Yaaaas Queen! – Daenerys Targaryen As A Contemporary Feminist

This essay examines Daenerys Targaryen from Game of Thrones through the lens of contemporary feminism. Her character’s use of the systems available to her to change those same systems represents contemporary feminist characteristics, while also helping to shape and drive contemporary feminism into a more solidified theory and movement. In her journey from property to queen, Daenerys gains agency through sexual control, then uses that agency to create opportunity for others, ultimately freeing her people from oppression. At times, she steps close to white saviorism, but she confronts her privilege and recognizes the need for intersectional politics for her followers. She redefines what it means to be a woman through stepping into traditionally male-specific positions, and she refocuses the concepts of violence and power to reflect a feminine ‘power-to’ structure, rather than masculine ‘power-over’ one. Daenerys utilizes the contemporary feminist focus on intersectionality and media, giving contemporary feminists a figure to look to when attempting to achieve these goals in our world, by gaining her own agency, rejecting the male-dominance that has shaped her life, creating agency for others to choose their own path, and refocusing the concepts of power, class, and violence to further the goals of feminism overall

Teacher Perceptions, Use, And Knowledge Of Applied Behavior Analysis-Based Techniques

Applied behavior analysis (ABA) is an evidence-based approach to behavior intervention. There are many classroom management techniques based on the principles of behavior analysis. The purpose of this thesis was to investigate the following research questions: Do individual relationships exist between knowledge of ABA, perceptions of ABA, and use of ABA-based techniques? To what extent do teacher knowledge and perceptions explain variance in teacher use of ABA-based techniques? What is the relationship between grades taught and teacher knowledge, perceptions, and use of ABA strategies? What is the relationship between years of experience and each of the three variables? A survey was developed and distributed to kindergarten through 8th grade teachers. The survey assessed perceptions and use using Likert scale ratings. Knowledge was measured by responses to multiple-choice questions and vignettes describing typical classroom behavior problems. The data was collected and analyzed to determine the relationships between the three research questions. Results indicated that perceptions of ABA positively predicted use, while knowledge was not related to perceptions or use of ABA. Grade taught was negatively correlated with the use of ABA strategies. The discussion includes the implications and limitations of this study

Disambiguating human spoken diary entries using context information

The EPA has commissioned studies to gather fine-grained time / activity / location / exposure data from a diverse cross-section of the population. The information is recorded into digital voice diaries and transcribed by a human for classification into a standard representational system, the Consolidated Human Activity Database. Analysis of the diary entries is a long and tedious process for a human encoder. Automating the process and providing useful information can greatly assist a human encoder in correctly classifying the diary entries. This paper will discuss utilizing Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques to analyze spoken diary entries and classify the locations and activities into semantic categories. There will be three main foci that form the hypotheses of the study: improving diary classification accuracy using context information, using thresholds to balance precision and recall tradeoffs, and utilizing the CHAD database structure to improve accuracy by generalizing the semantic ontologies. The word and context based system shows the relevance of using context information to improve CHAD code classification by using the surrounding diary entry context to augment the word analysis of the diary entries. The threshold-based system shows relative difference levels between top scoring CHAD codes can be utilized to balance tradeoffs between precision and recall. The semantic ontology system shows that generalizing semantic ontologies by employing the CHAD database structure can improve classification accuracy by reducing granularity

The relationship of parental support, control attempts and power to adolescent drinking

Adolescent alcohol consumption has become a topical issue with the overwhelming majority of high school students having had some experience with alcohol. However, a noticeable gap in the literature exists in relation to the influence of parental behaviors on adolescent drinking. This study examined the relationship of parental support, induction, coercion, and power to adolescent drinking level within the context of social exchange theory. A self-administered questionnaire, completed by 87 male and 104 female freshman college students, measured perceived childrearing behaviors and parental power. Adolescent drinking was scored on a six-point scale ranging from abstinence to heavy drinking. The data were trichotomized into low, medium and high levels and then analyzed by the chi square test of independence. Sex of parent and power were controlled

Gateways to 20th century violin repertoire: selections from Luciano Berio’s Duetti per due Violini

This document provides a pedagogical analysis of ten selected duets from Berio’s Duetti per due Violini to give violin teachers a technical overview of the skills required for playing and teaching the duets. Historical movements supporting the importance of teaching contemporary and late twentieth-century works to young students are also covered in this document. Most violin etudes for twentieth-century repertoire make technical demands on the violinist that are not yet appropriate for young violin students who are still getting their bearings on basic finger patterns, instrument position, bow placement, etc. Luciano Berio’s Duetti per due Violini (1979-1983) is written with a clear pedagogical objective and provide young students with the opportunity to learn a new compositional style while focusing on a limited number of technical challenges. Many of the duets are written in first position and are very short, allowing the student to experience the complexities of twentieth-century violin repertoire without going through the cognitive overload typically associated with learning a new musical style. Because general knowledge of Berio’s violin duets is not widespread, teachers may benefit from an introduction to those duets suitable for beginners to work on fundamental violin techniques and develop ensemble skills

A study of functional equivalence in rats using class-specific reinforcers and olfactory stimuli

Functional equivalence has been demonstrated in some non-human animals using a repeated reversal simple discrimination procedure. The current study addressed the issue of stimulus equivalence in rats using a repeated reversals procedure with class-specific reinforcers and olfactory stimuli. Four Holtzman Sprague-Dawley rats were tested to establish functional classes using scented sand as olfactory stimuli in a two-choice modified operant chamber and an odor arena. Stimuli were randomly assigned to one of two sets, and at any given point, one set was designated as positive and one was negative. Responses to the positive set were reinforced until criterion levels of performance at 90% or higher for two consecutive sessions were reached, at which point the contingencies were reversed. Reversals continued throughout multiple testing phases as criterion was reached. The results of the study showed that one subject demonstrated clear evidence of functional classes. That is, after encountering a few reversed stimuli on the first day of a given reversal, correct responses were made to the remainder of the stimuli within that class without explicit reinforcement. However, evidence for functional classes was much less clear for the other subjects in the study. The variables that allowed for one subject to provide evidence and not the others remains unclear and further research using rats and olfactory stimuli needs to be done to assess the differences in outcomes seen in the present study

Principal leadership and the development of organizational culture in a new school

"The purpose of this research was to perform an in depth examination of principal leadership on the development of organizational culture in a new high school. Specifically, this research described the early culture of the school, the support of the community, the importance of building trusting relationships with colleagues, and the influence of the principal's leadership on the organization. A case-study methodology was the primary research method used to gather information. Data was gathered using interviews, both principal and faculty members, observations, document analysis, and field notes. The research design included measures that insured high levels of trustworthiness. Data from each form was used to describe the early formation of organizational culture at this new school and the influence of the principal on the organizational culture. Results from the qualitative data indicate that the principal has the respect of the staff and students, he has built the foundation for solid community support, he has empowered his teachers to make decisions in the school, and he has used the 'firsts' of the school as a positive culture building strategy. Furthermore, there was a strong correlation between the vision, philosophy, and actions of this principal that have influenced the early development of culture at this school."--Abstract from author supplied metadata

A historical study of degree students graduating from Surry Community College from 1966-1976 with emphasis on subsequent educational experiences of college transfer students and educational experiences, geographic mobility, and economic status of technical-vocational students

Although the benefits derived from an educational investment have long been thought to be positive, only in recent years have attempts been made to evaluate these benefits. The need for quantitative measures of the return derived from investments in human capital have become increasingly important as the public requires greater accountability for its educational expenditures. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the pecuniary benefits accruing to the individual as a result of investments in education at the community college and technical institute level, especially in regard to Surry Community College. The study design focused on five major objectives: (1) to determine the scope and type of formal educational activities that have taken place after completion of the technical-vocational program at Surry Community College; (2) to determine if students moved to the Surry Community College area in order to enroll in a particular technical-vocational curriculum; (3) to determine if students moved from the Surry Community College area after attaining a degree in the technica1-vocational curriculum at Surry Community College; (4) to describe the economic status of graduates of technical-vocational programs as revealed by the graduates; and (5) to determine the academic success after transfer of college parallel students

The Effects Of State-Trait Anxiety And Task Difficulty On Paired-Associates Learning

Two paired-associates learning tasks, varying in difficulty level, were used to test the prediction from state-trait theory and drive theory that high anxious (HA) Ss will perform superior to low anxious (LA) Ss on an easy task and inferior to LA Ss on a more difficult task

Delayed involution of lactation presenting as a non-resolving breast mass: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Involution of lactation is a physiological process. Rarely, it may be delayed and troublesome for the lactating woman. Though lactation-induced changes in breast are well known, morphological features of delayed involution are not clear.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We report a case of a 22-year-old lactating mother who presented with a painful, non-resolving breast mass 5 months after delivery. Clinically, it simulated an inflammatory carcinoma. Histopathology, however, revealed involuting lactational changes.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>To the best of our knowledge, lactational involution with such a presentation has not been described in the English literature. The case needs to be reported so that this entity can be considered among the differential diagnoses of breast masses in a lactating patient.</p