Digital Commons Network^™

A Jewish Perspective On War, Scripture, And Moral Accounting, Geoffrey Claussen

Journal of Scriptural Reasoning

No abstract provided.

"We Didn't Cross The Border; The Border Crossed Us": Informal Social Adaptations To Formal Governance And Policies By Communities Across The Bering Sea Region In The Russian Far East And United States, Sarah Roop, Lilian Alessa, Andrew Kliskey, Maryann Fidel, Grace Beaujean

Washington Journal of Environmental Law & Policy

Territorially isolated villages along the shores of the U.S. and Russian Bering Sea live with stark political lines dividing a region that shares a common history, heritage, and contemporary existence. It is also a region whose environmental security is threatened by common changes occurring throughout the area but for whom possible responses to these changes are shaped by the policies and politics of the countries in which they reside. This paper is based on the experience from an international observing network, the Community Observing Network for Adaptation and Security (CONAS), which provides rare insights on how political context, across the …

The Best Of Both Worlds: Building On The Copus And Rtop Observation Protocols To Easily And Reliably Measure Various Levels Of Reformed Instructional Practice, Travis J. Lund, Matthew Pilarz, Jonathan B. Velasco, Devasmita Chakraverty, Kaitlyn Rosploch, Molly Undersander, Marilyne Stains

Department of Chemistry: Faculty Publications

Researchers, university administrators, and faculty members are increasingly interested in measuring and describing instructional practices provided in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses at the college level. Specifically, there is keen interest in comparing instructional practices between courses, monitoring changes over time, and mapping observed practices to research-based teaching. While increasingly common observation protocols (Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol [RTOP] and Classroom Observation Protocol in Undergraduate STEM [COPUS]) at the postsecondary level help achieve some of these goals, they also suffer from weaknesses that limit their applicability. In this study, we leverage the strengths of these protocols to provide an …

Race, Immigration Reform, And Heteropatriarchal Masculinity: Reframing The Obama Presidency, Seth N. Asumah

Wagadu: A Journal of Transnational Women's & Gender Studies

In this article, I argue that the macroscopic nature and complexity of race, hegemonic masculinity, and immigration issues in the United States put President Obama in a double bind for any attempt to secure reforms—situations which produce limited options and exposure to penalties in reaching solutions.

Anthropogenic Nitrogen Deposition Predicts Local Grassland Primary Production Worldwide, Carly J. Stevens, Eric M. Lind, Yann Hautier, W. Stanley Harpole, Elizabeth T. Borer, Eric W. Seabloom, Laura Ladwig, Jonathan D. Bakker, Chengjin Chu, Scott Collins, Kendi F. Davies, Jennifer Firn, Helmut Hillebrand, Kimberly J. La Pierre, Andrew Macdougall, Brett Melbourne, Rebecca L. Mcculley, John Morgan, John L. Orrock, Suzanne M. Prober, Anita C. Risch, Martin Schuetz, Peter D. Wragg

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications

Humans dominate many important Earth system processes including the nitrogen (N) cycle. Atmospheric N deposition affects fundamental processes such as carbon cycling, climate regulation, and biodiversity, and could result in changes to fundamental Earth system processes such as primary production. Both modelling and experimentation have suggested a role for anthropogenically altered N deposition in increasing productivity, nevertheless, current understanding of the relative strength of N deposition with respect to other controls on production such as edaphic conditions and climate is limited. Here we use an international multiscale data set to show that atmospheric N deposition is positively correlated to aboveground …

Work Integrated Learning In Stem In Australian Universities: Final Report: Submitted To The Office Of The Chief Scientist, Daniel Edwards, Kate Perkins, Jacob Pearce, Jennifer Hong

Higher education research

The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) undertook this study for the Office of the Chief Scientist (OCS). It explores the practice and application of Work Integrated Learning (WIL) in STEM, with a particular focus on natural and physical sciences, information technology, and agriculture departments in Australian universities. The project involved a detailed ‘stocktake’ of WIL in practice in these disciplines, with collection of information by interview, survey instruments, consultation with stakeholders and literature reviews. Every university in Australia was visited as part of this project, with interviews and consultation sessions gathering insight from more than 120 academics and support …

A Correlational Study Of Parental Involvement At The Elementary School, Middle School, And High School Level, Tammy Ann Magouirk

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to determine perceptions of involvement of 120 elementary, 120 middle, and 120 high school parents. A combined version of Sheldon and Epstein's Parent Survey of Family and Community Involvement in the Elementary and Middle School Grades and the Parent Survey of Family and Community Involvement in the High School Grades was used to gather data. Descriptive data were used to reveal the results for research questions one, two, and three. A Pearson's r was used to determine the relationships for research questions four, five, and six. Research question 4: What is the nature and …

Predicting Future Special Education Eligibility From Developmental Assessment Of Young Children (Dayc) Scores, Helen E. Shaw Tripp

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This quantitative non-experimental correlational study used logistic regression and archival data to examine the relationship between scores obtained by children at age three on the Developmental Assessment of Young Children (DAYC) rating scale and later special education eligibility status. The purpose of this study was to determine if DAYC scores can predict future special education eligibility as defined by the criteria of the State of Tennessee Department of Education and thereby provide a tactic for early identification and intervention. The 74 participants were students from a small, rural, high-poverty school district who were initially evaluated at age three using the …

Transgenerational Transmission And The Relationship Between Parents With Symptoms Of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder And Their Children With Symptoms Of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Donald Dean Campany

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study examined parental symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and its effects on children referred for treatment with symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Data was collected from children who had been diagnosed ADHD. This research attempted to determine whether negative family functioning can be predicted between caregivers with symptoms of PTSD and their children with symptoms of ADHD, and whether PTSD caregiver’s behavior is an indication of ADHD like symptoms in their children. Results revealed that there was a not a significant difference in behavior of children with symptoms of ADHD when compared to parents with symptoms …

The Effect Of Two Foreign Language Teaching Approaches, Communicative Language Teaching And Teaching Proficiency Through Reading And Storytelling, On Motivation And Proficiency For Spanish Iii Students In High School, Maite Blanton

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this comparative study was to examine the effects of two foreign language teaching approaches--communicative language teaching and teaching proficiency through reading and storytelling--on motivation and proficiency for Spanish III students in high school. These two teaching approaches have gained prominence over the last couple of decades and no consensus exists between second language (L2) researchers and practitioners on which approach might be best to increase students' motivation to learn and to become proficient. One hundred and seventeen Spanish III students in high school studying with the TPRS or the CLT teaching approach, completed the LLOS-IEA Motivation Scale …

Cost-Effective Juvenile Justice Reform: Lessons From The Just Beginning "Baby Elmo" Teen Parenting Program, Shani King, Rachel Barr, Jennifer Woolard

North Carolina Law Review

No abstract provided.

Estimating Sediment And Nutrient Loading In The Davis Creek Watershed Using Soil And Water Assessment Tool (Swat), Fatma Ulku Karatas

Masters Theses

The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) is a physically model to estimate impact of land cover on water, sediment, and agricultural chemical yields in large, complex yields in large, complex watersheds with fluctuating soils, land use, and management conditions for long periods of time. ln order to simulate the movement of sediment and nutrients, the Davis Creek Watershed is subdivided into 31 homogeneous sub basins, having unique soil and land use properties. The data for each subbasin is grouped into categories of land cover, soil, management within sub basin, draining the sub basin.

The objectives of this study are …

Evolutionary Convergence Of The Caffeine Biosynthetic Pathway In Chocolate Followed Duplication Of A Constrained Ancestral Enzyme, Andrew J. O'Donnell

Masters Theses

Caffeine biosynthesis is widely distributed in flowering plants and requires three consecutive methylation steps of xanthine alkaloids. Genes that have previously been reported to participate in the multi-step pathway in Coffea sp. (coffee) and Camellia sinensis (tea) encode members of the SABATH family of methyltransferases. Two genes highly expressed in fruits of Theobroma cacao (cacao) are orthologous to the caffeine genes in tea and appear to have diversified following gene duplication. Biochemical characterization of the enzymes (XMTs) encoded by these genes strongly suggest an unprecedented major pathway to theobromine, a precursor to caffeine. These findings imply that caffeine biosynthesis evolved …

The Invisible And Indeterminable Valueof Ecology: From Malaria Control Toecological Research In The Americansouth, Albert Way

Faculty Articles

This essay tells the story of the Emory University Field Station, a malaria research station in southwest Georgia that operated from 1939 to 1958. Using the tools of environmental history and the history of science, it examines the station’s founding, its fieldwork, and its place within the broader history of malaria control, eradication, and research. A joint effort of Emory University, the U.S. Public Health Service, and the Communicable Disease Center (CDC), this station was closely aligned with a broader movement of ideas about tropical diseases across the globe, but it also offers a case study of how science in …

Revoking Rights, Craig J. Konnoth

UC Law Journal

In important areas of law, such as the vested rights doctrine, and in several important cases—including those involving the continued validity of same-sex marriages and the Affordable Care Act—courts have scrutinized the revocation of rights once granted more closely than the failure to provide the rights in the first place. This project claims that in so doing, courts seek to preserve important constitutional interests. On the one hand, based on our understanding of rights possession, rights revocation implicates autonomy interests of the rights holder to a greater degree than a failure to afford rights at the outset. On the other …

Using Ecological Niche Modeling And Genetics To Evaluate The Conservation Status Of The Texas Gartersnake, Thamnophis Sirtalis Annectens, Kayla N. Key

Biology Theses

The definition of a species has been argued extensively by philosophers and biologists resulting in the development of many different concepts which often contradict each other. An integrative approach using multiple types of data (e.g, morphological, ecological, behavioral, genetic) may be the most successful at correctly assigning taxonomic levels.Here, we use an integrative approach of ecological niche modeling and molecular genetics to investigate the taxonomy of a state imperiled gartersnake subspecies, Thamnophis sirtalis annectens, using ecological niche modeling and molecular phylogenetics analyses. Recently, it was given a conservation rank of S2 (imperiled) in the state of Texas and those that …

Common Crane Fly In Turf, Ricardo Ramirez, Kelly Kopp

All Current Publications

Crane flies belong to one of the most specious families of flies. The adult flies, also known as “mosquito hawks”, are not giant mosquitoes and do not bite, and though the name suggests it, they do not feed on mosquitoes. In general, the larvae are associated with aquatic and semi-aquatic habitats. The majority of crane flies are not pests.

Topographic Controls On Soil Nitrogen Availability In A Lowland Tropical Forest, Samantha R. Weintraub, Philip G. Taylor, Stephen Porder, Cory C. Cleveland, Gregory P. Asner, Alan R. Townsend

Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences Faculty Publications

Geomorphic position often correlates with nutrient cycling across landscapes. In tropical forests, topography is known to influence phosphorus (P) availability, but its effect on nitrogen (N) cycling has received less exploration, especially in lowland forests where widespread N richness is frequently assumed. Here, we report significant effects of topographic slope and landscape position on multiple aspects of the N cycle across a highly dissected lowland tropical forest on the Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica. A suite of N cycle metrics measured along a topographic sequence revealed a distinct gradient in N availability. Values of soil d15N, inorganic N pools, net nitrification …

Energy In The Ecopolis, Sara C. Bronin

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

Climate change, resource scarcity, and environmental degradation demand a paradigm shift in urban development. Currently, too many of our cities exacerbate these problems: they pollute, consume, and process resources in ways that negatively impact our natural world. Cities of the future must make nature their model, instituting circular metabolic processes that mimic, embrace, and enhance nature. In other words, a city must be a regenerative city or, as some say, an “ecopolis.” So, how to get there—to ecopolis—from here? In this Comment, I propose a partial answer by focusing on certain legal frameworks that must be reenvisioned to enable the …

Evaluation Of Ict In Education In Papua Province (Acdp-045): Final Report, Susanne Owen, John Hunt, Eda Simanjuntak, Eko Sediyono, Prapto Yuwono, Sri Yulianto, Wigati Yektinintys Modouw

ACER Indonesia

The Evaluation of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in Education in Papua Province study is a large-scale research project for the Republic of Indonesia’s Education Sector Analytical and Capacity Development Partnership (ACDP). The key objectives of the Study are: to measure the effectiveness of the TV-Edukasi (Education) (TV-E) and other ICT programs in the Province and to determine their impact on the learning outcomes of school children and adult learners; and to make recommendations to plan for further ICT in education initiatives.

Genetic Engineering Online Lessons Improve Teaching And Increase Knowledge And Accepting Attitudes Among Students, Grace Troupe

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Genetic engineering has been used in the production of food in the U.S. for nearly three decades, however, science literacy in genetic engineering among consumers is still low. To address this problem, an online resource called The Journey of a Gene (passel.unl.edu/ge) was created to help incorporate genetic engineering education in high school and college curriculums. Here we report two studies conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of The Journey of a Gene in 1) improving student knowledge and attitudes about genetic engineering and 2) helping teachers increase their knowledge as well as quantity and quality of genetic engineering instruction. In …

The Emotional Experience Of American Indians Receiving Hemodialysis And How It Relates To Treatment Adherence, Anitra M. Warrior

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study used a phenomenological approach as an attempt to capture the essence of the experience of American Indians with diabetes who are receiving dialysis. The purpose of this study and this approach was to develop an understanding of factors that influence treatment adherence, specifically with mental health concerns. As an additional component of this study, this research also followed an advocacy/participatory approach (Creswell, 2007) in which steps to reform services are provided to the Indian Health Service in support of this marginalized group through a written Agenda for Change.

Participants for this study were recruited from multiple states serving …

A Mediational Analysis Of The Influence Of Negative Coping Behaviors On Health Outcomes Associated With Adolescent School Bullying, Joseph C. Jochman

Department of Sociology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Adolescent school bullying is a significant public health issue with approximately 20% of US adolescents reporting victimization or perpetration in schools. Much prior research has established that school bullying is associated with significant somatic and depressive health consequences. Additionally, prior research has examined the beneficial impact of positive coping strategies on negative health outcomes associated with school bullying. However, given that bully-involved adolescents often have less access to positive coping outlets, less research has examined the influence of negative coping behaviors on health outcomes associated with school bullying. Using the Health Behavior of School Aged Children 2005-2006 dataset, I examine …

Josephine Lawrence: A Writer Of Her Time, Deidre A. Johnson

English Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Control Of Inflammation Using Drug Delivery Strategies In In Vitro Models, Patricia R. Wardwell

Dissertations - ALL

Regulation of inflammation is a crucial component of the immune system in response to injury and infection. In otherwise healthy individuals, an initial acute inflammatory response will subside once the injury or infection is eradicated. However, in certain disease states including autoimmune disease and persistent infection, miscommunication between cells of the immune system leads to a chronic inflammatory response, contributing to disease pathology and exacerbating symptoms. A major regulator of inflammation communication at the cellular level is transcription factor (TF) NF-κB. Under normal conditions, NF-κB is bound to an inhibitor in the cytoplasm. In a chronic disease state, NF-κB is …

Transfer Rates And Baccalaureate Attainment: Two-Year Versus Hybrid Colleges, David M. Gerlach

Dissertations - ALL

This exploratory study examined how beginning at a hybrid college that offered baccalaureate degrees while retaining its subbaccalaureate mission of associate degrees and certificates (Floyd &;; Skolnik, 2005; Lorenzo, 2005), as compared to a beginning at a two-year college, affected transfer and baccalaureate attainment. Additionally, it determined how social background, other precollege personal characteristics, external demands as students enter college, and experiences during college affected transfer rates and baccalaureate attainment in the same manner as Dougherty and Kienzl (2006).

This study assumed a quasiexperimental design with an ex post facto, causal-comparative case control analysis (Sprinthall, 2003). It used information from …

Assessing Motor And Cognitive Function To Detect Shifts In Brain Function In Two Models Of Parkinson's Disease, Katherine Lee Mitterling

Dissertations - ALL

Cognitive changes accompany and often precede the onset of classic motor deficits typical of Parkinson&;#8217;s disease. A current focus of Parkinson&;#8217;s research has become understanding the development and progression of pre-motor cognitive changes. Based on previous research showing that hippocampus-sensitive spatial learning can be enhanced at the cost of impaired striatum-sensitive response learning, we hypothesized that changes in the balance between these two cognitive systems could be used as a proxy for the relative strength or health of their associated brain regions. Because non-motor symptoms of Parkinson&;#8217;s disease can precede the onset of the diagnostic motor dysfunction, changes in the …

Constructing A Counter-Discourse: Agroecological Formação At The Mst's Milton Santos School, Marian Li Turniawan

Dissertations - ALL

The Brazilian Landless Rural Workers’ Movement (Movimento Sem Terra, MST) is one of the largest social movements in the world. Situated in a country with extremely unequal land distribution, the MST was originally concerned with obtaining land for agrarian reform settlements through the occupation of latifúndia (large estates of the landed elite). However, after realizing its struggle over land rights was rooted in deeper structural issues in Brazilian society, the MST broadened its goals to seeking wider societal change. Over the past thirty years, it has evolved into a movement that pursues social justice by challenging dominant capitalist discourses. This …

Surface Plasmon Polaritons: Guided-Wave Devices And Applications, Ashish Chanana

Dissertations - ALL

The prospect of controlling the interaction of light with matter at nanoscale has been widely studied in recent years, and entails characterizing optical and optoelectronic devices at resolution higher than the diffraction limit. One technique that allows localization of light to sub-wavelength dimensions is through the use of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) wherein the interaction of light with free electrons on a metal surface can lead to a bound surface electromagnetic field that is confined to deep sub-wavelength dimensions. Studies based on SPPs merged with the field of nanotechnology have resulted in novel imaging technologies, nonlinear and quantum-optical devices and …

After The Solar Decathlon: Creating A New Design-Build Program, Eric Weber

Architecture Faculty Research

In Fall 2011, the University of Nevada-Las Vegas School of Architecture’s David G. Howryla Design Build Studio began development of UNLV’s entry into the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2013, an international, university-based competition to design and build solar-powered housing prototypes. As a competition that requires collaboration between engineering, architecture, interior design, marketing, and communications, the Solar Decathlon is an effective tool for simulating teamwork on real projects. The School of Architecture’s intent was to use the Solar Decathlon as a catalyst for creating UNLV’s Design Build program. The project allowed the School to use support for the project …