Digital Commons Network^™

Autonomous Goal-Based Mapping And Navigation Using A Ground Robot, Jeffrey L. Ferrin

Theses and Dissertations

Ground robotic vehicles are used in many different applications. Many of these uses include tele-operation of the robot. This allows the robot to be deployed in locations that are too difficult or are unsafe for human access. The ability of a ground robot to autonomously navigate to a desired location without a-priori map information and without using GPS would allow robotic vehicles to be used in many of these situations and would free the operator to focus on other more important tasks. The purpose of this research is to develop algorithms that enable a ground robot to autonomously navigate to …

Nanoemulsions Within Liposomes For Cytosolic Drug Delivery To Multidrug-Resistant Cancer Cells, Jacob Brian Williams

Theses and Dissertations

Cancer cells that survive chemotherapy treatment often develop resistance to the administered chemotherapeutics, as well as to many other types of drugs, because the cancer cells increase their production of efflux pumps in the cell. This undesired phenomenon of resistance to cancer drugs is known as multidrug resistance. This work uses a novel drug carrier, called an eLiposome, to achieve cytosolic drug delivery to kill multidrug-resistant cancer cells. An eLiposome consists of a perfluoropentane (PFC5) emulsion droplet inside of a liposome. Folate attached to the eLiposome facilitates uptake into the cell. The PFC5 droplet is metastable at body temperature, but …

Invisible Students: A Case Study Of Friendless Students During The First Year Of Junior High, Rachel E. Neeley

Theses and Dissertations

This is a case study that investigates the experiences of eight friendless seventh grade students as they transition from elementary school to junior high. In an effort to examine the wide-range of experiences of friendless students, I explored and compared the experiences of students who have high social self efficacy and students who have low self-efficacy. Each student was interviewed two times and both interviews were analyzed using a priori codes of when and where students felt isolated and distressed. The interviews were also analyzed using an open coding method looking for emergent codes. The study highlights and illustrates what …

An Analysis Of Support For Elementary Engineering Education Offered In The Science Teacher Journal Science And Children, Tawnicia Meservy Stocking

Theses and Dissertations

Teachers use professional journals such as Science and Children for ideas to incorporate into their own teaching. As such the purpose of this study was to investigate the support offered for integrating engineering education into science instruction. The research methodology for this was a qualitative content analysis inferring categories based on the information presented. Twenty-three issues of the journal were read, spanning two and a half volume years. The categories that emerged were mentioning, implementing, and integrating. Deeper examples of integration were found to match the mapping and infusion strategies presented by the National Academy of Engineering and National Research …

The Pet Keeping Industry In The American City, Irus Braverman

Journal Articles

Two years ago, my now nine-year-old daughter decided that she, too, wants in on the American dream. A family without a dog is incomplete, so the dominant narrative around us seems to dictate – and that narrative was readily picked up by my daughter and, subsequently, by her younger sister as well. The pressure is now fully on for us to “adopt” a dog who would fill our days with laughter and fun. A dog who would make us belong. Despite my initial urge to satisfy my daughters’ passionate desire, I cannot help but to contemplate the broader role of …

Associations Between Teacher-Reported School Climate And Depressive Symptoms In Australian Adolescents : A 5-Year Longitudinal Study., Patrick Pössel, Christopher Rakes, Kathleen Moritz Rudasill, Michael G. Sawyer, Susan H. Spence, Jeanie Sheffield

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Adolescent depression is serious and common. As adolescents spend approximately 15,000 h in school, this setting is a logical place to seek etiological factors. Research suggests there are negative associations between school climate and adolescent depressive symptoms. However, such studies typically use student reports of both climate and depressive symptoms; this is problematic because common method variance results when the same individual provides information on all variables, contributing to overestimations of associations between depressive symptoms and school climate. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine the association between teacher-reported school climate and adolescent-reported depressive symptoms. Thus, 2545 Australian …

Development Of Highly Variable Microsatellite Markers For The Tetraploid Silene Stellata (Caryophyllaceae), Juannan Zhou, Michele R. Dudash, Charles B. Fenster, Elizabeth A. Zimmer

Natural Resource Management Faculty Publications

Premise of the study:We designed and tested microsatellite markers for the North American native species Silene stellata (Caryophyllaceae) to investigate its population genetic structure and identify selection on floral design through male reproductive success.

Methods and Results: A total of 153 candidate microsatellite loci were isolated based on next-generation sequencing. We identified 18 polymorphic microsatellite loci in three populations of S. stellata, with di- or trinucleotide repeats. Genotyping results showed the number of alleles per locus ranged from six to 45 and expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.511 to 0.951. Five of these loci were successfully amplified in S. …

The Effects Of Class-Wide Function-Related Intervention Teams In Three Art Classrooms, Melanie April Nelson

Theses and Dissertations

Challenging and disruptive student behavior is a major concern for all teachers, including those who teach art. Unfortunately, there is a lack of research and resources available for art teachers to manage student behavior. School-wide positive behavior support (SWPBS) is a framework that has been shown to improve student behavior. Class-wide Function-Related Intervention Teams (CW-FIT) is an intervention that utilizes SWPBS principles including group contingency, social skills instruction, teacher praise, and positive reinforcement and has been shown to be effective in general education classrooms. This is the first study of CW-FIT in elementary art classrooms and examined the effects of …

The Ability Of Six Children With Language Impairment To Generate Stories From Pictured Stimuli: A Pilot Study, Molly Roxanne Alldredge

Theses and Dissertations

Narrative production and comprehension is a difficult task for children with language impairment (LI). Their stories are typically shorter and contain more grammatical errors than the stories of typically developing age-matched peers. This pilot study describes the abilities of six children with LI to produce stories from pictured stimuli. Stories were elicited from each child during a 10-week period. Stimulus pictures and coding procedures from the Edmonton Narrative Norms Instrument were employed to analyze the participants' story grammar (SG). Eight SG elements were assessed including character introduction, setting, initiating event (IE), internal response (IR), internal plan (IP), attempt, and outcome. …

Task-Level Feedback In Interactive Learning Enivonments Using A Rules Based Grading Engine, John Shadrack Chapman

Theses and Dissertations

In order to improve the feedback an intelligent tutoring system provides, the grading engine needs to do more than simply indicate whether a student gives a correct answer or not. Good feedback must provide actionable information with diagnostic value. This means the grading system must be able to determine what knowledge gap or misconception may have caused the student to answer a question incorrectly. This research evaluated the quality of a rules-based grading engine in an automated online homework system by comparing grading engine scores with manually graded scores. The research sought to improve the grading engine by assessing student …

Expecting Excellence: Student And Teacher Attitudes Towards Choosing To Speak English In An Iep, Alhyaba Encinas Moore

Theses and Dissertations

In an effort to immerse learners in the target language, many IEPs in the U.S. hold fast to inflexible English Only policies (Auerbach, 1993; McMillan & Rivers, 2011). However, research has identified several shortcomings of such a rule, such as (1) the benefits of the L1 in L2 learning, and the lack of research supporting the exclusion of the mother tongue (Atkinson, 1993; Brooks-Lewis, 2009; Butzkamm, 2003), and (2) psychological, sociocultural, and linguistic factors that diminish the effectiveness of English Only and contribute to a negative learning environment (Shvidko, Evans, & Hartshorn, 2015). This body of research has prompted a …

Asymmetry Of Gains And Losses: Behavioral And Electrophysiological Measures, Diego Gonzalo Flores

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to explore the effects of small monetary or economic gains and/or losses on choice behavior through the use of a computerized game and to determine gain/loss ratio differences using both behavioral and electrophysiological measures. Participants (N=53) played the game in several 36 minute sessions. These sessions operated with concurrent variable-interval schedules for both rewards and penalties. Previously, asymmetrical effects of gains and losses have been identified through cognitive studies, primarily due to the work of nobel laureates Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky (1979). They found that the effect of a loss is twice (i.e., …

Topic Manipulation In Five Children With Language Impairment In Response To Topic Probes, Kimberly Kasey Baker

Theses and Dissertations

This study describes a series of case studies on topic management patterns of five children (ages 5 to 10 years) with language impairment. The children participated in semi-structured topic tasks that assessed conversational abilities on topics that were verbally introduced and topics that were introduced both verbally and with an object. Although there was considerable variability among participants, the children generally responded to most introductions by acknowledging and maintaining the topic. With the exception of one child, however, the children in this study demonstrated immature topic manipulation patterns that could be expected to have negative social ramifications.

The Influence Of Online English Language Instruction On Esl Learners' Fluency Development, Rebecca Aaron

Theses and Dissertations

The number of students participating in online-based instruction has grown steadily over the past decade as improvements in Internet availability, speed, and bandwidth have enabled students from around the world to enroll in online courses rather than participate in onsite traditional college courses. Online courses have also provided educational opportunities for language learners that are more convenient and cost effective. With the growth occurring in online instruction, it is critical to ask about the effectiveness of online English language learning. Even though this type of instructional medium has been available for more than a decade, there has been little empirical …

Evolvability And Excess Capability As A Response To Uncertain And Future Requirements, Jeffrey Douglas Allen

Theses and Dissertations

Product and system designers face many challenges in the modern world. Designing products that will be subject to emerging or uncertain requirements can be one of the most significant of these challenges. A major risk associated with emerging or uncertain requirements is premature obsolescence. Large-scale, complex engineered systems, such as, aircraft, spacecraft, large seagoing vessels, communication and power systems are especially susceptible to this issue. However, this challenge is not limited to only large-scale complex systems. Even relatively simple products can suffer from premature obsolescence and even failure to be initially accepted, due to inadequately understood or changing requirements. One …

Relational Embeddedness In Mentoring Relationships Between Prospective K-12 Education Leaders And Their Mentor Principals, Maridee Beeston

Theses and Dissertations

Prospective education leaders face challenges in a demanding environment often lacking critical resources necessary to make a difference in schools. The potential to acquire these resources may be found in the mentoring relationships formed during internships in educational leadership preparation programs. A lack of understanding exists regarding variations in the nature of these mentoring relationships—specifically in terms of relational embeddedness—the type and degree to which partners form ties embedded within a social relationship. Variations in relational embeddedness may impact mentoring quality and the potential to acquire the resources needed to succeed in demanding school environments. Theoretical frameworks in mentoring and …

Extending Time Until Failure During Leaking In Inflatable, Pneumatically Actuated Soft Robots, Joshua Parker Wilson

Theses and Dissertations

Soft robots and particularly inflatable robots are of interest because they are lightweight, compact, robust to impact, and can interact with humans and their environment relatively safely compared to rigid and heavy traditional robots. Improved safety is due to their low mass that results in low-energy collisions and their compliant, soft construction. Inflatable robots (which are a type of soft robot) are also robust to impact and have a high torque to weight ratio. As a result inflatable robots may be used for many applications such as space exploration, search and rescue, and human-robot interaction. One of the potential problems …

Use Of M-Health Technology For Preventive Medicine In Pakistan, Minaz Mawani, Muhammad Masood Kadir

Section of Internal Medicine

No abstract provided.

Vision For The Prevention Of Infections Using Homoeopathy, Raj Manchanda

Indian Journal of Research in Homoeopathy

No abstract provided.

Formic Acid : A Multicentric Observational Homoeopathic Clinical Verification Trial, Rajkumar Manchanda, Jaya Gupta, Parthasarathi Chakraborty, Pramodji Singh, Surendra Nayan, J Singh, P Pradhan, Sunil Ramteke, Goutam Rakshit

Indian Journal of Research in Homoeopathy

Aims: This study was done to clinically verify the symptomatology of Formic acid by ascertaining the symptoms improved during verification and to incorporate new findings (if any) to the known symptomatology of Formic acid. Methods: A multicentric observational clinical verification study was conducted at nine research centers of Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy to verify the proving symptoms of rarely used medicine, Formic acid. Two hundred and seventy participants having symptomatological similarity with Formic acid were included and prescribed in 6C, 30C, 200C, and 1M potencies, as per need of each case. The data were compiled in a specially …

An Observation On Direct Changes In Aedes Albopictus Midgut Cells By Rhus Tox 6c In Relation To Dengue Virus Infection, Moonmoon Sinha, Enakshi Roy, Satadal Das, Debabrata Sarkar, Debadatta Nayak, Anil Khurana, Raj Manchanda

Indian Journal of Research in Homoeopathy

Background and Objectives: In mosquito vectors, dengue virus (DENV) invasion occurs through midgut cells, but available mosquito cell lines for in vitro study of DENV are prepared from eggs or larvae, which are not appropriate models, to study its infectivity. Hence, we developed a new primary cell culture, from Aedes albopictus mosquito midgut, and standardized it for in vitro study of DENV, with an aim to find out any possible role of homoeopathic medicines, in preventing or reducing DENV invasiveness in these midgut cells. This midgut primary cell culture demonstrated prominent cytopathic effects on infection with wild DENV isolated from …

Case Studies For Treatment Of Warts With Homoeopathy, Md Shaikh

Indian Journal of Research in Homoeopathy

Warts are the growth of skin resulting from human papillomavirus infection. These may be single, multiple, smooth, or cauliflower-like and are generally treated by applying medicine externally or surgical excision procedure. Homoeopathy has a major role in the treatment of warts and most of the homoeopathic doctors use medicine in centesimal potencies. Five cases of warts were treated, two cases with centesimal potencies, and three cases treated with fifty millesimal potencies. Cases treated with fifty millesimal potencies responded more quickly than centesimal potencies without aggravating the complaints and without applying any external medicines. There is a possibility that fifty millesimal …

Book Review: "Study Of Homoeopathic Medicines Through Clinical Verification" Volume Iii, Lex Rutten

Indian Journal of Research in Homoeopathy

No abstract provided.

Learning From The Past: Review Of The Central Council For Research In Homoeopathy Quarterly Bulletin 2000 (Volume 22) And 2001 (Volume 23), Reteka Sexena

Indian Journal of Research in Homoeopathy

No abstract provided.

The Winds Of Changes Shift: An Analyis Of Recent Growth In Bargaining Units And Representation Efforts In Higher Education, William A. Herbert

Publications and Research

This article analyzes data accumulated during the first three quarters of 2016 regarding completed and pending questions of representation involving faculty and student employees in higher education. It is part of a larger and continuing National Center research project that tracks faculty and graduate student employee unionization growth and representation efforts at private and public institutions of higher learning since January 1, 2013. The data presented in this article demonstrates that the rate of newly certified units at private colleges and universities since January 1, 2016 far outpaces new units in the public sector. There has been a 25.9% increase …

Strain Phase Separation: Formation Of Ferroelastic Domain Structures, Fei Xue, Yongjun Li, Yijia Gu, Jinxing Zhang, Long-Qing Chen

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Phase decomposition is a well-known process leading to the formation of two-phase mixtures. Here we show that a strain imposed on a ferroelastic crystal promotes the formation of mixed phases and domains, i.e., strain phase separation with local strains determined by a common tangent construction on the free energy versus strain curves. It is demonstrated that a domain structure can be understood using the concepts of domain/phase rule, lever rule, and coherent and incoherent strain phase separation, in a complete analogy to phase decomposition. The proposed strain phase separation model is validated using phase-field simulations and experimental observations of PbTiO …

What Factors Affect Broca Beetle (Hypothenemus Hampei) Incidence In Coffea Arabica Plants At Life Monteverde?, December 2016, Ari Simon

Monteverde Institute: Tropical Ecology and Conservation

The goal of this study was to identify the factors that affect incidence of the coffee berry borer (CBB) or Broca beetle, Hypothenemus hampei. I surveyed three sites within the Life Monteverde coffee plantation in Costa Rica. The three sites varied from High (C2) to Medium (C14) to Low (C18) historical incidence of Broca infestation. Six 6x3m plots per study site were created and I selected four plants per plot. Per plant, I chose five branches with the one condition that the branch had a high density of berries (n>50). I conducted observations between 15 and 23 November 2016 …

The Effects Of A Possible Soil Nitrogen Gradient On Mimosa Pigra Root Nodule Density And Black Bean Plant Growth, December 2016, Ronnie E. Appleseed

Monteverde Institute: Tropical Ecology and Conservation

Cattle produce feces that contain organic nitrogen. The farm at the University of Georgia (UGA) station in San Luis, Monteverde is built on a sloping hill with nitrogen producing cattle present on the top and absent at the bottom. The legume Mimosa pigra has a mutualistic relationship with nitrogen fixing Rhizobia bacteria and is found growing as a weed on the UGA farm. I hypothesized that the possible decrease in soil [N] along the UGA farm hill would result in decreased Mimosa root nodule densities and that the greatest nodule densities would be found in plants growing closest to the …

Call Variation In Mixed-Species And Single-Species Flocks Of The Common Chlorospingus In Monteverde, Costa Rica, December 2016, Jesse Fichmman

Monteverde Institute: Tropical Ecology and Conservation

The Common Chlorospingus (Chlorospingus flavopectus opthalmicus) is a common highland bird found from Mexico to Bolivia that travels and forages in mono- especific and mixed-species flocks. When foraging in mixed-species flocks, the Common Chlorospingus plays an integral role as a nuclear species and forages primarily for arthropods instead of fruit. The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not there is a difference between chlorospingus chip calls in mixed species versus single species flocks, and if there is then to explore why they exhibit this difference. I recorded the calls of C. ophtalmicus both in single species and …

Fate Of Fallen Fruit: Cebus Capucinus Fruit Droppings Eaten By Agoutis And Others, December 2016, Delaney Roth

Monteverde Institute: Tropical Ecology and Conservation

White-faced capuchins (Cebus capucinus) are omnivores that forage in tree canopies eating mostly fruits. Though many previous studies have been done on the foraging behavior and diet of white-faced capuchins, there is little information available on their feeding behavior in terms of fruit dropping while eating. This study was done on a group of 13 wild white-faced capuchins in Bajo del Tigre, Monteverde, Costa Rica over a two-week observational period. I observed the feeding behavior of the white-faced capuchins, including number of fruit pieces dropped by the capuchins during 30-second focal observations. I noted animals, such as agoutis, that were …