Digital Commons Network^™

Characterization Of Smoothness In Wrist Rotations, Layne Hancock Salmond

Theses and Dissertations

Smoothness is a hallmark of healthy movement and has the potential to be used as a marker of recovery in rehabilitation settings. While much past research has focused on shoulder and elbow movements (reaching), little is known about movements of the wrist despite its importance in everyday life and its impairment in many neurological and biomechanical disorders. Our current lack of knowledge regarding wrist movement prevents us from improving current models, diagnosis, and treatment of wrist disorders. In particular, while movement smoothness is a well-known characteristic of reaching movements and may potentially be used to diagnose and monitor recovery from …

Fire And Ungulate Herbivory Differentially Affect The Sexual Reproduction Of Generalist And Specialist Pollinated Plants, Andrew Hollis Lybbert

Theses and Dissertations

Currently the size and frequency of wildfires are increasing at a global scale, including arid ecosystems that exhibit great sensitivity to disturbance. Fire effects on plant pollination and reproductive success in deserts are largely unknown. Plant dependence on animal pollinators for reproduction can increase the risk of reproductive failure if pollination services are hindered or lost. Species that depend on few taxonomically related pollinator species are expected to be most negatively affected by disturbances that disrupt pollination interactions. To assess fire and isolation effects on reproductive success in desert plant communities, and how wildfire influences the pollination success of generalist …

Investigaciónn De Actitudes Sociolingüísticas Hacia El Valenciano Y El Castellanoen Agost, José Manuel Hernández Gonzalez

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates the attitudes of the inhabitants of Agost towards Castilian and Valencian Catalan. Data were collected by means of a questionnaire distributed among a representative sample of Agostenses between April and June 2013 and analyzed according to three independent variables: sex, age and education. It was hypothesized that attitudes would covary with these variables and, in general, this proved to be the case.

A Covering System With Minimum Modulus 42, Tyler Owens

Theses and Dissertations

We construct a covering system whose minimum modulus is 42. This improves the previous record of 40 by P. Nielsen.

Development Of Speech Recognition Threshold And Word Recognition Materials For Native Vietnamese Speakers, Claire Hanson

Theses and Dissertations

Despite the documented need for reliable speech audiometry materials for measures such as speech recognition threshold and word recognition score, such recorded materials are not available in the Vietnamese language. The purpose of this study was to develop, digitally record, evaluate, and psychometrically equate a set of Vietnamese bisyllabic and monosyllabic word lists for use in the measurement of speech recognition and word recognition ability, respectively. To create the speech recognition threshold materials, common Vietnamese bisyllabic words were digitally recorded by male and female talkers of Vietnamese and presented for evaluation to 20 native speakers of Vietnamese with normal hearing. …

Components Of Effective Writing Content Conferences In A Sixth-Grade Classroom, Paul Ricks

Theses and Dissertations

Students are now required to show proficiency in writing through performance on standardized tests. Educators and researchers are looking for ways to improve persuasive and argumentative writing created by students. The writing content conference setting gives educators and students opportunities to discuss student writing in a one-on-one format in which students receive feedback. Ideally, this helps them to create multiple drafts of writing that improve with each revision. Many practitioner guides have been created that offer suggestions as to how conferences can be conducted and what types of interactions can theoretically occur. Few, however, have examined what actually happens during …

Modeling And Testing Of Bistable Waterbomb Base Configurations, Brandon Holbrook Hanna

Theses and Dissertations

Origami is making an impact in engineering as solutions to problems are being found by applying origami principles (eg. flat-foldability) and using specific crease patterns as inspiration. This thesis presents an in-depth analysis of a particular origami fold -- the waterbomb base -- to facilitate its use in future engineering problems. The watebomb base is of interest due to its familiarity to the origami community, simple topology (can be made by folding a single sheet of paper four times), scalability, generalizability, and interesting kinetic behavior. It can behave as a nonlinear spring as well as a one- or two-way bistable …

Zadie Smith's Nw And The Edwardian Roots Of The Contemporary Cosmopolitan Ethic, Laura Domenica Marostica

Theses and Dissertations

British contemporary writer Zadie Smith is often representative of cosmopolitan writers of the twenty-first century: in both her fiction and nonfiction, she joins a multicultural background and broad, varied interests to an ethic based on the importance of interpersonal relationships and empathetic respect for the other. But while Smith is often considered the poster child for the contemporary British cosmopolitan, her ethics are in fact rooted in the one rather staid member of the canon: EM Forster, whose emphatic call to ‘only connect’ grounds all of Smith's fiction. Her latest novel, 2012's NW, further expands her relationship to Forster in …

The Bioluminescence Heterozygous Genome Assembler, Jared Calvin Price

Theses and Dissertations

High-throughput DNA sequencing technologies are currently revolutionizing the fields of biology and medicine by elucidating the structure and function of the components of life. Modern DNA sequencing machines typically produce relatively short reads of DNA which are then assembled by software in an attempt to produce a representation of the entire genome. Due to the complex structure of all but the smallest genomes, especially the abundant presence of exact or almost exact repeats, all genome assemblers introduce errors into the final sequence and output a relatively large set of contigs instead of full-length chromosomes (a contig is a DNA sequence …

Family Ties: A Profile Of Television Family Configurations, 2004–2013, Samantha Ann Wiscombe

Theses and Dissertations

This study provides a content analysis of television families portrayed in family-focused programs aired between 2004 and 2013. The analysis focuses on family configuration type, parent type and marital status, and the frequency and gender of children characters, as well as each program's genre, channel type, and target audience. The study uses cultivation theory as the basis of understanding and aims to anticipate television's potential effects and raise important questions that should be addressed in future studies. Results indicate that the traditional nuclear family configuration held the largest portion of the television family landscape. The study found an increase in …

The Development Of Christianity In Contemporary China, Chu Yi Lu

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to study the development of Christianity in contemporary China. It adds to the limited literature that explores how Christianity has developed as the fastest growing religion in China post the Chinese Cultural Revolution. The data derive from semi-structured and focus group interviews with Chinese Christians and field observation notes collected at both official and non-official Christian churches in Beijing. I found an ambivalent attitude toward the development of Christianity across different social levels in China. At the state level, the Chinese government expects Christianity to provide a much-needed stabilizing influence in an increasingly self-centered …

Transcription And Translation Of A Yearly Letter From 1619 Found In The Japonica Sinica 71 From The Archivum Romanum Societatis Iesu, Jason Michael Wilber

Theses and Dissertations

This project is a transcription and translation of a 21-page annual letter written about the Cochinchina mission for the year 1619 by the Jesuit missionary João Rodrigues Girão. In 1619 the Cochinchina mission consisted of central and southern Vietnam. The two Jesuit residents at this time were located in the city of Faifo, in the province of Cacham, and Nuocman, in the province of Pulocamby. A semi-diplomatic and diplomatic transcription style is used for the transcription, with a dynamic-equivalent (sense-for-sense) style used for the translation.

Crash Prediction Modeling For Curved Segments Of Rural Two-Lane Two-Way Highways In Utah, Casey Scott Knecht

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis contains the results of the development of crash prediction models for curved segments of rural two-lane two-way highways in the state of Utah. The modeling effort included the calibration of the predictive model found in the Highway Safety Manual (HSM) as well as the development of Utah-specific models developed using negative binomial regression. The data for these models came from randomly sampled curved segments in Utah, with crash data coming from years 2008-2012. The total number of randomly sampled curved segments was 1,495. The HSM predictive model for rural two-lane two-way highways consists of a safety performance function …

A Hybrid Method For Sensitivity Optimization With Application To Radio-Frequency Product Design, Abraham Lee

Theses and Dissertations

A method for performing robust optimal design that combines the efficiency of experimental designs and the accuracy of nonlinear programming (NLP) has been developed, called Search-and-Zoom. Two case studies from the RF and communications industry, a high-frequency micro-strip band-pass filter (BPF) and a rectangular, directional patch antenna, were used to show that sensitivity optimization could be effectively performed in this industry and to compare the computational efficiency of traditional NLP methods (using fmincon solver in MATLAB R2013a) and they hybrid method Search-and-Zoom. The sensitivity of the BPF's S11 response was reduced from 0.06666 at the (non-robust) nominal optimum to 0.01862 …

Paraeducators' Perceptions Of Their Responsibilities Based On The Utah Standards, Mary E. Buynak

Theses and Dissertations

Paraeducators are increasingly involved in the education of students with disabilities. In order for paraeducators to properly work with this population, they must have adequate and ongoing training. Research has shown that paraeducators do not receive appropriate training in order to work with students with disabilities. The purpose of this study is to investigate the self-perceived knowledge of paraeducators working in special education and their level of training need. The study examines paraeducators' work environment, responsibilities, knowledge based on the Utah Standards for Paraeducators and perceived training needs. Ninety-five special education paraeducators working in a large, suburban school district in …

Dark Satire As Political Criticism In Dias' Gomes O Bem-Amado , Mark Jeffrey Nelson

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the Dias Gomes' play turned telenovela, O Bem-Amado, to demonstrate the use of satire and dark humor to make political commentary during the tumultuous sociopolitical era in Brazil from the early 1960s through the late-1970s. This era in Brazil is characterized by the overthrow of the leftist democratically elected civilian government by a corporate-backed hardline military dictatorship in the early part of 1964, which lasts for approximately 20 years. The result of this authoritative military rule causes many artists and intellectuals that oppose the dictatorship's repression to flee into exile abroad or adapt to the changing sociopolitical …

Analyzing The Instructional Methodologies And Ideologies Underlying English As A Foreign Language Textbooks In China And Evaluating Their Alignment With Assessments And National Standards, Anneke Garcia

Theses and Dissertations

The current study is a collection of three publishable articles addressing a similar theme. Each article is an examination into the role textbooks play in Chinese English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms and, specifically, a look at textbooks as an element in the classroom environment, their relationship to pressures from high-stakes exams, and an exploration into any paradigms about the nature of EFL learning they may be explicitly or implicitly promoting through their content and methodologies. The first article, a grounded theory look at underlying methodologies and ideologies in common Chinese textbooks, reveals that there may be competing paradigms …

A Desk Study Of The Education Policy Implications Of Using Data From Multiple Sources: Example Of Primary School Teacher Supply And Demand In Malawi, Moses Khombe

Theses and Dissertations

Malawi, as a country with very limited resources, needs to have educational policies in place to maximize effectiveness of the public education system. Policymakers depend on accurate data, but variations in data between sources leaves policymakers uncertain as they attempt to craft policies to address the growing educational crisis in Malawi. A desk study was performed to evaluate the policy implications of employing data from multiple sources using primary school teacher supply and demand in Malawi as an illustration. This study examined one national organization, Malawi's Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology (MoEST); three international aid and assistance organizations (IAAOs), …

Inheriting The Library: The Archon And The Archive In George Macdonald's Lilith, Lauran Ray Fuller

Theses and Dissertations

George MacDonald's novel Lilith relates the story of a young man inheriting his deceased father's estate and coming in contact with its remarkable library and mysterious librarian. The protagonist's subsequent adventures in a fantastical world prepare the young Mr. Vane to assume authority over his inherited archive and become an archon. Jacques Derrida's exposition of the responsibilities of the archon including archival authority, domiciliation, and consignation illuminate the mentoring role of the elusive librarian Mr. Raven in Vane's adventures. By using Derrida's deconstruction of archives to unpack the intricacies of knowledge transfer in MacDonald's novel, the lasting impact of the …

Effects Of Nitrate Supplementation On Cognitive And Cerebrovascular Function At Simulated High Altitude, Wesley K. Lefferts

Theses - ALL

Acute high altitude (HA) exposure compromises cognitive function thus posing a significant risk to personnel safety in a HA environment, particularly when performing tasks that requires cognitive vigilance. Normal cerebral function, and thus cognitive function, is dependent upon oxygen supply. At HA there is reduced oxygen availability results in compensatory increases in cerebrovascular blood flow which may be related to nitric oxide (NO), a primary signaling molecule that acts to increase blood flow and ensure an optimal neurovascular coupling (NVC). Upon initial ascent to HA, however, there may be reductions in NO production which may play a role in acute …

The Practice Of Neogeography In Community-Based Organizations, Patrick Oberle

Theses - ALL

Neogeography and Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) are two terms that have emerged recently to describe the practice of geography by those not formally trained in it as a discipline and spatial data provided by individuals through social media and other Web-based tools. Both neogeography and VGI can be directly linked to the growth of various online mapping websites and applications that allow for the creation of electronic maps that are interactive, adaptable, and easily shared via the Internet and Web. As recent phenomena, the practice of neogeography and VGI is not well understood, nor are the links these new fields …

Blending, Mixing, And Processing: Strategies Used To Engage Students In The Classroom, Mark Aaron Polger, Karen Okamoto

LOEX Conference Proceedings 2012

Two of the biggest challenges in the provision of library instruction are memory retention and student engagement. How can students retain all of the information they receive in a “one shot” library instruction class and how do librarians engage them in a memorable way?

A Library instruction class provides a unique opportunity to not only educate students (and even teaching faculty) but promote valuable services and resources. Librarians must be creative and must use a variety of teaching strategies that will help promote critical thinking, memory retention, and student engagement. Our presentation will provide numerous teaching examples from our library …

Differences In Mathematics And Literacy Achievement Between African American Males And Other 11th-Grade Students, Jeffery Flanigan

College of Education Dissertations

The gap in school performance between African American students and students of other subpopulations has shown up in a range of academic success measures including course grades, test scores, course selection, and college graduation rates (Johnston & Viadero 2000); college and high school grade point averages [GPAs] (Banks & Banks, 2004); and dropout rates (Gordon, 1999; Green, 2001; Irvine & Armento, 2001; Jencks & Phillips, 1998; Kober, 2001; Lee, 2002). These indicators all point to a disturbing pattern in the educational system and beg the question: What is going on with the education of African American males in the United …

A Comparison Of Passive And Active Acoustic Sampling For A Bat Community Impacted By White-Nose Syndrome, Laci S. Coleman, W. Mark Ford, Chris A. Dobony, Eric R. Britzke

KIP Articles

In the summers of 2011 and 2012, we compared passive and active acoustic sampling for bats at 31 sites at Fort Drum Military Installation, New York. We defined active sampling as acoustic sampling that occurred in 30-min intervals between the hours of sunset and 0200 with a user present to manipulate the directionality of the microphone. We defined passive sampling as acoustic sampling that occurred over a 12-h period (1900–0700 hours) without a user present and with the microphone set in a predetermined direction. We detected seven of the nine possible species at Fort Drum, including the federally endangered Indiana …

Microplastics In Long Island Marine Estuaries, Jessica Steve

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

This study investigated the prevalence of microplastics in Shinnecock Bay and Jamaica Bay on Long Island in New York. Surface water samples were collected with a 200 μ m plankton tow net, filtered onto metal mesh screens, and examined under a dissecting microscope. A total of 517 microplastic particles were found in samples from Shinnecock Bay (0-0.58 particles m-3), and 1,005 particles were found in Jamaica Bay samples (0-3.93 particles m-3). Particles were visually sorted by size, color, and shape. Statistical analyses were performed to analyze microplastic particle diversity, evenness, and any spatial or temporal variation. Attempts to determine source …

Representations Of Gender In Young Adult (Ya) Literature, 1960-2010, Maria I. Cipriani

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

This dissertation focuses the lens of queer studies and trauma studies on YA literature published in the United States between 1960 and 2010 to demonstrate that authors embed cultural messages in YA texts. Those messages for YA readers intend to model behavior considered appropriate and teach about normative sex and gender roles. Individuals between the ages of 10 and 20 comprise YA readership, and the means of teaching these readers cultural norms include imagery and cautionary tales. The content of the literature inculcates views of acceptable behaviors with respect to sexuality and gender roles and generally conflates sex and gender. …

Greendm: A Versatile Tiering Hybrid Drive For The Trade-Off Evaluation Of Performance, Energy, And Endurance, Zhichao Li

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

There are trade-offs among performance, energy, and device endurance for storage systems. These trade-offs become more complex in storage system comprising different storage technologies. Designs optimized for one dimension or workload often suffer in another. Therefore, it is important to study the trade-offs so as to be able to adapt the system to workloads. As different types of drives have different traits, tiering hybrid drives are studied more closely. However, previous tiering hybrids are often designed for high throughput, efficient energy consumption, or improving endurance--leaving empirical study on the trade-offs being unexplored. Past endurance studies also lack a concrete model …

Hollywood On The Tiber And Italian Cinema: Practices Of Transatlantic Stardom 1949-1965, Maria Elena D'Amelio

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

My dissertation aims to contribute to the emergent scholarly conversation on transnational stardom by examining the transatlantic career of the three male stars Amedeo Nazzari, Vittorio Gassman, and Steve Reeves, as case studies to define specific transnational practices of film production, aesthetics, and reception between Italy and the United States. | 205 pages

Re-Facing Societies Through Art Faith47: A Heroine For Hope, Stephen Louis Francis

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Areas of the world that are facing hardships of all kinds bare the same signature that is visible to all: a dilapidated infrastructure. A first step in improving the areas that are struggling is to give the citizens something to be proud of when they look out of their windows. The work of South African street artist Faith47 is the kind of art that can provide such pride and also hope for a better future. Using Faith47's native country, I am proposing a socialist regime of art to both physically and emotionally improve the areas and citizens who suffer each …

Collective Memory And Performative Reconquista: Action And Inaction In The Performance Art Of Regina Jose Galindo, Jasnira Lizbeth Zuniga

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Using Coco Fusco's notion of the Reconquista to read ¿Quién puede borrar las huellas? of 2003 and Reconocimiento de un cuerpo of 2008, this paper investigates performance artist Regina José Galindo's conceptual approaches of action and inaction. Grappling with very specific histories of violence and repression in attempts to deal with the unresolved, Regina José Galindo's performances here concern themselves with permanence and impermance, confronting and reactivating the bodies of her viewers by restaging collective memory and trauma. Focusing on pieces conceived and staged in the Latin American context, this paper contextualizes Galindo's performance in Guatemala and Argentina as attempts …