Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Perils On The High Seas: The Effects Of Submersion And Containment On Human Decomposition In Saltwater, Celene Aundrea Sotkowy

Masters Theses

Forensic analysis of decomposing human remains in a submerged and contained aquatic environment is an area of research that lacks systematic evaluation and hinders the ability to accurately determine time since death/submersion. Expanding our understanding of how submersion and containment affects the known taphonomic agents pursuant to aquatic environments will contribute to the knowledge base on human decomposition in a multitude of environments.

In response to this limited knowledge base, this thesis reviews ten marine and air incidents occurring along the coast of British Columbia, Canada in which the bodies of eighteen individuals were recovered from inside the submerged wreckage …

Breaking Protocol: The Failure Of The Bush Administration To Ratify The Kyoto Protocol As A State Crime, Jacquelynn A. Doyon

Masters Theses

Using the Kyoto Protocol as a centrifugal focus point, this research conceptualizes the failure of the United States to act on global warming as a state crime. The decision of the United States not to ratify the protocol was largely based on economic justifications. However, the actions taken following the Kyoto Protocol indicate that the US government was instead dedicated more to their own economical interests, rather than those of the state was a whole. Through the exploration of possible economic and political motivations, the research identifies ulterior motives of the Bush administration that have proved to be detrimental to …

Body Mass Index: Effects On Overt Behaviors And Perceived Reward, Christin Nicole Mullane

Masters Theses

The incidence of obesity, defined as a BMI [body mass index] of over 30, has increased by 50% in the past 20 years (Carlson, 2004). Some notable behavioral differences as a function of weight have been identified, including the findings that individuals with obesity participate less often in physical activities, and spend more time engaging in sedentary behaviors. Using a daily-dairy assessment method as completed by undergraduate college students (n=99), the current study examined the impact of BMI on the duration of time spent and pleasure experienced within 13 behavioral domains: 1) Social, 2) Physical, 3) Health/Hygiene, 4) …

Behavioral Activation For Mildly Depressed Students: Randomized Controlled Trial, Michael John Gawrysiak

Masters Theses

Although depression is prevalent among university students, limited and dated research has examined the efficacy of behavioral interventions in treating this population. Based on a modified version of the Behavioral Activation Treatment for Depression (BATD; Hopko & Lejuez, 2007; Lejuez, Hopko, & Hopko, 2001) that involved a structured single-session intervention and 2- week treatment period, we conducted a randomized controlled trial comparing individualized BATD and a no-treatment control for university students with mild to moderate depression symptoms (N = 30). Outcome measures assessed depression severity, environmental reward, social support, and somatic anxiety. Repeated measures analyses of variance and reliable change …

Podcasting The Primaries: A Comparison Of The Washington Post’S Print And Podcast Coverage Of The 2008 Presidential Primaries, Billy J. Roberts

Masters Theses

Podcasting has become something of a buzzword in several different circles from education to entertainment. It is being used as a way to disseminate lectures at major universities. Government officials are using it to broadcast messages to their citizens. It is also a new venue for independent artists and Internet users to generate publicity and to express themselves creatively. Yet, very little research on podcasting has been published.

This thesis explores podcasting, and the differences between the print edition of a national newspaper, The Washington Post, and two of its podcasts by asking: How does the political coverage of …

Identifying Rural Comparative Advantage: Ethanol Plant Location Determinants And Tennessee Value Chains, Lance Andrew Stewart

Masters Theses

As rural areas struggle to adjust to the changing U.S. economy with increasing unemployment, falling wages, and constrained capital markets, economic developers look for strategies to promote economic expansion. Development strategies identifying and evaluating county comparative advantage may offer the promise of economic growth in rural areas. This thesis develops two models whereby county comparative advantage can be empirically identified and evaluated. The study first examines ethanol plant location determinants at the county level, in the contiguous forty-eight United States, the second identified industry clusters within Tennessee at the county level and estimated the extent to which these clusters contributed …

Gis Data And Geoprocess Modeling For Hydrologic Network Conservation Analysis In A Green Infrastructure Plan, Andrew Lorenz Wunderlich

Masters Theses

As urban sprawl swallows the areas around cities, planners are looking for alternative methods of development that help to protect and preserve the environment, enhance the lives of residents, and help reduce the skyrocketing costs of maintaining sprawling infrastructure. Green Infrastructure (GI) planning principles have gained in popularity due to their holistic nature and ability to balance preservation and development. A GI plan seeks to identify the critical “green” infrastructure in an area (the environmental resources that we rely on for clean air and water) and proposes complementary development strategies. One plan component of particular interest is the analysis of …

On The Trail Of Fine Ale: The Role Of Factor Conditions In The Location Of Craft Breweries In The United States, James Daniel Baginski

Masters Theses

Since their origin in the late 1970s, craft breweries have diffused throughout the United States, greatly changing American perceptions of beer in the process. The manner in which craft breweries have spread throughout the nation has not been ubiquitous; at all scales of analysis, a great deal of variation exists. Some areas are far more developed than others in terms of the number of craft breweries present. The data indicate that, while population does play a role in influencing the development of craft breweries, other sociological and demographic conditions also appear to be of great importance in explaining the spatial …

A Comparison Of Us And Korean Consumers: A Cross-Cultural Study Of Brand-Related Ugc Found In Discussion Boards Of Product Review Sites, Hyuk Jun Cheong

Masters Theses

This study is a partial replication of Fong and Burton’s 2008 study. Fong and Burton (2008) conducted a cross-cultural study comparing Chinese and US Internet users in terms of willingness to engage in information-seeking and information-giving, utilizing Hofstede’s (1980; 1991) individualistic/collectivistic cultural dimension.

The current study examines cross-cultural differences in the use of UGC between US and Korean consumers by conducting a content analysis of the discussion boards of six digital camera review sites based in the US and Korea. It content-analyzes 1871 online postings on discussion boards of US-based and Korea-based product review sites.

The study adopts Hofstede’s (1980; …

Fire History Of Gum Swamp And Black Pond In Eastern Tennessee, U.S.A., From Macroscopic Sedimentary Charcoal, Alisa Lynn Hass

Masters Theses

Eastern Tennessee and Great Smoky Mountains National Park are biological hotspots in which settlement by Native Americans and Euro-Americans dramatically changed the landscape through land clearance and changes in fire occurrence. I present two local fire histories using macroscopic sedimentary charcoal, one from a highly managed area and one from private agricultural land. Gum Swamp (35°35' N 83°50' W) is a pond located in Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains National Park that experiences seasonal drying. The 0.94 m sediment profile extends to about 425 cal yr BP, based on an AMS radiocarbon date on charcoal fragments at mid-depth in the …

Industrial Concentration And Quality Of Life, James Nathaniel Maples

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of industrial concentration at the county level on quality of life among residents of US counties. Data on various aspects of quality of life and industrial characteristics were collected for all United States counties. Four quality of life-related variables (infant mortality, percent of female-headed households, the burglary rate, and income inequality) were regressed on industrial concentration percentage and industrial concentration types. Industrial concentration was associated with an increase in infant mortality, a decrease in the burglary rate, and had no effect on the percent of female headed households or income …

A Cross-Cultural Comparison Of Corporate Social Responsibility Practices: America And China, Christine Carol Ray

Masters Theses

This study examines the cross-cultural similarities and differences of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) practices between leading America companies and leading Chinese companies. It pays particular attention to the why, what, how and where of CSR practices and discovers how these companies manage and localize their efforts through the comparison of corporate websites. Utilizing corporate websites to perform a content analysis, fifty of the top American Fortune 500 businesses were analyzed. The results from the fifty American Fortune 500 companies were then compared to twenty-three top Chinese Fortune 50 companies. The codebook elements that were used to compare CSR practices between …

An Investigation Of The Relationship Between Impact Force Attenuation In Landing And Isokinetic Strength Of Knee Muscles In Individuals With Different Training Backgrounds, Jeremy Adam Steeves

Masters Theses

Skeletal muscle is a major active mechanism of impact force attenuation in human movement. During the landing phase impact attenuation is achieved through eccentric contraction of the muscles of the lower extremity. However, few studies have investigated the effects of knee strength, especially eccentric strength, on impact attenuation during landing. Therefore the relationship was assessed in fourteen healthy, male volunteers. Seven NCAA Division I College football players (TRAINED) and seven recreationally active university students with limited sport training or competitive sport background (REC) participated in two testing sessions. Isokinetic testing of the knee extensor and flexor muscles was performed concentrically …

A Descriptive Study Of Sustainability Strategies Among Local Parks And Recreation Departments In Tennessee, Jennifer Yowell

Masters Theses

This thesis represents the first study ever performed in the state of Tennessee on the usage of ecological sustainability strategies in the local parks and an analysis of the existing barriers preventing their implementation. A survey was e-mailed to all of the 105 Tennessee Recreation Park Association park directors requesting this data. As a result of this analysis, a list of 34 environmentally friendly sustainability strategies has been identified that should be considered for implementation in the local parks by their directors. The most common perceptions the directors listed as barriers to their implementation of sustainability strategies included staff knowledge, …

The Kozolec: Material Culture, Identity, And Social Practice In Slovenia, Toby Martin Applegate

Masters Theses

This research investigates the intersections of national identity, representation, and material culture in the Republic of Slovenia. The subject of the thesis, the kozolec, is a freestanding farm implement, usually made of wood, used to dry hay as fodder for animals and, occasionally, corn for human and animal consumption. It is found on the landscape of Slovenia, a small alpine country that was formerly part of Yugoslavia. The kozolec has been romanticized as being indicative of “where” Slovenia is. It has also been cast aside as a symbol marking the Slovene landscape for both representational and practical reasons.

This thesis …

Response-Contingent Positive Reinforcement: Incremental Validity In Predicting Depression Severity, John Paul Carvalho

Masters Theses

Insufficient response-contingent positive reinforcement (RCPR), or pleasure obtained through interaction with the environment that increases the likelihood of rewarding behavior, has been hypothesized to directly contribute to the onset and persistence of depression symptoms (Lewinsohn, 1974; Lewinsohn, Sullivan, & Grosscup, 1980). The present study examined the utility of RCPR in predicting the presence and severity of depression symptoms relative to other well-established risk factors that included gender, stressful life events, traumatic life events, childhood maltreatment, and cognitive vulnerability. Based on bivariate and hierarchical regression analyses, all variables except gender were significantly associated with the severity of depression symptoms, with RCPR …

Quantitative Comparison Of Mechanical Harvesting Methods And Conventional Harvesting Methods Of Burley Tobacco In The Southeast, Robert Bailey Elliott

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study is to examine burley tobacco growers decision making processes as they pertain to labor usage during the harvest of their crop and adoption rates of mechanical harvesting technology in order to create a laudable document that could be used by those who disseminate knowledge in agricultural communities. This study sought to compare current conventional harvesting methods to mechanical harvesting methods to determine efficiency and affordability of each of the two methods for the tobacco grower. This study incorporated both survey data and focus group data in order to develop the findings herein. Survey data were …

Validation Of The Cosmed Fitmate For Predicting Maximal Oxygen Consumption, Jung Min Lee

Masters Theses

The primary purpose of this study was to assess the validity of the Cosmed Fitmate (FM) in predicting maximal oxygen consumption (VO_2max), compared to the Douglas bag (DB) method. In addition, this study examined whether measuring submaximal VO₂, rather than predicting it, can improve upon the prediction of VO_2max. Thirty-two males and sixteen females (Mean ± SD: age 31 ± 10 yr, body mass 72.9 ± 13.0 kg, height 1.75 ± 0.09 m, BMI 23.4 ± 3 kg·m^-2) volunteered to participate in the study. Each participant completed a submaximal and a maximal …

A Geophysical Survey Of Fort St. Joseph (20be23), Niles, Michigan, Daniel P. Lynch

Masters Theses

Fort St. Joseph is a 17th-18th century French (and later English) mission-garrison-trading post complex located in southwest Michigan. A geophysical survey was performed and the results of the survey were tested through archaeological excavation. The geophysical methods included ground penetrating radar, electromagnetic induction, electrical resistivity, magnetic gradiometry, and magnetic susceptibility. The results of the archaeological excavations demonstrate that magnetic gradiometry was the preferred geophysical method at this particular site. The magnetic gradiometer survey included both terrestrial and possible submerged portions the site. Laboratory analysis of the magnetic susceptibility and magnetic viscosity of soils and rocks demonstrated that the archaeological features …

Single Muslim Young Adults: Negotiating Identities, Religion And Desire, Zarinah El-Amin Naeem

Masters Theses

This ethnographic thesis is an empirically rich, critical analysis of the singlehood of Muslim young adults. Based on interviews with 21 single Muslims aged 18-36, and participant observation of Muslim spaces, I demonstrate that while Islam and Muslim communities present "ideal" behaviors, Islam is not alone. Instead, like identity, the singlehood of American Muslims is created and recreated through dialectical relationships with several cultural "wombs" including religion, popular culture, family, and ethnicity. As Muslim young adults encounter these often contradictory ideologies, they accept and reject parts, and negotiate their identities, religion and desires - all while struggling to maintain a …

Military Voting From A Combat Zone, Robert E. Reichner

Masters Theses

This study involves analyzing the Rational Choice Theory presented by Anthony Downs (1957) regarding the cost of information when casting a ballot. The context of the study will be under the auspices of casting a ballot according to the Uniform and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA). Of particular concern, the study will focus on uniformed members of the U.S. Armed Forces deployed overseas to Department of Defense combat zones. The policies put into place regarding political participation while serving as a military member will be addressed. Additionally, the study will employ a comparative case study of each individual service …

Supporting Divorcing Parents In Japan, Akemi Kishimoto

Masters Theses

The purpose of this current study was to investigate the level of acceptance among professionals in Japan for initiatives and services for families experiencing divorce. Questionnaires were mailed to 1963 professionals. Seventy questionnaires were returned from Family Court Officers (n = 3), Counselors at the Family Problem Information Centers (n = 8), family law attorneys (n = 2), university faculty (n = 53), and unspecified (n = 4). Results are summarized as follows: laws and rules about divorce in Japanese society, including historical aspects; focusing on children's interests; visitation and postdivorce relationships; educating the public, parents, and high school students; …

Where Was The Government? In Inquiry Into The Events Of September 11, 2001, Elizabeth A. Bradshaw

Masters Theses

The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 have forever changed the geopolitical landscape. Yet despite the significance of such an event, those working in the field of state crime have been reluctant to investigate the role of the United States government in failing to prevent the attacks. Utilizing the five criteria of state crime put forth by Kauzlarich, Mullins and Matthews (2003), the actions and inactions of the National Security Council, the Central Intelligence Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the North American Aerospace Defense Command and the Federal Aviation Administration are examined. Drawing on the testimonies of government officials …

Holocene Fire History At Laguna Martínez, Costa Rica, Based On High-Resolution Macroscopic Charcoal Analysis Of An 8400 Cal Yr Bp Sediment Record, Jason Elliott Graham

Masters Theses

Macroscopic charcoal proxy records from sediment profiles from lakes and swamps provide valuable information on the role of fire in the world’s varied ecosystems. Macroscopic charcoal is not normally transported long distances, making it a good indicator of local fire history. This study focused on the macroscopic charcoal in an 8400 cal yr BP sediment record from Laguna Martínez, located in northwestern Costa Rica on the Pacific slope of the Miravalles volcano. Prior study of pollen assemblages in the Martínez sediment core revealed the earliest evidence of maize agriculture in Costa Rica at about 5500 cal yr BP. I sampled …

Testing The Usefulness Of Pine Stomata As A Proxy In Lake Sediment Cores From Low-Latitude Environments, Brock Andrew Remus

Masters Theses

Paleoecological research, using lake cores to reconstruct past climatic and anthropogenic changes, is a burgeoning field in the circum-Caribbean. The Dominican Republic’s Las Lagunas region is being studied for this purpose using many proxies. One possible proxy for study there is pine stomata. Concentrations of pine stomata in lake sediments have been used in high-latitude and alpine locations to reconstruct tree-line movement and stand invasion, but have never been used in low-latitude environments.

In this thesis I present results of analyses of Pinus occidentalis Swartz (Hispaniolan pine or West Indian pine) stomata concentrations in lake-sediment cores from two lakes in …

An Evaluation Of Preference For Modeling Interventions, Kaneen B. Geiger

Masters Theses

Video modeling is an instructional technique demonstrated to effectively increase social skills, academic skills, daily living skills and play skills of children with autism. There are several hypotheses for why video modeling is effective. One hypothesis is that children with autism prefer watching videos to looking at people, thereby enhancing motivation and making attending to the video model automatically reinforcing, however, preference for video has not been experimentally examined. This study assessed participants' preference for either video modeling or in vivo modeling using a concurrent-chains arrangement. None of the three participants showed a preference for either video modeling or in …

Factors Affecting The Use Of Appalachian Children’S Literature Titles In Libraries Located In The Central Appalachian Region, As Offered By Librarians In The Central Appalachian Region, Jamie Lynn Osborn

Masters Theses

The purpose of this research is to describe, with the aid of a survey, the factors Library and Information Science professionals working in the Central Appalachian region believe influence the use of Appalachian Children’s Literature titles in Central Appalachian libraries. Primarily, what do librarians in the region feel affects the use of these titles to their library patrons? To thoroughly examine this issue the following research questions will be explored: Specifically, at what point in their lives, if at all, were librarians in this study exposed to Appalachian Children’s Literature? Did this exposure take place in a K-12 setting or …

Domestic Violence: Professionals’ Attitudes Toward Its Causes And Intervention, Hannah Katherine Mccreery

Masters Theses

Community organizations work with and provide services for perpetrators and victims of domestic violence on a daily basis. The individuals who work for these agencies have a direct impact on perpetrators and victims. This study investigated the attitudes and perceptions of domestic violence professionals to assess the differentiating effect of gender, occupation within the field, age, education level, and years of experience in the field. Findings revealed significant differences between genders and occupation groups, particularly in attitudes toward interventions and treatment practices and beliefs about the causes of domestic violence. Implications for future research and policy are reviewed.

Love’S Gray Area: A Qualitative Analysis Of Interracial Relationships In Film, 1960s And 2000s, Jodi Lynn Rightler

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to explore the ways in which interracial relationships between African Americans (“blacks”) and European Americans (“whites”) came to be represented as “problematic” for mainstream audiences by conducting film analyses of the following four films; I Passed For White, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, Monster’s Ball, and Save the Last Dance. The main idea behind this “problem” is the idea of border-crossing, or going from one racial boundary to the next, in terms of understanding one’s identity.

I systematically examined the portrayals of interracial relationships between “blacks” and “whites” within the US film …

Paternal Involvement With Special Needs Children, Emily Lauren Furst

Masters Theses

The focus of this study is paternal involvement of fathers with special needs children. Role salience, parental satisfaction, reflected appraisals, and contextual variables were hypothesized to mediate the relationship between empowerment and paternal involvement. It was also hypothesized that financial strain would moderate the relationship between empowerment and paternal involvement, as mediated by the identity theory variables and contextual variables. The researcher additionally hypothesized that empowerment would be more important to men facing higher levels of financial strain. These hypotheses were investigated using data from the Pathways Research Project, which evaluated Tennessee’s Early Intervention System (TEIS). TEIS provides services to …