Digital Commons Network^™

Jurisgenerative Constitutionalism: Procedural Principles For Managing Global Legal Pluralism, Paul Schiff Berman

GW Law Faculty Publications & Other Works

Global Legal Pluralism recognizes the inevitability (and sometimes even the desirability) of multiple legal and quasi-legal systems purporting to regulate the same act or actor. However, the resulting pluralism—just as inevitably—creates conflicts among norms that are potentially intractable. Thus, legal systems must address how best to respond to the realities of pluralism. This inquiry has constitutional dimensions because it goes to the constitutive character of communities and their relationships with other communities, be they international, transnational, national, subnational, or epistemic.

One response to pluralism is jurispathic: “kill off” all competing laws by declaring that one set of norms—and only one—shall …

Costruire La Razza Come Mostruosità, Simone Brioni Dr.

Department of English Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Shifting Landscapes: The Social And Economic Development Of Aqaba, Jordan, Kimberly K. Cavanagh

Theses and Dissertations

In my dissertation, 'Shifting Landscapes: the Social and Economic Development of Aqaba, Jordan', I examine the role of the global in (re)defining the local by considering the anticipated impact of the planned large-scale urban development within Aqaba. I contend that the identities of the citizens change as the city itself undergoes `renovation' through political adjustments, globalization, tourism development, and commercialization. I argue that these transformations provide opportunities of empowerment, albeit often limited, for marginalized populations who attempt to broaden the dominant local identity by taking advantage of new economic opportunities and increasing their agency within the city. This research provides …

Writing Across Differences: Afro-Germans, Gender, And Diaspora, 1970s-1990s, Tiffany Nicole Florvil

Theses and Dissertations

My dissertation, "Writing Across Differences: Afro-Germans, Gender, and Diaspora, 1970s-1990s," explores the birth of the Afro-German movement, including its two organizations: The Initiative of Black Germans (Initiative Schwarze Deutsche, ISD) and Afro-German Women (Afro-deutsche Frauen, ADEFRA) in West and then reunified Germany. In it, I uncover the efforts of Black Germans to organize a diasporic and literary movement to confront discriminatory discourses and practices that simultaneously ignored them and positioned them as "Others" in postwar German society. Through their diverse literature and coordinated events, Black Germans enacted membership in the African diaspora, articulating and claiming an identity that supported a …

The Reproductive Ecology Of Plethodontid Salamanders In The South Carolina Inner Coastal Plain, Heather Rena Oswald

Theses and Dissertations

Nest- site selection is a critical process in the life history of amphibians, directly influencing offspring survival and parental fitness. When and where an amphibian chooses to nest is strongly influenced by a range of environmental cues. We monitored plethodontid salamander breeding behavior in seepage wetlands in the South Carolina inner Coastal Plain. Seepage wetlands are ideal for monitoring semiaquatic salamander breeding, because they provide habitat for both larval and adult salamanders while having relatively predictable, constant water temperatures and presence year round. We observed the breeding phenology of three sympatric salamanders (Eurycea cirrigera, Desmognathus auriculatus, and Pseudotriton ruber) in …

Exploring The Role Of Culture And Race In Stroke Rehabilitation Disparities, Jennifaye Verdina Greene

Theses and Dissertations

A study found that racial differences exist in stroke rehabilitation care and outcomes between African Americans (AAs) and Caucasian Americans (CAs). In addition to health status, the rehabilitation care of AAs with stroke (AAwS) may be influenced by cultural and or racial similarities or differences that exist between themselves and their physical therapists (PTs). Distorted perceptions of culture and race in the patient-PT relationship may contribute to disparities in stroke rehabilitation care and outcomes for AAwS. Current stroke rehabilitation literature lacks qualitative research that examines racialized differences in treatment. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory research study was to investigate …

Complexity And Salience: Evaluating The Inter-Scene Variability Of Animated Choropleth Maps, Michael Dubois

Theses and Dissertations

Animated choropleth maps allow for the compilation of potentially massive time-series datasets which can portray space-time change in a congruent manner. They are also becoming increasingly common for data visualization. When users view and interact with these maps, however, there is the likelihood that the human cognitive-perceptual system may be overwhelmed by a large number of simultaneous changes in each scene: this so-called `change blindness' is a common malady when viewing successive scenes, unless scene-to-scene graphical changes are salient enough to attract the fixation of the user. Even then, there may be a limit to the number of simultaneous changes …

An Assessment Of Technology Adoptability In Sugarcane Burning Smoke Plume Mitigation, Sara Flecher

Theses and Dissertations

The adverse health effects of sugarcane burning emissions on surrounding communities are well documented. Sugarcane farmers in Louisiana, a major sugarcane producing state with 385,000 acres dedicated to sugarcane farming throughout, attempt to mitigate the effects of burn emissions by estimating the characteristics of the resultant smoke plume using meteorological variables as parameters. The current mitigation method designed by the LSU AgCenter, the American Sugar Cane League, and the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry is a manual process requiring the tedious look-up of atmospheric variables from multiple sources and physically drawing a predicted smoke plume on a paper map, …

A Geographic Modeling Framework For Assessing Critical Infrastructure Vulnerability: Energy Infrastructure Case Study, Leanne Sulewski

Theses and Dissertations

Vulnerability of critical infrastructure systems is of the utmost importance to a nation's national security interests, especially the electric grid. Despite the importance of these systems, disruptions continue to occur at an alarming rate, thus indicating that there is a fundamental flaw in the way critical infrastructure systems are analyzed for vulnerability.

Critical infrastructure systems are typically analyzed using mathematical approaches such as graph theory, which strip systems of their important geographic information, and only look at their connections to each other. While these relationships and metrics provide useful information, they cannot provide the entire picture. As such, this research …

Perceptions Of Elementary School Principals: Turning High Poverty Elementary Schools In South Carolina Into High-Performing Elementary Schools, Katie Wall Barber

Theses and Dissertations

There is no question that economic deprivation has an adverse impact on student achievement. In the United States, the gaps in achievement among poor and advantaged students are substantial. Through multiple studies, the United States Department of Education (2006) indicated results that "clearly demonstrated that poverty adversely affected student achievement." Closing the achievement gap and achieving success for all students presents a challenge for schools, particularly those located in high-poverty areas (Brock & Groth, 2003). Current research illustrates that some schools, often referred to as high-performing, high-poverty schools, have led their low-income student populations to high levels of achievement, matching …

Determining The Differences In Hurricane Perception And Evacuation Behavior In The Elderly Of South Carolina, Gregg C. Bowser

Theses and Dissertations

The United States is becoming a "grayer" nation. U.S. Administration of Aging projections indicate that by 2030 nearly 20 percent of the national population will be aged 65 or older, with a significant portion of this growth occurring along the hurricane-prone Atlantic and Gulf coasts. This demographic shift creates new challenges for emergency management. Previous research shows that the elderly do not perceive risks and warnings the same way as other groups, and as a result may react differently to risk. Disproportionately high fatality rates for the elderly in recent disasters indicate that these differences are a key determinant of …

Putting Place Back Into Displacement: Reevaluating Diaspora In The Contemporary Literature Of Migration, Christiane Brigitte Steckenbiller

Theses and Dissertations

In order to improve the engineering properties of soft soils, materials, such as cement and fiber, can be introduced to the soil mass. Currently, design criterion for a cement-soil mixture requires only the measurement of unconfined compressive strength. This simple measurement may not be adequate to describe the behavior that results from differing field loading conditions. A series of consolidation tests and unconfined compression tests were conducted with special attention being paid to the effects of curing time and vertical curing stress. It is shown that the introduction of cement into soft soils results in decreased compressibility and increased unconfined …

Identifying Users Of Demand-Driven E-Book Programs: Applications For Collection Development, Emily Chan, Susan Kendall

Faculty and Staff Publications

In 2003 San José State University (SJSU) and the City of San José formed a unique partnership to offer merged library services to San José citizens and SJSU students, faculty and staff at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library. While this is a dynamic, collaborative partnership, the SJSU Library is fully committed to supporting the mission and strategic plan of the University. The principles of the University’s strategic plan incorporate the concepts of unbounded learning and agility through technology.1 The University Library strives to integrate the principles of the strategic plan with innovative programs.

Media Literacy, David Kamerer

School of Communication: Faculty Publications and Other Works

No abstract provided.

How Do Professional Learning Communities Foster Strong Career And Technical Education Programs Of Study In Illinois Public High Schools?, Wendy Custable

Dissertations

This research study examines how Illinois public high school Career and Technical Education educational leaders employ best practices in providing all students rigorous, relevant, and equitable learning experiences within a professional learning community structure.

This study utilized a mixed method two-tier case study methodology. Tier one consisted of a survey administered to 605 Illinois public high school Career and Technical Education leaders, outside of the Chicago Public School system, with 72 leaders who responded. This survey asked the leaders questions about what CTE programs their schools offered students and how they provided these students rigorous, relevant, and equitable learning experiences …

Utilizing Response To Intervention (Roti) As A Means Of Studying Capacity Building And Motivation Of Staff By School Leadership Teams, Brian James Mahoney

Dissertations

This research study explored the concept of capacity building and motivation of staff by school leadership teams in the successful development and implementation of educational initiatives, specifically Response to Intervention (RtI). A great deal of scholarship has addressed leadership and its effect on motivation, but few studies have investigated the necessary characteristics and effective school should encompass to generate widespread and sustainable capacity to raise the bar and close the gap of student achievement.

The central research questions of this study are:

1) In two Illinois public high schools with positive statewide reputations, according to the perspectives of each RtI …

Remembering The Cultural Trauma Legacies Of Slavery: African American Young Adult Perceptions On Racism, Ethnic Identity, And Racial Socialization, Kimya Pearl Barden

Dissertations

The purpose of this research investigation is to explore cultural trauma theory on African American young adult development. Cultural trauma theory asserts the adverse cross-cultural encounter, North American slavery, reproduces intergenerational psychosocial legacies for contemporary African Americans. Accordingly, cultural trauma theory is used to explore with African American young adults three "slave" legacies: ethnic identity formation, perceptions of racism, and racial socialization experiences. A qualitative case study approach is used for (N=26) participants enrolled in either college or a GED program. Each young adult participates in either an individual or focus group interview. To aid in data triangulation, older African …

Are Rural People More Anti-Immigrant Than Urban People? A Comparison Of Attitudes Toward Immigration In The U.S., Carlos E. Garcia, T. Davidson

Faculty Publications, Sociology

Immigration to the United States has increased markedly in the past two decades, including significant growth in rural areas. Using General Social Survey data we compare rural and urban attitudes toward immigration in the United States. Our analyses reveal that, first, overall opposition is more pronounced in rural areas. Second, notions of a distinct American identity matter for urban, but not rural, residents. Third, beliefs about immigration are salient predictors in both regions. Fourth, political ideology is a determinant exclusively among rural residents, whereas political affiliation is a determinant solely among urban residents. Fifth, race and education level are significant …

Defining, Punishing, And Membership In The Community Of Nations: Material Support And Conspiracy Charges In Military Commissions, Peter Margulies

Law Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

The Maredat Global Database Of High Performance Liquid Chromatography Marine Pigment Measurements, Frank E. Muller-Karger

Marine Science Faculty Publications

A global pigment database consisting of 35 634 pigment suites measured by high performance liquid chromatography was assembled in support of the MARine Ecosytem DATa (MAREDAT) initiative. These data originate from 136 field surveys within the global ocean, were solicited from investigators and databases, compiled, and then quality controlled. Nearly one quarter of the data originates from the Laboratoire d'Océanographie de Villefranche (LOV), with an additional 17% and 19% stemming from the US JGOFS and LTER programs, respectively. The MAREDAT pigment database provides high quality measurements of the major taxonomic pigments including chlorophylls a and b, 19'-butanoyloxyfucoxanthin, 19'-hexanoyloxyfucoxanthin, alloxanthin, divinyl …

Interactions Of Trace Metals With Plastic Production Pellets In The Marine Environment, Luke A Holmes

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

This study investigates the interactions between dissolved trace metals and plastic debris under controlled laboratory conditions by using polyethylene pellets as a model plastic particle. Specifically, the study compared virgin pellets sourced from a local moulding plant with those collected from local beaches and subjected to aging, attrition and deposition of extraneous material. Pellets collected from the coastline of Southwest England were mainly polyethylene according to Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy (FTIR), although occasional polypropylene pellets were present. Additionally, FTIR was used to identify the extent of degradation of pellets according to a photo-oxidation index derived from the relative magnitudes of …

An Evaluation Of Particulate Phosphorus Storage In An Agricultural Estuary, Suha Zoozi

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

Knowledge of fine sediment delivery (both timing and loading) is fundamental to the assessment of non-point source pollution in estuarine environments. This study comprised three key components that led to the development of a fine sediment and particulate associated phosphorus budget in a typical agricultural estuary. Firstly, to explore catchment inputs, turbidity and flow were monitored continuously upstream of the freshwater/saline interface on the main stem channel of the south Devon River Avon, which drains a medium sized agricultural catchment (area 340 km2), in southwest UK. Thirty-five storms were studied in detail; and the hydrological and suspended sediment load response …

Living With A Changing Climate: Holocene Climate Variability And Socio-Evolutionary Trajectories, Central Turkey, Samantha Lee Allcock

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

Collaborative studies between Quaternary scientists and archaeologists increasingly provide new and informative discussions about the nature and timing of cultural change and links with variation in the natural world (particularly climate). In the Eastern Mediterranean region, connecting the human past with palaeoclimate is an important research theme but the complex interactions between them are still poorly understood and past climate records have often been collected from regions distant from the human record. The thesis aims to derive a record of past climatic and environmental changes from lake sediment cores and synthesise this with archaeological data in order to reconstruct human-climate …

A Palaeoecological Approach To Understanding The Impact Of Coastal Changes In Late Holocene Societies Using The Isles Of Scilly As A Case Study, Marta Perez

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

The overall aim of this thesis was to explore the impact of environmental changes (relative sea level increase and climate) on coastal communities and to investigate how these environmental factors controlled subsistence economies through the Holocene. The hypothesis tested was that relative sea level rise is a key factor influencing location and subsistence strategies of coastal communities throughout the Holocene and that, due to environmental conditions, these changes will be more evident in islands. The Isles of Scilly, located 27 miles off the south west coast of England, provide a good case study for the response of communities to marine …

Factors That Impact Pseudo-Nitzschia Spp. Occurrence, Growth, And Toxin Production, Naomi Downes-Tettmar

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

This work investigates, for the first time, the Pseudo-nitzschia (PN) dynamics in the western English Channel (L4) and the environmental factors impacting on domoic acid (DA) production in these waters. This is combined with laboratory studies examining key environmental factors and the multifactorial impact of multiple macronutrient and micronutrient availability on PN growth and DA production. An LC-MS method was established, optimised, and compared with ELISA for the accurate and reproducible extraction and determination of particulate and dissolved DA. The method was used to measure the seasonal variation in DA at L4 during 2009 and this was compared to PN …

Holocene Relative Sea-Level Changes In South Hinnøya, Arctic Norway, Robert Langdon Barnett

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

This study develops techniques for the preparation and counting of testate amoebae for Holocene sea-level reconstructions. In addition, this study provides a ~3000 year relative sea-level reconstruction for south Hinnøya in the Vesterålen islands off mainland Norway, adding new data to a poorly defined period of the Holocene sea-level history of north-western Norway. This is important to quantify rates of glacial-isostatic adjustment (GIA), to refine GIA models, and to establish baseline (pre-industrial) rates of relative sea-level change. Surface sediments from two salt marshes (Storosen and Svinøyosen) in south Hinnøya are used to assess the effects of using different preparation procedures …

Allotments And Alternative Food Networks: The Case Of Plymouth, Uk, Wendy M Miller

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

Alternative food networks (AFNs) are the focus of an ‘explosive growth’ of research in Europe (Goodman 2004), and the term covers a wide range of activities, from food banks, community gardens, and farmers’ markets, to community supported or organic agriculture. However, there is an impasse in differing positions over whether AFNs represent an exclusionary place-based ‘quality turn’ (Ilbery and Kneafsey 2000), or whether they contribute to inclusive local communities, sustainability and food security (Tregear 2011, Kirwan and Maye 2013). This research aimed to clarify these debates, through exploration of UK allotments as a benchmark for AFNs, using the case of …

Identification Of Variability In Sub-Arctic Sea Ice Conditions During The Younger Dryas And Holocene, Patricia Cabedo Sanz

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

The presence of the sea ice diatom biomarker IP25 in Arctic marine sediments has been used in previous studies as a proxy for past spring sea ice occurrence and as an indicator of wider palaeoenvironmental conditions for different regions of the Arctic over various timescales. The current study describes a number of analytical and palaeoceanographic developments of the IP25 sea ice biomarker. First, IP25 was extracted and purified from Arctic marine sediments. This enabled the structure of IP25 to be confirmed and enabled instrumental (GC-MS) calibrations to be carried out so that quantitative measurements could be performed with greater accuracy. …

Effects Of The Late Permian Mass Extinction On Chondrichthyan Palaeobiodiversity And Distribution Patterns, Martha Hall

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

The Late Permian mass extinction occurring at 252.6 ± 0.2 Ma is the most severe Phanerozoic extinction event and was preceded and followed by additional disturbances. Patterns and processes of extinction and recovery of marine vertebrates have been little studied compared to marine invertebrates. This project focuses on Chondrichthyes, which, together with other marine fish, appeared to have been relatively unaffected by the extinction, while most of their supporting ecosystem collapsed. This study explores the authenticity of extinction among chondrichthyans and possible explanations for the observed patterns, because extinction severities on the taxonomic and ecological levels may be decoupled or …

Geographic Information Systems (Gis) In Higher Education: A Study Of Provision, Pedagogy And Employability In The United Kingdom And Turkey, Mehmet Seremet

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

Geographical Information Systems (GIS) are computer-based systems designed to store, organize, analyse and present spatial data. They can be used to help understand and answer a wide variety of problems in fields such as environmental management, resource planning and retail location and development. This thesis aims to explore the GIS education provided within university Geography departments (or units) in both the UK and Turkey. The main topics for investigation are the nature and scale of the GIS provision, the principal characteristic of the teaching, learning and assessment processes and also graduate employability – how far the courses and their students …