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2016

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Water Sanitation And Waste Management In Latin America, Colombia, And Cartagena: A Study Of The Relationship Between Environment, Health, Poverty, And Policy, Andrea K. Sullivan Jan 2016

Water Sanitation And Waste Management In Latin America, Colombia, And Cartagena: A Study Of The Relationship Between Environment, Health, Poverty, And Policy, Andrea K. Sullivan

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The objective of this research is to identify the need for stricter environmental standards and regulations in three areas of study. Organized by their level of analysis, these areas are Latin America (at the System-Level-of Analysis), Colombia (at the State-Level-of-Analysis), and the city of Cartagena (at the Sub-National-Level of Analysis). This research was accomplished in two phases. The first involved conducting an exhaustive literature search of sources, germane to the objective, published in Spanish and English. The second featured a site inspection conducted over a 10-day period during the month of May 2016 to Cartagena, Colombia. The purpose of the …

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Efficiency Of The Nuclease I-Scei In Excising Selectable Marker Genes From The Plant Genome, Elliot E. Pruett, Soumen Nandy, Vibha Srivastava Jan 2016

Efficiency Of The Nuclease I-Scei In Excising Selectable Marker Genes From The Plant Genome, Elliot E. Pruett, Soumen Nandy, Vibha Srivastava

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

Gene stacking is a method used in biotechnology by which multiple genes can be placed at a single genomic site, thereby simplifying plant breeding. In this approach, DNA nucleases are used for excising selectable marker genes (SMG), which are the unneeded components of transgenic plants. The goal of this project is to evaluate the effectiveness of the nuclease I-SceI in excising DNA in plants. Specifically, this study tests heat-inducible I-SceI through the use of a heat-shock promoter (HS) in order to control SMG excision by heat application. The DNA plasmid containing a visual marker gene flanked by I-SceI target sites …

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Current Status Of The Northern Saw-Whet Owl (Aegolius Acadicus) In Arkansas, Mitchell L. Pruitt, Kimberly G. Smith Jan 2016

Current Status Of The Northern Saw-Whet Owl (Aegolius Acadicus) In Arkansas, Mitchell L. Pruitt, Kimberly G. Smith

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

The secretive Northern Saw-whet Owl (Aegolius acadicus) is believed to be much more widespread during fall and winter than previously thought. Of the few places in the southern United States conducting research on this species, all have been successful at capturing birds. A total of 12 historic records existed for Arkansas until our work began in fall of 2014. The first confirmed record was in 1959 and the most recent, prior to this research, was in 2010. Over the course of two field seasons, we captured and banded 24 Northern Saw-whet Owls in rural Madison County. All birds were mist-netted …

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The Effects Of A Loving-Kindness Meditation On Positive Emotions, Social Connectedness, And Problem Behaviors In Second And Third Grade Students., Doreen Collins-Mchugh Jan 2016

The Effects Of A Loving-Kindness Meditation On Positive Emotions, Social Connectedness, And Problem Behaviors In Second And Third Grade Students., Doreen Collins-Mchugh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Concerns about K-12 students' mental health and social, emotional, and ethical development have prompted some schools to implement programs designed to promote student well-being and healthy social and emotional functioning. Most of these programs are distinguished as social and emotional learning (SEL) programs and/or character education programs. Although there is growing empirical support for the potential of school-based mindfulness interventions to positively influence students' well-being, the number of school-based mindfulness studies is limited, and the majority of the investigations have focused on students' cognitive rather than affective capacities. Loving-Kindness Meditation (LKM), a mindfulness- and compassion-based practice, is garnering recent attention …

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The Diffusion And Performance Of The Accountable Care Organization Model, Yi-Ling Lin Jan 2016

The Diffusion And Performance Of The Accountable Care Organization Model, Yi-Ling Lin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: Unity in pursuit of the Triple Aim: better health, better care, and lower per capita cost, can be achieved through a well-designed health care delivery system. The accountable care organizations (ACOs) model is considered a key component of health care delivery system improvement because the model fosters better coordination of care through clinical integration and financial accountability. Within the six Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services (CMS) ACO programs, the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) ACO has the largest size with a total of 432 ACOs formed; the service subjects of the MSSP ACO are the fee-for-service beneficiaries. Recently, …

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Self-Assembly Of Rous Sarcoma Virus Capsid Protein, Probed By Solid-State Nmr And Tem, Jaekyun Jeon Jan 2016

Self-Assembly Of Rous Sarcoma Virus Capsid Protein, Probed By Solid-State Nmr And Tem, Jaekyun Jeon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The retroviral capsid protein (CA) is derived from the cleavage of Gag polyprotein during the maturation process, and self-assembles into a polymorphic fullerene-like shell encasing the viral genome materials. The orthoretroviral CAs, for instance, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Rous Sarcoma Virus (RSV) CA, has little similarity in their sequence composition but a common 3D structure. They form distinct capsid assembly in vivo and a range of similar assemblies in vitro. Due to the substantial polymorphism, such assemblies are not amenable for conventional structural biology techniques such as X-ray diffraction crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM). Solid-state NMR spectroscopy is the …

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Zooming In On The Money Shot: An Exploratory Quantitative Analysis Of Pornographic Film Actors, Erin O'Neal Jan 2016

Zooming In On The Money Shot: An Exploratory Quantitative Analysis Of Pornographic Film Actors, Erin O'Neal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sex work is one of the rare elements of our society that is both accepted and stigmatized. Ironically enough, it is stigmatized without being studied in depth. The truth is we know very little about sex work and even less about pornography—the most legal of genres. While researchers have spent a great deal of time determining the effects that pornography has on viewers, particularly juvenile viewers, little research has been done on the men and women who make pornography. A 43 question survey was created and disseminated to those in the pornographic film industry, both amateur and professional, resulting in …

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Degradation Of Hexachlorobenzene, Pentachlorophenol And Pentachloroanisole Using Activated Magnesium In An Acidified Ethanol/Ethyl Lactate Cosolvent System, Amel Garbou Jan 2016

Degradation Of Hexachlorobenzene, Pentachlorophenol And Pentachloroanisole Using Activated Magnesium In An Acidified Ethanol/Ethyl Lactate Cosolvent System, Amel Garbou

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For many centuries, chemists have dedicated many labor-intensive hours to improving the quality of life for mankind by developing synthetic methods for the production of compounds which fulfill the needs and meet the demands of society. However, the innovation of such compounds has frequently come at the cost of detrimental side-effects that do not always present themselves until many years, or even decades, following their initial application. Many compounds in this category come in the form of globally-distributed halogenated molecules which are toxic to many living organisms, susceptible to bioaccumulation and resistant to biodegradation processes. Such compounds are classified as …

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Habitat Selection In Transformed Landscapes And The Role Of Novel Ecosystems For Native Species Persistence, Lina Maria Sanchez Clavijo Jan 2016

Habitat Selection In Transformed Landscapes And The Role Of Novel Ecosystems For Native Species Persistence, Lina Maria Sanchez Clavijo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

To understand native species persistence in transformed landscapes we must evaluate how individual behaviors interact with landscape structure through ecological processes such as habitat selection. Rapid, widespread landscape transformation may lead to a mismatch between habitat preference and quality, a phenomenon known as ecological traps that can have negative outcomes for populations. I applied this framework to the study of birds inhabiting landscapes dominated by forest remnants and shade coffee plantations, a tropical agroforestry system that retains important portions of native biodiversity. I used two different approaches to answer the question: What is the role of habitat selection in the …

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Analysis Of Benzopyrenes And Benzopyrene Metabolites By Fluorescence Spectroscopy Techniques, Bassam Al-Farhani Jan 2016

Analysis Of Benzopyrenes And Benzopyrene Metabolites By Fluorescence Spectroscopy Techniques, Bassam Al-Farhani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are some of the most common and toxic pollutants encountered worldwide. Presently, monitoring is restricted to sixteen PAHs, but it is well understood that this list omits many toxic PAHs. Among the "forgotten" PAHs, isomers with molecular weight 302 are of particular concern due to their high toxicological properties. The chromatographic analysis of PAHs with MW 302 is challenged by similar retention times and virtually identical mass fragmentation patterns. The first original component of this dissertation evolves from a high-resolution spectroscopic approach specifically developed to fulfil this gap. Herein, 4.2 K Laser-Excited Time-Resolved Shpol'skii Spectroscopy (4.2K …

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Evaluation Of An Interdisciplinary Chronic Arthritis Pain Group Intervention In An Outpatient Healthcare Setting, Natasha Depesa Jan 2016

Evaluation Of An Interdisciplinary Chronic Arthritis Pain Group Intervention In An Outpatient Healthcare Setting, Natasha Depesa

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease that often results in inflammation, pain, fatigue, functional impairment, and psychosocial difficulties. The current study examines the effectiveness, feasibility, and sustainability of an interdisciplinary chronic pain intervention for patients with RA. Wearable fitness trackers were incorporated into the intervention and objectively measured participant physical activity. A total of 44 participants received the intervention and completed outcome measures. Results supported improvements across multiple domains at the end of treatment and at 4-week follow-up compared to treatment baseline. Mixed multilevel repeated measures modeling revealed significant overall improvements in many primary (i.e., self-efficacy for managing …

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The Role Of Sod1 Acetylation In Neurodegeneration, Michael Kaliszewski Jan 2016

The Role Of Sod1 Acetylation In Neurodegeneration, Michael Kaliszewski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder affecting motor neurons. Cu, Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD1), a cytoplasmic free radical scavenging enzyme, is mutated in familial ALS (fALS) and post-translational modification of the wild-type protein has been associated with sporadic ALS (sALS). Proteomic studies indicate that SOD1 is acetylated at Lys123; however, the role of this modification remains unknown. To investigate its function, we generated antibodies for Lys123-acetylated SOD1 (Ac-K123 SOD1). Sod1 deletion in Sod1-/- mice, K123 mutation, or preabsorption with Ac-K123 peptide suppressed immunoreactivity, confirming antibody specificity. In the normal central nervous system, Ac-K123 SOD1 maps to glutamatergic …

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Assessment Of Staphylococcus Aureus Genetics: Clinical Versus Community Epidemiology, Matthew Lawrance Jan 2016

Assessment Of Staphylococcus Aureus Genetics: Clinical Versus Community Epidemiology, Matthew Lawrance

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Staphylococcus aureus has an historical relationship with anthropogenic environments, particularly hospitals, where infection characteristics differ from community-acquired disease. This has promoted a designation of strains as healthcare or community associated. Despite this affiliation, genetic approaches have failed to support these groupings. In order to establish the genetic relationship between S. aureus from differing anthropogenic environments, I have analyzed the relatedness between three cohorts of S. aureus: nasal carriage isolates from community participants, infectious isolates from hospitals, and a cohort from an uninvestigated environment, an ambulatory clinic. Multilocus Sequence Typing (MLST) and Staphylococcus aureus protein a (spa) repeat regions were analyzed …

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Effects Of Harmful Algal Blooms Caused By Aureoumbra Lagunensis (Brown Tide) On Larval And Juvenile Life Stages Of The Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea Virginica), Panagiota Makris Jan 2016

Effects Of Harmful Algal Blooms Caused By Aureoumbra Lagunensis (Brown Tide) On Larval And Juvenile Life Stages Of The Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea Virginica), Panagiota Makris

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Harmful algal blooms caused by the marine microalga Aureoumbra lagunensis have been associated with negative impacts on marine fauna, both vertebrate and invertebrate. Within the Indian River Lagoon (IRL) estuary system along Florida's east coast, blooms of A. lagunensis in excess of 1×106 cells mL-1 have occurred along with higher than average salinities (> 35 PSU) during times of peak reproduction and growth for the eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica. Field and laboratory studies were used to investigate the effects of A. lagunensis and high salinities on early life stages of eastern oysters, late pediveliger to early juvenile. Natural recruitment of …

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Development Of Molecularly Imprinted Polymers For Forensic Applications, Sara Martinez Jan 2016

Development Of Molecularly Imprinted Polymers For Forensic Applications, Sara Martinez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In some forensic disciplines various methods of extraction are used to perform analysis. Among these methods, solid phase extraction (SPE) and solid phase microextraction (SPME) are used in fields such as toxicology and explosives analysis. To enhance extraction efficiency in SPE and SPME, molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs), which are designer polymers, can be more selective for the binding of an analyte or group of analytes that are similarly structured. Separation of analytes from complex mixtures is possible by utilizing these polymers. This may be especially useful in forensic applications where sample sizes may be small and composition may be complex. …

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A Comparison Of Sixth Grade Student Achievement In Reading And Mathematics At School Transition Year, Julie Roseboom Jan 2016

A Comparison Of Sixth Grade Student Achievement In Reading And Mathematics At School Transition Year, Julie Roseboom

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study contributed information for consideration as school districts determine grade span configuration as part of school design. The problem addressed was the extent to which student achievement may be impacted by the transition from one school to another from fifth to sixth grade in Florida public schools in order to provide data to school policy makers and school district administrators and add to the body of knowledge on the grade level configuration that contributed the most to student achievement in sixth grade. This was a causal-comparative study using quantitative data to analyze student scores at the school level for …

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Apolipoprotein-Ai Regulates Hepatic Vldl Secretion By Controlling Intracellular Vldl-Trafficking, Bhavesh Gurwani Jan 2016

Apolipoprotein-Ai Regulates Hepatic Vldl Secretion By Controlling Intracellular Vldl-Trafficking, Bhavesh Gurwani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cardiovascular diseases cause 17 million deaths annually, which is estimated to increase to 23 million deaths by the year 2030. One of the major risk factors for the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases is increased secretion of very-low density lipoproteins (VLDL) by the liver; however, reduced VLDL-secretion causes fatty liver disease. Synthesis and secretion of VLDL by the liver plays an important role in maintaining overall lipoprotein homeostasis. Assembly of VLDL occurs along with the expression of apolipoproteinB-100 (apoB100) and its lipidation at the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) level. Once formed in the ER lumen, the nascent VLDL is transported to the …

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Involvement Of Mirnas In The Development Of Androgen Independent Prostate Cancer, Richard Ottman Jan 2016

Involvement Of Mirnas In The Development Of Androgen Independent Prostate Cancer, Richard Ottman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Development of resistance to androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is a major obstacle for the management of advanced prostate cancer. Therapies with androgen receptor (AR) antagonists and androgen withdrawal initially result in tumor regression but development of compensatory mechanisms including AR bypass signaling leads to tumor re-growth, independent of circulating androgens. The result is the emergence of castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), a highly morbid disease exhibiting aberrant expression of many protein-coding and non-coding genes. Under the umbrella of non-coding RNAs is a class of small regulatory RNAs referred to as microRNAs (miRNAs). MicroRNAs are believed to function in the maintenance …

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Preliminary Investigation Into Biological Sex Estimation Using Trace Element Analysis In Human Hair, Abigail Woltering Jan 2016

Preliminary Investigation Into Biological Sex Estimation Using Trace Element Analysis In Human Hair, Abigail Woltering

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In forensic anthropology the estimation of biological sex of unidentified human remains is critical, as it essentially halves the number of potential identities. Sex estimation is also important in bioarchaeology, because the creation of the biological profile is critical to the interpretation of different sociocultural aspects of past populations. Furthermore, certain aspects of the biological profile are sex specific, so it is important to be able to accurately determine biological sex (France 1998). Typically, biological sex is estimated by assessing sexually dimorphic differences within the pelvis and skull. However, because sexually dimorphic differences arise during puberty it is difficult, and …

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Developing Methods For The Estimation Of Stature And Their Use As A Proxy For Health Among The Ancient Chachapoya Of Peru, Armando Anzellini Jan 2016

Developing Methods For The Estimation Of Stature And Their Use As A Proxy For Health Among The Ancient Chachapoya Of Peru, Armando Anzellini

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Population mean stature and patterns of health are often linked in anthropological studies, yet few studies control for the multifactorial nature of achieving adult standing height. This thesis explores the intersection of health and stature by analyzing the skeletal remains of 161 adult individuals from the archaeological site of Kuelap, in the eastern slopes of the northern Peruvian Andes, and also tests current biometric methods for estimating stature from skeletal remains. This Chachapoya site dates to the Late Intermediate Period (AD 900 – 1470) and Late Horizon (AD 1470 – 1536) and resides in the high altitude sub-tropical forests of …

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The Impact Of A Strengths-Based Group Counseling Intervention On Lgbtq+ Young Adult's Coping, Social Support, And Coming Out Growth, Shainna Ali Jan 2016

The Impact Of A Strengths-Based Group Counseling Intervention On Lgbtq+ Young Adult's Coping, Social Support, And Coming Out Growth, Shainna Ali

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer individuals, and those who otherwise identify as a minority in terms of affectional orientation and gender expression identity (LGBTQ+) have a higher rate of mental health concerns than their heterosexual and cisgender counterparts (Meyer, 2003). Young adulthood is a difficult time for individuals who identify as LGBTQ+ as internal identity development processes coincide with stressors from the outside world. The conflict between intrapersonal and interpersonal pressures may evoke a multitude of negative emotions such as anxiety, loneliness, isolation, fear, anger, resentment, shame, guilt, and fear. One difficult task that triggers these depreciating sentiments is …

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Exploring Repurposing Across Contexts: How Adolescents' New Literacies Practices Can Inform Understandings About Writing-Related Transfer, Cynthia Mitchell Jan 2016

Exploring Repurposing Across Contexts: How Adolescents' New Literacies Practices Can Inform Understandings About Writing-Related Transfer, Cynthia Mitchell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project examines how middle school students engage in new literacies practices and how they repurpose across contexts. With the use of screencast software and interviews, this project analyzes six case study participants' new literacies practices and the way they use and change ideas and strategies across physical and digital contexts. Drawing from transfer methodology, this project looks at how broadening conceptions of transfer and contexts to include repurposing increases the possibilities for finding transfer in literacies practices. Applying new literacies theory, this project explores how literacies practices that are chronologically and ontologically new (Lankshear & Knobel, 2006) are often …

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Patient Violence And Aggression In Non-Institutional Health Care Settings: Predictors Of Reporting By Healthcare Providers, Colleen Campbell Jan 2016

Patient Violence And Aggression In Non-Institutional Health Care Settings: Predictors Of Reporting By Healthcare Providers, Colleen Campbell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is conducted to examine the factors which contribute to the reporting of incidents of violence or aggression perpetrated by patients against health care providers in non-institutional health care settings. With a theoretical foundation grounded in community science, applying stress theory, broken windows theory and the theory of reasoned action, the following cross sectional study examines the contribution of characteristics of the healthcare provider, characteristics of the patient perpetrator and the form of violence to the providers' reporting or failing to report incidents. A self-administered survey was disseminated to a sample of non-institutional healthcare providers to test the research …

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The Preservice Elementary Teacher Affect Scale For Science: A Validation Study, Otis Wilder Jan 2016

The Preservice Elementary Teacher Affect Scale For Science: A Validation Study, Otis Wilder

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The current study details the creation of a new scale for measuring preservice teachers' positive affect for science, the Preservice Elementary Teacher Affect Scale for Science (PETAS-S). This new instrument is designed specifically to measure the level of positive affect towards the subject of science in preservice elementary teachers. Confirmatory factor analysis reveals the instrument loads on the single factor, positive affect. Reliability is robust, with Cronbach's alpha of .96. Positive affect has shown to predict future levels of engagement in domain specific academic subjects (Ainley & Ainley, 2011) and is expected to aid preservice teachers in understanding the complex …

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Reading Comprehension Deficits In Children With Adhd: The Mediating Roles Of Working Memory And Orthographic Conversion, Lauren Friedman Jan 2016

Reading Comprehension Deficits In Children With Adhd: The Mediating Roles Of Working Memory And Orthographic Conversion, Lauren Friedman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Reading comprehension deficits in children with ADHD are well-established; however, limited information exists concerning the cognitive mechanisms that contribute to these deficits and the extent to which they interact with one another. The current study examines two broad cognitive processes known to be involved in children's reading comprehension abilities—(a) working memory (i.e., central executive processes [CE], phonological short-term memory [PH STM], and visuospatial short-term memory [VS STM]) and (b) orthographic conversion—to elucidate their unique and interactive contribution to ADHD-related reading comprehension deficits. Thirty-one children with ADHD and 30 typically developing (TD) children aged 8 to 12 years (M = 9.64, …

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K-12 Transition Framework For Students With Disabilties, Clydia Delaney Jan 2016

K-12 Transition Framework For Students With Disabilties, Clydia Delaney

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The problem of practice that this dissertation addressed was the post-secondary transition of students with disabilities, which has garnered national and international attention for decades. This dissertation was completed to inform the educational community regarding the potential for improvement in the post-secondary transition process of students with disabilities. Multiple factors were examined related to helping students with disabilities develop appropriate skills to transition through school into personally successful, post-secondary activities and environments. A pilot study was conducted to inform a potential transition framework. Invitations to participate in an anonymous survey were sent to 741 teachers in the district via email. …

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Gesture Assessment Of Teachers In An Immersive Rehearsal Environment, Roghayeh Barmaki Jan 2016

Gesture Assessment Of Teachers In An Immersive Rehearsal Environment, Roghayeh Barmaki

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Interactive training environments typically include feedback mechanisms designed to help trainees improve their performance through either guided- or self-reflection. When the training system deals with human-to-human communications, as one would find in a teacher, counselor, enterprise culture or cross-cultural trainer, such feedback needs to focus on all aspects of human communication. This means that, in addition to verbal communication, nonverbal messages must be captured and analyzed for semantic meaning. The goal of this dissertation is to employ machine-learning algorithms that semi-automate and, where supported, automate event tagging in training systems developed to improve human-to-human interaction. The specific context in which …

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Investigating The Moderating Effects Of Optisism, Hope, And Gratitude On The Relationship Among Negative Life Events And Psychological Distress And Life Satisfaction, Abdi Gungor Jan 2016

Investigating The Moderating Effects Of Optisism, Hope, And Gratitude On The Relationship Among Negative Life Events And Psychological Distress And Life Satisfaction, Abdi Gungor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The literature has documented that negative life events such as divorce, financial issues, or relationship changes lead to various psychological concerns including depression, anxiety, or suicidal behaviors. However, several variables affect how people cope with negative life events. Among those variables, optimism, hope, and gratitude have been emphasized in the literature, and their relationships with several psychological outcomes have been studied. However, little is known about the effects of these variables on negative life events and their relationship to psychological distress and life satisfaction. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between negative life events and psychological …

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Effects Of Mixed-Reality Peer Interactions On Workplace Problem-Solving Of Individuals With Intellectual Disabilities, Caitlyn Bukaty Jan 2016

Effects Of Mixed-Reality Peer Interactions On Workplace Problem-Solving Of Individuals With Intellectual Disabilities, Caitlyn Bukaty

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) are known to have deficits in problem-solving skills within the realm of social communication, which may pose a barrier to employment (Livermore & Goodman, 2009). The ability to provide appropriate verbal responses is critical to success in an inclusive workplace for people with ID (Alber, Heward, & Hippler, 1999). Foley and colleagues (2013) found individuals with ID with strong communication skills were more likely to be engaged in independent employment than peers with weak communication skills. Furthermore, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA; 2014) mandated improved access to inclusive employment opportunities for people with …

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The Role Of Virtual Avatars In Supporting Middle School Students From Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Backgrounds On Science In After School Programs, Benjamin Gallegos Jan 2016

The Role Of Virtual Avatars In Supporting Middle School Students From Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Backgrounds On Science In After School Programs, Benjamin Gallegos

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Students who receive additional educational supports in afterschool programs were the focus of the investigation. This study was conducted to measure what effects a TeachLivE avatar, a mixed-reality virtual environment, used in combination with a video game, had on the activation of prior knowledge in science for students in rural middle school. The delivery of the biology science lessons on cell structures and processes were delivered using the video game, Cell Command. The TeachLivE adult avatar was customized as a biologist who spoke to students in the treatment group about science concepts prior to playing the science video game. Unexpected …

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