BEYOND THE MODEL SPECIFICATION PROBLEM: MODEL AND PARAMETER AVERAGING USING BAYESIAN TECHNIQUES

The model specification problem is perhaps the Achilles heel of applied econometrics. Rather than test down to a single model as is usually done, we estimate 72 different demand systems and use Bayesian averaging procedures over all 72 systems to generate meta estimates of the parameters (e.g., elasticities) of interest.Research Methods/ Statistical Methods,

Masters of Fine Arts

thesisThe following writing is a collection of thoughts and explanations of my choreographic thesis project, which was a practice in combining two unique art forms: Drag and modern dance. In this process, I was asked, "Do you have a point of view beyond ‘Drag is good?'" My ideas revolving around my project have shapeshifted and upon reflection of my process and the resulting performance, I have found that in addition to being "good," Drag can be a powerful tool to examine our daily performances of gender. This thesis describes my creative process in combining Drag and modern dance elements, culminating in the performance of my evening-length work "We Gender: And So Can You!" I approached the art forms through the lens of an ex-Mormon invested in queer and feminist theories. I wanted to explore modern dance and Drag because I find the two art forms as transcendent and liberating of the restrictive discourse in which I was raised. Here I illustrate my identity as a repressed homosexual before I discovered both modern dance and Drag. I also investigate self-expression through modern dance. Following my discussion on modern dance, I lay out my creative process of nine performance pieces and discuss the performance at Metro Music Hall in Salt Lake City on March 24, 2017

A Teacher\u27s Journey: Making Sense of How Reading Combined Text Genres Influenced Instructional Practices in a Sixth Grade Science Class

This investigation explored how the experience of literacy integration, defined as using combined text genres (traditional science textbooks, popular science articles, and Adapted Primary Literature), influenced the instructional practices of a middle school science teacher (Phillips & Norris, 2009). The combined texts were put in a hermeneutic circle within the classroom community and discussed (Eger, 1992). During the discussions the teacher monitored the students’ meaning construction processes and made metacognitive decisions about her instructional practices (Ruddell & Unrau, 2004). The participants were Melissa, a sixth grade science teacher, and ten (n=10) of her students at an academically rigorous, independent school in the southeastern United States. Classroom observations and interviews, both used as primary sources of data collection (DeWalt & DeWalt, 2002; Rubin & Rubin, 2005), were informed by other sources of data such as the collection of teacher and student artifacts and a questionnaire for the purpose of crystallization. The transcript data was transcribed, analyzed, and coded using performance/dialogic analysis. Categories from the codes were used to develop themes (Lichtman, 2013; Riessman, 2008) that were organized into a narrative that chronicled the teacher’s understanding of how the reading of combined text genres influenced her instructional practices. The findings are presented in the form of a case study (Yin, 2009). These assertions emerged from the data: (1) Melissa was able to make text visible (Lemke, 1990) and maintain an active learning environment while using minds-on instructional practices and (2) despite the tendency to compartmentalize each text genre, the teacher became metacognitive about her instructional practices. The implication is that literacy integration need not be a mystery or deterrent to science teachers (Shanahan, 1997). With the right resources, such as access to combined text genres, and through trial and error with a variety of instructional practices, teachers can successfully implement literacy integration into their classrooms

Towards Verifying Nonlinear Integer Arithmetic

We eliminate a key roadblock to efficient verification of nonlinear integer arithmetic using CDCL SAT solvers, by showing how to construct short resolution proofs for many properties of the most widely used multiplier circuits. Such short proofs were conjectured not to exist. More precisely, we give n^{O(1)} size regular resolution proofs for arbitrary degree 2 identities on array, diagonal, and Booth multipliers and quasipolynomial- n^{O(\log n)} size proofs for these identities on Wallace tree multipliers.Comment: Expanded and simplified with improved result

Neurobehavioral Testing in Prion Disease Studies

The prion diseases are neurodegenerative diseases characterized by progressive neurocognitive decline and terminal dementia. In this review, we will discuss the role of neurobehavioral testing in mammalian prion disease model systems, including (1) a review of the clinical phenotype of the major prion diseases in natural disease, (2) an evidence-based summary of the benefits and shortcomings of commonly used behavioral assays, and (3) a review of the neurobehavioral testing in rodent prion models. Based upon this review, and in light of the established importance of model systems in studies of prion pathogenesis and the proven role of behavioral testing in nonprion disease neurodegenerative diseases, it is vital that prion researchers consider the clinical consequences of prion infection so as to maximize the impact of their work

Impact of Media Consumption on Automatic Associations

The concept of studying media’s effects on implicit and explicit bias has been studied many times in the field of psychology. Previous research has shown exposure to media coverage containing stereotypes of minorities increased implicit bias (Arendt & Northup, 2015; Dixon & Maddox, 2005; Arendt et al., 2015) and explicit bias (Arendt et al., 2015). This pool of research has previously focused on crime stories and right-wing political advertisements that contain stereotypical tropes of out-group minorities. In these studies, generally, there has been an effect such that priming stereotypes surrounding dark-skinned individuals, may activate automatic associative stereotypes, such as the “Black Criminal” (Dixon & Maddox, 2005). For our study, we wanted to build upon this research and test the effects of right-wing news media priming African American stereotypes and how they increase implicit bias via race (African American vs. European American) Implicit Association Test. We hypothesized that consuming right-wing news stereotyping African Americans would increase implicit bias, measured by higher rates of automatic preference for European American (white) faces on the race IAT. The participant survey is 46 undergraduate students enrolled in introductory psychology courses, 27 members of the Black Student Association, and 27 Belmont students recruited via the researchers. BSA members were included to increase the diversity of responses and strengthen the validity of our results. The introductory psychology students participated for class credit. Participants were asked to read two news articles discussing the Black Lives Matter protests. Participants were in one of three groups: high-exposure (Breitbart and Fox News articles), low-exposure (Breitbart and CNN), and no exposure (CNN only). After reading the articles, participants were tasked with taking the race IAT and a post-intervention questionnaire. Results will be presented at SURS