Digital Commons Network^™

Respecting Beasts: The Dehumanizing Quality Of The Modern Prison And An Unusual Model For Penal Reform, James M. Binnall

Journal of Law and Policy

No abstract provided.

Without Other Options: The Limited Effectiveness, Unique Availability, And Overall Impact Of State-Directed Lawsuits Against Predatory Lenders, Justin Collins

Journal of Law and Policy

No abstract provided.

The New York City Trans Fat Ban: A Healthy Law, Gabriel Edelman

Journal of Law and Policy

No abstract provided.

Barriers Faced By Hispanic Women In Higher Education Institutions In The State Of Illinois, Zoraida Irizarry

Masters Theses

The purpose of the present study was to ascertain the perceptions of Hispanic women concerning barriers to their career advancement to faculty and administrators in higher education institutions in the state of Illinois. Specifically, attention was given to issues of national origin, mentoring relationships, education, gender, culture, socialization, socioeconomic status, and financial compensation.

Qualitative one-on-one interview were conducted with six Hispanic women who were faculty and directors of departments at state universities. The interviews were tape recorded, transcribed into computer files, and coded to identify themes.

The findings of the present study revealed that most of the factors, excluding those …

Evaluation Of The Oxalate-Consuming Activities Of Probiotic Microorganisms, Alexandra E.C. Baluka

Masters Theses

This study identifies the oxalate-consuming capabilities of mixtures of probiotic microorganisms, present as commercial probiotics, as well as in seventeen pure cultures of probiotic microorganisms. Probiotics are sold commercially as powders, tablets, and supplements of live microorganisms that, when taken in large amounts, confer a health benefit to the host. Increased levels of urinary oxalate coincide with the formation of kidney stones, so this study sought to identify organisms capable of oxalate consumption that could potentially be manufactured for those suffering from calcium oxalate kidney stones. This study determined that consumption of oxalate was not directly tied to active growth …

Mating Bias In The Red Imported Fire Ant, Solenopsis Invicta, Kendra Carroll

Masters Theses

The two social forms in the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta, are believed to be governed by the expression of one specific gene. This gene, known as Gp-9, is responsible for the production of general protein-9, thought to be a pheromone binding protein. Among the social aspects thought to be controlled by this locus is reproduction. Many aspects of breeding within and between the two colonial forms have been investigated over the past years since in introduction of this species to the United States. In this study, several features of the currently accepted model were examined. Newlymated queens were …

Evaluating The Illinois Stream Valley Segment Model As An Effective Management Tool, Stephen S. Warrner

Masters Theses

Stream habitat assessment procedures have been used to monitor logical potential, habitat restoration, and determine anthropogenic impacts on streams. In the past, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) and the Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS) have determined which stream reaches to sample habitat quality based on historical data, accessibility, and whether or not a reach is representative of an area. To develop a consistent and unbiased procedure for choosing sampling locations, the IDNR and INHS have proposed a technique by which watersheds are divided into homogeneous stream segments called valley segments. Valley segments within each watershed are determined by …

Spatial And Ecological Patterns Of Tent Location In The Eastern Tent Caterpillar, Malacosoma Americana (Lepidoptera:Lasiocampidae), Jennifer Pleasant

Masters Theses

The eastern tent caterpillar, Malacosoma americanum (Fabricius) (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae) is a widely studied social caterpillar. The nests (i.e. tents) of the tent caterpillar are most frequently found on Black Cherry trees (Prunus serotina). However, dispersions of tents are often clumped with one cherry tree having five or more tent caterpillar nests in it and another cherry tree 3 meters away having only one nest, or none at all. I tried to determine why this happens. Because of the short field season, much of the research on the caterpillars has been done in the laboratory. I tried to determine host selection …

Collectively We Unite On Facebook: A Case Study Of Egypt's Collective Action On Facebook Toward Social Change, Basma Botros

Masters Theses

The development of the famous social networking site, Facebook, has been associated with significant challenges to regimes that are characterized by being repressive to its citizens in terms of freedom of speech and expression, and mostly are third world developing countries that suffer. Egypt provides a good case study of Facebook ability to organize a strike among its citizens. April 6, 2008 is curved in the memories of Egyptians as a "general dissent day" that was initiated through Facebook and then was transmitted to almost every Egyptian citizen using other media sources. This paper shows how Facebook facilitates collective identity …

A Comparison Of Filtering Approaches For Aircraft Engine Health Estimation, Daniel J. Simon

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Different approaches for the estimation of the states of linear dynamic systems are commonly used, the most common being the Kalman filter. For nonlinear systems, variants of the Kalman filter are used. Some of these variants include the LKF (linearized Kalman filter), the EKF (extended Kalman filter), and the UKF (unscented Kalman filter). With the LKF and EKF, performance varies depending on how often Jacobians (partial derivative matrices) are updated. In other words, we see a tradeoff between computational effort and filtering performance. With the unscented Kalman filter, Jacobians are not calculated but computational effort is typically high due to …

President's Page, Fannie M. Cox

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Women Candidates And Television Advertising: An Examination Of The 2006 Mid-Term Elections, Sharlin Aldao

Masters Theses

Television campaign ads are considered by scholars as the primary resource which candidates for national office use to introduce themselves and their views to the public, regardless of whether they are male or female. The majority of research nonetheless has focused on advertising at the Presidential and Congressional level. It has also focused on the use of negativity in their ads. Women candidates as an aggregate have many obstacles in terms of television advertising. The long standing stereotype of women as the homemaker and mother would lead many to believe that they should and only focus on women's issues such …

The Coordination Of Multiple Roles By Female Graduate Students From Three Different Cultures, Smita Srivastava

Masters Theses

This research studied the coordination of multiple roles by female graduate students who are mothers. Zika (2006) reported that working women in the developed world contribute 40 to 50 percent of the gross national product at the same time that they continue to be responsible for most of the household and childcare responsibilities in the home. Some researchers have suggested that having multiple roles can be deleterious, while others have suggested benefits. Because women from around the world today are participating in multiple roles, the present study investigated, using a qualitative research method, how three female graduate students from different …

I Might Need A Good Lawyer, Could Be Your Funeral, My Trial: Global Clinical Legal Education And The Right To Counsel In Civil Commitment Cases, Michael L. Perlin

Articles & Chapters

The quality of counsel assigned to represent individuals facing involuntary civil commitment to psychiatric hospitals is, in most American jurisdictions, mediocre or worse. In many other nations, it is non-existent, or so minimal as to offer only the illusion of legal safeguards. (Perhaps) remarkably, there has been virtually no mention of this latter scandal in the legal literature. Also, there has been little attention paid to this development by the clinical education movement (domestically and globally).

A variety of interrelated factors, however, may shed some light on this scandal, and may, encouragingly, lead to social change in the future:

- …

Comparison Of Dibels And Aimsweb Fall Benchmarking And Their Identification Of Students In Need Of Tier Ii Service, Lindsay R. Rickelman

Masters Theses

This study investigated the DIBELS and AIMSweb systems of data collection for fall benchmarking and their identification of students in need of Tier II services. One hundred and five students in the second through fifth grade from a Midwestern suburb were administered probes from both assessment systems during the fall benchmarking time period (September - October). The median number of words read correctly and errors committed in a minute from each assessment system were recorded and analyzed. Results revealed that student performance differed significantly, in that they read more reads correctly on AIMSweb probes and committed more errors on DIBELS …

Using Individual Growth And Development Indicators To Track Preschoolers' Early Literacy Development, Deborah Cook Pottle

Masters Theses

Several studies have recently reported the examination of preschoolers' early literacy kills with the purpose of establishing a trajectory of growth that can be expected by age group, socio-economic factors and developmental levels. The purpose of this study was to examine preschoolers' early literacy development to further understand the developmental timeframes in which children establish early literacy skills. The Individual Orowth and Development Indicators (lODI) were used to track the trajectory of early literacy skills in 6J preschool children over a period of four months from .Tanuary to April. The growth trajectories of the preschool participants from differing socio-economic groups …

Andrew P. Vance Memorial Writing Competition Winner: Acquiring A European Taste For Geographical Indications, Justin M. Waggoner

Brooklyn Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

Taking Tort Law Seriously In The Alien Tort Statute, Anthony J. Sebok

Brooklyn Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

Punishing The Parent: Corporate Criminal Complicity In Human Rights Abuses, Jonahtan Clough

Brooklyn Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

Corporate Human Rights Violations: The Feasibility Of Civil Recourse In The Netherlands, Nicola M.C.P. Jagers, Marie-Jose Van Der Heijden

Brooklyn Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

Soft Law, Hard Markets: Competitive Self-Interest And The Emergence Of Human Rights Responsibilities For Multinational Corporations, Ralph G. Steinhartdt

Brooklyn Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

Are We There Yet? Taking "Trips" To Brazil And Expanding Access To Hiv/Aids Medication, Vera Zolotaryova

Brooklyn Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

Resiliency In Hispanic Middle School Students: A Direct Assessment, Randy Horner

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study is to identify the level of resiliency found in middle school Latinos in the south suburbs of Chicago. The Hispanic population is currently booming with the most growth coming from Mexican Immigrants. Many young Hispanics face munerous stressors attributed to cultural issues and low Socioeconomicstatus (SES). Few studies have examined resiliency in young Hispanics. Resiliency plays an integral part in adjusting to life, and a lack of, or passel of it can lead to maladjustment or negative outcomes. This study compared the level of resiliency between Hispanic middle school males and Caucasian middle school males. …

Predicting Eating Disordered Behavior In Adolescent Boys, Kurt Wagner

Masters Theses

Although much research exists on eating disorders, little exists regarding the prevalence and correlates of eating disordered behavior among males, particularly at the peak age of onset: early adolescence. The current study hypothesizes that eating disordered behavior in male adolescents is most correlated with self-dissatisfaction of musculature, then dissatisfaction of apparent body fat, drive for muscularity, their reasons for exercise, and body mass index. High school males (n = 148) were surveyed regarding these attitudes and beliefs, and about symptoms of eating disordered behavior. The purpose was to determine correlates of eating disordered behavior among adolescent boys, then develop a …

Examining The Impact Of A Little Book Intervention On The Early Literacy Skills Of Children In Head Start Via The Individual Growth And Development Indicators, Laura J. Holstius

Masters Theses

This study examined whether or not exposure to Rhyme and Letter Little Books significantly increased the rhyming and initial sound/alliteration recognition skills of academically at-risk preschool children. Twice a week for eight weeks, students in a Head Start program listened to a researcher present a lesson with either the Rhyme and Letter Little Books or the original Little Books. It was hypothesized that statistically significant differences in the rhyming and initial sound recognition skills between the two groups would exist at the end of the intervention because the Rhyme and Letter Little Books were created to foster phonological awareness skills …

Predictors Of Stress And Help Seeking: Exploring Group Differences Among Traditional And Nontraditional Female College Students, Stacey Priya Raj

Masters Theses

Enrollment of nontraditional women in colleges continues to increase but despite their academic strengths, nontraditional students have higher attrition rates. Although psychological counseling may support the academic pursuits of nontraditional women, little is known about their attitudes toward help seeking. Recognizing the diversity among nontraditional female students, this study explores factors which predict stress and help seeking among 3 groups of female students: traditional age (24 and younger), nontraditional age (25 and older) non-parents, and nontraditional age parents. One hundred seventy-six female students between the ages of 18 and 57 completed measures of role responsibility and support, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem …

Sexual Cognitions Of Childhood Sexual Abuse Survivors, Christa M. Smith

Masters Theses

Studies have examined the effects of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) including the relationship between CSA and force cognitions (Renaud & Byers, 2005). However, no studies have researched the relationship between CSA and sexual abuse cognitions, despite limited clinical literature reporting that this may be a problem (e.g., Wilson & Wilson, in press). Two-hundred twenty-seven females completed revised versions of the Childhood Sexual Abuse Questionnaire the Sexual Cognitions Checklist. Results found that female CSA survivors reported more sexual abuse cognitions and greater arousal to these cognitions than those who had not experienced CSA. Results indicate that compared to women with no …

The Cultural Dimension Of Emotional Intelligence And Its Clinical Implications, Koyeli Sengupta

Masters Theses

The purpose of this thesis was to examine the role that culture plays in emotionaJ intelligence, in people's ability to use emotions adaptively in their daily lives. Specifically, it presented existing cross-cultural research literature on emotional intelligence, with particular focus on the emotional competencies of Americans and Indians. The literature on cross-cultural psychology of emotions revealed cross-cultural similarities as well as differences in each phase of the emotion process. It supported the view that considerable universality existed with regards to perception of emotions in facial expressions, while the major sources of differences were detected in the processes ofregulation of emotion …

A Study Of Immigrant English Language Educational Risk Factors And Reading Performance At Best Elementary School, Taime L. Bengochea

Theses and Dissertations

English Language Learner (ELL) immigrant students at Best Elementary School (BES) are underperforming in reading as measured by state mandated tests. The purpose of this study was to identify the risk factors that most affect BES immigrant English language learners' ability to read in English. Correlational research was utilized in this study to evaluate the relationships among demographic information, English reading performance and literature-based risk factors associated with 95 BES Immigrant English Learner students. The findings from this study revealed that students who went to school in their home country, older students, and those who learned to read in another …

The Failure Of Breast Cancer Informed Consent Statutes, Rachael Anderson-Watts

Vanderbilt Law School Faculty Publications

Informed consent is a common law concept rooted in the idea that "[e]very human being of adult years and sound mind has a right to determine what shall be done with his own body."' Its aim is to ensure that each patient gets the information she needs to meaningfully consent to medical procedures. Coming of age in the 1970s alongside other important rights movements, informed consent purported to solve medicine's paternalism: doctors too often dictating treatments rather than discussing options. Combating medical paternalism seems a worthwhile goal, given abuses in the past century, but moreover to improve everyday physician-patient encounters. …