Digital Commons Network^™

Latino Representation On Primetime Television In English And Spanish Media: A Framing Analysis, Gabriela Arellano

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to provide updated data on the Latino portrayals on primetime English and Spanish-language television. Three major contributions of this study are baseline data on the percentage of white actors as well as all racial and ethnic minorities on English-language television, the portrayal of Latinos on both English and Spanish-language television, and the development of five frames that measure the representation of Latino characters. The results of this framing study showed that only 7.4% of the characters in primetime TV on ABC and CBS were Latino. Although the Latino representation in primetime American television was …

Recombinant Expression And Potential Autocatalysis Of Aedes Aegypti Trypsin-Like Serine Proteases (Aaspii And Aaspiv), Diane Francine Eilerts

Master's Theses

Aedes aegypti mosquitoes can be found globally in tropical and subtropical urban areas and spread Zika, Dengue fever, yellow fever, and Chikungunya viruses. Current vector control methods are limited and nonspecific. The female Ae. aegypti mosquito uses blood meal proteins to obtain nutrients required for oogenesis; inhibition of the midgut trypsin-like serine proteases responsible for blood meal digestion may provide a novel method of vector control. Ae. aegypti blood meal digestion is complex and the role of uncharacterized serine proteases in blood digestion is unclear; specifically, a group of trypsin-like serine proteases (AaSPII–V) is expressed at constant levels before and …

Biochemical And Enzymatic Studies Of The Midgut Serine Protease Aaspvii From The Aedes Aegypti Mosquito, James Thientoan Nguyen

Master's Theses

The Aedes aegpyti mosquito is an efficient biological vector of four known neglected tropical arboviruses: the yellow fever, dengue, chikungunya, and Zika viruses. Since the female mosquito can acquire multiple blood meals to complete the gonotrophic cycle, she can potentially infect multiple hosts. With the reemergence of these viruses, especially due to global warming, it is crucial to slow the spread of the mosquito and the blood-borne diseases she transmits. The Ae. aegypti mosquito relies heavily on midgut serine proteases that digest blood meal proteins to provide nutrients required for the egg laying process. The focus of this work is …

Affective And Cognitive Effects Of Awe In Predicting Hopelessness And Brooding Rumination, Eldita Tarani

Master's Theses

This study investigated the effects of awe, as a positive emotion, in ameliorating

depressive symptoms such as hopelessness and rumination. Previous research indicates that awe is unique compared to other positive emotions in that is elicited by information rich-stimuli that facilitate shifts in cognition as one attempts to accommodate this new information to their current frame of reference. In addition, awe was found incite a self- diminishing effect that contrast the inflated significance one places on the self, during negative self-referential thinking (e.g. hopelessness). We hypothesized that exposure to an awe stimuli (video) would prompt subjects to feel less hopeless …

“You Don’T Just Eat ‘Em, You Get Match Ready With ‘Em”: A Content Analysis Of Alcohol, Food, And Non-Alcoholic Beverage Advertising In The United States During The 2014 Fifa World Cup Brazil, Melissa M. Feulner

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Lipid 654 R And S Isoforms In Bacteroidetes Known To Produce Lipid 654, Anuj Camanocha

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Eulerian On Lagrangian Cloth Simulation, Kyle C. Piddington

Master's Theses

This thesis introduces a novel Eulerian-on-Lagrangian (EoL) approach for simulating cloth. This approach allows for the simulation of traditionally difficult cloth scenarios, such as draping and sliding cloth over sharp features like the edge of a table. A traditional Lagrangian approach models a cloth as a series of connected nodes. These nodes are free to move in 3d space, but have difficulty with sliding over hard edges. The cloth cannot always bend smoothly around these edges, as motion can only occur at existing nodes. An EoL approach adds additional flexibility to a Lagrangian approach by constructing special Eulerian on Lagrangian …

The Design, Manufacture, And Testing Of A Novel Adhesion System For A Climbing Vehicle, Michael William Schier

Master's Theses

We present the design and fabrication of a prototype wall-climbing vehicle employing a unique combined locomotion and adhesion system in which the adhesive vacuum is transmitted through moving, perforated treads. Implementing the adhesion/drive system involved a broad range of design challenges, including: developing reliable sealing of sliding and static interfaces, understanding the frictional interactions between the drive treads and various vehicle components and surfaces on which they ride, as well as designing for lightness, manufacturability, and adjustability. The clean sheet design presented in this thesis was taken from concept to functioning prototype in less than 6 months, requiring a considered …

"Ye Sons Of Mars": British Representations Of The Sudan Campaign In Print Culture, 1884–1899, Crystal E. Smith

Master's Theses

From 1884 to 1885 the British were first engaged with the Mahdist forces of Sudan in an effort to first rescue the inhabitants of Khartuom, and later to rescue the rescuer Charles “Chinese” Gordon. The affair played out both in Parliament and the newspapers as journalists became the cheerleaders for Empire. My thesis focuses on Britain’s 1884-1890 Sudan Campaign through print culture using political debates, journalism, literature, memoirs, and art. I show how the activism of the press and the romanticism of the larger media reinforced ideas about imperialism and the British role within the Empire at large.

Development Of A Humidity-Resistant Coating To Impart High Oxygen Barrier Performance To Food Packaging Films, Ryan Yinghua Cox

Master's Theses

Oxygen barrier coatings have the potential to greatly extend the lifetime of certain food products by incorporating them into existing food packaging. Present technologies face definite challenges of maintaining high performance, while attaining simple and inexpensive preparation methods. The oxygen barrier effect obtained with these coatings is also susceptible to a plasticization effect when exposed to high humidity, since water vapor molecules are readily soluble in typically hydrophilic resins. In this work, we demonstrate a 1 – 2 micron thick oxygen barrier coating, prepared on a 12 micron poly(ethylene terephthalate) substrate, that has oxygen transmission rates as low as 1.44 …

A Data-Driven Approach To Cubesat Health Monitoring, Serbinder Singh

Master's Theses

Spacecraft health monitoring is essential to ensure that a spacecraft is operating properly and has no anomalies that could jeopardize its mission. Many of the current methods of monitoring system health are difficult to use as the complexity of spacecraft increase, and are in many cases impractical on CubeSat satellites which have strict size and resource limitations. To overcome these problems, new data-driven techniques such as Inductive Monitoring System (IMS), use data mining and machine learning on archived system telemetry to create models that characterize nominal system behavior. The models that IMS creates are in the form of clusters that …

Development And Characterization Of Tissue Engineered Blood Vessel Mimics Under "Diabetic" Conditions, Shelby Gabrielle Kunz

Master's Theses

The development of tissue engineered blood vessel mimics for the testing of intravascular devices in vitro has been established in the Cal Poly tissue engineering lab. Due to the prevalence of cardiovascular disease in diabetic patients and minimal accessible studies regarding the interactions between diabetes and intravascular devices used to treat vascular disease, there is a need for the development of diabetic models that more accurately represents diabetic processes occurring in the blood vessels, primarily endothelial dysfunction. This thesis aimed to create a diabetic blood vessel mimic by implementing a high glucose environment for culturing human endothelial cells from healthy …

On The Impact Of Android Api Evolution On Education Materials, Kennedy Owen

Master's Theses

The recent growing popularity of mobile devices has led to the establishment of several popular mobile platforms such as the Android operating system. To foster growth in this evolving market, Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) were created to enable developers to create mobile device applications that utilize mobile device features and functionality for personal or widespread commercial use. However, as a result of excessive device and API evolution, mobile development faces increasingly complex issues, including an alarmingly rapid decay of development resources.

This thesis conducts a case study around one such resource: a series of Android app development lab …

Estimating Transit Ridership Patterns Through Automated Data Collection Technology: A Case Study In San Luis Obispo, California, Ashley Kim

Master's Theses

Public transportation offers a crucial solution to the travel demand in light of national and global economic, energy, and environmental challenges. If implemented effectively, public transit offers an affordable, convenient, and sustainable transportation mode. Implementation of new technologies for information-harvesting may lead to more effective transit operations. This study examines the potential of automated data collection technologies to analyzing and understand the origin-destination flow patterns, which is essential for transit route planning and stop location placement.

This thesis investigates the collection and analysis of data of passengers onboard San Luis Obispo Transit buses in February and March 2017 using Bluetooth …

Transnational ‘Interruptions’ In Eritrean Refugee Lives In The Bay Area, Meron Y. Semedar Mr

Master's Theses

For many refugees, the day they flee their home country is the start of the interruption of their life. For refugees, such interruption brings the absence of continuity and loss of vision for the future, that they have to be present in the current situation – not knowing their future. This interruption literally 'interrupts' the life plan of refugees. Many Eritrean refugees vocally state that, "Our body might be here, but our soul is all in Eritrea". Eritrean refugees, having fled an oppressive regime, continue to experience nonstop interruption to their lives in their new country. Due to both the …

Are We Out Of The Woods Yet? How Democrats And Progressives Need To Rethink Their Message Framework, Lauren E. Feuerborn

Master's Theses

The aftermath of the election revealed that the Democratic Party made critical errors and had structural issues that made executing our messaging more difficult. The Democratic Party needs to return to a set of principles that prioritizes all people and their wellbeing to win elections. What do Democrats and progressives need to fix so they can deliver better messages? To better understand the dynamics that impact the Democratic Party’s capacity to create messaging I believe one must look at the relationship between the Democratic Party as an institution and the art of political messaging. The research of this paper focuses …

Do Marketing Strategies Impact Condom Sales In Uganda?, Meyhar Mohammed

Master's Theses

What attracts people to buy condoms? HIV/AIDS remain one of the biggest health dangers of the world, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. A lot of efforts have been pursued in the past two decades to drastically reduce prevalence of HIV and increase awareness about preventive mechanisms. In order to prevent relapse of success achieved so far, it is important to recognize transformation of consumer behavior due to growth in social networks, education and awareness over time. There are a lot of behavioral triggers captured by social marketing interventions in the field of public health. In an attempt to investigate the role …

People, Land, And Profit In The South Of Market: A Critical Analysis Of The Central Soma Plan, David Woo

Master's Theses

The South of Market neighborhood in San Francisco has undergone several transformations, especially since WWII, that have largely characterized the broader relationships among local city government, private interests, and the public in San Francisco. These transformations have included deindustrialization and the restructuring of the local economy after WWII, Urban Renewal, the intensification of office uses, and the first and second technology booms. City planning and the implementation of area plans (a type of city planning development tool) have also played a significant role in facilitating these changes. By historically situating the current moment in San Francisco, this research paper seeks …

With Language Brings Light: Narratives By Deaf Ethiopians And Their Right To Sign Language, Jackie M. Eugster

Master's Theses

The goal of this case study is to share the narratives of Deaf individuals in Ethiopia and how the Deaf community uses Deaf Community Cultural Wealth in order to explore and flourish in audist and colonized spaces. This study engaged photovoice, in a participatory action research technique that can empower and enhance the community’s sense of identity (Wang & Burris, 1997). This study considers the influence of American missionaries and how colonization of African nations has also influenced the trajectory of Deaf education in Ethiopia. Moving away from deficient thinking, DCCW attempts to reframe the Deaf experience as one that …

Development And Application Of A 30-Year Vegetation Dataset To Assess The Impacts Of Fence Removal Within The Kruger To Canyons Biosphere Reserve, South Africa, Helaine M. Linden

Master's Theses

Maintaining habitat heterogeneity is favorable when conserving protected areas due to its positive relationship with biodiversity. Fence removal across protected areas improves connectivity and allows herbivory to occur over a larger landscape extent. In the mid-1990’s, reserves within the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere Reserve (K2C) removed their fences, becoming connected to Kruger National Park (KNP). The fundamental research objective was to determine how fence removal influenced the vegetation dynamics within the reserves residing in the K2C. We had three goals: 1) determine if multiple satellite sensors could be used within the TIMESAT program to provide robust vegetation metrics that measure …

Coverage In Connecticut Newsapapers Of The Opioid Epidemic A Content Analysis, Peter Lam

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Wetland Ecosystem Functions In A Changing Coastal Landscape: Effects Of Urban Runoff, Saltwater Intrusion, And Restoration, April A. Doroski

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Exploring Role Conflict And Perceived Expectations Of Female Student-Athletes In High Performing Sports, Sofia Read

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Hydrogel-Based Conductive Polymers For Nerve Regeneration, Scott R. Stratton

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

The Manufacturing Of High School Football Recruits In The United States (U.S.): An Examination Of The High School Football Landscape As An Economic Sub-Sector, Charles Macaulay

Master's Theses

The role of interscholastic athletics within the educational setting has been questioned by critics including many scholars for the seemingly incongruence between its stated mission and actual institutional practices. There have been numerous studies that have examined high school athletic programs and primarily have focused on the academic and social benefits derived therein. Yet, sports and athletics are becoming increasingly important and popular in U.S. society and globally. The commercialization of sport and athletics is not a novelty in the U.S., but the increasing attention paid to high school athletics is a fairly recent and emerging phenomenon. In 2005, the …

Rapping Back: Counter-Narratives From Auckland, New Zealand, Mariel Lopez Rogers

Master's Theses

Across the Pacific in Auckland, New Zealand two rap groups, Homebrew and @Peace, are contributing to a theoretically rich and socially conscious Hip Hop scene. Their music critically questions commercialism and conformity in a culture shaped by a history of colonialism. This makes their message starkly opposed to the normative values of New Zealand. The musicians of Homebrew and @Peace, a mix of Polynesian and Pakeha (people of European descent), employ methods of decolonization theory through the use of storytelling and focus on indigenous values. In a country that has adopted the neoliberal beliefs that competition drives human relations, and …

Does Health Insurance Affect The Care Of Trauma Patients In Emergency Departments?, Aditya Makol

Master's Theses

OBJECTIVE:

The objective of this study was to determine the association of insurance status or lack of coverage with the quality of care that trauma patients receive when seen in the emergency department (ED).

METHODS:

This is a secondary analysis of ED trauma encounters, as recorded in cross-sectional data from the 2013 National Trauma Data Bank. This data bank is the largest trauma registry in the country, compiled by 805 hospitals including a mix of university, community and non-teaching institutions, ranging from Level I through Level IV trauma centers. Seventeen variables under study included injury severity, primary mode of transport, …

Potato Plant Gene Expression And Physiology During Three-Way Interactions With Mycorrhizal Fungi And Lepidopteran Larvae, Andrew P. Schoenherr

Master's Theses

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are integral components of ecosystems and form root associations with the majority of land plants (>80%). In these relationships, AMF provide essential nutrients to their hosts, primarily phosphorus, in exchange for photosynthates, which enhance plant growth and help plants overcome environmental stress. The below-ground interaction between plants and AMF can indirectly alter aboveground plant interactions with insect herbivores. Potatoes (Solanum tuberosum) which are considered one of the most important vegetable crops worldwide, naturally form symbioses with AMF. However, it is not well understood how the association between potatoes and AMF can potentially affect leaf-chewing insect …

Italian Fellas In Olive Drab: Exploring The Experiences Of Italian-American Servicemen In Sicily And Italy, 1943-1945, Guido Rossi

Master's Theses

Despite constituting the largest ethnic group in the U.S. Armed Forces during World War II, the experiences of Italian-Americans have received scant attention by historians. In particular, the stories of the U.S. citizens of Italian descent or Italian-born but naturalized Americans who served in Italy, have received almost none. These soldiers, sailors, airmen, and coastguardmen who could often speak Italian, had grown up in Italian-American families and neighborhoods, and still had relatives in Italy, were asked to go fight in their country of origin. During the Allied advance, these men found themselves in close contact with a destitute Italian population …

Increasing Novel Vocalizations For Individuals With Asd Using A Voice Output Communication Aide, Shawn Kathleen Bishop

Master's Theses

This study aimed to extend the literature on VOCA as a means of producing increased verbal speech using a prompt delay and shaping methods. Intervention targeted novel vocalization for three children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and limited vocal speech. All three participants increased vocalizations, but to varying degrees and only after a second phase where an echoic prompt was introduced. While the results vary across participants, increased vocal speech for all participants and high social validity suggest that VOCA-based interventions may be an appropriate intervention to increase vocal output for children with ASD.