Digital Commons Network^™

When Partisans And Minorities Interact: Interpersonal Contact, Partisanship And Public Opinion Preferences On Immigration Policy, Shanna Pearson-Merkowitz, Alexandra Filindra, Joshua J. Dyck

Political Science Faculty Publications

Objective: Many studies investigating contact theory have suggested that contact effects are not universal but rather conditional. In this article, we test one form of conditional contact effects. Our approach posits that contact with out-groups produces support for pro-minority public policies only when in-group members are not subject to contrary messages from co-partisans.

Methods: We use data from an original survey to test this theory in the immigration policy domain.

Results: We find strong confirmatory evidence that the emergence of contact effects on support for a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants is dependent on party identification. …

Social Media, Public Discourse And Civic Engagement In Modern China, Yinjiao Ye, Ping Xu, Mingxin Zhang

Political Science Faculty Publications

Drawing on the theoretical view of cyberspace’s role in engagement in public discourse and civic activities, the current study investigates how social media use is related to public discourse and civic engagement in mainland China. Moreover, we examine how political interest, general trust in people, and life satisfaction modify the interdependence of social media use and public discourse and civic engagement. Data analyses based on a survey of 1, 202 online Chinese show that social media use is significantly related to both public discourse and civic engagement. In addition, political interest has a consistent, strong modification on the role of …

Does Global Market Integration Weaken Opinion-Policy Congruence In The American States?, Bret Anderson, Brian S. Krueger, Ping Xu

Political Science Faculty Publications

Theories of economic globalization suggest that public opinion-public policy congruence should be affected by a state's degree of integration with international markets. With as much attention researchers have given to the opinion-policy linkage in the American states, it is surprising that this literature has neglected these well-known globalization frameworks. We take advantage of the wide variation in U.S. states’ integration in global markets, public policies, and political orientations of citizens, to assess whether global market integration depresses the association between citizen opinion and public policies. Using three decades of state-level data, our results suggest that high global market integration does …

Trust In China? The Impact Of Development, Inequality, And Openness On Political Trust Across China’S Provinces, 2001-2012, Marc L. Hutchison, Ping Xu

Political Science Faculty Publications

China has long represented a puzzle for scholars of democracy, who view political trust as an important indicator of regime legitimacy. Previous studies show that while democracies around the world experienced declining levels of political trust, the authoritarian Chinese government maintained unexpectedly high levels of trust. Using World Value Survey (WVS) data over a critical twelve-year period (2001-2012) and multilevel modeling techniques, we explore both macro- and individual-level determinants of political trust in China. We find that province-level economic performance and individual level income combine to influence political trust. Higher levels of individual-level income have a positive effect on trust …

Table Of Contents

Journal of Strategic Security

No abstract provided.

Defeating Isis On The Battle Ground As Well As In The Online Battle Space: Considerations Of The “New Normal” And Available Online Weapons In The Struggle Ahead, Anne Speckhard, Ph.D., Ardian Shajkovci, Ph.D., Ahmet S. Yayla, Ph.D.

Journal of Strategic Security

The United States and its allies continue to achieve significant military victories against ISIS (otherwise known as ISIL or the “Islamic State”). The loss of territories resulting from military victories is especially important given that ISIS relies in part on recruits from the territories it controls. Efforts have also been directed at killing the group’s core leadership; stemming the flow of foreign fighters to Iraq and Syria through tightening up border security and surveillance; and targeting militant jihadi narratives and propaganda that is pushed out by ISIS on a twenty-four/seven basis via the Internet and social media platforms. In such …

Wicked Problems: How Complexity Science Helps Direct Education Responses To Preventing Violent Extremism, Lynn Davies

Journal of Strategic Security

This article draws on the insights from complexity science to outline potential strategies within education which could interrupt the spread of violent extremism. It first identifies three problems in examining extremism - definitions, causes and targets—before arguing for a focus on systems, not individual learners. Within systems, diversity is needed for emergence, and narrow, hard secularism is rejected in favor of a dynamic secularism which encourages a variety of belief systems in order to guard against polarization. The systems of education, religion, law and of terrorism itself are analyzed to identify entry points and vulnerabilities. After looking at the theories …

I See! Scotland: Tackling Sectarianism And Promoting Community Psychosocial Health, Eolene M. Boyd-Macmillan, Patricia Andrews Fearon, Amanda M. Ptolomey, Laura J. Mathieson

Journal of Strategic Security

We developed and tested through two studies a new intervention run as a course, I SEE! Scotland, to reduce and prevent Protestant-Catholic sectarianism in Scotland, a historic inter-group conflict expressed in forms ranging from polite to violent, within a wider population that includes those who feel untouched. Designed to reflect the social ecology of Scotland and engage individuals regardless of sectarian involvement, the intervention aimed to increase cognitive complexity, measured as integrative complexity, through participatory theatre and experiential methods. We hypothesised that the confluence of experiential learning to support multiple forms of self, other, and systems awareness with narrative framing …

Increasing Cognitive Complexity And Collaboration Across Communities: Being Muslim Being Scottish, Eolene M. Boyd-Macmillan

Journal of Strategic Security

Being Muslim Being Scottish (BMBS) joins a family of IC interventions, Being Muslim Being British (BMBB) and Being Kenyan Being Muslim (BKBM). Like BMBB and BKBM, the newest family member, BMBS, is designed to increase cognitive complexity management by enabling participants to identify and access a wider range of their own values (value pluralism). Increased cognitive management capacities enable movement from rapid, inflexible, closed, black and white thinking that sees no validity in other viewpoints toward more deliberate, flexible, open thinking that can tolerate shades of grey, and see validity in other viewpoints without sacrificing one’s core values. Piloted …

An Ic Intervention For Post-Conflict Northern Ireland Secondary Schools, Eolene M. Boyd-Macmillan, Claire Campbell, Andrea Furey

Journal of Strategic Security

Without carefully planned, sustained resourcing of children and young people, post-conflict Northern Ireland (NI) may fail to flourish. In May, 2016, MI5 (the UK domestic security agency) increased the security threat level from moderate to substantial for NI related terrorism. For over two years we have been partnership building in post-conflict NI to produce a plan for developing an evidence-based integrative complexity resource for NI secondary schools. Integrative complexity interventions have been shown effective at increasing capacities in a range of contexts, on different conflicts and extremisms, with diverse population samples (evaluated using the cross-culturally validated integrative complexity measurement frame). …

Latent Memories Of Terror: Media Perceptions Of The Woolwich Attack, Logan Stickel

Journal of Strategic Security

The Woolwich Attack of 2013 remains a distinctive case of lone wolf terrorism in terms of its hyper violent theatricalization and symbolic presentation of user-generated content. Although being described as having a paradigmic effect on the way terrorism is viewed and presented, its relationship to traditional media is under examined. To understand the perceptive impact, an exploratory qualitative research project was designed to gauge public views in terms of event presentation by media modality. Primary data was collected through interviews upon a theoretical sampling of fifteen Londoners and interpreted using a framework analysis technique. Results indicated that the main mode …

Defeating Jihad: The Winnable War. By Dr. Sebastian Gorka. Washington, D.C.: Regnery Publishing, 2016., Mark J. Roberts

Journal of Strategic Security

No abstract provided.

Iron Phosphide Nanostructures As An Efficient Bifunctional Catalysts For Water Splitting, Nikitaa Ashokan

Masters Theses

"The first part of this thesis work focuses on developing a bifunctional catalyst for electrochemical water splitting encompassing both oxygen and hydrogen evolution. A highly efficient catalyst is necessary to improve kinetics of the sluggish four electron process for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and two-electron process for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Recently, transition metal phosphides have gained increasing interest in this field because of their good electrical conductivity properties as well as better catalytic activity. Many transition-metal phosphides are being considered for this application and iron phosphide (FeP) has proved to be a good HER catalyst. In this work, we …

Experimental Evaluations Of Selected Sealants To Remediate Co₂ Leakage, Aaron Jeffrey Blue

Masters Theses

"Carbon Dioxide (CO₂) sequestration into porous and permeable brine-filled aquifers is seen as one of the most feasible solutions for reducing the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere from coal-fired power plants. To safely store the CO₂, it must be trapped under an impermeable rock acting as a seal. One of the concerns with CO₂ sequestration is the generation of new fractures or reopening of existing fractures caused by CO₂ injection in the sealing formation. This project evaluates the potential of sealing these fractures by injecting sealing materials into them. These sealing …

Automated Channel Emulator Based On Mems Switch And Improvement Of Signal Transition, Jingdong Sun

Masters Theses

"Channel Emulator, which is widely used in communication system development, is an instrument that emulates the real-world signal propagation environment between transmitter and. [sic] To overcome the disadvantages of traditional channel emulator, we propose a novel structure of the automated channel emulator in Section 1, which can be controlled by software and integrated into auto-testing system. MEMS switch, with good RF performance, is used to connect and isolate multiple channels.

In Section 2, we divide the whole channel emulator system into Channel, Support, and Controller Board, and provide detailed design procedures with critical parameters of each board. The well-designed high …

Fluid Flow Through Deformation Band, Huining Zhang

Masters Theses

"Cataclastic deformation bands, which are common in porous sandstone, have the potential to restrict fluid flow. Geological studies have shown that permeability of deformation band shear zones can be one to five orders of magnitude less than for the sandstone host rock. However, recent studies based on simplified analytical estimates have shown that fluid flow in jointed deformation bands may not be retarded since joints play an important role in conducting fluids. In this study, 2 dimensional finite element analysis (FEA) is used to simulate the total discharge flow rate through jointed deformations. Variations of single planar and conjugate jointed …

Parallel Profiles Of Inflammatory And Effector Memory T Cells In Visceral Fat And Liver Of Obesity-Associated Cancer Patients, Melissa Conroy, Karen Galvin, Suzanne Doyle, Maria Kavanagh, Ann-Marie Mongan, Aoife Cannon, Gillian Moore, John Reynolds, Joanne Lysaght

Articles

In the midst of a worsening obesity epidemic, the incidence of obesity-associated morbidities, including cancer, diabetes, cardiac and liver disease is increasing. Insights into mechanisms underlying pathological obesity-associated inflammation are lacking. Both the omentum, the principal component of visceral fat, and liver of obese individuals are sites of excessive inflammation, but to date the T cell profiles of both compartments have not been assessed or compared in a patient cohort with obesity-associated disease. We have previously identified that omentum is enriched with inflammatory cytokines, chemokines and T cells. Here, we compared the inflammatory profile of T cells in the omentum …

Integration Of New Biological And Physical Retrospective Dosimetry Methods Into Eu Emergency Response Plans – Joint Reneb And Eurados Inter-Laboratory Comparisons, Elizabeth Ainsbury, Christophe Badie, Stephen Barnard, Aidan Meade

Articles

RENEB, 'Realising the European Network of Biodosimetry and Physical Retrospective Dosimetry,' is a network for research and emergency response mutual assistance in biodosimetry within the EU. Within this extremely active network, a number of new dosimetry methods have recently been proposed or developed. There is a requirement to test and/or validate these candidate techniques and inter-comparison exercises are a well-established method for such validation.

A Novel Anthropomorphic Flow Phantom For The Quantitative Evaluation Of Prostate Dce-Mri Acquisition Techniques, Silvin Knight, Jacinta Browne, James Meaney, David Smith, Andrew Fagan

Articles

A novel anthropomorphic flow phantom device has been developed which can be used for quantitatively assessing the ability of MRI scanners to accurately measure signal / concentration time-intensity curves (CTCs) associated with dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI. Modelling of the complex pharmacokinetics of contrast agents as they perfuse through the tumour capillary network has shown great promise for cancer diagnosis and therapy monitoring. However, clinical adoption has been hindered by methodological problems, resulting in a lack of consensus regarding the most appropriate acquisition and modelling methodology to use and a consequent wide discrepancy in published data. A heretofore overlooked source of …

Screening For Peripheral Arterial Disease And Carotid Artery Disease In Patients With Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm, C. Gray, Patrick J. Goodman, Paul Cullen, Stephen Badger, Kevin O'Malley, Martin K. O'Donohoe, Ciarán O. Mcdonnell

Articles

Screening for concomitant atherosclerotic disease is important in cardiovascular risk reduction. This study assessed the prevalence of carotid artery disease (CAD) and peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in patients with known abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs). All patients with AAA attending the vascular laboratory between the January 1, 2007, and December 31, 2009, were eligible for a carotid ultrasound and measurement of ankle brachial indices. A total of 389 (305 males) patients were identified on the AAA surveillance program with a mean (±standard deviation) age of 76 (±8) years. The mean age of the males was 75.4 (±7.8) years, and the mean …

A Tribute To Justice Antonin Scalia, Michael S. Mcginniss

North Dakota Law Review

No abstract provided.

Suitability Of The Underlying Theories Of Zealous Advocacy In Ensuring Justice: Laying The Ground To Look Beyond The Zealous Advocacy, Liton Chandra Biswas

North Dakota Law Review

No abstract provided.

Technology Competence: The New Ethical Mandate For North Dakota Lawyers And The Practice Of Law, Tracy Vigness Kolb

North Dakota Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Court And The Cannonball: An Inside Look, Lee Levine, Stephen Wermiel

American University Law Review

No abstract provided.

How Dramatic Shifts In Perceptions Of Parenting Have Exposed Families, Free-Range Or Otherwise, To State Intervention: A Common Law Tort Approach To Redefining Child Neglect, David Manno

American University Law Review

No abstract provided.

2015 Patent Decisions Of The Federal Circuit, Craig E. Countryman

American University Law Review

No abstract provided.

They['Ve] Got Eyes In The Sky: How The Family Educational Rights And Privacy Act Governs Body Camera Use In Public Schools, Sarah Pierce West

American University Law Review

No abstract provided.

"Group Play Therapy" From The Handbook Of Child And Adolescent Group Therapy, Michelle Englbom-Deglmann

Faculty Publications - Graduate School of Counseling

Group therapy, with clients of all ages, has a significant focus on community. As part of this community focus, group therapy has the potential to combat one of the greatest human pains: loneliness. Play therapy clients, most often children, “already struggle for autonomy and identity in this world, and can be cruelly oppressed in the midst of trauma and chaos and left feeling unfairly isolated” (Sweeney, 2011, p. 227). In his discussion of loneliness, Moustakas (1974) poignantly wrote, “It is the terror of loneliness, not loneliness itself but loneliness anxiety, the fear of being left alone, of being left out, …

Red Note New Music Festival Program, 2016, School Of Music

Red Note New Music Festival

The RED NOTE New Music Festival at Illinois State University is a week-long event which features outstanding performances of contemporary concert music.

The Viejo Period, Michael T. Searcy, Jane H. Kelley

Faculty Publications

Farming peoples thrived in the mountains, basins, and river valleys of northwestern Chihuahua for hundreds of years prior to the construction of platform mounds and ball courts at Paquime. Their small pithouse villages dotted the landscape near the rich floodplain of the Casas Grandes River, where they farmed maize, beans, and other goods. It was during this time (AD. 400-1200), known as the Viejo Period, that the foundations of the Chihuahuan culture were formed. While recognized as forming the roots of a more complex society, Viejo Period sites lack the monumental architecture and ornate pottery of the Medio Period (AD. …