Economic Issues for Women in Texas 2014

A comprehensive study of the economics of being female in TX: Economic Issues for Women in Texas. Texas Women's Foundation, established in 2013 as the research and advocacy arm of Dallas Women's Foundation, continues its long-standing focus on the issues that impact women statewide, which included the biennial studies of the Texas state budget through a gender lens. Through this new study, conducted by the Center for Public Policy Priorities, a sharply defined look at the policies and practices at the state level is provided, and at the community level in nine metro areas across Texas, that affect a woman's ability to be economically stable and secure

The Effect of Market Structure on Pest Resistance Buildup

In this paper we present a continuous time optimal control analysis of resistance buildup in agricultural chemicals when the supplier is a monopolist. We compare the monopolistic, competitive and socially optimal solutions after establishing the stability of each equilibrium. The central finding is that with a monopolistic supplier, resistance buildup is lower than socially optimal. This directly opposes the standard result in the resistance literature. This implies that policies to manage resistance should vary with the age of the chemical, with no intervention during the lifetime of a patent and an optimal tax once the patent expires.Research Methods/ Statistical Methods,

“Here I Come to Save the Day!” Does Parental Mediation Moderate Associations between Superhero Exposure and Behavior in Young Boys?

Studies have shown that superheroes are very popular among preschool boys, but research on the effect of exposure to superhero media and toys is limited. Superheroes frequently use aggression to defend others, and certain characteristics of superheroes encourage wishful identification among boys. However, it is unknown whether superhero exposure and identification is associated with aggression, prosocial behaviors, or behaviors with the purpose of defending others. Parental active mediation of media (i.e discussions of media content) can reduce the negative effects of aggressive content by modifying children’s perceptions of aggression. This study aimed to examine the associations between superhero exposure/identification and aggressive, prosocial, and defending behavior in preschool boys and to examine whether parental active mediation of television content moderates these associations. Sixty-four parents of preschool boys (mean age = 60.6 months) completed measures of their child’s superhero identification/exposure, their own active mediation, and their child’s aggressive and prosocial behaviors. Results revealed that superhero exposure and identification was associated with decreased prosocial behavior and increased verbal aggression. These associations were not moderated by active parental mediation. Additionally, low levels of parental mediation, combined with high levels of superhero identification/exposure were positively correlated with aggressive defending behaviors. Future research should examine gender and age differences in the associations between superhero exposure and behavior. Additionally, questions remain about the differential effects of discussing media content with preschoolers, as this form of mediation may be less effective for certain types of programs during the preschool years. Additional keywords: early childhoo

The Effects of Social Media on the Development of Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa in Adolescent Females

Most people are reliant on social media- that is a known fact. While there are some positive aspects to it, social media has unfortunately become a dark hole of comparison and body dysmorphia. This paper outlines the unfortunate connection between social media and the prevalence of eating disorders in adolescent females, specifically anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa

Effect of Active Isolated Stretching and Static Stretching on Vertical Jump Performance and Flexibility

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of AIS compared to static stretching on countermovement jump height production. Currently, only a few studies have conducted research on AIS and CMJ. None of which compared the differences in power production between static stretching and AIS. Most studies show 30 or 60-second holds per muscle group for static stretching. This study will utilize a static stretching and AIS protocol of 45 second hold per muscle group for a total stretch volume of 6 minutes, which meets the American College of Sports Medicine guidelines (ACSM, 2018)

FACTORS EXPLAINING THE DIFFUSION OF HYBRID MAIZE: EVIDENCE FROM LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN IN SUPPORT OF THE LIFE CYCLE THEORY OF SEED INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT

Factors affecting the diffusion of hybrid maize are explored using a unique data set from 18 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. Our findings not only validate the conventional profitability-based explanations of farmer adoption behavior, but also confirm the importance of supply-side factors, providing empirical support for the life cycle theory of seed industry development.Crop Production/Industries,

What\u27s in Your Soil? A Comparative Assessment of Total Lead in Soils in Southwest Side and North Side Chicago Communities

In Chicago, city officials continue to locate polluting industries in predominately Black and Hispanic/Latinx neighborhoods. Lower income families are disproportionately exposed to greater amounts of toxic chemicals such as lead (Pb). While the City of Chicago focuses its effort in removing industrial sites from the North Side, a predominately white community area, sources of industrial pollution are more likely to be found in communities of color. Due to the prevalent sources of Pb on the Southwest side, residential soil is often highly disturbed and contaminated. Pb is a serious neurotoxin, and ingestion or inhalation of Pb contaminated soil and dust can affect all organ systems (e.g., cardiovascular, nervous, renal, immune, reproductive). The goal of my project is to measure, map, and compare spatial patterns of total soil Pb within and among three community areas in Chicago: West Elsdon (WE) and Garfield Ridge (GR), located on the Southwest Side, and Lakeview, located on the North Side. I trained a team of citizen scientists to collect soil samples from randomly determined points located in parkways in WE/GR census tracts. Samples from Lakeview were collected by a former ENV student. Samples were digested and analyzed for total Pb following EPA Method 3050B. Results of this project indicated that mean total Pb concentrations in WE/GR were not significantly higher than total Pb concentrations from Lakeview

Conversion Theory Through the Cognitive Science of Religion Lense in a Christian-Muslim Context

The Cognitive Science of Religion (CSR) in recent years is beginning to become more popular. This project evolves around the development of the field as well as critiques of the field. Because of the interdisciplinary nature of CSR, it lends an interesting way to understand religion as well as religious experiences. One of those religious experiences, conversion, is examined and explored through the use of conversion narratives from western women who were formally Christian but converted to Islam. Many themes arise out of this research that paves the way for trying to understand religious experiences. Overall, the project focuses on interpreting the conversion narratives to gain a better understanding of religious conversions for the sake of anthropology, philosophy, and cognitive psychology

Campus Collaboration at the University of San Diego for Student Veterans

The purpose of my research was to help provide better resources for student veterans during their experience in higher education at the University of San Diego (USD). My research question was: how can I collaborate with campus partners in creating a central hub for the Military and Veterans Program at the University of San Diego. This was important because as a student veteran there are multiple obstacles to overcome while learning how to be integrated back into civilian life. I looked specifically at student veterans as they have particular characteristics that may differ from other military-connected students on campus, such as dependents. Through focus groups and interviews, I found that student veterans are asking for more shared knowledge across campus and resources to support them holistically. I have learned by creating the Military-Connected Hub, this has allowed for more folks on campus to better serve student veterans