Digital Commons Network^™

Impact Of Preschool Education On The Academic Achievement Of Low Socio-Economic Status Elementary Students, Gary Dawson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if attending a four-year-old preschool program had an impact on the academic achievement of elementary age students. With limited funding and the demands of No Child Left Behind legislation, schools are constantly evaluating the effectiveness and cost of ongoing programming. In addition, educational literature points to school readiness as a significant indicator of future student academic success. With this in mind, this study investigated the impact of preschool attendance on student standardized reading and math test scores throughout the elementary age school experience.

The population for this study was comprised of current …

The Role Of Politics And Proximity In Sea Level Rise Policy Salience: A Study Of Virginia Legislators’ Perceptions, Juita-Elena (Wie) Yusuf, Burton St. John Iii, Ivan K. Ash

School of Public Service Faculty Publications

The acceleration of sea level rise (SLR) has become a threat to the stability of nation-states worldwide and associated with risks to environmental sustainability, economic infrastructure, and public health. However, from both an international and U.S. perspective, there is a lack of research examining legislative decision makers’ perceptions about policies regarding SLR. This study addresses that gap by examining how politics and proximity affects Virginia state legislators’ perceptions of the saliency of SLR. A survey of these legislators reveals their perceptions of credible sources of information, SLR-related risk, and who should take the lead to address SLR. While this study …

How Can Professional Membership Associations Provide Meaningful Value For Their Members?: Creating Models Of Affiliation And Engagement, Lisa A. Dicke, Marina Saitgalina

School of Public Service Faculty Publications

What do individual association members think about their association membership? What do they value and what do they want to see associations provide in the future? This case study uses face-to-face interviews and focus groups with 12 international Ph.D. students enrolled in a Public Administration and Management program at a major university in Texas to provide answers to these questions. The research offers an understanding of how people from diverse cultures view professional associations. The Ph.D. students were also asked about the importance of their association as a means for building ties and making connections with others, and about volunteering. …

Spectrum Sensing, Spectrum Monitoring, And Security In Cognitive Radios, Erfan Soltanmohammadi

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Spectrum sensing is a key function of cognitive radios and is used to determine whether a primary user is present in the channel or not. In this dissertation, we formulate and solve the generalized likelihood ratio test (GLRT) for spectrum sensing when both primary user transmitter and the secondary user receiver are equipped with multiple antennas. We do not assume any prior information about the channel statistics or the primary user’s signal structure. Two cases are considered when the secondary user is aware of the energy of the noise and when it is not. The final test statistics derived from …

Servant Leadershp Style Of Michigan Public School Superintendents And Meap Reading And Math Proficiency, Antoinette Pearson

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between servant leadership style and Michigan public school superintendents as measured by student proficiency on the MEAP Math and Reading tests for grades 3rd – 8th.

The methodology for this qualitative study consisted of the Wong and Page’s (2003) Servant Leadership Profile Revised Instrument (SLPR). The survey consisted of a 62 item survey, using a 7- point Likert type scale, comprised of 10 subscales used to represent the presence of servant leadership characteristics. There were 7 additional items created by the researcher to gather demographic information. The participants were convenience …

Homoleptic Nickel(Ii) Complexes Of Redox-Tunable Pincer-Type Ligands, Jeewantha S. Hewage, Sarath Wanniarachchi, Tyler James Morin, Brendan J Liddle, Megan Banaszynski, Sergey V. Lindeman, Brian Bennett, James R. Gardinier

Physics Faculty Research and Publications

Different synthetic methods have been developed to prepare eight new redox-active pincer-type ligands, H(X,Y), that have pyrazol-1-yl flanking donors attached to an ortho-position of each ring of a diarylamine anchor and that have different groups, X and Y, at the para-aryl positions. Together with four previously known H(X,Y) ligands, a series of 12 Ni(X,Y)₂ complexes were prepared in high yields by a simple one-pot reaction. Six of the 12 derivatives were characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, which showed tetragonally distorted hexacoordinate nickel(II) centers. The nickel(II) complexes exhibit two quasi-reversible one-electron oxidation waves in their cyclic voltammograms, with …

The Impact Of Patient–Provider Communication And Language Spoken On Adequacy Of Depression Treatment For U.S. Women, Abiola O. Keller, Ronald Gangnon, Whitney P. Witt

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Many women with depression are untreated or undertreated for their condition. The quality of patient–provider communication may impact the receipt of depression treatment. We examine the relationship between patient–provider communication and receipt of adequate treatment for depression among women. The study sample consisted of women with depression who visited a provider in the previous 12 months in the 2002–2008 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (N = 3,179). Multivariate regression was used to examine the independent contribution of sociodemographic characteristics, health care factors, patient–provider communication, and respondent language on depression treatment status (none, some, adequate). We found that more than one-third of …

Together Building Imagination, Tbi Re-Defined: The Effects Of Theater On People With A Mild Traumatic Brain Injury, Marcelline Gangl

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

This study investigates the use of theater as a rehabilitation tool for people who have suffered a mild Traumatic Brian Injury (TBI). In this study, two middle aged women agreed to participate in theater workshops once-a-week for a 5 week period. The workshops focused on different areas of communication: eye contact, movement, spontaneity, creativity, diction, and volume of voice. Based on research done on how a TBI affects an individual, it was found that individuals who are living with a TBI say that they have a loss of socialization skills, a loss of social support and a feeling of being …

Using The World As A Stage To Benefit Refugees, Rose L. Gangl

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

The present study looked at whether theatre could be used as a successful intervention for refugees living in the United States. Using Boal’s (1985) Theatre of the Oppressed model, Karen refugees from Laos and Thailand, now living in Minnesota completed a four day workshop. Before and after the theatre workshop the participants were tested on overall well-being (self-esteem and mood), creativity, and English language abilities. Significant improvements were found for overall well-being. In addition, the workshops were shown to have the greatest impact on those who had a lower English language ability to start. Overall, theatre appears to be a …

A Lost Opportunity? Trade Between The United States And China, 1865-1914, Kathryn Gaydos

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

American trade with Asia rose from 10% of total imports in 1870 to 15% in 1913. U.S. exports to China relative to the population quadrupled over this period as well. Scholars have studied U.S.-Japan trade for this period but have done little work on U.S.-China interactions. I therefore developed bilateral trade data for the United States and China from 1865 to 1914 and analyzed these data to reveal trade patterns and terms of trade between these two countries. The terms of trade improved for the U.S. between 1895 and 1913. Cotton manufactures and mineral oil were the United States’ key …

The Constitutive Nature Of Non-Profit Advertising And Its Effect On Agency: An Analysis Of The Campaigns Of Childfund International And (Red), Camry Martinez

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

Many rhetorical scholars choose to study the persuasive effectiveness of an advertisement instead of the reality that the ad creates. While this is a beneficial endeavor, in the case of non-profit advertisements it allows for the meaning the advertisements create to be passed over. The meaning is assumed to be positive because the effect of the successful persuasion of the ad results in a beneficial outcome, helping others. The literature review examines rhetoric as constitutive, or capable of creating the meaning of the audience, and then explores how through this constitutive nature an advertisement can affect the agency of an …

Using Spe And Hplc-Ms To Quantify And Identify Pharmaceutical Compounds In St. John's University Wastewater, Melissa E. Stuckey

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

Pharmaceuticals in wastewater have become a concern of environmental toxicologists. An efficient method of discovering the concentrations of these pharmaceuticals in wastewater has not yet been produced. The method we developed includes an automated Solid Phase Extraction (SPE) procedure prior to injecting a sample of wastewater into the High Performance Liquid Chromatograph (HPLC) and Mass Spectrometer – Electrospray Ionization (MS-ESI). Three unknown peaks were identified on the HPLC and MS from wastewater obtained from the St. John’s Wastewater Treatment Plant in June 2013. Methods of analysis including NMR, GC-MS and IR have been used to determine the composition of these …

Virtually Dead: The Extension Of Social Agency To Corpses And The Dead On Facebook, Adam Tucker

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

Facebook and other social networking technologies are become vastly powerful and expansive social forces that are exerting an influence on corpses, the dead, and death communications. Since its invention in 2004, millions of users of Facebook have died, leaving durable profiles subject to the site’s changing regulatory policies and socially present for the network’s living users as well. Because of their ability to enmesh, mutate, and interact with the social interactions of the living—as well as their durability as a site of continuing bonds—Facebook profiles retain social agency consistent with the theories of agency of Alfred Gell (1998) and Bruno …

Public Health Model Identifies Recruitment Barriers Among Older Adults With Delirium And Dementia, Margaret J. Bull, Lesley Boaz, Jennifer M. Sjostedt

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Recruiting older adults and their family caregivers into research studies presents challenges. Although the literature notes some general recruitment challenges, no studies specifically address the unique challenges of recruiting older adults who have Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and their family caregivers in studies about delirium or suggest using a framework to identify barriers to recruiting this population. In conducting a pilot study about preparing family caregivers to detect delirium symptoms in older adults with (AD) the researchers used the Public Health Model for identifying barriers to recruitment. The goals of this methodological article are to: (1) briefly describe the methodology of …

Fostering Ambulation For A Preschool Child With Rett Syndrome: A Case Report, Catherine Schaefer-Campion, Norah L. Johnson

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Children with Rett Syndrome (RS) have neuromotor impairments that impact their mobility. Poor hand function among children with RS limits the selection of an assistive device for ambulation. Purpose: The purpose of this case report is to describe the process of selecting an assistive device for a child with RS to promote ambulation. Method: This single subject case reports on a 5-year-old girl with RS at a suburban mid-western early childhood special education setting. Results: The child in this case was able to walk the farthest distances with a metal toy shopping cart and then with an anterior facing four-wheeled …

Family Caregivers’ Knowledge Of Delirium And Preferred Modalities For Receipt Of Information, Margaret J. Bull, Lesley Boaz, Jennifer M. Sjostedt

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Delirium is a life-threatening, frequently reversible condition that is often a sign of an underlying health problem. In-hospital mortality alone for older adults with delirium ranges from 25% to 33%. Early recognition of delirium is critical because prolonged duration poses a greater risk of poor functional outcomes for older adults. Family caregivers, who are familiar with the older adult’s usual behaviors, are most likely to recognize delirium symptoms but might dismiss them as due to aging. It is important to learn what family caregivers know about delirium to ascertain their need for education. The aims of this study were to …

A Comparison Of Quality Of Care In Critical Access Hospitals And Other Rural Hospitals, Marianne Baernholdt, Jessica Keim-Malpass, Ivora D. Hinton, Guofen Yan, Marilyn Meyer Bratt

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Purpose:

The United States has about 2100 rural hospitals. Approximately 1300 are Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) with 25 beds or less. CAHs receive cost-based reimbursement through the federal Flex program with the goal to improve quality and access to health care. Reports on quality of care (QOC) and factors that influence quality in CAHs are mixed. This study compared QOC and factors that influence QOC in CAHs and other rural hospitals.

Sample: 385 staff nurses in 6 CAHs and 9 other rural hospitals in North Carolina and Virginia.

Method:

Descriptive cross-sectional design using nurse surveys aggregated to the hospital level, …

Strategies For A Successful Phd Program: Words Of Wisdom From The Wjnr Editorial Board, Vicki S. Conn, Julie Zerwic, Susan M. Rawl, Jean F. Wyman, Janet L. Larson, Cindy M. Anderson, Nancy L. Fahrenwald, Lazelle E. Benefield, Marlene Z. Cohen, Carol E. Smith, Robert V. Topp, Natalie E. Markis

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Nursing doctoral programs prepare students for research-focused careers within academic settings. The purpose of this Editorial Board Special Article is to provide PhD students and advisors with suggestions for making the most of their doctoral experience. Editorial Board members provide their individual insights on the skills and attributes students must acquire during the course of their doctoral education in order to succeed. The authors provide practical tips and advice on how to excel in a PhD program, including how to select an advisor and a dissertation committee, the importance of attending conferences to increase visibility and develop a network of …

Mixed Quantum/Classical Calculations Of Total And Differential Elastic And Rotationally Inelastic Scattering Cross Sections For Light And Heavy Reduced Masses In A Broad Range Of Collision Energies, Alexander Semenov, Dmitri Babikov

Chemistry Faculty Research and Publications

The mixed quantum/classical theory (MQCT) for rotationally inelastic scattering developed recently [A. Semenov and D. Babikov, J. Chem. Phys.139, 174108 (2013)] is benchmarked against the full quantum calculations for two molecular systems: He + H2 and Na + N2. This allows testing new method in the cases of light and reasonably heavy reduced masses, for small and large rotational quanta, in a broad range of collision energies and rotational excitations. The resultant collision cross sections vary through ten-orders of magnitude range of values. Both inelastic and elastic channels are considered, as well as differential (over scattering angle) cross sections. In …

Study Of Self-Injurious Behaviors And The Intervention With Visual Supports, Karoline Kenville

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The intent of this research was to investigate the use of visual supports for individuals who suffer from Self-Injurious Behaviors (SIB) stemming from developmental disabilities such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). It has been determined that there are many causes of SIB in individuals with ASD, and while some theories are no more than untested assumptions, there is validated research on behavioral patterns that suggests that evidence-based practice of visuals supports may effectively be used as part of an intervention to modify behaviors. Visual supports refers to the range of procedures through social stories, checklists, and video modeling that assist …

Banning The Deviant Out-Group Member: The Use Of Anger And Contempt Toward In-Group And Out-Group Members, Brendan Kirk Molinar

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Prior research has argued that contempt behaves as an exclusionary emotion generally felt against strangers, whereas anger tends to be an attack emotion felt toward close others (Fischer & Roseman, 2007). Participants were assigned to conditions where they interacted with a target player who was either an in-group or out-group member who behaved in either socially adherent or deviant ways. It was hypothesized that when the player was a deviant out-group member, the participant would experience higher levels of contempt than the in-group deviant, whereas participants interacting with an in-group deviant were expected to experience higher levels of anger than …

An Analysis Of Parent, Student, And Staff Satisfaction With Supplemental Educational Services (Ses) To Improve Student Achievement Among At-Risk High School Students In Failing Schools, Cynthia A. Williams-Lanier

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine parent, student, administrator, and staff satisfaction with supplemental education services (SES) provided at a small, nonprofit, community-based, African-centered program (Alkebu-lan Village) that focused on improving English language arts and mathematics achievement among at-risk high school students. Alkebu-lan Village, an SES provider, offered an integrated comprehensive program that combined academic tutoring with breakfast and lunch, as well as social and physical activities. A mixed methods study was conducted to determine if participation in a SES (Alkebu-lan Village) improved high school students’ reading and mathematics achievement. Student records were used to obtain the pre …

Uncovering Identities Through Performance Poetry, Angela Vanhook

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Research in the area of performance poetry is still relatively new to the field of communication. Using Hecht’s Communication Theory of Identity, this study explores performance poetry as a communicative tool for identity management. By observing the performances of five poets from six seasons of HBO’s Def Poetry Jam, a thematic analysis of the communication practices that occurred during the performances was used to code the processes of identity management. Additionally, this study explores how validation of enacted identity occurs between the poets and their audiences. Findings suggest that performance poetry could effectively be utilized as a tool in identity …

[Introduction To] Identity And Leadership In Virtual Communities: Establishing Credibility And Influence, Dona J. Hickey, Joe Essid

Bookshelf

The presence and ubiquity of the internet continues to transform the way in which we identify ourselves and others both online and offline. The development of virtual communities permits users to create an online identity to interact with and influence one another in ways that vary greatly from face-to-face interaction.

Identity and Leadership in Virtual Communities: Establishing Credibility and Influence explores the notion of establishing an identity online, managing it like a brand, and using it with particular members of a community. Bringing together a range of voices exemplifying how participants in online communities influence one another, this book serves …

Motivation In Synchronous Hybrid Graduate Business Programs: A Self-Determination Approach To Contrasting Online And On-Campus Students, Nikolaus T. Butz, Robert H. Stupnisky, Erin S. Peterson, Melissa M. Majerus

Education, Health & Behavior Studies Faculty Publications

determination theory; graduate business education

Web Development For The Home Builders Associoation Serving Portage And Summit Counties, Gail Lewis White

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Gail Lewis White

Major: Business and Organizational Communication

Project Sponsor: Dr. Sylvia White

Number of Project Credits: 3

Abstract

This Honors project redesigned the website of the Home Builders Association serving greater Portage and Summit counties (HBA). The goal of the new website was to enhance the social media image and internet presence of the HBA. The project included a competitive analysis of competing websites throughout the construction industry and a thorough analysis of the HBA’s internal and external communications. Under the supervision of Vice President of Operations Carmine Torio, this project has met and surpassed the goals set by …

Evaluating Albumin Utilization In A Community-Based Hospital Post-Hetastarch Food And Drug Administration (Fda) Warning, Wilbert Fuerte, Frances Ordieres, Judy Tseng

All Publications

No abstract provided.

Measuring Ultrashort Laser Pulses Using Frequency-Resolved Optical Gating In Conjunction With Genetic And Iterative Algorithms, Alexandra M. Brancale

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

Precise ultrashort light pulse measurements are critical in many physics experiments using ultrafast lasers. A Frequency-Resolved Optical Gating (FROG) system can efficiently and accurately record these desired measurements. FROGs split the input laser beam, delay half of the beam, and overlap both halves in a nonlinear medium. The resulting beam allows the retrieval of phase and duration information. A data file is created by the FROG software that includes beam intensity measurements. By using genetic and iterative algorithms, the intensity data can be manipulated in order to retrieve the pulse duration and phase information. One focus of this research was …

Psychometric Evaluation Of An Instrument To Measure Hispanic Mothers’ Normative Beliefs, Intentions, Past Experience And Past Behavior Related To The Discussion Of Sex-Related Topics With Their Adolescent Daughters, Dana Rodriguez, Robert V. Topp, Richard J. Fehring

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Aim: The aim of this project was to describe the psychometric properties of a recently developed instrument that measures Hispanic mother normative beliefs, intentions, past experience, and past behavior regarding the Discussion of Sex-Related Topics (DSRTs) with their adolescent daughters.

Background: The DSRTs between Hispanic mothers and their adolescent daughters is important because this interaction has been found to be a protective factor against the daughter’s risk for STDs and unintended pregnancy. Hispanic mother talk less with their daughters about sex-related topics (SRTs) than other ethnic groups. The Rodriguez Normative Belief Instrument (RNBI) has been established to measure …

Evaluating The Efficacy And Acceptability Of Videoconferencing In School-Based Behavioral Consultation, Aaron Jason Fischer

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

School-based behavioral consultation is a way of providing psychological services to students through their teachers. This indirect service delivery model has been shown to be effective for improving academic and behavioral concerns. Typically, school-based behavioral consultation is conducted face-to-face (in-vivo) between consultants (psychologists) and consultee’s (teachers); however, current technologies have provided an alternative medium to communicate, via videoconferencing. Videoconferencing has been shown to be an effective alternative to face-to-face communication across many different practice domains and applications. Videoconferencing in schools, particularly for school-based behavioral consultation, may be a viable alternative. The proposed study evaluated the efficacy and acceptability of videoconferencing …