It must be the money : family structure, child well-being, and public policy.

This study proposed to examine the interactions between income, family structure, race and child well-being. Educational achievement was used as a proxy for child well-being

Defining Policy Issues: The Dynamics of Information Processing and Issue Definitions

This dissertation examines how information is translated into issuedefinitions. Issue definitions---the way that policy issues areunderstood---have long been noted to be important for policychoices. In this project, I develop a model of issue definitions whereissues are understood as a function of the various dimensions of theissue weighted by the importance of each dimension. I then incorporatethis model into the theory of information processing developed byJones and Baumgartner (2005). The theory of information processingposits that information can be understood as signals in thepolicymaking environment, and information processing is the collectionand prioritizing of those signals. In this dissertation, I modelthese information signals as the salience of each dimension of anissue.Using the case of used nuclear fuel (UNF) management, this dissertation testhypotheses about the nature of issue definitions and policy change,institutions, and policy actors. Specifically, I estimate thedimensions of the UNF issue using latent Dirichlet allocation, a typeof quantitative text analysis. Following the development of the UNFdimensions, I test hypotheses about how the salience of these dimensions are relatedto policy change, how institutional structures influence dimensionsalience, and how policy actors systematically highlight somedimensions over others

Hydrographic Properties and Inferred Circulation Over the Northeastern Shelves of the Gulf of Mexico During Spring to Midsummer of 1998

A hydrographic cruise was conducted 5-16 May 1998 over the northeastern shelves of the Gulf of Mexico, Observed distributions of temperature, salinity, oxygen, and nutrients were consonant with prior occurrences of upwelling, particularly near the head of DeSoto Canyon. Shipboard, moored, and satellite observations indicated these upwelling events were related to the presence of an anticyclonic circulation feature over the canyon. In addition, several cool water events occurred during spring in the nearshore region west of Pensacola; these may be attributed to atmospheric effects. High river discharges from rivers west of the Apalachicola during winter and spring likely resulted in the extensive surface distributions of low-salinity water observed from Mississippi Sound to Cape San Bias during the cruise. The combination of cool bottom temperatures and relatively low surface salinities over the inshore shelf west of Cape San Bias, with the usual seasonal warming, resulted in enhanced vertical stability. This stability likely inhibited vertical mixing and contributed to the development of the relatively low concentrations of dissolved oxygen observed in the bottom waters

Quantitative Research Methods for Political Science, Public Policy and Public Administration for Undergraduates: 1st Edition With Applications in R

Quantitative Research Methods for Political Science, Public Policy and Public Administration for Undergraduates: 1st Edition With Applications in R is an adaption of Quantitative Research Methods for Political Science, Public Policy and Public Administration (With Applications in R). The focus of this book is on using quantitative research methods to test hypotheses and build theory in political science, public policy and public administration. This new version of the text omits large portions of the original text that focused on calculus and linear algebra, expands and reorganizes the content on the software system R and includes guided study questions at the end of each chapter.https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu-oer/1004/thumbnail.jp

Quantitative Research Methods for Political Science, Public Policy and Public Administration for Undergraduates: 1st Edition With Applications in Excel

Quantitative Research Methods for Political Science, Public Policy and Public Administration for Undergraduates: 1st Edition With Applications in Excel is an adaption of Quantitative Research Methods for Political Science, Public Policy and Public Administration (With Applications in R). The focus of this book is on using quantitative research methods to test hypotheses and build theory in political science, public policy and public administration. This new version is designed specifically for undergraduate courses. It omits large portions of the original text that focused on calculus and linear algebra, expands and reorganizes the content on the software system by shifting to Excel and includes guided study questions at the end of each chapter.https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu-oer/1003/thumbnail.jp

Physical and biogeochemical controls on the variability in surface pH and calcium carbonate saturation states in the Atlantic sectors of the Arctic and Southern Oceans

Polar oceans are particularly vulnerable to ocean acidification due to their low temperatures and reduced buffering capacity, and are expected to experience extensive low pH conditions and reduced carbonate mineral saturations states (Ω) in the near future. However, the impact of anthropogenic CO2 on pH and Ω will vary regionally between and across the Arctic and Southern Oceans. Here we investigate the carbonate chemistry in the Atlantic sector of two polar oceans, the Nordic Seas and Barents Sea in the Arctic Ocean, and the Scotia and Weddell Seas in the Southern Ocean, to determine the physical and biogeochemical processes that control surface pH and Ω. High-resolution observations showed large gradients in surface pH (0.10–0.30) and aragonite saturation state (Ωar) (0.2–1.0) over small spatial scales, and these were particularly strong in sea-ice covered areas (up to 0.45 in pH and 2.0 in Ωar). In the Arctic, sea-ice melt facilitated bloom initiation in light-limited and iron replete (dFe>0.2 nM) regions, such as the Fram Strait, resulting in high pH (8.45) and Ωar (3.0) along the sea-ice edge. In contrast, accumulation of dissolved inorganic carbon derived from organic carbon mineralisation under the ice resulted in low pH (8.05) and Ωar (1.1) in areas where thick ice persisted. In the Southern Ocean, sea-ice retreat resulted in bloom formation only where terrestrial inputs supplied sufficient iron (dFe>0.2 nM), such as in the vicinity of the South Sandwich Islands where enhanced pH (8.3) and Ωar (2.3) were primarily due to biological production. In contrast, in the adjacent Weddell Sea, weak biological uptake of CO2 due to low iron concentrations (dFe<0.2 nM) resulted in low pH (8.1) and Ωar (1.6). The large spatial variability in both polar oceans highlights the need for spatially resolved surface data of carbonate chemistry variables but also nutrients (including iron) in order to accurately elucidate the large gradients experienced by marine organisms and to understand their response to increased CO2 in the future

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Policy Beliefs, Belief Uncertainty, and Policy Learning

Proposes a conceptual framework that includes belief change and changes in belief certainty as products of learning. Examines this framework in the context of a deliberative mini-publi

Indianapolis community metrics : empowering communities and planners with equal access to user friendly data analysis

In an environment when funding for community development is declining and research is proving the effectiveness of targeted redevelopment strategies, it is critical for planners and community development organizations to have data relevant to community revitalization. This paper explains the development of and tests the effectiveness of a user friendly web-application to view neighborhood indicators at the census tract level. Using the existing literature related to neighborhood indicators, particularly work by Galster, et. al (2005), the author has developed an application that can be useful to everyone from planners to neighborhood organizations to neighborhood residents. To test the effectiveness of the application, it is used to find neighborhoods of disinvestment near neighborhoods of investment. Those neighborhoods are then explored using the web-app to determine if they are good candidates for community development investment. The application is successful in identifying three key neighborhoods as candidates for investment. The most exciting aspect of this tool is its universal quality. The data and methods used can be easily replicated for any city of county in the country.Thesis (M.U.R.P.)Department of Urban Plannin