Digital Commons Network^™

Op Ed--Overcoming Inertia In Green Open Access Adoption, John G. Dove

Against the Grain

No abstract provided.

Stemming The Tide: The Role Of Subscription Agents And Consortia In Library Communications, Lindsey Reno

Against the Grain

No abstract provided.

Identities And Motives Of Naturalist Development Program Attendees And Their Relation To Professional Careers, Jennifer A. Mraz

Dissertations

In recent years, there has been much concern over the decline of biologists who actually identify themselves to be naturalists, which negatively impacts the field of conservation and the study of biology as a whole. This could result in a decrease in individuals who participate in naturalist-like activities, such as informal environmental education and environmental volunteerism. The purpose of my study was to determine what discourse identities were held by naturalist development program participants, how these discourse identities related to their volunteer motives in environmental settings, and how discourse identity related to professional careers. I defined identity through the lens …

Preferred Mentoring Characteristics And Doctoral Students’ Research Self-Efficacy, Ashley Johnston

Dissertations

Mentoring relationships, even though essential to all aspects of one’s life, are an important part of the educational experience. Levinson (1978) found that it was the most important relationship one could have and vital to those in the early adulthood stage of development. Furthermore, graduate students seek to become better researchers; therefore, research skill development is essential to the graduate school experience. The ability to develop these skills can aid in the ability to identify oneself as a researcher. Using Levinson’s adult development theory and Markus and Nurius’ possible selves theory as the theoretical framework, the goal of this study …

Hybrid Aryl-Ether-Ketone And Hyperbranched Epoxy Networks, John Misasi

Dissertations

In this dissertation, relationships between chemical structures, cure kinetics and network architectures are correlated to bulk mechanical properties for novel, hybrid epoxy-amine networks. The work is split into two primary sections: the first is the synthesis and characterization of multifunctional glassy networks based on aryl-ether-ketone diamine curatives, while the second is based on the synthesis and characterization of hyperbranched epoxy polymers and their resulting networks.

Three aryl-ether-ketone (AEK) diamines of increasing molecular weights were synthesized and used to cure 4,4’-tetraglycidylether of diaminodiphenylmethane (TGDDM); the resulting networks were compared to 4,4’-diaminodiphenyl sulfone cured TGDDM. Architectural differences were created by varying cure …

Teacher Professional Learning And High School Students' Mississippi Subject Area Test Performance, Christine A. Moseley

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was any significant relationship between specific elements of professional learning and students’ performance on the state mandated Mississippi Subject Area Testing Program (SATP2). The study includes the design qualities of professional learning, the level of teacher involvement in the professional learning process, teacher beliefs regarding professional learning, and perceived administrative support of professional learning programs. The researcher utilized an original survey instrument entitled Professional Learning Design and Perception to gather quantitative data for the study. High school teachers of Algebra I, Biology I, English II, and U. S. History in …

First Critical Performing Edition Of The Zarzuela Maria La O, By Ernesto Lecuona, Orchestrated By Felix Guerrero, Ivan A. Del Prado

Dissertations

The First Critical Performing Edition of the Zarzuela Maria la O by Ernesto Lecuona (as orchestrated by Felix Guerrero), is the rescue of the complete score of one of the most important works by a Cuban composer. The complete but still unpublished original score to Maria la O will finally have a clear and accurate performing edition. This will serve, both expert performers in Cuban popular music and anyone else interested in the subject. In this new score, indigenous rhythms and other traditional performance practice issues have been fully written out.

This document will also include a brief history and …

Mississippi Teachers’ Perception Of Merit Pay, Diana M. Stephens

Dissertations

Teachers are the center of increasing student achievement and student motivation, therefore a way to motivate teachers must be implemented. Although most teachers are motivated intrinsically for their love of teaching, external motivation could add another component to teacher success. Merit pay is one way to provide an external motivator to change teaching strategies in order to increase student achievement. This study measured teachers’ perceptions in Mississippi who are involved in the merit pay pilot program. There are four school districts participating in the pilot program and two of those school districts were surveyed for this study, a central Mississippi …

Olfactory Enrichment In California Sea Lions (Zalophus Californianus), Mystera M. Samuelson

Dissertations

In the wild, California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) are exposed to a wide array of sensory information at all times. However, it is impossible for captive environments to provide this level of complexity. Therefore unique procedures and practices are necessary for the maintenance of physiological and psychological health in captive animals (Wells, 2009). This project aims to explore the behavioral effect of scent added to the environment, with the goal of improving the welfare of captive sea lions by introducing two scent types: 1.) Natural scents, found in their native environment, and 2.) Non-natural scents, not found in …

Polyacrylonitrile Copolymers: Effects Of Molecular Weight, Polydispersity, Composition, And Sequencing On Thermal Ring-Closing Stabilization, Jeremy D. Moskowitz

Dissertations

Controlled polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-based carbon fiber precursors with defined molecular weights, polydispersities, compositions, and architectures have been prepared for their study on thermal ring-closing stabilization behavior. PAN and its copolymers of number average molecular weights exceeding 170,000 g/mol were successfully synthesized via low temperature reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. RAFT polymerizations of PAN-based precursors were compared to conventional free radical solution polymerizations with a focus on the effects of molecular weight and polydispersity on structural evolution and cyclization efficiency. When RAFT polymerization was extended to copolymers, it was found that RAFT copolymers achieved greater cyclization intensities and improved thermal stability …

To Be Or Not To Be Satisfied: Examining Job Satisfaction Of Entry-Level Residence Life Professionals At Historically Black Colleges And Universities, Evingerlean D. Blakney

Dissertations

Research on historically Black college and universities (HBCUs) as institutions of higher education is limited. There is even less scholarship that brings forth an understanding of student affairs at these institutions. A gap in the higher education, student affairs, residence life, and job satisfaction literature suggested a need for research on residence life professionals at HBCUs. Therefore, the goal of this study was to examine job satisfaction of entry-level residence life professionals at HBCUs. For this study, the researcher looked for factors that contributed to overall job satisfaction and further examined the roles of both gender and public or private …

Hospital Practices Related To Breastfeeding In Mississippi: A Socio-Ecological Approach, Amir Alakaam

Dissertations

Mississippi continues to have one of the lowest rates and the weakest support in respect to breastfeeding in the nation (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014a). Hospital practices supporting breastfeeding such as the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding (TSSB) can dramatically increase breastfeeding rates and duration (Rosenberg, Stull, Adler, Kasehagen, & Crivelli-Kovach, 2008). The aim of this study was to explore breastfeeding practices in Mississippi hospitals based on two levels of the Socio-Ecological Model: the organizational level (phase I) examined the hospital practices based on the level of implementation of the TSSB; the individual level (phase II) examined knowledge …

Macrobenthic Communities In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico Hypoxic Zone: Testing The Pearson-Rosenberg Model, Shivakumar Shivarudrappa

Dissertations

The Pearson and Rosenberg (P-R) conceptual model of macrobenthic succession was used to assess the impact of hypoxia (dissolved oxygen [DO] ≤ 2 mg/L) on the macrobenthic community on the continental shelf of northern Gulf of Mexico for the first time. The model uses a stress-response relationship between environmental parameters and the macrobenthic community to determine the ecological condition of the benthic habitat. The ecological significance of dissolved oxygen in a benthic habitat is well understood. In addition, the annual recurrence of bottom-water hypoxia on the Louisiana/Texas shelf during summer months is well documented.

The P-R model illustrates the decreasing …

Development Of Dual-Cure Hybrid Polybenzoxazine Thermosets, Jananee Narayanan Sivakami

Dissertations

Polybenzoxazines are potential high performance thermoset replacements for traditional phenolic resins that can undergo an autocatalytic, thermally initiated ring - opening polymerization, and possess superior processing advantages including excellent shelf-life stability, zero volatile loss and limited volumetric shrinkage. The simplistic monomer synthesis and availability of a wide variety of inexpensive starting materials allows enormous molecular design flexibility for accessing a wide range of tailorable material properties for targeted applications. Despite the fact, once fully cured, benzoxazines are difficult to handle due to their inherent brittleness, leaving a very little scope for any modifications. The motivation of this dissertation is directed …

Asymmetric Synthesis Of Cα-Methyl-Γ- And Δ-Amino Acids From A Common Synthon And Evaluation Of Thionyl Chloride Assisted Peptide Esterifications, Emily Rose Vogel

Dissertations

C^α-methyl-γ- and δ-unnatural amino acids (UAAs) are important class of biomolecules used extensively as structural scaffolds, peptidomimetics, and in the development of pharmaceuticals. Due to steric congestion surrounding the quaternary center, asymmetric preparation of α,α-disubstituted UAAs are synthetically challenging. Herein, two methods for the synthesis of chiral synthons to prepare C^α-methyl-γ- and -δ-UAAs are reported. A crucial step in both strategies includes an enzymatic hydrolysis of prochiral malonic esters with pig liver esterase (PLE). The first method utilizes the Meyer Schuster rearrangement to prepare α,β-unsaturated diesters synthons, but the preparation of the precursor propargyl alcohol decomposes …

Hydrogen Bond-Mediated Structural Order In Hydroxylated Bis-Mpa Dendritic Polymers: Experimental And Molecular Dynamics Simulation Study, Maliha N. Syed

Dissertations

Dendritic architectures are echoed throughout nature. While the significance of these pervasive patterns is not entirely clear, connections between their structures and physical properties are fascinating to contemplate. Particular interest has been paid to a family of synthetically manufactured and commercially available dendritic polymers based on 2,2-bis(hydroxymethyl) propionic acid (bis-MPA) as a monomer. Composed of two hydroxyls and a carboxyl group, bis-MPA based structures hydrogen bond (H-bond) profusely. Given the high concentration and unique spatial orientation of end-groups, as well as the multitude of carbonyl, ester, and ether interior H-bond acceptors, a set of distinct H-bond organizations may be observed …

National Survey On Leadership Capacity And Scaling-Up Of Pbis Implementation, Julie L. Lowery

Dissertations

This study examined State Education Agency (SEA) efforts to scale up Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) implementation across K-12 public schools within the United States of America. The researcher used archival data to determine percentages of school within each state currently implementing PBIS and a survey method to determine each state’s status regarding standards of PBIS implementation and variables of leadership capacity. The survey instrument was the State PBIS Implementation and Leadership Survey (SPILS). The participants were SEAs from each state and the District of Columbia, as represented by PBIS Coordinators or other designated PBIS professionals. The purpose of …

Race And Ethnicity In The Hiring Process: An Experimental Study Of Millennial Undergraduate Attitudes Using Career Electronic Portfolios, Adam C. Swanson

Dissertations

The study examined whether undergraduate Millennial students living in different geographic regions of the United States evaluate a career electronic portfolio differently for racially diverse candidates. The researcher customized an online career e-portfolio for a fictitious candidate seeking to apply for a student leadership position at a college. The interactive e-portfolio contained a cover letter, resume, letter of recommendation, short biography, and a class project artifact. While the actual contents of the e-portfolio remained constant, a series of female-candidate photographs were manipulated to offer five unique study conditions. There was a career e-portfolio that displayed a photograph of an Asian …

Nurse Educators' Transition To Flipped Classroom: An Interpretive Description Study, Jean S. Bernard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

To meet learning needs of current undergraduate nursing students, and respond to mandates for bettered prepared graduates, nurse educators must restructure curricula and teaching strategies. One strategy garnering increased attention is the flipped classroom model (FCM). This form of instruction requires students to have access to and be accountable for lecture material on their own time, and then use face-to-face classroom time for interactive learning that can include discussion, case study analysis, or application of pre-class lecture content. Although the FCM has gained popularity, few researchers have fully studied this strategy or considered experiences of faculty who implement the model. …

December 2015 Quicknotes, Southern Adventist University

QuickNotes – Advancement e-Newsletter

QuickNotes is an e-newsletter that comes from Advancement at Southern Adventist University. December 2015 edition features the article "Largest December Graduation".

The Bg News December 01, 2015, Bowling Green State University

BG News (Student Newspaper)

The BGSU campus student newspaper. December 1, 2015. Volume 95-Issue 29.

The Lost History Of The Political Question Doctrine, Tara Leigh Grove

Faculty Publications

This Article challenges the conventional narrative about the political question doctrine. Scholars commonly assert that the doctrine, which instructs that certain constitutional questions are “committed” to Congress or to the executive branch, has been part of our constitutional system since the early nineteenth century. Furthermore, scholars argue that the doctrine is at odds with the current Supreme Court’s view of itself as the “supreme expositor” of all constitutional questions. This Article calls into question both claims. The Article demonstrates, first, that the current political question doctrine does not have the historical pedigree that scholars attribute to it. In the nineteenth …

Resisting The Resistance: The Emancipation Of Students From The Hidden Curriculum Of Commodified Resistant Narratives In Young Adult Dystopian Film Through Open Pedagogical Space And Culture-Jamming, Robert B. Bauer

Theses and Dissertations

Young Adult Dystopian Film exercises an influence over young people of which they are not aware. As part of a structure of domination these films teach students to participate in their own oppression by the capitalist system. The film industry maintains a hidden curriculum like that utilized in school classrooms to conceal the oppression from the masses. One particularly effective means is the portrayal of resistance against oppression in the narratives of the YA Dystopian Film. Young people are drawn to that narrative and end up supporting the structure of domination financially and ideologically. Modes of resistance to this oppression …

Construction Of A 408 Nm Laser System For Use In Ion Interferometry, Lawrence Archibald

Theses and Dissertations

This work reports on the construction of a 408 nm laser system designed to drive stimulated Raman transitions between the F = 4 and F = 5 2 S 1/2 states of 87 Sr + using the 2 P 3/2 state as the intermediate state. This laser system will be used as part of a 87 Sr + ion interferometer. This work also includes a discussion of relevant theory describing the interaction of the ions and laser, along with a calculation of the transition rates as a function of laser power and detuning.

The Effect Of Foot Strengthening Exercise On Dynamic Function Of The Medial Longitudinal Arch In Runners: A Preliminary Report, Jarom Bridges

Theses and Dissertations

Therapeutic exercise has previously been shown to alter the static height of the medial longitudinal arch (MLA). It is still unknown, however, if these effects carry over into dynamic activities. PURPOSE: To determine if an 8-week foot strengthening exercise program increases static arch height and reduces vertical deformation of the MLA during mid-stance in running.METHODS: Thirty-four recreational runners (17 males, 17 females) have completed this ongoing study (age 24.06 ± 3.61 years, body mass 68.63 ± 12.95 kg, and height 173.34 ± 9.54 cm). To date, 22 subjects have been assigned to the control group (8 weeks of normal running) …

Impact Of Heart-Rate Variability Biofeedback On Major Depression Disorder In Resting-State Fmri, Hiu Wai Caldwell

Theses and Dissertations

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is one of the most common psychiatric illnesses and causes significant disturbances in daily functioning. Research on heart-rate variability (HRV) biofeedback training suggests that HRV is an efficacious adjunct to psychotherapy in reducing depressive symptoms. The purpose of this study was to examine neurological changes in depressed individuals who were randomized to either a psychotherapy plus HRV biofeedback training or to a treatment as usual group. A control group with no history of depression was also studied. We collected psychological, physiological, and imaging data from 30 participants (10 in an experimental group, 10 in a treatment …

Use Of Personality Profile Assessments In The Construction Industry, Brian Richard Childs

Theses and Dissertations

Various industries are using personality profile assessments as tools to help reduce employee turnover. Employee turnover is a continuing challenge in the construction industry that has negative effects on construction companies. Research found that it was difficult to know if companies in the construction industry are using personality profile assessments as a tool to help reduce employee turnover. After understanding that other industries were using personality profile assessments in their hiring, promoting, team building and leadership development to reduce turnover, it was desired to understand if the construction industry was doing the same. This research performed a survey among the …

Superimposed And Auxiliary Dunes Of The Northern Namib Sand Sea: A Ground-Penetrating Radar Study, Clayton K. Chandler

Theses and Dissertations

Understanding modern features allows for their use as analogues for understanding the environments of the past and even environments on other planetary bodies. This study uses Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR) to image the near surface sedimentary structures on a large linear dune in the northern Namib Sand Sea and image the sedimentary structure of an auxiliary dune. GPR data was collected using a 200 MHz antenna with a continuous scan method and was processed by removing direct arrival, gain balancing, migration and more which produced the highest resolution imagery from this region to date. Large dune data was analyzed to determine …

What A Dream Was Here: An Ontological Approach To Love And Magic In Shakespeare’S A Midsummer Night’S Dream, Brittany May Rebarchik

Theses and Dissertations

This paper takes Heidegger’s notion of world disclosure and uses it for extended thematic analyses of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In contrast to the majority of Shakespeare critics who treat Shakespeare’s use of magic as an epistemological issue, I argue that the main action of the play develops through an inherent contradiction between the magical and non-magical ontological states of the characters and the love that results. Borrowing from German philosopher Martin Heidegger, I demonstrate magic’s role as a catalyst in giving certain kinds of love a “shift of existence.” I show that the characters come more fully into being, …

The Development Of An Esp Vocabulary Study Guidefor The Utah State Driver Handbook, Kirsten M. Brown

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis project details research conducted and the method employed to create a tool for acquiring the technical vocabulary from the Utah Driver Handbook. Technical terms were compiled into a vocabulary tool for English as a Second Language (ESL) learners. ESL programs within the state have noted the need for materials to help learners acquire this vocabulary. The tool will assist ESL learners preparing for the written driving exam by reinforcing the vocabulary through various iterations, including flash cards, simplified definitions, and an L1 gloss. Learners preparing for the exam will be able to study difficult vocabulary terms using the …