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Is Inter-Organizational Collaboration Always A Good Thing?, Richard A. Longoria

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The human service literature suggests that the concept and outcomes of inter-organizational collaboration are not well understood. Nonetheless, inter-organizational collaboration has emerged as a statement of direction for social welfare policy and professional practice. In light of an unclear understanding of collaboration, this analysis suggests the concept has powerful symbolic qualities, which perpetuates its continued use. While the general notion of collaboration is promising, human service administrators and stakeholders must couple critical thinking and action to clarify the meaning, intent, application, and outcomes of inter-organizational collaboration. This article raises the question as to whether the popularity of inter-organization collaboration is …

Welfare Recipients Attending College: The Interplay Of Oppression And Resistance, Karen Christopher

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This qualitative study uses Patricia Hill Collins' "both/and" conceptual framework to explore experiences of both oppression and resistance among welfare recipients attending college. It examines how children, social networks, integration into campus life, and interactions with caseworkers affect welfare recipients' college attendance and college persistence. As is well established in the sociological literature, having children complicates college attendance and persistence. But this research shows that children also provide the predominant incentive for poor mothers to attain higher education. Moreover, this study reveals complexities in welfare recipients' experiences with their social networks, work-study jobs, and caseworkers that are often overlooked by …

Review Of Social Work: Theory And Practice For A Changing Profession. Lena Dominelli. Reviewed By Mel Gray., Mel Gray

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Lena Dominelli, Social Work: Theory and Practice for a Changing Profession. Malden, MA: Polity Press, 2004. $69.95 hardcover.

Review Of Voices From The Edge: Narratives About The Americans With Disabilities Act. Ruth O'Brien. Reviewed By Juliet C. Rothman., Juliet C. Rothman

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Ruth O'Brien, Voices from the Edge: Narratives about the Americans with Disabilities Act. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004. $55.00 hardcover, $16.95 papercover.

Review Of The Decline Of Life: Old Age In Eighteenth-Century England. Susannah R. Ottaway. Reviewed By John M. Herrick., John M. Herrick

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Susannah R. Ottaway, The Decline of Life: Old Age in Eighteenth- Century England. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2004. $70.00 cloth

Review Of An American Travesty: Legal Responsibility To Adolescent Sexual Offending. Franklin Zimring. Reviewed By Matthew T. Theriot., Matthew T. Theriot

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Franklin E. Zimring, An American Travesty: Legal Responses to Adolescent Sexual Offending. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2004. $29.00 hardcover.

A Handbook Of Comparative Social Policy. Patricia Kennett (Ed.).

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Patricia Kennett (Ed.), A Handbook of Comparative Social Policy. Northampton, VT: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2004. $160.00 hardcover.

Shut Out: Low Income Mothers And Higher Education In Post-Welfare America. Valerie Polakow, Sandra Butler, Luisa Stormer Deprez And Peggy Kahn (Eds.)., Sarah Carnochan

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Valerie Polakow, Sandra Butler, Luisa Stormer Deprez and Peggy Kahn (Eds.), Shut Out: Low Income Mothers and Higher Education in Post- Welfare America. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 2004. $75.00 hardcover, $24.95 papercover.

Design Of A Reconfigurable State Transition Algorithm For Fuzzy Automata, Paolo A. Tamayo

Masters Theses

An Ontological Controller, a type of supervisory controller used for complex industrial systems, is usually characterized by a large global state set. Monitoring the global state set of these systems is impractical when the desired goal path is chosen since the decision on the next state depends only on a small section of the total state space. The approach is to operate only in a small moving window of the large state transition path. The Hybrid Fuzzy-Boolean Finite State Machine (HFB-FSM) is part of the solution to implement this scheme. The HFB-FSM models the state graph along with plant data …

“See Your Healthcare Provider For A Prescription Today!” The Influence Of Direct-To-Consumer Drug Advertising On Nurse Practitioners And Their Patients, Kelly A. Getman-Dissette

Masters Theses

In 1997, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration relaxed the guidelines regarding the advertising of prescription drugs directly to consumers (i.e., direct-to-consumer advertising, DTCA). The purpose of this research was to examine the impact of DTCA on the relationships of healthcare providers with their patients. In order to accomplish this task, in-depth, semistructured interviews were conducted with ten nurse practitioners (NPs). The interviews sought out provider perceptions on four topics as they relate to DTCA: diagnosis and treatment decisions, prescribing practices, additional burden on the provider, and patient trust in the provider. The findings reveal that DTCA has had both …

People Without Voice: Perceptions Of Social Bias Against Muslims In The United States, Dhiren Patel

Masters Theses

This paper is an ethnographic investigation of Muslim American perceptions of social marginalization in the United States as a by-product of various governmental and media forces, with the Kalamazoo, MI community being the regional focus. The existence of the violence-crazed zealot Muslim stereotype has had social repercussions for Muslims living in America. The first part of this research looks at the development of Muslim stereotypes before 9/11. The second half of this paper discuses the results from interviews with local Muslims Americans who have given me their perspective on prejudice against Islam in the United States.

The oral accounts provided …

The Effect Of Glycemic Indices And Timing Of Meal On Exercise To Fatigue, Amy Morrison Gyorkos

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate and describe the influence of pre-carbohydrate feedings prior to exercise to fatigue. Five individuals performed a peak bike test and four experimental trials, separated by 7 days. Upon arrival, subjects ingested 1g of carbohydrates (CHO) for every kilogram of body weight (BW) of a high glycemic index meal (HGI) or a low glycemic index meal (LGI) prior to exercise to fatigue. Subjects waited 30- or 60-minutes following each test meal, totaling four experimental trials. The exercise regiment was consistent following each meal; 90 minutes cycling at 70% peak oxygen consumption (VO_{2peak …}

Third Wave Feminist Identity, Sarah Brightman

Masters Theses

The research I am proposing is to gain a better understanding of current, individual feminist identity and the impact of that identity, more broadly, on current feminism. There is controversy in the current literature about the existence of a third wave of feminism and I believe this research will contribute to this discussion by exploring various individual experiences with feminism and how feminist identity fits into individuals lives. Gaining an understanding of young feminist identity and the individual meaning of feminism might help define the characteristics of this whole new generation of feminists in their own terms. Much progress and …

Resistivity, Induced Polarization, And Spontaneous Potential Study Of Part Of The Calvin 28 Oil Field, Cass County Michigan, Eric M. Larsen

Masters Theses

Some hydrocarbon reservoirs have a documented reducing chimney, extending upward to the surface due to diffusion of hydrocarbon volatiles. This effect reportedly reduces the iron in the soil to magnetite and precipitates fine-grained pyrite if there is sufficient sulfur in the system. This study was conducted to test the detectability of the hypothetical chimney, using electrical geophysics in an environment of relatively recent glacial cover, known depth to an underlying petroleum reservoir, and known faulting.

The Calvin 28 oil field, in Cass County Michigan, is a middle Devonian domal field where reservoir rocks are draped over the central uplift block …

Use Of Borate In Semi-Chemical Pulping, Promodh K. Veguru

Masters Theses

The original Neutral Sulfite Semi-Chemical (NSSC) pulping process used sodium sulfite as the principle cooking chemical and had the disadvantage of sulfur emission problems. Considerable research was conducted to investigate the use of other chemicals including sodium hydroxide, but was not completely satisfactory. Several mills adapted a sodium carbonate based process but experienced slower pulping and reduced physical properties. The objective of this research is to study the use of borate as a pulping chemical in sodium carbonate semi-chemical pulping. The experimental plan included digester cooks; controls with pure sodium carbonate, and the other with partially borate autocausticized sodium carbonate. …

The Trials And Tribulations Of Eliciting American Indian Voice, Amber Madoll

Masters Theses

In this thesis I explored the application of oral history in the collection, preservation and interpretation of American Indian cultural history. Through the analysis of written ethnographies, published works, oral histories and case studies, this research addresses some of the major debates hindering oral history's admittance as a viable ethnographic and historical resource. The overall intention of this research was to elicit the major methodological issues anthropologists face when employing oral history techniques in American Indian studies so that solid, comprehensive strategies can be created and implemented to strengthen the acceptance and practice of oral history in modem cultural studies. …

Structure-Activity Relationship Studies On Thioxolone Compounds As Inhibitors Of Human Carbonic Anhydrase Ii, Jared Nyabuto Orwenyo

Masters Theses

Carbonic anhydrase II (CA II) is a zinc metalloenzyme that catalyzes the reversible hydration of carbon dioxide. The role of this reaction in physiology has made it a target of many therapeutic approaches. Most CA II inhibitors currently known are sulfonamide-based and this is the only functional group incorporated into rationally designed CA II inhibitors. Thioxolone (6-hydroxy-1, 3-benzoxathiol-2-one), is a non-sulfonamide that has been found to have CA II inhibitory activity.

Thioxolone and its analogs were studied to evaluate the inhibition activity that can be achieved upon modification of the thioxolone molecule. IC₅₀ values and dissociation constants were determined …

Intergenerational Power Exchange Model: Meta-Analysis Of Male Batterers’ Intervention Programs, Suzanne Van Weelde

Dissertations

Domestic violence is an ongoing social problem. Many women have suffered from the abuse of spouses and boyfriends. A number of children have been victims, or witnesses of, this particular form of violence. The consequences of abuse are: preventable crimes, victims and witnesses becoming abusers themselves, escalating health and mental costs. Domestic violence has touched every community within the United States. It is not a social problem that sociological researchers can afford to minimize.

Sociological literature has documented the growth of the social problem of domestic violence. As a result of the awareness of domestic violence as a serious social …

Risk Sharing And Consumption Insurance In Poor Urban Economies: Theory And Empirical Evidence From Household Data, Seife Dendir

Dissertations

Households in poor economies often strive to protect consumption from fluctuations in income through various mechanisms. Due to the absence or scarcity of formal insurance, however, they are often forced to rely on informal means to achieve this objective. This dissertation consists of three essays that analyze the nature, performance and instruments of risk sharing and consumption insurance in poor urban areas.

The first essay identifies the peculiar problems poor urban households face in their attempt to pool risk from idiosyncratic income swings, and derives unique results pertaining to the level of insurance and effort. Two specific problems are identified: …

Importation And Prisonization Of Corrections Worker’S Attitudes And Behaviors: An Empirical Examination Of Social Distance, Correctional Orientation, And Punitive Behavior Within The Correctional Setting, William J. Hartley

Dissertations

Past research has relied on two theoretical models---importation and prisonization---to explain staff member's attitudes, behaviors, and social distance from offenders in the correctional work environment. Tests of these models have shown partial support for both models. However, missing in the literature has been a clear understanding and examination of how these attitudes and behaviors vary across custody levels within a given correctional facility. The purpose of this study is: (1) to include a more comprehensive test of the prisonization and importation models by including more of the variables utilized in past research; (2) to develop and test a causal model …

International Financial Integration, Sonila Beliu

Dissertations

During the last two decades, the degree of international financial integration (IFI) has increased substantially. This increased level of IFI has a number of benefits. First, it can lead to more efficient allocation of saving and investment across countries and, therefore, facilitate consumption smoothing. Second, it can enable domestic investors to achieve a higher level of diversification. Third, the industrial sector can benefit from having better access to the world’s capital supply and, eventually an increase in the level of IFI will have a positive impact on countries’ output growth. In all, higher levels of IFI can lead to a …

Evaluating The Operative Mechanisms Underlying The High-Probability Request Sequence, Carrie L. Coleman

Dissertations

Failure to comply with requests in educational settings interferes with the learning process. The high-probability request sequence has been demonstrated to be an effective treatment for noncompliance. However, the operative mechanisms underlying this treatment remain unknown. This study sought to further elucidate high-p behavior change mechanisms through the manipulation of reinforcement and response rate variables. The purpose was to determine whether increases in compliance to low-probability requests could be obtained with either the high-p sequence or with the delivery of preferred stimuli on a response-independent basis. Math problems served as high-p and low-p requests, and data were collected on compliance …

Analysis Of Group Differences And Predictors Of Hooper Visual Organization Test Scores, Michael R. Devries

Dissertations

The Hooper Visual Organization Test (VOT) is described in the manual as a screening instrument that measures the ability to organize visual stimuli (Hooper, 1983). The VOT is identified as being particularly sensitive to neurological impairment. Studies to determine the criterion and construct validity of the VOT have examined its usefulness in distinguishing between individuals with neurological impairment from those with other disorders. Few studies have included samples from normal, psychiatrically impaired, and neurologically impaired populations in determining the VOT's usefulness in identifying neurologically impaired individuals. Furthermore, as neuropsychology has moved away from the understanding of neurological impairment as a …

Career Experiences And Career Development Among Chinese American Professional Women: A Qualitative Study, Yi-Ling Linda Kuo-Rice

Dissertations

Only a few research studies have addressed the cultural transitions and career-related issues experienced by Chinese American women. These individuals represent a silent group whose career values, career choices, and vocational needs remain largely unexplored (Yang, 1991).

This qualitative study, using grounded theory methods, explored the career experiences, career development, and career decision-making of nine foreign-bornChinese American professional women from various career fields. The findings from the study are divided into two parts. The first part presents summaries of each study participant's career development, providing a context-rich description of each case. The second part of the findings offers the results …

The Lost Journals Of Sylvia Plath, Kimberly Dawn Knutsen

Dissertations

Sylvia Plath is one of the few authors who has been posthumously awarded the Pulitzer Prize. Plath's exceptional literary career is not limited with that. When twentieth-century literary history is examined, it becomes patent that no writer has created such an enormous impact as Sylvia Plath. Furthermore, no writer or poet has been as misunderstood as in the case of Plath. In addition, no writer or poet has been labeled often as "schizophrenic" or "mad" by scholars or researchers who do not have the slightest education in psychology or psychopathology. Therefore, the works written on Plath, or the studies that …

Aid Effectiveness, Policies And Reform, Elias Kedir Shukralla

Dissertations

Resource equalization represents the historical and theoretical basis for American school finance and its ideals continue to dominate discussion and practice. During the last decade and a half, the national aspiration for equitable distribution of school finance resources has started a transformation into a derivative notion of adequacy. This equity policy derivative embraces the idea of sufficiency, which in turn implies a standard. The concept of educational adequacy has grown to mean the achievement of high absolute standards. Equity (equalization) theorists measure resource level on a relative basis; each student relative to all others. Adequacy adherents measure student achievement against …

Pyramidal Staff Training: Teaching Play And Manding To Children With Autism And Developmental Disabilities, Koji Takeshima

Dissertations

This study involved pyramidal staff training and the teaching of play and manding to children with autism and developmental disabilities in an early intervention program. The following training components were sequentially introduced to each technician: (a) a written procedure; (b) video modeling; (c) a slide show and checklist, combined with video modeling; and (d) feedback. The trainees improved their skills in teaching play as these training components were introduced, and the children's performance in play and manding subsequently improved. For the skills of teaching play, the core component of the training that resulted in the largest improvement varied across technicians. …

The Relationship Between Counselor-In-Training Personality Traits, Family-Of-Origin Characteristics And Working Alliance, Anthony W. Tatman

Dissertations

Research has revealed that the working alliance between counselors-in-training (CITs) and their clients predict therapeutic outcome (Horvath & Symonds, 1991; Parish & Eagle, 2003). The amount of research is limited, however, concerning CIT traits that facilitate the development of the working alliance (Ackerman & Hilsenroth, 2001; Ligiero & Gelso, 2002; Wampold, 2001). The purpose of the present study was to identify the degree to which CIT personality traits and family-of-origin (FOO) characteristics are associated with working alliance evaluations. This study utilized the 5 domains of personality, measured by the NEO-FFI (Costa & McCrae, 1992), and alexithymia, measured by the TAS-20 …

Worry, Kristen Tracy

Dissertations

The poems that make up Worry investigate themes of feminine struggle, identity, and survival. They move at a fast pace, and many of the metaphors are drawn from the animal kingdom.

Influence Of Uncorrelated Defects On The Vortex Phase Diagram In Yba2Cu3O7-6 Superconducting System, Lucian M. Undreiu

Dissertations

The goal of our work is to gain more insight into the vortex dynamics in YBa₂Cu₃0_7-8 single crystals with point defects induced by 9MeV proton irradiation. The position of the critical points from the first order melting transition line can be shifted in a controlled manner with the induced disorder. In order to accomplish a comparative study, different crystals and irradiation doses were used. The results were correlated using both electrical transport and ac specific heat measurements. Special attention was given to investigating the nature of the vortex state below the lower critical point o …