Digital Commons Network^™

Feelings And Emotions In Youth’S Purpose, Valeria Amorim Arantes, Viviane Potenze Guimarᾶes Pinheiro, Ulisses Ferreira Araujo

Journal of Youth Development

This article summarizes research that aimed to identify and analyze the Organizing Models of Thought - with its affective and cognitive dimensions - underlying the purpose of young Brazilians, and identifies possible relationships between values, feelings, emotions and purpose of 200 Brazilian High School students. Upon analyzing all the protocols, seven different ways of organizing thoughts were found when answering an open-ended questionnaire about purpose in life. It was observed that emotions and feelings play an important role in the construction of purpose for young people, exerting influence in organizing their thoughts and subsidizing their decisions, plans and justification for …

A Vegetation Analysis On Horn Island, Mississippi, Ca. 1940 Using Characteristic Dimensions Derived From Historical Aerial Photography, Guy Wilburn Jeter Jr.

Master's Theses

Horn Island is part of the MS/AL barrier island chain in the northern Gulf of Mexico located approximately 18kn off the coast of Mississippi. This island’s habitats have undergone many transitions over the last several decades. The goal of this study was to quantify habitat change over a seventy year period using historical black and white photography from 1940. Using present NAIP imagery from the USDA, habitat structure was estimated by using geo-statistics, and second order statistics, from a co-occurrence matrix, to characterize texture for habitat classification. Percent land cover was then calculated to determine overall land cover change over …

The Status Of, Teacher Attitudes Towards, And The Lmpact Of Music Therapy Lnclusive Music Education In Michigan, Ann E. Armbruster

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine Michigan music teachers' attitudes and perceptions regarding their training for and experience with special learners in their classrooms, and their collaboration and consultation with music therapists. Eighty-six music educators completed a 51 item questionnaire. Results showed that music teachers' attitudes and perceptions are generally positive toward inclusion. Mean scores for attitude and perception were not influenced by whether participants had or had not taken a course in special education as a student, whether they had access to continuing education regarding inclusion through their school district, or participants' predominant teaching area or degree …

Local Planning And High-Speed Rail: Responses And Perceptions In A Developing Amtrak Corridor, John-Luke D'Ambrosio

Masters Theses

Incremental speed increases have been a main focus of Amtrak in recent years. Now operating at 110 mph within three different service lines in the United States, Amtrak is making progress toward achieving maximum speeds within rail corridors. This study focuses on Amtrak’s Wolverine service line which operates daily passenger rail service between Chicago, Illinois and Detroit/Pontiac, Michigan. Specifically, this study will look at six cities connected by this service that are east of Chicago. The six cities examined in this research are Hammond, Indiana, Michigan City, Indiana, New Buffalo, Michigan, Niles, Michigan, Dowagiac, Michigan, and Kalamazoo, Michigan. This segment …

Sex Offender Law And The Geography Of Victimization, Amanda Y. Agan, J. J. Prescott

Articles

Sex offender laws that target recidivism (e.g., community notification and residency restriction regimes) are premised—at least in part—on the idea that sex offender proximity and victimization risk are positively correlated. We examine this relationship by combining past and current address information of registered sex offenders (RSOs) with crime data from Baltimore County, Maryland, to study how crime rates vary across neighborhoods with different concentrations of resident RSOs. Contrary to the assumptions of policymakers and the public, we find that, all else equal, reported sex offense victimization risk is generally (although not uniformly) lower in neighborhoods where more RSOs live. To …

A Case Study Of Pedestrian Environments Around Tamien Station In San Jose, California: An Analysis Of Existing Conditions And Recommendations To Improve Pedestrian Access And Promote Walking Around Tamien Station, Priya Gopalkrishnan

Master's Projects

The objective of this research is to understand how the analysis of design elements can foster design recommendations for the transformation of the pedestrian environment around the Tamien Station area. This was done by conducting a street segment audit for twenty-five selected streets around the one-half mile walking distance of Tamien Station providing recommendations based on audit findings and urban design analysis.

China's Concept Of Military Strategy, Timothy Thomas

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

No abstract provided.

Book Reviews, Usawc Press

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

No abstract provided.

The Application Of P-Bar Theory In Transformation-Based Error-Driven Learning, Bryant Harold Walley

Master's Theses

In P-bar Theory, Perkins et al. (2014) proposed a rule based method for determining the context of a partext (i.e., a part of a text document).

In Transformation-Based Error-Driven Learning and Natural Language Processing: A Case Study in Part-of-Speech Tagging Brill (1995) demonstrates a method of error-driven learning applied to individual words at the sentence level to determine the part of speech each word represents.

We combine these two concepts providing a transformation-based error-driven learning algorithm to improve the results obtained from the static rules Perkins proposed and determine if the rule order prediction will provide additional metadata.

A Phenological Study Of Bat Communities In Southern Mississippi Caves, Zachary Uriah Roth

Master's Theses

Mississippi is generally not known for its caves, and consequently its cave flora and fauna remain largely unstudied. From fall 2010 to winter 2013, we studied the bat populations in the three largest caves in Mississippi. The most common (and only) species found in these caves were Myotis austroriparius and Perimyotis subflavus. I collected monthly data on the number of bats per species, behaviors and locations of the bats within the caves, as well as atmospheric data at selected positions within each cave. All three caves were found to have significant temperature differences between seasons (winterPerimyotis subflavus was found …

Did Money Matter? Interpreting The Effect Of Displayed Wealth On Social Relations Within An Enslaved Community, Matthew Clark Greer

Master's Theses

Social relationships structure daily life in a startling, and important, variety of ways. However, when considering the social world that existed inside slave quarters across the Virginia Piedmont (and the Antebellum South), archaeologists have not been able to come to a clear consensus on how to approach the study of social networks; with some researchers focusing on social standing, seen most often through the role of material wealth to create connections, and others focusing on how interactions can be meaningfully interpreted from the archaeological record. This thesis represents an attempt to bridge these two theoretical stances, by looking to see …

Service-Learning, Sustainability, And The Need For Cosmopolitan Experiences In Undergraduate Education: A View From Anthropology, David Syring

eJournal of Public Affairs

To become citizens of the world, students must understand with their heads, hands, and hearts the complex realities that people live within in a globalizing but nonetheless richly diverse world. A short-term study-abroad program, while brief in duration, may profoundly affect student learning and, indeed, transform life paths by providing students real experiences of cosmopolitan consciousness. The program described below and represented by the accompanying videos focuses on immersive, service-based learning in Costa Rica for the purpose of exploring sustainability in its multiple registers—social, environmental, and economic. Student reflection and commentary from our Costa Rican host institution confirm that programs …

The Predicts Database: A Global Database Of How Local Terrestrial Biodiversity Responds To Human Impacts, Lawrence N. Hudson, Tim Newbold, Sara Contu, Samantha L.L. Hill, Igor Lysenko, Adriana De Palma, Helen R.P. Phillips, Rebecca A. Senior, Dominic J. Bennett, Hollie Booth, Argyrios Choimes, David L.P. Correia, Julie Day, Susy Echeverría-Londoño, Morgan Garon, Michelle L.K. Harrison, Daniel J. Ingram, Martin Jung, Victoria Kemp, Lucinda Kirkpatrick, Callum D. Martin, Yuan Pan, Hannah J. White, Job Aben, Stefan Abrahamczyk, Gilbert B. Adum, Virginia Aguilar-Barquero, Marcelo A. Aizen, Marc Ancrenaz, Enrique Arbeláez-Cortés, Inge Armbrecht, Badrul Azhar, Christopher A. Williams

Geography

Biodiversity continues to decline in the face of increasing anthropogenic pressures such as habitat destruction, exploitation, pollution and introduction of alien species. Existing global databases of species' threat status or population time series are dominated by charismatic species. The collation of datasets with broad taxonomic and biogeographic extents, and that support computation of a range of biodiversity indicators, is necessary to enable better understanding of historical declines and to project - and avert - future declines. We describe and assess a new database of more than 1.6 million samples from 78 countries representing over 28,000 species, collated from existing spatial …

Modeling The Evolution Of Generativity And The Emergence Of Digital Ecosystems, C. Jason Woodard, Eric K. Clemons

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Recent literature on sociotechnical systems has employed the concept of generativity to explain the remarkable capacity for digital artifacts to support decentralized innovation and the emergence of rich business ecosystems. In this paper, we propose agent-based computational modeling as a tool for studying the evolution of generativity, and offer a set of building blocks for constructing agent-based models in which generativity evolves. We describe a series of models that we have created using these building blocks, and summarize the results of our computational experiments to date. We find in several different settings that key features of generative systems can themselves …

Temperature Controlled Packaging Container For Biologics And Pharmaceuticals, Melinda Phan, Yufay Chow-Yee, Abraham Ho

Mechanical Engineering

Clinical Supplies Management, Inc. (CSM) provides clinical trial services to biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies by shipping pharmaceuticals to clinics and other patients. In winter 2014, CSM presented a temperature control packaging project to the Cal Poly Senior Project class. As a result, three Cal Poly Mechanical Engineering Students were tasked to design, manufacture, and qualify a shipping container that would maintain ten 10 mL vials between 2-8°C for 96 hours. The final product would have to cost less to ship than the Credo Cube, CSM’s current temperature control packaging product. After considerable research and analysis on possible temperature control technologies, …

The $10.10 Minimum Wage Proposal: An Evaluation Across States, Andrew R. Hanson, Zackary Hawley

Economics Faculty Research and Publications

This paper offers state-level estimates of job loss from increasing the federal minimum wage to $10.10 per hour in 2016. Given the vast differences in nominal wages across geography, a federal increase in minimum wage that is not indexed to local wage levels will have a differential impacts across states. The proposed minimum wage would be binding for between 17 and 18 % of workers nationally. We estimate coverage rates ranging from just 4 % in Washington D.C. to as high as 51 % in Puerto Rico, with 13 states having at least 20 % of the employed population covered …

Sensitivity Of Hazus-Mh Flood Loss Estimates To Selection Of Building Parameters: Two Illinois Case Studies, Samir Shrestha

Theses

In this study, Hazus-MH (v 2.1 SP 2) flood-loss estimation tools were assessed for their sensitivity to an array of different building and model parameters. The purpose of this study is to help guide users of the Hazus-MH flood-loss modeling tool in the selection of most appropriate model parameters. Six model parameters (square footage of the building, building age, construction types, foundation types, first floor heights, and the number of stories in the building) were assessed for their impacts on flood losses using the Hazus-MH user defined and aggregate flood-loss models. Building stock databases for these analyses were developed using …

Fate Control And Human Rights: The Policies And Practices Of Local Governance In America's Arctic, Mara Kimmel

ISER Articles

The loss of territoriality over lands conveyed under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act had adverse impacts for Alaskan tribal governance. Despite policy frameworks that emphasize the value of local governance at an international, regional, and statewide level, Alaskan tribes face unique obstacles to exercising their authority, with consequences for both human development and human rights. This Article examines how territoriality was lost and analyzes the four major effects of this loss on tribal governance. It then describes two distinct but complimentary strategies to rebuilding tribal governance authority that rely on both territorial and non-territorial authority.

A Cross-National Comparison Of Voter Turnout In 15 Sub-Saharan African States, Scot Schraufnagel, Peter Gowen

Faculty Articles, Papers, and Other Scholarship

The political fortunes of Sub-Saharan Africa changed dramatically in the past twenty-five years. Since the late 1980s, many countries have held regular multi-party elections. A cross-national examination of voter participation rates, a common starting point for work on democratization, is now possible. This paper represents a first look at the determinants of voter turnout in 15 African states that have witnessed some stability in national elections since 1988. Controlling for several standard explanations of voter turnout, a model is developed to test a colonial legacy thesis, which seeks to understand the influence the former colonizing power has had on contemporary …

Optimized Photogrammetric Network Design With Flight Path Planner For Uav-Based Terrain Surveillance, Ivan Yair Rojas

Theses and Dissertations

This work demonstrates the use of genetic algorithms as a stochastic optimization technique for developing a camera network design and the flight path for photogrammetricapplications using Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. This study develops a Virtual Optimizer for Aerial Routes (VOAR) as a new photogrammetric mapping tool for acquisition of images to be used in 3D reconstruction. 3D point cloud models provide detailed information on infrastructure from places where human access may be difficult. This algorithm allows optimized flight paths to monitor infrastructure using GPS coordinates and optimized camera poses ensuring that the set of images captured is improved for 3D …

Transformation Of Uranium In A Geological Environment, Derrell Hood

All Theses

Incorporation of uranium into iron oxide minerals is a promising mechanism for the environmental immobilization of U(VI). In this study, synthesized hematite was doped with uranium and analyzed with SEM-EDS, TEM, XRD, and ICP-MS. The results of this analysis strongly indicate uranium incorporation into the mineral, as well as the possible presence of a co-precipitated uranium mineral clarkeite. Preliminary results also shows an increase in the amount of uranium associated with the hematite particles as a function of mineral aging. Cyclic Voltammetry (CV) was used to induce and characterize electrochemical changes of uranium in the doped hematite system; these changes …

The Effects Of Probiotics Supplementation On Health Using Caenorhabditis Elegans As A Model System, Miranda Klees

All Theses

The 'Western Diet,' prominent among developed nations, often refers to a diet rich in meat proteins and refined sugars. Western society may in part be plagued with obesity and obesity related diseases due to a diet enriched with glucose. With an increasing glycemic index observed in Western society, it comes to no surprise that obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and other obesity related diseases are on the rise. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describes obesity as an epidemic, affecting more than 35% of U.S. citizens. Shortened lifespan and increased susceptibility to pathogens are associated with these diseases and linked …

Using Gis To Prioritize Green Infrastructure Installation Strategies In An Urban Watershed, Lauren Owen

All Theses

This study seeks to quantify runoff volume generation and peak flow rates from the urban Sand River Headwaters to determine the most effective placement of additional green infrastructure in Aiken, SC. ArcMap 10.1, HEC-GeoHMS, and HEC-HMS were used to delineate a total outlet watershed along with subwatershed(s) for urban stormwater infrastructure system by 'burning' the stormwater system at an artificial elevation below the existing topologically-based Digital Elevation Model (DEM). The result was a higher resolution DEM that allowed for storm routing and subsequent volume and flow predictions compared to that based on the original DEM created by using Light Detecting …

Rebuilding Social Organization In Low-Income Neighborhoods: The Influence Of Habitat For Humanity, John Lattimore

All Dissertations

Research has linked neighborhoods of concentrated poverty with high crime, low employment, poor health, and low educational achievement. Because of these linkages, federal housing policy over the past few decades has often tried to 'deconcentrate' or disperse the poor from these neighborhoods into more affluent neighborhoods with the hope that better institutions and better neighbors will motivate these families to improve their lives. However research on large mobility programs such as Gautreaux and Moving to Opportunity (MTO), has found mostly mixed results and criticized the programs for having a small impact. Race and income have also proven to be significant …

Nexus Of Exchange Rate Deregulation And Agricultural Share Of Gross Domestic Product In Nigeria, Oyakhilomen Oyinbo, Falola Abraham, Grace Z. Rekwot

CBN Journal of Applied Statistics (JAS)

The kernel of this study was to examine the causal relationship between exchange rate deregulation and the agricultural share of gross domestic product in Nigeria from an econometric perspective using time series data spanning a period of 26 years (1986 – 2011). Data on exchange rate and gross domestic product were analysed using augmented dickey fuller unit root test, unrestricted vector autoregression, pairwise granger causality and vector error correction model. The results showed the existence of unidirectional causality from exchange rate to agricultural share of gross domestic production and also, exchange rate deregulation had negative influence on agricultural share of …

Virginia Accomplishments Since The 2008 Climate Action Plan Release, Center For Coastal Resources Management, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science, Governor's Climate Change And Resiliency Update Commission

2014, Adaptive Planning for Flooding and Coastal Change in Virginia: Next Steps for the Commonwealth

No abstract provided.

"Beyond The Pavement" And "Setting Fire To The Sky" With Critical Introduction: "Exploring The Dark: Gothic Short Stories", Samantha Nicole Campbell

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis explores the genre of gothic literature by outlining the themes and common techniques that writers use. It discusses prominent writers in the genre, as well as critiques their techniques and compares them to my own. Two fiction pieces are accompanied with the critical introduction that fit the gothic literature genre.

At The Core Of School Reform: A Culture Of Commitment, Collaboration, And Collective Leadership, Lari Ann Nelson

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Public education in America today is a product of more than a century of reform. Innovators of each era have attempted to transform the education system to match their ideals and beliefs. Educational reform efforts to improve learning for all students have been an issue of debate since the founding of America – seeking for equality and quality of education. The most recent educational initiative an emphasis on accountability via high-stakes tests, many schools are now branded as “failing” and requiring program improvement. As such, leaders search for reform models that will save their school from further sanctions.

Of the …

Neighborhoods, Proximity To Daily Needs, & Walkability In Form-Based Codes, Evan Evangelopoulos

Master's Theses

Form-based codes are evaluated with criteria often requiring additional clarification. To better identify form-based code evaluation criteria, this thesis identifies the major intentions of form-based codes from the literature and focuses on the first intention, quality of life. The form-based code literature relates quality of life to three principles with underlying parameters: neighborhood with a center and edge, proximity to daily needs, and walkability. Neighborhood refers to the identification of walkable districts of about .25 mile radius with a clear center and edge. Proximity to daily needs requires diversity of uses in proximity to residential uses so that residents travel …

The Significance Of Comunidade Sabiaguaba Within The Developing City Of Fortaleza, Ce, Katherine Davis

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The city of Fortaleza, Ceará has experienced rapid population growth and development over the last century, especially concentrated in the last fifty years. Today, this growth results in the creation of a beautiful tourist destination that many wish to visit, but also a dangerous and unequal city in which many have to live. Many state planners view this growth in infrastructure and tourism as the solution for the economic hardships of Fortaleza. However, many residents are unsatisfied with this development plan, and feel that there is a disconnect between the needs of the people and the plans of the state. …