Digital Commons Network^™

A Formative Evaluation Of A Program Providing Support To College Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Kourtney Kay Bakalyar

Dissertations

Young adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are attending institutions of higher education more than ever before (Smith, 2007). All college students with disabilities have the right to accommodations under the American with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA; P.L. 110-325); however, these accommodations frequently do not address barriers that prevent students with ASD from successfully completing their academic programs. The Autism Services Center at a public, four-year university provides services to its college students with ASD to address difficulties with communication and social skills, unique emotional and behavior characteristics, insufficient executive function, and difficulties with independent living skills. …

Three Essays Assessing Global Value Chain Fragmentation On International Trade Using The World Input-Output Database, Johanna Retana Attoh

Dissertations

The growing fragmentation of supply chains across countries have changed the way nations engage in international trade. Conventionally, studies have used data on exports to measure trade flows; however, the use of this type of data imposes many assumptions that might misrepresent the real world. For instance, the assumption that the supply chain of a product is confined in only the domestic country does not take into consideration the increasing number of foreign inputs needed to produce a final good. In this dissertation, I use the World Input-Output Database (WIOD), since this dataset allows one to track and decompose the …

Indoor Localization Of Mobile Devices Based On Wi-Fi Signals Via Convex Optimization And Bregman Divergence, Osamah Ali Abdullah

Dissertations

Indoor positioning systems (IPS) have been the subject of intense academic and industrial research due to the significance of such systems in a wide range of applications. Applications of IPS include indoor navigation and its associated user services, especially by users in large complex buildings, by emergency healthcare services to locate a patient, and people with vision impairments. IPS can also play an important role in other applications that require tracking and observation, such as those used in care for the elderly or security purposes. Therefore, much research has been focused on IPS methods that fingerprint the Received Signal Strength …

Co-Teaching In Secondary Field Experience Practica, Stephanie A. Fanselow

Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to determine the impact on students, teacher candidates, and classroom teachers of applying a co-teaching model to the field experience practica prior to student teaching compared to traditional field experience practica in one secondary teacher preparation program. Participating partner schools were randomized either to receive professional development on co-teaching with a teacher candidate or to the control group. A total of 43 cooperating teachers and 30 teacher candidates participated in the study. The co-teaching treatment group consisted of 18 cooperating teacher-teacher candidate pairs. Quantitative data collection included limited student achievement data from …

Developing A Complex Simulation Training Program For Emergency Medical Services Paramedics Using A High-Fidelity Simulation Model, Hsiang-Chin Hsu, Chih-Hao Lin, Chih-Chia Hsieh, Pin-Hui Fang, Wei-Tin Shih, Wei-Cheng Liu, Chih-Hsien Chi, Hsin-I Shih

Journal of Medical Education

Purpose: Simulation training has been described as a positive participatory training and education method for paramedics. Therefore, we developed simulation programs for the continuing education of paramedics to improve prehospital acute medical care and medical transport for patients with illnesses and injuries and prevent further injuries by educating emergency medical service (EMS) paramedics Methods: A high-fidelity scenario simulation was performed to create a realistic scene. Skills, communication and leadership required during for the practices in the field were considered to develop simulation scenarios. The simulation curriculum was developed by working group consensus meetings and pre-course scenario discussions. The Ottawa Global …

Servant Leadership And Cultural Characteristics As Predictors Of Follower Engagement, George Bovenzi

Education Doctoral

Servant leadership theory, introduced in the 1970s, has gained in popularity in recent years. Servant leadership’s roots in serving, caring, and behaving ethically makes it a leadership model that is timely and relevant in light of today’s global, organizational, and political challenges. Additionally, an engaged workforce is considered to be a key lever that organizations utilize to gain an advantage in the marketplace while disengaged employees present a significant cost to companies. Nevertheless, servant leadership’s impact on organizations and specifically its ability to engage employees has received limited research. This quantitative study was undertaken in a multinational manufacturing organization and …

Community College Developmental Mathematics Classrooms: Understanding Supportive Faculty Strategies And Impact On Student Success, Rachel Santiago

Education Doctoral

The purpose of this quantitative study was to explore supportive faculty strategies as described by students and faculty of developmental mathematics courses at two community colleges in Upstate New York. Using validation theory, the study focused on compiling information from students and faculty regarding the importance of supportive factors inside and outside of the developmental mathematics classrooms. Data were collected from surveys administered in the spring 2016 semester, and analyses of these data led to several findings: (a) students significantly rated faculty lower than faculty self-reported on caring instruction; (b) there was a weak, positive correlation that showed the longer …

Grasping At Origins: Shifting The Conversation In The Historical Study Of Human Rights, Christopher N.J. Roberts

Chicago Journal of International Law

In recent years, scholars from a range of disciplinary orientations have invested considerable time exploring a very basic question: Where did human rights come from? The answers have not been so basic. There exists an extraordinary range of conflicting historical accounts. The hotly debated question of the moment within this field of study centers on figuring out which version of the history is the correct one. However, given the dramatic distance between the historical accounts, it is very unlikely that the matter will be settled in the near future. This Article argues that it is time to shift the focal …

Development Of A Semi-Interpenetrating Network Hydrogel To Study The Effects Of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury On Astrocyte Remodeling, Amanda Ederle

Health, Human Performance and Recreation Undergraduate Honors Theses

Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are a widespread public health concern affecting over 2.5 million people in the United States alone (1). TBIs are the leading cause of death and disability in children (ages 0-14), and their devastating effects can also be seen in vast population subsets such as professional athletes and combat soldiers (1).

Damaged astrocytes, the specialized glial cells associated with the maintenance of the brain’s environment, respond to injury by altering regulation of certain proteins and ion channels in an attempt to maintain homeostasis (3). Studies have also shown that following a TBI, astrocytes seek to regenerate, a …

Intergenerational Hispanic Perceptions Of Childhood Obesity, Janelle Weiss

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Background: Childhood obesity is on the rise in the United States especially among minority families. This study investigates how Hispanic parents perceive their child's weight based on years of acculturation, education level, age, child’s gender and 1^st or 2^nd generation status.

Objective: To assess if there are differences in perception between more acculturated Hispanic immigrants and their less acculturated counterparts.

Methods: Data were collected using the Child's Body Image Scale. Participants were asked to arrange the images based on a series of questions inquiring about their perception of their child and health in general. BMI's were then …

Is Cyberattack The Next Pearl Harbor?, Lawrence J. Trautman

North Carolina Journal of Law & Technology

No abstract provided.

Requiring Mutual Assent In The 21st Century: How To Modify Wrap Contracts To Reflect Consumer’S Reality, Matt Meinel

North Carolina Journal of Law & Technology

No abstract provided.

Are Gray Skies Clearing Up? Shedding Light On Nonprofit Governance In The Wake Of Revamped Irs Form 990, Jordan C. Hilton

North Carolina Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Birth Of A Legal Economy: Lawyers And The Development Of American Commerce, Justin Simard

Buffalo Law Review

No abstract provided.

Visions Of Quality Assurance In Online Mba Programs, Glori Lynn Hinck

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

AACSB accreditation is known for challenging business programs to pursue excellence and continuous improvement. Online MBA programs accredited by the AACSB have undergone significant expansion in recent years. It is important that quality assurance measures keep pace with this growth and adequately address the unique parameters involved in online delivery. The purpose of this Delphi study was to identify and prioritize aspects of quality assurance specific to online delivery in AACSB-accredited MBA programs.

The Delphi methodology was used to facilitate a group conversation between expert administrators, faculty, and instructional designers around the topic of quality assurance for online MBA programs …

Closed Primary, Exposed Preferences: Idaho's Primary System And The Bureaucratic Dilemma, Matthew Ryan May

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The ability to elect representatives is one of the most fundamental rights citizens of the United States of America possess, but the expression of that right looks very different from state to state. A state’s primary system determines not only who participates in an election, but under what circumstances. When a state shifts from one primary system to another, it produces a period of uncertainty, as the electorate must acclimate to new rules and their attendant consequences. Among those who must adjust to the new rules are public state employees—the bureaucracy. When a shift necessitates and introduces a partisan …

Latin Squares And Their Applications To Cryptography, Nathan O. Schmidt

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

A latin square of order-n is an n x n array over a set of n symbols such that every symbol appears exactly once in each row and exactly once in each column. Latin squares encode features of algebraic structures. When an algebraic structure passes certain "latin square tests", it is a candidate for use in the construction of cryptographic systems. A transversal of a latin square is a list of n distinct symbols, one from each row and each column. The question regarding the existence of transversals in latin squares that encode the Cayley tables of finite groups …

Two-Way Symmetric Communication Between Public Utilities And The Public, Maria Willacy

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

This paper presents a multi-disciplinary examination of literature from the fields of public policy and participation, media and public relations, and technical communication as it relates to two-way symmetric communication and how it applies to public utilities and the public. Differences between two-way symmetric communication and other communication/public relations methods are examined, as well as the specific merits of two-way symmetric communication, including its ethical benefits, and criticisms and constraints. Current forms of communication between public utilities and the public are examined, including whether these forms are two-way symmetric. Planning events and those that involve public participation are highlighted as …

Implementation Evaluation Study: Flipped Classroom Professional Development With Faculty Members To Enhance Students' Engagement In Higher Education, Fatimah Alebrahim

Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore student engagement in higher education by evaluating training provided by experienced faculty members for those faculty desiring to implement a flipped classroom. A case study was utilized; data were collected in the form of online observation, in-class observation, student focus group interviews, faculty individual interviews, and artifacts. The researcher used the utilization-focused evaluation (Patton, 2008) as an implementation evaluation framework for the study. Data were analyzed using deductive analysis that depended on five implementation evaluation elements as general components (effort, monitoring, process, component, and treatment specification). The participants in this study …

"Our Door Is Always Open": Aligning Literacy Learningpractices In Writing Programs And Residential Learningcommunities, Julia Voss

English

Writing studies has considered college students' literacy development as a chronological progression and as influenced by their off-campus connections to various cultural and professional communities. This project considers students' literacy development across disciplines and university activity systems in which they're simultaneously involved to look at the (missed) opportunities for fostering transfer across writing courses and residential learning communities as parallel—but rarely coordinated—high-impact practices. Rather than calling for the development of additional programs, I argue for building/strengthening connections between these existing programs by highlighting shared learning outcomes focused on literacy skills development and learning how to learn.

Nesting Behavior Of Acapulco Damselfish (Stegastes Acapulcoensis): Pairs Defend Nests More Vigorously Than Solitary Males, December 2016, Lauren Cech

Monteverde Institute: Tropical Ecology and Conservation

Unique pair behavior was observed in Stegastes acapulcoensis, the Acapulco damselfish, in the reefs of Santa Elena Bay of Costa Rica. Observations and video were collected on aggression and territoriality demonstrated by both male-female pairs and solitary males guarding eggs. Agonistic chases and chase distance were recorded over four days during snorkeling expeditions. Results compared parental care behavior (pairs versus solitary) with aggressive chases and chase distance. Solitary male Acapulco damselfish chase significantly less times than paired. Additionally, the paired males chase significantly farther than solitary. Males were observed to defend territory and eggs using aggressive chases, while paired females …

Application Of Floating Pedal Regenerative Braking For A Rear-Wheel-Drive Parallel-Series Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle With An Automatic Transmission, Dylan Lewis Lewton

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

As the world continues to move further away from our reliance on fossil fuels, hybrid vehicles are becoming ever more popular. Braking is a system on both hybrid and normal vehicles that involves a significant amount of power and energy. A hybrid can recapture some of that energy using regenerative braking. In this thesis, a method is devised to blend hydraulic and regenerative braking in the most effective manner. A MATLAB Simulink model was built to simulate a parallel-series plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. The model allows for the implementation of a regenerative brake controller that utilizes floating pedal regen, custom …

More Electric Systems Architecture Effect On Business Jet Performance, Kelsey M. Mazur

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

A more-electric systems architecture, using current state of the art components, is proposed for the business jet Dassault Falcon 2000. A model of the existing aircraft, both of its overall flying characteristics and performance and of its detail systems layout, is created using Pacelab APDc and SysArcc programs. The model is validated with respect to the aircraft published data. Then, another model of the same aircraft is created but, this time, it is for the aircraft with the new architecture and their respective performance is compared. In particular, this results in changes in mission range and the overall system's weight. …

Vulnerability Analysis And Security Framework For Zigbee Communication In Iot, Charbel Azzi

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Securing IoT (Internet of Things) systems in general, regardless of the communication technology used, has been the concern of many researchers and private companies. As for ZigBee security concerns, much research and many experiments have been conducted to better predict the nature of potential security threats. In this research we are addressing several ZigBee vulnerabilities by performing first hand experiments and attack simulations on ZigBee protocol. This will allow us to better understand the security issues surveyed and find ways to mitigate them. Based on the attack simulations performed and the survey conducted, we have developed a ZigBee IoT framework …

Assessing The Effects Of Interactive Video Modeling On The Fidelity Of Implementation Of Skill-Acquisition Procedures, Steven Sparks

Dissertations

Behavior-analytic study has led to many advances in staff training over the last several decades. The effectiveness of modeling, role-play, and video modeling are well demonstrated in scientific literature but these techniques are often time consuming for those conducting the training which often leads to their being quite costly. Interactive video modeling is an alternative that is potentially more cost and time efficient. This type of modeling consists of embedding response opportunities in traditional video models that require the trainee to answer questions in order to complete the video. Being required to answer the embedded questions causes the trainee to …

Counselor Preparation And Adolescent Youth: A Study Of Clinical Mental Health Counselors, Brian R. Russ

Dissertations

Prevalence data have raised concerns that child and adolescent mental health issues are at an epidemic level. For example, Knopf, Park, and Mulye (2008) suggested that 20-25% of all youth experience symptoms of distress. Researchers have also estimated that one in five adolescents in the United States have a diagnosable mental health disorder, and one in ten with a disorder that would be considered severe (Kessler, Berglund, Demler, et al., 2005; Knopf, Park, & Mulye, 2008). Yet, the training of clinical mental health counselors who work with adolescent populations has received limited attention in the counselor education literature. Although the …

An Analysis Of Campus Violence Threat Assessment Policy Implementation At Michigan Community Colleges, Russell T. Panico Jr.

Dissertations

This dissertation evaluated campus violence threat assessment policy and procedure implementation at the community college level of higher education. The importance of this topic was to provide a manageable and collaborative initiative for leadership at institutions of higher learning to identify, develop, implement, and evaluate a policy that can effectively prevent acts of campus-related violence. A mixed-methods study approach using a Likert-scale survey with supporting open-ended questions was used to guide the exploration. Bardach’s (2016) Eightfold Path for Policy Analysis was the framework used by Michigan community colleges to apply to their own unique situations. This method determined the prevalence …

Kinetic Control Of Nucleic Acid Strand Displacement Reactions, Xiaoping Olson

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Nucleic acids are information-dense, programmable polymers that can be engineered into primers, probes, molecular motors, and signal amplification circuits for computation, diagnostic, and therapeutic purposes. Signal amplification circuits increase the signal-to-noise ratio of target nucleic acids in the absence of enzymes and thermal cycling. Amplification is made possible via toehold mediated strand displacement – a process where one nucleic acid strand binds to a nucleation site on a complementary helix, which then displaces one of the two strands in a nucleic acid complex. When compared to polymerase chain reactions (PCR), the sensitivity and stability of toehold-mediated strand displacement reactions suffer …

Integrated Circuit Design For Hybrid Optoelectronic Interconnects, Kehan Zhu

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on high-speed circuit design for the integration of hybrid optoelectronic interconnects. It bridges the gap between electronic circuit design and optical device design by seamlessly incorporating the compact Verilog-A model for optical components into the SPICE-like simulation environment, such as the Cadence design tool.

Optical components fabricated in the IME 130nm SOI CMOS process are characterized. Corresponding compact Verilog-A models for Mach-Zehnder modulator (MZM) device are developed. With this approach, electro-optical co-design and hybrid simulation are made possible.

The developed optical models are used for analyzing the system-level specifications of an MZM based optoelectronic transceiver link. Link …

Focus Structures In Copala Triqui, Zena Zimmerglass

Linguistics

The purpose of this research is to identify the techniques used by speakers of Copala Triqui to focus one or more constituents in a sentence. Copala Triqui is a native Mexican language originating in the region that is now San Juan Copala, Mexico. In this experiment, we tested for five types of focus: broad focus, subject focus, object focus, contrastive subject focus, and contrastive object focus. We captured these patterns by having speakers answer Triqui questions that elicited the appropriate type of focus. We found that some focused sentences allow for deviations in word order from non-focused or broad-focused ones. …