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The Impact Of Second-Tiered Leadership Behavior On Postmerger Experience In The Jamaica Constabulary Force, James Theophilus Golding

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Following the merger of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) and the Island Special Constabulary Force (ISCF) in May 2014, complaints emerged about inequitable treatment of former ISCF members, raising questions about social justice and breaches of the moral contract. Although prior research highlighted the importance of leadership in mergers, it neglected to examine the role of second-tier leadership. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to investigate the potential role of second-tiered JCF leadership behavior in these perceived social justice breaches. A transformational leadership framework, which centers on leaders’ behavior and communication to motivate followers, underpinned the study. Purposeful …

Pro-Environmental Behavior: Its Moderating Role On The Relationship Between Environmental Identity And Climate Change Anxiety Among Gen Z Filipinos, Marc Eric S. Reyes, Alvin Joseph D. Mapoy, Victoria Ann Louis N. Aranzanso, Francheska Ysabel A. Avera, Beatrice O. Martinez, Mariah Michaela T. Ramos, Ryan Francis O. Cayubit

Makara Human Behavior Studies in Asia

Environmental identity refers to an individual’s understanding of how their environment shapes their identity and relationships. This connection may cause climate change anxiety and motivate pro-environmental behavior. Using an explanatory, cross-sectional design, we examined whether environmental identity (EI) predicts climate change anxiety (CCA) and whether pro-environmental behavior (PEB) moderates their relationship. Seven hundred sixty-one Filipinos aged 18–25 completed the Revised Environmental Identity Scale, Climate Change Anxiety Scale, and Pro-Environmental Behavior Scale. Our findings revealed a significant positive relationship between environmental identity and anxiety about climate change. However, moderation analysis indicated that environmental identity is only associated with climate change anxiety …

Whose Rules, Whose Rights?: Conflict-Related Sexual Violence And Legal Protections In Wartime, Sadaf Shabbir

Journal of International Women's Studies

This article critically analyzes conflict-related systematic sexual violence (CRSV) within the frameworks of international humanitarian law, particularly the Geneva Conventions and the 1977 Additional Protocols. Moving beyond viewing CRSV as an isolated atrocity, it situates sexual violence within the historical and political roots of conflict, using case studies from the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Syrian Arab Republic. The analysis demonstrates how sexual violence operates as a weapon within exploitative wartime economies, where institutional collapse and illicit resource networks enable the commodification and control of women’s bodies. Furthermore, the article introduces a sectarian lens to the study of CRSV, …

An Archival Responsibility: A Scoping Review Of Literature Regarding The Documentary Burdens Of Refugees, Ana Roeschley, Kinza Alizai, Crystal Tharayil, Amy Lanier, Merrion D. Frederick, Homero R. Cuevas

Journal of Contemporary Archival Studies

Documented individuals who do not live in conflict zones can usually access and use their records to migrate, begin new careers, enroll their children in educational institutions, and gain access to healthcare through mostly routine record-related procedures. However, these standard processes become impossible obstacles for refugees when they lose access to their personal records as part of their forced displacement. Though ever-present for refugees, these documentary burdens are compounded in times of societal crises and political upheaval—times when documentation is most critical. If archivists and archival scholars are to address these issues, it is important to understand the scope of …

Review Of Land In Libraries: Toward A Materialist Conception Of Education, Anna Z. Szapiro

Journal of Contemporary Archival Studies

Extractive practices of colonial land theft and environmental exploitation have produced intolerable global conditions leading to climate collapse. As the information field grapples with its culpability in colonial violence and climate change, Lydia Zvyagintseva and Mary Greenshields’s incisive Land in Libraries: Toward a Materialist Conception of Education draws contributions from practitioners in the United States and Canada to chart a way forward. Through historical analysis, case studies, critical theory, and autoethnography, authors in this volume take up land – and our relation to it – as the epistemological catalyst for systemic change. At once austere critique and lyrical contemplation, Land …

Factors Associated With Substance Use Treatment Seeking During Covid-19: A Cross-Sectional Study Applying The Gelberg–Andersen Model For Vulnerable Populations, Dorothy Wallis

Social Work Faculty Publications

Treatment seeking among individuals who misuse substances can be a complex process, with many factors contributing to treatment seeking. Guided by Gelberg–Andersen’s Behavioral Model for Vulnerable Populations, this research seeks to establish predisposing, enabling, and need factors contributing to treatment seeking during COVID-19. A total of 201 individuals participated in the study. Contrary to existing literature, no predisposing factors were associated with treatment seeking during COVID-19. However, variations were seen in enabling and need factors. Perceiving a need for treatment and having reliable transportation to treatment were associated with treatment seeking during COVID-19, underlying the importance of addressing both physical …

The Role Of Institutional Logic: A New Dynamic Typology For Policy Innovation Labs, Esti Hoss-Golan, Anat Gofen, Adam M. Wellstead

Michigan Tech Publications

Policy innovation labs (PILs) are established globally to address complex public challenges. PILS are distinguished by their focus on fostering innovation, promoting collaborative co-design, and engaging in experimentation. The current literature highlights structural characteristics that define PILs, such as their source of funding, their autonomy from government agencies, and the tools that are utilized. This paper provides a dynamic perspective by focusing on the institutional logics of PILs, which are socially constructed patterns of symbols, practices, values, and beliefs that guide decision-making and shape organizational behavior. Drawing from semi-structured interviews with 31 managers from European PILs, we identify three distinct …

Women’S Reproductive Health Conditions And Fertility Goals, Karen Benjamin Guzzo, Kathleen Broussard

Faculty Publications

There is a large body of research examining women’s fertility decision-making. Yet this work rarely considers how women’s experiences with reproductive health conditions may be linked to their fertility goals, a problematic oversight given the growing emphases on reproductive careers and childbearing biographies that highlight the need to take a life course approach to fertility. Using the 2015–2019 National Survey of Family Growth (N = 8867), this paper examines how reproductive health conditions are associated with women’s fertility goals among women who are not surgically sterile or meet the medical definition of infertility. Slightly more than one in five …

Women’S Reproductive Health Conditions And Fertility Goals, Karen Benjamin Guzzo, Kathleen Broussard

Faculty Publications

There is a large body of research examining women’s fertility decision-making. Yet this work rarely considers how women’s experiences with reproductive health conditions may be linked to their fertility goals, a problematic oversight given the growing emphases on reproductive careers and childbearing biographies that highlight the need to take a life course approach to fertility. Using the 2015–2019 National Survey of Family Growth (N = 8867), this paper examines how reproductive health conditions are associated with women’s fertility goals among women who are not surgically sterile or meet the medical definition of infertility. Slightly more than one in five …

In The Wake Of Usaid Cuts, We Can Create A Demographic And Health Survey Program Founded On More Equitable Data Infrastructure And Stronger Research Integrity., Jasmin Abdel Ghany, Aasli A. Nur, Kerry L D Macquarrie, Joshua Wilde, Elizabeth A. Sully, Mahesh Karra, Ursula Gazeley, Ben M. John, Livia Montana

Publications, Reports and Presentations

t ’ s I n o w b een more than a year since President Trump’s dismantling of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which led to the closure of its Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) Program. In place for decades, the DHS Program produced and shared, free of charge, some of the highest-quality data on population health in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Our own analysis found at least 9,000 published studies, reports, and book chapters based on more than 400 DHS surveys in almost 100 countries (Fig. 1).* And the DHS has been instrumental in improving the …

The Role Of Corporate Managers In Improving Profit Performance Of Commercial Banks In Kosovo, Flutura Beka Kamberaj

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The profitability of commercial banks is a key indicator of financial system stability and economic growth, albeit Kosovo’s banking sector continues to face challenges from nonperforming loans, regulatory constraints, and limited innovation. Corporate managers at Kosovo’s commercial banks are reporting low profit performance despite overall sector stability. The purpose of this qualitative single-case study was to explore how corporate managers contribute to improving profit performance in Kosovo’s commercial banks. The resource-based view and corporate governance theory provided the theoretical foundation. The participants comprised 20 corporate managers at commercial banks in Kosovo. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and public documents. …

Building Sustainability Via Financial Resilience Among Nongovernmental Organizations In Cameroon, Ruthaford Bankufon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in unstable developing nations face major sustainability challenges. In Cameroon, an ongoing sociopolitical crisis has increased demand on NGOs, including VWXZY, which supports girls and women fleeing civil unrest. This study investigated sustainable strategies to strengthen VWZYZ’s financial stability. Drawing on financial resilience literature and the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) framework, it addressed two questions: (a) How can VWXZY-Cameroon effectively leverage SWOT analysis to address financial challenges, improve financial oversight, diversify funding sources, and strengthen operational efficiency? (b)What strategies can VWXZY-Cameroon use to enhance its financial resilience and ensure sustainability amid sociopolitical and economic instability? …

Attentional Blindness Of The Clinical Gaze, Lily Anderson-Chavarria

Clinical Research in Practice: The Journal of Team Hippocrates

This article presents the case of Mr. C, a patient who received over 65 imaging tests without any pathology ever being found. The case is well-explained by a social science concept known as the clinical gaze, a socio-cognitive process of assigning pathological explanations to diseased bodies. This article provides some historical context for the concept and applies it to the case of Mr. C. When viewed through a social science lens, the excess imaging underwent by Mr. C transforms from something seemingly irrational to an almost inevitable outcome of the modern medical diagnostic process.

Using Fire Investigators' Narratives To Explore Serial Firesetting Behaviors, Alisha Jones-Creel

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This qualitative narrative inquiry examined how fire investigators share tacit knowledge related to threat assessment and risk management in cases of serial firesetting. Data were derived from eight semi-structured interviews with fire investigators from Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas who had investigated firesetting incidents within the past five years. Narrative analysis was used to identify cross-case patterns in how investigators recognize offender characteristics, assess contextual risk factors, and detect early warning signs across incidents. Analysis identified three themes addressing how lived experience informs peer understanding of offender behavior, risk indicators, and warning signs, and three themes addressing how narrative experience guides …

Opioid Use Knowledge And Attitudes Among U.S. Adults, Jadyn E. Knox

Master's Theses

The opioid epidemic remains a public health crisis, with overdose rates continuing to rise. Associations between individuals opioid use and knowledge of and attitudes toward opioid substances and overdoses have been investigated to inform educational interventions. However, many studies utilize college student or adolescent samples, and findings remain inconclusive. An assessment of opioid knowledge and attitudes across broader adult populations is lacking. Concurrently, replication literature in the social sciences is limited, therefore, the present study replicated and expanded upon Williams et al. (2013) and Vyas et al. (2023) studies. Reliability and validity of the Opioid Knowledge scale, Opioid Overdose Knowledge …

Child Development Accounts Reduce Adolescent Behavior Problems, Jin Huang, Yingying Zeng, Michael Sherraden

Center for Social Development Research

Adolescence can be a challenging time, and a body of research has investigated options for addressing adolescent behavior problems. This brief presents findings from a new line of inquiry. The analyses presented here draw upon data from the SEED for Oklahoma Kids experiment, a test of a statewide Child Development Account (CDA) policy in Oklahoma. The findings indicate that CDAs positively shape the frequency of adolescent behavior problems.

A Probabilistic Deep Learning Framework For Retrieving Chlorophyll-A From Hyperspectral Imagery: Integrating Channel Attention And Mixture Density Networks, Wenzhao Li, Surendra Maharjan, Rejoice Thomas, Junde Chen, Hesham Morgan, Michael J. Garay, Olga V. Kalashnikova, Shahryar Fazli, Charles Ichoku, Hesham El-Askary

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Accurate monitoring of Chlorophyll-a (Chla) is critical for assessing aquatic ecosystem health, yet ecological complexity often leads to ambiguous spectral signatures in satellite data. Traditional deterministic models assume a one-to-one mapping between spectra and pigments, often failing to capture these high-dimensional analytical challenges. In this study, we propose a novel deep learning architecture, the Channel Attention-Mixture Density Network (CA-MDN), to retrieve Chla from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT) hyperspectral mission. The CA-MDN integrates an attention mechanism to dynamically select ecologically relevant spectral bands and employs a probabilistic output layer to quantify …

Understanding The Lived Experiences Of Black Males Successfully Reintegrating Post Incarceration, Ashley Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Black males remain incarcerated at higher rates than any other race. Those individuals trying to reintegrate into society face many challenges with little mental and emotional rehabilitation support. The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenology study was to improve the understanding of what contributes to successful reintegration and the mental health and emotional needs of formerly incarcerated Black males. Critical race theory (CRT) was used as a secondary lens to examine how race, systemic racism, and structural inequities shaped participants' experiences. This study examined the following research question: What are the experiences of Black males who were previously incarcerated and have …

Retrospective Narrative Analysis Of Perceived Manifestations Of Burnout Among Emergency Physicians Amid Covid-19 Pandemic, Nicole Jauregui

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The COVID-19 pandemic has placed stress on healthcare systems globally, with emergency department (ED) physicians experiencing an acute impact due to their frontline role. Burnout, characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a reduced sense of personal accomplishment, has been widely reported by healthcare providers during the pandemic. However, the specific manifestations of burnout among ED physicians remain underexplored, particularly from their own perspectives. This study is grounded in Maslach’s Multidimensional Theory of Burnout and Alan Card’s theory of Avoidable versus Unavoidable Suffering, providing a framework to interpret ED physicians’ experiences and distinguish between the inherent challenges of frontline work and …

Relationship Between Vegetation Greenness (Ndvi) And Land Surface Temperature Across Land Cover Types In Ciwidey Sub-Watershed (1990–2020), Syal Syabila, Kuswantoro Marko, Revi Hernina

Jurnal Geografi Lingkungan Tropik (Journal of Geography of Tropical Environments)

Land cover change significantly influences vegetation greenness and land surface temperature (LST), particularly in upstream watershed regions experiencing rapid development. This study aims to analyze changes in vegetation greenness (NDVI), land surface temperature, and their relationship across different land cover types in the Ciwidey Sub-Watershed, Bandung Regency, during 1990–2020. Landsat 5 TM and Landsat 8 OLI images (Path/Row 122/65) acquired in July 1990, 2005, and 2020 were processed using radiometric correction, supervised classification (Maximum Likelihood), NDVI extraction, and mono-window LST algorithm. Land cover classification accuracy was assessed using confusion matrix analysis. Linear regression was applied to evaluate the relationship between …

Preparando Para Su Edad Y Su Futuro: Latina Mothers’ Perspectives Of Navigating Postsecondary Transition For Autistic Youth, Kristina Rios Dr., Katherine R. Brendli Brown, Genna Kieper, Cynthia Velasquez, Amber Brown Ruiz

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

Families play a critical role in the education and service provision of Autistic students. However, much of the existing research on family involvement and expectations has centered on families of younger Autistic children and has disproportionately reflected the experiences of White families, even though Latinx families may include individuals of any racial background. Furthermore, while there is growing transition literature focused on families of color, Latinx families—particularly those with Spanish-speaking caregivers—remain underrepresented in studies examining the postsecondary transition. There is a critical need for research that captures Latinx caregivers’ perspectives on navigating the transition process and identifies how educators can …

Analyzing Structural Inequities Within Medical Care In The Us Vs. Norway, Shreya Devarajan

Student Scholarship

Spring 2026 SOCI 232: Social Policy and Global Issues course.

Research questions:

1) To what extent do race and education contribute to unequal healthcare access in the US, and how does this differ from inequality patterns in Norway?

2) To what extent has medical innovation improved overall health while simultaneously reinforcing or widening health inequalities over time in the US vs. Norway?

Improving Rural Health Through Nutrition Incentives: A Mixed Methods Evaluation Of The First Year Of The Appalachian Farmacy Program, Bethesda O'Connell, Harrison Ihrig, Andrea D Nutsugah, Ignacio Garcia, Michael Rice, Ashley Cavender

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

Food insecurity remains a critical public health concern, particularly in rural, low-income communities. In 2023, 13.5% of United States households experienced food insecurity, with rates in Tennessee (15.6%) exceeding the national average. Produce prescription programs have emerged as a strategy to improve food access and promote healthier eating behaviors. This study presents an evaluation of Appalachian Farmacy, a produce prescription program in Northeast Tennessee designed to increase fruit and vegetable consumption among individuals receiving Medicaid, Medicare, or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. Program evaluation methods included semi-structured interviews for process evaluation and pre- and post-surveys for outcome evaluation. Interviews …

Upper Extremity Return To Sport Functional Testing: A Systematic Review, Marisa Pontillo, Eric Bellm, Patrick Barber, Matthew L. Gauthier, Casey A. Unverzagt, George J. Davies

Physical Therapy Faculty Publications

Background: Upper extremity return to sport (RTS) assessments are not standardized with respect to which metrics to use, if the metrics are appropriate for all populations and levels of competition, and what constitutes good or poor test performance. Subsequently, clinicians may utilize suboptimal metrics to evaluate RTS readiness, or forgo objective criteria altogether. The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties (reliability, agreement/measurement error, hypothesis testing/construct validity, criterion/predictive validity, responsiveness) of upper extremity functional tests used to assess RTS readiness.

Methods: This systematic review followed PRISMA guidelines, with all studies included assessed via the PEDro scale. Literature …

Navigating (M)Otherhood: Perception, Practice, & Policy Of Adolescent Pregnancy In The North Coast Of Perú, Mahir Rahman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

“It’s a vicious circle”, the obstetricians of Huanchaco repeated time and time again after discussing a recently pregnant 13-year-old girl who had just moved to the North Coast of Perú. Adolescent pregnancy is an extremely stigmatized topic in global maternal and child health discourse. Pregnant adolescents are subject to educational policy, clinical protocol, and community practice. While global scholarship emphasizes adolescent pregnancy prevention, limited scholarship focuses on the conditions in which adolescent pregnancy is perceived, discussed, and managed. More importantly, these perspectives are even less documented amongst the North Coast of Perú.

This thesis serves as an ethnographic exploration of …

Profile Of An Emerging Pastoral Wellness Leader, Nisaa Robinson

College of Arts and Cultural Studies

This essay presents a leadership profile of the author through the lens of leadership emergence and a reflective analysis process utilizing Robert Clinton’s leadership development model presented in The Making of A Leader (2012), a later consolidated four-phase timeline, and a Leadership Profile Worksheet (Appendix A). Nisaa Robinson's life, leadership, and ministry service are presented and analyzed in terms of phases, sub-phases, process items, and boundary events.

The Role Of Motion Graphics In Enhancing The Effectiveness Of Infographics Design, Hussein Mohammad Al-Omari

Middle East Journal of Communication Studies

An infographic's primary objective is to satisfy the demands and expectations of its audience by presenting information in a logical and intelligible way. Recent developments in graphic design techniques have made several intricate techniques approachable by artists and designers, elevating the design process to a sophisticated profession that transcends media boundaries. Static infographics and animated infographics feature the same material; however, animated infographics have the benefit of displaying information via continuous motion and animated sequences rather than in static components or separate stages, and that’s because of the special features of animation, which attract a wider audience. They are also …

Promoting Water Security Of South-To-North Water Diversion Project For National Water Network, Quanfa Zhang, Guihua Liu, Chesheng Zhan, Xiaobo Ren

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

The South-to-North Water Diversion Project is a crucial infrastructure initiative aiming at optimizing nation-wide distribution of water resources, meanwhile fostering sustainable economic and social development, and ensuring the well-being of the people. The project, with its extensive scope and high technical complexity, particularly in the middle and west routes located in biodiversity hotspots such as the Qinling Mountains and the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, may alter local microclimates, potentially triggering meteorological disasters such as droughts, thunderstorms, and hail, along with secondary hazards. The implementation of the project may also disrupt the local hydrological conditions, disturb the balance of the existing atmospheric-vegetation-soil system, …

Addressing Population Aging: Innovative Approaches To Aging Research In China, Jingyi Li, Jinghui Lei, Qun Chu, Weiqi Zhang, Moshi Song, Yaojin Peng, Guanghui Liu

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

The increasing prevalence of aging and associated diseases poses a substantial challenge worldwide. In recent years, the field of aging research has achieved numerous breakthroughs. Nevertheless, challenges still persist. This study offers a comprehensive analysis of the advancements within China’s aging research, highlighting current challenges and proposing strategy and policy recommendations. These suggestions draw from various areas, including research paradigms and key issues, efficient resource management, development of essential technological research and innovation ecosystems, international collaboration, and considerations of ethics and governance. The aim is to provide valuable insights and guidance for enhancing the quality and impact of aging research …

From Waste To Sustainability: Exploring Consumer Purchase Intentions Of Milk Enriched With Upcycled Peanut Skins, Peng Lu, Fan Xu, Jennifer Waldeck, Keith Weber, Hualu Zhou

Communication Faculty Articles and Research

Highlights

• National survey investigated consumer acceptance of milk enriched with upcycled peanut skins.
• Developed a conceptual model based on Technology Acceptance Model.
• Identified that consumer attitudes and emotions are essential in the purchase intentions of upcycled foods.
• Identified social influence as a determinator of consumers' attitudes and purchase intentions.
• Inform and advance research, practice, and policy that promotes upcycled food products.