The Need for Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace

This thesis explores why emotional intelligence is valuable in the workplace, arguing it helps to create positive employee morale. As our society becomes more diverse, so does the environment of the workplace. These developments place increased demands on employees, requiring skills of social and emotional intelligence to function in newly dynamic work environments. Findings and recommendations emerge from an analysis of peer-reviewed journal articles, literature reviews, books, and case studies from the fields of business and psychology. Results verify that emotional intelligence is beneficial in the workplace due to increased workplace demands, employee morale, and informational diversity. This analysis also suggests that transformational leadership practices can help foster emotional intelligence. Given these findings, suggestions for future application are also noted

Trace DNA Detection Using Diamond Dye: A Recovery Technique to Yield More DNA

This study aspires to find a new screening approach to trace DNA recovery techniques to yield a higher quantity of trace DNA from larger items of evidence. It takes the path of visualizing trace DNA on items of evidence with potential DNA so analysts can swab a more localized area rather than attempting to recover trace DNA through the general swabbing technique currently used for trace DNA recovery. The first and second parts consisted of observing trace DNA interaction with Diamond Dye on porous and non-porous surfaces. The third part involved applying the Diamond Dye solution by spraying it onto brand new and laundered brassieres that had trace DNA placed by donors on the cup and clasp areas. The stained brassieres were then visually analyzed using a Canon T8i camera and EF-S 60 mm macro lens under 455nm alternate light and a 550nm emission filter to locate areas that fluoresced, meaning that trace DNA is present, and images were captured for record. The final part of the study consisted of swabbing laundered brassieres that donors deposited trace DNA onto using the blind double swabbing and Diamond Dye-localized double swabbing techniques on the cup and clasp areas. The swabs were put through DNA extraction via the Qiagen’s QIAamp Investigator kit and quantification via Thermo Fisher’s Quantifiler Trio then analyzed for the quantity of DNA present. The data was separated into swab techniques and the data was compared using an independent t-test at 95% confidence. The one-tail analysis determined a p-value of 0.0883 with the goal being a p-value of less than 0.05. Statistically, the results show that there is not a significant difference in the amount of trace DNA retained based on whether the DNA is visualized before proceeding with double swabbing

Making It Make Sense: Black Undergraduate\u27s Negotiation of Spiritual and LGBTQ+ Christian Identities Within the Black Church

For Black LGBTQ+ individuals, spirituality and sexuality can often conflict as the Black community tends to be more spiritual than other demographics and historically exhibited exclusivity towards the LGBTQ+ community. This research examines how Black LGBTQ+ youth at the University of Mississippi handle the intersectionality of race, spirituality, and sexuality and makes recommendations about ways to improve the lived experiences of Black LGBQT+ Christians and to promote LGBQT+ positive attitudes within the Black church. This research study was conducted using qualitative methods with purposeful sampling. The data yielded results that discovered Black youth identify with Christianity, engage in oppositional identity work and identity synthesis, and have a mix of teachings from the Black church. The conclusions from this research found that the Black LGBTQ+ youth form an LGBTQ+ Christian identity and find churches that affirm them and support them. Future recommendations regarding evaluation and education can be made within the Black church to further inclusivity of the LGBTQ+ community

ERISA - Welfare Benefit Plan - Garnishment Statutes - Preemption

The United States Supreme Court has held that a state garnishment statute which makes explicit reference to ERISA covered benefit plans is preempted by ERISA, but that a state\u27s garnishment procedure which permits the garnishment of a participant\u27s benefits in an ERISA welfare benefit plan is not preempted by ERISA. Mackey v. Lanier Collections Agency & Service, Inc., 108 S. Ct. 2182 (1988)

Without a Pilot: Navigating the Space Between the First Amendment and State and Federal Directives Affecting Drone Journalism

A new player in American airspace, the drone, creates greater opportunities for news gathering. But with new opportunities, come new rules. Current legislatures, regulators and courts face the challenge of creating and enforcing a legal framework by which this new technology can be integrated into American airspace. The debate surrounding proper drone directives is influenced by competing policies of privacy, security, and First Amendment concerns. This Note surveys past and present state and federal directives on drone use, and argues for the creation of a separate set of guidelines for Press drones. Separate directives would ensure that news outlets are able to utilize innovative drone technology to promote their societal goals: informing the public and acting as a check on government. Beyond these public goods, the implications of the inclusion of the Press Clause in the First Amendment, suggests that severe restriction on Press news gatheringcould beg a First Amendment violation. In the wake of First Amendment challenges over state drone laws and FAA directives, this Note suggests several practical ways in which legislators and regulators can walk the fine line between American privacy, and violating the First Amendment right of the Press to gather news. These proposals include narrowing the definition of the Press, implementing a credential system to determine who will be considered part of the Press and finally, encouraging press pooling over dangerous or public areas. Distinct drone laws for the Press and the public could avoid First Amendment violations, and stand the test of time

The Effectiveness of Occupational Therapy Interventions for Students with Mental Illness Transitioning to Higher Education: A Systematic Review

Objective: To examine the available evidence for interventions within the scope of occupational therapy for students with mental illness during the transition process to postsecondary education. Method: This systematic review yielded seven articles including two systematic reviews, three one group pretest/posttest design, one naturalistic pre/posttest design, and one scoping review related to the transition process to post secondary education. Results: Occupation-based interventions emphasized the occupation of education instead of focusing on co-occurring occupations a student may frequently participate in when enrolled in postsecondary education. Programs emphasized environmental approaches including using the students\u27 past experiences, building self-advocacy skills, accessing supportive education services, and learning how to access environmental supports, such as welfare and food stamps. Performance skills were addressed to prepare students for academic participation and included: motor, process, social interaction skills, skills related to writing, reading, public speaking, social participation, and stress management. Performance patterns included the roles and routines of the student. Findings have limited generalizability due to lower level research designs and limited number of studies. Conclusions: Higher-level research designs need to be completed to develop best practices in transition services, to further expand occupational therapy\u27s role in helping students with any mental illness transition to postsecondary education

X-Databases - The Integration of XML into Enterprise Database Management Systems

An examination of how the eXtensible Markup Language (XML) and database management systems (DBMS) fit together, and current approaches to providing database technologies that support XML. Analysis of how XML is being deployed in four classes of XML Database (X-Database) applications provides a basis for understanding the direction of X-Database technology and associated standards. In a simple implementation, an XML Document Type Definition (DTD) is mapped to relational structures, and XML data are stored in a DBMS (Oracle8i). Sample queries are presented to retrieve XML from the database. A middleware tool (XSQL Java Servlet) is used to transform query results into records on a Web page. The results demonstrate that relational databases require data to be rigidly mapped to relational structures. The paper concludes by exploring future challenges to integrating XML and DTDs with X-Databases, which establishes the need for a more "native" integration approach

Online Graduate Study in Education: An Examination of Tuition Costs and Faculty Salaries for Public, Private, and Proprietary Institutions of Higher Learning in Texas

Technology plays a major role in the delivery of educational services in today’s colleges and universities. Gumport and Chun (2005) stated that enrollment in for-credit distance education courses had more than doubled between 1997 and 2000. Distance education is undergoing rapid growth and expansion as colleges and universities rush to offer online courses and degrees in a variety of subject areas. Schrodt and Turman (2005) found students often expect college instructors to incorporate some form of technology into the class design even in traditional non-distance education courses. Although many educators feel that advances in technology will positively change the way classes are taught, Gumport and Chun (2005) indicated that technological improvements do not always measure up to initial expectations. Regardless of any negative side effects, such as cost or training for faculty, technology continues to advance in society and specifically in the college classroom

First-Episode Incarceration: Creating a Recovery-Informed Framework for Integrated Mental Health and Criminal Justice Responses

The number of people diagnosed with serious mental illness in the U.S. criminal justice system has reached unprecedented levels. Increasingly, people recognize that the justice system is no substitute for a well-functioning community mental health system. Although a range of targeted interventions have emerged over the past two decades, existing approaches have done little to reduce the overall number of incarcerated people with serious mental illness. This report, modeled on promising approaches in the mental health field to people experiencing a first episode of psychosis, outlines a new integrated framework that encourages the mental health and criminal justice fields to collaborate on developing programs based on early intervention, an understanding of the social determinants that underlie ill health and criminal justice involvement, and recovery-oriented treatment. The analysis, observations, and recommendations in this report are based on an extensive review of the literature in both the mental health and criminal justice fields, as well as on interviews with 11 national and local practitioners, policymakers, academics, and others involved in responses to people with mental illness who are at risk of running afoul of the criminal justice system.a The authors examined peer-reviewed journals, white papers, and reports from government, professional organizations, and nonprofits. After compiling information on national practices, they interviewed 11 stakeholders chosen for their leadership capacity at a variety of organizations that serve people with behavioral health needs affected by the justice system. Although the interviewees' specialties differed, they all answered questions about:emerging practices or programs that merit more evaluation and attention;opportunities for applying mental health service models to clients in criminal justice settings;promising programs using peer counseling;the potential application of mental health recovery frameworks to people in the criminal justice system; andthe promise of interventions attuned to environment-based and place-based frameworks