Graduation date: 1966

The major components of wheat flour are keys to its functionality in processing and product quality. The major components, other than the lipids, are polymers: starch, protein, and non-starchy polysaccharides (NSP). In wheat NSP are primarily arabinoxylans (AX). These components are compartmentalized in the grain but are forced into close contact after the disruption caused by the milling process. These components further interact once water is added to the flour to create doughs and batters. It is these interactions and the water holding capacities of these polymeric components that are the unifying thread for most of this dissertation, other than the inclusion of nutritional traits in chapters 6 and 7. This dissertation consists of three independent studies, the last of which had two parts. Study one was "Effect of carbonate on co-extraction of arabinoxylans (AX) with glutenin macropolymer (GMP)". The aim of this study was to investigate if the level of AX in GMP increased under alkaline extraction conditions compared to extractions done in water. The amount of wet GMP obtained from alkaline extraction was greater than that from water extraction. Hard wheats had overall higher GMP wet weights than soft wheats. The level of AX in GMP extracted under alkaline conditions was greater than that in GMP extracted with water and the amount of increase was generally higher in soft wheats. Study two was "Optimization of water addition to noodle doughs". The aim of this study was to determine if a lubricated squeezing flow (LSF) technique could be useful in determination of optimum water addition to noodle doughs. Comparing the LSF method with alternative methods (Mixograph and sieving test), optimum water additions predicted by LSF for both salted and alkaline soft-wheat derived noodle doughs were equivalent or slightly higher than those predicted by the Mixograph and sieving test. For both salted and alkaline hard-wheat derived noodle doughs, optimum water additions predicted by the LSF method were substantial higher than those predicted by the Mixograph but equivalent or slightly higher than those predicted by the sieving test. Relaxation time was the most useful parameter in determining optimum water addition for the soft-wheat noodle doughs. The LSF method in its current form was found to be not adequate for all noodle types. Additional work with LSF parameters altered to improve sensitivity and with more of samples should be performed. Study three was "Determination of wheat quality and quantitative trait locus analysis". Part 1 was to measure a comprehensive set of quality phenotypes (including nutritional parameters) on a wheat population derived from the cross Tubbs [soft] x NSA98-0995 [hard]; (T x N). Part 2 was to identify if there were quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with the traits determined in part 1. Considerable and transgressive segregation was observed for many of the studied traits. The transgressive segregation could useful, in that lines with superior soft-wheat quality can be identified that could be introduced quickly into the wheat breeding program from this elite x elite cross. Hardness index was significantly correlated with several important traits related to the solvent absorption capacity of the flour. Composite interval mapping detected a total of significant 28 QTLs on 10 wheat chromosomes for 15 end-use quality and nutrition traits in 2 harvest years. QTLs for total antioxidant activity (TAA) and total phenolic content (TPC) were identified for the first time. QTLs for TAA were on chromosomes 3B and 5BS, while the QTL for TPC was on chromosome 7AC. Hybridization between Tubbs and NSA surprisingly produced superior soft-wheat quality with potentially higher in nutritional values. The QTLs identified in this study could be useful in marker-assisted selection for future pre-selection of progeny from Tubbs or NSA. / Graduation date: 2012

Graduation date: 1996

This study was a cross-case comparison analysis of paired case studies of instructors and students in five first-year online college composition courses at a community college. The purpose of the study was to learn about “community” in these courses and the effects of community on the students' writing. Specifically, the study documented and discussed the instructors' beliefs, perspectives, policies, and practices concerning community in their online writing classes; the study also documented and discussed students' beliefs, perspectives, and experiences concerning community in their online classes. Each of the five online courses was observed from start to finish, and the study also analyzed the students' participation in the course communities and the writing they produced for the courses. A series of in-depth interviews with each pair of participants, along with observations of the courses and analyses of written artifacts from the various courses were the primary sources of data. The key findings of this study were: the prevalence of social constructivist theory and pedagogy in online writing courses; the necessity of policy and accountability in successfully building community; the theoretical versus practical value of community in the online writing course; the limited role of community when influencing students' writing; and the disparities between instructors' intentions and students' experiences of community. / Dissertation Chair: Dr. Gian Pagnucci Dissertation Committee Members: Dr. Michael Williamson and Dr. Nicholas Mauriello

Expertise in poetry reading and writing have been examined in previous studies using think-aloud protocol analysis of expert and novice participants. These studies have revealed important information about the way in which expert readers understand poetry and the way in which expert writers compose and revise expository pieces of writing. However, there are no previous studies that examine how expert and novices compare in terms of poetry composition. The current study confronts this gap by analysing the how expert and novice poets engage in a task of poetry revision and composition. Analysis of think-aloud protocols indicates that expert poets think more about processes of recursive revision and strategies for creative engagement, than do novice poets. In addition, issues of syntax and semantics drive the revision process for experts, whereas novices are concerned with issues of whether the poem conforms to expectations of poetic form and poetic textual devices.

This paper examines the relationship between immigrant-composition and wages of different occupations and different industries in Canada. It reports the effects of change in proportion of immigrants on the wage level in 1996 for both male and female Canadians and immigrants. First all immigrants are considered homogeneous and thereafter they are distinguished according to a wide array of criterion and a full spectrum of results are presented. These results suggest that for immigrants the aggregate relationship of income with immigrant composition is fairly small, unless they are subcategorised into specific groups (e.g. non-white immigrants, immigration after 1990). The corresponding wage penalties for Canadians are more uniform across the different subgroup specifications and decomposition of the data.

The Asian noodle market is responsible for the increased volume of wheat imported to that region in recent years. Soft white wheat produced in the Pacific Northwest is mainly used for baked products, whereas an Australian wheat, Australian Standard White, is preferred for noodles. To enter this market soft white-wheat cultivars with properties similar to or better than Australian Standard Whitemust be developed. This process is difficult as little is known of the factors that influence noodle quality. The use of grain-protein percentage, kernel hardness, and six viscosity parameters measured by the Rapid Visco Analyzer for predicting Japanese udonnoodle quality was evaluated. The Rapid Visco Analyzer was developed to indicate quickly and reliably the starch properties of a small wheat sample. Experimental material included advanced winter-wheat selections from the Oregon State University wheat-breeding program and Stephens, a widely grown winter-wheat cultivar. Two commercial spring cultivars, Owens and Klasic, thought to have good noodle quality were used as checks as was straight grade flour milled from Australian Standard White wheat. The material was grown at two locations (Rugg and Chambers) which represent diverse environments and management systems. Protein content, kernel hardness, and six viscosity parameters (Peakl, Low, Peak2, Peakl-Low, Peak2-Low, Peakl-Peak2) were measured. A sensoryevaluation panel evaluated the end product for surface appeal, texture, and taste. Within each location differences were found for all traits except protein content at the Rugg site and surface appeal at the Chamber location. Between the two experimental sites the only traits for which no differences were detected were kernel hardness and surface appeal. Significant entry by location interactions were observed for kernel hardness, Peakl- Peak2, and the three sensory-evaluation traits. Kernel hardness and grain-protein percentage were not associated, however both were negatively associated with the viscosity parameters. Associations of grain-protein, kernel hardness, and the viscosity parameters with the sensory evaluation traits were not statistically determined. A softer kernel texture appeared most useful for predicting Japanese udon-noodle quality as determined by sensory evaluation. Grain-protein percentage was not a good indicator by itself, but each cultivar may have a protein-content range within which noodle quality is optimized. This range may be influenced by the kernel texture. The viscosity parameters did not appear useful for predicting noodle quality as determined by the sensory evaluation panel. A more sensitive sensory evaluation method may be required to detect small however important differences and different viscosity parameters should be investigated. Based on the sensory-evaluation data several experimental entries appeared promising in having the desired quality profile for Japanese udon-noodles. / Graduation date: 1994

As the title of the work suggests, Burn brings to mind the qualities, characteristics and properties of fire: its volatile, destructive and unpredictable nature, and its often-overlooked sublime and evanescent states. Although I did not set out to programmatically depict the element in Burn, fire provides a metaphor for the compositional process. My objective was to compose a work that is harmonically and motivically rich, and where colour and character are of absolute importance. In turn, the work is explosive and unrelenting, with contrasting moments of subtler music. The complex and volatile personality of fire takes form right from the dramatic and combustible opening of Burn, through to the kaleidoscopic and mercurial textures of its developmental sections, its slow but catastrophic middle section, and its remorseless ending. And like the prodigiously agile nature of this element, I wanted to write a work that is engaging and virtuosic for its players. Burn is a single-movement work cast in three dramatic sections. The opening, spanning from mm. 1-24, establishes the musical material and sets the tone for the work. The music of the introduction gives way, at m. 25, to a developmental section, where varied forms of the introduction appear as structural delineators: mm. 68-71 to close the first part of the development, mm. 98-106 and mm. 131-136. The outer sections of Burn, mm. 1-136 and mm. 188-291, are fast and furious, colourful and nimble, and are similar to each other in character and content. The contrasting middle section, mm. 137-187, gives way to a different music, one that is slow and intense but shares motivic and harmonic attributes with the outer sections. The music climaxes at the return of the Tempo Primo, mm.166-187, with the defining motif of the outer sections superimposed at its original speed over the broad music of the middle section. Burn closes at the end of the third section with a varied return of the introduction.

Creating a space in Room 127 that is increasingly vital to English 100 is more complicated than just having students write on computers. To maximize our potentials in Room 127, we must deal with a variety of aspects — the history of the Writing Center, its functions, perceptions of it, pedagogies related to it, and its space, and our goals, for example ~ before we simply sit our freshman in front of computers and give them a writing prompt. Chapter One will provide a brief history of what Room 127's function has been. This review is necessary so that we can see the growth of our Writing Center to the point where it is presently. This history of our Writing Center and the way it defines itself can help us understand the current state of Room 127 and its function within the English Department. Knowing the history of our Writing Center can give us an understanding as to current perceptions of it and its usage. In Chapter Two, I will discuss histories, perceptions, and goals of writing centers in general so that we can see where Room 127 stands in relation to them. Noting the progress made at other writing centers can serve as valuable guidelines for possible improvements in Room 127. What follows in Chapter Three is an overview of writing pedagogies that are relevant to implementing computers and the Writing Center in the English curriculum. Social Constructivist theories and Networking theories are commonly encountered in writing classrooms that implement computers. They allow for a student-centered approach and enhance students' ownership of text. Writing on a computer can aid a student in seeing writing as a process. The networking capabilities of computers give students more options for conferencing that can help students help themselves. Activity Theory and Complexity Theory are applications from the natural sciences that are beginning to find applications in writing. In Chapter Four, I will explore the layout and actual space concerns of our Writing Center. Recently, WKU's English Department has been granted some much needed space in order to expand our Writing Center. Currently, Room 127's floor plan is inhibiting to certain types of activities which perhaps, in part, limits its usage by faculty. I will look at ways to redesign Room 127 to become more "user friendly" for a variety of teaching styles so that the technology is not a monolith but simply an aid to the professor. These suggestions should also be of benefit when we consider what to do with the new space we have been given. Other spatial concerns will touch upon ways to create an atmosphere that promotes writing, ways to make Room 127 a centripetal force, and ways to de-emphasize authority and ownership of a space. Though we cannot explore every possible way to use computers in English 100, Chapter Five will cover some practical applications of computers in an English 100 class. One need not be a computer wizard in order to perform these tasks. Quite often, some of these exercises are a computerized version of aspects already implemented in English 100. The concluding Chapter Six will be an overview of emerging trends in writing centers with an eye on what may be possible in our Writing Center within a few years. I will also touch on ways to better prepare our tutors for some of these upcoming changes. Some of the speculation in this chapter is intended to promote dialogue concerning the technological changes happening right now that will have implications on our teaching methods and styles in the coming years. Unfortunately, I cannot explore every aspect of technology related to the classroom, nor can I explore every teaching pedagogy related to writing centers. I try instead to focus on pedagogies and applications that are relevant to increasing the vitality of Room 127 to ENG 100. Because of rapidly expanding technologies and the rising computer capabilities among our students, I hope to show not only how we can make computers more vital to the instruction of such students but also the rationale behind such a belief and the trends that are inevitable. Therefore, I hope to present a relatively thorough examination of the possibilities we now have and an amalgamation of resources and ideas from which to promote further progress and dialogue in the tradition of Room 127.

Expertise in poetry reading and writing have been examined in previous studies using think-aloud protocol analysis of expert and novice participants. These studies have revealed important information about the way in which expert readers understand poetry and the way in which expert writers compose and revise expository pieces of writing. However, there are no previous studies that examine how expert and novices compare in terms of poetry composition. The current study confronts this gap by analysing the how expert and novice poets engage in a task of poetry revision and composition. Analysis of think-aloud protocols indicates that expert poets think more about processes of recursive revision and strategies for creative engagement, than do novice poets. In addition, issues of syntax and semantics drive the revision process for experts, whereas novices are concerned with issues of whether the poem conforms to expectations of poetic form and poetic textual devices.