Capacity Utilization Rates across NFL Stadiums

Attendance at NFL games has steadily increased for the past half-decade. Teams and the league as a whole have a direct interest in learning what brings fans to the games. This research studies the economic/demographic factors and team characteristics that affect stadium capacity utilization rates of NFL teams over the period from 2012 to 2016. Among the economic/demographic factors, we find that the more populated the city is where a team is located, the higher the team’s stadium capacity utilization rate. Among the team characteristics, our results indicate that having a new stadium, having more professional teams in a city, and the team’s winning percentage all affect the stadium capacity utilization rate

Beyond rights : developing a conceptual framework for understanding access to coastal resources at Ebenhaeser and Covie, Western Cape, South Africa.

Includes abstract.Includes bibliographical references.Within the context of small-scale fisheries, increased claims and demands made for access, as well as fisheries governance processes, this thesis examines local resources users’ access to fisheries resources. The study identifies and analyses various mechanisms harnessed to maintain access to fisheries resources, as well as the various strategies put forward to make claims for access. In the property literature, where access has predominantly featured, the main focus has been on the role of rights and economic benefits, with limited attention paid to the wider social dynamics and governance processes associated with access to fisheries resources. This study draws on an alternative view of access– specifically, that popularised by Ribot and Peluso (2003) in their access theory. Here, it is emphasised that studying access becomes a wider investigation into the many social means, processes and relations, or ‘mechanisms’, by which actors are able to benefit from access to natural resources

A Longitudinal Investigation of the Relationship Between Gender Discrepancy Stress and Teen Dating Violence

Gender discrepancy stress (GDS), or anxiety stemming from perceived nonconformity to traditional gender roles, has exhibited associations with numerous adverse physical and psychological health outcomes. Adolescents are particularly susceptible to socialization regarding prescribed gender role norms, and beliefs regarding appropriate behavior are often established during this key developmental stage. Previous studies have investigated the effects of GDS on deleterious health outcomes, yet causal inference has been limited due to cross-sectional data. The present study will aim to expand upon existing research by examining the longitudinal relationships between GDS, attitudes condoning violence, and physical teen dating violence (TDV). Data are drawn from a sample of male and female high school students (N=648) who completed self-report questionnaires annually over the course of four waves. Structural equation modeling was employed to test the effects of GDS on physical TDV perpetration and victimization, and latent difference scores were used to evaluate acceptance of violence (AoV) as a potential mediator. Findings indicate that an increase in GDS has a direct, positive effect on subsequent changes in physical TDV perpetration, while an increase in GDS has a negative effect on subsequent levels of physical TDV perpetration for females. Results did not reveal a significant link between GDS and physical TDV victimization for either gender, and there was no evidence that AoV mediated the relationship between GDS and physical TDV. These findings suggest that it may prove beneficial to integrate tailored gender socialization topics in the context of social norms within TDV interventions

Exploring the needs of families of young children with autism

Includes bibliographical references.Some text rendered incorrectly.This thesis project sought to study the impact of autism upon, as well as the subsequent needs of, families of young child en with autis+H83m for the purpose of examining how to best provide educational sciences to these families. In order to accomplish this aim, the student researcher analyzed current literature and research studies related to the topic and observed several upport group meetings for parents of young children with autism. This study found that a number of essential concerns and factors commonly apply to the service of families of young children with autism and that a "family-centered" approach is most effe tive for educators to adopt. Such a project is warranted given the growing population of early childhood educators, families, and children affected by autism spectrum disorders.B.S.Ed. (Bachelor of Science in Education

Countering Online Misinformation in the First-Year Composition Classroom

This thesis encourages the intentional and explicit integration of the best practices in media literacy education within the first-year composition classroom. The nature of FYC, which incorporates such content as research skills and source evaluation, provides an ideal opportunity to address the online misinformation and disinformation that have resulted in growing political polarization and cynicism. Recent findings suggest that these trends can be countered with the teaching of practices like lateral reading to verify a source’s veracity. After first demonstrating the challenges that university freshmen may bring with them to campus, this project makes suggestions for simple, consistent practices that instructors of FYC can incorporate into existing courses to support the media literacy of the next generation of online citizens

Long-term experiences of managing Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/ Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME): A qualitative study

Background: Frustrations are noted in the management of CFS/ME as it’s a complex and individual condition with no known cure. Despite being a Long-term Condition (LTC) limited research has focused on long-term experiences. This study aims to extend the knowledge of long-term experiences of CFS/ME specifically focusing on management of the condition. Thinking about therapeutic moderators and mechanisms of change, whether management changes throughout the course of the illness and what support people might benefit from. Methods: A qualitative research design, using semi-structured interviews was adopted. Nine participants' were recruited from a specialist CFS/ME Service in the UK who were over 18 years old, had a diagnosis of CFS/ME and reported experiencing fatigue related symptoms for over 5 years. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using Thematic Analysis. Findings: Three themes; Awareness, Acceptance, Connection and two subthemes; connection with self and connection with others were constructed from the data. An overarching theme of Awareness appeared to facilitate the ability to accept and connect with what was important for people with CFS/ME, enabling people to adapt to living with the condition and achieving a standard of living. Commonalities occurred across all themes of development over time, individuality and ongoing balance or monitoring. Discussion: Findings suggest supporting adults with CFS/ME to become more self-aware of their illness experience and identifying their values will be beneficial at any stage of the illness duration, but particularly important for long-term management. These findings provide further support for tailored treatment plans (NICE, 2007) with some individuals' needing more, or occasional contact with understanding professionals to achieve. The results support the use of acceptance-based interventions in LTC management; specifically Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Focused ACT. Further research into outcomes and experiences of ACT in CFS/ME, and interdisciplinary approaches is advocated

Psychosocial experiences of chronic illness in individuals with an intellectual disability: A systematic review of the literature

This is an author-produced version of an article accepted for publication in the Journal of Intellectual Disabilities and appeared online on 7/1/2015© 2015Background: Increased life expectancy has led to an increase in diagnoses of chronic illness in people with an intellectual disability; despite this increase, research about the psychological impact is rare. This review explored the psychosocial experiences of chronic illness in adults with an intellectual disability, revealing potential predictors and moderators of these experiences. Methods: Online databases were systematically searched to identify relevant literature, using predefined inclusion criteria. Of the 25,058 titles initially identified, 4 were included, that is, those collecting data on people with an intellectual disability and diagnosed with cancer (n = 2), chronic pain (n = 1) and diabetes (n = 1). Results: Narrative synthesis of the data identified six themes, namely, delayed diagnosis, information, communication and understanding, negative psychological consequences, negative physical consequences, social perception and social support. Conclusions: There are unmet needs within this population, including a lack of assistance in understanding their illness. A substantial gap in the literature should be addressed through further empirical work

Involuntary Facial Expression Processing: Extracting Information from Two Simultaneously Presented Faces

Facial expressions play an important role in successful social interactions, with previous research suggesting that facial expressions may be processed involuntarily. In the current study, we investigate whether involuntary processing of facial expressions would also occur when facial expression distractors are simultaneously presented in the same spatial location as facial expression targets. Targets and distractors from another stimulus class (lions) were also used. Results indicated that angry facial expression distractors interfered more than neutral face distractors with the ability to respond to both face and lion targets. These findings suggest that information from angry facial expressions can be extracted rapidly from a very brief presentation (50 ms), providing compelling evidence that angry facial expressions are processed involuntarily