Digital Commons Network^™

A Deep Search Architecture For Capturing Product Ontologies, Tejeshwar Sangameswaran

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis describes a method to populate very large product ontologies quickly. We discuss a deep search architecture to text-mine online e-commerce market places and build a taxonomy of products and their corresponding descriptions and parent categories. The goal is to automatically construct an open database of products, which are aggregated from different online retailers. The database contains extensive metadata on each object, which can be queried and analyzed. Such a public database currently does not exist; instead the information currently resides siloed within various organizations. In this thesis, we describe the tools, data structures and software architectures that allowed …

Designing And Implementing A Micro-Controller Based Primary-Side Sensing Flyback Converter For Leds Driver, Nam Nhat Tran

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The fast development of LED and its applications has enabled a new generation of lighting device with higher efficiency and long lifespan. By employing a primary-side sensing flyback converter and the PIC18F micro-controller series, an LED driver could achieve two important features: (1) the compatibility with the available lighting fixtures, and (2) reducing unit price. The flyback converter was chosen for its simplicity, competitive low cost, and its ability to provide a constant output current, a necessarily important factor to an LED driver. Meanwhile, the PIC18F micro-controller series offer numerous advanced features which include but not limited to pulse-width modulation …

Examining The Role Of Street-Level Bureaucrats In The Implementation Of An Affordable Rental Housing Policy For Extremely Low Income Households In The District Of Columbia, Rod Williams

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The individuals who staff the nation's 4,600 Community Development Corporations (CDCs) represent the front line in production of affordable housing for America's poor. CDC staff members work within chronic funding uncertainties, applying complex and often ambiguous policies, under pressure to address shortfalls in affordable units. As such, they represent a prime example of Lipsky's (1980) street level bureaucrats (SLBs): agency workers with no formal policy role, who nevertheless shape policy by exercising discretion in the course of implementing ambiguous directives under stressful and alienating conditions.

The purpose of this study is to uncover how CDC SLBs experience their work and …

Social Media In The Church, Derick Ray Mckinney

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis project examines the effectiveness of social media in the church. Sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube have the potential to shape the way the world communicates. Many churches have even begun utilizing social media in their ministry efforts. They publicize, pray, encourage, and promote events, all using social media. This paper argues that Bible believing churches can effectively use social media to communicate to their members by announcing upcoming events, sharing audience specific information, and knowing the best time to post on these sites. This project shows a social media strategy implemented into New Heights Church in …

Geographic Assessment Of The Perception Of Nature Reserves And National Parks In Kuwait, Meshari S. Alenezi

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Arabian Gulf countries have passed strict laws to preserve their environment. Kuwait has a strong history with preserving natural areas. The ecological value and richness of Kuwait's ecosystems have increased since the nature reserves were built. This research has evaluated the perceptions that Kuwaitis have of the design, creation, and development of nature reserves in Kuwait. It involved the use of survey instruments (questionnaires) and interviews with respondents of both urban and rural communities. Data from these surveys and interviews analyzed regarding perceptions of nature reserves' needs, sizes, functions, and future plans.

The results of examinations (surveys) demonstrate that …

Optimizing Performance And Scalability On Hybrid Mpsocs, Hongyuan Ding

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Hardware accelerators are capable of achieving significant performance improvement. But design- ing hardware accelerators lacks the flexibility and the productivity. Combining hardware accelerators with multiprocessor system-on-chip (MPSoC) is an alternative way to balance the flexibility, the productivity, and the performance. However, without appropriate programming model it is still a challenge to achieve parallelism on a hybrid (MPSoC) with with both general-purpose processors and dedicated accelerators. Besides, increasing computation demands with limited power budget require more energy-efficient design without performance degradation in embedded systems and mobile computing platforms. Reconfigurable computing with emerging storage technologies is an alternative to enable the optimization …

Development Of Micro-Hall Devices For Current Sensing, Thomas White

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this work, micro-Hall devices were developed for the purpose of sensing current within a high temperature and high power environment. GaAs HEMT, InGaAs pHEMT, and GaN HEMT structures were studied. These structures were grown by molecular beam epitaxy. Processing techniques including photolithography, metallization, Si deposition, wet etching, and dry etching were studied. Electrical characterization measurements including low frequency noise, Hall effect, sensitivity, capacitance-voltage, and current-voltage were performed.

Electron mobility and sheet carrier density studies were performed for both the InGaAs pHEMT and GaAs HEMT structures. Results indicated the InGaAs pHEMT was superior and thus fabricated as the micro-Hall device. …

Recreational Risk Assessment Using Geospatial Analyses On Beaver Lake, Arkansas, Laura Ahrens

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Accidents and deaths occur regularly on lakes and waterways due to natural phenomena as well as human error and recreation. People use lakes and waterways as sources of recreation, but do not always act responsibly on the water. During summer 2013 and winter 2014, over 100 surveys were administered in Beaver Lake, Arkansas to local and federal agencies regarding their knowledge and perception on accident locations and causes. These surveys were conducted in English and approved by the university after being tested on peers. The surveys included demographic data sex, income, education, as well as Likert-scaled responses. Research was also …

Genetic Health And Population Viability Of Reintroduced American Marten In Michigan, Tamara L. Hillman

Masters Theses

American marten (Martes americana) were extirpated from Michigan’s Lower Peninsula (LP) in 1911, and subsequently from the Upper Peninsula (UP) in 1939 due to habitat loss and unregulated trapping. The species was later reintroduced in the UP in the mid-1950s, and to the LP in the mid-1980s. Previous research has determined the small founding sizes used in the LP reintroductions have resulted in losses of genetic diversity, while research in the UP has produced discordant results concerning the effects of the reintroduction methods on genetic health and population structure. Since past research of marten in the LP, no …

Predictive Modeling Of Floral Species Richness In Michigan Prairie Fen Communities, Nichole R. Mason

Masters Theses

Prairie fens contain high levels of floral biodiversity, including 19 state threatened or endangered plant species, and are classified as rare and vulnerable communities by the Michigan Natural Features Inventory. The objective of this thesis was to develop multiple-regression (MR) models that reliably predict total, native, and invasive floral species richness for use by conservation organizations. Floral biodiversity surveys were conducted in eight southern Michigan prairie fens during the 2012 growing season. Simple linear regressions between fen size and biodiversity were used to optimize sampling strategy and effort (i.e., number of transects and plots per transect) in surveys conducted in …

The Nutrient Intake Of Homeless Women Of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Emily D. Popma-Metsaars

Masters Theses

Background Homeless individuals comprise about 1% of the American population with 1/3 of this particular population being women. And despite the potential for hunger, the homeless population has a similar prevalence of overweight/obese as other Americans. The Heartside neighborhood of Grand Rapids is a very low-income area of the city, inhabited by the poor and homeless. The Food Access in Michigan Project is studying the relationship between food insecurity and food environments in Michigan.

Objectives The purpose of this study was to determine the characteristics of the diet of homeless women in Heartside. This study examined the level of food …

Knowledge, Practice, And Barriers Toward Cervical Cancer Screening In Elmina, Southern Ghana, Nancy Innocentia Ebu, Sylvia C. Mupepi, Mate Peter Siakwa, Carolyn M. Sampselle

Peer Reviewed Articles

Aims: The aims of this study were: 1) to assess the level of knowledge of women about Pap smear tests, 2) to determine the practices of women regarding Pap smear tests, and 3) to determine the barriers to Pap smear tests in Elmina, Ghana.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 392 randomly selected sexually active females aged 10–74 years using structured interview questions. The Institutional Review Board of the University of Cape Coast gave ethical approval for the study and informed consent was obtained from participants. Data were analyzed with SPSS software (v19.0) using frequencies, chi-square test, and exploratory …

Genetic Structure Of Yellow Perch Populations In Coastal Areas Of Eastern Lake Michigan, Jessica N. Wesolek

Masters Theses

Genetic population substructure is often overlooked because of discontinuities between management and actual population structure as in the case of yellow perch, an ecologically and economically important indigenous fish species in the Laurentian Great Lakes. A knowledge gaps pertaining to the natural history of yellow perch relates to the biological connectivity between nearshore Lake Michigan and drowned river mouth (DRM) lakes, where it remains unclear whether resident yellow perch from Lake Michigan use DRM lakes for spawning or whether DRM lakes contribute to nearshore yellow perch populations in Lake Michigan. I used DNA fingerprinting (genotyping) to explore biological connectivity between …

Companies' Responses To Negative Online Reviews, Claudia L. Ramos

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Past research has revealed that very little research had examined services recovery strategies in the online context. The study investigated different types of companies’ responses to negative online reviews as a service recovery strategy after a service failure. The current research centers on the relationship between one service recovery strategy and three online customer behavioral reactions: post-purchase cognitive dissonance, post-recovery satisfaction and re-purchase intentions. Participants were randomly assigned to one of five conditions and were asked to complete a questionnaire that measured cognitive dissonance, post-recovery satisfaction and re-purchase intention scores, as well as demographic items. Results showed that the apology …

Chemistry Teachers’ Perceptions Of Team Teaching In Enhancing Their Pedagogical Content Knowledge: A Case Study Of A Secondary School In Embu County, Kenya., Margaret Karimi Njiru

Master of Education

Team teaching is one of the rich avenues through which chemistry teachers‟ pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) can be enhanced. However studies have shown that perceptions richly impact on the choices that chemistry teachers make concerning a particular pedagogical strategy like team teaching. Though in team teaching teachers are engaged in the three components of co-planning, co-instruction and co-assessment for a group of learners, chemistry teachers are rarely involved in these components and especially co-instruction. Understanding the chemistry teachers‟ perceptions of team teaching and how these perceptions inform their practise was therefore the aim of this study since through team teaching …

Using Oral Traditions (Stories) In Teaching Numeracy In Early Childhood In Lower Primary P1-3, West Nile Sub-Region Uganda, Owiny Anthony Anywar

Master of Education

In traditional Africa, story was one of the teaching approaches used to impart most of multifaceted undocumented indigenous knowledge. Today in schools the world over stories are used to teach children in early childhood and the use extends beyond the school boundary because early childhood educators and parents have ascertained the contributions of stories in young children’s learning. Uses of stories in teaching make children learn and understand the entire world around them and they develop wisdom and skills through creativity to overcome challenges they face. Most teachers relate the use of stories in teaching language and other subjects while …

An Investigation On The Utilization Of The Public Library By The Community: A Case Study Of A Public Library In Mombasa County, Kenya, Lydia Ethel Odhiambo

Master of Education

Public libraries are known to play a major role in fostering knowledge and information to the community. They have continued to exist in the society for many generations meeting the various needs of the people by availing print and non-print materials. For many generations people have used libraries to gather information and generate new knowledge though in the recent times there has been a paradigm shift due to technological advancements. Public libraries are government run institutions and they purpose to serve the communities in the regions where they are established. The study was conducted a public library in Mombasa county, …

Critical Literacy Development In Early Childhood Education, Blandina Francis Duwe

Master of Education

Developing critical literacy using action research entails reading African stories to children and asking questions to direct children’s thinking. The idea of critical literacy development arises from the need to empower young children to be engaged in discussion about different issues that are directly or indirectly connected to their lives. This study employed the use of qualitative approach and action research design to explore how critical literacy could be developed in young children. Results found indicated that children can engage in exploring complex issues as long as they are exposed to activities that stimulate thinking to development of critical literacy. …

Effects Of The Preparation And Perception Of Middle School Teachers On The Infusion Of Multicultural Education, John Mccraney

College of Education Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to determine the difference of how teachers perceive multicultural orientation, multiculturalism and cultural relations, multiculturalism and perceived sense of community, and multiculturalism and sense of responsibility based on gender, experience, and racial identity. The subscales on the Multicultural Emphasis Inventory (MEI) measured the teachers’ perceptions. The sample included middle school teachers in a large urban district in central Arkansas.

A quantitative, non-experimental research used four one-way analyses of variance to determine whether the evidence existed to reject the formulated hypotheses. The independent variables were as follows: gender for Hypotheses 1-4, teacher experiences for Hypotheses …

Culture In Solution-Focused Consultation: An Intercultural Approach*, Gale Miller

Journal of Solution Focused Practices

I develop an intercultural approach to Solution-Focused consultation in this pa­ per. The approach represents an anthropological-sociological interpretation and is written by an interested outsider to the Solution-Focused world. The analysis stresses how multicultural concerns permeate Solution-Focused consultations as practitioners and clients draw from other cultures in which they participate. Prac­titioner-client interactions are treated as negotiations that turn on participants' intercultural competencies, that is, their ability to navigate between their own cultural orientations and those of others involved in consultations. An explanation of how my intercultural perspective extends cultural themes in the Solution-Fo­cused literature is discussed and an illustration of …

Marin Beck Honors Portfolio, Marin Elisabeth Beck

Honors Capstone Portfolios

Marin Beck's honors portfolio captured in December 2014.

Testing A Risky Sex Behavior Intervention Pilot Website For Adolescents, Randall Starling, Don Helme, Jessica A. Nodulman, Angela D. Bryan, David B. Buller, Robert Lewis Donohew, W. Gill Woodall

Communication Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Each year, teenagers account for about one-fifth of all unintended pregnancies in the United States. As such, delivering sexual risk reduction educational materials to teens in a timely fashion is of critical importance. Web-based delivery of these materials shows promise for reaching and persuading teens away from risky sexual and substance abuse behaviors. The purpose of this study was to pilot test a web-based program aimed at reducing risky sexual behavior and related outcomes among adolescents in a high school setting.

METHODS: A beta-test of the website was conducted in three public schools in New Mexico, USA …

Deliberative Democracy And The American Civil Jury, Valerie P. Hans, John Gastil, Traci Feller

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

Civil jury service should be a potent form of deliberative democracy, creating greater civic engagement. However, a 2010 seven-state study of jury service and voting records found no overall boost in civic engagement following service on civil juries, whereas jurors who served on criminal cases did show increased civic engagement following their jury service. This article reports a project that augments the civil jury data set with information about jury decision rule, jury size, defendant identity, and case type and examines whether specific types of civil jury service influence postservice voting. Taking into account preservice voting records, jurors who serve …

A Tale Of Two (And Possibly Three) Atkins: Intellectual Disability And Capital Punishment Twelve Years After The Supreme Court's Creation Of A Categorical Bar, John H. Blume, Sheri Lynn Johnson, Paul Marcus, Emily C. Paavola

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

This article examines empirically the capital cases decided by the lower courts since the United States Supreme Court created the categorical ban against the execution of persons with intellectual disability twelve years ago in the Atkins decision.

Characterization Of Fluvial Facies Distributions And Cyclicity Using Terrestrial Lidar: Paleocene Nacimiento Formation, Kutz Canyon, New Mexico, Jeffrey Carritt

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

The fluvial deposits of the early Paleocene Nacimiento Formation are comprised of variegrated mudstones with interbedded paleosols and channel sandstone bodies. This study documents these strata in a ~1 km2 outcrop area at Kutz Canyon, San Juan Basin, New Mexico, by employing fully georeferenced lidar intensity data collected from a terrestrial lidar scanner and an outcrop surface model constructed from the lidar data and calibrated digital field photographs. At this location, the lidar intensity data are responsive to lithology and distinct lidar facies are identified which correspond to facies types described in measured stratigraphic sections. One dimensional lidar intensity logs …

Developing Thinking In L2 Speaking: Evidence From Spatial-Temporal System In Chinese And English Learners, Pei-Ni Causarano

Linguistics ETDs

Spatial and temporal expressions cross-linguistically are metaphorical can present a difficult challenge during second language acquisition. This dissertation expands on Slobins (1996) study of 'first-language thinking in second-language speaking,' and applies linguistic relativity theory and Vygotsky's theory on thought and language to investigate how L1 thinking influences L2 speaking in Chinese native speakers learning English and English native speakers learning Chinese. It examines (a) habitual language use of spatial and temporal referents cross-linguistically and (b) dynamic changes of spatial and spatial-temporal expressions in L2 learners across proficiency levels. Some 41 CLLs and ELLs at four proficiency levels participated in this …

Dna Chemical Reaction Network Design Synthesis And Compilation, M. Leigh Fanning

Computer Science ETDs

The advantages of biomolecular computing include 1) the ability to interface with, monitor, and intelligently protect and maintain the functionality of living systems, 2) the ability to create computational devices with minimal energy needs and hazardous waste production during manufacture and lifecycle, 3) the ability to store large amounts of information for extremely long time periods, and 4) the ability to create computation analogous to human brain function. To realize these advantages over electronics, biomolecular computing is at a watershed moment in its evolution. Computing with entire molecules presents different challenges and requirements than computing just with electric charge. These …

Student Mindset Compared To Performance On The Nebraska State Accountability Test, Ann E. Dvorak

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Carol Dweck’s research on fixed vs. growth mindset has led to many opportunities for educational research. According to Dweck, a person with a fixed mindset believes that his or her qualities related to a certain task are unchangeable while an individual with a growth mindset believes that his or her qualities related to a certain task can be changed and improved (Dweck, 2006). A correlative study was conducted to identify relationships that exist between student mindset and scores from the Nebraska State Accountability Test (NeSA). For this study, students in the 7^th, 8^th, and 11^{th …}

The Power And Type I Error Rate Of Holm's Procedure When The Assumptions Of Normality And Variance Homogeneity Are Violated, Michael J. Zweifel

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

When multiple hypothesis tests are conducted on a single data set, it is necessary to control for the inflation of the Type I error rate. This is done through the use of multiple comparison procedures. Holm’s procedure is a potentially attractive multiple comparison procedure because it makes no assumptions about the data and it is simple to implement. Holm’s procedure is conducted by adjusting the p-values obtained from a prior statistical test. As a result, the power and Type I error rate of Holm’s procedure may be tied to the assumptions of the statistical test from which the p …

Fostering Metacognition In The Middle School Classroom: An Exploration Of Teachers' Practices, Markeya S. Peteranetz

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This thesis investigated how middle school teachers foster metacognition through instruction. Metacognition is the knowledge and awareness of one’s thinking as well as monitoring and control of thought processes. Metacognition is related to student achievement and can be increased through both implicit and explicit instruction. Explicit instruction takes place when the teacher points out, explains, or discusses the benefits of metacognition. Implicit instruction occurs when the teacher models or prompts the use of metacognition without expressly acknowledging or discussing it. This thesis used both quantitative and qualitative methods to determine the extent that metacognition is fostered in middle school classrooms …