Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Grading In Games Of Status: Marking Exams And Setting Wages, Pradeep Dubey, John Geanakoplos

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

We introduce grading into games of status. Each player chooses effort, producing a stochastic output or score. Utilities depend on the ranking of all the scores. By clustering scores into grades, the ranking is coarsened, and the incentives to work are changed. We first apply games of status to grading exams. Our main conclusion is that if students care primarily about their status (relative rank) in class, they are often best motivated to work not by revealing their exact numerical exam scores (100,99,…,1), but instead by clumping them into coarse categories ( A,B,C ). When student abilities are disparate, the …

The Value Of Nonmaterial Wealth: A Critique Of Microcredit In The United States And It's Ability To Empower Women, Melanie L. Parkhurst

Capstone Projects – Politics and Government

This paper examines the practice of microcredit in the United States. Chapter I consists of a review of the practice of microcredit in the developing world beginning with the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh. The chapter addresses the arguments that support microcredit as a tool for economic development and poverty alleviation as well as the criticisms of microcredit including the argument that microcredit organizations are unable to achieve the scale and financial sustainability that is necessary for success. The chapter addresses why microcredit organizations have traditionally targeted women as their ideal clientele, and later in Chapter I arguments are presented for …

Detecting And Mapping The Michigan Vegetation Tension Zone Using Ecological Indicators, Janice Marie Fulford

Masters Theses

Ecotones are areas of transition between adjacent ecosystems that exist at various geographic scales, and are useful in measuring climatic changes. Ecotones are defined by their length and breadth and the ability to detect and map an ecotone from a specific period in time would be useful in measuring current and future change.

The study focused on a 1880's vegetation ecotone in the center of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. This was achieved by deriving ecological variables from the U.S. public land survey's tree species data. These variables were then used to ascertain the length of the ecotone by finding the boundary …

Gifts Money Can’T Buy, Susan E. Murray

Lake Union Herald

No abstract provided.

Polylogic Minds: Interview With Dr. Soteria (Roula) Svorou, Niko Shido

SWITCH

This interview with linguist Dr. Roula Svorou explores how language connects with fields like cognitive science, technology, philosophy, and digital media to help us understand how humans think and perceive the world. She explains how studying language reveals why computers struggle to truly “understand” and how digital media art could become an important tool for visualizing complex linguistic ideas.

Opening Address At The In-House Seminar On The Mortgage Industry In Nigeria: Issues, Challenges And Prospects, O. A. Demuren

Economic and Financial Review

This is the opening address by Mrs. O. A. Demuren at the in-house seminar on "the mortgage industry in Nigeria: issues, challenges and prospects", for CBN Executive Staff, Bauchi, October 24 - 28, 2005.

The Role Of The Mortgage Industry In Economic Development, Kayode Omotosho

Economic and Financial Review

This article examines the role of the mortgage industry in economic development with a view to identifying its problems, challenges and opportunities. Possible areas of assistance from other stakeholders are also highlighted. The article discussed the evolution of mortgage banking and financing in Nigeria and the demand/market for mortgage sector finance services in Nigeria. It estimates that Nigeria needed N50 billion annually to provide an estimate of 8 million housing units in 2000. The article then examines the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) in the last decade (1990 - 2000) and National Housing Fund (NHF) as well as the …

Understanding The Technical Operation Of Mortgage Market: Financing Options And Valuation Techniques, Femi Ekundayo

Economic and Financial Review

This paper aims to discuss the. evolution of mortgage banking in Nigeria, development and practice of mortgage financing and valuation techniques using Primary Mortgage Institutions (PMI) as a thrust. It is also to elicit contributions from others and subject the final product to further research for development of the scheme in Nigeria.

The National Housing Fund Scheme: The Journey So Far, O. A. Adeniji

Economic and Financial Review

This article reviews the National Housing Fund and highlight the successes and constraints. The rest of the article is divided into five sections. Section 2 reviews the National Housing Fund Scheme. The lessons of experience from other countries are contained in section 3, while section 4 highlights the achievements of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) since the inception of the reforms. The problems militating against the effective implementation of the NHF is the focus of section 5. Section 6 concludes the article.

Memory And Fragmentation In Dissociative Identity Disorder, Margaret Rose Barlow '96

Doctoral Dissertations

Dissociative identity disorder (DID), formerly called multiple personalities, is a condition in which aspects of experience and memory are separated from each other and from awareness. The current study adds to the literature in this area by utilizing a broad conceptualization of memory functioning in DID, combining ecologically valid memory tests with experimental paradigms, and examining shareability, switching, and integration. Eleven women with DID participated in a two-session experiment that included a variety of memory measures. Participants were given no instructions regarding switching among alters, but were later asked how often they had switched. They reported significantly higher levels of …

A Model Of The Natural Spread Of The Invasive Insect Species Emerald Ash Borer In The Lower Peninsula Of Michigan, Jennifer L. Weller

Masters Theses

More than 8 million ash trees in southeast Michigan have been killed by an infestation of the invasive insect species emerald ash borer (EAB). Since its identification in July 2002, EAB has been found in Ontario (Canada), Ohio, Indiana, and across Michigan. To date, EAB research has concentrated on the entomological classification and no systematic prediction of the pest's diffusion has been made.

This research presents a predictive model for the spread of EAB across the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. Limited data on ash tree population distribution, ·. infestation distribution, and the dispersal rate of the emerald ash borer required …

Immigrant Entrepreneurs And Neighborhood Revitalization: Studies Of The Allston Village, East Boston And Fields Corner Neighborhoods In Boston, Ramon Borges-Mendez, Michael Liu, Paul Watanabe

Institute for Asian American Studies Publications

Although somewhat later than other major urban areas, Boston has been experiencing fundamental demographic changes. The 2000 Census reported that for the first time non-Hispanic whites constitute a minority of the city’s population. Subsequent Census estimates confirm an even stronger trend toward a rapidly diversifying population.

Immigration has been a major factor in this growth and diversification. A recent report shows that over the last 15 years more than 22,000 new immigrants have annually settled in Massachusetts. The foreign-born as a percentage of the population has grown from 9.4 percent in 1980 to 14.3 percent in 2004.

Potential Effects Of Aggressive Videogames On Young Adult’S Behavior And Physiology, Kent David Smallwood

Masters Theses

Each year, interactive technology becomes more and more advanced, offering more lifelike environments, immersive experiences, and realistic situations. Additionally, the videogame industry has over doubled in size in less than ten years, now rivaling the box office industry. However, technological advances have quickly outpaced our understanding of the effects of certain types of adult content on the game player. To date, the majority of the research on the topic was conducted before the games themselves were technologically advanced enough to draw meaningful conclusions; the few studies conducted in the last few years, while offering promising methodological advancements from previous work, …

The Effects Of Feedback On Hourly Pay And Individual Monetary Incentives, Douglas A. Johnson

Masters Theses

The effects of performance feedback when individuals received fixed or individual incentive pay were examined. A 2 X 2 factorial design was used with approximately 30 college students in each group. Participants attended six experimental sessions. They entered the cash value of simulated bank checks presented on a computer screen. Monetary incentives increased the number of correctly completed checks (p = .000); however feedback had no effect (p = .825). Time spent working and rate of performance correlated strongly with the number of checks completed correctly, suggesting that both influenced the checks completed correctly. The results suggest that incentives increase …

Database Support For Research In Public Administration, J. Cory Tucker

Library Faculty Research

This study examines the extent to which databases support student and faculty research in the area of public administration. A list of journals in public administration, public policy, political science, public budgeting and finance, and other related areas was compared to the journal content list of six business databases. These databases included ABI/INFORM, Business Source Premier, General Business File, Academic Search Premier, Expanded Academic Index, and International Academic Research Library. The results show that Expanded Academic Index, Business Source Premier, and International Academic Research Library have the most comprehensive holdings of public administration journals.

From Self-Sufficiency To Personal And Family Sustainability: A New Paradigm For Social Policy, Robert Leibson Hawkins

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Current social policy that affects welfare recipients focuses on the concept of "self-sufficiency" where leaving welfare for work is the goal. While this approach has reduced welfare rolls, it has not necessarily helped low-income people improve their economic, educational, or social outlook. This paper suggests that the concept of Personal and Family Sustainability (PFS) may be a better way to evaluate and direct social policy. A definition of PFS is developed from the environmental and community development roots of sustainability and four domains for creating PFS indicators are introduced.

St. Dominic Deaf Center, December 2005

Saint Dominic Deaf Center

A newsletter published for Deaf Catholics in Houston, TX

Saint Dominic Deaf Center Finding Aid

Catholic Deaf Newsletter, December 2005

Catholic Deaf Newsletter

A newsletter published for Deaf Catholics in Harford, CT

Catholic Deaf Newsletter Finding Aid

Newsletter Catholic Deaf Of Detroit, December 2005

Newsletter Catholic Deaf of Detroit

A newsletter published for Deaf Catholics in Detroit, MI

Newsletter Catholic Deaf of Detroit Finding Aid

New Bodies, Ancient Blood: “Purity” And The Construction Of Zápara Identity In The Ecuadorian Amazon, Maximilian Viatori

Tipití: Journal of the Society for the Anthropology of Lowland South America

In this article, I explore how the Zápara in Amazonian Ecuador stress the biological side of their bodies, particularly the “purity” of their blood, as an indicator of the uniqueness of their identity. In order to imagine themselves as distinct from their Kichwa neighbors—with whom they share similar cultural and linguistic practices—Zápara assert that the essence of their difference resides in their blood, which links them in an unbroken continuum to their precontact ancestors. I argue that this new focus on blood purity represents a shift from cultural practices—speaking Zápara—to bodily attributes—having “pure” Zápara blood—as the primary basis for Zápara …

Review Of Perspectives On The Economics Of Aging. David A. Wise (Ed.). Reviewed By Martin B. Tracy., Martin B. Tracy

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of David A. Wise (Ed.), Perspectives on the Economics of Aging. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2004. $90.00 hardcover.

"Anticipatory Self-Defense" And Other Stories, Jeanne M. Woods, James M. Donovan

Law Faculty Scholarly Articles

We argue that the specious justification for the invasion of Iraq -- a war based on a pretext of anticipatory self-defense -- necessarily exacerbates the inherent tendency of war to dehumanize and humiliate the enemy. This tendency is particularly evident in the variant of anticipatory self-defense that we have denominated as "capacity preemption," a type of claim that by definition depends upon characterizations of the opponent as utterly inhuman.

The Bush Doctrine tells a timeless story of self-defense. This story is shaped by an identifiable and predictable narrative structure, one that is able to transform the morally outrageous -- an …

Upcoming Santa Elena Field Projects, Chester B. Depratter

Faculty & Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Georgetown County Marsh Middens And Clam Shell Analyses, Chester B. Depratter

Faculty & Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

South Carolina State Tribes Finally Recognized, Jonathan Leader

Faculty & Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Interlanguage Coda Production Of Hmong Second Language Learners Of English, Renae L. Caneday

Theses and Dissertations

This paper reports on Hmong speakers' acquisition of English in children ages 9 and 12 on final voiced and voiceless consonants and consonant clusters, none of which occur in Hmong codas except /ŋ/. The learners' production patterns were considered using an Optimality Theory account to understand the conflict between the learner's first language constraints and the learner's target language constraints. The main findings of this study are that the Hmong language and the English language constraints interacted in an ordered fashion allowing predictable patterns in production. The final consonants and consonant clusters were often deleted or changed by the intermediate …

Enrollment Forecast (2006-2015) For Klamath Falls City Schools, Portland State University. Population Research Center, Risa S. Proehl, Vicky Buelow, George C. Hough Jr.

School District Enrollment Forecast Reports

This report, prepared by the Population Research Center (PRC) provides a district-wide Enrollment Forecast, Enrollment Forecasts for individual schools, and demographic information for Klamath Falls City Schools (KFCS). The Enrollment Forecasts are developed for each grade for both the district-wide forecast and for the individual schools. KFCS offers education for students in grades kindergarten through 12. However, there is an area within its geographic boundary where not all public school students attend schools in KFCS. This area is referred to as the ‘overlap’ area. Students residing in the overlap area in grades 9-12 attend school in KFCS and those in …

Preparing Community-Oriented Teachers: Reflections From A Multicultural Service-Learning Standpoint, Marilynne Boyle-Baise

Diversity

The Banneker History Project (BHP) reconstructed the history of a local, segregated school. The Benjamin Banneker School served African American youth from 1913 to 1951. Oral histories from surviving alumni as well as primary documents from the times were sought. This article focuses on ways that one group of participants, 24 preservice teachers of color. experienced and interpreted the BHP. Data are reported in response to three questions: (a) Whose community does service learning serve? (b) What meanings do preservice teachers make of culturally responsive teaching? and (c) Does a community orientation count in teacher education? The author reflects on …

Assessing The Impact Of The Kids Consortium Kids Living Democracy And First Year Kidscan Programs: First Year Findings, Center For Youth And Communities

Project Summaries

KIDS Consortium is a New England based non-profit organization that works with teachers, administrators and students to involve students in addressing real challenges faced by their communities. It provides tools and training around its KIDS As Planners service-learning model for educators and community organizations, and conducts student Apprentice Citizenship leadership programs. Together teachers and students identify, research, and work to address local community needs. KIDS provides funding, guidance and training to teachers who match community projects to school curricula, with the ultimate goal of promoting positive outcomes for students, teachers, schools and communities.

Pulpits And Platforms: The Role Of The Church In Determining Protest Among Black Americans, Scott T. Fitzgerald, Ryan E. Spohn

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

This article further specifies the relationship between church-based resources, group identification and political activism among black Americans. Previous research indicates that political communication within churches and activism within the church serve to motivate political participation. Our research suggests that, net of relevant controls, activism within the church does not significantly increase protest politics. A key determinant of protest participation is attending a church that exhibits a politicized church culture, and this effect is contingent upon educational attainment and membership in secular organizations.Hence, the church serves as a crucial context for the dissemination of political messages and exposure to opportunities for …