Digital Commons Network^™

Evaluation Of An Image Processing Algorithm For Scene Change Detection, Daniel Flores

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Despite the efforts to reduce traffic accidents by government entities and automobile manufactures, the numbers of accidents are not considerably reduced. An evaluation of an algorithm based on the fly's eye is done on this research applying its principles to detect scene change on images for printed circuit boards providing initial steps to implement this algorithm on vehicular traffic to keep track of objects moving on the field for collision avoidance purposes. The effectiveness of the algorithm is addressed through a comparison of its performance with that found in experimental data.

The Affective, Behavioral, And Cognitive Correlates Of Club Drug Use Among Hispanic College Students, Brenda Sue Hanson

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Limited information exists about club drug use among minorities. This study examined potential affective, behavioral, and cognitive correlates of club drug use in a Hispanic college student sample. Participants (N = 321) completed multiple measures assessing demographic information, acculturation, depression, anxiety, positive and negative affect, alexithymia, polysubstance use, sensation seeking, need for cognition, and prospective memory. Primary analyses included logistic regression models assessing the impact of affective, behavioral, and cognitive correlates on club drug use, while secondary analyses included moderation analyses exploring potential relationships between variables of interest, as well as assessment of univariate relationships between club drug use …

Perspectives Of White/Non-Hispanic Male Superintendents Of Majority-Hispanic School Districts In Texas, Samuel Franklin Hogue

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This study examines the dynamics and challenges which White/non-Hispanic male superintendents face in leading school districts where the majority of constituents come from a different ethnic or racial background than their own; specifically school districts where the constituency is majority Hispanic. It also identifies the career paths and educational experiences of value of White/non-Hispanic males who serve as superintendents of school districts with majority Hispanic student populations as well as ascertains the general leadership theories and/or styles these men subscribe.

This study advances the understanding of school leadership in majority Hispanic school districts that are led by White/non-Hispanic males, how …

The Correlation Between Social Desirability And Endorsement Rate Of Test Items Using The Snap And Neo-Ffi, Cynthia Pedregon

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Classic studies in the 1950s indicated that endorsement rates of personality test items are very highly correlated with the items' social desirability (Edwards, 1953; Hanley, 1956). The present study attempted to recreate those findings using two contemporary personality tests: the NEO Five Factor Inventory short form (NEO-FFI) and 59 randomly selected items from the Schedule for Nonadaptive and Adaptive Personality (SNAP). Also included were 7 Rare Virtue items and 7 Common Fault items from the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire, Brief Form. Participants (N = 286) were randomly assigned to one of four groups, which rated the items for "true of self" …

Theory Of Planned Behavior Constructs As Mediators Of Behavior Change Associated With A Brief Alcohol Intervention, Denise Servo

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This study examined the Theory of Planned Behavior constructs (attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control [PBC], and behavioral intentions) as mediators of changes in alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems in a longitudinal sample of 206 college students. The Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students (BASICS) is a program designed to curb risky alcohol consumption and its related consequences among college students. Eligible students completed a baseline assessment battery at assessment and again six months after participating in BASICS. The AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test) assessed alcohol consumption and the RAPI (Rutgers Alcohol Problem Inventory) assessed alcohol-related problems. …

The N400 Erp: Semantic Vs. Evaluative Incongruities, Jennifer Hilda Taylor

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The objective of this research was to utilize both behavioral (response times) and psychophysiological measures (ERPs - N400 & Pre-response Positivity) to uncover the cognitive mechanism responsible for the evaluative priming effect (spreading activation vs. response competition) by controlling for semantic influences. This research project examined the evaluative incongruity effect by controlling for semantic influences in two separate studies. The first study kept semantic associations among word pairs completely random, while the second study controlled for semantic associations by either pairing words from the same semantic category (e.g., animal-animal) or from different semantic categories (e.g., animal-person). Participants completed an evaluative …

Prosecutorial Perseveration: A Reaction To Public Commitment?, Elizabeth Rose Uhl

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The startling number of cases in which prosecutors ignore clear-cut exculpatory evidence and persist in the prosecution of an almost certainly innocent suspect may be related to the public nature of these prosecutors' commitments. Research has shown that people who make a public commitment to a decision are more likely to stick with their decision in the face of contrary evidence than people who did not make a public commitment. This study examined the effects of public commitment on undergraduate mock prosecutors' decisions to prosecute in a fictional murder case. Half of the participants rendered an initial decision which was …

The Application Of Federal And Texas State Sentence Ranges In A, Jessica Leigh Wildermuth

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Sentencing decisions are usually made in situations of judgmental uncertainty because they are typically complex and make use of inherently ambiguous information (Saks & Kidd, 1980). Research on underlying judgment processes has demonstrated that anchors provide a basis for simplifying judgments that involve uncertainty (Higgins, 1996; Tversky & Kahneman, 1974). To investigate sentencing disparities that occur for identical crimes, it is also essential to understand the psychological mechanisms that underlie decision making. The Selective Accessibility Model (Tversky & Kahneman, 1974) states that, "people construct a mental mode that selectively increases the accessibility of anchor-consistent information" (p.1125). In turn,because this information …

Evaluation Of A Nutrition Program Targeting Child Care Centers, Kendra Witt

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Color Me Healthy (CMH) is an interactive nutrition program designed for preschool aged children in child care settings. The current study examined if CMH increases the consumption of fruit and vegetables. Child care centers were randomly assigned to one of two conditions; children (n=165) in ten centers received CMH and children (n=98) in seven centers acted as controls. Consumption of fruit and vegetable snacks was assessed at baseline, one week post-intervention and 3 months post-intervention. Hierarchical linear modeling determined that group assignment was the only significant predictor of fruit and vegetable consumption. Children who were exposed to the CMH program …

Remixing Obviousness, Joseph S. Miller

Scholarly Works

In April 2007, the Supreme Court, for the first time in 41 years, decided a case about the basic contours of patent law's nonobviousness standard. The case, KSR, upends 25 years of Federal Circuit jurisprudence, and on a legal requirement that every patent must satisfy. In this essay, I show how KSR dismantles two predicates that have long shaped Federal Circuit nonobviousness cases - namely, the intertwined premises that hindsight-driven distortion is the gravest risk to an accurate nonobviousness requirement, and that the person of ordinary skill in the art (from whose perspective nonobviousness is judge) is singularly uncreative. In …

School Principal Profiles: Comparing China And The United States, Tak C. Chan, Ruiqing Du

Faculty Articles

By comparing principal profiles in China and the United States) this study would contribute to a better understanding of school leadership in the two countries. Participating principals included 144 from two states in the United States and 77 from seven provinces of China. A researcher designed Likert-scale questionnaire covered the principals) profiles in seven leadership areas: character) professional knowledge) professional skill) administrative style) administrative duties) personnel management) and student affairs management. This was supplemented by a survey of three open-ended questions on principal's responsibilities) challenges) and fulfillment. The findings of quantitative data were compared with those of qualitative data. Results …

Culture, Sovereignty, And Hollywood: Unesco And The Future Of Trade In Cultural Products, Christopher M. Bruner

Scholarly Works

On October 20, 2005, the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and CulturalOrganization (UNESCO) adopted a treaty - by a vote of 148-2, with 4 abstentions - that legitimates domestic legal measures aimed at the protection of local producers of cultural activities, goods and services. Opposed by the United States and Israel, the Convention represents a major diplomatic victory for Canada and France - its principal proponents - and a major blow to Hollywood and the United States, audiovisual products being among America's most lucrative exports. Both Canada and France, like many countries around the world, have long …

The Honest Broker? Canada's Role In Haitian Development, Michele Zebich-Knos

Faculty Articles

Since the early 1990s Canada has played a key role in Haiti’s development process. The article explores whether Canada’s foreign policy is becoming more reliant on military-assisted solutions, including peacekeeping, as a way to solve Haiti’s internal problems and achieve good governance. The article also examines the Canadian concepts called “Responsibility to Protect, React and Rebuild” which are linked to humanitarian intervention, and their implication for Haitian sovereignty. The conclusion cautions against an overly ambitious Canadian development policy for Haiti which has little chance of success.

An Examination Of Self-Reported Parenting Practices Among First-Generation Spanish-Speaking Latino Families: A Spanish Version Of The Alabama Parenting Questionnaire, Melissa R. Donovick, Melanie M. Domenech-Rodriguez

Psychology Faculty Publications

The present study examined the applicability of the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire to a Spanish-speaking Latino population. Results of the reliability and concurrent validity testing suggest that the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire may be a valuable tool for use with Spanish-speaking Latino families. The Alabama Parenting Questionnaire in Spanish assessed parenting practices among 50 first-generation Spanish-speaking Latino families of primarily Mexican origin with a child between 4 and 9 years of age (n = 96 parents, n = 50 children). Mothers and fathers completed questionnaires in Spanish to assess parent and child behaviors. Results show that over 80% of parents included …

Hidden Under A Bushel? Evangelical Journals In An Era Of Web-Based Communications, Gregory A. Smith

The Christian Librarian

Evangelicals face significant obstacles as they seek to make their publications accessible to potential readers. This study measures the extent to which evangelical scholarly journals have made their contents available in electronic form. Thirty-five journals – all active, refereed, evangelical in perspective, and published in English – were chosen for analysis. Two serials management tools and individual journal Web sites provided data regarding electronic accessibility. Twenty-six of the journals are available in some electronic form – most commonly in one or more aggregated databases. Evangelical information professionals could play a significant role in helping to make additional evangelical journal content …

Resource Reviews, Phyllis Fox

The Christian Librarian

No abstract provided.

The Gay Panic Defense, Cynthia Lee

GW Law Faculty Publications & Other Works

In this article, I examine the use of gay panic defense strategies in the criminal courtroom. I argue that such strategies are problematic because they reinforce and promote negative stereotypes about gay men as sexual deviants and sexual predators. Gay panic defense strategies are also troubling because they seek to capitalize on unconscious bias in favor of heterosexuality which is prevalent in today's heterocentric society. Most critics of the gay panic defense have proposed that judges or legislatures should bar gay panic arguments from the criminal courtroom. I take a contrary position and argue that banning gay panic arguments from …

Understanding Privacy (Chapter One), Daniel J. Solove

GW Law Faculty Publications & Other Works

Privacy is one of the most important concepts of our time, yet it is also one of the most elusive. As rapidly changing technology makes information increasingly available, scholars, activists, and policymakers have struggled to define privacy, with many conceding that the task is virtually impossible.

In UNDERSTANDING PRIVACY (Harvard University Press, May 2008), Professor Daniel J. Solove offers a comprehensive overview of the difficulties involved in discussions of privacy and ultimately provides a provocative resolution. He argues that no single definition can be workable, but rather that there are multiple forms of privacy, related to one another by family …

Law Library Briefs, Roger Williams University School Of Law Library

Law Library Newsletters/Blog

No abstract provided.

Biased Assimilation, Polarization, And Cultural Credibility: An Experimental Study Of Nanotechnology Risk Perceptions, Donald Braman, Dan M. Kahan, Paul Slovic, John Gastil, Geoffrey L. Cohen, Douglass A. Kysar

GW Law Faculty Publications & Other Works

We present the results from the second in a series of ongoing experimental studies of public perceptions of nanotechnology risks. Like the first study, the current one found that members of the public, most of whom know little or nothing about nanotechnology, polarize along cultural lines when exposed to information about it. Extending previous results, the current study also found that cultural polarization of this sort interacts with the perceived cultural identities of policy advocates. Polarization along expected lines grew even more extreme when subjects of diverse cultural outlooks observed an advocate whose values they share advancing an argument they …

Who Fears The Hpv Vaccine, Who Doesn't, And Why? An Experimental Study Of The Mechanisms Of Cultural Cognition, Donald Braman, Dan M. Kahan, Geoffrey L. Cohen, Paul Slovic, John Gastil

GW Law Faculty Publications & Other Works

The cultural cognition hypothesis holds that individuals are disposed to form risk perceptions that reflect and reinforce their commitments to contested views of the good society. This paper reports the results of a study that used the controversy over mandatory HPV vaccination to test the cultural cognition hypothesis. Although public health officials have recommended that all girls aged 11 or 12 be vaccinated for HPV - a virus that causes cervical cancer and that is transmitted by sexual contact - political controversy has blocked adoption of mandatory school-enrollment vaccination programs in all but one state. A multi-stage experimental study of …

Show And Tell: Learning With Interactive Videoconferencing In Kindergarten, Debra Piecka

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The research investigated how kindergartners make meaning using interactive videoconferencing. The study explored two research questions: 1) What types of meanings are being formed by the kindergartners during interactive videoconferences and, 2) What are the nature of young children's emerging inquiries and dialogue surrounding their use of interactive videoconferencing in their classroom? The study embodied a Vygotskian perspective as the theoretical framework in order to meet demands associated with the young participants' vulnerability, developmental appropriateness, and the students' interactive learning environment. Employing an ethnographic, participant observation methodology, the research design was informed by three criteria: 1) a pilot study, 2) …

Maximizing Special Education Teacher Retention: Teacher's Perceptions Of Administrative Support In Pre K-12 Public Schools As Implications For Improvement, Dawn R. Showers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of special education teachers regarding administrative support provided by their building principals as related to teacher retention, gender, and disability category taught. Research over the course of the past decade indicates that teachers are more likely to leave the teaching profession when they fail to receive an adequate amount of administrative support. A survey questionnaire was used to collect 125 responses from special education teachers working in South Central Pennsylvania public schools. The population sample consisted of teachers from four special education teacher certification categories including classroom and itinerant staff. …

The Effect Of International Short-Term Mission Trips On Intercultural Sensitivity In Secondary Christian School Students, Conrad Swartzentruber

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research study examined the effect of international short-term mission trips on the intercultural sensitivity of secondary Christian school students. Christian schools utilize mission trips as a strategy to prepare students for an increasingly global, interdependent world. Research literature purports the short-term mission trip as one model for facilitating a higher degree of intercultural sensitivity through an experiential framework. Current literature contains studies that examine the effect of mission trips for post-secondary students and for younger students through mission organizations, but no empirical study explores mission trips organized by a secondary school.

A qualitative case study framed this research, providing …

Stages Of Relationship Change And Individual And Couple Adjustment, Jacob A. Lacoursiere

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Although Prochaska and DiClemente (1984) considered the Transtheoretical Model of Change (TTM) to be relevant to couples therapy, there is a paucity of research in this area. Understanding how couples initiate change in their relationship still proves difficult due to barriers in the collection of couple level data and the fact that the majority of research on the TTM is individualistic in nature (Fowers, 2001; Schneider, 2003). Schneider (2003) reported that research suggests a relationship between change processes and relationship adjustment in couples. To my knowledge this study is the first test of the reliability and correlates of relationship change, …

Peer Victimization, Depression, And Suicidality In Adolescents, Anat Brunstein Klomek, Frank Marrocco, Marjorie Kleinman, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Madelyn S. Gould

Publications and Research

The association between specific types of peer victimization with depression, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts among adolescents was examined. A self-report survey was completed by 2,342 high-school students. Regression analyses indicated that frequent exposure to all types of peer victimization was related to high risk of depression, ideation, and attempts compared to students not victimized. Infrequent victimization was also related to increased risk, particularly among females. The more types of victimization the higher the risk for depression and suicidality among both genders. Specific types of peer victimization are a potential risk factor for adolescent depression and suicidality. It is important …

Distorted Maternal Mental Representations And Atypical Behavior In A Clinical Sample Of Violence-Exposed Mothers And Their Toddlers, Daniel S. Schector, Susan W. Coates, Tammy Kaminer, Tammy Coots, Charles H. Zeanah, Mark Davies, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Randall D. Marshall, Michael R. Liebowitz, Kimberly A. Trabka, Jaime E. Mccaw, Michael M. Myers

Publications and Research

Objective: To determine whether maternal violence-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), reflective functioning (RF), and/or quality of mental representations of her child predicts maternal behavior within a referred sample of mothers exposed to interpersonal violence and their children (aged 8–50 months). Method: A total of 41 dyads completed 2 videotaped visits including measures of maternal mentalrepresentations and behavior. Results: Negative and distorted maternal mental representations predicted atypical behavior (Cohen’s d > 1.0). Although maternal PTSD and RF impacted mental representations, no significant relationships were found between PTSD, RF, and overall atypical caregiving behavior. Severity of maternal PTSD …

Consumer Protection In The Americas: A Second Wave Of American Revolutions?, Antonio F. Perez

Scholarly Articles

This article, which draws on the author's experience as a member of the Inter-American Juridical Committee of the Organization of American States, focuses on the problem of crafting an appropriate hemispheric regime for the protection of consumer rights. The subject is now a major element in the agenda of the OAS Specialized Conference on Private International Law (know also under its Spanish acronym as the CIDIP process), in part because of the increased salience of the issue in light of increasing e-commerce. The article, based on the author's presentation at a symposium at the St. Thomas School of Law in …

Breaking The Cycle Of Racism In The Classroom: Critical Race Reflections From Future Teachers Of Color, Rita Kohli

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Does Gender Influence Online Survey Participation?: A Record-Linkage Analysis Of University Faculty Online Survey Response Behavior, Grinell Smith

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.