Digital Commons Network^™

Mental Health Difficulties And Service Use Of Incarcerated Women: The Influence Of Violence Perpetration And Victimization, Rachel C. Casey

Theses and Dissertations

The present study aimed to expand the knowledge base regarding incarcerated women’s experiences with violence and their mental health with the goal of identifying avenues for more tailored, compassionate responses to their mental health difficulties in both macro and direct practice contexts. To achieve this aim, a secondary data analysis was performed using data from the Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities (SISCF) completed by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) in 2004. Six research questions pertaining to women’s experiences with violence and their mental health difficulties and service utilization guided the inquiry, which involved univariate, bivariate, and multivariate …

Mobile Enchantment: The Virginia Theatre Machine Llc, A New Twist On Drive-In Theatre, Mark J. Lerman

Theses and Dissertations

A disassembling of the Virginia Theatre Machine (VTM), LLC and its annual restaging of an adaption of Charles Dickens’ novella, A Christmas Carol. The VTM is a custom-built trailer theater that combines the performance energy of street theater with the magic and wonder of a fully designed theatrical production. I provide a historical context for this 21^st century revising of mobile theater that switches the paradigm of the traditional theater experience by bringing the stage to audiences, for free. I draw from critical social and cultural theory to make sense of the audience impact in public and private outdoor …

Faculty And Staff Perceptions About Concealed Carry Initiatives And Their Effect On Campus Safety: A Multi-State Examination, Heidi Marie Ahl-Quanbeck

Theses and Dissertations

Concealed carry on campus is a polarizing debate affecting higher education today. Concealed carry refers to the carrying of a weapon in public while concealed from view. Prompted by isolated instances of gun violence as well as the changing gun culture within our society, ten states now permit weapons on campus as a result of legislation or institutional policy. Yet, little is known about faculty and staff perspectives on concealed carry on campus initiatives or how weapons could affect perceptions about campus safety. The purpose of this study is to better understand faculty and staff perspectives on concealed carry, to …

Risk Assessment Of Space Mining Ventures Using Decision Modeling And Monte Carlo Simulation, Michael Roy Jude

Theses and Dissertations

Private space exploration is beginning to receive a lot of attention, primarily driven by commercial efforts to mine asteroids. Such endeavors ultimately will require substantial amounts of investment. Yet, potential investors have no way of gauging the risk associated with space mining. The problem statement that drives this study is relatively simple: current estimates of space mining viability do not adequately factor risk into their analysis. Rather than attempting to build a business case for space mining, this research adopts a well-documented business plan and then attempts to assess the risk implicit in that plan. This research is not concerned …

Examining Rural To Urban Migration, Crime And Characteristics Of Rural Migrants Offenders -- An Exploratory Study On The Relationship Between Rural Migration And Criminal Offenses Utilizing The Online Judicial Dataset In Guangdong Province, Ziwei Qi

Theses and Dissertations

China has experienced massive internal migration in the past three decades. The rapidly growing urban population, especially the rural to urban migrant population, is the primary social concern with respect to public health and social stability that China is facing in recent decades. Both the public and private sectors have hastened to respond to the emerging needs of this socially, economically and politically marginalized group. In the current dissertation, the author utilizes judicial decisions from the Intermediate Level Courts in the Guangdong province, China, in order to examine the characteristics of rural migrant offenders, and to explore the relationship between …

A Longitudinal Analysis Of Shiftwork And Self-Reported Depression In A Police Cohort, Meghan Holst

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Shiftwork is associated with many chronic diseases stemming from the disruption of circadian rhythms. Police officers have a high risk for many adverse conditions including depression. Abnormal bodily functions, such as increased stress and disturbed sleeping patterns, may play an important role in the development and severity of depression. This study was designed to assess the association between depressive symptoms and shiftwork in a police cohort from Buffalo, NY

Methods: This longitudinal analysis consists of 470 police officers from the Buffalo Cardio-Metabolic Occupational Police Stress (BCOPS) study. Data were collected during visit 3 between 2004-2005 and visit …

The South Carolina Safety Belt Study: Large-Scale Location Sampling, Stephanie Jones

Theses and Dissertations

The South Carolina Safety Belt Study is a statewide survey completed yearly to assess the prevalence of safety belt usage on of South Carolina roads through observations from different locations across the state. Every five years the sites for observation are resampled. This thesis breaks down the most recent sampling done for the years of 2018 through 2022. Both the methodology of large scale location sampling and the mathematical idea behind the strategy employed are covered. Further, three different software packages were utilized: R, SAS, and ArcGIS. The steps that were taken and the written function code run for each …

Characterizing Health Behavior Information: Developing A Surveillance Text Mining Framework Using Twitter For Diet, Diabetes, Exercise, And Obesity, George Shaw Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

Previous studies have documented the relationship that exists among diabetes, diet, exercise, and obesity. Obesity increases people’s risk of developing heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Exercise and proper dieting are modifiable lifestyle behaviors that can help with reducing people’s overall weight and risk to various chronic conditions like diabetes. A national survey conducted by the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) is the annual Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS). Twitter provides researchers with a new opportunity and alternative data source to collect information regarding health behaviors using real-time data. Previous studies have demonstrated Twitter’s ability to monitor …

A Comprehensive Reengineering Of The Hospital Emergency Triage System, Nicholas D. Boltin

Theses and Dissertations

Hospital emergency triage and specifically Mass Casualty Incidents (MCIs) are of major concern with regard to treatment and patient outcomes. Traditional emergency department triage models are oversimplified and often lead to over/under triaging of patients. Furthermore, triage models do not account for the full spectrum of different types of MCIs which often results in misclassification. In this thesis, we begin by looking at traditional triage models currently being used in hospital systems and identify several shortcomings of using these models within the context of a chemical related MCI. I will then move to describe a new approach to creating a …

Local Incarceration As Social Control: A National Analysis Of Social, Economic, And Political Determinants Of Jail Use In The United States, Heather M. Ouellette

Theses and Dissertations

Previous research indicates that community context impacts social control. Several scholars have identified social, economic and political factors to be important predictors of police force size, arrests rates and incarceration rates. Few studies, however, have examined jail use as an indicator of formal social control. Millions of individuals pass through jails every year, and these local facilities are at the center of the criminal justice system, reflecting mobilization of social control by law enforcement, courts and corrections. Drawing from a social threat perspective and political framework, this study seeks to understand how community context affects local incarceration. Specifically, this study …

The Role Of Family And Gender In The Transfer Of And Returns To Human Capital, Liwen Chen

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores the role of family and gender in understanding the disparities in human capital accumulation and corresponding disparities in labor market outcomes. The first chapter explores the relationship between workers’ wages and the gender of their supervisor, conditioning on the occupational gender composition. It develops a theoretical model suggesting that supervisors’ task assignment accuracy is affected disparately in occupations of different gender types, leading to varying degrees of skill mismatch among workers. This leads to average wage differences between workers with female supervisors and those with male supervisors in occupations of different gender types. Consistent with the theoretical …

Catchment Hydrology In The Anthropocene: Impacts Of Land-Use And Climate Change On Stormwater Runoff, Chen-Ling Jenny Hung

Theses and Dissertations

Urbanization and climate change are associated with extreme changes to hydrologic processes that alter the amount and timing of runoff delivery in the Anthropocene. This dissertation research examined the degree of urbanization, climate change, and hydrologic responses in Rocky Branch Watershed (RBW), a small, highly urbanized catchment with dense vegetation canopy in Columbia, South Carolina. This dissertation is composed of three parts: (1) an automated algorithm for mapping building impervious areas (BIA) from remote sensing data for estimating percent impervious area (PIA), (2) a paired watershed study contrasting a forested with an urban watershed, and (3) a hydrologic simulation model …

Performance Evaluation Of Mission Critical Communications Services Over Lte Networks, Kehinde Olumide Olasupo

Theses and Dissertations

he existing Private/Professional Mobile Radio (PMR) technologies designed specifically for Mission Critical Communication (MCC) systems are narrowband and wideband devices, with limited network data capacity in emergency scenarios. They are majorly used to support MCC voice communications and low data rate applications during mission critical operations. However, the need for broadband systems that would support high radio data capacity keep increasing during major incidents and accident scenarios. Because of this, the MCC agencies were attracted by the broadband capabilities of Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology. But, the uplink capacity of LTE- based MCC systems is still a concern. In planning …

The Smuggler Journals: Transgressing And Policing The Border In The Rio Grande Valley, Lupe Alberto Flores

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis summarizes recent human smuggling scholarship and provides ethnographic insights into migrant smuggling in a border zone that is my home. Through exploring my own experiences and observations of smuggling and militarized border policing, and those of other interlocutors in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas, I advance nuanced understandings of the symbiotic processes of irregular migration and of the people who brokerage a great deal of these journeys across militarized borders. I analyze fieldnotes that highlight the quotidian realms in which gender and power play out when irregular migration takes place and argue that acts of border …

Does A Criminal Justice Degree Produce Law Enforcement Officers?, Bryan Keith Murray

Theses and Dissertations

Police departments are being asked to diversify their ranks in a job field dominated by White males. Hispanics are predicted to be the majority-minority by 2043, few studies were conducted to explore whether Hispanic students majoring in criminal justice will pursue a career in law enforcement agencies upon graduation. Therefore, it is necessary and important to investigate the willingness of Hispanic students perusing a career in law enforcement agencies and what kind of factors behind this pursuit. This research anonymously surveyed 203 students currently enrolled in a four-year Hispanic university. Gender and the liberalizing effect served as the independent variables. …

The Psychological Health Of Airline Pilots: A Flight Deck Crew’S Perceptions And Willingness To Fly, Jason Charles Herkimer

Theses and Dissertations

Pilots have an image of bravado and charisma which includes that of a hardened, unemotional professional. What happens when the inevitable hardship occurs to a pilot? In the past, physical attributes were highly sought after in the recruitment of pilots. Eventually, pilots can and will suffer from the same psychological stressors as the general population. The purpose of this study is to determine the effect stigmatizing attitudes and psychological treatment of pilots have on a flight deck crew’s willingness to fly. The current study incorporated several different methodologies including a between subjects true experimental, an analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), an …

A Content Analysis Of The Portrayal Of Refugees In U.S. News Media, Tambi Farouk Issac

Theses and Dissertations

This content analysis examined the portrayal of refugees in the United States by comparing four online news outlets—two conservative outlets: Fox News and Breitbart; and two liberal outlets: CNN and The New Yorker. Fox News and CNN are the most popular outlets among conservatives and liberals, respectively, while Breitbart and The New Yorker are the most polar. The study explored whether the frames used by online U.S. news outlets differ based on the ideological leaning of the outlet, specifically in regards to stories about refugees. Media outlets can influence the public opinion by controlling what they publish and …

Serving Their Country And Their Communities? An Exploratory Study Of The Impact Of Military Presence On County-Level Crime Rates, Rocio A. Paez

Theses and Dissertations

Criminologists have long established an association between social disorganization factors and crime. The majority of criminological literature on social disorganization, however, has overlooked the role that certain social institutions play into the equation. Specifically, the degree to which military presence, manifested by the exposure to the military institution and its personnel, influences local areas has yet to be examined from a criminological perspective. This dissertation was designed to extend this body of research by envisioning the military as a social institution salient in understanding variation in the of crime and delinquency across communities. To accomplish this, I relied on data …

Evaluating Different Approaches For The Delivery Of Probiotics To Broilers At Different Life Stages, Claudia Duneska Castaneda Bustillo

Theses and Dissertations

Probiotics are an alternative to increase broiler productivity and flock health. For this reason, the objective of the first study was to evaluate commercially available Bacillus spp. based probiotic products on their ability to reduce Salmonella Heidelberg, in vitro. Results showed that most products reduced the lower concentrations of S. Heidelberg and maintained a reduction for up to 8 h. The second study was conducted to determine if bacterial colonization occurred in a broiler chick after in ovo injection. Using bioluminescence, it was demonstrated that bacteria could migrate and colonize the embryo within 2 h after in ovo injection into …

Narrative In Police Communication: The Art Of Influence And Communication For The Modern Police Organization, Chelsea Fray

Theses and Dissertations

Violence in the City of Rockford, Illinois and surrounding cities has made the Rockford Police Department’s communication vitally important for shaping the future of the community. The primary objective of this project was to gain a greater understanding of how the local police department utilizes one particular communication channel: social media. While some research examining law enforcement’s use of social media exists, this study is unique as it specifically applies Fisher’s (1984) narrative paradigm and key concepts related to public relations functions including relationship building. The analysis revealed that the department does utilize some narrative concepts, but could certainly reevaluate …

Legitimation Strategies In Egyptian Political Discourse: The Case Of Presidential Speeches, Hala Mohammed Said

Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this thesis was to explore the use of language in one of the ways in which it manifests symbolic power (Bourdieu, 2001) in discourse and society. This study investigated the semantic-functional (van Leeuwen, 1995, 2007, 2008; van Leeuwen & Wodak, 1999) strategies used by Egyptian political actors to legitimize controversial events within their public discourse. By adopting a critical discourse analysis (CDA) perspective and utilizing van Leeuwen's legitimation framework (van Leeuwen, 2007, 2008), the analysis was performed on two Egyptian political speeches delivered by President Al Sisi. The first speech addressed the Egyptian government's decision to sign …

The Effectiveness Of The Flipped Classroom For Students With Learning Disabilities In An Algebra I Resource Setting, Ashley Butterick

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was: (a) to examine the effectiveness of using the flipped classroom model to improve the academic scores of students with a specific learning disabilities (SLD), (b) to examine the effectiveness of using the flipped classroom to improve rates of homework completion by students with a SLD and (c) to evaluate student satisfaction and perception of the flipped classroom intervention. Five high school students, four males and one female, with a SLD participated in the study. A single subject ABAB design was used. During the baseline phases, students received Algebra I instruction through a traditional classroom …

Effectiveness Of The Mandt System Aggression Management Training In An Inpatient Behavioral Health Program, Yolanda Mcdade

Theses and Dissertations

Research is lacking on the efficacy of aggression management training programs based on clinical outcomes. This study examined the efficacy of an aggression management training on managing aggression and violent behavior at East Mississippi State Hospital (EMSH), an inpatient behavioral health program. This training, The Mandt System, replaced a previous training, Techniques for the Management of Aggressive Behavior (TMAB), which was considered to be non-replicable outside state facilities in Mississippi. This study should not be seen as a comparative study between The Mandt System and TMAB, but rather as an investigation into the effects of implementing The Mandt System as …

Examining The Safety Climate Of U.S. Based Aviation Maintenance, Repair, And Overhaul (Mro) Organizations, Kole Osaretin Uhuegho

Theses and Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was twofold: (a) to replicate Fogarty (2005) by determining if the current study’s data were consistent with Fogarty’s model involving the three constructs of Safety Climate, Psychological Strain, and Errors; and (b) to examine the extent to which the sample data supported Bandura’s (1977) reciprocal causation model involving the three corresponding dimensions of Environment, Person, and Behavior. The study used an explanatory correlational design to measure the relationships between the targeted variables associated with U.S based civilian MRO workers. Safety Climate/Environment variables included recognition, safety concern, supervision, feedback, and training; Psychological Strain/Person variables included …

The Right To Be Forgotten: Analyzing Conflicts Between Free Expression And Privacy Rights, Mindy Weston

Theses and Dissertations

As modern technology continues to affect civilization, the issue of electronic rights grows in a global conversation. The right to be forgotten is a data protection regulation specific to the European Union but its consequences are creating an international stir in the fields of mass communication and law. Freedom of expression and privacy rights are both founding values of the United States which are protected by constitutional amendments written before the internet also changed those fields. In a study that analyzes the legal process of when these two fundamental values collide, this research offers insight into both personal and judicial …

Application-Driven Traffic Sensor System Acceptance Tests For Intelligent Transportation Systems, Thiago Goncalves Pereira Mendonca

Theses and Dissertations

Transportation agencies strive to keep people and goods moving. Operation and maintenance of transportation infrastructure is key to accomplish their objectives. Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) applications rely on massive detection grids that collectively demand significant maintenance resources. Resource constraints force transportation agencies to look for innovative ways to optimize their operational and maintenance costs while serving their users at intended performance levels. This paper presents a Systems Engineering (SE) view to derive traffic detection sensor requirements for components and subsystems based on application-specific needs. The goal of the approach is to obtain stakeholders view of an acceptable performance based on …

Single Waypoint Zem/Zev Based Closed-Loop Controller Design For Rendezvous With A Rotating Target, Armando Alvarez Rolins

Theses and Dissertations

The research presented in this thesis addresses a very specific kind of autonomous rendezvous procedure between two spacecraft in close proximity, namely that in which the chaser object is attempting to dock at a location on a rotating target which is tracing a circle perpendicular to the axis of rotation. The approaches that have been mentioned in literature which focus on this specific condition make use of offline optimization algorithms to plot the trajectory of the chaser and use closed-loop control to follow that trajectory. This method is computationally demanding and does not allow for feedback in the desired boundary …

Cognitive Maps Of Educators' Attitudes Toward Unauthorized Immigrants: A Multidimensional Scaling Perspective, Kerry Pecho

Theses and Dissertations

Legislative acts, political discourse, and social movements have highlighted how who immigrants are and where they are from play a substantial role in how they are received. Ewing (2012) noted that decisions regarding the U.S. immigration system are “often shaped more by public fears and anxieties than by sound public policy” (p. 2). The media often ignore the multiple challenges faced by immigrants and instead focus solely on their legal status (Nittle, 2012). Experiencing prejudice, on an individual and institutional level, has detrimental effects on the individual’s physical well-being, emotional well-being, and achievements and success in life. Research has indicated …

Application Of Ground Penetrating Radar To Highway-Related Problems, Rauf Rejab Hussein

Theses and Dissertations

The Broadway Bridge, constructed in 1923, crosses the Arkansas River in the downtown area of Little Rock, AR and was the main crossing point between Little Rock and North Little Rock. The structural deterioration of the bridge reached a level beyond patch and repair. Accordingly, the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department (AHTD), in collaboration with the City of Little Rock, allocated the required resources ($98.4M) to demolish and replace the bridge. Due to the age of the bridge site and the limited knowledge of the subsurface utility layout, it became clear that geotechnical work be done in order to map …

Using Lidar Data To Analyze Access Management Criteria In Utah, Marlee Lyn Seat

Theses and Dissertations

The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) has completed a Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data inventory that includes access locations across the UDOT network. The new data are anticipated to be extremely useful in better defining safety and in completing a systemwide analysis of locations where safety could be improved, or where safety has been improved across the state. The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Brigham Young University (BYU) has worked with the new data to perform a safety analysis of the state related to access management, particularly related to driveway spacing and raised medians. The primary objective …