Digital Commons Network^™

Rematerializing The Contact Zone : Discovery And Exploration In The First Year Writing Classroom, Erik Kermeth Kornkven

English

This study investigates Mary Louise Pratt's "contact zone" theory and argues that the contact zone has undergone a dematerializing process from a place with clear geographical and material connections to an imagined geography. Using the material rhetoric scholarship of Nedra Reynolds and Richard Mar back, the paper shows the weakening effect a dematerialized metaphor has on classroom pedagogy and presents a writing assignment that seeks to rematerialize the contact zone for the first year writing classroom. The paper explores other uses of contact zone pedagogy to show that there is a pattern of dematerialization prevalent in contact zone pedagogy throughout …

Learning For Legislation And A Lifetime: Using Ubd, Workshop Model, And Technology To Create 21st Century Learners, Codi Lyn Austreim

English

This paper discusses the issues surrounding No Child Left Behind legislation, gives a review of research surrounding best practices, details what educators can do to satisfy the requirements of the law while still engaging their students in the course content and teaching them critical, 21st century skills. Further, using Understanding by Design, the Workshop Model, and technology, this project provides a sample 9-week unit that meets multiple standards and benchmarks and emphasizes 21st century skills. With a combination of researched pedagogies, this paper argues that educators can prepare their students for state assessments and life beyond their formal education.

Classical Rhetoric For Modem Problems: Accommodating Stasis For The W Ac/Wid Curriculum, Seth Andrew Archer

English

This paper performs a case study of scientific information as it moves between media, in this case, from the journal Science to the New York Times. In order to monitor the rhetorical shifts between texts, both are analyzed using a modified four tier taxonomic system of stasis as outlined by Jeanne Fahnestock and Marie Secor (140-143, 1983). As the information from the different texts is analyzed under a singular lens, in this case 'the stases,' the rhetorical accommodations, both the subtle and the not subtle, become obvious in a manner since stasis is a "general scheme capable of accounting for …

Pregnancy, Illness, And Violence : The Power Discourses Of Motherhood In Mary Morrissy's Mother Of Pearl, Rebecca Renae Oster

English

This paper aims to explore the connection between the power structures of religion and medicine within Mary Morrissy's Mother of Pearl. Morrissy's text explores the ways in which women are oppressed by the Irish construct of perfect motherhood, which stems from the internalized social control exemplified in the religious and cultural expectations of women. Morrissy's text points out that a woman's national and individual identity is directly defined by her role as a mother and a religious figure. Morrissy's text critiques this construct and shows it to be unattainable as the power structures create a new form of oppression that …

Analysis Of A Facebook Freakout: Rhetoric Of Agency In The Places Privacy Debate, Abigail Rose Bakke

English

New technologies often generate fear regarding privacy threats, and social networking sites like Face book have lately experienced the brunt of the criticism. Face book users, even as they post greater amounts of information online, express concern over privacy violations. This paradox suggests that the issue is more complex than the private/public dichotomy and that the rhetoric used during these protests could yield insights regarding the competing worldviews expressed in a privacy debate. My paper examines discourse by the ACLU and Face book at the time the controversial Facebook Places application came out. I use cluster criticism to show how …

Collaborative Argumentation: Toward A More Civil Rhetoric, Craig James Rood

English

I first describe competitive and cooperative approaches to argumentation, and I claim that cooperative argumentation aligns with the rhetorical tradition yet needs to be developed further. I focus on civil rhetoric as one form of cooperative argumentation. Building off the abstract description of civility offered by Theresa Enos and Kathleen Blake Yancey, I move to the practical level. Blending a quantitative and qualitative approach, I analyze students' writing from an anthology assignment (which pairs collaboration and argumentation) to determine: What kind of civility moves does the anthology assignment foster? In my analysis, I identify six civility moves: (1) common ground, …

Time To Play The Religion Card: Messiah Complexes In Battlestar Galactica, Carissa Noel Wolf

English

In 2003, Battlestar Galactica (BSG) was re-invented from its 1978 roots to a post-apocalyptic narrative steeped in religious rhetoric and Machiavellian politics. This combination of political and religious rhetoric is especially evident in how BSG cultivates multiple messianic characters – namely by transforming President Laura Roslin and scientist Gaius Baltar into a space-age Moses and Christ, respectively. In creating this messianic multiplicity, BSG suggests that a single individual cannot address all of the needs of a desperate people – a messiah can function either in the political realm (serving as an agent of physical salvation) or on a spiritual level …

Providing For Duncan : Representing Hospitality And National Identity In Shakespeare's Macbeth, Sarah Rude

English

Felicity Heal has suggested that the early modem English perceived hospitality as a ritual in decline. Interestingly, the circulation of the idea of decaying hospitality coincided with an attempt to define what exactly it meant to be "English," particularly in comparison to what it meant to be "Scottish" with the ascension of a Scottish king on the English throne. This discursive intersection of declining hospitality and national identity is distinctly visible in Shakespeare's Macbeth. In this master's paper, I will argue that Macbeth's Scottish entanglement in the English discourse of declining hospitality casts the play's eponymous hero as doubly deviant: …

The Human Animal : Posthumanism In John Steinbeck's Cannery Row, Cece Rohwedder

English

In this paper, I examine John Steinbeck's Cannery Row on the basis of the posthuman vision that courses through it, as it does through many of Steinbeck's works. I propose that Steinbeck presents human and animal worlds that intermingle, mimic, and sustain one another; what Steinbeck described as non-teleological may justifiably be considered posthuman. In Cannery Row, people of various social positionings and mental capacities are presented plainly and matter-of-factly, without even a hint at causation or judgment of their character, abilities, behaviors, morals, or actions. The novel is grounded in a vision of close inter-species connections in which humans …

Factors Associated With Older Patients' Engagement In Exercise After Hospital Discharge, Anne-Marie Hill, Tammy Hoffmann, Steven Mcphail, Christopher Beer, Keith D. Hill, Sandra G. Brauer, Terrence P. Haines

Physiotherapy Papers and Journal Articles

Objectives: To identify factors that are associated with older patients' engagement in exercise in the 6 months after hospital discharge.

Design: A prospective observational study using qualitative and quantitative evaluation.

Setting: Follow-up of hospital patients in their home setting after discharge from a metropolitan general hospital.

Participants: Participants (N=343) were older patients (mean age ± SD, 79.4±8.5y) discharged from medical, surgical, and rehabilitation wards and followed up for 6 months after discharge.

Interventions: Not applicable.

Main Outcome Measures: Self-perceived awareness and risk of falls measured at discharge with a survey that addressed elements of the Health Belief Model. Engagement and …

A Study Of Two Generations Of Culturally Diverse Community College Students Views On Leader Attributes In Self And Others, Paula Jeanine Hodkowski

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

One community college mission is preparing students for the expectations and opportunities of the workplace including roles as collaborators and leaders. Increasingly, representatives from “cultures” of generation, gender, and diverse ethnicities are gaining an education in community colleges. Research supports that cultural aspects and views of others impact an individual's leader identity.

The purpose of this quantitative, non-experimental study was to determine if participants representing millennial and generation X self-report leader behaviors of “modeling the way” and “enabling others to act”; and rate leader traits in others responding to “fits my image of a leader;” And to determine if their …

The Factors That Are Related To Native American Community College Students' Intent To Persist, Garnet Laureen Williams

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

More than half of Native American higher education students choose community colleges as their institution of choice. However, when compared with other ethnic groups, Native American/Alaska Natives (NA/AN) students earn the second-lowest number of associate degrees and the lowest number of bachelor's degrees. Despite this substantive gap, few studies have explored the factors related to Native American community college students' intent to persist. With the projected population surge of NA/AN residents over the next 15 years, more research on the factors related to Native American community college students' intent to persist in college is warranted.

This ex post facto study …

Age Differences In Strategic Planning As Indexed By The Tower Of London, Dustin Albert, Laurence Steinberg

Psychology Faculty Research and Scholarship

The present study examined age differences in performance on the Tower of London, a measure of strategic planning, in a diverse sample of 890 individuals between the ages of 10 and 30. Although mature performance was attained by age 17 on relatively easy problems, performance on the hardest problems showed improvements into the early 20s. Furthermore, whereas age-related performance gains by children and adolescents (ages 10–17) on the hardest problems were partially mediated by maturational improvements in both working memory and impulse control, improved performance in adulthood (ages 18+) was fully mediated by late gains in impulse control. Findings support …

Understanding The Elements Of Executable Architectures Through A Multi-Dimensional Analysis Framework, Edwin A. Shuman Iv

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The objective of this dissertation study is to conduct a holistic investigation into the elements of executable architectures. Current research in the field of Executable Architectures has provided valuable solution-specific demonstrations and has also shown the value derived from such an endeavor. However, a common theory underlying their applications has been missing.

This dissertation develops and explores a method for holistically developing an Executable Architecture Specification (EAS), i.e., a meta-model containing both semantic and syntactic information, using a conceptual framework for guiding data coding, analysis, and validation. Utilization of this method resulted in the description of the elements of executable …

The Synthesis And Characterization Of Novel Imino Stilbenes, Shieun Jang

Honors Theses

We are in the process of developing a two-step synthesis of imino stilbenes as potential molecular switches, which are important in biology, electronics and other applications especially at nanoscopic scale. While both imines and stilbenes are well known, we have not uncovered any prior research and documentation on our proposed imino stilbenes in the scientific literature. In pursuit of our goal we have developed a new procedure for synthesis of t-butyl imines derived from aromatic aldehydes and ketones. We are also currently evaluating four different stilbene synthesis methods. Future work will systematically investigate the effect of electron withdrawing and donating …

International Migration And Remittances: A Review Of Economic Impacts, Issues And Challenges From The Sending Country’S Perspective, Tereso S. Tullao Jr, Christopher James R. Cabuay

Angelo King Institute for Economic and Business Studies (AKI)

The paper reviews the motivations of people to migrate and remit as well as the impacts of migration and the effects of remittances. Reasons for migration are quite varied ranging from economic asymmetries (also known as push-pull factors), demographic asymmetries, investment in human capital, maximization of household income, the culture of migration, and the movement in natural persons. On the other hand, remittances are sent to the home country for altruistic, exchange, strategic and insurance motives as well as an arbitrage in interspatial differences in purchasing power. The impacts of migration and remittances are felt on both the household and …

Issues On International Trade And Investment And Its Implications For Further Research, Angelo B. Taningco

Angelo King Institute for Economic and Business Studies (AKI)

Recent developments in the field of international trade and investments worldwide have led to contemporary literature that encompass international trade in goods and services, trade policies, bilateral and regional free trade agreements (FTAs) as well as multilateral trading arrangements, trade facilitation measures, and foreign direct investment (FDI) policies. Given the increasing significance of multilateral trade and FDI flows between regions in recent years, there is a need of further research especially for developing countries like the Philippines. As such, it will be possible to develop efficient trade and investment policies, which relate to inclusive growth and development. Results suggest that …

Continuous Monitoring Of Bioactive Glass Conversion Using Optical Biosensors, Prajakta Bhagwat

Masters Theses

"The engineered regeneration of bone is a significant challenge being undertaken to treat conditions such as traumatic casualties, bone cancer, osteoporosis, etc. Advances in hard tissue regrowth may potentially lead to significantly improved lives for millions of people. Bioactive glasses as potential materials in the fabrication of scaffolds for hard tissue regeneration have been studied recently. Bone regrowth requires maintenance of optimal levels of oxygen, glucose, phosphate, calcium, and pH. Current work at Missouri S & T's Center for Bone and Tissue Repair and Restoration focuses on developing optical biosensors to monitor: conversion of bioactive glass to hydroxyapatite, ease of …

The Subterranean Fauna Of A Biodiversity Hotspot Region - Portugal: An Overview And Its Conservation, Ana Sofia P.S. Reboleira, Paulo A.V. Borges, Fernando Gonçalves, Artur R.M. Serrano, Pedro Oromí

International Journal of Speleology

An overview of the obligate hypogean fauna in Portugal (including Azores and Madeira archipelagos) is provided, with a list of obligated cave-dwelling species and subspecies, and a general perspective about its conservation. All the available literature on subterranean Biology of Portugal since the first written record in 1870 until today has been revised. A total of 43 troglobiont and 67 stygobiont species and subspecies from 12 orders have been described so far in these areas, included in the so-called Mediterranean hotspot of biodiversity. The subterranean fauna in Portugal has been considered moderately poor with some endemic relicts and it remains …

Speleothems In The Dry Cave Parts Of The Gamslöcher-Kolowrat Cave, Untersberg Near Salzburg (Austria), Anna Bieniok, Georg Zagler, Uwe Brendel, Franz Neubauer

International Journal of Speleology

New, remarkably dry parts of the Gamslöcher-Kolowrat Cave at 728 to 853 m depth have been explored in the Untersberg near Salzburg in Austria. This region is called the Desert, its greatest cavity is called the White Hall. The new cave part is characterized by various white speleothems. The predominant ones are snow-like calcite powder with an extremely low density, and fine gypsum needles. Gypsum also occurs in the form of balls stuck to vertical walls. In addition, fluorescent hydromagnesite crusts, Mg₅(CO₃)₄(OH)₂·4H₂O, as well as the sodium sulfate mineral mirabilite …

Secondary Halite Deposits In The Iranian Salt Karst: General Description And Origin, Michal Filippi, Jiří Bruthans, Lukáš Palatinus, Mohammad Zare, Naser Asadi

International Journal of Speleology

This paper summaries 12 years of documentation of secondary halite deposits in the Iranian salt karst.

A variety of secondary halite deposits was distinguished and classified into several groups, on the basis of the site and mechanism of their origin. Deposits formed: i) via crystallization in/on streams and pools, ii) from dripping, splashing and aerosol water, iii) from evaporation of seepage and capillary water, and iv) other types of deposits. The following examples of halite forms were distinguished in each of the above mentioned group: i) euhedral crystals, floating rafts (raft cones), thin brine surface crusts and films; ii) straw …

Iron Oxide And Calcite Associated With Leptothrix Sp. Biofilms Within An Estavelle In The Upper Floridan Aquifer, Lee J. Florea, Chasity L. Stinson, Josh Brewer, Rick Fowler, B Joe Kearns, Anthony M. Greco

International Journal of Speleology

In Thornton’s Cave, an estavelle in west-central Florida, SEM, EDS, and XRD data reveal biofilms that are predominantly comprised of FeOOH-encrusted hollow sheaths that are overgrown and intercalated with calcite. Fragments of this crystalline biofilm adhere to the walls and ceiling as water levels vary within the cave. Those on the wall have a ‘cornflake’ appearance and those affixed to the ceiling hang as fibrous membranes. PCR of DNA in the active biofilm, combined with morphologic data from the tubes in SEM micrographs, point to Leptothrix sp., a common Fe-oxidizing bacteria, as the primary organism in the biofilm. Recent discoveries …

Carbon Offshoring: The Legal And Regulatory Framework For Coal Exports, Daniel M. Firger, Robert Denicola, Katherine English, Daniel Raichel, Ross Wolfarth, Kennan Zhong

Sabin Center for Climate Change Law

This report examines the legal and regulatory framework for U.S. coal exports, focusing in particular on the significant improvements in railroad and port infrastructure that will be necessary in order to boost the volume of overseas coal shipments to the degree anticipated by recent industry projections. While existing railroads and ports have the capacity to handle current coal export volumes, much more infrastructure will be needed to meet surging foreign demand. A wide variety of new construction projects are under consideration to expand capacity and relieve congestion. These range from double-tracking existing Class I railroad rights of way to dredging …

Memorandum On China’S Measures For Addressing Sea Level Change, Zhang Zhongmin

Sabin Center for Climate Change Law

This paper describes the current state of China’s recognition of sea level rise in the context of global climate change. The author analyzes official state documents addressing sea level rise, including the annual China Sea Level Communiqué, and compares them with local government initiatives and perspectives from non-governmental sources such as academia, NGOs and the general public. The paper concludes that, while China has taken many commendable steps towards addressing sea level rise, there are still considerable obstacles to be overcome. Finally, the author recommends that local governmental and non-governmental actors play a larger and better defined role. The author …

From Amiri Baraka's Airplane Poems To Nathaniel Mackey's Ythmic Ships Poststruccturalism's I'Mpact On Experimental Writing In The African Diaspora, Tess Somerville

Theses & ETDs

This thesis focuses on two African American writers who make very different contributions to our understanding of a �black aesthetic.� The discrepancies between Amiri Baraka and Nathaniel Mackey�s attitudes towards writing can be attributed to a generational divide. While Baraka�s early project was imbued with 1960�s Black Power ideology, Mackey incorporates many of the ideas generated by the poststructuralist theorists in the 1970�s and 1980�s. These different theoretical climates greatly impacted their attitudes towards orality/textuality, performance, and gender. Chapter one discusses the status of speech-based poetics before and after poststructuralism emerged, noting poststructuralism�s challenge to the authenticity traditionally associated with …

Subsidizing The Press, David M. Schizer

Faculty Scholarship

Through beat reporting and investigative journalism, reporters monitor the foundational institutions of our society. This reporting has value even to those who never buy a newspaper or read a website. For example, subscribers and nonsubscribers alike benefit when government officials respond to a critical news story by eliminating an abusive practice. Yet unfortunately, the professional press is experiencing a severe economic crisis. Layoffs are pervasive, and news organizations across the nation are on the brink of insolvency. As a result, a number of commentators have proposed government subsidies for the press. Yet if the press becomes financially dependent on the …

Falls After Discharge From Hospital: Is There A Gap Between Older Peoples’ Knowledge About Falls Prevention Strategies And The Research Evidence?, Anne-Marie Hill, Tammy Hoffmann, Christopher Beer, Steven Mcphail, Keith D. Hill, David Oliver, Sandra G. Brauer, Terry P. Haines

Physiotherapy Papers and Journal Articles

Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine whether older people are prepared to engage in appropriate falls prevention strategies after discharge from hospital.

Design and Methods: We used a semi-structured interview to survey older patients about to be discharged from hospital and examined their knowledge regarding falls prevention strategies to utilize in the post-discharge period. The study was part of a prospective cohort study, nested within a larger, randomized controlled trial. Participants (n = 333) were asked to suggest strategies to reduce their falls risk at home after discharge, and their responses were compared with current reported …

Uses And Gratifications Of Amputees' Online Social Networks, Dennis Owen Frohlich

Computer Science

The following thesis examined amputee support groups on Facebook. Having an 111 amputation can be a life-changing experience. and social support may be necessary to understand one's amputation. Hundreds of amputee groups exist on Face book, and many of them foster active onlinc communities. This study sought to accomplish two goals: describe how amputees use these groups, and uncover the predictors that lead to engagement in socially supportive behaviors, particularly providing informational support and emotional support. While not all groups are active, this study found that amputees do connect with others through Facebook, sometimes quite frequently. Posting on group walls …

Automated Tool For Software Requirements Inspection, Pradeep Amaran

Computer Science

The software inspection process is a very cost effective method of identifying defects in documents produced during the software life cycle, leading to higher quality software with lower field failures. Manual inspections are labor intensive and dependent on human factors (e.g., preparation, moderation, and cooperation among development and quality assurance teams). An automated software inspection tool replaces a labor intensive manual approach of performing the inspection process. An automated inspection tool will offer greater efficiencies than any techniques involving manual inspections. Automation allows stakeholders (e.g., authors, inspectors) to closely work in coordination using the tool. Authors can host documents, view …

Algorithms For Coverage Improvement In A Sensor Network, Sunil Reddy Maddi

Computer Science

Sensors are devices which have the ability to receive and respond to a signal. These sensors, when used as a group, form a sensor network. Sensors in a sensor network can communicate and transmit data. In the early stages of research on sensor networks, only static sensors were used to form a sensor network. As research advanced, a combination of static and mobile sensors was used to form a wireless sensor network instead of just static sensors. The primary advantage of this type of sensor network over a sensor network with static sensors is the ability of mobile sensors to …