Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Comics As A Cognitive Training Medium For Expert Decision Making, Amber Nalu

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Experts such as military commanders must make decisions quickly and under deadly conditions. A variety of cognitive training media exist, from Powerpoint to virtual reality (VR) simulations; however, there are alternative media that have not yet been comprehensively studied for expert decision making training. In this study, the researcher has examined the use of comics as an alternative to current cognitive training media. In Experiment 1, naval submariners were shown a text-based medium or comic strip and asked to make a decision about the scenario after viewing. The scenario was derived from a situation that submariners were somewhat familiar with …

Optimization Models And Approximate Algorithms For The Aerial Refueling Scheduling And Rescheduling Problems, Sezgin Kaplan

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The Aerial Refueling Scheduling Problem (ARSP) can be defined as determining the refueling completion times for fighter aircrafts (jobs) on multiple tankers (machines) to minimize the total weighted tardiness. ARSP can be modeled as a parallel machine scheduling with release times and due date-to-deadline window. ARSP assumes that the jobs have different release times, due dates, and due date-to-deadline windows between the refueling due date and a deadline to return without refueling. The Aerial Refueling Rescheduling Problem (ARRP), on the other hand, can be defined as updating the existing AR schedule after being disrupted by job related events including the …

Dispersion Or Re-Segregation: A Spatial And Temporal Analysis Of Public Policies And Their Impact On Urban African American Mobility, Brandi Lynette Blessett

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Studies

This study seeks to test Hirsch's second ghetto thesis in the city of Baltimore, Maryland. Hirsch suggested that the role of government, public policies, and administrative discretion were responsible for the re-segregation of African Americans into second ghetto communities in Chicago. Many scholars have used Hirsch's framework to explain ghetto formation. This investigation seeks to extend the literature in several ways. First, several national policies were investigated to determine their impact on African American mobility in Baltimore: the Housing Act of 1937 (public housing), the Housing Act of 1949 (urban renewal), and the Interstate Highway Act of 1956 (transportation). Second, …

Exploring The Effects Of Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control In Mitigating Traffic Congestion, Georges M. Arnaout

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The aim of this research is to examine the impact of CACC (Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control) equipped vehicles on traffic-flow characteristics of a multilane highway system. The research identifies how CACC vehicles affect the dynamics of traffic flow on a road network and demonstrates the potential benefits of reducing traffic congestion due to stop-and-go traffic conditions. An agent-based traffic simulation model is developed specifically to examine the effect of these intelligent vehicles on the traffic flow dynamics. Traffic performance metrics characterizing the evolution of traffic congestion throughout the road network, are analyzed. Different CACC penetration levels are studied.

The positive …

Incorporating Physical Fitness Through Rushing Can Significantly Affect Tactical Infantry Simulation Results, Elaine Marie Smith Blount

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Physical fitness is accepted as an influence on the outcome on the battlefield; yet, research indicates that it has not been incorporated into tactical infantry simulations. Including physical capabilities may have a significant impact upon the results of a tactical simulation. Several battlefield tasks were reviewed, and rushing was selected to implement in tactical infantry simulations. A preliminary spreadsheet model was created that indicated rushing velocity would impact a tactical simulation. Two tactical infantry simulations were created: a helicopter extraction scenario where 13 soldiers rushed to extraction site while two enemies were shooting and a rushing scenario that consisted of …

Predictors Of Pre-Dispositional Juvenile Detention: Race Gender And Intersectionality, Jennifer Lee Gebler

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

This research examines disproportionate minority contact (DMC) in a court service unit (CSU) in Virginia which has been implementing the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) program since 2005. Using three years of intake data, the study also explores the impact of race and gender on the likelihood of receiving pre-dispositional secure detention. Finally, using intersectionality theory, the study analyzes the joint impact of being non-white and female on the pre-dispositional detention outcome. In this CSU, non-whites were found to be overrepresented in secure detention indicating the presence of DMC. In the multivariate model, race was not found to be a …

The Persistence Of Employee 401(K) Contributions Over A Major Stock Market Cycle: Evidence On The Limited Power Of Inertia On Savings Behavior, Leslie A. Muller, John A. Turner

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

Many middle-income workers save for retirement through 401(k) plans. This study addresses the concern that low account balances of older workers may indicate that these vehicles are not sufficient to insure adequate retirement savings. In particular, the study shows that workers are not persistent (continuing once a worker has started) in contributing, and a weak stock market exacerbates the problem.
/="/">The study suggests that the concept of inertia, which is in vogue in behavioral economics, does not seem to hold for 401(k) saving behavior. Furthermore, the investment strategy of dollar cost averaging does not seem to hold, either. Using …

Re-Engaging/Engaging Part-Time Librarians, Wilma L. Jones

Publications and Research

In order to maintain high quality service and strengthen retention of part-time librarians, this article addresses ways of engaging new part-time librarians and re-engaging long-time part-time librarians. Part-time librarians are hired primarily to work hours outside the traditional work week or as temporary replacements for unanticipated vacancies, yet they end up providing a third of the service, solely, during evenings and weekends in most small to mid-sized academic institutions. Most are brought in with very little training or orientation to the institution and are expected to hit the ground running while maintaining quality service. This article provides managers with suggestions …

Robert T. Oliver: Trailblazer In Intercultural Communication, Robert Shuter

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

Robert T. Oliver was a scholar extraordinaire and a towering figure in rhetoric and public address, but his contributions to the field of intercultural communication are less well known. For over sixty years, Dr. Oliver wrote prolifically about the impact of culture on rhetoric and communication. Although Dr. Oliver rarely used the words intercultural communication in his writings, which were voluminous, he contributed greatly to the development of the field. This essay focuses on Dr. Oliver’s four major contributions to intercultural communication: (1) Critiquing the Eurocentric bias of rhetoric/communication, (2) offering an Asiacentric alternative to the study of rhetoric/communication, (3) …

Student Use And Teacher Requirement Of E-Mail Conventions, Lora Ibrahim Galabi

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the use of conventions by EFL students and the requirement of conventions by EFL teachers in student-teacher e-mail communication, in an English-medium university in the Arab world. A convenience sample of 61 students and 13 teachers from the Intensive English Program at the American University in Cairo, Egypt was used. Data were obtained for this exploratory study from a student survey, a teacher survey, and a sample of student e-mails, and were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and thematic content analysis. Chi-square tests revealed a correlation between the frequency of …

Microfinance And Poverty Alleviation: A Case Study Of Al-Darb Al-Ahmar District In Cairo, Egypt, Noran Mohammed Farag

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis tests whether microcredit offered by MFIs succeeded, from the perspectives of beneficiaries, in reducing the poverty of borrowers in poor areas in Cairo using the example of First Microfinance as a case study. The data was gathered using a tailored questionnaire on a sample of 151 beneficiaries. A linear regression model is used with the dependent variable as the difference in wealth indices before and after acquiring the loan and a set of independent variables. Microfinance showed a positive effect on poverty reduction but with a small magnitude. The results show that the lack of training provided to …

Shaping Up For A Landmark Election, Tan K. B. Eugene

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Asst Prof Eugene Tan talks about significant developments he hopes to see in the upcoming General Elections.

Examining The Value Of Word Of Mouth As A Marketing Tool For Poker Book, Jeffery J. Hwang

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In the spring of 2003, the poker world saw the launch of the World Poker Tour; that same May, an amateur poker player and online qualifier named Chris Moneymaker won the Main Event of the World Series of Poker and the $2.5 million first prize, demonstrating that virtually anyone can win at poker. The result of these two events was a “poker boom” that, by September 2005, had the two largest poker book publishers on the planet reporting ten-fold increases in sales. And yet, outside of their own company websites, most of the largest poker book publishers on the planet …

Factors Affecting Information And Communication Technologies (Icts) Use By Academic Librarians In Southwestern Nigeria, Yacob Haliso

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) improves service provision of librarians. In spite of this, it is observed that librarians in Nigeria do not maximally utilize the ICTs. Consequently, the communities of scholars complain of the poor information services provision by librarians. It is in the light of this that this study investigated factors that may be responsible for the poor utilization of the ICTs in the Southwestern Nigeria. The study adopted a descriptive research design. A total enumerative sampling technique was used. The finding indicated that lack of organizational commitment towards ICT acquisition constituted the highest barrier …

Information Needs And Information-Seeking Behaviour Of Allopathic Medical Practitioners In Tirppur District In Tamilnadu, India, B. O. Sathivel Murugan, S. Allysornam

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The present study is based on the information needs and seeking behaviour of allopathic medical practitioners (general /specialists) in Trippur district, Tamilnadu, India. Research design was preplanned and systematic method of data collection, analysis and interpretation was presented. Survey method was adopted for collection of primary data and pre-tested questionnaire was tool of data collection. Dependent and independent variables are used for data analysis and results are shown.

The Neoliberal Dream Of Segregation: Rethinking Gated Communities In Greater Cairo, A Case Study, Al-Rehab City Gated Community, Safaa Marafi

Theses and Dissertations

New suburbs such as New Cairo received strong support from President Mubarak, the government, elite businessmen, and a group of members of the National Democratic Party, who surrounded the president. I argue in this thesis that urban segregation has existed in Cairo for quite some time. However, since the last decade's adaptation of neoliberal polices by the government, the implementations of these polices have sharpened the dichotomy in the urban fabric, which is crystallized in the support given by the Egyptian government to local and foreign construction companies to build gated communities in the suburbs Cairo. Private security systems and …

The Tunnel Operations Under The Gaza-Egypt Border In Rafah, Brandy Castanon

Theses and Dissertations

The negative ramifications of the creation of nation-states resulting in the assignment of arbitrary borders, walls and international border crossings are most vivid, obvious and ridiculous in the city of Rafah. It is an ancient city with a rich history that was divided by the 1979 Israel-Egypt peace treaty separating Egypt and Palestine. This thesis is concerned with how Rafah operates as a divided border town and the illicit tunnels that are used between Gaza and Egypt. It focuses on Egyptian policies towards the tunnels, how they are implemented by Egyptian border officials and how people experience and are affected …

Protective Behavioral Strategies Mediate The Effect Of Drinking Motives On Alcohol Use Among Heavy Drinking College Students: Gender And Race Differences, Joseph W. Labrie, Andrew Lac, Shannon R. Kenney, Tehniat Mirza

Heads Up!

Objective

This study examined the extent to which protective behavioral strategies (PBS) mediated the influence of drinking motives on alcohol consumption, and if these hypothesized relationships were corroborated across subsamples of gender and race.

Method

Online surveys were completed by 1592 heavy drinking college undergraduates from two universities (49.9% male and 50.1% female; 76.9% Caucasian and 23.1% Asian). Independent samples t-tests compared males and females as well as Caucasians and Asians on measures of drinking motives, PBS use, and alcohol consumption, and structural equation models examined the mediating role of PBS.

Results

Consistent with predictions, t-tests revealed that males reported …

Gaining And Losing Interest In Running For Public Office: The Concept Of Dynamic Political Ambition, Richard L. Fox, Jennifer L. Lawless

Political Science and International Relations Faculty Works

Considering a candidacy for public office involves pondering the courageous step of going before an electorate and facing potential examination, scrutiny, and rejection. Anyone who contemplates running for office, therefore, must answer a series of questions. Is the time right to inject my family into the political arena? Where am I in terms of my professional goals? Do I know enough about the issues and the political system to run for office? Am I in sync with my potential constituents on the issues that matter most? Have electoral gatekeepers indicated support for my foray into politics? Do I really want …

Coming To America: The Social And Economic Mobility Of African Immigrants In The United States, Tobi E. Afolayan

Inquiry Journal 2011

No abstract provided.

Wrl Newsletter April 2011, Maryke Barber

WRL Newsletters

No abstract provided.

The Performance Of Performance Standards, Carolyn J. Heinrich

Employment Research Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Development And Preliminary Psychometric Testing Of The Centrality Of Pain Scale, Christina Nicolaidis, Teresa Chianello, Martha Gerrity

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Objective: To develop and begin to evaluate a new measure of the centrality of pain in patients' lives.

Design: Cross-sectional survey and cognitive interviews.

Setting: Academic general internal medicine clinic.

Patients: 65 adult internal medicine patients with chronic non-malignant pain (CNMP).

Outcome measures: We assessed content validity and clarity of the 10-item Centrality of Pain Scale (COPS) by soliciting feedback from chronic pain experts and by conducting cognitive interviews with patients with CNMP. We assessed internal consistency reliability using Cronbach's alpha. We assessed construct validity by comparing the COPS with other measures of chronic pain …

Counting The Impossible: Sampling And Modeling To Achieve A Large State Homeless Count, Jennifer L. Priestley, Jane Massey

Faculty Articles

Objective: Using inferential statistics, we develop estimates of the homeless population of a geographically large and economically diverse state -- Georgia.

Methods: Multiple independent data sources (2000 U.S. Census, the 2006 Georgia County Guide, Georgia Chamber of Commerce) were used to develop Clusters of the 150 Georgia Counties. These clusters were used as "strata" to then execute traified sampling. Homeless counts were conducted within the sample counties, allowing for multiple regression models to be developed to generate predictions of homeless persons by county.

Results: In response to a mandate from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, the State …

“Instead Of Growing Under Her Heart, I Grew In It”: The Relationship Between Adoption Entrance Narratives And Adoptees’ Self-Concept, Haley Kranstruber, Jody Koenig Kellas

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

Adoptees are partially or entirely disconnected from those involved in their birth stories, so adoptive families create adoption entrance narratives to fill that void. Scholars assert that these narratives impact adopted child well-being later in life, but that assumption has yet to be empirically tested. The goal of this study was to examine themes emerging from adoption entrance narratives (n = 105), and to then determine the impact of story content on adoptees’ self-concept. Seven themes emerged: openness, deception, chosen child, fate, difference, rescue, and reconnection. Results indicate the salience of the chosen child, negative reconnection, and difference themes …

Staying Genuine And Creating Connections: Networking And Involvement For Introverts, Kiyomi D. Deards

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries: Presentations

Introversion, often thought of as a negative attribute, can be a tool to build strong personal connections. How can introverts create and maintain professional networks without feeling fake or insincere? How can introverts balance solitude with interpersonal interactions? What are myths about introverts and how can we combat them?

Help! Creating Balance, Connections, And Services For Newbie Sci-Tech Librarians, Kiyomi D. Deards

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries: Presentations

New Sci-Tech liaison librarians are the increasingly vital connection between the library and the departments that they serve. How are librarians balancing serving multiple departments and fulfilling their traditional library duties? How are sci-tech librarians connecting with their faculty? What services do you offer and which do your users embrace?

Expectancy Theory, Maslow's Hierarchy Of Needs, And Cataloguing Departments, Akobundu D. Ugah, Uche Arua

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This paper discusses Expectancy Theory, Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, and how they can be used to motivate the library staff with special focus on the cataloguing staff or those working in the cataloging Department of Libraries.

The Role Of Interviewer Experience On Acquiescence, Kristen Olson, Ipek Bilgen

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Experienced interviewers are commonly thought to achieve better quality survey data than inexperienced interviewers. Yet few empirical examinations of differences in data quality on attitudinal questions for experienced versus inexperienced interviewers exist. In this article, we examine whether experienced and inexperienced interviewers differ in their levels of a commonly evaluated data quality measure—acquiescence—in two national surveys. We hypothesize that experienced interviewers will have higher rates of acquiescence than inexperienced interviewers due to either differential pace or differential behaviors. We find that experienced interviewers obtain higher levels of acquiescent reports than do inexperienced interviewers, even after accounting for potential differences in …

"There's Something Wrong About The Way You Look, There's Something Wrong With You": Memorable Messages Concerning Identity And Body Weight, Scott A. Richmond

Masters Theses

This thesis examined the body weight discourse through interviews concerning memorable messages received prior to and after a period of weight loss, along with messages' effects on individuals' identities. As the communication of messages concerning body weight and identity had yet to be thoroughly examined, this study worked to illuminate how the discourse is communicated.

Emergent themes were discussed, such as pre-weight loss messages communicating a separate social identity, less social desirability, and advice about body weight. Post-weight messages themes of acknowledging a change in appearance, positive valuation of the change, and questions on the weight change were also examined. …