Digital Commons Network^™

Changes In Total Factor Productivity And Efficiency Of Microfinance Institutions In The Developing World: A Non-Parametric Approach, Ak Kar, S Rahman

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

© 2018 Economic Society of Australia, Queensland Applying the Färe–Primont index, this paper computes the total factor productivity (TFP) index for microfinance institutions (MFIs) in terms of its six individual components: technical change, technical, scale and mix efficiency changes and residual scale and residual mix efficiency changes. We use panel data of 342 MFIs from 61 countries covering the period 2003–2013. Results show that MFIs are operating at a low level of productivity with an overall annual rate of decline in TFP of 1.7 percent. Although technical progress, technical efficiency change and mix efficiency change components of TFP have increased …

On The Exactitude Of Big Data: La Bêtise And Artificial Intelligence, Noel Fitzpatrick, John D. Kelleher

Articles

This article revisits the question of ‘la bêtise’ or stupidity in the era of Artificial Intelligence driven by Big Data, it extends on the questions posed by Gille Deleuze and more recently by Bernard Stiegler. However, the framework for revisiting the question of la bêtise will be through the lens of contemporary computer science, in particular the development of data science as a mode of analysis, sometimes, misinterpreted as a mode of intelligence. In particular, this article will argue that with the advent of forms of hype (sometimes referred to as the hype cycle) in relation to big data and …

Determinants Of Social Behavior In Captive North American River Otters (Lontra Canadensis), Olivia R. Beasley

Graduate Theses

Field Studies of North American River Otters (Lontra canadensis), documented social behavior atypical among its mustelid relatives. In the wild, river otters are most active during crepuscular hours and males have been shown to be more social than females, as they cooperatively forage within bachelor groups (Blundell et al. 2002). Most social behavior occurs at latrine sites, where feces act as a means of communication between conspecifics (Blundell et al. 2005). While scientists have conducted some behavioral research on wild river otters, detailed studies of interactions are difficult for a species that ranges widely. A full understanding of river otter …

Understanding Environmental, Health And Economic Activity Interactions Following Transition Of Ownership In Gold Mining Areas In Tanzania: A Case Of Private To Public, Sophia Rhee, Elias Charles Nyanza, Madison Condon, Joshua Fisher, Theresia Maduka, Anja Benshaul-Tolonen

Faculty Scholarship

Mining is an important source of revenue for many developing countries, however, the social, environmental and economic impacts of mining are often poorly monitored. The recent transition of a gold mine in Western Tanzania—from large-scale gold mine under private, multinational ownership, to medium-scale public and national owned mine with limited life length offers a prime opportunity to understand the implications of changes in ownership and scale on the local economy and community well-being. We conducted 44 semi-structured interviews with community members in four villages adjacent to the mine site. We find that the local economy and public service provision contracted …

Varying Dataset Resolution Alters Predictive Accuracy Of Spatially Explicit Ensemble Models For Avian Species Distribution, Claire M. Curry, Jeremy D. Ross, Andrea Contina, Eli S. Bridge

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences Faculty Publications

Species distribution models can be made more accurate by use of new “Spatiotemporal Exploratory Models” (STEMs), a type of spatially explicit ensemble model (SEEM) developed at the continental scale that averages regional models pixel by pixel. Although SEEMs can generate more accurate predictions of species distributions, they are computationally expensive. We compared the accuracies of each model for 11 grassland bird species and examined whether they improve accuracy at a statewide scale for fine and coarse predictor resolutions. We used a combination of survey data and citizen science data for 11 grassland bird species in Oklahoma to test a spatially …

System Engineering Analyses For The Study Of Future Multispectral Land Imaging Satellite Sensors For Vegetation Monitoring, Zhaoyu Cui

Theses

Vegetation monitoring is one of the key applications of earth observing systems. Landsat data have spatial resolution of 30 meters, moderate temporal coverage, and reasonable spectral sampling to capture key vegetation features. These characteristics of Landsat make it a good candidate for generating vegetation monitoring products. Recently, the next satellite in the Landsat series has been under consideration and different concepts have been proposed. In this research, we studied the impact on vegetation monitoring of two proposed potential design concepts: a wider field-of-view (FOV) instrument and the addition of red-edge spectral band(s). Three aspects were studied in this thesis:

First, …

Using Tablet Technology To Teach Secondary Content Vocabulary: A Collective Case Study, Annie R. Raney

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this collective case study was to provide an understanding of the instructional methods of teachers who use tablet technology in middle school classrooms to teach complex content vocabulary. Dewey’s theory of constructivism guided this study, as it explains that students learn by building upon what they know. Middle school students add new terms to their existing vocabulary banks so that they can learn the related concepts in their content-area classes. The study took place in a southern state with technology standards that require students to use technology for reading and learning purposes. There is extensive research about …

Engaging Youth To Increase Their Transportation System Support, Understanding, And Use, Autumn Shafer, Jared Macary

TREC Final Reports

Little is known from research about how to motivate youth to choose non-car mobility, especially specific Portland-area youth. Understanding the current attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors of youth in relation to non-car mobility contributes to the sustainability of a long-term transportation system. Transportation system-related beliefs and behaviors of youth are likely to influence their willingness to access and support transportation services as adults. Today’s youth are tomorrow’s riders, bikers, walkers, voters, and transportation planners. Thus, it is important to develop age-appropriate messaging strategies and tactics that promote youth non-car mobility.

This project seeks to build on the sparse national and non-Portland …

You Live Where? Maximizing O&M Services In Rural And Remote Areas Through Distance Consultation, Amy T. Parker, Mary J. Tellefson

Special Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

The region served by Portland State University’s Orientation and Mobility (O&M) and Visually Impaired Learner (VIL) hybrid preparation program is geographically vast. The states of OR, WA, ID, MT, AK, and HI comprise 28% of the US's geography, covering more than 1,061,000 square miles. Because of regional personnel shortages, faculty must prepare candidates to serve geographically dispersed children and adults with visual impairment or deaf-blindness using technologies that support distance-based consultation.

As a part of a federally funded grant from the US Department of Education, faculty in the O&M program developed an online learning module for candidates to use as …

What Influences Whether Family Forest Owners Participate In Outreach Campaigns?, Brett J. Butler, Sarah M. Butler, Kelley Dennings, Tricia Gorby Knoot

Journal of Extension

We used an experimental design to analyze factors affecting participation rates for family forest owner outreach campaigns. Through logistic regression, we assessed the participation rates as a function of campaign and landowner attributes. Participation rates ranged from 3% to 14%. Owners offered a publication were on average 4.3 times more likely to participate than those offered a forester visit. Owners with a college degree were on average 1.5 times more likely to participate than those with lower levels of formal education. Extension and other outreach professionals can use knowledge of these factors to design more effective outreach campaigns.

Food: A Multicomponent Local Food System Assessment Tool, Mark Uchanski, John Garlisch, J. Michael Patrick, Stephanie Walker

Journal of Extension

Our goal with this article is to present a visual aid and tool for assessing local food systems. We propose that local food systems comprise four essential components represented by the acronym FOOD: in(F)rastructure, pr(O1)duction, (O2)rganizations, and (D)emand. The FOOD assessment tool provides a visual overview of the statuses of these four essential components relative to a particular food system. It is also useful for comparing one food system to another or for tracking changes over time. Availability of the tool has important implications for U.S. Extension professionals across a variety of disciplines with regard to connecting individual components within …

Enhancing Humanitarian Mine Action In Angola With High-Resolution Uas Im, Inna Cruz, Luan Jaupi, Shadrack Kassanga Njamba Sequesseque, Olivier Cottray

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The peaceful use of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) increases significantly when their cost and complexity are reduced. Fully autonomous, ultralight unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) are now commercially available. There are numerous UAS applications in humanitarian mine action (HMA), environmental research and survey, and urban infrastructure management and maintenance.

Drones And "Butterflies": A Low-Cost Uav System For Rapid Detection And Identification Of Unconventional Minefields, Timothy Desmet, Alex Nikulin, William Frazer, Jasper Baur, Jacob Abramowitz, Daniel Finan, Sean Denara, Nicholas Aglietti, Gabriel Campos

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Aerially-deployed plastic landmines in post-conflict nations present unique detection and disposal challenges. Their small size, randomized distribution during deployment, and low-metal content make these mines more difficult to identify using traditional methods of electromagnetic mine detection. Perhaps the most notorious of these mines is the Sovietera PFM-1 “butterfly mine,” widely used during the decade-long Soviet-Afghan conflict between 1979 and 1989. Predominantly used by the Soviet forces to block otherwise inaccessible mountain passages, many PFM-1 minefields remain in place due to the high associated costs of access and demining. While the total number of deployed PFM-1 mines in Afghanistan is poorly …

Vulnerability Of Small Island Developing States Across Multiple Scales, Neil Oculi

Doctoral Dissertations

Abstract: Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are among the countries most vulnerable to climate change because of their isolation, geopolitical stature, and limited resources. Climate change will continue to exacerbate SIDS’ vulnerabilities. With this in mind, in this dissertation, I will investigate implications of vulnerabilities of SIDS at global, regional, and local scales.

The first chapter examines the discourse on vulnerability to climate change and its many complexities. Among these is the constant tension between policy makers and academics about vulnerability. This chapter unpacks these complexities in order to analyze how SIDS deal with the notion of vulnerability at the …

Challenges For Research On Global Change In Mainland Ecuador, Veerle Vanacker, Armando Molina, Rossana Torres, Edison Calderon, Laura Cadilhac

Neotropical Biodiversity

No abstract provided.

A Study On Fiscal Policy And Economic Growth From An Institutional Perspective, Thúy Ái Hồ

Lingnan Theses (MPhil & PhD)

This dissertation studies the interrelationship between fiscal policy and institutions (property right protection and economic freedom, in particular) in affecting economic growth. The vast literature on economic growth examines institutions and fiscal policy as separate determinants of economic growth, and has not established a theoretical basis or empirical link on the interaction between them. This dissertation takes a unique approach to the growth literature by studying a channel that institutions affect growth – the fiscal policy channel.

Among the first ones who incorporate economic institutions into a growth model with fiscal policy, I construct a theoretical framework in Chapter 2 …

Colonized And Racist Indigenous Campus Tour, Robin Starr Minthorn, Christine A. Nelson

Journal of Critical Scholarship on Higher Education and Student Affairs

This article explores the macro-structural aspects of college campuses and environments to understand how higher education institutions have created, maintained, and justified hostile campus climates against Indigenous students. It uncovers the embedded racist and genocidal values that are often cherished through dominant campus tours. This includes addressing how an incomplete understanding of history leads to centering oppressive values that disenfranchise Indigenous students in higher education. Offered is an abbreviated interpretation of the concept of Power and Place (Deloria & Wildcat, 2001), centering critical Indigenous values in the assessment. The case study articulates the historical and contemporary aspects of space and …

The Use Of Geographic Information Systems For Display Of University Of Calabar Use Statistics And Functional Areas., Obia Inyang

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

ABSTRACT.

The purpose of this study is to present University of Calabar statistics and functional areas using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The process of using a GIS is faceted and involves different methods of presentation. Being that University of Calabar Library has not yet been geo-mapped, author traced in-use statistics in the different divisions for a 3-years period especially to show that the library, in whatever format is useful for Information services. The summed in –use statistics gave a total data for study in all the functional areas. Analysis was presented using three different types of GIS charts------ Lines with …

The Role Of Mites In The Construction And Weathering Of Siliceous Biospeleothems, María José López-Galindo

International Journal of Speleology

Acarines are well-documented as formative elements in the biocenosis of soils. However, their role in the construction and weathering of siliceous speleothems has received very little attention in previous research. The present study describes different groups of cavities (nesting/molting sites) excavated by these organisms in the surface of siliceous speleothems that are deposited in the fissures between various granite boulders in Southern Spain. There is evidence that there are immature stages that would survive the heat and drought of summer in the form of small larvae, or euedaphic nymphs, in the soil. This study provides the first description of how …

Educational Deserts And Trade Areas: Scsu And The Geography Of College Opportunity, David Wall

SCSU Data-Informed Symposium

SCSU Geography and Planning Professor David Wall defines the terms "educational desert" and "trade area" in the context of St. Cloud State University and the geographic area where it attracts the majority of its students.

The Observer, Central Washington University

Student Newspaper

Student newspaper for Central Washington University for November 29-December 5, 2018. Vol. 111, No. 9.

Segregation Academies Then And School Choice Configurations Today In Deep South States, Marilyn Grady, Sharon C. Hoffman

Contemporary Issues in Educational Leadership

In the following article, we present a brief historical review of segregation academies and their impact on students and public schools. Based on the review, we provide a portrait of the vestiges of segregation academies that appear to be currently re-emerging in different educational configurations throughout the U.S. and particularly in Deep South states.

The purpose of a historical study is to provide a descriptive overview of specific social problems confined within a predetermined timeframe (Danto, 2008). This historical review’s purpose was to address the following inquiry: What were the characteristics of Deep South segregation academies designed to circumvent Brown …

Hawks' Herald -- Nov. 29, 2018, Roger Williams University

Hawk's Herald

No abstract provided.

Complete V.11 No.1

Journal of Civil Law Studies

No abstract provided.

The Organization Of American States’ Model Law On Simplified Corporations, Francisco Reyes Villamizar

Journal of Civil Law Studies

Colombian Law 1258 of 2008 introduced the Simplified Corpo-ration (Sociedad por Acciones Simplificada or SAS). This type of business entity included modern corporate law features such as sim-plified incorporation proceedings, full-fledged limited liability for its shareholders, and broad freedom of contract for the definition of housekeeping and governance rules. It also reduced old-fashioned prohibitions pertaining to shareholders and managers activities and reduced transaction costs. The SAS’s “opt-in” approach also has allowed for private parties to draft the most suitable agreements. The enabling provisions of Law 1258 have been the starting point for the preparation of at least three Model Law …

Ferrã£O, R. Benedito. The Many Lives Of Vamona Navelcar. Cinnamon Teal, 2017., Alia Yunis

All Works

There is India, and then there is Goa with a side of India, a state of being that transcends the physical borders of Goa, carving out a national identity that supersedes an Indian one. The Many Lives of Vamona Navelcar is a collection of essays, fiction, poetry and a moving graphic novel that serves as an interpretation of this multicultural transnational state of being. It does so by taking us on an exploration of the Goan painter and artist Vamona Navelcar, told to us by a variety of Goan writers and artists.

Seven Factors That Influence The Effectiveness Of International Development, Jaylyn Perry

Senior Honors Theses

This literature review analyzes the global issue of poverty and the various factors that are influencing the ability of nations to effectively achieve development. The many interpretations of what development is, as well as the categories and forms of poverty, are examined to show the scope of the issue. Seven factors: politics, economics, institutions, culture, geography, aid, and globalization are explored as to their impact on the effectiveness of development around the world. The review of the literature found that effective development is influenced by each one of these factors and it is necessary to consider them when planning and …

Issue 316: November 29-December 13, 2018, The Local Voice

The Local Voice

No abstract provided.

Faculty Senate Minutes, November 28, 2018, Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Minutes and Reports

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Media On The American Perceptions Of Islam From 2001-2012, Brently Pustelak

Senior Honors Theses

This study seeks to understand the correlation between the average American's understanding of a Muslim and the portrayal of Muslims in relevant news events. After defining terms and reviewing previous literature, two news sources will be used to compare various historically-significant events. The major events to be studied are the September 11 attacks of 2001, the American involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the “Arab Spring”. Precedent literature shall be used to determine a baseline understanding of common American perceptions of Muslims. From the baseline understandings of American perceptions and the established definitions regarding Muslims, a connection will be drawn …