Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Pastors As Gatekeepers: Congregational Encounters With Mental Health And Substance Abuse Issues, Curtis J. Vanderwaal, Andrea Opei, Edwin I. Hernandez

Faculty Publications

The vocation of a pastor is to care for the spiritual needs of a congregation and community. However, as many clergy know well, pastoral care is multifaceted and complex. For example, one of the hats that pastors frequently wear is that of pastoral counselor. Although pastors have traditionally offered support and pastoral care to congregants, they are beginning to spend more hours counseling both congregants and community members. One study indicated that pastors were spending time in pastoral counseling equivalent to that of marriage and family therapists in private practice.1 The same study showed that pastors are encountering persons and …

The Relationship Of Fans’ Sports-Team Identification And Facebook Usage To Purchase Of Team Products, Caitlin Moyer, Jim Pokrywczynski, Robert J. Griffin

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

Social media has become a regular direct marketing component for sports teams. This study explores the link between team identification and use of a professional sports team’s social-media channels. Questions to answer include, Does social media impact identification fans have with a team or vice versa? What does the amount of social-media use do to impact the relationship? Does this activity lead to increased sales of tickets and merchandise? Data collected by an Internet survey of fans of a professional baseball team show a positive relationship between team identification and use of the team’s Facebook page as well as to …

Brave Sperm And Demure Eggs: Fallopian Gender Politics On Youtube, Pamela Hill Nettleton

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

A narrative analysis of videos of human conception from medical and nonmedical sources aired in the democratic space of YouTube finds that stereotypical gender roles are consistently assigned to cellular behavior. Sperm are represented as little men and embodiments of hegemonic masculinity, with heroic sperm winning the egg prize after a competitive athletic contest fraught with peril. Eggs are represented as featureless planets floating in a murky void and are without agency or action. Almost every video is about the “journey” or “adventure” of the sperm; the egg has no adventure. These videos represent a view of a persistent gendered …

A Mixed Methods Study Of The Intersection Of Sexual Orientation And Spiritual Development In The College Experience, Kevin C. Snow

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

This two-phase, exploratory sequential mixed methods study explored the intersection of lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, and questioning (LGBQQ) sexual orientation and spiritual development for college students. The first phase entailed a phenomenological study exploring the lived experiences of LGBQQ former college students (N= 10) concerning how their sexual orientation influenced, if at all, their spiritual development during college. Findings from this qualitative phase were used to develop a quantitative instrument to explore the spiritual-sexual orientation development of college students further (N= 171). This study provides suggestions for working with LGBQQ college students for college counselors and …

U.S. Military Aid And The Role Of Foreign Armies In Civil Politics, Jennifer Jones Cunningham

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

The recent expansion of the Egyptian military's role in civil politics has led to uncertainty regarding the relationship between U.S. military aid and democratization. However, studies focusing on the link between foreign aid and democratization often exclude military aid from their analyses. This omission is particularly problematic given that civilian control over the military is a vital precondition for democratic consolidation, and a high percentage of U.S. military aid recipients are not yet consolidated democracies. Proponents of military aid point to the role security cooperation can play in diffusing democratic norms of professionalism. Critics worry military aid strengthens an institution …

Sieve Estimation Of Time-Varying Panel Data Models With Latent Structures, Liangjun Su, Xia Wang, Sainan Jin

Research Collection School Of Economics

We consider the problem of determining the number of factors and selecting the proper regressors in linear dynamic panel data models with interactive fixed effects. Based on the preliminary estimates of the slope parameters and factors a la Bai and Ng (2009) and Moon andWeidner (2014a), we propose a method for simultaneous selection of regressors and factors and estimation through the method of adaptive group Lasso (least absolute shrinkage and selection operator). We show that with probability approaching one, our method can correctly select all relevant regressors and factors and shrink the coefficients of irrelevant regressors and redundant factors to …

Welfare-To-Work Reform And Intergenerational Support: Grandmothers' Response To The 1996 Prwora, Ho, Christine

Research Collection School Of Economics

The 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA; Pub. L. 104-193) in the United States aimed at encouraging work among low-income mothers with children below age 18. In this study, the author used a sample of 2,843 intergenerational family observations from the Health and Retirement Study to estimate the effects of the reform on single grandmothers who are related to those mothers. The results suggest that the reform decreased time transfers but increased money transfers from grandmothers. The results are consistent with an intergenerational family support network where higher child care subsidies motivated the family to shift away …

Home Prices And Inequality: Singapore Versus Other Global Superstar Cities, Sock Yong Phang

Research Collection School Of Economics

The Global City concept originates from the work of sociologist Saskia Sassen, which dates back to the 1980s. In an age of globalisation, division of labour is international in scope and production activities are distributed across the world. A global city is a significant point where the internationally oriented financial and producer services that make the global economy run choose to agglomerate.

A Combined Approach To The Inference Of Conditional Factor Models, Yan Li, Liangjun Su, Yuewa Xu

Research Collection School Of Economics

This article develops a new methodology for estimating and testing conditional factor models in finance. We propose a two-stage procedure that naturally unifies the two existing approaches in the finance literature-the parametric approach and the nonparametric approach. Our combined approach possesses important advantages over both methods. Using our two-stage combined estimator, we derive new test statistics for investigating key hypotheses in the context of conditional factor models. Our tests can be performed on a single asset or jointly across multiple assets. We further propose a novel test to directly check whether the parametric model used in our first stage is …

Optimal Jackknife For Unit Root Models, Ye Chen, Jun Yu

Research Collection School Of Economics

A new jackknife method is introduced to remove the first order bias in unit root models. It is optimal in the sense that it minimizes the variance among all the jackknife estimators of the form considered in Phillips and Yu (2005) and Chambers and Kyriacou (2013) after the number of subsamples is selected. Simulations show that the new jackknife reduces the variance of that of Chambers and Kyriacou by about 10% for any selected number of subsamples without compromising bias reduction. The results continue to hold true in near unit root models. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Inefficiency In The Shadow Of Unobservable Reservation Payoffs, Madhav S. Aney

Research Collection School Of Economics

This paper considers the problem of allocating an object between two players in an environment with one sided asymmetric information when their reservation payoffs depend on the type of the informed player, causing the reservation payoff of the uninformed player to be unobservable to her. Inefficiency arises naturally in this setting and can be characterized by a simple condition on the reservation payoffs that is necessary and sufficient. I derive the necessary and sufficient condition for the existence of an implementable allocation that at least weakly dominates the reservation payoffs. Under a mild assumption on the distribution of types, I …

Electric Vehicles With A Battery Switching Station: Adoption And Environmental Impact, Buket Avci, Karan Girotra, Serguei Netessine

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The transportation sector's carbon footprint and dependence on oil are of deep concern to policy makers in many countries. Use of all-electric drive trains is arguably the most realistic medium-term solution to address these concerns. However, motorist anxiety induced by an electric vehicle's limited range and high battery cost have constrained consumer adoption. A novel switching-station-based solution is touted as a promising remedy. Vehicles use standardized batteries that, when depleted, can be switched for fully charged batteries at switching stations, and motorists only pay for battery use. We build a model that highlights the key mechanisms driving adoption and use …

West Meets East: New Concepts And Theories, Harry G. Barkema, Xiao-Ping Chen, Gerard George, Yadong Luo, Anne S. Tsui

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Management scholarship has grown tremendously over the past 60 years. Most of our paradigms originated from North America in the 1950s to the 1980s, inspired by the empirical phenomena and cultural, philosophical, and research traditions of the time. Here following, we highlight the contextual differences between the East and the West in terms of institutions, philosophies, and cultural values and how they are manifest in contemporary management practices. Inspired by theory development in management studies over time, we offer insights into the conditions facilitating new theories, and how these might apply to emergent theories from the East. We discuss the …

Minero Magazine, Volume Xx, Spring 2015, Utep Student Publications

The Prospector

Cover Story: Divergent Lives

The Prospector, April 1, 2015, Utep Student Publications

The Prospector

Headline: Use It or Lose It: Mental Health Issues That Affect Students

China's Yuan: Asia's Future Anchor Currency?, Hwee Kwan Chow

Research Collection School Of Economics

The yuan is becoming more widely used in pricing and settling intra-regional trade and investment. Asian currencies' movements are likely to shift more in tandem with the yuan, leading to it becoming one of Asia's lead currencies. Singapore is now the world's second-most- important offshore yuan trading hub after Hong Kong.

Lag Length Selection For Unit Root Tests In The Presence Of Nonstationary Volatility, Giuseppe Cavaliere, Peter C. B. Phillips, Stephan Smeekes, A. M. Robert Taylor

Research Collection School Of Economics

A number of recent papers have focused on the problem of testing for a unit root in the case where the driving shocks may be unconditionally heteroskedastic. These papers have, however, taken the lag length in the unit root test regression to be a deterministic function of the sample size, rather than data-determined, the latter being standard empirical practice. We investigate the finite sample impact of unconditional heteroskedasticity on conventional data-dependent lag selection methods in augmented Dickey–Fuller type regressions and propose new lag selection criteria which allow for unconditional heteroskedasticity. Standard lag selection methods are shown to have a tendency …

Nonparametric Predictive Regression, Ioannis Kasparis, Elena Andreou, Peter C. B. Phillips

Research Collection School Of Economics

A unifying framework for inference is developed in predictive regressions where the predictor has unknown integration properties and may be stationary or nonstationary. Two easily implemented nonparametric F-tests are proposed. The limit distribution of these predictive tests is nuisance parameter free and holds for a wide range of predictors including stationary as well as non-stationary fractional and near unit root processes. Asymptotic theory and simulations show that the proposed tests are more powerful than existing parametric predictability tests when deviations from unity are large or the predictive regression is nonlinear. Empirical illustrations to monthly SP500 stock returns data are provided. …

Forensically Discovering Simulation Feedback Knowledge From A Campus Energy Information System, Clayton Miller, Arno Schlueter

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

Simulation model calibration has been long identified as a key means of reconciling the consumption and efficiency characteristics of buildings. A key step in this process is the creation of the actual diversity factor profiles for occupancy and various energy end uses such as lighting, plug-loads, and HVAC. Creation of these model inputs is conventionally a tedious process of site surveys, interviews or temporary sensor installation. Sometimes measured energy data can be used to create these schedules, however there are many challenges, especially when the sensor network available is large or unorganized. This paper describes a process applying a series …

Great East Japan Earthquake, Jr East Mitigation Successes, And Lessons For California High-Speed Rail, Mti Report 12-37, Frances Edwards, Daniel C. Goodrich

Mineta Transportation Institute

California and Japan both experience frequent seismic activity, which is often damaging to infrastructure. Seismologists have developed systems for detecting and analyzing earthquakes in real-time. JR East has developed systems to mitigate the damage to their facilities and personnel, including an early earthquake detection system, retrofitting of existing facilities for seismic safety, development of more seismically resistant designs for new facilities, and earthquake response training and exercises for staff members. These systems demonstrated their value in the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011 and have been further developed based on that experience. Researchers in California are developing an earthquake early …

Fulcrum, Newsletter Of The Furman University Libraries. Issue 06, Jenny Colvin

Libraries Institutional Records

Learn what the library has done in response to student requests, find out how to improve your research through interdisciplinary searching strategies, and read more about a trip to a music library in Italy.

The issue also includes News from the Stacks, an alumni profile, a new database (Archives Unbound), professional activities from Furman Library staff and faculty, and updates from the Digital Collections Center, Special Collections and Archives, and WorkSmart Workshops.

Undergraduate Student Change In Colorblind Racial Attitudes: Impact Of A Multicultural Psychology Course, Christina Patterson, Melanie M. Domenech-Rodriguez

Psychology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Substance Use Among Lesbian, Gay, And Bisexual Clients Entering Substance Abuse Treatment: Comparisons To Heterosexual Clients, Annesa Flentje, Nicholas C. Heck, James L. Sorensen

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Objective: This study evaluated whether sexual orientation-specific differences in substance use behaviors exist among adults entering substance abuse treatment. Method: Admissions records (July 2007–December 2009) were examined for treatment programs in San Francisco, California receiving government funding. Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) persons (n = 1,441) were compared to heterosexual persons (n = 11,770) separately by sex, examining primary problem substance of abuse, route of administration, age of first use, and frequency of use prior to treatment. Results: Regarding bisexual males, the only significant finding of note was greater prevalence of methamphetamine as the primary substance of abuse. When compared …

When Active Learning Goes Flat, Lindsey Mclean, Elisa Acosta

Librarian Publications & Presentations

What happens when an active learning activity goes flat? You rapidly transform your lackluster exercise into an engaging activity midway through the semester! In this presentation we will discuss our instructional design efforts for a required in-person library instruction session for 73 Rhetorical Arts classes (1,273 freshmen). We used elements from both the hybrid approach and gamification techniques. Hybrid, or blended learning is a method of instruction in which students learn through a combination of face-to-face instruction and computer-mediated activities. The paper-based, active learning exercise the students completed in class was “gamified” and transformed into a digital learning object to …

Henderson News 3.3, Jessica Minihan, Ruth L. Baker, Bede Mitchell

Library Publications (1999-2023)

In This Issue:

• Who's Who at the Library: Charles Skewis
• Putting It All Together in the Learning Commons
• Henderson Library Invites Susan Orlean Delivers 14th Annual Normal Fries Distinguished Lecture
• 2015 Taxes: Do YOU e-file?
• Georgia Poetry Circuit
• Annual Donors' Reception

Library Organizational Charts

Library Organizational Charts (1995-2018)

No abstract provided.

Levels And Predictors Of Lhds' Engagement In Community Health Assessment, 2002-2013, Gulzar H. Shah, Kay Lovelace, Daniel F. Linder

Health Policy & Management: Faculty Presentations (2008-2022)

This presentation was given at the Keeneland Conference for Public Health Systems and Services Research.

Characteristics Of Local Health Departments Associated With Their Implementation Of Electronic Health Records And Other Informatics System, Gulzar H. Shah, Jonathon P. Leider, Brian C. Castrucci, Karmen S. Williams, Huabin Luo

Health Policy & Management: Faculty Presentations (2008-2022)

Background: Information technology and information systems (IT/IS) play a critical role in the daily operation of local health departments (LHDs). Assessing LHDs’ informatics capacities is important, especially within the context of broader, system-level health reform efforts.

Research Objective: This study assesses a nationally representative sample of LHDs’ level of adoption of information systems, technology, and the factors associated with adoption/implementation. Specifically, five areas of public health informatics were examined: electronic health records (EHRs), health information exchange (HIE), immunization registry (IR), electronic disease reporting system (EDRS), and electronic lab reporting (ELR).

Data Sets and Sources: Data from NACCHO’s 2013 National Profile …

Factors Driving Local Health Department’S Collaboration With Other Organizations In The Provision Of Personal Healthcare Services, Huabin Luo, Nancy L. Winterbauer, Ashley Tucker, Gulzar H. Shah

Health Policy & Management: Faculty Presentations (2008-2022)

Background: Recent work has highlighted the necessity of integrating primary care services and public health to improve quality and reduce the cost of healthcare.

Research Objectives: To describe levels of partnership between local health departments (LHD) and other organizations in the community in the provision of personal healthcare services; and to assess LHD organizational characteristics and community factors that contribute to partnerships.

Data Sets and Sources: Data were drawn from the 2013 NACCHO Profile Study (Module 1) and the Area Health Resource File. A total of 490 LHDs responded to Module 1, where LHDs were asked to describe the level …

Using Support Vector Machine Ensembles For Target Audience Classification On Twitter, Siaw Ling Lo, Raymond Chiong, David Cornforth

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

The vast amount and diversity of the content shared on social media can pose a challenge for any business wanting to use it to identify potential customers. In this paper, our aim is to investigate the use of both unsupervised and supervised learning methods for target audience classification on Twitter with minimal annotation efforts. Topic domains were automatically discovered from contents shared by followers of an account owner using Twitter Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA). A Support Vector Machine (SVM) ensemble was then trained using contents from different account owners of the various topic domains identified by Twitter LDA. Experimental results …