Digital Commons Network^™

Wonderment : Chinese Ink Paintings / Video / Projection / Installation / Soundscape, Anna Glynn

Artists-in-Residence Programme : Exhibition Catalogues

A major component of Wonderment is the first showing of work done as part of my multimedia MEOAW Project: My Extraordinary Onomatopoeic Animal World. Onomatopoeic words mimic the sounds they represent; the sound of the word imitates the sound the object makes. The words are creations of our human minds and in different cultures and languages the words for the same sounds differ. The Lingnan University community responded enthusiastically to my call for volunteers to participate in the MEAOW project. I have spent many happy hours collecting and recording sound and video from members of this wonderful, culturally-diverse population.

Potential Improvements To National Park Service Visitor Surveys And Money Generation Modeling In Alaska, Steve Colt, Virgine Hanna, Ginny Fay

ISER Reports

No abstract provided.

Treatment Goals For Patients Who Elect Surgical Vs. Pessary Treatment For Symptomatic Pelvic Organ Prolapse, Mamta Muralidhar Mamik

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

Objective: The objective of this study is to assess differences in self-described goals for treating symptomatic pelvic organ prolapse for women that choose surgery compared to women who choose pessary. Methods: Women who had symptomatic stage 2 prolapse or greater presenting for care of pelvic organ prolapse to the Urogynecology Clinic at the University of New Mexico were recruited. These patients listed up to three goals they had of their treatment and rated the goals from 0 to 10, with 10 being the most important. In addition, patients completed the short forms of the established Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory (PFDI-20), …

West-Wide Climate Risk Assessment: Upper Rio Grande Impact Assessment, U.S. Department Of The Interior, Bureau Of Reclamation

Law of the Rio Chama

No abstract provided.

Climate Impact Assessment - Appendix - A Upper Rio Grande System And Operations, U.S. Department Of The Interior, Bureau Of Reclamation

Law of the Rio Chama

No abstract provided.

Random Search Models Of Foraging Behavior: Theory, Simulation, And Observation, Ben C. Nolting

Department of Mathematics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Many organisms, from bacteria to primates, use stochastic movement patterns to find food. These movement patterns, known as search strategies, have recently be- come a focus of ecologists interested in identifying universal properties of optimal foraging behavior. In this dissertation, I describe three contributions to this field. First, I propose a way to extend Charnov's Marginal Value Theorem to the spatially explicit framework of stochastic search strategies. Next, I describe simulations that compare the efficiencies of sensory and memory-based composite search strategies, which involve switching between different behavioral modes. Finally, I explain a new behavioral analysis protocol for identifying the …

Agricultural Productivity In Mercosur, Preeti Bharati

Department of Agricultural Economics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This thesis applies econometric methods to investigate reported decline in productivity in the countries of Mercosur in Latin America. While non-parametric methods in general claimed thus, more recent studies using parametric approach exhibited mixed results. We show that the results are contingent to the estimation method employed, the dataset used and the degree of diversity in socio-political and economic environment prevailing in the countries analysed. Our results indicate that the region is experiencing 2.24% productivity growth dominated by technical growth (1.97%) and marred by low efficiency (0.24%), the latter being explained primarily by the quality of human capital in agriculture, …

Essays On Evidence-Based Design As Related To Buildings And Occupant Health, John Christopher Haddox

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation is comprised of three essays that explore the connections between buildings and their impacts on outcomes associated with occupant health. The essays are: 1. The Effect of Certified Green Office Buildings on Occupant Health: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis, 2. Understanding Evidence-Based Design Through a Review of the Literature, 3. Future Directions for Evidence-Based Design in Health Care Facilities.;Essay one, entitled The Effect of Certified Green Office Buildings on Occupant Heath: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis, explores the connections between certified green office buildings and their impacts on occupant health via the application of a systematic review and …

Winter 2013

Conversations

Notes from the dean; Renowned journalist Chris Bury joins the faculty; Public relations students shine on national stage; Alumna finds success bringing bands and brands together; Student organization spotlight: SPJ DePaul; All for DePaul campaign; Around the college; Accolades

An Analysis Of Peer-To-Peer Distributed Hash Algorithms In Improving Fault Tolerance In The Hadoop Running Environment, Benjamin R. Knaus

Honors Theses

Cloud computing is a “new frontier” in the world of computing. One of the cloud architectures widely used is the Hadoop running environment. Hadoop consists of many parts—including MapReduce, TaskTrackers, and JobTrackers. Right now, there is no fault-tolerance for JobTrackers in Hadoop. This paper analyzes four different distributed hash algorithms (Pastry, Tapestry, CAN, and Chord) that could be implemented inside Hadoop to improve JobTracker fault-tolerance. We recommend Chord as the best suited for integration and improvement of Hadoop.

Tender Evaluation For The Telecommunication Industry Using The Analytic Network Process, Ali Kalanaki

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In the past few decades, tender evaluation has consistently dominated most of organizations' top strategic priorities. Additionally, the field of tender evaluation has generated a vast amount of research efforts, wherein most of these efforts center on methods enabling consideration of all affecting criteria together to make an appropriate decision. Despite the great deal of advances in the methods of tender evaluation based on technical view, there still lacks comprehensive and organizational-driven decision making tools to support organizations during the crucial task of choosing a suitable tender that best meets their business and technical needs.;Tender evaluation has a strategic role …

Modeling An Adaptive System With Complex Queuing Networks And Simulation, Jesse C. Musgrove

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

An adaptive system differs from a non-adaptive system in that an adaptive system uses a specific process to identify and implement adaptations to system parameters during run time in an effort to increase system performance.;In order to develop an adaptive system one of the most important aspects is the ability to accurately predict and manage system behavior. If an unexpected event has occurred, accurate prediction of system behavior is needed in order to determine whether or not the system is able to continually meet expectations and/or requirements. When considering any possible adaptations to the system, one must be able to …

Human Metrology For Person Classification And Recognition, Deng Cao

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Human metrological features generally refers to geometric measurements extracted from humans, such as height, chest circumference or foot length. Human metrology provides an important soft biometric that can be used in challenging situations, such as person classification and recognition at a distance, where hard biometric traits such as fingerprints and iris information cannot easily be acquired. In this work, we first study the question of predictability and correlation in human metrology. We show that partial or available measurements can be used to predict other missing measurements. We then investigate the use of human metrology for the prediction of other soft …

Development Of A 16s Rrna Gene Sequence As A Biomarker Specific To The Gastrointestinal Tract And Feces Of Swine Based On Suppressive Subtractive Hybridization, Autumn Sayre

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Fecal contamination of water bodies causes environmental issues and human health risks. Swine are a major contributor of fecal inputs to environmental waters due to their importance in American agriculture. Water quality currently is regulated using fecal coliforms, which have natural reservoirs in the environment and may not correlate with pathogens. In recent years there has been a shift towards microbial source tracking (MST). MST employs microbiological, genotypic, phenotypic and chemical methods to determine the source of fecal pollution in water bodies. Previous studies aimed at developing swine fecal biomarkers have had limited success. The overall objective of this research …

The Impact Of Service Learning On Leadership Skills Of Students Who Are Gifted And Talented In The Middle School, Patricia Anne Coon

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This investigation relates to the impact of service learning on leadership skills of students who are gifted in the middle school while the students plan the project in-school and execute their goals out-of-school for their yearlong service learning project called Community Problem-Solving, or CmPS. Based on surveys, observations, and interviews from 25 students identified as gifted in the middle school, this study describes the student responses and observations from the researcher and teacher of the gifted. Findings show that most of the students in the study felt that their yearlong service learning project positively impacted their leadership skills. The data …

American Indian Adolescents Access To And Involvement In In-School Extracurricular Activities In Relation To Substance Use Frequency And Risk Behaviors, Elizabeth A. Jones

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This thesis looks at the protective benefits that involvement in adult-led in-school extracurricular activities had on the use of drugs and alcohol by 8th, 10th, and 12th grade American Indian adolescents in Arizona. This population has been chosen because they have a history of oppression, substance abuse, and prejudice. These adolescents represent an extremely at-risk population due to historical trauma and the present-day responses to this trauma. The researcher used data previously collected by the Arizona Youth Survey in 2010 and looked at it through the lens of Hirschi's Social Control Theory and the protective model of resilience. Hirschi's theory …

Calibrating The Lamodel Program For Shallow Cover Multiple-Seam Mines, Morgan M. Sears

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Stable underground mine openings are fundamental to ensuring the safety of miners and providing a safe work environment. During the past decade, approximately 40% of underground mining fatalities were caused by roof falls, rib collapses, or bumps/bursts, 19% of which occurred during retreat mining (Pappas and Mark, 2012). In addition, approximately 600 miners are non-fatally injured (often severely) every year by rock falls in coal mines (Pappas and Mark, 2012).;To help with designing stable mine pillars in deep-cover situations, a new calibration method for deep-cover pillar retreat mining was developed and implemented into the LaModel 3.0 program a few years …

Alpha Interferon Restricts Human T-Lymphotropic Virus Type 1 And 2 De Novo Infection Through Pkr Activation, Anne Cachat, Sebastien Alain Chevalier, Sandrine Alais, Nga Ling Ko, Lee Ratner, Chloe Journo, Helene Dutartre, Renaud Mahleux

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

An Examination Of The Requirements And Preparation Required Fortubists Desiring A Career In The Military, With Emphasis On Premier Band Auditions, Patrick Charles Rettger

Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to explore the differences between the various military bands in the United States with respect to tuba players. Fourteen military tuba players were interviewed. Based on their responses, each branch’s similarities and differences are presented. The research then focuses specifically on the audition process for premier band tuba players. These positions are highly coveted; yet they are not ideal for everyone. A survey was sent to all of the current and a number of prior service premier band tuba players asking them to list important band excerpts for tubists to know for military band …

Multi-Group Invariance Of The Conceptions Of Assessment Scale Among University Faculty And Students, Melanie Anne Diloreto

Dissertations

Conceptions are contextual. In the realm of education, conceptions of various constituent groups are often shaped over a period of a number of years during which time these groups have participated in educational endeavors. Specifically, conceptions of assessment are influenced by beliefs, actions, attitudes, understandings, and past experiences. These conceptions can impact both teaching and learning, and ultimately student achievement. Based on the past work of Gavin T. L. Brown (2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, & 2011) and Fletcher, Meyer, Anderson, Johnston, and Rees (2011) concerning conceptions of assessment held by educators and students in environments with a low-stakes assessment culture, …

Advisor Knowledge Of Disability-Related Needs, Laws, And Accomodation Requirements In Postsecondary Academic Advisement Practices, Rebekah Elizabeth Young

Dissertations

Since the passage of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990, enrollment of students with disabilities in higher education has risen. In 2007-2008, approximately 11% of undergraduate students reported having some type of disability (U.S. NCES, 2012). Since disability disclosure is optional for students in higher education, it is possible that reported enrollment figures are underestimates.

Despite increasingly equitable access to postsecondary education and demonstration of the academic capability necessary for gaining collegiate admission, students with disabilities are less likely to remain enrolled and successfully earn a degree than students without disabilities. Efforts to …

Attitudinal Factors Of Teachers Regarding Arts Integration, Sara Elston Williams

Dissertations

The integration of the arts provides an enriched learning and teaching environment where teachers become facilitators of meaningful and engaging activities and lessons that increase student achievement. This study examined the attitudinal factors possessed by educators in schools who participate in the Whole Schools Initiative and those who do not. This study also reported the perceptions of arts integration by classroom teachers who participate in the Whole Schools Initiative and those who do not participate in the Whole Schools Initiative. The Teaching With the Arts Survey (TWAS) was used to determine if statistically significant differences exist on teacher attitudes, self-efficacy, …

A Study Of Federal Academic Earmarks And Research Funding In Relation To The Institutional Research Culture Of Research University/High (Ru/H) Institutions In Mississippi, James Hubert Young Iii

Dissertations

Nationally, reductions in public funding for higher education, a stagnate economy, looming sequestration, and a divisive political culture present a complex and challenging dynamic for research universities in pursuit of external funding for their research programs and infrastructure needs. These universities and their research initiatives have relied on significant federal investment in research and development as a source of competitive research funding for more than half a century.

Over the last thirty years, congressionally directed funding for research, referred to in the study presented here and throughout the literature as academic earmarks, emerged as an alternative means to achieve research …

The Journey To Becoming-Authentic From The Voices Of Nursing Students Living With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Sheryl Lynn Allen

Dissertations

Research and literature on nursing students living with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in higher education is deficient in supporting the needs of a growing population. The aim of this study sought to uncover the essence of nursing students’ experiences through a hermeneutic phenomenological approach and promote deeper understanding of the meaning of lifeworld experiences through the lens of critical social theory (CST). CST sustains freedom from ideological restraints to allow exploration into individual experiences. The voices of student participants provide the medium for articulating meaning. An integrative approach using van Manen’s (1990) and Munhall’s (2012) methods guided this study. …

Adult Learning In A K-12 Setting; Job-Embedded Professional Development: Teacher Identity And Self-Efficacy, Deidra Maclellan Gammill

Dissertations

This two-phase sequential mixed methods study examined the relationship between professional development, whether in the form of traditional professional development, a professional learning community and/or lesson study, and teacher self-efficacy and self-directed learning in order to gain a greater understanding of the role professional development plays in teacher identity and efficacy as they relate to adult learning theory.

The qualitative case study method was used to interview 22 teachers, half of whom participated in a professional learning community known as lesson study. The interview data indicated that collaboration was simply one of the variables that influenced teacher efficacy and identity. …

Principal Leadership Styles, Faculty Morale, And Faculty Job Satisfaction At Selected Elementary Schools, Dawn Vyola Ramsey Hearn

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if a significant relationship existed between principal leadership styles, faculty morale, and faculty job satisfaction at selected elementary schools. Specifically, the study examined if the perception teachers had of their principals‟ leadership styles had an impact on faculty morale and faculty job satisfaction of teachers in Kindergarten through sixth grade at selected elementary schools in one school district located on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) provided data that identified the perceived leadership styles of the school principals. The Purdue Teacher Opinionnaire (PTO) provided data that identified faculty morale …

A Stylistic Analysis And Performance Guide For James Sclater's "Variations And Toccata On A Theme By Paganini", David Michael Ward

Dissertations

This document exists as a resource for understanding and performing the piano music of the American composer James Sclater. It focuses specifically on the Variations and Toccata on a Theme by Paganini (2002), his most important solo piano composition. Sclater’s extensive output includes works for orchestra, voice, opera, band, chorus, as well as compositions for soloists and chamber music.

After a brief biographical summary and some historical background for the subjects under discussion, the main portion of the study provides a stylistic analysis of Sclater’s Variations and Toccata on a Theme by Paganini, a significant and heretofore unexamined piano work …

A Comparison Of Behavioral And Academically-Focused Goals Within The Mystery Motivator: Effects On Disruptive Behavior And Academic Performance, Christina Michelle Hardy

Dissertations

Class-wide group contingencies are effective for decreasing inappropriate behavior and increasing academic performance. An interdependent group contingency, a subtype of group contingencies, sets a specific goal for performance across the class, and a reward is delivered only if the group meets the specified criterion. One interdependent group contingency, the Mystery Motivator, has been designed to target behavioral or academically-based goals; however these goals have guided the type of data collected. There are no published studies, to date, that compare behavioral and academic goals and the effects of each type of goal on both decreasing disruptive behavior as well as improving …

An Early And Comprehensive Millimetre And Centimetre Wave And X-Ray Study Of Sn 2011dh: A Non-Equipartition Blast Wave Expanding Into A Massive Stellar Wind, Assaf Horesh, Christopher Stockdale, Derek B. Fox, Dale A. Frail, John Carpenter, S. R. Kulkarni, Eran O. Ofek, Avishay Gal-Yam, Mansi M. Kasliwal, Iair Arcavi, Robert Quimby, S. Bradley Cenko, Peter E. Nugent, Joshua S. Bloom, Nicholas M. Law, Dovi Poznanski, Evgeny Gorbikov, David Polishook, Ofer Yaron, Stuart Ryder, Kurt W. Weiler, Franz Bauer, Schuyler D. Van Dyk, Stefan Immler, Nino Panagia, Dave Pooley, Namir Kassim

Physics Faculty Research and Publications

Only a handful of supernovae (SNe) have been studied in multiwavelengths from the radio to X-rays, starting a few days after the explosion. The early detection and classification of the nearby Type IIb SN 2011dh/PTF 11eon in M51 provides a unique opportunity to conduct such observations. We present detailed data obtained at one of the youngest phase ever of a core-collapse SN (days 3–12 after the explosion) in the radio, millimetre and X-rays; when combined with optical data, this allows us to explore the early evolution of the SN blast wave and its surroundings. Our analysis shows that the expanding …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Progress Monitoring As A Second Grade Mathematics Intervention, Courtney L. Bartlett Psyd

All Student Scholarship

Progress monitoring has been shown to be effective for gauging student growth in the area of mathematics. Likewise, self-graphing has been shown to improve student achievement in education. The present study investigates the effectiveness of progress monitoring as an intervention with a self-graphing component for second-grade students in the area of mathematics. This research examines the impact of progress monitoring on increased math skills, accuracy, and generalization to universal screening assessments. While results were variable, students’ accuracy improved upon implementation of progress monitoring. All-together, results suggest that progress monitoring with selfgraphing can be an effective intervention.