Digital Commons Network^™

Effects Of The Four Pillars On Statewide High School Graduation Rates, Harry M. Daniel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

This study investigated the relationship of statewide high school graduation rates of student ethnic groups from 2002 to 2006 to the four policy pillars of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001: Accountability for Results; Expanded Flexibility and Local Control; Expanded Options for Parents, Strengthening Teacher Quality. The quantitative, non-experimental, multivariate, correlational design addressed four research questions and six hypotheses. The research population was composed of high school students in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The predictor variables were the four policy pillars themselves. Data were collected through archival reports from the Education Commission of …

Effects Of Gene Selection And Data Sampling On Prediction Of Breast Cancer Treatments, Brian Heredia

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

In recent years more and more researchers have begun to use data mining and machine learning tools to analyze gene microarray data. In this thesis we have collected a selection of datasets revolving around prediction of patient response in the specific area of breast cancer treatment. The datasets collected in this paper are all obtained from gene chips, which have become the industry standard in measurement of gene expression. In this thesis we will discuss the methods and procedures used in the studies to analyze the datasets and their effects on treatment prediction with a particular interest in the selection …

Durability Of A Recycled Aggregate Concrete Base Course Material Under Coupled Environmental Exposure And Cyclic, Lillian Gonzalez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

Long term durability is a major concern for wide-scale use of recycled aggregate materials in civil engineering construction. The purpose of this study is to provide an insight into the damaging effects of combined wet-dry cycles and repeated mechanical loading in a recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) base course material made from recycled crushed concrete aggregate and cement. A coordinated experimental program followed by a mechanistic pavement modeling and life cycle analysis was conducted as part of this research study. This laboratory investigation was divided into three phases each consisting of both wet-dry exposed specimens (WD), and control or non wet-dry …

Electromagnetic Field Emissions From Underwater Power Cables, Christopher Dibiasio

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

This study is performed as a partial aid to a larger study that aims to determine if electromagnetic fields produced by underwater power cables have any effect on marine species. In this study, a new numerical method for calculating magnetic fields around subsea power cables is presented and tested. The numerical method is derived from electromagnetic theory, and the program, Matlab, is implemented in order to run the simulations. The Matlab code is validated by performing a series of tests in which the theoretical code is compared with other previously validated magnetic field solvers. Three main tests are carried out; …

Ecosystem Health And Environmental Influences On Innate Immune Function In The Loggerhead (Caretta Caretta) And Green (Chelonia Mydas) Sea Turtle, Patricia L. Sposato

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

Loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and green (Chelonia mydas) turtles recruit to nearshore environments as juveniles. These often degraded habitats are associated with emerging diseases such as green turtle fibropapillomatosis (GTFP), however there are few studies on immune function in sea turtles. The objective of this research was to quantify phagocytosis of the innate immune system by flow cytometry and compare levels between animals from a degraded habitat (the Indian River Lagoon, FL) to a more pristine environment (the Trident Basin, Port Canaveral, FL), and across a range of temperatures. While in vitro temperatures did not alter rates of phagocytosis, it was …

An Analysis Of Religiosity In The United States: Testing The Secure Society Theory, James Liddle

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

The current study sought set to replicate and extend previous findings regarding Norris and Inglehart’s (2004) “Secure Society Theory” (SST) of religiosity, which states that religiosity varies as a function of the extent to which one feels secure in their environment. However, the relationship between individual perceptions of societal security—as opposed to national indicators—and religiosity has yet to be tested. The current study addressed this by analyzing data from the General Social Survey, supplemented by FBI and U.S. Census data. Results indicated that the extent to which one feels safe walking around their neighborhood at night is a significant predictor …

An Implementation Of The Ieee 1609.4 Wave Standard For Use In A Vehicular Networking Testbed, Kyle Kuffermann

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

We present an implementation of the IEEE WAVE (Wireless Access in Vehicular Environments) 1609.4 standard, Multichannel Operation. This implementation provides concurrent access to a control channel and one or more service channels, enabling vehicles to communicate among each other on multiple service channels while still being able to receive urgent and control information on the control channel. Also included is functionality that provides over-the-air timing synchronization, allowing participation in alternating channel access in the absence of a reliable time source. Our implementation runs on embedded Linux and is built on top of IEEE 802.11p, as well as a customized device …

An Interactive System To Enhance Social And Verbal Communication Skills Of Children Withautism Spectrum Disorders, Maria Jose Minan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

Affecting one in every 68 children, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is one of the fastest growing developmental disabilities. Scientific research has proven that early behavioral intervention can improve learning, communication, and social skills. Similarly, studies have shown that the usage of of-the-shelf technology boosts motivation in children diagnosed with ASD while increasing their attention span and ability to interact socially. Embracing perspectives from different fields of study can lead to the development of an effective tool to complement traditional treatment of those with ASD. This thesis documents the re-engineering, extension, and evolu- tion of Ying, an existing web application designed …

An Investigation Of The Teaching Practices Of Music Teaching Artists Participating In Four Selected Elementary School Arts Integration Projects, Olga M. Vazquez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

This mixed methodology study investigated the arts integration practices of music teaching artists participating in four selected elementary school arts integration projects in the United States. This study also explored the possibility that music teaching artists’ formal education, arts integration training and professional development, and their own attitudes as well as different stakeholders’ attitudes about arts integration and music education impacted their arts integration practices. The explanatory two-phase design of this study began with the collection and analysis of quantitative data and was followed by the collection and analysis of qualitative data, thus connecting the results from the former to …

An Exploratory Multiple Case Study Of Succession Planning For Higher Education Community Engagement Practitioners In Selected Higher Education Institutions In Thesoutheastern Region Of The United States, Heidi Louisy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

Succession planning is a relatively new construct within higher education institutions (HEIs). The researcher explored the extent to which selected HEIs employ succession planning strategies in reference to the Higher Education Community Engagement Practitioner (HECEP) role and in support of HEIs earning the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification (CCEC). Four HEIs served as study sites for this research, along with a nationally recognized professional development program. Study results revealed that HEIs are not currently using succession planning strategies for the HECEP role. Further, although the study revealed that professional development opportunities for HECEPs exist, only 50% of institutional study participants were …

An Investigation Of Membrane Transporter Proteins In The Distal Vertebrate Retina: Excitatory Amino Acid Transporters And Sodium Potassium Chloride Cotransporters, Lauren Angeline Purpura

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

Neurons are able to maintain membrane potential and synaptic integrity by an intricate equilibrium of membrane transporter proteins and ion channels. Two membrane proteins of particular importance in the vertebrate retina are the excitatory amino acid transporters (EAATs) which are responsible for the reuptake of glutamate into both glial and neuronal cells and the sodium potassium chloride cotransporters (NKCCs) that are responsible for the uptake of chloride ions into the cell. NKCCs are electro-neutral with the uptake of 2 Cl- coupled to an exchange of a potassium and Na+ ion into the cells. Therefore, there is little change of cell …

And Yet: Studio Sulla Traduzione Di Alcuni “Appunti” Epigrammatici Di Sandro Penna, Zachary J. Scalzo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

Sandro Penna, an understudied Italian poet whose literary corpus is produced during the end period and eventual fall of Italian fascism, writes Appunti, the second volume of his major poetic corpus, from 1938-49. In it, he explicates a poetic of an unapologetic, open homoeroticism that allows one to examine the obstacles a translator faces in considering how one can remain faithful to the original poems and the identity the poet creates. Keeping in mind theoretical influences informing the creation and translation of poetry and the political choices inherent therein, my translations of these poems mediate the content and form in …

Breastfeeding And Kangaroo Care: Biobehavioral Measures Of Dyadic Bonding, Infant Cortical Maturation, And Infant Hpa Reactivity, Jillian Hardin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

The current study examined the effects of kangaroo care on breastfeeding practices, infant stress reactivity, and biobehavioral measures of mother-infant bonding across the first 3 months postpartum. Additionally, the role of breastfeeding in infant cortical maturation in the frontal lobe was examined. Thirty two mother-infant dyads participated in the current study; 16 mother-infant dyads were randomly assigned to the kangaroo care group and 17 mother-infant dyads were assigned to the control group. Mothers in the kangaroo care group received training on proper kangaroo care procedures by a trained administrator during the first 1-2 weeks postpartum. Mothers in the kangaroo care …

Application Of Artificial Neural Networks To Deduce Robust Forecast Performance In Technoeconomic Contexts, Mohammad A. Dabbas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

The focus of this research is concerned with performing forecasting in technoeconomic contexts using a set of certain novel artificial neural networks (ANNs). Relevant efforts in general, entail the task of quantitatively estimating the details about the likelihood of future events (or unknown outcomes/effects) based on past and current information on the observed events (or known causes). Commensurate with the scope and objectives of the research, the specific topics addressed are as follows: A review on various methods adopted in technoeconomic forecasting and identified are econometric projections that can be used for forecasting via artificial neural network (ANN)-based simulations Developing …

Analysis Of Morphology, Growth Rate, And Fragmentation Of The Endangered Lichen Species Cladonia Perforata, David Warren Witmer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

Cladonia perforata is an endangered lichen endemic to the Atlantic Coastal Ridge, Lake Wales Ridge, Southwest Florida, and the North Gulf Coast of Florida. In all but a single locality, C. perforata relies entirely on asexual reproduction through fragmentation for reproduction, dispersal, and recruitment. This study suggests a positive correlation between fragment size and survivability of fragments after one year. The average thallus grew at a rate of 10.42% per year and younger branches of a thallus grew at a quicker rate than older branches. Additionally, a review of thalli morphology suggests C. perforata has a diverse form, and becomes …

Attentional Basis Of Deontic Reasoning About Permission Rules In 3-5 Year-Old Children, Patrick D Ii Sellers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

Deontic reasoning is a domain of reasoning concerning permissions, obligations, and prohibitions often utilizing conditional logic (Wason, 1968). Correct identification of rule violations is bolstered by the addition of a social valence to the rule for both adults (Tooby & Cosmides, 1992) and children (Harris & Nunez, 1996). This “deontic advantage” for violation-detection is taken as evidence for evolved social-cognitive mechanisms for reasoning about cheaters in the context of social contracts (Fiddick, 2004), and the early development of this advantage supports an evolutionary account of such abilities (Cummins, 2013). The current research hypothesized that differential attention to rule elements underlies …

Nanotechnology And Its Implication In Medical Science, Syed Ahsan Ali, M. Tariq

Department of Medicine

No abstract provided.

Mediastinal Synovial Sarcoma., Niaz Hussain Soomro, Sanaullah Junejo, Aneeqa Ahsan Zafar, Shirin Siddiqi, Ghulam H

Department of Medicine

The mediastinum is an uncommon site of synovial sarcoma which is a rare soft tissue malignancy. An 18 year old boy was admitted for right sided chest pain since one year. Based on the CT scan chest findings, tru-cut biopsy of the mass was performed and histopathology initially reported as neurofibroma. The tumor was excised via posterolateral thoracotomy and excisional biopsy established the diagnosis of primary synovial sarcoma arising from the mediastinum. Patient was started on adjuvant chemotherapy at the oncologist tumor board’s recommendation and he received 6 cycles of adriamycin and ifosfamide. At last follow up he is free …

Human Rights After Kiobel: Choice Of Law And The Rise Of Transnational Tort Litigation, Roger P. Alford

Journal Articles

The Supreme Court in Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum Co. held that the presumption against extraterritoriality applied to the Alien Tort Statute. As such, international human rights litigation as currently practiced in the United States is dead. The demise of the ATS will signal the rise of transnational tort litigation. Virtually every complaint pleading a human rights violation could allege a traditional domestic or foreign tort violation. With transnational tort claims, there is no presumption against extraterritoriality. Instead, courts apply state or foreign tort laws based on traditional choice-of-law principles.

The purpose of this Article is to outline the future …

Task-Based Learning Versus Problem-Oriented Lecture In Neurology Continuing Medical Education., Farhan Vakani, Wasim Jafri, Amina Ahmad, Aziz Sonawalla, Mughis Sheerani

Department of Medicine

Objective: To determine whether general practitioners learned better with task-based learning or problem-oriented lecture in a Continuing Medical Education (CME) set-up.

Study Design: Quasi-experimental study.

Place and Duration of Study: The Aga Khan University, Karachi campus, from April to June 2012.

Methodology: Fifty-nine physicians were given a choice to opt for either Task-based Learning (TBL) or Problem Oriented Lecture (PBL) in a continuing medical education set-up about headaches. The TBL group had 30 participants divided into 10 small groups, and were assigned case-based tasks. The lecture group had 29 participants. Both groups were given a pre and a post-test. Pre/post …

Taxing Social Enterprise, Lloyd Histoshi Mayer, Joseph Ganahl

Journal Articles

The fairly strict divide in the United States between for-profit and nonprofit forms presents a quandary for many entrepreneurs who want to combine doing good with doing well. On the one hand, for-profits offer great flexibility and access to capital and so attract entrepreneurs who would like to take advantage of the ability of for-profits to scale up rapidly to meet growing demand. At the same time, however, for-profit forms also limit entrepreneurs’ ability to engage in philanthropy, due to the fiduciary duties managers owe to the equity holders. On the other hand, nonprofits offer their founders the freedom to …

Consciousness And Mental Qualities For Auditory Sensations, Adriana Renero

Publications and Research

The contribution of recent theories of sound and audition has been extremely significant for the development of a philosophy of auditory perception; however, none tackle the question of how our consciousness of auditory states arises. My goal is to show how consciousness about our auditory experience gets triggered. I examine a range of auditory mental phenomena to show how we are able to capture qualitative distinctions of auditory sensations. I argue that our consciousness of auditory states consists in having thoughts that organize our experience. Although my proposals could be adapted to fit with other theories of consciousness, here I …

Fisher V. University Of Texas At Austin: Grutter (Not) Revisited , Lawrence R. Purdy

Missouri Law Review

What follows is a description of UT's race-conscious undergraduate admissions policy, which was at issue in Fisher (and which the parties and the courts concede is all but identical to the policy upheld in Grutter). This is followed by a brief description of the procedural posture of the case and an analysis of the Supreme Court's decision. Finally, this Article argues that Grutter (and, by default, Fisher) represents a dramatic deviation from - and, in effect, a reversal of - the bedrock principle established in Brown. Left unanswered, of course, is whether our nation's highest court will ever reassert that …

It's Not Over 'Til It's Over: Mandating Federal Pretrial Jurisdiction And Oversight In Mass Torts, Tanya Pierce

Missouri Law Review

Nearly twenty years ago, speaking of the difficulties inherent in managing mass tort cases, Chief Justice William Rehnquist predicted that without coordinated state and federal mechanisms, lawyers would "seek to pursue duplicative and exhaustive litigation." And some courts, "operating under a parochial view of the situation," would allow them to do so. He warned that the result would be "expense, delay, resulting crowding of dockets, divergent decisions on identical factual questions, and sometimes the insolvency of the defendants who are being sued." Despite this and similar warnings, expensive and exhaustive litigation is exactly what has happened in many cases.

Doctrine Of Substantial Overbreadth: A Better Prescription For Strong Medicine In Missouri, The , Keith H. Holland

Missouri Law Review

Considering prior cases where Missouri courts have applied the doctrine of substantial overbreadth, however, State v. Vaughn may represent a significant step towards a more well-defined and consistent approach to the doctrine. Even though Vaughn does not clearly resolve all of the inconsistencies in Missouri's application of the overbreadth doctrine, it represents a necessary and important development in the way the doctrine is applied by Missouri courts.

Amendment 2 And Its Effect On Missourians' Free Exercise Of Religion, Mishelle Martinez

Missouri Law Review

This Comment provides a thorough analysis of Amendment 2. The primary issue addressed is whether Amendment 2 will have an impact on Missourians' religious freedoms or whether Amendment 2 merely reaffirms rights already granted under the old article I, section 5 of the Missouri Constitution. If Amendment 2 does add new rights, an analysis of whether such rights are in accord with the First Amendment is required. Part II outlines the legislative history, text, and general commentary on the key provisions of Amendment 2. In Part III, all new provisions under Amendment 2 are analyzed in light of the legal …

Brief History Of Brazil, Irving W. Levinson

History Faculty Publications

Brazil a nation of 3,286,487 square miles and home to some 194,000,000 people also possesses the sixth-largest economy in the world. I’d be providing a very brief history of her earlier centuries, a more detailed description of the modern era, a look at the economy, and a few Brazilian refreshments.

Deflation Troughs, Water, And Prehistoric Occupation On The Margins Of The South Texas Sand Sheet, Juan L. Gonzalez, Russell K. Skowronek, Bobbie L. Lovett

History Faculty Publications

Within the South Texas Plains, the area broadly defined by the Rio Grande to the south and the Nueces River to the north, a distance of ca. 175 km, evidence of open human occupation is remarkably abundant. Because it is predominantly a region of loose, sandy soils and active and relict sand dunes where wind processes dominate, the area is known as the South Texas Sand Sheet (STSS). There is no running water within the STSS and all streams are ephemeral. Existing drainage systems are small, localized, and not integrated, carrying water for a few days and up to two …

Osmanli Balkan Mirasi Ve Türk Millî Kimliğinin Oluşumu (Ottoman Balkan Heritage And The Construction Of Turkish National Identity), Tamer Balci

History Faculty Publications

This study covers the influence of Ottoman Balkan Heritage on the construction of Turkish national identity. In order to shed light on the intricate correlation among the Ottoman heritage, the Balkans and Turkish national identity, this article presents that while the Turkish republican elite took a negative stance on the Ottoman Empire to create a secular nation-state, Balkan migrants’ view on Islam as the main component of their identity helped to shape the creation of Turkish national identity.

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Bu çalışma Osmanlı Balkan mirasının Türk millî kimliğinin oluşturulmasındaki etkilerini incelemektedir. Osmanlı mirası, Balkanlar ve Türk millî kimliği arasındaki münasebeti aydınlatabilmek …

Shannon Hitchcock: A New Voice In Historical Fiction, Kaavonia Hinton

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.