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.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a new anxiety prevention program, the Parent Resilience Program. The program is a cognitive-behavioral based prevention program designed to reduce the risk of anxiety in young children, specifically by reducing parent stress and teaching coping skills. The sample consisted of the parents and/or caregivers of 12 preschool-aged children. Parents attended eight weekly sessions of a psychologist-led intervention. Significant reductions were observed related to the impact of shyness on the child’s quality of life as well as parental anxiety and stress, both of which are risk factors for developing an anxiety disorder. In line with this, trends toward reduction were also seen in child anxiety symptoms and behavioral inhibition. These preliminary results suggest that the Parent Resilience Program may be effective at reducing the risk factors associated with the development of anxiety disorders.

A connection between self-monitoring, which is an individual difference in concern about self-presentation, and partner knowledge structures, which is how people organize thoughts about their current romantic partner, is explored in this study. There were two competing hypotheses. If people structure thoughts about their partner in a way similar to how they structure their social worlds, then low self-monitors would have integrated partner knowledge structures and high self-monitors would have compartmentalized partner knowledge structures. If people structure thoughts about their partner in a way that reflects their relationship motivations and needs then we would find the opposite pattern of results. We used a measure of compartmentalization and integration as well as Snyder’s (1974) Self-Monitoring Scale to explore our hypotheses. Although both low self-monitors and high self-monitors had relatively compartmentalized partner knowledge structures, we found support for the relationship motivations and needs hypothesis. Low self-monitors had more compartmentalized partner knowledge structures than did high self-monitors. In fact, low self-monitors were more likely than high self-monitors to have completely compartmentalized views of their partners. Reasons for these findings, limitations of this study, and future directions are discussed.

Skeletal muscle wasting occurs as a corollary of numerous physiological conditions, including denervation, immobilization, and aging. The E3 ubiquitin ligases MuRF1 and MAFbx are induced under nearly all atrophy conditions and are believed to play a key role in protein degradation. Data in this thesis provides interesting new evidence that MuRF1 may also act as a transcriptional modulator of atrophy-induced genes or atrogenes. The transcriptional regulation of MuRF1 and MAFbx were characterized using a reporter gene system and exhibited repressed activity in C2C12 cells overexpressing MuRF1. Furthermore, ectopic expression of the myogenic regulatory factors (MRFs), MyoD and myogenin, caused significant activation of the MuRF1 and MAFbx reporter gene constructs, while co-overexpression of MuRF1 with MRFs resulted in reversal of MRF induction of reporter gene activity. Interestingly, ectopic expression of a catalytically dead MuRF1 RING mutant failed to reverse MRF activation of the reporters, suggesting that ubiquitin ligase activity may be necessary for MuRF1 transcriptional regulation. To further investigate a potential mechanism of MuRF1 regulation of MRF activity, Western blot analysis was performed to analyze MRF protein levels in C2C12 cells overexpressing MuRF1 and MuRF1 RING mutant. Cells with ectopic MuRF1 or MuRF1 RING mutant showed repressed levels of myogenin. Additionally, cells overexpressing MuRF1 and MuRF1 RING mutant treated with MG132 showed only a partial rescue of myogenin protein levels. Finally, chromatin immunoprecipitation was performed to analyze occupancy of MRFs at the MuRF1 promoter. Overexpression of MRFs resulted in increased MuRF1 promoter immunoprecipitation (IP) and amplification, while co-overexpression of MuRF1 with MRFs resulted in a reversal of promoter IP and amplification. These findings suggest that MuRF1 may regulate MRF transcriptional activity in a non-canonical fashion giving insight into a potentially new mechanism by which MuRF1 may act to transcriptionally regulate atrophy-induced gene expression.

The integration of vocational and academic classes is often recognized as an effective method to motivate students and involve them in career preparation. This is also a goal of the dropout prevention efforts of many school districts. In Baker County, Florida, as in other districts, teacher participation in integrative efforts is recognized as a crucial factor. This project examines curricula and instructional and leadership practices that led to the successful implementation of academic and vocational integration in a Florida middle school. The resultant success and modus operandi may be used as a model for encouraging faculty involvement in interdisciplinary curriculum development.

The purpose of this project was to develop a literature curriculum for third graders at Callahan Elementary School who are non-readers of "economically disadvantaged" backgrounds.

The purpose of this study is to determine what differences, if any, exist in reading, math and spelling achievement scores as measured by the Stanford Achievement Tests of the second grade students who were grouped homogeneously (i.e., were assumed to have similar academic abilities) and the second grade students who were heterogeneously grouped (i.e., were grouped according to no particular criteria) when compared to their first grade scores. These two groups of second graders, each consisting of four classes with approximately twenty-five students in each class, provide an excellent opportunity for research study for the purpose stated above because they were all exposed to the same four teachers, similar methods and materials. All of these students involved in this experiment attended the same school in the first grade and most of them attended the same school in kindergarten.

An attempt will be made in this study to determine if a decorated, well-maintained biology classroom has any influence on the attitudes of students toward their classroom, school, subject and teacher. A twenty-item survey containing items which will measure each of the previously mentioned attitudes will be administered to a biology class which uses a decorated, well-maintained classroom. Another biology class taught by the same teacher will also be administered the same survey. However, this class is taught in a poorly-maintained, undecorated classroom. Both classes consist of students who were assigned to them in no particular fashion. An analysis will be made of the survey results to determine if there are any differences in the attitudes between the students in the decorated classroom and the undecorated classroom. The eighth, ninth and tenth grade first semester science grades of all of the students using these classrooms will also be compared to determine if their classroom environment has had any possible effect on their achievement in this subject. The problems being investigated can be stated as two questions: Can decorated, well-maintained classrooms in secondary schools produce a difference in student attitudes toward their classrooms, schools, subjects and teachers? Can they also produce a difference in academic achievement from these students?

The intent of this project is to develop an auditory training program for kindergarten children which will strengthen auditory perception. The program will identify the essential auditory skills, establish objectives, construct evaluative measures and outline activities that will develop basic auditory perception skills.

Readiness programs are often taken straight from a readiness workbook. Many children are not able to function in these workbooks, because they do not have the skills. The purpose of this project was to develop a readiness program of teacher directed activities to supplement the first grade readiness workbook. Chiefly, for those children that are having or have had difficulty in learning, and need more individual and specific instruction. This was done by providing a list by area, of sequenced skills and appropriate activities that involve little preparation time. This will provide the teacher with a usable handbook of ideas that can be taught at a specific time. There were easy to find specific skills and activities that a child needs, and then able to incorporate those activities into the lessons for the day. This project saved a lot of wasted time and unnecessary repetition, by their availability of activities. The list of skills made it easier for the teacher to identify the problem, find the correct skill needed and, then an activity to teach, reinforce or strengthen that skill. The authors conclusion is that it is a worthwhile advantage to any first grade or readiness program.