Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Criminal Organizations And Nuclear Threats In Southeast Asia, Gary Ackerman, Thomas Guarrieri, Justin V. Hastings, Steven Hoodjer

International Journal of Nuclear Security

Increasing global interest in nuclear energy and peaceful uses of nuclear technology has led to facilities in emerging countries with nuclear materials and radioactive sources that could be stolen, sabotaged, or otherwise accessed by criminals. In this paper, we created a framework to assess the motivations and capabilities of criminal networks and measure the threats they may pose to different stages of the nuclear fuel cycle in emerging nuclear states. We applied the framework to a unique dataset, capturing characteristics of criminal organizations active in Southeast Asia, which allowed us to assess which criminal organizations are most likely to pose …

Navigating The Math Mind: The Latest In Math Mind Measures Development, H. Colleen Sinclair, Judith Lee Falgout Rhodes, Youn Kyoung Kim, Stacey R. Terrio

Reports

This presentation updated the psychometric analyses of the Math Mind Measures (MMM) scale at the Annual AIMS Winter Convening, sponsored by the Gates Foundation. Researchers presented information about the long form, short form, brief scales, and the parallel versions of the MMM. One highlight of the presentation included the unveiling of the MMM: A User Guide, which is available at https://repository.lsu.edu/srec_reports/16/

Blueprint For A Youth Violence Intervention Program In East Baton Rouge Parish: Adapting Hospital-Based Strategies, Kristina G. Little, Elizabeth Winchester, Judith L F Rhodes

Reports

Youth violence in East Baton Rouge Parish remains a persistent public safety and public health challenge. This report proposes an adapted, evidence-informed model for East Baton Rouge Parish that retains the core components of traditional HVIPs while leveraging existing legal, hospital, and social service resources. The model is grounded in a public health framework and emphasizes trauma-informed, bedside intervention at the “teachable moment” when youth are most receptive to change, and long-term wraparound case management. The report concludes with recommendations for implementing this adapted approach, including identifying a health system champion, building referral protocols, embedding training, and developing a long-term …

Research Newsletter Faculty Of Arts & Sciences: Issue Iv, Faculty Of Arts And Sciences

Faculty of Arts and Sciences Archives

• Research Newsletter
• RISE Programme
• Early Career Faculty Support
• Grant Writing
• Community-Based Water Management
• Climate Change Projects
• Student Internships
• AHRC Network Workshop
• Dr. Nichola Khan
• Grants Consultant
• Mishal Hammad Saeed

Irrigation Companies: Perspectives In The Great Salt Lake Basin, Bailey M. Holdaway, Courtney G. Flint

Environment and Society Student Research

In an effort to better understand the water management practices of Utah irrigation companies within the Great Salt Lake Basin, interviews and surveys were conducted with company representatives. These discussions aimed to capture insights across a variety of key topics related to water resource management. This report describes the interview and survey efforts undertaken to assess these irrigation companies. Findings from both interviews and surveys are organized by question topic and then by theme.

An Evaluation Of The Role Of Conditional And Unconditional Probabilities In A Precursor Functional Analysis, Cassie Ross

Masters Theses

Functional analysis assessments are extremely useful tools in determining the function of challenging behavior and designing behavior intervention plans (Iwata et al. 1982/1994), but in the case of severe challenging behavior, can be dangerous to the individual or assessor. Precursor functional analyses place the contingencies onto a precursor to the severe challenging behavior and have been shown to be an effective assessment with high correspondence to a traditional functional analyses (Rahaman et al. 2024). This study utilized a probability analysis to identify precursor behaviors and assess the time required to identify precursors. We used a modified Functional Assessment Interview to …

Measuring Collective Impact Of Extension Programs Addressing Substance Use And Mental Health, Omolola A. Adedokun, Olumuyiwa M. Desmennu, Alex Elswick, Nichole Huff, Brooke Jenkins, Katherine Jury, Heather Norrman-Burgdolf

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

Extension excels at working across program areas and disciplinary boundaries inside and outside land-grant institutions to address complex social issues within communities. However, evaluation of the collective impact of these concerted programmatic initiatives remains a persistent challenge for Extension. To better understand the broader impact of Extension’s cohesive, concurrent response to complex issues such as substance use and mental health, there is a need to shift from isolated evaluations of individual or single Extension programs to a focus on collective impact assessment. This article describes the University of Kentucky Extension planning process and outputs of a collective impact evaluation initiative …

Personal Information Sharing Behavior Using Social Media: A Bibliometric Analysis From 2007-2024, Ashraf Sharif, Khalid Mahmood, Shafiq Ur Rehman

Libraries

This study explores personal information sharing behavior publication patterns and trends on social media from 2007-2024 with an aim to highlight the annual growth of personal information sharing behavior (PISB) on social media platforms, key patterns in the PISB literature in terms of frequently cited authors, countries, institutions, sources, highly cited papers, collaboration and authorship patterns, thematic evolution, keyword and key factor analysis (such as countries, sources, and keywords). We used Scopus database for data extraction, and 1020 pertinent records were chosen. The data was evaluated with Microsoft Excel, Access, Biblioshiny and VOSviewer software. The United States of America is …

Prenatal Substance Exposure And Positive Developmental Delay Screening Among Patients In Foster Care, Lauren Malthaner, Jill Mcleigh, Gregory Knell, Katelyn Jetelina, Folefac Atem, Sarah Messiah

Behavioral Health/Developmental Delay

Prenatal substance exposure (PSE) is a known risk factor for negative birth outcomes and long-term health outcomes like neurodevelopmental problems. Children in foster care have increased exposure to PSE and higher proportions of developmental delay compared with the general population. It is unclear whether differences still exist among developmental delay screening among children in foster care with and without PSE.

For questions about this study or others, please email [email protected]

childrens.com/fostercare

Just Places And Paths: Equitable Transit-Oriented Development In Vancouver, Washington, Hannah Althea, Jesse Tapia, Ken Yoneda, Blessie Saoit, Hayley Still

Master of Urban and Regional Planning Workshop Projects

The Southwest Washington Equity Coalition (SWEC) has been actively engaged in multiple efforts to uplift BIPOC communities in the City of Vancouver and Clark County. SWEC has partnered with Rhododendron Planning for a project to develop a toolkit to guide future Equitable Transit-Oriented Development (ETOD) that considers the specific needs and desires of BIPOC communities, which can be used for current and future policy initiatives. This work comes at a time of escalating development, inward migration, and diversification, putting pressure on present and burgeoning BIPOC communities. Between 2010 and 2020, the population of BIPOC communities living in Vancouver, Washington, has …

Aging In Harwich: A Community Needs Assessment, Claire E. Wickersham, Caitlin E. Coyle

Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging Publications

At a time of such significant population aging, the Harwich Council on Aging commissioned a community-wide needs assessment with support from the Friends of the Harwich Council on Aging. The specific goal of this report is to support the strategic planning of the Harwich Council on Aging. An additional goal is to present information useful to other Harwich departments and organizations interacting with older residents planning for the future of Harwich. This report presents the results of a comprehensive examination of issues relating to aging in Harwich. Results presented here focus on the characteristics and needs of Harwich residents aged …

The Seduction Of Journalism In Atlanta: William Randolph Hearst And The Atlanta Georgian, Andrew J. Bramlett

The Kennesaw Journal of Undergraduate Research

The Atlanta Georgian was founded in 1906, quickly becoming a rival of the already established Atlanta Constitution and Atlanta Journal. Its founding editor, John Temple Graves, was a devoted believer of the New South Movement and a prominent ally of newspaper mogul William Randolph Hearst. In 1912, Hearst purchased the Georgian, expanding his influence into the South. The Georgian was a small piece of his grander plan to become President of the United States, and he quickly turned it into Atlanta’s most discussed newspaper. However, since the first edition of the Georgian was published in 1906, Hearst’s presence …

Familiarity Moderates Education Level Of Stigma For Professional Efficacy Of Treating Mental Illness, Jason J. Burrow-Sanchez, Shawnda Schroeder, Thomasine Heitkamp, Brian Urlacher, Sharon Cook, Paula Bennett, Carolina Corrales

Indigenous Health Faculty Publications

Background: About one in five adults in the United States experience any mental illness (AMI) whereas 14.2 million experience serious mental illness (SMI). The perception of stigma among these individuals can be associated with care seeking behavior and treatment adherence.

Purpose: Two factors that mitigate stigma are familiarity with someone experiencing AMI/SMI and general level of education. Heretofore, these factors have not been tested together to determine if familiarity moderates the relation between level of education and stigma of professional efficacy for treating mental illness.

Methods: In fall 2020, an online survey in the state of Utah measured 1,300 adults’ …

Introduction, John, Lord Alderdice

New England Journal of Public Policy

Introduction for Volume 37, Issue 1 of the New England Journal of Public Policy.

Solving Global Problems Requires Global Cohesion, Harvey Whitehouse, John, Lord Alderdice, Carlos Alvarado Quesada, Peter Gluckman, Hakima El Haité, Lukas Reinhardt

New England Journal of Public Policy

A growing body of evidence from evolutionary anthropology and social psychology suggests that group cohesion can be scaled up beyond the level of nations and even regional blocs and transnational religions to encompass humanity at large. This article brings together insights from globally renowned political leaders, activists, and academics by arguing that this scaling up is not only possible but necessary to address the most pressing collective action problems facing our planet today. Drawing on evidence from experiments, longitudinal studies, and multi-country surveys, along with extensive practical experience—from serving as a head of state to playing leading roles in climate …

An Intervention To Increase Belonging And Support Retention For Faculty Of Color And Women Faculty, Robyn K. Mallett, Zahra Naqi-Hasnain, Dana Garbarski, Christine Li-Grining, David Ensminger, Walter Tangarife, Badia Ahad

Sociology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Faculty of Color and women faculty face significant obstacles (e.g., isolation, marginalization, tokenism) on the road to tenure and promotion. We translate social psychological research on the contact hypothesis and belonging and adapt previous interventions at other universities to deliver an institutional-level intervention designed to support faculty belonging and retention. This study utilizes a faculty climate survey and institutional-level demographic data to assess tenure-track faculty belonging and retention following the intervention. We observe greater perceptions of institutional support for diversity and lesser disparities in belonging and tenure rates among historically marginalized faculty over three years following the intervention. We discuss …

Aurela App Mockup – Discreet Drug Detection Wearable, Piper Ferch

Graphic Communication

Aurela is a discreet drug detection technology jewelry brand, and the wearable will connect to the app to tell users if their drink is safe when they test it with the jewelry. Drug-facilitated sexual assault is a deep rooted societal issue, and Aurela works to empower customer’s control of their safety. The brand was created by my beach volleyball teammate Addie Bounds, and my project aims to show how the app would provide fast, accessible information to users, in an easy-to-read and streamlined format. It will include a map feature, that displays ratings of local businesses, likely bars, given by …

New Tsg Processes: Improving Workflow Efficiency Through Desktop Ux/Ui Design, Evelyn Guzman Ramos

Graphic Communication

This senior project is focused on improving the equipment handling processes for the Technical Service Group (TSG) in the Electrical Engineering Department at Cal Poly through the design and development of a user-friendly desktop application. The goal is to create an intuitive and efficient interface tailored to the needs of student staff and faculty, reducing the time and complexity associated with current manual and outdated systems. The design will prioritize usability, accessibility, and task efficiency, key pillars in User Experience (UX) and User Interface (UI) design for desktop environments (Nielsen & Budiu, 2012). This user-centered approach emphasizes desktop-specific interaction patterns …

Spirometry: For The Winds In Us, Kendall Allison

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Spirometers are devices used to measure lung capacity. This capstone is a creative study of what restores our breathing aptitude as a response to the suffocating and alienating consequences of whiteness for people racialized as white. The project is a sequence of lyric essays. The first lyric essay frames whiteness as a condition of exile and examines the cultural and emotional currents that shore it up. I use exile as a frame to emphasize the intensity of the spiritual and cultural alienation that people racialized as white experience. I also contextualize the dis-ease of suicide in my own lineage, and …

When Avatars Go To School: The Effect Of Virtual Reality On Learning And Error Correction, Lauren Barack

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The pandemic in 2020 led to an increasing dependency on technology particularly in learning environments. National educational assessments in the proceeding years have indicated steep, measurable learning loss. While a fully virtual learning environment is not the norm today, we chose to investigate how virtual reality (VR) environments influence learning in college students.

Our primary research goal was to look at how students learn and remember information gathered in virtual spaces. In particular, we examined whether sensory inputs in the VR environment, including spatial audio and haptic feedback, such as vibrations felt in a handheld controller, would help to better …

Problems And Paradigms In The Central Sahel Of Africa, Georgia Graham

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In Africa’s Central Sahel region—comprising of the countries of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso—environmental hardship, historical trauma, and contemporary conflict intersect with profound challenges of nation-building, state construction, and economic development. Situated in the semi-arid transitional zone between the Sahara Desert and sub-Saharan Africa, these landlocked states suffer from extreme geographical vulnerability. From the colonial period through to the present, these nations have experienced recurring droughts, persistent food insecurity, and entrenched poverty. Population growth has dramatically outpaced economic development; youth unemployment, limited educational opportunities, and scarce resources fuel social tension and potential conflict. Islamist insurgencies and increasingly violent ethnic conflicts …

The Long Arm Of The Law: The Far-Reaching Effects Of The Carceral State On Families, Madison Squiers

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This thesis investigates the extended consequences of mass incarceration in the United States, focusing on the social, economic, and psychological impacts on the nuclear families of incarcerated individuals. Through a comprehensive literature review of peer-reviewed studies published between 2000 and 2024, this study highlights how female partners and children of imprisoned men face significant hardships, including emotional trauma, financial instability, and social stigma. These burdens are most acutely experienced by low-income families and communities of color, reflecting broader patterns of structural inequality. The findings underscore how punitive criminal justice policies—especially mandatory minimum sentencing and the War on Drugs—have created ripple …

Placemaking And Belonging In Brooklyn: Bushwick City Farms, Marisa Cigliano

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Since the spring of 2022, New York City has seen an increased rate of newly-arrived migrants from countries in Latin and Central America, Asia, and Africa. In accordance with the city’s “right to shelter” obligation, NYC has provided shelter for migrants by converting hotels, office buildings, and even tents, into make-shift lodging designed for temporary stay. Within a year, anti-immigrant rhetoric from Mayor Eric Adams sparked activism from both immigrant rights organizations and long-term residents who don’t want migrant shelters in their neighborhoods. These shelters lack the necessary food, privacy, social services, and structure that is owed to homeless residents …

Manny The Barber: Transitioning The Neurodivergent From High School To Workplace, Julia Barlas

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This capstone project is a documentary short film. The narrative focuses on Manny, a young man on the autism spectrum, who dreams about working in a barber shop. He lives in New York City and attends a specialized public high school. The film empathizes with Manny and with his community at large, illustrating the need for further job training and hiring initiatives acknowledging the potential and value of the neurodivergent. The observational mode of this documentary with some participatory elements serves to present the neurodivergent behavioral nuisances, patterns of speech, and interactions with the surroundings. Pieces of interviews with teachers …

An Exploratory Study Of Household Alcohol Consumption From The Us Bureau Of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey With A Focus On Market Conditions And Regulatory Structures, Mayya Makarycheva

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Alcohol consumption and use is not just a harmful behavior or a potential recreational activity, but it also may form a way of self-identification.

Each type of beverage apparently has their own profile of dedicated drinkers. Those drinkers are also apparently loyal to the location of purchase. However, one may also consider whether consumption in one location is a predictor of consumption in the other location. This distinct tendency highlights the intricacy of consumption patterns, as on-premise and off-premise consumption simultaneously serve as complements and substitutes in the long run in terms of both location and type of beverage.

The …

Cuny In The News: A History Of Reporting On The Humanities At The City University Of New York, Jacqueline R. Cahill

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This project compiles newspaper articles concerning humanities at the City University of New York, placing them on a timeline to establish patterns and changes within media reporting and public perception. The archival research of this project explores four distinct eras, grouped around major events in the history of the university: 1961-1971, for the founding of the university and open admissions struggle; 1980-1990, for the response to the ‘70s fiscal crisis and introduction of the Board of Trustees; 2000-2010 for the post-open admissions era and the centralization of CUNY; and 2020-present, for COVID and a new fight for racial equity. Examining …

The Language Of Development: A Case Study Analysis Of Climate Development In Central America, Alexandra Altomare

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The purpose of this thesis is to better understand the impact of locally led development activities on local populations. The focus of this thesis is on climate mitigation and adaptation activities in Central America led by international donor organizations such as USAID. The research consists of an in-depth review of existing literature and analysis from the fields of environmental justice, political ecology, postcolonial studies, and Indigenous Studies. This is accompanied by a case study analysis of various development projects in Guatemala and Honduras, as well as auto-ethnographic observations. In addition, this thesis analyzes the power and impact of language and …

Path Dependency And The Politics Of U.S. Health Reform, Sophia Spadafore

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This study examines the impact of path dependency on health reform efforts in the United States, specifically analyzing how past policy decisions constrain subsequent reform possibilities. Utilizing the theoretical framework of historical institutionalism, the study investigates two significant cases—the passage of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965 and the The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010—to illustrate how successful healthcare reforms embed institutional arrangements that limit future policy innovation. Through a comparative case study approach grounded in legislative records, historical texts, and scholarly analyses, the research highlights that major healthcare reforms in the U.S. have consistently been structured …

Vital Signs: Tibetan In The Linguistic Landscape Of Jackson Heights, Olivia Mignone

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation critically examines neoliberal discourses of diversity surrounding the neighborhood of Jackson Heights in Queens, New York through a study of Tibetan in the linguistic landscape (LL). Neoliberal discourses of diversity view linguistic and cultural pluralism through a consumerist lens, centering the market value of minoritized languages and cultures and how they can be leveraged for economic benefit. Focusing on an exploration of Tibetan (in)visibility and hybridity in public spaces, this study contributes a view of diversity that is grounded in lived experiences and reflected in the linguistic and cultural exchanges of the Tibetan refugee population with other groups …

The Neurobehavioral Consequences Of Prenatal Opioid Exposure On The Play Behavior Of Juvenile Rats, Rebecca S. Smart

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Prenatal opioid exposure has increased as a consequence of both increased Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) and prescription use for treatment of pain and OUD. However, human studies on prenatal opioid exposure are complicated by several confounding variables and thus, use of an animal model can lessen these confounds. Illicit use of opioids produces fluctuating blood levels whereas prescribed use of opioids results in stabilized blood levels of opioids. Our first study sought to determine if different methods of opioid administration, resulting in differing blood levels of opioids, would impact social play, a developmentally important behavior that is modulated by the …