Efficacy in noise of the Starkey Surflink Mobile 2 technology in directional versus omnidirectional microphone mode with experienced adult hearing aid users

The Starkey SurfLink Mobile 2 is a remote microphone accessory. Starkey claims that by placing the SurfLink’s internal microphone in the directional microphone setting, the participant will hear better in noise over the omnidirectional setting. This study aims to test the thisthe claim about the devic

Collaborative learning: a connected community approach

Collaborative Learning in group settings currently occurs across a substantial portion of the UK Higher Education curriculum. This style of learning has many roots including: Enterprise in Higher Education, Action Learning and Action Research, Problem Based Learning, and Practice Based Learning. As such our focus on Collaborative Learning development can be viewed as an evolutionary. This collaborative and active group learning provides the foundation for what can be collectively called connectivist ‘Learning Communities’. In this setting a primary feature of a ‘Learning Community’ is one that carries a responsibility to promote one another’s learning. This paper will outline a developmental collaborative learning approach and describe a supporting software environment, known as the Salford Personal Development Environment (SPDE), that has been developed and implemented to assist in delivering collaborative learning for post graduate and other provision. This is done against a background of much research evidence that group based activity can enhance learning. These findings cover many approaches to group based learning and over a significant period of time. This paper reports on work-in-progress and the features of the environment that are designed to help promote individual and group or community learning that have been influenced by the broad base of research findings in this area

Differentiating the Effects of Anxious and Avoidant Attachment on Depression & Resilience Following Trauma

Insecure attachment negatively impacts mental health, but research is unclear regarding which attachment figure and what type of insecure attachment (i.e. anxious or avoidant) is most closely associated with psychopathology. The present study examined how anxious and avoidant attachment to a mother, father, best friend, and romantic partner was related to depression and resilience. Participants included 372 emerging adults, age 18-24 (Mage=19.64, SD=1.62), from a University in the Midsouth, who endorsed the loss of a loved one, sexual abuse, physical abuse, or an extreme illness or injury as their most traumatic life event. Hierarchical linear regression analyses revealed that both anxious and avoidant attachment to a best friend were associated with lower resilience, but only anxious attachment to a best friend was associated with more depressive symptoms. Results highlight the importance of cultivating healthy relationships in a university setting to foster secure peer attachments for emerging adults exposed to adversity

Exploring How Faculty Members in Higher Education Respond to an Assessment of their Intercultural Competency

This study addressed the response of faculty members in higher education completing the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) to measure their developmental level of intercultural competency. In addition, this study described how faculty members implemented their intercultural development plans (IDPs) and also identified the supports or barriers to their future development of intercultural competency. The literature review examined research on both K-12 and higher education to highlight the problems related to diversity and culturally relevant pedagogy that are consistent at all levels of education. Three case studies and one partial case study were cross-examined to capture the similarities and differences between faculty members’ experiences and interpretations. Results indicated the participants are in agreement regarding their role in creating safe spaces for students and striving towards equity and social justice in higher education. The participants also expressed a desire to model for students and colleagues the handling of cultural conflict and differences. Culturally relevant teaching and professional learning communities were identified as two areas of faculty development that institutions of higher education should support. Results from this study indicated that participants had both positive and negative responses to completing the IDI survey. After participating in the study, faculty members demonstrated a deeper understanding of their developmental level of intercultural competency

Redirecting My Path and Reclaiming My Voice: An Actor Becomes a Director

This thesis is an exploration of my growth as a director. I dissect and discuss five of the seven productions I have directed over the past three years, discovering my directing style and identifying the tools that I will take with me as I shift into my profession. Each chapter describes my preparation, process, and evaluation for every project. It is a reflection of my journey and a celebration of my work

VIOLENCE ACROSS THE FAMILY SYSTEM: EXAMINING THE DIRECT AND INTERGENERATIONAL EFFECTS OF VIOLENCE VICTIMIZATION ON YOUTH’S SOCIAL COMPETENCE

Background: Mothers’ experiences of childhood violence (CV) and adulthood intimate partner violence (IPV) are linked with poorer social emotional functioning in their offspring. Little work has concurrently examined the associations between mothers’ CV, mothers’ adulthood IPV, youth’s own direct violence victimization (physical and sexual assault), and youth’s perceptions of maternal IPV on youth’s social competence. Further, family-based promotive factors, such as open mother-child communication, may affect youth’s social competence following violence exposure. Method: This study included 162 mother-child dyads from community organizations serving families in the MidSouth, United States; all mothers (Mage=35.24, SD=6.70; 80.7% Black or African American) reported IPV exposure in the past 6 months. Youth were on average 12 years old (M=12.38, SD=2.84; 59% female) and predominantly Black or African American (85.5%). Results: A mediated path model assessing the direct effects of mothers’ CV, mothers’ adulthood IPV, youth’s direct victimization, and youth’s exposure to maternal IPV on youth’s social competence, and the indirect effects of these violence variables through open mother-child communication, yielded a strong fit [χ2 (12)=12.19, p=.43; RMSEA=.01 [CI, 0.00-0.08]; CFI=.99; SRMR=.04]. An indirect-only mediation effect was found between youth’s direct victimization through open mother-child communication on youth’s social competence (β=-0.63, p=.027; 95% CI [-1.60, -0.11], such that youth exposed to more direct victimization reported less open communication, which was linked to lower social competence. Conclusions: Results demonstrate the impact of direct victimization exposure on youth’s view of themselves and their relationship with their caregivers. Increasing access to family-based interventions that create opportunities to reduce family conflict and strengthen mother-child communication could promote youth’s social competence following direct victimization. Policy level changes are necessary to increase prevention efforts intended to reduce the intergenerational transmission of violence not only within families but also in communities systematically impacted by ongoing discrimination and oppression

Managing Phomopsis Stem Canker of Sunflower Using Improved Diagnosis and Quantification of the Causal Pathogens

Phomopsis stem canker is a disease that severely affects sunflower (Helianthus annuus) in the United States. From 2001 to 2015, disease prevalence has increased from 1.5% to 61%, and two new causal agents, Diaporthe gulyae and Diaporthe stewartii, have been described along with Diaporthe helianthi, which was always regarded as the main causal pathogen of the disease. At this time, options to manage the disease are limited. Currently, no commercial sunflower hybrids have resistance to all three species of Diaporthe, and no fungicides are labeled for control of Phomopsis stem canker of sunflower in the United States. To help improve management of the disease with effective diagnostics, two quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assays were designed from the translation elongation factor region (EF1-α) of D. helianthi and D. gulyae. The specificity of the two qPCR assays was validated by examining the assays with genomic DNA of various species of Diaporthe and other plant pathogens. The detection limit of both assays was 10 ng to 1 pg of DNA. Both assays were capable of detecting D. helianthi and D. gulyae from infected plant samples, and these results were confirmed by traditional isolation of the pathogens onto potato dextrose agar (PDA). The qPCR assays also proved to be effective in genotype screening for stem resistance to D. helianthi and D. gulyae under greenhouse conditions, identifying 16 genotypes with potential resistance to D. helianthi and D. gulyae

ESTABLISHING SELF-INSTRUCTION SKILLS BY TEACHING MANDS FOR INFORMATIONAL INQUIRIES WITH INTELLIGENT VOICE ASSISTANTS USING PROGRESSIVE TIME DELAY

In this study, unknown questions were posed to four high school students with intellectual disabilities, and they were directed to use intelligent voice assistants to mand for the answers. This self-instruction skill was taught using progressive time delay within a multiple probe across participants design with embedded generalization probes. Participants were trained to initiate Siri® or Google Assistant™ before baseline sessions were conducted. The effectiveness of progressive time delay to teach this skill was evaluated when questions were presented by research implementers and when presented by untrained communication partners. Implementers exposed participants to additional voice commands at the end of progressive time delay sessions to assess if the participants would learn nontarget commands incidentally after being taught to mand for information with the intelligent voice assistants. The results indicate that progressive time delay is an effective method for teaching adolescents with intellectual disabilities to self-instruct with intelligent voice assistants, however modifications may be needed to ensure that the skill generalizes when presented with an unknown question by an indigenous communication partner. The results suggest that learning to self-instruct and being exposed to other intelligent voice assistant skills may lead to the acquisition of additional untrained voice commands

United Nations: Perpetuating Peace? A Historical Overview with a Contemporary Analysis

Abstract The United Nations is an institution that has been constantly critiqued regarding its efficacy as well as its equitability. In order to analyze this institution in the modern era, it becomes necessary to understand it in light of history, specifically the integral influence of the end of the Cold War. In this paper I will analyze several different aspects of this institution: I will first provide a historical overview of the United Nations and distinguish between the different peace operations. I will answer the questions as to how the end of the Cold War transformed the Peacekeeping Operations, how success is determined in a mission, and what future adaptations should be made so that the United Nations Peacekeeping remains legitimate in the changing times. I will specifically look at the prevalence and possible beneficial shift of power and responsibility of the Security Council as well as the mission mandates and the language used within these mandates