Showing papers by "Georgia College & State University published in 2005"

Race, Poverty, and Teacher Mobility

Abstract: This paper provides information about the importance of non-pecuniary school characteristics, such as race and poverty, on teacher turnover in Georgia. Simple descriptive statistics indicate that new teachers are more likely to leave schools with lower test scores, lower income, or higher proportions of minorities. A linear probability and a competing risks model of transitions out of first teaching jobs allow us to separate the importance of these highly correlated school characteristics. The estimates imply that teachers are much more likely to exit schools with large proportions of minority students, and that the other univariate statistical relationships are driven to a large extent by their correlation with the minority variable. Thus, while the common notion that teachers are more likely to leave high poverty schools is correct, it occurs because teachers are more likely to leave a particular type of poor school - one with a large proportion of minorities.

The Role of Brand Personality in Charitable Giving: An Assessment and Validation

Abstract: Marketing concepts such as corporate identity, image, and branding are important strategies for nonprofit organizations. In particular, brand personality has been advocated by practitioners but has not been empirically investigated in the nonprofit context. According to social exchange theory and trust, the authors argue that nonprofit stakeholders perceive nonprofit organizations at an abstract level because of the organizations’ intangibility and social ideals. This study develops and refines a parsimonious measure of brand personality specifically for the nonprofit context. The authors conduct a series of six multimethod studies of nonprofit stakeholders to validate the role of brand personality in nonprofit organizations. The results yield four dimensions of brand personality for nonprofits: integrity, nurturance, sophistication, and ruggedness. Thus, current and potential donors ascribe personality traits to nonprofit organizations and differentiate between nonprofits on the basis of the organizations’ personality. Finally, nonprofit brand personality may influence potential donors’ likelihood to contribute.

Spectral Energy Distributions and Luminosities of Galaxies and Active Galactic Nuclei in the Spitzer Wide-Area Infrared Extragalactic (SWIRE) Legacy Survey

Abstract: We discuss optical associations, spectral energy distributions (SEDs), and photometric redshifts for Spitzer Wide-Area Infrared Extragalactic (SWIRE) Survey sources in the European Large-Area ISO Survey (ELAIS) N1 area and the Lockman Validation Field (VF). The band-merged Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) (3.6, 4.5, 5.8, and 8.0 μm) and Multiband Imaging Photometer for Spitzer (24, 70, and 160 μm) data have been associated with optical UgriZ data from the Isaac Newton Telescope Wide Field Survey in ELAIS N1 and with our own optical Ugri data in Lockman-VF. Criteria for eliminating spurious infrared sources and for carrying out star-quasar-galaxy separation are discussed, and statistics of the identification rate are given. Thirty-two percent of sources in the ELAIS N1 field are found to be optically blank (to r = 23.5) and 16% in Lockman-VF (to r = 25). The SEDs of selected ELAIS sources in N1 detected by SWIRE, most with spectroscopic redshifts, are modeled in terms of a simple set of galaxy and quasar templates in the optical and near-infrared (NIR), and with a set of dust emission templates (cirrus, M82 starburst, Arp 220 starburst, and active galactic nucleus [AGN] dust torus) in the mid-infrared. The optical data, together with the IRAC 3.6 and 4.5 μm data, have been used to determine photometric redshifts. For galaxies with known spectroscopic redshifts, there is a notable improvement in the photometric redshift when the IRAC data are used, with a reduction in the rms scatter from 10% in (1 + z) to 7%. Although further spectroscopic data are needed to confirm this result, the prospect of determining good photometric redshifts for much of the SWIRE survey, expected to yield over 2 million extragalactic objects, is excellent. Some modifications to the optical templates were required in the previously uninvestigated wavelength region 2–5 μm. The photometric redshifts are used to derive the 3.6 and 24 μm redshift distribution and to compare this with the predictions of models. For those sources with a clear mid-infrared excess, relative to the galaxy starlight model used for the optical and NIR, the mid- and far-infrared data are modeled in terms of the same dust emission templates (cirrus, M82, Arp 220, and AGN dust torus). The proportions found of each template type are cirrus, 31%; M82, 29%; Arp 220, 10%; and AGN dust tori, 29%. The distribution of the different infrared SED types in the LIR/Lopt versus LIR plane, where LIR and Lopt are the infrared and optical bolometric luminosities, respectively, is discussed. There is an interesting population of luminous cool cirrus galaxies with LIR > Lopt, implying a substantial dust optical depth. Galaxies with Arp 220–like SEDs, of which there are a surprising preponderance compared with preexisting source count models, tend to have high ratios of infrared to optical bolometric luminosity, consistent with having very high extinction. There is also a high proportion of galaxies whose mid-infrared SEDs are fitted by an AGN dust torus template (29%). Of these only 8% of these are type 1 AGNs according to the optical-NIR template fitting, whereas 25% are fitted with galaxy templates in the optical-NIR and have LIR > Lopt and so have to be type 2 AGN. The remainder have LIR < Lopt and so can be Seyfert galaxies, in which the optical AGN fails to be detected against the light of the host galaxy. The implied dust covering factor, ≥75%, is much higher than that inferred for bright optically selected quasars.

The Impact of Human Resource Information Systems: An Exploratory Study in the Public Sector

Abstract: Various authors have advocated that the use of a Human Resource Information System (HRIS) should lead to valuable outcomes for the organization. Decreased costs, improved communication, and decreases in time spent on mundane activities should create an environment wherein the Human Resources (HR) department would play a more strategic role in the organization. This study is an initial attempt to determine whether HRIS has reached these potential benefits. Based on responses from a sample of HR directors of from public universities we found that, while valuable, HRIS has not yet reached its full potential in this environment.

Association of insect life stages using DNA sequences: the larvae of Philodytes umbrinus (Motschulsky) (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae)

Abstract: Insect life stages are known imperfectly in many cases, and classifications are based often on only one or a few semaphoronts of a species. This is unfortunate as information in alternative life stages often is useful for scientific study. Although recent examples of DNA in taxonomy have emphasized the identification of indistinguishable species, such sequence data facilitate the association of life history stages and hold considerable promise in phylogenetic analysis, evolutionary studies, diagnostics, etc. These concepts are discussed here and an example is provided from diving beetles (Dytiscidae: Coleoptera). Three unknown larval specimens of an apparent species of Laccophilinae collected in Namibia were associated with the species Philodytes umbrinus (Motschulsky) using DNA sequence data. An 806-bp portion of the gene cytochrome oxidase I was sequenced from the unknown larvae. Several identified adult specimens of species of Laccophilinae from Namibia were also sequenced, including two P. umbrinus specimens and specimens from four Laccophilus Leach species. Additional species of Laccophilus from other areas of the world also were sequenced, as were specimens of Agabetes acuductus (Harris), Australphilus saltus Watts, Neptosternus boukali Hendrich & Balke and a species of Laccodytes Regimbart. Parsimony analysis resulted in two most parsimonious trees with the unknown larva unambiguously resolved in a group with both adult specimens of P. umbrinus (bootstrap value = 100%). The average pairwise p-distance between the unknown larva and adult P. umbrinus specimens averaged 0.09% (0-0.14%), compared with an average divergence between other conspecifics in the analysis of 0.24% (0-0.82%) and an overall average divergence between species of 13.49% (1.90-19.86%). Based on this, the unknown larvae were assigned to P. umbrinus. The larvae are diagnosed and described and their relationship with other Laccophilinae is discussed.

Peer coaching: the next step in staff development.

Abstract: A common problem in continuing nursing education and staff development is the transfer of learning to clinical practice. Peer coaching offers a solution to this problem. Initiated by educators, peer coaching has been researched in educational settings and found to be effective in facilitating the transfer of newly acquired knowledge and skill into classroom teaching strategies. This article describes the background, components, process, characteristics, and benefits of peer coaching. A specific example of using peer coaching to teach clinical breast examination skills is used to illustrate the application of peer coaching to the staff development of healthcare professionals. Peer coaching is the next step in nursing staff development.

Combinations of glutathione S-transferase genotypes and risk of early-onset lung cancer in Caucasians and African Americans: a population-based study.

Abstract: Polymorphisms in GSTM1, GSTT1 and GSTPI genes in humans are associated with the reduction of enzymatic activity toward several substrates, including those in tobacco smoke. To investigate the potential role these polymorphisms have, as modulators of early-onset lung cancer risk, a population-based case-control study involving early-onset lung cancer cases was performed. Biological samples were available for 350 individuals diagnosed < 50 years of age identified from the metropolitan Detroit Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) program and 410 cases of age, race and sex-matched controls ascertained through random digit dialing. African Americans carrying at least one G allele at the GSTP1 locus were 2.9-fold more likely to have lung cancer compared with African Americans without a G allele after adjustment for age, sex, pack years of smoking and history of lung cancer in a first-degree relative (95% CI 1.29-6.20). African Americans with either one or two risk genotypes at the GSTM1 and GSTP1 loci were at increased risk of having lung cancer compared with those having fully functional GSTM1 and GSTP1 genes (OR = 2.8, 95% CI 1.1-7.2 and OR = 4.0, 95% CI 1.3-12.2, respectively). No significant single gene associations between GSTM1, GSTT1 or GSTP1 and early-onset lung cancer were identified in Caucasians, after adjusting for age, sex, pack years and family history of lung cancer. However, our results suggest that specific combinations of glutathione S-transferase polymorphisms increase the risk of early-onset of lung cancer. Joint analysis of these genotypes may identify individuals who are at a higher risk of developing early-onset lung cancer with a greater certainty than single gene studies.

Best Practices in Nclex-rn Readiness Preparation for Baccalaureate Student Success

Abstract: Success for first-time takers of the NCLEX-RN has implications for the students, faculty, and nursing programs. As the passing standard for the NCLEX-RN has risen, some programs have experienced a corresponding decrease in their graduates' first-time pass rates. This article describes one baccalaureate program's journey from low first-time NCLEX-RN pass rates in 2001 to greater student and program success using a data-based, analytical approach. Although passing an exit exam was a program requirement for 20 years, the change to computerized testing and more in-depth test preparation has enhanced opportunities for success for students and reduced stress among faculty. The resulting best practices for preparing students for NCLEX-RN success are described.

Scorecard for academic administration performance on the campus

Abstract: Purpose – To provide a framework for an objective “scorecard” for performance of academic administrators.Design/methodology/approach – Literature reviews show that business organizations, as well as academic institutions, are fundamentally rethinking their strategies and operations because of changing environment and calls for more accountability to government and the public. The balanced scorecard is described as a novel approach to face these challenges.Findings – The balanced scorecard has been shown as an effective tool to evaluate an organization, and its performance. Performance is identified as the linkage between outcomes and the multiple factors affecting those strategic outcomes.Research limitation/implications – While the study provides a general framework for a balanced scorecard to academic institutions, it does not provide an exhaustive list of academic goals and associated measures for evaluation.Practical implications – A very useful guidance to academic administrators in their search for ...

Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Asynchronous Discussion and Communication Patterns in Online and Hybrid History Courses

Abstract: Asynchronous online discussion has been shown to enhance communication between students and to elicit many cognitive indicators. Nevertheless, historians have often been reluctant to make use of such instructional technology. Students enrolled in a fully online world civilization course corroborated qualitative research findings regarding the cognitive indicators associated with asynchronous discussion. In contrast, students in face-to-face web-enhanced hybrid world civilization classes exhibited less dramatic cognitive indicators in asynchronous discussion, perhaps due to the greater maturity in terms of age and experience of the fully online students. Students in the hybrid class, however, did indicate that participation in online discussions enhanced their engagement in face-to-face in-class discussions. However, asynchronous discussions did not prompt the face-to-face students to achieve authentic dialog between students in the classroom, and neither group managed to transcend problems of inequitable participation in small groups. There remains a need for further research on how to transplant documented advantages of asynchronous discussion into the hybrid classroom.

Patterns of speciation in endemic Mexican Goodeid fish: sexual conflict or early radiation?

Abstract: Currently there is much interest in the potential for sexual selection or conflict to drive speciation. Theory proposes that speciation will be accelerated where sexual conflict is strong, particularly if females are ahead because mate choice will accentuate divergence by limiting gene flow. The Goodeinae are a monophyletic group of endemic Mexican fishes with an origin at least as old as the Miocene. Sexual selection is important in the Goodeinae and there is substantial interspecific variability in body morphology, which influences mate choice, allowing inference of the importance of female mate choice. We therefore used this group to test the relationship between sexual dimorphism and speciation rate. We quantified interspecific variation in sexual dimorphism amongst 25 species using a multivariate measure of total morphological differentiation between the sexes that accurately reflects sexual dimorphism driven by female mate choice and also used a mtDNA-based phylogeny to examine speciation rates. Comparative analyses failed to support a significant association between sexual dimorphism and speciation rate. In addition, variation in the time course of speciation throughout the whole clade was also examined using a similar tree containing 34 extant species. A constant rates model for the growth of this clade was rejected, but analyses instead indicated a decline in the rate of speciation over time. These results support the hypothesis of an early expansion of the group, perhaps due to an early radiation influenced by the key innovation of live bearing, or the prevalence of Miocene volcanism. In general, support for the role of sexual selection in generating patterns of speciation is proving equivocal and we argue that vicariance biogeography and adaptive radiations remain the most likely determinants of major patterns of diversification of continental organisms.

Quantitative EEG Assessment During Neuropsychological Task Performance in Adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Abstract: This study evaluated the neuropsychological performance of adults with and without Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) during the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT), Wisconsin Card Sorting Test: Computerized Version 3 (WCST), and the Integrated Visual and Auditory Continuous Performance Test (IVA). Quantitative electroencephalographic (QEEG) data were also collected during task performance to examine differences in cortical activity between groups and tasks. Results suggest that adults with ADHD demonstrated lower levels of performance on the PASAT and IVA, tasks that involve working memory and processing speed, and sustained attention, respectively. Adults with ADHD also had more upper alpha activity during the IVA. Lastly, for the ADHD group, an increased theta/beta ratio during the IVA was significantly related to poorer attentional performance. The current results support reinforcing specific types of cortical activity though EEG operant conditioning (neurofeedback) as a treatment option in adults with ADHD.

Paleoactaea gen. nov. (Ranunculaceae) fruits from the Paleogene of North Dakota and the London Clay

Abstract: Paleoactea nagelii Pigg & DeVore gen. et sp. nov. is described for a small, ovoid ranunculaceous fossil fruit from the Late Paleocene Almont and Beicegel Creek floras of North Dakota, USA. Fruits are 5-7 mm wide, 4.5-6 mm high, 10-13 mm long, and bilaterally symmetrical, containing 10-17 seeds attached on the upper margin in 2-3 rows. A distinctive honeycomb pattern is formed where adjacent seeds with prominent palisade outer cell layers abut. Seeds are flattened, ovoid, and triangular. To the inside of the palisade cells, the seed coat has a region of isodiametric cells that become more tangentially elongate toward the center. The embryo cavity is replaced by an opaline cast. This fruit bears a striking resemblance to extant Actaea, the baneberry (Ranunculaceae), an herbaceous spring wildflower of North Temperate regions. A second species, Paleoactaea bowerbanki (Reid & Chandler) Pigg & DeVore nov. comb., is recognized from the Early Eocene London Clay flora, based on a single fruit. This fruit shares most of the organization and structure of P. nagelii but is larger and has a thicker pericarp. This study documents a rare Paleocene occurrence of a member of the buttercup family, a family that is today primarily herbaceous, and demonstrates a North Atlantic connection for an Actaea-like genus in the Paleogene.

Bridging the Border between Work and Family: The Effects of Supervisor‐Employee Similarity*

Abstract: We examine the relationship between supervisor-employee race/ethnicity, gender, and caregiving similarity and employees' perceptions that supervisors provide support for bridging the border between work and family life. Employees report greater net perceived supervisor interactional support, but not instrumental support, when the immediate supervisor is the same race/ethnicity or the same gender as the employee, but not when they have similar caregiving responsibilities. Having a supervisor of the same gender is more salient for women and race/ethnic similarity is more salient for men. We also find patterns of difference in the relative salience of gender and race/ethnic similarity within race/ ethnic/gender groups.

Mixed-Morphology Pairs as a Breeding Ground for Active Nuclei

Abstract: Mixed-morphology pairs offer a simplification of the interaction equation that involves a gas-rich fast rotator paired with a gas-poor slow rotator. In past low-resolution IRAS studies it was assumed that the bulk of the far-infrared (FIR) emission originated in the spiral component. However, our Infrared Space Observatory studies revealed a surprising number of early-type components with significant IR emission, some of which turned out to show active nuclei. This motivated us to look at the current statistics of active nuclei in mixed pairs using the radio-FIR continuum correlation as a diagnostic. We find a clear excess of early-type components with radio continuum emission and active nuclei. We suggest that they arise more often in mixed pairs via cross-fueling of gas from the spiral companion. This fuel is more efficiently channeled into the nucleus of the slow-rotating receptor. In a sample of 112 mixed-morphology pairs from the Karachentsev catalog, we find that about 25%–30% of detected mixed pairs show a displacement from the radio-FIR relation defined by normal star-forming galaxies. The latter objects show excess radio continuum emission, while others extend the relation to unusually high radio and FIR flux levels. Many of the outliers or extreme emitters involve an early-type component with an active nucleus. The paired E/S0 galaxies in the sample exhibit a significant excess detection fraction and a marginal excess luminosity distribution compared to those of isolated unpaired E/S0 galaxies.

Accelerated 2d image processing on GPUs

Abstract: Graphics processing units (GPUs) in recent years have evolved to become powerful, programmable vector processing units. Furthermore, the maximum processing power of current generation GPUs is roughly four times that of current generation CPUs (central processing units), and that power is doubling approximately every nine months, about twice the rate of Moore's law. This research examines the GPU's advantage at performing convolutionbased image processing tasks compared to the CPU. Straight-forward 2D convolutions show up to a 130:1 speedup on the GPU over the CPU, with an average speedup in our tests of 59:1. Over convolutions performed with the highly optimized FFTW routines on the CPU, the GPU showed an average speedup of 18:1 for filter kernel sizes from 3x3 to 29x29.

Systematics and phytogeography of selected Eocene Okanagan Highlands plants

Abstract: The diverse Early to Middle Eocene Okanagan Highlands floras of south central British Columbia and northeastern Washington reflect a time of rapid evolution and the early radiation of many dicot families that are currently significant elements of temperate floras. Recent studies of the Republic, Washington flora (Klondike Mountain Formation) and related Okanagan floras in British Columbia have documented both the earliest, and sometimes the only, known fossil occurrences of genera. Today many once more widespread taxa are restricted, particularly to Asian and (or) eastern North American refugia. Examples include members of the families Betulaceae (birch, hazelnut), Rosaceae (rose), Hamamelidaceae (witch hazel), and the endemic Asian family Trochodendraceae. Earliest occurrences are noted for Neviusia (Rosaceae), Trochodendron (Trochodendraceae), Corylus and Carpinus (both Betulaceae). The first unequivocal leaf records of Corylopsis and Fothergilla (both Hamamelidaceae), and two new Eocene species of the extinct fruit Palaeocarpinus (Betulaceae) are also recognized. Today, Trochodendron and Corylopsis are restricted to Asia, whereas Neviusia and Fothergilla , genera with close Asian relatives, occur only in North America. Corylus johnsonii from Republic is most similar to the extant Asian species C. heterophylla , C. wangii , and C. ferox . Neviusia leaves from One Mile Creek near Princeton, British Columbia are more similar to N. cliftonii , an endemic from Mount Shasta, California, than to N. alabamensis of southeastern North America. A better documentation of the Okanagan Highlands floras is essential to our understanding of the evolution of North American temperate floras and the nature of Asian – North American disjunct taxa.

Narratives on Culturally Relevant Pedagogy: Personal Responses to the Standardized Curriculum

Abstract: As curriculum objectives become more “standardized,” pedagogical strategies that reach diverse populations become more important, not less as some practitioners might be prone to believe. Through the use of narratives, we have found that students achieve greater understandings of curriculum as well as find culturally relevant ways of applying curriculum to previous knowledge. Using the same line of thinking, stories of successful pedagogical practice help to reinforce the ideas behind culturally relevant pedagogy as it translates from theory into practice. Classroom narratives from students and teachers where culturally relevant pedagogical practices have been implemented are the focus of this article.

Discovering Frequent Embedded Subtree Patterns from Large Databases of Unordered Labeled Trees

Abstract: Recent years have witnessed a surge of research interest in knowledge discovery from data domains with complex structures, such as trees and graphs. In this paper, we address the problem of mining maximal frequent embedded subtrees which is motivated by such important applications as mining “hot†spots of Web sites from Web usage logs and discovering significant “deep†structures from tree-like bioinformatic data. One major challenge arises due to the fact that embedded subtrees are no longer ordinary subtrees, but preserve only part of the ancestor-descendant relationships in the original trees. To solve the embedded subtree mining problem, in this article we propose a novel algorithm, called TreeGrow, which is optimized in two important respects. First, it obtains frequency counts of root-to-leaf paths through efficient compression of trees, thereby being able to quickly grow an embedded subtree pattern path by path instead of node by node. Second, candidate subtree generation is highly localized so as to avoid unnecessary computational overhead. Experimental results on benchmark synthetic data sets have shown that our algorithm can outperform unoptimized methods by up to 20 times.

Workplace Surveillance and Employee Privacy: Implementing an Effective Computer Use Policy

Abstract: Organizations face growing liability with regard to employee use of electronic resources. To mitigate the risk of liability, companies must develop and implement a computer-use policy outlining proper use of organizational electronic resources. This paper examines critical aspects of computer use policies, including: clearly explaining reasons for the policy, applying the policy to all employees including all levels of the organization, and indicating zero tolerance for offensive, harassing or discriminating communications. Finally, the paper identifies the implications of a computer usage policy.

Corporate governance reform: impact on accounting and auditing

Abstract: Purpose – The paper aims to describe the reach of the Sarbanes‐Oxley Act that was passed by Congress in 2002 to overcome corporate abuse of federal securities law.Design/methodology/approach – Analysis focused on the impact of the Act on corporate governance and the resulting effects on accounting and auditing functions.Findings – The Act is ab initio to correct corporate officers’ abuses. The research provides information of the range of consequences of the Act.Originality/value – The research is novel in reporting on the effects of the Act. It provides duties to parties in the corporation, directors and executive officers (specifically, CEOs and CFOs) and attorneys.

Mitigating the Combined Distributional Consequences of the Georgia Lottery for Education and the HOPE Scholarship

Abstract: Objective. Research demonstrates that nonwhite, lower-income households bear the Georgia Lottery's tax burden, yet receive fewer benefits. However, local disparities in grading standards may mitigate the observed income redistribution. Our objective is to determine whether certain localities obtain more HOPE scholarships than expected, mitigating the observed redistribution. Method. We use fixed-effects regression and a sample of Georgia's counties (1996–2002). Results. Our results indicate that some localities obtain more HOPE scholarships than expected, mitigating the observed redistribution. Conclusions. We conclude the income-redistribution research result does not reveal a complete picture because it overlooks the HOPE scholarship's extraordinary allocation mechanism.

Shirleya grahamae gen. et sp. nov. (Lythraceae), Lagerstroemia-like fruits from the middle Miocene Yakima Canyon flora, central Washington State, USA

Abstract: Shirleya grahamae Pigg & DeVore gen. et sp. nov. (Lythraceae) is established for silicified fruits from the middle Miocene Yakima Canyon of central Washington State, USA. The capsules are 10 mm long 3 11.5‐12.5 mm wide, enclosed in a persistent floral tube and contain 5‐7 locules. They are loculicidally dehiscent, fracturing into fragments and leaving the central axis free. Placentation is axile. Five to seven mature seeds are tightly packed per locule, often with several smaller seeds. Seeds are winged, anatropous, and narrowly attached subapically to the central axis, curving basally and radially within the fruit. They are up to ;4.6 mm long 3 1.9 mm wide, with a small, triangular embryo cavity and a prominent distal wing. The inflated wing is filled with a bilobed parenchymatous pad of tissue with a central cavity. Shirleya grahamae is assigned to the Lythraceae, and is most similar to Lagerstroemia, based on the synapomorphies of distally winged seeds and revolute cotyledons. Shirleya differs from Lagerstroemia in seed arrangement, and pericarp and wing anatomy. This study provides the first anatomical information about a Miocene Lagerstroemia-like fruit and documents further diversity of the Lythraceae in the Neogene of northwestern North America.

The development and initial testing of the Internet Consequences Scales (ICONS).

Abstract: The Internet has become a tool for everyday use in the lives of many people; however, little is known about the consequences of using the Internet on the well-being of individuals. This article describes the development of the Internet Consequences Scale (ICONS), a tool to measure the physical, behavioral, economic, and psychosocial consequences of Internet use. Content validity was established using a panel of experts in Internet communications, and construct validity was established using a confirmatory factor analysis. Reliability of the ICONS was established statistically using Cronbach's alpha. The result was a 44-item tool containing four subscales to measure the consequences of Internet use.

Faulkner's a Rose for Emily

Abstract: Document Summary) Getty examines William Faulkner's A Rose for Emily. The possible meanings of both the title and the chronology of Faulkner's A Rose for Emily have been debated for years. What is not under debate, however, is that the chronology deliberately manipulates and delays the reader's final judgment of Emily Grierson by altering the evidence. In other words, what the chronology does is as important as when the events actually take place. Full Text (1875 words) Copyright HELDREF PUBLICATIONS Summer 2005 The possible meanings of both the title and the chronology of William Faulkner's \"A Rose for Emily\" have been debated for years.1 What is not under debate, however, is that the chronology deliberately manipulates and delays the reader's final judgment of Emily Grierson by altering the evidence. In other words, what the chronology does is as important as when the events actually take place. In the same way, what the title does reveals as much as the debate over what the rose means. The only rose that Emily actually receives (putting aside symbolic roses for the moment) is the rose in the title, which Faulkner as the author gives to her.2 Just as the story's chronology is a masterpiece of subtle insinuations, so also is the title in its implications for the structure of the story. Previous attempts to offer a single explanation for the rose in \"A Rose for Emily\" highlight how many possibilities exist. In one sense, Homer could be the rose (Fenson and Kritzer). A combination of the rose-colored bedroom and Homer as a dried rose could serve as \"a relic of the past\" (Weaks 12). Homer's body could be like a rose pressed between the pages of a book, kept \"tucked away in a seldom used, rose colored room which at times can be opened\" (Kurtz 40). In another sense, it might be the narrator offering a rose to Emily: either \"as a final tribute\" by preserving the secret of Homer's murder (Nebeker, \"Emily's Rose\" 9); or, conversely, the narrator, \"unwittingly, offers little more than 'bought flowers' in tribute to Miss Emily\" by not recognizing the truth until the hair on the pillow is found (Garrison 341). If these various symbols in the story are petals in the rose, it is important to note that the \"Rose\" of the title gathers all of these references together in a way that moves beyond any one source. Rather than focusing the interpretation of the rose on any number of internal elements (Homer's body, Emily's state of mind, the narrator's tribute, etc.), however valid as a piece of the puzzle, the focus should be on the impact of the titular rose itself. The narrator's ultimately limited understanding of what has been happening weakens the case for the \"Rose\" being a tribute by the narrator.3 No critic claims that the narrator knew about the hair on the pillow, even if the narrator (and a significant percentage of the population) knew or guessed about the murder. The reassessment of the title by the reader (but not by the narrator, who technically does not know the title and remains oblivious to any outside commentary or literary allusions) must include more than a passing thought for the author, whose sleight of hand has brought about the surprise ending. The story is, after all, a literary construct, and it is constructed under the title, or in this case sub rosa: According to legend, the Greek god of silence, Harpocrates, stumbled upon Venus while she was making love with a handsome youth, and Cupid [.. .] bribed the god of silence to keep quiet about the affair by giving him the first rose ever created. This story made the rose the emblem of silence, and since the fifth century B.C., a rose carved on the ceilings of dining and drawing rooms where European diplomats gathered enjoined all present to observe secrecy about any matter discussed sub rosa, or \"under the rose\" [. . .] The rose was also carved over the Roman Catholic confessional as a symbol of silence, and sub rosa became well known [. . .] as a term for \"strict confidence,\" \"complete secrecy,\" or \"absolute privacy.\" (Hendrickson 167-68) Jack Scherting's Freudian reading of \"A Rose for Emily\" uses the sub-rosa concept only to suggest that Emily's attachment to her father had lasting repercussions: \"The Oedipal desires expressed in Emily's affair with Homer were never recognized by the people of Jefferson, and Emily herself was aware of them only as subconscious longings\" (404). On the contrary, the townspeople are extremely sensitive to Emily's psychological state. When Emily tries to keep her father's corpse, they \"believed that she had to do that. We remembered all the young men her father had driven away, and we knew that with nothing left, she would have to cling to that which had robbed her, as people will\" (124).4 The fact that certain people in town knew that Homer was in the upstairs room argues a similar recognition of Emily's need to cling to Homer as she had tried to cling to her father: only, this time, they let her keep the body. Whereas Scherting limits the title to expressing Emily's state of mind with her lover, I would argue that the entire story operates sub rosa to conceal that iron-gray hair on the pillow until after Emily is dead. Furthermore, Faulkner preserves Emily's privacy by never allowing the reader, or the narrator, to become a voyeur. When Emily drives the Baptist minister away, we are told that \"He would never divulge what happened during that interview\" (126): meaning, of course, that the town must have pressed him for details enough times to realize that he would not talk. No one is allowed inside the bedroom until both former occupants are dead, and the full understanding of Emily's state of mind (despite the inevitability of speculation on the subject) remains known only to Emily and her author. The religious implications of the sub-rosa concept apply to the story as well. Beyond the numerous secrets kept by various members of the community (from the Baptist minister to Tobe), the concept of the confessional, with the carved rose above it, applies more to the Episcopalian Emily than it does to her Baptist neighbors. Although not all present-day Episcopalians practice extreme unction, the Articles of Religion established by the American branch of the Episcopal (Anglican) church in 1801 include a description of how extreme unction fits into church practice. Obviously, in Emily's case, the possibility for a full confession before death exists only with her author, and his knowledge of her actions remains confidential until after her death. Structurally, the Grierson house itself adds both a physical and a figurative frame to the sub-rosa aspect of the story: \"It was a big, squarish frame house that had once been white, decorated with cupolas and spires and scrolled balconies in the heavily lightsome style of the seventies\" (119). The house, described as \"lifting its stubborn and coquettish decay above the cotton wagons and the gasoline pumps\" (119), is almost certainly decorated in places with carved flowers, the rose being a favorite choice among the Victorians. The main secrets in Jefferson take place inside that building, and the most important secret is revealed only after the flowers have been placed on Emily's grave. The \"Rose\" of the title extends far beyond any one flower or literary allusion in its implications for the story's structure. The \"Rose\" represents secrecy: the confidential relationship between the author and his character, with all of the privileged information withheld. [Footnote] NOTES 1. A sampling of critical suggestions for the chronology can be found in the articles by Going, McGlynn, Nebeker \"Chronology Revisited,\" Sullivan, Wilson, and Woodward. Literary allusions for the story are discussed by Barber, Barnes, Birk. Edwards, Going, Hays, Levitt, Mellard, Stevens, Stewart, Stronks, and Winchell. 2. Faulkner's well-known answer about the title's meaning has been recognized as vague and, more important, evasive: Q. What is the meaning of the title \"A Rose for Emily\"? A. Oh, it's simply that the poor woman had no life at all. Her father had kept her more or less locked up and then she had a lover who was about to quit her, she had to murder him. It was just \"A Rose for Emily\"-that's all. (Faulkner in the University 87-88) 3. A sampling of critical views of the narrator include the articles by Burduck, Nebeker (\"Emily's Rose\"), Rodgers, Rodman, and Sullivan. 4. I am using the Collected Stories of William Faulkner (New York: Vintage, 1977) 119-30. [Reference] WORKS CITED Barber, Marion. \"The Two Emilys: A Ransom Suggestion to Faulkner?\" Notes on Mississippi Writers 6 (1973): 103-05. Barnes, Daniel R. \"Faulkner's Miss Emily and Hawthorne's Old Maid.\" Studies in Short Fiction 9(1972): 373-77. Birk, John F. \"Tryst Beyond Time: Faulkner's 'Emily' and Keats.\" Studies in Short Fiction 28.2 (1991): 203-13. Burduck, Michael L. \"Another View of Faulkner's Narrator in 'A Rose for Emily.'\" UMSE 8 (1990): 209-11. Edwards, C. Mines, Jr. \"Three Literary Parallels to Faulkner's Α Rose for Emily.'\" Notes on Mississippi Writers 7 (1974): 21-25. Faulkner in the University: Class Conferences at The University of Virginia 1957-1958. Ed. Frederick L. Gwynn and Joseph L. Blotner. New York: Vintage, 1959. Fenson, Harry, and Hildreth Kritzer. Reading, Understanding, and Writing About Short Stories. New York: Free Press, 1966. Garrison, Joseph M., Jr. '\"Bought Flowers' in 'A Rose for Emily.'\" Studies in Short Fiction 16.4 (1979): 341-44. Going, William T. \"Chronology in Teaching Α Rose for Emily.'\" Exercise Exchange 5 (1958): 811. Hays, Peter L. \"Who is Faulkner's Emily?\" Studies in American Fiction 16 (1988): 105-10. Heilmeyer, Marina. The Language of Flowers: Symbols and Myths. New York: Prestel, 2001. Hendrickson, Robert. Ladyhugs, Tigerlilies and Wallflowers. New York: Prentice Hall, 1993. Kurtz, Elizabeth Carney. \"Faulkner's 'A Rose for Emily.'\" Explicator 44.2 (1986): 40. Levitt, Paul. \"An Analogue for Faulkner's Α R