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2011

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Post-School Data Collection Question Bank, Ryan O. Kellems Ph.D., Charlotte Y. Alverson, Deanne Unruh, Dawn A. Rowe Jan 2011

Post-School Data Collection Question Bank, Ryan O. Kellems Ph.D., Charlotte Y. Alverson, Deanne Unruh, Dawn A. Rowe

Faculty Publications

States must collect and report post-school outcomes of youth with disabilities as defined in the SPP/APR Indicator #14, specifically: “Percent of youth who are no longer in secondary school, had IEPs in effect at the time they left school, and were: A. Enrolled in higher education within one year of leaving high school. B. Enrolled in higher education or competitively employed within one year of leaving high school. C. Enrolled in higher education or in some other postsecondary education or training program; or competitively employed or in some other employment within one year of leaving high school.” (20 U.S.C. 1416(a)(3)(B))

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$100 Bills On The Sidewalk: Violations Of No-Arbitrage In 401(K) Accounts, James J. Choi, David Laibson, Brigitte C. Madrian Jan 2011

$100 Bills On The Sidewalk: Violations Of No-Arbitrage In 401(K) Accounts, James J. Choi, David Laibson, Brigitte C. Madrian

Faculty Publications

We identify employees at seven companies whose 401(k) investment choices are dominated because they are contributing less than the employer matching contribution threshold despite being vested in their match and being able to make penalty-free 401(k) withdrawals for any reason because they are older than 59½. At the average firm, 36% of match-eligible employees over age 59½ forgo arbitrage profits that average 1.6% of their annual pay, or $507. A survey educating employees about the free lunch they are forgoing raised contribution rates by a statistically insignificant 0.67% of income among those completing the survey.

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Insurance Theory And Challenges Facing The Development Of Microinsurance Markets, James C. Brau, Craig B. Merrill, Kim B. Staking Jan 2011

Insurance Theory And Challenges Facing The Development Of Microinsurance Markets, James C. Brau, Craig B. Merrill, Kim B. Staking

Faculty Publications

Microinsurance institutions and instruments have developed rapidly over the last decade, with policies covering tens of millions at the base of the economic pyramid. Ranging from simple policies providing life or health insurance to complex policies covering catastrophic risks for small landholders, it is a market with proven potential that demands closer attention. This paper provides a review of the nascent academic literature and then suggests some critical elements of insurance theory that may help us understand the challenges facing microinsurance markets and how these markets can better serve the needs of their customers. Although the basic theory is well …

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Video Game Design In The Mba Curriculum: An Experiential Learning Approach For Teaching Design Thinking, James Gaskin, Nicholas Berente Jan 2011

Video Game Design In The Mba Curriculum: An Experiential Learning Approach For Teaching Design Thinking, James Gaskin, Nicholas Berente

Faculty Publications

In the spirit of design thinking, we have developed a ―hands-on‖ video game design workshop intended to be used for an MBA course on design thinking. This novel approach to teaching complex concepts and skills to business students has been received with enthusiasm, and it provides a unique and memorable experience for students to draw on as they encounter situations in which they will apply design thinking in the future. Additionally, student-produced games and student reflections on the workshops provide initial evidence of the value of teaching design thinking through this type of experiential method. In this article we review …

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Knowledge Sourcing And Knowledge Consumption In Computer- Mediated Complex Decision Making, Nathan W. Twyman, Jeffrey L. Jenkins, Jay F. Nunamaker Jr., Katherine Carl Jan 2011

Knowledge Sourcing And Knowledge Consumption In Computer- Mediated Complex Decision Making, Nathan W. Twyman, Jeffrey L. Jenkins, Jay F. Nunamaker Jr., Katherine Carl

Faculty Publications

Individuals are turning increasingly toward web-based information sources as input for complex decisions. Gathering and evaluating decision criteria in an online context is enticing because of information availability and increased control over the process, but how do these factors impact performance? This study shows how an interaction effect between Social Comparison and Social Facilitation predicts and explains how decision making performance is influenced differently by an information consumption-only approach versus a consumeand- contribute approach. Results from an empirical evaluation indicate that publishing decision criteria and reasoning (e.g. in a forum, blog, or knowledge base) plays an important role in improving …

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Assessing The Need For The Development Of Standardized Life Skills Measures, Mat D. Duerden, Peter A. Witt Jan 2011

Assessing The Need For The Development Of Standardized Life Skills Measures, Mat D. Duerden, Peter A. Witt

Faculty Publications

Youth practitioners often select life skills as intentionally targeted program outcomes. While research findings suggest the efficacy of program experiences to positively influence a variety of life skills, it remains difficult to compare these findings due to measurement incongruities. Individual life skills (e.g., leadership, decision making, etc.) often lack standardized conceptualizations and measurement approaches. The purpose of the study reported here was to gather data about practitioners' perceptions of those life skill domains most in need of measurement development. Based on the results of the study, 10 life skill sub-domains are recommended for future measurement development efforts.

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Psychological Need Satisfaction Through Sports Participation Among International Athletes With Cerebral Palsy, Neil R. Lundberg, Diane G. Groff, Ramon Zabriskie Jan 2011

Psychological Need Satisfaction Through Sports Participation Among International Athletes With Cerebral Palsy, Neil R. Lundberg, Diane G. Groff, Ramon Zabriskie

Faculty Publications

Research indicates that people with disabilities who participate in sports and are physically active rate themselves higher in psychological well-being. The primary purpose of this study was to observe differences in the satisfaction of psychological needs through sports participation based on one’s impairment level. Participants in the study included 50 English-speaking individuals with cerebral palsy who were 18 years of age or older and who were competing in the 2005 World Cerebral Palsy Championship in New Haven, Connecticut. Descriptive statistics were gathered and a simple one-way ANOVA was used to test the differences in psychological need fulfillment. Results indicated a …

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Identity Negotiating: Redefining Stigmatized Identities Through Adaptive Sports And Recreation Participation Among Individuals With A Disability, Neil R. Lundberg, Stacy Taniguchi, Bryan P. Mccormick, Catherine Tibbs Jan 2011

Identity Negotiating: Redefining Stigmatized Identities Through Adaptive Sports And Recreation Participation Among Individuals With A Disability, Neil R. Lundberg, Stacy Taniguchi, Bryan P. Mccormick, Catherine Tibbs

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to investigate the meanings and outcomes of adaptive sport and recreation participation among individuals with disabilities. In-depth open-ended interviews were conducted with 17 individuals. Analysis of the data followed qualitative data analysis and classical grounded theory utilizing line by line coding, identification of emergent themes, and identification of a core category grounded in the data. Results indicated that participants felt stigmatized and stereotyped, but their adaptive sports and recreation participation provided them with opportunities to build social networks, experience freedom and success, positively compare themselves with others without disabilities, and feel a sense of …

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Outcomes Of Adaptive Sports And Recreation Participation Among Veterans Returning From Combat With Acquired Disability, Neil Lundberg, Jessie Bennett, Shauna Smith Jan 2011

Outcomes Of Adaptive Sports And Recreation Participation Among Veterans Returning From Combat With Acquired Disability, Neil Lundberg, Jessie Bennett, Shauna Smith

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to examine changes in quality of life, mood states, and sports related competence for veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom who participated in a therapeutic adaptive sports and recreation program. The researchers hypothesized that participation would lead to increases in physical, psychological, social, and environmental QoL, increases in sports related competence, and reductions in mood disturbances such as depression and anger. A total of 18 veterans participated in one of three week-long therapeutic and adaptive sports programs in Sun Valley Idaho. Veterans responded on a pretest and posttest questionnaire. Because no …

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Australian Family Leisure: Modelling Parent And Youth Data, Raymond A. Poff, Ramon Zabriskie, Jasmine A. Townsend Jan 2011

Australian Family Leisure: Modelling Parent And Youth Data, Raymond A. Poff, Ramon Zabriskie, Jasmine A. Townsend

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to test a recently developed broad structural model which examines the relationships between family leisure involvement, family functioning, family communication, family leisure satisfaction, and satisfaction with family life among a large sample of families from Australia (n = 1014). participating families provided responses to family variables from both a parent (n = 902) and an adolescent child (n = 810) in the household. Structural equation modelling was employed and the fit indices from the parent and youth structural equation models were quite similar to each other, with both exhibiting a reasonable fit of the …

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Transnational Spaces Within The European Union: The Geographies Of British Migrants In France, Fiona Ferbrache Jan 2011

Transnational Spaces Within The European Union: The Geographies Of British Migrants In France, Fiona Ferbrache

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

Tensions exist in the way that the European Union is conceptualised. How do we reconcile the persistence of a Europe of fragmented nation-states and the European integration project based on the principle of free movement? This duality is indicative of different geographical visions: between space defined as places and space defined as unifying flows. While places tend to be associated with fixed territories and borders, it is argued that complex global flows and connections may disrupt such notions. Addressing these theoretical tensions, this thesis examines transnational frameworks for discussing the reconfiguration of borders and spaces within the European Union. The …

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Diffuse Minewater Pollution: Quantification And Risk Assessment In The Tamar Catchment, Alison Turner Jan 2011

Diffuse Minewater Pollution: Quantification And Risk Assessment In The Tamar Catchment, Alison Turner

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

Abandoned metal mines in the Tamar catchment, south west England, represent a significant threat to surface water quality via generation of acid mine waters. Currently the River Tamar fails environmental quality standards (EQS) established under the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC) for dissolved Cu (x ̅ = 0.19 ± 0.05 μmol L-1) and Zn (x ̅ = 0.19 ± 0.06 μmol L-1, both 1997-2007) downstream of historic mining area of Gunnislake. The aim of this study was to quantify the risk to surface water quality by diffuse drainage generated by mine waste tips. For the first time, a GIS model was …

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An Evaluation Of The Toxicity And Bioaccumulation Of Cisplatin In The Marine Environment Using The Macroalga, Ulva Lactuca., Cecilia Easton, Andrew Turner, Graham Sewell Jan 2011

An Evaluation Of The Toxicity And Bioaccumulation Of Cisplatin In The Marine Environment Using The Macroalga, Ulva Lactuca., Cecilia Easton, Andrew Turner, Graham Sewell

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

The cytotoxic drug, cisplatin (cis-PtCl(2)(NH(3))(2)), has been added to cultures of the marine macroalga, Ulva lactuca, under various experimental conditions. Both accumulation and internalisation over a 48 h period was greater when cisplatin was added to coastal sea water (salinity = 33) from a distilled water solution than when added to either sea water or estuarine water (salinity = 16.5) from a saline solution. This effect is attributed to the greater abundance of the more reactive monoaqua complex (cis-PtCl(OH(2))(NH(3))(2)(+)) in the distilled water solution and kinetic constraints on its conversion back to cis-PtCl(2)(NH(3))(2) in sea water. Despite its mode of …

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The Moisture Performance Of Straw Bale Construction In A Temperate Maritime Climate, Jim Carfrae Jan 2011

The Moisture Performance Of Straw Bale Construction In A Temperate Maritime Climate, Jim Carfrae

School of Art, Design and Architecture Theses

This thesis is an investigation into the moisture performance of straw bales used in the construction of buildings. The principle of taking bales of straw off the field and stacking them up on themselves to form the walls of a simple building is a practise that started over a hundred years ago. The modern form of this building method is more sophisticated, and is spreading world wide from its origins in the arid regions of America. Despite advances in modern methods of construction there has been concern and doubt over the suitability of straw bale for use as a building …

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Designing Clinical Trials In Older People., C. B. Carroll, J. P. Zajicek Jan 2011

Designing Clinical Trials In Older People., C. B. Carroll, J. P. Zajicek

Peninsula Medical School

Adequate medical care of the increasingly ageing population requires robust clinical trial data both to inform treatment decisions, and to understand the natural history of diseases which primarily affect the elderly. However, this information is widely lacking, which is likely to have significant clinical consequences. Under-representation of older people in clinical trials is well documented, the reasons including physicians' perception, protocol eligibility criteria, and functional status requirements. Many clinical trial designs remain conservative and there is no established standardised methodology for recruiting more elderly patients with co-morbidities and disability into clinical trials. Designing clinical trials in older people poses a …

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The Psychology Of Stroke In Young Adults: The Roles Of Service Provision And Return To Work, Reg Morris Jan 2011

The Psychology Of Stroke In Young Adults: The Roles Of Service Provision And Return To Work, Reg Morris

School of Psychology

Literature about the psychological consequences of stroke in those under 65 is reviewed focussing on services and work. Despite similarities, young and old survivors have different experiences and needs. These are attributable to the effects of stroke on age-normative roles and activities, self-image, and the young person's stage in the life-cycle, especially family and work. “Hidden” cognitive impairments, a disrupted sense of self, and the incongruity of suffering an “older person's” disease are salient. Young survivors benefit from services, but experience lack of congruence between their needs and service philosophy, methods, and aims, and consequently have unmet needs. Employment is …

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Humanity's Law, Ruti G. Teitel Jan 2011

Humanity's Law, Ruti G. Teitel

Books

Post-Cold War history has witnessed a transformation in the relationship of law to violence in global politics. The normative foundations of the international legal order have been shifting their emphasis from state security to human security: the security of persons and peoples. Increasingly, courts, tribunals, other international bodies, and political actors draw from this new framework to assess the rights and wrongs of conflict; determine whether and how to intervene; and impose accountability and responsibility on state and non-state actors. The result of this shift is the law of humanity — a framework that spans the law of war, international …

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Sentimental Ideology, Women's Pedagogy, And American Indian Women's Writing: 1815-1921, Christine Cavalier Jan 2011

Sentimental Ideology, Women's Pedagogy, And American Indian Women's Writing: 1815-1921, Christine Cavalier

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION Sentimental Ideology, Women's Pedagogy, and American Indian Women's Writing: 1815-1921 by Christine Renée Cavalier Washington University in St. Louis, 2011 Professor Vivian Pollak, Chairperson This dissertation examines how sentimental notions of respectable womanhood and refined education shaped the polished poetry and prose of four seminal female figures in the history of American Indian literature: Jane Johnston Schoolcraft: 1800-1842), the earliest American Indian female author recovered thus far; E. Pauline Johnson: 1861-1913), the most successful nineteenth-century Native writer who became Canada's iconic poetess and Native national symbol; S. Alice Callahan: 1868-1894), the first American Indian female novelist; …

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Effects Of Goal Maintenance Training On Executive Control In Older Adults, Jessica Paxton Jan 2011

Effects Of Goal Maintenance Training On Executive Control In Older Adults, Jessica Paxton

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Due to the fact that executive control abilities are necessary for successful execution of many cognitive and real-world tasks, interest has arisen in determining how these abilities can be improved. A previous study demonstrated that both practice and strategy training improved performance in older adults on an executive control task requiring goal maintenance abilities: Paxton et al., 2006), but no previous research has investigated the amount of exposure to this executive control task during training. Thus, questions remained about whether amount of exposure: e.g., extended experience with one task or limited experience with multiple tasks) or type of intervention: e.g., …

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Quantitative Perfusion-Sensitive Mri Phantoms, Jeff Anderson Jan 2011

Quantitative Perfusion-Sensitive Mri Phantoms, Jeff Anderson

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Perfusion-sensitive MR methods are increasingly utilized in preclinical and clinical MR research studies with the promise of providing quantitative estimates of parameters that describe in vivo microvasculature. One of these techniques, dynamic contrast enhanced: DCE) MRI, has found particularly common use in oncology for the detection, staging, and monitoring of highly vascularized tumors. DCE-MRI has been qualitatively validated by various studies that show a high correlation between modeled parameters from DCE and histologically measured microvascular density: MVD). However, in the absence of a matching "gold-standard" technique, DCE-MRI has not yet been quantitatively validated: i.e., the accuracy of the estimated parameters …

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Grief Among Dementia Caregivers: A Comparison Of Two Assessment Systems, Elizabeth Mulligan Jan 2011

Grief Among Dementia Caregivers: A Comparison Of Two Assessment Systems, Elizabeth Mulligan

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Research suggests that family caregivers of people with dementia may experience grief prior to the death of their care recipients, in part because of the series of losses they experience and the chronic nature of caregiving. Methods for assessing predeath grief, however, are just beginning to be developed, and basic questions about measurement remain. The purpose of the current study was to identify areas of overlap and disjunction in two self-report measures of predeath grief, one adapted from the postdeath literature: the Prolonged Grief Disorder Inventory) and one designed specifically for use with dementia caregivers: the Marwit-Meuser Caregiver Grief Inventory-Short …

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Making Moral Worlds: Individual And Social Processes Of Meaning-Making In A Somali Diaspora, Anna Jacobsen Jan 2011

Making Moral Worlds: Individual And Social Processes Of Meaning-Making In A Somali Diaspora, Anna Jacobsen

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

I argue that most Somalis living in exile in the Eastleigh neighborhood of Nairobi, Kenya are deeply concerned with morality both as individually performed and proven, and as socially defined, authorized and constructed. In this dissertation, I explore various aspects of Somali morality as it is constructed, debated, and reinforced by individual women living in Eastleigh. I examine a variety of ways in which Somali women in Eastleigh identify morality and ethical behavior. I argue that this metaethical project is not an artifact of analysis, but is a useful way of capturing how Somalis in Kenya and elsewhere are undertaking …

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Dynamic Measurement Of Soluble Human Aβ In A Combined Microdialysis-Experimental Traumatic Brain Injury Mouse Model, Katherine Schwetye Jan 2011

Dynamic Measurement Of Soluble Human Aβ In A Combined Microdialysis-Experimental Traumatic Brain Injury Mouse Model, Katherine Schwetye

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

The amyloid-β peptide: Aβ) plays a central pathophysiological role in Alzheimer's disease, but little is known about its dynamics in the brain's extracellular space. A recent microdialysis-based study in human patients with severe brain injuries found that extracellular Aβ dynamics correlate with changes in neurological status. Because neurological status is generally diminished following injury, this correlation suggests that extracellular Aβ is reduced relative to baseline. However, human studies cannot assess pre-injury Aβ levels, very early post-injury Aβ levels, nor the relationship between extracellular Aβ and total tissue levels. Therefore, we developed a mouse model that combines experimental TBI with microdialysis …

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Dietary Shifts, Niche Relationships And Interspecific Competition In Sympatric Grey Langur (Semnopithecus Entellus) And Purple-Faced Langur (Trachypithecus Vetulus) In Sri Lanka, Rajnish Vandercone Jan 2011

Dietary Shifts, Niche Relationships And Interspecific Competition In Sympatric Grey Langur (Semnopithecus Entellus) And Purple-Faced Langur (Trachypithecus Vetulus) In Sri Lanka, Rajnish Vandercone

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Understanding how niche differences evolve in ecologically similar species and how these differences are maintained ecologically is a fundamental question in ecology. Interspecific competition has been shown to influence the behavior and ecology of organisms in a wide range of ecological communities. However, the broader role of interspecific competition in primate communities is unclear as relatively few studies have explored this question. This is especially true for folivorous primate communities, such as those of colobine monkeys, in which the influence of interspecific competition on aspects of the ecology of these monkeys is yet to be determined. In this dissertation, I …

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Lemur Catta In The Region Of Cap Sainte-Marie, Madagascar: Introduced Cacti, Xerophytic Didiereaceae-Euphorbia Bush, And Tombs, Elizabeth Kelley Jan 2011

Lemur Catta In The Region Of Cap Sainte-Marie, Madagascar: Introduced Cacti, Xerophytic Didiereaceae-Euphorbia Bush, And Tombs, Elizabeth Kelley

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

This is the first study to document the natural history of Lemur catta, ring-tailed lemurs, outside of gallery forest environments: in xerophytic Didiereaceae-Euphorbia, bush habitat that represents over 90% of this species' potential range. Moreover, this study is the first to document ring-tailed lemurs, or any primate species for that matter, as cactus dwellers. Data were collected for 15 consecutive months on two different troops in the Cap Sainte-Marie: CSM) area, which is Madagascar's southernmost region. All-day follows, nutritional analyses, and health assessments were the methods used to test hypotheses on the following themes: a) behavioral flexibility, b) ecology, health, …

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What Good Is Engagement? Predicting Academic Performance And College Satisfaction From Personality, Social Support, And Student Engagement, Timothy Bono Jan 2011

What Good Is Engagement? Predicting Academic Performance And College Satisfaction From Personality, Social Support, And Student Engagement, Timothy Bono

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

This dissertation identifies variables that predict academic performance and university satisfaction among 146 undergraduate students at Washington University tested during their first semester of freshman year and later as sophomores or juniors. Hierarchical regression analysis reveals that, after controlling for SAT scores, freshman levels of conscientiousness and upperclass Academic Engagement predict higher GPA. Freshman levels of life satisfaction, Co-curricular Engagement, and low regret, and upperclass levels of happiness, social support, and low regret predict university satisfaction. A quantifiable model of Student Engagement is also offered. Further, results demonstrate that, over the college years, personality and student engagement change over time. …

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Integrity, Identity, And Why Moral Exemplars Do What Is Right, David Bauman Jan 2011

Integrity, Identity, And Why Moral Exemplars Do What Is Right, David Bauman

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Many people think that integrity is a central concept for moral reasoning. Political, educational, and business leaders tout the importance of integrity for our society's moral health. But there are reasons to doubt that it is solely a moral concept. Our intuitions seem to confirm that a committed Mafia boss may have some form of integrity. Or one might say that integrity is the mere expression of other moral commitments or depict it as a formal virtue lacking any moral content. Others question whether or not it is even desirable or achievable. In this dissertation, I develop an account of …

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Interactions Between Bmp And Canonical Wnt Signaling Regulate Critical Stages Of The Osteoblast Lifecycle, Valerie Salazar Jan 2011

Interactions Between Bmp And Canonical Wnt Signaling Regulate Critical Stages Of The Osteoblast Lifecycle, Valerie Salazar

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Skeletal development and post-natal bone homeostasis are dependent on the coordinated activity of bone-forming cells called osteoblasts and bone-resorbing cells called osteoclasts. Over 10 million people in the US currently suffer from osteoporosis, which increases the risk of low-trauma fractures and accounts for health care expenditures exceeding $14 billion per year. Osteoporosis is often treated with anti-resorptive compounds, primarily bisphosphonates, which inhibit osteoclast-mediated bone destruction. However, these drugs do not restore bone mass, which can only be accomplished by activation new bone formation, as with intermittent parathyroid hormone therapy. The development of additional bone "anabolic" therapies will require genetic and …

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Children's And Parents' Depression In Relation To Family-Based Behavioral Weight Loss Treatment Outcome, Rachel Kolko Jan 2011

Children's And Parents' Depression In Relation To Family-Based Behavioral Weight Loss Treatment Outcome, Rachel Kolko

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Baseline parent-report of child depression and parent self-reported depression have been found to predict childrenΓÇÖs outcome in family-based behavioral weight loss treatment: FBT), although less is known about how child self-reported depression, changes in depression over time, and depression assessed via multiple informants is associated with FBT outcome. Two hundred and forty-one overweight children and their parents entered FBT, and 178 completed the pre- and post-FBT assessments. Depression was assessed via child and parent self-report, and parent-report on child. Linear regression examined child and parent depression: both baseline and change from baseline to post-FBT) as predictors of child FBT outcome: …

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Systematic Identification Of Independent Functional Non-Coding Rna Genes In Oxytricha Trifallax, Seolkyoung Jung Jan 2011

Systematic Identification Of Independent Functional Non-Coding Rna Genes In Oxytricha Trifallax, Seolkyoung Jung

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Functional noncoding RNAs participate in a variety of biological processes: for example, modulating translation, catalyzing biochemical reactions, sensing environments etc. Independent of conventional approaches such as transcriptomics and computational comparative analysis, we took advantage of the unusual genomic organization of the ciliated unicellular protozoan Oxytricha trifallax to screen for eukaryotic independent functional noncoding RNA genes. The Oxytricha macronuclear genome consists of thousands of gene-sized "nanochromosomes", each of which usually contains only a single gene. Using a draft Oxytricha trifallax genome assembly and a custom-written noncoding nanochromosome classifier, we identified a subset of nanochromosomes that lack any detectable protein coding gene, …

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