Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Return To Main Street : An Assessment Of The Main Street Revitalization Program, Lisa Hechesky

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Once the heart of a town’s commercial district, Main Street in the post-World War II era became a ghost town as suburbanization lured consumers and merchants to new shopping complexes in rural areas. From the 1950s to the 1970s, with the aid of federal dollars cities embarked on various urban renewal projects. These revitalization attempts did not help the slumping commercial districts. In many cases, they destroyed historic buildings and left the cleared city blocks empty for decades. The National Main Street Program, created and administered by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, began in 1980 to address problems faced …

A Blueprint For Physical Activity Promotion In A Small Urban Town (Mallow, Co. Cork), Elaine Mary Dennehy

Theses

This research project aims to establish current levels of participation in physical activity amongst the adult population of the Mallow Urban District Council (UDC) area. Using an adaptation of The Scottish Physical Activity Questionnaire (SPAQ) (Lowther et al, 1999) used by the Health Education Bureau for Scotland (HEBS) an attempt will be made to establish the respondents’ readiness for change in relation to physical activity participation. This research methodology is new to Ireland but has been used successfully by the HEBS, (Lowther et al, 1999).

The objectives of this work are to:

1. Establish current levels of participation in physical …

An Investigation Into The Role Of Social Marketing In Preventing Adolescent Drinking., Cian Long

Theses

In recent years, there has been increased concern about the level of alcohol abuse by Irish teenagers. Countless studies have shown that underage drinking is now becoming an epidemic. Up to 100 million young people around the globe are alcohol dependent and another 400 million drink to excess. Research has shown that early onset of alcohol use can lead to alcohol dependency, violence, absenteeism, crime and subsequent health problems. It is estimated that alcohol related problems cost the Irish economy €2.65 billion in 2003. Unfortunately, this alcohol problem is not going to vanish or disappear. Alcohol has become Ireland’s number …

Capital Flight From Thailand, 1980–2000, Edsel L. Beja Jr, Pokpong Junvith, Jared Ragusett

Economics Department Faculty Publications

We measure capital flight from Thailand from 1980 to 2000 and analyze the relationships between capital flight and capital inflows, economic growth, crisis, and financial liberalization. We define capital flight as net private unrecorded capital outflows from a capital-scarce developing country, measured as the difference between the recorded sources and uses of funds. This definition is commonly referred to as the ‘residual’ definition of capital flight (see, for example, Erbe 1985; Morgan Guaranty 1986; World Bank 1985). As discussed in Chapter 3, there are several definitions of capital flight: capital flight as the undeclared stock of external assets of domestic …

Anger And Social Problem Solving Style As Predictors Of Burnout In Mental Health Workers, Jerri L. Maroney

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

This study examined how the variables of anger and social problem-solving style affect the dimensions of burnout in a sample of 99 mental health workers. To assess these constructs, the State-Trait Anger Scale-2, and the Social Problem Solving Inventory-Revised were utilized. The Maslach Burnout Inventory for Human Services Staff was used to measure job burnout. Emotional Exhaustion, Depersonalization, and a decrease in the sense of Personal Accomplishment are the core dimensions of burnout on this measure. Emotional Exhaustion and Depersonalization correlated significantly with State Anger, Trait Anger, and Negative Problem Orientation. Significant inverse correlations were demonstrated for State Anger, Trait …

Assessing Mental Health Literacy Of First- And Third-Year Medical Students : Knowledge And Beliefs About Mental Disorders, Patricia A. Cheslock

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Mental health literacy is the knowledge and beliefs about mental disorders that influence their identification, treatment, and prevention. It is highly pertinent for the primary care physician to possess appropriate mental health literacy, because it is in that sector that the majority of individuals first seek treatment. As many as 90% of individuals who experience symptoms of a mental disorder are first seen by their primary care physician. However, general practitioners often do not detect or diagnose the presence of a mental disorder, and as many as 50% of these disorders remain unidentified and untreated. This study explored the mental …

Exploratory Study Of Anger And Behavior In An Incarcerated Offender Population Utilizing The Mahan And Ditomasso Anger Scale, Robert John Marsh, Jr.

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The present study proposed to advance the treatment and assessment of anger disorders by exploring the properties of the Mahan and DiTomasso Anger Scale (MAD-AS). Previous research of the reliability, validity, and factor structure of the MAD-AS was conducted with inpatient (Mahan, 2001) and outpatient participants (Beardmore, 2003) . In the present study a psychometric investigation was undertaken utilizing 300 male incarcerated offenders. The MAD-AS correlated positively with the presence of antisocial and borderline personality disorders and with violent offenses. Those inmates with a history of violent offenses scored significantly higher than those convicted of nonviolent offenses on the MAD-AS. …

Taming The Wildest: What We've Made Of Louis Prima, John J. Pauly

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Testing An Intervention To Address The Sociocultural Influence Of Mass Media On Body Image: Can We Reverse The Curse?, Janet Derosier Murray

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The adverse effects of exposure to unrealistic ideals in the media are well documented, however, this is the first study to explore the possibility that women may experience improvement in body image and affect via social comparison to women with realistic, non-ideal body shape and size. Using material from The Century Project©, the impact of exposure to nude, non-pornographic photographs of women of varied shape, size, age, and physical condition, and the photographed women's personal commentaries about how they successfully cope with body image concerns was tested using an experimental design. It was hypothesized that exposure to the photographs and …

A Constructionist Analysis Of Same-Sex Marriage, Sandra Kay Nead

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Same-sex marriage has been heavily debated in academics and in the public sphere. During the 2004 Presidential election same-sex marriage became an issue that polarized the candidates. It has become a lightning rod for public debate. Due to the increasing attention to the controversy of legalizing same-sex marriage, it is an important topic for research. This paper seeks to contribute to the research of same-sex marriage by providing insight into claims-making efforts to define same-sex marriage as a social problem. My findings shed light on this topic from a social constructionist perspective by examining the use of rhetorical idioms of …

Warning Compliance: Effects Of Stress And Working Memory, Jessica Helmick-Rich

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the effects of cross-modality warning presentation and retention in a dual-task paradigm in a simulated military environment under various task-induced stress levels. It was also intended to determine what role working memory played in the mode of warning presentation that resulted in the highest retention and subsequent compliance. An all within participant design was created in order to determine if scores on working memory span tasks predicted performance across the varying forms of warning presentation. Furthermore, task-induced stress levels were varied over the course of the experiment to identify if workload transitions affected performance. Results revealed that …

Re-Conceptualizing Southern Rhetoric: A Meta-Critical Perspective, Christina L. Moss

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The study of southern rhetoric and public address remains important to the study of American rhetoric and public address. However, recent years indicate a decline in the amount and variety of scholarship in this area of study. This project provides a meta-critical analysis of the history of southern rhetorical scholarship, focusing mainly on southern public address. By tracing ideology from the Agrarians, Richard Weaver, Dallas Dickey, Waldo Braden, Stephen Smith, and Stuart Towns, clear attitudes and definitions of the South, southern identity and southern rhetoric evolved to create an area of study in much need of revision. The remainder of …

Ability Of College Students To Simulate Adhd On Objective Measure Of Attention, Randee Lee Booksh

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Complaints of ADHD symptoms in college students are not uncommon and college students frequently self-refer for assessment of ADHD. Some may seek out a diagnosis to obtain academic accommodations and/or stimulant medication. Diagnosing ADHD in college students is largely reliant on self-report measures, and to a lesser extent, objective measures of attention. The typical college student has easy access to information about ADHD, potentially facilitating efforts to simulate self-reported symptoms. The present study examined the ability of college students to effectively simulate ADHD on objective and self-report measures of attention, and examined the relationship between knowledge of ADHD and ability …

Osteoporosis And Osteopenia Management In Women: Survey, Case-Referent Study, And Interventional Exercise Trial, Rania A. Mekary

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Three studies are presented; the first epidemiological study was a survey of Baton Rouge/New Orleans physicians who manage osteoporosis. When the respondents’ answers were compared to selected guidelines, they displayed poor knowledge regarding osteoporosis prevention, diagnosis, and treatment (X2=39.88; P<0.0001). Rheumatologists and endocrinologists scored globally better on osteoporosis management when compared to ObGyn (OR= 6.98) (CI=2.4; 22.8). Physicians with more years of experience were more knowledgeable of osteoporosis care (OR=1.04) (CI=1.014; 1.071). The second epidemiological study was a case referent study looking at osteoporosis treatment and patient adherence of selected women in Baton Rouge. Results showed that osteoporosis management depended partly on patient adherence. Barriers to patient’s adherence varied from physiological to psychological reasons. Physicians need to provide more explanation and motivation to the patients. Spine was the area most affected and showed more improvement with treatment than the femur (P<0.01). Bisphosphonates were the most effective treatment for the spine (P<0.05). In patients with osteoporosis, being on just calcium and exercise is not enough to counteract bone resorption. They also need to be on an anti-resorptive therapy. Low body mass index, genetics, and history of fractures were negatively correlated to bone mineral density (BMD) increase (P<0.05). The third interventional pilot study was a non-randomized controlled study done on osteopenic postmenopausal women to examine the effect of calcium supplements and core/lower back strengthening exercises on lumbar density and muscle strength. Repeated measures analysis showed that both groups increased in isometric lumbar strength with time (P=0.02). When fosamax and exercise were taken as treatments, with baseline BMD as a covariable, the one-tailed P value of the two-way ANOVA showed a numerically positive but not significant increase in the exercise group (yearly change=2.373 ± 2.625; T value=0.9; P=0.21). Also, the exercise group showed increased feelings of well-being as opposed to the control group who showed no change or worsening. One woman in the control group fractured a bone. Ultimately, osteoporosis management relies on physicians’ knowledge, involvement, and patient adherence. Calcium, exercise and anti-resorptive treatments are needed in case of osteoporosis. Calcium supplements and site-specific strengthening exercises may be enough in case of osteopenia.

Wealth And Deprivation In The Delta: A Landscape Of Subsidization, Jacqueline Warren Mills

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The Mississippi Delta, as defined by the Delta Regional Authority (DRA), is an area of historical and present deprivation. Persistent poverty, lackluster economic development opportunities, and the associated ills of this environment exist alongside large-scale, subsidized agriculture. These federal subsidy payments are criticized for increasing the wealth of corporate enterprises rather than stabilizing the family farmer for whom they were created. This dissertation examines the geography of agristructure, subsidies, and socio-economic characteristics in the Delta with the purpose of identifying spatial relationships among these three variables. Drawing from the Goldschmidt Hypothesis, this research proposes that areas of large-scale agristructure will …

The Effects Of Discrimination Training On Choice-Making Accuracy During Symbolic Perference Assessment Formats, Christina Marie Vorndran

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The right of individuals with developmental disabilities to live fulfilling and normalized lives has been a focus of federal legislation and applied research over the past 30 years. Research has primarily focused on the identification and incorporation of preferred items and activities into the home and community environments of these individuals. Because of cognitive and communication limitations, some individuals with developmental disabilities require training to make choices that accurately reflect their preferences. Verbal choice methods are commonly used in everyday clinical practice; however, the accuracy of these methods for identifying actual preferences depends on the individual’s ability to make auditory …

Mapping The Other Truth In The Shintech Case: Emancipatory Mapping For Environmental Justice In South Louisiana, Charles Allen Flanagan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation presents an alternative mapping approach which challenges the hegemony of abstract space and instrumental reason propagated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in its 1998 study of the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality's (DEQ) permitting process. The "other truth" is presented through application of concepts from critical theory, critical geography, and the works of Henri Lefebvre to a specific environmental justice struggle in St. James Parish, Louisiana. In 1996 Shintech, Inc. proposed building a polyvinyl chloride facility in St. James Parish, Louisiana. The community, concerned about the considerable toxic burden already present in the area, formed a …

Boston's Settlement Housing: Social Reform In An Industrial City, Meg Streiff

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Between the Civil War and World War I, American cities underwent dramatic changes: they changed in shape, they changed in size, they changed in terms of who was there, and how those individuals were distributed through the city. The driving force behind these urban morphological changes was industrialization – and the emergence of industrial slums on the edges of expanding business districts. These industrial slums were widely believed to breed disease, crime, intemperance, and immorality – external costs that were being born by the entire society. Yet American society and American philanthropic institutions were not prepared to deal with the …

Why Not Preempt?: An Analysis Of The Impact Of Legal And Normative Constraints On The Use Of Anticipatory Military Activities, Rachel Tamara Bzostek

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The 2002 National Security Strategy for the United States focused American strategic policy around the use, or potential use, of preemptive/preventive strikes, particularly as a counter-proliferation and counter-terrorism tool. While preemption and prevention are not new strategies, they have never been highlighted to such a degree as is currently the case. These activities have been studied in the context of international security, using elements such as spiral models and offense-defense theory. This study seeks to examine if other elements, specifically international law and normative issues, such as just war tradition, contribute to our understanding of the use, or non-use, of …

A Corpus-Based Approach To Infinitival Complements In Early Latin, Sarah Hawkins Ross

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

A theory-based perspective is essential to a full understanding of infinitive clauses in early Latin. Some previous work focusing on syntactic theory has failed to include appropriate Latin data or has not explained it adequately. More recent theoretical perspectives have taken the approach of Functional Grammar, dismissing much of the variation in word order and embedded clause types as driven merely by pragmatics. This study examines the syntax of early Latin from a Government and Binding viewpoint, with the aim of fully marrying the theory with the data to account for the infinitival variations. A corpus was created from the …

Health And Growth, Petia Stoianova Stoytcheva

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Inarguably the most important question is about the unequal distribution of income among countries. Development economists have recently turned to health for an answer. This dissertation investigates the e®ect of health on cross-country income. The first essay sheds new light on the impact of AIDS on cross-country income levels. We control for a variety of factors that are potentially related to income as suggested by our empirical model and existing related literature. Using the extended (for human capital) Solow model as our baseline empirical specification, we consider cross-sectional and panel estimation. For the full sample it is shown that AIDS …

'Listen, Rama’S Wife!’: Maithil Women’S Perspectives And Practices In The Festival Of Sāmā-Cakevā, Coralynn V. Davis

Faculty Journal Articles

As a female-only festival in a significantly gender-segregated society, sāmā cakevā provides a window into Maithil women’s understandings of their society and the sacred, cultural subjectivities, moral frameworks, and projects of self-construction. The festival reminds us that to read male-female relations under patriarchal social formations as a dichotomy between the empowered and the disempowered ignores the porous boundaries between the two in which negotiations and tradeoffs create a symbiotic reliance. Specifically, the festival names two oppositional camps—the male world of law and the female world of relationships—and then creates a male character, the brother, who moves between the two, loyal …

Social Disorganization And The Ability And Willingness To Enact Control: A Preliminary Test, Ruth A. Triplett, Ivan Y. Sun, Randy R. Gainey

Sociology & Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Dominant models in the social disorganization literature differentially focus on the ability of neighborhoods to enact social control and the willingness to do so. Despite the interest in both concepts, often no clear definition of either is provided, and there is little discussion of their relationship or how they interact to affect neighborhood crime rates. This paper begins to explore the relationship between ability and willingness to enact social control. The findings suggest that, for formal control, ability and willingness are closely related. Furthermore, at the aggregate level, concentrated disadvantage combined with perceived inability has a strong impact on neighborhood …

What Is New In The New Toefl-Ibt 2006 Test Format?, Alla Zareva

English Faculty Publications

In recent years TOEFL has become one of the most popular high-stakes tests affecting not only what and how English language teachers teach but also what and how students learn (e.g. Johnson, Jordan, & Poehner, 2005; Alderson & Wall, 1993). The new 2006 TOEFL–iBT exam is on its way; yet, until now, information about the new test format and test preparation materials is scarce. Above and beyond interest in the test alone, the burning question is what demanded the revision of the current test, given that the latest computer-based TOEFL was introduced fairly recently worldwide. The paper elaborates on some …

Persistent Sympathetic Activation During Chronic Antihypertensive Therapy, Qi Fu, Rong Zhang, Sarah Witkowski, Armin Arbab-Zadeh, Anand Prasad, Kazunobu Okazaki, Benjamin D. Levine

Exercise and Sport Studies: Faculty Publications

Previous studies have demonstrated that antihypertensive treatment resets baroreflex control of heart rate (HR) and increases cardiac vagal baroreflex sensitivity. However, it is uncertain whether baroreflex control of muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) also resets after treatment. We tested the hypothesis that chronic antihypertensive therapy alters baroreflex regulation of MSNA in patients with untreated moderate hypertension. Seven newly diagnosed patients with systolic blood pressure (BP) of 159 5 mm Hg (mean SE) and diastolic BP of 103 4 mm Hg were studied before and after 1 to 2 weeks ´ and 3 months (chronic) of antihypertensive treatment with losartan– hydrochlorothiazide …

Securing The Commonwealth: Changing Emergency Preparedness In Kentucky: A Study Of The Efforts Of The Department Of Homeland Security In Changing Emergency Preparedness At The County Level, Christopher Cross

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Statement of the Problem

During the first 24 to 72 hours following a terrorist attack, local officials and first responders will be responsible for dealing with the initial aftermath. While most officials—federal, state, and local—have all acknowledged that domestic preparedness must occur at the bottom of the governmental structure, it is unclear if any changes to emergency response planning have actually occurred at the local governmental level.

Research Questions

The intention of this capstone is to answer the following questions:

1. Has change in emergency response planning occurred at the county level?

2. Are there regional differences present in terms of organizational …

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Survey Of Physical Agility Testing And Officer Fitness Levels In Kentucky Police Departments, Charles Nathan Brown

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Statement of Problem

HB 455 brought about the 1998 Omnibus Crime Act which created the Police Officer Professional Standards;16 requirements to becoming a peace officer in Kentucky. Five of the standards defined minimum physical agility standards. Though physical agility testing has had a history of controversy, validation studies have been created to support this practice. Though officers are testing for a level of physical agility upon entering the police officer field in Kentucky, no statewide policy has been passed to ensure that this level be maintained. This study examines the presence of physical agility testing in Kentucky police departments and …

Development Forecast: The Fiscal Effects On Property Taxes And Occupational License Fees And The Social Costs And Benefits Of Urban Redevelopment In Lexington-Fayette County, Kentucky, Tony J. Stoeppel

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Real estate development has effects on the publicly recorded property valuation of a parcel. The extent of the relationship in Lexington-Fayette County demands further analysis. Redevelopment also has unintended social costs the public may be forced to bear. This study presents estimates of the fiscal impact a redevelopment project has on the local tax revenues. The study population used for analysis includes redevelopment projects completed within the last six years in the downtown Lexington area. The research attempts to formalize a relationship among the incremental change in the publicly recorded value, the cost of redevelopment, and the distance the project …

Economic Analysis Of Kentucky Being A Part Of The National Lambda Rail, Chithra Perumal

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Electronic connectivity and information network systems form a major part of the overall modern research infrastructure. High capacity networks allow for the sharing vast amounts of data between research laboratories, analysis of complex images, and other demanding computer applications. The major electronic information network that is being established in the USA to improve electronic communication in the research field is the National Lambda Rail (NLR). NLR is a nationwide broad bandwidth computing network used by leading research institutions. NLR provides national scale infrastructure for research and experimentation. Most of the member states of NLR have high ranking in terms of …

Creating Families Across Boundaries, Ana Vinea

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.