Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Incentive Payments For Planting Upland Bird Habitat Field Borders In Tennessee, Nathaniel Scott Bruce

Masters Theses

Crop yields along field perimeters that are adjacent to trees and other tall-herbaceous are known to have the lowest yields in a field. An alternative use of these areas that might be more profitable and sustainable is to remove the land from crop production and enroll these areas into the upland bird habitat (UBH) buffer program. However, the adoption of UBH buffers have been limited by producers, despite being eligible for receiving an incentive payment for adopting UBH buffers. Therefore, the objective of this thesis was to determine the breakeven incentive payment for corn [Zea mays L.] and soybean …

Visual Rhetoric And Semiotics In Scenic Design: A Pedagogical Analysis, Chris Guzzardo

Masters Theses

Scenic designers are professionals in theatre who design sets for the stage that communicate aspects of a performance, such as time of day, location, and era. Sets are supposed to lay a foundation to performances as they communicate information to audiences through visual design. Since visual rhetoric and semiotics play a big part in the successful completion of transmitting messages, knowledge of both concepts should be taught to scenic designers. This thesis provides a content analysis of ten popular books used by scenic designers and their respective education programs. The analysis provides a structured search for visual rhetoric and semiotic …

Identity By The Numbers: Cancerous Lesions And Likelihood Ratios, William Daniel Cawley

Masters Theses

The use of Bayesian theory has been gaining popularity within the forensic anthropology community for its ability to model the way in which decisions are made based upon varying levels of confidence. However, many forensic anthropologists have been reticent to adapt Bayesian approaches given the general lack of knowledge in regards to this approach (Konigsberg and Frankenburg, 2013:153). The purpose of this thesis is to demonstrate how the application of an establish Bayesian framework can be used to determine likelihood ratios representing the probative value of skeletal lesions consistent with cancer for use in forensic personal identification. To do this, …

Motivation And Support For Regulatory Changes: A Typology Of Tennessee Wild Turkey Hunters, Cristina Elisa Maldonado

Masters Theses

Hunters form a diverse group with multiple motivations for seeking outdoor recreation experiences. A deeper understanding of hunters’ motivations may benefit wildlife managers in state agencies to cater services and regulations to meet the needs of this diverse group. To determine the motivations of wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) hunters in Tennessee, and their attitudes and preferences concerning turkey hunting and management, a self-administered questionnaire was developed and mailed to a sample of licensed Turkey hunters in Tennessee. A multivariate K-means cluster analysis was then applied to identify hunter typologies based on several motivation factors that were derived from …

Spatial And Temporal Heterogeneity Of Carbon Storage And Optimal Provision Of Carbon Storage, Amine Mohamed Ben Ayara

Masters Theses

Human activity, particularly the conversion of natural land cover into human-dominated cover types, is putting increasing pressure on the health of the global ecosystem. Loss of forestland is a major contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which cause climate change because forests can help sequester GHG emission in the atmosphere. However, mitigating climate change by sequestering carbon through reforestation and/or avoiding deforestation is an appealing option because of the potential scale of such sequestration, the possible cost advantages over other mitigation efforts, and the opportunity it provides to incentivize the sustainable use of rural lands. Incentive payments can support forest-based …

The Relationship Of Hypnotizability And Empathy: A Replication And Extension Study, Morgun Elliot Custer

Masters Theses

A recent research article articulated the Empathic Involvement Theory of hypnotizability (EIT; Wickramasekera II, 2015). The theory holds that individual differences in hypnotizability are correlated with, and in part determined by, the capacity to empathize. I review the theory and the founding empirical study (Wickramasekera II & Szlyk, 2003) and detail our attempt to replicate these findings in our laboratory. We did not obtain statistically significant relationships between empathic ability and hypnotizability. I discuss these findings, the ramifications on the proposed empathy/hypnotizability question, and the larger agenda of whether hypnotizability connects with personality.

Food Justice And Practices In The Five Points Community Of Knoxville, Tennessee: A Survey Of Residents Living In An Urban Food Desert, Sylvia Isabel Duluc-Silva

Masters Theses

This thesis identifies the views related to traditional and alternative food systems and practices among residents living in East Knoxville, Tennessee, which has been designated by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) as a food desert. These views were obtained from a mail survey sent out to adult residents living in the community who were responsible for obtaining food for their household. Its foundation is based on general place-based theory and findings associated with environmental and food justice literature. It builds upon this work by identifying and describing key variables and how they may be related via a theoretical …

Support For Open Access In The Humanities: An Analysis Of Current Approaches, Abbey Kayleen Elder

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study is to explore the ways scholarly communication librarians at academic libraries support humanities faculty at their institutions who are interested in open access. This was accomplished through a mixed method survey of scholarly communication librarians, that is librarians who offer outreach and education to faculty about open access and similar scholarly publishing innovations. The study was conducted to learn about the types of resources available for faculty interested in open access, and to specifically learn more about the types of support available for open access in the humanities. This follows other studies that have explored …

Operational Jakarta: The Problem Of Representation, Kevin Patrick Jeffers

Masters Theses

As the twenty-first century unfolds with newly formed degrees of hypercomplex interactions and reactions amongst space, time, economy, politics, social dynamics, and cultural paradigms, we are observing new typologies of urbanism that are different in kind, rather than degree, from the previous “urban” upon which the vast majority of present theoretical and practical discourse has been based. The techniques, strategies, and methodologies of the twentieth-century no longer serve to adequately represent or to explain the phenomena of today’s incipient mega-cities. A new vocabulary must be developed. A new way of seeing is required in order to understand and therefor to …

On With The Motley: Television Satire And Discursive Integration In The Post-Stewart/Colbert Era, Amanda Kay Martin

Masters Theses

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report became cultural phenomena in mid-2000s. Their influence on politics and the news media brought political satire on television to a new level of prominence as politicians, world leaders, authors, and journalists flocked to the Comedy Central shows to spread their messages. The shows greatly expanded the boundaries of previous television satire programs by offering in-depth analysis of important issues in creative, hilarious ways, while taking the news media to task when it failed to critically inquire into government claims. When Stephen Colbert ended his show in 2014 and Stewart departed …

Tennessee Consumers’ Willingness To Pay For Tennessee Certified Beef And Other Beef Attributes, Meagan Gayle Merritt

Masters Theses

Beef producers in Tennessee have expressed interest in the creation of an in-state certified beef program. Therefore, this study evaluates Tennessee consumer preferences for Tennessee Certified Beef and other beef attributes that are likely to appear on Tennessee beef. We define Tennessee Certified Beef as beef originating from animals born, raised, finished, and harvested in Tennessee. The objectives of this research are to provide a measure of Tennessee consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for Tennessee Certified Beef and the beef attributes grass-fed, no hormones administered, Certified Angus Beef, and Master Quality Raised Beef (label indicating producers completed the Beef Quality …

Understanding The Vulnerability Of The Population Of Afghanistan Under Multiple Natural And Anthropogenic Risks With An Indicator-Based Analysis, Matthew Repine Miller

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study is to understand the vulnerability to natural and anthropogenic hazards of the population of Afghanistan and the social factors which enhance or moderate such vulnerability. While vulnerability studies are commonly conducted in the United States, as well as many other global north countries, most studies of this type utilize data collected by central government entities in the form of a census which is periodically executed and uses standardized collection methods. In the case of Afghanistan, and many other countries in the global south, such data is hard to acquire, lacks a high level of confidence, …

Keeping Them Close: A Qualitative Examination Of Mothers’ Perceptions, Motivations, And Experiences With Babywearing, Hayley Brooke Moran

Masters Theses

As American mothers’ responsibilities and lifestyles evolve, parents adapt by changing their parenting practices to meet the needs of their families. Many mothers in the U.S. have begun carrying their infants on their bodies, a practice referred to in the U.S. as “babywearing.” The present study is one of the first studies to explore the practice of babywearing in the US and how babywearing intersects with a mother’s relationship with her infant and her family. Although there has been research examining the connection between babywearing and technology (Russell, 2014; Lupton, 2012), the purpose of the present study is to examine …

Female Suicide Terrorism: An Analysis Of Trends And Group Motivations Linked To The Increase In Female Participation As Suicide Bombers, Samantha Louise Okowita

Masters Theses

There has been an increasing level of female participation as suicide bombers, driven primarily by groups understanding of strategic advantages when using women. First, considering the argument cultural shifts have allowed women more opportunities to participate is shown to be faulty as it only explains participation in secular and domestic organizations, failing to consider increasing rise in religious and international organizations, as well as the time lag between male and female participation in suicide campaigns. The strategic argument is capable of explaining the time lag and participation in any group type because it frames the decision as a cost-benefit analysis. …

Consumer Preferences And Willingness To Pay For Natural Beef: A Discrete Choice Experiment Approach, Konstantinos Syrengelas

Masters Theses

“Natural” is one of the most common words appearing on new food products. Despite the wide use of the term, the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) has not provided a formal definition of natural. The absence of a clear definition has led to various citizen petitions, either to define the term or even to prohibit its use. The main argument for prohibiting natural labeling is that the term is potentially misleading. Furthermore, findings in the existing literature indicate that some consumers tend to confuse natural and organic labels. A misleading label could lead to distortion of the consumer’s budget allocation. …

Color-Blind Stancetaking In Racialized Discourse, Abigail Christine Tobias-Lauerman

Masters Theses

In this thesis, I examine how language constructs and constrains racialized discourse in post-Jim Crow contemporary America. Drawing on rhetorical and sociolinguistic work set forth by Booth, Shotwell, Bonilla-Silva, Omi and Winant, and others, it is apparent that racial organization— and racial identities and categorization— in the US is reliant upon specific markers that signify racial meaning. Such markers are assimilated into wider, unconscious discourse through what Shotwell and Booth describe as seemingly inherent— yet ultimately constructed— matters of “common sense,” and are expressed through evaluative stance acts. I explore the origins and construction of these markers and the relationship …

Student-Athlete Awareness Of Athletic Career Transition And Transferable Skills, Michelle Lynn Woods

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to measure student-athlete’s awareness of transferable skills, identify what skills are most transferable, and identify the resources available to aid student-athletes in the transition from athletic career retirement to a non-athletic career setting. A modified version of McKnight’s (2007) survey was used to collect data regarding student-athlete awareness of career transition and transferable skills. One hundred and sixty student-athletes participated in the survey, which was comprised of three parts: (a) transferable skills, (b) career transition, and (c) demographic information. A quantitative approach utilized descriptive statistics to identify student-athlete’s awareness of transferable skills, the most …

Research Data Services In European Universities., Carol Tenopir

DataONE Sociocultural and Usability & Assessment Working Groups

No abstract provided.

Macrobotanical Analysis Of The Topper Site (38al23), Sierra Snively Roark

EURēCA: Exhibition of Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement

The Topper Site (38AL23) is a multicomponent precontact site located along the Savannah River in central South Carolina. Recent excavations conducted by the University of Tennessee have resulted in the identification,mapping, excavation, and processing of over 357 features of possible pits, postholes, and other traces of human activity. Fill from each feature was individually excavated and processed via drum flotation. This poster presents a detailed macrobotanical identification and analysis of the contents of a selection of these features using paleoethnobotanical standards. This project provides insight into Native American foodways, structure locations, and overall daily practices which occurred in the Woodland …

How Short Term Mindfulness Training Affects Emotion Regulation On College Students, Holly E. Flatt, Andrea Benadives, Kriston Ramsey

EURēCA: Exhibition of Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement

Emotion regulation (ER) is the experience and expression of emotions which aids in the balancing of positive emotions and emotional processing (Gross, 2001; Hölzel, 2011). An important advancement in the field of psychology is greater understanding of how treatments can positively influence ER. One promising intervention to improve emotion regulation is mindfulness training—the practice of being aware of one’s current internal state and thoughts to provide a greater attentiveness and acknowledgement to one’s current environment (Hoffman et. al., 2010; Langer 2000). The current study examined the effect of brief mindfulness training on emotion regulation after a sad mood induction via …

Does Increased Globalization Improve Citizens' Quality Of Life?, Laura E. Hirt

EURēCA: Exhibition of Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement

Countries are more open than ever to the outside world, however research is still undecided about what effects it will have on the country’s culture and way of life. In a world where many policy makers are worried about the expansion of free trade and cheaper foreign labor, we are not certain how a country’s strivings to reach this goal of more “open” economy will or will not give their citizens a better quality of life. I will attempt to gain insight into that question using the United Nation’s millennium goals; my research uses econometric techniques to tease out possible …

Open Access On Campus: Bringing Nonprofits To The Libraries, Melanie Allen, Rachel Caldwell, Nick Guernsey, Ann R. Viera, Alan H. Wallace

UT Libraries Faculty: Other Publications and Presentations

Low attendance at Open Access Week events caused academic librarians to ask: What can we do to further open access without asking faculty and students to attend events during such a busy time of the semester? Instead of reaching out to faculty directly, librarians at the University of Tennessee Libraries are reaching out beyond the campus community. Health sciences, social sciences, and scholarly communication librarians offer a workshop to East Tennessee nonprofit organizations to assist them in finding and accessing scholarly research. After the workshops, participants are invited to be interviewed on camera about why public access to research matters, …

Research Data Services In European University Libraries: Current Offerings And Plans For The Future., Carol Tenopir

DataONE Sociocultural and Usability & Assessment Working Groups

No abstract provided.

Tennessee Municipal Benchmarking Project Fy2016, Laura Ogle-Graham, Frances Adams-O'Brien

Tennessee Municipal Benchmarking Project

This report marks the 14th year of the Tennessee Municipal Benchmarking Project (TMBP). The report provides performance and cost data for the period July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2016 (Fiscal Year 2016 or FY2016). In this FY2016 annual report, there are a total of eleven service areas measured and analyzed:

1) Building Code Enforcement 2) Employment Benefits 3) Finance 4) Fire 5) Human Resources 6) Information Technology 7) Parks and Recreation 8) Planning and Zoning 9) Police 10) Property Maintenance Code Enforcement 11) Refuse Collection, Disposal, and Recycling.

Municipal E-News: Issue 83: April 2017, Mtas

Municipal E-News

The "Municipal E-News" was created by MTAS in 2009 as part of our continuing efforts to meet our mission of providing timely, valuable information and assistance to Tennessee cities.

Thieme Ecommunicationscience, Melanie A. Allen

UT Libraries Faculty: Peer-Reviewed Publications

Thieme eCommunicationScience (eComSci), which launched in January 2017, is a new resource for students and faculty in audiology, speech language pathology, and communication sciences programs. eComSci includes a collection of Thieme e-books, images, videos, audio clips, and clinical cases. This review explores the main features of eComSci, along with the navigation and searching features of this new Thieme resource.

Research Data Services In European Libraries: Current Offerings And Plans For The Future [Webinar]., Carol Tenopir

DataONE Sociocultural and Usability & Assessment Working Groups

No abstract provided.

Research Data Services In European Academic Research Libraries, Carol Tenopir, Sanna Talja, Wolfram Horstmann, Elina Late, Dane Hughes, Danielle Elaine Pollock, Birgit Schmidt, Lynn Baird, Robert J. Sandusky, Suzie Allard

DataONE Sociocultural and Usability & Assessment Working Groups

Research data is an essential part of the scholarly record, and management of research data is increasingly seen as an important role for academic libraries. This article presents the results of a survey of directors of the Association of European Research Libraries (LIBER) academic member libraries to discover what types of research data services (RDS) are being offered by European academic research libraries and what services are planned for the future. Overall, the survey found that library directors strongly agree on the importance of RDS. As was found in earlier studies of academic libraries in North America, more European libraries …

Open Science: What, Why, And How?, Carol Tenopir

DataONE Sociocultural and Usability & Assessment Working Groups

No abstract provided.

Researchers Need Information Too: How Information Improves The Quality Of Worklife., Carol Tenopir

DataONE Sociocultural and Usability & Assessment Working Groups

No abstract provided.