Cannibalism: A Failure to Be Satisfied.

This thesis supports the Master of Fine Arts exhibition at the Tipton Gallery, East Tennessee State University, from March 23rd through April 3rd, 2009. To comment on the title of my thesis, it describes an invented process created to re-contextualize failed paintings into works that critically comment on the discipline of painting itself. The paper describes and analyzes the conceptual moves created by a refusal to be satisfied with predictable outcomes in my work. At the end of this tumultuous quest to explore what painting is to me, the most rewarding works were a product of a reconfigured failure. This paper also briefly discusses a period in the history of painting that is particularly relevant to my work, influential artists that I have continually returned in admiration, and collage techniques and materials used to create my work. An explanation of my current body of work is given at the end

The Digital Divide: A Study of the Intra-Ethnic Divide within the African American Population in Johnson City, Tennessee.

This study examined how much access African American adults 25 years and older, living in Johnson City, Tennessee had to computers, and the factors that most influenced such access. Data was collected from 271 persons living in the area. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS software to determine how certain demographics would contribute to the level of computer access. Results from the study revealed that a digital divide existed within the African American community, with income being a strong determinant of access to computers. The highest level of access for the sample was in the salary range of $50,000-74,999. Computer access at home was 95.2% and 97.3% at work. Computer access at home showed a decline as participants\u27 ages increased. Email usage was the number one activity reported, at close to 75%, followed by research at 60.5%. Gender did not influence computer access in this study

Mosaic Analysis with Double Markers (MADM) as a Method to Map Cell Fates in Adult Mouse Taste Buds.

Taste buds are chemosensory endorgans embedded in the oral epithelium composed of cells that undergo continuous replacement. Mature taste cells live on average 10-14 days and are replaced by new cells when they die. However, the mechanism by which taste cells are produced and integrated into the taste bud as mature taste cells remains unknown. Previous studies approached this issue from either cell cycle gene expression properties or lineage tracing of precursor cells. In our study, we apply a new fate mapping technique that combines these two ideas. This technique, Mosaic Analysis with Double Markers, allows for simultaneous gene knockout and subsequent tracking of single cells. This allows us to study the potency of precursor cells supplying the taste bud while analyzing how gene function regulates the maturation pathway these taste cells take. The following experiments illustrate the initial phase of this investigation

Sexuality and Power in Elizabeth Inchbald\u27s \u3cem\u3eA Simple Story\u3c/em\u3e.

A Simple Story is controversial because of Inchbald\u27s seemingly conflicting statements about women\u27s proper education and because the most powerful character in the novel openly defies social norms. Miss Milner, the heroine of the first half of A Simple Story, overtly displays her sexuality and uses it to gain control of men. Her guardian Dorriforth, a Catholic priest, attempts to repress her sexual power. Miss Milner dies in exile, but Inchbald rewards her by saving her from a marriage in which her husband subdues her sexuality. Contrarily, Miss Milner\u27s daughter Matilda represses her sexuality and conforms to eighteenth-century standards of how a woman should behave. Rather than rewarding her with a traditional marriage, Inchbald relegates her to a marriage without passion. Inchbald writes two parallel cautionary tales in order to emphasize that a woman must balance the two extremes and embrace sexuality while embracing intellect

Facilitators and Barriers to Incorporating Students with Disabilities in the General Education Classroom at the Secondary Level: A Study of Teacher Perceptions.

The history of incorporating students with disabilities in the general education classroom is driven by parents and advocates of children with disabilities. The push has been to educate all children in the least restrictive environment (LRE), changing the role of general education teacher from a subject matter specialist to include the responsibility of educating students with a wide range of special needs. While most agree that educating children with disabilities in the general education classroom alongside their non-disabled peers is better than excluding them from academic and social opportunities, general educators have been a noticeably absent voice in regards to these changes. The purpose of this qualitative study was to give general educators the opportunity to provide this missing voice. In order to collect data for this phenomenological study, open-ended interviews were conducted with 22 teachers in Northeast Tennessee. The subjects were purposefully sampled to gain maximum variation in terms of school setting, years of experience, and subject matter taught. Using constant comparative analysis, incidents were classified into teacher perceptions regarding incorporating students with disabilities in their classroom, the efficacy of this practice, and facilitators and barriers to this practice. Within each of these categories, sub-categories emerged. The data collected in this study supported the notion that general educators were excluded from the decision making process in regards to special education, and that they viewed the rules and regulations as mandates handed to them by superiors as opposed to joint decisions made in the best interest of their students. Respondents also voiced their opinions regarding the efficacy of incorporating students with disabilities in the general education classroom, as well as facilitators and barriers to success with the practice. This study is important to parents, teachers, and administrators who are interested in a better understanding of the phenomenon of incorporating students with disabilities in the general education classroom from a general education teacher\u27s perspective. It also serves to provide the missing voice of the general educator in regards to this topic

Investigating Nectar Rhythms in Squash (\u3cem\u3eCucurbita pepo\u3c/em\u3e): Effects on Honey Bee (\u3cem\u3eApis mellifera\u3c/em\u3e) Foraging Behavior.

Experiments were performed to investigate the influence of water availability on the diel patterns of nectar secretion (volume, concentration, sugar production) in male squash flowers as well as to discover what physical component of nectar honey bees use to trigger their time-memory. Squash plants were grown in the greenhouse and in the field under both constant and variable watering regimes. Throughout anthesis, nectar volume and sugar concentration were recorded. In the field, the temporal distribution of arrivals to squash was observed with and without blossoms present. In the greenhouse and in the field, squash flowers exhibit a consistent diel pattern of nectar secretion that does not significantly alter during drought conditions; flowers open just before sunrise (with low volume and sugar and high concentration) and close at midday (with high volume and sugar and low concentration). Honey bees preferentially arrived early in anthesis possibly cueing on either the sugar concentration or the first availability of nectar

Newfangled.

This thesis paper supports the Master of Fine Arts exhibition at the B. Carroll Reece Museum, East Tennessee State University, from March 9th through April 22nd, 2010. The exhibit is comprised of 62 unique ceramic pieces, which are presented on pedestals and wall mounted shelves. The exhibition presents the artist\u27s exploration of form and surface used to create functional pottery. Topics discussed are the influences, concepts, techniques, and methods used to create the work. Included are process images, detail images, and images of selected works from the exhibition

Vital Collaboratives, Alliances, and Partnerships: A Search for Key Elements of an Effective Public-Private Partnership.

Owing to the significant structural changes that have occurred in the global marketplace over the past 2 decades, a corresponding increase of public-private partnerships have been established among the business sector, local governments, and public community colleges. This qualitative project sought to identify and substantiate key elements that may be common to the formation, implementation, and maintenance stages of public-private partnerships. Who or what minimum conditions are necessary to the successful navigation of each stage? What obstacles typically arise during each stage, and how are they managed or circumvented? What sorts of benefits are generated through these partnerships and what measures may be applied to determine whether a partnership is meeting its mission objectives or not? To investigate these elements, the researcher interviewed 18 key stakeholders directly involved with 1 or more partnerships between 1 or more divisions of a community college located in Tennessee (CCTN) and their respective for-profit private sector concerns. Data collected were entered into the NVivo8 program for qualitative coding, analysis, and interpretation. Data analysis suggested that visionary and innovative leadership was critical to the formation and implementation of partnerships; key themes of people, training, business, and need influenced the life cycle of the partnership; persons identified as champions formed the critical mass necessary to create and sustain partnerships; and both public and private sectors implemented informal and formal assessments, but differences existed in how and what they measured to determine the efficacy of each partnership. By substantiating, uncovering, or affirming common elements relevant to the establishment and maintenance of public-private partnerships as described in existing literature and this study, partnership stakeholders may find additional perspectives that may assist and guide the creation, implementation, and assessment of effective, mutually-beneficial public-private partnerships

Predicting Flavonoid UGT Regioselectivity with Graphical Residue Models and Machine Learning.

Machine learning is applied to a challenging and biologically significant protein classification problem: the prediction of flavonoid UGT acceptor regioselectivity from primary protein sequence. Novel indices characterizing graphical models of protein residues are introduced. The indices are compared with existing amino acid indices and found to cluster residues appropriately. A variety of models employing the indices are then investigated by examining their performance when analyzed using nearest neighbor, support vector machine, and Bayesian neural network classifiers. Improvements over nearest neighbor classifications relying on standard alignment similarity scores are reported

The Role of Attitudes and Motivations as Major Factors in Acquisition of Spanish as a Second Language

This study used a questionnaire given to four classes of beginning Spanish to examine students’ motivations and attitudes towards learning a foreign language. Results show that although students do not regularly encounter individuals who do not speak English and therefore have little opportunity to practice language outside the classroom, their attitudes are overwhelmingly positive towards foreign language and culture. Most participants strongly agree that bilingualism is important and report they would want to be fluent in at least two languages