Digital Commons Network^™

Can Engagement Be Compared? Measuring Academic Engagement For Comparison, Ling Tan, Xiaoxun Sun, Siek Toon Khoo

Dr Siek Toon Khoo

Student engagement is a reflection of active involvement in learning. In digital learning environment, research studies on engagement have been focused on detecting behavioral and psychological engagement indicators from the patterns of activities using feature engineering, but student engagement estimates were rarely compared across sessions or across domains of learning. This paper describes how this could be done by revisiting engagement instrument, diagnosing engagement indicators, estimating engagement parameters, and equating. This study illustrates how engagement reliability can be improved by refining engagement indictors. We demonstrated through DataShop data that student engagement levels can be compared across domains of learning.

Optimal Planning For Traffic Signal Alternative Power Sources In Signal Network, Mo Zhao, Anuj Sharma

Mo Zhao

Dark signals and flash operation during traffic signal malfunction can degrade the efficiency and safety at an intersection warranting a signalized control. Alternative power sources, such as an uninterruptable power supply system, can provide power protection as well as power back-up to the traffic control systems. The policy makers, with limited budgets and unlimited demands, need a tool to choose signalized intersections that can be provided with backup power. They also need to decide the battery capacity at these intersections. At present, there exists no such tool that can help to make an optimal choice for capacity and installation of …

Political Competition And Local Social Spending: Evidence From Brazil, Carew Boulding, David Brown

David C. Brown

Electoral theories of democracy imply electoral competition insures accountability. Using data on local elections, socioeconomic factors, and municipal budgets from more than 5,000 municipalities in Brazil for the years 1996, 2000, and 2004, we find that municipalities with more competitive elections allocate less to social spending compared to municipalities with little political competition. We argue that previous theory on political competition and public goods obscures the critical role that financial resources play in shaping the dynamics of social spending and political competition. Municipalities with small budgets lack the resources necessary to engineer convincing electoral victories. Where resources are negligible, voter …

Examining Cohort Differences And Resilience Among The Aging Lgbt Community: Implications For Education And Practice Among An Expansively Diverse Population, Michael Dentato, John Orwat, Marcia Spira, Benjamin Walker

Marcia Spira

Gender And Theory Of Mind In Preschoolers’ Group Effort: Evidence For Timing Differences Behind Children’S Earliest Social Loafing, Robert Thompson, Bill Thornton

Bill Thornton

This study explored mental state reasoning within the context of group effort and possible differences in development between boys and girls. Preschool children (59 girls, 47 boys) were assessed for theory of mind (ToM) ability using classic false belief tests. Children participated in group effort conditions that alternated from one condition, where individual effort was transparent and obvious, to one where individual effort remained anonymous. The aim was to investigate if emergent mental state reasoning, after controlling for age, was associated with the well-known phenomenon of reduced effort in group tasks (“social loafing”). Girls had slightly higher ToM scores and …

Examining Cohort Differences And Resilience Among The Aging Lgbt Community: Implications For Education And Practice Among An Expansively Diverse Population, Michael Dentato, John Orwat, Marcia Spira, Benjamin Walker

John Orwat

Who's Talking About (And Citing) Me? Tracking Your Work Using Databases, Google, Web Of Knowledge, And Altmetrics Tools, Julia Lovett, Andrée Rathemacher, Amanda Izenstark

Julia Lovett

Slides and handouts from a presentation, "Who's Talking About (and Citing) Me? Tracking Your Work using Databases, Google, Web of Knowledge, and Altmetrics Tools," offered at the University of Rhode Island Libraries on April 9 and April 10, 2014.

"Stop using the impact factor as a measure of the value of your research. There are better ways. In this hands-on session find out about tools that can help you learn how your work is being received, used, and disseminated across scholarly platforms and social media networks."

Part of the University Libraries' Search Savvy Seminar series.

Copyright, Fair Use, And Education: Your Rights As A Student, Faculty Member, And Researcher, Julia Lovett, Andrée Rathemacher, Angel Ferria

Julia Lovett

Slides, handouts, and classroom examples from a presentation, "Copyright, Fair Use, and Education: Your Rights as a Student, Faculty Member, and Researcher," offered at the University of Rhode Island Libraries on February 24 and February 25, 2014.

"Learn how Fair Use can help you incorporate copyrighted works (written material, images, video, etc.) into your research, teaching, and academic projects. Have questions about Fair Use and Copyright? Please bring them to these interactive sessions!"

Part of the University Libraries' Search Savvy Seminar series.

Toward A Radical Integral Humanism: Macintyre’S Continuing Marxism, Jeffery Nicholas

Jeffery Nicholas

I argue that we must read Alasdair MacIntyre’s mature work through a Marxist lens. I begin by discussing his argument that we must choose which God to worship on principles of justice, which, it turns out, are ones given to us by God. I contend that this argument entails that we must see Mac- Intyre’s early Marxist commitments as given to him by God, and, therefore, that he has never abandoned them in his turn to Thomistic-Aristotelianism. I examine his reading of Marx, with its emphasis on the concept of alienation as a Christian concept, and explain how this reading …

Retrieval Of Aerosol Microphysical Properties From Aeronet Photopolarimetric Measurements: 1. Information Content Analysis, Xiaoguang Xu, Jun Wang

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

This paper is the first part of a two-part study that aims to retrieve aerosol particle size distribution (PSD) and refractive index from the multispectral and multiangular polarimetric measurements taken by the new-generation Sun photometer as part of the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET). It provides theoretical analysis and guidance to the companion study in which we have developed an inversion algorithm for retrieving 22 aerosol microphysical parameters associated with a bimodal PSD function from real AERONET measurements. Our theoretical analysis starts with generating the synthetic measurements at four spectral bands (440, 675, 870, and 1020 nm) with a Unified Linearized …

A Kinect-Based System For Automatic Recording Of Some Pigeon Behaviors, Damian Lyons, James Macdonall, Kelly Cunningham

Faculty Publications

Contact switches and touch screens are the state of the art for recording pigeons’ pecking behavior. Recording other behavior, however, requires a different sensor for each behavior, and some behaviors cannot easily be recorded. We present a flexible and inexpensive image-based approach to detecting and counting pigeon behaviors that is based on the Kinect sensor from Microsoft. Although the system is as easy to set up and use as the standard approaches, it is more flexible because it can record behaviors in addition to key pecking. In this article, we show how both the fast, fine motion of key pecking …

Development Of In Vitro Denture Biofilm Models For Halitosis Related Bacteria And Their Application In Testing The Efficacy Of Antimicrobial Agents, Tingxi Wu, Xuesong He, David J. Bradshaw, Alyson Axe, Zvi G. Loewy, Honghu Liu, Renate Lux

Touro College of Pharmacy (New York) Publications and Research

Objective: Since dentures can serve as a reservoir for halitosis-causing oral bacteria, halitosis development is a concern for denture wearers. In this study, we surveyed the prevalence of four selected halitosis-related species (Fusobacterium nucleatum, Tannerella forsythia, Veillonella atypica and Klebsiella pneumoniae) in clinical denture plaque samples, and developed denture biofilm models for these species in vitro to facilitate assessment of antimicrobial treatment efficacy. Design: Denture plaque from ten healthy and ten denture stomatitis patients was screened for the presence of aforementioned four species by PCR. Biofilm formation by these halitosis-associated species on the surfaces of denture …

An Examination Of Intimate Partner Violence And Cigarette Smoking Among African American Women In 12 States, Eboneka Coleman

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Abstract

Introduction. African American female intimate partner victims (IVP) are more likely to abuse substances, suffer from depression and anxiety, and experience mental health issues, including PTSD, all of which are risk factors for smoking. The purpose of this study is to determine among African American women who have ever experienced IPV the prevalence of smoking and whether it is influenced by education and income.

Methods. Data for this study comes from the 2005 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) state-based Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). This primary study population was African American females who answered IPV-related questions …

Engaging In Social Justice With Toddlers, Susan M. Nasiombe

Capstone Collection

This study was created as a way to highlight and begin filling a large void in academic information regarding the ways caregivers engage in social justice with the toddlers they care for. Through an online survey, participants were asked to explain their role and experience as caregivers, give their definition of social justice, share the social justice resources they use to help inform their engagement with toddlers, and list the limitations and barriers they face in achieving their goals in this area. Participants were also asked to assess their value of various elements commonly used to engage toddlers in social …

Exploring The Process, Models, And Outcomes Of Hospital-Public Health Partnerships, Danielle M. Varda, Jessica H. Retrum, Carrie Chapman

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

Health care reform has resulted in changes throughout the health system, including the Affordable Care Act (ACA) requirement that hospitals conduct community health needs assessments, taking into greater consideration the public health of their respective communities. This has led to growing strategies to develop partnerships between hospitals and public health (PH) as a way to meet these needs¹. Meantime, there is a need for data on Hospital-PH partnerships, due to the growing emphasis that these types of partnerships get implemented in practice. In this paper we analyze a secondary data set to explore how hospitals and public health …

A Case Study Of Cross-Jurisdiction Resource Sharing: The Merger Of Two Tuberculosis Clinics In East Tennessee., Anne Kershenbaum, Margaret A. Knight, Martha L. Buchanan, Janet Ridley, Paul C. Erwin

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

Cross-jurisdiction resource sharing is considered a possible means to improve efficiency and effectiveness of public health service delivery. A merger of the Tuberculosis (TB) clinics of a rural and a metropolitan jurisdiction in East Tennessee provided an opportunity to study service provision changes in real time. A mixed methods approach was used, including quantitative data on latent TB treatment outcomes and qualitative data from staff interviews, as well as documentation of changes in staffing time in TB services. Results showed a mix of efficiency changes, indicating probable increased pressure on key service providers after the merger, in addition to expected …

Winona Currents Annual Report 2014, University Advancement - Winona State University

Winona Currents

Winona Currents Annual Report for 2014.

The Murray Ledger And Times, December 31, 2014, The Murray Ledger And Times

The Murray Ledger & Times

No abstract provided.

Abq Free Press, December 31, 2014, Abq Free Press

ABQ Free Press

No abstract provided.

Masthead

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

No abstract provided.

Front Matter

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

No abstract provided.

Impact Of A Yearlong Placement In A Pds On Teacher Interns’ Dispositions And Abilities To Teach Middle School, Chantelle Renaud-Grant

Georgia Educational Researcher

As students prepare to enter college and the workforce, there has been a demand for them to be more independent, critical thinkers, innovative designers, and thoughtful collaborators. This preliminary study describes how a Professional Development School (PDS) partnership, between a middle school and a university, provides a more authentic teaching opportunity for middle grades teacher interns compared to the traditional, middle grades internship route. An authentic teaching experience provides a successful transition from “student to teacher” through a collaborative work environment; observing and developing the dispositions of an effective teacher; and learning the culture and structure of a school. The …

The Status Of Tracheostomy Patients Receiving Speech Therapy: A Pilot Study, Cai-Jhen Lu, Ya-Hui Wang

Rehabilitation Practice and Science

Objectives: Many patients with tracheostomy have significant communication and swallowing difficulties, impairing their quality of life. They also have eating problems because they cannot eat by mouth, and require tube-feeding to receive adequate nutrition. Furthermore, most conscious tracheostomy patients need to communicate with body language because they have difficulties in verbal communication. The patients' treatment rate in speech therapy is not high, and the medical staff in different medical branches have varying degrees of awareness. Few studies exist in Taiwan on the needs of tracheostomy patients to treat the problems of their communication and swallowing. Methods: We conducted a survey …

State Of Utah, Appellee, Vs. D.G., Appellant A Person Under 18 Years Of Age., Utah Supreme Court

Utah Supreme Court Briefs (2000– )

Appeal from an adjudication for aggravated sexual assault, a first degree felony punishable by fifteen-years-to life if committed by an adult, in violation of Utah Cose Section 76-5-405, see Utah Code 76-5-405 (2013), entered in the Third District Juvenile Court, in and for Salt Lake county, State of Utah, the Honorable Kimberly K. Hornak presiding. On certification to the Utah Supreme Court from the Utah Court of Appeals.

State V. Hernandez Respondent's Brief Dckt. 42076

Not Reported

No abstract provided.

Arkansas Water Resources Center Annual Technical Report, 2014, Arkansas Water Resources Center

Arkansas Water Resources Center Annual Report

No abstract provided.

Addressing The ‘Shift’: Preparing Preservice Secondary Teachers For The Common Core, Stephanie M. Bennett, Steven M. Hart

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Common Core represents a shift in content-area literacy instruction, broadening from a narrow focus on generalizable skills to also include a disciplinary perspective of literacies specific to the specialized language and habits of thinking within particular subjects. This requires teachers to be knowledgeable in their content and possess competence in pedagogical practices that allow them to scaffold their students’ literacy development within these disciplines. We examined how the implementation of a Disciplinary Literacy Project into a content-area literacy course influenced preservice secondary teachers’ disciplinary literacy practice. The findings suggest structured inquiry into disciplinary communities enhances preservice teachers’ understanding of disciplinary …

Reading Horizons Vol. 53 No. 4

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

No abstract provided.

Impact Of The Municipal Solid Waste Incineration Plant In Warsaw On Air Quality, Robert Oleniacz

Robert Oleniacz

The only Polish municipal solid waste (MSW) incinerator has been operating within the Municipal Solid Waste Disposal Plant in Warsaw since 2000. In the paper selected results of the air quality impact assessment for this incinerator during an operating period of one year (2008) are presented. With respect to the incinerated waste amounts and emission levels, the analysed period can be considered typical for this facility. Assessment of the air quality impact was carried out by assessing air pollutant emissions in reference to the applicable emission limit values and by modeling atmospheric dispersion of these pollutants. It has been found …

Scholarworks Statistics - January Through December 2014, Scholarworks

ScholarWorks Reports

During 2014, ScholarWorks recorded a total of 426,901 full-text downloads and 127,706 page views.