Digital Commons Network^™

Nothing But The Truth And The Whole Truthiness: Examining Markers Of Authenticity In The Modern Documentary, Andrew V. Dickerson

Master's Theses

This thesis examines the phenomenon comedian Stephen Colbert dubbed “truthiness” as it pertains to representations of authenticity in the documentary film genre. This thesis identifies several “markers of authenticity,” such as voice-over narration and confessional interviews, which have come to represent trustworthy representations of reality in the documentary form. This thesis also provides a content analysis of the markers’ use in five carefully selected contemporary documentaries, including Super Size Me (Spurlock, 2004) and Bowling for Columbine (Moore, 2002). The purpose of the study is to create a more comprehensive definition of the word truthiness as it pertains to the documentary …

Maintenance Of Polish Language And Culture Among First Generation Polish Immigrants Living In The Southern San Francisco Bay Area, California., Dominika Bialek

Master's Theses

The focus of this thesis research is to investigate the extent to which first

generation Polish immigrants living in the southern San Francisco Bay Area in California maintain their native Polish language and culture. Qualitative data were collected in the form of interviews and survey questionnaires. The major findings show that in this small immigrant community (1) maintenance of Polish language and culture happens primarily at home; (2) females married to first generation Polish immigrants are more likely than others to maintain Polish language and culture; (3) the small size of the Polish community, knowledge of English at the time …

A Study On Taiwanese International Students And Taiwanese American Students: The Interface Between Naming And Identity, Yi-An Chen

Master's Theses

In this study, I analyze how Chinese and English naming practices influence name adoption and explicate how the use and choice of names by Taiwanese international students and Taiwanese American students at San José State University, California, are structured through social interaction and cultural context. The data were collected from in-depth interviews with 10 Taiwanese international students and 10 Taiwanese American students. The interviews focused on how they construct their identities and produce social relations with others through their choice and use of ethnic and/or English names.

The study findings help to illuminate areas that until now have not received …

The Carbon Frame: Lobbying For Renewable Energy In The European Union, Kyle S. Herman

Master's Theses

This paper demonstrates how using the word "carbon" within global warming debates severely impedes lobbyists in favor of building stronger renewable energy policies in the European Union (EU). Within the EU, carbon is widely used to speak about many of the perils of climate change, global warming, energy policy, and contingent subject matters. In political circles, media outlets, and public debates, carbon acts a the pillar for many policies, discussions, and ideas related to fundamental errors of transferring energy from fossil fuels and nuclear sources. At the same time, however, limiting carbon does not necessarily preclude fossil fuels, such as …

Correlation Of Cough Frequency With Treatment Efficacy In Pulmonary Tuberculosis Patients In Lima, Peru, Jesus Gutierrez

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Breast Cancer Screening On Sleep, Affect, And Immune Functioning, Caitlin Burbridge

Master's Theses

Despite great strides that have been made over the past several decades in terms of diagnosis and treatment, breast cancer remains the most commonly diagnosed cancer in American women and the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality for women in the United States. Although the benefits of early detection of breast cancer have been clearly established, the advantages of screening must also be weighed against a potential corresponding negative psychological impact of screening procedures. The purpose of the present study was to further investigate the impact of breast cancer screening on previously unstudied or understudied aspects of psychological and physiological …

Computational Modeling For Transportation Network Security, Sherif A. Tolba

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Dynamic Test Scheduling In Hardware-In-The-Loop Simulation Of Commercial Vehicles, Tenil Cletus

Master's Theses

Modern day commercial vehicles are controlled by various Electronic Control Units (ECU). They are not only tested as single units, but also by networking them in Controlled Area Network bus (CAN) to form a complete electrical control system. This is achieved using Hardware In the Loop (HIL) Integration Lab. In HIL, the electrical system is connected to a real time mathematical model of the vehicle plus it’s environment so as to form a loop.

Testing functionality of the electrical system begins by defining functional tests. An example would be testing cruise control activation. Executing each test is made possible by …

An Assessment Of Moose (Alces Alces Americana) And Moose Management In Connecticut, Andrew M. Labonte

Master's Theses

Eastern moose (Alces alces americana) populations have been increasing in New England over the past decade. Moose populations have the potential to generate human conflict due to their size, speed, nocturnal behavior, and seasonal mobility. As problems associated with increasing moose populations become more common, the need to develop management strategies that are both effective and acceptable to stakeholders becomes increasingly important. The potential for moose to continue to expand in southern New England and the long-term impacts they may have on Connecticut residents, is unclear. The overall purpose of this study was to assess how suitable Connecticut …

The Impact Of Immigration Policies & Integration Programs On Multicultural Identity In Germany, Laila Bernice Schneidergossens

Master's Theses

Discussed against the background of current political developments and attitudes in Germany, the following research examines what roles immigration policies and locally implemented integration programs play in the development of immigrant identity in Germany. Further, this thesis illustrates how these policies and programs can effectively lead to a new conscious understanding of multiculturalism. Germany has created a society where the cultures of immigrants and autochthonous Germans do not intersect, thus creating separate entities that exist in a parallel reality. Immigrants face the dilemma of maintaining their ethnic sense of identity while simultaneously adapting to the cultural and political norms in …

Divergent Discourses: Development Knowledge And Malian Family Planning, Savannah A. Thompson

Master's Theses

I propose that in order to approach corrective recommendations for family planning initiatives an examination of initiative fitness is necessary. Using a Foucauldian approach, this analysis identifies the discursive formations (ideologies) at work in centralized family planning in order to elucidate the female normative model for whom initiative programs are constructed. This norm is contrasted with the lived experiences of Malian women in order to determine if the ideology dictating family planning structures is suitable for the local population. When combined with existing analyses of family planning structures and outcomes, this research helps triangulate family planning in a three-dimensional space, …

Public Space Planning As A Catalyst For Dweller Initiated Slum Upgrading: Ahmedabad, India, Christopher Bystedt

Master's Theses

This research observes how public space planning can improve slum upgrading projects, focusing on two case study slums in Ahmedabad, India.

The inclusion of formal public space planning into slum upgrading schemes can act as a catalyst for dweller-initiated housing improvements. While municipalities that choose to upgrade their slums are primarily concerned with supplying bare necessity infrastructure—such as water, sewage, and paving—most upgrading schemes ignore the reality that slum communities are complex, integral components of the urbanization process. These settlements deserve and necessitate comprehensive design and planning services which will integrate the community into the larger urban fabric.

This thesis …

Human Rights Education Through Community Radio: The Promotion Of Afro-Colombian Women’S Identity And Rights, Mariana Lopez-Steele

Master's Theses

In 1991, for the first time in history, the Constitution recognized that Colombia is a multiethnic and culturally diverse country. Since then, a number of organizations have emerged to promote and reinforce the right to difference of the Afro-Colombian ethnic community, as well as to claim and defend their rights. This thesis project presents how La Red Nacional de Mujeres Afrocolombianas, Kambirí, a national network of Afro-Colombian women, has used community radio as a tool for imparting Human Rights Education to women through the promotion of their cultural identity. To accomplish this goal, I analyzed the radio programs created by …

Systems At Play: The Construction Of International Systems In Social Impact Games, Jorge Albor

Master's Theses

This thesis explores how game makers conceive of and navigate the intersection between digital systems and real world systems by asking, how can social impact game designers shape procedural rhetoric to effectively address complex real world systems with digital systems? By examining three game case studies, I reach four significant findings regarding player agency, subversive play, design approaches to scale, and game difficulty in regards to systems fluency.

Transforming The Current Thai Political Conflict To A Peaceful Society, Ranatchai Phumcharoen

Master's Theses

This study explores the current Thai political conflict which began in 2005 and continues in 2011. This conflict is different from the nation’s past political conflicts, which were conflicts between people and the government. On the contrary, the current conflict is a conflict between Thais who share different political ideologies. Many scholars have explained causes and effects of the conflict on Thai society. However, currently, only a few scholars have proposed solutions to the conflict. Therefore, this is a challenge in order to investigate the current conflict and figure out sustainable means to transform the conflict and build peace in …

Territoriality, Sovereignty And The Nation-State System In Israel-Palestine: The Creation Of The Palestinian Bantustan “State” And Shifting Palestinian Resistance Tactics, Sara Nichole Hughes

Master's Theses

The conflict in Israel-Palestine is over the sovereign control of territory and takes place within a global framework made up of clearly defined nation-states. It is within this framework that Israeli colonial expansion and construction of the separation barrier in the West Bank attempt to maximize Israeli annexation of the oPt while creating a Palestinian Bantustan “state” to contain and isolate the Palestinian people in non-sovereign territorial enclaves through the use of territoriality as a strategy for exercising sovereignty. In response to this obvious process of cantonization, Palestinians are resisting by supporting Israeli annexation – of the West Bank and …

Barcelona's Public Market System: Bridging The Gap Between The Global And The Local, Larissa Hernandez

Master's Theses

The unique public markets of Barcelona are poised for a thriving future based on their theoretical and empirical grounding and commitment to both global influences as well as the local traditions of trade and consumption. This global/local balance keeps the markets relevant to contemporary consumers and allows them to have a well-rounded experience as they shop. In this paper, I trace the history and previous incarnations of public markets through the Greeks, Romans and Arabs, as well as consider the European situation and its fluctuations over the centuries. I then uncover the debate surrounding globalization, its influence on the food …

Latino/A Lgbtq Migrations, Sarah V. Rodriguez

Master's Theses

Despite Latin America’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) movement’s recent ground-breaking political achievements, wide spread social acceptance of LGBTQ individuals is not evident in every institution, nor in every part of the region. For some, migration to the U.S. is the solution for escaping the strict social constructs of the region. Of the many studies focusing on the LGBTQ individuals, limited research examines the Latino/a segment of the LGBTQ population. The study explores the motivations behind migration as well as the resettlement process of those immigrating to the San Francisco Bay Area from Latin America, focusing on the …

Security Cooperation Poorly Defined, Nathan L. Fenell

Master's Theses

Security cooperation is a vital component to the national security of the United States. Despite this fact, insufficient military or academic attention has been applied to the subject. The academic and professional void created by this inattention has led academic, journalistic, and military professionals to misuse the term security cooperation, and stray from its doctrinal description as defined by the Department of Defense Dictionary and Associated Military Terms. The academic rigor required to properly express the concept of security cooperation as a peace-time strategy has been absent from both the Department of Defense, and the Department of State, and …

The Limitations Of Girls’ Formal Education In Benin, Emily Elshaw

Master's Theses

This thesis explores the challenges facing Beninese women and girls in their pursuit of formal education, as well as the factors supporting their endeavors. It examines the results of interviews performed with Beninese women from varying socioeconomic backgrounds and addresses the issue of access to formal education from their point of view as well. The study findings point to the multi-faceted nature of this problem, which is rooted in various aspects of underdevelopment including misogynistic abuse, poverty, unemployment and misplaced family priorities as well as misallocation of public funds and poor classroom evaluation. It contributes to an existing body of …

Living With Emerging Contaminants: Proteomics Of 4-Nonylphenol Exposed Arrow Goby (Clevelandia Ios), Sarah Emily Johnson

Master's Theses

Alkylphenol ethoxylates (APEs) are widely used in industrial and household products as surfactants. APEs degrade into more toxic ethoxylates, such as 4-nonylphenol (NP), which has been shown to be an endocrine disruptor and enhance the growth of tumor cells. Nonylphenol is wider spread in Pacific estuaries than originally thought. Organisms in Morro Bay, California contain some of the highest concentrations of NP reported, while containing few other contaminants. As a benthic mud-dwelling fish, the arrow goby (Clevelandia ios) may be exposed to high levels of NP due to high contaminant sequestration rates in anaerobic mud. While ecotoxicology suggests …

Impact Of Collateral Enlargement On Smooth Muscle Phenotype, Alexander Jerome Bynum

Master's Theses

Peripheral Artery Disease is a very serious disease characterized by an arterial occlusion due to atherosclerotic plaques. In response to an arterial occlusion, arteriogenesis occurs, causing smooth muscle cells to transition from a contractile to synthetic state. Also following an arterial occlusion, functional impairment was seen in the collateral circuit. An immunofluorescence protocol was developed in order to assess the impact of collateral enlargement (arteriogenesis) on smooth muscle phenotype at various time points. Smooth muscle α-actin was used to mark all smooth muscle cells, Ki-67 was used to label proliferating smooth muscle cells, and a fluorescent nuclear stain was used …

Freight Truck Traffic Associated With The Port Of Oakland: A Case Study Of Roadway Impacts, James Hinkamp

Master's Theses

The Port of Oakland (“Port”) is the 5th largest container seaport by volume in the U.S. and the largest in Northern California. Maritime shipping activity at the Port exceeds 2 million import and export twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) containers annually. Containers may be full or empty, but nonetheless typically require hinterland shipment and intermodal transfer between maritime and land-based freight distribution systems. The freight trucking mode (“drayage”) handles approximately 80% of all TEU throughput at the Port, thus constituting the majority of landside Port traffic. The Port is also situated adjacent to dense urban development thereby exacting certain external impacts. …

Digitally-Controlled Deep Brain Stimulation Lead Implant System, Matthew Joseph Phillips

Master's Theses

Deep brain stimulation, the treatment of disorders by applying electrical stimulation to brain tissue, is a relatively new field of medicine with great potential to provide cures for neurological disorders. It utilizes a system very similar to a cardiac pacemaker and lead to electrically stimulate brain tissue. This electrical stimulation is programmed to disrupt or mask aberrant brain signals while not impeding the normal function of the brain. The advances in implantable pulse generators designed for deep brain stimulation have been remarkable, and the applications for deep brain stimulation continue to grow including multiple sclerosis (Berk, et al. 2002), severe …

A Content Analysis Of Statutory Grounds For Involuntary Termination Of Parental Rights: The Impacts And Susceptibility Of Incarcerated Mothers And Their Children, Holly Marie Duke

Master's Theses

As the myriad of complex circumstances surrounding incarceration and foster care debilitate the parent-child relationship, the likelihood of legal severance between an incarcerated parent and their child increases. Despite the nation’s mounting prison population over the last three decades, the growing interaction between the prison and foster care populations has received minimal attention in the literature. To date, the influence of the statutory grounds for involuntary termination of parental rights on the legal severance between incarcerated parents and their children has been largely ignored. The purpose of this research is to determine the susceptibility of incarcerated parents to the involuntary …

Ancestral Analysis Of The French Colonial Moran Cemetery, Biloxi, Mississippi, Danielle Nicole Cook

Master's Theses

The Moran site (22HR511) in Biloxi, Mississippi, dates from 1719 to 1723 and is the earliest known French Colonial cemetery in the United States. Historical records suggest that those interred likely represent immigrants from Western Europe as well as Africa who were relocated in an effort to colonize the Louisiana Territory. Given the variety of cultural backgrounds at the site, an ancestral analysis of the 25 individuals uncovered has been conducted. Traditional markers such as cranial and tooth morphology and metrics, and enamel composition, were evaluated in all individuals, and DNA was analyzed in five. Stable isotope levels were also …

State Super-Maximum Security Policies: An Examination Of Admission Characteristics, Classification Reviews, Mental Health Amenities, And Inmate Privileges, Harry Daniel Butler

Master's Theses

Super-maximum security prisons have flourished within a political environment that endorses tougher criminal sanctions. This punitive evolution has created new problems for correctional agencies attempting to control the “worst of the worst” inmates. Federal courts and researchers have examined the detrimental effects supermax isolation has on inmates’ mental health. This analysis examines forty-two state supermax policies to determine how states admit inmates to supermax custody, the classification review process, the management of inmates with mental illnesses, and the availability of privileges for supermax inmates. Drawing on the concept of the McDonaldization of Justice (Ritzer, 1993), particular attention is given to …

Thermal Tolerance Of Age-0 Gulf Of Mexico Striped Bass (Morone Saxatilis): Ontogenetic And Genetic Effects, Corey Robert Anderson

Master's Theses

Striped bass, Morone saxatilis, were historically abundant in the Gulf of Mexico region but were largely extirpated from most Gulf rivers by the early 1960s. Since 1967 hatchery stocking has supported populations in Mississippi rivers and to date there is no evidence of natural reproduction. Intolerance of striped bass to high water temperature is a potential factor negatively impacting Gulf striped bass survival and reproductive fitness, and may be a limiting factor to reintroduction of the species in Mississippi. This work contributed to restoration efforts by establishing molecular tools necessary for genetic monitoring of striped bass restoration, and evaluating …

Continuous Analysis Of Photocatalytic Activity In Thin-Films And Coatings, Steven Michael Allee

Master's Theses

Materials that undergo photocatalytic reactions create evolved gases due to ultraviolet light decomposition. Current methods of measuring these gases typically result in destruction of the sample. A test fixture was developed to measure evolved gases in a nondestructive manner through the utilization of a flow-through sensor array system. Preliminary testing indicates responsive measurements down to parts-per-billion sensitivity for some gases and will be compared with mass spectrometry measurements. Further development of this process could lead to the ability to measure photocatalytic reaction gases on a continuous basis without interruption of the process or destruction of materials introduced to the system.

Quantifying Rates Of Autocompaction In The Pearl River Marsh, Louisiana, Jeremiah Nicholas Prouhet

Master's Theses

Annual rates of shallow autocompaction (< 1 m) were calculated in the upper ~one meter of sediment from six cores of a transect in the Pearl River Marsh (PRM), Louisiana, in order to determine the most significant sedimentary property controlling this process. Compaction-free wedge cores were sub-sampled at one centimeter intervals to collect the following data: age control, using 137Cs and 210Pb, and sedimentary variables, specifically, particulate organic carbon, bulk density, median grain size, porosity, and water content. An upper and an underlying sedimentary unit (named the 137Cs and 210Pb units) were defined between radiometric datum levels, and their sedimentary properties were statistically tested for significant differences using the non-parametric Mann-Whitney test. Rates of autocompaction were calculated from the model of Williams (2003), and both rates of autocompaction and sedimentation were tested for significant differences between the upper and lower sedimentary units.

The upper unit in the six cores generally had lower bulk density, higher water content, higher porosity, and higher particulate organic carbon than the underlying unit, but with some interesting exceptions. Additionally, annual autocompaction and sedimentation rates were greatest in the overlying unit at stations PR02 (0.39 ± 0.05 cm/y) and PR05 (0.42 ± 0.03 cm/y) and greatest in the underlying unit at stations PR02 (0.22 ± 0.08 cm/y) and PR03 (0.18 ± 0.06 cm/y). Based on Spearman correlations, rates of autocompaction were most strongly correlated to and influenced by rates of sedimentation rather …