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2016

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Experiencing Recovery At Work : Energetic Benefits Of Social Media Micro-Breaks, Pamela R. Waltz Jan 2016

Experiencing Recovery At Work : Energetic Benefits Of Social Media Micro-Breaks, Pamela R. Waltz

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation examined the impact of social media micro-breaks during the workday on worker energy. Social media micro-breaks (SMMBs) are discretionary, nonwork breaks that employees insert throughout the workday to engage with social media. Although it is well documented that employees use social media for personal purposes during the workday, little is known about the impact of SMMBs on employee well-being. Drawing on the frameworks proposed by the Job Demands-Resources model of job stress and the Stressor-Detachment model, two studies were conducted to examine 1) whether the frequency and duration of SMMBs positively impacted worker energy by reducing workday fatigue …

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Changes In The U.S. Tornado Disaster Landscape, Stephen M. Strader Jan 2016

Changes In The U.S. Tornado Disaster Landscape, Stephen M. Strader

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Weather disaster severity and frequency are a function of both hazard risk as well as the underlying socioeconomic settings exposed to the hazard. In general, previous studies have concentrated on how risk or vulnerability influence disaster potential, but not on the important interaction of these two disaster constituents. This dissertation examines a single hazard---the tornado---and evaluates how this hazard's evolving risk interrelates with the important human vulnerability component of residential built-environment exposure. The research assesses these interactions across the high tornado risk areas of the central and eastern U.S. from 1940 to 2100 using fine-scale demographic data and a Monte …

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Enhancing The Ethanol Pathway In Escherichia Coli Rm10 For Improved Ethanol Production From Xylose, Ryan Allan Manow Jan 2016

Enhancing The Ethanol Pathway In Escherichia Coli Rm10 For Improved Ethanol Production From Xylose, Ryan Allan Manow

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Due to its capability to ferment biomass-derived pentose and hexose, Escherichia coli is considered a potential biocatalyst for production of bioethanol. Gene deletions and promoter replacements were previously employed to engineer a non-transgenic homoethanol pathway in E. coli [glucose (or 1.2 xylose) => (glycolysis) => 2 pyruvate + 2 NADH => (pyruvate dehydrogenase, aceEF-lpd operon) => 2 acetyl-CoA + 4 NADH => (alcohol dehydrogenase, adhE) => 2 acetaldehyde + 2 NADH => (alcohol dehydrogenase) => 2 ethanol]. The resulting strain, RM10, is able to produce ethanol from xylose and glucose, with a yield greater than 90% theoretical (one mole of …

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Erosion Boundary Effects Due To Fill Fraction Variation : A Study Of Quasi 2d Tumblers Of Granular Systems, Adam N. Spitulnik Jan 2016

Erosion Boundary Effects Due To Fill Fraction Variation : A Study Of Quasi 2d Tumblers Of Granular Systems, Adam N. Spitulnik

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Simulations of granular flow assume a consistent flowing layer profile observed in circular tumblers that were half full. While the constant shear rate model predicts mixing kinematics adequately, the model has not been empirically tested in systems where the erosion from the solid body has velocity components along the dynamic angle of repose. This thesis explores experiments that analyze the relationship be- tween tumbler fill fraction and the kinematics of the erosion boundary transition into the flowing layer. Tumblers greater than 50% full have inertial velocity along the angle of repose; fill conditions less than 50% enter with velocity opposite …

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Enhanced Convective Air Cooling Of Electronics With Multiple Printed Circuit Boards (Pcbs) Using Turbulance Generators, Kyle Jackson Jan 2016

Enhanced Convective Air Cooling Of Electronics With Multiple Printed Circuit Boards (Pcbs) Using Turbulance Generators, Kyle Jackson

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The focus of this research is to perform experimental and computational simulation analysis of a turbulence generator method of increasing convective heat transfer of electronic chips in an electronic device with multiple Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs). With this achieved, higher power levels can be used and/or the air flow needed to maintain a given operating temperature can be reduced. The air flow is deflected or disturbed by deflectors or vortex generator elements placed in strategic locations in the air stream. The models are simulated in Star CCM+ CFD software, and experimentally validated using a customized test facility with computer data …

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Collaboration And Critical Thinking In An Online Chemistry Environment, Elizabeth Irene Kershisnik Jan 2016

Collaboration And Critical Thinking In An Online Chemistry Environment, Elizabeth Irene Kershisnik

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to examine collaboration and student's critical thinking and cognitive achievement within online chemistry courses. This quantitative study focused on the apparent lack of research relating collaboration and critical thinking in online science courses. Collaboration was determined using the small group collaboration model coding scheme, which examined student postings in asynchronous discussion forums for quantity, equality, and shareness. Critical thinking was measured using the chemistry concept reasoning test, the online self-diagnostic test, and also asynchronous student homework discussion postings that were coded using the community of inquiry cognitive presence indicators. Finally cognitive achievement was determined …

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Conditions Affecting Biomass Productivity, Lipid Production, And Harvesting Of The Microalga Monoraphidium Sp. Dek19 Grown In Wastewater, Adam Ralph Hage Jan 2016

Conditions Affecting Biomass Productivity, Lipid Production, And Harvesting Of The Microalga Monoraphidium Sp. Dek19 Grown In Wastewater, Adam Ralph Hage

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The objective of this thesis was to investigate the culture conditions necessary to promote high cell densities, lipid productivities, and harvesting yields from the locally endemic microalgae Monoraphidium sp. Dek19 in a wastewater environment. The alga was inoculated in final effluent acquired from a local wastewater treatment facility in DeKalb, Illinois. The alga was cultivated in 1L Erlenmeyer flasks at 10°C, 70 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹ light, 14:10 light:dark cycle. Culture agitation was found to be an important condition for algal growth and nutrient removal. Increased culture turbulence through aeration correlated with improved phycoremediation and biomass production. Cultures in stagnant conditions …

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Connecting Philosophy And Practice In The Fabric Of Public Education : An Analysis Of K-12 Instructional Technology Discourse Inspired By Foucault's Technologies Of The Self, Alan Clemens Jan 2016

Connecting Philosophy And Practice In The Fabric Of Public Education : An Analysis Of K-12 Instructional Technology Discourse Inspired By Foucault's Technologies Of The Self, Alan Clemens

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This study was undertaken to better understand the discourse surrounding K-12 instructional technologies as represented in published articles of three trade publications whose target audience is educational practitioners. The study additionally sought to test the viability of an analytical framework inspired by Michel Foucault's technologies of the self. Two hundred and thirty-seven articles published in three trade periodicals (Education Week, Learning & Leading with Technology, and The School Administrator) over a two-year sample period were analyzed using NVIVO, a qualitative data analysis software product from QSR, International.

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An Examination Of The Athletic Identity, Identity Foreclosure, And Career Maturity Of Division I Collegiate Student-Athletes In Nonrevenue-Producing Sports, Stacia A. Klasen Jan 2016

An Examination Of The Athletic Identity, Identity Foreclosure, And Career Maturity Of Division I Collegiate Student-Athletes In Nonrevenue-Producing Sports, Stacia A. Klasen

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Very few student-athletes will go on to become a professional in their sport; therefore, the vast majority will need to pursue a non-sport career once their collegiate athletic eligibility has ended. Research indicates that a strong athletic identity and identity foreclosure coincide with lower levels of career maturity, which contributes to the struggle that student-athletes often face with their post-sport transition. The majority of student-athletes compete in nonrevenue-producing collegiate sports (e.g., cross country and soccer), but this subgroup has not been adequately examined. This is problematic because research suggests that lower career maturity levels exist among student-athletes in both revenue- …

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An Exploration Of Counselor Educators' And Supervisors' Views Of The Development Of Multicultural Competency In Master's-Level Students During Practicum, Chunnan Hu Jan 2016

An Exploration Of Counselor Educators' And Supervisors' Views Of The Development Of Multicultural Competency In Master's-Level Students During Practicum, Chunnan Hu

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Counselors must improve multicultural counseling competency to meet clients' needs in this pluralistic society. This study used grounded theory methodology to describe counselor educators' and supervisors' experiences and perspectives of master's-level practicum students' multicultural competency development. Nine counselor supervisors from eight counseling programs participated in this study. Findings indicate that students' openness to and humility regarding cultural differences, direct exposure to diversity, having faculty who value multicultural competency and are culturally competent, and having effective multicultural training and supervision are key contributing factors in students' multicultural competency development. This study shares counselor educator and supervisors' current practices in promoting and …

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The Gendered Superhero : An Examination Of Masculinities And Femininities In Modern Age Dc And Marvel Comic Books, Jennifer Volintine Jan 2016

The Gendered Superhero : An Examination Of Masculinities And Femininities In Modern Age Dc And Marvel Comic Books, Jennifer Volintine

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This thesis examines American gender concepts of masculinity and femininity depicted in six Modern Age superhero comic books. Specifically, it examines how the American gender concepts of hegemonic masculinity, hypersexualized masculinity, emphasized femininity, and hypersexualized femininity are depicted in three Marvel and three DC comic books. This examination found that despite gender differences defined by biological essentialism that legitimates gender inequality, female and male superheroes are much more alike than different through what I term "visionary gender". Also, it examines indicators of gender not previously examined in American superhero comic books. In particular, it examines the text of superhero comic …

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The Effect Of #Blacklivesmatter : The Relevance Of Communities And Collective Identity, Stephanie D. Jones Jan 2016

The Effect Of #Blacklivesmatter : The Relevance Of Communities And Collective Identity, Stephanie D. Jones

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

In this paper I analyze the impact that the social movement #BlackLivesMatter (#BLM) has on how communities frame the issue of police brutality within protests. Protests that occurred before the #BLM movement focused on policing issues only within their own communities, while the protests that occurred after #BLM make connections from local cases to a national problem. I examine YouTube videos of protesting the police after incidents of police brutality for three different cases. The first case is the murder of Oscar Grant in Oakland, California, which was before the #BLM movement emerged. The second case was the choking of …

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Investigating The Determinants Of Mobile Learning Acceptance In Higher Education In Saudi Arabia, Hamed Al-Shahrani Jan 2016

Investigating The Determinants Of Mobile Learning Acceptance In Higher Education In Saudi Arabia, Hamed Al-Shahrani

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Higher education appears to be changing in Saudi Arabia, which has made considerable progress in the adoption of more student-centered learning approaches as a reaction to the global pedagogical shift. Saudi Arabia has prioritized instructional technology integration in its educational system. The proliferation and popularity of mobile handheld devices, particularly among young students, will significantly make the future of Mobile learning, or M-learning in higher education bright and promising. However, M-learning in higher education is still in its embryonic stage of implementation, especially in developing countries such as Saudi Arabia; therefore, an in-depth study of each aspect of this issue …

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Investigation Of Pretreating Methods To Activate Carbon Electrode For Alkaline Alcohol Fuel Cell, Deva Harsha Perugupalli Jan 2016

Investigation Of Pretreating Methods To Activate Carbon Electrode For Alkaline Alcohol Fuel Cell, Deva Harsha Perugupalli

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Alcoholic fuel cells have been developed intensively over decades for portable applications, but the full application was limited due to the issues such as high system cost, low performance, and durability. The main focus of this research is to replace the expensive platinum catalyst with cheap carbon material to solve one of key challenging issues, the system cost. Alkaline system was utilized, while most of related research has been conducted in acidic condition, due to benefits of fast kinetics, low alcohol/water crossover rate, and low cost of anion exchange membrane which is order of magnitude cheaper than Nafion membrane in …

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Jane Austen Uncensored : A Critical And Pedagogical Study Of Austen's Letters For The College Classroom, Amanda Smothers Jan 2016

Jane Austen Uncensored : A Critical And Pedagogical Study Of Austen's Letters For The College Classroom, Amanda Smothers

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

A vast amount of literary critical and scholarly work on Jane Austen's writing, including her juvenilia, has been published. However, insufficient attention has been paid to her extant letters and their significance. This dissertation redresses the imbalance and is the first extensive critical, scholarly discussion of Jane Austen's correspondence and their pedagogical applications. In order to rectify the disparity, this dissertation examines Jane Austen's surviving letters to determine how to contextualize them historically and biographically and in relation to her fiction for college composition and undergraduate literature courses. Background information on letter writing in the eighteenth and early nineteenth century …

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Simulation Analysis Of Blood Flow And Selective Drug Particle Delivery To The Targeted Tumors Cerebral Artery-Tissue Region, Sravanthi Patibandla Jan 2016

Simulation Analysis Of Blood Flow And Selective Drug Particle Delivery To The Targeted Tumors Cerebral Artery-Tissue Region, Sravanthi Patibandla

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Brain is the most intricate organ of human body. The development of new therapeutic techniques for Brain tumor diseases is a difficult task, yet these treatments are not effective for almost all the brain diseases. Presence of Blood Brain Barrier (BBB) is the main challenge in development of drugs to treat brain diseases in most of the cases. Among several brain diseases, brain tumors often have poor prognosis, which depends and changes according to the type of the tumor. In this study a three-dimensional computational simulation model for analyzing multifunctional drug distribution through the cerebral artery and adjacent tissue region …

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Synthesis And Characterization Of Nanoalloys And Non-Precious Metal Catalysts For Energy And Environmental Applications, Heather Marie Barkholtz Jan 2016

Synthesis And Characterization Of Nanoalloys And Non-Precious Metal Catalysts For Energy And Environmental Applications, Heather Marie Barkholtz

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Two major project areas are reported in this work. First, a new lithium-assisted dissolution-alloying nanoalloy synthesis technique will be introduced. The development of a new nanoalloy synthesis method is desirable to circumvent issues with traditional co-reduction of metal salt methodology. Co-reduction of metal salts can result in unintended core-shell formation due to different metal ion reduction potentials, as well as oxidation of one component resulting in dealloying of the material when it is exposed to air. In order to best address these issues with a new technique, Pd₃Ag, PdPt, and PdZn systems were studied because Pd₃Ag and PdPt tend to …

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Teacher Perceptions Of Usefulness Of Mobile Learning Devices In Rural Secondary Science Classrooms, Lisa Tighe Jan 2016

Teacher Perceptions Of Usefulness Of Mobile Learning Devices In Rural Secondary Science Classrooms, Lisa Tighe

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The internet and easy accessibility to a wide range of digital content has created the necessity for teachers to embrace and integrate digitial media in their curriculums. Although there is a call for digital media integration in curriculum by current learning standards, rural schools continue to have access to fewer resources due to limited budgets, potentially preventing teachers from having access to the most current technology and science instructional materials. This dissertation identifies the perceptions rural secondary science teachers have on the usefulness of mobile learning devices in the science classroom. The successes and challenges in using mobile learning devices …

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Uplink Power Control In 4g Lte, Prudhvi Mudunuri Jan 2016

Uplink Power Control In 4g Lte, Prudhvi Mudunuri

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The research is related to the Uplink power control for 4G LTE which is to evaluate the system performance using the coding in MATLAB. The primary objective of this thesis is to design a cellular network environment which has 1050 users which are distributed in seven cells with directional antennas. The total environment is set up in MATLAB and the performance is evaluated for different values of path-loss compensation factor. Considering the fractional compensation and full compensation the LTE system analysis is compared for both open loop power control system and closed loop power control system as well. The performance …

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The Influence Of Building Social Presence And Sense Of Community In Online Learning : A Meta-Analysis On Student Satisfaction And Retention, Martha Lowe-Madkins Jan 2016

The Influence Of Building Social Presence And Sense Of Community In Online Learning : A Meta-Analysis On Student Satisfaction And Retention, Martha Lowe-Madkins

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Online learning has become one of the primary formats for course delivery in higher education. As online learning continues to evolve, more research is needed on social presence's contribution to student satisfaction and retention. The purpose of this study was to determine if the element of social presence in online learning has an impact on student satisfaction and retention. The research was also used to support and frame further research on measuring social presence, its relationship with learner satisfaction, and ways to create a more comfortable learning environment and retain learners in online courses. The quantitative and qualitative methods in …

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The Politics Of Natural Resource Use : A Comparative Study Of Forest Exploitation In Indonesia And Cambodia, Azriansyah Achdiat Agoes Jan 2016

The Politics Of Natural Resource Use : A Comparative Study Of Forest Exploitation In Indonesia And Cambodia, Azriansyah Achdiat Agoes

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This paper address two questions. First, it examines the question of why authoritarian rulers rely on natural resources to stay in power. Second, it address the mechanism of how authoritarian rulers extract rents from natural resources and distribute the rents to construct patronage systems to cement political pacts and gain popular legitimacy. In this paper I argue that the characteristics of the state determine the strategy employed by authoritarian rulers to use natural resources for political purposes by distributing monopolies to business elites and receiving financial donations in return. This paper examines the cases of forest exploitation in Indonesia and …

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The Secret Recipe : To Leadership And Career Pathway Success In Dietetics, Paula Milas Sochacki Jan 2016

The Secret Recipe : To Leadership And Career Pathway Success In Dietetics, Paula Milas Sochacki

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation focused on leaders within the dietetics profession and allowed their "voice" to be heard related to their specific personal and lived experiences throughout their own career pathways. A total of twenty participants (eighteen women and two men) were selected for this qualitative research study. I completed twenty in-depth face-to-face and phone interviews, which each lasted approximately 90 minutes. Narrative inquiry analysis was used to identify some of the key themes that emerged from the findings. A total of five key themes emerged as they related to participants' career pathway and leadership development. Mentoring was one theme that emerged; …

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The Slow Control System For The Fermilab Muon G-2 E989 Experiment, Michael Mcevoy Jan 2016

The Slow Control System For The Fermilab Muon G-2 E989 Experiment, Michael Mcevoy

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The New Muon g-2 experiment (E989) at Fermilab will measure the muon anomalous magnetic moment, amu. E989 aims to measure amu to a precision of 0.14 parts-per-million, a factor of four improvement over the previous experimental measurement. The muon storage ring magnet was previously used in experiment E821 at Brookhaven National Laboratory. It was moved to Fermilab in order to attempt to improve the value of amu by utilizing Fermilab's higher energy proton source, the Main Injector. The storage region is filled with a highly precise magnetic field created by the superconducting coils surrounded by steel yokes. The muons are …

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Finding Meaning Through Video Chat Communication In Longdistance Romantic Relationships, Rebecca Johnson Jan 2016

Finding Meaning Through Video Chat Communication In Longdistance Romantic Relationships, Rebecca Johnson

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This study explored meaning making through visually based computer-mediated communication in long-distance romantic relationships using Relational Dialectics Theory. Data was collected through 35 qualitative individual interviews. Contrapuntal analysis was conducted to answer the two research questions posed in the study. In answer to RQ1, two proximal tensions were discovered from the data. Those tensions include independence versus connection and certainty versus uncertainty. In response to RQ2, two distal tensions were gleaned from the data including "out of sight, out of mind" versus "absence makes the heart grow fonder" and private versus public. Based on the research presented in this study, …

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Get The Party Started : An Analysis Of Eu Political Party Development, James Godowic Jan 2016

Get The Party Started : An Analysis Of Eu Political Party Development, James Godowic

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Why have political parties on the European level not been able to institutionalize as full parties that present candidates and campaigns to the public? When voters cast ballots, they do not vote for a European political party but rather for the national party that only campaigns in the borders of their own country. This has terrible consequences for the accountability of the European Union to its citizens, an institution that has been accused of having a democratic deficit for many years. This paper examines the institutional development of the European Union, alongside the theories of political party development, and finds …

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Identity Talk Of Homeless Sheltered Women, Danielle T. Clemons Jan 2016

Identity Talk Of Homeless Sheltered Women, Danielle T. Clemons

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This thesis focuses on identity talk among homeless sheltered women. Specifically, this research explores shelter resident's experiences, the ways residents cope with shelter life, and its consequences for their identities. The researcher entered the lifeworld of the shelter environment in an attempt to understand the identity management of the residents and answer the research question: "How do residents at Trinity House talk about their identity as homeless individuals?" This study was conducted in a homeless shelter in the Midwest in 2015. The research included in-depth, semistructured interviews with 10 homeless women and participant-observation in a shelter with approximately 100 residents …

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Impression Management And Social Presence Within Asynchronous Online Discussions : A Case Study, Kimberly M. Harrison Jan 2016

Impression Management And Social Presence Within Asynchronous Online Discussions : A Case Study, Kimberly M. Harrison

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Asynchronous online discussion has become a staple of many higher education courses. The current study was designed to understand more fully the student experience within online discussions, with an emphasis on the experiences of undergraduate students outside the field of education. The research described in the current paper was a case study designed to examine the experiences of five students aged 20-25 who had senior status at a four-year university in the Midwest. Specifically, the research examined students' experiences using elements of social presence and impression management techniques to develop social identities within asynchronous online discussions, knowingly or unknowingly. Analysis …

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In Our Voices, Through Our Eyes : An Oral History Of The Illinois School Library Media Association, Mary Romano Marks Jan 2016

In Our Voices, Through Our Eyes : An Oral History Of The Illinois School Library Media Association, Mary Romano Marks

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This qualitative study examined the development of the Illinois School Library Association (ISLMA). The research focused on archival documents from the ISLMA, the Illinois Library Association (ILA), and the Illinois Association for Media in Education (IAME) Archives and the personal files of the interviewees. In addition, interviews were conducted with individuals associated with IAME and ISLMA. Participants were asked to recollect the development of ISLMA and their professional roles in relation to its birth. This research was examined in relation to the development of ISLMA, school library media history and related education, and library national standards and trends and is …

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Libyan Women And Revolution : A Study Of The Changes In Women's Political And Social Roles During And After The Libyan Revolution, Haala Hweio Jan 2016

Libyan Women And Revolution : A Study Of The Changes In Women's Political And Social Roles During And After The Libyan Revolution, Haala Hweio

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Several uprisings against some long-term dictatorships in the Arab region took place during the year of 2011. The phenomenon, commonly known as the Arab Spring, started in December 2010 in Tunisia, a small North African Arabic country that was going through tough economic times. The domino effect of the Tunisian revolution spread quickly through the region. Almost all Arab countries witnessed political unrest and protests demanding reforms, but in a few of them--- Egypt, Libya, Syria, and Yemen---the situation escalated to the level of popular revolution. The Arab Spring phenomenon opened the door for studies on collective behavior and revisiting …

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Managing An Information Explosion : Civilian Administration And The Army Of Louis Xiv, 1661-1701, Robert Fulton Jan 2016

Managing An Information Explosion : Civilian Administration And The Army Of Louis Xiv, 1661-1701, Robert Fulton

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation examines the operations of the civilian administration of the War Department in early modern France during the reign of Louis XIV. Specifically, it analyzes the documents that represent a wide variety of information which circulated within the War Department's administrative networks. I connect these sources to the work of a new group of civilian agents, the premier commis, and utilize them to infer in what manner they were able to effectively manage a rapidly increasing volume of information materials and to influence state development in a profound manner. This examination found all of these sources to be increasing …

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