Digital Commons Network^™

Exploring Pedagogical Decision Making And Metacognition Of Faculty Teaching Abroad, Yuliya Kartoshkina

Theses and Dissertations

The number of faculty-led short-term study abroad programs is growing rapidly. However, the literature on pedagogical design of such programs is very limited. This qualitative research study was conducted to explore how faculty members make pedagogical decisions about teaching abroad as well as cognitive processes they engage in when making these decisions. Six faculty members from different institutions and academic departments were interviewed. Their colleagues recognized them as experts in the field based on years of teaching abroad and effectiveness of their practice.

Two important findings came out of this study. First, when making pedagogical decisions about teaching abroad, all …

Gata4 Interacts With Hedgehog Signaling Pathway In Regulating Outflow Tract Development, Jielin Liu

Theses and Dissertations

Congenital heart diseases (CHDs) are among the most common type of developmental anomaly affecting 8 in 1000 live births. Approximately 30% of CHDs involve cardiac outflow tract (OFT) malformation which leads to significant morbidity and mortality in both children and adults. Development of OFT is regulated by a complex genetic network including Sonic-Hedgehog signaling pathway, TGF-β and BMP signaling pathway. Mutation of a transcription factor, Gata4, has been known to cause OFT defects including double outlet right ventricle (DORV) in both human and mice for decades. Several transcription targets of Gata4 have been identified such as Mef2c, Ccnd2 and Cdk4, …

Political Ideology, Beliefs And Values As A Framework For Analysis Of School Nutrition Preferences, Jacquelyn R. Nyenhuis

Theses and Dissertations

Multiple studies have documented the growing controversies in school nutrition public policy. Less is known about the political ideologies, beliefs and diverse perspectives coming from conflicting values and their influence on policy acceptance. Key issues examined are: Does the average US citizen filter their impressions of policies through their core beliefs, values and politics? And, in general, what policies, interventions, and regulations do conservatives and liberals favor?

Utilizing a sequential mixed methods design, Phase I included a survey given to 201 people with both a multi-item closed ended section and an open-ended section. Statistical analysis was performed on the quantitative …

Public Opinion About Police Use Of Body-Worn Cameras, Deanne Paulsen

Theses and Dissertations

There has been a significant increase in media attention about encounters between police officers and the public which have ended badly, sometimes in injury or death. These events have increased public concern about police conduct. Because of these events and the adverse publicity they have generated, many police departments have begun using body-worn cameras. The police use of body-worn cameras raises many important issues such as their effects on privacy and police-community relations. Because police departments have just recently begun using body cameras, there has been limited research on them. Consequently, the current study examined whether the public favors the …

Major League Baseball Draft Pick Compensation: How To Evaluate The Marginal Revenue Product Of Labor Of Drafted Players, Matthew Peã±A

Theses and Dissertations

The Major League Baseball draft is virtually the only means by which US and US territory born players have access to becoming major league baseball players. As a condition of their initial contracts, players are subjected to initial contract terms, that limit their traditional free market ability to earn a salary commensurate with their actual worth. This research attempts to quantify the difference between what players would earn on the open market, as free agents, and what they earn by being controlled by baseball’s reserve clause, by analyzing the current compensation system established by Major League Baseball, how drafted players …

Can You Really Predict Markets With Twitter?, Christopher Plenzick

Theses and Dissertations

In this paper, I attempt to apply an emotional proxy derived by applying

the Affective Norms for English Words (ANEW) to messages posted to the

Twitter social networking service in order to forecast the movement two stock

market indices: the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) and the CBOE

Volatility Index (VIX). In contrast to previous works, I have compared the

results of various forecast models employing different sentiment variables, as

well as comparing the neural network approach to more standard logistic re-

gression. Additionally, several of the models used employ an as-yet unique

sentiment proxy, focusing on the average of …

Role Of The Cholesterol Metabolite 27-Hydroxycholesterol In Breast And Prostate Cancer, Shaneabbas S. Raza

Theses and Dissertations

The cholesterol metabolites known as oxysterols play an important role in maintaining cell homeostasis. They play vital roles in inflammation, cell growth, cell signaling, immunity, oxidative stress and aging. Following the discovery that the most abundant oxysterol, 27-hydroxycholesterol (27-OHC) is a Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulator (SERM), it has been implicated in hormonal cancers such as breast and uterine cancer. 27-OHC is a ligand of estrogen receptors (ER), a nuclear hormone receptor involved in cell growth and proliferation. The downstream events followed by 27-OHC-induced ER activation in the context of breast cancer is unknown. Also, the role of 27-OHC in prostate …

Instructors’ Perspectives Of Giving Audio And Video Feedback: Can You Hear Me Now?, Jane Marie Sims

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated university instructors’ perspectives, values and processes of giving assignment feedback to students using written, audio and video formats and examined samples of feedback in these formats for differences in amount of content, language complexity and tone of feedback. The instructors represented different campus disciplines and a variety of campus, online and hybrid environments, and their classes included undergraduate and graduate students and ranged from small to large class sizes. This qualitative study applied Media Naturalness Theory to a phenomenological and discourse analysis of instructor interviews and feedback samples. The interview data revealed intentionality in selecting different feedback …

Effect Of Silica Supported Platinum Catalyst On The Performance And Durability Of Pem Fuel Cells, Jivan N. Thakare

Theses and Dissertations

Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) have a unique property of zero (ultra-low) emission and provide significant technical and overall cost advantages compared to other types of fuel cells. As a result, PEMFCs have attracted considerable attention as an alternative power source for stationary and mobile applications. However, the PEMFCs are yet to realize mass-market commercialization hindered mainly by its poor durability. Therefore, numerous research efforts have been devoted to studying the durability of PEMFCs, motivated by the desire to improve its lifetime without unduly increasing cost or compromising performance.

The catalyst support largely determines the stability of supported platinum …

Not Your Business: Pedagogical Lessons Of Activist Resistance To Neoliberalism In Canadian Higher Education, Jorunn Thordarson

Theses and Dissertations

The growing power and permeation of neoliberal ideology across all facets of social life has been instrumental in promoting and orchestrating a shift among Canadian post-secondary institutions towards a reductive view of schooling at the expense of a more liberatory vision of education. The aim of this study was to examine the connections between power, education, and democracy in relation to the neoliberal restructuring of higher education in Canada, while simultaneously exploring discourses of resistance to neoliberal hegemony. Using critical discourse analysis, this study begins by establishing the promotion and naturalization of neoliberal ideology within the policy landscape of Canadian …

The Impact Of Anterior Gradient 2 (Agr2) Expression In Models Of Arsenite And Cadmium Induced Breast And Bladder Cancers, Jamie Lynn Van Gieson

Theses and Dissertations

Bladder cancer constitutes one of the most prevalent cancers and is among the leading causes of cancer-related deaths in the United States. This work sought to better characterize and understand the role of the proto-oncogene anterior gradient 2 (AGR2) in bladder cancers. Immunohistochemical analysis of AGR2 expression in a range of bladder cancer specimens indicated that the expression of AGR2 decreases with an increase in the stage and grade of bladder cancers. The environmental carcinogens arsenic and cadmium (Cd2+) have been implicated in various cancers. This laboratory has demonstrated that arsenite (As3+) and Cd2+ can malignantly transform the bladder epithelium …

What Do The Numbers Really Mean? An Examination Of Learning Analytics Related To Online Courses And University Student Retention And Success, Austin Thomas Winger

Theses and Dissertations

University student retention and success are high priorities for colleges and universities. With the expansion of online learning, retention of students in online courses has become particularly important in modern higher education. The purpose of this study was to examine factors that affect university student retention and success, with particular consideration for students who have taken online courses during their undergraduate career. The guiding research question for this qualitative study was: “How do demographic, internal, and external factors affect the retention and success of undergraduate students who take online courses?” Learning analytics (predictive analytics in educational settings) attempt to predict …

The Effects Of Resistance Training Programs On Physical Self-Perceptions In College Females, Kelsey Lauren Zachman

Theses and Dissertations

The effects of resistance training on females’ self-perception. Introduction: It is generally accepted that exercise enhances physical self-perceptions, but the impact of resistance training programs on females’ self-perceptions is unclear. Because exercise is an important public health behavior, and because physical self-perceptions have motivational implications, this study has potential to add knowledge that is relevant to exercise promotion. Purpose: The primary aim of the study was to explore the effect of two different types of resistance training programs on physical self-perceptions of college age females. Methods: Participants (n=30) were randomized to muscular strength, muscular endurance resistance training groups or a …

Addressing The Retirement Crisis With Shadow 401(K)S Essay, Deepa Das Acevedo

Essays, Reviews, and Shorter Works

No abstract provided.

A New Southern Strategy Of Multigroup Oppression: A Response To Standard White By Michael Morris Essay, Richard Delgado, Jean Stefancic

Essays, Reviews, and Shorter Works

No abstract provided.

Discrimination Amongst Arctic Indigenous Sámi And Non-Sámi Populations In Norway, Kl Hansen, S Minton, O Friborg, T Sørlie

School of Psychology

Background: Recent research demonstrates that for many indigenous Sami people, experiencing ethnic discrimination is a regular occurrence. The present study was designed to provide estimates of the prevalence of self-reported discrimination in order to identify specific settings where discrimination happened, to identify perpetrators and to examine individuals’ responses to the discrimination. Methods: In 2012, all inhabitants aged between 18 and 69 living in selected municipalities with both Sami and non-Sami settlements in mid- and northern Norway were mailed an invitation to participate in a questionnaire survey covering questions about discrimination (types of discrimination, settings where discrimination happened, and who the …

Platform For Local Political Expression And Resolution (Barcelona 1992), S Essex

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

No abstract provided.

Optimizing The Design Of A Reproduction Toxicity Test With The Pond Snail Lymnaea Stagnalis., S Charles, V Ducrot, D Azam, R Benstead, D Brettschneider, Schamphelaere K De, Goncalves S Filipe, Jw Green, H Holbech, Th Hutchinson, D Faber, F Laranjeiro, P Matthiessen, L Norrgren, J Oehlmann, Rz Evelyn, A Seeland-Fremer, M Teigeler, Jp Thome, Kaplon M Tobor, L Weltje, L Lagadic

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

This paper presents the results from two ring-tests addressing the feasibility, robustness and reproducibility of a reproduction toxicity test with the freshwater gastropod Lymnaea stagnalis (RENILYS strain). Sixteen laboratories (from inexperienced to expert laboratories in mollusc testing) from nine countries participated in these ring-tests. Survival and reproduction were evaluated in L. stagnalis exposed to cadmium, tributyltin, prochloraz and trenbolone according to an OECD draft OECD Test Guideline. In total, 49 datasets were analysed to assess the practicability of the proposed experimental protocol, and to estimate the between-laboratory reproducibility of toxicity endpoint values. The statistical analysis of count data (number of …

Can’T Count Or Won’T Count? Embedding Quantitative Methods In Substantive Sociology Curricula: A Quasi-Experiment, Malcolm Williams, Luke Sloan, Sin Yi Cheung, Carole Sutton, Sebastian Stevens, Libby Runham

Peninsula Medical School

This paper reports on a quasi-experiment in which quantitative methods (QM) are embedded within a substantive sociology module. Through measuring student attitudes before and after the intervention alongside control group comparisons, we illustrate the impact that embedding has on the student experience. Our findings are complex and even contradictory. Whilst the experimental group were less likely to be distrustful of statistics and appreciate how QM inform social research, they were also less confident about their statistical abilities, suggesting that through ‘doing’ quantitative sociology the experimental group are exposed to the intricacies of method and their optimism about their own abilities …

Citizenship, Rb Yarwood

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

No abstract provided.

Patient- And Carer-Held Health Records: Can They Improve Annual Health Checks For Patients With Learning Disability?, Rohit Shankar, Guy Bradley-Smith, Philip Brigham, John Devapriam, Amy Osborne, Sharon Axby

Peninsula Medical School

No abstract provided.

Nanomaterials In The Aquatic Environment: A European Union-United States Perspective On The Status Of Ecotoxicity Testing, Research Priorities, And Challenges Ahead, H Selck, Rd Handy, Tf Fernandes, Sj Klaine, Ej Petersen

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

No abstract provided.

Sources, Distribution, And Fate Of Microscopic Plastics In Marine Environments, Richard C. Thompson

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

No abstract provided.

Understanding The Routes Of Contamination Of Ready-To-Eat Vegetables In The Middle East, Dima Faour-Klingbeil, Muhammad Murtada, Victor Kuri, Ewen C.D. Todd

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

No abstract provided.

A Multinational Cross-Sectional Survey Of The Management Of Patient Medication Adherence By European Healthcare Professionals, W Clyne, C Mshelia, S Mclachlan, P Jones, Et Al

Peninsula Medical School

Objectives To examine which interventions healthcare professionals use to support patients with taking medicines and their perceptions about the effectiveness of those actions. Design Cross-sectional multinational study. Setting Online survey in Austria, Belgium, England, France, Germany, Hungary, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal and Switzerland. Participants A total of 3196 healthcare professionals comprising doctors (855), nurses (1047) and pharmacists (1294) currently registered and practising in primary care and community settings. Main outcome measures Primary outcome: Responses to the question ‘I ask patients if they have missed any doses of their medication’ for each profession and in each country. Secondary outcome: Responses to …