Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

An Exploratory Study On The Association Between Community Resilience And Disaster Preparedness In The Rio Grande Valley, Dean Kyne

Sociology Faculty Publications and Presentations

(1) Background: Severe weather events have impacted over 100 million Americans in the past two years, highlighting the importance of individual disaster preparedness in building community resilience. This study aims to investigate the factors influencing individuals’ perceived disaster resiliency and preparedness in the Rio Grande Valley, Texas.

(2) Methods: Data were collected from 846 respondents using the Communities Advancing Resilience Toolkit (CART) Assessment Survey instrument. The study employed structural equation modeling (SEM) to explore the association between disaster preparedness and community resilience.

(3) Results: The findings of the study revealed a significant association between disaster preparedness and perceived community resilience. …

Measuring Social Vulnerability And Exposure To Potential Risks Induced By Spaceport Operations In South Texas: An Empirical Study Utilizing Gis Methods And Social Vulnerability Indicators, Evan D. Garcia

Theses and Dissertations

The commercialization of space has increased spaceport development and activity across the United States. The magnitude of growth can be witnessed through the spaceport expansion and spacecraft testing at the SpaceX “Starbase” Launch Facility, located along the Texas-Mexico border. Matching the pace of SpaceX’s growth while evaluating levels of risk, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) diligently conducted a comprehensive Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA). While this assessment provides significant environmental impact data and risk analysis, much is left to understand regarding hazards and risk exposure to local communities. More specifically, research is needed to understand hazards associated with operational- and anomaly- …

Disaster Risk Perception, Climate Change Awareness, And Disaster Preparedness Among University Of Texas Rio Grande Valley Students, Anandita Roy

Theses and Dissertations

University students are usually young and have low-income resources, live in dormitories or low-rent housing near the university, and have little to no disaster experience. Therefore, they are vulnerable to disasters due to a lack of resources for preparation. To better understand the vulnerability of students to disasters, the study aims to assess the perceptions of disaster risk, climate change awareness, and the level of disaster preparedness of students at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). In this study, we collected data from 320 students who participated in an online survey. The study’s findings provide an understanding of …

Competitive Intelligence And Academic Entrepreneurship As Innovative Vectors Of A Resilient, Business-Oriented Education, Daniel Gabriel Dinu, Andreea Stoian Karadeli, Larisa Mihoreanu, Elena Iuliana Pașcu Gabără, Mihail Păduraru

Public Affairs and Security Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Purpose – The present paper substantiates that the concepts of competitive intelligence and academic entrepreneurship are genuinely connected to the modern society and, through their perpetual and versatile evolution, have an important role in moving the development on the right way.

Design/methodology/approach – Their evolutive is completed by a comparative analysis as appropriate method to point out similarities and differences and identify the way their application may serve innovation as a tool for those activating in the related domains of education, within our highly dynamic world.

Findings – The development of the concepts is meant to link and accelerate the …

Borderlands Without Borders: How Poetry Can Dismantle The Walls Between Planners And Communities, Rodney Gomez

Public Affairs and Security Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

As a method of community planning, and as an impetus for creative placemaking (and placekeeping), poetry can help anyone–not just writers–think about how they are situated within their local communities and urban spaces. By writing poetry, any member of the public—in particular, those who are historically underrepresented—can turn conceptions into things that can be discussed and implemented. Since poetry has dislodged itself from patrician control and has found fertile ground in the digital landscape, it can be easily shared within local contexts and beyond.

Competitive Intelligence And Neuro-Technologies: The New Strategic Tools To Boost The Digital Economy, Daniel Gabriel Dinu, Andreea Stoian-Karadeli, Larisa Mihoreanu, Milena Ilić, Mihai Păduraru

Public Affairs and Security Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Purpose – This paper aims to bridge the conceptual gap between the competitive intelligence domain and the current digital transformation and adaptation to the new values, norms, requests and expectations of Industry 4.0. Starting with the theoretical and chronological background attributed to the current developments, the following pages proceed to developing the argument that the Competitive Intelligence domain has become an imperative for the whole process of decision-making involved in Industry 4.0, applied to all businesses, disregard their status, domain, or turnover.

Design/methodology/approach – Adopting a multidisciplinary perspective, the paper uses both a theoretical and practical approach to the main …

An Analysis Of Income And Healthcare Disparities Across Minority Populations By Incorporating Community Resource Collaboration In Public Policy, Ohioze O. Obadan

Theses and Dissertations

There is widespread literature on the connection between public policy, resource allocation, and income and health inequalities among minority communities. While various services are created to help communities, the distribution and allocation of these services remain elusive, without any collaboration towards a common objective among public policy leaders. This paper investigates the disparities in the access to healthcare within Florida, a state selected because of its documented problems with healthcare access. This thesis research analyzes the income and health inequalities in minority populations in Florida by integrating community resource collaboration into public policy. The study used secondary data from public …

It Is Time To Recognize The Rio Grande Valley As A Rising Borderland Metropolis, Rodney Gomez, Luis Guajardo, Edna Ely-Ledesma

Public Affairs and Security Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Demystifying Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion Among Students In Higher Education, Sundra D. Kincey, Aziza Zemrani, Theresa L. Bailey

Public Affairs and Security Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Understanding the unique components of diversity, equity, and inclusion is essential for institutions of higher education to increase student success outcomes and to prepare graduates for the world of work. This chapter will focus on how diversity, equity, and inclusion as a single entity is perceived by enrolled students, particularly minority students, and how institutions may help to increase students' awareness of such topics and the impact on their lives upon graduation. Discussions will lend themselves to strategies that institutions may employ to demystify these terms for enrolled students. Specific focus will be given to the use of inclusive competencies …

The Knowledge Society At Crossroads: The Road Map And Incubating Role Of The Competitive Intelligence, Digitalization And Neurosciences, Daniel Gabriel Dinu, Andreea Stoian-Karadeli, Adrian Doroiman, Larisa Mihoreanu

Public Affairs and Security Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

The today human being is part of the technological and scientific development dominated by information as a both raw material and base of knowledge.

The easy and open accesses to information thrust forward the frontiers of development and communication, enlarge the development's paths and generate amazing changes, faster than ever happened. The way that data bases increase its volume becomes the most actual and complex problem.

The ability to extract and process the knowledge and the speed of its processing represent unknown and provocative challenges for business profit and the intelligent society success. Their extraction from the informational noise and …

Exempting Battery Electric Vehicles From Traffic Restrictions: Impacts On Market And Environment Under Pigovian Taxation, Xu Hu, Zhaojun Yang, Jun Sun, Yali Zhang

Information Systems Faculty Publications and Presentations

In busy metropolitan areas, traffic restrictions based on the last digits of license plates effectively ease traffic jams and improve air quality. Recently, policy-makers in China exempted battery electric vehicles (BEV) from traffic restrictions to promote their diffusion in place of conventional vehicles (CV). To examine the impacts of such an exemption on consumers and manufacturers as well as the environment, this study models the duopoly competition between BEV and CV manufacturers as a Cournot game. The numerical analyses compare three traffic restriction policies concerning BEV and CV, and reveal the pros and cons of each. In particular, the BEV-exempted …

Evaluating Disaster Evacuation Plans Of Families With Special Medical Needs (Smn) In The Rio Grande Valley: A Proposal For Providing A Special Needs Disaster Shelter, Jeannette Zallar

Theses and Dissertations

During a disaster, people have the choice of whether to evacuate or shelter in place. The problem with that is that the impact of disasters is never the same; one disaster can cause one to shelter in place, and within the same day, evacuation might be required. For those who are able-bodied, and have financial means, this is not a problem. It is a problem, however, for those who are disabled, struggling with chronic illnesses, or caring for those who have a disability or chronic illness.

This thesis studies these populations, and proposes a potential solution for disaster evacuation: a …

Empowered Stakeholders: Female University Students’ Leadership During The Covid-19-Triggered On-Campus Evictions In Canada And The United States, Haorui Wu, Marla Perez-Lugo, Cecilio Ortiz Garcia, Frances Gonzalez Crespo, Adriana Castillo

Public Affairs and Security Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

The study of disaster-specific leadership of female university students has been largely neglected, especially during on-campus emergency eviction and evacuation. Based on the COVID-19-triggered, on-campus evictions across Canada and the United States, this cross-national partnership examined the out-of-province/state and international female university students’ leadership during the entire eviction process. Through in-depth interviews, this study revealed the female university students’ leadership behaviors during three stages: (1) pre-eviction: their self-preparedness formed an emotional foundation to support others; (2) peri-eviction: their attitude and leadership behavior enabled them to facilitate (psychologically and physically) their peers’ eviction process; and (3) post-eviction: they continued to support …

Global Famine After Nuclear War, Lilia Xia, Alan Robock, Kim J. N. Scherrer, Cheryl S. Harrison, Jonas Jaegermeyr, Charles G. Bardeen, Owen B. Toon, Ryan F. Heneghan

School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Environmental Education And Awareness: The Present And Future Key To The Sustainable Management Of Ramsar Convention Sites In Kenya, Parita Shah, George Atisa

Public Affairs and Security Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Ramsar wetland sites are important habitats for biodiversity and provide ecological services to communities that otherwise have no access to water resources. In Kenya, some wetlands are more prominent and are recognized worldwide as tourist hot spots, biodiversity-rich zones and wildlife habitats. However, these wetlands face overexploitation and degradation from surrounding communities. The efforts to halt underlying threats and the projected declines in the size and quality of inland wetlands at local levels are not sufficient. The question guiding this study is as follows: to what extent do a Ramsar designation and formal and informal education support communities and …

Decentralized Governments: Local Empowerment And Sustainable Development Challenges In Africa, George Atisa, Aziza Zemrani, Matthew Weiss

Public Affairs and Security Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study examines the extent to which decentralization is being utilized as a vehicle for sustainable economic development outcomes at all levels of governance in Africa. Research shows that decentralization is missing the triple-bottom line of sustainability: economic, social and environmental prosperity that meets current needs and does not take away from future generations in regions settled by indigenous communities. In this study, selected peer-reviewed literature and reports from conservation organizations on decentralization are analyzed. This research explores ways decentralization can be integrated with sustainability to minimize the short-term and long-run consequences of human actions on the environment at local …

Resource Curse In Kenya’S Coastal Region: A Symptom Of Institutional Failure, George Atisa

Public Affairs and Security Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Regions endowed with abundant natural resources are expected to thrive economically, but this is not the case for Kenya’s coastal region. Communities in this region believe they are working hard enough but are still held in abject poverty by circumstances not of their own making. This state of development raises one pertinent question – who is responsible for this poor state of development and rampant poverty? When it is about an individual, it is easy to attach success to talent and hard work, and sometimes sheer luck, but it is difficult to generalize the “hard-working” argument to an entire community …

A Moral And Pragmatic Analysis Of Debt And North–South Economic Inequality, George Atisa

Public Affairs and Security Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

The North–South inequality hurts both high- and low-income countries in many respects, both directly and indirectly. At the same time, workers from low-income countries work just as hard as those from high-income countries but are often held in abject poverty by circumstances not of their own making. The question the study tries to find answers for is: why do hard-working individuals in both the North and the South bring home different levels of income, yielding big differences in per capita income globally and what can be done about it? Current pro-poor growth policies that include handouts, loans or relocating industries …

Governance And Sustainable Development Goals (Sdgs): Exploring The Relatinship Between Governance And Sdgs Using An International Comparative Perspective, Apu Deb

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to explore the relationship between governance and sustainable development goals from an international comparative perspective. The research question of the study was: Does the performance level of governance affect the achievement of SD specifically in terms of reducing poverty, gender inequality, and human inequalities? This study has used the convenient sampling method to select 16 countries based on their income level and secondary data collected from the UNDP, World Bank for statistical analysis. We did the Hausman test to decide whether used fixed effects or random effects and found the Hausman test was significant …

Cultivating And Reporting Of Campus Threats, Louis K. Falk, Douglas Stoves, Audrey W. Falk, Hilda Silva

Communication Faculty Publications and Presentations

The consumption of media has been established as one of the elements responsible for changing the general population’s perceptions. Specifically, cultivation theory (depending on the amount of media use) points to an enhanced representation of a characterization conveyed through the media. This depiction has the potential to create an inaccurate portrayal (stereotype) leading to an increased level of anxiety. The proliferation of reported incidents (real or perceived) associated with mass shootings in the U.S. over the last 20 years is an example. This paper traces the relatively recent coverage of mass shootings in the U.S. by the media and the …

Predicting Collaboration: Risk, Power, And Dependence In The Gulf Of Maine, Derek A. Katznelson

Theses and Dissertations

Collaboration among natural resource organizations and users is touted by researchers as an effective approach to managing common pool resources. To understand how collaboration works, previous studies in organizational theory have identified three variables: power, dependence, and risk. Relationships between actors can be represented by these qualifications of resources or threats and may predict if those relationships are in conflict or asymmetric in power. In this study, the Gulf of Maine transboundary fishery management network relied upon a dyadic influenced survey to quantitatively capture the perception of communication ties between organizations. Four kinds of dependence and three types of risk …

The Workplace Integration Of Veterans: Applying Diversity And Fit Perspectives, Jorge A. Gonzalez, Joseph Simpson

Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Military veterans are a valuable part of the human capital resource pool. Nonetheless, veterans often struggle with their transition into civilian life and workplaces. This problem often limits the extent to which work organizations utilize their talents. Here, we briefly review relevant work from outside the management field and nascent work within the field to build a conceptual model for understanding the integration of veterans into the workplace. We do this by applying diversity and person-environment fit perspectives. A diversity standpoint helps us to understand veterans as a social group and their inclusion in the workplace, while the person-environment fit …

Do Individuals Have Stressful Experience Of A Future Possible Disaster In The Rio Grande Valley?, Nancy Carlson

Theses and Dissertations

The risk of exposure to natural and man-made disasters in the United States has been an increasing concern among key stakeholders. During a disaster event, individuals living in the impacted area experience destruction through personal experience. Whereas, individuals living in other parts of the country experience the disaster second-hand through media outlets such as print, news broadcast, social media, and the Internet.

This study focuses on individuals living in the Rio Grande Valley, a location that is geographically vulnerable to natural disasters including hurricanes, flooding, flash flooding, and storm surge. The study investigates whether individuals indirectly experience stress of two …

Climate Resiliency: Application Of Gis Methods To Assess Flood Risk, Vulnerability, Potential Impacts, And Resiliency In Hidalgo County, Texas, Joe F. Chavez

Theses and Dissertations

A contemporary concern towards the increased force of storms and massive rainfall occurrences caused by climate change are issues that can cause socio-economic disturbances, destruction of property, and loss of life. The implementation of techniques towards enhancing preparedness, planning, and mitigation, such as assessing risk and vulnerabilities through a Geographic Information System (GIS), can promote climate resiliency. This study measures the risk and vulnerabilities of assets within Hidalgo County through GIS spatial analysis. STATA and GIS results were used to summarize the number of vulnerable assets and assets at risk as well as assets exposed to flooding at the County …

Decision-Support System For Lid Footprint Planning And Urban Runoff Mitigation In The Lower Rio Grande Valley Of South Texas, Javier Guerrero, Taufiqul Alam, Ahmed Mahmoud, Kim D. Jones, Andrew Ernest

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

To address regional flooding in the United States, federal and state agencies are adopting strict drainage policies in any large-scale commercial development within the watershed boundary. The conventional approach of implementing a wet detention pond (WP) reduces the land cover and causes operation and maintenance challenges eventually. The present study developed a decision-support system (DSS) in the Lower Rio Grande Valley region of South Texas for optimal selection of Best Management Practices (BMPs) by substituting a portion of the WP footprint with three regionally promising low-impact development practices, namely, porous concrete pavement (PCP), bioretention (BR), and bioswale (BS). Source Load …

Using Historical Information And Data To Strengthen Planning For Environmental Protection And Management At Everglades National Park, South Florida, George Atisa

Public Affairs and Security Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

The early environmental conditions in many national parks fit the favorable description given to Everglades National Park (ENP) at the time of its founding that the park’s wilderness and ecological resources were “superlative in value.” With the understanding that wilderness does not mean complete human exclusion, this study examines the possibilities, interests, and difficulties associated with establishing the historical superlative state of the park’s resources as a target for current restoration efforts. The focus is specifically on ENP, as the park’s existence was considered justified only if its superlative and pristine wilderness conditions could be retained in the future. Data …

Empirical Evaluation Of Disaster Preparedness For Hurricanes In The Rio Grande Valley, Dean Kyne, Leslie Cisneros, Josue Delacruz, Bianca Lopez, Cristina Madrid, Rebecca Moran, Alma Provencio, Felix Ramos, Maria Fernanda Silva

Sociology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Individual emergency preparedness is critical to mitigate and minimize the negative impacts from disasters. Preparing for future disasters could enhance capacity to better cope with the external shocks and achieve a faster return to normalcy after the disaster event. This study investigates how individuals living in the Rio Grande Valley prepare themselves for the future hurricane disasters. The study investigates the state of objective and subjective preparedness and any discrepancy between the two types of disaster preparedness. Using collected data from590 respondents via an online survey instrument, the study examines the relationships between the states of individual preparedness and selected …

Measuring Disaster Resiliency In The Rio Grande Valley, Alma R. Provencio

Theses and Dissertations

People are now becoming more conscious of the effects of climate change. They are seeking to understand how to manage their resources and prepare for when a disaster strikes. The growing studies of disaster resilience lend that opportunity. In this spatial and temporal study, disaster resilience was measured for each census tract within the four counties of the Rio Grande Valley. Utilizing GIS tools and methods, the study examines resilience patterns between 2010 and 2017.

Results showed that even though various census tracts from each of the four counties increased in resilience from 2010 to 2017, the overall total resilience …

Women In Law Enforcement: The Impacts And Obstacles They Face In A Hispanic- And Male-Dominated Culture, Lisa M. Seiser

Theses and Dissertations

Despite a lack of female law enforcement representation in police departments across the country and especially in the Border Patrol, there have been minimal studies performed that focus on the obstacles women face in these professions. The purpose of this study was to attempt to understand the lived experiences of female law enforcement officers/border patrol agents in this male-dominated profession, but also adding the aspect of them working in a Hispanic-dominated culture.

The findings revealed these women in law enforcement working in a Hispanic area face many of the same obstacles as women in other parts of the country - …

Wreck On The Highway: The Intersectionality Of Driver Culpability, Thc, Other Intoxicants And Fatalities In Washington State, Youngki Woo, Dale W. Willits, Mary K. Stohr, Craig Hemmens, Staci Hoff

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications and Presentations

Objective: Given the legalization of recreational cannabis in 2012 in Washington State and recent mixed results regarding the effects of cannabis on driver safety, we examine the link between Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinols (THC) and driver’s behavior, including speeding and driver errors which may have contributed to a particular fatal crash.

Methods: The current study utilized data from the Washington State Fatality Analysis Reporting System Analytical File (WA FARS) in years 2008-2016. A series of logistic regression were employed to compare THC positive and negative drivers, as well as drivers who tested positive for other intoxicants.

Results: The results of …