Digital Commons Network^™

Do You See What I Mean? Measuring Consensus Of Agreement And Understanding Of A National Weather Service Informational Graphic, Lorna M. Geggis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Media use of hurricane graphics to apprise populations vulnerable to severe weather provides a persuasive demonstration of the importance and complexity of visual communication. Surprisingly little research, however, has explored how audiences interpret weather graphics. This study examined whether the general public and the National Weather Service share a common understanding of selected weather related terms and meaning of a NWS informational graphic. Using a coorientation model, general public responses to a questionnaire were compared to definitions prescribed by the NWS. Additionally, the public were asked questions to measure trust of the NWS as a credible and reliable source of …

Student Non-Attendence In Higher Education: A Phenomenon Of Student Apathy Or Poor Pedagogy, Joanne Cleary-Holdforth

Level 3

Non-attendance at university seems to be an on-going problem that appears to transcend country, university and discipline. One need only consult the literature on this subject to appreciate the magnitude of this phenomenon (Gump 2006; McCarey et al. 2006; Sharma et al. 2005; Nicholl and Timmins 2005; Hughes 2005; Hunter and Tetley 1999; Longhurst 1999). It is a phenomenon that is both intriguing and frustrating and yet there is very little evidence of university or governmental policy on it. It is generally accepted that university is a rite of passage for its students and is, therefore, as much about a …

The Role Of Interpersonal Communication As A Branch Of Relationship Management In Law Enforcement, Nermin Ferkic

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Police officers are often recognized as tough action figures whose only job is to fight ruthless criminals. A highly rated TV show called "Cops" presents police officers as such figures. Police officers drive noticeable squad cars with top lights and a printed motto reading "to protect and serve." They are well known for their work equipment, such as: night sticks, pepper sprays, armor, handcuffs, and most noticeably, guns. This, of course, easily confirms people's idea that police officers' jobs are all about using their physical abilities. However, while working as a police officer and with police officers I realized that …

Convicted Drunk Drivers Placed In Two Community-Based Programs: A Look At Program Outcomes, Kerisha L. Alexander

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In Vigo County, Indiana, convicted drunk drivers are placed in varied community-based correctional programs. Two such programs are electronically monitored home detention and day reporting centers. Specifically, adult offenders convicted of drunk driving and sentenced to either program for an additional condition of their probation were the target of this study. The objective was two-fold. First, offenders who were placed in either program between February 1, 2002, and January 31, 2003, were compared in terms of exit status from the programs. Second, post-program recidivism was examined only for those offenders who successfully exited the program. Individual, case and program characteristics …

Alternatives To Prescriptive Regulation Of Workplace Health And Safety, Michael S. Baram

Faculty Scholarship

Many promises to advance occupational safety and health have been made by developed nations. Expressed in the “hard law” of legislation are promises to regulate employers and workplaces, and to hold employers accountable when they do not comply. However, problems arise when regulators try to transform the promises into performance.

Protecting Religion Through Statute: The Mixed Case Of The United States, Jay D. Wexler

Faculty Scholarship

Various legislatures of the United States and those of other countries with transitional legal systems have much to learn from U.S. Congress's mixed record of protecting religious freedom through statute. While legal systems and religious culture differ tremendously worldwide, some general lessons transcend these variances. In this context, the successes and failures of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, or RFRA, (1993) and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act (1964) are analyzed. Five major conclusions are reached, which focus on the danger of ambiguity and the need for clarity and strictness in order to prove a religious protection act effective.

Public Protection, Proportionality, And The Search For Balance, Benjamin J. Goold, Liora Lazarus, Gabriel Swiney

All Faculty Publications

This report examines how courts in the UK and Europe respond when human rights and security appear to conflict. It compares cases from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, and the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). It examines how rights are applied and how courts use the concept of proportionality to mediate conflicts between rights and security. The report concludes that British courts are less consistent in their application of proportionality than countries with constitutional rights protections which tend to be more rigorous in their protections of rights than are countries, like the UK, that rely instead on the …

Destructive Ambiguity: Enemy Nationals And The Legal Enabling Of Ethnic Conflict In The Middle East, Michael Kagan

Scholarly Works

In the course of the Middle East conflict since 1948, both the Arab states and Israel have tended to take harsh measures against civilians based on their national, ethnic, and religious origins. This practice has been partially legitimized by a norm in international law that permits states to infringe the liberty and property interests of enemy nationals during armed conflict. Middle Eastern governments have misused the logic behind this theoretically exceptional rule to justify far-reaching measures that undermine the “principle of distinction” between civilians and combatants and erode the principle of non-discrimination that lies at the center of human rights …

Data Compression With Application To Geo-Location, William Perkins

LSU Master's Theses

A common way to locate an emitter within a wireless sensor network requires the estimation of time-difference-of-arrival (TDOA) parameters using data collected by a set of spatially separated sensors. Compressing the data that is shared among the sensors can provide tremendous savings in terms of the energy and transmission latency. Traditional MSE and perceptual based data compression schemes fail to accurately capture the effects of compression on the TDOA estimation task; therefore, it is necessary to investigate compression algorithms suitable for TDOA parameter estimation. This thesis explores the effects of data compression on TDOA parameter estimation accuracy. The first part …

Towards And Explicit Balancing Inquiry - R.A.V. And Black Through The Lens Of Foreign Freedom Of Expression Jurisprudence, Matthew S. Melamed

UC Law Journal

In this Note, the author considers the Supreme Court's recent First Amendment jurisprudence-in particular R.A.V. v. City of St. Paul and Virginia v. Black, two cases concerning legislative attempts to criminalize cross-burning-through the eyes of foreign freedom of speech jurisprudence. He argues that the freedom of speech adjudicative models provided by the European Court of Human Rights and the Canadian Constitutional Court not only suggest a clearer mode of First Amendment adjudication, but may also enable us to more clearly understand the nature of the emergent case-by-case balancing jurisprudence implicitly present in both R.A.V. and Black.

Part I of the …

A Return To Civilian Leadership: New Orleans 1865-1866, Arthur Wendel Stout

LSU Master's Theses

In the aftermath of the Civil War, southern cities such as New Orleans had to reconstitute local civilian government under extremely difficult circumstances. Different aspects of their physical infrastructure had been worn down and required revitalization. Sudden changes in the size and demographics of the population made social cohesion and provision of services more difficult and complicated. A depressed economy limited the financial resources available to government and business to confront the needs of growth. These recovery problems were common to all areas of the South, but in New Orleans they were greatly exacerbated by the city’s unusually high population …

A Directional Algorithm For An Electronically-Collimated Radiation Detector (Ecrd), Adam Lackie

LSU Master's Theses

An electronically-collimated radiation detector (ECRD) is being developed to be used for locating radiation sources, e.g. for intraoperative localization of sentinel lymph nodes, or for public safety applications. The design emphasizes a compact, portable detector with a wide field of view. Typical probes provide either high sensitivity but no directional information when uncollimated, or directional information but poor detection efficiency when collimated. The ECRD design provides high sensitivity to the presence of radiation because it lacks physical collimation, and simultaneously provides directional information using electronic collimation. Intended to be a hand-held device, the ECRD front end comprises an array of …

Blakely's Silver Lining; Sentencing Guidelines, Judicial Discretion, And Crime, Joanna Shepherd

UC Law Journal

The Supreme Court's recent decisions in United States v. Booker and Blakely v. Washington, invalidating mandatory criminal sentencing guidelines, could have the unexpected benefit of reducing crime. This Article is the first to use regression analysis to explore the relationship between sentencing guidelines and crime. It shows that adoption of guidelines is associated with significant increases in crime, contrary to the expectations of many of the original supporters of sentencing guidelines.

After developing several economic theories about the relationship between guidelines and crime, the author investigates this relationship empirically using a large, state-level data set. The analysis shows that guidelines …

A Loophole To Repair: "Repair And Maintenance" As A Way Around The Coastal Act's Prohibition Against Seawalls, Jenni Khuu

UC Law Journal

Seawalls and other shoreline protective devices alter natural shoreline conditions and result in dramatic beach loss. For this reason, the California Coastal Act of 1976 promulgated a series of prohibitions and requirements, forbidding coastal development that would require shoreline protection. On January 15, 2004, the California Coastal Commission approved commercial and residential development of promontories. The area, a landslide complex, cannot naturally sustain development. The existing seawall in its current state cannot support proposed development either. Nevertheless, the Coastal Commission approved the project, along with a new seawall to stabilize it. How did the proposal get past the Coastal Act's …

Initiative Funding Through Targeted Taxes: Proposition 63, Mental Health, And The Crossroads Of Direct Democracy, Andrew M. Holmes

UC Law Journal

It took over forty-one years, but on November 2, 2004, President John F. Kennedy's vision of mental health care became a reality in California when 53.8% of the voters of California ratified Proposition 63. Proposition 63 (the Proposition) was criticized, however, the proponents of sought to bring relief to California's mental health system after decades of broken promises. The controversy surrounding Proposition 63 is not whether treatment for the mentally ill is a priority of the State but whether the novel funding structure is abusive.

The Note will first trace the roots of the controversy through a historical analysis of …

Authentically Innocent: Juries And Federal Regulatory Crimes, Jeffrey A. Meyer

UC Law Journal

Few ideals reign more supreme than the jury as conscience of our community and moral arbiter of a criminal defendant's conduct. These ideals are no more than myth for most federal criminal cases today. For a wide range of the most commonly charged federal crimes, judges routinely instruct juries to convict defendants regardless of their moral culpability. This issue arises with regulatory or public order crimes, which include drug trafficking, weapons, immigration, and environmental offenses. They are usually general intent crimes, defined by Congress without identifying precisely what the prosecution must prove a defendant knew or intended. General intent crimes …

Bulletin: General Catalog Issue 2007-2008, Portland State University

Bulletin & Curriculum Change Documents

No abstract provided.

The Man-Made Disaster: Fire In Cities In The Medieval Middle East, Anna Akasoy

Publications and Research

Considering the building materials and climatic conditions in the medieval Middle East, fires must have been a major problem. This article provides a first survey of sources which are relevant for studying the impact of fires in urban environments. Evidence can be found, for example, in historiographies such as Ibn Kathīr's The Beginning and the End, or in legal discussions. Most fires mentioned in these sources were caused during riots or war, or by accidents in markets. The article also analyses how far fires fit into the general pattern of discussions around disasters in medieval Arabic literature.

On The Intellectual Sources Of Laïcité: Rousseau, Constant, And The Debates About A National Religion, Helena Rosenblatt

Publications and Research

That French Protestants gave strong support to laïcité is by now well established. In recent work, Patrick Cabanel has even made a compelling case for the Protestant sources of laïcité, placing particular emphasis on the Protestant entourage of Jules Ferry (1832-1893) and stressing the inspiration provided by the pro-Protestant intellectual, Edgar Quinet (1803-1875.)

This article suggests that we look even earlier in time for the intellectual sources of laïcité. Seminal ideas can be found in the writings of two liberal Protestants, Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) and Benjamin Constant (1767-1830.) Rousseau is usually counted among the opponents, and not the …

School Psychologists’ Provision Of School-Based Mental Health Interventions: A Qualitative Study Of Perceived Barriers, Allison A. Friedrich

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to elucidate factors that school psychologists perceive inhibit them from providing more mental health interventions within their professional roles. School psychologists' dual training in mental health and education renders them the logical choice to provide tier II and tier III interventions in schools (National Association of School Psychologists [NASP], 2003). School psychologists appear to be in agreement, as they indicate a desire to spend more time in the provision of roles such as counseling and consultation (e.g., Prout, Alexander, Fletcher, Memis, & Miller, 1993). However, school psychologists currently spend relatively little time in …

Public Relations Practices In Puerto Rico: An Exploratory Qualitative Study, Delia R. Jourde

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This explorative study is a qualitative assessment of culture as a critical aspect of public relations practice in Puerto Rico. Reviewing definitions of culture, Hofstede's dimensions of cultural values, the Excellence Theory, and international case studies, this study sought to answer the following research questions: What national cultural traits have an impact on the practice of public relations in Puerto Rico? Do Puerto Rican practitioners feel their own cultural characteristics have an impact on their practice of public relations? Does the cultural diversity of Puerto Rico have an impact on public relations practice in that country? Does the country's strong …

The Baccalaureate Community Colleges In Florida: A Policy Evaluation, Nicholas Manias

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study sought to determine if community college baccalaureate programs in Florida were fulfilling the goals that were set forth in the legislation that created them. The study examined whether the baccalaureate level education programs at three community colleges in Florida were increasing access to baccalaureate education. The study investigated enrollment trends at all public institutions in Florida, reasons why students chose the community colleges for their upper division education, alternative plans students may have had if these programs did not exist, whether the limited number of baccalaureate programs at the community colleges impacted students' choice of major, and how …

Main Street Parkrose, Doug Bruchs, Laura Butler, Todd Johnson, Sean Mccusker, Brian Monberg, Erik Rundell

Master of Urban and Regional Planning Workshop Projects

PlanPDX worked to assess existing district conditions and assist in the development of goals for the district that could inform and guide future improvement efforts. Utilizing a variety of research methods including community outreach efforts, in-person interviews, technical analysis and organizing two well-attended community workshops, the Vision Team and PlanPDX successfully generated a set of recommendations for Main Street Park Rose. This project was conducted under the supervision of Ethan Seltzer and Sumner Sharpe.

Evaluation Of Immune Response To Hepatitis B Vaccine In Health Care Workers At A Tertiary Care Hospital In Pakistan: An Observational Prospective Study, Mohammad Zeeshan, Kauser Jabeen, Anita Nausheen Akbar Ali, Ailia Wilayat Ali, Saadia Z Farooqui, Vikram Mehraj, Afia Zafar

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Background: Seroconversion rates reported after Hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination globally ranges from 85–90%. Health care workers (HCWs) are at high risk of acquiring HBV and non responders' rates after HBV vaccination were not reported previously in Pakistani HCWs. Therefore we evaluated immune response to HBV vaccine in HCWs at a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan.
Methods: Descriptive observational study conducted at Aga Khan University from April 2003 to July 2004. Newly HBV vaccinated HCWs were evaluated for immune response by measuring serum Hepatitis B surface antibody (HBsAb) levels, 6 weeks post vaccination.
Results: Initially 666 employees were included …

Confronting The Evolving Safety And Security Challenge At Colleges And Universities, Oren R. Griffin

Articles, Chapters in Books and Other Contributions to Scholarly Works

Colleges and universities have long been scrutinized and confronted with lawsuits regarding safety and security measures designed and implemented to protect students and prevent dangerous incidents on campus. Under the doctrine of in loco parentis, college administrators assume responsibility for the physical safety and well-being of students as they matriculate through their academic programs. However, in recent decades, the realization that university communities are not immune to criminal activity has led to federal legislation and judicial opinions that have attempted to identify what legal duty colleges and universities have to prevent security breaches. Moreover, college and university administrators have looked …

Sanchez-Llamas V. Oregon: The Glass Is Half Full, Janet K. Levit

Articles, Chapters in Books and Other Contributions to Scholarly Works

No abstract provided.

The Spirit Of 1968: Toward Abolishing Terry Doctrine, Frank Rudy Cooper

Scholarly Works

In this essay, Professor Frank Rudy Cooper summarizes how the Terry opinion's refusal to apply the probable cause standard made Fourth Amendment doctrine more conservative. He then suggests that the result has gone largely unchallenged because whites have been willing to trade decreases in the civil liberties of blacks for perceived increases in crime control. Prof Cooper concludes by calling on us to consider returning to the spirit of the beginning of 1968 by abolishing Terry doctrine.

Evolution Of The Field Of Wildlife Damage Management In The United States And Future Challenges, James E. Miller

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Through the early twentieth century, people in rural areas of North America either dealt with problems caused by wildlife by killing the problem species, eliminating its habitat, changing crops or husbandry practices, tolerating the damage, or moving to a new area devoid of such problem animals. However, many of these solutions are impractical today with the increase in human populations, the increased expansion of development into previously rural landscapes, the increased fragmentation of land ownership, and the increasing movement of people into metropolitan areas. Because of current local, state, and federal ordinances and regulations, along with the impacts of animal …

Land-Use Pattern, Urbanization, And Deer–Vehicle Collisions In Alabama, Anwar Hussain, James B. Armstrong, David B. Brown, John Hogland

Human–Wildlife Interactions

With the rise in deer–vehic^le collisⁱons across the United States, the associated costs also have risen. Increasingly, however, researchers are learning that these collisions are not a random phenomena but ^follow a syst^ematic pattern. Bu_ilding on this in_sight, we explored the role of county characteri^stics in influencing the pattern and incidence of w^hite-tailed deer- (Odocoileus virginianus) related auto c^ollisions. Using county level data from 1994 to 2003 in Alabama, we tested several data models with the above mentioned facto^rs …

Population Viability Analysis Of Monk Parakeets In The United States And Examination Of Alternative Management Strategies, Stephen Pruett-Jones, James R. Newman, Christian M. Newman, Michael L. Avery, James R. Lindsay

Human–Wildlife Interactions

In the United States, monk parakeets (Myiopsitta monachus) are expanding their geographical distribution, and their overall population size is growing exponentially. Monk parakeets are causing widespread economic damage in the United States by nesting on utility structures, which leads to electrical fi res and power outages. Although few life history data are available for the species from North America, extensive data are available from the species’ native range in South America. Incorporating data from South America into the population viability analysis program VORTEX, we simulated population growth in United States monk parakeets to determine whether it is likely …