Capstones 2014

Deaf sex education in India: a study of deaf Indians in the U.S.
33 pp.; 28 cm., Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a serious issue in India, as the United Nations AIDS (UNAIDS) in 2008 reported that approximately 2.5 million Indians are living with HIV (p. 1). Because of this, some degree of sex education has been initiated in state schools in India. Since no research exists on whether deaf people in India are receiving this education, the research questions related to the focus of this study on factors of sex education for the deaf in India include: What is the level of awareness and knowledge about sexually transmitted infections (STIs), safe sex and contraceptives among Deaf Indians; what were the means for gaining any knowledge they do have and; was there communication, if any, about sexuality with their peers or family members. McManus & Dhar[s (2008) survey was adapted to the sample that participated in the survey online. The participants are deaf and born in India but currently residing in the United States. Results show deaf Indians in the United States do have some knowledge and awareness of HIV/AIDS, STIs, and safer sex practices, but lack complete information and seem to be misinformed on some issues such as the impossibility to cure AIDS., Submitted by Christopher Shea (christopher.shea@gallaudet.edu) on 2014-09-10T18:04:08Z No. of bitstreams: 1 LisaVanDerMarkHonorsCapstone2014.pdf: 1181489 bytes, checksum: 7e49d2ed5d7903f7dec1ade8f1a70ff7 (MD5), Made available in DSpace on 2014-09-10T18:04:08Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 LisaVanDerMarkHonorsCapstone2014.pdf: 1181489 bytes, checksum: 7e49d2ed5d7903f7dec1ade8f1a70ff7 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-05-15
Group productivity in varying communication mediums: testing face-to-face and virtual interaction
31 pp.; 28 cm., Research in the field of industrial organizational psychology identifies key factors that affect team productivity in the workplace. One such critical factor is communication mode and the integration of technology into work interaction. Using an experimental design modeled after Straus and McGrath's 1994 study on productivity when using face-to-face (FTF) and chatroom communication, this study focuses on a Deaf population and adds computer-mediated video communication. Fourteen groups of 3-5 participants were each assigned one of the three nodes of communication and given three timed tasks to answer together. At the end, participants filled out an individual survey reflecting upon the group interaction process. The results show that FTF performed better only on the idea-generation task (task 1). Scores from the problem-solving task (task 2) and judgment task (task 3) were not impacted by communication mode. Ratings of feeling heard did not show any significance related to communication type. Ratings of feeling valued, however, was higher among FTF communication group than in text or video groups. Future research in the field should recognize the value of video chat and conduct more extensive studies with larger populations. There is also not much research with a Deaf population; increased research with Deaf participants will help people better understand how to best work with Deaf people and provide the maximum productive workplace., Submitted by Christopher Shea (christopher.shea@gallaudet.edu) on 2014-09-10T17:25:12Z No. of bitstreams: 1 JessicaWalkerHonorsCapstone2014.pdf: 706023 bytes, checksum: 75783bb80340c7d8179b704fea1745f6 (MD5), Made available in DSpace on 2014-09-10T17:25:12Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 JessicaWalkerHonorsCapstone2014.pdf: 706023 bytes, checksum: 75783bb80340c7d8179b704fea1745f6 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-05-12
The role of childhood environment and outdoor exposure on connectedness to nature
44 pp.; 28 cm., There may exist a relationship between the type of environment one is raised in, amount of exposure to the outdoors as a child and later connectedness to nature as an adult. This study attempts to identify childhood experiences, which may have an influence on adult tendency toward specific patterns of attachment, belief, behavior, and emotions in relation to the natural world. Results show no significant relationship between childhood environment and preference of indoor or outdoor activities in this study sample. However, frequency of exposure through field trips has been found to have a significant impact on connectedness to nature. The implication of this research is it can be used in encouraging maximum exposure to the outdoor environment not only when people are children, but in adulthood as well. Limitations of this study include a relatively small sample size as well as a sample of convenience and issues of internal reliability of the measurements. Future research could study the link between a person's feelings of connectedness to nature and their mental or physical health; include more demographic data; expand the sample to include deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing participants; and further divide rural, suburban and urban environments into sub-categories., Submitted by Jamie Smith (jamie.smith@gallaudet.edu) on 2014-09-10T15:12:56Z No. of bitstreams: 1 KallissaBaileyHonorsCapstone2014.pdf: 779873 bytes, checksum: b61a0ca29362c4d860b8583899e1b36e (MD5), Made available in DSpace on 2014-09-10T15:12:56Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 KallissaBaileyHonorsCapstone2014.pdf: 779873 bytes, checksum: b61a0ca29362c4d860b8583899e1b36e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-05-05
The social integration of Civil War veterans with hearing loss: the roles of government and media
45 pp.; 28 cm., The end of the Civil War at 1865 came with a staggering cost of 625,000 lives and a sizable number of deafened veterans. The deafened veterans who left the war faced a unique dilemma with their disability, hearing loss. The path to proving their disability and obtaining benefits would prove arduous. Before teh Civil War, disability was considered less. After the war wrought its damage, disability was seen as free-riders. The morphing of the disability stigma can be attributed to the reactions from the government and media. The well-intentioned federal government's policies and resources for disabled veterans in the years following the Civil War changed th perception of disability but also exacerbated the stigma for veterans who were disabled. People started to realize that disabled veterans were getting more aid than anyone else. The large numbers of disabled veterans frightened the public; the result was that fear of malingering spread. Disabled people came to be viewed as leeches who were dragging the country down. Complicating the situation, disability was tough to prove in the years after the Civil War due to the limited medical advances made in that time, which greatly increased the fear of malingering among the American public. All of those issues and perception contributed to the negative experiences of Civil War disabled veterans with hearing loss., Submitted by Jamie Smith (jamie.smith@gallaudet.edu) on 2014-09-10T14:54:01Z No. of bitstreams: 1 CorinnaHillHonorsCapstone2014.pdf: 804094 bytes, checksum: 3bf40184c5f5029e535e6e53e1eac7f7 (MD5), Made available in DSpace on 2014-09-10T14:54:02Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 CorinnaHillHonorsCapstone2014.pdf: 804094 bytes, checksum: 3bf40184c5f5029e535e6e53e1eac7f7 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-05-14
Turtle town: creating a self-sustainable ecosystem using an ecological approach to turtle aquarium design
20 pp.; 28 cm., Typical pet turtle tank setups do not utilize the complete nutrient cycle seen in a functional natural ecosystem. This dysfunction results in waste and nutrient buildup, which is currently managed by water changes and regular tank cleaning. This type of maintenance can be costly and time-consuming -- not to mention unpleasant and hazardous to the aquarium owner's health. This study tested the effectiveness of using plants as part of a proposed ecological tank design to minimize waste buildup by utilizing nutrients. Wastewater from a dirty turtle tank was transferred to a tank setup containing three plants (Experimental Batch 1), while the dirty turtle tank received clean water (Experimental Batch 2). Water samples were collected from each tank over a period of approximately two weeks and each tank's concentration of phosphorus and nitrogen were measured. NH4+ analysis showed that the rate of turtle N buildup equals about 4.5 times as much as plant N use. PO43- analysis results shoed that the rate of turtle P buildup is about 0.2642 uM per day, however plant P use did not show a significant trend. Further studies on plant P use and forms of N should be carried out to explore this anomaly. Results from this study and further studies of this kind can be used to estimate and standardize the amount of plant mass needed to create a self-sustainable cycle in a 40-gallon tank. Turtle owners can use this information to improve the water quality, using an ecologically friendly design. In future studies, researchers can test further additions to create a complete ecological tank design - including organic filter sponges, a worm compost farm, and a complete garden situated above the tank - against typical mechanical filtration systems to compare quality of life for the turtles., Submitted by Christopher Shea (christopher.shea@gallaudet.edu) on 2014-09-10T17:44:03Z No. of bitstreams: 1 SheenaODonnellHonorsCapstone2014.pdf: 34660306 bytes, checksum: b4b6bc166d426c343de344ccc6d4dd87 (MD5), Made available in DSpace on 2014-09-10T17:44:03Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 SheenaODonnellHonorsCapstone2014.pdf: 34660306 bytes, checksum: b4b6bc166d426c343de344ccc6d4dd87 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-05-15
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Turtle town: creating a self-sustainable ecosystem using an ecological approach to turtle aquarium design gaislandora:9614 2,880
The social integration of Civil War veterans with hearing loss: the roles of government and media gaislandora:9617 708
The role of childhood environment and outdoor exposure on connectedness to nature gaislandora:9616 644
Deaf sex education in India: a study of deaf Indians in the U.S. gaislandora:9613 431
The mystery of fut2: a population genetics analysis of the secretor gene using the 1000 genomes project gaislandora:9612 109
Group productivity in varying communication mediums: testing face-to-face and virtual interaction gaislandora:9615 83