Digital Commons Network^™

Empirical Essays On The Impact Of Health-Aid On Health Outcomes, Elsy Thomas Kizhakethalackal

Dissertations

This dissertation consists of three essays that empirically explore the impact of multilateral health-aid on health outcomes like infant mortality rate (IMR) and incidences of an infectious disease, Tuberculosis, in developing economies. The first essay uses parametric and semiparametric mean regressions (additive and non-additive specifications) to capture the impact of education and health-aid on the IMR, after controlling for other covariates. Both specifications confirm education as an important factor in reducing IMR. However, the effect of health-aid on IMR is not significant. In our additive model, we do see a threshold level of health-aid after which the impacts of health-aid …

Correlates Of Teachers' Job Satisfaction: A Hierarchical Linear Model Study Using 2003-2004 Schools And Staffing Survey, Jeffrey M. Leslie

Dissertations

This study examines the correlates of teachers' job satisfaction. Based on the literature, it proposes that teacher satisfaction is a function of, among others, the following school process variables: (a) school influence, (b) classroom control, (c) student behavior, (d) parental support, (e) staff collegiality, (f) career/working conditions, (g) administrative communication, and (h) administrative support. The research first decomposed the amount of variance attributable to the teacher level and the school level. Since there was a significant amount of variance at the school level, the next step was to determine if and how the above school process variables were associated with …

Important Or Impotent? Radical Right Political Parties And Public Policy In Germany And Austria, Marcella J. Myers

Dissertations

Across Western Europe throughout the 1990s radical right political parties emerged and gained some electoral success. Since that time, particularly in the face of the popularity of the National Front in France and the Freedom Party in Austria, many studies have been conducted examining the voting behavior, party membership and ideologies of these parties, and what the parties mean to democratic governments. Largely unexamined are the effects of radical right political parties on public policy. This study attempts to evaluate the effect of radical right parties on public policy by using a most similar, case study research design, relying heavily …

Understanding The Impact Of The Kalamazoo Promise From The Perspectives Of Parents And Community Group Members, Charles Pearson

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to uncover the emerging views of parents and community group stakeholders in regards to The Kalamazoo Promise, and what they believed were the important issues that must be understood by implementers of The Promise in order to provide more effective implementation.

The Kalamazoo Promise is a full-tuition scholarship provided to all eligible graduates of the school district. The qualification criteria are simple, and all graduates attending at least the four years of high school are eligible.

A case study was conducted in one representative school in this midsized, urban district. A multiple-phase approach was …

The Collective Voices Of Asian International Doctoral Students In Counseling Psychology In The U.S.: Recommendations For Faculty And Training Programs, Miki Koyama

Dissertations

There is growing interest among scholars to understand the training experiences of international students in applied psychology. Few empirical studies have specifically investigated international doctoral students in counseling psychology. The purpose of the present study was to create an opportunity for the voices of Asian international students in U.S. doctoral counseling psychology programs could be expressed, and to convey their collective voices.

Twelve Asian international students, predominately women from East Asia, participated in two phone interviews. Participants were asked to illustrate their overall training experiences, share helpful and unhelpful aspects of their training, and identify recommendations for faculty and training …

A Two-Sample Adaptive Procedure Based On The Log-Rank And Peto And Peto's Wilcoxon Tests, Annie A. Tordilla

Dissertations

It has been shown that under a location-scale model y = μ + βz + σε at where y is right censored, the Log-Rank test is asymptotically efficient for the Extreme minimum value error distribution while Peto and Peto's Wilcoxon test is asymptotically efficient for the Logistic error distribution. We propose a two-sample adaptive test, which first selects between Extreme minimum value and Logistic error distribution as to which is a better fit to the data, then performs the asymptotically efficient test (Log-Rank or Peto and Peto's Wilcoxon test) for the selected distribution. The performance of the adaptive test is …

Validating The Attitudes Toward Sex Offenders Scale, Charmeka. Whitehead

Dissertations

This study investigated the reliability and validity of the Attitudes Toward Sex Offenders Scale (ATS) measurement by assessing attitudes of counselors in training towards juvenile sex offenders. The specific aims of this study were to determine (a) internal consistency of the ATS, (b) construct validity of the ATS based on exploratory factor analysis, and (c) the degree to which this instrument has convergent and discriminate validity. The intellectual merit of this study was to provide appropriate scale validation of the ATS so that it might be used to assess attitudes of mental health professionals who work with juvenile sex offenders. …

Three Essays On Foreign Aid, Poverty And Growth., Aberra Senbeta

Dissertations

This dissertation studies how foreign aid impacts poverty and economic growth and addresses three interrelated issues: whether aid reduces poverty, how aid affects economic growth, and whether the poverty mitigating role of aid depends on the levels of poverty.

The first essay, "Does Foreign Aid Reduce Poverty?" examines the direct effects of foreign aid on poverty in developing countries using dynamic panel estimation techniques. The results suggest that aid has a significant poverty reducing effect even after controlling for average income. The findings are robust to model specification and estimation techniques. The policy implication is that poverty reduction can be …

The Ethnic Identity Of Returning Immigrants To A Pueblo In Yucatan, David Piacenti

Dissertations

This study seeks to understand: 1) motivations for leaving and, if applicable, racialized, segregated environment, which is represented by the returned cholo, whose "urban gangbanger" mentality confronts the traditional, rural ethnic identity. San Francisco also affects the overall perception of immigration and desire for permanent U.S. residence. Of the San Francisco cohort, 42% say immigration is "positive overall." Conversely, 62% of the Kalamazoo cohort says that immigration is "positive overall." Only 29% of the San Francisco cohort desire permanent residence in the U.S. while 54% of the Kalamazoo cohort desire permanent U.S. residence. Therefore, the suburban context of Kalamazoo may …

Role Of Residence Hall Staff In Offering Early Warning Academic Intervention, Jon L. Shaffer

Dissertations

Despite anecdotal evidence that residence hall staff are involved in the intrusive delivery of early warning academic intervention programs, little literature exists that defines these programs or the role of residence life staff in their delivery. Understanding the existence of such programs and the involvement of residence life staff is important in developing collaborative efforts between student and academic affairs aimed at promoting student success.

A national on-line survey of senior housing officers was utilized in this research. Results identified that early warning programs existed at 187 (67.3%) of the 278 responding institutions. Of those, 119 institutions (63.6%) utilized residence …

A Mixed Method Study Of Factors Associated With The Academic Achievement Of Latina/O College Students From Predominantly Mexican American Backgrounds: A Strengths-Based Approach, Laura Lara

Dissertations

Young adults from Latina/o backgrounds draw from cultural assets and wrestle with distinctive challenges as they enter into, study at, and graduate from institutions of higher education. In this investigation, I examined the perspectives of Latina/o college students with low and high academic achievement, focusing on their upbringing within families and their identification with their cultural heritage. A sequential mixed method study was implemented and the study was grounded in Margaret Spencer’s PVEST framework (1995, 2006), the development of ethnic identity (Umaña-Taylor, Yazedjian, & Bámaca-Gómez, 2004), and factors associated with the academic achievement of students from Latina/o backgrounds. Results suggest …

Detecting The Process' 1.5 Sigma Shift: A Quantitative Study, James R. Stevenson

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Process behavior can change with time. In this study an attempt was made to discover whether the Six Sigma™ claim of changes in the process mean stayed within +/- 1.5 sigma units. Several process groups were examined for a particular firm that made metal castings, machined parts, tested major components and assembled these into a vehicle that was a product sold to the customer. As the assembly progressed, deficiencies were identified and recorded. Analyses employed cumulative sum (CUSUM) sequence charts, Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) time series analyses, minimum mean square error (MMSE) exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA), Shewhart control …

Don't Count Them Out: Transitioning Adolescents' Perceptions Of Issues Impacting Learning In Middle School, Concetta Lucchese

Education Doctoral

The transition from elementary to middle school presents adolescents with challenges that deter them from becoming learning-focused students. In urban settings, transitioning students are often confronted with issues as they enter middle school and attempt to acclimatize to the new environment. This study explored first-hand experiences of transitioning urban middle school seventh graders at the completion of their first year in a middle school setting. The purpose of the study was to describe students' perceptions of the issues negatively impacting their ability to focus on learning. This phenomenological research study was conducted primarily using pre-existing data from seventh grade test …

Race, Power, And (In)Equity Within Two-Way Immersion Settings, Martin Scanlan, Deborah Palmer

College of Education Faculty Research and Publications

Two-way immersion schools provide a promising model for service delivery to students who are English language learners. With the goals of bilingualism, academic excellence, and cross cultural appreciation, these schools are designed to build bridges across linguistically heterogeneous student bodies. Yet while empirical evidence demonstrates that the two-way immersion model can be effective in these regards, we know little about how such schools address other dimensions of diversity, including race, ethnicity, class, and disability. This study contributes to filling this gap by critically analyzing these dimensions in the areas of recruitment and retention in two two-way immersion schools.

Isoform- And Cell-Specific Function Of Tyrosine Decarboxylase In The Drosophila Malpighian Tubule, Edward M. Blumenthal

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

The biogenic amine tyramine (TA) is a potent diuretic factor when applied to the Malpighian tubule (MT) of Drosophila melanogaster, stimulating both urine production and transepithelial chloride conductance. Isolated MTs can respond not only to TA but also to its precursor, tyrosine; this observation led to the proposal that MTs are able to synthesize TA from applied tyrosine through the action of the enzyme tyrosine decarboxylase (TDC). In the current study it is shown that the non-neuronal isoform of TDC, Tdc1, is expressed in the principal cells of the MT. A mutant allele of Tdc1, Tdc1^{f03311 …}

Theism, The Postmodernist Burial Of Metaphysics, And Indian Mind-Body Dualism, Vladimir K. Shokhin

Faith and Philosophy: Journal of the Society of Christian Philosophers

No abstract provided.

Modes Of Knowing: Autism, Fiction, And Second-Person Perspectives, Eleonore Stump

Faith and Philosophy: Journal of the Society of Christian Philosophers

No abstract provided.

Human Origins And Human Nature: Mitochondrial Eve And Y-Chromosomal Adam, James A. Marcum

Faith and Philosophy: Journal of the Society of Christian Philosophers

No abstract provided.

Object Oriented Program Correctness With Oosiml, José M. Garrido

Faculty Articles

Software reliability depends on program correctness and robustness and these are extremely important in developing high-quality software. Correctness is also essential when considering aspects of software security. However, experience applying these concepts, associated methods, and supporting software with Eiffel and Java have shown that students find some diffculty learning program correctness and in learning the software tools provided. We have developed an experimental language, OOSimL, that includes an assertion notation similar to that of Eiffel but which has much more flexibility, and that provides the same semantics as Java.

The first part of this paper provides an overview of concepts …

Audit Committee Material Weaknesses In Smaller Reporting Companies, Audrey A. Gramling, Dana R. Hermanson, Heather M. Hermanson

Faculty Articles

One of the critical elements of internal control over financial reporting is an effectively functioning audit committee. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX) defines an audit committee as " committee (or equivalent body) established by and amongst the board of directors of an issuer for the purpose of overseeing the accounting and financial reporting processes of the issuer and audits of the financial statements of the issuer." Recent SOX section 404 filings by smaller reporting companies ("nonaccelerated filers," or registrants with less than $75 million of public float), however, indicate that some small companies still are struggling to develop effective …

Meeting The Demand For Accountability: Case Study Of A Teacher Education Program In China, Tak Cheung Chan

Faculty Articles

To meet the demand for accountability, a teacher education program in a university located in South China has established processes at the college, the program, and the faculty levels to assure its program quality. Highlights of the processes are: involvement of stakeholders and the examination of program effectiveness. Although much has been done to help program candidates succeed, more effort is needed in the areas of program assessment and continuous improvement to assure program quality. An accountability implementation plan, a beginning teacher mentoring program, and a comparative study of beginning teacher performance were recommended to further enforce its strategies toward …

An Evaluation Of Hibiscus Moscheutos Ssp. Lasiocarpos And Ipomoea Pandurata As Host Plants Of The Specialist Bee, Ptilothrix Bombiformis (Apoidea: Emphorini) And The Role Of Floral Scent Chemistry In Host-Selection., Melissa Diane Simpson

Theses

Ptilothrix bombiformis (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) is a specialist bee belonging to the tribe Emphorini. The emphorine phylogeny suggests that Convolvulacea is the ancestral plant family and independent evolutionary host-switches to several unrelated plant families have occurred. The role of floral scent has been well-characterized in pollination systems involving moths, butterflies, bumblebees, and honeybees, but little is known about how specialist bees mediate host selection, or how host-choice evolved in specialist bees. This research investigates the role of floral scent in host selection by P. bombiformis. Ptilothrix bombiformis has traditionally been classified as a Hibiscus (Malvaceae) oligolege. My research shows that it …

Austral Autumn And Winter Seasonal Affects On Benthic Foraminiferal Communities: Bransfield And Northern Gerlache Straits, Laura Anne Bordelon

Theses

The Southern Ocean has unique seasonal qualities due to the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) thermo-isolating the Antarctic continent. During summer months, surface primary productivity from algal blooms is very high. In the winter months, limited daylight hours (4 in winter) and formation of sea ice prevents sun light from reaching surface waters, therefore limiting productivity. The short seasons of productivity and long winters in Antarctica combined with seasonal changes in deep ocean temperatures, salinity, and fluxes of organic matter impact foraminiferal population dynamics. Fluctuations in surface primary productivity, as well as living foraminiferal assemblages have been documented around the Antarctica …

The Comparative Nature Of Punishment, Adam Kolber

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Canadian Food Law Update, Patricia L. Farnese

Journal of Food Law & Policy

Provided below is an overview of developments in Canadian food law and policy in 2009. This update primarily analyzes the regulatory and policy developments and litigation activities by the federal government. This focus reflects the significance of federal activities in the food policy realm. In 2009, regulatory and policy developments continue to be dominated by the 2008 Listeriosis outbreak in ready-to-eat, deli meats. Other noted activities include Canada's ongoing efforts to minimize the effects of infectious diseases related to meat production, Canada's request for a WTO panel to consider the effects of American Country of Origin Labelling, and an initiative …

White Privilege And Counseling: A Model For Expanding Awareness, Amanda Badger

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

This paper discusses the need for an expansion of awareness of White privilege within the counseling community. It reviews the history of White privilege in American society and the counseling profession, and assesses its current role in counseling relationships, to include: counselor-client relationships, counselor-counselor relationships, and counselor-supervisor relationships. The need to expand White privilege training for counselors and counselor educators is explored, and a model to expand awareness in counselor training is provided with recommended resources and tools to assist in meeting this need.

North Crossing, Rusty Hamrick, Barrett Maners, Devin Morris, Helen Sanders

Master of Real Estate Development

No abstract provided.

The North Mill District, James Bakker, Kyle Evans, Jessica Martin, Kelly Mcguinn

Master of Real Estate Development

No abstract provided.

Cross-Border Banking In Nigeria: Any Role For Deposit Insurance Authorities?, J.G. Donli

Economic and Financial Review

This publication which is on cross-border banking in Nigeria with an emphasis on the role of deposit-insurance authorities also focus on concepts and practices of deposit insurance schemes and some other features of deposit insurance system..

The Nigerian Banking Industry And Cross-Border Trasactions Post Consolidation, Emmanuel M. Abolo

Economic and Financial Review

This article provides a broad examination of post-consolidation activities of Nigerian banks with respect to cross-border banking. It also focus on the role consolidation in promoting cross-border banking which has not been sufficiently articulated in recent literature, given that most available studies focus on the effects of the consolidation on financial stability and soundness.