Digital Commons Network^™

The Applicability Of Video Self-Modeling For Adults With Developmental And Intellectual Disabilities, Lauren Elizabeth Cox

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Video Self-Modeling (VSM) has shown to be an effective intervention in modifying maladaptive behaviors in children, particularly those with Intellectual and/or Developmental Disabilities (ID/DD). Although the effectiveness of VSM with children with ID/DD has been well established in the extant literature, considerably fewer studies have addressed the applicability of VSM with adults of the same population. Thus, the goal of the current study was to examine the utility of VSM with three adults with ID/DD, specifically targeting table manners as the behavior of interest for the intervention. Two aspects of table manners were measured utilizing a multiple baseline design: food …

The Effects Of Adding Values To An Acceptance Intervention On Willingness To Engage In A Difficult Task, Maureen Kathleen Flynn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There is a relatively large body of evidence supporting acceptance as a treatment component. According to Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) proponents, acceptance is done in the service of values (Hayes et al., 2011). This study aimed to examine the effects of adding a values component to an acceptance intervention on persistence in a frustrating task. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: acceptance, acceptance plus values, and suppression. Following a mood induction, participants listened to a recording of their assigned coping strategy and were then asked to use this strategy during a frustrating computer task. No group …

Implementation Of Multiple-Instance Learning In Drug Activity Prediction, Gang Fu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the context of drug discovery and development, much effort has been exerted to determine which conformers of a given molecule are responsible for the observed biological activity. In this work we aimed to predict bioactive conformers using a variant of supervised learning, named multiple-instance learning. A single molecule, treated as a bag of conformers, is biologically active if and only if at least one of its conformers, treated as an instance, is responsible for the observed bioactivity; and a molecule is inactive if none of its conformers is responsible for the observed bioactivity. The implementation requires instance-based embedding, and …

Development Of Novel Thermosensitive Polymers For Bioresponsive Drug Delivery, Vivek Kumar Garripelli

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Stimuli-responsive polymers have already shotremendous promise in controlled and self-regulated drug delivery. Successful construction of responsive polymers requires amalgamation of chemical, physical and biological principles. For careful therapy, a great deal of advantages offered by stimuli-responsive polymers is essential. A small or modest change in the environmental condition (e.g. temperature, pH, light) brings a sharp change in the properties of the responsive polymers. 'Smart' drug delivery systems utilize these principles to mimic the biological response behavior to a certain extent. Synthetic polymers incorporated with stimuli-responsive behavior would be amenable to overcome some of the systemic and intracellular delivery barriers. Development …

Virethics And The Problem Of Aging, Robert Edward Mongue

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

It seems wrong that a theory of a good life, well-being, or flourishing would be unable to accommodate those normal changes that distinguish natural aging and dying processes from external forces which truly do impede life. I argue in this paper that several versions of contemporary virethics, which depend heavily on a theory of the good life, suffer from this very defect. I examine the difficulties experienced by contemporary Aristotelian-based virethics in accommodating natural aging into well-being and flourishing lives, and ask whether those difficulties are intrinsic to Aristotle's theory itself. I examine Aristotle's theory in the context of its …

Valproic Acid-Induced Teratogenesis In Japanese Rice Fish (Oryzias Latipes) Embryogenesis, Mengmeng Wu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Valproic acid (VPA) was introduced as an antiepileptic in 1967 in France and it has become the most prescribed anticonvulsive drug therapy worldwide since then. In the clinic, valproic acid is selected to treat absence seizures, myoclonic seizures, generalized tonic-clonic seizures, atonic attacks and partial seizures. Epilepsy is the second most comneurologic disorder that affects pregnant women (0.5%–1%). Approximately 1 out of 250 pregnant women are taking antiepileptic drugs. Valproic acid is designated as a human teratogen, which induces major congenital anomalies, facial dysmorphic features, and autistic-like behaviors, which affect verbal, cognitive, communicative, and social abilities of affected children. We …

Metabolism And Pharmacokinetics In The Development Of New Therapeutics For Cocaine And Opioid Abuse, Pradeep Kumar Vuppala

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cocaine and opioid abuse are a major public health concern and the cause of significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. The development of effective medication for cocaine and opioid abuse is necessary to reduce the impact of this issue upon the individual and society. The pharmacologic treatment for drug abuse has been based on one of the following strategies: agonist substitution, antagonist treatment, or symptomatic treatment. This dissertation is focused on the role of metabolism and pharmacokinetics in the development of new pharmacotherapies, CM304 (sigma-1 receptor antagonist), mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine (μ-opioid receptor agonists), for the treatment of drug abuse. The affinity …

Get In The Game: Developing An Information Literacy Classroom Game, Maura A. Smale

Publications and Research

Much current research in the field of games-based learning demonstrates that games can be successfully incorporated into educational contexts to increase student engage-ment, motivation, and learning. Academic librarians are also using games as an innova-tive instructional strategy to strengthen students’ research skills and their understanding of information literacy concepts. This article discusses the development and implemen-tation of Quality Counts, a classroom information literacy game designed to teach un-dergraduate students how to evaluate Internet sources. After a brief overview of the game’s development and rules, the article describes the process of playing Quality Counts in several classes and presents the results …

National Surveillance For Human And Pet Contact With Oral Rabies Vaccine Baits, 2001–2009, Amira A. Roess, Nancy Rea, Edith Lederman, Virginia Dato, Richard Chipman, Dennis Slate, Mary G. Reynolds, Inger K. Damon, Charles E. Rupprecht

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Objective—To determine the rate and absolute number of human and pet exposures to oral rabies vaccine (ORV) bait containing liquid vaccinia rabies glycoprotein recombinant vaccine and to evaluate factors that might affect human contact with bait to modify the program and reduce human exposure to the vaccine.

Design—Retrospective analysis of surveillance data (2001 to 2009).

Sample—Reports on human and pet contact with ORV baits in states with ORV surveillance programs.

Procedures—Data were collected from passive, multistate ORV surveillance systems in Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, …

The Direction Of Research And Management Of Double-Crested Cormorants Heading Into The 2000s: Symposium Overview And Future Information Needs, Brian S. Dorr, Christopher Somers

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

An overview is provided of a symposium on the direction of research and management of double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) heading into the 2000s. The current symposium built on previous efforts and described a number of focus areas of informational need, including cormorant impacts on natural resources, demographics of cormorants, assessment of control efforts, assessment of fish consumption and bioenergetics, and cormorant spatial ecology and influences on movements. The cormorant symposium highlighted a shift in research focus relative to earlier symposia, from evaluating potential impacts on commercial and natural resources to evaluating management actions in attaining desired goals. In …

Winter And Summer Home Ranges And Core Use Areas Of Double-Crested Cormorants Captured Near Aquaculture Facilities In The Southeastern United States, D. Tommy King, Bronson K. Strickland, Andrew A. Radomski

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Numbers of Double-crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) wintering in the southeastern United States have increased dramatically during the last 30 years concomitant with the rise of the aquaculture industry in this region. These cormorants commonly foraged at commercial aquaculture facilities and thereby came into conflict with farmers. Various interest groups are seeking ecologically sound strategies for minimizing the effects of burgeoning cormorant populations. Therefore, this study was conducted to estimate winter and summer home ranges of cormorants captured in the southeastern U.S. and determine whether age class, body mass, density of aquaculture facilities and availability of roost sites influenced …

Bird Management In Fruit Crops: How We Make Progress, Catherine A. Lindell, Stephani A. Shwiff, Phillip H. Howard

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Fruit producers have identified bird damage as a critical issue that has received limited attention from researchers. A USDA study estimated that birds cost producers in 7 states tens of millions of dollars through fruit loss and management efforts. Despite these costs, research has been uncoordinated and piecemeal, leaving producers with few, well-tested management options. We describe several objectives to strive for in order to achieve the goal of providing producers with region-specific, cost-effective, and environmentally sustainable bird management strategies. These objectives include 1) quantifying economic consequences of bird damage for producers, consumers, and regional economies, and determining costs and …

An Assessment Of Richardson’S Ground Squirrel Activity And Potential Barriers To Limit Access To Sensitive Sites At Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana, Gary W. Witmer, Rachael Moulton, Jenna Swartz, Jason Gibbons

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Small mammals pass through or under chain link security fences, triggering sensors and undermining facility infrastructure at sensitive military sites. Traditional methods of rodent control are not practical because of the vastness of land to be maintained with limited manpower. Permanent barriers (above and below ground) and low-maintenance, long-term bait stations offer potential permanent and cost-effective solutions to mitigate rodent intrusions. We assessed Richardson’s ground squirrel populations, activities, and burrows at Malmstrom Air Force Base, MT. We also conducted preliminary barrier trials in the outdoor rodent buildings of the USDA National Wildlife Research Center in Fort Collins, CO. Ground squirrels …

How Are We Doing? A Review Of Assessments Within Writing Centers, Miriam Gofine

The Writing Center Journal

No abstract provided.

A Phenomenological Study Of Selected California Small Business Founders' Motivational Paradigms, Jennifer M. Darling

Theses and Dissertations

Organizational vision has become an increasingly important tool in many professions. A founder's vision may permeate an organization's culture and have a lasting impact on how the organization is later run. Organizational vision is a tool that helps leaders create alignment within their organizations and provides flexibility for adaptation to the ever-changing marketplace. In order to facilitate this alignment, leaders often use various motivational techniques. Ideally, the motivational technique the leader selects best motivates his or her employees to act in alignment with the vision. How effective the founder is in selecting the most appropriate motivational technique may be contingent …

The Picture Memory Interference Test With Iranian Americans: Does First Language Impact Performance?, Shereen Kianmahd

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of first language on one's performance on the Picture Memory Interference Test (PMIT). This casual-comparative study examined if Iranian American students whose 1st language is Farsi performed differently from 1st language English-speaking Iranian American and monolingual English-speaking Caucasian students, after controlling for age and gender. To conduct this investigation, 103 Iranian American students who endorsed Farsi as their 1st language and English as their 2nd language were compared to a matched group of 103 monolingual English-speaking Caucasian students. Forty-four Iranian American students who endorsed 1st and 2nd language as English …

Response To Instruction And Intervention: Teachers' Perceptions Of The Implementation In The Beaumont Unified School District As Measured By The Concerned [Sic] Based Adoption Model, Rebecca M. Salato

Theses and Dissertations

A school district in southern California mandated the implementation of Response to Intervention (RtI) in order to better meet the needs of all district students. RtI is a proven approach to ameliorating academic and behavioral difficulties. It provides a logical structure for allocating instructional resources to utilize research-based effective instructional practices, identify students with learning disabilities, and collaborate between general and special education to benefit all students. In order to continue to provide effective professional development for teachers and thus improve the chances of successful implementation, district administrators needed feedback about the process of implementation and concerns of teachers. The …

A Re-Examination Of The Meyers And Volbrecht Motor Equation For The Identification Of Suspect Effort, Ashley R. Curiel

Theses and Dissertations

Neuropsychologists are frequently called upon to evaluate cognitive functioning and to participate in determining disability status, particularly in the wake of traumatic brain injuries, strokes, and other health events that compromise central nervous system functioning. A critical component of each evaluation is effort assessment. Ideally, the methods for assessing the credibility of effort are neither obvious to test-takers nor vulnerable to coaching. One of the promising ways to evaluate effort is to use a combination of test scores that assess a common domain, such as motor functioning. The purpose of the present study was to cross validate a linear regression …

Examining The Perceptions Of Gwinnett And Cobb County Georgia Principals To Determine The Strategies Needed To Improve Performance And Graduation Rates Of African-American Males In Metropolitan U.S. Schools, Darren L. Henderson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of high school administrators in Gwinnett and Cobb Counties, Georgia that have successfully narrowed the achievement gap for high school African-American males as to: (a) why the achievement gap continues to occur in other metropolitan high schools in the United States; (b) what successful strategies they credit for closing the achievement gap of African-American males at their respective schools; and (c) what additional strategies they might consider in order curb the achievement gap for African-American males at their respective schools. The following research questions were the basis of this study: …

A Study Of Health Care Payment Organizations' Culture And Adaptability To Revolutionary Change, Susan Andree Hunt

Theses and Dissertations

The U.S. health care system is in the midst of revolutionary change. Health care costs continue to rise, significant portions of the population remain uninsured, and government regulation is increasing. The culture of organizations influences their ability to change, and research demonstrates that those with the characteristics of learning organizations are most adaptable. This study sought to establish the characteristics of health care payment organizations and to determine how well these align with the characteristics of learning organizations. A survey was sent to 138 individuals employed by 79 organizations in multiple segments of the industry to obtain their perception of …

Career Advancement, Career Enhancement, And Personal Growth Of Pepperdine University's Educational Leadership Academy Graduate Program Alumni, Ruth I. Nichols

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological study was two-fold: (a) to explore and describe the perceived impact of Pepperdine University's Educational Leadership Academy (ELA) on 2003-2006 ELA graduates' career advancement, career enhancement, and personal growth; and (b) to obtain ELA graduates' suggestions for ELA program improvement to better prepare graduates for career advancement, career enhancement, and personal growth. This study used a qualitative phenomenological methodology design for data collection and analysis. Audio-recorded semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with 30 individuals who graduated from the ELA program from 2003-2006. Ten key interview questions were asked to examine the career advancement, career enhancement, …

A Study Of Burnout Among Faculty At Fullerton College, Tanzil Khan

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to analyze the extent of burnout among full-time faculty at Fullerton College. This study reviewed research on burnout at the community college level and gives insight into burnout's major contributors to. It provides suggestions for intervention to reduce the phenomenon of faculty burnout and recommendations for future research. The Maslach Burnout Inventory-Educators Survey (MBI-ES) was used to measure burnout focusing on the 3 burnout subscales of depersonalization, exhaustion, and personal accomplishment. Variables were analyzed using descriptive statistics, ANOVA, and t-test. Data were gathered through a demographic survey and the MBI-ES to answer the following …

U.S. Women Bullying Women In The Pharmaceutical/Biotechnology/Medical Device Industry, Sharon L. Liu

Theses and Dissertations

This empirical study investigated bullying among adult U.S. women in the Pharmaceutical/Biotechnology/Medical Device (PBMD) Industry. A concurrent triangulation mixed method was used. An online survey was sent out consisting of : (a) a modified Einarsen, Hoel, & Notelaers (2009) Negative Acts Questionnaire; (b) open-ended questions about being bullied, witnessing bullying, and how the respondent coped with bullying; (c) demographic questions of the respondent and the bullying perpetrator (if applicable); and (d) questions on whether the respondents had been bullied, witnessed bullying, or perpetrated bullying. Bullying in the PBMD industry is a problem as evidenced by the fact that 61% of …

Promoting Positive Performance Relationships Between Law Enforcement Supervisors And Their Officers, Shanell M. Law

Theses and Dissertations

This study served to determine if sworn officers experiencing low or high levels of Leader-Member Exchanges (LMX) are more likely to engage in behaviors or have attitudes that can ultimately lead to more negative or positive performance outcomes respectively. Five research questions assisted in revealing the perspectives of sworn officers as they act under the auspices of their superiors. The following research questions were answered throughout this study: (1) Do sworn officers perceive that their supervisors are aware of the officer's professional needs? (2) Do sworn officers perceive that their supervisors have confidence in their professional ability? (3) Do sworn …

The Effect Of Middle School Athletic Participation On California Common Assessment Tests, Stephen M. Hawn

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine the correlation between participation in middle school athletics and academic achievement and how this relationship may be impacted by gender and ethnicity. Scores from the cumulative California Standards Tests of 6th thru 8th graders were gathered and evaluated. The data used were from past years' scores that the school district provided for the researcher. The hypotheses formed were that a positive relationship could be found between middle school athletics participation and academic success. The participants in the study were students in 1 California middle schools located in Southern California. A literature review …

Minorities In Leadership And Financial Performance Of Their Fortune 500 Companies, Damineh Mycroft

Theses and Dissertations

While the minority population of the U.S. is on the rise, minority leaders of Fortune 500 companies, especially in the CEO position, remain underrepresented. Notably, in 2010, fewer than 4% of Fortune 500 CEO positions were filled by minorities. The research on the relationship between diversity in leadership and organizational performance has yielded equivocal findings. To further our understanding of the impact of minorities in leadership ranks, this study was conducted to (a) determine whether there is a relationship between minority leadership and financial performance of the firm; and (b) identify commonalities among career strategies of minority CEOs. Such research …

Principals' Perceptions Of The Skills Needed For The Administration For Nontraditional Schools, Bon Ike

Theses and Dissertations

In California, graduate-level school leadership degrees and credentialing programs prepare primarily K-12 traditional public school principals (California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, 2012). The number and diversity of K-12 nontraditional schools in Los Angeles County, predominantly charter schools, have increased. Therefore, unique skills are necessary to continue serving and meeting the increasing needs in K-12 nontraditional schools. The purpose of this study is to explore the skills needed to administer nontraditional schools, as "the role of the principal has become dramatically more complex, overloaded, and unclear over the past decade" (Fullan, 1991, p. 144). Two research questions guided this study. First, …

An Examination Of Talent Management Strategies For A Large Investor-Owned Utility Company: Facing The Market Pressures Of The 21st Century, Jeffrey Thrift

Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological study focuses on the talent management strategies being administered by a large investor-owned utility company based out of Southern California. Talent management is linked to a host of activities involving planning for key leadership transitions within an organization. Talent is the force that drives business success and brings value to an organization. This study examines the workforce challenges facing this large investor-owned utility company, to determine how talent management strategies are being developed and deployed, in the wake of new market forces, shifting demographics, and the anticipated loss of institutional knowledge from the baby-boomer generation, the largest segment …

Rabbinical Exposure, Response And Training With Intimate Partner Violence In The Jewish Community, Alison J. Marks

Theses and Dissertations

This study aims to address the paucity and obsolete nature of current research on partner violence within the Jewish community by focusing on the experiences of rabbis as centers of Jewish life. The current study considered the attitudes of rabbis toward intimate partner violence and gender roles, the level and quality and of intimate partner violence training received both during and post rabbinical school, and the intimate partner violence prevention efforts provided by rabbis. Participants in the study completed an online survey created by authors of this study, which included The Inventory of Beliefs about Wife Beating and The Sex …

Assessing Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder In Adults: A Review Of Rating Scales, Sarah Beth Silverman

Theses and Dissertations

Rating scales are an integral component in the assessment of attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adults, and a variety of scales designed for this purpose have been developed. Existing reviews of adult ADHD rating scales are limited with respect to their focus, coverage of some clinically relevant content, and/or their reflection of the most recent scales and data. Thus, the current project aimed to identify and thoroughly review current adult ADHD rating scales best suited for clinical practice. Inclusionary and exclusionary criteria aimed at identifying readily available, clinically-oriented scales for assessing ADHD symptoms in adults. The criteria yielded the following …