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Evaluating The International Criminal Court: A Comparative Analysis Of Darfur, Sudan, And The Democratic Republic Of The Congo, Mirisa Hasfaria

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the effectiveness of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in holding individuals accountable for grave breaches of crimes against peace, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. I argue that if we measure effectiveness in terms of the ability to set agenda and to publicize, the ICC accomplishes much. My thesis to shows that, as a key part of the international agenda on human rights compliance, the ICC derives its effectiveness from the various naming and shaming campaigns by national governments and non-governmental actors (NGOs).

I draw on the cases of Darfur, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of …

The Thundering Throne: Personality, Poetics, And Gender In The Court Of King Henry Viii, Rebecca Marie Moore

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This work examines gender in the court of King Henry VIII, focusing specifically on the role that the power and weight of Henry's personal decisions played in shaping the contemporary Social definitions of femininity, masculinity, and courtiership. The space of courtiership is particularly open to such inquiry because this space was so often one that revealed the fissures and failures in attempts to maintain the strict binaries that privileged hegemonic masculinity under Henry. These definitions, then, will be reflected in, as well as shaped by, court poetry and, as explored in the final chapter, prose. Literature produced within the context …

An Evaluation Of A Peer Led Bystander Intervention Program To Reduce Sexual Assault Violence Among College Students, Elizabeth Madeline Childers

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

It has been reported that sexual victimization among college women is three times higher than the general population. Because of these alarming rates, sexual violence prevention has become a main concern on college campuses. Sexual violence prevention programs have been implemented and evaluated throughout the years in order to decrease the incidence of sexual violence, but very few have explored the bystander intervention component. The current study developed and evaluated a program that promoted proSocial bystander behavior through a one-time educational program utilizing peer educators. Data for this study were collected with a pre/posttest design from a Division 1 university …

Social Skills As Predictors Of Theory Of Mind Development Among Children, Lucia A. Salinas

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The present study examined relationships among social skills including deceptive behavior, socioeconomic status, and theory of mind development in 98 predominantly Hispanic 3- to 7-year-old children residing in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Measures were of vocabulary, deceptive ability, true belief, and false belief understanding. Children’s interactions with others were also measured through observational methods and parental data was obtained to compute socioeconomic status and validate social skills information. It was hypothesized that social skill development, including deception would emerge along with theory of mind understanding in this population, and that children from households of lower socioeconomic status would …

Does Responding On Progressive Ratio Schedule Of Reinforcement Vary As A Function Of Phase In Estrous Cycle?, Armandina M. Sanchez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Hormonal fluctuations across the menstrual and estrous cycle have been found to influence a variety of behavioral and physical responses in humans and animals, respectively. Impulsive behavior has been associated with the luteal phase of the cycle. Progressive ratio schedule of reinforcement has been widely used to assess the strength of reinforcers. In the present study, a comparison was made between the rate of motor activity, lever pressing, of early and late estrous groups. Differences between the groups were not statistically significant. Further analysis explored subjects individually. Visual examination of the data reveal extreme variability in responding, which coupled with …

Communities Of Practice And Teacher Development – Lessons Learnt From An Educational Innovation In Pakistan, Sajid Ali

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

Communities of Practice (CoP) is a novel idea that highlights the importance of informal learning and working groups in an organization. Organizations need to nurture informal spaces of learning so as to enhance overall organizational success. This article builds on this idea and applies it to educational context of Pakistan, particularly towards the issue of teacher training. The paper presents the example of an educational improvement programme in KPK province of Pakistan titled ‘Primary Education Project – Improvement of the Learning Environment (PEP-ILE)’. It is highlighted that PEP-ILE created cluster based training model around subject areas. Such configuration allowed for …

Maternal Separation Affects Dopamine Transporter Function In The Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat: An In Vivo Electrochemical Study, Jacqueline S. Womersley, Jennifer H. Hsieh, Lauriston A. Kellaway, Greg A. Gerhardt, Vivienne A. Russell

Neuroscience Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a developmental disorder characterised by symptoms of inattention, impulsivity and hyperactivity. The spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) is a well-characterised model of this disorder and has been shown to exhibit dopamine dysregulation, one of the hypothesised causes of ADHD. Since stress experienced in the early stages of life can have long-lasting effects on behaviour, it was considered that early life stress may alter development of the dopaminergic system and thereby contribute to the behavioural characteristics of SHR. It was hypothesized that maternal separation would alter dopamine regulation by the transporter (DAT) in ways that distinguish SHR …

Property's Memories, Eduardo M. Peñalver

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

This short essay, presented at Fordham's conference on the social functions of property (and in an earlier form at a conference on law and memory at USC), explores the relationship between property and memory. It distinguishes between property as the object of memory ("memory of property") and property as a medium of memory ("memory in property"). With respect to both kinds of memory, the common law expresses a great deal of ambivalence towards memory. Unlimited memory is no less dangerous to a system of property than it is to an individual’s ability to think. Recent reforms of adverse possession, the …

Entry-Level Student Affairs Administrators' Attitudes Toward Mental Illness In College Students., Jennifer A. Schum

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Calls for universities to better serve college students with mental illness have been growing. While a considerable literature base supports Corrigan's (2004) Social Cognitive Model of Mental Illness Stigma and the complex relationship among stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination, limited research has been conducted examining university administrators on attitudes toward and knowledge of mental illness in college students. Participants of the current study were 206 entry-level student affairs professionals who completed an online, modified version of Becker, Martin, Wajeeh, Ward, and Shern's (2002) Mental Illness Awareness Survey. Simultaneous regression was used to determine the significance of seven demographic variables (gender, age, …

Efficacy Of Child Parent Relationship Therapy For Caregivers Of Children With Attachment Problems., Margaret Sergeant

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examined the effectiveness of Child Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT), a lO-week group model of Filial Therapy (FT), with caregivers of children with attachment problems. CPRT is an evidence-based treatment which is designed to strengthen relationship between caregiver and child. Research suggests that improvements in the relationship lead to changes in behavior and emotional regulation. Therapists treating children with attachment problems at Seven Counties Services, Inc. were concerned about the lack of interventions for children with attachment problems. This study used a randomized pre-test, post-test waitlist control group design to evaluate the effectiveness of CPRT for caregivers of children …

Cultural Orientation And Drinking Behaviors Among Chinese University Students, Shiyuan Wang

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

This study aimed to develop a cultural orientation instrument among Chinese university students and to investigate the relationship between cultural orientation and their drinking behaviors. Four research questions were raised regarding these two objectives. A sample of 1421 students from universities in Beijing, Kunming and Wuhan participated in this study. The final instrument included 67 items consisting of 10 factors that loaded on two second-order factors: Chinese and Western culture. Thus, four categories of cultural orientation (Traditional, Western, Bicultural and Marginal) emerged, confirming the applicability of Berry’s acculturation theory in cultural orientation. The result also indicated that traditional oriented group …

Inquiry, Art And Consummatory Experience: A Deweyan Account Of The Instrumental And Aesthetic Modes In Human Well-Being, Eric A. Evans

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

This dissertation argues that a Deweyan reconstruction of philosophical theories of human well-being is needed. While philosophical interest about human well-being has existed for millennia, significant interest in such theories among philosophers has re-emerged during the past twenty-five years. During this same time there has been a resurgence of interest in the work of John Dewey. His critique of the “philosophical fallacy” is used to examine the legitimacy and value of the theories of human well-being offered by Plato and L.W. Sumner in which the target for evaluation is “happiness” and the criterion is, respectively, P-justice or preference fulfillment. It …

Validation Of Chinese Women’S Alcohol Expectancy Instrument, Yue Qiu Yu

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

The present study was designed to develop and validate the Chinese Women’s Alcohol Expectancy scale; and to examine gender differences in alcohol expectancy. 134 interviewees from Canton, Kaiping and Hong Kong participated in study 1. 1,550 students from thirteen universities in three provinces, Beijing, Yunnan and Wuhan, China, completed the women’s alcohol expectancy questionnaire in study 2. The findings in study 1 revealed six prominent categories that inform women’s alcohol expectancy. Findings in study 2 provided 7-subscales (α > 0.7) for the instrument’s reliability and validity. Additionally, there were significant differences in alcohol expectancy by genders. Implications related to expectancy theory …

Examining The Effect Of Medical Risk, Parental Stress, And Self-Efficacy On Parent Behaviors And The Home Environment Of Premature Children, Kathryn Woods

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

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between medical risk and parenting stress and the extent to which parental self-efficacy moderates the relationship between medical risk, parenting stress, specific parenting behaviors (i.e., parental responsivity, acceptance of child, parental involvement) and the home environment (i.e., organization of environment, learning materials, variety in experience, and IT-HOME total score) of premature children. Participants included 72 parent-child dyads with premature children between the ages of 7 and 35 months corrected age. Measures included parent reports of medical risk, stress, self-efficacy, and the IT-HOME. Results show that medical risk was not significantly …

“The Grin Of The Skull Beneath The Skin:” Reassessing The Power Of Comic Characters In Gothic Literature, Amanda D. Drake

Department of English: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Neither representative of aesthetic flaws or mere comic relief, comic characters within Gothic narratives challenge and redefine the genre in ways that open up, rather than confuse, critical avenues. Comic characters in the Gothic texts of Horace Walpole, Ann Radcliffe, and Clara Reeve establish the comic as a serious and legitimate part of the Gothic aesthetic. Comic characters continue to appear in all forms of the Gothic, including its parodies, well into the nineteenth-century, suggesting that these characters endure as necessary and vital elements within the evolving Gothic genre. As the genre evolves, the characters evolve as well, progressing from …

Military Sexual Trauma Exposure And Heart Rate Variability Outcomes In Female Veterans, Elizabeth Ann Davis Lee

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Area of Investigation and Hypothesis: Decreased heart rate variability (HRV) has been used as a predictor of cardiac and all-cause mortality. Studies have documented decreased HRV in a variety of conditions, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, age, coronary artery disease (CAD), diabetes mellitus (DM), and tobacco use but improvement with beta blocker (BB) treatment. No prior study evaluated the relationship between military sexual trauma (MST) exposure and HRV outcomes. The hypothesis of this study was that female veterans exposed to MST would have lower time domain HRV measures than a reference cohort reporting non-exposure. Methods and Procedures: Electronic medical …

Improving Eyewitness Testimony Methods For More Accurate Recall Of Events, Ashley M. Schachter

HIM 1990-2015

Eyewitness testimony has as long history in the court system, and is very persuasive to juries. Jurors are hard pressed to ignore a witness' assertion of a perpetrator's identity. However, the juror's perception of eyewitness testimony is problematic as it has been documented as inaccurate and unreliable in numerous experiments. With the advent of DNA testing and efforts such as The Innocence Project, it has become apparent that faulty eyewitness accounts are central to many wrongful convictions. The intent of this thesis was to explore how law enforcement can facilitate more accurate eyewitness accounts via their interview process. Research suggests …

An Exploration Of Chronic Pain Experience, Coping And The Neo Five Factors In High Functioning Adults, Juliana Stalter

HIM 1990-2015

Chronic pain affects nearly 48 million Americans (Haggard, Stowell, Bernstein, & Gatchel, 2008). Established guidelines for pain management encourage the use of personality assessment in chronic pain evaluation (Karlin, Creech, Grimes, Clark, Meagher, & Morey, 2005). In relation to the Big Five personality factors, low Openness relates negatively to treatment success, (Hopwood, Creech, Clark, Meagher, & Morey, 2008), and elevated Neuroticism scores also correlate with increased pain levels among individuals in hospital or rehab settings (Ashgari & Nicholas, 2006; Nitch & Boon, 2004). In contrast to these prior studies, this study identifies correlates in a relatively high-functioning population (college students) …

Two Conceptions Of The Mind, Benjamin J. Aguda

HIM 1990-2015

Since the cognitive revolution during the last century the mind has been conceived of as being computer-like. Like a computer, the brain was assumed to be a physical structure (hardware) upon which a computational mind (software) was built. The mind was seen as a collection of independent programs which each have their own specific tasks, or modules. These modules took sensory input "data" and transduced it into language-like representations which were used in mental computations. Recently, a new conception of the mind has developed, grounded cognition. According to this model, sensory stimulus is saved in the original format in which …

A Qualitative Analysis Of Perspectives Educational Implications In The Spanish Bilingual Programs In Primary Education In The Central Florida Region, Caitlin M. Araldi

HIM 1990-2015

The proposed goal of this research was to take the data gathered and implement it in analyzing the potential reformation of programs in need of evaluation, assessing the potential benefits of further development in the field of bilingual education in the United States as a nation. Using data collected in the Central Florida region as a microcosmic example of how existing programs function in the modern elementary educational system, the purpose of this study was to demonstrate through the conduction of interviews with local teachers and currently available research that a more suitable standard for bilingual education is both necessary …

Spatial Ability And Experts Of Needlework Crafts An Exploratory Study, Shannon Kyle Tedder Bailey

HIM 1990-2015

In the Surface Development Test, self-perceived Sewing Expertise was significant in predicting participants' test scores. For the Paper Folding Test, Knitting and Crocheting Expertise were significant, suggesting expertise may mitigate age effects.; Spatial ability has been a topic of much research and debate over the past few decades. Yet, there are gaps in the current literature. Spatial ability refers to the aptitude of an individual to mentally rotate objects, visualize spaces, and recognize patterns (Linn & Petersen, 1985). A highly spatial task that is not addressed in research literature is crafting. Crafting may refer to knitting, crocheting, sewing, and other …

Yoga As A Treatment For Low Back Pain A Systematic Review Of Randomized Controlled Trials, Alison Diaz

HIM 1990-2015

Background: Low back pain is very common and has a tremendous economic impact. With the prevalence and incidence of low back pain on the rise, individuals are turning to alternative treatments. Yoga is the most widely used complementary and alternative medicine treatment for low back pain and it is not fully certain how effective this method is for resolving the symptoms. Objectives: The purpose of this manuscript is to systematically review the current literature for randomized controlled trials that assess the outcomes of yoga intervention in individuals with low back pain. Methods: An electronic database search was performed to analyze …

Attitude Change Regarding Animal Abuse In Adults The Effect Of Education And Visual Aids, Ashley Carter

HIM 1990-2015

Additionally, images of animals alone immediately increased attitudes regarding treatment of animals. This difference does not appear to increase further over time. Images of animals alone appear to aid in immediately altering individuals' sense of continuity with animals. The attitude that animals and humans share some commonalities and exist in relation to each other could assist in adoption campaigns by allowing the potential owners to place themselves with the animals they are adopting. However, over time information combined with images of humans and animals significantly increase this sense of commonality. The applications for the results depend on what type of …

Human Resources: A Key Aspect In Company Innovation, Kristin Hall

HIM 1990-2015

Innovation is a key factor for companies. It is also essential on an individual scale for employees. To ensure they are utilizing employees to the utmost efficiency, companies must implement practices to ensure the attraction and retention of top employees. Human resource practices can help to define and explain essential techniques to help employees gain satisfaction from their work, creating intrinsic motivation, and allowing them to ultimately perform more efficiently and perhaps even creatively for the company, helping to generate significant profits. The intent of this thesis is to analyze human resource practices on an empirical study of eight companies …

What Is The Importance Of Age At Menarche On Adult Height Relative To Other Known Factors?, Pamela M. Kacerosky

HIM 1990-2015

Objectives: To analyze the association between age at menarche, as a measure of sexual maturation, and adult height from ten published studies. Methods: Compared published measurements of age at menarche, adult height, and within-sample relationships observed in ten studies, for women from several societies and socioeconomic backgrounds, living in the 20th century, Results: In these studies, early maturers were taller during pre-puberty, but had shorter adult height then later maturers. Late maturers experience a longer period of pre-pubertal growth and a delayed age of peak height velocity, leading to an extended overall time of growth, until adult stature was obtained. …

Effects Of Input Modality And Expertise On Workload And Video Game Performance, Travis M. Kent

HIM 1990-2015

A recent trend in consumer and military electronics has been to allow operators the option to control the system via novel control methods. The most prevalent and available form of these methods is that of vocal control. Vocal control allows for the control of a system by speaking commands rather than manually inputting them. This has not only implications for increased productivity but also optimizing safety, and assisting the disabled population. Past research has examined the potential costs and benefits to this novel control scheme with varying results. The purpose of this study was to further examine the relationship between …

Intraoperative Pain Management: Attenuating Postoperative Pain In Pediatric Patients, Alicia M. Wolfgram

Theses and Dissertations

More than 5 million children undergo surgery in the United States each year, and it is estimated that up to 75% (3.75 million) of them experience significant postoperative pain (Fortier, MacLaren, Martink, Perret-Karimi, & Kain, 2009). While we have come a long way in our knowledge of pain in children, it is often found that pain is inadequately assessed and treated. Aside from the cost associated with increased utilization of medical visits, psychological implications (anxiety, avoidance, sleep disturbances), and increased parental distress related to pediatric pain, there are many physiologic changes associated with pain that may delay or prevent wound …

"The Course Fit Us": Differentiated Instruction In The College Classroom, Mary Volesky Dosch

Theses and Dissertations

Differentiated instruction is a learner-centered philosophy of teaching based on Tomlinson’s research, but stems from a constructivist belief espoused by Dewey, Piaget, and Vygotsky. Through consideration of three diagnostic areas: readiness, interests, and learning profiles, a teacher differentiates how diverse students access the material (content), how students make sense of the material (process), and how students demonstrate their learning (product).

Differentiated instruction has been used successfully at the elementary, middle, and high school levels showing quantitative improvements for diverse students. A limited number of qualitative studies on differentiated instruction exist at the college level, with even fewer quantitative studies.

The …

Implications Of Fatigue And Sleep Loss On Medical Professionals And Countermeasures To Prevent Fatigue, Tracie J. Christensen

Theses and Dissertations

The number of hours worked per individual has long been limited by the law in many professional industries. Recent increases in the incidence of medical and diagnostic errors related to fatigue has led to an increased interest in health care worker fatigue. For human beings, functioning on a 24-hour basis poses unique physiological challenges. Acknowledging and managing these challenges can promote performance, productivity, and safety in 24-hour operations. Ignoring these factors can lead to decrements in human capability and to the potential for incidents and accidents that can result in tremendous societal and individual costs. Long duty hours, reduced sleep …

The Role Of The School Nurse In Advocating For Comprehensive Sex Education In Schools, Heather Weaver

Theses and Dissertations

Despite recent decreases in teen pregnancy rates, teen pregnancy remains a significant public health problem. In the past two decades, funding has been available supporting sex education; however, many of these programs have not been effective in reducing teen pregnancy rates. Research supports the use of comprehensive sex education as effective tools in delaying sexual initiation and preventing teen pregnancy. School nurses are essential in the advocacy of policy change at the federal, state, and local levels. School nurses serve in leadership roles for health policies and programs. This article aims at describing research based advocacy programs that may assist …