Digital Commons Network^™

Conditional Clauses, Meghan Olson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

My MFA written thesis addresses work completed and shown in a thesis exhibition at West Virginia University as well as significant influences to my studio process. While my stated focus is printmaking, the work presented in the exhibition consisted of six sculptural and installation pieces. This thesis, along with the supporting exhibition, will address my investigations into probing ordinary materials for juxtapositions and arrangements that lend themselves towards a conditional, not absolute, meaning. The work is created from an impulse to put everyday materials together in order to observe subtle relationships that ultimately transcend the ordinary and question what is …

Effects Of Long-Term Phonological Knowledge On Learning New Words, Elizabeth S. Smith

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Language learning has been attributed to multiple aspects of cognition; two primary components are phonological short-term memory and long-term knowledge. Short-term memory is responsible for the temporary storage and rehearsal of new information, and long-term knowledge is responsible for storing information gained throughout the lifetime. If one or both of these areas are found to be deficient, language impairments may be present. Although the role of short-term memory and long-term knowledge has been identified as important, their relative contributions to different language processes are not completely understood. This study used a novel within-subjects approach to examine the impact of long-term …

A Conceptual Method Of Learning Jazz Improvisation Through Studying The Music Of J. S. Bach, Gary Scott Jones

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Johann Sebastian Bach's music includes exceptional source material for learning jazz improvisation. This research document has three sections. Chapter 1 is a concise review of respected jazz studies literature. Chapters 2 through 4 introduce a jazz improvisation methodology with Bach's music as its source material. The appendix presents materials on topics such as using improvisation for learning music, understanding improvisation, and organ improvisation. The target audience members for this research document are improvisation teachers who already possess an applicable knowledge of improvisation, pop/jazz chord symbols, and traditional music theory. The figures contained in Chapters 2 through 4 guide educators through …

On Spanish Loanword And Loanblends In Hawai'i Creole English, Robert N. Smead

Faculty Publications

Hawai'i Creole English (HCE) has been the object of much linguistic research. Virtually all researchers agree that its principal lexical sources include English, Hawaiian and Japanese. Other languages, such as Chinese and Portuguese, have also contributed. To date, however, few publications have considered Spanish as an important lexical source for HCE. The research reported herein attempts to remedy that oversight by considering ten putative loanwords and loanblends thought to derive from Spanish. These include ethnic markers associated with and local dishes brought by Filipino and Puerto Ricans immigrants in the early twentieth century. By documenting cultural traditions and consulting authoritative, …

North Versus South : Perception Of New Jersey Dialects, Hannah Faye Sanes Gash

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Previous studies have found marked differences among regional dialects amidst both large and small geographic locations. This study expands upon previous work on the perception of dialectical differences between Northern and Southern New Jersey. According to previous research, a major dialect boundary splits New Jersey into the two regions of Northern and Southern New Jersey. These two dialects have been found to be influenced by the New York City and Philadelphia dialects, respectively. In this study, a set of 28 talkers (14 male, 14 female) with an even amount from Northern and Southern New Jersey provided sentence-length speech samples which …

The Interethnic Communication Apprehension Of Students Of Color At The University Of Arkansas, Angela Courage-Mellott

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Interethnic Communication Apprehension of students of color with white faculty members was studied at the University of Arkansas, a predominantly white university with predominantly white faculty. Interethnic Communication Apprehension is defined as a psychological response of fear or anxiety which causes avoidance of interaction with people from ethnic groups that are different from one's own (Neuliep & McCroskey, 1997). This study was conducted using the PRECA (Personal Report of Interethnic Communication Apprehension) measure created and validated by Neuliep and McCroskey (1997). Students of color who frequent the Center of Multicultural and Diversity Education were polled using the PRECA. Students of …

'Meaning Strides Through These Poems': Ted Berrigan's The Sonnets And The Poetics Of Sociability, Joshua Martin

All Theses

In the field of modern/postmodern poetry studies, the Second Generation New York School of poets has been, and continues to be, an undervalued aesthetic movement. Following the now famous First Generation New York School - a literary and artistic coterie containing the likes of Ashbery, O'Hara, and Pollock - the poets of the Second Generation lived, worked, and often died in New York's Lower East Side and, in the process, emulated and altered the aesthetic of the First Generation. This thesis attempts to contextualize the achievements of the Second Generation New York School by focusing on the movement's de facto …

Gis-Based Suitability Modeling And Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis For Utility Scale Solar Plants In Four States In The Southeast Us, Kata Tisza

All Theses

Photovoltaic (PV) development shows significantly smaller growth in the Southeast U.S., than in the Southwest; which is mainly due to the low cost of fossil-fuel based energy production in the region and the lack of solar incentives. However, the Southeast has appropriate insolation conditions (4.0-6.0 KWh/m2/day) for photovoltaic deployment and in the past decade the region has experienced the highest population growth for the entire country. These factors, combined with new renewable energy portfolio policies, could create an opportunity for PV to provide some of the energy that will be required to sustain this growth. The goal of the study …

Effects Of Speaker's Accent In A Multimedia Tutorial On Non-Native Students' Learning And Attitudes, Lam Vien Cao Ngoc

Dissertations

Research in the field of multimedia has yielded principles for the design of effective multimedia instructional messages including Mayer's principles regarding voice. According to the voice principle, students learn more deeply when the narration in a multimedia lesson is spoken by a native voice rather than a non-native voice. The generalizability of the voice principle has been demonstrated when applied to multimedia users who are native speakers of the language used in narration. However, three out of four English users are non-native speakers of English, and the vast majority of verbal exchanges in English do not involve any native speakers …

Ars Rhetorica Et Sacrae Litterae: St. Patrick And The Art Of Rhetoric In Early Medieval Briton And Ireland, Brian James Stone

Dissertations

This dissertation is the first intensive rhetorical analysis of the writings of St. Patrick. This analysis, informed by interdisciplinary perspectives and methodologies, contributes to our understanding of the rhetorical nature of St. Patrick's writings, as well as the nature of rhetorical education in early medieval Britain and Ireland The literary significance of Patrick's extant writings, Epistola ad milites Corotici and Confessio, beyond their apparent historical value, has regularly been disputed by prominent scholars. Questions of the level of education Patrick received before being assigned to the bishopric in Ireland have informed debates over the quality and importance of his contribution …

Inflammatory And Conciliatory Rhetoric In The Arab-Israeli Conflict: A Content Analysis Of How Three Newspapers Covered Two Provocative Events, Oliver R. Witte

Dissertations

This study focuses on contrasting responses to two highly provocative acts from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: Ariel Sharon's controversial visit to the Temple Mount in February 2000, and a Palestinian terrorist cell's suicide bombing of a nightclub in Tel Aviv in 2005. Sharon's visit to the Temple Mount in 2000 led to the second intifada, the bloodiest outbreak of violence in the conflict's recent history. However, what followed the suicide attack in Tel Aviv in 2005 were several weeks of restraint from both sides. This study positions media texts as antecedents and consequents to these two key focal points in history …

An Integrated Model For User Attribute Discovery: A Case Study On Political Affiliation Identification, Swapna Gottipati, Minghui Qiu, Liu Yang, Feida Zhu, Jing Jiang

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Discovering user demographic attributes from social media is a problem of considerable interest. The problem setting can be generalized to include three components — users, topics and behaviors. In recent studies on this problem, however, the behavior between users and topics are not effectively incorporated. In our work, we proposed an integrated unsupervised model which takes into consideration all the three components integral to the task. Furthermore, our model incorporates collaborative filtering with probabilistic matrix factorization to solve the data sparsity problem, a computational challenge common to all such tasks. We evaluated our method on a case study of user …

Communication As A Resource For Latin American Immigrant Settlement In The United States: An Ethnography Of Communication, Danielle Kvam

Communication ETDs

In this dissertation, I investigate the uses and meanings (Hymes, 1972/1986) of various metacommunicative terms, or "talk about talk" (Philipsen, 1992, p. 72) of a speech community. This speech community is comprised of Latin American immigrants residing in the United States and the staff members who serve them at an immigrant support center (ISC hereafter). I apply Hymes's (1962, 1972/1986, 1974) ethnography of communication to investigate the uses and meanings of the metacommunicative practices of the ISC speech community, which I treat as demonstrating communication practices available for speakers at ISC. In addition to investigating their metacommunicative practices, I also …

The Effects Of Video Self-Modeling On Walking Skills Of Preschoolers Using Walkers, Kelley A. Smith

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to expand the existing knowledge on video self-modeling and its use with increasing walking skills of preschool children using walkers. A multiple baseline, single-subject design was used with three preschool age children that measured the number of steps taken. After establishing baseline with each child, they each were shown a short three minute movie of themselves walking every day for at least five days. During this time, measurements of the number of independent steps taken by the children were recorded by the researchers on a self-made chart. This data collection continued for five more …

Awakening: Stories, Sarah Ellen Ireland

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

My thesis, Awakening, is a collection of stories that follows a set of protagonists seeking to discover or solidify their identities amidst challenging environments. All three stories feature protagonists struggling to come to terms with some shifting aspect of their character. In “The Great Secret,” the main character must struggle to define a romantic connection to a new friend in a world where revealing one’s biological sex to the public is expressly forbidden. The protagonist of “Awakening” is must change her identity after she is ripped from her former life and taken on an unpredictable journey. In “Family Portrait,” the …

Two Different Speech Communities In Puerto Rico: A Qualitative Study About Social Class And Children Learning English In Public And Private Schools Of The Island, Jannette Hermina

Linguistics ETDs

This dissertation describes a qualitative study related to the learning of English in a public school and a private school in two small towns on the northern coast of Puerto Rico. The families and the children in this study are referred to as two speech communities. The research examines the social interaction of elementary school students in the English classroom of the two schools, as well as, during different extracurricular activities, educational and social resources that families use to increase the learning of English by their children. This study aims to illustrate that the access to and successful management of …

A Thematic Analysis Of Experiences Of Non-Native English Speaking International Graduate Students With The Internet-Based Test Of English As A Foreign Language, Annaliese Mayette

Linguistics ETDs

First-person reports of perceptions and experiences of test takers is lacking in the literature. All stakeholders add to the understanding of the test. However, the test takers are the only stakeholders who have the experience of preparing for the test, taking the test, and living with the consequences of the test. This interview study reported on the experiences and perceptions of graduate students at one public university in the U.S. who have successfully taken the internet-based TOEFL. This research suggests that direct methods of eliciting opinions and experiences may be essential as participants described experiencing problems which they do not …

On The Instability Of Disciplinary Style: Common And Conflicting Metaphors And Practices In Text, Talk, And Gesture, Andrea R. Olinger

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

This article explores how three writers in ecology understand and enact a disciplinary writing style. To accomplish this, it draws on theoretical approaches to style from sociolinguistics and linguistic anthropology, as well as analyses of drafts of coauthored texts and video-recorded literacy history and discourse-based interviews. This study finds that metaphor and embodied actions such as gestures are valuable sites for comparing writers’ stylistic understandings and practices. The three writers expressed broad agreement when describing the qualities of good scientific writing, using similar verbal and gestural metaphors, such as Communication as Journey and entailments of the Conduit Metaphor. Yet in …

An Examination Of George Orwell's Newspeak Through Politeness Theory, Byron Scott Millard

Theses

This thesis aims to analyze the formation of politeness in the use of Orwell's artificial language, Newspeak. Multiple theories of politeness will be utilized for the examination but with primary focuses on Brown and Levinson's (1987) original theory and Watts' (2003) views on politic behavior. Orwell's (1949) original novel will be used for the grammatical and lexical basis of the language as well as the source for the language's sociolinguistic aspects. It will be shown that politeness is present within the society and its language, even though it is mechanically altered due to the structure of Newspeak. The largest changes …

A Sociophonetic Study Of The Northern Cities Shift In Southwest Michigan, Sara Daniels

Theses

This study was designed to measure the perception of Southwest Michigan residents' perception of the Northern Cities Shift, and compare it to the perceptions of Southeast Michigan residents. Participants, recruited from the Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo areas, were asked to complete a dialect boundary map of the United States in order to discern perceptions of American English dialects and accents and determine the dialect or accent that they most associate with the state of Michigan. Participants were also asked to listen to and judge the personality traits of seven different North American speakers. The results of this study indicate that …

The Moldovan Identity Crisis: A Young State, An Old Nation, And The Search For A National Identity, Joshua D. Rogers

Honors College Theses

The question of national identity in modern states is one that is both elusive and ever-changing; however, the fate of a young state could very well depend on grasping this concept. This study focuses on defining national identity, and solving the dilemma of an absent, or otherwise unarticulated national identity in the Republic of Moldova. Moldova, a former member of the Soviet Union and independent since 1991, has already been through a civil war due to their lack of cohesion. The country’s history of numerous invaders, conquerors, and acquisitions starting in the 14^th century has led to an eclectic …

‘My Freedom Is A Privilege Which Nothing Else Can Equal’: The Life And Writings Of Venture Smith And Phillis Wheatley, American Slaves, Donald Holmes Ii

Honors Theses

Slavery in the United States was an evolving institution that lasted nearly 400 years. To understand the colonial era of slavery within the United States, I examine the life and times of Venture Smith, as documented in his autobiography, A Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Venture, A Native of Africa (1798), and that of Phillis Wheatley using The Collected Works of Phillis Wheatley (1988). Both Smith and Wheatley were African-born slaves brought to America during the eighteenth century. In Smith’s narrative, he concludes by proclaiming “my freedom is a privilege which nothing else can equal” (31). This statement …

Don’T You Be Telling Me How Tah Talk: Education, Ebonics, And Code-Switching, Laquita N. Gresham

Honors Theses

Ebonics, currently referred to as African-American English (AAE), is a highly-controversial topic inside and outside of the classroom. Many educators, scholars, and legislators debate how teachers should approach students who speak AAE and how they can fill the gap between African-American English and Standard English in a way that disbands the dialectal prejudices that may exist. This thesis focuses on code-switching as a pedagogical tool to help teachers instruct Black students in mastering Standard English on a proficient level, particularly Black students who speak AAE. This study explores current problems and practices in the way that English teachers approach AAE …

The Role Of Governing Boards In Improving Patient Experience: Attitudes And Activities Of Health Service Boards In Victoria, Australia, Marie Bismark, Susan Biggar, Catherine Crock, Jennifer M. Morris, David M. Studdert

Patient Experience Journal

The authors sought to determine the attitudes of public health service board members and senior executives toward patient experience and to describe the governance activities of the boards in this area. The study was based on an online survey of 322 board members from 85 public health services and semi-structured interviews with 35 board members and senior executives from 13 public health services in Victoria, Australia. The results showed that while some health service boards had high aspirations and clear plans for improving patient experience, others remained sluggish or even cynically resistant to changing their existing models of care. Interviewees …

Speaking For The Dead: Voice In Last Wills And Testaments, Karen J. Sneddon

St. John's Law Review

(Excerpt)

This Article examines voice in wills. First, this Article considers the function of wills and the continued importance of the will in the age of will substitutes. Second, this Article explores the concepts of voice and persona, including the applicability of these terms to wills. Third, this Article analyzes voice in wills by contemplating voice in both non-attorney drafted wills and attorney drafted wills. Fourth, this Article highlights five opportunities that enable the draftsperson to consciously craft a persona that appropriately injects the individual's voice into the will while ensuring that the will continues to be both substantively accurate …

Law Asks For Trust, Nathan S. Chapman

St. John's Law Review

(Excerpt)

This Article offers a reading of chapters 1 and 2 of the book of Genesis, informed by concerns for the social effects of law. Part I considers the implications of God's method of creating the world by speech in the first chapter of Genesis. Part II turns to God's prohibition against eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The content of the prohibition and the nature of the threatened penalty suggest that the prohibition is a rule against disobedience generally, paradigmatic of a general claim by God to be the ruler. With the …

Deaf Studies Through The Eyes Of Anthropology, Emily Skanes

University Presentation Showcase Event

For years, the Deaf community has struggled to achieve their language to be seen as a true language and to have empowerment. Research in anthropology has aided the community in this effort by answering questions like: Is Sign Language a real language, what is deaf culture, and how do deaf view their identity? The concepts discussed include: deaf community, culture, identity, membership, ethnicity, and deafness vs. Deafhood. This Literature analysis will identify the efforts previous studies have done and identify what questions still need to be addressed. This paper suggests that more ethnographic research should be conducted with the deaf …

2014 Armstrong Student Scholars Symposium Poster Presentations, Armstrong State University

Armstrong Student Scholars Symposium (Archive)

2014 Poster Presentations Abstracts (Alphabetical)

2014 Armstrong Student Scholars Symposium Program, Armstrong Atlantic State University

Armstrong Student Scholars Symposium (Archive)

2014 Armstrong Student Scholars Symposium Program

Metabolic Changes Associated With Acquired Cisplatin Resistance, Elizabeth J. Sullivan

Open Access Dissertations

Although cisplatin is the drug of choice in treating a variety of different cancers, acquired resistance appears to be a common and serious drawback to its effectiveness in the clinic. Using three pairs of cisplatin-sensitive and resistant cancer cell lines, we have found significantly altered hexokinase (HK) I and II levels in cisplatin-resistant cancer cell lines. Based on our interest in utilizing glucose analogs to probe tumor metabolism, we investigated the role of HKI and HKII in cisplatin-resistant lung and ovarian cancer cell lines and asked whether these resistant cell lines could be targeted with sugar analogs under both normoxic …