Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

No. 70: International Migrants And Refugees In Cape Town’S Informal Economy, Godfrey Tawodzera, Abel Chikanda, Jonathan Crush, Robertson Tengeh

Southern African Migration Programme

This report is the most comprehensive study yet of the contribution of migrant and refugee entrepreneurs to Cape Town’s local economy. The survey of over 500 entrepreneurs engaged in trade, services and manufacturing in different areas of the city dispels some of the more prevalent myths that often attach to the activities of migrants. The vast majority are not “illegal foreigners”, but have a legal right to be in South Africa and to run a business. Most are highly motivated individuals who enter the informal economy to earn revenue to support themselves, their families, and because they have a strong …

No. 21: The State Of Poverty And Food Insecurity In Maseru, Lesotho, Resetselemang Leduka, Jonathan Crush, Bruce Frayne, Cameron Mccordic, Thope Matobo, Ts’Episo Makoa, Matseliso Mphale, Mmantai Phaila, Moipone Letsie

African Food Security Urban Network

This report on food insecurity in urban Lesotho is the latest in a series on Southern African cities issued by AFSUN. Like the previous reports, it focuses on one city (Maseru) and on poor neighbourhoods and households in that city. More than 60% of poor households surveyed in Maseru were severely food insecure. While food price increases worsen food insecurity for poor households, it is poverty that weakens the resilience of society to absorb these increases. This report argues that Maseru residents face specific and interrelated challenges with respect to food and nutrition insecurity. These are poverty; limited local livelihood …

The Power Of Closing Time: Using Library Occupancy Data To Inform Operational Changes, Stephen R. Barkley, Laura E. Knouse

VCU Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

Objectives: To use hourly building occupancy data over the period of 2012-2014 to determine the effect of changes to library hours of operation on building occupancy near and in the hours leading up to closing time.

Methods: Data were collected using an automated gate count system at the primary entrance to the library. The system tracked the occupancy of the building by comparing the number of entrances and exits hourly each day. Incremental changes to the library’s hours of operation occurred in the same time period for the years 2012-2014. This time period will be compared year-to-year. We will test …

The “Aha!” Moment: Library Support For The Cognitive Process Of Creativity, Carla-Mae Crookendale

VCU Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

Research on creativity in the field of cognitive psychology suggests that creativity is a process, and therefore success in creativity is less about talent or temperament than about the ability to manage that process. Creativity is necessary for all disciplines, though those in art and design fields tend to be more focused on it as an everyday practice.

This poster gives an overview of a session on creativity designed for “Advance Your Research,” a workshop provided by VCU Libraries for graduate students and advanced researchers. Through the in-person session and following webinar the visual arts librarian sought to familiarize attendees …

A Tale Of Two Digital Projects: Open Source Tools For Awesome User Engagement, Lauren Work

VCU Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

What do public media and Flickr have in common with Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries? Both provided the means for VCU to build upon open source tools and create new ways for users to engage with our digital collections.

This snapshot session will discuss the use of NPR's Quotable tool in partnership with the Richmond community featured in an oral history project, and will also showcase how the CONTENTdm to Flickr uploader tool built by VCU's web team was used to further user engagement with a unique digital atlas project.

Is It Time To Consider The "Burnout Syndrome" A Distinct Illness?, Renzo Bianchi, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Eric Laurent

Publications and Research

The "burnout syndrome" has been defined as a combination of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment caused by chronic occupational stress. Although there has been increasing medical interest in burnout over the last decades, it is argued in this paper that the syndrome cannot be elevated to the status of diagnostic category, based on (1) an analysis of the genesis of the burnout construct, (2) a review of the latest literature on burnout-depression overlap, (3) a questioning of the three-dimensional structure of the burnout syndrome, and (4) a critical examination of the notion that burnout is singularized by its …

Orbitofrontal 18f-Dopa Uptake And Movement Preparation In Parkinson’S Disease, Lucio Marinelli, Arnoldo Piccardo, Laura Mori, Silvia Morbelli, Nicola Girtler, Antonio Castaldi, Agnese Picco, Carlo Trompetto, Maria Felice Ghilardi, Giovanni Abbruzzese, Flavio Nobili

Publications and Research

In Parkinson’s disease (PD) degeneration of mesocortical dopaminergic projections may determine cognitive and behavioral symptoms. Choice reaction time task is related to attention, working memory, and goal-directed behavior. Such paradigm involves frontal cortical circuits receiving mesocortical dopamine which are affected early in PD. The aim of this study is to characterize the role of dopamine on the cognitive processes that precede movement in a reaction time paradigm in PD.We enrolled 16 newly diagnosed and untreated patientswith PDwithout cognitive impairment or depression and 10 control subjectswith essential tremor. They performed multiple-choice reaction time task with the right upper limb and brain …

Parental Regulation Of Online Behavior And Cyber Aggression: Adolescents’ Experiences And Perspectives, Sara Goldstein

Department of Family Science and Human Development Scholarship and Creative Works

The present study examines adolescents’ experiences with, and perspectives about, parental regulation of internet-based peer socialization including cyber aggression. Adolescents (N = 110) were surveyed about technology use, electronic device ownership, and the extent to which parents place restrictions on, and/or monitor, their cyber behavior. Adolescents were also asked about their experiences with parental regulation of cyber aggression, and these responses were compared to experiences with other forms of aggressive behavior (relational and overt). Perceptions of legitimacy of parental authority were also compared for online and offline aggression, and for acts typically considered to be within the personal domain. Adolescents …

"Fighting Over A Shadow?": Hellenistic Greek Cities And Greco-Roman Cities As Fora And Media For Multi-Level Social Signaling, Luann Wandsnider

Department of Anthropology: Faculty Publications

The cities of Hellenistic western Anatolia and Roman Asia Minor served as fora for complex social, economic, and political transactions. This chapter introduces social signaling theory in which these transactions are considered as social signals emitted by individuals (i.e., citizens) and groups (i.e., cities) and emphasizes the different qualities of these signals, especially their materiality and differential costliness. Social signals convey information about the otherwise difficult-to-assess capabilities of individual and groups; only some have the talents or resources to emit a high-quality signal. At the individual level, the nature, location, and possibly size of a civic benefaction signal’s an individual’s …

Common Cause: Using Assessment To Advocate For Technical Services (Presentation), Rebecca L. Mugridge

University Libraries Faculty Scholarship

This presentation demonstrates how assessment activities and results can serve as an advocacy tool for technical services divisions of libraries.

Excusing Murder? Conservative Jurors’ Acceptance Of The Gay Panic Defense, Cynthia J. Najdowski, Jessica Salerno, Bette L. Bottoms, B. L. Harrington, Dave Kemner

Psychology Faculty Scholarship

We conducted a simulated trial study to investigate the effectiveness of a “gay-panic” provocation defense as a function of jurors’ political orientation. Mock jurors read about a murder case in which a male defendant claimed a victim provoked the killing by starting a fight, which either included or did not include the male victim making an unwanted sexual advance that triggered a state of panic in the defendant. Conservative jurors were significantly less punitive when the defendant claimed to have acted out of gay panic as compared to when this element was not part of the defense. In contrast, liberal …

The Potential Impact Of Rape Culture On Juror Decision Making: Implications For Wrongful Acquittals In Sexual Assault Trials., Meagen M. Hildebrand, Cynthia J. Najdowski

Psychology Faculty Scholarship

Feminist writers contend that Americans live in a culture that supports sexualized aggression and violence against women. This “rape culture” is reflected in our society by the pervasive endorsement of rape myths and sexual objectification of women, both of which are legitimized by everyday media. One potential consequence of living in a rape culture is that individuals may themselves come to endorse rape myths and sexually objectify women, and, in turn, perceive certain forms of sexual violence against women as defensible. This is concerning considering the significant role that laypeople play in administering justice in sexual assault cases, but research …

Code-Switching, Code-Mixing And Radical Bilingualism In U.S. Latino Texts, Roshawnda A. Derrick

Wayne State University Dissertations

My dissertation, Code-switching, Code-mixing and Radical Bilingualism in U.S. Latino texts investigates the nature and significance of Spanish-English code-switching in U.S. Latino texts. I analyze fiction, creative non-fiction, journalistic texts, songs, and social media messages and I carry out a grammatical and sociolinguistic analyses of these texts. Although many of these texts would fall into Torres’ (2007) Radical Bilingualism category, I point out that there are in fact different ways in which a text can be radically bilingual and I show that some of these texts are approaching Auer’s (1999) notion of a fused lect. From a sociolinguistic point of …

Attitudes And Perceptions Of High School Principals With Regard To Bullying In Their Schools, Cornelius James Lewis

Wayne State University Dissertations

This study examined attitudes and perceptions of high school principals/assistant principals with regard to bullying in their schools. Bullying is a pervasive, unacceptable form of aggression that has negative consequences, both for the bully and the victim. School principals are charged with the responsibility of creating a safe environment for students, by effectively combating any aggressive behavior that could harm a student. The extent to which principals are able to combat bullying, may depend largely on their attitudes and perceptions of bullying behavior in their schools. This purpose of the study was to compare the attitudes of high school principals …

The Impact Of Autobiographical And Vicarious Events On Narrative Identity, Kendall Michelle Soucie

Wayne State University Dissertations

The primary aim of this dissertation was to elucidate the process by which we incorporate the life events of others (vicarious events) into our own lives and, by extension, into our own sense of identity. It was hypothesized that vicarious events from within a person's social network can be as germane to identity development as autobiographical events if the vicarious event involves someone with whom the person is socially-close rather than socially-distant and is an event in which the self was more proximal (shared events) than distal (witnessed or hearsay). The extent to which age, gender, dispositional empathy, and the …

Event Centrality After Trauma: Stability, Trauma Type, And Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Anna Michelle Wright

Wayne State University Dissertations

In order to better understand posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and PTSD’s etiology, researchers have begun examining whether PTSD symptoms are related to the centrality of the traumatic event (i.e., whether the trauma is central to the individual’s life story and changes the way he or she views the world). The current study examines the following questions: (1) Is event centrality stable over time? (2) What is the effect of cumulative trauma on event centrality? Additionally, do different types of trauma have different associations with event centrality? and (3) Given its relationship with PTSD, should event centrality be considered a …

Analysis Of Queue Characteristics At Signalized Intersections Near Highway-Railroad Grade Crossing, Amna Chaudhry

Wayne State University Dissertations

Analysis of traffic queues at signalized intersections which are in close proximity to highway- railroad grade crossings is of primary importance for determining if the normal signal operation needs to be preempted for railroad operations by providing a special signal mode for safe clearance of the queued vehicles from the tracks before the train arrival, and prohibiting any conflicting traffic movements towards the crossing. Such queuing analysis becomes even more critical where direct observations of traffic queues are not possible or where the assessment is needed for a future location. Inadequate estimation of queues from signalized intersections to the nearby …

Essays On Horizontal Divestitures And Product Market Relationships, Norkeith Ervin Smith

Wayne State University Dissertations

This dissertation is the first to study the product effect of horizontal divestitures on upstream and downstream firms. This first essay examines product market impact of a sample of horizontal asset sales from 1988 to 2005 on corporate customers, suppliers, and industry rivals. I create a sample of firms that classifies corporate customers, suppliers, and industry competitors of firms proposing horizontal asset sales, and employ this data set to investigate the wealth effects at announcement. This study also considers post-divestiture changes in abnormal operating performance for divesting firms, customers, and suppliers.

I document evidence that divestiture related wealth effects for …

Differential Parenting Practices Within Families: Associations With Siblings' Academic And Behavioral Outcomes, Ashley Ceresnie

Wayne State University Dissertations

The association between parenting behaviors and the outcomes of children has been widely studied, with results commonly linking parents' attitudes and behaviors with child outcomes. Few studies, however, have examined and analyzed the link between differential or inconsistent parenting within families and the academic and behavioral outcomes of siblings. Thus, the main purpose of this study was to explore the relations between differential parenting within families and the academic and general behavioral outcomes of pairs of siblings. Included in this study were variables that represent parenting factors (demandingness and responsiveness) and child outcomes (academic grades and behaviors). Unique to this …

What Impacts Life Satisfaction Of Aging Adults Following Stressful Life Events?: An Examination Of The Buffering Effect Of Personal Resources, Cassandra Barragan

Wayne State University Dissertations

Purpose: Existing research has shown that elders experience changes in their life satisfaction following stressful life events. There is an abundance of literature supporting the predictive nature of not only stressful life events on life satisfaction, but social support, autonomy, and financial security. What the literature is lacking, is examination of the buffering effect of social support, autonomy, and financial security on the relationship between stressful life events and life satisfaction. This study hypothesizes that increases in social support, autonomy, and financial security will buffer the impact of SLEs for elders and thus, they will experience increases in their life …

Hometown, Usa: A Community Economic Digest About Searcy, Arkansas, Fourth Edition, Don P. Diffine Ph.D.

Belden Center Monographs

Local tradition has it that about 60 years ago, then-Mayor Frank Headlee appeared on a Little Rock television talk show program to promote Searcy, Arkansas. Proclaiming that the town was indeed “rich,” in a colorful play on words he went on: “Every blade of grass has a ‘green’ bulk, every bird has a ‘bill,’ the chimneys have their ‘drafts,’ the streets are ‘flushed,’ the lawns get a ‘rake off,’ the clouds have a ‘silver lining,’ and every flower has at least ‘one scent.’”

2015 American Incentive System Almanac, Don P. Diffine Ph.D.

Belden Center Monographs

No abstract provided.

The Influence Of Sibling Presence On Grade Point Average, Amanda Joanne Kipp

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Using archival data from schools in southeastern Ohio, this paper explores the idea that the GPA of students will be affected when a sibling resides in the home compared to students who do not have a sibling in the home. The study explored whether having an older sibling affects the GPA of a student more than that of a younger sibling. Finally, the study examined whether an older male sibling has an affect on the student’s GPA more than an older female sibling. The results showed that having a sibling in the home does not affect the GPA of a …

Critical Period Conditioning By Orgasm During Heterosexual Oral Sex, Kristy N. Woods

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Data were obtained retrospectively and anonymously using a computerized survey instrument from 450 female and 489 male participants who had experienced orgasm during oral sex before age 18, as well as 352 female and 151 male participants who had not experienced an orgasm while receiving oral sex before age 18. Female participants who experienced an orgasm during oral sex prior to age 18 were significantly more likely to experience an orgasm during oral sex after age 18. For male participants, although the difference was in the hypothesized direction, it did not reach significance. Female participants who experienced an orgasm during …

Instruction @ The Uri Libraries - January 2015, Mary C. Macdonald, Amanda Izenstark

Instruction @ the URI Libraries

No abstract provided.

The Parallel Universe Of Electronic Resource Discovery, Or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Community Zone, Barbara Anderson

VCU Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

The functionality of the Alma Community Zone electronic collections in combination with the Primo Central Index and the development of the OCLC WorldShare Collection Manager and WorldCat Discovery Services have been game changers for the VCU Libraries. We are using the Alma/Primo and WorldShare systems in tandem to manage holdings, availability and discovery of an increasing proportion of our electronic resources automatically.

Show Me The Data: Analyzing Item Level Metrics From Contentdm Reports To Aid Digital Collection Assessment, Lauren Work

VCU Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries recently launched several initiatives to increase the accessibility and enable greater discovery of our digital collections. Like many other organizations, we are interested in creating a standardized assessment approach to determine how these initiatives may help grow the impact of our digital collections, as well as demonstrating their overall value and use.

CONTENTdm reports are part of that standardized assessment. This session will provide an overview of how we are using Excel to quickly import, identify, track and report trends derived from CONTENTdm reports at the item level. This working approach has been used for small …

Can You Spare 2 Hours? Target Your Audience With Customized E-News, Bettina Peacemaker, Patricia D. Sobczak, Martha Roseberry, Sue Robinson

VCU Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

E-newsletters (built in an affordable or free online mail platform) allow librarians to reach faculty with pointed, subject-based information. This poster features a sample from a series of e-newsletters created by liaison librarians, as well as tips for producing custom newsletters and discussion of impact.

The House Of Our Ancestors: New Research On The Prehistory Of Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, A.D. 800–1200, Carrie Heitman

Department of Anthropology: Faculty Publications

In a paper honoring the career of archaeologist Gwinn Vivian presented at the Society for American Archaeology 70th annual meeting, Toll and others (2005) discussed the still often-overlooked role of small house sites in Chacoan prehistory. They pointed out that many of the attributes we reserve for the category of “great house” are in fact present at some small house sites and that both the diversity and overlapping characteristics across this dichotomy require greater attention if we are to understand “how Chaco worked.” In this chapter, I present contextual data from 12 house assemblages through a comparative theoretical and ethnographic …

Information Content Of Usda Rice Reports And Price Reactions Of Rice Futures, Jessica L. Darby

Inquiry: The University of Arkansas Undergraduate Research Journal

Rice is a predominant food staple in many regions of the world, and it is important to determine how efficiently the U.S. rice market helps to ensure world food security. This question can be answered by gauging the price discovery performance of the U.S. rice futures market and the economic usefulness of the U.S. government’s supply and demand forecasts. So, to this end, we employ two event study approaches: (1) to examine variability in returns on report-release days as compared to returns on pre- and post-report days, and (2) to regress price reactions on changes in usage and production information. …