Digital Commons Network^™

Tee Ball, Howard Schaap

Pro Rege

No abstract provided.

Ring-Necked Pheasant, Howard Schaap

Pro Rege

"For Robert Siegel"

On The Death Of A Church Musician, Mike Vanden Bosch

Pro Rege

"For Kim (Vanden Bosch) Wolffis and church musicians around God's world."

Diner, Doug Burg

Pro Rege

No abstract provided.

Glass Menagerie At Dordt, Doug Burg

Pro Rege

No abstract provided.

Clara And Roman, Doug Burg

Pro Rege

No abstract provided.

Spirit Lake, Iowa: Fish I, David Versluis

Pro Rege

No abstract provided.

2011 Sioux County Oratorio Chorus Poster, David Versluis

Pro Rege

No abstract provided.

Bruised Reeds, James C. Schaap

Pro Rege

No abstract provided.

Dynamic Partial Reconfiguration For Pipelined Digital Systems— A Case Study Using A Color Space Conversion Engine, Ryan Toukatly

Theses

In digital hardware design, reconfigurable devices such as Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) allow for a unique feature called partial reconfiguration PR). This refers to the reprogramming of a subset of the reconfigurable logic during active operation. PR allows multiple hardware blocks to be consolidated into a single partition, which can be reprogrammed at run-time as desired. This may reduce the logic circuit (and silicon area) requirements and greatly extend functionality. Furthermore, dynamic partial reconfiguration (DPR) refers to PR that does not halt the system during reprogramming. This allows for configuration to overlap with normal processing, potentially achieving better system …

Trajectories Of Psychological Distress Among Low-Income, Female Survivors Of Hurricane Katrina, Sarah Ryan Lowe

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate trajectories of psychological distress among low-income women, primarily unmarried and African American, who survived Hurricane Katrina (N = 386). Data were collected in the year prior to the hurricane, as well as approximately one and three years thereafter. Using Latent Class Growth Analysis (LCGA), we detected six distinct trajectory groups. Over half of participants fit into a trajectory consistent with resilience; that is, they maintained low levels of psychological distress over the course of the study, but experienced an elevation in symptoms at the first pre-disaster time point, followed by a return …

Effects Of Voluntary Public Reporting On The Nurse Sensitive Measures Of Falls And Falls With Injury In Hospitals: A Massachusetts Perspective, Patricia Noga

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Background: Interest and efforts in the health care industry to be transparent by collecting and publicly reporting performance measures about healthcare quality and cost has increased in recent years. The National Quality Forum (NQF) endorsed a set of 15 national quality measures for nursing-sensitive care that could be used for public accountability and quality improvement, including measures of patient falls and falls with injury. Patient falls have been among the largest category of reported incidents in hospitals, and are a serious concern for healthcare leaders and healthcare team members. In 2006, Massachusetts hospitals began voluntarily publicly reporting the nurse sensitive …

A Gravitational Wave Observatory Operating Beyond The Quantum Shot-Noise Limit: Squeezed Light In Application, J. Abadie, B. P. Abbott, T. D. Abbott, Matthew Benacquista, Teviet Creighton, Mario C. Diaz, Soumya Mohanty, Soma Mukherjee, Volker Quetschke, Joseph D. Romano

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

Around the globe several observatories are seeking the first direct detection of gravitational waves (GWs). These waves are predicted by Einstein's general theory of relativity(1) and are generated, for example, by black-hole binary systems(2). Present GW detectors are Michelson-type kilometre-scale laser interferometers measuring the distance changes between mirrors suspended in vacuum. The sensitivity of these detectors at frequencies above several hundred hertz is limited by the vacuum (zero-point) fluctuations of the electromagnetic field. A quantum technology-the injection of squeezed light(3)-offers a solution to this problem. Here we demonstrate the squeezed-light enhancement of GEO 600, which will be the GW observatory …

Specters In The Archive: Faculty Digital Image Collections And The Problems Of Invisibility, Joan E. Beaudoin

School of Information Sciences Faculty Research Publications

This paper argues that the devaluation of visual information in favor of textual information will result in a loss of visual information in a digital form that has personal, institutional and cultural ramifications. Framing this discussion is a study of the digital preservation practices among two faculty user groups, archaeologists and art historians. The study examined the faculty users’ knowledge, perception, emotions and processes surrounding the digital images they had created and, or collected to support their professional activities. What was discovered is a worrisome situation where an important part of the cultural record is at serious risk of being …

Probabilistic Framework For Image Understanding Applications Using Bayesian Networks, Mustafa Jaber

Theses

Machine learning algorithms have been successfully utilized in various systems/devices. They have the ability to improve the usability/quality of such systems in terms of intelligent user interface, fast performance, and more importantly, high accuracy. In this research, machine learning techniques are used in the field of image understanding, which is a common research area between image analysis and computer vision, to involve higher processing level of a target image to "make sense" of the scene captured in it. A general probabilistic framework for image understanding where topics associated with (i) collection of images to generate a comprehensive and valid database, …

Optimal Economic Planning And Control For The Management Of Ecosystems, Kevin Macksamie

Theses

In recent years the interest on sustainable systems has increased significantly. Among the many interested problems, creating and restoring sustainable ecosystems is a challenging and complex problem. One of the fundamental problems within this area is the imbalance between species that have a predator-prey relationship. Solutions involving management have become an integral player in many environments. Management systems typically use ad hoc methods to develop harvesting policies to control the populations of species to desired numbers. In order to amalgamate intelligence and structure, ecological systems require a diverse research effort from three primary fields: ecology, economics, and control theory. In …

Production And Fate Of Transparent Exopolymer Particles In The Ocean, Oliver Wurl, Lisa Miller, Svein Vagle

OES Faculty Publications

The production and fate of transparent exopolymer particles (TEP) have been investigated in various oceanic regions (tropical, temperate, and polar), from the sea surface microlayer (SML) to the deep ocean. Accumulation of TEP within the mixed layer was observed even in the absence of phytoplankton blooms, indicating abiotic processes are important in TEP production. The abiotic TEP aggregation rates measured in the tropical and temperate North Pacific and the Arctic Ocean averaged between 8 and 12 μmol C L^-1 d-¹. Depth profiles from under sea ice in the Arctic revealed the highest TEP concentrations, potentially released by …

The Inkwell, Armstrong Atlantic State University

The Inkwell

No abstract provided.

Newsroom, Georgia Southern University

Newsroom (2006-2023)

• Georgia Southern University Announces Fall 2011 Commencement Speakers

Culture And Regulation: Examining Collectivism And Individualism As Predictors Of Self-Control, Michael B. Pyle

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Self-control is the capacity to alter one's intended or instinctual behavior in order to align with societal and cultural standards. It has been suggested that the ability to exert self-control has developed evolutionarily in order to increase the odds of one and one's family's survival through participating in a society. A prediction resulting from this is that horizontal collectivism, in which individuals consider themselves as equals acting toward a shared goal, should predict self control, because a focus on one's ties to others will requires a greater development for restraining one's self. Conversely, vertical individualism, in which individuals are considered …

Teacher Candidates' Digital Literacy And Their Technology Integration Efficacy, Rona Lynette Tyger

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate perceived digital literacy levels and technology integration efficacy of preservice teaching (PST) candidates. The sample was comprised of PST candidates from two universities and one college in the southeastern United States that differ in size and culture. The study used a quantitative approach. PST candidates self-rated their digital literacy levels and technology integration efficacy using an online digital literacy survey. The relationship between PST candidates' perceptions of their digital literacy level and their level of technology integration efficacy was investigated. The existence of a digital divide has recently been of concern to …

Intertwined Cultural Journeys: An Autoethnography Of Learning, Teaching, And Affirming Diversity Through Multicultural Music, Kathryn Blackmon

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

As our schools gain more and more children from different cultures and ethnicities, there is an increasing need to diversify curriculum to assist in cultivating tolerance and understanding. Drawing upon an eclectic group of theorists who highlight the importance of meaningful curricula and education, and using autoethnography as method, I explore aspects of reflective teaching and student empowerment through the medium of multicultural music education. Connections between my own cultural heritage and the cultures of my students were made through a critical evaluation of my current approach to multicultural music education. Using multiple information sources including student observations, lesson plans, …

A Psychoanalytic Inquiry Into Social Aggression As A Form Of Bullying Among Female Students, Tina Martin Debevec

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Bullying among children and adolescents, particularly within the school setting, has drawn much attention in recent years as a reaction to an onslaught of high profile school violence in the 1990s. While much attention and research focused upon physical violence that was prevalent among male students, very little research covered indirect, relational, and social forms of aggression. Research into the covert manners of aggression that involved the manipulation of relationships revealed them to be salient among female students, demonstrating that female students were predominantly aggressive in a different manner than their male counterparts. Psychoanalytic theories of attachment and aggression guide …

The Effects Of Simulation On Junior Level Baccalaureate Nursing Students' Self-Efficacy And Intrinsic Motivation, Michelle E. Dykes

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Nursing education is experiencing a generational phenomenon with student enrollment spanning three generations. Classrooms cultures are changing today and include some Baby Boomers and large numbers of Generation X, Generation Y, and second-degree seeking students. These culturally diverse groups of students have unique sets of learning characteristics. Given the current challenges of growing student diversity, balancing budgets, and meeting faculty shortages, nursing schools are pressed to find alternative teaching methods that are not only cost and labor saving but also effective and equitable for the diverse student groups. This quantitative, experimental research design study explored the effects of the alternative …

Reading The Word And The World Through Graphic Novels: A Graphic Portrayal Of Young Adult Literacy Development In A Ninth Grade English Literature Classroom, Sandra Jane Greene

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This study presents a view of reading instruction based on investigating motivation and engagement related to adolescent literacy practices through graphic novels. A case study utilizing the graphic novels grounded in the theoretical approach of critical literacy demonstrated increases in motivation toward reading from a more critical social lens. Participants in this case study were chosen from a set of ninth grade literature classes in a rural high school. The students were placed as a result of the random selection of heterogeneously mixed student abilities providing a rich mix of perspectives and motivational levels among the students. Allowing students to …

A Delayed Birth Of Freedom? Public School Graduates' Perceptions Of School Choice Viewed Through The Pragmatic Lenses Of The American Ideal, Donald B. Porter

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This study was conducted to identify public school graduates perceptions regarding school choice options and their preparedness for success after high school. This is accomplished by presenting a historical and contextual overview of education as it specifically relates to low socioeconomic and minority populations. It analyzes governmental controls that may serve to restrict access to a quality education. This study seeks to promote equity through education as viewed through a social justice perspective. While governmental mandates, societal changes, and legal remedies have evolved and shaped America's education history, it has yet to fully empower parents and guardians to freely choose …

Speaking The Unutterable: White Teachers And Black Children, Amy Rene Dalton

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This study explores the experiences of four White teachers teaching in a high-minority school in Macon, Georgia. Emily, Deanna, Richard, and I have crossed racial boundaries to establish successful teaching careers as White teachers working with Black students. Using a curriculum of place (Casemore, 2008; Kincheloe & Pinar, 1991; Whitlock, 2007) and the combined methodologies of personal-passionate-participatory inquiry (He & Phillion, 2008) and portraiture (Lawrence-Lightfoot & Davis, 1997) I explore these experiences. The key research issues are: why do these teachers remain at this school and why are they successful when other White teachers are not. This inquiry draws upon …

The Effect Of Area On Resource Competition Among Migrant Birds At A Stopover Site, Sara Marie Beall

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Few studies have focused on the habitat and resource requirements of migratory landbirds along migration routes. Habitat fragmentation may exacerbate the costs of migration by reducing food availability and/or increasing competition at crowded stopover sites. I predicted that smaller forest fragments would have higher densities of birds, and that birds would compete for food more intensely in smaller fragments. I examined seven forest fragments of varying size (0.69 ha - 5.69 ha) at Savannah National Wildlife refuge in three migration periods between Spring 2007 and Spring 2008. I set up netted exclosure pairs to examine the relationship among fragment size, …

Density, Shell Use And Species Composition Of Juvenile Fiddler Crabs (Uca Spp.) At Low And High Impact Salt Marshes On Georgia Barrier Islands, Michelle D. Carlson

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Coastal wetlands offer refuge for juveniles of many species, with protection often coming in the form of dense vegetation. Human impacts have led to a 67% loss of coastal wetlands worldwide in the past 300 years, thus decreasing available refuges. There are no studies that show what affect this has on fiddler crabs (Uca spp.), a key species in salt marsh habitats. The present study looks at how human impacts are affecting juvenile fiddler crab densities, shell use, and species compositions. This study was conducted at 3 low and 3 high impact sites on Tybee and Skidaway Island, Georgia. Six …

Phytoplankton Ecology In The Skidaway River Estuary, Darren Parris

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Short-term and seasonal variation in abiotic factors such as salinity, nutrient concentration, and light availability strongly influence total phytoplankton biomass but less is known about their effects on species-level changes due to difficulties associated with identifying and enumerating individual taxa. Understanding taxon-specific shifts is important as species often contribute differently to primary productivity and food web support for higher trophic levels. The goals of this study were to examine changes in overall phytoplankton abundance and community composition following short-term increases in freshwater input (Chapter 1), seasonal variation in abiotic conditions (Chapter 2), and manipulated nutrient concentrations within the Skidaway River …