Digital Commons Network^™

Communicating In Crisis Situations, Rick Gorvett, Chris Morse, Julie Volkman

Communication Faculty Journal Articles

Communicating technical information, especially in a crisis situation and particularly when the audience does not share the technical background, is a challenge that actuaries frequently face. This essay describes the dynamics and issues involved in crisis communications and provides some recommendations for actuaries confronting such a situation.

Alone: A Dataset For Toxic Behavior Among Adolescents On Twitter, Thilini Wijesiriwardene, Hale Inan, Ugur Kursuncu, Manas Gaur, Valerie L. Shalin, Krishnaprasad Thirunarayan, Amit P. Sheth, I. Budak Arpinar

Publications

The convenience of social media has also enabled its misuse, potentially resulting in toxic behavior. Nearly 66% of internet users have observed online harassment, and 41% claim personal experience, with 18% facing severe forms of online harassment. This toxic communication has a significant impact on the well-being of young individuals, affecting mental health and, in some cases, resulting in suicide. These communications exhibit complex linguistic and contextual characteristics, making recognition of such narratives challenging. In this paper, we provide a multimodal dataset of toxic social media interactions between confirmed high school students, called ALONE (AdoLescents ON twittEr), along with descriptive …

Student Affairs At Rural Higher Education Institutions: The Impact Of Place On Professional Identity, Lisa Anne Samuelson

Theses and Dissertations

The relationship between professional socialization factors of rural student affairs professionals and their level of professional identity is the central question in this study. The study explores this question using a non-experimental survey design. The study utilizes the instrument the Student Affairs Professional Identity Scale developed by Wilson, Liddell, Hirschy, and Pasquesi (2015). Participants in the study include student affairs professionals currently employed at rural institutions as designated by U.S. Census data. The study examines the relationship between socialization factors: professional influences, professional development influences, and professional engagement activities; and; professional identity constructs: community connection, values congruence and career contentment. …

Assessing If Motivation Impacts General Aviation Pilots’ Persistence In Varying Weather Conditions, Sabrina Woods

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Continued flight under visual flight rules into instrument meteorological conditions is the predominant cause for fatal accidents by percentage, for general aviation aircraft operations. It is possible that a pilot’s motivation or reason for flying will override other safer, more logical courses of action when a hazard presents itself. The decision appears to stem from a willingness to persist in a course of action despite factors that indicate an alternate and safer course is warranted. This research addresses what is currently presumed about the decision to continue flying under visual flight rules into instrument conditions and marries those ideas with …

Tilted Literature Review, Molly Goldman

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

In my research, I will be conducting a literature review that looks into several aspects of the 'tilted' phenomenon. My research collection will include several psychological functions in conflict and how they relate to the titled definition. First, I will be looking into how individual conflict affects the team's performance. I will also be researching affect management in real-time and different strategies for managing emotions under high-stress conditions. The goals of this project are to bring forward data on how to help Esports teams effectively manage their emotions while in high-stress situations. This research will help to identify both individual …

Post-Supernatural Cultures: There And Back Again, Wesley J. Wildman, F. Leron Shults, Saikou Y. Diallo, Ross Gore, Justin Lane

VMASC Publications

The abandonment of supernatural religious beliefs and rituals seems to occur quite easily in some contexts, but post-supernaturalist cultures require a specific set of conditions that are difficult to produce and sustain on a large scale and thus are historically rare. Despite the worldwide resurgence of supernaturalist religion, some subcultures reliably produce people who deny the existence of supernatural entities. This social phenomenon has evoked competing explanations, many of which enjoy empirical support. We synthesize six of the most influential social-science explanations, demonstrating that they provide complementary perspectives on a complex causal architecture. We incorporate this theoretical synthesis into a …

“There Is Power In A Woman’S Wit And Will” : Womanly, Wit, Will, And Wiles In Gothic Works Of Louisa May Alcott, Alexandra Ortea

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Central to the Female Gothic is a woman searching for her identity in the confinements of society. Utilizing Louisa May Alcott’s Gothic works, I will examine the extent to which the formation of an identity is subjected to internalized forces of normalcy. In “A Whisper in the Dark” (1863), “V.V.; Plots and Counterplots” (1865), and “Behind a Mask, or a Woman’s Power” (1866), Alcott explores themes of feminine identity, power, and sexuality. Alcott both subverts and adheres to gender roles to reveal their falsehood. Furthermore, Alcott exposes the effect of the patriarchal order on both men and women by destabilizing …

In Memory Of Professor James E. Bond, Janet Ainsworth

Seattle University Law Review

Janet Ainsworth, Professor of Law at Seattle University School of Law: In Memory of Professor James E. Bond.

Mountain Lions In North Dakota: A Public Opinion Survey, Theodore A. Darnell

Theses and Dissertations

Breeding mountain lion (Puma concolor) populations currently inhabit the western portion of North Dakota. In recent years, apparent increases in human-lion interactions across North Dakota, and other Midwest states, have challenged wildlife managers who strive to balance biological and social carrying capacities of these animals. In 2019, we surveyed 2,000 residents of North Dakota, USA, using a self-administered mail survey to discern knowledge of and attitudes towards mountain lions, and to explore whether the presence of these animals would influence decisions to recreate in western North Dakota. Our questionnaire included 12 questions designed to ascertain respondent attitudes towards mountain lions. …

The Impact Of Clinician Attachment Style On Burnout And Job Satisfaction: Introducing Mindfulness As A Mediator, Jill Marie Calderon

Theses and Dissertations

Attachment style is theorized to develop in childhood, as a result of the bonds that develop between child and caregiver. The research has shown individuals with an insecure attachment style are more at risk for job burnout and less satisfied with their jobs. This study proposed, mindfulness may be the internal process influencing the relationship between attachment style, burnout and job satisfaction. Mindfulness is defined as paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, nonjudgmentally and has found to be positively correlated with secure attachment styles. Additionally, mindfulness has shown to have a negative relationship with burnout and a positive …

Social Media Factors That Influence E-Commerce Buyer Behavior Of Millennials And Post-Millennials, Michele Pomponio

Theses

This research investigated the social media factors that influence the e-Commerce buyer behavior of Millennials and Post-Millennials. In today’s social media savvy environment, it is becoming increasingly important for companies to incorporate effective social media marketing into their business strategies. Further, companies should understand what is most important to customers while engaging on social media platforms. As a result, companies will need to know how to best utilize social media as a tool for increasing sales. This research included a survey that was sent to all undergraduate and graduate students in the College of Art and Design at the Rochester …

The Use Of Social Media To Advance Sports Marketing: The Atlantic Hockey Conference, Erin Claybaugh

Theses

Social media has rapidly changed the world of communications, becoming a popular area of interest to many researchers. Sports marketing has also drastically developed and gained recognition within academia. This project evaluated the use of social media by Atlantic Hockey teams through an investigation of their social media strategies and the effectiveness of their channels. With only a small focus on the Atlantic hockey conference and the widespread growth of college hockey nationally over the years, this study was proposed out of personal interest and found necessary. Research was conducted through a series of interviews with social media coordinators of …

Body Image/Imagining Bodies: Trauma, Control, And Healing In Graphic Memoirs About Anorexia, Kristine M. Gatchel

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Over the past decade, there has been a significant increase of graphic narratives focusing on the intersection of comics and medicine, a subgenre known as graphic medicine. These memoirs, known as graphic pathographies, are written from those who interact with disease in various capacities from patient, to doctor, to caregiver. This project closely examines three graphic pathographies written about the eating disorder anorexia nervosa. Prior writing, both fictional and personal memoir, on anorexia has often been considered as problematic for its ability to function as a how-to manual for anorexics. Anorexia is a complex disease that exists largely within the …

Physical Activity In Aging: Biological Outcomes, Functional Autonomy, And Policy Implications, Nathan Albert Schuler

Theses

A 2016 study concluded that the elderly spend 2.5 times the national average on health services (De Nardi 2016). Despite consisting of only 14 percent of the United States population, the elderly accounted for 34 percent of all medical spending, and accounted for 73 percent of all deaths (De Nardi 2016). In addition, current projections estimate that with the aging of the baby boomer generation, the percentage of the population that is older than 65 will swell to approximately 20 percent of the population by 2030 (Ortman 2014). If the medical spending holds, this will coincide with massive increases in …

Affirmation And Reaction: Towards A Critical Biosemiotic Sociology, Benjamin Dreyer

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Does our physicality influence society? If it does then what meaning can be derived from that relationship? What follows is an analysis of theory which strives to develop a conceptualization of reality and society which incorporates both a radical social constructivism with the assumption or “givenness” of external reality. The works being drawn upon are predominately associated with phenomenological sociology, systems theory, and semiotics but additional works from philosophy and political science are considered. The result of this venture is the conclusion that affirmation, the proof of the reaction, is the foundation of society. From this conclusion follows the postulation …

Crm Revised Electives, Clas

Executive Actions

No abstract provided.

Le Rôle Du Choix De Langue Dans La Littérature Et Le Cinéma Multilingues, Amatullah Brown , '20

Senior Theses, Projects, and Awards

No abstract provided.

Pregnancy And Lactation In A 67-Year-Old Elderly Gravida Following Donor Oocyte, Leila Magistrado, Mary C Tolcher, Anju Suhag, Sonal Zambare, Kjersti M Aagaard

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

There is limited data on the anticipated perinatal course among gravidae in their sixth and seventh decades. Our objective was to describe the relatively uncomplicated prenatal, intrapartum, and postpartum course of a 67-year-old essential primigravida. Briefly, our patient conceived a singleton pregnancy via IVF with donor oocytes, then presented at 13 6/7 weeks of gestation to initiate prenatal care. Her medical history was significant for chronic hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and obesity. Her cardiac function was monitored throughout pregnancy, and she delivered at 36 1/7 weeks by cesarean for a decline in left ventricular function with mitral regurgitation. Her intrapartum and postpartum …

A Materialist Critique Of The Settler Occupation Of Maine In Stephen King’S Pet Sematary, Nathan Cleaver

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present

This project seeks to give Stephen King and Pet Sematary full consideration through applying a multi-faceted ecocritical approach to a novel so clearly founded on the relationship between the land and its inhabitants. Through my analysis of the environment’s role in Pet Sematary, I will engage with important questions asked by both Historical and New Materialists in order to examine as completely as possible the relationship between Indigenous peoples and colonist conceptions of property, land use, and nonhuman agency present in the pages. Study of this sort engages in a critique of settler colonial ideals through a thorough examination of …

An Examination Of Adolescent Maternal–Infant Attachment Relationship Outcomes Following A Firstplay® Therapy Infant Storytelling-Massage Intervention: A Pilot Study, Karen M. Baldwin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present

Adolescent mothers experience many factors that affect their ability to securely attach to their infants and are therefore considered a high-risk population. In addition, infants of adolescent mothers are at an increased risk of developing insecure attachment. FirstPlay® Therapy Infant Storytelling-Massage is an attachment-based, parent–infant adjunctive play therapy model founded on the theoretical underpinning of attachment theory. The current study implemented a one-time intervention with an adolescent mother population in a group home setting. A pretest/posttest design was utilized to measure the impact of FirstPlay® Therapy on the variables of an adolescent mother’s levels of maternal attachment and comfort with …

An Examination Of Self-Directed Learning Readiness And Academic Achievement Among Community College Students Enrolled In Student Success Courses, Kim-Le Thuy Downes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present

The objective of this correlation study was to describe the association between the self-directed learning readiness (SDLR) and academic achievement among community college students enrolled in student success courses. Data were collected from a convenience sample of 35 community college students enrolled in student success seminar courses in central New Jersey. Total scores obtained from the administration of the Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale (SDLRS) were used to measure participants’ degree of SDLR. Participants’ GPA and final student success course grade was used as metrics of academic achievement. Additional analyses were conducted to determine if participants’ age and gender changed the …

Combating Human Trafficking With The Law: A Content Analysis Of State Laws And Recommendations For Legal Reform, Caralin Branscum

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present

Human trafficking is a heinous human rights violation, impacting as many as 40.3 million people around the globe (Global Slavery Index, 2018). In the United States of America (USA), the Trafficking Victims Protections Act of 2000 (TVPA), and its subsequent reauthorizations, comprise the bulk of the federal response to human trafficking. As a result, federal policies have received a lot of praise and scrutiny in the literature. However, less is known about statewide legislative efforts to combat human trafficking. To fill this gap, the current study analyzes state human trafficking statutes through content analysis. Overall, state legislation could best be …

Cyclical Variations In Object And Spatial-Based Attention, Subhosit Ray

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present

Spatial-based attention is shown to vary in strength over short intervals of time. Whether object-based selection also has similar temporal variability is not known. Egly, Driver and Rafal (1994) demonstrated using 2-rectangle displays how both spatial and object-based selection engages in processing of a visual scene. In Experiment-1 using the 2-rectangle paradigm we measured temporal variability of target detection by presenting targets at a variable SOA. In Experiment-2, we used 4-squares to preclude any object-based selection and measured temporal variability in target detection at similar locations as in Experiment-1. We found target detection to be periodic in delta and theta …

Degenerative Decadence And Regenerative Militarism In The Invasion Narratives Of Robert W. Chambers And Erskine Childers, Lucas C. Townsend

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present

This thesis explores fin de siècle theories of decadence, degeneration, criminology, and evolutionary biology, and their contemporary application to invasion literature written between 1871 and 1915. While there is significant criticism on early invasion narratives, there is little extant on Robert W. Chambers’s The King in Yellow (1895) and Erskine Childers’s The Riddle of the Sands (1903), especially in discussing the importance of their militaristic “calls to action” to convert weak, aesthetically-inclined men into hard-working patriotic soldiers and public servants. Through this conversion, the characters of Chambers and Childers serve as important role models that exemplify Max Nordau’s ideal “all-American …

Is It Permissible To Teach Buddhist Mindfulness Meditation In A Critical Thinking Course?, Anand Jayprakash Vaidya

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

This essay argues for the permissibility of teaching Buddhist mindfulness meditation in a critical thinking course. One might object that Buddhist mindfulness meditation is part of a religion, and religions are thought to be dogmatic and uncritical, and thus inappropriate for a critical thinking course. However, I argue that there is a pathway from the importance of self-regulation for good critical thinking to the permissibility of including mindfulness meditation in a critical thinking course. I offer three arguments for the permissibility of inclusion: the self-regulation argument, the expansion by way of cognitive science argument, and the persistence through emotional volatility …

[Review Of] Flaming?: The Peculiar Theopolitics Of Fire And Desire In Black Male Gospel Performance, By Alisha Lola Jones, Jennifer Rycenga

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

A book review is presented for Alisha Lola Jones, Flaming? The Peculiar Theopolitics of Fire and Desire in Black Male Gospel Performance. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2020.

Providing Adolescents With Independent And Confidential Access To Childhood Vaccines: A Proposal To Lower The Age Of Consent, Lois A. Weithorn, Dorit R. Reiss

Faculty Scholarship

The recent rise in rates of nonvaccination and vaccine-preventable diseases and the attendant risks to the public’s health require that lawmakers consider new policy solutions. This Article proposes one such solution. We recommend creation of a limited exception to parental decisionmaking authority by permitting certain older minors to provide legally binding consent for childhood vaccinations and protecting the confidentiality of minors who request vaccination. We analogize this proposed policy to other statutory exceptions that permit certain minors independent access to services relating to contraception, pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, mental health and substance abuse, and sexual assault. In this interdisciplinary paper, …

Political Centrism, Perspective Taking, And Outgroup Derogation: An Integrated Model, David Kesler

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

The relationship between perspective taking abilities, political centrism, and outgroup derogation is not defined at this time. While previous research has demonstrated a negative relationship between political centrism and outgroup derogation (Van Prooijen, Krouwel, Boiten, & Eendebak, 2015), the relationship between the other variables is unclear. Therefore, the current study sought to measure the relationship between (1) perspective taking abilities and political centrism, (2) perspective taking and outgroup derogation, (3) political centrism and outgroup derogation and lastly, (4) whether the relationship between perspective taking abilities and political outgroup derogation would be mediated by an individual's level of political centrism.

Gesture Production And Theory Of Mind: Effective Disambiguation In Communication Through Gesture, Minju Kim, Adena Schachner

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

People design their speech acts with their listeners in mind,accounting for their knowledge and other mental states. Is this ability specific to spoken language and co-speech gesture, or does it appear in pantomimic gestures as well? We ask whether adults flexibly shift their silent gestures to emphasize relevant information, representing different features of the target indifferent contexts. In a two-item reference game, adults gestured to a partner to indicate which object was the target.Item pairs differed in one of three features (size, shape,pattern). We found that adults were more likely to gesture a feature when it was relevant to distinguishing …

The Effectiveness Of Mentoring Adolescent Girls: Targeting Underserved Communities In Chicago's South Suburbs, Robin L. Miles

All Capstone Projects

The objective of this research was to identify the most effective mentoring strategies to combat social issues that adolescent females are faced with; and to explore the implementation of female-only mentoring programs in Chicago's southland communities. The current study used an exploratory, qualitative phenomenological approach and content analysis to analyze the data. Purposive sampling was used to obtain participants for this study. All participants were at least 18 years old. All participants were actively engaged in their girl mentoring program at the time of study. The researching conducted semi-structured interviews using open-end questions. To ensure validity and reliability of the …