Digital Commons Network^™

Characterization Of A Serine/Threonine Phosphatase Encoded By Mg_207 Of Mycoplasma Genitalium, Mario A. Martinez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Mycoplasma genitalium is a bacterium with no cell wall and the second smallest free-living organism. It is an intracellular parasite that causes urethritis in men and women. Symptoms of infection in women can be missed and include vaginal malodor and discharge, painful urination and sexual intercourse. M. genitalium infection is a serious, though preventable and treatable, infection. Recently, due its notable characteristics, many studies have revealed an enormous amount of genetic and structural information on this bacterium. Furthermore, many of its genes have been characterized. The uncovering of roles of genes involved in signal transduction via phosphorylation and dephosphorylation mechanisms …

Electromagnetic Interference Shielding Effectiveness Of Metallic Thin Films Deposited On High Density Polyethylene And Styrene Butadiene Copolymer Reinforced With Carbon Nanofibers, Horus Garcia

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Aluminum, Copper and Silver were deposited by thermal evaporation onto Vapor Grown Carbon Nanofiber (VGCNF) reinforced High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) and Styrene Butadiene Copolymer (SBC) composites. Electromagnetic Interference Shielding Effectiveness (EMI SE) was conducted on the structures to analyze the synergistic effect. Characterization was performed by Scanning Electron Microscopy, X-ray Diffraction, and Atomic Force Microscopy. Adhesion test and surface influence on SE were also performed. It was observed that a single layer metallic thin film on carbon nanofiber (CNF) polymer composite experienced a summation of shielding performance. The EMI SE increased with CNF content increase of 10, 15, and 20 …

Community Reclamation: The Hybrid Building, Laura Maynard

Architecture Theses and Projects

Reclamation of a city involves reusing abandoned buildings in conjunction with new construction. These negative spaces of disuse generated by a changing infrastructure are often overlooked or destroyed. If they are instead viewed as positive spaces for reuse, a city’s infrastructure and its residents can adapt and grow.

Recognizing these newly positive spaces produces a chance to examine what social needs of the community are not being met. Pushing the modern concept of the hybrid building creates a unique opportunity; flexibility of use derived from flexibility of space. A community building can best serve the social needs of its residents …

Experimental Setup To Demonstrate Low-Frequency High-Precision Stabilization Of 1500nm Cavity Lasers, Steven Shoen

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Advances in fiber and waveguide technologies have brought about a new type of laser: the Planar Waveguide External Cavity Laser (PWECL) that shows a great potential for precision interferometric measurements [ 13 ]. We show an experimental setup based on a 1550nm PW-ECL which was designed to achieve a frequency stabilization of 30Hz/ sqrt(Hz) or less at 10 mHz. The presented design makes use of highly stable reference cavity constructed from Ultra Low Expansion glass. Thermal isolation of the cavity from the environment is achieved by enclosing the cavity in thermal shielding which is completely enclosed in a custom vacuum …

Research-Teaching Linkages: Beyond The Divide In Undergraduate Medicine, Margaret Macdougall

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

This survey-based study investigates the plausibility of the existence of a research-teaching nexus specifically within the context of supervised senior undergraduate medical student research. This particular nexus is defined in terms of benefits to teaching arising a) directly, through the supervisor designing the research environment as a pedagogical tool to enhance student learning and b) indirectly, through curriculum revisions arising from student research. Informed by the writings of Marcia B. Baxter Magolda and Ron Barnett, survey questions were designed to measure evidence for higher forms of learning and preparation for a supercomplex world. Supervisors were also invited to reflect on …

Synthesis Of Novel Bis-Β-Lactams, Jocabed Marquez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This study presents the synthesis and structure of newly discovered β-lactams and the mechanism of their synthesis via the Staudinger reaction. β-lactams known as 2-azetidinones, are four membered cyclic amides that have been extensively used and recognized as the central motif of the β-lactam antibiotics, the most widely employed family of antimicrobial agent to date. The Staudinger reaction involves the cycloaddition between an acid chloride with an imine, in presence of a tertiary base. The possibility of cooperative effects from two therapeutic functionalities in drug molecules, has prompted interest in the synthesis of Bis-β-lactams. The synthesis of 2 novel Bis-β-lactams …

Microwave-Induced Bismuth Nitrate-Catalyzed Multicomponent Reaction Toward Heterocycles, Ashwini Bobbala

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The microwave-induced reaction for the synthesis of nitrogen containing heterocyclesis very important in medicinal chemistry. The synthesis of various other valuable compounds is also done by employing this reaction. The aza Diels-Alder reaction is one of the most powerful synthetic tools for the synthesis of nitrogen containing heterocycles. The main goal of the research is to synthesize the nitrogen containing heterocycles using Bismuth nitrate as the catalyst in the presence of microwave irradiation. In the present study we explore the catalytic activity of bismuth nitrate and the role of microwave reactor in the synthesis of 2, 3-diaryl substituted bicyclic octanone …

Our Celebrities Our Selves: Reconstructing Ourselves As Online Personalities, Arne Baruca

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Celebrity influence on consumer behavior at the online macro level is the motivation for this study that addresses the nature of celebrity consumption and how consumers apply that consumption to develop their online self-presentation. The sample for this study is limited to consumers with active accounts at online social networks such as Facebook or Twitter. Methodology is a three-part design. A multi-factor qualitative exploratory study (n=73) reveals four celebrity-consumer relationships whose proposed measurement scales are tested in a quantitative pilot study (n=85). Finally, a large sample study (n=593) is used to test the measurement model and to test the proposed …

The Lumberman's Frontier: Three Centuries Of Land Use, Society, And Change In America's Forests, William L. Lang

History Faculty Publications and Presentations

A review of the book "The Lumberman's Frontier: Three Centuries of Land Use, Society, and Change in America's Forests," by Thomas R. Cox is presented.

Implications Of Self-Other Overlap In Unsuccessful Romantic Relationships, Josephine A. Bell

Graduate Masters Theses

The social psychological concept of self-other overlap describes how identities and cognitive representations of people have a tendency to merge as they become closer to one another. Because greater self-other overlap tends to be associated with such positive characteristics as closeness and intimacy, it has generally been considered a desirable trait in relationships. In a previous study (Bell, 2009), preliminary evidence supported the idea that there may in fact be negative consequences to having higher levels of self-other overlap in relationships with domestic violence, including diminished self-esteem and life satisfaction. The current study expands on Bell (2009) study and examines …

The Forgotten Children: The Educational Demographics Of An Austrian Diocese 1848-1852, Mathew Richard Boyeson

Graduate Masters Theses

Educational demographics of an Austrian diocese in Styria were examined between the years of 1848 and 1852, to show both the importance of the data and the possibility for further research. The data was examined in conjunction with the imperial education law that directed the Austrian educational system in the nineteenth century. Both the micro and macro elements of the paper were influenced by the strong Austrian Catholic tradition and were integrated heavily into the paper to help put the data in perspective. The limited amount of research on the topic restricted specific conclusions for the research, however there are …

Serum Selenium Concentration In Mashhad Prisoners, Iran, Seyed-Morteza Ehteshamfar, Abbas Shapouri-Moghaddam, Mohammad Safarian, Mohsen Nematy, Hamidreza Bahrami-Taghanaki, Hoda Azizi

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVE: To determine the serum selenium concentration among prisoners in the central jail of Mashhad, Northeast of Iran. METHODS: In a cross-section study, a sample of 435 prisoners (387 men [34.5±10 years] and 48 women [36.4±11 years]) recruited during May 2008 to June 2008 from Mashhad Central Prison, Mashhad, Iran, using multistage sampling method, proportionate to gender, age groups and kind of crime. Serum level of selenium was assessed using atomic absorption spectrophotometer. RESULTS: The mean of serum selenium concentration was 121±20 ug/l. Prevalence of selenium deficiency was 9.7% in selected sample. The selenium deficiency was more prevalent in women …

Patterns Of Diseases And Preventive Measures Among Domestic Hajjis From Central, Saudi Arabia, Fahad S. Al-Jasser, Ibrahim A. Kabbash, Mohammad A. Almazroa, Ziad A. Memish

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVE: To identify the occurrence of upper respiratory tract infections (URTI), diarrheal diseases and trauma during the Hajj season, and the practice of some preventive measures by pilgrims. METHODS: A cross-sectional study during November and December 2009 among hajjis registered while visiting Primary Health Care Centers of Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to get mandatory meningococcal meningitis vaccination. On return from hajj, hajjis were contacted on telephone to collect information on occurrence of URTI and diarrhea along with other associated activities in Hajj. RESULTS: Out of 1507 hajjis, 54.7% developed symptoms; 97% reported upper respiratory tract symptoms, and 9.3% reported …

Composition-Dependent Oxygen Vacancy Formation In Multicomponent Wide-Band-Gap Oxides, Altynbek Murat, Julia E. Medvedeva

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

The formation and distribution of oxygen vacancy in layered multicomponent InAMO ₄ oxides with A3 ⁺=Al or Ga and M2 ⁺=Ca or Zn and in the corresponding binary oxide constituents is investigated using first-principles density functional calculations. Comparing the calculated formation energies of the oxygen defect at six different site locations within the structurally and chemically distinct layers of InAMO ₄ oxides, we find that the vacancy distribution is significantly affected not only by the strength of the metal-oxygen bonding, but also by the cation's ability to adjust to anisotropic oxygen environment created by the vacancy. In particular, …

Measuring College Students’ Motives Behind Prepartying Drinking: Development And Validation Of The Prepartying Motivations Inventory, Joseph W. Labrie, Justin F. Hummer, Eric R. Pedersen, Andrew Lac, Taona Chithambo

Heads Up!

Drinking motives are vital in identifying risk factors and better understanding alcohol-related outcomes. However, context-specific motivations could provide greater motivational perspective on high-risk context-specific alcohol use behaviors such as prepartying (consuming alcohol prior to attending one’s intended destination) than general alcohol motivations. In the current study, students’ open-ended responses to reasons for prepartying were collected from a large diverse sample (n = 2497), and the most commonly offered reasons were used to create a prepartying motivations inventory (PMI) that was then administered to a different sample (n = 1085). A split-half validation procedure was used for the purpose …

Examining The Relationship Between Supervisory Styles And Counselor Skill And Personal Development Perceived By The Supervisee, Bruce Michael Meissner

Dissertations

This study replicates the Fernando and Hulse-Killacky (2005) study of supervisory styles and self-efficacy perceived by the supervisee. The Fernando and Hulse-Killacky study assessed general counseling students from Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educa¬tional Programs (CACREP) using the Supervisory Styles Inventory (SSI; Friedlander & Ward, 1984) with a measure of self-efficacy, the Counseling Self-Estimate Inventory (COSE; Larson, Suzuki, Gillespie, Potenza, Bechtel, & Toulouse, 1992). The present study used the SSI with a population of rehabilitation practicum counseling students from Council on Rehabilitation Education (CORE) accredited master level rehabilitation counseling training (RCT) programs to assess the relationship between supervisory …

Agreement In Mother And Father Acceptance-Rejection, Warmth, And Hostility/Rejection/Neglect Of Children Across Nine Countries, Diane L. Putnick, Marc H. Bornstein, Jennifer E. Lansford, Lei Chang, Kirby Deater-Deckard, Laura Di Giunta, Sevtap Gurdal, Kenneth A. Dodge, Patrick S. Malone, Paul Oburu, Concetta Pastorelli, Ann T. Skinner, Emma Sorbring, Sombat Tapanya, Liliana Maria Uribe Tirado, Arnaldo Zelli, Liane Peña Alampay, Suha M. Al-Hassan, Dario Bacchini, Anna Silvia Bombi

Psychology Department Faculty Publications

We assessed whether mothers’ and fathers’ self-reports of acceptance-rejection, warmth, and hostility/rejection/neglect (HRN) of their pre-adolescent children differ cross-nationally and relative to the gender of the parent and child in 10 communities in 9 countries, including China, Colombia, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, the Philippines, Sweden, Thailand, and the United States (N = 998 families). Mothers and fathers in all countries reported a high degree of acceptance and warmth, and a low degree of HRN, but countries also varied. Mothers reported greater acceptance of children than fathers in China, Italy, Sweden, and the United States, and these effects were accounted for …

Can Connecting And Collaborating With Industry Professionals And Community Partners Through A Project-Based Initiative Create A Meaningful Learning And Leadership Experience For College Students?, Leslie Reese Jensen-Inman

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The author served as facilitator of a group of graphic design college students at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC). These students embarked on a collaborative, 24-hour+, work-around-the-clock, creative blitz and used design thinking to serve the needs of Dalewood Middle School in Chattanooga. Students collaborated with industry professionals and community members through CreateAthon onCampus at Chattanooga. Through the lens of this experiential, project-based initiative, this study explores the students’ learning and leadership experiences, created by the connection between education, industry, and community. The DATA-DATA action-research model guided this study and embraced the author’s experiences as practitioner-researcher. Students’ public …

An Apologetic To Sun Hwan Pyun's Dialogue Theology As A Liberation Theology Of Religions, Youngchan Kim

Masters Theses

Sun Hwan Pyun was a professor at Methodist Theological University. As a theologian, he grappled with two important theological questions: "Is Christianity an exclusive religion?" and "Is Christianity only a religion for the upper class?" Regarding the exclusivism of Christianity, Pyun searched for an answer in ecumenical-religious pluralism. As an answer for "is Christianity for the poor", he accepts Minjung liberation theology. Pyun wanted to combine these two theologies and, subsequently, referred to his dialogue theology as a liberation theology of religions. The purpose of this thesis is to search for the theological and biblical answers to these theological questions …

Daniel Hannan, Thomas Paine, And The Rhetoric Of Outrage, Danae Brack

Masters Theses

The purpose of this rhetorical study is to examine the textual charisma of Thomas Paine's Common Sense and Daniel Hannan's speech "The Devalued Prime Minister of a Devalued Government" and how that charisma made these artifacts successful in spreading outrage surrounding the historical and political events of their respective eras. The author uses Weber's theory of charisma filtered through Rosenberg and Hirschberg's expanded theory identifying lexical charisma, or the charisma of messages. The author analyzes Paine's and Hannan's use of persuasiveness, believability, and powerfulness, translating each of these characteristics into specific cues that can be identified in the individual texts. …

Creating A Millennial Generation Contextualized Church Culture, Christopher Deitsch

Masters Theses

The Millennial generation, or Generation Y as some people know them, is the biggest generation in the United States of America history. As they flood schools, universities, and the job market it is easy to see that there are major differences between them and previous generations. Simultaneously, the church in America has hundreds of individual churches each year closing and tens of thousands each year declining; most churches are ceasing to grow. The inability to reach Millennials is one of the reasons for this decline. This thesis purposes to give a snapshot of the Millennial generation, overview a few of …

Table Of Contents - Vol. 37, No. 1 2012

Seton Hall Journal of Legislation and Public Policy

No abstract provided.

Female Undergraduate Student Perceptions Of Their Engagement In An Experiential Learning Activity, Sara Lynne Jahansouz

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This study explores Panhellenic Sorority Recruitment grounded in a learning-outcomes-based curriculum as a vehicle for student engagement and learning. This study explores the demographics of participants and the perception of learning that occurred within the context of engagement in experiential learning activities during the first week of the Fall 2009, 2010, and 2011 academic semesters at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC). This study was conducted by utilizing quantitative and qualitative measures through the administering of pretests, post-tests, and withdrawal surveys. This study has determined that significant learning occurs through engagement in the Panhellenic Sorority recruitment process, including the …

Measuring Merci: Exploring Data Mining Techniques For Examining Surgical Outcomes Of Stroke Patients, Matthew Ronald Mcnabb

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Mechanical Embolus Removal in Cerebral Ischemia (MERCI) has been supported by medical trials as an improved method of treating ischemic stroke past the safe window of time for administering clot-busting drugs, and was released for medical use in 2004. The importance of analyzing real-world data collected from MERCI clinical trials is key to providing insights on the effectiveness of MERCI. Most of the existing data analysis on MERCI results has thus far employed conventional statistical analysis techniques. To the best of the knowledge acquired in preliminary research, advanced data analytics and data mining techniques have not yet been systematically applied. …

Determining The Operation Limits Of Two Distillation Columns, Murat Ozkaya

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The two distillation columns of Wacker Institute pilot plant at the Chattanooga State Community College are investigated for stable operating regions, flooding phenomena that occurs in the bubble-cap tray distillation column, weeping phenomena that occurs in the sieve tray distillation column, and comparison of operation between the two distillation columns. With the use of a distributed control system (DCS) and glass equipment in the pilot plant, these phenomena are analyzed visually and with the help of instrumentation readings. The energy usage and production limits of both distillation columns are discussed. The flooding of bubble-cap trays occur before reaching production goals …

Architecture And Method For Providing Priority Charging For Government Authorized Emergency Electrical Vehicles (Aeev), Naga Durga Praveen Vemulapalli

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The US government predicts more than 1 million electric vehicles (EVs), on U.S. roadways by 2015, and these numbers will increase exponentially in the future. However, the power grid cannot furnish the charging for numerous EVs at a given time mainly because of its energy production capabilities, peak usage, and distribution infrastructure. Some studies indicate that adopting “smart” charging, for example, scheduling EV charging, can alleviate the challenge. Nevertheless, such strategies are not useful for emergency and first responders’ vehicles. This thesis proposes a solution that provides priority treatment for government Authorized Emergency Electrical Vehicles (AEEV). The thesis proposes a …

Mesh Generation Using A Correspondence Distance Field, Nicholas Szapiro

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The central tool of this work is a correspondence distance field to discrete surface points embedded within a quadtree data structure. The theory, development, and implementation of the distance field tool are described, and two main applications to two-dimensional mesh generation are presented with extension to three-dimensional capabilities in mind. First is a method for surface-oriented mesh generation from a sufficiently dense set of discrete surface points without connectivity information. Contour levels of distance from the body are specified and correspondences oriented normally to the contours are created. Regions of merging fronts inside and between objects are detected in the …

Organizational Settings And Profiles Of Servant Leadership, Dalton Elder Mook

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This study sought to determine the perception of servant leadership in business-model organizational settings and to assess the potential significance between servant leadership perception and variables, both demographic and others, related to volunteer service. Using the Servant Leadership Scale (Liden et al., 2008), a 28-item survey, combined with 9 additional questions, individuals in five organizational settings in the Southeast region of the United States of America were queried via an online survey method distributed by email. Respondents from each organization reported an overall perception of servant leadership according to the seven-dimension means of emotional healing, creating value for the community, …

Public Versus Private Praise: A Direct Behavioral Comparison In Secondary Classrooms, John Travis Blaze

Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to compare the effects of teacher public and private praise on students’ appropriately engaged behavior (AEB) and disruptive behaviors (DB). Overall, four general education classrooms in southern Mississippi employed a multiple-baseline design across two pairs to assess the effects of public and private praise. Each classroom’s mean percentage of observed intervals of AEB and DB across public and private praise intervention phases was assessed and compared. Overall, visual analysis of the graphs, multilevel modeling, effect sizes, and odds ratios showed that both public and private praise were more effective than no treatment at …

Efficacy Of A Basic Public Speaking Course Delivered Via A Virtual Community College, Stephen Bradley Bailey

Dissertations

The purposes of this study were to: (a) determine if taking the basic public speaking course in face-to-face, hybrid, and online format statistically significantly reduces public speaking anxiety; (b) determine which course format, if any, reduces public speaking anxiety to the greatest extent; (c) determine if students’ satisfaction with learning is statistically significantly different in the three course formats; (d) determine faculty’s perceptions of students learning in the basic public speaking in the three course formats.

Pre- and post-data were collected from 263 participants taking the basic public speaking course in a virtual community college in January 2012 and in …