Digital Commons Network^™

In Search Of Lasting Calmness: How Sustainable Is The Federal Government’S Amnesty Program As A Peace Strategy In The Niger Delta Region Of Nigeria?, Lasisi Raimi, Nwoke N. Bieh, Kidi Zorbari

International Journal of African Development

The exploitation of natural resources and the associated marginalization of indigenous occupants of areas with such endowments continue to act as major driving forces for conflicts around the world, especially in Africa. In Nigeria’s Niger Delta Region, the major triggers of resource-based violent conflicts have been the subject matter of many academics and policy analysts. With the introduction of several peace strategies especially the Federal Government of Nigeria’s Amnesty Program notwithstanding, pockets of violent activities have generated questions as to the sustainability of the program. This study examines the sustainability of the Federal Government’s Amnesty Program in the Niger Delta …

A Framework Towards Technology Creation In Africa: Focusing On Ghana, Martin Yao Donani, Hannatu Abue Kugblenu, Azindow Bawa Fuseini

International Journal of African Development

Underdevelopment in Africa has been historical and a global concern coupled with the quest for good governance. Several efforts have been made in academia, national governments, the international community, and other institutional arrangements to reverse the trend. These efforts however are yet to produce a lasting result as Africa is still characterized by low productivity output, poverty and a widening technology gap when compared to other developing regions of the world. Conventional approaches used to address the African problem have consistently been devoid of indigenous technology development. Technology is here seen as paramount to every form of production on which …

Devolution Of Power And Woreda Or District Development In Benshangul Gumuz Regional State: The Case Of Metkel Zone (North West Ethiopia), Aldo Morka Atnafu

International Journal of African Development

Decentralized governance offers opportunities for achieving development through good governance and community participation at the grass root level (Ayenew, 2007). Ethiopia has adopted two phases of decentralization, namely decentralizing of power from the federal government to the regional level and from the regional to the woreda level (Gebre-Egziabher & Berhanu, 2007). Thus, this study has aimed at assessing the effect of the woreda level decentralization on the development of the Metekel zone. In particular, it examines the nature of political, administrative and fiscal decentralization in woredas. The study was conducted in two selected woreda, Bulen and Mandura. Data were collected …

The Aid Effectiveness Architecture In Africa: An Analysis Of Aid Structures In Kenya’S Agriculture Sector, Daniel Kipleel Borter

International Journal of African Development

This study examines in detail the development aid architecture in Kenya’s agriculture sector. The focus is on the mechanisms in place within the Kenyan government (and ministry of agriculture in particular), mechanisms among and within donor agencies, and overall coordination mechanisms that bring together the donors and the government. Findings show that coordination and harmonization activities among donors are yet to yield the desired outcomes such as the division of labor protocol and joint programming. Weaknesses are also observed on the government side where it appears authorities are yet to internalize PD concepts and interpret them to suit the country's …

Does Privatization Improve Productivity? Empirical Evidence From Ethiopia, Tadesse Wodajo, Dawit Senbet

International Journal of African Development

Theoretically, it is posited that privatization enables the private sector to play a dominant role in the economy by enhancing competition, productivity and efficiency. When evaluated using these criteria, privatization of the manufacturing industries has failed in Ethiopia. Our empirical results show that, at best, privatization did not result in improving productivity, and at worst, it led to a decline in productivity. We argue that the main reason for this outcome is the unique economic and business environment prevailing in Ethiopia, which does not allow the standard economic assumptions of market competition to hold. Ethiopia’s ‘private sector’ can be described …

Editorial Note, Sisay Asefa

International Journal of African Development

No abstract provided.

International Journal Of African Development, Vol. 4, Issue 2

International Journal of African Development

Complete issue of International Journal of African Development, Volume 4, Issue 2 - Fall 2017.

Iassist Overview, Jennifer Moore

IASSIST & DCN - Data Curation Workshop

Lunchtime overview of IASSIST.

10.1

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Botox Injections On Cognitive-Emotional Experience

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

Emotional experience is a complex neurological process highly dependent on the ability to express emotion behaviorally. Facial expression, specifically, plays a critical role in interpreting others’ emotions and responding appropriately. This review examines the current literature about the impact of botox injections on emotional experience, including recognition and empathy. Results show that botox may severely limit cognitive-emotional responses to others’ emotions, especially stronger emotions such as anger. This leads to the conclusion that botox injections may inhibit emotional connections to others.

Music Therapy For Intimate Partner Abuse

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

Intimate partner abuse (IPA) affects as many as 1.5 million U.S. women annually. The most notable psychological effects include depression and stress. Related effects of stress include anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Women with a history of IPA may experience impaired physical health as well. Treatments for these symptoms often have harmful side effects. Music therapy is an option for many victims, given its positive effects on stress and anxiety. Despite the deep connection between stress and depression, there is little published research on the effects of music therapy on depression. Thus providing an incentive for further research in …

Brainwaves And Nuerofeedback: Understanding And Treating Brain Dysregulation In Adhd

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

Neurons communicate with each other through electrochemical signals which can be measured as wave-like patterns. The brain typically uses cues from the environment to regulate these brainwave patterns. Yet overly dominant or other dysfunctional patterns may produce brainwave dysregulation and accompanying behavioral problems. Brainwave dysregulation is detected through indications of abnormal brainwave ratios as measured by EEG equipment. Neurofeedback is a form of biofeedback that allows individuals to change deregulated brainwave rhythms (biofeedback is a type of alternative medicine that trains patients to regulate internal processes using operant conditioning). Neurofeedback has proven to be an effective treatment for those with …

The Promotion Of Adolescent Problem Drinking Through Social Attitudes And Pressures

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

About 80% of adolescents in the United States are experimenting with alcohol by age 15 (Davies, 2012). A major factor in this rate of alcohol use can be explained by adolescent’s propensity for learning from their environment (Tomilson & Brown, 2012). Unfortunately, the current social climate teenagers are experiencing could be promoting alcohol involvement (Coker & Borders, 2001). This review examines the impact of several social attitudes and pressures contributing to adolescent problem drinking. Further understanding of these factors may be valuable to parents and professionals aiming to prevent the development of problem adolescent drinking behaviors.

The Development Of A Rating Scale For Humor Sensitivity

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

Humor therapy has been growing in popularity in recent years and is now widely accepted as a viable method of therapy. This increase in popularity has brought the need to measure individual sensitivity to humor in order to predict whether prospective clients would be a good fit for humor therapy. The Humor Sensitivity Scale (HSS) contains 10 items specific to two domains: physical manifestations and cognitive appeal. Factor analysis of scale results identified a third factor, namely, social facilitation. Although Cronbach’s alpha ( α=.68) was significant, this was explained by the low content-validity ratio (CVR) of two of the scale …

Emotions In Conflict Resolution: A New Model Of Constructive Conflict

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

Conflict is basic to living, and emotion is fundamental to the emergence and resolution of conflict. Early theoretical approaches to emotion described it in terms of physiological states, but more recent research points to its connection to cognitive appraisal and goal progress. Specifically, emotion is characterized as mediating between cognition and behavior. This review identifies shortcomings of the “emotion as a mediator” approach, including its overemphasis on negative emotions as well as its failure to consider the complicated role of human agency. A new model is proposed that incorporates constrained agency, positive emotion, and cognitive appraisal as components of a …

The Differential Effectiveness Of Survey Recruiting Methods

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

Participant recruitment in survey research is an essential part of many research studies, especially those conducted in academic settings. The purpose of this study was to determine the current, most-effective methods of recruitment. We used four methods to administer the same survey. They included the traditional methods of classroom presentation and face-to-face recruitment using fliers, and the more recent methods of mass e-mails to class lists and social-network mass messaging. We analyzed the data using a chi-square test to compare and determine the most effective method of recruitment. We found that recruitment through the social-networking site Facebook was the most …

Exercise, Brain Plasticity, And Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factors

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

Physical exercise influences neurobiological processes and cognitive abilities. For example, it increases the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein responsible for maintaining synaptic connections as well as neuronal development, growth, and survival. The increase of BDNF promotes brain plasticity and has been shown to aid recovery from brain injuries, as well as to improve cognitive function in older adults. Recent studies with well-exercised rats showed strong, positive correlations between BDNF levels, cognitive performance in maze tasks, and recovery from fluid-percussion injuries to the hippocampus. Currently researchers are focusing on whether exercise prevents neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and …

Later-Life Hoarders: Clinical Symptomatic Progression And Multi-Faceted Clinical Interventions

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

The age at onset and the clinical symptomatic progression of hoarding behaviors through successive decades are important factors in concerting appropriate interventions for later-life hoarders. The onset of hoarding begins at an early age, progresses in severity with each season of life, and has serious personal and social consequences. If left unimpeded, hoarders’ lives often become sufficiently maladjusted to require professional interventions, which should be multi-faceted to relieve symptoms more successfully and resolve underlying emotional issues for later-life hoarders. Multi-faceted interventions may play a key role in countering chronic hoarding behaviors and related personal dysfunction in older individuals.

Front Matter 10.1

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

No abstract provided.

User Assistant Device, Cristian Cibils Bernardes

Defensive Publications Series

The present disclosure provides a device that enables a user to automatically trigger an action to be performed by one or more computing devices with the push of a button. In particular, the device can be a wireless button coupled to a user assistant enabled computing device. Existing user assistant enabled computing devices can be configured to accept user text or voice commands or queries to perform certain actions. To repeat a common action the user must repeatedly enter the same text or voice commands or queries. Despite the frequency of a particular command or query, user assistant enabled devices …

Checklist Of Dcn Curate Steps, Lisa Johnston, Jake R. Carlson, Wendy Kozlowski, Heidi Imker, Robert Olendorf, Cynthia Hudson-Vitale

IASSIST & DCN - Data Curation Workshop

A checklist and introduction to the Data Curation Network CURATE Steps for curating research data.

Lived Experiences Of Women Facing Domestic Violence In India, Shreya Bhandari, Jennifer C. Hughes

Journal of Social Work in the Global Community

This article describes the lived experiences of domestic violence victims among a convenience sample of 21 low-income Indian women. The experiences of abuse are drawn from in-depth, face-to-face interviews conducted in Mumbai, India. The qualitative analysis describes four major categories of their lived experiences: (a) types of abuse, (b) family involvement in abuse, (c) treatment of children, and (d) abandonment. Domestic violence in Indian culture includes violence from the husband as well as the in-laws. Women are expected to endure violence for fear of bringing shame to their families. Social and financial support for abused woman is lacking.

Value Of Curation, Lisa Johnston

IASSIST & DCN - Data Curation Workshop

This presentation focuses on explaining the value of data curation, foundation data curation activities, and an introduction to the CURATE steps.

Data Curation Workshop Welcome, Cynthia Hudson-Vitale

IASSIST & DCN - Data Curation Workshop

Logistic and sponsorship information for the IASSIST & Data Curation Network - Data Curation Workshop is presented in these slides.

Vietnamese American Women’S Beliefs And Perceptions On Cervical Cancer, Cervical Cancer Screening, And Cancer Prevention Vaccines: A Community-Based Participatory Study, Connie Kim Yen Nguyen-Truong, Kim Quy Vo Nguyen, Thai Hien Nguyen, Tuong Vy Le, Anthony My Truong, Keara Rodela, Rachael Allan

Asian/Pacific Island Nursing Journal

Cervical cancer remains commonly diagnosed in Vietnamese American women. Despite efforts to increase cervical cancer screening among Vietnamese American women, participation rates are persistently lower than the national goal. The objective of this study is to explore beliefs of Vietnamese American women about cervical cancer, cervical cancer screening, and cancer prevention vaccines. A qualitative descriptive investigation captured group perceptions about meaning and beliefs of cervical cancer, screening, and cancer prevention vaccines, and participants’ stories using a community-based participatory research approach.

Forty Vietnamese American women were recruited from the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area into four focus groups. Using a process of …

Preferential Resource Delivery Via Web Proxy Or Web Browser, Dean Kenneth Jackson, Daniel Klein

Defensive Publications Series

The subject disclosure relates to prioritizing the loading of files referenced by the HyperText Markup Language (HTML) of a webpage, so that the time required to load the webpage is reduced, for example, as perceived by an end user. The HTML for a webpage can be parsed to identify what types of resources are referenced (e.g., a cascading style sheets (CSS) file, image files, JavaScript), and the bandwidth associated with downloading the resources can be assessed. Based on requested resources and bandwidth, the system can prioritize the loading of resources, in order to load portions of the webpage quickly so …

Handwriting Recognition For Ides With Unicode Support, Michal Luszczyk, Sandro Feuz

Defensive Publications Series

This disclosure describes techniques for handwriting recognition for Unicode text entered via touch or other input. For example, Unicode text may be part of program source code in some programming languages. The handwritten code is provided as an input to a trained machine learning model. The model produces possible matches for the user entered text along with a score for each match. The user, e.g., a programmer, can select the appropriate match which is then added to the source code. The model is trained with sample handwritten text for known programs, and can also utilize additional factors such as program …

Generation Of Meeting Transcript Using Speech Recognition, Eric Bellamy

Defensive Publications Series

Participants in meetings conducted via audio or videoconferencing often engage in notetaking. This can cause participants to be less engaged. This disclosure describes techniques to automatically generate a meeting transcript. At the beginning of a meeting, participant identities and voices are learned as participants introduce themselves. During the meeting, participants can enable transcript generation with voice commands. Speech-to-text techniques are used to generate a text transcript of the meeting that associates speech with corresponding participants.

Turn Off That Device, Kris Iacono

M.A. in Leadership Studies: Capstone Project Papers

This paper offers a look into the effects of screen time on children, best practices for parenting, and a curriculum guide for parents to learn the best ways to help their children have healthy screen habits.

Intestinal Exposure To Pcb 153 Induces Inflammation Via The Atm/Nemo Pathway, Matthew C. Phillips

Open Access Dissertations

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are persistent organic pollutants that adversely affect human health. Although production of PCBs has stopped, they remain a pressing environmental problem due to their slow biodegradation and high lipophilicity. These properties enable PCBs to bio-accumulate in food chains leading to high levels of PCBs in the tissues of foodstuffs, especially fish. Despite dietary exposure being one of the main routes of exposure to PCBs, the gut has been widely ignored when studying the effects of PCBs. We set out to investigate the effects of PCB 153, the most environmentally prevalent PCB, on the gut, looking specifically for …