Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Landings, Vol. 31, No. 12, Maine Lobstermen’S Community Alliance, Rebecca Nuzzi, Amber-Jean Nickel

Landings: News & Views from Maine's Lobstering Community

Landings content emphasizes science, history, resource sustainability, economic development, and human interest stories related to Maine's lobster industry. The newsletter emphasizes lobstering as a traditional, majority-European American lifeway with an economic and social heritage unique to the coast of Maine. The publication focuses how ongoing research to engage in sustainable, non-harmful, and non-wasteful commercial fishing practices benefit both the fishery and Maine's coastal legacy.

For more information, please visit the Maine Lobstermen’s Community Alliance (MLCA) website.

“The Debt Is Suffocating To Be Honest”: Student Loan Debt, Prospective Sensemaking, And The Social Psychology Of Precarity In An Allopathic Medical School, William Burr, Judson G. Everitt, James Johnson

Sociology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Confronted with soaring medical school costs and intensifying disparities in physician compensation by specialty, medical students are forced to make sense of medical education debt during the nascent stages of their careers in medicine. Few studies, however, have examined exactly how medical students make sense of these constraints or how this process might influence decisions about which specialty to pursue or affect doctors’ wellbeing. Leveraging qualitative data collected from current students across all four years of medical education at a Midwestern allopathic medical school, we document how medical students collectively engage in prospective sensemaking about their debt and how it …

Working With Latinx Immigrant Families In The United States: A Culturally Informed Structural Family Therapy Approach, Bailey Brown, Rebecca Los

Student Projects

As the Latinx population in the United States steadily grows, it is imperative that mental health practitioners grow their understanding of this population to be able to provide culturally competent services. There is a unique set of stressors faced by Latinx immigrants in the United States, especially Latinx immigrant youth. These stressors pose a disruption to Latinx immigrant family systems, leading to internalizing and externalizing symptoms. To better understand the stressors Latinx immigrants face and their impact on families, research was conducted on this population's statistics, characteristics, common issues, problems, and risk factors. In addition, research was conducted on approaches …

Domestic Violence In Sioux County: Raising Awareness And Stimulating Empathy, Jenna Aalbers, Bailey Brown, Kenzie Kurtz, Linden Sutton

Student Projects

Domestic violence is a pertinent problem in Sioux County, Iowa, yet community members tend to be unaware of its existence and relevance. That is because it operates in a sly cycle, largely undetected by those outside the family. There is a general lack of public discussion and understanding about domestic violence, which tends to be viewed as a private, family matter. Despite this, the impacts of domestic violence extend beyond the family, and there are systemic factors that serve as barriers and risk factors for domestic violence survivors. This paper highlights the conditions of domestic violence in general as well …

Families With Fathers In Minimum Security Prison: A Family Treatment Approach To Treating Families With Fathers In Prison, Alexandria Davis, Madison Schrack

Student Projects

The population of those in prison is increasing, and many of those who are in prison have families. Much research has been done on the effect prison has on prisoners, but not as much has looked at the children and what the effect is of having a parent, specifically their father, who is absent in prison. It is important to understand the possible behaviors, risks, and challenges that children face. This research essay looks at what it is like for children between the ages of 5 and 10 to have a father in minimum security prison while also examining the …

Model Of Evidence-Based Practice: Children Experiencing Domestic Violence In Rural Areas, Linden Sutton, Mckenzie Kurtz

Student Projects

Domestic violence is often something that occurs between an abuser and a victim. However, children are also deeply affected by any type of abuse that they witness or experience. More specifically, children in rural areas face more challenges and barriers preventing them from experiencing the freedom to simply be a child. This study examined theories and interventions to treat children experiencing domestic violence. The researchers developed a treatment curriculum based on solution-focused brief therapy to address this population. Overall, solution-focused brief therapy is an effective treatment for children who have either witnessed or experienced domestic violence in a rural setting.

Families Of Terminally Ill Cancer Patients, Jenna Aalbers, Grace Laman

Student Projects

Cancer is an illness that does not only impact the patient, but also the people around them. It can be especially difficult for families who are affected as it impacts the lifestyles of everyone. Approximately 1.9 million new cancer cases are expected each year to occur in the United States, so this is an issue that will continue to be prevalent. (American Cancer Society, 2022). Research has shown that there are many effective methods that can be used to help families. This includes methods such as family-based dignity intervention (FBDI), meditation, and open communication strategies. It is important for social …

Food Insecurity: Bringing Awareness Of Food Insecurity In Sioux County, Alexandria Davis, Grace Laman, Rebecca Los, Madison Schrack

Student Projects

Food is crucial to survival and maintaining a healthy lifestyle; however, not everyone can access and afford food. People may have difficulty due to poverty, location of grocery stores, or societal issues. Research was conducted to understand the numerous aspects of food insecurity in adults, children, and families across America. It was also intended to create awareness of food insecurity in Sioux County.

The Role Of Media In Shaping Chinese Narratives On National Rights Images, Gloria Andrea Baca

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The research project below that provides a qualitative analysis of the Chinese Mediaâ??s role in shaping national rights images. The research conducts an analysis on human rights abuse allegations against China that directly target the Uyghur population residing in the Xinjiang Providence. This paper conducts an analysis of seven white papers, which are government issued responses presented by the CCP, to interpret which types of the four narrative buildings strategies listed are utilized when responding to the accusations. The basis of this paper establishes that when the Chinese government address allegations of abuse towards the Uyghur population, they will respond …

An Examination Of Lgbtqia+ College Students And Their Past Experiences With Homelessness, Michaela Dakota Castor

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In the United States, there are more than 20 million people who identify as LGBTQIA+ which equates to roughly 8% of the population (Powell 2021). Although LGBT youth only make up 5% to 10% of the youth population, 28% will experience housing insecurity (The Trevor Project 2022). For many members of the LGBTQIA+ community, â??coming outâ?? is a sentimental and often scary experience. LGBTQIA+ youth, in particular, are afraid of being rejected and kicked out of their homes because of their sexuality and gender expression. 1 in 4 LGBTQIA+ individuals will be homeless and 68% will face some sort of …

Optimizing Remote Sensing Approaches For Dryland Carbon Flux Estimation, Kamal Nyaupane

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Dryland ecosystems account for 40% of the global land surface area and play a vital role in the global carbon cycle. Gross Primary Productivity (GPP) is crucial for carbon exchange between ecosystems and the atmosphere, serving as a fundamental determinant of the carbon balance. However, precise modeling of GPP in terrestrial ecosystems, especially drylands, remains a complex challenge. This research utilizes a decade long spectral reflectance dataset acquired with a robotic tram system to estimate GPP using Random Forest model. The research exceled in capturing the complex spatio-temporal dynamics of the study site. Notably, the RF model exhibited best performance …

Courageous Marketer Bringing Life To Christian Movies, Mark D. Weinstein

News Releases

The success of a motion picture is often dependent on a quality storyline, impactful themes, good acting and effective marketing. Scott Mills, a film marketer with Engage Media Partners, is confident that his firm’s most recent work on “Journey to Bethlehem” will help it become a holiday hit and a testament to the power of the new wave of Christian filmmaking.

Word Reading, Reading Comprehension, And Eye Movements During Reading In Chinese Persons With Aphasia, Xiaobin Wang

<strong> Theses and Dissertations </strong>

Individuals with aphasia (IWA) often exhibit challenges in single word reading as well as in reading comprehension. Recently, eye-tracking technology has become instrumental in delving deeper into reading behaviors. Specifically, it has illuminated the differences in word reading and comprehension abilities among aphasic English speakers. However, there is a noticeable scarcity of research focusing on these aspects among Chinese IWA. The current study aimed to contrast the abilities of Chinese IWA and neurotypical controls in reading single words, with an emphasis on types like regular, irregular, and pseudowords, and reading comprehension abilities. Further, this study investigated the patterns of eye …

“This Forum Is Not A Democracy”: The Role Of Norms And Moderation In Cultivating (Anti)Democratic Incel Identities, Jennifer Forestal

Political Science: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Incels (short for “involuntarily celibate”) have recently gained notoriety for their aggressive, often violent, misogyny, yet incels were not always an antidemocratic social group. They thus pose a challenge for thinking about democracy and identity in (anonymous) digital environments: how can we create spaces for marginalized social groups while ensuring the resulting identities remain democratic? While many scholars point to technological affordances or corporate content moderation policies as providing some solutions, in this article I propose a more democratic approach. Drawing from incel wikis and archived forum posts from two early incel communities—IncelSupport and LoveShy—I argue that a community's social …

A Snapshot In Time: Consumer Behavior At The Start Of Covid-19, Michelle L. Childs, Christopher Sneed, Ann A. Berry, Sejin Ha

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

During the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic, consumers faced challenges related to obtaining household items due to shortages and limitations in shopping. Researchers from the University of Tennessee conducted a national, web-based consumer survey of 300 consumers in late April 2020 to better understand consumer behavior, shopping patterns, and demand shifts for goods and services. Major findings demonstrate that consumers have increased shopping for essential products from brick-and-mortar national chains, avoided brick-and-mortar small businesses, and have chosen to shop more by themselves, often choosing to forgo spending from across all product categories, compared to prior to the pandemic. Additionally, …

The Differential Impact Of 4ps On Child Labor Before And During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Hannah Grace Villaret, Joey Anastacio, Yohana B. Burgos, Lyka May Pauline Fernandez, Paulynne J. Castillo, Roberto Raymundo, Joel Q. Tanchuco

Angelo King Institute for Economic and Business Studies (AKI)

Poverty is widely considered the root cause of child labor in the Philippines. Thus, the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) was designed to alleviate poverty and reduce child labor through financial assistance, conditional on welfare investments like children’s education. Using 2017, 2019, and 2020 data from the Annual Poverty Indicators Survey (APIS), the study estimated the differential impact of 4Ps on child labor before and during COVID-19 across varying demographic, socio-economic, and locational characteristics. Results from the propensity score matching (PSM) and difference-in-differences (DID) model indicated that since cash transfers cannot fully offset the opportunity cost of children’s education, children …

Analysis On The Credit Accessibility And Growth Of Manufacturing Firms In The Cases Of Indonesia, Philippines, And Vietnam, Sophia Angela Jimenez, Kamille Daquinag, Maria Regina Victoria Sagrit, Brian Irvin Chan, Albert Lamberte, Maria Zunally Rapada, Krista Danielle Yu

Angelo King Institute for Economic and Business Studies (AKI)

Micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) contribute to income and employment generation, poverty reduction, and industry growth in the ASEAN region (Mendoza, 2015). Their significant contributions to economies have led countries to emphasize the importance of firm growth, which is influenced by credit accessibility. Majority of existing enterprises in Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam are composed of MSMEs with limited financial resources to foster growth (Paratama, 2019). This hinders the potential of manufacturing MSMEs to have sufficient funding. However, existing literature suggests that credit access significantly provides a positive impact on firm growth only until a certain threshold point (Nizam …

The Information Literacy Class As Theatrical Performance: A Qualitative Study Of Academic Librarians’ Understanding Of Their Teacher Identity, Mark Aaron Polger

Publications and Research

This qualitative study examines how academic librarians understand, conceptualize, and describe their teacher identity. The role of the academic librarian has greatly changed due to the advent of information technology. Traditionally, they were generalists, who were responsible for selecting and maintaining library collections. Academic librarian roles have evolved into web developers, information literacy (IL) instructors, emerging technology innovators, marketing and outreach coordinators, open education resources (OER) advocates, and scholarly communication experts. This research investigates the academic librarian as teacher phenomenon, how they describe their professional identity as teachers, the skills, knowledge, and competencies they teach, and their beliefs of how …

Repeated Treatment With 5-Ht1a And 5-Ht1b Receptor Agonists: Evidence Of Tolerance And Behavioral Sensitization, Jordan Taylor

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Serotonin has been found to regulate several cognitive and physiological functions, and its role in depression and other neuropsychiatric disorders has been a focus of research. More specifically, a wealth of research regarding serotonin focuses on serotonergic medications in the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders, such as depression and anxiety, and stimulates the 5-HT_1A and 5-HT_1B receptors. Within the last decade, there has been an increase in prescriptions of psychotropic medication for children, however, the efficacy and adverse effects of these drugs have not been evaluated in younger populations. While antidepressants reduce symptoms of depression in adults, they are …

Toxic Leadership And Its Effect On Employees' Subjective Well-Being, Vaishnavi Waldiya

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Toxic leadership is an area of growing interest. The goal of my study was to investigate toxic leadership and how toxic leader behaviors relate to employee outcomes. Part of my goal was to examine the role of toxic leadership (taking other factors such as burnout, and workplace incivility) and how toxic leadership and other variables contribute to an employee's subjective well-being. Hence, the goal of this study was to examine the following effects: Toxic leadership behaviors and their effects on subjective well-being of the employee; and b) mediating roles of incivility and burnout on toxic leader behavior and the employee’s …

Biomarkers Of Objective Criteria For Subtle Cognitive Decline In Parkinson’S Disease, Mary Ellen Garcia

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Mild cognitive impairment in Parkinson’s disease (PD-MCI) is the continuum from normal cognitive function to dementia. Recent studies suggest that objectively defined subtle cognitive decline (Obj-SCD), which uses non-traditional “process” neuropsychological scores, may be a better pathway to earlier detection of cognitive impairment. Obj-SCD has been defined as the stage where cognition is not impaired, but biomarkers are present or cognitive impairment is minimal but not sufficient to meet MCI or dementia criteria. We examined the longitudinal trajectories of neurodegenerative markers among individuals who are classified as cognitive normal (CN), Obj-SCD, and PD-MCI. Past literature has been inconsistent about the …

The Role Of Muslim Communities In Easing The Challenges For Young U.S. Muslim Immigrant Children’S School Outcomes, Ghada Kassir

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

American Muslims have increasingly experienced Islamophobia-related discrimination and stereotypes, including unjust accusations of violence, hatred, and terrorism, especially since 9/11. This study investigates the experience of Muslim immigrants in the U.S. and its impact on their children’s school outcomes. Using the theoretical frameworks of segmented assimilation, acculturation, social identity theory, and critical race theory, post-9/11 Muslim immigrants and their elementary school children are the focus of this study. Specifically, this study examines the associations among the following constructs: Muslim identity, culture and traditions, community connectedness, and children's school outcomes. This study hypothesized that there is a negative correlation between Muslim …

Criminal Justice Update - December 2023, Delaney Rabenold

Criminal Justice Updates

The Criminal Justice Update is a monthly newsletter created by the Adams County Bar Foundation Fellow providing updates in criminal justice policy coming from Pennsylvania's courts and legislature as well as the US Supreme Court.

Contents:

• Updates from PA Governor's Office (no new updates this month)

• Updates from the PA Legislature

• Updates from the Courts

  • U.S. Supreme Court (no updates this month)

  • PA Supreme Court (no updates this month)

  • PA Superior Court

Dental Health In Roman Dogs: A Pilot Study Using Standardized Examination Methods, Monika Schernig-Mráz, Anne L. Grauer, Gottfried Morgenegg

Anthropology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Objective:

To utilize standardized clinical veterinary methods to analyze dental health in a series of Roman dog maxillae and mandibles and to compare results to modern clinical data.

Materials:

28 skulls of juvenile and adult dogs from three archaeological sites in Switzerland and Germany dating to the Roman period.

Methods:

Standardized examination was carried out, which included metric radiographic assessment to diagnose oral pathology and estimate age at death. In one case, CT analysis was undertaken.

Results:

The estimated average age at death was between three and four years old. Tooth fracture, periodontal disease, the presence of non-vital teeth, and …

The Economic Impact Of Artprize 2023, Christian Glupker, Paul Isely

Other Faculty Publications

ArtPrize is estimated to have generated or supported economic benefits for Kent County in the following ways:

• The total economic impact of all primary visitor spending and ArtPrize operational spending is estimated at $54.7 million in economic output supporting 434 jobs.
• 714,345 total visitors, with 53% visiting from outside the local region. The average age of all visitors was 47 years old.
• 39% of local visitors and 69% of all nonlocal visitors stated that ArtPrize was their primary reason for visiting Grand Rapids.
• All local visitors spent an average of 2.6 days at ArtPrize and all nonlocal visitors spent an …

A Phenomenological Study Of Disciplinary Alternative Education Program "Enforcers" On The U.S-Mexico Border: Administrators, Teachers, Coaches, Substitutes, And Campus Patrols, Jair Alejandro Munoz

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Stemmed from zero-tolerance policies, Disciplinary Alternative Education Programs/Classrooms (DAEPs) in Texas are disciplinary spaces designed to house students deemed at risk, while schools continue to serve students’ educational needs of (Aron 2006, Tajalli & Garba, 2014). Once there, students are stereotyped with analogous carceral-framed personas that taint who they are, how they are perceived, and/or how they are treated in alternative classrooms (Dunning-Lozano, 2015; 2018). As a result, the programs/classrooms are fundamental bastions of the school-to-prison-nexus involving a culmination of practices, and policies, along with institutional enforcements that push youths from school to the legal system (Fernandez, Kirshner & Lewis, …

Exploring Aging Using The Selection, Optimization, And Compensation (Soc) Framework In Conjunction With Kinematic Gait And Verbal Fluency Task Analysis In Healthy Adults, Emily Ann Chavez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This multi-study dissertation examined dual-task performance in young and middle-aged adults using verbal fluency tasks (VFT) during different walking scenarios (baseline, performing a VFT, walking narrowly, and performing a VFT while walking narrowly) as well as the Selection, Optimization, and Compensation (SOC) model. Thirty adults (15 young adults (YA; 19-44 years) and 15 middle-aged adults (MA; 45-65 years) participated in this study. Overall, there were no significant differences between groups when data was examined in short (means of means approach) and long-form (incorporating all data), when analyzing clustering and switching strategies, gait speed variability, or dual-task costs. Overall, these three …

An Exploration Of Two Information Literacy Open Learning Object Repositories: Value, Content, And Engagement, Tiffanie Lynn Ford-Baxter

Communications in Information Literacy

Information literacy (IL) open learning object repositories (LORs) provide a space for librarians to find and exchange instruction resources and lessons. Given many librarians enter the workforce with little or no formal training or educational opportunities to learn about pedagogy, these repositories are indispensable resources to the Library and Information Science field. This study explored the contents of two popular IL LORs, Project Cora and the Association of College and Research Libraries Framework for Information Literacy Sandbox, to uncover how users engage with the resources and how the repositories differ. This study's findings suggest that while resources within the LORs …

Usage Statistics: Project Counter R5 Pr_P1 Report Fy2023 - Platform Usage, Andrée J. Rathemacher

Technical Services Reports and Statistics

Project COUNTER R5 Report PR_P1 for the University of Rhode Island for the period from July 1, 2022 - June 30, 2023. The PR_P1 report is defined as "Platform Usage." This report presents an annual total only and only includes those platforms successfully configured for automated harvesting via SUSHI.

File for download is Excel spreadsheet generated by Alma Analytics.

Results:

Searches Platform - 308,061

Total Item Requests - 1,150,640

Unique Item Requests - 851,822

Unique Title Requests - 47,736

Usage Statistics: Project Counter R5 Tr_B1 Report Fy2023 - Book Requests (Excluding Oa_Gold) By Platform, Andrée J. Rathemacher

Technical Services Reports and Statistics

Project COUNTER R5 Report TR_B1 for the University of Rhode Island for the period from July 1, 2021 - June 30, 2022. The TR_B1 report is defined as "Book Requests (Excluding OA_Gold)." This report presents an annual total only and only includes those platforms successfully configured for automated harvesting via SUSHI.

File for download is Excel spreadsheet generated by Alma Analytics.

Results:

Total Item Requests - 118,197

Unique Title Requests - 46,803