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The One in Three, The Three in Four: Intimate Partner Violence and Women’s Labor Force Participation in Pakistan
No full textM.P.P.Pakistan has one of the lowest women’s labor force participation rates and one of the highest intimate partner violence rates in both South Asia and the World. According to the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) conducted in Pakistan during 2017-18, one in three of ever-married women experienced some form of spousal violence. In the same year, women’s labor force participation nationally stood at 22%. While existing literature has examined the impact of labor force participation on women’s experience of violence, the opposite – the impact of IPV on labor force participation, remains an understudied area. This paper uses the nationally representative DHS 2017-18 to investigate the effect of IPV on women’s employment, theorizing incidence of violence reduces the probability of women being employed in the past 12 months. Study findings indicate that women who ever experienced emotional violence in their lifetime were 3.7 percentage points more likely to be employed in the past 12 months, that there was no significant marginal effect of any IPV as well as both physical and sexual violence on women’s employment, that women that do not justify wife beating are 5.3 percentage points less likely to be employed in the past 12 months, and that the relationship between IPV and women’s employment is moderated by wealth
Bibliographic essay for "Slavery, Mobility, and Identity on the Western Coast of India, Sixteenth–Eighteenth Centuries" by Ananya Chakravarti
No full textSupplementary bibliographic essay for Ananya Chakravarti, "Slavery, Mobility, and Identity on the Western Coast of India, Sixteenth–Eighteenth Centuries," Comparative Studies in Society and History, Vol. 64, No. 4 (2024)This brief bibliographic essay is a supplement to my article "Slavery, Mobility, and Identity on the Western Coast of India, Sixteenth–Eighteenth Centuries," Comparative Studies in Society and History, Vol. 64, No. 4 (2024
Comparing tonic and phasic dendritic calcium incholinergic pedunculopontine neurons and dopaminergicsubstantia nigra neurons
No full textDepartment of NeuroscienceSeveral brainstem nuclei degenerate in Parkinson’s disease (PD). In additionto the well-characterized dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra parscompacta (SNc), the cholinergic neurons of the pedunculopontine nucleus(PPN) also degenerate in PD. One leading hypothesis of selective vulnerabilityis that pacemaking activity and the activation of low-threshold L-type calciumcurrent are major contributors to tonic calcium load and cellular stress in SNcdopaminergic neurons. However, it is not yet clear whether the vulnerablePPN cholinergic neurons share this property. Therefore, we used two-photondendritic calcium imaging and whole-cell electrophysiology to evaluate therole of L-type calcium channels in tonic and phasic dendritic calcium signalsin PPN and SNc neurons. In addition, we investigated N- and P/Q-type cal-cium channel regulation of firing properties and dendritic calcium in PPNneurons. We found that blocking L-type channels reduces tonic firing rate anddendritic calcium levels in SNc neurons. By contrast, the tonic calcium load inPPN neurons did not depend on L-, N- or P/Q-type channels. However, wefound that blocking either L-type (with nifedipine) or N- and P/Q-type (withomega-conotoxin MVIIC) channels reduces phasic calcium influx in PPNdendrites. Together, these findings show that L-type calcium channels play dif-ferent roles in the activity of SNc and PPN neurons, and suggest that low-threshold L-type channels are not responsible for tonic calcium levels in PPNcholinergic neurons and are therefore not likely to be a source of selective vul-nerability in these cells.Abbreviations:AP, action potential; Ca2+, calcium; Cm, membrane capacitance; DMSO, dimethyl sulfoxide; Hz, Hertz; ISI, inter-spike interval; mM,millimolar; mV, millivolts; NA, numerical aperture; nM, nanomolar; pA, picoamps; PD, Parkinson’s disease; PPN, pedunculopontine nucleus; s,seconds; SK, small conductance calcium-activated potassium channel; SNc, substantia nigra pars compacta; TTX, tetrodotoxin; Vm, membranepotential;μM, micromolar;μs, microseconds
The Relationship Between Local Occupation-Level Employment and Community College Credentials Conferred in Related Fields of Study
No full textM.P.P.Community colleges offer a more accessible and affordable alternative to the traditional 4-year postsecondary pathway for millions of students across the U.S. In the face of rapidly changing workforce needs, alignment between these institutions and their local labor markets is of great interest. This thesis uses data from the Integrated Postsecondary Data System and the American Community Survey to examine the extent to which community college credential production responds to changes in local occupation-level employment. Utilizing a two-way fixed effects regression model, this thesis finds a relatively small but positive and statistically significant relationship between local occupation-level employment and community college credentials conferred in related fields of study. The small magnitude of this relationship suggests that there is room for improvement, and community colleges and policymakers should continue to make efforts to strengthen alignment between their institutions and local labor markets
Are There Better Predictive Indicators for Naval School Explosive Ordnance Disposal Course Completion?
No full textM.P.P.United States Army members attempting to join the Explosive Ordnance Disposal community must attend and graduate from the Naval School Explosive Ordnance Disposal (NAVSCOLEOD) located at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. Military members sent to this school generate great expense to taxpayers, whether they graduate or not, and given the dangerous nature of the work graduates perform no compromise on the rigor or subject material is possible. As a result, a relatively high threshold is set for admittance, and expectations to succeed are high. With an attrition rate of 38% for Initial Entry Trainee (IET), and 25% for Military Occupation Specialty – Transfer (MOS-T), a more apt predictor of graduation success may be needed. Currently, the military schooling system utilizes the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) to determine placement. The current standard for NAVSCOLEOD is a General Mechanical composite score from the ASVAB of 105. As a result of the regression analysis completed in this thesis, it is estimated that the General Mechanical composite should be replaced with an Operators and Food composite score of 110 or greater for the Initial Entry Trainees, and a General Technical composite score of 110 or greater for the Military Occupation Specialty – Transfers. The results of the regressions offer a higher correlation with increased probabilities of graduation success which may decrease overall monetary cost to the Department of Defense
The Mortara Center for International Studies, Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University Annual Report 2023-2024
No full textAnnual report describing the activities, initiatives, and events undertaken by the Mortara Center throughout the academic year
The Relationship Between Food Insecurity and Unmet Need for Modern Contraceptives: A Country-Level Analysis
No full textM.P.P.Though access to modern contraceptive methods (MCMs) has improved globally over the past several decades, there remains a high level of unmet need among women of reproductive age (ages 15-49), particularly in low- and lower-middle income countries (LMICs). While little past research exists that examines the impact that food insecurity has on unmet need for MCMs, what does exist suggests that food insecure women are less likely to have pregnancy intentions than women who are food secure, but simultaneously less likely to be using any form of contraception. I use country-level panel data on 122 countries between 2015 and 2022 to investigate the relationship between moderate-to-severe food insecurity (MSFI) on unmet need for MCMs among women of reproductive age. Because most past research has explored the relationship at a hyper-local level and/or taken a qualitative approach to the question, this paper represents a geographic expansion on previous work. My study findings support my hypothesis, suggesting a positive relationship between MSFI and unmet need for MCMs on a global scale that is stronger among LMICs
Study of the Long-Term Effects of COVID-19 on U.S. Airfares
No full textM.P.P.The onset of COVID-19 caused severe negative economic effects across different sectors of the airline industry. In particular, the pandemic caused a drop in air travel demand, resulting in airfares falling dramatically. This study explores the long-term impact of COVID-19 on U.S. domestic airfares. By analyzing airfare data from 2016-2023, the results show that following the start of COVID-19 there was a drop in airfares by about 8.86 per quarter. These outcomes can be attributed to changes in consumer demand following the pandemic, specifically the increase of leisure travel versus the decrease of business travel. Market concentration also plays a role in the determination of airfares, as smaller budget airlines are attempting to merge and increase their market share in order to compete with the big four airlines. The instability of budget airlines along with the market power held by the major airlines may foreshadow continued airfare increases going forward
Exploring Design Education in the Age of Generative Artificial Intelligence: Opportunities and Challenges
No full textM.A.This thesis aims to understand the implications of Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen-AI) on design education resulting from the rapid proliferation and advancement of Gen-AI tools over the last year. Having been recognized for its creative opportunities and capacity for efficiency through automation, Gen-AI has been increasingly adopted into professional creative practice. Tools like ChatGPT, Dall-E, and Midjourney can generate written copy and complex visual artifacts in seconds, altering parts of the “traditional” multi-step design process. This calls into question the current status of design pedagogy in relation to evolving technology and the value of a post-secondary design education. The disconnect between design in academia and the evolution of what it means to be a designer in industry is used to highlight the rift between product and process-oriented pedagogical design approaches. While some academic programs train students to be skilled craftsmen, industry increasingly expects technically skilled and interdisciplinary designers. Gen-AI is identified as a potential step towards fixing this product/process split by offering support through the automation of technical design processes and other time-intensive practices, making time to focus on developing the foregone interdisciplinary skills to strengthen design outcomes. This research specifically looks to understand this tension through discussions on Gen-AI’s impact on student learning and skill development from a faculty perspective. The semi-structured interviews with twelve design educators from six universities aims to understand faculty’s overarching perceptions of Gen-AI, how they navigate the use of Gen-AI within their unique design specializations, and their view of its impact on the future of their design specialization. In our conversations, educators emphasized that Gen-AI’s impact is minimal in its current functionality. Furthermore, both faculty and students are still in the experimentation phase of finding ways it works best for their unique needs. However, many faculty did acknowledge the likelihood of Gen-AI evolving the creative process over time by solving certain problems, but also, potentially creating new ones
Renewable Energy and Sustainable Economic Growth: A Review of U.S. States and the District Of Columbia from 2000-2021
No full textM.P.P.With the impacts of climate change observable in every region globally, immediate action is needed to address anthropogenic causes. Historically, economic growth has been tied to increasing greenhouse gas emissions, a principal driver of climate change. In recent years, however, some countries have begun decoupling economic growth from greenhouse gas emissions, often in large part via the transition away from fossil fuels and toward renewable energy sources. This renewable energy transition marks an opportunity for sustainable economic growth.This thesis uses a panel of U.S. states and the District of Columbia from 2000 to 2021 to analyze the effect of renewable energy production on economic growth. Current literature analyzing this relationship is limited, and results are somewhat varied. Using multivariate regression, this study examines the effect of both total renewable energy production, and renewable energy production disaggregated into combustible (i.e., biofuels, wood, and waste) and noncombustible forms (i.e., wind, solar, hydroelectric, and geothermal). The results indicate no statistically significant effect of renewable energy production on GDP per capita in U.S. states from 2000 to 2021