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Coordination Costs, Market Size, And The Choice Of Technology, Haiwen Zhou

Economics Faculty Publications

Impact of coordination costs and market size on a firm’s choice of technology is studied in a general equilibrium model in which firms engage in oligopolistic competition. A firm establishes an organizational hierarchy to coordinate its production. First, it is shown that an increase in market size leads a firm to choose a more specialized technology. Second, surprisingly, a robust result is that an increase in the level of coordination efficiency leads a firm to choose a less specialized technology.

Radioactive Contamination, Superfund Remediation, And Green Gentrification In San Francisco’S Hunters Point, Lawrie Mankoff

Scripps Senior Theses

Bayview-Hunters Point, a neighborhood in southeastern San Francisco, has long been one of the most impoverished and polluted areas in the city. In an example of environmental racism, much of the African American community in San Francisco was segregated to Bayview-Hunters Point by racist housing policies and practices. This neighborhood was home to the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard (HPNS), which was widely polluted with hazardous wastes from shipyard operation as well as radioactive contamination from the Navy Radiological Defense Laboratory established on this property. The former HPNS was made a federal Superfund site in 1989 and has been in remediation …

The Clashing Island Of Humanity: Virgil's Aeneid As Heroic Threnody, Steffen Mathis

Master of Liberal Studies Theses

This study follows neither the paradigm of pro-or anti-Augustan nor the strict belief that the intention of the poet, like other poets of the time, is one of ambiguity open to multiple interpretations. Virgil’s Aeneid is an epic poem with a clearly woven thesis that the hospitality relationships that its hero enters both transcend and address the difficulties he faces in founding Rome. The Rome that Aeneas founds is, like Augustan Rome’s mythology, built on labors and toils. Aeneas’ labors are moral, they are intellectual, and they are searching for the relationship between the human and the divine that is …

A Persistent Fire: The Strategic Ethical Impact Of World War I On The Global Profession Of Arms, Timothy S. Mallard, Nathan H. White, Victoria J. Barnett, Nigel Biggar, Paul Coyer, Graham Fairclough, Michael H. Hoffman, Mark C. Lee, Marc Livecche, John Mark Mattox, James C. Mcconville, Patrick Naughton, Eric D. Patterson, C. Anthony Pfaff, David Richardson, Michael Snape, Thomas J. Statler

Books and Book Chapters

The profession of arms in the 21st century is at significant risk of losing its status as a profession due to several salient factors. Because of the rapid development of technology in relation to warfare, for instance, there are growing questions as to how much control human beings will retain of future combat, particularly given the speed of decisionmaking required for victory on the modern battlefield. As well, with the rise of new geopolitical and military coalitions, many are concerned as to how much war will remain an act of and in accordance with the political interests, values, and histories …

Chairman Xi Remakes The Pla: Assessing Chinese Military Reforms, Phillip C. Saunders, Arthur S. Ding, Andrew Scobell, Andrew N.D. Yang, Joel Wuthnow, Nathan Beauchamp-Mustafaga, Dennis J. Blasko, Edmund J. Burke, Arthur Chan, John Chen, Tai Ming Cheung, John Costello, Mark R. Cozad, Andrew S. Erickson, Kim Fassler, David M. Finkelstein, Daniel Gearin, Justin Godby, Brian Lafferty, David C. Logan, Leighann Luce, Ma Chengkun, Joel Mcfadden, Joe Mcreynolds, Ian Burns Mccaslin, Erin Richter

Books and Book Chapters

China’s current military reforms are unprecedented in their ambition and in the scale and scope of the organizational changes. Virtually every part of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) now reports to different leaders, has had its mission and responsibilities changed, has lost or gained subordinate units, or has undergone a major internal reorganization.

Skirting The Law: Women In Vice During U.S. Prohibition In South Texas, 1900-1933, Carolina Monsivais

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This Dissertation explores both women's participation in the vice industry north of the U.S.-Mexico border in South Texas and the ways in which women were policed. The Dissertation analyzes the interactions that occurred between law enforcement agents and the women they arrested, primarily ethnic Mexican women. This analysis illuminates law enforcement tactics that were honed during this era through the interactions that agents had with women who worked in vice industries. I also argue that women in this industry demonstrated knowledge, agency, and resistance. In addition, it created avenues of work for women, particularly in South Texas. However, studies examining …

The Drones' Impact On Precision Agriculture, Ibrahim Naji

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

A study to assess the overall impact of drones in the agricultural sector. The specific goal of this research was to provide a drone system to ward off pestering birds from crops to allow for better growth and an increased yield. Along with providing a user-friendly coded drone system for farmers that is cost effective, this project has inspired other areas of use for the drone.

A Wall Of Hate: Eminent Domain And Interest-Convergence, Philip Lee

Faculty Publications

(Excerpt)

Donald Trump is no stranger to eminent domain. In the 1990s, Trump wanted land around Trump Plaza to build a limousine parking lot. Many of the private owners agreed to sell, but one elderly widow and two brothers who owned a small business refused. Trump then got a government agency—the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA)—to take the properties through eminent domain, offering them a quarter of what they had previously paid or been offered for their land.

The property owners fought back and finally won. Although the CRDA named several justifications, from economic development to traffic alleviation and additional …

From Warfare To Welfare: Reconceptualizing Drug Sentencing During The Opioid Crisis, Jelani Jefferson Exum

Faculty Publications

(Excerpt)

The War on Drugs officially began in 1971 when President Nixon decried drug abuse as “public enemy number one.” The goal of the war rhetoric was clear—to cast drug abuse and the drug offender as dangerous adversaries of the law-abiding public, requiring military-like tactics to defeat. Criminal sentencing would come to be the main weapon used in this pressing combat. In continuation of the war efforts, the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986 was passed under President Reagan, establishing a weight-based, and highly punitive, mandatory minimum sentencing approach to drug offenses that has persisted in some form for the last …

The Illusion Of An Abundant End- A Phenomenological Approach To Sustainability: The Progress Trap And The Transformative Potential Of Dialogue, Shantanu Rojatkar

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Abundance is a concept according to which a thing is deemed to be in plenty. The feeling of satisfaction and assurance, arising from something that is concretely abundant, serves as a material reason for motivation of a desired action. Just like the stock of food lying in our fridge, ensuring more than just the needs of the moment, the abundance cooks the taste of freedom, freedom from worrying about tomorrow. However, over consumption out of greed as a potential outcome of abundance, could result in the increased capacity of a person in order to reach the initial level of satisfaction. …

Redefining Protection Intervention In Humanitarian Aid Through External Factors: A Case Study Of Niger, Valerie Svobodova

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The magnitude of internal displacement worldwide is growing every year and represents a tripling of the existing number of refugees worldwide. Internally displaced persons have specific vulnerabilities and the system of assistance to them needs to be adapted and revised. The purpose of this case study was to identify external factors that influence protection interventions for internally displaced persons in humanitarian response. Using Benet's Polarities of Democracy theory and the Theory of Change Conceptual Framework as a framework, the study sought to identify key external factors influencing protection intervention in humanitarian aid settings. Data for this study was gathered through …

The Role Of The Economic Community Of West African States In Counterinsurgency And Conflict Resolution, Muhammed Touray

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

From 1991 to 2002, the Sierra Leone government and the Revolutionary United Front waged war against each other, subjecting Sierra Leone to a civil war. This war devastated the nation and resulted in many human casualties. Although many researchers have investigated the role of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in counterinsurgency and conflict resolution, few studies have been conducted on the specific role of strategic processing tools used by ECOWAS during the Sierra Leone war to sustain a durable peace resolution in the country. Using Galula's conceptualization of counterinsurgency and conflict resolution as a guide, the purpose …

Using Labeling Theory As A Guide To Examine The Patterns, Characteristics, And Sanctions Given To Cybercrimes, Brian K. Payne, Brittany Hawkins, Chunsheng Xin

Sociology & Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Over the past decade, reports of cybercrime have soared across the globe. Criminologists agree that the increase in cybercrime stems from technological advancements that have changed all facets of societal interactions. While it is agreed that technology has shaped cybercrime, there is less understanding about the dynamics of cybercrime. In particular, some researchers have explored whether these offenses are simply traditional types of crime that are now carried out through different strategies, while others have argued that cybercrimes are, in fact, new types of crime. This ambiguity potentially limits prevention and intervention strategies. In an effort to build our understanding …

P. Schulte (2015). Paths To Recovery For Gay And Bisexual Drug Addicts: Healing Weary Hearts. Lanham, Md: Rowman & Littlefield. Isbn: 978-1-4422-4998-1, 178 Pp. (Review), Susan Stuntzner

Counseling Faculty Publications

Paul Schulte, the author of the book, Paths to Recovery for Gay and Bisexual Drug Addicts has extensive experience in working with gay and bisexual men. His work began in 2005 while a student at West Coast University‘s drug and alcohol counseling program. Since then, he has worked with several gay, bisexual, and straight men who are recovering from drug and alcohol addiction. His work has spanned 3 continents. Throughout, Paul Schulte, helps the reader understand the complexities, difficult and subhuman experiences often encountered by gay and bisexual men – all of which further complicate their self-image, decisions, and ability …

Neutralizing Boko Haram Resurgency: Power Of Targeted Holistic Education Policies, Godwin Chinedu Ukwuani

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Boko Haram (BH) insurgency is driven by Islamist ideology and hegemony, nurtured mainly on failed education and sociopolitical policies and less by economic realities in Nigeria. Military counterinsurgency (hard COIN) successes are necessary but not sufficient to neutralize resurgence. The framework for this study was behavior modification by targeted holistic education policy (THEP) over ruminated frustration-aggression of drive theory. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to conduct a survey of educated participants (N = 95), randomly selected from education campuses in Nigeria, to estimate the power (relationship) of THEP over time to neutralize BH resurgence (NBHR). The data from …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Counter-Narrative Tactics In Preventing Radicalization, Ellen Berman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The U.S. Department of State disseminates counter-radicalization information through social media but has been unable to reach users due to an inability to create engaging posts due to a lack of understanding of the interests of the general population. The purpose of this quantitative study was to assess the utility of data analytics when administering counter-radicalization social media campaigns. The population for this study were social media posts published on the Quilliam Facebook page between 1 January 2018 and 31 December 2018. The nonexperimental quantitative descriptive research design sought to examine the correlation between the independent variables (topic of a …

Florida Adult Trauma Scorecard Methodology And Scene Transportation Choice, Patricia Maher

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Prehospital management of patients who are traumatically injured within the state of Florida starts with the use of the Florida Adult Trauma Scorecard Methodology. The scorecard methodology may indicate that a patient is a Trauma Alert based on applied physiological and other judgment criteria. However, patients may be transported via Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) without justified physiological needs. Rawls’ theory of justice posits that a fair and equal distribution of social resources is essential to public wellbeing. To evaluate this premise regarding prehospital trauma transports, archival 2015 data from the Florida Department of Health Trauma Registry was obtained. Using …

Response Of Composite Materials To Dynamic And Low Temperature Environments, James M. Leblanc

Open Access Master's Theses

The dynamic response of composite materials subjected to underwater and air shock loading conditions has been studied. Additionally, the effects of low temperatures on the mechanical and fracture properties of these materials has been evaluated. The primary contribution of the author is on the computational modeling aspects of each of the dynamic loading studies conducted. The experimental work presented has been completed by the author’s collaborators from the University of Rhode Island. The low temperature effects on the materials is solely an experimental investigation and was undertaken in collaboration with researchers at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center. The objective of …

Effects Of Incorporating Inertial Measurements On The Localization Accuracy Of The Seaglider Auv, Wendy Snyder

Open Access Master's Theses

The Kongsberg Seaglider M1 is a commercially available autonomous under- water vehicle (AUV) primarily used as a platform for oceanographic measurements of salinity, temperature, and oxygen. The Seaglider currently uses two different dead-reckoned solutions, the glide slope model (GSM) and the hydrodynamic model (HDM), to provide a localization solution for each dive. While the accuracy of these solutions was not previously known explicitly, for the purposes of oceanographic profiling they were generally deemed sufficient. As the platform matures, there has been a growing interest in expanding its application and measurement capabilities. With some of the desired new applications, such as …

All Money Ain’T Good Money: The Interest Convergence Principle, White Philanthropy, And Black Education Of The Past And Present, Arcasia D. James-Gallaway

Mid-Western Educational Researcher

This paper uses Derrick Bell's interest convergence principle, which argues that whites will support racial justice efforts only if they believe they will see gains for themselves, to examine white philanthropic support of Black education in the postbellum South and in current school reforms. Using the concept of “bad" (or compromising) money to describe philanthropy’s curtailment of Black self-determination and agency, this conceptual paper demonstrates how such philanthropy has promoted white capitalistic gain to the detriment of African American communities for decades. To build this claim, the author synthesizes key points from extant literature that address these topics. The paper …

What Is International Trade Law For?, Harlan G. Cohen

Faculty Scholarship

Events of the past few years, including the Brexit vote in the United Kingdom and the demise of the Trans-Pacific Partnership and election of Donald Trump as President in the United States, have reignited debates about the global trade regime. In particular, many have begun to question whether the trade regime has done enough for those who feel left behind by globalization. While some have held fast to the view that redistribution of trade’s gains is primarily a matter of domestic policy, others have suggested tweaks to the international trade agreements aimed at better spreading the wealth.

But what if …

Mixed Signal Detection, Estimation, And Modulation Classification, Yang Qu

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Signal detection, parameter estimation and modulation classification are widely applied to many areas and plays a very important role in civilian and military, such as bio-science, criminal psychology, communication engineering, radar system, electronic warfare and so on. In the civilian field, with the increasing number of wireless electronic devices and higher transmission data rate demand, the problem of spectrum congestion becomes more and more highlighted and urgent. In recent years, wireless industry has shown great interest in Cognitive Radio (CR) and Dynamic Spectrum Access (DSA) network, whose primary function is to use limited frequency bands to transmit own signals without …

Cool Notes In An Invisible War: The Use Of Radio And Music In The Cold War From 1953 To 1968, Matthew R. Crooker

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

The current status of the literature involving radio broadcasts and music from the Cold War delves into either one area of concentration or the other. That is, either historians have little to no mention of radio, or historians explore music without mentioning radio. There are no studies that solely focus on the use of radio and music in combination with one another. This is what the thesis offers to this area of concentration. In addition to examining the use of radio and music in combination with one another, this work delves into radio directly after the conclusion of the Second …

Pwatem: An Anthology Of Literature And Art (2019)

Pwatem (Poictesme), 2006-

Pwatem is an anthology of literature and art from undergraduate students at Virginia Commonwealth University. Pwatem publishes poetry, prose and art of all kinds from talented undergraduate students of all majors.

Ledinegg Instability-Induced Temperature Excursion Between Thermally Isolated, Heated Parallel Microchannels, T. A. Kingston, J. A. Weibel, S V. Garimella

CTRC Research Publications

Two-phase flow through heated parallel channels is commonly encountered in thermal systems used for power generation, air conditioning, and electronics cooling. Flow boiling is susceptible to instabilities that can lead to maldistribution between the channels and thereby heat transfer performance reductions. In this study, the Ledinegg instability that occurs during flow boiling in two thermally isolated parallel microchannels is studied experimentally. A dielectric liquid (HFE-7100) is delivered to the parallel channels using a constant pressure source. Both channels are uniformly subjected to the same power, which is in increased in steps. Flow visualization is conducted simultaneously with pressure drop, mass …

Disrupted Leadership: Strategies And Practices Of Leaders In A Vuca World, Victoria Kimball Brodie

Theses and Dissertations

As the world becomes increasingly interconnected through intricate networks in technology-laden environments, leadership has become exponentially more complex. This VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous) context disrupts long-held leadership constructs. Historically, leaders have been able to reflect on past decision making to guide their current and future decisions. No longer is this practice viable; leaders now require new skills to lead competently in this rapidly iterating ecosystem. With its challenges, this dynamic environment also offers opportunities for those who are able to capitalize on the next waves of disruption. Social entrepreneurs, tackling the world's most pressing challenges, are leading systems-wide …

War On Terror As A "Fight For The Rights And Dignity Of Women": A Discourse Analysis Of The U.S. 'Liberation' Campaign For Afghan Women, Jessica Pacwa

Theses and Dissertations

The events of September 11, 2001 (9/11) continue to morph American identity. 9/11 warranted a frame—a narrative—to explain and assign meaning to the sudden death of nearly three-thousand men and women. The phrase "war on terror" was first used by George W. Bush in an address to Congress on September 20, 2001, and since then, the term has entered into common global lexicon. The strict binaries that confine American discourses in this War on Terror—civility/barbarity, freedom/oppression, Judaea-Christianity/Islam, progress/tradition, the protector/the protected and democracy/tyranny—are not unique; rather, they are rooted in imperialist, colonial, and Orientalist legacies, where narrative often relies on …

Households And Changing Use Of Space At The Transitional Early Mississippian Austin Site, Benjamin Garrett Davis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Austin Site (22TU549) is a village site located in Tunica County, Mississippi dating to approximately A.D. 1150-1350, along the transition from the Terminal Late Woodland to the Mississippian period. While Elizabeth Hunt’s (2017) masters thesis concluded that the ceramics at Austin emphasized a Late Woodland persistence, the architecture and use of space at the site had yet to be analyzed. This study examines this architecture and use of space over time at Austin to determine if they display evidence of increasing institutionalized inequality. This included creating a map of Austin based on John Connaway’s original excavation notes, and then …

Road Trippin': Twentieth-Century American Road Narratives From On The Road To The Road, Scott M. Obernesser

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

"Road Trippin:’ Twentieth-Century American Road Narratives and Petrocultures from On The Road to The Road" examines late-twentieth century U.S. road narratives in an effort to trace the development of American petrocultures geographically and culturally in the decades after World War II. The highway stories that gain popularity throughout the era trace not simply how Americans utilize oil, but how the postwar American oil ethos in literature, film, and music acts upon and shapes human interiority and vice versa. Roads and highways frame my critique because they are at once networks of commerce transportation and producers of a unique, romantic …

Archaeological Investigations At A Mississippian Platform Mound Site In Lowndes County, Mississippi, Hannah Danielle Zechman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Upper Tombigbee River Valley and the Black Prairie two adjacent physiographic regions located in northeast Mississippi are defined archaeologically by the existence of multiple single-mound sites with associated farmsteads or small habitation sites. This thesis is an analysis of mound-construction data and the ceramic assemblage excavated in 2017 from the Butler Mound Site (22LO500) a single-mound site located in Lowndes County Mississippi. The purpose of this thesis is to determine when construction of the Butler Mound occurred using mound-construction data ceramic analysis and radiocarbon dating. This thesis also seeks to understand how Butler and neighboring sites relate to one …