Digital Commons Network^™

A Suggested Model For Emergency Medical System Response During An Outbreak Of Human Pandemic Influenza, Ellen A. Black

Master's Theses

Predictions on infection rates for a possible outbreak of human pandemic influenza have officials in Public Health, Epidemiology, Public Safety, and other organizations developing plans on the federal, state, and local levels. These plans are outlining prevention, preparedness, and response during an outbreak, stressing interagency collaboration and contingencies for significant employee absenteeism rates for extended periods of time. However, Emergency Medical Service (EMS) providers will likely face a marked increase for calls for service to the community; and may be forced to provide service with a diminished workforce and additional duties not traditionally performed by their personnel. This Thesis examines …

Local Law Enforcement's Initial Role In Response To A Radiological Dispersion Device Attack, Andrew Robert Hoehl

Master's Theses

Today the potential exists for a terrorist organization to use a Radiological Dispersion Device or a dirty bomb within the United States. The results of such an attack could be catastrophic to the affected population. The response by law enforcement must be calculated and planned.

To properly analyze the law enforcement's role in a radioactive incident a qualitative approach was taken. A determination must be made prior to an attack to discern what kind of training will be necessary, what equipment will be required, and what response procedures need to be in place to ensure a safe and efficient response. …

P.I.: Poetry And The Imagination, Higino Francisco V. Penones Jr.

Master's Theses

The idea of a nation, a political concept spread during the Enlightenment with the invention of printing technology, has long been expressed through various representations. As a concept showing racial commonality and filiation, the notion of nation has been represented in various media, like printing and painting. Long before my country, the Philippines, became a sovereign state, it had been imagined and represented in various ways by early sea explorers, adventurers, writers, artists, cartographers, anthropologists, and its subsequent colonizers.

These representations, consistent with Benedict Anderson's definition of nation as an "imagined community," underlies this creative thesis project. My poems attempt …

The Unjust Selection Of Justice Professionals: Balancing Fairness For Police Officer Applicants And The Potential Citizens They Will Serve, Robert W. Boyle

Master's Theses

This paper examines the effects on the community when its police officers are held to different physical standards based upon their sex. Through a Platonic analysis of the modern day "guardians of the city," it can be seen that the community is deprived of the strongest and best police force when the department compensates individuals based upon a "weakness" that thier class of applicants possesses. This process proves to be unfair to both the applicants and to the citizens they may subsequently serve.

Nano-Mechanics Of Cartilage Glycosaminoglycans Using Molecular Dynamics Methods, Kevin Neil Hendrickson

Master's Theses

Articular Cartilage (AC) is the main load carrying material in synovial joints {Hamerman, 1962} and degeneration of AC can cause pain in the form of arthritis. Current work is centered on the method of replacing damaged cartilage inside the body (in vivo) with tissue engineered outside the body (ex vivo) {Temenoff, 2000}. In order to engineer tissue ex vivo similar to the native tissue in structure and function there must be a comprehensive understanding of the mechanical properties of AC. This work focuses on the study of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), a molecule known to be primarily responsible for the compressive stiffness …

Management Of Sport-Related Concussions By Certified Athletic Trainers, Mark J. Tiemeier

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Ozone Forcing On Climate Models, Sium Tesfai Gebremariam

Master's Theses

Thirteen coupled Atmospheric Oceanic Global Circulation Models (AOGCMs) and seven Chemistry Climate Models (CCMs) are compared to radiosonde and satellite observations to assess model performance and to study the connection between ozone forcing and model temperature trends during the last two decades. Overall, CCMs and AOGCMs that include time-varying ozone forcing agree reasonably well with observations in the lower stratosphere for both annual and seasonal averages, but models without time-varying ozone forcing (fixed) are statistically different from observations between ~ 150 hPa and 10 hPa. Both CCMs and those AOGCMs with time-varying ozone forcing capture the seasonality of the observed …

Intensity Of The 18 April 1906 Earthquake In And Near San Jose, California, Nancy C. Shostak

Master's Theses

Intensities of shaking for previously untapped, historical sources of damage data from the 1906 earthquake in and near San José, California, were developed with a refined and expanded version of the Modified Mercalli intensity (MMI) scale designed to bring out rich detail in the dense data. Sanborn fire insurance maps provide construction details and precise locations for 80 percent of the 607 intensity data points. Intensity values for 1906 range from MMI 6 to 9, with an average of 7.4. For damage data grouped by modern census blocks, the small variation in intensity within blocks indicates the 1906 intensity values …

21st Century Change In Sea-Level Pressure Investigated In North Pacific Ocean., Emerson N. Lajoie

Master's Theses

Mean changes in the climatology of 21st century annual variance of the sea-level pressure field in the North Pacific Ocean were investigated from all climate models that were used in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report (AR4). In several specific areas, a statistically significant increase in the annual variance of sea-level pressure was simulated for the 21st century in three emission scenarios; however, the magnitude of change did not follow the forcing The results indicate increased low-pressure activity for the Bering Sea, Bering Strait, Alaska, Gulf of Alaska, Canadian Rocky Mountains, and the west coast of …

Transition And Upheaval: Readers Switch From Newspapers To Web News Sites., James Detar

Master's Theses

This thesis provides an examination of the impact of the switch by news readers from print newspapers to news Web sites and other digital news media. The method is qualitative research in the form of a series of in-person interviews with top level editors at nine large national and regional U.S. newspapers. The consensus of the editors interviewed is that the rise of online news is a primary cause of the shrinkage of print news readership. Further, they agreed that print newspaper readership will continue to decline. Finally, most of the editors concluded that---although it presents opportunities---the impact of the …

Flow Cytometric Analysis Of Phytoplankton Viability In Elkhorn Slough, California., Sarah Rose Smith

Master's Theses

The phytoplankton community structure of Elkhorn Slough was characterized flow cytometrically and found to be dominated in the upper reaches by small cryptophytes (< 5 microm) and picoeukaryotic phytoplankton (< 3 microm). Cell-specific viability of the small cryptophyte population was quantified along a 5 km transect from the mouth to the shallow upper reaches of Elkhorn Slough using fluorescein diacetate (FDA). Corroborative viability techniques, including SYTOX Green stain and cell digestion assay, were determined to be inappropriate for use in Elkhorn Slough due to indiscriminate staining of suspended particulates and incompatibility with cell target material. Viability analysis with FDA revealed a higher fraction of active cryptophyte cells in the upper reaches, the area of their dominance, and a lower fraction of active cells in the lower slough. It was concluded that cell death (as defined by a lack of FDA-linked esterase enzyme activity) is an important force structuring the phytoplankton community of Elkhorn Slough.

Comparing Generation X To Generation Y On Work-Related Beliefs., Susana Fernandez

Master's Theses

A new generation of employees with new expectations is entering the workplace. They are known by many names, but most will recognize them as the Millennials or Generation Y (Gen Y). With many Gen Y members already in the workforce, managers are likely to be required to deal with the generational differences that appear to exist among employees. Given that Gen Y members are likely to work closely with Gen X members, the present study explored possible differences between Gen X and Gen Y on their work-related beliefs.

"Firing The Pigskin Real Right": Media Representations Of Simpson And Romo., Lindsey M. Eliopulos

Master's Theses

The purpose of the study was to examine the media's representations of sport-celebrity couple singer-actress, Jessica Simpson and Dallas Cowboys Quarterback, Tony Romo. One hundred magazine and 100 newspaper articles published between December 17, 200, that coincided with the first publicized notion of the "Jessica Simpson jinx" and April 15, 2009, were qualitatively analyzed. The investigation revealed the prevailing dominant ideologies of patriarchal structures, traditional gender roles, hegemonic masculinity and deviance, while underscoring the mass media's ubiquitous characteristics. The literature emphasized the mass media's representation of the celebrity and the media's habitual employment of gossip and rumor linguistics to frame …

Avini's City: "Shahri Dar Aasemaan"., Mehrzad Karimabadi

Master's Theses

This thesis examines the documentary Shahri dar Aasemaan (i.e. A City in the Sky) by the late filmmaker Sayyed Morteza Avini's in order to establish its key elements and argue for Avini as an auteur with a unique cinematic style that includes strong personal and ideological ties. Shahri dar Aasemaan, which was Avini's last documentary, covers the initial forty-five-day battle leading to the Iraqi occupation of the Iranian city of Khorramshahr when the Iran-Iraq war broke out in October of 1980. In order to better comprehend Avini as an auteur and his work, this study begins with a brief introduction …

Relations Between Language And Executive Function In Spanish-Speaking Children., Ana Luz Portillo

Master's Theses

The literature on the development of executive function (EF) has been largely limited to studies of middle-class English-speaking children. This study extended executive function research to a primarily low socioeconomic status (SES) sample of Spanish-speaking preschool children living in the United States. The purpose of this study was to examine a variety of language measures (vocabulary, grammar, and comprehensive language) in relation to a variety of executive function measures (working memory, inhibitory control, and attention-shifting). Results revealed that Spanish speakers performed on some, but not all, EF measures comparably to higher SES English-speaking peers, in concurrence with previously reported findings. …

Determinants Of Job Satisfaction And Turnover Among Physicians., Dustin Kaplan

Master's Theses

This study examined the determinants of job satisfaction and turnover among physicians at the University of California, San Diego. The relationship between eight predictor variables (administrative requirements, autonomy, ability to provide quality patient care, workload, work/private life conflict, pay, satisfaction with community, locus of control) and two dependent variables (job satisfaction, turnover intentions) was studied. Results indicated physicians' satisfaction with their current position was related to their perceptions of their autonomy, workload, work/private life conflict, pay, and community satisfaction. In addition, all predictors except workload had an impact on physicians' satisfaction with the current career. The only predictor that influenced …

Intrusion Detection And Prevention System: Cgi Attacks., Tejinder Aulakh

Master's Theses

Over the past decade, the popularity of the Internet has been on the rise. The Internet is being used by its clients to access both static and dynamic data residing on remote servers. In the client-server interaction, the client asks the server to provide information, and, in addition, the server may also request that clients provide information such as in "web forms." Therefore, the Internet is being used for many different purposes which also include the web servers collecting the information from the clients. Consequently, attacks on the web servers have been increasing over the years. Due to the fact …

Literary Prose And Poetry In San Francisco's Black Newspapers, 1862--1885., Jan Batiste Adkins

Master's Theses

This thesis addresses the topic of literature of poetry, short stories, travel narratives, and didactic narratives published in the Pacific Appeal and the Elevator newspapers of San Francisco during 1862--1885. Many of the literary writings published in these newspapers were written by residents of San Francisco's African American communities and also residents of other communities in the San Francisco Bay Area. This research not only documents the imaginative writings by African American writers and others interested in the issues facing African American citizens, but it analyzes the trends, structure, tone, themes, imagery, language, and issues during the initial year of …

Whitefly Fauna Of Clark County, Nevada., John W. Dooley Iii

Master's Theses

The research presented here documents the whitefly fauna within the Las Vegas area in Clark County, Nevada, with information on the geology, host and plant communities in the area where the whiteflies were collected. Only specimens of the immature fourth stage (puparium) were observed and collected at Red Rock Canyon, Mount Charleston, and the Mojave Desert surrounding Las Vegas.

Offshoring Effectiveness: Measurement And Improvement With Optimization Approach., Dip Biswas

Master's Theses

This study takes a refreshing look at IT outsourcing from a vendor's perspective and discusses best practices required to effectively manage offshore business needs and offshoring effectiveness. We have conducted a detailed investigation to learn why outsourcing ventures fail, how to effectively measure up to service provider capability, and how to deliver strategic value to the end customer. Extant literature does not talk about the vendor's issues and problems in outsourcing, and our investigation emphasized the vendor's perspective on offshoring strategy and offshore resource effectiveness as the two important differentiators in a make-or-buy decision. Measurement metrics for each of the …

Seafood Labeling And Consumer Behavior: A Fishwise Case Study, Sonoma County, Ca., Alicia Ushijima Elsholz

Master's Theses

Decades of unsustainable commercial fishing have resulted in depletion of fish stocks, destruction of ocean habitats, and unintended capture and death of fish and marine mammals. In addition, unsustainable aquaculture practices threaten wild species and pollute surrounding natural habitats. In an attempt to combat these adverse impacts, FishWise, a seafood labeling program, was created to encourage consumers at health food stores and gourmet markets in the US to purchase seafood caught or farm raised in a sustainable manner. This study evaluates FishWise to determine its effectiveness in educating consumers about sustainable fishery issues and in influencing purchases of sustainable seafood …

Alfred Of Wessex A Study In Accidental Greatness., Maureen Elizabeth Searing

Master's Theses

This thesis examines the application of the epithet "great" to King Alfred of Wessex (r. 871--899). It sets a standard for greatness within the context of early medieval Christian kingship, applies it to Alfred, and then compares Alfred to Charlemagne and Charles the Bald. It traces the development of the cult of Alfred from his own lifetime to the early twentieth century. It examines the mythical achievements of Alfred and how they developed, then summarizes his actual accomplishments, and compares them to the standard for greatness developed in the thesis.

Concerto For The Young Adventurer., Mark Forrest Desimone

Master's Theses

Concerto for the Young Adventurer is a four-movement work written for cello, vibraphone and piano. Its themes are youthful adventure and exploration. Although the work is not programmatic in the strict sense, each movement is titled to guide the listener through a possible interpretation of the music's meaning. Each instrument is featured in several places, and all three provide supporting material when not in the spotlight. As a whole, the work is symphonic in its structure. Each movement serves its purpose in the larger picture, while all can function independently from one another. Recurring ideas link the movements together thematically …

Effects Of Wall Compliance On Pulsatile Flow Attenuation In Microchannels., Jing-Keat Goh

Master's Theses

The attenuation of pulsatile flow through highly compliant microchannels has been investigated. The expansion of a compliant microchannel subjected to pulsatile flow is able to store fluid temporarily and thereby reduce the peak-to-peak magnitude of flow fluctuation. In a highly compliant microchannel, the microchannel expansion reduces its hydraulic resistance and its associated pressure drop. For a similar inlet pressure condition, the pressure drop along the length of a more compliant microchannel is lower than a rigid microchannel. Therefore, greater net pressure is available to deform the microchannel wall. So the hypothesis of this study is the coupled relationship between higher …

Examination Of The Factors That Predict Job Satisfaction., Amani Shoman

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine the predictors of job satisfaction among three departments within an organization. The study used five predictors: leadership/top management communication with subordinates, feedback received from one's supervisor, training opportunities for employees, career opportunities within the company, and teamwork or cooperation among employees. Using data from 608 participants, the present study examined the relationships between each of these five predictors and job satisfaction. Consistent with hypotheses, each of these predictors was significantly related to job satisfaction. Moreover, leadership/top management communication with subordinates (except for one department surveyed), career opportunities within the company, and teamwork …

Efficacy Of High School Pre-Participation Physical Evaluation., Crystal Miles-Threatt

Master's Theses

The Pre-participation Physical Examination (PPE) is an annual medical clearance required for athletic participation. Six medical organizations have endorsed the requirements for a PPE, and the California Interscholastic Federation offers a recommended form. However, because the use of this form is not mandatory, a lack of consistency occurs and some forms do not contain all the recommended requirements. This study analyzes the PPE process in California high schools to better understand whether the PPE process offers sufficient precautions to ensure athlete medical safety.

Enhancing Spammer Detection In Online Social Networks With Trust-Based Metrics., Alexander J. Murmann

Master's Theses

As online social networks acquire larger user bases, they also become more interesting targets for spammers. Spam can take very different forms on social Web sites and cannot always be detected by analyzing textual content. However, the platform's social nature also offers new ways of approaching the spam problem. In this work the possibilities of analyzing a user's direct neighbors in the social graph to improve spammer detection are explored. Special features of social Web sites and their implicit trust relations are utilized to create an enhanced attribute set that categorizes users on the Twitter microblogging platform as spammers or …

Frederick Beecher Perkins: Library Pioneer And Curmudgeon., Michael D. Murray

Master's Theses

In the following thesis, I will argue that Frederick Beecher Perkins is an overlooked figure in library history who deserves to be listed among the great library pioneers. Perkins was involved with many of the people, organizations, and major debates that shaped the field of librarianship in the late 1800s. He was associated with such figures as Melvil Dewey and Justin Winsor. He was involved in the critical issues of the day such as best reading, cataloging and classifying books, and administering libraries. He also played a role in important organizations and libraries such as the American Library Association, the …

Women In Sports Journalism., Sara Ellen Swanson

Master's Theses

This thesis is an exploration of women in sports journalism and the challenges they face when entering the locker room. It begins with an introduction focused on the history of women in sports journalism. Following the introduction, there will be a discussion in literature review format of the various challenges the women have faced.

Factors In Bmi Increase Among Multicultural Freshmen., Leah Haritan

Master's Theses

This observational research examines body mass index (BMI) changes in multicultural freshmen attending a large public urban university. It explores factors associated with BMI increase and investigates behavior changes and perceptions related to diet and body weight. The study utilizes an online survey distributed in November 2007 and again in April 2008. All 3,260 freshmen were eligible to participate. Initial response rate was 23%; 44% of initial respondents completed both surveys (N = 337). Results revealed a significant increase in BMI for on-campus residents, Caucasians, and males (P < 0.05). Decreased vegetable intake was associated with a BMI increase of less than one (P < 0.05). Fruits and vegetables were perceived by most as healthful; their high cost, and limited variety and availability on campus were deemed potential barriers to intake. Freshman weight gain may be a function of gender, residence, and ethnicity, and deserves further examination.