Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Recovery Of Cognitive And Social Cognitive Functioning In Response To Social Cognition Interaction Training Administered In Community Settings: A Longitudinal Study, Lena Reddy

Department of Psychology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Psychosocial rehabilitation for persons with Serious Mental Illness (SMI) encompasses recovery of functioning in a broad array of domains, including neurocognitive, social cognitive, interpersonal, occupational, and self-care abilities. There is extensive evidence that improvements in these domains are possible as a result of targeted interventions, and that these improvements may generalize to other areas of daily functioning. The current study explored rehabilitative change over time among adults with SMI that were attending outpatient day centers. Social Cognition and Interaction Training (SCIT), a cognitive-behavioral skills-training modality, was implemented during the time period in which the data was collected. Forty adults participated …

Journal Impact Factor, Scott H. Church

Department of Communication Studies: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

In a recent issue of Human Communication Research, Thomas Hugh Feeley notes, “journal impact rankings provide objective data for tenure, promotion, and, possibly, grant review committees on the quality of scholars’ work.” Though the metric is widely regarded as the conventional measure to assess the influence of a journal in both the social and physical sciences, many doubts regarding its effectiveness have been raised. This essay assesses the effectiveness of the Journal Impact Factor (JIF) as a scholarly metric. After first considering the metric's history and developing a working definition of JIF (part one), next I delineate its strengths and …

Scimago, Getachew Dinku Godana

Department of Communication Studies: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The degree to which a scholar’s work is cited by others has been regarded as an indicator of its scientific impact relative to other researchers in the web of scholarly communications. Likewise, various metrics based on citation counts have been developed to evaluate the impact of scholarly journals. Recently there has emerged a new research trend aimed at developing impact metrics that consider not only “the raw number of citations received by a scientific agent, but also the importance or influence of the actors who issue those citations.” These new metrics represent scientific impact as a function not of just …

Applicant Versus Employee Scores On Self-Report Emotional Intelligence Measures, Filip Lievens, Ute-Christine Klehe, Nele Libbrecht

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

There exists growing interest to assess applicants' emotional intelligence (EI) via self-report trait-based measures of EI as part of the selection process. However, some studies that experimentally manipulated applicant conditions have cautioned that in these conditions use of self-report measures for assessing EI might lead to considerably higher scores than current norm scores suggest. So far, no studies have scrutinized self-reported EI scores among a sample of actual job applicants. Therefore, this study compares the scores of actual applicants at a large ICT organization (n = 109) on a well-known self-report measure of EI to the scores of employees already …

Review Of Battle Cries: Black Women And Intimate Partner Violence, By Hillary Potter, Angelique Harris

Social and Cultural Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Akt1 G205t Genotype Influences Obesity-Related Metabolic Phenotypes And Their Responses To Aerobic Exercise Training In Older Caucasians, Jennifer A. Mckenzie, Sarah Witkowski, Andrew T. Ludlow, Stephen M. Roth, James M. Hagberg

Exercise and Sport Studies: Faculty Publications

As part of the insulin signalling pathway, Akt influences growth and metabolism. The AKT1 gene G205T (rs1130214) polymorphism has potential functional effects. Thus, we determined whether the G205T polymorphism influences metabolic variables and their responses to aerobic exercise training. Following dietary stabilization, healthy, sedentary, 50- to 75-year-old Caucasian men (n= 51) and women (n= 58) underwent 6 months of aerobic exercise training. Before and after completing the intervention, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry was used to measure percentage body fat, computed tomography to measure visceral and subcutaneous fat, and oral glucose tolerance testing to measure glucose total area under the curve (AUC), …

An Examination Of Compressed Natural Gas For Use In Municipal Fleets: Would Cng Work For Lexington, Ky?, Robert Kahne

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) is an alternative fuel source which could replace diesel as a fuel for municipal fleets. This paper seeks to examine the viability of CNG and its potential to power Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government’s fleet of waste removal trucks. This paper takes into account financial and environmental factors in determining CNG’s potential, but gives priority to financial considerations. The results of this analysis are mixed—under some future scenarios, compressed natural gas would be a favorable option for the fleet, but given other future scenarios, CNG would not be viable. In terms of environmental benefits, a switch to …

Local E-Government Trends: Evaluating The Adoption And Sophistication Of Kentucky City Websites, Kevin Klosterboer

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

With the prevalence of internet technologies and e-commerce, citizens’ expectations for online e-government services are growing. Numerous studies have been conducted on the worldwide adoption and sophistication of national governments’ e-government websites and state websites in the United States, but previous studies of local governments have been limited to looking at nationwide samples of the largest cities. By presenting a statewide analysis of all Kentucky city websites, I expect that my findings will provide valuable information about how cities of all sizes are using web-technologies to provide services to their citizens. I examine which types of cities, organized along several …

Local Economic Development: Researching Clusters In Woodford County, Kentucky, Tom Middleton

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Woodford Tomorrow, a citizen economic development planning group in Woodford County, is interested in promoting cluster development. Clusters are a geographic concentration of businesses and institutions which interact and collaborate within a particular economic sector. This report provides quantitative analysis of three clusters: (1) health, (2) agriculture, and (3) arts, entertainment, and tourism. The majority of this data comes from the consulting firm Economic Modeling Specialists Inc.

The agriculture cluster has many industries, specifically in the crop and animal production and manufacturing sectors, which appear to be potential industries to target. The hotel and motel industry seems to be an …

U.S. Development Aid, Its Objectives And Lower-Middle Income Countries, Nazar Muhammad

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

The U.S. is investing billions of dollars in developing countries. U.S. development aid is an essential part of U.S. foreign policy. The objectives laid down by the architects of development aid are wide and range from strategic, economic and social uplift of poor countries to humanitarian assistance to alleviate the suffering of residents. There is a tense political and academic debate about the impacts of development aid funded by the U.S. There are many who believe funds support dictators, while others consider aid to be a real help to fragile economies.

Pakistan is one of the biggest recipients of U.S. …

Examining Kentucky Public Schools: Gender Differences In An Index Measure Of Accountability For Academic Standards, Khin Thazin Myint

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

The Kentucky public education system has made progress over the past 20 years after a number of reforms beginning in 1990. A stated goal of these reforms has been not only to improve the overall performance of students in a school, but to also ensure that no student groups be allowed to fall behind. To accomplish this, the state has adopted and implemented goals that are shared with those of the federal No Child Left Behind Act, including school accountability and a goal of proficiency for all students by the year 2014. However the most recent analysis of three statewide …

Implementation Analysis Of Two Legal Means To Grant Undocumented Immigrant Crime Victims U.S. Residency Status, Shelley Sellwood-Davis

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

In order to complete an implementation analysis of the T Human Trafficking Status and the U Victims of Crime Status, legislation, articles, annual reports produced by the government and its agencies, and written documents were assessed and compiled to create a framework for highlighting the significant elements of each status, a process that has not been done prior to this effort. This framework was then examined from an intervention theorist’s perspective to assess whether the statuses have been implemented in a manner that meets the goals of the authorizing legislation.

The T Human Trafficking Status and U Victims of Crime …

Dental Service Utilization In An Academic Setting: An Analysis For Improved Oral Health, Paula R. Sandford

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

The National Oral Health Surveillance System (NOHSS) is the result of a collaborative effort between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors which is designed to monitor aspects of oral health and disease on both a national and state level. The NOHSS ranks Kentucky at or near the bottom in most oral health indicators. The primary message of the Surgeon General’s May 2000 report on Oral Health in America was to emphasize the link between oral health and overall health including the effect on day‐to‐day activities such as work and school …

Establishing Long-Term Cost Effectiveness Of Fema Buyouts: A Loss Avoidance Study Of The Acquisition/Demolition Of 22 Properties In Shepherdsville, Kentucky, Esther White

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Kentucky has 1500 square miles of surface water and 1500 miles of navigable waterways. Fifty-one of the 120 county seats are located on rivers, and over 25 percent of the state’s population lives along waterways. Not surprisingly, flooding is the most common natural hazard in Kentucky, and many structures have been built over the years in floodplain areas. Although many local ordinances have been enacted across the State in recent years to limit new construction in these areas, existing structures still experience frequent flood damages. These structures are required by the federal government to maintain flood insurance, and the National …

Does The Phi Gamma Delta Academic Achievement Award Affect The Fraternity's Ability To Attract Future Donors And Volunteers?, Robert B. Caudill

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

The Phi Gamma Delta Educational Foundation, which supports the Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity, operates a scholarship program for new members known as the Academic Achievement Award, or Triple A Scholarship. The Fraternity’s recent and projected growth prompted the organization to consider changes to the program. In order to better evaluate changing the program, this study estimates the impact of the Triple A Scholarship program on two behaviors of graduate members – becoming a donor or becoming a volunteer.

More specifically, the study addresses the following two questions:

• Does receiving a Triple A Scholarship make a member more or less likely …

Competition Among Public Schools: An Analysis Of Kentucky Public Elementary Schools, Sarah L. Burns

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

This study relied on data gathered on school identifiers and characteristics, student and teacher characteristics, and index scores of Kentucky public elementary schools, collected from 2001-2008 at the school level. An extensive literature review was completed in order to examine the effects of competition on public schools, both positive and negative.

This paper focused on the impact of public school competition on academic index scores in Kentucky school districts. Competition was measured in two ways: by the number of schools available per student in the district as well as the total district enrollment controlling for the total number of schools …

"Courting" Time: Assessing The Policy And Planning Issues Related To Adoption Of Case Processing Standards In The Kentucky Judicial System, John B. Dobson

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

No executive summary.

Public School Performance: Examining The Relationship Between Teacher Training Program And School Achievement, Lindsay Griffith

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Few would argue the importance of providing today‟s youth with a solid educational foundation, yet the United States ranks as low as 25th educationally among 34 OECD developed nations1 . Many researchers have studied the various factors affecting student performance in the K-12 educational system, but mixed, ambiguous, or conflicting results have led to a general sense of uncertainty regarding who to hold accountable. The research has tended to focus on teacher effectiveness or school funding. While those are among a wealth of valid inputs to examine, this study attempted to determine the viability of examining the effect of teacher …

Public Art Master Planning For Municipal Governments: Core Components And Common Practices, Jonathan Hollinger

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Public art master planning for municipal government is the process of strategically planning the placement of public art objects, and the processes used to administer a public art program. It is a broad process that combines urban design and planning, artistic practice, public policy, local government management, and many other elements.

Due to this broad background, the master plan of a public art program is a complex document with many requirements. This analysis attempts to answer the following research questions:

• What is the common process for developing a public art master plan?
• What are the core components of a public …

Funding Source Impact On Nonprofit Advocacy Activity, Sean Patrick Naylor

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Nonprofit organizations are often a tool by which citizens can engage in the policy process. Many nonprofit organizations engage in issue advocacy. For some nonprofit organizations issue advocacy is the purpose for their existence. For others, issue advocacy is a means of meeting organizational goals. Many nonprofits avoid issue advocacy altogether. The IRS places a financial limit on how much issue advocacy a nonprofit organization may engage in. However, most nonprofits won’t ever come close to this limit. Most simply don’t have as great a need for advocacy, while some will self regulate to avoid losing funding sources. Some literature …

Understanding Non-Profit Organizations In States With Appalachian Counties: Where They Locate And The Missions They Serve, Rebecca E. Tucker

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

No executive summary.

David Hill Urban Reserve Concept Plan, Joey Shearer, Misty Schymtzik, Lisa Peffer, Ryan Michie, Lindsey Kuipers, Krissy Hostetler

Master of Urban and Regional Planning Workshop Projects

As the City of Forest Grove continues to grow, the David Hill Urban Reserve presents opportunities to accommodate development needs for the next 20 to 50 years. While this type of growth is not expected to occur for many years, a concept plan for the area is required by Metro to guide how the area should develop.The Concept Plan for the DHUR begins to create a framework for accommodating future development in an efficient manner, sensitive to natural features, topography, and views. This plan is not intended to be a complete “concept plan” under Metro’s definition and does not meet …

Empathic Development Of Counselor Trainees For Difficult Clients Through Film And Narrative, Kristin Elisabeth Matson

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This paper posits that to develop empathy, similar to cross-cultural counseling competencies, counselor trainees should be exposed to life experiences of various clients, especially those deemed challenging, and which counselor trainees indicate no desire to work. As it is impractical to expect counselors to experience every type of client, learning about populations through narrative or film may be an option (Gladstein & Feldstein, 1983; Kurkijan & Banks, 1978; Pearson, 2003). Specifically, empathy in masters level counselor trainees both pre and post exposure to narrative and film depictions of violent juvenile offenders was explored. Results indicated that exposure to juvenile offenders …

Best Practice In Working With The Somali Population, Ilhan Duale

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Since the early 1990s, the state of Minnesota has had an unprecedented increase in refugees from Somalia. These individuals have emigrated from a war-zone country and arrived in the United States with a range of trauma-related injuries and mental health issues. As a result, Somali individuals and families who have migrated to the United States will require physical and mental health support. There is, however, a lack of research on effective interventions with Somali individuals and families. With the stigma that surrounds mental health and negative cultural views of mental health in the Somali population, practitioners at Comunidades Latinas Unidas …

Natural Connections: A Recommendation To Implement An Animal Assisted Therapy (Aat) Program Within The Shakopee Mdewakantonsioux Community, Heidi Simon

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Currently the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community does not have an Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) program. The purpose of this project was to research AAT programs that exist in First Nation Communities. The ultimate goal was to present evidence to support the implementation of a culturally based AAT program into the current mental health model within the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community. The Animal Assisted Therapeutic Learning (ATTL) program would incorporate traditional beliefs with contemporary ways of life in regard to healing and mental health.

Diversity Within Bachelor Of Social Work Programs: Perspectives And Interventions, Brian Warner

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Diversity is a term that has become increasingly relevant in the field of social work. Perhaps there is no other sector of the social work profession where diversity is more relevant than in higher education. With the ever changing ethnic and racial make-up of the United States, it is imperative that social work educators are able to convey the differences and/or challenges that working with diverse individuals will present. One of the easiest and most direct ways for this to occur is for the student body itself to be diverse. Yet, many social work programs have remained ethnically and racially …

The Power Of Service Work: Developing A Consumer Volunteer Program For The House Of Hope, Inc., Darcy Wennes

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

House of Hope, Inc. (HOH) is a rural residential chemical dependency treatment center serving adults over the age of 18. HOH is a non-profit non-sectarian agency. Many clients at HOH have a dual diagnosis of chemical dependency and mental illness. Consumers at HOH are encouraged to volunteer, but are given limited support to do so. They have several hours in their day where there is no programming, and many consumers feel bored and unproductive. The literature suggests that there is a relationship between volunteer work carried out by consumers and their personal feelings of empowerment (Cohen, 2009) . Consumers’ feelings …

Librarianship Presence In Virtual Worlds, Jenny M. Baum, Kate Lyons

Publications and Research

Librarianship has stereotypically been about books, communities, and the connection between the two. With the emergence of new media and technology, the concept of books has expanded to include information of all types and in multiple formats: eBooks, DVDs, videogames, electronic databases, et cetera. Meanwhile, the idea of community has stayed the same. For example, public libraries primarily serve communities defined by geographic lines; academic libraries serve their campus communities. In non-profit, medical or corporate libraries, communities are defined by their organization’s particular mission. However, now that virtual worlds are becoming mainstream, librarians are redefining community, just as they redefined …

The Effects Of Apomorphine On Sexual Behavior And Aggression In Male Golden Hamsters, Molly Hyer

Master’s Theses

The general dopamine agonist apomorphine has been shown to have mostly facilitative effects on sexual behavior in rodents (Domingues & Hull, 2005; Bitran & Hull, 1987). A study looking at the effectsof apomorphine on sexual behavior in male golden hamsters observed that after systemic injections of apomorphine the males became aggressive towards the estrous females (Floody, unpublished). Studies on aggressive behavior have shown that apomorphine has facilitative effects on aggression in rodents (Nelson & Trainor, 2007; van Erp & Miczek, 2000; Ferrari, van Erp, Tornatzky, & Miczek, 2003). The studies presented here attempt to unravel the effects that apomorphine has …

The Happiness Of Single Mothers After Welfare Reform, John Ifcher

Economics

U.S. welfare and tax policies targeting single mothers were transformed over a decade ago. What was the impact on single mothers' happiness? Using data from the General Social Survey, difference in difference estimators are calculated. The results appear to indicate that the package of welfare and tax policy changes increased happiness. The results are largely consistent across three comparison groups and robust to various specification checks. This research nicely complements the literature by examining the impact of the welfare and tax policy changes on a novel outcome measure, self-reported happiness.