Digital Commons Network^™

Against The Thalassocracy: Sacred Geography, Nationhood And Perennial Traditionalism In Alexander Dugin's Neo-Eurasianist Philosophy, Jonathan Rushbrook

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This thesis discusses the ideological makeup of the Russian right wing philosopher Alexander Dugin's and his conceptualization of race and nation in his Neo-Eurasianist imperial project. Tracing Dugin's ideological influences from early Eurasianism, the European New Right and esoteric religious beliefs such as Perennial Traditionalism, the thesis then goes on to place Dugin's body of thought within a larger debate on defining fascism and whether Dugin can be considered a fascist. Ultimately this thesis contests some scholars' interpretations of Dugin's worldview as a fundamentally ethnocentric or even racist Russian nationalism. Rather, by examining Dugin's writings on nation through an ethno-symbolist …

An Ideal Role, Twenty Years Too Soon: A Young Actor's Journey Through The Role Of Leonard In "Seminar", Nicholas Ryan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Through our production of Seminar, unique challenges were uncovered for an actor performing the role of Leonard. My goal is to examine some of the most difficult and interesting challenges that arose from an unrealistic casting of a realistic play. Issues discussed will be the age gap between Leonard and the students, and what contextually needs to be researched from the script. This examination also addresses the balance of comedy versus drama in regards to Leonard's character relationships with the students, and Leonard's place as a stock character in contemporary theater.

Use Of Wireless, Ad-Hoc Networks For Proximity Warning And Collision Avoidance In Surface Mines, Venkata Raghava Siva Naga Shashank Sabniveesu

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Despite the record of progress achieved in the United States with respect to reducing fatal and non-fatal injuries in surface mines, both the number and severity of these injuries remain unacceptable. A large fraction of these injuries in surface mines are caused by collisions involving large haulage equipment such as trucks, dozers, and front-end loaders. There are two main contributing factors for these collisions: (i) the massive size of these vehicles, which causes several blind spots surrounding the vehicle for the driver, and (ii) the sheer momentum of these vehicles, which makes it hard to maneuver these vehicles and often …

Facilitating Dialogue Through Design To Create Positive Social Change In Rural Communities, Lauren B. Schiefelbein

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Social Design is a progressive field that continues to gain momentum across the nation and the world. Its value and validity is especially noteworthy when design is used as a vehicle to create positive change in today's society. Many rural communities lack the necessary infrastructures or resources to remain relevant in a 21st century world, and face unique sets of barriers to progress and creative problem-solving.;Effective communication, for example, is one area that design thinking can efficiently address, often generating collaborative solutions. Facilitating dialogue in the rural community requires special attention and planning. A carefully-tailored strategy of design interaction while …

The Effect Of Direct Instruction On Spanish Language Acquisition In A Preschool Free-Play Environment: A Single-Case Design, Lucy Rose Scotti

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The predicted increase in Spanish speakers within the United States brings to light a new direction for preschool curricula. There are multiple, on-going arguments about the best time for children to learn a second language and what role critical periods for brain development play in second language acquisition. Although there are individual differences in development, the current study demonstrates that children can learn Spanish vocabulary words with an average of 30 minutes of instruction per week. Using a combination of direct instruction with developmentally appropriate practices, hands-on, and engaging activities, the teaching of Spanish vocabulary, themed and age appropriate for …

Evaluating Changes In Knowledge, Beliefs, And Behaviors Associated With Hpv Following An Educational Intervention Among Women, Crystal Sheaves

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Background: Prevalence of HPV is estimated to be 10-15% Americans. HPV is recognized as the causative agent in 99.7% of all cervical cancers. In 2006, a vaccine was released to prevent specific types of HPV that cause cervical cancer. Despite demonstrated vaccine safety and efficacy, vaccine rates are still low at less than 20% among women 18-26 years old. Vaccine uptake may be impacted by women's HPV knowledge and beliefs.;Aims: The purpose of this study was to evaluate changes in women's knowledge, beliefs, and behaviors associated with HPV following an educational intervention study. Specifically, the study was designed to evaluate …

Evaluating The Impacts Of Vaccination, Antiviral Treatment And School Closure On Influenza Epidemic, Xiaofei Shi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Multi-objective simulation optimization was performed to synergistically investigate the cost and benefits of the most commonly-used strategies for H1N1 epidemic mitigation: vaccination, antiviral treatment, and school closure. By simultaneously considering the three intervention strategies, this study leads to findings that supplement those in the existing work, and provides additional insights regarding intervention decision making. Specifically, our investigation suggests that different vaccine prioritization strategies, the age-based versus ACIP (Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices) recommendation, be implemented depending on vaccine availability; individual school closure policies are favored over their global counterparts, at least when both vaccination and antiviral treatment are implemented with …

Applying Patent-Eligible Subject Matter Restriction, Jonas Anderson

Scholarly Articles in Law Reviews & Journals

The US Supreme Court's difficulty in promulgating a standard for patent-eligibility has not gone unnoticed in the academy. Hundreds of academic conferences, including this one, have been devoted to the topic. The goal of this Article is not to solve the seemingly intractable problem of patent-eligibility doctrine. The goal of this Article is rather more modest. Instead of normatively assessing patent-eligible subject matter doctrine, this Article seeks to identify which foundational theories of patent-eligible subject matter can most readily be applied by courts and the US Patent and Trademark Office via Section 101. In doing so, this Article categorizes the …

Lower Greenmont Revitalization Featuring Deckers Creek, Anna Marie Withrow

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

No abstract provided.

A Joint Location Inventory Model Under The Risk Of Supply Disruptions With Facility Fortifications, Ehsan Jafari Shirazi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Inefficient facility location decisions result in extra cost throughout the lifetime of the facilities. Hence, facility location decisions are considered as critical and difficult decisions in today's highly competitive business environment. There are two relatively new areas of research in facility location modeling approaches that have recently received much attention. The first is the incorporation of short-term inventory decisions into long-term location decisions. It has been shown in the literature (e.g. Daskin et al. 2002 or Shen et al. 2003) that failing to account for inventory may result in fundamental changes in the location decisions and thus suboptimality. The second …

Evaporative Techniques For Stormwater Runoff Alleviation, Allison M. Arnold

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Current climate changes have led to a projected steady increase in rainfall over the next several decades, notably in the Greater Pittsburgh Area. Even without this predicted increase the urbanization of many regions has altered local natural environments, which in the past stored, shed and evaporated this runoff water effectively, maintaining balance within the water table. These added rainfall forecasts, combined with America’s growing trend to develop and expand the urbanization of our natural earth, has resulted in a growing surplus of stormwater runoff water affecting these cities and their suburbs, leaving many sanitation departments unable to meet the heightened …

Best Practices For Improving Flow And Care Of Pediatric Patients In The Emergency Department., Isabel Barata, Kathleen M. Brown, Laura Fitzmaurice, Elizabeth Stone Griffin, Sally K. Snow, American College Of Emergency Physicians Pediatric Emergency Medicine Committee, Emergency Nurses Association Pediatric Committee, Gregory P. Conners, American Academy Of Pediatrics Committee On Pediatric Emergency Medicine

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

This report provides a summary of best practices for improving flow, reducing waiting times, and improving the quality of care of pediatric patients in the emergency department.

Allied Health Science, Saint Mary's College Of California

Academic Catalog

No abstract provided.

Three Essays On The Economics Of Agricultural And Energy Policy, Christopher Shultz

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation is a discussion on the dynamics of energy and agricultural policy in the United States. The landscape for policy creation, innovation, and the role of government is ever changing as a new energy mix emerges. This study contributes to the academic literature by providing three independent narratives on various aspects of the changing relationship. Each of the three studies provides a unique insight into a narrowly defined aspect of the economics and policy of energy and/or agriculture in the United States.;First, consideration is made into the process of policy creation. This is accomplished through a review and synthesis …

Social Structure And Clearance Rates: The Effect Of Neighborhood Characteristics On Aggravated Assault Case Outcome, Brad Silberzahn

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The ability of police to make an arrest for a crime is one of the most visible aspects of the criminal justice system. As a result, it is no surprise that clearance rates are one of the most commonly used measures of police effectiveness. Previous studies of clearance rates focus heavily on the clearance of homicide cases, as many researchers examine the effect of individual level characteristics on case outcomes. Using Donald Black's theory of law, which places an emphasis on social space, i.e., vertical and horizontal distances between victims and offenders, this study examines the effect of neighborhood characteristics …

Uneven Development And Peri-Urbanization In South Africa: Exploring Landscape Change In Polokwane, South Africa, Jennifer L. Smith

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Changes in local landscapes of South Africa are tied to changing social and economic structures of the post-apartheid era. Though there have been significant shifts in land and labor laws, as well as economic policies, between the apartheid era and current times, significant inequalities between communities remain a defining characteristic of the post-apartheid landscape. This research contends that through a combination of social processes occurring between the local, national, and global scales, local landscape is produced unevenly as a manifestation of the coproduction of space. Using a structuralist approach, the research examines local change through the theoretical lenses of uneven …

Cultivating Intelligent Consumption: The United States Food Administration And Food Control During World War I, James H. Smith

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation examines government food control in the United States during the First World War. More specifically, it looks at the food conservation program, and the associated propaganda, formulated by the United States Food Administration (USFA). The USFA was a wartime government agency headed by future president Herbert Hoover. I argue that the philosophy guiding the Food Administration's food control program was clearly influenced by a particular strain of progressivism that men like Hoover subscribed to. Using the input of experts in various fields such as nutrition, physiology, and advertising, the government was able to present a message to the …

Word Play: Modernist Women And Performative Writing, Kathryn Ridinger Smorul

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In Word Play: Modernist Women and Performative Writing I read modernist literary texts informed by theories about theatre, performance, and art. Exploring lesser-known works of Djuna Barnes, Gwendolyn Bennett, Edna St. Vincent Millay, and Mina Loy, I combine literary analysis and performance studies to discover how modernist texts "talk back" to performance theories.;Performance studies, of course, is an inter-discipline that includes anthropology, sociology, performing arts, and literary theory. Modernist authors, influenced as they often are by art, performance, and ritual, incorporate these interdisciplinary interests into a writing practice, specifically performative writing. Performative writing is not so much a matter of …

Synchronization Of Coupled And Periodically Forced Chemical Oscillators, Razan Snari

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Physiological rhythms are essential in all living organisms. Such rhythms are regulated through the interactions of many cells. Deviation of a biological system from its normal rhythms can lead to physiological maladies. The tremor and symptoms associated with Parkinson's disease are thought to emerge from abnormal synchrony of neuronal activity within the neural network of the brain. Deep brain stimulation is a therapeutic technique that can remove this pathological synchronization by the application of a periodic desynchronizing signal. Herein, we used the photosensitive Belousov--Zhabotinsky (BZ) chemical reaction to test the mechanism of deep brain stimulation. A collection of oscillators are …

Christ In The Margins: Confronting Racism Through The (Written) Word In Post-Civil War America, Cara L. Snider

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation examines fictional texts of the late nineteenth century in order to recover the response of progressive Christian writers facing a growing tide of racial violence, injustice, and segregation in the postbellum decades. By investigating the works of Mark Twain, Charles Sheldon, Frances Harper, and Sutton Griggs, I argue that we gain access to a cadre of writers who sought to translate emerging strains of New Theology into practical means of race reform. They regarded their novels as sermons to the masses and saw writing as a sacred practice of communicating the Word to fellow believers; and their brand …

Digital Divide Among Pakistani Faculty Regarding Their Information And Communication Technology (Ict) Access, Kamal Ahmed Soomro

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The issue of digital divide is a complex and multidimensional phenomenon. It centers on various dimensions of information and communication technology (ICT) access including physical access, motivation, skills, and actual usage of digital technologies. The examination of digital divide is helpful in taking necessary measures to remove or at least minimize the problem of digital divide. The past research does not provide adequate literature on digital divide among higher education faculty especially in the context of developing countries.;I developed and validated a quantitative survey instrument to examine digital divide among higher education faculty in terms of their access to information …

Building An Understanding: What Motivates Teachers To Use Science In Motion, Karen M. Spuck

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Science education reform documents call for instructional practices that include scientific equipment and materials. Often, these types of resources are inaccessible for schools, especially those which are rural and socio-economically challenged, due largely to budgetary considerations. Science outreach partnerships are able to bridge the gap between what is called for in science education reform documents and the realities of many schools. Science in Motion is a science outreach partnership project located in rural Northwestern Pennsylvania, supported by state funds, that provides equipment, curricular materials, and professional development free of charge for area science educators. Teacher participation in this project is …

Understanding The Educational Experiences Of Science Teachers In A Five-Year Teacher Education Program: A Phenomenological Study, Nitin Srivastava

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This qualitative study provides an overview of educational experiences of six in-service and three pre-service secondary science teachers in the Benedum Collaborative Five-Year Teacher Education Program at a land-grant university. The researcher interviewed secondary science teachers on the experiences they found meaningful in various program components that influenced their teacher identity, beliefs about science pedagogy, and their sense of preparedness for teaching. Document analysis of teachers' journals and lesson plans supplemented the qualitative data in addition to the researcher's role and knowledge as an outsider (non-Benedum graduate) and insider (facilitator and instructor in the technology integration based classes for one …

Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome In West Virginia: Trends, Risks, And Effectiveness Of In Utero Exposure Detection, Meagan E. Stabler

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation examined neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) in West Virginia (WV). Specifically, three studies were conducted that investigated state and regional trends, risks related to NAS, and effectiveness of in utero exposure detection. The first study described regional incidence rates, trends of antenatal drug class-specific exposures, and NAS diagnoses in WV between 2007 and 2013. The findings indicated a 4-fold increase in WV statewide incidence rates of NAS during this time period, which was three times the national annual average. The second study identified the risk of NAS, risk of NAS requiring pharmacologic treatment, and odds of NAS controlling for …

Chronic Stress, Depressive Symptoms And Peripheral Vascular Dysfunction: Fundamentals, Mechanisms, Sex Disparities, And Determinants Of Integrated Outcomes, Shyla Christine Stanley

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Chronic, irresolvable psychological stress, a major contributor of depressive disorders, has been identified as a key factor involved in the tightly linked association between the prevalence/severity of depressive symptoms and the concurrent development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Furthermore, there are marked differences in the incidence and pathology of these diseases between males and females, although the underlying mechanisms involved are unclear. The purpose of this dissertation is to investigate the effects of chronic stress/depression on behavioral and vascular function in rodents in order to elucidate the underlying mechanisms linking depression symptom severity with cardiovascular development/outcome. The unpredictable chronic mild stress …

Design And Development Of The Wvu Advanced Technology Satellite For Optical Navigation, Miranda Straub

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In order to meet the demands of future space missions, it is beneficial for spacecraft to have the capability to support autonomous navigation. This is true for both crewed and uncrewed vehicles. For crewed vehicles, autonomous navigation would allow the crew to safely navigate home in the event of a communication system failure. For uncrewed missions, autonomous navigation reduces the demand on ground-based infrastructure and could allow for more flexible operation. One promising technique for achieving these goals is through optical navigation. To this end, the present work considers how camera images of the Earth's surface could enable autonomous navigation …

The Effect Of Tert-Butylhydroquinone, An Nrf2-Are Signaling Pathway Inducer, On Oxidative Stress-Related Neurodegeneration, Jiahong Sun

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Oxidative stress is actively involved in stroke pathogenesis; however, almost all the antioxidants that have been applied into the clinical trials fail to improve ischemic stroke outcomes. We note that most drug candidates have very limited diversity of antioxidative activities. tBHQ is a food additive, which is considered to be safe for human consumption. As both an antioxidant and an Nrf2-ARE signaling pathway inducer, tBHQ can directly eliminate ROS and activates the expression of all the antioxidative genes under Nrf2-ARE regulation. My dissertation investigated the potential clinical application of tBHQ for ischemic stroke treatment by using both in vitro glutamate-induced …

Enriching Higher Education Training Through Values And Social Engagement, Gustavo Gregorutti

Faculty Publications

The present study starts describing the relevance of university mission statements and how they have been interacting with the social demands throughout the history of higher education. This way, the recent development of a knowledge economy has strongly impacted universities that look for ways to produce and commercialize ideas (second and third missions). The increasing accreditation agencies and regional and international rankings have helped to reinforce these processes. This trend has created a situation where isomorphic mechanisms are pressing universities to align themselves with models that do not always fit a wide spectrum of them. In addition, this chapter underlines …

The Compassion Fatigue And Resilience Connection: A Survey Of Resilience, Compassion Fatigue, Burnout, And Compassion Satisfaction Among Trauma Responders, Harvey J. Burnett Jr, Kathleen Wahl

Faculty Publications

Research has shown that compassion fatigue is associated with burnout and compassion satisfaction. Practically no studies have examined how resilience may impact these variables. This study examined how resilience is related to compassion fatigue, burnout, and compassion satisfaction among a convenience sample of disaster behavioral health and emergency preparedness responders (N =139) attending a training conference in Michigan. Measures included the 30-item Professional Quality of Life Scale, the 14-item Resilience Scale, and a demographic questionnaire. Seventy-two percent of the participants were at risk for compassion fatigue, while 19% were at risk for burnout. Only 22% of participants had scores indicative …

Extracurricular Screen Time Among Idaho Youth: Prevalence And Association With Psychological Distress, Peter C. Gleason, Gary L. Hopkins, Megan Eagan, Curtis Vanderwaal, Jonathan Duffy, Duane C. Mcbride

Faculty Publications

Objectives: To measure the daily hour prevalence of informal computer and video games use among Idaho youth, and to examine the association between usage hours and selected psychological variables, including feelings of hopelessness, suicidal ideation, and past suicide attempts.

Methods: Data analyses was performed on responses obtained via anonymous questionnaires from a sample of school children ages 12-18 (n=1,678) who completed the 2011 CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey at randomly selected schools in Idaho.

Results: Analysis showed that males were more likely to report three or more hours of screen time per day, while a higher percentage of females than …