Digital Commons Network^™

"A Spirit Of Benevolence", Jennifer L. Boxen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

This thesis argues that the British Public Health movement did not begin in 1842 with Edwin Chadwick's publication, Report on the Sanitary Conditions of the Labouring Population of Great Britain (1842), or in 1848, with the subsequent passage of the Public Health Act. The beginning of the public health movement was instead the product of local initiatives such as the Manchester Board of Health, administered not by central government, but by members of the local community supported by predominantly philanthropic funding. The Manchester movement predated Chadwick's efforts by at least half a century and bore a greater resemblance to the …

A Novel Method To Evaluate Local Control Of Lung Cancer In Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (Sbrt) Treatment Using 18f-Fdg Positron Emission Tomography (Pet), Vindu Kathriarachchi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

An improved method is introduced for prediction of local tumor control following lung stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for early stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients using 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (18F-FDG PET). A normalized background-corrected tumor maximum Standard Uptake Value (SUVcmax) is introduced using the mean uptake of adjacent aorta (SUVref), instead of the maximum uptake of lung tumor (SUVmax). This method minimizes the variations associated with SUVmax and objectively demonstrates a strong correlation between the low SUVcmax (< 2.5-3.0) and local control of post lung SBRT. The false positive rates of both SUVmax and SUVcmax increase with inclusion of early (<6 months) PET scans, therefore such inclusion is not recommended for assessing local tumor control of post lung SBRT.

Certificate Authentication Security And The Preservation Of Privacy In Wireless Access In Vehicular Environment (Wave), Clifford Allen Kemp

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

Future vehicles will exchange safety-critical information messages wirelessly with other vehicles on the road. We must provide secure mechanisms to validate the authenticity and integrity of these messages. The IEEE Standard 1609.2 defines the format of secure messages and identifies security algorithms and mechanism for use in Wireless Access in Vehicular Environment (WAVE). We propose an organizational structure for Central Management Entities (CMEs) to address these goals and functional requirements, and to balance the security of communications with protection of user privacy. A concern in vehicular communications is the privacy of vehicle owners. Privacy must be preserved and the user …

Comparative Study Of The Relationships Between Conflict Management Styles And Job Satisfaction, Organizational Commitment, And Propensity To Leave The Job Among Saudi And American Universities' Faculty Members, Mohammed. Alzahrani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

This study used Rahim Organizational Conflict Inventory-II, Form C to examine the preference for conflict management styles among Saudi and American faculty members. Additionally, the study examined the relationships between conflict management styles and job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and propensity to leave the job. A random sample that consisted of (N = 300) faculty members was drawn evenly from Al-Baha University (BU) and Florida Atlantic University (FAU). Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was conducted to examine whether or not there are differences between American and Saudi faculty members in their conflict management styles. Nationality was used as the factor, and …

Cardiac Patterns During Another Infant's Cry Sound In Neonates Of Depressed Mothers, Joseph Cotler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

Past research indicates there is a link between physiological responses and adaptive social responses to another individual's distress. Scholars have theorized that humans may be predisposed, both physiologically and behaviorally to responding to others, especially those who are in distress. Maternal depression has been associated with dysregulated emotional development and may possibly affect the physiological and behavioral responses of a neonate. The present research examined the relationship between neonates' physiological and behavioral responses to naturally generated (compared to artificial) stimuli of other neonates, as well as the role of maternal depression in the responses. Specifically, heart rate, heart period, and …

Computing Automorphism Groups Of Projective Planes, Jesse Victor Adamski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

The main objective of this thesis was to find the full automorphism groups of finite Desarguesian planes. A set of homologies were used to generate the automorphism group when the order of the plane was prime. When the order was a prime power Pa,a ≠ 1 the Frobenius automorphism was added to the set of homologies, and then the full automorphism group was generated. The Frobenius automorphism was found by using the planar ternary ring derived from a coordinatization of the plane.

Concept Of Fit, Scott Vaughn Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

The purpose of this mixed method study was to understand how demographic fit, organizational fit, and group fit influenced secondary school assistant principal (AP) selection and assimilation for candidates who completed the Paradise School District (pseudonym) leadership training program during the 2004-2005 to 2008-2009 school years. However, the results indicated that Hispanic candidates were selected at a higher rate than other groups of candidates. The results also indicated that Black candidates were selected at the same rate as the average for all candidates ; however these results may be misleading because Black candidates were disproportionally over-represented in the study sample. …

Conscious And Non-Conscious Bases Of Social Judgement, Susan D. Sullivan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

Research on social judgment typically emphasizes one of three processes that enable unequivocal understanding of events with ambiguous causality. In the social influence perspective, people are susceptible to the interpretations offered by others. In the explicit attitudes perspective, people interpret events in line with their consciously held attitudes and values. In the implicit attitudes perspective, people interpret events in line with unconscious biases. The model investigated in the present study assumes that these processes vary in salience depending on people's mindset. Participants with low versus high implicit racial bias toward Blacks read a narrative concerning this altercation under either a …

Corrosion Initiation And Propagation On Corrosion Resistant Alloys Embedded In Concrete By Accelerated Chloride Transport, Tellez Francisco Gutierrez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

Two duplex stainless steels rebars: UNS32304SS and UNS32101SS, were selected to investigate the corrosion initiation and propagation in reinforced concrete specimens. The investigation is divided in two phases with two different methods to accelerate the transport of chlorides through the concrete and initiate corrosion in a short period of time. After corrosion had initiated and propagated for some time; selected specimens were terminated for visual examination. On specimens selected for autopsy, the rebars in the top row showed corrosion to various degrees. Corrosion had propagated to such extent on the terminated specimens that the specimen showed cracks. Stray current might …

Curriculum-Based Readers Theatre As An Approach To Teaching English Language Learners: Teachers’ Perceptions After Professional Development And Classroom Implementation, Samantha N. Uribe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

This mixed methods study investigated second through fifth grade teachers’ perceptions of Curriculum-Based Readers Theatre (CBRT) as a relevant approach for teaching English Language Learners (ELLs). Quantitative survey data were collected from 18 teachers who worked at the school with the largest population of ELLs in a large South Florida school district. The surveys investigated teachers’ current use of ESOL instructional strategies prior to participating in a CBRT professional development session as well as their ability to identify ESOL instructional strategies embedded within the approach after professional development and classroom implementation. Qualitative data were collected in the form of interviews …

Creating Mindfulness With Sensual Functional Handmade Ceramics, Alexandria. Schwartz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

I create opportunities for nourishment that are physical, emotional and spiritual with my functional porcelain vessels. They reference the human body's sensual curves, dimples, and bulges, establishing the experience of eating as a metaphor for the sensual experience of human interaction. The tactility is heightened by the variety of glazes dancing around the vessels, from satiny smooth and skin-like, to wet and dripping. Handmade vessels connect the users not only more deeply to the food that provides them nourishment, but also connects them more deeply to one another, and to the maker of the work. The slow, deliberate work of …

Data Mining Heuristic-¬Based Malware Detection For Android Applications, Naser Peiravian

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

The Google Android mobile phone platform is one of the dominant smartphone operating systems on the market. The open source Android platform allows developers to take full advantage of the mobile operation system, but also raises significant issues related to malicious applications (Apps). The popularity of Android platform draws attention of many developers which also attracts the attention of cybercriminals to develop different kinds of malware to be inserted into the Google Android Market or other third party markets as safe applications. In this thesis, we propose to combine permission, API (Application Program Interface) calls and function calls to build …

Cyclic Lipodepsipeptides As Lead Structures For The Discovery Of New Antiobiotics, Nina. Bionda

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

With antimicrobial resistance to current drugs steadily rising, the development of new antibiotics with novel mechanisms of action has become an imperative. The majority of life-threatening infections worldwide are caused by "ESKAPE" pathogens which are encountered in more than 40% of hospital-acquired infections, and are resistant to the majority of commonly used antibiotics. Naturally occurring cyclic depsipeptides, microbial secondary metabolites that contain one or more ester bonds in addition to amide bonds, have emerged as an important source of pharmacologically active compounds or lead structures for the development of novel antibiotics. Some of those peptides are either already marketed (daptomycin) …

Developing Interpretive Turbulence Models From A Database With Applications To Wind Farms And Shipboard Operations, Kyle A. Schau

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

This thesis presents a complete method of modeling the autospectra of turbulence in closed form via an expansion series using the von Kármán model as a basis function. It is capable of modeling turbulence in all three directions of fluid flow: longitudinal, lateral, and vertical, separately, thus eliminating the assumption of homogeneous, isotropic flow. A thorough investigation into the expansion series is presented, with the strengths and weaknesses highlighted. Furthermore, numerical aspects and theoretical derivations are provided. This method is then tested against three highly complex flow fields: wake turbulence inside wind farms, helicopter downwash, and helicopter downwash coupled with …

Bankruptcy Trusts, Transparency And The Future Of Asbestos Compensation, S. Todd Brown

Journal Articles

As we enter the fifth decade of asbestos personal injury litigation, much of the debate over its immediate future centers on the operations of bankruptcy trusts and their relationship to the tort system. Roughly 100 companies have entered bankruptcy as a result of their unsustainable asbestos liabilities, and, from these bankruptcies, approximately 60 trusts have been established or are in the process of being established. Some critics contend that the trust system is plagued by fraud and abuse; allowing plaintiffs' lawyers to obtain compensation from the trusts for fraudulent claims and to evade relevant discovery obligations under applicable state law. …

Across The Empire: British Women's Travel Writings And Women's Place In The British Imperial Project During The Second Half Of The Nineteenth Century., Katie. Wernecke

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

Women in Britain in the nineteenth century were expected to fulfill the traditional roles of wife and mother as determined by British society. Over the course of the nineteenth century, these ideals evolved, but the core functions of wife and mother remained at the center. Woman's participation outside the household was limited. British women travelers during the nineteenth century found themselves in many different environments. By examining samples of women's travel narratives from various locations in the Empire, this study analyzes the daily lives of British women in the Empire and determines that, while maintaining their roles within the private …

Activity Analysis And Detection Of Falling And Repetitive Motion, Clyde Carryl

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

This thesis examines the use of motion detection and analysis systems to detect falls and repetitive motion patterns of at-risk individuals. Three classes of motion are examined: Activities of daily living (ADL), falls, and repetitive motion. This research exposes a simple relationship between ADL and non-ADL movement, and shows how to use Principal Component Analysis and a kNN classifier to tell the 2 classes of motion apart with 100% sensitivity and specificity. It also identifies a more complex relationship between falls and repetitive motion, which both produce bodily accelerations exceeding 3G but differ with regard to their periodicity. This simplifies …

Advanced Placement (Ap) Social Studies Teachers' Use Of Academic Course Blogs As A Supplemental Resource For Student Learning, Seth. Alper

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

This mixed-methods study investigated the relationship between Advanced Placement (AP) social studies teachers' utilization of academic course blogs and student achievement. Simultaneously, the study examined the participating teachers' perceptions on the use of course blogs and other social media as supplemental learning resources. The study further explored a possible moderating effect of the social studies subject on student achievement and a possible moderating effect of students' previous academic blog usage on student achievement within the study. Quantitative data were collected from students' pre-tests and unit tests scores and analyzed for statistical significance. Qualitative data were collected through teacher-generated notes during …

Any (Body) Who Will Listen, Gavin Feller

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

This thesis explores how the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) has used media technology as part of its missionary communication strategy. Particular attention is paid to the Internet as a space for religious practice and how the LDS Church has sought to extend its media practices and missionary efforts online. By utilizing new media technology to find individuals interested in hearing its message, the LDS Church faces new challenges to its traditional face-to-face missionary program, its centralized hierarchy of control and its ongoing struggle for identity within American Christian culture. Throughout its history, the LDS Church's missionary …

Application Of Reference Point Theory To Merger Activity And Characteristics, Inga. Chira

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

In Essay I, I analyze the impact of the target and bidder reference points on the probability of acquisition under general economic conditions as well as in strong/weak economic periods. I find that the target and the bidder reference points have a significant impact on the probability of a firm becoming a bidder or a target. While the target reference point also has a significant impact on the successful completion of the merger, the bidder reference point does not. In addition, I find that the target reference point is a significant determinant of management-led buyout mergers, while the bidder reference …

Automatic Parking Lot Occupancy Computation Using Motion Tracking, Torres Francisco Alberto Justo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

Nowadays it is very hard to find available spots in public parking lots and even harder at facilities such as universities and sports venues. A system that provides drivers with parking availability and parking lot occupancy will allow users find a parking space much easier and faster. This thesis presents a system for automatic parking lot occupancy computation using motion tracking. The use of computer vision techniques and low cost video sensors makes it possible to have an accurate system that allows drivers to find a parking spot. Video bitrate and quality reduction and its impact on performance were studied. …

Avian Community Characteristics Of Constructed Treatment Wetlands Of South Florida, Tyler J. Beck

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

This study compared the avian communities of treatment wetlands in South Florida called Stormwater Treatment Wetlands (STAs) to those in natural marshes and crop lands, and examined factors that influenced the size and structure of the avian communities within the STAs. The STAs contained a more abundant, rich and distinct avian community compared to reference land types. The STAs were dominated by wintering waterfowl, and therefore community patterns fluctuated more seasonally other land types. Within the STAs, density and richness in the fall and winter were much greater in the submerged aquatic vegetation than in the mixed emergent vegetation when …

Development And Testing Of A Measure Of Alzheimer’S Disease Knowledge In A Rural Appalachian Community, Lisa K. Weise

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

Rural West Virginia has a very high percentage of older adults. The age-related disease of Alzheimer’s threatens the health of older Appalachians, yet research on Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in this population is scarce. In order to improve screening rates for cognitive impairment, Appalachians need to understand their vulnerability. The first step would be to assess their knowledge about AD but a suitable AD knowledge test has not been developed. The purpose of this study was to test the reliability and validity of a new measure of knowledge about AD that is culturally congruent, and to examine factors that may predict …

Development Of An Integrated Computational Tool For Design And Analysis Of Composite Turbine Blades Under Ocean Current Loading, Fang. Zhou

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

A computational tool has been developed by integrating National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) codes, Sandia National Laboratories' NuMAD, and ANSYS to investigate a horizontal axis composite ocean current turbine. The study focused on the design, analysis, and life prediction of composite blade considering random ocean current, cyclic rotation, and hurricane-driven ocean current. A structural model for a horizontal axis FAU research OCT blade was developed. Following NREL codes were used: PreCom, BModes, ModeShape, AeroDyn and FAST. PreComp was used to compute section properties of the OCT blade. BModes and ModeShape calculated the mode shapes of the blade. Hydrodynamic loading on …

Dropout Prevention, Christopher L. Simmons

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

This mixed methods study focused on the relationship between dropout prevention programs and graduation rates in one school district in Florida during the 2010-2011 school year. The dropout prevention program data analyzed included high school principals' perceptions in regard to perceived effectiveness, fidelity of implementation, cost efficacy, structure, and student-staff relationships within dropout prevention programs and their relationship to graduation rate. The data analysis investigated the relationship between the principals' perceptions of each dropout prevention program and graduation rate. Findings from this study showed principals' perceived that the level of fidelity for on-the-job training has a relationship to increased graduation …

How Did Rggi Do It? Political Economy And Emissions Auctions, Bruce R. Huber

Journal Articles

Among the major emissions trading schemes in operation around the world, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) stands alone: this CO₂ cap-and-trade program among nine northeastern states is the only such scheme to rely primarily on auctions to distribute emissions allowances. The standard practice - distributing allowances for free on the basis of historical emissions - elicits begrudging but politically crucial support from some regulated emitters. Like carbon taxation, allowance auctioning has long been considered economically superior to its alternatives but politically infeasible.

How did the RGGI states manage to defy conventional wisdom and institute a program so reliant …

Polypharmacy And The Elderly: A Case Study And Literature Review, Kristin M. Stevens

Theses and Dissertations

Polypharmacy is a common issue among the elderly population due to multiple comorbidities that develop as a person ages. With this increase, there is also the increased risk for negative health outcomes such as higher healthcare costs, adverse drug events, drug interactions, and increased mortality rate (Maher, Hanlon, & Hajjar, 2014). The elderly population is increasing worldwide, and it is estimated that 20% of the population will be older than 65 by 2025 (Milos et al., 2013). Patients 65 years old and older are the largest consumer of prescription and nonprescription medications in the United States, which has more than …

Effect Of Microwave Heating On The Migration Of Additives From Ps, Pp And Pet Container Into Food Simulants, Ruoyin Cai

Theses

Microwave food packaging has become a tremendous element in the food manufacturing process. The purpose of any food packaging regulations concerned with the safety of the food is to control and limit the migration of substances from the packaging into the food. The main objective of this thesis is to test three different microwaving packaging materials that are the most common material in the market, viz. polystyrene (PS), polypropylene (PP), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET), migrated into four food simulant solutions. Four different simulant solutions were used based on the food type and FDA recommendations and regulations. These food simulants include …

Plants As Bio-Indicators Of Subsurface Conditions: Impact Of Groundwater Level On Btex Concentrations In Trees, Jordan Wilson, Rachel Bartz, Matt Limmer, Joel Gerard Burken

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Numerous Studies Have Demonstrated Trees' Ability to Extract and Translocate Moderately Hydrophobic Contaminants, and Sampling Trees for Compounds Such as BTEX Can Help Delineate Plumes in the Field. However, When BTEX is Detected in the Groundwater, Detection in Nearby Trees is Not as Reliable an Indicator of Subsurface Contamination as Other Compounds Such as Chlorinated Solvents. Aerobic Rhizospheric and Bulk Soil Degradation is a Potential Explanation for the Observed Variability of BTEX in Trees as Compared to Groundwater Concentrations. the Goal of This Study Was to Determine the Effect of Groundwater Level on BTEX Concentrations in Tree Tissue. the Central …

Issue 3

The Synapse: Intercollegiate science magazine

No abstract provided.