Predictors of Student Achievement in Grade 7: The Correlations Between the Stanford Achievement Test, Otis-Lennon School Ability Test, and Performance on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) Math and Reading Tests

State-mandated testing programs are more prevalent and have greater implications for public school systems since the passing of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 and the implementation of standards-based reform practices. The 331 grade 7 students involved in this correlation research endeavor all attended a public middle school in Texas. One evaluated and analyzed fall 2007 Stanford 10 Achievement Test and Otis-Lennon School Ability Test (8th edition) results, and spring 2008 Math and Reading Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) scale scores to determine the statistical significance and strength of the relationship and whether or not a predictive-based relationship existed. The four different research questions were examined and all revealed a positive and significant correlational and predictive relationship between TAKS Reading and Math and both the Stanford 10 Achievement Test and the Otis-Lennon School Ability Test. The resulting predictive relationship between these assessments provides the research study school district and other school systems with an additional diagnostic tool to direct classroom instructional practices and offer areas of strengths and weaknesses as students prepare for state criterion-referenced tests

Nutrient Improvements in Chesapeake Bay: Direct Effect of Load Reductions and Implications for Coastal Management

In Chesapeake Bay in the United States, decades of management efforts have resulted in modest reductions of nutrient loads from the watershed, but the corresponding improvements in estuarine water quality have not consistently followed. Generalized additive models were used to directly link river flows and nutrient loads from the watershed to nutrient trends in the estuary on a station-by-station basis, which allowed for identification of exactly when and where responses are happening. Results show that Chesapeake Bay’s total nitrogen and total phosphorus conditions are mostly improving after accounting for variation in freshwater flow. Almost all of these improving nutrient concentrations in the estuary can be explained by reductions in watershed loads entering through 16 rivers and 145 nearby point sources, with the nearby point source reductions being slightly more effective at explaining estuarine nutrient trends. Overall, these two major types of loads from multiple locations across the watershed are together necessary and responsible for the improving estuarine nutrient conditions, a finding that is highly relevant to managing valuable estuarine resources worldwide

SIMULACRA ALLIGORÍA SPÍLAIO SOCRÁTI A RECONSIDERATION OF THE ALLEGORY OF SOCRATES CAVE: GAME-BASED THEORY IN INCLUSIVE HIGHER EDUCATION

This dissertation addresses the use of Game Based Learning (GBL) and Game Based Pedagogy (GBP) implemented in higher education and considers what effects may be measured on retention and learning. Using the allegory of Socrates Cave, a story which challenges how learners’ perspectives differ according to each individual’s unique understanding, this study considered how participants reacted in similar scenarios during ‘serious games’ implemented in college level classes to reinforce and review material before testing. This study used a pre- and post-test model to assess the difference games used as an intervention had on short-term retention. The final credential scores of this year’s two intervention groups and the control group were compared to the outcomes of classes from the last ten years. Data showed that specifically tailored ‘serious games’ purposefully implemented in higher education have a positive effect on both retention and learning for the majority of participants evaluated. The significance of this study is that it offers insight into the effects of GBL in higher education, on two different communities of participants, by reporting both quantitative and qualitative evaluation of participation in the intervention

Fish screen head loss--perforated 16-gage steel plate versus 5-mesh, 10-gage galvanized wire--Tracy Pumping Plant Intake--Central Valley Project

Purpose: To compare the loss in head of the above fish screens for water approach velocities from 0.5 to 3.5 feet per second and with the screens in two positions: a) screen surface vertical b) screen surface 45 degrees to the vertica

Fish screen head loss--perforated 16-gage steel plate versus 5-mesh, 10-gage galvanized wire--Tracy Pumping Plant Intake--Central Valley Project

Purpose: To compare the loss in head of the above fish screens for water approach velocities from 0.5 to 3.5 feet per second and with the screens in two positions: a) screen surface vertical b) screen surface 45 degrees to the vertica

Does "Passing the Courvoisier" Always Pay Off? Positive and Negative Evaluative Conditioning Effects of Brand Placements in Rap Videos

The proliferation of brands in television programming has abounded in recent times. Especially in rap videos, actors frequently depict brands and products. One mechanism by which placements can affect consumers’ attitudes is evaluative conditioning. Given that in rap videos brands are paired with liked as well as disliked actors, there is a high potential for positive and negative conditioning effects. In an experiment with an authentic rap video, the appearance of placements and the image of the rap actors were varied. The results indicate that the pairing of a brand with positively evaluated artists produces positive attitudes toward the brand. In contrast, a negative conditioning procedure results in negative attitudes toward the brand. Further analyses demonstrate that conditioning effects are even stronger when preference for rap music is high and recognition of the brand rather low

Practitioners' Evolving Views on Product Placement Effectiveness

The practice of product (or brand) placement has grown significantly during the past 20 years; marketers now frequently use placements as the basis for multimillion dollar integrated promotional campaigns. A survey of the members of the Entertainment Resources and Marketing Association, the leading placement-industry group, was conducted to assess practitioners' beliefs. Items mirrored those used in a 1994 survey of the same group. Practitioners today believe an expanded set of brand and executional factors are important for the placement to be effective. Today's practitioners are also more likely to believe that placement leads to trade-offs between financial and creative considerations in film production.