Digital Commons Network^™

Estimating The Impact Of Houthi Military Action On Shipping Traffic Through The Bab El-Mandeb Strait, Grayson Robinson

All Theses

In this paper I estimate the effects of military action by the Houthi rebels in Yemen on international shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Given the increased security concerns and dangers faced by ships, there has been a considerable decline in the shipping traffic traversing the strait. Disruptions to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which feeds into the Red Sea, have led many ships instead electing to take the longer alternate route around the African continent. Using shipping and attack data in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait from January 2022 to October 2024, I design a quasi-experimental Difference-in-Differences (DID) model to estimate …

The Private Libraries Of Charleston, 1780-1860, Winter Hein

All Theses

The scope of this thesis examines the private libraries inventoried in Charleston, South Carolina. The thesis answers the question about the prevalence of private book collections and rooms called the “Library” between 1780 and 1860, as seen in probate inventories. Additionally, this thesis explores the character of the private collections during this study period in a case study manner. This includes the size of the collections, location (urban vs. rural), where collections are stored, and in which rooms they are found. Of the 4,476 Charleston County probate inventories between 1780 and 1860 available through FamilySearch online, a total of 903 …

Estimating The Effect Of Residential Sales Prices On Building Permits, Emilio Becerra

All Theses

This paper addresses home sales prices’ impact on residential building permit authorization in South Carolina’s Greenville and Richland counties amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The estimation uses a comprehensive data set of the housing markets in both counties for 2016 to 2022, incorporating 88,098 home sales. The analysis exploits the variation in sales prices of homes to analyze the sensitivity in the supply of permits to builders through an instrumental variables approach. Using two instruments, violent crimes and household income, the effect of sales prices on the supply of building permits is positive and statistically significant. Included in the first-stage regression …

Creating Near Real-Time Alerts Of Illegal Gold Mining In The Peruvian Amazon Using Synthetic Aperture Radar, Milagros Becerra, Lucio Villa, Andréa Puzzi Nicolau, Kelsey E. Herndon, Sidney Novoa, Vanesa Martín-Arias, Karen Dyson, Kaitlin Walker, Karis Tenneson, David Saah

Student Publications [Scholarly]

Peru's Southeastern Amazon deforestation trends can be attributed to alluvial gold mining. Illegal mining occurring in forestry concessions, national parks, and the territories of Indigenous People Organizations is of particular concern. We present a methodology to create near real-time alerts of deforestation caused by alluvial gold mining. A time series of Sentinel-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data from February to December 2022 is created in Google Earth Engine (GEE) and assessed using Morton Canty's Omnibus Q-test change detection algorithm. Resulting detections are validated with high-resolution optical imagery from Planet NICFI's monthly basemaps and Planet Scope daily imagery. The alerts identify …

Cooke City – Summer/Winter Visitor Data, Kara Grau, Melissa Weddell, Sophie Morris

Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research Publications

This research note summarizes the findings of ITRR’s Summer (2023) and Winter (2024) Cooke City Visitor Studies. Data was collected from visitors to the Cooke City, Montana, area to gain insight into who visits and what their visits entail. The following tables present travel group demographics and trip characteristics for visitors surveyed during both the summer and winter phases of the study.

Indigenous Ecocinema: Decolonizing Media Environments, Salma Monani

Gettysburg College Faculty Books

Introducing the concepts of d-ecocinema and d-ecocinema criticism, Monani expands the purview of ecocinema studies and not only brings attention to a thriving Indigenous cinema archive but also argues for a methodological approach that ushers Indigenous intellectual voices front and center in how we theorize this archive. Its case-study focus on Canada, particularly the work emanating from the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival in Toronto--a nationally and internationally recognized hub in Indigenous cinema networks--provides insights into pan-Indigenous and Nation-specific contexts of Indigenous ecocinema.

This absorbing text is the first book-length exploration foregrounding the environmental dimensions of cinema made by …

“Standing” In The Way Of Equality: Acheson Hotels, Llc, V. Laufer, Hayley R. Mullen

University of Dayton Law Review

No abstract provided.

How The European Union Should Respond To Trump's Tariffs, Ignacio García Bercero, Petros C. Mavroidis, André Sapir

Faculty Scholarship

President-elect Trump has threatened to increase United States tariffs to 60 percent on imports from China and 10 percent to 20 percent on imports from other trading partners, including the European Union. In doing so the US would be ignoring its World Trade Organisation commitments and would also rollback the substantial liberalisation that has taken place during the past 80 years, with a potentially major negative impact on the world economy.

In response to this threat, the EU should pursue a three-pronged strategy.

First, the EU should engage bilaterally with the US to seek to avoid the imposition of tariffs. …

Social Patterns In Physical Infrastructure: Associations Between Socioeconomic Status And Walkability, Kaylee Coursey

Honors Theses

Studies analyzing the relationship between socioeconomic status and physical infrastructure of a city are inconsistent in findings but agree on racial and class disparities. Utilizing walkability (Walk Score) as a measurement for physical infrastructure, this thesis aims to understand the relationship between socioeconomic status and the walkability of a city. The Socio-Ecological framework suggests that environmental experiences are correlated with the social functioning of a community. Thus, socioeconomic status has a significant impact on the quality of one’s built environment.

Using housing data from the 2021 American Community Survey (ACS) and Walk Score, a series of quantitative analyses were conducted …

A Native American Free Press: The Opportunities And Threats To Press Freedom In Indian Country, Bryan Pollard

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Tribal media – media outlets often operated by a tribe for a Native audience – are an indispensable public service to their communities. They are relied upon for news and information about current events and governmental actions, and often reinforce cultural and community values. These outlets are often financially subsidized by the tribal government if the operation is too small or geographically remote to generate the revenue necessary for financial independence. Herein lies a central dilemma: Can tribal media, under the influence of tribal governments, serve as an independent voice free of political interference and capable of fair and truthful …

Carbon Dioxide Dynamics In The Carbonate Critical Zone, Savoy Experimental Watershed, Arkansas, Usa, Michael Darvin Jones

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The dynamics of carbon dioxide (CO₂) within the Earth’s critical zone (CZ) are essential for driving spatial and temporal variations of carbonate dissolution and precipitation, which are fundamental to subsurface porosity and permeability development. However, there is still a significant knowledge gap regarding the patterns of CO₂ transport and production within the carbonate critical zone (CCZ). In this study, we investigated these dynamics within a mantled karst terrain at the Savoy Experimental Watershed (SEW) in Northwest Arkansas.

Previous monitoring of partial pressure of CO₂ (PCO₂) and dissolution rates at karst springs in …

Navigating Education In Island Spaces: Insights From Italian Minor Islands, Giambattista Bufalino

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

Education in Italy’s minor islands exists at the confluence of geography, culture, and policy, where the experience of insularity shapes not only the material conditions of schooling but also the foundations of learning itself. These islands, defined by their liminality and interdependence, face pedagogical constraints imposed by centralized curricula, which often fail to reflect the embedded knowledge systems, ecological particularities, and socio-cultural rhythms of insular life. This study critically examines how minor island schools mediate the tension between standardization and locality, leveraging place-based education (PBE) as a means of pedagogical resistance and cultural preservation. Through a documentary analysis of Piani …

Teachers’ Perception Of School Counselors’ Effectiveness When Supporting Middle-Level African American Males, Vanessa Dease

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Six teachers representing three sites in a single school district shared their perceptions through interviews regarding school counselors' effectiveness when supporting African American middle-level males academically, socially, and emotionally. A reflexive thematic analysis guided this study with the help of the sociocultural and expectancy theories. As participants shared their perceptions through interviews, they answered the three research questions that guided the research. The research questions are: (a) What are teachers' perceptions of the effectiveness of school counselors in addressing the unique social and emotional needs of African American male students? (b) What do educators expect of school counselors regarding supporting …

Morality, Outgroups, And Politics, John Jostes

Department of Political Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Moral differences between Democrats and Republicans contribute to affective polarization, or how negatively each side feels toward one another. Partisans are also generally aware of and sensitive to which social groups comprise the other political party. The present study examines if changes to the United States population, and thus levels of support for the two parties, will influence affective polarization. To do so, participants were randomly assigned to one of two treatment conditions in which they read about demographic changes reported in the 2020 U.S. Census, or a control condition. I find that the treatment conditions did not have a …

Local Rural Knowledge And Early Childhood Informal Science Education In Rural Nebraska, Sarah Michelle Paulos

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

This study aims to discover the existing experiences that lead to local rural knowledge (LRK) of specific rural Northeast Nebraska communities. This information will assist in understanding the impact that LRK has on young children’s science knowledge in rural communities. By engaging in hands-on experiences and interactions, science learning goals for children may be achieved and developed through science outreach programs. During Phase 1 of this study, adults in the selected rural communities participated in an online survey indicating their knowledge of various common rural phrases with the option to share personal stories of experiences and family history. This information …

Performance Of Acoustic Telemetry And Space Use Of Pallid Sturgeon In The Lower Platte River, Nebraska, Christopher F. Pullano

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Pallid Sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus) are centenarian, potamodromous, rheophiles that historically occupied the Missouri River and Mississippi River basins. Listed on the U.S. Endangered Species Act in 1990, population declines are attributed to habitat fragmentation and degradation, as well as overharvest, and hybridization. A knowledge gap exists regarding the extent to which tributaries facilitate key life stages for Pallid Sturgeon. This study evaluated the capacity of acoustic telemetry to monitor the movements of Pallid Sturgeon in a shallow, braided tributary to the Missouri River. The specific objectives were to (1) evaluate the environmental variables influencing the performance of acoustic …

A Funerary Rite: A Visual Ethnography Of Climate Change, Threatened And Endangered Coral Species, And The Impact Of Coral Reef Death On Coastal Communities, Jason Uhl

Theses

This directed project includes research on a selection of the 24 coral species currently listed as threatened or endangered, these being at high risk of extinction. Climate change of the Anthropocene era and associated human-induced pollution impacts have resulted in most of the Earth’s coral reefs experiencing increased coral bleaching and coral death events. Our planet’s coral reefs are the main habitat to 25% of the world’s fish population. These coral habitats have also supported innumerous coastal communities in cultural, economic, social, and spiritual respects for millennia. This directed project includes the creation of an exhibition of 22 lidded ceramic …

Global South Sisterhood In A Virtual Exchange: A Critical Autoethnography, Bhavika Sicka, Arzu Atajanova

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

No abstract provided.

From The Personal To The Professional: International Student Experiences Of Seeking Employment In The United States, Hayley Weiner, Peter G. Ghazarian

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Midwives In Achieving The Global Sustainable Development Goals, Bakhtawar Muhammad Hanif Khowaja Bk, Elizabeth K. Darling

Journal of Asian Midwives (JAM)

The sustainable development goals (SDGs) provide a comprehensive framework for global development. Midwives are playing an important role in achieving the targets of the world’s priority agendas. They are actively involved in achieving the targets of SDG#2 by providing education to women on their nutritional requirements, supporting postnatal women with breastfeeding, and educating communities on the use of clean water, sanitation, and hygiene management. Beyond counseling and educating communities on nutrition and hygiene management, they are also involved in improving other health-related outcomes that are indicators for SDG#3, such as improving maternal and child immunization, counseling mothers on tobacco …

Cultural Memory And The Search For Identity In Victorian Fantasy Fiction, Sadie Boggs

Honors College Theses

Fantasy literature's origins can be traced through myths and folktales, medieval romances, enlightenment fairy tale fantasy, and Romanticism, before finally taking firmer root in the Victorian period and blooming into its own genre in 20th century modern fantasy. Victorian thinkers reacted to the Enlightenment’s realism and technological innovation by “rediscovering” the Middle Ages as a time of beauty, simplicity, and moral virtue. Simultaneously, Psychology developed as a recognized field of study, and theories emerged about the psychological process of memory formation and retrieval, as well as its reliability and relation to identity.

Considering these psychological theories, Victorian fantasy's cultural memory …

Letters Between Lovers: A Wartime Woe A Romantic Seven Scene Dance, Rachel Gruszecki

Graduate Thesis Collection

Letters Between Lovers: A Wartime Woe is a ballet that tells the tragic tale of Genevieve and Raymond. Once childhood best friends, their bond grew into a romance that is quickly ripped apart when Raymond is drafted into World War II. Genevieve must fight for her love of Raymond, as well as within the war itself to get him back. This ballet instrumentation features a brass quintet, strings, piano, and various percussion.

It’S So Liberating To Do The Work: Education In Archives Creates Space For People With Disabilities, Jen Hoyer, Julia Pelaez

Publications and Research

What are the barriers and possibilities archives education presents to the disabilities community? More specifically, how can archives education and teaching with primary sources provide opportunities for disabled students that they might not find in mainstream education settings? What matters when working with students with disabilities in archives, and what does it feel like to be a disabled educator in an archive? How can education in archives provide opportunities for vulnerability, connection, and liberation? Sharing a passion for the possibilities of education work in archives and special collections, Jen Hoyer and Julia Pelaez sat down for a conversation about these …

Time Series Decomposition Of Land Surface Temperature For Long-Term Trend Forecasting And Impact On Nesting Sea Turtle Habitats In The Arabian Gulf, Sachi Perera, Rommel H. Maneja, Mohamed Allali, Cyril Rakovski, Erik Linstead, Daniele Struppa, Ali Qasem, Hesham El-Askary

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Improving land surface temperature (LST) modeling is vital for mitigating climate change effects on various ecosystems and marine habitats such as important sea turtle habitats. Over the past decade, extreme temperatures have likely significantly affected nesting sea turtle habitats in the Arabian Gulf, with predominantly female hatchlings creating an imbalance in the sex ratio. Such shifts have profound implications for these habitats’ long-term survival and conservation management. This study leverages statistical machine learning models to measure ongoing temporal variations in LST. We break down the LST time series into trend, seasonal, and noise components using classical decomposition methods like X11, …

Characterization Of Sediment-Flow Interactions In Tidally Driven Salt Marsh Environments, Elijah Rousseau

Master's Theses and Capstones

Salt marshes are effective sediment traps and under static sea levels are known to increase in elevation over time. However, current sedimentation rates are insufficiently high to keep up with the estimated sea level rise. Strategies such as the mud motor, which proposes the injection of dredged sediment into incoming flood tides, require a deeper understanding of how tidal flows evolve in complex estuarine systems and how suspended sediment is dispersed and deposited in vegetated environments. Two field deployments occurred in the summer of 2023 to study the mechanisms of sediment transport and accretion along a horizontal marsh transect in …

Modeling Snow Surface Properties From Lidar And Imaging Spectroscopy, Brenton A. Wilder

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Seasonal snow surface plays an important role in altering terrestrial hydrology and global climate patterns. Snow reflects a majority of incoming shortwave radiation thereby reducing the net shortwave radiation received into snowpack throughout the season. This property is commonly referred to as snow albedo and impacts water cycles and air temperatures by modulating the timing and magnitude of melt. This reflectivity of snow is difficult to measure accurately in mountain environments and at a large enough scale to be meaningful for water resource managers and climate scientists. The work presented herein aims to improve methodologies to measure snow reflectivity from …

Cultura Visual En Instagram Del Espacio Público Urbano: De La Realidad A Las Redes Sociales En Superkilen, María Beltrán Rodríguez, Montserrat Pichel Martínez

Artículos científicos

El artículo presenta una investigación de un caso de estudio de un parque urbano, Superkilen (Copenhague, Dinamarca). Su diseño recibió el premio Agha Kahn en 2016, por ser un espacio multiétnico e inclusivo que representaba a diferentes culturas convivientes en el barrio de Nørrebro, donde se ubica. El parque es conocido por esta mezcla de personas, que conviven a diario en él, ya sea para atravesarlo de camino al trabajo, para hacer deporte o para socializar. Sin embargo, esta realidad no se corresponde con la imagen que se muestra del parque en redes sociales. El icónico diseño del parque, colorido, …

How Couples Navigate Interethnic Differences In Asian American Population: A Grounded Theory Approach, Michelle Nakaula

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Several studies have discussed the impact of cultural factors in Asian American families. Previous research has demonstrated useful strategies used in dealing with distress and relationship dissatisfaction regarding cultural differences. There is limited data or studies that explore additional challenges faced by interethnic couples, rather than interracial couples and the impact of family dynamics on these relationships. Each partner’s identity development process was influenced by their understanding of different cultural traditions and customs. These unique experiences shaped their understanding of roles and expectations within their relationship and parenting styles. Additionally, these family relationships and cultural backgrounds play a role in …

The Seven Essential Law School Simulation Courses, Mitch Zamoff

Utah Law Review

As we mark the ten-year anniversary of the American Bar Association’s six-credit experiential learning requirement and the launch of the NextGen bar exam, it is critical for U.S. law schools to conduct rigorous assessments of their experiential education curricula. While most law schools now offer students meaningful opportunities to develop lawyering skills in clinics and field placements, there is much less consistency in their simulation course offerings. Simulation courses are a critical component of experiential legal education. While students in clinics and field placements gain valuable, realistic experience addressing the issues presented by their actual clients, those issues may sometimes …

Echoing Into The Void: Rucho’S State-Level Progeny, Avery E. Emery

Utah Law Review

When politicians are given free rein to draw districts, they choose their voters rather than allowing the voters to choose their representatives. They rely on “highprofile paid consultants, armies of lawyers, terabytes worth of voting data, advanced software, and even a supercomputer or two”386 to guarantee large margins for their party. This decennial process has reduced electoral competition, made the House of Representatives less responsive,388 and spread a sentiment of disenfranchisement throughout the electorate.

Now is the time for the judiciary—staffed by judges whose role in our constitutional system is to check the political branches—to take decisive action to protect …