Digital Commons Network^™

News Media Coverage And Source Selection In U.S. Foreign Policy Debates : The Case Of Iran Deal, Mehrnaz Khanjani

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This research examines the American news coverage of the nuclear negotiations between Iran and the West, known as Iran deal, in broadcast news programs of ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX, using "indexing" theory as its theoretical framework. Previous research has shown that the debate surrounding foreign policy issues are indexed based on the range of debates in Washington, D.C. The results showed that Iran deal debate in the news coverage of broadcast channels tended to index based on the position of officials within the government, notably congressional and executive branch sources. The coverage included debates that involved both consensus and …

Principal Motivation In The Era Of Accountability, Matthew Vosberg

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The state of Illinois has raised the expectations for principal performance with the 2010 passage of the Performance Evaluation Reform Act (PERA), which requires 30% of a principal's evaluation to be linked to student achievement data. This reform effort is the latest iteration of school accountability measures that have been implemented in schools across the country. There have been increased efforts at the state and federal level to increase accountability for school performance as measured by standardized test results. The linkage of standardized test scores to individual evaluations marks the strongest efforts to bring accountability to principals for the academic …

Hillary Rodham Clinton's Campaign Narrative And The Perceptions Of The American People, Paige Russell

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Hillary Rodham Clinton has led a prolific political career despite intense media scrutiny and a harrowing race for the presidency. There is a lack of research that specifically focuses on Clinton's rhetoric during the campaign and how voters have perceived the truth of her words. This study utilizes the narrative paradigm to understand Clinton's campaign narrative and the double binds she was forced into. The overall goal of the study is to establish these obstacles in four campaign narrative themes. By examining the perceptions of validity within Clinton's rhetoric we seek to determine the gendered impacts of running for President …

Social Presence In An Online Cohort, Marlo Barnett-Allen

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Social presence in online learning has become significant in discussion in higher education. The current study was designed to reveal more fully the student perception of social presence within an online cohort. The research described in the current paper was a phenomenological study designed to examine the experiences of seven students who had graduated with master's degrees from an online cohort program. Specifically, the research examined students' perception of social presence through the lens of the Community Inquiry model, along with social cognitive theory, to determine the factors that might influence the levels of social presence in an online cohort. …

Semiconductor Photocatalysis: Mechanisms, Photocatalytic Performances And Lifetime Of Redox Carriers, Ruixin Zhou

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

Photocatalytic reactions mediated by semiconductors such as ZnS, TiO₂, ZnO, etc. can harvest solar energy into chemical bonds, a process with important prebiotic and environmental chemistry applications. The recycling of CO₂ into organic molecules (e.g., formate, methane, and methanol) facilitated by irradiated semiconductors such as colloidal ZnS nanoparticles has been demonstrated. ZnS can also drive prebiotic reactions from the reductive tricarboxylic acid (rTCA) cycle such as the reduction of fumarate to succinate. However, the mechanism of photoreduction by ZnS of the previous reaction has not been understood. Thus, this thesis reports the mechanisms for heterogeneous photocatalytic reductions …

An Examination Of Leadership Behavior: Improving Family Engagement In An Urban Latinx School Community, Mary Elizabeth Graft

Educational Leadership and Policy Studies: Doctoral Research Projects

The following is a technical report based on the qualitative case study of a school principal in a representative urban high school in the Rocky Mountain West. The purpose of this study was to better understand the extent to which an urban high school principal in a high poverty school can implement behaviors that increase family engagement within a Latinx school community. The research question in this study was: What leadership behaviors are impactful in developing and increasing Latinx family engagement in an urban high school?

The principal was observed for a year and interviewed extensively regarding his beliefs, practices, …

A Utility-Value Intervention : Will It Help Hispanic Parents To Motivate Their Adolescents In Mathematics?, Margaret Molenda-Lesniak

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Academic motivation declines during middle- and high-school years and its diminishing effects are especially evident in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects. The goal of this study was to examine a possible cause-effect relationship between a utility-value intervention and mathematics motivation of middle-school Hispanic students. Through experimental manipulation, the researcher assisted parents in conveying the importance of mathematics to their adolescents to influence students' mathematics motivation. The four-month long intervention consisted of a brochure that was mailed to parents, a website, and biweekly Facebook posts, all emphasizing the usefulness and importance of mathematics courses. Data were collected using pre- …

Violence And Heteronormativity In Gay-Themed Films, Anna-Marie Malley

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Drawing from a sample of 15 "gay/lesbian"-themed films shown in theaters in the U.S. between 1980 to 2016, a qualitative analysis was conducted of the film narratives, looking at the co-constructions of queer (LGBTQ) identity and violence. Films were selected based on widest theatrical release within the genre list "Gay/Lesbian." Both the categories of queer identity and violence were drawn broadly to incorporate both easily identifiable and "ambiguously" queer characters, as well as to account for both physical and nonphysical forms of violence. Analysis identifies plot developments of exclusion, threat, and physical forms of harm as expressions of violence and …

Voices Of Latina/O Parents : Sending A Child To College, Karla Neal

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Latinas/os are one of the immigrant and ethnic groups with the lowest percentages of educational attainment (Lopez & Fry, 2013) and financial mobility (Erisman & Looney, 2007) in the United States. The purpose of this qualitative research study was to develop a better understanding of the perceptions and experiences of Latina/o parents who have college-age children who have moved away from home to college to pursue a higher education degree. While parents have been identified as an important influence for Latina/o student academic success in college; there is little knowledge about their experiences and perceptions related to education and the …

Women Lie And Other Myths : How Rape Myths Impact Attributions Of Blame In A Rape Case, Kathryn R. Klement

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Previous research has indicated a consistent link between rape myth acceptance and sexual assault victim blaming, where individuals reporting higher levels of rape myth acceptance also report higher levels of victim blaming. To this point, however, this relationship has only been explored correlationally. The current studies were designed to test whether participants, if presented with rape myth information or with accurate information about rape, would report higher levels of victim blaming or lower levels of victim blaming, respectively. In six studies, I manipulated victim and assailant gender (Studies 1a, 1b, and 2: female victim, male assailant; Studies 3a, 3b, and …

Yesterday, Today, And Tomorrow : A Study Of Aurelio Tolentino's Articulation Of Nationalism And Identity Through Theatre In The Philippines During The American Colonial Period, Lily Ann Bolo Villaraza

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation centers the importance of cultural production to the process of creating a coherent national identity and a unified political state in the Philippines. More specifically, I will examine role of theatre in relation to the general development of the nation and the state through Aurelio Tolentino's plays Luhang Tagalog and Kahapon, Ngayon, at Bukas. The Philippines and Filipino people pose a unique case study in the formation of both a specific and coherent national identity and an independent political state space because of geography, varied cultural influences, linguistic diversity, and colonial past. Because of these factors, it is …

The Political Economy Of The Automobile Industry Development In China, Muyuan Niu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This paper analyses the political economy of developing the modern Chinese automobile industry. By using qualitative research method, especially case study, and developmental rent management analysis framework, the author analyzed the development in three different time periods since the Chinese economic reform in 1978. Case studies of learning period, developing period and new Chinese owned enterprises after joining WTO presented different policies and rent management strategies arranged by the state to industrialize and develop the modern Chinese automobile industry. Although there are failures involved in the arrangement, China finally industrialized and developed its modern automobile industry and became the world's …

Formulation And Characterization Of Poly(Β-Amino Ester) Networks For Controlled Delivery Of Antioxidants In Pharmaceutical Applications, Vinod Shivaji Patil

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Oxidative stress, which reflects an imbalance between oxidants and endogenous antioxidants, is known to be a cause as well as an effect of health conditions such as cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and ischemia-reperfusion injury. Antioxidants have shown promising results in vitro in controlling oxidative stress. However, years of in vitro studies have failed to translate into effective clinical interventions for controlling oxidative stress in the disease conditions. This has been due to low bioavailability and lower stability of antioxidants. Poly(antioxidant β-amino esters) (PABAE) are a recently-developed class of biodegradable polymeric hydrogels that have shown promise in their ability …

Functionalization Of Silver Nanoparticles On Membranes And Its Influence On Biofouling, Conor G. Sprick

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Ultrafiltration (UF) processes are often used as pretreatment before more retentive/costly processes, such as nanofiltration and reverse osmosis. This study shows the results of low-biofouling nanocomposite membranes, loaded with casein-coated silver nanoparticles (casein-Ag-NPs). Membranes were cast and imbedded with Ag-NPs using two approaches, physical blending of Ag-NPs in the dope solution (^PAg-NP/CA membranes) and chemical attachment of Ag-NPs to cast membranes (^CAg-NP/CA membranes), to determine their biofouling control properties. The functionalization of Ag-NPs onto the CA membranes was achieved via attachment with functionalized thiol groups with the use of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) and cysteamine chemistries. The …

Welcome The Stranger? Recent History Of American Christianity And Refugee Policy, Brenda Edith Cuellar

Masters Theses

Immigration is a controversial and complex issue. The United States has a history of welcoming millions of immigrants and refugees. Recent political rhetoric surrounding immigration has been negative and associated with danger and terrorism. Religious leaders along with their congregations have a history of advocating on behalf of the marginalized as well as combating against a broken immigration system that leaves eleven million people undocumented. This research paper uses a case study to explore the Sanctuary movement, a religious and political campaign that provided shelter for thousands of Central American refugees fleeing war. Interviews with seven religious leaders in Arizona …

The Power Of The Periphery: Aid, Mutuality And Cold War U.S-Ghana Relations, 1957-1966, Moses Allor Awinsong

Masters Theses

This project interrogates how economic self interest motivated periphery states such as Ghana to use foreign policy as a vehicle to attract improved development assistance from superpowers, in this case the United States. While the United States viewed its aid program in Ghana in stringently Cold War terms, Kwame Nkrumah and his advisors were less inclined to get deeply concerned about Cold War ideology. This project shows that Ghanaian agency was manifested in the Cold War through the new state's construction of a foreign policy image that made it a prominent African voice globally. It then examines how that image …

Formation Of The Ether Bridge In The Loline Alkaloid Biosynthetic Pathway, Minakshi Bhardwaj

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

Lolines are specialized metabolites produced by endophytic fungi, such as Neotyphodium and Epichloë species, that are in symbiotic relationships with cool-season grasses. Lolines are vital for the survival of the grasses because their insecticidal and antifeedant properties protect the plant from insect herbivory. Although lolines have various bioactivities, they do not have any concomitant antimammalian activities.

Lolines have complex structures that are unique among naturally occurring pyrrolizidine alkaloids. Lolines have four contiguous stereocenters, and they contain an ether bridge connecting C(2) and C(7) of the pyrrolizidine ring. An ether bridge connecting bridgehead C atoms is unusual in natural products and …

Arsenic Removal With A Dithiol Ligand Supported On Magnetic Nanoparticles, John Hamilton Walrod Ii

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

Exposure to arsenic (As) in water, the ubiquitous toxin that poses adverse health risks to tens of millions, is the result of both anthropogenic and geochemical mobilization. Despite recent publicity and an increased public awareness, the dangers associated with arsenic exposure rank among the top priorities of public health agencies globally. Existing sequestration applications mainly include reductions and adsorption with zero-valent metals and their oxides. The performance of adsorption media is known to preferentially favor aqueous As(V) over As(III) due to the charge of the dissolved oxyanion. Magnetic nanoparticles (MNP) have been the focus of multidisciplinary research efforts for the …

A Multi-Objective Robust Algal Biofuel Supply Chain Under Uncertainty, Keivan Ghasemi Nodooshan

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Energy has historically been of great importance to the world. Depletion of fossil fuels, growing demand, global warming, and etc. have even accentuated this importance more. Amongst the biomass for production of biofuel which is one of the most promising renewable energy options, algae have been gaining a lot of attention in recent years. This thesis will propose a Biofuel Supply Chain Network Design for the development of algal biofuels. In order to do so, a Mixed Integer Linear Program will be created to design and optimize a biofuel supply chain from raw material procurement to biofuel distribution. Furthermore, a …

A Preliminary Investigation On Hardness Performance Of Lens-Processed 316 Stainless Steel (Ss), Sri Sai Kartheek Meka

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The hardness performance of LENS processed 316 Stainless Steel (SS) is investigated. Hardness performance of LENS processed 316 SS is important to identify its strength, resistance to wear, quality, failure control, predicting life time, determining proper applications and its evaluating performance. Rockwell Hardness test was performed at 100kgf load and 150kgf load respectively. A Finite element model was developed for the indentation process and obtain contact radius and contact pressure was verified with experimental results obtained from white light interferometry. The Rockwell hardness test was performed according to ASTM E18--17e1 test procedure and a Tungsten carbide indenter was used for …

A Retrospective Study On Rampage School Shootings : Considerations For School-Based Threat Assessment Teams, Seth H. Chapman

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Since the mid-1990s, the incidence of rampage school shootings reached unprecedented levels and resulted in hundreds of deaths. Rampage shootings are both essentially random and defined by acts involving an attack on multiple parties. The purpose of the current study was to apply prior research to analyze previous multiple victim K-12 public school shooting incidents, specifically rampage school shootings occurring over the past two decades in the United States. This study is intended to help identify best practices for developing and conducting threat assessments in K-12 public schools by assessing the validity of Newman's (2004) five-prong model. Newman et al. …

A Study Of First-Grade Teachers Using Instructional Technology For Literacy Instruction : The Contributing Factors, Teresa C. Schneider

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This qualitative study examined the perspectives of first-grade teachers on implementing instructional technology during literacy instruction. Four first-grade teachers were observed using instructional technology during their 90-minute reading block. Follow-up interviews revealed the teachers' perspectives of the contributing factors that influenced the teachers' decisions to implement instructional technology for literacy instruction. In this study, teachers identified barriers that played in their decisions as lack of technology support and training on technology tools and programs, limited collaboration with peers, and an absence of a technology curriculum or expectation guidelines. In addition, this study also revealed traditional literacy instruction was enhanced by …

"The Second Barrel Is Nearly Always Fatal" : Rhetoric In The Three Trials Of Oscar Wilde, Kurt Neumann

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation examines the rhetoric of Oscar Wilde's three trials (one libel trial and two criminal trials) that eventually led to his conviction for gross indecency under Section 11 of the Criminal Law Amendment Act 1885 and his subsequent imprisonment for two years' hard labor. This study considers Wilde's trials as examples of legal proceedings that through their popularity resonated with a particular public consciousness at the end of the nineteenth-century and whose resonance is still felt today. While book-length studies of the cultural and social history of Wilde's trials have been available for several decades, and shorter studies of …

Analysis Of Audio Fingerprinting Techniques, Satish Kumar Siva Sankaran

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The goal of this thesis is to compare various audio fingerprinting algorithms under a common framework. An audio fingerprint is a compact content-based signature that uniquely summarizes an audio recording. In this thesis, acoustic fingerprints are based on prominent peaks extracted from the spectrogram of the audio signal in question. A spectrogram is a visual representation of the spectrum of frequencies in an audio signal as it varies with time. Some of the applications of audio fingerprinting include but are not limited to music identification, advertisement detection, channel identification in TV and radio broadcasts. Currently, there are several fingerprinting techniques …

Development Of The Self-Directed Learning For Exercise Scale (Sdles) And The Education Resource Assessment (Era), Tim Piper

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to develop and provide validity evidence for scores from an instrument that measures self-directed learning (SDL) in exercisers, and from a second instrument that measures choice of learning resources by exercisers. The three dimensions of SDL that guided this research, based upon the Oddi Continuing Learning Inventory (OCLI), were (1) proactive drive, (2) cognitive openness, and (3) commitment to learning. The two instruments developed for this dissertation will be termed the Self-Directed Learning for Exercise Scale (SDLES) and the Education Resource Assessment (ERA). Data were collected through online instruments administered to participants who were …

Engineering And Characterization Of Rhizavidin And Fab Affinity Reagents That Possess Unique Function, Dionne Hope Griffin

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The strept(avidin)-biotin interactions has been utilized across numerous biological applications, including cell imagining, diagnostics and affinity chromatography. These applications exploit the high affinity (K[sub d]≈10⁻¹⁴-10⁻¹⁶M) and specificity between strept(avidin) and its low-molecular weight target biotin. With such widespread use, there is considerable interest in engineering variants of strept(avidin) proteins with enhanced properties, such as tunable binding affinity, reduced size and altered valency. With regard to reduced size, engineered strept(avidin) monomers, which are one-fourth the size of wild-type strept(avidin), have exhibited a tendency to reform tetramers or form aggregates and have possessed reduced biotin affinity. In chapter 2, we aimed to …

Educational Journey Of First Generation, Foreign-Born Immigrant Students In The U.S. : Transnational Experiences And The Role Of Cultural Capital In Pursuing Higher Education, Gulshirin Orazova

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The central purpose of this qualitative study was to examine, from the transnational and cultural capital perspectives, transition, integration, and success in higher education through the lived experiences of first generation, foreign-born immigrant students legally residing in the U.S. Transnationality and cultural capital theories have been determined as being important for seeking responses to the raised research questions of this study. A transnationality theory allowed me to deeply understand the participants' migration experiences and their influences on the students' educational practices, while acquisition of cultural capital in this study focused on exploring factors such as family background, cultural values and …

Effect Of Nutrition And Growth Conditions On D-Cycloserine Sensitivity Of Escherichia Coli, Poornima Vasireddy

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

D-cycloserine (DCS) is a naturally occurring broad-spectrum antibiotic produced by Streptomyces orchidaceus. It is a structural analog of D-alanine and it is used for the treatment of antibiotic resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis in conjunction with other first line drugs like isoniazid and rifampin. It inhibits the synthesis of the cell wall by inhibiting the enzymes alanine racemase and D-alanyl-D-alanine ligase. In previous studies, three DCS resistant Escherichia coli mutants were isolated by Curtiss et al (1965). Wargel et al (1971). identified in these mutants that cycA is responsible for the transport of DCS. Later, a study by Baisa et al (2013) …

Exploring Racial Bias Within Clinical Supervisory Relationships : The Experiences Of Supervisees Of Color, Tonya C. Davis

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Critical race theory has often been described as a lens in which to see and understand how racism can impact or affect people of color. This lens makes room for a deeper consideration of ones lived experiences as a direct result of racial bias. Sometime in the mid 1970's, Derrick Bell, Alan Freeman, and Richard Delgado acted in response to the lack of acceptable forward movement with regards to civil rights during the 1960's. Critical race theory was viewed as a direct call to action. This theory takes on a multidisciplinary approach, has the capacity to provide insight between relationships …

Communicating Church Branding Through Anniversary Services, Kate E. Mead

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This study provides an analysis of communication as presented through church anniversary services. The paper includes a discussion on organizational branding, which is then applied to religious organizations and, more specifically, the megachurch. Anniversary services to be analyzed originate from Willow Creek Community Church of South Barrington, Illinois and include those presented during the years 2011 to 2015. These services are employed as a case study through which communication is analyzed in two primary ways: first, as part of a church organizational branding process and second, through a lens of community-building ritual communication (per James Carey and Eric Rothenbuhler). Attention …