Digital Commons Network^™

Student Press Exceptionalism, Sonja R. West

Scholarly Works

Constitutional protection for student speakers is an issue that has been hotly contested for almost 50 years. Several commentators have made powerful arguments that theCourt has failed to sufficiently protect the First Amendment rights of all students. But this debate has overlooked an even more troubling reality about the current state ofexpressive protection for student — the especially harmful effect of the Court’s precedents on student journalists. Under the Court’s jurisprudence, schools may regulate with far greater breadth and ease the speech of student journalists than of their non-press classmates. Schools are essentially free to censor the student press even …

Five-Year Resistance Trends Of Bacterial Isolates In Kigali, Rwanda, Makeda Aminah Carroll

Public Health Theses

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR), the phenomenon of decreased sensitivity to pharmaceutical agents that kill or inhibit the growth of bacterial pathogens, is a serious threat to public health worldwide. Many countries, including Rwanda, lack current information on antibiotic sensitivity profiles that would greatly aide clinicians and policy-makers. The current study aims to describe the time trends of antibiotic sensitivity for the isolates of six different bacterial pathogens from patients at King Faisal Hospital in Kigali, Rwanda and to make inference about future patterns of drug resistance in the study setting, to guide physicians in their prescribing practices and provide baseline data …

Environmental Policy Assessment & Observation (Epao) In Daycare Centers: Does The Daycare Provider And Environment Matter?, Jenna Ciotti

Public Health Theses

Abstract

Background: Prior to the development of the Activity Begins in Childhood (ABC) Trial, no cluster-randomized control trial has investigated the effectiveness of a physical activity intervention with daycare providers in Canada.

Rationale: Educating daycare providers about the importance of improving their preschooler’s gross motor skills, physical activity, and reducing sedentary time in their daycare environments is an important step toward diminishing the rates of childhood obesity and overweight across Canada.

Method: A total of N = 15 daycare centers were enrolled in the ABC trial and equally randomized to: Intervention 1, Intervention 2, or a Comparison Group. Intervention providers …

Gleaning In The Cedar Valley: A Post-Evaluation Study, Dylan Thomas Hillyer

Honors Program Theses

Gleaning is a term describing the act of either picking, cleaning or sorting produce that would otherwise be wasted. It is a practice long known to Europe, and in the past thirty years has gained immense popularity among non-profit organizations throughout the United States. The Cedar Valley Gleaning Program (CVGP) had its pilot-year in the fall of 2014. This thesis seeks to improve the efficacy of the CVGP through examining both the pilot year, and a qualitative study of gleaning operations worldwide, to answer the question: How can gleaning become an effective tool for communities in the Cedar Valley.

Investigating Educational Quality At One Comprehensive University, Blake Thurston Findley

Honors Program Theses

President Obama has called for increased access to higher education and simultaneously wants greater educational quality from our colleges and universities. Comprehensive universities in particular, due to their high enrollment of underserved populations, need to ensure they are providing the highest quality education possible. The current study investigated educational quality at a comprehensive university by examining research-supported behaviors related to educational quality as well as perceptions of educational quality of faculty and students. The study found that faculty play a tremendous role in comprehensive universities, yet are underappreciated by their administration. Additionally, comprehensive universities are trying to be everything to …

Catherine Lennon's Story: Lessons From Front Line Advocacy On The Human Right To Housing, Rob Robinson

Journal of Law and Social Policy

Discusses the United States housing crisis, where four and a half million families were foreclosed on between 2008 and 2013. Families who lacked universal or adequate health insurance, found the physical pain and suffering of a loved one was soon followed by the economic pain and suffering associated with the high costs of health care. The human reality of this suffering is reflected by the story of New York state resident Catherine Lennon. Ensuring the pay out to Bank of America was the law firm of Steven J. Baum, the notorious New York based foreclosure mill, which has since been …

The Right To Housing In France: Still A Long Way To Go From Intention To Implementation, Claire Lévy-Vroelant

Journal of Law and Social Policy

The goal of this essay is to examine the implementation of housing rights in France. Legislation adopted in March 2007 opened the possibility of an enforceable right, which can be asserted before a court. However, it also created new inequalities before the law. Indeed, the conditions required to access that right exclude people who do not have permanent residence or a valid temporary resident permit. The implementation of this right is also limited due to the lack of available housing, especially at Ile-de-France, and to competition between people with priority entitlements. The horrible fire at a furnished Parisian hotel in …

Do Us Proud: Poor Women Claiming Adjudicative Space At Cesr, Emily Paradis

Journal of Law and Social Policy

Claiming Our Rights was a feminist participatory action research project based at Sistering, a Toronto drop-in for women facing homelessness. At weekly meetings over the course of eighteen months, members learned about social and economic rights, gave testimony on their lived experiences, and undertook actions to claim their rights. Among other initiatives, the group—which members named FORWARD—contributed a report on women’s homelessness to the 2006 review of Canada by the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. This paper draws upon observations of the group’s process and in-depth interviews with participants to assess this human rights education methodology. …

Credible Fears, Unaccompanied Minors, And The Causes Of The Southwestern Border Surge, Scott Rempell

Chapman Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Cost Of Sunshine: The Threat To Public Employee Privacy Posed By The California Public Records Act, Alexandra B. Andreen

Chapman Law Review

No abstract provided.

Desirable Restraint: Freeing Employers And Employees From The Blankey Prohibition Of California Business And Professions Code Section 16600, Jeremy Talcott

Chapman Law Review

No abstract provided.

Yet More Studies In Rio Grande Valley History, Milo Kearney, Anthony K. Knopp, Antonio Zavaleta, Thomas Daniel Knight

Studies in Rio Grande Valley Regional History Series

Frontera, a poem / Elvira Ardalani -- Strasbourg, Alsace, and Brownsville, Texas : ideal sister cities / Milo Kearney -- La concepción de la identidad fronteriza en Jovita Gonzalez y Adela Sloss de Vento / Laura Garza -- Cuando se fundo Matamoros? / Andres F. Cuellar -- The formation and early development of the Llano Grande / Maria Vallejo -- Doño Rosa Maria Hinojosa de Balli and her family : a lower Rio Grande Valley family in an Atlantic perspective / Thomas Daniel Knight -- Clarksville : a forgotten community on the Rio Grande / Jim Mills -- The last …

Gendered Political Economy: The Economic And Social Factors That Affect Women’S Political Participation, Ginger Albertson

Dissertations and Theses

There is a prevailing attitude that increasing women’s economic participation leads to their empowerment, or increases their agency in influencing decision making. This is despite large data evidence to the contrary and acknowledgement by financial institutions that a link cannot be established. This thesis examines what impact labor participation has on women’s influence in their community and their political participation, how non-income related skills like advocacy increases women’s self-confidence and agency, and the role non-formal training and networks play in increasing women’s participation in decision making and political participation. I find that when conducting a data comparison there does not …

The Proposal For Implementation Of Controlled Power Rectifier (3000/4000kw) In Mta New York City Transit (Mta-Nyct), Md Aminul Islam

Dissertations and Theses

The MTA New York City Transit (MTA-NYCT) will require a robust and reconfigurable power system capable of supplying high power in order to be able to provide services based on for cased future forecast growth of the city population. A critical component in such a system is the Phase Controlled Rectifier. As such, the issues associated with the inclusion of a power electronics rectifier need to be addressed. These issues include input Alternating Current (AC) interface requirements, the output Direct Current (DC) load profile, and overall stability in the output voltage for Train car loads.

Understanding these issues, providing possible …

Chemotaxis Of Central Nervous System-Derived Tumor Cells Within Controlled Microenvironments, Jennifer Rico Varela

Dissertations and Theses

Medulloblastoma (MB) is a malignant pediatric brain tumor known for its aggressive metastatic potential. Despite the well-documented migration of MB cells to other parts of the brain and spinal column, MB chemotaxis is poorly understood. Herein, we examined the in vitro migratory and cellular responses of MB-derived cells to external signaling of Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF-BB), and the stromal cell-derived factors 1-alpha (SDF-1). Experiments utilized transwell assays and immunocytochemistry to identify receptor activation in MB migration, and used a microfluidic platform to examine directionality, trajectory, and gradient- dependence of motile cells. Data …

In The Center Of The Periphery: Yasuo Kuniyoshi’S Art, Life, And The Japanese Artists' Community During The Interwar Period, Takayuki Yamada

Dissertations and Theses

No abstract provided.

The Hunger For Justice, Donald Rielly

Dissertations and Theses

No abstract provided.

The Paradoxes Of Female Authorship In Samuel Richardson‘S Pamela, Or Virtue Rewarded, Jane Austen's Emma And Henry James' The Portrait Of A Lady, Ewa Barnes

Dissertations and Theses

No abstract provided.

Empirical Investigation Of Samhsa’S (Substance Abuse And Mental Health Services Administration) Model Of Wellness, Dipanjana Das

Dissertations and Theses

The quest to operationalize the construct of wellness has been elusive. Part of the difficulty resides in the way wellness has been conceptualized in the literature, using different non-overlapping models. Another drawback is that many existing models are not based on solid empirical evidence. The current study addressed these limitations by assessing the empirical validity of SAMHSA’s (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) model of wellness. We created an instrument to assess wellness based on a thorough review of the literature that serves as the basis of the SAMHSA model that can be used to assess wellness. Findings revealed …

Characterization Of The Interaction Between Ftsz-Ring Stabilizer Zapc And The Conserved Protease Clpxp In E. Coli Cytokinesis, Andrea Cardenas Arevalo

Dissertations and Theses

Cell division in bacteria requires the assembly of a macromolecular protein machinery at midcell that is spatiotemporally regulated during the bacterial cell cycle. Central to the process of division is the assembly of a cytokinetic ring-like structure, termed the Z-ring, formed by polymers of the essential tubulin-homolog FtsZ. Polymerization of FtsZ is regulated by a number of proteins that bind FtsZ and regulate its assembly/disassembly mechanisms. Despite being extensively studied, the molecular nature of the diverse protein-protein interactions that regulate the assembly of FtsZ during early stages of division is not well understood. Here, I focus on an FtsZ-ring stabilizer …

Development And Maintenance Of Thymic Epithelial Microenvironment, Varan J. Singh

Dissertations and Theses

Thymus is a primary lymphoid organ responsible for proper development and selection Of T-­‐cells. The thymic microenvironment, however, undergoes age related involution, Resulting in a reduction of the repertoire of T-­‐cells that are produced, and a decreased Capacity to respond to new antigen. Even though significant thymic epithelial turnover occurs, it is unclear if postnatal thymic progenitors/stem cell are responsible for the maintenance of the TEC microenvironment. Here we use the K5rtTA:TetO-­‐H2BGFP transgenic model to identify a slow cycling potential stem cells/progenitor population in the postnatal thymus. These cells were isolated, expanded in culture, and successfully differentiated into adipocytes, chondrocytes …

The Will To Change: The Role Of Self-Consciousness In The Literature Of Metamorphosis, Michael Giovanniello

Dissertations and Theses

No abstract provided.

Game, Set, Match: Sports And The Future Of Diplomacy, Valeria Munt

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis will serve to demonstrate sports diplomacy as a legitimate field of study in international relations. In this thesis, I will argue that the practice of sports diplomacy has provided countries with relative contentious relationships, with a ‘soft entry’ to a potential restoration of their diplomatic relations. As a fairly new study field, sports diplomacy has received its fair amount of criticism as to whether diplomacy and sports should mix. It is important to note that this criticism is not unfounded or unwarranted and that this field in particular does have its limitations and restrictions. There’s definitely an argument …

Inventions Of Truth, Deidre Bird

Dissertations and Theses

No abstract provided.

Citizens Electoral Behavior In Autocratic Regimes, Venezuela, Turkey, Russia, Marta Diaz Fernandez-Lomana

Dissertations and Theses

This study offers an explanation of why voters repeatedly choose leaders who came to power democratically at some point but will not abandon it when they ought to. Research shows leaders will employ any and every mechanism to remain in power, from restricting liberties to turning to violence as a method of repressing dissidence yet voters continue to vote them back into power. Why? Through an examination of the current situations in Venezuela, Turkey and Russia, the thesis reveals that economic performance provides the key explanation. If the country provides welfare to its citizens, they will be willing to overlook …

Gender Based Violence As A Continuum Of Human Rights Violations In Russia And The Czech Republic, Alena Lebron

Dissertations and Theses

Gender-based violence can take various forms – physical, sexual, psychological, and economic. Violence against women is a global public health problem and not only violates human rights, but also hampers productivity, reduces human capital, and undermines economic growth. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, human trafficking for sexual exploitation and domestic violence have become a significant problem in post-communist countries. The fall of the Soviet Union also shaped national gender policies in post-communist countries. Despite the common challenges they face, success in implementing anti-trafficking procedures and measures against domestic violence varies from country to country.

According to …

Civilian Protection: The Imperative Role Of Civil Society, Collen Kelly

Dissertations and Theses

No abstract provided.

An Analysis Of The South China Sea Dispute: Focusing On The Assessment Of The Impact Of Possible Solutions On The Economies Of The Region., Sacha Amry

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the South China Sea dispute and to analyze why the dispute has yet to escalate, as well as the strategic importance of the South China Sea dispute in relation to international trade. This thesis will also study possible solutions and effects on both the region and the international community. I argue here that while the ASEAN countries have continued to make valuable efforts at finding multilateral solutions to the dispute, China has resisted these efforts by demanding its own bilateral negotiation process. The Spratly Islands and the Paracel Islands, both located in …

“Angles Of Approaching Gender Equality: Top-Down Vs. Bottom-Up”, Manali Basu

Dissertations and Theses

The international community has attempted to integrate and implement norms into their domestic structure for many decades. They have incorporated the norm of gender equality through many different measures, however failed to identify a successful approach to implementing this type of norm effectively. This paper will explore how these international norms are spread and analyze two separate approaches to integrating gender equality: top-down and bottom-up. It will assess these approaches through a case-study analysis of India and Ghana. This will provide an in-depth explanation of each approach and it will analyze how they have, respectively, impacted the country’s education and …

Is China The Answer? The Effect Of Chinese Engagement On Economic And Human Development In Africa, Ralph Achacoso

Dissertations and Theses

Though the relationship between China and Africa dates back to the 1950s, China's ever-increasing demand for energy sources has garnered newfound attention from scholars, coinciding with the rapid expansion of the Chinese economy over the last fifteen years. In order to fuel its economic machine, China has turned to Africa, a resource-rich continent and holder of one-third of the world's oil deposits. Taking a unique approach that blurs the line between aid, trade, and investment, China‘s search for resource security has injected new life into Africa‘s developmental efforts. To Africa's benefit, the relationship has boosted African trade volumes, productivity, physical …