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  • About
  • The Global ETD Search service is a free service for researchers to find electronic theses and dissertations. This service is provided by the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations.
    Our metadata is collected from universities around the world. If you manage a university/consortium/country archive and want to be added, details can be found on the NDLTD website.
1

Teachers' Self-Perceptions of Their Role as Generalist: A Study of the Interpersonal Skills Necessary For Effective Leadership and Counseling

Falls, Horace L. Jr. 29 October 1999 (has links)
This study was designed to examine the various duties and roles teachers are called upon to play, and the potential effect of the teachers' behaviors on the relationships they establish with their students. It was thought that by examining teacher behaviors, a road map could be created for maximizing the productive relationships that could be used by all teachers. The focus of this road map was based on the notion of teacher as "generalist," a term which denotes the multiple roles teachers play as a natural consequence of their vocation. The primary teaching roles considered in the study were leadership, and counseling. The Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction (QTI) was used to ascertain the teachers' opinion of their own interpersonal skills as determined by the Model of Interpersonal Teacher Behavior. This was achieved by having the teachers complete the 64-item questionnaire about how they perceived themselves as teachers. Secondly, the teachers were asked to give written responses to a case method narrative that depicts a problem classroom scenario wherein the teacher abandons her unruly classroom. Then, three evaluators with expertise in pedagogy, leadership, and counseling, (respectively) were asked to complete a QTI for each teacher's responses to the case method narrative. The evaluators were instructed to base their responses on their own particular area of expertise, either, pedagogy, leadership, or counseling. The QTI profiles produced by this process served as the basis for the conversations held individually with the teachers in Interview Two. The profiles also served as a tool that allowed the teachers to be grouped with other teachers having similar behavioral characteristics. Three focus groups were also created based on the teachers' QTI self-reports. Most of the teachers rated themselves highly in the areas of leadership and the counseling-type behaviors: helping & friendly, and understanding. They also agreed that leadership and counseling were necessary duties for a teacher. Thus, the importance of leadership and counseling as they apply to the performance requirements of a teacher was established. This fact was reiterated in all of the interviews and in each of the focus groups, as well as, in the review of the literature. The crucial dilemma arose from the fact that the teachers stated in the various methods of data collection that they were leaders and counselors. Further, the literature noted that the "best" teachers are generalist with expertise and responsibilities in the areas of leadership and counseling. And, finally, common sense also seemed to dictate that all teachers are required to be leaders and counselors. Yet, despite the apparent importance of leadership and counseling for all teachers, the teachers in this study stated that they were not sure of the source of their leadership and counseling knowledge and abilities. They also revealed that their leadership and counseling knowledge and abilities were innate; pedagogically related duties in the areas of leadership and counseling were based on behaviors that came naturally to them; they did not know the nomenclature and underlying theoretical tenets for formal leadership or counseling styles; their preservice teacher education programs did not prepare them for leadership or counseling duties; and that a greater understanding of leadership and counseling theory would help them to align their practice with their innate abilities. Further, they noted the potential advantages of being able to recognize the leadership dynamics that are utilized by their students. The ability to identify leadership and interpersonal characteristics in one's self and in others, particularly in students, peers, and superiors, was reported to be an ability that would be essential for teachers. Thus, the need to identify various leadership and counseling theories via their given title, name, or label, etc. arose as a matter of controversy. The value of having a uniform code for identifying leadership and counseling practices revealed itself to be one of the most interesting aspects of the study / Ph. D.
2

The Generalist Practice: Perceived Preparedness Among Social Workers

Balandra, Emily 01 January 2017 (has links)
The purpose of this study is to assess the perceived preparedness among social workers who have graduated from a generalist social work practice program. By researching the preparedness of generalist practice social workers, the researcher will be able to gain insight regarding the self-efficacy and confidence among social workers with the generalist practice education and to better understand their commonalities as well as barriers. Due to the lack of research on the topic, is an exploratory research project. All data gathered in the interviews were analyzed with qualitative techniques. The interviews will aim to identify major themes and sub-themes to organize the data collected. Participants were asked about their perspective and lived experiences about their generalist practice education; the qualitative method used was phenomenology. Overall, the data collected from the research could possibly impact the outlook of generalist social work education as well as give future students the proper information to be able to decide on the type of education they would like to invest in. Through data collection, participants stated that previous work experience and their field placements had a major impact on their knowledge base going into the field. Secondly, most participants expressed that the generalist practice helped them obtain their first job upon graduation. Although most participants indicated a positive correlation with the generalist practice, they were able to highlight some suggestions for the generalist practice curriculum which include, having a DSM course and focusing on the student’s preferred theoretical orientation.
3

Evaluation of Glycerol and Waste Alcohol as Supplemental Carbon Sources for Denitrification

Uprety, Kshitiz 27 February 2013 (has links)
Supplemental carbon has been successfully added and implemented at biological nutrient removal treatment plants all around the world in order to reach low nitrogen discharge limits. Although, methanol has been the most prevalent external electron donor used due to its low cost and effectiveness, many utilities are moving away from it due to cost volatility, safety issues, and hindered performance in cold weather conditions. Many sustainable and alternative sources are being researched, such as glycerin-based products (Rohrbacher et al., 2009), sugar-based waste products (Pretorius et al., 2007), and effluents from food and beverage industries (Swinarski et al., 2009). Four 22-L sequencing batch reactors (SBRs) were utilized to investigate four different supplemental carbon sources: 100% reagent grade methanol, 100% reagent grade glycerol, bio-diesel glycerol waste, and an industrial waste alcohol. These reactors were operated at 20�"C with a 15 day solids retention time. Intensive profiles were carried out three times a week to monitor performance and collect data to calculate COD consumption: nitrate-nitrogen denitrified (C: N) ratios. The glycerol and bio-diesel glycerol waste reactors performed similarly as they both exhibited significant and consistent nitrite accumulation during the entire experiment. Based on reactor restart, nitrite accumulation was evident and significant within two days after startup and consistent for all further operation. Rapid nitrate to nitrite reduction coincident with COD uptake was also observed. The two glycerol reactors demonstrated an increased carbon demand over time. The commonly reported hypothesis that activated sludge transitions from a generalist population of ordinary heterotrophic organisms (OHO) that use substrate, glycerol in this case, less efficiently, producing low yields and slow growth rates, to a specialist population that use glycerol more efficiently, with higher yields and slightly faster growth rates, was verified. This is known as the generalist-specialist theory. While this hypothesis appears to be supported from an overall analysis of the data, the actual mechanism seems to be intracellular glycerol storage coincident with rapid nitrate to nitrite denitrification, followed by slow nitrite reduction to nitrogen gas. This can possibly lead to degradation of the internally stored glycerol in the aerobic zones of the following cycle, implying a significant economic impact with glycerin addition. Although this has not been investigated further, it is believed that the presence of glycogen-accumulating organisms (GAOs) could be responsible for this intracellular storage of glycerol resulting in partial denitrification and accumulation of nitrite. The methanol and waste alcohol reactors also performed similarly to each other and neither of these reactors exhibited any nitrite accumulation upon carbon addition. The specific denitrification rate (SDNR) of the waste alcohol was slightly higher and increased more rapidly than for the methanol reactor. The C: N for these two reactors was comparable, and methanol was close to the expected value of 4.8 g COD utilized/ g nitrate-N denitrified. The C: N for the waste alcohol during steady state operation was somewhat higher than expected. The waste alcohol exhibited an �"alcoholic�" odor upon addition to the reactors during startup, but this issue diminished as the biomass became acclimated to the waste alcohol. Both industrial waste alcohol and glycerol can be considered viable alternatives to methanol; however, glycerol supplementation for denitrification can be problematic. If the glycerol dose is not optimized, then partial denitrification is observed and will lead to nitrite in the effluent, causing an increased chlorine demand for plants applying chlorine for disinfection. This is thought to occur due to energy limitations resulting from carbon storage and thus, using glycerol at treatment plants performing biological phosphorus removal (BPR) or enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) might see inefficient removal due to selective carbon utilization by polyphosphate-accumulating organisms (PAOs), or due to competition between PAOs and GAOs. Although denitrification of nitrate to nitrite occurs more quickly with prolonged glycerol addition, it also results in an increased carbon demand which causes a significant impact economically. / Master of Science
4

The diet and feeding ecology of the brown house snake, Boaedon capensis

Bassier, Ielhaam January 2022 (has links)
Masters of Science / African brown house snakes (Boaedon capensis) are widely thought to be dietary specialists that predominantly consume rodents. Given their ubiquitous distribution, these snakes potentially play an important role in controlling rodent populations throughout their range. However, the full extent of the diet of this species remains poorly quantified, and the proportional importance of mammals to their diet is speculative. Moreover, little is known regarding intraspecific dietary variation of these snakes. In recent years, a dearth of reports of B. capensis feeding, particularly from novel information-sharing streams available through social media, suggests that the diet of these snakes may be broader than previously thought. B. capensis are not rodent specialists as amphibians (3%), birds (12%), and reptiles (38%) collectively comprise a significant proportion of their diet. There was no evidence for sexual size dimorphism or dietary variation between adult males and females. However, significant differences in morphology and prey utilisation between adults and juveniles indicate an ontogenetic shift in diet from small lizards to larger, and more diverse prey. Variation in climate and time of year did not affect diet. Importantly, the diet of B. capensis as presented by museum data vastly differed compared to literature and community science reports. In particular, the proportional use of reptiles differed across sources (museum data = 6%; community science data = 27%). Overall, my findings reiterate the importance of examining multiple sources of information when characterizing the diet of species, as these multiple sources provide different result outcomes.
5

Exploring Predator-Prey Interactions in Agroecosystems through Molecular Gut-Content Analysis

Athey, Kacie J. 01 January 2017 (has links)
Generalist predators can contribute to vital ecosystem services by potentially inducing trophic cascades as natural enemies of pests in agroecosystems. As the human population of the world gets larger, we need to produce more food on ever-smaller swaths of available land relying on ecosystem services, in the form of pest control, that may contribute to agricultural sustainability. Teasing apart the exact trophic linkages between predators and prey is a vital first step and essential to uncovering which predators are inducing trophic cascades and should be enhanced through conservation biological control. Combined with ecological experimentation, the main tool used throughout my research to identify trophic linkages is molecular gut-content analysis. I began by investigating mass sampling techniques and found they do not cause contamination in gut-content analysis and may be a simple method for collecting large numbers of cryptic predators for use in determining trophic linkages. Additionally, my research uncovered trophic interactions between stink bugs and generalist predators at multiple scales. Overall, I successfully designed molecular methods to investigate relationships between agricultural pests and generalist predators. A multi-year field study uncovered low predation on stink bug pests in contrast to previous research suggesting that generalist predators were contributing highly to biological control. This research highlights the need for replicated studies before making broad conservation biological control decisions. Although generalist predators were not consuming stink bugs in large numbers, my field cage study showed evidence of superfluous killing by spiders on adult stink bugs, highlighting the need to combine ecological studies with molecular methods to understand consumptive and non-consumptive effects on prey items. Gut-content analysis showed no evidence of consumption, but the field cage study allowed me to uncover the complicated relationships between spiders and stink bugs. In addition, I showed an invasive species can be detected in new areas through molecular gut-content analysis of predators before other sampling methods.
6

Spatial and Temporal Dynamics of Predator-Prey Interactions in Winter Wheat

Kowles, Katelyn A. 01 January 2015 (has links)
Aphids (Hemiptera: Aphididae) are pests of multiple cropping systems, primarily due to the viruses they vector and direct crop damage that is exacerbated by their rapid population growth. In Kentucky, grain aphids (Rhopalosiphum padi and Sitobion avenae) cause significant yield loss to winter wheat as vectors of Barley Yellow Dwarf virus (BYDV), prompting the routine application of insecticides. Coupled with increasing human populations and decreasing arable land, it is increasingly evident that biological control services provided by natural enemies represent a viable long-term management option. Aphids are preyed upon by a diverse array of predators that can be exploited in conservation biological control. I designed a field experiment to monitor dispersal into and out of wheat fields, and how these movements were affected by the surrounding habitat. Analysis revealed there are significant movements of R. padi into the wheat in the fall, and S. avenae in spring, and that these movements are slowed down by forested edges. Natural, field-bordering weed strips were used as a conservation biological technique to enhance predator populations. Results showed that while weed strips did not affect the yield of the crop, aphid abundance, or BYDV incidence, it did significantly increase the abundance of natural enemies. Dominant predators included Coccinellidae, Anthocoridae, Chrysopidae larvae, and Braconidae. Using molecular gut-content analysis, I screened multiple species of predators and found strong trophic linkages between aphids and Orius insidiosus and multiple species of coccinellids, namely Coccinella septempunctata and Coleomegilla maculata. In aphidophagous systems, intraguild predation (IGP) can interfere with the biological control potential so I also screened coccinellids for IGP using newly designed primers. To identify intraguild prey DNA in coccinellids, I designed species-specific primers for C. maculata and C. septempunctata to use in PCR-based molecular gut-content analysis. Results revealed high frequencies of IGP between coccinellids that are significantly higher in weed strip plots. However, I observed no detectable impact on aphid predation during these increased times of IGP, suggesting it does not interfere with biological control of aphids in this system. I discuss the role of weed strips in winter wheat as part of an integrative pest management strategy.
7

Evalutating the Effect of an Online Job-Embedded Professional Development Program on Elementary Teachers' Use of Arts Integrated Approaches to Learning in a South Texas School District

Herrera, Karen 16 December 2013 (has links)
In the state of Texas, instruction in the arts is required from Kindergarten through eighth grade. In many cases, the responsibility for teaching these subjects falls on the classroom elementary teacher despite limited knowledge, experience, and a low sense of self efficacy. This study examined how an online professional development program affected elementary teachers’ use of arts approaches, the attitudes and issues that have a bearing on the use of arts approaches, and teacher learning that occurred as a result of engaging in an online professional development program. An embedded mixed methods design was used that embedded a qualitative case study within a quantitative study in order to compare and corroborate the quantitative findings. Participants, employed at an elementary campus in South Texas, consisted of seven elementary generalist teachers who participated in an eight week online professional development program and six teachers who volunteered to complete a survey only. The central question, “how does an online job-embedded professional development program affect elementary teachers’ beliefs about and use of arts integrated approaches to learning,” guided the study. Seven sources of both quantitative and qualitative data were collected over a ten week period. Themes that emerged from the qualitative data analysis were student outcomes, teacher-efficacy, and external factors. Findings indicate that (1) online formats are a viable form of professional development, (2) a lack of time to plan most significantly impacts the use of arts approaches, and (3) improved access to rich, arts based lesson resources may increase the use of arts in the classroom. This study was significant because it provided insight into the quality of teacher learning and its impact on classroom practice as the result of online professional development.
8

Invertebrate life-history trade-offs and dispersal across a pond-permanence gradient

Galatowitsch, Mark Louis January 2014 (has links)
Flexible life-history traits and dispersal may allow generalist populations to persist across a range of habitats despite experiencing contrasting selection pressures. Invertebrates exploiting temporary ponds must develop quickly and disperse as adults, or have wide environmental tolerances. Conversely, permanent-pond invertebrates must avoid a suite of predators (e.g., fish and dragonflies). This gradient of pond permanence can result in life-history trade-offs that influence fitness, population dynamics, and genetic structure. In addition, recruitment between habitats may balance juvenile life-history trade-offs and be crucial to sustain generalist invertebrate populations in ponds with unpredictable hydrology. Through a multi-year survey of three pond complexes in the Canterbury high-country and a series of mesocosm experiments using two generalist pond invertebrates, Xanthocnemis zealandica damselflies and Sigara arguta waterboatmen, I found these two species had alternative life-history strategies that influenced their distributions across the pond-permanence gradient. With longer juvenile development, X. zealandica benefited from flexible life-history traits: temporary-pond X. zealandica had accelerated development and short-term desiccation tolerance, but were excluded from ponds with long dry periods, whereas, permanent-pond X. zealandica had extended development and predator avoidance behaviours (e.g., reduced movement and refuge-use). In contrast, S. arguta had an opportunistic life-history strategy with a fixed, rapid development response that allowed them to inhabit more temporary ponds, but they were intolerant of drying and limited to permanent ponds that contained shallow refuges from fish. These results illustrate how alternative life-history strategies enabled two generalist species to achieve broad realised niches. Recruitment between habitats also appeared to be important for balancing trade-offs and maintaining meta-populations across the pond-permanence gradient. To evaluate the importance of X. zealandica dispersal among and within pond complexes I used microsatellite analyses. While there was unique genetic population structure between the North and South Islands, at lower spatial scales there was little variability in genetic diversity and limited genetic structure in populations, likely due to gene flow among different habitat types. Overall, this work shows how an interaction of juvenile strategies and adult dispersal could reduce life-history trade-offs, resulting in weak selection pressures across an unpredictable disturbance gradient. Whether increasingly unpredictable hydrological patterns under climate-warming favour generalist species will likely depend on how well generalist life-history traits and dispersal allow exploitation of a range of habitat types and resilience to variable selection pressures. Higher mean summer rainfall in New Zealand may allow both species to exploit more temporary ponds, whereas longer dry periods between extreme precipitation events could limit X. zealandica distributions. Thus, species with generalist strategies are likely to be favoured under warming, but their specific life-history strategies will likely promote or limit their ability to exploit more unpredictable habitats.
9

AN ASSESSMENT OF THE INVASIVE POISON HEMLOCK AND ITS INSECT ASSOCIATES IN KENTUCKY

Allen, Christine D. 01 January 2013 (has links)
Poison hemlock, Conium maculatum (Apiaceae), is an invasive plant in North America with a unique toxic chemistry. Previous research on this plant has focused on identifying herbivores as potential biological control agents or describing the toxic plant alkaloids. However, none have examined the role of higher trophic levels in the food web surrounding poison hemlock. Generalist predators and food web interactions are an important component of studies investigating invasion effects, as plant or animal introductions can alter ecosystem functioning. In this study, predators in poison hemlock were sampled at the foliar and epigeal levels, resulting in 956 Carabidae and 321 Coccinellidae being collected. Predator connectedness to plant resources was quantified using molecular gut-content and chemical analyses. Foliar Harmonia axyridis (Coccinellidae) contained aphid DNA and plant chemicals, while Harpalus pensylvanicus (Carabidae) only contained alkaloids, suggesting that the ground predators were obtaining plant chemicals via alternative prey. Feeding trials between H. axyridis and their potentially toxic prey, Hyadaphis foeniculi (Aphididae), revealed that the exotic predator shows faster development when consuming aphids from poison hemlock compared to alternative diets. This study reveals that three Eurasian species may be facilitating one another, illustrating the importance of continued examination of invasive species interactions.
10

Feeding characteristics of a generalist pit viper, mamushi (Gloydius blomhoffii), to different prey types / 広食者ニホンマムシにおける多様な餌タイプに対する捕食特性

Hamanaka, Kyosuke 23 March 2022 (has links)
京都大学 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(理学) / 甲第23738号 / 理博第4828号 / 新制||理||1690(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院理学研究科生物科学専攻 / (主査)教授 森 哲, 教授 中川 尚史, 教授 中務 真人 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Science / Kyoto University / DGAM

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