Obscenity, Music and the First Amendment: Was the Crew 2 Lively?

For many years, courts all over the United States have told us what kind of movies we can watch,4 what kind of books we can read and what kind of photographs we can view.6 Now, one court in Florida has told its citizenry that there are certain kinds of music that should not be heard

Sulfur Isotope Variations in the Elk Creek Carbonatite Complex, Southeastern Nebraska, USA

The Elk Creek Carbonatite Complex (ECCC) comprises eight different units of carbonatite and silicate rocks, including a magnetite-dolomite carbonatite that hosts the largest niobium deposit in the United States. This study focused on interpreting the first set of sulfur isotopes from this system to decipher between magmatic and secondary processes. Using sulfur isotope variations I was able to discriminate between hypogene and supergene mineralization, and measure (1) formation temperatures (2) possible sulfur source (3) degassing effects on isotopic composition, and (4) post-magmatic alteration. The groundwork for mapping and interpreting iron oxide alteration is also laid out in this thesis. Hypogene mineralization displays isotopic fractionation between sulfate and sulfide minerals similar to other carbonatites worldwide. The δ34S values for primary mineralization range from +1.77‰ to +11.06‰ for sulfates and -10.85‰ to +2.31‰ for sulfides. Sulfide-sulfate mineral pairs yielded equilibrium formation temperatures ranging from 660°C to 730°C. In addition to temperature, δ34S values for bulk sulfur (δ34SΣS) were determined. The calculated range for δ34SΣS is -2.23‰ to -1.64‰, which is representative of a mantle source. Degassing during magma evolution altered sulfide-sulfur isotope composition. As a result of H2S outgassing, several pyrite samples were enriched in 34S having δ34S values of +0.6‰, +2.26‰, and +2.31‰. These values are more enriched in 34S compared to hypogene sulfide. Supergene sulfate has δ34S values ranging from -11.89‰ to -4.31‰. These values are significantly depleted compared to hypogene sulfates. In addition to δ34S values, 87Sr/86Sr values were used as evidence that supergene alteration occurred. Three anomalously high 87Sr/86Sr values have values similar to Pennsylvanian seawater and sedimentary rocks. Iron oxide alteration is prevalent in the ECCC, and could be a potential issue for future mining projects. Thick iron oxide veins could be a serious problem for the stability of an underground mine. When altered, by hematite or limonite, the carbonatite rock becomes friable and brittle. Identifying and mapping these veins would be of utmost importance to mine construction. Advisor: Richard M. Kettle

Using Process Mapping to Facilitate Positive Library Change

This presentation was offered as part of the CUNY Library Assessment Conference, Reinventing Libraries: Reinventing Assessment, held at the City University of New York in June 2014

The Remedial Math Process: Age and Other Factors Affecting Attrition among Students in Community Colleges

This study conceptualized remedial education as an attrition process in which students either progress onto the next stage or they do not, and had a particular emphasis on how age affects students’ remedial path. The purpose of this quantitative study was twofold. The researcher first sought to understand the points at which students fail to progress within the remedial math process (enrollment in remedial coursework, completion of the remedial sequence, enrollment in a college-level course, and passing the college-level course), and to statistically model the pre- and post-college entry predictors of that attrition among first-time, associate degree-seeking students referred to remedial math in community colleges in Louisiana. The study also had a particular focus upon the effect age has on students’ ability to successfully remediate. Longitudinal, student-level data from ten community colleges in Louisiana were used for the analysis. Multiple logistic regression analysis was utilized to answer the research questions. Results showed the first step in the remedial process (enrolling in a remedial math course) to be the greatest attrition point, with 88.2% of students failing to enroll in a remedial math class. Gender, high school GPA, age, full-time enrollment, and college GPA were found to be significant predictors of remedial math course enrollment. In terms of the second step (enrollment in a college-level math course), age, extent of remedial math need, unmet financial need, high school GPA, and college GPA were found to be significant predictors. By the third step (enrollment in a college-level math course) and fourth step (passing, with a grade of C or better, a college-level math course), the significant covariates narrowed to extent of remedial math need and college GPA, respectively. With regards to age, this study’s findings reveal that age matters during the first two stages of remediation (enrollment in a remedial math course and completion of the remedial math sequence). Specifically, age decreases the likelihood of enrolling in a remedial math course but increases the likelihood of completing the remedial math sequence

Effects of capping material on longevity of degradable contaminants in sediments

2017 Summer.Includes bibliographical references.To view the abstract, please see the full text of the document

Bracquemond, Ruskin, the Haviland-Hayes Service, and Rookwood: Japonisme and Permanence in Art Pottery

There are two principle arguments in this thesis. First, this thesis will show that Félix Bracquemond had a profound impact on late-nineteenth-century and early-twentieth-century ceramics in America. Second, this thesis will illustrate how John Ruskin’s principle that pottery is “more permanent than the Pyramids” encouraged reform of the ceramic arts and shaped the Art Pottery Movement of the late nineteenth century. After this thesis introduces Bracquemond as an innovator in ceramic decoration and the dissemination of Ruskin’s principle, the thesis will examine two instances in the American Art Pottery Movement in which Bracquemond’s and Ruskin’s influence can be detected. The first is Theodore Davis’s 1879 design for the Haviland-Hayes Service, the White House dinner service for Rutherford B. Hayes. The second case study is the Rookwood Pottery of Cincinnati, which represents the apex of Bracquemond’s influence in America and Ruskin’s principle of the permanence of pottery

What Would I Do and Why?: Adolescents’ Moral Reasoning, Social Perspective-Taking Competence, and Intended Action in Response to Witnessed Bullying

Why do people’s moral judgments—what they decide is right or wrong—often fail to predict their actions? One prevalent example is the phenomenon of bullying: though the vast majority of young people judge bullying as wrong, a significant percentage of adolescents report having perpetrated bullying behavior, and even more have acted as bystanders, i.e., have witnessed bullying without intervening to stop it. Social domain theory (SDT) provides a framework for analyzing the reasoning behind such judgments, based on evidence that people distinguish between different domains of social knowledge—moral, conventional, personal, and prudential—when reasoning about social situations. More research is needed to investigate the relationships between domain-based socio-moral reasoning, social-emotional competencies such as perspective-taking, and intended action choices, especially among youth. In this dissertation study, a secondary analysis using data from the larger National Professional Development and Evaluation Project, 1402 adolescent students (grades 9 and 10) drawn from 61 different high schools in 8 regions across the United States were asked to respond to a hypothetical bullying situation. In written survey-based responses, participating students rated potential reasons for a bystander to intervene in the situation and choices for how they could respond if they were to witness the situation themselves. Next, students were asked to select the single choice of action that they would be most likely to take, and then to explain in their own words why they would make that choice. The students also completed a measure of social perspective-taking competence. Using an SDT framework to examine the data, this study focused on three major research questions.For the first research question, multilevel regression modeling, with students nested in schools, was used to relate students’ reasoning and personal/contextual factors (gender, age, and perceived bullying prevalence) to their action choice ratings, and logistic regression was used to predict their selection of a “best” action choice. Results indicated that endorsement of moral reasoning was consistently positively related to the choice to directly intervene to stop the bullying and negatively related to the choice to bystand, while endorsement of conventional reasoning was positively related to the choice to intervene indirectly (i.e., tell a teacher). Both males and students who perceived a greater prevalence of bullying at their school were significantly less likely to endorse/select either kind of intervention and significantly more likely to endorse/select bystanding and perpetration. The second research question involved coding students’ free-response explanations for SDT domains cited and relating these to their action choices. Associations between moral/conventional reasoning and action choices mirrored those found in the first research question; additionally, students who chose bystanding often cited personal and prudential considerations, and some students mentioned relational and emotional concerns as well. Finally, the third research question used mediation analyses to test for indirect effects of moral reasoning on action choices through social perspective-taking competence, which was positively associated with moral reasoning and with the positive action choices, while negatively associated with the negative action choices. Significant indirect effects were found for three of the four action choices, supporting the idea that socio-moral reasoning and social-emotional competence work together to produce moral functioning.Findings are discussed in terms of theoretical and methodological implications for research as well as potential implications for practice, such as for anti-bullying efforts in educational settings

Speech Communication: a Case to Make Speech a Required Course for Secondary Graduation

The research project examines how courses in speech communication tend to affect students. The author specifically considers how courses in speech affect student test scores, understanding in other core courses, employability in the work force, preparation for college, and self worth. Prior studies, testimonials, and an informal study from the 2004 National Forensic League National Tournament are used to support the case. The intent of the presentation is to persuade school officials to start, strengthen, or save local forensics programs