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Methodology For Analyzing And Characterizing Error Generation In Presence Of Autocorrelated Demands In Stochastic Inventory Models, Rafael Diaz

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Most techniques that describe and solve stochastic inventory problems rely upon the assumption of identically and independently distributed (IID) demands. Stochastic inventory formulations that fail to capture serially-correlated components in the demand lead to serious errors. This dissertation provides a robust method that approximates solutions to the stochastic inventory problem where the control review system is continuous, the demand contains autocorrelated components, and the lost sales case is considered. A simulation optimization technique based on simulated annealing (SA), pattern search (PS), and ranking and selection (R&S) is developed and used to generate near-optimal solutions. The proposed method accounts for the …

Validation Of The Suicide Resilience Inventory-25 (Sri-25) With Chinese And American College Students, Qijuan Fang

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study examined the psychometric properties of the Suicide Resilience Inventory-25 (SRl-25; Osman et al., 2004) among Chinese and American college students. This instrument was designed to tap into the factors that help defend against suicidal thoughts and behaviors and includes three factors: Internal Protective (IP), External Protective (EP), and Emotional Control (EC). Three hundred and eighteen Chinese college students and 328 American college students completed the Chinese or English version of the SRI-25, the Multi-Attitude Suicide Tendency scale (MAST; Orbach et al., 1991), and the Suicide Behaviors Questionnaire-Revised (SBQ-R; Osman et al., 2001). American participants scored significantly higher on …

Annual Report Of The Registrar 2006/2007, University Of Northern Iowa

Institutional Effectiveness & Planning Documents

Contents:

--- Definitions
--- Annual Report Data
--- Summary of Attendance
--- Attendance by Session
--- Full-time Equivalency Enrollment
--- Degrees Granted
--- Degree Summary
--- Program Certificates
--- Pupils in Price Laboratory School
--- Miscellaneous Enrollment Information
--- Degrees Granted by College, Degree Objective, and Racial/Ethnic Classification

The Role Of Interpersonal Communication As A Branch Of Relationship Management In Law Enforcement, Nermin Ferkic

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Police officers are often recognized as tough action figures whose only job is to fight ruthless criminals. A highly rated TV show called "Cops" presents police officers as such figures. Police officers drive noticeable squad cars with top lights and a printed motto reading "to protect and serve." They are well known for their work equipment, such as: night sticks, pepper sprays, armor, handcuffs, and most noticeably, guns. This, of course, easily confirms people's idea that police officers' jobs are all about using their physical abilities. However, while working as a police officer and with police officers I realized that …

Perceptions Of Parental Rejection, Peer Rejection, And Peer Victimization In Relation To Self-Reported Depression, Clayton Joseph Egli

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The present study compared perceptions of parental rejection, peer rejection, peer victimization, and depression in a sample of children from the Midwest. Self-report measures were completed by 71 participants (ages 7-12) in their regular classroom setting. Correlational analyses were conducted and found significant positive relationships between the identified constructs. Maternal rejection, paternal rejection, relational victimization, overt victimization, and peer rejection were found to correlate with depression for girls. Boys had significant correlations for maternal rejection, paternal rejection, and relational victimization with depression. Overt victimization did not significantly correlate with depression for boys. The peer rejection measure showed insufficient reliability for …

Life Threatening Communication: Assessing Suicide Threat And Its Relation To Psychological Factors In Adolescent Inpatient Sample, Jennifer Bailey

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Suicide is currently the third leading cause of death for children ages 10 to 14 years and adolescents ages 15 to 19 years. Numerous studies have identified factors such as gender, exposure to suicide, psychosocial stressors, and psychological factors as potential predictors for suicide related behavior. In comparison to individuals who attempt suicide, individuals who threaten suicide generally do so to friends and relatives. Given that adolescents who threaten suicide are least likely to come to the attention of mental health care professionals than those who attempt suicide, it is important to understand some of the specific factors that differentiate …

Validation Of The Suicide Resilience Inventory-25 (Sri-25) With African American High School Students, Stephanie Elizabeth Gantt

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Suicide is the cause of death for nearly 30,000 deaths per year in the United States (Henkel, 2005). Studies show that rates of suicide have increased dramatically among African Americans ages 10-19 years, yet the overall suicide rate of African American adolescents is still lower than that of their Caucasian counterparts (Gould & Kramer, 2001 ; Greening & Stoppelbein, 2002). Some researchers have begun to study protective factors, particularly resilience, as one of the factors that should be maximized to reduce the rate of adolescent suicidal thoughts and behaviors. In particular, resiliency is an adaptive, stress-resistant personal quality that allows …

Differences In Junior High, High School, And College Coaches’ Self-Perceptions Of Behavior, Scott D. Salthun

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to examine coaches' self-perceptions of their competence in (a) training and instruction, (b) positive feedback, and (c) social support. Also, differences in coaches' gender, competitive level, leadership style, gender of athletes, age, and number of years coaching were investigated in relation to their self-perceptions. A modified questionnaire from Ipinmoroti (2002) was used as the instrument in this study. The questionnaire included three of the five subscales of the leadership scale for sport: (a) training and instruction, (b) positive feedback, and (c) social support. A total of 85 coaches participated in this study. A series …

The Effect Of Three Rest Intervals After A High Intensity Training Protocol On Speed And Strength Variables In Division I Track And Field Sprinters And Jumpers, Eric Lee Hanenberger

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of three different recovery periods (2, 4 or 6 days) after a high intensity strength training protocol on speed and strength variables in Division I track and field sprinters and jumpers. Methods: Research participants (RP) were assessed in a lower body strength test using a back squat one repetition maximum (lRM). A week of recovery was administered following the lower body strength test. A pre-test was administered to establish baseline values on speed and strength variables. Speed variables included 18.3, 36.6 and 54.9 m sprint times and SPLIT 1 (18.3 …

Bomb Media 1951-1964, Tristan Edward Abbott

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This thesis looks at nuclear films, commercial and governmental, that were released between 1951 and 1964. Special attention is paid to the recursivity that existed between the propagandic, often outrageously inaccurate Civil Defense films made by the United States government and the subversive popular films made by visionary dissidents.

The films are divided into three periods. The earliest period focuses on Samuel Fuller's Pickup on South Street and the Robert Aldrich 's Kiss Me Deadly (based on the novel by Mickey Spillane), along with some of the earliest Civil Defense films. Special attention is paid to the politically minded creation …

Abuse And Dissociation Disorder, Myrtle Godfrey

Graduate Research Papers

Child sexual abuse is widely regarded as a cause of mental problems in adult life. The damage inflicted by child sexual abuse.has an affect on the child's capacity to develop trust, intimacy and sexuality. Sexually abused children not only encounter assaults on their developing sense of sexual identity, but a blow to their interpretation of the world as a safe environment, and their developing sense of others as trustworthy. In addition, childhood sexual abuse is correlated with higher levels of dissociation. (Fleming, J. & Mullen, P. E., 1998). Of the victims that were abused by someone with whom he or …

Meeting The Needs Of The Adult Learner In The Instructional Design Environment, Takeisha Henfield

Graduate Research Papers

There are an increasing number of adults who are seeking further education and training for various purposes, ranging from English as a Second Language to doctoral degrees. These adults possess different characteristics and require different conditions than traditional younger learners. In an effort to design effective instruction for adults as learners, the basic instructional design process should be understood. Through that understanding, a taxonomy of instructional design models as well as specific models can be discussed. The knowledge of adults' learning needs, plus an understanding of instructional design and its models, can help instructional designers produce more effective instruction for …

No Child Left Behind Act : Implications And Strategies For Middle School Science Teaching, Kimberly A. Holmes

Graduate Research Papers

The No Child Left Behind Act was enacted to ensure quality education for all students. Despite the constraints of the No Child Left Behind Act, the teacher has the responsibility to provide quality science education for the students. This paper will guide teachers in selecting instructional strategies that have been supported by research that closely meets the research-based standards provided by the No Child Left Behind Act.

Using High Interest Reading Material To Motivate Struggling And Reluctant Readers, Nicoles C. Hoover

Graduate Research Papers

One of my great challenges as a second grade teacher is getting students who struggle with reading to become engaged, motivated, and enthusiastic about reading. This paper will look at different literature findings about using strategies that involve high interest reading materials to motivate readers. It will seek to determine the values of these practices for all students, but especially those who struggle as readers. It will also look at different types of high interest materials that could potentially motivate readers. This paper will provide resources to others looking to use high interest materials to motivate readers.

Compilation Of Critical Element Papers For Principalship Cohort, Ryan K. Junge

Graduate Research Papers

The most important role of an educational leader is the leader of instruction. It is crucial that you implement a quality atmosphere within your school that is conducive to high quality instruction. It is also essential that the curriculum being taught in the classrooms is rigorous and relevant to the students. If the material is not relevant, the student will struggle to understand the importance of learning the material. If the curriculum is not rigorous, schools are not doing their job of challenging and pushing students to excel at the highest levels.

Collaborative Teaching : How Can Co-Teaching Be Implemented Effectively In The Classroom?, Elizabeth Lea Kelly

Graduate Research Papers

A huge issue in education today is that of inclusion. There is a wide spectrum of beliefs on whether or not all students should be fully included in the general classroom. According to K.S. Stout (2001) in Special Education Inclusion, a solution to this major issue is collaborative or co-teaching. With a push for least restrictive environment, collaborative teaching has become a very important part of the education system. The big question is: How can teachers implement co-teaching into their instruction effectively?

A Literature Review Of The Think-Aloud Reading Comprehension Strategy For Teacher Use In The Classroom, Cindy Kathryn Kauder

Graduate Research Papers

This literature review focuses on the classroom use of a research based comprehension strategy called Think-Aloud. This is a strategy that readers of all abilities and ages can incorporate into their daily reading habits in order to more fully engage in text of all types. This is a fairly new strategy that has come to awareness and more widespread use within the last few years. Teachers need to provide direct instruction and model this strategy so that students correctly practice and use it alone and with partners. The final goal of the Think-Aloud strategy is that readers will become more …

Use Of Social Stories For Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Alicia Ann Karwal

Graduate Research Papers

Social stories have been widely used as an intervention for children on the Autism Spectrum. Educators and other service providers of students diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder are continually looking for strategies that will allow for their students to have more typical social experiences and greater quality of life. Some controversy exists concerning the success of social stories as an effective intervention. This paper will briefly examine characteristics of individuals diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. It will then explore using social stories with children affected by an Autism Spectrum Disorder. Finally, it will consider a variety of purposes …

An Evaluation Of Appearance, Fitness, Health, Illness, And Body Satisfaction Levels Plus Overweight Preoccupation Of Female Fitness Instructors In Cedar Falls And Waterloo, Ia, Catherine M. Zubrod

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to compare the researcher's results to published norms. This study investigated appearance, fitness, health, illness, and body satisfaction levels plus overweight preoccupation of female fitness instructors in Cedar Falls and Waterloo, IA. The respondents for the study were 41 female group fitness instructors. They responded to the Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire (Godin & Shephard, 1985) to determine leisure-time activity levels, the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire (MBSRQ; Cash, 2000) to determine appearance levels, fitness levels, health levels, illness levels, body satisfaction levels, and overweight preoccupation, and a self-developed questionnaire to acquire demographic data. The study …

The Influences Of Gender Identity On The Expectancies For Success And Perceived Task Value Of Three Different Activities, Chi Ching Chow

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of the study was to investigate the influence of gender identity on expectancies for success and perceived task value. The Short form of the Bern Sex-Role Inventory (BSRI-SF) was used to identify four gender identities, androgynous, feminine, masculine, and undifferentiated. The Self- and Task- Perception Questionnaire measured expectancies and task values on three physical activities. One hundred thirty-three students (62 males and 71 females) at the University of Northern Iowa who were enrolled in the aerobic training session of the personal wellness class participated. The mean age of the participants was 20.2 years (SD= 1.9). AN OVA results …

Neighborhood Defined Feature Selection Strategy For Improved Face Recognition In Different Sensor Modalitie, Satyanadh Gundimada

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

A novel feature selection strategy for improved face recognition in images with variations due to illumination conditions, facial expressions, and partial occlusions is presented in this dissertation. A hybrid face recognition system that uses feature maps of phase congruency and modular kernel spaces is developed. Phase congruency provides a measure that is independent of the overall magnitude of a signal, making it invariant to variations in image illumination and contrast. A novel modular kernel spaces approach is developed and implemented on the phase congruency feature maps. Smaller sub-regions from a predefined neighborhood within the phase congruency images of the training …

An Analysis Of Intuitive Eating Among College Students, Danielle Marie Vsetecka

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

In response to the world's increasing obesity rates, the use of traditional dieting and weight loss techniques is at an all time high. Although dieting rates have rapidly increased, the world's rising obesity rates show no sign of slowing and the effectiveness and effects of dieting have long been questioned. As an alternative to dieting and exercise, a non-dieting approach to weight regulation has emerged. Intuitive eating is one of its main tenants and is defined by allowing individuals to listen to internal body cues to determine hunger and fullness levels to meet nutritional and physical needs. However, few studies …

Istart 2: Improvements For Efficiency And Effectiveness, Irwin B. Levinstein, Chutima Boonthum, Srinivasa P. Pillarisetti, Courtney Bell, Danielle S. Mcnamara

Computer Science Faculty Publications

iSTART (interactive strategy training for active reading and thinking) is a Web-based reading strategy trainer that develops students' ability to self-explain difficult text as a means to improving reading comprehension. Its curriculum consists of modules presented interactively by pedagogical agents: an introduction to the basics of using reading strategies in the context of self-explanation, a demonstration of self-explanation, and a practice module in which the trainee generates self-explanations with feedback on the quality of reading strategies contained in the self-explanations. We discuss the objectives that guided the development of the second version of iSTART toward the goals of increased efficiency …

Assessing The Format Of The Presentation Of Text In Developing A Reading Strategy Assessment Tool (R-Sat), Sara Gilliam, Joseph P. Magliano, Keith K. Millis, Irwin Levinstein, Chutima Boonthum

Computer Science Faculty Publications

We are constructing a new computerized test of reading comprehension called the Reading Strategy Assessment Tool (R-SAT). R-SAT elicits and analyzes verbal protocols that readers generate in response to questions as they read texts. We examined whether the amount of information available to the reader when reading and answering questions influenced the extent to which R-SAT accounts for comprehension. We found that R-SAT was most predictive of comprehension when the readers did not have access to the text as they answered questions.

The Role And Meaning Of Spirituality Among Older Adults In Western Australia, Sue Grossman

Theses : Honours

Given the large projected increase in the proportion of Australian older adults (13% in 2004 to 22% in 2031) and the personal importance placed on spirituality in the lives of older adults, it is timely to investigate the role of spirituality in the everyday lives of older adults. The present paper analyses the literature pertaining to the psychological implications of spirituality in older adulthood. The points of discussion identified in the review include the relationship between spirituality and religion, theories of spiritual development, psychosocial wellbeing, health, end of life issues, culture, and psychological practice. It is concluded that the paucity …

The Effect Of Brief Education And Dispositional Variables On Attitudes Toward Harm Minimisation Among A University Student Population, Amy Mcalpine

Theses : Honours

Attitudes are essential to understanding the individual within the context of their social world (Perloff, 2003). Australia's policy toward drug use and drug-related harm encompasses a harm minimisation approach (Ministerial Council on Drug Strategy [MCDS], 2004). Harm minimisation seeks to ameliorate the social, economic and health consequences of drug use through a comprehensive framework of supply reduction, demand reduction, and harm reduction policies and programs (MCDS, 2004). This paper reviews the relevant literature on attitudes towards harm minimisation, both internationally and in Australia. Indeed, Australian research suggested (Bammer, 1995; Lawrence, Bammer & Chapman, 2000) that there is a heavy media …

Perceptions Of Security And Attitudes Towards Cultural Diversity And Immigration Amongst Uk Migrants In Western Australia, Nikki Isaacson

Theses : Honours

Psychological research conducted within the field of ethnic relations has revealed a strong relationship between an individual's perception of threat to their ethnocultural group and their attitudes towards the entrance and presence of other ethnocultural groups within a society. The relationship is such that the greater threat that an individual perceives, the more likely they are to hold negative attitudes. This paper provides a review of research that has investigated this relationship; revealing that although a distinct negative correlation exists between perceived threat and intercultural attitudes, a number of factors influence the relationship. Factors discussed throughout this review include the …

Why It Is Important To Look At Long-Term Abstinence From Heroin Use: A Review Life Beyond Heroin: An Exploration Of The Motivations For Long-Term Heroin Abstinence, Lucy Dann

Theses : Honours

The phenomenon of achieving long-term abstinence from drug use remains to be thoroughly understood in the alcohol and other drug (AOD) community, particularly in the area of heroin use. This review assesses research in the field of long-term abstinence from drug use and highlights the need to examine long-term abstinence from heroin use. Prochaska and DiClemente's (1986) Stages of Change model of behaviour change is examined as well as literature examining its importance in the AOD field. Studies examining long-term abstinence from alcohol, tobacco, cocaine and heroin use are reviewed from a psychological perspective, focusing on cognitive-behavioural constructs. Findings revealed …

Behavioural Activation Treatment For Depression: A Review Of The Literature ; Effects Of A Brief Behavioural Activation Treatment On Activity Levels And Depression, Debra L. Bailey

Theses : Honours

Behavioural activation (BA) is an emergent psychological treatment for depression rooted in the tradition of behavioural theory. This paper discusses the manner in which BA arose as a result of the seminal Jacobson et al. (1996) study, which dismantled the behavioural and cognitive components of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT; Beck, Rush, Shaw, & Emery, 1979). Published empirical studies examining the effectiveness of BA are reviewed and considerations for future research are offered. It is concluded that BA shows promise as a parsimonious, effective, and potentially cost-efficient psychological treatment for depression. However, more large-scale research is needed: in samples with low …

Depression, Rumination And Dependency In Relation To Age And Gender, Alison J. Lee

Theses : Honours

Extensive research has been carried out in the field of depression and its relation to age and gender. This article reviews relevant literature in the field of depression, rumination and dependency and the relationships of these to age and gender. It has been shown in numerous studies that depression, rumination and dependency are related and exist in comorbidity with each other. This article also reviews some of the research that has been conducted on age and gender with relation to rumination and dependency. It has been found in relation to rumination, dependency and depression that women are more susceptible than …