This research was a descriptive cross-site case study of organizational structures of public workforce education institutions in the states of Florida, Georgia, and Kentucky. Organizational structures in public workforce education institutions can be found in four basic designs: technical centers, technical colleges, community colleges, and community and technical colleges. The purpose of this study was to investigate the concept of organizational structure in terms of the operation and effectiveness of workforce education institutions by studying four workforce institutions operating under differing arrangements. This study investigated the following research questions: 1. Does organizational structure influence specific outcome factors for and between selected workforce education institutions? 2. Does organizational structure influence the processes and operations of workforce education institutions as reflected through a comparative policy analysis of the selected workforce education institutions? The study was conducted as a cross-site analysis of case studies of the selected schools to develop justified patterns of successful factors among schools. Data were collected during semi-structured interviews by audiotape recording and then transcribed. After making site visits to each school both qualitative interview data and quantitative program and institutional data were used for analysis of factors and characteristics that were linked to success by the school. Upon the completion of the four case studies, a comparative analysis was performed to discover the relationships among the participating schools through their commonalities and differences. Each of these organizational structures provided evidence of the production of successful graduates from their workforce programs. Although differences existed in the student completion rates and enrollment to completion ratio for the selected schools, every school had effectively placed their students in training-related jobs after program completion. As opposed to the individual institutions, the four organizational structures are a reflection of equifinality in that each structure is organized, governed, funded, and operated differently, and yet they each produce graduates who can successfully occupy technical career positions in the workforce. These schools have successfully developed the ability to be organizationally adaptable in order to sustain their existence. The study discovered that organizational structure may not be the central factor to determine the success or failure of an institution. But organizational structure should not be ignored for it does appear that institutions devoted only to workforce goals have a history of greater student completion. The study also produced the following six recommended practices for inclusion in all organizational structures. Public workforce institutions should have a dedicated local governing board; state level governance; integral participation in the state's economic development effort; precise program delivery processes; required strategic planning; and a supportive state legislature educated about the needs of workforce education.

This curriculum project reviews what the current literature reveals about the meaning of modality, what we know about modality strengths, matching student modality to teacher modality, as well as research studies related to modality-based instruction. The curriculum developed by the author is specifically designed for first grade teachers to use in correlation with the Ginn Level Two basal reader, Pocketful of Sunshine. The curriculum includes activities on how to introduce the objectives found in Pocketful of Sunshine to visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners. It also includes activities of reinforcement for all types of learners. The curriculum was submitted to two professors at the University of North Florida and two first grade teachers in Duval County to rate according to professional quality , usability and effectiveness. Results of the rating scale indicated this curriculum to be of professional quality, very organized, complete, easy to use and correlated well with the Ginn Level Two basal reader, Pocketful of Sunshine. Recommendations suggested that teachers would be more likely to use this curriculum if they had inservice training on modality-based instruction.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the difference in the achievement levels of second grade students when twenty-one students experienced instruction on the bio-ecosystems where the learning activities were primarily outdoors along a nature trail and a comparable group of twenty-three students experienced instruction on the same bio-ecosystems where the learning activities were located indoors. An emphasis on literature approach was utilized to teach a set of sixteen objectives centering around an environmental theme. Each group received instruction for-45 minutes daily for a period of three weeks and experienced equivalent "hands-on" learning activities.A gain score was determined by computing the difference between each student's pre-test and post-test achievement raw scores. A t test score of 1.31 resulted and it was concluded that there was no significant difference in achievement levels of a group of comparable students receiving instruction on bio-ecosystems outdoors and a group of students experiencing the same instructions indoors.

We are living in an information based society that has resulted in the availability of new technology for use by students and teachers. The video camera is an ideal tool for disseminating information and teaching skills; it is easy to use, produces immediate results and feedback, and catches the students' attention in an instant. Yet, many teachers shy away from incorporating the video camera as a part of their classroom curriculum. Some are wary of the camera itself. Others fail to see its potential as a part of their classroom curriculum since there are already many skills to be taught during the school day. Child-created video has value as a part of the curriculum. Therefore, support in the form of a manual written for teachers will make the video camera user-friendly for both teachers and their students. Child-created video can become an integral part of the classroom curriculum. Since there are no prerequisite skills to film making (Cox, 1983), it is appropriate for all age levels. This project resulted in the production of a manual designed for use by teachers and their students in the Duval County (Florida) School System. The manual gives sequential instructions for the planning and production of a child-created video production. Activities that enhance camera skills and visual techniques are included. The manual was evaluated by teachers and personnel familiar with classroom video production techniques who then made recommendations as to it's usefulness as a guide for teachers.

Recent trends in crusade historiography depict the Frankish participants of the First Crusade as acting out of piety, while their Norman counterparts remain as impious opportunists. This thesis challenges this prevailing point of view, arguing that the Norman crusaders met the same standard of piety as the Franks. To support my theory, I looked at four different facets on the question of Norman piety, dividing them up into chapters of my thesis. In the first chapter, there is a brief discussion of the current portrayal of the Normans in modem crusade historiography. In the next chapter, I established what piety meant and how it was demonstrated by Christians of the 11th and 12th centuries. This includes an examination of relevant monastic charters, which provide evidence that the Normans had strong ties to the Papacy prior to the expedition to the East. The third chapter is a short summary about the developments leading to the First Crusade, and the standard of piety set by Pope Urban II. In the fourth chapter I examine the chronicles of the First Crusade and their characterization of the crusaders, both Norman and Frank, to see if the crusaders met the pontiff's standard. I conclude that the primary accounts depict the Normans as no different from their Frankish co-religionists, with both groups acting out of piety as well as ambition. The actions of a Norman knight, Bohemond, and a Frankish crusader, Raymond of Toulouse, exemplify this fact. The comparison of these two, as well as the rest of the crusade leaders, demonstrate that the Norman crusaders were driven by a complex and sometimes conflicting mix of pious and secular motivations, no different from their Frankish counterparts. The armies of soldiers fighting in the First Crusade in response to Pope Urban II's call to retake Jerusalem were composed of a variety of cultural groups from Western Europe. The argument over what motivated these men to become armed pilgrims, to travel long distances to strange lands, to fight and most likely die, began with the accounts of the eyewitnesses and continues to the present day. Early on the distinction was made between the pious Franks and the materialist Normans. Some Medieval chroniclers portrayed the Norman crusaders as interested only in amassing land and power, rather than fulfilling their religious vow. Even in recent historiography, the traditional interpretation of the Norman role in the First Crusade is not one of piety, but rather of opportunism - to use the conflict as a springboard for expansion into Byzantine and Muslim lands. This depiction is in stark contrast to the ongoing reexamination of the Frankish crusaders, who some crusade historians see as having a deep religious motivation. The Normans remain as the standard bearer of the pre-revisionist interpretation of crusader motives - for gold and glory, but not for God. However, examination of the evidence does not bear this distinction out. Instead of greed, a pattern of pious acts emerges performed by the families of the prominent Norman crusaders or in the case of Bohemond of Taranto, the crusaders themselves. The Normans who took up the cause for crusade were as conventionally pious as the Franks and other Europeans, exposing the falsehood of their historical portrayal as impious opportunists.

Basigin, the mouse form of the human protein EMMPRIN, is commonly found as a transmembrane homodimer with carboxy termini in the cytosol and extracellular amino-termini. Because of its important role as a cell-to-cell junction molecule, and possible implications for cancer research, a Basigin null mouse was developed in 1996 by Igakura et al., to aid in the study of this protein. Their early research demonstrated that Basigin plays a large role in embryonic development. Mice lacking the Basigin gene are blind from the time of eye opening, and have demonstrated a lack of aversion to offensive odors such as acetic acid and isogine, as well as increased sensitivity to electric foot shock (Naruhashi et al., 1997). Further research demonstrated that Basigin is associated with cell-to-cell communication within the retina of the eye (Ochrietor et al., 2002), and in the olfactory system (Igakura et al., 1996). It is thought that Basigin acts as a chaperone for several Monocarboxylate Transporters (MCTs), accompanying them for proper placement in the cell membrane. The focus of this current study is to explore the role and function of Basigin in the olfactory bulb of the mouse. Data from biochemical analysis of tissue samples show that MCTs in the olfactory bulb are unaffected by absence of Basigin. Further study involving immunohistochemistry reveals that MCT2 is the most abundant transporter present in normal olfactory bulbs, and that a metabolic defect does not likely underlie the anosmia exhibited by Basigin null mice.

The current research examined whether mock jurors make differential assessments of guilt of defendants based on inclusion or exclusion of confession evidence and type of coercion to determine if jurors' behavioral reactions to confession evidence could be predicted. Hypotheses addressed effects of various factors on jurors' decisions of verdicts regarding defendants' guilt or innocence and their certainty of these verdicts: inclusion of confession evidence, type of coercion used in obtaining confessions, admissible or inadmissible presentation of confession evidence, and influence of potential predictor variables. Predictor variables assessed included participants' Belief in a Just World, Spheres of Control, New Authoritarianism, and Belief in False Confession Evidence. No main effects were found for participants' first or second verdicts or certainty assessments.

The death of a child has tremendous impact on a caregiver. Even when prognosis is poor and death appears imminent, care of the dying child typically focuses on achieving cure. Consequently, caregivers are often ill prepared to cope with the grief they experience as their child is dying. Anticipatory mourning allows caregivers time to begin grief work prior to the death of a loved one. Literature suggests that those who experience anticipatory mourning have a less complicated bereavement period. The purpose of this qualitative study is to (a) describe the presence (or absence) and role of anticipatory mourning in caregivers who recently experienced the death of a hospitalized child and to (b) determine if consistent themes exist that caregivers describe as helpful or detrimental to them during this process. An exploratory, descriptive design was used to answer questions in focused, guided, semi-structured, in-depth, tape-recorded interviews. Thematic content analysis derived themes from the interview transcripts of a sample of 11 caregivers who recently experienced the death of a hospitalized child. Caregivers' descriptions of their experiences surrounding the death of their child reveal an environment and health care team that is often ill prepared to deal with the impending death of a child. Also described are instances that reflect a compassionate process that positively affects the experience while facilitating appropriate grief work. Offered are recommendations for health care professionals that may assist caregivers in coping with the death of their child.

Papillomaviruses are a genera of small tumor viruses in the Papovaviridae family, whose lifecycle and replication ability is directed by epithelial differentiation. During latency, papillomavirus DNA replication occurs synchronously with the host cell's replication by the activation of the El protein. To elucidate the effects upon viral replication, this study utilized chemical inhibition of several kinases predicted to phosphorylate, and subsequently modify the activity of, the papillomavirus' E1 protein. The amount of DNA replicated was observed via autoradiography following DNA extraction and southern blotting of BPV-transformed C127 cells. Sample extracts from cells exposed to specific chemical inhibitors of PKC, CDK, and DNAPK showed a consistent and significant decrease in viral DNA when compared to the DNA abundance of a control set of extracts. Extracts of cells subjected to inhibition of CK2 displayed an observable increase in replicated viral DNA. To ensure that the kinase modification was not effecting the growth or viability of the cells, a neutral red assay was performed and found no significant difference between control and chemically treated samples in cell viability or overall cell number. These findings, in conjunction with the differential viral DNA abundance, implicate that kinases PKC, CDK, CK2, and DNAPK, have a role in viral genome replication.

A trait-based impression formation task was used to investigate whether inconsistency discounting is one of the cognitive processes that produce self-generated attitude polarization. Three predictions were made. First, attitude polarization would increase as opportunity for thought increased. Second, inconsistency discounting would also increase as opportunity for thought increased. Third, the relationship between discounting and opportunity for thought would differ with individual differences in need for closure, need for structure, and intolerance of ambiguity. The results did not support the predictions. In contrast with the findings of previous self-generated attitude change investigations, differential opportunity for thought did not affect attitude change. Explanations for the results and directions for future research are discussed.