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The Beast Inside: Trauma Theory And William Golding's Lord Of The Flies 2015, Emily Paccia

Master's Theses

Following World War II and the horrible devastation in Europe, especially in London, Britain began to rebuild. The country was attempting to come back from war, and the culture reflected a bleak, disheartening feeling. Literature written during this time period, which so often reflects the culture directly, showed that very same bleakness. British novelist, and one who lived through that time, William Golding, writing in the 1960's, recreated the dystopia brought into European countries from living through the destruction of the war. Creating a vision of the future -- one of dysfunction and chaos -- Golding’s characters from Lord of …

Quantification Of Blood Flow Velocity Using Color Sensing, Aditya Deepak Sanghani

Master's Theses

Blood flow velocity is an important parameter that can give information on several pathologies including atherosclerosis, glaucoma, Raynaud’s phenomenon, and ischemic stroke [2,5,6,10]. Present techniques of measuring blood flow velocity involve expensive procedures such as Doppler echocardiography, Doppler ultrasound, and magnetic resonance imaging [11,12]. They cost from $8500-$20000. It is desired to find a low-cost yet equally effective solution for measuring blood flow velocity. This thesis has a goal of creating a proof of concept device for measuring blood flow velocity.

Finger blood flow velocity is investigated in this project. The close proximity to the skin of the finger’s arteries …

Clarifying The Role Of Social Support In The Relationship Between Stressors And Strains At Work: The Effect Of Self-Construals, Maria Joao Subtil De Carvalho

Master's Theses

Practitioners and researchers often focus on social support to allay occupational stress, despite inconsistent results from empirical studies. This longitudinal study examined the impact of nurses’ self-construals on the effect of social support on the relationship between stressors and outcomes, based on research showing that people in individualistic and collectivistic cultures perceive supervisor and coworker support differently and research showing culture is internalized as self-construals. The aim of the study was to identify circumstances in which social support mitigates stress. Survey data were collected at two points in time (about four weeks apart), from 139 nurses in two northern California …

An Invasive Grass And A Desert Adapted Rodent: Is There An Effect On Locomotory Performance And Is It Modified By Prior Experience Or Familiarization?, Camille D. Boag

Master's Theses

Kangaroo rats (Dipodomys spp.) are frequently characterized as keystone species for their role in altering soil characteristics, changing habitat structure through seed consumption and dispersal, and being important primary consumers in their ecosystem. They are arid adapted and known to forage in areas with sparse vegetation. Studies suggests densely vegetated habitat to be unsuitable for kangaroo rats because plants are an impediment to their locomotion and predator avoidance behaviors. This study focuses on an invasive grass, South African Veldt (Ehrharta calycina), that converts landscapes with sparse vegetation into dense grassland habitats, and the Lompoc kangaroo rat …

Axisymmetric Bi-Propellant Air Augmented Rocket Testing With Annular Cavity Mixing Enhancement, Allen A. C. Capatina

Master's Theses

Performance characterization was undertaken for an air augmented rocket mixing duct with annular cavity configurations intended to produce thrust augmentation. Three mixing duct geometries and a fully annular cavity at the exit of the nozzle were tested to enable thrust comparisons. The rocket engine used liquid ethanol and gaseous oxygen, and was instrumented with sensors to output total thrust, mixing duct thrust, combustion chamber pressure, and propellant differential pressures across Venturi flow measurement tubes.

The rocket engine was tested to thrust maximum, with three different mixing ducts, three major combustion pressure sets, and a nozzle exit plane annular cavity (a …

Effects Of Supplemental Hydration On Physiology And Behavior Of Northern Pacific Rattlesnakes (Crotalus Oreganus Oreganus), Griffin D. Capehart

Master's Theses

Hydration is a critical element for many physiological processes in vertebrates, such as protein production, innate immunity, and behavioral processes such as daily activity and thermoregulation. Few studies have directly assessed the effect of hydration on these animals in nature. While it seems intuitive that drought is stressful to animals, studies examining drought are typically observational and fail to assess how the hydration state of these animals influences their physiology and behavior. We tested for an effect of hydration on several physiological and behavioral parameters in Northern Pacific rattlesnakes (Crotalus oreganus oreganus) by experimentally manipulating hydration levels in …

The Relationship Between Employee Engagement And Survey Response Rate With Union Membership As A Moderator, Alexandra Mariah De La Rocha

Master's Theses

Research has examined the benefits of having an engaged workforce. One way of measuring employee engagement is through organizational surveys. Survey response rate represents voluntary participation behavior and may be an outcome of employee engagement. However, research has not examined survey participation behavior as an outcome of employee engagement or factors that might influence this relationship. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between dimensions of employee engagement (vigor, dedication, and absorption) and survey response rate at the aggregate level and to examine how this relationship varied as a function of percentage of union membership. …

Frequency Of Counseling Sessions And Weight Loss Maintenance In A Commercial Lifestyle-Based Weight Management Program, Ashlee K. Jenson Gossard

Master's Theses

Widespread overweight and obesity persist in the United States, and while many effective methods of weight loss have been developed, long-term weight loss maintenance (WLM) remains a challenge. Evidence strongly indicates that ongoing personalized support can effectively promote sustained WLM; however, the optimal frequency of supportive contact has yet to be investigated. This study retrospectively analyzed clinical records from a commercial lifestyle-based weight management program offering personalized WLM counseling. The unique element of this program was participants’ ability to select how often to contact their WLM counselor. Following weight loss, participants enrolled in the program's 12-month weight maintenance phase. The …

Holy Warriors And Bellicose Bishops: The Church And Warfare In Early Medieval Germany, Nicholas Edward Friend

Master's Theses

The Frankish kingdoms of the early Middle Ages were the inheritors of both Germanic warrior culture and the Christian institutions of the late Roman Empire. Under Charlemagne, the Franks conquered most of Western Europe by the early ninth century and established a new empire of their own. To do so, they had to reconcile the Christian doctrine of peace with the necessity of killing the enemy during war. This was especially challenging for the highest ranks of the clergy. Though forbidden by canon law to commit violence, bishops and abbots were responsible for defending the property and people in their …

Preservation Of Periodicity In Variational Integrators, Jian-Long Liu

Master's Theses

Classical numerical integrators do not preserve symplecticity, a structure inherent in Hamiltonian systems. Thus, the trajectories they produce cannot be expected to possess the same qualitative behavior observed in the original system. Pooling recent results from O'Neale and West, we explore a particular class of numerical integrators, the variational integrator, that preserves one aspect of the range of behavior present in Hamiltonian systems, the periodicity of trajectories. We first establish the prerequisites and some key concepts from Hamiltonian systems, particularly symplecticity and action-angle coordinates. Through perturbation theory and its complications manifested in small divisor problems, we motivate the necessity for …

Commitment And Employee Development: Comparing Generations X And Y, Adam Mahoney

Master's Theses

This study compared the relationship between organizational commitment (OC) and employee development between Generation X and Generation Y employees. More specifically, this study addressed affective organizational commitment, continuance organizational commitment, and normative organizational commitment. Substantial research has indicated that Generation Y employees are generally less affectively committed to their employers than previous generations. Research has shown that employee professional development increases overall job satisfaction and reduces turnover. It was hypothesized that Generation Y employees would generally show lower levels of each OC component than more senior, Generation X, employees. It was also hypothesized that the difference in OC between Generation …

Generic Polynomials, Lucas Spencer Mattick

Master's Theses

In Galois theory one is interested in finding a polynomial over a field that has a given Galois group. A more desirable polynomial is one that parametrizes all such polynomials with that given group as its corresponding Galois group. These are called generic polynomials and we provide detailed proofs of two theorems that give methods for constructing such polynomials. Furthermore, we construct generic polynomials for Sn, C3, V , C4, C6, D3, D4, and D6.

The Effects Of Gender, Physical Attractiveness, And Socioeconomic Status On Initial Attraction, Sherrie Jagolino

Master's Theses

The tradeoff threshold model posits that in a heterosexual relationship, high socioeconomic status (SES) can compensate for physical unattractiveness in men, whereas physical attractiveness can compensate for low SES in women. In the present study, we attempted to provide evidence for the tradeoff threshold model. Ninety-six heterosexual participants viewed eight high and low attractive male or female stimuli photographs each attached with high or low SES descriptions. Average physical attractiveness ratings were analyzed in a 2 (physical attractiveness: high and low) x 2 (SES: high and low) repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) for each gender. Women rated low SES …

The Interactive Effects Of Accent, Attire, And Job Status On Employment-Related Decisions, Bonnie Nguyen

Master's Theses

Using data from 207 college students, the interactive effects of an applicant’s accent (standard American English vs. Arabic), attire (no hijab vs. hijab), and job status (low vs. high) on perceived applicant characteristics (i.e., competence and warmth) and employment-related decisions (i.e., job suitability and hiring recommendation) were examined. Inconsistent with the hypotheses, results showed that an Arabic-accented and an applicant wearing a hijab were not rated as less competent and warm compared to a standard American-accented applicant and an applicant not wearing a hijab, respectively. Additionally, an Arabic-accented applicant wearing a hijab was not perceived as less competent and warm. …

The Moderating Effect Of Supervisory Social Support On The Relationship Between Second Generation Latinos’ And Asians’ Assimilation Level And Work-Family Conflict, Yazmin Perez-Lopez

Master's Theses

The majority of the empirical work regarding work-family conflict (WFC) has been focused on the experiences of White, middle class, Anglo-Americans. The labor force, however, is experiencing major demographic changes as increasing numbers of U.S.-born Latinos and Asians become employees. Although second generation Latinos and Asians play a major role in the U.S. economy and workplace, their experiences as employees have seldom been examined. Because they are exposed to collectivistic and individualistic values simultaneously, their assimilation levels, or identification with the U.S. culture, could be a unique predictor of a type of WFC: work-interference with family (WIF) or family interference …

Biv Tar Rna Binding Glycine Mutant Tat Peptides: An Integrated Modeling And Binding Assay Approach, Loc Tien Nguyen

Master's Theses

Interactions between viral encoded regulatory proteins and RNA target sequences control gene expression of Lentiviruses, including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Bovine immunodeficiency virus (BIV) provides a simpler model of interaction between the viral trans-activating protein (Tat) and trans-activation response RNA element (TAR), using Tat peptides binding to TAR RNA fragments. The resulting characterization of the hinge region of native BIV TAR-Tat complex was confirmed by more comprehensive calculations, involving an exhaustive generation of lattice chains. This modeled 2-residues per move of the native 11-mer Tat peptide and a 28-nucleotides TAR fragment. But these sorts of coarse-grained calculations, upon substitution of …

Generational Differences In Perceived Supervisory Support, Ashraf Rayani

Master's Theses

As Baby Boomers, Generation X and Generation Y interact with each other in the workplace, popular media and HR practitioners have suggested ideas on how to promote these groups to work cohesively under one organizational umbrella. Beyond encouraging the partnership of these three generations, it is also important for organizations to understand how these three generational cohorts differ in the level of support they receive from their supervisors. Therefore, the current study bridged that research gap by investigating differences in perceived supervisory support across the three generational cohorts. An online employee engagement survey was administered to 935 business professionals from …

A Test Of Educational Methods To Reduce Boating Disturbance To Harbor Seals, Rachel Nicole Solvason

Master's Theses

Environmental education can affect attitudes and behaviors, but determining the most effective methods for protecting wildlife requires research. This study examined the effect of two modes of environmental education, one passive and one active, on the behaviors of boaters toward harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) at Corkscrew Slough in Redwood City, California, an area where harbor seals haul out and pup. Thirty-one boaters viewed an interpretive sign (passive environmental mode) and 30 experienced a docent talk (active) both designed to educate boaters on protecting harbor seals; 31 boaters received no environmental information (the control), therefore were not exposed to the interpretive …

An Examination Of Authentic Leadership, Perceived Similarity, And Leader-Member Exchange As Moderators Of The Relationship Between Leader And Follower Resilience, Joseph Edward Smith

Master's Theses

The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between resilience and authentic leadership as well the potential spillover of a leader’s resilience onto his or her followers. In addition to the direct effects of a leader’s resilience on followers, potential moderators were also explored, including authentic leadership, relational demography, and leader-member exchange. Responses to an online survey from a total of 145 part- and full-time employees were analyzed using hierarchical multiple regression. Results indicated that there was a strong direct relationship between a leader’ resilience and his or her authentic leadership, however there was no direct relationship …

Computation In A Localization Of The Free Group Algebra, Olga Zamoruyeva

Master's Theses

The coefficients of a Taylor series expansion of any rational function in one variable satisfy a linear recurrence relation. Our main result is a generalization of this statement for rational functions of multiple non-commutative variables. We show that if such a function is represented in the form of a non-commutative formal power series via Magnus embedding, then the coefficients of this formal power series are determined by a finite set of linear homogeneous recurrence relations. This finite representation of an infinite series allows for efficient computation of operations (multiplication, addition, and in many cases inversion) on non-commutative rational functions.

Personality Traits And Deception Detection Ability Among College Students With Primary Psychopathic Traits, Megan Malmstrom

Master's Theses

Because psychopaths are exceptionally good at deceiving others, researchers have proposed that this population of individuals may be more likely than the average person to detect deception. However, previous research has provided mixed results on the ability of individuals with psychopathic traits to detect deception at a greater level than chance. The inconclusive results on this topic have warranted future research on examining sex differences and personality traits that are attributed to individuals with psychopathy that may aid their ability to detect deception at a higher level than others. The current study tested 133 San Jose State University undergraduates by …

Effects Of Particle Size And Particle Heterogeneity On Benthic Functional Guilds In Elkhorn Slough, Ca, Katherine Elizabeth Huotari

Master's Theses

Changes in particle size of sediment as a result of erosion can have potential impacts on benthic community structure. To examine the potential impacts, a 2x2 factorial design was used to evaluate the effects of particle size and particle heterogeneity on the intertidal community structure of Elkhorn Slough using data provided by Moss Landing Marine Laboratories. In this study, changes in functional guild roles with respect to particle size and particle heterogeneity were examined, rather than traditional biological measures, because functional guild roles are more directly related to physical changes in the environment. The results showed that particle size and …

Resolving The Timing Of Late Pleistocene Dome Emplacement At Mono Craters, California, From U–Th And Ar/Ar Dating, Mae Marcaida

Master's Theses

The Mono Craters chain in eastern California is one of the youngest sites of rhyolitic volcanism in North America and comprises at least 28 overlapping lava domes, flows, and tephra rings of mostly Holocene age. New U-series and ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar geochronological data presented here extend the age of the Mono Craters into the Late Pleistocene. Ion microprobe ²³⁸U–²³⁰Th isochron dating of unpolished rims of allanite and zircon and ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar laser fusion and step-heating dating of sanidine from the porphyritic biotite-bearing dome lavas of the Mono Craters yield Late Pleistocene ages, but the …

Effects Of Summary Length And Line Spacing On Fixations, Decision Time, Correctness, And Preference Of Search Engine Results On A Phablet, Anne Marie Mcreynolds

Master's Theses

In previous studies, a positive relationship has been suggested between the screen size of a mobile device and the preferred summary length of a search result. The bigger the screen, the longer the summary preferred for judging the relevance of a result. While prior research has been focused on three types of devices (cell phones, PDAs, laptops), this study was concentrated on a new class of smartphone called a phablet that could eventually replace all three. In the current research, we investigated how two factors in the design of search result pages—summary length and line spacing—affect performance, behavioral and subjective …

The Effect Of Distractions On Task Performance And Enjoyment As Moderated By Regulatory Fit, Kimberly Leung

Master's Theses

Every day, distractions keep people from maintaining focus and productivity. Music, in particular, is a distraction that can easily disrupt individuals mentally and physically. However, what if common distractions like music had the power to motivate people towards a goal rather than deter them from it? Regulatory Focus Theory offers an explanation for how this is possible. It posits two motivational foci: promotion and prevention. If individuals are promotion-focused, they seek positive outcomes, and if individuals are prevention-focused, they try to avoid negative outcomes.

The current study tested the assumption that avoiding distractions during goal pursuit matched the behavior of …

Spatial And Temporal Measures Of Mismatch Between Transit Supply And Employment For Low Income And Auto Dependent Populations, Sina Kahrobaei

Master's Theses

Spatial mismatch is a mismatch between where low-income households reside and where jobs are located. Since its emergence in the 60s, the implication of the term has been expanded and currently includes any mismatch between employment demands of low incomes and job supply. A sizeable literature has emphasized the role of public transportation to alleviate spatial mismatch problem. Better transit service can properly match low incomes to work so narrow such gap. The objective of this study is to research the levels that transit supply meets the spatial and temporal employment demands of worker population in general and the Low …

Bridge Weigh-In-Motion Long-Term Traffic Monitoring In The State Of Connecticut, Valeri I. Kolev

Master's Theses

Proper management and maintenance of the highway transportation network is extremely important for the economy of the United States. A key to preservation of highways is gathering reliable truck traffic data which is currently being collected using weigh-stations and Weigh-in-Motion (WIM) technologies. One developing method of data collection is Bridge Weigh-in-Motion (BWIM), the process by which weight data can be calculated for trucks travelling over bridges whose components have been instrumented with sensors.

The research performed in this thesis involves post-processing and analysis of one year’s worth of strain measurements gathered from an existing BWIM system installed on a steel-girder …

The Psychological Effects Of Racial Discrimination And Internalized Mental Illness Stigma On A Community Sample Of Blacks And Latinos, Andrea E. Depetris

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Interaction Between Au25 Monolayer Protected Clusters With Lipid Nanodiscs, Yue Bao

Master's Theses

In spite of considerable achievements in the field of cancer research over the past years, the early detection and treatment of cancer is still desirable. Advanced biodiagnostic nanotechnology has been developed rapidly recently, nevertheless there remains great room for improvement through a better design of nanoparticles (NPs). Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have been actively studied in biomedical applications for their advantages of low toxicity, high contrast in imaging, and capability of absorbing the infrared which has high penetration to tissues. However, several challenges need to be addressed including enhancement of the signal and maximization of the infrared absorption. Bicelles are model …

L’Indien Entre Histoire Et Fiction : Etude Comparative Du Dernier Des Mohicans (The Last Of The Mohicans) De James Fenimore Cooper (1826) Et De Dans Le Grand Cercle Du Monde (The Orenda) De Joseph Boyden (2013), Justine Anna Loubere Mrs

Master's Theses

The Indian Between History and Fiction.

This thesis represents a comparative study between two works of fiction, The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper (1826) and The Orenda by Joseph Boyden (2013) and questions their use of history in the literary representation of the Indian.

The two stories take place during the 7-year war between the Hurons, allies of the French and the Iroquois, allies of the English. Both authors place the Indian world in the center of their novels, thus responding to a western fascination for the American-Indian.

The Last of the Mohicans, despite its historical accents, …