Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Extending The Network: The Influence Of Offline Friendship On Twitter Network, Young Soo Kim, Kyungsub Stephen Choi, Felicia Natali

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Twitter effectively provides a communication platform that allows users to strengthen or augment relationships with their close ones. It is a common scene to see groups of people in continuing group communication from offline to online using tools such as Twitter. Furthermore, it is also possible to meet new friends via online encounter. Under these circumstances, there would be friends who are both offline and online, or only in online. Many of earlier Twitter network studies focused on the network effects’ direction going from online to offline network. This paper explores the opposite direction, going from offline to online network. …

Gas On The Fire: Great Power Alliances And Petrostate Aggression, Inwook Kim, Jackson Woods

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

What causes petro-aggression? Conventional wisdom maintains that the regime type of petrostates has significant effects on the likelihood that petrostates will launch revisionist militarized interstate disputes (MIDs). While domestic politics is an important factor that might explain the motivation and behavioral patterns of a petrostate, it says little about the international environment in which a petrostate decides to initiate conflicts. One significant factor that presents opportunities and constraints for petro-aggression is a great power alliance. In essence, the great power has strong incentives not to upset the relationship with its client petrostate ally for both strategic and economic reasons and, …

Policy Analysis: A Rich Array Of Country And Comparative Insights, Joselyn Muhleisen, Ishani Mukherjee

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

The International Library of Policy Analysis (ILPA) series, edited by Iris Geva-May and Michael Howlett, is a collection of books assessing the state of the discipline of policy analysis in eight countries. The books address the academic development of policy analysis, its practical applications, the diverse range of actors involved, and pertinent academic instruction. Alhough the state of policy analysis - and, importantly, the state of policy analysis scholarship - varies considerably in the countries studied, the series is able to sythesise existing knowledge through empirical research and institutional analyses of the governmental and non-governmental organisations that provide policy advice …

China’S Belt And Road Initiative And The New Eurasian Order, William A. Callahan

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

As Chinese President Xi Jinping’s signature project, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has redirected the structures and the objectives of both foreign and domestic policy in the PRC. BRI’s goal is primarily economic: to increase trade and investment along China’s periphery by funding and building infrastructure projects. But it is more. Through an analysis of official and semiofficial sources, this policy brief will show that BRI aims to weave neighboring countries into a network of economic, political, cultural, and security relations centered around China. BRI is a new project that is still taking shape. Yet, its objectives are ambitious: …

What Singapore, Singaporeans And The Sports Fraternity Can Learn From Schooling’S Olympic Heroics, Tan K. B. Eugene

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

For a young country starved of Olympic Games success, Joseph Schooling’s superlative achievement in winning an individual gold medal in the 100m Butterfly event at the Rio Olympics deserves due recognition, including Monday’s unprecedented parliamentary motion formally recognising his achievements.

The Audacity Of Schooling’S Faith, Tan K. B. Eugene

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

For a young country starved of sporting success on the world stage, Singapore has lionised and feted its Rio Oympics hero, Joseph Schooling, since his sensational victory in the 100m butterfly event — and rightfully so.

Moving From Tension To Symbiosis In A Distinctive City, Tan K. B. Eugene

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

In a commentary, SMU Associate Professor of Law Eugene Tan noted that meticulous urban planning has enabled Singapore to attain a high quality of living, delicately balancing the inherent tension between the economy and the environment. He shared his views on relevant issues such as the conflicting interests between Singapore’s immigration policy and its national identity, as well as the inherent tension between the economy and the environment. Associate Prof Tan pointed out that the quest to balance economic growth with environment concerns and social character is not a mere luxury but a growing imperative. He added that as Singapore …

Proposed Treatment Of Problematic Pornography Use: A Cognitive-Behavioral Approach, Jennifer Minarcik

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As pornography use increases across the general population, mental health professionals are encountering more patients who present symptoms of sexual addictions and sexual compulsivity (Cooper et al., 2001). Never before have pornographic materials been so accessible to consumers. Viewing pornography is related to many negative consequences for the individual, including impairment of academic and professional functioning, subjective distress, and sexual compulsivity (Cooper et al., 1999a; Manning, 2006). Studies found pornography use by an individual typically leads to a decline in relationship and sexual satisfaction (Bridges, 2008a). Despite the growth in research related to problematic pornography use, to date there have …

Are Countries In Environmental Cooperation Concerned About Relative Gains?, Vivian Chinua Olivia Ike

Master's Theses

A country’s decision to join or withdraw from environmental cooperation has been argued by interest based theories to be influenced by the economic cost of international agreements, national interest of countries and the free-rider problem. However, this thesis argues that relative gains is a more decisive factor that influences the decision of countries in international arrangements. It hypothesizes that countries in environmental cooperation are concerned about relative gains. A content analysis of the statements of fifteen countries in international climate change cooperation are analyzed. The countries include the United States, Russian Federation, Canada, Japan, Australia, China, Brazil, South Africa, India, …

The Invisible People Of The Invisible Coast: The Resilience Of People Experiencing Homelessness To Disasters On The Alabama, Louisiana, And Mississippi Gulf Coasts, Nicole Elizabeth Callais

Master's Theses

While extensive research has been conducted on vulnerability and resilience with regard to hazards, very few studies have researched the resilience of homeless populations. The Gulf Coast region is densely populated and susceptible to natural and anthropogenic hazards. Climate change studies indicate that this region will experience an increase in severe and intense tropical cyclones[1], thereby increasing the risk of experiencing adverse impacts from future coastal hazards. While local government agencies in this region have policies in place to protect communities, these policies tend to exclude any action regarding the evacuation and safety of the homeless population.

In …

Explaining Dynamic Interactions In Wiki-Based Collaborative Writing, Mimi Li, Wei Zhu

Writing & Linguistics: Faculty Publications (1990-2022)

This article reports a case study that examined dynamic patterns of interaction that two small groups of ESL students exemplified when they performed two writing tasks, i.e., Research Proposal (Task 1) and Annotated Bibliography (Task 2) in a wiki site. Group A demonstrated a Collective pattern in Task 1, but switched to an Active/Withdrawn pattern in Task 2. In contrast, Group B exhibited a Dominant/Defensive pattern in Task 1, but switched to a Collaborative one in Task 2. These patterns were substantiated by group members’ ongoing task approaches in terms of “equality” and “mutuality,” reflected via the analyses of language …

Women In Gaming: A Study Of Female Players’ Experiences In Online Fps Games, M Allison Mcdaniel

Honors Theses

Existing literature has long been divided over whether the gaming world fosters violence and misogyny or provides a space for people to explore diverse identities. Not enough is known about how women experience videogames, especially the hypermasculine environment of first-person shooter (FPS) games. Competition, violence, and war, are dominant features of these games. The following thesis explores what harassment and discrimination women playing FPS games face, how they respond, and in what ways they find games to be empowering. A survey was distributed online to an international sample of 141 female FPS gamers. This research finds that women who play …

Black Male Emerging Adults: Investigating Inequalities In Adult Transitions, Social Learning, And Criminality, De Andre' Terrell Beadle

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Emerging adulthood is a life stage that developed as a result of numerous macro-structural changes in recent decades (Arnett 2015), and which has implications for life course criminality and identity formation (Massoglia & Uggen 2010). Much research has been done in the area of the new life stage known as “emerging adulthood,” however little to no research has been done on how emerging adulthood relates to or changes classic findings in criminology, especially about the importance of disadvantages embedded in racial inequalities. This mixed method study analyzes data from the National Study of Youth and Religion (NSYR) to examine Social …

Analysis Of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs In Farmers' Markets, Megan M. Thomas

School of Social Work Undergraduate Honors Theses

As health concerns for the nation increase, access to fresh and healthy produce is a simple and essential solution to the extreme levels of obesity currently being experienced. Arkansas currently has the highest rate of childhood obesity and severely high levels of food insecurity. This study investigates the efforts made by policymakers to increase access to local and fresh produce through the use of SNAP incentive programs at local farmers markets. Vendor opinions are taken into account at farmers markets in the Northwest Arkansas area to decipher the program effectiveness thus far. The implications of this study will further the …

Why We Follow: Exploring How Culture Shapes Users’ Motivation For Following Sport Organizations On Twitter And Weibo, Bo Li

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to explore how culture shapes Social media users’ usage as they follow sport organizations on two similar microblogging services - Twitter and Weibo. In particular, the study attempted to measure whether Social media users exhibited different usage pattern, points of attachment, and usage motivations within two different cultural environments known as individualism and collectivism.

The Los Angeles Lakers’ Social media followers were selected and invited to participant in this study. There were 839 the Lakers’ Weibo followers and 334 Twitter followers who completed an online survey facilitated on Qualtrics. The results of Multivariate analysis …

Profit Based Simulation Model For The Rail Transportation Industry, Mark Patrick Doran

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Schedules often conflict in the rail transportation industry. Operations managers assign resources and make scheduling decisions with no visibility of the revenue, cost, and profitability characteristics of the route they are manipulating. Transit speed decisions focus on ensuring trains safely reach their destination on time with little regard given to the actual service needs of the customer. Although all customers want on-time deliveries, few actually pay a premium to garner this level of preferential treatment. Operating in this type of environment results in decisions that severely erode profits.

In this dissertation, a simulation model referred to as the Rail Profit …

A Taxonomy Of Effective Leader Behaviors In The Construction Industry, Enrique Leonardo Cabrera-Caban

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The construction industry is a major part of the United States economy, but it is also one of the most dangerous and high-risk industries. The industry is currently facing a shortage of effective leadership, and leaders face unique challenges in coordinating multiple teams of subcontractors on projects. The first step in remedying this shortage is to identify the behaviors of an effective construction leader. To address this need, a taxonomy of effective leader behaviors in construction was developed using grounded theory methodology and rated by construction industry subject matter experts. Archival focus group data from 10 focus groups in three …

Simple Tools With Nontrivial Implications For Assessment Of Hypothesis-Evidence Relationships: The Interrogator’S Fallacy, Justus R. Riek

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

This paper takes a mathematical analysis technique derived from the Interrogator’s Fallacy (in a legal context), expands upon it to identify a set of three interrelated probabilistic tools with wide applicability, and demonstrates their ability to assess hypothesis-evidence relationships associated with important problems

Fuzzy Logic In Health Care Settings: Moral Math For Value-Laden Choices, Sarah Voss

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

This essay is intended as an example of “moral math”, i.e., ideas culled from mathematics which can positively impact social behavior. Specifically, it combines fuzzy logic with the ethical decisions which hospital staff and others are sometimes forced to make about health care (e.g., euthanasia issues following Hurricane Katrina). The assumption is that such decisions involve value-laden choices which lend themselves to “fuzzy” or “smart” protocols. The article discusses the history of fuzzy logic – what it is, how it is used, and how it might be even better-used as a support basis for making difficult choices …

Mobile Technologies: Uxo Lao's Easy Sketch Map, Hayashi Ontoku Akihito

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Established in 1996, the Lao National Unexploded Ordnance Programme (UXO Lao) promotes risk education and clears land for agriculture, community purposes (e.g., schools, hospitals, temples and water supplies) and other development activities. UXO Lao is working in the nine most impacted Lao provinces nationwide. Although recent changes occurred to UXO Lao’s survey procedure, the program continues mapping out contaminated areas throughout the country.

Implementing International Obligations To Clear Mines, Stuart Maslen

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Each State Party to the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (APMBC) that knows or suspects it has areas under its jurisdiction or control that contain anti-personnel (AP) mines has a clear deadline to locate and destroy those mines. According to Article 5(1), upon becoming party to the APMBC, a State must complete clearance within ten years, unless the deadline is pushed back in an agreement from the other States Parties at an annual meeting or five-yearly review conference.

The Journal Of Conventional Weapons Destruction Issue 20.2 (2016), Cisr Jmu

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Mobile Technologies in CWD

South and Central Asia

Field Notes

Research and Development

Integrated Cooperation On Explosive Hazards Program In Central Asia, Luka Buhin

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Office in Tajikistan (OiT) facilitates regional cooperation and coordination in the field of mine action in Central Asia, predominantly focusing on but not limited to inter-military cooperation. This approach falls under the OSCE concept of comprehensive and cooperative security. One of the best examples of this cooperation is the OSCE extra-budgetary project, the Integrated Cooperation on Explosive Hazards Programme (ICExH), which has been running since mid-2013. The project received financial support from the governments of Austria and the Netherlands in the past, while the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement in …

Afghanistan’S National Mine Action Strategic Plan (2016–2021), Mohammad Akbar Oriakhil

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Afghanistan suffers from severe landmine and explosive remnants of war (ERW) contamination, mostly as a result of the Soviet-Afghan War (1979–1989), internal conflict lasting from 1992 to 1996, and the United States-led coalition intervention in late 2001.

Mobile Data Collection: Interoperability Through New Architecture, Elizabeth Vinek, Sulaiman Mukahhal, Olivier Cottray

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Information management (IM) requires close collaboration between all parties in a mine action program and cannot be carried out in isolation. Effective IM involves tools as well as organizational processes that clearly define how different parties interact and function with IM. Without adequately defining processes through National Mine Action Standards (NMAS) and Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), even the most advanced and fit-for-purpose IM tools will lack the foundation to be effective.

Mobile Technology In Mine Action: The Fulcrum Application, Camille Wallen, Nick Torbet

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

In 2014, The HALO Trust (HALO) began trialing Fulcrum, a mobile data collection application for survey developed by Fulcrum Mobile Solutions. Due to the success of the trial, the subscription-based commercial product, designed specifically for mobile data collection, was used in eight HALO programs. Using Fulcrum, HALO has created 35 applications that collect data for a variety of outputs, including rapid contamination assessments, socioeconomic and impact surveys, minefield quality assurance checks, vehicle and logistics checks, and a number of reports including technical and nontechnical surveys, explosive ordnance disposal (EOD), mine risk education (MRE), and daily minefield stats reports.

Building Tajikistan’S National Capacity, Bahriniso Shamsieva

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Headquartered in Vienna, Austria, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is an international organization of 57 member States. Currently conducting 16 field missions, OSCE develops confidence building measures in the field of security while providing conflict- prevention capabilities and a capacity-building process for participating nations. These mine action activities are supported by the OSCE Permanent Council and implemented by field missions via partnerships with the host countries.

The Uxo Sector In Laos, Titus Peachey

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Nearly fifty years after the nine-year Secret War (1964–1973), Laos is the scene of a US$35–$40 million annual enterprise, employing more than 3,000 workers who, with assistance from governments and nongovernmental organizations (NGO) around the world, are engaged in unexploded ordnance (UXO) clearance, victim assistance and mine risk education (MRE). The 2.2 million tons of bombs included an estimated 270 million cluster munitions, many of which failed to detonate on impact and created a lethal landscape to which villagers returned after the war. The inevitable post-war casualties now number more than 20,000. A high percentage of victims over the past …

From The Director - Issue 20.2, Ken Rutherford

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

From the Director - Issue 20.2

Explosive Remnants Of War: A Deadly Threat To Refugees, Ken Rutherford, Andrew Cooney

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The deadly legacy of explosive remnants of war (ERW), including landmines, improvised explosive devices (IED) and unexploded ordnance (UXO) is increasingly a threat to refugee populations, economic migrants and internally displaced persons (IDP) in countries throughout Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Southeast Asia.