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DeSales University Faculty Publications: 2013

Dr. Aidin Amirshokoohi

Kazempour, M., Amirshokoohi, A. (2013). Exploring elmentary pre-service teachers' experiences and leanring outcomes in a revised inguiry-based science lesson: An action research. Journal of Education and Learning. 2(2), 144-154.

ABSTRACT

This study is part of ongoing research investigating the experiences of undergraduate students who enroll in an integrated inquiry-based biology program during their freshman year. The purpose of this study was to explore students' perspectives on the program and their perceptions of science and scientific inquiry after completing the program. Five students from the first cohort of students enrolled int he program were interviewed at teh end of their second year and 17 students from the second cohort were interviewed at the beginning and end of their first year. Students were asked how the program differed from their other science courses, what they learned about science as a result of enrolling in the program, and how the program prepared them for future science courses and research. Qualitative methods were used to analyze the data and identify students' views. Analysis indicated that students had an overwhelmingly positive experience in the program, viewing it as a more effective way to learn science and an excellent preparation for future science endeavors. As a result of embarking on inquiry projects themselves, they had a greater understanding of the process of science and the type of work done by scientists.

 

Kazempour, M., Amirshokoohi, A. (2013) Reforming an undergraduate environmental science course for non-science majors. Journal of College Science Teaching. 43(2), 54-59.

ABSTRACT

This article discusses the key components of a reform-based introductory undergraduate environmental science course for nonscience majors and elementary teacher candidates as well as the impact of such components on the participants. The main goals for the course were to actively engage the students in their learning and, in doing so, to enhance their level of environmental literacy, sense of social responsibility, and activism. The course aimed to augment students' understanding of ecological concepts; environmental issues; the scientific, technological, and social (political, economical, cultural) basis of these issues; as well as the ideas of sustainability and environmental stewardship. The five essential components of the course are described. In addition, the impact of the course on students' (a) understanding of and attitude toward science, (b) understanding of environmental concepts and issues, and (c) attitude toward environmental issues and their role in the environment will be discussed.    

Bradley Barnhorst, CFA, and Dr. Tahereh Hojjat

               

 

Barhorst, B. C., & Hojjat, T. A. (2013). Inflation persistence and growth in seven emerging Islamic economies. International Journal of Business and Emerging Markets, 5(2), 148-164. 

We examine inflation persistence and gross domestic product growth for a group of seven Islamic economies from 1980-2009 using World Bank and International Monetary Fund data. Although there is a substantial body of literature on the impact of money supply on the economies of industrial countries, there is not nearly as much study done on the role of monetary policy as a stabilisation tool in developing nations, particularly in Middle Eastern countries. This study will shed some light on the relationship between money and economic activities in seven Islamic countries and whether monetary authorities can function effectively in their formulation and implementation of monetary policy. We find that money supply growth is correlated with inflation persistence, and study other factors' effects on both. Also, the relationship between money supply and economic growth is tested with regard to additional factors which demonstrate that money supply.

Tim Cowart

Mr. Cowart conducted an interview with the director of the Michioi Ito documentary, Bonnie Oda Homsey, for the Dance Film Association.  That interview can be found at http://www.dancefilms.org/2013/01/23/interview-with-director-bonnie-oda-homsey/.  The Dance Films Association conducts the New York City Dance on Camera Festival every year. 

Dr. Pranshu Gupta

Anguilera, A., Mata-Toledo, R., Subero, A., Monger, M., Gupta, P. (2013). On an extension of fuzzy aggregate functions for databases. Romanian Economic Business Review, 7(1), 1-8.

Abstract

Today, fuzzy sets and fuzzy logic are used in many applications areas such as control, instrumentation, resource management, and databases just to name a few. In this paper, the authors present an extension of fuzzy aggregate functions in the context of fuzzy databases. The paper is not intended as a complete examination of relational databases and the SQL language.

 

Dr. Tahereh Hojjat

    

    

 

 

 

 

Hojjat, T. A. (2012) Global poverty and biofuel production: Food vs. fuel. International Journal of Energy Technology & Policy, 8(3), 209-223.

From early 2008, the issue of rising global food prices moved to the forefront of the international political agenda. As a result of higher food prices, tens of millions of people were pushed into hunger and poverty around the world. Civil unrest flared up in North Africa, Vietnam and Haiti as countries introduced export restrictions on food subsidies and instituted price controls. Food price inflation has been sparking protests in North Africa that toppled longstanding presidents in Tunisia and Egypt. In the food markets, unfavourable weather conditions, rising fuel costs, rising biofuels production, and trade restrictions have added to upward price pressures. Higher food and fuel prices have serious macroeconomic effects throughout the global economy, including adverse effects on growth and inflation, and large swings in the terms of trade - with important balance of payments repercussions. In this paper, we analyse the immediate causes of food price inflation; in particular the role of biofuel, and discuss actions policy makers may need to take to ensure global food security. (publiser's abstract)

Susan Lehman

        

 

 

 

 

 

Lehman, S.B. (2013). Directors: From Stage to Screen and Back Again. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.

Directors: From Stage to Screen and Back Again is a new book written by Susan Beth Lehman that features interviews from twelve directors that have made the transition between theatre and film during their successful careers.

The list includes Oscar, Emmy and Tony winners who each have their own unique experiences and contributions to share from decades of work on Broadway and in Hollywood.

The focus of the book is on how experience in both mediums influenced the process and approach to directing taken by these individuals during careers that have spanned from directing classical theater, to television and film, to motion capture and animation.

Directors is being published by UK based Intellect Ltd. and distributed in the US by The University of Chicago Press where it is currently available for purchase online in both print and digital editions. (press release)

Ann Michael

                                   

           

Ms. Ann Michael, Writing Coordinator in the Academic Success Center, had poems published in Barefoot Review, Poemeleon, Two Hawks Quarterly, Paper Nautilus, Gray Sparrow Journal, Comstock Review, Paper Nautilus, qarrtsiluni, and Schuylkill Valley Journal of the Arts.

http://readpapernautilus.wordpress.com/

http://svjlit.com/

http://barefootreview.org/start.html

http://www.poemeleon.org/homepage/

http://greysparrowpress.sharepoint.com/Pages/default.aspx

http://www.comstockreview.org/

http://qarrtsiluni.com/

Michael, A.E. (2012). Water-rites. Columbus, GA: Brick Road Poetry Press.

About Ann E. Micheal's collection Water-Rites, poet Elena Georgiou says: "the reader is given a microcosm of the manuscript as a whole; the living, the dying, the naming, the water—the endless cycles of life. Water-Rites takes its reader on an undulating lyrical journey that begins with witness, moves through understanding, and ends with a reinterpretation of what it means to be alive. The manuscript is a testimony to everything that continues to grow."

Dr. Mary Ellen Miller

       

Miller, M.E. (2013) Why fathers are too important to ignore: Communication about sexuality between fathers and daughters. Holistic Nursing Practice, 27(2), 89-97.

 
This cross-sectional study examined perceptions of sexual communication between 38 dyads of fathers and daughters. Results indicate agreement about the 3 topics most and least frequently discussed but significant differences in perceived extent of sexual communication. These differences indicate that interventions may be needed to increase fathers' comfort with sexual communication. (publisher's abstract)
 
Author Comments: This manuscript is adapted from my doctoral dissertation titled: The Relationship Between Father's Parenting Style and Sexual Communication With Adolescent Daughters.  The majority of research focused on adolescent health includes mothers and/or adolescents as participants. This study was groundbreaking because father and darter perception of parenting style and sexual communication had not been studied. Results demonstrate incongruency in the perception of sexual communication in the majority of the items on the Sexual Communication Scale.  Recommendations for future investigations with fathers and daughters are highlighted.

Dr. Jennifer Moore

     

Moore, J.L. (2014). Criminal Law and Procedure. Boston, MA: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Criminal Law and Procedure is a fresh, contemporary approach to criminal law and criminal procedure.  The text offers an effective balance of these two subjects in a concise presentation that engages students with current issues and relatable content.  Chapters are organized into self-contained modules that facilitate learning and allow instructors to customize their usage of the text. Coverage includes mainstream forms of criminal activity and procedure as well as the most recent hot-button issues such as cyberterrorism. (publisher's description)

The reader is able to walk through the book using the following link: http://www.pearsonhighered.com/showtell/worrall_013237577X/web/worrall_013237577X.html

Dr. Richard Noll

     

Noll, R. (2012). Whole body madness. Psychiatric Times, 29(12),13-14.

The article discusses dementia praecox. In 1902, U.S. physician William Rush Dunton Jr. published an article containing case summaries of three women who were diagnosed with the condition based on observations reported by German psychiatrist Emil Kraepelin. It is believed that dementia praecox and manic-depressive insanity were the result of long-term systemic or whole body disease processes that affected the brain. The controversy surrounding the true origin of the mental condition is noted. (publisher's description)

Dr. Katherine Ramsland

                      

    

Books

Nesbitt, M. V. & Ramsland, K. (2012). Blood & ghosts: Paranormal forensics investigator. Gettysburg, PA: Second Chance Publications.

Blood and Ghosts: Paranormal Forensics Investigators - Forensics is an applied science and many of its sub-disciplines have a kinship with ghost hunting: its tools and technology were devised to record and analyze evidence or behavior. Given this shared approach to solving mysteries, it makes sense to see how these disciplines could be brought together. From missing persons to mass and serial murder, it’s time to use all of our best resources to solve crimes. Katherine Ramsland, a forensics expert, and Mark Nesbitt, a paranormal investigator, examine tales of ghosts and murder, police psychics, and scientific experiments. What if forensic and paranormal investigation deliberately crossed paths? Can forensics aid ghost hunters, and might ghost hunters who use these tools one day assist in the cause of justice? The answers to these questions are explored within the pages of "Blood & Ghosts." (publisher's description)

 

Ramsland, K. (2013). Moonlight Murder on Lovers’ Lane [Kindle]. Retrieved from http://www.amazon.com/Moonlight-Murder-Lovers-Crimescape-ebook/dp/B008BKGIIO/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1339769269&sr=1-1-fkmr0&keywords=Moonlight+Murders+on+Lovers+Land

Moonlight Murder on Lovers' Lane - He was a handsome local minister; she was the choir’s beautiful soloist. In 1922 they were found brutally murdered in a lovers’ lane. Combining adultery, wealth, and revenge, it became the most high-profile unsolved crime of the decade. (publisher's description)

 

Ramsland, K. (2013). Mom: God told me to kill [Kindle]. Retrieved from http://www.amazon.com/Mom-Told-Kill-Crimescape-ebook/dp/B008VVR0C6/ref=sr_1_21?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1344696606&sr=1-21&keywords=Crimescape

Mom: God Told Me to Kill - A seemingly perfect, deeply religious mother kills her children because she believed God commanded it, thereby creating a dramatic controversy over whether she is guilty of murder. If acquitted, she may be released. (publisher's description)

 

Video

Eureka Training -  In her talk about Eureka Training, Ramsland discusses what we know from neuroscience about the brain’s role in supporting mental breakthroughs. (website description)

http://tedxtalks.ted.com/video/Eureka-Training-How-to-Spark-a;search%3Aramsland

 

Select Articles

Dietz, J. & Ramsland, K. (2012). Solution in the details: Investigative strategy on a unique case. Forensic Examiner, 21(1), 18-24.

Professional training in law enforcement includes little about how cognitive processing subtly influences perception, memory, and decision-making. Homicide investigators arrive at scenes with a specific mindset that derives from experience and expectations. These mindsets can help, but they can also result in a threshold diagnosis and tunnel vision, which narrows the investigator's focus to a limited range of options. The following case illustrates how an attentive and flexible team thwarted tunnel vision in time to rescue a victim. (publisher's abstract)

Ramsland, K. & Safarik, M. (2012). Clinical judgment vs. data analysis: Improving on tradition: An expert's experience, no matter how extensive, is limited by personal circumstances. Forensic Examiner, 21(2), 14-19.

For complex cases, judgments based on expertise have traditionally been the best practice, though information in databases can contradict this notion. An expert's experience, no matter how extensive, is limited by personal circumstances. Their mental habits also encourage mental shortcuts that can move the case in the wrong direction. The following case from Clover, South Carolina, illustrates an important point. In forensic areas for which databases are available, investigators and attorneys would gain more benefit from consulting statistical data than relying solely on expert testimony. (publisher's abstract)

Ramsland, K. (2012). Robert D. Keppel: Consulting detective, Forensic Examiner, 21(1), 52-55.

The article profiles consulting detective Robert D. Keppel. It states that Keppel is famous for the role he played in the investigation of homicides committed by Ted Bundy. Keppel reportedly grew up in Spokane, Washington and graduated from Washington State University on an athletic scholarship. It discusses his achievements which include being part of the U.S.' 1964 Olympic team and writing several books. It explores his career as a detective wherein he had to assist in numerous disturbing cases. It notes that Keppel is working as a criminal justice associate professor at the University of New Haven. (publisher's abstract)

Ramsland, K. (2012). Locard’s vision: 100 years of crime labs. Forensic Examiner, 21(2), 60-62.

He was famous for seeing what others could not. Edmond Locard loved being called the "French Sherlock Holmes," since it was to Holmes that he owed his vision for crime science. He even looked like Holmes, with his slender build, alert expression, and aquiline nose. Few would dispute that Locard played a significant role in the evolution of criminalistics. Like his fictional hero, he firmly believed that the smallest clues could break a case. To find them, one had to be keenly observant, deeply informed, and willing to consider the circumstances from all angles. (publisher's abstract)

Guinn, W. & Ramsland, K. (2012). New ideas for old crimes: It's all about context. Forensic Examiner, 21(3), 56-62.

Ninety years ago, the double homicide of a married minister and his mistress, a choir singer, launched a complex investigation and a sensational trial. Renowned journalists crowded in for a salacious story and they got one, complete with a bizarre cast of characters. Yet, the case went cold. Today it presents an enduring mystery like that of Lizzie Borden or Jack the Ripper. With so many intriguing suspects, many true crime authors have weighed in. Yet only recently did an enticing item jump out. It was in plain sight all along, and it implicates a suspect who eluded a full investigation due merely to past ignorance about a specific type of motive. (publisher's abstract)

Pauly, D. & Ramsland, K. (2012). The presence of absence: An investigative case study. Forensic Examiner. 22(1), 14-19.

In actual cases, investigators must view a scene holistically before forming a guiding narrative. This means they must sometimes consider a clue of absence, i.e., something not present that should be. This is not easy to do, because the natural inclination during an investigation is to focus on the concrete: items that can be seen, heard, touched, smelled. Because of the way human perception functions, looking for something can result in overlooking the significance of nothing. Astute investigators realize that they must think about items that are absent as well as those that are present. The following case presents such an illustration. (publisher's abstract)

Ramsland, K. (2012). The man of 1,000 faces: Paul Ekman and the science of facial analysis. Forensic Examiner, 22(1), 64-70.

Let's say that you're talking to someone, perhaps as an interviewer with a person of interest. The subject responds appropriately, but you have the vague sense that he's hiding something. It's just a quick impression, but you think something flitted across his face that contradicts his cooperative response. Was it contempt? Disgust? Anger? You can't really tell. Or can you? The ability to read facial expressions is a natural part of human communication. We use it all the time, but we can easily misunderstand or even be tricked ... unless we're trained in how to spot and interpret an emotion's most subtle manifestations. (publisher's abstract)

Keglovits, S., McCrary, G. &Ramsland, K. (2013). Solvability & risk factors: A cold case investigation. Forensic Examiner, 22(2), 16-21.

All four members of the Walker family were slain in 1959 in their home near Sarsota, Florida. During the past half-century, numerous suspects have been considered and eliminated. Among them were the drifters, Dick Hickock and Perry Smith, who had murdered the Herb Clutter family in Kansas the month before. Their denial, supported by polygraphs, initially eliminated them. However, in December 2012, law enforcement officials exhumed Hickock and Smith for DNA comparisons. Regardless of the results, this investigation presents an opportunity to consider methodology in the context of solvability factors and priority analysis. When public funds support cold case investigations, investigators must use best practices. (publisher's abstract) 

Saborsky, A.L. & Ramsland, K. (2013). Distance diagnosis: Can we really tell whether Dahmer had Asperger's disorder? Forensic Examiner, 22(2), 42-48.

In 2002, Silva, Ferrari, and Leong posited from a "neuropsychiatric developmental perspective" that the late Jeffrey Dahmer met DSM--IV diagnostic criteria for Asperger's disorder. They postulated that it was in part this condition that had influenced Dahmer to commit murder. We cite reasons why the approach they used fails, and caution against using certain types of sources when considering psychiatric labels. We conclude that distance diagnosis is generally problematic, and Silva, Ferrari, and Leong's analysis of Dahmer illustrates this method's flaws. (publisher's abstract)

Ramsland, K. (2013). Crystallizing psychotheraphy: Dr. Hervey Cleckley: If we can believe the trendy headlines, psychopaths are everywhere! Forensic Examiner, 22(2), 62-65.

Although psychopathy was one of the first personality disorders that psychiatry formally recognized, it was difficult during the nineteenth century to devise a workable concept. Alienists described it variously as "insanity without delirium," "moral insanity," and "psychopathic inferiority." It became a "trashcan" label for any number of conditions. This changed in 1941, when American psychiatrist Hervey M. Cleckley published The Mask of Sanity. He viewed psychopathy as the "most baffling and most fascinating" disorder, so he developed a list of traits and behaviors that built a frame for how we now define it. However, few today know much about Cleckley himself, or that he had a hand in some rather notable cases. (publisher's abstract)

Dr. Joshua Schulz

 
                                                                        
 

Schulz, J. W. (2012). Kierkegaard’s comic and tragic lovers. American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly, 82(2), 251-269.

This essay examines a dialogue between Kierkegaard and the Aristotelian tradition on the topic of love and friendship. At stake in the dispute is whetherphilia or agape is the highest form of love and how we should understand the relation between the two loves. The essay contributes to the conversation by analyzing two kinds of deceptive love identified in Kierkegaard’s Works of Love, viewing each through the lens of a Shakespearian persona. Against the Aristotelian tradition, Kierkegaard defends the idiosyncratic view that Hamlet’s Ophelia is a villain and King Lear’s Cordelia is happy. Central to Kierkegaard’s argument is the contention that agape requires an epistemic attitude of charitable presumption towards one’s neighbor despite the possibility of error, an attitude found in Cordelia but not in Ophelia. The essay contrasts this Thomistic attitude with its Cartesian counterpart as well as their consequences for moral and religious life. (publisher's abstract)
 
Schulz, J. (2013, January 30). Faith, Wonder, and the Method. Front Porch Republic. Retrieved from http://www.frontporchrepublic.com/2013/01/faith-wonder-and-the-method/

In Summa Theologica 2-2.1.4, Aquinas argues that every action can be understood in two ways: according to its order of intention–the goal one has in mind when one acts, and aims to bring about by acting–as well as its order of execution, or the means by which that goal is accomplished. Every real action requires both an ultimate and and a first means, since lacking these “no one would begin to work at anything,” having either nothing to do or no way to do it. The end is the object of love, since we seek only what we believe to be good, whereas means are the object of prudence, since the man of practical wisdom seeks his ends well. Good human action thus requires the full complement of our faculties: reason (in the form of prudence), understanding (in our framing of the end), will (in our choice of ends), and appetite (in our attraction towards the end). Let’s think about what this implies for education. (publisher's abstract)

 Schulz, J. (2012, December 27). Why didn’t God send a gift-card? Thoughts on evil, economics, and the meaning of Christmas (J. Pearce, ed.). St. Austin’s Review. Retrieved from http://www.staustinreview.com/ink_desk/archives/scroogenomics 

Dr. Angelica Silva

   

Silva, A. (2012). Santurce: Microcosmos literario de conductas sociales. In A. Hidalgo-DeJesus (ed.), La escritura de mujeres en Puerto Rico a finales del Siglo XX y principios del Siglo XXI: essays on Contemporary Puerto Rican Writers. New York, NY: Edwin Press.

The aim of this critical anthology is to discuss and expose the writings of Puerto Rican women writers within the context of the 20th and 21st century, taking into account a variety of writing and literary styles that set them apart from traditional literary writings and exploring different topics that range from social problems, history, women place in society, Black African culture, etc. (publisher's description)

Ms Jennifer Suwak

Suwak, J. , & Abruzzesse, S. (Directors). (2013).  Pulling Teeth [Motion Picture]. 
     Indieflix. 

Synopsis

'Pulling Teeth' is a short documentary about John Baker, an Equestrian Dentist for over forty years who has a very specific philosophy whe working on horse teeth. He believes that communication is key. Through several stories and visuals, John Baker proves that communication with other animals is vital to harmony and understanding, particularly in his line of work.

Offical selection for the 2013 Phoenix Film festival, 2013 San Francisco Independent Documantary Festival, 20th Austin Film Festival, San Francisco DocFest, Tenth Annual Southside Film Festival (Bethlehem, PA), Crown Heights Film Festival (Brooklyn NY) and Honorable Mention at the Myrtle Beach Film Festival as well as Second Place in the Shorts Competition at the  Three Rivers 32nd Annual Film Festival.

 

Daniel P. Wisniewski O.S.F.S

Grundman, H. G., Wisniewski, D. P. (2013). Tetraomial Thue Equations. Journal of Number Theory. 133, 4140-4174.

Dr. Galina Yermolenko

        

 

Yermolenko, G. (2012). Early modern Russian pilgrims in the Holy Land. In J.A. Hayden & N. I. Matar (eds.), Through the eyes of the beholder: the Holy Land, 1517-1713. Boston: Brill.

The collection examines the view of holiness in the “Holy Land” through the writings of pilgrims, travelers, and missionaries. The period extends from 1517, the Ottoman conquest of Syria and Palestine, to the Franco-British treaty of Utrecht in 1713 and the consolidation of European hegemony over the Mediterranean. The writers in the collection include Christians (Orthodox, Protestant, and Catholic), Muslims, and Jews, who originate from countries such as Sweden, England, France, Holland, Russia, the Ottoman Empire, and Syria. This book is the first to juxtapose writers of different backgrounds and languages, to emphasize the holiness of the land in a number of traditions, and to ask whether holiness was inherent in geography or a product of the piety of the writers. (publisher's description)
 

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