Digital Commons Network^™

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 …

The Pressure Of Society On Water Quality : A Land Use Impact Study Of Lake Ripley In Oakland, Wisconsin, Kyle Whalley

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Eutrophication of lakes occurs naturally over time but with the influence of humans, mainly through the process of non-point source pollution, the eutrophication rate can be accelerated. Agriculture and residential land use along with the presence of impervious surfaces can negatively impact water quality of lakes due to nutrient pollution. This research investigates the impacts of land use on the water quality of Lake Ripley in Oakland, Wisconsin from 1993 to 2011 using a regression, correlation, and trophic state index (TSI) trend analysis. The regression analysis incorporates four years of National Land Cover Database (NLCD) data, eight spatial categories created …

The Presuppositions Of Freedom : Kant And The Social Contract, Christopher Weaver

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

More than 200 years after his death, scholars continue to struggle with the works of Immanuel Kant and how to systematize it within the larger agglomerate of intellectual history. Among these struggles is a debate over Kant's political philosophy and its relationship with the social contract theory. In this study, I suggest more scrutiny should be given to what exactly Kant meant when he used the word freedom throughout his writings on politics and the importance this has for better understanding Kantian thought. Freedom presupposes a lot of things for Kant, but within the context of his politics, it includes …

The Role Of Hemiparasitic Plants : Influencing Tallgrass Prairie Quality, Diversity And Structure, Jane P. Digiovanni

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Pedicularis canadensis (Orobanchaceae) and Comandra umbellata (Santalaceae) are two root hemiparasitic plant species found in tallgrass prairie communities of the Chicago region. Managers are interested in utilizing these species to reduce dominant prairie grasses and thereby increase ecological diversity and quality in prairie restorations and urban plantings. A field observational study at five tallgrass prairie sites investigated the association of hemiparasite abundance with metrics of phylogenetic and ecological diversity as well as floristic quality. Although no reduction in C4 grasses was detected, analysis of the field data found a significant association between hemiparasite abundance with increased floristic quality at all …

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; …

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 …

Adolescent Bullying : An Analysis Of Personality Characteristics, Bullying Participant Behaviors, And Social Anxiety, Erin Deliberto

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Anywhere from 25-40% of students are involved in bully participation behaviors at school, including bullying, victimization, outsider, and defending. A majority of these behaviors can result in adverse effects (i.e., social anxiety). Gender and age differences among bully participant behaviors have been found in extant research. Further, research has suggested relationships between each of the bully participant behaviors and the Big Five personality characteristics. Therefore, the primary objective of the current evaluation was to investigate the association among adolescent boys' and girls' personality traits, their level of involvement in bully participant behaviors, and level of social anxiety. Adolescent participants (N=644) …

Crashing An Officers-Only Cav Party, Steve Tedder

Mighty Pen Project Anthology & Archive

Thirty years after Vietnam, an enlisted man attends a reunion intended only for the officer fliers of his troop. He finds a warm welcome, and learns, again, that all warriors are a band of brothers.

Articles, stories, and other compositions in this archive were written by participants in the Mighty Pen Project. The program, developed by author David L. Robbins, and in partnership with Virginia Commonwealth University and the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond, Virginia, offers veterans and their family members a customized twelve-week writing class, free of charge. The program encourages, supports, and assists participants in sharing their stories …

The View Never Got Old, Alicia Dietz

Mighty Pen Project Anthology & Archive

In poetic fashion, a combat helicopter pilot contemplates the discipline of flying, and the losses she has suffered.

Articles, stories, and other compositions in this archive were written by participants in the Mighty Pen Project. The program, developed by author David L. Robbins, and in partnership with Virginia Commonwealth University and the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond, Virginia, offers veterans and their family members a customized twelve-week writing class, free of charge. The program encourages, supports, and assists participants in sharing their stories and experiences of military experience so both writer and audience may benefit.

Pawns, Richard H. Geisel

Mighty Pen Project Anthology & Archive

A soldier accustomed to walking point in Vietnam finds himself on a different assignment, where he's troubled by so much sound and light.

Articles, stories, and other compositions in this archive were written by participants in the Mighty Pen Project. The program, developed by author David L. Robbins, and in partnership with Virginia Commonwealth University and the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond, Virginia, offers veterans and their family members a customized twelve-week writing class, free of charge. The program encourages, supports, and assists participants in sharing their stories and experiences of military experience so both writer and audience may benefit.

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, …

Gender Differences In Attitudes Toward Online Training In Qatar Private Institutions, Manal Ibrahim Alkarzon

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This exploratory study aimed to investigate the differences between male and female employees in Qatar private institutions regarding their attitudes toward online training. Rogers's Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) theory was used as a theoretical framework for this study. Five constructs from Rogers's DOI theory (relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability, and observability factors) were used for the investigation. The study is important because there is an apparent lack of research conducted in the field of online training in the State of Qatar. The study used a non-experimental survey design which recruited 176 male and female employees in Qatar private institutions. Results …

Generating Linear Models For The Mos Transistors And Implementing Them In Obtaining Bode Surface Plots, Mounika Vanga

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The CMOS transistors which have dimensions in Nano scale are modelled such that in a circuit like an amplifier, the original MOSFET can be replaced with the modelled circuit which gives access to the internal nodes of the MOSFET. For generating the equivalent circuit, the model components are generated from the model parameters. The models generated are tested by comparing their response to that of the original MOSFET. These modelled devices are used in generating the 3D Bode surface plots. A new method is developed which generates the 3D Bode plot. This results in including the sigma axis, along with …

Geophysical Characterization Of Karst Features Above An Underground Mine Near Quincy, Il, Vitaliy Alekseyevich Morozov

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Extensive knowledge of subsurface structure is required for safe underground mining. Fractures and unexpected caves may make mining dangerous and/or impossible. The purpose of this study was to assess various geophysical methods that can identify karst cavities and associated features in bedrock to depths of up to 30 m. Two-dimensional electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), azimuthal resistivity (AR), electromagnetic (EM) conductivity, seismic refraction, and ground-penetrating radar (GPR) surveys were made over a known cavity in the Mississippian Haight Creek dolomite near Quincy, IL. The dolomite is covered by approximately 20-30 m of glacial deposits. ERT and EM methods were used along …

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 …

Grid-Connected Wind And Photovoltaic System, Sindhuja Devabakthuni

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The objective of this thesis is to design a grid connected wind and photovoltaic system. A new model of converter control was designed which maintains the voltage of the bus to grid as constant when combined system of solar and wind is connected to AC bus. The model is designed to track maximum power at each point irrespective of changes in irradiance, temperature and wind speed which affects the power supplied to grid. Solar power from the sun is not constant as it is affected by changes in irradiances and temperature. Even the wind power is affected by wind speed. …

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 …

I'M Licensed. What Do I Do Now? : A Qualitative Study Of The Learning Journeys Of Newly Licensed Real Estate Agents, Kristine A. Brown

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This qualitative study explored the learning journeys of eight newly licensed real estate agents in Illinois. It examined how these agents viewed the real estate industry, how they learned the business, and how they developed their professional identities. Semi-structured interviews were conducted monthly with each participant for a six-month period during their first year in the business.

Impacts Of Tourism On Water Quality In Quintana Roo, Mexico, Katelyn Kane

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The Yucatan Peninsula is the world's second largest underwater karst cave system. The highly fractured limestone and scarce soil allows precipitation to rapidly infiltrate to the groundwater system identified as the Yucatan Aquifer. The geology of the area also prevents the accumulation of surface water; as such, groundwater is the only source of fresh water on the peninsula and can become easily contaminated due to anthropogenic activities on the surface from tourism. The state of Quintana Roo, Mexico, is economically dependent on the tourism industry. This study focuses on an assessment of eleven locations throughout the Cancun and Riveria Maya …

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 …

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 …

Indigenous Gold From St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands A Materials-Based Analysis, Stephen E. Jankiewicz

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to examine the origin, manufacturing technique, function, and meaning of metals used during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries on the island of St. John, United States Virgin Islands. This project focuses on two metal artifacts recovered during National Park Service excavations conducted between 1998 and 2001 at a shoreline indigenous site located on Cinnamon Bay. These objects currently represent two of only three metal artifacts reported from the entire ancient Lesser Antilles. Chemical and physical analyses of the objects were completed with nondestructive techniques including binocular stereomicroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, …

Individual Variation In Maternal Behavior In Spider Monkeys At El Zota Research Station, Costa Rica, Agnieszka Magdalena Sukiennik

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Predation risk is a significant survival problem for immature primates, but only a few studies have examined the risk of predation on immatures in ateline primates. This study examined whether spider monkey mothers changed their interactions with their infants due to a perceived change in predation risk while foraging in different sized groups. I proposed that a mother's proximity to her infant/juvenile varied depending on whether she was alone with her offspring, with one other adult female, or with a larger group of adults. Because group living potentially reduces predation risk, I suggested that mothers would be in closer proximity …

Influence Of Silver Nanoparticles On Fluorescence Enhancement, Sai Bharanisrikanth Toleti

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

In this project, we studied the influence of silver nanoparticles (AgNP) on the fluorescence properties over glass substrates and on Nano pours oxide film substrates. Enhanced fluorescence intensities were observed due to presence of AgNP in near field to a fluorophore creating hot spots thereby proving the concepts of Metal Enhanced Fluorescence and Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR). A Bragg reflector pattern is created by varying the refractive index of surface resulting in layered structure causing the light getting trapped in between the layers which exhibited the properties of SPR and Evanescent fields. The mean intensity values were higher for the …

Kinematics And Dynamics Of A Robotic Manipulator In Maple, Rafi Syed

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Kinematics and dynamics of a manipulator are two important problems in modeling and automation. Kinematic modeling of a manipulator is defined as the transformation from a joint coordinate system to a Cartesian coordinate system (forward kinematics) and vice versa (inverse kinematics) independent of any force causing the motion, and dynamic modeling of a manipulator defines the relation between the force and motion. To be able to control a robotic arm as required by its operation, it is important to consider the kinematic and dynamic modeling in the design of the control algorithm and the simulation of the motion. There are …

La Causalite De La Precarite Et La Devalorisation De La Femme Zolienne Dans "Au Bonheur Des Dames", "L'Assommoir" Et "Germinal", Theodore Sikubwabo

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Ce memoire de recherche met l'accent sur la situation precaire et la devalorisation de la femme zolienne typiquement sous l'angle realiste d'une classe ouvriere longtemps ignoree ou mal representee dans la litterature francaise du XIXe siecle. Est-elle victime cette societe patriarcale misogyne ou responsable de sa decadence et seule de la societe dans laquelle elle vit ? La methode d'observation, d'enquete et de sa vie personnelle est a l'origine du succes de Zola qui peint un portrait exact de cette classe dans les trois oeuvres Au Bonheur des Dames, L'Assommoir et Germinal afin de trouver une solution a sa decadence …

Late Holocene Climate Controls On Carbon Dynamics At Teringi Bog, Estonia, Kristyn Hill

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This study examines records of past climate variability and the controls affecting carbon accumulation rates at Teringi Bog, Estonia (57°58'31.26", 25°33'34.80"E). Analyses of [delta]¹³C, [delta] ²H, [delta]¹⁸O, and d-excess from Sphagnum fuscum moss cellulose, [delta]¹³C and [delta]¹⁵N from bulk peat, and [delta]18O and [delta]²H from surface waters indicate that carbon accumulation rates are influenced by changes the overall amount of precipitation and its seasonality throughout the Late Holocene. Changes in the depth to the water table were recorded from August, 2014, to May, 2016, and it was observed that the hydrologic balance is principally driven by fall, winter and spring …

Learning And Leading : Transformational Learning Experiences Among College Student Peer Leaders, Alexander R. Miller

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this interpretive study was to identify the transformational learning experiences and leadership development process of college students who participate in peer leadership positions. This study explored the relationship between peer leadership roles and transformational learning. The study was shaped by four research questions: 1) How do college students who engage in peer leadership roles describe their experiences? 2) How do these student leaders make meaning of their experience? 3) What processes help student leaders make meaning of their peer leadership role? 4) What knowledge, skills, and abilities do participants report having gained as a result of their …

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 …

Life Histories Of African American Women Senior Student Affairs Officers, Tamekia M. Scott

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative research, guided by Black Feminist Thought, was to examine the experiences of African American women senior student affairs officers to understand the strategies they utilized to advance their careers. Participants included six vice presidents/chancellors for student affairs (reporting directly to the president of the institution) and one dean of students reporting to the vice president for student affairs. The participants' recounted raced and gendered experiences during their journey to becoming a senior student affairs officer into their journey of being a senior student affairs officer. Their shared experiences were based on tokenism, hyperawareness of systemic …