Digital Commons Network^™

Beyond Borders: Nigerian Diaspora, Men's Experiences Of Intimate Partner Violence, Christiana Ifeyinwa Chineme

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Culture and social structures are factors in the way people view or think of intimate partner violence (IPV). A significant gap exists in the current literature regarding whether changes exist in IPV experience because of continuous and direct contact between individuals from different cultural origins. Despite the increasing emphasis on the social and structural determinants of IPV-related behaviors, research and interventions lag on how people view IPV while they live in their native country and when they migrate and are exposed to a different culture and social structure. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological research was to explore the IPV …

Migrant Mobility Flows Characterized With Digital Data, Mattia Mazzolii, Boris Diechtiareff, Antònia Tugores, Willian Wives, Natalia Adler, Pere Colet, Jose J. Ramasco

Security Research Hub Reports

Monitoring migration flows is crucial to respond to humanitarian crisis and to design efficient policies. This information usually comes from surveys and border controls, but timely accessibility and methodological concerns reduce its usefulness. Here, we propose a method to detect migration flows worldwide using geolocated Twitter data. We focus on the migration crisis in Venezuela and show that the calculated flows are consistent with official statistics at country level. Our method is versatile and far-reaching, as it can be used to study different features of migration as preferred routes, settlement areas, mobility through several countries, spatial integration in cities, etc. …

Federal Health Reform: Breast Cancer Outcomes, Nia Imani Bailey

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

Young women are diagnosed with breast cancer; and young women die from breast cancer. This qualitative dissertation seeks to prove the significance of lowering the mammography age from 40 years old to 30 years old. Current policy and programs correlate to the mandated age of 40 years old, unless the woman is at high risk; such as having a family cancer history. This dissertation also seeks to implement an addendum to insurance policies to cover for younger women to have mammography screening in the event they are younger than the recommended age. The purpose of this study was to examine …

Towards A Resilient Future: Federal Policies For Adapting The U.S. Coasts To Climate Change, Samuel Horowitz

Pitzer Senior Theses

Climate change is projected to have a devastating impact on the American coast, yet coastal communities and states have largely failed to prepare for projected impacts. This is in large part due to a lack of resources. This thesis analyzes innovative federal policy mechanisms that will address the current gap between actions and forecasted impacts, and will make U.S. coastal communities more resilient in the face of climate change.

Holding Space: Learning From A Black Art Organization, Tierney Anne Bamrick

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Minority-led nonprofit organizations are marginalized in the United States arts sector, analyses of which rely heavily on data from dominant, often White-led institutional arts organizations. This study seeks to understand the experience of a minority-led arts organization in that context. I ask, what does artistic practice – both creative and organizational – look like for this organization? And what are the implications of that practice for the arts sector more broadly? Drawing on over a year of ethnographic work with The Network, a Black-led arts organization in a southern U.S. city, I argue that their asset-focused treatment of place, their …

2019-2020 Annual Report: Roger Williams University School Of Law, Roger Williams University School Of Law

Life of the Law School (1993- )

No abstract provided.

Why Does The Importance Of Education For Health Differ Across The United States?, Blakelee R. Kemp, Jennifer Karas Montez

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

The positive association between educational attainment and adult health (“the gradient”) is stronger in some areas of the United States than in others. Explanations for the geographic pattern have not been rigorously investigated. Grounded in a contextual and life-course perspective, the aim of this study is to assess childhood circumstances (e.g., childhood health, compulsory schooling laws) and adult circumstances (e.g., wealth, lifestyles, economic policies) as potential explanations. Using data on U.S.-born adults aged 50 to 59 years at baseline (n = 13,095) and followed for up to 16 years across the 1998 to 2014 waves of the Health and Retirement …

Policy And Practice Brief 2: English Learners Are A Priority During Covid-19, Melissa J. Cuba

MERC Publications

English learners (ELs) are disproportionately impacted by the health and economic repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic. These students often traverse virtual learning with fewer resources, limited access, additional responsibilities, and increased needs. In addition to this, they represent a significant percentage of the student population in school divisions across the Commonwealth. This policy and practice brief provides additional research and resources on this topic.

Leveraging Big Data : Predicting Traffic Risk And Providing Early Warning Due To Adverse Weather Conditions, Sreekumar E. Nampoothiri

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The proliferation of big data has allowed researchers to delve deeper into data and gain better understandings within almost every field. In the fields of transportation planning and traffic management, past research has shown direct relationships among weather conditions and traffic speed, volume, and congestion. However, these studies have mostly relied on static data that were spatially and temporally sparse or collected on a specific roadway for a specific time period for research purposes. With the need to address the impacts of climate change, including an increasing number of extreme weather events as well as an increasing intensity of such …

Education's Death Row : The Standardization Network And A Persistently Lowest Achieving School In The Era Of Common Core, Valarie J. Karas

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

In 2010, New York State both adopted the Common Core Learning Standards and identified the State’s first 67 “persistently lowest achieving” schools, the most severe failure designation available under the State’s accountability system as based upon standardized test performance and/or graduation rates (Common Core Standards Initiative, 2015; NYSED, 2010a). The Common Core Learning Standards were advertised as a pathway to a high-quality education for all American students (Common Core Standards Initiative, 2015; Supovitz & McGuinn, 2019). However, a public uproar occurred in the late summer of 2013 following the release of standardized “Common Core” test scores which showed an increase …

The Prevalence Of Secondary School Sport Safety Policies Within State Athletic Associations And Legislation, Samantha E. Scarneo, William M. Adams, Susan W. Yeargin, Madeline A. Konz, James E. Potter, Douglas J. Casa

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: The location of secondary school health and safety policies impacts how they are implemented by the sports medicine team and stakeholders. Yet, a comprehensive list of each state’s policy locations has not been established. The purpose of this study was to describe where secondary school health and safety policies were located at the state level within the United States. Method: Emergency related health and safety policies were designated as either being located in the state high school athletics association (SHSAA), state legislation (LEGIS), or in both SHSAA and LEGIS (BOTH). Designation was determined by two researchers who independently …

Dual Language Programming: A Model To Enhance School Climate And Academic Achievement In Diverse Schools, Melissa J. Cuba, Kate Daly Rolander

MERC Publications

This policy brief summarizes research and data on English learners (ELs) in Virginia and current dual language (DL) education policies and practices. It includes discussions of (1) the growth of ELs in Virginia and across the Richmond area; (2) both federal and state education policies on language use and DL programming; (3) critical factors related to outcomes and the instruction of ELs and native English speakers in an integrated setting; (4) case studies of school divisions in Virginia that have spearheaded DL programs in their region; and (5) responses to frequently asked questions around the implementation and new 2018 Virginia …

Policy And Practice Brief 1: Virginia Is Not An English-Only Instruction State, Melissa J. Cuba

MERC Publications

Virginia is not an English-only state for PreK-12 instruction. Although English is the official language of Virginia (as stated in the Code of Virginia), no state or federal policies require English as the only language for PreK-12 public education. Having English designated as the official language of Virginia does not prohibit the use of other languages in instruction. This policy brief provides further details and resources related to this topic.

Digital Citizenship In Domestic Contexts, Lelia Green

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Digital citizenship is an important aspect of children’s rights and is receiving increasing policy attention around the world, including from the United Nations. For many children, however, it is the domestic environment where core digital rights are negotiated, with parents and teens sometimes clashing over children’s digital activities. This chapter draws upon ethnographic work with adolescent male online gamers who constitute the inner circle of a Dota 2 clan of two years’ standing. Separate interviews with five parents and four teens, and follow up focus groups with each cohort, reveal details of domestic negotiations around digital citizenship rights.

Electrification And Decarbonization For Mid-Sized Municipalities: A Case-Study Marginal Abatement Cost Analysis, Patrick Shive

WWU Graduate School Collection

This project provides a marginal abatement cost curve analysis for the City of Bellingham, based upon the recommendations provided by the City’s Climate Action Plan Task Force. A bottom-up methodology for performing the marginal abatement cost analysis is provided, including the relevant data and assumptions used in the analysis. The results show the massive potential emissions impacts of electrification and driving down the electric grid emissions intensity. The shortcomings and improvements of the resultant cost curves are discussed, and advice on future iterations is given. This project offers a pathway for Bellingham and other mid-sized municipalities to develop marginal abatement …

Assessing The Impact Of Raising The National Minimum Purchase Age Of Tobacco To 21 On Tobacco Use In Youth, Nicholas D. Guerra

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Introduction: Tobacco use is the number one cause of preventable death in the United States with roughly 500,000 premature deaths a year and 3,200 youth smoking their first cigarette daily. On December 20, 2019, President Trump signed legislation to raise the federal minimum age of sale of tobacco products from 18 to 21 years, effective immediately. Prior to this recent regulation, over half of the US population was enforcing this age restriction. The objective of this research is to investigate the impact of tobacco 21 laws on tobacco use and project the national tobacco impact by using the state experiences …

Naloxone Availability In Georgia Retail Pharmacies 44 Months After Implementation Of A Statewide Standing Order, Enjoli Willis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Opioid overdose deaths have quadrupled since 1999. Georgia is one of 35 states with a significant increase in drug overdose deaths from 2013 – 2017, with deaths increasing by 70% during 2010-2018. Many states, including Georgia, have implemented naloxone standing orders to remove barriers to access to naloxone, an opioid overdose reversal drug that reverses opioid overdose symptoms. However, it is still not readily available in places where it is most needed. This research investigates naloxone availability in Georgia 44 months after the implementation of a statewide standing order. This research also seeks to determine if pharmacy and community-level factors …

Incorporating Economic Resilience Metrics Into Indot’S Transportation Decision-Making, Yue Ke, Lisa Lorena Losada-Rojas, Davis Chacon-Hurtado, Konstantina Gkritza, Jon D. Fricker

JTRP Technical Reports

The 2007 Great Recession is widely considered the worst economic downturn in recent United States History. In Indiana, the unemployment rate reached 10.6%, and took nearly seven years to return to pre-recession levels. However, employment data from this period shows that the change in total employment at the county level ranged from -20% to +5%, indicating that while many counties suffered from high unemployment, other counties experienced gains in total employment. Various research efforts, including this project, have been undertaken to understand the local characteristics that influence the differing degrees to which regional/city economies were able to resist or cope …

From Garden City To Sponge City: Urban Green Infrastructure Policy Development, Hongmei Lu

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

With rapid urbanization, environmental problems like green space shortage and urban flooding become prevalent. Identifying effective policymaking and implementation is critical in order to solve these problems. This dissertation addresses four theoretical topics in the context of urban green infrastructure: policy entrepreneur, institutional response to club goods, quasi-public-private partnership, and policy goal ambiguity. Each is exemplified by a causal case study. Data were collected through participant observation, field trips, semi-structured interviews, and crowdsourcing.

Chapter 1 takes a longitudinal perspective and examines the dual role of policy entrepreneur and policy implementer in reaching the final policy goal of mandating vertical greening …

Un Espacio De Interculturalidad A Través Del Análisis De La Agenda De Política Migratoria Colombiana Y La Actual Migración Venezolana, Paula Tatiana Guerrero Mora, Ana María Jaramillo Peñuela, David Felipe Pulido Rozo

Negocios y Relaciones Internacionales

Esta investigación busca comprender la problemática generada por la crisis migratoria venezolana dentro de Colombia, específicamente en Bogotá, como una oportunidad hacia un espacio intercultural y cómo este fenómeno incide en la toma de decisiones del Estado Colombiano y su respuesta para generar este espacio, como lo ha venido realizando el Estado de Chile dentro de sus entidades en materia de políticas migratorias. En primer lugar, se pretende relacionar la agenda de política exterior colombiana en materia migratoria con el actual fenómeno de migración venezolano, desarrollando un análisis desde la disciplina de las relaciones internacionales dentro del marco de una …

Environmental Health Disparities In Vermont, Julia Selle

UVM Patrick Leahy Honors College Senior Theses

Vermont is one of eight states in the United States without an environmental justice policy. In order to help inform an environmental justice policy for Vermont, this research examined the self-reported environmental and health experiences of Vermont residents by gender, race, income, and residence. 569 surveys were collected throughout the summer of 2019 through door-to-door surveying in low-income communities, mobile home parks, and communities with high environmental burdens identified through a spatial analysis. SPSS statistics was used for data analysis, using cross-tabs and binomial logistic regression in order to determine trends and significance within the data. Data analysis revealed that …

Equitable Hiring Policy In Higher Education At The University Of Montana, Victoria Mckinley Bigelow, Kinsey Anderson

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

Higher Education; University of Montana; Equity; Hiring; University; College; Montana; Missoula; Public Administration; Organization; Missoula; Diversity; Women; Policy

Exploring Diet Quality In Early Care And Education Centers: Measures, Policies, And Center Characteristics, Elizabeth Kroeger

All ETDs from UAB

Over 65% of children ages 2-5 years attend Early Care and Education (ECE) centers where they consume most of their daily caloric intake; however, children at these centers are not meeting the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA). This could suggest poor diet quality, which is a risk factor for diet-related diseases. Currently, diet quality in ECE centers is measured through the assessment of either the food/beverages listed on the lunch menu (menu), served to the children during lunch (served), or consumed by the children during lunch (consumed). However, the lunch meal may be better viewed as a process, rather than …

50-State Higher Education Disability Policy Review 2008-2019: A Content Analysis, Marie Orlin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

More students with disabilities are present on higher education campuses. This study examines enacted legislation of the 50 United States throughout an 11-year period of students with disabilities in higher education. Racialization of disability and representation in states’ legislation is examined. As the student body expands on higher education campuses, diversity comprehensively racially, ethnically and culturally grows. Four major federal laws: Americans with Disabilities Act and Amendments Act, Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 form the state disability legislation backbone applicable to postsecondary students. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 …

Comparison Of Urban And Rural Physical Activity And Outdoor Play Environments Of Childcare Centers And Family Childcare Homes, Danae Dinkel, Dipti Dev, Yage Guo, Ami Sedani, Emily Hulse, Zainab Rida, Kayla Abel

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to examine the physical activity environment in childcare programs across type (childcare centers [CCCs] and family childcare homes [FCCHs]) and geographic location (urban and rural) as assessed by physical activity best practices according to the Go Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-assessment in Child Care. Results showed CCCs compared with FCCHs reported higher achievement of best practices. Further, urban childcare programs (CCCs and FCCHs) reported higher achievement of best practices in comparison to rural childcare programs. There is a need to deliver targeted interventions that promote children’s physical activity in FCCHs and CCCs in rural …

Community Reentry And Juvenile Justice: The Role Of Developmental Science In Legislative Decision-Making, Kristina A. Mcguire

Theses and Dissertations

The goals of the present study were to examine federal and selected state legislation for reentry initiatives within the juvenile justice system using content analysis, including determining if bill language utilized terminology reflecting research or developmental science. Thematic analysis was used to examine publicly available federal documents focused on juvenile justice reentry to understand how policymakers were promoting reentry initiatives. Federal bills and documents from April 1, 2008 to December 31, 2019 and state bills from January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2019 for Virginia, North Carolina, Iowa, Missouri, Maryland, New Jersey, Kansas, and Georgia that referenced juvenile justice and …

Costs Vs. Compensation: Legal And Policy Recommendations For Addressing Workplace Sexual Harassment, Heather Mclaughlin, Christine Thomas

Saint Louis University Journal of Health Law & Policy

The recent #MeToo Movement has unequivocally shown that workplace sexual harassment is a widespread issue. Since December 2017, workers around the globe have shared personal stories of sexual harassment, as well as the tolls it caused on their health and careers. In this Article, we review extant interdisciplinary research on the negative consequences of sexual harassment for workers’ physical, psychological, and behavioral health; their career and earnings trajectories; and for broader organizational culture. Understanding these costs sheds light on how best to reduce and respond to workplace sexual harassment. We offer three suggestions for law and policy: (1) expand legal …

Examining The Differences In Narcan Prescription Across States, Julie Kramer

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

The problem that we face as a nation is the increasing cases of opiate overdoses (CDC, 2019). Regulations vary across state lines regarding patient needs and prescribing regulations. The current study addresses closing the gaps in opioid use disorder. The overarching research question for this study is—How are Narcan policies related to the drug’s utilization? Other questions in this study will be explored through analysis of national claims data. The study population consist of beneficiaries who have received a prescription for Narcan in 2016. The data includes Narcan prescriptions across state lines as well as the Narcan access law. Using …

Protecting Biodiversity On National Forests: The Evolution And Implementation Of Forest Planning Regulations, Anna Wearn

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

In 2012, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) promulgated new forest planning regulations that significantly altered national forest management. One of the most controversial and important advancements was the inclusion of what were meant to be stronger biodiversity protections. An analysis of USFS’s rationale in revising the biodiversity regulations provides insights into how to interpret the substantively and procedurally new ecosystem and species protections. Examining this regulatory history reveals three key changes to the manner in which national forests are required to manage and monitor biodiversity: 1) a greater reliance on science to inform planning, 2) a new emphasis on ecological …

Location Attractiveness For Multinational Enterprises: The Case Of Singapore Maritime Cluster, Mohd Shahrin Osman

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 2017+

This thesis is an empirical investigation on the approach for industrial cluster development of the Singapore maritime cluster, using the case study research methodology. The case study approach leverages on multiple sources of evidence such as interviews, observations, documentation and archival records (Yin, 2009). As a means of contributing to the cluster renewal process, Singapore as the country embarks on the next stage of maritime cluster development, a comparison against the Norwegian Innovation Clusters has been incorporated.