Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Sleeping, Napping And Staying Up: The Meanings Of Sleep Among College Students, Natasha Tate

HIM 1990-2015

Throughout public discourse, sleep, despite being a physiological function and an important facet of an individual's health, is frequently utilized as a rhetorical device to comment on an individual's productivity within society. As Antje Richter (2003:34) explains, to consider someone early to rise yet late to bed is less a comment on their sleeping behavior and more an assessment of their dedication to their business. Too often productivity is conveyed as existing in the absence of sleep, an idea that has contributed to the association of sleep with laziness (Yi 2003:60) and a general misuse of time (Richter 2003:36). The …

How Symptoms Of Anxiety, Depression, Attention Deficit Disorder (Add) Or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (Adhd) Contribute To Students Self-Medicating Via Marijuana And Non-Medical Prescription Drugs, Maria Thomas

HIM 1990-2015

This study examines student's nonmedical prescription drug (NMPD) and marijuana use and whether anxiety, depression, ADD or ADHD symptoms are associated with their use and if students are self-medicating to alleviate symptoms. The method of obtaining this information was provided by a total of 278 college students who voluntarily and anonymously completed a Web-based survey. This study fills in the gaps of previous research and reveals the most frequent NMPD's used by students and their overall perceptions of their intended effects of the drug and answers why students do not seek professional help for their anxiety, depression and impulsivity symptoms. …

Social Work Students' Comfort With Gay And Lesbian Families, Jennifer Ackerman

HIM 1990-2015

Despite recent advancements in legislation and policies regarding gay and lesbian Americans, negative attitudes and perceptions toward this population still exist. Anecdotal information from social work classroom interactions suggests that biases against gays and lesbian families may exist among those being trained as helping professionals. This study examined social work student comfort with gay and lesbian families. The researcher used an exploratory-descriptive research design, with a sample of 85 Bachelors level social work students (BSW) and Masters level social work students (MSW) who completed the 52 item online questionnaire related to gay and lesbian parenting. The findings from the research …

The Reorientation Of Iranian Trade From West To East Since 1979, Leslie Bilger

HIM 1990-2015

Iran, with its attractive geographical position and its abundant natural resources, has had an undeniable attraction for the world's greatest powers over the history. Well before the creation of the Islamic Republic of Iran, this country established high level of economic interactions with a great variety of political partners. In recent years, the country's change of regime has had a crucial impact on those relationships. By analysing the trade data between Iran and Western countries (the U.S.A., Canada, the U.K., France, Germany, and Italy) as well as the major Eastern countries (China, Russia, and India), it is possible to establish …

Improving Long Range Forecast Errors For Better Capacity Decision Making, Anisulrahman Nizam

HIM 1990-2015

Long-range demand planning and capacity management play an important role for policy makers and airline managers alike. Each makes decisions regarding allocating appropriate levels of funds to align capacity with forecasted demand. Decisions today can have long lasting effects. Reducing forecast errors for long-range range demand forecasting will improve resource allocation decision making. This research paper will focus on improving long-range demand planning and forecasting errors of passenger traffic in the U.S. domestic airline industry. This paper will look to build upon current forecasting models being used for U.S. domestic airline passenger traffic with the aim of improving forecast errors …

Confirmation Bias: The Pitfall Of Forensic Science, Scott Moser

Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science

As it stands, forensic science and its practitioners are held in high regard in criminal court proceedings due to their ability to discover irrefutable facts that would otherwise go unnoticed. Nevertheless, forensic scientists can fall victim to natural logical fallacies. More specifically, confirmation bias is “a proclivity to search for or interpret additional information to confirm beliefs and to steer clear of information that may disagree with those prior beliefs” (Budlowe et al., 2009, p. 803). To restore the integrity of the forensic sciences, the sources of confirmation bias need to be identified and eliminated. Accordingly, empirical studies have given …

Comparing Wearer Dna Sample Collection Methods For The Recovery Of Single Source Profiles, Corissa J. Harris, Amanda J. Cardenas, Steven B. Lee, Brooke Barloewen

Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science

Wearer DNA is the deposit of epithelial cells on clothing worn by an individual. Detection of the last individual to handle or wear an item is often an important and desirable determination in forensic science. The most commonly used collection methods for wearer DNA include swabbing and scraping. These often result in mixture profiles. Recently, adhesives have been introduced as a possible reliable method for the collection of biological evidence. The goal of the research was to compare the current collection methods of swabbing and scraping with a gel film called Gel-Pak ‘0’ which shares similar properties with adhesives. Gel-Pak …

The Utility Of Cancer-Related Cultural Constructs To Understand Colorectal Cancer Screening Among African Americans, John P. Meriac, Vetta L. S. Thompson, Alan Bugbee, Jenine K. Harris

Psychology Faculty Works

Data suggest that colorectal cancer could be cut by approximately 60% if all people aged 50 years or older received regular screening. Studies have identified socio-cultural attitudes that might inform cancer education and screening promotion campaigns. This article applies item response theory (IRT) to a set of survey items selected to assess sociocultural attitudes in order to determine how current measures may affect what we know about how these attitudes affect colorectal cancer screening (CRCS). Design and Methods. A survey of colorectal cancer screening, screening attitudes and cultural beliefs was administered to 1021 African Americans - 683 women and 338 …

Signs Of Faith, May-June 2013

Signs of Faith

A newsletter published for Deaf Catholics in Paterson, NJ

Signs of Faith Finding Aid

Himmelfarb Headlines - May/June 2013, George Washington University, Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library

Himmelfarb Headlines (2009 - present)

News and information about Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library of interest to users. Includes articles on emerging technologies/Browzine, the library's new online catalog, and profiles of Dante A. Verme and Michael Blake.

Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence And People’S Abilities To Cope With Stress, Lucile Michel

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

Nowadays, it is really important for the researchers to understand the origins of stress, because it has been established that stress is really harmful for the human beings and is the cause to many diseases. Emotional intelligence has been shown to influence various areas of life, while several research studies state that EI has an effect on people’s abilities to cope with stress. Many studies affirm that EI, because of its effect on perceived stress, would have an influence on people’s aptitudes to manage a team, communicating with colleagues, and leadership skills. Because, today, in many workplaces, for interviews, managers …

Effect Of Classical Music On College Students, Bridget Kiely

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

This paper examined whether or not classical music has a positive or negative effect when it comes to studying school related material. College students were able to sign-up through the Linden Participant Pool. The study used convenience samples to select the participants of this study and given two tests to collect the data: one with music and one without music, and it was a within-participants study. The hypothesis was to detect whether or not classical music is beneficial to a student while comprehending school related material. The participants were also administered a demographic survey, two informed consents, a printed receipt, …

Biopiracy And Vaccines: Indonesia And The World Health Organization’S New Pandemic Influenza Plan, Shawn C. Smallman Ph.D.

Journal of International and Global Studies

Viral samples of avian influenza are essential to preparing pre-pandemic vaccines. In 2007, the conflicting interests of the developed and developing nations led Indonesia to briefly stop sharing viral samples. The result was a struggle in which the two blocs argued for different paradigms for viral sample sharing. The first paradigm, articulated by the developed world, depicted the issue as one of health security, in which international law mandated the sharing of viral samples. The second paradigm, advanced by the developing world, depicted viral sample sharing as a form of biopiracy, which violated countries’ sovereign control of their biological resources. …

Anne Murphy (Ed.) Time, History And The Religious Imaginary In South Asia. London And New York: Routledge. 2011., Caleb Simmons

Journal of International and Global Studies

Book review.

On Success In Peace Processes: Readiness Theory And The Aceh Peace Process, Amira Schiff

Peace and Conflict Studies

The study presents an analysis of the conflict resolution process in the Aceh conflict between the government of Indonesia (GoI) and the Free Aceh Movement (“Gerekan Aceh Merdeka” or GAM). Starting with unofficial efforts by the Indonesian side from mid-2003, which eventually led the parties to the negotiation table and to the signing of the Helsinki Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in August 2005, the peace process put an end to the 30-year conflict over the independence of Aceh. The peaceful resolution of the Aceh conflict will be examined using readiness theory, which posits the factors that lead parties to negotiate …

Volume 20, Number 1 (Spring 2013), Peace And Conflict Studies

Peace and Conflict Studies

No abstract provided.

Not Quite Out On The Streets: Examining Protective And Risk Factors For Housing Insecurity Among Low-Income Urban Fathers, Colleen E. Wynn

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

It has long been acknowledged that housing is essential for access to employment, social services, healthcare, and other forms of assistance that help move people out of poverty. Through identifying dimensions of housing insecurity, policymakers, as well as researchers, will have a better understanding of the protective factors that make families more secure and the risk factors that raise their level of insecurity. These analyses use resident and non-resident, low-income, urban fathers’ responses to the five publicly available waves of the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing (n = 4378) dataset to examine the relationship between protective and risk factors and …

Making Good: An Exploratory Study Of The Socialization, Identity, And Sensemaking Of Mission Trip Volunteers, Katelin Frederick

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This research explored how mission trip volunteers assume various roles throughout their volunteer experience. By seeing the various roles that emerge in mission volunteer work, the identities that they construct based upon these roles are revealed. Discovering the ways in which these roles and constructed identities affect the way that mission trip volunteers could potentially help colleges improve their recruitment messages and distinguish themselves from other institutions. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to obtain data from the participants, and the data were analyzed through a thematic, constant comparative method. Findings revealed the types of stories heard from other mission trip volunteers …

Notes, Phrases, And Clauses: An Examination Of Identity In Music Focused Conversation, Bryan Cannon

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Music is everywhere. From formal occasions to a person’s morning run. Music is available on cell phones, computers, in religious ceremonies, at concerts and venues. Music is seen by society to be important and a person’s choice of music can be used to present an identity. The question considered in this article is how people talk about music and how they present identity through their discussion. The current study examines eight focus groups of three actors instructed to simply talk about music. The discussions were recorded and analyzed in a conversation analytic style to identify the structures of the conversations …

Communication Among Emerging Adult Siblings, Jessica Leigh Paulsen

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The study sought to explore the emerging adult sibling dyad through qualitative
inquiry. By doing so, the collected data bring new meaning to why and how emerging adult siblings communicate. Also, by including both siblings, this study sought to highlight a different perspective of sibling communication. Extant research on the emerging adulthood stage of life is limited. The current study explored the sibling dyad during this phase of life, and three themes emerged: siblings become friends, changes during emerging adulthood, conflict negotiation, and taking a parental role.

Self-Regulation And Physical Activity In Wku Employees, Scott Perkins

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Many Americans do not engage in the recommended amount of physical activity, and thus do not receive the potential physical and mental health benefits from physical activity. Stage of change is a model that categorizes individuals into one of five stages based on behavior and intentions for future behavior. This model is useful for promoting physical activity because it allows for tailoring of interventions to individuals with different physical activity levels and readiness for change. The main purpose of this research was to test if more adaptive scores for Essential Self-Regulation Model (ESRM) constructs are found for persons in higher …

Understanding Colombian Violence Through Geographic Information Systems And Statistical Approaches, Brandon Fowler

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

In 2002, Colombia had the highest homicide rate of any Latin American country(Berkman, 2007). The origins of this violence, however, are complex and difficult to identify. It would be sensible to argue that it cannot be explained by any one particular factor, but rather an assortment of many factors that wholly represent the social, economic, and political conditions of Colombia. By better understanding the origins of Colombian violence, policy makers can more effectively address and alleviate this prolonged issue. This study examines the geographic nature of municipal homicide rates for Colombia in 2005. The purpose of this study is to …

Forensic Investigation Of Stamped Markings Using A Large-Chamber Scanning Electron Microscope And Computer Analysis For Depth Determination, Eric Douglas Jones

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

All firearms within the United States are required by the Gun Control Act to be physically marked with a serial number; which is at least 0.003” in depth and 1/16” in height. The purpose of a serial number is to make each firearm uniquely identifiable and traceable. Intentional removal of a serial number is a criminal offense and is used to hide the identity and movements of the involved criminal parties. The current standard for firearm serial number restoration is by chemical etching; which is time & labor intensive as well as destructive to the physical evidence (firearm). It is …

The Influence Of Children's Affective Ties On The Goal Clarification Step Of Social Information Processing, Amanda C. Thorn

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Previous studies have shown that children’s social goals are influenced by
emotion and that emotions can be manipulated using relationships. The present study combines these previous findings by examining the effect of children’s relationships on social goals. Social goals were examined in second and fifth grade children using hypothetical ambiguous provocation situations in which the relationship between the participant and the provocateur was manipulated by inserting the name of a friend, enemy, or a neutral peer into the story. After each situation, children rated the importance of four different social goals, indicating which of the four would be the most …

The Effects Of Gender And Implicit Theories On Science Achievement And Interest In Elementary-Aged Students, Savannah Benningfield

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The current study set out to determine the relationship between student grade
level, implicit views of science ability, science achievement and science interest.
Differences by grade level were also explored. The study also considered the differences in male and female implicit theories of science ability, science interest, and science achievement. Participants in the current study consisted of a total of 1910 students from six elementary schools from one south-central Kentucky district that participate in Project GEMS (Gifted Education in Math and Science). Data were analyzed by means of analysis of variance and Pearson correlations. Younger students evidenced lower scores on …

Enhancing Solidarity And Cooperation Social Identity Theory And China's Involvement In Africa, David Thomas Aston

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

China has increasingly intensified engagement with Africa since 2000. In 2001, trade between Africa and China was at $10.6 billion. In 2011, trade had exploded to over $160 billion.1 Chinese investment in Africa has grown from tens of millions of dollars to over $10 billion.2 This surge of trade and investment in Africa has not yet been matched by any other global power. Recently, Hu Jintao doubled China’s loan commitment to Africa to over $20 billion. This increase of trade and investment reflects a growing Chinese influence in Africa.3 What caused this increased Chinese interest in a continent that has …

Front Matter, Peace And Conflict Studies

Peace and Conflict Studies

No abstract provided.

Facilitating Collaboration Among Health Care Professionals, Robin Cooper

Peace and Conflict Studies

This paper explores how principles and practices of mediation and facilitation can be applied to facilitate collaboration among health care professionals. Certain techniques of mediation and facilitation are uniquely suited to address issues of values, roles, communication, and teamwork—four core competency domains of interprofessional collaborative practice—within the organizational context in order to transform workplace conflict into constructive collaboration. This paper discusses how one might draw upon those mediation and facilitation skills and techniques in order to address profession-centrism, professional prejudice, and us vs. them thinking, which hinder interprofessional collaboration. Those trained in the theories and practices associated with conflict analysis …

From Positionality To Relationality: A Buddhist-Oriented Relational View Of Conflict Escalation And Its Transformation, Ran Kuttner

Peace and Conflict Studies

Through a theoretical analysis, this paper suggests that the Buddhist philosophy and psychology offer a unique contribution to our understanding of conflict escalation and the potential for its transformation from a relational point of view. In particular, it presents an in-depth analysis of conflict escalation, applying the Buddhist Four Noble Truths and Twelve Links models. With the help of these models, it analyzes the psychological process that invokes the escalation of conflict, resulting in what is considered “suffering” (Duhkha) in Buddhist thought, seen also as lack of relational awareness. The paper demonstrates how a Buddhist-oriented view of conflict adds value …

Perception Of Profanity In Interpersonal Relationships, Ashley Pivaronas, Jessica Benham, Stephanie Melhaff

Communication Studies Student Works

Swearing is a form of language commonly used, yet its use is oftentimes viewed negatively in certain contexts (Johnson & Lewis, 2010). Swearing is an interesting form of expression because it is not a behavior typically taught or encouraged by authority figures (Thelwall, 2008). Hamilton (1989) emphasized the importance of examining the influence of perception of profanity usage by the receiver of the profanity, noting that perceived obscenity can differ from person to person. This study examined how gender and political orientation influence perception of profanity usage. Relationship to the user of the expletive, as well as the specific expletive …