Digital Commons Network^™

Robert Gardner V. Philadelphia School District

2015 Decisions

USDC for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Nathan Reigle V. Ralph Riesh

2015 Decisions

USDC for the Middle District of Pennsylvania

Milad Allaham V. Fadi Naddaf

2015 Decisions

USDC for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Knowledge, Attitudes, And Intentions Toward Fertility Awareness And Oocyte Cryopreservation Among Obstetrics And Gynecology Resident Physicians, L. Yu, Brennan Peterson, M. C. Inhorn, Julia K. Boehm, P. Patrizio

Marriage and Family Therapy Faculty Articles and Research

STUDY QUESTION What knowledge, attitudes and intentions do US obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN) residents have toward discussing age-related fertility decline and oocyte cryopreservation with their patients?

SUMMARY ANSWER Most OB/GYN residents believe that age-related fertility decline, but not oocyte cryopreservation, should be discussed during well-woman annual exams; furthermore, nearly half of residents overestimated the age at which female fertility markedly declines.

WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY Oocyte cryopreservation can be utilized to preserve fertility potential. Currently, no studies of US OB/GYN residents exist that question their knowledge, attitudes, and intentions toward discussing age-related fertility decline and oocyte cryopreservation with patients.

STUDY …

Maternal Predictors Of School Readiness Among At-Risk Head Start Preschool Children, Rachel Chase

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Preschool has been identified as a critical period during which children who are at-risk for school difficulties are most responsive to intervention (National Institute of Mental Health, 2002; National Research Council & Institute of Medicine, 2001). Because of this, school readiness has recently become a prioritized area of interest for the educational system, the health care industry, and the federal government. However, many efforts to comprehensively prepare a child to begin school have not been successful because factors beyond the educational system (e.g., parenting/parent attributes, environmental stressors, and other demographic characteristics) have not been closely considered nor adequately researched. Therefore, …

How Can Participatory Social Network Analysis Contribute To Community-Led Natural Resources Management?: A Case Study From Bua Province, Fiji Islands, Brook. M. Mcdavid

Natural Resources

Adaptive co-management of natural resources requires a variety of stakeholders across different scales and sectors to communicate and collaborate effectively. Social network theory recognizes that stakeholders interact with each other through networks and that various network characteristics affect the way in which they function. Social relationships can be visualized through network mapping and their patterns systematically analyzed in a process known as social network analysis (SNA). Participatory SNA allows members of the network to be involved in the mapping or analysis process. Participants can then apply their knowledge of these relationships to build, improve, or better utilize their connections to …

Handheld Stand-Alone Microfluidics Compatible Field Use Fluorimeter For Analyzing The Concentration Of Analytes In A Sample, Matthew B. Anctil

Engineering

This thesis presents the work performed to produce a handheld fluorometric tool for the analysis of microfluidics lab chips. The first section of this thesis describes the methods used for the design and development of this fluorometric tool. Each of the major components was tested individually to determine how effectively it would perform under different circumstances and configurations. Compensations were made for the weaknesses identified in each of the major components. The second section describes the laboratory testing of the developed photofluorimeter. Initial testing was carried out using a photo fluorescent tracer dye known as fluorescein sodium salt. Additional testing …

Assisting School Personnel With Youth Transitioning From Residential Treatment To A School Environment, Kristi Smith

Counseling

The following research project examines the data and literature regarding youth who reside in residential treatment centers for behavior and mental health purposes. The paper introduces common risk factors that youth are experiencing which contribute to their placement in the facilities, as well as the difficulties they face upon exiting the treatment program. This project explores how schools can assist students in the transition from residential treatment to a school setting using a bio-ecological model that supports the students on an individual level up to a systemic level. School counselors serve as a key point of contact for transitioning students …

Space Use And Movements Of Moose Hunters And Wolves In The Yukon Flats, Alaska, Ian Johnson

Biological Sciences

Within the Yukon Flats, Alaska, subsistence communities utilize moose (Alces alces) as a primary resource (78% of households) and wolves (Canis lupus) hunt them as an obligatory prey item. Hence, understanding the potential of direct or indirect competition between wolves and humans is useful for managers. In Chapter 1, I used a novel approach utilizing spatially-linked interviews to quantify the distance subsistence users were traveling from communities and rivers to harvest moose in the Yukon Flats. My study was the first to quantify hunter access in the Arctic and may provide managers with a harvest estimation approach that may supplement …

Identifying Industry Defined Best Practices Within Educational Youtube Content, An Exploratory Study, Martin Van Der Kroon

Communication

No abstract provided.

X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrometry Using Synchrotron Radiation With Applications In Unmanned Aircraft Environmental Sensing, Sean Richard Barberie

Chemistry and Biochemistry

In this thesis I present an analytical optimization of the Synchrotron Radiation X-Ray Fluorescence (SR-XRF) technique for applications in unmanned aircraft aerosol studies. In environmental and atmospheric science, there is a pressing need for aerosol measurements at various altitudes in the atmosphere and spanning large regions. This need is currently either ignored, or met to a limited degree by studies that employ manned aircraft. There is, however, a great deal of opportunity to improve and expand on these studies using the emerging technology of unmanned aircraft systems. A newly developed aerosol sampler makes this opportunity a near-reality by its ability …

Structural Study Of Pb(Ii) And Sb(V) Adsorption On The Hydroxylated Hematite(1102) Surface, Canrong Qiu, N/A 丘灿荣

Chemistry and Biochemistry

Surface complexation reactions at mineral-water interface play a key role in dictating the mobility and bioavailability of aqueous species in the environment, considering the minerals (like iron-(oxyhydr)oxides), ubiquitous in nature, are usually of high specific surface area and contain a lot of potentially reactive surface sites for binding ions. Thus, the fundamental understanding of surface complexation reactions is essential to better model the environmental fate and transport of toxic aqueous species. In the current study, the hematite (1102) surface was selected as a model substrate for iron-(oxyhydr)oxides commonly found in the environment to investigate the surface complexation reactions of Pb(II) …

Post Stroke Interpersonal Communication: An Intimate Exploration Of Stroke Survivors' Lived Experiences, Lora L. Hendley

Communication

This qualitative study explores the personal and intimate lived experiences of stroke survivors who suffer the comorbid emotional sequelae of Post Stroke Depression (PSD) and how it affects their rehabilitation and interpersonal relationships post stroke. By using Uncertainty Reduction Theory (URT), the idea of Social Construction of Identity, the epistemology of Narrative Inquiry (NI), and conversational interviews (CI), with stroke survivors, their spouses/significant others, friends, and other family members, the aim of this body of research has been to take on the difficult task of observing how stroke survivors navigate the difficult and sometimes daunting path that all stroke survivors …

Winter Commencement: December 17-18, 2015, University Of North Dakota

UND Commencement Programs

UND Winter Commencement program from December 17-18, 2015.

Visual Artists Experiencing Nature: Examining Human-Environment Relationships, Amy Lynn Wiita

Anthropology

Anthropology has a long history collaborating with artists to understand their artwork. However, little research exists in the discipline that focuses on artists as a group, their creative process, and what may influence that process. In particular, how artists use nature and place has not been studied; instead, anthropology has generally considered nature and place as merely a backdrop for culture rather than for its impact on cultural expression. Identification of diverse aspects of the interdependence of ecological and social systems can inform our understanding of how people address issues of environmental concern. Managers, scientists, creative people, and others working …

Wrestling, Archery, And Horse Racing In Buryatia: Traditional Sports Competitions And Social Change, Stefan Krist

Anthropology

Sporting activities are examined in order to better understand a society's general socio-economic and political changes. The two basic research questions are the following: (1) Which economic, social, political, and cultural changes in and of the Buryat society were and are reflected in Buryat traditional sports? (2) How far and in which ways did and do Buryat traditional sports and the people engaged in them contribute to social change? Anthropological studies of play, games, and sport, an overview of which is presented in Chapter 1, have revealed that sports are closely linked and tightly entangled with the cultures and societies, …

IñUpiat Ilitqusiat: Inner Views Of Our IñUpiaq Values, Charles Sean Topkok

Indigenous Studies

Iñupiat Ilitqusiat: Inner Views of Our Iñupiaq Values examines how Iñupiat pass down elements of our cultural heritage to future generations. The research is community-driven by the Pavva Iñupiaq Dancers of Fairbanks, families with Iñupiaq children in their household, and other Iñupiat worldwide. My doctoral research addresses how we view each Iñupiat Ilitqusiat (Iñupiaq Values), how our Iñupiat Ilitqusiat have been passed down, and how we pass down our Iñupiaq cultural heritage to our future cultural-bearers. Participants talk about our Iñupiat Ilitqusiat to acknowledge that we are Iñupiat wherever we live. I assert that in order to conduct culturally appropriate …

Taminek Taiut, Peggy Azuyak

Linguistics

No abstract provided.

Surviving Alaska, Natalie Cowley

Linguistics

No abstract provided.

Quliangnanek Litnauwilita - Let's Teach Through Stories, Candace Branson

Linguistics

No abstract provided.

It's All In The Past, Jill Phillips

Linguistics

This project is a response to what I noticed to be a challenge for both my ELL students and myself in multiple school settings--teaching and learning specific English grammar skills. Prior to beginning this program, over the past ten years I had the privilege of working in a number of schools--both internationally and stateside--teaching various ages/levels of ELL learners. It was, however, my time in rural Alaska that prompted me to seek out additional schooling for help in overcoming the challenges of teaching grammar skills.

Bilingual Research Centers In An Alaska Studies Classroom, Julia Sipary

Linguistics

No abstract provided.

Quliriyaraq: Storytelling Using The Pace Model, Dora Emma Strunk

Linguistics

No abstract provided.

Utilizing Funds Of Knowledge To Engage Students In Meaningful Writing, Bradley Webster

Linguistics

No abstract provided.

Yuuyaraq: A Transformative Approach, Wanda Kaganak

Linguistics

No abstract provided.

Alternative Project Delivery In Rural Alaska: Experiences, Quality And Claims, Katrina L. Monta, Gerald S. Pehrson, Matthew N. Cryer

Engineering

The popularity of alternative project delivery systems has expanded beyond the private sector and into the public sector. Alaska embodies unique challenges that may present obstacles while using alternative project delivery systems. This analysis will provide an understanding of alternative project delivery systems in Alaska and how local experiences, quality and claims are affected. Alaska's unique characteristics present both challenges and opportunities for implementing alternative project delivery systems. This report begins with a discussion of experiences from several rural Alaska projects, and how alternative project delivery systems can be utilized. Some impacts that alternative project delivery systems have on quality …

Synergistic Effects Among Leading Indicators Of Construction Safety Management, Matthew E. Calhoun

Engineering

Safety performance in the construction industry has improved significantly since the Occupational Safety and Health Act was enacted in 1970. Despite these improvements, annual accident statistics indicate the construction industry remains one of the most dangerous for workers. However, there are some construction companies that defy these statistics and have an exemplary safety record. Many of these companies have adopted a zero-accident vision and measure their safety performance using both leading and lagging indicators. Safety performance has traditionally been measured with only lagging indicators that have included recordable injury rates, experience modification rates, days-away-restricted-transferred, among many others. Unfortunately these indicators …

Paluwiigum Beksdid Sugt'stun Aggaggtatuguut Port Graham's Sugt'stun Workers Plan, Marleah Makpiaq Labelle

Rural Development

This Sustainability Plan was written for the Native Village of Port Graham for their language program, Tamamta Litnaurluta. The Native Village of Port Graham, a federally recognized tribe that serves the Sugpiaq people of Port Graham, Alaska, received a three-year language immersion grant from the Administration for Native Americans (ANA) to provide language instruction for students ranging from Head Start through the 12th grade. The ANA grant will expire at the end of the 2015-2016 school year. This Sustainability Plan provides programmatic recommendations for the Native Village of Port Graham to consider for continuing Tamamta Litnaurluta beyond the life of …

Effective And Meaningful Collaboration To Improve Community Health, Esther Hammerschlag

Rural Development

This research project set out to identify those factors that are likely to lead to effective and meaningful collaboration among a broad range of stakeholders wishing to collaborate to improve health in rural communities. By studying two different collaborative efforts in rural Alaska that have succeeded in collaboration but have also faced many challenges, benefits of collaboration, challenges to collaboration, factors that contribute to benefits and challenges of collaboration, and important areas for development in collaboration were identified. Through the research study and a literature review conducted within the context of the researcher's professional experience, frameworks and tools were identified …

Local Scale Structures In Earth's Thermospheric Winds And Their Consequences For Wind Driven Transport, Manbharat Singh Dhadly

Physics

In the traditional picture of Earth's upper thermosphere (~190-300 km), it is widely presumed that its convective stability and enormous kinematic viscosity attenuate wind gradients, and hence smooth out any structure present in the wind over scale size of several hundreds of kilometers. However, several independent experimental studies have shown that observed upper thermospheric wind fields at high latitudes contain stronger than expected local-scale spatial structures. The motivation of this dissertation is to investigate how the resulting local-scale gradients would distort neutral air masses and complicate thermospheric wind transport. To achieve this goal, we examined the behavior of a simple …