Digital Commons Network^™

Electoral Democracy And Human Development, John Gerring, Svend-Erik Skaaning, Carl Henrik Knutsen, Jan Teorell, Matthew Maguire, Michael Coppedge, Staffan Lindberg

Faculty Publications, School of Management

This study reconciles competing positions in the debate over whether democracy improves human development. We argue that electoral competition incentivizes politicians to provide public goods and services, and these, in turn, save lives. Hence, the electoral aspect of democracy should have a substantial impact on human development while other aspects, e.g. related to citizen empowerment or civil liberties, should be less consequential. Extant measures of democracy do not allow for the disambiguation of various components of democracy, which may help to account for the mixed results reported by various studies (contrast Ross 2006 and Gerring et al. 2012). We draw …

Managing Risk And Resilience: From The Editors, Gerben Van Der Vegt, Peter Essens, Margareta Wahlstrom, Gerard George

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Ten years of Global Risks reports by the World Economic Forum show a daunting list of risks that challenge humankind, including water and food crises, terrorist attacks, cybercrime, financial crises, and extreme weather events, among others (World Economic Forum, 2015). The annual number of these high-risk events worldwide has steadily increased from around 350 in 1980 to almost 1,000 in 2014 (UN, 2015). Managing the devastation of these disaster events extends beyond concerns about mortality; economic losses are rising from around U.S.$50 billion in the 1980s to around U.S.$250 billion in the last decade (UN, 2015). Similarly, cataclysmic effects caused …

Portland’S Food Economy: Trends And Contributions, Jamaal Green, Greg Schrock, Jenny H. Liu

Institute for Sustainable Solutions Publications and Presentations

The primary goal of this report is to document the scope, growth, and contribution of the food economy to the city of Portland and the region. Specifically, this report addresses the following research questions:

• What is the "food economy," and how is it defined?
• What is the size of Portland’s food economy, and how has it changed in recent years?
• How is the food economy distributed spatially within the city and the region? How is this changing?
• What kind of employment opportunities does Portland’s food economy offer? How do they compare to the broader economy?
• Who works in Portland’s food …

Analysis Of A Retention Program Implementing An Increased Time-On-Task Teaching Strategy For Sixth And Seventh Grade Students Within A Small City School District In Orange County, New York, Andrea L. Caputo

Education Doctoral

The purpose of this quantitative study was to explore the efficacy of an alternative grade-retention program to increase student achievement with regard to New York State English Language Arts (NYS ELA) and Developmental Reading Program (DRP) student achievement. Within a quasi-experimental, pre-test, post-test design, archival data was analyzed to determine results utilizing ANOVA analysis. Results indicated that sixth grade students had a significantly larger increase in NYS ELA scores from pre-test to post-test as compared to seventh graders. Male students had statistically similar increases in NYS ELA scores from pre-test to post-test as compared to female students. Students of all …

Financial Narratives Of U.S. Biotechnology Companies Before, During, And After The Great Recession, James W. Clark

Education Doctoral

The regulatory environment and associated financial disclosures required of U.S. companies have become increasingly complex as a result of dynamic market conditions and the need to assure stakeholders of the integrity of reported financial results. Advances in technology now provide the opportunity for unique investigation into the narratives included in regulated financial disclosures. The purpose of this study was to determine whether regulated financial disclosure narratives of U.S. biotechnology companies change before, during, and after a financial crisis. The research aimed to characterize financial narratives through textual analysis and the use of predetermined semantics. This is a quantitative study of …

A Jamaican Voice: The Choral Music Of Noel Dexter, Desmond A. Moulton

Dissertations

As we approach the twenty-first century, the world generally is moving away from the dominance of the European aesthetic towards a world music that owes much to the musical resources of the African-American tradition. Jamaica’s social and philosophical music belong mainly to that tradition, which includes the use of rhythms, and timbral and melodic resources that exist independently of harmony. Already in this century, Jamaicans have created two totally new music - Nyabinghi, which performs a philosophical function and Reggae, which performs a social function. The choral music of Noel Dexter is important because it is uniquely Jamaican/Caribbean in its …

Terrorist And Insurgent Unmanned Aerial Vehicles: Use, Potentials, And Military Implications, Robert J. Bunker Dr.

Books, Monographs & Collaborative Studies

This manuscript focuses on the present threat posed by terrorist and insurgent use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as well as associated future threat potentials. This work presents a counterintuitive analysis in the sense that armed drones are typically viewed as a component of America’s conventional warfighting prowess—not a technology that would be used against U.S. troops deployed overseas or against civilians back home. The emerging threat of such UAV use against the United States is investigated, and the unique analysis and creative approach related to the threat scenario variants generated are very informative. Hopefully, the larger implications posed by …

Assisting Small And Mid-Size Farmers To Increase Their Access To Markets: A Case Study Of An Extension Program To Facilitate Food Hubs In Georgia, Kate Munden-Dixon, Carrie Furman, Julia Gaskin, Kevin Samples

Journal of Extension

This article provides a case study on how Extension can facilitate the creation of food hubs and connect farmers and suppliers with these hubs. To accomplish this, we conducted two surveys: a baseline survey of food hubs in Georgia and a needs assessment survey of farmers. Survey results were then translated into a web-based resource consisting of an interactive map, regional resources, and contact information for personalized assistance in order to facilitate stakeholder communication and connect growers to food hubs. Extension personnel can use this model in other locations where connections between food hubs and farmers are not readily apparent.

Media Representation Of Islam And Muslims In Southern Appalachia, Saundra K. Reynolds

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Southern Appalachian attitudes about the religion of Islam and Muslim adherents are influenced largely by mass media's representations. With more than 80% of Appalachia’s population following Protestant Christianity, exposure to Islam in daily life is limited. Media outlets offer the greatest exposure to information about the religion and its adherents. This thesis examined the region's media representation of Islam and Muslims to determine what images are most often portrayed. Research following a twoyear span of reporting in Southern Appalachia studied substance, word frequency, imagery, and editing used in articles that focused on Islam and Muslims. Through the use of content …

Investigating How Students Communicate Tree-Thinking, Carrie Jo Boyce

Dissertations

Learning is often an active endeavor that requires students work at building conceptual understandings of complex topics. Personal experiences, ideas, and communication all play large roles in developing knowledge of and understanding complex topics. Sometimes these experiences can promote formation of scientifically inaccurate or incomplete ideas. Representations are tools used to help individuals understand complex topics. In biology, one way that educators help people understand evolutionary histories of organisms is by using representations called phylogenetic trees. In order to understand phylogenetics trees, individuals need to understand the conventions associated with phylogenies.

My dissertation, supported by the Tree-Thinking Representational Competence and …

Assessing Awareness, Interest, And Knowledge Of Fractal Geometry Among Secondary Mathematics Teachers In The United States And China, Suanrong Chen

Dissertations

Fractal geometry has gained great attention from mathematicians and scientists in the past three decades (Fraboni, & Moller, 2008). As a new geometry language and subject, fractal geometry has significant value in teaching and learning secondary mathematics. The present study focused on investigating the current state of mathematics teachers’ awareness, interest, and knowledge of fractal geometry in the U.S. and China, as well as the factors that influence them.

The instrument of the study included a survey and a test designed by the researcher and validated by five experts. The results of the study indicated that secondary math teachers in …

Historical Comparisons Reveal Multiple Drivers Of Decadal Change Of An Ecosystem Engineer At The Range Edge, Lb Firth, N Mieszkowska, Lm Grant, Le Bush, Et Al

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Biogenic reefs are important for habitat provision and coastal protection. Long-term datasets on the distribution and abundance of Sabellaria alveolata (L.) are available from Britain. The aim of this study was to combine historical records and contemporary data to (1) describe spatiotemporal variation in winter temperatures, (2) document short-term and long-term changes in the distribution and abundance of S. alveolata and discuss these changes in relation to extreme weather events and recent warming, and (3) assess the potential for artificial coastal defense structures to function as habitat for S. alveolata. A semi-quantitative abundance scale (ACFOR) was used to compare broadscale, …

Into The Light: Diurnality Has Evolved Multiple Times In Geckos, Tony Gamble, E. Greenbaum, Todd R. Jackman, Aaron M. Bauer

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Geckos are the only major lizard group consisting mostly of nocturnal species. Nocturnality is presumed to have evolved early in gecko evolution and geckos possess numerous adaptations to functioning in low light and at low temperatures. However, not all gecko species are nocturnal and most diurnal geckos have their own distinct adaptations to living in warmer, sunlit environments. We reconstructed the evolution of gecko activity patterns using a newly generated time-calibrated phylogeny. Our results provide the first phylogenetic analysis of temporal activity patterns in geckos and confirm an ancient origin of nocturnality at the root of the gecko tree. We …

Human Impacts On Fire In De Soto National Forest, Mississippi, U.S.A., Charles Raymond White

Master's Theses

Fire is a common occurrence in the longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) forests of the Southeast United States. Prescribed fire is used to manage these threatened ecosystems, but information regarding historical fire activity is unknown. My goals were to determine the historical fire regimes in De Soto National Forest (DSNF), southern Mississippi, and determine the influence of climate and land use history on fire activity at two study sites: Fern Gulley Ridge (FGR) and Death Scar Valley (DSV). The composite mean fire interval during the prescribed burning period (1980–2013) was 3.4 years. During settlements periods, fire intervals at FGR …

Application Of A New Tree-Ring Based Drought Reconstruction Method At Multiple Forest Sites Across Indiana, U.S.A., Kayla Mechelle Pendergrass

Master's Theses

This thesis research used techniques of dendrochronology to investigate the efficacy of using multiple co-occurring species (MCOS) in a climate reconstruction model compared to a single species (SS) in four old-growth forests in Indiana: Pioneer Mothers Memorial Forest (PM), Donaldson Woods (DW), Hoot Woods (HW), and Lilly Dickey Woods (LD). The objectives of this study were to [1] evaluate the climate response of all chronologies (n = 19; 7 species) to determine the most appropriate climate variable for reconstruction and [2] determine if the MCOS model outperforms the SS model at each individual study site. Model comparison was conducted …

Biogeochemical Alteration Of Particulate Pyrogenic Organic Carbon (Pyc), Jason Matthew Stuart

Master's Theses

The resistance of plant derived pyrogenic organic carbon (pyC) to abiotic and biotic means of degradation has led to increased interest in the role of pyC as a potential carbon sink, as well as a strategy for sequestering atmospheric CO2 to mitigate excess carbon emissions. Though much research pertaining to the fundamental properties of pyC degradation have been performed in a controlled lab setting, there has been very little work regarding pyC degradation in a field setting where factors such as precipitation and temperature fluctuate seasonally. This work focuses on various degradation characteristics of two …

Teaching Effectiveness Function: A Model Developed From Historical Reports Supplemented With Subjective Vocational Teacher Perceptions, Norma Jean Walters Ph.D., James Noel Wilmoth Ph.D.

Journal of Health Occupations Education

A Teaching Effectiveness Function was adapted from theory supporting Multiattribute Utility Technology (MAUT). The model was used to aggregate 19 published attributes into teaching effectiveness utility scores. Each attribute was entered into the related mathematical model in combination with a weighting Coefficient derived from a group of stakeholders. These stakeholders, new teachers at the secondary and postsecondary levels, reflected a business and industry point of view about teaching effectiveness. The theoretical intent was to develop from the literature an easily understood mathematical model for indexing teaching effectiveness. The empirical intent was to verify the method by establishing a range 1 …

The Career Academy In The American High School, Karen L. Blondeau

Journal of Health Occupations Education

The Career Academy in the comprehensive high school has had phenomenal growth in the United States since the first was established in 1969 as a drop out prevention program in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The movement spread to California where it flourished, indeed the only state to define career academies by legislation. Career academies now number more than 1,500 nationwide. The concept is not new, however, and traces it roots to colonial times and back to the German continuation model. Research shows that for high-risk students in career academies, drop out rates are lower, students are more engaged in the curriculum, and …

Karenia Brevis Hot Spots In The West Florida Shelf And Their Associated Socio-Economic Implications, Diana A. Moanga

Open Access Theses

Harmful algal blooms are almost an annual occurrence on the West Florida Shelf. They are caused by the toxic dinoflagellate Karenia brevis (K. brevis). Intense bloom events result in significant environmental, economic, and human-health impacts associated with the release of potent natural toxins, known as brevotoxins. If inhaled or ingested they can produce substantial adverse health effects. In order to mitigate and minimize the vast array of impacts associated with K. brevis blooms, an overarching interdisciplinary framework is needed. A critical factor in understanding K. brevis dynamics requires mapping and monitoring bloom development and transport, and identifying areas of localized …

The Sense Of Loss In Jean Rhy’S Voyage In The Dark: The Absence Of Mother And Imagined Black Identity, Zita Rarastesa

Paradigma: Jurnal Kajian Budaya

The sense of loss of a mother leads Anna Morgan to her imagined black identity. Being a Creole from Dominica, Morgan is alienated both in her home country and in London. Du Bois’s notion of double consciousness substantiates Morgan’s sense of alienation. The racial issue here is not only socially constructed, but it is also personally constructed, as Morgan does not consider England as her homeland although she is as white as English people. people. The character is struggling from identity conflict, as she internalizes the impact of the British colonialization to the black people in Dominica. She feels more …

Admissions Report - Detailed Data - July 2015, Office Of Institutional Research & Effectiveness, Wright State University

Admissions Reports

Detailed report of applicants to Wright State including data on county of residency, intended major, and ethnicity for Fall Semester 2015.

Do New Sports Facilities Attract New Businesses?, Kaitlyn Harger, Brad R. Humphreys, Amanda Ross

Economics Faculty Working Papers Series

We examine the impact of new sports facilities on new businesses, an unexplored topic in the literature. We use data from the Dunn and Bradstreet MarketPlace files to examine how new sports facilities affect nearby business activity in terms of the number of new businesses and workers. We find no evidence of increased new businesses openings after the opening of new sports facilities in 13 US cities in the 2000s; employment at new businesses near new facilities is larger than at new businesses elsewhere in the MSA; this increase cannot be linked to businesses in any specific industry.

Physical Activity Design Guidelines For School Architecture, Jeri Brittin, Dina Sorensen, Matthew Trowbridge, Karen K. Lee, Dieter Breithecker, Leah Frerichs, Terry Huang

Publications and Research

Increasing children’s physical activity at school is a national focus in the U.S. to address childhood obesity. While research has demonstrated associations between aspects of school environments and students’ physical activity, the literature currently lacks a synthesis of evidence to serve as a practical, spatially-organized resource for school designers and decision-makers, as well as to point to pertinent research opportunities. This paper describes the development of a new practical tool: Physical Activity Design Guidelines for School Architecture. Its aims are to provide architects and designers, as well as school planners, educators, and public health professionals, with strategies for making K-12 …

Where Preference Meets Praxis: Exploring The Choral Musical Preferences Of Urban High School Students And Their Teachers, Jeffrey Allen Murdock Jr

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

The purposes of this study were to describe the choral music preferences of choral directors and their choir students, to evaluate whether student preferences and choral director preferences are similar, and to determine if musical preferences vary for students and teachers of different races. The researcher created the Choral Music Preference Inventory to evaluate the research questions. Choral students (n = 214) and choral directors (n = 7) from six selected secondary schools made up the sample. Five one-way, between subjects ANOVAs were computed to determine whether there was a difference in subtest scores for students of different races. Results …

Spatio-Temporal Analysis Of Wetland Change In Port Harcourt Metropolis, Olatunde Sunday Eludoyin, Olalekan Akinola

Tanzania Journal of Science

The study assessed changes of wetland in Port Harcourt Metropolis using geo-information techniques between 1984 and 2015. Landsat images of 1984, 2000 and 2015 of 30m x 30m resolution were used. Supervised classification was used for image classification using Maximum Likelihood Algorithm in Erdas Imagine 9.1 whereby five major landuse classes were identified namely thick vegetation, built up area, farmland/sparse vegetation, wetlands and waterbodies. Areas in squared kilometers of each landuse were calculated in ArcGIS 9.3 and simple arithmetic was used to compute the percentage change. Probability of landuse change in the next 10, 20 and 30 years was determined …

The Depository Institutions Deregulation And Monetary Control Act Of 1980

Akron Law Review

This issue of the Akron Law Review is devoted to legal questions relating to the savings and loan industry. This particular project consists of an in-depth examination of the very important piece of legislation named in the title above. Although many of the provisions contained therein directly impact upon savings and loans, the authors have not limited themselves to that aspect, but have also addressed issues relating to all types of depository institutions. A general discussion of interest regulation is given first. This is followed by a title by title, section by section analysis of the major provisions of this …

Interview With Jason H. Silverman - Oh 291, Jason H. Silverman

Winthrop University Oral History Program

In his July 30, 2015 interview with Michelle Dubert-Bellrichard, Jason Silverman details his career at Winthrop since 1984. Silverman recalls the administrations of President Lader, Piper, DiGiorgio, and Comstock. In particular, Silverman recounts the events leading up to the vote of no confidence in 1995, his involvement as chair of faculty conference, and what happened on campus after the motion failed to pass. This interview was conducted for inclusion into the Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections Oral History Program.

Incorporating Spirituality And Market: Islamic Sharia Business And Religious Life In Post-New Order Indonesia, Wildan Sena Utama

Masyarakat: Jurnal Sosiologi

This article examines the religious transformation of the Muslim middle class and its relationship with the growing sharia market in post-New Order Indonesia. It argues that in the Indonesian neo-liberal era, this spiritual revival considerably influenced the economic realm. The transformation of piety of the Indonesian middle class marked the emergence of new potential economic markets. It was responded to enthusiastically by markets producing selective products with a spiritual content. In its process, the role of spiritual lifestyle agents played a pivotal role in helping and shaping the new urban middle class who consume Islam to mark their Islamic identity. …

Membangun Bencana: Tinjauan Kritis Atas Peran Negara Dalam Kasus Lapindo, Anton Novenanto

Masyarakat: Jurnal Sosiologi

This article begins with the emergence and shared assumptions of the absence of the state in Lapindo case. This article aims to problematize ‘the truth’ of such assumptions. Adopting Oliver-Smith’s definition of “disasters of development,” this article argues that disaster is not just an event but also a process which can be elaborated through an examination of encompassing political agendas. Therefore, it can trigger the awareness of preventive actions prior to a disaster. The argument of the article are based on a series of critical re-reading of public documents related to the case. The result of such reading shows that …

Pola Eskalasi Konflik Pembangunan Infrastruktur: Studi Kasus Pembangunan Waduk Jatigede Kabupaten Sumedang, Dicky Rachmawan

Masyarakat: Jurnal Sosiologi

This article discusses about the prosess of conflict escalation in Jatigede Dam construction esspecially in pre-construction period from structural and processual point of view using conflict theory. However, height of conflict decreased (deescalation) in empowerment period through community participation and agreement that accomodate community interests. This article emphasizes on the importance of ensuring the rules, policies, and budgets on possibility of problem arising (structural). It is also important to carry out participatory community engagement with bottom-up approach on implementation along with coordination as well as intervention of third party to monitor and to ensure transparent evaluation. This article based on …