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University Of North Alabama Military Patriotism, Robert S. Steen ('60), Ltc U.S. Army (Ret.)

Documents

An article published in the UNA Alumni Magazine (Summer 2004) by Florence State College Graduate and Retired LTC, U.S. Army, Robert S. Steen on the history of military service of the university (from the time of LaGrange College through 2004)

Evaluation Of Transportation Policy Effectiveness In The United States: Case Of Personal Electric Vehicles And Commercial Electronic Logging Devices, Hania Afzal

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Together, electric vehicle (EV) adoption and the electronic logging device (ELD) mandate illustrate two dimensions of transportation technology policy: the first driven largely by environmental and market-based incentives and the second by safety regulation and compliance requirements. Examining these cases side by side for the United States allows for a more comprehensive analysis of how technology adoption unfolds under different policy regimes, offering insights into the broader relationship between policy design, industry response, and public outcomes. The commercial motor vehicle (CMV) sector presents a different but equally important policy challenge in transportation technology adoption. Unlike consumer passenger vehicles, CMVs are …

From Arrival To Opportunity: A Policy Analysis For Supporting Newly Arrived English Learners In California, Valeria Gabrielli, Stephanie Mendoza Hernandez

School of Public Policy Capstones

Newly arrived immigrant students, commonly referred to as “newcomers,” represent a notable portion of the English Learner (EL) population in California’s K–12 public schools. As of Fall 2023, the California Department of Education reported that newcomers comprised 3.27% of total student enrollment. Although enrollment is projected to decline in the near term, the potential for future increases highlights the need for sustainable, evidence-based support systems. This study examines how California K–12 public schools with large EL populations provide academic and trauma-informed support services to newcomer students, with a particular focus on early intervention in grades K–5. Using the Bardach policy …

Measuring Multimodal Equity In Resource-Challenged Mpos, Christopher Ferrell, David Reinke, John M. Eells

Mineta Transportation Institute

Ensuring transportation investments are equitable across different populations and travel modes is a priority for many agencies, yet existing tools often make these assessments difficult, especially for smaller and resource-constrained organizations. To address this gap, this report provides the findings of Phase II of our study on reviewing and developing transportation equity metrics. The Phase I project investigated transit equity metrics and provided recommendations on advancements in quantitative methods. Building on Phase I recommendations, this study investigates low-cost methods for comparing the equity between auto (roadway) and transit performance or investments for low resource transportation agencies. A literature review revealed …

Quantifying Provider Relief Fund Allocation Trends: A Descriptive Analysis Of Rural And Urban Hospitals, 2014-2023, Wendell C. Mcclurg

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

Rural hospitals operate on thin margins, have limited access to capital, and face a heightened risk of closure. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Provider Relief Fund (PRF) distributed more than $170 billion to health care providers to offset revenue losses and preserve access to care. Most evaluations of PRF have focused on profitability, which may overstate financial resilience by overlooking liquidity. Using Hospital Cost Reports for hospitals from 2014-2023, we examined trends in Days Cash on Hand (DCOH), operating margin, total margin, and PRF funding intensity by rurality and ownership. Liquidity rose sharply during 2020-2021, coinciding with the peak of …

“We're Human. We Are Just Human”: Experiences Of Trans And Two-Spirit Individuals In The Midwest, Gwen Avery Donner

Honors Thesis

In the United States today, gender can be a hot button topic, seemingly controversial and assigned as political, and within conservative regions the topic of gender becomes more taboo. Unfortunately, this view can lead to the stigmatization and discrimination of individuals who fall outside of the socially constructed gender binary. In order to explore how living in the conservative landscape of the Midwest impacts individuals who reside outside of the gender binary, 11 semi-structured, qualitative interviews with Trans and/or Two-Spirit individuals were conducted in which they were asked about their lived experiences. The findings of the interviews revolved around two …

Challenging The Deliberative Consensus: Participatory Strategies, Transparency And Citizen Trust Across Municipal Contexts, Fadel Al-Marsoumi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the relationships between participatory governance strategies and multidimensional citizen trust in municipal contexts. Although local governments have implemented deliberative forums, digital platforms and hybrid participation approaches to restore declining public confidence, inconsistencies between theoretical predictions and empirical outcomes have raised questions about participatory governance effectiveness. Motivated by this gap between deliberative democracy theory's optimistic predictions and limited empirical support, the study investigates the psychological, political and contextual mechanisms that shape trust formation through civic engagement. Drawing on an integrated framework combining organizational trust theory and deliberative democracy frameworks, the research conceptualizes trust as a multidimensional construct involving …

Transformational Leadership In Higher Education, Dr. Jewel Hale, Jr., Kristi Apostel

Tapestry: Journal of Research in Education

A crisis can highlight the critical need for resilient leadership within higher educational settings. Educational leaders encounter extraordinary difficulties, ranging from different learning options to prioritizing the well-being of both staff and students, necessitating flexible and innovative methods. By exploring how school leaders apply transformational techniques in actual educational environments, this article addresses the impact of the four I’s of transformational leadership, idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration, on building educator resiliency, sustaining school effectiveness, and promoting student achievement in higher education.

Silent Detonations: Redirecting Focus, Preserving Identity, And Leading Under The Weight Of Microaggressions, Ray Lavan

Tapestry: Journal of Research in Education

African American educational leaders consistently navigate racial microaggressions that challenge their focus, identity, and well-being. This study explores how these leaders deploy attention to manage the emotional weight of microaggressions in K-12 public school settings. Using Gross’s emotion regulation theory and Sue’s taxonomy of racial microaggressions, this qualitative phenomenological study examines how attentional deployment serves as both a shield and constraint. Data from the African American leaders reveal that silence, background processing, selective focus, and redirection to professional goals are common strategies to sustain composure. These strategies protect leaders in the moment but create emotional strain, identity conflict, and cumulative …

Fierce Leadership-Perspectives Of Black Women Educational Leaders: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study, Janice Taylor, Dianne Reed

Tapestry: Journal of Research in Education

The authors of this transcendental phenomenological study aimed to describe the lived experiences of Black women based on their perceptions, values, and beliefs about the complexities of leadership and the kind of leadership required to succeed in their respective roles, as educational leaders. This study was framed by the adaptive leadership theory. Adaptive leadership recognizes the need for leaders to stay flexible and resilient in fast-paced environments (Nelson & Squires, 2017). The three Black women leaders in this study were fierce adaptive leaders. The information acquired from this study is significant and highlights how Black women educational leaders developed the …

Research Literacy And Research Production Skills As Core Competencies In Leaders, Kk O'Byrne

Tapestry: Journal of Research in Education

No abstract provided.

Research Review: "Understanding Women’S Transitions From Military To Department Of Veterans Affairs Care", Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

Over the past two decades, increasing numbers of women have served in the military, with women now comprising 17.3% of active-duty personnel and 21.4% of National Guard and reserves. During military service, women often incur painful musculoskeletal (MSK) injuries related to carrying heavy loads and wearing ill-fitting gear. While women may receive initial care for these injuries under the auspices of the Department of Defense (DoD), these injuries often linger and further treatment in required as women transition to Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) care. However, little is known about this transition process, and whether women are given adequate information …

The Living Lab: Instructional Design Interventions To Improve Communication And Equity In Federal Housing Programs, Joana I. Camp

Knowledge and Creativity Expo

The Living Lab is an independent applied research project informed by my 25 years of lived experience as a Section 8 voucher holder, examining how instructional design strategies can improve administrative workflows, communication, and equitable access within the Housing Choice Voucher Program. Drawing on sustained participation, the research identifies two primary systemic barriers: the federally mandated 15-day inspection period and incomplete Request for Tenancy Approval (RFTA) packets. To address these issues, the project developed the RFTA Roadmap—a zero-cost, clarity-driven communication tool that embeds sequential instructions directly within procedural workflows, mitigating the Split-Attention Effect and cognitive “Bandwidth Tax” associated with standard …

Quantifying Global Internal Displacement Risk At The Hazard-Vulnerability-Conflict Nexus, Wenzhao Li, Surendra Maharjan, Rejoice Thomas, Hesham Morgan, Ali Elgendy, Susan Mikhail, Hesham El-Askary

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

This study introduces a novel, diagnostic hazard-specific displacement risk index that integrates high-resolution hazard data with social vulnerability metrics and historical displacement records, uncovering overlooked compound risks in conflict areas and links between environmental stress and instability. Our methodology combines historical displacement records with environmental, demographic, and socioeconomic indicators to identify high-risk regions and quantify interactions between hazards and conflict across six major hazard types. Results reveal floods as the primary displacement driver, particularly in South Asia (Bangladesh, India, Pakistan) and Sub-Saharan Africa (Nigeria, Ethiopia), where dense populations in flood-prone areas intersect with low socioeconomic resilience. Droughts disproportionately impact arid …

Advancing Environmental Justice Through Chemical Education: Perspective From New Orleans’ Water And Air Quality Challenges, Ja’Lynn Keller, Sita Aggarwal, Rami A. Al-Horani, Morewell Gasseller, Navneet Goyal

Faculty and Staff Publications

New Orleans, Louisiana, faces profound environmental vulnerabilities arising from the convergence of industrial pollution, urban runoff, and climate change–driven weather events. This paper examines systemic challenges affecting water and air quality in the region, with particular focus on low-income and marginalized communities disproportionately burdened by environmental degradation. Drawing on educational and community-based monitoring initiatives at Xavier University of Louisiana and Southeastern Louisiana University, we highlight the integration of student learning with real-time data collection of contaminants such as fecal coliforms, heavy metals, hydrocarbons, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina revealed significant fecal contamination in sediment layers, …

What Holds High-Speed Rail Back: Lessons From Global Systems And California’S Experience, Deepak K. Sharma, Rajnish Lekhi, Scott Parr

Mineta Transportation Institute

This report examines benefits and challenges of integrating California High-Speed Rail (CHSR) with other rail systems and reviews California legislation impacting HSR’s contracting and financing alternatives. The research compares CHSR with high-speed rail systems around the world to identify similarities and differences in costs, speeds, ridership, and operating conditions. It also reviews Japan’s Land Readjustment Act as a model for value capture and land assembly and explores international experiences on rail integration, along with U.S. cases from the East Coast and Los Angeles. A review of California’s transportation legislation highlights how laws for highways and bridges differ from those for …

Equity Evaluation Of Residents’ Transit+Walk Accessibility To Sacramento Healthcare Facilities, Masoud Ghodrat Abadi, Ahoura Zandiatashbar, Aaron Pickett, Stephanie Nemet, Soheil Sharifi

Mineta Transportation Institute

Access to healthcare is a key component of public health equity, yet many U.S. communities remain dependent on private vehicles for medical travel. This study introduces an integrated framework, the Transit+Walk Score (TWS), to evaluate how effectively residents of Sacramento, California, can reach healthcare facilities via public transit and how safely, comfortably, and conveniently they can walk from transit stops to those facilities. The research aims to inform planners, transit agencies, and policy makers in designing equitable and multimodal transportation systems. The research team combined geospatial network modeling and field-based walkability audits to assess 123 healthcare facilities across Sacramento, with …

Cycling Past 50: A Closer Look Into The World Of Older Cyclists, Year 5 Survey, Carol Kachadoorian

Mineta Transportation Institute

This document reports on approximately 2,800 responses to a North American survey of older adults who cycle. The survey, open from March 2024 through February 2025, included questions that captured a person’s cycling over their life course, as well as their current cycling styles, habits, and preferences. Responses reflect the impact of various factors on an older adult’s cycling habits with respect to their ability and agility and their expectation to continue cycling. The survey asked about falls and near misses in the past year, coding fall descriptions into six categories and sorting them by the respondent’s gender and age. …

Analyzing Methods To Support Students Left Behind In Colorado Primary/Secondary Schools, Grace Hudson

Undergraduate Theses, Capstones, and Recitals

In the United States, there has been an increase of deportations, since 2024, of undocumented immigrants. This has disproportionally affected Mexicans and others from Latin American countries (Dreby 2012) due to them being the largest group of undocumented people in the United States. One effect of these deportations is an increase in children that are left in the United States while their parent(s) are in detention or have been deported. Some of these children are in mixed-status families, which means that the child has a different citizenship status than their parents or other members in their family, which allows for …

The Development Of Poker As A Sport In Japan: Intersections With Culture, Law And Public Administration, And Community, Masatoshi Minowa

Japanese Society and Culture

This study examines the emergence of poker as a competitive mind sport in Japan, a country where strict anti-gambling laws (Penal Code Article 185) prohibit cash wagering. Drawing on secondary materials—including newspaper and magazine reports, and online media—as well as primary data from Poker Guild Corporation and interviews with the Kamiichi Town Planning Division, the research applies established theoretical frameworks (Getz & Page’s event tourism, Putnam’s social capital, Reith’s techno-economic systems) to analyze the distinctive evolution of Japanese poker culture. Findings reveal that tournament‐focused venue operations and the innovative Poker Web Coin system have fostered a nationwide network of skill‐based …

Restricting Academic Dishonesty At A Japanese University, Joel Weinberg

Japanese Society and Culture

This research explores three approaches to handling academic dishonesty: punitive, preventive, and positive. First, the history of cheating and the punitive approach is briefly discussed. Next, research results of a preventive approach that was used at a Japanese university are given. During this research, three surveys were conducted to gauge students’ opinions about cheating, to account for the methods, and to measure the prevalence of cheating on post-reading quizzes. The survey results show that at least eleven types of cheating on post-reading quizzes were used and that non-cheating students were concerned about this issue. As a result of the surveys, …

Healthcare Decision-Making In An Ageing Society: Legal, Policy, And Ethical Challenges In Japan, Yukio Sakurai

Japanese Society and Culture

This paper examines the evolving landscape of healthcare decision-making in Japan’s rapidly ageing society, with a focus on the legal, policy, and ethical challenges it entails. It analyzes the limitations of the adult guardianship system, the risks associated with family-dependent decision-making, and the underutilization of advance care planning (ACP). The study further considers how demographic shifts, advances in medical technology, and socio-legal inertia affect end-of-life care, particularly for individuals with diminished capacity. A central theme is the inherent ethical dilemma in balancing individual autonomy with Japan's cultural context, where explicit self-assertion can be challenging, especially for older adults. Cultural dimensions …

Institutional Transitions In The Employment Of Foreign Workers In Japan’S Agriculture And Food Manufacturing: From Technical Intern Training To Employment For Skill Development And Specified Skilled Worker In Comparison With The Uk, Tomoyuki Kuwaharada

Japanese Society and Culture

This paper investigates the institutional transition in Japan’s acceptance of foreign workers in the agriculture and food manufacturing sectors, focusing on the restructuring of entry-stage training schemes and their linkage to skill-based employment. In particular, it traces the shift from the Technical Intern Training Programme (TITP) to the Employment for Skill Development (ESD) Programme as the primary entry route, and examines how these institutional changes are embedded within the Specified Skilled Worker (SSW) framework.

Drawing upon official statistics from 2012 to 2024 and sector-specific case studies, the analysis demonstrates that the introduction of the SSW status in 2019 marked a …

A Decade Revealed By Npo Financial Data In A Depopulating Region — Tottori Prefecture, Japan, 2014–2023, Yoshinori Shimosakai

Japanese Society and Culture

This paper examines the quantitative scale, field composition, and financial structure of nonprofit organizations (NPOs) in rural regions experiencing population decline and aging at three levels—the nonprofit sector as a whole, policy fields, and individual organizations—and explores their adaptation and sustainability under demographic change. The empirical setting is certified NPO corporations located in Tottori Prefecture. Drawing on publicly available financial data for fiscal years 2014–2023, the study constructs ratio indicators and per-capita indicators and, in particular, depicts recent trends through a two-point comparison between FY2014 and FY2023 together with a description of year-by-year changes. The analysis shows that, although the …

A Consideration Of Food In A Diversity Society, Masayo Morofushi

Japanese Society and Culture

In recent years, the number of foreign visitors such as tourists and businesspeople, and the number of foreign residents such as workers and international students, have been steadily increasing in Japan. However, the decrease in the number of foreign residents in Japan is relatively small compared to the number of foreign visitors to Japan, due to travel restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Regarding restaurants, Japan has experienced diversity, progress, and cross-cultural understanding; however, these changes have been stagnant due to a decrease in the number of foreign visitors to Japan during the pandemic. Many natural disasters have recently occurred, and …

Exploring The Definition Of Child Poverty : For Consideration Of Legal Policy, Kazuko Ikeya, Fumie Adachi, Kazutoshi Imade

Japanese Society and Culture

We explore the definition of child poverty for consideration of legal policy.

Survey of the actual situation in local governments and private organizations concerning child poverty.

① Some parents don’t know how to prioritize their spending, and there are cases where parents don’t provide for their children.

② This cannot be addressed only with financial investment.

It is inappropriate to define child poverty only by low household income. It should also be

defined as whether children are being provided for through their development.

Science And Technology Communication And Construction Of China’S International Discourse System: Strategic Significance, Current Challenges, And Innovative Pathways, Haonan Du, Ting Wang

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Against the backdrop of a new round of scientific and technological revolution with the ongoing restructuring of the global governance system, science and technology have become central to competition in national comprehensive competitiveness and struggles for international discourse power. China’s science and technology have achieved a historic leap from “catching up” to “running alongside” and even “leading in certain areas”, providing solid strength support for the construction of an international discourse system. However, the transformation of scientific and technological advantages into discourse advantages remains insufficient, and the international community holds a dual perception of China’s technological advancements—recognition alongside concerns. The …

From Data To Intelligence: A Review Of Recent Technological And Theoretical Advances In Computational Communication Science, Mengxiao Zhu, Zongting Ge, Jiaojiao Ji

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Against the backdrop of a platform society and the rise of multimodal content, communication processes are increasingly mediated by algorithms, while digital traces continue to expand in scale and granularity. Building on the 2009 and 2020 “computational social science” initiatives as an intellectual lineage, open science and testable evidence have gradually become field-wide norms. Building on prior work, this study traces a “actors–content–platforms/algorithms–audience–effects” pathway to clarify what computational communication studies and what its central questions are, and to review how artificial intelligence is used across the 5W elements of the pathway. We further review international institutionalization driven by scholarly societies …

Combatting Desertification Scientifically: Where Feasible, Where Necessary, Bojie Fu, Yanxu Liu, Shuai Wang, Yijia Wang, Guipeng Cui, Yue Guo

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

China has made remarkable achievements in combating desertification, achieving “zero net growth” in land degradation. With the goal of scientifically improving the relationship between humans and nature in drylands, the continuous exploration of new concepts, methods, and pathways for scientific desertification control will contribute to advancing the harmony between humans and nature in China’s drylands. Based on the definitions of desertification, ecological restoration baselines, and the contributions of nature to humans, we clarified the scientific implications of “controlling desertification where it is feasible and necessary”. We discussed the shift in China’s desertification prevention and control direction from “humans advancing while …

The International Decade Of Sciences For Sustainable Development: Global Progress And China’S Actions, Lin Wang, Shaofeng Hu, Fan Wang

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

The International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development (IDSSD, 2024–2033) was officially launched by the United Nations in 2024, with the aim of strengthening and demonstrating the central role of science in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and advancing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This study systematically reviews the development of IDSSD, its governance structure, mechanisms for project solicitation and endorsement, as well as the thematic and regional distribution of endorsed initiatives. On this basis, it assesses China’s current participation and potential opportunities. During the first call for initiatives, IDSSD received 221 proposals from 52 countries, with 109 …