Digital Commons Network^™

Anatomical Locality On Haptic Feedback To Attenuate Stuttering, Travis Fortin

Honors Theses

Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate whether a change in the location of the tactile stimulator would alter the instances of stuttering. Method Each subject was required to read a randomly assigned 300-syllable passage in each of the five assigned speaking conditions, which includes the control, fingers, chest, wrist, and foot. Results The stuttering count for each condition was analyzed by two trained research assistants. The median for the control was 44 syllables, the fingers were 41 syllables, the chest was 35 syllables, the wrist was 44 syllables, and the foot was 23 syllables. An RM-ANOVA was …

The Theoretical Argument For Disproving Asymptotic Upper-Bounds On The Accuracy Of Part-Of-Speech Tagging Algorithms: Adopting A Linguistics, Rule-Based Approach, William Foley

Honors Theses

This paper takes a deep dive into a particular area of the interdisciplinary domain of Computational Linguistics, Part-of-Speech Tagging algorithms. The author relies primarily on scholarly Computer Science and Linguistics papers to describe previous approaches to this task and the often-hypothesized existence of the asymptotic accuracy rate of around 98%, by which this task is allegedly bound. However, after doing more research into why the accuracy of previous algorithms have behaved in this asymptotic manner, the author identifies valid and empirically-backed reasons why the accuracy of previous approaches do not necessarily reflect any sort of general asymptotic bound on the …

An Examination Of The College Major Decisions Of Students At The University Of Mississippi, Jonathan P. Evans

Honors Theses

Factors such as socio-economic status affect students' level of educational aspiration. Furthermore, major (and thus career choice) may be influenced by race or gender. This study demonstrates the effects of academic aptitude, race, gender, first generation status, and importance of expected future earnings on undergraduate students' college major decision. More specifically, this study examines if these factors lead to an increase or decrease in the probability of students choosing a major in a specific field. The likelihood of choosing a major in a specific field is relative a baseline category, which can be changed.

Portrayals Of Pinochet: Historical Narratives In Chilean Schools, Katie J. Wright

Honors Theses

How is the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship represented historically in contemporary Chilean society? To answer this question, this thesis examines the education system, with a focus on high schools and universities in Valparaíso, Chile. I argue that there are two competing discourses about the Pinochet administration - a majority, anti-dictatorship perspective and a minority, pro-regime position - which selectively emphasize differing aspects of the regime. The anti position focuses on human rights violations while the pro perspective puts greater weight on economic achievements. This maps onto Chilean high school institutions, with a majority of upper and upper-middle class students attending private …

Someday My Prince Will Come: How Are Gender Roles Enabled And Constrained In Disney Music, During Classic Disney, The Disney Renaissance, And Modern Disney?, Lauren Hughes

Honors Theses

The purpose of this project is to study how Disney has promoted gender roles through its music over three different Disney eras: Classic, Renaissance, and Modern Disney. While Disney movies have been criticized in the past for having characters with unattainable bodies and unrealistic views on love and life, the role that Disney music plays in promoting gender roles has not been as thoroughly researched or as widely criticized. With the immensity that children learn and are surrounded by Disney music, it is imperative that the message that the children take in is a healthy one. Through the analysis of …

A Neural Network Approach To Handwriting Recognition In The Codex A, Eleanor C. Anthony

Honors Theses

In this research, an attempt to create a neural network classifier for the Latin uncial alphabet found in the Codex A, a late fourth century manuscript held by the Archivo Capitolare in Vercelli, Italy and the oldest of the Latin Gospels, is outlined. Training data collection methods, as well as image processing and artificial data creation methods used for expanding the training set, are discussed, as is their contribution to the success of the neural networks. While successful results are achieved for the testing sets, classification of new image data is largely unsuccessful. Potential improvement and avenues for expanding the …

Novanet's Effect On The Reading Achievement Of At-Risk Middle School Students, Alice Harris Jackson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

At-risk and special education students in the 7th and 8th grades in a rural middle school in western Alabama, in the years following the introduction of the No Child Left Behind federal legislation in 2002, failed to achieve adequate yearly progress in reading. School districts are increasingly implementing flexible computer-based intervention programs to improve their students' reading achievement. Using a between-group design, the purpose of this study was to determine whether NovaNET, a newly adopted reading intervention program, enhanced the reading attainment of at-risk and special education students. Guided by constructivist theory, archived reading achievement data from the 2009-2013 Alabama …

Ethics Of Love? Morality And The Meaning Of Divine Love, John C. Peckham

Andrews University Seminary Student Journal

While there is wide agreement on the importance of love to Christian ethics, just what an ethics of love includes and entails differs depending upon how Christian love is understood. Toward clarifying the relationship between love and Christian ethics, this essay briefly engages the highly influential agapist conception of love and questions its sufficiency as the basis of Christian ethics. Consideration of some apparent shortcomings of the agapist conception leads to the proposal that the continued quest for a more intentionally and distinctively biblical conception of divine love is integral to a compelling and faithfully Christian ethics of love.

Yellow Flag Fever: Describing Negative Legal Precedent In Citators, Aaron S. Kirschenfeld

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Cultural Implications On Latino Disability, Definition, Perceptions, And Practices, Vivian M. Hardison

Research Papers

The topic of Latino disability definition, perception and practices will be reviewed through a critical analysis and comprehensive review of past and current literature. The importance of Latino disability definition, perception, and practices will be discussed as well as what the consequences are of this population not receiving services that are culturally integrated. The need for culturally competent administrators and counselors will be reviewed. The barriers that administrators/counselors and families run into will also be reviewed. An in depth literature review will be included. At the closing of this paper conclusions and recommendations will be provided.

The Virtue Gap In Humor: Exploring Benevolent And Corrective Humor., W Ruch, S Heintz

School of Psychology

The recent emergence of positive psychology gave rise to the idea to conceptualize humor from a “good character” perspective (Peterson & Seligman, 2004). Present constructs, however, show a “virtue gap”, and the two concepts of benevolent and corrective humor were developed to fill this gap. The former describes a humorous outlook on life that entails the realistic observations and understanding of human weaknesses (and the imperfection of the world) but also their benevolent humorous treatment. By contrast, corrective humor involves moral based ridicule; that is, the use of mockery to fight badness and mediocrity. Corrective humor, akin to satire, uses …

An Ewp Model Of Quechua Agreement: Further Evidence Against Dm, Joseph A. Stanley

Faculty Publications

In this paper we first describe the Quechua verbal agreement paradigm using two generative morphological theories and then argue that Anderson’s EWP accounts for the data better than Distributed Morphology (DM). Kerke (1996) has already shown evidence against DM using this paradigm, and we provide additional support for this.

The Quechua verbs conjugate to agree with the subject and the object of the VP in one of three tenses (Table 1). Each cell contains up to five morphemes, from a selection of twelve, which appear consistently in the same order. Though there is some semblance of regularity in the paradigm, …

Optimizing Outcomes In Adhd Treatment: From Clinical Targets To Novel Delivery Systems, Gregory W. Mattingly, Richard H. Anderson

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Auditory Contrast Tuning Upon Speech Intelligibility, Nathan J. Killian, Paul V. Watkins, Lisa S. Davidson, Dennis L. Barbour

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

The Two Sides Of Sensory–Cognitive Interactions: Effects Of Age, Hearing Acuity, And Working Memory Span On Sentence Comprehension, Renee Decaro, Jonathan E. Peelle, Murray Grossman, Arthur Wingfield

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Causal Evidence For A Mechanism Of Semantic Integration In The Angular Gyrus As Revealed By High-Definition Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation, Amy Rose Price, Jonathan E. Peelle, Michael F. Bonner, Murray Grossman, Roy H. Hamilton

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Introduction : Translingual Work., Min-Zhan Lu, Bruce Horner

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

This issue both reflects and builds on the efforts prompted by the 2011 College English essay “Language Difference in Writing: Toward a Translingual Approach,” by Bruce Horner, Min-Zhan Lu, Jacqueline Jones Royster, and John Trimbur. Contributions to this symposium contextualize the emergence of a translingual approach, explore the tension and interconnections between a translingual approach and a variety of fields, and explore the viability of a translingual approach in light of existing academic structures.

Cultivating Trust In Gmo Science: Moving Past The Deficit Model To Productive And Participatory Science Education, Kate Crowley , '16

Senior Theses, Projects, and Awards

Most scientists believe GMOs are safe for human consumption, but a majority of the American public remains unconvinced. I argue that this lack of trust stems from scientists' outdated approach to science communication, namely the deficit model. Instead of seeing the public as empty vessels waiting to be filled with scientific knowledge, the scientific community must recognize that many strongly held beliefs about science issues are socially situated. Only through genuine attempts at participatory, two-way conversations with the public can the scientific community come to understand how public values influence GMO acceptance. While these actions will necessitate a redefining of …

Through The Alice Corp. Looking Glass: Using Pragmatic Arguments To Bring Predictability To Patent Law, Jason B. Portis

Northwestern Journal of Technology and Intellectual Property

Within the last four years, multiple institutional actors that have largely remained dormant in the scope of innovation policy and patents have undertaken a surprisingly interventionist reform of patent law. Congress, administrative agencies, and the Supreme Court have all recently shaped patent law to be more pragmatic and less overtly formalistic. Conversely, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has staunchly defended a formalist approach to patent law, advocating consistently for bright-line rules.

The Federal Circuit has been charged with bringing predictability to patent law since its creation in 1982. The Federal Circuit attempts to bring predictability and uniformity …

Taking Patents, Gregory Dolin, Irina D. Manta

Hofstra Law Faculty Scholarship

The America Invents Act (AIA) was widely hailed as a remedy to the excessive number of patents that the Patent & Trademark Office issued, and especially ones that would later turn out to be invalid. In its efforts to eradicate "patent trolls" and fend off other ills, however, the AIA introduced serious constitutional problems that this Article brings to the fore. We argue that the AIA's new "second-look" mechanisms in the form of Inter Partes Review (IPR) and Covered Business Method Review (CBMR) have greatly altered the scope of vested patent rights by modifying the boundaries of existing patents. The …

Domestic Violence In Lac Su’S I Love Yous Are For White People: A Sociological Criticism Approach, Quan-Manh Ha

Asian American Literature: Discourses & Pedagogies

This article employs sociological criticism to examine domestic violence, parenting, and communication behavior in Lac Su’s Vietnamese American memoir. The book debunks the seemingly positive myth of Asian Americans as a model minority, substantiates certain negative stereotypes of Asian men, and challenges some of the classic Asian values that apparently have shaped the Asian American identity. I argue that Su’s memoir is a critique of structural inequalities, urban poverty, unemployment, inaccessibility to a support network, and the intersection between class, gender, and race in the contexts of war and its aftermath.

The (Non)Tragic Passing Of Rena Walden: Black Female Agency In Charles Chesnutt's The House Behind The Cedars, Sarah Emily Goggans

All ETDs from UAB

This project analyzes Charles W. Chesnutt’s The House Behind the Cedars in an attempt to accredit Chesnutt as a forerunner of Critical Race Theory (CRT). Secondly, this project argues that Rena gains agency solely through her black ancestry in her ability to read and write both cultural and written texts. I will also argue in that creating a metanarrative form for his novel, Chesnutt is able to provide a radically feminist text through his representation of the power of Rena’s literacy, and furthermore, that Chesnutt is able to critique the laws and customs of normative white society. Lastly, this project …

Igniting The Path To Reading Success: Torchbearer Principals' Perceptions Of Reading Instruction, Vilveca Bryant

All ETDs from UAB

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore principal perceptions of how reading scores improved in high-poverty, high-performing schools in Alabama that had achieved Torchbearer School status. In 2005, the Alabama State Department of Education began bestowing the honor of Torchbearer schools to schools in high poverty areas throughout the state that have achieved high academic performance in Reading and Math. The goal of this qualitative study was to understand principal experiences and the essence of what it meant to be a principal of a successful high poverty school, to hear the voices of the participants. Participant descriptions revealed …

The Lived Experiences Of African American Students In A Suburban High School: A Qualitative Case Study., Steven Marlon Tarver

All ETDs from UAB

an association between log(CRP) and smoking, controlling for WC and race. Yet, when

Changes In Intrinsic Local Functional Connectivity In Children With Autism Followed By A Visualizing/Verbalizing Reading Intervention, Jose Omar Maximo

All ETDs from UAB

Deficits in language are a major clinical feature of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Previous studies suggest that individuals with ASD may rely on visuospatial skills to compensate for these deficits. Existing intervention programs in autism have not been tested at the neural level, thus falling short of quantifiable neurobiological changes underlying behavioral improvement. The current study takes a translational neuroimaging approach to test the impact of a structured visual imagery-based reading intervention on improving reading comprehension and its underlying neural circuitry. Changes in connectivity of a set of brain regions commonly known as the “reading network” were examined in children …

Utopia And The Law And Literature Movement, Michael P. Malloy

McGeorge School of Law Scholarly Articles

The year 2016 marks the quincentennial of the publication of Thomas More’s novel Utopia. In addition to being an important literary milestone and cultural artifact, Utopiarepresentsa significant marker in the history of political and legal philosophy. I would argue that it also provides an important contribution to the law and literature movement that has flourished in recent decades. It is that contribution that I wish to explore.

This paper begins with a brief introduction to the law and literature movement, in which I identify some of the objectives of the movement and the relationship of More’s novel to those objectives. …

Police Stories, Helen A. Anderson

Articles

As lawyers and judges know, the facts, and the stories created with those facts, make the law: “[A] case well stated is more than half argued.” The police narrative is one of the most common narratives in legal writing, simply because there are so many criminal cases, as well as numerous civil cases, involving police. For the most part, these narratives tell the familiar story of the hardworking, careful police officer in a challenging situation with dangerous criminals.

These narratives do much of the work of an appellate argument, just as Chief Justice Robert’s story about Officer Devlin makes the …

Storyboarding For Invention: Layering Modes For More Effective Transfer In A Multimodal Composition Classroom, Jon Balzotti

Faculty Publications

This article describes an innovative pedagogical technique for multimodal composition courses: the use of storyboarding as an invention tool across multiple composition platforms. Student response data and our textual analysis of their multimodal texts over a two-year period reveal some challenges when new media projects are taught alongside traditional essay writing. Our research also shows that basic writing students were more likely to see similarities between the two assignments when they were asked to use a similar process of invention. Utilizing composition concepts in tandem to compose two similar but different products (essay and video) that ostensibly reside in different …

Improving Health Literacy With Clear Communication, Carol Barbara Wilson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Health literacy is demonstrated when individuals can obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions. Veteran health literacy is believed to be lower than the general population due to the aging and culturally diverse population. Veterans require adequate health literacy to manage their diverse high acuity physical injuries, psychological conditions, and chronic diseases. Clear communication between the clinician and veteran patient is essential to provide high quality health services. The objective of this quality-improvement project was to evaluate the ability of nurses in the ambulatory environment to identify low health literacy patients and …

Impact Of Music Education On Mathematics Achievement Scores Among Middle School Students, Curt Glendale Willis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Music education has been shown to be related to a variety of positive outcomes, including student achievement in math. This study was conducted to explore the relationship between music education and student achievement in math. The framework for the study was Miendlarzweska and Trost's model of musical instrument training. A deidentified archival data set consisting of middle school students' (N = 116) total math scores on the Iowa Assessments was used to determine the impact of music education on students' math achievement, while controlling for students' sex and socioeconomic status. Changes in student achievement were measured by calculating math scores …