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This basic qualitative study explored the perceptions of industry expert adjunct faculty on writing-in-the-disciplines to support students' development of professional writing skills. Theoretical foundations for this research were formed through a social constructivist lens, with threads of co-constructions of knowledge, active participation, and motivation as elements of situated learning theory, disciplinary literacy theory, and theory of andragogy. Prior research was explored to discover the writing experiences and teaching preparation of industry expert adjunct faculty members, the influence that adjunct employment experiences have on adjunct faculty perspectives, writing instruction in higher education, and writing norms of professional disciplines. This study provides data from 11 semi-structured interviews with adjunct faculty members who teach disciplinary courses in higher education. Interviews were conducted virtually. Teaching philosophy statements also were collected through a digital drop box for document analysis from five of the participants. Three research questions guided this study to discover the experiences that shape adjunct faculty perceptions on disciplinary literacy, writing-in-the-disciplines, and professional writing. Findings from this study include implications for practice and further research. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

The New Labour government placed communities at the heart of urban regeneration policy. Area deprivation and social exclusion were to be addressed through rebuilding community in deprived areas, a process involving tenure diversification and the building of bridging social capital to support community empowerment, increased aspirations and wide-spread mutually supportive relationships. There is, however, little empirical evidence that tenure mix is an effective means for achieving the social goals of neighbourhood renewal. This thesis contributes to the mixed tenure debate by exploring the impact of regeneration on community. The research was guided by theories of social structure and cultural systems and argues that the regeneration process may give rise to social divisions and conflict between community groups, inhibiting culture change. The research was conducted on a social housing estate located within the West Midlands region. The findings represent the views of local residents and community workers and suggest that greater recognition needs to be given to the role intimate social ties play in community sustainability, that the provision of supportive services must be balanced with individual self-efficacy, and that regeneration policy should focus less on what new homeowners can bring to a community and more on what community can already offer.

Numerous studies have found significant comorbidity between Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and anxiety disorders in children (e.g., Bauermeister et al., 2007; Busch et al., 2002), but limited research has examined factors that may underlie or explain this relationship (e.g., Lilienfeld, 2003; Baldwin & Dadds, 2008). This study aimed to contribute to the development of a comprehensive understanding of the relationship between symptoms of ADHD and symptoms of anxiety in children. The sample for this study was comprised of a clinical population of 258 boys and girls, ages 12-17. ADHD-related symptomology was measured using the Conners' Parent Rating Scale-Revised (CPRS-R), Conners' Teacher Rating Scale-Revised (CTRS-R), and Conners/Wells' Adolescent Self-Report Scale (CASS). Anxiety symptoms were measured using the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC). Major results indicated CASS Emotional Problems was the best predictor for the MASC Total; MASC Physical Symptoms Total and MASC Social Anxiety (Humiliation/Rejection) were the best predictors for CASS Emotional Problems; CASS Cognitive Problems/Inattention was significantly correlated with the MASC Total; and gender was not a significant predictor for the MASC Total. The results suggest considerable implications for practice, namely that children were the best reporters for their own internalizing symptomology; clinicians ought to be mindful of the limitations of assessing children based on parent or teacher report alone. The significant positive associations identified may render ADHD and anxiety symptomology difficult to distinguish in children, emphasizing that accurate detection of symptomology is critical for making accurate diagnoses and, consequently, developing more appropriate treatment plans for children with ADHD and/or anxiety. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

Historically, marine sponges have been of major interest to scientists for two often interrelated reasons: they are prolific sources of pharmacologically relevant natural products, and they are rich reservoirs of abundant and diverse microbiota. For this work, specimens of the bacteriosponges Verongula gigantea, Aplysina fistularis, Xestospongia muta, and Ectyoplasia ferox were collected off the west coast of San Salvador, The Bahamas. Samples of surrounding seawater and sediment were collected as well, for comparison. In many cases, symbiotic microbes are suspected of being the ‘true producers’ of natural products, rather than the invertebrate host. For this reason, a diverse bacterial library was cultivated from sponges that are known to contain a high abundance of microbes and bioactive metabolites. Overall, 902 bacterial colonies were isolated, followed by their dereplication and phylogenetic analysis. As a result, a bacterial library consisting of 107 species (OTUs) were isolated and comprised of members of four phyla (Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, and Proteobacteria), 18 families, and at least 29 genera. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the majority of bacterial isolates clustered with other marine-derived bacteria, including one putative invertebrate-specific clade (ISC) within Bacteroidetes. Also, numerous putatively novel bacteria were identified, and efforts were directed towards formally characterizing six of these isolates via polyphasic analysis as one novel family, two novel genera, and three novel species. Based on these cultivation studies, statistical analysis revealed that the bacterial communities derived from sediment and seawater were the most diverse, followed by the sponges V. gigantea and A. fistularis, and lastly X. muta and E. ferox. The communities cultivated from the sponge relatives V. gigantea and A. fistularis were more similar to each other than to other communities, yet they exhibited distinct bacterial signatures. Conversely, X. muta and E. ferox communities were the least diverse and displayed extensive taxonomic overlaps with bacterial populations derived from seawater and sediment, and thus were not significantly distinctive. A common feature of natural products isolated from marine sponges is the presence of a bromine functional group, often implicated as being responsible for accompanying bioactivities. A PCR screening method designed to probe for flavin-dependent halogenases was employed to identify key genes involved in the biosynthesis of halogenated metabolites. Partial sequences were amplified in sponge-derived Rhodococcus and Streptomyces species; however, halometabolites were not identified in the respective bacterial cultures. Nonetheless, several putatively novel and other known natural products were produced in bacterial cultures, many of which exhibited antibacterial properties. Although environmental bacteria are challenging to cultivate in the laboratory, sponges will likely remain excellent starting points to culture the “unculturable” for drug discovery. This research supports the notion that bacterial cultivation from sponges should remain a pathway for future natural product discovery.

Relationships between body dissatisfaction, dieting methods, father absence, and puberty timing were investigated in this study. Participants included adolescent females from Wave 1 of the National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent Health. Logistic regression results indicated that girls without a biological father in the home were significantly more likely to have an early onset of puberty than on-time or late. Girls who experienced early puberty exhibited higher levels of body dissatisfaction, but didn't use more dieting methods. Early onset girls more likely used dieting methods if their biological father was present than absent; however, no significant difference in body dissatisfaction was shown. A negative relationship with fathers indicated more body dissatisfaction. None of the attained findings were found when the biological mother was absent, and having a stepfather did not seem to matter. Evidence was revealed that fathers play a role in their daughters' view of their own bodies.