Digital Commons Network^™

Cortical Stimulation Mapping Of Heschl’S Gyrus In The Auditory Cortex For Tinnitus Treatment, Austin Huang

CMC Senior Theses

Tinnitus is the perception of sound in the absence of an actual sound stimulus. Recent developments have shifted the focus to the central nervous system and the neural correlate of tinnitus. Broadly, tinnitus involves cortical map rearrangement, pathological neural synchrony, and increased spontaneous firing rates. Various cortical regions, such as Heschl’s gyrus in the auditory cortex, have been found to be associated with different aspects of tinnitus, such as perception and loudness. I propose a cortical stimulation mapping study of Heschl’s gyrus using a depth and subdural electrode montage to conduct electrocorticography. This study would provide high-resolution data on abnormal …

Computational Analysis Of Genomic Variants Affecting Predicted Microrna:Target Interactions In Prostate Cancer., Angélica Paola Hernández Pérez

KGI Theses and Dissertations

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common cancer of men in the United States and is third only to lung and colon as a cause of cancer death. Clinical behavior of the disease is variable and the combination of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening and Gleason score staging are currently the best available molecular and pathology tools to predict outcomes. Cancer biology research establishes microRNAs (miRNAs) as key molecular components in both normal and pathological states. Thus, elucidating miRNAs perturbed by genomic alterations will expand our understanding of the molecular taxonomy of PCa with the aim to complement current practices in …

Secrets, Todd Mccaffrey

CGU MFA Theses

What does it mean to be human and how does art help us in answering this question.

Optimization Of Recombinant Adeno-Associated Virus (Aav) Vector Production In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Juan Aponte

KGI Theses and Dissertations

Recombinant adeno-associated viral vectors (rAAV) are emerging drugs for gene therapy applications. Their non-pathogenic status, low inflammatory potential, availability of viral serotypes with different tissue tropisms, and prospective long-lasting gene expression are important attributes that make rAAVs safe and efficient therapeutic options. One of the main limitations for bringing rAAV gene therapy to the market is the difficulty in supplying enough rAAV vector product. The high vector doses suggested by early clinical data infer the need to scale up production at high volumes in order to satisfy patient demand. Current production platforms such as HEK293 or Sf9 cells are very …

Kleptomaniac, Leslie Frank

CGU MFA Theses

I am a Kleptomaniac of public and private moments. Using my iPhone, I steal images of people and objects in public environments and frame these moments with the addition of my own poetic essence. I feel that Los Angeles is a unique city built on imagination, expectations and disappointments. Another aspect that is satisfying to me is the validation that I feel when I am at the right place at the right time. We don't always get to feel this in everyday life. Whether the experience is similar or foreign, the empathy is significant.

Raw, Jian Liang

CGU MFA Theses

My work is an exploration of the body in obscurity. The understanding of my own cultural identity, gender, and sexuality lead up to the work in this show. The work is a metaphor for the complex identity that I experience, and a discovery of the queer, marginal space that I am in as a person, as a painter, as an artist.

The term “raw” refers not only to the sensuous bodies depicted in my work, but also the body of the physical material. The paintings question the intimate relationship between bodies, and the bodies’ internal as well as external spaces. …

Zooairyland- Xinjie Yin Mfa Thesis Show, Xinjie Yin

CGU MFA Theses

During the process of discovering myself in my art world, I have determined to use cuteness as a way to express my worldview, values, and experiences. Cuteness is my own philosophy and language in the interpersonal communication. I intend to make cuteness meaningful to me as well as to the rest of the world. I believe cuteness contains a power to bring people back to their original simplicity regardless of their age, it is the idea of innocence. Cuteness is like a shield for me to protect myself from the tough, scary and crazy reality; and it is a positive …

In Visible Grounds, Jennifer Simms

CGU MFA Theses

Jenni Simms - In Visible Grounds - Show Description

I am interested in finding ways to make visual art that positions the viewer between advocation and negation, or possession and estrangement with the natural world and human presence. As an artist I am most satisfied when I can include all of these ideas together: a sense of time, edges of some kind, a sense of mystery alongside just enough of the known and signs of human presence and the natural world.

For In Visible Grounds I began my focus with color, or the visible light spectrum.is includes all of the …

Iterative Matrix Factorization Method For Social Media Data Location Prediction, Natchanon Suaysom

HMC Senior Theses

Since some of the location of where the users posted their tweets collected by social media company have varied accuracy, and some are missing. We want to use those tweets with highest accuracy to help fill in the data of those tweets with incomplete information. To test our algorithm, we used the sets of social media data from a city, we separated them into training sets, where we know all the information, and the testing sets, where we intentionally pretend to not know the location. One prediction method that was used in (Dukler, Han and Wang, 2016) requires appending one-hot …

Self Regulation In College-Level Mathematics Classes, Jenny Lee

HMC Senior Theses

This thesis investigates the need for improvement in mathematics education at the college level in the US regarding equitable practices in instruction. In particular, it focuses on understanding the role self-regulation can play in the classroom dynamics, and how self-regulation can be a way to empower students. Also included is a case study in an introductory linear algebra class at a liberal arts college and is meant to provide a investigation into a way of incorporating self-regulation by using self-paced assessments. Results of this study suggest a possible question to consider in reforming mathematics education for a more equitable environment …

Sequential Probing With A Random Start, Joshua Miller

HMC Senior Theses

Processing user requests quickly requires not only fast servers, but also demands methods to quickly locate idle servers to process those requests. Methods of finding idle servers are analogous to open addressing in hash tables, but with the key difference that servers may return to an idle state after having been busy rather than staying busy. Probing sequences for open addressing are well-studied, but algorithms for locating idle servers are less understood. We investigate sequential probing with a random start as a method for finding idle servers, especially in cases of heavy traffic. We present a procedure for finding the …

Going Further On That Walk: Examining The Internationalization Of Public And Private Not-For-Profit American Higher Education, Lucia Maria Greve

CGU Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to contribute to the field of internationalization by investigating the differences in the outputs (the amount and types of activity undertaken in support of internationalization efforts) and outcomes of internationalization (results of the process of internationalization) between public and private not-for-profit American higher education institutions (HEIs) in 2011 and 2016.

Using a mixed methods approach, the quantitative strand of this research uses data from the American Council on Education (ACE) 2011 and 2016 Mapping Internationalization surveys to examine through descriptive statistics the differences in the outputs of internationalization of public and private not-for-profit HEIs. …

Aspirations Of Objectivity: Systemic Illusions Of Justice In The Biased Courtroom, Meagan B. Roderique

Scripps Senior Theses

Given the ever-growing body of evidence surrounding implicit bias in and beyond the institution of the law, there is an equally growing need for the law to respond to the accurate science of prejudice in its aspiration to objective practice and just decision-making. Examined herein are the existing legal conceptualizations of implicit bias as utilized in the courtroom; implicit bias as peripheral to law and implicit bias as effectual in law, but not without active resolution. These views and the interventional methods, materials, and procedures they inspire are widely employed to appreciably “un-bias” legal actors and civic participants; however, without …

Looking At Damon Lindelof And The Television Auteur, Emily Woscoboinik

Scripps Senior Theses

In this paper I investigate why people define Lindelof’s shows so much by their creator and why they are so linked to one another. I ask if Lindelof’s case is an example of auteurism in television, and if so, what the implications of this are for television as a whole.

Digesting The Disaster: Understanding The Boom Of Refugee Food Entrepreneurship In The Face Of Increasing Xenophobia, Sonia De Mello

Scripps Senior Theses

Over the last few years, we are seeing an emergence of new food entrepreneurship across the globe. In the context of the Syrian refugee crisis, these food-related social enterprises are not only providing job opportunities to refugees but they are also increasing awareness about their cause and creating new narratives surrounding their arrival. This present study seeks to contribute to the knowledge surrounding refugees and entrepreneurship by explaining how several refugee food enterprises have gained great popularity despite greater nationalism and xenophobia. In the analysis of food entrepreneurship, one finds that this phenomenon is able to partly fill the void …

Depictions Of The Western Artist In Colonial South Africa: Turbott Wolfe, Chloe Bazlen

Scripps Senior Theses

This thesis explores what the role of the artist provides to the colonial novel. Using William Plomer's novel Turbott Wolfe, the role of the Western artist in colonial South Africa is examined and critiqued, putting it in conversation with the art theory of Roger Fry and the Primitivism movement. In doing so, it explores themes such as desire, miscegenation, complexity, and carnival, showing that while artists partake in society, they also remain critical of it, responding to it in their artwork.

Voices Of Women: The Impact Of Women's Political Reservations On Female Child Mortality In India, Kohsheen Sharma

Scripps Senior Theses

This paper uses state-level variation in the implementation of the 73rd amendment in India to observe the relationship between political reservations for women in local government and female child mortality. Nationally, reservations for women are not associated with a statistically significant difference in female child mortality. However, a state by state analysis shows variations in the level of impact of reservations on the topic of female child mortality. This paper examines the constraints on female representatives and their level of effectiveness in executing pro-female policies given the political and social environment. The two case studies on Kerala and Haryana explore …

All In The Family: The Role Of Sibling Relationships As Surrogate Attachment Figures, Tiffany Lagerstrom

Scripps Senior Theses

While several studies have analyzed the impact of mother-child attachment security on the child’s emotion regulation abilities, few studies have proposed interventions to help children improve emotion regulation abilities in the presence of an insecure mother-child attachment. This current study extends previous findings about the influence of mother-child attachment on the child’s emotion regulation abilities and contributes new research in determining whether an older sibling can moderate this effect. This study predicts that across points of assessments: 18 months, 5 years, 10 years, and 15 years, the quality of mother-child attachment security will influence the child’s performance on an emotion …

“Your Unthought Of Harry”: Political Legitimacy And The Economy Of Honor In Shakespeare's Henriad, Bandana Singh

Scripps Senior Theses

Shakespeare’s Henriad delves into questions of divine authority, political process, and the role of class in society. Most importantly, however, the text tracks the shifts in leadership and kingly identity. Richard II paints the portrait of a king infatuated with his own divinity. Richard’s journey from anointed king to deposed mortal captures the dissolution of his fantasy of invincibility. Inciting Richard’s demise, Henry IV effectively disturbs the passive obedience which the king’s subjects maintain; in doing so, the kingship begins to shift away from divine authority, moving into a vacuum of rebellion and civil conflict. Meanwhile, the previously profligate Prince …

[There Is So Much Blood In Us], Lindsey C. Whitlock

Scripps Senior Theses

[There is So Much Blood in Us] is an ambiguously alternate universe in which absolutely nothing is true but almost everything could be. In these poems, tension between the absurd and the possible synthesize into one linguistically and psychologically driving force – discomfort. More than anything, I am writing about discomfort.

America’s media representations of women are almost always defined by a singular, and often sexualized experience. Yet, when I talk to the many wonderful / brilliant / badass / etc. women in my life, most of our truly defining experiences are impressively unsexy. Our womanity, if you will, orbits …

Green Looks Good On You: The Rhetoric And Moral Identity Of Conscious Consumption Blogs, Abigail O'Brien

Scripps Senior Theses

Conscious consumption blogs are at the center of a particular online community where eco-friendly products are popularized. Through the lens of these blogs, this paper analyzes discourse around identity, purchasing, sustainability, lifestyle, community, and activism, to investigate the forces at work in the conscious consumption movement and identify where there is a need for a shift towards a more political environmentalism. As an environmentalist strategy, conscious consumption disproportionately centers the consumer angle, constructing personal possessions as symbols of sustainability. Language analysis reveals strong individualistic messages about personal belief, preference, and benefit which overwhelm any sense of communal good. Instead, motivation …

What Is Mle, Who Speaks It, And Is It Safe?, Justina Goldbeck

Scripps Senior Theses

Some youth in London speak a non-standard variety of English whose lexical items are difficult for non-speakers to understand. This study collected naturally produced speech samples from students of various ethnicities and class backgrounds who spoke this dialect. It also polled students about their identity, as well as about their use of particular slang words. The recordings were glossed to determine the kind of slang used, as well which populations were more or less likely to use slang. The surveys were analyzed to determine relevant background characteristics of those who used slang versus those who did not. This study concludes …

Facing The World: The Unapparent Merits Of Makeup, Ishbel A. Mccann

Scripps Senior Theses

The act of applying makeup is a ritual shared by many, often beginning at an early age. Though makeup is presented as a final product in the public sphere, the process of applying makeup can be just as, if not more important. This thesis acts as the theoretical basis for my digital art project, Facing the World. My work gives insight into the lesser understood motivations behind wearing makeup while shedding the stigma that wearing it is merely a superficial act or sign of vanity. The project Facing the World presents the makeup routines and personal narratives of seven …

“An Awakening Of Critical Consciousness: Unfurlings Of (Re)Memory, Resistance And Resiliency”, Prisma L. Herrera

Scripps Senior Theses

This thesis does not adhere to “traditional” academic criteria which I feel tends to be rigid, constrained ways of regurgitating knowledge. It is not easily digestible, nor is it something that offers concrete answers. Rather it is a critical understanding of many of my experiences in the last four years of education, with a specific focus on the most recent events that have unfolded in my personal and academic life. This thesis is a journey. It is by witnessing communities in New York City, Bolivia, Tlaxcala, Mexico City, Chiapas and Southern California that continue to struggle and hope in the …

Too Much Of A Good Thing: A Look Into The Educational Climate Of Port Townsend Washington, Rebecca Stewart

Scripps Senior Theses

The concept of choice as it applies to the American educational system has been a topic of intense discussion in recent years. Since the development of this central institution, the freedom of scholastic choice has been an intricate part of the United States’ academic landscape. However, scholars have noted a recent shift as the country has started to take a more neoliberal approach to schooling. In order to better understanding of the concept of choice on a more individualistic level, I conducted a number of personal interviews with parents raising their children in the small rural town of Port Townsend, …

The Roles Of Silence In Virginia Woolf's Between The Acts, Elizabeth F. Epprecht

Scripps Senior Theses

In this thesis I explore the roles of silence in Virginia Woolf’s last novel, Between the Acts (1941). I focus on three readings of silence in the text. First, I consider her portrayal of malicious silences as unsaid judgments and aggressions and their impact on interpersonal relationships and interactions. Second, I look at detached, empty silence and its relation to the critical passivity Woolf noted in her audience in the early years of WWII. Finally, I consider silence as feminist resistance to traditional narratives through the intertwined experiences of Isa and Miss La Trobe.

Unveil The Mysterious Reality Of Management Healthcare In China: A Case Study On Institutional Arrangement, Yasha Zhang

Scripps Senior Theses

This thesis identifies and analyzes current problems in the healthcare market in China. Although many health indicators of China such as life expectancy and child mortality rates have improved significantly and suggest that the healthcare reform in China is successful, there have been many more reports of patient's violent attack towards the doctor, the sudden death of doctors, and decreasing doctor supplies that suggest otherwise. I observed that the relationship between doctors and patients are intense, doctors experience enormous working pressure, and many doctors are leaving the market. It makes me wonder how did government fail to improve its healthcare …

Schools Uniting Neighborhoods: Sustainability And Racial Equity In A Community Schools Initiative, Rachel Geller

Scripps Senior Theses

Schools Uniting Neighborhoods (SUN), a collaborative initiative in Multnomah County, Oregon, combines the increasingly popular community school model with an innovative organizational structure to further two key goals: sustainability as an initiative and furthering racial equity. This thesis situates SUN within the context of American public education reform and existing literature on the positive outcomes, organizational structures, and leadership components of community schools. Building on past reviews of SUN and its outcomes, I use results from qualitative interviews with key stakeholders to provide insight into how its organizational structure contributes to the goals of sustainability and racial equity. I discuss …

Dystopian Paradise: A Meditation On Liberatory Futures For Colonized Pasts, Sara Bautista

Scripps Senior Theses

This thesis is a meditation on liberatory futures for colonized pasts. It begins with a history of the imperial relationship between the US and the Philippines and how coloniality took root in the lives of Filipinos. The second chapter explores the critique of imperialism offered in post/colonial cultural productions by Manuel Ocampo and his location within the museum, as a constitutive site of modernity. The third chapter explores the project of de-coloniality and the role of ritual and imagination.

Feeling Good, Being Green: The Emotional Drivers Of Proenvironmental Action, Matthew T. Ballew

CGU Theses & Dissertations

Addressing environmental problems like climate change requires substantial collective action. The power of emotions in driving proenvironmental action is receiving increased research attention; however, less is known about which distinct emotions most strongly influence behavior. Emerging research suggests that anticipating positive emotions, such as pride, for performing proenvironmental actions may especially impact sustained and broader forms of environmental engagement, or the extent to which people persist in their behavior over time and take action in a variety of different ways. The present research conceptualizes emotions across three dimensions: the valence of the emotion (i.e., positive or negative), whether the emotion …