Digital Commons Network^™

The Democratization Of Art: Placemaking Initiatives In Rural Spaces, Sarah Leigh Ayers

Theses

Creative placemaking is defined as when artists, arts organizations and community development practitioners deliberately integrate the arts and culture into revitalization work. Examining the historical context and implementation of creative placemaking practices before the coining of the term, the following essay uses Marxist and Post-Modern methodologies to examine the ways in which art can serve as a tool for driving economic growth while exploring the socio. Using examples ranging from politically driven initiative the New Deal to non-profit contemporary art museum La Chinati in Marfa, Texas, I examine the ways that culturally-driven projects have affected the rural communities in which …

Best Practices In Disaster Public Communications: Evacuation Alerting And Social Media, Frannie Edwards, Kaikai Liu, Amanda Lee Hughes, Jerry Zeyo Gao, Dan Goodrich, Alan Barner, Robert Herrera

Mineta Transportation Institute

This research project examines the current state of the practice for disaster public communication, the distrust of government, the training available to public information officers, and the literature available to guide the design of effective public outreach messaging, especially for rapid on-set events. Growing distrust in government had led to lack of public confidence in public agency messaging during emergencies, yet public agency public information officers are using multiple pathways, including both traditional and social media resources, to try to reach impacted communities effectively. The introduction explains the development of wildfire events in the West and their context. A literature …

Identifying Motivations Of New Counselors For Continuing Professional Development Of Multicultural Competencies: A Qualitative Study, Larry English

Dissertations

The need to increase multicultural counseling skills is a crucial area of focus in the continued evolution of the counseling profession. This necessity is due to a number of factors, including the ongoing demographic and societal changes in the United States. The research has helped to bring awareness of the need for increased and continued professional development in the area of cultural literacy and multicultural competencies skills for beginning counselors and others in counseling-related programs. At the micro level, the research investigated new clinicians’ self-awareness of their own biases, assumptions, internalized/externalized actions, and beliefs toward other cultures. The purpose of …

Academic Work As Factory Work: A Former Blue-Collar Worker’S Observations On Class And Caste In The Academy, Kenneth Atkinson

Faculty Publications

What was it like to have come of age after the Glorious Thirty (1945-1975), an era Jack Metzger (2016; 2021a) describes as a time when the working-class bettered their lives? I had the misfortune to have worked in several Metropolitan Detroit factories during the period of decline after the Glorious Thirty. During that time, I witnessed what the journalist George Packer (2013) has called ‘the Unwinding,’ the unraveling of the social contract that has left the working class to their own devices to find success and salvation. In keeping with the tradition in working-class studies of sharing lived experienced of …

Remembering Clem Klaphake, Don Paseka

Nebraska Bird Review

Clement (Clem) Klaphake passed away on December 30, 2022, from complications of Parkinson’s disease, which he struggled with for several years. He was born in Melrose, Minnesota, in 1943 and grew up working on his parents’ dairy farm, which included the usual menagerie of other farm animals typical of that time. Perhaps it was the routine of milking twice a day, seven days a week, or the impressive scar on his leg from a boar tusk, but Clem was destined to leave the farm and become a life-long educator. ... After getting his degree in 1971, Clem was hired to …

Traffic Restrictions During The 2008 Olympic Games Reduced Urban Heat Intensity And Extent In Beijing, Bo Yang, Hongxing Liu, Emily L. Kang, Timothy L. Hawthorne, Susanna T.Y. Tong, Song Shu, Min Xu

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Satellite thermal remote sensing has been utilized to examine the urban heat dynamics in relation to the urban traffic restriction policy. During the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, the traffic volume was approximately cut off by half through the road space rationing. Based on daily MODIS satellite thermal observations on the surface temperature, statistical models were developed to analyze the contribution of traffic volume reduction to the urban heat intensity and spatial extent. Our analyses show that cutting off half of the traffic volume has led to a marked decrease in the mean surface temperature by 1.5–2.4 °C and shrinkage …

Liminal Beings Are We, John Kenneth Froozan Ii

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis establishes a foundation for liminality in political theory. Liminality, a concept mostly developed in anthropology, is used by them to describe middle periods in rites of passage. Unlike the anthropologists, I argue that liminality should be theorized phenomenologically. Utilizing the history of political philosophy, liminality is defined as a dialectical phenomenon that acts between and beyond the limits of things, Self, and Other. I describe liminality as an ontological-epistemological or existential condition that acts as a connecting tissue to both define what is and the space between things. This requires that notions of power, politics, and their ends …

Methods For Teaching Mindfulness Within The Workplace, Gerrel March

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Over the past few years, the world has been shaken by the COVID-19 pandemic and technological advancements that have contributed towards work-life imbalances. Now more than ever, organizations are focusing on improving mental health and well-being. This understanding holds value towards the hospitality industry as employee wellbeing has a direct link towards consumer experience. Considering the nature of the business, employees endure distress resulting from emotional labor, long work hours, etc, understanding how organizations can improve well-being is critical. This paper attempts to make significant contribution towards understanding both individual and organizational outcomes of mindfulness, best practices, and potential limitations …

Payment Profiles: Using Payment Transaction Data To Identify And Characterize Gamblers, Kasra Ghaharian

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Payment providers in the gambling industry facilitate transactions, allowing customers to transfer money to and from wagering accounts. Payments transaction data is information that is captured from these transactions, including, for example, the type, amount, time, and location. How this data may be used for gambling harm minimization and prevention has garnered significant interest, particularly due to accelerated payments modernization in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. With this study, I explored the utility of payments transaction data to categorize subgroups of gamblers in order to identify individuals who may be at-risk of harm. I benchmarked six cluster analysis methods …

The Model Minority Myth And The Mental Well-Being Of Academically Struggling Asian Americans, Jan Michael Roa Ballesteros

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This dissertation investigates relationships between pressures Asian Americans experience to be academically successful and their feelings of depression and stress. The model minority myth (MMM) stereotype characterizes Asian Americans as industrious, intellectually-gifted, assimilating to U.S. values of meritocracy, and achieving higher academic and employment success levels compared to other racial groups in the general population. While many consider MMM a positive stereotype, it also comes with a cost. Prior research demonstrates the tensions that exist among Asian Americans who do not uphold the MMM stereotype and its corollary, the Asian Academic Success Frame. Those unable to meet academic success standards …

College Students’ Attitudes Toward Condom Use In Pornography: Associations With Sexual History, Sexually Transmitted Infections, And Pornography Use, Bailey M. Way

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The depiction of condomless sex in pornography has significant public health implications for adult film (pornography) actors and potentially for its consumers. Previous research suggests that most consumers of pornography are in favor of condom use in pornography; however, available research on attitudes toward condom use in pornography has surveyed mostly White, male, American undergraduate students. Currently, there is a need to explore viewers’ attitudes toward condom use in pornography among women and racially/ethnically diverse individuals. The current study investigated United States (US) college students’ attitudes toward condom use in pornography using the Pornography Actors’ Condom Use Attitudes Questionnaire (PACUAQ). …

Racialized Places: Community Development Within The Historic Westside Of Las Vegas, Camisha Fagan

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

My paper examines the history of the Historic Westside (HWS) in Las Vegas, Nevada, and how community development decisions made by city officials have led to the marginalization of this area. Specifically, my paper examines the impact of discriminatory policies and practices on the HWS, including inadequate infrastructure, racist housing policies, and economic abandonment. In doing so, I draw on a range of sources, including archival materials, interviews, and secondary literature, to provide a comprehensive analysis of the social, economic, and political factors that have contributed to the marginalization of the HWS. My paper focuses on four key development events …

Exploring The Role Of Epistemic Cognition And Self-Efficacy In The Career Decision-Making Processes Of College Students: An Explanatory Sequential Study, Raelynn Frazier

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

College students are asked to make critical decisions about which academic major to choose and subsequently to make specific career decisions. Students come to college with a myriad of different skill sets, backgrounds, developmental levels, cognitive processes, familial support, and levels of self-efficacy that may influence how they make these decisions. The purpose of this study was to explore the role that epistemic cognition and self-efficacy may play in the career decision-making processes of college students utilizing a mixed methods approach. Results of this study indicate that there are internal and external influences that impact college students’ career decision-making processes …

Examining Effective And Realized Healthcare Access In The West South Central Division., Katherine Cameron

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explores realized and effective access domains outlined by Andersen’s Behavioral Model of Health Services Use. Exploring other domains of access is critical to understanding how the healthcare system functions (Kirby & Yabroff, 2020). This study evaluates rural-urban and racial/ethnic differences in access to care using two underresearched domains of healthcare access. It also allows for exploring access disparities within rural communities amongst minority populations. This dissertation is divided into five chapters. Chapter One provides an overview of health disparities and inequities and a brief overview of the study. Chapter Two details a high-level history of racism and its …

Foreign Policy In Media: An Examination Of The Captain America Films., Kat Hernandez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Popular culture and media are consumed daily by billions around the world, media which can contain meaningful and politically relevant material. The three Captain America films from the 2010s represent this phenomenon in the presentation of Captain America as a nationalist superhero with geopolitically relevant storylines. The direction and production of these films illustrate significant parallels to foreign policy choices of the United States. Through an interpretive analysis of the Captain America films: Captain America: The First Avenger, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and Captain America: Civil War, this project seeks to analyze Captain America’s image and …

La Casita Center: An Accompaniment Based Approach To Social Justice And Social Service., Ben Harlan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

La Casita Center is a Louisville based nonprofit organization that accompanies Latinx immigrants in the Louisville Metro area. and that is led and staffed by Latina immigrants. In this thesis, I investigate how employees of this Latinx-immigrant led nonprofit organization, navigate challenges to both administer service and build community using the model of accompaniment. Organizations like La Casita are critically important for Latinx newcomer communities in the United States and as neoliberal and nativist-inspired policiescontinue to oppress and marginalize, La Casita provides a model for what it means to center inclusion, belonging, community, and solidarity. In a global landscape of …

A Nexus Of Literate Activity: The Design Of Writing Assignments In The Disciplines, Lauriellen Stankavich

English Theses & Dissertations

Writing plays a critical role in higher education as students are inducted into disciplinary practices through different genres, methodological repertoires and argumentation strategies. In Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) initiatives, the instructor serves as an embodied reservoir of disciplinary knowledge and an arbiter of literate practices but most crucially employs the mediating capacities of the writing assignment as a potent pedagogical nexus. In this practice space, the instructor acts as designer of the pedagogical experience—the course as a whole and writing assignments in particular. This study used interviews, survey, and the collection of syllabi and other instructional artifacts to examine …

A Systems Theory-Based Framework For Environmental Scanning In Complex System Governance, Dale E. Baugh

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to develop a Systems Theory-based framework for Environmental Scanning (ES) in Complex System Governance (CSG) using an inductive research design. Complexity and uncertainty are normal for external environments in which today’s systems (organizations) exist. These environmental characteristics provide impetus for researchers to focus on organizational planning for disruptive external forces that could threaten system stability and future system existence. The ES function supports the requisite governance metasystemic functions to be enabled, executed, and evolved sufficiently well to promote continuous system viability. In this research the functioning of ES was examined from a diverse literature-based …

Without Indigenous Leadership, Attempt To Stop The Tide Of Destruction Against Nature Will Fail, Zsofia Korossy, Anthony Burke, Robinson Daniel, Katie Moon, Michelle Mei Ling Lim, Miri Raven

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

At the crucial COP15 nature summit in Canada, almost 200 countries are reckoning with the world’s extraordinary loss of the variety of life. Climate change, mining, urban development and more are threatening Earth’s biodiversity to an extent never before witnessed in human history. The conference will see countries negotiate a global 2030 plan, called the Global Biodiversity Framework, to set worldwide targets for a range of issues, from establishing national parks to habitat destruction. The framework will hopefully be delivered by next Monday (19 December).

Resulting And Constructive Trusts In The Contemporary Singaporean Family Context, Man Yip

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

The legal rules that emerge in a society are shaped by the conditions of that society. In the area of trusts law, this chapter argues that the English principles of the presumed resulting trust and the common intention constructive trust have been adapted to suit the Singaporean family context. At first sight, given that Singapore law has declined to follow the Stack v Dowden line of developments that have taken place in English law concerning beneficial ownership of family property, it may appear that Singapore trusts law is more conservative and that pre-Stack English law is better preserved on Singapore …

Forks Over Knives: Predictive Inconsistency In Criminal Justice Algorithmic Risk Assessment Tools, Travis Greene, Galit Shmueli, Jan Fell, Ching-Fu Lin, Han-Wei Liu

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Big data and algorithmic risk prediction tools promise to improve criminal justice systems by reducing human biases and inconsistencies in decision-making. Yet different, equally justifiable choices when developing, testing and deploying these socio-technical tools can lead to disparate predicted risk scores for the same individual. Synthesising diverse perspectives from machine learning, statistics, sociology, criminology, law, philosophy and economics, we conceptualise this phenomenon as predictive inconsistency. We describe sources of predictive inconsistency at different stages of algorithmic risk assessment tool development and deployment and consider how future technological developments may amplify predictive inconsistency. We argue, however, that in a diverse and …

Strong Structuration Analysis Of Patterns Of Adherence To Hypertension Medication, Maureen L. Seguin, Jhaki A. Mendoza, Gideon Lasco, Lia M. Palileo-Villanueva, Benjamin Palafox, Alicia Renedo, Martin Mckee, Dina Balabanova

Development Studies Faculty Publications

Achieving blood pressure control is among the highest priorities for reducing the burden of cardiovascular diseases globally. Control is poor in the Philippines; especially in socioeconomically marginalised communities. This paper explores long-term adherence to anti-hypertensive medication in these communities; identifying 4 distinct medication adherence patterns. We draw on Strong Structuration Theory to explore motivations of action for those who are consistently adherent; consistently non-adherent; and those who became more or less adherent over time. We employ longitudinal qualitative methods comprising repeat interviews and digital diaries collected over 12 months by 34 participants. Twelve participants were consistently adherent; 9 consistently non-adherent; …

A Step-By-Step Guide For Mentors To Facilitate Team Building And Communication In Virtual Teams., Julia F. Aquino, Robert Riss, Sara M. Multerer, Leora N. Mogilner, Teri L. Turner

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

As collaborative work in medical education has increasingly moved online, team mentors have had to adapt their practices into the virtual environment. Fostering connection, communication and productivity on virtual teams requires specific skills and deliberate practice that differ from in-person teamwork. Drawing from best practices in business, education and medicine and also from our own experience as a virtual team, we present a guide for mentors to create and sustain successful virtual teams. Grounded in Tuckman's Five Stage Model of Team Development, we offer specific strategies for virtual team mentors to promote team cohesion, mitigate conflict, maintain productivity and leverage …

From Experiencing Abuse To Seeking Protection: Examining The Shame Of Intimate Partner Violence, A. Rachel Camp

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

Shame permeates the experience of intimate partner violence (IPV). People who perpetrate IPV commonly use tactics designed to cause shame in their partners, including denigrating their dignity, undermining their autonomy, or harming their reputation. Many IPV survivors report an abiding sense of shame as a result of their victimization—from a lost sense of self, to self-blame, to fear of (or actual) social judgment. When seeking help for abuse, many survivors are directed to, or otherwise encounter, persons or institutions that reinforce rather than mitigate their shame. Survivors with marginalized social identities often must contend not only with the shame of …

Suicide At The Intersection Of Race And Gender, Marina Geider

Masters Theses

Sociological studies have examined suicide rate differences between groups since the work of Durkheim in 1897, and current literature still draws on his classic theories and methods. Although research has begun identifying the social factors that affect the suicides of Black and White populations differentially, little progress has been made towards an understanding of Black female suicide. The present study takes an intersectional approach to Durkheim's social integration-regulation thesis to bridge this gap. Several negative binomial regression analyses were employed to model suicide counts for Black men, Black women, non-Hispanic White men, and non-Hispanic White women in the United States. …

“An Exercise In International Extortion”: Operation “Intercept” And Nixon’S 1969 War On Drugs, Justin M. Reid

War, Diplomacy, and Society (MA) Theses

When the former senator and vice president assumed the Oval Office in January 1969, President Richard M. Nixon inherited a nation in crisis with drugs playing a central role. At a campaign stop a few months earlier, Nixon announced to a packed convention center in Anaheim, CA, that if elected president he would end the flow of the illicit drugs coming into the United States “decimating a generation of young Americans.”

True to his word, Nixon moved aggressively after his election victory to refocus the federal drug enforcement bureaucracy on drug source control, blaming Mexico as the main culprit. On …

Authenti-City, Luca Donner, Francesca Sorcinelli

All Works

The new global cities and megacities, which are generally planned and built as result of political decisions and fast economic growth, are considered artificial and "false" in their nature. This widespread perception arises from a cognitive dissociation between the notions of authenticity and identity in relation to memory, time and the city’s own sedimentation. This perceived dichotomy is illustrated in the literature across the disciplines. Building on the work of Calvino, Burckhardt, Augé, Jacobs, Lynch, and others, this paper examines this question through the lens of sociology, architecture, literature, and philosophy. The goal of this dissertation, by means of dialectics, …

Investigating Quality Attributes And Wine Production Methods Of Arkansas-Grown Grapes, Amanda Fleming

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Grapevines (Vitis species) are grown worldwide to produce table grapes, juice grapes, dried grapes, and wine with the United States as one of the world’s largest wine and grape producers. Though not a large contributor to the U.S. grape and wine industry, Arkansas’ industry plays an important role in the state’s agritourism and economy. Most grapes grown in Arkansas’ warm climate include native species, such as muscadines (V. rotundifolia) and hybrids (crosses of Vitis species). Two important hybrid red wine grapes grown in Arkansas are Chambourcin, grown commercially for its positive viticulture and enological quality, and Enchantment, a newer cultivar …

“What’S Belonging Got To Do With It?”: An Exploration Of Campus Racial Climate And Sense Of Belonging In Black Counseling Students Attending Predominately White Institutions In The North Atlantic Region, Erin Durrah

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) dialogues are raging across campuses throughout the U.S. with specific focus on the needs of Black student populations in the aftermath of the George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbury murders. However, if the supportive spirit of the DEI initiatives is undermined by a hostile campus climate and local community, it may negatively impact the learning environment isolating the target population, while also effecting their potential for successful completion of their programs. The current qualitative study aims to explore the perceptions of belonging expressed by Black graduate students enrolled in Council for Accreditation of Counseling …

Understanding Perceptions Of Graduating Seniors From Rural Schools On Higher Education: A Preregistered Study, Desiree Denise Brake

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case (preregistered) study is to interview rural young Americans, deeply explore how they think about higher education as they prepare for life beyond high school, and analyze how those views and perceptions translate into barriers or motivators to its pursuit. Rural Americans feel less optimistic about their financial futures, find it more difficult to find a job in their communities, and believe their children will have a lower standard of living than their parents when they reach their parents’ age (Morin, 2016). Rural students are more likely to graduate from high school than their urban …