Digital Commons Network^™

Combating Budgetary Complications From The Marcellus Shale: The Case For A Pennsylvania Gas Fund, Daniel Ray Thompson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The relationship between shale gas development and budgetary and microeconomic externalities was studied. The extraction activity in the Barnett shaleformation provided a case study for assessing per-well highway infrastructure damage and water usage. The creation of a predictive model based upon the Barnett was applied to the Marcellus formation. The results showed support for the hypothesis that shale gas development creates negative externalities that amount to unfunded mandates and freerider problems for states and localities. Implications and policy solutions, including the case for a Pennsylvania natural gas fund, are discussed.

An Ethical Justification Of Weight Loss Surgery, Amy Marie Vandyke

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation provides an ethical justification of surgical weight loss interventions for the treatment of obesity. Situating obesity as not merely a public health concern but also fundamentally a problem of clinical medicine confronting individual patients and physicians, the dissertation argues that the time frame of public health interventions is too long for individuals presently facing obesity and its deleterious physical and social co-morbidities. It argues that failure to address weight loss on an individual level, and specifically to consider the clinical appropriateness of weight loss surgery (WLS), raises serious questions about failure to respect autonomy and promote patient welfare. …

What Role Does Humor In The Higher Education Classroom Play In Student-Perceived Instructor Effectiveness?, Stephen Paul Halula

Dissertations (1934 -)

ABSTRACT

WHAT ROLE DOES HUMOR IN THE HIGHER EDUCATION CLASSROOM PLAY IN STUDENT-PERCEIVED INSTRUCTOR EFFECTIVENESS?

Stephen Paul Halula

Marquette University. 2013

Everyone has had college instructors who they thought were excellent and those who were not. In pondering what attributes might have made the difference between these groups, the idea of "humor" came to mind, setting the researcher on course to study the research question "What role does humor in the higher education classroom play in student-perceived instructor effectiveness?"

A qualitative approach to acquiring data was chosen. An entry-level history class led by a college instructor at a major Midwestern …

Between Eden And Egypt: Echoes Of The Garden Narrative In The Story Of Joseph And His Brothers, Brian Osborne Sigmon

Dissertations (1934 -)

The Joseph story (Gen 37-50) is often recognized for its remarkable literary unity and depth. At the same time, much of its richness derives from its relationship with the rest of Genesis, as the Joseph story's context is an essential aspect of its meaning and message. This dissertation explores the Joseph story's relationship with the beginning of Genesis, by illuminating its connections with the Eden narrative and the story of Cain and Abel (Gen 2:4-4:26). It argues that the Joseph story's allusions to these narratives deepen its literary themes and theological vision by setting it in its proper context for …

Supervisee Experiences Of Corrective Feedback In Clinical Supervision: A Consensual Qualitative Research Study, David Lyle Phelps

Dissertations (1934 -)

Clinical supervision plays an integral role in counselor development, assisting supervisees to transition from educational coursework to clinical practice. Feedback, including that which is corrective, allows supervisors to transmit knowledge to supervisees and communicate evaluations of supervisee performance. Despite the central role of feedback in clinical supervision, surprisingly little empirical attention has focused on supervisee experiences of corrective feedback in clinical supervision. This study sought to provide a deeper understanding of supervisee experiences of corrective feedback in clinical supervision. Twelve participants were interviewed regarding their experience of corrective feedback in clinical supervision during predoctoral psychology internship. Participants expected to receive …

A Comparative Analysis Of Fraternal Chapter Director Education Programs And Current Issues Related To Undergraduate Students, Brian-Patrick Kurisky

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

The purpose o f this sequential, explanatory, mixed-methods study was to examine the educational program of chapter directors of national and international fraternities to determine if the content of these programsprepared chapter directors for meeting the needs of current and future chapter members. Data were gathered from NIC organizations{u2019} educational programs. Quantitative and qualitative data were gathered in two distinct phases. The first phase was a document analysis and the second phase consisted of asurvey of national/international fraternity professional staff.

Experiences Of The Process And Outcomes Of Group Dream Work, Penny Makris

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

Clients often wish to discuss their dreams in counseling sessions in order to make sense of their waking experiences. Although the efficacy of dream work has been indicated in numerous studies, other studies indicate that a majority of therapists report a lack of knowledge in working with dreams. The purpose of this qualitative heuristic design study was to explore the experiences of individuals participating in dream work groups that use the Ullman method as a foundation for exploring and finding meaning and waking life relevance from dreams. The Ullman method features a series of structured steps in which all group …

Paved With Good Intentions: Sentencing Alternatives From Neuroscience And The Policy Of Problem-Solving Courts, Emily R. Murphy

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

The Daubert Revolution And The Birth Of Modernity Managing Scientific Evidence In The Age Of Science, David L. Faigman

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Life History, C. W. Fox, Frank J. Messina

Biology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Criterion Validity And Between-Day Reliability Of An Inertial-Sensor-Based Trunk Postural Stability Test During Unstable Sitting, Christian Larivière, Hakim Mecheri, Ali Shahvarpour, Denis Gagnon, Aboulfazl Shirazi-Adl

Études primaires

No abstract provided.

Effect Of Sensory Modality On Performance Workload And Frontal Lobe Oxygenation In A Standard Vigilance Task, Veronica Emily Scerra

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Performance, subjective workload, and frontal lobe oxygenation measures were collected from observers monitoring visual, auditory, or vibrotactile signals. Critical signals for detection in each sensory modality were stimuli of reduced duration, which were equated for perceptual salience and discriminability. Perceptual sensitivity to targets and the percentage of correct detections declined significantly over time for all sensory modalities, with significantly greater performance decrements for the visual modality than for the auditory and tactile modalities. Frontal lobe oxygenation, as recorded by functional near infrared spectroscopy 0NIR), increased over time in task conditions as compared to a control (no work imperative) condition, but …

Relationship Predictors Of Prenatal Maternal Representations Of The Child And Parenting Experiences One Year After Birth, Kylene Krause

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Bowlby’s attachment theory (Bowlby, 1969/1982) is one of the most dominant approaches used to describe and investigate attachment relationships and emotional development throughout the entire lifespan. However, attachment research is typically conducted through two distinct fields of psychology: developmental and social/ personality psychology. These two fields tend to use different research strategies and measures and focus on different types and aspects of relationships, yet both make important contributions to the attachment literature (Bartholomew & Shaver, 1998). The goal of this investigation was to integrate attachment research from these two fields of psychology in order to broaden psychological and scientific understanding …

Language, Politics, And History: An Introductory Essay, José Del Valle

Publications and Research

This book chapter examines different articulations of language and history and introduces a new configuration that focuses on the political dimension of language.

White And Black, No Room For Gray: Why We Need Contrast To Be Green, Richard Aubol

Landscape Architecture Theses

The American Dream is to have a good job in the city, a house and family on your own parcel in a good suburb and nice car or three in the driveway; the bigger the property the better. When one looks at the modern city in plain view, the largest area of developed land is devoted to residential use. It is the American Dream according to this standard that drives the dissipating and unsustainable sprawl of cities (commercial, civic and other developments catch up with pioneering residential areas). There usually simply isn’t room for everyone to have their own exclusive …

The Human Senses: Designing Beyond Intuition, April Lipatan

Landscape Architecture Theses

This thesis project will explore how multi-sensory experiences can be merged with landscape architecture as a supplement to communicate the meaning of place. The problem of landscape architects not fully understanding the senses and their processes needs to be addressed in order to create designs that are beyond our intuition. Landscape architects can better communicate the experiences humans have with built environments by better understanding how the senses work as communication tools. The problem is the lack of knowledge on the senses in this field. Landscape architects have the capacity to integrate humans into spatial elements creating meaningful places, and …

Urban Greenway Transformation: Multi-Functional Design Alternatives For The Fargo Community, David L. Eisenbraun

Landscape Architecture Theses

This study assesses how citywide greenway systems connect and strengthen neighborhoods, provide recreational opportunities, enhance options to use multi-modal transportation, and expand usable green spaces. A pedestrian trail-greenway system can link spaces to enrich the dynamics within city neighborhoods by creating efficient, invigorating and adaptable spaces. With the ability to augment social attributes within various neighborhoods, this cohesive pedestrian spine throughout the City of Fargo helps to generate a unified, lasting, and healthy community. The proposal provides access to various amenities within this central spine while diverse uses encourage social interaction and safety.

Explaining Adolescent Behavior Intention To Consume Fast Food Using The Theory Of Planned Behavior, Julie Lynn Fudge

Communication

This study tested the utility of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to explain adolescent fast-food consumption among 349 high school adolescents. Subjective norms were further investigated to identify how parents and friends influenced adolescent fast-food consumption. Study participants completed a paper-based questionnaire measuring adolescent attitude, subjective norms for parents and friends, perceived behavioral control, and behavioral intention. Path analysis revealed that TPB explained adolescent fast-food behavioral intention to consume fast food. The model identified parent subjective norms had the strongest relationship with adolescent behavioral intention to consume fast food. Parent norms differed across age and grade in high school. …

"Giving Rope And Pulling It Back" : Types And Patterns Of Strategies Used By Parents To Prevent Adolescent Substance (Ab)Use, Shweta Sharma

Communication

This study contributes to the INC theory by adding the stage of prevention to the parent-child relationships' timeline. Ten parents (six mothers and four fathers) were interviewed, and a memory enhancing timeline calendar was used to encourage parents to recall and talk about when they were trying to prevent substance (ab)use. Prevention strategies were coded on the basis of Inconsistent Nurturing as Control (INC) theory. Nurturing strategies consisted of 1.) Promoting open discussions, 2.) Monitoring behavior and activities in respectful ways, and 3.) Presenting a model for responsible use. Punishing strategies consisted of 1.) Reinforcing discipline and rules, 2.) Forcing …

Injecting Safety-Critical Certification Into Agile Software Methods, Scott James Minot

Computer Science

Agility offers an adaptable and changeable environment within software development. The benefits that agile methods provide for software development are becoming an even greater possibility in safety-critical software programs. These certified programs go through a rigorous process to ensure the safety of all people involved. As the systems become more complex and there is a need for adaptability, the benefits of agile could save companies considerable time and money without sacrificing the safety factor. In this paper, I will provide ways of incorporating certification for highly critical systems by using a form of agility tailored to fit certification requirements. With …

Social Network Based Recommendation System, Manish Singh

Computer Science

Every day we are overwhelmed with choices and options. Recommendation systems have gained popularity in providing suggestions. But every web application today has its own recommendation system. The recommendations provided by these systems are generic than user specific. Also the consumers of these systems are facing with the challenge of trusting these resources as they come from anonymous users. In this paper we propose a social networking based collaborative filtering recommendation system for movies. The prediction rating for a movie is provided based on similarity between you and your friends in the recommendation system. We have used two approaches to …

Agent-Based Modeling To Simulate The Movement Of A Flock Of Birds, Naga Chaitanya Byrisetty

Computer Science

The most beautiful, mysterious movements of bird flocks have always amused the human and led his thinking towards what makes these complex movements possible. This paper discusses the simulation of such bird behavior based on Craig W. Reynolds’s work on bird flocking, satisfying three main objectives and trying to mimic the natural behavioral characteristics of the flock in various circumstances using Netlogo5.1.  Objective One: To develop working software that simulates movement for a flock of birds using agent-based modeling in a two-dimensional world.  Objective Two: To direct the flock towards forage grounds while sustaining the wind and obstacles …

Parallelization Of Generic Pso Java Code Using Mpjexpress, Manoj Babu Madamanchi

Computer Science

Many scientific, engineering and economic problems involve the optimization of a set of parameters. The Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) is one of the new techniques that have been empirically shown to perform well. The PSO algorithm is a population-based search algorithm based on simulating the social behavior of birds within a flock. Large-scale engineering optimization problems impose large computational demands, resulting in long solution times even on modern high-end processors. To obtain enhanced computational throughput and global search capability parallel algorithms and parallel architectures have drawn lots of attention. Parallelization of PSO has proved to enhance computational throughput and global …

Representing The Poor Legal Advocacy And Welfare Reform During Reagan's Gubernatorial Years, Mark N. Aaronson

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

International Paretianism: A Defense, Eric A. Posner, David Weisbach

Chicago Journal of International Law

A treaty satisfies what we call International Paretianism (P) if it advances the interests of all states that join it, so that no state is made worse off The principle might seem obvious, but it rules out nearly all the major proposals for a climate treaty, including proposals advanced by academics and by government officials. We defend IP, and for that reason urge commentators in the debate over climate justice to abandon efforts to right past wrongs, redistribute wealth, and achieve other abstract ideals through a climate treaty. Instead, the goal should be to develop a feasible treaty that states …

Student Interpretations Of Phylogenetic Trees In An Introductory Biology Course, Jonathan Andrew Dees

Biological Sciences

Phylogenetic trees are a common visual representation in biology, and the most important visual representation used in evolutionary biology. Thus, phylogenetic trees have also become an important component of biology education. We sought to determine what forms of reasoning are utilized by introductory biology students to interpret taxa relatedness on phylogenetic trees, what percentage of students correctly interpret taxa relatedness, and how these results alter in response to instruction and over time. Our students demonstrated a tendency for counting synapomorphies and nodes, rather than more common misinterpretations found in current literature. Students also struggled mightily with correctly interpreting phylogenetic trees, …

Development Of The Youth, Jeremy Bickel

Architecture Theses

This thesis presents research on the benefits well designed youth centers can have on children as they grow into adulthood. The typology of this project is a center for the study of children maturation. The site is in Minot, ND, which is in the midst of major growth and development in response to the booming oil industry. The project's theoretical premise/unifying idea is: Architecture can contribute to a better understanding of the process of childhood maturation.

The Relationship Between Pre-Harvest Stress And Carcass Characteristics And The Ability To Qualify For Kosher On Beef Steers And Heifers, Nathan Scott Hayes

Animal Sciences

The objective of this study was to determine if there is a difference in pre-harvest stress and carcass characteristics between kosher and not-qualified-as kosher cattle. Cattle that had a shorter time from gate to exsanguination and a lower vocalization score were more likely to qualify for kosher. Kosher carcasses had a larger REA, a higher WBSF value, tended to have a heavier HCW. At each individual day, kosher steaks had lower L*, a*, and b* values. These data suggest that body composition and stress level may play a factor in the likelihood of a beef animal to qualify for kosher, …

The Effects Of Extending Trust And Distrust To The Outgroup In Northern Ireland: Intergroup Emotions And Anticipated Intergroup Relations, Jared B. Kenworthy, Elissa Myers, Lauren E. Coursey, Jason R. Popan, Miles Hewstone

Psychological Science Faculty Publications

Two studies examined perceptions of risk, threat, and emotions experienced once a community leader has made the decision to extend trust or distrust to the outgroup, in the context of Northern Ireland. Study 1 examined the impact of three factors — the extension of trust or distrust, a social climate of threat or reduced threat, and high/low group identification — on perceived risk and group-level emotion. Study 2 examined the impact of these factors on expected negative intergroup relations and symbolic and realistic outcomes. Results from both studies demonstrated that: (1) evaluation of a community leader’s extension of trust or …

Alzheimer's Remediation Center: Architecture For Research Innovation And Treatment, Amanda Mauch

Architecture Theses

“Alzheimer’s Remediation Center: Architecture for Research Innovation and Treatment” addresses the question, “How can perceived spaces within a structure affect memory retention?” The Typology from which to examine this inquiry is best explored through design of an Alzheimer’s Research and Assisted Living Facility. The research will be guided by the assertion that Architecture can become an environment which triggers mental changes in its occupants, a tool which advances treatment and research of Alzheimer’s disease. The project justifies itself by the following: Making up a significant amount of the world’s population, the “baby boom generation” is coming of an age where …