Digital Commons Network^™

Students With Learning Disabilities: The Effectiveness Of Using Assistive Technology, Andrea Messmer

Education Masters

The study focuses on the effectiveness of assistive technology devices and software in helping students with learning disabilities. Students with reading and writing disabilities experience difficulties with literacy tasks throughout the school day. This study consisted of interviewing an assistive technology specialist and analyzing student work samples. The outcome of this study is that the use of assistive technology supports help to level the playing field for these students. The findings of the study impact general education teachers, special educators, and parents/ guardians.

Dialect Or A New Language: A Possible Explanation Of The 70% Mutual Intelligibility Threshold, Olga Kosheleva, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

In most cases, linguists have a consensus on when people from different regions speak two different dialects of the same language (and can, thus, understand each other reasonably well) or two different languages (in this case, their mutual intelligibility is limited). In most cases, this intuitive consensus corresponds to a 70% mutual intelligibility threshold: if at least 70% of the words from one region are understandable to people from another region, then these are two dialects, otherwise these are two different languages. In this paper, we provide a possible explanation for this 70% threshold.

Appropriating The Mormon Past: Faith, Intellect, And The Reformation Of Mormon Identity, Scott Marianno

Arrington Student Writing Award Winners

No abstract provided.

Leveraging Doubt: The Impact Of Lester E. Bush, Jr.‟S “Mormonism‟S Negro Doctrine: A Historical Overview” On Mormon Thought, Chad L. Nielsen

Arrington Student Writing Award Winners

No abstract provided.

How Doubt Built The Foundation Of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints, Joshua Hortin

Arrington Student Writing Award Winners

Dr. Gregory A. Prince at this year’s annual Arrington Lecture gave an intriguing biography of Leonard J. Arrington, focusing particularly on Arrington’s own interplay between faith and doubt. Arrington’s intellectual journey was sparked as he entered the world of academia and had his beliefs on evolution directly challenged. Having been raised as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-­‐ day Saints (LDS or Mormon), he struggled with reconciling a Creationist viewpoint to that taught by the secular world. Eventually, he came to a harmony where both Mormonism and the theory of evolution could coexist in his worldview. …

Restorative Agriculture: Reclamation Of Marginal Agricultural Land For A Volunteer-Run Community Farm, Darin P. Laity

Agricultural Education: Graduate Internship Reports

This project explores the variety of community benefits that can be achieved through a small-scale, non-profit, volunteer-run farm that was established to produce and donate fresh, high quality, organically grown produce for the Food Bank. In addition to the restorative social, health, economic, and environmental effects of the farm effort, the project explores the idea of agriculture beyond sustainability. The report details the processes undertaken to organize volunteers, gather resources, revitalize the farm land, and sustain operations. A discussion of the results from the first year of production, as well as some of the future goals for the farm project, …

New Mexico Musician Vol 61 No 2 (Winter 2013)

New Mexico Musician

No abstract provided.

Contract Texts, Contract Teaching, Contract Law: Comment On Lawrence Cunningham, Contracts In The Real World, Brian H. Bix

Washington Law Review

Lawrence Cunningham’s Contracts in the Real World offers a good starting place for necessary conversations about how contract law should be taught, and, more generally, for when and how cases—in summary form or in longer excerpts—are useful in teaching the law. This Article tries to offer some reasons for thinking that their prevalence may reflect important truths about contract law in particular and law and legal education in general.

The Real Estate Economics Of Walkability Components: The Influence Of Built Environment On Housing Value In Lincoln, Nebraska, Dohee Kim

Community and Regional Planning Program: Theses

This study analyzes the association between walkability and housing value in neighborhoods of Lincoln, Nebraska in order to observe the impact of walkability as one of prominent smart growth principles in creating economic value. The study estimates walkability through walkability components in each neighborhood of Lincoln based on the Lawrence Frank walkability index model. For the housing value assessment, a hedonic regression model was created to estimate median housing value in Lincoln based on the census block group dataset. The result of the model shows that walkability components have weaker influence on estimated housing value compared to other physical, demographic, …

Ncaa Compliance: An Examination Of Ncaa Division I Compliance Officers’ Perceptions On The Educative Process, Tonya L. Gimbert

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Reflections On Contracts In The Real World: History, Currency, Context, And Other Values, Lawrence A. Cunningham

Washington Law Review

It is gratifying to read that this symposium issue of the Washington Law Review was stimulated by Contracts in the Real World. Thanks to the editors for the opportunity to ruminate on the place of the book’s approach—stressing context through stories—in the tradition of contracts pedagogy. To that end, Part I first pinpoints relevant historical milestones in the field of contracts casebooks. Building on that historical grounding, Part II then highlights the values of currency and context that the stories approach epitomizes. Turning more speculative, Part III considers the value of this approach from the perspective of the purpose …

Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Education Effectiveness For Athletic Trainers At A University Community Physical Activity Center., Afton Cope

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a problem nationally and affects many people from all walks of life. Community associated MRSA is often ignored and not viewed as significant, thus there is a lack of education on the topic. One area that is at a particular risk for the transmission of Community Associated MRSA is physical activity centers. Education in these areas could improve the knowledge of community acquired MRSA among employees and decrease the likelihood of infection at physical activity centers. In this study a pre-test was given. After the pre-test an educational powerpoint on MRSA was presented and then …

Constraints On A Second Planet In The Wasp-3 System, G. Maciejewski, A. Niedzielski, A. Wolszczan, G. Nowak, R. Neuhäuser, J. N. Winn, B. Deka, M. Adamów, M. Górecka, M. Fernández, F. J. Aceituno, J. Ohlert, R. Errmann, M. Seeliger, D. P. Dimitrov, D. W. Latham, G. A. Esquerdo, L. Mcknight, M. J. Holman, Eric L.N. Jensen, U. Kramm, T. Pribulla, S. Raetz, T. O.B. Schmidt, C. Ginski, S. Mottola, S. Hellmich, C. Adam, H. Gilbert, M. Mugrauer, G. Saral, V. Popov, M. Raetz

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Works

There have been previous hints that the transiting planet WASP-3b is accompanied by a second planet in a nearby orbit, based on small deviations from strict periodicity of the observed transits. Here we present 17 precise radial velocity (RV) measurements and 32 transit light curves that were acquired between 2009 and 2011. These data were used to refine the parameters of the host star and transiting planet. This has resulted in reduced uncertainties for the radii and masses of the star and planet. The RV data and the transit times show no evidence for an additional planet in the system. …

Secondary Mathematics Teachers’ Literacy Professional Learning: An Amalgamation Of Adolescent Literacy, Mathematics Teaching, And Adult Learning, Janet L. Larson

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Theses and Other Student Research

This study uses practitioner research to examine secondary mathematics teachers’ learning of literacy integration practices in the context of a district-wide literacy professional development series. The author, a secondary mathematics curriculum and instruction facilitator in a large, Midwestern suburban district, engaged in a two-year partnership with seventeen Mathematics Teacher Facilitators (MTFs) who taught literacy practices to their colleagues via a train-the-trainer model. This study provides an explicit rendering of professional development practices and ongoing, job-embedded learning vignettes of six MTF’s experiences in (a) teaching literacy practices to their colleagues and (b) how they learned and enacted these practices in their …

Product Liability, Franklin P. Brannen Jr.

Mercer Law Review

This Article surveys developments in Georgia product liability law between June 1, 2012 and May 31, 2013. The Article covers noteworthy cases decided during this period by the Georgia Court of Appeals, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, and the United States district courts located in Georgia.

Labor And Employment Law, W. Melvin Haas Iii, William M. Clifton Iii, W. Jonathan Martin Ii, Alyssa Peters

Mercer Law Review

This Article surveys enacted and pending revisions to the Official Code of Georgia Annotated (O.C.G.A.) and decisions interpreting Georgia law from June 1, 2012 through May 31, 2013.

Trial Practice And Procedure, Brandon L. Peak, John C. Morrison Iii, Tedra C. Hobson, Mary K. Weeks, Jeb Butler, Anna W. Howard, Morgan E. Duncan

Mercer Law Review

This Article addresses several significant cases and legislation of interest to the Georgia civil trial practitioner occurring during the survey period of this publication.

Kolsky Bar Experiment For High-Rate Large Deformations Of Polycarbonate, Jason Gerald Vogeler

Department of Engineering Mechanics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Polycarbonate (PC) is a tough, transparent engineering thermoplastic. Its impact strength and ability undergo large plastic deformations without shatter make PC an ideal protective material for impact-resilient eyewear, aircraft windows and transparent armor. A good understanding of the response of this material to large deformations at high strain rates is critical for its utilization in these applications. To this end, a striker-less Kolsky bar device is employed in this work for the needed material characterization. The apparatus allow impulsive torsion and/or compression loadings with pulse durations sufficiently long for the plastic flow behavior to develop fully. Three new testing techniques …

Ira Administration For High Net Worth Clients And Their Beneficiaries -- Unique Challenges And Best Practices For Financial Institutions, Svetlana V. Bekman

ACTEC Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Killing Your Chances Of Inheriting: The Problem With The Application Of The Slayer Statute To Cases Of Assisted Suicide, Ryan Konsdorf, Scott Alden Prulhiere

ACTEC Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Defying Binaries: A Critical Examination Of 'Old' Versus 'New' In The Art Of Pablita Velarde And Helen Hardin, Jenna M. Kloeppel

Art & Art History ETDs

Santa Clara painter Pablita Velarde and her artist daughter, Helen Hardin, are often discussed in both popular and academic literature as being representative, respectively, of two very different artistic traditions. Velardes art is commonly viewed as very much a product of her Dorothy Dunn-trained Santa Fe Studio background, and Hardin is seen as an avant-garde, wholly innovative artistic force representative of the generation of Native artists more aligned with the anti-Studio philosophies of the Institute of American Indian Arts, which was developing as Hardin was beginning her career in painting. This thesis will examine the modes of representation that have …

Lithostratigraphic And Petrophysical Analysis Of The Middle Devonian Marcellus Shale At The Mamont Prospect, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, Ty Taylor

All Theses

The organic-rich Middle Devonian Marcellus Shale of the Appalachian basin is a rapidly developing natural gas play. Stratigraphic boundaries of the Marcellus Shale in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania were identified using geophysical logs from 10 vertical gas-producing wells in a 23 sq. km area. Gamma-ray, bulk density, and resistivity well logs were examined to assess hydrocarbon potential. Values of porosity, total organic carbon (TOC), and water saturation (SW) were derived and mapped by incorporating well-log data into Marcellus-specific formulas. Gamma-ray, penetration (minutes per foot drilled), and mud-logging gas (total gas) from 12 horizontal wells from within the study area were also …

Smokeless Tobacco Use: A Risk Factor For Hyperhomocysteinemia In A Pakistani Population, Mohammad Perwaiz Iqbal, Mohsin Yakub

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Background

Smokeless tobacco (ST) use is highly prevalent in the South Asian populations. While there have been a number of reports on association of ST consumption with cancer, very few studies have been conducted to investigate its relationship with cardiovascular disease. Hyperhomocysteinemia is a well-recognized risk factor for cardiovascular disease; however, its association with ST use has never been investigated. The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship of ST use with hyperhomocysteinemia in an urban Pakistani population.

Methodology/Principal Findings

In a cross-sectional study for assessment of risks of hyperhomocysteinemia, 872 healthy adults (355 males and 517 females …

Economic Effects Of Sox Section 404 Compliance: A Corporate Insider Perspective, Cindy Alexander, Scott Bauguess, Gennaro Bernile, Alex Lee, Jennifer Marietta-Westberg

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

We use survey responses from 2,901 corporate insiders to assess the costs and benefits of compliance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The majority of respondents recognize compliance benefits, but they do not perceive these benefits to outweigh the costs, on average. This is particularly true among smaller companies where the start-up costs are proportionately larger. However, the perceived efficiency of compliance increases with auditor attestations, years of compliance experience, and after the remediation of a material weakness. Notably, the perceived effects of compliance depend largely on firm complexity, but are mostly unrelated to firm governance structure.

Socialization Tactics: Antecedents For Goal Interdependence And Newcomer Adjustment And Retention, Serena Changhong Lu, Dean Tjosvold

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This study argues that Deutsch's theory of goal interdependence is useful to examine the dynamics of serial and investiture tactics on newcomer adjustment and retention in work team contexts. Structural equation results of interviews of specific incidents collected from one hundred and two newcomers support the hypothesized model that serial and investiture tactics used by teams promote cooperative goal interdependence and weaken competitive goal interdependence and independent goal relationship between newcomers and their teams. Cooperative goals were also found to promote positive attitudes and strong co-worker relationships whereas competitive and independent goals resulted in intentions to quit and low levels …

Identifying Latent Structures In Panel Data, Liangjun Su, Zhentao Shi, Peter C. B. Phillips

Research Collection School Of Economics

This paper provides a novel mechanism for identifying and estimating latent group structures in panel data using penalized regression techniques. We focus on linear models where the slope parameters are heterogeneous across groups but homogenous within a group and the group membership is unknown. Two approaches are considered -- penalized least squares (PLS) for models without endogenous regressors, and penalized GMM (PGMM) for models with endogeneity. In both cases we develop a new variant of Lasso called classifier-Lasso (C-Lasso) that serves to shrink individual coefficients to the unknown group-specific coefficients. C-Lasso achieves simultaneous classification and consistent estimation in a single …

A State Space Model Approach To Integrated Covariance Matrix Estimation With High Frequency Data, Cheng Liu, Cheng Yong Tang

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

We consider a state space model approach forhigh frequency financial data analysis. An expectationmaximization(EM) algorithm is developed for estimatingthe integrated covariance matrix of the assets. The statespace model with the EM algorithm can handle noisy financialdata with correlated microstructure noises. Difficultydue to asynchronous and irregularly spaced trading data ofmultiple assets can be naturally overcome by consideringthe problem in a scenario with missing data. Since the statespace model approach requires no data synchronization, norecord in the financial data is deleted so that it efficientlyincorporates information from all observations. Empiricaldata analysis supports the general specification of the statespace model, and simulations confirm …

What Are Analysts Really Good At?, Ohad Kadan, Leonardo Madureira, Rong Wang, Tzachi Zach

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Sell-side analysts employ different benchmarks when defining their stock recommendations. For example, a ‘buy’ for some brokers means the stock is expected to outperform its peers in the same sector (“industry benchmarkers”), while for other brokers it means the stock is expected to outperform the market (“market benchmarkers”), or just some absolute return (“total benchmarkers”). We use these benchmarks to analyze the role of stock picking, industry picking and market timing in contributing to the performance of stock recommendations. We are able to do so given that different benchmarks suggest the use of different sets of abilities. Analysis of the …

Divided We Stand: Defying Hegemony In Global Public Relations And Practice?, Gregor Halff, Anne Gregory

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The last decade has seen the world becoming increasingly complex. One way of dealing with complexity, according to Schwab (2010a, is to look for certainties or solutions that impose order by simplifying. The authors contend that this is a risk in public relations practice and the academy. While recognizing their benefits they warn against attempts to produce global models which also seek to impose hegemony and argue for maintaining a diversity that reflects reality. They take the cases of the UK and Singapore as respective exemplars where hegemony has arguably occurred and where it can still be resisted. They call …

Two Formulas For Success In Social Media: Social Learning And Network Effects, Liangfei Qiu, Qian Tang, Andrew B. Whinston

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

This paper examines social learning and network effects that are particularly important for online videos, considering the limited marketing campaigns of user-generated content. Rather than combining both social learning and network effects under the umbrella of social contagion or peer influence, we develop a theoretical model and empirically identify social learning and network effects separately. Using a unique data set from YouTube, we find that both mechanisms have statistically and economically significant effects on video views, and which mechanism dominates depends on the specific video type.