Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Transportation Costs And U.S. Manufacturing Fdi, Joseph P. Daniels, Marc Von Der Ruhr

Economics Faculty Research and Publications

In empirical models of foreign direct investment (FDI), distance is most often used to proxy for transportation costs and other pure-trade costs. Given that distance is time invariant but transportation costs are not, this approach is less than satisfactory when actual transportation costs rise and fall over time. The contribution of this work is to explicitly control for transportation costs and thereby better understand their impact on FDI. We explore the impact of shipping costs on total US FDI stocks abroad, manufacturing stocks and service stocks using measures of sea-shipping and air-shipping costs in a Hausman–Taylor model that controls for …

Conceptions Of Justice: A Sampling Of Student Perspectives, Matt Landon

HIM 1990-2015

Although the literature in the field of criminal justice and philosophy is full of ideas of what constitutes "justice," little to nothing has been done to see where the average individual's opinion falls in relation to these ideas. This paper analyzes a cross-sectional convenience sample of students at UCF to determine their preference of six models of justice: utilitarianism, contractarianism, fairness, retributivism, moralism, and libertarianism. Correlating demographic factors are also discussed.

Positive Outcomes Of Divorce: A Multi-Method Study On The Effects Of Parental Divorce On Children, Grant Mohi

HIM 1990-2015

A great deal of the existing literature on parental divorce focuses on the negative influences it has on children and young adults in regards to such areas as their relationships (romantic and familial) and their academic standing. The implications of such research are that parental divorce will always bring harm to families and, consequentially, should be avoided for the sake of the children's wellbeing. What is often missing from this research is a focus on the potential positive outcomes of parental divorce. The intent of this thesis is to explore the effects of parental divorce on young adults' ability to …

Choosing Mates Who Look Like Ourselves, Alyse Gruber

HIM 1990-2015

Some research suggests that the reason men and women choose mates who are physically similar to them, is because though they may be genetically similar (given the physical characteristics), the fact that there is no kinship allows for genetic stability. Some researchers believe this is a product of evolutionary forces, therefore allowing possible mates to find those whom they would see as compatible and fertile. Researchers have found that as children we imprint our parent’s facial features, which helps develop the normal facial recognition later. With this knowledge it is suggested that we subconsciously use our parent’s facial imprint as …

That's So Ghetto: A Study Of The Racial/Socioeconomic Implications Associated With The Term "Ghetto", Shaun Richardson

HIM 1990-2015

The term "ghetto" has an ambiguous meaning in American society. The term frequently has been used as either a noun or an adjective. As a noun the term "ghetto" is often used to describe a place - Small describes the ghetto as a: "…a particular type of neighborhood; it exhibits a cohesive set of characteristics, such as deteriorating housing, crime, depopulation, and social isolation…"(2008: 78.) This description as a noun is indicative of unsavory social conditions and climate that fosters an unproductive populace. As an adjective the term remains more difficult to solidly define. The bulk of available research often …

Just Eat It: An Examination Of The Sociological Factors That Influence The Eating Habits Of College Students, Alexandra Minnick

HIM 1990-2015

Young adults 18-25 years of age in the United States are experiencing a new world as they transition to young adulthood in college. The purpose of this investigation is to examine the eating behaviors of the young college population. The present study will examine the kinds of foods college students eat and how they make decisions regarding food consumption. The methodology of the present study consists of a quantitative survey, which includes questions about gender, living arrangements, convenience, and student eating habits. The sample size is comprised of 228 students at the University of Central Florida. A regression model is …

Zero Tolerance For Some: The Role Of Race In Zero Tolerance Exclusionary Discipline, Meghan Bejarano

HIM 1990-2015

Within the last few decades, zero tolerance policies and exclusionary discipline have become the standard way in which schools manage student behavior. These policies, namely suspension and expulsion have been shown to have negative impacts on the lives of students who are punished with them. Educationally, the removal of students from the classroom hurts their chances of achieving academic success. Furthermore, these policies have been linked with an increase in the presence of law enforcement on school campuses, which results in the arrest of students, burdening them with expensive and serious legal battles. This research examines whether nonwhite students are …

Queering The Abcs: Lgbtq Characters In Children’S Books, Lindsay A. Toman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Over the past 30 years, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) groups have called for children’s books to include LGBTQ characters and themes to help children understand our multifaceted social world. Few LGBTQ characters have appeared in children’s literature. This qualitative study analyzes the text and images of 29 children’s books published between 1972 and 2013 that have any LGBTQ characters. Books featuring lesbian and gay characters often presented them as conforming to heteronormative standards to find fulfillment. The majority of books with gender-deviant characters focused on boys harassed by other characters for their conventionally feminine behaviors. Surprisingly few …

The Impact Of World Bank’S Conditionality-Ownership Hybrid On Forest Management In Cameroon: Policy Hybridity In International Dependence Development, Asongayi Venard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many developing countries depend on the World Bank for development assistance, which the Bank often provides with policy reform conditions. Resistance to World Bank’s conditionality caused the Bank to posit “ownership” as a country’s real assent to its development policies. The combination of ownership and conditionality invalidates the neocolonial, false-paradigm and dualism theses in explaining the international dependence development model. This study explains this model by investigating how the relationship between conditionality and ownership in the context of this model impacts forest management in Cameroon.

Integrating theoretical and methodological insights mainly from political science, economics, geosciences, and sociology, the study …

Telling Tales As Oral Performance: A Cross-Cultural Comparison Of Storytelling In Ireland, Scotland And Southern Appalachia, Annalee Tull

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

I sought to link, through this paper, cultural performances of identity through storytelling in Ireland, Scotland, and southern Appalachia. I evaluated storytelling practices, whether it was a public or private performance, using symbolic interactionism, dramatist theory, narrative paradigm, and performance theory. The author studied abroad in Ireland and Scotland through the East Tennessee State University Appalachian, Scottish, and Irish Studies Program and experienced an array of stories. She then evaluated her own experiences with storytelling from growing up in southern Appalachia and visited the International Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, TN. The research is rooted in grounded theory from ethnographies, with …

Butch, Femme, Or Neither? What Owning These Identities Means, Joey F. Cooter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite an increased awareness of the diversity of gender identities, butch and femme roles continue to be viewed as lesbian stereotypes that reinforce rather than challenge heteronormativity. This study explores how self-identified butch and femme lesbian women define themselves and how their identities influence their sexual/romantic relationships. Interviews were conducted with 20 lesbians who identified as butch, femme, or neither to learn what these identities meant to them. While the interviewees saw their identities as unique, a number of similarities emerged. This thesis analyzes the themes of conflict with a gender binary model, stereotypes of butch and femme, replication of …

Adolescent Religion And Parenthood Outcomes In Young Adulthood, Kelli K. Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A multitude of research exists examining the relationship between religion and early marriage, yet little research has focused on the relationship between religion and early childbearing. Even less has examined the influence of adolescent religion on early parenthood. Using data from the National Study of Youth and Religion, I examined the relationship between religion in adolescence and parenthood outcomes in early adulthood. I focus on how religiosity in adolescence shapes whether an individual is more or less likely to be sexually active, become pregnant, and/or have and keep a child. Results suggest that those who are religious in adolescence are …

Prevalence, Types, Risk Factors, And Course Of Intimate Partner Violence In Appalachian Pregnant Women, Tifani Fletcher

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Intimate partner violence (IPV) during pregnancy can lead to a myriad of poor physical and psychological outcomes for both mother and child. There is a paucity of research examining IPV risk factors for rural pregnant women and on information regarding the course of the specific types of IPV throughout pregnancy. The current project was an investigation of the prevalence of IPV and IPV risk factors for different types of IPV in an Appalachian pregnant sample that contained women from both rural and nonrural locations (Study 1), and was an examination of the occurrence of any IPV and the different types …

From Quackery To Control: Perceptions Of Complementary And Alternative Medicine From Users With Mental Health Disorders, Rachael Welsh Allen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study is an investigation into why people with depression and anxiety use complementary and alternative medicines at higher rates than the general population. The study examines perceptions of mental illness and meanings assigned to depression and anxiety, others’ perceptions of mental illness, and experiences with conventional medicine. All participants were using complementary and alternative medicine at the time of the study; their reasons for CAM use as well as how CAM affected perceptions of their illness were main research questions. I conducted three focus groups with individuals diagnosed with depression who were using complementary and alternative medicine as forms …

An Investigation Into The Shift In Lie Acceptability In Children From Grades 3-12, Marc S. Goosie

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this study the goal was to determine if there was a shift in the extent to which children’s attitudes toward deception change as they age. Participants (N=278) enrolled in grades 3-12 completed a survey assessing their lie acceptability and other factors as potential variables associated with a prodeception attitude. Results indicated that greater lie acceptability was correlated with male children who had self-reported acts of bad behavior. Results also suggest that nontraditional family environments may increase one’s perception of the acceptability of lying. These findings provide potential predictors of the acceptability of lying in children and adolescents that offer …

Traumatic Life Events And Symptoms Of Anxiety: Moderating Effects Of Adaptive Versus Maladaptive Coping Strategies, Alishia Foster

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The experience of trauma is prevalent among young adult college students and is often associated with poor mental health outcomes such as symptoms of anxiety. Not all individuals who have experienced trauma, however, develop anxiety, perhaps due to individual-level adaptive characteristics, such as use of adaptive rather than maladaptive coping strategies. Yet, little research has examined the interrelationships between the experience of trauma, specific types of coping strategies, and subclinical anxiety symptoms. A sample of 915 undergraduate students completed self-report measures of trauma, coping strategies, and anxiety symptoms. We hypothesized that traumatic life events would be associated with anxiety symptoms, …

When Women Kill, Giovanna C. Lima

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The media is one of the strongest influences on how society views the criminal justice system and all actors therein. This is especially true for offenders of violent crime. Notably, women who kill are rare. However, when women do murder someone, the media tends to over expose them and portray them in different ways. The current study is intended to examine how the media portrays women murderers. In particular, this research is focused on how fictional and true crime programs portray female killers. Do they portray them in a positive or negative light? Do they portray them realistically? Are true …

How Do They Stay: An Exploration Of The Factors Contributing To College Completion Amongst African-American Women At The University Of Mississippi In The 21st Century., Hope Myriah Owens-Wilson

Honors Theses

This study considers the factors that help increase the chances of black women continuing their studies at the University of Mississippi. Using a snowball method to contact participants and a video camera to record participants, findings showed that the black women who perceived their time at the University of Mississippi positively had previous contact with the University of Mississippi and clear academic goals within the university. Overall, the findings, while mostly consistent with the previous literature, point to areas that this research can delve deeper.

Traditional Masculinity & Advertising Image Approval, Danielle W. Kailing, Peggy Cantrell Phd

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This project investigates the relationship between adherence to traditional masculinity and approval of selected advertising images. Because traditional masculinity includes characteristics supportive of aggression and dominance; I hypothesize that an increase in adherence to traditional masculinity will correlate with approval of the violence found in some print advertisements. Participants include 259 men who completed an anonymous, online, survey. Adherence to masculinity is measured using the Male Role Norm Inventory-Revised (MRNI-R) (Levant, et. al, 2007). Each picture is scored on a 5-point Likert Scale. As hypothesized, an increase in total MRNI-R score, is significantly correlated with an increase in the approval …

Relational Satisfaction And Perceptions Of Nonverbal Communication During Conflict, Savannah V. Wheeler

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The goal of the presented research was to examine the relationship between relational satisfaction and nonverbal interpretation during a conflict. Specifically, we hypothesized that participants who reported being dissatisfied with their closest relationship would be more likely to make negative interpretations of facial expressions during a conflict episode. Participants completed a survey that measured their relationship status, level of satisfaction, and interpretations of descriptions of facial expressions being made during a series of conflict scenarios. Developing a better understanding of the role of nonverbal behaviors may help encourage healthier conflict management

Does Nicotine Alter What Is Learned About Non-Drug Incentives?, Tarra L. Baker

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Nicotine is one of the most addictive drugs known to man, yet it has limited reinforcing effects in humans and non-human animals when it is not self-administered in tobacco products. One hypothesis for these paradoxical effects of nicotine is that the effects of the drug in the brain alter acquisition of incentive learning. The hypothesis for this study is that nicotine will increase the value of cues paired with a reward. To test this hypothesis, 26 Sprague Dawley Male rats were randomly assigned to one of three groups Pre-NIC (the critical experimental group), Post-NIC and SAL. Each group received a …

Influences On Foster Care Reentry Rate, Ashley L. Morris, Andrew Battista, Dilshod Achilov, Rebecca L. Keeler

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Influences on Foster Care Reentry Rate looked at demographic and socioeconomic characteristics in each state within the United States. Those characteristics were then studied to see how they related to foster care reentry rates. Then, a case study analysis was conducted on three states, Minnesota, North Carolina, and Tennessee, because of their similarity in demographic and socioeconomic characteristics and divergence in foster care reentry rates. The case analysis was an in depth pursuit of differences in each of the state's policies that may be a driving force of higher reentry rates.

Neuromodulation Therapy Mitigates Heart Failure Induced Hippocampal Damage, Timothy P. Diperi

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in the United States. Nearly half of the people diagnosed with heart failure (HF) die within 5 years of diagnosis. Brain abnormalities secondary to CVD have been observed in many discrete regions, including the hippocampus. Nearly 25% of patients with CVD also have major depressive disorder (MDD), and hippocampal dysfunction is a characteristic of both diseases. In this study, the hippocampus and an area of the hippocampal formation, the dentate gyrus (DG), were studied in a canine model of HF. Using this canine HF model previously, we have determined that myocardial …

Examining The Target Levels Of State Renewable Portfolio Standards, Laurence Douglas Helwig

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

At present 37 U.S. states have passed Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) or have a legislative driven goal that supports investment in renewable energy (RE) technologies. Previous research has identified economic, governmental, ideological and infrastructural characteristics as key predictors of policy adoption and renewable energy deployment efforts (Carley, 2009; Davis & Davis, 2009; Bohn & Lant, 2009; Lyon & Yin, 2010). To date, only a few studies have investigated the target levels of renewable portfolio standards. Carley & Miller (2012) found that policies of differing stringencies were motivated by systematically different factors that included governmental ideology. The purpose of this dissertation …

Retracted: Comparing Throughfall And Litterfall Nutrient Fluxes In A Rubber (Hevea Brasiliensis Willd. Muell-Arg) Plantation Agro-Ecosystem At Ikenne, South-West Nigeria, Oludare H. Adedeji, Adeniyi S. Gbadegesin

Applied Environmental Research

This study compares nutrient fluxes (throughfall and litterfall) in a rubber (Hevea brasiliensisWilld. Muell-Arg) plantation agro-ecosystem at Ikenne, SW Nigeria. Throughfallsamples were collected bi-weekly under the rubber canopies (40-, 15-, and 5-year-old) using throughfall funnel collectors with 10 replicates. Litterfall was collected on a monthly basis in the three rubber stands using twenty-four 0.25 m2litter traps (eight replicates in each of the three rubber stands) positioned randomly to estimate total annual litter production (dry biomass)and its main fractions. Throughfall and litterfall samples were analyzed for total nitrogen, sodium, phosphorus, calcium, potassium and magnesium. The annual means of throughfall in the …

Production Of Charcoal Briquettes From Palmyra Palm Waste In Kirimat District, Sukhothai Province, Thailand, Chanphen Chumsang, Pitak Upan

Applied Environmental Research

Palmyra palm is a significant economic crop in Kirimat District, Sukhothai Province, and generates large quantities of husks, stalks and shells as by-products and wastes, which impacts on the local environment. This study investigated (1) production of compressed charcoal briquettes from Palmyra palm husks, fruit calyx and shells, whose physical properties and thermal performance were tested and analyzed according to Thai Community Product Standard (tcps 238/2004); (2) the economic return of the production process. The results showed that 40%of shells of a mature palm fruit and 90% of the husk and fruit calyx of young palm fruit are left over. …

Development Of Gis Database For Insecticide Usage And Toxicity Among Thai Farmers In Ubon Ratchathani Province, Thailand, Anun Chaikoolvatana, Wacharapong Saengnill, Jaruwan Wongbutdee, Nawaporn Saisingh

Applied Environmental Research

Widespread use of pesticides in Thai agriculture has led to serious adverse health impacts on users. This study developed a GIS database using the QGIS tool to investigate insecticide usage and toxicity tofarmers in Ubon RatchathaniProvince in northeastern Thailand. Primary data collection involved recording exact locations of residential houses using geographic positioning system (GPS). Secondary dataincluding transport routes, natural and environmental resources, and records of rainfall and ground temperatureswere also collected. The data were integrated asGIS mapping data. Eighteen farmers participated in the study and submitted themselves tomeasurements of cholinesterase (ChE) levels and 2 blood sample collections for comparison with …

Effect Of Edta And Dtpa On Cadmium Removal From Contaminated Soil With Water Hyacinth, Aekkacha Tananonchai, Pantawat Sampanpanish

Applied Environmental Research

The effects of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and diethylene triaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) on cadmium (Cd) uptake by water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) in Cd-contaminated soilwas studied. Experimental samples were separated into 4 treatment groups: 1) Untreated control, 2) EDTA addition, 3) DTPA addition, and 4) mixture of EDTA and DTPA (1:1) addition. The plants were harvested at 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100 days. Cd levels were measured in soil samples, water samples and two parts of the plant: shoot (stem and leaves) and root. The results showed that Cd accumulation in plants with added EDTA and DTPA were higher than the …

Smart Data Collection Using Mobile Devices To Improve Transportation Systems, Tharindu Dasun Abeygunawardana

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Travel time is a matter that affects most of us, especially those that live in highly congested cities. Ideally, we want to reduce travel time as much as possible, thereby freeing up more of our time and enabling a higher quality of life. Data collection of transportation metrics helps us get a clearer picture of the transportation system, and helps us make smarter choices when it comes to improving the existing system. The rapid emergence of interconnected mobile devices carried along by travelers opens up many possibilities for gathering data as they travel, and also to serve them relevant data …

Interorganizational Performance Comparisons Using Quality Assurance Audit Results, Raymond E. Keeler

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) of 1993 requires government agencies to conduct performance measurements of their contractors for purposes of evaluation and comparison. To be most meaningful, performance comparisons need to consider all relevant characteristics that are of importance to the agency. Yet, bounded rationality theory states that managers of complex programs may have insufficient time and resources to consider all potentially relevant factors. Therefore, metrics used for decision making need to incorporate all relevant factors before the information is provided to decision makers.

Over the last several decades, government agencies have increasingly identified Quality Assurance compliance as …