Digital Commons Network^™

A False Sense Of Security: The Social Security Debate, Chris Shipman-Sercu

CMC Senior Theses

My motivation to write this thesis is based on the controversy surrounding the Social Security system that has recently infiltrated the media. Through my research, I have discovered the debate concerning Social Security is not a recent development but has existed since the 1930’s. Many sources are warning citizens to no longer count on Social Security as they most likely will not receive benefits until a extremely old age if they receive benefits at all. Current retirees are fearful of either a decrease in benefits or not receiving the money they contributed to the system through the years of employment …

An Examination Of The Government Accounting Standards Board, Christopher D. Jones

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis examines the Government Accounting Standards Board by considering its history, current structure, and treatment of a current accounting standards debate. It then uses this examination to make recommendations as to reforms of the GASB and government accounting.

Latino Teens At Risk: The Effectiveness Of Dating Violence Prevention Programs, Ruth N. Calvillo

CMC Senior Theses

Teen dating violence is a serious problem that does not receive the attention it should. This paper examines the factors that contribute to teen dating violence and more specifically the factors that contribute to dating violence among Latino youth. After determining the factors that contribute to this problem, prevention programs are examined to assess how well they address those issues. Currently, multiple dating violence prevention programs are used across the country; however, most of them do not address the needs of Latino youth. Suggestions on how to make these programs more appropriate for Latinos are provided.

The Consequences Of Increasing Ocean Acidification On Local And Global Fishing Industries, Alyson N. Stark

CMC Senior Theses

As human activities continue to generate accelerating levels of carbon dioxide emissions, the world’s oceanic resources are threatened by variability in seawater chemistry, known as ocean acidification. Recent increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide have resulted in decreased carbonate ion concentrations and ocean pH levels, leading to increasingly acidic waters. The exact consequences of these chemical changes on ecosystems and individual species are difficult to predict; however, research has shown that economically valuable calcifying species will experience reduced reproductive fitness and population declines. Ocean acidification, therefore, poses an immediate risk to both fish stocks and fishery industries. From a local perspective, …

The Secondary Market For Gift Cards And The Role Of Corporate Bankruptcy Risk, Kaitlyn A. Desai

CMC Senior Theses

The website, Plastic Jungle, is taking advantage of the rapidly growing gift card phenomena by creating a secondary market that enables consumers to buy, sell, and exchange gift cards online at a discount. This paper examines the relationship between this secondary gift card market and the corporate bankruptcy risk of companies with gift cards listed on the market. When a company issues a gift card, the card is unsecured debt and the cardholder becomes an unsecured creditor to the company. This paper investigates whether the cardholder acts similarly to other unsecured creditors or as someone who is merely holding another …

How Users Actually Use Financial Statements: A New Tool For Research In Experimental Accounting, Kevin Burke

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis presents a new methodology based on directly measuring user behavior and making decisions based on experimental results. I have built and tested a tool which will enable researchers to use the methodology to determine whether particular financial statement presentations are more beneficial than others. The tool records user movement on a computer screen with mouse tracking, which allows researchers to track user behavior in greater detail than ever before. The methodology was tested on a subject pool of non-professional financial analysts and junior professionals, who were presented with a company’s financial data in the current GAAP and a …

Solar Development In The Mojave Desert, Joseph B. Swartley

CMC Senior Theses

For more than two centuries, humans have been spewing “greenhouse gases” into the atmosphere through the burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, and the development of land, causing the planet’s surface temperature to increase at an accelerated rate. Climate change is one of the most pressing issues that the world is facing today, and in order to combat the effects of climate change, it is necessary to adopt the use of more renewable technology, namely solar energy. The United States' best region for solar development is the Mojave Desert, and many large-scale projects are being built or proposed to be built …

The Effects Of Communication Disorders On Social Development, Heather M. Back

CMC Senior Theses

This paper explores literature on the effects of communication disorders on the social development of children. The paper discusses such topics as the effects of communication disorders on personality development, the ability to make friends and resolve conflict with peers, and academic success. It also discusses the influences of multiculturalism and bilingualism on the diagnosis of communication disorders and reflects on the importance of awareness of cultural differences in communication style to avoid a misdiagnosis. Research shows that without intervention and treatment communication disorders can have irreversible detrimental effects on a child’s ability to develop effect social-communication, to make friends, …

A Valuation Of U.S. Not-For-Profit Summer Camps With A Comparison Of Two Members Of The Association Of Hole In The Wall Camps, Kristine N. Staley

CMC Senior Theses

Despite their prevalence throughout the United States, summer camps are rarely considered as businesses or high-functioning not-for-profit entities. This paper explores the camping industry with a focus on not-for-profit camps. It adapts typical not-for-profit efficiency metrics to camps in order to demonstrate that powerful missions are not always enough to keep not-for-profits in operation. The paper examines two members of the Association of Hole in the Wall Camps which serve children with serious and life-threatening illnesses. Ultimately, this paper is a tool for donors to observe how organizational performance is a crucial factor when donating to organizations with similar mission.

Reform In California's Immigration Enforcement And Immigration Court, Nelson E. Gil

CMC Senior Theses

According to the Department of Homeland Security, Office of Immigration Statistic, California accounts for approximately 2,600,000 illegal immigrants in 2009. This number represents about 25 percent of the entire estimated illegal immigrant population in the United States, which is roughly 10.8 million. Between 2003 and 2008, the U.S. government removed 1,446,338 noncitizens from the United States. This rise in deportation is a result o the changes that have been enacted by the federal government over the years that transformed the nature of immigration enforcement. This thesis explores the California Immigration Enforcement system from the programs established to apprehend illegal aliens …

From Disco To Electronic Music: Following The Evolution Of Dance Culture Through Music Genres, Venues, Laws, And Drugs., Ambrose Colombo

CMC Senior Theses

Electronic dance music is a genre that has been long in the making. Starting with disco in the 1970s, dance culture genres evolved into house, acid house, techno, garage, 2-step, hardcore, gabba, san frandisco, electro, and many others. This paper studies the transformation of electronic sound, and the contributing/impeding factors involved. Drug use is heavily related to the creation and enjoyment of music, and features prominently in the history of dance culture. Starting with the use of acid in the 1960s and progressing to the use of acid, Quaaludes, poppers, speed in the 1970s, with MDA featured in clubs toward …

Grasshoppers In The Outfield: An Examination Of The Effects Of Sports On Children, Chelsea R. Baker

CMC Senior Theses

Many psychologists have studied the effects of sports on children because it is an issue that is important for children and parents alike. Athletic participation is a popular activity in the United States for children and many begin sports at young ages. Theokas (2009) claimed that the importance of athletics is that sports are more than physical activity—sports have an influence in many other areas of a child’s life. The goal of the current review was to examine how sports affect children in domains such as: friendships, self-esteem, family, and academics. Athletic involvement helps a child in more ways that …

Transfer Pricing: Current Problems And Solutions, Ronald Wu

CMC Senior Theses

The current problems and possible solutions surrounding United States transfer pricing regulations are discussed and studied. The schemes large multinational companies are implementing to legally evade taxes are uncovered as the financial effects to the United States Treasury and government are becoming material. The benefits for these schemes are financially advantageous for corporations as they are able to report larger profits and higher returns for investors. But this is being done at the expense of our government. Corporations are finding ways to escape the high U.S. corporate tax rate and lower their global tax liabilities by allocating income to lower …

Integrated Overview, Case-Studies And Analysis: Income Inequality In Latin America, Post-1980, Aaron R. Campbell

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis provides an integrated overview on the historical and contemporary literature dedicated to the study of within-country income inequality in Latin America.

The central hypothesis of this report is that there are underlying factors that drive the persistent levels of high within-country inequality experienced by Latin American countries. We study two countries, Brazil and Bolivia, through the process of reform and growth, and note the effects on the labor markets.

Using all available statistics and the wealth of knowledge compiled since the early 1980s, this study identifies those trends, and the factors that cause them to reappear in numerous …

Nestmate Recognition And The Role Of Cuticular Hydrocarbons In The African Termite Raiding Ant Pachycondyla Analis, Abdullahi A. Yusuf, Christian W.W. Pirk, Robin M. Crewe, Peter G.N. Njagi, Ian Gordon, Baldwyn Torto

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) are used for chemical communication among nestmates in many ant species, and they may play a role in the discrimination of nestmates and non-nestmates. Using the mandible opening response (MOR) bioassay, we tested the response of the African termite raiding ant, Pachycondyla analis, to CHC extracts of nestmates and non-nestmates. The ants were able to distinguish control chemical cues, from nestmate CHCs, and from non-nestmate CHCs, and, based on a CHC recognition threshold, aggression was demonstrated toward non-nestmates. Gas chromatography (GC) and GC-mass spectrometric analyses showed that CHC components of different ant colonies had chain lengths ranging …

Impact Of An Interprofessional Central Venous Catheter Insertion Training Program, James P. Orlando Edd, Andrew Miller Do, William Bond Md, Ms, Valerie A. Rupp Rn, Bsn, Bryan G. Kane Md, Cindy Umbrell Rn, Msn, Michael Pasquale Md, Elizabeth Verheggen Phd, Elliot J. Sussman Md, Mba

Department of Emergency Medicine

No abstract provided.

The National Right To Counsel Act: A Congressional Solution To The Nation's Indigent Defense Crisis, Cara H. Drinan

Scholarly Articles

For decades, scholars and practitioners have criticized the deplorable quality of legal representation available to poor criminal defendants across the country. Yet states continue to give short shrift to the constitutional rights of poor defendants. This article proposes a new piece of federal legislation designed to ameliorate the chronic inadequacies of public defense systems, while respecting federalism and leaving in tact the states’ ability to devise and implement appropriate public defense systems. The centerpiece of this proposed legislation is a cause of action in federal court that allows indigent defendants to seek equitable relief for systemic Sixth Amendment violations on …

Condiciones Higiénico-Sanitarias Como Factores De Riesgo Para Las Parasitosis Intestinales En Una Comunidad Rural Venezolana [Hygiene And Sanitation As Risk Factors For Intestinal Parasites In A Venezuelan Rural Community], Alejandro Rísquez, Marvic Márquez, Geraldine Del Carmen Quintero, Juan Pablo Ramírez, José Gregorio Requena, Andrea Daniela Riquelme, Maigualida José Rodríguez, Margaret Gissel Rodríguez, Nathalie Chacon

Physician Assistant Studies Faculty Publications

Las parasitosis intestinales, enfermedades tropicales desasistidas, contribuyen con el ciclo de la pobreza en poblaciones rurales, con acceso limitado a la atención médica, malas condiciones higiénicas, con consumo de agua y alimentos contaminados. El propósito de este estudio de prevalencia, muestra no aleatoria de 69 niños, fue evaluar los factores de riesgo higiénico-sanitarios mediante inspección, las normas de disposición de residuos sólidos y manipulación de alimentos en la Unidad Educativa de Panaquire-Miranda, ejecutar encuesta sobre las condiciones de vida, examinar muestras de heces mediante el método Formol-Tritón-Éter y asociar las condiciones higiénico-sanitarias de la vivienda con la presencia de parasitosis. …

Baseless Pleas: A Mockery Of Justice, Mari Byrne

Fordham Law Review

This Note addresses the ethicality of the baseless plea, a guilty plea entered by a defendant for a crime that everyone in the courtroom—judge, prosecutor, defense attorney, and defendant—knows the defendant did not commit. Used in the interest of efficiency and leniency, the baseless plea allows a defendant to plead guilty to a crime that has no basis in the facts of the case. Though used by courts in numerous jurisdictions, baseless pleas have been largely unaddressed as courts have sought to conceal the practice and as commentators have therefore failed to detect it. This Note seeks to remedy that …

Acceptance, Communication Mode And Use Of Audio Computer- Assisted Self Interview Using Touchscreen To Identify Risk Factors Among Pregnant Minority Women, Jutta S. Thornberry, Kennan B. Murray, M. Nabil El-Khorazaty, Michele Kiely

Publications and Research

This paper evaluates the acceptability, communication mode and use of audio computer-assisted self-interview (A-CASI) among minority pregnant women receiving prenatal care in six Washington, DC sites. A total of 2,913 women were screened for demographic eligibility (18+ years old,gestation, Black/African-American or Hispanic) and risk (smoking, environmental tobacco smoke exposure, depression, intimate partner violence). Questions were displayed on touch screen laptop monitors and heard through earphones. The mean length of time to complete the screener was almost 6 minutes.

A-CASI experience, which included difficulty in using the computer, acceptability (enjoyment), and preferred communication mode, was compared across sites, the eligibility and …

The Effects Of Oil Shocks On The Us Economy, David Jaliman

Theses & ETDs

This thesis sets out to examine the impact of oil shocks and oil volatility on the US business cycle. Through the use of both a GARCH (1,1) combined with an AR (2) model and a VAR model. The results from these models indicate that oil shocks cause a small, but statistically significant impact on GDP. Oil shocks can adversely affect U.S. economic growth. Additionally, the VAR model also showed oil shocks causing a slight increase in both the unemployment level and the consumer price index. While the models demonstrate the effects oil shocks can have on the economy, they are …

Progressive Bullying How Unilateral Actions Could Help International Fisheries, Jack Mewhirter

Theses & ETDs

As the governing bodies of international fisheries, Regional Fisheries Management Organizations have largely failed to protect key stocks. This failure has led to unsustainable harvests that threaten the future of several key fisheries. Although many studies have focused on alleviating their inadequacy through institutional or policy changes, they have often ignored the underlying problem: cooperation among member states. Through an examination of the key variables for cooperation as applied to international fisheries, this thesis demonstrates that attaining legitimate cooperation between member states may not be possible through multilateral governance. Because multilateral governance may not be possible, unilateral actions by key …

Collecting Stories Oral History And Community Engagement In Urban Redevelopment, Ryann Wolf

Theses & ETDs

This thesis examines the ways that oral history can be used as a tool for both planning professionals and community members in urban redevlopment. Oral histories can allow planners, architects, and developers to see how people use urban spaces in their daily lives. Second, oral histories are useful in that they can help to build a sense of identity that is situated in place and the history of a place. Learning the history of the place where one lives can help to build a sense of pride and involvement in the process of redevelopment. The first section of the thesis …

Creative Control An Explanation Of Species-Specific Enrichment In Mongoose Lemurs (Eulemur Mongoz) And Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus), Hannah Brown

Theses & ETDs

Creative enrichment designed for a species, or even for a specific individual, can provide an animal with environmental stimulation that may lead to a whole array of benefits for the animal. Exposure to speciesspecific enrichment, or enrichment that is designed for the adaptations of a particular species, encourages naturalistic behaviors by providing cues that are more biologically salient than a more generalized enrichment item. This study explores the relationship between species-specific stimuli and the production of naturalistic behaviors. An acoustic enrichment device was presented to two captive mammalian groups: mongoose lemurs (Eulemur mongoz) and bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Both species …

Baseball Media Guide 2010, Indiana State University

Intercollegiate Athletics

No abstract provided.

Women's Basketball Final Release 2010-2011, Indiana State University

Intercollegiate Athletics

No abstract provided.

Women's Basketball Media Guide 2010-2011, Indiana State University

Intercollegiate Athletics

No abstract provided.

Impact Of Advanced Pretreatment On The Feasibility Of Uv/Hydrogen Peroxide Treatment For Degradation Of Organic Micropollutants, Ashlee L. Fuller

Master's Theses and Capstones

Research was performed to show the impact of several types of pretreatment at Water Treatment Plant, Andijk, on the Advanced Oxidation Process. The objective was to compare the effect of Ion Exchange with Ultra Filtration (IX-UF) pretreatment to the existing Coagulation, Sedimentation, Filtration (CSF) pretreatment on the effectiveness of the UV/H2O2 process. The micro-pollutants chosen for this study are NDMA, atrazine, 1,4-dioxane and bromacil.

Characterization of the water matrixes for the pretreated waters was completed to determine the impact of background absorption (DOC and nitrate) on micro pollutant degradation and OH· radical production. Collimated beam studies (MP UV) were performed …

Elucidating The Microbial Community Within A Trichloroethene Contaminated Competent Bedrock Aquifer Located At Pease International Tradeport, Portsmouth, Nh, Michelle M. Majko

Master's Theses and Capstones

A trichloroethene (TCE)-contaminated competent bedrock aquifer exists at Pease International Tradeport in Portsmouth, NH. Characterization by the Bedrock Bioremediation Center (BBC) at the University of New Hampshire showed active in situ anaerobic degradation of TCE. Formation water from discrete, hydraulically connected fractures was extracted to characterize and enumerate the prevalent TCE biodegradation processes using Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH). Eubacteria (90%), Archaea (5%), and sulfate reducing bacteria within Desulfobacteriaceae (1--26%) were present at all depths (13--30 meters). Two probes targeting the anaerobic TCE-dechlorinating genus, Dehalococcoides (4--10%) were developed. FISH in combination with Flow Cytometry was employed to automate the analysis; …

Is A Communication Event Stressful For Individuals With Expressive Aphasia?, Emily E. Warner

Master's Theses and Capstones

Objective. This study presents an effort to understand both stress perception and physiologic responses related to expressive communication in individuals with expressive aphasia, acquired as the result of a stroke.

Method. Eight individuals with aphasia and five age-matched, healthy controls participated in a public communication task. Salivary cortisol and perception of stress and mood was measured on one day at home as well as during the ordering task.

Results. A significant difference between groups was found in diurnal cortisol levels in the evening, as well as a non-significant trend in the afternoon measure. Individuals in the aphasia group perceived higher …