Digital Commons Network^™

Safe Sex As Patriotic Ideograph In Wartime Std Prevention Campaigns, Jessica Ann Johnson

Master's Theses

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are a problem that has afflicted people in the USA for centuries. Health communication and mass communication scholars have attempted to determine the effectiveness of STD prevention campaigns. It is crucial for scholars to take into account the persuasiveness of these campaigns and beliefs that become significant to these campaigns.

This rhetorical history examines how acted as a patriotic ideograph in World War I and II STD prevention campaigns. A history of war and knowledge associated with STDs gives readers a broad overview of the cultural aspects that are a part of the context of this …

A Sign Of The Times: Contemporary American Post-Holocaust Imagery And Post-Jewish Identity, Stacy Rebecca Schwartz

Master's Theses

The construction of American Jewish identity has historically balanced efforts to reconcile acceptance into majority culture with maintaining traditional Jewish heritage. Expression of Jewish identity in a "diasporic community" has often been anchored in communal rituals and sociopolitical events, especially the Holocaust, uniting an increasingly diverse community. Beginning in the late twentieth century, the figure of the "post-Jew" and post-Jewish identity emerged alongside pluralist multiculturalism as an alternate identity framework recognizing the hybrid character of Jewish American identity as a combination of inherited and selected elements.

This thesis examines the manifestation of post-Jewish identity in artistic responses to the Holocaust …

Effects Of Compression On The Temperature Distribution Of A Tissue-Mimicking Material During High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (Hifu) Ablation, Austin Robbins Roth

Master's Theses

Local blood flow near a high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) target has been shown to decrease ablation effectiveness and predictability, creating a barrier to clinical use for breast cancer treatment. This study investigated the effects of compression on HIFU ablation of a perfused tissue-mimicking material. Gellan gum-based phantoms, with thermal and acoustic properties similar to those of soft tissue, were ablated with a 1.13 MHz HIFU transducer while being subjected to varying levels of external compression. Phantoms were designed with an embedded 6 mm diameter vessel meant to mimic a thermally significant blood vessel near a breast tumor. The internal temperature …

Literary And Visual Representations Of Traumatic Memory Of The Pinochet Dictatorship In Chile, Alison Tange

Master's Theses

This thesis presents an analysis of six narratives that contribute to the collective memory of the Pinochet dictatorship in Chile. In this study, I attempt to pinpoint the commonalities, motivations, and differences in three literary texts - Un día de octubre en Santiago (Carmen Castillo, 1982), Mi verdad (Marcia Alejandra Merino, 1992), La vida doble (Arturo Fontaine, 2010), and three documentary films - La Flaca Alejandra (Carmen Castillo, 1993), Chile, la memoria obstinada (Patricio Guzmán, 1997), and Mi vida con Carlos (Germán Berger, 2008). These literary and visual narratives are deliberate efforts to shape the memories of the dictatorial past …

A Tunable Electromagnetic Band-Gap Microstrip Filter, Greg A. Lancaster

Master's Theses

In high frequency design, harmonic suppression is a persistent struggle. Non-linear devices such as switches and amplifiers produce unwanted harmonics which may interfere with other frequency bands. Filtering is a widely accepted solution, however there are various shortcomings involved. Suppressing multiple harmonics, if desired, with traditional lumped element and distributed component band-stop filters requires using multiple filters. These topologies are not easily made tunable either. A new filter topology is investigated called Electromagnetic Band-Gap (EBG) structures.

EBG structures have recently gained the interest of microwave designers due to their periodic nature which prohibits the propagation of certain frequency bands. EBG …

Behavior And Ecosystem Effects Of The Invasive Asian Clam (Corbicula Fluminea) In Urban Streams, Kayla Turek

Master's Theses

Invasive species can be detrimental to freshwater ecosystems. By completing laboratory and field studies to observe processes and behaviors of the invasive Asian Clam (Corbicula fluminea), I documented pathways whereby this invasive species impacts aquatic ecosystems under conditions typical of urbanized streams I found. The predominant pathways by which clams impacted nitrogen (N) cycling was through excretion thus increasing ammonium (NH4+) flux out of sediment and through bioturbation, which increased nitrate (NO3-) diffusion to the sediment and dinitrogen gas (N2) production (i.e., denitrification). The effect was greater under urban conditions, where C. fluminea population density and water column NO3- were …

Seeking Modernity, Brain Gain, And Brain Drain: The Historical Evolution Of Chinese Students' Overseas Education In The United States Since Modern China, Di Luo

Master's Theses

This thesis is an historical research project that examines major waves of Chinese students studying in the United States since the mid-nineteenth century, as well as the impact of returned, American-educated Chinese students to the modernization of Chinese society. It also discusses the trend and pattern of the current wave after 1978 and compare it with previous waves. The analysis and examination of this thesis is based on a wide variety of written documents in both Chinese and English, including historical literatures, academic articles, dissertations, surveys, government publications, statistical data from both primary and secondary sources, as well as educational …

Login To Learn: A Content Analysis Of Southeast Asian Policies On Technology And Education, Laura D. Pasley

Master's Theses

In the following thesis, using Aucoin's (2011) theoretical framework, I juxtapose the discourses neoliberalism and humanitarian "access" as they relate to describing the potential outcomes of ICT adoption in education. Through a content analysis, I sought to answer the research question: To what extent have the discourses of neoliberalism and "access" used in regional ASEAN policies influenced ICT policymaking at the national level of its member states? The findings demonstrated a slight difference between ICT policies published prior to the 2011 ASEAN policy, but those published "after" were all also published in 2011 which may point to forces outside of …

Alpha-Synuclein Aggregates Activate The Nlrp3 Inflammasome Following Vesicle Rupture, Rudy Orlando Cedillos

Master's Theses

Parkinson's disease (PD) and related synucleinopathies are progressive neurodegenerative disorders that feature the accumulation of intracellular inclusions known as Lewy bodies (LBs) in the brain. The presynaptic protein α-synuclein is the primary constituent of LBs and has been documented to play a major role in the pathogenesis of synucleinopathies. Recently, aggregated α-synuclein has been implicated in prompting microglia-mediated inflammation, a process associated with the progression of neuronal death in neurodegenerative disorders. Although the mechanisms surrounding the induction of neuroinflammation are not well understood, the recently discovered inflammasome-forming NLR proteins have emerged as regulators of inflammation. In this study, we sought …

Snail Induces Mesenchymal Transition And Promotes Egfr Tki Resistance In Nsclc Cells Harboring Efgr Kinase Domain Mutations, Rutu Gandhi

Master's Theses

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer related death, accounting for one third of all deaths from cancer worldwide. About 85-90% of lung cancers are non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLCs). Molecular targeted therapies such as epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR TKIs) provide an effective treatment option for oncogene addicted NSCLC. However, the development of resistance to EGFR TKIs continues to be the major limitation in the treatment of NSCLC. Resistance to EGFR TKIs has been associated with the loss of canonical epithelial protein E-cadherin, suggesting involvement of epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) in conferring EGFR TKI …

Identifying And Characterizing The Degradative Pathway Of The Retroviral Restriction Factor Rhtrim5Α, Rachel Nelson

Master's Theses

Human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) is a lentivirus that progresses to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). The protein TRIM5alpha from rhesus macaques (rhTRIM5alpha) restricts HIV-1 by blocking infection after entry of the virion into cells. Treatment of rhTRIM5alpha expressing cells with inhibitors to a cellular degradation pathway, the proteasome, partially relieves restriction but does not inhibit rhTRIM5alpha protein turnover. The role of a second degradation pathway, the autophagy-lysosomal pathway, in TRIM5alpha mediated restriction has not been explored.

In the present study, we demonstrate that rhTRIM5alpha is degraded by chaperone mediated autophagy (CMA). Inhibition of CMA alters rhTRIM5alpha localization and turnover, while …

Development Of Cell Based Reporter Assay To Measure Pkc-Delta Promoter Activity, Kushal Prajapati

Master's Theses

Protein kinase C- δ (PKC-δ) acts as a tumor suppressor in skin cancer and is lost in 30% of human Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC). This loss is at the transcriptional level and involves the pathway leading to PKC-δ promoter repression after activation of Ras,PI3K,Fyn, and NF-κB. We proposed development of a high throughput, cell-based luciferase reporter assay on Ras transformed keratinocyte cell line, HaCaT-Ras to screen compounds having potential to inhibit this pathway and re-induce PKC-δ expression. First we developed a stable, PKC-δ promoter-reporter transfected HaCaT-Ras cell line. Next, we tested 13 compounds for their abilities to induce PKC-δ …

Conspiratorial Thinking: How Worldview And Mortality Salience Affect Belief, Eric James Anderson

Master's Theses

Conspiratorial thinking is widespread throughout the world, though the major social sciences have thus far chosen not to study them for a variety of reasons. This study attempts to understand what, in fact, makes individuals believe in conspiracy theories. Using aspects of terror management theory, Kruglanski's theory of lay epistemology, participants' political worldviews, and conspiracy type, this paper will explore what triggers conspiracy-prone individuals to see the world the way they do. It is anticipated that individuals who have thoughts of their death primed in their consciousness will structure the world more rigidly, cling to their worldviews and respond to …

Evidence For Renewal And Reconstitution Of Marginal Zone Macrophages In Young And Aged Mice, Erika Bahamon

Master's Theses

Aging in humans and mice correlates with decline in immune health, affecting both innate and adaptive immunity. Response against blood-borne bacterial pathogens is compromised because of the deterioration of the marginal zones of the spleen and decrease in frequency of marginal zone macrophages (MZM). This thesis asked if low cell turnover is the cause for the decrease of MZM, using cell proliferation to indicate cell turnover in spleens of mice. First, evidence showed MZM proliferation occurred in spleens of young mice and was decreased in the MZM from aged mice. Second, transfer of young bone marrow into old mice replenished …

Factors In Destination Decisions For Cuban Study Abroad, Kari Beall

Master's Theses

In January of 2011, the Obama Administration loosened the regulations on academic travel to Cuba, allowing students to travel to this island nation as part of an academic program. These changes have created an ideal environment in which to study the factors that influence the institutional decision to create a new study abroad program. This is an area that has seen very little if any previous research. This study hopes to investigate the connection between the goals of education abroad as a whole and the reasons a study abroad program, in this case to Cuba, is actually created. Studying the …

Legislating The Risk Of Light Teachers In 1950s And 1970s America, Kevin Vincent Heffernan

Master's Theses

The existence of gay and lesbian teachers remains for many a dangerous notion. Indeed, education and schooling are terrains in which homosexuality has historically been highly charged. Underlying this are problematic assumptions about the suitability of gays and lesbians as school workers, assumptions that feed into larger questions about gays and lesbians in general. This thesis will explore these assumptions - and their consequences for gay and lesbian teachers - against the backdrop of both the 1950s, when the burgeoning Cold War created an "age of anxiety," and the 1970s, when the rise of the religious right began to transform …

I Am Relieved To Discover My Symptoms Are Normal For My Condition: An Analysis Of Two Irritable Bowel Syndrome Support Communities, Erin Hvizdak

Master's Theses

Symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), a "medically unexplained illness," are present in up to 20% of the United States population. Individuals experiencing symptoms of IBS often report that physicians dismiss their experiential and embodied knowledge, leading to a sense of isolation and frustration. Many of these individuals attempt to diminish isolation and also exchange their knowledge in a community setting. In order to enable a more complete understanding of IBS, a survey about community participation was sent to members of a large online support group for IBS located on Facebook, with 81 completed surveys received. Further, an open-ended questionnaire …

Characterization Of Inducible Regulatory T Cells: An Umbilical Cord Blood Model, Rebecca Anne Krier

Master's Theses

The immune system is a group of structures and processes that protect us from disease. To function properly it must recognize a wide variety of pathogens such as viruses and bacteria. T cells play a crucial role in an immune response; however, an overactive immune response can lead to autoimmune diseases, therefore it is important that the immune system has the ability to negatively regulate an immune response. In the periphery, regulatory T cells (CD4⁺CD25⁺Foxp3⁺) are involved in the maintenance of self-tolerance and immune homeostasis. Mechanisms involved in the induction of iTregs from naïve …

Identifying Student Perspectives: Addressing The Financial Barriers Facing Low-Income Students In Study Abroad, Lauren Miranda

Master's Theses

International education today is largely concerned with improving diversity throughout study abroad but despite institutional strategies which seek to address the barriers facing underrepresented students, the overall student profile of study abroad remains unbalanced. Cost is continuously deemed the biggest barrier affecting students' ability to study abroad, a burden that is most likely heavily felt by low-income students. Therefore, the focus of this study is to identify the student perspective in relation to the financial barriers affecting low-income students' intent to study abroad. The results of this study will identify necessary student resources which institutions like Loyola University Chicago can …

Exosomes: Antiviral Agents In The Human Lung, Jennifer Alexandra Novak

Master's Theses

Hundreds of interferon effectors comprise the immediate host response to virus infection. One family of interferon stimulated genes is the IFITM (Interferon-Induced Transmembrane) proteins. IFITM3, in particular, has been shown to block virus cell entry of Influenza A Virus, SARS Coronavirus, and West Nile Virus, among others. IFITM3 has also been identified as an essential factor for host protection against Influenza A Virus in mice and humans. However, the mechanism by which IFITM3 functions remains unclear.

IFITM3 may function both intracellularly and extracellularly to block virus infection in the human lung. The extracellular milieu contains microscopic vesicles termed exosomes which …

Selective Expansion Of B Cells By Intestinal Microbiota, Karina Ochoa

Master's Theses

In rabbits, antibody diversity and B cell expansion are generated in gut-associated lymphoid tissues (GALT), in an antigen- and T cell-independent mechanism, and require interaction with intestinal microbiota. I investigated, in vitro, the mechanism by which commensals drive GALT reactions. Bacteria were isolated from the GALT of rabbits and identified by 16sRNA sequencing. I found that the commensals can bind to Ig, independently of their specificity. In addition, a ~20kDa bacterial molecule was immunoprecipitated with recombinant Ig molecules. Stimulation of B cells with selected bacterial molecules induced the activation of B cells. Stimulation of B cells through TLR2 induced the …

Secure And Insecure High Self-Esteem And Social Identity Affirmation In Response To Belongingness Threats, Reyna Jacqueline Pena

Master's Theses

The objective of this study was to examine the relation between implicit and explicit self-esteem on social identity affirmation among Latinos in response to belonging threats from other ingroup members. We predicted a three-way interaction between implicit self-esteem, explicit self-esteem, and belonging threat condition predicting social identity affirmation (collective self-esteem), compensatory conviction and ingroup bias. We predicted that individuals with insecure self-esteem (high explicit, low implicit) would affirm their social identity more, offer greater conviction and express more ingroup bias in response to recalled threats as compared to a control condition of non-threatened participants. A total of n=174 Latinos participated …

The Effects Of Candidate Religiosity And Candidate Secularism On Voters' Support For The Political Candidate, Nathanael Gratias Sumaktoyo

Master's Theses

This study examines the effects of candidate religiosity, candidate secularism, and voter fundamentalism on voters' support for a political candidate. Seven effects were tested: 1) the religiosity effect, which suggests that a religious candidate will be supported more than a nonreligious candidate; 2) the secularism effect, which suggests that a secular candidate will be supported more than a nonsecular candidate; 3) the JFK effect, which suggests that a secular religious candidate will be supported more than a nonsecular religious candidate; 4) the deviant effect--an opposite of the JFK effect--, which suggests that a secular religious candidate constitutes a group deviant, …

Learning Freedom: Education, Elevation, And New York's African American Middle Class, 1827-1829, Michael Hines

Master's Theses

The education of free African American children in the antebellum period is a subject that has interested historians and scholars of education for decades. This thesis uses a new set of primary source material gathered from the pages of Freedom's Journal, the first African American owned and operated news organ in American history, to trace the development of attitudes regarding education in the free black community of New York in the late 1820s. By examining the editorials, articles, advice columns, and illustrations focused on education and child rearing that appear in the 104 issues of Freedom's Journal, this thesis shows …

Sustainable Diverse Communities: A Comparison Of Hammond, Indiana And Chicago's Uptown Neighborhood, Teresa Neumann

Master's Theses

According to US Census data Hammond, IN - a midsized American City - and Chicago's Uptown neighborhood both have census tracts that have been racially, ethnically and economically diverse over the past 20-30 years. Utilizing the engaged methodology of community-based research this project uses the voice of community leaders from both Hammond and Uptown to inform and illustrate what is happening behind the Census data. This includes the role of civic institutions, local government and local business. Through long form structured interviews individuals offered their perspectives, concerns and ideas about how this diversity came about and what challenges and opportunities …

Assessing The Effects Of Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles On Microbial Communities In Stream Sediment Using Artificial Streams And High Throughput Screening, Alexandra Ozaki

Master's Theses

Nano-titanium dioxide (nano-TiO2) is an engineered nanomaterial used in a wide array of commercial products. The production and use of large amounts of nano-TiO2 is resulting in the unintended release to the environment. Nano-TiO2 is known to be cytotoxic due primarily to its ability to generate reactive oxygen species, and negative impacts on a variety of organisms have been demonstrated, but the effects of nano-TiO2 on complex microbial communities under ecologically relevant conditions have rarely been tested. We conducted a controlled manipulative experiment using recirculating model streams dosed with a one-time amendment of 1mg L-1 nano-TiO2 (specifically P25). Within one …

Characterization Of Silver Nanoparticle-Infused Tissue Adhesive For Ophthalmic Use, William Yee

Master's Theses

This research examined if the infusion of silver nanoparticles into a 2-octyl cyanoacrylate tissue adhesive alters the antibacterial effectiveness and mechanical properties of the adhesive. Silver nanoparticle size and concentration combinations were varied to determine the effects of these factors. Uniform distribution of the silver nanoparticles was achieved before proceeding to testing. Antibacterial effectiveness of the composite adhesive was determined via the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion susceptibility test and by CFU counting. Doping the adhesive with silver nanoparticles resulted in an order of magnitude reduction in bacterial growth. The greatest antibacterial effect came from imbuing 10 μg/mL of 4 nm silver …

The Effect Of Surface Treatment On Nickel Leaching From Nitinol, Daniel Lawrence Leobrera Madamba

Master's Theses

Nitinol is widely used as a biomaterial for implantable medical devices but can be susceptible to nickel leaching. Our research was aimed at determining nickel leaching from surface treated Nitinol samples, treated as follows: mechanical polishing (untreated), oxidation, and nitriding+oxidation (5 different nitriding temperatures). Five specimens from each category were immersed in 40 mL PBS solution and incubated at 37°C over 91 days. Nickel concentration readings were taken at regular intervals. After 91 days, the average nickel concentration in the PBS solution was (a) 0.223 mg/L, SD 0.017, untreated, (b) 7.68 mg/L, SD 6.405, 1000°C nitriding+oxidation, and (c) 3.914 mg/L, …

An Ecological Assessment Of Insect Diversity At Organic Central Coast Vegetable Farms On Two Spatial Scales, Emily Musgrave

Master's Theses

Modern industrial agriculture is the principal cause of anthropogenic land use changes for terrestrial ecosystems. Approximately 40% of the planet's land surface, or half of the habitable area, is now composed of agricultural landscapes. The simplification and industrialization of agriculture are the biggest drivers of global biodiversity loss, especially on Californian's Central Coast. Diversified organic agriculture, however, may offer some refuge for non-crop species. In this study we analyzed insect and plant biodiversity on and adjacent to organic vegetable farms on the Central Coast of California at two spatial scales, the landscape-scale and a smaller within-farm scale. At the landscape-scale, …

This Could Be A Game!": Defining Gamification For The Classroom, Darcy Elaine Osheim

Master's Theses

Instructors find a gap between what they experienced in school in the mid-to-late 20th century and the experiences of students entering college in 2012/13. In the United States, the influx of almost universal access to technology has marked this generation in a way the previous generations must work to understand, and gamification is a strategy used in areas like marketing to gain participation from this age group. Gamification is a strategy that employs game mechanics, techniques, and theory in areas that traditionally are not set up to function like a game. The purpose of this study was to define gamification …