Digital Commons Network^™

Invalidating The Full Scale Iq Score In The Presence Of Significant Factor Score Variability: Clinical Acumen Or Clinical Illusion?, Ryan J. Mcgill

Archives of Assessment Psychology

Within the professional literature, it is frequently suggested that significant variability in lower-level factor and index scores on IQ tests renders the resulting FSIQ an inappropriate focus for clinical interpretation and diagnostic decision-making. To investigate the tenability of this popular interpretive heuristic, the present study examined the structural and predictive validity of the KABC-II for participants in the normative sample who were observed to have significant variability in their factor scores. Participants were children and adolescents, ages 7-18, (N = 2,025) drawn from the KABC-II/KTEA-II standardization sample. The sample was nationally stratified and proportional to U.S. census estimates for sex, …

The Effectiveness Of A Computer-Based Program On The Reading Performance Of Fourth-Grade Students, Latonya L. Cooper

Theses and Dissertations

The intent of this applied dissertation was to determine whether a reading intervention of a computer-based program would increase the reading comprehension and vocabulary skills of students in fourth grade in a Title I elementary school. Although the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) covers various federal education programs, the law’s requirements for testing, accountability, and school improvement receive the most attention. NCLB requires states to test students in reading and mathematics annually in Grades 3-8 and once in Grades 10-12. Schools must test students in science once in Grades 3-5, 6-8, and 10-12. Individual schools, school districts, and states …

Characteristics Of Adult General Education Learners And Courses: A Correlational Study On The Elements Of Success, Daniel Jennings Stackhouse

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if a correlation exists among characteristics common to successful adult career and technical students in the traditional classroom setting, the online mode of instruction, and a hybrid of the traditional and distance mode of instructional delivery. A gap in the literature exists, resulting in a lack of knowledge specific to the reasons for success or failure of these adult career and technical students, specifically in relation to mode of instructional delivery: traditional classroom, online, or a hybrid of both.

This study is a quantitative correlation study of explanatory and predictive design using …

Evaluation Of Marzano’S Instructional-Strategies Program At A Southeastern Elementary School, Renee B. Evans

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this applied dissertation was to evaluate an instructional-strategies program implemented at a southeastern elementary school. The program was implemented with the intent to increase teacher effectiveness, thereby impacting student achievement. The evaluation sought to determine if the strategies were implemented as designed and the impact and effectiveness of the program. The research also sought to determine what strategies should be sustained and any unanticipated effects.

The Stufflebeam program-evaluation model was used to guide the research. Only the process and product evaluation types were used. The school’s principal and district’s instructional coach were interviewed, and 40 of 48 …

Effects Of A Music Literacy Integration Intervention On Teachers’ Self-Efficacy And Proactive Attitudes Toward Music Integration In Classroom Instruction, Mary Louise Keyloun Cruz

Theses and Dissertations

With the adoption of the common core state standards, pressure to raise the achievement of young learners was intense. Classroom teachers were scrutinized to teach lessons with high levels of thinking and rigor. Teachers were inclined to eliminate or ignore artsenriched lessons that would benefit students. The reason for this action was associated with the efficacy of the classroom teacher toward music integration in literacy curriculum. The purpose of the study was to examine the effects of the Music Literacy Integration Intervention (MLII) on the self-efficacy and proactiveness of teachers at a small elementary school in Florida toward integration of …

Librarians’ Use Of Instructional Design Methods In Creating Information Literacy Instruction, Michael W. Wilson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this sequential explanatory mixed methods study was to determine whether instruction librarians in the United States and Canada were using instructional design (ID) methods, and to identify potential explanations for their adoption or rejection of those methods. The theory of planned behavior (Ajzen, 1985) served as the theoretical framework for the study. Research questions examined the relationship between respondents’ reported use of ID methods and the following factors: (a) behavioral, normative, and control beliefs, (b) demographic factors, and (c) professional identity as teachers. A survey adapted from Ajjan and Hartshorne (2008) and from Julien and Genuis (2011) …

The Construction And Validation Of An Instructor Learning Analytics Implementation Model To Support At-Risk Students, Holly M. Mckee

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

With the widespread use of learning analytics tools, there is a need to explore how these technologies can be used to enhance teaching and learning. Little research has been conducted on what human processes are necessary to facilitate meaningful adoption of learning analytics. The research problem is that there is a lack of evidence-based guidance on how instructors can effectively implement learning analytics to support academically at-risk students with the purpose of improving learning outcomes. The goal was to develop and validate a model to guide instructors in the implementation of learning analytics tools to support academically at-risk students with …

An Examination Of The Practice Of Aligning Speech-Language Therapy Goals To The Common Core State Standards For English Language Arts, Gerard Francis Shine

Theses and Dissertations

Implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) is now a curriculum priority for school districts across the United States. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are exploring ways to incorporate the CCSS into their assessment and therapy practices. Literature centered on the development of language goals aligned with the CCSS for English language arts (ELA) was limited. The purpose of this study was to identify if SLPs working in public elementary and middle school settings had adopted the practice of aligning their language-intervention goals to the CCSS for ELA for students on their caseloads. Perceived feasibility of language goal alignment to the …

The Our Florida Reefs Coastal Use Survey: An Online Survey To Support Stakeholder Management Recommendations For Southeast Florida, Amanda Rose Costaregni

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Coral reefs are an important resource world-wide. Unfortunately, coral reef conditions are declining in many areas due to both global and local stressors. The objective of this study was to survey stakeholders in southeast Florida to better understand reef use in the region. Stakeholders spatially identified where and how often they conducted their activities. These data were compiled and analyzed in GIS to determine spatial use patterns. Both location and intensity of use were analyzed to determine which areas may be under greater stress from recreational activities. It was found that reef use was not evenly distributed in the region …

Natural Vs. Anthropogenic Sedimentation: Does Reducing A Local Stressor Increase Coral Resilience To Climate Change?, Francesca Fourney

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Corals face serious worldwide population declines due to global climate change in combination with direct anthropogenic impacts. Global climate change is difficult to manage locally, but policy makers can regulate the magnitude of local stressors affecting reefs. The objective of this experiment is to investigate if reducing sedimentation will enable reef corals to better endure global climate change. It has been shown that some coral species can handle climate change stress when provided with additional energy resources. Here I tested if the capacity of corals to cope with climate change can be improved when their ability to feed and photosynthesize …

Direct Phenotypic Screening In Mice: Identification Of Individual, Novel Antinociceptive Compounds From A Library Of 734 821 Pyrrolidine Bis-Piperazines, Richard A. Houghten, Michelle L. Ganno, Jay P. Mclaughlin, Colette T. Dooley, Shainnel O. Eans Torrey Pines Institute For Molecular Studies, Radleigh Santos, Travis Lavoi, Adel Nefzi, Greg Welmaker, Marc A. Giulianotti, Lawrence Toll

Mathematics Faculty Articles

The hypothesis in the current study is that the simultaneous direct in vivo testing of thousands to millions of systematically arranged mixture-based libraries will facilitate the identification of enhanced individual compounds. Individual compounds identified from such libraries may have increased specificity and decreased side effects early in the discovery phase. Testing began by screening ten diverse scaffolds as single mixtures (ranging from 17 340 to 4 879 681 compounds) for analgesia directly in the mouse tail withdrawal model. The “all X” mixture representing the library TPI-1954 was found to produce significant antinociception and lacked respiratory depression and hyperlocomotor effects using …

A Comparison Of Infaunal Community Structure Between Pre- And Post Construction Sampling Of Artificial Fdot Rock- Pile Reefs In Broward County, Florida, Joan Lorraine Guerra

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Artificial reefs (ARs) are generally created with the intention of increasing local fish populations, biodiversity and corresponding habitat productivity, most often in support of commercial and recreational uses (e.g., diving and fishing). Numerous studies have investigated the communities that develop on artificial reefs. By contrast, far less research has focused on the surrounding infaunal communities, which represent critical trophic resources for many species that populate both natural and artificial reefs, and which may be affected both by AR deployment and the organisms that subsequently recruit to them. This study compared infaunal organism abundances at four sites between the inner and …

Connectivity Of Coastal And Oceanic Ecosystems: Pelagic Habitat Use By Juvenile Reef Fishes In The Gulf Of Mexico, Katie Bowen

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

The assemblage structure, abundance, biomass, and vertical distribution of juvenile reef fishes in the offshore pelagic habitat of the northern Gulf of Mexico are described as part of the NOAA-supported Offshore Nekton Sampling and Analysis Program. The results presented here are from a 3-month, continuous sampling series in 2011 in which discrete depth strata from 0 to 1500 m were sampled using a 10-m² MOCNESS midwater trawl. This is the first study to examine pelagic juvenile reef fish distributions across the entire oceanic northern Gulf of Mexico seaward of the continental shelf break after the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. …

Feeding Ecology Of The Invasive Lionfish (Pterois Spp.) And Comparison With Two Native Species: Schoolmaster Lutjanus Apodus (Walbaum, 1792) And Graysby Cephalopholis Cruentata (Lacepède, 1802), Jesse J. Secord

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Predator satiation and prey-size preference were determined for locally caught lionfish, schoolmaster, and graysby, all co-occurring predatory fishes in the Florida coral reef ecosystem. Individuals were evaluated by exposing them to wild-caught killifish over a gradient of four size classes (20 mm to 60 mm, in 10 mm increments). Preference trials extended over a 2 hr time period and were filmed to determine the order in which each prey item was consumed. Satiation was evaluated by exposing the predators to an equal number of excess prey items for 24 hrs and evaluating consumed prey weight. Lionfish and schoolmaster showed a …

Faunal Composition And Distribution Of Pelagic Larval And Juvenile Flatfishes (Teleostei: Pleuronectiformes) In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico: Connectivity Between Coastal And Oceanic Epipelagic Ecosystems, Lacey Malarky

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Pleuronectiformes (flatfishes) occur throughout the global oceans, and have high ecological and commercial importance in some areas. Though much is known regarding life history, abundance, and distribution for the benthic adult stage of flatfish species, much less is known about the pelagic larval phases of flatfishes in the open ocean. Taxonomic uncertainty and limited sampling in the oceanic Gulf of Mexico contribute to data gaps with respect to the distribution of early life history stage of flatfishes in this region. Knowledge of the faunal composition, abundance and distribution of larval flatfishes, such as members of Bothus, which have extended …

The Effects Of Petroleum Pollutants On Sea Urchins Reproduction And Development, Kellie C. Pelikan

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Disturbances, such as mass pollution events, threaten the health of vulnerable ecosystems. Recent media attention has focused on the devastating mass oil spills, but daily petroleum input from recreational and commercial ship bilge release has been overlooked. The focus of this study was the effect of petroleum products found in bilge water on fertilization success and larval viability of two sea urchin species, Lytechinus variegatus and Eucidaris tribuloides. Unlike other pollutant studies that have focused on sperm characteristics and concentrations, I chose to examine how egg integrity was compromised by petroleum products. Scanning electron microscopy revealed eggs were degraded when …

Curvature: A Geometric Villain That Ruins Our Instinctive Perception Of Nature, Vehbi Emrah Paksoy

Mathematics Colloquium Series

Our perception of nature is based on evolutionary wiring of our brain and observations we make via our senses. But, in reality, many scientific and technological advancements are based on non-intuitive rules and principles that can only be explained by the ultimate abstraction that is embedded in mathematics. In this talk, I will discuss the concept of curvature and argue how it explains the “unexplainable”. We will see how the curvature proves that the earth is rotating, how good the soap bubbles are at proving profound mathematical results, and if the two dimensional residents can determine the shape of their …

Habitat Utilization And Vertical Distribution Of The Great Barracuda Sphyraena Barracuda (Edwards 1771) In The Western North Atlantic Using Electronic Archival Tags, Noah R. Hansen, David W. Kerstetter

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

The Great Barracuda Sphyraena barracuda is a large predatory teleost commonly seen in the tropics of the Western North Atlantic. Using pop-up satellite archival tags (PSATs), two large Great Barracuda (101 and 104 cm FL) were tagged off South Florida for a 15-day deployment period. Great Barracuda 88094 traveled 471 km minimum straight-line distance (MSLD) over the deployment duration, while Great Barracuda 88095 traveled 1231 km MSLD. Great barracuda 88094 achieved a maximum depth of 145.2 m, while 88095 to a maximum depth of 186.9 m, although such movements were for short time durations. The data obtained indicate significant differences …

Semi-Automated Object-Based Classification Of Coral Reef Habitat Using Discrete Choice Models, Steven Saul, Samuel J. Purkis

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

As for terrestrial remote sensing, pixel-based classifiers have traditionally been used to map coral reef habitats. For pixel-based classifiers, habitat assignment is based on the spectral or textural properties of each individual pixel in the scene. More recently, however, object-based classifications, those based on information from a set of contiguous pixels with similar properties, have found favor with the reef mapping community and are starting to be extensively deployed. Object-based classifiers have an advantage over pixel-based in that they are less compromised by the inevitable inhomogeneity in per-pixel spectral response caused, primarily, by variations in water depth. One aspect of …

The Current Volume 26 : Issue 14, Nova Southeastern University

Student Newspapers

No abstract provided.

Southeast Florida Large Coral Assessment 2015, Brian K. Walker, Katelyn Klug

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Reports

The 2013 nearshore mapping project conducted by Walker and Klug expanded the previous knowledge on the amount, location, and species type of ecologically important large (>2 m) coral colonies in southeast Florida. They discovered over 110 previously undocumented large corals of which 60 were dead and 50 were still alive; 40 of the living corals were larger than 2 m wide and up to 5 m in diameter. Because these corals are the largest and oldest organisms on our reefs, they deserve special attention.

Currently there is unprecedented disease and bleaching in the northern portion of the Florida Reef …

Investigating The Role Of The Host Multidrug Resistance Associated Protein Transporter Family In Burkholderia Cepacia Complex Pathogenicity Using A Caenorhabditis Elegans Infection Model, Pietro Tedesco, Marco Visone, Ermenegilda Parrilli, Maria Luisa Tutino, Elena Perrin, Isabel Maida, Renato Fani, Francesco Ballestriero, Radleigh Santos, Clemencia Pinilla, Elia Di Schiavi, George Tegos, Donatella De Pascale

Mathematics Faculty Articles

This study investigated the relationship between host efflux system of the non-vertebrate nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc) strain virulence. This is the first comprehensive effort to profile host-transporters within the context of Bcc infection. With this aim, two different toxicity tests were performed: a slow killing assay that monitors mortality of the host by intestinal colonization and a fast killing assay that assesses production of toxins. A Virulence Ranking scheme was defined, that expressed the toxicity of the Bcc panel members, based on the percentage of surviving worms. According to this ranking the 18 Bcc strains were …

A Comparison Of Macroinfaunal Community Structure Between Artificial Concrete Boulder Reefs And Adjacent Natural Reefs In Broward County, Florida, Amber C. Metallo

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Relatively little is known about either the biological (i.e., predation) or physical (i.e., current, sedimentation) effects that artificial reefs may have on surrounding benthic infaunal communities. Following deployment of artificial reefs (concrete boulders) between the first and second reefs off Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on 30 October 2009, sediment cores were taken at 4 distances along three replicate 10-m transects on 13 and 26 September 2013, and 24 and 25 May 2014 at each of four artificial reef sites and four of their adjacent natural reef sites using SCUBA. Infauna (>0.5mm) were extracted from the sediment and identified to the …

Pelagic Habitat Use By Juvenile Reef Fishes In The Gulf Of Mexico, Katie Bowen, Tracey Sutton

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Proceedings, Presentations, Speeches, Lectures

The assemblage composition, abundance, frequency of occurrence, and vertical distribution of juvenile reef fishes in the offshore pelagic habitat of the northern Gulf of Mexico are described. This study, a component of the NOAA-supported Offshore Nekton Sampling and Analysis Program, is the first to examine juvenile reef fish distributions across the oceanic northern Gulf of Mexico after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Results presented here are derived from a 3-month, spring/summer research cruise in 2011 on the M/V Meg Skansi. A 10-m² MOCNESS midwater trawl was used to sample 45 stations from the surface to a depth of …

Exploring Classroom Practices In Collectivist Cultures Through The Lens Of Hofstede’S Model, Amrita Kaur, Mohammad Noman

The Qualitative Report

This study explores beliefs and classroom practices of teachers from collectivist nations through the lens of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions. In this grounded theory study, an in-depth investigation of the ways in which six teachers from five different collectivist countries described their beliefs and classroom practices was carried out. Through the constant comparative method, the two authors grouped the findings into categories of beliefs and practices which were then examined through the lens of the six dimensions of Hofstede’s model of cultural difference. Six categories of classroom practices, Pedagogy, Interaction, Student Role, Teacher Support, Differential Assessment, and Behavioral Management and three …

Field Recording Or Field Observation?: Audio Meets Method In Qualitative Research, Sam Smiley

The Qualitative Report

The field observation, an ethnographic practice of collecting data and information about a given social setting and situation is often used in preliminary research to have an understanding of the community one is researching. However, from an artist/musician's perspective, the field observation has many commonalities with techniques used in audio field recording. How can field recording be used in parallel with field observations to explore and understand a community through art? This essay will begin with a comparison of field observations and field recordings as methods in their own disciplines, and continue with the concept of “attention” in art, music, …

Species Specific Microcalcification In Reef Building Caribbean Corals In Ocean Acidification Conditions, Ashley M. Dungan

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Coral reefs are one of the most economically important ecosystems on the planet. Despite their great contribution to the world economy, anthropogenic influence via carbon dioxide emissions is leading to unprecedented changes with concerns about subsequent negative impacts on reefs. Surface ocean pH has dropped 0.1 units in the past century; in spite of this rapid shift in oceanic chemistry, it is unclear if individual species or life stages of Caribbean stony corals will be more sensitive to ocean acidification (OA). Examined is the relationship between CO₂-induced seawater acidification, net calcification, photosynthesis, and respiration in three model Caribbean …

Bacterial Community Dynamics In Marine Sponge Cinachyrella Kuekenthali Under Irradiance And Antibiotics, Nidhi Vijayan

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

The Marine sponge Cinachyrella sp used in this study are commonly found in offshore South Florida and Caribbean waters and appeared to be resilient in closed system aquaculture. Marine sponges host diverse bacterial symbionts that are distinct compared to bacteria found in ambient seawater, however the roles of a large fraction of the bacterial community in marine sponges are unknown. Comparison of symbiotic to aposymbiotic (bacteria-free) sponges could provide information about interactions (metabolic and physiologic) between the bacteria and sponge. In this study, a single Cinachyrella kuekenthali individual was subsectioned into explants (N=240) in order to provide identical bacterial communities …

Bayes Multiple Binary Classifier - How To Make Decisions Like A Bayesian, Wensong Wu

Mathematics Colloquium Series

This presentation will start by a general introduction of Bayesian statistics, which has become popular in the era of big data. Then we consider a two-class classification problem, where the goal is to predict the class membership of M units based on the values of high-dimensional categorical predictor variables as well as both the values of predictor variables and the class membership of other N independent units. We focus on applying generalized linear regression models with Boolean expressions of categorical predictors. We consider a Bayesian and decision-theoretic framework, and develop a general form of Bayes multiple binary classification functions with …

Reproductive Parameters Of Two Coastal Pelagic Fishes Off Southeast Florida: Blackfin Tuna, Thunnus Atlanticus, And Little Tunny, Euthynnus Alletteratus, Sonia Ahrabi-Nejad, David Kerstetter, Nancy J. Brown-Peterson, Patricia Blackwelder, Dorothy-Ellen A. Renegar

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Proceedings, Presentations, Speeches, Lectures

No abstract provided.