Best Selling Books by Chelsea Marie

Sometimes things aren''t always what they seem and people''s intentions aren''t always good. Reginald Grayson is determined to take over Kennedy and Associates Entertainment business and make Chelsea Kennedy fall in love with him. What he doesn''t expect is for the dead to come back and ruin his plans.

Karter Mack, best friend to Michael until he finds out his true nature and the lies he has told to Slay.

The state of education has gone through changes as new policies have been implemented to try to improve student performance and teacher accountability. But these implementation processes may affect high school choir teachers differently than the typical core teacher. The purpose of this study was to explore high school choral teachers'' perceptions of policy implementation based on Robert Marzano''s theories. This qualitative study aimed to address whether the policy changed the teachers'' previous methods of instruction, what the teachers perceived as benefits, drawbacks, or challenges, and how they were supported through the implementation process. Through semi-structured interviews, two participants identified changes, attitudes, and perceptions that occurred as a result of the implementation. Both identified major changes in teacher evaluation that included aspects such as teacher pay and student assessment. Additionally, they suggested that administrative support played a large role in whether or not the policy outcomes were successful. The results of the study support research that clear communication and support from administration is paramount to successful implementation. Furthermore, the study raised questions about the efficacy of teacher evaluation procedures and the usefulness of broad goals across all subjects.

In recent years, a significant amount of resources and attention has been directed at increasing the diversity of the hi-tech workforce in the United States. Generally speaking, the underrepresentation of minorities and women in tech has been understood as an "educational pipeline problem," - for a variety of reasons, these groups lack the social supports and resources needed to develop marketable technical literacies. In this thesis I complicate the educational pipeline narrative by taking a close look at the perspectives and practices of three different groups. First, I explore widespread assumptions and recruitment practices found in the tech industry, based on interviews I conducted with over a dozen leaders and founders of tech companies. I found that widespread notions of what merit looks like (in terms of prior work experience and educational pedigree) have given rise to insular hiring practices in tech. Second, I offer an in-depth examination of the risks and opportunities related to an emerging set of practices termed "algorithmic recruitment," which combines machine learning with big data sets in order to evaluate technical talent. Finally, I analyze the strategies adopted by a non-profit called CODE2040 in order to facilitate structural changes in how tech recruits talent to include a more diverse set of qualified applicants. I conclude by offering a more robust conceptualization of diversity and its value in the tech sector, as well as some specific ways to increase tech''s diversity in the future.

However, DNF did not explain better learning outcomes observed in the adolescent sample. Each study separately contributes to the growing knowledge of social and neural associations with learning abilities that are not exclusive to, but important for study-specific developmental niches. Taken together, this dissertation provides evidence in support of a dynamic systems theory of cognition and asserts that learning and behavior during development is a dynamic process that is dependent on social input, adaptive to early experiences, and is supported by flexible neural network architecture.

Overview: The tight skin 2 (Tsk2/+) mouse is a genetic model of systemic sclerosis (SSc). This model has several similarities to human disease including tight skin, increased collagen, and alterations in the extracellular matrix. There are multiple goals of this thesis research, including confirming the role of causal mutation of Tsk2/+ in both lethality and fibrosis, determining critical drivers of the cell-autonomous Tsk2/+ phenotype, and quantifying Tsk2/+ dermal health. Approach: We used RNA and DNA sequencing methods to identify Tsk2/+ specific SNPs. The most promising of these SNPs caused a cysteine-to-serine amino acid change in COL3A1. We examined primary dermal Tsk2/+ and WT fibroblasts to discover previously uncharacterized components of the cell-autonomous Tsk2/+ phenotype; then we used this phenotype to evaluate C33S in vitro. Two pathways of interest, TGF-ß and TWEAK/FN14, were inhibited in vitro to determine their role in the Tsk2/+ phenotype. Results: To confirm that the C33S mutation is responsible for the lethality of Tsk2/Tsk2 homozygotes, we crossed Tsk2/+ mice to a mouse carrying one copy of the Col3a1-knockout allele (Col3a1HET), and determined that the compound Tsk2/Col3a1- genotype was not viable. We found that in addition to Col1a1, other Tsk2/+ specific cell-autonomous genes were upregulated in primary dermal Tsk2/+ fibroblasts. Transfection of C33S-mutated Col3a1 (Col3a1Tsk2) DNA in plasmid form resulted in increased mRNA expression of pro-fibrotic signatures compared to Col3a1WT transfections. Inhibition of FN14 and TGF-ß in vitro significantly decreased the fibrotic signature observed in Col3a1Tsk2 transfections. Surprisingly, breeding Tsk2/+ mice to Fn14KO mice did not improve the Tsk2/+ fibrotic phenotype in vivo. Conclusions: We have proven that the C33S mutation in COL3A1 is responsible for lethality and can induce fibrosis in Tsk2/+ mice. Based on sequence homology between this region in type I, II, and III collagen, we suspect the C33S mutation disrupts the ability of COL3A1 (C33S) to bind and sequester TGF-ß. We postulate that failure to bind TGF-ß would result in increased TGF-ß signaling in Tsk2/+ dermis compared to WT littermates. This suspicion is supported by the ability of FN14 and TGFBR1 inhibitors to downregulate fibrotic signatures induced by Col3a1Tsk2 transfection, implying these pathways are essential for Tsk2/+ cell-autonomous signaling. However, Fn14KO breeding failed to improve the Tsk2/+ mouse phenotype, demonstrating that abrogation of Tsk2/+ fibrosis in vivo may require a multipronged approach.

Statistics courses are fundamental to many undergraduate degree programs, because statistics is useful in most careers and everyday tasks. However, psychology students frequently harbor negative attitudes and feelings of anxiety about enrolling in and completing statistics courses. For this dissertation, I designed and implemented three utility value interventions, one classroom-based (N=170) and two laboratory-based (N=200 and N=186), to improve psychology students'' attitudes and reduce their anxieties about statistics. The interventions were embedded in weekly written summaries of the content students were learning in their introductory statistics course (classroom-based study), interactive lessons on statistical topics, such as significance testing and effect size (lab-based study), and infographics showcasing statistics'' usefulness in students'' future careers and their everyday lives (lab-based study). All interventions used random assignment and active control conditions. In the classroom-based study, students who were treated with the intervention did not significantly improve their attitudes toward statistics. In the two lab-based studies, students treated with the intervention did improve their attitudes toward statistics, but so did students who were not treated with the intervention. Although none of the interventions lessened students'' anxiety about statistics and math, in two of the three studies all students reported lowered anxiety from pre- to post-assessment. In this dissertation, after reporting my research, I address the nature of my studies'' control conditions, the time between my studies'' assessments, and the implications of my studies for designing statistics courses, as well as my studies'' limitations.

The purpose of the present research study was to explore self-efficacy and its relationship to performance outcomes in a maximum strength test in a weight room setting. The secondary purpose was to determine which source of self-efficacy information contributes most to efficacy beliefs. Thirty-six collegiate soccer players filled out a self-efficacy scale prior to their one repetition maximum back squat strength test. The self-efficacy scale asked the participants how confident they were in beating their predicted max (rating scale). A qualitative approach was also used asking what influenced their self-efficacy ratings the most. Results revealed that athletes who had high self-efficacy did not necessarily perform better on their maximum strength test. Therefore, there was no significant relationship between self-efficacy and performance. The qualitative results revealed that physiological states were the most influential source of self-efficacy information. In addition gender differences were discovered. Implications of the study, as well as directions for future research are discussed.

A compilation of poems written on the road of trauma recovery during quarantine. Some written in happiness, many written in tears, but all written in truth.

Conversational Literary Talk Therapy at it''s best! Walk through the mind and emotions of one individual as we discover, together, the natural tendency of the human spirit towards both Ying AND Yang. We ALL have the propensity to have an inner life that swings from one opposite end to the other. Each one of us is a multidimensional character who experiences Anxiety, Stress, Depression, Loss, Struggles with Self-Esteem, Self-Worth and Human Connection. We are ALL much more alike than we choose to believe and by sharing our experiences, thoughts and feelings we may find the gaps that form through differences between cultures, genders, races, ages, political affiliation and technology ACTUALLY begin to FUSE as we COME TOGETHER in Our HUMANNESS.

Video games provide a competitive, goal-oriented environment. They involve individuals who often seek intentionally to frustrate their opponents'' goals. The gaming community is made up of players who vary in their interpersonal style, learning histories, and skill levels. In this rich and dynamic environment, stress is a common experience. Given the prevalence of gameplay in the population and the frequency of gameplay among gamers, it is important to examine coping responses to stressors, particularly maladaptive ones. The present research entails three studies. In Study 1, I use exploratory factor analyses to develop three scales purported to measure maladaptive coping strategies in response to frustration in multiplayer video games: aggression (CIV-A), catharsis (CIV-C), and self-condemnation (CIV-S). In Study 2, I provide further evidence of the single factor structure identified in Study 1 using confirmatory factor analyses. I additionally provide evidence that the three CIV scales can be used as a single, three-factor measure (CIV-III). Moreover, I conduct a path analysis to provide initial evidence of the scale''s construct validity, wherein I provide evidence that measures of personality (anger and arousal) predisposition predict CIV-III subscale scores. Finally, in Study 3, I examine patterns of these coping styles by running a Latent Profile Analysis. I found evidence for four maladaptive coping profiles: low maladaptive coping, external maladaptive coping, internal maladaptive coping, and low maladaptive coping. Finally, I provide evidence that measures of personality and motivations for video gaming can predict coping profile membership.

When Zika virus (ZIKV) emerged in the Americas, it was associated with the unexpected ability to cause congenital Zika syndrome (CZS), a unique pattern of birth defects in infants born to mothers infected with ZIKV during pregnancy. This occurrence is representative of the numerous viruses - Ebola, SARS-CoV-1, SARS-CoV-2, avian influenza, Chikungunya - that have emerged unexpectedly or have shown unexpected properties in epidemics over the past 20 years. Critical gaps remain in our understanding of viral pathogenesis and immunity, particularly during pregnancy. When ZIKV was causally associated with CZS, it was unknown whether the ability to cause fetal harm was an emergent property of ZIKV, or whether ZIKV, including the ancestral African-lineage, had always been able to cause fetal harm. A growing body of evidence suggested that not only was the African-lineage capable of causing fetal harm, it may be more pathogenic than the Asian-lineage, but few studies had studied African-lineage isolates in translational models in pregnancy. Furthermore, it was clear that not all ZIKV infections during pregnancy resulted in infants born with CZS. It was thought, perhaps, that ZIKV required a cofactor in order to cause fetal harm. We hypothesized that previous immunity from the antigenically related flavivirus, dengue virus (DENV), may serve as the cofactor needed to cause severe disease. It is well-established that immunity to one DENV serotype can lead to more severe disease upon exposure to a heterologous serotype; perhaps ZIKV functions as a "fifth serotype". Existing studies in cell culture and mice had found a range of outcomes, ranging from protection to enhancement; however, studies to date had not looked at the impact of DENV immunity in a highly-translational non-human primate model. Chapters 2 and 3 of this dissertation use our established non-human primate model of pregnancy to assess the impact of two variables - genetic lineage and DENV immune status - on the ability of ZIKV to cause fetal harm during pregnancy. This work suggests that ZIKV has always had the ability to cause fetal harm, and that DENV may have a limited role in enhancing ZIKV infection in the placenta, but does not significantly modulate ZIKV disease. It is clear that there is a complex antigenic relationship between ZIKV and DENV. There is a growing consensus that DENV immunity does not play a significant role in modulating ZIKV, but ZIKV immunity may play a role in enhancing DENV. Chapter 4 details my current work to characterize the breath, specificity, and function of the memory B cell recall response to DENV-3 in macaques with serial flavivirus exposures. This work underscores that viral pathogenesis and immunity are complex processes that require the use of a variety of rigorous model systems to understand the risks and mechanisms of severe disease. The non-human primate model used here is a highly translational, valuable model that allows us to draw conclusions that are not possible in other model systems. However there are important limitations to any model, including NHP. The conclusions about viral pathogenesis and immunology in this work are part of a broad field of work necessary for preparedness efforts against future viral threats.