Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Digital Commons Network™

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

2015

Discipline
Institution
Keyword
Publication
Publication Type

Articles 361 - 388 of 388

Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network

A Community Health Program To Reduce Cardiovascular Risk In Women, Xander Bacchus Jan 2015

A Community Health Program To Reduce Cardiovascular Risk In Women, Xander Bacchus

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death among United States women. Regular aerobic exercise can significantly reduce CVD risk. This dissertation reflects one of the first studies of the efficacy of Community Health Programs (CHP) in promoting exercise among American women aged 25 to 65. Primary data used from a study involved a sample of 42 women aged 25 to 65 who attended a CVD and exercise-related CHP, while a 42-member control group merely received the CHP information in a printed form. A pretest was administered at the outset of the study, and a posttest was administered at …


Improving High School Service-Learning To Increase Long-Term Impact On Volunteerism, Tracey Boldemann Tatkin Jan 2015

Improving High School Service-Learning To Increase Long-Term Impact On Volunteerism, Tracey Boldemann Tatkin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Passage of the Kennedy Serve America Act in 2009 led to wide support for service-learning programs in high schools. The effectiveness of these programs on future volunteerism in college, however, has not been established. In the absence of research clarifying the variables that might influence programming effectiveness, it is difficult to design and adapt such programs to increase their impact. This study explored how high school service-learning programs could be improved to encourage greater student participation and to motivate continued volunteerism in college. A multiple case study methodology was used that included face-to-face interviews with 7 teachers and service-learning coordinators …


Mobile Learning In The Uk Today: Successes, Failures, Future, John Traxler, Helen Crompton Jan 2015

Mobile Learning In The Uk Today: Successes, Failures, Future, John Traxler, Helen Crompton

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

In the last decade, mobile learning has taken an exponential rise in both the scholarly and practitioner community in the United Kingdom (UK). This rise has stemmed from the development of new mobile technologies with unique affordances that offers opportunities to extend pedagogical boundaries. This short paper provides experts perceptions on the mobile learning movement across the UK. The paper beings with a look back in recent history from the first mLearn conference in Birmingham in 2002, then the second part of the paper offers a brief look into the future of mobile learning.


State Of Charge Balancing Droop Control, Rui Hu Jan 2015

State Of Charge Balancing Droop Control, Rui Hu

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

This thesis presents a load sharing method applied in a distributed micro grid system. The goal of this method is to balance the state-of-charge (SoC) of each parallel connected battery and make it possible to detect the average SoC of the system by measuring bus voltage for all connected modules. In this method the reference voltage for each battery converter is adjusted by adding a proportional SoC factor. Under such setting the battery with a higher SoC will output more power, whereas the one with lower SoC gives out less. Therefore the higher SoC battery will use its energy faster …


The Great Recession's Impact On The Counties Of Illinois : Did Stimulus Spending And Collaboration Create Jobs?, Lawrence E. Vaupel Jr. Jan 2015

The Great Recession's Impact On The Counties Of Illinois : Did Stimulus Spending And Collaboration Create Jobs?, Lawrence E. Vaupel Jr.

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This study analyzes the State of Illinois during the Great Recession and in the post-recession recovery and explains the variance among the counties in terms of job loss and job creation. Utilizing data from the Illinois General Assembly Legislative Research Unit, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) website, and the Illinois Department of Employment Security, this study explores the relationships among variables that represent employment, economic stimulus spending, participation in regional economic development programs, and diverse employment bases to understand which variables best predict stimulus spending, job losses and job creation before, during, and after the Great Recession. The …


Making Indigenous Self-Determination Work: What The Nation Building Principles And Three Case Studies From Chile Teach Us About Implementing Indigenous Human Rights, Laura M. Seelau, Ryan Seelau Jan 2015

Making Indigenous Self-Determination Work: What The Nation Building Principles And Three Case Studies From Chile Teach Us About Implementing Indigenous Human Rights, Laura M. Seelau, Ryan Seelau

American Indian Law Review

No abstract provided.


Agency And The Process Aspect Of Capability Development: Individual Capabilities, Collective Capabilities, And Collective Intentions, John B. Davis Jan 2015

Agency And The Process Aspect Of Capability Development: Individual Capabilities, Collective Capabilities, And Collective Intentions, John B. Davis

Economics Faculty Research and Publications

This paper addresses the process aspect of capability development in connection with the debate in the capability approach over the relationship between individual and collective capabilities by combining Sen’s ‘privateness’ interpretation of different aspects of the self and Granovetter’s social embeddedness framework. It interprets Sen’s commitment aspect of the self in collective intentionality terms, uses this to explain his view of ‘identification with’ social groups, and then uses social identity theory’s distinction between relational and categorical social group identities to explain a general relationship between individual and collective capabilities. The paper applies this analysis to three broad domains of social …


Racism Vs. Social Capital: A Case Study Of Two Majority Black Communities, Bruce W. Strouble Jan 2015

Racism Vs. Social Capital: A Case Study Of Two Majority Black Communities, Bruce W. Strouble

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Several researchers have identified social capital as a means to improve the social sustainability of communities. While there have been many studies investigating the benefits of social capital in homogeneous White communities, few have examined it in Black homogeneous communities. Also, there has been limited research on the influence of racism on social capital in African American communities. In this dissertation a comparative case study was used within a critical race theory framework. The purpose was to explore the role of racial oppression in shaping social capital in majority African American communities. Data were collected from 2 majority Black communities …


Perceptions Of The Community Of Inquiry In An Online Rn To Bsn Program, Beth Ann Townsend Jan 2015

Perceptions Of The Community Of Inquiry In An Online Rn To Bsn Program, Beth Ann Townsend

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Basic nursing education is no longer sufficient to meet the escalating demands of today's complex healthcare environment. Recognizing the need for the advanced cognitive skills incurred by these demands, increasing numbers of registered nurses (RNs) have been enrolling in online Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) programs. The problem identified in the RN to BSN degree completion program at a large Midwestern university was the lack of information as to how online teaching and learning strategies were experienced by students. Research has demonstrated that the online community of inquiry (CoI) model facilitates higher order thinking through collaborative learning strategies and …


Brazilian Women Entrepreneurs: Exploring Strategies For Building Sustainable Business Organizations, Maria Ana Church Jan 2015

Brazilian Women Entrepreneurs: Exploring Strategies For Building Sustainable Business Organizations, Maria Ana Church

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Brazilians create an average of 1.2 million new registered enterprises annually, but some struggle to keep their business in operation. Thirty percent of the new ventures are unable to survive the first year, and 58% go out of business after the first 5 years. The goal of this phenomenological study was to explore the perceptions of Brazilian women entrepreneurs concerning the strategies needed to build sustainable business organizations in Brazil. The individual concepts of sustainable development, sustainability, business strategies, and business models served as the theoretical foundations for the study. Data were collected via in-depth interviews with 20 women entrepreneurs …


Quantitative Evaluation Of The Community Research Fellows Training Program, Lucy D'Agostino Mcgowan, Jewel D. Stafford, Vetta Lynn Thompson, Bethany Johnson-Javois, Melody S. Goodman Jan 2015

Quantitative Evaluation Of The Community Research Fellows Training Program, Lucy D'Agostino Mcgowan, Jewel D. Stafford, Vetta Lynn Thompson, Bethany Johnson-Javois, Melody S. Goodman

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.


Delivering Zero Carbon Homes And Sustainable Communities: The Potential Of Group Self-Build Housing In England, Emma Elizabeth Heffernan Jan 2015

Delivering Zero Carbon Homes And Sustainable Communities: The Potential Of Group Self-Build Housing In England, Emma Elizabeth Heffernan

School of Art, Design and Architecture Theses

Concerns about anthropogenic climate change, fossil fuel depletion, energy security, and damage to our ecosystems are acting as a catalyst for action in many sectors of industry and society. One key sector which has been identified as crucial for addressing these issues is the building sector. Therefore, in the UK context, with the aim of reducing carbon dioxide emissions, the requirements for new homes in terms of their energy efficiency are becoming ever more stringent, leading to the introduction of the zero carbon homes standard from 2016. Alongside this, broader priorities for sustainable development have been established in the UK, …


What Do Programme Chairs Think About The Integration Of Sd In Their Programmes?, Iacovos Nicolaou, Eddie Conlon Jan 2015

What Do Programme Chairs Think About The Integration Of Sd In Their Programmes?, Iacovos Nicolaou, Eddie Conlon

Conference papers

This paper presents the findings of interviews with six engineering programme chairs regarding their views about the level of integration of SD in their programmes. They are part of a wider study which is examining the integration of SD in engineering programmes across three Irish Higher Education Institutions. Previous stages of the study have determined that students’ knowledge and understanding about SD is inadequate due to the lack of a holistic integration of SD competencies and the focus on skills development in their programmes. The paper will explore the apparent contradiction in that most programme chairs believe that SD is …


Creativity In Urban Placemaking: Horizontal Networks And Social Equity In Three Cultural Districts, Tom Borrup Jan 2015

Creativity In Urban Placemaking: Horizontal Networks And Social Equity In Three Cultural Districts, Tom Borrup

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Many authors point to expanding disparities related to wealth and social benefits brought by globalization and the creative city movement while culture and creativity emerge as growing forces in urban placemaking and economic development. The phenomenon of cultural district formation in cities around the globe presents challenges and opportunities for leaders, planners, and managers. Emerging theory related to cultural districts suggests culture can serve to build horizontal relationships that bridge people and networks from different sectors and professions as well as across ethnicities, class, and interests. Research for this dissertation examined the formation of three urban cultural districts social and …


Lower Greenmont Revitalization Featuring Deckers Creek, Anna Marie Withrow Jan 2015

Lower Greenmont Revitalization Featuring Deckers Creek, Anna Marie Withrow

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

No abstract provided.


Eco-Town: An Integrated Modeling Framework For Simulating The Effects Of Urban Morphology On Sustainable Development, Ali Abutalebpur Jan 2015

Eco-Town: An Integrated Modeling Framework For Simulating The Effects Of Urban Morphology On Sustainable Development, Ali Abutalebpur

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Spatial structure of a city is a key determinant of its socioeconomic well-being and there is a growing interest in models that investigate the relation between spatial structure and sustainable urban development. This dissertation aims to examine the role of urban spatial structure on social, economic, and environmental dimensions of sustainability through developing an integrated modeling framework. In particular, this modeling framework bridges "design of urban built environment" and "sustainable development" at the city-region level through simulation and measuring the effect of changes in urban spatial structure on the stock of various asset forms including natural, human, and physical capital.;The …


Improving Community College Student Success Through Investment Of A Community Capitals Framework: A Multi-Case Study, Gregory T. Busch Jan 2015

Improving Community College Student Success Through Investment Of A Community Capitals Framework: A Multi-Case Study, Gregory T. Busch

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this dissertation is to understand how community colleges invest in a wide range of resources to achieve student success and how that investment can be better understood through the roles of the constructs found in the Community Capitals Framework. To address these questions, the top two Ohio community colleges demonstrating the greatest positive percent growth in overall student success from 2012 to 2015 were analyzed through case studies. From these inductive inquiries, success initiatives and college interventions to overcome barriers to student success were grouped into strands. The strands reflected a collection of similar themes helpful for …


An Integrated Framework For Intersectorality: Nonprofitness And Its Influence On Society And Public Administration Programs, Robbie Robichau, Kandyce M. Fernandez, Patsy B. Kraeger Jan 2015

An Integrated Framework For Intersectorality: Nonprofitness And Its Influence On Society And Public Administration Programs, Robbie Robichau, Kandyce M. Fernandez, Patsy B. Kraeger

Public & Nonprofit Studies: Faculty Publications

Cross-sector interactions have long occurred in the public delivery of goods, services, and interests. While scholars have often addressed cross-sector interactions using the dimensions of publicness (state) and privateness (market), an intersectoral framework necessitates the understanding and incorporation of nonprofitness to account for the dimensions of nonprofits along the public-private continuum. This article proposes a framework for identifying the dimensions of nonprofits in an intersectoral world and draws on relevant examples to illustrate the presence and influence of nonprofitness. The article then focuses on the future of education in the field of public administration and, in light of the proposed …


The Impact Of A Strong Local Supply Chain On Regional Economic Impacts Of Mining, Meiyu Xing Jan 2015

The Impact Of A Strong Local Supply Chain On Regional Economic Impacts Of Mining, Meiyu Xing

Masters Theses

"With growing social conflicts due to social and environmental concerns mines need to be able to create shared value for all stakeholder in their quest to promote sustainable development. Given the sensitivity of a mine's regional economy contribution to its supply chains, any improvement in supply chains strategy will be beneficial for mines and their stakeholders. The objectives of this work were to: (i) test the hypothesis that supply chain management strategy, by mines in a region, significantly affects regional economy; and (ii) develop a methodology to identify the critical backward commodities of a regional mining sector.

Valid methods have …


Global Measures Of Gender Empowerment: A Case Study Of Sri Lankan Export Processing Zone (Epz) Workers, Peter Hancock, Sharon Middleton Jan 2015

Global Measures Of Gender Empowerment: A Case Study Of Sri Lankan Export Processing Zone (Epz) Workers, Peter Hancock, Sharon Middleton

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This pape r focuses on global measures of gender empowerment released a n- nually by the UNDP and the World Economic Forum. It discusses and critiques these measures on a global level and juxtaposes this analysis against research conducted among women who work in Sri Lanka's Export Processing Zones (EPZs). Global measures of gender equality show that in Sri Lanka gender-based inequality is increasing, despite the nation dramatically improving its economy and poverty levels and meeting some of the Millennium Development Goals. To explain this contradiction, we sampled 2,304 women to explore how they experienced gender and empowerment and to …


Producer–Market Orientation Of Community-Based Tourism (Cbt) Products: A Case Study In Bali, Indonesia, Ni Made Ernawati Jan 2015

Producer–Market Orientation Of Community-Based Tourism (Cbt) Products: A Case Study In Bali, Indonesia, Ni Made Ernawati

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Community-based tourism (CBT) provides an attractive alternative to mass tourism. In Bali, Indonesia, it is a potentially significant contributor to tourism development. The aim of this research was to obtain a greater understanding of CBT through an examination of relevant issues, and the perceptions of the host communities and tourists regarding CBT products. This study used a mixed methods approach to collect data from the host communities and tourists who visited the villages in Bali.

Five main elements of CBT products came to light during a review of the literature in the preliminary phase of the research. Subsequently, aspects of …


A Response To The Ipcc Fifth Assessment, Sarah Adams-Schoen, Deepa Badrinarayana, Cinnamon Pinon Carlarne, Robin Kundis Craig, John C. Dernbach, Keith H. Hirokawa, Alexandra B. Klass, Katrina Fischer Kuh, Stephen R. Miller, Jessica Owley, Shannon Roesler, Jonathan D. Rosenbloom, Inara K. Scott, David Takacs Jan 2015

A Response To The Ipcc Fifth Assessment, Sarah Adams-Schoen, Deepa Badrinarayana, Cinnamon Pinon Carlarne, Robin Kundis Craig, John C. Dernbach, Keith H. Hirokawa, Alexandra B. Klass, Katrina Fischer Kuh, Stephen R. Miller, Jessica Owley, Shannon Roesler, Jonathan D. Rosenbloom, Inara K. Scott, David Takacs

Scholarly Works

This collection of essays is the initial product of the second meeting of the Environmental Law Collaborative, a group of environmental law scholars that meet to discuss important and timely environmental issues. Here, the group provides an array of perspectives arising from the Fifth Assessment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Each scholar chose one passage from one of the IPCC’s three Summaries for Policymakers as a jumping-off point for exploring climate change issues and responding directly to the reports. The result is a variety of viewpoints on the future of how law relates to climate change, a result …


Comparing Mode Shares For Non-Residential Destinations In Urban And Suburban Environments, Tasnia Subrin Jan 2015

Comparing Mode Shares For Non-Residential Destinations In Urban And Suburban Environments, Tasnia Subrin

Civil and Environmental Engineering Master's Project Reports

To ensure facility for multimodal transportation is one of the most important concerns in today's transportation sector, with initiatives being taken to make multimodal transportation popular. The built environment variables have a strong relationship with transportation mode choice, but whether that relationship holds true in urban and suburban neighborhoods in the same manner has not been considered. Using data for three non-residential land uses, this research explores whether the built environment variables in suburban areas influences mode share like it does in urban areas. We used survey data conducted at the establishments regarding respondents' travel characteristics from a previous study, …


Documenting Perceived Effectiveness Of Community-Based Health Promotion Coalitions: A Grounded Theory Approach, Alyssa Brooke Mayer Jan 2015

Documenting Perceived Effectiveness Of Community-Based Health Promotion Coalitions: A Grounded Theory Approach, Alyssa Brooke Mayer

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Community coalitions with public health-related missions are formal, semi-permanent, action-oriented partnerships comprised of community members, representatives of government agencies, policymakers, and academic partners. Despite their potential to promote sustainable change, coalitions have had mixed success in effecting long-term improvements in community health. There is a need to assist them in developing strategies for improving and sustaining their functionality. The purpose of this study was to improve understanding of the elements of coalition success and sustainability that are vital to health-related community-based participatory research.

Methods: Although the literature describes coalition functions for effecting sustainable programs and policies, most research reports …


Comparing Two Common Approaches To Public Transit Service Equity Evaluation, Alex Karner, Aaron Golub Jan 2015

Comparing Two Common Approaches To Public Transit Service Equity Evaluation, Alex Karner, Aaron Golub

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

Understanding the equity effects of transit service changes requires good information about the demographics of transit ridership. Both on-board survey data and census data can be used to estimate equity effects, though there is no clear reason these two sources will result in the same finding of impact. Guidance from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) recommends using either of these data sources to estimate equity impacts. This article makes a direct comparison of the two methods for the public transit system in the Phoenix, Arizona metropolitan area. The results indicate that, although both sources are acceptable for FTA compliance, the …


A Response To The Ipcc Fifth Assessment, David Takacs Jan 2015

A Response To The Ipcc Fifth Assessment, David Takacs

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.


To This Day: College Graduates On The Lasting Significance Of Relationality And Experiential Learning, Ann Fullerton, Vicki L. Reitenauer Jan 2015

To This Day: College Graduates On The Lasting Significance Of Relationality And Experiential Learning, Ann Fullerton, Vicki L. Reitenauer

Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

In the past twenty years, much research has been conducted into the effects of community-based learning and service-learning on students, but studies into the long-term impacts that persist after graduation have been fewer in number. In this article, the authors share perspectives from Portland State University alumni on the lasting significance of their participation in a community-based learning course that has been operating continuously for more than two decades and the key features of significant learning experiences more generally.


The Use And Application Of Open Source Integrated Library System In Academic Libraries In Nigeria: Koha Example, Emeka C. Uzomba Mr., Oluwatofunmi Jesudunni Oyebola Mrs., Anthony Chukwuma Izuchukwu Mr. Jan 2015

The Use And Application Of Open Source Integrated Library System In Academic Libraries In Nigeria: Koha Example, Emeka C. Uzomba Mr., Oluwatofunmi Jesudunni Oyebola Mrs., Anthony Chukwuma Izuchukwu Mr.

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study examined the use of open source integrated library system in academic libraries in Nigeria, with the aim of highlighting the capabilities and potentials of open source software (Koha) and its practical importance to academic libraries across the globe. The study was guided by five objectives and five research questions. A descriptive survey design was adopted in this research, with population of twenty-five (25) staff selected randomly from 25 different higher institutions that uses open source software in Nigeria: 19 universities (federal, state and private), 4 polytechnics (federal and state) and 2 colleges of education. The instrument used to …