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Hurricane Emergency Evacuation Study For Coastal Regions Of Rhode Island, Alolade Oyinlola Campbell

Open Access Dissertations

Hurricane landfalls have great potential to cause human injuries, loss of lives and loss or damage of properties. Currently, the prediction of a hurricane hit at a given location has significantly improved owing to the advancements in meteorology and other contributing technologies such as satellite sensing systems among others. In spite of the developments in hurricane track forecast, the most common risk aversion strategy in response to hurricanes still remains the emergency evacuation of the flood zones under the direction and coordination of government officials.

Rhode Island, known as the Ocean State, is the smallest state within the continental United …

Discovering The Knowledge Monopoly Of Law Librarianship Under The Dikw Pyramid, Xiaomeng Zhang

Law Librarian Scholarship

Historical debates demonstrated that knowledge monopoly is a key to a profession. This article explores the exclusive knowledge base of the law librarianship profession through the lens of the Data-Information-Knowledge-Wisdom (DIKW) paradigm.

Is Authority Always Constructed And Contextual? A Classical Challenge To The Framework For Information Literacy, Nathan Rinne

The Christian Librarian

The 2015 Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education (or Framework) is the latest effort of academic librarians to provide relevant guidance for the teaching of information literacy. One claim made within this “living document,” in line with current academic trends of constructivism and social constructivism, is that “Authority is Constructed and Contextual.” Questions are raised concerning authority’s relationship to the idea of truth, and an effort is made, largely through a Socratic method of inquiry, to delve into the meaning of the Framework’s statement on authority using the further explanations provided concerning this particular “frame,” as well as the …

Adams' "The Earliest Christian Meetings Places: Almost Exclusively Houses?" (Book Review), Paul Hartog

The Christian Librarian

A review of Adams, E. (2016). The earliest Christian meetings places: Almost exclusively houses? London: Bloomsbury T&T Clark. 263 pp. $29.95. ISBN 9780567663146

No Association Between Current Depression And Latent Toxoplasmosis In Adults, Bruce L. Brown, Shawn D. Gale, Andrew N. Berrett, Lance D. Erickson, Dawson W. Hedges

Faculty Publications

Changes in behaviour and cognition have been associated with latent infection from the apicomplexan protozoan Toxoplasma gondii (Nicolle et Manceaux, 1908) in both animal and human studies. Further, neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia have also been associated with latent toxoplasmosis. Previously, we found no association between T. gondii immunoglobulin G antibody (IgG) seropositivity and depression in human adults between the ages of 20 and 39 years (n = 1 846) in a sample representative of the United States collected by the Centers for Disease Control as part of a National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from three datasets collected …

Withdrawn: Why Students Of Color Leave Wvu, Ahnieyah Porter

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study conceptualizes Vincent Tinto's theory of Individual Departure of college students and expands it to examine how it applies to the experiences of students of color, African Americans, who attend a predominately white institution that is West Virginia University. Tinto's theory measures individual departure in three stages; Separation, Transition and Incorporation. Using qualitative interviews, both former and current African American undergraduate students from West Virginia University were interviewed to discuss their experiences as students of color at a predominately white institution. The interview questions were designed to touch on each stage of Tinto's theory of Individual departure in order …

Beyond The What And How: Why Parents Want To Know About Their Adolescents' Lives., Elizabeth Yale Babskie

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

As adolescents spend more time away from home and increasingly engage in unsupervised activities, parents are challenged with allowing their children more responsibility while still promoting positive youth development (Smetana, Campione-Barr, & Metzger, 2006). Extant research shows that parents continue to play an important roll in facilitating positive adolescent development through their knowledge of what their adolescent children are doing and whom they are with when away from home or school (Racz & McMahon, 2011). Recent research has focused on understanding the sources of parents’ knowledge and has identified both parentdriven (rules, solicitation, indirect, covert) and adolescent-driven (disclosure, secrecy, concealment) …

Crowdwork, Corporate Social Responsibility, And Fair Labor Practices, Miriam A. Cherry, Winifred R. Poster

All Faculty Scholarship

Crowdwork, in which large numbers of workers find and perform paid tasks through online platforms, is a paradox. It can make job-matching and production processes more efficient, but it can also lead to a decline in labor standards. We seek to link ethical labor practices in virtual work with well-established notions of corporate social responsibility, that include concerns for worker well-being and fair treatment. We present a typology of trends in labour, and argue that the new phase of ‘crowdwork’ is distinct from previous eras of ‘industrial’ and ‘digital’ employment. The chapter then outlines three best practices for crowdwork. First …

Does Enhanced Nitrogen Input Affect The Structure And Composition Of Forest Vegetation? Results From Long-Term Experiments At The Fernow Experimental Forest, Christopher Alan Walter

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The effects of nitrogen (N) deposition have been studied in many ecosystems, and one general pattern of response that has emerged from these studies is a decline in species richness. Globally, anthropogenic deposition of N has more than doubled the ambient input of N in terrestrial ecosystems, and the rate at which humans produce reactive N continues to increase annually. As a result of both the current and projected future rates of N input, N deposition is a threat to biodiversity worldwide and is projected to contribute, along with other global change factors, to species extinction. To prevent the loss …

Political Beings: Sociopolitical Influence On Federal District Court Judges' Criminal Sentencing Behavior, Scott Harris

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Judicial scholars have long debated what factors influence judges' decision-making. Several competing theories have offered relatively parsimonious explanations for the motivations of appellate judges, but sources of influence for trial judges are relatively understudied. One area ripe for testing potential determinants of trial court behavior is the criminal sentencing behavior of federal district court judges. Recent empirical research has examined federal district court sentencing, but this research has often focused solely on the effects of legal policy change and judges' personal partisanship. These efforts are informative but ignore other potentially important contextual determinants of sentencing behavior, such as sentiment in …

Do Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviors, And Nutrition Affect Healthy Weight In Middle School Students In An Appalachian Community? Children's Health Opportunities Involving Coordinated Efforts In Schools (Choices) Project, Kibum Cho

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Background/Purpose: The study was a three-year, multi-component, school-based health programs implemented in two middle schools in an Appalachian county. The purpose of this study was to: (a) examine the association between healthy weight and physical activity, sedentary behavior, and nutrition and (b) explore predictors affecting changes in physical activity, sedentary behaviors, and nutrition. Methods: The sample consisted 1,620 subjects with 3,263 observations aged 11 to 16 years, who enrolled in the Children's Health Opportunities Involving Coordinated Efforts in Schools (CHOICES) Project in 2012-2014. Each subject was observed at least one time point. Two main analyses were conducted, a logistic regression …

The Opinions And Attitudes Of Police Officers To Proposed Changes To Law Enforcement, Jason C. Contessa

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The field of policing has recently come under the public scrutiny due to the events surrounding the deaths of several citizens at the hands of police officers. Although not the first time policing has been criticized, the issues have caused the country to become increasingly divided on whether or not American police forces are in need of reform. There has been an overwhelming amount of complaints against law enforcement and suggestions to improve policies. As political and public figures have taken sides and police administration has made statements regarding the issues, the voices of those that would be most affected …

A Communion Of Churches: Indian Christians, English Ministers, And Congregations In New England, 1600-1775, Gregory Alan Michna

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation advances the study of New England's religious history by exploring the complex and contested religious discourse surrounding puritan ecclesiology and the conceptual place of Native Americans within physical and imagined communities. While relations between puritan missionaries such as John Eliot and Thomas Mayhew and early "Praying Indians," or Indian Christians, have been closely studied, this work draws attention to the importance of theology and religious discourse in realms like hermeneutics, ecclesiology, and eschatology in shaping the nature of these exchanges. Despite communal and cultural differences, religious culture frequently served as a means of bridging these gaps to foster …

The Impact Of Rural Contexts On Citizenship Education, Eric D. Moffa

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Social studies teachers are sensitive to local school and community values and, therefore, tactful when making decisions about their curriculum (Romanowski, 1996; Shaver, Davis, & Helburn, 1980; Thornton, 1989), including its citizenship aims (Saada, 2013; Sondel, 2015; Vinson, 1998). For this reason, scholars call for better contextual understandings of teachers' curricular-instructional gatekeeping (Thornton, 1989; Vinson, 1998). Rural-specific examples of this phenomenon remain largely unexamined (Martin & Chiodo, 2007; Pattison-Meek, 2012), though rural schools make up 32.9% of all schools in the United States (Johnson, Showalter, Klein, & Lester, 2014) and rural communities offer distinct socio-geographic and socio-cultural contexts (Brown & …

Disaggregating Behavioral And Psychological Components Of Religious And Spiritual Development Across Adolescence: Variations By Geographic Location, Rebecca Olson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Religious behavior and spirituality have been consistently found to be associated with a host of positive youth outcomes including increased grade point average (Ferris, Oosterhoff, & Metzger, 2013) and community service (Paxton, Reith, & Glanville, 2014) and decreased substance use (Milot & Ludden, 2009). However, few studies have investigated how religious behavior and spirituality uniquely and interactively predict these outcomes, as well as how these associations vary across city and rural contexts. The current study sought to investigate how religious behavior and spirituality predict youth outcomes in both rural and city youth populations. Participants included 743 youth from a mid-sized …

Four Days That Transformed Spain 11-M Impact On Memory Recovery Examined Through The Lens Of Duality, Thomas J. Divins

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This thesis studies the controversial aftermath of the Madrid terrorist attack of March 11, 2004 and how it impacted the history of memory and silence in Spain since the Spanish Civil War. The terrorist attack had surprising and significant short-term political impacts, which have been well documented by historians, political scientists, and journalists. However, surveying the attack aftermath through the lens of the history of duality in Spain has been less studied. The "lens of duality" is the viewpoint that Spain's history in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries can be explained as a clash between deeply-divided sectors within society which …

Risk Perception And Awareness Of Oil And Natural Gas Safety Among Local Populations In The Eastern Province Of Jubail, Saudi Arabia, Wajeeh Aljanabi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The main goal of this research was to examine the residents' and Saudi Aramco employees' awareness of risks to public health and the environment as a result of their close proximity to oil and natural gas production facilities in Jubail Industrial City, Saudi Arabia. The research objective was to characterize social representations of industrial activities by different social actors in order to enhance public participation in the region's risk management plan. Social representation theory was adopted to understand the risk perception of members of the community, both residents and oil plus natural gas employees. Residents were represented by faculty and …

Perceptions Of Urban Forestry Employers, Andrew Benjamin

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Urban forestry is still a relatively new area of science and is still trying to establish itself as a legitimate scientific field and profession. Often urban forestry and arboriculture are conflated, and urban forestry has yet to achieve much of what arboriculture has in terms of recognition its and establishment. Landscape architects, traditional foresters, environmental scientists, horticulturalists all may find themselves in positions that can be classified in the urban forestry profession, which shows this lack of a standard definition for what is an urban forester. While there are many significant, potential benefits to a properly managed urban forest resource …

The Challenges Faced By New Science Teachers In Saudi Arabia, Salman Alsharari

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Growing demand for science teachers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, fed by increasing numbers of public school students, is forcing the Saudi government to attract, recruit and retain well-qualified science teachers. Beginning science teachers enter the educational profession with a massive fullfilment and satisfaction in their roles and positions as teachers to educating children in a science classroom. Nevertheless, teachers, over their early years of practice, encounter numerous challenges to provide the most effective science instruction. Therefore, the current study was aimed to identify academic and behavioral classroom challenges faced by science teachers in their first three years of …

Research That Matters: Transforming Community Based Education Through Feminist Pedagogy And Public Scholarship, Amber J. Johnson

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

This is a qualitative analysis of focus groups conducted with "Community Partners" (mostly Directors of non-profit social service agencies who have previously partnered with Eastern Washington faculty in community-based education efforts) in the Greater Spokane Area. This research is designed to address shortcomings of current forms of community based education, identify strategies for strengthening the partnerships that exist between Eastern Washington University and the surrounding community, and to establish the need for community based research at the graduate level. By conducting focus groups, this study analyzed Community Partner perceptions of community based education and research before and after watching a …

[Introduction To] Pedagogical Matters: New Materialisms And Curriculum Studies, Nathan Snaza, Debbie Sonu, Sarah E. Truman, Zofia Zaliwska

Bookshelf

This edited collection takes up the wild and sudden surge of new materialisms in the field of curriculum studies. New materialisms shift away from the strong focus on discourse associated with the linguistic or cultural turn in theory and toward recent work in the physical and biological sciences; in doing so, they posit ontologies of becoming that re-configure our sense of what a human person is and how that person relates to the more-than-human ecologies in which it is nested. Ignited by an urgency to disrupt the dangers of anthropocentrism and systems of domination in the work of curriculum and …

‘Precarity And Precariousness – A Study Into The Impact Of Low-Pay, Low-Skill Employment Structures On The Experiences Of Workers In The South West Of Britain, Constantine Manolchev

Plymouth Business School Theses

This is a study into the impact of precarious work, defined as low-skill and low-pay jobs, on workers in the South West of Britain. In it, I investigate the experiences of three broad groups of precarious workers: migrants, care assistants (adult and nursery) and employees working for ‘Cleanwell’, an international provider of cleaning and catering services. My approach identifies and occupies the central ground between two opposing perspectives. Along with Guy Standing (2014; 2011), I acknowledge the existence of employment structures which can be objectively described as lacking the security of meaningful pay, tenure, access to training and progression. However, …

The Nature Of God: Perceptions Of God With Exposure To Nature And Natural Events, Holly Kolberg

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research studies have shown that the sense of awe evoked by natural settings may be associated with transcendental thinking about God. Similarly, other researchers have suggested that people attribute events to God when they cannot develop a sufficient naturalistic explanation for a phenomenon. People appear to prefer attributing events to a benevolent God but will modify their beliefs to assume that God is punitive if event outcomes do not appear to favor their well-being or religious attributions do not accommodate a situation. In the current study, the goal was to evaluate how exposure to photographs of different environments influenced beliefs …

Exploring Ghana's Strategies For Stability:Lessons For Postwar Reconstruction, Wilmot Nah Adekoya

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Between 1990 and 2005, the state of affairs in parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, including Liberia, remained fragile due to continuous civil unrest and war. Although peace initiatives were initiated, progress toward peace has remained minimal. Ghana, one of the nations in Sub-Saharan Africa, has continued to demonstrate significant stability and progress in the midst of civil and political conflicts in the sub-region. Currently, little research exists on how Ghanaians managed to remain stable, while countries in the sub-region continued to experience civil unrests and wars. Using Eisenstadt's theory of sociological modernization as the theoretical foundation, the purpose of this holistic …

The Effectiveness Of Psychotherapy For Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders In Community Residential Settings, Joshua Thomas Beulke

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this research was to analyze the effectiveness of psychotherapy for individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia spectrum disorders who reside in community residential settings. The present body of literature did not address the utility of psychotherapy treatment for this population. A key area of focus for this research was whether psychotherapy has an impact on psychiatric hospitalization rates for the target population. An additional research question was whether significant differences exist in psychiatric hospitalization rates between males and females for the target population. Data analyses were conducted using archival data from the Blossom Hill Corporation and Sunrise Farm Corporation …

The Impact Of Psychological Birth Order On Academic Achievement And Motivation, Alissa Jo Combs-Draughn

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Historically, research in the field of birth order yielded inconsistent and at times contro-versial results. Researchers have long been interested in the impact of birth order on both social and cognitive development, in part due to the research of Adler. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine if psychological birth order directly impacts stu-dent achievement and motivation. The resource dilution theory and confluence model were used to investigate the relationship between sibling perception of family roles within familial settings and academic performance and motivation within the college setting. The quantitative study used an online survey to assess psychological …

A Qualitative Exploration Of The Use Of Contraband Cell Phones In Secured Facilities, Margaret E. Henderson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Offenders accepting contraband cell phones in secured facilities violate state corrections law, and the possession of these cell phones is a form of risk taking behavior. When offenders continue this risky behavior, it affects their decision making in other domains where they are challenging authorities; and may impact the length of their incarceration. This qualitative phenomenological study examined the lived experience of ex-offenders who had contraband cell phones in secured correctional facilities in order to better understand their reasons for taking risks with contraband cell phones. The theoretical foundation for this study was Trimpop's risk-homeostasis and risk-motivation theories that suggest …

Success Strategies Among Immigrant Small Business Owners In The Southeastern United States, Tony Nnabue

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although considerable concern exists regarding immigrant businesses, few studies address immigrant small business owners' strategies for success and sustainability. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the strategies that immigrant small business owners in metro Atlanta, Georgia can use to sustain their business beyond 5 years. Cultural theory formed the conceptual framework for this study. A purposeful sample of 20 immigrant small business owners in metro Atlanta provided the data garnered from semistructured interviews for this research study. Using open coding, and modified van Kaam analysis of the interview data, 5 themes emerged for immigrant small businesses that …

An Examination Of African American Women With Hiv And Health Care Barriers, Robert Salvatore Petralia

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

For over 40 years, HIV has been seen as an epidemic and problem on health care that disproportionately affects the African American women (AAW) and population. This epidemic represents 12% of the total U.S. population, yet accounts for 37% of the commutative HIV cases, and 45% of the new HIV cases reported since 1998. Research in this case was needed for increased understanding to this health care problem, between AAW and HIV. A review in the literature indicated the problem and found new alternatives that helped support aspects on today's health care. The purpose of the study was to help …

Best Practices For Controlling Tuberculosis - Training In Correctional Facilities: A Mixed Methods Evaluation, Ellen Reynolds Murray

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

According to the literature, identifying and treating tuberculosis (TB) in correctional facilities have been problematic for the inmates and also for the communities into which inmates are released. The importance of training those who can identify this disease early into incarceration is vital to halt the transmission. Although some training has been done by public health authorities for corrections, there is little to no evaluation of such training. The aim of this mixed methods retrospective study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a training to control TB in correctional facilities. The Southeastern National Tuberculosis Center (SNTC) conducted 12 trainings between …