Digital Commons Network^™

Mapping Of Freedom Of Information Requests (Foirs) For The Publication Of Covid-19 Vaccine Supply Contracts, Chiamaka Ojiako, Uchechukwu Ngwaba

The Transnational Human Rights Review

Freedom of Information Requests (FOIRs) provide the window of access to COVID-19 vaccine supply contracts in times of crisis, yet for COVID-19 supply contracts, FOIRs have recorded limited success due to barriers which have either been legal, institutional, political or a combination of all of these. Despite State’s commitment to freedom of information and open contracting at both the national and international level, the urgency to procure vaccines led many countries to prioritize public health goals over protecting the public’s right of access to information. This empirical study examines freedom of information requests related to COVID-19 vaccine supply contracts to …

Community Engagement And Planning: Reading Center For Active Living (Recal), Ceara Somerville, Caitlin Coyle, Beth Rouleau

Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging Publications

This report describes research undertaken by the Center for Social & Demographic Research on Aging (CSDRA) within the Gerontology Institute at the University of Massachusetts Boston, on behalf of the Town of Reading. The goals of this project were to (1) engage the community and (2) investigate the needs, interests, preferences, and opinions of Reading residents regarding the possibility of a new community or senior center. The content of this report is meant to inform the Reading Center for Active Living Committee (ReCalc) on its mission to “explore the current and future needs of the community and initiate planning for …

The Rise Of Terrorism In Africa And What It Means For U.S. Policymakers, Bridget Mary Hughes

Master's Theses

This thesis utilizes three case studies to measure the rise of terrorism in Africa. This qualitative data leads the reader to one ultimate question: what does the rise in terrorism in Africa mean for the United States (U.S.) and U.S. policymakers, National Security academia, students in National Security, if anything at all? The answer is: if civilian and military compounds are being targeted by these violent extremists, as these three case studies demonstrate, it is my recommendation that U.S. policymakers cease sending troops to the African theater and, instead, allocate funding to the citizens and nonprofits of the countries whom …

Spatial Analysis Of Housing Vacancy : Time Lag, Spillover Effects, And Spatial Heterogeneity, Yutian Feng

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The housing vacancy issue has long been a concern for community development and urban planning, especially in old industrial cities since the second half of the 20th century. Following the subprime lending crisis in 2007, the problem of housing vacancy again attracts attention as it causes problems like housing inequity, neighborhood redevelopment, and spatial justice in most U.S. cities. This dissertation systematically builds up an analytical framework to explore the mechanism of housing vacancy, using Buffalo urban area as a case study. Firstly, the research pays attention to the factors contributing to housing vacancy. The dissertation also investigates if there …

Performance Comparison Of Weak And Strong Learners In Detecting Gps Spoofing Attacks On Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (Uavs), Aydan Gasimova

Theses and Dissertations

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle systems (UAVs) are widely used in civil and military applications. These systems rely on trustworthy connections with various nodes in their network to conduct their safe operations and return-to-home. These entities consist of other aircrafts, ground control facilities, air traffic control facilities, and satellite navigation systems. Global positioning systems (GPS) play a significant role in UAV's communication with different nodes, navigation, and positioning tasks. However, due to the unencrypted nature of the GPS signals, these vehicles are prone to several cyberattacks, including GPS meaconing, GPS spoofing, and jamming. Therefore, this thesis aims at conducting a detailed comparison …

Exploration Of The Handling Qualities Of An Autonomous Unmanned Aircraft System Using A Grounded Theory Methodology Toward The Identification Of Characteristic Traits, Michael Mclean

Theses and Dissertations

This grounded theory study explores the handling qualities of an autonomous, large UAS based upon semi-structured interviews with eleven MQ-4C Triton air vehicle operators (AVO). Through inquiry into the tasks and difficulties experienced during operation of Triton, themes regarding the role of the AVO, the role of the automation, and the role of the interface were developed using the constant comparative method. Interconnections between the developed themes led to theory about the applicability of the handling quality framework to autonomous UAS, the tasks performed by the AVO, the human factors applied to AVO, and the relationship of the AVO to …

An Exploration Of Higher Educational Experiences For Mixed Blood American Indian Males In The Santa Clara Valley, Edward Salcedo

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the availability of higher educational opportunities in the Santa Clara Valley for mixed blood American Indian males in the Santa Clara Valley from lower middle class and middle-class backgrounds born between the early 1980’s and early 1990’s who enrolled in community college courses but did not graduate. The study uses Critical Race Theory as the guiding theoretical framework but focuses on Tribal Critical Race Theory pioneered by Brayboy (2005) to understand the educational and societal experiences of American Indian people from their unique ethnic prism. The dissertation uses Red People’s Oral Tradition as the methodology, drawing from …

If You Give A Beetle A Maple: Anoplophora Glabripennis Habitat Selection Patterns On An Island In South Carolina, Meredith Bean

All Theses

At the epicenter of the Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis Motschulsky) quarantine zone in South Carolina, a small island containing an actively growing subpopulation of A. glabripennis had not completely killed its 37 host trees in 2020. Before these trees were removed and destroyed according to the USDA Eradication Program protocols, I performed an observational study to examine the microhabitat selection tendencies of the invasive A. glabripennis within this satellite infestation. After cataloging >14,000 oviposition sites and >1,600 exit holes created by A. glabripennis, I found dispersal trends according to a host’s stem status (single or multi-stemmed), vertical …

Delegation At The Founding: A Response To Critics, Julian Davis Mortenson, Nicholas Bagley

Articles

This essay responds to the wide range of commentary on Delegation at the Founding, published previously in the Columbia Law Review. The critics’ arguments deserve thoughtful consideration and a careful response. We’re happy to supply both. As a matter of eighteenth-century legal and political theory, “rulemaking” could not be neatly described as either legislative or executive based on analysis of its scope, subject, or substantive effect. To the contrary: Depending on the relationships you chose to emphasize, a given act could properly be classified as both legislative (from the perspective of the immediate actor) and also executive (from the perspective …

Factors, Scott Rempell

Buffalo Law Review

No abstract provided.

Investigating 9-1-1 Call Experience For Medical Emergencies For Future Design, Leanna Machado

Honors College Theses

Emergency calling services have continued to use the 9-1-1 phone number to share information about a medical emergency for around 60 years. However, there are limitations to the current emergency call services that can have improved communication, speed, and accuracy with the implementation of advancing technology. By examining the experience and opinions of 9-1-1 medical emergency callers, we are able to investigate the design of 9-1-1 services to enhance the call experience. The major challenges found in the study are difficulty in verbally explaining the emergency situation and difficulty in describing the location of the emergency. Technologies such as location …

Annual Report, Fiscal Year 2021/2022, Tennessee. Department Of Safety & Homeland Security.

Annual Report

No abstract provided.

Numerical Simulation Of Hydrodynamic Forces On Riverine And Coastal Bridges Subjected To Extreme Weather Events, Fahad Pervaiz

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

ABSTRACT: Recent bridge failures due to hurricane-generated storm surges and riverine flood events have highlighted the vulnerability of bridge infrastructure to extreme hydrodynamic loading. In addition to posing an immediate risk to human life, bridge failures can hinder evacuation planning and emergency response efforts. Changes in flood frequency and intensity due to climate change and urbanization may alter the hydrodynamic conditions along urban streams, further stressing bridge infrastructure designed based on historical flow conditions. As a result, quantifying the structural response and stability of bridges under current and future hydrodynamic conditions is crucial to improving transportation safety and efficiency. This …

Local Government, Russell A. Britt, Jennifer D. Herzog, Nick Kinsley, Jacob Stalvey O'Neal, Pearson K. Cunningham, Stuart Sumner, Rebekah Ditto, Philip E. Friduss

Mercer Law Review

No abstract provided.

Understanding Racial Disparate Treatment Of Juvenile Interpersonal Violent Offenders In The Juvenile Justice System Using Focal Concerns Theory., Suzanne Overstreet

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Disproportionate minority contact (DMC) is a salient issue that has been found at every stage of the decision-making process in the juvenile justice system (Hawkins & Kempf-Leonard, 2005; Kempf-Leonard, 2007; Bishop, 2005; Leiber, Bishop, & Chamlin, 2010; Leiber & Stairs, 1999). Existing research indicates that DMC influences adjudication for drug, property, and personal crimes (Fergusson, Horwood, & Swain-Campbell, 2003; Frazier, Bishop, & Henretta, 1992; Leiber & Jamieson, 1995; Leiber & Mack, 2003; Hawkins & Kempf-Leonard, 2005; Leiber, 2015). Because intimate partner violence (IPV) is a major public health problem and global concern (Djamba & Kimuna, 2008; Goo & Harlow, 2012; …

The Guardian The Month Of December 2022, Wright State Student Body

The Guardian Student Newspaper

News articles from The Guardian for the Month of December 2022. The Guardian is the official student-run newspaper for Wright State University. It has been published regularly since March of 1965.

Legislative Brief, Treatment For Substance Use Disorder In Tennessee, Tennessee. Comptroller Of The Treasury.

Office of Research and Education Accountability

No abstract provided.

The Guardian The Month Of November 2022, Wright State Student Body

The Guardian Student Newspaper

News articles from The Guardian for the month of December 2022. The Guardian is the official student-run newspaper for Wright State University. It has been published regularly since March of 1965.

Raps Sheet, December 2022, Retirement Association Of Portland State

RAPS Sheet: Monthly Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Aging In Middleton: A Community Needs Assessment, Sue Berger, Caitlin Coyle

Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging Publications

This report describes research undertaken by the Center for Social & Demographic Research on Aging within the Gerontology Institute at the University of Massachusetts Boston, on behalf of the Town of Middleton. The content of this report is meant to inform the Middleton Council on Aging (COA), and organizations that work with and on behalf of older residents of Middleton, for the purposes of planning and coordination of services. Through a process of community engagement and mixed method data collection, the goals of this project are twofold: 1) to inform the planning and design of the future senior center space …

Understanding Alcohol Use Discourse And Stigma Patterns In Perinatal Care On Twitter, Fritz Culp, Yuqi Wu, Dezhi Wu, Yang Ren, Phyllis Raynor Phd, Aprn, Pmhnp-Bc, Peiyin Hung Ph.D, Shan Qiao Ph.D., Xiaoming Li Ph.D., Kacey Eichelberger

Publications

(1) Background: perinatal alcohol use generates a variety of health risks. Social media platforms discuss fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) and other widespread outcomes, providing personalized user-generated content about the perceptions and behaviors related to alcohol use during pregnancy. Data collected from Twitter underscores various narrative structures and sentiments in tweets that reflect large-scale discourses and foster societal stigmas; (2) Methods: We extracted alcohol-related tweets from May 2019 to October 2021 using an official Twitter search API based on a set of keywords provided by our clinical team. Our exploratory study utilized thematic content analysis and inductive qualitative coding methods …

Carceral Intent, Danielle C. Jefferis

Michigan Journal of Race and Law

For decades, scholars across disciplines have examined the stark injustice of American carceralism. Among that body of work are analyses of the various intent requirements embedded in the constitutional doctrine that governs the state’s power to incarcerate. These intent requirements include the “deliberate indifference” standard of the Eighth Amendment, which regulates prison conditions, and the “punitive intent” standard of due process jurisprudence, which regulates the scope of confinement.

This Article coins the term “carceral intent” to refer collectively to those legal intent requirements and examines critically the role of carceral intent in shaping and maintaining the deep-rooted structural racism and …

Factors Predicting Family And Consumer Sciences Teachers' Levels Of Self-Efficacy In Stem Education, Charlene Wirfel Smith

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

Education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) has become widely promoted in recent years. Quality STEM education could maintain or increase the number of individuals preparing for careers in these fields and increase STEM literacy for the population. Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) education has always used science to improve home life while reinforcing technology, engineering, and mathematics principles through hands on, relevant learning activities in the classroom. However, it is not usually recognized as a STEM subject. The purpose of this study was to determine what factors may affect FCS teachers’ level of self-efficacy in teaching STEM education …

Keynote Address: Alaska Native Peoples And The Environment, Elizabeth Saagulik Hensley, Esq.

Alaska Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Kenai Rule In Four Acts: Bear Baiting, Firearms, And Hunting: Comment & Analysis Of Alaska V. Bernhardt, Jon C. Nachtigal, Mike Stocz

Alaska Law Review

The Kenai Rule, enacted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2016, prohibits (a) the hunting of brown bears with bait in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, (b) most hunting in the Skilak Wildlife Recreation Area, and (c) the discharge of firearms along the Kenai and Russian Rivers. The Kenai Rule was challenged by the State of Alaska and Safari Club International in Alaska v. Bernhardt. This Comment provides an overview of the case as it was heard in the District Court of Alaska. This discussion includes arguments and counterarguments surrounding the application of four legislative acts: the …

Analysis Of Automated Vehicle Accidents Across The U.S., Anissa Rocio Quintero

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Car Accidents are a significant public safety hazard to everyone all over the world. Recently, car manufacturers have tried to implement Automated Driving Systems into their vehicles to help drivers and decrease the accident rate. This culminating project analyzed whether Automated Driving Systems have decreased or increased the accident rate in the United States using automated vehicle data collected by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The analysis platform was built using RStudio and Excel. The research questions were: Q1: What amount of autonomous vehicle accidents occurred in each state between 2021 and 2022? Q2: What manufacturer and maker have …

Closing The Door On Permanent Incorrigibility: Juvenile Life Without Parole After Jones V. Mississippi, Juliet Liu

Fordham Law Review

In April 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Jones v. Mississippi, its latest opinion in a line of cases addressing when, if ever, a child should be sentenced to life in prison with no hope of parole or release. Although Jones purported to resolve division among lower courts over the findings that a sentencing court must make about a child defendant’s character and prospects for reform and rehabilitation, the decision will likely lead to further disagreement among courts.

This Note argues that although the Supreme Court’s jurisprudence has protected children from harsh sentences, it has also opened a Pandora’s …

A Comparison Of The Mental Health Of Police Officers And Correctional Officers In Rural Appalachia, Sierra Thomas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore perceptions of mental health among police officers and correctional officers within rural Appalachia. The main goal of this research was to better understand how the occupational demands of working in the criminal justice field can impact one’s mental health over time. Several research questions were explored, including the prevalence of various mental health problems, associated stressors, the structure of support among officers, and the perceptions of mental health treatment services. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with 21 police and correctional officers located in rural Appalachia. Results provided a better understanding of …

A Case Study Of Practitioner Perceptions On The Online Transition Of Student Support Services At A Mississippi Community College, Christopher M. Bagwell

Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)

The study explored how practitioners perceived the transition to online student support services at a Mississippi community college during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study utilized the qualitative research approach of a single case study to gather data. Data was collected through open-ended surveys designed to acquire and interpret perceptions on an array of research questions. Forty-one administrators and staff participated in the study. The researcher employed hierarchical coding to narrow the data into themes. Subsequent rounds of coding and peer review were conducted to develop two principal themes of technology and institutional/personal preparedness. Kotter’s Change Model was utilized to evaluate …

Predictive Utility Of The El Paso Pretrial Risk Assessment Instrument - Revised (Eppra-R), Chelsea Sierra Queen

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Pretrial risk assessments are used to divert defendants from pretrial detention by estimating risk of pretrial specific outcomes (i.e., failure to appear, rearrest). Ongoing validation of this tool is recommended to assess accuracy and ensure that there is no bias against specific subgroups (e.g., gender, race/ethnicity, or age) of defendants. The present study evaluates the utility of a locally developed instrument in El Paso County - a predominantly Latinx county. Area Under the Curve (AUC) Receiving Operator Condition (ROC) analyses indicate statistically â??fairâ?? predictive utility for the tool. Binary logistic regression models suggest no evidence of bias. This study will …