Digital Commons Network^™

The Impact Of Participation In Online Social Networking On Parenting Stress Levels Of Single Mothers, Djuana A. Tomlin

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The U.S. Census Bureau (2012) estimated that there were 15.2 million female householders with no husband present. Many single mothers experience a high level of stress due to feelings of isolation and alienation from friends and family and having to deal with social, economic, and personal issues alone. This study evaluated the impact of participation in a social network site (SNS) on the stress levels of single mothers for the purpose of using updated resources to replicate and expand upon the initial work of Dunham et al. (1998). This study sought to answer the following research questions: Does participation in …

Mystical Experience As Predictor Of Domains Of Religious And Spiritual Self Identification: Empirical And Theoretical Considerations, Sara E. Hall-Mckane

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The concept of spirituality has emerged as a major focal point in both the theoretical and empirical study of religion. Whether the emergence of spirituality is a dimension of religion or a separate and distinct construct has been the subject of much debate among scholars. The philosophical arguments proposed on either side have underscored the need for further research into just what spirituality is and is not. An ongoing transition from a more religious to a more spiritual self identification is evident at least in the United States (Roof & Greer, 1993, 1999; Pargament, 1999). Using the data collected from …

The Effects Of Co-Viewing Children’S Educational Programming On Parental Communication Patterns, Chris M. Willis

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the potential impact that children’s educational television programs can have on parents’ communications with their children when they co-view such programming together. The literature review provided a rich foundation of research on education television. Studies showed many positive effects can be observed when children view appropriate amounts of curriculum-based programs, such as Sesame Street (Gentzkow & Shapiro, 2006), and these effects were amplified when a parent or caregiver co-views the programs with them (Fujioka & Austin, 2002). This study added to the existing body of research by focusing on how parents were …

Indium Telluride Cylinder Fiber Laser, Abhinay Sandupatla

Theses - ALL

A new type of fiber laser is described here. The laser consists of a 25 mm long fiber with an approximately 15 nm thick In2Te3 semiconductor layer at the glass core glass cladding boundary. The laser mirrors consist of a thick vacuum deposited aluminum layer at one end and a thin semitransparent aluminum layer deposited at the other end of the fiber. The laser is pumped from the side with either light from a Halogen Tungsten incandescent lamp or a blue, power LED. Since both, the gain of the In2Te3 semi-conductor and aluminum mirrors have a wide bandwidth the output …

Mistress Or Hero? Corruption Reports On Sina Weibo And The Construction Of Chinese Femininity, Yin Wu

Theses - ALL

This qualitative textual analysis study focuses on two Chinese women who were previously sexually involved with the corrupted officers and later reported these officers to authorities. As a Chinese version of Twitter, Sina Weibo is a powerful social networking and communication tool for their reports. The study analyzes the posts and comments available on Sina Weibo about the identity of these women and how hegemonic Chinese femininity is performed, maintained, and challenged. These discussions may reflect the potential cultural, ideological, and socioeconomic factors that can influence the construction of contemporary Chinese femininity, providing the picture of how social media and …

Right To The Tent City: The Struggle Over Urban Space In Fresno, California, Jessie Speer

Theses - ALL

Through interviews, archival research, and fieldwork conducted in Fresno, California, this research explores how and why officials spatially control homeless communities, and how homeless people have resisted these controls. Drawing from the theories of Henri Lefebvre, I argue that encampments in Fresno enabled homeless people to assert their right to the city, and challenged the production of urban capitalist space by defying the norms of profit, surveillance, and homogeneity. Part One of the thesis focuses on the relationship between city's effort to destroy the encampments and its need to attract investment; Part Two focuses on the assignment of homeless individuals …

Deficit Discourse, Urban Teachers' Work And The Blame Game, Heidi Katherine Pitzer

Dissertations - ALL

This dissertation explores how urban public school teachers navigate the contradictory social position of having little power over their work and considerable power over their students. This qualitative interpretive study begins from a perspective that is attentive to and critical of both (a) neoliberal approaches to education, particularly the market-based, audit culture logics and practices that devalue, discipline and target teachers as workers, and (b) the racialized deficit discourse, a predominant framework in urban schools--often taken up by urban teachers--that blames poor urban youth and youth of color for school problems, constructs them as objects in need of control and …

The Relationship Between The Growth Score And The Overall Team Observation Rating For Teachers In Tennessee, Joshua B. Davis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the TVAAS growth score given by the Tennessee Department of Education and the overall Tennessee Educator Assessment Model (TEAM) observation rating for teachers in grades 3 through 8. The participating county public school system for this study is located in Northeast Tennessee. Participants were teachers in the school system teaching Math, English/Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies in grades 3 through 8 in 10 elementary schools, 6 middle schools, and 2 K-8 schools. Specifically, this research examined the relationship between the TEAM observation scores and overall TVAAS growth score …

Teachers’ Perception Of Empowerment In Christian Schools Accredited By Tennessee Association Of Christian Schools, Melody T. Archer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to examine the perception of teacher empowerment in Christian schools in order to ascertain if teachers were encouraged to take on more leadership responsibilities. One hundred forty-four teachers from 9 Christian schools (K-12) that are accredited by the Tennessee of Association of Christian Schools (TACS) participated in the study.

The statistical analysis reported in the study was based on 5 research questions. Two instruments were used to collect data. A survey using a 5-point Likert Scale was used to collect data on teacher responsibilities, training, experiences, affiliation, and professional practices. Student achievement test scores …

Latest Homoeopathic Research Synopsis During July - September (2014), Subhranil Saha, Munmun Koley

Indian Journal of Research in Homoeopathy

No abstract provided.

Brand Equity Perceptual Mapping: Competitive Landscapes And Consumer Segments In Brand Equity Space, Brian Parker

Journal of Applied Marketing Theory

This study advanced a technique to map brand metrics and theoretically derived diagnostics that depict the relative positions of competitive brand sets and audience segments in a perceptual consumer-based brand equity space. Survey research collected brand equity ratings for two sets of competitive brands (Nike, Converse, Reebok and Toyota, Nissan, Pontiac), used to construct a pair of twodimensional maps that illustrate the brands’ position on brand equity dimensions relative to competitors and demographic-based segments. Paired brand equity indicators resulted in eight map quadrant areas that characterize a brand positioned in that space. The mapping techniques facilitate the strategic application of …

Faculty Senate Agenda, December 1, 2014, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• Faculty Forum Minutes 2014
• 405 Code Change Proposal going to PRPC
• Extra Service Compensation Policy
• Educational Policies Committee Annual Report
• EPC Items for September, *October, *November
• Honors Program Report
• Libraries Advisory Council Report
• Parking Committee Report
• *Faculty Evaluation Committee Annual Report
• *Athletic Council Report
• *USU Student Association Report
• *Retention and Student Success Report
• Code Change 402.12.3 Committee on Committees Term (First reading)
• Update on PTR Working Group

Feed Efficiency: An Assessment Of Current Knowledge From A Voluntary Subsample Of The Swine Industry, Josh R. Flohr, Mike D. Tokach, Joel M. Derouchey, Robert D. Goodband, Steve S. Dritz, Jim L. Nelssen, John F. Patience

Journal of Extension

A voluntary sample of pork producers and advisers to the swine industry were surveyed about feed efficiency. The questionnaire was designed to accomplish three objectives: (a) determine the level of knowledge related to feed efficiency topics, (b) identify production practices used that influence feed efficiency, and (c) identify information gaps requiring additional knowledge to further improve feed efficiency. Results suggest that many practices that improve feed efficiency are used in production, but gaps in information and knowledge exist across demographics of respondents. Extension education should be expanded to provide more information in an easy-to-access format for the swine industry.

Farming—It's So Citified: An Urban Agriculture Marketing Campaign, Matthew Browning, Stacy Herrick

Journal of Extension

The marketing campaign of the inaugural West Virginia Urban Agriculture Conference, a project between West Virginia State University (WVSU) and West Virginia University Extension Services and partnering agencies, was a tremendous success. The WVSU communications team developed an innovative, character-driven campaign combining urban and rural elements for a unique visual messaging strategy. The cornerstone of the campaign was Chicken Stu, the official "spokes-chicken" of the conference, who shared his journey from the farm to the city via social media. The campaign generated buzz, surpassed goals, and illustrates the impact of innovative social media marketing in promoting Extension initiatives.

Light Field Imaging Applied To Reacting And Microscopic Flows, Jonathon Remy Pendlebury

Theses and Dissertations

Light field imaging, specifically synthetic aperture (SA) refocusing is a method used to combine images from an array of cameras to generate a single image with a narrow depth of field that can be positioned arbitrarily throughout the volume under investigation. Creating a stack of narrow depth of field images at varying locations generates a focal stack that can be used to find the location of objects in three dimensions. SA refocusing is particularly useful when reconstructing particle fields that are then used to determine the movement of the fluid they are entrained in, and it can also be used …

The Importance Of Place In An Era Of Placelessness? Distance's Influence On Community Satisfaction And Attachment, Matthew L. Mcknight

Theses and Dissertations

The powerful influence of global consumerism and its strong effect on rural communities has led to calls for the “death of distance” and for the placelessness of community. However, skepticism remains that all unique elements of communities of place have been erased from rural life. Using data from Montana (N=3,508), this research investigates how distance, size, and other spatially-bound factors influence sentiments of community satisfaction and attachment in communities of place. Findings suggest that distance can decrease community satisfaction in highly rural communities and increase attachment in rural communities along the urban fringe. Perceived satisfaction with community services was a …

The Production Of Voice Onset Time In Voiceless Stops By Spanish-English Natural Bilinguals, Ivan K. Banov

Theses and Dissertations

This study analyzes the production of Voice Onset Time (VOT) of natural Spanish-English bilinguals. VOT is a linguistic characteristic that measures the amount of aspiration occurring after the release of a stop consonant. In terms of VOT, English stop consonants differ substantially from their Spanish equivalents. This study analyzes whether or not natural bilinguals produce VOTs that approximate VOTs of monolingual speakers of each language. Participants completed two surveys to quantify their linguistic dominance in English and Spanish. They were then recorded performing similar speaking tasks in both languages. The conclusions show that natural bilinguals do not produce their English …

The Impacts Of Feral Horses On The Use Of Water By Pronghorn On The Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge, Nevada, Amy Marie Gooch

Theses and Dissertations

Feral horses occupy 31.6 million acres throughout western North America. Feral horses share similar habitats with a wide range of animal species, including pronghorn. Since horses are larger and often more aggressive than other animals of this region, they are generally socially dominant over all other native ungulate species. Pronghorn share water sources with horses in areas where both occur. In situations where horses exclude pronghorn from water, pronghorn fitness may be impaired, especially during the hottest months of the year when water is limited. The purpose of this study was to investigate interference competition between pronghorn and feral horses …

S-Cape Testing For Higher Proficiency Levels And Other Factors That Influence Placement At Brigham Young University, Elizabeth Robinson

Theses and Dissertations

Brigham Young University (BYU) first implemented the Spanish Computer Adaptive Placement Examination (S-CAPE) during the Fall Semester of 1986 and it has been used ever since. The S-CAPE was designed to determine course placement into beginning and intermediate classes for students who have previously studied Spanish. A 10% increase occurred this year (2014) in students who have served missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Many of these returned missionaries gained language proficiency on their missions, and some go to BYU to begin or continue their studies. Because of the increase in enrollment of students with intermediate …

Enhancing Protein And Enzyme Stability Through Rationally Engineered Site-Specific Immobilization Utilizing Non-Canonical Amino Acids, Jeffrey Chun Wu

Theses and Dissertations

The demand for economical, efficient protein production, reuse, and recovery has never been greater due to their versatility in a large variety of applications ranging from industrial chemical manufacturing to pharmaceutical drug production. The applications for naturally and artificially produced proteins include protein drugs and other pharmaceutical products, as biocatalysts in environmentally friendly chemical manufacturing, as enzymes for food processing purposes, and as an essential component in many biomedical devices. However, protein production suffers from many challenges, which include the cost of production, protein stability especially under harsh conditions, and recoverability and reusability of the proteins. The combination of two …

Six Decades Of Organ Donation And The Challenges That Shifting The United States To A Market System Would Create Around The World, Alexander M. Capron

Law and Contemporary Problems

No abstract provided.

Perceptions Of Efficacy, Morality, And Politics Of Potential Cadaveric Organ-Transplantation Reforms, Christopher T. Robertson, David V. Yokum, Megan S. Wright

Law and Contemporary Problems

No abstract provided.

Designing A Compensated–Kidney Donation System, T. Randolph Beard, Jim Leitzel

Law and Contemporary Problems

No abstract provided.

Alaska And The Arctic, Fran Ulmer

Alaska Law Review

No abstract provided.

Alaska’S Native History, William L. Iggiagruk Hensley

Alaska Law Review

No abstract provided.

Alaska’S Initiative Process: The Benefits Of Advance Oversight And A Recommendation For Change, Logan T. Mohs

Alaska Law Review

Alaska's initiative process is unique—Alaska is the only state with a robust initiative culture and advance oversight over the content of initiatives by the Lieutenant Governor. This state of affairs is appropriate because it recognizes both the savings to the state and the benefit to citizens that advance oversight can achieve. It also places the power of advance oversight in the hands of the individual most qualified in Alaska to wield it. However, despite being generally commendable, the Alaskan initiative oversight process is not perfect. Because the Lieutenant Governor has this unique power, it is inappropriate for them to be …

Campaign Finance And Partisan Polarization In The United States Congress, Raymond J. La Raja

Duke Journal of Constitutional Law & Public Policy

No abstract provided.

Super Pac Contributions, Corruption, And The Proxy War Over Coordination, Richard L. Hasen

Duke Journal of Constitutional Law & Public Policy

No abstract provided.

Market Structure And Political Law: A Taxonomy Of Power, Zephyr Teachout, Lina Khan

Duke Journal of Constitutional Law & Public Policy

No abstract provided.

Hobby Lobby And The Pathology Of Citizens United, Ellen D. Katz

Duke Journal of Constitutional Law & Public Policy

No abstract provided.