Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

#Advocatingforchange: The Strategic Use Of Hashtags In Social Media Advocacy, Gregory D. Saxton, Jerome N. Niyirora, Chao Guo, Richard D. Waters

Public and Nonprofit Administration

Social media continues to change how advocacy organizations mobilize, educate, and connect with their constituents. One of the most unique yet understudied tools available on social media platforms is the hashtag. Little research exists on how social work and advocacy organizations use hashtags, much less on how such use can be effective. This study examines the hashtag use by 105 constituent members of the National Health Council, a national US-based patient/health advocacy coalition. The study presents an inductive coding scheme of the types of hashtags employed, analyzes inter-sectoral differences in hashtag usage, and examines the relationship between hashtag use and …

Cracking The Code Of Process Safety Culture With Organizational Network Analysis, Keith O. Hunter, Elliot M. Wolf

Organization, Leadership, and Communication

Organizations in the chemical process industry invest considerable amounts of time and resources managing change and implementing best practices to maintain safe operations and achieve operational objectives. Consequently, most executives and senior managers responsible for performance rely on formal organizational structure to achieve these objectives. However, front line employees responsible for ensuring safe operation of hazardous chemical processes are often influenced more by the informal than the formal organization in their daily activities. The dynamics of informal networks among workers are critical determinants of strong operational discipline (OD), process safety culture, and business performance. Yet, organizational social networks are often …

The Connection Between Race And Called Strikes And Balls, Jeff Hamrick, John Rasp

Master of Science in Analytics (MSAN) Faculty Research

We investigate potential racial bias by Major League Baseball umpires. We do so in the context of the subjective decision as to whether a pitch is called a strike or a ball, using data from the 1989-2010 seasons. We find limited, and sometimes contradictory, evidence that umpires unduly favor or unjustly discriminate against players based on their race. Potential mitigating variables such as attendance, terminal pitch, the absolute score differential, and the presence of monitoring systems do not consistently interact with umpire/pitcher and umpire/hitter racial combinations. Most evidence that would first appear to support racially connected behaviors by umpires appears …

Profiles In Community-Engaged Learning, Kevin D. Lo, Emma Fuentes, David Holler, Tim Iglesias, Susan Roberta Katz, Star Moore, Chenit Ong-Flaherty, Jennifer D. Parlamis, Susan Pauly-O’Neill, Mary Lou De Natale, Nancy Selix, Helen Maniates, Nira Geevargis, Monalisa Vu, Rebekah Dibble, Thomas A. Maier, Rachel Brahinsky, Amie Dowling, Seth Wachtel, Kara Knafelc, Stephanie Sears

McCarthy Center Faculty and Staff Scholarship

To provide a snapshot of the many impressive manifestations of community-engaged learning at the University of San Francisco, a 2014-2015 Faculty Learning Community (FLC), supported by the Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE), has collected the following profiles of selected faculty members across all the schools and colleges.

This report was prepared by members of the CTE’s Faculty Learning Community on Community-Engaged Learning:

Kevin D. Lo, Facilitator (School of Management), Emma Fuentes (School of Education), David Holler (College of Arts and Sciences), Tim Iglesias (School of Law), Susan Roberta Katz (School of Education), Star Moore (Leo T. McCarthy Center for Public …

The Effects Of Bag Style On Muscle Activity Of The Trapezius, Erector Spinae And Latissimus Dorsi During Walking In Female University Students, R. Hardie, R. Haskew, J. Harris, Gerwyn Hughes

Kinesiology (Formerly Exercise and Sport Science)

Back pain is common in adolescents which has been associated with carrying a bag. However, there is little research examining the effects of bag style in female adolescents. The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of different bag conditions on muscle activity of the trapezius, erector spinae and latissimus dorsi muscles in female university students during walking. Twelve female university students walked on a treadmill for 5 minutes at 1.1 m/s during five conditions; control, 1 strapped rucksack, 2 strapped rucksack, ipsilateral shoulder strap and contralateral shoulder strap, each containing 10% bodyweight. Electromyography for the trapezius, erector …

Gender Difference In Lower Limb Muscle Activity During Landing And Rapid Change Of Direction, Gerwyn Hughes, N Dally

Kinesiology (Formerly Exercise and Sport Science)

Objectives: The purpose of the study was to examine gender differences in lower limb muscle activity during jump landing and rapid change of direction. Equipment and Methods: Surface electromyography (EMG) of the rectus femoris, biceps femoris and gluteus maximus were recorded for 10 male and 10 female basketball, volleyball or netball players performing five repetitions each of two tasks; 1) landing from a maximal height vertical jump and, 2) 45º rapid change of direction on their dominant leg. Independent sample t-tests were conducted to determine sex differences and paired samples t-tests were conducted to determine task differences in peak EMG …

Assessing The Cultural In Culturally Sensitive Printed Patient-Education Materials For Chinese Americans With Type 2 Diabetes, Evelyn Y. Ho, H Tran, Catherine A. Chesla

Communication Studies

Type 2 diabetes affects Chinese Americans at an alarming rate. To address this health disparity, research in the area of cultural sensitivity and health literacy provide useful guidelines for creating culturally appropriate health education. In this article, we use discourse analysis to examine a group of locally-available, Chinese and English language diabetes print documents from a surface and deep structure level of culture. First, we compared these documents to research findings about printed health information to determine if and how these documents apply current best practices for health literacy and culturally appropriate health communication. Second, we examined how diabetes as …

Recommendations For Enhancing Psychosocial Support Of Nicu Parents Through Staff Education And Support, S L. Hall, J Cross, Nancy Selix, C Patterson, L Segre, R Chuffo-Siewert, P A. Geller, M L. Martin

Nursing and Health Professions Faculty Research and Publications

Providing psychosocial support to parents whose infants are hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) can improve parents’ functioning as well as their relationships with their babies. Yet, few NICUs offer staff education that teaches optimal methods of communication with parents in distress. Limited staff education in how to best provide psychosocial support to families is one factor that may render those who work in the NICU at risk for burnout, compassion fatigue and secondary traumatic stress syndrome. Staff who develop burnout may have further reduced ability to provide effective support to parents and babies. Recommendations for providing NICU …

The Use Of Sandplay Therapy In Urban Elementary Schools As A Crisis Response To The World Trade Center Attacks, Christine J. Yeh, Sara M. Aslan, Violeta E. Mendoza, Mio Tsukamoto

School of Education Faculty Research

We evaluated the use of sandplay therapy with a sample of 32 elementary school students, who were evacuated from school during the World Trade Center Attacks of September 11, 2001. We collected qualitative and quantitative data on each of the students who participated in sandplay therapy. Qualitative data included detailed case notes and photos from each sandplay session with the students. Quantitative data included academic and school-based pre and post-test data. Results reveal student improvements in test scores, counselor and teacher ratings, attendance, behavioral referrals suspensions, and counseling status. Finally, we offer recommendations for the use of sandplay therapy as …

Tracking The Dollars: How Economic Impact Studies Can Actually Benefit Managerial Decision Making, Daniel A. Rascher, Michael M. Goldman

Sport Management

Almost every month brings another attention-grabbing headline about a city or country considering a bid for a major sporting or entertainment event. Politicians, business executives, and excited fans weigh in about the possible costs and benefits, with limited numbers provided about the possible economic impact, and even less said about how these numbers were calculated. Most recently, LeBron James’ return to Cleveland was estimated by Bloomberg to boost the city’s economy by $215 million annually, while Cuyahoga County’s projections were more than double this number. A concert of Jay-Z and Beyonce in Baltimore in 2013 was estimated by the local …

Temporal Structure Of Human Gaze Dynamics Is Invariant During Free Viewing, C. A. Marlow, Indre Viskontas, A. Matlin, C. Boydston, A. Boxer, R. P. Taylor

Psychology

We investigate the dynamic structure of human gaze and present an experimental study of the frequency components of the change in gaze position over time during free viewing of computer-generated fractal images. We show that changes in gaze position are scale-invariant in time with statistical properties that are characteristic of a random walk process. We quantify and track changes in the temporal structure using a well-defined scaling parameter called the Hurst exponent, H. We find H is robust regardless of the spatial complexity generated by the fractal images. In addition, we find the Hurst exponent is invariant across all …

Doma's Demise: A Victory For Non-Heterosexual Binational Families, Daniela Domínguez

Psychology

An unprecedented number of American citizens faced the challenge o f being in a nonheterosexual binational relationship when the Defense o f Marriage Act (DOMA) was the law of the land. Although immigration laws are based on the principle o f family unification, under previous federal law lesbian, gay and bisexual Americans were not able to sponsor their samesex foreign national partners for residency in the United States. Consequently, an estimated 36,000 couples faced the threat of family separation because Am erica’s immigration policies narrowed the definition of “family” to exclude same-sex couples and their children. Despite the fact that …

Graduate Student Publishing Brown Bag: Etiquette And Politics, Charlotte Roh

Charlotte Roh

From the flyer: Why: Publishing is essential to an academic career. It will help you get a job and without it, you can’t get tenure! What: This brown bag will go over the etiquette and politics of academic publishing, whether you’re just starting in your career or ABD. Who: Charlotte Roh is a former editor with Oxford University Press and Taylor & Francis. As a librarian she consults with faculty and students on their publishing projects.

Complexity Of Women's Liberation In The Era Of Westernization: Egyptian Islamic And Secular Feminists In Their Own Context, Assim Alkhawaja

Doctoral Dissertations

Informed by postcolonial/Islamic feminist theory, this qualitative study explores how Egyptian feminists navigate the political and social influence of the West. The following meta-questions guided this research: How do women in Egypt who self-identify as feminists define feminism? How do they use this definition in their activism? How is Westernization influencing Egyptian feminists and their participation in national and political conflicts?

Data sources were based on individual interviews. The findings indicate that although the phenomenon of Westernization in Egypt had both negative and positive influences on the Egyptian women’s liberation movement, it has caused major divisions between secular and Islamist …

Effects Of A Mental-Health Clinical Simulation Experience Using Standardized Patients And Two Debriefing Styles On Prelicensure Nursing Students' Knowledge, Anxiety, And Therapeutic Communication And Psychiatric Assessment Skills, Debrayh Gaylle

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this quasi-experimental pretest-posttest study was to compare the effects of two debriefing styles (insimulation and postsimulation) on (a) students’ knowledge of psychiatric assessment and therapeutic communication, (b) students’ performance of a psychiatric assessment using therapeutic communication, (c) students’ perceived anxiety related to a clinical rotation in psychiatric mental-health, and (d) students’ perceptions of the efficacy of the insimulation debriefing. The participants (n = 67) were senior, prelicensure nursing students enrolled in a baccalaureate degree program. Students were assigned randomly to either the treatment or the compression group and participated in a series of simulated interviews using student …

A Case Study Of E-Leadership Constructs: An Assessment Of Leadership In A Healthcare Organization, Kevin James Lovelace

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to identify the components of e-leadership theory and how it can be used to teach healthcare leaders to develop virtual teams in a healthcare organization. This study will define a way in which leaders can use e-leadership components to increase the efficacy of virtual teams. In particular, this study will examine the perceptions executive leaders have of e-leadership constructs.

This study used a mixed method concurrent triangulation design to examine perceptions of e-leadership theory which may be used to improve the efficacy of virtual teams. The e-leadership theory as a construct was first measured …

Investigating English Teachers' Perceptions Of Intercultural Communicative Competence In The Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia, Hazem Ahmed Osman

Doctoral Dissertations

This mixed-method study examines the perceptions of Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC) by English teachers in the Preparatory Year (PY) program at King Saudi University. Studies that aim to investigate teachers’ perception of ICC and its implementation in a foreign language classroom are relatively scarce. Additionally, the majority of the studies that generally targeted the concept of ICC in a foreign-language learning context were studies that either relied on online blogs, discussion forums, and chat rooms to allow students to communicate cross-culturally, or examined ICC development during sojourns or study abroad periods in the target country. Relatively fewer studies have addressed …

Student Perceptions Of Grit, Emotional-Social Intelligence, And The Acquisition Of Non-Cognitive Skills In The Cristo Rey Corporate Work Study Program, Don Gamble

Doctoral Dissertations

p>The Catholic Church has long emphasized an “option for the poor” and relied heavily on its schools to assist in providing the education necessary to help families escape poverty (Benson, Yeager, Guerra & Manno, 1986; Bryk, Lee, & Holland, 1993; Buetow, 1988; Convey, 1992; Greeley, 1982; Neal, 1997; United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, USCCB, 1998; York, 1996). Catholic schools in the United States are closing at a steady rate from a lack of funding, and this has created an ongoing problem for the outreach efforts of the Church and the low-income families with the greatest need (Brinig & …

Refugee Resettlement And Family Reunification In Canada, Yohannes Kenningd Woonssi Sawassi Ys Sawassi

Master's Theses

This thesis addresses the plight of Sub-Saharan Africans who are now Canadians and are trying to settle in a new country in order to reunite with their family members. However, rather than assisting with process of resettlement, current Canadian policy has the opposite effect. It appears to create a route by which people can sponsor their loved ones, but in reality the nature of the process is arduous and filled with time delays, regulatory and processing issues and other kinds of difficulties. Consequently, what therefore appears as a hopeful situation ends up creating despair. This situation is particularly hard for …

Impact Of Improving Throughput In The Emergency Department, Katherine J. Edrington

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

The purpose of this project was to evaluate the patient experience in the emergency department (ED) and in the inpatient setting while correlating increased throughput and patient outcomes at a suburban Acute Care facility in Ohio. The culture in the organization has lacked accountability and ownership of the patients. The ED admitted length of stay (ALOS) was 358 minutes in the beginning of 2013. For the first time in the organization’s history, the ED ALOS is now typically less than the recommended benchmark of 300 minutes. A report of findings among ED’s surveyed showed the ALOS best practice is 244 …

Implementing And Evaluating A Clinical Information Interface Between An Electronic Medical Record And A Patient Classification System, Tanya Osborne-Mckenzie

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

As a result of the Affordable Care Act and the Institute of Medicine’s initiatives, hospitals are challenged to improve outcomes as efficiently as possible. How does the national initiative of RNs partnering with other healthcare professionals to improve the quality of patient care at a lower cost, cascade down to individual organizations? One answer may come by focusing on nurse staffing in acute care hospitals. Considering the impact RNs have on patient quality outcomes and the bottom line of hospitals, appropriate management of the RN workforce is one of the most important areas hospitals can focus on in order to …

Beyond The Economic: The Freedoms, Capabilities, And Social Capital Of Latin American Women Entrepreneurs In San Francisco, Melia M. Vilain

Master's Theses

In light of the scholarly debate surrounding the goals and mixed effects of development programs, particularly in recent years in relation to microfinance, this study investigates the effects of economic development programs on Latin American women entrepreneurs in San Francisco’s Mission District. It demonstrates that microfinance, when combined with education, can provide important non-economic benefits that contribute to increased freedoms and capabilities for immigrant women entrepreneurs. Drawing on qualitative interviews with ten business owners, as well as a review of the existing literature surrounding development, immigration, and gender, this research argues that owning a business in the US can produce …

Into The Red: A Look Into The Reasons Why Refugees Decide To Flee, Settle Or Migrate To And From Morocco, Fadeelah E. Holivay

Master's Theses

This research paper explores some of the main reasons why refugees and asylum seekers, particularly from sub-Saharan African countries, embark on a journey and decide to settle, flee or migrate to and from Morocco. Because of this phenomenon, Morocco has seen a 96% increase of refugees migrating to the borders of Morocco each year for the past three years. Many say that this astonishing increase of migrants choosing Morocco is due to such factors as: wars breaking out regionally across central African and Middle Eastern countries causing them to flee; Morocco being a culturaly diverse francophone country whose laws and …

Combating Hiv/Aids In Marginalized Communities: Papua And West Papua Provinces, Indonesia, Bani Cheema

Master's Theses

My study focuses on foreign aid and local initiatives for HIV/AIDS prevention in eastern Indonesia using the provinces of Papua and West Papua as a case study. The two provinces are home to indigenous tribal groups that are socioeconomically marginalized and most affected by the epidemic. My research investigates behavior change communication as a principal strategy undertaken by multiple organizations for HIV/AIDS prevention in this region. I take a qualitative approach by examining the effectiveness of this strategy in local communities and by revealing social and cultural barriers that impede success. Obstacles that negatively impact prevention efforts include structural violence, …

An Evaluation Of Mental Health And Methadone: Anxiety, Depression, And Drug Use, Gursimran Khahera

Master's Projects and Capstones

As a part of the Masters of Science in Behavioral Health field placement, an evaluation was conducted of the integrated treatment plan in mental health and substance abuse at Bay Area Addiction Research and Treatment (BAART) programs. The goal of the BAART programs are to provide comprehensive mental health and substance abuse outpatient recovery services, as well as on-site primary health care services for substance users, mainly opioid use. There is a link between increased substance abuse and increased rates of depression and anxiety. These disorders use the same neuro chemical pathway and are highly codependent upon one another. Because …

Does Thorium Have A Place In The Future U.S. Electricity Mix?, Danny West

Master's Projects and Capstones

Thorium is an alternative fuel source for nuclear energy. Coupled with its use in a new reactor design, called a Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactor, the two have the ability to disrupt the nuclear industry and power sector. Nuclear energy is a clean and reliable source of energy; however, it generates hazardous waste that must be stored away for hundreds of thousands of years and power plants are at risk of a catastrophic incident that can lead to a wide scale release of radiation. These drawbacks to nuclear energy can be mitigated using thorium in a Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactor. These …

Scholarworks In Seven (7) Minutes, Charlotte Roh

Charlotte Roh

This is a presentation to library staff about ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst, the institutional repository. It includes a brief marketing presentation for faculty and secret slides for librarian training. Please feel free to use and reuse - CCBY.

Participatory Democracy In The Chinese Cyber World: Case Studies From Weibo, Duyi Li

Master's Theses

This thesis discusses features of citizen communication on Weibo, the Chinese social media platform, and its relationship to participatory democracy in China. Weibo is a complex social space due to the interplay of different forces and social actors. On the one hand, Weibo provides the space for bottom-up political participation: it expands the horizontal discursive space where plural discourses coexist and interact; provides a social sphere where counter-discourses are created; a space where the culture of resistance is formed; and serves as an alternative source for information. On the other hand, the vertical political control of the state, and the …

Open Education Initiative: University Of Massachusetts Amherst, Marilyn Billings, Charlotte Roh

Charlotte Roh

Poster for the Open Education Conference 2014 in Washington, DC. The Open Education Initiative (OEI) began in 2011 as a response to the high cost of textbooks and the burden of student debt as barriers to education and learning. The OEI faculty incentive program provides small grants to faculty for: - the creation of new teaching materials, - the use of library subscription materials, - or the use of existing open (free) information resources to support our students’ learning. It is widely considered a successful program that builds on existing infrastructure and is scalable across big and small institutions. As …

Understanding Intelligent Systems, Tamara Kneese

Media Studies

Science fiction has long imagined a workforce reshaped by robots, but the increasingly common instantiation of intelligent systems in business is much more mundane. Beyond the utopian and dystopian hype of increased efficiencies and job displacement, how do we understand what disruptions intelligent systems will have on the workforce?