Environment Matters: Examining the Lived Experience of First-Generation College Students at Private, Four-Year Universities

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived experience of first-generation college students at two small, private, liberal arts universities. Initially, the study focused on the identity development of first-generation students and how their familial relationships and culture influenced their development. However, as the study developed, the college environment emerged as another significant environmental factor influencing students’ experiences and development. For the majority of participants, family offered support and encouragement in their academic endeavors prior to and during college, which positively influenced their success and persistence in college. Additionally, many participants named professors as a significant source of support and mentioned feeling known and cared for by professors. Participants also found academic and emotional support through relationships with peers, which developed through classes, on-campus jobs, and extracurricular involvement. Overall, participants felt a sense of belonging at their institutions. The community created around shared values at small, private institutions of higher education provided an environment conducive to the success and persistence of participants in this study. However, the majority of participants identified as White and middle class and attended predominantly White institutions (PWIs). Further study from the perspective of students of color at small, private PWIs would add to lessons learned about the influence of environment on the experiences of first-generation college students

Extraction and Quantification of Atrazine

Undergraduate Basi

Applications of Differential Inequalities to Persistence and Extinction Problems for Reaction-Diffusion Systems

Systems of nonlinear reaction-diffusion equations representing models of competition, predation, and mutualism are presented and discussed. The models are divided into two categories, patch models and continuous models which can be represented by systems of ordinary differential equations or by systems of partial differential equations, respectively. Within each of these categories there are four types of diffusion mechanisms, random, biased, directed, and predator-prey diffusion. Conditions for system persistence and extinction are sought. For the patch models, existence, uniqueness, positivity, and boundedness of solutions are discussed. Persistence of a nonnegative component ui (t) means limsup/t→∞ ui (t) \u3e 0 versus system persistence of nonnegative components ui (t) which means limsup/t→∞ ui (t) \u3e 0, i = 1,..., n , provided the solutions exist on [0, ∞) . Definitions of weak and strong persistence are also given. It is shown that complete system extinction (solutions tend to zero) can occur in the patch random diffusion model. However this is not possible in any of the other patch models. The persistence criteria for the logistic random diffusion model as well as the predator-prey diffusion model are completely determined. Numerous theorems are presented which give necessary conditions for weak and strong persistence. For the continuous models, uniqueness, positivity, and boundedness of solutions are discussed for initial boundary value problems. Dirichlet or Neumann boundary conditions are prescribed on a bounded domain B. Persistence of a nonnegative component ui (x, t) means limsup/t→∞ ∫B ui (x, t) dx \u3e 0 versus system persistence of nonnegative components ui (x, t) which means limsup/t→∞ ∫B ui (x, t) dx \u3e 0, i = 1,..., n , provided solutions exist on B x [0, ∞) . Weak and strong persistence are defined also for this setting. Some of the same properties of solution behavior are established for the continuous reaction-diffusion systems as for the reaction systems without diffusion. The significance of the type of diffusion mechanism is illustrated by comparing numerical solutions to the logistic random, biased, and directed diffusion models. For the Neumann problem numerical solutions converge to the homogeneous equilibrium (spatially independent), but the rates of convergence differ depending on the type of diffusion. For the homogeneous Dirichlet problem numerical solutions to the random diffusion model tend to zero, however numerical solutions to both the biased and directed diffusion models tend to a positive heterogeneous equilibrium solution. The main tool employed to determine the persistence and extinction criteria is differential inequalities. The Comparison Principle of ordinary differential equation theory and the Maximum Principle of partial differential equation theory are used to prove many of the persistence and extinction results

Combining content-based and EAP approaches to academic writing: Towards an eclectic program

Over the past decade, Australian universities have experienced an exponential increase in the enrolment of fee-paying overseas students whose preparation for tertiary studies may differ significantly from that of local students. Despite English language proficiency requirements, there is some concern that international entry tests do not adequately measure the complex features of university writing; an important concern given that student success is heavily dependent on their mastery of academic writing. As a result, many international students require additional support structures. Until the present, debate about the most effective way to meet the diverse needs of English as an Additional Language (EAL) writers entering universities has concerned a choice between two alternatives: on one hand a separate, short-term English for Academic Purposes (EAP) language program and on the other, direct entry into disciplines with lecturers taking responsibility for assisting students to learn the discipline-specific language skills required. While the Australian Universities Quality Agency (AUQA, 2009, 2013) supports the latter view, this research investigates a third alternative; that is, an English for Academic Purposes Pathway program (EAPP) that not only teaches general academic English skills, but also English required in discipline specific contexts, as well as important and necessary adjunct skills that support writing. This three-phase, mixed-methods study used both qualitative and quantitative data to investigate the efficacy of such a program. The study, which was analytic, descriptive and comparative in approach, was conducted in a naturalistic setting and, where possible, qualitative data were used to support the findings from quantitative data. Theoretical propositions guided the data collection and provided important links to connect primary and secondary research. Phase 1 investigated the academic writing needs perceived by 60 students who were either studying in the 20-week or 10-week EAPP program at Swan University (a pseudonym). Perceptions of student needs by 13 EAPP teachers were also analysed and writing samples collected. In Phase 2, the cohort decreased to 31 students representing seven faculties. Perceptions of 17 faculty staff from across and within these seven faculties were sought regarding the tasks and genres required for EAL students to meet the writing expectations within these disciplines. The marked ex-EAPP student’s faculty writing assignments were collected and analysed at the end of first semester. At this stage, because the volume of student writing produced over the course of the study was so large, disproportional stratified random sampling was used to select and analyse the EAPP and faculty writing of a sample of seven students. Research by Kaldor, Herriman and Rochecouste (1998) provided direction for frame analysis which was used to analyse the student writing. In Phase 3, which was conducted one year after entering their chosen faculties, 22 students replied to a request to judge which, if any, writing skills from their EAPP program had transferred to assist them with their faculty writing. Findings are discussed in relation to four major issues. Firstly, reflections provided by ex-EAPP students ascertained that, on entering the EAPP program, the majority of them had been academically, linguistically, culturally and socially unprepared for study at master’s degree level in an Australian university. Secondly, analysis determined that in the students’ first year of faculty study, writing tasks and genres were almost identical in type, complexity and word-count restrictions to those taught in the EAPP program and that students readily adapted to the highly specified frameworks of any tasks that were unfamiliar. A third major finding was the significance that students placed on the type of feedback necessary to support their writing. Finally, students identified major areas of improvement in their academic writing at the end of the program, but provided suggestions in key pedagogical areas about how the EAPP program could be improved to better address their needs. This study found that EAL writing development involves much more than content knowledge, mastery over discipline-specific genre requirements and a wide vocabulary. Academic writing comprises a complex combination of extratextual, circumtextual, intratextual and intertextual features and skills, some of which are completely new to international students. A model was proposed to illustrate elements that provide: circumtextual assistance for prewriting support; intertextual assistance through reading and writing support; extratextual assistance through sociocultural support, and intratextual assistance through the scaffolding of academic writing skills. To conclude, recommended modifications to the program are presented

Epigenomic Regulation of Androgen Receptor Signaling: Potential Role in Prostate Cancer Therapy.

Androgen receptor (AR) signaling remains the major oncogenic pathway in prostate cancer (PCa). Androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) is the principle treatment for locally advanced and metastatic disease. However, a significant number of patients acquire treatment resistance leading to castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Epigenetics, the study of heritable and reversible changes in gene expression without alterations in DNA sequences, is a crucial regulatory step in AR signaling. We and others, recently described the technological advance Chem-seq, a method to identify the interaction between a drug and the genome. This has permitted better understanding of the underlying regulatory mechanisms of AR during carcinogenesis and revealed the importance of epigenetic modifiers. In screening for new epigenomic modifiying drugs, we identified SD-70, and found that this demethylase inhibitor is effective in CRPC cells in combination with current therapies. The aim of this review is to explore the role of epigenetic modifications as biomarkers for detection, prognosis, and risk evaluation of PCa. Furthermore, we also provide an update of the recent findings on the epigenetic key processes (DNA methylation, chromatin modifications and alterations in noncoding RNA profiles) involved in AR expression and their possible role as therapeutic targets

Non-equilibrium and finite temperature trapped Bose gases : interactions and decay of macroscopic excitations

In this thesis we study the dynamics of dark solitons, vortices and Josephson effects, in trapped atomic Bose-Einstein condensates. We firstly demonstrate a novel, sound mediated, long-range interaction mechanism between dark solitons using the Gross-Pitaevskii equation. Then we present the effect of finite temperatures on the dynamics of vortices and Josephson effects using a generalised form of this equation, which additionally includes a source term modelling the coupling of the condensate to a fully dynamical thermal cloud, described by a quantum Boltzmann equation. The latter formalism is known as the Zaremba-Nikuni-Griffin scheme (ZNG). The sound-mediated interaction between dark solitons is such that the speed and trajectory of one soliton in a condensate confined by a harmonic trap can be significantly modified by the presence of a second soliton in the same trap. By confining the two solitons to spatially separated subregions of a double well trap, we show how this effect can be magnified. In particular we find it can be large, and therefore detectable, in experimentally relevant geometries, including high-periodicity optical lattices in which the ability of solitons to act as both absorbers and emitters of energy becomes apparent. At finite temperatures, we model the dynamics via the ZNG scheme. Firstly, we give a detailed description of the scheme for numerically solving these coupled equations including all collisional terms. Then we study the effect of a dynamical thermal cloud on vortex dynamics, in particular, focussing on the experimentally-relevant quantities of precession frequencies, decay rates and vortex core brightness. The changes in these are found to increase with increasing temperature for a pancake-shaped geometry, in particular for trapping parameters of a recent experiment of Freilich et al. (Science 329, 1182 (2010)). Particle exchanging collisions between the condensate and thermal cloud are found to be crucial in determining the rate of decay of a precessing vortex. We further show that, rotation of the thermal cloud can be a mechanism for radially translating the position of a vortex, a scenario under current investigation. Finally, we analyse the effect of finite temperatures on population dynamics in a double well atom chip experiment by LeBlanc et al. (Phys. Rev. Lett. 106, 025302 (2011)). Focussing on the coupled evolution in the absence of collisions, we find that it generates significant damping which is, however, less than that observed in the experiment. A detailed comparison in the presence of collisions is beyond the scope of this thesis.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceEPSRCGBUnited Kingdo

A Duration Analysis of Food Safety Recall Events in the United States: January, 2000 to October, 2009

The safety of the food supply in the United States has become an issue of prominence in the minds of ordinary Americans. Several government agencies, including the United States Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration, are charged with the responsibility of preserving the safety of the food supply. Food is withdrawn from the market in a product recall when tainted or mislabeled and has the potential to harm the consumer in some manner. This research examines recall events issued by firms over the period of January, 2000 through October, 2009 in the United States. Utilizing economic and management theory to establish predictions, this study employs the Cox proportional hazard regression model to analyze the effects of firm size and branding on the risk of recall recurrence. The size of the firm was measured in both billions of dollars of sales and in thousands of employees. Branding by the firm was measured as a binary variable that expressed if a firm had a brand and as a count of the number of brands within a firm. This study also provides a descriptive statistical analysis and several findings based on the recall data specifically relating to annual occurrences, geographical locations of the firms involved, types of products recalled, and reasons for recall. We hypothesized that the increasing firm size would be associated with increased relative risk of a recall event while branding and an increasing portfolio of brands would be associated with decreased relative risk of a recall event. However, it was found that increased firm size and branding by the firm are associated with an increased risk of recall occurrence. The results of this research can have implications on food safety standards in both the public and private sectors

The Impact of Being a Public Organization on the Public\u27s Perceptions of the Florida Forest Service\u27s Brand

The purpose of this study was to address how being a public organization affected the public’s perceptions of the Florida Forest Service’s brand. Focus groups were conducted at different sites across the state with rural and urban residents. The major findings were that the public expected the brand of a public organization to be financially responsible (e.g., justify the purpose of the organization, avoid duplication between public organizations, communicating with the public without wasting money, and generating revenue), provide something valuable to individuals or the public at large (e.g., protecting forests, control through regulations, and aid, such as providing information), and to operate with integrity (e.g., being financially responsibly, communicating clearly with the public, and the organization being fair in balancing public and private interests). This research addresses a gap in research regarding the branding of public organizations. Because the study is limited by being a qualitative study addressing one organization in one state, future research should be conducted to address the transferability of the findings to other settings. This research furthers efforts to foster relationships between public organizations and members of the public by providing guidance for the improvement of the brands of public organizations. In the face of increased scrutiny of and competition between public organizations, the findings of this study can be used to help improve the public’s perceptions of public organizations

Why do right-wing adherents engage in more animal exploitation and meat consumption?

Despite the well-documented implications of right-wing ideological dispositions for human intergroup relations, surprisingly little is understood about the implications for human-animal relations. We investigate why right-wing ideologies – social dominance orientation (SDO) and right-wing authoritarianism (RWA) – positively predict attitudes toward animal exploitation and meat consumption. Two survey studies conducted in heterogeneous community samples (Study 1, N = 260; Study 2, N = 489) demonstrated that right-wing ideologies predict greater acceptance of animal exploitation and more meat consumption through two explaining mechanisms: (a) perceived threat from non-exploitive ideologies to the dominant carnist ideology (for both SDO and RWA) and (b) belief in human superiority over animals (for SDO). These findings hold after controlling for hedonistic pleasure from eating meat. Right-wing adherents do not simply consume more animals because they enjoy the taste of meat, but because doing so supports dominance ideologies and resistance to cultural change. Psychological parallels between human intergroup relations and human-animal relations are considered