Exploring stakeholders' perceptions of the evaluation of early fieldwork experiences in an undergraduate teacher preparation program

Peacock, Amber Rhodes Virginia Commonwealth University 2015 해외박사(DDOD)

소속기관이 구독 중이 아닌 경우 오후 4시부터 익일 오전 9시까지 원문보기가 가능합니다.

This study is a qualitative meta-evaluation of the early field experience (EFE) program at a small, private, undergraduate teacher preparation program in Virginia focusing on the perceptions of preservice teachers, cooperating teachers and course instructors about the EFE evaluation objectives, evaluation experience, and resulting data usage. The EFE evaluation protocol at the study site is explored using a participatory-oriented evaluation model that solicited the perceptions of stakeholders. Analysis of EFE evaluation documents and semi-structured interviews with the stakeholders were conducted to explore the extent to which (1) official EFE objectives are congruent with the EFE evaluation, (2) the intended evaluation experience is congruent with stakeholders' perceptions of the evaluation experience, and (3) intended data usage is congruent with reported data usage. The findings indicate that the EFE evaluation process is logistically sound, but does not assess and facilitate preservice teacher learning. Recommendations to improve the merit and worth of the evaluation process are presented.

Formation of and structural communication through an interdomain cavity in the catalytic core of the hairpin ribozyme

Rhodes, Maria M University of Michigan 2006 해외박사(DDOD)

소속기관이 구독 중이 아닌 경우 오후 4시부터 익일 오전 9시까지 원문보기가 가능합니다.

The hairpin ribozyme is a structural motif found in the RNA genome of the tobacco ringspot virus that is capable of cleaving and ligating its own phosphodiester backbone site-specifically. The ribozyme must fold into a compact, docked structure with specific tertiary interactions to function as an enzyme. Experimental and theoretical techniques have been applied herein to characterize both its conformational and functional changes on a global level and at atomic resolution. Single-molecule fluorescence spectroscopy was used to follow in real time the equilibrium transitions between conformational states of the hairpin ribozyme and to identify defining characteristics of the transition state of docking. Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) was employed to characterize the docking kinetics of the wild-type ribozyme and the impact of ribozymal modifications at sites known to participate in important docking interactions and ≥11A distant from the site of catalysis. Kinetic assays were used to obtain the overall cleavage rate constants and reaction equilibrium positions of the wild-type and variant ribozymes. Information from both docking and functional studies were combined and analyzed mathematically to extract the microscopic rates of cleavage and ligation. Tested ribozymal modifications were observed to impact catalytic rates despite the distance of the modifications from the catalytic site. Both the wild-type hairpin ribozyme and select variant ribozymes were then computationally studied with explicit-solvent molecular dynamics. Simulations were started from a crystal structure of the ribozyme in its docked conformation; any relevant modification was introduced into the crystal structure prior to equilibration. These molecular dynamics simulations indicated the presence of a coupled molecular network of hydrogen bonds that appears to communicate structural changes across the ribozyme. Long-term water molecules resident within an internal cavity of the ribozyme were found to be important participants in this network. Analysis of the local environment in the internal cavity suggests a potential catalytic role for these intracavity water molecules. Future investigations into the structural dynamics and function of RNA should consider possible roles for water molecules as water molecules have structural and potentially catalytic importance in the hairpin ribozyme.

Statistical Learning Methods for Dynamic Prediction of Residual Life and Estimation of Optimal Treatment Regimes with Electronic Medical Record Data

Rhodes, Grace Marie ProQuest Dissertations & Theses North Carolina Sta 2023 해외박사(DDOD)

소속기관이 구독 중이 아닌 경우 오후 4시부터 익일 오전 9시까지 원문보기가 가능합니다.

Clinicians and patients must make treatment decisions at a series of key decision points throughout disease progression. When treating life-threatening diseases, prediction and optimization of remaining life, formally referred to as “residual life,” can provide critical information at these decision points. Intuitively, it is desirable to leverage all available patient information at each decision point. Patient information is frequently stored in electronic medical records (EMRs), which often contain longitudinal biomarkers, repeatedly measured variables that reflect disease progression. Dynamic methods leverage accruing longitudinal biomarker measurements to provide individualized, updated results as new observations become available. In this thesis, we introduce statistical learning techniques to dynamically predict residual life and estimate optimal treatment regimes using EMR data. In Chapter 2, we introduce two methods for dynamically predicting mean residual life, the LSTM-GLM and the LSTM-NN, which use long short-term memory networks to construct encoded representations of the longitudinal biomarker trajectories, referred to as “context vectors.” In Chapter 3, we introduce ReLiVE, a method that leverages context vectors to estimate the value of a fixed treatment regime, where the value is defined in terms of restricted residual life. Building on ReLiVE, we present ReLiVE-Q, a Q-learning method for estimating an optimal treatment regime that maximizes the expected value of restricted residual life. We demonstrate the utility of the proposed LSTM and ReLiVE methods through simulation studies, and we apply the methods to predict and optimize the residual life of patients diagnosed with sepsis, a complex medical condition that involves severe infections with life-threatening organ dysfunction. Specifically, we study the EMR data of septic patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) from the Multiparameter Intelligent Monitoring Intensive Care database (MIMIC-III).

Agents of empire: The frontier U.S. Army and the transition from the war with Spain to the occupation of Cuba

Rhodes, John R ProQuest Dissertations & Theses The University of 2016 해외박사(DDOD)

소속기관이 구독 중이 아닌 경우 오후 4시부터 익일 오전 9시까지 원문보기가 가능합니다.

This dissertation examines how the U.S. Army conducted a successful initial occupation of Santiago, Cuba, after the Spanish surrender of eastern Cuba to General William R. Shafter's Fifth Corps on July 17, 1898. U.S. Army officers replicated and adapted lessons learned from their frontier and Reconstruction experiences to evacuate Spanish prisoners, relieve humanitarian crises, discover the causes of tropical fevers, control the Cuban population, establish a logistical infrastructure, and create a military government. Their actions during the occupation of Santiago became the model for how the U.S. Army conducted the remainder of its occupation of Cuba. Based on both published government records, newspapers, and memoirs; and unpublished personal papers, letters, diaries, and official correspondence collected from three archives, this study shows how the U.S. Army used a blend of coercion and conciliation during the occupation to disband the Cuban Liberation Army and delegitimize the Cuban revolutionary government. With firm control over the Cuban population and the creation of a loyal constabulary, and with no serious political or military challenger, the U.S. Army gave government officials in Washington the time to determine unilaterally the future relationship between Cuba and the United States.

Real-analysis, ALAP-guided synthesis of real-time embedded systems

Rhodes, David L Princeton University 1999 해외박사(DDOD)

소속기관이 구독 중이 아닌 경우 오후 4시부터 익일 오전 9시까지 원문보기가 가능합니다.

A popular embedded system choice for problems which require difficult to meet deadlines is the use of a parallel computational approach. Using heterogeneous, rather than homogeneous, processors provides additional cost/-performance flexibility. Such an additional freedom may be important in the development of a custom-tailored solution which must be provided at low-cost. However, added degrees of freedom translate into more difficulty at the system design phase. The effort here tackles heterogeneous system design in the form of general-purpose co-design tools aimed at realistic target system models. These tools are unique in their ability to synthesize heterogeneous target system hardware, which exhibits several normally ignored yet realistic undesired effects, along with allocation and scheduling of dependent tasks. This is achieved by first developing a valid system model which includes communication effects coupled with real-time operating system (RTOS) overheads. These traces are also used to derive and model the best approach, namely the use of shared memory and shared semaphores for inter-processor communication. Additionally, two studies illustrate the communication and RTOS overhead effects which may be experienced by the system. Although directly derived from system simulations, this model is quite advanced when compared to most typically used in the scheduling or co-design regimes. The ultimate goal of low-cost system co-design is addressed in a two-level fashion. At the inner-level, a heterogeneous allocation and scheduling tool is used to assess the feasibility of a particular hardware configuration. In order to address detailed system effects, a new approach to scheduling (inner-level) has been devised. This approach makes direct use of the system model and an associated schedule analysis along with as-late-as-possible deadlines to guide allocation and scheduling. This is very different then commonly used list- or cluster-based scheduling approaches. Even though this new method is capable of handling aspects far beyond what is normally considered, it is also shown to be superior to such methods even when the target system is simplified. This scheduling technique is used to assess the scheduling feasibility of each hardware configuration generated by the outer-level of the co-design method, which operates in a bimodal fashion. In the first mode before a solution is found, it generates configurations of increasing cost while afterwards only solutions of lower cost are considered. Several self-comparisons are used to illustrate the effects of various elements of the method. This approach is able to address realistic system implementations at both the scheduling and co-design levels well beyond prior efforts.

Family practices and beliefs around the friendship socialization of preschool children

Rhodes, Holly Greenwood The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 2002 해외박사(DDOD)

소속기관이 구독 중이 아닌 경우 오후 4시부터 익일 오전 9시까지 원문보기가 가능합니다.

Research with typically developing children and their parents shows that parents can play an important active role in helping children develop friendships, however little research has examined this role with among parents with preschoolers with special needs. This qualitative study addressed the following five research questions: (a) How do parents define friendship? (b) How important is friendship to parents as an outcome for their children? (c) What is the nature of children's past and current friendships? (d) What practices do parents use to promote their children's friendships? and (e) What factors affect parents' use of friendship practices? Participants were purposively selected based on child's current age (3.5–5.5 yrs) and disability status from a group of parents from an ongoing study of friendship in inclusive preschools. Fourteen parents of children with special needs and 16 parents of typically developing children participated in semi-structured interviews about their children's friendships. A content analysis of the parent interviews was conducted to identify common themes in parents' responses within and across both groups. Results indicated that parents in both groups described the same basic beliefs about friendship. Almost all children had friends, and the close friends of children in both groups tended to be their same age, gender, and typically developing. Parents in both groups also described providing children with social opportunities, using social coaching, and serving as an interactive partner as ways that they helped their children learn to make friends. However, they differed both within and between the groups with respect to the total number of different practices they used and the ways in which they used them. Parents' beliefs appeared to affect their use of friendship practices. Limitations of this study are described. Implications for practice and research are provided.

The ethos of a middle school modular technology education classroom

Rhodes, Craig University of Minnesota 2002 해외박사(DDOD)

소속기관이 구독 중이 아닌 경우 오후 4시부터 익일 오전 9시까지 원문보기가 가능합니다.

Modular technology education has been praised by some as a positive contribution to technology education instruction, and criticized by others for relegating teachers to the role of facilitators. This is an ethnographic study investigating teaching and learning inside a middle school modular technology education classroom, via analysis of classroom events and activities, student interactions, and the overall role of the teacher. Data were collected via videotape with wireless microphones, interviews, document analysis, and field notes. Video of the teacher in action was examined and transcribed. Student-teacher interactions were coded according to Levin's model for cluster behavior of students in the classroom. The model includes coding procedures for analyzing student and teacher interactions. The paired students verbal communication and physical engagement was transcribed, examined, and coded using She's Laboratory Physical Engagement Schedule (LPES) and the Laboratory Verbal Communication Schedule (LVCS). The overall purpose of these analyses was to extract themes and common points from the data. First, the study showed evidence of whole-class teaching, individualized teaching, small group teaching, peer-based teaching, and media based teaching. The types of learning were identified as problem solving, cooperative learning, contextual learning, hands-on learning, and career investigation. Secondly, the study showed evidence of student-student, student-teacher, and student-material interaction. Third, the roles of the teacher were identified as an evaluator, technician/facilitator, instructor, and disciplinarian. Lastly, the study showed evidence of three key components, namely, established routines, effective rules, and just-in-time management.

Crossed wires? The privatization of public utilities and the rise of consumer movements in Latin America, 1985--2000: A case study of telecommunications (Chile, Argentina, Brazil)

Rhodes, Sybil Delaine Stanford University 2002 해외박사(DDOD)

소속기관이 구독 중이 아닌 경우 오후 4시부터 익일 오전 9시까지 원문보기가 가능합니다.

This dissertation analyzes a problem inherent in the co-development of democracy and markets: how can governments simultaneously make credible commitments to foreign investors and respond to the demands of their own citizens? It explores this question through an in-depth exploration of privatization and regulatory policy. The point of departure for the argument is the observation that the privatization of public utility companies caused consumer movements to emerge in democratic countries in Latin America in the 1980s and 1990s. I argue that privatization had this effect by provoking a change in what social movements theorists refer to as the political opportunity structure facing politicians, civil society leaders, and other political entrepreneurs. Among public services, the telecommunications sector was especially likely to mobilize consumers because of the nature of changes in its tariff structure associated with privatization along with its overall increasing importance to economic and social life. Comparative case studies of the politics of telecommunications regulation in Chile, Argentina, and Brazil portray this causality at work as only narrative case studies can do. The case studies also illuminate differences in the levels of contentiousness and institutionalization of consumer movements across countries. These differences are largely explained by differences in the political institutions in each country and the speed and sequencing of the privatization process. Secondary analysis of other Latin American countries supports the validity of the hypotheses. By explaining the emergence of consumer movements in individual countries as well comparing Latin America to other world regions, the dissertation contributes new ideas to theoretical and policy-oriented discussions of democracy, economic reform, and globalization in the fields of comparative and international politics. The subject matter of the dissertation thus lies at the intersection of democratic theory, political economy, and public policy. The methodological approach is likewise a bridge between schools of thought who do not communicate often, drawing ideas and tools from rational choice theories of political economy as well as comparative studies of democratization, interest representation, and social movements.

Parents' perceptions of Leaps and Bounds: A kindergarten readiness program for families with 3 to 5 year olds

Rhodes, Michelle E Arizona State University 2007 해외박사(DDOD)

소속기관이 구독 중이 아닌 경우 오후 4시부터 익일 오전 9시까지 원문보기가 가능합니다.

The goal of this study was to determine parents' perceptions of Leaps and Bounds: A Kindergarten Readiness Program. This study included a mixed-methods research design. This study measured change in the level of parental level of involvement in the home after participation in the Leaps and Bounds program, and it aimed to generate new ideas about parents' perceptions of the Leaps and Bounds program. One hundred eighty six parents of children between the ages of 3 to 5 years of age participated in this study. Participants were recruited by schools and community centers across the Phoenix metropolitan area and voluntarily agreed to participate in this study. One hundred and fifty four families actively participated in the Leaps and Bounds program and 32 parents served as the control group. Data collection included surveys, interviews, and participant observations. Forty parents participated in the one-month follow-up interviews and 16 parents participated in the participant observations. Results indicated that the Leaps and Bounds program was successful at increasing parental involvement in the home. A significant difference was found between the time spent on activities at home prior to the workshops (2.05 hours) and after the workshops were completed (3.51 hours, (t=-11.940, p<.000). Parents spent more time on activities at home with their children after they completed the Leaps and Bounds program than before. Results also indicated a significant difference between the time spent on activities at home by the parents who participated in the program and those that did not (1.69 for the control group and 3.51 for the experimental group, t=-10.111, p=.000). Follow-up interviews revealed that parents were spending more time at home than before on activities similar to the ones completed in the workshop. Participant observations revealed that the workshops were beneficial in helping parents get more involved in their child's learning. Results indicated that the program also increased the quality of parent-child interactions that occurred between parents and children in the home. These results suggest that family interactive programs, such as Leaps and Bounds, are crucial for helping families prepare their children for success in school.

Simulations of a thalamocortical microcolumn with compartment model neurons and dynamic synapses

Rhodes, Paul A New York University 2005 해외박사(DDOD)

소속기관이 구독 중이 아닌 경우 오후 4시부터 익일 오전 9시까지 원문보기가 가능합니다.

The cortical column is a vertically interconnected module of circuitry which arose in the evolutionary transition from the 3-layer cortex of reptiles to the 6-layer neocortex of mammals. Evidence from anatomical, electrophysiological and developmental studies suggest this vertical circuit is repeated throughout all areas the neocortex, and so may represent a fundamental building block for thalamocortical function. As such understanding the functional properties of this circuit has been a widely shared goal. However, progress has been limited, in part because the individual neuronal elements of the circuit are themselves diverse and complex, as are the synaptic connections linking them. The highly recurrent nature of this circuit and the nonlinearity of its elements suggest that simulations of its functions could be of great importance in gaining a comprehensive understanding. In the service of this goal, in the present work physiologically detailed simulations of a thalamocortical column are presented. The neuronal elements each consisted of detailed compartment model neurons containing 50--150 individual compartments with a complement of voltage-activated conductances. In the course of this work, new models were developed for two of the principal components of the column, the layer 2/3 pyramidal cell and the thalamic relay cell. In a column microcircuit consisting of 15 cells, representing 9 different cell types, synaptic connections were then simulated, with connectivity as reported in the published literature. In this phase of the work, a model of synaptic release was developed and applied to reproduce the stochastic dynamics reported for each specific pre- and postsynaptic specific connection. Then, to develop an understanding of the interactions in the completed circuit, the response and interaction characteristics of subcircuits were tested in a step-by-step fashion. Finally the responses of the completed column circuit to thalamic and to layer 1 inputs were simulated, to predict the interplay of column circuitry with feedforward and feedback inputs respectively. The results suggest that excitation of the layer 5 intrinsically bursting pyramidal cell is pivotal for the transformation of feedfoward and feedback input in the column circuit, as well as for thalamocortical interaction.