The Experience of Transition as told by First-Year, First-Generation Appalachian College Students

The study examines the transitional experiences of Appalachian first-generation students during their first year of college. Because first-generation status, alone, has a negative affect on student persistence (Ishitani, 2003; Paulsen & Martin Lohfink, 2005), this phenomenological inquiry explores perceptions and experiences of separation and adjustment as expressed by students through semi-structured interviews with Tinto\u27s Theory of Student Departure (1993) as a theoretical framework. Tinto\u27s theory states that students arrive at college with personal attributes, as well as intentions and commitment, however it is their perception of their transition from home culture into the college that can affect persistence. This study examined students\u27 journey through stages of separation and adjustment---social and academic---within the institution. Findings revealed their transition to be not unlike those of traditional students. Further analysis reveals themes of college scale and size, personal transformation, communication technology, and being first-generation. First hand student accounts provided a qualitative dimension to the large number of existing studies, giving voice to an underrepresented population, better informing policies for higher education and public high schools

Visualization and Animation of a Missile/Target Encounter

Existing missile/target encounter modeling and simulation systems focus on improving probability of kill models. Little research has been done to visualize these encounters. These systems can be made more useful to the engineers by incorporating current computer graphics technology for visualizing and animating the encounter. Our research has been to develop a graphical simulation package for visualizing both endgame and full fly-out encounters. Endgame visualization includes showing the interaction of a missile, its fuze cone proximity sensors, and its target during the final fraction of a second of the missile/target encounter. Additionally, this system displays dynamic effects such as the warhead fragmentation pattern and the specific skewing of the fragment scattering due to missile yaw at the point of detonation. Fly-out visualization, on the other hand, involves full animation of a missile from launch to target. Animating the results of VisSim fly-out simulations provides the engineer a more efficient means of analyzing his data. This research also involves investigating fly-out animation via the World Wide Web

Habitual IS Use and Continuance

Information systems (IS) use literature and research has been extensive, and has been able to explain a significant amount of the variation in IS acceptance and adoption. The majority of this research has focused on technologies we intentionally use in a work type setting. This current proposed study extends this literature by focusing on automatic use that is non-work related. Understanding the factors that influence the continued use of an IS after initial adoption is important because continued use of a system is an appropriate measure for determining whether or not the IS is actually successful. Habitual IS use is presented and explored to contribute to the understanding of IS continuance. An habitual IS continuance (HIC) model is conceptually developed and proposed. The development of an HIC model allows system success to be measured in voluntary use information systems

Perceptions of Sunk Cost and Habitual IS Use

As technology use becomes more ubiquitous, systems that are able to bypass users’ intentional behaviors through the creationof automatized, or habitual behaviors, are tapping into a potentially powerful aspect of the human psyche. This studycontributes to both sunk cost theory and technology continuance research by examining the relationship between the driversof habit and habitual IS use, and how perceptions of sunk costs play a mediating role in this relationship. Through theconceptual development of an habitual IS use model, the technology-enabled features which contribute to stickiness andencourage the formation of habitual IS use behaviors are explored. This research in progress contributes to the IS usageliterature by focusing on automatic use that is non-work related

TOXOPLASMA GONDII IN U.S. SWINE OPERATIONS: AN ASSESSMENT OF MANAGEMENT FACTORS

Sera from hogs were analyzed using the modified direct agglutination test (MAT). Serum samples were collected from sows which were part of the National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) swine survey. The blood sera on file represented 394 randomly selected hog farms throughout the United States. Additionally, the NAHMS survey included information on type of production facilities and level of cat, dog, or bird access to the facilities. Of the sows tested 19 percent tested positive for toxoplasmosis. This study showed a positive relationship between sows or herds testing positive for Toxoplasma gondii and three factors: 1) method of rodent control, 2) type of production facility, and 3) access of certain animals (cats, dogs, birds) to production facilities. These data indicate that it will be difficult to eliminate T. gondii from swine herds which allow cat or dog access to facilities. Use of cats as a method of rodent control should be discouraged. We found a strong association between use of "bait only" for rodent control and the herd testing negative as compared to the use of "cats only" for rodent control. Greater industry awareness is needed for methods of rodent control through the use of baits. Sows in herds where female replacements were raised internally were significantly more likely to test positive for toxoplasmosis. Sows in confinement facilities had a significantly lower prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii. Herds testing positive were significantly smaller than those which were negative. In general, there were not any regional differences in prevalence rates. Sows testing positive did not have a reduced level of productivity.

Assessing Potential Change in Louisiana Juvenile Detainee’s Knowledge and Attitude during Garden Programming

University-based horticulture departments have explored the relationship between garden programs and increased horticulture knowledge among primary and secondary students. Studies have established positive correlations between youth garden programs and increased garden knowledge. The objective of this research was to determine if participation in a garden workshop series had positive effects on youth detained in juvenile detention centers garden-based knowledge and immediate mood. Participation led to a 17% increase in garden-based knowledge (P ? 0.05) and a positive shift in mood (P ? 0.05) on two of the three days of the workshop series. Based on this experience, we highly recommend juvenile detention centers incorporate garden programming as additional educational opportunities for detained youth

Does Lacan have a theory of consciousness?

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Dermatomyositis with Extensive Calcification in an Adult

This report reviews a case of dermatomyositis presenting with weakness and extensive calcification in an adult. While dermatomyositis is not uncommon in adults, it is uncommon for calcifications to be present. Children develop calcifications more frequently than adults. When present in adults, small calcifications on areas of frequent trauma such as elbows and fingers are more common. However, this patient presented with large calcified deposits in his abdomen and extremities. His treatment and course are described

The role of the lateral amygdala in the retrieval and maintenance of fear-memories formed by repeated probabilistic reinforcement

The lateral nucleus of the amygdala (LA) is a key element in the neural circuit subserving Pavlovian fear-conditioning, an animal model of fear and anxiety. Most studies have focused on the role of the LA in fear acquisition and extinction, i.e., how neural plasticity results from changing contingencies between a neutral conditioned stimulus (CS) (e.g., a tone) and an aversive unconditioned stimulus (US) (e.g., a shock). However, outside of the lab, fear-memories are often the result of repeated and unpredictable experiences. Examples include domestic violence, child abuse or combat. To better understand the role of the LA in the expression of fear resulting from repeated and uncertain reinforcement, rats experienced a 30% partial reinforcement (PR) fear-conditioning schedule four days a week for four weeks. Rats reached asymptotic levels of conditioned-fear expression after the first week. We then manipulated LA activity with drug (or vehicle) (VEH) infusions once a week, for the next three weeks, before the training session. LA infusions of muscimol (MUSC), a GABA-A agonist that inhibits neural activity, reduced CS evoked fear-behavior to pre-conditioning levels. LA infusions of pentagastrin (PENT), a cholecystokinin-2 (CCK) agonist that increases neural excitability, resulted in CS-evoked fear-behavior that continued past the offset of the CS. This suggests that neural activity in the LA is required for the retrieval of fear memories that stem from repeated and uncertain reinforcement, and that CCK signaling in the LA plays a role in the recovery from fear after the removal of the fear-evoking stimulus

An Evaluation of Spirituality among Graduate and Professional Degree Students: Year Two

[Note: This is a continuation of a study that was introduced at the 2013 GERA Annual Meeting.] This ongoing longitudinal study is designed to measure spirituality in graduate and professional degree students utilizing validated survey instruments. Furthermore, the study investigates perceptions regarding the role of spirituality in higher education and professional practice. We hypothesize that significant relationships exist between student perceptions on spirituality and various academic, professional, and vocational outcomes. The study is being conducted at a large, private university in the southeastern United States, which seeks to enrich both the mind and spirit of students while maintaining intellectual and religious freedom. Our study measures spirituality from inter-faith and non-faith perspectives, thereby increasing applicability to a diverse population. Results from our study will be instrumental in examining the influence of an academic institution on validated measures of spirituality. Furthermore, we hope to be the first to examine, from a qualitative and quantitative perspective, the change in daily spiritual experience among students of diverse graduate and professional degree programs at a single institution. We believe our findings have the potential to stimulate constructive dialogue on the imperative to develop methods for improved teaching and learning