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Community Development Assessment For The State Of Utah: A Guide To Utah's Community Development Environment, Community Development Department, Federal Reserve Bank Of San Francisco

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

The Community Affairs Department of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco has developed a new series of reports for the nine states in the Twelfth District that both detail the demographic, economic, governmental, and institutional underpinnings of each state and provide an analysis of the various community development needs within each state. These reports, which we are calling “Environmental Assessments,” are meant to provide a framework for the array of community development activities that the department undertakes across the District. The hope is that the reports will not only provide a helpful compilation of existing community development needs and …

Pedagogical Agents’ Personas: Which Affects More, Image Or Voice?, Yanghee Kim, A. L. Baylor, G. Reed

Yanghee Kim

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of image and voice of pedagogical agents on student perception and learning. Pedagogical agents were developed with differing image (expert-like vs. mentor-like) and voice (strong vs. calm vs. computer-generated), but with identical gesture, affect, comments, and gender. 109 undergraduates in a computer literacy course were randomly assigned to one of the six conditions. The results revealed a significant main effect for agent image on role perception: the mentor-like image was perceived as more motivating, as hypothesized. Also, there was a significant main effect for voice: the strong voice was overall …

Corporate Responsibility To Provide Work-Family Programs, Susan R. Madsen

Marketing and Strategy Faculty Publications

Defining and determining the responsibility of business organizations to provide and assist employees with work-family programs and initiatives (e.g., employee assistance programs, parental leave extensions, childcare, elder care benefits, flextime, compressed workweek, and telecommuting) is a current critical issue that has ignited controversy during the past few decades. The author argues that work-family programs (at some level) should be a part of every company and should be strongly linked to employer benefits. To expand and implement work-family programs and services in companies today,she argues that training and educating business leaders about work-family options and benefits is the bestsolution. This paper …

Pedagogical Agent Design: The Impact Of Agent Gender, Ethnicity, And Instructional Role, A. L. Baylor, Yanghee Kim

Yanghee Kim

To investigate the role of pedagogical agent gender and ethnicity, 230 students were randomly assigned to one of twelve conditions, where agents differed by ethnicity (African-American, Caucasian), gender (male, female), and roles (expert, motivator, and mentor).

Action Learning Unveiled: Understanding Depth Through Exploring Related Constructs, Susan R. Madsen

Susan R. Madsen

Quality in learning continues to be of utmost importance in higher educational institutions around the world. A lack of clarity, however, arises in discussions around the definition or components of a quality learning experience. Many researchers and academicians purport that quality learning does not occur unless students are actively involved in the learning experience. An emerging pedagogy that addresses this quality is that of action learning. One concern, however, is that action learning is so broad that it is often difficult to fully understand its definition and scope. This article takes an in-depth look at this term and its connection …

Pastoral Risk Management In Southern Ethiopia: Observations From Pilot Projects Based On Participatory Community Assessments, D. Layne Coppock, Solomon Desta, Seyoum Tezera, Rancis K. Lelo

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

The Borana pastoral system has come under increasing pressure as human populations grow and per capita availability of resources declines. Livestock exhibit large, periodic die-offs that threaten wealth accumulation and food security. Several types of interventions may improve risk management here. For example, there may be opportunity for some pastoralists to diversify their livelihoods. Here we report on a community-based process involving pilot projects begun since 2000. We have embraced Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) and Action Research (AR) as tools for investigation and empowerment of local people. Full PRAs were conducted for semi-settled communities, located near towns, to identify priority …

Diabetes Stepping Up To The Plate: An Education Curriculum Focused On Food Portioning Skills, D. Pauline Williams, Heidi Leblanc, Nedra K. Christensen

Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Sciences Faculty Publications

The Diabetes Stepping up to the Plate program was developed to determine the effectiveness of food portion based diabetes education. One hundred fifty-one individuals enrolled in the diabetes series. Food portion knowledge and skills tests, height, weight, and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) were measured pre- and post-program. Data was analyzed through paired t-tests and correlations. Evaluation showed a decrease in HbA1C, waist/hip circumference, WHR, and BMI, and an improvement in food portion knowledge and skills. Seventy-five participants completed pre- and post-data collection parameters, although more participants completed all classes in the series. Extension can play a role in successful diabetes education.

Model Adjustments For Individual Patients Using Rocuronium, Rose Mills

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Neuromuscular blocking agents are used in the operating room to allow safe intubation and prevent dangerous movement during surgery. Six patients scheduled for laparoscopic surgery were monitored throughout the operation. We then adjusted the pharmacodynamic model parameters to better fit individual patient responses. Adjusting the models as the patient began to recover provided significantly better prediction of recovery from rocuronium when adjusted at a train-of-four ratio of 0.3. When these predictions are displayed to an anesthesiologist, or an astronaut who may be less trained in anesthesia, they may help in determining if another bolus of rocuronium or a reversal agent …

Review Of Social Competency Training For Pre-School And Elementary School Age Students At Risk For Developing Or Classified With Emotional/Behavioral Disorders, Cristine C. Sosa

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Social competency training is a common intervention for students at risk for developing or classified with emotional/behavioral disorders. However, a review of research indicated that it is only mildly effective in producing significant outcomes for these students. A number of factors have been identified as possibly impacting the success of social competency training, including: the intervention setting, the timing of intervention, characteristics of participants, characteristics of interventions and the outcome measurements ~d. A review of literature was conducted to evaluate these factors. Findings of the review indicate that there are not significant differences between interventions conducted in regular education and …

A Study Of Preservice Teachers' Attitudes Toward Human Rights And Unfair Labor Conditions: A Comparison Of The Influence Of Two Teaching Methods, Benicia D'Sa

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to examine the attitudes of preservice teachers towards human rights, particularly about human rights related to labor. To assess their attitudes of human rights and unfair labor conditions, two types of presentations, (a) docudrama and discussion, and (b) lecture and discussion, were conducted. The researcher evaluated these teaching methods on their efficacy in creating an awareness of human-rights violations and labor conditions. Additionally, the participants were exposed to two types of invitations to engage in human-rights advocacy.

The study involved elementary preservice teachers and secondary preservice teachers typically at the junior undergraduate level. There …

The Effects Of Auditory Stimulation On Academic And Behavior Performance In Children With And Without Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Penny L. Sneddon

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study evaluated the relationship between noise and academic performance and behavior of children with ADHD (n = 15) and without ADHD (n = 18). Children completed math sheets under four noise conditions: no noise, standard classroom noise, classroom noise with verbalizations, and classroom noise with classical music. There were no differences in math performance between the two groups. Children with ADHD exhibited more problem behaviors than children without ADHD. Group-by-condition interactions were not significant. Significant effects were found for noise condition; children completed more math problems and had fewer inappropriate behaviors in the no-noise condition. However, there …

Roles Of Religious Orientation And Health Locus Of Control In An Aging Population, Jennifer A. Fallon

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

An intrinsic religious orientation has been linked to improved cardiovascular health. Individuals may be protected by their beliefs against anger/hostility, which have been linked to increased cardiovascular reactivity and disease. Health locus of control differentiates between internals, who take responsibility for health, and externals, who attribute responsibility to chance or powerful others. Internal health locus of control has been linked to healthy behaviors, but its relationship to religious orientation is unclear.

Intrinsically held religious beliefs and internally held expectancies for health may, through the mechanism of reactivity, reduce risk for cardiovascular disease. This study explored relationships among health …

Developmental Changes In The Structure Of Affect: Is The Tripartite Model Equally Valid For Younger And Older Children?, Bryan B. Bushman

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Many studies investigating the validity of the Tripartite model of affect in children have been supportive of the model. However, few studies have examined if older and younger children structure affect similarly. The current study used confirmatory factor analytic techniques (SEM) to test the validity of the tripartite model in two developmentally distinct populations of children (third and sixth grade). Confirmatory factor analytic methods examined one-factor, two-factor correlated, and two-factor uncorrelated models. Furthermore, the pattern of correlations between positive affect (PA), negative affect (NA), and dependent measures of anxiety and depression was calculated.

The results indicated the two-factor correlated and …

Nutrition And Bone Density In Children With Cystic Fibrosis, Joanna K. Davidson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of these studies was to further research on bone density in children with cystic fibrosis, particularly as it pertains to nutritional parameters and care. The first paper presented a comparison of a group of 50 children with cystic fibrosis to a group of 32 control children. There were no significant differences between the groups in any of the pertinent bone density measurements. Serum 25(OH) vitamin D was positively correlated with spine density z score in the cystic fibrosis group.

The second paper, incorporating all of the information obtained from the first paper, describes an intervention study with the …

Parents' Knowledge And Attitudes About Immunization In India, Anne George

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Childhood immunization is acknowledged as being a crucial health intervention for children. Immunization rates of children may vary depending on their parents' knowledge and attitudes about the issue. The focus of this study is on parents' knowledge and attitudes about immunization, and employs Urie Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory. A questionnaire was administered to 233 parents in India to explore the issues of parental immunization knowledge and attitudes. Correlates of parental knowledge and attitudes that were explored included gender, education, respondents' immunization status, and children's immunization status. Sources of parental knowledge about immunization were also examined. Overall, parents in this sample …

Physicians' Health Promotion Practices For Mexican American Patients At Risk For Type 2 Diabetes, Holly Day Mcfarland

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The relationship between physicians' perceptions of Mexican American patients at risk for Type 2 diabetes and the subsequent care they provide was studied. Primary care providers responded to questionnaires about their health promotion practices. A 2x2 analysis of variance was used to identify differences in reported treatment of patients that accounted for both ethnicity and risk. Results indicated Hispanic patients received less time with their providers than Caucasian patients regardless of risk for Type 2 diabetes. Both groups received about the same reported care in terms of information gathered for diagnosis, diagnosis made, and treatment regimen prescribed. Data also suggested …

Women In International Development Theory, Policy And Progress, Melina Tew

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The Platform for Action of the Fourth World Conference on Women (1995) states: "Equality between women and men is a matter of human rights and a condition for social justice and is also a necessary and fundamental prerequisite for equality, development and peace." As this statement suggests, women are indispensable to any program in the developing world desiring sustainable, effective development. Despite efforts to thwart gender inequality, more women than men still live below the poverty line, and there is a global gender gap in levels of education and access to resources. In response to these conditions, the UN Population …

Identifying And Conceptualizing The Learning Styles Of Youth Referred To The Juvenile Court System, Linda Hall Smith

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Increasingly youth are being referred to the Juvenile Court for a variety of crimes, including those involving sexually offensive behavior. In the Fall of 2003 the Honorable Judge Gordon Low, of the First District Court in Cache County, State of Utah, requested that a program be developed that would address concerns with regard to the increased frequency of sexually offensive complaints being filed in both the Juvenile, as well as the District Court. His desire was that this program be designed, using an educational format, for youth in Middle and High Schools. Further, it was his intent that it serves …

Meanings Transferred Through The Consumption Of Jewelry In Romania, Meagan Call

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

In the past decade, there has been a vast expansion and globalization of markets. This "globalization demands that consumer researchers have experience and knowledge about individual countries and international conditions" (Arnould et al, 2002). The globalization of consumer research "demands that...researchers have experience and knowledge about individual countries and international conditions...meaningful synthesis and comparison demands not just proficiency in statistical methods and languages but insights into cultural differences" (Arnould et al, 2002). What is important for marketers to understand is the relationship between culture and product meanings. One important area of meanings involves personal meanings such as those high involvement …

Amazonian Women: A Multi-Voiced Narrative On Surviving Breast Cancer, Melissa Bowles

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

When my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in May of 2003, I immediately turned to journal writing and to reading to try and make sense of what was happening in my family. I searched websites for causes of breast cancer and ways to prevent it, I read literary women's memoirs, and I wrote a great deal about the way that I was feeling: scared, guilty, angry, broken. As a reader and a writer I needed to somehow intellectualize all of the things I was feeling. This writing project is a product of that initial response and of my subsequent …

Adult Attachment Styles And Their Correlation With Marital Adjustment And Divorce, Cheryl Jones

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The theory of attachment is a fairly recent approach to studying the relationship between romantic partners. Attachment theory was originally studied to explain the needs and behaviors between infants and their primary caregivers. The attachment style that infants have with their primary caregiver characterizes them throughout their entire lives. Three different styles of attachment have been described: secure, avoidant, and ambivalent. Secure individuals find it easy to get close to others. Avoidant individuals are nervous when people get too close. Ambivalent individuals want to get very close to others and are fearful of abandonment.

Various research studies suggest that attachment …

Assessment Of Calcium, Milk, And Non-Milk Beverage Intake Of Multiethnic Youth Aged 10 To 18 Years, J. Keith Jensen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Achieving and maintaining maximal peak bone mass is critical to the prevention of osteoporosis. Adequate calcium intake during youth is a major aspect of proper bone mass development. Because of the importance of calcium, a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) that estimates calcium intake of 10- to 18-year-old Asian, Hispanic, and white youth living in the western United States was developed. This new FFQ was shown to accurately and reliably estimate calcium intake of these youth. Accuracy among Hispanics, however, was low and requires further evaluation. A second study examined intake of calcium, milk, and non-milk beverages of Hispanic and non-Hispanic …

Voluntary And Involuntary Weight Change And Risk Of Osteoporotic Hip Fracture In Men And Women Of Utah, Megan Ruth Mcdonough

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Change in body weight is an important determinant of risk of osteoporotic hip fracture in aging adults. Weight loss has been associated with an increased risk of hip fracture and weight gain has been associated with a decreased risk of hip fracture. Weight gain cannot be recommended as appropriate prevention against hip fracture, however, because it is associated with such adverse health outcomes as cardiovascular disease and diabetes, and weight loss is commonly recommended in the treatment of these types of diseases. Clarification of how weight loss is related to risk of hip fracture is needed to resolve this issue. …

School Counselors' Referral Practices Of Children With Internalizing Symptoms, Kelly Hughes

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This project proposed to examine school counselors' knowledge of and experiences with internalizing issues in children. The sample included all elementary and middle/secondary school counselors employed in Utah. The measure used in the present study was a questionnaire adapted from a study by Green, Clopton, and Pope. Analyses revealed that few elementary school counselors would meet with a student struggling with internalizing symptoms, but many would meet with the students' teacher(s) and parents. Overall, fewer secondary school counselors endorsed the presented responses as compared to elementary school counselors. More than half of both elementary and secondary school counselors indicated they …

Power Distance Perceptions In Post-Soviet Russia: Understanding The Workplace Environment, Olga Kamenchuk

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The modem business economy is characterized by increased collaboration among different organizations across nation al boundaries. Post-Soviet Russia is one of the regions that is witnessing rapid economic growth and development of international business relations. Because of the challenges in intercultural communication the current study focuses on the problem of power distance, specifically in the workplace (in post-Soviet Russia).

A phenomenological perspective, based on qualitative methodology, guided this research into the meaning of power experiences for individuals. Symbolic interactionism was used as a research paradigm of the study to view humans as active participants of the workplace, who engage in …

Predictors Of Outcome Of Surgery For Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Clayton T. Manning

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Wrist surgery is a common method for treating carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) although few studies have examined patient outcomes or predictive correlates of such procedures. The objectives of this study were to characterize Utah workers who received surgery for CTS in terms of relevant presurgical and outcome variables and to identify presurgical correlates of patient outcomes. Participants were 75 Utah workers' compensation patients who underwent surgery for CTS from 1999-2002 and were at least 6 months postsurgery at time of follow-up. A retrospective cohort design was utilized consisting of a review of presurgical medical records and a postsurgical telephone survey. …

The Use Of Stress Management In Combination With Parent Training: An Intervention Study With Parents Of Preschool Children, Theresa L. Gunderson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Many preschool children exhibit a number of problematic, acting-out behaviors. Parents of preschoolers exhibiting behavior problems often experience a great deal of stress associated with these problem behaviors. Consistently robust improvements have been found in the use of stress management for adult stress, pain, and medical wellbeing. Likewise, studies have shown parent training decreases the severity of child behavior problems. However, only a few studies have examined effects of parent training on both child behavior and parent stress. Some studies have found that parents who complete parent training also report lowered stress levels commensurate with improvement of child behavior. It …

Risk Factors For Selected Health-Related Behaviors Among American Indian Adolescents: A Longitudinal Study, Amy Jo Williams

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Suicide and accidents are the leading causes of death among American Indian (AI) adolescents. Engaging in health-compromising behaviors (HCB) is higher among AI youth than among multicultural, national samples of adolescents. These HCBs include: smoking, drinking alcohol, drug use, and delinquency. Studies that identify legitimate predictors of these behaviors among AI adolescents are needed to guide research and interventions.

Primary socialization theory (PST) suggests that peer groups, family, and school are the only areas where adolescents are directly taught to accept or reject deviant or normative behavior. Gateway theory indicates that use of certain drugs by adolescents, such as cigarettes …

The Reliability And Validity Of The Boatwright-Bracken Child Attention Deficit Scales: Child And Parent Versions, Erica S. Thomas

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study examined the psychometric properties of a new measure of attention-deficit/hyperactive disorder (ADHD) symptoms, the Boatwright-Bracken Child Attention Deficit Scale (BCADS), self- and parent-report forms. Parents and children with and without ADHD completed the BCADS to determine the reliability and validity of the BCADS. The BCADS-Child and Parent had high internal consistency reliability. The total sample parent-selfratings were moderately correlated, indicating a typical level of cross informant agreement.

Results indicate that the BCADS differentiates children with ADHD from children without ADHD. Children and parents in the clinical sample reported more symptoms of ADHD than those in the comparison sample. …

Predictors Of Graduation And Rearrest In A Contemporary Juvenile Drug Court Program, Anthony Phillip Tranchita

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Research on the efficacy of drug courts for substance-abusing criminal adult offenders has generally found reduced recidivism rates, and both actual and potential cost savings to the public. However, outcome research on juvenile drug courts has been limited. Furthermore, little research has examined variables that may be predictive of outcome in this population. This study reports graduation and rearrest rates for a sample of juvenile drug court participants in Salt Lake City, Utah. Also, this research assessed whether demographics, prior arrest history, attendance at drug education classes, serving detention time, or a preprogram measure of degree of substance abuse (SAS …