4449 research outputs found
Sort by
Differences in Algebra I End-of-Course Exam Performance of Texas High School Hispanic Students by Gender and At-Risk Status: A Multiyear Statewide Investigation
Get PDFPurpose
The purpose of this journal-ready dissertation was to determine the extent to
which Hispanic students differed in their performance on the Texas state-mandated
Algebra I End-of-Course exam by their at-risk status. Specifically examined was the degree to which the at-risk status of Hispanic students was related to three grade level performance standards (i.e., Approaches Grade Level, Meets Grade Level, and Masters Grade Level) and raw scores. Following the analysis of data on all Hispanic students, the performance of only Hispanic boys was addressed in the second article, and the performance of only Hispanic girls was ascertained the third study. Algebra I EOC exam results were analyzed for the 2016-2017, 2017-2018, and 2018-2019 school years. Following analyses of data from each school year, the degree to which trends were present was addressed.
Method
In this multiyear analysis, a causal-comparative research design was present.
Archival data were obtained from the Texas Education Agency Public Information Management System through a Public Information Request for the 2016-2017, 2017-2018, and 2018-2019 school years. Data obtained were Algebra I End-of-Course exam results for Hispanic students, Hispanic boys, and Hispanic girls by at-risk status for these three school years.
Findings
Inferential statistical analyses yielded the presence of statistically significant
differences in all three school years. Results were consistent across all three school years in all three grade level standards and raw scores across the three articles in this journal-ready dissertation. Higher percentages of Hispanic students who were at-risk did not meet the three grade level standards in the three school years than Hispanic students who were not at-risk. Moreover, fewer test items were answered correctly by Hispanic students who were at-risk. Similar results were present for Hispanic boys and for Hispanic girls. Higher percentages of Hispanic boys and Hispanic girls who were at-risk did not meet the three grade level standards in all three school years than their peers who were not at-risk. Results discussed herein were consistent with existing literature regarding students who are at-risk and their performance on state-mandated assessments compared to students who are not at-risk
How Perceptions and Beliefs About Child Abuse Affect Decision-Making as a Mock Juror
Get PDFChild abuse is a highly prevalent problem in the United States, yet only a small number of substantiated cases ever make it to trial. While past literature has examined the influence of various factors on jurors’ decision-making, there is very limited research examining variables that may moderate those links. In the present study, I investigated the moderating effect of mock jurors’ perceptions and beliefs about child abuse – as assessed by endorsement of misconceptions – on conviction decisions in cases involving child abuse (sexual and physical). Participants read a series of trial summaries describing an ambiguous child abuse case involving an eight-year old child and a known, trusted adult. Participants then completed a battery of questionnaires to assess their perceptions and beliefs about child abuse and their conviction decision. Hierarchal regression analyses explored the moderating effects of mock jurors’ misconceptions about abuse severity, victim characteristics, and perpetrator characteristics, between abuse type, victim gender, and perpetrator gender on conviction decisions. While the hypotheses were not supported, results revealed multiple significant associations and significant group differences between these variables. These findings can inform the development of trial interventions designed to minimize the impact of this prejudice on jurors’ perceptions and legal decision-making
Threat Assessment Matrix A Vital Tool for Warrant Planning
Get PDFArrest and search warrant service operations place officers in a higher degree of risk than routine police work. Proper intelligence gathering and planning not only reduce the risk of injury to the officer, suspects, and citizens, but also reduce the liability risk to the department. Knowing how to conduct the intelligence gathering process and what to look for is often a skill that is learned by trial and error or passed down through the ranks. Even veteran officers who routinely conduct these operations can overlook critical information resulting in dire consequences. A codified approach to determining what information is needed and what resources are required to safely conduct warrant service operations can save lives. All law enforcement agencies should develop a threat assessment matrix and a policy mandating its use for all pre-planned arrest and search warrant operations. The matrix will serve as a checklist for intelligence gathering as well as documentation of information known at the time the warrant was planned. These planning efforts will benefit the officers in making decisions as to what hazards are present and whether they can serve the warrant themselves rather than SWAT or other specialized units be brought in to assist.LEMI
PERCEPTIONS OF PARENTS WHOSE CHILDREN EXPERIENCED AQUATIC RELATIONAL EXPERIENTIAL THERAPY
Get PDFThe purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to describe the perceptions of parents whose children, ages 13 years and under, experienced Aquatic Relational Experiential Therapy. The data were analyzed through Moustakas’s modified Stevick-Colaizzi-Keen Method. Four guiding questions were used in semi-structured interviews with the 10 participants whose children had experienced Aquatic Relational Experiential Therapy. The essence of the participants’ experiences in this study identified various ways ARET impacted and shaped their lives during and after the experience. The results provided evidence for the use of ARET with children to facilitate increased confidence and personal/social-emotional skills toward achieving a positive sense of self. Outcomes were discussed in five themes and four sub-themes. These themes and sub-themes contained depictions of each participant’s unique experiences with ARET, which were specifically reflected in other areas of their lives and created opportunities for their child(ren) which increased the quality of daily living for the family. There is a need for more research into the use of aquatic environments as innovative therapeutic approaches. Specifically, further inquiry into the impact of ARET, as an aquatic therapy, on the personal and social gains of children is needed. With this being the first study on ARET, replication studies should be conducted to validate these findings. Thus, providing additional support for the use of ARET as a counseling modality
DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF A TECHNIQUE FOR ANALYSIS OF TONER PRINTED DOCUMENTS USING MAGNETIC FLUX MEASUREMENTS
Get PDFToner printed documents are frequently submitted for forensic examination, yet there is no standard methodology for examination of the documents, and laboratories are recommended to implement ‘complementary analyses’ using multiple different types of instrumentation and analytical techniques which provide categorical information about the production of a document until they have enough information to make a determination about its authenticity, for example. Laboratories often face difficulties in implementing the ‘complementary analyses’ approach, because it requires access to multiple types of costly instrumentation, lengthy analyses and data interpretation, and the results are often inconclusive due to the categorical nature of the data provided by most techniques. It has been acknowledged that there is a need for the development of a method for toner analysis that is non-destructive, cost-efficient, and provides quantitative data that can easily be interpreted using statistical methods. The purpose of this dissertation was to develop a method for toner analysis that fulfilled this need using magnetic flux measurements. To achieve this aim, the project objectives were to 1) assess the printing and device factors which affect the repeatability of measurements; 2) determine the critical method and instrument parameters which affect measurement uncertainty as well as to develop a method protocol which considers those parameters and could be implemented in a forensic laboratory setting; 3) conduct a method validation and apply the refined method protocol to a representative population sample of toners.
First, an initial assessment of the magneto-optical imaging technology was conducted which assessed the repeatability and reproducibility of magnetic flux measurements of toners, as well as sample stability. Stability was assessed by measuring the magnetic properties of documents produced by five electrophotographic devices which had been analyzed one year prior. A representative population of 150 toner samples was then assessed using the magnetic flux as a function of toner area as a normalizing unit to determine if significant variation could be observed. The results indicated that magnetic flux does remain stable over time and that there is a relationship between toner area and magnetic flux. The relationship between toner area and magnetic flux allowed for the normalization of data and assisted in comparison of samples with variable text and print features, which is necessary for casework application. The variation present in the population distribution was large enough to allow for discrimination of most samples based on magnetic flux measurement.
After the initial assessment, method development was completed, which included assessing the instrument and method parameters which affect measurement uncertainty and developing a method protocol which considers them. At this stage, multiple analyses were conducted to analyze the impact of the variables which had been identified as potential contributors to the measurement uncertainty. One study assessed the impact of changing toner area within the field of the sensor and controlling the grey value variation during the area determination process using seven samples from different electrophotographic devices. This study found that the toner area could vary without significantly impacting measurement uncertainty as long as contacts with the sensor periphery were minimized, and that limiting the variation of the mean grey value to ± 0.5
pixels was effective in reducing measurement uncertainty. The next study assessed the impacts of hysteresis effects and biasing induction current spatial effects on measurement uncertainty, using five samples from different devices. This study found that both induction current spatial effects and hysteresis effects significantly increased intra sample variation, but that hysteresis effects were reciprocal in different planes of rotation and their impacts can be mitigated using a sampling methodology which conducts measurements from four different orientations. Induction current spatial effects could not be completely mitigated via sampling methodology, but there was a relationship between the percent of toner surface area incident to the induction current and measurement enhancement, so this relationship could be exploited to reduce the impacts of biasing induction current spatial effects, and potentially a method could be developed with further research to correct for the signal enhancement. The last stage of method development involved assessing factors which impacted the reproducibility of measurements via an inter-laboratory study. A method protocol was designed which controlled the variables known to impact measurement uncertainty, and this method protocol was issued together with three toner samples to laboratories which were recruited to participate in the study. Laboratory conditions including the instrument version, software update version, operator, and laboratory setup were found to have a significant impact on the reproducibility of results, though the implementation of a standard method did reduce the levels of measurement uncertainty from those observed in the initial assessment, where the operator was the only reproducibility variable assessed. Though measurements cannot be compared between laboratories at this time, it is possible that the development and deployment of a known reference material for use with
the instrument would further reduce measurement uncertainty and allow for meaningful inter-laboratory comparisons.
Finally, the developed method was validated using a published forensic validation guideline in the field of forensic toxicology. The positive quality control sample provided by the instrument manufacturer was used to assess the bias and precision of measurements, and the potential for matrix effects and interferences were also assessed using five matrix samples from different sources and a collection of 25 different media types that may be encountered on a mixed media document. The bias and precision were found to be within acceptable levels, and no matrix effects or interferents were identified. After validation, the method was applied to a representative population sample. The distribution of measurements in the population sample was similar to the distribution in the initial assessment study, and it was determined that toner populations consistently exhibited variation which provides the potential to discriminate between samples of different origin.
Magnetic flux measurements of toners were found to provide the potential for a robust, non-destructive, cost-efficient method for toner examination which provides continuous quantitative data which can be easily interpreted using commonly employed statistical testing methodologies. Although there is still a need for the development of a known reference material for use with the instrument to reduce measurement uncertainty to a level which would allow for inter-laboratory data comparisons, magnetic flux measurement methods can be validated to forensic laboratory standards, allowing practitioners to deploy another analytical tool for toner printed documents analysis
Towards Trajectory Prediction-based UAV Deployment in Smart Transportation Systems
Get PDFA smart transportation system (i.e., intelligent transportation system) refers to a
transportation critical infrastructure system that integrates advanced technologies (e.g.,
networking, distributed computing, big data analytics, etc.) to improve the efficiency, safety, and
sustainability of the transportation system. However, the rapid increase in the number of vehicles
on roads and significant fluctuations in the flow of traffic can cause the coverage holes of Road
Side Units (RSUs) and local traffic overload in smart transportation systems, which can negatively
affect the performance of systems and causes accidents. To address these issues, deploying
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) as mobile RSUs is a viable approach. Nonetheless, how to
deploy UAVs to the optimal position in the smart transportation system remains an unsolved issue.
This paper proposes a Vehicle Trajectory-based Dynamic UAV Deployment Algorithm
(VTUDA). The VTUDA utilizes vehicle trajectory prediction information to improve the
efficiency of UAV deployment. First, we deploy a distributed Seq2Seq-GRU model to the UAVs
and train the model. We leverage the well-trained model to predict vehicle trajectory. VTUDA
then uses the predicted information to make informed decisions on the optimal location to position
the UAVs. Further- more, VTUDA considers both the condition of communication channels and
energy consumption during the deployment process to ensure that UAVs are deployed to optimal
positions. Our experimental results confirm that the proposed VTUDA can effectively improve the
deployment of UAVs. The experimental results also demonstrate that VTUDA can significantly
enhance vehicle access and communication quality between vehicles and UAVs
The Ties that Bind Us to Society: Siblings, Social Bonds, and Antisocial Behavior
No full textThe research examining the connection between social bonds and antisocial behavior has been extensive and multifaceted, taking various factors such as peer affiliation and sex differences into consideration. Additionally, an emphasis on the type of antisocial behavior most effectively explained by social bonds has been explore. What has not been explored in great depth, however, is the enduring effect of social bonds over time or how social bonds influence differences, if any among and between sibling dyads. The research examining social bonds has largely overlooked any potential variation in social bond influence on antisocial behavior that may exist within families. This study sought to examine how the influence of social bonds on antisocial behavior varies, with a particular emphasis on siblings and sex differences. Results revealed that although limited, social bonds significantly affect nonviolent behavior propensity while considering the influence of biological sex. These findings are discussed in the context of social bonds theory with a discussion about criminological theory more broadly
Strategic Communications in Law Enforcement Agencies
No full textLaw enforcement agencies should develop and employ strategic communications teams to assist public messaging and drive their strategic objectives. The development of such units will help the agency in all aspects of communication, the development of crisis and day-to-day messaging, and the implementation of specified operational and strategic ends. LEAs utilizing STRATCOM teams are proactive in driving departmental narratives, themes, and messages in favor of their agency, enabling a first with the truth mindset. Without such a strategy, agencies are at the mercy of traditional media sources and residents of the infosphere, blogosphere, and information environment (IE), who routinely do not report events as accurately as necessary. Reporting by outside entities creates a lag in accurate narrative propagation and uncertainty that negatively impacts the agency involved. LEAs that are proactive and present in the IE actively cultivate intelligence, which assists in driving and shaping operations. Furthermore, STRATCOM teams enable intelligence sharing amongst key constituencies, assist as an investigative resource, help resolve emerging issues, and facilitate efforts of community interests for the agency. Law enforcement agencies should develop teams by utilizing officers already employed by the department who have an interest in communicative technologies and are tech-savvy.LEMI
IMPROVING THAI ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE (EFL) PRESERVICE TEACHERS’ READING FLUENCY AND COMPREHENSION WITH READERS THEATER
No full textThe aim of this mixed methods research project was to investigate the effects of Readers Theater (RT) on Thai EFL preservice teachers’ English reading fluency and
comprehension. This study also examined these preservice teachers’ perceptions after their participation in the RT strategy for improving English reading fluency and
comprehension. The participants included 67 Thai EFL preservice teachers from a northeastern Thai university. Thirty-five of them were placed in an experimental group and the other 32 formed a control group. The researcher collected quantitative data from pre-test and posttest events and also a 5-scale survey. The qualitative data was gathered from open-ended questions. For 5-scale survey data, the researcher used Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) to calculate the percentage, mean, and standard deviation (SD). The pre-test and posttest scores were analyzed by using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) to determine significant differences between groups within the treatment and control groups on the pre-test. The researcher also used Repeated Measures ANOVA to examine the scores within the experimental group and between the experimental and the control groups. The results showed that the RT participation had effects on Thai EFL preservice teachers’ English reading fluency and comprehension. These results showed that RT strategy significantly improved the participants’ accuracy and fluency but not their reading rate or comprehension. Furthermore, the participants had positive attitudes toward RT as a strategy to improve their English reading fluency and comprehension. The participants also believed that multiple parts of the RT strategy motivated their English reading fluency and comprehension. Additionally, the participants identified fewer disadvantages of the RT strategy in improving their English reading fluency and comprehension than they did the advantages
Supply Chain Risks at US/Mexico Border
No full textThe US/Texas-Mexico border region serves as a vital artery for international trade, essential for linking markets and fueling economic growth. The region's importance extends to multiple sectors, including automotive. Managing supply chain risks pertinent to this area is integral for maintaining smooth operations. This report analyses the challenges faced along the border, from security threats to infrastructural constraints and regulatory complexities. It aims to equip supply chain managers with effective strategies and recommendations to navigate these challenges, particularly from a Texas viewpoint. This report explores the US-Mexico border's economic, political, social, environmental, and cultural significance. It dissects the intricacies of supply chain operations and identifies potential threats leading to disruptions. To mitigate these risks, such as trade policy changes, cross-border delays, labor disputes, natural disasters, cybersecurity threats, regulatory compliance, and economic instability, the report outlines practical strategies. These tactics include supplier diversification, technology integration, fostering strong supplier relationships, risk assessment and planning, inventory management, resilient design, robust cybersecurity measures, and financial risk management. For instance, supplier diversification and geographical dispersion diminish the impact of disruptions, while technology integration facilitates real-time tracking, predictive analytics, and efficient communication. Regulatory compliance, reinforced by robust cybersecurity measures, ensures quality and shields against potential disruptions. The report also underscores the Texan values of resilience, collaboration, innovation, self reliance, and preparedness and their importance in managing the US/Mexico trade. The implementation of the discussed strategies is in alignment with these values, exhibiting their relevance in handling supply chain risks. Emphasizing the need for continuous cooperation and dialogue between the US and Mexico, the report concludes by affirming the importance of proficiently managing supply chain risks. This approach aids in preserving the prosperity of cross-border trade and contributes to the economic robustness of both nations. Companies in the automotive industry, such as Ford and GM, have exemplified the successful implementation of these strategies, demonstrating their efficiency in minimizing disruptions and promoting the seamless flow of goods and services during events like the COVID-19 pandemic. In conclusion, this report elucidates the applicability of various strategies in mitigating supply chain risks. These tactics, adaptable to specific needs and risk tolerance of companies, foster a resilient and secure supply chain, ensuring the uninterrupted flow of goods and services across the US/Texas-Mexico border