Screencasting @ Mason Libraries

This poster session would highlight the creation and implementation of screencasting technology at George Mason University Libraries. The Educational Services department at Mason Libraries has developed a number of online tutorials that cover basic information literacy skills, and is in the process of adapting this content into brief video tutorials, or screencasts. Currently, two completed screencasts teach students how to search a library database and / \u3ehow to find the full-text of journal articles. In part, the screencasts are a solution to reaching the needs of populations whom we cannot reach solely via face-to-face instruction including distance students and freshman composition classes. However, the screencasts have also become a means of supplementing in person instruction. For instance, screencasts can be shown in the classroom and students take away the link to watch later if necessary; also, with the video format, we are able to easily integrate tutorials into online spaces beyond the traditional space of the library’s website. Once a screencast has been produced and uploaded, it can easily be embedded into the Blackboard CE learning environment for use by on-campus students as well as distance learners, or into LibGuides to help liaison librarians meet the research needs of their specific academic disciplines. The Educational Services department remains in the process of determining how to assess the impact of screencasts. This poster session would also highlight my own perspectives on screencasting including everything from software choice and best practices to instructional design and cognitive theory. As the creator of these video tutorials, I have learned a great deal about the instructional design process behind creating video tutorials since beginning this process – primarily that a screencast involves much more than recording the screen and adding narration. Producing a video or multimedia tutorial that fosters meaningful learning for the student involves far more than software skills and a microphone. Creating an effective screencast means incorporating knowledge of the cognitive theories relevant to multimedia learning, as well as planning and solid instructional design

AIDS: The Tragedy Facing Children in Sub-Sahara Africa

Few things affect the entire world, and HIV/AIDS is one of them. While the whole world is affected by this terrible disease, the area of sub-Sahara Africa has been affected the most with large quantities now suffering because of HIV/AIDS. Children have become major sufferers of HIV/AIDS, both from having the disease passed on to them and from being orphaned as parents die of AIDS. When numbers are combined, four countries alone in sub-Sahara Africa have together over 660,000 children with HIV/AIDS and over four million orphans. It is important to know what is being done to help the sufferers and what still needs to be done to assist in the HIV/AIDS crisis amongst children in sub-Sahara Africa

Factors that affect sleep in adults with developmental disability

Sleep problems are a common occurrence in the typically developing population. These problems are even more frequent in those with developmental disabilities; however, sleep disorders are often under diagnosed in this population in clinical populations. Currently, there is a lack of research that examines the rate of sleep problems in adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). The purpose of this study is to examine differences in the endorsements of sleep problems between three groups: 71 adults with Autistic Disorder (AD) and intellectual disability (ID), 71 adults with Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) and ID, and 71 adults with ID only, as assessed by the Diagnostic Assessment for the Severely Handicapped- Second Edition (DASH-II). The DASH-II, which includes a sleep scale, was designed to screen for psychopathology in those with severe to profound ID. Participants among the three groups did not differ significantly on total sleep scores or on individual items within the subscale. Follow up regression analysis examining what factors (i.e., ASD group, age, presence of psychotropic medications, presences of a non ASD Axis 1 diagnosis, and level of ID) predicted sleep problems found that the only significant predictor was presence of psychotropic medications. Implications and limitations of the study are discussed

High Arctic Permafrost Microbial Characterizations: Siberian and Svalbard microbiology of ancient and active layer permafrost

Permafrost is soil that has remained frozen for at least two years. The active layer is a surface portion above the permafrost that experiences seasonal thaw and refreezing. The environmental characteristics of permafrost and active layer are different but are directly related to each other. As the climate continues to warm, the active layer will expand into the permafrost and the continuously frozen soil will be subjected to seasonal thawing. The organisms that inhabit both the active layer and the permafrost soil will respond differently to the climate based on where in the soil they are present and the soil characteristics. Moreover, the climate will either be inundated with a large amount of microbially mediated greenhouse gasses from increased metabolic activity or it will become a carbon sink with the increased viability for vegetation. Either way, the microbial communities that are present in both the deep permafrost and the active layer will experience changes as the climate continues to warm. Those deep permafrost microbes are either adapted to their current location and can survive in the cold, nutrient-depleted soils, or they are in a hibernation like state; waiting for the warm climate until they can become metabolically active again. Opposingly, the microbes in the active layer could either be the main source of greenhouse gas emissions or they act as a carbon sink and use gasses in microbial metabolism. Either way, studying the microbial interactions in both deep permafrost and active layer are important when assessing how microbial interactions will play a role, and respond, in the changing climate. This dissertation combines metagenomic data in the form of metagenome assembled genomes to assess how microbes at a sample location can interact with its environment. Genetic features in metagenome assembled genomes or from a metagenomic library are used to determine if the organisms that are sequenced are interacting with the geochemical characteristics of their habitat. In the chapters to follow, MAGs are analyzed from Siberian permafrost and Svalbard active layer. Annotated genes from Siberian MAGs show a suite of genes that demonstrate the ancient soils contain genetically adapted microbes. In Svalbard active layer, geochemical analyses are combined with culture independent methods to assess how the microbial community is active in their environment and how microbes will be able to metabolically respond to thaw. Lastly, analysis of MAGs from five Svalbard active layer cores shows how the phyla; Acidobacteriota and Actinobacteriota dominate different locations of the active layer stratigraphy, with the former having high abundance in the upper half of the frozen active layer and the latter dominating in the thawed active layer. These studies show how the microbial interactions with each other, and the environment will affect and be affected when the active layer has a long thawing season

Streamsurface Smoke Effect for Visualizing Dragon Fly CFD Data in Modern OpenGL with an Emphasis on High Performance

Visualizing 3D, time dependent velocity vector fields is a difficult topic. Streamlines can be used to visualize 3D vector fields. A smoke effect where the streamline is faded out as time progresses can provide a better visualization of a time dependent flow. This work uses modern OpenGL to create a smoke trail effect with streamsurfaces in the dragon fly data set. Many aspects affecting performance are tested to determine the best options or approach

Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of the symptom structure for autism spectrum disorders using the baby and the infant screen for children with autism traits

Since autism spectrum disorders (ASD) were first identified, the diagnostic criteria and conceptualization of symptom structure have undergone many revisions. Currently, under the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fourth Edition-Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR; American Psychiatric Association (APA), 2000), ASD is defined by three symptom categories: impairments in socialization, deficits in communication, and repetitive/restricted behaviors. With the publication of the DSM-5 (APA, 2011), however, ASD will be defined by a two symptom cluster structure in which the main impairments are in the areas of social communication and restricted/repetitive behaviors. With these changes, many assessment measures will need to be re-examined to ensure they align with the new diagnostic criteria. As such, the purpose of the current study was to examine the structure of the Baby and Infant Screen for Children with aUtIsm Traits (BISCUIT), a measure used to screen and diagnose ASD in children aged 17 to 37 months. For the first part of the study, an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted to replicate findings from a previous EFA study on the BISCUIT. The results of the current EFA were largely comparable to the previous findings. The results of the EFA were then used to assist in conducting more theory driven confirmatory factor analyses. These confirmatory analyses examined a two and three factor structure for the BISCUIT separately, and then also directly compared the two models. Measures of model fit supported both the two and three factor models relatively well. When directly compared, the three factor (DSM-IV-TR) model was found to be preferred over the two factor (DSM-5) model, though this finding should be interpreted with some caution. The implications of these findings are discussed in terms of impact on the BISCUIT and changes to be expected with the new DSM-5

Online Sexual Activities and Sexual Identity Development

Sexual identity can be explored and developed in online and offline contexts. Over three studies this thesis looked at how people define sexual identity, associations between online and offline sexual activities and sexual identity development, and associations between online sexual activities, sexual identity, and sexual wellbeing and communication. These findings suggest people use the internet to learn about sexual identity and they highlight the importance of educating people on assessing online sources of information

Effects of Physical Characteristics of Placebos on Exercise Performance

Previous research has shown that placebos can impact medical conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome and depression as well as elicit analgesic effects and improvements in certain exercise performances. These placebo responses occur from a variety of alterations to the placebo itself or through verbal suggestion of how helpful the placebo will be. This study aimed to observe whether changing the color and quantity of capsules can induce improvements in both vertical jump and hand grip strength. This deceptive, parallel study consisted of 28 participants, with a mean age of 24.9 (±4.3) years old, that were randomly assigned to receive either two bright red and yellow capsules or a single white capsule, which all contained rice flour powder. Participants were informed that there was a 50% chance of receiving an herbal-amino acid blend or a placebo and were asked to perform two assessments of strength and neuromuscular performance. Both groups attended one session, that started with obtaining informed consent, completing a background questionnaire, performing a body composition test in the BodPod, a 5- minute seated rest with resting heart rate measured, the completion of visual analogue scales of fatigue (VAS-F) and energy (VAS-E), and a warm-up on a Monarch cycle ergometer. Participants then completed familiarization trials for both vertical jump and hand grip dynamometry using the Lode contact mat and Jamar hand dynamometer, respectively, followed by a baseline assessment for both the vertical jump and single hand grip dynamometer consisting of three attempts with 30-60 seconds of rest between attempts. Subsequently, participants received their randomized treatment along with a standardized script, which was followed by a 15-minute incubation period before repeating the VAS-F, VAS-E, and vertical jump and maximal strength tests. Before debriefing, participants were shown four images and asked to rate the perceived stimulatory properties of each on a 100-mm VAS (VAS-S); the first image was a single white capsule, the second was two red/yellow capsules, the third was two white capsules, and the fourth was a single red/yellow capsule. The primary outcome variables were assessed via mixed analysis of variance (group x time). Results suggested no significant differences between groups for any of the primary outcome variables: vertical jump, grip strength, VAS-F, VAS-E, and change of heart rate over time. However, participants perceived two red/yellow capsules (61.4±4.6) to have a greater stimulatory effect than a single white capsule (26.6±4.1) via the VAS-S (p \u3c 0.05). The results agree with previous research that individuals associate higher pill quantity and red-yellow as having stimulatory effects. That said, no effects on physical performance or perceived fatigue or energy were detected. Future research should consider using a combination of aerobic and anaerobic exercise