Digital Commons Network^™

The Curious Case Of Greece: The Impact Of Fiscal Policy Shocks On Key Macroeconomic Variables. A Var Based Approach., Manny Kaliontzakis

Master's Theses

For years, the Vector Autoregressive approach has been the main tool for monetary economics and macroeconomic researchers around the world. Leading central banking figures, academics, and modern economic think tanks have used the approach to determine the effects of interest rate shocks on basic macroeconomic variables such as GDP, industrial production and unemployment rate. Shocking policy variables, such as interest rates or long term bond rates have given economists the ability to run reliable forecasts. The last 20 years have seen a turn in the use of the VAR approach on fiscal policy as well. Even though, in general, previous …

The Impact Of Offcial Development Assistance On Foreign Direct Investment: Evidence From Vietnam, Hang Pham

Master's Theses

The relationship between Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and Official Development Assistance (ODA) has not been fully established, nor has its directionality, as evidenced the disagreement among economists. Using existing literature as starting point, I extend its base by examining key causal variables for ODA and FDI within 64 Vietnamese provinces, covering the span from 1998 to 2012. With the most extensive and newest dataset available, I find that ODA attracts more FDI inflows in intermediate term (5year average) and long term (all year average), but not in the short-term. An important policy implication of these results for developing countries, and …

Unintended Consequences Of Enforcement In A Fisheries Institution: Results From An Artefactual Experiment In Tanzania, Spencer Maccoll

Master's Theses

Overfishing and the destruction of fishing commons in developing countries is a growing problem. Policymakers and local community leaders are looking for solutions to keep their fishing commons sustainable. Fines and enforcement mechanisms are commonly suggested to help preserve the commons. This paper discusses a novel artefactual experiment conducted throughout several fishing communities in Tanzania to determine the effect of enforcing a ban on illegal fishing gear on fishing behavior. Results indicate that the fishers in the enforcement treatment group depleted the fish stock significantly faster than the unenforced control group. One possible explanation for this result is that the …

The Impact Of Migration And Remittances On Children's Education In El Salvador, Philip H. Jakob

Master's Theses

The effect that migrant remittances have on school enrollment is a challenging relationship to empirically define, requiring both an analysis of the circumstances that lead a household member to emigrate from their home and equally, but not always independently, how the family makes investment decisions in the education of one or more of their children. This study presents a new strategy to determine the nature of this relationship for households in El Salvador, using a 2SLS estimation with a wealth-stratified panel constructed from household survey data over a nine-year period. Employing this methodology to estimate the combined effects of both …

Transcriptional Regulation By Dax-1 In Pluripotent And Differentiated Cells, Alexandra C. Maramba

Master's Theses

DAX-1, an orphan nuclear hormone receptor, acts mainly as a repressor through transcriptional protein complexes. Its unique structure and specific expression raises questions as to what its precise interactions are and how it mediates its repressive function. While it is known to play a role in sexual development and adrenal insufficiency, expression in certain types of cancer suggests additional functions and interactions. Knock in of DAX-1 into a low-DAX-1 expressing cancer cell line has been previously observed to increase apoptosis, while, inversely, down in a high-DAX-1 expressing cancer cell line shows a decrease in apoptosis. Target genes that belong to …

Furanic Molecules: Multiplexed Synchrotron Photoionization Investigations And Aerosol Studies, Audrey R. Smith

Master's Theses

The oxidation reactions of 2-methylfuran (2MF) and 2-ethylfuran (2EF) initiated by Cl radicals is studied at the low temperatures, in addition to the determination of the absolute photoionization cross-sections of 2EF, 2-acetylfuran, and furfural. These experiments are carried out using synchrotron photoionization mass spectrometry (SPIMS) with an orthogonal time-of-flight spectrometer used for mass analysis at the Advanced Light Source of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. CBS-QB3 calculated adiabatic ionization energies (AIE) agree well with the experimental results and published literature values. Furfural is found to be the dominant product of 2MF oxidation, with 2-acetylfuran and 2-vinylfuran being the dominant products of …

Investigations Of Thioether Generation For S-D-Ribosyl-L-Homocysteine Synthesis, Brendan Corcoran

Master's Theses

Creation of the thioether linkage is a fundamental step for the chemical preparation of the bacterial quorum sensing molecule S-D-ribosyl-L-homocysteine (SRH). Although previous preparations of SRH and its analogues have been reported in the literature, they employ assorted methods with varied results. Therefore, a reassessment of the methodology used for synthetic preparation of the thioether bond in SRH-like molecules is here considered. This work examines four methods of thioether generation following two mechanisms, bimolecular nucleophilic substitution (S_N2) and radical-initiated thiol-ene coupling, in an attempt to generate SRH in a more efficient and reproducible manner. Both mechanisms address …

The Role Of Gender And Education In The Perpetration And Prevention Of School-Related Gender-Based Violence, Sabrina James

Master's Theses

This study examines how gender ideologies contribute to violence in and around schools while looking through a peace research framework proposed by peace studies scholar Johan Galtung (1969). The study explores school-related gender-based violence (SRGBV) in three regions—the United States, India, and Central Africa—and highlights the universal and destructive nature of SRGBV as a serious obstacle to the right to education and achieving education for all.

In addition, the study examines three promising initiatives in the aforementioned regions that combat SRGBV. The aim of the study is to contribute to the dialogue of effective strategies for addressing SRGBV vis-à-vis gender …

The Effect Of The Traditional Mediterranean-Style Diet On Metabolic Risk Factors: A Meta-Analysis, Marissa L. Garcia

Master's Theses

Importance: A Mediterranean-style diet has been shown to be effective in improving a variety of disease outcomes, including metabolic risk factors. Such dietary patterns are complex and, thus it is currently unclear as to which components and intervention characteristics are more greatly associated with reducing metabolic syndrome risk.

Objective: To obtain overall effect sizes for the metabolic risk factors (waist circumference, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, fasting blood glucose, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure) and explain the variability across the current literature based on study design, sample, and diet characteristics.

Data Sources: Six electronic databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, …

Non-Ost Route Transition Interventions Among Injecting Drug Users In Kabul, Afghanistan: A Qualitative Feasibility Assessment Based On Institutional Stakeholders’ Views, William P. Tootle Jr

Master's Theses

An HIV epidemic threatens injecting drug users in Kabul, Afghanistan. Although opioid substitution therapy (OST) has been proven to reduce the spread of HIV and decrease injecting drug use in many parts of the world, including on a small scale in Afghanistan, political obstacles suggest that at this time it may not be a viable intervention there. In this thesis, therefore, I assess the feasibility of implementing an alternative to OST as an HIV-prevention strategy, namely, a non-OST route-transition intervention (RTI) designed to encourage and enable opiate users to switch from injecting to smoking (also called chasing). Based on semi-structured …

Collaboration For Athletic Training Coverage In High Schools - An Ongoing National Survey: The Prevalence Of Athletic Training Services In Private Secondary Schools, Alicia M. Pike

Master's Theses

Context: Athletic training (AT) services in secondary schools have recently been reported as high as 70%, but this only extends to the public sector. The extent of AT coverage in private secondary school settings has yet to be investigated. This may differ from the public secondary school setting for several reasons, including differences in funding sources. Objective: Determine level of AT services in private secondary schools. Design: Concurrent mixed-methods. Setting: Private secondary schools in the United States. Patients or Other Participants: 2,045 (38%) of all 5,414 private secondary schools responded to the survey. Intervention: …

Effects Of Reading Ability On Lexically-Informed Letter Perception, Alexandra T. Bohner

Master's Theses

Research on perceptual learning for speech shows that lexical information can be used to modify phonological representations. Recent findings suggest that lexically-informed perceptual learning is a domain-general learning mechanism such that lexically-guided learning is also observed in the processing of printed text. The literature on lexically-informed perceptual learning has extensively investigated the nature of the change to the prelexical representation. What this literature has yet to examine, however, is how varying levels of lexical recruitment influence this learning mechanism. Here we examine this question by comparing performance on lexically-guided letter perception between two groups of readers, average readers and advanced …

The Relationship Between Drug Use And Depressive Symptoms Among High School Students, Andrea Huntley

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Training Group Home Staff On Nutrition, Kaitlin Carafa

Master's Theses

Currently, more than one-third of adults (more than 72 million people) in the United States are obese (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2014), and therefore obesity is a major public health concern. The prevalence of obesity in the population of individuals with disabilities has been shown to be 2.1 times higher than compared to the general population, and the prevalence is higher in less restrictive settings such as group homes (Saunders et al., 2011). Therefore, interventions aimed to decrease obesity should be created for this population. The purpose of this study is to investigate the need for a …

A Ten Year Retrospective Study Of Pediatric Pneumonia Cases In Haiti, Talia A. Savic

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Enabling Authority: Ellen Emmet Rand, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, And The Power Of Portraiture, Emily M. Mazzola

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of A Sport-Specific Performance Task Associated With A Lower Extremity Injury Prevention Program, Eric C. Roux

Master's Theses

Lower extremity injuries are occurring in youth sports. Injury prevention programs (IPPs) designed to prevent these injuries are being underutilized. Evidence suggests that IPPs can improve performance and reduce injury risk. Sports-specific performance benefits could be a bartering tool in coach support. The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of an IPP on sport-specific performance in high school females. The study also assessed the relationship between sport-specific performance and landing biomechanics. Seventy-four athletes participated in this study (age = 15.0 ± 1.0 years, height = 65.7 ± 2.5 in, weight = 60.3 ± 10.4 kg). Participants were …

Synthesis And Characterization Of C8 And N2 2'-Deoxyguanosine Adducts Of 6-Nitrochrysene, A Cancer-Causing Agent, Kimberly R. Rebello

Master's Theses

Nitropolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are ubiquitous in the environment, and many compounds of this family are carcinogenic. 6-Nitrochrysene, a representative member of this group, is a suspected human carcinogen that has been shown to cause lung, breast, and other forms of cancer in rodents. It is believed that this derivative of chrysene causes cancer by forming DNA adducts, which, in turn, induce mutations in critical gene sequences. The goal of my research is to synthesize one or more of the major DNA adducts formed by 6-nitrochrysene, which will be introduced in DNA in order to study their biological effects.

The initiation …

House Of Newsome: Remixing Masculinity, Betty Lou Starnes

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Examining The Nature Of Socratic Citizenship: An Inquiry Into The Voegelinian Conception Of Consciousness, Emma Christine Fontenot

Master's Theses

This thesis explores Socrates as the paradigmatic citizen through Eric Voegelin’s theory of consciousness. While scholars tend to ground the source of Socrates’ civic behavior in the self, I maintain that his daimonion is the very essence of his citizenship. Illustrating that spiritual openness endows him with the highest level of consciousness within the polis, I argue that Socrates’ efforts to democratize truth are the direct result of his adherence to divine authority. In doing so, I assert that he is neither a self-interested civic actor nor an atheist. By examining Platonic philosophy through the lens of Voegelinian thought I …

Analysis And Design Of A Frame-Membrane Habitat Subjected To Extreme Temperatures On The Lunar Surface, Kevin M. Brown

Master's Theses

During the era of the Apollo missions, there was been a great deal of interest among scientists, engineers, and the general population regarding the Moon and Outer Space. That interest has cycled through the years since but still burns strongly today as evidenced by the National Space Policy of President Barack Obama in 2010. Within this document, six goals were stated dealing with advanced study of the universe, which likely leads to the necessity of lunar colonization; the focus of this thesis.

The lunar environment provides several extreme challenges that may place any long term mission and its crewmembers in …

The Role Of Partner Support And Relationship Satisfaction In Health Behavior Change: A Self-Determination Theory Framework, Katelyn M. Gettens

Master's Theses

Weight-related health behavior change can be difficult to initiate, and perhaps even more challenging to sustain long-term. Self-Determination Theory (SDT) allows for a more nuanced exploration of the role that motivation and existing support systems play in weight management. Recently, studies have focused on coequal support relationships rather than hierarchical relationships in health behavior change. The present study used a longitudinal design to assess support style (needs support vs. directive), relationship satisfaction, motivation (autonomous versus controlled), and weight loss over a 6-week period in college students with overweight or obesity, using a SDT framework. Students enrolled in Introduction to Psychology …

Promoting Parental Engagement In Parenting Education Programs, Jessica L. Maksut

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Accelerometer-Measured Physical Activity In Youth: Association With Adiposity-Related Health Indicators In Nhanes 2003-2006, Kelley Ann Lafleur

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Overactive Bladder Syndrome On Health-Related Quality Of Life In An Assisted-Living Community, Allison M. Berken

Master's Theses

This study investigated the effect of overactive bladder syndrome on the health-related quality of life of 32 residents (mean age 85.4) living in an assisted-living community, using widely-used and well-validated questionnaires (the OABSS and the SF-20, to assess overactive bladder and health-related quality of life, respectively). Approximately 31% of the study population satisfied the criteria for the diagnosis of overactive bladder syndrome. No significant correlation was found between the subjects’ scores on the overactive bladder and health related quality of life inventories. Nor was any association found between overactive bladder symptoms and the six component measures of the SF-20 (physical …

Domestic Violence In Low-Income Communities In Mumbai, India, Robyn M. Jennings

Master's Theses

Domestic violence is a public health problem globally and in India because of its physical and mental health consequences for victims and families. It has been shown to have an increased prevalence in populations with low socioeconomic status and strong patriarchal attitudes. This study examines qualitative (n=39) and quantitative data (n=1125) to find characteristics of women, men, and couples that are associated with violence in a low-income, patriarchal society on the outskirts of Mumbai, India. Associations were found between several variables and any violence, physical violence, sexual violence, emotional violence, and marital control. Risk factors include financial struggles, alcohol use, …

Identifying Predictors Of Treatment Outcomes In Substance-Abusing Parents In A Recovery Case Management Program In Connecticut, Staceyann Smith

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Assessing Knowledge And Attitudes Of The Human Papillomavirus Infection And Vaccine Among Adolescents In Hartford, Ct, Anita C. Chandrasekaran

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

A Framework For The Evaluation Of Medication Errors In The Inpatient Setting, Alaina J. Kessler

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

“Un Pueblo Tan Dulce”: Diabetes, Depression, And Obesity Syndemics In Puerto Rico, Shir Lerman

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.