Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Ethnic Political Parties And Civil Conflict, Erin Nicole El Koubi

LSU Master's Theses

The lack of consensus on the significance of ethnicity on civil conflict derives from the measures used, not from the concept’s lack of merit. Current measures, such as the ethno-linguistic fractionalization index (ELF), examine differences in demographics rather than how the diversity becomes politically relevant or when the diversity leads to conflict. By using Horowitz’s (1985) theory of ethnic voting and a measure for how closely a state’s political parties are aligned with ethnic groups, one can better assess how countries’ ethnic groups are politically organized and how this organization is associated with civil conflict. Using an original measure derived …

What Is Digital Rights Management?, Frederick W. Dingledy, Alex Berrio Matamoros

Library Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

What Every New Coach Should Know: Analysis Of Coaches' Goals For Organizational Entry/Assimilation, Through The Goals-Plans-Action Theory And Socioemotional Selectivity Theory, Destini J'Ne Hughes

LSU Master's Theses

This manuscript attempts to act as an organizational entry pamphlet, in providing a wealth of knowledge to those who are looking to get into collegiate coaching for the first time. The majority of participants were selected from the coaching staff of NCAA Division I collegiate women's basketball teams, with a total of 55 participants involved in this study. Although this study was conducted specifically for new collegiate women basketball coaches that are starting the job for the first time, successfully, the results of this study can be applicable to any coach and any sport. Based on the responses of these …

Detecting The Spatial Patterns Of Blue-Green Algae In Harsha Lake Using Landsat 8 Imagery, Jing Huang

LSU Master's Theses

The incidence of harmful algal blooms (HABs) caused by blue-green algae has been increasing in coastal and freshwater ecosystems of the United States in recent years, and has had great influence on ecosystem, economic, and public health. This thesis aims at testing the feasibility of using machine learning methods in comparison to traditional regression models to detect and map the blue-green algae distribution in low-medium biomass waters (Chl-a < approx. 20 μg/L) from a Landsat 8 image with the support of some in situ Chl-a measurements in Harsha Lake, Ohio. Two algorithms were compared: one is the conventional empirical method – Stepwise Multiple Linear Regression – to see if there is a strong linear relationship between measured Chl-a concentrations and the Landsat 8 spectral data in the study area, and the other is one of the most popular machine learning methods–Random Forests. Major findings include: (1) both a conventional linear regression model and a Random Forests model worked well in mapping the extent and biomass of blue-green algae in Harsha Lake on September 21, 2015, but the Random Forests model outperformed the linear regression model; (2) the prediction surface from the Random Forests method illustrated that 89.30% of Harsha Lake’s area had Chl-a values less than 10 µg/L on the sampling date, while only 10.70% of the entire study area had Chl-a concentrations between 10 µg/L and 20 µg/L. Higher Chl-a values (especially for Chl-a larger than 10 µg/L) were mostly distributed in the mouths of rivers or streams, which might be caused by the influx of nutrients from agricultural or urban land use by rivers and streams. The results show the utility of the Random Forests approach based on Landsat 8 imagery in detecting and quantitatively mapping low biomass HABs, which is considered to be a challenging task.

Individuals With Dementia In Respite Care: Longitudinal Changes In Anxiety, Social Engagement, And Problem Behaviors, Rachael Elizabeth Mills

LSU Master's Theses

Individuals with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and dementia commonly referred to as persons with dementia (PWD), often experience behavioral and psychological symptoms as a result of the disease process. With no cure for AD and no way to prevent the onset of this disease, studies are analyzing methods to manage the symptoms of this disease. Previous literature on the effect of social adult day models is limited, especially pertaining to particular symptoms linked to this disease. This study explored three presenting symptoms associated with AD: anxiety, problem behaviors, and social engagement. Using a secondary data analysis, a sample of 30 participants …

Perceptions Of Criminality: An Experiment On Race, Class, And Gender Stereotypes, Patricia Davis

LSU Master's Theses

The study of perceptions of criminality is significant in sociology due to its sociopolitical implications for our criminal justice system. Race, class, and gender disparities in this system influence prejudices in the American public, which in turn allows the perpetuation of inequality. Using an intersectional approach, this research seeks to interpret how race, class, and gender intersect to create and shape perceptions of criminality. Conducting an experiment on approximately 500 undergraduate students at a southern university during the Spring 2015 semester, subjects are shown a series of photographs and asked to select who, out of the individuals depicted, they believe …

Attitudes Toward Police Among College Students: Differences Among Race, Social Work Status, And University History, Lisa Marie Lewis

LSU Master's Theses

Minority populations often have more negative attitudes toward the police than their White counterparts. This study explored the differences between Black college students’ attitudes towards the police in comparison to White college students. Using a sample of 1,108 students from a traditional flagship university and a Historically Black College University, the study sought to seek out differences in attitudes toward the police based on race, social work student status, and university history. Results indicated a significant difference between Black students’ attitudes toward the police when compared with their White student counterparts. Results also indicated a significant difference in attitudes toward …

Metric Variation In The Human Sacrum: Costal Process Length Among Black And White South Africans, Christy Rose Wayne

LSU Master's Theses

Considerable attention has been given to the measureable differences that exist between different human populations in the size and shape of the pelvis, with Africans having a narrower pelvis than Europeans. By collecting data on sacral breadth from a South African skeletal population, this study (1) tests the hypothesis that African blacks possess a narrower sacrum, and by inference pelvis, than whites and (2) considers whether the size variation between blacks and whites is due to nutritional, historical and social differences, to a genetic basis related to climatic adaptation, or to both. White South Africans were found to possess a …

National Alliance On Mental Illness (Nami) New Orleans Helpline Analysis, Deborah Ann De La Houssaye

LSU Master's Theses

ABSTRACT This study built on prior research about helplines that focused on descriptive accounts of caller profiles (frequent callers, children callers, male/female, reason for calls, help seeking intentions/beliefs, attitudes and expectations of callers); counselor profiles (active listening skills, motivation, empathy, altruism, family peer advocates); and helpline profiles (advantages and limitations of telephone, chat rooms, emails, and texting). The intention of this study was to assess the needs of the organization in order to build a helpline that meets the needs of the clients. It assessed existing data from calls made to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) New Orleans …

Interrelationships Among Physical Health, Health Risk Factors, Psychosocial Characteristics, And Social Support In Individuals With Major Depressive Disorder Receiving Integrated Care In Community Mental Health Settings, Blaine Stewart Masinter

LSU Master's Theses

Integrated primary and behavioral health care (PBHC) programs in community mental health (CMH) settings is a topic of burgeoning interest in the current literature. These settings aim to counter the health discrepancies and inordinate mortality of persons with serious mental illness (SMI) and comorbid medical conditions. Within the SMI population, the most prevalent diagnosis is Major Depression (MDD). MDD has been well studied in the literature and has been associated with increased rates of physical health conditions. Research has correlated higher levels of social support to lower levels of psychological distress and increased physical health. This cross-sectional, descriptive study examines …

Effects Of Weather Hazards On Traffic Volume: A Case Study Focused On Atlanta, Ga, Thana-On Punkasem

LSU Master's Theses

Severe weather events can have a significant impact on transportation networks. Many previous studies tried to analyze and explore the tremendous impact of extreme weather events on traffic behavior, speed, travel time and capacity. The purpose of this research was to analyze and discuss the impact of precipitation, temperature, visibility and wind speed on hourly weekday traffic flow volume in Atlanta, Georgia. This study focused on investigating which weather variables affect traffic volume, developing a machine learning based predictive technique to derive weather-traffic volume decision rules, and building a decision support tool. The correlation between extreme weather events and traffic …

Presenting Image/Presenting Symptoms : Clinicians' Diagnoses Of Black Women In The Therapeutic Space, Kim Teresa Dubose

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This was a mixed methods study that used both random and non-random purposive snowball convenience sampling. The purpose of the study was to investigate whether clinicians issue more severe psychotic DSM diagnoses (schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorders) to Black female clients than to White female clients when implicitly primed with cultural archetypes unique to Black women. The research questions were, “Do clinicians issue more severe and stereotype-consistent diagnoses to Black female clients than they do to White female clients;” and “Is there a difference in reaction time in clinician diagnosis of severe psychotic disorders between a clinically-identical Black female vignette and …

Plugging Into Movement Work: White Racial Justice Action In The Era Of Colorblind Racism, Garrett Naiman

Doctoral Dissertations

This qualitative study explored the practices and consciousness of eight white identified participants, born 1970 or later, who are actively engaged in racial justice action. Although the field of critical whiteness studies has expanded markedly over the past couple of decades, little has been written specifically about white racial justice activists (and activism). This may be serving as a disconnect for white people who are trying to find their way in racial justice movement work.

Participants were involved in one or more of the following: community organizing, education, religious work and cultural arts. Research data was primarily generated/collected through qualitative …

A Spectacle Of The Odd: Constructing Otherness In The Odditoriums Of Ripley’S Believe It Or Not!, Sarah Haughenbury

Theses and Dissertations

Since Robert Ripley’s inception of the concept behind Ripley’s Believe It or Not! in 1918, Ripley Entertainment Inc. has continued to capture the attention of the public with their display of purportedly strange and unbelievable people, animals, and artifacts from across the globe. Using theories of categorization, Othering, materiality, the grotesque, the carnivalesque, and the gaze, this ethnographic study examines how persons and things in the company’s odditoriums are constructed as odd through the arrangement and decoration of exhibits and odditorium space and through the language used in advertisements and information panels.

I argue that Ripley’s uses similar techniques as …

Physical Activity And Situational Interest In Mobile Technology Integrated Physical Education: A Preliminary Study, Xihe Zhu, Loren A. Dragon

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

Background: Mobile technology permeates every aspect of student lives. The question is whether mobile technology integration can produce desirable effects in the gymnasium.

Objective: This preliminary study aimed to investigate the effects of mobile technology integration on student situational interest and physical activity fluctuation in physical education lessons.

Methods: Sixth grade students (N = 53) were randomly placed into either an experiment group by class that utilized mobile technology-integrated resources (iPad and applications), or a comparison group that did not utilize technology. Both groups received five identical physical education lessons. Student physical activity was tracked with accelerometers, and they completed …

Fiscal Rules In Poland, Anna Kawarska

Studia i Materiały Wydział Zarządzania Uniwersytet Warszawski

Fiscal rules are a tool for disciplining fiscal policy and ensuring the balance in public finances. The article is devoted to the fiscal rules in force in Poland. Fiscal rules may take either the form of numerical rules or procedural rules (also called procedures). Numerical fiscal rules, which are expressed as numerical constraints imposed on chosen fiscal policy aggregates, exerting a long term disciplining impact, are the most widely described and evaluated in the subject literature. However, this article introduces the subject of so-called procedural rules described as activities taken to enhance fiscal responsibility, improve management, improve communication to the …

Maternal Mortality: A Policy Comparison Between Nigeria And India., Rachel Quarles

Dissertations and Theses

A staggering number of women die from preventable deaths each year from causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. India hosts the greatest number of actual maternal deaths in the world, although Nigeria’s ratio of maternal deaths to live births is greater than India’s. This thesis focuses on the experience of these two countries in order to determine if India’s governmental policies, level of government corruption, and traditional practices directly lead to its comparably better maternal health statistics. India has demonstrated lower ratios of maternal mortality and more consistent improvement in maternal health indicators than Nigeria as a result of stronger …

The Effect Of More And Less Relevant Details And Teacher Voice On Student Retention And Problem-Solving Transfer In Teacher-Created Multimedia, Colette Roche

Doctoral Dissertations

Many teachers create multimedia resources for their students, but most are uncertain as to what factors to consider regarding the design of multimedia instructional materials. Prior research identified instructional design principles for multimedia including the coherence principle and voice principle.

The purpose of this study was to test the coherence principle in a realistic setting using a heterogeneous group of ninth grade students in a humanities course to determine the effect of seductive details on retention and problem-solving transfer. To extend understanding of the voice principle, this study examined the effect of the teacher’s voice on student learning as measured …

Mobilne Aspekty Technologii Informacyjnych, Witold Chmielarz

Monografie/Monographs

Jeszcze kilka lat temu powiedzenie, że najbardziej spektakularnie rozwijającym się zjawiskiem w zastosowaniach informatyki będzie zjawisko mobilności budziłoby powszechne zdziwienie. Obecnie jest jednym z najczęściej wymienianych trendów rozwoju systemów informatycznych, a liczba artykułów i publikacji na ten temat zaczyna rosnąć lawinowo. Włączając się w ten nurt, chcieliśmy w jednym miejscu zaprezentować nasze przemyślenia i badania na temat tego zjawiska.

Pdxscholar Annual Report 2015, Karen Bjork, Sherry Buchanan, David Coate, Bertrand Robinson, Stacey Schlatter

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

This report details the fifth year of operation for PDXScholar, Portland State University's institutional repository. The report covers the period between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2015.

Unpacking The Census: 5 Years Later, John V. Moeser

Poverty in Metropolitan Richmond

Unpacking the Census: 5 Years Later

Dr. John V. Moeser
Senior Fellow, Bonner Center for Civic Engagement
University of Richmond
Professor Emeritus of Urban Studies and Planning, Virginia Commonwealth University

Taylor Holden
GIS Technician, Spatial Analysis Lab
University of Richmond

Olivia Mobayed
Senior Intern, Spatial Analysis Lab
University of Richmond

Data for the charts, tables, and maps are the most recent from the U.S. Census, American Community Survey, 2010-2014, Five-Year Estimates. Five-year estimates are used rather than one-year or three-year estimates in order to reduce the margin of error. All slides about each of the localities include data about race. …

A Systematic Review Of The Treatment And Management Of Pre-Eclampsia And Eclampsia In Pakistan, Saleem Shaikh, Ali M. Mir

Reproductive Health

Pakistan is one of the six countries that account for more than 50 percent of the world’s maternal deaths. According to Population Council estimates, each year nearly 8.6 million women become pregnant in the country. Of these, 1.2 million women are likely to face obstetric complications. Each year, there are nearly 14,000 pregnancy-related deaths. Information is lacking on context-specific health-system barriers that prevent optimal use of the lifesaving medicine magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) in Pakistan. Although efforts in Pakistan both at the national and subnational level are ongoing on the prevention and treatment of pre-eclampsia and eclampsia (PE/E), results are generally …

Ending The Medicalization Of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting In Egypt, Sarah Ghattass, Nahla G. Abdel-Tawab, Salma Abou Hussein

Reproductive Health

This policy brief examines the extent of medicalization of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) in Egypt, the characteristics of girls who were cut by medical personnel, factors that may have contributed to increased medicalization, and potential interventions that could influence both physicians and the public to completely abandon the practice. The data show that younger cohorts of women, those from higher wealth quintiles, higher levels of education, and living in urban regions are more likely to have been cut by medical personnel. More importantly, the analysis shows that despite medicalization being more common among young women with the above-mentioned characteristics, it …

Ending The Medicalization Of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting In Egypt [Arabic], Sarah Ghattass, Nahla G. Abdel-Tawab, Salma Abou Hussein

Reproductive Health

[In Arabic] This policy brief examines the extent of medicalization of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) in Egypt, the characteristics of girls who were cut by medical personnel, factors that may have contributed to increased medicalization, and potential interventions that could influence both physicians and the public to completely abandon the practice. The data show that younger cohorts of women, those from higher wealth quintiles, higher levels of education, and living in urban regions are more likely to have been cut by medical personnel. More importantly, the analysis shows that despite medicalization being more common among young women with the above-mentioned …

Evidence To End Fgm/C: Research To Help Girls And Women Thrive [Arabic], Population Council

Reproductive Health

[In Arabic] This factsheet describes a new Population Council–led research program, funded by the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development, which will join the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme on FGM/C: Accelerating Change and the Girl Generation in the Campaign to End Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) within One Generation. The program will generate high-quality evidence to influence strategic investment, policy, and programming to end FGM/C. This five-year program will work in 6–9 sub-Saharan African countries to dramatically expand the body of evidence on the most effective approaches to ending FGM/C. The research program will be organized around four themes: building the picture …

Evidence To End Fgm/C: Research To Help Girls And Women Thrive, Population Council

Reproductive Health

This factsheet describes a new Population Council–led research program, funded by the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development, which will join the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme on FGM/C: Accelerating Change and the Girl Generation in the Campaign to End Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) within One Generation. The program will generate high-quality evidence to influence strategic investment, policy, and programming to end FGM/C. This five-year program will work in 6–9 sub-Saharan African countries to dramatically expand the body of evidence on the most effective approaches to ending FGM/C. The research program will be organized around four themes: building the picture of where, …

Michigan Academician, Volume 43, Issue 1

Michigan Academician

No abstract provided.

Michigan Academician, Volume 43, Issue 2

Michigan Academician

No abstract provided.

Michigan Academician, Volume 43, Issue 3

Michigan Academician

No abstract provided.

Michigan Academician, Volume 44, Issue 2

Michigan Academician

No abstract provided.