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2015

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A Socio-Economic Assessment Of Marine Turtle Eco-Tourism, Kendra Cope Jan 2015

A Socio-Economic Assessment Of Marine Turtle Eco-Tourism, Kendra Cope

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Marine turtles have historically contributed to economic activity through consumptive harvest for food, tools, and decorative objects. Only recently have they begun to benefit humans economically through non-consumptive roles, primarily as a focal point of educational eco-tourism. In recent years, the annual number of turtle walks conducted around the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge (ACNWR) has risen. This expansion contributed to a statistically significant increase in attendance from 2,162 in 2001 to 3,047 participants in 2014. I examined the regional economic impacts of marine turtle eco-tourism around the ACNWR using social surveys and an economic impact analysis tool. IMPLAN, an …

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Making Waves, Mixing Colors, And Using Mirrors: The Self-Regulated Learning Support Features And Procedural Rhetoric Of Three Whole-Body Educational Games, Emily Johnson Jan 2015

Making Waves, Mixing Colors, And Using Mirrors: The Self-Regulated Learning Support Features And Procedural Rhetoric Of Three Whole-Body Educational Games, Emily Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the question, "How can the procedural rhetoric of three whole-body educational games improve the understanding of self-regulated learning with digital technology?" It explores three whole-body educational games (WBEGs) using a quantitative study, a case study, and analyses of their procedural rhetoric to better understand the roles these types of games can have in teaching digital literacy and self-regulated learning (SRL) skills. The three WBEGs, Waves, Color Mixer, and Light and Mirrors, are each intended to teach science concepts to players. These games are similarly structured in that they all invite players to immerse themselves in the game …

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Conservation Laws And Electromagnetic Interactions, Veerachart Kajorndejnukul Jan 2015

Conservation Laws And Electromagnetic Interactions, Veerachart Kajorndejnukul

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Aside from energy, light carries linear and angular momenta that can be transferred to matter. The interaction between light and matter is governed by conservation laws that can manifest themselves as mechanical effects acting on both matter and light waves. This interaction permits remote, precise, and noninvasive manipulation and sensing at microscopic levels. In this dissertation, we demonstrated for the first time a complete set of opto-mechanical effects that are based on nonconservative forces and act at the interface between dielectric media. Without structuring the light field, forward action is provided by the conventional radiation pressure while a backward movement …

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Understanding And Mitigating Sources Of Teacher Dissatisfaction, Carl Howard Jan 2015

Understanding And Mitigating Sources Of Teacher Dissatisfaction, Carl Howard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation in practice focuses on a review of literature to answer the guiding question, what can teachers and other educational stakeholders do to help address their sources of dissatisfaction in order to build a positive school climate? The author used a modified frame analysis from Bolman and Deal, other published literature, and personal experience to identify seven different, but sometimes related, domains that affect teachers and school climate. These seven domains include operations/management, contract application, professional development, classroom management, interpersonal, financial, and unanticipated events. The modified frame analysis was used to help empower teachers to solve problems that affect …

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Functional Identification Of Nucleus Tractus Solitarius (Nts) Barosensitive Neurons: Effect Of Chronic Intermittent Hypoxia (Cih), Jenya Kolpakova Jan 2015

Functional Identification Of Nucleus Tractus Solitarius (Nts) Barosensitive Neurons: Effect Of Chronic Intermittent Hypoxia (Cih), Jenya Kolpakova

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Chronic Intermittent Hypoxia (CIH) is a model used to study obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Previously, we showed that baroreflex control of heart rate (HR) (baroreflex sensitivity) is reduced in CIH rats. While afferent function and HR in response to vagal efferent stimulation are enhanced, the effect of CIH on the central components, in particular NTS, is still not completely understood. F344 rats (3-4 mo) were exposed either to CIH or room air (RA) for 35-50 days. Following CIH exposure, rats were anaesthetized with Ket/Ace. Using single-unit extracellular recording technique, we recorded NTS barosensitive neurons in response to arterial pressure (AP) …

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Fostering College Student Success: An Analysis Of The Educational Outcomes Of Florida College Students Utilizing Relative Caregiver, Road-To-Independence, And Adoption Tuition Exemptions, Lauren Murray Jan 2015

Fostering College Student Success: An Analysis Of The Educational Outcomes Of Florida College Students Utilizing Relative Caregiver, Road-To-Independence, And Adoption Tuition Exemptions, Lauren Murray

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the educational outcomes of foster care youth utilizing the Road to Independence, Adopted from DCF, and Relative Caregiver tuition exemptions to pursue enrollment in Florida's state college system during the 2012-2013 academic year. An extensive literature review was conducted to examine the history of foster care, examine a contemporary portrait of the American foster care system, and the adult outcomes of former foster care. Federal and state policies impacting the population, campus support initiatives at colleges nationwide and the concept of resilience were also explored. In conjunction with the Florida Department of Education's Division of Accountability, Research …

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A Theoretical And Experimental Investigation Of The Physical And Chemical Properties Of Solid Nanoscale Interfaces, Jeronimo Matos Jan 2015

A Theoretical And Experimental Investigation Of The Physical And Chemical Properties Of Solid Nanoscale Interfaces, Jeronimo Matos

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

With the emerging interest in nanoscale materials, the fascinating field of surface science is rapidly growing and presenting challenges to the design of both experimental and theoretical studies. The primary aim of this dissertation is to shed some light on the physical and chemical properties of selected nanoscale materials at the interface. Furthermore, we will discuss the effective application of cutting edge theoretical and experimental techniques that are invaluable tools for understanding the systems at hand. To this effect, we use density functional theory (DFT) with the inclusion of van der Waals (vdW) interactions to study the effect of long-range …

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The Interspecies Family: Attitudes And Narratives, Nicole Owens Jan 2015

The Interspecies Family: Attitudes And Narratives, Nicole Owens

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Families are conceptualized and accomplished in increasingly diverse ways in the 21st century. A constructionist framework was utilized to examine a widespread contemporary family form, the interspecies family. This mixed-method approach relied on both quantitative survey data and qualitative interview data. First, survey data from the 2006 Constructing the Family Survey were analyzed to understand who in America counts pets as family. Many social demographics were associated and predicted counting pets as family but gender was one of the strongest associations. However, marital status moderated the relationship between gender and counting pets as family at a statically significant level. Men …

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Sage Illusionists: A Historical Study Using Illusionists As A Reflection Of Mass Entertainment, Popular Culture, Anf Change During The Late Nineteenth Century, Clayton Phillips Jan 2015

Sage Illusionists: A Historical Study Using Illusionists As A Reflection Of Mass Entertainment, Popular Culture, Anf Change During The Late Nineteenth Century, Clayton Phillips

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

By the late nineteenth and early twenty century both the United States and Europe were experiencing massive shifts in social organization, social attitudes, and global influence due to the effects of the industrial revolution and imperialistic expansion. This birth of a public sphere and the mass entertainment industry was related to a blurring of the lines between traditional social classes. Mass entertainment's growth was directly related to the need to attract large audiences with entertainment that appealed in some way to a broad spectrum of the populace. At the same time, stage illusionists or magicians were one of the most …

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Bluegrass, Bildung, And Blueprints: The Little Shepherd Of Kingdom Come As An Appalachian Bildungsroman, Leona Shoemaker Jan 2015

Bluegrass, Bildung, And Blueprints: The Little Shepherd Of Kingdom Come As An Appalachian Bildungsroman, Leona Shoemaker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come takes as its backdrop the American Civil War, as the author, John Fox, Jr., champions Kentucky's social development during the Progressive Era. Although often criticized for capitalizing on his propagation of regional stereotypes, I argue that the structure of The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come is much more problematic than that. Recognizing the Bildungsroman as a vehicle for cultural and social critique in late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century writing, this project offers an in-depth literary analysis of John Fox, Jr.'s novel, The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come, in which I contend the story itself is, …

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An Analysis Of Faculty Collaboration On Student Transfer Through Articulation Agreements, Nichole Shorter Jan 2015

An Analysis Of Faculty Collaboration On Student Transfer Through Articulation Agreements, Nichole Shorter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explored the ways faculty at two- and four-year institutions with articulation agreements collaborate to improve the retention rates of transfer students, using the Wilder Collaboration Factors (WCF) as a theoretical lens. This research was conducted to analyze the level of collaboration, and differentiate among the perceptions of collaboration among university and community college faculty. The purpose of the study was to build upon the limited amount of research on postsecondary collaboration. Nonparametric statistical analyses were performed to provide answers to the research questions. Analysis of the data revealed that the participants demonstrated strength in 18 of the 20 …

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Vanadium Oxide Microbolometers With Patterned Gold Black Or Plasmonic Resonant Absorbers, Evan Smith Jan 2015

Vanadium Oxide Microbolometers With Patterned Gold Black Or Plasmonic Resonant Absorbers, Evan Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

High sensitivity uncooled microbolometers are necessary to meet the needs of the next generation of infrared detectors, which seek low power consumption and production cost without sacrificing performance. Presented here is the design, fabrication, and characterization of a microbolometer with responsivity enhanced by novel highly absorptive coatings. The device utilizes a gold-doped vanadium oxide film in a standard air bridge design. Performance estimations are calculated from current theory, and efforts to maximize signal to noise ratio are shown and evaluated. Most notably, presented are the experimental results and analysis from the integration of two different absorptive coatings: a patterned gold …

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Examining Practices Of Elementary School Principals: Selection Of Co-Teaching Teams, Jeannette Tejeda Jan 2015

Examining Practices Of Elementary School Principals: Selection Of Co-Teaching Teams, Jeannette Tejeda

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of urban elementary school principals in relation to co-teaching and their co-teacher selection process. Three elementary school principals who exemplify characteristics of shared, ethical, and transformational leadership from a large urban school district in the southern United States were interviewed. The findings from the interviews were utilized to create a Likert-type survey to be administered to select co-teachers and select teachers not co-teaching at each of the three schools. The interview data were examined using Hycner's guidelines for phenomenological analysis. The Likert-type surveys administered to co-teachers and teachers not …

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The Effects Of Four Weeks Of High Intensity Interval Training And Β-Hydroxy-Β-Methylbutyric Free Acid On The Onset Of Neuromuscular Fatigue, Amelia Miramonti Jan 2015

The Effects Of Four Weeks Of High Intensity Interval Training And Β-Hydroxy-Β-Methylbutyric Free Acid On The Onset Of Neuromuscular Fatigue, Amelia Miramonti

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the effects of high intensity interval training (HIIT) and β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyric free acid (HMBFA) on the onset of neuromuscular fatigue in healthy young men and women. Thirty-seven subjects (22 men and 15 women; mean ± SD age = 22.8 ± 3.4yrs) completed an incremental cycle ergometer test (GXT) to exhaustion. During the GXT, electromyography (EMG) signals from the right vastus lateralis were recorded to determine the power output at the onset of neuromuscular fatigue (PWCFT), and peak wattage was used to assign individual training loads. After baseline testing (PRE), subjects were randomly assigned to one of three groups: …

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An Empirical Analysis Of The Association Between Types Of Interventions And Civil War Onset, Melinda Mellott Jan 2015

An Empirical Analysis Of The Association Between Types Of Interventions And Civil War Onset, Melinda Mellott

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Quantitative studies have focused on economics, social structures, and lack of political freedoms as being elemental factors for civil war onset. However, these studies have neglected the possibility of a civil war being an unintended consequence of international military intervention. I conduct an empirical analysis of the association between military intervention and civil war onset by collecting data for twenty countries within the Middle East/North African regions from 1980 to 2000. Using the International Military Intervention data set, I categorized “international intervention” into nine different types, all of which were regressed with intrastate war data derived from the Correlates of …

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Tiling With Polyominoes, Polycubes, And Rectangles, Michael Saxton Jan 2015

Tiling With Polyominoes, Polycubes, And Rectangles, Michael Saxton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this paper we study the hierarchical structure of the 2-d polyominoes. We introduce a new infinite family of polyominoes which we prove tiles a strip. We discuss applications of algebra to tiling. We discuss the algorithmic decidability of tiling the infinite plane Z x Z given a finite set of polyominoes. We will then discuss tiling with rectangles. We will then get some new, and some analogous results concerning the possible hierarchical structure for the 3-d polycubes.

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Translocation Of A Semiflexible Polymer Through A Nanopore, Ramesh Adhikari Jan 2015

Translocation Of A Semiflexible Polymer Through A Nanopore, Ramesh Adhikari

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The transport of a biomolecule through a nanopore occurs in many biological functions such as, DNA or RNA transport across nuclear pores and the translocation of proteins across the eukaryotic endoplasmic reticulum. In addition to the biological processes, it has potential applications in technology such as, drug delivery, gene therapy, and single molecule sensing. The DNA translocation through a synthetic nanopore device is considered as the basis for cheap and fast sequencing technology. Motivated by the experimental advances, many theoretical models have been developed. In this thesis, we explore the dynamics of driven translocation of a semiflexible polymer through a …

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Practical Use Of Ground Penetrating Radar: A Survey Of Coastal Historic Cemeteries In Brevard County, Florida, William Boynton Jan 2015

Practical Use Of Ground Penetrating Radar: A Survey Of Coastal Historic Cemeteries In Brevard County, Florida, William Boynton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) research conducted in coastal environments is one area that is lacking in archaeology. Surveys conducted in this type of environment afford the opportunity to evaluate the practical use GPR under field conditions. Coastal environments are effective for this evaluation because they offer a host of conditions that GPR surveys do not normally encounter at one time. The relationship of the land to the coast, sub-surface conditions and reliable survey areas create a "perfect storm" to test how practical the use of GPR is in coastal environments. This research is a study of homestead cemeteries situated within …

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Garden Soils: Reviewing The Viability Of Soil Phosphate Analyses In The Archaeological Identification Of Ancient Maya Kitchen Gardens, Cheryl Foster Jan 2015

Garden Soils: Reviewing The Viability Of Soil Phosphate Analyses In The Archaeological Identification Of Ancient Maya Kitchen Gardens, Cheryl Foster

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The study of ancient Maya intensive, intra-site agricultural systems, such as kitchen gardens, has gained new interest in recent years as a valuable way of interpreting numerous aspects of the ancient Maya's daily life (e.g. subsistence and settlement patterns, population growth, diet and nutrition, gender roles). However, while contemporary Maya kitchen gardens can often be easily identified and studied by cultural anthropologists and archaeologists, ancient kitchen gardens are usually much harder to identify by traditional archaeological techniques because of their lack of architectural structures and other identifying features. To compensate for this limitation, various forms of chemical testing (primarily phosphate …

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Evaluation Of An Early Classic Round Structure At Santa Rita Corozal, Belize, Rachael Kangas Jan 2015

Evaluation Of An Early Classic Round Structure At Santa Rita Corozal, Belize, Rachael Kangas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Round structures in the Maya area are an architectural form that is not well understood, in part due to the relatively few examples recovered through archaeological excavations. The site of Santa Rita Corozal, Belize offers one of the few examples of an Early Classic Period round structure (Structure 135) in the Maya region, one that is distinctive in its timing and architectural form. This thesis seeks to compare Structure 135 with the patterns of round structures identified in the Preclassic and Terminal/early Postclassic Periods, when there are comparatively more examples and to pinpoint the multiple construction periods evidenced in the …

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Photon Statistics In Disordered Lattices, Hasan Kondakci Jan 2015

Photon Statistics In Disordered Lattices, Hasan Kondakci

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Propagation of coherent waves through disordered media, whether optical, acoustic, or radio waves, results in a spatially redistributed random intensity pattern known as speckle -- a statistical phenomenon. The subject of this dissertation is the statistics of monochromatic coherent light traversing disordered photonic lattices and its dependence on the disorder class, the level of disorder and the excitation configuration at the input. Throughout the dissertation, two disorder classes are considered, namely, diagonal and off-diagonal disorders. The latter exhibits disorder-immune chiral symmetry -- the appearance of the eigenmodes in skew-symmetric pairs and the corresponding eigenvalues in opposite signs. When a disordered …

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Nurse Managers, Work Environment Factors And Workplace Bullying, Joy Parchment Jan 2015

Nurse Managers, Work Environment Factors And Workplace Bullying, Joy Parchment

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to explore relationships between authentic leadership style, global social power, job demand, job control, and workplace bullying of nurse managers in acute care settings across the United States. Over 30 years of workplace bullying research exists. Consequences are linked to intent to leave, turnover, and harmful emotional and physical effects. Published studies identifying nurse managers as targets of workplace bullying and work environment factors that contribute to nurse managers being recipients of workplace bullying either, downward from their leaders, horizontally from their nurse manager peers, and upwards from their clinical nurses were not identified. …

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An Applied Organizational Analysis Of School Factors Affecting Technology Integration Within The Context Of Literacy Instruction, D'Ann Rawlinson Jan 2015

An Applied Organizational Analysis Of School Factors Affecting Technology Integration Within The Context Of Literacy Instruction, D'Ann Rawlinson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this Dissertation in Practice was to analyze the organizational factors affecting technology integration within the context of literacy instruction at a single school site that was preparing to implement a 1:1 mobile device initiative in all K-5 classrooms the following academic year. This was achieved through conducting an organizational analysis using a multi-frame model developed by Bolman and Deal (2008). This study used a convergent parallel mixed methods research design consisting of teacher and administrator interviews, a quantitative and qualitative survey, and classroom observational data. One main evaluation question was designed to frame this organizational analysis: What …

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Quantum Chemical Studies For The Engineering Of Metal Organic Materials, Hector Javier Rivera Jacquez Jan 2015

Quantum Chemical Studies For The Engineering Of Metal Organic Materials, Hector Javier Rivera Jacquez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Metal Organic Materials (MOM) are composed of transition metal ions as connectors and organic ligands as linkers. MOMs have been found to have high porosity, catalytic, and optical properties. Here we study the gas adsorption, color change, and non-linear optical properties of MOMs. These properties can be predicted using theoretical methods, and the results may provide experimentalists with guidance for rational design and engineering of novel MOMs. The theory levels used include semi-empirical quantum mechanical calculations with the PM7 Hamiltonian and, Density Functional Theory (DFT) to predict the geometry and electronic structure of the ground state, and Time Dependent DFT …

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African American Head Football Coaches At Division 1 Fbs Schools: A Qualitative Study On Turning Points, Thaddeus Rivers Jan 2015

African American Head Football Coaches At Division 1 Fbs Schools: A Qualitative Study On Turning Points, Thaddeus Rivers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation was centered on how the theory 'turning points' explained African American coaches ascension to Head Football Coach at a NCAA Division I FBS school. This work (1) identified traits and characteristics coaches felt they needed in order to become a head coach and (2) described the significant events and people (turning points) in their lives that have influenced their career. This study employed a Constant Comparative method in which participants answered interview questions designed for them to elaborate on their educational and athletic careers, and those events and people who were major influences in their careers. Commonalities and …

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Chetumal's Dragonglass: Postclassic Obsidian Production And Exchange At Santa Rita Corozal, Belize, Max Seidita Jan 2015

Chetumal's Dragonglass: Postclassic Obsidian Production And Exchange At Santa Rita Corozal, Belize, Max Seidita

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Obsidian is one of the most common materials preserved in the archaeological record of Mesoamerica. Because of this and obsidian's unique chemical properties, it has become one of the most common means by which to explain ancient exchange and production. Northern Belize has largely been absent from discussions of Postclassic Mesoamerican economies. The limited amount of obsidian research that has been done is unable to draw comparisons to the region's primary site during this period, Santa Rita Corozal. This thesis remedies this by exploring the importation, production, and distribution of obsidian at the Postclassic Maya primary center of Santa Rita …

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Mental Rotation: Can Familiarity Alleviate The Effects Of Complex Backgrounds?, Anthony Selkowitz Jan 2015

Mental Rotation: Can Familiarity Alleviate The Effects Of Complex Backgrounds?, Anthony Selkowitz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigated the effects of complex backgrounds on mental rotation. Stimulus familiarity and background familiarity were manipulated. It systematically explored how familiarizing participants to objects and complex backgrounds affects their performance on a mental rotation task involving complex backgrounds. This study had 113 participants recruited through the UCF Psychology SONA system. Participants were familiarized with a stimulus in a task where they were told to distinguish the stimulus from 3 other stimuli. A similar procedure was used to familiarize the backgrounds. The research design was a 2 stimulus familiarity (Familiarized with the Target Stimulus, not familiarized with the Target …

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The Helping Professional Wellness Discrepancy Scale (Hpwds): Development And Validation, Ashley Blount Jan 2015

The Helping Professional Wellness Discrepancy Scale (Hpwds): Development And Validation, Ashley Blount

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Wellness is an integral component of the helping professions (Myers & Sweeney, 2005; Witmer, 1985). Specifically, wellness is included in ethical codes, suggestions for practice, and codes of conduct throughout counseling, psychology, and social work fields (see American Counseling Association Code of Ethics, 2014; American Psychological Association Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct, 2010; National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics, 1996). Even so, wellness in helping professionals is a difficult construct to measure. Thus, the purpose of the research investigation was to develop the Helping Professional Wellness Discrepancy Scale (HPWDS) and examine the psychometric features of …

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Parallel Fabrication And Transport Properties Of Carbon Nanotube Single Electron Transistors, Muhammad Islam Jan 2015

Parallel Fabrication And Transport Properties Of Carbon Nanotube Single Electron Transistors, Muhammad Islam

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Single electron transistors (SET) have attracted significant attention as a potential building block for post CMOS nanoelectronic devices. However, lack of reproducible and parallel fabrication approach and room temperature operation are the two major bottlenecks for practical realization of SET based devices. In this thesis, I demonstrate large scale single electron transistors fabrication techniques using solution processed single wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) and studied their electron transport properties. The approach is based on the assembly of individual SWNTs via dielectrophoresis (DEP) at the selected position of the circuit and formation of tunnel barriers on SWNT. Two different techniques: i) metal-SWNT …

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Nanoelectronic Devices Using Carbon Nanotubes And Graphene Electrodes: Fabrication And Electronic Transport Investigations, Narae Kang Jan 2015

Nanoelectronic Devices Using Carbon Nanotubes And Graphene Electrodes: Fabrication And Electronic Transport Investigations, Narae Kang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Fabrication of high-performance electronic devices using the novel semiconductors is essential for developing future electronics which can be applicable in large-area, flexible and transparent displays, sensors and solar cells. One of the major bottlenecks in the fabrication of high-performance devices is a large interfacial barrier formation at metal/semiconductor interface originated from Schottky barrier and interfacial dipole barrier which causes inefficient charge injection at the interface. Therefore, having a favorable contact at electrode/semiconductor is highly desirable for high-performance devices fabrication. In this dissertation, the fabrication of nanoelectronic devices and investigation of their transport properties using carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene as …

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