Master of Science / Department of Civil Engineering / Sunanda Dissanayake / Motorists generally follow the guidance provided by the pavement markings while traveling on roads. Under certain circumstances, construction joints may be necessary in concrete pavements, which are generally designed to be coincident with the pavement markings. At some locations, however, the construction joints may not exactly match the pavement markings. These situations may create confusion in the minds of drivers, which may lead them to follow joints instead of the markings. In the absence of detailed studies on this topic, an effort was made in the present study to evaluate the effects of unmatched longitudinal construction joints and pavement markings on the lateral position of vehicles. Sites having the characteristics of unmatched longitudinal construction joints and pavement markings were identified, and detailed data were collected at one of the sites. Video camera technique was used for capturing the movements of vehicles along the test site for longer durations. The video tapes were later reduced in the laboratory to extract necessary information. The distance to the right side of the vehicles from right curb of the road, the type of vehicle, presence of vehicles in the adjacent lane, weather and light conditions, and the movement of the vehicles immediately after traversing the section of the road having unmatched longitudinal construction joints and pavement markings were the main parameters observed while reducing the data. Two surveys were also conducted for gathering the opinions of some practitioners and engineers on the issue. Statistical analyses were carried out using t-tests to evaluate if there were differences. Several comparisons were made for different types of vehicles based on various conditions. The analysis results indicated that there was a statistically significant difference between the actual and expected distances to the center-line of vehicles, implying that the lateral position of vehicles may have been affected by the joints. A model was also developed to determine the lateral position of the vehicles by considering the parameters used in the analysis. Based on the survey results and analysis of field data, it was found that the lateral position of vehicles may have been affected by the unmatched joints and pavement markings.

The internship is one of the most important components of doctoral training in professional psychology. Given the serious problem of the internship imbalance, applicant and program characteristics that constitute a good “fit” with internship training programs have become of greater interest as securing an internship becomes a more competitive process. This study surveyed internship applicants from programs part of the Council of University Directors of Clinical Psychology (CUDCP), before and after the 2010 and 2011 match days. Number of interview offers was found to be the factor most consistently associated with successfully matching, and several other applicant characteristics salient to matching and obtaining interview offers were identified, including applicant personality. Additionally, personal accounts, but not empirical evidence, of going unmatched have attested to the psychological distress associated with this event. in the current study, while going unmatched was not found to be equitable to a traumatic stressor, evidence was found to support significant decrease in subjective well-being with respect to immediate distress. Findings are discussed in terms of the predictability of and implications for the match process and internship imbalance, and recommendations are made for future research directions.

Empirical data have not adequately revealed current methods of nonprofit leadership in a way that reflects shared leadership in the nonprofit sector leaving nonprofit organizations (NPOs) at a disadvantage in relation to understanding and describing leadership effectiveness. Using a conceptual framework that incorporated organizational theory, shared leadership theory, path goal theory, transformational theory, leader member exchange, and fund development theory, this mini ethnographic study was conducted to explore the effect of leadership styles in shared leadership situations and the impact of matched and unmatched leadership styles on NPO funding performance. With the use of purposeful sampling to conduct the study, the participants represented 5 community partner NPOs in the New York City area with 20 or fewer employees and average annual funding of $600,000 or more during the previous 3 years. The data analysis of interviews, observation, journaling, member checking, and document review and analysis were performed through hand coding using an inductive analytical method to identify patterns and themes. The study results indicate that matching leadership styles of executive and senior leaders such as leader member exchange and path-goal development are directly related to a team-oriented culture that is essential for the longevity and effective performance of non-profit organizations. Based on the findings, shared leadership promotes a culture of positive social change through building honesty and integrity, which in turn can help nonprofit organizational leaders improve funding programs and stakeholder interest. Ultimately shared leadership benefits the social needs of society by enhancing the services to the beneficiaries who receive the NPO programs.

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