Digital Commons Network^™

The Role Of Women In Terrorism, Zeynep Bayar

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The main purpose of this paper is to understand what motivate women to join terrorist groups and why these organizations prefer to work with female terrorists. Although each woman has different reasons to involve in terrorist groups, this research demonstrates 'religious, political and personal' reasons as the major motivating factors. This study also focuses on the question of why women are the targets of terror recruiters. In order to answer these, the research analysis examines 'psychological, gender, and media' factors as major recruitment reasons of terrorist organizations. This study also analyzes the similarities and differences between female terrorists' profiles of …

Raman And Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy For Forensic Analysis: Case Studies On The Identification Of Illicit Substances And Artist Pigments, Abed Haddad

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Raman spectroscopy is an effective tool for detecting trace amounts of material by fingerprint-like vibrational spectra. At times, the weak intensity of Raman scattering can make it difficult to distinguish trace materials. This shortcoming is addressed by surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), which produces strong signal enhancements when target compounds are near metal nanoparticles. For the first part of this thesis, the identification of fentanyl and carfentanil, main culprits in the opioid epidemic, was done using normal Raman and the SERS spectroscopy. As an aid in the assignment of the spectral lines, a computational model was built using Density Functional Theory …

Inheritances Of Injustice/Transference Of Freedom: An Intimate Project On Black Women's Intergenerational Relationships And The Consequences Of The Punishment System, Whitney Richards-Calathes

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This project centers the multi-generational familial relationships between system-impacted Black women, mapping and uncovering the ways in which incarceration and practices of punishment impact, shape, hurt, and displace Black femme lineages. Through a qualitative lens and a specific focus on the current social and political landscape of Los Angeles, this dissertation examines the ways Black women are impacted by carceral ideology; from punitive definitions of Black womanhood, to the surveillance on Black femme familial intimacy and the rupture of Black women’s sense of home and place. Understandings of mass incarceration are frequently male-centered and most analyses of Black women’s system …

The Ethics Of Sheep, Chris Smith Evans

Graduate Theses

An interactive visual art installation in which participants use 18 original pictographs created through the artist’s polling initiative to anonymously oust sexual predators and human traffickers. Interactive components include wool sculptures of victims, witnesses, predators and six canaries. Viewers interact by placing code symbols on linking paths between predators and portraits of those who ousted them.

University Honors Program Newsletters, Honors College, Georgia Southern University

Honors College: News & Publications (2008-2020)

• Congratulations Spring Graduates!
• Sarah Rogers Wins Best Undergraduate Student Presentation
• Invest in Honors
• Daylan Post Interns with NASA

The Parthenon, May 1, 2019, Heather Barker

The Parthenon

The Parthenon, Marshall University’s student newspaper, was published by students Monday through Friday during the regular semester and weekly on Thursdays during the summer. Due to budgetary constraints, beginning with the 2018 Fall semester, the newspaper is only published one day a week. The editorial staff is responsible for the news and the editorial content.

Prosecutorial Discretion And Environmental Crime Redux: Charging Trends, Aggravating Factors, And Individual Outcome Data For 2005-2014, David M. Uhlmann

Michigan Journal of Environmental & Administrative Law

In a 2014 article entitled “Prosecutorial Discretion and Environmental Crime,” I presented empirical data developed by student researchers participating in the Environmental Crimes Project at the University of Michigan Law School. My 2014 article reported that 96 percent of defendants investigated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and charged with federal environmental crimes from 2005 through 2010 engaged in conduct that involved at least one of the aggravating factors identified in my previous scholarship, namely significant harm, deceptive or misleading conduct, operating outside the regulatory system, and repetitive violations. On that basis, I concluded that prosecutors charged violations that …

Increasing Retention Of Foster Resource Families, Bianca Kristal Estrada

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The Family and Children’s Services at Monterey County Department of Social Services (MCDSS) works to ensure that children and youth can have permanent homes by returning to birth parents if safe to do so and/ or becoming adopted. Although, MCDSS: Family and Children’s Services attempts to reunify and secure stability, too many children are aging out of the foster system without being reunified or adopted. Additionally, the MCDSS has faced challenges with retention of Resource Families (previously known as Foster Parents) in the FR process. This capstone consisted of an exploratory research project to understand barriers and opportunities in the …

Effectiveness Of Inmate Labor Programs: A Case Study Of Marion County's Inmate Work Farm, Cassie Beck

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This research project explores the topic of prison labor in the United States. The aim is to analyze the both the strengths and weaknesses of inmate labor programs. In addition, this project examines the effect that these programs have on both the prison itself and the inmates that participate. It analyzes Marion County’s Inmate Work Farm in order to investigate how helpful or harmful this program is to the inmates and the community that surrounds it. This project uses several different theoretical concepts to further explain the topic including Michele Foucault’s concept of power as well as the concept of …

Micro And Macro Aspects Of Disability: An Analysis Of Differential 'Disabling' Experiences Associated With Information And Communication Technology And Political Economic Dimensions Of Persons With Disabilities In Myanmar, Dilshan Lakshitha Fernando

All Theses

According to the World Report on Disability compiled by the World Health Organization in 2011, 15 percent of world’s population lives with at least one form of disability and 80 percent of these persons with Disabilities (PWD) live in developing countries. Following the Social Model, Disability and Underdevelopment appear to form a regressive alliance that continues to bar a large population of human beings from a decent and independent life. However, as individual-level innovations, emerging ICT-based technological solutions promise to bridge the gap that prevents the application of developed world Disability policies to an underdeveloped context.

This study contextualized the …

Analysis Of Spheno-Occipital Synchondrosis (Sos) Fusion In A Contemporary Southern Nevada Subadult Hispanic Population Using Archival Cone-Beam Computerized Tomography (Cbct) Images, Megan Baker

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study employs the three-dimensional visualization capability of cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) to investigate the relationship between chronological age and timing of fusion of the spheno-occipital synchondrosis in a male/female subadult Hispanic population of Southern Nevada. The sample includes cross-sectional data of 374 orthodontic patients (166 males and 208 females) aged 8-20 years. The SOS is scored by a four-stage scoring system as completely open (stage 0), less than half fused (stage 1), more than half fused (stage 2), or completely fused (stage 3) as visualized in the midsagittal plane in the CBCT image. The relationship between SOS fusion stage …

Email Is Alive: How To Communicate With Graduate College Students, Valarie C. Burke

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this research is to ascertain how graduate college students prefer to be communicated with regarding academic deadlines, professional development events and social events. Living in a Web 3.0 world, where people are never alone, but rather always connected, there are several methods to share information. I focus on email, websites, text messaging, instant messaging, and Facebook. For the richest data, I used both quantitative and qualitative methods. First, I conducted focus groups and then designed and distributed a survey. If more engaged students are the more successful, they first need to be aware of ways to get …

State Law And Child Welfare Policy Role In Nonparental Family Composition, Laura Alison Caliendo

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Children in nonparental care have worse outcomes than children in the general population, Federal child welfare policy has prioritized kinship care in an effort to improve outcomes for children; however, it is unclear if the intended child outcomes are achieved. Research shows outcomes vary depending on the type of nonparental family with whom a child lives, due in part to relationship but also to access to services and child welfare system supports. This research defines first five nonparental family types and then uses the framework of ecological systems theory to examine if state laws and child welfare policy influence the …

The Effects Of Sex Role Stereotype Endorsement And Work-Family Conflict On Emerging Adult Aspirations, Andrea Fink-Armold

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Workplace and household inequality remain prevalent in the United States and sex role (e.g. breadwinner and caregiver) stereotypes affect the roles that individuals seek out. This research used a mixed-methods approach to investigate the effects of sex role stereotypes and expected work-family conflict on the work and family aspirations of emerging adults. A racially diverse sample wrote freely about their future selves for ten minutes then completed measures to evaluate their sex-role stereotype endorsement, expected work-family conflict, and personal preferences for career and family roles. Results indicate that endorsement of stereotypes predicts increased expectations of work-family conflict, for both men …

Stop Running In Laps: Evaluating The Lethality Assessment Program's Effectiveness In Reducing Repeat Intimate Partner Violence, Dory A. Mizrachi

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Repeat victimization is a phenomenon which is generally understood as the pattern and prevalence of victimization. This is an important factor for local authorities in their attempt to develop innovative policies and practices to facilitate predicting and preventing crimes. Thus, many police departments around the country, including the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) have adopted the Lethality Assessment Program (LAP). This is a risk assessment tool used by responding officers on domestic violence calls that intends to prevent future risk of lethal violence to victims of domestic violence by assessing their risk of lethality and providing immediate referrals to …

Is Easier, Better? A Reevaluation Of The Use Of Non-Remodeled Bone As A Histological Predictor Of Age-At-Death From The Femoral Midshaft Using Gis Software, Mariah Elaine Moe

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Traditional macroscopic methods for estimating age-at-death from human skeletal remains have been highly successful in practice but are notoriously inadequate when aging individuals over the age of 50 years. Skeletal histology has the potential to overcome these challenges to narrow the gap in age estimation and more accurately address older individuals.

Primary bone is produced during normal growth and development. Once fully matured, individuals undergo the lifelong process of remodeling wherein primary bone is replaced with microstructures called secondary osteons. As individuals age, the amount of primary bone tends to decrease. This study reexamined the use of percentage of primary …

Missed Opportunities: The Effect Of Cps Involvement On Trafficking Victims In The Delinquency System, Kelly Rae Stout

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Children and youth involved in the child welfare system are an incredibly vulnerable population that could potentially have an increased risk for being sexually exploited. In 2014, Federal Public Law 113-183 mandated that all child protective service (CPS) agencies in the United States improve services of commercially sexually exploited children and youth (CSEC). This federal directive requires that states and counties train their staff in identifying and helping children who have been or are at risk for being trafficked. To explore this complex issue, quantitative methods were used. The data were analyzed for CPS engagement among the CSEC victims identified …

Economic Revitalization In The Lower Anthracite Coal Region, Shaunna Barnhart

Sponsored Events -- Materials

Conference materials distributed at the Economic Revitalization in the Lower Anthracite Coal Region convening event organized in collaboration with Bucknell University, Bloomsburg University, Susquehanna University, Greater Susquehanna Valley Chamber of Commerce, Anthracite Region for Progress, Mother Maria Kaupas Center, Shamokin Area Businesses for Economic Revitalization, and the City of Shamokin. The convening focused on collaborative opportunities across the communities of Shamokin, Coal Township, Mount Carmel, and Kulpmon. Event materials include an eight page booklet with speaker biographies, descriptions of event partners, and descriptions of sponsors. Supplementary materials include a welcome letter and the electronic version of a printable flier.

Convening …

A Media Distortion Analysis Of Mass Shootings, Jason R. Silva

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This study examines the reality and news media coverage of all mass shootings in the United States from 1966 to 2016. It employs agenda-setting and framing theoretical frameworks to determine the social construction of mass shootings via the mass media. The project uses open-source data to create a comprehensive list of mass shooting incidents. It then identifies all published New York Times articles on each incident. The study summarizes both the reality of the social problem (i.e. incidents) and the news mediated reality (i.e. New York Times). Next, this dissertation conducts a media distortion analysis to determine the perpetrator, motivation, …

Attitudes Toward Marijuana Legalization: Temporal And Thematic Trends, Daniel James Krystosek

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This dissertation examines historical changes in marijuana legalization attitudes between 1974 – 2018, using a qualitative study of pro-legalization social movements in marijuana culture and quantitative analyses of measures from the General Social Survey (GSS). The main research question asks what themes have been prevalent in pro-legalization social movements (e.g., libertarianism, anti-establishment and anti-drug-war, medical/cancer patient advocacy, market incentives), how these themes have changed over the past several decades, and whether they connect to trends in legalization attitudes in the (GSS).

The first part of this study is qualitative, employing thematic content analysis of the most prominent national pro-marijuana publication. …

Static Advertising Vs Dynamic Advertising And Their Impact On The Fashion Industry, Darlise Goodlow

Honor’s College Freeman Research Journal

This Senior Honors Thesis explored the idea of static advertising and dynamic advertising in the fashion industry. It discussed the similarities and the differences between the two styles of advertising (with an emphasis on the fashion industry), gave examples of both styles of advertising and explained the results of the research plan initiated to understand how static advertising and dynamic advertising impacts the fashion industry within our current society. Participants for the research plan included twelve Texas Southern University students that were split into four categories: Marketing Majors, Business Majors, Fashion Entrepreneurs and Other Majors. Throughout the Spring 2019 semester, …

Attitudes And Perceptions Of Concealed Carry On Campus: A Case Study Of Students, Staff, And Faculty At Liberty University, Jeremiah Todd Koester

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The number of mass shootings and active shooter situations has significantly increased at higher education institutions (HEIs) over the past several years, and as a result, they have introduced issues of safety that administrators must handle. The purpose of this embedded, single case study was to understand the attitudes concerning concealed carry on campus for students, staff, and faculty at Liberty University. The primary theory guiding this study was vested interest theory (Crano, 1997) as it examines the attitudes of those most closely involved with a situation and how they become vested in a particular situation which results in behavior …

Initial Development And Validation Of The Multidimensional Strong Black Woman Scale, Brandi Janee' Chamberlin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The unique experiences of African American women are well documented through intersectionality research. Taking an intersectional framework, this study is designed to develop and initially validate a new scale, the Multidimensional Strong Black Woman Scale. The Strong Black Woman is characterized by strength, resilience, independence, stoicism, and caretaking. This schema is adopted by many African American women to combat negative racial stereotypes, born out of slavery and discrimination. The Strong Black Woman often neglects her own mental and physical health in order to care for others, and delays help-seeking behaviors. This has a negative impact on mental health. The strong …

The High Court As De Facto Court Of Appeal: A Revisitation Of Leave Requirements In The Criminal And Family Court Jurisdictions, Kwan Ho Lau

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

The High Court almostalways sits in its judicial capacity with a single Judge. The exceptions arelimited. This article is concerned with the expanded constitution of the HighCourt in the exercise of its criminal and family court jurisdictions, and with the opinion expressed in some recent cases that the enlarged three-judge panelof the High Court might in these contexts be viewed as a de facto Court of Appeal. Upon a contemplation of the consequencessaid to result from such occasional expansions of the court, it is suggested inthis article that the practice, while defensibly founded on practicalnecessity, should also lead to consideration …

Speaking Of Recovery, Thomas A. Conklin

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This empirical study analyzed the language used by six individuals in recovery from alcohol use disorder (AUD) who have been participants in the mutual support organization Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) as they described their experiences with AUD and recovery. Participants were all White middle-aged Americans without a college education, a demographic cohort that has been identified as being at elevated risk for premature death due to AUD, drug misuse, and suicide (Case & Deaton, 2017). The findings suggest that participants’ experiences with AUD were associated with a constellation of factors, including culture-bound conflicting social identities, ruptured intimate relationships, and chronic unsuccessful …

Between Politics And Morality: Hans Kelsen's Contributions To The Changing Notion Of International Criminal Responsibility, Jason Kropsky

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The pure theory of law analyzes the legal normative basis of jurisprudence. According to its author, Hans Kelsen (1881-1973), the study of law as a science can only arise once “alien elements” associated with sociology, politics, ethics and psychology are extracted from strict legal cognition. But what happens when the international sphere of law that possesses the special quality of holding state officials accountable for core international crimes requires intrusion by extra-legal sources? Does Kelsen’s structural edifice collapse? Or is it reconstituted? In examining how international criminal responsibility, a test case for Kelsen’s positive law claims derives its legitimacy, this …

Defending The "Bad Immigrant": Aggravated Felonies, Deportation, And Legal Resistance At The Crimmigration Nexus, Sarah Rose Tosh

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation explores the development and effects of the “aggravated felony”—an expansive legal category that has spurred the detention and deportation of hundreds of thousands of immigrants, including many green-card-holding lawful permanent residents, over the past thirty years. Offenses in this category need not be “aggravated” nor “felonies,” but rather, include a broad range of criminal convictions, including misdemeanors, ranging from check fraud and simple drug possession to drug trafficking and murder. Non-citizens in removal proceedings based on aggravated felony convictions are mandatorily detained and almost certainly deported—usually without legal representation. Still, despite growing academic interest in deportation and the …

Municipal Police Under Federal Control: A Mixed-Methods Analysis Of Title 42 U.S.C. Section 14141 Negotiated Settlements, Jason W. Ostrowe

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Passed as part of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, the Law Enforcement Misconduct Statute 42 U.S.C. 14141 (§ 14141) authorizes the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate, and enter into a court-enforceable structural reform agreement with a law enforcement agency engaged in patterns or practices of systemic misconduct, violations of federal law, and unconstitutional policing.

Under § 14141 authority, 33 investigations of municipal police have been conducted since 1994 where the DOJ determined that a police agency was engaged in, or at unreasonable risk of engaging in, a pattern or practice of unconstitutional policing. Publicizing …

Who Needs Blame?: Answerability Without Expressed Blame, Sarah Gokhale

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation argues that we can hold other agents morally responsible without expressing blame and, more strongly, that doing so is preferable. I first argue that blame is fundamentally retributive, and that blame’s retributive foundation is incipiently present even in civilized guises. As such, even though some forms of expressed blame are quite civilized, expressed blame always involves a risk of emotional damage, entrenchment, and escalation. To make things worse, I argue that anger is an exacerbating feature of blame’s retributive foundation. I then argue that, generally speaking, cases of public blame involve higher stakes than cases of private judgments …

Youth Voice And The Promise And Peril Of Affirmative Governmentality: An Analysis Of New York City’S Borough Student Advisory Councils, Hillary R. Donnell

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This study addresses civil society and the state’s shifting approach towards the incorporation of youth in governmental decision-making since the 1990s, and the recent ascendance of youth voice councils as a method of civic engagement. It uses the New York City Youth Leadership Council Initiative and the Borough Student Advisory Councils as case studies. Relying on the author’s ethnographic participant observation and youth-voice frameworks, the paper provides an analysis of the individual, organizational and systems level effects of the New York Department of Education’s BSAC program. Further, the paper discusses affirmative governmentality as a lens through which to critically examine …