Digital Commons Network^™

Facebook Usage Predicted By Sense Of Community And 'Loneliness', Alison Bagworth

Theses : Honours

Facebook Usage Predicted by Sense of Community and 'loneliness' Face book is one of a growing number of social networking sites (SNSs) that are currently being used by young adults to compliment face-to-face interactions. The use of these sites raises questions in relation to how their function may be compared to measurements of more traditional communication. This research measured Sense of Community (SoC) and 'loneliness' in young adults in order to predict usage of Facebook. Participants were 154 Facebook users (82% female, mean age 23.66) who completed an online survey with four components (demographics, Facebook usage, SoC Index, and …

The Seventeenth-Century Battaglie For Lute In Italy, Aiden Deasy

Theses : Honours

Italy had been the theatre of war for centuries. Political fragmentation ignited dynastic rivalries, carving out powerful autonomous city-states whose leaders amassed within their courts artists, musicians and writers in order to chronicle their military, religious and political vision. The musical depictions of particular military exploits, or battaglia, became popular springboards for colourful, programmatic compositions. These works were often performed in public in order to garner support for campaigns. Originally a vocal genre whose distant relative can be traced back to the caccia, or hunting song, the battaglie were often transcribed for instruments, in particular the lute, thus …

Parties, Committees, And Rules In The U.S. House Of Representatives, Hong Min Park

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

This dissertation project aims to build upon the literature of positive theories of legislative politics, and provide three more nuanced stories about various stages in the U.S. House of Representatives: rules making, committee composition, and floor voting. The chapter, Conditional Nature of Rules Changes, examines why the U.S. House of Representatives has changed its standing rules regarding the principle of majority rule and minority rights. I begin by taking a critical look at previous studies on this subject, after which I propose an alternative theory on the conditional nature of rules changes. The empirical findings reveal that different combinations of …

La Vanguardia Y Sus Retornos: Confabulaciones Del Presente En Cuatro Escritores Latinoamericanos, Maria De Los Angeles Donoso Macaya

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

La vanguardia y sus retornos: confabulaciones del presente en cuatro escritores latinoamericanos [The Avant-garde and its Returns: Confabulating the Present in Four Latin American Writers] When reading contemporary Latin American writers from different countries and distinct cultural backgrounds, the relevance of the avant-garde in their work becomes apparent. By placing close readings of texts by C├⌐sar Aira, Mario Bellatin, Roberto Bola├▒o, and Diamela Eltit, in dialogue with theoretical and philosophical works by Bergson, Nietzsche, Spinoza, and Deleuze, I argue that it is possible to recognize an unexpected and engaging return to the avant-garde in a present which has been commonly …

Magnetic Resonance Imaging And Surface-Based Analysis Techniques To Quantify Growth Of The Developing Brain, Andrew Knutsen

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Human brains, and those of most higher mammals, are gyrencephalic: folded) to accommodate a large cortical surface within the limited volume of the skull. Abnormal folding of the cerebral cortex in humans is associated with a number of neurological dysfunctions and diseases such as schizophrenia and Williams syndrome. To understand the mechanism of gyrification, and to illuminate the underlying causes of abnormal folding, objective, quantitative methods to characterize normal and abnormal development must be developed. The ferret is an excellent model in which to study the development of convolutions in the brain because folding occurs post-natally over a period of …

Structural Health Monitoring With Piezoelectric Wafer Active Sensors—Predictive Modeling And Simulation, Victor Giurgiutiu

Faculty Publications

This paper starts a review of the state of the art in structural health monitoring with piezoelectric wafer active sensors and follows with highlighting the limitations of the current approaches which are predominantly experimental. Subsequently, the paper examines the needs for developing a predictive modeling methodology that would allow to perform extensive parameter studies to determine the sensing method’s sensitivity to damage and insensitivity to confounding factors such as environmental changes, vibrations, and structural manufacturing variability. The thesis is made that such a predictive methodology should be multi-scale and multi-domain, thus encompassing the modeling of structure, sensors, electronics, and power …

Affirmative Action Plan 2010, Office Of Equal Opportunity, Ethics, & Access

Affirmative Action Plans

Illinois State University Affirmative Action Plan

Opium And Insurgency: Development And Decay In Southern Afghanistan, Adam Ebrahim

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

No abstract provided.

Historical Function Of The Fictional Work Of H. J. C Von Grimmelshausen And Essad Bey, Sarah Griesbach

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

In an historical analysis of Grimmelshausen and BeyΓÇÖs work the disinhibition created by the authorsΓÇÖ hidden identities and writing styles becomes an historical asset. The medium of fiction gave Grimmelshausen and Bey the freedom to shape their narratives as best fit their purposes. The historical usefulness of their texts is buried in their choices for deliveryΓÇöliterary device, character perspective, atmosphere, toneΓÇöand in the messages the authors deliver, intentionally or not.

The Social Psychological Dimensions Of Us-Iranian Relations, Mariah Levison

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

I argue that the material and strategic factors underlying the US-Iranian relationship do not add up to the actual level of conflict between the parties and that a social-psychological analysis can explain why there is so much conflict between the parties. The social-psychological perspective is a different lens than that provided by more traditional approaches to peacebuilding and can address aspects of conflict that material and strategic analyses cannot account for. Social psychology explains the subjective elements of conflict: perception, cognition, attitude, emotion, needs, and values.

Impacts Of Parental Resources On Child Educational Outcomes: Assets And Mediating Pathways, Youngmi Kim

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Scholars have begun to pay more attention to the role of parental wealth in children's educational attainment. There is still no consensus on how different types of assets contribute to children's educational outcomes. Also, asset effects on high school dropout are not examined to date, and mediating pathways of social-psychological characteristics are more investigated with educational achievement: e.g. measured by test scores, GPA) rather than educational attainment. In response to these academic gaps, this study investigates: 1) the effects of parental assets in child's educational attainment from high school dropout to college degree attainment and: 2) the mediating roles played …

Campos Magneticos De La Modernidad Latinoamericana: Una Historia Intelectual De Argentina, Brasil Y Uruguay (1900-1935), Gonzalo Aguiar Malosetti

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

My dissertation is a comparative study of different intellectual practices in Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay at the turn of the 20th century. I examine the work of canonical as well as non canonical authors in order to provide a renewed critical interpretation of the output and function of intellectuals in Latin America as modernity developed in these countries. In my dissertation I refer to a common set of political as well as cultural challenges that those intellectuals, as a group and individually, underwent during their growing conflict with institutionalized powers. My reading highlights literary texts in which the idea of …

In Defense Of Transnational Domestic Labor Regulation, David J. Doorey

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

Transnational domestic labor regulation (TDLR) is unilateral regulation introduced by a government to influence labor practices in foreign jurisdictions. TDLR has the potential to empower foreign workers and influence the balance of power in foreign industrial relations systems in ways that might lead to improved labor conditions. Particularly interesting is the potential for TDLR to harness or steer private labor regulation--the many non-state sources of labor practice governance already active in shaping labor conditions within global supply chains. However, whether governments should try to influence foreign labor practices at all is a controversial question. This Article explores the arguments both …

A Model Copyright Exemption To Serve The Visually Impaired, Patrick Hely

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

Copyright law presents visually impaired persons with serious barriers to access of the written word. A recent international effort seeks to remove these barriers to access, in limited instances, by allowing the creation of accessible formats of copyrighted works. While bodies like the World Blind Union--through several South American states--have presented draft treaties to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), to date the interested parties have not found a mutually agreeable solution. This Note surveys international intellectual property law as it relates to the problem, draws a comparison to the humanitarian concerns entangled with international patent law, and tracks the …

A World Of Possibilities: Multimodalities, Collaboration And Equity In The Composition Classroom, Anicca Cox

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

In this unbound project titled, A World of Possibilities: Multimodalities, Collaboration and Equality in the Composition Classroom I have shown some of the advantages of using multimodal writing instruction. Multimodal writing instruction uses a variety of methods that move beyond written text by incorporating visual, aural, cinematic or textual features together. This project focused on presenting multimodal approaches in the context of multiliteracies in order to achieve social justice and inclusion. The project is centered on collaborative methods and examines specific multimodalities to present possible techniques for incorporating these methods in a composition classroom. The goal of the project is …

"Your Results May Vary": Protecting Students And Taxpayers Through Tighter Regulation Of Proprietary School Representations, Aaron N. Taylor

All Faculty Scholarship

This article argues for stricter regulation of proprietary (for-profit) school advertising and recruitment practices and proffers specific proposals for effectuating this regulation. Proprietary schools play an important role in broadening access to higher education. They enroll a large number of students who are underserved by traditional, non-profit institutions. These students tend to be poorer, less educated, and older than students at traditional schools, and they tend to undertake higher education for very practical reasons. These characteristics make them particularly susceptible to deceptive marketing and unfounded promises of higher education providers. Unfortunately, some proprietary schools exploit the susceptibilities of their target …

Behavioral Decision Theory And Implications For The Supreme Court’S Campaign Finance Jurisprudence, Molly J. Walker Wilson

All Faculty Scholarship

America stands at a moment in history when advances in the understanding of human decision-making are increasing the strategic efficacy of political strategy. As campaign spending for the presidential race reaches hundreds of millions of dollars, the potential for harnessing the power of psychological tactics becomes considerable. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has characterized campaign money as “speech” and has required evidence of corruption or the appearance of corruption in order to uphold restrictions on campaign expenditures. Ultimately, the Court has rejected virtually all restrictions on campaign spending on the ground that expenditures, unlike contributions, do not contribute to corruption or …

Race, Sex And Genes At Work: Uncovering The Lessons Of Norman-Bloodsaw, Elizabeth Pendo

All Faculty Scholarship

The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (“GINA”) is the first federal, uniform protection against the use of genetic information in both the workplace and health insurance. Signed into law on May 21, 2008, GINA prohibits an employer or health insurer from acquiring or using an individual’s genetic information, with some exceptions. One of the goals of GINA is to eradicate actual, or perceived, discrimination based on genetic information in the workplace and in health insurance. Although the threat of genetic discrimination is often discussed in universal terms - as something that could happen to any of us - the …

International Commercial Transactions, Franchising, And Distribution, Arnold S. Rosenberg, Alfredo L. Rovira, Michael R. Daigle, Florian S. Jörg, Marc Ryser, William P. Johnson, Anders Forkman, Alan S. Gutterman, Ed., Calvin A. Hamilton, Ed.

All Faculty Scholarship

With the encouragement of the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, and other international financial institutions, in 2008-09 several countries modernized their secured transactions laws, expanded the types of moveable property that can serve as collateral for a debt, and established and streamlined registries for non-possessory security interests in moveable property.

Becoming A Law Professor: A Candidate's Guide, Brannon P. Denning, Marcia L. Mccormick, Jeffrey M. Lipshaw

All Faculty Scholarship

This is the Table of Contents and the Introduction to a forthcoming book from the American Bar Association. The authors provide detailed advice and resources for aspiring law professors, including a description of the categories of law faculty (and what they do), possible paths to careers in the legal academy, and "how to" guides for filling out the AALS's Faculty Appointments Register, interviewing at the Faculty Recruitment Conference (the "meat market"), issues for non-traditional candidates, dealing with callbacks and job offers, and getting ready for the first semester on the job.

Human Capital And Transfer Taxation, Kerry A. Ryan

All Faculty Scholarship

This article addresses the question of whether education and healthcare transfers should be included in the federal gift tax base. It initially frames the issue in two ways: (1) through the lens of a proposal by the American Law Institute to exempt all “transfers for consumption” from gift taxation, and (2) within the context of a debate among economists about whether such expenditures should be included in the definition of “intergenerational transfers” for purposes of determining the total share of such transfers in U.S. accumulated wealth. Finding the first lens unsatisfactory on its own doctrinal terms and the second lens …

Foreign Policy Mismanagement During American Presidential Transitions, Linda Schulte

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Despite vast literature on American foreign policy and presidential decision-making, little attention has been given to the problems associated with presidential transitions. The American presidential transition period is accompanied by three limitations that threaten the effectiveness of presidential authority. First, presidential authority is unclear in the ambiguity of the transition period. Second, new administrations struggle to incorporate overlapping initiatives and personnel into new policies and priorities. Third, inexperience can cripple a new administration in the first few months of a presidency. These limitations are illustrated by an analysis of two transitional foreign policy crises: the Bay of Pigs crisis overlapping …

The Struggle For Freedom, Justice, And Equality: The History Of The Journey Of Iranian Women In The Last Century, Poupak Tafreshi

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

No abstract provided.

Intramolecular Anodic Olefin Coupling Reactions: Synthesis Of Nitrogen- And Oxygen-Heterocycles, Haichao Xu

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Anodic oxidation has been shown to be a powerful method for initiating umpolung reactions that allow the coupling of two nucleophilic functional groups. Most of the work in this area concentrates on making carbon-carbon bond. Hence, the reactions are usually terminated with olefin nucleophiles. The use of heteroatom-based coupling partners to form carbon-heteroatom bond is less explored despite the wide occurrence of heterocyclic compounds as natural products, pharmaceuticals, and synthetic building blocks. Therefore, this thesis focuses on the application of heteroatom-based coupling partners in intramolecular anodic olefin coupling reactions for the synthesis of N- and O-heterocyclic compounds. First, a synthesis …

Woman's Work: Female Lighthouse Keepers In The Early Republic, 1820–1859, Virginia Neal Thomas

History Theses & Dissertations

During the Early Republic between 1820 and 1859, women, on average, comprised about five percent of the principal lighthouse keepers in the United States. These women represent a unique exception to the experience of the majority of working women during the Early Republic. They received equal pay to men, and some supervised lower-paid male assistants. They filled these predominately male positions because lighthouse work had much in common with stereotypical woman's work, they were most often related to the previous keeper, and they fit within cultural ideals of gender roles. Inquiry beyond the romantic image crafted for these light keepers …

Taking Prevention Seriously: Developing A Comprehensive Response To Child Trafficking And Sexual Exploitation, Jonathan Todres

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

Millions of children are victims of trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation each year. Governments have responded with a range of measures, focusing primarily on seeking to prosecute perpetrators of these abuses and offering assistance to select victims. These efforts, while important, have done little to reduce the incidence of these forms of child exploitation. This Article asserts that a central reason why efforts to date may not be as effective as hoped is that governments have not oriented their approaches properly toward prioritizing prevention--the ultimate goal--and addressing these problems in a comprehensive and systematic manner. Instead, efforts to date have …

The Responsibility For Post-Conflict Reforms, Dr. Eric D. Brabandere

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

The increasing involvement of international actors in various forms of international missions set up to supervise reconstruction or peace-building processes has raised many questions with respect to both the legal framework applicable to such activity and the authority to engage in such reforms. Recently, new normative propositions on the subject have been labelled jus post bellum. This Article challenges the usefulness and accuracy of jus post bellum as a legal concept. Such theories either amount to an explicit or implicit challenge of the crucial objectivity of the post-conflict phase by linking the rights and obligations of foreign actors to the …

Greater Mutual Fund Transparency In India, Stephen P. Smith

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

India has been one of the darlings among emerging market economies over the past decade. It has experienced dizzying economic growth that has lifted great numbers of Indians out of poverty and changed the economic outlook of much of its populace. For the first time, many Indians have excess funds to save or invest, and the Indian mutual fund industry has enjoyed an explosion in popularity as a result of this economic boom, particularly among first time mutual fund investors.

One of the most important mechanisms for investor protection in any capital market is the provision of information to investors …

Cultivating Farmers' Rights: Reconciling Food Security, Indigenous Agriculture, And Trips, Lauren Winter

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

This Note discusses strategies for cultivating Farmers' Rights internationally. The rise of international treaties awarding intellectual property rights in plant genetic resources to plant breeders brought with it an erosion of agricultural biodiversity as well indigenous farmer lifestyles. Farmers' Rights emerged in recognition of the role of traditional farmers play in conserving, creating, and promoting genetic diversity in the food supply and of the importance of maintaining traditional agriculture practices. This Note argues that Farmers' Rights can be realized internationally through concerted effort. The Note proposes that Farmers' Rights could be realized if national governments create laws and infrastructure that …

The Responsibility To Protect And The Decline Of Sovereignty: Free Speech Protection Under International Law, William Magnuson

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

State sovereignty has long held a revered post in international law, but it received a blow in the aftermath of World War II, when the world realized the full extent of atrocities perpetrated by the Nazis on their own citizens. In the postwar period, the idea that individuals possessed rights independent of their own states gained a foothold in world discussions, and a proliferation of human rights treaties guaranteeing fundamental rights followed. These rights were, for the most part, unenforceable, though, and in the 1990s, a number of humanitarian catastrophes (in Kosovo, Rwanda, and Somalia) galvanized the international community to …