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A Test Of The Household Separation Hypothesis In Rwanda, James E. Anderson

Master's Theses

How does a farm household in rural Africa react when the government decides crop selection? In developing countries, agricultural households strive to optimize a risk mitigating utility function rather than a traditional agricultural production function. These households are termed “non-separated” as their farming efforts are directed towards family food security rather than maximizing agricultural profits. The lack of integration with labor and commodity markets makes these non-separated households difficult to influence with policy initiatives. Various tests for household separation have been developed.

We use a unique dataset from Rwanda to evaluate these separation tests. The data include households forced into …

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 …

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 …

The Impact Of Borehole Wells And A Hygiene And Sanitation Program On Diarrhea: Evidence From Rural Southwest Uganda, Morgan Adams

Master's Theses

Diarrheal disease is the second leading cause of death for children under age five, killing approximately 2,089 children a day (WHO, 2013). Clean water access, sanitation facilities, and good hygiene behavior are solutions to decreasing child mortality and morbidity caused by fecal contamination. I estimate the impact of borehole wells and a hygiene and sanitation program on diarrhea by creating a retrospective panel. I ask mothers to rank children from the most to least diarrhea when under the age of two and use this ranking to compare siblings, where at least one had been exposed to the program. The methodology …

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 …

Privatization & Fdi: Examining Growth In Vietnam's Provinces, William T. Clark

Master's Theses

Over the past three decades many developing countries have looked toward privatizing investment markets and relying more on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to supply needed capital investment for their emerging private sectors. In their pursuit of foreign capital, developing countries have enacted several changes in economic policy and regulation in hopes of transforming formerly rural and undeveloped countries into highly urbanized centers of global production. This is particularly true for a transitioning economy such as Vietnam, which has seen increasing privatization of industry and investment since the reforms of 1986 known as “Doi Moi.” In this study I …

Making Ice Cream In Tehran: A Field Experiment On The Impact Of Attendance Incentives For Street Working Children, Elnaz Safarha

Master's Theses

A substantial body of literature has focused on educational attainment and children’s performance to foster human capital. Despite the common goal, there is a debate on how to best approach it (Duflo et al. 2013). While in some studies incentives are effective in changing people’s behavior, by inducing more effort and higher performance, other works point to crowding out of intrinsic motivations and other externalities. This study reports the results of an experiment conducted with children usually working in the streets of Tehran (Iran) on the effectiveness of non-monetary incentives on school attendance and related behaviors. My within-subject design (dictated …

Does Poverty Really Impede Cognitive Function? Experimental Evidence From Tanzanian Fishers, Virginia Graves

Master's Theses

Does the feeling of scarcity really impede cognitive function? Using experimental evidence from Tanzanian fishers, this study examines the connection between poverty and cognitive function. Fishers in the experiment are tested on how exposure to a ‘scarcity trigger’ impacts cognition and productivity through measuring performance on problem solving tasks. The study also creates an index of distractions to test how existing problems in an individual’s life, which contribute to limited attention, relates to cognitive function and productivity. Experimental results do not find that mental and financial scarcities significantly impact test performance. Although the study finds no significant causal evidence, this …

"100 Years Later, It Is Still So Powerful": Navigating The Effects Of The Armenian Genocide And Its Trauma On Armenian American Youth, Lara S. Kleine

Master's Theses

This thesis examines the effects of the Armenian Genocide on five Armenian American university students ages 18 to 29 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The impact of this event from 100 years ago is passed down generationally and still affects the current descendants of its survivors. Since this genocide is still denied by Turkey, its perpetrators, and by the United States, the impact on Armenians has increased as each generation fights for official recognition.

By conducting semi-structured qualitative interviews, the participants revealed its impact on their identity. This thesis was grounded in intergenerational trauma transmission theory and collective memory …

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 …

Detection Of Hcmv Viral Il-10 (Vil-10) In Healthy Blood Donors, Vivian P. Young

Master's Theses

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is widespread in the general population and can establish lifelong latency with expression of a limited subset of viral genes. The UL111A gene is expressed during both lytic and latent infection, and at least two protein isoforms are produced. During lytic infection, the full length transcript yields cmvIL-10, a potent immunosuppressive viral ortholog of human IL-10 (hIL-10). Alternative splicing of the UL111A transcript yields a truncated protein, LAcmvIL-10, which is expressed during both lytic and latent infection but with a limited range of immunosuppressive functions. The two viral cytokines, collectively termed viral IL-10 (vIL-10), are identical in …

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 …

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.

Hidden Meanings: Troubadour Contrafacta In The Provencal Drama "Tragedia De Sancta Agnetis", Veronica Maria Da Rosa Guimaraes

Master's Theses

The drama Tragedia de Santa Agnetis (Rome, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Chigi C.V. 151) is a tantalizing medieval manuscript. It is a para-liturgical drama focused on the martyrdom of Saint Agnes, written in Provençal and Latin, and contains a total of sixteen musical melodies, all of which are contrafacta. Among these is the only extant melodic fragment of Pos de chantar, by Guillaume IX, Duke of Aquitaine. The drama has been the subject of few studies, none of which has appeared recently. It is dated to the mid-fourteenth century, a fact that seems never to have been questioned. However, …

Electrostatic Interactions Stabilizing The I-Domain Of Bacteriophage P22, Christina Harprecht

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Threats To The Therapeutic Alliance In First Sessions With High Conflict Couples, Kevin Charles Hynes

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.

Fatherhood And Food: Food Insecurity And Paternal Role Associations With Father And Child Diet Quality, Von Jessee

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of An Intensive Oral Reading Program On Discourse In Chronic Mild Aphasia, Marilyn Elizabeth Richard

Master's Theses

Background: There is limited research specific to deficits and interventions for people with mild aphasia (PWMA), although they have the greatest potential to return to work. Discourse and reading deficits for this population are well documented and negatively impact quality of life. Two treatment programs have used oral reading to target discourse with mixed success. Neither was designed specifically for PWMA.

Aims: The primary aim of the current study was to examine the effect of an intensive oral reading program on discourse in two participants with chronic mild aphasia. Outcome was also assessed on several other measures including oral reading, …

Increasing Bioactivity Of Cancellous Bone Allografts Using Growth Factor Delivery Through A Polymer Coating, Casey Mcdermott

Master's Theses

Bone grafts are incorporated in over 2 million orthopedic surgeries worldwide every year. (Janhangir) When a defect is large enough that the body cannot properly heal on its own, a bone graft is surgically implanted into the defect site. Allografts, though commonly used, show poor bioactivity and often require the incorporation of molecules such as growth factors to achieve significant bone formation in defect sites. This study used a degradable polymer, poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA), to coat allografts and load multiple growth factors to be released. Bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) was physically encapsulated for extended release, while vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) …

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.

Effects Of Auditory And Visual Variability On Word Learning In Children: A Pilot Study, Kelly A. Casey

Master's Theses

For infants, acquiring vocabulary for nouns is a dynamic, complex process that involves pairing an auditory token with a visual referent. This process is computationally complex because the acoustic information produced for a verbal production of any given noun varies considerably due to factors including the person who is speaking, speaking rate, and linguistic context. Likewise, visual referents are also variable in characteristics such as size, shape, material, and color. Research suggests that variability in either the auditory or visual domains can facilitate early word learning. However, the role of simultaneous variability in these domains on noun learning remains unexplored. …

A Pilot Study Investigating The Comprehension Of Miranda Rights By Adolescents With Language Impairment, Anne Marie Lieser

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

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: …

Gradient Effects Of Reading Ability On Native And Non-Native Talker Identification, Minal A. Kadam

Master's Theses

The acoustic signal of speech cues information about who is speaking in addition to a talker’s conceptual message. Recent findings indicate that these two aspects of the acoustic signal are fundamentally intertwined in the context of speech perception. For example, listeners demonstrate a native-language advantage for talker identification, which has been interpreted as evidence that phonological knowledge is recruited for talker identification. Converging evidence for this account comes from studies indicating adults with reading disability due to deficits in phonological processing show impaired talker recognition even in their native language. Other studies suggest that the influence of phonological processing on …