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Kagame’S Ruse In Rwanda: The Debilitating Role Of Authoritarianism In Rwanda And Its Impact On Long Term, Sustainable Development, Manuel Grajeda

International Studies (MA) Theses

Following the genocide in 1994, Rwanda has been touted as a major, international development success, gaining praise and attention from the international community who place the prosperity of the nation in the hands of Paul Kagame, the leader of the Rwandan Patriotic Front and the country’s current president. Indeed, under the leadership of Kagame the country was able to get through the horrors of mass killings and nationwide destruction and it is true that the country has made a serious turn around in the past 25 years. However, while the country is acclaimed to be a model for developed democracy …

Sex Differences In Context Fear Neural Circuitry And Behavior Across Development, Lorianna Marie Colon

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Over the span of five decades, staggering progress has been made in elucidating the neural circuits involved in fear learning. Research focused on rodents and healthy individuals has been instrumental in elucidating how abnormalities in this circuitry may lend to increased prevalence of various fear and anxiety disorders. However, many of the key findings concerning the acquisition, storage, and retrieval of fear memories have been established in the adult male rodent, leaving a gap in knowledge as to whether females and developing animals process fear and stress inducing information in a similar fashion. Compared to men, women are twice as …

Utilizing The Radsm Process: Developing An Unobtrusive Measure Of Cohesion, Zachary Lee Rahner

Theses and Dissertations

In this study, verbal indicators produced following the RADSM process were used to code transcript data collected from 62 three-person teams playing a cooperative bridge crew simulator. A training dataset, consisting of 88 mission transcripts, and a testing dataset, consisting of 39 mission transcripts, were created from the data. Multilevel modeling was employed to develop a linear-regression algorithm to predict/measure team task and social cohesion. The findings revealed that task cohesion perceptions are linked to the proportion of speech dedicated to information requests and instructions, whereas social cohesion perceptions are associated with the proportion of speech dedicated to amusing and …

Multiple Approaches To Auditory Rhythm: Development Of Sustained Musical Beat And The Relation To Language, Development Of Rhythmic Categories Via Iterated Production, And A Meta-Analytic Study Of Neural Entrainment To Beat, Karli Marie Nave

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Rhythm is ubiquitous to human communication, coordination, and experience of music. In this dissertation, I address three empirical questions through three different methodologies, all of which contribute to the growing body of literature on human auditory rhythm processing. In Chapter 2, I present a registered report detailing the results of independent conceptual replications of Nozaradan, Peretz, Missal, & Mouraux (2011), all using the same vetted protocol. Listeners performed the same tasks as in Nozaradan et al. (2011), with the addition of behavioral measures of perception. In neuroscience, neural correlates to musical beat perception have been identified, yet little to no …

Activation Of Nrf2 At Critical Windows Of Development Alters Protein S-Glutathionylation In The Zebrafish Embryo (Danio Rerio), Emily G. Severance

Masters Theses

Perturbation of cellular redox homeostasis to a more oxidized state has been linked to adverse human health effects such as diabetes and cancer. However, the impact of altering the regulation of redox homeostasis during development is not fully understood. Specifically, this project investigates the role of the Nrf2 antioxidant response pathway and its effect on glutathione (GSH; cellular redox buffer) at critical windows of development. To explore this, we used zebrafish embryos (Danio rerio) as a model due to the function of GSH and the Nrf2 being conserved among vertebrates. We exposed zebrafish embryos to three Nrf2 activators: two antioxidant …

The Banality Of Corporate Evil, Amina Dessouki

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis critiques the notion of corporate social responsibility (CSR) through tracing the multiple dynamics between a multinational corporation and a development consultancy working on a recycling project in collaboration with the Zabaleen in Mansheyet Nasser, Egypt. The thesis looks at the ways in which actors negotiate their different positions, the harmonies and discordances that unfold through various agendas coming together, the silences produced, and the ways in which structural violence is intensified under the guise of development. The thesis contrasts the detached efforts of corporate workers and development consultants with the lives of the zabaleen, who live in a …

The Role Of Tbx2 In Germ Layer Suppression And Dorsoventral Patterning During Early Vertebrate Development, Shoshana Reich

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The differentiation of the three primary germ layers is precisely regulated by inductive cues, the intracellular networks through which these signals are transduced, and a broad array of nuclear proteins, such as transcription factors and epigenetic modifiers. Precise regulation of these various factors is crucial to proper development. Members of the T-box family of DNA-binding proteins play a prominent role in the differentiation of the three primary germ layers. VegT, Brachyury, and Eomesodermin function as transcriptional activators, are expressed in the presumptive mesendoderm and, in addition to directly activating the transcription of endoderm- and mesoderm-specific genes, serve variously as regulators …

Platforms And Power: Transnational Guatemala, Eric Sippert

Doctoral Dissertations

Moving beyond studies of social movements and NGOs, this dissertation examines how grassroots groups in Guatemala use transnational flows of goods, ideas, and people to create new organizational forms and types of political action. This case study of an organization of returned migrants, former combatants, and indigenous youth demonstrates how marginalized groups create platforms that facilitate connections between disparate actors across nation-state and identity borders. Drawing on field research in Guatemala’s Western Highlands, I explore how these platforms emerged, threats to them, their effects, and what they can teach us about political organizing in crisis. I begin by tracing the …

An Explanatory Sequential Study Of Cadet Commitment At The United States Air Force Academy, Justin Pendry

Dissertations

Character and leadership are the essence of the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA). USAFA’s mission is to develop leaders of character responsible for defending this nation. Our country has the most lethal Air Force this world has ever known. The men and women entrusted with protecting its citizens must be committed to the highest standards of ethical leadership. To accomplish this, USAFA provides a robust education and training program with extensive opportunities for cadet development. However, achieving USAFA’s vision of creating the nation’s best leaders of character relies upon cadet trust in the process and commitment to their development …

Three Essays On Climate And Development, Samantha Goertz

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

My thesis studies the impact of weather shocks in developing countries. Each chapter of my thesis focuses on a different outcome variable that may be affected by weather shocks: migration, agricultural GDP, and education. The first two are analyzed in the context of Eastern Africa, with data from Kenya and Tanzania, and use data spanning several decades. The third studies a specific tropical storm in Guatemala using data for several years before and after the storm.

My first chapter addresses two questions: What is the inter-regional migration response to weather in Kenya and Tanzania? And does this response vary depending …

Impulsivity And Brain Organization In Childhood Suicide: An Adolescent Brain And Cognitive Development (Abcd) Study, Katherine Lopez

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Rates of suicide have steadily increased across all age cohorts, revealing a particularly concerning rise in suicide among much younger age groups (10-15 years old). Recent efforts aimed at understanding suicide in youth have leveraged work from the adult literature to more pointedly examine candidate risk factors associated with childhood suicide. A noteworthy body of work has begun to clarify the role that impulsivity plays in elevating suicide risk among adults and adolescents, a critical link warranting further research in childhood suicide given the vast and well-documented changes occurring in self-control and brain maturity throughout development. Here, we examined a …

Functional Optical Imaging Of The Developing Mouse Cortex In Health And Disease, Rachel Marlene Rahn

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) are a heterogeneous family of disorders characterized by the presence of abnormal developmental trajectories. Functional connectivity (FC) neuroimaging provides a minimally-invasive method by which to investigate the progression of these disorders and identify potential biomarkers of disease-related dysfunction for use in therapeutics’ development. My thesis work therefore took several approaches to the question of how the functional connectome reflects developmental change as well as system-wide perturbations from environmental or genetic factors. I explored the use of optical fluorescence and intrinsic signal imaging to characterize FC and stimulation-derived responses in a NDD model of perinatal exposure to selective …

The Origins & Functional Effects Of Postzygotic Mutations Throughout The Human Lifespan, Nicole Briana Rockweiler

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Mosaicism is pervasive in humans and yet we understand little of its causes and functional consequences across the lifespan. To help solve these mysteries, we developed a suite of tools, called Lachesis, to analyze postzygotic mutations (PZMs). LachesisDetect is a novel and accurate method to detect PZMs with VAFs as low as 0.04% from bulk RNA-seq samples. LachesisMap is an innovative supervised method to reconstruct postzygotic mutation phylogenies from putative prenatal PZMs. We applied Lachesis to 17,382 samples derived from 948 donors across 54 diverse tissues and cell types from the NIH’s Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) project to produce the most …

Vestibulospinal Circuit In The Larval Zebrafish, Zhikai Liu

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The vestibular system sense gravity and self-motion to help animals maintain body balance. Although vestibular signals inform the brain of the directions and speed of our body movements, it still remains unclear how these sensory information are processed and organized in the central nervous system. My thesis aims to illustrate neural computation underlying central vestibular tuning and the topographic organization of the vestibular circuits. First I established a novel approach to perform whole-cell recording of synaptic inputs in vivo during multi-axis movements in the central vestibular neurons. This technical advance allowed me to simultaneously measure presynaptic and postsynaptic tuning, along …

Behavioral, Cognitive, And Genetic Factors Underlying Socio-Communicative Development In Bonobos, Sara Skiba

Psychology Dissertations

Although it is clear that behavioral, cognitive, and genetic factors all contribute to socio-communicative development in humans, it remains a significant challenge to disentangle the contribution of each to the emergence of socio-communicative abilities. Recent research has demonstrated that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are linked to social behavior and cognition in humans and nonhuman mammals. Bonobos, one of the species most closely related to humans, exhibit complex socio-communicative behavior and cognition, and exhibit similar connections between genetic factors and individual-level social behavior to those observed in humans. This study is the first comprehensive assessment of the behavioral, cognitive, and genetic …

Negative Regulation Of The Kinase Lin-45 By The E3/E4 Ubiquitin Ligase Ufd-2, Augustin Deniaud

Theses and Dissertations

The serine/threonine kinase BRAF is a key part of the Ras-Raf-MEK-ERK pathway, an inducer of cell growth, differentiation, and survival. In humans, activating mutations, most commonly BRAF(V600E), have been detected in several cancers, including melanoma and thyroid cancer. In the Caenorhabditis elegans ortholog LIN-45, the equivalent mutation LIN-45(V627E) results in elevated Raf-MEK-ERK signaling. We performed an unbiased genetic screen to identify negative regulators of LIN-45(V627E). Here, we report the identification of the E3/E4 ubiquitin ligase UFD-2, and show it is a negative regulator of LIN-45 protein activity and levels. Loss of UFD-2 leads to accumulation of wild-type LIN-45 protein as …

Relationships Between Cerebello-Cortical Functional Connectivity And Executive Functioning Across Childhood And Adolescence, Sarah V. Clark

Psychology Dissertations

The cerebellum is a modulator of both motor and cognitive functions, helping to make these behaviors both coordinated and efficient. It is structurally and functionally connected to the prefrontal cortex (PFC) through multisynaptic, closed-loop circuits. Neuroimaging studies have established that the posterior lobules of the cerebellum are active during executive function (EF) tasks and are functionally connected to cortical regions of EF-associated networks such as the fronto-parietal network (FPN) and cingulo-opercular network (CON). Despite much evidence that the developmental timecourses of EF and cerebello-cortical connectivity are similar, and early damage to the cerebellum can cause numerous cognitive deficits, relationships between …

Disease, Development, And Disorder: Examining The Effect Of Health On Subnational Development And Conflict In Sub-Saharan Africa, Dlorah C. Jenkins

Doctor of International Conflict Management Dissertations

Progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has been uneven across and within countries - particularly in Africa, least developed countries, and low-income countries. The COVID-19 pandemic has threatened to reverse much of the progress made towards achieving the SDGs, especially SDG 3, which aims to “ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages”.

The tendency for disease, underdevelopment, and conflict to occur concomitantly suggests potential causal mechanisms linking them. This study attempts to address two pieces of the puzzle: the causal effect of disease on underdevelopment and the impact of development on conflict risk. Focusing …

Validating An Observational Coding System For The Dominance Behavioural System (Dbs) In Childhood, Jennifer Mullen

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The dominance behavioural system (DBS) is a biologically based system that underpins individual differences in motivation for dominance and power. However, little is known about the DBS in childhood. In a pilot study aimed at developing a behavioural coding system for dominance, a key facet of the DBS, we collected and coded observational data from 58 children, assessed at ages 3 and 5-6. Between these ages, dominance was moderately stable, to a degree comparable to other early child temperament traits. Consistent with study hypotheses, boys were more dominant than girls, and dominance was negatively associated with children’s behavioural inhibition, effortful …

Evaluation Of A Dirfloortime® Program For Autism Spectrum Disorder, Jennifer L. Pipitone

Dissertations

Problem. Parents with children who have neurodevelopmental disorders, such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) experience high levels of parenting stress. The prevalence of ASD is on the rise in the United States. As a result, there has been an increase in the use of treatment modalities, in effort to better understand which modalities have the most positive impact on children and their parents. DIRFloortime® is a developmental treatment modality used to help strengthen the parent-child bond and used to decrease parental-child stress. The Autism Parenting Stress Index (APSI) measures the impact of an intervention …

The Facts Of Life: Professional Identity Narratives Of Expatriate Language Instructors In Egypt, Sierranicole Butler

Theses and Dissertations

This study uses a narrative approach to investigate the lived experiences of two expatriate TESOL instructors at a private university in Egypt. Through the use of observations and interviews, the researcher analyzed how the emotions and beliefs of experienced expatriate TESOL instructors influence, shape, and are shaped by their Language Teacher Professional Identities. Farrell’s (2011) Professional Role Identities codes were used. The study revealed that expatriate language instructors face a number of trying experiences when teaching students, interacting with colleagues, and taking on various leadership roles within their institutions based on a number of factors including their own beliefs, backgrounds, …

The Logic Of The Land: The Agrarian Roots Of Uneven Development In Brazil, Chris Carlson

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation seeks to explain the highly uneven pattern of economic development in Brazil during the 20^th century. Stark development differences between the northern and southern regions of the country have long been a problem of concern to scholars and policymakers and have generated a number of studies over the years. However, none of these have gotten to the root of the problem, and state policy has never adequately addressed the regional disparities. This study puts forth a new theory of uneven development based on the different ways that agricultural production has come to be organized in different parts …

Targeting Ampa Receptor Modulation During Early Life Adversity: A Mediator For Threat Associated Memories, Roseanna M. Zanca

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Early life adversity (ELA) is the exposure to a single or to multiple traumatic events before the age of 18 that go beyond the child’s coping. These adverse events are often exacerbated during adolescence particularly when cognitive performance is compromised. Adolescents who experienced ELA may show symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), while not vividly recalling the early life trauma. These individuals show atypical connectivity between prefrontal-amygdala and hippocampus, all of which is associated with an increased risk of experiencing a traumatic event again later in life. While clinical research has increasingly stressed the importance in addressing the long-lasting consequences …

Conceptual Proposal For New Student Housing In San Luis Obispo, Jack F. Tunney

Construction Management

This real property development project walked through the steps and procedures that are typical for real property development. The project focused on a conceptual multi-unit student housing project located near Cal Polys campus. The rental market in San Luis Obispo is very competitive and through market and financial analysis, it was determined that there is a demand for projects like the one proposed. The project walked through the processes associated with the financial analysis of a potential construction project in San Luis Obispo. The project identifies a site, creates a budget both for construction, development, and design costs, then analyzes …

Difficulties Building Low-Income Housing And The View Of One Company: A Case Study, Kyle Henriken

Construction Management

This case study investigates low-income housing and why it can be more difficult to build compared to other construction projects. Five individuals of PREMIER Design + Build Group were interviewed and gave their opinions on the subject. Each person interviewed has a different role in the company a market leader, project manager, superintendent, and a project engineer to gain a more diverse view on low-income housing. These interviews were semi-structured and open ended to create dialogue about their experiences in affordable housing. This paper investigates a single project called The Cottages located in Lake Elsinore CA. This process found that …

Engineers In Action Bridge Program - Creation Of The Cal Poly Chapter, James Foad

Construction Management

The purpose of this project was to establish a chapter of Engineers in Action at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. Engineers in Action is a non-profit organization which is dedicated to constructing footbridges in underserved countries. Bridges are linked to many benefits for those without reliable access year-round. Chapters of this organization work to design, fund, and build the footbridges in remote locations consisting of West Virginia, eSwatini, and Bolivia. The plan for the chapter was to establish a founding team which can work together to both recruit new members, and complete the tasks needed to successfully …

Leader Development Of The Health Information Management (Him) Professional, Theresa Jones

Dissertations

This study contributes to the body of knowledge in leader development by examining how higher education programs in a female dominated profession assist learners in developing person-related characteristics that support leader development. A ten-part online survey was sent to directors of health information management (HIM) programs accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management (CAHIIM). Results suggest an opportunity for improvement in the curriculum for development of person-related characteristics critical for leadership positions. In the interest of the progression of women these results should be taken into consideration.

Optimizing Treatment For Preterm Infants Through Music Therapy: A Critical Review Of Literature, Lauren Ciccarelli

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This capstone thesis explores music therapy treatment for preterm infants in the neonatal intensive care unit. The first section outlines developmental considerations and interventions for preterm infants which include minimizing stress, prioritizing sleep, developing feeding behaviors, and promoting strategies for self-regulation of the infant. Both standard care and music therapy interventions are included in this discussion. The second section includes considerations and interventions for attachment and social development. These include skin- to-skin contact between infant and caregiver, the importance of emotional closeness in the infant-caregiver relationship, and supporting parents as they interact with their child in the hospital environment. The …

Does Prize Sharing Close The Gender-Based Gap Of Competition In Nepal?, Supriya Adhikari

Master's Theses

Past research has shown that even when women perform
equally as men, they are less competitive when cash is provided as
incentive. Using the experimental design of Cassar and Rigdon
(2021), where in a real effort tournament a social incentive
motivates women to compete more and closes the gender gap in
competitiveness, we examine if this will be found in a Nepal
sample. Following the evolutionary literature that suggests women
need each other’s support for child care, participants are given an
option to share the prize they win to help them earn friendships and
bonds in a competitive game. Our …

Kindergarten Teachers' Perceptions About The Language And Literacy Skills Of Their Students, Toni Gohman

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

In the United States, 68 percent of four-year-old children and 86 percent of five-year-old children were enrolled in a preprimary program in 2017 (Institute of Education Sciences [IES], 2019). Preprimary programs are defined as programs that provide educational instruction and childcare, which includes both preschool and kindergarten. Because children entering kindergarten have a diverse array of experiences due to their home environments and previous experience in childcare, they have varying abilities when it comes to skills in language and literacy. Language can be defined as the words that are used to share information and how they are used to communicate, …