The purpose of this study was to extend Glas and Vos's (1998) Bayesian procedure to the 3PL IRT model by using the MCMC method. In the context of fixed-length mastery tests, the Bayesian decision-theoretic procedure was compared with two conventional procedures (conventional- Proportion Correct and conventional- EAP) across different simulation conditions. Several simulation conditions were investigated, including two loss functions (linear and threshold loss function), three item pools (high discrimination, moderate discrimination and real item pool) and three test lengths (20, 40 and 60). Different loss parameters were manipulated in the Bayesian decision-theoretic procedure to examine the effectiveness of controlling false positive and false negative errors. The degree of decision accuracy for the Bayesian decision-theoretic procedure using both the 3PL and 1PL models was also compared. Four criteria, including the percentages of correct classifications, false positive error rates, false negative error rates, and phi correlations between the true and observed classification status, were used to evaluate the results of this study. According to these criteria, the Bayesian decision-theoretic procedure appeared to effectively control false negative and false positive error rates. The differences in the percentages of correct classifications and phi correlations between true and predicted status for the Bayesian decision-theoretic procedures and conventional procedures were quite small. The results also showed that there was no consistent advantage for either the linear or threshold loss function. In relation to the four criteria used in this study, the values produced by these two loss functions were very similar. One of the purposes of this study was to extend the Bayesian procedure from the 1PL to the 3PL model. The results showed that when the datasets were simulated to fit the 3PL model, using the 1PL model in the Bayesian procedure yielded less accurate results. However, when the datasets were simulated to fit the 1PL model, using the 3PL model in the Bayesian procedure yielded reasonable classification accuracies in most cases. Thus, the use of the Bayesian decision-theoretic procedure with the 3PL model seemed quite promising in the context of fixed-length mastery tests.

Previous research has demonstrated that intuitive judgments of timeloss are often biased: overestimated when a high speed is slowed down and underestimated when a low speed is decreased further. Yet, no findings provide cognitive explanations of the bias. The present study (a) collected numerical judgments of time-loss by assigning participants to seven speed matching problems, and (b) collected verbal protocols of participants judgment processes. To identify different decision rules on the individual level, a spectral analysis of judgments was used. The findings show that the ratio rule was most frequently used and similar to the well researched time-saving bias, a ratio heuristic and a difference heuristic could model a majority of the timeloss bias. The validity of the method is supported by a significant correspondence between the spectral analysis measure and the qualitative analysis for consistent participants. By including affect as a third variable, future research could get a closer understanding of the bias effect in real life and consequently develop strategies that can improve road safety.

This collection represents work produced between September 2015 and April 2017. A phantom limb is characterized not by what is absent but by the wound that created its loss--the haunting of a pain, and the confusion caused by its non-presence. These poems shift and shutter around their phantom limbs, tracking the wounds split open by grief, the physicality of time’s passing, and the mind’s inability to reconcile its own impermanence. The poems hope to resist the lyric while simultaneously imploding form, confronting the mind’s relationship with the natural and digital worlds it inhabits and is informed by. Celestial bodies and human bodies share a panic of impermanence here––time is as unknowable but also as physical as star stuff. In their disfluencies and insistences grappling toward some kind of "feeling," these poems investigate what it means to live and survive a life characterized by loss in its various shapes and forms.

Rates of obesity and the associated comorbidities continue to increase for women in the United States. Despite information available, efforts at weight loss are often unsuccessful because women lack integral knowledge of how to approach the various components essential for weight loss. This doctoral project was created to address the practice question of whether obesity can be reduced through a step-wise weight loss program that identifies essential elements to reduce weight in menopausal age women. Guided by the information-motivation-behavioral skills model, this project led 17 volunteer participants from a Northwest, Florida primary care clinic through 6 weeks of protocols supplemented with Facebook interactions. A pretest/posttest comparison showed increased knowledge regarding weight loss and increased self-efficacy as measured by the PANSE scale. All participants had some decrease in weight and an average of a drop in systolic blood pressure of 4 mmHg. This supports the use of a nurse-lead structured education and support model for improved weight loss in women. This project can lead to positive social change with the ability to assist women with obesity and hypertensive disorders, thus reducing morbidity and mortality as well as improving quality of life.

Ménière's disease (MD) is a complex disorder of the inner ear characterized by the symptoms of hearing loss, tinnitus, and vertigo, with an incidence in Caucasians of one in 1000. The hallmark histopathologic feature of MD is endolymphatic hydrops. Symptoms of MD typically present in the fourth decade of life, and the vertigo attacks experienced by patients with MD can be debilitating. Treatments aimed at alleviating the symptoms of MD are ineffective in approximately 30% of patients. Several studies have attempted to identify genetic factors important in MD through the use of families segregating the disease, but causative genes have not been identified. Many of these studies have been unsuccessful due to the fact that families of sufficient size to generate meaningful linkage results are extremely rare. Attempts to identify a genetic component to MD through the use of candidate gene association studies have been underpowered or poorly designed and therefore also unsuccessful. We hypothesize Ménière's disease is a complex disorder that is due to the interplay of genetic and environmental factors. We tested this hypothesis using linkage and association studies. Initially, we focused on candidate gene replication association studies (KCNE1, KCNE3, iNOS), as well as testing a novel candidate gene (AQP4). We were unable to replicate the previous associations and although we could not identify an association between MD and AQP4 we did discover rare variants of AQP4 in our MD patient population. These variants segregate with a `syndromic' MD phenotype. We also performed a genome-wide linkage study on a large Chilean family segregating MD over three generations and identified a novel MD locus on 1q32.1-1q32.3. Targeted exon capture and pyrosequencing of the region identified two potential disease-causing variants in two genes of unknown function. We next screened a cohort of singleton patients with MD for variants in these same genes. Surprisingly, in both genes, we identified common and rare variants supporting a possible role for either gene in the development of MD. The function of these two genes is unknown. Our results imply that additional studies must be undertaken to determine whether one or both genes has a role in the pathogenesis of MD. Identification of a causative gene will aid in the understanding of disease pathophysiology and lead to improved treatments.

Previously for my M.A., I centered on the negative side of unhealthy foods and its effects on the body. It was my shout at the top of my lungs with my fist in the air against negative consequences of those foods. Though the passionate anger still burns, my focus is now aligned with a more personal approach. For my M.F.A. thesis, I will make use of hand drawn images to tell the story of my weight loss journey. Images will be from my memories of the reality of morbid obesity. They will progress from where I started up to when I lost 125 pounds. The images will be grossly exaggerated to more strongly express my emotion. The descriptions for each image will be recorded onto the drawings. They will be placed in different areas on each of the pages to avoid repetition. The images will be in color. The color palette will be derived from the posters I created for my M.A. project [image 8]. The bright, attention grabbing color palette will prove beneficial for the urgency of my story. The completed project will be a fully illustrated, color graphic novel. In 18 months time I lost 125 pounds, mostly on my own, with very little help. The right people came along at the right times. I did not have the popular reality TV show Biggest Loser, nor any personal trainers. I spent 7 months taking a kickboxing/ body-shaping class, I read dozens of books, and I changed what I ate. I accomplished this feat the old fashioned way: I worked my ass off. One of my life goals is to help others, who are willing, loose weight and exit their private hell. I want people to know that positive, healthy change, no matter the obstacle, is obtainable.

Prospective memory (PM) refers to memory for future intentions and involves several cognitive processes including memory, executive functions, and attention. PM has been studied extensively in clinical populations in which these cognitive processes are impaired but has only recently been studied in Huntington’s disease (HD), a neurodegenerative disease of the basal ganglia that is associated with neuropsychiatric, movement, and cognitive changes. The purpose of the present study was to further examine PM in HD, as well as investigate the influence of impulsivity on PM performance and whether a monetary incentive (either reward or loss) would improve PM performance. Results of the current study indicated that overall individuals with HD performed worse on a PM task compared to Controls. Control participants evidenced significantly better PM performance when they could have potentially lost money compared to a Neutral PM task. HD participants demonstrated a similar pattern of findings at a trending significance level. Impulsivity, as measured by the total score on the BIS-11, was not related to PM performance in either group. Controls scored significantly higher on a self-reported measure of prospective and retrospective memory (PRMQ) relative to HD participants with a trending association between the PRMQ and PM performance in Controls, but no association in HD participants. While there was a significant difference between groups on a recognition test of PM cues, there was no difference between groups on a free recall test of PM task instructions. These results build upon previous research that has found PM deficits in HD by investigating possible factors that may improve PM performance in this clinical population. Future research should investigate other motivational factors that may further increase PM performance in HD.

Current scientific evidence suggests that when whole body vibration (WBV) is used as a warm-up prior to performing eccentric exercise, delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is mitigated and strength loss recovers faster. These benefits were observed primarily in nonresistance-trained individuals. The aim of this study was to determine if WBV could mitigate soreness and expedite strength recovery for resistance-trained individuals when used as a warm-up prior to eccentric exercise. Thirty resistance-trained males completed 300 maximal eccentric contractions of the quadriceps after warming up with (WBV) or without (CON) WBV. Both CON and WBV experienced significant isometric (27.8% and 30.5%, respectively) and dynamic (52.2% and 47.1%, respectively) strength loss immediately postexercise. Isometric strength was significantly depressed after 24 hours in the CON group (9.36% p < 0.01), but not in the WBV group (5.8% p = 0.1). Isometric strength was significantly depressed after 48 hours in the CON group (7.18% p < 0.05), but not in the WBV group (4.02% p = 0.25). Dynamic strength was significantly decreased in both the CON and WBV groups both at 24 hours (19.1% p < 0.001, and 16.1% p < 0.001, respectively), 48 hours (18.5% p < 0.01, and 14.5% p < 0.03), and 1 week postexercise (9.3% p = 0.03, and 3.5%, respectively). Pain as measured by visual analog scale (VAS) was significant in both CON and WBV groups at 24 and 48 hours postexercise, but the WBV experienced significantly less soreness than the CON group after 24 hours (28 mm vs. 46 mm p < 0.01 respectively), and 48 hours (38 mm vs. 50 mm p < 0.01). Pain as measured by pain pressure threshold (PPT) increased significantly in both groups after 24 and 48 hours, but there was no difference in severity of perceived soreness. The use of WBV as a warm-up may mitigate DOMS but does not appear to expedite the recovery of strength in the days following eccentric exercise in resistance-trained individuals.

This thesis is a study of a young woman coming to terms with her grief. It unpacks how an invitation to film an unusual and life-changing event developed into an opportunity to question the ethics of the interview. It examines how the intricacies of a trust relationship influence the very threads and textures of the resulting documentary. This paper is a partnership between a practical documentary project and a more traditional written discussion. The documentary Five Hours with Raja is weighted at eighty per cent of the final thesis and the written exegesis makes up the remaining twenty per cent. Together these two elements investigate the developing relationship between Claudia – the documentary’s key protagonist, and the filmmaker, investigating how their relationship has affected the style, method, content and even the fundamental story line of a documentary. It also discusses the consequential ethical considerations and dilemmas behind creative and practical decisions, investigating ways that a filmmaker can draw the participant into the process to allow a greater degree of ownership, a stronger voice and a more immediate sense of intimacy with the final audience.

This thesis quantitatively investigates gaseous electron-ion recombination in an environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM) at a transient level by utilizing the dark shadows/streaks seen in gaseous secondary electron detector (GSED) images immediately after a region of enhanced secondary electron (SE) emission is encountered by a scanning electron beam. The investigation firstly derives a theoretical model of gaseous electron-ion recombination that takes into consideration transients caused by the time constant of the GSED electronics and external circuitry used to generate images. Experimental data of pixel intensity versus time of the streaks is then simulated using the model enabling the relative magnitudes of (i) ionization and recombination rates, (ii) recombination coefficients, and (iii) electron drift velocities, as well as absolute values of the total time constant of the detection system, to be determined as a function of microscope operating parameters. Results reveal the exact dependence that the effects of SE-ion recombination on signal formation have on reduced electric field intensity and time in ESEM. Furthermore, the model implicitly demonstrates that signal loss as a consequence of field retardation due to ion space charges, although obviously present, is not the foremost phenomenon causing streaking in images, as previously thought. Following that the generation and detection of gaseous scintillation and electro- luminescence produced via electron-gas molecule excitation reactions in ESEM is investigated. Here a novel gaseous scintillation detection (GSD) system is developed to efficiently detect photons produced. Images acquired using GSD are compared to those obtained using conventional GSED detection, and demonstrate that images rich in SE contrast can be achieved using such systems. A theoretical model is developed that describes the generation of photon signals by cascading SEs, high energy backscattered electrons (BSEs) and primary beam electrons (PEs). Photon amplification, or the total number of photons produced per sample emissive electron, is then investigated, and compared to conventional electronic amplification, over a wide range of microscope operating parameters, imaging gases and photon collection geometries. The main findings of the investigation revealed that detected electroluminescent signals exhibit larger SE signal-to-background levels than that of conventional electronic signals detected via GSED. Also, dragging the electron cascade towards the light pipe assemblage of GSD systems, or electrostatic focusing, dramatically increases photon collection efficiencies. The attainment of such an improvement being a direct consequence of increasing the `effective' solid angle for photon collection. Finally, in attempt to characterize the scintillating wavelengths arising from sample emissive SEs, PEs, BSEs, and their respective cascaded electrons, such that future photon filtering techniques can be employed to extract nominated GSD imaging signals, the emission spectra of commonly utilized electroluminescent gases in ESEM, such as argon (Ar) and nitrogen (N2), were collected and investigated. Spectra of Ar and N2 reveal several major emission lines that occur in the ultraviolet (UV) to near infrared (NIR) regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. The major photon emissions discovered in Ar are attributed to occur via atomic de-excitation transitions of neutral Ar (Ar I), whilst for N2, major emissions are attributed to be a consequence of second positive band vibrational de-excitation reactions. Major wavelength intensity versus gas pressure data, for both Ar and N2, illustrate that wavelength intensities increase with decreasing pressure. This phenomenon strongly suggesting that quenching effects and reductions in excitation mean free paths increase with imaging gas pressure.