Digital Commons Network^™

State And Regional Comparisons Of Breastfeeding Policies And Rates: A National Study, Erin Johnson

Honors Theses

State legislation focused on promoting and supporting breastfeeding is relatively new, beginning in the 1990s. The purpose of this study is to determine if there is an association between state breastfeeding rates and state breastfeeding legislation and other institutional policies. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention releases breastfeeding report cards with the most up-to-date state breastfeeding rates. These reports are used to examine the relationship between state breastfeeding rates and number of breastfeeding policies passed by a state. Government initiatives, such as Healthy People Initiative, and organizational practices, such as Baby-Friendly USA Inc., are also studied to determine their …

German Regional Identity And Soccer: Comparison Of Soccer’S Impact On Cultural And Political Identities In Munich And Dortmund, Germany, Megan Degrafft

Honors Theses

This paper aims to explore the relationship between soccer from a regional perspective using FC Bayern Munich and Munich, Germany and Borussia Dortmund and Dortmund, Germany and how those cities’ soccer teams elicit political and regional identities through the dichotomy between the fans and the business mindset of contemporary German soccer. A media analysis using two German language newspapers was used in order to collect articles that reported on the two soccer clubs apart from their result on the field. Pre-existing Twitter hashtags were also used to collect fan reactions towards the reported events. The findings revealed three different crises …

Economic Advancement Across The European Playing Field, Zac Herring

Honors Theses

This project seeks to examine the relationship between economic history, soccer, and economic institutions in countries who have attained varying levels of success on the soccer field and economically. The work of several influential scholars in recent decades has drawn attention to the need for a shift in the goal for economic achievement from industrialization to institutional effectiveness. This study develops a model to further understand the relationship between economic achievement and soccer success. It then includes case studies of three countries from the model in order to further understand the impact of the institutions that have a significant presence …

A Discussion Of Twelve Financial Accounting Topics, Katherine T. Oglesby

Honors Theses

The purpose of this paper is to investigate twelve different financial reporting topics using specific scenarios and financial positions of existing companies that have been presented in various case studies. The case studies cover multiple topics, long-term debt, equity sales, marketable securities, deferred income taxes, revenue recognition, financial reporting of cash flows, impairments and securities’ sales related to debt, and capitalized costs and earnings quality. In addition to the financial reporting topics, four cases cover various accounting-related topics, including data analytics incorporated into the profession as a whole, transparency and ethics both during the accounting recruiting process, along with during …

Factionalism In The Democratic Party 1936-1964, Seth Manning

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The period of 1936-1964 in the Democratic Party was one of intense factional conflict between the rising Northern liberals, buoyed by FDR’s presidency, and the Southern conservatives who had dominated the party for a half-century. Intertwined prominently with the struggle for civil rights, this period illustrates the complex battles that held the fate of other issues such as labor, foreign policy, and economic ideology in the balance. This thesis aims to explain how and why the Northern liberal faction came to defeat the Southern conservatives in the Democratic Party through a multi-faceted approach examining organizations, strategy, arenas of competition, and …

Dismantling The Trusts And Estates Canon, Naomi R. Cahn

GW Law Faculty Publications & Other Works

This Article steps back and reflects on how new perspectives from gender, race, class, and sexual orientation have challenged existing trusts and estates canonical narratives on a number of different levels, both in terms of deepening trusts and estates but also expanding it—that is, challenging core concepts of the field. Part I celebrates how new perspectives have challenged the core trusts and estates canonical narratives. These new perspectives challenge basic concepts of wealth and do the following: 1) bring in alternative conceptions of wealth and of inheritance; 2) question the biases of inheritance law as they reflect conventional social norms; …

Large-Area, High Spatial Resolution Land Cover Mapping Using Random Forests, Geobia, And Naip Orthophotography: Findings And Recommendations, Aaron E. Maxwell, Michael P. Strager, Timothy A. Warner, Christopher A. Ramezan, Alice N. Morgan, Cameron E. Pauley

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Despite the need for quality land cover information, large-area, high spatial resolution land cover mapping has proven to be a difficult task for a variety of reasons including large data volumes, complexity of developing training and validation datasets, data availability, and heterogeneity in data and landscape conditions. We investigate the use of geographic object-based image analysis (GEOBIA), random forest (RF) machine learning, and National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP) orthophotography for mapping general land cover across the entire state of West Virginia, USA, an area of roughly 62,000 km2. We obtained an overall accuracy of 96.7% and a Kappa statistic of …

Protoconch Enlargement In Western Atlantic Turritelline Gastropod Species Following The Closure Of The Central American Seaway, Stephanie Sang, Dana Suzanne Friend, Warren Douglas Allmon, Brendan Matthew Anderson

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Abstract The closure of the late Neogene interoceanic seaways between the Western Atlantic (WA) and Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP)—commonly referred to as the Central American Seaway—significantly decreased nutrient supply in the WA compared to the TEP. In marine invertebrates, an increase in parental investment is expected to be selectively favored in nutrient‐poor marine environments as prolonged feeding in the plankton becomes less reliable. Here, we examine turritelline gastropods, which were abundant and diverse across this region during the Neogene and serve as important paleoenvironmental proxies, and test whether species exhibit decreased planktotro‐ phy in the WA postclosure as compared to …

A Common Arthropod From The Late Ordovician Big Hill Lagerstätte (Michigan) Reveals An Unexpected Ecological Diversity Within Chasmataspidida, James C. Lamsdell, Gerald O. Gunderson, Ronald C. Meyer

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background

Chasmataspidids are a rare group of chelicerate arthropods known from 12 species assigned to ten genera, with a geologic range extending from the Ordovician to the Devonian. The Late Ordovician (Richmondian) fauna of the Big Hill Lagerstätte includes a new species of chasmataspidid represented by 55 specimens. This taxon is only the second chasmataspidid described from the Ordovician and preserves morphological details unknown from any of the previously described species.

Results

The new chasmataspidid species is described as Hoplitaspis hiawathai gen. et sp. nov.. Comparison with all other known chasmataspidids indicates that Hoplitaspisoccupies an intermediate morphological position between …

How Can Cities Respond To Flood Disaster Risks Under Multi-Scenario Simulation? A Case Study Of Xiamen, China, Yijun Shi, Guofang Zhai, Shutian Zhou, Yuwen Lu, Wei Chen, Jinyang Deng

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Flood disasters often have serious impacts on cities. Disaster prevention and mitigation schemes for flood disasters must be based on risk assessment. We constructed an indicator system for flood disaster risk assessment from the aspects of hazard factors, sensitivity to the environment, disaster vulnerability, flood disaster prevention, and resilience. Then we add the precipitation factor as a scenario parameter to the assessment of flood disasters, in order to assess the flood disaster risk under annual average precipitation scenarios, multi-year flood season average precipitation scenarios, and large typhoon precipitation scenarios. Xiamen is one of the cities with more serious flood disasters. …

Sons Of The Sāqiya: Grassroots Water Politics In Southeastern Morocco, John Chappell

Honors Theses

This study examines the informal institutions that govern the sāqiya and khettāra irrigation system in southeastern Morocco. I frame those institutions using literature concerning politics of irrigation, governing the commons, and North African political culture. While interviewing farmers in agricultural communities near the Morocco-Algeria border, five themes emerged as key aspects of sāqiya and khettāra governance: the definitions of irrigation communities, the methods of water distribution, the institutions for selecting leaders, and those leaders’ authorities and responsibilities. Institutional arrangements and management practices associated with those themes show that sāqiya and khettāra governance is rooted in the democratic values of consensus …

The Latino South: Race And Racialization, Brittany M. Brown

Honors Theses

Taking into consideration the South’s historic black-white racial binary, this multi-media research project documents the place-specific experiences of 23 Latinos living in Oxford, Mississippi, using anthropologic methods. A digital archive accompanies the written thesis. Through interdisciplinary methods, this research examines and seeks to understand how the Latino community is conforming to or challenging the staunch view of race and identity in the U.S. South, where race is and has always been at the forefront of culture and society. Through knowing the history of race in the South and understanding the black-white racial binary, the presence of Latinos is creating space …

Stunting Is Preceded By Intestinal Mucosal Damage And Microbiome Changes And Is Associated With Systemic Inflammation In A Cohort Of Peruvian Infants, Mara Zambruni, Theresa J Ochoa, Anoma Somasunderam, Miguel M Cabada, Maria L Morales, Makedonka Mitreva, Bruce A Rosa, Gonzalo J Acosta, Natalia I Vigo, Maribel Riveros, Sara Arango, David Durand, Maitreyee N Berends, Peter Melby, Netanya S Utay

Open Access Publications

Stunting, defined as height-for-age

U.S. Adolescent And Adult Women's Experiences Accessing And Using Toilets In Schools, Workplaces, And Public Spaces: A Multi-Site Focus Group Study To Inform Future Research In Bladder Health, Deepa R Camenga, Sonya S Brady, Cecilia T Hardacker, Beverly R Williams, Jeni Hebert-Beirne, Aimee S James, Kathryn Burgio, Jesse Nodora, Jean F Wyman, Amanda Berry, Lisa K Low, Prevention Of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (Plus) Research Consortium

Open Access Publications

The World Health Organization recognizes access to clean and safe toilets as crucial for public health. This study explored U.S. adolescent and adult cisgender women's lived experiences accessing toilets in schools, workplaces, and public spaces. As part of the Prevention of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (PLUS) Research Consortium, we conducted 44 focus groups with female participants (n = 360; ages 11-93). Focus groups were stratified by age (11-14, 15-17, 18-25, 26-44, 45-64, 65+) and conducted across 7 geographically diverse U.S. sites from July 2017-April 2018. Using a transdisciplinary approach, we conducted conventional qualitative coding informed by our PLUS conceptual framework …

Variation In The Delivery Of Inpatient Orthopaedic Care To Medicaid Beneficiaries Within A Single Metropolitan Region, Christopher J. Dy, Andrew D. Tipping, Katelin B. Nickel, Winston Jiang, Regis J. O'Keefe, Margaret A. Olsen

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Estimates Of All Cause Mortality And Cause Specific Mortality Associated With Proton Pump Inhibitors Among Us Veterans: Cohort Study, Yan Xie, Benjamin Bowe, Yan Yan, Hong Xian, Tingting Li, Ziyad Al-Aly

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Long-Term Effects Of A Novel Continuous Remote Care Intervention Including Nutritional Ketosis For The Management Of Type 2 Diabetes: A 2-Year Non-Randomized Clinical Trial, Shaminie J. Athinarayanan, Rebecca N. Adams, Sarah J. Hallberg, Amy L. Mckenzie, Nasir H. Bhanpuri, Wayne W. Campbell, Jeff S. Volek, Stephen D. Phinney, James P. Mccarter

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Genotypic And Phenotypic Characterization Of Antimicrobial Resistance In Neisseria Gonorrhoeae: A Cross-Sectional Study Of Isolates Recovered From Routine Urine Cultures In A High-Incidence Setting, Adam L. Bailey, Robert F. Potter, Meghan A. Wallace, Caitlin Johnson, Gautam Dantas, Carey-Ann D. Burnham

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Top 10 Research Priorities In Spatial Lifecourse Epidemiology, Peng Jia, Ross C. Brownson, Et Al.

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Genomic Characterization Of Antibiotic Resistant Escherichia Coli Isolated From Domestic Chickens In Pakistan, Muhammad Rafique, Robert F Potter, Aura Ferreiro, Meghan A Wallace, Abdul Rahim, Akbar Ali Malik, Naila Siddique, Muhammad Athar Abbas, Alaric W D'Souza, Carey-Ann D Burnham, Naeem Ali, Gautam Dantas

Open Access Publications

Poultry husbandry is important for the economic health of Pakistan, but the Pakistani poultry industry is negatively impacted by infections from

Speaking For Another Polis, Rebecca Townsend

Iowa Journal of Communication

With the ending of the historic practice of town meeting legislature in Amherst, Massachusetts in 2018, this essay studies one practice that had been a source of tension: the deliberative body's foreign policy rhetoric. This essay examines one deliberation on a resolution concerning Nigeria for how participants use presence (Perelman & Olbrechts-Tyteca, 1971) and ventriloquism (Cooren, 2016) to construct a sense of authority for speaking for themselves and for others as democratic agents. It contributes to literature on public meetings and on rhetorical authority.

Alcohol And Marijuana: Substitutes Or Complements And A Deeper Evaluation Of Marijuana Prohibition, Nicholas Andrew Brown

Honors Program Theses

This paper first looks to determine whether alcohol and marijuana are substitutes or complements. This economic relationship between alcohol and marijuana could influence policy decisions regarding marijuana’s legal status in the United States. My method is a meta study and evaluates the current literature on alcohol and marijuana’s economic connection. I find that more empirical research is needed before we can definitively say whether alcohol and marijuana are substitutes or complements. Second, the paper compares the prohibitions of alcohol and marijuana and gives reasons why the United States should learn from its experience during alcohol prohibition and legalize marijuana

Interpreting The Law Of The Sea ‘Regime Of Islands’: An Opportunity For Productive Us Leadership, Elizabeth Mendenhall

Marine Affairs Faculty Publications

This commentary describes an opportunity for clarification of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) ‘regime of islands.’ It describes the growing need to authoritatively distinguish between islands, rocks, and artificial islands for the purpose of stabilizing claims to maritime territory. Sea level rise and island building activities in the South China Sea and elsewhere are increasing the pace at which new islands appear and existing islands disappear. This commentary proposes a two-part interpretation of UNCLOS, which (1) freezes the status of islands and rocks, and (2) asserts a practical distinction between ‘islands’ and ‘artificial islands.’ …

Institutional And Conceptual Barriers To Climate Change Adaptation For Coastal Cultural Heritage, Alanna Casey, Austin Becker

Marine Affairs Faculty Publications

Climate change is increasing the speed at which tangible coastal cultural heritage is changing in character or being lost through weathering, erosion, and inundation. Damages to coastal archeological sites, loss of access to historical sites, and the alteration of cultural landscapes will force changes in the way researchers can study sites, tourists can enjoy places, and descendant communities who have lived in particular areas for time immemorial, and local community members can utilize and relate to landscapes. In the USA, the National Park Service is a primary coastal cultural resource management organization. The National Park Service has been working on …

A Comparative Assessment Of Geostatistical, Machine Learning, And Hybrid Approaches For Mapping Topsoil Organic Carbon Content, Lin Chen, Chunying Ren, Lin Li, Yeqiao Wang, Bai Zhang, Zongming Wang, Linfeng Li

Natural Resources Science Faculty Publications

Accurate digital soil mapping (DSM) of soil organic carbon (SOC) is still a challenging subject because of its spatial variability and dependency. This study is aimed at comparing six typical methods in three types of DSM techniques for SOC mapping in an area surrounding Changchun in Northeast China. The methods include ordinary kriging (OK) and geographically weighted regression (GWR) from geostatistics, support vector machines for regression (SVR) and artificial neural networks (ANN) from machine learning, and geographically weighted regression kriging (GWRK) and artificial neural networks kriging (ANNK) from hybrid approaches. The hybrid approaches, in particular, integrated the GWR from geostatistics …

Improving Spatial Predictions Of Animal Resource Selection To Guide Conservation Decision Making, Brian Gerber, Joseph M. Northrup

Natural Resources Science Faculty Publications

Resource selection is often studied by ecologists interested in the environmental drivers of animal space use and movement. These studies commonly produce spatial predictions, which are of considerable utility to resource managers making habitat and population management decisions. It is thus paramount that predictions from resource selection studies are accurate. We evaluated model building and fitting strategies for optimizing resource selection function predictions in a use‐availability framework. We did so by simulating low‐ and high‐intensity spatial sampling data that respectively predicted study area and movement‐based resource selection. We compared one of the most commonly used forms of statistical regularization, Akaike's …

Border Effect Between Florida, Texas, And Oklahoma, Adam Pfaff

Research Papers

No abstract provided.

State Of Metropolitan Housing Report: 22,000 Equities, Addressing Racial Gaps In Homeownership And Wealth. ..., Lauren Heberle, Kelly Kinahan, Danielle Rohret, Jamar Wheeler, Rebecca Halpryn

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

No abstract provided.

South China Sea Contestations: Southeast Asia’S Regional Identity And Asean’S Sustainability, Victor R. Savage

Asian Review

Current global news is focused on China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea and the ensuing clash with the United States over the “freedom of marine navigation.” Against this background of territorial claims lies the complex history of old Asian civilizations which undergird no easy resolution of such territorial issues. This paper interrogates the region’s cultural identity paradigm arising from China’s territorial claims, the US-China hegemonic global contestation, the US-China trade war and ASEAN’s responses to the changing geopolitics and extension of China’s geography. It argues that both domestic changes and externalities are affecting ASEAN’s regional cohesion.

Examining Naloxone Access: A Spatial Asessment Of Opioid Use In Urban And Rural Contexts, Keith Chichester

All ETDs from UAB

Background: Elements of the physical environment have been shown to influence health behaviors including drug use and overdose mortality. Throughout the opioid epidemic in the United States, rural regions have been disproportionately affected by opioid overdose. Although the relationship between the urban built environment and opioid overdose has been established, little is known as to how trends may differ in rural areas. Methods: Risk terrain modeling was used as a spatial analytical approach to assess environmental features that significantly increase the risk of opioid overdose in Jefferson County, Alabama. Spatial risk assessments were conducted for urban and rural regions as …