Digital Commons Network^™

Three Essays On Public Organizations, Changgeun Yun

Theses and Dissertations--Public Policy and Administration

Organizations play key roles in modern societies. The importance of organizations for a society requires an understanding of organizations. In order to fully understand public organizations, it is necessary to recognize how organizational settings affect subjects of organizations and organizing. Although public and private organizations interrelate with each other, the two types are not identical. In this dissertation, I attempt to describe public organizations in their own setting by discussing three important topics in public organization theory: (1) innovation adoption in the public sector; (2) representative bureaucracy; and (3) decline and death of public organizations.

In Chapter II, I scrutinize …

Parental Conversation Styles And Learning Science With Preschoolers, Emily A. Stone

Honors Theses and Capstones

Preschool children participated in a science-learning event about light in their own classroom. The same day as the event, parents or caregivers were instructed to converse with their children at home in the evening about either the science learning event or another ‘special or fun’ event that happened to them recently in whatever way was natural for them. One week later, a researcher interviewed children to examine what they remembered about the science-learning event. Analyses focused on the impact of the topic and degree of elaboration of parent-child conversations on children’s memory for the science-learning event a week later. The …

Creating A Foundation For The Causal Relationship Between Libraries And Learning: A Proposed Application Of Nursing And Public Health Research Methods, Marcia A. Mardis, Sylvia K. Norton, Gail K. Dickinson, Shana Pribesh, Allison Cline, Sue Kimmel, Jody Howard

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

Thomas Cook, a renowned causal research expert and professor of sociology, psychology, education, and social policy at Northwestern University (USA), called for school library researchers to parallel causality determination efforts in health-related fields. In this paper, we respond to Dr. Cook’s challenge with a proposed research design centered on Mixed Research Synthesis (MRS) as part of process validated by the U.S. Department of Education and National Science Foundation’s Common Guidelines for Education Research and Development. MRS studies, often used in nursing and public health research to develop causal theories, enable researchers to develop evidence summaries; identify and adjudicate rival and …

Trade Liberalization And Trade Performance Of Environmental Goods: Evidence From Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Members, Qi He, Hong Fang, Miao Wang, Bo Peng

Economics Faculty Research and Publications

In this article, we study the impact of trade liberalization, including reductions in both tariff and nontariff trade barriers, on environmental goods (EGs) exports. Using bilateral trade data from 20 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation members, we find that tariff reduction in an exporting country has a larger positive impact on its exports of EGs than tariff reduction in an importing country. Our results also show that a lower nontariff barrier in an importing country increases its imports of EGs. A considerable amount of heterogeneity also exists in subsample results based on countries’ income levels.

Assessing Suicide Risk Scores As A Predictor Of Suicidal Behaviors In A Correctional Psychiatric Facility, Janice Rice

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This study evaluated suicide risk assessments in a correctional psychiatric setting. It considered whether clinicians’ judgment of suicide risk predicted future suicidal behaviors in seriously mentally ill prisoners. Data analysis did not show that higher suicide risk scores predicted more suicidal behaviors, nor did it show that suicide risk scores differentiated multiple attempters, or those who went on to attempt suicide or self-harm two or more times in the three years following the assessment. Study data did, however show that suicide risk scores significantly differentiated those who went on to attempt suicide or self-harm at least once in the three …

Throughfall Nutrients In A Degraded Indigenous Fagus Orientalis Forest And A Picea Abies Plantation In The Of North Of Iran, Parisa Abbasian, Pedram Attarod, Seyed Mohammad Moein Sadeghi, John T. Van Stan, Seyed M. Hojjati

Earth, Environment & Sustainability: Faculty Publications

Aim of study: The objective of this study was to compare the quantity and quality of TF (throughfall) in an indigenous, but degraded, stand of Fagus orientalis and Picea abies plantation.

Area of study: Forests of Kelar-Dasht region located in Mazandaran province, northern Iran.

Material and Methods: TF measured by twenty collectors that were distributed randomly underneath each stand. For 21 storms sampled in 2012 (August-December) and 2013 (April-June), we analyzed pH, EC, Ca2+, Mg2+, K+, NO3-, and P of gross rainfall (GR) and TF.

Main results: Cumulative interception (I) for F. orientalis and P. abies were 114.2 mm and …

Civic Community, Structural Disadvantage, And Suicide: An Ecological Analysis Of Middle-Age Non-Hispanic White Male Suicide Across The Rural-Urban Continuum, Kayla R. Fontenot

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation is a county-level sociological examination of middle-age (35-64) non-Hispanic white male suicides. Although an extensive amount of literature exists on ecological suicide, studies have largely ignored the correlates of suicide among this population group because this stage of the life course has historically demonstrated relatively low and stable rates of suicide. However, suicide rates among middle-age adults have increased dramatically over the last decade, calling for an examination of the correlates of suicide specific to this group. Moreover, the extant suicide literature has largely ignored the possibility of a structural disadvantage-suicide link, as well as the influence of …

Dendrotempestology: Identifying The Statistical Relationship Between Hurricanes And Tree Growth In The Pine Savannas Of Coastal Mississippi, Clay Stephens Tucker

LSU Master's Theses

Hurricanes cause massive destruction of property and land through high wind speeds, high precipitation, and flooding from storm surge inundation. Hurricane Katrina produced nearly an 8.5 meter-high storm surge at Pass Christian, Mississippi. The envelope of high water from Hurricane Katrina covered a large area of the Gulf Coast including, but not limited to, the area from the Atchafalaya Bay in Louisiana to Mobile Bay in Alabama. This study assesses the relationship between hurricane characteristics (i.e., storm surge and maximum wind) and tree growth using coastal pine tree cores taken in Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (GBNERR). GBNERR, an …

Investigations Into Ecogeomorphodynamics Of Coastal Embryo Dunes At Padre Island National Seashore, Texas, Katherine Anne Renken

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation is an investigation into the interplay between vegetation and aeolian processes in the coastal embryo dune environment at Padre Island National Seashore, Texas. Vegetation is a geomorphic agent, altering aeolian process dynamics. This research adopted a three-pronged approach to improving our understanding of ecogeomorphodynamics in the coastal environment. The first study analyzed large-scale spatiotemporal trends in the vegetation community of the embryo dune environment in order to contextualize smaller scale aeolian processes. Results of this study demonstrated that there was a clear transition in community assemblage from the seaward edge of the embryo dune zone, where species functioned …

Linking Classroom Learning And Research To Advance Ideas About Social-Ecological Resilience, Natalie C. Ban, Emily Boyd, Michael Cox, Chanda L. Meek, Michael Schoon, Sergio Villamayor-Tomas

Dartmouth Scholarship

There is an increasing demand in higher education institutions for training in complex environmental problems. Such training requires a careful mix of conventional methods and innovative solutions, a task not always easy to accomplish. In this paper we review literature on this theme, highlight relevant advances in the pedagogical literature, and report on some examples resulting from our recent efforts to teach complex environmental issues. The examples range from full credit courses in sustainable development and research methods to project-based and in-class activity units. A consensus from the literature is that lectures are not sufficient to fully engage students in …

Avian Diversity Across Three Distinct Agricultural Landscapes In Guadalupe, Chiriquí Highlands, Panama, Jarred Jones

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Deforestation of tropical forest for agricultural purposes threatens habitat loss of native species. The value of various agricultural landscapes in conserving avian populations is useful in determining diversity-conscious development plans. However, generalized results from regionalscale studies cannot be implemented to insular avian habitats. This study serves as the only current avian diversity study of the Chiriquí Highlands. To determine the effect of agricultural land use within an insular avian habitat, I compared avian diversity and site population similarity in Guadalupe, Chiriquí Highlands of the Talamanca Range, Panama. I hypothesized that avian diversity is greatest at forest edge followed by forest …

Geographic Assessment Of The Perception Of Nature Reserves And National Parks In Kuwait, Meshari S. Alenezi

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Arabian Gulf countries have passed strict laws to preserve their environment. Kuwait has a strong history with preserving natural areas. The ecological value and richness of Kuwait's ecosystems have increased since the nature reserves were built. This research has evaluated the perceptions that Kuwaitis have of the design, creation, and development of nature reserves in Kuwait. It involved the use of survey instruments (questionnaires) and interviews with respondents of both urban and rural communities. Data from these surveys and interviews analyzed regarding perceptions of nature reserves' needs, sizes, functions, and future plans.

The results of examinations (surveys) demonstrate that …

Keeping In Touch: Exchange As An Adaptive Strategy In Southern Nevada, Timothy Joshua Ferguson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Archaeologists have always wondered about the extent of vessel movement in the American Southwest. Identifying vessel movement allows for the study of social interactions across a region and the role of ceramics in the adaptive processes of agriculturalists living in marginal, highly variable environments. In many instances, exchange may act as a way to reduce the risk of resource shortfalls by creating social ties in other areas. This research investigated the changing risk reduction strategies of households in the lowland Virgin region of southern Nevada by using geochemical methods to trace the exchange of locally produced pottery. It was hypothesized …

Water Resources And The Historic Wells Of Barbuda: Tradition, Heritage And Hope For A Sustainable Future, Rebecca Boger, Sophia Perdikaris, Amy E. Potter, John Mussington

Earth, Environment & Sustainability: Faculty Publications

The island of Barbuda has a relatively unique history, land tenure and geography. Unlike its Caribbean counterparts, the island is not suited to large-scale agriculture due to its arid climate and relatively thin soils. Instead, the enslaved and eventually free people of Barbuda developed a complex herding ecology centered on common land ownership. As a result, carefully designed historic wells are strategically located around the island. With the challenges brought about by climate change, an interdisciplinary, international team led by the Barbuda Research Complex is investigating the state of existing water and food resources and examining how the availability and …

Importance Of School Library Programs, Cynthia Strong

SPU Works

Within the discipline of library science, over 20 research studies have been done in the United States attesting to how high-quality school library programs contribute to improved academic achievement. On the other hand, in the fields of education, school counseling, administration, and school leadership, and so on, there is a dearth of scholarship and recognition of the positive impact librarians and library media program have on student success. This conceptual paper first presents an overview of the empirical research on school library programs and the positive impact they have on the academic achievement of students in the United States. Second, …

Effects Of Biomass Harvest On Eastern Red-Backed Salamanders, Patrick J. Ruhl

Open Access Theses

In a typical forest harvest, the volume of coarse woody debris (CWD) increases from nonmerchantable material (i.e., tree-tops, limbs, and small-diameter trees) left on the forest floor. Biomass harvesting removes much of this material for bioenergy production. When removed, ecosystem services associated with CWD, such as seedbed substrate, nutrient cycling, and essential wildlife habitat, is reduced. Woodland salamanders have strict microhabitat and soil moisture requirements that make them especially sensitive to timber harvest practices, particularly those that remove CWD, a primary habitat for the group.

I monitored the abundance of Eastern red-backed salamanders ( Plethodon cinereus ) in response to …

Pendapatan Daerah, Pembiayaan Kesehatan, Dan Gizi Buruk Pada Balita: Studi Korelasi Tingkat Kabupaten/Kota, Septyana Choirunisa, Asri C. Adisasmita

Kesmas

Pendanaan kesehatan merupakan salah satu faktor penting dalam memengaruhi derajat kesehatan, termasuk salah satu masalah gizi pada balita yang disebut gizi buruk. Oleh karena itu, penelitian ini bertujuan mendeskripsikan pendapatan daerah dan pembiayaan kesehatan serta korelasinya dengan gizi buruk pada balita di tingkat kabupaten/kota di Indonesia tahun 2007. Penelitian ini merupakan studi ekologi/korelasi. Data pendapatan daerah dan pembiayaan kesehatan didapat dari Kementerian Keuangan, sedangkan data gizi buruk menggunakan data Riset Kesehatan Nasional tahun 2007. Sebanyak 250 kabupaten/kota yang diteliti dengan tidak mengikutsertakan kabupaten/kota yang datanya tidak lengkap atau tidak valid. Secara nasional, hanya persentase pendapatan asli daerah (PAD) per total …

North Versus South: The Effects Of Foreign Direct Investment And Historical Legacies On Poverty Reduction In Post-Đổi Mới Vietnam, Scott R. Sanders

Faculty Publications

This research examines the factors that account for variance in provincial poverty reduction rates between 2002 and 2008 in Vietnam. In particular, this paper uses spatial regression modeling to show that foreign direct investment (FDI) and the capitalist legacies of southern Vietnam significantly affected provincial poverty reduction during this time period. These findings suggest that although Vietnam as a whole has benefited from post-Đổi Mới economic reform and FDI, the historical capitalist legacies of the former Republic of Vietnam played a strong role in aiding provinces in the south in attracting FDI and subsequently reducing provincial poverty.

Hispanic Residential Ethnic Density And Depression In Post-Acute Coronary Syndrome Patients: Re-Thinking The Role Of Social Support, Ellen-Ge Denton, Jonathan A. Shaffer, Carmela Alcantra, Lynn Clemow, Elizabeth Denton

Publications and Research

Background: The ethnic density hypothesis suggests that ethnic density confers greater social support and consequently protects against depressive symptoms in ethnic minority individuals. However, the potential benefits of ethnic density have not been examined in individuals who are facing a specific and salient life stressor.

Aims: We examined the degree to which the effects of Hispanic ethnic density on depressive symptoms are explained by socioeconomic resources and social support.

Methods: Patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS, N = 472) completed the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and measures of demographics, ACS clinical factors and perceived social support. Neighborhood characteristics, including median …

Self-Identity Of Biracial Children: What Role Do Parents Play?, Patreese D. Ingram, Anil Kumar Chaudhary

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

One of the fastest growing student groups today is the biracial student population. This study is part of a larger exploratory descriptive study on biracial college students with a focus on the extent to which parents socialized their biracial children in the cultures of both parents while growing up and how these students chose to self-identify. Biracial students at a large, predominantly white, research university in the northeastern United States completed an online survey. Descriptive statistics and content analysis were used to analyze the data. The results indicated that most students had adopted a “border” identity. The majority of parents …

Full Issue, Volume 2, Number 2, Donna J. Peterson

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

No abstract provided.

Evolutionary Pressures On Primate Intertemporal Choice, Jeffrey R. Stevens

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

From finding food to choosing mates, animals must make intertemporal choices that involve fitness benefits available at different times. Species vary dramatically in their willingness to wait for delayed rewards. Why does this variation across species exist? An adaptive approach to intertemporal choice suggests that time preferences should reflect the temporal problems faced in a species' environment. Here, I use phylogenetic regression to test whether allometric factors (relating to body size), relative brain size, and social group size predict how long 13 primate species will wait in laboratory intertemporal choice tasks. Controlling for phylogeny, a composite allometric factor that includes …

The Baker Cave Bison Remains: Bison Diminution And Late Holocene Subsistence On The Snake River Plain, Southern Idaho, Ryan P. Breslawski

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This thesis investigates that paleoecology of southern Idaho bison and their role in prehistoric subsistence with two articles. The first article investigates the trajectory of bison diminution in southern Idaho with bison morphometrics from Baker Cave, a late Holocene archaeological site. Results indicate that local bison followed a diminution trend mirroring the diminution trend documented on the Great Plains. This suggests that similar bottom up ecosystem controls acted on bison in both the Great Plains and in southern Idaho through the Holocene.

The second article examines the role of bison in seasonal subsistence strategies. I hypothesize that winter fat scarcity …

Assessing Landscape Change In Highland Peru With An Emphasis On Tree Cover Change, 1948-2012, Timothy Guy Sutherlin

Master's Theses

Tree cover change was examined around three cities in the central Andes of Peru, 1948-2012, using repeat photography, remote sensing, and ethnographic methods. Forest transition theory provided a framework to study the causes of the changes observed. The repeat photography results show that there were more trees on the landscape in 2012 than there were in 1948. There were increases in smaller groupings of trees visible in the photography that were associated with smallholder intensification in the form of new woodlots, field borders and dooryard trees. The remote sensing results show there was a significant increase in larger patches of …

Effects Of Instrumentation On Dental Microwear Textures: Reanalysis And Augmentation Of An Early Hominin Sample, Anna Jacquelyn Ragni

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Dental microwear texture analysis has been refined to a methodology relying upon scanning confocal microscopy for its advantages of repeatability and standardized quantification. A new instrument, the Plu Neox (Sensofar Corp.) confocal profiler recently entered the market, sparking questions among dental anthropologists related to the advantages and efficacy of this new technology, which has better resolution and lighting properties than previously available white-lighted based confocal profilers. This thesis reports on three complementary studies that set out to evaluate the comparability of the Plu Neox to the Plu Standard system and assess its ability to distinguish primates on the basis of …

An Evaluation Of The Food Web Dynamics And Predator Prey Interactions In Scofield Reservoir, Lisa K. Winters

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Reservoirs are artificial, dynamic, and highly manipulated systems, where the appearance of either intentionally or unintentionally introduced species may disrupt interactions within an already complex food web. In some situations, a top predator fish may be stocked as a biological control agent, if these fish-eating predators monopolize on the nuisance and unwelcome prey. Scofield Reservoir, Utah has historically been an extremely popular blue-ribbon fishery. However, a recent decrease in rainbow trout catch and increase in the minnow, Utah chub, have made it difficult to find a balance between providing the public with a trophy sport fishery and maintaining an ecologically …

Politics Of Environmental Policy: A Case Study Of Alamor And The Yasuní National Park, Katie Weber

Capstone Projects – Politics and Government

In 2008 Ecuador made environmental history by giving rights to Mother Nature in its constitution and was widely recognized as the most environmentally friendly country in the world. This paper examines the environmental movement in the following years and seeks to understand the primary actors that make decisions as well as who benefits and who is harmed when the environment is not protected. In order to answer these questions, the paper focuses on two distinct cases; that of the small town of Alamor in southern Ecuador and that of the Yasuní National Park in the Amazon.

American Indian Activism And The Rise Of Red Power, Rachael Guadagni

Graduate History Conference, UMass Boston

Recent historical scholarship has determined that the socio-political environment of post-World War II America provided the necessary catalyst for Native American activism which when combined with the socio-political atmosphere of the civil rights era lead to the development of the Red Power Movement. In the thirty or so years immediately following World War II America witnessed profound social and political change. Initial fear of communism lead to strict, pro-capitalist Indian legislation resulting in the termination of hundreds of tribes and the relocation of countless Indian people. From this same environment rose strong leaders, including many veterans, influenced by Cold War …

Building And Maintaining Plankhouses At Two Villages On The Southern Northwest Coast Of North America, Emily Evelyn Shepard

Dissertations and Theses

Plankhouses were functionally and symbolically integral to Northwest Coast societies, as much of economic and social life was predicated on these dwellings. This thesis investigates both plankhouse architecture and the production of these dwellings. Studying plankhouse construction and maintenance provides information regarding everyday labor, landscape use outside of villages, organization of complex tasks, and resource management.

This thesis investigates three plankhouse structures at two sites, Meier and Cathlapotle, in the Lower Columbia River Region of the southern Northwest Coast of North America. Methods consisted of digitizing over 1,100 architectural features, creating detailed maps of architectural features, and conducting statistical and …

Foreign Investment In African Resources: The Ecological Aspect To Imperialism And Unequal Exchange, Mariko Frame

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the issue of foreign investment in African resources from the theoretical perspective of ecological imperialism and ecologically unequal exchange theory (EUE). Pulling from Marxist ecology, critical political ecology, and an environmental reading of Polanyi, this dissertation seeks to theoretically deepen and clarify the concept of `ecological imperialism.' It posits that the wave of neoliberal policies that swept through the developing world in the 1980s can be interpreted as a historically distinct moment of ecological imperialism, a `counter-countermovement' to the era of economic nationalism that sought to bring developing world resources under state control. Focusing on Africa and …