Digital Commons Network^™

The Role Of High-Fructose Corn Syrup Imports In Child And Women Obesity, Anna Subirana Bofill

Master's Theses

High Fructose Corn Syrup is believed to be responsible for the increase of the obesity epidemic that is affecting both developed and developing countries, yet to date there are no rigorous analyses that quantify this effect. To estimate the impact of consumption of HFCS on obesity, I have paired country-specific data on imports of HFCS from the United Nations International Trade Statistics Database (UN Comtrade) with women and child health data from around 70 countries from 1985 to 2018. The results show that conditional on space and time fixed effects, imports of HFCS with a high concentration of fructose have …

The Custody Of "Unaccompanied Children": A Critical Analysis And Recollection Of Narratives, Pamela Baez

Master's Theses

Under the administration of Barack Obama in 2014, began an influx of “unaccompanied children” migrating to the United States from Central America and Mexico. To respond to the large number of children crossing the border, the Obama administration decided to fund existing shelters, facilities, and learning centers to house and process these children. Currently, these facilities are still operating under the Trump administration. This paper will clarify the process of unaccompanied children and the role of the Department of Homeland Security and most importantly, the contributions of the Office of Refugee Resettlement. Through an analysis and recounting of narratives from …

Deservingness In Welfare Programs: Connecting Unconditional Cash Transfers And Homelessness, Josh Steinberger

Master's Theses

To combat conditions of poverty, government and non-profit institutions facilitate welfare programs that target conditions such as health, food, education, or income. Programs that offer income assistance in the form of cash transfers communicate political and cultural attitudes about who is deserving of aid, and who is not deserving. The more spending freedoms cash transfer programs offer their beneficiaries, the more strictly they target populations that are considered worthy of assistance. A review of cash transfer programs reveals that people experiencing homelessness are culturally viewed as the most undeserving of government assistance. Unhoused people are routinely excluded from welfare programs …

Assessing Methods For Determining Reference Conditions For Riparian Restoration In Santa Clara County, Claire Mallen

Master's Theses

Valley Water is the primary water wholesaler and flood control agency in Santa Clara County, providing services to 1.9 million residents. The operation and maintenance of infrastructure for water supply and flood control often require work within legally protected natural resources such as riparian ecosystems. Riparian ecosystems are dynamic and diverse ecosystems that provide our society with valuable services such as wildlife habitat, water quality, and recreation. However, the threat of human development on native ecosystems has led to the degradation and loss of 85-98% of riparian ecosystems nationwide. Today, federal, state, and regional laws mitigate further impacts to riparian …

Dangerous Dice: Playing With Artificial Intelligence And Populism During Brazil's 2018 Election, Glen Salazar

Master's Theses

With the advent of artificial intelligence and the resurgence of populism, in particular right-wing populism, we see nationalist parties that were once on the fringes of mainstream politics gain power around the world. Putting under the limelight the recent electoral victories of world leaders riding this new wave of populism, we recognize a troubling new reality: the confluence of artificial intelligence and populism allows for election interference through the spread of disinformation, propaganda, and emotionally charged populist rhetoric on social media. This tectonic shift in election tactics used by extreme nationalists presents an existential threat to democracy, with the potential …

From Influx To Integration: How Germany’S Grassroots Organizations Are Supporting Refugees, Kyra Jablonsky

Master's Theses

With the global trend of massive population displacement only expected to rise in the years to come, it will be more important than ever to understand how to successfully integrate large populations. Using Germany as a case study in the aftermath of the refugee crisis, this paper looks at the unique and important ways in which German grassroots organizations supporting refugees are contributing to successful integration, within that country’s larger aid ecosystem. Participants in this project, which was conducted in Berlin, Germany, included ten refugees, six grassroots organizations, one German volunteer, one social enterprise, one international non-governmental organization (NGO), a …

Beluu El Diak Le Belumam: Reclaiming And Decolonizing Palauan-American Cultural Heritage, Connie Ngirchemat

Master's Theses

Prior to colonization, Palau practiced their own indigenous ways of knowledge and epistemologies in relation to their spirits, land, and community. Through Palau’s colonial and imperial relationships under Spain, Germany, Japan, and evidently the United States, these impacts throughout Palau’s history have affected the community’s traditional ways of knowing. From colonial influences, to the evident emigration of the Palauan diaspora, this created a new generation of Palauan-Americans, who were raised unfamiliar with their cultural heritage and language. This lack of cultural awareness for the Palauan-American diaspora raises concerns of loss of culture, sense of self and identity, and its impact …

An Exploration Of The Cultural And Social Experiences Of Urban High School Students Attending Schools Outside Of Their Communities, Kerrin Mckenney

Master's Theses

The historic residential racial segregation in the United States results in racially segregated public and private schools. Higher achieving schools tend to be in more affluent areas and are more accessible to white students. Schools that are older, in need of repairs, and tend to be identified as low-achieving, remain in the poorer areas and are mostly attended by students of color. Despite the 1954 landmark case that declared separate but equal schools unconstitutional, public schools are more segregated now than before the Brown v. Board of Education case was heard by the US Supreme Court. As a result, some …

Who Benefits From Park And Recreation Improvements In San Francisco? A Case Study Of Recreation Center Renovations In San Francisco, Safia Belayadi

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study is to examine the efficacy of city policies undertaking public goods investments to benefit disadvantaged communities in San Francisco. Namely, is the process of improving the quality of public goods serving targeted populations, or does it lead to unintended consequences such as gentrification? I take advantage of the timing of city recreation center renovations and the synthetic control method to capture any difference in the proportion of users that is poor before and after the renovation date. I use San Francisco Recreation and Park Department registrant data containing user zip codes and census demographic data …

The Effect Of Sex Of Firstborn Children On Attitudes Towards Intimate Partner Violence, Shuvam Rizal

Master's Theses

What are the different ways in which one’s life is influenced by the sex of their children? Is there an effect on how they view Intimate Partner Violence? If so, is there a difference in how the male parent is affected by the sex of his child than the female parent? Bodies of conflicting Social Sciences literature suggest having a daughter makes one both more and less likely to engage in Intimate Partner Violence. In this paper, I approach this question through the use of a Linear Probability Fixed-Effects model on Demographic Health Surveys (DHS) datasets, using data from the …

Centering Community Voices Through Children's Literature: Co-Authoring An #Ownvoices Picture Book For The Maine Migrant Education Program, Melanie Shelton

Master's Theses

Since its inception, the field of migrant education has been characterized by a tension between honoring the subjectivity of migrant families and positioning them as victims. This same tension exists in the analysis of children’s picture books that depict the daily lives of migrant farmworkers. In response to Eve Tuck’s (2009) call for a moratorium on damage-centered research in the field of education, this report describes the collaboration process between a representative of the Maine Migrant Education Program and a migrant

farmworker and her family to write, illustrate, and present an autobiographical picture book. Las aventuras, travesuras, y peligros del …

The Socio-Demographic Factors Influencing Ntca Immigrants’ Accessibility To Mexico’S Health Care System, Ken Nishikata

Master's Theses

Mexico’s geographical location has made the country play a centric role in trans-national migration from the Northern Triangle of Central America (NTCA) comprising Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. As a result, immigration has increasingly become a political issue for Mexico over the past decades^[1]. Before the eruption of the Central American crisis in the 1980s, Mexico’s southern border with Guatemala was recognized for its openness. However, such a tolerating status-quo changed as the number of NTCA immigrants entering Mexico increased upon the exacerbation of the crisis that placed thousands of individuals in exile. Indeed, the turmoil during the …

Estimating Treatment Effect Heterogeneity In A Comprehensive Microenterprise Intervention, Mary Gathungu

Master's Theses

Do cash transfer programs have heterogeneous treatment effects within the treatment group? Why do some households in these interventions seem to benefit more than others? What is the overall treatment effect of the Microenterprise Intervention? I address these questions through the study of a comprehensive microenterprise intervention program carried out in Kenya, Africa by a non-profit organization called the Village Enterprise Organization and I obtain economic outcome data from a randomized control trial that gives out conditional cash transfer that is conditional on business formation. The Microenterprise Intervention combines cash grants and mentorship and training to achieve long term economic …

Green Gold: Avocado Price Shocks And Violence In Mexico, Katie Roett

Master's Theses

The role of economic incentives in political armed conflict is well documented, but there is very little evidence on a growing and increasingly globalized form of violence: organized crime. Most existing research focuses on the impact of price shocks on wages and how this affects an individual’s opportunity cost to join an armed group or political movement. However, unlike other violent groups, organized criminal groups do not compete for political power, but profits in illegal markets. In Mexico, these groups have more than doubled in the past two decades, leading to an explosion of violence and record high 35,000 people …

The Socio-Demographic Factors Influencing Ntca Immigrants' Accessibility To Mexico's Health Care System, Ken Nishikata

Master's Theses

Mexico’s geographical location has made the country play a centric role in trans-national migration from the Northern Triangle of Central America (NTCA) comprising Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. As a result, immigration has increasingly become a political issue for Mexico over the past decades^[1]. Before the eruption of the Central American crisis in the 1980s, Mexico’s southern border with Guatemala was recognized for its openness. However, such a tolerating status-quo changed as the number of NTCA immigrants entering Mexico increased upon the exacerbation of the crisis that placed thousands of individuals in exile. Indeed, the turmoil during the …

Examining Opportunity In The Dental Community To Identify Prediabetes, Kirsten S. Carew

Master's Theses

Abstract

BACKGROUND: In response to the growing epidemic of prediabetes and diabetes (type 2), the State of Connecticut passed Public Act 19-72 “An Act Concerning Dental Practitioners” effective July 1, 2019 allowing licensed dentists to administer an in-office blood screening test to consenting patients identified as having an increased risk for diabetes. The intent of this law is to expand the venues to screen, identify and inform those at-risk for disease.

METHODS: An anonymous online cross-sectional pilot study was conducted utilizing membership of major statewide dental societies to recruit licensed practicing dentists in the state of Connecticut. Participants completed a …

Notre-Dame-Des-Fleurs : La Glorification De L’Abject, Elifnaz Kayhan

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Bobcats Within A Mosaic Of Housing Densities In Connecticut, Kristen Beattie

Master's Theses

Understanding a species’ ability to adapt and persist in a human-dominated landscape is important as urban development continues to spread, resulting in wildlife living in close proximity to people. Mesocarnivores are using urban landscapes, yet differences in habitat selection across a species’ range and among urban areas are beginning to emerge. Bobcats are a strict mesocarnivore species that is considered sensitive to fragmentation and intolerant of human activity yet is now living within densely populated areas in some regions. An important first step in understanding bobcat habitat use throughout a range of housing densities is understanding how the effectiveness of …

Nf-Κb Subunits P50 And Rela Contribute To Oncogenesis In A Mouse Model Of St-Epn, Ericka J. Randazzo

Master's Theses

The NF- κB pathway has been demonstrated to be upregulated in supratentorial ependymoma (ST-EPN). Whether the different NF- κB transcription factors contribute to ST-EPN tumorigenesis however, has not been investigated. We assessed the degree to which NF- κB subunits p50 and RelA interact with the ST-EPN fusion mutation C11orf95-RELA in regulating gene expression via colocalization analysis in Hek293T cell nuclei. We analyzed the functional outcomes of overexpression of p50 or RelA, or CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockdown of p50, in combination with the C11orf95-RELA fusion in vivo by examination of tumor area in P14 – 21 CD1 mice. We further analyzed the …

New Childhood Chronic Illness: Pans/Pandas And The Impact On Family Functioning, Jamie L. Dolce

Master's Theses

The current study examined parents’ reports of change in the parent-child relationship and family functioning following the onset of Pediatric Acute-Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS)/Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections (PANDAS) in their child. Research questions explored 1) how families’ day-to-day lives and functioning changed since the onset and 2) what challenges the families faced in raising a child with PANS/PANDAS. Research was conducted in two phases: narrative thematic analyses of online parent forum threads followed by semi-structured interviews with parents. Four primary themes were compiled from analyses of both data sources: Determinants of Family Functioning; Close Relationships; Routines …

Predictors Of Willingness Of The Sheltered Homeless To Be Screened For Hepatitis C, Linda Casey

Master's Theses

Background. Homeless individuals are at high risk of contracting the Hepatitis C virus (HCV) given that many use intravenous drugs or have a prison history, common risk factors for the disease. Although there is no vaccine, it is curable.

Methods. This cross-sectional study surveyed residents (n=120) of five homeless shelters in Connecticut to understand their screening willingness and knowledge about HCV.

Results. Those who tested previously (OR=0.46, 95% CI 0.23-0.90) and those who had never spent time in prison (OR=0.39, 95% CI 0.15-0.98) were less willing to be screened. Most did not recognize HCV symptoms and risk factors.

Conclusions. The …

Manufacturing Process Of Electrode Films, Bryan Aponte

Master's Theses

Rotating disk electrodes (RDE) provide a rapid, and reliable method of quantifying catalyst performance, however fabricating consistent RDEs require understanding of the role of fabrication parameters. The goal of this research is to identify the parameters that control the quality of a catalyst film and the role of these parameters that control the performance. To understand the role of environment, tests are conducted in ambient uncontrolled environments and in controlled environments. Catalyst film performance is measured with electrochemical methods. It was found that the uniformity of catalyst films directly affects the electrochemical performance when tested using RDE. The films that …

Intersecciones Entre Cine Documental Y Archivos Queer: Notas A Propósito De Sexilio., Lazaro J. Gonzalez

Master's Theses

For decades, documentary filmmakers have combined academic research and narrative non-fiction, making the genre of documentary a resourceful tool to address certain agendas that exceed the boundaries of traditional research methodologies. My feature film Villa Rosa (2016) as well as the work in progress of Sexilio (2020…) combine the scholarly and cinematographic realms as a strategy to foreground queer issues and the preservation of individual and collective memory. More specifically, my thesis will focus on rhetorical strategies used by queer filmmakers and archivists when the so-called historical archive appears deficient. As a result, the filmmaking process itself must create the …

Food Insecurity, Race, And Adolescent Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease In Nhanes 2001-06, Kritika Shankar

Master's Theses

Abstract

Introduction: Non-Alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common chronic liver condition in the U.S and is an emerging public health concern in adolescents. Risk factors for adolescent NAFLD remain largely unexamined.

Aim: To investigate if demographic and dietary-related factors are linked with NAFLD in adolescents.

Methods: Cross-sectional data from NHANES (2001-2006) ages 12-19 (n=4714) were analyzed. NAFLD was defined as >30 u/L ALT. Food Insecurity levels (child, adult, household), race/ethnicity, sex, BMI, and the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) were tested using multivariate binary logistic regression with elevated ALT (no, yes) as the dependent variable.

Results: Risk for …

Household Food Security Status, Dietary Patterns And Diabetes Risk (Hemoglobin A1c) Among Cambodian Refugees With Depression, Shanjida Jui

Master's Theses

Background

Cambodian refugees who experienced famine and trauma from the Khmer Rouge genocide are disproportionately at high risk of type 2 diabetes. This risk is exacerbated when this vulnerable population experiences a high prevalence of food insecurity upon resettlement in the U.S. As a result, refugee dietary intake and nutrition uniquely contribute to the rise of often long-term health consequences and pose an unexpected burden on the U.S. healthcare system.

Objectives

(1) To describe household food security status of Cambodians refugees (2) To examine the association between food security status and socioeconomic status (SES) of Cambodian refugees; (3) To describe …

Developing A Qi Culture In Accredited Local Health Departments: Use Of Normalization Process Theory, Lina Smith

Master's Theses

Background: Accreditation can benefit local health departments (LHDs) through the promotion of a culture of quality improvement (QI); yet LHDs tend not to perform well on QI-related measures (Domain 9 – Evaluate and Continuously Improve Processes, Programs, and Interventions). Methods: This study evaluated whether small/medium LHDs’ performance on Domain 9 impacts their accreditation results or performance on other domains. The qualitative analysis utilized Normalization Process Theory to reveal factors that guide LHDs in accreditation preparations. Results: Small/medium LHDs not required to submit an action plan scored higher on Domain 9. Performance on four domains exhibited a moderately strong correlation with …

Reliability And Validity Of Physical Literacy Assessment Tools In The High School Aged Population, Zachary Malone

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Social Factors Influencing Family Planning Knowledge, Attitudes, And Practices In The Ngäbe Population In Bocas Del Toro And The Comarca Ngäbe-Buglé, Panama, Carolina Vicens Cardona

Master's Theses

Introduction: According to Panama’s 2009 National Sexual and Reproductive Health Survey, only 19% of indigenous women in Panama use modern family planning (FP) methods. Despite the Ngäbe representing 62% of the indigenous population, there is limited research on their use of FP.

Methodology: 14 Ngäbe communities in Bocas del Toro were surveyed. Women between the ages of 18 and 50, and had >2 children completed a survey to assess knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding family planning.

Results: A total of 148 women were enrolled, mean age was 32.18; mean number of pregnancies was 5. 32.4% of women …

State Of Community Health Needs Assessments In Connecticut, Miryam Hannah Wilson Reardon

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Pre-Surgery Leptin Level And Weight Loss In Female Bariatric Surgery Patients, Miriam Katz

Master's Theses

Background: Improving weight loss after bariatric surgery remains a clinical concern. An unstudied factor is the role of leptin, the appetite control hormone, as a pre-surgical predictor of weight loss. High serum levels, often seen in obesity, are an indicator of leptin resistance as the brain no longer responds to satiety signaling.

Methods: Leptin levels were ascertained in female bariatric patients (n=28) prior to surgery at a large tertiary care hospital. We calculated Pearson Correlation Coefficients (r) and unstandardized β coefficients using multivariate linear regression. Primary outcome: Percent Excess Weight Loss (%EWL) evaluated at 6- and 12-months post-surgery. …