Digital Commons Network^™

Using Automatic Speech Recognition Technology With Elicited Oral Response Testing, Troy L. Cox, Randall S. Davies

Faculty Publications

This study examined the use of automatic speech recognition (ASR) scored elicited oral response (EOR) tests to assess the speaking ability of English language learners. It also examined the relationship between ASR-scored EOR and other language proficiency measures and the ability of the ASR to rate speakers without bias to gender or native language. To that end, 179 subjects were given an ASR-scored EOR test with 60 items, followed by an oral proficiency interview (OPI) type assessment and a battery of other language tests. Findings suggest that ASR-scored EOR results could be used alone to predict speaking ability in specific …

Red Note New Music Festival Program, 2012, School Of Music

Red Note New Music Festival

The RED NOTE New Music Festival at Illinois State University is a week-long event which features outstanding performances of contemporary concert music.

Impacts Of A Parenting Newsletter On Fathers Of Kindergarten Children, Sean E. Brotherson, Erin Kramer Holmes, Christopher J. Bouwhuis

Faculty Publications

This study is the first assessment of the perceived effectiveness of a parenting newsletter written specifically for fathers or father figures. The Father Times newsletter was distributed weekly for six weeks to all families of kindergarten children at a local school. Once hundred seventy-seven fathers responded to a self-report questionnaire regarding usage of the parenting newsletter, perceptions of the newsletter as a resource, and impacts of fathers' attitudes, knowledge, behaviors, and father–child relationship quality. Two-thirds of fathers in the sample reported changing at least "somewhat" in all nine outcomes explored. Neither father age nor number of children in the home …

Why Can't We Be Friends? The Banning Of Teacher-Student Communication Via Social Media And The Freedom Of Speech, Giulia M. Di Marzo

American University Law Review

No abstract provided.

An Instructional Pyramid: Expanding Coach Wooden's "Pyramid Of Success" To Guide P.E.T.E. Professionals, Robert Christenson, David C. Barney

Faculty Publications

What in the teaching-learning process can PETE (Physical Education Teacher Education) faculty identify as being effective and a critical part of this multifaceted practice? Which of the physical activity learning experiences best serves the student? Finally, how does a future-professional physical education teacher, who is inexperienced and intimidated by their first job circumstances, wade through all the information and responsibilities to perform up to expectations? As described by Veal (2011), "Teachers operate in an intensely complicated and demanding world. They face 30 or more students at once – each one different from the other, demanding individualized attention and treatment. Teachers …

Mexican American Civil Rights Leaders And Discrimination In South Texas Schools, Martha May Tevis

Teaching and Learning Faculty Publications

When the College of Education at The University of Texas at Austin was named for Dr. George I. Sánchez (1906–1972) in 1995, many Mexican Americans did not recognize his name, especially young people. However, long before 1995 he had been called “Padre de la Raza” (Father of La Raza) by Dr. Hector Garcia, founder of the American G.I. Forum. 1 In 1984 a retrospective honoring him at the University of California at Berkeley School of Law cited him as the single most influential individual in securing equal rights through law for Mexican Americans. His fight for equal rights began in …

Coping Behaviour As An Adaptation To Stress: Post-Disturbance Preening In Colonial Seabirds, Shandelle M. Henson, Lynelle M. Weldon, James L. Hayward, Daniel Greene, Libby C. Megna, Maureen C. Serem

Faculty Publications

In humans, coping behaviour is an action taken to soothe oneself during or after a stressful or threatening situation. Some human behaviours with physiological functions also serve as coping behaviours, for example, comfort sucking in infants and comfort eating in adults. In birds, the behaviour of preening, which has important physiological functions, has been postulated to soothe individuals after stressful situations. We combine two existing modelling approaches – logistic regression and Darwinian dynamics – to explore theoretically how a behaviour with crucial physiological function might evolve into a coping behaviour. We apply the method to preening in colonial seabirds to …

High Dimensional Endophenotype Ranking In The Search For Major Depression Risk Genes, David C. Glahn, Joanne E. Curran, Anderson M. Winkler, Melanie A. Carless, Matthew P. Johnson, Harald H. H. Goring, Thomas D. Dyer, Ravi Duggirala, Laura Almasy, John Blangero

School of Medicine Publications

Background: Despite overwhelming evidence that major depression is highly heritable, recent studies have localized only a single depression-related locus reaching genome-wide significance and have yet to identify a causal gene. Focusing on family-based studies of quantitative intermediate phenotypes or endophenotypes, in tandem with studies of unrelated individuals using categorical diagnoses, should improve the likelihood of identifying major depression genes. However, there is currently no empirically derived statistically rigorous method for selecting optimal endophentypes for mental illnesses. Here, we describe the endophenotype ranking value, a new objective index of the genetic utility of endophenotypes for any heritable illness.

Methods: Applying endophenotype …

January 2012 Newsletter, Career Center, Illinois Wesleyan University

Career Connections Newsletter

Issue Highlights:

• Beyond the Bubble - Alumni Profile: Kate Tombaugh '07
• Is There Life after IWU? The Class of 2011 Speaks
• Recruiting Trends" Show Hope for the Job Market

"I Went To The Woods Because I Wished To Live Deliberately": How A College-Level Academic Course Can Influence A Lifetime, Lauren Elizabeth Victor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study, using the portraiture methodology, provides an analysis of the lifelong significance of an undergraduate program that integrates literature with an outdoor experiential platform. With limited research on long-term effects of an academic outdoor experiential course on one's life, there is space to wonder about the prospect and nature of the long-term significance of an academic course that may offer technical skill, intrapersonal and interpersonal development, and also the delivery of subject matter related to a traditional or mainstream academic area of study.

Utilizing an academic skills-oriented lens as well as a character strengths lens, portraits were crafted of …

Determining The Feasibility Of Universal Access To Bus Transportation For Illinois Wesleyan University Students, Liz Kuehn '13

Outstanding Senior Seminar Papers

In a car-based society, transportation has both environmental and economic implications. However, public transportation, and programs like Universal Access that promote public transportation by providing ‘fare free’ access to specific groups in the community, can offer low cost, sustainable alternatives to car-based transportation. The basic concept behind Universal Access is that a community group contracts with the local public transit system to provide unlimited access to public transportation for individuals within the group at a negotiated cost to the group (Toor et. al 2004). The purpose of this study is to determine the feasibility of creating a Universal Access program …

Reality And Representation Of Algerian Women: The Complex Dynamic Of Heroines And Repressed Women, Caroline Rohloff

Honors Projects

Since the Algerian war for independence against the French in the 1950s, the roles of Algerian women have been shifting over the past five decades. During the war for independence, women found themselves in positions of power, where their military assistance was necessary to win the war. However, once independence was gained in 1962, women were once again forced into the predetermined roles of wives and mothers. Over the next four decades, the situation in Algeria began to improve as the educational and work opportunities for women increased. After a setback in the 1990s, during Algeria's civil war, Algerian women …

The Politics Of Clean Energy: Moving Beyond The Beltway, Joseph P. Tomain

San Diego Journal of Climate & Energy Law

This Article argues that the United States can achieve a new and smart energy policy and that we are taking active steps in this direction. Off of the Hill, at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, there is clear thinking about clean energy. Consider President Obamas choice for Secretary of Commerce, John Bryson. Bryson has been the CEO of a public electric utility, a founder of the Natural Resources Defense Council, and sits on the boards of such organizations as Boeing and Disney and clean energy firms like Coda Automotive and BrightSource Energy exactly the right job description for a clean energy advocate. …

Administrative Absurdity: Why The Judiciary Should Uphold Epa's Use Of The Administrative Necessity And Absurd Results Doctrines Within The Tailoring Rule., David P. Vincent

San Diego Journal of Climate & Energy Law

This Comment analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of the arguments advanced by EPA as well as its opponents regarding the Agencys reliance on these administrative law doctrines to tailor PSD and Title V applicability criteria. The Comment concludes with an explanation of why the judiciary will likely rule in EPAs favor in this instance.

Part I of this Comment introduces the Tailoring Rule, including its background and the emissions thresholds it seeks to implement regarding PSD and Title V programs. Part II presents EPAs legal basis for the creation and subsequent implementation of the Tailoring Rule, including the concept of …

A Consideration Of Positive Behavior Supports Through A Preschool Lens, Theresa J. Stevenson

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Positive Behavior Supports is a research-based, systemic approach to supporting . positive behaviors and structured responses to negative behaviors. Positive Behavior Supports, or PBS, has been implemented in multiple elementary schools and classrooms. However, PBS in an early childhood or preschool setting lacks a strong evidence base. This paper provides an overview of PBS and the need for its implementation in early childhood settings. Best practice for PBS implementation, current researched approaches, and the measurement techniques available for use are reviewed.

The Sexual Socialization Of Sexual Offenders: How They Learn About Sexuality And How It Influences Their Future Behaviors, Erin Nicole Ditscheit

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Every day, stories of individuals who have been sexually victimized dominate headline news. Despite the large amount of research conducted on sexual offenders, there is no known single etiology for their offense. This study investigates how sexual socialization plays a role in an offender's sexual attitudes and beliefs. Using data from a sample of 71 convicted sexual offenders from a single district in the Midwest, it was found that there is a relationship between certain media sources and negative attitudes towards women and sexuality. Additionally, by comparing the convicting offense of each of the participants and their attitudes, it was …

Perceptions Of The Motivational Climate, Athletic Identity, And Sport Ethic In Relation To Athletic Injury, Katie Lynn Luzum

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Context: A mastery motivational climate is created when coaches create an environment high in individualized challenges, help is encouraged and given often, athletes help each other learn new skills, and improvement is based on self-referenced goals. In contrast, a performance motivational climate is created when coaches emphasize out performing others, promoting competitiveness, and high ability rather than high effort. Athletes with higher perceptions of a performance climate believe that their teammates are sources of distress and tend to participate in sport for competition while relying solely on ability and high rewards status. Objective: To explore the differences in perceptions of …

Comparing Freshmen And Transfer Student-Athletes To Returning Student Athletes On Stress, Social Support, Anxiety, And Injury Risk, Emily Link

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study is to explore the effect of transitioning to Division I collegiate athletics on the stress-injury relationship and perceptions of social support. The secondary purpose of this study is to compare entering freshman and transfer student athletes to returning student athletes (sophomore, juniors, seniors, and 5th year seniors) on life and sport stress, sport anxiety, and injury occurrence. The injury stress relationship has been examined since Andersen and Williams designed the stress injury model suggesting that many factors occur that could increase the risk of injuries. Some of these factors include an increase in negative life …

Waiting For The Future, Rick Provine

Library Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Abused Women Who Kill: Juror Perspectives On Self-Defense Theories, Shahrzad Nikoo

CMC Senior Theses

In self-defense cases of battered women who kill their abusive husbands, defendants have used Battered Woman Syndrome (BWS) expert testimony to help justify their acts of self-defense. However, past research demonstrates that BWS is ineffective in persuading jurors because it pathologizes the defendant rather than rationalizing her behavior. Additionally, BWS highlights passive (i.e., stereotypical) features of a battered woman, and such testimony may not apply to a defendant with active (i.e., atypical) features of a battered women. The current study hypothesized that another type of expert testimony, Social-Agency Framework (SAF), will persuade jurors to render more lenient verdicts, and that …

Personal Photography, Mobile Media, And Postmodernity: Analyzing Space, Time, And The Visual Culture Of Social Networking, Kevin J. Reardon

Open Access Master's Theses

Contemporary society is overwhelmed with images. Personal photography has in recent decades gone through a considerable change in terms of practice and technology. Traditional forms of production, dissemination and presentation are being uprooted and replaced by new ones. One cause for this change is the emergence of new technologies such as Multimedia Messaging Services (MMS) and Social Network Sites (SNS). These technologies are collapsing the traditional temporal and spatial aspects of personal photography. These current technologies and practices have a distinct relationship with postmodernity. This research is interested in the epistemological implications of these changes. This research utilized a critical …

The Problem Of Convicting Innocent Persons: How Often Does It Occur And How Can It Be Prevented?, Leon Friedman

Hofstra Law Faculty Scholarship

In order to determine the number of innocent persons convicted and the severity of the problem that exists, it is necessary to examine the statistics. As indicated below, an often-quoted figure representing the number of wrongly persons convicted is about 0.5% of all criminal cases, or 30,000, which is not an insignificant number. Some modest changes in the system, particularly furnishing defendants with more exculpatory evidence at the outset, might make a significant change in that number.

The article focuses on the rate of false conviction of innocent people in the U.S. and highlights the steps to be taken to …

Law As A Profession: Examining The Role Of Accountability, Susan Saab Fortney

Hofstra Law Faculty Scholarship

In asserting that law is a profession, not a business, lawyers often refer to the role that self-governance plays in the legal profession. Julius Henry Cohen captured this sentiment in the following exhortation: “Ours is a profession...The sins of one of us are the sins of all of us.” Come, brethren, let us clean house.” Meaningful self-governance requires accountable and independent professionals. This article tackles accountability as fundamental aspects of professionalism. The examination of accountability considers fissures in accountability as demonstrated in lawyers’ rush to jump on the limited liability bandwagon and resistance to mandatory legal malpractice insurance and insurance …

Deschooling The News Media - Democratizing The Civic Discourse, Akilah N. Folami

Hofstra Law Faculty Scholarship

This Article interrogates the traditional role and effect of professionals and professionalism in America's media and civic discourse landscape. It does so by considering Ivan Illich's deschooling theory within the context of broadcast journalism's historic and traditional role in facilitating civic knowledge and engagement during the so-called Golden Era of Journalism. In revisiting "network news" history through the lens of Illich's deschooling theory, this Article highlights broadcast journalism's professionalization of political discourse. Furthermore, it contends that media law reified this professionalization through early interpretations of the bona fide newscast and news interview exemptions to the equal time rule. And finally, …

Prosecutors And Peremptories, Alafair S. Burke

Hofstra Law Faculty Scholarship

A quarter of a century after the Court’s decision in Batson v. Kentucky, overwhelming evidence demonstrates that lawyers continue to exercise peremptory challenges in racialized ways. In light of Batson’s failure to alter a stubborn pattern of using peremptory challenges in racialized ways, scholars have repeatedly called for the abolishment of peremptory challenges, changes to the Batson framework, modifications to the rules of professional responsibility, and increased disciplinary enforcement and sanctions against those who discriminate during jury selection. The focus of much of the current Batson scholarship assumes that lawyers will inevitably consider race during jury selection and that the …

Prevalencia Del Trastorno Por Déficit De Atención-Hiperactiviad En Estudiantes Universitarios Venezolanos. Reporte Preliminar [Prevalence Of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder In Venezuelan College Students. Preliminary Findings], Cecilia Montiel-Nava, Silvia Ortiz León, Aurora Jaimes Medrano, Zoila González-Ávila

Psychological Science Faculty Publications

The aim of this study was to estimate the frequency of the attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder in college students. The sample was constituted by 411 college students, ages between 17 and 47 years, attending the School of Education at the Universidad del Zulia, 1st thru 5th semester. The identification of probable cases was performed by using the ASR-S v1.1 and FASCT as screening instruments. For the second part of the diagnostic pro-cess, students with positive scores in both screening measures were selected to be interviewed using the M.I.N.I plus. Results indicated that the estimated prevalence of ADHD in college students is …

Assessing Dementia In Resource-Poor Regions, Gladys E. Maestre

School of Medicine Publications

The numbers and proportions of elderly are increasing rapidly in developing countries, where prevalence of dementia is often high. Providing cost-effective services for dementia sufferers and their caregivers in these resourcepoor regions poses numerous challenges; developing resources for diagnosis must be the first step. Capacity building for diagnosis involves training and education of healthcare providers, as well as the general public, development of infrastructure, and resolution of economic and ethical issues. Recent progress in some low-to-middle-income countries (LMICs) provides evidence that partnerships between wealthy and resource-poor countries, and between developing countries, can improve diagnostic capabilities. Without the involvement of the …

Making The Most Of Marriage Therapy, Jana Darrington, Naomi Brower, Eric Walker

All Current Publications

While meeting with a skilled marriage therapist can be helpful in strengthening a marriage, the couple greatly influences the effectiveness of the marriage therapy experience. This fact sheet concludes that aAn effective therapist can provide a framework to help couples work on their relationship, but the couple is ultimately in charge and has great influence in the goals, changes and outcomes based on their level of commitment and effort. By recognizing their own influence and importance, couples can take the lead in creating a satisfying and rewarding relationship that can last a lifetime.

Conditions Of Cooperation Between Rats In The Prisoner's Dilemma Model, Malory B. Wodka

Honors Projects

Reciprocal cooperation is the act of working together with another individual to increase the likelihood that the other individual will continue to work together during future encounters. Reciprocal cooperation can be explained evolutionarily because it promotes the fitness of individuals in certain conditions. Cooperation is most commonly studied in humans. However less complex mammals such as rats display cooperative behaviors in certain conditions. This study examines the necessary conditions for cooperation in rats by testing the significance of housing conditions and prior interactions between cooperating rats. We found that rats did not cooperate at levels greater than chance.

Attachment Theory And The Sexual Double Standard, Erin A. Vogel

Honors Projects

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship between adults’ attachment orientation and their exhibition of the sexual double standard. According to attachment theory, adults who score higher on measures of anxious attachment are more clingy, jealous, and fearful of abandonment. Those who are more avoidant are distrustful and uncomfortable with intimacy. The sexual double standard is the belief that men are rewarded for sexual activity while women are derogated for the same activity. Participants read about a male or female who has had either 12 sexual partners or 1 sexual partner. They then evaluated the person’s …