Digital Commons Network^™

Cannabigerol Attenuate Methionine/Choline Deficient Diet- Induced Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis Symptoms In C57bl/6 Male Mice Via Modulating The Expression Of Cannabinoid Receptors, Nouf Aljobaily

Master's Theses

Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH) is the advanced and more aggressive form of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD). NASH is associated with severe hepatic fibrosis and inflammation. Methionine/choline deficient (MCD) high fat diet is known to induce NASH in a short period of time without showing signs of metabolic syndrome. Cannabigerol (CBG) is a plant-derived, non-psychotropic cannabinoid that has a potential anti-inflammatory effect. Other hemp extracts reduce the progression of NAFLD to NASH, whereas the impact of CBG on NASH is still unknown. Therefore, these studies aim to 1. Evaluate the therapeutic potential of CBG on reducing hepatic steatosis and fibrosis. 2. …

The Effects Of Using Behavioral Skills Training In Teaching Non-Aba Professionals To Implement Discrete Trial Training: A Meta-Analysis, Lindsey Bernard

Master's Theses

This quantitative meta-analysis evaluated the effectiveness of behavioral skills training (BST) for training non-applied behavior analysis (ABA) professionals to implement discrete trial training (DTT), as well as examining the methodological rigor of these studies using WWC design standards. Results indicate that BST produces large effects and the majority of studies either met design standards with reservations or met design standards. As a result, researchers and practitioners may be optimistic that BST is an effective approach to training non-ABA professionals to implement DTT.

Application Of Machine Learning Techniques To Forecast Harmful Algal Blooms In Gulf Of Mexico, Bala Tripura Sundari Yerrapothu

Master's Theses

The Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) forecast is crucial for the mitigation of health hazards and to inform actions for the protection of ecosystems and fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM). For the sake of simplicity of our application we assume ocean color satellite imagery from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as a proxy for HABs.

In this study we use a deep neural network trained on the 2-Dimensional time series proxy data to provide a forecast of the HABs’ manifestations in the GoM.Our approach analyzes between both spatial and temporal features simultaneously. In addition, the network also helps …

Honor Crimes: A Question Of Honor, Culture, And Humanity, Nadia N. Almusleh

Master's Theses

Honor crimes, femicide, domestic abuse and violence are widely prevalent in patriarchal societies. Middle Eastern cultures deeply value protecting the chastity and honor of women. The traditional images of women and the notions of honor and shame are consistently used as justifications for violence and killings. This is not attributable to a single culture or religion. It is rather a manifestation of societal norms around gender-based violence. Feminist activism against honor crimes in the Middle East within the last decade has increasingly received social media attention. However, the impact of this social media activism on government intervention has yet to …

A Meta-Analysis Of Check-In/Check-Out: Effectiveness, Social Validity, And Design Standards, Caitlyn Weaver

Master's Theses

The present study serves to investigate the evidence-base for Check-in/Check-out (CICO), a widely used behavioral intervention. Fifty-two studies were included in the review and 44 studies were included in the meta-analysis. Standardized mean difference was used to calculate an omnibus effect for CICO, which showed that CICO significantly improves student outcomes. Effect sizes were large for several dependent variables, including academic engagement, reduction in problem behaviors, percentage of points on a daily behavior report card, and reduction in internalizing behaviors. No moderators significantly explained variability within these relationships. Social validity was assessed across CICO studies and was reported to be …

The Effects Of Sexual Surrogacy On Satisfaction, Happiness, And Well-Being, Ryan Liu-Pham

Master's Theses

The study tested the effects of sexual surrogacy, which I define as the desire to fulfill sexual needs with a surrogate target (e.g., celebrity crushes), on sexual satisfaction, relationship, happiness, and well-being. To examine this topic, I conducted a cross-sectional experimental study. After being asked about sexual desire toward either their current partner or a celebrity crush with a sexual desire behavior inventory, participants were asked to answer questions about their sexual satisfaction, relationship satisfaction, happiness, and well-being. I predicted that desire toward both surrogates and interpersonal targets will predict higher levels of sexual satisfaction, happiness, and well-being but that …

Recognizing Race: The Impact Of Twentieth-Century Feminist Movements On Race Relations In West Germany, Lindsey Stobaugh

Master's Theses

After World War II, many West German women had a difficult time coming to terms with the atrocities that the National Socialist leadership committed during that war, as well as their own participation in the Party. Discussions of the roles of women within twentieth-century society began to grow in West Germany as the new women’s movement (die Neue Fraenbewegung) emerged from 1960s student protests. This movement included primarily middle-class white German women. They often dismissed their participation in Party racism by framing themselves as victims of a patriarchal regime. As German women discussed these matters, they ignored the …

Foundations Of Development: Perceptions Of Character And Leadership Development In Collegieate Judo Student Athletes, Hiroshi Yamaguchi

Master's Theses

Sports have been a tool for development within educational institutions for decades. In the United States, around 8 million high school students participate in high school sports. Very few go on to play for University Athletic Departments. Out of the 8 million students, only 495,000 (6.1%) of them will compete at NCAA schools (NCAA, 2020). Though the probability of competing in the NCAA's elite divisions is low, university students have plenty of opportunities to play and compete in sports via club/recreational sports programs, intramurals, and physical education courses. Estimates show that over 2 million higher education students in the United …

Relationship Between Calcium Consumption From Dairy And Non-Dairy Sources On Bone Mineral Density Of College Students, Andrew M. Pescovitz

Master's Theses

Dairy product consumption has been on the decline for decades in the US and worldwide, and the increase in plant-based substitutes has grown substantially. Osteoporosis and the risk of bone fractures are serious public health issues. To date, little scientific-based studies have compared the relationship between calcium intake from dairy sources vs non-dairy sources and bone mineral density. The purpose of this study is to compare the relationships between calcium consumption from dairy vs. non-dairy sources and bone mineral density among college students. There was a total of 66 participants in the study including 15 (23%) males and 51 (77%) …

The Effect Of Focused Ultrasound On Altering The Diameter Class Of Nerve Fibers Contributing To A Compound Evoked Potential, Analyzed Using A Perturbative Decomposition Technique., Megan Wurden

Master's Theses

Peripheral neuropathies are disorders that involve the damage of peripheral nerve fibers, affecting the ability of different parts of the body to communicate. A differentiating factor in diagnosis between various clinical conditions can be which size class of nerve fibers are affected. A nerve conduction velocity test can be used to assess the viability of the nerve but is a single-parameter test and gives no information about the population characteristics of the remaining active fibers. A method developed and previously reported by Szlavik (2016) utilizes a mathematical perturbed decomposition to determine the normalized frequency of each size class of fiber …

Your One Wild And Precious Life: The Prayer-Poems Of William Blake & Mary Oliver, Amanda Iacampo

Master's Theses

The poetry of illuminated printmaker William Blake is remembered long after his death and the passing of the Romantic Movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His collection, Songs of Innocence and Experience, examines individualism in celebration of the natural world and connections with God, or the divine, by using animals as subjects and metaphors for the human condition. Readers of Blake's work can see the influence of his "prayer-poems" in the works of other writers, such as the late American poet Mary Oliver, whose poetry is also rich in religious undertones. While Blake's "The Lamb" and its …

Ecology And Open-Minded Cognition: Does Exposure To Pathogens Influence Open-Minded Cognition?, Gabriel Escudero

Master's Theses

This study aimed to examine if a perceived pathogen contamination threat would influence participants level of open-minded cognition. This study obtained an online sample of 300 adults (i.e., 18-years or older) U.S. Amazon Mechanical Turk workers to participate in an online study. This study used a quantitative experimental design to examine if a manipulation of perceived pathogen contamination threat would influence participants level of situation-specific open-minded cognition (SSOMC). Participants were randomly assigned to either a perceived pathogen contamination condition in which they watched a short informative video on pathogens or a control condition in which participants watched a short innoxious …

Stigmatization Of In Transit Migration And The Devaluation Of Humanitarian Aid Resource Labor, Gabriela Perez Laurent

Master's Theses

This analysis aims to gain insight into migrant stigmatization and the devaluation of humanitarian aid labor. Building off previous feminist scholarship on unpaid labor, this thesis seeks to add to our understanding of the dynamics of gendered devaluation of not only humanitarian volunteer labor, but also humanitarian aid support to stigmatized populations. The analysis expands on the production of illegalization and highlights the effects of stigmatization highlights the effects of stigmatization upon in transit populations on Tohono O'odham lands. Erin Hatton's framework of devaluation is applied to humanitarian aid distribution to analyze the devaluation of their labor due to proximity …

Does Manipulating Source Gender Predict A Person's Open-Mindedness As A Function Of Sexism?, Tanyelle Annette Galman

Master's Theses

The present research examines whether Communication Source Gender influences a message recipients' level of Open-Minded Cognition, and whether Ambivalent Sexism moderates this effect. Participants were asked to think of themselves as part of a military panel which considers proposals to military spending. Then after reading a proposal from either Cassandra Smith or David Smith, participants were asked to indicate whether they would be open to hearing more from the author. Participants were then instructed to complete the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory (Glick & Fiske, 1996). In total there were 395 participants in this study. Results show that there was no main …

A Fair Share: How Awareness Of Inequality, Allocation Method, And System Justification Affect Perceptions Of Distributive Fairness, David Thomas Igliozzi

Master's Theses

In considering the different ways people view inequality and various proposed solutions,this study draws on classic psychological theories of distributive justice which outline three modes of allocation strategies: equality, equity, and need. While Deustch’s (1975) work on these three allocation alternatives laid the groundwork for years of distributive justice research that would follow, little empirical work has actually experimentally evaluated the conditions under which people might be more or less willing to support equity, equality, or need-based strategies. There is evidence that certain individual difference measures can predict support for redistribution. That is—those who rate highly on system justification, political …

Characterizing A Novel Cocksackievirus B3 Protease Mutant And Its Response To Polyamine Depletion, Bridget Hulsebosch

Master's Theses

Enteroviruses, including Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3), are pervasive pathogens that cause significant disease, including cardiomyopathies. Unfortunately, no treatments or vaccines are available for infected individuals. We identified the host polyamine pathway as a potential drug target, as inhibiting polyamine biosynthesis significantly reduces enterovirus replication in vitro and in vivo. Here, we show that CVB3 is sensitive to polyamine depletion through the polyamine analog diethylnorspermidine (DENSpm) which enhances polyamine catabolism through induction of polyamine acetylation. We demonstrate that CVB3 acquires resistance to DENSpm via mutation of the 2A protease, which enhances proteolytic activity in the presence of DENSpm. Resistance to DENSpm occurred …

Of The Wide-Eyed In Uncertain Times: The Education Of Girls During The Third Reich, Ingmar D. Clausing

Master's Theses

The aim of this thesis is to describe how both the state school system and the Hitler Youth educated girls during the Third Reich. Conventional theories have suggested a number of ideological suppositions regarding the overall curricular emphasis, but this study contends that such simplistic determinations do not capture the full spread of the educational experience. This thesis asks if girls in Nazi Germany were truly just indoctrinated or if schooling had legitimate academic purposes. Based on actual textbooks that were studied by girls for every subject area, at different grade levels, and in different types of schools, as well …

Through The Eyes Of Community Educators: Place-Based Learning, Equitable Access, And Covid-19 Impacts On Outdoor Environmental Education In The San Francisco Bay Area, Alycia Ellington

Master's Theses

Not all children receive adequate education, nor do they have the opportunity to go beyond the four walls of a classroom for learning opportunities. Outdoor environmental education with place-based learning frameworks aims to fully immerse students in nature, while strengthening the connection between schools and communities. This study examines the outdoor environmental education programs of nine agriculture-centered community organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area. Through twenty-one key informant interviews, I assess three essential areas: 1) promotion of environmental literacy and place-based learning, 2) facilitation of equitable access to educational programs, and 3) adaptation of those programs for distance learning …

The Effect Of Virtual Learning On Parents During Covid-19, Sheila Reeves

Master's Theses

Parents were affected in numerous ways by the sudden shut down of schools and switch to virtual learning in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of these ways included use of technology, income, race, time, mental health, family life and parent insecurities. This study investigates parents' perspectives of some ways they were affected in regards to the virtual learning of their child(ren). All parents with children enrolled at Madison Campus Elementary School were invited to participate in the study, as they had at least one year's experience with their child(ren) in virtual learning.

Data was collected using a …

When God Gets Angry: Towards A Theology Of Divine Wrath, Lukas Daeubler

Master's Theses

Topic

One of the most significant concerns regarding the character and love of God is God’s wrath, especially in the Old Testament. For many, it is impossible to believe in a God who punishes and kills rather than a God who shows compassion and love for all people. They neglect either the violent parts of the Bible, since they seem to contradict the image of a loving God displayed in the Gospels. This of course directly questions the integrity of God and His word. As a response, some theologians have published papers on this topic, but many Christians and denominations …

The Removal Of Sin In Second Temple Jewish Literature, Odiaka Walker

Master's Theses

Problem

This thesis explored the Second Temple literary background of the concept that Jesus appeared at the end of the ages to take away sin, in Heb 9:26. As such, the research question which guided the paper was: what did Old Testament and Intertestamental writers believe about the removal of sin at the end of the ages? The answer to this question infers other questions: who would remove sin? From where would sin be removed? How was sin defined? How would sin be removed? When would sin be removed (are there time specifications involved)?

Method

The terms ἀφαιρέω, ἀφίημι, ἀπαλείφω, …

Assessing The Role Of The Interaction Between Polyamines And Heparan Sulfate In Coxsackievirus B3 Viral Infection, Oreoluwa Omoba

Master's Theses

Non-polioenteroviruses are highly infectious viruses that typically cause mild asymptomatic cases but can cause severe disease such as aseptic meningitis and dilated cardiomyopathy. Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) is a member of this group and is prevalent in the United States and Eastern Asia. Viruses like CVB3 rely on the host cell for many molecules in order to replicate. One such set of molecules is the polyamines. Polyamines are small, positively charged molecules that play a role in a multitude of cellular processes including RNA/DNA stabilization, gene expression, translation, and regulating membrane fluidity. Previous studies have shown CVB3 relies on polyamines for …

Do Conditional Cash Transfers Increase School Enrollment? Evidence From Brazil, Jeanette L. Silvernale

Master's Theses

Conditional cash transfer programs have been widely deployed across the globe. They seek to bolster human capital by providing benefits contingent upon a variety of actions such as school attendance and regular health checkups. Bolsa Familia is the most extensive conditional cash transfer program, serving 46 million Brazilian citizens. Despite its expansive size, there have been seldom large-scale micro evaluations of the program. Limited data has resulted in small sample sizes drawn from a single point in time. Our study diverges from the rest and utilizes a novel administrative dataset with an overall sample of nearly 60 million and a …

Temperature Effects On Prevalence Of Sexually Transmitted Infections Among At-Risk Female Sex Workers In India, Rajshri Suresh

Master's Theses

Vulnerability to climate change varies depending on the baseline climate, sensitivity to given exposure, and the presence of social, political, cultural, and institutional inequalities that influence access to essential resources of livelihood, particularly among informal labor market participants. Within the risky informal labor market, the transient nature of sex work implies that sex workers suffer disproportional losses in health, income, protection, and other aspects of general well-being as a result of the effects of climate anomalies. In this paper, I investigate the effect of temperature on the prevalence of sexually transmitted infections in a high-risk population of female sex workers …

The Gendered Impact Of Droughts On Household Decision Making: Evidence From Uganda, Fiona Onyango, Andrew Hobbs

Master's Theses

Do female headed households lose/ sell more of their livestock in the event of a drought as compared to households headed by males? We address this question through an analysis of the combination of Living Standards Measurement study Integrated surveys on Agriculture dataset on Uganda using data from the period 2011-2016 and NDVI & Weather data. We carry out both OLS and fixed effects estimations. Our OLS Results are consistent with the theory of Consumption smoothing while we do not find evidence of any gendered effects from both the OLS and IV estimations.

An Efficient Design Methodology For Complex Sequential Asynchronous Digital Circuits, Tomasz Chadzynski

Master's Theses

Asynchronous digital logic as a design alternative offers a smaller circuit area and lower power consumption but suffers from increased complexity and difficulties related to logic hazards and elements synchronization. The presented work proposes a design methodology based on the speed-independent sequential logic theory, oriented toward asynchronous hardware implementation of complex multi-step algorithms. Targeting controller-centric devices that perform data-driven non-linear execution, the methodology offers a CSP language-based controller workflow description approach and the specification of a project implementation template supported by a two-stage design process. First, the CSP layer describes complex speed-independent controller behavior offering better scalability and maintainability than …

A Meta-Analysis Of Fmri Studies On Emotion Processing In Major Depressive Disorder, Madison Morocco

Master's Theses

The processing of an emotional stimulus involves a multi-step process that includes appraising and identifying a stimulus as well as producing an affective state in response. Many individuals with depressive disorders such as major depressive disorder (MDD) experience impairments related to emotion processing, likely caused by changes in the structure and function of brain regions important for emotion processing. However, the precise neural differences underlying emotion processing impairments in MDD remain unclear given conflicting findings in the neuroimaging literature. This lack of clarity has hindered the development of novel neurostimulation treatments for MDD, which require targeting of specific brain areas. …

Prevalence Of Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder And Association With Nutrition Status In Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, Emily Yelencich

Master's Theses

There is a large body of research on the relationship between inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and diet; however, few conclusive, generalizable recommendations have been determined. Regardless, IBD patients often alter their normal dietary intake, which is concerning considering the prevalence of malnutrition in the IBD population. Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) is a feeding disorder that was recently added to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and its prevalence and impact on the nutritional status of IBD patients has not previously been described. In this study ARFID risk was measured using the Nine-Item ARFID Screen and in the …

A Silicon Valley Life: A Silicon Valley Love Story, Sharon Simonson

Master's Theses

In the last three decades, Silicon Valley has become one of the world’s most watched and imitated communities. Daily news reporters, long-form journalists, cinema and television-programming producers have crafted a public image, but it represents nothing of the lives of hundreds of thousands of Valley residents. These fabrications obscure and diminish our complex human profile and reduce our uniquely beautiful geography to a place to generate financial profits, with all the damaging disregard such attitudes foster. The essays of A Silicon Valley Life: A Silicon Valley Love Story seek to show our true self: our rich mix of people drawn …

Professional Development And Care Planning, Maninder Deol

Master's Theses

The Covid-19 infection trend revealed to the Californian Prison healthcare system the importance of offering top-quality preventive and care services to control diseases. Irrespective of the understanding, there have been challenges in the transitional gap as older nurses are retiring and replaced by new ones. However, the lack of technical experience among the new nurses has exposed the patient population to human errors, which might be costly to amend. As a result, the initiative embarked on a project to train and empower nurses on preventive and care techniques.

Critical areas of concern include reporting, data collection, patient symptomology, results interpretation, …