Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Examining Sociological Differences And The Influence Of Prey Distribution And Environmental Variability In The Distribution Of A Top Marine Predator, The Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops Truncatus), Stefanie K. Gazda

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to examine the influence of environmental variability on the distribution of prey, and the influence of prey spatial structure and habitat variability may have on the distributions of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Additionally I examined how sociological differences (behavior type and the changes in a foraging behavior specific to Cedar Key Florida) influences the relative roles of bottlenose dolphins within the population.

The Gowans et al. scheme assumes that small groups form small communities and that foraging groups are small and rare as there are few foraging benefits to promote grouping. Using network analysis, …

Marital History And Retirement Security: An Empirical Analysis Of The Work, Family, And Gender Relationship, Lauren A. Martin Palmer

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the relationship between marital history and individuals’ retirement resources, namely Social Security, employer-sponsored pensions, and non-housing wealth. Prior research provides a foundation for understanding marriage’s positive relationship to retirement security, and suggests that marriage is financially beneficial and can even lessen some external factors that would otherwise damage a family’s financial situation. Yet changing demographics, with fewer people in first marriages and rising numbers of individuals experiencing divorce and choosing to remain unmarried, suggest our understanding of this relationship for today’s retirees may be limited. The purpose of this research is to identify which aspects of complex …

The Politics Of Official English: Exploring The Intentions And The Outcomes Behind English-Only Policies In The United States, David Gonzalez Nieto

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Although the Constitution did not declare English the official language of the United States, its complete linguistic dominance in such a linguistically diverse nation is unparalleled. Despite its supremacy, the last three decades have witnessed a renewed nationalistic movement that claims the role of English is threatened and that its establishment as the official language of the United States is crucial to protect the language and the unity of the nation.

So far, attempts to institutionalize English at the federal level have failed, but 28 states have adopted English as their official language and/or legislation that limits the use of …

Mind The Gap: The Integration Of Physical And Mental Healthcare In Federally Qualified Health Centers, Karen R. Monaghan

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

In the United States, approximately 50 percent of people experience mental illness during their lifetimes (Cunningham, 2009). However, previous studies estimate that up to 80 percent of people living with a mental illness do not access services (Mackenzie et al., 2007). While there are numerous explanations for such disparity, this study posited that stigma associated with mental illness is a significant contributory factor.

In an attempt to address the gap between prevalence of mental illness and access to services, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), 2010 (US Government Printing Office, (a) 2011) mandated that Federally Qualified Health Centers …

The Impact Of Nursing Hours And Hospital And Patient Characteristics On Medicare Hospital Acquired Conditions: A National Pooled Cross-Sectional Secondary Data Model And Analysis, Terry Kahlert Eng

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Background: Previous research and quality improvement initiatives have underscored the prevalence of healthcare acquired conditions (HACs) and their associated costs in American hospitals. In response to these findings, in 2008, The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services identified 10 condition categories that they would no longer pay for if acquired during hospitalization. The conditions were selected based on high cost, high volume, or both, assigned to a higher paying medical severity diagnostic related group (MS-DRG), and were deemed preventable through application of evidence-based guidelines. The Health Quality Outcomes Model and a Path Model guided the study.

Objective: To quantify the …

Analysis Of English Language Learner Performance On The Biology Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System: The Impact Of English Proficiency, First Language Characteristics, And Late-Entry Ell Status, Mary A. Mitchell

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

This study analyzed English language learner (ELL) performance on the June 2012 Biology MCAS, namely on item attributes of domain, cognitive skill, and linguistic complexity. It examined the impact of English proficiency, Latinate first language, first language orthography, and late-entry ELL status. The results indicated that English proficiency was a strong predictor of performance and that ELLs at higher levels of English proficiency overwhelmingly passed. The results further indicated that English proficiency introduced a construct-irrelevant variance on the Biology MCAS and raised validity issues for using this assessment at lower levels of English proficiency. This study also found that ELLs …