Digital Commons Network^™

Hispanic Religious Outreach In The Upper U.S. South: Missionary Outreach, Strategies, And Institutional Praxis Among Mainstream Denominations, John Benitez

Theses and Dissertations--Geography

Hispanic religious ministry provides a way for long established mainstreams to stay afloat in the face of the demographic realities in the U.S. today. Unfortunately, the lack of literature, particularly in geography, precludes the examination of elements of contemporary Hispanic religious outreach, including such considerations as strategies, their effectiveness, and institutional praxis among mainstream religious denominations in the U.S.

Using a hybrid methodology that relies on several techniques, I examine Hispanic religious ministry in the Upper U.S. South, which geographers tell us is America’s newest Hispanic destination. I, thereby, develop and present here a case study to compare Hispanic religious …

Living Care-Fully: Labor, Love And Suffering And The Geographies Of Intergenerational Care In Northern Ghana, Kelsey B. Hanrahan

Theses and Dissertations--Geography

Care is socially constructed, shaped by expectations embedded within particular relationships and the culturally-specific understandings of what it means to work, love and suffer. In this dissertation, I conceptualize care as a fundamental component of everyday life in which individuals are oriented towards the needs of others. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork in a rural Konkomba community in northern Ghana, I explore the geographies of care shaping the everyday experiences of women engaged in intergenerational relationships as they encounter emerging dependencies associated with ageing. Dependencies emerge when an individual requires support and care from another, and in turn the struggles for, …

Social Space And Social Media: Analyzing Urban Space With Big Data, Ate Poorthuis

Theses and Dissertations--Geography

This dissertation focuses on the key role that big data can play in minimizing the perceived disconnect between social theory and quantitative methods in the discipline of geography. It takes as its starting point the geographic concept of space, which is conceptualized very differently in social theory versus quantitative methodology. Contrary to this disparity, an examination of the disciplinary history reveals a number of historic precedents and potential pathways for a rapprochement, especially when combined with some of the new possibilities of big data. This dissertation also proposes solutions to two common barriers to the adoption of big data in …

Campus Storytelling Networks And Student Retention Intent, Dale Howard Davis

Theses and Dissertations--Community & Leadership Development

In an effort to better understand retention, a survey was developed to ask students at a southern land-grant university how they communicate with each other. Communication Infrastructure Theory (CIT) was previously used to identify communication networks in urban neighborhoods. My thesis adapted this theory and networks to identify the strength of three communication techniques of college students and how it effects a student’s sense of belonging which can impact that student’s intent to stay in school.

Eating Spain: National Cuisine Since 1900, Matthew J. Wild

Theses and Dissertations--Hispanic Studies

Analyzing cookbooks, gastronomic guides, literature and film, this dissertationoutlines the creation of a Spanish national cuisine. Studying the works of Carmen de Burgos, Emilia Pardo Bazán, Dionisio Pérez, Ana María Herrera, Juan Mari Arzak and Ferrán Adrià among others, the project examines the evolution of this nationalist discourse by identifying common and recurring themes in an effort to extrapolate and describe the historical and cultural evolution of food from 1900 to the present day.

Within the framework of Food and Cultural Studies, this project treats cookbooks, culinary manifestos and guidebooks as texts. Influenced by a variety of culinary and gastronomic …

Terrain, Trains, And Terrorism: The Influence Of Geography On Terrorism In India, Andrea Malji

Theses and Dissertations--Political Science

What conditions give rise to and nurture ethno-nationalist terrorist movements in India? Specifically, can geography create grievances and be beneficial in a terrorist campaign? I investigate how geography prevented historical development in certain locations in India. I theorize that rugged geographic features prevented economic, social, and political development. Underdevelopment and isolation created grievances in the population. Aggrieved groups then utilized the same geographic features that prevented development to launch effective terrorist campaigns. I conduct a district level analysis of terrorism in India using statistical and GIS analysis. I supplement the analysis with case studies from the Indian states of Uttarkhand, …

The Impacts Of Logging With Current And Modified Best Management Practices On Watershed Characteristics In Eastern Kentucky, Chase Clark

Theses and Dissertations--Forestry and Natural Resources

In Kentucky, Best Management Practices (BMPs) were developed to protect the integrity of water resources during and after silvicultural operations, but their effectiveness is largely unknown. The study objectives were to (1) quantify the extent to which current BMPs minimized logging-related changes in stream water quality, channel morphology, and the content of woody debris and (2) quantify the extent to which modified BMPs influenced these characteristics. Six watersheds in eastern Kentucky were commercially logged in 2008-2009. In each watershed, one of three treatments was implemented (each replicated once). Treatment 1 (BMP) was based on current Kentucky BMPs. In treatments 2 …

The Use Of Improved Technology And Market-Based Incentives To Increase Forest Resource And Biodiversity Conservation In Rwanda, Kelly M. Rayens

Theses and Dissertations--Forestry and Natural Resources

This study evaluated the effectiveness of two distinct approaches to ecosystem conservation in Rwanda’s Nyungwe National Park: cookstove technology adoption and market-based policy instruments. A June 2014 survey of 250 households revealed that use of improved cookstove technology dramatically decreased fuelwood consumption for households in rural Rwanda, but that design, engineering and conflicting policy issues can hamper the widespread use of energy-efficient cooking technology. The second component of this research used the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) within a multi-criteria analysis (MCA) framework to explore the options for designing and implementing market-based instruments around the country’s conservation targets, particularly the highly …

Significance Evaluation Of The Forgotten Creek Site, Joy D. Ferry

All Master's Theses

Archaeological research has recognized the importance of montane environments in the subsistence and settlement strategies of pre-contact peoples. Yet little is understood about variation in the manner in which pre-contact peoples were using upland environments. In order to ascertain whether there is functional and/or technological variation between montane sites in comparable environmental settings, four lithic assemblages (45PI406, 45PI408, 45PI429, and 45PI438) from sites in the upper maritime forest and subalpine zone of Mount Rainier were compared. An evolutionary archaeology model was applied to define and measure variables relevant to stone tool manufacture and use. Statistically significant non-random associations were contextualized …

Food Security Factors Affect Growth In Young Children In An Ecuadorian Indigenous Community, Whitney Jeannine Asher

Theses and Dissertations--Nutrition and Food Systems

Inadequate nutrition in preschool-aged children in an urban indigenous community outside of Santo Domingo, Ecuador has a negative impact on growth and development. Nutritional assessments have shown that children are underweight and that there are some effects of stunting and wasting in the population. This study was conducted to assess the extent of food security in this indigenous community in preparation for addressing two of the Millennium Development Goals for 2015: reducing the under-five child mortality rate by two-thirds and eradicating extreme poverty and hunger. An aim was to validate on-site assessment measures in this indigenous community regarding geographic circumstances, …

The Struggle Of Regulating Clinical Trials In A Developing Nation: India’S Experience, Arianna Moure

Student Works

No abstract provided.

African Immersion: American College Students In Cameroon, Julius A. Amin

History Faculty Publications

Based on previously unused primary sources including extensive interviews in Cameroon, personal journals, diaries, responses to questionnaires, and a variety of secondary sources, this study is a critical analysis of US study abroad programs in Africa. Using the University of Dayton Cameroon Immersion program as a case study, the work examines different aspects of experiential learning including selection, orientation, activities of US college students in Cameroon, post-immersion meetings, and impact of program. The nation of Cameroon and University of Dayton are uniquely ideal for the study as Cameroon is considered “Africa in miniature” and serves as a window to understanding …

Compressive Sensing And Recovery Of Structured Sparse Signals, Behzad Shahrasbi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the recent years, numerous disciplines including telecommunications, medical imaging, computational biology, and neuroscience benefited from increasing applications of high dimensional datasets. This calls for efficient ways of data capturing and data processing. Compressive sensing (CS), which is introduced as an efficient sampling (data capturing) method, is addressing this need. It is well-known that the signals, which belong to an ambient high-dimensional space, have much smaller dimensionality in an appropriate domain. CS taps into this principle and dramatically reduces the number of samples that is required to be captured to avoid any distortion in the information content of the data. …

Modeling Dense Storage Systems With Location Uncertainty, Mohamed Awwad

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on developing models to study the problem of searching and retrieving items in a dense storage environment. We consider a special storage configuration called an inverted T configuration, which has one horizontal and one vertical aisle. Inverted T configurations have fewer aisles than a traditional aisle-based storage environment. This increases the storage density; however, requires that some items to be moved out of the way to gain access to other more deeply stored items. Such movement can result in item location uncertainty. When items are requested for retrieval in a dense storage environment with item location uncertainty, …

Modeling Social Norms In Real-World Agent-Based Simulations, Rahmatollah Beheshti

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Studying and simulating social systems including human groups and societies can be a complex problem. In order to build a model that simulates humans' actions, it is necessary to consider the major factors that affect human behavior. Norms are one of these factors: social norms are the customary rules that govern behavior in groups and societies. Norms are everywhere around us, from the way people handshake or bow to the clothes they wear. They play a large role in determining our behaviors. Studies on norms are much older than the age of computer science, since normative studies have been a …

An Agile Roadmap For Live, Virtual And Constructive-Integrating Training Architecture (Lvc-Ita): A Case Study Using A Component Based Integrated Simulation Engine, Tae Woong Park

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Conducting seamless Live Virtual Constructive (LVC) simulation remains the most challenging issue of Modeling and Simulation (M&S). There is a lack of interoperability, limited reuse and loose integration between the Live, Virtual and/or Constructive assets across multiple Standard Simulation Architectures (SSAs). There have been various theoretical research endeavors about solving these problems but their solutions resulted in complex and inflexible integration, long user-usage time and high cost for LVC simulation. The goal of this research is to provide an Agile Roadmap for the Live Virtual Constructive-Integrating Training Architecture (LVC-ITA) that will address the above problems and introduce interoperable LVC simulation. …

Stream Bank Erosion Trends And Sediment Contributions In A Southwestern Missouri River, Ezekiel Allen Kuehn

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Bank erosion can be a significant source of in-stream sediment that negatively affects water quality and aquatic habitat. However, assessments of the role that eroding banks play in suspended and bed sediment supply are rarely available to managers. The purpose of this study was to quantify bank erosion rates for a 7 km conservation easement the James River in southwest Missouri to evaluate the annual contributions of bank sediment to the channel. The objectives were to: (1) monitor an eroding 260 m bank to better understand short-term, reach scale bank erosion rates; (2) determine historical rates of bank erosion for …

Heat In Us Prisons And Jails: Corrections And The Challenge Of Climate Change, Daniel W.E. Holt

Sabin Center for Climate Change Law

This paper addresses two important but largely neglected questions: How will increased temperatures and heat waves caused by climate change affect prisons, jails, and their staff and inmate populations? And what can correctional departments do to prepare for greater heat and minimize the dangers it poses?

Review: 'The Material Life Of Roman Slaves', Dorian Borbonus

History Faculty Publications

The Material Life of Roman Slaves complements and enriches a growing body of scholarship on the physical conditions and material remains of Roman slavery, but it also represents a logical continuation of the research agenda of both authors. It is clearly informed by Joshel’s book about occupational titles in funerary inscriptions (Work, Identity, and Legal Status at Rome: A Study of the Occupational Inscriptions [1992]) and Petersen’s study on the visual culture of freedmen and its perception (The Freedman in Roman Art and Art History [2006]).

Their collaboration on the present book represents a model of scholarly teamwork that …

University Of North Florida Environmental Center Annual Report 2015, Caitlin Kengle, James W. Taylor

Annual Reports

2015 Annual Report of the Environmental Center at the University of North Florida

Unrwa And The Convention On The Rights Of The Child: Who Is Responsible For Violations In Education?, Alexandra M.C. Douglas

Cardozo Journal of International and Comparative Law

The note argues that the Palestinian Authority's curriculum, used in UNRWA schools, violates the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) by promoting a culture of violence, martyrdom, and jihad, rather than fostering respect for human rights, peace, and tolerance. It contends that donor countries, particularly the U.S. and E.U., bear responsibility for these violations due to their significant funding of UNRWA and the extraterritorial obligations under the CRC. The note proposes conditioning future funding on the adoption of a neutral education system to ensure compliance with the CRC.

On The Detection And Monitoring Of The Transport Of An Asian Dust Storm Using Multi-Sensor Satellite Remote Sensing, Hesham El-Askary, S. K. Park, M. H. Ahn, A. Prasad, Menas Kafatos

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Dynamical and physical features of a long range transported dust event originating in China affecting Korea early March 2008 are examined using an integrative multi-sensor and multi-algorithm approach. Aerosol loadings and their size mode were analyzed over both ocean and land surfaces using the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aerosol optical depth (AOD), employing standard dark target (DT) and deep blue (DB) algorithms, and the Ångström exponent (AE). Anthropogenic absorbing aerosols and smoke were found to be significant over the Indochina Peninsula, the Philippines and southern China, while a mixture of dust and pollution were predominant over central to northern …

Aerosol Optical Properties Over Mount Song, A Rural Site In Central China, Lunche Wang, Wei Gong, Ramesh P. Singh, Xiangao Xia, Huizheng Che, Ming Zhang, Hong Lin

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Seasonal variations of aerosol optical depth (AOD), Ångström exponent (α), single scattering albedo (SSA), water vapor content (WVC), aerosol size distribution and refractive index at Mount Song, a rural site in Central China are analyzed using ground-based sunphotometer data for the period April 2012 to May 2014 for the first time. The results show that the area is highly polluted even the major anthropogenic emission sources are far away. Seasonal mean AOD is high (0.72 ± 0.52) during summer (June–August) season and low (0.51 ± 0.38) during autumn (September–November) season. The monthly mean α is very low (0.81 ± 0.30) …

Playing Cowboys And Iranians: Selective Colorblindness And The Legal Construction Of White Geographies, John Tehranian

University of Colorado Law Review

This Article examines the selective invocation of colorblindness in legal and political discourse and argues that the trope has served as a powerful vehicle for the creation, perpetuation, and patrolling of white geographiesspaces characterized by an implicit hierarchy privileging white racial identity. After assessing the new rhetoric of race in the Age of Obama, the Article focuses on identifying and deconstructing the modern paradox of colorblindness jurisprudence. On the one hand, the courts have increasingly hewed to a colorblind vision of the Constitution when weighing the permissibility of race-based admissions and hiring programs for traditionally disadvantaged minorities. And, yet, on …

Disrupting "Asian Religious Studies": Knowledge (Re)Production And The Co-Construction Of Religion In Singapore, Lily Kong

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

In this article, I begin with the position that knowledge production and reproduction is partial and situated. Through an examination of academic research on and teaching of religion in Singapore, I demonstrate how scholarly interventions at once re-present and conceal religion as experienced and lived. I posit that the partiality of such interventions is due to the influential official narrative about religion in Singapore, so that what is studied and taught reflects certain dimensions of religious life and religious-secular relations that dominate official discourse. In particular, through academic writing (and to a lesser extent, teaching), religion in Singapore is constructed …

Investigating Diurnal And Seasonal Climatic Response To Land Use And Land Cover Change Over Monsoon Asia With The Community Earth System Model, Rezaul Mahmood

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Gender Differences In The Use Of Assistance Programs, Juita-Elena (Wie) Yusuf

School of Public Service Faculty Publications

The purpose of this paper is to examine differences in factors influencing use of entrepreneurial assistance programs by male and female entrepreneurs. Design/methodology/approach – Data from the Panel Study of Entrepreneurial Dynamics I are used to determine drivers of assistance program use by men and women using logistic regression. These drivers include size and composition of the start-up team and personal network, experiences of the entrepreneur, team and network; support provided by the team and network, and other factors. Findings – In total, 31 percent of female entrepreneurs and 24 percent of male entrepreneurs in the sample used entrepreneurial assistance …

The Synergistic Impact Of Income And Rurality On Timely Mammograms In A National Sample Of Women In The United States, Asri Mumpuni

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Introduction. Breast cancer is the cancer of highest incidence among women in the U.S., making it a significant public health problem. Currently, the U.S. Preventive Services recommends biennial screening mammography for women ages 50-74. This study examined the associations between socioeconomic status and rurality on breast cancer screening behavior. Methods. Data for this study come from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey (BRFSS). Breast cancer screening behavior was dichotomized into those who did not meet screening mammogram recommendations (2 years or more) and those who met screening mammogram recommendations (within the …

Tremé Marks The Spot: A Gis Framework For Locating A Historic New Orleans Neighborhood, Grace Elizabeth Major

Theses & ETDs

This thesis uses Geographic Information Systems to investigate the Tremé neighborhood of New Orleans, Louisiana. Tremé is an important historic neighborhood in the city, situated within the tourist zone, and is frequently credited as being America’s oldest free black neighborhood. Despite the neighborhood’s renown, two different organizations— the City Planning Commission and the Historic Faubourg Tremé Association— delimit very different geographic boundaries for Tremé. To determine why one group would include some sections of the neighborhood and exclude others in their definition of Tremé, research was conducted on the neighborhood’s history and changing identity over the course of New Orleans’s …

Impacts Of Forced Relocation From The Perspectives Of Public Housing Residents In Sarasota, Florida, Amber Parker

Theses & ETDs

The redevelopment of America’s public housing under the HOPE VI program has forcibly relocated tens of thousands of public housing residents around the country. Though the program intended to enhance low- income individuals’ lives through the deconcentration of poverty, some of the transformative effects of relocation have not been realized. In this study, I interviewed twelve former public housing residents. I asked questions about how relocation had affected them in terms of their social, psychological, and financial situations. The director of the Sarasota Housing Authority and a representative from the Sarasota Office of Community Development also answered questions about the …