Digital Commons Network^™

Experimental Evaluation Of Flame Stability And Pollutant Emissions From A Multi-Tube Fuel Injector, Sarzina Hossain

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

According to US Energy Information Administration coal is predicted to be the dominant source of power production in the United States until 2035. With fifty percent of the electricity generated in the United States originating from coal, the US produces close to 2 billion tons of CO2 per year from coal-burning power plants. The Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) offers a cleaner way to generate electricity-using coal. IGCC is a process where the feedstock is gasified and converted into to syngas (CO-H2) which can then be used as a fuel source to power energy-generating gas turbines. Compared to other hydrocarbons, …

Too Much Of A Good Thing? The Effect Of Internal Control Monitoring System Alerts On User Perceptions Of Task-Technology Fit, Julia Kokina

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Anecdotal and field study evidence points to both positive and negative effects of alerts produced by technology-enabled internal control monitoring systems (ICMS) (Alles et al. 2006, 2008; Debreceny et al. 2003, 2005; Perols and Murthy 2012). An important unanswered question is how those alerts impact users who process them and decide whether any corrective action should be taken. In this study I surveyed financial executives and accounting professionals to examine the impact of alerts on user perceptions of task-technology fit (TTF) (Goodhue and Thompson 1995). Alerts generated by ICMS can bring to the attention of company leadership indications of errors, …

Services And Information Provided To Mothers In El Paso/Juarez Region, Christina Y. Perez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

It is estimated that the Latino population will be the majority of the population by 2050 in the United States. There is research supporting the notion that the Latino population is under-served and under-diagnosed regarding physical and mental illnesses. Appropriately informed professionals and parents are the first step to reducing the number of under-diagnosed children that do not receive the treatment they require. This survey was conducted to determine what information Latino mothers from low socio-economic backgrounds possess concerning the developmental milestones of their children and the services available to them. Fifty mothers responded to the survey. Results revealed that …

The Big [Motion] Picture: Analyzing The Factors Affecting The International Motion Picture Industry, Dalila Salazar

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The motion picture industry is one of the largest private sector employers in the United States, supporting 1.9 million jobs, and providing its workforce approximately $104 billion in total wages in 2011 (Motion Picture Association of America, 2012b). With U.S. films distributed in over 140 countries, not only is the industry successful domestically, it is one of the country's leading exports, reaping more than $23.9 billion in 2012 (Motion Picture Association of America, 2012a). Despite the importance of the global marketplace, we know very little about the factors that influence the success of movies internationally. My study partially addresses this …

Constructive Feedback In L2 Writing With Chinese High School Students In Taiwan, Chiawei Diane Yang

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the lack of motivation in L2 writing of Chinese high school students in Taiwan. The subject of this study was to examine how age, culture, and the education system in Taiwan influenced students’ motivation in learning English writing. It provided insight about how academic environments influence students’ motivation in learning English, how teachers’ feedback shapes students’ learning attitudes, and effective ways to increase students’ motivation and self-esteem. The study utilized Krashen’s (1981) affective filter hypothesis and Dornyei’s (1994) three levels of motivation theory. Ten Taiwanese students participated in this study. All of …

Inside Jokes: English Language Humor From The Outside, Mieka D. Strawhorn

Master's Theses

Humor is a complex and dynamic mode of communication that serves a number of important social functions. While humor is found in all cultures, English language learners (ELLs) in the United States must learn to navigate American humor with all of its inherent cultural, social and linguistic particularities. The ability to appreciate, comprehend and produce humor is a critical and necessary skillset for full fluency in English. Research has been done on the subject of incorporating humor into the language classroom and the benefits of doing so are myriad (Bell, 2005; 2009). However, very little research has been done on …

On The Job Teacher Training For Native English-Speaking Teachers In South Korean Intensive English Kindergartens, Elizabeth Christensen

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine how native English-speaking teachers from Western countries adapt to teaching Korean kindergarten students within South Korea while adapting to both teaching and working within South Korea. To collect data for the study, eight native English-speaking teachers were interviewed about their training and teaching experiences in South Korea. Results show that many native English-speaking teachers desire better communication from their supervisors during new teacher training programs. The participants especially wanted to have a clearer understanding of their supervisor’s expectations for them. In the interviews, many of the native English-speaking teachers expressed a wish …

Countering The Dreamer Narrative: Storytelling, Immigration Reform, And The Work Of 67 Sueños, Drew Schmenner

Master's Theses

Research question: How has the practice of storytelling been used in the current U.S. conflicts over immigration?

Telling an effective story is an essential part of a complex strategy to bring about social change, but storytelling as a part of collective action has not been extensively studied. For activists in the United States fighting for immigrant rights, especially the passage of the DREAM Act, storytelling has been an important tactic, but the nature of the narrative that was constructed has its drawbacks because it excluded some members of the immigrant community. In 2010, the Bay Area-based group 67 Sueños (“67 …

Las Cruces, Karen Lee Dockal

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

n/a

A Visualization And Simulation Tool That Will Generate Effective Patrolling Strategies To Protect The U.S. Borders From Illegal Intrusion Using Game Theoretic Methods And Models, Eric Gutierrez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In the recent decade, the United States Border Patrol has increased the presence of border security officers at points of entry along the U.S.- Mexico border. In response to this increased presence of border security officials at ports of entries, illegal intruders have rerouted their intrusions in between ports of entry, in harsher terrain areas of the U.S. (e.g., the Arizona desert). The U.S. Border Patrol could benefit from a tool that plans effective border patrolling routes, and helps border security officials to make risk-based decisions for resource allocation. We are currently developing a tool called Genetic Algorithm for a …

Cause For Concern: A Mixed-Methods Study Of Campus Safety And Security Practices In United States-Mexico Border Institutions Of Higher Education, Ryan Clevis Holmes

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Campus safety has been a source of concern since the 1990s. However, in 2007, the tragedy at the Virginia Polytechnic and State University sent a sense of alarm through many institutions of higher education. Immediately following this tragedy, institutions across the country began to evaluate and question their safety and security practices. While many recommendations and mandates have been created by public and private agencies to offer guidance to institutions of higher education, none of the recommendations or mandates offered has been specific to the United States-Mexico Border region.

This mixed-methods study gathered perceptions of permanent threat assessment team …

Dust : Polvo, Jonathan Scott Nehls

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

A novel that takes place along the U.S. Mexico border.

Secondhand City: Stolen Stories From La Limonada, Byron José Sun

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Roboton, Jupa and Calicas have just been drafted by the city of La Limonada to petrol, to rob, to intimidate, to extort, to kill and when necessary to protect those citizens that need it; as their crime spree progresses their tactics and abilities improve shaping them into criminal machines. The three new criminals will be tasked with the reality of destroying people's lives in order to insure La Limonada maintains its dominion over every citizen by controlling every aspect of their past, present and future. Many of those citizens are clueless on how they are controlled; it isn't until their …

Skilled Birth Attendant Assessment In Haiti: A Pilot Project, Nicole Zickler

Yale School of Nursing Digital Theses

Objective: To evaluate a cohort of graduates from a grassroots skilled birth attendant training program in Haiti to determine if they meet global standards of competency established by the International Confederation of Midwives.

Design and setting: A testing instrument that included both a 50-question, multiple choice knowledge test and two emergency skills tests (postpartum hemorrhage and neonatal resuscitation) was adopted from the USAID Quality Assurance Project. A convenience sample of 30 skilled birth attendants completed the knowledge test and, of this cohort, a random sample of 18 completed the skills test. Data collection took place in Hinche, Haiti in July, …

Self-Efficacy, Self-Determination, And Self-Regulation: The Role Of The Fitness Professional In Social Change Agency, Joshua M. Garrin

Journal of Sustainable Social Impact

Current epidemiological data reported by governing health authorities reveal the biopsychosocial complexity of health maintenance in the 21st century. As statistics reflect the insidious, worldwide impact of chronic disease and psychosocial stress, the medical domain continues to endorse multidisciplinary approaches to support the myriad systems that underpin health and well-being. With their scope of practice continually expanding to accommodate such needs, fitness professionals (FPs) have become a mainstay on the front lines of health behavior management in recent years. Beyond their role in facilitating physical health gains, contemporary FPs undertake the challenge of instilling health self-efficacy beliefs, reinforcing autonomy and …

Happiness In Public Policy, Laura Musikanski

Journal of Sustainable Social Impact

The happiness movement represents a new paradigm where social, economic, and environmental systems are structured to encourage human well-being in a sustainable environment. Bhutan has adopted Gross National Happiness (GNH) as a way of determining its society’s success in contrast to purely economic goals and the singular use of the gross domestic product indicator. Bhutanese policy promulgation includes use of a GNH screening tool. In the United Kingdom, happiness indicators are being used to collect data and the government is starting to explore their application to policy. The Bhutanese GNH policy screening tool has been adapted for the grassroots activists, …

Book Review: New Age Globalization: Meaning And Metaphor By Aqueil Ahmad, Susan H. Jespersen

Journal of Sustainable Social Impact

New Age Globalization examines interdependent and interconnected global society in terms of its structure, including both functional and process characteristics, with an underlying concern for global consciousness resulting in global social change for human welfare. The theoretical framework provides for analysis of history, culture, economics, demographics, political systems, conflicts, knowledge, and religions of regions throughout the world. This is a well-researched book with information on complex topics for the global researcher, corporate planning executive, human resource manager, and educator, among others seeking to understand social and organizational systems in our global world.

An Investigation Of “Circle Of Friends” Peer-Mediated Intervention For Students With Autism, Mary Schlieder, Nancy Maldonado, Beate Baltes

Journal of Sustainable Social Impact

The dramatic rise in children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is accompanied by a substantial increase in public school inclusion. A growing body of research supports the need for teachers proficient in evidence-based practices to support such students. One strategy involves using peer support networks like Circle of Friends (CoF) for ASD adolescents. A collective case study was used to investigate experiences of stakeholders relative to a CoF community. Four themes emerged from a cross-case analysis: the influence a CoF partnership initiative has on inclusion, social skills improvement, empowerment, and sense of wellbeing. For the purposes of this article, …

High-Frequency Oscillations Recorded On The Scalp Of Patients With Epilepsy Using Tripolar Concentric Ring Electrodes, Walter Besio, Iris E. Martínez-Juárez, Oleksandr Makeyev, John N. Gaitanis, Andrew S. Blum, Robert S. Fisher, Andrei V. Medvedev

Electrical, Computer, and Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

Epilepsy is the second most prevalent neurological disorder (~1% prevalence) affecting ~67 million people worldwide with up to 75% from developing countries. The conventional electroencephalogram is plagued with artifacts from movements, muscles, and other sources. Tripolar concentric ring electrodes automatically attenuate muscle artifacts and provide improved signal quality. We performed basic experiments in healthy humans to show that tripolar concentric ring electrodes can indeed record the physiological alpha waves while eyes are closed. We then conducted concurrent recordings with conventional disc electrodes and tripolar concentric ring electrodes from patients with epilepsy. We found that we could detect high frequency oscillations, …

John Bruce, Jr. : A Sixty-Nine Year Leadership Journey Throughout Change In The United States Army, Joseph Rakocy

Dissertations

Problem and Purpose

The U.S. Army has changed radically in the 68 years since World War II ended, from uniforms to vehicles, from weaponry to organizational changes. While still the Army, its workforce has changed greatly in gender, ethnic, and age composition. John Bruce, Jr. saw many of these changes during his 69-year career as both soldier and executive. How this leader responded to the changes in the U.S. Army over nearly seven decades was the problem I explored. The purpose of the study was to describe how 94-year-old John Bruce, senior executive at the U.S. Army’s Tank-automotive and Armaments …

Perceptions Of Leadership Characteristics Of Principals Who Influence Positive School Culture In A Midwest Adventist Union : A Qualitative Study, Evelyn P. Savory

Dissertations

Problem. Principals struggle to sustain a positive culture in their schools. Many studies have identified that principals play a key role in influencing the school culture. However, no known study has examined leadership characteristics of Adventist principals and their influence on positive school culture in Adventist schools.

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to understand and describe leadership characteristics of principals, who foster a positive culture in Adventist schools in a Midwest Seventh-day Adventist Union.

Method. This qualitative multiple-case study design was utilized to explore and describe the lived experiences of principals and key stakeholders, school board chairs, and …

Major Gifts To The Seed Company : Who Gives Them And Why, Michael E. Toupin

Dissertations

The Seed Company, a faith-based organization committed to Bible translation projects for hundreds of minority language communities, depends upon major donor support for its success and growth. There is a dearth of research available regarding philanthropic characteristics of major donors within The Seed Company resulting in a significant knowledge gap for healthy major donor programs based upon objective data. This study confirmed the value of several development approaches, particularly the importance of intentionally building a sense of community and relationship around the cause of the organization.

The study analyzed relationships between demographics, experiences related to the organization, and six independent …

Collaborative Leadership Roles In The Implementation Of Adventist Health Lifestyle: A Case Study Of The Chinese Union Mission, James Wu

Dissertations

Problem

Little is known about the roles of the institutional leader’s role in the collaborative implementation of the Adventist health lifestyle programs of the Chinese Union Mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Such an understanding would provide clues regarding how collaborative leadership and the implementation of Adventist lifestyle programs meet the challenge of non-communicable diseases. According to the World Health Organization report, about 36 million people died in 2008 of non-communicable diseases, and the trend continues upward. Evidence-based research, such as the China Study and the Adventist Health Studies, provides a strong support for the …

Engaging Communities 2014

Project South Texas

Annual report recognizing faculty, staff, and student excellence in community engagement.

State Of The University Annual Report - 2013-2014, Office Of The President, East Tennessee State University, University Marketing And Communication, East Tennessee State University

Office of the President State of the University Annual Report

No abstract provided.

Growing South Dakota (Winter 2014), College Of Agriculture &. Biological Sciences

Growing South Dakota (Publication of the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences)

This issue contains the 2013 SDSU Agricultural Experiment Station Annual Report

[Page] 2 The World’s First: Collaborative Effort Produces Multi-Hybrid Planter To Advance Precision Ag
[Page] 4 70 Years Of Data: Ranchers Benefit From Long-Term Grazing Studies
[Page] 6 Better Beef: Fetal Programming Study Analyzes Effects Of Cow Nutrition On Meat Quality
[Page] 7 Winter College News
[Page] 8 Consumer Sciences, Animal Health, Livestock Marketing: Important Research Continues In These Areas
[Page] 10 Improving Human Health: Role Of Nondigestible Fiber, Antioxidants Studied To Prevent Disease
[Page] 11 Food Safety Focus: Targeting Heat-Resistant Microbes To Improve Dairy Products
[Page] 12 Engineering …

Paramedic Professional And Leadership Development Using High-Fidelity Healthcare Simulation And Audiovisual Feedback : One Michigan Community College Case Study, Chester L. Dalski

Dissertations

Problem: Paramedic educators have a short time frame (840 didactic/laboratory plus 500 clinical/internship hours) and limited resources to prepare their students to have competent clinical skills, safe medical practice, and appropriate leadership and teamwork skills. New learning approaches including simulation, audiovisual feedback, and structured debriefing have been suggested as a way to meet this challenge within paramedic education. While some individual components have been studied, no study has examined these three technologies together in paramedic training programs. The overarching research question that guided this study was: What and how do paramedic students learn in a high-fidelity healthcare simulation program that …

Attitudes And Beliefs Of Seventh-Day Adventists Concerning Psychology, Counseling, And Mental Health Issues, Kristy Koeppe

Dissertations

Problem. As in the mainstream population, Adventists are dealing with a variety of mental health issues, and there has been no empirical research which explored their attitudes and beliefs concerning psychology, counseling, and mental health issues.

Method. A survey was used to collect data on beliefs about psychology, attitudes towards counseling, beliefs about mental health issues, and beliefs about medical care from a sample of 317 Adventist adults from the Illinois Conference. Data were also analyzed to understand the relationship between the independent variables—gender, utilization of psychological services, the Seventh-day Adventist’s degree of knowledge about the writings of Ellen G. …

E-Quality Control Using 3d Reconstruction And 3d Measurement, Jun Zheng

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Recently more and more industrial applications use image acquisition to improve product manufacturing. The observed growth in the last few years is mainly due to the great advances in acquisition devices which are now affordable for more industrialists. Moreover, the increasing demands in the quality requirements of the products are a great stimulus to apply vision tools which allow a better understanding of the impact of the manufacturing process on the product quality. Vision tools have been used in many industrial fields. But the traditional 2D vision is not as reliable as 3D measurement due to the limitations of the …

A Quantitative Case Study Of Transformational Leadership Characteristics Of Valley View University In Ghana, Isaac Boateng

Dissertations

Problem. Finding transformational leaders for private higher education institutions in Ghanais a major problem facing the governing boards of such institutions. There is tremendous growth at Valley View University. Finding transformational leaders could help support the growth of Valley View University (VVU). The task of university leaders has become very complex, ranging from communication, interaction, collaboration, shared leadership, policy interpretation, meeting the needs of foundations, boards, parents, students, alumni, faculty, staff, accreditation boards and the government. Therefore, finding transformational leaders for Valley View University to meet the above leadership challenges is a major problem.

Purpose. The purpose of this study …