The Effect of Vocal Exploration Exercises on Pitch-Matching Skills in First and Fourth Grade Students

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of daily vocal exploration exercises on pitch matching skills of first and fourth grade students. Students were assessed on their ability to match pitch in echo patterns and short songs at the beginning and end of the study. The goal was to use vocal exploration to help students develop their head voice and potentially develop more accurate singing. The first grade experimental and control groups and fourth grade control group showed improvement in their echo patterns, but the fourth grade experimental group demonstrated a reduction in their echo abilities. Both first and fourth grade experimental and control groups showed improvement or maintained their scores in their short song singing excerpt. It was concluded that vocal exploration exercises are a contributing factor to the development of the singing voice, but regular singing instruction also contributes to increased pitch matching skills

Party Competition as an Explanation for New Parties’ Decision to Reenter Elections and Electoral Success: A Heckman’s Selection Model of New Parties in Central and Eastern Europe

This thesis investigates the determinants of reentry and electoral success among new parties that encounter ideological competition from established parties in Central and Eastern Europe. In this part of Europe there is a continuous emergence of new political parties of different ideologies, many of which are considered to represent new or neglected issues. However, new parties do not exclusively introduce new ideologies as they also represent a continuation of mainstream party families and compete on already occupied ideological territories. The thesis aims to understand how competition from established parties affect new parties’ electoral trajectories. Previous research indicates that studies of new party performance may be susceptible to selection bias since the factors influencing new party entry may also affect their electoral success. To correct for potential selection bias, a Heckman’s selection model is applied to data from the Manifesto Project Database and the Parliaments and Governments Database. An analysis of the electoral trajectories of 46 new parties between 2000 and 2020 reveals that new parties face considerable competition from established parties in terms of having similar policy positions. However, the analysis indicates that competition on the social and the economic dimension have different effects on new party reentry and electoral success. Increased competition on the social dimension decreases the probability of reentry, while increased competition on the economic dimension have the opposite effect. Interestingly, when it comes to the electoral success of new parties a reversed pattern can be observed.MasteroppgaveSAMPOL350MASV-SAP

Eat Smart, Play Hard The Oyate Way: Impact of a Culturally Tailored Nutrition and Physical Activity Curriculum on Elementary Youth

Objective: To assess changes in nutrition and physical activity (PA) knowledge and behavior in elementary-age participants from school districts with high American Indian enrollment after completion of a culturally tailored education curriculum. Design: Pre-post intervention study assessing knowledge and behavior using quantitative methods. Participants: A total of 248 participants (Kindergarten through 5th grade, n=248) throughout 13 elementary classrooms in tribal communities participated in Eat Smart. Play Hard.: The Oyate Way. Intervention(s): Baseline and post intervention data from a culturally tailored nutrition and PA knowledge and behavior curriculum. Main Outcome Measure(s): Dependent variables were nutrition and PA knowledge, and nutrition and PA behavior. Independent variable was the intervention (pre-post). Analysis: Paired t-tests were conducted to determine if there was an overall change, as well as changes by grade by comparing pre and post-tests looking specifically at nutrition and PA knowledge and behavior. Proportion tests were used to examine the proportion of yes responses to determine if they differ pre/post for PA. Results: A significant increase was found in PA (p = 0.01) and cultural (p = 0.03) differences were found. All macronutrient intakes (p \u3c 0.05) decreased significantly in the fourth and fifth grade levels. Individual food groups were also found to have significance in various grade levels. Meat, poultry and fish intake (p = 0.02) had a significant decrease in the fourth and fifth grade category. Fruit/fruit juice (p = 0.03), total fiber (p = 0.04), total sugars naturally occurring in foods (p = 0.03), as well as added sugar/syrup (p = 0.01) intake significantly decreased in the third-grade category. Significant decreases in physical activity behavior (p \u3c 0.01) were found in the following categories for all grades: part-time work, activities like dance/drill team, biking/hiking, and physical education. Individual aspects were seen within specific grade levels for specified outcomes that were examined.Conclusions and Implications: The present study incorporated culturally tailored education as it related to nutrition and PA knowledge and behavior. This study was the first to analyze culturally tailored education and its impact on nutrition and PA knowledge as well as behaviors. It identifies the need for interventions in this specific population. Further research should be done to incorporate this the culturally tailored education with multiple levels of the SEM specifically focusing on nutrition and PA to increase success for a long-lasting change in behavior. This behavior change could decrease the risk of comorbid diseases and increase a healthier lifestyle. The focus on this population is due to AI having higher risks for comorbid diseases such as obesity and diabetes. This study helps address the need for interventions, especially in this specific age group as these diseases are likely to carry on into adulthood

A Comparative Analysis of Unfair Dismissal Law with Particular Reference to the Law as it Pertains to the South African Worker

This paper will begin with an investigation of the activity of the International Labour Organization (ILO) in domestic employment laws. Using this as a yardstick, a comparative analysis of the unfair dismissal laws of the United States and some foreign countries (mainly Western European) will be undertaken. Finally, the issue will be addressed in the South African context. An assessment will be made of the relative quality of the protection afforded workers in South Africa and, using conclusions reached from the comparative study, the validity of calls for a general unfair dismissal statute in the country will be considered

The Changing Impact of Natural Disasters in Brookings County, South Dakota

This study takes an in-depth look at the various kinds of natural disasters that have affected one small piece of the world and their changing impact over the last century. The site chosen for this research is Brookings County, located in east-central South Dakota. Though occupying only· a minute speck of the earth\u27s 196,940,400 square-mile surface, it has been the recipient of many violent acts of nature. In order to begin the investigation, it was necessary to identify those hazards common to Brookings County. The county is extremely fortunate that it does not need to contend with the problems of hurricanes, volcanoes, tidal waves, avalanches, or earthquakes. The natural disasters which affect Brookings County tend to be directly related only to the weather, and though they may not seem as phenomenal as those previously mentioned, the consequences of their presence over the years have been no less dramatic. Not every natural hazard has resulted in a disaster, so the next task in completing this study was to determine which incidents produced heavy damage and/or loss of life in the county. This was accomplished by obtaining dates of hazardous events in this part of South Dakota from Climatological Data South Dakota, Climatological Data National Summary, Storm Data, and historical accounts of the state and county. With a composite list of dates as a guide, county newspapers were then explored to determine the extent of each disaster within the county, the amount of damage inflicted, and the steps taken to recover. In searching through miles of microfilm, several natural disasters were discovered that had not been recorded in any of the aforementioned sources. Therefore, this study makes no claim to have identified every single natural disaster which has occurred in Brookings County, but the author feels that sufficient data was obtained to demonstrate that natural hazards did indeed produce more disasters as time passed during the last century

Menneskelige(re) møter

"Humanizing Encounters is about the sense of community that exists between persons with dementia. This book is the outcome of a year of ethnographic fieldwork at the specialized dementia care units of two different long-term nursing facilities. Through participatory observation in these units, the author discerned the various ways residents interacted, collaborated and expressed care for each other. The potential for fellowship among residents of dementia care facilities is explored primarily through fieldwork, phenomenological perspectives and spatial theory. It suggests that persons with dementia experience a greater sense of community than previous research has recognized. Thus the book contributes to a widening of the relational focus in individually oriented caregiving practices to also include collaboration and relations between groups of people with dementia. Humanizing Encounters is a contribution to our evolving understanding of the development of community within the dementia care units of skilled nursing homes. It will be relevant to all those who work with and on behalf of people with dementia, as well as those with an interest in this area from a humanistic perspective.""Menneskelige(re) møter handler om fellesskap blant mennesker med demens. Boken bygger på ett års etnografisk feltarbeid på to skjermede enheter i to forskjellige sykehjem. Gjennom deltakende observasjon i avdelingene avdekket Hillestad forskjellige måter beboerne agerte på, samhandlet og viste omsorg for hverandre. Mulige fellesskap blant beboerne utforskes med utgangspunkt i feltarbeidet, fenomenologiske perspektiver og romteori. Dette åpner for å se at personer med demens skaper mer fellesskap enn demensforskningen så langt har hatt full oppmerksomhet på. Boken bidrar slik til en utvidelse av det relasjonelle fokuset i personsentrert omsorgspraksis, til også å omhandle samhandling og relasjoner mellom grupper av mennesker med demens. Mennekelige(re) møter er et bidrag inn i en videre tenkning om utvikling av fellesskap i skjermede avdelinger på sykehjem. Den vil være relevant for alle som arbeider med og for mennesker med demens, og for alle som har interesse for fagfeltet i et humanistisk perspektiv.

The Way Back to Educational Foundations

This essay is contrary to the prevailing contemporary sophists respected by the power brokers of the government monopoly in education

Acute effects of blue light on alertness

Postponed access: the file will be accessible after 2023-11-17The discovery of a third-class retinal photoreceptors (ipRGCs) sensitive to the short wavelength light (from 460nm to 480nm) have influenced research on circadian rhythms over the last two decades, with increasing research focusing on the physiological and psychological effects of blue light and different colour temperatures during both daytime and nighttime. Meanwhile, research on daytime light exposure has given varying results. Piloting an experimental protocol, the acute effects of both monochromatic blue light (max 479 nm) and dim light (<5 lux) were assessed in 12 healthy young subjects, during the morning hours. Chronotype and sleep prior to the test days were also assessed. Participants were exposed to 1 hour dim light (<5 lux) prior to testing for both light conditions. Alertness was measured using a psychomotor vigilance test (PVT) at three different times during the procedure. There was no significant effect of either blue or dim light on alertness, however there was a combined effect of alertness and dim light when total sleep time the night before dim light was accounted for, showing slower response time in the dim light condition.Masteroppgave i psykologiMAPSYK360MAPS-PSYKINTL-KMDINTL-SVINTL-MEDINTL-PSYKINTL-JUSINTL-HFINTL-M

The cryptic case of Otomys sloggetti (Sloggett’s vlei rat): Interpreting murid molar morphology in the fossil record

Vlei rats (Family: Muridae; Subfamily: Otomyinae) have a widespread distribution in southern Africa. They are favoured prey of barn and spotted eagle owls, and frequently become associated with archaeological deposits when the owls roost in cave sites. The phylogeny of several Otomyinae species is enigmatic, and Otomys sloggetti (Sloggett’s vlei rat) is no exception. This species has been referred to as the ‘ice rat’ and present distribution ranges are seemingly limited to mountainous areas, at high altitude, in Lesotho Drakensberg and the Karoo. It was thus surprising and unexpected when specimens closely resembling Otomys sloggetti (identification was based on molar morphology) were found in several archaeological sites on the south and west coasts of South Africa, and also in modern owl pellet assemblages – all extralimital to the current reported distribution. However, further examination of and comparison between these specimens, as well as extensive differences observed between comparative Otomys sloggetti specimens from museum collections, highlighted potential problems associated with the common practice of using tooth morphology to identify fossil murid species. We identified six molar morphotypes from the fossil and modern material, all of which bore a morphological resemblance to O. sloggetti. The material discussed in this paper suggests that cryptic, undescribed vlei rat species, or subspecies, have been in the past, and may yet be, co-occurring with modern populations of O. karoensis and O. irroratus. Phylogenetic studies need to be done in conjunction with morphological studies, as, currently, the relationship between the huge variation seen in interspecific morphology with genetics is little understood, different Otomys species are not always distinguishable morphologically, and considerable chromosomal polytypes have been found. Our findings highlight the need for extensive cladistic and genetic research on the Otomyinae. Significance: Mice and shrews from fossil sites are frequently used by archaeologists as indicators of past climatic and environmental conditions. Research into the species present in fossil assemblages is usually done on a single site basis and intersite comparisons are rare. The taxonomic conundrums presented by a vlei rat found in several South African archaeological sites indicates that such comparisons could result in the re-evaluation of identifications, and/or indicate the presence of cryptic species/subspecies. Phylogenetic studies are needed in conjunction with morphological studies, as the relationship between variations in interspecific tooth morphology (used to identify taxa) with genetics is little understood. This in turn will help to elucidate the relationship between morphology, biogeography and local adaptations.publishedVersio

Diagnosis of Bifacial PV Modules Using Photoluminescence Imaging from the Rear in Direct and Diffuse Irradiance

The increasing energy demand has led to a surge in solar power installations. However, solar cells are subject to damage and degradation that may not be visible to the naked eye. Consequently, various techniques have been developed to monitor solar modules to prevent unknown damages from reducing the efficiency of a solar power plant. Photoluminescence has several advantages over other techniques, providing detailed and spatial information on various types of damage in a solar cell module. The technique has been exploited with several approaches, but the built-in IV-curve sweep in the inverter is proven to be a non-invasive diagnostic method that does not disturb the power production. This thesis explores methods that potentially make photoluminescence diagnostics more efficient, flexible, and/or accurate. The thesis includes experiments on imaging four bifacial PERC modules from the rear side under direct and diffuse light conditions at Søråsjordet in Ås. The thesis also investigates whether the PCC algorithm can increase the accuracy of the images and whether the effect is enhanced with a filtered reference signal. The results indicate that it is possible to obtain a respectable signal-to-noise ratio from the backside of the modules under both direct and diffuse irradiance, albeit with lower photoluminescence signals than from the front. However, it has been observed that high signals are not necessary to perform an analysis of a processed image of a module. Several practical challenges were encountered during backside image acquisition that requires further development for the method to be beneficial. The methods are not replaceable for front-side module imaging or direct irradiance image acquisition. However, the analyzable images provide additional information that can be useful for comprehensive diagnostics. The PCC algorithm was found to produce less noisy images with better separated module and background pixels. This effect was enhanced when the reference signal was smoothed using the Savitzky-Golay filter