Digital Commons Network^™

Online Crime Reporting: A New Threat To Police Legitimacy?, Kris Henning, Kimberly Kahn, Kathryn Wuschke, Christian Peterson, Stephen Yakots

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications and Presentations

Police are more likely to be perceived as legitimate when officers are procedurally just during interactions with the public (i.e. impartial, transparent, fair and respectful). Efforts to reinforce these skills have largely focused on contacts initiated by officers. Less attention has been paid to interactions with crime victims. Moreover, in recent years many police departments have sought to increase efficiency by directing victims to report online, rather than communicating directly with an officer. Very little is known about how victims experience online reporting systems. This study surveyed 1,198 property crime victims who used a large US police department’s online reporting …

Construction Contracting In The Zero Emission Transportation Sector: Evidence From Underrepresented Businesses, Gökçe Soydemir, Orestis P. Panagopoulos

Mineta Transportation Institute

This study investigates the degree to which underrepresented construction contractors face challenges in California's zero-emission transportation sector to devise a simpler and more efficient bonding structure. Using a survey dispersed over underrepresented businesses across the state, the study provides several suggestions for a statewide bonding program that caters to the needs of contractors. Both qualitative and quantitative methods are used in the study. The survey data are evaluated using econometric tools to analyze whether there are any statistically significant associations between contractors' characteristics and their industry experiences. Focus groups and focused interviews are conducted to identify those perspectives the survey …

From Theory To Screen: Strain In The Gallagher Experience, Caroline H. Peabody

OUR Journal: ODU Undergraduate Research Journal

This paper applies Agnew’s General Strain Theory to the hit television series Shameless (US), primarily focusing on three of the show’s central characters. The paper argues that the characters’ criminal and deviant actions can be attributed to strain, as defined by Robert Agnew’s General Strain Theory (GST). The paper provides a basic overview of GST as well as a synopsis of the show before implementing the theory into an analysis of the show. In addition, this paper explores how criminality highlights the themes of Shameless and acts as an implicit call to action to address strain variables in underprivileged communities. …

Devices And Dining: A Cross-Cultural Analysis Of Mobile Device Use In Italian And American Restaurants, O'Malley Jenkins

Senior Theses

The field of technology ethics has seen increasing growth and interest over the years. Many have begun to consider the impacts of technology’s use and whether it is being employed in a healthy manner by users. However, there has been limited investigation into whether the ways in which technology use varies across cultures. This study begins to address this gap by researching Italian and American device usage in fast food settings. Non-participant naturalistic observations were used to record data for 89 Italian and 88 American customers of fast food restaurants. Analysis of the collected data indicates that Americans use their …

Does Sport Participation Affect Physical Activity, Perceptions Of Exercise, And Physical Distress Tolerance In Adolescents?, Monica Carolina Martinez

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Today's adolescents are not attaining recommended duration of physical activity (PA), which can impact their physical and mental health. Sport participation may be an avenue to increase PA as well as improve positive perceptions of exercise and distress tolerance during PA. We investigated whether sport participation among adolescents influences their overall PA levels as well as PA covariates. We also evaluated the impact of the number of sports an individual participates in on their positive perceptions of PA. Methods: PA data was recorded using the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents (PAQ-A) and a waist-worn accelerometer. Participants also completed the …

Strategies For Prevention And Management Of Non-Communicable Diseases Among Community Women In Nigeria: Insights For Family Social Welfare, Abiola Adiat Omokhabi Dr

Journal of Human Services: Training, Research, and Practice

In this study, modifiable risk factors, prevention and management plans for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) among women were examined. This study examined published and grey literature that was gathered from a number of sources, such as open data portals on the five major illness categories that make up the NCDs such as cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), diabetes, malignancies, chronic respiratory diseases, and mental health. Literature shows that the primary behavioural risk factors for NCDs, including CVDs, diabetes, and cancer(malignancies), can be largely avoided. Inactivity, tobacco use, alcohol use, and unhealthy eating habits (often high in processed sugar, fats, and salt) are a …

Clinton's Community Market, Ella Brewer, Eme Wratten, James Mull, Madison Poulson, Mallory Pike, Myah Stewart, Torie Williams

2024 Fall Reports (Clinton)

This report presents a comprehensive plan to revitalize a historical building in Clinton, which has long served as a community hub. Originally home to a JC Penney store, the building now functions as an event space and a public resource, including hosting the Kids Kare facility that provides daycare and learning support for children. The city’s goal is to preserve the building's legacy while enhancing its role in the community by introducing new features that promote economic growth and broaden its accessibility. Our team worked closely with city staff to explore opportunities for expanding the building’s use while preserving its …

The Role Of Grandparents In Facilitating Children’S Physical Activity, Michelle I. Jongenelis, Timothy Budden, Hayley Christian, David A. Coall, Ben Jackson, Andrea Nathan, Emma Glassenbury

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Research suggests there is considerable opportunity to improve children’s movement behaviors while they are being cared for by their grandparents. An understanding of the extent to which grandparent practices facilitate children’s engagement in physical activity is critical to the development of health interventions targeting grandparent caregivers. This study examined the activity-related beliefs and practices of grandparents and their association with grandchildren’s engagement in various movement behaviors while in grandparental care. Methods: Australian grandparents (N = 1190; 60% women) who provided regular care to a grandchild aged 3–14 years were recruited via a web panel provider to complete an online …

Negara Hukum Kesejahteraan Di Batas Pantai: Paradoks Perlindungan Negara Terhadap Masyarakat Pesisir Di Tengah Perubahan Iklim, Aji Baskoro

Jurnal Ilmu Kesejahteraan Sosial

Climate change poses significant challenges to vulnerable coastal communities in Indonesia. As a welfare state, the Indonesian government is expected to safeguard these vulnerable groups through policies that promote their welfare and sustainable livelihoods. However, current policies create a paradox. This article explores this paradox: on the one hand, Indonesia adheres to the welfare state principle, which demands that all government actions be grounded in law, ensuring public safety and welfare. On the other hand, the policies focus on exploiting natural resources, exacerbating the vulnerabilities of coastal communities, particularly in the face of climate change. The article employs a normative …

Aging In Maynard: A Community Needs Assessment, Caitlin E. Coyle, Mary Krebs

Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging Publications

This report describes research undertaken by the Center for Social & Demographic Research on Aging (CSDRA), within the Gerontology Institute at the University of Massachusetts Boston, on behalf of the Town of Maynard. The report supports the Council on Aging’s objective to identify and serve the needs of residents age 50 and older. The contents of this report are meant to inform the Town of Maynard, the Maynard Council on Aging (COA), the Senior Center, and organizations that work with and on behalf of older residents of Maynard for the purposes of COA mission fulfillment alongside planning and coordination of …

Intention Or Perception? Signaling Theory In The Online World, Mohona Mandal

Theses and Dissertations

Backlash on social media in response to online behaviors is swift and often decisive with significant consequences. One possible reason for this is that online actions are perceived as reflective of a person’s true self. Signaling theory provides support for this argument and suggests that people intentionally display information about themselves to communicate their beliefs to others. While existing work suggests that social media posts are intentional, social media interactions such as likes, comments, and reposts might also function similarly (i.e., as a signal of beliefs). Two studies were conducted to explore whether interacting with online content is perceived as …

Female's Digital Self-Making On Tiktok: Identity Construction Through A Framework Of Postfeminist Media And Neoliberalism (2016-2024), Lindsey A. Pritchard

Senior Theses

This thesis explores the relationship between TikTok's algorithmic design, women's identity construction, and the feminist historical context that shapes these constructions. In Chapter 1, "TikTok, Algorithmic Design, and Self-Making," I analyze how TikTok's algorithm functions and how these factors influence the curation and presentation of identity. This chapter establishes the foundational understanding of TikTok as a platform where identity performance is deeply intertwined with algorithmic design.

Chapter 2, "TikTok Feminism and Identity Commodification" examines the commodification of women's identities on the platform. It investigates the historical context of feminism and its evolution into postfeminism, analyzing how these narratives have been …

Investigating Gender Bias In Large Language Models Through Text Generation, Shweta Soundararajan, Sarah Jane Delany

Conference papers

Large Language Models (LLMs) have swiftly become essential tools across diverse text generation applications. However, LLMs also raise significant ethical and societal concerns, particularly regarding potential gender biases in the text they produce. This study investigates the presence of gender bias in four LLMs: ChatGPT 3.5, ChatGPT 4, Llama 2 7B, and Llama 2 13B. By generating a gendered language dataset using these LLMs, focusing on sentences about men and women, we analyze the extent of gender bias in their outputs. Our evaluation is two-fold: we use the generated dataset to train a gender stereotype detection task and measure gender …

Childhood Adversity's Impact On Criminal Behavior, Isobel Marie Avento

Theses and Dissertations

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), such as abuse, neglect, and family criminal history, have been identified as potential risk factors for negative physical, psychological, and behavioral health outcomes. Emerging literature suggests that ACEs are also among the primary factors leading to delinquency and adult criminal behavior. However, there is limited applied research that provides practitioners with appropriate insight to intervene when ACEs are identified among juvenile delinquents to reduce recidivism risk. This study adds to the existing literature by examining how cumulative ACEs shape criminal behavior of individuals from the onset until its desistance over the span of twenty years. Using …

What Is Beyond Measurement For Social Cohesion?, Qian Hui Tricia Tok, Orlando Woods, Lily Kong

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

“What gets measured gets managed” has long been a mantra to rally improvement throughout various domains of life. Perhaps this is also the case for existing work on social cohesion, whereby much of its conceptual and operational elements have received interest in both academic and policy research aiming for practical improvement with regard to the cohesiveness of communities and societies. We contend, however, that not everything that matters for social cohesion may be measurable, and not everything that has been measured for social cohesion may matter. This is not to suggest that not measuring any indicators is better than measuring …

50 Universities Working On Research In Public Health Technologies, Angie Holzer, Erica Bassett

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

No abstract provided.

Joni September 2024 Full Issue, Angie Holzer

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

No abstract provided.

Mass Shootings In The United States, Sydney Livingston

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

High rates of mass shootings are becoming a uniquely American problem; the US makes up 73% of the world’s mass shootings, yet makes up only 4.25% of the world’s population. School shootings, in particular, have increased dramatically in the US since the Columbine High School shooting in 1999, an event many perpetrators have since drawn upon as inspiration. There is a strong divide of opinions in the nation regarding how firearm deaths should be reduced, which has complicated and slowed progress in identifying effective solutions. Each mass shooting causes additional shootings to occur, and each one takes a toll on …

Research Summaries: Global Health, Lakell Archer, Sumaya Ali, Erica Jensen

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

No abstract provided.

Civic Education For Civic Leadership: Renewing Faith In Democracy, Ryan V. Weaver

eJournal of Public Affairs

Civic education and civic leadership are at the forefront of renewing faith in democracy on our campuses and communities. There is an urgent need for higher education to return to its historical foundation to fulfill the mission of democracy by educating students for democratic citizenship (Harkavy, 2006). Effectively integrating curricular and co-curricular civic engagement involves a balanced approach that is “both political and non-political” (Ehrlich, 2000, p. vi) to guide students to identify core values, develop civic knowledge, and build civic leadership skills (Finley, 2011; Hurtado, 2019). Civic leadership is an integral student learning outcome embedded within civic engagement praxis, …

The Rattler (Volume 113, Issue 2), St. Mary's University

The Rattler (Previous issues)

Founded in 1919, The Rattler is the student voice of St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas. The newspaper documents campus life, academic and social issues, student opinion, and local and national events as they relate to the University community. Content typically includes news articles, editorial commentary, arts and culture coverage, sports reporting, and advertisements.

Notes From The Field - A Militarização Do Espaço Urbano Do Rio De Janeiro: Grupos Armados, Forças De Segurança E Forças Armadas E A Disputa Por Território, Thiago Sardinha

Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies

The Militarization of the Urban Space of Rio de Janeiro is the synthesis of different historical processes: The state through massive incarceration of black and racialized people, and the systematic elimination of black poor people from favelas through urban policing operations by security and armed forces, traffic patrols, and paramilitary/vigilante groups. Together, they result in the production of different actors that exert violent territorial domination for economic exploitation and social control.

Discovering Factors That Influence Young African American Males' (18-25) Satisfaction With And Trust In Northeast Ohio Police, Timothy David Finucan Jr

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Police officers have been known to use excessive force and abuse their powers during encounters with young African American males (ages 18 to 25), which may lead to lower perception levels of police. This study provides crucial information for criminal justice professionals about the psychological and demographic factors that influence young African American males’ perceptions of police. The purpose of this study was to analyze these factors that influence how young African American males perceive law enforcement after having an encounter with the police and how to make future encounters more pleasurable. The research question in this study was used …

Social Ecological Predictors And Correlates Of Latinos' Ipv Behaviors: A Systematic Review And Critique Of The Research Literature., Adrian Luis Manriquez, Eric S. Mankowski

Psychology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The current paper utilizes an ecological level of analysis framework to review and critique the literature surrounding predictors, correlates, and antecedents of Latinos' intimate partner violence (IPV) behaviors. More specifically, the ecological levels of analysis framework was employed to demonstrate how Latino males' IPV perpetration is being understood and studied. A total of n = 34 peer-reviewed articles were reviewed and critiqued. Findings indicated that most IPV research is being conducted at and comprehended from the individual (n = 33; 97%) and microsystem/small group (n = 24; 71%) levels of analysis, while linkages to organizational, locality, and institutional levels of …

Missing Spies And Political Murder: The Fbi And The Construction Of Crime, Denise Lynn

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

Juliet Stuart Poyntz disappeared in June 1937 from Manhattan, New York. She was never seen again. The disappearance was not reported until December and the police did not begin a formal investigation until January 1938. Sick from lupus, without her prescriptions, the 50-year-old Poyntz was likely already dead, but her friends did not believe it was because of her untreated disease, it was more likely the Soviet Secret police killed her. One friend in particular, anarchist Carlo Tresca, was very loud in accusing the Soviet Union of her abduction and murder. Tresca gave a press statement, testified before a grand …

Reporting Gunshots: Prevalence, Correlates, And Obstacles To Calling The Police, Kris Henning, Joshua Carmony, Somalia Johnson Calloway, Christian Peterson

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications and Presentations

Accurately documenting where and when firearms are discharged is a critical first step in gun violence prevention. Many cities rely on police calls for service as their primary source for this information. Recent studies find, however, that citizens underreport gunshots. This has led some communities to invest in gunshot detection technology (GDT) as an alternative data source. GDT remains an expensive and often controversial solution with limited evidence for long-term benefits. This underscores the need for additional research on third-party reporting of gunshots. The current study, conducted in Portland Oregon, surveyed 1,240 residents in 23 neighborhoods with above-average firearm discharges. …

Crisis Of Youth Homelessness In Birmingham, Alabama, Velma Annette Williams

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The economic and educational conditions of Jefferson County, Alabama, have contributed significantly to the increase of homeless families with children (LaGory et al., 2018). The failures of the foster care system have exponentially increased the population of homeless youth ages 19 to 26 (Burge et al., 2021). The lack of efficient public transportation emergency and affordable long-term housing has created a permanent population of homelessness (Kelly, 2020). Within the homeless culture, the increased incidents of violence, substance abuse, and sexual and physical abuse combined with functional illiteracy create an environment that breeds repetitive behaviors that reproduce the homeless outcomes (Burge …

Gsep Research Symposium Proceedings - 2024

GSEP Research Symposium

The 8th Annual GSEP Research Symposium, was themed "Dismantling Barriers between Research and Practice: Shining a Light on Global Interdisciplinary Solutions," took place on July 18-19, 2024, at the picturesque Château d'Hauteville in Saint-Légier-La Chiésaz, Switzerland.

The annual symposium is hosted by the Pepperdine University Graduate School of Education and Psychology (GSEP). The symposium served as a dynamic platform for students, faculty, alums, and staff to come together and explore innovative ideas across multiple disciplines. Featuring 69 selected presentations under five distinct tracks, the proceedings showcase groundbreaking research, foster meaningful discussions, and promote professional development.

The symposium aimed to bridge …

Adaptation Of The Socioecological Model To Address Disparities In Engagement Of Black Men In Prostate Cancer Genetic Testing, Amy Leader, Timothy Rebbeck, William Oh, Alpa Patel, Eric Winer, Leeann Bailey, Leonard Gomella, Crystal Lumpkins, Isla Garraway, Lisa Aiello, Monica Baskin, Heather H Cheng, Kathleen Cooney, Amanda Ganzak, Daniel George, Susan Halabi, Feighanne Hathaway, Claire Healy, Joseph W Kim, Michael Leapman, Stacy Loeb, Kara Maxwell, Christopher Mcnair, Todd Morgan, Breanne Prindeville, Howard R Soule, Whitney Steward, Sakinah Suttiratana, Mary-Ellen Taplin, Kosj Yamoah, Thierry Fortune, Kris Bennett, Joshua Blanding-Godbolt, Laura Gross, Veda Giri

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Black men consistently have higher rates of prostate cancer (PCA)- related mortality. Advances in PCA treatment, screening, and hereditary cancer assessment center around germline testing (GT). Of concern is the significant under-engagement of Black males in PCA GT, limiting the benefit of precision therapy and tailored cancer screening despite longstanding awareness of these disparities. To address these critical disparities, the Socioecological Model (SEM) was employed to develop comprehensive recommendations to overcome barriers and implement equitable strategies to engage Black males in PCA GT.

METHODS: Clinical/research experts, national organization leaders, and community stakeholders spanning multiple regions in US and Africa …

Advancing Consensual Non-Monogamy In Psychological Research, Practice, And Policy: A Guide For Psychologists, Amy C. Moors, Michelle Denise Vaughan, Sharon M. Flicker, Kaiponanea T. Matsumura, Heath A. Schechinger

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

In this article, we present a brief overview of the topic of consensual non-monogamy (CNM) as a scientific inquiry, including reviews related to stigma, relationship functioning, and health and well-being. Next, we discuss how psychologists can be more responsive to people who engage in CNM, by (1) conducting research that is inclusive of CNM, including challenging mononormativity in theory and measurement; (2) training clinicians to be more knowledgeable about CNM, including expanding diversity requirements and evidence-based clinical practice; (3) working in advocacy to help shape law and policy, including future directions for research to inform marital/family and antidiscrimination law. Our …