Heavy drinking behaviors have been observed in relation to fraternity and sorority membership. Some have argued that this relationship persists as a result of the drinking-conducive social environments of Greek organizations, but others have suggested that this relationship may be spurious. Using data from The Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study (n = 10,904) the link between Greek affiliation, alcohol consumption, and parental influence was examined through the lens of social learning theory. It was hypothesized that members of Greek organizations would report higher levels of drinking compared to others and that the inclusion of the variable of parental influence would effectively render this relationship spurious. The results reveal a strong relationship between Greek affiliation and drinking behaviors, but parental influence failed to sufficiently account for this relationship.

Excerpt: Visitors fortunate enough to hear the John Doyle Trio during the Mountains of Music Homecoming will be reminded of the old but not forgotten bonds between Appalachia and the British Isles.

L’objet de ce travail de thèse est l’étude en soufflerie du sillage lointain des éoliennes à axe horizontal. La complexité phénoménologique du sillage des éoliennes fait que les mécanismes le régissant sont généralement traités d’un point de vue stationnaire : les principaux paramètres (déficit de vitesse, production de turbulence...) sont alors moyennés dans le temps. Néanmoins, considérer les instationnarités du sillage d’une éolienne placée en écoulement atmosphérique permet d’observer un phénomène appelé meandering, traduisant un battement aléatoire du sillage. Ce travail est construit en deux grandes parties : la vision stationnaire et la vision instationnaire du sillage d’un modèle simplifié d’éolienne, basé sur le principe du disque de Froude, placé dans une couche limite atmosphérique (CLA) modélisée en soufflerie à l’échelle 1/400. La première partie est composée de plusieurs études paramétriques sur l’influence du point de fonctionnement d’une éolienne, sur sa hauteur de mât ou encore sur le type de CLA. Une éolienne en situation de dérapage fait également l’objet d’études paramétriques. Celles-ci visent à étudier le comportement du sillage dans différentes situations et il est alors montré les limites des lois empiriques présentes dans la littérature, concernant notamment l’influence de la turbulence ambiante. La seconde partie se focalise sur la vision instationnaire, jusqu’ici rarement considérée. En utilisant l’anémométrie par fil chaud, les résultats montrent le rôle des grandes échelles de la turbulence atmosphérique sur l’apparition du meandering. L’amplitude du battement et les dimensions du sillage instantané sont ensuite appréhendées de façon quantitative par mesures PIV, montrant l’influence du point de fonctionnement de l’éolienne et de l’intensité de turbulence ambiante. / The aim of this work was to study the far wake of horizontal axis wind turbines in wind tunnels. Aerodynamic phenomena within the wakes are very complex and, most of the time, they are studied from a steady point of view : the main parameters (wake deficit, production of turbulence...) are therefore time averaged. Nevertheless, studying the wake unsteadiness of a wind turbine located in the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) enables the consideration of the meandering phenomenon, which describes random oscillations of the wake. The present work was constructed in two main parts : firstly the steady vision and secondly the unsteady vision of a wind turbine wake, modelled according to the actuator disk theory and placed in an ABL reproduced in a wind tunnel at a geometric scale of 1/400. Several parametric studies are presented in the first part : on the influence of the wind turbine’s operating point, of its mast height and also on the influence of the ABL characteristics. Wind turbines in yaw are also considered. The wake behaviour is then studied in different configurations and the limits of the empirical laws in the literature are highlighted, especially the lack of the ambiant turbulence intensity consideration. The second part focuses on the unsteady point of view, rarely considered until today. Using hot wire anemometry, the role of the atmospheric large turbulent scales on the meandering phenomenon is proven. The oscillation magnitude and the instantaneous wake dimensions are also investigated using PIV, which leads to quantitative results on the meandering characteristics.

The purpose of this study was to determine the attitudes, opinions, and beliefs of Utah residents concerning what role, if any, the L.D.S. Church should play in Utah politics; if they believe in the concept of a separation of church and state; whether they feel a separation of church and state exists in Utah; and how much influence they perceive the predominant faith of the state has on its politics. Thus, the four following hypotheses were designed: 1. Utah residents will perceive that churches should be involved in moral, but not political issues. 2. Utah residents will perceive that there should be a separation of church and state. 3. Utahns will perceive that a separation of church and state does not exist in Utah. 4. Utah residents will perceive that the predominant faith of this state has considerable influence on Utah politics. In order that these hypotheses could be tested, an instrument was designed and pre-tested; a random-systematic sample was drawn from all Utah telephone directories; interviews were conducted; responses were recorded and computerized and reported in this study.

This thesis examined framing practices used by leaders who participated in the Capacity Day 2007 event, which is organized by the World Bank Institute, as part of its Leadership Development Program. The study examined strategic uses of framing as a meaning-making tool. The framing strategies identified in this study were accomplished through the strategic use of language. Furthermore, the study recognized the implied negotiations of frames made by the skilled 'framers' and found that situations are continuously 'reframable'. Unsuccessful framing attempts were correlated with the contradictions between what was said and what was eventually understood. The positive outcomes that followed from successful strategic framing were easily observable. The study also recognized instances of what I describe as manipulative framing and uses different examples to draw a distinction between ethical and unethical manipulation in framing.

The current study sought to examine the factors that influence the decisions of lll Appalachian high school students regarding college attendance. Using Bronfenbrenner' s ecological systems theory of human development (1986) as a theoretical basis, direct and indirect influences of environmental factors upon the academic aspirations of Appalachian youth were examined using survey methodology. Results indicated that predictors of college attendance for Appalachian students are not significantly different from those of students elsewhere. Variables reflective of individual academic preparation were most salient in predicting college aspirations for both males and females. Other important predictors included parent education, parent occupation, and socioeconomic status. Several analyses suggested that family and peer influences may be more salient for male students than female students. Implications of the results for educators and clinicians working with Appalachian youth were discussed.

The purposes of the present research were to investigate the potential relationships between ego identity development, personality characteristics and social influence styles in college women. It was hypothesized that advanced identity development would be associated with more complex personality functioning and effective social influence behavior. Research subjects were classified according to identity status using The Objective Measure of Ego Identity Status. They responded to the Test of Attentional and Interpersonal Styleand engaged in a social influence task with a male or female confederate. The advanced statuses generally demonstrated more complex social-cognitive styles that allowed them to both process large amounts of stimulus information and maintain periods of private reflection of their thoughts and feelings. Conversely, the foreclosure women reported a cognitive style characterized by reduced attentional focus. In their social influence behavior, the advanced statuses employed more direct strategies and a wider repertoire of influence skills. When paired with a male confederate, the use of feminine sex-role stereotypic behavior, such as self-abasement, pleading and whining, increased with advanced identity status. The lower statuses utilized less desirable influence styles that were both placating and authoritarian. No relationship between personality characteristics and social influence style was observed in the present investigation. These findings provide tentative evidence for the relationship between advanced identity development and more complex cognitive and interpersonal styles. The potential effects of sex-role expectations in male-female influence situations were also explored.

The nature of the popular allegation that President John F. Kennedy was the victim of a conspiracy is addressed in this thesis. An answer is sought to the question, "What qualities of the Kennedy assassination conspiracy theory account for its relatively widespread popular appeal?" The author seeks to demonstrate that the Kennedy conspiracy theory has attained the status of myth in contemporary culture. First, a theoretical framework based upon previous research in the area of myth and rhetoric is constructed. This framework is designed to aid the researcher in identifying mythic discourse by establishing both formal and functional criteria. Next the framework is applied to the Kennedy conspiracy theory as manifested in various articles of popular culture including the Oliver Stone film, JFK. Finally, the ascendancy of the Kennedy assassination to the status of myth is explained through a demonstration of its consistency with both contemporary and ancient mythic themes.

As part of organizational politics, influence allows employees to impact the attitudes and behaviors of peers, supervisors, and subordinates. Even though there are a variety of influence tactics, this thesis examines the few tactics used individually and in combination in an upward direction. This thesis adds to upward influence literature by discussing not only effective upward tactics, but also strategies found in unsuccessful attempts, providing insights for employees. The individual influence tactics discussed to be most successful are rational persuasion, consultation, and ingratiation, while exchange tactics are likely to lead to a failed influence attempt. The combined influence tactics found to lead to a greater chance of success are soft and rational tactics, while combinations of hard as well as hard and soft tactics were shown to be less successful in upward influence attempts. Additionally, limitations and future research on upward influence are identified in the thesis.

Previous research has shown there to be a relationship between criminal peers and an individual's antisocial behavior and attitudes. Social literature lacks however empirical support for social identity theory, which suggests social identity serves as a mediator in the development of attitudes. Rather than a direct relationship where criminal peers influences the presence of criminal attitudes, this research suggests that criminal peers actually influences a mediator (i.e. an individual's social identity), which in turn influences their criminal attitudes. Thus, this mediation serves to clarify the nature of the seemingly apparent relationship between peers and attitudes. The current study, then, attempts to test the relationship between an individual's criminal associations and their criminal attitudes by introducing the individual's social identity as a mediator among individuals currently on probation or parole participating in a reentry program. This is done through the application of a survey constructed of three previously validated measures, and analyzed in two steps: firstly at the measurement level through confirmatory factor analysis; and secondly at the structural level through structural equation modeling.