Digital Commons Network^™

Nutrient Enrichment Enhances Hidden Differences In Phenotype To Drive A Cryptic Plant Invasion, Christine Holdredge, Mark D. Bertness, Eric Von Wettberg, Brian R. Silliman

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Faculty Publications

Many mechanisms of invasive species success have been elucidated, but those driving cryptic invasions of non-native genotypes remain least understood. In one of the most successful cryptic plant invasions in North America, we investigate the mechanisms underlying the displacement of native Phragmites australis by its Eurasian counterpart. Since invasive Phragmites' populations have been especially prolific along eutrophic shorelines, we conducted a two-year field experiment involving native and invasive genotypes that manipulated nutrient level and competitor identity (inter- and intra-genotypic competition) to assess their relative importance in driving the loss of native Phragmites. Inter-genotypic competition suppressed aboveground biomass of both native …

Hong Kong Happiness Index 2010 香港快樂指數 2010, Lok Sang Ho

Hong Kong Happiness Index 香港快樂指數調查

Lingnan University’s Centre for Public Policy Studies (CPPS) today announced survey findings of the “Hong Kong Happiness Index 2010”. According to the survey, Hong Kong people in 2010 continue to enjoy high levels of happiness similar to what they enjoyed in the previous year, with the overall happiness index at 70.1, not much different from the 2009 level of 70.6 and well above the trough of 67.2 seen in 2007.

The survey was conducted by CPPS from Oct 18 to Oct 22 2010 via randomized phone calls. The research team successfully interviewed 834 Hong Kong residents aged 21 or above. …

The Pyramidal Pillars Model Of Afrikan Communal Development, Nikitah O. Imani

Black Studies Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

Presented at the Black African Holocaust Conference in Atlanta, Ga November 2010

A Qualitative Study Of Coping In Mothers Of Children With An Autism Spectrum Disorder, Heather Miller Kuhaneck, Tajhma Burroughs, Jamie Wright, Theresa Lemanczyk, Amy Rowntree Darragh

Occupational Therapy Faculty Publications

A significant body of research exists that explores the stressors of raising a child with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). There are fewer studies, however, that examine specific effective coping strategies of mothers of children with an ASD. This qualitative study explored mothers’ perceptions of effective coping strategies for their parenting stressors. In-depth interviews were conducted with 11 mothers to inquire about their personal coping methods. Interviews were coded and emergent themes identified which included coping strategies such as “me time,” “planning,” “knowledge is power,” “sharing the load,” “lifting the restraints of labels,” and “recognizing the joys.” The information from …

Environmental Justice: Improving Inclusion Of Minorities In Environmental Work In Bloomington-Normal, Il, Emmy Grace '11

Outstanding Senior Seminar Papers

The Ecology Action Center provides environmental education, information and outreach for McLean County, Illinois. In an effort to make services accessible to the entire county, the Ecology Action Center realizes the need to better reach the minority community in Bloomington-Normal. This study examines the environmental justice concerns in relation to minority involvement in environmental work; environmental concerns among minorities; and environmental outreach to minorities and low-income people. This project reveals that regardless of race, all people share environmental concerns; however, the kinds of concerns may differ. The culmination of this project provides suggestions for how the Ecology Action Center can …

Geographic Factors Of Residential Burglaries - A Case Study In Nashville, Tennessee, Jonathan A. Hall

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This study examines geographic patterns and geographic factors of residential burglary at the Nashville, TN area for a twenty year period at five year interval starting in 1988. The purpose of this study is to identify what geographic factors have impacted on residential burglary rates, and if there were changes in the geographic patterns of residential burglary over the study period. Several criminological theories guide this study, with the most prominent being Social Disorganization Theory and Routine Activities Theory. Both of these theories focus on the relationships of place and crime. A number of spatial analysis methods are hence adopted …

Sex Ratios, Divorce Laws And The Marriage Market, Brishti Guha

Research Collection School Of Economics

We show how an interaction between the skewness of the sex ratio and the jump in divorce rates after a liberalization in divorce laws can obtain in a model of marriage market matching with non-transferable utility. This model is partly motivated by a significant cross-country correlation between these two variables. We also find that men’s hopes or fears about women’s marriage market odds are self-confirming under mutual consent, resulting in multiple equilibria. The multiplicity vanishes with a more skewed sex ratio or a liberalization of divorce laws. Our work sheds some light on the possible implications of divorce liberalization and …

Back Where They Once Belonged? Local Response To Afforestation In County Kerry, Ireland, Matthew S. Carroll, Áine Ní Dhubháin, Courtney G. Flint

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

Afforestation has many benefits at the local regional and global scale. The local social impacts of planting new forests, however, depend on a variety of contextual factors and other details including who is doing the planting, which species are being planted, the location of the planting and, perhaps most importantly, existing land uses and their linkage to social and economic circumstances. This article presents case study research into these issues in two places in County Kerry Ireland. Utilising the concept of the differentiated landscape, we examine the somewhat varying social responses to afforestation in the two study sites in light …

Kinchlow, Gina Lloyce (Fa 12), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 12. Interviews conducted by Gina Lloyce Kinchlow with three Kinchlow family members concerning African American, middle class family life and Easter customs in New Albany, Floyd County, Indiana during the 1960s and 1970s.

Race And Pedagogy National Conference 2010 Program, University Of Puget Sound

Race and Pedagogy Conference

Program for the 2010 Race and Pedagogy National Conference, hosted by the Race & Pedagogy Institute at the University of Puget Sound

Reporting The Rhetoric, Implementation Of The United Nations Convention On The Rights Of The Child As Represented In Ireland's Second Report To The Un Committee On The Rights Of The Child: A Critical Discourse Analysis, Rachel Kiersey, Noirin Hayes

Articles

Ireland’s second periodic report to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) presents the government’s case that it is succeeding in protecting and promoting the rights of all children in Ireland. This article presents a critical discourse analysis of the governments Report to the CRC. Using a refined critical discourse analysis (CDA) model, based on the framework proposed by Chouliaraki & Fairclough (1999); the linguistic structure of the Report is examined alongside consideration of the wider socio-political context in which it exists. The Report is itself a promotional genre . It lists legislative change, strategy plans …

The Unequal Distribution Of Child Poverty: Highest Rates Among Young Blacks And Children Of Single Mothers In Rural America, Marybeth J. Mattingly, Jessica A. Bean

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

Measuring by race, place, and family, this brief highlights poverty rates for two rural groups--young black children and children of single mothers--who each face rates around 50%.

Privacy Torts: Unreliable Remedies For Lgbt Plaintiffs, Anita L. Allen

All Faculty Scholarship

In the United States, both constitutional law and tort law recognize the right to privacy, understood as legal entitlement to an intimate life of one’s own free from undue interference by others and the state. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (“LGBT”) persons have defended their interests in dignity, equality, autonomy, and intimate relationships in the courts by appealing to that right. In the constitutional arena, LGBT Americans have claimed the protection of state and federal privacy rights with a modicum of well-known success. Holding that homosexuals have the same right to sexual privacy as heterosexuals, Lawrence v. Texas symbolizes the …

Failed States And The Spread Of Terrorism In Sub-Saharan Africa, Tiffiany O. Howard

Political Science Faculty Research

Plagued by systematic state failure, sub-Saharan Africa's failed states have helped facilitate internationally sponsored terrorist networks and operations. However, until recently, this type of activity was primarily relegated to North Africa and the Horn. But that has begun to change. Now, what was once a seemingly benign terrorist presence in sub-Saharan Africa is starting to transform into a movement, with states such as Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) now lending arms, financial support, and radical militants to the extremist jihadist movement of internationally sponsored terrorist organizations such as Al Qaeda. Further, with the …

Teachers Matter: Feelings Of School Connectedness And Positive Youth Development Among Coos County Youth, Nena F. Stracuzzi, Meghan L. Mills

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

Students who feel positively about their education, have a sense of belonging in school, and maintain good relationships with students and staff generally feel connected to their schools. In fact, 63 percent of Coos youth report feeling this way. It is one of the most important factors in promoting socio-emotional well-being and positive youth development, according to authors Nena Stracuzzi and Meghan Mills. Their research, using surveys of Coos students, shows that students who feel more connected to their schools usually get better grades, have higher self-esteem, use fewer substances, and engage in aggressive behaviors less frequently. Their latest brief …

Irish Healthcare; The Evidence On Communicating Policy., Vivienne Byers

Conference Papers

The complexity of the health care environment necessitates that health policy, legislative objectives, resource allocation models, and management structures be aligned to plan and deliver healthcare services strategically. Policy in the Irish health care system is guided by the National Health Strategy of 2001; in that there should be equitable distribution of health services focused on the need of the citizen-client. Though the Strategy uses the words ‘evidence based’, ‘population health’, ‘equity’, ‘people-centred’ and ‘health and social gain’, there is little evidence that these concepts have gained purchase in the present implementation of policy and planning in Irish health care …

Sleep And Delinquency: Does The Amount Of Sleep Matter?, Samantha S. Clinkinbeard, Peter Simi, Mary K. Evans, Amy L. Anderson

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Sleep, a key indicator of health, has been linked to a variety of indicators of well-being such that people who get an adequate amount generally experience greater well-being. Further, a lack of sleep has been linked to a wide range of negative developmental outcomes, yet sleep has been largely overlooked among researchers interested in adolescent delinquency. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between hours of sleep and delinquent behavior among adolescents by using data from Wave 1 of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (n = 14,382; 50.2% female, 63.5% white). A series of …

Glbt Center Minutes From October 2010 Gender Neutral Bathroom Meeting‏, Joseph A. Santiago, Chip Yensan, Riley Davis, Kevin Cruz

Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer Center

This document is the GLBT Center Minutes from October 2010 Gender Neutral Bathroom Meeting‏.

Take Pride In America In Southern Nevada: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Covering October 5, 2010 – January 4, 2010, Margaret N. Rees

Anti-littering Programs

• The Hector’s Helpers program with the Clark County School District continued curriculum development.
• The team was selected to serve on the litter and recycling work group for Keep Las Vegas Beautiful.
• The team continued to develop the GIS database.
• A total of 12 clean-up events were conducted this quarter.

Take Pride In America In Southern Nevada: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Covering July 5, 2010 – October 4, 2010, Margaret N. Rees

Anti-littering Programs

• The street team portion of the media campaign was completed.
• The Hector’s Helpers program with the Clark County School District continued curriculum development.
• The team was selected to serve on the litter and recycling work group for Keep Las Vegas Beautiful.
• The team continued to develop the GIS database.
• A total of five clean-up events were conducted this quarter.

The Intermountain West Today: A Regional Survey, Ruy Teixeira, Karlyn Bowman

Brookings Mountain West Publications

What does it mean to live in the Intermountain West today? What issues are most and least important to the region’s residents? Do Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah have a collective identity or are state-level differences too great? Is there an identifiable Intermountain West personality? Today we will present the results of a unique survey that attempts to answer these questions.

Wives As Breadwinners: Wives' Share Of Family Earnings Hits Historic High During The Second Year Of The Great Recession, Kristin Smith

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

In the second year of the recession, wives' contributions to family earnings leapt again, jumping two percentage points from 45 percent in 2008 to 47 percent in 2009. This rise marks the largest single-year increase in 15 years. This is not due to an increase in their earnings but rather to a decrease in husband’s employment, as the economy disproportionately shed male-dominated jobs during the recession.

The Impacts Of European Colonial Terrorism On Africans, Asafa Jalata

Social Work Publications and Other Works

This article critically explores the essence and characters of European colonial terrorism and its main consequences on various African peoples during racial slavery, colonization, and incorporation into the European-dominated capitalist world system between the late 15th and 20th centuries. It employs multidimensional, comparative methods, and critical approaches to explain the dynamic interplay among social structures, human agency, and terrorism to critically understand the connections among terrorism, the emergence of globalization, and African underdevelopment. The piece focuses on four central issues: First, it conceptualizes and theorizes terrorism to clarify its roles in creating and maintaining the global system. Second, it focuses …

European Colonial Terrorism And The Incorporation Of Africa Into The Capitalist World System, Asafa Jalata

Sociology Publications and Other Works

This article critically explores the essence and characters of European colonial terrorism and its main consequences on various African peoples during racial slavery, colonization, and incorporation into the European-dominated capitalist world system between the late 15th and 20th centuries. It employs multidimensional, comparative methods, and critical approaches to explain the dynamic interplay among social structures, human agency, and terrorism to critically understand the connections among terrorism, the emergence of globalization, and African underdevelopment. The piece focuses on four central issues: First, it conceptualizes and theorizes terrorism to clarify its roles in creating and maintaining the global system. Second, it focuses …

Gloucester Marine Station: Future Development Feasibility Study, Jack F. Ahern, Ben Eli Webb

Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning Studio and Student Research and Creative Activity

The study commenced in July 2009 with historical research about the site and its context, site analysis, including the existing conditions and development regulations. This analysis included: topography, soils, vegetation, structures, utilities, easements, property deed, and city, state, and federal regulations. From this analysis an assessment of future development potentials was made based on the existing data/documents from UMass files, public records, Mass GIS data, site visits, and interviews with Gloucester, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and other officials and stakeholders. From the assessment we identified potential future uses, building locations, and feasible alternative layouts of the site. These alternatives were summarily …

Sociology, Economics, And Gender: Can Knowledge Of The Past Contribute To A Better Future?, Julie A. Nelson

Economics Faculty Publication Series

This essay explores the profoundly gendered nature of the split between the disciplines of economics and sociology which took place in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, emphasizing implications for the relatively new field of economic sociology. Drawing on historical documents and feminist studies of science, it investigates the gendered processes underlying the divergence of the disciplines in definition, method, and degree of engagement with social problems. Economic sociology has the potential to heal this disciplinary split, but only if the field is broadened, deepened, and made wiser and more self-reflective through the use of feminist analysis.

Conference Program: Second Annual Interdisciplinary Conference On Human Trafficking

Second Annual Interdisciplinary Conference on Human Trafficking, 2010

Sessions and speakers

From Pseudoscience To Protoscience: Estimating Human Trafficking And Modern Forms Of Slavery, Amanda J. Gould

Second Annual Interdisciplinary Conference on Human Trafficking, 2010

Scholars and authors in the field of human trafficking and modern slavery are quick to note the problem of estimating the number of victims. Their works are usually devoid of an appropriate explanation, though, of why there is a problem. Many recognise victims are part of a hidden population and know that they cannot simply be counted. From this they assume that estimates are inherently unreliable. The problem here is not that there are only estimates, but that the estimates are based on either faulty grounds or no apparent methodology at all. Estimation techniques are common in many fields including …

A Market Analysis Of Human Trafficking Systems, Dwayne Ball, Julie Pennington, Ronald Hampton, Anh Nguyen

Second Annual Interdisciplinary Conference on Human Trafficking, 2010

IF YOU UNDERSTAND A MARKETING SYSTEM, YOU CAN UNDERSTAND HOW TO DISRUPT IT.
HUMAN TRAFFICKING AS A MARKETING SYSTEM

Environments in which it operates

Boundaries
physical
in terms of its inputs and outputs

Nodes at which the “product” is
recruited
transported
transformed
exploited
disposed of

Roles of various players
Exchanges
Profit allocations
Structures; governance
Ownership flows
Dynamic mutability
Outcomes to all involved and society as a whole

The "Download" button (at right) goes to a PDF version of the PowerPoint presentation. The PowerPoint slides are also attached (below) as a "Related file."

Media Representation And Human Trafficking: How Anti-Trafficking Discourse Affects Trafficked Persons, Caroline S. Wallinger

Second Annual Interdisciplinary Conference on Human Trafficking, 2010

Competing representations of human trafficking in the media and within the movement have contributed to a general confusion of public perceptions of human trafficking as a social phenomenon. Various activist and political groups have, over the years, divided, delineated and classified trafficking into a series of categories including sex trafficking, labor trafficking and child exploitation. These categories have become an integral part of the collective understanding of human trafficking and they have played a primary role in the crafting of national and international anti-trafficking legislation.

This paper stems from a master‘s thesis which analyzes the discourse on human trafficking, its …