Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Spatiotemporal Modeling Of Shorebird Habitat Availability At Rankin Wildlife Management Area, Tennessee, Matthew D. Smith

Masters Theses

This study examines spatiotemporal patterns of shorebird stopover habitat availability at Rankin Wildlife Management Area (Rankin Bottoms) on the Douglas Reservoir, Tennessee, USA. Rankin Bottoms is a key stopover site for fall migrating shorebirds traveling through the Tennessee River Valley (TRV). In the TRV, the majority of shorebird habitats consist of mudflats created along reservoirs in the fall as the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) lowers reservoir levels to prepare for winter and spring rains. Occasional changes to the annual reservoir management cycle enacted by TVA have affected the timing of mudflat exposure and thus the timing of availability of stopover …

Fully Informed Jury Association V. County Of San Diego: A Practical Approach To Jury Nullification, Alyson Hope Dodd Kennedy

Masters Theses

A jury in a criminal trial typically must make a decision about the guilt of a given defendant. Occasionally, the jury moves one step beyond this basic task and chooses to exercise its nullification power. That is, the jury decides that, according to the evidence, a given defendant is guilty of the crime with which he or she is charged, but that applying the law to that defendant would, essentially, not be doing justice.

While much is known about the process by which juries make decisions, the specific factors that encourage juries to engage in nullification and the circumstances under …

Participation In A Full Service School After Hours Enrichment Program: An Assessment Of Students' Academic And Social Progress, Cassandra Staben Walker

Masters Theses

Full service school programs are developed to address the unmet social, academic, medical, and economic needs of the students and communities they serve. Even though two schools may both be considered "full service", they can still look very different in practice, depending on the specific needs of the community. Although the idea of full service community schools has existed for over a century (Dryfoos, Quinn, & Barkin, 2005), the empirical research base is scant. This study addresses the academically related domains outlined by Kronick (2005): attendance and tardiness, and academic grades. An experimental group and a control group were used. …

The Miles Method And Averbuch: Implications For Paleodemography, Brannon I. Jones

Masters Theses

The production of age-at-death distributions is an essential element in paleodemography. Such distributions rely on accurate aging techniques, and the most reliable of these use teeth. The Miles method is an aging technique that uses the molars from the juvenile portion of a skeletal assemblage to determine a tooth wear rate that may be projected into adults in order to determine adult age. This technique has been found to be fairly accurate in modern humans, fossil groups, and nonhumans.

Many authors have used the Miles method to create age-at-death distributions, and Caspari and Lee (2004) use their distributions to determine …

Violence, Drugs, And U.S. Foreign Assistance, Lauren Elizabeth Mattox

Masters Theses

Over the years, scholars have continually debated the effect that foreign assistance has had on recipient countries. This study aims to continue research in that area by exploring the effectiveness of U.S. foreign assistance to Colombia. Specifically, my research is designed to investigate the effect of U.S. foreign assistance in three broad areas of Colombian society: law enforcement, guerrilla violence, and drug production.

Using available data that covers the years 1980-2002, I perform a multivariate time-series analysis to assess the impact of U.S. foreign assistance on six key dependent variables; these variables have been selected to illuminate the three …

Preparing For The Onset Of Hemlock Mortality In Great Smoky Mountains National Park: An Assessment Of Potential Impacts To Riparian Ecosystems, Scott Wesley Roberts

Masters Theses

Currently the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (Adelges tsuga) is spreading across forests in eastern North America, causing the decline and mortality of the eastern hemlock and the Carolina hemlock. Investigation into the impact of hemlock mortality on ecosystem processes has only recently begun and is not yet fully understood. The loss of hemlock from riparian forests in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) could reasonably be expected to result in significant alterations to stream environments. The goal of this study was to assess the influence of riparian hemlock stands on stream conditions and estimate possible impacts from hemlock loss …

Triple Threat: My Journey As A Black Lesbian Athlete In Search Of Additional Black Lesbian Student-Athletes, Jillian Robin Ross

Masters Theses

Black lesbian women experience a triple threat based on three components of their identity – race, gender, and sexual orientation – places them on the lower ranks of the totem pole of U.S. social hierarchy. With this in mind, the purpose of this study was to explore how Black lesbian student-athletes negotiate three components of their identity – race, sexual orientation, and being a female NCAA Division I student-athlete – through semi-structured interviews in order to provide these student-athletes with a mechanism to have a voice and express their individual experiences. Since I experienced difficulty in obtaining participants that met …

‘Like What Do You Do – Hand Out An Announcement?’ – Combating Heteronormativity In Physical Education, Stephanie Megan Roth

Masters Theses

For many years, women in physical education have been stereotyped as lesbians and seen as intruders to the masculine arena of sport. Social norms within the school system make it very clear what is acceptable as a female teacher, and anything differing from the created norm is considered deviant. With this being the case, it was my desire to break through the walls of heteronormativity (pattern of thought which places heterosexuality as the normal, natural, and accepted sexual orientation, failing to recognize any other form of sexuality) within education and expose the injustice towards a stigmatized and marginalized population of …

Running Away From An Adolescent Residential Treatment Facility: Does Adult Involvement Make A Difference?, Michael Lee Burford

Masters Theses

This paper focuses on whether running away from adolescent residential care facilities is related to having off grounds passes with an adult resource. It is hypothesized that as off grounds passes increase in frequency and duration, runaway behavior will decrease in frequency and duration. Data were collected from two hundred closed client files. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences was used for finding Spearman’s rho correlation and linear regression analysis of the variables. Results show a weak negative relationship exists between number of passes and both number of runaway occurrences and hours spent on the run. Because data are collected …

Hot Topic: 2005/2006 Mtas Salary And Fringe Benefit Survey, Richard Stokes

MTAS Publications: Hot Topics

The MTAS annual salary and fringe benefit survey for 2005/2006 shows salary increases for city employees rose significantly over 2004/2005 data. This report contains a summary of the findings as well as a means to request specific information.

Tennessee Municipal Benchmarking Project Fy2005, Al Major

Tennessee Municipal Benchmarking Project

FY2005 annual report to compare the relative cost, efficiency and effectiveness of a set of municipal services by using a collaborative approach with the participating cities, and to set standards and identify "best practices" in municipal government for use and comparison by all Tennessee cities.

Finding Money For Municipal Water, Wastewater, And Solid Waste Projects In Tennessee, Sharon Rollins

MTAS Publications: Full Publications

This guide provides an overview of various financing programs available to Tennessee's local governments for water, wastewater, solid waste, and other project needs.

Managing Infiltration Inflow In Wastewater Collection Systems, Sharon Rollins

MTAS Publications: Full Publications

An overview of I/I problems caused by ground water and surface or rainwater.

Ordinance Drafting And Enactment: Issues And Recommendations, Steve Lobertini

MTAS Publications: Full Publications

This publication addresses the issues underlying common challenges of drafting ordinances.

Technical Bulletins: Ten Simple Questions On Code Adoption For Towns And Cities In Tennessee (2006), Ray Crouch

MTAS Publications: Technical Bulletins

Short answers to questions on the adoption of building and fire codes.

Interface, Spring 2006, School Of Information Sciences

Interface Newsletter

Information represents the currency that drives global connections. Librarians and information professionals stand at the gateway of much of the world’s growing knowledge base. They ensure information access amidst evolving metadata standards, and determine how information systems are designed and built (information architecture), how information flows (collection development), through what channels (accessibility), and how people use that information (usability).

Our School understands that in today’s globally connected culture it is vital to both model and teach the importance of information as a phenomenon that bridges gaps and illustrates commonality between disciplines and practices.

Building Bridges, Carol Tenopir

School of Information Sciences -- Faculty Publications and Other Works

MY CAREER AS A LIBRARIAN, LJ columnist, researcher, and teacher has been about building bridges--bridges between librarians and publishers, students and knowledge, and research and practice--which is probably why I was selected to deliver the NFAIS (National Federation of Abstracting and Information Services) Miles Conrad Memorial Lecture. Established in 1965, the lecture commemorates NFAIS founder G. Miles Conrad and honors people who have made significant contributions to information science (www.nfais.org). It isn't often that a librarian gets such acknowledgment from the information industry.

The work of librarians and information industry professionals is about connecting users to the information they need. …

Technical Bulletins: Hotel/Motel Tax In Tennessee Municipalities, Ron Darden

MTAS Publications: Technical Bulletins

This revenue source may help municipalities increase their tourist promotion activities or supplement general fund revenues.

Hot Topic: Assistance To Firefighters Grant Program (2006), Gary West

MTAS Publications: Hot Topics

Grants are awarded each year on a competitive basis to applicants that address AFG program priorities, demonstrate financial need, and demonstrate the community benefit to be derived from their projects. Persistence is the key to successful funding.

Technical Bulletins: Drinking From A Fire Hydrant: The Fire Department's Role In Protecting The Public Water System, Gary West

MTAS Publications: Technical Bulletins

A revised state regulation concerning fire hydrants is causing concern for fire department leaders, providers of public water supplies, and public health officials across the state of Tennessee. The new regulation is the final result of the 1996 Amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act with the emphasis on contamination prevention.

What Chat Transcripts Reveal, Carol Tenopir

School of Information Sciences -- Faculty Publications and Other Works

CHAT REFERENCE PROVIDES NEW ways to interact with patrons. Research by Marie L. Radford of Rutgers University (mradford@scils.rutgers.edu) and Lynn Silipigni Connaway of OCLC (connawal@oclc.org), supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, will replace suppositions about how chat conversations progress in ways satisfactory to both patrons and librarians. They are conducting focus group interviews, online surveys, and telephone interviews of virtual reference service (VRS) users and nonusers and VRS librarians. They also plan to examine over 1300 anonymous transcripts from chat services. Rapport-building, deference, and identifiable beginning and closing "rituals" all have a place in virtual reference. And …

Technical Bulletins: Primer On Performance Measurements For Municipal Public Works Departments, Sharon Rollins

MTAS Publications: Technical Bulletins

This publication defines performance measurement and related terms as they apply to public works tasks.

Hot Topic: Tennessee Department Of Agriculture 2006 Urban Forestry Funding, Warren Nevad

MTAS Publications: Hot Topics

The Tennessee Department of Agriculture Division of Forestry is accepting urban forestry project proposals from local governments, private nonprofit organizations, and educational institutions. Project proposals that address the development of ordinances, staffing, management planning, and advisory organization will be given priority for funding.

The Value Of The Container, Carol Tenopir

School of Information Sciences -- Faculty Publications and Other Works

WHY ALL THE FUSS ABOUT ELECtronic journals? That was the question raised by Michael Gorman, the outspoken president of the American Library Association (ALA), at a session on "Future of Libraries" at the recent Online Information Meeting in London. "What we want is articles," said Gorman, calling the idea of putting them together in things called journals "irrelevant."

"We don't need e-journals," said the controversial Gorman. Articles should be put together by "our interests, not the editor's." The real problem, according to Gorman, is that there is no viable economic model. "Buying all articles [including those no one reads] is …

Hot Topic: Ftc Issues Final Rules Clarifying Fair Credit Reporting Act Requirements (2006), Richard Stokes

MTAS Publications: Hot Topics

The provisions of FCRA, CRECA and FACTA directly affect those cities that use outside agencies to secure information about applicants and employees.

Hot Topic: Federal And State Standard Mileage Rates Announced, Dick Phebus

MTAS Publications: Hot Topics

Summary of changes in the 2006 federal and state reimbursement rates for mileage.

Poverty And The Daily Lives Of Infants, Terri Combs-Orme, Daphne S. Cain

Social Work Publications and Other Works

It has been amply demonstrated that poor children suffer disadvantages as compared to their more advantaged peers. This paper examines important aspects of infants’ daily experiences in a southeastern city in the United States in order to illustrate differences between poor and non-poor infants. ‘‘Poor’’ infants were compared to their ‘‘non-poor’’ counterparts on the quality of parenting they received; quality of their home environments; relative health and safety; stability, structure, and predictability of their daily lives; and exposure to diverse experiences in the community. Findings reveal that poor infants are at a consistent disadvantage across all domains when compared to …

Performance Still Matters: Explaining Trust In Government In The Dominican Republic, Rosario Espinal, Jonathan Hartlyn, Jana Morgan

Political Science Publications and Other Works

What explains low levels of trust in government institutions in democratizing Latin American countries? We examine this question in the Dominican Republic, employing data from three surveys conducted over 1994-2001. Our analysis finds that trust in government institutions is shaped primarily by perceptions of economic and political performance by government. There is little evidence of a relationship between civic engagement and institutional trust, and no relationship between democratic values and institutional trust. We find a curvilinear effect between socioeconomic status and institutional trust, with middle-sector groups significantly less trusting of government institutions than either the poor or the wealthy. Age …

Naturalistic Observation For Understanding Users: How Technology Professionals Use And Communicate Information, Suzie Allard, Kenneth J. Levine, Carol Tenopir, Shalini Urs

School of Information Sciences -- Faculty Publications and Other Works

This study examines how design engineers and technical professionals (hereafter referred to as engineers) in innovative high‐tech firms in the U.S. and India communicate and use information in their daily work activities including research, development, and management. By observing engineers in the workplace, it extends our understanding of the engineering workplace, and the information environment in the workplace. This study will provide information useful for improving communication and information methods for accessing information and communicating in the workplace, which will ultimately lead to better job performance, facilitate innovation, and encourage economic growth. This poster focuses on the methodology the researchers …

Being User-Oriented: Convergences, Divergences, And The Potentials For Systematic Dialogue Between Disciplines And Between Researchers, Designers, And Providers, Brenda Dervin, Karen Fisher, Eric Meyers, Charles Naumer, Marilyn Ostergren, Carol Tenopir, Kreetta Askola, Louann F. Blocker, Carly Hamlett, Timothy Lepczyk, Ashley Mcconnell, Anthony Schlagel, Kelli Y. Williams, Andrew Dillon, Lorraine Normore, Tingting Lu, Shannon Hoste, Troy Elias, Peter H. Jones, Carrielynn D. Reinhard, Bethany Simunich, Donald Case, Melissa A. Gardner, Gary K. Hughes, Jennifer L. Robinette, Robert J. Trader, Granger H. Butler, Melissa D. Davis, Sarah M. Donaldson, Susan M. Finley, Betsy A. Law, Anne E. Ledford, Christina Joy Mark, Nancy R. Marshall, Krista M. Mcmanis, Jennifer Paul, Sarah F. Pratt, Latisha M. Reynolds, Kathryn P. Sexton, Roberta D. Shannon, Sara Fowdy Strange

School of Information Sciences -- Faculty Publications and Other Works

The challenge this panel addresses is drawn from intersecting literature reviews and critical commentaries focusing on: 1) user studies in multiple fields; and 2) the difficulties of bringing different disciplines and perspectives to bear on user‐oriented research, design, and practice. 1

The challenge is that while we have made some progress in collaborative work, we have some distance to go to become user‐oriented in inter‐disciplinary and inter‐perspective ways. The varieties of our approaches and solutions are, as some observers suggest, an increasing cacophony. One major difficulty is that most discussions are solution‐oriented, offering arguments of this sort ‐‐ "if only …