Digital Commons Network^™

An Evaluation Of Neuroplasticity And Behavior After Deep Brain Stimulation Of The Nucleus Accumbens In An Animal Model Of Depression., Steven M Falowski, Ashwini Sharan, Beverly A S Reyes, Carl Sikkema, Patricia Szot, Elisabeth J Van Bockstaele

Department of Neurosurgery Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Recent interest has demonstrated the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) as a potential target for the treatment of depression with deep brain stimulation (DBS).

OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate that DBS of the NAcc is an effective treatment modality for depression and that chemical and structural changes associated with these behavioral changes are markers of neuroplasticity.

METHODS: A deep brain stimulator was placed in the NAcc of male Wistar-Kyoto rats. Groups were divided into sham (no stimulation), intermittent (3 h/d for 2 weeks), or continuous (constant stimulation for 2 weeks). Exploratory and anxietylike behaviors were evaluated with the open-field test before and after …

Sexuality Education, Eva Goldfarb, Norman A. Constantine

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

Sexuality education comprises the lifelong intentional processes by which people learn about themselves and others as sexual, gendered beings from biological, psychological, and sociocultural perspectives. It takes place through a potentially wide range of programs and activities in schools, community settings, religious centers, as well as informally within families, among peers, and through electronic and other media. Sexuality education for adolescents occurs in the context of the biological, cognitive, and social-emotional developmental progressions and issues of adolescence. Formal sexuality education falls into two main categories: behavior change approaches, which are represented by abstinence-only and abstinence-plus models, and healthy sexual development …

Peddlers Of Hate: The Existence Of Norm Entrepreneurs As A Necessary Precursor To Genocide, Lauren Elise Fairbanks

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Over the course of the 20th century genocide has been responsible for the murder of more than 170 million people; it is has proven to be four times deadlier than war (Voth, 2007). Although it often appears spontaneous, Genocide is instead a result of certain preconditions. Studies into the causes of genocide ought to aid in the formation of methods intended to keep violence from occurring. Unfortunately, seemingly different factors such as economic crisis, resource scarcity, institutional weakness, and ethnic resentment prove difficult to classify as the ultimate cause. Instead these conditions work collectively to create an atmosphere that is …

Development, Implementation, And Evaluation Of A Social Skills Training Intervention In A Rural Special-School Setting For Students With Mild/Moderate Disabilities, Sheree Duncan

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Given the critical degree to which a person’s level of social competence influences one’s academic, mental, social, and interpersonal success, it is imperative that schools facilitate the learning of social skills. The purpose of this study was to design, implement and evaluate a social skills training intervention for students with mild disabilities (and behaviors that adversely affect their participation in a general curriculum or resource settings) in a rural special school setting. A review of literature guided the design and evaluation of the intervention. According to analysis of data on student behavior, the social skills training intervention did not consistently …

Impact Of Computerized “Sounding Out” On Spelling Performance Of A Child Who Uses Aac: A Preliminary Report, Jillian H Mccarthy, David R. Beukelman, Tiffany Hogan

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Spelling is a vital skill for people who rely on augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). The ability to spell words provides an opportunity to create novel and spontaneous communication and increases educational, social, and employment opportunities for children and adults. However, many children and youth who rely on AAC struggle to gain functional spelling skills and written language. The purpose of this preliminary investigation was to develop a strategy to provide auditory letter-sounds using commercially available computer equipment and to evaluate how such a computerized “sounding out” strategy influences spelling accuracy for one child who required AAC support. The spelling …

Nonparametric Goodness-Of-Fit Tests For Discrete Null Distributions, Taylor B. Arnold, John W. Emerson

The R Journal

Methodology extending nonparametric goodness-of-fit tests to discrete null distributions has existed for several decades. However, modern statistical software has generally failed to provide this methodology to users. We offer a revision of R’s ks.test() function and a new cvm.test() function that fill this need in the R language for two of the most popular nonparametric goodness-of-fit tests. This paper describes these contributions and provides examples of their usage. Particular attention is given to various numerical issues that arise in their implementation.

The Effects Of Academic Advising On College Student Development In Higher Education, Kelly K. Pargett

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This paper explored the relationship between faculty academic advising and college student development by examining factors such as a student’s academic success, including grade point average, campus involvement, expected graduation date, and job placement upon graduation. The research studied the relationship by examining the student’s age, gender, academic year, ethnicity, and grade point average. Results from this study will be significant to retention, graduation rate, and overall student success at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. In addition, information gathered from student surveys can help the improvement of faculty advising for all advisors on campus. Results also indicated that the majority of …

Reflections Of Self: An Autoethnography Exploring A Survivor's Journey To Healing, Shemika Maria Harris

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

This study exposed the ramifications of childhood sexual abuse in regards to an African American woman's self-representation by contextualizing this experience within the larger cultural context; thereby, illuminating issues regarding race, class, gender, and relationships with others. Framed within a feminist theoretical paradigm, this study integrated the sociological context of race and culture using Black Feminist thought (Collins, 2000) and Relational Cultural Theory, which examines women's psychological identity development (Jordan, 2010; Miller, 1976). To illustrate an African American woman's negotiation of existence as a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, this qualitative study employed the research methodology autoethnography. Employing autoethnography provides …

Ethnic Difference In Healthcare Delivery, Benny Mathew Varghese

Department of Industrial and Management Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Quality in healthcare is a very important aspect; this is obtained when there is proper care provided to the patients without any discrimination. The healthcare system in the US can be improved in the fields of patient’s care, the amount of money spent and proper advice, if proper responsibilities are taken. Quality has been improving over the years, but the median by which there is an increase is too small. The other main factor is access to the healthcare system, which has over the year, has not progressed. Studies in healthcare quality should be conducted on a regular base, so …

Application Of Threshold Concepts To Improve A Design-Focused Course In Transportation Engineering, Dan Cernusca, Ghulam Bham

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Design is an integral part of engineering courses. to address its associated problems, however, is a challenging task in instruction because of design's open-endedness and complexity. in this study, two theoretical models were implemented in an introductory transportation engineering course to address the challenges associated with design of a highway. First, the theoretical framework proposed by the threshold concepts model was used to identify a candidate concept for the instructional redesign process. Two major characteristics of threshold concepts, integrativity and transformativity, were used to identify horizontal alignment as a candidate concept for the highway design process. Second, concept mapping was …

A Survey Study Comparing Adult Orthodontic Patient Quality Of Life Between Invisalign And Fixed Appliances., Keith Christopher Nicholson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

We aimed to examine differences in treatment impacts and quality of life between adult orthodontic patients with Invisalign and fixed appliances. Adults represent a burgeoning branch of orthodontics yet many prospective patients have been reluctant to pursue orthodontics due to concerns with treatment. It was hypothesized that removable aligners would be better tolerated by adult patients. Sixty-three adult patients (forty Invisalign, twenty-three fixed appliances) were recruited from private practice. The treatment groups were largely comparable although the braces group reported more frequent unplanned appointments and use of auxiliaries. The Invisalign group experienced less negative impacts and these differences were generally …

Theory Of Mind, Social Functioning, And Awareness Of Ability In Older Adults., Sarah Vedrody Rowe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Declines in social resources and in the quality of interpersonal interactions have been observed in some older adults. Unawareness of ability is a clinical problem that has been found in some older adults with dementia, but has also been found in non-demented older adults, and the clinical correlates have not been reliably established. Theory of mind (ToM) is a social-cognitive construct that refers to the ability to infer the mental states of others and the self. ToM has been linked with social functioning and self-awareness, but few studies have examined these variables in older adults. The current study tested the …

Efficacy Of Child Parent Relationship Therapy For Caregivers Of Children With Attachment Problems., Margaret Sergeant

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examined the effectiveness of Child Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT), a lO-week group model of Filial Therapy (FT), with caregivers of children with attachment problems. CPRT is an evidence-based treatment which is designed to strengthen relationship between caregiver and child. Research suggests that improvements in the relationship lead to changes in behavior and emotional regulation. Therapists treating children with attachment problems at Seven Counties Services, Inc. were concerned about the lack of interventions for children with attachment problems. This study used a randomized pre-test, post-test waitlist control group design to evaluate the effectiveness of CPRT for caregivers of children …

Embodied Consciousness In Non-Fiction Illness Narratives : A Phenomenological-Sociological Approach., Kathryn A. Jacobi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation uses a phenomenological and sociological lens to explore how non-fiction illness narratives help us understand how perception of the self is disrupted because of serious illness or injury. Specifically, I use the French philosopher, M. Merleau-Ponty's phenomenological thought concerning the body and the sociological perspective of medical sociologist, Arthur Frank and his types of narratives and how culture helps construct illness. I analyze the works of four different writers: Sarah Manguso, Oliver Sacks, Jean Dominique-Bauby, and Anatole Broyard. Chapter one serves as an introduction to the subject of illness writing and an overview of some of the material …

Exploring The Scholar-Practitioner Gap In Personnel Selection Assessments : An Analysis Of Scholarly Versus Practitioner Literature., Whitney L. Martin 1977-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research suggests that a gap exists between scholarly findings and practitioner knowledge, beliefs, and practices in the Human Resource field, particularly in the area of employee selection (Deadrick & Gibson, 2007; Rynes, Giluk, & Brown, 2007). This study seeks to explore this gap relative to self-report selection assessments by examining practitioner-oriented versus scholarly literature. Articles published between January 2006 and September 2011 from two scholarly sources (Journal of Applied Psychology and Personnel Psychology) and two practitioner sources (HR Magazine and HR Executive) were reviewed, and 49 articles were selected for inclusion in analysis. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyze …

An Investigation Of A Middle-High School System As A Learning Organization During The Implementation Of A Grade Eight To Grade Nine Transition Program., Carol Jean Christian

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the impact of articulation activities and the extent to which the Grant County Kentucky school district operated as a learning organization during the implementation of a research-based middle to high school student transition initiative. Grant County is predominantly rural, located between Louisville, Kentucky and Cincinnati, Ohio, and includes the town of Williamstown, Kentucky. This study analyzed the Grant County schools' to determine if they functioned as a learning organization to the characteristics common to organizational learning, high reliability organizations and effective schools that included the characteristics of systemic process, leadership/vision, collaboration, and the use of measures. This …

Quidam Homo Est Asinus : The Originality And Influence Of Peter Abelard Upon Medieval Thought., Timothy Ernst 1982-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Historians and philosophers alike remember Peter Abelard as the most brilliant, original, and influential philosopher of the twelfth century. Much ofthis reputation stems not from Abelard's intellectual contributions but due to Abelard's scandalous personal life and the nonexistence of documents of Abelard's contemporary philosophers. Though brilliant, Abelard exerted little influence through his ideas. Unlike a modem professor who changes the paradigms of his discipline with innovative theses, Abelard was a skilled teacher who sought to teach students the skills they required to advance their careers within a reformed Catholic Church, which was newly interested in logic, philosophy, and theology. Seen …

Social-Emotional Behaviors In African-American Toddlers : The Role Of Risk And Protective Factors., Paulette Flores 1970-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The role of risk and protective factors in the family system on toddlers' social-emotional outcomes was examined by exploring the impact of depression and parenting strategies reported by female primary caregivers on toddlers' social-emotional competence and social-emotional problem behaviors. The goal of the research was to extend knowledge concerning how these risk and protective factors relate to social-emotional outcomes in an urban community sample of African-American families. Participants included 103 African-American women and toddlers. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses examined social-emotional problems and social-emotional competence. Results showed that female primary caregivers' depression and annual income were found to significantly predict ratings …

Comparing Engagement : Predicting African American Student Success At Predominately White Institutions And Historically Black Colleges And Universities., Christian A. Gamm

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The study examined the relationship between African American student engagement and student background variables through the context of institution type. The study focused on the impact of student background variables (mother's level of education, father's level of education, enrollment status, sex, and grade point average) on student engagement, while taking into account institution types. Differences in engagement levels between different types of institutions were explored. Engagement variables were measured as benchmarks of effective educational practice gathered from the National Survey of Student Engagement. The results indicated that African American students had significantly higher grade point averages when attending Historically Black …

Health Disparities And Depression In Rural And Urban Older Adults., Jennifer Ann Zimmerman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Depression is one of the most prevalent psychiatric conditions experienced by older adults and represents a major public health concern. Rural/urban residence may affect the prevalence of depression as rural older adults differ from their urban counterparts in many respects. One important difference found in the literature is that rural OAs are often faced with more health disparities (HDs) compared to their urban counterparts. The current study investigated the association between HDs and depression in a sample of rural and urban OAs, and examined whether HDs contribute to our understanding of how rurality impacts the prevalence and severity of depression. …

Validation Of The Resilience Competencies Scale (Rcs) For Applications Among American Indian Youth, Melanie Hockenberry

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Historical trauma, poverty, educational inequalities, and discrimination are among the many factors contributing to current problems, such as substance abuse, experienced by some American Indian youth today. Much of the literature on American Indian adolescents has been problem-focused; but it is also important to identify factors that are associated with resilient outcomes, such as personal, social, and ecological factors highlighted in models of resilience. As a step toward conducting such studies, it is necessary to have measures that are valid, reliable, and culturally-applicable for American Indian adolescents. Therefore, a mixed methods study (focus groups; survey) was conducted to examine the …

Impact Of Tinnitus On The Quality Of Life Among Saudi Patients., Abdulrahman A. Alsanosi

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVES: To assess the impact of tinnitus on the quality of life of Saudi patients, and to compare the findings with those of other studies. METHODS: A retrospective chart review of 100 tinnitus patients, who visited the Otology/Neurotology Clinic at King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia between January 2008 and December 2010, and completed the 25-item Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI), was conducted. Age, gender, duration of symptoms, laterality, and associated hearing loss were included in the data. RESULTS: The mean age of 54 men, and 46 women was 47.1±13.1 years. The male patients had higher THI total …

Assessment Of Quality Of Life In Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus In Oman., Masoud Y. Al-Maskari, Ali O. Al-Shookri, Samir H. Al-Adawi, Khor G. Lin

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVES: To measure quality of life of type 2 diabetes patients in Oman, and examine which patients9 socio-demographic and diabetes-related clinical characteristics are associated with better quality of life. METHODS: This cross-sectional study of 200 diabetic subjects was conducted in Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Al-Khod, Oman between April and September 2009. A short form of the diabetes quality of life questionnaire (DQoL) was used to elicit indices of quality of life on subjects (n=200) seeking consultation at the diabetic outpatient clinic. Socio-demographic variables, body mass index (kg/m) and clinical parameters relevant for the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes, including glycated …

Vitiligo-Epidemiological Study Of 4134 Patients At The National Center For Vitiligo And Psoriasis In Central Saudi Arabia., Ahmed Alissa, Abdulla Al Eisa, Rozeena Huma, Sajeev Mulekar

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVES: To assess the clinical patterns, epidemiological profile of vitiligo, and its awareness among Saudi nationals. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted among Saudi nationals with a confirmed diagnosis of vitiligo presenting to the National Center for Vitiligo and Psoriasis, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from August 2002 to August 2006 using a retrospective questionnaire based on the history and medical records of patients. RESULTS: Of the 4134 cases, 53.5% were females. The mean age of onset of vitiligo was 17.4 years. Vitiligo vulgaris was the most common type in 42.3% of cases, 90.5% had no associated autoimmune conditions. The family history …

Menguji Sikap Implisit Dengan Implicit Association Test, Nurlyta Hafiyah, Anisa Puri, Rizkiana Shadewi

Makara Human Behavior Studies in Asia

The present study was aimed to develop implicit association test (IAT) as a measure of implicit attitude and to test whether IAT had good validity and reliability to measure implicit attitude between Moslems and Christians in Indonesia. Both Moslems and Christians were participated in this study. The results showed that IAT is valid and reliable to measure implicit attitude related to religion. Furthermore, IAT was able to reveal more attitudinal discrimination between Moslem and Christian categories than it would be revealed by the explicit measures of the same religion-related attitude. IAT was also able to reveal opposed evaluations even for …

Antisipasi, Rujukan Dan Fokus Pengaturan Sebagai Prediktor Perilaku Sehat, Dharmayati Utoyo Lubis, Bagus Takwin, Sahat Krisfianus Panggabean

Makara Human Behavior Studies in Asia

The aim of this study was to understand the relation between principles of self-regulation and health behaviors, including which self-regulation principles used. Using three principles of self-regulation which are regulatory anticipation, regulatory reference, and regulatory focus (Higgins, Grant, & Shah, 1999) this study examined the role of those principles on health behavior among people in DKI Jakarta. The health behavior was divided into health promotive behavior and health preventive behavior. This study was conducted to 385 citizens of DKI Jakarta (200 males and 185 females with average age is 32 years old). Data analysis using multiple regressions indicated the role …

Revisiting The Similar Fact Rule In Singapore: Public Prosecutor V. Mas Swan Bin Adnan And Another, Siyuan Chen

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

The similar fact rule in Singapore—as with the law on any evidence law doctrine that can be found in both our Evidence Act and the common law—has required clarification for some time. This note, which discusses the latest local decision on the similar fact rule, considers if that decision is compatible with the Evidence Act and the various conceptualisations underlying the doctrine.

Modeling 3d Articulated Motions With Conformal Geometry Videos (Cgvs), Dao T. P. Quynh, Ying He, Xiaoming Chen, Jiazhi Xia, Qian Sun, Steven C. H. Hoi

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

3D articulated motions are widely used in entertainment, sports, military, and medical applications. Among various techniques for modeling 3D motions, geometry videos (GVs) are a compact representation in that each frame is parameterized to a 2D domain, which captures the 3D geometry (x, y, z) to a pixel (r, g, b) in the image domain. As a result, the widely studied image/video processing techniques can be directly borrowed for 3D motion. This paper presents conformal geometry videos (CGVs), a novel extension of the traditional geometry videos by taking into the consideration of the isometric nature of 3D articulated motions. We …

Towards Failure Free Design: An Analysis Of Risk Mitigation Communication, Daniel Krus, Katie Grantham

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In order to ensure that risk mitigation strategies are properly communicated to and understood by those who would use them in future designs, a common language of risk mitigation should exist. This paper focuses on a set of elements for describing risk mitigation strategies based on a linguistic analysis of the information such strategies must communicate to the design team. Sample strategies are then decomposed into these attributes and evaluated using the Gricean cooperation principle, relevance theory, and functional analysis theories from the pragmatics sub-field of linguistics. using the deficiencies found from this analysis, a format for risk mitigation strategies …

Letter From The Editor, Hlrc Editor

Higher Learning Research Communications

No abstract provided.