Designing the Teacher: Applying \u27Design Thinking\u27 to Improve Composition Pedagogy and Practice

College composition courses have conventionally relied on alphabetic, print writing as the primary method for constructing meaning, but contemporary communication practices are increasingly multimodal and media-based (Palmeri, 2012; Yancey, 2011). While many teachers and scholars advocate that students benefit from engaging in the production of multimodal texts, fewer educators create digital and new media products themselves. Through a meta-analytical approach, this project explores the potentials that the act of design offers teacher-scholars for improving their pedagogy and practice. Utilizing a design thinking framework, the generative analysis of established scholarship, primary research, and authentic experiences provided significant insights into the cognitive, physical, and social processes that make up design, which suggest a need to contemporize language and adapt approaches to suit modern materials and methods for composing. For instructors, the fruitful knowledge gained through design is not limited to a single product or person but should be applied to classroom practices to improve the teaching of multimodal projects. Further, teacher-scholars are encouraged to share their media products through digital platforms to serve as accessible resources for other educators, which might encourage and improve the instruction of design and cultivate change in the culture of the writing classroom by fostering an inclusive and innovative space for composing

GUMBOS and NanoGUMBOS: Applications as Photosensitizers in Dye-sensitized Solar Cells

Renewable energy is a major concern due to increased world energy consumption. In particular, solar energy is a type of renewable energy source that uses devices known as solar cells to convert sunlight to electricity. Specifically, devices referred to as dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) employ dyes to absorb solar energy. Dyes derived from ruthenium complexes have been typically used in DSSCs. Unfortunately, several disadvantages are associated with current ruthenium complex photosensitizers, which can be attributed to limited supply and expense of metals, as well as reduced absorption in the near-infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum. Accordingly, this dissertation is a discussion of novel dyes referred to as group of uniform materials based on organic salts (GUMBOS) for application as photosensitizers in DSSCs. These GUMBOS are solid phase organic salts composed of bulky ions that have melting points from 25°C to 250°C. Importantly, GUMBOS can be tuned for multiple functions based on selected ions resulting in interesting physiochemical properties. In addition, nanomaterials derived from GUMBOS (nanoGUMBOS) can also result in significant properties. The first part of this dissertation involves the synthesis and characterization of nanoGUMBOS from cyanine dyes. These nanomaterials are prepared via a facile self-assembly approach, and spectral and electrochemical properties are investigated. In one study, controlled properties of cyanine-based nanoGUMBOS are found to be dependent on the counterion associated with the cationic dye. In another study, GUMBOS derived from cyanine dyes with increasing methine chain lengths are synthesized. In addition, binary nanomaterials consisting of two different cyanine methine chain length GUMBOS are prepared. The effect of Förster resonance energy transfer between these latter nanomaterials enhances fluorescence into the near-infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum. The individual and binary nanoGUMBOS offer possible use as sensitizers that extend into the near-infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum. The second part of this dissertation entails the incorporation of cyanine-based GUMBOS and nanoGUMBOS into DSSCs. In this study, various preparation methods are used for formation of titanium dioxide semiconductor electrodes. Solar cells comprised of these electrodes and cyanine-based GUMBOS are fabricated, and the performances of these DSSCs are investigated

The Effect of a Social-Emotional-Behavioral Framework on Middle School Student Achievement: A Causal-Comparative Study

With heightened accountability requirements, schools are under pressure to produce academic results while addressing behavioral challenges. The implementation of social-emotional-behavioral frameworks has improved behavioral outcomes in students, but the impact on academic outcomes has yet to be answered. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate that the full implementation of a social-emotional-behavioral framework produces the desired academic outcome results and growth on state-standards achievement tests in students with disabilities at the middle school level. Ninety-two Virginia middle schools formed the sample population. Three settings implemented a three-tier framework for one-two (MSA) years, three-four years (MSB), and five years plus (MSC) respectively. Reading Standards of Learning assessments were examined to evaluate the effect of the full implementation on student achievement. An ex post facto causal comparative design was utilized. Data was collected through the Virginia Department of Education’s publicly accessible database and exported into Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). With 28 participant schools in MSA, 29 participant schools in MSB, and 35 participate schools in MSC, an ANOVA was utilized to analyze the ELA data. The study did find statistically significant differences between MSA and MSC in English language arts

In preeclampsia, maternal third trimester subcutaneous adipocyte lipolysis is more resistant to suppression by insulin than in healthy pregnancy

Obesity increases preeclampsia risk, and maternal dyslipidemia may result from exaggerated adipocyte lipolysis. We compared adipocyte function in preeclampsia with healthy pregnancy to establish whether there is increased lipolysis. Subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue biopsies were collected at caesarean section from healthy (n=31) and preeclampsia (n=13) mothers. Lipolysis in response to isoproterenol (200 nmol/L) and insulin (10 nmol/L) was assessed. In healthy pregnancy, subcutaneous adipocytes had higher diameter than visceral adipocytes (<i>P</i><0.001). Subcutaneous and visceral adipocyte mean diameter in preeclampsia was similar to that in healthy pregnant controls, but cell distribution was shifted toward smaller cell diameter in preeclampsia. Total lipolysis rates under all conditions were lower in healthy visceral than subcutaneous adipocytes but did not differ after normalization for cell diameter. Visceral adipocyte insulin sensitivity was lower than subcutaneous in healthy pregnancy and inversely correlated with plasma triglyceride (<i>r</i>=−0.50; <i>P</i>=0.004). Visceral adipose tissue had lower <i>ADRB3, LPL,</i> and leptin and higher insulin receptor messenger RNA expression than subcutaneous adipose tissue. There was no difference in subcutaneous adipocyte lipolysis rates between preeclampsia and healthy controls, but subcutaneous adipocytes had lower sensitivity to insulin in preeclampsia, independent of cell diameter (<i>P</i><0.05). In preeclampsia, visceral adipose tissue had higher <i>LPL</i> messenger RNA expression than subcutaneous. In conclusion, in healthy pregnancy, the larger total mass of subcutaneous adipose tissue may release more fatty acids into the circulation than visceral adipose tissue. Reduced insulin suppression of subcutaneous adipocyte lipolysis may increase the burden of plasma fatty acids that the mother has to process in preeclampsia

An examination of the visual representation of young white Afrikaner women

The purpose of this qualitative research study is to comment on the visual representation of women between the ages of twenty and thirty within white contemporary Afrikaans culture. This will be achieved through an analysis of stereotypes evident in Afrikaner culture. Examples of this include but are not limited to the text and visuals in the Goeie Maniere en Etiket (1981) book by Emsie Schoeman and dated Afrikaans magazine issues by Huisgenoot (Issue XLII, 2 June 1961) and Sarie Marais (Issue 17/19, 30 March 1966). Interviews were conducted with five white young Afrikaner women using a collaborative approach, to gain a better understanding of the influences that cultural and visual stereotypes have on an individual. The research aims to comment on how the emerging post-apartheid generation of young Afrikaner women are responding to the cultural expectations and engaging with their Afrikaner identity in the way they choose to represent themselves through tableau portrait photography. The study is based on a practice-based research method, which encompasses two components: a written output and a practical output. These function as a unity, where the written component guides the development of the practical body of work. The written document provides the foundation and framework in which the practical work functions, creating a conceptual framework that guides the process of collaboration between the visual artist and subject to construct a contemporary visual representation that focuses on how young Afrikaner women react to traditional cultural roles and develop an understanding of self. The study makes use of Gillian Rose’s visual analysis framework as a critical analysis tool to determine the visual representation that emerges from the collaboration between the visual artist and the subject. Ultimately, the aim of this research is to facilitate the potential for the subject to critically engage with visual identity by collaborating with the visual artist. This research presents a unique approach to communicate an evolving post-apartheid identity and has contributed to an understanding of the feminine identity construction of the emerging Afrikaner generation in a democratic South Africa

The Role of Governance in Tourism Planning

This research tests Beaumont and Dredge’s tourism application of governance structure theory using recent tourism planning efforts in the community of Sitka, Alaska. In less than two years, the community of Sitka undertook two separate tourism-planning processes in response to a major tourism event (need for cruise dock to accommodate large cruise ships). The first plan followed a participant-led governance structure, the second plan a council-led governance structure. The participant-led governance structure produced a plan through a collaborative process that empowered citizen participants and sought to limit growth, while the council-led structure produced a more pro-growth plan and downplayed citizen concern for maintaining quality of life. Through this research, tourism governance structures are critically analyzed with a clearer understanding of advantages and disadvantages of planning processes under differing governance structures

Linking Public Transit Investment with Social and Economic Equity of Chicago Neighborhood Communities

This research paper is examining the impact and social equity of funding for projects that improve and expand the Chicago L rail system. Equity is an extremely multi-faceted concept, so this report uses a metric called a “Hardship Index” that uses census data to assess the quality of living in individual neighborhoods in Chicago. This data is compared to Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) rail locations to draw conclusions between equity and access to public transit. This study also looks at other transit investment impacts such as health implications and potential macroeconomic return over time. Our data finds that there is a significant correlation between CTA access and lower hardship in serviced neighborhoods and a slight correlation between historical CTA rail projects and their social impacts. Our report endorses upcoming rail projects, such as the proposed $2.3 Billion Red Line Extension project, with the stipulation that hardship data and existing access are considered when deciding where rail extensions will be built

A new model of sperm nuclear architecture following assessment of the organization of centromeres and telomeres in three-dimensions

The organization of chromosomes in sperm nuclei has been proposed to possess a unique “hairpin-loop” arrangement, which is hypothesized to aid in the ordered exodus of the paternal genome following fertilization. This study simultaneously assessed the 3D and 2D radial and longitudinal organization of telomeres, centromeres, and investigated whether chromosomes formed the same centromere clusters in sperm cells. Reproducible radial and longitudinal non-random organization was observed for all investigated loci using both 3D and 2D approaches in multiple subjects. We report novel findings, with telomeres and centromeres being localized throughout the nucleus but demonstrating roughly a 1:1 distribution in the nuclear periphery and the intermediate regions with \u3c15% occupying the nuclear interior. Telomeres and centromeres were observed to aggregate in sperm nuclei, forming an average of 20 and 7 clusters, respectively. Reproducible longitudinal organization demonstrated preferential localization of telomeres and centromeres in the mid region of the sperm cell. Preliminary evidence is also provided to support the hypothesis that specific chromosomes preferentially form the same centromere clusters. The more segmental distribution of telomeres and centromeres as described in this study could more readily accommodate and facilitate the sequential exodus of paternal chromosomes following fertilization

Musical identity of classical singers : Musical labels, stereotypes, and behaviour.

The aim of this research was to investigate the nature of singers' musical group identity from the perspective of singers themselves. This examination is the first of its kind to show that singers' behaviour may be influenced by musical m-group identification. Singers do not fit the typical definition of "musician" (i.e.. plays an instrument) and have been largely neglected as musicians in the research literature. This thesis examines whether singers label themselves as "musicians" or as "singers". It explores the stereotypes associated with the two labels, how singers themselves respond to group stereotypes, and how and why these stereotypes emerge. An initial qualitative investigation of singers' musical identity found that some singers see themselves as musicians whilst others see themselves as singers. These different selflabels appeared to influence singers' self-perceptions as singers were seen to have poor musicianship when compared with musicians. A closer examination of stereotypes showed that singers themselves believe that musicians engage in musical practice, whilst singers do not. Using social identity theory (Tajfel & Turner, 1979) as a framework, two studies involving 161 singing student participants showed how group identification can cause singers to self-stereotype and influence their attitudes towards stereotyped behaviours. The results suggest that a strong singer identity may result in stronger adherence to singer-stereotyped behaviours such as individuality, whilst a strong musician identity may lead to more musical practice. A final qualitative interview of professional singers revealed that although some singer stereotypes may be perceived as negative, they may provide an adaptive function, and emerge as a consequence of behaviours which are necessary for achieving a successful singing career. These results, combined with those found in previous research, made it possible to theorise a novel Singer Identity Model based on aspects of singers' personality, motivation, and behaviours arising from these factors