Digital Commons Network^™

Serotonin 1a Receptor Modulation On Behavioral Flexibility In Btbr And C57bl/6j Mice, Cassandra Cavazos

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is characterized by a subset of symptoms known as restricted repetitive behaviors (RRBs). RRBs are categorized into both lower order and higher order RRBs, where the latter can be described as behavioral inflexibility. The BTBR T+ tf/J (BTBR) mouse strain has been an extensively used animal model that demonstrate the behavioral symptoms of these individuals, including inflexible behavior. Currently, there are few effective treatments for individuals with ASD that express RRBs. Past research has investigated treatments that target serotonin due its historic involvement in ASD. 8-OH-DPAT (8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamine) tetralin) is a research …

The Role Of 5-Ht6 Receptor Activation In Learning Consolidation, Jasmine Alyssa Robinson

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The focus on serotonergic dysfunction as a contributor to cognitive deficits in disorders such as autism spectrum disorder, Alzheimer's disease, and schizophrenia drives researchers to investigate the functional impact of specific serotonin receptor types on executive functioning. By discerning the potential enhancement or impairment effects, this endeavor seeks to unravel the complex interplay between serotonin receptors and cognitive abilities. Specifically, within the three domains of learning, acquisition, consolidation, and retrieval, we find serotonergic modulation to be pivotal. Recent studies have highlighted the 5-HT6 receptor as a novel target for cognitive enhancement. However, the majority of the research investigates the effects …

Experiences Of Work Meaningfulness Through The Lens Of Work-Family Identity, Rebecca Aliya Steiner

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

In today's growing workforce, there is a need for individuals to feel worthwhile and valuable for the work that they do in an organization, with the experience of meaningfulness at work seen as increasingly important among employees. The purpose of this study was to investigate work-family identity and its role in experiences of work meaningfulness. Specifically, we utilized a cross-sectional survey design to examine the moderating effects of boundary management and FSSB in determining the relationship between identity and experiences of work meaningfulness. We tested our hypotheses using data collected from 196 employees who were categorized as either “work-identified” or …

Effects Of Cultural Holidays On Online Shopping And Advertising: A Comparative Study Between Usa And India, Manikanta Gattu

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

In cultural holidays, an exponential increase in sales in online platforms as compared to sales during the regular season is expected. This study aims to compare the effect of cultural holidays on online shopping and advertising in India and USA in 2023. According to Hofstede’s second dimension regarding Individualism and Collectivism, most of the US people take shopping decisions individually and whereas in India people will take suggestions from others and collectively shop online. Research questions are: (Q1) How do cultural holidays effect online shopping in USA as compared to India? (Q2) How do different cultural holidays affect Online …

The Race To Survive On A Non-Tenure Track Faculty Salary How Do Contingent Faculty Meet Their Basic Needs?, Rachael Laureen Goldberg

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study investigated contingent or non-tenure track faculty in Community College and California State Universities throughout the Northern, Central and Southern areas of California and the ability for contingent or non-tenure track faculty members to meet their basic needs. This study explored the understanding of how likely contingent or non-tenure track faculty members salaries meet the self-sufficiency standard for the region in which they are located. Finally, this study explored the role contingent or non-tenure track faculty salaries impact their interaction with students inside the classroom. This is a mixed methods study that employed the use of a basic needs …

The Utilization Of Music And Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response In Reducing Stress, Robert Scott

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Stress is often identified as a “silent killer” and the negative impact on one’s mental and physical well-being is greatly impacted without intervention. This study sought to determine which form of coping, autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) or music, is an effective strategy for reducing stress. The study was conceptualized using the positivist paradigm of research. An electronic survey was dispersed to participants via the website SurveyMonkey. Descriptive data was collected using demographic information gathered during the first portion of the survey. Participants’ self-identified stress levels were gathered before and after they viewed their randomly assigned coping strategy (ASMR or …

A Systematic Review On The Effectiveness Of The Gun Violence Restraining Order, Bonnie Galloway, Yasmeen Gonzalez-Ayala

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Background: Gun Violence Restraining Order (GVRO) is a type of restraining order that prevents individuals, who pose a significant risk to themselves or others from having, owning, and buying firearms, firearms parts, ammunition, or magazines. This gun law was enacted in January 2016, in response to the many mass shootings that had occurred prior to this legislation. Objective: This study systematically reviewed published articles to examine the effectiveness of GVRO. Methods: We used the following databases to identify articles: OneSearch, Google Scholar, and Google. The search terms used included “gun violence restraining orders” and its abbreviation “GVRO,” combined with other …

The Role Of Social Support And Emotional Regulation In Relationship With Adverse Childhood Experiences And Food Addiction, Negin Ghaffari

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are potentially traumatic experiences that occur before the age of 18 and can have long-standing impacts on mental and physical health. Individuals with high exposure to ACEs may be at increased risk for depression, substance use disorders, and cardiovascular disease (Hughes et al., 2017). Social support has been shown to play an essential role in reducing the likelihood of adverse outcomes, such as substance dependence following exposure to adverse experiences. Furthermore, emotional regulation difficulties have been shown to mediate the relationship between childhood trauma and food addiction. There has been little research on adverse events in …

Students With Learning Disabilities And Their Lived Experiences Transitioning From High School To Post-Secondary Education, Barbara Ann Wucherpfennig

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This qualitative study explores the transition of students with learning disabilities (LDs) from high school to junior college, focusing on self-advocacy, self-determination, and the impact of transition services. Conducted with students aged 18 to 23 in Riverside, California, through semi-structured interviews, it employs hermeneutic interpretative phenomenological analysis to merge participants' experiences with social justice theories. The research underscores the need for educational strategies that are inclusive and adaptive, catering to the unique challenges of students with LDs. Key themes found are Awareness and Application of Self-Advocacy and Self-Determination, the Role of High School Transition Services in College Preparedness, Guidance and …

How Did The Covid-19 Pandemic Impact Extended Foster Care Social Workers While Providing Social Services, Omar Ramirez, Victoria Lopez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study used ten interviews with Extended Foster Care (EFC) workers about their experiences with EFC youth from a county agency before, during, and after COVID-19 pandemic using a qualitative research design. The purpose of the research was to learn from EFC social workers how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted their ability to provide services to the EFC youth, negatively or positively, and how supported they felt in delivering these services. Data was collected by interviewing the ten participants via Zoom. Data was analyzed by categorizing the responses with different colors based on the responses. Significant findings were identified regarding agency …

Factors Affecting The Enrollment And Graduation Rates Amongst African American Males In The United States, Tracie Johnson

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

This study explored factors that interfered with the matriculation and graduation rates into and from college among African American males in the U.S. Low rates have been associated with systemic racism and exclusion. The study hypothesized, that 60% of the participants ended the matriculation process or did not graduate from college due to racism and or/exclusion. Criteria to participate in the qualitative study, at least 18 years of age, born a biological male, of African American descent or origin, desired to attend college but did not enroll, attended college but did not graduate with a college degree. Samples were …

Social Media Told Me I Have A Mental Illness, Kathleen Knarreborg

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Objective: This study assessed and addressed the attitudes and behaviors towards mental health information on social media, specifically regarding how it influences viewers behaviors and attitudes relating to mental health. Method: Using a quantitative research design, the study collected data through Qualtrics from a 15 question survey called the Mental Health Information Scale (MHI). The survey, distributed across several social media platforms, aimed to understand user attitudes and engagement with mental health content into three dimensions: stigma, self-diagnosis, and confidence in the validity of the content. Findings: There were 99 participants in this study, 69.9% female, 21.4% male. The factor …

Data-Driven Forecasting For Effective Demand Management In The E-Commerce Ecosystem, Chirag Pandey

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This culmination project investigated and analyzed the impact of factors influencing sales forecasting models in the e-commerce ecosystem. The research questions are: Q1) To what extent are sales forecasting models in the e-commerce ecosystems influenced by customer demographic variables such as gender, age, and geographic locations? Q2) To what extent are sales forecasting models in the e-commerce ecosystems influenced by product specific factors? The datasets used were from Kaggle, and the Worldometer websites. The findings are: Q1) Individuals aged '55 or over' significantly impact total sales in both the USA and Brazil. Male consumers consistently accounted for a higher proportion …

We’Re Here: The “Outsider Within “The Lived Experiences Of Black Women Community College Students At An Hispanic Serving Institution, Sharaf Williams

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This qualitative research study sought to explore the lived experiences of Black women community college students as they pursued higher education at Hispanic-serving institutions. Students who were enrolled at a community college in the Inland Empire region of Southern California were interviewed in focus groups and one-on-one interviews. A hermeneutic phenomenology was used as the tool for analysis, and digital storytelling was used to provide a visual representation of the lived experiences of the students. These data points can be shared beyond the pages of this study. With limited research on understanding the unique needs of Black women students in …

Crash Detecting System Using Deep Learning, Yogesh Reddy Muddam

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Accidents pose a significant risk to both individual and property safety, requiring effective detection and response systems. This work introduces an accident detection system using a convolutional neural network (CNN), which provides an impressive accuracy of 86.40%. Trained on diverse data sets of images and videos from various online sources, the model exhibits complex accident detection and classification and is known for its prowess in image classification and visualization.

CNN ensures better accident detection in various scenarios and road conditions. This example shows its adaptability to a real-world accident scenario and enhances its effectiveness in detecting early events. A key …

Words With God, Krista Fassett

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

As a studio artist using multiple media, I investigate subjectivity of the female body as depicted within the context of evangelical doctrines and traditions. I explore misogyny and the absence of bodily autonomy in the bible, which designates women as property to be owned, purchased, and sold. Some overlapping themes include religious trauma, domestication, submission, and virginity. The intertwining of topics allows me to share my lived experience, and ignite conversation into certain religious doctrines that simultaneously live among cultural and political lines.

Emphasizing ‘holy’ scripture, my art varies through domestic materiality and includes crocheted textiles, oil paintings, installation with …

Code For Care: Hypertension Prediction In Women Aged 18-39 Years, Kruti Sheth

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The longstanding prevalence of hypertension, often undiagnosed, poses significant risks of severe chronic and cardiovascular complications if left untreated. This study investigated the causes and underlying risks of hypertension in females aged between 18-39 years. The research questions were: (Q1.) What factors affect the occurrence of hypertension in females aged 18-39 years? (Q2.) What machine learning algorithms are suited for effectively predicting hypertension? (Q3.) How can SHAP values be leveraged to analyze the factors from model outputs? The findings are: (Q1.) Performing Feature selection using binary classification Logistic regression algorithm reveals an array of 30 most influential factors at an …

Study Of Brain Tumor Prediction By Using Machine Learning, Vishaya Ummaneni

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Technological advancements in deep learning and machine learning have greatly improved the diagnosis and analysis of medical images. This culminating experience project utilized the EfficientNetV2B3 model to predict brain tumors. The research questions are: (Q1) Does the study's deep learning model perform better than current methods when it comes to predicting brain tumor? (Q2) How much does the model's performance change when using different optimizers such as Adagrad, Adam, and SGD? (Q3) Can the regularization method, such as dropout, enhance the neural network model's generalization? The findings are as follows: (Q1) Yes; the EfficientNetV2B3 model performs better than current methods. …

The Obstacles Facing Homeless Veterans With Mental Illness When Obtaining Housing, Melissa Miro

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This research study explored the barriers that homeless veterans face when seeking housing. The study adopted a post-positivist paradigm, and the data was collected through virtual interviews conducted on Zoom who are in contact with veterans through their employment or personal lives. The barriers mentioned in this study are the type of individual struggles that each veteran faces, the lack of communication between programs assisting veterans, veterans unaware of their services, veterans who have been incarcerated, the type of discharge the service member obtained, and programs being shorthanded. Additionally, the researcher included preferable options for veterans that included The Housing …

What Is The Readiness Of Social Work Students To Work With Autistic Individuals?, Ignacio Aguilar Pelaez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

The focus of this research proposal is to assess the readiness of social work graduate students to work with Autistic individuals. The study was conducted in partnership with an undisclosed Southern California university. The study was conducted from a positivist perspective and used the social model of disability theory as a theoretical orientation. Researchers surveyed 64 MSW students utilizing a Qualtrics survey, specifically designed for this study. The results in this study indicate that most of the social work students who participated in this study possess a satisfactory understanding and knowledge of ASD. Although the results showed that over …

Assessing And Meeting The Needs Of Homeless Populations, Mitchell Greenwald

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Problem Formation: As homeless populations have continued to grow, it is important to analyze services and replace ones lacking efficacy. This research sought to locate gaps in service delivery and to let the data fuel newer, innovative services. Significance: This study brought greater awareness of needs and services available to homeless people and to clinical staff at the agencies who work with them. It also provided new ideas for interventions that might better meet client needs. Design: This study was designed as a mixed-methods project. It was believed that master’s level social work students would be an ideal group to …

Career Motivation As Mediator Between Cultural Self-Construal And Interest, Mengxuan Zhang

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Understanding the association between career motivations and interest-occupation congruence can help people with different cultural backgrounds make better career decisions. The goal of the study was to examine how cultural differences predicted interest congruence, and whether career motivation was a significant mediator in the prediction. I hypothesized that independent self-construal would be associated with internal career motivation most strongly (H1), while interdependent self-construal will be associated with interpersonal career motivation most strongly (H2). Additionally, internal career motivation would mediate the relationship between independent self-construal and interest congruence (H3), and whether internal career motivation mediated the relationship between interdependent self-construal and …

Social Workers’ Preparedness For Practice With Patients Experiencing Psychotic Disorders, Paula Crespin

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The present study explored the preparedness of social workers when providing services to individuals diagnosed with psychotic disorders who present with non-affective psychosis. The present study sought to examine the perceived barriers to mental health service utilization for individuals diagnosed with psychotic disorders as well as the perceived preparedness of social workers when providing services to individuals with non-affective psychosis. Social workers are crucial frontline workers in the treatment and support of individuals diagnosed with psychotic disorder. This qualitative study was comprised of twelve semi-structured interviews to gauge the preparedness of social workers (N=12). Results from the thematic analysis demonstrated …

What Are The Barriers To Seeking Psychotherapy Services Across Different Racial And Ethnic Groups?, Deysee Chavez, Elisa Rodarte

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study explored barriers to seeking psychotherapy services across racial and ethnic groups among adults of 18 years of age or older (2) any individual who has considered, sought, or received mental health services (3) residing in Southern California. The surveys consisted of questions from the Barriers to Mental Health Services Scale Revised (BMHSS-R) sub-scales; Help Seeking, Stigma, Knowledge and Fear of Psychotherapy, Belief about Inability to Find a Psychotherapist, and Belief that Depressive Symptoms are Normal. It was hypothesized that Latino individuals face greater barriers when seeking psychotherapy services as compared to other racial groups. This study consisted of …

Interpreting Geochemical Sourcing In The Northwest Great Basin: The 26wa12962 Sample Study, Tyler Alexander Reinholt

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Located in Northwest Washoe County Nevada along the California and Nevada border, 26WA12962 is an upland spring site consisting of habitation debris and several thousand pieces of debitage on the surface. The purpose of this research project is to interpret energy dispersive x-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) results of 80 random samples of obsidian, and fine grain volcanics such as basalt and dacite from the excavations on 26WA12962 that were conducted in 2021. This thesis will investigate if there is a preference for a specific source, as well as assisting in gathering data within a lithic landscape. To accomplish this goal, I …

Homelessness In The Coachella Valley, Katrina Clarke

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Homelessness continues to be a major social issue, as thousands of individuals and families in the United States continue to be unsheltered. This problem is more acute in the State of California. Despite the implementation of poverty-relief programs, this issue has shown no signs of slowing down. The existing literature contains multiple studies conducted on factors associated with homelessness. However, the Coachella Valley, an area located in Southern California, has received little attention from the literature on homelessness. This study sought to understand the phenomenon of homelessness in the Coachella Valley, mainly its causes and means of prevention. Taking a …

Child Maltreatment Primary Prevention Methods In The U.S.: A Systematic Review Of Recent Studies, Maria Godoy-Murillo

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Background: Child maltreatment remains a widespread issue in the United States of America, (U.S.). Identifying effective methods of preventing child maltreatment is key to reducing the prevalence of this issue. Objective: This systematic review provides an overview of contemporary primary child maltreatment prevention methods in the U.S. to investigate their effectiveness. Methods: Using the OneSearch database, the following keywords were included: (“prevention methods” and “child maltreatment”), (“parental leave” and “child maltreatment”), (“primary prevention” and “child maltreatment”), (WIC and “child maltreatment”), (“home visit” and “child maltreatment”), (“child abuse and neglect” and “primary prevention”), (“affordable housing” and prevention and “child maltreatment”), (“early …

Stress And Help-Seeking In Farmworkers In The Coachella Valley, Alexis Garcia, Daniela Mejia

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

California farmworkers are a vulnerable population who face unique stressors that may increase their risk for mental health problems. The study’s purpose is: (1) to quantitatively investigate the relationship between stress and help-seeking attitudes among Coachella Valley farmworkers and (2) to qualitatively explore the factors affecting the utilization of mental health services. Data came from 28 participants recruited through the snowball sampling method. Quantitative data from the Migrant Farmworker Stress Inventory (MFWSI) and the Mental Health Seeking Attitudes Scale (MHSAS) suggests no relationship between help-seeking attitudes and stress levels. Qualitative data analysis revealed themes that reflected cultural views. Results show …

Justice-Involved Students: Effects Of Using Support Services To Overcome Barriers, Gabby Walker, Sofia Alvarenga

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study investigated formerly incarcerated students' perspectives on the effectiveness of re-entry programs in alleviating barriers to higher education. The study focused on six barriers: parole and probation, collateral consequences, admission, housing, and stigma, aiming to provide insights into program effectiveness. Using an exploratory, quantitative approach, data was collected through surveys distributed via social media and online platforms. Parole and probation were not perceived as significant barriers by participants. Challenges related to collateral consequences, such as limited access to housing and employment opportunities, were highlighted as barriers. Participants did not view recidivism as a significant obstacle to pursuing higher education. …

Factors That Impact Foster Youths’ High School Graduation, Esther Thomas

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study examines the factors that influence foster youth high school graduation rates. Over 50% of foster youth do not graduate high school and even fewer enroll in higher education. The study analyzes social workers’ belief about foster youth high school graduation. Social workers have direct contact with and influence on foster youth, so understanding the extent to which there, beliefs and actions factor into foster youth graduation rates seems important.

This study utilized a quantitative, online survey designed by the researcher to collect exploratory data. The researcher posted invitations to participate in the study on social media sites used …