Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Assessment Of Carbon Storage And Biomass On Minelands Reclaimed To Grassland Environments Using Landsat Spectral Indices, Tim Warner

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

This study investigated carbon (C) storage and biomass in grasslands of West Virginia reclaimed surface minesites. Mine-related disturbance and subsequent reclamation may be an important component of C cycling. Biomass and C storage generally increased for the first five years after reclamation, but then declined, suggesting a nonlinear pattern to vegetation recovery. Three 2007 Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper and Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus images were used to assess the potential to predict biomass from raw red and near infrared radiance, the tasseled cap transformation (TC), and four vegetation indices [normalized difference vegetation index, enhanced vegetation index (EVI), triangular …

Asymmetries In English Vowel Perception Mirror Compression Effects, Jonah Katz

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

A series of vowel-identification experiments using gated consonant stimuli shows that English listeners are capable of recovering the vocalic context in which a consonant appears from information contained in the consonant alone. This is true for most consonants tested, including liquids, nasals, and stops in onset and coda position. Positional asymmetries in vowel sensitivity go in opposite directions for liquids (coda sensitivity > onset) and stops (onset > coda). Nasals pattern with liquids in terms of vowel sensitivity from consonant steady states alone, but pattern more closely with stops when portions outside the steady-state are taken into account. It is argued that …

The Patent System In Pre-1989 Czechoslovakia, Marketa Trimble

Scholarly Works

The chapter analyzes patent law in Czechoslovakia in the period from 1945 until the end of communist rule in 1989. In addition to reviewing the legislative development of patent law – the laws on the books – the chapter explains the law in action, which includes the application of the law in practice and the attitudes of Czechoslovak society toward inventive activities and patenting. The chapter shows that post-1945 Czechoslovak patent law drew on a highly developed pre-1940 Czechoslovak patent law and practice that was based on the Austrian patent law inherited by Czechoslovakia in 1918 when it split from …

Fp-13-10 Women Who Gave Birth Within The Past 12 Months, 2011, Julissa Cruz

National Center for Family and Marriage Research Family Profiles

No abstract provided.

Fp-13-03 Grandchildren: Living In A Grandparent-Headed Household, Breana Wilson

National Center for Family and Marriage Research Family Profiles

No abstract provided.

You Can't Put Old Wine In New Bottles: The Effect Of Newcomers On Coordination In Groups, Matthew Mccarter, Roman M. Sheremeta

Business Faculty Articles and Research

A common finding in social sciences is that member change hinders group functioning and performance. However, questions remain as to why member change negatively affects group performance and what are some ways to alleviate the negative effects of member change on performance? To answer these questions we conduct an experiment in which we investigate the effect of newcomers on a group's ability to coordinate efficiently. Participants play a coordination game in a four-person group for the first part of the experiment, and then two members of the group are replaced with new participants, and the newly formed group plays the …

Longitudinal Analysis Of Perceived Body Image, Sport Commitment, Burnout, And Athletic Injury, Erik Chaouch

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Injury is a risk that all athletes face while participating in sport. How injuries affect athletes perceived body image, sport commitment levels, and burnout levels are not yet fully understood. Athletes are aware of what the media portrays an athlete as, aware of what peers think an athlete should look like, and even have their own pre-conceived notions as to what an athlete’s body should look like. Many athletes perceive their bodies to be appropriate for their sport, yet there is dissatisfaction with their own bodies in the context of what is socially considered to be attractive. A distorted body …

Bird Use Of Heterogeneous Native Prairie Biofuel Production Plots, Jarrett D. Pfrimmer

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Changing land use practices and agricultural intensification have driven the loss of >90% of native grassland habitats in the Midwestern U.S.A. Consequently, grassland birds have declined more drastically than any other North American guild. Current biofuel production systems in the Midwest rely on high input monoculture crops that provide little habitat value to most grassland birds. The Tallgrass Prairie Center at the University of Northern Iowa is exploring the feasibility of growing and harvesting diverse mixes of native prairie vegetation for use as a sustainable biofuel in a manner that also provides high quality bird habitat. In 2009, 48 research …

Strengths And Limitations Of Qualitative Approaches To Research In Occupational Health Psychology, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Joseph J. Mazzola

Publications and Research

Like all research methods, qualitative methods have strengths and limitations. This chapter describes seven strengths and five limitations. With an understanding of their strengths and limitations and how to minimize and/or balance them, occupational health psychology (OHP) researchers can benefit from qualitative methods. It is important to understand that qualitative findings do not establish generalizable cause-effect relations. However, qualitative methods can help an OHP researcher develop a theory of causality and derive hypotheses related to the theory and, thus, motivate quantitatively organized research designed to test the hypotheses. The challenge for the OHP researcher is to be mindful of what …

International Organizations, Free Trade And Environmental Citizenship: Mexico And Chile In Comparative Perspective, Sherrie Baver

Publications and Research

This paper focuses on the potential of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) and specific International Organizations (IOs) to promote democratic and effective environmental governance. FTAs are often cited in the political science literature for their negative impacts; yet, they are central to the present stage of economic globalization. Given that U.S. FTAs have environmental requirements as do accession agreements to developed country IOs (e.g. OECD), they remain under-explored institutions providing space for activists to expand environmental citizenship. The specific research question explored here is how might activists use these institutions to promote procedural environmental rights to information, participation, and justice, collectively …

Conjuring The Close From Afar A Border-Crossing Tale Of Vieques’ Activism And Obama-Empire, Víctor M. Torres-Vélez, Sarah Molinari, Katharine Lawrence

Publications and Research

After more than 60 years of military occupation, 30 of these under violent military practices, a social movement forced the U.S. Navy from the island of Vieques. This victory would not have been possible without the highly effective organization of civil disobedience carried out on the island. But the sum total of the actions that eventually forced out the U.S. Navy, neither happened exclusively within the boundaries of Vieques, nor was carried out by Viequense residents alone. In this article we want to suggest that this amazing victory—a testament of people’s will in the face of globalization—is also a border- …

It's A Juggling Act: An Examination Of Work-School Conflict, Danielle Barbara Stuck

Honors Program Theses

Working while enrolled in college has become increasingly prominent, yet its effects on school outcomes and student well-being are not yet understood. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of individual differences and nuances in the school and work domains to obtain a more precise model of Work-School Conflict [WSC]. Data were collected from 401 undergraduate and graduate students from the University of Northern Iowa and analyzed using hierarchical (blocked) linear regression analyses. While job flexibility negatively predicted WSC, job permeability interacted with number of hours worked off-campus and workload, differentially predicting WSC; while permeability decreased WSC …

Portrayal Of Agriculture In Children's Literature: Contemporary Stories In Picture Books, Traditional Tales, And Nonfiction, Kathryn S. Koller

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this research was to analyze the representations of modern American farming in traditional tales in picture book format, storybooks with contemporary settings, and non-fiction literature to assess how accurately agriculture information is provided to children. This project will contribute to the knowledge base about how well children’s books are compensating for the lack of first-hand experience. The four hypothesizes studied were: 1. Ninety percent of storybooks with contemporary settings will depict a male in the role of farmer. 2. One hundred percent of traditional literature in picture book format will depict a farmer wearing bib overalls, straw …

Teacher Perceptions Of Graphic Novels, Katherine Block

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this research study is to ascertain classroom teachers’ dispositions toward graphic novels as quality literature and the rationale for their beliefs and attitudes. Of particular interest in this study is how teacher dispositions toward graphic novels may differ across teacher age groups. In conducting research, a survey was given to a variety of classroom teachers. These participants are language arts teachers for grades three through eight and range in age from 20 to 60 years. The researcher recorded the frequencies and percentages of responses, looking for teachers’ perceptions of graphic novels, the origin of these perceptions, and …

Here, We Are Walking On A Clothesline: Statelessness And Human (In)Security Among Burmese Women Political Exiles Living In Thailand, Elizabeth Hooker

Dissertations and Theses

An estimated twelve million people worldwide are stateless, or living without the legal bond of citizenship or nationality with any state, and consequently face barriers to employment, property ownership, education, health care, customary legal rights, and national and international protection. More than one-quarter of the world's stateless people live in Thailand. This feminist ethnography explores the impact of statelessness on the everyday lives of Burmese women political exiles living in Thailand through the paradigm of human security and its six indicators: food, economic, personal, political, health, and community security. The research reveals that exclusion from national and international legal protections …

Incarceration And The Economic Fortunes Of Urban Neighborhoods, Jeffrey A. Fagan, Valerie West

Faculty Scholarship

This chapter turns to the response of the criminal justice system to neighborhood violence, in particular examining to what extent persistently high levels of incarceration can depress economic well-being and human capital in disadvantaged and racially segregated communities. A panel analysis of New York City neighborhoods between 1985 and 1996, a period in which the city's violent-crime rates both rose and fell sharply, provides evidence that high incarceration rates reduce income growth, educational attainment, and work experience in disadvantaged and racially segregated neighborhoods. To rectify this, targeted micro investment and housing development in such areas can break the connection between …

The Global Determinants Of U.S. Foreign Affairs Law, Daniel Abebe

Faculty Scholarship

A recurring debate in foreign affairs law focuses on the appropriate level of congressional and judicial deference to the President. In answering that question, most scholars focus on the Constitution, Supreme Court precedent, and historical practice for guidance, or evaluate the expertise and strategic incentives of Congress, the President, and the courts. For these scholars, the inquiry exclusively centers on domestic, internal constraints on the President. But this analysis is incomplete. Determination of the appropriate level of deference has consequences for how the President can pursue U.S. interests abroad. If the United States wants to be successful in achieving its …

Intersectionality: Mapping The Movements Of A Theory, Devon Carbado, Kimberlé W. Crenshaw, Vicki M. Mays, Barbara Tomlinson

Faculty Scholarship

Very few theories have generated the kind of interdisciplinary and global engagement that marks the intellectual history of intersectionality. Yet, there has been very little effort to reflect upon precisely how intersectionality has moved across time, disciplines, issues, and geographic and national boundaries. Our failure to attend to intersectionality’s movement has limited our ability to see the theory in places in which it is already doing work and to imagine other places to which the theory might be taken. Addressing these questions, this special issue reflects upon the genesis of intersectionality, engages some of the debates about its scope and …

Taking Up Space: A Case Study Exploration Of The Relationship Between Citizenship And Free Humanities Programs In Canada, Jessica L. Klassen

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Citizenship is increasingly being utilized as the discourse to discuss inclusive and exclusive realities within a polity. This case study examines free humanities programs in Canada, which offer free university-level courses in the humanities to people experiencing marginalization in society. The stated intention of the programs is that, through education in the humanities, critical reflection, and access to the university space, students will increasingly engage in active citizenship and participate in the public sphere. This thesis explores the extent to which this intention has been realized. Primary data was collected from sixteen students, professors, and program coordinators of free humanities …

“It Feels Like Home”: The Impacts Of Supportive Housing On Male Youth – Perspectives Of Youth And Service Providers At Five Beds To Home, Sarah Michelle Ogden

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This study identifies the impacts of supportive housing on the lives of male youth. The researcher studied the Five Beds to Home (Five Beds) supportive housing facility for male youth, located in Cambridge, Ontario. The study focused on two areas: one, the current engagement of tenants and second, the long term impacts on past tenants. Impacts include areas such as progress on or achievement of goals/overcoming challenges, employment and education status, happiness and health, and housing stability. The general research questions were as follows: 1) What are the impacts of supportive housing on the lives of male youth?, 2) What …

The Experience Of Elderly Koreans' Han And Its Implication For Spiritual Care: In The Canadian Context, Jong Park

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Han is an indigenous Korean concept signifying a depth of internalized human suffering, caused primarily by a long history of socio, economic and political oppression. Han can also be understood as the deep psychological wounds of the Korean people. This study focuses on the Han experiences of elderly Korean immigrants living in Canada. The main purpose of the research is to provide a better spiritual care for such seniors who live as a marginal population. For a holistic understanding of their Han, the literature review examines Han-related history, religion and psychology, and explores Han experiences in the family …

A Discourse Analysis Of Ontario's Family Health Teams, Rachelle Ashcroft

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Inspired by critical social work practice, this study engages in a discourse analysis of Ontario’s Family Health Team (FHT) model. The purpose for this study is threefold; namely, a) to deepen our understanding of health discourses promoted by Ontario’s FHT model; b) to explore how Ontario’s FHT model compares to Haggerty, Burge, Lévesque, Gass, Pineault, Beaulieu, & Santor’s (2007) conceptual model of PHC; and c) to promote critical reflection in order to help inform decisions on how to improve quality of care and enhance health equity in FHTs. This study is guided using the overarching question: What health care practices …

"Emotional Landscapes" And The Value Of Sex: Exploring The Lived Experiences Of Sex Workers' Clients, Zoey K. Jones

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Clients of sex workers face criminalization and stigmatization in Canada and across the globe; they are commonly depicted by their stereotypes in entertainment and news media and have become a more visible population with the advent of the internet and online erotic review boards. However, these people are infrequently represented by their own voices and stories in academic research and, as such, the reality of being a client is not encompassed by the existing literature. An accurate and comprehensive understanding of the sex industry is particularly important in the twenty-first century, as the laws surrounding sex work in Canada – …

Agency Or Agencies? Catalysts Of Resilience In Drop-In Participants, Andy D. Bayer

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In this thesis, the factors that contribute to resilience are explored in a sample of participants who attend a food bank/clothing bank drop-in program in North Hamilton, Ontario. Resilience is defined as obtaining positive outcomes despite a level of risk to development. This thesis expands on the literature clarifying the concept of resilience. This thesis also contributes importantly to the smaller amount of literature on resilience in adults and older adults. Purposive sampling was used to obtain participants from the drop-in program at which the researcher volunteers. Phenomenology was utilized for this research, semi-structured interviews were used for data collection, …

The Effects Of Housing Manipulations On Wheel Running, Feeding And Body Weight In Female Rats, Angela Mastroianni

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Providing rats with running wheel access results in a short-term reduction in feeding and body weight relative to controls; known as the wheel-induced feeding suppression (WIFS). WIFS may parallel aspects of anorexia nervosa, an eating disorder that mostly affects females. Yet, most studies of WIFS and related models use male rats. The present study included female and male rats, where half were given wheel access to measure effects on feeding and body weight. Replication 1 females and Replication 2 males were in unisex housing. Replication 3 males and females were housed in same room. Rats were individually (IH) or pair …

"The Road Less Travelled;" Women's Journeys To Community Leadership In The Waterloo Region, Lyndsey A. Butcher

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The purpose of this research study is to explore the experiences of women within the Region of Waterloo along their journeys to community leadership. The literature review reveals the predominance of deficits-based research on the barriers preventing women from attaining positions of leadership and a significant gap in scholarship on female community leaders. This qualitative study consisted of semi-structured interviews with 15 female community leaders. It was influenced by an intersectional feminist perspective and used a constructivist grounded theory approach. The findings of this study offer three groups of related factors that can encourage, support and recognize the increasing number …

Ogwehoweneha: A Hodinohsonih Research Methodology, Darren Thomas

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Critical pathways for the liberation of Indigenous populations will come from “re-membering” our Indigenous ways of knowing, “decolonizing” the Indigenous mind and “re-building” our Nations. Indigenizing the academy allows our original ways of knowing to create space, for Indigenous scholarship to reclaim Indigenous knowledge and reality. By visiting with Hodinǫhśǫ:nih knowledge holders, this MA thesis translates the nature of Hodinǫhśǫ:nih reality, ways of knowing, values, and methods of acquiring knowledge into an Indigenous research methodology. By the ongoing introduction of Indigenous knowledge into a theoretical positioning within the academy, creates opportunity for continued Indigenous knowledge-generation through Indigenous methodologies. Indigenous research …

A Framework For Understanding The Public's Perspectives Of Mining Applied To The Kentucky Coal Industry, Joshua M. Hoffman

Theses and Dissertations--Mining Engineering

People’s perceptions of mining are heavily based on the media they consume and the messages therein. News outlets ordinarily report on mining only when there is an accident or environmental concern. When messages that the public is exposed to are negative, it is no wonder that there are negative perceptions about mining.

Current public relations campaigns on the behalf of specific companies or select sectors do exist; however, this is often a reactionary move in response to recent shifts in the socio-political environment. The details of these campaigns are often tied up in proprietary information or withheld by public relations …

Applying Cognitive Principles To The Delivery Of Engineering Information By Different Mediums, Gabriel B. Dadi

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

Construction project performance and worker productivity are often tied to the availability and effective presentation of information, tools, materials, and equipment. While advancements in technology have improved much of the processes on a construction project, the medium of information dissemination at the construction work face has consistently relied on the use of two dimensional drawings and specifications.

Industry initiatives are driving increased collaboration through three dimensional BIM (Building Information Modeling) models. However, the added dimension partially loses its effect when presented on a two dimensional computer monitor. Other computer forms of presentation intended for mobility (PDAs, laptops, and tablets) can …

Fox In The Henhouse: A Study Of Police Officers Arrested For Crimes Associated With Domestic And/Or Family Violence, Philip M. Stinson, John Liederbach

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

The problem of violence within police families has been increasingly recognized as an important socio-legal issue, but there is a lack of empirical data on what has commonly been referred to as officer-involved domestic violence (OIDV). There are no comprehensive statistics available on OIDV and no government entity collects data on the criminal conviction of police officers for crimes associated with domestic and/or family violence. Prior self-report officer surveys are limited by the tendency to conceal instances of family violence and the interests of officers to maintain a "code of silence" to protect their careers. The purpose of the current …