UNG Authors Reception Bibliography 2022

The productive efficiency of the U.S. flour milling industry increased substantially between 1850 and 1880. Specifically, a typical flour mill in 1880 was able to produce the same value of output as a mill in 1850 with 25 percent fewer factor inputs. We use the concept of the cone technology, combined with an input-distance-function approach, to decompose this increase in productive efficiency into changes in technical efficiency, technological progress, and changes in scale efficiency, assuming unchanged allocative efficiency in combining inputs. We find that the average technical efficiency of flour mills was essentially constant throughout the period, implying that almost all the gains in productive efficiency were due to improvements in scale efficiency occasioned by more fully exploiting increasing returns. Furthermore, productive efficiency was positively related to mill size as larger mills were better able to take advantage of both economies of scale and technological progress. These results provide evidence in support of an important role for the increased scale of production in providing the preconditions for the emergence in the early twentieth century of an oligopolistic market structure in the U.S. flour milling industry.

Changes in the Productive Efficiency of the U.S. Flour Mills in the Late Nineteenth Century: An Input Distance Function Approach

Rather than a media history of the region or a history of southern media, Remediating Region: New Media and the U.S. South formulates a critical methodology for studying the continuous reinventions of regional space across media platforms. This innovative collection demonstrates that structures of media undergird American regionalism through the representation of a given geography’s peoples, places, and ideologies. It also outlines how the region answers back to the national media by circulating ever-shifting ideas of place via new platforms that allow for self-representation outside previously sanctioned media forms.
Remediating Region recognizes that all media was once new media. In examining how changes in information and media modify concepts of region, it both articulates the virtual realities of the twenty-first-century U.S. South and historicizes the impact of “new” media on a region that has long been mediated. Eleven essays examine media moments ranging from the nineteenth century to the present day, among them Frederick Douglass’s utilization of early photography, video game representations of a late capitalist landscape, rural queer communities’ engagement with social media platforms, and contemporary technologies focused on revitalizing Indigenous cultural practices.
Interdisciplinary in scope and execution, Remediating Region argues that on an increasingly networked planet, concerns over the mediated region continue to inform how audiences and participants understand their entrée into a global world through local space.

Remediating Region: New Media and the U.S. South

Critical Essays on the Writings of Lillian Smith tracks the evolution of Smith from a young girls’ camp director into a courageous artist who could examine controversial topics frankly and critically while preserving a lifelong connection to the north Georgia mountains and people. She did not pull punches in her portrayals of the South and refused to obsess on an idealized past. Smith took seriously the artist’s role as she saw it: to lead readers toward a better understanding of themselves and a more fulfilling existence. Comprised of seven essays by contemporary Smith scholars, this volume explores these fascinating aspects of Smith’s writings in an attempt to fill in the picture of this charismatic figure, whose work not only was influential in her time but also is profoundly relevant to ours.

Critical Essays on the Writings of Lillian Smith

Do informed electorates choose better candidates? While that question is straightforward, its answer often is elusive. Typically, candidate-quality information is neither salient nor subject to exogenous change. We identify a natural experiment within a non-political election setting that is transparent and features exogenous change in the candidate-quality information frontier. The setting is Major League Baseball’s (MLB) annual selection of two most valuable players, a challenging environment with an innately heterogeneous candidate set, and the exogenous change is the development of the pathbreaking, comprehensive player-value measure Wins Above Replacement (WAR) in 2004 and its subsequent calculation for all retrospective MLB player-seasons. WAR's development and rapid popularization informed voting from 2004 onward. Retrospective calculation allows us to draw back the curtain and evaluate how pre-2004 voters behaved with respect to revealed candidate quality. From negative binomial, fixed-effect regression models, we find robust evidence of significant, substantial, pivotal behavioral change on the part of voters since 2004.

Informed Voters and Electoral Outcomes: A Natural Experiment Stemming from a Fundamental Information Technological Shift

This paper explores the way in which some lesbians rely on culturally circulated narratives about identity to assess safer sex and their potential risk of sexually transmitted infection (STI) and HIV. A well-established narrative within the literature about lesbian safer sex is that STI risk is non-existent. The implications of this are important because they demonstrate the perception of lesbian identity and notions of safety. This study focuses on how gender and sexuality contextualise an assessment of risk and safety for lesbians. This is vital to understand because there is still a lack of language about lesbian safer sex practices and techniques. Lesbians narrate their assessments of STI and HIV risk through the lenses of gender and sexuality – locating ‘risk’ in gay men and bisexual women. Using narrative analysis, I find that lesbians assess their risk by constructing characters from culturally circulated narratives steeped in homophobia and biphobia of the sensible lesbian, the risky gay man and the uncertain bisexual.

‘I never realised that sex between two women was not safe’: narratives of lesbian safer sex

Participation in supervised school-sanctioned extracurricular activities (EA) can benefit students through supportive adult role models, positive school associations and connectedness, and sense of purpose. Evidence regarding the benefits of participating in EA is abundant, and students who participate generally show higher levels of academic achievement, a more positive level of socialization, fewer behavioural incidents, a stronger sense of identity with their school, and will be more likely to continue with a post-secondary education. This study sought to examine relationships between participation in EA and academic achievement, intention to pursue post-secondary education, school climate and connectedness, peer and adult social support, cultural acceptance, and future for employment. A survey was administered to 162 high school seniors. Results indicated that there were several significant relationships between the variables and data suggest that students benefitted in a variety of ways from participation in EA.

An examination of the motivation factors of participation in extracurricular activities and their effect on academic achievement and the intention to pursue post-secondary education.

Objective: There is limited evidence to fully justify a constant speed whole body spinning intervention for children with cerebral palsy to improve trunk stability and gross motor function. The purpose of this case report is to investigate the impact of an isometric trunk training during use of the Allcore 360 seated core muscle trainer on functional abilities and independence in a child with cerebral palsy.
Participant and Method: An 11-year-old girl with cerebral palsy classified as Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) level V participated in an isometric trunk training with constant speed twice per week for 14-weeks. Assessments were performed at baseline, 7 weeks and 14 weeks of intervention using the Gross Motor Function Measure-88 (Dimensions A & B), Modified Functional Reach test, sitting posture in the wheelchair and response to trunk perturbation.
Results: Following the constant speed spinning intervention, improvements were found in trunk control, lower extremity coordination and sitting posture as well as increases in GMFM-88 and Modified Functional Reach Test Scores. Positive outcomes from the spinning training were obtained beyond improvements in trunk stability, since improvements in functional motor performance were also achieved.
Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that the constant speed spinning intervention have been effective for improving trunk stability and physical performance in this child. However, further investigation should be needed to quantify and verify the positive result of the experiment in a larger population.

The effect of an isometric trunk training during spinning in a child with Cerebral Palsy: A case report

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess whether there was an effect on maternal vaccine utilization rates when common barriers (e.g., lack of education or decreased access) were rectified. The study sought to answer the two clinical questions: (1) In pregnant patients will the use of educational-based telephone calls as an educational tool improve immunization rates? (2) In pregnant patients is there an effect on Tdap vaccine utilization when the patient can receive the vaccine in the obstetricians’ office versus not being able to receive the vaccine in the obstetricians’ office?
Methods/Setting: Twenty antepartum/postpartum participants aged 18-40 were interviewed in a north Georgia hospital labor and delivery unit before and after delivery using questions from the PRAMS questionnaire.
Design: A quantitative, correlational methodology and design was utilized for this study, and data entered and analyzed using SPSS (v.21) and McNemar statistical testing.
Results: Before the educational calls were made and access education was offered, none of the 20 participants had received Tdap immunization during pregnancy. Following the interventions and during the postpartum survey, 15 of the 20 participants reported that they had been vaccinated (75% vaccination rate).
Conclusion: The results show that lack of vaccine education and the inability to access the Tdap vaccine influence vaccine utilization rates.
Keywords: Tdap vaccine, antepartum, postpartum, barriers, access, knowledge, PRAMS questionnaire.

Correlation between Accessibility and Patient Education with Tdap Utilization among Pregnant Patients

Purpose: This qualitative study examines how engaging interprofessional student teams in global health mission trips affects critical thinking, interprofessional engagement, and collegiality in health profession students. Two pedagogical strategies that foster broad integrated knowledge and skills are the use of Interprofessional Education (IPE) and International service-learning (ISL) opportunities. According to the World Health Organization (WHO)(2010), “Interprofessional education is a necessary step in preparing a ‘collaborative practice-ready’ health workforce that is better prepared to respond to local health needs.”
Methods/Discussion: Nineteen health profession students, 15 females, 2 males, from a regional university in the southern United States, representing a range of health education programs including nursing, biology/pre-med, and physical therapy, participated in two global engagement student learning 10-day health mission trips (Uganda and Bolivia). Both trips afforded students the opportunity to work with medically underserved and impoverished populations with limited resources. Students were organized daily into interprofessional health care teams which worked together as single units addressing the needs of the people which they served. Students completed two written assignments during their trips: daily reflective journals of their experiences working in interprofessional teams; and each student’s cultural story regarding a key cultural learning experience in critical thinking and collaboration. Each submission was then examined using a deductive six-step method of thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke) to determine how interprofessional teamwork affected collegiality and critical thinking in healthcare profession students.
Results/Outcomes: Thematic analysis of student reflective journals and cultural stories yielded two main themes with several sub-themes identifying the impact of international service learning in interprofessional healthcare teams. The first theme coded was critical thinking and problem solving, which supported sub-themes of balancing culture while providing optimal medical care, overcoming communication barriers due to language and health literacy, and providing optimal medical care with limited resources. The second main theme was IPE Collegiality and Collaboration which supported sub-themes of understanding roles and building relationships, improved skills and self-efficacy, and a renewed sense and appreciation for patient-centered holistic, and simplified healthcare.
Conclusions/Relevance: Combining IPE working in healthcare teams during global health mission trips has demonstrated positive effects on student’s critical thinking, collegiality, interprofessional engagement and mentoring. In addition, we found that these trips provide a unique environment which fosters an increase in their knowledge and respect for their role as a member of the healthcare team as well as the roles of other health professionals.

Interprofessional Education and Service Learning: Improving Critical Thinking and Collegiality Through International Health Mission Trips

This chapter examines the EU’s interactions on the level of FTAs with Southeast Asian countries with a focus on two sets of ASEAN states: Vietnam and Singapore, where deals have been concluded and are in effect as of 2019 and 2020, respectively. It also covers Indonesia and Thailand, with which negotiations are ongoing since 2016 and on hold since 2014, respectively. The authors assess the successes and challenges in attaining these FTAs within the backdrop of the strategic concerns over the rise of China and growing U.S. retrenchment, particularly within the context of Southeast Asia.

An Analysis of EU Free Trade Agreements and Negotiations with Southeast Asian Countries

This chapter highlights the historically convergent democratic values of the European Union and India and what that means for their growing common strategic interests. EU’s foreign policy historically showcased a strong commitment towards democratic norms. India’s independence from Britain in 1947 made it the world’s largest democracy. Thus, the political normative commitments of both the EU and India have long showcased convergence. However, recent political developments have prompted strategic prudence in EU–India relations and shared normative convergence is a convenient lynchpin. In particular, the chapter analyzes the impact of three recent developments in the region and their implications for EU–India relations: the rise of China in South Asia; second, the impact of the rise of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in India on the normative convergence between the EU and India; finally, the chapter tackles the prospects of EU-Indian relations in an era of increasing American withdrawal from international politics.

EU–India Relations and New Political Realities: Normative Convergence and Its Implications for Shared Strategic Concerns

What happens to class participation during a pandemic, when traditional instruction shifts to online and hybrid formats? This chapter explores the possibilities for resilient online pedagogy through the redesign of asynchronous discussion forums in hybrid and online classes. After a review of both the perils and possibilities of such forums, I outline practical redesign strategies for four forum elements: prompts, parameters, feedback practices, and rubrics. The effects of these adjustments are illustrated with examples from upper-division courses in linguistics and ESL teaching methods. Next, I address the particular difficulties faced by first-year writing students in online discussions; building on tenets of genre-based pedagogy, I present a model for introducing asynchronous discussion in first-year writing courses, especially those paired with corequisite or “learning support” sections. The redesign model suggests that even in times of uncertainty, strategically managed online discussion forums can support resilient pedagogy and student learning.

CC BY-ND 4.0 Attribution NoDerivs

Asynchronous Discussions for First-Year Writers and Beyond: Thinking Outside the PPR (Prompt, Post, Reply) Box

Most private sector employees have access to defined contribution retirement plans while public sector employees often may choose defined benefit or defined contribution plans. This research utilized a survey of faculty to analyze retirement plan satisfaction. Advice from a financial planner was positively associated with satisfaction with portability. Retirement plan knowledge was negatively associated with satisfaction with the decision period. Selection of a defined benefit plan was positively related to four aspects of satisfaction and negatively related to regret. Financial planners assisting individuals who face such choices should acknowledge the decision’s challenges and evaluate the client’s level of retirement planning knowledge. Focusing on long-term goals and the client’s investment and mobility risk tolerance may be helpful, especially after market corrections.

Financial Advice, Plan Choice, and Retirement Plan Satisfaction

Video games as free speech: Reproducing inequalities and pushing justice at the margins

This edited volume:
<ul>
<li>
Examines the international relations between Europe (the EU) and different countries and international institutions in Asia (ASEAN)
</li>
<li>
Highlights bidirectional interactions in the fields of political economy, development, environmental policy, security, diplomacy, and inter-institutional relations
</li>
<li>
Discusses the rise of China as well as Global North-Global South relations as a whole
</li>
</ul>

New Challenges and Opportunities in European-Asian Relations: Navigating an Assertive China and a Retrenching U.S.

School field trips provide a space for students to imagine alternative ways of learning and thinking. This qualitative study investigated the visits of middle and high schools to a public cemetery in the United States. Bernstein’s concepts of classification and framing were adopted to provide a systematic framework for analyzing power relationship and degree of control over content delivered by cemetery tour guides. Findings identified guides’ historical information conveyed through description and narrative with few connections to state standards. Proposed recommendations include reconceptualizing guides’ training that incorporates culturally relevant pedagogy and social justice principles when leading diverse student populations.

Learning in non-formal settings: Investigating cemetery guides’ talk during school visits

There is a preoccupation in the entrepreneurship literature with the optimism of entrepreneurs and marked neglect of their pessimism and realism. This article posits that in addition to optimism, though often overlooked, “pessimism” may be a coexisting disposition in the entrepreneurs’ mindset, integral to explanations of their role performances. We developed an Entrepreneur Optimism - Realism - Pessimism (EORP) Model, which incorporates optimism, pessimism and realism within a common conceptual framework. Optimism and pessimism are dispositions that focus on current and future outcomes and the two intersect at what we term an axis of realism – the complex of challenges and outcomes from entrepreneurial activities. The EORP model is tested utilizing data derived from a survey of youth entrepreneurs in the developing country of Guyana. The findings revealed statistically significant correlations among the optimism, pessimism and realism of entrepreneurs and may have implications for an extended theoretical understanding of entrepreneurial dispositions.

“Analyzing the Interconnections Among Entrepreneurial   Optimism, Pessimism and Realism”

In spite of being well represented in many of DuBois’s major texts, his theory of economic development in African American communities remains one of the under-thematized areas of his extensive corpus. This is due in major part to the fact that DuBois was not an economist. As a result, his writings on Black economic development are embedded in several texts that were more directly focused on the racial, sociological, political, historical, literary or biographical aspects of the lives of people of African descent. Consequently, in this paper, we will attempt to systematize Du Bois’s writings on Black economic development—drawing primarily from The Philadelphia Negro, Black Reconstruction in America, The World and Africa, Dusk of Dawn and some additional essays. From these texts, we will show the ways in which DuBois’s thinking on this subject moved from an early racial culturalist framing to a systematic notion of racial capitalism as the broad but changing framework within which he examined the challenges and prospects of black economic development. However, this culturalist framing was not a passing epistemic phase. As we will see, particularly in its poeticist form, this framing remained with DuBois to the end.