Digital Commons Network^™

Cyberspace And The Defense Of The Revolution: Cuban Bloggers, Civic Participation, And State Discourse, Renee Naomi Timberlake

Master's Theses

In this thesis I address how Cuban bloggers are contesting state sanctioned modes of civic participation and censorship. I begin to address this question with a discussion of the creation and perpetuation of a state sponsored hegemonic discourse, followed by the alternative, counterhegemonic discourses which appear in the blogs of Cuban writers Yoani Sanchez and Claudia Cadelo. The two authors are tapping into the internet, overcoming state imposed, island-wide bans on their websites, and voicing their dissent against and frustration with a government that professes a discourse of solidarity and socialism while enacting a reality of inequality and market-based economics.

Tradition To Acculturation: A Case Study On The Impacts Created By Chemawa Indian Boarding School Upon The Nez Perce Family Structure From 1879 To 1945, Arthur Maxwell Taylor

Master's Theses

Tradition to Acculturation: a Case Study of the Impacts created by Chemawa Indian Boarding School upon the Nez Perce Family Structure from 1879 to 1945

As a member of the Nez Perce Tribe, I have developed an interest in education of Native Americans and in particular those students who attended Chemawa Indian Government Boarding School from 1879 to 1940. For many centuries, the Nez Perce have played an integral role in the history of the American Indian Columbia River plateau people, as well as, in the history of the United States. As Manifest Destiny spread across the western frontier, there …

Posttraumatic Stress Symptom Clusters And Externalizing Problems In Young Urban African American Adolescents, Maria Ann Horn-Rollins

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the associations between five posttraumatic stress symptom (PTSS) clusters and two forms of externalizing problems within and across the middle school years in a low income urban sample of young adolescent African Americans. A secondary aim of this study was to explore moderation effects by gender. Total PTSS positively predicted a little over 58% of the cross-sectional externalizing outcomes and uniquely explained between 5 and 12% of the variance in these outcomes over and above gender and exposure to violence. Total PTSS significantly and positively predicted one-third of the longitudinal outcomes and …

Predictors Of Mental Health Outcomes Among Foster Care Children Receiving Community-Based Services, Alison Merri Dunleavy

Master's Theses

Historically, children served in the foster care system experience less favorable mental health outcomes compared to those in the general population (Anctil, McCubbin, & Pecora, 2006; Burns et al., 2004; Garland et al., 2001; Zima, Bussing, Yang, & Berlin, 2000). As a result, the child welfare system has been described as a "de facto public behavioral health care system" (Lyons & Rogers, 2004), prompting state child welfare agencies to seek to put systems and policies in place to serve the needs of these youth, such as Illinios' statewide community-based program, System of Care (SOC), designed to provide multi-modal services to …

The Mirror Is Not You: Objectification And Eating Disordered Behaviors In Classical And Contemporary Dancers, David Matthew Doyle

Master's Theses

The current study extended the tenets of objectification theory to a population considered to be at risk for poor body image--professional dancers. Furthermore, differences in self-objectification and its sequelae due to participation in classical versus contemporary dance companies, styles with differential exposure to objectifying cues, were explored. Forty professional dancers and thirty-nine non-dancers completed measures of objectification and its sequelae. Differences in levels of self-objectification did not fit the predicted pattern, with dancers evidencing lower levels than non-dancers; however body shame levels were elevated among dancers. The proposed model of objectification fit both groups, with body shame mediating the relationship …

Fish Assemblage Structure In Natural, Channelized, And Restored Sections Of Nippersink Creek, Mchenry County, Illinois, Sarah Ann Zack

Master's Theses

Degradation of aquatic habitats and loss of biodiversity are growing concerns of natural resource managers and the general public. Channelization, the common historical practice of straightening streams and rivers for agricultural interests, has had profound detrimental effects on the biodiversity of lotic fish assemblages. Nippersink Creek, McHenry County, IL is a twenty-three mile stream that flows through an area valued for its fish, wildlife, and invertebrate biodiversity. Although a portion of the stream was channelized in the 1950's, restoration efforts by the McHenry County Conservation District have recently restored historical meanders. Nevertheless, efforts to restore streams and rivers to their …

Temporal Variability Of Bioassessment Indices Used To Evaluate Three Midwestern Streams, Nia M. Haller

Master's Theses

Population, community and functional measures or metrics in rapid bioassessment programs aid in establishing biological criteria for streams and rivers. Each metric measures different aspects of community structure and is important in detecting changes in macroinvertebrate community structure that are influenced by changes in water quality. In this study, temporal variation of nine commonly used bioassessment indices was examined in three midwestern streams. The indices were calculated for each of nine replicate benthic macroinvertebrate samples collected monthly for one year from Cowpie Creek (CC), Nippersink Creek (NC) and Lawrence Creek (LC), McHenry County, Illinois. In practice, the habitat sampled for …

Morphological Development Of The Axial Skeletons Of Esox Lucius And Esox Masquinongy (Euteleostei: Esociforms), With Comparisons In Developmental And Mineralization Rates., Amanda Maria Burdi

Master's Theses

Developmental morphology of the axial skeleton of Esox lucius (i.e., northern pike and type species) and E. masquinongy (i.e., muskellunge) was investigated. More than 1,000 specimens were examined ranging in size from approximately 10 mm notochordal length (NL) post-hatching juveniles to over 80 mm standard length (SL) foraging sub-adults. Results show that regardless of individual variation, the relative sequence of bone formation and mineralization is consistent between the two species. This consistent developmental pattern enabled construction of an ontogenetic staging scheme of eight developmental stages, each characterized by one defining criterion. The first appearance in cartilage and/or first sign of …

Anti-Nogo-A Immunotherapy Facilitation Of Environmental Enrichment's Effects On Recovery From Stroke In The Aged Rat, Sarah Jane Hein

Master's Theses

Stroke and traumatic brain injury are devastating disorders that often lead to permanent neurologic deficits, with few available treatment options once injury has occurred. In previous work, Anti-Nogo-A immunotherapy has been shown to neutralize the neurite inhibitory protein, Nogo-A, and to promote neuronal plasticity and improve functional recovery after stroke in the rat. Furthermore, other reports have demonstrated that environmental enrichment improves functional recovery in rodents following stroke. Our previous work demonstrated that anti-Nogo-A immunotherapy also helps promote cortical plasticity in the rodent. In the current project, we examined two methods to promote recovery after brain injury, a stroke model …

An Analysis Of Stacy Garrop's Sonnet Settings For Treble Choir And Piano, Kathryn Alexis Feetham

Master's Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to provide a thorough and detailed analysis of Stacy Garrop's two works for treble chorus and piano, Pity Me Not (2003) and Thou Famished Grave (2006) for the purposes of providing a base for future research and study. Since Garrop's goal as she composes is to tell the story contained in the text, this analysis of her works looks closely at the approaches she takes to communicate the story to the listener. The two choral pieces are examined on several musical levels including but not limited to form, melody, harmony, register, rhythm, tempo, meter, …

Library Services In U.S. Immigration Detention Facilities, Stephanie Lan Chin

Master's Theses

The thesis explores the current state of library services in facilities in which U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) houses immigrant detainees, including (1) Bureau of Prison (BOP) facilities, (2) contracted detention facilities (CDF), (3) ICE-owned facilities (often called Service Processing Centers, or SPC's), and (4) Intergovernmental Service Agreements (IGSA) facilities. The study was based on a survey that was mailed to 356 facilities that detain immigrants by or on behalf of ICE. The results of the survey were used to determine the current status of library services in immigration detention facilities as well as to identify issues or problems …

Assessment Of First Aid Knowledge And Decision Making Of Coaches Of Youth Soccer, Lynn Castro

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to assess the first aid knowledge of coaches of youth soccer and to assess the decision making ability of those coaches in hypothetical athletic situations. The study investigated coaches with passing scores on the First Aid Assessment test (FAA) and first aid and CPR certification; years of coaching experience and scores on the FAA; the difference between years of coaching experience and return to play; the relationship between first aid and CPR certification and education level and the scores on the FAA and education level. Coaches completed a FAA test, Game Situation Data Sheet …

Toward A Single-Consciousness: Challenging "Un-American-Ness" Of People Of Color, Bhawana Kamil

Master's Theses

Race is a major axis of social injustice in America. Social injustice is due to both maldistribution of material resources and opportunities and non-recognition or mis-recognition of people of color. One form of mis-recognition is the accusation that a person of color is not a real American, creating a conflict of identities (i.e., racial and American): a double-consciousness. This accusation has its origins in faulty ideas about race, identity, and race-group membership.

This paper presents a new model of identity that addresses these faulty ideas and provides a conceptual structure within which one can consistently maintain a single-consciousness while maintaining …

Social Support As Moderator Of Job-Specific Or Generic Stressors With Strains, Kaci Deeana Mabe

Master's Theses

Two studies examining the relationship between job-specific stressors and strains versus the relationship between generic stressors with strain, as well as the moderating role of social support (from coworkers and administrators), are presented. Eighteen primary school teachers from a private Jewish day school (Study 1) and 242 teachers from an Arizona school district (Study 2) completed self-administered surveys. Results indicated that job-specific (vs. generic) stressors had a stronger positive relationship with strains, but social support was a better moderator for the relationship between generic stressors and strain. As hypothesized, administrator support had a reverse-buffering effect on the stressor-strain relationship in …

If I Could Choose: Internalized Homophobia Of The Queer Cinema Movement, James Joseph Flaherty

Master's Theses

This thesis offers a critical examination of essentialist and constructionist theories of queer identities, with emphasis on portrayals of internalized homophobia in film. The thesis examines three films released at the latter part of the first New Queer Cinema movement (1991 - 2000) - American Beauty (1999), Urbania (2000) and Velvet Goldmine (1998). Using criticisms of Queer as performativity, as theorized by Judith Butler, in addition to the works of Gregory M. Herek, Harry M. Benshoff, Jeffrey Weeks, and other theorists and academics, the thesis analyzes the use of characterization, mise-en-scene, and spatial and temporal relationships in these films as …

Flow Cytometry Of Alexandrium Catenella From Elkhorn Slough, California., Phillip Roland Hawkins

Master's Theses

This study describes the use of flow cytometry for the enumeration of the toxic marine dinoflagellate Alexandrium catenella in both estuarine samples from Elkhorn Slough, California and from sea water samples from inner Monterey Bay. Samples were subjected to a density-barrier sample enrichment technique employing percoll to separate debris from phytoplankton prior to sample fixation, labeling and analysis. Clarified, enriched preparations of phytoplankton were subjected to whole cell Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization (FISH) using a ribosomal DNA (rDNA) probe specific for the North American ribotype (NA1) of the dinoflagellate genus Alexandrium and analysis by flow cytometry. Flow cytometry was validated …

Predicting Work And Organizational Engagement With Work And Personal Factors, Andrea Kittredge

Master's Theses

The current study examined how psychological hardiness and self efficacy would be related to both work engagement and organizational engagement after controlling for job characteristics, perceived organizational support, and procedural justice as work characteristics. Findings showed that psychological hardiness, specifically commitment, added significant predictive value to both work and organizational engagement after controlling for the work characteristics. However, commitment accounted for more variance in work engagement than variance in organizational engagement. Although it was correlated with overall hardiness, self efficacy was not found to be directly related to either engagement variable, nor did it add predictive value to either of …

Observed Water Vapor Enhancement In Smoke Plumes, Caroline Marie Kiefer

Master's Theses

Wildland fires cause the loss of life and billions of dollars in property damage every year in the US annually; thus, there is a need to better understand, predict, and manage both wildland and prescribed fires. Moisture released from combustion, in addition to added heat, can enhance buoyancy and convection, influencing fire behavior. Previous studies have shown a wide range of smoke plume moisture enhancement, but much uncertainty still exists in the quantitative values of moisture released during combustion. In this study, three measurement platforms were used to obtain in situ measurements of temperature and relative humidity during various prescribed …

Trophic Interactions Among Chlorostoma Brunnea, Macrocystis Pyrifera, And Fungi, Selena Mcmillan

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to evaluate how one of the most abundant kelp forest herbivores in central California, the trochid snail Chlorostoma brunnea, affects the productivity and survivorship of the giant kelp Macrocystis pyrifera within central California. The effects of this turban snail species were investigated using experimental field manipulations of snail abundance on Macrocystis sporophytes and supplementary laboratory experiments. Experimental field manipulation of C. brunnea densities (0-450 snails per sporophyte) revealed an overcompensation of growth by Macrocystis in response to moderate snail densities. This finding is consistent with a terrestrial growth premise, the Grazing Optimization Hypothesis. …

Emissions And Impacts From Prescribed Fire In A Longleaf Pine Ecosystem, Scott James Strenfel

Master's Theses

Prescribed fire is a frequently utilized land-management tool in the Southeastern US. In this study, effects of seasonal-related variations and of turbulence generation on emissions and impacts from prescribed fires were evaluated. High frequency in situ data were obtained from three summer (July 2008) and three winter (January 2009) fires within the active burn perimeter and downwind by use of a 10 m instrumented tower and 2 m tripod, respectively. Two cases were selected to evaluate the performance of the EPA-approved short-range regulatory dispersion model, AERMOD, for prescribed fire applications.

Results showed that summer fuels were much greener than winter …

Acoustic Intensity Measurement System: Application In Localized Drug Delivery, Natalie Phipps

Master's Theses

Ultrasound is used for many applications in diagnostics and therapy. New developments are being made specifically for the use of therapeutic ultrasound for enhancement of localized drug delivery. The long term goal of this study is to find ultrasound pulsing sequences that will allow for controlled mass diffusion from hydrogel drug reservoirs. Developing this new method requires the calibration and characterization of therapy transducers using power and acoustic intensity measurements. Mechanical index, spatial peak pulse average intensity, and spatial temporal pulse average intensity calculations were made using hydrophone measurements set-up in a tank measurement system. These were compared to safety …

Amount Of International News By Four World Newspapers: Pre And Post-9/11, Sidney Mitchell

Master's Theses

World newspapers, The New York Times, The London Times, The Australian, and The Toronto Star, have the power to enlighten countries and shape public opinion domestically and abroad. However, at times, newspapers tend to be biased and reflect ideologies or values, which tend to be slanted towards home cultures and personal politics. Consequently, the public often suffers because what it learns about the world may be distorted. As a result, newspapers have witnessed a steady decline in readership following the end of the Cold-War and continuing throughout post-9/11. Irrespectively, studies have reported “spikes“ in international news coverage following 9/11 that …

Performance Based Analysis Of Steel Buildings, Matthew Joseph Williams

Master's Theses

This project investigated the performance of two separate building types, designed using ASCE 7-05, using the analysis procedures from ASCE 41-06. The results from the ASCE 41-06 analyses were compared to the expected performance level of Life Safety to determine the adequacy of the ASCE 7-05 design. ASCE 7-05 is intended to result in designs that perform to a Life Safety performance level regardless of the building type. A design using the AISC specifications for a steel Special Moment Frame and the lateral loads from ASCE 7-05 resulted in a building that slightly exceeded an Immediate Occupancy performance level for …

The Economic Impact In Stanislaus And San Joaquin Counties If A Fruit And Vegetable Processor Left As A Result Of Changes In The Food Processing Byproduce Use Program, Jessica Erin Bylsma

Master's Theses

In 1978, Stanislaus County took a proactive approach to food processing byproduct waste and established the Food Processing Byproduct Use Program. It allows processors to transport byproduct to local producers, where it serves as an alternative input. There is concern that the program negatively impacts local groundwater. The Regional Water Quality Control Board proposed that the County institute water monitoring which would increase program expenses. In response to this proposal, participants investigated the impact of the cost increase and some have concluded that this increase would preclude their continued involvement. They believe the program has allowed them to maintain their …

Techniques For Triggering Germination Of Adenostoma Fasciculatum In Revegetation Projects At Rocky Canyon Quarry, Stephanie B. Scolari

Master's Theses

Rocky Canyon Quarry is a granite mine located in the Santa Lucia Mountains about 5 miles southeast of the city of Atascadero. The Surface Mining and Reclamation Act (SMARA), which passed in 1975, dictates that California mines must rehabilitate lands disturbed by mining operations. Dr. V. L. Holland and his students in the Biological Sciences Department at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly) have been working on restoration and revegetation of the Rocky Canyon Quarry since the early 1990’s.

Adenostoma fasciculatum (chamise) dominates the chaparral communities (chamisal chaparral) found in Rocky Canyon. Chamise is the most common …

Point-Of-Use Water Treatment Device For Disaster Relief, Patricia Marie Compas

Master's Theses

A point-of-use water treatment device and an optimal method for its use were developed. The specially-designed vessel is to be used with flocculation and disinfection agents, while also providing for clean water storage. Possible applications would be disaster relief, emergency preparedness, and outdoor recreation.

A Longitudinal Study Of The Outcomes From Participation In Wilderness Adventure Education Programs, Jason Phillip Cummings

Master's Theses

The results from this study suggest that participants of wilderness adventure education programs offered by Outward Bound and the National Outdoor Leadership School felt challenged by many of the experiences from their programs. Interactions with their group helped in dealing with the challenges presented by the experience. The development of hard skills gave participants a confidence in their abilities to survive and feel safe in these wilderness environments, which allowed them to relax and enjoy the experience, develop new perspectives, become motivated and inspired, and develop a sense of independence. Participants developed a sense of growth and maturity from their …

A Computational Model Of Apoptotic Osteocyte Correlation To Cortical Bone Remodeling Parameters, Michael Stephen Alexander

Master's Theses

The onset of osteoporosis caused by aging, disease states, and post-menopausal conditions significantly impacts patient quality of life, required healthcare funding, personal autonomy losses from increased fracture risk and the subsequent corrective surgery. Research has indicated that osteocyte apoptosis may be a key parameter in bone remodeling, raising the possibility of remodeling rate modulation for the mitigation of bone mass resorption. By developing therapies that target osteocyte apoptosis, it may be possible to prevent undesired bone remodeling activity while maintaining a healthy balance between damage formation in the form of microcracks induced by the strain environment and the removal of …

The Effect Of Embryo Biopsy And Vitrification On The Development Potential Of Equine Embryos, Richard O. Gearhart

Master's Theses

This study investigated the development potential of equine embryos in vitro after biopsy and vitrification. Twenty embryos were obtained from Quarter Horse, Thoroughbred, and mix-breed light mares between three and ten years old. The twenty embryos were divided into a biopsy (n=10) and control group (n=10). The biopsy group underwent microaspiration biopsy using a micromanipulator to obtain a small tissue sample from the embryo. Both groups were then vitrified using a commercially available technique originally described by Carnevale (2006) at Colorado State \ University.

All 20 embryos were cultured in DMEM/Hams F-12 medium under oil at 37°C in 5% CO2 …

An Assessment Of Indoor Infiltration Parameters For Black Carbon From Residential Wood Combustion And The Spectral Dependence Of Light Absorption For Organic Carbon, Christopher John Malejan

Master's Theses

Black carbon, a proxy for woodsmoke was measured indoors and outdoors for an occupied residence in Cambria, CA during the winter months of 2009. The purpose was to investigate the infiltration parameters: air exchange rate, deposition rate, and penetration factor. The second part of this study investigated the light absorption properties of organic carbon from residential wood combustion, the dominant fraction of woodsmoke.

To assess woodsmoke variation, a study conducted parallel to the one presented in this thesis (Ward, 2009), a grid array of personal emission monitors (PEMS) and aethalometers were placed in a small area, approximately one square kilometer, …