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Stories From The Dark Side: A Rhetorical Analysis Of The Stories Legally Blind And Totally Blind People Tell About Unplanned Encounters With The Sighted Community, Anneliese Devyldere

Honors Capstone Projects and Theses

No abstract provided.

Our Celebrities Our Selves: Reconstructing Ourselves As Online Personalities, Arne Baruca

Marketing Faculty Publications (Archived)

Celebrity influence on consumer behavior at the online macro level is the motivation for this study that addresses the nature of celebrity consumption and how consumers apply that consumption to develop their online self-presentation.

The sample for this study is limited to consumers with active accounts at online social networks such as Facebook or Twitter. Methodology is a three-part design. A multi-factor qualitative exploratory study (n=73) reveals four celebrity-consumer relationships whose proposed measurement scales are tested in a quantitative pilot study (n=85). Finally, a large sample study (n=593) is used to test the measurement model and to test the proposed …

Italian Fascism’S Soviet Enemy And The Propaganda Of Hate, 1941-1943, Marla Stone

Journal of Hate Studies

In conjunction with the war against the Soviet Union which began in June 1941, the Italian Fascist regime promulgated a virulent brand of anti-communism and oversaw a campaign of hate-mongering propaganda targeted at its Soviet enemy. This propaganda produced to justify the war highlighted the Manichean struggle against the Soviet Union and the special horrors of the Soviet communist enemy. Using longstanding stereotypes about a Russian lack of civilization, 19th-century ideas about racially expressed biological difference, and more recent tropes about Bolshevik barbarism and immorality, official representations of Fascism’s historic enemy—the communist—put forward a racially degenerate, godless peril from the …

Defining Characteristics And Politicising Victims: A Legal Perspective, Jennifer Schweppe

Journal of Hate Studies

Legislatures worldwide experience the same problem in drafting or amending hate crimes statutes: How is it possible to discriminate between victim groups, and which groups are worthy of legislative protection? This article explores some of the experiences of legislatures, highlighting the political inconsistencies which go on to shape the legal system. It focusses on the experience of a number of common law jurisdictions, and seeks to establish a normative platform from which hate crimes statutes can be based, drawing on the legislative experiences of the United States. This platform draws on two other areas of law, particularly the criminal defence …

Combating Hate Through Young Adult Literature, Rachel Dean-Ruzicka

Journal of Hate Studies

Young adult literature can help readers look beyond tolerance toward a cosmopolitan ethics of difference as a more sophisticated position for combating hatred. In popular discourse, the ideal of tolerance is generally presented uncritically and deployed as the best response to a perceived difference in another. However, the ideal of tolerance presents many problems. Rather than discouraging hatred, tolerance merely asks us not to act upon related feelings. Additionally, tolerance is often deployed not only as an idealized set of behaviors, but also as a moral imperative. Thus tolerance encourages cultural relativism where we are expected to be tolerant of …

Book Reviews: Arthur Goldwag’S The New Hate: A History Of Fear And Loathing On The Populist Right & Thomas R. Pegram’S One Hundred Percent American: The Rebirth And Decline Of The Ku Klux Klan In The 1920s, Rebecca Barrett-Fox

Journal of Hate Studies

As reported by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), the number of hate groups in the United States has continually risen since 2000 in response to three factors: the election of the nation’s first African American president, economic turmoil, and undocumented immigration (Potok, 2011). While these structural changes might feel painful for those native-born white Americans who view signs of increasing pluralism as worrisome and who believe that their economic losses are due to the gains of minority groups, they are not new challenges—nor are the hate-filled responses to them new. In both One Hundred Percent American: The Rebirth and …

Accounting Majors' Perceptions Of Future Career Skills: An Exploratory Analysis, Abbie Parham, Thomas G. Noland, Julia Ann Kelly

Accountancy: Faculty Publications

Business education is often criticized for its failure to develop lifelong skills. This study examines the opinions of 205 students to determine what skills they deem to be important for their future careers. The study then compares the opinions of accounting students against other business disciplines. The results of the study are mixed for the accounting profession. Many of the skills accounting majors ranked as important for their future were not surprising. However, there was some indication that accounting majors may be suffering from a silo effect and are not able to fully grasp how skills learned in other university …

Evaluation Of Group Medical Visits In Improvement Of Diabetes Self-Management., Victoria M. Dobbins

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Background: Diabetes is a chronic disease that has potential complications if left unmanaged that can lead to financial burden for all those who are involved along with life altering health impacts. Complications can be reduced with proper management of this chronic disease. Selfmanagement of diabetes has been linked to improved outcomes and therefore, decreased complications. Improvements of self-management of those patients with diabetes often require health care providers to look at unique approaches to the delivery of care. The use of group medical visit is one such approach that has been studied and linked to improvements of selfmanagement. However, there …

Exposure To Perfluoroalkyl Chemicals And Its Relation To Serum Lipids, Serum Uric Acid, And Blood Pressure Levels In Children., Sarah Dee Geiger

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Introduction: PFCs are manmade chemicals that are very pervasive in the US. They have been found to be present in the blood of more than 98% of Americans and have a long half-life. Studies have shown that perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) have endocrine-disrupting properties and exposure is positively associated with serum lipids, serum uric acid, reproductive effects, low birth weight and cancers, among other negative health effects. Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death worldwide and risk factors include dyslipidemia, hyperuricemia, and hypertension. In this context, we examined the association between PFOA and PFOS and serum …

Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy Study Of The Ultraviolet Exposure Of Ballistic Resistant Polymer Matrix Composites, Drew Adam Pavlacky

Materials and Nanotechnology

This study examined the effect of ultraviolet radiation on ballistic resistant polymer matrix composites. Two composite systems studied included a phenolic matrix with either S2 Glass® or Kevlar® fiber laminates. These composites were weathered in ultraviolet conditions and the effects were quantified with multiple destructive and non-destructive testing. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was used as a non-destructive evaluation method which is a commonly used experiment in the corrosion community. Circuit modeling the EIS spectra produced both resistive and capacitive characteristics inherent of the composite materials. Surface characterization was performed to determine if degradation was occurring at the composite surface. Techniques …

Lubrication And Wear At Metal/Hdpe Contacts, Aydar Akchurin

Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics

In the thesis lubrication and wear at metal/HDPE contacts was addressed. In particular this type of contact occurs in artificial joint replacements. Wear of HDPE was recognized as a major factor limiting device performance. In the thesis, fully implicit fully coupled numerical approach was developed to simulate lubrication and wear. Approach allows solving stationary and transient problems for rough surfaces in a wide range of parameters. Wear coefficients were estimated from experimental data. Wear particles formed in wear process were investigated. Particles were found to be approximately 100 nm in diameter and spherical in shape. Considering theoretical solutions, it was …

Drought, Depression, And Relief: The Agricultural Adjustment Wheat Reduction Program In North Dakota During The Great Depression, Brent Alan Gostanzik

History, Philosophy, and Religious Studies

The purpose of this thesis is to examine how the Agricultural Adjustment Wheat Reduction Program functioned in North Dakota from May of 1933 to January of 1936, why it ran so smoothly, and why it was such a success within the state. By using county Extension Agent reports that date from the time period this thesis uses an extensive number of primary sources that have not been used before. These reports, along with farmer journal accounts, newspaper articles, and Agricultural Adjustment Administration reports show that North Dakota wheat farmers openly embraced the policies of the Wheat Reduction Program and participated …

But The Roots Remain: The Wisconsin Progressives In The Great Depression And Post-War Era, Daniel David Mccollum

History, Philosophy, and Religious Studies

This work is concerned with the development of the Progressives, a political faction of the Republican Party which was active in Wisconsin during the first half of the 20th century, throughout the Great Depression, and the Post-War era. It was during this period that the Progressives broke with the Republican Party, formed the Progressive Party and gained control of the state from 1934 through 1938, before finally dissolving in 1946, with many members moving into the Democratic Party, where they rejuvenated that moribund state party. This work, furthermore, focuses on the those Progressive leaders who operated in Wisconsin’s northern counties, …

The Effect Of Title Ix At The University Of Nebraska At Omaha, Sarah Jean Sebranek

History, Philosophy, and Religious Studies

Title IX sought to end discrimination on the basis of gender in the realm of education and extra-curricular activities provided by academic institutions. This research examines the impact of Title IX at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and determines the success of the legislation. Title IX is a significant topic as it offered an equitable experience for females in an otherwise male dominated arena of athletics. The end result provides a case study on the effect of Title IX at a Midwestern public university, which begins in the 1920s and concludes in the early 2000s. Most importantly, the research …

The Upper Musselshell Valley: A Grassroots And Bioregional History, Miles Dwight Lewis

History, Philosophy, and Religious Studies

The Upper Musselshell Valley: A Grassroots and Bioregional History chronicles the history of central Montana's Upper Musselshell Valley in an attempt to craft a viable history of region. As a corrective measure or alternate explanation that revises not only historical interpretation, but also takes into account who, or what group, is the driving force behind each distinct narrative stream (i.e. grand narrative history--histories penned by professional scholars and academics--or grassroots perspectives, the history of region as told by local dwellers), which stream is or is not authoritative, and how to modify, adjust, or meld the various interpretations in order to …

Our Sister Republic: Creating Mexico In The Minds Of The American Public And The Role Of The Press, Derek Ystebo

History, Philosophy, and Religious Studies

During the Mexican War, Americans radically transformed their ideas about Mexicans and Mexican-Americans. The Mexican War offered itself up as the first of such interactions between the neighboring republics. The Mexican during the War was met largely with criticism from the American public, a criticism aided by the work of the press. While a vast majority of the presses disparaged the Mexican populace on a variety of subjects, not all papers denigrated the Mexicans as some inferior population in need of assistance from the United States in order to survive and reach a proper level of civilization. Papers such as …

A Numerical And Analytical Analysis Of The Physics Of Phase-Separation Fronts, Eric Merlin Foard

Physics

My dissertation is an investigation into the basic Physics of phase separation fronts. Such phase-separation fronts occur in many practical applications, like the formation of immersion precipitation membranes, Temperature induced phase-separation of polymeric blends, or the formation of steel. Despite the fact that these phenomena are ubiquitous no generally acceptable theory of phase-separation front exists. I believe the reason lies in the complexity of many of these material systems where a large number of physical effects (like phase-separation, crystallization, hydrodynamics, etc) cooperate to generate these structures. As a Physicist, I was driven to develop an understanding of these systems, and …

Hot Electron Effect In Ultrathin Photovoltaic Junctions, Deyan Ivov Mihaylov

Physics

The focus of the research work described in the following thesis is increasing the efficiency of photovoltaic devices by reducing hot carrier thermalization losses. In principle this can be achieved by reducing the size of the absorber down to lengths comparable to the thermalization length for hot carriers. With the use of ultrathin absorbers hot carrier can be collected before they have reached thermal equilibrium with the lattice. The theoretical work on the subject is comprised of improving the empirical relationship developed in the most recent publication on the topic by. By making the assumption that the energy loss rate …

Fluctuations In The Lattice Boltzmann Method, Goetz August Kaehler

Physics

The implementation of fluctuations in the lattice Boltzmann method has made significant progress in the last 10 years. The significance of incorporating noise to all non-conserved degrees of freedom was a significant recent discovery that was based on a simplified Langevin treatment of the linarized Boltzmann equation. However, for non-vanishing mean velocities significant deviations in the correlation functions were observed. In this thesis we show how we can largely alleviate these deviations by incorporating fully velocity dependent moment transforms and thus recover a fluctuation dissipation theorem that is valid for a larger range of velocities. Furthermore we show that the …

Assessing Changes In Within Individual Variation Over Time For Nutritional Intake Data Using 24 Hour Recalls From The National Health And Examination Survey, Kyal Scott Brandt

Statistics

Nutritional surveys often use 24 hour recalls to assess the nutritional intake of certain populations. The National Health and Examination Survey (NHANES) collects two 24-hour recalls for each individual in the study. This small sampling can lead to a great deal of variation due to day-to-day differences in an individual’s intake, making it difficult to assess “usual intake.” The ISU method is implemented in the PC-Side software package, breaking our observed variation into two components: within individual variation (WIV) and between-individual variation (BIV). In this paper, we will use the PC-Side software to get WIV estimates for several different age, …

Three-Dimensional Seismic Attribute-Assisted Fracture Detection In The Middle Devonian Marcellus Shale, Greene And Washington Counties, Pa, Central Appalachian Basin., Albert S. Babarsky

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The analyses of conventional structural attributes (first derivative, ant-tracking, curvature, and variance) indicate very complex fracture systems within a Middle Devonian unconventional gas reservoir of the Central Appalachian Basin. In this study, the investigation of such complexity and the implications of fault networks to the exploration for and production of hydrocarbons are outlined. Spectral decomposition (iso-frequency) amplitude analysis was utilized in order to define spectral amplitude response to the fracture facies. The results are useful to characterize fractured reservoir properties such as fault networks and fracture intensity. The calibration of spectral decomposition attributes using previous petrophysical studies or using structure …

How Big Is Big Coal? Public Perceptions Of The Coal Industry's Economic Impact On West Virginia., Debra R. Blaacker

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The coal industry has played a major role in the culture and history of the state of West Virginia, establishing an identity as the “backbone” of the economy in this region. However, as the mining process has become more mechanized, employment has declined and risks have increased, but support for the industry continues. This study explores research that could provide explanations for this phenomenon, and examines whether there is an overestimation of the role of the coal industry in the regional economy. I also examine factors that may affect one’s perceptions of the economic impact of the industry. In particular, …

It's The Process, Not The Project: The Role Of Social Capital In Adaptive Co-Management In Northwest Minnesota, Molly Frances Macgregor

Sociology and Anthropology

Changing behavior to improve water quality must be endogenous, arising from a balancing or integration of self-interest and shared interests. The subject of this study is the public who are not organized, affiliated or represented by any government agency or special interest group. Property owners living upstream and downstream of a water management control structure were surveyed to determine experiences and opinions about that project. Respondents supported the project, but expressed greater support for the process used to develop the project. The adaptive co-management process used to develop the project built a social organization including norm-based processes, shared goals, and …

Perceptions Of Gender In Collegiate Coaching: How Men’S And Women’S Experiences Are Different, Christie Mikyla Chappell

Sociology and Anthropology

The number of men in collegiate coaching, in comparison to women, is overwhelmingly unbalanced. The accessibility men have to the profession of collegiate coaching at a high level in comparison to women’s’ greatly affects women’s’ ability to achieve similar jobs. The ease at which men attain jobs coaching both genders is perpetuated through the desire to maintain collegiate athletics as a male dominated profession. The women’s perspective broadens the profession itself and helps to break down the societal roles that have been assigned to women. The lack of women in collegiate coaching discourages other women from entering the profession and …

Nature’S Best: An Analysis Of A Lactation Education Needs Assessment, Ashley Rae Wiertzema

Sociology and Anthropology

This thesis explores the perceptions of nurses regarding the importance of breastfeeding, the need for lactation education, and the barriers that may be preventing nurses from obtaining lactation education. Nurses working in Minnesota, North Dakota, or South Dakota were the focus. Secondary data from a lactation education needs assessment was used to explore the perceptions and barriers in these states. It was determined that 290 surveys were useable. The Health Belief Model was used to explore the relationship between the nurse's characteristics, perceived breastfeeding importance, perceived need for lactation education, likelihood to take action to obtain lactation education, and perceived …

Understanding Child Work And Child Labor In The 21st Century, Courage Chikomborero Mudzongo

Sociology and Anthropology

Child labor is on the increase and this is exacerbating an already desperate situation in Africa. Past research has focused on which levels of determinants are most effective in influencing the decision on children's activities. Using the Malawi Integrated Household Survey and the Tanzania National Panel Survey, this research seeks to unearth the factors that influence the number of hours that child workers and laborers work. I can conclude that the greatest degrees of change are at the individual level as child's enrollment status is significant for child workers from Malawi and Tanzania and laborers from Tanzania. At the community …

Perceived Social, Economic And Environmental Costs/Benefits Of A Fargo-Moorhead Diversion Plan, Andrew Kubas

Sociology and Anthropology

Flooding has long been an issue in the Red River Valley of North Dakota and Minnesota. Recently, leaders in the Fargo-Moorhead metropolitan area called for a permanent solution to the annual flooding woes. This solution took the form of a proposed diversion channel, an extensive ditch designed to divert a portion of the Red River west of the metro in order to lower river levels in the urban core during flooding events. This project seeks to understand how residents in the Fargo-Moorhead community perceive the costs and benefits of the diversion plan when compared to current strategies that are in …

Community Perspectives On Girls' Dropout In Tajikistan, Madhurim Thapa

Sociology and Anthropology

Girl's dropout from school is problematic towards the overall wellbeing of those who drop out and to the society as whole. The goal of this study is to uncover some of the underlying factors that hinder girls from attending school in Tajikistan. For reference I used secondary data collected by UNICEF which was conducted to analyze the demand side of the drop out girls in Tajikistan. There were thirteen focus group discussions and seven individual interviews were conducted with the participants. The results from the analysis indicated that political and institutional factors, culture, poverty and school factors are the key …

The Examination Of The Effect Of Nostalgia On Risk Factors For Suicide, Elizabeth Claire Sand

Psychology

In order to investigate the relationship between nostalgic tendencies and risk factors for suicide, two studies were completed. Study 1 examined nostalgic tendencies among individuals with depression symptoms in order to see if those with nostalgic tendencies might have less risk factors for suicide. The Study 2 sought to examine if actually experiencing nostalgia reduced the risk factors for suicide and whether the effect was moderated by dysphoric symptoms. Results of Study 1 indicated that nostalgic tendencies do not have an impact on suicide risk above and beyond other factors like depression. Study 2 found that at medium and high …

To Be Or Not To Be: An Empirical Test Of English Prime As Theory, Ryan Lee Boyd

Psychology

English Prime is a language prescription advocating the abolition of all forms of the verb “to be” from usage. Such benefits of a “to be”-less form of communication might include an increased appreciation for the essential complexity of reality and the intangibility of certain forms of knowledge. However, to date, no English Prime claims have been rigorously examined in an empirical manner. A program of research systematically assessed individual differences in the use of the verb “to be” to determine their relationship to outcomes described by English Prime scholars. Relations between English Prime violations and the following theoretically relevant measures …