Digital Commons Network^™

Jan2018, Robert Kelly

Robert Kelly Manuscripts

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of A Climate Change Training Program For Local Government Employees, Clara Kashar

Theses and Dissertations

A local government in South Florida launched a training program to improve employee engagement on climate change using best practices in adult learning and climate communication to bridge the gap between climate science and action in government operations. The purpose of this program evaluation was to determine whether that climate change development and training program for local government employees met its stated goals and objectives. This evaluation blended a component of Stufflebeam’s Context, Input, Process, Product (CIPP) model with Kirpatrick’s Four Levels model. To conduct the evaluation, the researcher used a mixed methods approach for analyzing both quantitative and qualitative …

A Study Of In-School And Out-Of-School Life Experiences Affecting Veteran Teacher Retention In A Southeastern School District, Rosa Ana Jonson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the research was to investigate the in-school and out-of-school life experiences affecting veteran teacher retention in a southeastern school district. The study sought to gain a better understanding of the factors that affected the decisions of teachers to remain with the district for more than 5 years. All of the teachers who had been working in the district for at least 5 years were potential research participant The survey was distributed to 75 teachers, and 24 teachers responded. The teachers were asked to respond to an online survey regarding their perceptions of their in-school and out-of-school experiences. …

Assessing Reading And Mathematics Achievement Of Students With Disabilities In A Suburban Middle School, Terri Melissa Toomer

Theses and Dissertations

Co-teaching classrooms consist of general and special education teachers working together to benefit students with disabilities (SWDs). Many parents and teachers believe the content knowledge provided by general educators in the regular education setting, combined with the instructional service delivery model (SDM) expertise of special educators, will result in the greatest academic growth for SWDs. However, it is not known if SWDs served in one SDM progress at a faster rate than SWDs served in another SWD. Therefore, the focus of this study was to compare the reading and mathematics achievement of male and female middle school SDWs in two …

To Participate Or Not To Participate In Education Research: A View From The Teacher’S Perspective, Jennifer Gans

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation was designed to identify factors that might explain teacher resistance versus teacher support for participation in education research. To that end, predictor variables suggested by both diffusion of innovations theory, as well as personality trait theories were examined as unique predictors of variability in attitudes toward adoption of participation in the research process. Furthermore, “exposure to research” was examined as another possible variable that may be uniquely associated with willingness to participate in research, beyond the other theoretically motivated variables. The researcher developed a survey instrument featuring four research vignettes that increased in demands for teacher participation. Each …

The Effects Of An Afrocentric Curriculum On Reading Scores Of African American Third, Fourth, And Fifth Graders, Trisha J. Baker

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this applied research study was to determine the extent to which reading scores on the Diagnostic Reading Assessment (DRA-2) and Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) were impacted across the school years for students enrolled in Afrocentric curriculum (ACC) and non-ACC classrooms, excluding students enrolled in the two-way immersion classrooms, controlling for the test scores from the previous school year, during the 2012-2013, 2013-2014, 2014-2015, and 2015-2016 school years.

The research study followed a correlational research design to determine whether the size of the two reading-assessment scores varied across school years in efforts to determine whether the ACC …

A Case Study Of Teachers’ Experiences Integrating Visual Literacy To Improve Middle School Struggling Readers’ Comprehension, Dianne Tetreault

Theses and Dissertations

Because the meaning of literacy is changing, teachers lack understanding of how to teach older students the skills they need to read and be proficient in an ever-changing digital world. Moreover, only 34% of U.S. 8th graders read at the proficient level, according to the 2015 National Assessment of Educational Progress. Therefore, the purpose of this qualitative case study was to investigate the process of how middle school teachers in a large urban district in Florida understand and integrate visual literacy for teaching comprehension in their lesson plans and class instruction after completing professional development and subsequent curricular support on …

The United States Virgin Islands Cultural Perspectives And Education : A Qualitative Study, Vanessa Suzanne Doran

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to gain a rich understanding of cultural perspectives for fostering quality and relevant education in the United States Virgin Islands (U.S.VI). Research explores which perceived cultural perspectives are functioning in the Territory. Specifically, how adult economic survival is sustained in the territory. Findings are built on previous research, and global organizations' acknowledgment of the role culture plays in educational achievement. Consideration is given to historical occurrences. The task of the research is to understand cultural perspective as it relates to educational achievement, not to solve a problem. The (U.S.VI) Board of Education policies, rules, …

Study Of The Thermal Conductivity In Metal-Coated Carbon Nanotubes Using Molecular Dynamics Atomistic Simulations, Dinesh Kumar Bommidi

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

To improve the energy efficiency in many electronics and machinery applications, advanced Thermal Interface Materials (TIMs) with high heat dissipation ability and more pliability must be employed. Among a variety of promising choices to make the advanced TIMs, Vertically Aligned Carbon Nanotube (VACNT) turfs (arrays) outstand with their exceptional mechanical and thermal properties. Individual CNTs are quite flexible due to their quasi-one-dimensional structure and presence of strong sp2 bonds among the carbon atoms gives them great strength. Also, the dominance of ballistic phonon transport in the CNTs endows them superior thermal conductivity when compared to many metallic substrates. However, the …

Countering The Consequences Of Objective Self-Awareness, Dexter Ryan Miksch

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Objective Self-Awareness (OSA) occurs when an individual thinks of him/herself as an entity. This causes self-reflection, which may either decrease task performance or increase task performance depending on an individual's expectation for success. For the current study, it was hypothesized that OSA would most likely occur in individuals with especially high expectancies for success or especially low expectancies for success, relative to those with moderate expectancies for success, and that OSA would be negatively associated with task interest performance. It was found that expectancies for success did not predict OSA in the predicted way, and OSA did not predict interest …

Neural Network-Based Pid Compensation For Nonlinear Systems Ball-On-Plate Example, A. Mohammadi

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Controller design of a nonlinear system is in general very difficult. One way to avoid such complexity is using a simplified model so that certain nonlinear control techniques can be easily applied. Using a linearized model could make the controller design even simpler. However, some control error is inevitable with a simplified model. Therefore, in this thesis, a neural network-based approach is proposed in order to compensate for the errors caused by using a simplified dynamic model. The base controller which is designed by using the simplified dynamic model will be compensated by a PID controller with adjustable gains. A …

Here Comes The Monkey! : Best Practices For Using Student Test Scores As Part Of The Teacher Evaluation Process Based On An Analysis Of Legislation And Litigation In Early-Adopting Race To The Top States, Julie Dausey Oziemkowski

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Numerous lawsuits have been filed against school officials since the first Race to the Top (RTTT) monies were awarded in 2011, requiring school districts in participating states to incorporate student scores on standardized tests into their teacher evaluation processes. This study researched the history of standardized testing in the United States from Horace Mann to Common Core, the timeline of education reform in the United States, changes to state statutes in response to the federal Race to the Top program, and litigation filed in early-adopting RTTT states in response to the student growth component. It concludes with findings that provide …

Water Supply Planning In Virginia: The Future Of Groundwater And Surface Water, Jonathon Lubrano, Jeffrey Moore

Virginia Coastal Policy Center

This paper begins by exploring the current state of water resources planning and permitting. Then, considers current water demand in Virginia, as well as future challenges. Next is an examination of management structures from other states and a discussion of potential solutions to the water scarcity issue, including wastewater purification, the Hampton Roads Sanitation District’s (HRSD) Sustainable Water Initiative For Tomorrow (SWIFT) project, and desalination. The paper concludes with various next steps and policy recommendations that the Commonwealth should consider as dwindling water resources could hamper economic growth and threaten drought conditions, such as regional planning to achieve the optimal …

Synthesis, And Structural, Electrochemical, And Magnetic Property Characterization Of Promising Electrode Materials For Lithium-Ion Batteries And Sodium-Ion Batteries, Ruixin Han

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

Iron oxides, have been widely studied as promising anode materials in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) for their high capacity (≈ 1000 mA h g^-1 for Fe₂O₃ and Fe₃O_4,), non-toxicity, and low cost. In this work, β-FeOOH has been evaluated within a LIB half-cell showing an excellent capacity of ≈ 1500 mA h g^-1 , superior to Fe₂O₃ or Fe₃O_4. Reaction mechanism has been proposed with the assistance of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Various magnetic properties have been suggested for β-FeOOH such as superparamagnetism, antiferromagnetism and complex …

New Approaches To Cyclopentadienyl-Fused Thiophene Complexes Of Iron And Synthesis And Characterization Of Carbonic Anhydrase Active-Site Mimics For Co2 Hydration, Deepshikha Gupta

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

Polyheterocycles such as polythiophene and its derivatives comprise an important class of conducting polymers used for electronic applications. They have been of great interest for use in electronic materials due to their increased environmental stability as well as novel electronic properties in their polymer states. We have been interested in exploring the electronic properties of organometallic analogues of the low-band-gap polymer poly(benzo[3,4-c]thiophene) (polyisothianaphthene) that incorporates η⁵-cyclopenta[c]thienyl monomers such as ferroceno[c]thiophene. First chapter of this dissertation involved synthetic attempts to ferroceno[c]thiophene. Exploring a shorter synthetic route to starting material, 1,2-di(hydroxymethyl)ferrocene was …

Enhanced Analysis Of Lignin Dehydrogenation Oligomers Via Mass Spectrometry, Amber Suzanne Bowman

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

Effective analytical techniques need to be developed to characterize the products of lignin degradation experiments to be able to generate renewable products from lignin. Mass spectrometry is an valuable analytical approach for lignin characterizaion, but it is hindered by lignin’s poor ionization efficiency, especially in the positive ion mode. In this work, we attempt to improve lignin’s ionization by utilizing electrospray and laser desorption mass spectrometry coupled with the addition of cations and chemical derivatives. We confronted the ionization problem from both a top-down and bottom-up analytical approach by analyzing synthesized monomers, dimers, and polymers along with natural lignin extracts …

Spectroscopy And Formation Of Lanthanum-Hydrocarbon Complexes, Wenjin Cao

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

Lanthanum-mediated bond activation reactions of small hydrocarbon molecules, including alkenes, alkynes, and alkadienes, were carried out in a laser vaporization metal cluster beam source. Time-of-flight mass spectrometry and mass-analyzed threshold ionization (MATI) spectroscopy, in combination with quantum chemical and multi-dimensional Franck-Condon factor calculations, were utilized to identify the reaction products and investigate their geometries, electronic structures, and formation mechanisms.

La-hydrocarbon association was only observed in the reaction of La with isoprene. C-H bond activation was observed in all reactions, hydrogen elimination was observed as the prominent reaction for the alkenes (2-butene, isobutene, 1-pentene, and 2-pentene), alkynes (1-butyne, 2-butyne, and 1-pentyne), …

Increasing Living Shoreline Implementation In Virginia: Legal And Policy Recommendations, Christopher Antoine

Virginia Coastal Policy Center

When living shorelines are correctly implemented, they can provide a number of benefits to landowners, localities, and the state. Based on that knowledge, in 2011, the Virginia General Assembly codified a preference for the use of living shorelines in tidal shoreline stabilization projects to facilitate a greater realization of those benefits. Despite the statutory preference, much of Virginia’s tidal shoreline may not be realizing the benefits associated with living shorelines. A recent report from the Center for Coastal Resources Management (CCRM) at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science indicated that, in a sample of coastal Virginia localities from 2014-2016, as …

The Bulletin: Sidney Kimmel Medical College At Thomas Jefferson University, Volume 67, Issue 1, Winter 2018

The Bulletin (formerly the Jefferson Medical College Alumni Bulletin)

This issue includes:

• Dean's Column
• Findings: "Living Electrodes" may change neurological device design
• Ch-ch-ch-changes: Jefferson's realignment of departments and programs
• The Difference Alumni Make: A message from Elizabeth Dale
• A Fighting Chance: Harrisburg's boxing scene has an unlikely ally in cardiologist Andrew Foy, MD '08
• Alumni Weekend
• 2017 Jefferson Gala: Gathering to celebrate our shared success
• Time Capsule
• The Shot Doc: Meet Herb Magee, head coach of Jefferson's men's basketball team, the Rams
• Going the Distance: Students bring compassion into the clinic in Nicaragua's remote mountains
• On Campus
• Stephanie Moleski, MD '05: Jefferson doctor moves from board room to exam …

Reconstructing Insect Pursuit Flight Kinematics In The Wild, Haribabu Boddeeti

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

With their agile maneuvers and aerodynamic feats, flying insects continue to inspire the design, sensing, and control of unmanned aerial vehicles. Among the different behaviors that such insects perform, the mating pursuit stands out in terms of the high speeds and quick turns that each insect performs during the chase. Despite their frequent occurrence in nature, pursuit events between mating insects are rarely analyzed. This is because mating events are difficult to film in the wild or elicit in laboratory settings. The long-term goal of this research is to quantify the kinematics of flying insects in pursuit. The specific objective …

“I’M Not A Traditional Teacher Anymore”: Ecuadoran Teacher Perspectives Regarding A Us Professional Development Program, Gail Boone Cappaert

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

In this dissertation, the retrospective perspectives of five Ecuadoran English teachers regarding their experience in a seven-month professional development program in the US were investigated. Attention was given to how they believed the program impacted their identity, self-efficacy and how they perceived the program functioned as a community of practice (CoP). Data were collected through interviews using stimulated recall based on classrooms observation notes and memos in the teacher participants' Ecuadoran schools. Findings included that the Ecuadoran teachers felt they were positively impacted by the program. They perceived themselves as more legitimate speakers of English and more effective educators; however, …

Multifunctional Nanocomposites In Coating Technology: Synthesis, Characterization, Formulation, Evaluation And Application, Sudeshna Chakraborty

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Application of Nanomaterials using nanotechnology has gained significant

attention in the coating industry in recent years. Their application has had a great

impact, particularly in the 3C industries (computer, communication, and construction).

Incorporation of nanomaterials into polymer carriers through a systematic approach to

coating processes can enhance various physical properties, such as mechanical,

optical, electrical and thermal properties. The current dissertation focused on the

synthesis and characterization of new nanomaterials like mesoporous silica or

nanocomposites like copper-doped zinc oxide that can be used in the coating to study

thermal cooling performance and enhancement of thermal conductivity. New thermal

devices will …

Discovery And Study Of Single-Phase And Single-Ion Manganese Perovskite Multiferroics, Kamal Chapagain

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Multiferroic materials having unusual properties of simultaneous presence of ferroelectricity (FE) and magnetism, such that FE can be controlled by magnetic field and magnetization by electric field have attracted interest due to their promising applications in electrically controllable microwave elements, magnetic field sensors, and possibly in spintronics. In this dissertation, the single phase and single ion multiferroic properties of the ceramic oxide antiferromagnets (AFM) Sr1-xBax Mn1-yTiyO3 with perovskite structure are discussed. These compounds were designed and developed in our laboratory by understanding critical parameters controlling FE and magnetic properties, advancing the synthesis processes, studying the structural behavior and intricate transitions, …

Using Semantic And Pragmatic Information To Determine Syntactic Decisions In Translation Of The Passive Voice From English To French, Ashli Fain

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

I investigated statistically significant factors that effect syntactic changes in French and

English during translation of by phrases using the passive voice. Relative clauses containing this

structure were also looked at. This feature was chosen from information that was gathered from

experts in the form of academic texts on English-French translation, as well as handbooks

intended for an audience of professional translators. Data came from the proceedings of the

Canadian Parliament (the Hansard), which are published in French and English. Passive

sentences were collected from the output of the Stanford Parser. Animacy was found to be a

significant factor in …

Fundamental Studies Of Chemical Stability And Carrier Process In Hybrid Perovskite Materials, Jue Gong

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation comprehensively studies the optoelectronic properties of organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites to fundamentally answer their foundations of outstanding performance on solar cells, photodetectors, nanowire lasers and other optoelectronic applications. Specifically, a novel type of charge carrier-lattice interaction was discovered in perovskite methylammonium lead iodide (CH3NH3PbI3), where photoluminescence lifetime of photoinduced carriers is strongly dependent on the rotational frequency of CH3NH3+, as modulated via substitution of hydrogens with deuterium atoms in the organic cation. In addition, two-dimensional Ruddlesden-Popper perovskite (CH3NH3)2Pb(SeCN)2I2 was first synthesized and characterized in the field, and its photoluminescence properties were systematically examined. The existence of intensive photoluminescence peak …

Occupational Seasonality And Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction At Quebrada Jaguay 280, Stephanie Melissa Gruver

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Quebrada Jaguay 280 (QJ-280) is one of the oldest maritime archaeological sites in the New World. Previous excavations of the southern Peruvian coastal site have dated occupation from ~13,000-8,000 cal yr BP. These excavations also determined that the occupants of the site used preferential maritime resource procurement strategies and had an interzonal connection to the highlands. In 2017 a new excavation was conducted at QJ-280 and the remains of the marine mollusk Mesodesma donacium were recovered. Geochemical examinations on the shell remains informed on the occupational seasonality of the site and reconstructed sea surface temperatures experienced off the coast of …

Evaluation Of Ispe For Inhibitor Design In The Non-Mevalonate Pathway, Kataryzna Barbara Hoerchler

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

There is an urgent need to discover new antibiotics to combat the emergence of drug resistant Novel antibiotics that target unique pathways different from existing therapies are promising targets. The non-mevalonate pathway (MEP), which was discovered in the 1990’s, is essential for most bacteria, plants and apicomplexan parasites. Inhibition of the non-mevalonate is an attractive pharmaceutical target, since it is not present in mammals. Many compounds have surfaced as potential inhibitors, but none have made it to market. This thesis investigates the fourth step in the MEP pathway involving the enzyme 4-diphosphocytidyl-2-C-methyl-D-erythritol kinase (IspE) from Escherichia coli (Ec), Burkholderia thailandensis …

Variants Of Fine Transformations, Sarah Wesley

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation studies the method of iteration introduced by Nathan J. Fine for the function [Special characters omitted], where q is a fixed complex number with |q| < 1, |t| < 1 and (z)[sub n] = (1 - z)(1 - zq)(1 - zq²)...(1 - zq^(n-1)) for n < 0 and (z)₀ = 1 (for z [element of] C). Generalizing Fine's methods yields new basic hypergeometric identities. Certain identities have partition theory interpretations and are proved combinatorially using the method of overpartitions. Among other basic hypergeometric identities, generalizations of the Rogers-Fine identity are given.

Driving Under Weather: An Exploration Of The Traveling Salesman Problem With Probabilistic Unfavorable Driving Conditions, Andrew Wright

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Inclement weather has a visceral impact on transportation systems, but it has been made undeniably clear. Reliable ground transportation is absolutely fundamental in global logistics, and the need to deliver goods to customers in a timely manner has never been more important. The field of operations research offers some quality logistics problems with the foresight to provide efficient transportation solutions. One of the most prevalent problems in operations research is the Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP). Although much research has gone into solving the classic TSP and some of its variants, none have been truly dedicated to integrating meteorological sciences.

The …

Development Of A Multi-Robot Testbed For Direct Human-Swarm Interaction, Venkata Satya Kiran Maridi

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Robotic swarms are well suited for missions that involve covering large areas such as environmental monitoring, search-and-rescue operations, as well as those that require fusing information from multiple sources such as target tracking and machine inspection. However, navigating a swarm of robots effectively requires performing higher-level functions that are typically executed by humans such as commanding them to stay close and guiding them along with a preplanned route. In this context, the ability of multiple robots to stay together autonomously significantly reduces the cognitive load on a human operator. The goal of this thesis is to design and build a …