Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Ivory Tower Opens Up: Documenting Controversy, Amy Schindler

Criss Library Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

Session Abstract: A panel of trained archivists will discuss the use of the spectrum of Web 2.0 tools and innovation as how it creates mechanisms to promote the access and use of archival and rare materials. They will talk about their own innovations in their repositories, and some of the successful projects and tools being used today, as well as discussing the potential for creative collaboration between historians and archivists in academe using Web 2.0 tools and resources.

Microsatellite-Based Genetic Diversity And Evolutionary Relationships Of Six Dog Breeds, J.-H. Ye, Dongren Ren, A.-F. Xie, X.-P. Wu, L. Xu, P.-F. Fu, H.-A. Zhao, Q.-Y. Yang

Psychology Faculty Publications

The Tibetan Mastiff is one of the most archaic, ferocious and the largest dogs in the world. The Kunming dog is the chief working-dog breed in China. In this study, ten microsatellite loci were used to assess the genetic diversity and evolutionary relationships in six dog breeds, including Tibetan Mastiff, Kunming dog, Belgian Malinois, Labrador Retriever, English Springer Spaniel, and German Shepherd. The highest genetic diversity was exhibited by the Tibetan Mastiff, indicating useful protection and little inbreeding in the modern Tibetan Mastiff. Higher genetic diversity was observed in European breeds, supporting the hypotheses that breeders outcross their pure breed …

Using Communication To Cope With Loss, Paige W. Toller

Communication Faculty Publications

The death of a child is a devastating and life changing event. A child's death leaves parents struggling to somehow pick up the pieces of their shattered life and continue living. In the aftermath of their loss, parents are often surprised and disappointed to discover how difficult it is to talk to one another about their child's death. Likewise, parents may be frustrated to learn that they grieve very differently from their spouse. In many cases, one parent wants to talk a great deal about the child's death while the other does not. In addition, one parent may be more …

Grieving Together And Apart: Bereaved Parents’ Contradictions Of Marital Interaction, Paige W. Toller, Dawn O. Braithwaite

Communication Faculty Publications

The researchers adopted relational dialectics theory (Baxter & Montgomery, 1996) to examine the discourse of 37 bereaved parents. Research questions guiding the study were what dialectical contradictions do bereaved parents experience when communicating with their marital partner after their child’s death and how do bereaved parents and their marital partners communicatively negotiate the dialectical contradictions they experience? Our analysis revealed that bereaved parents experienced a dialectical contradiction between trying to grieve their child’s death together as a couple and apart as individuals. Likewise, parents experienced a contradiction between being both open and closed when talking with one another about their …

Idaho Learn And Serve Evaluation Report, Gallant Analytics

Evaluation/Reflection

This report examines and evaluates the effectiveness of the Idaho Learn and Serve program in the state of Idaho for the 2008-2009 school year. Fourteen schools were awarded the grants from around the state. The results of survey responses submitted by the grantee schools and the students within the program are compared in a pre-post format.

The Hidden Costs Of Cause Marketing, Angela M. Eikenberry

Public Administration Faculty Publications

From pink ribbons to Product Red, cause marketing adroitly serves two masters, earning profits for corporations while raising funds for charities. Yet the short-term benefits of cause marketing—also known as consumption philanthropy—belie its long-term costs. These hidden costs include individualizing solutions to collective problems; replacing virtuous action with mindless buying; and hiding how markets create many social problems in the first place. Consumption philanthropy is therefore unsuited to create real social change.

Riding Obama's Coattails: The Democrats Finally Take The Ohio 1st, Randall E. Adkins, Gregory A. Petrow

Political Science Faculty Publications

In 2006 the Democratic Party swept both houses of Congress. It was a tidal wave. For the first time since 1994, both branches of the legislature were under Democratic Party control. While many of his Republican colleagues lost in 2006, Steve Chabot survived by narrowly defeating Cin-cinnati City Council member John Cranley by roughly 9,000 votes. The political environment favored the Democrats again in 2008, and this year the Democrats believed that Steve Driehaus, the Minority Whip in the Ohio state legislature, was the person to unseat Chabot.

Euthanasia-Related Strain And Coping Strategies In Animal Shelter Employees, Benjamin E. Baran, Joseph A. Allen, Steven G. Rogelberg, Christiane Spitzmüller, Natalie A. Digiacomo, Jennifer B. Webb, Nathan T. Carter, Olga L. Clark, Lisa A. Teeter, Alan G. Walker

Psychology Faculty Publications

Objective—To identify and evaluate coping strategies advocated by experienced animal shelter workers who directly engaged in euthanizing animals.

Design—Cross-sectional study.

Sample Population—Animal shelters across the United States in which euthanasia was conducted (5 to 100 employees/shelter).

Procedures—With the assistance of experts associated with the Humane Society of the United States, the authors identified 88 animal shelters throughout the United States in which animal euthanasia was actively conducted and for which contact information regarding the shelter director was available. Staff at 62 animal shelters agreed to participate in the survey. Survey packets were mailed to the 62 …

2008 Nebraska Population Report, David J. Drozd, Jerry Deichert

Past Publications

This report shows annual estimates of the population for Nebraska and its counties and cities. Demographic patterns and trends, including changes in the components of population change, are illustrated. As the passage of time takes us further from Census 2000 and closer to the 2010 Census, it is important to see how official estimates show the specific changes that have been occurring at both the state and local level.

2008 Nebraska Population Report, David Drozd

Past Publications

This report shows annual estimates of the population for Nebraska and its counties and cities. Demographic patterns and trends, including changes in the components of population change, are illustrated. As the passage of time takes us further from Census 2000 and closer to the 2010 Census, it is important to see how official estimates show the specific changes that have been occurring at both the state and local level.

Occurrence Of Rumination: Effects Of Feedback Valence, Self-Disclosure, And Social Anxiety, Chun Han Chen

Student Work

Rumination, defined as repetitive and automatic thought reviewing of negative experiences, was the major object to explore. The research contemplated the mechanism facilitating the occurrence of ruminative thoughts. The hypothesis was that negative emotion from depreciated performance as well as the task requiring self-disclosure might instigate the intense discomfort within which rumination might occur. The researcher examined the potential interaction effect of Performance Feedback x Self-disclosure on rumination. In addition, stable individual characteristics of social anxiety might affect rumination. The statistical analysis explored the predictive effect of social anxiety on rumination. When the situation required one to disclose the self …

Native American Healthcare Needs Assessment: Omaha And Lincoln, Nebraska, Final Report, R. K. Piper, Donna Polk-Primm, Boris Morozov, Loren Ditsch, Jerry Deichert

Past Publications

This executive summary of the final report documents the major findings of an assessment of needs conducted for the Nebraska Urban Indian Health Coalition (NUIHC). The purpose of the study is to provide a comprehensive analysis of the problems and unmet healthcare needs of Native American populations in Nebraska’s Douglas and Lancaster counties (approximately 3,700 persons) using a community-based model and innovative data-gathering technology.

An extensive social and health needs questionnaire was developed and delivered to targeted samples of adult, urban Native American populations at least 19 years of age, at community meetings held in Omaha and Lincoln during October-December …

Climatic Cataclysm: The Foreign Policy And National Security Implications Of Climate Change – Edited By Kurt M. Campbell, Elizabeth L. Chalecki

Political Science Faculty Publications

Climatic Cataclysm: The Foreign Policy and National Security Implications of Climate Change . Washington, DC : Brookings Institution Press . 237 pages. ISBN 978‐0‐8157‐1332‐6 , $28.95 cloth. Edited by Kurt M. Campbell . 2008 .

Awkward title notwithstanding, Climatic Cataclysm is the first attempt at a systematic generation of future climate scenarios and their possible security and foreign policy impacts, and as such is sorely overdue in the field of environmental security. Much of the scholarly literature in this field is devoted to statistical models and general theories; what is lacking is serious national security consideration of the best climate …

The Effects Of Portfolio Size On International Equity Home Bias Puzzle, Jinlan Ni

Economics Faculty Publications

This paper investigates a new explanation for the international equity home bias puzzle based on an endogenous asymmetric information model. Using a cross-sectional mutual fund data set, it is found that the degrees of home bias across fund managers are negatively correlated to the asset sizes under their management. This result is consistent with the theoretical prediction in the endogenous asymmetric information model—the portfolio managers with the larger assets tend to acquire more information regarding foreign equity and, hence, hold more foreign equity holdings.

Using Robotics To Equip K-12 Teachers: Silicon Prairie Initiative For Robotics In Information Technology (Spirit), Alisa Gilmore, Bing Chen, Neal Grandgenett

Teacher Education Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

The Silicon Prairie Initiative for Robotics in Information Technology (SPIRIT) is a unique collaborative effort between the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) College of Engineering, the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) College of Education, and the local Omaha Public Schools (OPS) system. With funding from an NSF ITEST grant, from 2006 – 2008 the initiative recruited and trained 97 math and science middle school teachers through summer workshops and follow-up sessions during the school year, with the goal of equipping teachers in hands-on engineering design principles and providing curriculum development support for STEM instruction. The centerpiece of the training was …

Go The Extra Mile — It’S Never Crowded, Heidi Blackburn

Criss Library Faculty Publications

My daytime alias is Reference and Instruction Librarian, but my real title is Master of Library Science. I am a newly minted MLS graduate (May 2008) and have worked full-time at Kansas State University at Salina for almost a year. As a type A personality, I had my midlife crisis early: the summer before I was to graduate with a BA in business administration. After I’d stubbornly pursued the business world since high school, I decided that corporate America held no interest for me. My family asked what I planned to do after graduation and I announced I would attend …

The Impact Of Giving Together: Giving Circles’ Influence On Members’ Philanthropic And Civic Behaviors, Knowledge And Attitudes, Angela M. Eikenberry, Jessica Bearman, Hao Han, Melissa Brown, Courtney Jensen

Public Administration Faculty Publications

Giving circles are made up of individuals who pool their resources and then decide together where these should be distributed. They also include social, educational, and engagement components that seem to engage participants in their communities and increase members’ understanding of philanthropy and community issues.

This study examines if and how participation in a giving circle has changed members’ behavior related to giving, volunteering, and civic engagement. In addition, we asked if and how participation in a giving circle has changed members’ awareness or knowledge about philanthropy, nonprofit organizations, and community issues. Finally, we wanted to know if and how …

Snapshot: The Impact Of Giving Together, Angela M. Eikenberry, Jessica Bearman, Hao Han, Melissa Brown, Courtney Jensen

Public Administration Faculty Publications

Donors in giving circles give more, give more strategically, and are more engaged in their communities, according to a new study by Dr. Angela Eikenberry and Jessica Bearman with research assistance from Melissa Brown, Hao Han, and Courtney Jensen. ever since giving circles—groups of individual donors who pool their money and other resources and decide together where these should be distributed—emerged as a philanthropic trend, we have speculated about their impact. Do donors give more or give differently because they are involved in a giving circle? Do they become more engaged and active in their communities? Are they more politically …

Creativity And Domain Specificity: The Effect Of Task Type On Multiple Indexes Of Creative Problem-Solving, Roni Reiter-Palmon, Marcy Young Illies, Toleo, Infousa, Oriental Trading Co.

Psychology Faculty Publications

The study addresses the issue of domain specificity within creativity by understanding the characteristics of creative tasks and how participants react to the task. One hundred and eighty seven participants were given one of three realistic everyday problems to solve. The problems differed in terms of complexity, involvement, and problem-based efficacy. Problem solutions were evaluated on several measures of creativity. Results indicate that creativity was influenced by the type of problem solved and the measure of creativity used to evaluate the solution. Further, these results were obtained after controlling for the effect of ability. Results imply that not all real-world …

Editors’ Note: Media And Information Literacy In Theory And Practice, Jeremy Harris Lipschultz, Michael L. Hilt

Communication Faculty Publications

Studies in Media & Information Literacy Education (SIMILE) has published a wide-range of international articles from across the disciplines. As a collection, they represent the growing influence and importance of media and information literacy.

Review Of Creative Leadership: Skills That Drive Change, Greg C. Ashley, Roni Reiter-Palmon

Psychology Faculty Publications

Reviews the book, "Creative leadership: Skills that drive change" by Gerard J. Puccio, Mary C. Murdock, and Marie Mance (2007). The introduction and opening chapter provide the overarching theme of the book, which is to connect the constructs of creativity and leadership and to make a case why the two go hand-in-hand. Both constructs involve dealing with change. The main focus of the book is the creative problem solving (CPS) approach to generating optimal problem solutions. Much of the book is spent illustrating the benefits of applying divergent and convergent thinking skills to each of the six process steps in …

Obama's Budget Offers Smart Shift, Angela M. Eikenberry

Public Administration Faculty Publications

Beginning in 2011, President Barack Obama's proposed budget plan would reduce the value of charitable tax deductions for wealthy Americans (families with more than $250,000 in income, 1.2 percent of households) to 28 cents on the dollar.

At the same time, the president's budget also would increase taxes for this group (from 33 percent and 35 percent to 36 percent and 39.6 percent of their income) to help pay for reshaping the nation's health care system. The tax deduction changes would not affect foundations or Americans making less than $250,000 a year.

Some in the philanthropic community argue that this …

Nemo News, Volume 5, Issue 4, Uno Library Science Education

NEMO Newsletter

This issue of NEMO News features Announcements, Advice from the Frontlines from Robin Clark, Student Spotlight on Sean Story, Free Journal Access, Contact Info, and Goodbye Erin, Hello Alyx!

Library Education And Development Newsletter, Volume 3, Issue 2 (April 2009), Uno Library Science Education

Library Education and Development (L.E.A.D.)

This issue of the Library Education and Development Newsletter features Advice from the Frontlines from Judy Henning, a Student Spotlight of Shanda Hall, Announcements, Conferences and Professional Development, Library Media Specialist Training Day, and a Farewell from Bridget Kratt.

A New Model Of 4-H Volunteer Development In Science, Engineering, And Technology Programs, Bradley S. Barker, Neal Grandgenett, Gwen Nugent

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

New initiatives centered on science, engineering, and technology (SET) in 4-H may be moving away from the long-established adult volunteer delivery model. This shift in delivery may be due to a lack of availability of adult volunteers who possess the necessary SET competencies to effectively lead 4-H clubs. One way to offset this trend may be to blend traditional face-to-face training with continuous training efforts that include asynchronous on-line training modules, synchronous Web-based meetings, and self-directed learning. This new 4-H SET Volunteer Competencies Training Model is being tested in the Nebraska 4-H Robotics and GPS/GIS program.

Defining Family: Naming, Orientation, And Redemption In The Case Of Terri Schiavo, M. Chad Mcbride, Karen L. Taas, Paige W. Toller

Communication Faculty Publications

This paper undertakes a detailed analysis of the Terri Schiavo case as it was covered in popular media. Drawing on Burkean theory, we argue a critical issue in the case was a struggle between Terri's parents and husband to be seen as the more legitimate family in order to determine the duration and extent of Terri 's medical care. We discuss how the private debate over Terri's health and the decision to remove her feeding tube entered into the public scenes of legal and political action. This shift to the public scene represented problems for the parties directly involved in …

Is It Windy Enough For You? The Potential For Wind Energy To Generate Electricity, Income, And Energy Security In Rural East-Central Nebraska, Roy M. Zach

Student Work

Citizens living in the Columbus, Nebraska area once met all of their local electric power needs via the Columbus and Monroe hydropower facilities. Today, this area imports significant quantities of electricity via high voltage power transmission lines, thereby creating dependencies on areas far away. The purpose of this study was to examine the potential for wind power within this area of Nebraska—in order to generate electricity, income, and energy security at a more local level. A thorough analysis of the local wind resource, and its comparison to the local electric power demand, demonstrates the economic feasibility of producing electricity from …

Re-Kindling Interlibrary Loan, Joyce Neujahr

Criss Library Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

Amazon's Kindle device allows libraries to acquire new titles in three minutes or less. This presentation explores how this capability can be used in two important ways. First, providing an "instant interlibrary loan", by using Amazon's 225,000 available Kindle titles. Loan requests can be filled on-the-spot by downloading a book and lending the Kindle to the patron. Second, patrons gain immediate access to bestsellers, fiction, and new releases that would ordinarily require days or weeks to provide. The presentation details an actual implementation of "Kindle Loan" services. Both the concept of how wireless readers change library services, and the practical …

Census 2000 Mail Response Rate: Nebraska Counties, David J. Drozd

Past Publications

Maps of Nebraska Counties' response rate via mail to the Census 2000

Nemo News, Volume 5, Issue 3, Uno Library Science Education

NEMO Newsletter

This issue of NEMO News features Announcements, Advice from the Frontlines from Pat Leach, Student Spotlight on Benjamin Shorb, Web 2.0, Contact Info and See our students work!