Thesis (PH.D.) -- Syracuse University, 2002. / "Publication number AAT 3065195"

Thesis (M.A.) / Striae are defined as fine streaks in optical glass that have an index of refraction different from that of the surrounding glass mass. The formation of striae occurs during the melting process and is attributed to a number of causes. Striae in optical glass result in an angular deviation of the light passing through the glass. The purpose of this study is to determine the amount of light that is deviated in the image plane for a given amount and grade of striae. This is an important problem since many demands are being made to improve the informationgathering ability of a modern photo-reconnaissance system. Five optical glass samples were selected and prepared so that defects other than striae were at a minimum. Selections were made so that there was· a variation of the amount and grade of striae in each of the samples. The amount of the characteristic striae grades of A, B, C, and D was determined with the aid of a simple grader suggested by the National Bureau of Standards. The population of the various grades of str iae is shown in shadowgraphs made fo r each of the five glass samples. The per cent of light deviated in the image plane by striae was measured in an instrument called the scatte·rometer. This per cent of light deviated for a given image angle is a measure of the effect of striae on image quality and is presented in graphical form. Results of this work show that the per cent of light deviated depends on the grade as well as on the amount of striae present in the glass sample. For finer striae, such as Grades A and B, light is. deviated at a small angle. It is concluded that the striae in any of the single samples tested will have little effect on the image quality of a photographic system. However, with an increase of -striae population by the use of several of these samples, deterioration of the image quality may result. A criterion for the amount of image information lost as a function of the per cent of light deviated at a given image angle has not been established; however, a method is presented which shows how the data obtained can be used to- determine the effect of striae on image quality for specific camera systems. It is found that the effect of striae on image quality becomes more serious with an increase in angular resolution.

In the winter of 1999, Artistic Director Harriet Vogt decided to retire earlier than had been anticipated by the university. With her retirement just weeks away on March 1, the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Dr. John Miller, asked if I was interested in taking a leave of absence from the Department of Visual Arts and becoming Interim Artistic Director of Fanfare. At the same time I was beginning to look for a possible internship that would take advantage of my professional experience in the arts and the knowledge that I had gained in graduate school at U.N.O. My previous experience with directing presenting and festival organizations had been focused in urban areas where a large sophisticated audience that was accustomed to supporting the arts typicaUy exists. Directing an arts organization in a rural area would present many new challenges.

As the human population in Florida continues to expand, development follows, and tree farms give way to homes and businesses. As parks are established, restoration of these semi-natural plantations may provide critical habitat for species conservation. This study evaluates vegetation response to restoration treatments at two study sites, formerly tree farms, now preserves in NE Florida. Treatments included thinning, clearing, or control (no treatment) within 10m^2 plots. Thinning reduced tree canopy to 20% (2-3 pines/plot) and removed all other vegetation; clearing treatments removed all biomass to bare soil; no herbicides were used. Within these plots richness and abundance was assessed by establishing two parallel transects and counting ramets on a bi-annual basis. Tree diameter at breast height (dbh) was also measured (cm). It was hypothesized that release of resources (thinning and clearing) would increase overall diversity (more so in graminoids and forbs), and encourage more robust tree growth versus control groups. Diversity ANOVA (Simpons & Shannon indices) showed significant differences due to survey date (p< 0.05) at the McGirts Creek site and a significant (p= 0.056) effect for the interaction term at the Tigers Point site. Tree dbh also increased at a significantly greater rate in thinned, versus control groups at the Tigers Point site (p= 0.03) perhaps due to higher initial tree density, but not at the McGirts Creek site (p= 0.85). Placing species into guilds revealed both sites reflected high levels of graminoids in cleared plots, which is consistent with early successional species (pioneer plants). McGirts followed hypothesis as forbs and graminoids were dominant in both thinned and cleared plots and the Tigers Point site had higher levels of vines and shrubs than expected. Restoration goals of increasing vegetative diversity, especially in r-selected species, and robust growth can be met by techniques used in this study.

The present study investigated factors related to social connectedness and social support in a college population. Participants in the study were 486 volunteer students at the University of North Florida. All data were collected through a world wide web surveying program that allowed each participant to complete surveys on computers from any location. The surveys administered were the Social Connectedness Scale, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), the Perceived Stress Scale 10, the Patient Health Questionnaire 15 (PHQ15), and the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale- Revised (CESD-R) along with a demographics questionnaire. Results show that participants in the ethnic majority group report greater social connectedness and social support than minority participants. Social connectedness is associated with perceived stress and health symptoms, even when controlling for other related factors. The impact of social connectedness on perceived stress explains the health effects of social connectedness, as perceived stress mediates the relationship between social connectedness and stress.

This study investigates social connectedness and social support in a military and civilian college population, and their associations with psychological, physical and stress-related health. There were 301 total participants, 51 of which were military personnel. The participant’s ages ranged from 18-59 (M = 23.48, SD = 7.24), with majority of the participants being female (71.8%), Caucasian (66.1%) and in a relationship (50.8%). The study was administered online via SONA. The following measures were administered in this study: the Social Connectedness Scale, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, the Physical Health Questionnaire, MOS Short Form Survey Instrument, UCLA Loneliness Scale, the Depression Patient Health Questionnaire, Hopkins Symptom Checklist Anxiety Scale, and the PTSD Checklist- Civilian Version. Veteran students indicated several issues while transitioning to higher education, as well as, several factors that they feel make them unique from their peers. Social connectedness significantly predicted all measures of health, especially PTSD (β = -.43, p < .001), depression (β = -.47, p < .001) and general health (β = -.30, p < .001), with higher rates of social connectedness denoting less symptoms. The social support’s association with health via the main effect model was supported by the results, whereas, the buffering hypothesis model was not supported. Social support was most predictive of anxiety (β = -.28, p < .001), PTSD (β = -.37, p < .001) and general health (β = .36, p < .001). Military status was not associated with social connectedness, rendering the serial multiple mediation model untestable. This study provides empirical evidence that social connectedness is a powerful and pervasive human need, with important health implications.

Over the past decade, the number of individuals being diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder has risen substantially. One byproduct of increased diagnosis is that more and more students with Autism Spectrum Disorder are applying and being accepted to colleges and universities (Graetz & Spampinato, 2008; Jones, 2012; Smith, 2007; Taylor, 2005; Zager, Alpern, McKeon, Maxam, & Mulvey, 2013; Longtin, 2013; Adreon & Durocher, 2007; Zager & Alpern, 2010). Research in the field of Autism and Higher Education is in its infancy, with a dearth of the research focusing on the challenges and struggles that degree-seeking students with ASD face within higher education. In an attempt to combat these challenges, many colleges and universities across the nation have begun to create post-secondary transition programs, but little is known from the perspective of the students participating in these programs (Adreon & Durocher, 2012). In this following study, Q Methodology was used to obtain information from 30 degree-seeking college students with Autism Spectrum Disorder on their best experiences within a higher education transition program.

My formal hypothesis for this study is that shift rotation among correctional officers has an effect on correctional officer stress. Although there are many definitions of stress, for the purpose of this study stress is defined as conscious nervous tension. Many authors believe that stress develops from a person's reactions to certain situations that are threatening or exert pressure on them. It is felt that whatever the cause, stress depends not on the outside event but on how one reacts to it. For the purpose of this study, stress was not formally defined to the correctional officers because I was looking for perceptions of stress, or how an officer reacts to certain situations.

The purpose of this study was to explore individual variables affecting preferences for natural or managed landscapes. Environmental attitudes and value systems of student participants (N = 147) were assessed using the revised New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) scale and the Scenarios for the Measurement of Collectivism and Individualism (SMCI) scale, respectively. In addition, feminist orientation was assessed using the Attitudes toward Woman scale (AWS). The hypothesis that proenvironmental attitudes would be positively correlated with a preference for natural landscapes was supported. However, hypotheses that alignment with collectivist values would correlate positively with a preference for natural landscapes and that a feminist orientation would be positively correlated with a preference for natural landscapes were not supported. Demographic variables are discussed with respect to landscape preference. Caveats of the individualism-collectivism variable are also discussed.

Male mortality rates exceeded female rates in every death type and the sex differential increased from 1970 to 1980 in every death type except homicides. The findings in this study suggest that marital and employment factors contribute to sex differences in mortality for suicidal and accidental deaths. Being employed was associated with fewer suicidal and accidental deaths for females than for males. Being married was associated with fewer suicidal and accidental deaths for males, while marital status had no relationship to suicidal and accidental deaths for females. Due to these relationships it might be inferred that the expanding sex differential in suicidal and accidental mortality rates is associated with the spiraling divorce rate and the dramatic increase in female employment. Results relative to homicidal deaths appear ambiguous and do not offer support for the hypothesis that marital and employment factors contribute to the observed sex differences in homicidal death rates.