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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

The Validity Of The Group Questionnaire: Construct Clarity Or Construct Drift?, Stephen D. Thayer Apr 2012

The Validity Of The Group Questionnaire: Construct Clarity Or Construct Drift?, Stephen D. Thayer

Theses and Dissertations

The Group Questionnaire (GQ) is a recently developed measure of the quality of the therapeutic relationship in group treatment. Its 3 subscales-Positive Bonding Relationship, Positive Working Relationship, and Negative Relationship-are taken from a 3-factor conceptualization of the group therapeutic relationship (Johnson et al., 2005). The purpose of the present study was to estimate the GQ's construct and criterion-related validity by 1) replicating the aforementioned factor structure with a similar sample and by 2) correlating the GQ with the measures from which is was derived (i.e., Working Alliance Inventory, Burns Empathy Scale, Therapeutic Factors Inventory, Group Climate Questionnaire) and to 3) …

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Socio Demographic And Motivational Differences Between Active Participants And Supporters In Pkk Terrorist Organization, Gokhan Koca Apr 2012

Socio Demographic And Motivational Differences Between Active Participants And Supporters In Pkk Terrorist Organization, Gokhan Koca

Theses and Dissertations

Especially for last three decades many of the scholars have tried to provide general terrorist profile, which is commonly usable for all terrorists. They were seeking to identify the process of becoming terrorist (Sageman, 2004; Russel&Miller, 1977; Strentz, 1988; Hassan, 2001). The main problem on those studies is that, without looking at degree of involvement of terrorist they just focus on “who becomes a terrorist and why” and they prefer to ignore different type of characteristics about terrorist. Yilmaz (2009) tried to underline and answer this subject by studying on arrest results about DHKP/C and Hizbullah terrorist organizations in Turkey. …

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The Current Status Of Social Media Use Among Nonprofit Human Service Organizations: An Exploratory Study, James Young Apr 2012

The Current Status Of Social Media Use Among Nonprofit Human Service Organizations: An Exploratory Study, James Young

Theses and Dissertations

Social media has proliferated throughout the nonprofit sector over the last five years and organizations use these new tools in a variety of ways. Little research is available on the use of social media within nonprofit human service organizations (HSO) specifically. This study is one of the first of its kind to explore how and why human service organizations are using social media. The aim of this study is to understand the current status of social media use among nonprofit human service organizations by exploring and describing the social media platforms in use, associated practices with social media, the frequency …

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Associations Between Binge Eating And Executive Functioning Among Young Women, Nichole Kelly Apr 2012

Associations Between Binge Eating And Executive Functioning Among Young Women, Nichole Kelly

Theses and Dissertations

Binge eating is a pervasive disordered eating behavior associated with numerous psychological and physical comorbidities. Preliminary research indicates that emotion regulation difficulties, behavioral impulsivity, and executive dysfunction may contribute to the onset and/or maintenance of these behaviors. However, few studies have utilized neuropsychological measures to examine this link, and the assessment of behavioral and cognitive emotion regulation strategies are limited in scope. The purpose of the current study was to gain a deeper understanding of the emotional, behavioral and cognitive processes associated with binge eating behavior. Greater clarity regarding how these factors relate to binge eating is critical to the …

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The Social Work Perspective On English Language Learners Entering Special Education, Kerry Fay Vandergrift Apr 2012

The Social Work Perspective On English Language Learners Entering Special Education, Kerry Fay Vandergrift

Theses and Dissertations

Grounded theory was used to examine the social work perspective on English language learners (ELLs) entering special education. Fourteen interviews were conducted with 11 current school social workers from seven counties and cities in Virginia. The resulting theory is that the core variable, supporting ELLs, is the best attempt to resolve the main concern, the disconnect between the needs of ELLs and the resources available to them. This grounded theory suggests social workers and other school personnel can support ELLs and avoid an inappropriate referral to special education through: (1) culturally and linguistically appropriate assessment outside of the special education …

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Dispositional Mindfulness And Cardiovascular Functioning Under Stress: Predictions Of Social Evaluative Stress Reactivity And Recovery, Melissa P. Holt Apr 2012

Dispositional Mindfulness And Cardiovascular Functioning Under Stress: Predictions Of Social Evaluative Stress Reactivity And Recovery, Melissa P. Holt

Theses and Dissertations

Mindfulness – a receptive attentiveness to present experience – has been shown to promote more adaptive emotion regulation (Brown et al. 2008). Additionally, dispositional mindfulness has been shown to predict reduced cortisol response to social stressors (Brown et al, in press) and mindfulness training has been shown to promote more adaptive cardiac functioning at rest (Ditto et al., 2006; Tang et al., 2009; Telles et al., 2005; Zeidan et al., 2010) and in response to social stressors (Kemeny et al., 2012). To better understand the regulatory potential of a mindful disposition on cardiovascular functioning in healthy adult participants (N = …

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A Brief Problem-Solving Intervention For Caregivers Of Children With Cancer, Jennifer Lamanna Apr 2012

A Brief Problem-Solving Intervention For Caregivers Of Children With Cancer, Jennifer Lamanna

Theses and Dissertations

OBJECTIVE: Pediatric cancer treatment is stressful for caregivers. Research has indicated that problem-solving coping reduces stress related to caregiving. The current study examines the effects of a problem-solving intervention (Parent Empowerment Program), based on Problem-Solving Therapy, for caregivers of children on active cancer treatment. It was hypothesized that participants who received the intervention would show decreases in caregiving stress and posttraumatic stress symptoms, and increases in problem-solving ability between baseline and post-test assessments compared to those who received an attention control. METHOD: Thirty-nine caregivers (all parents; 48% participation rate) participated. The majority were mothers (90%), married or partnered (59%) and …

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Attitudinal Responses To Mixed Evidence: The Role Of Attitude Extremity And Political Ideology In Effecting Change Versus Resistance, Jessica Barber Apr 2012

Attitudinal Responses To Mixed Evidence: The Role Of Attitude Extremity And Political Ideology In Effecting Change Versus Resistance, Jessica Barber

Theses and Dissertations

Four studies investigated the effects of attitude extremity and political ideology on the degree and direction of changes in issue attitudes following the presentation of mixed evidence. Based upon previous work, it was predicted that those holding relatively more extreme attitudes would resist changing those views when presented with a mixture of supporting and opposing statements and would potentially adopt more extreme evaluative positions – a phenomenon known as attitude polarization (Lord, Ross, & Lepper, 1979). Evaluative entrenchment or intensification was also expected among more politically conservative participants, based upon prior work describing cognitive rigidity and resistance to change as …

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Evaluating The Acute Effects Of Caffeinated Waterpipe Tobacco In Waterpipe Users, Caroline Cobb Apr 2012

Evaluating The Acute Effects Of Caffeinated Waterpipe Tobacco In Waterpipe Users, Caroline Cobb

Theses and Dissertations

Caffeine and nicotine are the two most commonly consumed licit psychoactive drugs in the world. In addition, they are frequently co-administered with over 86% of cigarette smokers reporting caffeine use versus 77% of non-smokers. Research suggests the combination of nicotine and caffeine produces effects that are more rewarding or pleasurable than either drug alone, and this potential reward enhancement may influence patterns of tobacco use initiation and maintenance. Waterpipe tobacco smoking is an alternative tobacco use method that is increasing in prevalence in the U.S. and offers a novel opportunity for nicotine and caffeine co-administration via a caffeinated tobacco product …

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Shooting For The Skies: Leveraging Public Relations To Improve The Image Of Commercial Airlines, Elisa Durand Apr 2012

Shooting For The Skies: Leveraging Public Relations To Improve The Image Of Commercial Airlines, Elisa Durand

Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this study was to determine if commercial airlines can improve their image by soliciting feedback from their customer base and responding accordingly. The results of both qualitative and quantitative research methods show that travelers lack confidence in the level of concern commercial airlines hold for their satisfaction. Multiple national customer service surveys administered to travelers paint a recurring pattern of unhappy fliers who believe airlines are unaware of their concerns and needs. The results of two primary questionnaires demonstrate that airlines are not in concert with customer expectations. The data results indicate that by leveraging customer feedback …

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Parent And Professional Perspectives About Autism Spectrum Disorders In South India: Beliefs, Practices, And Parent-Professional Relationships., Neeraja Ravindran Apr 2012

Parent And Professional Perspectives About Autism Spectrum Disorders In South India: Beliefs, Practices, And Parent-Professional Relationships., Neeraja Ravindran

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the experience of parents and professionals living in a large metropolitan city in South India who were raising and/or working with a child with an autism spectrum disorder. The study explored the unique perspectives of parents and professionals regarding their beliefs and practices about autism, as well as the nature of the parent-professional relationship. Nineteen parents (all mothers) and 21 professionals were interviewed in person at four schools, an early intervention program, a hospital clinic, and a physician’s office. Themes were developed using qualitative software, and reliability was established through multiple …

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The Portrayal Of Older People In Marketing Materials For Senior Centers, Jason Robert Gillespie Apr 2012

The Portrayal Of Older People In Marketing Materials For Senior Centers, Jason Robert Gillespie

Theses and Dissertations

This content analysis examined 128 senior center brochures and newsletters to determine how older people (those 65 years and older) were portrayed. Findings indicated that portrayals of older people in this medium that targets older people and their caretakers exclusively were overwhelmingly positive. Older people were portrayed favorably in terms of health status, personality descriptors related to level of happiness, interaction with others, mental state, as well as body image and overall evaluation. In several other categories such as energy level and activity level they were portrayed neutrally, and not a single category was dominated by negative portrayals. In fact, …

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An Analysis Of Virginia Transfer Policy And Articulation Agreements: A Comparative Study Of Community College Transfer And Native Students--Enrollments And Outcomes In A Teacher Preparation Program, Michael C. Huffman Apr 2012

An Analysis Of Virginia Transfer Policy And Articulation Agreements: A Comparative Study Of Community College Transfer And Native Students--Enrollments And Outcomes In A Teacher Preparation Program, Michael C. Huffman

Theses and Dissertations

Transfer articulation is an important policy issue in Virginia. With increasing economic strains on federal and state budgets, pressure on key actors in higher education, and critical teacher shortages, an opportunity presented itself to investigate state transfer policy and articulation agreements designed to facilitate student transfer. Articulation agreements are policy instruments designed to facilitate a seamless transfer of both students and credits from the community college system into senior institutions. Over the last decade increased articulation activity has taken place in the Commonwealth of Virginia driven by higher education costs and articulation specific to teacher preparation due to teacher shortages. …

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Choosing Surgical Birth: Personal Choice And Medical Jurisdiction, Alexandria Vasquez Apr 2012

Choosing Surgical Birth: Personal Choice And Medical Jurisdiction, Alexandria Vasquez

Theses and Dissertations

This is an exploratory study of women’s childbearing decisions and outcomes in non-medically indicated cesarean section childbirths (CS). Focusing on the structure-agency dichotomy, the research is guided by Anthony Giddens’ theory of structuration used in the context of the medicalization framework in order to analyze elements of personal choice and medical jurisdiction in childbearing methods. Quantitative analysis of secondary data and a thematic content analysis of Internet forums are conducted in order to analyze women’s perceptions of autonomy and constraint in their childbearing decisions and outcomes. The findings suggest that the polarization between second- and third wave feminist critiques on …

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Approaching A Sociology Of Aesthetics: Searching For Method In Georg Simmel's Rembrandt, Michelle Marie Nixon Apr 2012

Approaching A Sociology Of Aesthetics: Searching For Method In Georg Simmel's Rembrandt, Michelle Marie Nixon

Theses and Dissertations

Art leaves the viewer with an aesthetic experience. Through art, "a truth is experienced that we cannot attain in any other way" (Gadamer 1975: xxii-xxiii). Traditional sociological methods of studying art negate both this experience and the concept of aesthetics altogether. This thesis attempts to find a method to approach the sociological study of aesthetics that acknowledges its existence and the aesthetic experience by studying the work of sociological founder, George Simmel, in his recently translated monograph Rembrandt: An Essay in the Philosophy of Art. Even though it has recently been translated into English, among German-speakers, it was the …

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Unaccompanied Refugee Minors And Their Strategies To Navigate A New World: A Grounded Theory, Justin Scott Lee Apr 2012

Unaccompanied Refugee Minors And Their Strategies To Navigate A New World: A Grounded Theory, Justin Scott Lee

Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT UNACCOMPANIED REFUGEE MINORS AND THEIR STRATEGIES TO NAVIGATE A NEW WORLD: A GROUNDED THEORY By Justin Scott Lee A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2012 Chair: Pamela J. Kovacs, Ph.D. Associate Professor This study explored how unaccompanied refugee minors (URMs) define success. The population of URMs consists of individuals who, through forced migration from their country of origin, were resettled in the United States through the URM program. Little is known about the ways in which refugee adolescents view the resettlement process …

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Poppies And Ptsd: Opioid Influence On A Preclincal Model Of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder., Sarah Vunck Apr 2012

Poppies And Ptsd: Opioid Influence On A Preclincal Model Of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder., Sarah Vunck

Theses and Dissertations

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that affects over 7.7 million adults and carries an estimated societal cost of $3.1 billion every year. People develop PTSD after exposure to a traumatic event. Alone or combined, approved pharmacotherapies or psychotherapy are somewhat effective, but symptoms for many remain refractory. Emerging evidence suggests that opiate systems may modulate the development and expression of PTSD, and their role can be investigated preclinically. Pavlovian fear conditioning is a preclinical model which elicits behaviors mirroring those that occur in humans during and after exposure to trauma. This presents an experimental tool that can …

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Responding To The Child Welfare Workforce Crisis Here And Now: A Constructivist Approach To Understanding Supervision, Abigail K. Wyche Apr 2012

Responding To The Child Welfare Workforce Crisis Here And Now: A Constructivist Approach To Understanding Supervision, Abigail K. Wyche

Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, the author argues that there is strong evidence that the child welfare workforce continues to be in crisis. While a great deal of research has indicated that supervision is closely linked to the crisis, extremely high rates of turnover have not been notably reduced through the efforts of administrators or academics to change supervisory practices. Therefore, the author makes the case that it is time to employ an alternative methodology—constructivist inquiry. Constructivist inquiry is based on paradigmatic assumptions that make it distinct from the functionalist approach that researchers most commonly use to understand the child welfare workforce …

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Reducing Recidivism In Returning Offenders With Alcohol And Drug Related Offenses: Contracts For The Delivery Of Authentic Peer Based Recovery Support Services, Sarah Scarbrough Apr 2012

Reducing Recidivism In Returning Offenders With Alcohol And Drug Related Offenses: Contracts For The Delivery Of Authentic Peer Based Recovery Support Services, Sarah Scarbrough

Theses and Dissertations

In collaboration with Sheriff C. T. Woody, the Deputies and other jail personnel, Kingdom Life Ministries (KLM) operates in the City of Richmond Jail. Aimed at serving individuals who suffer from alcoholism and other drug addictions, KLM’s programs offer peer-to-peer recovery support services; meaning people who are successful in their recovery deliver the recovery message. On any given day, rehabilitation and recovery services are provided to 120 men in what used to be the worst tier of the Richmond City Jail. A large portion of these men battle substance abuse disorders and have exhibited habitual criminal behavior over an extended …

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Community In A Liquid Modern Era, Jeremy S. Flaherty Apr 2012

Community In A Liquid Modern Era, Jeremy S. Flaherty

Theses and Dissertations

The predominant theorists of community in American sociology define community as either geographically confined local solidarities or as networks or relatively close primary ties. These definitions fail to recognize the realities of modern life, let alone life in the context of a global economy. Community according to the earliest community sociologists was a way of organizing society wherein all the social interactions necessary to the reproduction of daily life were embedded in moral relationships, which were historically primary ties located within local solidary communities. With modernity, most of these social interactions have been removed from those moral relationships, and now …

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Playing Against The Rhythm: The Intersection Of Gender And Performative Space In Iran, Leila Rafei Apr 2012

Playing Against The Rhythm: The Intersection Of Gender And Performative Space In Iran, Leila Rafei

Theses and Dissertations

Since the Iranian Revolution of 1979, women have been legally prohibited from singing or playing a musical instrument solo in public. The government has sought to control women’s performative space by using concepts of permissibility and ideological compatibility. In the past decade, however, Iran has seen the birth of an underground music culture, in which women sing and play illegally. Underground and diasporic female musicians have carved new spaces that subvert state regulations on cultural purity and nationalism, deterritorializing and deconstructing notions of national space and culture. Women musicians have thus demonstrated the failure of the state to successfully regulate …

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Effects Of Cohabitation On Children Of Latino Americans, Miriam Grace Clark Mar 2012

Effects Of Cohabitation On Children Of Latino Americans, Miriam Grace Clark

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of cohabitation on children in kindergarten and how this varies by race. Many researchers have shown that children being raised in cohabiting families do not perform as well as children being raised in married parent families (Manning and Seltzer 2009; Artis 2007; Raley et al 2005). Furthermore, demographic trends show that cohabitation among Latinos is very similar to marriage, whereas among whites they are two very different things (Choi and Seltzer 2009). My research combines these two ideas to investigate how cohabitation may affect Latino children differently than it affects …

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Assessing Deployment Risk And Resiliency Factors And The Adjustment Outcomes Of Police Officers Serving In Operation Iraqi Freedom And Operation Enduring Freedom, Paula Barrows Mar 2012

Assessing Deployment Risk And Resiliency Factors And The Adjustment Outcomes Of Police Officers Serving In Operation Iraqi Freedom And Operation Enduring Freedom, Paula Barrows

Theses and Dissertations

ASSESSING DEPLOYMENT RISK AND RESILIENCY FACTORS AND THE ADJUSTMENT OUTCOMES OF POLICE OFFICERS SERVING IN OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM AND OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM By Paula Barrows Davenport, MS A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2012 Director: Dr. Janet R. Hutchinson Professor and Chair of the Department of Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies The goal of this exploratory study was to evaluate risk and resiliency factors from the Deployment Risk and Resiliency Inventory (DRRI) in predicting post-deployment adjustment outcomes among police officers who served in …

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Understanding The Instruments Of National Power Through A System Of Differential Equations In A Counterinsurgency, Cade M. Saie Mar 2012

Understanding The Instruments Of National Power Through A System Of Differential Equations In A Counterinsurgency, Cade M. Saie

Theses and Dissertations

Models that account for the progression of nation-building and the impacts of the instruments of national power -- Diplomacy, Informational, Military, and Economic effects -- are rare. This research proposes the development of such a model. Through the derivation of state indices for the operational variables of Political, Military, Economic, Social, Infrastructure, and Information, a functional form of a system of differential equations is developed to account for the interactions between the state indices and instruments of national power. This methodology is a mean-field inverse problem which solves for the coefficients of the differential equations in a data-driven manner. Publicly …

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Forecasting Effects Of Influence Operations: A Generative Social Science Methodology, Christopher W. Weimer Mar 2012

Forecasting Effects Of Influence Operations: A Generative Social Science Methodology, Christopher W. Weimer

Theses and Dissertations

Simulation enables analysis of social systems that would be difficult or unethical to experiment upon directly. Agent-based models have been used successfully in the field of generative social science to discover parsimonious sets of factors that generate social behavior. This methodology provides an avenue to explore the spread of anti-government sentiment in populations and to compare the effects of potential Military Information Support Operations (MISO) actions. This research develops an agent-based model to investigate factors that affect the growth of rebel uprisings in a notional population. It adds to the civil violence model developed by Epstein (2006) by enabling communication …

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The Relationship Between Key Supply Chain Process Implementation, Competitive Advantage, & Organizational Performance, Anthonelli White Jr. Mar 2012

The Relationship Between Key Supply Chain Process Implementation, Competitive Advantage, & Organizational Performance, Anthonelli White Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

In spite of an ever-accumulating body of research on the topic of supply chain management (SCM), an agreed upon definition or framework regarding its essential constructs or practices does not exist. There are, however, a few leading academic perspectives on SCM that have been bolstered by the acceptance of industry leaders. One such perspective is that presented by the Global Supply Chain Forum (GSCF). This study applies established survey methods to expand the body of knowledge pertaining to SCM by empirically validating the relationships conceptualized by the GSCF framework through an analysis of the perception of mid-level managers and senior-level …

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Predictors And Predictive Effects Of Attitudinal Inconsistency Towards Organizational Change, Scott T. Drylie Mar 2012

Predictors And Predictive Effects Of Attitudinal Inconsistency Towards Organizational Change, Scott T. Drylie

Theses and Dissertations

Studies have largely portrayed individual resistance as a pervasive, irrational, and problematic response to organizational change initiatives. The current study confronts this interpretation with a model of attitudinal inconsistency that provides a more holistic perspective of the individual during times of change. Inconsistency reveals the degree to which the mental evaluations of a change initiative may conflict and produce weak attitudinal foundations to govern behavior. Measuring affective-cognitive consistency, the tests in this study demonstrate that employees may form inconsistent attitudes towards a change initiative. Inconsistency relates negatively to the perceived quality of management transition techniques such as participation, communication, structured …

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Reducing Operating Costs By Optimizing Space In Facilities, Jared J. Maline Mar 2012

Reducing Operating Costs By Optimizing Space In Facilities, Jared J. Maline

Theses and Dissertations

Facility maintenance and sustainment costs can represent a large portion of a company's or government's expenditures. The U.S. Government has a pressing need to reduce these costs and meet energy efficiency goals while remaining fiscally responsible. Research has shown that the government currently has little to no optimization standards or means of integrating such requirements into a decision making model. This is despite the fact that the data necessary to make educated decisions are already being collected through asset management and geospatial activities. This paper utilizes the Air Force's facility portfolio as a case study to better understand the problems …

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Analysis Of Social Network Measures With Respect To Structural Properties Of Networks, Joshua D. Guzman Mar 2012

Analysis Of Social Network Measures With Respect To Structural Properties Of Networks, Joshua D. Guzman

Theses and Dissertations

Social Network Analysis (SNA), the study of social interactions within a group, spans many different fields of study, ranging from psychology to biology to information sciences. Over the past half century, many analysts outside of the social science field have taken SNA concepts and theories and have applied them to an array of networks in the hope of formulating mathematical descriptions of the relations within the network of interest. More than 50 measures of networks have been identified across these fields; however, little research has examined the findings of these measures for possible relationships. This thesis tests a set of …

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The Correlation Between Land-Use Mixture And Home-Based Trips (The Case Of The City Of Richmond), Yin-Shan Ma Mar 2012

The Correlation Between Land-Use Mixture And Home-Based Trips (The Case Of The City Of Richmond), Yin-Shan Ma

Theses and Dissertations

The city of Richmond has practiced mixed land-use policies to encourage non-private-vehicle commuting for decades based on the successful examples or the empirical evidence of other cities. However, the idea violates one of common logical fallacy—“all things are equal.” Using the indices of land-use diversity, this study explores the correlation between land-use mixture and home-based trip for the city of Richmond. This paper calculates two common indices of land-use mixture—entropy, and dissimilarity. The results indicate that although Richmond’s land-use mixture and home-based trip do have a correlation, the correlation is weak. One possible reason is that socioeconomic actors have a …

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