Digital Commons Network^™

Carbon Forestry: Pursuing Climate Change Mitigation And Poverty Alleviation Through Market-Based Forest Carbon Schemes In Chiapas, Mexico, Jonathan Otto

Theses and Dissertations--Geography

Forest carbon projects seek to alleviate rural poverty and mitigate global climate change by facilitating the flow of capital from actors looking to offset CO2 emissions to land managers willing to engage in offset-oriented reforestation, afforestation, and forest preservation activities. In Mexico, forest carbon schemes have been pursued within the country’s national Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) program, and through REDD+ pilot projects and separate voluntary initiatives. In this dissertation, I explore one voluntary project, Scolel’ Te, which is managed by the non-governmental organization (NGO), AMBIO. Focusing on the case of Scolel’ Te, I show how forest carbon projects undermine …

Redefining Development: Exploring Alternative Economic Practices In Appalachia, Amanda Fickey

Theses and Dissertations--Geography

This dissertation examines alternative economic practices and regional economic development strategies in the Appalachian region. First, I deconstruct regional economic development policies and practices. I argue that policy documents produced by the Appalachian Regional Commission and the State of Kentucky have often limited economic imaginings through the perpetuation of regional stereotypes and short-term, decontextualized strategies. Then, I explore the existence of alternative economic practices as well as the contradictory role of the state within the context of Eastern Kentucky’s craft industry. Using a mixed methods approach, I investigate how the state simultaneously supports cooperative craft production by perpetuating a geographical …

Understanding The Role Of Nutritional Stress In The Adult And Developing Zebra Finch, Jessica Bayley Thompson

Wayne State University Dissertations

Songbirds are particularly susceptible to stress during the sensitive period for song learning. Thus the developmental stress hypothesis (DSH) proposes that adult song reflects a male's early life environment during this period. Nutritional stress (NS) has been shown to cause deficits in song learning and adult song output that are salient to females. Female song birds consistently prefer control males over those raised under NS, yet the effects NS on females are still unclear. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) has been implicated in this process. However, evidence directly linking HPA functioning to the deficits due to NS have inconsistently shown elevations …

Climate Change And Developing Countries; Examaning The Motives For Participation In International Negotiations, Nathalie Zapletal

Dissertations and Theses

No abstract provided.

Factors Of Success In Beekeeping Development Projects And Their Application To South Africa’S Beekeeping Industry, Deirdre Lee

Pomona Senior Theses

Nearly every country in the world has its own history of beekeeping. From the Swiss leaf hive to the Kenyan top bar hive, the number of ways to keep bees is practically limitless. Such diversity allows for a unique opportunity in the field of development. Many development projects are denigrated for relying on the knowledge and generosity of “white saviors.” Many beekeeping projects are the brainchildren of well-meaning people in developed countries looking for a charitable outlet and attempting to use their “superior” knowledge to enlighten and improve the lives of those less fortunate. While these intentions may well be …

Beyond Donors And Dollars: An Ethnographic Case Study Of International Aid And Its Agents In Mozambique, Carly Amanda Santoro

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In Mozambique, international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) work mainly in Mozambique's rural areas, with programs dedicated to the prevention of infectious diseases, education, access to food and clean water, gender equity, and many other concerns. Yet despite these efforts, Mozambican populations are critical of NGOs' missions and practices, and Mozambique remains one of the poorest countries in the world. To explore these issues concerning contradictions in aid in Mozambique, I employ the concept of cultural capital, which refers to cultural practices, perspectives, and beliefs in relation to one's ability to access symbolic and material goods. My thesis examines the degree to …

Norm Articulation In International Organizations: Democracy, Governance, And Participation At The Undp And The World Bank, Roni Kay Marie O'Dell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Constructivist analyses of international norm articulation assume that norm articulation happens through the process of international discussion and agreement, yet such works lack a rigorous analysis of how international organizations articulate norms for the world internal to the organization. Further, analyses of international organization norm articulation almost completely ignore the important influence of leadership. This dissertation analyzes two distinct norms of gender equality and participation in two international organizations, the United Nations Development Programme and the World Bank. The theory developed here argues that the leader's ability to influence norm articulation is dependent on the organizational culture which reflexively impacts …

The Impact Of Common Core Professional Development On Teaching Practices, Elisabeth S. Kannenberg

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The adoption of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in Mathematics represents a challenge for public educators due to the broad scope of required instructional change. This case study investigated the implementation of a professional development (PD) series across 11 elementary schools, designed to address the problem of insufficient teacher preparation in CCSS pedagogical shifts. Grounded in Vygotsky's social learning theory and constructivism, the training was intended to enhance teacher skills through collaborative, inquiry-based learning. The research questions included in the study examined math teaching practices before and after the implementation of the district training. Through questionnaires and interviews, perceptions …

Sistemas Productivos Y Aglomeraciones, Una Opción Para La Organización De La Producción En La Región Sabana De Occidente, Pablo Alejandro Huertas Riaño

Economía

Este documento tiene los resultados obtenidos a partir de un análisis de caso realizado a las empresas del sector productivo de los municipios de Funza, Madrid y Mosquera (FMyM) en Cundinamarca. Esto bajo el lente de los Sistemas productivos locales (SPL) y las aglomeraciones productivas tipo Cluster. En un primer momento se hace un acercamiento teórico al desarrollo endógeno para luego abordar los SPL y el Cluster. Luego se hace una caracterización del sector productivo acompañado de la literatura e información disponible sobre los municipios y un trabajo de campo desarrollado con el objetivo de conocer más de cerca la …

Positive Political Outcomes From Feminist Islam In Afghanistan: Identifying Development Program Features That Raise The Status Of Women, Margaret Courtney Barnard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Existing literature establishes a connection between elevating the status of women in less developed countries and positive political outcomes including: increased national stability, decreased likelihood of civil conflict, and international stability. In particular, the literature suggests that working within the dominant cultural framework of a country makes development projects more successful. This thesis expands upon these bodies of literature and examines the outcomes of the work of two major development agencies in Afghanistan, the UN and USAID in the area of women's education and healthcare. The thesis analyzes some specific characteristics that influence the effects of these programs in the …

Exploring The Potential Of Cassava For Agricultural Growth And Economic Development In Nigeria, Brodrick Awerije

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

The decline in agricultural productivity in Nigeria is linked to a host of factors ranging from unsustainable growth policies, inadequate funding and infrastructures, low levels of value added through processing, low commodity prices, unstable markets, poor extension services and low rates of literacy. It is now well recognised that there is a need to diversify Nigerian agriculture as well as improving production performances. This study investigates the potential of cassava root tuber (CRT), as a means to promote agricultural growth. It assesses cassava production, profitability, efficiency, marketing structures and channels, constraints in production, the potential to add value by processing …

Peripersonal Space In The Humanoid Robot Icub, Salomón Ramírez Contla

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

Developing behaviours for interaction with objects close to the body is a primary goal for any organism to survive in the world. Being able to develop such behaviours will be an essential feature in autonomous humanoid robots in order to improve their integration into human environments. Adaptable spatial abilities will make robots safer and improve their social skills, human-robot and robot-robot collaboration abilities. This work investigated how a humanoid robot can explore and create action-based representations of its peripersonal space, the region immediately surrounding the body where reaching is possible without location displacement. It presents three empirical studies based on …

Values And Valued Action: Relationships With Perceived Parenting Styles And Well-Being At The Transition From High School To Early Adulthood, Kathryn Elizabeth Williams

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Psychological interventions such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) seek to help clients identify and clarify values and to activate behaviour in valued directions. Values inspire people to commit to and maintain personally meaningful behaviours, and to overcome barriers that may arise, such as difficult feelings and situations. It is therefore important to understand what people of different ages value, what factors might promote or inhibit valued action, and the relationship between valuing and well-being.

This thesis explored values development and well-being in a group of young Australians from their final year of high school to the end of their …

Microfinance And Poverty Reduction: How Risks Associated With Government Policies Affect Whether Microfinance Alleviates Poverty In Latin-America, Brian Warby

Theses and Dissertations

The expansion of financial services to the poor, now widely referred to as microfinance, quickly saw tremendous success in Bangladesh beginning in the 1970's and was exported to a number of other countries. For a time microfinance was spoken of as a panacea, in part because it is more detached from governments than other forms of poverty alleviation. I develop a model based on expected utility theory that looks at how risks associated with government policies and characteristics affect whether this mechanism eases poverty. Using a large N analysis of Latin-American states from 1990-2010 and a case study analysis to …

Effective Utilization Of Foreign Aid In Counterinsurgency Operations, Gabriel Schickel

Dissertations and Theses

The repercussions of September 11, 2011 have been felt worldwide and have drastically changed the paradigm in which countries operate today. They have justified two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and incursion into sovereign territories in pursuit of terrorists and insurgents. As insurgencies in Iraq and Afghanistan have continued to thrive, Coalition countries have been forced to adjust their approach to defeating non-conventional forces that they are largely not trained to fight. This has resulted in tactics that utilize what scholars have called “Smart Power,” a mixture of both hard and soft power. Foreign aid and its distribution in COIN …

Microcrédito Y Desarrollo Local : El Caso Del Sector De Los Cueros En Bogotá Entre 2006 2011, Diego Alejandro Martínez Jiménez, Miguel Ángel Rincón Chuscano

Economía

Esta investigación contiene los resultados de un estudio del caso del sector de los cueros en Bogotá en el barrio Restrepo, Bogotá durante el periodo 2006-2011. Para lograr esto, en un comienzo se hace una contextualización histórica partiendo del concepto del microcrédito y su evolución a través del tiempo observando cómo este tiene incidencia sobre el desarrollo local. Posteriormente se realizó una caracterización del sector de microcrédito, partiendo de la Banca de las Oportunidades y algunas de las entidades encargadas de promover el desarrollo del sector a través de esta alternativa de financiamiento dentro de la aglomeración productora y comercializadora …

Annual Giving: Recommended Practices For Universities Based On Current Literature, Conversations With Professionals, And Personal Experience, Paige Berry

Honors College Theses

Development, or fundraising, is essential to non-profit institutions. Hospitals, universities, and charity groups rely on the support of individuals, corporations, foundations, and government agencies to fund their endeavors. Educational fundraising has existed in America as long as the higher education system itself. Private institutions like Harvard College originally gained funding by sending solicitors from America to England. (Worth, 1993, p. 18) Throughout the years, departments that focus exclusively on development have been established in universities and non-profits, with subdivisions focused on various constituent segments. At educational institutions, alumni relations departments often form partnerships with development offices because of the similarities …

Upper-Tropospheric Precursors Associated With Subtropical Cyclone Formation In The North Atlantic Basin, Alicia Marie Bentley

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Oceanic cyclones exhibiting properties of both tropical and extratropical systems have been categorized as subtropical cyclones (STCs) since the early 1950s. The opportunity to investigate the roles of baroclinic and diabatic processes during the evolution of STCs from a potential vorticity (PV) perspective motivates this study. This study investigates the roles of baroclinic and diabatic processes during the evolution of STCs by calculating three PV metrics from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction Climate Forecast System Reanalysis 0.5° gridded dataset. The three PV metrics quantify the relative contributions of lower-tropospheric baroclinic processes, midtropospheric diabatic heating, and upper-tropospheric dynamical processes during …

Relationships Between Breastfeeding, Maternal Cigarette Smoking During Pregnancy, And The Cognitive Functioning Of Akwesasne Mohawk Adolescents Exposed To Environmental Pollution, Georgia Brooke

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Previous research has suggested that breastfeeding is beneficial for children's health and that maternal cigarette smoking during pregnancy is harmful for children's health. However, there is not a consensus in the existing literature about whether or not these two maternal behaviors impact the cognitive development of children. Furthermore, understanding the role of breastfeeding in children's development is complicated by the fact that breastfeeding transmits toxicants that are stored in the mother's body, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), to the infant. Existing research suggests that PCBs negatively impact children's cognitive functioning. The current study examined relationships between breastfeeding, maternal cigarette smoking during …

Training, Development & Leadership: The Need For And Feasibility Of Establishing A Commercial Banking Development Program Inside A Mid-Size Bank Headquartered In The Upper Midwest, Jolene J. Wall

Theses and Graduate Projects

The purpose of this study was to explore the need for and feasibility of establishing a Commercial Banker development program inside a mid-size Bank located in the upper Midwest. Organizations could be facing a talent shortage in the coming years as the Baby Boomer generation begins to retire. Organizations are looking for ways to develop future employees to fill employment gaps. Many organizations today are utilizing internship programs as a tool for new employee development. Internship programs allow organizations to recruit top talent from local universities, while keeping traditional recruiting and onboarding costs contained. lnternship programs are currently being utilized …

The Implementation Of A New Program Of Leadership Development With Female Varsity Athletes: A Pilot Study, Ashley Michelle Duguay

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the current study was to develop, implement, and examine a new program of leadership development with varsity athletes. The sample comprised 27 varsity athletes (Mage = 20.30, SD = 2.07) who were assigned to a rookie (n = 7), emerging (n = 11), or veteran (n = 9) leader group based on their year of tenure. Each group participated in four workshops over the course of a season focused on developing both leader (human capital) and leadership (social capital) capabilities. In terms of leader development, results indicated significant increases in ratings of the use of eight of …

Mother's Experience Of Social Media: Its Impact On Children And The Home, Abe Van Hatch

Theses : Honours

With the prevalence and accessibility of social media within the last 15 years it has become possible for children to have constant access to their friends and social networks. It is relatively unknown what impact adopting social media has on children and how mothers interpret this. There are gaps in the literature investigating the pervasive effects of modern technology and what meaning mothers ascribe to their children using social media as a method of connecting with the world. The present research aims to explore this phenomenon by investigating the experiences of mothers who have children that have recently adopted social …

Análisis De Las Alternativas Crediticias Otorgadas Por El Gobierno Nacional, Como Opción De Financiamiento Para El Desarrollo Sostenible De La Zona De Reserva Campesina Ubicada En Municipio De Cabrera Cundinamarca, Desde El Año 2001 Hasta El Año 2012, Laura Natalia Castiblanco Roa, Alejandra Del Pilar Castillo Lozano

Finanzas y Comercio Internacional

El sector agrario en Colombia, las condiciones socioeconómicas de la población campesina, el conflicto interno armado y las ineficientes formas de financiación estatal para el sector agrícola han ocasionado graves afecciones a la población campesina impidiendo a esta alcanzar un nivel notable de desarrollo sostenible, por lo que en esta investigación el propósito principal fue evaluar el mecanismo crediticio idóneo para otorgar a los agricultores ubicados en la Zona de Reserva Campesina de Cabrera Cundinamarca, con el objetivo de promover desarrollo sostenible dentro de este territorio. Lo anterior se efectuó a partir del análisis de modelos de desarrollo sostenible que …

Estrategias De Internacionalización Para Empresas Del Subsector De Turismo En Colombia: Un Enfoque Al Turismo Ecológico En El Eje Cafetero En El Periodo 2009-2012, Manuel Fernando Fuentes Rodríguez, Diana Marcela Gutiérrez Segura, Mónica Alexandra Ospina Amador

Finanzas y Comercio Internacional

Este trabajo tiene por objeto la formulación de estrategias de internacionalización para las empresas operadoras turísticas ecológicas ubicadas en la región del Eje Cafetero, con el fin de brindar un aporte al sector de servicios turísticos, en donde inicialmente se identifican las etapas que ha atravesado el sector, realizando un comparativo entre las estrategias que se han implementado, el comportamiento y la evolución del sub sector eco turístico dentro del país; aportando nuevas ideas de desarrollo en donde las empresas inicien o mejoren el proceso de internacionalización, identificando los factores potenciales que determinen la oferta turística que estas compañías podrían …

Perspectives On Disability And Community Engagement In Albania: Developing Mutual Understanding Through The Sharing Of Individual Narratives, Lucia Murillo

Doctoral Dissertations

This study explores current perspectives on disability in Albania by bringing into discourse the voice of families and community members in order to learn how history, tradition, and family values influence individual or community response to having or being in community alongside children with special needs.

Research Theory and Protocol

I carried out this research using critical hermeneutic theory. The protocol followed an interpretive approach as outlined by Ellen Herda (1999). This orientation brought the researcher and participants together and used narratives as a medium for participatory inquiry.

Research Categories

The critical hermeneutic concepts of narrative identity, mimesis, and communicative …

Cochlear Development And Auditory Function In The Absence Of Thyroid Hormone Transporters Mct8 And Oatp1c1, Richard Sinn

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Thyroid hormone (TH) is essential for the development and maturation of the nervous system. The thyroid gland secretes an active form of TH, triiodothyronine, and a prohormone, thyroxine, into the blood. TH is charged, which prevents it from passively diffusing across cell membranes and thus requires cell membrane transporters to facilitate its movement into and out of cells. However, whether TH transporters are required for TH-mediated developmental events, including the auditory system, is largely unknown.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate two specific TH transporters, monocarboxylate transporter 8 (Mct8) and organic anion transporting polypeptide 1c1 (Oatp1c1), and …

The Prophets And Profits Of Pleasure An Analysis Of Florida’S Development From The Civil War To The Turn Of The 20Th Century, Christopher Mark Esing

Theses and Dissertations--History

This dissertation examines the emergence of Florida from the end of the Civil War to the beginning of the twentieth century through the lenses of Jacksonville, Pensacola, Tampa, and Miami as they became the major economic and social centers within the state. Influenced by Union and Republican ideologies, early immigration tracts promised egalitarian land development rooted in the promise of citrus, diversified agriculture, real-estate, and the promise of tourism. As more northerners came to rely upon cheap black labor to make their dream a reality, the earlier narrative of egalitarianism began to loose ground to the demands for inexpensive labor. …

Eating Disorder Onset In Young Girls: A Longitudinal Trajectory Analysis, Carolyn M. Pearson

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

To investigate whether there are different patterns of development for binge eating and purging behavior among pre-adolescent and early adolescent girls, I conducted trajectory analyses of those behaviors in 938 girls across eight waves of data from the spring of 5^th grade (the last year of elementary school) through the spring of 9^th grade (the first year of high school). Analyses revealed four separate developmental trajectories for binge eating behavior (labeled none, increasing, decreasing, and high steady) and three separate developmental trajectories for purging behavior (labeled none, dabble, and increasing). Fifth grade scores on risk factors that were …

Towards An Articulation Of Architecture As A Verb; Learning From Participatory Development, Subaltern Identities And Textual Values., Richard Bower

School of Art, Design and Architecture Theses

Originating from a disenfranchisement with the contemporary definition and realisation of Westernised architecture as a commodity and product, this thesis seeks to explore alternative examples of positive socio-spatial practice and agency. These alternative spatial practices and methodologies are drawn from participatory and grass-roots development agency in informal settlements and contexts of economic absence, most notably in the global South. This thesis explores whether such examples can be interpreted as practical realisations of key theoretical advocacies for positive social space that have emerged in the context of post-Second World-War capitalism. The principal methodological framework utilises two differing trajectories of spatial discourse. …