Digital Commons Network^™

Loose Coupling Within Special Education, Christina Sedrel

Master's Theses

Since the Salamanca Framework was established in 1994, countries have made a concerted effort to work to promote special education, namely inclusive education or inclusion. The recognition of students with special educational needs (SEN) has lead to national policies in which students with SEN are brought into the classroom along side their peers. Despite these efforts, there is an interruption between policy and practice which ultimately prevent students with SEN to enter the classroom or to receive an education. This thesis looks at the loose coupling of policy and practice with in special education by analyzing the practices of nine …

Functional Characterization Of A Novel Thioredoxin Domain-Containing Protein Of The Malaria Parasite Plasmodium, Rachel Kooistra

Master's Theses

A novel thioredoxin domain-containing protein of the malaria parasite Plasmodium was identified and found to be conserved among eukaryotes. This protein belongs to the phosducin-like family of proteins (PhLPs), and was therefore assigned the name PhLP1, since it is the first phosducin-like protein to be identified in Plasmodium. PhLPs have been found to have various roles in G-protein signaling, cell cycle progression, and protein folding. However, the biochemical mechanism by which PhLPs perform their function is unknown. Here is described the cloning and biochemical characterization of both PhLP1 and its human homolog TXNDC9. Both purified PhLP1 and TXNDC9 showed enzymatic …

Are Groups More Pro-Self Than Individuals? Individual-Group Comparisons On Social Value Orientation And Ethical Decision Making, Zhenyan Shi

Master's Theses

Research has shown that groups tend to be less cooperative in prisoner's dilemma games compared to individuals. One hypothesis to explain this effect stems from groups' natural tendencies to protect themselves from harm and enhance their relative standing. However, an alternative hypothesis is that groups are more rational in game situations. The current study attempted to distinguish between these two hypotheses by testing whether groups score higher than individuals on measures of competitiveness and pro-self (group) behavior, and lower than individuals on measures of prosocial behavior. The study also attempted to assess whether the pro-self tendencies of groups lead them …

The Perceived Threat Of Secularism And Militancy Among Religious Fundamentalists, Chase Wilson

Master's Theses

Religious fundamentalism has been found to predict endorsement of aggressive counterterrorism techniques, such as the use of severe interrogations and pre-emptive military attacks (e.g. Barnes, Brown & Osterman, 2012). The present study tested whether a perceived increase in secularism constitutes a psychological threat to American religious fundamentalists, and thus increases endorsement of such counterterrorism tactics. Replicating previous research, religious fundamentalism was found to positively predict endorsement of aggressive counterterrorism techniques, even when controlling for ideology and party identification. Contrary to hypothesis, the secularism prime had no effect. An unpredicted finding of this study was that religious fundamentalism only related to …

Environmental Drivers Of Leaf Breakdown Rate In An Urban Watershed, Ashley Rachelle Cook

Master's Theses

Leaf litter breakdown is a critical ecosystem process in urban streams, but environmental conditions in urban streams may generate confounding effects on breakdown rates. Reduced abundance of macroinvertebrate shredders may slow breakdown, but rates may increase if high nutrient concentrations stimulate microbial decomposers and if flooding enhances leaf fragmentation. We used the litter bag technique to measure the relative importance of multiple environmental drivers on breakdown of eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides) leaves at 5 sites throughout the North Branch of the Chicago River watershed. Sites spanned a gradient of urbanization, but no specialized macroinvertebrate shredders were present at any sites. …

High-Stakes Testing: The Student Voice, Julianna Marie Cechowski

Master's Theses

There has been an intense debate about standardized testing since they were first introduced into public schools in the nineteenth century. In this research, it is important to know why standardized tests were created and how they have been debated. Roy C. Owens said. "We cannot know where we're going if we don't know where we've come from." Past information is important in this research because it will show how far we have progressed since the start of the standardized testing movement.

What started out as standardized testing later changed into high-stakes testing. The high-stakes were created by tying student …

Role Of The Intestinal Microbiota In Gut Barrier Dysfunction Following Burn Injury, Zachary Earley

Master's Theses

Burn injury represents a major medical problem with half a million cases requiring medical attention and 4,000 deaths reported annually. Sepsis and multiple organ failure remain the leading causes of death following injury, and may be brought on by bacterial infections or toxins. The gastrointestinal tract contains approx. 100 trillion microbes; therefore, the indigenous commensal microbiota may play a role in leading to these complications or infections in burn patients. The overall objective of this project is to identify a potential mechanism whereby changes in gut bacteria may lead to intestinal inflammation or bacterial translocation--key factors which may lead to …

Drinking To Belong: The Effects Of Friendship Interactions On College Student Drinking, Hannah R. Hamilton

Master's Theses

Previous research shows that college students consume large quantities of alcohol (Fillmore & Jude, 2011; Wechsler et al., 2002). One theory suggests that this may be a means of regulating negative emotions (Cooper, Frone, Russell, & Mudar, 1995), which may include unmet belongingness needs. However, implicit self-esteem has also been found to affect how people respond to relationship interactions (Longua Peterson & DeHart, 2013). Therefore, the current study examines the moderating influence of implicit self-esteem on the relation between belongingness needs and alcohol consumption among college students. A 2 (belongingness threat condition: threat or control) by continuous (implicit self-esteem) between-participants …

Identifying Oncogenic Drivers In Nsclc Cells Harboring Egfr Kinase Domain Mutation With Resistance To Egfr Tki And Mesenchymal Phenotype, Yandi Gao

Master's Theses

EGFR kinase domain mutant NSCLC cells are exquisitely dependent on mutant EGFR for cell survival and proliferation. Patients with mutant EGFR respond well to the EGFR inhibitors. However, acquired drug resistance greatly limits the efficacy of the treatment. About 15% of the resistant tumors present an evidence of epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT). We hypothesize that the induction of mesenchymal promotes aberrant upregulation of other oncogenic drivers to replace the oncogenic mutant EGFR.

We observed overexpression of CXCR7 in NSCLC models of acquired resistance to EGFR TKI with mesenchymal phenotype. Additionally, our studies demonstrate that ectopically overexpressing CXCR7 in EGFR …

Characterization Of The Female Urinary Microbiota And Their Association With The Female Bladder Uroepithelium, Evann Elizabeth Hilt

Master's Theses

The current clinical dogma assumes that urine is sterile in the absence of clinically relevant infection. However, recent evidence has demonstrated the existence of a female urinary microbiota in women with and without lower urinary tract symptoms. With the knowledge that the lower urinary tract possesses its own unique microbiota, I hypothesize that certain bacterial species of the female microbiota may be the cause or play a role in lower urinary tract syndromes such as overactive bladder syndrome (OAB). About 40-50% of OAB patients do not respond to conventional anti-muscarinic and beta-3 adrenergic agonist drug treatment. One possible explanation for …

Reconsidering The Model Of Trim5Α Assembly: The Role Of The Linker2 (L2) Region In Trim5Α Assembly, Laura Johnsen

Master's Theses

The TRIM5α protein from rhesus macaques (TRIM5αrh) exhibits a remarkable ability to potently inhibit infection by Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type-1 (HIV-1). Extensive studies have shown that TRIM5α is capable of self-associating at many levels, eventually leading to the formation of a hexameric assembly that can superimpose on the hexameric lattice of the HIV-1 capsid. The mechanism underlying the self-association of TRIM5α and the molecular determinants of self-association remain to be completely understood. In this study, we show that the Linker 2 (L2) region of TRIM5rh is important for dimerization and higher order self-association, both of which are independent processes. Additionally, …

Effects Of Instruction And Parent-Child Conversation On Children's Stem Learning And Transfer, Maria Marcus

Master's Theses

This study examined the effects of direct instruction and parent-child conversation on children's STEM learning, transfer abilities, and remembering. A total of forty mothers and their 5- to 6-year-old children (M = 5.87) participated in this study. Mother-child dyads were randomly assigned to one of two conditions that differed in the amount of engineering information they received prior to engaging in a building activity in a museum exhibit. The provision of engineering information fostered dyads building activities and their long-term recall of the museum visit. Implications for museum research and practice are discussed.

Denitrification In Urban Coastal Environments: A Functional Gene Study, Samantha Denise Lindemann

Master's Theses

Eutrophication is a major anthropogenic stressor on aquatic ecosystems worldwide. Jamaica Bay is located in the southeastern portion of New York City, NY (NYC). Like many other estuaries, Jamaica Bay is impacted by anthropogenic N inputs from various sources. Despite eutrophic conditions, improvements in water quality over the last few decades have prompted government agencies to promote oyster restoration to help reduce anthropogenic N in NYC waters. The effect of eastern oysters on sediment bacterial communities responsible for denitrification in Jamaica Bay was previously unknown. Those samples exposed to oysters were predicted to have high denitrification gene abundances, and thus …

Identification Of Clinical Markers That Predict The Outcomes Of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Infections And Identification Of Synergistic Antibiotic Combinations For The Treatment Of These Infections, Virginia Long

Master's Theses

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus(MRSA) is a prominent nosocomial infection. Vancomycin is the mainstay of treatment, but it has a high rate of failure. Combination therapies can be used, but synergy is often not tested in clinical laboratories. Physicians are at a disadvantage because they cannot predict MRSA outcomes. The first aim of the study was to identify clinical and demographic markers that could predict infection recurrence or prolonged bacteremia. This was accomplished using retrospective chart review and statistical analysis. The second aim of the study was to identify which combinations, of those commonly used for MRSA treatment at Loyola, demonstrate the …

An Investigation Of The Role Of Vibrio Vulnificus Rbda And Vibrio Parahaemolyticus Sypa In Biofilm Formation, Cecilia Thompson

Master's Theses

Vibrio vulnificus and Vibrio parahaemolyticus are both bacteria that cause human infection. V. vulnificus has a polysaccharide locus, rbd, responsible for bacterial aggregation, a form of biofilm. This locus is conserved in V. parahaemolyticus and in the non-pathogen V. fischeri.

In V. fischeri, the polysaccharide locus, syp, has been extensively characterized and shown to be important for biofilm formation. In V. fischeri, the first gene, sypA, is critical for biofilm formation. V. fischeri biofilm-proficient strains form wrinkled colonies. In contrast, sypA mutants form smooth colonies, indicating a lack of biofilm formation.

To understand the function of RbdA and SypAVP, proteins …

History Of Freshwater Invasions In Illinois: Learning From The Past To Inform The Future, Abigail Jacobs

Master's Theses

Rates of introduction and spread of non-native species continue to increase worldwide, with freshwater ecosystems highly impacted. Many non-native species crossed between the Great Lakes and Mississippi watersheds by traveling through waterways in Illinois. I assembled a comprehensive database of occurrences of aquatic non-native species (n=99) in Illinois inland waters. The arrival of non-native species accelerated since 1873. The Great Lakes Basin was the main source of established species into Illinois. From 1990-2012 the dominant vector was unintentional release of established species non-native to North America. Sixty of the 99 introduced species established. Eighteen established species had high or very …

La Escritura Subversiva De Reinaldo Arenas Por Medio De La Conformación De La Masculinidad Trágica, La Masculinidad Disidente Y La Masculinidad Homosexual, Pablo J. Vega

Master's Theses

Hace poco más de dos años me matriculé en tres cursos con el único fin de escapar del departamento de filosofía, sin ni tan siquiera imaginar que aquella decisión iba a cambiarme por completo. En ese semestre tuve la oportunidad de tomar un curso sobre la novela de la revolución y la dictadura en Latinoamérica y entre los textos que leímos estuvo incluida la autobiografía de Arenas, Antes que anochezca. En dicho texto hubo dos cosas que me llamaron la atención y de las cuales he seguido investigando y pensando a lo largo de la carrera. En primer lugar, me …

Collective Social Capital Within A Performance-Based Management System, Melissa E. Sandoval

Master's Theses

Local education agencies utilizing performance-based management systems as a means to improve educator effectiveness and student performance is becoming more prevalent within the United States. High-need schools are implementing these systems and endeavor to create an environment that promotes a professional learning community that improves educator quality and student achievement. This study seeks to measure the level of collective social capital generated by the implementation of one such management system, Rewarding Excellence in Instruction and Leadership, through the use of a sociological case study. Through the use of document analysis and interviews, the degree of collective social capital fostered will …

Characterizing The Mechanisms By Which Community Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Influences Keratinocyte Innate Immune Responses During Recurrent Infection, Ashley Lynn Larm

Master's Theses

Community associated–methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA–MRSA) infection has become a major health concern. In human epidermal keratinocytes, S. aureus is mainly recognized through toll–like receptor 2 (TLR2) and its co–receptor, CD14. We hypothesize that CA–MRSA isolates cause recurrent infections by interrupting TLR2–mediated inflammation in keratinocytes. Recurrent CA–MRSA bacterial culture supernatant exposure to keratinocytes in vitro resulted in significant decreases in pro and anti–inflammatory cytokine and HMGB1 secretion from keratinocytes as assessed by ELISAs. Recurrent CA–MRSA live infection did not result in significant changes in cytokine or HMGB1 secretion, surface receptor expression, or NFκB activation post infection as assessed by ELISA …

Chicago Housing: Understanding How Local Organizations Mobilize To Preserve Public And Affordable Housing, Cameron Williams

Master's Theses

Under the Plan for Transformation section 8 voucher use and mixed-income developments have increased in Chicago. Several developments have been demolished and replaced with mixed-income developments that are argued to provide better conditions and opportunities for public housing residents, but empirically have mixed results. Lathrop Homes is a public housing development that has withstood the mass demolitions and efforts to make it mixed-income because of resident and organizer challenges to the Chicago Housing Authority. Resident and organizer input for this study reveals their strong stance against the mixed-income development Lathrop Homes could become. The interests behind opposition might diverge, but …

Posttraumatic Stress, Family Functioning, And Adjustment In Urban African American Youth Exposed To Violence: A Moderated Mediation Model, Kyle Deane

Master's Theses

Exposure to community violence is a pressing public health issue that disproportionately impacts poor, urban, and ethnic minority youth. It has been associated with a multitude of negative externalizing and internalizing symptoms, most frequently with posttraumatic stress. This study investigates the role that posttraumatic stress has in mediating the relation between exposure to community violence and other adjustment difficulties. Moreover, because not all adolescents experience these difficulties in the face of significant violence exposure, the study examines the moderating role of family cohesion and support in buffering the effect of violence and posttraumatic stress on later adjustment. A sample of …

Life Histories, Diets, And Secondary Production Of Odonata Along A Temperature Gradient On The Copper River Delta, Alaska, Nicole Emilie Furlan

Master's Theses

Dragonflies (Odonata: Epiprocta) and damselflies (Odonata: Zygoptera) are a conspicuous aspect of the biota in ponds on southcentral Alaska's Copper River Delta (CRD). Odonate densities, secondary production, and diets were assessed in sixteen ponds classified by delta region (east vs. west) and landscape type (outwash plain (OP) vs uplifted marsh (UM)).

Enallagma boreale (Coenagrionidae) comprised 48.5% of collected odonates. Leucorrhinia hudsonica (Libellulidae) and Aeshna juncea (Aeshnidae) comprised 36.6% and 10.4% of collected odonates, respectively. L. hudsonica densities and secondary production were significantly higher (p<0.001) in west UM ponds than in other pond types. Ostracods (Ostracoda) and water boatmen (Corixidae) dominated west OP A. juncea diets. Midge larvae (Chironomidae) dominated A. juncea diets in remaining pond types, occurring in 68% of foreguts. 27% of A. juncea foreguts demonstrated intraguild predation, and 6% of foreguts demonstrated cannibalism. Foreguts containing threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) revealed A. juncea's apex predator role in CRD ponds.

Domestic Violence And The Legal System: A Case Study Of 10 Mexican Women And The Process Of Seeking Legal Recourse, Martha Cecilia Espinosa

Master's Theses

This study explores the experiences of ten Mexican women currently receiving services with Safe Pathways, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing resources to survivors of domestic violence. In this study, I attend to how these women experience and negotiate gender, intimate relationships, and the legal system, and I explore the strategies that they develop to overcome gendered constraints associated with being undocumented and battered. I find that women's experiences with the legal system are shaped by a variety of factors outside of its auspices, including gendered norms and class constraints. Existing literature on Latinas and battered women in the legal …

Self-Objectification And Self-Surveillance In African American And Latina Girls: Links To Body Dissatisfaction And Self-Worth, Kimberly A. Burdette

Master's Theses

Drawing on a sample of low-income African American and Latina girls, the goal of the present investigation was to examine the relevance of self-objectification and self-surveillance to body dissatisfaction and self-worth. Body mass index (BMI), ethnicity, and perceived athletic competence were examined as moderators of these relations. Participants were 10- to 14-year-old African American and Latina girls recruited from a summer camp targeting low-income, urban girls. Surveys that include measures of self-objectification, self-surveillance, body dissatisfaction, self-worth, and perceived athletic competence were individually administered to participants by a research assistant. Height and weight were measured to calculate BMI. Ethnicity information was …

The Coupling Of The Visual Arts With The Core Curriculum, Victoria Anne Beagle

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the nature of the relationship between the visual arts and the core subjects in American public education, and how this relationship has changed over time. Additional aims of the study included how visual arts educators have positioned the visual arts in relationship to the core subjects since the visual arts entered public education. An initial examination of the current state of art education reveals the tenuous position it holds in 8America's schools. After identifying the four dominant paradigm shifts in art education during the twentieth century, each paradigm was examined through the …

Effects Of Urbanization On Sediment Microbial Communities In Lotic Ecosystems, Bradley Drury

Master's Theses

The world is becoming increasingly urbanized, with the majority of the world's population now living in urban areas. Urbanization has the potential to significantly alter lotic ecosystems and the services they provide. Benthic microbial communities are key components of lotic ecosystems due to their contributions to primary production and nutrient cycling. Two types of human inputs associated with urbanization that may impact benthic microbial communities in lotic ecosystems are the input of wastewater treatment effluent and the input of emerging contaminants, including pharmaceuticals and personal care products. This work examines the effects of treated WWTP effluent on benthic microbial communities …

Women In Leadership And The Politics Of Power, Caitlin Maeve Kendall

Master's Theses

With the use of intimate interviews, this qualitative research study employed an experiential, story-telling approach to gather a more thorough understanding of individual female experiences in leadership positions in the field of education in relation to the literature on female leadership in a gendered workforce. Although this study only included the experiences of several women leaders in the field of education in the Chicago area, the preexisting research on the topic guided the interview questions and divulged the nexus between a culture of systematic gendered hierarchy in the workplace and the strategies and characteristics of success employed by female leaders …

Non-Additive Toxicity Of Bi-Metal Mixtures To Fathead Minnows, Natalie Rae Lynch

Master's Theses

Much research has been conducted to assess the toxicity of metals to aquatic organisms. Most of the research has focused on the toxicity of individual metals. Recently, attention has been paid to metal mixture toxicity because metals are usually present as mixtures in contaminated environments. The literature review indicates that metal mixtures may be additive, synergistic, or antagonistic to freshwater species. However, the data is not consistent and is dependent on the metal and organisms. The goal of this research is to use a systematic experimental design to characterize the toxicity of Cu, Zn, Cd and Ni mixtures to Pimephales …

Afghan University Women Graduates Are Not Well-Represented In The Job Market In Afghanistan, Mohammad Kazem Shakib

Master's Theses

Higher education has been one of the prominent sectors in Afghanistan for the past decade. There has been a steady increase in the representation of women within the higher education system in the country. However, the growth of an educated workforce within the job market and the growth of the national economy have not been equal. A high number of university women graduates are jobless, employed in non-relevant professions, or working in part-time jobs like teaching in primary and secondary school.

This paper explores the contribution and representation of university women graduates in the economy of Afghanistan. Through a liberal …

The Influence Of Ideal Similarity On The Relation Between Self-Discrepancy And Attraction, Natalie Jamila Hall

Master's Theses

Some research indicates that individuals with high self-discrepancy (distance between the actual self and the ideal self) are more prone to interpersonal attraction than those with low self-discrepancy and that perceived ideal similarity (how closely a target individual resembles your own ideal self) strongly influences attraction. To test the hypothesis that ideal similarity moderates the relationship between self-discrepancy and attraction, manufactured Facebook profiles were used to manipulate perceived ideal similarity of target before having participants rate the target on measures of liking and respect. This study surveyed 232 college students; 111 from a mid-sized, private Midwestern university and 121 from …