CSE 5160 Machine Learning (Spring 2021) Assignment #1 (Due on March 11th, 2021)

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CSE 5160 Machine Learning (Spring 2021) Assignment #1 (Due on March 11th, 2021)

All assignments are to be submitted to Blackboard. Please note that the due time of each assignment is at 11:55 pm (Blackboard time) on the due date. Please make sure to “submit” after uploading your files. Please do not attach unrelated files. You will not be able to change your files after deadline. 1. [40 marks] Manually train a decision tree based on the following dataset.

a) Please show the detailed process of selecting an attribute to split the instance set

at every node. Gini index should be used to measure the impurity (25 marks).

b) Draw the final decision tree (10 marks).

c) Classify the test instance X= (Outlook = rainy, Temperature = hot, Humidity =

high, Windy = FALSE) (5 marks).

Outlook Temperature Humidity Windy Play sunny hot high FALSE no sunny hot high TRUE no overcast hot high FALSE yes rainy mild high FALSE yes rainy cool normal FALSE yes rainy cool normal TRUE no overcast cool normal TRUE yes sunny mild high FALSE no sunny cool normal FALSE yes rainy mild normal FALSE yes sunny mild normal TRUE yes overcast mild high TRUE yes overcast hot normal FALSE yes rainy mild high TRUE no

 

 

 

2. [30 marks] (K-Nearest Neighbors) Please show the detailed process of using K-

Nearest Neighbor classifier to predict the test instance X= (Speed = 5.20, Weight =

500) is qualified or not, by setting k = 1, 3, and 5, respectively (20 points).

Before using KNN classifier, please use Min-max normalization (KNN.pdf page 17)

to preprocess the attribute values and plot the preprocessed training data set on a 2d

plane (Speed – X axis and Weight – Y axis, the instances of class no are labeled by −

and the instances of class yes are labeled by + in the plot) (10 points).

 

 

 

 

 

 

ID Speed Weight Qualified 1 2.50 600 no 2 3.75 800 no 3 2.25 550 no 4 3.25 825 no 5 2.75 750 no 6 4.50 500 no 7 3.50 525 no 8 3.00 325 no 9 4.00 400 no 10 4.25 375 no 11 2.00 200 no 12 5.00 250 no 13 8.25 850 no 14 5.75 875 yes 15 4.75 625 yes 16 5.50 675 yes 17 5.25 950 yes 18 7.00 425 yes 19 7.50 800 yes 20 7.25 575 yes

 

 

3. [30 marks] (Naive Bayes Classifier) Please show the detailed process of classifying

the test instance X = (HM = No, MS = Divorced, AI = 120000) based on the

following data sets.

For the continuous attribute AnnualIncome, you may use discretization to convert

the attribute as binary attribute by setting threshold 91000 or use probability density

estimation to estimate the conditional probabilities. (Please refer to note

NaiveBayes.pdf page 17)

 

 

 

 

 

 

HomeOwner (HO)

MaritalStatus (MS)

AnnualIncome (AI) Defaulted

Yes Single 125000 No No Married 100000 No No Single 70000 No Yes Married 120000 No No Divorced 95000 Yes No Single 60000 No Yes Divorced 220000 No No Single 85000 Yes No Married 75000 No No Single 90000 Yes

Multiple Choice (2 points each)

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Multiple Choice (2 points each)

 

1. Which of the following statements represents a similarity between financial and managerial accounting?  A. Both are useful in providing information for external users. B. Both are governed by GAAP. C. Both draw upon data from an organization’s accounting system. D. Both rely heavily on published financial statements. E. Both are solely concerned with historical transactions.

 

2.  Which of the following characteristic(s) relate(s) more to managerial accounting than to financial accounting?  A. A focus on reporting to personnel within an organization. B. A focus on reporting to external parties. C. An area of accounting that is heavily regulated. D. A focus on providing information that is relevant for planning, decision making, directing, and control. E. A focus on reporting to personnel within an organization and a focus on providing information that is relevant for planning, decision making, directing, and control.

3. Financial accounting focuses primarily on reporting:  A. to parties outside of an organization. B. to parties within an organization. C. to an organization’s board of directors. D. to financial institutions. E. for financial institutions.

 

4. Research and development costs are classified as:

A. product costs. B. period costs. C. inventoriable costs. D. cost of goods sold. E. labor costs.

 

5. Which of the following is a product cost?  A. Circuitry used in producing hard drives. B. Monthly advertising in the newspaper. C. The salary of the vice president-finance. D. Sales commissions. E. Research costs for new router development.

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. Which of the following would not be classified as a product cost?  A. Direct materials. B. Direct labor. C. Indirect materials. D. Insurance on a manufacturing plant. E. Sales bonuses for meeting quota sales.

 

7. The accounting records of Dixon Company revealed the following costs: direct materials used, $250,000; direct labor, $425,000; manufacturing overhead, $375,000; and selling and administrative expenses, $220,000. Dixon’s product costs total:  A. $1,050,000. B. $830,000. C. $895,000. D. $1,270,000. E. None of the answers is correct.

 

8. Which of the following entities would most likely have raw materials, work in process, and finished goods?  A. A petroleum refiner.

B. A national department store. C. A fast food restaurant. D. A regional airline. E. A state university.

 

9. Selling and administrative expenses would likely appear on the balance sheet of:  A. A clothing store. B. A computer manufacturer. C. A television network. D. All of these firms. E. None of these firms.

 

10. Which of the following inventories would a company ordinarily hold for sale?  A. Raw materials. B. Work in process. C. Finished goods. D. Raw materials and finished goods. E. Work in process and finished goods.

 

11. Which type of production process is likely used for custom yachts?

A. Batch. B. Continuous Flow. C. Job. D. Assembly. E. Direct assembly.

 

12. Which type of production process is likely used by a paint manufacturer to produce paint?

A. Batch. B. Process Costing. C. Job Shop. D. Assembly. E. Direct assembly.

 

13. Which of the following would not be classified as direct materials by a company that makes automobiles?

A. Wheel lubricant. B. Tires. C. Interior leather. D. CD player. E. Sheet metal used in the automobile’s body.

 

14. Which of the following employees would not be classified as indirect labor?

A. Plant Custodian. B. Salesperson. C. An employee that packs products for shipment. D. Plant security guard. E. A line employee that produces parts for chairs using a saw and template.

 

15. Depreciation of factory equipment would be classified as:  A. operating cost. B. “other” cost. C. manufacturing overhead. D. period cost. E. administrative cost.

 

16. As production takes place, all manufacturing costs are added to the:  A. Work-in-Process Inventory account. B. Manufacturing-Overhead Inventory account. C. Cost-of-Goods-Sold account. D. Finished-Goods Inventory account. E. Production Labor account.

 

17. The final step in recognizing the completion of production requires a company to:  A. debit Finished-Goods Inventory and credit Work-in-Process Inventory. B. debit Work-in-Process Inventory and credit Finished-Goods Inventory. C. add direct labor to Work-in-Process Inventory. D. add direct materials, direct labor, and manufacturing overhead to Work-in-Process Inventory. E. add direct materials to Finished-Goods Inventory.

 

18. Morgan Manufacturing recently sold goods that cost $35,000 for $45,000 cash. The journal entries to record this transaction would include:  A. a credit to Work-in-Process Inventory for $35,000. B. a debit to Sales Revenue for $45,000. C. a credit to Profit on Sale for $10,000. D. a debit to Finished-Goods Inventory for $35,000. E. a credit to Sales Revenue for $45,000.

 

19. A manufacturing firm produces goods in accordance with customer specifications, commencing production upon receipt of a purchase order. To accumulate the cost of each order, the company would use a:  A. job-cost record. B. cost allocation matrix. C. production log. D. overhead sheet. E. manufacturing cost record.

 

20. Manufacturing overhead:  A. includes direct materials, indirect materials, indirect labor, and factory depreciation. B. is easily traced to jobs. C. includes all selling costs. D. should not be assigned to individual jobs because it bears no obvious relationship to them. E. is a pool of indirect production costs that must somehow be attached to each unit manufactured.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Identification/Problems (Points as Noted)

Consider the following items: A. Tomatoes used in the manufacture of ketchup B. Administrative salaries of executives employed by a regional airline C. Wages of assembly-line workers at an automobile manufacturing plant D. Marketing expenditures of the major league baseball club E. Commissions paid to the salespeople working for a soft drink company F. Straight-line depreciation on manufacturing equipment owned by a computer manufacturer G. Shipping charges incurred by office supplies retailer on out-going orders H. Speakers used in a consumer electronics company’s home-theater systems I. Insurance costs related to a cosmetics manufacturing plant

Required: Complete the table that follows and classify each of the costs listed as (1) a product or period cost and (2) a variable or fixed cost by placing an “X” in the appropriate column. (18 points)

 Product or Period CostVariable or Fixed Cost
ItemProductPeriodVariableFixed
A    
B    
C    
D    
E    
F    
G    
H    
I    

 

 

 

 

Consider the following cost items: 1. Sales commissions earned by a company’s sales force. 2. Raw materials purchased during the period. 3. Current year’s depreciation on a firm’s manufacturing facilities. 4. Year-end completed production of a carpet manufacturer. 5. The cost of products sold to customers of an apparel store. 6. Wages earned by machine operators in a manufacturing plant. 7. Income taxes incurred by an airline. 8. Marketing costs of an electronics manufacturer. 9. Indirect labor costs incurred by a manufacturer of office equipment. Required: Evaluate the costs just cited and determine whether the associated dollar amounts would appear on the firm’s balance sheet, income statement, or schedule of cost of goods manufactured. (9 points)

 

Opal Inc. used $213,000 of direct materials and incurred $111,000 of direct labor costs during 2015. Indirect labor amounted to $8,100 while indirect materials used totaled $4,800. Other operating costs pertaining to the factory which are all considered manufacturing overhead included factory utilities of $9,300; factory maintenance of $13,500; factory repairs of $5,400; depreciation on factory equipment of $23,700; and, property taxes on the factory of $7,800. There was no beginning or ending finished goods inventory. The Work-in-Process Inventory account reflected a balance of $16,500 at the beginning of the period and $22,500 at the end of the period.

 

Required: Prepare a schedule of cost of goods manufactured for Opal Inc. (23 points)

 

 

The phone bill for a company consists of both fixed and variable costs. Given the data below for four months apply the high-low method to calculate the total fixed costs and variable cost per unit. (10 points)

 

 MinutesTotal Bill
January460$3,000
February200$2,675
March160$2,625
April300$2,800

Discussion 1: There have been many books and opinion pieces written about the impact of AI on jobs and ideas for societal responses to address the issues.

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Discussion 1: There have been many books and opinion pieces written about the impact of AI on jobs and ideas for societal responses to address the issues. Two ideas were mentioned in the chapter – UBI and SIS. What are the pros and cons of these ideas? How would these be implemented? Write a “Post” with a content of 200-300 words, & paste in a Word doc. Submit both by Wednesday 11:59 am., EST. Follow the APA 7 format. Provide full references with hanging indent format and intext cititation There must be at least one APA formatted reference (with APA in-text citation) to support the thoughts in the post. Do not use direct quotes, rather rephrase the author’s words and continue to use in-text citations. Discussion 2: Explain how GDSS can increase some benefits of collaboration and decision making in groups and eliminate or reduce some losses. Write a “Post” with a content of 200-300 words, & paste in a Word doc. Submit both by Wednesday 11:59 am., EST. Follow the APA 7 format. Provide full references with hanging indent format and intext cititation There must be at least one APA formatted reference (with APA in-text citation) to support the thoughts in the post. Do not use direct quotes, rather rephrase the author’s words and continue to use in-text citations.

Digitalized Ecosystems: Blockchain 

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Assignment Background

A multi-billion-dollar amusement park chain desires to implement Digitalized Ecosystems: Blockchain to the greatest extent possible within the next five years. The organization would like to integrate the technology to automatically control and monitor their equipment. They would also like to leverage the technology by integrating with customers’ personal devices. Management has asked you to develop a feasibility study that analyzes the potential of the technology.

Assignment Instructions

Develop a feasibility study that examines the potential impact of this module’s technologies on a business in the industry described above. Use the resources and templates introduced on the Feasibility and SWOT Analysis page in Module 01 as a guide. Your submission should be:

  • grammatically correct and free from spelling errors
  • written in a professional tone
  • a minimum of 1000 words in length

Your completed feasibility study should contain the following elements, with section-headings clearly indicated:

  • Title Page
  • Executive Summary
  • Table of Contents
  • Introduction
  • Purpose / Scope
  • History
  • Methodology
  • Current Systems and Processes / Environment
  • Issues
  • Assumptions and Constraints
  • Objectives
  • Alternatives
  • Comparison of Alternatives
  • Conclusions
  • Recommendations
  • References
  • Appendixes

Circle.java

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Circle.java

Circle.java

import  java . awt . * ;
import  java . util . zip . CheckedInputStream ;

// File name: Circle.java
// Written by: Richard X. Mercado
// Description: This program is a subclass of GeometricObjects, inherits its abstract methods, and
// performs task related to Cirlce shape.
// Challenges:
// Time Spent: 7 days on GeometricShapes Project
// Revision History:
// Date:                By:      Action:
// ---------------------------------------------------
// 02/19/2021   Richard Mercado     Created everything but equals()
// 02/20/2021   Richard Mercado     Created equals()

public   class   Circle   extends   GeometricObject   {

//instance variable
private   double  radius ;

//constructors
public   Circle ()   {
}

//constructor
public   Circle ( double  radius )   {
this . radius  =  radius ;
}

//constructor
public   Circle ( double  radius ,   String  color ,   boolean  filled ){
super ( color ,  filled );
getDate ();
this . radius  =  radius ;
}

//set and get methods
public   void  setRadius ( double  radius )   {   this . radius  =  radius ;   }
public   double  getRadius (){
return  radius ;
}

//determines with if the radius of each obj are equals to each other
public   boolean  equals ( Circle  o ){
if (( this . getRadius ()   ==  o . getRadius ()))
return   true ;

return   false ;
}

//inherited abstract method - determines how to get the area of a circle
@ Override
public   double  getArea (){
return   ( radius  *  radius  *   Math . PI );
}

//inherited abstract method - calculates the perimeter of specific shape
@ Override
public   double  getPerimeter ()   {
return   ( 2   *  radius  *   Math . PI );
}

//inherited abstract method - display name of shape
@ Override
public   String  getObjName (){
return   "[Circle]" ;
}

//inherited abstract method - display strings for how to draw specific shape
@ Override
public   String  howToDraw ()   {
return   String . format ( "Circle color: %s and filled: %s" ,  getColor (),  isFilled ());
}

//Display string for objects
@ Override
public   String  toString (){
return   String . format ( "%s Radius: %.2f Circle's Area: %.2f Circle's Perimeter: %.2f" ,
getObjName (),  getRadius (),  getArea (),  getPerimeter ());
}
}

Colorable.java

Colorable.java

// File name: Colorable.java
// Written by: Richard X. Mercado
// Description: This program creates super constructors that will be used through out the entire program for created
//              other constructors with color and filled instance variables and abstract method howToDraw that will
//              be inherited by GeometricObject abstract class
// Challenges: No challenges with colorable class
// Time Spent: 7 days on GeometricShapes Project
// Revision History:
// Date:                By:      Action:
// ---------------------------------------------------
// 02/15/2021   Richard Mercado   created entire colorable abstract class

public   abstract   class   Colorable   {

//instance variables
private   String  color ;
private   boolean  filled ;

//constructor
public   Colorable ()   {
color  =   "WHITE" ;  filled  =   false ;
}

//constructor
public   Colorable ( String  color ,   boolean  filled )   {
this . color  =  color ;
this . filled  =  filled ;
}

//set and get method
public   String  getColor ()   {   return  color ;   }
public   void  setColor ( String  color )   {   this . color  =  color ;   }
public   void  setFilled ( boolean  isFilled )   {  filled  =  isFilled ;   }

//isFilled method
public   boolean  isFilled ()   {   return  filled ;   }

//abstract howToDraw methods
public   abstract   String  howToDraw ();
}

Controller.java

Controller.java

public   class   Controller   {
}

GeometricObject.java

GeometricObject.java

// File name: GeometricObject.java
// Written by: Richard X. Mercado
// Description: subclass of Colorable. this class has the methods to compare two objects, create a clone of an object,
//              and determines the greatest of the two objects being compared by there area
// Challenges: Creating the compareTo method, static max method,
// Time Spent:7 days on GeometricShapes Project
// Revision History:
// Date:                By:      Action:
// ---------------------------------------------------
/* 02/16/2021   Richard Mercado    Created everything but compareTo(), max(), and clone()
02/17/2021   Richard Mercado    Created clone()
02/19/2021   Richard Mercado    Created max()
02/20/2021   Richard Mercado    Created compareTo()
*/

import  java . util . Date ;
public   abstract   class   GeometricObject   extends   Colorable   implements   Comparable < GeometricObject > , Cloneable   {

//instance variables
private   Date  dateCreated ;

//Constructors
public   GeometricObject (){
super ();
dateCreated  =   new   Date ();
}

//constructor
public   GeometricObject ( String  color ,   boolean  filled )   {
super ( color ,  filled );
dateCreated  =   new   Date ();
}

//additional methods
public   Date  getDate (){   return  dateCreated ;   }

//compares objects by there area and determines if obj is either greater, less, or equal
public   int  compareTo ( GeometricObject  o )
{
if   ( this . getArea ()   <  o . getArea ())
return   - 1 ;
if   ( this . getArea  ()   >  o . getArea ())
return   1 ;
return   0 ;
}

//Created a clone of an object
@ Override
public   Object  clone ()   throws   CloneNotSupportedException   {
return   super . clone ();
}

//uses compareTo() and compares two objs and determines which one is greater
public   static   GeometricObject  max ( GeometricObject  obj1 ,   GeometricObject  obj2 )   {
if   ( obj1 . compareTo ( obj2 )   ==   1 )
return  obj1 ;
else
return  obj2 ;
}

//Display string for objects
@ Override
public   String  toString (){
return   String . format (
"Date Created: %s%n"   +
"Color: %s%n"   +
"Filled: %s%n" ,
dateCreated ,  getColor (),  isFilled ());
}

//Abstract methods
public   abstract   String  getObjName ();
public   abstract   double  getArea ();
public   abstract   double  getPerimeter ();

}

MyJavaFX.java

MyJavaFX.java

import  javafx . application . Application ;
import  javafx . event . ActionEvent ;
import  javafx . event . Event ;
import  javafx . event . EventHandler ;
import  javafx . scene . Scene ;
import  javafx . scene . control . Button ;
import  javafx . scene . layout . * ;
import  javafx . stage . Stage ;
//import javafx.scene.ComboBoxBase;
import  javafx . scene . control . ComboBox ;
import  javafx . collections . FXCollections ;
import  javafx . geometry . Insets ;
import  javafx . scene . Group ;
import  javafx . scene . control . Label ;
import  javafx . scene . control . Slider ;
import  javafx . beans . value . ChangeListener ;
import  javafx . beans . value . ObservableValue ;
import  javafx . geometry . Pos ;
import  javafx . scene . control . CheckBox ;
import  javafx . scene . control . RadioButton ;
import  javafx . scene . control . TextField ;
import  javafx . scene . control . TitledPane ;
import  javafx . scene . control . ToggleGroup ;

public   class   MyJavaFX   extends   Application   {
public   static   final   String  SHAPE_CIRCLE  =   "Circle" ;
public   static   final   String  SHAPE_RECTANGLE  =   "Rectangle" ;
public   static   final   String  SHAPE_SQUARE  =   "Square" ;
public   static   final   String  SHAPE_TRIANGLE  =   "Triangle" ;
private   static   final   String []  shapes  =   { SHAPE_CIRCLE ,  SHAPE_RECTANGLE ,  SHAPE_SQUARE ,  SHAPE_TRIANGLE };
private   TextField  resultTextFieldShape ;
private   TextField  resultTextFieldInformation ;
private   TextField  resultTextFieldArea ;
private   TextField  resultTextFieldPerimeter ;
private   TextField  textFieldWidth ;
private   TextField  textFieldHeight ;
private   TextField  textFieldSide ;
private   Slider  opacityLevel ;
private   String  selectedShape  =  SHAPE_CIRCLE ;
private   String  selectedColor  =   "BLACK" ;
private   boolean  isFilled  =   false ;
private   GeometricObject  shape ;
//private final String[] shapes = {"Circle", "Rectangle", "Square", "Triangle"};
//ComboBox<String> chooseShape = new ComboBox<String>();

@ Override
public   void  start ( Stage  stage )   throws   Exception   {

//create title of stage
stage . setTitle ( "Shape Chooser" );

//Creating Main Pane
Pane  mainScene  =   new   Pane ();

//Setting size of Main Pane
mainScene . setPrefSize ( 800 ,   590 );

//Creating Input Data Title Pane
TitledPane  gridTitlePane  =   new   TitledPane ();
gridTitlePane . relocate ( 50 ,   50 );

//Creating Grid Pane
GridPane  gridExample  =   new   GridPane ();
gridExample . setVgap ( 8 );
gridExample . setPadding ( new   Insets ( 10 , 10 ,   10 ,   10 ));

//Creating BorderPane
BorderPane  paneForComboBox  =   new   BorderPane ();
paneForComboBox . setLeft ( new   Label ( "Select Geometric Shape" ));
paneForComboBox . relocate ( 50 ,   20 );

//Creating Slider
opacityLevel  =   new   Slider ( 0 ,   30 ,   15 );

//final Label opacityCaption = new Label("Radius:");
gridExample . add ( new   Label   ( "Radius: " ),   0 ,   1 );
final   Label  opacityValue  =   new   Label ( Double . toString ( opacityLevel . getValue ()));

gridExample . setVgap ( 10 );
gridExample . setHgap ( 100 );

//Real Time value for slider
opacityLevel . valueProperty (). addListener ( new   ChangeListener < Number > ()   {
@ Override
public   void  changed ( ObservableValue <?   extends   Number >  ov ,
Number  old_val ,   Number  new_val )   {
System . out . println ( new_val . doubleValue ());
opacityValue . setText ( String . format ( "%.2f" ,  new_val ));
calculateArea ();
}
});
GridPane . setConstraints ( opacityLevel ,   1 ,   1 );
gridExample . getChildren (). add ( opacityLevel );
gridExample . add ( opacityValue , 2 , 1 );

//GridPane.setConstraints(opacityValue, 2, 1);

//TextField objects for right alignment
textFieldWidth  =   new   TextField ();
textFieldWidth . setAlignment ( Pos . CENTER_RIGHT );

textFieldHeight  =   new   TextField ();
textFieldHeight . setAlignment ( Pos . CENTER_RIGHT );

textFieldSide  =   new   TextField ();
textFieldSide . setAlignment ( Pos . CENTER_RIGHT );

//Adding Labels
gridExample . add ( new   Label ( "Width: " ),   0 ,   2 );
gridExample . add ( textFieldWidth ,   1 ,   2 );

gridExample . add ( new   Label ( "Height: " ),   0 ,   3 );
gridExample . add ( textFieldHeight ,   1 ,   3 );

gridExample . add ( new   Label ( "Side: " ),   0 ,   4 );
gridExample . add ( textFieldSide ,   1 ,   4 );

//Title for TitlePane, centering, and setting content
gridTitlePane . setText ( "Input Data" );
gridTitlePane . setAlignment ( Pos . CENTER );
gridTitlePane . setContent ( gridExample );
gridTitlePane . setPrefWidth ( 705 );

//Creating ComboBox
ComboBox < String >  comboBox  =   new   ComboBox <> ( FXCollections . observableArrayList ( shapes ));
comboBox . relocate ( 635 ,   10 );

comboBox . getSelectionModel (). select ( 0 );
// Create action event
EventHandler < ActionEvent >  selectShapeEvent  =  e  ->  handleShapeChange ( comboBox . getValue ());

// Set on action
comboBox . setOnAction ( selectShapeEvent );

//Creating Check Box
CheckBox  checkBox  =   new   CheckBox ( "Filled" );
gridExample . add ( checkBox ,   3 ,   1 );

RadioButton  radioButton1  =   new   RadioButton ( "Black" );
radioButton1 . setSelected ( true );
radioButton1 . requestFocus ();
RadioButton  radioButton2  =   new   RadioButton ( "Red" );
RadioButton  radioButton3  =   new   RadioButton ( "Green" );
RadioButton  radioButton4  =   new   RadioButton ( "Blue" );

ToggleGroup  radioGroup  =   new   ToggleGroup ();

radioButton1 . setToggleGroup ( radioGroup );
radioButton2 . setToggleGroup ( radioGroup );
radioButton3 . setToggleGroup ( radioGroup );
radioButton4 . setToggleGroup ( radioGroup );

EventHandler < ActionEvent >  e  =  event  ->   {
selectedColor  =   (( RadioButton )  event . getSource ()). getText (). toUpperCase ();
if   ( shape != null )  shape . setColor ( selectedColor );
updateUI ( shape );
};
radioButton1 . setOnAction ( e );
radioButton2 . setOnAction ( e );
radioButton3 . setOnAction ( e );
radioButton4 . setOnAction ( e );

VBox  vbox  =   new   VBox ( radioButton1 ,  radioButton2 ,  radioButton3 ,  radioButton4 );

gridExample . add ( vbox ,   3 ,   2 );

//Creating Result Title Pane
TitledPane  resultTitlePane  =   new   TitledPane ();
resultTitlePane . setCollapsible ( false );
resultTitlePane . relocate ( 50 ,   320 );

//Creating ResultExample Pane
GridPane  resultExample  =   new   GridPane ();
resultExample . setVgap ( 8 );
resultExample . setPadding ( new   Insets ( 10 , 10 ,   10 ,   10 ));

resultTextFieldShape  =   new   TextField ();
resultTextFieldShape . setAlignment ( Pos . TOP_LEFT );
resultTextFieldShape . setPrefWidth ( 600 );
resultTextFieldShape . setEditable ( false );

resultTextFieldInformation  =   new   TextField ();
resultTextFieldInformation . setAlignment ( Pos . TOP_LEFT );
resultTextFieldInformation . setEditable ( false );

resultTextFieldArea  =   new   TextField ();
resultTextFieldArea . setAlignment ( Pos . TOP_LEFT );
resultTextFieldArea . setEditable ( false );

resultTextFieldPerimeter  =   new   TextField ();
resultTextFieldPerimeter . setAlignment ( Pos . TOP_LEFT );
resultTextFieldPerimeter . setEditable ( false );

//Creating Result Title Pane Labels
resultExample . add ( new   Label ( "Shape: " ),   0 ,   2 );
resultExample . add ( resultTextFieldShape ,   1 ,   2 );

resultExample . add ( new   Label ( "Information: " ),   0 ,   3 );
resultExample . add ( resultTextFieldInformation ,   1 ,   3 );

resultExample . add ( new   Label ( "Area: " ),   0 ,   4 );
resultExample . add ( resultTextFieldArea ,   1 ,   4 );

resultExample . add ( new   Label ( "Perimeter: " ),   0 ,   5 );
resultExample . add ( resultTextFieldPerimeter ,   1 ,   5 );

//Title name, centering, and setting
resultTitlePane . setText ( "Result" );
resultTitlePane . setAlignment ( Pos . CENTER );
resultTitlePane . setContent ( resultExample );

TitledPane  bottomButtonTitlePane  =   new   TitledPane ();
bottomButtonTitlePane . setCollapsible ( false );
bottomButtonTitlePane . relocate ( 50 ,   550 );

//Creating ResultExample Pane
GridPane  bottomExample  =   new   GridPane ();
bottomExample . setVgap ( 8 );
bottomExample . setPadding ( new   Insets ( 10 , 10 ,   10 ,   10 ));

//Calculate, Clear, and Exit Buttons
Button  calculateButton  =   new   Button ( "Calculate" );
Button  clearButton  =   new   Button ( "Clear" );
Button  exitButton  =   new   Button ( "Exit" );
int  prefButtonWidth  =   120 ;
calculateButton . setPrefWidth ( prefButtonWidth );
clearButton . setPrefWidth ( prefButtonWidth );
exitButton . setPrefWidth ( prefButtonWidth );

Group  bottomButtonGroup  =   new   Group ();

bottomButtonGroup . getChildren (). add ( calculateButton );
bottomButtonGroup . getChildren (). add ( clearButton );
bottomButtonGroup . getChildren (). add ( exitButton );

HBox  hbox  =   new   HBox ( calculateButton ,  clearButton ,  exitButton  );
hbox . setAlignment ( Pos . CENTER );
hbox . setPrefWidth ( 680 );
bottomExample . add ( hbox ,   4 , 2 );
bottomExample . relocate ( 50 ,   520 );

//bottomButtonTitlePane.setText("Result");
//bottomButtonTitlePane.setAlignment(Pos.CENTER);
//bottomButtonTitlePane.setContent(bottomExample);

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

//check box action
checkBox . setOnAction ( new   EventHandler < ActionEvent > ()   {
@ Override
public   void  handle ( ActionEvent  event )   {
//update shape and UI
isFilled  =  checkBox . isSelected ();
if   ( shape != null )  shape . setFilled ( isFilled );
updateUI ( shape );
}
});

calculateButton . setOnAction (( ActionEvent  event )   ->  calculateArea ());

clearButton . setOnAction (( ActionEvent  event )   ->   {
//clear all fields and reset to circle
comboBox . getSelectionModel (). select ( 0 );
checkBox . setSelected ( false );
radioButton1 . setSelected ( true );
isFilled  =   false ;
selectedColor  =   "BLACK" ;
selectedShape  =  SHAPE_CIRCLE ;
if   ( shape != null )   {
shape . setColor ( selectedColor );
shape . setFilled ( isFilled );
}
handleShapeChange ( selectedShape );
});

//Exit Button ACTION
exitButton . setOnAction (( ActionEvent  event )   ->   {
System . exit ( 0 );
});

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

//Retreiving and storing all children to mainScene
mainScene . getChildren (). addAll ( paneForComboBox ,  comboBox ,  gridTitlePane ,  gridExample ,
resultTitlePane ,  resultExample ,  bottomExample );

//update shape initially to circle
handleShapeChange ( SHAPE_CIRCLE );

//Creating, setting, and displaying scene
Scene  scene  =   new   Scene ( mainScene );
stage . setScene ( scene );
stage . show ();

}

private   void  handleShapeChange ( String  shape )   {
//clear current data
clearFields ();
//enable fields relevant to shape
selectedShape  =  shape ;
switch   ( shape )   {
case  SHAPE_CIRCLE :
opacityLevel . setDisable ( false );
break ;
case  SHAPE_RECTANGLE :
textFieldHeight . setDisable ( false );
textFieldWidth . setDisable ( false );
break ;
case  SHAPE_SQUARE :
textFieldSide . setDisable ( false );
break ;
case  SHAPE_TRIANGLE :
textFieldSide . setDisable ( false );
textFieldHeight . setDisable ( false );
textFieldWidth . setDisable ( false );
break ;
}
}

private   void  calculateArea ()   {
//update instance for correct shape and details
switch   ( selectedShape )   {
case  SHAPE_CI

Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

/in /by

Let’s look at a real-world scenario and how the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) plays into it. In the scenario, the United States will be hit by a large-scale, coordinated cyber attack organized by China. These attacks debilitate the functioning of government agencies, parts of the critical infrastructure, and commercial ventures. The IT infrastructure of several agencies are paralyzed, the electric grid in most of the country is shut down, telephone traffic is seriously limited and satellite communications are down (limiting the Department of Defense’s [DOD’s] ability to communicate with commands overseas). International commerce and financial institutions are also severely hit. Please explain how DHS should handle this situation.

For some additional reading, take a look at the latest Presidential Order that relates to strengthening cybersecurity that relates to critical infrastructure:

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/presidential-executive-order-strengthening-cybersecurity-federal-networks-critical-infrastructure/

Create a Modular Design Proposal that includes the following:

/in /by

Create a Modular Design Proposal that includes the following:

  • A diagram of your proposed hierarchical enterprise network that illustrates the relationships between the access, distribution, and core layers using the implementation plan created in your Wk 1 assignment, “West Consulting Customer Design Summary”
  • A summary that details the following:
  • The Cisco® design principles and approach you will use to support this project and its diverse requirements
  • The steps you will take to ensure the project plan and network design address West Consulting’s long-term strategic plans and goals
  • Areas of specific concern related to the nature of the graphics data (traffic types, bandwidth, etc.) and relevant industry best practices you will follow to incorporate in addressing these potential concerns
  • A summary of how your design meets modularity, resiliency, and scalability for future growth

Diagram your enterprise network design in Microsoft® Visio®.

Document the remainder of your Design Proposal as either a(n):

  • 2-page Microsoft® Word document
  • 8-slide Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation with detailed speaker notes

West Consulting Network Design Summary

/in /by

NTC/320 v4

West Consulting Network Design Summary

NTC/320 v4

Page 2 of 2

 

C:\Users\djshirey\OneDrive - University of Phoenix\F_Drive\Style Guides\UPX Logos\Horizontal format\UOPX_Sig_Hor_Black_Medium.png

West Consulting Network Design Summary

West Consulting Business Description

West Consulting is a graphic design and printing company. It is growing in consumer and sales volume and therefore, is expanding its local campus in Houston, Texas, and adding a test location in China.

Business Problem

As a graphics design and printing company, West Consulting runs bandwidth-intensive applications from servers housed at their headquarters in Houston, Texas. IT leadership has determined that the current network continuously runs in a degraded state and users experience heavy latency when accessing the servers that house their customer Computer Aided Design (CAD) software.

Because of increased sales of their CAD designs, they need to expand their facilities. The company headquarters currently has 1,000 unique users among its two buildings and has decided to add another building and 500 users.

In addition, leadership has decided to expand into China to enable them to test their designs in a new and growing market. The footprint in China will be relatively small with approximately 30 people.

Solution

You are a network consultant for West Consulting. You are tasked with proposing an improved network design to support their growth and expansion plans.

Requirements

1. A secure WLAN solution in the new building for half of the users and recommendations to upgrade their existing WLAN infrastructure to keep wiring costs down.

2. Recommendations on a Unified Communications system that meets traffic demands, with minimal interruptions, due to the frequency of international videoconferencing calls that will occur.

3. An IP solution that can accommodate the new users in all locations.

4. Recommendations to upgrade their switch bandwidth to 10GB fiber uplinks between backbone switches, a 10GB connection to each of the servers, and add-in options for redundancy. High availability access to these critical servers is a must because of the expected traffic increase and load on the servers.

5. Proposal for a data center solution that takes advantage of both network and server virtualization technologies to reduce their costs in acquiring and maintaining hardware.

6. Improvements to the link speed to the internet.

7. Options for implementing greater security for their intranet servers that their partners and employees heavily use and for their overall network infrastructure, as they have had attacks on their DMZ.

8. Have proof that these improvements will be completed within a 4- to 6-month timeline.

Network Configuration Details

The network engineer verbally shared the configuration details of their network, as follows:

Headquarters:

· Bldg. 1 and Bldg. 2 are located about 1,000 ft. apart.

Switches:

· Bldg. 1 has one 6500 backbone switch installed, which supports users from both buildings.

· Bldg. 2 has a connection to the backbone switch via a 10GB fiber connection (10G Base LR) from uplink port on a Cisco 3850.

· To support the users, each floor contains three Cisco Catalyst 48-port 100Mbps Ethernet switches, which are each cabled to the backbone switch via a 1GB uplink port.

Routers:

· Each floor represents a different subnet and therefore one Cisco router 2610, configured with EIGRP, is cabled to backbone switch (1GB connection) to provide routing for each subnet and provides a WAN interface to the internet via a T-1 link.

· Each switch also has a link to an access point that uses WPA encryption and 802.11b wireless standard to support users who are in conference/meeting rooms that want to connect to the internet.

Servers:

· 5x Windows® Server 2012 R2 (RAID 5) application servers that support the CAD.

· 1 DHCP and FTP server

 

IP Configuration (DHCP-based)

BuildingFloorServersClientsIP Network
115100194.100.1.0/24
 2 100194.100.2.0/24
 3 100194.100.3.0/24
 4 100194.100.4.0/24
 5 100194.100.5.0/24
215100195.100.1.0/24
 2 100195.100.2.0/24
 3 100195.100.3.0/24
 4 100195.100.4.0/24
 5 100195.100.5.0/24

 

Copyright 2020 by University of Phoenix. All rights reserved.

Copyright 2020 by University of Phoenix. All rights reserved.

Have you or someone you know ever received a chain letter, phishing message, or some other fraudulent message via email?

/in /by

Edd

—————

 

Have you or someone you know ever received a chain letter, phishing message, or some other fraudulent message via email? If so, please share this experience. Explain what type of message it was and what you did to get rid of it.

Muh-WK-7

——————

Now that we are almost halfway through the course and you are working on the first graded problem set this week I would like you to reflect back on what you have learned over the last six weeks. In your post please share a topic we have studied that you feel will be beneficial in your career. Explain why you feel that is the case.

——— Muh

Problem set- attached

Speaking of research

/in /by

Speaking of research

Guidelines for evaluating research articles

Phillip Rumrill∗, Shawn Fitzgerald and Megen Ware Kent State University, Department of Educational Foundations and Special Services Center for Disability Studies, 405 White Hall, P.O. Box 5190, Kent, OH 44242-0001, USA

The article describes the components and composition of journal articles that report empirical research findings in the field of rehabilitation. The authors delineate technical writing strategies and discuss the contents of research manuscripts, including the Title, Abstract, Introduction, Method, Results, Discussion, and References. The article concludes with a scale that practitioners, manuscript reviewers, educators, and students can use in critically analyzing the content and scien- tific merits of published rehabilitation research.

Keywords: Evaluation, research articles, guidelines for cri- tique

1. Introduction

The purpose of this article is to examine the com- ponents of a research article and provide guidelines for conducting critical analyses of published works. Distilled from the American Psychological Associa- tion’s [1] Publication Manual and related descriptions in several research design texts [4,8,9,12,15], descrip- tions of how authors in rehabilitation and disability studies address each section of a research article are featured. The article concludes with a framework that rehabilitation educators, graduate students, practition- ers, and other Work readers can use in critiquing re- search articles on the basis of their scientific merits and practical utility.

∗Corresponding author: Tel.: +1 330 672 2294; Fax: +1 330 672 2512; E-mail: prumrill@educ.kent.edu.

2. Anatomy of a research article

For nearly 50 years, the American Psychological As- sociation has presented guidelines for authors to follow in composing manuscripts for publication in profes- sional journals [1]. Most journals in disability studies and rehabilitation adhere to those style and formatting guidelines. In the paragraphs to follow, descriptions of each section of a standard research article are pre- sented: Title, Abstract, Introduction, Method, Results, Discussion, and References.

2.1. Title

As with other kinds of literature, the title of a scien- tific or scholarly journal article is a very important fea- ture. At the risk of contravening the age-old adage “You can’t judge a book by its cover,” Bellini and Rumrill [4] speculated that most articles in rehabilitation journals are either read or not read based upon the prospective reader’s perusal of the title. Therefore, developing a clear, concise title that conveys the article’s key con- cepts, hypotheses, methods, and variables under study is critical for researchers wishing to share their findings with a large, professional audience. A standard-length title for a journal article in the social sciences is 12–15 words, including a sub-title if appropriate. Because so- cial science and medical indexing systems rely heavily on titles in their codification schemes to track and cat- egorize journal articles by topic, providing a title that clearly delineates a general research domain or topic area is of utmost importance. If the title is vague or ambiguous, chances are that the prospective reader will not continue to read through the document to establish where it might fit in terms of a specific research domain or topic area. Examples of clearly descriptive titles that can be found in the contemporary rehabilitation literature include:

“Rehabilitation Counselors’ Assessments of Appli- cants’ Functional Limitations as Predictors of Rehabil- itation Services Provided” [3].

Work 14 (2000) 257–263 ISSN 1051-9815 / $8.00  2000, IOS Press. All rights reserved

 

 

258 P. Rumrill et al. / Guidelines for evaluating research articles

“Employer Concerns About Hiring Persons with Psychiatric Disabilities: Results of the Employer Atti- tude Questionnaire” [6].

“Self-Perceived Reasons for Unemployment Cited by Persons with Spinal Cord Injury: Relationship to Gender, Race, Age, and Level of Injury” [13].

“Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors’ Attitudes Toward Self-Employment Outcomes” [18].

“Surveying the Employment Concerns of People with Multiple Sclerosis: A Participatory Action Re- search Approach” [20].

“Effect of Graduate Research Instruction on Per- ceived Research Anxiety, Research Utility, and Confi- dence in Research Skills” [21].

Before we move into descriptions of the content sec- tions of a research article, we want to briefly address the concept of technical writing as it applies to the com- position of academic manuscripts. Journals adhering to the American Psychological Association’s [1] pub- lication guidelines favor manuscripts that are written in direct, uncomplicated sentences. Editors prefer that text be written in the “active voice”; whenever possible, sentences should begin with their subjects and follow with verbs and objects (e.g., “The researcher conducted an experiment” rather than “An experiment was con- ducted by the researcher”). Technical writing is marked by the “less is more” maxim; extraneous phrases and clauses that add words to the sentence without enhanc- ing the overall statement should be avoided (e.g., “In order to. . . ”, “For purposes of. . . ”, “As far as. . . is concerned. . .”). Another element of sound technical writing is the sparing use of adverbs (e.g., very, some- what, strikingly) and adjectives that do not serve to fur- ther define or specify the terms that they are modifying (e.g., interesting, important, good, noteworthy).

In addition to the American Psychological Associa- tion’s guidelines for technical writing, authors should consider these six criteria for effective composition provided by George Orwell (1946) in Politics and the English Language:

1. Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.

2. Never use a long word where a short one will do. 3. If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it

out. 4. Never use the passive (voice) where you can use

the active. 5. Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or

jargon word if you can think of an everyday En- glish equivalent.

6. Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous (p. 170).

Organization is also key in preparing an effectively composed journal manuscript, with multi-level head- ings serving to guide the flow of text and keep the reader on track. For authoritative information regard- ing the style and formatting guidelines for submitting manuscripts to most journals in social science fields, readers should consult the American Psychological As- sociation’s [1] Publication Manual. For information concerning the style and formatting requirements of Work and other journals published by IOS Press, see the Guidelines for Authors section included in the be- ginning of this edition.

2.2. Abstract

Next to the title, the abstract is the most widely read section of a journal article. In an empirical article, the abstract should be a succinct, 100–150 word summary of the investigation’s key features, including purpose, objectives, research questions/hypotheses, sample, sci- entific procedures, independent and dependent vari- ables, and salient results. Results of the study should be summarized in full in the abstract; authors should describe both significant and non-significant findings, not only those which upheld their hypotheses or expec- tations. The abstract serves as an advance organizer for the article, and it should include every important premise, method, and result of the investigation. Like the Preface that commonly orients readers to full-length textbooks, the abstract provides a complete, albeit sum- mary, preview of the article. Some journals, includ- ing Work and the Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, ask authors to list key descriptors on the abstract page, which are then used for purposes of indexing. In most cases, the title is what determines whether a reader will read the abstract; the abstract determines whether the reader will read the body of the article.

2.3. Introduction

Immediately following the abstract, the introductory section of the article sets the stage for the study upon which the article was based. It orients the reader to the problem or issue being addressed, develops the logic and rationale for conducting the investigation, and al- most always expresses the empirical hypotheses or re- search questions. Heppner et al. [9] suggested that the introduction should answer questions such as why the topic is an important one to study, what previous

 

 

P. Rumrill et al. / Guidelines for evaluating research articles 259

work bears on the topic, how existing work logically connects to the author’s research questions and/or hy- potheses, how the question will be researched,and what predictions can be made.

To answer these questions, authors typically address three major elements in the introductory section of an article: (1) The Research Problem, (2) The Framework for the Study, and (3) The Research Questions and Hy- potheses [8,15]. We will describe each of these intro- ductory elements in linear fashion, but we do not mean to imply an order in terms of how they should be ad- dressed. Many (if not most) authors blend these con- siderations to fit the flow and logic of their respective manuscripts.

The research problem. Usually in the very first sen- tences of an empirical journal article, the author draws the reader’s attention to the scope, impact, and current status of the problem or issue being investigated. This orientation is most effectively achieved by applying the broadest-possible perspective to the concern. A study of success rates among participants in a stress inocula- tion program for people with diabetes mellitus might be introduced by citing national statistics concerning the incidence and prevalence of this very common disease. An article describing the effects of a model job place- ment program for women with breast cancer might be- gin with a review of existing literature concerning em- ployment and breast cancer, with a particular focus on the difficulties that women have in re-entering the la- bor force following diagnosis and treatment. Authors reporting a longitudinal study of the post- school em- ployment outcomes of secondary students with devel- opmental disabilities would likely introduce their arti- cle with a review of the disappointing adult outcomes which that population has experienced since the incep- tion of formalized transition services in the mid–1980s.

The framework for the study. The specific theoret- ical and empirical framework for the particular inves- tigation is another important part of the Introduction. Authors summarize existing literature related to the identified problem, then build a logical rationale for a study that addresses gaps or inconsistencies in the lit- erature. The author should present the theoretical or conceptual model that informs the inquiry and provides enough background to enable the reader to appreciate the rationale of the current study. This framework elu- cidates the purpose of the current study (e.g., to eval- uate the effectiveness of a job placement program for women with breast cancer), which is then operational- ized in the research questions or hypotheses. Social scientific theories which have figured pominently in

the frameworks of recent rehabilitation investigations include Hershenson’s [10] model of work adjustment, Bandura’s [2] concept of situational self-efficacy, and Bolton and Brookings’ [5] integrated model of empow- erment.

The research questions and hypotheses. The Intro- duction section of a research article typically includes a statement of the research questions and/or hypothe- ses that served to guide the study. A more specula- tive research question tends to be used in descriptive research designs (e.g., surveys, program evaluations, empirical literature reviews) or in qualitative studies. Examples of research questions could include: “What concerns do college students with disabilities have re- garding their future career prospects?”; “What themes are evident in the psycholinguistic development of deaf women?”; and “What steps are Fortune 500 employ- ers taking to provide on-the-job accommodations for workers with disabilities?”.

The hypothesis, on the other hand, is predictive by design. Its specificity is dependent upon the theory un- derlying it or previous, relevant research, but it should include the direction of the expected results when- ever possible. Independent and dependent variables need not be operationalized in theory-based hypotheses (because this is done in the Method section), but the expected relationship among study variables must be clearly articulated. Examples of directional hypotheses could include: “Participation in a cognitive-behavioral stress inoculation program will decrease symptom on- set and magnification”; “Anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem will be collectively, positively, and signif- icantly related to work interference”; and “Rehabilita- tion counselors will rate people with severe disabili- ties as less favorable candidates for employment than similarly qualified people with mild or no disabilities”.

2.4. Method

The Method section delineates how the research questions were addressed and/or how the hypotheses were tested. It should provide the reader with sufficient information so that one could replicate the investiga- tion, and it should leave no question as to what was “done” to the participants. Because the Method section is the primary source for determining the validity of the study [4], the quality and clarity of this section are gen- erally regarded as the strongest determinants of whether an empirically-based manuscript will be accepted for publication [9,16].

 

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260 P. Rumrill et al. / Guidelines for evaluating research articles

Although the type and order of sub-sections found in the Method section of a research article vary de- pending upon the design of the study and the author’s judgement related to the flow of text, most articles in- clude descriptions of the study’s subjects/participants, instruments/measures/variables, materials, design, and procedures.

Subjects/participants. According to Heppner et al. [8,9], the Method section should include (a) the total number of subjects and numbers assigned to groups, if applicable; (b) how subjects were selected and/or as- signed; and (c) demographic and other characteristics of the sample relevant to the study’s purpose. Some au- thors also include a description of the population from which the study sample was drawn, a description of the specific sampling procedure used (e.g., simple random, stratified, cluster; [4]), an indication of the represen- tativeness of the sample vis a vis the broader popula- tion, the circumstances under which subjects partici- pated (e.g., whether they were compensated, what risks they assumed), statistical power analyses, and response rates (if applicable).

Instruments/measures/variables. The Method sec- tion must include a detailed description of how all study variables were operationalized, measured, scored, and interpreted. All instruments or measures that were used in sampling, conducting the study, and evaluating re- sults must be specified in terms of content (e.g., num- ber of items, response sets), how measures were ad- ministered, scoring procedures, relationship to study variables, and psychometric properties (e.g., standard- ization, reliability, validity). Authors should also in- clude a rationale for selecting each instrument, that is, why that instrument was the best choice for measuring a particular construct.

Materials. Researchers should also include a de- scription of any materials that were used to carry out the investigation. Written guides for participants, in- structional manuals, media or technology, and scien- tific apparatus or equipment should be described in de- tail. Some authors include a description of the setting in which the study was executed or data were collected.

Design. One of the most important features of the Method section is a clear description of the design of the study. This is essential because the design serves as the link between (a) the research questions/hypotheses and the scientific procedures used in carrying out the study and (b) the findings of the study and how these are interpreted. Authors typically label their designs in terms of how variables were manipulated, observed, and analyzed. Thereby, the design is the unifying force

in connecting the research objectives to both the results and the knowledge claim that is made. To every extent possible, a direct reference to the hypotheses should be made when authors identify the design of a particu- lar investigation. For example, Rumrill, Roessler, and Denny [19] described their design as follows: “The re- searchers selected a three-group, posttest-only (exper- imental) design to assess the intervention’s univariate and multivariate effects on (a) self-reported attitudes (situational self-efficacy and acceptance of disability) and (b) participation in the accommodation request pro- cess.”

Procedures. The most important component of the Method section is the easiest to describe. In chrono- logical order, authors simply list every step they took in developing, administering, and evaluating the study. Beginning with the recruitment of participants, follow- ing the study through collection of the last datum, and including everything in-between – the Procedures sub- section should provide the reader with a step-by-step protocol that could serve as a guide for replicating the study. Descriptions of any interventions should be pro- vided in detail, along with summaries of the qualifi- cations of project personnel who were instrumental in executing the investigation. Procedures should also in- clude how the investigation ended, along with a state- ment of any debriefing or follow-up services provided to participants.

2.5. Results

The Results section of a research article should in- clude a complete inventory of all relevant findings ob- tained by the investigators. In articles that report quan- titative studies, results are typically presented in two parts – (a) summary, or descriptive, statistics related to participants’ performance on the measures that were taken (e.g., means, standard deviations, frequencies, percentages) and (b) statistical analyses related to the specific hypotheses of the study (e.g., analysis of vari- ance, multiple regression, factor analysis). We believe that all analyses conducted as part of the investigation should be reported in full, not only those which yielded statistically significant results. The Publication Man- ual of the American Psychological Association [1] pro- vides considerable guidance related to how statistics should be presented in the Results section, but it does not always provide adequate guidelines regarding what statistical information should be included. Heppner et al. [9] identified a pattern in recent social science lit- erature whereby researchers tend to err on the side of

 

 

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providing too little statistical information: “The trend has been to report less; for example, one rarely sees analysis of variance source tables anymore. More dis- turbing is the tendency not to report important informa- tion (such as size of test statistic and probability levels) when results are non-significant. This minimalist point of view puts the emphasis on statistical significance and ignores concepts such as effect size, estimation, and power.”

In recent years, the “minimalist” perspective (in terms of reporting statisitical findings) has been chal- lenged by numerous researchers and statisticians [11, 14,22]. The most serious argument against this per- spective relates to the influence that sample size has in determining the significance of any statistical test. Hayes [7], for example, pointed out that virtually any study can be made to yield statistically significant re- sults if the researcher includes enough subjects. To avoid the possibility of misleading research consumers, the latest edition of the Publication Manual [1] suggests that all authors provide estimates of practical or clinical significance along with all statistical significance tests reported in the Results section.

A quantitative Results section should be limited to the findings obtained by the researcher(s) in the cur- rent investigation. Speculation concerning what those findings mean in a larger context is reserved for the Discussion section.

The Results sections of qualitatively oriented articles display much more variety in the content and manner of presentation than is found in quantitative studies. Be- cause the researcher’s subjective interpretations help to shape the processes and outcomes of qualitative inves- tigations, results are often framed in broad, interpretive contexts. In that regard, the lines between the Results and Discussion sections are often blurred in qualitative research.

Researchers (qualitative and quantitative) commonly use tables and figures to summarize and/or graphically present their results. There is wide variability in the content and presentation of tables and figures, with the most important universal requirement being easy interpretability for the reader.

2.6. Discussion

The Discussion section serves as the researcher’s fo- rum to go beyond the current investigation and discuss the contributions of study findings to existing litera- ture, theory, and professional practices. The first part of a thoughtful Discussion is often an analysis of the

study’s results vis a vis the research questions and hy- potheses. Researchers should begin with a discussion of whether the hypotheses were upheld, posit possible explanations for those outcomes,and draw implications from the findings back to the research problem that was identified in the Introduction. If the results provide a warrant for modifying or re-testing the conceptual framework upon which the investigation was based, the Discussion section is the place to suggest a reformula- tion of the underlying theory. Researchers should also include a statement of the scientific limitations of the current study, along with specific recommendations for future research. Finally, the researcher ends the arti- cle with a cogent summary of the conclusions, in the most general sense, that can be drawn from the methods and findings of the current study. Some authors use a separate Conclusion section for this purpose.

2.7. References

The final section of a research article is always a listing of the references that were cited in the body of the text. References are listed in alphabetical order, according to authors’ last names. Most rehabilitation journals require adherence to the American Psycholog- ical Association’s [1] guidelines regarding the compo- sition of the References section.

3. A scale for critiquing research manuscript and articles

Understanding the components, organization, and composition of a research article will help make Work subscribers better informed consumers as they read em- pirically based publications. As readers digest the con- tents of research articles and apply them to their prac- tices, the “anatomy” of research reports can serve as a useful rubric for critically analyzing the quality, con- tent, and practical significance of published articles. Table 1 presents specific questions for conducting a section-by-section critique of a rehabilitation research article.

4. Conclusion

This article examined the components of a research article and provided guidelines for conducting a critical analysis of published research. Although the descrip- tions of the components of a research article provide

 

 

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only a skeletal summary of what should be included in a published research article, they should provide the reader enough information to both prepare manuscripts for publication and evaluate the empirical research that appears in Work and other rehabilitation journals.

References

[1] Washington, D.C., American Psychological Association, Pub- lication manual of the American Psychological Association, (Fourth Edition), 1994.

[2] Bandura, A., Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive theory, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1986.

[3] Bellini, J., Bolton, B. and Neath, J., Rehabilitation counselors assessments of applicants functional limitations as predictors of rehabilitation services provided, Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin 41(4) (1998), 242–258.

[4] Bellini, J. and Rumrill, P., Research in rehabilitation counsel- ing: A guide to design, methodology, and utilization, Spring- field, IL: Charles C. Thomas Publishers, 1999.

[5] Bolton, B. and Brookings, J., Development of a multifaceted definition of empowerment, Rehabilitation Counseling Bul- letin 39(4) (1996), 256–264.

[6] Diksa, E. and Rogers, E., Employer concerns about hiring per- sons with psychiatric disability: Results of the employer atti- tude questionnaire, Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin 40(1) (1996), 31–44.

[7] Hayes, W., Statistics for psychologists, New York: Holt, Rine- hart, and Winston, 1981.

[8] Heppner, P., Kivlighan, D. and Wampold, B., Research design in counseling, Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole, 1992.

[9] Heppner, P., Kivlighan, D. and Wampold, B., Research design in counseling, (2nd Edition), Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole, 1999.

[10] Hershenson, D., A systems reformulation of a developmental model of work adjustment, Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin

40(1) (1996), 2–10. [11] Hunter, J., Needed: A ban on the significance test, Psycholog-

ical Science 8 (1997), 3–7. [12] Kazdin, A., Research design in clinical psychology, (2nd Edi-

tion), Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon, 1998. [13] Krause, J. and Anson, C., Self-perceived reasons for unem-

ployment cited by persons with spinal cord injury: Relation- ship to gender, race, age, and level of injury, Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin 39(3) (1996), 217–227.

[14] McClure, P., Determining the significance of significance: P- values, effect size, and clinical judgement, Journal of Hand Therapy 12 (1999), 40–41.

[15] McMillan, J. and Schumacher, S., Research in education: A conceptual introduction, (Fourth Edition), New York: Long- man, 1997.

[16] Munley, P., Sharkin, B. and Gelso, C., Reviewer ratings and agreement on manuscripts reviewed for the Journal of Counseling Psychology, Journal of Counseling Psychology 35 (1988), 198–202.

[17] Orwell, G., Politics and the English language, in: A collection of essays, G. Orwell ed., San Diego: Harcourt, Brace, and Jovanovich, 1946, pp. 156–171.

[18] Ravesloot, C. and Seekins, T., Vocational rehabilitation coun- selors’ attitudes toward self-employment outcomes, Rehabili- tation Counseling Bulletin 39(3) (1996), 189–201.

[19] Rumrill, P., Roessler, R. and Denny, G., Increasing confidence in the accommodation request process among persons with multiple sclerosis: A career maintenance self-efficacy inter- vention, Journal of Job Placement 13(1) (1997), 5–9.

[20] Rumrill, P., Roessler, R. and Koch, L., Surveying the employ- ment concerns of people with multiple sclerosis: A participa- tory action research approach, Journal of Vocational Rehabil- itation 12(2) (1999), 75–82.

[21] Schaller, J. and Parker, R., Effect of graduate research in- struction on perceived research anxiety, research utility, and confidence in research skills, Rehabilitation Education 11(4) (1997), 273–287.

[22] Thompson, B., AERA editorial policies regarding statistical significance testing: Three suggested reforms, Educational Researcher 25(2) (1996), 26–30.

 

 

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Table 1 A scale for critiquing research articles

Instructions: Answer the following questions regarding the article, “ ”. Use examples from the article to support your analyses.

A. Title

1. Does the title describe the study? 2. Do the key words of the title serve as key elements of the article? 3. Is the title concise, i.e., free of distracting or extraneous phrases?

B. Abstract

4. Does the abstract summarize the study’s purpose, methods, and findings? 5. Does the abstract reveal the independent and dependent variables under study? 6. Are there any major premises or findings presented in the article that are not mentioned in the abstract? 7. Does the abstract provide you with sufficient information to determine whether you would be interested in reading

the entire article?

C. Introduction

8. Is the research problem clearly identified? 9. Is the problem significant enough to warrant the study that was conducted?

10. Do the authors present a theoretical rationale for the study? 11. Is the conceptual framework of the study appropriate in light of the research problem? 12. Do the author’s hypotheses and/or research questions seem logical in light of the conceptual framework and research

problem? 13. Are hypotheses and research questions clearly stated? Are they directional? 14. Overall, does the literature review lead logically into the Method section?

D. Method

15. Is the sample clearly described, in terms of size, relevant characteristics, selection and assignment procedures, and whether any inducements were used to solicit subjects?

16. Do the instruments described seem appropriate as meausres of the variables under study? 17. Have the authors included sufficient information about the psychometric properties (e.g., reliability and validity) of

the instruments? 18. Are the materials used in conducting the study or in collecting data clearly described? 19. Are the study’s scientific procedures thoroughly described in chronological order? 20. Is the design of the study identified (or made evident)? 21. Do the design and procedures seem appropriate in light of the research problem, conceptual framework, and research

questions/hypotheses? 22. Overall, does the method section provide sufficient information to replicate the study?

E. Results

23. Is the Results section clearly written and well organized? 24. Are data coding and analysis appropriate in light of the study’s design and hypotheses? 25. Are salient results connected directly to hypotheses? 26. Are tables and figures clearly labeled? Well organized? Necessary (non-duplicative of text)?

F. Discussion and Conclusion

27. Are the limitations of the study delineated? 28. Are findings discussed in terms of the research problem, conceptual framework, and hypotheses? 29. Are implications for future research and/or rehabilitation counseling practice identified? 30. Are the author’s general conclusions warranted in light of the results?

G. References

31. Is the reference list sufficiently current? 32. Do works cited reflect the breadth of existing literature regarding the topic of the study? 33. Are bibliographic citations used appropriately in the text?

H. General Impressions

34. Is the article well written and organized? 35. Does the study address an important problem in the lives of people with disabilities? 36. What are the most important things you learned from this article? 37. What do you see as the most compelling strengths of this study? 38. How might this study be improved?

 

 

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