Digital Commons Network^™

Lived Experiences Of Police Use Of Force In Western Utah, Kenny Augustin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The use of force by police officers toward African Americans has been a tense subject in the United States Although statutory law grants the police officers the right to use force, the level and the type of force used by police officers can be seen as problematic. In this study, the lived experiences of African Americans and police officers’ use of force were explored. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore whether the lived experiences of African Americans differ from police officers concerning the use of force in Utah and how fear, trust, and confidence influenced behaviors. A …

A Document Analysis Of School Shooting On College Campuses, Kevin Lavelle Childs

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite media outcry and societal outcry, gun violence on college campuses in the United States continues to be an unresolved problem. Prior to on-campus shootings, college campuses were safe locations that were conducive to learning. Sadly, this is no longer the case. The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify the key characteristics of mass shootings on college campuses so that officials would be provided with information that would enable them to create safer campuses. Using a rational choice theory as the conceptual framework, which focused on the perpetrator’s behavior, a document analysis was conducted to identify and understand …

Skill Development Approach For Poverty Alleviation In India, Sameer Chandra

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

India’s Poverty Profile revealed that over 65% of the poor reside in rural areas. This study examined the effectiveness of the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) skill development program in alleviating poverty in Uttar Pradesh, India. Guided by Sen’s capability approach, a quantitative cross-sectional design employing logistic regression analyzed the relationships of candidate qualifications and trade categories, predicting the likelihood of successful job placement. The study analyzed 4,789 randomly selected cases from 14 high-poverty districts in DDU-GKY’s database. The job placement rate within cases was 28.2%, with 71.8% not placed. Candidate qualification significantly predicted the likelihood of job …

Examining The Flavor Descriptors Of E-Cigarettes, Heated Tobacco Products, And Nicotine Pouches In The Philippines: Regulatory Challenges And Opportunities, Samantha J. Ackary, Patrik James D.L. Cabrera, Alen Josef A. Santiago, Gianna Gayle H. Amul

Ateneo School of Government Publications

In the Philippines, the regulation of e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products (HTPs), and nicotine pouches under Republic Act 11900 or the Vape Law is crucial as their use continues to rise. As e-cigarettes are rapidly gaining popularity due to their social appeal, perceived novelty, ever-changing flavors, and sensations that are attractive to consumers, HTPs and nicotine pouches are continuously developing as well. This study aims to characterize e-cigarette, HTP, and nicotine pouch flavor descriptors in the Philippines and to assess the regulatory implications of existing policies regulating these products. We adapted the Tobacco Pack Surveillance System (TPackSS) data collection protocol developed …

Public Policy And Trust In Artificial Intelligence Decision Making, Avril A. Bunbury-Thomas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Technology is largely unregulated at present, which raises a safety issue for the automated decision-making process of multiagent systems (MAS) using AI applications. This study was conducted to explore whether a policy-making rule for decisions can protect the public from the social implications of biases, challenges, risks, and uncertainty while exposing a trust gap. Computers can dominate life, and this research was conducted to explore how to trust the decision-making process of MAS, mainly when there are no guardrails or regulations to manage the system. As a result, the generic qualitative inquiry was used to explore how concerned computer users …

California Teacher Librarians & The Differences They Make, Keith Curry Lance, Mary Ann Harlan

Learning Hub

In August 2024, the California Department of Education released data gathered via its 2022-23 school library evaluation. Following are major findings of an analysis of this dataset focusing on factors associated with where there are credentialed teacher librarians and how their presence helps to shape school library programs—details about staffing levels, library access, staff activities, collection size and budget, and implementation of the Model School Library Standards. Because data were reported by a voluntary sample covering approximately a third of California public schools, the dataset was not adequate to generate state totals or averages. Most responding schools had on-campus libraries. …

A Comparison Study Of Senior And Junior Deck Officers’ Interpretations Of The International Regulations For The Prevention Of Collisions At Sea, Ian Heffernan, Tom O'Mahony

Articles

The International Regulations for the Prevention of Collisions at Sea (IRPCS) provide a comprehensive set of instructions for watchkeeping officers to follow and prevent collisions at sea. This study compares how six newly qualified deck officers and six Master Mariners, who were all trained at the same college, applied the IRPCS. Individual, semi-structured interviews were used to uncover how the 12 participants applied and interpreted the rules for three authentic scenarios. Phenomenography was used to capture the qualitatively different means by which participants interpreted the IRPCS. For basic collision avoidance situations, the results indicated little difference between the cohorts' ability …

An Investigation Of Homicide And Aggravated Assault Rates In Relation To Police Attrition, Terence Sweeney

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Between January 2021 and December 2022, a surge in retirements and resignations among U.S. police departments coincided with a notable rise in violent crime in urban areas. This correlational study used a retrospective approach to test the theory that a correlation existed between the unprecedented attrition of sworn officers following the 2020 social unrest and the contemporaneous sudden spike in violent crime rates in major cities during that same period. In addition, this study aimed to explore whether the four cities reacted similarly and simultaneously during the 24 months under study. The population under study was the attrition rates of …

Restoring School Librarians: Challenges And Strategies, Debrah E. Kachel

Learning Hub

The article examines efforts to restore school librarian positions across eleven urban U.S. school districts, despite significant financial and administrative obstacles. It documents strategies used by district library leaders to advocate for staffing, funding, and policy changes, emphasizing equity in access to certified school librarians. Through structured interviews and analysis, the report highlights key barriers, advocacy methods, and funding mechanisms that have influenced school library staffing. The study's findings contribute to the ongoing discourse on educational equity and policy reform in K-12 library services.

Perspectives Of Juvenile Violence Prevention Programs, Tamlar D. Walton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The increase in violent behavior among individuals aged 12 to 19 prompted a nonprofit organization to consider adopting a more proactive approach to reduce such violence in the community while also expanding the range of services offered to address this concern. The organization leaders recognized the necessity of improving their knowledge in this area, prompting them to enlist the services of a research consultant who utilized a generic qualitative research method to explore juvenile violence prevention programs. This professional administrative study examined the experiences and perspectives of public servants who engaged with juvenile offenders, focusing on the influence of their …

Barriers And Success Factors Of Reentry Programs For Women After Incarceration, Jenice Kaye Jones

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this general qualitative study was to explore the experiences of women ex-offenders participating in reentry programs that led to successful transitioning into society. The overall research problem being addressed are the barriers and success factors in identifying mental health care, housing, parental concerns, and any other stress-related factors associated with the reentry process for women during this exploration. The theoretical framework of labeling was interwoven throughout this study, highlighting its importance in understanding the barriers and successes women encounter. Previous research mainly focused on exploring barriers and successes for men. There is limited research regarding formerly incarcerated …

Bridging The Gap: Analyzing Volunteerism Barriers To The International Humanitarian Ngos In Egypt, Heba Fouad

Theses and Dissertations

In Egypt, volunteerism, within international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (NGOs), functions in distinctive characteristics influenced by, among other things, cultural, educational, and economic factors. NGOs face challenges and obstacles in attracting motivated volunteers, engaging and training volunteers, as well as managing the staff-volunteers relationship, and implementing adequate human resources (HR) policies and strategies. In this context, this thesis seeks to bridge the knowledge gap of volunteerism challenges in Egypt, delving deep into understanding the barriers existing within the international humanitarian NGOs that directly and indirectly influence its volunteer engagement levels. The thesis also aims to understand the successful implementation of policies …

Insider Risks And The Evolving Role Of Executive Protection Professionals In Cybersecurity, Alan Saquella

Publications

Insider risks have long been a critical concern in corporate security, traditionally encompassing threats from employees, contractors, or third-party vendors with access to sensitive information. However, as digital transformation accelerates, the convergence of physical and cyber threats has created new vulnerabilities. Executive protection (EP) professionals, historically tasked with safeguarding high-profile individuals from physical threats, now find themselves on the frontlines of combating cyber-criminal attacks. Expanding their skill sets to include cybersecurity awareness is no longer optional—it is a necessity.

This article explores insider risks, the growing need for executive protection professionals to adapt, and practical ways they can enhance their …

Emergent Groups And The Informal Digital Emergent Response To Hurricane Florence In The United States, Andrew S. Pyle, Hillary Smith, Ryan P. Fuller

Publications

Our study presents a thematic analysis of 1,582 posts from five digital emergent Facebook groups during Hurricane Florence, affecting North and South Carolina in the United States in 2018. We pose four research questions related to the formation and functioning of digital emergent groups during a disaster. Specifically, we examined how groups contributed to response efforts; messages developed across stages of the disaster; grassroots groups’ organized disaster response; and how proximity affected group functioning. Participants contributed to disaster response by sharing and seeking information and aid. Groups coordinated logistics; offered affirmation; and provided commentary and humor. Group members supported the …

Insights For The Future Of Car Rental And Ridesharing: Driving Behavior Across Different Levels Of Automation, Pranav Meda, Aubrey Victoria Contreras, Wei-Hsiang Lo, Gaojian Huang, Yue Luo

Mineta Transportation Institute

Autonomous vehicles are reshaping the car rental and ridesharing industries, potentially leading to a unified model of on-demand transportation suitable for both uncommon (e.g., business trips) and daily commuting. An exploratory study of human behavior towards autonomous vehicles can uncover the challenges and opportunities inherent in different levels of vehicle automation. This study aims to (a) identify behavioral differences in drivers operating vehicles at various levels of automation and (b) explore how these behaviors vary with different assistance feature styles, specifically between risky and conservative modes. Human-subject experiments were conducted among twelve participants (aged 21 to 29, including four women) …

Understanding The Prevalence Of Mental Health And Behavioral Distress In Transit Assaults And Presenting Targeted Response And Mitigation Methods To Reduce Victimization Trends, Kathleen Moore, Emilie Ellenberg, Melissa Carlson, Jodi Godfrey, Lisa Staes

Mineta Transportation Institute

This research project was performed to better understand the prevalence of mental health and behavioral distress in transit assaults and present corresponding targeted response and mitigation methods to reduce victimization trends. It includes a literature review, a data presentation and overview of reported public transit assault-related events, an examination of the contributing factors to those events, and documentation of 10 transit agency case studies. The literature review discusses some of the misconceptions of mental illness and associated stigmas and discrimination that can occur in response to these misconceptions. It discusses various approaches and strategies that transit agencies have used to …

Respuesta A Una Crítica Política Y A Un Ataque Personal Contra Un Informe De Las Naciones Unidas Que Presenta Nueva Evidencia Sobre La Prostitución Como Causa Y Consecuencia De La Violencia Contra Las Mujeres Y Las Niñas, Reem Alsalem

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

Reem Alsalem, Relatora Especial de las Naciones Unidas sobre la violencia contra las mujeres y las niñas, sus causas y consecuencias, responde a las acusaciones falsas y infundadas y a los ataques personales sobre su informe sobre Prostitución y Violencia contra la Mujer, presentado ante la 56ª sesión del Consejo de Derechos Humanos de las Naciones Unidas en Ginebra, 2024. Presenté nueva evidencia sobre la relación entre la violencia contra las mujeres y las niñas y la prostitución. Utilizando el derecho de los derechos humanos, el informe describe la prostitución como un sistema de abuso, explotación y violencia contra las …

Resilience And Coping: A Qualitative Analysis Of Cognitive And Behavioral Factors In Adults With Osteogenesis Imperfecta, Hannah E Cho, Whitney S Shepherd, Gianna M Colombo, Andrew D Wiese, W Conor Rork, Kristin M Kostick, Dianne Nguyen, Members Of The Bbdc, Chaya N Murali, Marie-Eve Robinson, Sophie C Schneider, Justin H Qian, Brendan Lee, V Reid Sutton, Eric A Storch

Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy Staff Publications

Purpose: The aim of this qualitative study was to investigate resilience among adults with Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI).

Materials and methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 adults with OI. Transcripts were coded and subsequently abstracted, yielding themes specific to resilience and coping. Interview guides covered broad topics including pain challenges specific to OI, mental health issues related to OI, and priorities for future interventions for individuals with OI.

Results: Participants described resilience in the context of OI as the ability to grow from adversity, adapt to challenges resulting from OI-related injuries, and find identities apart from their condition. Psychological coping …

Up-Island Council On Aging: Planning For The Future, Ceara Somerville, Caitlin E. Coyle

Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging Publications

This report describes research undertaken by the Center for Social & Demographic Research on Aging (CSDRA) within the Gerontology Institute at the University of Massachusetts Boston, on behalf of the Up-Island Council on Aging (UICOA). The goals of this project were to investigate the needs, interests, preferences, and opinions of Aquinnah, Chilmark, and West Tisbury residents age 50 or older by engaging the community regarding their experiences and needs relevant to the Council on Aging’s (UICOA’s) objective to identify and serve the needs of older residents of Up-island.

Amidst The Frenzy Over Deepseek Ai, Us Federal Science And Tech Policy Is A Mess Of Internal Contradictions, Yujia He

Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce Faculty Publications

The release of the R1 model by the Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) company, DeepSeek, shocked the US tech industry. Yujia He writes that while DeepSeek’s model may not be quite as superior compared to its competitors as originally thought, the Trump administration has responded to its innovations by further pushing for US leadership in AI. Taking a close look at US research and development policy under the second Trump administration, however, shows the significant disconnect between rhetoric and policy. Federal funding freezes and reduced funding for the National Science Foundation could have dire long-term consequences for research and international cooperation …

The Social Cost Of Ponzi Schemes On Secondary Victims In Nigeria, Ojeifoh Okosun

Dissertations (2016-Present)

Ponzi schemes, fraudulent investment operations that pay returns to earlier investors using funds from new investors, have become a growing concern in Nigeria, particularly since the 2016 economic recession. The proliferation of these schemes has caused billions of dollars in financial losses, plunging millions into economic hardship. While research has extensively documented the effects on primary victims—those who directly invest and lose money—the impact on secondary victims, including family members, dependents, and close associates, remains largely unexamined. This study seeks to bridge that gap by investigating the financial, social, and psychological consequences of Ponzi schemes on secondary victims in Nigeria, …

Data And Digitalization In Energy Efficiency Policy Design: The Case Of Singapore, Ishani Mukherjee, Diandrea Ho

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Overarching and broad policy goals for enhancing energy efficiency have existed globally over the last 50 years as a response to rising energy demands, heightening costs, and construction levels of residential and commercial buildings, and the associated rises in greenhouse gas emissions from energy use (Levine et al., 2007; World Bank, 2010). Buildings, in particular, have been widely recognized as offering the greatest potential for reducing energy use and related greenhouse gas emissions, followed by reduced energy consumption in manufacturing, appliances, electronic goods, and end-users of electricity (Levine, 2007; IEA, 2010). And while significant technological strides have been made globally …

Whose Innovation? Philanthropic And School-Based Visions Of High School In The Xq Super School Competition, Brett G. Murphy

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The XQ Institute, funded by Laurene Powell Jobs’ Emerson Collective, launched a design competition in 2015 to find the most innovative high schools in the country. Their goal was to spark a movement that would revolutionize secondary school in the United States, a system they claimed was 100 years behind the times. Called the Super School Project, the winning ten teams each received $10 million. While XQ claims that the best ideas about high school reform come from communities and student voice, they also have funded selective ideas about “innovation,” including computer-based personalized learning. The organization’s efforts have grown in …

The U.S. Grand Strategy Toward The Pacific Islands, Angela Vasovic

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The United States has recently placed its relations with the Pacific Islands, fourteen small states far out in the Pacific Ocean, on its high-priority diplomatic agenda. Although it has been interacting with the islands since the 1800s and had heavily relied on their cooperation during World War II, the importance of the islands waned in the eyes of the United States in the late twentieth and the beginning of the twenty first century as the country turned its attention to other regions of the world. However, in recent years, the U.S. has recognized the need to strengthen relations with the …

Collection Of Self-Research Papers Analyzing The Enhancement Of Uae-China Cooperation Through Public Policy Lenses, Jiaming Lu

Theses

This thesis examines how UAE public policies can align with China’s commercial and political interests to strengthen the current strategic partnership between the two nations, with a focus on bilateral business cooperation encompassing diplomatic collaboration, free zone trade, and energy sector corporate governance. The primary objective of this thesis is to analyze whether this comprehensive relationship can be sustained or elevated to “allweather, all-round, strategic, and future-oriented” strategic partnership amid global challenges. To achieve this objective, multiple analytical models were employed to assess relevant public policies and their implementation mechanisms, including historical analysis, dynamic modeling, and socio-legal analysis. The findings …

A Visual Instrument For Military Public Affairs, Rose Di Trolio

Theses

This directed project is a visual guidebook that assists Missouri National Guard Soldiers, Airmen, and civilians onboarding within the Public Affairs Office and 70th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment. This guidebook serves as a tool for the creative-minded perspective to better understand materials such as the overall public affairs process, community relations, and social media creation and management. All the contents of this guidebook are directed from publicly-made information and labeled UNCLASSIFIED. This graphical guidebook uses vectors and images combined into one PDF file. Within the Military profession, it is typical and sometimes expected for members to relocate, deploy, or attend …

Intelligent Blind Crossings For Suburban And Rural Intersections, Shahab Tayeb

Mineta Transportation Institute

Blind intersections in suburban and rural areas pose significant safety challenges due to limited visibility and inadequate infrastructure. This project proposes an innovative solution leveraging the Internet of Vehicles (IoV) paradigm, utilizing connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs) for seamless communication to enhance safety at these intersections. The research focuses on developing a specialized Road-Side Unit (RSU) system equipped with a Virtual Traffic Light Algorithm implemented on a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). Key stakeholders, including transportation authorities, vehicle manufacturers, and local communities, stand to benefit from this initiative. The RSU system acts as a critical infrastructure component, facilitating efficient intersection management …

Why Are Fairness Concerns So Important? Lessons From A Last-Mile Transportation System, Yiwei Chen, Hai Wang

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

The Last-Mile Problem refers to the provision of travel service for passengers from the nearest public transportation node to the final destination. The Last-Mile Transportation System (LMTS), which has recently emerged, provides on-demand last-mile transportation service for passengers. We consider an LMTS that consists of two types of passengers, regular-type passengers and special-type passengers (e.g., seniors, disabled people). The valuation of the last-mile service for special-type passengers is statistically higher than the one for regular-type passengers. Passengers incur disutility from waiting for the last-mile service. In this paper, we explore two fairness constraints on special-type passengers: (1) the fare for …

Figg At 5: An Update On Us Public Perspectives On Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy Five Years After Its Introduction To Criminal Investigations, Christi J Guerrini, Jill O Robinson, Mohamed I Elsaid, Whitney Bash Brooks, Ariel Levchenko, Stephanie M Fullerton, Sara Huston, Norah L Crossnohere, John F P Bridges, Jacklyn M Dahlquist, Louiza Kalokairinou, Diana Madden, Cece Moore, Amy L Mcguire

Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy Staff Publications

In 2018, after law enforcement announced it had used a technique called forensic investigative genetic genealogy (FIGG) to identify the Golden State Killer, we conducted a U.S. general population survey and found most respondents supported using FIGG to solve violent crimes. Since then, FIGG has helped close hundreds of criminal cases, but it also has weathered controversies. On FIGG's fifth anniversary, we conducted an expanded, follow-up survey with U.S.-based participants to determine if public opinion had changed and found continued support for FIGG across most applications. The same proportion (91 %) of respondents in the 2018 and 2023 surveys endorsed …

Geographic Distance And State's Grip: Information Asymmetry, State Inattention, And Firm Implementation Of State Policy, Xiyi Yang, Heli Wang, Xiaoyu Zhou

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

In this study, we develop the argument that geographic distance between the state and local governments undermines the state's capacity to influence the implementation of state policies by local organizations. Drawing from information economics and the attention-based view, we propose that physical distance reduces the state's monitoring effectiveness through two interrelated mechanisms: information asymmetry and state leaders' inattention to distant issues. Using data of Chinese public firms' implementation of environmental activities between 2008 and 2016, we find that firms conduct fewer environmental activities required by the state when they are regulated by local governments that are more geographically distant to …