844 research outputs found
Near resonance acoustic scattering from organized schools of juvenile Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus)
Schools of Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) can exhibit highly organized spatial structure within the school. This structure was quantified for dome shaped schools using both aerial imagery collected from a commercial spotter plane and 400 kHz multibeam echo sounder data collected on a fishing vessel in 2009 in Cape Cod Bay, MA. Observations from one school, containing an estimated 263 fish within an approximately ellipsoidal volume of 1900 m3, were used to seed an acoustic model that estimated the school target strength at frequencies between 10 and 2000 Hz. The fish\u27s swimbladder resonance was estimated to occur at approximately 50 Hz. The acoustic model examined single and multiple scattering solutions and also a completely incoherent summation of scattering responses from the fish. Three levels of structure within the school were examined, starting with fish locations that were constrained by the school boundaries but placed according to a Poisson process, then incorporating a constraint on the distance to the nearest neighbor, and finally adding a constraint on the bearing to the nearest neighbor. Results suggest that both multiple scattering and spatial organization within the school should be considered when estimating the target strength of schools similar to the ones considered here
Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Community-Based Youth Non-Profit Organization at Increasing Prosocial Behavior and Decreasing Antisocial Behavior among Young Boys: A Pilot Study
Community-based youth non-profit organizations (NPOs) have become increasingly popular for the provision of youth prevention and intervention services, yet many youth NPOs lack the resources to undergo formal evaluation. Further, most existing program evaluations do not consider individual characteristics of the child or the child’s exposure to stressors. The current pilot study sought to evaluate the extent to which boys participated in 1:1 mentoring and other program activities at the Son of a Saint (SOAS) NPO, an organization seeking to provide positive male role models for fatherless young boys. In addition, the current study examined the effects of program involvement on both prosocial (i.e., academic performance) and antisocial (i.e., aggression and delinquency) outcomes, as well as the moderating role of callous-unemotional (CU) traits and exposure to trauma/stressors on study outcomes. Data were collected from mothers (N = 37) and boys (N = 27) at the first assessment point, and from mothers (N = 21) one year later. Results of bivariate correlational and regression analyses at T1 indicated that boys who have been part of SOAS for shorter durations had higher levels of participation overall, and that behavioral/academic problems were associated with more program participation. Results at T2 indicated that participation in a greater variety of activities was related to lower levels of antisocial behavior. No significant interactions were detected for either CU traits or trauma exposure in the current sample. Implications of findings are discussed with regard to future program evaluation at SOAS. Detailed recommendations for overcoming the study limitations, particularly regarding the small sample size, are provided
Echoes and artifacts
Architecture has many different contexts and meanings, but regardless of time and place, buildings act as a physical container of memory. This body of work explores the use of large facades as residue of a personal memory and uses physical deterioration to parallel the distortion of memory as a result of time and emotion. The work makes use of warping and tearing of materials and is created through the combination of large-scale relief prints, drawing, sewing, and the cutting away of materials. The exhibition includes an installation of fabric-based prints, a series of wall-based altered paper prints, and several artist books. The resulting series of works reminds the viewer of places of retreat and privacy while also sharing personal emotions, creating a visual collection of echoes and artifacts of memory and experience
Graduate Internship in Agricultural Education Report
This document outlines the purpose and creation of a training resource used by members of the California Association of Standards and Agricultural Professionals (CASAP). The training resource is hosted on the CASAP website and focuses on content included on the eight licenses issued by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) for County Agricultural Biologist Inspectors and County Weights and Measures Inspectors.
Respectfully Submitted,
Molly Sasha Mille
The Impact of Productive Struggle Support on Student Mindset in a High School Technology and Engineering Class: A Case Study
The goal of preparing students for life after secondary school, regardless of future student plans, will require the development of critical thinking to face complex problems in life. One potential tool in preparing students for these challenges is the use of purposeful teacher support of student productive struggle in learning new skills and concepts. As iterative failure and improvement are essential parts of the engineering design process, it is important to explore supportive productive struggle in engineering coursework.
Social skills, perseverance, and learning strategies are part of the noncognitive factors that impact academic performance. One factor affecting student behavior and thinking is student mindset. Previous literature has shown that not only can fixed or growth mindset impact learning behaviors, mindsets are also capable of being altered through interventions. One missing piece of understanding mindsets is the role that challenging classroom experiences, such as working through significant struggle, have on the way students view their own intelligence. This action research case study aims to connect the research on supportive productive struggle with that of mindset, error attribution, and academic progression through lab tasks.
The study was conducted with high school engineering students who engaged in three productive struggle lab tasks based in the context of mechanical advantage in simple machines. Throughout the lab tasks, the teacher provided support while maintaining rigor, student-aligned thinking, and student-led solution attempts, which are essential in productive struggle. Data collected through pre- and post-task mindset assessments, journals of academic work alongside reflections, and focus student interviews was utilized to answer inquiry questions about the relationship between productive struggle support and student mindset, attribution of errors, and academic progression through tasks.
Data analysis revealed a statistically significant (p=0.05) change in mindset after supportive productive struggle. The data showed no consistent shifts in internal versus external error attribution across the tasks. Finally, the data suggest that supportive productive struggle experiences do increase student ability to make progress through challenges, including doing so with a more positive outlook on the experience. Additional rationale and discussion explains the findings as related to existing literature, researcher observations, and future implications
The Human Dimensions of Aquaculture Development in Maine Including a Governance Perspective
Aquaculture is the fastest growing food production system in the world. Aquaculture growth is heavily influenced by the governance system that establishes property rights and determines the rules by which individuals and communities must follow. This dissertation focuses on the social and ecological factors that influence development of marine aquaculture, as they exist within the governance system, in Maine, USA. In Maine, the marine aquaculture industry is experiencing a period of intense growth necessitating further understanding of the factors shaping its development. Chapter 2 analyzes semi-structured key informant interviews to identify challenges and opportunities to inform sustainable industry growth. Research participants identified regulatory, environmental, technological, socio-cultural, and economic challenges and opportunities. The leasing system, climate change, infrastructure, public perceptions, and access to capital were major challenges identified. Opportunities include favorable environmental conditions, farm innovation, skilled workforce, strong product demand, and the research and development capacity in Maine. Chapter 3 identifies factors influencing development of intertidal soft-shell clam (Mya arenaria) aquaculture in Maine and how it would intersect with the wild fishery. Intertidal clam aquaculture has the potential to diversify and sustain a declining wild fishery that is important to the economies and ii cultures of coastal communities. This qualitative study utilized semi-structured interviews with wild clam harvesters, state regulators and other key stakeholders. Participants identified predation, environmental change, and failing state management efforts as leading causes for the overall decline in wild clam populations. Maine’s intertidal property rights system, loss of access to the intertidal, and community preferences regarding privatization of this resource are primary challenges for development of intertidal clam aquaculture. Chapter 4 examines why non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are becoming involved in aquaculture in Maine and how they are shaping its development. NGOs have played instrumental roles in development and management of a variety of natural resources. In aquaculture, NGOs have historically organized in opposition to development, but this is changing. Semi-structured interviews with Maine NGOs involved in the aquaculture sector indicate they are playing critical roles in development processes including research, economic development, training, education and outreach. Findings suggest most NGOs have become involved in aquaculture in response to rapid industry growth and new funding opportunities. The research conducted in this dissertation used a qualitative research approach to help identify factors influencing development of aquaculture in Maine. The social and ecological context of a place are unique so while global trends may inform development, site specific data is needed in order to approach development of the sector in a sustainable fashion. Particular attention is given to the governance system, a major component of social-ecological systems, which has enormous influence over the use and management of natural resources. The findings of these chapters indicate a need for marine planning which could reduce user conflicts as competition for coastal waters intensifies
Differential Styles of Emotional Reactivity and Antisocial Behavior Relative to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptom Expression in Detained Youth
This study sought to explore whether PTSD symptoms in detained adolescents were differentially related to high and low patterns of emotional reactivity, as determined based on callous-unemotional (CU) traits and emotion dysregulation. Analyses revealed four distinct groups based on these criteria: a low/no trauma control group with few PTSD symptoms, and three groups whose PTSD symptoms were distinguished by symptoms of emotional numbing. The study sought to determine whether these profiles were related to distinct patterns of aggression and delinquency. Results revealed that the low/no PTSD symptom group exhibited the least aggression and delinquency. Further, results indicated that higher CU traits and violent offending are associated with a combined PTSD symptom profile. Results suggest a relationship between PTSD symptoms, delinquency, aggression, and CU traits. Findings provide support for the existence of a secondary variant of CU youth who are more emotionally dysregulated and prone to both arousal and emotional detachment
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