Digital Commons Network^™

From The Ubiquitous To The Nonexistent: A Demographic Study Of Oclc Worldcat, Jay H. Bernstein

Publications and Research

Analysis of a random sample of bibliographic records from OCLC WorldCat finds that the great majority of items in WorldCat are held by very few participating libraries, and that an inverse geometric relationship exists between the number of libraries holding an item and the number of items with a given level of shared holdings. The findings provide a context for interpreting holding levels in WorldCat with regard to the proportion of widely shared items and the characteristics of items at various ranges of holdings. Used with other quantitative and evaluative measures, these findings will assist libraries in assessing their collections.

Using Geographic Information Systems To Assess Risk For Elevated Blood Lead Levels In Children In Kalamazoo County, Michigan, Amatun Noor

Masters Theses

Lead-based paint is the major source of childhood lead poisoning for children under six in the United States and was commonly used in pre-1950 homes. The main objective of this study for Kalamazoo County, Michigan is to identify risk homes to for public health workers, and determine common socioeconomic factors from the US Census that can be used to identify relative risk across census tracts. A Geographic Information System (GIS) is applied to locate the risk homes of 485 children provided at the aggregate level by the Michigan Department of Community Health. Independent variables were derived from the U.S. 2000 …

Infertility: Testing A Helpseeking Model, Lynn K. White, Julia Mcquillan, Arthur L. Greil, David R. Johnson

Bureau of Sociological Research: Faculty Publications

This paper uses data from a study of 196 infertile women from the Midwestern US to examine a general theory of help-seeking behavior applied to infertility. All of these women report meeting the medical definition of infertility—12 months or more of regular intercourse without conception—at some point in their lives. Only 35 percent of this sample of infertile women identified themselves as having had fertility problems and only 40 percent had sought medical treatment.

Drawing on prior theories of help-seeking, we examine the effects of symptom salience, life course cues, attitudes, predisposing factors, and enabling conditions on help-seeking. We posit …

Immigrant Entrepreneurs And Neighborhood Revitalization: Studies Of The Allston Village, East Boston And Fields Corner Neighborhoods In Boston, Ramon Borges-Mendez, Michael Liu, Paul Watanabe

Institute for Asian American Studies Publications

Although somewhat later than other major urban areas, Boston has been experiencing fundamental demographic changes. The 2000 Census reported that for the first time non-Hispanic whites constitute a minority of the city’s population. Subsequent Census estimates confirm an even stronger trend toward a rapidly diversifying population.

Immigration has been a major factor in this growth and diversification. A recent report shows that over the last 15 years more than 22,000 new immigrants have annually settled in Massachusetts. The foreign-born as a percentage of the population has grown from 9.4 percent in 1980 to 14.3 percent in 2004.

Rural Depopulation: A Closer Look At Nebraska’S Counties And Communities, Randolph L. Cantrell

Rural Initiative Program: Publications and Reports

There is no question about it; rural population loss and Metropolitan concentration continue to be important factors in shaping social and economic conditions in much of America’s Great Plains region. Despite widespread population increases throughout much of nonmetropolitan America during the 1990s, the rural Great Plains has remained an area of persistent decline (Johnson and Beale, 1998 and 2001). Declining populations have characterized many Great Plains counties since the early 1900s, and the trend has continued with few exceptions through the most recent census in 2000. In fact, for some Great Plains counties, the rate of population decline has actually …

The Role Of The Chief Instructional Officer Within The California Community Colleges, Patrick M. Schwerdtfeger Edd

Dissertations

California community colleges enroll one out of ten public college students in the United States. The Chief Instructional Officer (CIO) serves as leader within each college. Research examining CIOs in California is limited. This study investigates work performed by CIOs and the organizational factors which support or impede that work. Four questions guided this study. What is the role of the CIO—what do they do? What are the organizational factors which support or impede CIO effectiveness? How do the CIOs influence the enhancement of learning and instruction? What changes would CIOs suggest to become more effective leaders? This study relied …

Repeat Migration In The United States: A Comparison Of Black, Hispanic, And White Return And Onward Migrants, Beth A. Wilson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The primary objective of this study is to examine U.S. repeat migration for blacks, Hispanics, and whites. It investigates the relationships and patterns of these different racial/ethnic groups utilizing the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 (NLSY79). Repeat migration within and across categories of individual characteristics for blacks, Hispanics, and whites, is compared in order to determine if there are differences in the overall rates of repeat migration for these groups, once other factors are controlled.

To do this several statistical procedures are utilized, and the results of selected descriptive and logistic analyses are presented. The descriptive statistics control for …

Collaborate With Whom? Clergy Responses To Psychologist Characteristics (Chapter 2 Of Psychology And The Church), Mark R. Mcminn, Jeff Ammons, Brian R. Mclaughlin, Colleen Williamson, Justin W. Griffin, C. Richelle Fitzsimmons, Brandi Spires

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

Some clergy and psychologists are willing to collaborate in providing for people under their care and some are reticent. The purpose of this research is to see if clergy are more likely to collaborate with psychologists of a particular sex or training background. Six groups of clergy were given written descriptions of a psychologist that varied on these two dimensions-the institution from which the psychologist received training and sexand were then asked to rate how likely they would be to participate in 7 collaborative scenarios with the psychologist. No group differences were found. Furthermore, clergy characteristics were not significantly related …

Prevalence Of Type 2 Diabetes Among Minority Groups, Patricia Elizabeth Sanchez

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was twofold. First, the study evaluated Loma Linda University Medical Center's (LLUMC) Diabetes Treatment Center's (DTC) effectiveness in providing diabetes education and services to high risk minority populations. Second, the results of the study helped the DTC determine the need for expanding its present efforts in the form of community health prevention services to San Bernardino County residents.

Trends In The Timing Of First Marriage Among Men And Women In The Developing World, Barbara Mensch, Susheela Singh, John B. Casterline

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The timing of first union merits investigation not only because of the close temporal link between marriage and the onset of childbearing, but also because the age when men and women marry has implications for the organization of family life and for gender relations within society. This paper begins by reviewing the contributions of various social science disciplines to an understanding of the timing of marriage. Using current status data from 73 countries provided by the United Nations Population Division and retrospective data from 52 Demographic and Health Surveys conducted between 1990 and 2001, we then examine recent trends in …

Beyond Gender Differences In U.S. Life Cycle Happiness, Enrico A. Macelli, Richard A. Easterlin

Economics Faculty Publication Series

We employ two decades of General Social Survey data consisting of 83 birth cohorts from 1893 to 1975 to estimate the influence of satisfaction in seven life domains (family, finances, work, health, friends, place of residence, and leisure time activity) on life-cycle happiness among men and women aged 18 to 89 years in the United States. The adult population is estimated to be happiest at age 51, and men are estimate to surpass women in happiness at age 48. Contrary to both genetic or personality (e.g., traditional gender role) and access to resources (“more is always better”) explanations of happiness, …

Help-Seeking Patterns Among Subfecund Women, Arthur L. Greil, Julia Mcquillan

Bureau of Sociological Research: Faculty Publications

A random sample of women in the midwestern United States was studied in order to provide a fuller picture of the ways in which US women responded to subfecundity. Using a biomedical definition of infertility, we examined women who did not conceive within 12 months of unprotected intercourse whether they were trying to get pregnant or not. Of the 196 ever-subfecund women in our sample, 123 experienced subfecundity while trying to get pregnant; we called these “subfecund with intent.” Another 73 women experienced subfecundity while not actively trying to get pregnant; we called these “subfecund without intent.” Of the 196 …

University Reporter - Vol. 09, No. 02 - October 2004, University Of Massachusetts Boston

1996-2009, University Reporter

No abstract provided.

Unlv Magazine, Holly Ivy De Vore, Nancy Syzdek, Patrice E.M. Hollrah, Douglas Unger, Eugene Moehring, Gillian Silver, John F. Gallagher, Lori Bachand, Gian Galassi, Hal Rothman, Mark Hoversten, Phil Hagen, Donna Mcaleer, Suzan Dibella

UNLV Magazine

No abstract provided.

Gambling-Associated Behaviors Of Adolescent Male And Female Populations, Pamela Lynnet Thomas

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to identify problem, at-risk, and nonproblem gamblers among adolescent male and female populations. The study compared the two sexes to discover whether or not there were differences in terms of gambling frequency, types of gambling activities, and gambling-associated behaviors that could develop into pathological gambling, as defined by the American Psychiatric Association for those identified gambling groups. The multicultural sampled population consisted of 119 male and 100 female adolescents aged 13 to 19 from rural, suburban, and urban metropolitan areas of Southeastern Michigan. The study used the South Oaks Gambling Screen- Revised for Adolescents …

Aging, Health, And Public Policy: Demographic And Economic Perspectives, Linda J. Waite

Population Policy and Demographic Analysis

In this supplement to Population and Development Review, distinguished social scientists bring a variety of disciplinary perspectives—economic, demographic, epidemiological—to bear on the subject of population aging, looking particularly to likely future trends and their economic consequences. Among the questions investigated: What can be said about the future course of longevity, given that research on both historical and contemporary populations belies the existence of a biologically fixed maximum for the human life span? To what extent do genetic factors contribute to the development of major chronic diseases of later life, such as Alzheimer’s? How can we unravel the strong positive …

Youth Behavioral Risks And Psychosocial Resources In Peru's Alternative-Development Zones, Federico R. Leon, Mary L. Claux

Reproductive Health

Alternative-development programs are being offered to the population of seven regions of central-eastern Peru involved in coca cropping. The youth of these regions are above the national average in risk of pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, use of alcohol and drugs, and violence against women. This study sought to identify and describe protective factors expected to function as counterforces to such risks; develop reliable indicators and provide a baseline concerning the risk behaviors and protective factors; compare youth by gender, developmental stage, urbanization, and geography to determine whether segmented interventions are required; and recommend specific intervention strategies. The results of …

A Spatial Analysis Of The Smallpox Epidemic In Sheffield, United Kingdom, 1887-1888, Ann-Marie Cain

LSU Master's Theses

One of today's most fecund fields of research in medical geography involves using historical datasets from past epidemics and contemporary cadastre maps to plot the course of the contagion. The purpose is to study the spatial patterns of diseases that are rare or extinct today but still have large research value. The best example of this problem is smallpox. This project involves taking one of the most complete records of a smallpox epidemic, plotting the cases in a geographic information system (GIS), and exploring the spatial patterns using statistical software. As one of the most contagious and damaging diseases to …

A Case Study Of Women And Their Philanthropic Roles At The Girl Scout Council Of St. Croix Valley, Stephanie Mary Lauinger Pommier

Theses and Graduate Projects

Increasingly, women of every race and ethnicity are moving into professional roles as business owners, doctors and leaders in the community. Women's philanthropy is important and the need to understand women as leaders in philanthropy in the decades ahead will intensify.

To understand the nature of women's philanthropy, it is essential to answer the following questions. What motivates women to give of their time and money to non-profit organizations? Why is philanthropy important to women? What makes Girl Scout philanthropy unique?

This study explores what motivates women to be involved in a philanthropic role at the Girl Scout Council of …

Family: Variations And Changes Across Cultures, James Georgas

Online Readings in Psychology and Culture

In order to study psychological phenomena cross-culturally, it is necessary to understand the different types of family in cultures throughout the world and also how family types are related to cultural features of societies. This article discusses: The definitions and the structure and functions of family; the different family types and relationships with kin; the ecocultural determinants of variations of family types, e.g, ecological features, means of subsistence, political and legal system, education and religion; changes in family in different cultures; the influence of modernization and globalization on family change throughout the world.

Review Of Regulating Menstruation: Beliefs, Practices, Interpretations, Edited By Etienne Van De Walle And Elisha P. Renne, Melissa Pashigian

Anthropology Faculty Research and Scholarship

No abstract provided.

American Ships And Danish Immigrants In 1869, Harry R. Skallerup

The Bridge

During the period between the end of the Civil War and the heightening of hostilities of the Franco-Prussian War in late 1870, American-built wooden paddle-wheel steamships played a competitive role in the expansion of transatlantic passenger traffic. The war, however, along with the ascendancy of propeller-driven ships with larger iron hulls and more efficient engines, led to their demise in this trade. But within the hiatus of the wars, 1869 stands out as the year in which the first direct, scheduled steamer departures from Copenhagen to New York were made. This service was provided by passenger steamers of U.S. registry …

Impact Of September 11th On Older American Veterans, David Lee Baptist, Tamra Denise Snook

Theses Digitization Project

The terrorist attack of September 11th has been widely viewed as a traumatic event. Traumatic events have demonstrated psychological, emotional, behavioral, developmental and physiological detriment to individuals. Among older adults there may be compounding factors such as losses of function, resources, friends, family, and support.

Chicken Little, Three Blind Men And An Elephant, And “Racial Profiling”: A Commentary On The Collection, Analysis, And Interpretation Of Traffic Stop Data, Angela D. Crews

Criminal Justice Faculty Research

This paper discusses the collection, analysis, and interpretation of police traffic stop data. The focus primarily is on the theoretical, statistical, and practical determination of whether law enforcement is engaging in “racial profiling.” One of the most controversial components of research in this area relates to the “baseline” or comparison group. Researchers struggle with determining whether agencies are engaging in “racial profiling” when making traffic stops without some measure of what the world would look like in the absence of “racial profiling.” We know what is, but how can we know what should be? A model is proposed that …

A Media Literacy Curriculum For The Adolescent Learner, Chris Lopez

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project was to develop a media literacy curriculum for teachers of young adolescents. Media literacy is a new, evolving field of study that teaches students to become critical consumers of today's media. Media have often been blamed for the ills of student learning, critical thinking, performance and/or behavior skills. In the review ofliterature, the author investigated media's impact on the adolescent learner, the need to teach media literacy, and recommended curriculum that would benefit the adolescent learner. The curriculum unit is designed to be a useful teaching tool for teachers of adolescent and preadolescent learners who …

Review Of American Men: Who They Are & How They Live, Rebecca Tolley

ETSU Faculty Works

Review of American Men : Who They Are & How They Live. New Strategist. 2002. 387p, 1-885070-44-6, $89.95

One-Year Client Impacts Of Quality Of Care Improvements Achieved In Peru, Federico R. Leon, Santiago Roca, Alex Rios, Adriana Zumaran, Ana Rosa Feijoo

Reproductive Health

This report presents a one-year assessment of quality-of-care improvements in Peru, following provider training on the job aids–assisted Balanced Counseling Strategy. Results showed significant enhancement of quality of care, an increase in session length, and improved client knowledge of the method chosen when this was an IUD or hormonal method. Correlational findings suggested that better impacts can be achieved in provincial primary health facilities than in larger settings like clinics or hospitals in capital cities. The results are important because: 1) other studies have failed to show significant impacts of controlled quality-of-care improvements on the use of contraception; and 2) …

Exploratory Research In Public Social Service Agencies: As Assessment Of Dissemination And Utilization, Teresa Dal Santo, Sheryl Goldberg, Pamela Choice, Michael J. Austin

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The purpose of this study was to investigate how nine exploratory research studies were disseminated and utilized by social services agencies in four California counties. It is based on in-depth interviews with sixteen key social service agency staff members in four counties who were involved in the planning and implementation of the research projects. While reports were disseminated internally to agency management staff, the results revealed that fewer were shared with supervisory and line staff. All of the studies influenced agency thinking and, in some cases, specific agency decisionmaking processes. The key factors influencing the utilization of research included: (a) …

The Urban Landscape Of Health, Hygiene, And Social Control: The Development Of Municipal Services In Battle Creek, Michigan, Jared Lee Barrett

Masters Theses

This thesis is outlining the introduction of municipal water and sewer by using archaeological evidence. First, I will lay out a theoretical framework in which this research will be conducted. It will outline what social control is, how others have examined it, and how is it used by elites to retain their position in society. Next, it will outline the health, social, political, and economic conditions that existed that would give rise to this transition from privies and cisterns to municipal water and sewer services. Then the James and Ellen White site (20CA118) will be used to give evidence of …

Developer-Planner Interaction In Transportation And Land Use Sustainability, Mti Report 01-21, Aseem Inam

Mineta Transportation Institute

This study argues that significant unmet demand exists for alternatives to conventional auto-oriented development; and further that planning interventions that restrict densities and land use mixing in developed areas are a major reason that this demand remains unmet. In order to explore these hypotheses, this study carried out two principal investigations. The first is a national survey of developers, randomly selected from the database of the Urban Land Institute in Washington, DC, the premiere national organization of land developers. Overall, the survey reveals considerable interest on the part of the private development community in developing in a fashion that is …