Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Mobile Apps Catalog, Deedee M. Bennett, Danielle Sharpe, Amelia Williams

Public Administration Faculty Publications

The Mobile Apps Catalog is a collection of emergency management and assistive mobile applications intended to assist first responders, emergency managers, and the public, specifically people with disabilities or others with access and function needs. Highlighted in this catalog are readily available preparedness and response apps that can be accessed by wireless devices, as well as assistive resources to advance the usability of wireless devices for consumers with disabilities. The apps are also helpful for the whole community. “Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)’s “Whole Community” approach to emergency management recognizes that individuals, families and communities are assets and keys to …

Dissemination Of Wea: Survey Of Alert Authorities, Deedee M. Bennett, Braeden Benson, Danielle Sharpe

Public Administration Faculty Publications

In 2013, researchers from the Center for Advanced Communication Policy (CACP) at Georgia Institute of Technology were tasked by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) program office to research the inclusiveness of people with disabilities and those with language differences with regards to emergency alerts, namely Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs). Several research methods were employed to examine the accessibility of emergency alerts and impacts to all stakeholders.

This brief summarizes the survey results on how FEMA approved alert authorities used IPAWS to send WEAs to the public. The survey was sent to all …

Perceptions Of Crime And Personal Safety In Metropolitan Nebraska 2014 Nebraska Metro Poll Results, Abby Heitoff

Past Publications

The 2014 Nebraska Metro Poll represents a critical effort to understand the perceptions and concerns of metropolitan Nebraskans. This survey expanded the work of the Omaha Conditions Survey, conducted by the Center for Public Affairs Research (CPAR) periodically since 1990. The Metro Poll builds on this foundation by including survey responses from the seven Nebraska counties that comprise the Omaha and Lincoln metro areas. Insights into the concerns faced by local residents are valuable for leaders and decision-makers seeking to understand the priorities and the views of the public.

Nebraska Metro And Rural Residents’ Views Of The Problems That Metro And Rural Areas Should Be Trying To Address, Abby Heitoff

Past Publications

Researchers and policymakers across the state of Nebraska have often discussed the need for a statewide poll to understand residents’ perceptions of their communities, personal well‐being and community issues. Separate initiatives have periodically surveyed metropolitan and rural Nebraskans on these issues. However, to date, no single effort has obtained statewide coverage at the level necessary to report attitudinal differences across metropolitan and rural Nebraska. The Nebraska Metro and Nebraska Rural Polls represent a unique effort in the state of Nebraska to obtain directly comparable data on statewide residents. This report provides a detailed analysis of a subset of responses to …

Perceptions Of Personal And Community Satisfaction, With Views On What Makes Communities Successful 2014 Nebraska Metro Poll Results, David Drozd

Past Publications

The 2014 Nebraska Metro Poll continues an on-going effort to understand the perceptions and concerns of urban residents. The Metro Poll expands upon the efforts of the Omaha Conditions Survey conducted by the Center for Public Affairs Research (CPAR) periodically since 1990 to now include survey responses from the seven counties that comprise both the Omaha and Lincoln metro areas. With the knowledge and insights gained from surveying local residents, leaders and decision-makers can be better informed on the views and priorities that the public shares.

State Fertility Rates By Race/Ethnicity: 2011‐2013 Averages, United States Census Bureau

Past Publications

Sources: Table 11, Births: Final Data for 2011, CDC (and 2012 and 2013); 2013 Vintage Population Estimates by Age, Gender, and Race (AFF table PEPASR6H)

Nebraska Rural Poll And Metro Poll Research Brief: Well-Being Among Metropolitan And Nonmetropolitan Nebraskans, Rebecca Vogt, David J. Drozd, Randolph Cantrell, Jerry Deichert, Brad Lubben, Cheryl A. Burkhart-Kriesel, Lj Mcelravy

Past Publications

Better or Worse Off Compared to Five Years Ago and Ten Years From Now.

Both the Nebraska Metro and Rural Polls asked residents if they are better or worse off than they were five years ago and if they expect to be better or worse off ten years from now.

Cpar Research Brief: Comparing Results Of The 2014 Nebraska Metro And Rural Polls On Resident Views Of Community Change And Outlook, Abby Heithoff, David J. Drozd

Past Publications

Nebraskans’ views of their community’s future in the next 10 years: How viewpoints differ by personal and community factors.

Nebraska Rural Poll And Metro Poll Research Brief: Attributes Of Successful Communities For Metropolitan And Nonmetropolitan Nebraskans, Rebecca Vogt, David J. Drozd, Randolph Cantrell, Jerry Deichert, Brad Lubben, Cheryl A. Burkhart-Kriesel, Lj Mcelravy

Past Publications

Both the Nebraska Metro and Rural Polls asked residents how essential or necessary various characteristics are in order for them to have a high quality of life.

Nebraska Metro And Rural Residents’ Views Of The Problems That Metro And Rural Areas Should Be Trying To Address: An Analysis Of Open‐Ended Survey Questions In The 2014 Nebraska Metro And Rural Polls, Abby Heithoff, David J. Drozd, Jerry Deichert

Past Publications

Researchers and policymakers across the state of Nebraska have often discussed the need for a statewide poll to understand residents’ perceptions of their communities, personal well‐being and community issues. Separate initiatives have periodically surveyed metropolitan and rural Nebraskans on these issues. However, to date, no single effort has obtained statewide coverage at the level necessary to report attitudinal differences across metropolitan and rural Nebraska. The Nebraska Metro and Nebraska Rural Polls represent a unique effort in the state of Nebraska to obtain directly comparable data on statewide residents. This report provides a detailed analysis of a subset of responses to …

Predicting Events Surrounding The Egyptian Revolution Of 2011 Using Learning Algorithms On Micro Blog Data, Benedikt Boecking, Margeret A. Hall, Jeff Schneider

Interdisciplinary Informatics Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

We aim to predict activities of political nature in Egypt which influence or reflect societal-scale behavior and beliefs by using learning algorithms on Twitter data. We focus on capturing domestic events in Egypt from November 2009 to November 2013. To this extent we study underlying communication patterns by evaluating content-based and meta-data information in classification tasks without targeting specific keywords or users. Classification is done using Support Vector Machines (SVM) and Support Distribution Machines (SDM). Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) is used to create content-based input patterns for the classifiers while bags of Twitter meta-information are used with the SDM to …

Diversion In Nebraska: Fy 2012/2013, Amy Hoffman, Anne M. Hobbs

Reports

Among the many initiatives created with the passage of LB 561, the position of the Juvenile Diversion Program Administrator was established within the Nebraska Crime Commission. The Diversion Administrator is tasked with assisting in creating and maintaining juvenile pretrial diversion programs to divert juveniles away from the judicial system and into community-based services. That process includes creating a statewide steering committee to assist in regular strategic planning related to supporting, funding, monitoring, and evaluating the effectiveness of plans and programs receiving funds from the Community-Based Juvenile Services Aid Program, as well as provide best practice recommendation guidelines and procedures used …

Differential Responding By Rhesus Monkeys (Macaca Mulatta) And Humans (Homo Sapiens) To Variable Outcomes In The Assurance Game, Audrey E. Parrish, Sarah F. Brosnan, Bart J. Wilson, Michael J. Beran

Economics Faculty Articles and Research

Behavioral flexibility in how one responds to variable partner play can be examined using economic coordination games in which subjects play against a variety of partners and therefore may need to alter their behavior to produce the highest payoff. But how do we study this behavioral flexibility once players have settled on a response? Here, we investigated how responding by rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) and humans (Homo sapiens) playing a computerized single-player version of a coordination game, the Assurance game, changed as a function of the variable responses (Stag/Hare) generated by multiple simulations (SIMs). We were interested in whether individuals …

Commercial Sexual Exploitation Of Teens, Tamieka Meadows, Alexis Kennedy

McNair Poster Presentations

This research explores whether commercially sexually exploited children (CSEC) abuse drugs or face greater histories of abuse than their delinquent peers. This research will evaluate whether girls who are CSEC victims experience more abuse of drugs or experience more physical, emotional, or sexual abuse. The study also explores whether CSEC victims witnessed more abuse than non-CSEC victims. A survey of needs and issues facing delinquent girls was given to 130 girls between the ages of 13 to 18. Questions asked about their drug use, abuse history, and whether they witnessed abuse. This research found that many girls who are CSEC …

Truth Is, Sentence-Initial Shell Nouns Are Showing Up Bare, Laurel Smith Stvan

Linguistics & TESOL Faculty Publications & Presentations - Archive

In one subtype of English shell noun construction, the noun serves as the subject in a pre-clausal unit, e.g., “The thing is.” Shell noun NPs have mainly been investigated synchronically, often as case studies of particular noun types, with the bare forms only ever briefly noted. Data from COCA and COHA was examined to collect the range of sentence-initial bare form shell nouns, to track any changes in their use occurring between 1810 and 2012. The findings suggest that, referentially, these abstract bare forms function differently than bare concrete count nouns, and distributionally, that bare shell forms are used increasingly …

Increasing Food Accessibility Among Urban Poor: Providing An Alternative Solution Through A City-Wide Community Garden Plan, Nabila Nur

Public Affairs Theses - Archive

Community Gardens have been entitled as an emerging solution to food security and injustice issues especially among socially disempowered communities. US Department of Agriculture has designated more than half of the census tracts in City of Dallas as food deserts, representing inadequate access to fresh food in these areas. As an alternative solution, this study proposes a methodology to identify suitable locations for community gardens to increase access to fresh food for disadvantaged population. The suitability analysis was used by primarily taking the relevant socio-economic factors into consideration. The reclassification and weightings are derived through a combination of qualitative and …

Analyzing The Value Of Mixed Use Urban Infill: An Exploratory Analysis On Changes In Property Values And Demographics In Local Initiatives Of Dallas And Fort Worth Texas, Matthew A. Ables

Public Affairs Theses - Archive

Mixed-use infill development has gained national attention as a strategy for revitalization and redevelopment for cities. The strategy is viewed by "Smart Growth" proponents and New Urbanists as a potential solution to sprawling urban forms and a potential cure for many problems associated with auto-dependence. However, this strategy is not new, and it has been debated through different disciplines in relation to its true impacts on communities and cities. Yet, the discussion on infill has centered upon measuring the amount of infill occuring, and the economic impacts of residential infill. This thesis utilizes a descriptive analysis to observe property value …

An Examination Of Potential Attractions Of Women's Marital Infidelity, Michelle M. Jeanfreau, Anthony P. Jurich, Michael D. Mong

Faculty Publications

Due to the growing prevalence and potential negative effects of marital infidelity, it is important for both clinicians and researchers to understand its occurrence. This study focused on examining the process an individual goes through when making the decision to have an affair. Semi-structured interviews were audio taped, transcribed, and analyzed using the transcendental phenomenological model (Moustakas, 1994). The women reported developing relationships outside of their marriage, having support from family/friends for the extramarital relationship, and receiving positive attention from their affair partner. Clinical and research implications are discussed as well as the limitations of the current study.

Targeting Point Of Need To Increase Traffic To Library Resources, James C. Miller

Georgia Library Quarterly

This paper examines the effect of creating LibGuides tailored to a student’s point of need and focuses on their potential to boost usage of library resources. In this study, LibGuides were designed for specific assignments and introduced to students during library instruction sessions. Pre- and Post-LibGuide web traffic suggested that LibGuides increased web traffic to library resources. This article suggests that library resources should not only provide sources for assignments but also assist a student through the stages of completing an assignment. As a corollary benefit, creation of assignment-specific LibGuides also increased collaboration and discussion between faculty and librarians.

Captive For Life: Conserving Extinct In The Wild Species Through Ex Situ Breeding, Irus Braverman

Contributions to Books

Published as Chapter 12 in The Ethics of Captivity, Lori Gruen, ed.

Are there “fates worse than death,” to use Kurt Vonnegut’s title? Is captivity one such fate? Captive for Life examines these questions through the lens of conservation biology’s ex situ models of captive management — and captive breeding in particular — for wild animals, and especially for species that have been designated as Critically Endangered or as Extinct in the Wild. Drawing on interviews with leading conservation biologists, the chapter describes the erosion of the distinctions between species management in captivity and in wild nature, often referred to …

David Hume On Banking And Hoarding, Maria Pia Paganelli

Economics Faculty Research

David Hume opposes banks and favors hoarding. The only bank he reluctantly approves of is a public, 100% reserve bank. Other banks increase money supply and prices, hindering exports and economic growth. For Hume, a 100% reserve public bank would lead to ‘‘the destruction of paper-credit’’ ([1752] 1985, p. 285), fostering economic growth instead by preventing inflation. Additionally, a 100% reserve bank hoards a large quantity of gold and silver, which is available in case of national emergency.

Adam Smith On Money, Mercantilism And The System Of Natural Liberty, Ryan P. Hanley, Maria Pia Paganelli

Economics Faculty Research

Adam Smith’s theory of money played a key role in his development of one of the conclusions for which he is most famous today: the superiority of the system of natural liberty to mercantilism. This essay examines the part played by money in this argument, and specifically Smith’s theory of money’s origins and evolution and its relevance to his theory of natural liberty. The essay goes on to show how his position contributes to his critique of mercantilism and other proto-monetary policies as illustrative of his wider objection to interventionism, in conjunction with his understanding of the ‘science of the …

Supporting People With Diabetes: The Roles Of Health Literacy And Communication Of Support, Grace Ellen Brannon

Communication Theses - Archive

In the U.S., the number of people with diabetes is estimated to surpass 330 million by 2030. Previous research has focused on the direct link between communication and a person's overall health. Strong patient-provider interaction, medical education through community events and outreach, and stable support systems within family and friends can improve a person's awareness which leads to an increased health literacy level and better well-being. The health literacy level of an individual has been shown to have a direct impact on a person's overall health. Social support and corresponding communication have also been shown as vital. This study used …

Dating Violence On Small Rural College Campuses: Are Administrator And Student Perceptions Similar?, Jean Allen Oldham

Theses and Dissertations--Kinesiology and Health Promotion

In recent years dating violence has become more and more prevalent on college campuses. Reports of the range of dating violence vary widely, with studies reporting from 20% to 85% of college women experiencing dating violence. However, almost all research has been conducted among urban and/or large colleges and universities, with virtually no attention to what is happening on small and/or rural college and university campuses.

When a possible 20% of college women have experienced dating violence on college campuses, there becomes a crucial need for administration at a college to have an accurate assessment of the college’s liability, and …

Behind The Mirrors: Examining The Role Of African American Cosmetologists And Salons In Domestic Violence Advocacy And Education, Pangela H. Dawson

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation

African American beauty salons across the country have historically served as settings for social interaction, political activism, and community organizing in the African American community. These settings often offer opportunities for intimacy between cosmetologists and their clients. Research findings suggest that the unique bonds between women in salons can be a viable option when providing health intervention and education to large numbers of women. Data indicates that salon campaigns and promotions which focused on health issues such as stroke and diabetes education, breast and cervical cancer awareness, healthy living, and smoking cessation, have been efficacious in changing unhealthy habits or …

Position Class Preclusion: A Computational Resolution Of Mutually Exclusive Affix Positions, Rebecca O. Hale

Theses and Dissertations--Linguistics

In Paradigm Function Morphology, it is usual to model affix position classes with an ordered sequence of inflectional rule blocks. Each rule block determines how (or whether) a particular affix position is filled. In this model, competition among inflectional rules is assumed to be limited to members of the same rule block; thus, the appearance of an affix in one position cannot be precluded by the appearance of an affix in another position. I present evidence that apparently disconfirms this restriction and suggests that a more general conception of rule competition is necessary. The data appear to imply that an …

Pronominal Complex Predicates In Colloquial Persian, Ghazaleh Kazeminejad

Theses and Dissertations--Linguistics

Pronominal complex predicates in colloquial Persian are periphrastic constructions with an idiosyncratic syntactic pattern. They show a peculiar behavior compared to the regular agreement system in Persian, and they are the only construction in Persian which requires the obligatory presence of a pronominal enclitic. This work is an attempt to analyze this construction in order to find its function. For this purpose, a lexical semantic classification of them was proposed, which helped in presenting a new analysis. It was found out that this construction is used to express a particular diathesis in which the topic of the sentence (determined according …

Sacred Social Spaces: Finding Community And Negotiating Identity For American-Born Converts To Islam, Sarah A. Soliman

Theses and Dissertations--Geography

This thesis examines the religious experiences of American-born converts to Islam. The social nature of religion has been long ignored in research on the lives of religious people. A review of research on Muslim identities reveals an emphasis on immigrants, women, and youth in the British context. However, there is little to no research on the unique constituency of converts to Islam and the importance of social aspects of faith for establishing a sustainable and transformative practice of Islam. This research closes this gap through a case study of the religious experiences of American-born converts to Islam.

Through in-depth interviews …

Buying A Colonial Dream: The Role Of Lifestyle Migrants In The Gentrification Of The Historic Center Of Granada, Nicaragua, Abigail Foulds

Theses and Dissertations--Geography

This dissertation aims to expand our understanding of how lifestyle migrants from the Global North impact the urban space of a Global South city, particularly the built environment. In order to situate the questions posed in this dissertation, I focus on how lifestyle migrants from the Global North and their foreign capital transform the city of Granada, Nicaragua through processes of gentrification, and how the social and economic climate of the city and its residents are impacted. This research allows for empirically informed theoretical critiques to be made about the economic and social implications of the globalization of gentrification resulting …

Life On The Big Slab: Identity And Mobility In The United States Trucking Industry, Valerie J. Keathley

Theses and Dissertations--Geography

Many changes have occurred in the United States trucking industry over the last thirty years. This study examines the effects of these changes by looking at three related themes: life on the road and life at home, body image and bodily health, and the experiences of women and sexual minorities in the industry. This research is based on a discourse analysis of interviews conducted with truck drivers and trucking industry leaders.

Most truck drivers say that they value the independent nature of their workplace. Yet the independence that is a part of the trucker mystique is challenged by increased surveillance …