Digital Commons Network^™

Reducing Maternal Morbidity From Peripartum Hemorrhage In Cesarean Delivery, Jennie Lee

Dissertations

Background/Purpose: Maternal hemorrhage is the second highest cause of direct maternal death and the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States. This public health crisis is highlighted by the economic burden of over $30.8 million annually in the United States. The greatest tragedy in the review of maternal mortality is that 84% of pregnancy-related deaths were determined preventable. Identifying trends of factors that predispose women to hemorrhage can mitigate rates of severe maternal morbidity and mortality. This study describes relationships among demographic factors (maternal age, race, and ethnicity), clinical and physiologic factors, which include coexisting medical conditions …

Biblical Literacy And The Creative Mind, Michael Farrell

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Biblical Literacy and the Creative Mind will explore interpretation tracing the history of English literature back to biblical aspirations and its continued profound influence on Western human perspectives. It will examine the decline in adults reading literary texts and the diminishing number of English majors among prospective students. I am arguing for poetic interpretations over hermeneutic ones, which analyze what is structurally in a sentence to make a reader feel a certain way. I will use the theory of intertextuality, meaning a text comprises the consumption of past texts, to aid my argument. This theory underscores the importance of celebrated …

The Cure For World Peace: A Public Health Strategy, Eva Eleftheriadis

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Health and the environment impact the security and stability of the global community, as can be seen through the effects of pandemics and climate change. This paper attempts to address these factors by helping create a preventative strategy for countries to be better equipped to face these challenges, and decrease the extent of future manifestations. Starting with a comparative analysis of the Black Death and the COVID-19 pandemic, this paper explores the relationship that exists between health, the environment, and human behavior. The analysis suggests that when these aspects are mutually beneficial, there is an increase in human security, which …

Optical Transport Of Ultracold Atoms, David Vera

Undergraduate Honors Theses

At temperatures near absolute zero, bosons form a macroscopic quantum state that can be manipulated and imaged in a very controlled and tunable way. To reach these extreme temperatures near absolute zero, advanced methods in cooling, including laser and evaporative cooling, must be used. In addition to these techniques for cooling, atoms must also be held up against the constant pull of gravity, so additional trapping techniques using lasers and magnets are used. In our lab at University of San Diego, we are implementing a tunable lens system (TLS) to optically transfer atoms to a more optically accessible location. A …

‘Green Is The Color Of The Luxuriant Vegetation Of Our Motherland’: Marcus Garvey, Temporality, And Wilderness As A Repeating Phase, Colin Fisher

History: Faculty Scholarship

Like other nationalists of the early twentieth century, the Harlem-based Pan-Africanist Marcus Garvey invoked landscape to rally potential citizens across lines of difference and imagine national community. The centrality he and his organization, the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA), gave to nature can be seen in the Pan-African flag, the green stripe of which symbolized the “luxuriant vegetation of our Motherland.” But unlike European and European American nationalists, Garvey understood time as cyclical rather than linear, which meant that he saw wilderness not as a national starting place to be preserved in national parks but rather as a repeating phase.Garvey’s …

Intercultural Perspectives On Managing Organizational Change In Response To Government Policy Reform: A Case Study On The Leadership Of New Oriental Education, Yihe Yang

Dissertations

In 2021, a policy aimed at addressing educational inequality triggered a significant upheaval in the private tutoring sector of China by fundamentally transforming prevailing business models and financial viability within the industry. New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc. (New Oriental Education), one of the preeminent private tutoring enterprises in China, attracted considerable attention for its subsequent organizational change. This study explored the leadership dynamics and organizational change efforts implemented by New Oriental after the policy enactment.

The theoretical framework synthesized organizational change theory, organizational culture, and transformative leadership approaches from both Western and Chinese perspectives. It elucidated effective practices …

Ripple Of Hope: Understanding The Lived Experience And Academic Achievement Of Latinx Students At Arrupe College And Dougherty Family College: A Case Study, Richard P. Virgin

Dissertations

One of the most common and important entry points into higher education for Latinx and other underrepresented students is through community college. However, national completion rates for Latinx community college students have been trailing their white peers. This gap in academic achievement has prevailed since the 1990s. The trailing rates of degree completion for Latinx students can lead to lower lifetime salary earnings, lack of career advancement, greater risk of losing employment, and an increased chance of living in poverty. However, a successful community college model may be seen as a disruptor in the educational sector due to its much …

Borderland Voices: Exploring The Educational Journey Of Transfronterizx Students, Families, And Educators For Enhanced Engagement And Empowerment, Sobeida Velazquez

Dissertations

Transfronterizx students and their families cross the U.S.–Mexico border for academic, economic, social, cultural, and linguistic reasons. Socioeconomic disparities, deportation, and work have propelled some families to live in Mexico and enroll their U.S.-born children in U.S. schools to provide more socioeconomic opportunities in the United States. Educators of transfronterizx students are uniquely tasked to work with these nontraditional students. Moreover, transfronterizx students and their families have distinct needs in U.S. schools; as such, there is a need for further research on the transfronterizx experience in the U.S. K–12 system. This qualitative narrative inquiry study aimed to understand the experiences …

Improving Treatment Adherence Of Chronic Disease Management In Patients Presenting To The Interventional Pulmonary Perioperative Services With Telephone Follow-Ups, Victoria Dao, Desiree Camille Nanat

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

Abstract

Purpose of Project: The purpose of this evidence-based practice (EBP) project was to review research-based evidence systematically and to implement evidence-based change in practice in the clinical setting. The goal is to improve treatment adherence in patients with obesity, hypertension (HTN), type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) by providing telephone follow-ups within 30 days post-perioperative discharge.

Background: Obesity, HTN, T2DM, and OSA continue to pose significant challenges to the United States healthcare system. Nonadherence to prescribed management of these chronic diseases is prevalent among patients presenting to the perioperative department of a regional academic hospital …

The Holocaust's Legacy: Influencing Jewish Political Identity, Jordan Eskew

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis addresses the intricate relationship between the historical persecution of the Holocaust and its enduring influence on contemporary Jewish political engagement, a subject of significant contemporary relevance in political and international relations. Despite broad recognition of the Holocaust’s impact, the specific ways in which its memory affects Jewish political attitudes and actions around the world in the modern day have not been sufficiently thoroughly examined. Utilizing qualitative methods, including interviews with 20 individuals—public figures, Holocaust survivors, their descendants, and broader members of the Jewish diaspora— this study focuses on understanding the interplay between historical trauma, community cohesion, and the …

Supporting International Students' Emotional And Social Wellbeing: Addressing Pressing Issues Related To Tuition And Visa Status Anxiety, Jinyi Chen

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

The purpose of my research was to engage and build community with international students and to find ways to support them emotionally and socially leading to better mental health outcomes. My research question was: how can I support international college students to alleviate common mental health issues many continue to experience as a result of their international status? This occurs particularly when they must deal with tuition and visa status anxiety. I did three cycles in the research process using online surveys, interviews, and a large debriefing group meeting. Findings indicated that visa status anxiety is one of the most …

Vista: May 9, 2024, University Of San Diego

USD Vista (1965-)

No abstract provided.

Culturally Sustaining Pedagogical Practices In Early Literacy Classrooms: A Qualitative Case Study Of Two Kindergarten Classrooms, Elizabeth Carlton Phd

Dissertations

Students who attend school possess their own “funds of knowledge” from their home life and prior experiences (Moll et al., 1992). Yet, learners from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds are not viewed from a strengths-based perspective but rather a deficit perspective. The deficit perspective perpetuates the oppression and marginalization of students of color and multilingual students. Using a qualitative comparative case study research design, the study is rooted in the tenets of Critical Pedagogy (Freire, 2000), Critical Literacy, and Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy as it sought to uncover insights into asset-based instructional strategies that allow multilingual learners opportunities to participate equitably …

Abortion And The Metaphorical Imagination, Camille Torre

Creative Collaborations: Annual Showcase of Undergraduate Research

The goal of my research is to discover how and what metaphors shape the framework in which the current abortion discussion is based. I propose that our current conception of abortion and reproductive rights serve to uphold economic underpinnings, and so long as we overlook the role of capitalism in shaping the abortion debate, progress will forever be an illusion. Through the application of metaphor theory, my study seeks to analyze how metaphors contribute to the ideological underpinnings within both the Pro-Life and Pro-Choice movements.

Kapawi Electric Boat System, Arana Rodriguez, Ali Boshehri, Juliette Dignum, Shaelyn Travares

Creative Collaborations: Annual Showcase of Undergraduate Research

For our senior design capstone project, we are working in collaboration with the Kapawi Ecolodge, an eco-tourist enterprise in the Amazon Rainforest of Ecuador that run by the Achuar Indigenous community. This community operates on river transportation only and currently uses gas motors, which is very damaging to the environment surrounding them. In order to make their river transportation more sustainable, we are designing a fully functional electric boat system complete with a boat hull and a solar-powered charging station. Our main requirements for our boat subsystem are that it must seat 8-10 people, have a high level of stability, …

Melodies Are Not A Useful Mnemonic Cue For Immediate Word Recall, Isabella Ramirez

Creative Collaborations: Annual Showcase of Undergraduate Research

Mnemonic devices and jingles paired with a musical melody have long been used as study skills for students to remember the capitals of the United States and other facts, as well as aiding adults in memorizing grocery lists, reminding themselves of English grammar rules, and various other tasks. Though this perceived phenomenon has been recognized by previous studies, research is mixed on the effectiveness of utilizing music in order to improve learning and memory. In the current study, we tested the effects of unfamiliar and familiar melodies on the memorization of unrelated word lists compared to a spoken control condition. …

Language And Music Perception Lab Projects, Ellis Noteboom

Creative Collaborations: Annual Showcase of Undergraduate Research

Organizing complex perceptual input in real time is crucial for our ability to interact with the world around us, and information received in the auditory modality in particular is central to many fundamental aspects of human behavior. In the Language and Music Perception Lab, we take an interdisciplinary approach to studying auditory perception. Our research encompasses cross-modal, music, and speech perception using a combination of behavioral, cognitive neuroscience, and computational modeling approaches. Our research focuses on the importance of interactions, including the interaction of bottom-up and top-down processing and interactions within and across modalities. Our current studies employ behavioral testing, …

Pursuing Black Representation Beyond Stereotypes, Trauma, And Caricatures, Claudette Kanindi

Creative Collaborations: Annual Showcase of Undergraduate Research

Often, black people are represented as stereotypes or caricatures, such as ‘angry black woman,’ ‘the thug,’ etc. My research aims to identify and examine representations of black people that transcend these stereotypes and caricatures. I seek to depict them in a way that encompasses often ignored traits such as vulnerability, spirituality, self-growth, a willingness to adapt, and to understand the people and world around them. Along with maintaining their humanity and highlighting their intersectionality. Literature and film frequently downplay these traits. Moreover, I intend to identify additional traits highlighted in the following works and what they might identify as essential …

Saving Genus Claims For Antibody Patents: What We Can Learn From The Foreign Jurisdictions, Ningxi Sun

San Diego International Law Journal

In the United States, therapeutic antibodies play a key role in the innovations for life-saving therapies. Genus claims—broad claims that cover a group of related species – are widely used in antibody patents, allowing the patentee to obtain broad protection of their inventions. However, a recent line of Federal Circuit decisions has created a higher bar to obtaining patent protection for antibodies. Specifically, it is now nearly impossible to maintain an antibody genus claim. Noteworthy, the United States’ treatment for antibody claims is diverging from other major jurisdictions in the world.

This Article argues the Supreme Court and Congress should …

Is Organized Gambling A Threat To The Integrity Of Transnational Individual Sport Competitions?, Ilias Bantekas

San Diego International Law Journal

Match-fixing is egregious at the mid and lower tiers of professional and semi-professional individual sports, particularly, if not exclusively, where the relevant governing body allows real time gambling of matches and tournaments at these lower tiers. Evidence demonstrates that in sports such as tennis and badminton, the bulk of the prize money is distributed to a small minority of athletes at the top tier and instances of match-fixing there are rare as a result. There are, however, many thousands of athletes at the lower tiers that are unable to make ends meet and whose expenses far outweigh any meagre prize …

International Conformity To The Standard Minimum Age Of Criminal Responsibility: Comparing The Minimum Age Of Criminal Responsibility To The Minimum Legal Age Of Marriage, Malea Casillas

San Diego International Law Journal

As this data shows, countries across the globe, irrespective of culture, comply with and uphold the international MLAM. In contrast, they simultaneously fail to agree to the international MACR. The universal conformity with the international MLAM demonstrates that countries understand the negative consequences of marriage at a young age and care to protect children against child marriage. However, the even lower MACRs across the globe indicate that most of our world values prosecution over protection and likely sees offender first and child second.

This Comment will argue that MACR and MLAM should be recognized as similar legal concepts that are …

Free Speech Censorship In The Philippines: The Push To Decriminalize Libel, Carter Cordura

San Diego International Law Journal

Philippine criminal libel law is unjustly being used to suppress and censor the media and press; libel should be decriminalized and redefined to uphold the ideals of due process and freedom of expression enumerated in the Philippine Constitution.

This Comment takes a deep dive into Philippine libel law and argues for its decriminalization and redefining from an international perspective.

Fairness At The Forefront: Transgender Athlete Participation In The Olympics, Baylee Swidler

San Diego International Law Journal

This Article will examine how the IOC framework has developed over the years, focusing specifically on where it is now, and how it affects transgender athletes, cisgender athletes (athletes whose biological sex matches their gender identity), and future athletes. Players worldwide are affected differently by the decisions of each International Federation, depending on whether fairness or inclusion is prioritized. Sport at lower levels can be significantly influenced by the independent regulations of each sport federation, even for younger athletes. My proposal, rather than simply stating that reform is necessary after the implementation of the IOC 2021 framework, is instead, to …

Vista: May 2, 2024, University Of San Diego

USD Vista (1965-)

No abstract provided.

California School Psychologists’ Assessment Practices With Cld Students: A Phenomenological Study, Hector Manuel Teran Jr.

Dissertations

School psychologists are tasked with assessing students to qualify them for special education, typically using standardized tests. Standardized testing, like IQ testing, routinely used in the psycho-educational process, serves to justify prejudices, as they often mark people of color as intellectually inferior to White people. A closer look at school psychologists’ assessment practices with culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students is necessary, as these students have historically been placed in special education at a higher percentage, likely due to misperceptions related to their race, ethnicity, or linguistic background. While IQ tests are regarded as tools that identify the needs of …

Inclusive Cataloging: You Can Do It!, Luiz Mendes, Allison Bailund, Julie Renee Moore

Digital Initiatives Symposium

Inclusive Cataloging—or Critical Cataloging; or, Ethical Cataloging; or, Reparative Cataloging—is predicated on the assumption that diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and social justice (DEIAJ) are central to the work of catalogers. The presenters will introduce the central tenets of inclusive cataloging and some practical approaches for reparative metadata projects. Attendees will acquire an understanding of inclusive cataloging and approaches to adopt inclusive and reparative descriptive practices in their work at their institutions.

Workshop: Auditing Diversity In The Stacks, Melissa Gonzalez

Digital Initiatives Symposium

Our university populations are more dynamic and increasingly diverse than ever before – students should see themselves reflected in their academic institution’s collections and should have resources available to help them navigate the complexities of the world today. The impetus is on librarians to find and provide materials to help our students in both their academic pursuits and personal enrichment. In this workshop, participants will gain an overall understanding of diversity audits for academic library collections and come away with concrete examples and strategies for implementation or adaptation at their own institutions. The primary focus will be on monographs, but …

Workshop: Designing Your Digital Exhibit And Plan, Mēgan A. Oliver

Digital Initiatives Symposium

In this workshop for digital humanists, librarians, and archivists, you will have the opportunity to build out a digital exhibit design plan. To create our design plans, we’ll need to discuss what makes an exhibit different from other digital projects, as well as digital lifecycle concerns, DEIA pillars, rights and reproduction, and staffing recommendations. The workshop is highly interactive, so please bring questions, brainstorming, real-life scenarios, and any process concerns you may have.

Vista: April 25, 2024, University Of San Diego

USD Vista (1965-)

No abstract provided.

Intersectionality Of Social Identity, Trauma, And Education: A First-Generation College Student's Reflective Journey, Richard De La Garza

School of Leadership and Education Sciences: Student Scholarship

This reflective paper explores the intersectionality of social identity, trauma, and education through the lens of a first-generation college student (FGCS) who is a neurodivergent Army veteran. I share my personal journey and experiences, highlighting marginalized communities’ challenges in the education system. I delve into the impact of cultural invasion, the transmission of trauma across generations, and the importance of critical consciousness in addressing educational inequality. I also discuss the role of spatial thinking and language in shaping learning experiences. I emphasize the need for cultural awareness, inclusivity, and equity in educational spaces and highlight the transformative power of embracing …