Middle Tennessee State University
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The Impact of Age and Internet Use on Depression
Get PDFInternet use is a prominent part of most adults’ lives. It is used for purposes of entertainment, staying informed, shopping, and staying socially engaged. Researchers are becoming increasingly aware of the impact internet use has on users’ mental health. There is research supporting both the benefits of internet use on reducing depression and the negative impact internet use has on depression. Using the 2016 wave of the GSS dataset this study examined the impact of age and internet use on depression. Using OLS regression and bivariate analyses this study found that older adults reported lower levels of depression than younger adults and used the internet far less frequently as well. However, within the older adult population, those who used the internet frequently were more depressed than other older adults who did not use the internet frequently.M.L.A
Assessing Right Parietal Lobe Functions in Alzheimer's Disease Using the Mass Overlapping Figures Test
Get PDFThe purpose of this study was to assess performance on the Mass Overlapping Figures Test (MOFT) between patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and controls. Thirty-nine control individuals were given this newly developed neuropsychological test, in addition other standardized tests. Thirty-nine AD patients were included as retrospective data from previous neuropsychological assessments. Controls were predicted to perform better on the MOFT than the AD group and that the AD group scores on the MOFT were predicted to significantly correlate to their mental status. The MOFT was predicted to demonstrate convergent validity with other tests of visuospatial and right parietal functioning. There was a significant difference in MOFT performance between controls and the AD group, and the MOFT scores had a positive significant correlation to the MMSE scores in the AD group. Convergent validity for the MOFT with the RBANS Line Orientation subtest and the Necker Cube Copy test was not significant.M.A
AGGREGATE LOSS PREDICTION USING MULTIPLE-CLASS CLASSIFICATION TECHNIQUES
Get PDFIn this thesis, we consider a model for predicting future losses in car insurance
applications by using multiple-class classi cation algorithms.
In the car insurance payment data, the records can be divided into four di erent
groups based on the di erent types of payments, such as labor-dominant (LD), parts-
dominant (PD), other-dominant (OD), and none-dominant (ND) payments. We rst
apply the multi-class classi cation algorithm to predict the probabilities that a ran-
domly selected subject belongs to the corresponding group, then, for simplicity, the
predicted payment amount can be calculated by using the total expectation formula
after determining the conditional expected payment amount using training data. This
method is easy to implement and yield satisfactory prediction accuracy.
We compared proposed model accuracy against general linear regression and clas-
sical individual aggregate loss models accuracy for the test dataset. The comparison
results show that the proposed model outperforms other models in accuracy for given
test datasets. The matrix used to describe the distribution of the true groups and
the distribution of the predicted groups indicates there exists a relationship between
the payment amount and the type of group it belongs to.M.S
Risk Perception Implications on Intention to Visit
Get PDFThe research developed in this study measured risk perception components in relation to visit intentions. Three of the seven risk components were measured in the current study: physical, financial, and performance risks. Researchers used a pretest method to select the study’s destination and to provide reassurance in the level of crime statistics that were given to participants (high crime, low crime, and control group—no crime). From convenience sampling, participants were randomly placed in one of three different groups for manipulation: high crime group, low crime group, and control group—no crime. After being placed in their group, they answered all questions about risk and concluded with visit intention questions. The results of this study were not in congruence with many studies surrounding risk perception implications on visit intentions.M.S
Bacterial-Fungal Interactions Affect the Physiology of the Causative Agent of White-Nose Syndrome, Pseudogymnoascus destructans
Get PDFThe pathogenic fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans causes white-nose syndrome of bats and has led to massive population declines in North American bat species. Infection with Pseudogymnoascus destructans is partially dependent on host-microbiome-pathogen interactions on the bat’s skin. Bacterial-fungal interactions range from mutualistic to antagonistic in nature and exist in a range of environments and hosts. One of the most specific bacterial-fungal interactions occurs when fungi harbor an endohyphal bacterium. The objective of this project was to characterize a bacterial-fungal interaction between P. destructans and Nocardia sp. using molecular, physiological, and microscopic techniques. I found molecular and visual evidence of an endohyphal bacterium in the genus Nocardia in 18 isolates of P. destructans. Fungal isolates were subjected to antibiotic treatment to remove the bacterial associate. Isolates that were released of their relationship with Nocardia had higher protease activity and were shown to have increased expression of the gene encoding virulence factor SP1. This work demonstrates the first endohyphal bacterial-fungal interaction in a wildlife pathogen and a likely antagonistic relationship between the bacterium and fungus.M.S
How Can Parental Involvement In Formative Assessment Impact Math Achievement In 4th Grade?
Get PDFABSTRACT
With the changes in the Tennessee standards, the testing format has become more rigorous. Teachers who usually made high achievement scores in math, now struggle to adapt to teaching the new TNReady standards and prepare for the TNReady assessment (high stakes assessment). The school selected for this study was a Level 1 (on a 1-5 scale, 1 being the lowest score) in math on the TNReady assessment last school year; scores have been getting lower over the past three years. This study investigated how parental involvement in formative assessment impacts math achievement in 4th grade. By involving parents more in their child’s education, the hope was that math achievement scores would improve. Strategies such as having parents/teachers watch a Parental Involvement in Formative Assessment video and use formative feedback with their child/student were implemented along with other forms of parent/teacher communication such as email, text, phone calls, and notes sent home to parents.Ed.D
HOW FOOTBALL PERFORMANCE AFFECTS ALUMNI DONATIONS TO COLLEGIATE ATHLETICS AT MTSU
Get PDFAthletic fundraising is one of the primary sources of revenue for NCAA
Division I athletic departments. Thus, it is considered to be the foundation of any successful collegiate athletic department. Through the decades, economical turndowns and excessive increase in academic and operating costs have created large deficits in the annual budgets of many athletic departments, making athletic departments for the most part self-efficient (Knight Commission, 2010; Hall & Mahony, 1997). The NCAA (2018) reported all Division I colleges and universities outside of the “Power 5” conferences to have exceeded their total generated revenues with their expenses. In fact, many Division I institutions, including Middle Tennessee State University, still continue to increase fundraising efforts in support of intercollegiate athletics. The purpose of this study is to examine how the performance of the most revenue generator sport – football – at MTSU affects alumni donations to the general fund and football-specific gifts through the Blue Raider Athletic Association. The study found no statistically significant relationship between football team performance over the course of ten years and alumni donations to the BRAA general fund and football-specific gifts. The results open the door to further studies at MTSU, to determine how to improve the fund raising strategies that target alumni donations used by the BRAA, and to analyze the reasons why alumni give to general fund and sport-specific.M.S
ANALYZING THE IMPACT OF OKR GOAL SETTING WITH TEACHERS ON STUDENT AND TEACHER PERFORMANCE OUTCOMES
Get PDFSchool improvement remains one of the most prevalent and often controversial topics in education today, and key to improving schools is understanding the role teachers play as a primary influence on student learning. Consistent and ongoing improvement, however, has not been subjugated to education alone, and looking for improvement strategies outside the field of education can provide valuable insights on new methods of school improvement. In this study, therefore, I investigated the impact of implementing John Doerr’s Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) goal setting, improvement model used in business to the K12 school environment.
Following a quasi-experimental design, I conducted a quantitative study that analyzed the impact this improvement model had specifically on teacher performance, student performance in English/Language Arts and Mathematics, and teacher motivation. The literature and research around goal setting and motivation strongly supported the hypothesis that the experimental group would show improvements. However, the data was not supportive of the use of OKRs in any of the research areas.
This research was conducted during the Fall semester of the 2020-2021 school year which coincided with the Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic which greatly altered the schooling environment in many ways. Due to this, the research was impacted by confounding variables that would not have normally been present and results should be viewed through this lens. This research study still provides an insight into the value of goal setting on motivation and performance and provides implications for practice, policy, and future research in this area.Ed.D
What Makes a Monster and What Makes a Man: Uncovering the Key to Disney Theatrical Productions's Success in Transferring Animated Films to Broadway
No full textWhat Makes a Monster and What Makes a Man: Uncovering the Key to Disney Theatrical Productions’s Success in Transferring Animated Films to Broadway
By
Aubrey Zurhellen
Thesis Director: Kate Goodwin
This thesis explores the critical and commercial success of Disney Theatrical Productions on Broadway. Specifically, the six stage adaptations of animated films on Broadway are examined in order to find the key points of success. Extensive research from critic reviews, academic journals, scripts, and financial reports have shaped this thesis. With all of this information, I was able to determine that Disney Theatrical Production’s success is found through the inclusion of nostalgic elements to support beloved, timeless stories; contextually-motivated spectacle with substance; strong concepts with unified creative teams; and involvement of the audience in the narrative in order to best appeal to two separate, important target audiences and to prove artistically innovative enough for critical approval
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No full textMiddle Tennessee State University arts and literary journal features art, photography, poetry, and short stories from current students and recent graduates