Recommendations Of Research Articles By Experts: Visualizing Relationships And Expertise, Peiling Wang, Scott Eugene Shumate, Pinghao Ye, Chad Mitchell

School of Information Sciences -- Faculty Publications and Other Works

The paper applied data analytics and network visualization to show the potentials of employing Faculty Opinions beyond literature recommendations by domain experts. Based on a set of highly recommended articles by at least four experts with a sum of 10 or more stars (A recommended article is assigned a score between one to three stars by the recommender.), this study tests the new ideas and methods of identifying and visualizing relationships between scientific papers, experts, and categories. Despite of the available dataset in the study is small, the findings show that a platform designed for recommending and retrieving publications has …

The Roles Of Academic Librarians In Promoting Gold Open Access To Faculty: A Review Of The Literature, Olivia Chin

UT Libraries Faculty: Peer-Reviewed Publications

Since the advent of Open Access (OA) publishing as a response to the serials crisis in scholarly communications, academic librarians have often served as OA guides for faculty as they navigate the research process. However, as more studies have emerged on faculty perceptions of gold OA, the roles of librarians in promoting OA have come into question. This literature review article aims to examine articles and book chapters published from 2010 to 2023 with a geographic focus on North America that discuss how and why librarians have promoted gold OA to faculty. The literature reviewed suggests that librarians should focus …

Beyond Fentanyl Test Strips: The Need To Decriminalize All Drug Checking Equipment In Tennessee, Jeremy C. Kourvelas Mph

SMART Policy Briefs

KEY POINTS

• In 2022, Tennessee decriminalized fentanyl test strips (FTS) through Public Chapter 764. Thousands have since been distributed by the state and nonprofit coalitions as a key harm reduction strategy. As of the end of 2023, 44 other states and D.C. had also decriminalized FTS.

• Research indicates that people who use drugs are five times as likely to change their behaviors (including reducing drug use overall) in response to a test result that is positive for fentanyl. People who use methamphetamine are especially likely to change their behaviors.

• However, the law only applies to “narcotic testing equipment used to …

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Chronic Inequities: Environmental & Structural Racism During Covid-19 And Hurricane Laura Disaster Recovery, Tomeka M. Robinson, Sabrina Singh

Critical Disaster Studies

The COVID-19 pandemic has amplified the realities of systemic health inequities within the United States. While the virus has severely impacted the entire country, people of color bear the brunt of this pandemic, from surges of COVID-19 cases in their communities to spikes in unemployment rates. Simultaneously, citizens are dealing with the impacts of natural disasters such as hurricanes along the Gulf Coast. The common denominator concerning these two stressors is that they can be exacerbated by institutional racism. This can be seen in the case of a small city in Southwest Louisiana, namely, Lake Charles, which has become a …

Book Review: The Shaming State: How The U.S. Treats Citizens In Need, Steve Matthewman

Critical Disaster Studies

Salman’s book centers two different constituencies, in two different locations, in the 2010s, who have been impacted by two different disasters. The first group are Iraqi refugees who have been resettled in Wayne County, Michigan. Trying to start again over half a world away, they are trapped in the transit lounge of life, never able to move on, never able to properly belong. They found a state in recession, the automobile industry collapsing, the city of Detroit bankrupt. Their particular county had higher unemployment than the state’s average and a poor median income as well. Economically speaking, ‘Michigan fared worse …

Understanding Linguistic Treatment Across Species: A Comparative Study At Zoo Knoxville, Dynestee S. Fields

Masters Theses

Zoos are unique locations that often bring the natural world into urban settings for the purposes of conducting research, engaging in conservation initiatives, and educating and entertaining the public (Miranda et al., 2023, p. 290). However, the version of nature that zoos construct can be imperfect in that zoos may obscure the reality of their environments and create discrepancies in their treatment of different species. Engaging with environmental communication scholarship that explores how humans consider the voices of nonhuman animals and align animal representations with human interests, I use an ecolinguistic framework to inquire into how nonhuman animals are treated …

Leadership Journeys Of Twelve Women In The Wine Industry: A Qualitative Study, Colleen Baker

Masters Theses

Over the past five years, women's global leadership roles have increased to 42.7%, constituting 39.5% of the overall labor force. In the U.S., despite comprising 47% of the labor force, women hold 42% of leadership positions. Despite educational achievements, women remain underrepresented in leadership, notably in agriculture and the wine industry. This study addressed this gap by exploring gender dynamics in underrepresented wine regions—Oregon, South Africa, and Virginia. Employing a phenomenological approach, 12 participants were selected. Themes such as mentorship, community support, collaboration, gender barriers, pathways to position, and continuous participation emerged through coding, guided by the Social Learning Theory …

Cluster Analysis Of Consumer Attitudes Towards Online Grocery Shopping And Impacts On Online Grocery Usage And Food Expenditure, Harrison T. Clark

Masters Theses

Online grocery shopping has exploded in prevalence since the COVID-19 pandemic, and literature has come out about best practices for marketing generally to the population to incentivize additional usage and investigate the attitudes that consumers hold towards online grocery shopping. In this study, we focus on not just general marketing but targeted online marketing strategies that will support the goals of firms within the online grocery store sector, by completing a detailed clustering analysis, followed by regression analysis to determine how the segmentation of consumers affected their willingness to use online grocery stores in the past six months and their …

Framing Maternity Care Access In The United States: A Comparative Analysis Of Online News Sources, Esther Dowell

Masters Theses

The ruling of the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) in the Dobbs V. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case has far-reaching consequences for maternity care in the United States. One of these consequences is limiting or eliminating access to maternity care, not just access to abortion. The news served as an essential source of information regarding the leaked opinion in the Dobbs case and continues to be vital in disseminating information regarding the effects of the decision.

This study took a qualitative approach through use of content analysis to examine how limited access to maternity care and maternity care …

Changes In Tennessee Land Use, Leann Hopper

Masters Theses

Urbanization and rural development make agricultural and forest land susceptible to conversion. In Tennessee, there has been an increase in the rate of agricultural and forestry land conversion over the past two decades. In this study, we will be conducting a geo-spatial analysis, on 86 of the 95 Tennessee counties, to identify farm, agricultural, and forest parcels that have converted to some other land classification. Additionally, we provide a statistical analysis on the Eastern Tennessee region to identify drivers that are influencing conversion. From the geo-spatial analysis, we show farm, agricultural, and forestry parcels that have converted to some other …

What's The Pointe?: A Leap Into New Leadership, Traci A. Lively

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study is to observe the communication process of a newly appointed leader in a professional ballet company. Over the course of several scheduled research days, interactions with various stakeholders and one on one interviews with the new leader within the organization are observed and recorded. This study will provide insight on leadership and leadership change from the point of view of new leadership. This leadership exposure across the organization will provide better understanding to new leadership, finding leadership identity, employee commitment within the organization and how new leadership interacts in various situations and how he perceives …

41 For Freedom: Ballistic Missile Submariners And The Nuclear Deterrent Shield During The Cold War, Jeremy Daniel Long

Masters Theses

Ballistic missile “boomer” submarines were developed in the 1960s as a response to the Soviet launch of the Sputnik satellite which proved the Soviet Union could launch a missile targeting anywhere on Earth. They made use of new nuclear power technology which allowed submarines to stay underwater indefinitely, limited only by the food they could carry to feed their crews. Ballistic missile submarines have served continuously since 1960, patrolling the ocean as the second-strike capability that makes nuclear deterrence possible. The men who served aboard the “41 for Freedom” ballistic missile submarines made innumerable sacrifices and contributed greatly to national …

Water Affordability In Tennessee: Applying Modern Portfolio Theory To Assess The Risk-Return Trade-Off Of Clean Water Act Subsidies, Hannah E. Williams

Masters Theses

Affordable access to clean water is an environmental justice concern in the United States (US); economic conditions, income, and location influence a community’s access to clean water and their ability to afford critical upgrades to existing water system infrastructure. In 1987, amendments to the Clean Water Act (CWA) created the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) which allowed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to annually allocate funds to the states to offer assistance for water infrastructure projects. This amendment allows communities to better afford upgrades to their wastewater infrastructure by applying for subsidies, in the form of principal loan forgiveness, …

Japanese Foreign Security: Why Japan Increased Its Defense Budget And Why It Matters, Mary K. Roark

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Identifying Potential Barriers To Mental Health Of Students At The University Of Tennessee, Knoxville, Anna P. Lynn

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

The Founding And Process Behind Neutral Zone Reaction, Jules B. Bergman

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Sex And Self-Optimization: Stancetaking In Postfeminist Media, Stella Clymer

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

The Walking Threat: Traits Of Pathogen Avoidance, Pathogen Threat Proximity And Functional Flexibility, Lahai Alexander Massaquoi Wicks

Doctoral Dissertations

The threat of infection to humans is unwavering, and it is increased through social interaction, which human life is based around. This has been demonstrated through the recent SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, where social distancing was recommended to prevent the spread of the virus. Therefore, it is important to understand both the behavioral and physiological defenses that we possess against illness. However, the characteristics of the relationship between the behavioral immune system (BIS) and the physiological immune system (PIS) are still murky. This dissertation sought to better understand how the BIS considers the costs of mounting an immune response via functional flexibility …

New Geographies Of Electronic Commerce: An Appraisal Of Omni-Channel Strategies In The United States Grocery Industry, Connor Reed

Doctoral Dissertations

This body of doctoral research investigates the unique geography of e-commerce [electronic commerce] offerings among major grocery chains in the contiguous United States. Prior research has made efforts to understand the demographic and spatial dynamics that may influence consumers’ decision to shop online or in-store. Far less emphasis, however, has been placed on how firms have made key strategic decisions across space regarding e-commerce. This work leverages spatial econometric modeling and machine learning to understand how the characteristics of trade areas inform grocery chains’ decisions about whether to offer pickup, delivery, both, or no offering at a given store location. …

The Role Of Awe In Risk-Taking And The Exploration Of The Unknown, Matthew Thomas Richesin

Doctoral Dissertations

Much has been learned about awe through scientific inquiry in the last twenty years, however, few researchers have looked to understand the adaptive function. Recent work has suggested that the function of awe is cognitive in nature. This view argues that the function awe plays is linked to how individuals respond to uncertainty. This approach proposes that awe should be linked to various epistemic dispositions such as curiosity, impulsivity, intolerance to uncertainty, and existential thinking. It further suggests that awe will have a distinct effect on risk-taking behaviors compared to fear and curiosity. The current project consists of three studies …

The World Reborn: A Phenomenological Study Of 12th Unnamed Cave, Tennessee Through Photogrammetry, 3d Gis, And Archaeoacoustics, Jordan L. Schaefer

Doctoral Dissertations

Traditional methods for analyzing rock art locations within caves tend to rely on two-dimensional (2D) mapping methods. While useful, these techniques do not effectively capture the phenomenology, or experiential characteristics, of caves as physical spaces. This dissertation therefore adopts a three-dimensional perspective to study the distribution of rock art inside 12th Unnamed Cave, a dark-zone cave art site in Tennessee’s Cumberland Plateau region, with the goal of identifying why certain types of images appear in their respective contexts. Photogrammetry is used to produce a three-dimensional (3D) model of the cave’s interior, on which surveyed rock art locations are georeferenced for …

Three Essays In Environmental Economics, Ryan Swartzentruber

Doctoral Dissertations

The first chapter of this dissertation analyzes how policy uncertainty affects electric utility investment rates. Policy can either positively or negatively impact firm profits, as seen in the difference between subsidies and taxes. Using a real option theoretical model, I show how uncertainty over these two types of policies can have positive or negative impacts on investment rates. Empirical results using investment data for electric utilities provide evidence in support of differential effects of uncertainty. I find a positive effect of policy uncertainty on electric utility investment rates using my preferred measure of policy uncertainty. This suggests that policies applicable …

Discriminative Nursing Care Practices Towards Patients With Opioid Use Disorder In The Hospital Setting: How Knowledge And Social Attitudes Impact Care Delivery, Jeanne Adam Bernier

Doctoral Dissertations

Discriminative nursing care (DNC) practices towards patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) is a current phenomenon negatively affecting patient care and patient outcomes. It leads to delays in care, insufficient pain control, and feelings of guilt and shame, and it is linked to self-isolation, social isolation, social rejection, and even unemployment and housing disruption which perpetuate a dangerous cycle of inequity that is hard to overcome. In some cases, OUD stigmatization even increases morbidity and mortality rates. OUD stigmatization and discrimination are real problems in today’s health care climate due to the vast number of people affected by OUD and …

Help-Seeking Tendencies And Motivations Among College Students In The Utilization Of Professional Psychological Services, James Louie Cartee Iii

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation examines and analyzes the help-seeking motivations of college students who experience psychological distress. Many young adults consider and utilize professional psychological services in these decision-making moments. The process behind these motivations and decisions warrants investigation to successfully assist students in hopes of avoiding tragic outcomes, such as suicidal ideation. Multiple forces affect why individuals choose to utilize professional services or otherwise avoid them.

Through a grounded theory approach, twenty-eight young adults were interviewed based on specific criteria that established two sets of questions. One set of questions addressed the five participants who only seriously considered the use of …

Introjection, Mentalization, Ego Functioning, And Lacan’S “Name Of The Father”, Chloe T. Cohen

Doctoral Dissertations

Psychoanalytic literature has traditionally focused on the theoretical explanations of psychological phenomena rather than empirical research to support those ideas. One such theory is Lacan’s “Name of the Father” (NOF), which recast Freud’s Oedipal situation, positing its representation in language use and situating it even earlier in psychological development. Lacan suggested that the NOF construct (establishing psychological structure and preventing psychosis) was best represented by metaphor use and linguistic structure. The current study attempted to measure the NOF construct (1955) through linguistic structure and metaphor use. We examined the relationship between an indirect measure of NOF functioning and overall personality …

The Opposite Of Subaltern Agency Is Not Agency, It’S Listening: Self-Guided Anti-Racism Investigation For Aspiring White Anti-Racists, Lauren Elaine Specht

Doctoral Dissertations

This research project examines the rhetorical relationship between oppressed and privileged communities, first to look at how oppressed communities can have more success in their outreach to change privileged points of view, then to examine that “success” of social advocacy is as bound up in the listener’s ability to hear as it is in the speaker’s ability to persuade and that the oppressed community is already using the most successful rhetorical tools available—privileged audiences are just not participating. To complete the first process, I used textual analysis to understand how an oppressed rhetor—represented by Toni Morrison—thinks of privileged perspectives in …

Topics In Energy, Trade And Environmental, And Public Economics, Ivan Peter Anich

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation consists of three papers, one each in energy economics, the environment and trade, and public economics. The first chapter generalizes the classical concept of the Lindahl allocation, a normative standard by which a theoretical provision of public goods is judged. The generalization, called a Generalized Lindahl Equilibrium (GLE), requires a personalized tax schedule to be assigned to each consumer, rather than a single personalized tax. This allows for non-linear taxation, redistribution of consumer surplus, and a more `just' provision of public goods. The second chapter studies how trade policy and environmental policy affect the timing of adoption of …

Someone To Keep Me: Emotions, Labor, Trauma, And Orphanhood In Haiti, Hannah Mackynzie Archer

Doctoral Dissertations

In Haiti, the orphan occupies an important place in humanitarian discourse and practice as the key figure underlying the institution of the orphanage. Crucial to the orphanage and the orphan is work done by house mamas as nannies for the children, drawn primarily from the same communities and economic backgrounds as orphans. This ethnography explores how interactions between orphans, nannies, and volunteers are woven into a system of emotions produced by orphans, managed by nannies, and consumed by volunteers. Furthermore, how the intricacies of racial, gendered, and age-based inequalities, underlying these emotional exchanges, presume to reproduce discourses about the proper …

Rapport And Collective Attention: How We Predict Others Will Share Knowledge, Andrew S. Heim

Doctoral Dissertations

When we observe people playing cooperative games together, there are several factors such as their rapport, attention, and theory of mind reasoning ability that might influence the information we think they will prioritize. On the one hand, we might expect players to clear up uncertain information. On the other hand, we might expect them to instead share information that is unknown to their partner. Participants observed two players in a cooperative game and predicted how the players would choose to go about prioritizing the sharing of information. We found that participants generally chose to discuss private knowledge. Additionally, it appears …

Essays On The Economics Of Federal Programs, Diego A. Guerrero

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation consists of three essays in public economics and the political economy of the public sector. The document contributes empirical evidence on the impact of public policies on households, firms, and government. This first essay revisits the evidence on the intergenerational effects of the earned income tax credit (EITC) on the adult income of individuals who received the tax credit during childhood. The empirical strategy exploits formulaic changes localized across socioeconomic status in the tax schedule, and finds that tax credit transfers during early childhood increase adult income between 1.7 and 2.7 percent per \$1,000. Furthermore, the paper links …