Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

How Cue-Dependent Is Memory?: Internal Reinstatement And Cueing Effects In Recognition And Source Memory, Jeffrey Joseph Starns

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study explored the role of internal context reinstatement in masking the effects of external context cues on recognition and source memory. Participants studied words paired with pictures of male and female faces. Following the study phase, participants completed either a source test in which they decided whether each test word was studied with a male or female face (Experiments 1, 3, and 4) or a recognition test in which they decided whether each test word appeared in the study phase (Experiment 2). On selected trials, a studied face was reinstated at test to serve as a cue for the …

Heroic Individualism: The Hero As Author In Democratic Culture, Alan I. Baily

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

My study focuses on the literature of democratic morality, with specific reference to the question of "heroic individualism." I attempt to elucidate the notion of heroic individualism by examining three modern democratic moralists whose work occupies the space between politics and literature: Jean Jacques Rousseau, Thomas Carlyle and Friedrich Nietzsche. In brief, I conclude that the central aspiration of heroic individualism is to bridge the gap between writing and action, the Text and the Voice. The dialogue among Rousseau, Carlyle, and Nietzsche reveals that the problem of writing as action is central to heroic-individualist morality. Each of these authors demonstrates …

Detecting The Socioeconomic Conditions Of Urban Neighborhoods Through Wavelet Analysis Of Remotely Sensed Imagery, Guiyun Zhou

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Wavelet analysis is an efficient approach to studying textural patterns at different scales. Artificial neural networks can learn very complex patterns in the data and could be an efficient classifier. However, whether wavelet analysis, in combination with artificial neural networks or other classifiers, can be used to detect the social-economic conditions of urban neighborhood is a key research question that needs further study. The hypotheses of this study were: 1) neural networks yielded higher classification accuracy than linear discriminant analysis and the minimum-distance classifier based on wavelet measures of urban land covers; 2) wavelet textural measures could be used to …

English Ethnicity And Race In Early Modern Drama, By Mary Floyd-Wilson. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003 (Book Review), Imtiaz Habib

English Faculty Publications

The article reviews the book "English Ethnicity and Race in Early Modern Drama," by Mary Floyd-Wilson.

Film And Television After 9/11 [Book Review], Marc Ouellette

English Faculty Publications

One of the necessary compromises a book such as Film and TV After 9/11 must make is the amount and variety of examples it can provide. In order to be the first book to cover the subject, the book sacrifices the types of materials covered and the variety of themes they depict. Although the editor, Wheeler Winston Dixon, does not do so, the book’s twelve essays slot into four basic categories: analogies, productions altered to suit the "post-9/11" mindset, post-9/11 productions with metaphorical rather than literal linkages to the event and pre-9/11 productions whose viewing must now take that day …

Screenplay: Cinema/Videogames/Interfaces [Book Review], Marc Ouellette

English Faculty Publications

Recognizing the growing importance (at least for consumers) of video games as a popular form of narrative fiction, Geoff King and Tanya Krzywinska situate their collection, ScreenPlay: cinema/videogames/interfaces as a text which is corrective, informative and explorative. In the first case, the editors sought essays which would move the critical discourse on video games away from the more familiar but reductive debates surrounding the "effects" of video games (especially on children) and their modes of representation (especially of the female form and violence). Indeed, these have become the sine qua non of video game criticism and one feeds the other …

Privatizing Transportation Through Public-Private Partnerships: Definitions, Models, And Issues, Juita-Elena (Wie) Yusuf, Candice Y. Wallace, Merl Hackbart

School of Public Service Faculty Publications

While contracting out has been the predominant method of privatization, there has been greater emphasis in recent times on using public-private partnerships (sometimes referred to as PPPs or P3s) instead. These public-private partnerships differ from contracting out, as they are characterized more by "a commitment between public and private actors ... in which partners develop products together and share risks, costs, and revenues" (Klijn & Teisman 2000, p. 85).

In the transportation arena the focus on public-private partnerships has resulted from both the need for greater reliance on private capital to fund critical infrastructure and services and the need to …

Intra-Firm Specialization, Income Distribution, And International Trade, Haiwen Zhou

Economics Faculty Publications

The impact of international trade on a firm’s degree of specialization and income distribution is studied in a general equilibrium framework in which firms engage in oligopolistic competition. International trade increases a firm’s degree of specialization, but the number of goods a country produces may not change. Trade may lower the welfare of the scarce factor of production. Sufficient conditions for a country’s welfare to increase with trade are provided.

Purchase Of Development Rights In Fayette County: A Hedonic Price Analysis Of Easement Payments, Perry A. Papka

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

In January of 2000, the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government established a purchase of development rights (PDR) program as part of the comprehensive Rural Service Area Land Management Plan. The goal of the program is to purchase conservation easements on 50,000 acres of farmland and natural areas within the county by the year 2020. By purchasing the development rights of these lands, the program intends to preserve the agricultural and natural character of the county that development pressures otherwise threaten.

Typically, PDR programs calculate the value of a conservation easement by subtracting the current value of the property with the …

Matching A Publishing Model To Board Values: A Decision Analysis For The American Society Of Missiology, Betsy A. Northrup

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Statement of the Problem

Faced with declining revenue, increasing print costs, and an increasingly electronic world, The American Society of Missiology (ASM) has to make a decision and can choose between three alternatives: 1) Continue to publish its quarterly journal, Missiology: An International Review, using its current print-only model and contracting out on-line availability to the American Theological Library Association (ATLA); 2) Accept the offer of a commercial firm in the United Kingdom to manage, publish, and distribute Missiology in return for immediate on-line availability, increased exposure through marketing, and a guaranteed modest income for the Society; or 3) …

Effects Of Charter School Laws On Charter School Performance, Kristen R. Hoffman

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Problem Statement

Many issues exist in the public school system in the United States today. The main problems are: 1) American students are performing below their peers in other developed nations; 2) American high school graduates have trouble competing in the global economy; 3) Large achievement gaps exist between subgroups of American students. One of the many recommended policy solutions is to create charter schools to induce innovation and competition into the public school system.

Research Question

While many researchers have looked at charter school outcomes, few consider the effects of charter school laws on student achievement. My research question …

Should Louisville Build A Dual Tenant Or Single Tenant Arena?, Chad Allen Harpole

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

The purpose of this research design was to make recommendations to Louisville Metro Council Members, members of the Kentucky General Assembly from Jefferson County and Louisville Metro Mayor Jerry Abramson on the potential revenue and economic impact a potential franchise of the National Basketball Association (NBA) could have on the proposed Louisville Arena Project and the city of Louisville.

Research in the literature review showed that stadiums, arenas and professional teams are poor investments by communities. Despite the research, the new Louisville Arena is going to be built because the Kentucky General Assembly included $75-million in bond financing for the …

Outcome Evaluation Of The Center For Women, Children And Families' Parenting Program, Elena Buzarnescu

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

The evaluation of family support programs employing parent education to achieve prevention of child abuse and neglect is an important consideration for professionals as it can provide a good insight into possible improvements of a program.

A parent education program administered by the Center for Women, Children and Families (CWCF) was assessed using participants’ pre- and post-program scores on the Adult-Adolescent Parenting Inventory (AAPI-2) from 148 parents.

Statistical analysis indicated that parenting knowledge has significantly improved on all five dimensions measured following program attendance. This finding supported the answer to the first research question. To answer the second research question, …

The Elimination Of The Federal Tax Deductibility Of State And Local Taxes: Possible Effects On State And Local Tax Structures, John M. Foster

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Through the use of intermediaries such as elected officials and hired advocates, people choose the level of resources that will be used for public goods and services, as well as the manner in which those resources will be used. They also decide how these goods and services will be financed. The extent to which governments utilize taxes on income, wealth, and consumption is guided by considerations of political factors, equity, administrative costs, revenue adequacy, and the effects of the tax system on allocative efficiency. Incentives that are embedded in the federal tax system may also influence state and local tax …

Moving Beyond Demographics: Surveying To Find How The Kentucky League Of Cities Can Better Serve The Readership Of City: The Community Issues Magazine Of The Kentucky League Of Cities, Laurent Chiles Rawlings

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

No executive summary.

Unreimbursed Emergency Department Costs Incurred By Hispanic Workers And Their Dependents In Central Kentucky, Sandra L. Senft

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Health care costs in the United States are a concern to policy makers, healthcare providers, and the population using medical services. Because fewer individuals have health insurance, as costs continue to rise, so have the levels of charity care provided through the Emergency Departments at many hospitals. Hispanics are a growing population thought to be receiving an increasing portion of this care. The Hispanic population in Kentucky has seen a significant increase in recent years, in large part because of the demand for agricultural workers. It has been established that a sizeable part of the Hispanic migrant worker community is …

An Analysis Of Employing The Circuit Breaker As An Alternative Approach For Targeting Aid To Low-Income Students In Kentucky, William Walton

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Affordability is an essential element of college opportunity. The federal government and the states have acknowledged this belief by adopting policies to ensure that no academically qualified student who desires an education is limited access due to a lack of financial resources. But, many lower-income families today are having trouble paying for college due to a unique set of circumstances. First, the cost of higher education as a percentage of income has been increasing for over a decade, causing families to spend increasingly larger proportions of their incomes to afford postsecondary education. Second, the federal government has shifted its emphasis …

A Retrospective Analysis Of The Impact Of The Henry Toll Fellowship Leadership Development Program, Lizeth C. Fowler

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

The Council of State Governments (CSG) is the premier organization forecasting policy trends for state leaders in all three branches of government. Central to its mission is the development of leadership training for improved decision-making of state elected and appointed officials.

CSG has sponsored the Henry Toll Fellowship Leadership Development Program for state and government officials since 1986. This competitive program invites ten state officials from each of the four regions, West, Midwest, South and East, to participate in an intensive five-day program to learn practical leadership skills and strategies to meet challenges and lead change and innovation.

While the …

An External Communication Audit Of The Kentucky Arts Council: An Analysis Of The Publications Distributed By A State Agency, Jess N. Kropczynski

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Problem

The specific objective of the audit is to conduct a formal examination of how the Kentucky Arts Council (KAC) is communicating with target authorizing groups outside of KAC, such as artists, arts administrators, educators, media and legislators.

Research Strategy

The external communication audit is an instrument used to gauge authorizers’ feedback on the publications distributed regularly by the agency. This audit is designed to paint a picture of the current communication patterns, policies, practices, capabilities and needs in order to make informed recommendations for the improvement of communication. The specific research question guiding this audit is: How effective are …

Financial Efficiency In The Nonprofit Sector: An Analysis Of Factors Affecting Expense Ratios Of Kentucky Nonprofits, Emily A. Lane

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Statement of Problem

Recent events in both the public and private sectors have lead to an environment of mistrust and caution surrounding the way organizations are managed and funds are handled. For the nonprofit sector, this has led to an emergence of charity rating or watchdog organizations and increased scrutiny of finances. Individual donors, charity rating agencies, and funding institutions have begun using expense ratios as a measure of financial efficiency. Decisions on the financial efficiency of organizations are being made without a good understanding of what factors affect these ratios.

Research Questions

The purpose of this paper is to …

Does The Voluntary Standards For Excellence Program Improve Reporting Qualities & Financial Ratios Of Nonprofit Organizations?, Harmony Little

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Problem Statement

The issue of accountability in the nonprofit sector has increased over the past few years, and along with it, questions about the adequacy of information in the 990 forms filed annually by nonprofits to the IRS. The intent of the 990 form is to provide the public with necessary information to evaluate the performance of a nonprofit; however, a number of studies show that there are significant errors on the 990 returns. At the same time, there has been a rise in nonprofit watchdog groups who use the information available on the 990 forms to calculate nonprofits’ financial …

Snapshot 2006: Maine Workers With Disabilities, Maine’S Commission On Disability And Employment, Choices Ceo Project

Disability & Aging

No abstract provided.

Local Lunches: Planning For Local Produce In Portland Schools, Lisa Anderson, Katherine Krajnak, Lisa Libby, Meghan Mackenzie, Sumi Malik, Katie Shriver

Master of Urban and Regional Planning Workshop Projects

In the 1990s, school districts across the country began to integrate fresh food grown by local producers into school meals and snacks. School food authorities and farmers have broadly defined this new movement, called “Farm to School,” as connecting schools and local and regional farmers. Farm to School programs benefit a community’s economy, improve student nutrition, and strengthen education curricula. Local Lunches seeks to initiate Farm to School efforts in Portland, Oregon, by identifying specific strategies that Portland’s school districts can use to incorporate more local produce in their school meals. This project was conducted under the supervision of Sy …

The Working Life: The Labor Market For Workers In Low-Skilled Jobs, Nan L. Maxwell

Upjohn Press

Maxwell presents the results of a survey of 405 employers, which queried them about jobs requiring no more than a high school education and no more than one year of work experience. These data allow her to establish the link between skills and low-skilled jobs and to reveal the current state of the labor market facing low-skilled workers. The data also highlights the knowledge and skills that employers require in low-skilled jobs and the abilities that individuals who apply for those jobs bring to the table.

Natural Justice, Lawrence B. Solum

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

Justice is a natural virtue. Well-functioning humans are just, as are well-ordered human societies. Roughly, this means that in a well-ordered society, just humans internalize the laws and social norms (the nomoi)--they internalize lawfulness as a disposition that guides the way they relate to other humans. In societies that are mostly well-ordered, with isolated zones of substantial dysfunction, the nomoi are limited to those norms that are not clearly inconsistent with the function of law--to create the conditions for human flourishing. In a radically dysfunctional society, humans are thrown back on their own resources--doing the best they can in …

Health Information Literacy And Competencies Of Information Age Students: Results From The Interactive Online Research Readiness Self-Assessment (Rrsa), Lana Ivanitskaya, Irene O'Boyle, Anne Marie Casey

Publications

This study aimed to measure the proficiency of college-age health information consumers in finding and evaluating electronic health information; to assess their ability to discriminate between peer-reviewed scholarly resources and opinion pieces or sales pitches; and to examine the extent to which they are aware of their level of health information competency.

To Be Acknowledged As Citizens, Danielle Leigh Troia

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This paper takes another look at the displacement of lesbians and gays from civic society by being prohibited from accessing marriage rights. First, certain events in anti-gay discrimination and marriage history that contributed to the second-class citizenship of lesbians and gays are reviewed. Second, a look at how the secondclass citizenship is unique to lesbians and gays is examined. Finally, this paper looks at the marriage, fatherhood, and faith-based initiatives under welfare reform and how they reinforce heterosexual marriage and family in American society.

After extensive research, I have found that the roles of the initiatives under welfare reform have …

Geeks At Play: Doing Masculinity In An Online Gaming Site, Natasha Chen Christensen

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

This paper uses data taken from chat logs within a first person shooter game, Quake Online, in order to explore the performance of gender online. Previous research has shown how physicality is given a position of importance in institutions where masculinity is developed and reproduced such as sports and war; cyberspace offers the opportunity of divorcing the performance of masculinity from the body. Researchers of gender in cyberspace are divided into two perspectives about the effect of the absence of a physical body on the performance of gender: One camp believes that without the constraints of the body, gender in …

Multi-Player Computer Gaming: Better Than Playing (Pc Games) With Yourself, Melanie Swalwell

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

Based on research conducted with a multiplayer gaming group, this article introduces and critically outlines the phenomenon of lanning, the practice where computer game players get together to play each other over a local area network or LAN. The author argues that lanning presents a significant challenge to a number of ingrained assumptions about computer gaming. Primary amongst these is that lanning entails players meeting, not just in the virtual world of a game, but also face to face, dealing a blow to theories that gamers are anti-social. The author argues that the sociality of this form of gameplay also …

Role Playing Games As Interactive Fiction, John Miller

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

This chapter compares the experience of gaming and the experience of reading, and explores what that comparison might tell us about each. More specifically, it applies methods of literary analysis to the study of two narrative activities situated near the border of reading and gaming: Electronic hyperfictions and role-playing games. Miller first reviews literary theories of reader response and interactivity and notes how these have informed recent critical discussions of literary hyperfiction. He then critiques these discussions and the claims made for hyperfiction's liberating or empowering effect on readers: Contrary to the claims of some critics, such narratives generally fail …