Quantitative Research Methods for Political Science, Public Policy and Public Administration for Undergraduates: 1st Edition With Applications in R is an adaption of Quantitative Research Methods for Political Science, Public Policy and Public Administration (With Applications in R). The focus of this book is on using quantitative research methods to test hypotheses and build theory in political science, public policy and public administration. This new version of the text omits large portions of the original text that focused on calculus and linear algebra, expands and reorganizes the content on the software system R and includes guided study questions at the end of each chapter. / https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu-oer/1004/thumbnail.jpg

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Orthodontics research investigates the methods in which tooth displacement may be directed in the tooth-periodontal ligament-bone-complex. In the biological environment, the periodontal ligament is the soft tissue responsible for the absorption of forces on teeth and has a direct connection to tooth mobility. Current research is limited in that it must be conducted in an in-vivo capacity. A major advancement in orthodontics research would be a testing method that allows for the development and analysis of orthodontic devices without a patient present. This study outlines the development and testing methods for the validation of an artificial periodontal ligament to be used in conjunction with an artificial-tooth-periodontal ligament-bone-complex. The study focused on finding the criteria in which consistent results were produced, the mixture that best simulated the human periodontal ligament’s mechanical behavior, and the robustness of the artificial-periodontal ligament-bone-complex. This study utilized a geometrically accurate denture mold filled with varying compositions of an artificial periodontal ligament for testing. Experiments focused on findings of viscoelasticity, curing times, and instantaneous responses of the teeth under direct orthodontic loading, as well as the changes in response from different teeth within the denture mold. Tests confirmed that a mixture composed of 50\% Gasket Sealant No. 2 and 50\% RTV 587 Silicone produced a substance that could adequately serve as an artificial periodontal ligament.

For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com. In this brief note written during a global pandemic, we consider some of the important ways this historical moment is altering the religious landscape, aiming our investigative lens at how religious institutions, congregations, and individuals are affected by the social changes produced by COVID-19. This unprecedented time prompts scholars of religion to reflect on how to strategically approach the study of religion in the time of “social distancing,” as well as moving forward. Particularly important considerations include developing heuristic, innovative approaches for revealing ongoing changes to religion, as well as how religion continues to structure social life across a wide range of contexts, from the most intimate and personal to the most public and global. Although our note can only be indicative rather than exhaustive, we do suggest that the initial groundwork for reconsiderations might productively focus on several key analytical themes, including: Epidemiology, Ideology, Religious Practice, Religious Organizations and Institutions, as well as Epistemology and Methodology. In offering these considerations as a starting point, we remain aware (and hopeful) that inventive and unanticipated approaches will also emerge.

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Insufficient research training contributes to the current shortage of researchers in the field of speech-language pathology and contributes to the dearth of multicultural and multilingual (MCML) research. There is limited information regarding how MCML issues are addressed in Research Methods courses in CSD. This research explores the extent to which MCML issues are included in CSD Research courses.Learner Outcome(s): Identify the importance of MCML in research method courses Describe ASHA MCML resources Describe strategizes to integrate MCML issues into coursework

The purpose of this study was to determine which MT techniques current licensed massage therapists practicing sports massage are using to treat delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) by conducting an anonymous online survey of practicing sports massage therapists. The secondary purpose was to determine if previous sports massage research protocols match current practices in sports massage to treat DOMS. There were 85 anonymous respondents ranging in age from 24 to 74 years with a mean age of 44.5 years. Participants included 55 female (65.5%) and 29 male (34.5%) therapists. Professional experience ranged from 4 years or less to more than 20 years, and the majority reported having training specific to sports massage. Previous research methods have placed an overwhelming emphasis on effleurage and petrissage in the treatment protocols to test the effects of massage on DOMS. However, practicing therapists rely on many more techniques and modalities when giving sports massage treatments for DOMS. On a scale of 1 to 5 respondents rated the importance of effleurage strokes in their sports massage treatment at 3.3, petrissage strokes averaged 3.4, friction 3.3, and tapotement ranked slightly lower with a weighted average of 2.1. Sixty six percent of respondents reported that they use stretching techniques often or always. Myofascial release techniques are used sometimes or often for 65% of the respondents, but fewer utilize manual lymphatic drainage in their sports massage. Additional techniques besides those mentioned in the survey are used by 64% of the respondents.

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Thesis advisor: Brinton Lykes / This study used a systematic meta-synthesis methodology to explore and expand upon the field of youth participatory action research (YPAR) through synthesizing findings for a change-oriented audience interested in how YPAR has been and can be leveraged to support youth outcomes reported in current and future YPAR academic literature. With that in mind, I screened, coded, and synthesized studies using both inductive and deductive processes to support my meta-synthesis. This included defining, and systematically searching databases for keywords, screening the academic literature, assessing the quality of the literature, and extracting and presenting the formal data before undergoing detailed thematic analysis and validation. Of the 153 non-duplicated English-language US-based YPAR sources read and analyzed for fit, 20 distinct studies were included in the final sample. These studies were coded for documented reports of youth-led research activities and youth-directed change. A description and analysis of YPAR principles, project and contextual characteristics, study methods, and reported youth outcomes are included. Analyses confirmed that this YPAR literature emphasized youth leadership in problem-posing and data collection contexts, with fewer studies involving youth in leading the data analysis and reporting the academic findings. Moreover, while thereare many studies that report a change as part of the desired action, there are fewer that explicitly explore how the youth understand the change as being aligned with their interests ‒ or that show the youth seeing the change through to the end of their involvement with the project. While most common outcomes associated with participation in YPAR were related to the discussion of youth leadership, followed by academic or social changes, interpersonal outcomes were also explored through discussions about the importance of youth involvement in YPAR. Additionally, more recent research has tended to emphasize the role of change (also called “action” or “impact”) and youth’s protagonism in exploring if the actions that the YPAR studies initiated are beneficial to the youth’s own goals, versus more general goals or outcomes. This meta-synthesis provided increasing support for the role of YPAR in fostering some of the skills and competencies youth wish to acquire and that their teachers, mentors, etc. seek for them. This dissertation offers a methodological discussion on YPAR that can provide greater evidence of YPAR’s contributions to youth outcomes, where youth’s protagonism is explored as a contributing factor for the shifts in intrapersonal, relational, and contextual outcomes. Throughout the dissertation, this meta-synthesis offers suggestions as to implications for research, practice, and policy. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2023. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Counseling, Developmental and Educational Psychology.

Since the 1950s, Capacity Development (CD) has been an important component of international development agendas. It established the widespread consensus that the capacity of individuals and organizations is critical to maintaining and enhancing the effectiveness of development projects and programs. A problem, however, is that the concept has been applied without due consideration to how it should be adapted to the local context, making it more of a symbolic gesture. The application of CD to urban infrastructure projects in India is one such example. Recognizing the shortage of urban infrastructure as one of the major impediments in India's economic growth and rapid urbanization, the Government of India (GOI) launched the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) in December 2005 to provide substantial central financial assistance to cities for urban development over a period of seven years. The GOI expected the JNNURM to reform institutions and strengthen human resource capability related to many areas of project delivery. During its implementation, however, the JNNURM has been confronted by problems related to a lack of capacity. This research reviews the capacity challenges related to the JNNURM program and considers the broader implications for urban infrastructure development in other developing countries. This research begins with the question "How can CD be operationalized?" From this starting point, the research seeks to reveal the operational values of CD. Following a detailed literature review on CD, capacity factors that are applicable to the urban sector in India are identified and a CD framework is developed. Two research methods--case studies and fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA)--are adopted to answer the primary research questions. By leveraging the strength of these two methods, this research advances our understanding of the relationship between capacity and development goals such as improving project performance. In the case studies, this research investigates the gaps between CD theory and practice through the lens of practitioner perceptions of CD. In addition, unlike traditional thinking on the linear relationship between capacity and project outcomes, the case studies reveal two-way causal relationships between capacity and project outcomes that form a spiral structure between the project delivery process and capacity factors. Better capacity can enhance project performance and lead to better outcomes, and project performance and outcomes also influence and reinforce capacity in the reverse direction. Moreover, through the fsQCA, this research identified causal relationships between capacity factors and outcomes and demonstrated that the capacity factors generate different outcomes through their interactions with other capacity factors. This finding contributes to our understanding of how capacity is interconnected with development goals. In summary, this research contributes to both CD theory and CD practice based on a comprehensive approach that not only considers CD at multiple levels (environmental, organizational/network, and individual/project), but also covers different CD subjects such as context, actors, dimensions, processes, and impacts. Through this comprehensive approach, a range of important findings are developed that can help researchers and practitioners operationalize the complex concept of CD. / Ph. D.