Digital Commons Network^™

A Decision Support System To Design The In-Bound Supply Chain For Biomass Co-Fire In Power Plants, William David Bowen

Theses and Dissertations

This work is focused on designing a hub-and-spoke in-bound supply chain networks for coal plants. Biomass and coal are coired to produce electricity. One of the main reasons for focusing this study on biomass supply to coal plants is that biomass, in the form of forest and agricultural waste, is cleaner to burn as compared to coal. The user, most likely a supply chain manager or production control engineer, would input their supplier locations, costs and biomass availability. The mathematical model which supports this DSS is a mixed-integer program. The model uses this input to identify optimal order quantities which …

A Study Of First Grade Class Size Reduction Classes And Common Core State Standards Implementation In A Rural Mississippi School District, Toya Vatrina Harrell

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of class size reduction (CSR) on student performance while implementing Common Core State Standards (CCSS). The researcher sought to examine test scores specifically in 1st grade classrooms during the 1st year implementation of CCSS. Additionally, the researcher wanted to assist school leaders in identifying ways to motivate teachers to perform at the highest level and focus on student outcomes. The results indicated that students in the CSR classes had higher scores than the students in the non-CSR classes in some subjects. The findings from this study were consistent with the …

The Effect Of The Flipped Classroom Model On Achievement In An Introductory College Physics Course, Joshua Brian Winter

Theses and Dissertations

The flipped or inverted classroom model is one in which the time and place for traditional lecture and homework are reversed. Traditional lecture is replaced by online videos assigned as homework. This frees up time in class to be spent with more student centered activities such as discussion based concept questions and group problem solving. While growing in popularity, research on the effectiveness of this format is sparse. In this quasi-experimental study, two sections of an introductory algebra-based college physics course were examined over a five week period. Each section was taught with either the traditional or flipped model and …

The Role Of Habit In Information Security Behaviors, Kalana Malimage

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this present study is to understand the role of habit in information security behaviors. The automatic aspect of habit and its impact on secure behavior and the intention-behavior relationship was explored in this dissertation through the lens of protection motivation theory. Three secure behaviors were selected for the investigation after following a rigorous process to identify habitual secure behaviors. The three behaviors that were investigated are: locking the PC when leaving it unattended, verifying the recipient email addresses before sending email and visiting only verified websites. Separate pilot studies were conducted for each of the behaviors followed …

Home Is Always Calling: Determinants Of Civic Participation Among Zimbabwean Immigrants In Cape Town, South Africa, Rumbidzai R. Mufuka

Open Access Dissertations

This research project examines factors that have influenced community engagement among immigrants from Zimbabwe living in Cape Town, South Africa. A case study of PASSOP (an immigrant rights organization in Cape Town) tests existing theories on civic participation through interviews with immigrants, knowledgeable informants and activists. The study identifies reasons for leaving Zimbabwe and legal status in South Africa as factors that influence why undocumented immigrants participate in or withdraw from civil society in Cape Town. The results indicate that the conditions of the country of origin and the related reasons for leaving—political and economic degradation in Zimbabwe—heavily influence the …

Lightweight Moral Realism: Objectivity And Reasoning Without Heavyweight Facts, Mark Douglas Warren

Open Access Dissertations

In this dissertation, I develop a non-representational approach to metaethics that avoids the ontological and epistemic problems that traditional realist views face: accounting for the nature of moral facts and our knowledge of these facts in a way that comports with naturalism. According to expressivism—the most popular non-representational account in contemporary metaethics—moral claims don’t aim to represent moral facts or properties, but instead function to express our non-cognitive attitudes like approval or disapproval. This is a promising approach, but the view has substantial difficulties accounting for important features of moral discourse, like objectivity and complicated moral reasoning. I develop an …

“We Found Ourselves”—Music And Identity Among The Chinese American Diaspora In Miami, Yiyu Zhang

Open Access Theses

Chinese American communities have been part of the United States since the 19th century. Presently, their high rates of immigration have made them one of this country’s fastest growing communities. However, in Miami, only 0.3% of the population are Chinese Americans. In this local setting, music serves, in the words of Su Zheng, as an important “signifier that produces complex cultural meanings.” Because traditional music forms one of the most significant aspects of music in China, it is critical to explore the extent to which Chinese American musical culture has developed and changed. This thesis discusses the function of Chinese …

An Exploratory Study: The Use Of Privately Owned Vessels As Mobile Research Platforms, Brittany L. Stockman

Open Access Theses

Due to limited public funding for scientific studies and data collection, private sector entities increasingly fill the gap by facilitating research inquiries. Specifically, coastal, oceanic and marine conservation nonprofit organizations (NPOs) play a direct role in research by both funding and orchestrating research missions across the globe. Through the examination of existing organizations and vessels involved in such efforts, this study examined the practicality of a NPO managed program that provides marine scientists with suitable mobile research platforms and evaluated the overall benefits of such a program on the ocean research community. One such organization, the International SeaKeepers Society (SeaKeepers), …

Prescribed Reading: December 2013, Centracare Clinic

Prescribed Reading

• Holiday greetings!
• Recognition for years of service
• Kudos to . . .
• CentraCare launches automated reminders
• CentraCare Urgency Center to open Jan. 20
• Welcome to these new providers
• Welcome to our new employees
• L.I.F.E. Program starts Jan. 7
• Employee Self Service is coming soon!
• Year-end reminders for employees
• Change for the 2014 Medical Expense
• 2014 CentraCare Plan Change Highlights
• Biometric Questions/Answers
• Wellness Reward Points Program
• Sign up for personal training sessions
• New MyChart features available
• Organize your care with MyChart features
• Are you planning international travel?

Privacy And Cloud Computing In Public Schools, Joel Reidenberg, N. Cameron Russell, Jordan Kovnot, Thomas B. Norton, Ryan Cloutier, Daniela Alvarado

Center on Law and Information Policy

Today, data driven decision-making is at the center of educational policy debates in the United States. School districts are increasingly turning to rapidly evolving technologies and cloud computing to satisfy their educational objectives and take advantage of new opportunities for cost savings, flexibility, and always-available service among others. As public schools in the United States rapidly adopt cloud-computing services, and consequently transfer increasing quantities of student information to third-party providers, privacy issues become more salient and contentious. The protection of student privacy in the context of cloud computing is generally unknown both to the public and to policy-makers. This study …

Strengthening Immigrants' Health Access: Current Opportunities, Leighton C. Ku

Health Policy and Management Issue Briefs

This brief summarizes key opportunities helping the nation’s newcomers in gaining health insurance coverage and health access that are possible under the current law. Provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will help millions of legal immigrants gain access to affordable health insurance coverage. At the same time, however, immigrants will also face new responsibilities. Like citizens, lawfully present immigrants will be responsible for having health insurance coverage or paying a tax penalty, although some are exempt. Rules about immigrants’ access to health insurance benefits are often complicated because they depend on specific immigration categories, as well as eligibility for …

[2013-12-13] Meeting Of The Audit And Compliance Committee, Virginia Commonwealth University. Board Of Visitors

VCU Board of Visitors Minutes

Official minutes of the VCU Board of Visitors and its Executive Committee.

[2013-12-13] University Resources Committee Of The Board Of Visitors, Virginia Commonwealth University. Board Of Visitors

VCU Board of Visitors Minutes

Official minutes of the VCU Board of Visitors and its Executive Committee.

Personal Reflection, Caitlin S. Hobbs

Capstone Research Projects

No abstract provided.

School Culture: A Survey Of Two Eastern Kentucky Middle Schools, John D. Goble

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

An applied project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Education Specialist at Morehead State University by John D. Goble on December 13, 2013.

Analysis Of The Industrial Skill Set; Lewis County Case Study, Jonathan Shane Wallingford

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the College of Science and Technology Morehead State University in Partial Fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree Master of Science by Jonathan Shane Wallingford on December 13, 2013.

Cal Poly's Newest Cubesat Part Of Atlas V Launch, Public Affairs Office

Press Releases

No abstract provided.

Cal Poly Announces January 2014 Graphic Communication Career Day, Public Affairs Office

Press Releases

No abstract provided.

Cal Poly Expands Virtual Proofing For Packaging Education With Benq Monitor, Public Affairs Office

Press Releases

No abstract provided.

A Mightier Pin: Creating A Credible Reference Library On Pinterest At Murray State University, Rebecca Richardson, Candace Vance, Elizabeth Price, Jeffrey Henry

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

This case study shows how the reference librarians at Murray State University use Pinterest as an added component in reference services. Statistics were collected in an attempt to monitor the number of items shared with the number of people who actively follow each board. This study will help interested reference librarians gain an understanding of how this social media site can be used to promote online resources, both those owned by the institution and those available freely on the internet. It will also serve as an example of how reference librarians can build a reference library within the confines of …

Domestic Genocide, Ivan Kilgore

Writing Beyond the Prison Living Archive

Test

The Murray Ledger And Times, December 13, 2013, The Murray Ledger And Times

The Murray Ledger & Times

No abstract provided.

Agenda And Minutes, University Of South Florida St. Petersburg General Education Committee Meeting, December 13, 2013, University Of South Florida St. Petersburg. Faculty Senate. General Education Committee

USF St. Petersburg General Education Committee Meetings

Agenda and minutes from the December 13, 2013, meeting of the General Education Committee of the University of South Florida St. Petersburg's Faculty Senate.

Brazil Responds To U.S. Spying With International Diplomacy And Domestic Lawmaking, Gregory Scruggs

NotiSur

No abstract provided.

Uruguayan Politics Heats Up 11 Months Before Election, Andrã©S Gaudã­N

NotiSur

No abstract provided.

Chiral Plasmonic Dna Nanostructures With Switchable Circular Dichroism, Ngoc Luong, Bernard Yurke, Wan Kuang

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Circular dichroism spectra of naturally occurring molecules and also of synthetic chiral arrangements of plasmonic particles often exhibit characteristic bisignate shapes. Such spectra consist of peaks next to dips (or vice versa) and result from the superposition of signals originating from many individual chiral objects oriented randomly in solution. Here we show that by first aligning and then toggling the orientation of DNA-origami-scaffolded nanoparticle helices attached to a substrate, we are able to reversibly switch the optical response between two distinct circular dichroism spectra corresponding to either perpendicular or parallel helix orientation with respect to the light beam. The observed …

Adult Learning And Development Theories And Principles Represented In Theater, Jeffrey Miele

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate how adult learning and development theories and principles are represented in theater. The study also investigated if there was significant evidence to support the idea of using dramatic works as an example to illustrate adult learning and development theories and principles as an educational tool. Ten plays were analyzed along with an accompanying rubric that the evaluator completed while reading the plays. The rubric searched for information if adults and/or educators were present in the text, how andragogy and barriers were presented, along with other theories and principles. The findings suggested that …

The Performance Of Risk Management And Innovation In Construction Manager/General Contractor Delivery In Civil Construction Applications, Rebecca M. Owens

Theses and Dissertations

Project teams that deliver high risk, complex projects in the civil construction industry need tools to enable successful delivery. Construction Manager/General Contractor (CM/GC) is an innovative alternate delivery method, providing one such a tool. CM/GC furnishes public agencies with an attractive option for delivering projects in a less adversarial and more constructive manner by involving the contractor during design. The sophisticated public owner does not have to relinquish control of the details of the design in order to accelerate the schedule or see the benefits of real-time cost estimating data. There are also significant cost and schedule benefits with not …

Fsec Meeting Minutes December 13, 2013, University Of Rhode Island Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Executive Committee Minutes

No abstract provided.

Success And The Balance Of Commitment And Time: Effects Of Perceived Time Management Control On College Student Performance, Ashley Twehues

Honors Theses

This study explores how time management and the perception of control over time contribute to undergraduates success in college. Although students have good grades in college, they may not be able to achieve the desirable combination of a high GPA, extracurricular involvement and a career-related employment history. Students often become overwhelmed with the pressure to achieve this success, but lack the time management skills to balance everything. This paper explores how students best use their time in order to gain college success. Extant literature suggests that students who are more involved on-campus with academics, extracurricular activities and employment opportunities achieve …