Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Three Essays In Law And Economics, Daniel Bonneau

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation investigates three relevant topics in law and economics literature. The first chapter explores the effectiveness of a crime prevention policy in Detroit, Project Green Light. This initiative began in 2016 and was aimed at reducing crime around high-risk businesses. Reductions in crime can be found in the business block that housed the green light, with a potential diffusion of benefits to their immediate neighbors. Using calls for service produces mixed results and suggest that there may be an increase in proactive policing within these areas. Lastly, response times do appear to decrease significantly. The second chapter empirically evaluates …

The Role Of High-Fat Diets In Exacerbating Cognitive Deficits After Traumatic Brain Injury, Michelle A. Frankot

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) can cause chronic psychiatric-like impairments that may be driven by inflammation in the brain. In the current study, inflammation was upregulated using a high-fat diet (HFD) to assess the role of inflammation in TBI-induced deficits. Rats were randomly assigned to receive an HFD or calorie-matched low-fat diet (LFD) for the duration of the experiment. After two weeks of free access to their respective diets, rats began behavioral training on the Rodent Gambling Task (RGT), during which they were allowed to freely choose to nosepoke in one of four holes in a standard operant chamber. Responses in …

Prosocial Behaviors: The Influence Of Authoritarian Parenting Style On Adolescents’ Prosocial Behaviors Towards Friends And Strangers, Krista-Gay Shaniece Chantal Taylor

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Adolescence is the period of development of many negative and positive behaviors. On the positive side, prosocial behaviors are positive behaviors that become more prominent in adolescents. Many of the studies that explore prosocial behaviors have explored it during childhood rather than in adolescence. Additionally, few have assessed specific parenting styles, like authoritarian parenting and its influence on adolescents’ prosocial behaviors within distinct relationships. Therefore, the aims of this study were to assess how the maternal authoritarian parenting style is associated with adolescents’ prosocial behaviors. I also explored how the association between these two variables differ for friends and strangers …

Chlordiazepoxide Increases Risky Choice, Devin Andrew Galdieri

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Probability discounting is a measure of risky choice that is correlated with maladaptive behavior and psychological disorders. Benzodiazepines are a class of drug on which relatively little risky-choice research has been conducted, particularly under conditions of chronic drug exposure. Chlordiazepoxide, a standard benzodiazepine, was administered to rats that had been trained to respond on a risky-choice task in which a choice was available between a single food pellet with 100% certainty or three food pellets with probabilities of delivery that decreased across each experimental session. During baseline, responding was sensitive to the programmed contingencies and larger-reinforcer choice decreased as the …

Individual Differences In Social Decision-Making Preferences, Kelly R. Smith

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Most research on decision making to date has focused primarily on the individual decision maker and has not looked at social aspects of decision making. A review of decision making in older adults indicated that older adults rate their own decision-making competence as worse than younger adults, even though not all facets of decision making decline with age (Strough, Bruine de Bruin, & Peters, 2015). Because of social roles that contribute to gender differences, women are theorized to be more interpersonally-oriented than men, suggesting that they may prefer to make decisions with others (Eagly, 1983). As population age continues to …

Why Are They Wrong? Exploring Surrogates’ Accuracy When Predicting Patient Treatment Preferences, Rachael Lynn Spalding

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Surrogate decision making is common in medical settings, particularly regarding treatment decisions for patients at end-of-life. When making decisions on behalf of patients, surrogates are most often encouraged to use the substituted judgment standard and make the decision that the patient would make if he or she were able to express a choice. A significant body of research, using patient-surrogate pairs and hypothetical vignettes, has documented that surrogates tend to inaccurately predict patient preferences when making these decisions (Shalowitz et al., 2006). This results in treatment decisions that do not match what the patient would have selected. Various factors that …

Topics In Cultural And Entertainment Economics, Justin W. Parker

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

During the first 60 years of television broadcasting, prime time programming was dominated by the "Big Three" networks--NBC, ABC, and CBS. Their dominance in the market functioned as an oligopoly, supported by longstanding regulatory structures. Beginning in the 1970s, a wave of deregulation and change from satellite technology swept the industry, making it easier for other firms to enter the market. In 1986, the premiere of FOX saw a viable fourth network break through to compete with the Big Three. This paper analyzes inefficiencies on both the cost and content production side of prime time television, using survival analysis to …

A Phenomenological Photovoice Exploration Of Female Exercisers’ Experiences Of Their Body In Fitness Center Environments, Katherine E. Fairhurst

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

For many women, the relationship with their body and exercise is complex. Exercise can have positive effects on body image, however, not all women appear to benefit positively from all types of exercise. To date, body image research has focused on exercise as an activity and less so on the context in which exercise is performed. Women frequently exercise in fitness centers as young adults which, unfortunately, is associated with body dissatisfaction. Using an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) approach with Photovoice methodology, we explored young adult women’s lived body experiences while exercising in fitness centers. A purposive sample of 11 …

Validation Of Fast Spectrochemical Screening Methods For The Identification Of Counterfeit Pharmaceutical Packaging, Emily Ann Haase

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Counterfeit pharmaceuticals are an actively developing health and economic threat worldwide. Particularly prevalent are counterfeit pharmaceuticals distributed in emerging nations and through internet pharmacies or e-pharmacies. Although technology has been developed that discourages anti-counterfeiting practices (such as optically variable devices, invisible ink, and track-and-trace technology), it remains somewhat novel and expensive to implement on a widespread scale.

In this study, Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) and Attenuated Total Reflectance-Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) were proposed as fast and non-invasive tools for the identification of counterfeit pharmaceutical packages. The main objective of this research was to develop and evaluate the capabilities …

Examining The Use Of Mhealth Technology For Weight Management: A Hybrid Effectiveness-Implementation Trial In Family Medicine, Laurel A. Brabson M.S.

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Overweight and obesity are prevalent and problematic conditions in the United States and worldwide, and effective weight management interventions are underutilized. Efforts to improve weight management practices have focused almost exclusively on changing physician behavior, without considering the larger healthcare context or the reciprocal patient-physician relationship. The current study explored the possibility of leveraging technology to improve the implementation of weight management clinical practice guidelines and increase patient-physician weight management discussions. 100 patients of five family medicine physicians were randomly assigned to either complete a weight management mobile application (app) prior to their primary care visit (app condition), or to …

Three Essays On Energy Economics, Alexandre Ribeiro Scarcioffolo

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation consists of three essays that explore empirical issues concerning energy prices in the United States. In particular, it analyzes the price transmission within and across different energy markets and their interactions with the overall economy. The first essay evaluates the dynamic spatial integration in the U.S. natural gas market and the relative importance of each location in the overall price discovery process. I show that the regional natural gas market is on average well-integrated in both the short- and long-runs, although market integration has declined over the past few years due to pipeline capacity constraints in an increasingly …

Evaluating Use And Preference For Performance Feedback To Teach Instructional Strategies, Natalie Jones Shuler

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Written and graphical feedback may be useful tools for supporting instructors because they require fewer scheduled meetings and provide instructors with permanent performance records. Although written and graphical feedback have been effective at improving some skills (e.g., use of praise), little is known about efficacy across a wider array of skills or about teacher preferences for these feedback types. Study 1 evaluated use of written and graphical feedback to increase opportunities to respond (OTRs) provided by three instructors of equine-assisted activities and therapies. Feedback increased OTRs for all three instructors. Additionally, all instructors showed untaught increases in praise when receiving …

Innovative Approaches To 3d Gis Modeling For Volumetric And Geoprocessing Applications In Subsurface Infrastructures In A Virtual Immersive Environment, Pragya Srivastava

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

As subsurface features remain largely ‘out of sight, out of mind’, this has led to challenges when dealing with underground space and infrastructures and especially so for those working in GIS. Since subsurface infrastructure plays a major role in supporting the needs of modern society, groups such as city planners and utility companies and decision makers are looking for an ‘holistic’ approach where the sustainable use of underground space is as important as above ground space. For such planning and management, it is crucial to examine subsurface data in a form that is amenable to 3D mapping and that can …

Three Essays In Public Economics, Perry Ferrell

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation investigates policy-relevant topics in public economics and law and economics. The first chapter applies the transitional gains trap to legal land title enfranchisement in developing countries. The second chapter examines the role of US Forest Service avalanche forecasting operations in preventing human-involved backcountry avalanche accidents. The final chapter explores what extent local newspaper coverage has on traffic stop behavior by local law enforcement. In the first chapter “Titles For Me But Not For Thee: Transitional Gains Trap of Property Rights Extension in Colombia” I apply Tullock’s “transitional gains trap” to the formalization of property titles in Latin America …

The Effects Of Household Substrates On The Evaporation Of Ignitable Liquids At Temperatures Up To 210℃, Caitlyn Wensel

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In fire debris analysis, ignitable liquid residues are commonly identified using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The detection and identification of an ignitable liquid can help arson investigators determine whether a fire was intentional or accidental. To assist with the identification of ignitable liquid residues, chromatograms of questioned samples are typically compared to those of known ignitable liquids that have been weathered (evaporated) to different extents. Practitioners typically perform such weathering at room temperature and to a limited number of extents of weathering, so their database of weathered residues is likely to deviate markedly from casework residues. The ultimate goal of …

Understanding The Relationship Between Dental Fear, Behavior Management Problems, And Caregiver-Child Interactions During Young Child Dental Appointments, Christopher Kyle Owen

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Positive oral health practices should begin early in life (AAPD; 2013; 2014; 2015); however, dental care-related fear and anxiety and behavior management problems are prevalent among young children in oral health (Klingberg & Broberg, 2007). The study explored caregiver and child dental care-related fear and anxiety, child behavior, and caregiver-child interactions during early childhood dental appointments. Caregiver-child dyad participants (N = 140) were collected from dental practices in West Virginia, Ohio, and Tennessee. Children (n = 139) in the sample were largely White (69.8%) and male (54.0%), with an average age of 3.05 years. Video-taped dental appointments for children under …

A Comparative Analysis Of Homicide Rates Utilizing The University Of Tennessee Forensic Data Bank, Anna F. Hampton

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Homicide has piqued the interest of society through media not only in the 21^st century, but also dating back to the 1800s with crime fiction novels. Homicide holds the attention of our society with crime drama television series and has become part of American culture. With the attention that homicide receives, studies focusing on homicide are therefore important. This research utilizes the University of Tennessee Forensic Data Bank (FDB) to examine and compare homicide rates to the Global Study on Homicide conducted by the United Nation Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Variables examined include sex, ancestry, cause of …

Diet-Breadth Analysis In The American Southwest: Metabarcoding Method With Coprolites, Paige Nicole Plattner

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Molecular analysis of coprolites is proposed as new means of studying bio-archaeological remains that aids in the ability to capture diet breadth from past populations. This research utilizes the targeted PCR method, known as metabarcoding, to study dietary elements preserved in the coprolites from three greater Southwest sites. The Illumina MiSeq technology was used to sequence the samples after multiple rounds of targeted PCR using two primers (16s and 12s) proven successful for taxonomic identification with animal DNA and one primer specific to plant DNA (Rias et al 2011).

The sequencing data was then run through two different bioinformatics pipelines …

Drug Policy: The Effect Of Medical Marijuana On Opioid Consumption During The Us Opioid Epidemic, Jonathon David Knudson

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The introduction and subsequent over-prescribing of extended-release opioids in the United States resulted in a large rise in both addiction and overdose. Recognition and regulation of these new drugs as addictive did little to control the supply of opioids to Americans while Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs and Abuse Deterrent reformulations had limited effect to control the problem. Simultaneously, states like Michigan and Rhode Island legalized medical marijuana through voter referenda opening the door for a new approach to pain management. Recent research has found medical marijuana has proven an effective treatment for conditions such as chronic pain and PTSD and …

Comparing Fence Modeling And Mapping Approaches To Support Wildlife Management And Research In Southwest Montana, Simon Albert Buzzard

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Fences pose significant challenges to wildlife movement, but their effects are difficult to quantify because fence location and fence type data are lacking on a global scale. We developed a fence location and density model in southwest Montana, USA to provide data to researchers and managers, and test whether previous models could be applied to a new region and retain suitable levels of statistical accuracy. Our model used local expert opinion to inform how road, land cover, and ownership spatial layers interacted to predict fence locations. We validated the model against fence data collected on random 3.2 km road transects …

Job Satisfaction As A Function Of The Five Factor Model Of Personality In The Community Mental Health Center Environment Of Northern Indiana, Robert Ryan

Dissertations

Problem

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the Big Five personality type indicators and job satisfaction in the community mental health setting. The focus of this study was to gain a better understanding of whether a not-for-profit can benefit from the use of a brief personality instrument to recruit and retain individuals with the highest probability of job satisfaction. This research complements previous research which has revealed a positive correlation between certain Big Five personality traits and job satisfaction in several sectors. The research population for this study consisted of community mental health employees working …

A Quantitative Comparative Study Of Employee Engagement Among Full-Time Seventh-Day Adventist Pastors In The North American Division Of Seventh-Day Adventists And Its Relationship To Level Of Participation In Annual Pastoral Continuing Education (Ce), Sharon Aka

Dissertations

Problem

Research was needed to determine the relationship between pastoral CE and employee engagement to guide policy implementation as well as future efforts for pastoral professional development within the Adventist organization.

Method

This study presents a new theoretical Adventist pastor development model integrating several theories and concepts including: the call, the Seven Core Qualities of an NAD pastor framework, andragogy, CE, SDT, and employee engagement. Employee engagement was measured using Herzberg's hygiene-motivation factor employee engagement theory. Comparisons were conducted on six groups of pastors related to selfreported participation in annual CE.

Results

Major research findings indicate that pastors, perhaps inevitably …

Informative Speech Guidelines And Rubric, Angela Elbanna

Open Educational Resources

An informative speech is a speech where the goal is to inform the audience about a topic. The audience may already have some knowledge of this topic or they may not know anything at all about it. This speech is based on facts and research, not opinion. The speaker should be unbiased and simply present the information to the audience, not attempt to influence or persuade them in any way. Speakers may choose any topic.

Speech 100 Hybrid Syllabus, Angela Elbanna

Open Educational Resources

This is a syllabus for a hybrid Speech 100 course using OER materials. A hybrid course meets 33 to 80% online.

The Hunt With John Walsh: True Crime Storytelling, Amanda R. Keeler

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

In her analysis of The Hunt with John Walsh, Amanda Keeler explores the public service function of true crime television programs that feature unsolved or unresolved cases. Trough an investigation of visual style and narrative elements, Keeler examines the multiple intentions of television programs that seek to entertain audiences and simultaneously help solve crimes.

Inference In Threshold Models, Yoonseok Lee, Yulong Wang

Center for Policy Research

This paper develops new statistical inference methods for the parameters in threshold regression models. In particular, we develop a test for homogeneity of the threshold parameter and a test for linear restrictions on the regression coefficients. The tests are built upon a transformed partial-sum process after re-ordering the observations based on the rank of the threshold variable, which recasts the crosssectional threshold problem into the time-series structural break analogue. The asymptotic distributions of the test statistics are derived using this novel approach, and the finite sample properties are studied in Monte Carlo simulations. We apply the new tests to the …

Marielle Franco, Rhaissa Sanches

Faculty Curated Undergraduate Works

Marielle Franco was a Black, Brazilian activist (1979-2018) who rose from the favelas (poor areas) of Rio de Janeiro to be elected as a councilwoman in Rio's election of 2016. Franco was known for exposing the violence waged in the favelas by Brazil's military and police under the "pretense of maintaining law and order," as well as how the militia wields power over those who live in the favelas. In addition to detailing Franco's life, activism and death, this paper also explains the history and development of the favelas in Rio de Janeiro, as well as the negative attitudes held …

Perceived Effects Of Bush Burning On Agriculture And Wildlife Resources In Ghana, Caitlin A. Wilson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Peace Corps was started in the 1960s by President John F. Kennedy. Ghana was one of the first established host countries that received Peace Corps Volunteers. There are five different sectors that volunteers can work in education, health, agriculture, environment, or community and economic development. Peace Corps service begins with ten weeks of pre-service training before volunteers swear in and are placed in communities throughout the country. Training covers topics such as global Peace Corps policy, health and security concerns, local language, and technical skills. I was placed in a small, rural community in the Northern Region of Ghana. My …

The Fight Is Still On: An Ethical Analysis Of The American Civil Liberties Union’S Partisan Rhetoric In The Trump Era, Emily Charlotte Gerber

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The 2016 U.S. presidential election of Donald Trump generated a newfound surge in political advocacy that greatly benefitted certain nonprofits and grassroots organizations. One of these organizations was the American Civil Liberties Union, a nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to protecting and defending civil liberties and rights in the U.S. The ACLU received an unprecedented number of donations following Election Day and has since pursued an aggressive campaign against President Donald Trump.

In order to explore this phenomenon, this thesis analyzed the ACLU’s rhetoric between Presidents George W. Bush and Donald Trump (both Republicans) and between Presidents Barack Obama (Democrat) and Donald …

Minocycline As A Treatment For Traumatic Brain Injury-Induced Impulsive And Attentional Deficits, Kristen M. Pechacek

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) impacts millions worldwide and can cause lasting psychiatric symptoms. Chronic neuroinflammation is a characteristic of post-injury pathology and is positively associated with psychiatric conditions such as ADHD and bipolar disorder. Therefore, the current study sought to treat TBI-induced impulsivity and inattention using minocycline, an antibiotic with anti-inflammatory properties. Rats were trained on the five-choice serial reaction time task (5CSRT), a measure of motor impulsivity and attention. After behavior was stable on the 5CSRT, rats received either a bilateral frontal TBI or sham procedure. Minocycline was given at either 1 h post-injury or beginning at 8 weeks …