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A qualitative methodology to designing a quantitative assessment for the construct of scholar-practitioner using grounded theory
Get PDFIt has largely been assumed that graduates of doctoral programs labeled as scholar-practitioner (SP-p), via the institution’s website or marketing material, demonstrate their dual-identity within their professional practice after graduation (Moats, 2017). Yet, individuals may not demonstrate their dual-identity for a host of reasons. Primary factors may include, however are not limited to, the lack of formation or association with Scholar-Practitioner (SP) identity, or the inability to demonstrate behaviors consistently associated with SP identity in professional practice. Until demonstrated outcomes from enacting the identity of SPs can be captured in quantifiable terms, the construct remains largely theoretical since it is not clearly documented (Moats, 2017). This study described the process for utilizing qualitative methodology to design a quantitative assessment for the construct of scholar-practitioner using grounded theory. The research design followed two consecutive phases. First, through the use of qualitative open-ended questions via survey and semistructured interviews with graduates of doctoral programs labeled as SP-p, this study distilled the primary themes involved in demonstrating the dual-identity of SP in professional settings. After triangulation and saturation of the data, five primary themes emerged from phase one. The second phase followed the five step methods suggested by Rockinson-Szapkiw (2018) and Tourangeau (1984), to develop a scale that assesses the operationalized construct of SP: definition, item development, feasibility pilot, item validation, and deployment. The resulting SP Scale was developed with the intent to provide individuals with a means for assessing their own behavior in relation to the demonstrated SP identity
Oxalic acid leaf disk soak assay is a new possibility in screening for blight resistance in Castanea species
Get PDFChestnut blight is a disease caused by the ascomycete fungus Cryphonectria parasitica in the Castanea species. The fungus uses oxalic acid (OA) to attack the tree’s cells. Castanea dentata, the American chestnut, was wiped out by chestnut blight in the early to mid-20th century, but several East Asian Castanea species appear highly resistant to the fungus. To breed resistant American type trees, screening methods are used to enable selection of interspecific hybrids. The alternative small stem assay (aSSA) is a method of screening container-grown hybrid seedlings during their first growing season by directly infecting them with C. parasitica. Some plant species use oxalate oxidase enzymes to defend themselves from fungal OA attacks. Although Castanea species do not have endogenous oxalate oxidase genes (OxO), chestnut species vary in their responses to OA. OA tolerance (measured by the browning of tissues exposed to OA solutions) appears to correlate well with blight resistance (as measured by Small Stem Assays) in chestnut species and hybrids. This knowledge was used to characterize hybrid germplasm in Castanea breeding populations in Tennessee in 2022 and 2023. Three hundred twenty-five seedlings of eighteen half-sibling hybrid families and five species, were arranged for screening in a randomized complete block design at the UTC Fortwood Street Greenhouse. Results show that screening seedlings with an oxalic acid leaf disk soak yield results that correlate strongly with results of an alternate small stem assay of the same plants. The aSSA and oxalic acid leaf disk soak assay were thus shown to be complementary methods for distinguishing blight tolerance in hybrid chestnut seedlings. All trees from the 2022 trials will be planted in an experimental orchard in Middle Tennessee for long-term observations
The Hilbert sequence and its associated Jacobi matrix
Get PDFIn this project, we investigate positive definite sequences and their associated Jacobi matrices in Hilbert space. We set out to determine the Jacobi matrix associated to the Hilbert sequence by methods described in Akhiezer’s book The Classical Moment Problem. Using methods in Teschl’s book Jacobi Operators and Completely Integrable Nonlinear Lattice, we determine the essential spectrum of the corresponding Jacobi matrix
Sadder and wiser nonsense: Coleridge\u27s The rime of the ancient mariner
Get PDFThe Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge is a long-form poem that tends to elude understanding. Since its original publication in the Lyrical Ballads in 1798, readers have been unable to interpret the true meaning behind the tale and for what intention Coleridge had for writing the piece. Over the past two hundred years, scholars have attempted to interpret The Rime and yet it seems that every interpretation simply cannot hold true to the entire narrative. Through an overview of the textual and critical reception history of the poem, I conjecture that The Rime is actually imitating that of an oral poem, such as the epic poem Beowulf, and that through each revision of the poem, Coleridge was intending to demonstrate how a piece of oral literature can change with each cultural shift. Through this lens, I conjecture that Coleridge did not intend for The Rime to have a certain meaning but could actually be interpreted through any lens readers can devise, from a Christian allegory to that of a story regarding mental health
The effect of different types of plastic and rubbers often found in healthcare facilities on the survival of potentially pathogenic bacteria
Get PDFThis study focused on the survival of different species of bacteria on different types of plastics and rubbers found in healthcare facilities. The gram-positive coccus Staphylococcus aureus and the gram negative bacillus Escherichia coli, known to have importance as potential pathogens in healthcare facilities, were tested on two types of plastic (polyurethane and Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)) and two types of rubbers (latex and nitrile) typically found on reusable healthcare surfaces. Known quantities of bacteria were aseptically placed on disinfected plastic surfaces in triplicate, air-dried, and then incubated at room temperature for 30 minutes, 20 hours, and 40 hours. After incubation, samples were collected from the plastic and rubber surfaces using sterile swabs and serially diluted before being plated on tryptic soy agar for plate counts. S. aureus had much higher survival rates, up to 37%, compared to E. coli, which only had survival rates of up to 11%. Both E. coli and S. aureus had the highest survival rates on the PVC materials as opposed to any other material. E. coli showed the lowestmaximum survivability on latex gloves at 6.0%. S. aureus had the lowest maximum survivability on nitrile gloves at 1.4%. The data also shows that E. coli had lower rates of survival at 30 minutes, 20, and 40 hours as compared to S. aureus. S. aureus had lower rates of survival at 40 hours on both the nitrile and latex gloves as opposed to E. coli at 40 hours on the rubber materials. The relevance of these findings is that depending on the materials used in healthcare facilities, there may be better choices of plastics or rubbers to suppress the growth of unwanted environmental bacteria. Additionally, the potential for the addition of antimicrobial chemicals to plastic and rubber materials to help suppress microbial numbers on these surfaces may help reduce HAIs linked to environmental exposures
Fostering a sense of wonder: promoting experiential learning through outdoor discoveries on the coast of Maine
Get PDFRecent generations of children have been experiencing a decrease in connection to Nature, causing various negative effects on personal development and well-being. Researchers are studying the impact of environmental education programs as a potential resolution to this issue dubbed “nature deficit disorder.” Studies have shown that while citizen science by youth is rapidly expanding, little research addresses conservation science with environmental education. Recognizing this gap, the summer camps at Wells NERR are designed to ensure children’s environmental stewardship as they learn about estuarine ecology alongside environmental issues. This educational study focuses on how environmental education through estuarine activities at summer camps can promote environmental advocacy and encourage positivity in children’s lives as they develop. The research was conducted in an estuarine ecosystem at the Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve in Wells, ME with hands-on exposure and interaction with the elements of nature. The researcher collected qualitative data by observing experiences in nature and collected quantitative data through distributing pre- and post- surveys that determined the perspectives of participants. Questionnaires measuring Behavior were distributed to parents/guardians and questionnaires measuring Happiness and Environmental Perception were distributed to students both prior to and after the children’s participation in the camps. This data was evaluated by comparing the pre-camp average scores to the post-camp average scores using a t-test in Microsoft Excel. The results indicate a statistically significant increase in the Composite Mental Health score in the three groups. The researcher recommends that data collected in a typical academic setting, over a longer period, and in a variety of environments would be more beneficial to study the impact of nature exposure throughout their development
Hunter: redneck Hamlet
Get PDFHunter: Redneck Hamlet is an adaptation of Shakespeare\u27s Hamlet placed within the rural American South in order to tackle the topics of grief, paranoia, conspiracy, toxic masculinity, misogyny, and substance abuse through the lens of Hamlet. The study analyzes these aspects of the South in order to attempt to understand what makes certain people act the way that they do, and displays it through the lens of Hamlet in order to characterize these phenomenon. The thesis begins with the full five act play written in pentameter, followed by a craft essay analyzing the various research and aspects of the play that went into its construction
Archaeological investigations at the Cruz Bay public cemetery in St. John, US Virgin Islands
Get PDFThe Jeffrey L. Brown Institute of Archaeology (JBIA) of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) in partnership with the Forensic Anthropology Center (FAC) of the University of Tennessee Knox-ville (UTK) performed archaeological monitoring and data recovery to remove and relocate burial features near the Cruz Bay Public Cemetery within the Cruz Bay Historic District in Cruz Bay, St. John, US Virgin Islands. The current Area of Potential Effect (APE) for the cemetery excavations targets the portion of the historic Cruz Bay Public Cemetery impacted by the Cruz Bay Underground project, encompassing 132 m (433 ft) of conduit excavations within Strande Gade (Bay Street) and 30 m (98 ft) of conduit excavations within the Gallows Point Resort driveway.https://scholar.utc.edu/archaeology-reports/1089/thumbnail.jp
Determining habitat preferences of Dasypus novemcinctus and assessing prevalence of Hansen\u27s disease in Tennessee with assistance from community science data
Get PDFThe nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus L.) is currently considered an invasive species in parts of its range in the United States. As it continues to expand its range, more states may begin to consider armadillos an invasive or nuisance species and will need to make management decisions regarding this species as (1) a pest for landowners or land managers, (2) a possible threat to other species of conservation concern, and (3) a vector for Hansen’s disease (leprosy). Although research funds are scarce for a species that is currently not seen as a threat or an endangered animal, there are ways to use limited resources and community science to assist in filling knowledge gaps, which can then provide a baseline for where to begin research efforts. My research used community science and roadkill surveys to study habitat preferences across the state of Tennessee and tested roadkill for Hansen’s disease prevalence
Royal authority and erotic desires: Marlowe\u27s views on kingship in Dido, Queen of Carthage, and Edward II
Get PDFRoyal authority and erotic desires: Marlowe\u27s views on kingship in Dido, Queen of Carthage, and Edward II focuses on the works of Christopher Marlowe and how they correlate to his perceptions of the Elizabethan court. This essay is meant to serve as one potential interpretation of both the public and personal life of Christopher Marlowe. Though there is little concrete information on Marlowe\u27s life, it is a fact that he was working for the Elizabethan court in some capacity as an informant and potential provocateur against Catholics in England