Digital Commons Network^™

Implications Of Social Support And Culture In The Context Of Work-Related Stress, Maria Amren

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

A Rylean Revision To Biological Naturalism, Timothy E. Kunke

Master's Theses

This essay is a contrasting of John Searle's biological naturalist view of the mind with Gilbert Ryle's deconstruction of the problem of mind-body interaction. These two positions are most uniquely suited for this purpose since, together they constitute the best positive theory and criticism of the same problem. It will be argued that consciousness - a feature of human experience which proves to be one of the most difficult to account for, from the perspective of the naturalist can be regarded as a dispositional attribute of a complex biological organism. Considered as such, it is what Searle would term a …

Marine Mammal Response To Ecosystem Variability In Monterey Bay, California., Julia Burrows

Master's Theses

The coastal upwelling ecosystem near Monterey Bay, California is an extremely productive, yet variable, ecosystem and an important foraging area for mobile, apex predators, such as marine mammals. Longer-term studies are required to better understand how marine mammals respond to temporal environmental variability; however, few of these studies exist. We conducted monthly shipboard line-transect surveys in Monterey Bay from 1997 to 2007, concurrent with hydroacoustic and oceanographic sampling. Twenty-two species of marine mammals were identified, and monthly and annual densities were calculated for the 12 most commonly sighted species. Densities varied among years, whereas species richness remained relatively constant. Marine …

Recruitment Strategies Of Ulva And Porphyra In Central California., Rosemary Romero

Master's Theses

Ephemeral algae are early colonizers of the rocky intertidal zone after a disturbance, although the mechanism of early colonization (including benthic microscopic stages and waterborne propagules) is poorly known. Recruitment of the ephemeral Ulva spp. was studied in two types of disturbance manipulations (partial removal of all macroscopic organisms were removed vs. complete removal of all macro- and microscopic organisms) and an un-manipulated control at two tidal heights (high Porphyra zone and low Mazzaella zone). Replicate disturbances were created in August 2007, November 2007, January 2008, and May 2008 and were monitored until August 2008 on a rocky bench north …

Design And Implementation Of Embedded Adaptive Controller Using Arm Processor., Hoan The Nguyen

Master's Theses

This thesis is concerned with development of embedded adaptive controllers for industrial applications. Many industrial processes present challenging control problems such as high nonlinearity, time-varying dynamic behaviors, and unpredictable external disturbances. Conventional controllers are too limited to successfully resolve these problems. Therefore, the adaptive control strategy, an advanced control theory, is applied to overcome deficiencies of the conventional controllers.

Active Vibration Control Of A Flexible Beam., Shawn Le

Master's Theses

There has been tremendous growth in the study of vibration suppression of smart material structures with lead zironate titanate (PZT) material by the control engineering community. This thesis considers a cantilever beam with bonded piezoceramic actuators and a sensor for the study of vibration control. The flexible beam dynamic model is first derived analytically according to the Euler Bernoulli Beam Theory. The first three mode shapes and natural frequencies of the beam are constructed analytically and verified with finite element analysis. The validity of the smart structure was experimentally verified. The natural frequencies and damping parameters for each mode were …

A Framing Analysis Of Al-Jazeera's Coverage Of The Palestinian Fatah-Hamas Conflict., Mohammed Z. Abou Ramadan

Master's Theses

By utilizing both framing and descriptive analysis, this study examined how an Arab media outlet, Al-Jazeera, with an increasingly global reach framed the Palestinian-Palestinian conflict. The 2006 Palestinian legislative elections and the 2007 fall-of-Gaza under the control of Hamas were two critical Palestinian events that warranted an examination of how coverage of these two periods was framed. Thirty frames were found in Al-Jazeera's coverage of the two mentioned critical events. These frames were categorized into seven major sets of frames. The civil war and the politics' sets of frames dominated Al-Jazeera's coverage in the fall-of-Gaza period, and the elections and …

Effects Of Telepresence Light Height And Ambient Light On Glare And Appearance, James P. Beno

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Golfers' Experience With Multiple Imagery Interventions And Putting Performance, Seongkwan Cho

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

The Sheaf Catalogs Of George John Spencer, Larissa C. Brookes

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Stigmatization Of Iraq Veterans With Ptsd, Depression, Or Chronic Back Pain, Melissa Daoud

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Scyphozoan Jellies As Prey For Leatherback Sea Turtles Off Central California, Tanya R. Graham

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Dietrich And Sternberg : From Cabaret Performance To Feminist Empowerment, Elizabeth Anne Taylor

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Psychosocial Stress And Social Support On Memory, Dong T. H Nguyen

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Conservation And Pasture Value Of Remnant Trees In A Tropical Agroecosystem, Ariel N. Rivers

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

A Pastor's Crucifixion, Tommy Mouton

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Images Of Aggression And Substance Abuse In Music Videos : A Content Analysis, Monica M. Escobedo

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Wintering Duck Response To Trail Use At Former San Francisco Bay Salt Ponds, Heather Renee White

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Depression: The Role Of Cultural Factors And Perception Of Treatment., Cynthia Chacon

Master's Theses

Depression is a prevalent mental disorder. Various factors influence people's attitudes toward help seeking, perceptions, and beliefs about psychotherapy, including ethnicity (language), distress level, social support, treatment modality, and subpopulation. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and psychodynamic therapy (PT) have been used to treat depression. This study explored the relationship between the aforementioned variables. Participants (N = 264) were White and Mexican-American from a college and the community. Results indicated that ethnicity and subpopulation were not significantly related to seeking help; people who reported higher distress levels and higher social support expressed greater likelihood to seek help. All groups rated CBT …

Feature Extraction From High Resolution Digital Elevation Models Of Mars, Leslie E. Keely-Meindorfer

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Framing The 2008 War In Georgia In Resonance, Izvestia, And The New York Times, Ekaterine Basilaia

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Design, Fabrication, Modeling And Characterization Of Electrostatically-Actuated Silicon Membranes, Brian C. Stahl

Master's Theses

This thesis covers the design, fabrication, modeling and characterization of electrostatically actuated silicon membranes, with applications to microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). A microfabrication process was designed to realize thin membranes etched into a silicon wafer using a wet anisotropic etching process. These flexible membranes were bonded to a rigid counterelectrode using a photo-patterned gap layer. The membranes were actuated electrostatically by applying a voltage bias across the electrode gap formed by the membrane and the counterelectrode, causing the membrane to deflect towards the counterelectrode. This deflection was characterized for a range of actuating voltages and these results were compared to the …

Bioflocculation For Control Of Wastewater Pond Microalgae, Daniel Thomas Frost

Master's Theses

Investigates several hypotheses regarding the use of bioflocculation as a harvesting method for wastewater pond microalgae. Research performed on pilot-scale high rate ponds (HRPs) on the California Central Coast.

Grace Through Love : An Examination Of Milton's Monism, Mortalism, And The Puritan Ideals Of Desire As Reflected In Sonnet 23, Leslie Naomi Wyatt

Master's Theses

This thesis examines Sonnet 23, especially in concern to: 1) Milton’s adherence to monism, a philosophical and theological position that he derived from his reading of Rabbinical approaches to the Old Testament; 2) His adherence to the related doctrine of mortalism, which held that death entailed the death, until resurrection of both body and soul; and 3) Milton’s interest in the way certain Puritan thinkers idealized desire for aspects of the world’s beauty, especially desire for one’s spouse, and how, particularly in the process of mourning, such desires could foster a stronger bond with God. The thesis also looks at …

The Endangered Representation Of Sexual Violence In Sarah Kane's Blasted, Dina Zhurba

Master's Theses

In Blasted, Kane represents how incidents of rape highlight, exacerbate and solidify the unevenness of power distribution between men and women in the modern world and provides a new perspective at what we might call “rape in general” – a transhistorical phenomenon of rape as a practice of violence towards the female victim. Through a detailed analysis of the unique representational circumstances of the multiple scenes of rape, such as Cate’s meaningful absence in Ian’s scene of rape, the author of the essay comes to a conclusion that rape is and remains an engendered practice. However, along with reaffirming …

The Reluctant Colonization Of The Falkland Islands, 1833-1851 : A Study Of British Imperialism In The Southwest Atlantic, Shannon Warnick

Master's Theses

After the Napoleonic Wars, British leaders increasingly objected to large burdensome formal annexations. Hence, when South American markets opened in the 1820s British leaders considered using nearby island bases to ward off regional rivals. Britain therefore occupied the Falkland Islands in 1833. Despite governing the world’s strongest industrial and naval power however, British leaders neglected the Falklands’ progress as a colony from 1833 to 1851. Dogmatic faith in “efficiency” and free trade in the 1840s led to modest commercial progress by largely unfettered private interests in the islands, but led to little improvement in defense or society. This study uses …

Application Of Parent-Child Uav Tasking For Wildfire Detection And Response, Stephen T. Kubik

Master's Theses

In recent years, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have become a dominant force in the aerospace industry. Recent technological developments have moved these aircraft from remote operation roles to more active response missions. Of particular interest is the possibility of applying UAVs toward solving complex problems in long-endurance missions. Under that belief, the feasibility of utilizing UAVs for wildfire detection and response was investigated in a partnership that included NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate and Science Mission Directorate, and the United States Forest Service. Under NASA’s Intelligent Mission Management (IMM) project, research was conducted to develop a mission architecture that would …

A Qualitative Exploration Of Female Surfers: Recreation Specialization, Motivations, And Perspectives, Tiyanya Anna Nourbakhsh

Master's Theses

This current study utilized recreation specialization and leisure motivation theory to explore the meanings, perspectives, and behaviors among female surfers. Despite numerous studies previously published regarding recreation specialization and leisure motivation related to activity participation, little research has been conducted on the activity of surfing from a female perspective. Data for this study were collected using in-depth, semi- structured interviews of nine women surfers from the California Central Coast. Content analyses of the data involved coding and identifying key themes, patterns, and categories. The dominant themes significant within recreation specialization included past participation (e.g., preceding activities to eventual participation and …

Downtown Revitalization: Consumers' And City Planners' Perceived Barriers To Integrating Large-Scale Retail Into The Downtown, Jennifer M. Donofrio

Master's Theses

Statement of Problem

Revitalization of downtowns across America continues to be challenged by the shift to the suburbs. The barriers to integrating large-scale retail in a small, medium, and large city downtown were examined.

Forces of Data

The System View Planning Theory (Taylor, 1998) guided the study of city planners’ and consumers’ perceived barriers to integrating large scale retail into the downtown. In order to ascertain the barriers to integrating large-scale retail into the downtown intercept-surveys with consumers (n=30, responded to the intercept survey in each city) and interviews with city planners were conducted.

Conclusion Reached

Some significant differences were …

High Speed Wavelength Tuning Of Sgdbr Lasers For Optical Coherence Tomography Applications, Benjamin Maher

Master's Theses

The application of Sample Grated Distributed Bragg Reflector (SGDBR) wavelength tunable lasers for swept-wavelength Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) is explored. OCT is a method of measuring reflectivity versus distance into samples under test with a focused infrared light source. Swept wavelength OCT requires a laser light source that is capable of sweeping its wavelength quickly over the entire wavelength range of the tunable laser. Fast sweeping of the laser's wavelength enables real-time imaging of a wide surface area of the surface under test. This thesis will show that SGDBR lasers can be designed to meet the fast wavelength ramp speeds …