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  Train, Test, Send out the Best: Teaching styles and student achievement among military training

  Jessica A. Siehl

  The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine if there was a relationship among teaching style and student academic achievement. The research focused on a statistical analysis drawn from the results of student test taking. The analysis showed areas where there were challenges within the curriculum. The study used exam results from two classes within the Bioenvironmental Engineering military career field. Approximately 66 students' scores were analyzed and compared with the teaching style that was used while learning the information. The quantitative report may assist in understanding the weaker areas within the curriculum and, in turn, allow possible revisions. This study may be of help to the military career field and the training standards by explaining how teaching style is an important factor in the way a student performs.

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  Understanding Chinese students in a Global Context

  Ya You

  Nowadays, more and more Chinese students choose to study in American higher education institutions. According to "Open Doors," the number of Chinese students enrolled at American colleges jumped 23% between 2010 and 2011, to 194,029, which is 25% of the total number of international students enrolled at American colleges. Along with that increase various challenges arise. The need to address global-centered settings becomes more and more urgent in American higher education. American universities set up curriculum and co-curriculum based on the assumption that every student has some certain knowledge or skills, which are usually lacking in the case of international students. Future research need to be done on how to help institutions become global-centered instead of American-centered. Few research studies addressed this question based on the cultural dimension of Chinese students as a group. This study followed that line to explore what Chinese students think their greatest struggles are in American higher education; why Chinese students act differently than other college students; and what constitutes success for a Chinese student? Utilizing a qualitative approach, this research focused on Chinese students enrolled in the University of Dayton to understand Chinese students based on their own expectation, personal consideration, academic consideration and cultural consideration. This poster provides a better understanding of Chinese students by connecting with their cultural background and recognizing the major challenges that Chinese students face. Presenting goals and challenges to local and foreign students, the poster may assist administrators who currently work with Chinese students and provide insights to faculty members to create a global centered curriculum.

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  Using Normalized P/E Ratios to Project Future Stock Price Movement

  Matthew Chkautovich, Dimitrios G. Tsiribas, Alex H. Van Tiem

  Many financial analysts prefer to normalize a firm's key drivers of growth i.e., revenues and earnings, in order to obtain a clearer picture of its financial prospects. In this study, we look at a sample of stocks from the Dow Jones Industrial Average to evaluate normalized price-earnings ratios. Using 5 and 10 year averages of earnings and current price i.e. P/NE, we compare the Normalized Price-Earnings Ratio to the firm's price-earnings ratio with current earnings. If P/NE is greater than P/CE, we would expect P/CE to trend upwards especially over short periods of time. If P/NE < P/CE, we would expect P/CE to trend downward. In both cases, we would expect the stock price to be the primary mover over short periods of time, i.e. 6-12 months. We test our hypothesis for the year 2012 based on 10 years of previous data.

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  Using Relative Valuation and Earnings Momentum to Measure the Returns to Stocks within Industry Groups

  Christopher R. Cole, Samuel W. Orman

  Several academic studies indicate that measures relative valuation (e.g. price to book, price to earnings, etc.) are useful predictors of stock returns. The working hypothesis is that stocks with lower price to book and price to earnings ratios are considered undervalued and have greater prospects for outperformance in the near term. Unfortunately, strongly undervalued stocks may be undervalued for a reason ' their earnings prospects are bleak! In this study are combine relative valuation measures with earnings momentum measures to determine stock performance. Using stocks within four industry groups, two each from consumer staples and consumer discretionary sectors, we use cross sectional regression analysis to test our hypothesis. The period of analysis is 2011-2012. The database finviz provides the data for the study.

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  Using the SLOSH model to predict flood hazard areas along the New Jersey coast: both present and future risks as sea levels rise

  Ellen L. Comes

  The ability to predict where flooding will occur during different intensity hurricanes is an essential tool that could save many lives; such information would allow populations in the most critical areas to be evacuated first. During Hurricane Sandy, New Jersey was one of the hardest hit states as it was right in the storm's path as it made landfall. Should New Jersey find itself in the path of another hurricane in the future, the state would benefit to be aware of which coastal areas will flood and thus should evacuate first. Furthermore, as climate change affects the sea levels, an interesting predictor can be used to determine how the flooding of coastal New Jersey will change during hurricanes as sea levels rise. This information from analysis could be used for determining suitable locations for future development project sites and how many more people will be affected my flooding caused by hurricanes. The Sea, Lake and Overland Surges from Hurricanes (SLOSH) model was developed by the National Weather Service to estimate storm surge heights. The Delaware Bay SLOSH model basin will be overlaid over three coastal counties of southern New Jersey, including Cape May County. The flood risk areas are the areas that have an elevation below the theoretical surge height provided by the model. A variety of hurricane intensities will be used to highlight high-risk areas within the county. Once these high-risk areas are established, recent US census data will be used to analyze the socio-economic impacts of the flood areas to answer the question: how many people will be affected? Furthermore, by taking into consideration the rise in sea level that is likely to occur, how will these high-risk flood areas change and who will be affected?

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  Veterans Voices: Veteran Success in Higher Education

  Brittany Arthur

  Veteran students' experiences within higher education are different compared to their nonveteran peers. Veterans enter institutions with experiences that are unique to their military background. The purpose of this study is to understand what veterans attribute to their success, or what they believe would help them in being successful. Findings provide insight into the experiences of veteran students at a Midwest religiously affiliated campus. The research question examined is what resources assist veterans to be successful in higher education. In regards to veteran's experiences, data analysis identified their interpretations of their experiences in college, their needs within higher education, and their suggestions for institutional change. The results of this research may help institutional administrators, specifically veteran affairs offices, in planning programs and services to help their veteran students be more successful.

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  Visual Cues used for Relative Distance Judgements in 2D Displays

  Laura A. Janosko

  Our experiment will investigate distance judgments in computer generated 2D displays. Distance judgments in 2D images are made all the time in fields such as architecture and design, the medical field and satellite images. Our experiment will investigate the role of the depth cues shadows and texture. A 2D display of a desktop with between 5 to 8 objects will be presented to participants. Each scene will have two conditions: high quality (simulations of objects with correct texture and shadow information) and low quality (objects have incorrect texture information and no shadows). Unit-less relative distance judgments will be made between objects to determine if the visual cues texture and shadow information aid in spatial perception. An eye tracker will be used to determine on which visual cues participants rely. Results will provide information about how shadow and texture information in 2D displays are used in spatial perception. Our hypothesis is that participants will be more accurate in high quality conditions. We also expect participants to focus on shadow and texture information in the high quality condition. In contrast, participants will use object geometry to judge distances in the low quality conditions.

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  Warm-Ups to Business Suits: Identity development of female student-athletes at the University of Dayton

  Ann T. Burkhardt

  This study strived to determine the impact of being an intercollegiate female student-athlete had on females' ability to develop an identity and internal voice. In order to determine how females integrated their athletic experiences with their sense of self, intercollegiate female student-athletes were asked a series of questions about how their college experiences in general as well as how their academic experiences had affected them. The proposition was that female student-athletes have a challenging time moving to a place where they can listen to their internal voices because the college athletic system is designed in a way where this group is consistently responding to a variety of external authoritative voices during their college experiences such as coaches, advisors, and trainers. Furthermore, previous research suggested that student-athletes who had a stronger manifestation of their student-athlete identity had a more challenging time determining a future path if it is not connected to athletics. Results suggested that the majority of female student athletes experienced a substantive influence on their identity from external authorities and the regimented lifestyle. The choices each student makes in how to handle this pressure determine how the athlete facilitates growth or continues to listen to authority rather than an internal sense of self. Many professionals in the field of higher education would be interested in learning the results of this study including, but not limited to: athletic academic advisors, learning specialists, coaches, career advisors and others. This information may assists higher education professionals to recognize the need to emphasize greater self-reliance in student decision making processes in terms of developing personal identity.

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  Water Body Segmentation in Aerial Imagery

  Fatema A. Albalooshi, Alex Mathew

  Image segmentation is a very mature field that is used in several applications such as medical imaging, machine vision, object detection, object recognition, traffic control systems, and many more. Several general-purpose algorithms and techniques have been developed for image segmentation and fast implementations and libraries are available. Water body segmentation in aerial imagery is a harder problem as the properties of water, such as reflectivity varies with several environmental factors. For instance, surface brightness changes with incident light according to time of the day, haze and cloud, angle of capture, and specular reflectivity dictated by Fresnel equations. In addition, the color of water can vary depending on the presence of micro-organisms and size of water body area. Over the past decade, a significant amount of research has been conducted to extract the water body information from various satellite images. The objective of this research is to segment out water bodies to narrow down the search regions for oil leak detection. Color, texture and gradient features are used to extract water body region. The histogram of hue, saturation, and value,( H , S and V) are concatenated together to form a 'color feature vector'. These features are used to train a Support Vector Machine(SVM) classifier. Each pixel is then classified as water or non-water based on the histogram of pixels in a 3 x 3 neighborhood around it. The location of camera, time of capture, presence or absence of sunlight, and depth of water body are challenges that have been analyzed and discussed. We have also given a comparison with other well known segmentation methods such as K means clustering, mean shift clustering, and graph cut. Important factors to be taken into consideration for future research work are also identified and discussed.

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  Accelerating Robotic Arm Calibration on GPGPUs

  Chong Chen

  We examine the acceleration of a robotic arm calibration algorithm using a general purpose GPU (GPGPU). The algorithm utilized requires a radial basis function neural network for calibration and takes approximately 9 days to run on a standard desktop computer. The most time consuming component of this algorithm is a matrix inversion operation. This is carried out on an NVIDIA GPGPU using the Cholesky Factorization. On an NVIDIA Tesla S1070 GPGPU, this same algorithm ran about 300 times faster than a standard desktop computer running an optimized version of the code.

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  After-school Programs and Parental/Guardian Impact on Literacy

  Rebecca A. Olinsky

  The purpose of this research was to gain an understanding of parent/guardian views on literacy and to gain information on how high quality after-school programs can impact literacy development. After-school programs and facilities can have a positive impact on children who attend on a daily basis. This research project utilized focus groups at a high quality after-school facility, Adventure Central in Dayton, to learn more about the needs and desires that the parents would want. The focus groups consisted of parents who have children attending the community based program two times per week. The after-school facility is a partnership with Ohio State University Extension, 4-H, and Five Rivers MetroParks. The focus is positive youth development and utilizing nature and science to enhance young childrenâs lives.

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  A Linear Probability Model of the Likelihood of Positive Returns for the S&P 500 Sectors, 2005-2001

  Brandon M. Capicotto, Ryan D. Hunn

  The purpose of this study is to determine the odds or probability that an S&P 500 sector will have positive returns when the market has positive returns. Using monthly data for the ten S&P 500 sectors and the S&P 500, a linear probability model was developed for three time periods: (1) the complete 2005-2010 period, (2) the market downswing period, 12-31-07 to 3-31-09 and (3) the market upswing period, 3-31-09 to 12-31-10. For each of the periods we also calculated the average positive return for each sector. Using 2011 as the forecasting period based on the number of months of positive returns for the S&P 500 in 2011, we estimate the number of positive returns and the average expected return for each sector. Because 2011 has very distinct upswing and downswing periods, we develop our forecast estimate for these periods using the probability outcomes for the upswing and downswing periods sited above. The estimates are then matched against actual results in 2011. Results are forthcoming

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  Analysis of Motion Blur Using Double Discrete Wavelet Transform

  Yi Zhang

  Object motion causes spatially varying blur. Estimating such a type of blur from a single image is an ill-posed problem that is difficult to solve. In this paper, we introduce the notion of double discrete wavelet transform (DDWT) designed to sparsify the blurred image and blur kernel simultaneously. Based on DDWT analysis, we are able to accurately estimate motion blur kernels and recover the latent sharp image. The blind image deblurring solution proposed here handles spatially varying motion blurs effectively and efficiently.

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  An Analysis of Excess Stock Returns and Fat Tail Distributions for Flyer Fund Stocks in the Volatile Market Period of 2007 - 2011

  George S. Cressy, Conor Flynn, Corey R. Pryor

  Using twenty stocks from the Flyer Fund with equal representations for all ten S&P 500 sectors, an analysis was made to determine whether stocks had positive or negative excess returns over the period 2007-2010. Excess kurtosis (EK), a statistical measure for fat tail distributions was then calculated for the 20 stocks based on the excess return data. Using each stock's EK as the independent variable and 2011 stock returns as the dependent variable a cross sectional regression will be run to measure the impact of EK on stock price change. Results are forth coming.

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  An analysis of idiosyncratic risk and flyer fund performance in thr highly volatile market period 2007-2011

  Michael L. Hermes, Erica M. Kleinman, Kevin P. Schrik

  The purpose of this study is to determine for a select group of Flyer Fund stocks (20 stocks) the impact of idiosyncratic risk on stock performance using regression analysis. Monthly stock returns are regressed on S&P 500 market returns for the period 2007-2010. The standard deviation of the residuals are a proxy for idiosyncratic risk and can be used to forecast future stock returns. A cross sectional regression analysis using 2011 stock returns as the dependent variable and idiosyncratic risk and beta as the independent variables was run for the 20 stocks. The results indicate that both idiosyncratic risk and beta contribute meaningfully as predictors of stock performance in 2011.

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  An Analysis of the Returns to High Quality Mega Cap Stocks in Volatile Markets: 2008-2011 as a Case Study

  Linh D. Pham

  The purposes of this study is to examine the impact on high quality mega cap stocks of four factors: (1) Profitability, (2) Financial Leverage, (3) Liquidity and (4) Operating Efficiency. The period of analysis is 2008-2011, a highly volatile period in the market. Annual returns for mega cap stocks are calculated for the period 2008-2011. Metrics for the above 4 factors are also calculated for the same period. Cross-sectional regressions are run by year with returns as the dependent variable and profitability, leverage, liquidity and operating efficiency the independent variables. Results are forthcoming.

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  Anxious Attachment, Silencing the Self, and Relationship Satisfaction

  Torrie L. Caufield, Angela M. Evanko

  To our knowledge, there has not been any research regarding the relationship between anxious attachment, silencing of the self, and relationship satisfaction. Over the years numerous studies have conducted experiments regarding anxious attachment and relationship satisfaction. Several have indicated anxious attachment is responsible for low felt security, which occurs when these individuals are insecure about losing acceptance from their partner (Joel, Macdonald, & Shimotomai 2011; Shaver, Schachner, & Mikulincer, 2005; Tucker & Anders, 1999). In fact, as a product of their high anxiety levels, anxiously attached individuals are more prone to emotional highs and lows, which can predict greater conflict severity and relationship dissatisfaction (Campbell, Simpson, Boldry, & Kashy, 2005). These characteristics of anxiously attached individuals can lead to silencing the self, the expectation of failure or rejection in a romantic relationship. In order to maintain a relationship without arguments, individuals have been found to stop expressing and forgetting their feelings of dissatisfaction (Whiffen, Foot, & Thompson, 2007). Individuals can strive to create stability in their relationship resulting in silencing of the self, which actually produces negative effects on relationship satisfaction (Jack & Dill, 1992). Based on the findings of the above-mentioned research, we predicted that silencing of the self would mediate the relationship between anxious attachment and relationship satisfaction. Participants (N=209; M= 110, F= 99) completed self-report questionnaires that measure silencing the self, insecure attachment, and relationship satisfaction. Results confirmed our hypothesis: silencing the self was found to mediate the relationship between level of insecure attachment and relationship satisfaction. Specifically, higher levels of insecure attachment were predictive of higher levels of silencing of the self, which, in turn, were predictive of lower levels of relationship satisfaction. Limitations, future directions, and implications of the study will be discussed.

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  A Pilot Study of the Effect of an Acute Vestibular Therapy on Postural Stability, Gait Variability, and Gaze Patterns of Children with ASD

  Senia I. Smoot

  Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) struggle with sensory regulation, resulting in decreased motor control, unusual gaze patterns, and decreased postural stability. Sensory integration therapy is a common therapy used to help children with ASD with these issues, however, there is insufficient quantitative research concerning the actual results of sensory integration therapy with respect to human biomechanics. It is the objective of this study to quantify the acute effects of a vestibular treatment on postural stability, gait variability, and gaze patterns. Nine children with ASD and three neurotypical controls will participate in this pilot study. Three subjects with ASD will have their step width variability and other gait parameters recorded using wearable inertial measurement units while walking an indoor path. Three subjects with ASD will have their center of pressure (COP) and sway area will be collected by standing on a balance plate under a variety of conditions. Gaze and fixation markers of three subjects with ASD will be recorded via eyes tracking equipment while subjects watched a short video. Once these baseline tests are conducted, subjects will undergo a conventional vestibular therapy session on a swing. Subjects will then be respectively retested to gauge any changes in balance, gait, and gaze patterns induced by the therapy session. It is anticipated that the subjects with ASD will display a significant increase (p<.05) in postural stability, a decrease in gait variability, and a decrease in self-regulating gaze patterns after undergoing a vestibular therapy session.

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  Applying Genetic Programming to Develop a Rubikâs Cube Solver

  Brian T. Bradley

  Genetic programming, a method of developing code using evolutionary principles in a computer simulation, can theoretically be applied to any problem. This work explores the applicability of genetic programming to the generating a human-readable set of rules that could be used to solve the cube. This involved developing a language to describe solutions to the cube as a series of rules, an algorithm to process those rules, and a fitness function to describe how good a possible solution is. Because of the high dimensionality of the problem, the difficulty in creating a good fitness function, and the need to develop both good rules and good solutions simultaneously, the ultimate goal was not achieved. However, through the effort to apply genetic programming to develop a Rubikâs Cube solver, valuable information was gathered on what needs to be done for such an attempt to be successful.

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  Appropriate Technology for Extraction of Essential Oils from Orange Peels in La Paz, Bolivia

  Monica A. Guisfredi

  Located near the rainforest, La Paz, Bolivia, has a large amount of waste orange peels currently being left unused that have the potential to become profitable since orange oil, an essential oil that retains the distinctive essence of the original plant, can be extracted from the peel. Essential oils, or concentrated extracts that are derived from a plantâs leaves, roots, blossoms, or other organic materials, have become integrated into society mostly as flavorings and fragrances, but can also be used in other areas such as medicine and aromatherapy. This project investigates past and current processes of essential oil extraction from orange peels, and an appropriate small scale distillation set-up was designed and built that is technologically feasible and sustainable for La Paz, Bolivia.

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  A Qualitative Study of Returning Resident Assistants Reflecting on Their First Year

  Robert L. Hengesbach

  The purpose of the study was to explore the way in which Resident Assistants make meaning of their first year in the position. Second and Third Year Resident Assistants from different living areas at the University of Dayton were interviewed about their first year as a Resident Assistant. The use of returning Resident Assistants was based on the Subject-Object Shift Theory by Kegan (1994). Each Resident Assistant was asked to reflect on how s/he developed as a person and as a Resident Assistant over their first year. The Resident Assistant position proved to be a developmental experience in the interpersonal, intrapersonal and cognitive dimensions of the students experiencing it. The tools of interview summary and thematic analysis were used to explain the common experience of the participants.

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  Artificial Neural Networks and Their Use in Process Monitoring and Diagnosis of an Industrial Injection Molding Process

  Rebecca L. Greider

  This study utilizes a working artificial neural network (ANN) to monitor an industrial injection molding process. This ANN will be able to adapt and learn using training data obtained from the process. Outputs will be classified as normal or not normal based uponannotations made on the data by a plant engineer. This network will be able to recognize patterns in the data it analyzes and will also be able to model complex relationships in the data. The goal is to use the ANN to predict a future unusable part. ANN performance will beevaluated on how far in advance it can reliably predict an unusable part: several parts in the future versus the next one to be produced.

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  Assessing Growth of Grades Six Through Eight Ohio Music Students and the Effectiveness of their Teachers

  Melissa A. Durst

  Legislative mandates such as No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top have emphasized an educational paradigm shift- effective teaching is defined by demonstrating student growth within a content area. Data is gathered and analyzed yearly, and now the results can impact teacher evaluations, hiring decisions, or teacher dismissal processes. Standardized testing is one of the most common ways of assessing students. This gives a clear and coherent view of student growth over a specific period of time. There are numerous other means to assess student growth, however, and to achieve the most efficient and effective evaluation, multiple assessments should be considered. Evaluating teacher effectiveness can include classroom observations, portfolios, student surveys, classroom artifacts, and performances. Non-tested subjects, such as music, are also under the same requirements to measure student growth to measure teacher effectiveness. However, there is no national or even state-wide assessment that is currently recognized and accepted for measuring student growth. Music teachers are responsible for teaching âknowledgeâ- a belief or consensus of fact; and âskillsâ- the aptitude for performing a specific task.This thesis specifically examines the following questions:1.How should the growth of music students in grades six through eight in the state of Ohio be effectively assessed?; and2.How should the effectiveness of grades six through eight music teachers in the state of Ohio be determined?Utilizing multiple, standards-based assessments, such as portfolios, performances, observations, and pretest/posttest models, student growth can be effectively and efficiently measured for students in the state of Ohio in grades six through eight. Teacher assessments in the state of Ohio should include evidence of a teacherâs capacity to plan lessons, establish a healthy learning environment, utilize best teaching practices, and create and maintain opportunities for professional growth.

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  A Synthesis of finite difference methods and the jump process arising in the pricing of Contingent Claim

  Dan Zhang

  It is demonstrated that approximation of the solution of the Black-Scholes partial differential equation by using a finite difference method is equivalent to approximating the diffusion process by a jump process and therefore the finite difference approximation is a type of numerical integration. In particular, we establish that the explicit finite difference approximation is equivalent to approximating to diffusion process by a jump process, initially introduced by Cox and Ross, while the implicit finite difference approximation amounts to approximating the diffusion process by a more general type of jump process. This work has been introduced by Brennan and Schwartz, The Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, [13] (1978).

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  Banning the Burqa: France and the specter of Colonialism

  Sarah F. Edwards

  French society drastically changed in April 2011 with the implementation of âLaw of the Uncovered Face.â This law prohibits any article of clothing, religious or no, from covering the face, excluding safety and sporting equipment. The Muslim population of France is the religious group most affected, spurring many discussions about underlying motives for passing this legislation. Most of the Muslims in France today emigrated from former colonies of the French empire. This particular research looks at this relationship in a modern context, and examines what remaining colonial ties could exist within French society by comparing it with past legislation, legislative behaviors in France, what gendered implications exist and the colonial relationships that ended in the late 1900s.