Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Personal Decision Factors Considered By Information Technology Executives: Their Impacts On Business Intentions And Consequent Cloud Computing Services Adoption Rates, Marcus Lee Smith Jr

Theses & Dissertations

During its infancy, the cloud computing industry was the province largely of small and medium-sized business customers. Despite their size, these companies required a professionally run, yet economical information technology (IT) operation. These customers used a total value strategy whereby they avoided paying for essential, yet underutilized, resources (e.g., full-time IT personnel and computing equipment with excess capacity) by outsourcing most, if not all, of their entire IT function. Since that time, the cloud industry has expanded the breadth of its service offerings greatly and the economies of scale have reduced the unit price point. In addition, research suggests other …

Enabling Change: Faculty And Student Perceptions Of Blended Learning, Ronald Washington

Theses & Dissertations

The philosopher Plato in his Seventh Epistle argued that the technology of writing is an insufficient means of society conveying knowledge and obtaining truth (Neel, 1988). Many insights from his rhetorical works however are etched in history by this technology. As society moves further into the information age, the relevance of blended learning in higher education is taking on greater significance (Garrison & Vaughan, 2008). Higher education institutions are on the verge of another significant paradigm shift in the dissemination of knowledge and truth. Understanding the shift to new computer-mediated means of knowledge delivery through blended learning experiences requires an …

Educational Journeys Of Successful Hispanic Science Professionals, Gizelle Ann Luevano

All Theses And Dissertations

This qualitative case study examined the science identity and educational experiences, including discrimination, perseverance, and mentorship, of Hispanics in science. The participants were asked to reflect on their 1) educational journeys including obstacles they encountered during their education, 2) support systems while in college, 3) science identities, and 4) their advice for future Hispanic science majors. To capture the stories of successful Hispanic science professionals in detail, transcripts were utilized as data sources. Once member check was conducted, transcripts were analyzed by utilizing qualitative computer software. Grounded science identity model and social capital theory were utilized as the conceptual frameworks. …

Doing A Bid: The Construction Of Time As Punishment, Keesha M. Middlemass, Calvinjohn Smiley

Political Science Faculty Research

Juxtaposing the sociology of time with the sociological study of punishment, we interviewed 34 former inmates to explore their memories of how they constructed time while “doing a bid.” Prison sentences convey macro-political and social messages, but time is experienced by individuals. Our qualitative data explore important theoretical connections between the sociology of time as a lived experience and the temporality of prison where time is punishment. The interview data explores the social construction of time, and our findings demonstrate participants’ use of the language of time in three distinct ways: (a) routine time, (b) marked time, and (c) lost …

Blocked By Diplomatic Barriers: Syrian Refugees And The Eu-Turkey Migration Cooperation, Bassant Hassib, Doaa Nounou

Political Science

The recent EU-Turkey deal on irregular migration and refugees raised voices of humanitarian concerns with regards to the protection of the rights of Syrian refugees. Despite the positive efforts of Turkey to accommodate Syrian refugees, it still lacks a proper asylum system and measures that can guarantee their socio-economic integration and protect their rights. So instead of having a proper EU refugee resettlement system, they just offer money and mobility incentives to Turkey to keep the Syrian refugees on its land, while sidelining the deteriorating status of those refugees in Turkey. This paper argues that EU-Turkey cooperation on migration is …

To Temper Or Not To Temper: A Petrographic Textural Study Of Clays And Formative Ceramic Sherds From The Valley Of Oaxaca, Mexico, Cheri Lynn Price

Theses and Dissertations

Ceramics are one of the best forms of material culture archaeologists can use to analyze questions of social, political, economic, and ideological complexity. The purpose of this thesis research is to determine if the clays used to manufacture later Middle Formative-Terminal Formative ceramics in the Valley of Oaxaca were tempered or otherwise modified by looking at texture of sherds petrographically. Clay samples from around the valley, modern sherds, and Formative sherds were examined and compared using six different forms of analysis. The results show that it is most probable that the Formative sherds were not tempered. However, several sherds exhibited …

Death Keeps No Calendar: Dating Mortuary Hardware From The Saints Peter And Paul Parish Church Cemetery, Amanda Marie Roller

Theses and Dissertations

The concern of the Saints Peter and Paul parish members regarding the history and identity of the individuals buried in an almost forgotten section of the cemetery created an opportunity for archaeologists to work with a community by providing a voice for those buried there and facilitating community understanding and healing. The purpose of this thesis is to examine the temporal indicators of the Saints Peter and Paul cemetery to determine if the coffin hardware and associated artifacts present in excavated burials reflect the expected time of interment. The expected period of interment is 1872-1930. Coffin hardware and associated artifacts …

Local Christian Churches And Disaster Preparedness: Are They Prepared?, Andrew J. Smith

Theses and Dissertations from 2016

Many religious institutions respond to global crises. These faith-based organizations may be small, independent institutions or belong to a larger corporate body. Local mainline Christian churches from mainline denominations including Lutheran, Presbyterian, Catholic, and United Methodist follow the latter model. As members of the larger corporate faith organization, these local churches have access to well-organized and established disaster response functional units. At the corporate level, these religious institutions have come together as collaborative partners in disaster response and recovery as members of the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (NVOAD). While disaster planning, preparedness, response and recovery activities may be …

Responding To Train Derailments Of Crude Oil Cargos And The Use Of Nims/Ice, Laura Hartline Weems

Theses and Dissertations from 2016

Derailments of freight trains carrying bulk cargo are not a new phenomenon in the United States; they have occurred since the 19th century when the first shipment made its way across the nation. However, despite sweeping changes in the past decade to the structure of emergency management in the United States, how the railroads have responded to derailments has not changed. The railroad culture is to operate lean, meaning few people are needed to transport large quantities of cargos and commodities. When a derailment occurs, the culture does not change, and railroads respond with typically few of their own personnel …

Report Of A Meeting On Contemporary Topics In Zebrafish Husbandry And Care, Nikki Osborne, Gregory Paull, Adam Grierson, Karen Dunford, Elisabeth M. Busch-Nentwich, Lynne U. Sneddon, Natalie Wren, Joe Higgins, Penny Hawkins

Ichthyology Collection

A meeting on Contemporary Topics in Zebrafish Husbandry and Care was held in the United Kingdom in 2014, with the aim of providing a discussion forum for researchers, animal technologists, and veterinarians from academia and industry to share good practice and exchange ideas. Presentation topics included protocols for optimal larval rearing, implementing the 3Rs (replacement, reduction, and refinement) in large-scale colony management, and environmental enrichment. The audience also participated in a survey of current practice relating to practical husbandry, cryopreservation, and the provision of enrichment.

Priming Of Narrative Language In Young Adults, Rachel M. Crowder

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project 2016 Annual Report, Michael Nassaney

Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project

This year the Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project continued to build upon its foundations and develop new research, teaching, and public outreach activities directed towards the study of the fur trade and colonialism in southwest Michigan. The Project is a collaboration between Western Michigan University (WMU) faculty and students, the City of Niles, the Fort St. Joseph Archaeology Advisory Commission (FSJAAC), interested stakeholders, supporters, members, and community volunteers in the greater Niles community.

Commodity Prices Limit Nebraska Growth, Eric Thompson, Nebraska Business Forecast Council

Business in Nebraska

Over the last few years the service sector has been the primary engine of economic growth in the United States. Supported by growth in employment and real wages, the service sector has grown steadily with increases in retail trade, business services, personal services and construction activity. Growth has been limited, however, in the industrial sector, given weakness in the energy industry, poor demand for business investment and weak overseas economies. The net result has been moderate economic growth.

Several fundamental issues continue to support an outlook for moderate economic growth. First, the pace of job growth will slow given the …

Measuring Organizational Climate At The Abilene-Taylor County Public Health District, Sarah E.A. Floyd

School of Social Work

The aim of this study was to answer the question, according to the Competing Values Framework, what is the organizational climate of the Abilene-Taylor County Public Health District (ATCPHD)? Organizational climate for this study refers to the collective perceptions of employees on their interactions with their peers, management, and the organization. This study surveyed the 64 employees at the ATCPHD with the Organizational Climate Measure (OCM). Forty employees participated in the study. The study determined that the climate of the ATCPHD, according to Competing Values Framework (CVF), was the Human Relations organizational climate with a secondary climate of Relational Goals. …

Examining Illness Invalidation And Illness Perception In Relation To Physical Functioning In The Context Of Cardiovascular Disease, Jaclyn Ciera Turner

USC Aiken Psychology Theses

Invalidation is defined as the perception of cognitive, affective, and behavioral responses of others that are experienced as denying, lecturing, overprotecting, not supporting, and not acknowledging with the respect to the condition of the patient (Kool, 2012). Invalidation has also been suggested to negatively impact patients’ physical health (Kool, 2012). One specific type of invalidation is illness invalidation (II), defined as attitudes of distrust, suspicion, lack of support for, or acknowledgement that a patient is suffering from an illness (Blom et al., 2011). In addition to II, illness perception (IP) is another construct that has been linked to negative physical …

2010 And 2015 Population Pyramids Comparisions In South Dakota, Wei Gu, Census Data Center

Census Data Center Demographic Datasets

This document shows population comparisons for: the state of South Dakota; urban areas; rural areas; and the metropolitan areas of Rapid City, and Sioux Falls.

Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper Reflectance And Ndvi 27-Year Time Series Inconsistencies Due To Satellite Orbit Change, Hankui Zhang, David P. Roy

GSCE Faculty Publications

The Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper (TM) sensor provided the longest single mission terrestrial remote sensing data record but temporally sparse station keeping maneuvers meant that the Landsat 5 orbit changed over the 27 year mission life. Long-term Landsat 5 TM reflectance inconsistencies may be introduced by orbit change induced solar zenith variations combined with surface reflectance anisotropy, commonly described by the Bi-directional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF). This study quantifies the local overpass time and observed solar zenith angle changes for all the Landsat 5 TM images available at two latitudinally separated locations along the same north-south Landsat path (27) in …

A Note On The Temporary Misregistration Of Landsat-8 Operational Land Imager (Oli) And Sentinel-2 Multi Spectral Instrument (Msi) Imagery, James Storey, David P. Roy, Jeffrey Masek, Ferran Gascon, Michael Choate

GSCE Faculty Publications

The Landsat-8 and Sentinel-2 sensors provide multi-spectral image data with similar spectral and spatial characteristics that together provide improved temporal coverage globally. Both systems are designed to register Level 1 products to a reference image framework, however, the Landsat-8 framework, based upon the Global Land Survey images, contains residual geolocation errors leading to an expected sensor-to-sensor misregistration of 38 m (2σ). These misalignments vary geographically but should be stable for a given area. The Landsat framework will be readjusted for consistency with the Sentinel-2 Global Reference Image, with completion expected in 2018. In the interim, users can measure Landsat-to-Sentinel tie …

Characterizing Cropland Phenology In Major Grain Production Areas Of Russia, Ukraine, And Kazakhstan By The Synergistic Use Of Passive Microwave And Visible To Near Infrared Data, Woubet G. Alemu, Geoffrey M. Henebry

GSCE Faculty Publications

We demonstrate the synergistic use of surface air temperature retrieved from AMSR-E (Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer on Earth observing satellite) and two vegetation indices (VIs) from the shorter wavelengths of MODIS (MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) to characterize cropland phenology in the major grain production areas of Northern Eurasia from 2003–2010. We selected 49 AMSR-E pixels across Ukraine, Russia, and Kazakhstan, based on MODIS land cover percentage data. AMSR-E air temperature growing degree-days (GDD) captures the weekly, monthly, and seasonal oscillations, and well correlated with station GDD. A convex quadratic (CxQ) model that linked thermal time measured as growing degree-days to …

Information, Competition, And The Quality Of Charities, Silvana Krasteva, Huseyin Yildirim

Huseyin Yildirim

Drawing upon the all-pay auction literature, we propose a model of charity competition in which informed giving alone can account for the significant quality heterogeneity across similar charities. Our analysis identifies a negative effect of competition and a positive effect of informed giving on the equilibrium quality of charity. In particular, we show that as the number of charities grows, so does the percentage of charity scams, approaching one in the limit. In light of this and other results, we discuss the need for regulating nonprofit entry and conduct as well as promoting informed giving.

Impact Of A Student-Scheduled Child Care Program On Parents' Educational Goals, Barbara Carter

Administrative Issues Journal

The purpose of this study is to examine what, if any, impact a Student-scheduled Child Care (SSCC) program had on the families of students completing their higher education goals at a college in the southwestern region of the United States. Student completion rate is a concern for most college and university administrators. Research conducted by the Gates foundation determined that over three quarters of former students surveyed felt that they would have graduated if the college or university had offered child care (Johnson, Ott, & DuPont, 2011). This correlational and descriptive research study revealed what student families thought about the …

Advanced Placement U.S. History And The Application Of Social Justice, Katherine A. Curry, Lou L. Sabina, Jon Loffi

Administrative Issues Journal

Recent changes to Advanced Placement U.S. History have sparked a national debate concerning goals and purposes of college level history courses. Critics suggest that the revisions result in a national curriculum that promotes a revisionist history perspective. Defenders claim that revisions are an important step in preparing students for 21st century citizenship. This document analysis identifies key differences between the 2010 and 2014 AP U.S. History frameworks and considers changes made in 2015 by College Board in response to the national debate. The challenges of applying a social justice lens to curriculum are discussed, and suggestions are made concerning the …

An Experiment-Based Methodology To Understand The Dynamics Of Group Decision Making, Susan G. Mason, Don Holley, Aaron Wells, Amit Jain, Thomas Wuerzer, Alark Joshi

Urban Studies and Community Development Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this paper, we present an experiment-based design to examine the dynamics of group decision making. The experiment-based design on group decision making that we put forth provides a path for understanding collective decision making. Understanding more about the dynamics of collective decision making will benefit public policy making and design of roundtable discussions, which can enhance communication and cooperation on important issues such as the design and placement of transportation infrastructure, hospitals facilities, and housing for the homeless, and many others.

From Ranganathan To Amazon: Are We There Yet?, Gulcin Cribb

Research Collection Library

No abstract provided.

Free Articles And Accounting For The Timing Effect, Nursyeha Yahaya, Chee Hsien Aaron (Zheng Zhixian) Tay

Research Collection Library

Various studies have attempted to assess the amount of free full text available on the web and recent work have suggested that we are close to the 50% mark for freely available articles (Archambault et al. 2013; Bjork et al. 2010; Jamali and Nabavi 2015). It is natural to wonder if this might reduce researchers' reliance on library subscriptions for access. To do so, we need to determine not just what papers researchers are citing to that are free today, but to estimate if the papers they were citing were freely available at the time they were citing it. We …

Estimates Of Broad Age Groups By County 2016, Portland State University. Population Research Center, Risa Proehl

Oregon Population Estimates and Reports

Estimates of Population Age Groups (ages under 18 yrs., 18-64 yrs., and 65 yrs. and over) for Oregon and Its Counties, July 1, 2016.

Rhode Island Current Conditions Index -- December 2016, Leonard Lardaro

The Rhode Island Current Conditions Index

No abstract provided.

The Economic Impacts Of Undocumented Immigrants In The United States, Abdulaziz Alangari

Honors Papers and Posters

There are about 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S., of which all are not granted a work permit. Thus, in order to survive, these immigrants seek jobs that do not require legal status but have wages significantly lower than minimum. In short, by having these immigrants work in low-wage jobs, the U.S. economy benefits by providing a diverse market to U.S. residents and thus creates a vast economy. My research paper will be talking about how the presence of undocumented immigrants is a significant factor in creating and shaping the diverse U.S. economy.

Introduction, Antonio Medina-Rivera, Lee F. Wilberschied Ph.D.

Cultural Encounters, Conflicts, and Resolutions

No abstract provided.

American Muslims: How The “American Creed” Fosters Assimilation And Pluralism, James R. Moore

Cultural Encounters, Conflicts, and Resolutions

This article examines the status of American Muslims in the United States in relationship to other cultural groups and some of the widespread stereotypes that plague Muslims in contemporary society. Much has been written about the discrimination faced by Muslims, particularly after the September 11, 2001 attacks, spawned by religious, racial, and ethnic bigotry. Some polls show many Americans harbor some prejudices against Muslims, but these prejudices have not resulted in widespread violence or discrimination; although there has been some violence and discrimination experienced by some Muslims, the empirical data show that the majority of American Muslims are very successful …