Digital Commons Network^™

The Relationship Among African American Students' Sat Reasoning Test Scores And Participation In Advanced Placement Courses In One Large Urban School District In A Southern State In 2010-2011, Donald E. Fennoy Ii

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to provide insight into the relationship of Advanced Placement (AP) participation on closing the achievement gap between African American students and other ethnic/racial groups (White, Hispanic, and Asian) in a large urban school district in a southern state. Two major issues were considered: (a) the impact of high school student Advanced Placement participation on SAT Reasoning Test scores and (b) the correlation between increased high school student Advanced Placement participation and closing the academic achievement gap between African American and other ethnic/racial groups. A significant difference was found to exist in the mean SAT …

Stressors Experienced By Emergency Department Registered Nurses At The Bedside: A Phenomenological Study, Stephen D. Heglund

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Emergency Department (ED) as a workplace for the Registered Nurse (RN) is a stressful environment. Reasons are thought to include interactions with other members of the interdisciplinary team as well as the situations associated with the environment of the ED such as trauma, death, sadness, joy and the general unpredictability of each moment. Studies have documented general health care workplace stress and its influence on staff, but a very limited number of studies have concentrated on the ED. No widely published studies have identified stressors from the perspective of the ED RN. This dissertation is an interpretive phenomenological study …

From The Top: Impression Management Strategies And Organizational Identity In Executive-Authored Weblogs, Teryl A. Mclane

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research examines impression management strategies high-ranking organizational executives employ to create an identity for themselves and their companies via executive authored Weblogs (blogs). This study attempts to identify specific patterns of impression management strategies through a deductive content analysis applying Jones’ (1990) taxonomy of self-presentation strategies to this particular type of computer mediated communication. Sampling for this study (n=227) was limited to blogs solely and regularly authored by the highest-ranking leaders of Fortune 500 companies. The study revealed that executive bloggers frequently employed impression management strategies aimed at currying competency attributes (self-promotion), likeability (ingratiation), and moral worthiness (exemplification) to …

A Wolf In Military Clothing: A Case Study Examination Of Lone Wolf Terrorism And The Roles And Responsibilities Of Government Agencies, Peter Bandel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Since the fall of September, 2011, there has been a major increase in awareness and study of global terrorism. Academia, the media, politicians, and the average citizen all have varying definitions, ideas, and concerns about terrorism. The focus has mainly been on international terrorism. Terrorist organizations like Al Qaeda have permeated the discussion. However, there is a growing concern of the "lone wolf terrorist." A lone wolf terrorist acts without a terrorist organization and is capable of having his/her own radical agenda with the audacity and simplicity to carry it out solely and enact great damage. The focus in the …

Levels Of Engagement Among Male, College Basketball Players, Mary Botts

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the engagement of male, college basketball players within the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The literature review shows a connection between engaging in educationally purposeful activities and student retention. Because some student athletes, male collegiate basketball players in particular, struggle to graduate at the same rate as their fellow student athletes, student engagement offers one lens to examine the educational experiences of basketball players. The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) was used to collect levels of engagement along four identified variables. These four variables, part of Chickering and Gamson’s Seven Principles for Good Undergraduate Education, were …

Thematic Patterns In Millennial Heavy Metal: A Lyrical Analysis, Evan Chabot

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research on heavy metal music has traditionally been framed by deviant characterizations, effects on audiences, and the validity of criticism. More recently, studies have neglected content analysis due to perceived homogeneity in themes, despite evidence that the modern genre is distinct from its past. As lyrical patterns are strong markers of genre, this study attempts to characterize heavy metal in the 21st century by analyzing lyrics for specific themes and perspectives. Citing evidence that the “Millennial” generation confers significant developments to popular culture, the contemporary genre is termed “Millennial heavy metal” throughout, and the study is framed accordingly. Utilizing prominent …

This Is Just Temporary: A Study Of Extended-Stay Motel Residents In Central Florida, Stephanie Guittar Gonzalez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Motel life has existed in the United States for over 100 years. However, it was not until the HEARTH Act in 2009 changed the federal definition of homelessness that those who live in motels more or less permanently were considered homeless persons. This project utilizes qualitative, semi-structured interviews with 18 families with children who are living in motels to explore their experiences with motel life and social service providers, their housing identity, and identity management strategies. Findings show that most of the motel residents did not identify with the conventional definition or image of homelessness and instead negotiated the term …

Expression Of Lipase From Mycobacterium Tuberculosis In Nicotiana Tobacum And Lactuca Sativa Chloroplasts, Bethany Lloyd

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Tuberculosis (TB), caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis), is a global threat and the leading cause of death among individuals infected with HIV. TB treatment requires multi-drug cocktails, due to the increasing rates of drug resistance of the bacterium. With multi-drug cocktails, strains have been documented to be resistant to all major drugs in the fight against TB. Since the strains are drug resistant, it calls for an increasing need for vaccine and treatment development for the purpose of preventing and managing the disease. The most widely distributed vaccine against TB is Bacillus Calmette-Gue´rin (BCG). Apart from being …

A Study Of The Degradative Capabilities Of The Bimetallic System: Mg(Pd/C) As Applied In The Destruction Of Decafluoropentane, An Environmental Contaminant, Douglas Tomlin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pollution from hydrofluorocarbons (HFC) poses a serious challenge to the environmental community. Released from industrial operations, they have contaminated both the atmosphere and groundwater and are considered persistent in both media.1 For over the past 20 years, the practice of synthesizing hydrofluorocarbons as alternatives to chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) has been conducted in an effort to reverse the effects of stratospheric ozone layer depletion. 2,3 However, in doing so these new fluorinated compounds exhibited an unexpected property as a potent global warming greenhouse gas (GHG) with radiative forcing potentials in the range of 100 to 10,000 equivalents greater than carbon dioxide.4 Conversely, …

Florida's Cattle Culture: Ethos And Enterprise In The Sunshine State, Corinne E. Zellner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cattle ranching has been of major significance to Florida since the 16th century; however, few are aware of the historic, ecologic, economic and cultural influence of this industry. This study investigates the origins and impacts of the traditional customs and practices of Florida’s cattle ranchers, who preserve and reinvent this rich heritage today. Ranchers live closely with the land and their animals and, due to the often-uncertain and cyclical nature of the business, must possess resourcefulness and initiative to prosper. The image of the stoic cowboy has long been associated with the American West, yet before longhorn cattle ever crossed …

The Influence Of Components Of Positive Psychology On Student Development, Yo Sang Ha

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Considering a wide range of student's delinquencies and problems, preventive intervention in school is strongly required for healthy student development. American School counselor Association (ASCA) has focused on three areas, academic development, career development, and personal/social development to provide various skills and learning opportunities for the successful life of students. During the past 50 years, psychologists have concentrated on the disease treatment model. However, unlike this psychological trend, positive psychology has paid attention to prevent school violence and delinquency. Further, Positive psychologists have discovered not only to prevent problems but also to facilitate human strengths and virtues to live successful …

When The Alligator Called To Elijah: A Handcrafted Exploration Of The Digital Moving Image, Katherine Shults

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

When the Alligator Called to Elijah is a feature-length video conceptualized and constructed by Kate Shults in partial fulfillment of the requirements for earning a Master of Fine Arts in Entrepreneurial Digital Cinema from the University of Central Florida. The video is the result of an evolving exploration of the aesthetic capabilities of the digital image using Flip Video cameras, found footage and Final Cut Pro. Though originating as an experiment, When the Alligator Called to Elijah became a creation of motion collage with very specific production parameters. This thesis is a record of this video’s progression, from development to …

Manipulation Of Host Signal Transduction Pathways And Cytoskeleton Functions By Invasive Bacterium Listeria Monocytogenes And Chlamydia Trachomatis, Shahanawaz Jiwani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Infectious disease remains one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Many bacteria that cause disease have the capacity to enter into eukaryotic cells such as epithelial cells and tissue macrophages. Gaining access into the intracellular environment is one of the most critical steps in their survival and/or in pathogenesis. The entry mechanisms employed by these organisms vary considerably, but most mechanisms involve sabotaging and manipulating host cell functions. Invasion of epithelial cells involves triggering host signal transduction mechanisms to induce cytoskeleton rearrangement, thereby facilitating bacterial uptake. My work focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms employed by bacterial …

Novel Immunogens Of Cellular Immunity Revealed Using In Vitro Human Cell-Based Approach, Brian Schanen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the last 150 years, tremendous headway has been made in our understanding of the human immune system. Pioneers in the field such as Paul Ehrlich, Elie Metchnikoff, Louis Pasteur, Robert Koch and Walter Reed carried out seminal studies that established the groundwork for our understanding of humoral and cellular immunity in humans. However, this direct line of evidence into human immunology was diverted in the mid-20th century with the adoption of a model which allowed for investigators to use a reductionist-approach with the promise to resolve immunity at a molecular level. This revolutionary model was the scientific commercialization of …

Somatechnologies Of Body Size Modification: Posthuman Embodiment And Discourses Of Health, Meghan Griffin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project focuses on persistent gaps in philosophies of the body: the enduring mindbody divide in accounts of phenomenology, the unfulfilled promises of representing and inhabiting the body in online and virtual spaces, and the difference between health as quantified in medical discourse versus health as lived experience. These tensions are brought to light through the electronic food journal genre where the difficulty in capturing pre-noetic, outsideconsciousness aspects of experience and embodied health are thrown into relief against circulating cultural discourses surrounding health, body size, self-surveillance, and self-care. The electronic food journal genre serves as a space for users to …

Maritime Pirates And Foreign Terrorist Organizations: Complicit Against The United States And Nato?, William Lusk

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Maritime piracy, a phenomenon which has plagued free maritime trade for thousands of years, has entered a new age of sophistication and global reverberation. These acts of illegal criminal activity in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries yield a significant profit margin for the perpetrators while creating considerable cost for ransom payments, security measures, capital, and human life. The classification of maritime pirates, as either criminals hoping to gain financial income or terrorists hoping to usher in political change, is warranted and compelling. If maritime pirates conduct their operations to institute political change, it is possible that flags of …

Enriching Students With Developmental Delays In An Early Childhood Classroom Using Ipads With Mathematics Applications, Selma Powell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Laws and legislation related to early childhood and special education have shaped the field and impacted the need for early intervention services, but the outcomes of those services both academically and socially at the forefront. Children with developmental delays today are eligible for school services beginning at birth across the country, the new challenging is determining the impact of services on the social and academic outcomes. Many children with developmental delays are served in inclusive early intervention classrooms. A need for developmentally appropriate quality mathematics instruction exists to prepare students to meet the demands of a global economy; students must …

Electrospun Chitosan Nanofibers For Virus Removal, Bingyu Bai

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Electrospinning uses electrostatic forces to create nanofibers that are far smaller than conventional fiber spinning process. Nanofibers made with chitosan were created and techniques to control fibers diameter and were well developed. However, the adsorption of porcine parvovirus (PPV) was low. PPV is a small, nonenveloped virus that is difficult to remove due to its size, 18-26 nm in diameter, and its chemical stability. To improve virus adsorption, we functionalized the nanofibers with a quaternized amine, forming N-[(2-hydroxy-3-trimethylammonium) propyl] chitosan chloride (HTCC). This was blended with additives to increase the ability to form HTCC nanofibers. The additives changed the viscosity …

Microwave-Assisted Wet Chemical (Mawc) Synthesis Of Lithium Iron Phosphate, Shangzhao Shi

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

LiFePO4 is a Co-free battery material. Its advantages of low cost, non-toxic and flat discharge plateau show promising for vehicle propulsion applications. A major problem associated with this material is its low electrical conductivity. Use of nanosized LiFePO4 coated with carbon is considered a solution because the nanosized particles have much shorter path for L+ ions to travel from the LiFePO4 crystal lattice to electrolytes. As other nano material powders, however, nano LiFePO4 could have processing and health issues.

In order to achieve high electrical conductivity while maintaining a satisfactory manufacturability, the particles should possess both of the nano- and …

Robustness Of Speckle Imaging Techniques Applied To Horizontal Imaging Scenarios, Jeremy P. Bos

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Atmospheric turbulence near the ground severely limits the quality of imagery acquired over long horizontal paths. In defense, surveillance, and border security applications, there is interest in deploying man-portable, embedded systems incorporating image reconstruction methods to compensate turbulence effects. While many image reconstruction methods have been proposed, their suitability for use in man-portable embedded systems is uncertain. To be effective, these systems must operate over significant variations in turbulence conditions while subject to other variations due to operation by novice users. Systems that meet these requirements and are otherwise designed to be immune to the factors that cause variation in …

Life-Patterns On The Periphery : A Humanities Base For Development Imperatives And Their Application In The Chicago City-Region, Kevin Hodur

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Life-Patterns on the Periphery: A Humanities Base for Development Imperatives and their Application in the Chicago City-Region is informed by the need to bring diverse fields together in order to tackle issues related to the contemporary city-region. By honouring the long-term economic, social, political, and ecological imperatives that form the fabric of healthy, productive, sustainable communities, it becomes possible to setup political structures and citizen will to develop distinct places that result in the overlapping of citizen life patterns, setting the stage for citizen action and interaction.

Based in humanities scholarship, the four imperatives act as checks on each other …

Nitrogen Deposition Effects On Production And Decomposition Of Coarse Woody Debris, Bethany Jeanne Lyons

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Atmospheric nitrogen deposition has the potential to impact forest productivity, microbial associations, nutrient cycling, decomposition and stand dynamics. However, among the least studied aspects of these processes are the production and decomposition of dead woody biomass, or coarse woody debris (CWD). Coarse woody debris is made up of dead woody material on the ground called down dead wood (DDW) and dead standing trees which are often referred to as snags. Observed reductions in decomposition of CWD have been linked to substrate quality and microbial communities. If the decomposition effect is ubiquitous among litter types, CWD density, C:N, and biomass are …

Understanding "Just Enough" Computer Users: Motivation Style And Proficiency, Harriet Cook King

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Among daily computer users who are proficient, some are flexible at accomplishing unfamiliar tasks on their own and others have difficulty. Software designers and evaluators involved with Human Computer Interaction (HCI) should account for any group of proficient daily users that are shown to stumble over unfamiliar tasks. We define "Just Enough" (JE) users as proficient daily computer users with predominantly extrinsic motivation style who know just enough to get what they want or need from the computer. We hypothesize that JE users have difficulty with unfamiliar computer tasks and skill transfer, whereas intrinsically motivated daily users accomplish unfamiliar tasks …

Biochemical Conversions Of Lignocellulosic Biomass For Sustainable Fuel-Ethanol Production In The Upper Midwest, Michael James Brodeur-Campbell

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Biofuels are an increasingly important component of worldwide energy supply. This research aims to understand the pathways and impacts of biofuels production, and to improve these processes to make them more efficient. In Chapter 2, a life cycle assessment (LCA) is presented for cellulosic ethanol production from five potential feedstocks of regional importance to the upper Midwest - hybrid poplar, hybrid willow, switchgrass, diverse prairie grasses, and logging residues - according to the requirements of Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Direct land use change emissions are included for the conversion of abandoned agricultural land to feedstock production, and computer models of …

Investigation Of The Effect Of Using Data Collection Technology On Students' Attitudes To Science Instruction , R. Douglas Damery

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

The purpose of this project was to investigate the effect of using of data collection technology on student attitudes towards science instruction. The study was conducted over the course of two years at Madison High School in Adrian, Michigan, primarily in college preparatory physics classes, but also in one college preparatory chemistry class and one environmental science class. A preliminary study was conducted at a Lenawee County Intermediate Schools student summer environmental science day camp. The data collection technology used was a combination of Texas Instruments TI-84 Silver Plus graphing calculators and Vernier LabPro data collection sleds with various probeware …

Composing In Words And Images : A Proposal For A Tandem Approach To Written And Visual Composition Pedagogy, Brian Dean Parmeter

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

This project proposes a module for teaching visual composition within the context of a written composition course. Drawing from process writing theory, critical pedagogy, and photo-elicitation, “Composing In Words And Images” gives composition teachers a module and direct instruction for the incorporation of critical visual composition studies in their writing classes.

Distributed Recycling Waste Polymer Into Reprap Feedstock, Christopher Baechler, Matthew Devuono, Joshua M. Pearce

Department of Materials Science and Engineering Publications

Purpose – A low-cost, open source, self-replicating rapid prototyper (RepRap) has been developed, which greatly expands the potential user base of rapid prototypers. The operating cost of the RepRap can be further reduced using waste polymers as feedstock. Centralized recycling of polymers is often uneconomic and energy intensive due to transportation embodied energy. The purpose of this paper is to provide a proof of concept for high-value recycling of waste polymers at distributed creation sites.

Design/methodology/approach – Previous designs of waste plastic extruders (also known as RecycleBots) were evaluated using a weighted evaluation matrix. An updated design was completed and …

In Re Google Inc. Cookie Placement Consumer Privacy Litigation, United States Judicial Panel On Multidistrict Litigation

Historical and Topical Legal Documents

No abstract provided.

Roll V. Pearson Education, United States District Court For The Southern District Of Ohio

Historical and Topical Legal Documents

No abstract provided.

Redmond V. Gawker Media, California Court Of Appeal

Historical and Topical Legal Documents

No abstract provided.