Master of Science / Food Science - Human Nutrition / Delores Chambers / Researchers evaluated the flavor characteristics of seven black walnut (Juglans nigra L.) cultivars: Brown Nugget, Davidson, Emma K, Football, Sparks 127, Sparrow, and Tomboy using descriptive sensory analysis. Seven trained panelists developed a lexicon for the black walnuts and scored the intensities of the samples for 22 flavor and taste attributes. Results showed that the 7 samples differed significantly (P ≤ 0.05) on 13 of the attributes. For the majority of the attributes, only Emma K differed from the rest of the cultivars by being characterized with lower scores for black walnut ID, overall nutty, nutty-grain-like, nutty-buttery, floral/fruity, oily, and overall sweet. It also was higher in acrid, burnt, fruity-dark, musty/earthy, rancid, and bitter attributes. Researchers then incorporated the black walnut cultivars into a simple cookie recipe and evaluated the samples for differences in flavor attributes using the same trained panelists. Nine of the 25 attributes differed significantly across cultivars: black walnut ID, overall nutty, nutty-buttery, brown, toasted, acrid, rancid, overall sweet, and sweet (P ≤ 0.05). Lower mean scores in black walnut ID, overall nutty, and sweet and higher mean scores in rancid and acrid characterized the Emma K cookie. A PCA biplot revealed that cookies with Football, Sparks 127, and Sparrow walnuts related with one another and the attributes nutty-woody, leavening, and piney. A consumer acceptance test for six of the cookies (Tomboy cultivar was excluded) was also performed. There were four significant clusters of consumers that differed in their acceptance of the cookie samples. Cluster 1 preferred Football, clusters 2 and 3 each showed no overall preference, and cluster 4 preferred Emma K suggesting a set of niche consumers for black walnut cookies. Results presented in this paper can assist black walnut growers in determining which cultivars to plant and harvest. By knowing which cultivars have the most desirable flavor characteristics, growers can focus time and resources on select cultivars, therefore resulting in higher quality black walnuts as products to be sold to consumers in various formats. By consciously choosing which cultivars to harvest, black walnut growers can meet market demand and increase profit.

Technology acceptance in education has been and continues to be a central concern for researchers, application and platform developers, and educators. Rapid advancements in miniaturization along with the availability of fast, reliable, and affordable networks have sparked an increasing demand by students for better ways to complement their mobile lifestyles in support of their learning. Based on a review of the literature of technology acceptance and trends in mobile device usage in learning, this researcher tested the predictive power of the Mobile Learning Acceptance Model (MLAM) in an online higher education setting. MLAM is an extension of the technology acceptance model (TAM) inasmuch as it seeks to obtain user perceptions of usefulness and ease of use and their effect on user attitude and behavioral intention to use mobile devices for learning. For this research, users included students and faculty. Current literature indicates that student desire for access to a variety of learning resources anywhere anytime is growing yet little is known regarding faculty perceptions regarding mobile learning (m-learning) or on how institutions can position themselves to meet the growing demand. A web-based survey design was used to test MLAM using a previously developed and validated instrument, though updated to include and exclude what is now or no longer applicable and the wording modified to ensure relevancy to the target population studied. Exploratory factor analysis was performed to validate the factor structure. Multiple regression analysis was performed to determine which factors had the greatest influence on m-learning acceptance. Group analyses revealed significant differences among faculty and students between age groups, mobile device experience levels, and desired academic uses of mobile devices. The results of this study enables administrators to make informed decisions regarding information technology (IT) investments, allocate scarce resources strategically, and implement appropriate technical support systems. Findings from this investigation may also be of interest to instructional designers, m-learning application developers, and mobile device manufacturers who will gain a better understanding of how to develop m-learning solutions that are both useful and easy to use.

This paper thoroughly examines the production of the thesis film, For Justin. Each area of the film's production is discussed and analyzed, including the writing, directing, production design, cinematography, editing, sound, and workflow. My decisions in these areas will be discussed at length and ultimately the final film will be analyzed in order to determine whether I achieved my goal of challenging myself to create a heartfelt, touching film with high production values for my twin brother, Justin.

A problem of non-acceptance of new information technologies becomes a predominant obstacle that results in companies’ losses and represents an arena of avid debate for researchers. Hereof this netnographic study explores changes in the individual beliefs that contribute to new information system acceptance such as autopilot in the light of the Technology Acceptance model (TAM). The research takes place within three automobile communities related to Tesla Motors and uses content analysis for its collected data. Based on the findings new influencers on individual beliefs emerge hence the research proposes to incorporate these determinants into the adopted TAM model. This study has theoretical, practical and methodological contributions.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a behaviorally-based intervention that emphasizes psychological processes related to mindfulness, values, committed actions towards values, defusion from troubling thoughts, and acceptance. ACT is often used with populations who experience psychological inflexibility or stress, but not much research has been done understanding how ACT processes may affect everyday tasks within the common public or within business practices. The present study used a randomized controlled trial to determine the effect that statements related to ACT processes given while receiving a bar tending service altered the outcome tipping percentage from guests. The current research also discussed how each statement used relates back to the various components of ACT. The current study suggests a potential way to increase tips that a bartender or server can receive by providing a simple ACT-based statement to their customers while still maintaining an inviting and friendly environment for entertainment. Results of this study indicated that the use of mindfulness statements was statistically significant, t(53) = 1.68, p < .098. While one of the six prepared and randomized mindfulness statements, “It’s it a nice night for a drink?” used was statistically significant in increasing tip revenue when compared to all other mindfulness statements used and the low-quality control statements used in a one-way ANOVA analysis, F(6, 48) = 1.799, p = .11. Results of this study were not significant for a t-test comparing statements and total tip value received compared to total bill amount t(5) = 0.887, p < .378. Additionally, results of a two-way ANOVA comparing male and female and tip value also displayed no statistical significance F(1, 51) = 0.051, p = .82, F(1, 51) = 1.106, p = .29, with no significant interaction, F(1, 51) = 2.467, p = .12. Lastly, a two-way ANOVA comparing male and female and total tip value received compared to total bill amount displayed no significance as well F(1, 51) = 0.448, p = .50, F(1, 51) = 1.439, p = .23, with no significant interaction F(1, 51) = 0.693, p = .40. Organizational behavior management (OBM) is an area of behavior intervention ripe for ACT research. Future OBM research could extend upon by incorporating the use of ACT, or ACT related processes into everyday business models and behaviors.

BACKGROUND: Patients receiving haemodialysis (HD) treatment experience a significant symptom burden and their needs are multifaceted. In HD unit, patients receive treatment in a diverse cultural and open ward setting. However, patients‟ experiences of receiving HD treatment in an open ward setting are not known. OBJECTIVES: The central aim of this study was to explore and describe the experiences of patients receiving HD treatment in an open setting environment at an academic hospital in Johannesburg. DESIGN: A qualitative, exploratory and descriptive study was conducted at a public, tertiary level academic hospital in Johannesburg after obtaining ethical approval from Wits University and relevant authorities. SETTING: The research setting for this study was an adult Chronic Renal Dialysis Unit. POPULATION: Sixteen adult (age 18 and above) patients receiving chronic HD treatment were recruited purposively in this study. INTERVENTIONS: An in-depth semi-structured interview was conducted either before or after receiving HD treatment, which was audio-recorded, transcribed then analysed by using Giorgi Phenomenological method. FINDINGS: A mood enhancer appeared a major theme as participants positively valued the open setting environment for their overall and psychological well-being. Participants expressed by being with others and sharing experiences, a sense of community likened to a family developed. Common to all participants‟ language was the use of the “we” in relation to being in the open setting environment. This expression of the “we” by participants was interpreted as a community concept. The use of “we” associated with the concept of community described as a space to which every patient receiving HD belonged. They described their experiences in a collective manner. This was evident in repetitive reference to their common space, being together, sharing experiences, and finding identity from one another, being understood and a sense of being protected with personal relations that extend beyond 10 years for some. This open space contributed to shaping their perception of body image and illness. The nurse‟s role in timeously providing HD care was appreciated by many. However, being exposed to multiple situations of chronic illness and treatment a sense of fear developed. Any negative event experienced, watched, observed, or heard in the HD unit triggered fear in the patients. Two common fears were of HD complications and the constant threat of death. Complications such as clotting, muscle cramps and collapsing because of hypotension as well as watching somebody dying on the machine were all reported in this study and so psychological counselling was felt to be very important. CONCLUSION The recommendations proposed in this study hopefully will assist HD staff to intervene and make adjustments to support patients‟ holistic needs. Further studies into patients receiving HD in open settings and mixed-gender space are required for diversity of experiences and knowledge from different settings. Keywords: Haemodialysis, hospital environment, open setting, patient experiences

In this study, the underlying constructs affecting the perceived performance of mobile devices at work in grocery stores is examined. Furthermore, those constructs are combined in order to create a theoretical framework that aims to explain new relationships and draw conclusions on how organizational position plays a role in how certain constructs affect the perceived performance of mobile devices in the workplace. At first, three constructs were examined as independent variables, Job relevance, being defined as person’s perception of the level of applicability of a certain system to the individual’s job (Venkatesh &amp; Davis, 2000, p.191), in this case, the system was mobile devices. The second construct included in the framework was self-efficacy. Self-efficacy is a construct that encompasses people’s judgements of their capabilities to organize and execute courses of action required to accomplish designated types of performance (Bandura, cited in Jeong, Lee, Nagesvaran, 2016, p.41). Once again, this was linked with the use of mobile devices. The third construct was Performance expectancy, defined as the degree to which an individual believes using a technology system will help him or her to attain gains in job performance (Venkatesh, Morris, Davis, G.B., &amp; Davis, F.D. 2003).   At first, the dependent variable was a by the authors contextualized construct from the technology acceptance model (Davis, 1985) called Perceived performance of technology which is defined as the individual’s expectations of the performance of the technology when used at the workplace. This construct was later combined with the third independent variable Performance expectancy, as they after analysis and comparation were deemed to measure the same thing.   The new combined variable became the dependent variable of the study and was named combined perceived performance which aimed to explain the degree of belief of a worker that the technology used would perform in his or her work.   The relationships that were found included a negative one between self-efficacy and combined perceived performance. A paradoxical result since the theory suggests the opposite (Jeong et al. 2016). A more expected positive relationship was found between job relevance and combined perceived performance. Later on, organizational position was also included as a moderator that categorized the respondents into two groups, employees and managers. The setting this study examined was that of a grocery store, since the roles of employee and manager are distinctive and easy to categorize. According to the results from multiple regression analysis, being a manager had a positive effect on combined perceived performance, both for self-efficacy and job relevance. This relationship was however not significant, and could therefore not be used to make any conclusions whether or not organizational position acted as a moderating factor neither between self-efficacy and combined perceived performance nor between job relevance and combined perceived performance.   While the sample size was not large enough to make conclusions about the whole population of grocery store workers, two statistically significant relationships were found, one between self-efficacy and combined perceived performance and one with job relevance and combined perceived performance. Additionally, a new framework was created based on previous theoretical models which can contribute to future studies that aim to examine the role of organizational position and perceived performance of mobile devices.

In this short- term longitudinal study (N=428), the unique predictive association between the positive peer nominated characteristic of being fun and peer status (peer preference and popularity) was assessed in a sample of fourth through sixth grade students. Concurrent hierarchical regression analyses and longitudinal structural equation modeling analyses found that peer nominated fun positively predicted preference and popularity, after accounting for the contribution of predictors potentially confounded with being fun, such as prosocial behavior, academic achievement, relational aggression, and physical aggression. The longitudinal association between fun and preference was qualified by grade in school, such that being fun predicted increases in preference for younger children but not for older children. There were bidirectional associations between peer status and fun; fun predicted increases in peer preference and popularity, but peer preference and popularity also predicted later increases in fun. The findings point to the need to expand existing conceptualizations of the antecedents of peer status beyond known predictors and to examine the developmental shifts in the landscape of children’s peer interactions that make certain characteristics more desirable at different ages. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2016. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

A substituição total de restaurações dentais que apresentam pequenos defeitos são encontradas com muita frequência na prática da Odontologia. Entretanto, a possibilidade de reparos dessas porções defeituosas podem ser considerados alternativas viáveis à substituição. No entanto, pouco se conhece sobre a aplicação da técnica reparadora. O objetivo deste estudo foi analisar a formação acadêmica e as técnicas de reparos empregados em restaurações dentárias pré-existentes realizadas pelos Cirurgiões-Dentistas na Rede de Atenção em Saúde Bucal, em uma Capital da região Sul do Brasil. Identificando se os cirurgiões-dentistas realizam reparos em restaurações defeituosas, quando e como realizam, além de avaliar se receberam alguma forma de orientação no período acadêmico e se julgam obter sucesso em seus tratamentos reparadores. Para o desenvolvimento do estudo, foi escolhida a cidade de Curitiba. Dos 10 Distritos Sanitários que possui, foram selecionados 5 Distritos, totalizando 58 Unidades Básicas de Saúde. Um total de 134 Cirurgiões-Dentistas na ativa participaram da pesquisa e foram entrevistados aplicando-se um questionário realizado por um único pesquisador. Os questionários incluíam: dados pessoais, realização de reparos em restaurações; formação acadêmica para a execução desta conduta e a técnica empregada. Os resultados foram submetidos ao Teste Qui quadrado ou o Teste de Fisher e o software usado nas análises foi o Statistica 7.0 com nível de significância empregado de 5%. 99% dos Participantes relataram realizar reparos em restaurações e 69% deles não receberam orientação sobre a técnica de reparo durante o período acadêmico (graduação). Dos Participantes da pesquisa, 90% realizam o reparo independente do Profissional que realizou a primeira restauração (p=0,0001). As restaurações diretas são as mais comumente reparadas (65%) e a resina composta foi o material eleito (34%) para a realização do reparo (p=0,003). 77% dos Participantes pretendem utilizar o reparo em todas as situações possíveis (p=0,0001); 25% dos Participantes da pesquisa disseram que realizam o reparo da restauração independente da extensão da cárie (p=0,132); todas as idades são passíveis de receberem o reparo de restaurações defeituosas. A maioria dos Participantes realizam somente retenções adicionais no material restaurador remanescente e na estrutura dental (54%), 49% realizam retenções adicionais e bisel. Para o preparo do material restaurador remanescente e da estrutura dental, utilizam o ácido fosfórico e a aplicação do adesivo (98%) e somente 2% dos Participantes aplicam o silano previamente à aplicação do adesivo. As restaurações de reparo são muito bem aceitas pelos pacientes (98%) e o sucesso dos procedimentos de reparo, de acordo com os Participantes, é de 98%. Praticamente todos os Participantes da pesquisa (97%) acreditam que as técnicas de reparo devem fazer parte do currículo de graduação dos futuros Cirurgiões-Dentistas. Conclui-se que apesar da maioria dos Participantes afirmarem não ter recebido nenhuma orientação durante o período acadêmico (graduação) sobre a técnica de reparos, praticamente todos realizam reparos em restaurações defeituosas e julgam obter sucesso com esse tipo de tratamento. / The total replacement of dental restorations that present small defects are found very frequently in the practice of Dentistry. However, the possibility of repairing these defective portions can be considered viable alternatives to substitution. However, almost nothing is known about the application of the repair technique. The objective of this study was to analyze the academic training and repair techniques used in preexisting dental restorations performed by Dental Surgeons in the Dental Health Care Network in a Capital of Southern Brazil. Identifying whether dentists perform repairs on defective restorations, when and how they perform, and evaluate whether they have received some form of counseling in the academic period and are judged to succeed in their remedial treatments. For the development of the study, the city of Curitiba was chosen. Of the 10 Sanitary Districts it has, 5 Districts were selected, totaling 58 Basic Health Units. A total of 134 Active Dental Surgeons participated in the research and were interviewed applying a questionnaire carried out by a single researcher. The questionnaires included: personal data, repair of restorations; academic background for the execution of this conduct and the technique employed. The results were submitted to the Chi-square test or Fisher\'s test and the software used in the analyzes was Statistica 7.0 with a significance level of 5%. 99% of the Participants reported repairs on restorations and 69% of them did not receive orientation on the repair technique during the academic (graduation) period. The participants of the research, 90% performed the independent repair of the Professional who performed the first restoration (p = 0.0001). The direct restorations were the most commonly repaired (65%) and the composite resin was the material chosen (34%) to perform the repair (p = 0.003). 77% of Participants intend to use the repair in all possible situations (p = 0.0001); 25% of the participants of the study said that they performed repair of the restoration regardless of the extent of caries (p = 0.132); all ages are likely to receive repair of defective restorations. Most Participants only perform additional retentions on the remaining restorative material and dental structure (54%), 49% perform additional retentions and bevel. In order to prepare the remaining restorative material and dental structure, they use phosphoric acid and the adhesive application (98%) and only 2% of the participants apply the silane prior to the application of the adhesive. Repair restorations are very well accepted by patients (98%) and the success of repair procedures, according to the Participants, is 98%. Virtually all Research Participants (97%) believe that repair techniques should be part of the undergraduate curriculum of future Dental Surgeons. It is concluded that although most of the Participants affirm that they did not receive any orientation during the academic period (undergraduate) on the technique of repairs, practically all repairs in defective restorations and believe to be successful with this type of treatment.

Shame is a complex emotion and often discussed with reluctance; these feelings are usually incapacitating and unbearable. In this thesis, four studies explored aspects of shame vulnerability and shame management. First, a cross-sectional study (n = 240) was carried out to assess factors contributing to the experience of shame. This study demonstrated that negative self-judgment and submissive coping strategies accounted for a significant variance in shame above and beyond the effects of recall of adverse childhood experiences, and that negative self-judgment fully mediated the relationship between recall of childhood experiences and shame. The second study (n = 140 and n = 415) examined the underlying factor structure of a new measure: the Acceptance of Shame and Embarrassment Scale (ASES). Factor analysis in both samples revealed that the ASES had good internal consistency and construct validity. Thirdly, a cross sectional study (n = 159) considered self-compassion and mindfulness as methods of shame management and demonstrated that mindful and self-compassionate were significantly and negatively correlated with the experience of shame. In addition, this study showed that self-compassion fully mediated the mindfulness-shame relationship. The final experimental study (n = 120) assessed the effect of shame on mind wandering. Participants were assigned to shame, pride, or control conditions, and mind wandering during a subsequent reading task was measured using retrospective and behavioural methods. Inducing feelings of shame did not have a significant effect on mind wandering. Overall, these studies suggested that (a) adverse childhood experiences were significantly associated with negative self-judgment and shame, (b) adopting submissive coping strategies is likely to increase the chance of shame vulnerability, (c) the Acceptance of Shame and Embarrassment Scale had promising psychometric properties for assessing acceptance of shame and embarrassment experiences, (d) self-compassion mediated the relationship between mindfulness and shame, and (e) inducing feelings of shame did not have a significant effect on mind wandering.