Digital Commons Network^™

Homelessness: Relationships Between Program Completion At A Transformational Shelter And Mental Illness, Substance Abuse, And Trauma, Richard T. Mccutcheon

Theses & Dissertations

Each and every evening many people do not have a home to return to. Solving the epidemic problem of homelessness is an ongoing pursuit. Analyzing issues related to homelessness will help solve the problem of homelessness for some individuals and families. Data was gathered, prioritized and analyzed to determine correlations and relationships between completion of a transformational shelter’s program and mental illness, substance abuse, and trauma. Demographic variables were assessed as well. A person is more likely to complete the program if they have a substance abuse issue. Females are more likely than males to complete the program. Program completion …

Diminishing Horizons: A Critical Look At History Education In America, Lisa N. Eekhoff

Master of Education Program Theses

Throughout the twentieth century, the structure of history education in elementary schools has shifted from a traditional, chronological structure to the expanding horizons structure. This thesis examines the philosophical underpinnings of each structure in light of a biblical view of teaching history. Emphasis is placed on historical understanding, training in historical analysis, and sense of identity. It is proposed that a chronological structure may present the child with a deeper understanding of historical events as well as a clearer view of historical principles. Additionally, it is proposed that a chronological structure may impart a more biblical view of self in …

Essays On Agglomeration, Access To Medical Services, And The Real Estate Market, Jing Li

Economics - Dissertations

This dissertation comprises three papers that study how external economies of scale help to explain geographic variation in access to medical services as well as potential implications on the real estate market. Specifically, the first two papers examine whether an increased concentration of the hospital service industry promotes productivity in treating patients and if so, what are the specific channels through which agglomeration economies might take place in the health care industry. The third paper explores how the productivity variation is reflected in the real estate market.

Chapter 2 examines two factors that help to explain geographic variation in health …

Experiencing Citizenship In A Globalizing World: The Impact Of Off-Campus Programs, Ryan Owen Williams

Political Science - Dissertations

College serves as a critical time in the lives of young adults in the formulation of their identification with citizenship, of their sense of belonging or affiliation. In an era of increasing globalization, this psychological dimension of citizenship requires further research and elaboration. This project seeks to determine if and how the academic and off-campus choices students make in college impact their worldview, their loyalties and sense of responsibility toward others. How far do students' allegiances extend and what experiences in college help to create these bonds and commitments? This study asks whether international experience via study abroad is a …

College Of Arts And Sciences E-News Issue 1: May 2013, College Of Arts And Sciences

College of Arts and Sciences news

No abstract provided.

Mandala Spring/Summer 2013, Center For Southeast Asian Studies

Mandala

No abstract provided.

Review: The Mormon Rebellion: America’S First Civil War 1857–1858 By David L. Bigler And Will Bagley, Gene Deerman

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of Water Conservancy Project Management Modernization Based On Improved Intelligent Algorithm, Yu-Qin Gao, Guo-Hua Fang, You-Peng Xu, Xin Zhang, Li-Jun Qu

Applied Mathematics & Information Sciences

An improved GA-BP Neural Network model for the evaluation of water conservancy project management modernization is established in this paper. It optimizes the initial weights and threshold of the improved BP neural network with the application of genetic algorithm. Depart from the ability of fast learning and global search, it can also effectively prevent BP neural network from getting into local minimum and obtaining unstable training results. An illustrative example, just as Taizhou Citation River, is analyzed to substantiate the reliability and rationality of the model with its actual water conservancy project management modernization data. Compared with other models, this …

Climate Change Tipping Points: A Point Of No Return?, Elise Lequire

Joint Fire Science Program Digests

Summer 2012 saw records fall for intensity of drought and number, size, and cost of wildfires in the Central and Western United States, and the climate forecast calls for more of the same in the near and distant future. When wildfire breaks out, emergency responders decide their immediate strategy based on past experience and quick judgment calls. But in the long term, land managers need to plan for a warmer climate on a time scale of decades, or even a century or more, to better reflect the life span of trees and forests. Studies supported by the Joint Fire Science …

An Assessment Of The Economics Of Natural And Built Infrastructure For Water Resources In Maine, Charles S. Cogan Phd, Damon Yakovleff Mcpd, Samuel B. Merrill Phd

Water

Dispersed population growth has spread the need for new systems across the landscape, creating stresses on both the quantity and quality of Maine’s historically abundant groundwater and surface water supplies. Steps to address the inadequacies of these systems to manage stormwater flows are long overdue.

This report concludes that there are numerous opportunities for Maine to meet the demands for new, upgraded, and expanded water resources management and to do so at much lower costs than is often thought (or feared) possible. Four aspects of water resources are examined in the report: 1. Maintaining drinking water quality 2. Mitigating good …

The Development Of A New Paradigm Of Humanitarian Intervention: Assessing The Responsibility To Protect, Jayne Discenza

Political Science Honors Projects

The Responsibility to Protect (RtoP) concept aimed to clarify the relationship between state sovereignty and humanitarian intervention, and its invocation during the recent intervention in Libya provides an opportunity to assess its impact. This project compares the events of Libya with the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina of the early 1990s, examining the framing of these conflicts as well as the perceived role of other states, the engagement of international organizations with the concept, and the effect on operations during the humanitarian interventions themselves. Providing a historical comparison more accurately situates the contributions of RtoP in the re-prioritization of human rights over …

Conflict And Controversy In The Confederate High Command: Johnston, Davis, Hood, And The Atlanta Campaign Of 1864, Dennis Blair Conklin Ii

Dissertations

The Union capture of Atlanta on September 2, 1864 all but assured Abraham Lincoln's reelection in November and the ultimate collapse of the Confederacy. This dissertation argues that Jefferson Davis's failure as commander-in-chief played the principal role in Confederate defeat in the war's most pivotal campaign. Davis had not learned three important lessons prior to the campaign season in 1864. First, the president failed to appreciate the benefit of a centralized command, opting instead for a departmental structure that promoted parochialism. Indeed, Joseph E. Johnston, in charge of the Army of Tennessee, was unable to secure assistance from neighboring departmental …

Deposition And Fate Of Atmospheric Mercury In Forested Landscapes Of The Adirondack Park, Ny, Bradley Blackwell

Civil and Environmental Engineering - Dissertations

In this dissertation, I investigated the deposition and fate of atmospheric mercury (Hg) to forested landscapes of the Adirondack region in Upstate New York. Despite the fact that forests are the dominant land cover in North America, there has been relatively little research on the deposition, transport, and fate of Hg within forested ecosystems. The objective of this dissertation was to quantify pathways of Hg deposition in forested sites in the Adirondack Park and to examine spatial and geographic patterns of Hg deposition and fate.

The research for this dissertation was conducted in three phases. In Phase One, I compared …

Particle Physics In The Lhc Era, Don Bunk

Physics - Dissertations

During the past 100 years experimental particle physicists have collected an impressive amount of data. Theorists have also come to understand this data extremely well. It was in the first half of the 20th century the efforts of the early pioneers of quantum mechanics laid the ground work for this understanding: quantum field theory. Through the tireless efforts of researchers during the later half of the 20th century many ideas came together to form what we now call the Standard Model (SM) of particle physics. Finally, it was through the ideas of the renormalization group and effective field theory that …

Factors Affecting Knowledge Sharing In Virtual Learning Teams (Vlts) In Distance Education, Ruzanna Topchyan

Instructional Design, Development and Evaluation - Dissertations

This study asserts that knowledge sharing (a component of knowledge management) in distance education virtual learning teams (VLTs) is important for successful collaborative learning and that various factors characterizing person and environment can impact VLT members' knowledge sharing behavior. Factors under the category of person are VLT members' competencies for working on VLTs, and their learning goal orientation and performance goal orientation. Factors under VLT environment are social presence in the VLT, the VLT learning community, satisfaction with the VLT, task type, and instructor strategies. Knowledge sharing is defined as a behavior in which VLT members impart their expertise, insight, …

Requests Of Brown By Lc Classification: May 2013, Ruth E.. Souto

HELIN Monthly Loan Statistics

Requests of Brown from other HELIN libraries - May 2013

St. Louis Central Library At 100, Jean Gosebrink

The Confluence (2009-2020)

The St. Louis Public Library opened its renovated Central Library in downtown St. Louis in fall 2012 for the centennial of the building that was one of some 1,700 libraries funded by steel magnate Andrew Carnegie. Here’s what makes this Cass Gilbert design such a community asset.

Deprivation And Resistance: Environmental Crisis, Political Action, And Conflict Resolution In The Niger Delta Since The 1980s, David Aworawo Ph.D.

Journal of International and Global Studies

The interlocking relationship between environmental degradation, poverty, and violent conflict has been a prominent theme contained within the literature on sustainable development and conflict resolution since the mid-twentieth century. While some analysts have argued that violence has not been limited to the poor and deprived, many have concluded from various studies that the devastation of the environment, poverty, and conflict are inextricably intertwined. This article examines this theme by analyzing the pattern of violence and nature of conflict resolution in the oil-producing enclave of the Niger Delta in the past three decades. A report of the United Nations Environment Programme …

Mahendra Lawoti And Anup K. Pahari (Eds.) The Maoist Insurgency In Nepal: Revolution In The Twenty-First Century. New York: Routledge, 2010., Gyan Pradhan Ph.D.

Journal of International and Global Studies

Book review.

Section Abstracts: Statistics

Virginia Journal of Science

Abstracts of the Statistics Section for the 91st Annual Virginia Journal of Science Meeting, May 2013

Prism #72, May 2013, Office Of The Provost

Prism: Western Michigan University's Newsletter for Academic Affairs

No abstract provided.

Overcoming Barriers To Teaching Action-Based Environmental Education: A Multiple Case Study Of Teachers In The Public School Classroom, Terry Rachael Adams

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

As the human population increases, it becomes increasingly more important for society to understand the impact of humans on the environment. Preserving fixed resources by engaging in sustainable practices is necessary to ensure those resources are available for future generations. Since the early 1960s, policy makers and educators alike have sought to ensure that students graduate environmentally literate. Previous research has identified a multitude of barriers that limit classroom teacher’s ability to integrate environmental education into their curriculum. The purpose of this study was to investigate how teachers overcome those barriers that restrict the integration of action based environmental education …

Bosnian Immigrants: An Analysis Of The Bosnian Community's Influence On The Cultural Landscape Of Bowling Green, Ky, Nathan Jess Cary

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Diasporas have been occurring for thousands of years, and today globalization has facilitated the quick rate at which diasporas occur on a global scale. Diasporas entail the mass movement of refugees across international borders, and diasporic peoples today now find themselves journeying across oceans and continents to the safety of host cities in a matter of weeks or days. My research analyzes the effects that Bosnian immigrants have had on the cultural landscape of Bowling Green, Kentucky. When people move, they bring their cultures with them, and this type of cultural diffusion impacts the landscape of the host cities. As …

Clockwork Heroines: Female Characters In Steampunk Literature, Cassie N. Bergman

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Steampunk is a progressive literary genre that evokes, imitates, and re-imagines the nineteenth century and favors the Industrial Revolution ideals of science and technology. In a historical framework, it mixes nineteenth-century conventions and retrofuturistic machinery with science fiction and fantasy elements. Steampunk authors are able to radically redefine socio-cultural implications that affect both past and contemporary societies. The following study explores the multitude of characteristics that define Steampunk literature as an interdisciplinary study. Chapter 1 explores the definitions and literary genres that construct Steampunk and includes a brief literary history of Steampunk works. Chapter 2 focuses on Cherie Priest’s novel …

Elements Of Cohesion: The Role Of Business Improvement Districts In Neighborhood Cohesion, Bo Scarim

Psychology Honors Projects

The current research examines the relationship between sense of community and business improvement districts (BIDs) in urban neighborhoods. Study 1 employed the method of imagined scenarios to distinguish sense of community ratings between hypothetical neighborhoods with and without BIDs. This study found that participants in the imagined BID neighborhood scenario reported higher sense of community than those in the imagined non-BID neighborhood scenario. In Study 2, residents of two neighborhoods in Brooklyn, New York, one with a BID and one without a BID, were surveyed on their neighborhood experience and sense of community. This study found no difference in sense …

A Hands-On Activity To Introduce The Effects Of Transmission By An Invasive Species, Barbara May

Biology Faculty Publications

This activity engages students to better understand the impact of transmission by invasive species. Using dice, poker chips, and paper plates, an entire class mimics the spread of an invasive species within a geographic region. The activity can be modified and conducted at the K-16 levels.

From The Editor, Amanda M. Brian

Bridges: A Journal of Student Research

No abstract provided.

Effects Of United States Domestic Agricultural Grain Subsidies On Mexican Migrant Flows, Pat Robert O'Brien

Dissertations

United States national, domestic feed grain subsidies have little effect on rural Mexican migration to the United States. This research shows the effect of the United States domestic feed grain subsidies on unbalanced trade with Mexico, the effect of unbalanced feed grain trade on poverty in rural Mexico, and the effect of Mexican rural poverty on Mexican migration to the United States.

The United States domestic agricultural infrastructure, including the United States General Services Support Estimate of subsidies, predict increased exports of corn to Mexico, but producer support subsidies to United States farmers do not.

Mexican estimates of poverty are …

Section Abstracts: Psychology

Virginia Journal of Science

Abstracts of the Psychology Section for the 91st Annual Virginia Journal of Science Meeting, May 2013

Analyzing The Factors That Lead To Housing And Construction Cost Escalation: A Case Study Focused On Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Abdulaziz Saleh Alfouzan

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Riyadh city suffers from high housing and construction costs, which have increased by more than 200% over the last 7 years. This problem led to a significant interest from the government and the citizens of the city in understanding the causes of housing and construction cost escalation and the best strategies to address this problem in the short and long-terms, in order to find solutions for affordable housing.

In response to the absence of research regarding this problem, the researcher has decided to conduct a scientific survey about the factors that might have led to this problem in Riyadh. While …