Digital Commons Network^™

Investigating The Masking Effects Of Blood On Organic Gunshot Residue Using Gc/Ms, Raman, And Atr-Ftir, Tyler Willits

Master's Theses

Gunshot residue (GSR) can be an indicator for determining the distance of a firearm discharge and linking potential suspects and witnesses to a shooting event. However, the evidentiary value of inorganic gunshot residue (IGSR), commonly used to detect GSR, has been called into question due to the potential for false negatives and false positives. Organic gunshot residue (OGSR) acts as supporting evidence; this increases the overall confidence of the examiner, as well as the value of gunshot residue evidence as a whole.

Current research has focused on three main areas for OGSR. The first is what compounds we should identify …

Dna Methylation Methods For Donor Age Prediction Using Touch Dna, Emily Neverett

Master's Theses

The International Labor Organization (ILO) estimated over 30 million individuals fall victim to human trafficking each year, of which, 50% are children below the age of 16. In 2012, the ILO reported there to be 168 million child laborers worldwide, with many trafficked into hazardous conditions to manufacture consumer products that are sold in developed countries. This is a modern form of slavery with poor working conditions, no access to education, and low wages. The hidden nature of this crime, however, makes it extremely difficult to identify and locate victims of forced child labor, and thus making it challenging to …

Addressing Barriers To Preventative Health Care For Transgender Populations: A Systems Approach To Improving Access To Gynecological Care, Meghan N. Flynn

Master's Theses

The current study addresses the lack of research exploring the individual and systemic barriers to accessing gynecological care for transgender populations. An integrated mixed-methods needs assessment was designed to explore the individual and systemic barriers to gynecological health care for transgender and gender diverse populations. Participants of the study included established community providers known to serve the transgender community through advocacy or research efforts, as well as clinical psychologists and medical professionals working in gynecological settings. The study includes a brief quantitative survey, which measured “Perceptions of Inclusivity Importance” among key stakeholders. Following the survey, participants were invited to engage …

Forensic Characterization And Discrimination Of Manila Envelopes, María Isabel Sánchez Melo

Master's Theses

Envelopes can be found at crime scenes when ransom, threat letters or potentially harmful substances are sent to victims. Therefore, they are important probative items of evidence analyzed by forensic document examiners. Manila envelopes are commonly used in the United States to transport or send documents as they are made of thick and durable paper. Although there are many studies on the forensic analysis of office paper and paper-based banknotes, and only a few on white envelopes, there does not exist previously published research on the physical or chemical characterization of manila envelopes. The goal of this research was to …

Small Rna Sequencing And Rt-Qpcr Validation Of Forensically Relevant Body Fluids, Karly Johannsen

Master's Theses

Body fluid identification is an important aspect of forensic investigations because it assists with the reconstruction of crime scenes and can refute and/or support witness statements. Currently, there is no universal method for body fluid identification. Each body fluid has several tests for its identification, both presumptive and confirmatory. A universal method for body fluid identification that is sensitive, specific, efficient, and minimally destructive is necessary.

In recent years miRNAs have been heralded as novel biomarkers for the identification of body fluids. Several research groups across the US and internationally have been formed to determine which miRNAs are suitable for …

Construction Of A Reference Allelic Ladder For An Odocoileus Str Multiplex, Jolene Strand

Master's Theses

Odocoileus is a genus of Cervidae (deer) consisting of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus, Zimmerman, 1780), mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus, Rafinesque, 1817) and blacktailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus hemionus, Rafinesque, 1817). Hunting Odocoileus is only legal with proper permits according to laws that dictate when, where, how, and what can be hunted. Anything outside the legal limits is considered to be poaching. A useful tool for investigating poaching cases is Short Tandem Repeat (STR) DNA analysis. This is commonly used in human forensic casework to link DNA evidence found at crime scenes to either victims or suspects. In poaching cases, it can …

Dish: Democracy In State Houses, Nicholas A. Russo

Master's Theses

In our current political climate, state level legislators have become increasingly impor- tant. Due to cuts in funding and growing focus at the national level, public oversight for these legislators has drastically decreased. This makes it difficult for citizens and activists to understand the relationships and commonalities between legislators. This thesis provides three contributions to address this issue. First, we created a data set containing over 1200 features focused on a legislator’s activity on bills. Second, we created embeddings that represented a legislator’s level of activity and engagement for a given bill using a custom model called Democracy2Vec. Third, we …

The Dogmatism Of Dissent: How Open-Minded Cognition Influences Protest Attitudes, Chad Osteen

Master's Theses

While protestors are often thought of and portrayed as dogmatic actors on the political stage, research has yet to empirically investigate the cognitive processes of protestors. While previous research has investigated how open-minded cognition relates to political party and ideology, its relationship to political activism has remained under studied. This study used a between subject's design to determine how priming system rejection may affect open-minded cognition and protest attitudes. The sample of 450 participants recruited through Amazon's Mechanical Turk is based off a power analysis with small to medium effect sizes (r2=0.25) and a power of .95. Using SurveyGizmo software, …

Zero Tolerance And Self Image: A Systematic Literature Review, Caitlyn Todd

Master's Theses

The use of zero tolerance disciplinary policies in schools have numerous, lasting impacts on children, particularly African American students. This study relies on the use of a systematic literature review to analyze prior data on what these effects are. The study found that the effects include, but are not limited to, destruction of self confidence, increased recidivism, and lastly further psychological issues, all of which contribute to the likelihood of having a poor self image. These findings play are role in the discussion of other, more equitable, styles of discipline, such as restorative justice, as a way to help remedy …

From The Technology Gap To The Graduation Gap: Implications Of Technology Access And Postsecondary Success, Abigail Evans

Master's Theses

The gap in technology access in the United States is indicative of the larger inequalities that continue to plague our modern society. This research project focuses on the relationship between technology access and postsecondary success. Previous studies have established there is a connection between technology access and academic success, but many questions about how and when students access technology remain unanswered. in this thesis, I gather information from disparate sources to try and draw conclusions about the current state of technology in postsecondary education. This included research on technology use patterns among numerous demographic groups, information of the social behaviors …

Pilot Study Of Teacher Preparedness For Mandated Civics Education In Illinois, Zoe Michelle Prevatt

Master's Theses

Zoe M. Prevatt Loyola University Chicago PILOT STUDY OF TEACHER PREPAREDNESS FOR MANDATED CIVICS EDUCATION IN ILLINOIS Following thirty-nine states, Illinois became the 40th state to make Civic Education a mandatory class for students to graduate high school in 2015. The mandated class is a semester long and usually occurs in the students Junior or Senior year of high school. The Illinois General Assembly then passed a separate bill that indicated that the 2016-17 school year would be when the mandated class would be fully implemented. Throughout my piece I look to this implementation plan as well as the original …

The Impact Of Environmental Degradation On The Analysis Of Manufactured Fibers, Alexis R. Weber

Master's Theses

The analysis of fiber evidence involves the ability to link a questioned fiber back to its known source. But before the collection and analysis of questioned fibers, they could be potentially exposed to various environmental conditions for an extended period of time. There has been little research on how manufactured fibers are affected by various environments and if this interaction affects the ability to link a questioned fiber back to its known source. Changes to the manufactured fibers are essential to be aware of, in order to avoid the possibility of erroneous exclusions when performing fiber comparisons. A six-month time …

Cellular Telephone Internet, And Electronic Communication In Senegal, Mali, And Gambia, Oumoul Camara

Master's Theses

ABSTRACT

New technology is part of the current world. Communication is useful because it helps to share daily life with loved ones. The world of telecommunication has become a valuable criterion in the lives of everyone in developing nations. Wherever one might be, people are prompted to surf on the Internet or engage in social networks. From the morning wake up, the first concern of most people, especially the younger generation, is cellphone or computer use.

Telecommunication has been in existence since the invention of the telephone by Alexander Graham Bell, and ever since people have seen it as something …

This Is America: Examining The Influence Of White Privilege And The Propensity To Make Attributions To Prejudice On The Acceptability Of Racial Microaggressions, Jordan A. Sparrow

Master's Theses

The current study investigated the relationship between White privilege (WP) awareness and the acceptability of racial microaggressions among majority group members. Based on prior research, three potential mediators (i.e., the willingness to confront WP), the anticipated costs of addressing WP, and WP remorse) and one moderator (i.e., one’s propensity to make attributions to prejudice; PMAPS) were examined. A total of 202 participants were recruited from Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. Efforts were made to recruit participants from each of the five regions of the United States (Midwest = 24.1%, Northeast = 24.6%, Southeast = 17.8%, Southwest = 14.1%, West = 19.4%) to …

Ethnography: Andrews University Lady Cardinals Soccer Team And Group Dynamics, Liz Dominguez

Master's Theses

Problem

The Andrews University Lady Cardinals soccer team has a reputation of having back to back unsuccessful seasons. Hypotheses and research questions were formulated, and the answers provide further insight into the difficulties the team experienced during the 2018 soccer season. They are as follows:

Research Hypotheses:

1. Team members with higher skill levels will be more highly valued by the coach and other team members.

2. If the team does not have an adequate preseason, it will not be prepared to play as a team, thus it will have difficulty having a successful season.

3. Players who have positive …

Servant Leadership: A Study About Organizational Health, Leadership Styles And Practices In Missao Bahia Sudoeste Of The Seventh-Day Adventist Church And The Possible Relation Between The Ministerial Areas Low Engagement Level In The Small Groups Program, Osmar Borges Lima

Master's Theses

Problem

Due to the low engagement of the pastors of Missão Bahia Sudoeste (MBSo) in the Small Groups program as compared to other field within the União Leste Brasileira (ULB) it was decided to investigate the organizational health, the leadership practices and styles, as well as the job satisfaction on the part of the MBSo’s pastors.

Method

The study was conducted among 52 pastors who represented the three levels of leadership designated by the OLA research instrument (Top Leadership, Management and Work Force) which analyses the perception of the participants six key areas of leadership, as well as six levels …

Victim Blaming And Natural Reactions To Trauma In Cases Of Sexual Assault And Natural Disaster, Ashley Nielsen

Master's Theses

Past research has indicated that victim blaming in cases of sexual assault is a problem in today’s society (Bieneck & Krahe, 2011). The present study examined how natural reactions to trauma influence how much blame is assigned to the victim in situations of sexual assault and natural disaster. This study included 293 college students that attended a western Kansas university, with an average age of 19.71. Participants read a short scenario depicting either a victim of sexual assault or a victim of natural disaster, with the victim responding to the traumatic event by either freezing or fainting. They were then …

Brechas En La Enseñanza De La Cultura Del Español Como Segunda Lengua, Elizabeth Mary Maldonado

Master's Theses

Esta investigación analiza el contenido cultural de cuatro libros de texto de español como L2 (segunda lengua) a nivel principiante publicados en los últimos siete años. La cultura suele estar presentada con poca profundidad por dos razones: hay más enfoque en conceptos de gramática y vocabulario y es un reto encontrar recursos auténticos a nivel principiante. Para investigar este problema, uso como guía las directrices del Método Comunicativo (MC) de Lee y VanPatten (2003) de la enseñanza de cultura. Además investigo si los libros presentan actividades con la cultura integrada, si es material que enseña "Cultura" o "cultura" y si …

A Crt Analysis Of Teach Like A Champion 2.0, Kayla Stewart Valenti

Master's Theses

African American and Latinx students in the United States continue to academically perform at lower levels than their White peers as indicated by standardized testing results. While many educational efforts have attempted to close the achievement gap that exists between White students and students of Color, disparities in academic outcomes persist. The prominent discourse regarding the achievement gap emphasizes cultural deficiencies within the individual student rather than acknowledge structural and institutional factors that uphold systemic racism and White supremacy. As a result, many new instructional approaches and teaching techniques used in schools and teacher preparation programs focus on correcting the …

Perceived Appropriateness Of Sexual Misconduct In Hookup Culture: Roles Of Power And Motives, Milan Alexandra Tvardek

Master's Theses

This study used hypothetical depictions of hookup scenarios to assess the perceptions of 388 participants for whether specific interactions between third-party characters involved sexual misconduct and the perceived appropriateness and wrongfulness of those behaviors. The current research examined the role of three independent between-subject variables in perceptions of sexual misconduct perpetration: a) Sex Motive (Low, High); b) Chronic Power (Low, High); and c) Acute Power (Low, High, Control). Results showed that individuals high in sex driven motivation, compared to those who less often hookup for sex driven reasons, perceived some perpetrators to be more wrongful but also expected these perpetrators …

Assay Development For The Identification Of Species And Bioactive Compounds Of Morinda Citrifolia (Noni) In Dietary Supplements By Rt-Qpcr, Dna Sanger Sequencing And Spectroscopy (Uv-Vis/Ftir), Ricardo L. Fernandez Walker

Master's Theses

Regulation standards for dietary supplements lack greatly. Due to this, fraud during the manufacturing of these products might be committed. Previous investigations on herbal dietary supplements have shown that the main ingredient was not present in most of the herbal supplements tested and that these products also contained other substances not stated in the label The purpose of this study was to develop a fluorescent qPCR assay for the identification of Morinda citrifolia herbal species in dietary supplements. Primers for genetic regions rbcL and matK of M. citrifolia were designed. The potential of novel matK primer showed discrimination potential …

Conflict Management Training In Video-Based Teams, Alexis Ward

Master's Theses

In the wake of an emerging economy that demands organizational agility, globalization and an increasing number of independent contractors, corporations have exponentially incorporated virtual teams in their organizations. However, despite their financial and geographical convenience, research has indicated that virtual teams have consistently experienced more conflict and lowered performance and satisfaction levels than that of their traditional counterparts. The present study sought to examine whether conflict management training could help video based virtual teams demonstrate more positive conflict handling techniques and less negative techniques, which would result in higher group process and group outcome satisfaction. This study did not find …