Digital Commons Network^™

Merlin.Net Automation Of External Reports Verification Process, Gabriel John Wettlaufer

Master's Theses

Merlin.net Patient Care Network is a St. Jude Medical product that is used for remote patient management. The basic concept of Merlin.net is to allow the physician to view patient device follow-up information as well as general patient and device information on a web application. The Merlin.net system also interfaces with the patient and will send them notification if they miss a follow-up. All device information will be collected automatically while the patient is sleeping. This information is sent through a telephone line to a Merlin.net server to process a report package and display the collected information on the Merlin.net …

Stretched Too Thin: Low-Income Mothers' Work-Family Conflict And Preschoolers' Socioemotional Adjustment, Kelly Haas

Master's Theses

The purpose of the current study was to further our understanding of the association between low-income mothers' work-family conflict and their children's socioemotional adjustment, with a particular focus on externalizing and internalizing symptoms. To do so, the present study tested the mediating roles of mothers' psychological distress and positive parenting practices in the relation between work-family conflict and children's adjustment over time. Contrary to hypotheses, the linkage between low-income mothers' experience of conflict between their work and family roles and preschoolers' adjustment was not explained by mothers' symptoms of psychological distress or their use of positive parenting practices. Similarly, the …

Effects Of Discrete Positive Emotions On Attitude Change, Jennifer Lee Smith

Master's Theses

This study examines the influence of discrete incidental positive emotions (joy and contentment) on participants' attitudes and cognitive responses. Prior persuasion research has focused almost exclusively on negative emotions or comparisons between positive and negative moods. A 2 (argument strength: weak or strong) x 3 (emotional state: joy, contentment, or neutral) between-participants factorial design was used in this study. Participants (N = 460) were randomly assigned to one of six experimental conditions. Analyses revealed consistent argument strength effects on attitudes and cognitive responses. Compared to the joy and neutral conditions, participants in the contentment condition tended to generate fewer positive …

Why Does This Always Happen To Us? An Examination Of Co-Rumination In The Same Sex Friendships Of Emerging Adults, Teresa Michelle Preddy

Master's Theses

Co-rumination, which has been defined as a passive, repetitive form of problem discussion, has been linked to both benefits in terms of positive friendship quality and maladaptive outcomes such as internalizing distress. This study explored the trade-offs associated with co-rumination in emerging adult same-sex friendships both concurrently and longitudinally through the use of self-report questionnaires. Co-rumination was associated with concurrent positive friendship quality. Additionally, co-rumination partially mediated the link between gender and positive friendship quality, and was a marginal predictor of increases in positive friendship quality over time. Although co-rumination was associated with depression, co-rumination did not predict depressive symptoms …

Undo: A System For Neutralizing Nuisance Attacks, Eilbroun Waltin Benjamin

Master's Theses

In recent years, our society has seen a shift towards a reliance on digital means of data storage. This paper considers the problem of digital data integrity protection, which is defined as preventing unauthorized writing of data. Numerous examples of successful attacks against seemingly secure targets are examined to support the assertion of the author that, at least in some circumstances, the integrity of digital data is difficult to preserve.

An approach to securing data is proposed in which a security administrator first assumes that a system will be compromised. This approach limits its focus to a nuisance-type attack, which …

Athletic Trainers' Comfort And Competence In Addressing Psychological Issues Of Athletes, Gina Marie Biviano

Master's Theses

The purpose of this descriptive study was to determine the frequency with which athletic trainers address certain psychological issues related to injury and non-injury-related psychological issues with their student-athletes, their comfort and competence level with these discussions, and referral patterns to other mental health professionals. An electronic survey was adapted from Mann, Grana, Indelicato, O'Neill, and George (2007) and administered through www.surveymonkey.com ®. A random sample of 1,000 athletic trainers (ATs) who were members of the NATA were invited to participate, which yielded a response rate of 31.1%. More than half (n=170, 55.7%) of all subjects had completed 1-2 psychology …

Aquatic Ecology Of San Felipe Lake, San Benito County, California, Julie Renee Casagrande

Master's Theses

This two-year study examined San Felipe Lake environmental factors and food-web relationships. The lake is shallow, warm, productive, and generally well-mixed. High turbidity resulted from wind mixing of bottom sediments, carp feeding activity, and plankton blooms and excluded submerged aquatic plants. Emergent vegetation was restricted by cattle grazing. Summer temperatures reached 26-28°C throughout the water column, and dissolved oxygen was occasionally low on the bottom overnight and during windless daytime periods. Phytoplankton, fine organic matter, and detritus formed the base of the food web, supporting a zooplankton community dominated by copepods, the water column macroinvertebrate Neomysis, and several open water …

Learning Statistics Using Concept Maps: Effects On Anxiety And Performance, Patrick Francis Cravalho

Master's Theses

The aim of this thesis was to study the use of concept mapping in an

undergraduate statistics course in order to examine the effects on statistics anxiety and

academic performance by means of a two-group quasi-experimental design. Two

undergraduate statistics classes were recruited for this study with one serving as the

treatment (concept map) group and one serving as the control (standard instruction)

group. It was hypothesized that the use of concept mapping would decrease the statistics

anxiety and improve the academic performance of students in the concept map group

when compared with the control group. The statistics anxiety of …

Phenomenological Examination Of Depression In Female Collegiate Athletes, Alyson Jones

Master's Theses

Collegiate athletes may be at an increased risk of depression due to the pressure and stress they face. This risk is of great concern because their health, safety, and sport performance may all be affected. In addition, collegiate athletes are more likely to turn to maladaptive coping behaviors and less likely to seek help for mental health struggles than other populations. It has been suggested that a greater understanding of personal experiences would be helpful in increasing awareness and improving treatment. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to explore the lived experience of depression in female collegiate athletes. …

Deception: Analysis Of The Lying Cues Observed By Men, Women, The Self, And Others, Alysha Khavarian Kadva

Master's Theses

Lying cues observed by men and women were investigated by a combination of a 2x2 mixed subjects design and a correlational design. Fifty-nine male and 68 female fluent English-speaking college students older than 18 years of age were tasked with completing a 64-item questionnaire and observing two video clips. The participants completed the questionnaire for a self-assessment of the perception of their own lying cues, observed the video clips, and then completed the questionnaire for an assessment of the lying cues observed in the videos. Independent sample t-test results indicated that, for self-assessment of lying cues, there was a statistically …

Stress And Coping Due To Global Virtual Teamwork, Irina Alexandra Shargo

Master's Theses

Global virtual teams (GVTs), project teams composed of individuals working across time and space via electronic platforms, are becoming increasingly commonplace in most organizations today and in global organizations specifically. The aim of this study was to explore issues employees experienced when working virtually in GVTs in order to develop recommendations for addressing those issues and encouraging solutions to benefit the employees, teams, and organizations as a whole. This paper presents findings from 27 interviews on coping and strain reactions to participation in intercultural computer-mediated communication (CMC). Analyses of the qualitative data suggest that intercultural training were helpful in reducing …

Queering Hegemonies Of Gender And Cultural Identity Through A Critical Adaptation Of Maxine Hong Kingston's Novel The Woman Warrior, Julia Valentina Salvador

Master's Theses

This thesis explores hegemonic discourses associated with the constructs of gender, culture, and transglobal migration from China to the United States and how these discourses might be made visible, resisted, internalized, reappropriated, and queered through live performance. This thesis used the methodology of critical adaptation and adapted Maxine Hong Kingston's novel The Woman Warrior (1976) into a one-woman performance that explored hegemonic social structures of gender, culture, and transglobal migration and the ways in which identity is constructed and performed. Through a critical adaptation and performance of literature, this thesis reflects, expands, and raises some of the nuanced issues of …

A Qualitative Analysis Of Motivation Of Elite Female Triathletes, Alexis Smith

Master's Theses

The multidimensional theoretical framework of Self-Determination

Theory (SDT) has gained prominence in the sport and exercise field to assist in

understanding human motivation. While there is extensive research on motivation

of recreational athletes, no study has qualitatively examined the motivation of elite

female triathletes. The primary purpose of this research was to determine how

motivation to train and compete is maintained at the elite level using the Basic

Needs Theory. The participants were eight elite female triathletes who competed

in International Triathlon Union (ITU) draft-legal Olympic distance, Half-

Ironman, and Ironman triathlons. Results from the semi-structured interviews

revealed that challenges, …

Planet Building: A Case Study Of Corporate Sustainability For A Globalized World, Darci L. Arnold

Master's Theses

With the increasing complexities of a globalized 21st-century world, the growing power of industry clusters makes corporations important actors in designing sustainable development strategies. This thesis presents an applied case study at CB Richard Ellis (CBRE) as the company designed and launched its award-winning Sensible Sustainability platform. The research was conducted to determine how a large multinational company could create a business case for sustainability, and the results illustrate that value exists for firms engaged in sustainability initiatives.

CBRE's initial no-cost and low-cost activities resulted in increased operational efficiencies and lower costs. Over the course of the research period, the …

Uncultivated Environmental Tm7 Model To Study Human Disease-Associated Tm7 Bacteria, David Barton

Master's Theses

The TM7 bacterial phylum has no cultivated species and includes members that span a broad range of environmental and human habitats, some of which are associated with human periodontitis. In this project, activated wastewater TM7 bacteria were analyzed and their relatedness compared to human-associated TM7 bacteria for the long-term goal of using an environmental TM7 to better understand TM7 pathogenesis in humans. DNA was extracted from activated wastewater and PCR amplified using TM7 16S rRNA gene- specific primers. The ~1,170 base pair PCR products were then cloned and sequenced. DNA sequencing and phylogenetic analysis identified environmental TM7 clones with high …

Host-Parasite Ecology And Description Of The Louse Fly, Allobosca Crassipes, From Madagascar, Stanley Edmondson Vaughn

Master's Theses

The louse fly, Allobosca crassipes (Diptera: Hippoboscidae), is an obligate ectoparasite exclusive to lemurs in Madagascar. Research in Ranomafana National Park (RNP) in southeastern Madagascar has resulted in the identification of a new association of this fly with the black and white ruffed lemur, Varecia variegata variegata, and a confirmed association with Milne-Edwards' sifaka, Propithecus edwardsi. Previous descriptions of A. crassipes were based on only a few specimens, and the type specimen is presumed destroyed. The specimens of A. crassipes collected by SJSU in 2000-2001 provide the largest collection available for the purpose of describing this species.

Habitat …

Nature And Culture Of Strawberry Farmers On California's Central Coast: A Case Study, James D'Albora

Master's Theses

As United States (US) agriculture continues to experience declines in farms and farmers, the organic sector steadily increases in size. Furthermore, survey data show that almost half of the new organic farmers are not conventional farmers who are transitioning to organic, but urban dwellers who have migrated to a new rural setting. Migration theory is used to look at non-economic influences that may be driving these new organic farmers. Through in-depth interviews with 11 organic and conventional small-to-larger strawberry farmers on California's central coast, this study identifies two distinct cultures that now inhabit the agricultural industry of this area. Two …

Implementation Of Risk Management In The Medical Device Industry, Rachelo Dumbrique

Master's Theses

This study looks at the implementation and effectiveness of risk management (RM) activities in the medical device industry. An online survey was distributed to medical device professionals who were asked to identify RM-related activities performed during the device life cycle. RM activities and techniques included Establishing Risk Acceptance Criteria, Hazard Identification, Human Factors/Usability, Fault Tree Analysis (FTA), Design Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (DFMEA), Process Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (PFMEA), Hazard and Operability Study (HAZOP), Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP), Risk Benefit Analysis, and Risk Assessment of Customer Complaint. Devices were identified by type (therapeutic, surgical/clinical tools, …

Riparian Brush Rabbit Habitat Requirements In Caswell Memorial State Park, Clinton Robert Elsholz

Master's Theses

With the rapid growth of agricultural and urban development in California's Central Valley in the 20th and 21st centuries, many habitats, including riparian forests, have been drastically altered. Along with these habitats, species that are dependent on them have also been fragmented and their long-term survival threatened. The riparian brush rabbit (Sylvilagus bachmani riparius) is one such species that has experienced profound population contraction over the past century. This research was conducted at Caswell Memorial State Park ("the Park"), located in Ripon, California, which is the largest remaining habitat fragment within the rabbit's historical range. One objective of this research …

Impacts Of Avian Predation On Juvenile Salmonids In Central California Watersheds, Danielle Frechette

Master's Theses

Central California coho salmon () are endangered and steelhead () are threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. As part of local monitoring efforts, Passive Integrated Transponders (PIT tags) are used in population biology and marine survival studies of these stocks. Since 2006, PIT tags have been recovered on Año Nuevo Island (ANI), an important breeding site for several species of seabirds and marine mammals. The objective of this study was to assess magnitude and effects of avian predation on juvenile salmonids in central California. Objectives were accomplished by 1) identifying predators, timing of predation, and quantifying predation using PIT …

Ecology Of Foothill Yellow-Legged Frogs In Upper Coyote Creek, Santa Clara County, Ca, Thomas Earl Gonsolin

Master's Theses

Visual encounter surveys, mark-recapture technique, and telemetry were used investigate breeding, movement, growth, habitat preferences, and predators of foothill yellow-legged frogs on Coyote Creek in Santa Clara County, California, from March 2004 to March 2006. The main stem and tributaries were intermittent in summer in all three years. Thermal conditions for breeding initiation were alike during 2004, 2005, and 2006. Breeding occurred in the main stem on descending limbs of the hydrograph. No breeding occurred in the middle main stem reach, which is ephemeral. Breeding occurred at less than an order of magnitude greater than base flows. Typically, larger females …

Hybrid Rfid-Based System Using Active Two-Way Tags, Girish N. Jadhav

Master's Theses

Ultra High Frequency (UHF) Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is a promising technology that has experienced tremendous growth by revolutionizing a variety of industry sectors and applications, such as automated data management, the tracking of a specified object, highway toll collection, library inventory tracking, multi-level asset tracking, and airport baggage control. For many RFID applications, it is desired to maximize the operating distance or read range.

This thesis proposes a design of an analog front-end architecture and the baseband controller for a Class-4 Active Two-Way (C4-ATW) RFID tag in order to maximize or increase the tracking range by implementing a tag-hopping …

Finding Duplication Events Using Genomevectorizer, Elena Kochetkova

Master's Theses

GenomeVectorizer is a software application designed to extend the functionality of GenomePixelizer, a genome-visualization tool that was developed for the Department of Plant Pathology at University of California, Davis, in 2002. GenomeVectorizer was written using XML, XSLT, and SVG technologies combined with JavaScript scripting to provide the level of flexibility, dynamism, and interactivity not supported by the TCL/TK written application (GenomePixelizer). This new visualization tool was tested with available data from the Arabidopsis NBS-LRR study, and its output was compared to the output of GenomePixelizer. The relationships drawn at the same identity value were identical.

GenomeVectorizer was successfully applied to …

Native Americans In The San Francisco Bay Area: Patterns In Ancient Teeth, Palimpsests Of Behavior, Dave Grant

Master's Theses

NATIVE AMERICANS IN THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA:

PATTERNS IN ANCIENT TEETH; PALIMPSESTS OF BEHAVIOR

by Dave Grant

In analyzing burial populations from seven sites in the Santa Clara Valley, patterns on teeth were found that did not conform to the flat normative wear explanation. This study attempts to expand upon the seminal work of Molnar (1968), Hinton (1981), and Keiser (2001a, 2001b) and to propose a definitional refinement of wear patterns found on teeth from populations in Central California. Flat normative wear was present. In addition, four additional distinct wear patterns were found. Wear patterns include slants and scoops …

In Search Of The Creative Scientific Personality, Maya Grosul

Master's Theses

This study investigates whether personality is a valid predictor of creativity in science above and beyond demographic characteristics, such as career age, gender, and scientific discipline. Creativity is an act of making something new, original, and useful. Creative achievement in science is the personal ability to generate original, useful, and adaptive scientific theories, research methods, or empirical findings. Personality characteristics can operate as valid predictors of creative achievement in science. This study surveyed 145 scientists throughout the United States. Total creativity index was computed by standardizing and summing the total number of publications, total number of citations, h-index, and Soler's …

Hip Hip 101: A University Level Course Curriculum For Examining Hip Hop In The Modern World, David Ma

Master's Theses

Hip Hop 101 is a university level course curriculum intended for use by college level educators. It serves as a primer on hip-hop history and includes daily lesson plans that use multi-media tools to scaffold student learning. It was produced under the belief that hip-hop (its music and culture) deserve the time and examination as other longstanding disciplines.

Establishing Community And Research Trust In Public Health Using Service-Oriented Architecture (Soa), Juanita Hun Mah

Master's Theses

One of the major challenges of community-based research is recruitment of community members who will participate in clinical trials, continue for the duration of the trial, and provide accurate sensitive personal information. This challenge can be overcome by establishing greater trust between researchers and communities.

This study focuses on a system to address trust issues between the San Jose Hispanic community and clinical researchers. It describes a methodology for translating non-functional wants and needs into technical requirements that are used as input to a Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) approach to design a solution. Unlike a typical SOA that is derived from …

Outcomes Of Dialogic Communication Training On A City Government Management Team, Minna Johanna Holopainen

Master's Theses

Managing diversity in today's organizational environments can challenge many organizations. This action research study addresses that challenge by investigating the outcomes of dialogic communication training on a city government management team experiencing organizational diversity. The study consisted of four phases: (1) individual interviews for needs assessment, (2) focus group meeting for training design, (3) dialogic communication training, and (4) individual interviews for assessment of the outcomes. The results of this study indicate that dialogic communication and the development of dialogic style of leadership through dialogic communication training provide a valuable and practical approach for work teams. Specifically, management team members' …

Employment Decisions As A Function Of An Applicant's Accent, Lam Thanh Nguyen

Master's Theses

Using data collected from 167 college students, the present study examined the effects of an applicant's accent (Standard American English vs. Spanish) on employment-related decisions (i.e., job suitability, likelihood of promotion, and decision to hire) and perceived applicant characteristics (i.e., competence and likability). Results showed that Spanish-accented applicants were rated less suitable for an entry-level software engineering job, were perceived as having a lower chance of being promoted to a managerial position, and were hired less frequently compared to the Standard American English-accented applicant. Additionally, the Spanish-accented applicant was rated less competent but just as likable as the Standard American …

The Struggle For Sufficient Housing In Santa Clara Countuy, Robert Musallam

Master's Theses

This study examined the role systemic racism plays in shaping people's ability to acquire sufficient housing in Santa Clara County. The purpose of this study was to identify historical and contemporary forms of institutional racism through the narratives of residents or former residents of the San Jose Family Homeless Shelter [SJFS] in San Jose, California. Of particular interest is evidence of housing discrimination and what Neubeck and Cazenave (2001) call "welfare racism." Clients of the SJFS represent those directly affected by welfare reform and least protected from oppressive housing policies or practices.

Through semi-structured open-ended interviews with former residents of …