Exploring Transitions Back and into College: Stories of Adult Women

Women are juggling multiple roles such as mother, wife, partner and employee that could intensify a complex transition process to a new role of college student (Lin, 2016; Noll, Reichlin, & Gualt, 2017; Veney, O’Green & Kowalik, 2012). The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe a transition process of women to a role of college student a to understand why they might not graduate. Sociocultural theory embedded within Schlossberg’s transition model assisted with understanding the transition process of moving-in, moving-through, and moving-out. A qualitative research design was employed to describe this complex transition process and to answer the question how do women experience the transition process? The study suggests the transition process occurred in two phases (i.e., Phase 1-Transition and Phase 2-Ebb and Flow). This study addresses the gap in the literature regarding knowledge about women’s transition process to a role of campus student

Improved Target Coverage of Spinal Metastases Through the Use of Flattening Filter Free Beams

Of the patients that are diagnosed with metastatic disease, up to 40% will develop vertebral osseous metastases. These metastases tend to be located in close proximity to the spinal cord itself, making it difficult to achieve the recommended minimum dose of 14 Gy for single fraction SBRT or 21 Gy1 for three fraction SBRT while maintaining acceptable doses to the cord and cauda equina. This proximity of the target to critical structures has the potential to compromise the efficacy of the radiation treatment plan in favor of reducing normal tissue dose, resulting in poor local control and tumor recurrence at follow-up. Flattening Filter Free (FFF) photon beams have been shown to have lower out-of-field dose and sharper dose gradients when compared with conventionally flattened (FF) photon beams of similar energy; this sharp dose fall-off could potentially prove beneficial in cases where greater precision is required, such as for high-dose hypofractionated radiation treatments of vertebral metasases. The purpose of this project was to compare the physical properties, namely penumbral width and penumbral and out-of-field dose of FFF and FF photon beams as well as determine the clinical effects of these beams on vertebral osseous tumors. It was hypothesized that FFF beams would show a definitive improvement in target coverage while maintaining acceptable normal tissue doses when compared with FF beams. To test this hypothesis, penumbral width and dose were measured for FF and FFF beam profiles at various depths and field sizes using the Varian Standard Beam Data by examining the treatment plans for twelve patients with spine metastases using both FF and FFF beams. There was a statistically significant reduction in penumbral width for FFF plans when compared to FF plans; however, this difference was in effect quite small and may not translate into better treatment plans. There was no demonstrable difference between treatment plans developed using FF or FFF beams in terms of minimum dose to the GTV. However, there was significant reduction in treatment delivery time for FFF plans, which may lead to reduced intrafractional variation from patient motion and a more positive patient experience

Conservation Evidence: Assessing translocations and reintroductions of terrestrial carnivores

Around the world terrestrial carnivores are facing rapid declines in population size. Larger species are especially vulnerable to declines as they typically have solitary social structures, low population densities and low fecundity. In order to prevent extinctions effective conservation practices need to be established. Conservation Evidence, a project begun at Cambridge University, is designed to gather quantitative scientific evidence for various conservation interventions into a succinct and user-friendly program that is freely accessible to the public. This report, focused on translocations and reintroductions of felids, represents a portion of the forthcoming synopsis on terrestrial carnivores. This project also shows that the ‘success’ of translocations and reintroductions is difficult to define. An intervention is typically viewed as ‘successful’ if individuals establish home ranges or reproduce, however there is no standard threshold value

Interpretation of Late Cretaceous Volcanic Mounds and Surrounding Gulfian Series Formations Using 3D Seismic Data in Zavala County, Texas

The Late Cretaceous Gulfian series is a prominent and important series across the State of Texas that has been extensively studied since the nineteenth century. It is composed of series of southeast-dipping shelf carbonates and clastics deposited on the northwest margin of the Gulf of Mexico Basin. In south Texas, the Gulfian series was deposited in the Rio Grande Embayment and Maverick Basin and is comprised of the Eagle Ford Group, Austin Group, Anacacho Limestone, San Miguel Formation, Olmos Formation, and Escondido Formation that crop out and continue basinward in the subsurface. Late Cretaceous volcanism formed volcanic mounds composed of altered palagonite tuff that are clustered into two fields, including the Uvalde Field centered in Zavala County. Using the Pedernales 3D seismic survey, located in east-central Zavala County, several volcanic mounds were identified and mapped without the use of well log data by identifying structures and characteristics associated with the volcanic mounds. Isolating these mounds through mapping enabled the mapping of the tops surrounding Gulfian formations, Lower Eagle Ford, Upper Eagle Ford, Austin, Anacacho, and San Miguel, for which time-structure, amplitude, similarity/coherency attribute, and isochron maps were generated. By using 3D seismic data, the volcanic mounds and their relation to surrounding rocks can be better interpreted

EXPANDING DEICTIC SHIFT THEORY: PERSON DEIXIS IN CHUCK PALAHNIUK\u27S FIGHT CLUB

Deictic shift theory (DST) was developed as a model of the construction and comprehension of all types of fictional narrative. With respect to the participant structures of texts, however, DST researchers have focused their attention on deictic shifts in third-person narratives, leaving first-person narratives unanalyzed from this theoretical perspective. As a result, DST in its present form does not adequately account for the variety of manipulations of a range of perspectives that may be achieved in first-person narratives. Nor has DST been systematically applied to texts whose participant structures undergo extensive reorganization as the result of a surprise ending or other narrative twist. By analyzing the deictic and referring expressions that create the participant structure of Chuck Palahniuks novel Fight Club, this thesis tests DSTs potential to account for authors and readers cognitive experiences of first-person narratives with plot twists. The analysis establishes a wider range of linguistic cues that may affect readers mental representations of characters. It identifies interactions between elements in the participant structure, including those that permit the representation of non-narrating characters subjective perspectives, as well as the linguistic features that enable these interactions. The thesis examines the effects of an authors violations of traditional narrative perspective constraints, and it underscores the importance, especially in DST-motivated analyses, of recognizing the potential for interplay between general narrative constraints and the narrative structure of a specific text. The thesis revises DSTs account of the nature and extent of deictic shifts in first-person narratives and describes the role deictic shifts play in fictional narratives that contain plot twists

The Music Achievement Program: Designing a Violin Lesson Curriculum

What is the biggest commitment you have ever made in your entire life? How about recalling the biggest commitment you made before you finished the first grade? Other than pledging to only eat candy for dinner for the rest of my life, at the age of six, I unknowingly committed to a challenging and unending pursuit: learning to play the violin. To be completely honest, I was not terribly interested in playing the instrument. However, my kindergarten-age sister was ecstatic to give it a go. So, my parents enrolled me in Suzuki lessons at my creative arts elementary school. Unlike many inspiring stories of famous musicians, I was clearly not drawn to the instrument by a particularly burning passion. In fact, for many years, I only continued playing because the violin was something dependable in my life; regardless of where we lived, how busy my parents were, et cetera, I could count on daily practicing and weekly lessons with a local teacher. Fast forward almost ten years later: I was beginning to apply for undergraduate programs prior to completing my last semester in high school. At that point in time, I experienced an existential crisis—or at least as much of one as an eighteen-year-old can have. Even though I felt like I was expected to go to college, I had no clue what to study. I reflected on my life so far, and I saw that the violin was the one existing consistency. Thus, I rather whimsically decided to pursue a degree in Music Performance. Ironically, I suffered (and still do, to an extent) from extreme stage fright. I developed a severe anxiety—and borderline loathing— of performing for people. This negative mindset was not very effective for my degree program. As a result, I felt incredibly lost and simultaneously unable to communicate my growing unhappiness and anxiety about the decision I made for my college career. I continued asking myself, what am I going to do once I manage to finish this undergraduate degree? In December 2016, a unique opportunity arose. I followed up with a colleague about possibly taking over her studio of violin and viola students at Freeway Music, a music lessons studio located in Columbia, South Carolina. I was incredibly nervous to take on such a huge responsibility, but I decided that I would benefit from the opportunity to experience teaching the violin. After the very first day, I fell in love. In fact, I fell in love with several things: my students, the violin, and Freeway Music to name a few. The motivation that I feel every day I go teach, the excitement I feel when planning my lessons, and the personal investment I have in each of my students exceeds any other commitment I have made in my life so far. I truly desire to continue improving myself as a musician and teacher to better serve my students. Since beginning at Freeway Music a year and a half ago, the entire studio has worked to develop the Music Achievement Program (or MAP, for short). This 3 program establishes a template for teachers at Freeway to utilize in formulating their own teaching curriculum. Don Russo, a founder and owner of Freeway Music, shared his completed MAP program with me, which outlines the entire curriculum which he would use to begin teaching a guitar student. His MAP would guide the student through beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels of music training. Additional components of the MAP encourage his students to become involved in extra-musical activities such as gigs, option performances, and teaching opportunities. I believe the development of my own studio’s MAP would be a huge step in challenging and improving myself as a violin teacher. In this thesis project, I will present a finalized form of my MAP. Following the completion of this thesis project, I will incorporate the MAP in my lessons at Freeway Music. My goal for the MAP is to develop a curriculum that addresses the numerous elements of developing musicianship and violin technique. While a large portion of the MAP will cover specific technical concerns, I would also like to emphasize the non-musical skills and benefits which accompany learning how to play an instrument. The MAP will thus provide a framework from which I can approach the individual needs and development of each student I work with in my teaching career. I think it is an incredibly valuable thesis project because it will provide a product which I will, hopefully, use for many years to come

Teaching Speech Delivery Skills to Reduce Speech Anxiety

v, 37 leaves. Advisor: Margaret E. Lloyd.The problem. Speech anxiety is a common problem among college students. This can hurt the student academically, and could also continue to affect him or her in professional situations once out of school. Therefore, an economical program designed to teach speech skills and reduce their anxiety would be beneficial. Previous studies have focused on reducing speech anxiety without teaching speech skills, or have taught speech skills without recording their occurrence. Procedure. Instructions and behavioral rehearsal were used to teach speech anxious subjects speech delivery skills. Prior to and following each skill taught, a probe speech was conducted. Both objective measures of anxiety five (i.e. Timed Behavioral Checklist, duration of speech, and number of notes) and subjective measures of anxiety (i.e. Personal Report of Confidence as a Speaker) were recorded. In addition, the occurrence of the specific speech skills taught was recorded. Findinqs. Subjects increased their level of speech skills, and reported a decrease in anxiety. Only one of the subjects observable indicators of anxiety decreased. Conclusions. This program increased speech skills and decreased self-reported anxiety. In addition, the program took very little time for the subjects to complete. Recomendations. This program could be implemented economically at universities in order to provide help to speech anxious students

Junior Recital, Jacob Bennett, saxophone

The presentation of this junior recital will fulfill in part the requirements for the Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education. Jacob Bennett studies saxophone with Mr. Albert Regni