Digital Commons Network^™

Sí: La Biblia Apoya La Ordenación/Comisión De Mujeres Como Pastores, Richard M. Davidson

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Yes: The Bible Supports The Ordination/Commissioning Of Women As Pastors, Richard M. Davidson

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Extension Service And Rural/Frontier Disaster Planning, Response, And Recovery, Myron A. Eighmy, Thomas E. Hall, Eunice Sahr, Debra Gebeke, Marie Hvidsten

Journal of Extension

The purpose of the study reported here was to (a) determine the role of Extension in disaster response, (b) identify the information needs, and (c) disseminate education and training modules through the EDEN. Extension staff should know their county's emergency plan and the role identified for Extension. Extension staff should attend local emergency management meetings, be knowledgeable of local and state resources, and redirect citizen calls to agencies. Extension has a primary responsibility for providing the public with educational materials congruent with Extension's program areas. Topics were identified for disaster-related educational materials and new materials were developed.

Taxonomy For Assessing Evaluation Competencies In Extension, Michelle S. Rodgers, Barbara D. Hillaker, Bruce E. Haas, Cheryl Peters

Journal of Extension

Evaluation of public service programming is becoming increasingly important with current funding realities. The taxonomy of evaluation competencies compiled by Ghere et al. (2006) provided the starting place for Taxonomy for Assessing Evaluation Competencies in Extension. The Michigan State University Extension case study described here presents a field-tested and reliable survey to measure evaluation competencies of Extension professionals in three domains (situational analysis, systematic inquiry, and project management) as well as indicates opportunities for professional development training themes to enhance the evaluation competencies of Extension academic professionals.

Fun With Foodella: A Pilot Study For Determining The Efficacy Of A 2nd Grade Nutrition And Physical Activity Curriculum, Elizabeth M. Winter, Suzanne Stluka, Karlys Wells, Howard Wey, Teresa M. Kemmer

Journal of Extension

Fun with Foodella is a nutrition and physical activity workbook designed for elementary-aged youth. The objective was to determine if the Fun with Foodella program increased participant preference for fruit, vegetables, low-fat dairy products, and physical activity. Four intervention (53 students) and four control (68 students) schools participated. Significant results within the intervention group included a positive preference change for cucumbers, celery, pineapple, flavored milk, cheese, yogurt, and physical activity. This pilot Foodella program, coordinated by Extension professionals, demonstrates that promoting nutrition education, taste testing and physical activity in second graders results in positive change.

Developing And Evaluating The Impact Of An Extension-Based Train-The-Trainer Model For Effectively Disseminating Food Safety Education To Middle School Students, Jennifer Richards, Carrie Pratt, Gary T. Skolits, Janie Burney

Journal of Extension

Adolescents are an understudied, but meaningful, population when it comes to food safety education. With the proliferation of pathogenic microbes and changes in eating habits of Americans, today's youth are more at risk of contracting a foodborne illness than previous generations. Hands On: Real World Lessons for Middle School Classrooms provides effective food safety education for adolescents. However, rapid expansion of the program created the need for a train-the-trainer model of professional development. The study reported here evaluated the efficacy of a train-the-trainer model. Results indicate that the model can effectively train classroom teachers to implement the Hands On program.

Delivering Programs At Worksites: Lessons Learned By Extension Educators, Lucile B. Bearon, Carolyn N. Bird

Journal of Extension

Worksite education has expanded to include informal education about self-help/family topics. Extension educators need information about how to access employee audiences and deliver programs in work settings. In a survey of NC Cooperative Extension Family and Consumer Sciences agents, 54 shared experiences and strategies for gaining the interest of employers, preparing for contingencies, and handling sensitive topics. Recommendations include identifying a key contact, previewing curricula with decision-makers, planning for variable audience size, and creating a climate of confidentiality and support. Taken collectively, these recommendations will assist Extension educators develop advance plans for worksite programming.

A Review And Critique Of 16 Major Parent Education Programs, Christina L. Collins, Robert J. Fetsch

Journal of Extension

There are many parent education programs available for Extension professionals. How does a busy Extension professional decide which is best for his/her clients? This article provides a practical review and critique of 16 major parenting educational programs using three review criteria—program readiness, strength of scientific base, and empirical evidence of program effectiveness. Best programs included STAR Parenting, Strengthening Families Program for Parents and Youth 10-14, Systematic Training for Effective Parenting, and Triple P-Positive Parenting Program.

A Student And Teacher Watershed And Wetland Education Program: Extension To Promote Community Social-Ecological Resilience, Monique R. Myers

Journal of Extension

A middle school student and teacher watershed education project supports a large wetland restoration effort. It provides community-based, science education for urban, low-income, multicultural 6th-9th grade students and their teachers. This is a bottom-up approach to extending information to the local community about the restoration. The project includes teacher workshops, teacher and student restoration/water quality fieldwork with expert guidance, scientist classroom visits, an essay contest, and research cruise. The project is an example of using place-based, participatory learning toward achieving social-ecological resilience. It is a student education project with broader, community-wide Extension goals.

Using Rain Gardens To Promote Service Learning And Climate Science Education With Urban Youth, Sharon B. Kinsey, Michael W. Haberland

Journal of Extension

The Jersey Roots, Global Reach 4-H Climate Science Program conducted in Camden, New Jersey introduces middle school students to the evidence, impacts, and potential solutions to climate change. For their service learning project, students installed two rain gardens at the school. Rain gardens are shallow landscaped depressions in the soil that can be installed at homes, parks, and schools and provide environmental benefits by filtrating stormwater runoff. Created using native plants, rain gardens are aesthetically pleasing and require minimal maintenance.

Louisiana 4-H Seeds Of Service School Gardens: A Descriptive View, Melissa Cater, Janet Fox, Bobby Fletcher Jr

Journal of Extension

Louisiana 4-H Seeds of Service School Gardens, a K-12 Learn and Serve Grant program, provides a descriptive view of how school gardens along with classroom instruction link curriculum to outdoor classrooms. The purpose of the process evaluation was to describe curriculum implementation fidelity, reach of the gardening program to participants, use of garden product, program materials, and teacher characteristics, mediating intervention impact on study outcomes. Eighty-seven percent of classrooms planted vegetable gardens, with a focus on science and math, using the Junior Master Gardener™ curriculum. It was found that school gardens can be effective in supporting classroom curriculum.

The Minnesota Maple Series: Community-Generated Knowledge Delivered Through An Extension Website, David S. Wilsey, Julie A. Miedtke, Eli Sagor

Journal of Extension

Extension continuously seeks novel and effective approaches to outreach and education. The recent retirement of a longtime content specialist catalyzed members of University of Minnesota Extension's Forestry team to reflect on our instructional capacity (internal and external) and educational design in the realm of maple syrup production. We responded by developing an educational maple blog series that incorporated faculty and community expertise through a participatory, peer-to-peer approach. The blog series expanded and strengthened the state's maple knowledge network, met contributors' and users' content needs and expectations, influenced maple practices, and retained program flexibility for adaptation.

From Translation To Cultural Responsiveness: A Garden Program's Evolution In Understanding Educators' Perceptions Of Spanish-Language Resources, Amy Aubrecht, Marcia Eames-Sheavly

Journal of Extension

Addressing needs of the increasing Latino population in the United States necessitates adequate support and resources for Extension educators. Even if a program has identified the need for resources and programming, how does it determine the specifics of that need and better understand the perceptions of educators engaged in programming? What is the starting point? Cornell Garden-Based Learning delved into an initial exploration of these questions using a dual approach: assessing perceived needs of educators using an online survey and personal interviews. Here we offer our findings, a snapshot of the varied and complex perceptions held by NYS educators.

Development Of A Team-Based On-Farm Learning Program While Challenging Soybean Growers To Increase Yield, Vince M. Davis, Linda S. Kull, James A. Nelson

Journal of Extension

Illinois soybean growers have not been satisfied with recent lagging yield trends. A yield "challenge" was created to blend the motivation and creativity of a yield contest with the learning power of teamwork and on-farm demonstration. In the initial year (2010), 123 on-farm side-by-side demonstration plots were located throughout the state; 81% of those locations showed increased soybean yields through additional management, and 55% of the experimental challenge plots were profitable. Participant surveys indicated that 92% learned a new production practice and that 69% would adopt experimental practices on more production acres the following year.

Assessment Of Iowa Soybean Growers For Insect Pest Management Practices, Erin W. Hodgson, Mari Kemis, Brandi Geisinger

Journal of Extension

In 2009, Iowa soybean growers were surveyed about current insect pest management practices. The purpose was to better understand how often growers were scouting and what they perceived as the primary pests in Iowa soybean. Soybean aphid is the primary pest throughout the state. There was a 1423% increase of insecticides applied to soybean since 2000. Respondents indicated they are regularly scouting for soybean insects to make treatment decisions. Iowa growers are getting pest management information via Extension and industry.

Content Appraisal As A Method For Measuring The Effectiveness & Usability Of Online Content, Jenifer Nadeau, Neely Heidorn, Nick Broady, Jennifer Whittle

Journal of Extension

Content appraisal is a simple, qualitative system to identify modifications to make website material more useful to clientele. This system provides a comprehensive evaluation of content, focuses on content strategy, identifies weaknesses, and provides recommendations for improvement. The criteria examined included knowledge level, interrelatedness, relevance, usability, actionability, and differentiation. HorseQuest, a pioneer Community of Practice (CoP) for eXtension, was the first to apply a content appraisal process in an attempt to document the efficacy and impact of their web content. This appraisal system can be effectively used by other groups to help improve a website's usefulness to clientele.

Increasing Risk Awareness: The Coastal Community Resilience Index, Jody A. Thompson, Tracie Sempier, Ladon Swann

Journal of Extension

As the number of people moving to the Gulf Coast increases, so does the risk of exposure to floods, hurricanes, and other storm-related events. In an effort to assist communities in preparing for future storm events, the Coastal Community Resilience Index was created. The end result is for communities to take actions to address the weaknesses they identify utilizing the CRI and for community decision-makers to be more informed on their community's level of risk, ultimately increasing their capability of responding to disasters.

Curriculum Helps Families Discuss And Plan For Future Of Their Woodland Or Farm, Brad Withrow-Robinson, Mary Sisock, Susan Watkins

Journal of Extension

Succession planning is an important step for families owning woodlands and farms that wish to maintain the character of the land and continue the families' connection to it. We introduce Ties to the Land, an educational curriculum that helps families communicate more effectively about the fate of their land and how to transition to future managers.

Healthy Homes Tools, Gina Peek, Melinda Lyon, Randall Russ

Journal of Extension

Extension is focusing on healthy homes programming. Extension educators are not qualified to diagnose consumers' medical problems as they relate to housing. We cannot give medical advice. Instead, we can help educate consumers about home conditions that may affect their well-being. Extension educators need appropriate healthy homes tools to facilitate this process. Two important tools include the Help Yourself to a Healthy Home booklet and the Quick environmental exposure and sensitivity inventory (QEESI©).

Landowners' Knowledge, Attitudes, And Aspirations Towards Woody Biomass Markets In North Carolina, Jasmine Shaw, Dennis Hazel, Robert Bardon, Jay S. Jayaratne

Journal of Extension

Non-industrial private forest (NIPF) landowners are often not included in discussions of emerging woody biomass markets for energy, yet they will likely be principal suppliers of the resource. Surveys administered to 475 forest landowners before and after an Extension Forestry education program in 10 counties across North Carolina indicated that landowners have low knowledge levels of woody biomass. However, as a result of participating in the training, landowners increased knowledge, had more positive attitudes, and developed aspirations to harvest woody biomass on their land. Extension professionals can use our training model to develop similar woody biomass educational programs.

Idiopathic Pulmonary Haemosiderosis Presenting As Severe Iron Deficiency Anaemia--A Case From Pakistan, Noureen Afzal, Ammara Mushtaq, Arshalooz Rahman, Sonia Qureshi

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Idiopathic pulmonary haemosiderosis is an uncommon disorder, which is characterized by iron deficiency, recurrent haemoptysis and diffuse parenchymal infiltration on chest radiograph. We report an 8 year old child who had past history of multiple blood transfusions with diagnosis of iron deficiency anaemia and recurrent chest infection since the age of 21/2 year. At the age of 8 years, the child presented with fever and severe respiratory distress requiring intubation and ventilation. On Chest X-ray, bilateral white out was found and CT scan lung showed diffuse alveolar involvement. Lung biopsy confirmed haemosiderin-laden macrophages. Child was put on steroids and despite …

Determining The Motion And Location Of The Frenchman Mountain Fault, Las Vegas, Nevada: A Paired Basin Analysis And Structural Analysis, Laura Margaret Eaton

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Understanding the evolution of large-scale fault systems remains a challenge to geologists and is of critical importance in understanding the dynamics of larger plate tectonic interactions. I mapped the southwestern Frenchman Mountain Fault (FMF), conducted a basin analysis of units in the footwall of the fault, and measured kinematic indicators along the fault zone in order to constrain fault offset, magnitude, and timing in an attempt to further our understanding of these systems.

My findings include: 1) the presence of vertical and sub-vertical slickenlines on southwest dipping fault surfaces indicative of normal sense offset; 2) relatively little lateral variation in …

Paleoseismic Study Of The Stewart Valley And Northern Pahrump Segments Of The Stateline Fault System, Nevada, Jonathan Carter

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Stateline fault system (SFS) is a ~200 km long zone of dextral faults running NW along the NV/CA border from Primm, Nevada to Amargosa Valley in the western Central Basin and Range province (CBR). Because of size and proximity, the SFS poses a hazard to the 2.5 million people, most of who live within 10 km, in Pahrump, Nevada and within 40 km, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The goals of this thesis are to (1) understand if the SFS is accommodating faulting slip change in the CBR; (2) test the along strike continuity of the SFS in Pahrump and …

Non-Blocking Concurrent Operations On Heap, Mahesh Acharya

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

We present a non-blocking implementation for the concurrent Heap data structure in the asynchronous shared memory system. The system may be a traditional one with a single processor with multiple threads, or it may be the one with multiple processors each possibly with multiple threads. Our implementation supports readMin, deleteMin, and insert operations on the heap. The deleteMin and insert operations are non-blocking operations, whereas the readMin is wait-free. One easy approach of using a heap in multi-threading environment could be by locking the entire heap before performing any operation. This would make the implementation very slow to have any …

Wavelets In Intelligent Transportation Systems: Data Compression And Incident Detection, Shaurya Agarwal

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Research show that wavelets can be used efficiently in denoising and feature extraction of a given signal. This thesis discusses about intelligent transportation systems(ITS), its requirement and benefits. We explore use of wavelets in intelligent transportation systems for knowledge discovery, compression and incident detection. In the first section of thesis, we focus on the following problems related to traffic matrix: data compression, retrieval and visualization. We propose a methodology using wavelet transform for data visualization and compression of traffic data. Aim is to research on the wavelet compression technique for the traffic data, come up with the performance of various …

Basic Research On The Characteristics Of A Constricted Pulsed Glow Discharge, Sean Daniel Andersen

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In certain plasma discharge experiments, it has been observed that under specific conditions a plasma glow discharge column tends to seek the central location of the discharge electrodes away from the electrode edges and chamber walls. Further, the column appears to have the properties of a stabilized equilibrium plasma pinch in a glow (non-arc-like) state. This is unusual since, normally field enhancements occur on edges resulting in arc-like discharge breakdown. Also, the column of plasma that protrudes from the anode emits highly intense, non-uniform light that is uncharacteristically bright for a glow discharge.

The main purpose of this thesis is …

The Regime Legitimacy Of One-China: How The Vatican Can Make China Whole Again, Jonathan David Bradley

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Currently, the sovereign state of Vatican City does not formally recognize the People's Republic of China. Nor does the Vatican recognize the Chinese Communist Party as the legitimate regime over China. Instead the Vatican recognizes the Republic of China on the island of Taiwan. There are 23 countries in the world who share the Vatican's legitimization of the Republic of Taiwan. The largest concentration of those countries is in heavily Catholic Central America. This thesis looks at the dynamics of the Sino-Vatican relationship in three areas: political tension management of the Chinese people by the CCP, improved relations between the …

Captivity, Adoption, Marriage And Identity: Native American Children In Mormon Homes, 1847-1900., Michael Kay Bennion

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Indigenes of North America's Great Basin developed a way of life based on the available resources the Basin provided. Their culture and customs provided a stable means of understanding and interacting with nature and men. Their myths elaborated on expectations, hopes, and fears, in real and metaphorical ways, as evidenced by stories of the trickster Coyote. As Great Basin bands contacted Europeans, they adjusted their resource gathering based on new technologies, such as horses and guns, as well as their myths to cope with change. This process entailed some adjustment in their perceptions of the world around them and …

Relationship Competence: Can Trainee Interpersonal Skills Be Measured Reliably And Do They Predict Clinical Effectiveness?, Jacqueline Camp

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Traditional evaluation and assessment procedures in professional psychology programs have long been criticized for inadequately attending to the set of interpersonal skills that are important to professional functioning in the field of psychology. The present study was exploratory and focused on examining the reliability and validity of an evaluation tool designed to capture a set of interpersonal skills that are clinically relevant and grounded in the empirical literature on psychotherapy outcome. Toward this end, the Facilitative Interpersonal Skills (FIS) task (Anderson, Patterson, & Weiss, 2006) was administered to a sample of trainees (n = 19) enrolled in a clinical psychology …

Reformed And Traditional Mathematics Teaching Approaches: Are They Related To The Mathematics Achievements Of U.S. Students Across Racial Groups?, Qiang Cheng

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Promoting problem-solving and reasoning among all U.S. students and closing mathematics achievement gaps across different racial groups have become important foci in the current U.S. mathematics education reform. Framed through three contentious theoretical assumptions underlying reformed teaching, traditional teaching, and culturally relevant pedagogy, this dissertation investigates the relationship between the two kinds of teaching and the relevant mathematics achievements of students across racial/ethnic groups. The study examines specifically such a relationship drawing on U.S. eighth grade data set from the Trend in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2007 and using a two-level hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) approach. Results from …