Digital Commons Network^™

Immigration And Editorial Page Policy: A Case Study Of The Dallas Morning News, Anthony Ellis Hartzel

Public Affairs Theses

Newspaper editorial pages play a crucial role in democratic society, serving as forums for informed debate. On major issues such as immigration, many factors are at play when members of an editorial board sit down together to shape the institutional voice of their newspaper. Using the explanatory case study method, the author directly observes editorial board deliberations at the Dallas Morning News, and sheds light on the influences that affect those writers and editors before the paper publishes its formal positions. The thesis finds that many influences exist beyond news judgment. Those influences range from intra-group dynamics and corporate management, …

Immigration And Editorial Page Policy: A Case Study Of The Dallas Morning News, Anthony Ellis Hartzel

Public Affairs Theses

Newspaper editorial pages play a crucial role in democratic society, serving as forums for informed debate. On major issues such as immigration, many factors are at play when members of an editorial board sit down together to shape the institutional voice of their newspaper. Using the explanatory case study method, the author directly observes editorial board deliberations at the Dallas Morning News, and sheds light on the influences that affect those writers and editors before the paper publishes its formal positions. The thesis finds that many influences exist beyond news judgment. Those influences range from intra-group dynamics and corporate management, …

Evidence Of Competition Between Law Schools, Naushaba Zaman

Economics Theses

The purpose of this paper is to measure how competition affects tuition rates of law schools. I hypothesize that the tuition rates will go up as concentration of law schools increase. To examine how tuition varies with competition, I need to measure market structure. A variety of measures are available, such as C4, C8, and HHI; all of which have some relationship to the degree of competitiveness in an industry. I primarily use HHI as the concentration measure in this paper. I make two models for my thesis. In my first model I use a statewide measure of competition, assuming …

School Responses To High-Stakes Testing, Mishuk Anwar Chowdhury

Economics Theses

This paper analyzes school's responses to high stakes testing. Using a grade level panel dataset from Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) for reading and math tests for 2003 through 2006, to find schools responses to failure. I find that there is a tendency for schools to shift resources from subjects that they pass to subjects that they fail. I classify schools' responses as either substitution responses or scale responses. A school has a substitution response if, when it fails to meet the state's required passing rate threshold for one subject for one cohort of students, it shifts resources …

Perceptions Of Crime, Fear Of Crime, And Defensible Space In Fort Worth Neighborhoods, Bonnie R. Grohe

Public Affairs Dissertations

This research used descriptive, written scenarios to test the perceptions of crime, fear of crime, and defensible space of residents in three Fort Worth, Texas, neighborhood associations. The survey instrument included two different measures of fear of crime: 1) fear of crime in hypothetical scenarios, and 2) fear of crime in resident's own neighborhoods to examine whether residents who were fearful in their own neighborhood also reported high levels of fear in hypothetical neighbor¬hoods. The instrument also tested whether residents perceived certain neighborhoods as defensible and if residents recognized what crime prevention scholars defined as "safe" environments. The multiple regression …

Risk, Resilience And Relocation: A Life Course Exploration Of Resettlement Experiences Of Public Housing Residents, Jan H. Johnston

Public Affairs Dissertations

Spatial deconcentration of poverty has been the organizing framework of federally subsidized housing policy for well over a decade. During that time low-income families living in traditional public housing across the country have been involuntarily relocated. Household relocation into lower poverty middle class, while the underlying mobility goal, has proven difficult for many families. We continue to look for evidence for how and whether these families are able to adapt as they are scattered across urban settings. The research focus was to operationalize the resident's adaptive behavior pertaining to deconcentration of poverty by trait difference, familial/cultural cues and perceived institutional …

Perceptions Of Crime, Fear Of Crime, And Defensible Space In Fort Worth Neighborhoods, Bonnie R. Grohe

Public Affairs Dissertations

This research used descriptive, written scenarios to test the perceptions of crime, fear of crime, and defensible space of residents in three Fort Worth, Texas, neighborhood associations. The survey instrument included two different measures of fear of crime: 1) fear of crime in hypothetical scenarios, and 2) fear of crime in resident's own neighborhoods to examine whether residents who were fearful in their own neighborhood also reported high levels of fear in hypothetical neighbor¬hoods. The instrument also tested whether residents perceived certain neighborhoods as defensible and if residents recognized what crime prevention scholars defined as "safe" environments. The multiple regression …

Risk, Resilience And Relocation: A Life Course Exploration Of Resettlement Experiences Of Public Housing Residents, Jan H. Johnston

Public Affairs Dissertations

Spatial deconcentration of poverty has been the organizing framework of federally subsidized housing policy for well over a decade. During that time low-income families living in traditional public housing across the country have been involuntarily relocated. Household relocation into lower poverty middle class, while the underlying mobility goal, has proven difficult for many families. We continue to look for evidence for how and whether these families are able to adapt as they are scattered across urban settings. The research focus was to operationalize the resident's adaptive behavior pertaining to deconcentration of poverty by trait difference, familial/cultural cues and perceived institutional …

Spatial Patterns And Determinants Of Industrial Regional Growth In Mexico, 1993-2003: Implications For Regional Planning And Public Policy, Jesus Antonio Trevino

Public Affairs Dissertations

This research investigates industrial regional growth and its determinants in Mexico from 1993 to 2003. Strategies of local economic development, usually based on industrial promotion, require knowing main determinants of industrial regional growth. The case study shows that there is no variable with a systematically strong effect for all industries which policymakers and planners might directly control. This finding warns us about generic policy designs uncritically based on outcomes from other experiences. Although these results show a complex problem in terms of regional policy, some recommendations for industrial spatial distribution may, however, be derived from this study. For instance, during …

Collecting Fugitive Literature: Bringing Collection Development Expertise Into The Digital Age, Karen Schmidt, Wendy Shelburne, David Vess

Scholarly Publications

This presentation reflects the work that Wendy Shelburne, David Vess, and I engaged in to collect hate literature from the web. The research was later accepted by Library Resources & Technical Services for publication in 2008.

Eresources Management: Guest Lecture For Dig 3563 Dr. Kenney, Athena Hoeppner

Athena Hoeppner

Eresources Management: Guest Lecture For Dig 3563 Dr. Kenney, Athena Hoeppner

Athena Hoeppner

Legally Speaking--John Doe And The Patriot Act, Bryan M. Carson

DLPS Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Perspectives On Teachers As Digital Library Users: Consumers, Contributors, And Designers, Mimi Recker

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

"...freed of the constraints of physical space and media, digital libraries can be more adaptive and reflective of the communities they serve. They should be collaborative, allowing users to contribute knowledge to the library, either actively through annotations, reviews, and the like, or passively through their patterns of resource use. In addition, they should be contextual, expressing the expanding web of inter-relationships and layers of knowledge that extend among selected primary resources. In this manner, the core of the digital library should be an evolving information base, weaving together professional selection and the 'wisdom of crowds.'" (Lagoze, Krafft, Payette, & …

"Invasion" Of The Poor: Beliefs And Attitudes Of The Receiving Community, Joanna Duke

Public Affairs Dissertations

Housing policy as one of the tools for eradicating poverty remains a critical arena for debate, especially in light of the dire situation of impoverished inner cities and growing inequalities between communities in the U.S. Policies aimed towards ameliorating the negative effects of these inequalities on impecunious residents include deconcentrating poverty through the dispersion of public housing residents into more affluent neighborhoods. The logic behind this approach is the assumption that removing barriers and obstacles from low income families by integrating them into middle class neighborhoods will increase the life chances of the low income families. These policies are often …

Information Technology Sophistication And Outcomes Of Acute Care Hospitals In Texas, Valeria Hart

Public Affairs Dissertations

This exploratory study tested relationships between information technology sophistication and clinical and financial outcomes of acute care hospitals. The hospital sample was Texas hospitals (N =175) with available data for a profile of their information technology infrastructure, combined with demographic and operations data from public use files for the annual 2002 reporting period. Three measures of information technology sophistication were used: functional, technical, and integration of information, with an additional composite index measure. Clinical outcomes were measured using selected Agency of Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Patient Safety Indicators and in-hospital mortality. Patient revenues by number of days and admissions …

Information Technology Sophistication And Outcomes Of Acute Care Hospitals In Texas, Valeria Hart

Public Affairs Dissertations

This exploratory study tested relationships between information technology sophistication and clinical and financial outcomes of acute care hospitals. The hospital sample was Texas hospitals (N =175) with available data for a profile of their information technology infrastructure, combined with demographic and operations data from public use files for the annual 2002 reporting period. Three measures of information technology sophistication were used: functional, technical, and integration of information, with an additional composite index measure. Clinical outcomes were measured using selected Agency of Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Patient Safety Indicators and in-hospital mortality. Patient revenues by number of days and admissions …

"Invasion" Of The Poor: Beliefs And Attitudes Of The Receiving Community, Joanna Duke

Public Affairs Dissertations

Housing policy as one of the tools for eradicating poverty remains a critical arena for debate, especially in light of the dire situation of impoverished inner cities and growing inequalities between communities in the U.S. Policies aimed towards ameliorating the negative effects of these inequalities on impecunious residents include deconcentrating poverty through the dispersion of public housing residents into more affluent neighborhoods. The logic behind this approach is the assumption that removing barriers and obstacles from low income families by integrating them into middle class neighborhoods will increase the life chances of the low income families. These policies are often …

The Economics Of Open Access Publishing, Jessica Litman

IR Research

The conventional model of scholarly publishing uses the copyright system as a lever to induce commercial publishers and printers to disseminate the results of scholarly research. The role of copyright in the dissemination of scholarly research is in many ways curious, since neither authors nor the entities who compensate them for their authorship are motivated by the incentives supplied by the copyright system. Rather, copyright is a bribe to entice professional publishers and printers to reproduce and distribute scholarly works. As technology has spawned new methods of restricting access to works, and copyright law has enhanced copyright owners' rights to …

An Empirical Test Of The Situational Leadership® Model In Japan, Riho Yoshioka

Public Affairs Theses

Since the collapse of the "bubble economy" in the early 1990s, Japanese companies have been struggling with financial difficulty, and have been forced to change their structure, strategies, and management systems. The trend of learning and importing successful American management theories and systems expanded to Japanese society. The Situational Leadership® model, developed by Hersey and Blanchard, is an example of this phenomenon. However, many cross-cultural studies propose that Japanese society has a different culture and values from American society. Therefore, by focusing on Situational Leadership®, this study examined whether models developed in the United States are suitable for Japanese companies. …

An Empirical Test Of The Situational Leadership® Model In Japan, Riho Yoshioka

Public Affairs Theses

Since the collapse of the "bubble economy" in the early 1990s, Japanese companies have been struggling with financial difficulty, and have been forced to change their structure, strategies, and management systems. The trend of learning and importing successful American management theories and systems expanded to Japanese society. The Situational Leadership® model, developed by Hersey and Blanchard, is an example of this phenomenon. However, many cross-cultural studies propose that Japanese society has a different culture and values from American society. Therefore, by focusing on Situational Leadership®, this study examined whether models developed in the United States are suitable for Japanese companies. …

Planning Cities For The Other Percent Of The Residents: Impacts On The Elderly And Disabled Community, Kellie D. Foster

Public Affairs Theses

The urban environment has evolved in the time since the Second World War. Advances in technology have been a catalyst for numerous urban problems; urban sprawl, poverty and a shortage of low to moderate-income housing, for example. When addressing these issues, city planners often neglect the needs of the disabled community. This is cause for concern because society is aging and due to advancements in medicine, the disabled population is growing exponentially. The focus of this thesis is the roll urban design and city planning has in the issues that plague the disabled community by examining both physical design and …

Evolving Telephone Policy: Universal Service, Phyllis Irene Behrens

Public Affairs Dissertations

Important public policy decisions are commonly made that depend upon short, medium, and long term time periods to achieve success or widespread adoption. Universal Service and telephone penetration among underserved residential consumer groups are useful cases for studying the rate of change for adopting public policies. Telephone subscribership and its related socio-economic elements are examined using the Telecommunications Act of 1996 (Pub. L. 104-104, 110 Stat. 56) and the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. SS 151 et seq.). Theoretical foundations include the legislation, regulatory policy, and other telephone developments. Findings conclude that: (1) the diffusion of telephones, telephone services, …

Evolving Telephone Policy: Universal Service, Phyllis Irene Behrens

Public Affairs Dissertations

Important public policy decisions are commonly made that depend upon short, medium, and long term time periods to achieve success or widespread adoption. Universal Service and telephone penetration among underserved residential consumer groups are useful cases for studying the rate of change for adopting public policies. Telephone subscribership and its related socio-economic elements are examined using the Telecommunications Act of 1996 (Pub. L. 104-104, 110 Stat. 56) and the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. SS 151 et seq.). Theoretical foundations include the legislation, regulatory policy, and other telephone developments. Findings conclude that: (1) the diffusion of telephones, telephone services, …

Alternative Models Of Knowledge Production: A Step Forward In Information Literacy As A Liberal Art, Shilpa Shanbhag

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Information literacy is embedded within the traditional disciplinary model of knowledge production wherein the role of the scholar/expert and the process of peer-review are emphasized. Exclusive reference to this model is inadequate in informing the production of knowledge outside of formal academic setting and consequently inadequate in supporting the objectives of liberal learning. Shapiro and Hughes' concept of information literacy as a liberal art provides a useful framework for discussion on alternative models of knowledge production.

Interview On Bbc Radio's "The World", John Fox

John Fox

Interview I gave to Lisa Mullen, host of the BBC Radio's "The World" radio program about my research and Smithsonian article on ulama, the oldest ballgame in the Americas

Perceived Smoking Environment And Smoking Initiation Among Multi-Ethnic Urban Girls, Tracy R. Nichols, Amanda Birnbaum, Sara Birnel, Gilbert J. Botvin

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

Purpose

To examine associations between the perceived smoking environment and smoking initiation among urban multi-ethnic adolescent girls in New York City.

Methods

Self-report surveys completed in grades 7, 8, and 9 assessed girls’ (n = 858) smoking initiation, and perceived smoking environment (family smoking, friends’ smoking, smoking norms, and cigarette availability). Carbon monoxide breath samples were collected from girls using a variation of the bogus pipeline procedure.

Results

Differences were found in smoking prevalence with white girls reporting the highest prevalence of smoking at baseline and the greatest increase in smoking prevalence from seventh to eighth grade. Black girls reported …

Depression In Older Adults, Fred Stickle, Dr. Jill D. Duba

Counseling & Student Affairs Faculty Publications

The purpose of this article is to address selected aspects of depression in older adults. Specifically, symptoms, risk factors, diagnosis, and interventions for depression in older adults are reviewed.

The Booster Network: A Framework For Analyzing State Policy Formation In An Era Of Resurgent Private Power, Patrick Embry

Public Affairs Theses

The continuing shift toward privatization has created new opportunities for private participation in transportation policy formation, infrastructure development, and service provision. The resulting high stakes have drawn a variety of traditionally powerful private players to overtly participate in Texas state policy making. Understanding policy formation in this era of resurgent private power is imperative because the outcomes will affect urban development, population distribution, and subsequent politics and policy. With this paper, I analyze Trans Texas Corridor policy formation using a new framework, the booster network. The framework is based in policy studies and urban development literatures, conceptualizes policy formation in …

The Booster Network: A Framework For Analyzing State Policy Formation In An Era Of Resurgent Private Power, Patrick Embry

Public Affairs Theses

The continuing shift toward privatization has created new opportunities for private participation in transportation policy formation, infrastructure development, and service provision. The resulting high stakes have drawn a variety of traditionally powerful private players to overtly participate in Texas state policy making. Understanding policy formation in this era of resurgent private power is imperative because the outcomes will affect urban development, population distribution, and subsequent politics and policy. With this paper, I analyze Trans Texas Corridor policy formation using a new framework, the booster network. The framework is based in policy studies and urban development literatures, conceptualizes policy formation in …