Digital Commons Network^™

Evidence On Fire, Jennifer D. Oliva, Valena E. Beety

Faculty Scholarship

Fire science, a field largely developed by lay “arson investigators,” police officers, or similar first responders untrained in chemistry and physics, has been historically dominated by unreliable methodology, demonstrably false conclusions, and concomitant miscarriages of justice. Fire investigators are neither subject to proficiency testing nor required to obtain more than a high school education. Perhaps surprisingly, courts have largely spared many of the now- debunked tenets of fire investigation any serious scientific scrutiny in criminal arson cases. This Article contrasts the courts’ ongoing lax admissibility of unreliable fire-science evidence in criminal cases with their strict exclusion of the same flimsy …

Balanced Liberty: Justice Kennedy's Work In Criminal Cases, Rory K. Little

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Assessment Of Observed Weather Impacts On Small Unmanned Aircraft (Ua) Operations, Nicole Stevens

Theses and Dissertations

Unmanned Aircraft (UA) are being used more frequently and for an increased variety of purposes, from military use to medical deliveries, disaster and building infrastructure imagery, and agriculture. While the interest in and usage of UA grows, little is known about how often UA flight operations are impacted by different meteorological phenomenon. In this study, a 30-year climatology of surface stations and sounding observations are used to determine the likelihood of UA operations without weather-driven restrictions or grounding at five locations. The locations of Bismarck, ND, Riverton, WY, Oakland, CA, Albuquerque, NM, and Miami, FL are selected to represent different …

Measures Of Challenging And Excitatory Parenting Behavior As Predictors Of Later Child Self-Regulation, Zachary Havlin

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

Challenging and excitatory parenting behaviors play an important role in children’s development, particularly in regard to the development of selfregulation; however, no well-established measures of parent-child interactions exist that record such behaviors. In the current study, I compare two recently developed coding systems that intend to address this issue: the Risky Interaction Support and Challenging (RISC) and Marbach coding systems. A subset of videos from the New Parents Project (NPP) data set at 12 and 18 months was coded using both scales, then a factor analysis was conducted for each scale. Regressions were conducted to look at the predictive power …

Genealogical Trends In Solving Cold Cases: An Investigation Into The Merits And Concerns With New Cold-Case Lead Development, Katie Smolucha, Tyler Counsil

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

In the criminal justice system, not all offenders are brought to justice; unfortunately, cold cases exist and provide long-term challenges to investigators. From historic breakthroughs in forensic DNA analysis to today’s new trends, advancements in technology continue to give investigators hope of resolving unsolved mysteries with no clear-cut suspect. This article examines the progression of DNA analysis over the past three decades and explores the recent trends in the use of genealogy websites to solve cold cases. DNA technology’s innovative uses, from its early years to modern, are explored herein. By exploring traditional DNA analysis to advances that explore the …

Evaluating The Impact Of An Intervention To Promote Empathy For Patients With Substance Use Disorder In A Rural Emergency Department, Theresa Poling

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Background

Negative attitudes of health professionals towards patients with SUD are common and contribute to suboptimal health care for this marginalized group of patients (Van-Boekel, Brouwers, Van-Weeghel & Garretson, 2013).

Objectives

Promoting empathy in the Emergency Department (ED) has the potential to increase nursing staff’s awareness of their attitudes and perceptions toward patients with SUD, thereby decreasing the stigma associated with addiction and improving patient care and patient outcomes. The rationale for implementing this project was to evaluate a tool to promote empathy. This tool was developed by the student researcher based on a literature search and analysis.

Design

This …

Cash For Consideration? An Examination Of Academics, Demographics, And Student Socioeconomics In The Provisioning Of Institutional Aid., Matthew G. Matyasovsky

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation is an empirical investigation of student level observations of 11 cohorts of first-time full-time freshmen from a public, land-grant, research university in Appalachia. Complete with student financial aid offerings, socioeconomic status, and pre-college academic characteristics such as standardized test scores and high school GPA, I investigate the data to examine institutional behavior constrained by resource dependence. The variable of interest is institutional financial aid. Institutional financial aid awards are monetary concessions presented to students as a means to discount the overall price a student pays to enroll. As institutional aid is a direct mechanism through which the institution …

The Politics Of Drug Courts, Jeffrey Chris Moss

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study examined drug courts from a public policy and political science perspective. The first portion of the study focused on the history of sentencing policy from the 1970s through the drug court movement. The second chapter addressed gaps in the policy literature about how drug courts were created and how they evolved. Another focal point was determining how state-level actors such as legislators, state supreme courts, and bureaucratic agencies regulated drug court policy in each particular state. From this data, a continuum was formed to determine which states operated from a top-down management style for drug courts and which …

The Legalization Of Street Vending In Los Angeles: Exploring The Impact On Vendors And Their Livelihoods, Karen Alpuche Caceres

Pomona Senior Theses

This thesis aims to unpack the impact the legalization of street vending and the subsequent regulation had on sidewalk vendors. Although legalization occurred state-wide through Senate Bill 946 in September of 2017, the rules and regulations for vending were passed at a city-level, and I am focusing on the City of Los Angeles specifically. Through interviews with government officials, non-profit partners and advocates, and vendors from different parts of the City, I analyze information around the policy itself, its history, and the impact it has and is expected to have on vendors and their businesses. While vendors have been central …

Beyond Criminal Prosecution: How Federalist Tensions In Marijuana Laws Affect State-Legal Businesses, Gabriel Roberts

University of Florida Journal of Law & Public Policy

No abstract provided.

Tennessee Higher Education Fact Book 2017-2018, Tennessee. Higher Education Commission.

Higher Education Fact Book

No abstract provided.

Tennessee Highway Safety Office Annual Report Ffy 2018, Tennessee. Department Of Safety & Homeland Security.

Highway Safety Office

No abstract provided.

Eastern Wheatbelt Biosecurity Group Inc. Annual Report 2018/19, Eastern Wheatbelt Biosecurity Group Inc.

Recognised Biosecurity Group Annual Reports

The past 12 months has seen the Eastern Wheatbelt Biosecurity Group keep up the momentum of the past few years and contribute considerably to the betterment of the state’s landholders in controlling predominately wild dogs. With landholders funding the biosecurity groups under the BAM Act through a declared pest rate it is pleasing to note that this money is hitting the ground and making a real and tangible difference through the work of the Licensed Pest Management Technicians employed by the EWBG.

Strafford County 2018 Annual Report Of The Commissioners, Treasurer, Other County Officers And The Strafford County Delegation Strafford County, New Hampshire For The Year Ending December 31, 2018., Stafford County Representatives

Strafford County, NH Annual Reports

This is an annual report containing vital statistics for a county in the state of New Hampshire.

Guiding Growth: A Growth Management Plan For Powhatan County, Julia E. Hensley

Master of Urban and Regional Planning Capstone Projects

This plan offers Powhatan County a series of analyses and recommendations to maintain their rural character. Because of its proximity to the City of Richmond and other more-populated localities, Powhatan has been experiencing accelerated growth recently compared to historically. This document analyzes past development trends, current development trends, and projects future development trends and density scenarios. It pays close attention to the county’s predetermined Special Areas as locales for growth. Following the analyses, there were numerous obvious suggestions to be made to the county’s current growth management tools that could help them strengthen their ability to maintain and preserve their …

There Isn't Any Dumpster, Jill C. Engle

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Ethics Of Care, Emotional Work, And Collective Action Of Solidarity: The Patronas In Mexico, Verónica Montes, María Dolores Paris Pombo

Sociology Faculty Research and Scholarship

In this paper, we examine the mobilization of the Patronas, a group of Mexican women who have fed thousands of Central American migrants over the past two decades. We argue that the Patronas’ work of feeding and caring for migrants goes beyond essentializing these women’s work as just housewives, mothers, and caregivers. Furthermore, we assert that through these care activities, the Patronas exert a feminist ethic of care that is understood as a set of practices based on trust, reciprocity, and solidarity. The Patronas’ praxis of caring for the migrants resonates with people and attracts hundreds of volunteers to join …

American Government 2e, Glen Krutz, Sylvie Waskiewicz

Open Access Textbooks

Since its founding, the United States has relied on citizen participation to govern at the local, state, and national levels. This civic engagement ensures that representative democracy will continue to flourish and that people will continue to influence government. The right of citizens to participate in government is an important feature of democracy, and over the centuries many have fought to acquire and defend this right. During the American Revolution (1775–1783), British colonists fought for the right to govern themselves. In the early nineteenth century, agitated citizens called for the removal of property requirements for voting so poor white men …

A Study Of Sidewalk Autonomous Delivery Robots And Their Potential Impacts On Freight Efficiency And Travel, Dylan Jennings, Miguel A. Figliozzi

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

E-Commerce and package deliveries are growing at a fast pace and there is an increased demand for same-day deliveries. Established delivery companies and new startups are investing in technologies that reduce delivery times and/or increase delivery drivers’ productivity. In this context, the adoption of Sidewalk Automated (or Autonomous) Delivery Robots (SADRs) has a growing appeal. SADRs are pedestrian sized robots that deliver items to customers without the intervention of a delivery person. Since SADRs travel on sidewalks they have been the subject of increasing regulation by local agencies in the US. The three research questions that guide this research effort …

Preventing Drunk Flying: A Legislative Solution, John Sivils

Journal of Air Law and Commerce

Drunk flying poses a serious safety risk to airline passengers. The current system of detecting pilot intoxication and preventing drunk flying relies on the vigilance of coworkers, and statutes prohibiting “operating” an airplane while intoxicated. Courts have stretched the meaning of “operating” to criminalize pre-flight conduct, such as fueling and visual airplane checks. When viewed in conjunction with courts’ inconsistent and varied application of preemption doctrine to federal and state regulations of flying, it is evident that courts are tightening control over flight and pre-flight activities through complex judicial interpretation of facially simple statutes. This Article scrutinizes this approach through …

Evidence-Based Practice In Offender Programming: An Examination Of The Crimesolutions.Gov Registry, Mckenzie L. Jossie

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Offender reentry, felony declassification, and the opioids epidemic have led to quick and widespread implementation of substance abuse and mental health treatment programming in justice settings. This tremendous increase in offender treatment programming has outpaced applied research on program quality and treatment efficacy. This study examined whether designated evidence-based practices are actually delivered in funded treatment initiatives. Secondary data was utilized from the National Institute of Justice’s CrimeSolutions.gov, a national evidence-based practice and program registry. A content analysis methodology examined CrimeSolutions.gov program profiles and topical refereed literature through systematic analysis of five offender treatment evidence-based practices (actuarial screening, co-occurring disorders …

The Relationship Between The Employment Of School Resource Officers, School Discipline, And School-Based Arrests Variables, Johnathon D. Monson

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The school resource officer (SRO) program is a program developed in the United States with the goal of making schools a safer environment for students across all grades (Cray & Weiler, 2011). To date, the majority of research surrounding SRO programs focuses on recommended characteristics and qualities of SROs, as well as appropriate utilization of SROs (Weiler & Cray, 2011). However, relatively little is known about the effect of increased presence of SRO’s in the school setting. With SRO’s being tasked with disciplinarian roles Barnes (2016), it would be important to look at the effect of SRO’s on school discipline …

Towards Developing A Goal-Driven Data Integration Framework For Counter-Terrorism Analytics, Dapeng Liu

Theses and Dissertations

Terrorist attacks can cause massive casualties and severe property damage, resulting in terrorism crises surging across the world; accordingly, counter-terrorism analytics that take advantage of big data have been attracting increasing attention. The knowledge and clues essential for analyzing terrorist activities are often spread across heterogeneous data sources, which calls for an effective data integration solution. In this study, employing the goal definition template in the Goal-Question-Metric approach, we design and implement an automated goal-driven data integration framework for counter-terrorism analytics. The proposed design elicits and ontologizes an input user goal of counter-terrorism analytics; recognizes goal-relevant datasets; and addresses semantic …

Nest-Defense Behavior Of Mississippi Kites In Urban And Exurban Areas, Ben R. Skipper, Clint W. Boal

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Mississippi kites (Ictinia mississippiensis) have become an abundant raptor in many urban and exurban areas throughout the Southern Great Plains of the United States. Unfortunately, human–wildlife conflicts have resulted from this juxtaposition of suitable breeding areas for kites and areas that humans frequent, with some kites responding aggressively to humans near nests. To date, there are no data describing the prevalence of aggressive nest defense in the species, making informed management of human and kite conflicts difficult. We assessed and compared the prevalence of aggressive nest-defense by Mississippi kites in an urban area and an exurban area by …

Donations, Orders, Email List

Human–Wildlife Interactions

This is the information about donations, orders, and the email list.

Hunter And Public Opinions Of A Columbian Black-Tailed Deer Population In A Pacific Northwest Island Landscape, Robert P. Wingard, Paul R. Krausman

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Management decisions are influenced by public acceptance for wildlife; thus, knowledge of public concerns and management preferences can be an advantage to natural resource decision makers. Wildlife managers with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife are concerned that the Columbian black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus; deer) population on Whidbey Island, Washington, USA, exceeds social carrying capacity (i.e., a publicly acceptable population). In summer 2014, we designed a self-administered mail questionnaire to assess opinions of residents and a phone survey to assess the opinions of Whidbey Island deer hunters about Columbian black-tailed deer. We hypothesized that residents would …

Lead Us Not Into Temptation: A Response To Barbara Fedders’S “Opioid Policing”, Anna Roberts

Faculty Publications

(Excerpt)

In “Opioid Policing,” Barbara Fedders contributes to the law review literature the first joint scholarly analysis of two drug policing innovations: Seattle’s Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program and the Angel Initiative, which originated in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Even while welcoming the innovation and inspiration of these programs, she remains clear-eyed about the need to scrutinize their potential downsides. Her work is crucially timed. While still just a few years old, LEAD has been replicated many times and appears likely to be replicated still further—and to be written about much more. Inspired by Fedders’s call for a balanced take, this …

Arrests As Guilt, Anna Roberts

Faculty Publications

An arrest puts a halt to one’s free life and may act as prelude to a new process. That new process—prosecution—may culminate in a finding of guilt. But arrest and guilt—concepts that are factually and legally distinct—frequently seem to be fused together. This fusion appears in many of the consequences of arrest, including the use of arrests in assessing “risk,” in calculating “recidivism,” and in identifying “offenders.” An examination of this fusion elucidates obstacles to key aspects of criminal justice reform. Efforts at reform, whether focused on prosecution or defense, police or bail, require a robust understanding of the differences …

Discipline And Policing, Kate Levine

Faculty Publications

A prime focus of police-reform advocates is the transparency of police discipline. Indeed, transparency is one of, the most popular accountability solutions for a wide swath of policing problems. This Article examines the “transparency cure” as it applies to Police Disciplinary Records (“PDRs”). These records are part of an officer’s personnel file and contain reported wrongdoing from supervisors, Internal Affairs Bureaus, and Citizen Complaint Review Boards.

This Article argues that making PDRs public is worthy of skeptical examination. It problematizes the notion that transparency is a worthy end goal for those who desire to see police-reform in general. Transparency is …

Passive Avoidance, Anita S. Krishnakumar

Faculty Publications

In its nascent years, the Roberts Court quickly developed a reputation—and drew sharp criticism—for using the canon of constitutional avoidance to rewrite statutes in controversial, high-profile cases. In recent years, however, the Court seems to have taken a new turn, quietly creating exceptions or reading in statutory conditions in order to evade potentially serious constitutional problems without expressly discussing the constitutional issue or invoking the avoidance canon. In fact, the avoidance canon seems largely, and conspicuously, missing from many cases decided during the Court’s most recent Terms, playing a significant role in justifying the Court’s construction in only one majority …