Making a major decision: undeclared student retention and the process of choosing an academic major at Rowan University

The purpose of this study was to gain insight into the rationale of college major selection for undeclared students. The study focused on determining if undeclared students were influenced by outside resources and factors to aid in their decision to declare a particular major. Approximately 300 freshmen undecided students and five sophomore undecided students at Rowan University in January through March of 2010 participated in this study. Data on the influences and factors were collected through a survey using 31 Likert scale items and four open ended questions as well as using interviews and asking a series of questions about the major(s) of interest, why they are of interest, and how the selection process was for the participant. Demographics of the data suggest that the majority of subjects were male (60.2%) freshmen (93.4%) students. Data analysis suggests that the majority of selected students felt that having a personal interest in the program, personal skills in their area of study, and having preparation for desired career were the top reasons for choosing an academic major. Data analysis suggest that the majority of selected students felt that resources within the institution, family member encouragement, and knowing someone in the related field were the top influences for choosing an academic major

The Unfolding of Pastoral Imagination

Over the last decade “pastoral imagination” has served as a provocative center for discussions about what makes for faithful and wise pastoral leadership. This essay is organized around two stories of ministry: a student in clinical pastoral training and a senior pastor of a large congregation. Their stories instantiate and characterize the use of pastoral imagination as prudenceunfolding over the long arc of learning the practice of ministry. The stories are case studies drawn from the Learning Pastoral Imagination (LPI) Project, a national study of learning ministry seeking to understand instances of pastoral imagination, articulate how it is learned, and say why it matters for the complex context of ministry in the twenty-first century

AN EXAMPLE OF PATH ANALYSIS APPLIED TO CLASSIFICATION VARIABLES APPLIED TO CLASSIFICATION VARIABLES

Path analysis was originally proposed to decompose and interpret causal linear relationships among a set of continuous stochastic variables. Research designs necessarily employed the natural variation in the system rather than the technique of controlling independent variables by selection of levels and categories which is emphasized in many experimental designs. Path coefficients are closely related to correlation coefficients, the size of which will be controlled when variation in the system is controlled. We examine a data set produced by research related to worldwide occurrence of a wheat pathogen and describe techniques for applying path analysis to its variables, some of which were merely categorical. Limitations in interpretation are noted

The Learning Pastoral Imagination Project: A Ten-Year Overview

How Pastoral Imagination is learned. How is it taught. A ten year study

Comparison of pulsed three-dimensional CEST acquisition schemes at 7 tesla: steady state versus pseudosteady state

Purpose: To compare two pulsed, volumetric chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) acquisition schemes: steady state (SS) and pseudosteady state (PS) for the same brain coverage, spatial/spectral resolution and scan time. Methods: Both schemes were optimized for maximum sensitivity to amide proton transfer (APT) and nuclear Overhauser enhancement (NOE) effects through Bloch McConnell simulations, and compared in terms of sensitivity to APT and NOE effects, and to transmit field inhomogeneity. Five consented healthy volunteers were scanned on a 7 Tesla Philips MRsystem using the optimized protocols at three nominal B1 amplitudes: 1 mT, 2 mT, and 3 mT. Results: Region of interest based analysis revealed that PS is more sensitive (P < 0.05) to APT and NOE effects compared with SS at low B1 amplitudes (0.7–1.0 mT). Also, both sequences have similar dependence on the transmit field inhomogeneity. For the optimum CEST presaturation parameters (1 mT and 2 mT for APT and NOE, respectively), NOE is less sensitive to the inhomogeneity effects (15% signal to noise ratio [SNR] change for a B1 dropout of 40%) compared with APT (35% SNR change for a B1 dropout of 40%). Conclusion: For the same brain coverage, spatial/spectral resolution and scan time, at low power levels PS is more sensitive to the slow chemical exchange-mediated processes compared with SS

Minimum Two-Year Follow-Up of Cases with Recurrent Disc Herniation Treated with Microdiscectomy and Posterior Dynamic Transpedicular Stabilisation

The objective of this article is to evaluate two-year clinical and radiological follow-up results for patients who were treated with microdiscectomy and posterior dynamic transpedicular stabilisation (PDTS) due to recurrent disc herniation. This article is a prospective clinical study. We conducted microdiscectomy and PDTS (using a cosmic dynamic screw-rod system) in 40 cases (23 males, 17 females) with a diagnosis of recurrent disc herniation. Mean age of included patients was 48.92 ± 12.18 years (range: 21-73 years). Patients were clinically and radiologically evaluated for follow-up for at least two years. Patients’ postoperative clinical results and radiological outcomes were evaluated during the 3rd, 12th, and 24th months after surgery. Forty patients who underwent microdiscectomy and PDTS were followed for a mean of 41 months (range: 24-63 months). Both the Oswestry and VAS scores showed significant improvements two years postoperatively in comparison to preoperative scores (p<0.01). There were no significant differences between any of the three measured radiological parameters (α, LL, IVS) after two years of follow-up (p > 0.05). New recurrent disc herniations were not observed during follow-up in any of the patients. We observed complications in two patients. Performing microdiscectomy and PDTS after recurrent disc herniation can decrease the risk of postoperative segmental instability. This approach reduces the frequency of failed back syndrome with low back pain and sciatica