Digital Commons Network^™

Motivations For Targeted School Violence: Examining The Influence Of Social Rejection And Violent Video Games On Aggression, Maxwell R. Christensen

Honors Scholar Theses

This Thesis Project investigates putative causes for mass-casualty violence in America’s schools. Both popular and scientific literatures suggest a variety of factors to explain these events, including violence in media such as movies and video games, gun culture, social constructions of masculinity, as well as social isolation, rejection, and disaffection among youth. Whereas such factors are not present in every incidence of mass violence and have yet to be demonstrated as explicitly causal variables, significant evidence points to social rejection in the form of bullying experiences and consumption of violent media such as first-person-shooter video games as representing key driving …

The Physical And Economic Impacts Of Urban Flooding On Critical Infrastructure & Surrounding Communities: A Decision-Support Framework, Gloria J. Neal

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

In recent years there has been a rise in the frequency and severity of natural disasters. The economic costs associated with these extreme events exceeded $110 billion in the year 2012 alone. While the causes for these events are many and the subject of current controversy there is little doubt that man’s role in rapid urbanization is amplifying the impacts of such occurrences and adds a layer of complexity to efforts aimed at mitigation. While there are systems in place there is a need for a national overhaul of the methods currently active for the mitigation and protection of vulnerable …

Collateral Damage: America's Failure To Forgive Or Forget In The War On Crime: A Roadmap To Restore Rights And Status After Arrest Or Conviction, National Association Of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Jenny M. Roberts

Research Reports & White Papers

No abstract provided.

University Of Central Florida Undergraduate Catalog, 2014 - 2015, University Of Central Florida

UCF Catalogs

No abstract provided.

University Of Central Florida Graduate Catalog, 2014 - 2015, University Of Central Florida

UCF Catalogs

No abstract provided.

'This Would Be Much Funner In Person': A Qualitative Grounded Theory Analysis Of Cybergrooming, Maurice Jason Gauz

Dissertations and Theses

The rather novel phenomenon of cybergrooming, or the solicitation of minors for sex via the Internet, has yet to be fully explored. This is a problem because such predatory behavior can lead to psychological and/or physical abuse of minors. The present study seeks to fill this knowledge by performing a qualitative, grounded theory analysis of naturally-occurring cybergrooming discourse. Data were drawn from the website of the online watchdog group, Perverted Justice. The first 20 lines of talk transmitted by the adults in these chat conversations were sampled from 100 transcripts published by Perverted Justice.
Multi-step coding, facilitated by the qualitative …

Democracy, Prison, And Public Safety Realignment: Renewing Our Imagination, Kimberly Turner

Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science

The American carceral condition has waged a 200-year-old struggle where the lives of the guilty, the innocent, and the victimized have taken center stage in a debate centered on rehabilitation, reformation, and revenge. The drama has undergone a number of revisions from great scholarly authors, multidisciplinary intellectuals, and literary muses. Despite a number of new renderings, the central themes of the American prison have remained constant, and just as there have been builders of prisons, there have been forces intent on their destruction. The current state of the American carceral condition has burgeoned since the neoliberal political and economic shift …

The Lived Experiences Of Female Nurses In Recovery: A Phenomenological Inquiry, Mattie Y. Sherard

DNP Research Projects

No abstract provided.

A Multi-Site Process Evaluation Of Three Federal Reentry Courts In A Southern District Of Federal Probation, Patricia Ann Southerland

Master's Theses

Over the years, prison populations have varied extensively. For the first time in over 30 years, national prison populations began to decrease in 2010. While there are a number of factors influencing this trend, part of such decrease has been the result of changing parole practices. In attempts to respond to the growing parole population and reduce recidivism among parolees, the U.S. court system has begun implementing reentry courts. The current study sought to evaluate the implementation well as pro-active application of evidence-based practices among three reentry court program sites. Three federal reentry courts in a southern district of federal …

California Graffiti Removal Programs: Benchmarking San José’S Graffiti Abatement Program Against Best Practices In The Cities Of Long Beach, San Diego, And Santa Ana, Samantha Silva Tavares

Master's Projects

No abstract provided.

Access To Justice Requires Access To Attorneys: Restrictions On The Practice Of Law Serve A Societal Purpose, Lisa H. Nicholson

Fordham Law Review

No abstract provided.

Regulating The Militia Well: Evaluating Choices For State And Municipal Regulators Post-Heller, Benjamin H. Weissman

Fordham Law Review

    Until its 2008 decision in District of Columbia v. Heller, the U.S. Supreme Court had never struck down any firearm restrictions as violating the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. In Heller, the majority held that the Second Amendment’s text and original public meaning protect an individual’s right to keep and bear arms for self-defense in the home. Both proponents and opponents of gun control regulation saw the Heller decision as ushering in a new era of Second Amendment jurisprudence.

    On the one hand, Justice Antonin Scalia’s opinion for the majority in Heller was seen as a vindication …

May 2014 Commencement Program, Bowling Green State University

Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

Vista: May 1, 2014, University Of San Diego

USD Vista (1965-)

No abstract provided.

Smart Data Collection Using Mobile Devices To Improve Transportation Systems, Tharindu Dasun Abeygunawardana

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Travel time is a matter that affects most of us, especially those that live in highly congested cities. Ideally, we want to reduce travel time as much as possible, thereby freeing up more of our time and enabling a higher quality of life. Data collection of transportation metrics helps us get a clearer picture of the transportation system, and helps us make smarter choices when it comes to improving the existing system. The rapid emergence of interconnected mobile devices carried along by travelers opens up many possibilities for gathering data as they travel, and also to serve them relevant data …

Interorganizational Performance Comparisons Using Quality Assurance Audit Results, Raymond E. Keeler

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) of 1993 requires government agencies to conduct performance measurements of their contractors for purposes of evaluation and comparison. To be most meaningful, performance comparisons need to consider all relevant characteristics that are of importance to the agency. Yet, bounded rationality theory states that managers of complex programs may have insufficient time and resources to consider all potentially relevant factors. Therefore, metrics used for decision making need to incorporate all relevant factors before the information is provided to decision makers.

Over the last several decades, government agencies have increasingly identified Quality Assurance compliance as …

Development Of A Visualization System For Highway Safety Management Using Safety Analyst, Indira Khanal

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The AASHTOWare software, Safety Analyst, is a state-of-the-art tool with significant capabilities and advanced analytical methods for comprehensive analysis and management of highway safety. However, currently, this tool provides very limited visualization capabilities. To address this limitation, this study proposes a Visualization System for Safety Analyst that provides graphical displays, including location and color-coded information for each module. In addition, the system generates charts, which have various degrees of resolution and aggregation; tables; and a report summarizing safety performance measures. The system can use Google Maps and/or ESRI ArcGIS to generate the graphical displays. The advantage of using Google Maps …

Prison Health Care After The Affordable Care Act: Envisioning An End To The Policy Of Neglect, Evelyn Malave

Hofstra Law Faculty Scholarship

Inadequate prison health care has created a health crisis for reentering prisoners and their communities--a crisis that is exacerbated by barriers to employment and other collateral consequences of release. This Note will first examine how current Eighth Amendment doctrine has failed to sufficiently regulate prison health care so as to have any significant effect on the crisis. Next, it will argue that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) alters the Eighth Amendment analysis by triggering a change in the "evolving standards of decency" that guide the doctrine. Specifically, this Note will argue that, after the passage of the ACA, releasing sick, …

Collateral Damage: America’S Failure To Forgive Or Forget In The War On Crime: A Roadmap To Restore Rights And Status After Arrest Or Conviction, Jerry J. Cox, Gerald B. Lefcourt, Steven D. Benjamin, Norman L. Reimer, Angelyn C. Frazer, Rick Jones, Vicki H. Young, Lawrence S. Goldman, Wlissa B. Heinrichs, Margaret Colgate Love, Penelope S. Strong, Geneva Vanderhorst, Christopher A. Wellborn, Jenny Roberts

Hofstra Law Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

The Experience Of Latino Parents Of Hospitalized Children During Family Centered Rounds, Lisa Ann Walker-Vischer

Doctoral Projects

Problem: Hospitalization of a child is stressful. The parental role is altered and parents have a primary need to receive timely information. Family centered rounds (FCR) provide a mechanism to exchange information and facilitates shared decision making with the medical team while parents advocate for their child's needs. FCR has been linked to increased satisfaction and improved outcomes. A recent study suggests that Latino parents have a suboptimal experience related to language barriers and a lack of empowerment. The purpose of this study is to describe the experience of Latino parents of hospitalized children during FCR in a public safety …

Social Media: An Effective Tool For Risk And Crisis Communication?, William Kelly

Master's Projects

No abstract provided.

Reconfigurable Antennas For Public Safety And Wireless Gigabit Alliance Applications, Hema Swaroop Mopidevi

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The main goal of this research is to develop a new type of antenna, called reconfigurable antenna, which can replace multiple antennas required to enhance the effectiveness of a robust communication system. A reconfigurable antenna integrated with switching elements can dynamically change its properties, namely, frequency of operation, radiation pattern (the three-dimensional coverage of antenna), and polarization (the electrical orientation of the antenna). Depending on the requirement, a single antenna can function as multiple antennas, therefore, the name Multi-functional Reconfigurable Antenna (MRA). United States (US) Public Safety (PS) responders (police, fire-fighters, emergency medical services, etc.) can effectively respond to human-made …

Online Media Use And Adoption By Hurricane Sandy Affected Fire And Police Departments, Apoorva Chauhan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In this thesis work, I examine the use and adoption of online communication media by 840 fire and police departments that were affected by the 2012 Hurricane Sandy. I began by exploring how and why these fire and police departments used (or did not use) online media to communicate with the public during Hurricane Sandy. Results show that fire and police departments used online media during Hurricane Sandy to give timely and relevant information to the public about things such as evacuations, damages, weather, and cleanup and to engage in two-way communications with their constituents. In their messages, fire and …

Cyber-Physical Systems With Multi-Unmanned Aerial Vehicle-Based Cooperative Source Seeking And Contour Mapping, Jinlu Han

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This dissertation presents the design, simulation, and execution of multi-unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV)-based cooperative source seeking and contour mapping with cyber-physical systems (CPS). Both fixed-wing UAVs and vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) UAVs are developed as the flight platforms. Compared with single UAV, multi-UAV formation with advanced cooperative control strategies has more advantages for radiative source detection, especially in urgent tasks, for example, detecting nuclear radiation before deploying the salvage. A contour mapping algorithm for the nuclear radiation is proposed, and practical predefined waypoint-based formation flights are realized. Next, four scenarios are developed for multi-UAV-based cooperative source seeking and contour …

Estimating Baseline Population Parameters Of Urban And Wildland Black Bear Populations Using A Dna-Based Capture-Mark-Recapture Approach In Mono County, California, Jonathan L. Fusaro

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Prior to European settlement, black bear (Ursus americanus) were far less abundant in the state of California. Estimates from statewide harvest data indicate the California black bear population has tripled in the last 3 decades. Bears inhabit areas they formally never occurred (e.g., urban environments) and populations that were at historically low densities are now at high densities. Though harvest data are useful and widely used as an index for black bear population size and population demographics statewide, it lacks the ability to produce precise estimates of abundance and density at local scales or account for the numerous …

Statistical Models Of The Lambert Road Bridge: Changes In Natural Frequencies Due To Temperature, Nickolas Ryan Foust

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Structural health monitoring (SHM) systems have become tools for understanding how a civil structure truly behaves. In bridge structures, vibration-based SHM systems can be used to monitor the bridge’s modal parameters. Changes in modal parameters may indicate a change in the structure itself, boundary conditions, or damage. These modal parameters also vary with environmental factors, mainly temperature. Statistical models help show the correlation between modal parameters and temperature and can be used to filter out unimportant temperature effects. If done successfully, physical changes can be indicated and further inspection can be accomplished to minimize further damage.

The bridge structure utilized …

Hybrid Spaces: Users' Perceptions Of Digitally Mediated Public Space, Melanie Duffey

All Dissertations

Public space has served as a central component to human settlement since the ancient Greeks, and a forum for unmediated discussion, communication, and debate (Hénaff & Strong, 2001; Mitchell 2003). During the industrialization of cities, public space continued to transform in form and typology, and has served society in various ways (Carr, Rivlin, Francis, & Stone, 1992). Public space is also a physical environment where interaction with digital environment occurs. Today, in the City of New York there are 503 privately owned public spaces (POPS) (Kayden, 2000); often these spaces provide varying levels of wireless access as public and/or private …

Canaries In The Urban Data Mine: Analytics For Smarter City Life, Robert J. Kauffman

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Technology-based sensors and data analytics have created unprecendented levels of informedness for consumers, corporations, the public and government agencies. The information they generated provides a basis for smarter cities and more sustainable urban living.

Towards 3d Matching Of Point Clouds Derived From Oblique And Nadir Airborne Imagery, Ming Zhang

Theses

Because of the low-expense high-efficient image collection process and the rich 3D and texture information presented in the images, a combined use of 2D airborne nadir and oblique images to reconstruct 3D geometric scene has a promising market for future commercial usage like urban planning or first responders. The methodology introduced in this thesis provides a feasible way towards fully automated 3D city modeling from oblique and nadir airborne imagery.

In this thesis, the difficulty of matching 2D images with large disparity is avoided by grouping the images first and applying the 3D registration afterward. The procedure starts with the …

Is Finra A State Actor? A Question That Exposes The Flaws Of The State Action Doctrine And Suggests A Way To Redeem It, Michael Deshmukh

Vanderbilt Law Review

For over seventy years, the National Association of Securities Dealers ("NASD") was the principal self-regulatory organization ("SRO") responsible for the regulation and oversight of the U.S. securities market.' In 2000, working with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") and the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE"), the NASD initiated a joint investigation into twelve investment firms that were allegedly "spinning" initial public, offerings. This sort of regulatory interplay between the NASD and the NYSE governed the industry until 2008, when self-regulatory power was further consolidated by a merger between the NASD and the regulatory arm of the NYSE. The resulting organization, …