Digital Commons Network^™

Explaining Political Violence Against Civilians In Northern Ireland: A Contention-Oriented Approach, Gregory M. Maney, Michael A. Mccarthy, Grace B. Yukich

Social and Cultural Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

In contrast to prevalent theories of terrorism, this study develops a contention-oriented approach where levels and forms of political violence against civilians depend upon: (1) the strategies of combatants; (2) the means of contention; (3) the locations of allies and opponents; (4) the collective identities of combatants; and (5) the dynamics of contention, including whether or not representatives of paramilitary organizations are included in formal peace processes. Quantitative analyses of a multi-source database of civilian deaths taking place in Northern Ireland between 1966 and 2006 offer preliminary support for this approach. The study underscores the insights provided by theories and …

The Effects Of The Achievement Gap On Students Formally Identified As Gifted. Does Giftedness Prevail?, Dwayne T. Chism

Student Work

This study shows that minority students who, based upon a standardized test, have shown a high academic performance capability have a readiness for rigorous courses in high school and can sustain high academic achievement over time when compared to non-minority peers. Therefore, the on-going question for many educators needs to be why doesn't this hold true in many of our public school across this country? Why, in light of the accountability placed upon our nation's schools in 2001, is the prevailing discussion still about minority students being left behind? The purpose of this study was to evaluate the ninth-grade to …

Invited Editorial: African Pygmies, What's Behind A Name?, Paul Verdu, Giovanni Destro-Bisol

Human Biology Open Access Pre-Prints

No abstract provided.

Whose "Shared Humanity"?: The Tribal Law And Order Act (2010), Barack Obama, And The Politics Of Multiculturalism In Settler Colonial States, Liza Drake Minno

American Studies ETDs

This thesis advances a critical understanding of the ways in which neoliberal multiculturalism works to naturalize settler colonialism in the United States through the queer, feminist, and decolonial use of visual, historical, and legal analysis. The Tribal Law and Order Act (TLOA) of 2010, as well as the White House signing ceremony for the TLOA serve as the main sites for this analysis. The central argument of the thesis is that multiculturalism in the United States facilitates the ongoing naturalization of settler prerogatives and that Barack Obama, through his deployment of affect and analogy, is especially effective at normalizing multicultural …

The Phonetics Of Insertional Code-Switching: Suprasegmental Analysis And A Case For Hyper-Articulation, Daniel J. Olson

School of Languages and Cultures Faculty Publications

This study investigates the phonetic production of Spanish-English insertional codeswitches, constituents of an embedded language inserted within a discourse of a matrix language. While previous research on the phonetics of code-switching has focused exclusively on the segmental properties, the current study provides a detailed examination of the suprasegmental features of code-switched tokens, including pitch height and duration. Code-switched productions are compared with non-code-switched tokens, and results indicate that insertional code-switched tokens are produced with a degree of hyperarticulation, evidenced by an increase in pitch height and duration. The results are discussed within Hyper- and Hypo-articulation Theory, drawing on the notion …

Stem Cell Research: A Bibliometric Analysis From 1999-2008, A. Thirumagal

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Stem cell research is a vital area of study. It is of interest to scientists in India and all countries [1]. Bibliometrics is a truly interdisciplinary research field. Bibliometrics comprises mathematics, social science, natural sciences, engineering, and life sciences. Bibliometric studies such as a work on the research productivity in ophthalmic and vision research used both the number of publications and qualitative measures of journals.[2] This article is a bibliometric study of a part of the literature on stem cell research.

Bibliometrics

The terms bibliometrics and scientometrics were introduced by Pritchard and by Nalimov and Mulchenko in 1969. Pritchard explained …

Presenting Himself As An Approved Worker: The Narratological Function Of The Prayers In The Book Of Nehemiah, Philip Penhallegon

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

Penhallegon, Philip W. “Presenting Himself as an Approved Worker: The Narratological Function of the Prayers in the Book of Nehemiah.” Ph.D. diss., Concordia Seminary, 2012. 240 pp.

Prayer can serve as a key feature with important functions in a narrative text. The abundant prayers in Nehemiah and the lack of scholarly attention to their function within the narrative suggest the need for fresh research into this question. This dissertation addresses the question, “Given the prominence of prayers in the book of Nehemiah, how do the various prayers function in the narrative?”

The exploration of that question has resulted in the …

Cardiomyopathy Detection From Electrocardiogram Features, Mirela Ovreiu, Daniel J. Simon

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Cardiomyopathy means "heart (cardio) muscle (myo) disease (pathy)". Currently, cardiomyopathies are defined as myocardial disorders in which the heart muscle is structurally and/or functionally abnormal in the absence of a coronary artery disease, hypertension, valvular heart disease or congenital heart disease sufficient to cause the observed myocardial abnormalities. This book provides a comprehensive, state-of-the-art review of the current knowledge of cardiomyopathies. Instead of following the classic interdisciplinary division, the entire cardiovascular system is presented as a functional unity, and the contributors explore pathophysiological mechanisms from different perspectives, including genetics, molecular biology, electrophysiology, invasive and non-invasive cardiology, imaging methods and surgery. …

Ceal Response To "Clarification Of Lc Practice Concerning The Use Of Diacritical Marks In Japanese Romanization", Shi Deng, Setsuko Noguchi, Rob Britt, Yoko Kudo, Mieko Mazza, Hikaru Nakano, Keiko Suzuki

Journal of East Asian Libraries

No abstract provided.

An Application Of Discourse Analysis Methodology In The Exegesis Of John 17, Thomas W. Hudgins

Liberty Theological Review

This study applies discourse analysis methodology to the study of the seventeenth chapter of John. Instead of adopting the typical three-fold division of Jesus' prayer based upon the three referents (Jesus, the immediate disciples, and future disciples), greater attention is given to Jesus' requests and final commitment, the mainline verbs. By giving more structural significance to the mainline verbs, the structural division and natural outline of Jesus' prayer become more evident.

Narrative Practice And The Transformation Of Interview Subjectivity, Jaber F. Gubrium, James A. Holstein

Social and Cultural Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Grammar Teaching Revisited: Efl Teachers Between Grammar Abstinence And Formal Grammar Teaching, Ahmad Nazari, Negah Allahyar

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Abstract: The study of English language teachers’ cognitions and its relationship to teachers’ classroom practices have recently been the focus of language teaching and teacher education (Borg, 2006 & 2010). However, rarely have the studies delved into teachers’ knowledge about grammar (reviewed by Borg, 2001) or investigated the relationships between teachers’ knowledge about grammar and teachers’ actions (Borg, 2003; Sanchez, 2010). Moreover, these studies have been mostly conducted by English native speaker researchers who do not necessarily have the same cultural or linguistic background of the participants in the studies (Andrew, 2001 cited in Sanchez, 2010, p. 45). Also, they …

The Fukushima Disaster And Japan’S Occupy Movement, Hiro Saito

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

On October 15, 2011, OccupyTokyo protests took place in three different districts: Hibiya,Shinjuku, and Roppongi. Before the rallies began, protesters gathered in parkswhere organizers and participants gave speeches. They expressed solidarity withthe worldwide Occupy movement, criticized a widening economic gap in Japan, anddemanded a more just world. Protesters then took to the streets with theirplacards, drums, and megaphones to shout slogans to reclaim society for “the99%.”

Thank You, Merci, Shukran! Private Education And Language In Egypt, Ericka Galegher

Theses and Dissertations

My thesis examines the processes by which the reproduction of power and social hierarchies transpire in the field of international, private schools in Egypt. More specifically, I will analyze how the linguistic system in these schools reproduce and reinforce forms of power and inequality. I will consider the process by which nonnative languages, principally English, became the dominant and legitimate linguistic system of these schools, and how the complexities of their habitus have influenced students' language beliefs and practices. Language is a place for ideological contestation and identity assertion reinforcing power relations between groups and individuals. Differences in accent, grammar, …

Recognizing Contextual Valence Shifters In Document-Level Sentiment Classification, Sara Ahmed Morsy

Theses and Dissertations

Sentiment classification is an emerging research field. Due to the rich opinionated web content, people and organizations are interested in knowing others' opinions, so they need an automated tool for analyzing and summarizing these opinions. One of the major tasks of sentiment classification is to classify a document (i.e. a blog, news article or review) as holding an overall positive or negative sentiment. Machine learning approaches have succeeded in achieving better results than semantic orientation approaches in document-level sentiment classification; however, they still need to take linguistic context into account, by making use of the so-called contextual valence shifters. Early …

The Development Of The Coptic Perceptions Of The Muslim Conquest Of Egypt, Walid Mohamed Asfour

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines some of the early Coptic perceptions of the Muslim conquest of Egypt that were mentioned in The Chronicle of John of Nikiu, written in the seventh century. It also compares it with the narratives in History of the Patriarchs of the Coptic Church of Alexandria which was collected in the 10th century. This comparison is aiming at recognizing the factors that could be responsible for the development of the Coptic perceptions on the Muslim conquest over three centuries. The study also examines if these sources are the production of a religious institute, such as the Coptic Church, …

Effect Of Temperature And Relative Humidity On The Development And Fecundity Of Chilo Partellus (Swinhoe) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), A. Tamiru, E. Getu, B. Jembere, T. Bruce

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The spotted stemborer, Chilo partellus (Swinhoe) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), is one of the most important insect pests attacking maize and sorghum in Ethiopia. Recent studies have indicated that the pest is spreading to new locations where it was not reported before. In the current study, laboratory investigations were carried out to determine the combined effect of different levels of relative humidity and temperature regimes on the development and fecundity of C. partellus, as these physical factors are known to play an important role in the life cycle of insects and adaptability to local climate. Developmental time, longevity, potential fecundity and realized …

Categorical Confusion? The Strategic Implications Of Recognizing Challenges Either As Irregular Or Traditional, Colin S. Gray Dr.

Books, Monographs & Collaborative Studies

Strategic theory should educate to enable effective strategic practice, but much of contemporary theory promotes confusion, not clarity, of suitable understanding. A little strategic theory goes a long way, at least it does if it is austere and focused on essentials. Unfortunately, contemporary strategic conceptualization in the U.S. defense community is prolix, over-elaborate, and it confuses rather than clarifies. Recent debate about irregular, as contrasted allegedly with traditional, challenges to U.S. national security have done more harm than good. Conceptualization of and for an operational level of war can imperil the truly vital nexus between strategy and tactics. In much …

Distributed Multichannel Speech Enhancement With Minimum Mean-Square Error Short-Time Spectral Amplitude, Log-Spectral Amplitude, And Spectral Phase Estimation, Marek B. Trawicki, Michael T. Johnson

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

In this paper, the authors present optimal multichannel frequency domain estimators for minimum mean-square error (MMSE) short-time spectral amplitude (STSA), log-spectral amplitude (LSA), and spectral phase estimation in a widely distributed microphone configuration. The estimators utilize Rayleigh and Gaussian statistical models for the speech prior and noise likelihood with a diffuse noise field for the surrounding environment. Based on the Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) and Segmental Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SSNR) along with the Log-Likelihood Ratio (LLR) and Perceptual Evaluation of Speech Quality (PESQ) as objective metrics, the multichannel LSA estimator decreases background noise and speech distortion and increases speech quality compared to …

Motionless Monotony: New Nowheres In Irish Photography, Colin Graham

Articles

‘But my mind was too confused … so with a kind of madness growing upon me, I flung myself into futurity … What strange developments of humanity, what wonderful advances upon our rudimentary civilization, I thought, might not appear when I came to look into the dim elusive world that raced and fluctuated before my eyes. I saw great and splendid architecture rising about me, more massive than any buildings of our own time, and yet, it seemed, built of glimmer and mist … the earth seemed very fair. And so my mind came round to the business of stopping.’ …

Gender And Identity In Contemporary Coptic Society, Hazel Haddon

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis attempts to analyze the role that class plays in determining attitudes to gender among upper middle class Egyptian Copts. Through fieldwork, it explores the relationship between class, religion and gender in the lives of upper middle class Christian women. It argues that members of the upper middle class share a common â class cultureâ and have access to â cosmpolitan capitalâ which is constituted largely in social, cultural, educational and linguistic terms, and which sets them apart from the broader middle class. A distinctive class culture is produced through gender ideologies (described using terms such as â open …

Stare Decisis And Foreign Affairs, Michael P. Van Alstine

Duke Law Journal

This Article examines whether the jurisprudential and institutional premises of the doctrine of stare decisis retain their validity in the field of foreign affairs. The proper role of the judicial branch in foreign affairs has provoked substantial scholarly debate—historical, institutional, and normative—since the founding of the Republic. Precisely because of the sensitivity of the subject, the Supreme Court has both warned about the judicial branch’s comparative lack of expertise in the field and established a web of deference doctrines designed to protect against improvident judicial action. Notwithstanding all of this discussion, however, neither the Supreme Court nor any scholar has …

Changing Language, Remaining Pygmy, Serge Bahuchet

Human Biology Open Access Pre-Prints

In this article I am illustrating the linguistic diversity of African Pygmy populations in order to better address their anthropological diversity and history. I am also introducing a new method, based on the analysis of specialized vocabulary, to reconstruct the substratum of some languages they speak. I show that Pygmy identity is not based on their languages, which have often been borrowed from neighboring non-Pygmy farmer communities with whom each Pygmy group is linked. Understanding the nature of this partnership, quite variable in history, is essential to address Pygmy languages, identity and history. Finally, I show that only a multidisciplinary …

The Relationship Of School Uniforms To Student Attendance, Achievement, And Discipline, Russell Edward Sowell

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This causal-comparative study examined the relationship of school uniforms to attendance, academic achievement, and discipline referral rates, using data collected from two high schools in rural southwest Georgia county school systems, one with a uniforms program and one without a uniforms program. After accounting for race and students with disabilities status, School A (with uniforms) had significantly better attendance and somewhat fewer minor behavior infractions, but trended lower in standardized math scores and more intermediate and major behavioral infractions than School B (without uniforms). These findings failed to demonstrate an unambiguous advantage of school uniforms, consistent with the mixed results …

Is The Third Time The Charm? Janus And The Proper Balance Between Primary And Secondary Actor Liability Under Section 10(B), Elizabeth Cosenza

Cardozo Law Review

On June 13, 2011, in a 5-4 ruling that has generated much criticism, the Supreme Court decided Janus Capital Group, Inc. v. First Derivative Traders, a landmark case establishing the limits of secondary actor liability under section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Exchange Act). Following Janus, investment managers who deceive and manipulate their shareholders no longer face the prospect of liability under section 10(b) as long as those managers perpetrate their fraud through the mutual fund itself which is, in essence, a business trust. More importantly, the decision holds that liability under section 10(b) may …

Manipulation Of Online Reviews: An Analysis Of Ratings, Readability, And Sentiments, Nan Hu, Indranil Bose, Noi Sian Koh, Ling Liu

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

As consumers become increasingly reliant on online reviews to make purchase decisions, the sales of the product becomes dependent on the word of mouth (WOM) that it generates. As a result, there can be attempts by firms to manipulate online reviews of products to increase their sales. Despite the suspicion on the existence of such manipulation, the amount of such manipulation is unknown, and deciding which reviews to believe in is largely based on the reader's discretion and intuition. Therefore, the success of the manipulation of reviews by firms in generating sales of products is unknown. In this paper, we …

Generational Dynamics: Eritrean Women In Egypt, Naseem Hashim

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the experience of Eritrean women in Egypt across different generations. The purpose of the study is to explore the connection between class, choice and rights in shaping the experiences of three different generations of Eritrean women living in Egypt. This research investigates the experiences of three different groups from Eritrean women in Egypt. The first group is the first generation of Eritrean women who were displaced more than thirty years ago as result of the war between Eritrea and Ethiopia in 1961. The second group is the second generation of Eritrean women who grew up and lived …

Salaries And Promotions Of Saudi Women In Private Sector, Shahad Alhamdan

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the issue of Saudi women's salaries and promotions in the private sector. It explores the reasons behind the observed gap in salaries and discrimination in promotions and provides recommendations to mitigate the problem. The thesis is based on qualitative research methods, particularly on interviews with educated young and middle-career employees in companies in Saudi Arabia. Findings demonstrate that the main problem is not in Saudi labor law formulation, but in the implementations of these laws. Interviews show that there is a gap in salaries and financial promotions between Saudi female and male employees in most of the …

The Forgotten Half Of Program Evaluation: A Focus On The Translation Of Rating Scales For Use With Hispanic Populations, Shannon J. Dogan, Stephanie L. Sitnick, Lenna L. Ontai

Journal of Extension

tools have been developed and validated with English-speaking samples. There is little research and practical guidance on the cultural adaptation and translation of rating scales. The purpose of this article is to summarize the methodological work in this area as it relates to evaluation in Extension, specifically with Spanish-speaking, Hispanic populations of Mexican origin. General practices are reviewed and recommendations outlined. Inferences about program outcomes and impacts depend, in large part, on the rating scale; therefore, inattention to these issues could lead to misleading results and interpretations.

A Natural Law Manifesto Or An Appeal From The Old Jurisprudence To The New, Hadley Arkes

Notre Dame Law Review

An essay is presented on teaching and practice of natural law by judges, lawyers, and professors of philosophy and its affect on people living in the U.S. The author discusses an appeal made from the old jurisprudence which relied on natural law to the new one that has been resistant to natural law. He relates the differences in jural perspective of jurists with the protection of human rights.