Digital Commons Network^™

Marital Satisfaction And Depressive Symptoms In China, Richard B. Miller, Tiffany M. Mason, Jerevie M. Canlas, Dahua Wang, David A. Nelson, Craig H. Hart

Faculty Publications

Although there is substantial evidence that low marital satisfaction is a significant risk factor for depression, little research has examined this relationship in cultures outside of the U.S. and Europe. The validity of the marital discord model of depression in Chinese culture was tested by studying 391 couples living in Beijing and Hangzhou, China. Results of structural equation modeling using an actor-partner interdependence model strategy indicated that husbands' and wives' marital satisfaction was significantly predictive of their own depressive symptoms. In addition, wives' marital satisfaction significantly predicted husbands' depressive symptoms. These results provide evidence that the marital discord model of …

The Retention Of College Students With Disabilities: What Encourages Them To Stay In College?, Michelle Rigler

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This study explored the retention rate of college students with disabilities and the factors that encourage this population of students to successfully persist to graduation. The study explored the current lack of information in regard to the comparison of the retention rates of college students with disabilities to that of the general college population and the population of other minority college students. Through this qualitative study, disability-service offices at medium-sized, and four-year public universities in the southeast region of the United States were explored. Directors of these offices and students with invisible and apparent disabilities were interviewed. This study has …

Atheism, Agnosticism, And Nonbelief: A Qualitative And Quantitative Study Of Type And Narrative, Christopher Frank Silver

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Extensive research has been conducted in exploration of the American religious landscape, however recently has social science research started to explore Nonbelief in any detail. Research on Nonbelief has been limited as most research focuses on the popularity of the religious “nones” or the complexities of alternative faith expressions such as spirituality. Research has been limited in exploring the complexity of Nonbelief or how non-believers would identify themselves. Most research assumes nonbelievers are a monolithic group with no variation such as Atheism or Agnosticism. Through two studies, one qualitative and one quantitative, this study explored identity of Nonbelief. Study one …

College Choice: Factors Influencing High School Seniors' Decision To Enroll At Private Colleges In South Carolina, Brian O'Neil

All Dissertations

This study explores the influential factors of high school seniors in their college choice. The participants in this study were high school seniors planning on attending a four-year co-educational non-HBCU private higher education institution in South Carolina. The sample included four participant institutions and 202 total participants. A survey instrument was sent to each participant from an institutional gatekeeper. The survey included demographic questions and specific factors that were rated on a 5 point Likert scale. A factor analysis was conducted on the data and resulted in three factor clusters. The three factors were named: (a) family influence, (b) institutional …

Towards Decrypting Attractiveness Via Multi-Modality Cue, Tam Nguyen, Si Liu, Bingbing Ni, Jun Tan, Yong Rui, Shuicheng Yan

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Decrypting the secret of beauty or attractiveness has been the pursuit of artists and philosophers for centuries. To date, the computational model for attractiveness estimation has been actively explored in the computer vision and multimedia community, yet with the focus mainly on facial features. In this article, we conduct a comprehensive study on female attractiveness conveyed by single/multiple modalities of cues, that is, face, dressing and/or voice; the aim is to discover how different modalities individually and collectively affect the human sense of beauty.

To extensively investigate the problem, we collect the Multi-Modality Beauty (M²B) dataset, which is …

2013-2014 Undergraduate Catalog, The University Of Alabama In Huntsville

Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Alfred Owre: Revisiting The Thought Of A Distinguished, Though Controversial, Early Twentieth-Century Dental Educator, David A. Nash

Oral Health Science Faculty Publications

Many in dental education are unfamiliar with the professional life and thought of Dr. Alfred Owre, a distinguished though controversial dental educator in the early twentieth century. Owre served as dean of dentistry at both the University of Minnesota, 1905-27, and Columbia University, 1927-33. He was also a member of the Carnegie Foundation's commission that developed the report Dental Education in the United States and Canada, written by Dr. William J. Gies. Owre was a controversial leader due to his creative and original ideas that challenged dental education and the profession. His assessment and critique of the problems of dental …

Spr Bulletin, Spring 2013, Uno Office Of Research And Creative Activity

Sponsored Programs Bulletins

This bulletin features Recent Grant Recipients; Meet SPR’s New Graduate Assistant!; and 2013 IRB Education Series at UNO.

Women's Studies News, Fall 2013, University Of Alabama In Huntsville

Newsletters

No abstract provided.

Strategies To Manage Censorship Issues And Controversies In Museums, Kyle D. San Giovanni

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Museums are poised to educate, engage and entertain patrons, as well as challenge and influence society more now than at any other time throughout the modem history of the museum industry. With thousands of museums throughout the United States attracting hundreds of millions of visitors annually, controversial exhibits and issues of censorship continue to challenge museum industry leaders. Concern surrounding this subject exists in all artistic and cultural endeavors. Topics range from race and religion to war and sexuality, and have occurred in history, science and art museums. This study looks at the best management options available to museum directors …

Chaos Of Textures Or ‘Tapisserie’? A Model For Creative Teacher Education Curriculum Design, Sue E. Simon

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

A tapestry or ‘tapisserie’ methodology, inspired by Denzin and Lincoln’s ‘bricolage’ methodology (2000), emerged during the complex task of re-developing teacher education programs at the University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. ‘Tapisserie’ methodology highlights the pivotal task of determining stable ‘warp threads’ prior to the subsequent interweaving of myriad ‘weft threads’. In our context, the core values of the education team were deemed to be the crucial ‘warp threads’ which would provide structure and navigation through numerous ‘weft threads’. The resultant model assisted teacher educators’ understanding of this complex process within a rigorous accreditation environment. It aims to preserve …

Ni Putes Ni Soumises: Unveiling Women’S Voices Through Feminism And Social Media In The 21st Century, Lilianna K. Deveneau

Honors Theses

Ni Putes Ni Soumises (NPNS; English translation: “Neither Whores Nor Submissives”) is a French, largely Muslim, feminist political organization that aims to promote laicité (secularization), mixité (the ability for women to fraternize with men), and gender equality. I have conducted an organizational case study including the triangulation of data comprised of critical analyses of the NPNS website, Facebook group, and other documentation and publications, to identify whether and how this organization has been successful in igniting social change. Findings indicate NPNS has grown its movement from one location (Paris) to forty-eight chapters throughout France, seven international headquarters, and has obtained …

Financial Declines, Financial Behaviors, And Relationship Satisfaction During The Recession, Jeffrey P. Dew, Jing Jian Xiao

Faculty Publications

Using nationally-representative data collected during the summer of 2009 (N = 575), this study examines how reports of financial declines are associated with financial behaviors and how financial behaviors are associated with relationship satisfaction among cohabiting and married participants. Findings suggested that financial declines were only negatively associated with sound financial management behavior if participants also experienced feelings of economic pressure. Sound financial management behavior was found to be positively associated with marital satisfaction. Finally, sound financial management behavior also moderated the association between financial declines, economic pressure, and relationship satisfaction.

Symposium – From Bench To Society: Law And Ethics At The Frontier Of Genomic Technology, Jamie S. King

UC Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Introduction To Gis Using Open Source Software, 4th Ed, Frank Donnelly

Open Educational Resources

This tutorial was created to accompany the GIS Practicum, a day-long workshop offered by the Newman Library at Baruch College CUNY that introduces participants to geographic information systems (GIS) using the open source software QGIS. The practicum introduces GIS as a concept for envisioning information and as a tool for conducting geographic analyses and creating maps. Participants learn how to navigate a GIS interface, how to prepare layers and conduct a basic geographic analysis, and how to create thematic maps. This tutorial was written using QGIS version 1.8 "Lisboa", a cross-platform (Windows, Mac, Linux) desktop GIS software package.

Effects Of Single-Gender Education On The Reading Achievement Of Third Through Fifth Grade Boys, Michael Brown

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

It is said repeatedly, boys can't read. However, the statement should be boys can read they just don't. Understanding there is a need for action is the first step educators must take in helping boys emerge as confident and successful readers. Single-gender classrooms can be successful tools when seeking new ways in which to engage boys in reading. This is a step towards creating atmospheres where boys are encouraged to read and where reading is tailored to their interests. The purpose of this causal comparative study was to examine the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) reading achievement scores of third …

Borrowing The Role Of College Student: First Experiences And Influences In An Early College Program, Kimberley A. Rector

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

Dual enrollment programs offer options for high school students to sample college-level courses for which they receive both high school and college credit. In the past, these programs were mainly available to high-performing students who wanted to get ahead and could meet college entrance criteria. More and more, dual enrollment is becoming an opportunity for low-performing students. Research points to benefits for students including academic preparation, free tuition, and a smoother transition into college.

Early college programs, a newer approach to dual enrollment, most commonly offer entering ninth graders a challenging, yet supportive educational environment on a postsecondary campus with …

Parenting And Attachment Among Low-Income African-American And Caucasian Preschoolers, Casey A. Dexter, Kristyn Wong, Ann M. Stacks, Marjorie Beeghly, Douglas Barnett

Psychology Faculty Research Publications

Despite a plethora of research on parenting and infant attachment, much less is known about the contributions of parenting to preschool attachment, particularly within different racial groups. This study seeks to build on the extant literature by evaluating whether similar associations between parenting and attachment can be observed in African American and Caucasian families, and whether race moderates them. Seventy-four primary caregivers and their preschool children (51% African American, 49% Caucasian, 46% male) from similar urban, low income backgrounds participated in two visits four weeks apart when children were between four and five years of age. Attachment was scored from …

Institutional Data Book 2012-2013, University Of Minnesota, Morris Office Of Institutional Research

Campus Documents and Reports

No abstract provided.

Perceived Cultural Proximity And Perceived News Source Credibility In Puerto Rico, Camila Espina

Media Studies - Theses

This study examines the relationship between interaction with the United States, perceived cultural proximity between Puerto Rican and American culture, and perceived source credibility of American news media. Existing literature on media credibility, cultural proximity, and acculturation was used to design an online survey. The sample of this study consists of three hundred and seventy two Puerto Ricans that resided in Puerto Rico at the time of data collection (N=372).

Data analysis procedures involved paired samples t-test as well as Pearson's Correlation Coefficient. The current study yielded three key findings. The first finding demonstrates that respondents perceive American news media …

Battle For The Mountains: Restructuring Extractive Production And The Socio-Ecological Crisis In West Virginia's Coalfields, Ben Marley

Geography and the Environment - Theses

The coalfields of southern West Virginia have faced recurring crises linked to its regional political economy. Today's crisis is constituted by the decimation on the United Mine Workers of America and the greater use of mountaintop removal coal mining in conjunction with policies and market conditions. This thesis argues that crisis in southern West Virginia's coalfields, like previous crises, will mean the reorganization of human and extra-human natures in which social movements along with economic conditions play an integral role in transcending the crisis. Tracing the history of crises in southern West Virginia's coalfields and interviewing retired coal miners, community …

The Real Housewives Of The Garden Of Eden, Victoria Hurst

All Theses

This essay focuses on a critical analysis of the reality television program The Real Housewives, using the biblical story of Eve to illuminate the ways in which myths of femininity are perpetuated and reimagined within popular culture. Bridging reality television scholarship with post biblical scholarship surrounding the figure of Eve, this essay seeks to approach how both mythology and spectacle intertwine within the mass consumed genre of reality television to reiterate and recreate notions of the eternal feminine in ways that disarm and disengage audiences' critical thinking and response to these representations. By focusing on conspicuous consumption and bodily alteration …

A Slow Reading In Matthew Dickman's Elegiac And Nostalgic Poetry, Sumood Almaowashi

All Theses

This thesis argues the necessity of post modern elegy to adapt to new forms in writing in response to the indifference to death in modern societies, and the recklessness towards such an event. The cotemporary style of writing depends on series of elegies, which express an extended form of mourning as opposed to the circumscribed grief of an individual elegy. Postmodern analytical writings that discuss grief and mourning provide an ethical insight towards the continuous commemorations of the dead. It invites us to rethink the concept of mourning outside the clinical analysis of Freud. Emerging from the theories that study …

Women In Engineering: Identity Communication In Social Media, Dongni Wang

All Theses

This thesis examines women engineers' experience in social media with a focus on identity communication. Framing as a case study, this study attempts to explore women engineers' online presence and how they utilize social media in their daily activities. Using the concept of intersectionality, this study addresses the differences of social media usage among women engineers in terms of the use of social media by professional organizations of women engineers and the use of individual women engineers. Thematic analysis was conducted to analyze the public available data from a Facebook page maintain by a well-known women engineers' professional organization. Online …

Contesting Sustainability: Bikes, Race, And Politics In Portlandia, Amy Lubitow, Thaddeus R. Miller

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

Despite decade old calls for a "just sustainability," urban sustainability policy and practice remains oriented toward environmental outcomes and eco-lifestyle projects. Notions of equity, justice, and inclusion continue to be marginalized in favor of technological solutions, such as green buildings, that are visible, easy to implement, and help to promote economic development. By examining a controversy over a bikeway development project in a rapidly gentrifying neighborhood in Northeast Portland, Oregon, this article explores how despite apolitical appeals to broadly shared values or visions of what a sustainable city ought to look like, sustainability projects can be—and perhaps should be—hotly contested. …

The Return Of Results In Genetic Testing: Who Owes What To Whom, When, And Why?, Stephanie A. Alessi

UC Law Journal

The field of genetic research has revolutionized modern medicine and will continue to do so in the years to come. For the people whose biological materials form the basis for this research, however, the research process may also lead to personal discoveries—namely, it may expose information about their health, genetic predispositions, and other gene-linked characteristics. Researchers who uncover this kind of personal genetic information are likewise confronted with the question of whether they should—or must—provide their subjects with feedback about their results.For subjects and researchers alike, the answer is unclear. Presently, there is little guidance as to these parties’ rights …

Science Fair: Is It Worth The Work? A Qualitative Study On Deaf Students' Perceptions And Experiences Regarding Science Fair In Primary And Secondary School, Vivian Lee Smith

Dissertations

Science fairs have a long history in American education. They play an important role for establishing inquiry-based experiences in a science classroom. Students may be more motivated to learn science content when they are allowed to choose their own science fair topics. The purpose of this study was to examine Deaf college students’ perceptions and experiences regarding science fair participation during primary and/or secondary school and determine the influence of science fair involvement on the development of language skills, writing skills, and higher order thinking skills as well as its impact on choice of a STEM major.

This study examined …

Vice In The Veil Of Justice: Embedding Race And Gender In Frontier Tourism, Daniel Richard Maher

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation analyzes how "frontier" discourses in Fort Smith, Arkansas simultaneously constitute mythological narratives that elide the deleterious effects of imperialism, racism, and sexism, while they operate as marketing schemes in the wager that they will attract cultural heritage tourists. It examines material exhibits and interpretive history programs at locations including the Fort Smith National Historic Site, Fort Smith Museum of History, Miss Laura's Visitor's Center, and the Clayton House; in texts such as the 1898 book by Samuel Harman whose title forever branded Fort Smith as Hell on the Border; in the subsequent branding and marketing derived from the …

The Legitimation Of Novel Technologies: The Case Of Nanotechnology, Anastasia E. Thyroff

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Nanotechnology is the control, manipulation, and application of matter on an atomic and molecular level. The technology is complex and confusing to consumers, and its long-term safety and effect on the human body, as well as the environment, are unknown. However, for the past decade, nanotechnology has been used to develop consumer products and food with novel and attractive attributes.

Since nanotechnology is still not well known, it is not legitimized; that is, it has not been deemed safe and accepted by society. However, the market for nanotechnology is in the legitimation process. It will take an entire network of …

Teachers' Perceptions Toward Implementing English As A Foreign Language At Kindergarten: What Can We Learn From The Case Of Kuwaiti Kindergarten Teachers?, Kawthar M. Habeeb

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The teaching of English as a foreign language has a promising outlook in the nation of Kuwait. Recent policy reflects language development theories that see early childhood as an especially good period for the learning of a foreign language. Thus, English is now taught at 30 public kindergartens in Kuwait. However, the program apparently was implemented quickly, with little consideration for how teachers and other stakeholders would respond to it. This paper explores that program in the context of the perceptions and views of teachers affected by it.

A review of the existing curriculum points towards deficiencies, and investigation of …