A study of sizing and grading in different brands of misses' dress patterns

The purpose of this study was to determine the amount of variation in the same size pattern and in the grading of sizes 14, 16, 18 and 20 by eight different commercial companies producing patterns in January, 1950

Wolves, dragons, and ponies… oh my!: fursonas and stigmatization in the “human” world

The “furry fandom” is a broad term that generally refers to a subculture in which members have shown a deep invested interest in anthropomorphic or zoomorphic creatures and artwork. A “furry” is referred to as an individual who cultivates a “fursona,” which is a unique character that is personified through an anthropomorphic or zoomorphic creature exhibiting both human and animal characteristics.These “fursonas” are typically exemplified through cartoon avatars and other forms of artwork and costuming. Current research centered on the furry fandom is quite limited and primarily focuses on psychological frameworks regarding identity formation. For the purposes of this study, I utilized a broader understanding of identity cultivation, management, and concealment within a stigmatized subgroup, by incorporating sociological constructs based around identity performance and anthropological conceptions of masking. This study encompasses qualitative responses from ten self-identified “furries.” The information gained from these participants helps to support and substantiate previous research findings, while also broadening the scope of identity formation within a peculiar subgroup

Laboratory testing for wear performance of selected wood floor finishes

Eight wood floor finishes were applied to quarter-sawn, red oak flooring blocks and, along with a factory finished block, were tested under laboratory conditions to determine the degree of wear of each of the finishes. A loss in film thickness of the finish was considered wear. Test blocks included four replicates each of polyurethane, vinyl, epoxy, amino resin, lacquer, shellac, varnish, penetrating seal, and a prefinished specimen. Blocks were tested on the Simulated Human Wear Producing Machine consisting of a treadmill and cam-operated legs and feet developed by Dr. Henry Bowen and his engineering students of the Biological and Agricultural Engineering Department at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. A Zeiss Light-Section Microscope was used to measure the film thickness of finishes. Four measurements were recorded from predetermined locations and the mean computed for each test specimen of each finish before testing and during testing at one, two, four, five, six, and eight hour intervals. Blocks were rotated on the machine after each measurement period

A psychometric evaluation of the student teacher assessment system at UNCG using structural equation modeling

Student teachers are evaluated based on a number of criteria at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG). Among these criteria are the evidence portfolios, the Candidate Disposition Assessment Process (CDAP), and the Teacher Growth and Assessment for Pre-Service Profile (TGAP) instruments. These instruments attempt to measure teacher skills and attitudes at various points throughout a student teacher’s progress leading up to graduation. Structural equation modeling was used first to compare the appropriateness of five confirmatory factor analysis models when the data is fit to each of them. Next, the most appropriate model was used to explore the quality of the items. Differences were examined between teacher candidate evaluators in cases where multiple raters exist. Finally, a differential item functioning (DIF) analysis will compare the way items were interpreted by the evaluators of elementary teacher candidates and middle secondary teacher candidates by the use of a multiple indicator-multiple cause model. The six-factor correlated model best represented the data from the assessment system of teacher candidates at the UNCG. Details of the model showed good evidence for the reliability of all six factors, however further data needs to be collected and preserved in order to draw conclusions about the instruments capacity to distinguish accurately teacher candidates whose abilities in at least one of the six areas being measured would put them near the cut score. Evidence was found of high inter-rater reliability between the supervising teacher and the on-site teacher evaluator for scores on the CDAP instrument, however differences were found between these raters for the TGAP instrument. In the demonstration of DIF detection, a few items were flagged as potentially being interpreted as significant differences in ratings between secondary/middle evaluators and elementary evaluators

Comparisons Of Leg, Arm, And Back Muscle Oxygenation During Rowing Exercise Using Near Infrared Spectroscopy

Introduction: Indoor rowing is an increasingly popular mode of exercise that provides a total-body workout. In a proper rowing motion, muscles in the leg, back, and arm are utilized sequentially (Secher, 1993). These different muscle groups, which vary in terms of muscle fiber composition, all consume oxygen during rowing exercise. However, it is unknown how changes in muscle oxygenation during an acute bout of rowing may differ between these primary working muscles. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the deoxygenation in exercising muscles based on their oxidative properties and to further the research into new near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) technology. Methods: Male and female college-age subjects were recruited for this study. NIRS devices were placed on the vastus lateralis, biceps brachii, and erector spinae muscles to measure oxygen saturation during rowing exercise. Subjects rowed for two minutes each at three different relative (i.e., based on percent of maximal power output) exercise intensities, in a randomized order. Muscle oxygen saturation (SmO2) and total hemoglobin content (THb) were continuously monitored during each stage, as well as in the rest periods between each stage. Results: Data indicate strikingly similar trends in muscle oxygen consumption in men and women during rowing. Additionally, SmO2 in the vastus lateralis decreased to the greatest degree out of the three muscle groups, regardless of intensity. The deoxygenation of the biceps and erector muscles, however, were not significantly different from each other. THb, like SmO2, increased from rest to exercise, but was not significantly different between the exercise intensities. The difference between male and female THb across all time periods was significant, as males exhibited a higher THb than females. Discussion: Many results of the study proved to be insignificant, most likely due to a multitude of variables, including the small sample size, the untrained status of the subjects, and the low reliability of current NIRS devices at high intensity exercise. More research should be performed to further understand the oxidative properties of various muscles groups during rowing exercise as well as advance the reliability of NIRS technology in an athletic setting

Trigger Warning: More Empirical Evidence For The Priming Effects Of Trigger Warnings Ahead

The use of trigger warnings and microaggressions within a university setting has recently become the center of controversy. The current study sought to examine the degree to which trigger warnings influenced participants’ perceptions towards potentially distressing and/or socially discriminatory literary passages. 128 participants, recruited from Amazon mTurk, completed a survey in which they read 3 pre-manipulation passages, 7 passages during the manipulation (half of the participants received trigger warnings before each of these passages and the other half did not) and 3 post-manipulation passages. Results showed that participants who received trigger warnings evaluated the post-manipulation microaggressive passage and email as less discriminatory, but evaluated the post-manipulation mildly distressing passage as more discriminatory. Potential explanation and implications surrounding these findings is offered in the discussion section

The Effect Of Flowering Synchrony And Floral Display On The Reproduction Of A Gynodioecious Alpine Cushion Plant, Silene Acaulis (Caryophyllaceae)

We tested whether floral display and flowering synchrony with conspecific neighbors affected the reproductive success of each sex in a gynodioecious species, Silene acaulis. Furthermore, we explored how varying the spatial scale and type (which sexes included in the neighborhood) of the neighborhoods used to define synchrony affected its correlation with fruit production. We observed four sites of this alpine cushion plant throughout two flowering seasons at Niwot Ridge, Colorado. Female plants had significantly higher raw fruit production and per-flower fruit set than hermaphrodites. The total number of flowers produced by an individual was positively correlated with fruit set, suggesting that individuals that produce more flowers are more likely to be pollinated. We found a positive correlation between synchrony of flowering and raw fruit production, however the mechanism behind that relationship is still unknown. Varying the spatial scale or type of neighborhood by which we calculated synchrony scores had no effect on synchrony’s relationship with fruit production, however we recommend that future studies on the effects of flowering synchrony carefully consider the effect of neighborhood size. Understanding the factors that influence the reproductive success of a gynodioecious population clarifies the processes that may influence populations’ responses to climate change

Determination of calcium, magnesium, and aluminum in Fraser fir (Abies fraseri) foliage and surrounding soil in the Great Smoky Mountains, Balsam Mountains, and Black Mountains using inductively-coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy

The Fraser fir (Abies Fraseri) is a conifer commonly found in the Eastern United States. In the Southern Appalachian Mountains Fraser fir share an ecosystem with Red Spruce (Picea rubens) in island-like stands typically above 1500 m. The Balsam Wooly Adelgid is recognized to be the primary reason for Fraser fir decline in the Southern Appalachian Mountains, but atmospheric deposition may also be involved. Acid deposition allows nutrients calcium (Ca2+) and magnesium (Mg2+) to be leached from soil and foliage, and allows for mobilization of toxic metals like aluminum (Al3+) to become available for interaction with the fir. Investigation of these effects could summarize the intensity of acidic deposition in the Southern Appalachian Mountain ranges studied. Samples of Fraser fir foliage and surrounding soil were gathered from 8 sites in the Great Smoky Mountains, in the Balsam Mountains, and in the Black Mountains. 30 samples were collected from each site, divided into 3 classes of life stage (10 seedlings, 10 saplings, and 10 mature trees). Using an acid digestion method for foliage and a soil extraction method for exchangeable metals in soil, concentrations of calcium, magnesium, and aluminum were found using Inductively-Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy. Student's t-test, analysis of variance, and linear regression analysis were used to statistically compare the data. There was a considerable amount of correlation between foliar and exchangeable soil metal concentrations as a result of elevation or longitude. The 8 sites were divided in half based on elevation (4 sites above 1900 m, 4 sites below 1900 m), and comparisons were made. Western sites are closer in proximity to coal-burning power plants in Tennessee, so they were expected to exhibit increased effects of acid deposition. Foliar and exchangeable soil metal concentrations were tested against soil pH, and very little correlation was found. Three life stage classes of samples were acquired (seedlings, saplings, and mature trees) and expected to all have statistically similar concentrations of metals in both foliage and soil, but almost all were different. No correlation was found in soil exchangeable metal concentrations and foliar metal concentrations, but a trend existed in soil exchangeable aluminum and foliar calcium concentrations. The data from this experiment was also compared to previous studies from 1969, 1994, and 1996 at two different sites. The comparison to the 1996 study at Clingmans Dome showed differences in foliar magnesium and aluminum concentrations, with decreased toxic metal and increased nutrient concentrations as expected. Differences also existed when comparing foliar nutrient concentrations to the 1969 and 1994 studies at Richland Balsam. Since 1994, a decline in acid deposition related effects was observed, which could show success of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments

Joel Sweeney’s Role in the Northern Migration of the Traditional Southern Black Banjo: An HGIS Approach

Using Historical Geographic Information Systems (HGIS), this project maps Joel Sweeney’s performances in America from 1836 to 1842 in relation to economic and social demographics of the era. These performances mark the first recordable path of the man who introduced the forerunner of what is now considered the modern banjo. His travels into the North targeted a new audience: Northern whites. These maps mark the earliest record of the traditional southern black banjo moving into popular entertainment of the North through blackface minstrelsy

Effects of a 3-D video game on middle school student achievement and attitude in mathematics

Today's student has unprecedented access to media, information, and even global interaction that was unheard of only a few years ago. With all of the various media our students are exposed to daily, engaging student learning in a traditional classroom might prove challenging. The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not a highly interactive, 3-D video game, Dimension-M, can achieve the goal of not only positively influencing middle school student achievement in mathematics, but also positively influencing their attitude. In addition, this study examined whether or not gender interacts to influence this hypothesized impact on achievement and attitude. Cape Fear Middle School created a mathematics remediation course called Virtual Math for students who achieved below proficient levels on their state end-of-grade mathematics exams. The Virtual Math class provided a setting for the study. Achievement and attitude data was collected for 21 girls and 8 boys in grades six through eight prior to their exposure to the video game environment. Following a pre-test and pre-attitude survey, students played the game?s Tutorial mission and the Xeno Island mission, which addressed the concepts of prime numbers, even and odd patterns, and perfect squares. Students received no direct mathematics instruction during the treatment period in order to test the impact of the game alone. Following the treatment, a post-test and post-attitude survey were administered. Students displayed a significant gain in achievement (t(27) = -3.96, p < .05), but no significant differences were detected between their pre- and post-attitude surveys. An interview with the tutor assigned to the students, the school?s math coach, and the principal of the school, indicated a positive impact on students? mathematics performance in their regular math classes as well as a positive impact on students? self-efficacy in mathematics. The results of the study imply that Dimension-M can potentially have a positive impact on student achievement and that students respond enthusiastically to the Dimension-M environment