Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Equilibrium Modeling And Policy Analysis Of A Biofuel Supply Chain With A Hydroelectric Reservoir, Jinwoo Bae

Theses and Dissertations

This research proposesd a game theoretic model of a biofuel supply chain (BSC) where a utility company supplies reservoir water to two farmers, located in downstream and upstream of a hydropower dam. The decision-making process of the model is formulated as a three-stage Stackelberg game. We analyze the equilibrium of the decentralized systems and the effect of the government subsidy on energy crop (switchgrass) production for cellulosic biofuel industries, with two forms of subsidy: (1) discriminated subsidies and (2) equalized subsidies.

The results show that both forms of subsidy improve social welfare in the BSC unless the amount of subsidy …

Cw Is Open To All: Post-Difference Representation And Hegemonic Time-Travel Narratives In Dc's Legends Of Tomorrow, Claire Elizabeth Hackett

Theses and Dissertations

My thesis examines how a post-difference perspective, where diversity is shallowly embraced, can influence the characters and narratives of a television show, with DC’s Legends of Tomorrow as the prime example. Legends is a great example of this because it is an ensemble show that features characters who are from different races, religions, sexualities, ages, genders and historical time periods. A post-difference lens myopically pushes the narrative that everyone in society is equal, and the discrimination faced by marginalized communities is no longer relevant. This perspective is problematic because it reinforces how whiteness is the norm in society, and the …

Spatial Dimensions Of Drilling Technologies: Controversies Over Unconventional Oil And Gas Development In Northern Colorado, Nicholas J. Schuelke

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigates three controversies surrounding oil and gas development in populated areas of the Front Range region of northern Colorado that have emerged as a result of renewed interest in developing unconventional hydrocarbon resources using horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing techniques. These controversies surround disputes between competing capital interests over rights of access to subsurface hydrocarbon resources, municipal challenges in accommodating oil and gas development in residential areas, and perceptions among more ‘moderate’ residents regarding activism resisting oil and gas development in Colorado and alternative strategies adopted by these residents to oppose hydrocarbon extractive activities in their neighborhoods. Through …

A Longitudinal Investigation Of Social Functioning In Children With Neurofibromatosis Type 1, Danielle Glad

Theses and Dissertations

Social difficulties are commonly reported by parents and teachers of children with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) and can impact a child’s social relationships. Investigations of social functioning in children with NF1 during early childhood are scarce, with most studies focusing on school age. This study aims to characterize the emergence of social skills challenges for children with NF1, with a special focus on the stability of social skills longitudinally and the interrelations of social skills with ADHD symptomatology and cognitive function. Participants included children with NF1 who were assessed longitudinally during early childhood from the ages of 3-6 years (T1; …

Everyday Perseverance & Meaningful Toil: Mapping The (In)Distinguishable Process Of Recovery Post-Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, Louisiana, Monique Hassman

Theses and Dissertations

For nearly a century, anthropological scholarship on disaster has contributed to advancing emergency preparation and management, however examination focusing on survivors’ return and responses in the aftermath of catastrophe, specifically the ways in which residents work to recover—if at all—remains far from comprehensive, especially in urban, post-industrial settings.

Following calamity, what remains? What is disturbed? What becomes reconstructed? Who repairs the tattered social fabric or restores the built environment? And how do these processes transpire? These questions summarize the research interests of this dissertation, which examines the place-making practices not of experts or administrators, but, rather, those enacted by (extra) …

Deaf Cultural Socialization: Exploring The Role Of Parents In Deaf Cultural Identity Development, Macrae Husting

Theses and Dissertations

There is an assumption in the Deaf identity literature that suggests that parents’ hearing status determines the cultural identity and well-being of deaf and hard of hearing individuals. This dissertation challenges that assumption. It does so by proffering an alternative explanation of the role that parents play by introducing two forms of socialization as mechanisms through which parents influence their child’s cultural identity development and well-being. Deaf cultural socialization is the process by which parents transmit messages to children regarding the importance and meaning of Deaf culture and membership in the Deaf community. Minority status socialization is the process by …

Essays In Women's Fertility And Public Policies, Safoora Javadi

Theses and Dissertations

My dissertation consists of three essays on the relationship between public policy, women’s education, and birth rates in two very different societies, Iran and the United States. A sharp decline in the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) in Iran over the last three decades has put the country at the risk of an aging population. In the first two chapters, I detail the dimensions of changes in Iran’s TFR, examines some possible determinants, and estimate the impact of the government’s family planning policies on Iranian women’s fertility and marriage. I find that the policies mainly operated through the former channel – …

We Can Go The Distance: Communicating Through Conflicts In Long-Distance Friendships, Lindsay Faith Kelpinski

Theses and Dissertations

When conflict arises in long-distance friendships (LDFs), the friends might use technology-based channels to communicate about these conflicts. Given the distance, when the friendship partners want to address challenges that arise, they must use channels available to them to discuss these problems. The goal of this study was to understand how these LDFs address and manage conflict when using technology as their primary means of communication and what common approaches they have when negotiating these conflicts. To gather perspectives of how individuals should communicate about their conflicts, focus groups were conducted. Four focus occurred which consisted of college students at …

How Do Social Comparison And Self-Efficacy Influence Diabetic Patients’ Motivation Toward A Nutrition Regimen?, Youngjee Ko

Theses and Dissertations

Social comparisons are useful for patients with chronic illness giving them a reliable information about others dealing with same illness. Patients with chronic illness may benefit from social comparisons. Learning about how others with the same disease manage self-care behavior can lessen uncertainty and anxiety about their health. Effects of social comparisons are subject to contexts. However, social comparison is relatively less understood in the context of diabetes patients. Considering the importance of nutrition regimen as a prime concern for diabetes patients, the current study examined how social comparisons along with self-efficacy influence motivation toward nutrition regimen. Results indicated that …

A Distributional And Theoretical Analysis Of Reaction Time In The Reversal Task Across Adulthood, Kaitlynne N. Leclaire

Theses and Dissertations

The frontal lobes are known to atrophy with age (Lockhart & DeCarli, 2014) and integrity of this region has been implicated in maintaining executive functioning (Chayer & Freedman, 2001). Reversal learning tasks are frequently used in experimental paradigms to assess components of executive function. Extant reversal learning literature has largely assessed measures of accuracy, but reaction time (RT) has not yet been well characterized. The current study examines the empirical RT distribution of the reversal task by utilizing distributional and theoretical analyses to better characterize performance and how it changes with age. Participants included 43 young (ages 18-30; M = …

A Player’S Sense Of Place: Computer Games As Anatopistic Medium, Kristopher John Purzycki

Theses and Dissertations

This project works to understand how open-world computer games help generate a sense of place from the player. Since their development over a half century ago, computer games have primarily been discussed in terms of space. Yet the way we think about space today is much different than how those scientists calculated space as a construction of time, mass, and location. But as computer games have evolved, the language has failed to accommodate the more nuanced qualities of game spaces. This project aims at articulating the nuances of place through phenomenological methods to objectively analyze the player experience as performed …

Examining Interpretation Training For Thought-Action Fusion: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Experimental Trial, Stephan Siwiec

Theses and Dissertations

Found in many emotional disorders, thought-action fusion (TAF) is a distorted cognitive belief that simply having an upsetting intrusive thought can increase the chance of the associated event occurring (TAF Likelihood) or represents a person’s morality (TAF Morality). Challenging these beliefs through cognitive bias modification for interpretations (CBM-I) has been shown to modify negative interpretations, reduce TAF belief, and reduce associated distress. Our previous study (Siwiec, Davine, Kresser, Rohde, & Lee, 2017) showed that an active CBM-I developed to challenge TAF beliefs (TAF-INC) outperformed a control condition (TAF-CON) in reducing TAF belief, distress, and associated symptoms. The current study examined …

The Life Course Impacts Of Adverse Childhood Experiences On Individuals' Psychosocial Functioning, Lixia Zhang

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Research has shown that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) such as child maltreatment and household dysfunction are among the leading environmental causes of morbidity and mortality. Despite the proliferation of ACEs studies, many significant gaps in the literature remain. First, many ACEs studies have examined the physical health outcomes of older adults. To better understand the origins of disease and death, further research is needed that examines the effects of ACEs on mental health and behavioral health earlier in the life course. Second, although international interest in ACEs is on the rise, most ACE research has been conducted in the …

Marriage Maintenance, Miscategorization, And New Manifestations: How People Are Reinforcing And Disrupting Gender And Sexual Inequalities In Married Life, Daniel John Bartholomay

Theses and Dissertations

This research positions marriage as an institution that has historically served to privilege men, masculinity and heterosexuality. Overall, this project is intended to advance our understanding of gender and sexual inequalities in the realms of marriage and family by examining the lived experiences of married people. It draws on data from 41 in-depth interviews conducted with married people living in Wisconsin, many of whom identify as part of the LGBT+ community. Using qualitative social science methods, this research speaks to unanswered questions regarding the capacity of a more gender-fluid society to reshape key social institutions (like marriage) in ways that …

Cannabis-Using Youth Demonstrated Blunted Rostral Anterior Cingulate Cortex Activation, But Normal Functional Connectivity, During An Emotional Go/No-Go Task, Kristin Elizabeth Maple

Theses and Dissertations

Cannabis use has been associated with deficits in self-regulation, including inhibitory control. Cannabis users have previously exhibited both structural and functional deficits in the rostral anterior cingulate cortex (rACC), a region involved in self-regulation of emotional response and inhibitory control. The present study aimed to examine whether abstinent cannabis users demonstrated abnormal functional activation and connectivity of the bilateral rACC during an emotional inhibitory processing task, and whether gender moderated these relationships. The study also aimed to examine whether bilateral rACC activation and connectivity in cannabis users was related to perceived stress. It was hypothesized that cannabis users would exhibit …

“This Has Never Really Been About Books”: A Latcrit Case Study Of Intellectual Freedom, Adriana Marie Mccleer

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation critically examines historical and contemporary traditions and practices at an intersection of Library and Information Studies (LIS) and K-12 education to identify barriers and limitations to intellectual freedom related to race and ethnicity. It presents a qualitative case study, first documenting the Tucson Unified School District (TUSD) Mexican American Studies (MAS) program, a public K-12 ethnic studies program in Tucson, Arizona between 1998 and 2012. Next, it details actions that led to the dismantling of the program, including Arizona officials designing and passing two laws that put financial pressure on the district to end the MAS program in …

Bi The Wayside?: Shifts In Bisexual Representations In Teen Television, Analise Elle Pruni

Theses and Dissertations

Television can be a reflection of the values we have as a society and its representations can have an impact on the way people, especially youth, shape their identities. This examination of teen-oriented television shows on the CW network looks at bisexual and queer representations and compares them with previous representations. I ground this essay in the youth-oriented television context, the progression of queer television representations, and ideas about media representation in a post-gay era. My assessment of the CW’s bisexual protagonist Clarke Griffin in The 100 and several sexually fluid characters in Legacies help show how the network has …

The Influence Of Proximal Processes In Recruitment And Participation Of Monolingual Spanish-Speaking Latinos/As Living With Hiv In Neuropsychological Research In Milwaukee: An Ecological Theory Analysis From A Chicano Cultural Perspective., Enrique Ignacio Gracian

Theses and Dissertations

The goal of the original study was to examine the relationships among neuropsychological measures, laboratory measures of medication management ability, self-report and pharmacy refill records, and biometric information in monolingual Spanish-speaking Latinos/as living with HIV. The researcher experienced difficulties with recruitment and collecting valid and complete data from patients who enrolled in the study. After a one-year recruitment period and with the support of the dissertation committee and advisor, the researcher changed the focus of the dissertation to examine the data that were collected using a case study framework (Berk, 2000; Bronfenbrenner, 1977, 1979). The researcher used Bronfenbrenner Ecological Systems …

“Where Are We Now?” The Image Construction Of Arabs And Muslims In Bodyguard, Safa K. Khairy

Theses and Dissertations

Over the past decade Arab and Muslim representations in the media have been either negative or overly simplified as a way to avoid criticism from watchdog groups. Arab and Muslim culture is viewed by the mainstream Western perspective as different, and inferior. According to Edward Said this divide and hierarchy between Eastern and Western comes through the process of Othering and is at the heart of Orientalism. This thesis investigates how Arabs and Muslims are Othered through a case study of the successful BBC television series Bodyguard.

Bodyguard presents the British government and police force attempting to stop various terrorist …

Psychosocial Characteristics Of Children With And Without Toileting Dysfunction, Ellen Sejkora

Theses and Dissertations

Toilet training is a stressful time for parents and families; however, pediatric providers are often uncertain of how to guide parents through this period because of limited systematic research in this area. The current study investigated the role of timing and method of toilet training, use of physician and community resources, and parent and child psychosocial variables to better understand normative toilet training and clarify the role of family, parent, and child characteristics in the toilet training process. The literature regarding early childhood development and normative toileting was reviewed, followed by a discussion of voiding dysfunction and relevant psychosocial and …

Course Goals And Feedback Workflows: Examining Instructors' Pedagogy In Professional Communication Service Courses, Sara C. Doan

Theses and Dissertations

In Professional and Technical Communication (PTC), feedback has not been studied in proportion to its importance, particularly in service, or introductory, courses. Feedback is a form of assessment; therefore, an empirical study of instructor feedback requires attention to PTC instructors’ pedagogical goals and learning outcomes. This research asked and answered three questions about

1. Instructors’ pedagogical goals and learning outcomes for their PTC service courses,

2. Instructors’ approaches to giving feedback on students’ resumes and cover letters, and

3. The extent to which instructors’ pedagogical goals and feedback aligned.

This research contributes data-driven findings on instructor feedback within PTC service …

Foodways And A Violent Landscape: A Comparative Study Of Oneota And Langford Human-Animal-Environmental Relationships, Rachel Mctavish

Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT:

FOODWAYS AND A VIOLENT LANDSCAPE: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF ONEOTA AND LANGFORD HUMAN-ANIMAL-ENVIRONMENTAL RELATIONSHIPS

by

Rachel C. McTavish

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2019

Under the Supervision of Robert Jeske

The goal of this research is to investigate the nature of Upper Mississippian human-animal-environmental relationships (circa AD 1050-1450), to evaluate the role of resource management, the role of sustainability, and the multi-faceted nature of human-animal relationships, to understand how these choices are related to adaptations to structural violence. The research uses the Koshkonong Locality of southeastern Wisconsin and the Fox/Des Plaines Locality as case studies to compare divergent Upper Mississippian …

The Journey An Internship In Urban Activism, Music Videos: Zombie And Bad Syne, And A Study Of Afro-Panamanian Identity & The Reggaetón Music Movement, Lisa Spencer

Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

THE JOURNEY

AN INTERNSHIP IN URBAN ACTIVISM, MUSIC VIDEOS: ZOMBIE AND BAD SYNE, AND A STUDY OF AFRO-PANAMANIAN IDENTITY & THE REGGAETÓN MUSIC MOVEMENT

by

Lisa Margaret Spencer

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2019

Under the Supervision of Co-Chairs: Dr. Theresa Kenney and Dr. Tami Williams

PART I- Under the guidance of Dr. Jill Florence Lackey

A major component of my doctorate included an internship in cultural anthropology at UrbAn in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with Dr. Jill Florence Lackey. The non-profit organization was housed in the Lincoln Park Village neighborhood. I assisted in planning events in the agency’s the South Side …

Less Than Human: A Study Of The Institutional Origins Of The Medical Waste Recovered At The Milwaukee County Poor Farm Cemetery, Alexander Anthony

Theses and Dissertations

Poor Laws enacted in the early 19th-century condemned the most destitute to confinement in almshouses, poor farms, and workhouses. These laws paralleled contemporary Anatomy Acts that turned the unclaimed bodies of individuals who died at those institutions over to medical facilities for dissection, often simultaneously removing anatomization as a punishment for murder. In essence, pauperism became punishable by anatomization. Thus, dissection served the dual purpose of reinforcing social identity amongst the lower class and privileging the social identity of upper-class medical students. This study is an analysis of the material medical waste recovered from the graves of individuals interred at …

Evaluating The Effect Of Approach-Avoidance Training On Action Tendencies For Individuals With Skin Picking Disorder, Abel Steven Mathew

Theses and Dissertations

Pathological skin picking (PSP) or excoriation disorder is a destructive behavior that affects 1-2% of the general population. The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the effect of a computerized behavior modification task on action tendencies (i.e., approach or avoidance) in adults with PSP. We aimed to reduce these action tendencies by having participants with PSP complete the Approach-Avoidance Training (AAT) task. Thirty-two participants with PSP were placed in one of three training conditions: (1) Avoidance Training (AvT) (2) Approach Training (ApT) (3) Placebo Training (PT). Using a joystick to simulate an approach (=pull) or avoidance (=push) response, …

Conformity Among College Students: The Effect Of Gender On Sexually Violent Beliefs, Hanna Christine Klecka

Theses and Dissertations

Sexual violence continues to be a global issue that yields startling statistics of victimhood among collegiate populations. This study explores relationships between gender, social influence, conformity, and gender role orientation, in addition to the impact these factors have on perceptions of sexual violence. Undergraduate students (N = 210) evaluated a vignette detailing a case of possible sexual assault after reading about decisions indicating victim blaming made by previous groups of students. The results showed one’s predisposition to conform and endorse traditional gender roles predicted the likelihood to victim blame and endorse rape myths. Additionally, results revealed that the gender of …

Using Historic Glo Data And Gis To Assess The Potential For Local Bison Bison Near Two Wisconsin Late Prehistoric Oneota Localities, Andrew Michael Saleh

Theses and Dissertations

Bison (Bison bison) remains are rare in the archaeological record of Wisconsin. This thesis uses a Geographic Information System (GIS) to better understand native vegetation near sites with reported bison bone to assess their ecological viability to support local bison herds. The distribution of bison bone recovered in archaeological contexts in Wisconsin can be summarized as follows: few sites report bison remains, the archaeological contexts that do report bison are clustered in a few Late Prehistoric period locations (approximately A.D. 1300-1650), and bison remains are rare in comparison to other fauna at those sites (Arzigian et al. 1989; Boszhardt 1989, …

White Matter Integrity In Individuals At-Risk For Ptsd Development: A Longitudinal Investigation, Carissa Weis

Theses and Dissertations

Trauma exposure is prevalent and while most are resilient, some go on to develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)—an anxiety-related disorder that results from traumatic experience. The brain changes that result from traumatic experience and PTSD are not well understood. Further, little is known about what distinguishes those who are resilient after trauma from those at risk for developing PTSD. Previous work indicates white matter integrity may be a useful biomarker in predicting PTSD and researchers have found changes in the integrity of three white matter tracts—the cingulum bundle, corpus callosum (CC), and uncinate fasciculus (UF)—in the aftermath of trauma. However, …

Lithic Technological Organization At The Aztalan Site (47-Je-0001), Robert William Vander Heiden

Theses and Dissertations

Chipped stone artifacts represent just one aspect of a complex framework of behavioral adaptations to social and environmental forces, each requiring significant investments of both time and energy. This project consists of a complete lithic analysis of all chipped stone materials recovered by University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee field schools during 1984, 2011, and 2013 from the Aztalan site (47JE01), located in Southeastern Wisconsin. This assemblage includes 1,202 pieces of lithic debitage and 200 chipped stone tools. Through employing individual flake analysis of all debitage, this thesis has produced a large database of information that can provide valuable insight into the technological …

Modality, Control And Restructuring In Arabic, Yasser Albaty

Theses and Dissertations

The dissertation examines theories of modality and control with data from Standard Arabic (SA). In particular, I show that complementations of particular modal and control verbs in SA are not clausal, but smaller phrases. This challenges proposed accounts in the literature of modality in SA as well as theories of control within Minimalism. I alternatively argue for a novel account of both constructions that posits a monoclausal (i.e., restructuring) structure.

First, Chapter 2 investigates modality verbs in SA and shows that subjunctive complements of modality do not exhibit the properties of clausal complementation. I examine the syntax-semantics properties of modality …