Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Big Garden Project: Omaha Community Foundation, R. K. Piper, Gerard Wellman

Archived Publications

This executive summary of the final report documents the major findings of interviews and site visits conducted during the summer and fall of 2009 with representatives of BIG Garden and other community gardens in Omaha. The purpose of the study is to gather qualitative information for staff and sponsors on current gardening activities and other factors, relating to effective management and the implementation of best practices.

Project Animate: Promoting Student Civic Participation Through Latino Voter Mobilization - Ollas Report No. 6, Jonathan Benjamin-Alvarado

Latino/Latin American Studies Reports

This project sought to expand voter outreach and mobilization of new registered and Latino voters through a series of activities in the greater Omaha metropolitan area. Following the successful development of a voter mobilization project undertaken in the 2006 election cycle, this project conducted door-to-door canvassing activities utilizing students to distribute nonpartisan voter information and engage in “get out the vote” activities with new Latino registered voters.

Natural Change (Births - Deaths) In Nebraska Counties By Decade: 1950s To Present, David Drozd

Archived Publications

Source: Nebraska Vital Statistics Reports, Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services

The First Anniversary: Stress, Well-Being, And Optimism In Older Widows, Mary E. Minton, Melody Hertzog, Cecilia R. Barron, Jeffrey French, Roni Reiter-Palmon

Psychology Faculty Publications

The first anniversary for older widows (n = 47) has been explored during Months 11, 12, and 13. Concurrent correlations show that optimism inversely correlates with psychological (intrusion and avoidance) stress as measured with the Impact of Event Scale (r = —.52 to —.66, p < .005) and positively correlates with well-being (physical: r = .36 to .46, p < .025; psychosocial: r = .58 to .72, p < .005; spiritual: r = .50 to .69, p < .005). Lagged correlation patterns suggest that higher levels of optimism at a given time are associated with higher life satisfaction and spiritual well-being at later times. Psychological stress is higher at Month 12 when compared to Month 13, t(43) = 2.54, p = .01, but not when compared to Month 11, t(43) = 1.49, p > .10. There are no significant differences in physiologic stress (salivary cortisol) or well-being during the first …

Affective Well-Being In Retirement: The Influence Of Values, Money, And Health Across Three Years, Andrew Burr, Jonathan Bruce Santo, Dolores Pushkar

Psychology Faculty Publications

In this study, personal values, health, and financial status were investigated as determinants of affective well-bring in a sample of 371 recent retirees across 3 years. Personal values, measured with the Portrait Value Questionnaire (Schwartz et al. in J Cross Cult Psychol 32:519–542, 2001), were hypothesized to show direct links to positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA) as well as to moderate the association between financial and health status and affective well-being. Using structural equation modeling, higher PA was predicted by female gender, better finances, fewer illnesses, and higher self-transcendence (ST), openness to change (OC), and conservation values. Higher …

11,000,000 Words: An Avalanche Of Academic Archive Photos At K-State At Salina, Heidi Blackburn, Pam Bower, Alysia Starkey

Criss Library Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

Institutional archives have always provided a sense of history and unity for most universities. This is especially emphasized for the K-State at Salina photographic collection. The school has gone through four different name changes in the last fifty years and the library has amassed an ove1whelming assortment of photographs documenting various events on campus, from groundbreaking ceremonies to student social occasions. With an estimated total of over 11 ,000 unlabeled photographs, the K -State at Salina librarians have worked hard to begin the process of providing the university community with a useful resource for historical research in the future. Using …

Mapping Quantitative Trait Loci For Feed Consumption And Feeding Behaviors In A White Duroc × Chinese Erhualian Resource Population, Z. Y. Zhang, J. Ren, Dongren Ren, J. W. Ma, Y. M. Guo, L. S. Huang

Psychology Faculty Publications

To identify QTL for feed consumption and feeding behavior traits in pigs, ADFI, feed conversion ratio (FCR), number of visits to the feeder per day (NVD), and average feeding rate (AFR) were recorded in 577 F₂ animals from a White Duroc × Chinese Erhualian resource population during the fattening period of 120 to 240 d. A whole genome scan was performed with 183 microsatellites covering the pig genome across the entire resource population. A total of 8 QTL were identified on 5 pig chromosomes, including 3 genome-wide significant QTL for FCR on SSC2, 7, and 9, 1 significant QTL …

Nebraska Immigration: Deliberative Polling And Civic Engagement On Broadcast And New Media Coverage, Jeremy Harris Lipschultz, Michael L. Hilt, David C. Ogden, Hugh J. Reilly

Communication Faculty Publications

Data were analyzed from an October 2007 deliberative poll event in Omaha, Nebraska. The focus of pre-event survey questions was on the usefulness of media sources on the coverage of the global immigration issue. The goal of the project was to promote civic engagement of citizens on an important public issue. The focus of post-event survey questions was on attention paid to media. Additionally, a post-event focus group explored public opinion on credibility of various news sources. While the deliberative poll produced some evidence of short-term effects in terms of citizens learning about the immigration issue, attitudes about media credibility …

Online Reference Question Protocol, Nora Hillyer

Criss Library Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

This presentation first provides a snapshot of internet habits of college-age patrons. Then, following topics are discussed: concerns with online reference; ideas to use online reference to its fullest potential; the human element online; personal space; and language of communication for the online environment; handling rude/impatient users; more issues to consider; and words of advice from veterans

The Status And Future Of Government Documents, James T. Shaw

Criss Library Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

Depository libraries have traditionally enjoyed a pretty sweet deal—we receive free copies of documents in return for space, processing, and staff to help people use them. Depository libraries have served as key players in two areas of public policy: 1) public access to government information for the needs of today; and 2) widespread distribution of documents helps them survive to form a historical record.

Migration Into And Out Of Nebraska Based On Irs Tax Filing Data An Analysis Of New 2008 Data Versus Historic Annual Data Since 1989, David Drozd

Archived Publications

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) compiles tax return data each year. They match returns from one year to the next utilizing social security numbers. The newest data for 2008 was released in October 2009. The 2008 data should be interpreted as tax returns filed in the spring of 2008 (April 2008) for tax year 2007. The comparison is made between where the people filed in the current year versus their address when filing in the previous year (spring of 2007 for the 2006 tax year). The data are limited to tax filers, which tend to under-represent certain groups, such as …

Cast A Net: Meshing Libraries With Service Learning, Joyce Neujahr, Nora Hillyer

Criss Library Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

Common Missions and Goals; Tying UNO Faculty, Students, and Community Partners Together; Service Learning Defined; Where is the Library in Service Learning; Service Learning Projects at the Criss Library; Mesh Your Library with Service Learning; What can the Library Offer SL Projects?

The Terminological Problem In Africana Studies, Nikitah O. Imani

Black Studies Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

Delivered lecture “The Terminological Problem in Africana Studies” at the Africana Studies Annual Interdisciplinary Symposium, 2009 "AFRICA AT THE CROSSROADS: WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?" James Madison University, October 9th.

Reactivity And Distortions In The Self: Narcissism, Types Of Aggression, And The Functioning Of The Hypothalamic–Pituitary–Adrenal Axis During Early Adolescence, William M. Bukowski, Alex Schwartzman, Jonathan Bruce Santo, Catherine Bagwell, Ryan Adams

Psychology Faculty Publications

A multisample, multistudy project aimed at understanding how individual differences in narcissism during early adolescence are related to distortions in the aggression, and the reactivity of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis to negative and positive experiences. The findings indicate that individual differences in narcissism are a remarkably stable aspect of personality during early adolescence. It is predictably related to an inflated view of the self that is not warranted by objective indices of social functioning. Further evidence shows that it promotes the continuity of aggressive behavior and is more strongly related to reactive aggression than to proactive aggression and more strongly related …

Using Video Clips To Teach Creative Destruction, Arthur M. Diamond Jr.

Economics Faculty Publications

Stories are memorable and convincing. One way to efficiently tell stories is through movie and video clips. I summarize several video clips that may be useful in teaching aspects of Schumpeter’s important theory of creative destruction. Among the clips discussed are: Hugh Laurie’s Protest Song, electric light segment from a documentary on the 1898 Trans-Mississippi Exposition, eBay Toy Boat Ad, Miss Princess Fun Brick Ad, Moscow toilet paper queue scene, the New York coffee aisle scene from Moscow on the Hudson, and Peck and DeVito’s speeches from Other People’s Money.

JEL Codes: A2, O31, O43

A Guide For Evaluating Indian Education Services, Products, And Materials, Denise Juneau

Tribal Nations Documents

The following qualifications and criteria are designed to assist school districts in their decision-making process for professional development, curriculum, and other needs (see lists below) that are related to Indian Education for All and student achievement issues. The Office of Public Instruction (OPI) offers this guidance to help schools sort through the variety of available educational services and materials so that the most effective and culturally relevant services and materials will be highlighted for use in Montana schools. It is up to each local district to make choices that meet its needs. We hope this process will help tailor professional …

Book Review: The Concept Of Community: Lessons From The Bronx, Angela M. Eikenberry

Public Administration Faculty Publications

A book review of DeRienzo, H. (2008). The Concept of Community: Lessons From the Bronx. Milan, Italy: IPOC di Pietro Condemi.

What The Text Is Happening? : Texting, Mobile Communications And The Academic Library, Audrey Defrank, Linda Parker

Criss Library Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

Academic libraries are looking for ways to stay relevant to the Millennial/Internetgeneration. At the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) Criss Library, we are conducting a pilot study on mobile computing to provide people to people (p2p) reference services. We will use smart phones and iPhones to interact with students who need information assistance. The study's objectives are the following: 1. Collect data to inform decisions about budgeting, reference services and staffing to re-tool for mobile computing; 2. Identify the audience for mobile computing; 3. Identify the skill sets needed by staff; 4. Create an action plan for redefining the …

The Health-Care Debate And Nebraska's Latino And Immigrant Populations - Ollas Policy Brief No. 2, Lourdes Gouveia, Yuriko Doku

Latino/Latin American Studies Policy Briefs

No abstract provided.

Conscientiousness Is Not Always A Good Predictor Of Performance: The Case Of Creativity, Roni Reiter-Palmon, Jody J. Illies, Lisa M. Kobe-Cross

Psychology Faculty Publications

Meta-analyses investigating the relationship between Conscientiousness and performance suggest a positive relationship for a variety of criteria. However, recently it has been argued that Conscientiousness is not always a good predictor of performance, particularly for creative performance. Additionally, it has been suggested that Conscientiousness includes two distinct components, achievement and dependability, which may have different relationships with criterion measures. Two studies were conducted to determine whether the components of Conscientiousness predict creativity better than the full factor. Students in each study completed a measure of the Five Factor Model and a measure of creative performance. In the first study, creative …

Empirical Analysis Of Provincial Energy Efficiency In China, Chu Wei, Jinlan Ni, Manhong Sheng

Economics Faculty Publications

This paper proposes an energy efficiency index based on the data envelopment analysis approach. The index is used to examine energy efficiency in China. Using 1997-2006 panel data for 29 provinces, we find that energy efficiency is negatively associated with the secondary industry share in GDP, the state-owned economic share in GDP and the government expenditure share in GDP, and is positively associated with the technical level and non-coal share in energy consumption. In addition, we find that there exists a large gap in energy efficiency among eastern, central and western regions. The eastern region has a significantly higher energy …

The Use Of Robotics, Gps And Gis Technologies To Encourage Stem-Oriented Learning In Youth, Viacheslav I. Adamchuk, Gwen Nugent, Bradley S. Barker, Neal Grandgenett

Teacher Education Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

In our technology rich world, the educational areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) play an increasingly essential role in developing well-prepared specialists for the 21st century workplace. Unfortunately, interest in theses areas has been declining for a few decades. Various innovative educational initiatives in formal and informal learning environments have been undertaken nationally to attempt to encourage STEM-oriented learning. Funded by the National Science Foundation, the particular program described in this paper focuses on middle school youth in non-formal learning environments. The program integrates educational robotics, Global Positioning System (GPS) and geographic information system (GIS) technologies to provide …

Nebraska And Lancaster County's Demographic Trends, David J. Drozd

Presentations

Presented to the Kiwanis Club of Lincoln.

High Cortisol Levels In The Offspring Of Parents With Bipolar Disorder During Two Weeks Of Daily Sampling, Mark A. Ellenbogen, Jonathan Santo, Anne-Marie Linnen, Claire-Dominique Walker, Sheilagh Hodgins

Psychology Faculty Publications

Objectives: The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is compromised in major depression, bipolar disorder (BD), and in the offspring of parents with major depression. Less is known about the offspring of parents with BD (FH+). The present project provides follow-up to a previous study showing that the adolescent (mean age 16.7 years) FH+ offspring had higher salivary cortisol levels than the offspring of parents with no mental disorder (FH−) throughout the day in their natural environment, and that girls had higher cortisol levels than boys (Ellenbogen MA, Hodgins S, Walker C-D, Adam S, Couture S. Daytime cortisol and stress reactivity in the …

A Multivariate Analysis Of The Sociodemographic Predictors Of Methamphetamine Production And Use, Todd A. Armstrong, Gaylene Armstrong

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

To date, research testing the community characteristics associated with methamphetamine production and use has found that the community-level sociodemographic predictors of methamphetamine production and use vary from those of drug use in general. In this study, the authors furthered the research in this area using data from all 102 counties in Illinois. These data included measures of sociodemographic characteristics taken from the U.S. census, measures of methamphetamine production and use, and a measure of arrests for controlled-substance violations. Negative binomial regression models showed that poverty and the racial and ethnic compositions of communities were the strongest and most consistent predictors …

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.