drought and cold stresses, whereas the promoter of RD29B was highly responsive to salt stress. …

Ecophysiological Responses Of Herbaceous Plants To The Presence Or Absence Of Amorpha Canescens In A Nebraska Sandhills Grassland, Jessica L. Milby

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Deeply-rooted shrubs are a common component of grasslands. This study investigated the ecophysiological role of Amorpha canescens, a common leguminous shrub, in Sandhills grassland, and response of herbaceous plants to the presence or absence of A. canescens. Two sites were selected for the study at the Gudmundsen Sandhills Laboratory near Whitman, Nebraska – one with A. canescens (G-L) and one without (G-NL) A. canescens. Plant canopy cover and aboveground biomass were characterized on both sites in June and August 2010. Seasonal trends in net photosynthesis (A), stomatal conductance (gs), transpiration (E), water use efficiency (WUE), and predawn …

Studying The Handling Of Heat Stressed Cattle Using The Additive Bi-Logistic Model To Fit Body Temperature, Fan Yang

Department of Statistics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Daily activities consume the energy of heifers, subsequently causing an elevation of body temperature, depending on the ambient conditions. A better understanding of the dynamics of body temperature (Tb) would be helpful when deciding how to process and handle heifers. It would also lead to specific recommendations on moving heifers under different ambient conditions, especially during the summer. In this study, a bi-logistic mixed model is used to describe the dynamics of Tb during the moving event. Data were taken from heifers in pens located at different distances from the heifer work station on four separate summer days under hot …

Religious Affiliation And Attendance As Predictors Of Immigration Attitudes In Nebraska, Courtney Lyons Breitkreutz

Department of Sociology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study examines the relationship between religious affiliation, church attendance, and attitudes towards immigration. Following the ethnoreligious perspective, I predict that those who identify as Mainline Protestant, Evangelical Protestant, or Catholic will hold more positive attitudes than those who do not affiliate, which would reflect the teachings of their churches. I also predict that Catholics may have particularly positive attitudes because of social identity theory. Attending church services should be associated with more positive attitudes, according to religious restructuralism. Using 2006 telephone survey data of 1,135 Nebraskans from the Nebraska Annual Social Indicators Survey (NASIS), I use binary logistic regression …

Quantum Mechanical And Molecular Mechanical Study Of Solvent Effects, Dejun Si

Department of Chemistry: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Intermolecular interaction and solvent effects play important roles in determining physical and chemical properties of molecular systems, and must be considered in relevant quantum mechanical (QM) calculations. Due to the high computational cost, full and rigorous QM treatment of both solute and solvent molecules is impractical. Computationally efficient molecular mechanical (MM) methods can be used to describe solvent effects, and combined into QM methods to formulate QM/MM methods. Classical force field method and reaction-field method are the two most popular MM methods. However, the issue of effectively combining MM methods with high-level QM methods remains unsolved. This thesis presents several …

Preparation And Characterization Of Biomimetic Hydroxyapatite-Resorbable Polymer Composites For Hard Tissue Repair, Kristopher R. Hiebner

Department of Chemistry: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Autografts are the orthopedic “gold standard” for repairing bone voids. Autografts are osteoconductive and do not elicit an immune response, but they are in short supply and require a second surgery to harvest the bone graft. Allografts are currently the most common materials used for the repair of segmental defects in hard tissue. Unlike autografts, allografts can cause an undesirable immune response and the possibility of disease transmission is a major concern. As an alternative to the above approaches, recent research efforts have focused on the use of composite materials made from hydroxyapatite (HA) and bioresorbable polymers, such as poly-L-lactide …

Management Zone Delineation Techniques On Irrigated Corn In Nebraska, Aaron M. Bereuter

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Increased interest in site-specific management of irrigated corn in Nebraska has identified the need for a decision-making framework for zone delineation. Zones based on static soil and landscape properties provide a valuable foundation for variable rate management strategies. The purpose of this project was to identify the optimal soil and landscape attributes for generating management zones (MZ) of relative productivity potential. Three producer-managed cornfields across Nebraska with varying soil types, topographic characteristics, and climate regimes were identified as research sites during the 2010 growing season. Nine soil and landscape attributes were identified as potential properties for estimation of productivity potential. …

Federalizing Medicaid, Nicole Huberfeld

Law Faculty Scholarly Articles

This Article is one of only a small number of proposals over the past forty-six years for federalizing Medicaid. None of these proposals has grappled directly with the reasons that Medicaid does not satisfy federalism goals, and thus a key reason for modernizing Medicaid’s structure has been ignored. Despite being an area of “traditional state concern,” healthcare should no longer be left to the economic and political whims of the states, as Medicaid is not an effective Brandeisian “laboratory of the states.” Admittedly, some would oppose centralization on the ideological grounds that more federal government power is bad, and more …

Military Sexual Trauma Exposure And Heart Rate Variability Outcomes In Female Veterans, Elizabeth Ann Davis Lee

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Area of Investigation and Hypothesis: Decreased heart rate variability (HRV) has been used as a predictor of cardiac and all-cause mortality. Studies have documented decreased HRV in a variety of conditions, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, age, coronary artery disease (CAD), diabetes mellitus (DM), and tobacco use but improvement with beta blocker (BB) treatment. No prior study evaluated the relationship between military sexual trauma (MST) exposure and HRV outcomes. The hypothesis of this study was that female veterans exposed to MST would have lower time domain HRV measures than a reference cohort reporting non-exposure. Methods and Procedures: Electronic medical …

Since You're Here, Volume 5, No. 12, December 2011, University Of South Florida St. Petersburg. Nelson Poynter Memorial Library

Since You're Here

The December 2011 issue of the newsletter "Since You're Here."

Fundamental Rights In Latin America A Comparative Study Addressing Human Rights Violations In Venezuela, Colombia, And Argentina, Maria Eugenia Rios

HIM 1990-2015

Over the last few decades the importance of human rights has increased considerably in international relations. With globalization and democratization, more states and individuals develop concerns about the fundamental rights every human is entitled to; regardless of sex, religion and ethnicity. Latin American countries began obtaining their independence over 200 years ago while progressing into becoming working democracies. Yet, they have been plagued by oscillating authoritarian regimes and social conflicts that constrain and inhibit their hopeful development. The majority of the Latin American states have reached a point where further positive growth was expected; yet human violations have taken a …

Explaining The Economic Control Of Iran By The Irgc, Matthew Douglas Robin

HIM 1990-2015

In 1979, Iran underwent the Islamic Revolution, which radically changed society. The Iranian Revolution Guard (IRGC) was born from the revolution and has witnessed its role in society changed over time. Many have said the IRGC has reached the apex of its power and is one of if not the dominating force in Iranian society. The most recent extension of the IRGC's control is in the economic realm. The purpose of this research is to explain the reasoning and mechanism behind this recent gain in power. The literature review demonstrates flaws by previous studies of Iran. Most used a singular …

Rand Takes On The Constitution An Objectivist Perspective Of The United States Constitution, Farin C. Robinson

HIM 1990-2015

Author and philosopher Ayn Rand has gathered a cult like following thanks to her bestselling novels We the Living, Anthem, The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. Through Rand's fictional writings she illustrates the principles of her philosophy objectivism. Objectivism employs five principles; objective reality, reason, self -interest, capitalism and individualism as the truths that govern the philosophy. Objectivists believe that their self-reliant philosophy holds the key to all life's answers. This thesis examines the following question: what would the founder of objectivism Ayn Rand think about the U.S. Constitution? Sadly Ayn Rand passed away in 1982 and never expressed her full …

Improving Eyewitness Testimony Methods For More Accurate Recall Of Events, Ashley M. Schachter

HIM 1990-2015

Eyewitness testimony has as long history in the court system, and is very persuasive to juries. Jurors are hard pressed to ignore a witness' assertion of a perpetrator's identity. However, the juror's perception of eyewitness testimony is problematic as it has been documented as inaccurate and unreliable in numerous experiments. With the advent of DNA testing and efforts such as The Innocence Project, it has become apparent that faulty eyewitness accounts are central to many wrongful convictions. The intent of this thesis was to explore how law enforcement can facilitate more accurate eyewitness accounts via their interview process. Research suggests …

Parental Accountability For Children In Florida Examining The Oxymoron Of Parental Liability, Marco Specoli

HIM 1990-2015

This thesis examines the concept of parental liability and the effect it has in deterring juvenile delinquency, with an emphasis on Florida Law. It will also consider the concept's ability to properly compensate victims of juvenile offenses. The thesis focuses on the circumstances in which a parent or guardian may be liable for the actions of a child and how liability insurance law plays a key role in compensating innocent victims. It discusses Florida's public policy of seeking justice by holding parents responsible and the problems that it faces by doing so. The thesis further examines what issues arise when …

The Impact Of Oil Price Surges On Economic Growth, Valeria Restrepo

HIM 1990-2015

The objective of this research concerns identifying whether or not there is a relationship between oil price increases in a given quarter and the likelihood of a recession in the subsequent quarter. The data used is gathered from the St. Louis Fed's Fred II, the National Bureau of Economic Research, and the Energy Information Administration to generate modified variables. These variables are tested using a qualitative dependent variable, recession, in a binary choice model. The findings validated the assumption that oil prices do have a correlation with recessions, and that the relationship is a direct one. Based on the model, …

An Exploration Of Chronic Pain Experience, Coping And The Neo Five Factors In High Functioning Adults, Juliana Stalter

HIM 1990-2015

Chronic pain affects nearly 48 million Americans (Haggard, Stowell, Bernstein, & Gatchel, 2008). Established guidelines for pain management encourage the use of personality assessment in chronic pain evaluation (Karlin, Creech, Grimes, Clark, Meagher, & Morey, 2005). In relation to the Big Five personality factors, low Openness relates negatively to treatment success, (Hopwood, Creech, Clark, Meagher, & Morey, 2008), and elevated Neuroticism scores also correlate with increased pain levels among individuals in hospital or rehab settings (Ashgari & Nicholas, 2006; Nitch & Boon, 2004). In contrast to these prior studies, this study identifies correlates in a relatively high-functioning population (college students) …