16144 research outputs found
Sort by
Voices Remembered—The Story of Richard Brokaw
Get PDFVietnam Veteran Sergeant Richard Brokaw served in the United States Army during a turbulent period of the latter 20th century. Like many born in the post-WWII years, he entered the service desiring to do his patriotic duty, but the complexities of the Vietnam Era forever changed him and his nation. Framed by the larger Cold War between the United States and its North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies, and the Soviet Union and its allies, Vietnam exemplified the struggle for ideological and strategic global dominance. The nebulous aims of policy leaders compounded by increasing numbers of dead and wounded, and a divisive military draft, moved young people, especially college students, to directly resist. For the men and women who joined the military as volunteers or as draftees, the social changes in the United States added to the burdens of their military service. Most performed their duties to the best of their abilities to uphold and defend the United States Constitution. Regardless of their political beliefs or feelings about Vietnam, they did their duty with honor and integrity. Sergeant Richard Brokaw was one of those persons. While not serving directly in Vietnam, he performed valuable intelligence work as it pertained to data collection against America’s other Cold War rival: China. As a significant ally of North Vietnam, China’s actions had significant consequences for U.S. personnel in Vietnam. This project, based on personal interviews, recounts the experiences, and contributions, of Vietnam Era Veteran Sergeant Richard Brokaw
Operation Swing: How Jazz Helped to Win World War II
Get PDFNames like Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman are inextricably linked to the Swing Era and were at the height of their favor during the years of World War II. Songs like “In the Mood” and “Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree” can be viewed as simply the popular songs of the day, but their importance reaches far beyond the scope of popular media. There already exists an immense body of knowledge in the areas of jazz history and World War II history, but the knowledge base on the history of jazz within the scope of the second World War is limited. My research contributes to the field by showing how the performance and symbolism of jazz as well as certain key jazz musicians helped to win the war in a real sense. This paper will assert that jazz music, and swing in particular, made a significant positive contribution to the war effort, and that, besides guns and ammunition, jazz was used as a weapon in fighting the war. The GIs’ favorite jazz songs helped to keep their love for America strong, the selling of war-bonds was aided by the performance of jazz at concerts and on the radio, and jazz music was a major source of pro-American propaganda that was used to actively “fight” the enemy. The paper will also explore how World War II and the new world order worked to bring significant changes to the world of jazz. The work of Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, and Bing Crosby in particular will be extensively analyzed to provide material support
The Effect of a Four-Week HUMAC Balance Training Program on Unilateral Static Balance Among Recreationally Active College Students
No full textExergaming balance boards may have potential for improving balance in orthopedic and neurological patients. Examples are the Nintendo Wii Balance Board and Wii Fit software, which include balance training opportunities for the consumer. This study was designed to determine the effect of a four-week HUMAC Balance Board training program, three times per week, for 30 minutes per session on static balance in recreational college students (experimental, n=9). It was hypothesized that training with the HUMAC Balance System would significantly improve unilateral static balance compared to a control group (n=8). Following training, no significant differences were seen between groups in stability scores obtained during 30 seconds of quiet unilateral standing with eyes open (experimental, pre: 91.7 ± 2.7%, post: 91.2 ± 3.2%; control, pre: 91.0 ± 2.6%, post: 91.7 ± 2.5%; p = .614) or eyes closed (experimental, pre: 80.1 ± 5.5%, post: 77.4 ± 6.7%; control, pre: 79.8 ± 3.7%, post: 83.5 ± 3.0%; p = .058). Center of pressure path lengths during quiet standing were also not different between groups following training with eyes open (experimental, pre: 36.4 ± 4.9, post: 36.9 ± 4.4; control, pre: 36.5 ± 9.3, post: 36.0 ± 7.7; p = .631) or eyes closed (experimental, pre: 87.8 ± 25.5, post: 93.3 ± 37.4; control, pre: 83.6 ±21.3, post: 75.1 ±13.8, p = .193). Conducting unilateral pre- and post-testing balance assessment with a bilateral training program was considered a major limitation in our results and should be taken into account for future studies
The Effects of Interactive iBooks on Advanced Secondary Statistic Students’ Motivation and Academic Achievement
No full textThe purpose of this mixed method’s study was to explore the impact (both motivational and academic) of using the media-rich, interactive iBooks in a high school statistics class. The researchers interviewed and observed a unique stats class in which the entire course was taught using an iBooks textbook. These statistic students were assessed at the beginning and end of the term via a national stats content exam and an introductory statistics attitude survey. Preliminary results indicate that high school students show academic growth of key statistical concepts, and that their motivation is directly affected by teacher attributes
Holland Symphony Past & Present: Analysis of the Administration of This Semi-Professional Orchestra and Its Vital Role in the Community
No full textThe Holland Symphony Orchestra began in 1927 as a small amateur group, and has since grown into a thriving semi-professional orchestra. This project used archival sources including concert programs, notes from meetings, and family documents to reconstruct the early history of the organization, in order to try to understand some of the keys to its success. From this case study it evident that a strong and central administrative role is needed in such an organization in order to keep it afloat. In his book The Art of the Turnaround, Michael M. Kaiser, the President of the John F. Kennedy Center, states that to run a successful arts organization a cycle is needed to promote and preserve the organization. A successful arts organization requires a cycle of four factors: great art, the marketing of that art, a supportive family, and revenue. When all four of these factors are sustained an arts organization will flourish. The evolution and growth of the Holland Symphony is correlated to ‘The Cycle’ laid out by Michael M. Kaiser. The increase in performers, venue size, marketing, and support the symphony has seen over the years is evidence that the community has found the Holland Symphony to be a vital source of musical entertainment and thus the administration has grown in direct relationship to Kaiser’s ‘Cycle’
Comparison of Outcomes in Patients with Femoral Arteriotomy with or without Post-Procedural Anticoagulants
No full textPatients with femoral arteriotomy are routinely given post-procedural anti-coagulants, regardless of the method used to achieve access site closure. This project aims to examine the effect of post-procedural anti-coagulants on patient outcomes, focusing on development of complications. The nursing conceptual framework used for this project is Callista Roy’s Adaptation model of nursing. The study was conducted using a retrospective chart review. Data was collected for the project using a data collection tool to analyze patient chart records. Use of post-procedural anti-coagulants and development of complications were noted, along with demographic information and other relevant treatment data. The data collected will be subjected to statistical analysis examining correlation using SPSS statistical software. The sample size of the project includes twenty patients, taken from records of in-patient treatment at a hospital in the Midwest. Analysis of the data shows no significant relationships between patient outcomes and post-procedural anticoagulant use. Limitations to this study include the use of patient records, which must allow for possible inaccuracies in charting, as well as a small sample size. Implications of the study include possible changes to medication usage in post-procedural patients
Christian Model of Mental Health Care for South Korean Youth
Get PDFThe state of mental health in South Korea is very poor, where a flourishing mental health state is rare and a struggling one is the norm. This is true for a wide range of populations, but adolescents, specifically high school students in South Korea, very well may be most vulnerable. Suicide statistics in South Korea are the highest among Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) nations, with statistics of students’ happiness ranking South Korea at the bottom of the world alongside third-world countries. Studies have identified alcohol abuse, peer pressure, competition at work and in education, and a warped sense of oneself and what is beautiful as some of the sources of this deprived mental state. In investigating this issue, the project takes an approach based on the Christian faith. A Christian understanding of the Fall and the redemptive work of Christ will provide new perspectives, both in understanding a deprived state of mental health, and in developing a model of mental health care that is in alignment with the teachings of Christ. Understanding mental health poverty as broken relationships with others, God, self, and the environment acknowledges that only Christ has the power to redeem and save. How could our model of mental health practices be influenced by a holistic understanding of the causes behind mental health poverty and by defining a completely healthy and flourishing state of mind as one that is in alignment with God’s vision of shalom and our purpose of giving Him praise? The project will systematically examine the causes of poverty of mental health as perceived by high school students in urban South Korea to inform the development of a model of mental health care specifically suited to that population
Molecular Systematics And Biogeography Of Wisteria Inferred From Nucleotide Sequences Of Nuclear And Plastid Genes
No full textPrevious molecular phylogenetic studies of Fabaceae indicated that species of Wisteria, an intercontinental disjunct genus between eastern Asia and eastern North America, formed a clade derived from within Callerya. However, interspecific relationships were not well resolved or supported. In this study, we used sequences of the nuclear ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer region and the chloroplast gene matK to examine interspecific relationships and explore implications of the phylogeny for the systematics and biogeography of Wisteria. Our results showed that Wisteria with deciduous leaves and racemose inflorescences formed a strongly supported clade derived from within the paraphyletic Callerya. Afgekia was also found to be included within Callerya. Therefore, our data support the merger of Afgekia, Callerya, and Wisteria. The phylogenetic pattern suggested that the deciduousness in Wisteria may be a derived trait likely in response to temperate climate, and the racemose inflorescences in the Afgekia-Callerya-Wisteria clade may have evolved from panicles. Our study also provided strong support for the sister relationship of the North American and eastern Asian species of Wisteria. In the Asian clade, Wisteria brachybotrys Siebold & Zucc. of Japan was sister to the clade containing W. floribunda (Willd.) DC of Japan and Korea, and W. sinensis (Sims) Sweet of China. However, our data offered weak support for the sister relationship of W. floribunda and W. sinensis. Our divergence time and biogeographic analyses suggested that the eastern Asian-North American disjunction in Wisteria may have occurred through a dispersal event in the middle Miocene (13.4 Mya) from the Old World to the New World across the Bering land bridge followed by vicarian
Autonomic Composite Hydrogels By Reactive Printing: Materials And Oscillatory Response
No full textAutonomic materials are those that automatically respond to a change in environmental conditions, such as temperature or chemical composition. While such materials hold incredible potential for a wide range of uses, their implementation is limited by the small number of fully-developed material systems. To broaden the number of available systems, we have developed a post-functionalization technique where a reactive Ru catalyst ink is printed onto a non-responsive polymer substrate. Using a succinimideamine coupling reaction, patterns are printed onto co-polymer or biomacromolecular films containing primary amine functionality, such as polyacrylamide (PAAm) or poly-N-isopropyl acrylamide (PNIPAAm) copolymerized with poly-N-(3-Aminopropyl)methacrylamide (PAPMAAm). When the films are placed in the Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) solution medium, the reaction takes place only inside the printed nodes. In comparison to alternative BZ systems, where Ru-containing monomers are copolymerized with base monomers, reactive printing provides facile tuning of a range of hydrogel compositions, as well as enabling the formation of mechanically robust composite monoliths. The autonomic response of the printed nodes is similar for all matrices in the BZ solution concentrations examined, where the period of oscillation decreases in response to increasing sodium bromate or nitric acid concentration. A temperature increase reduces the period of oscillations and temperature gradients are shown to function as pace-makers, dictating the direction of the autonomic response (chemical waves)
Using Modern Technology To Keep In Touch With Back Burners: An Investment Model Analysis
No full textRelationship research and theory recognizes that individuals continue to monitor the availability of their romantic/sexual prospects whether or not they are already in a committed relationship. We use the term back burner to describe a desired potential or continuing romantic/sexual partner with whom one communicates, but to whom one is not exclusively committed. Although communication with back burners is not new, modern technology affords novel channels (e.g., social networking applications and text messaging) that individuals are using to connect with back burners. A survey study (N = 374) explored whether people used technology to communicate with back burners, as well as relationships between back burner contacts and investment model variables (Rusbult, 1980). Results indicated that back burner activity through electronic channels was common, men reported more back burners than women, and that number of back burners associated positively with quality of alternatives. For those in committed relationships, no relationships were observed between back burner activity and commitment to or investment in the relationship. Implications and limitations are discussed