Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

A 1700-Year History Of Fire And Vegetation In Pine Rocklands Of National Key Deer Refuge, Big Pine Key, Florida: Charcoal And Pollen Evidence From Key Deer Pond, Joshua Wright Albritton

Masters Theses

Key Deer Pond (24° 42' 29.50" N, 81° 22' 36.12" W; ca. 2 m elevation) is a small freshwater pond in a solution hole located within the pine rocklands of the National Key Deer Refuge on Big Pine Key, Florida. Overlapping sediment core sections and a surface grab sample from Key Deer Pond were subjected to pollen, microscopic charcoal, and loss-on-ignition analyses to investigate late-Holocene climate, fire occurrence, and vegetation-fire relationships in pine rockland ecosystems. Macroscopic charcoal from the uppermost meter of the profile was studied to provide a more detailed history of local fire occurrence.

The results from the …

Hunter/Gatherer Foraging Adaptations During The Middle Archaic Period At Dust Cave, Alabama, Stephen Byrnes Carmody

Masters Theses

Dust Cave, located in northern Alabama, was occupied seasonally for approximately 7,000 years, spanning five cultural occupations beginning with the Late Paleoindian period (12,650-11,200 cal B.P.) and extending into the Benton period (6,500-5,600 cal B.P.) (Sherwood et al. 2004). Due to the exceptional preservational environments found within the cave, the well preserved organic materials recovered from the site have provided a better understanding of both cultural and economic aspects of prehistoric life including subsistence strategies and mobility.

My research focuses on these aspects of life during the Eva/Morrow Mountain (8,400-6,000 cal B.P.) and Benton (6,500-5,600 cal B.P.) components at Dust …

Effects Of Differences In Video And Traditional Markets On Feeder Cattle Prices, Damon Eric Drinnon

Masters Theses

Few decisions are more important to feeder cattle producers than how to market their product. This study uses the hedonic pricing model to show which method of marketing results in higher prices (traditional auctions or video board sales) and which characteristics of cattle, conditions of sale, and market conditions result in price premiums and discounts.

The two equations used were estimated by ordinary least squares in the SAS Reg procedure with 3131 observations over the 1996-2007 period. Model I (47 independent variables) was developed to estimate implicit values of various animal attributes, conditions of sale, and market conditions on the …

Career Satisfaction Of Sales Professionals: The Role Of Personality, Nancy A. Foster

Masters Theses

According to P-E fit theory from a vocational psychology perspective (see Holland, 1985), individuals differ in their attitudes, values, beliefs and behaviors, which in turn affect their career choices and their satisfaction with those choices. These differences, collectively termed "personality," influence both work and life outcomes. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between personality traits and career satisfaction in a sample of sales professionals. An archival dataset was examined that included the "Big Five" and other work-related, narrow personality traits, as well as career satisfaction variables. All traits were significantly and positively related to career satisfaction …

Croatian Public Television – Lost In Transformation, Iveta Imre

Masters Theses

This study examined the influence of government, politicians and advertisers on the content of Croatian Public Television (HTV) news. This research examined whether HTV has remained state TV and under as strong government influence as it was in the former Yugoslavia? Or has it transformed into public TV, which has been the goal since Croatia gained independence in 1991? Or has it become commercial TV?

The data were gathered through 10 semi-structured in-depth interviews with journalists and producers in the HTV news department and through a content analysis of HTV’s main newscast, Dnevnik.

The major findings suggest there is still …

Some Relationships Among Father Involvement And The Literacy Interests Of Young Children With Disabilities, Courtney Michele Barnes

Masters Theses

Father involvement in child care and household routines has been associated with a number of positive maternal, child, and family outcomes, but largely for families of typically developing children. This contrasts sharply with the father involvement literature that pertains to families of young children with disabilities. Up until the mid 1990s, the extant research with families of typical children relied almost exclusively on maternal reports to assess the effects of father involvement on family members. It has only been in the last 15 years or so that fathers have been given opportunities to assess their involvement in child care and …

The Puzzle Of Syphilis: A Literature Review On Putting The Pieces Together, Tabatha Anne Boekhout

Masters Theses

As culture changes, so does disease. This change has been seen in a variety of diseases, but none are so hotly debated and researched as the treponematoses, the four diseases related to and including venereal syphilis. There have been decades of debate on every aspect of syphilis: where it came from, who gave it to whom, how it evolved, and what the distribution was at various points in time. Herein, the four types of treponematoses will be examined along with the clinical pathology of each. The skeletal evidence will be examined carefully, taking into account the distribution of lesions for …

The Impact Of Organization-Public Relationships On Choosing Crisis Response Strategies, Kenon A. Brown

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study is to investigate how the public’s perception of an organization-public relationship and crisis response strategies affect the attribution of crisis responsibility. Using Coombs’ (2007) SCCT theory, this study will contribute insight into which crisis response strategies work for certain types of organization-public relationships. This thesis is the initial investigation of an attempt to determine how several factors, including crisis type, crisis history, relationship type, relationship history, and crisis response strategy, can affect the perception of a crisis.

A large, southeastern university was chosen as the organization under study, and its student population was the stakeholder …

The Effect Of Various Coverings On The Rate Of Human Decomposition, Angela Madeleine Dautartas

Masters Theses

A multitude of factors can affect the decomposition process, increasing or decreasing its rate. Some of the most frequently observed variables are temperature, moisture, insect activity, and sun or shade exposure.

Coverings can impact the decomposition process, and are found frequently in forensic cases. In a survey of New Mexico cases, Komar (2003) reported that sixteen individuals were found wrapped in plastic, and twenty were noted as wrapped in a cloth or blanket. In a survey conducted of eighty-seven cases, fifty-four of the bodies were wrapped in some type of covering. Plastic was most common, but a variety was noted, …

Analyzing Poverty In The Southern United States, Suhyun Jung

Masters Theses

This thesis deals with two related topics under the theme of ―Analyzing Poverty in the Southern United States‖. The first part explores the role of government healthcare and education expenditure for poverty reduction, focusing particularly on how these relationships change over space and time in the Southern United States. It is found that healthcare expenditure is a significant contributor to poverty alleviation in both 1990 and 2000. The healthcare expenditure has a relatively high poverty-reducing effect in the Texas cluster and in the west part of the Mississippi Delta cluster in both years, while the poverty-reducing effect of healthcare expenditures …

Expanding The Theory Of Traumatic Bonding As It Relates To Forgiveness, Romantic Attachment, And Intention To Return, Jennifer Anne Christman

Masters Theses

Various empirically validated theories have explained the phenomenon of women in abusive relationships engaging in a repeated leave/return cycle when trying to terminate the relationship. The current study was designed to add to the already existing theories that focus on factors constraining women to stay in abusive relationships by evaluating the relationship between traumatic bond, forgiveness, and intention to return to the abusive relationship, and by evaluating the relationship between traumatic bond, attachment to abusive partner, and intention to return. The current sample consisted of 121 women residing in both urban and rural emergency domestic violence shelters. Forgiveness was found …

The Construction Of Social Networks Of Support In A New Latino Gateway, Meghan Elizabeth Conley

Masters Theses

Beginning in the early 1990s and continuing through today, emerging Latino destinations such as Knoxville, Tennessee experienced tremendous growth in their population of Latina/o immigrants. Given that our traditional theories of immigrant adjustment address the formation of social networks exclusively in established immigrant gateways, and primarily based on observations of men, there is no reason to assume that Latina/o immigrants in emerging destinations build networks in similar ways as those in established destinations. This thesis first explores why some immigrants choose to migrate to Knoxville, Tennessee. Second, this thesis explores the extent to which the dominant theoretical frameworks of immigrant …

Why Females Fight: Predicting Political Activism Among Palestinian Female Youth, Carolyn Reagh Spellings

Masters Theses

A distinct focus on female youth experiences in political contests has been lacking in the literature on youth and political violence despite many female youth’s involvement with armed groups. The first Palestinian Intifada (1987-1993) saw the participation of many female youth alongside both teenage boys and men. This is notable especially given the patriarchal culture of Palestinian society in that women and young girls are traditionally confined to the private sphere. Additionally, public interactions with men and young boys could be viewed as improper and threats to one’s honor and purity may ensue. In light of these facts, the purpose …

Pattern And Distribution Of Fractures In The William M. Bass And Hamann-Todd Osteological Collections, Shauna Lynn Mcnulty

Masters Theses

The goal of this study is to determine whether aspects of modern life predispose individuals to different patterns of trauma than earlier populations. The specific patterns and susceptibilities to injury may be unique to individual populations and provide a reference in order to gauge quality of life and health status for the populations under study. The present investigation was conducted using the Hamann-Todd Osteological Collection and the William M. Bass Donated Collection. The analysis of both collections was conducted macroscopically without the aid of radiographs. Only complete, adult specimens were used to allow for greater statistical power, according to the …

Relationships Between Birth Order And Adjustment In Adolescents From Post-Divorce Families, Christi Nichole Nash

Masters Theses

This study proposal seeks to examine the relationship between actual birth order, psychological birth order and adjustment in adolescence from post-divorced homes. Both actual birth and psychological orders are included in this particular study to investigate correlations, commonalities, and trends associated with each order and its affect on adjustment. The targeted group consists of freshmen attending the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Participants who identify their parents as currently divorced from each other within the past five years will be eligible to complete the research process. Participants will be administered both the Campbell-White Psychological Birth Inventory and Adult Behavior Checklist online …

An Assessment Of Attitudes Toward Participation In A Virtual Community Of Practice For Nutrition Education Paraprofessionals, Mary Lee Morse

Masters Theses

Online networking and virtual communities of practice have proven to be successful in providing teachers with feelings of professionalism and with improving teacher performance. For a virtual community of practice to be successful, members must be able to use certain computer and Internet technologies and they must be willing to both share information and to use the resource as source of information. This study builds on the body of knowledge in this area by specifically assessing the attitudes of nutrition education paraprofessionals towards the adoption and use of an online networking and virtual community of practice resource. The participants for …

Usewear Analysis Of Flake Tools From The Townsend Project (Sites 40bt89, 40bt90, 40bt91, 40bt94), Blount County, Tennessee, Phyllis Sierra Rigney

Masters Theses

This purpose of this study was to examine flake tools from Archaic, Woodland, Mississippian, and Cherokee components at the Townsend project (sites 40BT89, 40BT90, 40BT91, and 40BT94) in Blount County, Tennessee and to determine the functions of these flake tools and whether these tools are actually expedient. Also, any changes that may have occurred through time in the function of these tools was assessed, as well as how these changes might apply to surrounding archaeological sites. A stepwise microwear examination was conducted, which included three levels of analysis: macroscopic examination, stereoscopic examination, and incident light examination. All 1,723 flake tools …

Lithic Resource Survey Of The Upper Little River Drainage: Raw Material Availability And Use At The Townsend Sites, Jeremy L. Sweat

Masters Theses

From 1999 to 2002, the Transportation Center at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, conducted a number of archaeological investigations associated with the widening of State Route 73 (U.S. 321) through Townsend, Tennessee. The excavations at the Townsend sites resulted in the recovery of a large assemblage of chipped and ground stone tools. A lithic resource survey of the upper Little River drainage was undertaken to identify the likely source areas of raw materials used for the manufacture of the chipped and ground stone tools recovered during the Townsend excavations. These data were then used to identify local versus non-local materials …

Estimating Cropland Use In A Multi-County Region Of The Southeastern United States, Dustin J. Donahue

Masters Theses

In this thesis, a model to analyze land use in a multi-county region of the Southeastern United States is presented. Farmer planting decisions are assumed to follow a non-stationary first order Markov decision process. The non-stationary transition probabilities are estimated as a function of the prior year‟s land usage and a set of exogenous variables using annual county level data from 1981 to 2005 using the maximum entropy method suggested by Golan et al. (1996). The transition probabilities are applied to each county‟s prior period crop production to estimate crop production in the current period. The model is graphically validated. …

Exploring The Mechanisms Of The Connection Between Offspring‟S Perceptions Of Interparental Conflict And Their Current Relationship Functioning, Jennifer Mary Willett

Masters Theses

The effects of interparental conflict upon offspring‟s own relationships and marriages have been well-documented and current research has narrowed its focus to the examination of the mediators and moderators of this transmission of relational patterns across generations. Two hundred and thirty-nine undergraduate participants completed measures assessing their perceptions of their parents‟ conflict, social cognitions about relationships, their communication patterns in their relationships, and their current relationship satisfaction. Results showed that offspring‟s attitudes toward marriage mediated the relationship between interparental conflict and offspring‟s current relationship satisfaction, even while accounting for communication patterns in relationships. Further, it was found that attitudes toward …

Modeling Cellulosic Ethanol Plant Location Using Gis, Bradly Scott Wilson

Masters Theses

Domestically produced renewable transportation fuels have become a priority for researchers, policy makers, and investors in recent times. Ethanol, particularly cellulosic ethanol made from woody or fibrous plant material, has emerged as one such fuel that could help to ease the current dependence on foreign oil. The questions of where to build the facilities that convert feedstocks to cellulosic ethanol as well where the feedstock will come from to supply these biorefineries are important ones. This paper examines methods for using GIS to model feedstock availability and ideal biorefinery location in an economically feasible manner.

The software developed as part …

Seeking Resettlement And Navigating Transnational Politics: The Intersection Of Policies, Human Rights And Individuals In Shimelba Refugee Camp, Elizabeth Clearwater Harmon-Gross

Masters Theses

For nearly a decade, Eritreans have been fleeing their oppressive government and the human rights violations that occur within Eritrea‘s borders. This flight usually takes them across the nearest border, but there appear to be choices that refugees make along the way that lead to patterning of flight, selection of certain countries of safe haven and emerging hierarchies of third countries of resettlement. For geopolitical reasons, Eritrean refugees are both safe and at risk in Ethiopia. However, it is in Ethiopia that a highly trafficked refugee camp, Shimelba, was created in 2004. Beginning in 2009, the US has been accepting …

Viewing The World Through Oprah's Eyes: A Framing Analysis Of The Spiritual Views Of Oprah Winfrey, Marianne Jeanette Crosby

Masters Theses

Oprah Winfrey is an American icon. She has a hand in almost every form of media: movies, television, books, Internet, and radio. In her rise to success, another place that she has infiltrated is the church. Because of her wide range of influence, her thoughts and teaching on spirituality have made their way into both the home and church. Over ten years ago, talk shows had a reputation for portraying mainly negative topics. To combat this stereotype, she made a push to encourage more positive topics of discussion on her show. Yet after receiving criticism for "preaching," she withdrew from …

The Bolivarian Alternative For The Americas: Rethinking Economic Integration After The Failures Of Neoliberalism, Shannon D. Williams

Masters Theses

The deteriorating societal conditions that have accompanied the implementation of the neoliberal model in Latin America have been well documented. This analysis draws heavily on this work to identify the emergence of de-industrialization, displacement of food production, exclusion of basic human services, and excessive unemployment following the application of neoliberal reform. Such ill effects have ushered in a strong anti-neoliberal current that has opened up new spaces for discussion and debate about alternative development models for the region. Perhaps the most radical alternative to emerge is the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA). ALBA’s architects have been explicit in their …

The Effects Of Salvinorin A On The Novel Object Recognition Task In Male Rats, Larissa A. Haliw

Masters Theses

A recent increase in the recreational use of the plant Salvia divinorum and its derivative salvinorin A, an atypical naturally occurring kappa opioid receptor ag onist with hallucinogenic properties, by teens and young adults has contributed to a growing concern regarding the psychological effects of this drug. Salvia divinorum is presently a legal alternative to illegal hallucinogens and it is widely available over the Internet and in stores for a nominal cost making it a potential candidate as a drug of abuse. To date, no investigations have ex plored the effects of salvinorin A in memory assays. The novel object …

Creating The Tradition Of Honoring The Older Population, Catherine Weisbeck

Masters Theses

This qualitative research study explored what it would take to create the tradition of honoring the older population in American culture. In this exploratory study, 15 participants were interviewed in person using a series of ten open ended questions. The participants were selected according to the criteria of being an older adult, working with or volunteering for older adults, or having been involved in a project which considered the older population as a subgroup within the total population. The participants were personally invited by the researcher to be interviewed and the interview took approximately 40 minutes. Results indicated that creating …

Exploration Of A Method For Constructing An Industrial Ethernet With Ethernet Enabled Devices In An Industrial Environment Using A Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance, Uros Marjanovic

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Why We Failed: The Rise Of Islamic Extremism And America’S Failure To Stop It 1979-2003, Brad Michael Negulescu

Masters Theses

This thesis examines the rise of Islamic terrorism from 1979-2003. It begins with how the Soviet-Afghan war during the 1980’s gave birth to a movement of young Islamic radicals that became known as al Qaeda. The paper then discusses how the organization, led by wealthy Saudi financier Osama bin Ladin, became a principle antagonist of the Clinton Administration throughout the 1990’s. Moreover, it goes on to talk about the numerous successful terrorist acts al Qaeda was able to plan and implement around the world during the 1990’s and how the administration attempted to deal them. It also discusses how the …

Coughlin And Cleveland, Karen G. Ketchaver

Masters Theses

Father Charles E. Coughlin was one of the most prominent, and most controversial, figures in the United States in the 1930s and in the early years of the 1940s. This Canadian-born cleric rose from the life of an ordinary parish priest to becoming one of the leading radio phenomena of his day, masterfully using the new medium to command a vast audience. Coughlin began his radio career addressing religious subjects, but he expanded into the realm of politics by the early 1930s. His views became more and more extreme, and, by the latter part of the decade, he became increasingly …

Factors Affecting Dietary Compliance In The Adolescent With Type 1 Diabetes, Maryjean K. Bargren

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.