Digital Commons Network^™

Examining The Effect Of Material Hardship On Parenting Stress In Unmarried Parents: The Moderating Roles Of Instrumental Support, Supportive Coparenting, Fathers' Residential Status, And Race, Artie S. Maharaj

Doctoral Dissertations

Researchers have been particularly interested in how contextual and psychosocial factors increase unmarried parents’ risk for parenting stress because of its potentially harmful impact on parental and child outcomes (Belsky, 1984; Crnic & Low, 2002; Peterson, Hennon, & Knox, 2010). In particular, research has shown that economic hardship increases parents’ risk for parenting stress (Bronte-Tinkew, Horowitz, & Carrano, 2010; DeKylen, Brooks-Gunn, McLanahan, & Knab, 2006; Teitler, Reichman, & Nepomnyaschy, 2004). The goal of this study was to test a model that examined: (1) the impact of mothers’ material hardship on both mothers’ and fathers’ parenting stress in unmarried families; and …

Behind Closed Doors: The Mask Of Antiracism In Presentation And Practice, Kevin Murray

Dissertations

School districts have recognized the challenges that teachers face in building relationships with the students they teach. This can be especially true when the teacher is White and the students are people of color. This study is a follow-up to an intense, year-long professional development that a group of teachers experienced in 2012. Through interviews, six such participants were asked about their experiences in the classroom, the ways in which they felt they had grown because of the professional development, and ways that they had implemented what they learned in their classrooms. While the teachers had positive things to say …

Illuminating The Experiences Of African-American Nursing Faculty Seeking Employment In Higher Education In Nursing, Vanessa Loyd

Dissertations

This study explored and described the experience of female African-American nursing faculty seeking employment in higher education in nursing. The lack of diversity in the nursing workforce has been attributed as a major underlying cause of disparity in healthcare in the United States. The importance of increasing the number of minority nursing faculty has been recognized as important for providing quality, culturally competent care. In other words, the shortage of minority nursing faculty, largely African-American, continues to present a pervasive problem for the nursing profession and for providing quality patient care. Pervasive problems include limited knowledge of the value systems …

Direct Digital Engagement Of Patients And Democratizing Health Care, Dov Greenbaum

Santa Clara High Technology Law Journal

Direct Digital Engagement of Patients and Democratizing Health Care

Board Of Trustees Agenda, Dec. 11 2015, Indiana State University Board Of Trustees

Board of Trustees

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Literacy Interventions On Reading Scores For Low-Achieving Students, Angela Jayroe Mulkana

Theses and Dissertations

As America’s schools strive to educate a diverse population of students, some of these students, who are identified as low-achieving, find school to be difficult. The need to improve low-achieving students’ reading skills has been the focus and concern of educators for many years. This study, which utilized a causal comparative research design, investigated third and fourth grade students’ literacy achievement scores for participation or non-participation in the Students Reading Enrichment Program (SREP), which is an in-school and/or after-school program, in the Jenkins School District (JSD). The SREP provides low-achieving students the opportunity to work in small groups with interventionists, …

The Impact Of Athletic Participation On At-Risk High School Students, Anthony D. Blevins

Theses and Dissertations

The need to lessen the dropout rate for America’s high schools necessitated a search for answers by examining the impact of athletic participation on at-risk high school students. Research supports the contention that benefits athletics for students at-risk of dropping out. However, the majority of empirical research on athletic participation has been conducted on athletes and non-athletes, leaving a gap in regard to at-risk students. The study provides a comparison between athletic participation and non-participation with at-risk students. The goal of this study was to share the findings of an investigation of the impact of athletic participation on at-risk high …

The Relationship Between School Counselor Beliefs Regarding The Asca National Model Components And Implementation Of A Comprehensive School Counseling Program, Rachael Gwin Ammons

Theses and Dissertations

The American School Counseling Association (ASCA) created the American School Counseling National Model to guide best practices in the school setting. Professional school counselors are encouraged to implement this model in order to increase student achievement and personal/social growth through a comprehensive school counseling program. Although this is the recommended model for school counselors, many districts have failed to implement it. This study examined the relationship among beliefs, various demographic variables, and program implementation to determine the combination of variables that would best explain the variance in program implementation. Data collected through the School Counseling Program Implementation Scale (SCPIS) and …

Promoting The Interest Of African American Teenage Girls In Science: What Can We Learn From An Exemplary African American Science Teacher?, Cynthia Stewart Mcmath

Theses and Dissertations

This study focused on science teaching that promoted the interest of African American teenage girls in the science classroom of an exemplary African American science teacher. It focused on, observed and examined the planning, teaching and learning strategies used by the science teacher. It also described what the science teacher experienced during her high school years, during college, during her teaching career. The case study approach/method was used for this research to capture the description and examination of the practices of the science teacher. This research described how an African American female science teacher serves as a role model and …

Recovery Of Phytophthora Ramorum And Other Phytophthora Spp. In A Forest Adjacent To A Mississippi Ornamental Plant Nursery, Devin Sterling Bily

Theses and Dissertations

The movement of the exotic and destructive plant pathogen Phytophthora ramorum into unquarantined areas via the plant nursery trade provides a potential outlet for transmission into eastern United States forests. A two-year survey of Phytophthora species in a forest adjacent to an ornamental plant nursery in Mississippi isolated P. ramorum 20 times from water and once from vegetation, with an additional detection of 14 Phytophthora species and one provisional species. Isolates were recovered from soil, water, and vegetation using baiting and filtering techniques, and verified by their DNA through Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) followed by genomic sequencing. This study confirms …

Relationships Between Non-Destructive Tests, Breaking Strength, And Stiffness Of Wood Crossarms, Tyler Russell Catchot

Theses and Dissertations

Wood crossarms provide an efficient economical, structural, and sustainable solution to the distribution and transmission of electric utilities. The majority of these crossarms are made from two species of wood, Douglasir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) and southern pine (Pinus spp.). In this study 210 solid-sawn wood crossarms (120 pieces of Douglasir/ 90 pieces of southern pine) were evaluated with non-destructive (NDTs) and destructive testing to determine if NDT could be used to predict crossarm performance. Three NDTs were conducted. Subsequently, destructive testing in which each specimen was broken in accordance to ASTM D-198 for modulus of elasticity (MOE) and modulus of rupture …

Reproductive Biology Of The Female Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops Truncatus), Holley Stone Muraco

Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this long-term study was to better understand the reproductive biology of the female bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) and provide a hypothesis for how dolphins may communicate reproductive readiness to one another. Utilizing conditioned dolphins in aquaria, this dissertation examined several previously unknown aspects of dolphin reproduction, including ovarian follicular dynamics during the luteinizing hormone surge, urinary prolactin levels, estrus behavior, vaginal fluid arboriform arrangement, in-situ vaginal and cervical anatomy during estrus, reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) of urine samples to identify proteins and peptides that may be used in chemical communication, and a review and anatomical analysis …

Life Experiences Following Trauma For Three African American Females: A Qualitative Study, Gwendolyn Dale Tyson

Theses and Dissertations

Victims of trauma are likely to experience diverse social, psychological, and physical problems, but very little is known about how these experiences impact Vocational Rehabilitation employment outcomes and other aspects of life. This research provides detailed experiences of the impact of trauma on the lives of three young adult African American women with disabilities who live in one of the poorest states in the southern part of the country. Each participant shared their experiences of trauma and the onset of impairment early in their adult lives and the impact that it had on their employment and other aspects of life. …

Energy Cost Optimization For Strongly Stable Multi-Hop Green Cellular Networks, Weixian Liao

Theses and Dissertations

Last decade witnessed the explosive growth in mobile devices and their traffic demand, and hence the significant increase in the energy cost of the cellular service providers. One major component of energy expenditure comes from the operation of base stations. How to reduce energy cost of base stations while satisfying users’ soaring demands has become an imperative yet challenging problem. In this dissertation, we investigate the minimization of the long-term time-averaged expected energy cost while guaranteeing network strong stability. Specifically, considering flow routing, link scheduling, and energy constraints, we formulate a time-coupling stochastic Mixed-Integer Non-Linear Programming (MINLP) problem, which is …

Ethernet Over Plastic Optical Fiber For Use In The Control System Network For Automotive Applications, Ryan Nicholas Nazaretian

Theses and Dissertations

Plastic optical fiber (POF) for use in automotive applications is not a new concept and has been used in some vehicles for infotainment media distribution within the Media Oriented Systems Transport protocol. However, the use of POF for the control network’s physical layer is a concept that has not been implemented in automotive applications. Many aspects of a vehicle can be improved by implementing POF as the physical backbone for the control network. Currently, the Controller Area Network (CAN) is used as the primary backbone control network protocol for most automobiles as it is inexpensive and reliable. However, CAN is …

Evaluation Of A Cultural Practice And 2,4-D-Based Herbicide Programs For Glyphosate-Resistant Palmer Amaranth Management, Benjamin Haynes Lawrence

Theses and Dissertations

Glyphosate-resistant Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri [S.] Wats) is an economically troublesome weed to southeastern United States soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.) growers. Palmer amaranth is troublesome due to its evolution of resistance to multiple herbicide modes of action, competiveness, and prolific seed production. Greenhouse studies were conducted at the Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville, MS to evaluate different rates of 2,4- dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) for control of Palmer amaranth. Field experiments were conducted at the Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville, MS in 2013 and 2014 to evaluate Palmer amaranth emergence using a cultural practice and a …

Spatial Pattern Analysis Of Agricultural Soil Properties Using Gis, Corrin Jared Mccarn

Theses and Dissertations

Agricultural soil properties exhibit variation over field plot scales that can ultimately effect the yield. This study performs multiple spatial pattern analyses in order to design spatially dependent regression models to better understand the interaction between these soil properties. The Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC) and Calcium-Magnesium Ratio (CaMgR) are analyzed with respect to Calcium, Magnesium, and soil moisture values. The CEC and CaMgR are then used to determine impact on the yield values present for the field. Results of this study show a significant measure of model parsimony (0.979) for the Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) model of the CEC with …

Testing Local Municipality Hiring Procedures And Local Forms Of Government: Are Search Engines And Social Media Sites Used To Collect Supplemental Information About Applicants?, Joseph Wayne Denton

Theses and Dissertations

The relationship between the government and the governed is transforming into a digital collaboration of operations. The level of intensity for this collaboration between government and citizens have fallen behind that of the private sector. Web 2.0 tools, otherwise known as social media, internet search engines, and e-Government are now a stimulant for citizens to become informed about their government actions and to also interact with government in order to provide input to elected officials and appointed officials from citizens to the government concerning public policy making and other public concerns. This research seeks to examine the question of whether …

Interactive Whiteboards And Tpack For Technology-Enhanced Learning: Secondary Mathematics Teachers Barriers, Beliefs, And Support Needs In One Rural School District, Shelita Mccadney Brown

Theses and Dissertations

Low-income students and blacks make up nearly half of public school students, and on nearly every indicator of educational access, particularly technology, these students have less access than white affluent students (Darling-Hammond, Zielezinski, and Goldman, 2014). The National Center for Education Statistics (2005) reported that teacher quality and missed opportunities to learn accounted for 93% of African Americans, and 87% of Hispanics performing below proficiency in mathematics. Students that do not master mathematics standards by the end of compulsory education are less likely to complete general mathematics courses in upper secondary school and beyond successfully (Levpušček, Zupančič, & Sočan, 2013). …

Investigations At Kinlock (22su526), A Freshwater Mussel Shell Ring In The Delta Region Of Mississippi, James Bradley Carlock

Theses and Dissertations

Kinlock is a freshwater mussel shell ring site located in Sunflower County in the Mississippi Delta. Little work has been done at freshwater mussel shell rings, and therefore little is known about them. This thesis uses four different data collection methods to answer questions of chronology, site layout, etc. These four methods are controlled surface collection, excavation, coring, and magnetometry. Based on the results of these methods, Kinlock was found to be a Woodland period mussel shell ring with a later Mississippian period component built on top of the shell. This later component consisted of five mounds situated around a …

Evaluation Of Initial Body Weight And Supplementation Levels On Health And Performance Of Newly Received Stocker Calves, William Corey Wilkins

Theses and Dissertations

These study objectives were to evaluate the effects of: initial bodyweight, energy supplementation, distance and days traveled and hair coat shedding on performance and health. Crossbred heifers (n=120) were purchased as either lightweight (136 kg) or heavyweight (226 kg) calves. Factors affecting morbidity and growth were tested using Poisson or linear regression (PROC GLIMMIX), with a correlation structure defining clustering by pen. Incidence density was 53.7/103 calf-days and 19.0/103 calf-days for light and heavy initial BW, respectively. Lightweight calves were 2.8 times more likely to be treated for BRD (p=0.02) and each increase in hair shed score increased risk for …

Factors That Impact Successful Student Achievement In Post-Secondary Online Courses, Meranda Lychelle Esters

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a significant differences in students based of education demographics and what factors contributed to the successful completion of online courses for postsecondary education students. Specifically, this study sought to determine if there was a significant difference between certain educational demographics (gender, race, classification, course, and professor) and grade; a significant relationship between specific online course features (availability of chat, videos, discussion boards, and video conferences) and grade; a significant relationship between certain student behaviors (location of access, time to complete assignments, interaction with content, frequency of access, interaction with …

Chimes: December 11, 2015, Calvin College

Chimes

Michael Le Roy: A Retrospective by Anna Delph

ISIS, Terrorism & Refugees by Juliana Ludema

Airband Cancelled by Morgan Anderson

Basketball bounces MIAA foes by Mark Peless

Holiday tradition remains stable by Amelia Sterenberg

Theology, grammar and learning to write sentences by Eckhart Chan

Recursive Model Selection For Gnss-Combined Precise Point Positioning Algorithms, Andrew Tollefson

Theses

The accuracy of Global Positioning algorithms can be improved by incorporating observations from the satellites of multiple Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS). To best utilize these observations, inter-system biases must be modeled. A unified observational model is proposed which accounts for these factors for an arbitrary number of GNSS. The Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC) may be imposed upon the unified model to balance data-fitting degree with model complexity among candidate models for a given satellite configuration scenario. A simple formulation is derived for the change to the Weighted Sum Squared Residuals (WSSR) outcome caused by modifying the least-squares design matrix …

Assessing Remedial Course Transitional Intervention Effectiveness For First Generation College Students, John Nathan Day

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

First generation college students experience a more challenging transition to collegiate success than their peers. As institutions feel the pressure to fulfill their enrollment goals, the doors of opportunity are being widened which includes an increase in first generation college students This study focuses on how the remedial course intervention affects student confidence levels in key college success indicators after their first semester of college level coursework. A survey is used to determine variations between first generation students who were exposed to this form of intervention, and those who were not. The findings point to a need for expanded conversation …

Fort Hays State University Tiger Weekly, December 11, 2015, University Relations

Tiger Weekly Newsletters

No abstract provided.

2015-12-11, Board Of Regents, Murray State University

Board of Regents Meeting Minutes

No abstract provided.

Meeting Minutes, Wku University Senate

Faculty Senate

Meeting regarding budget, student evaluation of faculty, Confucius Institute, add/drop policy, India Project, SACS review, Student Government Association, curriculum committee, Colonnade Plan, open records and summer/winter compensation.

Response Of Male Centruroides Vittatus (Scorpiones: Buthidae) To Aerial And Substrate-Borne Chemical Signals, Steffany B. Steinmetz, Karen C. Bost, Douglas D. Gaffin

Euscorpius

Chemical signaling promotes mate location throughout numerous animal taxa. In this study we investigated the possibility that striped scorpions, Centruroides vittatus, use chemical signaling in the form of odor plumes or substrate-borne deposits as communication channels. A Y-shaped arena was constructed to test scorpions’ use of air-borne chemical cues in the detection of potential mates. A second, circular behavioral choice chamber was used to test male scorpions’ responses to female deposits by direct substrate contact. Male scorpions showed no tendency to move toward the female in tests of air-borne chemical transmission but they did demonstrate behavior associated with chemical …

Health Perceptions And Practices Of Burmese Refugee Families: A Participatory Mixed Method Study, Suneeta Kercood, Trish Morita-Mullaney

Journal of Southeast Asian American Education and Advancement

Healthcare providers in the United States often view the lifestyle choices made by refugees from Burma through the lenses of America’s norms for healthy living. Although healthcare providers often recognize the role that language plays in the refugees’ ability to communicate their healthcare needs, they often ignore the role of culture. This lack of understanding of cultural difference contributes to the marginalization of refugees in the healthcare system. Using a transformative mixed method methodology, this study employed the East Asian Acculturation Scale (EAAM) to identify participants’ perceived level of acculturation within health care contexts. The researchers then engaged participants in …