Digital Commons Network^™

Alan Ryan: On Politics, Book One Study Guide, 2013, Steven Alan Samson

Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

He Said, She Said, Let's Hear What The Data Say: Sexual Harassment In The Media, Courts, Eeoc, And Social Science, Joni Hersch, Beverly Moran

Kentucky Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Mission And Interchurch Relations: Separate, Connected, Blended? Insights For Contemporary Adventist Theological Education, Stefan Höschele

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

No abstract provided.

Truth, Allegiance, And Power Dimensions In Christian Discipleship: From A Language Of Priority To A Balanced Approach, Boubakar Sanou

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

No abstract provided.

Tolerance In African Traditional Religion, Emmanuel Abar

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

No abstract provided.

The Influence Of Shamanism In The Korean Adventist Church, Gyeongchun Choi

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

No abstract provided.

A Method Based On Total Variation For Network Modularity Optimization Using The Mbo Scheme, Huiyi Hu, Thomas Laurent, Mason A. Porter, Andrea L. Bertozzi

Mathematics, Statistics and Data Science Faculty Works

The study of network structure is pervasive in sociology, biology, computer science, and many other disciplines. One of the most important areas of network science is the algorithmic detection of cohesive groups of nodes called “communities.” One popular approach to finding communities is to maximize a quality function known as modularity to achieve some sort of optimal clustering of nodes. In this paper, we interpret the modularity function from a novel perspective: we reformulate modularity optimization as a minimization problem of an energy functional that consists of a total variation term and an $\ell_2$ balance term. By employing numerical techniques …

The Parts Of Prudence And Scientific Solutions For Weakness Of Will, Christopher Kaczor

Philosophy Faculty Works

This essay outlines a view of practical wisdom drawing on the thought of St. Thomas Aquinas. In it, I discuss the presuppositions of practical wisdom, namely the ordering to the end of true human happiness. Next, the focus shifts to the “parts” or elements of practical wisdom in order to highlight the intellectual aspects of practical wisdom as a cognitive perfection. Finally, the essay addresses prudence as practical, the actual carrying out of the right deed, at the right time and in the right way. Here, the conclusion of the essay considers the findings of contemporary science in the search …

John Paul Ii On The Development Of Doctrine, Christopher Kaczor

Philosophy Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Does Breastfeeding Offer Protection Against Maternal Depressive Symptomatology? A Prospective Study From Pregnancy To 2 Years After Birth, Jennifer Hahn-Holbrook, Martie G. Haselton, Christine Dunkel Schetter, Laura M. Glynn

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Depression is the leading cause of disability in women (Nobel 2005) and is the most prevalent of all childbearing-related illnesses, affecting approximately 13% of women worldwide within the first 12 [...] Mothers who breastfeed typically exhibit lower levels of depressive symptomatology than mothers who do not. However, very few studies have investigated the directionality of this relationship. Of the prospective studies published, all but one focus exclusively on whether maternal depression reduces rates of subsequent breastfeeding. This study again examines this relationship, but also the reverse--that breastfeeding might predict lower levels of later depression. Using multilevel modeling, we investigated the …

A Study Of Corruption, Foreign Aid, And Economic Growth, Amanda Deerfield

Theses and Dissertations--Public Policy and Administration

Foreign aid donors increasingly demand that aid is used efficiently and effectively. This study examines the effect of corruption levels, measured by the Corruption Perceptions Index, within a recipient country on the levels of economic growth. A growing literature outlines the mechanisms through which corruption impedes economic growth and is summarized within. Additionally, as longevity gains may result from foreign aid but are not captured in economic growth, this study computes a variable called the Life Quality Indicator (LQI) that combines such gains with economic growth and examines corruption’s effect on LQI growth. As any windfall, foreign aid has been …

Three Essays On Local Government Debt, Robert Greer

Theses and Dissertations--Public Policy and Administration

The local government tax-exempt debt market is a growing, and complex, sector of public finance. As local governments turn to debt financing the factors that contribute to interest costs of that debt have become important considerations for local government officials and politicians. Governance at the local level involves a network of overlapping governments some of which share a tax base. This system of overlapping governments that share a tax base are subject to externalities that arise from taxation, expenditures, and debt. These externalities are usually analyzed in terms of tax or expenditure reactions, but there are implications for local government …

To Produce Or To Buy? Exploring Determinants Of Local Government Privatization Decisions, Zhiwei Zhang

Theses and Dissertations--Public Policy and Administration

The U.S. is experiencing the worst recession since the Great Depression. All levels of government have been hit really hard, this is especially apparent at the local level since services provided at the local level are woven into people’s daily life. Thus, how to “do more with less” is more urgent than ever before. The use of privatization came to surface as a sound solution for deficit-plagued governments as it is thought to be more cost effective and outperform the public sector in most cases. This dissertation contains two empirical chapters that examine determinants of privatization and specify the conditions …

Institutional Lending Models, Mission Drift, And Microfinance Institutions, Bethany L. Paris

Theses and Dissertations--Public Policy and Administration

Microfinance is a development tool used to reduce poverty among extremely poor households. Impoverished households can access lines of credit through microfinance institutions (MFIs), in order to create a new business, smooth household consumption, fund medical emergencies, etc. Many authors postulate that MFIs are drifting from a welfarist to an institutionalist approach to lending.

Using MIXMarket data on specific MFIs in 118 countries between 1995 and 2011, the average loan balance of these organizations will be regressed against measure of outreach and sustainability of these institutions by charter type through a series of four, fixed effects models. The main research …

Intergenerational Dynamics And Political Outcomes, Joshua J. Poulette

Theses and Dissertations--Public Policy and Administration

This dissertation explores the relationship between intergenerational dynamics and politics outcomes in several distinct contexts. It is motivated by the remarkable demographic shifts exhibited by people in advanced countries over the past several decades. Individuals on average have longer lives and fewer children than ever before. Combining these shifts with the large intergenerational public policies that exist in many such states (education, old-age social welfare, healthcare) provokes several distinct yet related research questions addressed in the chapters below. First, do political traits matter for fertility behavior? If so, could the presence of differential fertility behavior across political groups lead to …

Homogeneity, Sorting, And Social Capital: Differences In Rural And Urban School Peer Effects, Tosha Kurzynske Fraley

Theses and Dissertations--Public Policy and Administration

Rural America contributes greatly to the American Community, yet this population is often overlooked and underrepresented in most types of education literature. Choices about residence shape America’s public school system through the formation of school districts and schools associated with these local jurisdictions. Communities with different population densities may have different overall population composition and, therefore, may sort differently into schools. This paper examines the effect that population density, local jurisdictional sorting, homogeneity, peer characteristics, and community social capital may have on student achievement.

The first part of this dissertation outlines the importance of rural research and the impact of …

Social Cognitive Theory Vs. Social Comparison Theory: Examining The Relationship Between Social Influence And Weight Loss, Emily Grigg

Masters Theses

This qualitative study investigated the impact of social influence on weight loss, more specifically, the internal and external elements that effect response and success of those who are trying to lose weight. The research focused on three questions: (1) How great of an influence does self-efficacy have in weight loss success? (2) How great of an influence does social comparison have in weight loss success? (3) Which factor has the largest impact on weight loss: self-efficacy, peer efficacy, or positive social support, or negative social support? Data was collected by the researcher conducting semi-structured interviews. These interview were conducted with …

Volume 63 Issue 3 (2013), Case Western Reserve Law Review

Case Western Reserve Law Review

No abstract provided.

Giving Families Their Best Shot: A Law-Medicine Perspective On The Right To Religious Exemptions From Mandatory Vaccination, Hope Lu

Case Western Reserve Law Review

No abstract provided.

Volume 64 Issue 1 (2013), Case Western Reserve Law Review

Case Western Reserve Law Review

No abstract provided.

In Memorian: Edward A. Mearns, Jr., Robert P. Lawry

Case Western Reserve Law Review

No abstract provided.

Demographic Trends In Nonmetropolitan America: Implications For Land Use Development And Conservation., Kenneth M. Johnson

Sociology

This research contributes new information delineating the rapidity and geographic scale at which demographic change is occurring in non-metropolitan America. Rural areas are being buffeted by economic, social, and governmental transformations from far beyond their borders. These structural transformations are reflected in the demographic trends playing out across the vast rural landscape in the first decade of the twenty-first century. The patterns of demographic change in rural America are complex and subtle, but their impact is not. Population change has significant implications for the people, places, and institutions of rural America; for the natural environment that is a fundamental part …

Neiu Academic Catalog, 2013-2014, "Community, Empowerement Through Learning, Access To Opportunity, Excellent, Diversity, Integrity", Northeastern Illinois University

Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Volume 63 Issue 4 (2013), Case Western Reserve Law Review

Case Western Reserve Law Review

No abstract provided.

Tribute To Professor Calvin William Sharpe, Douglas E. Ray

Case Western Reserve Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Myth Of The Independent Physician: Implications For Health Law, Policy, And Ethics, Jessica Mantel

Case Western Reserve Law Review

No abstract provided.

Against All Odds: A Study Of Success Attainment Among African American Males From Single-Parent Households, Judith Roberts

Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations

For years the vast body of literature on single-parenting has focused on the weaknesses experienced by the family and the adverse consequences for the children who reside in such a household. The literature reviewed for this study postulate African American males raised in single-parent households perform poorly academically, are more likely to drop out of school, experience emotional difficulties, and are unable to attain self-sufficiency. Researchers have also argued that African American males from single-parent households are more vulnerable to delinquent acts than those of two-parent households. These acts can lead to incarceration or death. One arena that has not …

Affective Reconfigurations: A New Politics Of Difference, Laurie Rodrigues

Open Access Dissertations

My dissertation is concerned with experiences of individualization in the context of ethnic group identification; and by extension, the instabilities inherent to defining certain American novels as ethnic and others as mainstream. I read American novels published since 1960 that do not fit into either categorization and have come under critical fire for their respective presentations of certain ethnic groups. These texts include J.D. Salinger’s Franny and Zooey, Carlene Hatcher Polite’s The Flagellants, Almanac of the Dead by Leslie Marmon Silko, and The Human Stain by Philip Roth. These novels structure the narrative present through characters’ crises of …

Can We Say More Now? A Closer Look At Online Public Opinion Change In China, Ran Duan

Theses and Dissertations--Sociology

This study examined the pattern of online public opinion change in China by investigating the top one hit blog and its following commentaries of every day from July 2009 to March 2012 on a famous Chinese website, and then discussed potential factors that affected the formation of online public opinion. The extent of freedom of online public opinion during this period presented regular fluctuations. Whether criticisms were registered by commentators was influenced by four factors. First and most important, the negative tone of bloggers increased criticism and the positive tone decreased criticism, which shows that the news that flows from …

Examination Of The Use Of Online And Offline Networks By Housing Social Movement Organizations, Jessica N. Kropczynski

Theses and Dissertations--Sociology

Resource mobilization theory and political opportunity theory are often used to describe separate portions of social movements. This dissertation proposes a combined model of these two theoretical perspectives which describes how social movement organizations effectively engage in social marketing both online and offline. The field of social marketing highlights the utility of standard commercial marketing practices to achieve non-commercial goals. I argue that, while commercial marketing practices may benefit social movement organizations and are more cost effective given emerging technology, momentum for gathering resources, will be stifled unless a political opportunity presents itself. Guided by theory about the ways that …