Digital Commons Network^™

Chinese Job Growth And Workers’ Injury Compensation In China, Ann O'Neill

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Over the past decade, the PRC has made dramatic changes to its labor contract laws, corporate laws, and social welfare system in an effort to improve workers' wellbeing and decrease the impact of rights violations on the public healthcare system and national budget. This paper seeks to determine the effect of changes in social welfare policy made in 2003 on workplace injuries and illness in light of the domestic job growth that took place at that time. In 2003, changes in marketplace behavior, corporate law, and enterprise management policy led to a trend break in employment, wages, and insurance coverage …

Accessibility In The Syracuse Food Desert, Amory Hillengas

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Food insecurity is uncertain access to nutritious food. It is a social justice issue influenced by geographic and demographic factors. Low-income and minority individuals are more prone to be affected by food insecurity. One way is that they may live in food deserts, places where there is limited access to nutritious food sources. It is unjust for anyone to have inadequate access to nutritious food. This study investigated this premise in Syracuse, New York. The selected study area was composed of zip codes 13205, 13207, 13202 and 13210. The food sources for these regions were identified through the database Reference …

Virtual Teams Affect, Performance And Interpersonal Perception With Unexpected Leadership Change, Jeanette M. Zoeckler

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Traditional ways of doing business and communicating in the workplace are changing. With frequent mergers, shifting operational demands and underlying economic pressure, computer-mediated communication has been increasingly employed. To achieve greater flexibility in workforce configurations, working virtually is often more the norm than the exception. With continuously improving internet technologies, frequently work-teams are formed when members are not geographically co-located. Both internal and external pressures combine, in the corporate setting, to produce an unprecedented velocity of change which seems especially related to globalization. (Held, 2007) Just exactly how does the virtual team handle abrupt change? While many researchers focus on …

The Commodification Of The Modern Black Man: Examining The Effect Of Drug Law On The New York State Prison Industrial Complex, Alexis Kinney

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

This Capstone project examines the effect of New York State’s prison industrial complex on local economies. The prison industrial complex is a system of imprisonment that, through various methods, transforms prisoners into commodities. The complex involves endorsing legislation to create more crimes and longer sentences for those crimes, thus increasing the number, and term length, of incarcerated citizens. In New York, the creation of the Rockefeller drug laws resulted in a revitalized diligence in the war against drugs, leading to the promotion of prisoner-based upstate economies. Through engagement with United States drugs laws, historical accounts of drug use and addiction, …

Wind Energy Deployment Issue Brief - May 2010, Erik Edward Nordman

Technical Reports

Wind energy projects have been proposed all over the world. West Michigan coastal communities, like other communities worldwide, are in the midst of assessing the benefits and challenges of siting wind energy farms. These wind energy projects reflect Michigan’s changing mix of potential energy sources; changes that are requiring the attention of all West Michigan communities.

Michigan’s electricity providers consider wind energy to be the most cost effective, scalable means of meeting the state’s 10 percent renewable energy standard [1]. Wind energy enjoys broad support in general, but specific projects can draw opposition [2]. Understanding the factors that influence wind …

Booms, Busts, And Gambling: Can Gaming Revenues Reduce Budget Volatility?, Brad R. Humphreys, Victor Matheson

Economics Department Working Papers

Over the past 20 years, state and provincial governments in North America have expanded legal gambling opportunities to consumers. One of the primary policy goals of this expansion of gambling opportunities has been to increase government revenues. Gambling is an attractive source of new government revenues because consumers are relatively insensitive to the implicit “tax” rate imposed on gambling activities and gambling is a voluntary activity, only those who chose to gamble are subject to this implicit tax. In this paper, we document the contribution that gambling revenues make to state and provincial tax receipts, and the extent to which …

The Integration Of The Volga Germans Into American Lutheranism, Richard Allen Davenport

Master of Sacred Theology Thesis

This paper traces the incorporation of Lutheran Volga Germans arriving in this country between 1870 and 1910 into American Christianity and identifies factors in their affiliation with American church bodies. It analyzes whether Lutheran bodies identified the Volga Germans as a distinct ethnic group among German immigrants in America and recognized the specific challenges and adaptations necessary to work among them. Where Volga German congregations were established, the factors which decided joining one denomination over another are explored. Specific theological, ecclesiastical, and cultural issues that determined whether a group of Volga Germans aligned with one church body versus another are …

About The Struggle Between The "Lower" And "Upper", Viktor Yelenskyy

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

No abstract provided.

Child Kinship Care: An Exploratory Mixed Methods Study Of Social Support, Resources, And Health Issues Of Nebraska Child Kinship Caregivers, Toni L. Hill

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between both the social support and resources of child kinship caregivers and the caregivers’ health. An exploratory sequential three phase mixed methods design was used. Phase I encompassed a single case study of a Nebraska program serving largely grandparents raising grandchildren. Phase II consisted of multiple individual caregiver case studies, and Phase III consisted of a survey of all caregivers affiliated with the program. Qualitative findings from the first two phases yielded similar caregiver information regarding social support and resources issues. Differing information was received regarding health issues. Quantitative analysis …

Variations In Winter Surface High Pressure In The Northern Hemisphere And Climatological Impacts Of Diminishing Arctic Sea Ice, Kristen D. Fox

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study explores the role Arctic sea ice plays in determining mean sea level pressure and 1000 hPa temperatures during Northern Hemisphere winters while focusing on an extended period of October to March. This is accomplished by investigating two regions of the same size and comparable climatic zones and elevations in the Northern Hemisphere. A breakdown of 29 years of reanalysis data into average monthly values, anomalies, trends, and comparisons between regions serves as current data to compare with a computer model control run. Ensuring the control run accurately models current atmospheric patterns, altering the model inputs to have no …

The Provision Of Mental Health Services By Rural Health Clinics, John A. Gale Ms, Stephanie L. Loux Ms, Barbara Shaw Jd, David Hartley Phd, Mha

Rural Health Clinics

The number of Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) providing specialty mental health services remains limited. This study examined changes in the delivery of mental health services by RHCs, their operational characteristics, barriers to the development of services, and policy options to encourage more RHCs to deliver mental health services. Key Findings: Approximately 6% of independent and 2% of provider-based RHCs offer mental health services by doctoral-level psychologists and/or clinical social workers. Models used to provide mental health services include contracted and/or employed clinicians housed in the same facility as primary care providers. A key element in the development of mental health …

Religion And Regionalism: Congregants, Culture And City-County Consolidation In Louisville, Kentucky, Joshua D. Ambrosius

Political Science Faculty Publications

Literature on religious involvement in public affairs typically examines the national scene, particularly public opinion and political behavior in presidential elections. Few scholars examine religious actors in urban politics and policymaking. Those who do study local politics emphasize morality policy and ignore issues of metropolitan governance and institutional design, central concerns of the urban politics field. This dissertation fills that gap by studying Louisville, Kentucky, site of the first large-scale city-county consolidation since 1969. I ask: does religion affect how people vote in a consolidation referendum and shape their opinions about merged government? I employ a survey instrument (N=807), collected …

Camelina Production, Kathleen Grady, Thandiwe Nleya

SDSU Extension Extra Archives

Hisotry and Description Camelina [Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz] is an oilseed plant currently being researched as a potential new crop for South Dakota. It is a member of the Brassicaceae (or mustard) family, which includes mustard, canola, rapeseed, Crambe, broccoli, and several other vegetable crops. Cam¬elina is commonly known as gold-of-pleasure or false flax. It originated in Northern Europe and Central Asia, where it has been grown for at least 3,000 years. It was grown as an agricultural crop in Europe and the Soviet Union through World War II. European production dwindled after the 1950s, as rapeseed/canola production increased. Camelina …

The Effects Of An Inquiry-Based Earth Science Course On The Spatial Thinking Of Pre-Service Elementary Teacher Education Students, Kevin Douglas Weakley

Dissertations

This study examined the effectiveness of two geography courses at improving student spatial thinking skills. Spatial thinking is an important cognitive skill in the sciences and everyday life. A taxonomy of spatial thinking was constructed by Gersmehl (2008) in geography education which included core modes assessed in this study: comparison, region, transition, analogy, pattern, and association. Two additional modes related to space over time, change and movement, were also assessed. The central research question in this study is: What are the effects of a pre-service teacher education earth science content course (Geography 1900) that is conceptually designed and inquirybased on …

An Investigation Of Warm-Season Cloud Patterns And Related Precipitation Across Maryland And The Delmarva Peninsula, Heather Richelle Hyre

Theses and Dissertations

Surface heterogeneities cause differential heating that can generate mesoscale convective boundaries, sometimes leading to cloud development and enhanced localized precipitation. A preferred cloud pattern has been identified across Maryland and the Delmarva Peninsula region from 1998-2006 through the detection of cumuliform clouds on days when synoptic-scale forcing is weak. Hourly visible Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) imagery data are used to identify convective cloud masses. This allows quantitative description of the frequency and spatiotemporal extent of the clouds, helping forecasters gain insight into when and where they are likely to develop. Despite the inability to determine the underlying causes of …

Influence Of Clay Mineralogy On Soil Dispersion Behavior And Water Quality, Jessique L. Ghezzi

Master's Theses

Currently, there is very little research available on nonpoint source pollution from rural watersheds. Government regulatory agencies are desperate for information regarding the causes of nonpoint source pollution, which includes the relationship between suspended soil particles and dispersion. Since soil dispersion is dependent on clay mineralogy, knowing the clay mineralogy of the soil in an area can help predict sediment loads entering the surrounding surface waters. This information is necessary to protect the resource value of our rivers, lakes, and estuaries, as well as to protect recreational activities such as fishing or hunting; but most importantly, this information is necessary …

Contamination Of The Conchos River In Mexico: Does It Pose A Health Risk To Local Residents?, Hector Rubio-Arias, César Quintana, Jorge Jimenez-Castro, Ray Quintana, Melida Gutierrez

College of Natural and Applied Sciences

Presently, water contamination issues are of great concern worldwide. Mexico has not escaped this environmental problem, which negatively affects aquifers, water bodies and biodiversity; but most of all, public health. The objective was to determine the level of water contamination in six tributaries of the Conchos River and to relate their levels to human health risks. Bimonthly samples were obtained from each location during 2005 and 2006. Physical-chemical variables (temperature, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), Total solids and total nitrogen) as well as heavy metals (As, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, V, Zn, and Li) were determined. The statistical analysis considered …

A Sporting Chance, David Loader

Teacher journal archive (2004-2011)

If sport contributes so much to our students and society, maybe we should be giving it more time in the curriculum.

The Backyard Effect How The Experience Of Impacts Of Climate Change Affects Opinion And Discourse, Kevin Eggleston

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

“The Backyard Effect” hypothesizes that for an issue as potentially abstract, complex, and vast-in-scope as climate change, it will take experiential evidence of impacts in order for people to change and view the problem as urgent – and take action. In order to test this hypothesis, this project set out to interview citizens in climate change-impacted regions around the world in order to explore any connections between personal experience and personal opinion and action. The methodology involved personal interviews with residents, analysis of poll numbers, and use of media reports in locations currently experiencing the impacts of climate change.

Based …

Sustainable Syracuse: A Community Revitalization Initiative Through Green Mapping, Morgan Leykam

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

A reinvention of Syracuse’s identity is taking place. A once industrial hub that could tout the Eerie Canal as its central lifeline and Onondaga Lake as a popular, American vacation spot has found itself fighting for two major development goals: sustainability and redeveloping low-income neighborhoods. “Creative city” development models are gaining popularity as America moves from manufacturing to service-based industries. But creative cities cannot be established using top-down approaches. When a creative city is built by the people who live in it, their passion comes through in the city’s image. What is perceived by visitors is a young, vibrant community …

Charleston History Through Architecture: Educating Students About Historic Preservation, Cultural Heritage, And Social History In Charleston, South Carolina, Katherine Leslie Stamps

Master of Science in Historic Preservation Terminal Projects

No abstract provided.

Re-Conceptualizing The Bible Belt : Southern Spirituality In The Novels Of James Wilcox., Ashton Moats

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The following paper is a discussion of religions themes in the novels of James Wilcox, a contemporary Southern author. Through closely examining four of Wilcox's nine novels (along with excerpts from a few others), this project explores the ways in which Wilcox displays the postmodern state of contemporary Southern culture and its effects upon the religious climate of this region. Incorporating a number of literary and religious scholars, in addition to observing some of the ties between Wilcox and Flannery O'Connor, this thesis serves as both an introduction to an author who has not received a great deal of scholarly …

"Still I Rise!" Public Discourse Surrounding The Development Of Public Schools For African Americans In Louisville, Kentucky, 1862--1872., Michelle Bachelor Robinson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

I conducted my dissertation research in the national, state, and local archives. Using Deborah Brandt's "Sponsors of Literacy" as a conceptual framework and Critical Race Theory as a theoretical framework, I offer Louisville, Kentucky as a historical case study for how an established and empowered community of free blacks can serve as a catalyst to bring about social and political change through the acquisition of literacy. This dissertation is divided into four chapters. Chapter One explains the scholarly context of my dissertation. I argue that post-emancipation African Americans had a sense of urgency for the acquisition of literacy, and that …

Automating Community Charrettes: Using Communityviz To Improve The Effectiveness Of Community Charrettes, Based On A Charrette Performed In Old Orchard Beach In 2006, Jessa Berna

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

Public input has become an important part of the planning process for many communities and participatory design charettes. This Capstone project considers the impacts and opportunities of using these interactive technologies for participatory planning. It then looks at a charrette that was performed in 2006 using traditional pencil and paper "chip" game, and how this same process could have been conducted using the GIS extension program CommunityViz. Possible advantages of automating charrettes are considered. Finally, this project explores what added features of the charrette could have been included by using CommunityViz, and considers future applications and adaptability of this project.

Classifying Communities In Maine: A Comparative Analysis Of Fiscal Determinants, Amanda K. Rector

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

Every day, municipalities around Maine are faced with decisions about the types of services to provide their residents and how to pay for those services. Some communities have an easier time of this than others. Hub communities that draw commuters and visitors must provide a broad array of services with an often limited property tax base. In many cases, communities are faced with difficult tradeoffs between cutting services or increasing property tax rates.

The Educational Pipeline To Law School—Too Broken And Too Narrow To Provide Diversity, Sarah E. Redfield

The University of New Hampshire Law Review

[Excerpt] “The legal profession remains markedly out of sync with the changing demographics of the country, where the population is projected to be over 50 percent minority by 2050. Against this trend, law school enrollment hovers around 20 percent minority, including over 7 percent Asian students. Enrollment of some minority groups shows a decline rather than improvement. These numbers will remain static or continue to decline if the profession does not pay far more serious attention to the current leaks and gaps along the educational pipeline, far before students seek admission at the law school gates.”

Sprawl, Family Rhythms, And The Four-Day Work Week, Katharine B. Silbaugh

Faculty Scholarship

We evaluate the four-day work week against the background of other institutional and social practices and constraints. But we fix these other variables when considering the value of this work reform. For example, workers enjoy the commute time and expense savings associated with a four-day week. These savings would mean little if the commutes in question were negligible. Therefore, the value of the four-day work week depends in part on the social history that gave us increasingly substantial commutes. This Article seeks to highlight some of the institutional practices that influence the adoption of a four-day work week, particularly those …

Science And Practice Of Integrated River Basin Management : Lessons From North And Central American Unesco-Help Basins, Heejun Chang, Anne Browning-Aiken

Geography Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Hydrology for the Environment, Life and Policy (HELP) program, a cross-cutting component of the UNESCO International Hydrological Programme (IHP), has as its goal to facilitate dialogue among hydrologists, social and economic scientists, water resource managers, water lawyers, policy experts, and river basin stakeholder communities in setting a research agenda driven by local management and policy issues. HELP seeks to improve the benefits to society by applying the principals of integrated water-resources management to complex, interdisciplinary issues within catchments.

This Monograph is the culmination of a workshop held in 2010 in which the managers from the six North American basins …

City Design Lecture Series: Linking Transportation And Land Use Planning, Mark L. Gillem

TREC Final Reports

The objective of this multidisciplinary educational program was to host a lecture series that will inform area professionals, students, and the broader public about the need to consider transportation and land use strategies in concert that can jointly create more livable cities with enhanced safety, reduced congestion, greater mobility choices, and more housing variety. This lecture series meets the Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium’s (OTREC) goal of encouraging “… multidisciplinary educational programs and experiential learning across disciplines in the transportation field.” The lecture series brought a variety of nationally known experts in the fields of transportation planning, urban design, …

The Local Churches And The Universal Church: Reflections On The Kasper/Ratzinger Debate, Adam Koester

Obsculta

No abstract provided.