Content and metaphor : making meaning of voices

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how people who hear voices have learned to cope with their voices, and how they attribute the function or role of the voice(s) in their lives. This thesis asked whether traumatic, lived experiences are related to the content of voices. This study used a narrative-inquiry approach to speak with nine adults about their experiences hearing voices. The interview questionnaire was adapted from the Maastricht Interview and Construct (Escher and Romme, 2000). Participants were interviewed in person or over the phone. The recovery model was the theoretical basis for this study. This model addresses the notion that people can live meaningful lives despite mental health challenges. The recovery approach to mental health treatment values peer-based methods of support, and encourages the belief that mental health diagnoses do not define personal identity, nor expect medication to be the only treatment option. This thesis used ideas of recovery based on the Hearing Voices Network, which encourages people to broaden their awareness of hearing voices, visions, or other unusual or extreme experiences. The nine interviews demonstrated that people who hear voices are able to find value in these experiences, and lead complete and fulfilling lives. Eight of the nine interviewees identified traumatic experiences in childhood (as well as in adulthood) as contributing factors to their experience hearing voices, and additional mental and emotional distress

On the transferability of rule sets for mapping cirques using Object-based feature extraction

Cirques are complex landforms resulting from glacial erosion and occur in the mountains of western Austria at various topographic levels. After deglaciation they may potentially hold climate proxies, are showcases of vegetation regrowth and play an important role in the regulation of mountain hydrology. Our objective is to develop a workflow to test an object‐based rule‐set that decomposes LiDAR DEMs into the main cirque components: divide, cirque headwall, cirque floor and into the sub‐component cirque lake by using stratified segmentation and classification. One cirque cluster was used to train the classification settings, which were tested in a second cirque cluster. Classification results and accuracy of both clusters were compared. We conclude that the transferability of rule sets for the extraction of cirque components is promising, but that younger depositional and erosional landforms may influence correct cirque component extraction. Fine‐tuning of rule sets and integration of additional data is necessary to discriminate cirques moraines and cirque thresholds, as these sub‐components highly depend on variations in local cirque development

Student Success in Community Colleges : A Practical Guide to Developmental Education

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Student Success in Community Colleges: A Practical Guide to Developmental Education

As changing demographics bring underprepared students to college, higher education institutions are growing concerned about basic skills education. Student Success in Community Colleges: A Practical Guide to Developmental Education provides a self-assessment instrument, investment modeling tools, and practices to succeed in community college. Compiled with over two-hundred-and-fifty published sources and thirty years of research, this guidebook explores administrative obstacles to learning and shows practical ways for faculty to modify teaching and supportive services for immediate improvement