Digital Commons Network^™

Curbing Environmental Degradation To Balance Sustainable Development: Evidence From China, Muneza Kagzi, Vishal Dagar, Nadia Doytch, Deepika Krishnan, Manisha Raj

Ateneo School of Government Publications

To achieve the goals of sustainable development, it is crucial to check the balance of increased level of international trade along with financial development, foreign direct investment (FDI), energy consumption, and institutional advancement with the quality of the environment. This study focuses on how these variables have caused environmental degradation in China. To achieve Goal 13 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), i.e. to increase the nation's resilience to natural disasters and hazards related to climate change, to promote climate action and safeguard life as part of sustainable development, this involves the analysis of time-series data sets from 1975 to …

The Effects Of Body-Worn Cameras On Officer Training, Report Writing, Discretion, And Officer-Initiated Enforcement, David I. Rios

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This research addressed police officers' perceptions of body-worn cameras and how the technology impacted their assigned responsibilities. The research allowed police officers to discuss their personal experiences with a device geared to provide law enforcement transparency and accountability. This qualitative study was guided by Smith's institutional theory, in which organizations strive to attain and maintain legitimacy within the communities they serve. Under the institutional theory, police-issued body-worn cameras (BWCs) have become the latest technological gadget, allowing transparency in law enforcement encounters with citizens. The methodology used was a qualitative research approach to capture data until saturation was met. Patrol officers …

Basic Digital Forensic Course, Alberto Feliberty

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this project was to solve the problem of the absence of a digital forensic training program for first responders at Operation Underground Railroad and to design a fundamental digital forensic training program to address the problem. First, this research project employed interview questions to gather comprehensive client responses, using follow-up questions for clarification and depth. The data collected was recorded, transcribed, and analyzed to draw conclusions and recommendations. The project aimed to enhance accessibility to digital forensic training for those with limited resources and technical expertise. Sub-questions explored barriers, accessibility factors, and potential benefits. Thematic analysis was …

The Interplay Of Social Constraints And Individual Variation In Risk Tolerance In The Emergence Of Superspreaders, Earl Carr, Matthew J. Young, Matthew J. Silk, Alexander J. Pritchard, Nina F. Fefferman

Faculty Publications and Other Works -- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Individual host behaviours can drastically impact the spread of infection through a population. Differences in the value individuals place on both socializing with others and avoiding infection have been shown to yield emergent homophily in social networks and thereby shape epidemic outcomes. We build on this understanding to explore how individuals who do not conform to their social surroundings contribute to the propagation of infection during outbreaks. We show how non-conforming individuals, even if they do not directly expose a disproportionate number of other individuals themselves, can become functional superspreaders through an emergent social structure that positions them as the …

The Holodomor: Death By Hunger, Marco Spann

Undergraduate Research Symposium

The Holodomor was a man-made famine used by Stalin’s regime against the nation of Ukraine. This deliberate famine was both politically and ethnically motivated for the purpose of progressing the Communist Revolution. Stalin believed there was a growing issue of separatism in Ukraine which threatened the unity of the Soviet Union. Stalin’s regime used collectivization, a system of violent seizure of land, people, and resources, to boost industrialization within the Soviet Union as well as to terrorize Ukrainians into submission. The Soviet Union enacted strict censorship of the Holodomor, setting back conversations on it by decades. The attack on the …

State Transportation Policy & Funding In The Mountain West, 2023, Zachary Billot, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Transportation & Infrastructure

This fact sheet analyzes transportation policy, planning, and investment data as detailed in the report “Getting Transportation Right: Ranking the States in Light of New Federal Funding” by the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC). Five Mountain West States: Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah are included in this fact sheet, with data reported as of February 2023.

A Panel Data Regression Model For Defense Merger And Acquisition Activity, Corey D. Mack, Clay Koschnick, Michael Brown, Jonathan D. Ritschel, Brandon M. Lucas

Faculty Publications

Excerpt: This paper examines the relationship between a prime contractor's financial health and its mergers and acquisitions (M&A) spending in the defense industry. It aims to provide models that give the United States Department of Defense (DoD) indications of future M&A activity, informing decision-makers and contributing to ensuring competitive markets that benefit the consumer.

The results show a significant relationship between efficiency and M&A spending, indicating that companies with lower efficiency tend to spend more on M&As. However, there was no significant relationship between M&A spending and a company's profitability or solvency. These results were consistent with previous research and …

Developing A Stand-Alone Children’S Hospital In Southern Nevada: Improving Pediatric Care And Diversifying The Regional Economy, The Lincy Institute

Lincy Institute Events

Southern Nevada is the largest metropolitan region in the country without a stand-alone children's hospital. The absence of such a facility results in poor health outcomes for children, fragmented and inadequate specialized care, and a shortage of pediatric medical professionals. Currently ranked last in clinical care nationwide, Nevada urgently needs a centralized, academic-based children's hospital to improve health services.

The Lincy Institute hosted a community forum to release the findings of a new report conducted by Tripp Umbach detailing why Southern Nevada needs a stand-alone children’s hospital. Tripp Umbach is a recognized industry leader, with 30 years of successful partnerships …

Developing A Stand-Alone Children’S Hospital In Southern Nevada: Needs, Opportunities, And Economic Development Considerations, Tripp Umbach

Policy Briefs and Reports

This independent study developed by Tripp Umbach demonstrates how an independent, research-intensive, stand-alone children’s teaching hospital can significantly enhance the health status of Southern Nevada’s children, reduce outmigration, attract children from neighboring states, and stimulate the healthcare economy. Tripp Umbach evaluated the need for a children’s hospital, the barriers to overcoming its absence, and the advantages of establishing a stand-alone children’s hospital in Southern Nevada for diverse audiences throughout Nevada and nationally.

An Extremely Important Document: Khea's Struggle For A Contract, 1974-1978, John L.S. Daley Dr

KNEA 50th Anniversary

In 1973, the Kansas State College, Pittsburg administration fired thirteen faculty members without cause. In order to improve administration-faculty relations, remaining faculty organized, petitioned for recognition, and drafted PSU/KNEA's first contract with PSU/KBOR, which went into effect five years later. The narrative covering this period draws on Axe Library's KNEA Collection and interviews of former faculty.

The Employment Situation Of Veterans: August 2024, Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

In August, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a rise in overall employment by 142,000 and a stable unemployment rate of 4.2%. However, veteran unemployment rates increased slightly, with notable variations by age, gender, and ethnicity; for example, female veterans saw a significant rise to 7.0%, while veterans aged 25-34 experienced a decrease to 4.3%. Despite these fluctuations, veteran unemployment rates often remain lower than their nonveteran peers in most age and ethnic groups.

Institutional Fit And Policy Design In Water Governance: Nebraska's Natural Resources Districts, Tomás Olivier, Sechindra Vallury

Center for Policy Design and Governance

This brief provides a summary of "Institutional fit and policy design in water governance: Nebraska's Natural Resources Districts," co-authored by Tomás Olivier and Sechindra Vallury in the journal Policy Studies Journal.

Barriers Of Access To Primary Healthcare Services By National Health Insurance Fund Capitated Members In Uasin Gishu County, Kenya, Barbara Nawire Were, Eunice Muthoni, Lillian Wambui Muiruri

Population Health, East Africa

Purpose: The study identifes provision of primary healthcare services using the capitated health model as a prerequisite for promoting positive healthcare outcomes for a country’s population. However, capitated members have continued to face challenges in accessing primary healthcare services despite enrolment in the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF). This study sought to determine if variables such as patient knowledge of the NHIF beneft package, NHIF Premium Payment processes, selecting NHIF capitated health facilities, and NHIF Communication to citizens’ infuences access to primary healthcare services. Method: A cross-sectional analytical research design was adopted. Data was collected from patients who were using …

Citizen Engagement Through Social Media In Small Maryland Towns, Chad P. Rooney

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this case study was to understand how municipalities used social media to engage stakeholders for the selected Maryland towns including residents, business owners, and industries located within their respective jurisdictions, and to identify potential future impacts for continued use of social media. Governments have implemented Facebook to increase interaction, participation, and transparency between local governing bodies and residents. This research examined the uses of social media by nine small towns in Maryland. The primary questions addressed include the reasons these towns began using social media, the extent to which relationship between citizens of small towns in Maryland …

‘Brain Drain’: Net Gains And Losses Of College- Educated Residents In The Mountain West, 2023, Dre Boyd-Weatherly, Annie Vong, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Higher Education

This fact sheet examines the number of college-educated individuals who moved to Mountain West states (Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah) and to selected metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) in the Mountain West in 2023. The “2024 Study: ‘Brain Drain’? The States With the Largest Net Gains and Losses of College-Educated Americans” report contains data from the Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) of the Current Population Survey conducted by the United States Census Bureau. The study includes data on where college-educated residents move and which areas experienced ‘brain drain,’ where college-educated residents move to other places.

Gender Gaps In Unlv And Unr Graduate College Enrollment And Graduation, 2013-2022, Miguel Soriano Ralston, Annie Vong, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Higher Education

This fact sheet explores gender gaps in enrollment numbers and graduation rates of students pursuing graduate degrees at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) and the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR). The original data was provided to The Lincy Institute and Brookings Mountain West by the UNLV Graduate College and gathered from the UNR Reporting Portal.

Principal Agency 50 Years After The Lau Decision: Building And Sustaining Bilingual Education Programs For Asian Languages, Kevin M. Wong, Zhongfeng Tian

Education Division Scholarship

This study examined how three champion principals of Asian language dual language bilingual education (DLBE) programs—Cantonese, Korean, and Mandarin—in California have navigated the oscillating language-in-education policies after the Lau decision. We explored principals' various roles through a lens of agency in a social justice leadership framework, specifically considering the opportunities and challenges for agentive leadership from three different phases: foregrounding and engaging, planning and implementing, and evaluating and sustaining. Findings demonstrate that the success of DLBE programs goes beyond the overarching language policies that supposedly enable bilingual education; rather it hinges on the bottom-up commitment, collaboration and resilience of principals, …

Unaccompanied Migrant Children In The Mountain West, 2015-2023, Annie Vong, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Demography

This fact sheet examines data on the number of unaccompanied migrant children who obtained sponsors and relocated to 22 cities in five Mountain West states from 2015 to 2023. Data from Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah are included from a New York Times report which includes U.S. Department of Human Health and Services data on unaccompanied migrant children in all 50 states and Washington D.C.

Archetypal Energies And Global Mental Health, Carroy U. Ferguson

Psychology Faculty Publication Series

As a keynote speaker at the Global Mental Health Conference 2024, held at Sophia University, Costa Mesa, CA, in-person and virtually, August 16-18, 2024, my topic was "Archetypal Energies As A Framework for Self-Empowerment and Well Being". The theme of this 2024 global conference was: Enlightened Minds, Compassionate Hearts, and Embodied Wisdom. To supplement my keynote address, I wrote this blog article titled "Archetypal Energies and Global Mental Health".

Unemployment, Weekly Earnings, And Cost Of Living In Mountain West Metros, 2022, Annie Vong, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Economic Development & Workforce

This fact sheet examines data on unemployment, weekly earnings, and cost of living for five Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) in the Mountain West states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, and Utah. The Ludwig Institute for Shared Economic Prosperity (LISEP). Local Analysis report includes data on the 50 largest MSAs in the U.S., which include the following in the Mountain West: Phoenix-Mesa Scottsdale, AZ; Tucson, AZ; Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO; Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV; and Salt Lake City, UT.

Projected Job Growth By 2031 In The Mountain West, Madison Dwyer, Annie Vong, Kristian Thymianos, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Economic Development & Workforce

This fact sheet examines job growth projections from 2021 to 2031 for the Mountain West states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. This fact sheet also presents projected job growth data by educational level, and across selected occupational sectors. Data are sourced from the report, “After Everything: Projections of Jobs, Education, and Training Requirements through 2031,” published by the McCourt School of Public Policy’s Center on Education and the Workforce (CEW) at Georgetown University.

Moral Panic In The Modern Era: The Effects Of Moral Panic On Policy Implemented Through The Field Of Law Enforcement, Charles J. Oakley

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study employed a grounded qualitative approach to explore the intricate relationship between moral panic and public administration policy in the subfield of law enforcement administration. Using a nationwide survey derived from the U.S. Major Cities Chief Association census, postsurvey interviews and employing document analysis and crime statistics, the research investigated the impact of moral panic-induced policy decisions on law enforcement agencies from 2018 to 2022. Social media emerged as a significant catalyst, fueling public outrage and facilitating political rent-seeking. The punctuated equilibrium theory highlights abrupt budgetary and policy shifts notably found in a surge of legislative initiatives in 2021. …

Ua94/6 Pershing Rifles Company B, 3rd Regiment Reunion Album, Stewart Wade

Student/Alumni Personal Papers

Reunion album created by Stewart Wade for the 2024 Pershing Rifles & Rebelettes reunion.

Summary Report Of Discussions At The Ana Forum 2024, Berkeley, Ca “How Can The North American Nepali Diaspora Contribute To Nepal’S Economic Development?”,, Ambika P. Adhikari

Himalayan Research Papers Archive

The ANA 2024 annual convention, organized on ANA’s 42nd founding anniversary, was held in the San Francisco Bay Area (Berkeley and Oakland) in California, where hundreds of ANA members and friends had gathered. The convention consisted of several forums, sessions, and cultural programs. As always, the convention included a Nepal-related forum “How Can the North American Nepali Diaspora Contribute to Nepal’s Economic Development?” The Forum took place from 1:30-2:30 pm on Saturday July 20, 2024. Four panelists, including the moderator, spoke at the forum. About 45-50 individuals attended the session. Guest panelist, Dr. Minendra Rijal sent a message as he …

2024 August, Morehead State University. Office Of Communications & Marketing.

Morehead State Press Release Archive, 1961 to the Present

Press releases for August of 2024.

Political Constructions Of People Who Use Drugs In The Philippines: A Qualitative Content Analysis, Gideon Lasco

Development Studies Faculty Publications

Background

This paper examines the political constructions of people who use drugs in the Philippines throughout the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte (2016–2022), during which the government engaged in a ‘war on drugs’ and promoted a punitive drug regime.

Methods

Building on and drawing inspiration from the global drug policy scholarship that has looked at the ways in which drugs are framed and problematised in various domains, this study used qualitative content analysis to review 96 documents from national government agencies - including strategic action plans, directives, memorandums, guidelines, annual reports, and legislative measures.

Results

Foremost, the study finds that various …

Financing Just Energy Transitions In Southeast Asia: Application Of The Just Transition Transaction To Indonesia, Vietnam, And Philippines, Abhinav Jindal, Gireesh Shrimali, Bharat Gangwani, Rajiv B. Lall

Sim Kee Boon Institute for Financial Economics

This paper investigates the applicability of the Just Transition Transaction (JTT), initially developed as a financial mechanism for South Africa's energy transition, to Southeast Asian (SEA) countries, including Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines, which heavily rely on coal. Utilizing South Africa as a reference case study, we deconstruct the JTT and develop a novel framework of necessary and conducive features for evaluating its suitability for supporting a just energy transition in SEA. Our findings suggest that the JTT is well-suited for Indonesia and Vietnam but not as well suited for the Philippines. Recommendations for specific research avenues in estimating baselines …

Time-To-Failure Prediction Of Fine-Grained Soil Slopes Subject To Weather-Driven Deterioration, Arm M. Morsy

Mineta Transportation Institute

Embankments have been widely used in the construction of transportation and flood defense infrastructure. Embankments constructed from clays experience a suite of weather-driven deterioration processes that lead to a progressive loss of hydromechanical performance, causing potentially severe and costly consequences. This study aimed to predict the time to failure of aging, deteriorating clay embankments supporting transportation infrastructure. A multi-phase numerical modeling approach was developed to replicate the long-term, weather-driven, hydromechanical behavior of clay embankments. This model simulated the behavior of a number of well-documented embankment failure case studies that had sufficient data to derive the necessary soil properties and climate …

Applying Circuit Theory To Describe Changes In Structural Landscape Connectivity In Response To Wildfire, Christian Ross Nielsen

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Understanding and conserving ecological connectivity is critical to the preservation of vulnerable landscapes. Circuit theory, in which landscapes are imagined as circuit boards with varying resistances to the flow of current, is being increasingly used to model spatially explicit connectivity of landscapes and to inform land management and conservation decision-making. Utilizing continuous, quantitative estimates of percent cover by five land cover functional groups to create a conductance surface, this study expanded upon an established application of circuit theory that used the open-source software Circuitscape to model species-agnostic, omnidirectional connectivity. This model was automated using Python to create time-series connectivity maps …

Analysis Of Drought-Flood Abrupt Alternation Events And Their Impacts In Kenya, Betty Makena

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Drought-Flood Abrupt Alternation (DFAA) is a compound disaster event that refers to the abrupt shift of extreme drought events to extreme floods resulting in exacerbated impacts on already vulnerable communities and hindering their coping abilities. This study aimed to analyze drought-flood abrupt alternation events and their impacts in Kenya. The first chapter aimed to understand historical drought events in the Greater Horn of Africa and their impacts, while drawing comparisons with the recent 2020-2022 drought period, referred to as the ‘triple dip La Niña’. Datasets used in this study include the Climate Hazards Group InfraRed Precipitation with Station (CHIRPS), Normalized …