Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Review Of The Future Of The Welfare State: Social Policy Attitudes And Social Capital In Europe. Heikki Ervasti, Jorgen Goul Andersen, Torben Fridberg And Kristen Ringdal (Eds.). Reviewed By Larry Nackerud., Larry Nackerud

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Heikki Ervasti, Jorgen Goul Andersen, Torben Fridberg and Kristen Ringdal (Eds.). The Future of the Welfare State: Social Policy Attitudes and Social Capital in Europe. Edgar Elgar Publishing Limited (2012). $110.00 (hardcover).

Is Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor A Possible Mechanism Underlying Risperidone Sensitization In Adolescent Rats?, Qing Shu, Gang Hu, Ming Li

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Risperidone is one of the most widely used atypical antipsychotic drugs and is approved for the treatment of mental disorders (eg. schizophrenia, autism) in children and adolescents. The present study investigated the repeated treatment effect of risperidone and associated neurotropic mechanism in the phencyclidine (PCP)-induced hyperlocomotion model in adolescent rats. We examined whether repeated risperidone treatment would cause a sensitized inhibition of PCP-induced hyperlocomotion in adolescent rats, and whether such a sensitization effect was mediated by risperidone-induced alterations in Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), an important biomarker which plays a role in neuropathology of schizophrenia and action of antipsychotic medications. Male …

Responsive Web Design For Libraries: Beyond The Mobile Web, Matthew Reidsma

Books and Contributions to Books

A responsive website adapts to each users' device, changing its presentation through fluid grids, scalable images, and CSS3 media queries. I give an introduction to responsive design, and then walk through converting the Grand Valley State University Libraries website to be responsive, so that looks great on every device and eliminates the need to maintain separate websites for "desktop" and "mobile" devices, while offering equal access to all.

Physical Activity And Brain Function In Older Adults At Increased Risk For Alzheimer’S Disease, J. Carson Smith, Kristy A. Nielson, John L. Woodard, Michael Seidenberg, Stephen M. Rao

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Leisure-time physical activity (PA) and exercise training are known to help maintain cognitive function in healthy older adults. However, relatively little is known about the effects of PA on cognitive function or brain function in those at increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease through the presence of the apolipoproteinE epsilon4 (APOE-ε4) allele, diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), or the presence of metabolic disease. Here, we examine the question of whether PA and exercise interventions may differentially impact cognitive trajectory, clinical outcomes, and brain structure and function among individuals at the greatest risk for AD. The literature suggests that the protective …

Triumph Of The City: How Our Greatest Invention Makes Us Richer, Smarter, Greener, Healthier, And Happier, By E L Glaeser [Book Review], David J. Reiss

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Review Of Shattering Culture: American Medicine Responds To Cultural Diversity. Mary-Jo Delvecchio Good, Sarah S. Willen, Seth Donal Hannah, Ken Vickery, & Lawrence Taeseng Park (Eds.). Reviewed By Kenny Kwong., Kenny Kwong

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Mary-Jo DelVecchio Good, Sarah S. Willen, Seth Donal Hannah, Ken Vickery, & Lawrence Taeseng Park (Eds.). Shattering Culture: American Medicine Responds to Cultural Diversity. New York: Russell Sage Foundation (2011). $34.62 (paperback).

Testing For Fictive Learning In Decision-Making Under Uncertainty, Oliver D. Bunn, Caterina Calsamiglia, Donald J. Brown

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

We conduct two experiments where subjects make a sequence of binary choices between risky and ambiguous binary lotteries. Risky lotteries are defined as lotteries where the relative frequencies of outcomes are known. Ambiguous lotteries are lotteries where the relative frequencies of outcomes are not known or may not exist. The trials in each experiment are divided into three phases: pre-treatment, treatment and post-treatment. The trials in the pre-treatment and post-treatment phases are the same. As such, the trials before and after the treatment phase are dependent, clustered matched-pairs, that we analyze with the alternating logistic regression (ALR) package in SAS. …

Design, Implications And Analysis Of Household Survey: Practical Issues To Note, O. O. Akanji

Bullion

This paper is to enhance the analytic processes of survey data as generated in the established household survey framework for economic policy management and decision making. The paper is divided into four sections. Section 1 is the introduction while Section 2 is the descriptive statistics emphasizing the models that bring out the relationship between the survey variables, Section 4 concludes and proffers recommendations.

Unemployment And Economic Growth In Nigeria: An Empirical Re-Examination, Emmanuel Ating Onwioduokit

Bullion

This paper investigates the relationship between unemployment and economic growth in Nigeria through the implementation of the Okun’s law using the data from 1980 to 2013. The result indicates that the Okun’s law cannot be confirmed for Nigeria as the Okun’s co-efficient though properly signed was not significant at conventional level. As a result economic policies allied to demand management might not have the desired outcome of reducing unemployment in the country. Thus, the implementation of economic policy learning towards structural change and reforms in the labour market would be more appropriate to reduce unemployment in Nigeria.

Rod Library Newsletter: Rod Notes, V5n7, March 2013, University Of Northern Iowa. Rod Library.

Rod Library newsletter: Notes for the Stalled

Contents:

-- Tell Us What U Think!
-- Color Copier/Printer/Scanner
-- Portico
-- The "Good Wikipedia"
-- Upcoming Events

The Role Of Vicarious And Anticipated Strain On The Overlap Of Violent Perpetration And Victimization: A Test Of General Strain Theory, Egbert Zavala, Ryan E. Spohn

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Numerous studies have documented a relationship between criminal offending and violent victimization. That is, people who commit criminal behavior are also more likely to be victimized. As such, criminological theories traditionally used to explain criminal behavior have now been applied to explain victimization. The current study examines whether Agnew’s general strain theory can explain the offender-victim overlap using a nationally representative sample of males. Results show that vicarious strain is positive and significant in predicting both victimization and perpetration. Anticipated strain was found only to be significant and positive in predicting victimization, but not perpetration. The study’s limitations and future …

Csc Senior Project: Nlpstats, Michael Mease

Computer Science and Software Engineering

Natural Language Processing has recently increased in popularity. The field of authorship analysis, specifically, uses various characteristics of text quantified by markers. NLPStats serves as a tool designed to streamline marker extraction based on user needs. A flexible query system allows for custom marker requests, adjustment of result formatting, and preprocessing options. Furthermore, an efficiently designed structure ensures that users retrieve information quickly. As a whole, NLPStats enables anyone, regardless of NLP experience, to extract important information about the text of a document.

Policy Brief: Unscr 1325: The Challenges Of Framing Women’S Rights As A Security Matter, Natalie Florea Hudson

Political Science Faculty Publications

While UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 has certainly increased awareness among international actors about women’s and gender issues in armed conflict, opened new spaces for dialogue and partnerships from global to local levels, and even created opportunities for new resources for women’s rights, successes remain limited and notably inconsistent. To understand some of these shortcomings and think creatively about how to move the women, peace and security agenda forward, it is essential to understand the conceptual assumptions underscoring UNSCR 1325.

The Perceptions Of Behavioral Health Psychology Held By Medical Personnel In Oregon, Carleton H. Lloyd

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

The purpose of the current research was to obtain medical personnel perceptions about the role of behavioral health psychology within their medical care practices in Oregon. Four hypotheses were explored. Hypothesis 1 asserted that medical personnel from urban, suburban, and rural locations would hold significantly different views; Hypothesis 2 suggested that the sample would more likely refer the more acute patients; Hypothesis 3 posited that medical personnel would make more referrals if they knew a mental health provider; Hypothesis 4 stated that there would be significant differences between the perceptions and practices of female and male members of this sample. …

Factorial Invariance Of The Brief Symptom Inventory-18 (Bsi-18) For Adults Of Mexican Descent Across Nativity Status, Language Format, And Gender, Lucas Torres, Matthew J. Miller, Kelly M. Moore

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

The cultural equivalence of psychological outcome measures remains a major area of investigation. The current study sought to test the factor structure and factorial invariance of the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 (BSI-18) with a sample of adult individuals of Mexican descent (N = 923) across nativity status (U.S.- vs. foreign-born), language format (English vs. Spanish), and gender. The results show that 1-factor and 3-factor measurement models provided a good fit to the data; however, a single-factor model was deemed more appropriate and parsimonious. Tests of measurement invariance and invariance of factor variances (i.e., structural invariance) indicated at least partial measurement invariance …

China’S Agrarian Reform And The Privatization Of Land: A Contrarian View, Qian Forrest Zhang, John A. Donaldson

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Many media and scholars outside China are advocating for the privatization of land ownership in China, claiming it to be a necessary step before China can transform its agriculture into large-scale, market-oriented and technology-intensive modern agriculture. Chinese scholars advocating land privatization, on the other hand, typically argue that land privatization would offer farmers more protection of their rights. In this paper, we present a contrarian view to these calls for land privatization published in both mainstream media and academic journals. We argue that, under China’s current system of collective land ownership and individualized land use rights, the aforementioned goals can …

The Impact Of Health Reform And The Affordable Care Act (Aca) On Latinos And Immigrants In The Omaha-Council Bluffs Metropolitan Area, Jim P. Stimpson, Kelly Shaw-Sutherland, Yang Wang

Latino/Latin American Studies Policy Briefs

This policy brief presents evidence for major barriers to access medical care for Latinos and immigrants and the potential impact of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to improve health insurance coverage. The brief also outlines some potential solutions.

Health Profile Of Nebraska's Latino Population, Athena Ramos, Shireen Rajaram, Lourdes Gouveia, Yuriko Doku Drissa Toure, Anthony Zhang, Sondra Manske

Latino/Latin American Studies Reports

The University of Nebraska at Omaha’s (UNO) Office of Latino and Latin American Studies (OLLAS) has released a report and policy brief, in conjunction with the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), describing the serious health problems facing the growing Latino and immigrant populations in Nebraska and Iowa, particularly the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area.

Consolidated Public Safety Answering Point (Psap) Feasibility Study For Richland County Ohio, Daila Shimek, Eugene Kramer, Patrick Johnson, Charlie Post

All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications

This report provides an assessment of the feasibility of consolidation of two public safety answering points in Richland County, Ohio. The report describes the methodology used to assess the feasibility. The findings are that consolidation of dispatch services among the potential participating entities is feasible. Consolidation of services would reduce capital costs expended across the county for public safety emergency dispatching over the long term. Given the proposed investment equipment and staff, the level and quality of service provided by a consolidated dispatch center should exceed those currently being supplied.

Tobacco Endgame Strategies: Challenges In Ethics And Law, Bryan P. Thomas, Lawrence O. Gostin

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

There are complex legal and ethical tradeoffs involved in using intensified regulation to bring smoking prevalence to near-zero levels. The authors explore these tradeoffs through a lens of health justice, paying particular attention to the potential impact on vulnerable populations. The ethical tradeoffs explored include the charge that heavy regulation is paternalistic; the potentially regressive impact of heavily taxing a product consumed disproportionately by the poor; the simple loss of enjoyment to heavily addicted smokers; the health risks posed by, for example, regulating nicotine content in cigarettes—where doing so leads to increased consumption. Turning to legalistic concerns, the authors explore …

Native American Young People In The Transition To Adulthood: Perceptions Of Challenges And Supports, Terry L. Cross, Pauline Jivanjee, Abby Bandurraga, Barbara J. Friesen, L. Kris Gowen, Cori Matthew

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

This presentation focuses on native American youth and how work with this population can be improved by following the Relational World View as a theoretical framework. Discusses practice-based evidence findings and development of the NAYA Assessment Tool, and the Finding Our Way study methods. Findings of the study explore young people's perceptions of challenges, needs and supports. Finally, the presenters discuss expansion of the assessment tool to address transition domains.

How Would Non-Interest Banking Affect The Effectiveness Of Monetary Policy In Nigeria, Yusuf Adamu

Bullion

This article espouses the effectiveness of monetary policy in a dual economic framework (interest bearing/non-interest bearing). In other words it examines how the element non-interest banking when combined with interest bearing framework affect the effectiveness of monetary policy. The use of interest based instruments can effectively be combined with the identified non-interest interest instrument to conduct monetary policy. This article recommend that Nigeria should start thinking towards a policy that takes into account the monetary aggregate instruments as the main tool for executing monetary policy.

Core Resources Of Corporate Strategy And Performance-Oriented Bank Management Practice: A Lesson For Nigeria, Andrew O. Agbada

Bullion

In the past three decades, the Nigerian banking industry has suffered from a host of vices namely miss-management, financial misappropriation, administrative recklessness, etcetera, reflecting incompetence on all levels of management and those have had dire consequences in the economy. In an attempt to re-position the industry on the path of performance, different governments in the past took various corrective steps to no avail. Thus this study seeks to explore the Core Resources of Corporate Strategy and Performance-oriented Bank Management best practice with a view to creating sustainable best practices in bank management in Nigeria. The findings from the study are …

The Role Of Financial Literacy And Consumer Protection In Fostering Financial Inclusion, Dutse Umma

Bullion

The objective of this paper is to establish the link on how financial consumer protection efforts and financial literacy initiatives help bring people on board the formal financial system. Among the key mandate of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is the promotion of a sound financial system, while a stable financial system cannot be easily captured in a few words, the attributes that could be demonstrated in a system that is described as financially stable will include public confidence and trust in the institutional framework. Financial stability, therefore, serves to instill confidence in users of financial services. It encourages …

Viable Agent Banking And Mobile Payment System In Nigeria, Fatokun Dipo

Bullion

Agent banking and Mobile payments, especially in developing economies are rapidly evolving and having tremendous impact on the economies and lives of its citizenry. In addition to reducing costs, these new service offering channel help to encourage customers to use financial services more often, as locations are close by and in places where the customers are familiar with. In light of the afore-mentioned, the Central Bank of Nigeria noted the rapid growth of mobile telephony and the need to leverage existing business network infrastructure as a practical and well thought-out strategy for driving financial inclusion of the unbanked in Nigeria.

A Comparative Analysis Of Fertility Plateau In Egypt, Syria And Jordan: Policy Implications, Hoda Rashad, Hassan Zaky

Faculty Journal Articles

Egypt, Jordan and Syria are three Arab countries whose fertility levels and recent trends are comparable. The fertility rates for the three countries (TFR between 3 and 4) fall in the mid-range1 and they are all experiencing a plateau in their declining trends. They are also sharing the same medium human development level (UNDP, 2013). On the other hand, these countries are very different in terms of their population sizes as well as the approach to population policies.

The Effect Of Cosmetic Packaging On Consumer Perceptions, Sarah Aidnik

Graphic Communication

This project explores the relationship between cosmetic packaging, perceived price, quality, and retail environment. Packaging is often how consumers form their first impression of a product. Consumers can identify “high-end” and “low-end” cosmetics based on the items’ packaging using both conscious and subconscious cues. In a retail environment, this can signal a certain level of quality to a consumer.

In addition to extensive research, a survey was conducted on a sample of 16 women over the age of 18 living in southern and central California who regularly use and purchase cosmetics and skincare from low-end and/or high-end retail environments …

Palliative Care And The Health Care Crisis In The United States: A Candid Conversation With Dr. Diane Meier, Diane E. Meier

Center for Policy Research

This paper is a synthesis of the 2012 Lourie Lecture, framed as a series of questions and responses, and supported by images used in the lecture. I’m going to focus on the growth of this new field called palliative care and will make the connection that the crisis afflicting healthcare in the United States cannot be addressed without widespread scaling and implementation of palliative care across the system. My subject is not end-of-life care, but rather care during serious illness. A serious illness is something a person can live with for many years, such as emphysema, or end-stage renal disease …

Review Of The Age Of Responsibility: Csr 2.0 And The New Dna Of Business, Jeremy P. Fyke, Christopher Wysocki

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Disconnect Between Literature And Libraries: The Availability Of Mentoring Programs For Academic Librarians, Hilary Robbeloth, Alice Eng, Stephanie Weiss

Library Faculty Presentations & Publications

Our goal in this study was to determine the likelihood that a recent graduate entering his or her first professional position or a transitioning librarian would have access to formal mentoring programs. The study suggests that, while formal mentoring is valuable, more emphasis needs to be focused on creating formal mentoring programs to make them more widely available.