Digital Commons Network^™

Mercy, Stuart Ewen Ph.D.

Publications and Research

A dog named Finn makes heroic efforts to save the life of a fallen bird, while his human friend watches from a window.

The Politics Of Spanish In The World, José Del Valle

Publications and Research

This article offers an overview of the spread of Spanish as a global language focusing on the policies and institutions that have worked, particularly in the last couple of decades, on its promotion. The actions of institutions as well as corporate and cultural agencies involved in this sort of language policy are to be understood as part of a wider movement of internationalization of financial activities and political influence.

Dynamics Of Defiance: Government Power And Rural Resistance In The Arkansas Ozarks, J. Blake Perkins

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation explores the dynamics of rural resistance against government interventions in the Ozark uplands of Arkansas during the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It employs microhistorical analysis to delve deep into the experiences and attitudes of rural folks as they encountered and interacted with different arms of government authority during this long period of change and transition for rural America. The findings question and complicate long-held assumptions about an "exceptional" rural hill culture that supposedly eluded change and remained isolated from mainstream American developments since the pioneer settlers of the Early Republic. In particular, this work's collection of case …

Modeling Of Temperature Impacts On Fixed Film Microbial Growth And Nitrification Kinetics, Jacob Strombeck

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Monod-type kinetic models, used in simulating microbial growth in biological treatment systems, suggest significant decreases of substrate utilization at lower temperatures. However, it is documented that performance of fixed film treatment systems are not hindered with declining temperatures. Previous studies at the Moorhead, MN, Wastewater Treatment Facility (WWTF) showed significant impacts of temperature on biofilm growth in its moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR), and studies noted that at low temperatures more biomass was present. Previously, a series of kinetic bench-scale batch tests was performed to measure ammonium removal in the full-scale system. As part of this research, a diffusion based …

Ph Responsive Capsules Containing Composite Coatings For Corrosion Inhibition In Metal Alloys, Kiran Bhat Kashi

Coatings and Polymeric Materials

Hexavalent chromes have be used as effective corrosion inhibitors due to their high inhibitor efficiency and low cost for the protection of several metal alloys. However, owing to their toxicity federal legislations restrict the use and distribution of these highly toxic materials. The need for an environmentally friendly yet effective alternative to the chrome based corrosion inhibitors has led to the investigation of rare earth metals as potential candidates. Cerium is one such rare earth metal that has received considerable attention as an alternative to hexavalent chromes. However, the high water solubility of some of the cerium salts makes it …

On The Network To Damascus: Emerging Adulthood, Social Networks, And Conversion In American Religion, Andrew Donald Pritchard

Communication

Competing social networks are central to the process of conversion from one religious or spiritual orientation to another. Although numerous sociological, psychological, quasi-economic, and theological forces have been explored as components of an individual’s network ties to a religion, the characteristics of the communication that occurs through those ties have been ignored in most research into conversion. This omission hinders a fuller explanation of the conversion process, because the means and manners of communication are the mechanisms through which other social network forces must operate. This disquisition studies communication at the crucial, initial “preaffiliation” stage of the conversion process (Gooren, …

Work Group Identification And Communication Competence In The Use Of E-Mail, Miwa Ito

Communication

Among the various communication technologies that are used in organizations, e-mail has been a dominant communication medium in the modern workplace. The purpose of the current study is to examine how individuals' work group identification influences their perceptions of e-mail use in organizations based on social identity theory. This project examines how individuals' work group identification predicts their perception of an organizational worker's communication competence. Independent-samples t test and multiple regression analysis were adopted to examine the hypotheses and research question. Data was collected using an online questionnaire to report participant perception of communicator competence in hypothetical e-mails, in regard …

“I Signed Up For Twitter. Reason? Flood News.”: An Analysis Of Pre-Crisis Tweets Made By Decision-Makers, Media, And The Public, Jenna Lee Currie-Mueller

Communication

This study examines the use of Twitter by decision-makers, the media, and the public during the pre-crisis stage of the 2013 Fargo-Moorhead flood. Three research questions guide this study in order to gain understanding of the content and assumed motives that drive users to utilize Twitter prior to a crisis. Data analysis revealed that decision-makers and the media active in tweeting were consistent with what would have been expected in a crisis situation. Additionally, the public were driven by the assumed motive of sharing and seeking information during the pre-crisis stage, consistent with previous research regarding the crisis stage.

Adapting Web Page Tables On Mobile Web Browsers: Results From Two Controlled Empirical Studies, Ramakanth Reddy Annadi

Computer Science

Displaying web page content in mobile screens is a challenging task and users often face difficulty retrieving the relevant data. It can force them to adopt a time-consuming hunt-and-peck strategy. Application of design principles can improve the view of the webpage data content and reduce the time consumption in viewing it. This is especially true with HTML tabular data content. This thesis discusses the background and applications of the gestalt design principle techniques to HTML tabular data content. An empirical study was performed to investigate the usability of two types of the adaptive styles namely, single and multi-layout. This thesis …

A Linguistic Model For Improving Sentiment Analysis Systems, Jared Coleman Hall

Computer Science

The value of automated sentiment analysis systems is increasing with the vast amount of consumer-generated content, allowing researchers to analyze the information readily available on the World Wide Web. Much research has been done in the field of sentiment analysis, which has improved the accuracy of sentiment analysis systems. But sentiment analysis is a challenging problem, and there are many potential areas for improvement. In this thesis, we analyze two linguistic rules, and propose algorithms for these rules to be applied in sentiment analysis systems. The first rule is regarding how a sentiment analysis system can recognize and apply the …

Long Exposure: Environmental Racism And Activism In Institute, West Virginia, Allyssa Sobey

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

On December 2, 1984 a lethal cloud of Methyl Isocyanate (MIC) - a key chemical ingredient used to manufacture agricultural pesticides- leaked from a Union Carbide plant in Bhopal, India. The release covered approximately nine miles and consisted of 40 tons of MIC, causing an estimated 2500 immediate fatalities and more than 10,000 deaths within a week of the event. While the Bhopal disaster captured global headlines and sparked transnational anti-toxics and environmental justice movements, the largest production and storage facility for MIC in the world was located in the Institute Industrial Park- just a few miles west of Charleston, …

Project Quality Tool: A Tool For Project Success, Pallavi Srichinta

Computer Science

This paper proposes a solution to the current changing requirements communication problem in an offshore on-site software development model. The proposed model is a web-based tool where the user in a project team can enter the new Requirements, map them to Design, create Test Cases from design, Execute them, and track failed ones by creating Defects. When the requirements change the existing tools available in the market, the changes are not communicated to the entire project team; leaving the Quality Assurance team verifying old (incomplete) requirements which ultimately costs more time, money and delays the project delivery. In this paper, …

Microfluidic 3d Gradient Generator For Studying Tubulogenesis, Bhargavi Thotakura

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Tubulogenesis and Angiogenesis is an important process in the formation of new blood vessels, and play a vital role in many physiological and pathological processes, such as cancer metastasis. To study this process in the laboratory, versatile, reliable and affordable assays are essential. The objective of this thesis work was to develop a microfluidic three-dimensional (3D) gradient device, which embedded collagen within the device for generating chemical gradient through it, and investigated it as a useful research tool for angiogenesis study with endothelial cells forming branching tubes inside the collagen.;With the enormous growth of microfluidic technologies, the scope for creating …

The Neglect Of Network Theory In Practice With Immigrants In The Southwest, Emilia Martinez-Brawley, Paz M-B. Zorita

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper reviews selected theories of international migration including social network and human capital. It discusses the nature of social networks among immigrants and the costs and benefits for the sending and receiving countries. The history of social network theory in social work practice is revisited. Given the current importance of immigration in the Southwest, the strength and limitations of applying networking principles in practice with immigrants in the border areas are included. This article does not focus on the complexity of networks among refugees or asylum seekers, where government population dispersion or resettlement policies might change their circumstances.

Review Of Coming Up Short: Working-Class Adulthood In An Age Of Uncertainty. Jennifer M. Silva. Reviewed By Marguerite G. Rosenthal., Marguerite Rosenthal

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Review of:

Jennifer M. Silva, Coming Up Short: Working-Class Adulthood in an Age of Uncertainty. Oxford University Press (2013). $29.95 (hardcover).

Austerity Versus Stimulus: Theoretical Perspectives And Policy Implications, James Midgley

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Attempts to respond to the negative social and economic effects of the Great Recession have been cast in terms of the austerity versus stimulus debate. Although oversimplified, this debate reflects wider theoretical analyses of market economies and normative prescriptions for enhancing their functioning. Referencing the historical evolution of economic thought, these theories and their policy implications for responding to recessions are summarized and their relevance for social welfare is examined in the light of recent events.

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 41, No. 2 (June 2014)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION TO THE SPECIAL ISSUE - Howard Karger, James Midgley, and Subas Risal

AUSTERITY VERSUS STIMULUS: THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES AND POLICY PRESCRIPTIONS - James Midgley

THE BITTER PILL: AUSTERITY, DEBT, AND THE ATTACK ON EUROPE'S WELFARE STATES - Howard Karger

BETWEEN RETRENCHMENT AND RECALIBRATION: THE IMPACT OF AUSTERITY ON THE IRISH SOCIAL PROTECTION SYSTEM - Fiona Dukelow and Mairéad Considine

ITALIAN WELFARE IN THE AFTERMATH OF ECONOMIC CRISIS: NEOLIBERAL REFORMS AND LIMITS TO THE PATH DEPENDENCY APPROACH - Ijin Hong

DEFICIT-DRIVEN AUSTERITY POLICIES: EFFECTS ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND SOCIAL WELFARE IN THE UNITED STATES - David Miller and …

Italian Welfare In The Aftermath Of The Economic Crisis: Neoliberal Reforms And Limits To The Path Dependency Approach, Ijin Hong

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The 2008 world economic crisis provided a plausible rationale for policy makers in Italy to push forward long needed welfare cuts, resulting in the neoliberal austerity trend fostered by the Monti government (2011-2012). This paper seeks to understand the logic behind the welfare reforms in Italy after the 2008 economic crisis by describing implemented measures and reviewing available theoretical approaches in literature that could account for the reforms’ neoliberal shift from a path-dependent theoretical approach. It is argued that external forces, that is the economic crisis and EU pressures, represented the main trigger, and that political elites marginalized the role …

Considering Post-Crisis Stimulus Measures: Welfare Policy And Social Inclusion In Brazil, Lenore E. Matthew

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The onset of the 2007-2008 global financial crisis slowed economic growth in Brazil and threatened the country’s established trajectory of decreasing poverty and inequality. To mitigate prolonged effects of the crisis, leadership implemented a growth-with-equity stimulus plan, of which investment in income augmentation and human capital-building programs for the poor were primary elements. This article examines the economic and social impacts of the stimulus package. It shows that stimulus measures had overall positive effects on the economy, but mixed effects on the well-being of the underprivileged. Improvements in the underprivileged population’s well-being may be less profound than officials have reported, …

Queensland's Budget Austerity And Its Impact On Social Welfare: Is The Cure Worse Than The Disease?, Gregory Marston

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

While considerable attention has been paid to the austerity experiments in Europe, much less attention has been paid to austerity case studies from other parts of the world. This paper examines the case of Queensland, Australia, where the government has pursued austerity measures, while making dire warnings that unless public debt was slashed and the public service sector downsized, Queensland risked becoming the Spain of Australia. The comparison is incomprehensible, given the very different economic situation in Queensland compared with Spain. This comparison constructed a sense of crisis that helped to mask standard neoliberal economic reform. While pursuing neoliberal economic …

Review Of The New Black: What Has Changed – And What Has Not – With Race In America. Kenneth W. Mack & Charles Guy-Uriel (Eds.). Reviewed By Johnnie Hamilton-Mason., Johnnie Hamilton-Mason

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Kenneth W. Mack & Charles Guy-Uriel (Eds.), The New Black: What Has Changed – and What Has Not – with Race in America. The New Press (2013). $21.95 (paperback).

Latino Migration To Protestantism: A Historical, Socio-Cultural, Ecclesiastical Analysis, Larry Ortiz

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The “browning of America” in the 21st century has brought about many social changes within the heterogeneous group known as Latinos and among the general U.S. population and its other ethnic groups. One notable change is religious preferences among recent immigrants and second and third generation Latinos in favor of Protestantism. Although Latinos have for many years had a limited presence among Protestant groups, over the last decade or two there has occurred a significant defection from the Roman Catholic Church to evangelicalism in particular. The implications of this are quite unknown to social workers and social scientists but are …

Deputized Brokers: A Technique For A Case Study Of Conservative Think Tanks In 1990s Welfare Reform, Sergio Romero

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study proposes a novel analytical technique in a case study of think tank brokerage. As brokers, think tanks structurally link foundations and media, yet they do so as representatives of a policy network consisting of corporate funders and affiliated think tanks. Print media sought their policy analysis regarding the welfare system and prescriptions for reform. Network and content methods are the bases for the presentation of the technique. The coupling of results from each of the technique’s components shows how resources tie actors, as well as how their conversion from one form to another is the basis for a …

The Relationship Between Empathy And Attitudes Toward Government Intervention, M. Alex Wagaman, Elizabeth A. Segal

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Throughout history, government policy and programs have played integral roles in shaping social services. This article reports the findings of a study that explored the relationship between interpersonal empathy and attitudes toward government intervention among college students. Findings suggest that increased levels of empathy are associated with more positive attitudes toward government intervention. This relationship is even stronger for participants from marginalized identity groups. Nurturing empathy among those engaged in social welfare policy-making may support government efforts that are in the best interest of communities they are intended to help.

Exploring Factors Associated With Citizens’ Perception Of Their Political Environment: Evidence From Palestine, Najwa S. Safadi, Margaret Lombe

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study explores factors associated with citizens’ perception of their political environment in Palestine (N = 1270). Understanding these factors in this context has potential to enhance knowledge in relation to features that may be associated with dissatisfaction and civil unrest. This knowledge may help inform development of policies with greater potential to improve welfare. Overall, results of this study suggested that gender, government anti-corruption initiatives, and the country’s economic condition are important in explaining appraisal of the political environment as stable or unstable. Implications for welfare and scholarship are discussed.

Dance In The Museum, Claire Bishop

Publications and Research

This paper argues that the art world’s current fascination for dance follows on from a previous high point of interaction in the late 1960s and 1970s, and before that, a moment in the late 1930s and early 1940s. It traces these first, second and third waves of dance in the museum at three institutions: the Tate in London, and the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York. Three institutional histories are sketched, drawing out the differences between their approaches. The conclusion presents the four most pressing possibilities/problems of presenting dance in the museum: …

Accounting For Accountability, Celina Su

Publications and Research

Review of the book Open Budgets: The Political Economy of Transparency, Participation, and Accountability, edited by Sanjeev Khagram, Archon Fung, and Paolo de Renzio.

Cronobacter Sakazakii Characterization And Analysis Of Cytotoxicity In Microvascular Endothelial Cells, Hilary Jayne Hafner

Microbiological Sciences

Contamination of powdered infant formulas by the bacteria Cronobacter sakazakii can pose serious risk to infants and neonates who consume the formula and subsequently develop C. sakazakii related illnesses such as sepsis and meningitis (1). The Gibbs’ lab assesses C. sakazakii isolates’ ability to cross the blood brain barrier and cause meningitis. This thesis research investigated C. sakazakkii cytotoxicity towards microvascular endothelial cells which comprise the first cell line encountered in the barrier. Understanding the mechanisms used to affect these cells will contribute to our understanding of early stages of invasion. Cytotoxicity assays performed for this research found that the …

Exploration Of Laboratory Techniques Relating To Cryptosporidium Parvum Propagation, Life Cycle Observation, And Host Immune Responses To Infection, Cheryl Brown

Microbiological Sciences

Cryptosporidium causes cryptosporidiosis, a self-limiting diarrheal disease in healthy people, but causes serious health issues for immunocompromised individuals. Cryptosporidiosis has been observed in humans since the early 1970s and continues to cause public health concerns. Cryptosporidium has a complicated life cycle making laboratory study challenging. This project explores several ways of studying Cryptosporidium parvum, with a goal of applying existing techniques to further understand this life cycle. Utilization of a neonatal mouse model demonstrated laser microdissection as a tool for studying host immune response to infeciton. A cell culture technique developed on FrameSlides™ enables laser microdissection of individual infected cells …

Bringing The Guilty To Justice: Can The Icc Be Self-Enforcing?, Nada Ali

Chicago Journal of International Law

Even though the International Criminal Court was instituted with the express goal of ending impunity, its lack of enforcement powers threatens to undermine its credibility as well as the effective administration of international criminal justice. While proponents of the court are content to rely on questionable means of enforcement such as military interventions, ICC skeptics are adamant that granting amnesties will ensure the removal of dictators from power. But, could there be a median solution between the extremes of at-any-cost accountability and outright exemption from punishment? Game theoretic analysis of the ICC offers a glimmer of hope for the effective …