Digital Commons Network^™

The Use Of Email And The Relationships Between Education Leaders And Followers, Reda Haddouch

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Through the use of a survey questionnaire and descriptive statistics to analyze the collected data, this quantitative research study sought to determine whether there is a relationship between the use of email as a form of communication and the quality of the leader-follower relationship in organizations. Two electronic survey questionnaires were designed based on questions derived from three already existing and pretested research instruments. Data were collected from faculty (n=28) and undergraduate students (n=92) at two higher education public institutions in the United States.

The predictor variables included age, gender, level of education, frequency of email use, responsiveness to emails, …

Baccalaureate Time-To-Degree For Montana University System Two-Year College Transfer Students, Thomas Patrick Gallagher

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Two-year college transfer education has been promoted as a cost-effective path for achieving the baccalaureate, but increased time-to-degree could nullify this assumption. The Montana University System (MUS) recently expanded the mission for its two-year college system by adding the transfer function.

This non-experimental quantitative research study examined whether a difference existed in baccalaureate time-to-degree for transfer students from MUS two-year colleges. Three years of MUS graduate data (2014 – 2016) was examined in comparing baccalaureate time-to-degree of non-transfer students (n = 5,953) with transfer students (n = 730). Credit accumulation, GPA, associate degree completion, nontraditional student status, and two-year college …

Violence, Catastrophe, And Agency In Nepal: A Deeper Understanding Of The 2015 Earthquakes And Border Blockade, Kassandra D. Viers

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

In 2015, Nepal was struck by two catastrophes. First, on April 25, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake, followed by hundreds of aftershocks, struck in Gorkha. Then, in September, a blockade was formed that prevented goods from passing through trade checkpoints between India and Nepal. Both of these events highlight social suffering, a form of suffering that refers to the systems of oppression, unequal distribution of resources, and broad social structures that serve to keep certain people impoverished and subjugate. The earthquake caused the most damage to vulnerable people, people already suffering the effects of structural violence. The blockade was created by …

An Investigation Of The Effects Of Depressive-Rumination On Prospective Memory, Mark Primosch

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Depression is related to prospective memory (PM) impairment. However, the research on depression-related PM impairment remains inconclusive. No study to date has taken into account the possible effects of depressive-rumination, which is known to impair executive functions underlying PM. The current study addresses this gap in the literature. Participants: Participants were grouped according to self-reported depression severity per the Beck Depression Inventory-Second Edition (BDI-II). Fifty-five individuals with low (BDI-II < 8), 17 individuals with moderate (BDI-II 9-18), and 16 individuals with high (BDI-II > 19) symptoms of depression were included in the study. Method: Participants completed demographic and trait and state rumination questionnaires. Participants within each …

Steamed: Examinations Of Power Struggles On The Value Forum, Richard E. Babb

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This study examines Valve Corporation’s Steam gaming forum to understand how members constitute meaning and overcome perceived system abuses. By going outside the system, into what could be called the meta-system, users augment their power within a Steam’s structure where they are in a lower power position. Using qualitative analysis and structurating activity theory as a sensemaking mechanism, two incidents involving developer-user conflict were analyzed. The examination found how users were incorporating outside systems into Steam to create a system network they could use against developers. Also, several instances of systemic contradiction were found and defined. This paper expands upon …

Universal Depression Screening In Student Health Centers Across U.S. College Campuses: Prevalence And Characteristics Associated With Use, Ivie English

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Universal depression screening at university student health centers can increase identification and treatment of depression among college students, but the rates of screening in these settings were, until now, unknown (Shepardson & Funderburk, 2014). The U.S. Preventive Services Taskforce (USPSTF), American College Health Association, and other organizations have recommended that all primary care settings universally screen for depression, provided that necessary supports are in place (USPSTF, 2016; ACHA, 2010). Notably, others disagree (Joffres et al., 2013; Mitchell et al., 2009; Gilbody et al., 2005). An online survey was electronically mailed to 493 college health center directors and/or medical directors of …

Involvement Without Panic: Essays On Shakespeare, Woolf, And Munro, John L. Cowden

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This thesis portfolio is comprised of an introductory essay and three essays of literary critique. The introductory essay is a general commentary upon reading, literature, and criticism, and introduces the three subsequent essays. The first essay is on William Shakespeare’s play, Measure for Measure. The second essay is on Virginia Woolf’s novel, The Waves. And, finally, the third essay is on the stories of Alice Munro.

Decolonization And Political Engagement For The Health And Wellbeing Of The Selish, Ksanka And Qlispe People, Anita Louise Dupuis

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

What would a contemporary cultural model for health and wellbeing look like for an Indigenous community and what domains would feature prominent today? How would this model be reflected in governance for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT)?

This autoethnographic, interdisciplinary, action research study suggests ten cultural domains for inclusion in a contemporary cultural model for health and wellbeing for the Selish, Ksanka and Qlispe (SKQ), the Indigenous Nations of the CSKT. It then provides a revised, annotated draft of a culture-based constitutional governance structure, which integrates, synthesizes, and incorporates these ten domains.

The key purposes of the study …

Perceptions Of Environmental Change: Nikutoru, Tabiteuea Maiaki, Kiribati, Jaime Lynn Bach

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The comparisons of scientific measurements taken around the world show trends of climate change, which are affecting the traditions of vulnerable populations. In the Pacific, many island peoples are already feeling the effects of the changes and are facing the predictions of future impacts. Some nations, like the Republic of Kiribati, are addressing the present and projected problems with proactive policies, while engaging with international agencies and cooperating with citizens in order to develop appropriate approaches to the change. The contribution of local knowledge has been recognized as valuable in assessing the changes and in the development of response strategies. …

Inverted Theories, Lee Anne Fennell, Richard H. Mcadams

Public Law and Legal Theory Working Papers

No abstract provided.

Separation Of Powers Metatheory, Aziz Huq

Public Law and Legal Theory Working Papers

Scholarship and jurisprudence concerning the Constitution’s separation of powers today is characterized by sharp disagreement about general theory and specific outcomes. The leading theories diverge on how to model the motives of institutional actors; on how to weigh text, history, doctrine, and norms; and on whether to characterize the separation-of-powers system as abiding in a stable equilibrium or as enthralled in convulsively transformative paroxysms. Congress’s Constitution—a major contribution to theorizing on the separation of powers—provides a platform to step back and isolate these important, if not always candidly recognized, disputes about the empirical and normative predicates of separation-of-powers theory—predicates that …

Heterosexuality As A Factor In The Long History Of Women's Sports, Mary Anne Case

Public Law and Legal Theory Working Papers

No abstract provided.

Public Perceptions Of Government Speech, Daniel J. Hemel, Lisa Larrimore Ouellette

Public Law and Legal Theory Working Papers

No abstract provided.

Intelligent Design, Christopher Buccafusco, Mark A. Lemley, Jonathan S. Masur

Public Law and Legal Theory Working Papers

When designers obtain exclusive intellectual property (IP) rights in the functional aspects of their creations, they can wield these rights to increase both the costs to their competitors and the prices that consumers must pay for their goods. IP rights and the costs they entail are justified when they create incentives for designers to invest in new, socially valuable designs. But the law must be wary of allowing rights to be misused. Accordingly, IP law has employed a series of doctrinal and costly screens to channel designs into the appropriate regime— copyright law, design patent law, or utility patent law—depending …

Introduction To Evidence And Innovation In Housing Law And Policy, Lee Anne Fennell, Benjamin J. Keys

Public Law and Legal Theory Working Papers

No area of law and policy presents more important and pressing questions, or ones more central to human well-being, than that of housing. Yet academic discourse around housing is too often siloed into separate topical areas and disciplinary approaches, while remaining distanced from the contentious housing policy debates unfolding in communities across the nation. In June 2016, the Kreisman Initiative on Housing Law and Policy at the University of Chicago Law School convened a conference in downtown Chicago with the goal of breaking down these barriers and forging new connections – between different facets of housing law and policy, between …

The Discrete Spring Transform: An Innovative Steganographic Attack, Aaron T. Sharp

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Digital Steganography continues to evolve today, where steganographers are constantly discovering new methodologies to hide information effectively. Despite this, steganographic attacks, which seek to defeat these techniques, have continually lagged behind. The reason for this is simple: it is exceptionally difficult to defeat the unknown. Most attacks require prior knowledge or study of existing techniques in order to defeat them, and are often highly specific to certain cover media. These constraints are impractical and unrealistic to defeat steganography in modern communication networks. It follows, an effective steganographic attack must not require prior knowledge or study of techniques, and must be …

Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs: Is There A Link Between Cardiovascular And Renal Adverse Effects?, Regan E. Sevinsky, David W. Stewart, Sam Harirforoosh

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

"Both the clinical benefits and the adverse effects of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are mediated by the inhibition of cyclooxygenase (COX) 1 and 2.[1] COX-1 is expressed constitutively in tissues, whereas COX-2 is produced under periods of stress and inflammation. The physiologic function of COX-1 and COX-2 is to convert arachidonic acid to prostaglandins, thromboxane A2 (TXA2), and prostacyclins. These products influence multiple systems such as cardiac, immune, gastrointestinal (GI), renal, vascular, and pulmonary systems.[12] COX enzymes are present in various locations throughout the body including the blood vessels where they produce vasodilatory prostacyclins and TXA2, which causes platelet aggregation.[3] …

Habitat Use And Movement Patterns Of Two Redwood Forest Salamanders, Aneides Vagrans And Ensatina Eschscholtzii, With An Examination Of The Efficacy Of Pit Tags For Marking Small Plethodontids, Christian Brown

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The habitat use and movements of small, secretive salamanders are generally poorly understood, in part due to the difficulty associated with marking and recapturing such animals. This study was designed to test the efficacy, both in the laboratory and in the field, of using passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags to mark and track two small-bodied plethodontid salamander species native to coastal northwestern California, Aneides vagrans, the Wandering Salamander, and Ensatina eschscholtzii, the Ensatina Salamander.

Aneides vagrans inhabits tree crowns. Using cover objects and visual encounter surveys, I searched for A. vagrans in the angiosperm understory canopy at least twice …

A "Dying Breed"? Exploring Logger Identity After The Decline In The Timber Industry In Hayfork, Ca, Sheri L. Harrison

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The rapid decline of timber operations in the late twentieth century had an immense impact on rural communities whose economy was dependent on logging and lumber mills. The voices and concerns of timber-dependent communities and timber workers have been marginalized by broader forces that focused on political, economic, and environmental issues throughout the Pacific Northwest timber conflict and the subsequent deindustrialization of the timber industry. This study examines the social impacts on loggers, their families, and the broader community in Hayfork, California, through the framework of identity theory. The formation of logger identity and the broader processes that have impacted …

All-Lands Management: Convening Communities And Their Lands Around Fire Management, Jodie T. Pixley

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Broadly defined, All-lands Management (ALM) is a land management approach involving collaborative, science-based ecosystem restoration at the landscape scale, across ownership and jurisdictional boundaries. My research investigates collaborative groups working to reduce wildfire risk by applying ALM. Fire risk in the Pacific West (California and Oregon) is increasing in severity and extent due to fire suppression and is exacerbated by the effects of drought, climate change, and expanding residential development. For decades federal, state, and local entities have expressed the need to work collaboratively, across boundaries and ownerships to reintroduce fire back onto the landscape to restore forest resiliency. This …

Nature, Socio-Spatial Divisions And Connections: An Examination Of El Jardín De Guadalupe, Elizabeth Moreno

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Culture is often discussed in the content of social behavior but, how culture is spatially linked to landscapes is often overlooked. Points of social and cultural reproduction is not only tied to landscapes, but there are constantly challenged as new cultures are introduced into a space. Latino culture in the United States has, and continues to, reshape America’s landscapes. For purpose of this thesis, the reshaping of landscapes will be observed in a community. This project examines the perception that Latinos avoid participation in a community garden. This perception is not entirely true, as there was one Latina participating. As …

Propensity Of Predator Mimicry In Wild Steller's Jays, Trinity C. Tippin

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Avian vocal mimicry has been described in a variety of contexts, suggesting its function is multifaceted within and across species; however, basic empirical data describing mimetic signal prevalence and context is lacking for numerous species. I examined occurrence and context of mimicked red-shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus) calls over a 12-month period in a wild population of 49 individually color-marked Steller’s jays (Cyanocitta stelleri) and reviewed the occurrence of the behavior in historic re-sight data. I documented mimicry of red-shouldered hawk calls in 14 of 49 (28.6%) jays during the study. Hawk mimicry occurred more often during …

Review Brief: Social Exclusion Within Education Systems In Low And Middle Income Countries, Jean Francois Trani

Brown School Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Education Of Children With Disabilities In New Delhi: When Does Exclusion Occur?, Parul Bakhshi, Ganesh M. Babulal, Jean Francois Trani

Brown School Faculty Publications

In the new Sustainable Development Goal 4, quality of education defined as equity and inclusion alongside traditional learning outcomes, has replaced the narrow goal of access to primary education stipulated in the Millennium Development Goal 2. Since 2000, considerable progress has been made towards improving access to school for children in India, yet questions remain regarding not just children with disabilities' access and acquisition of basic learning skills, but also completion of learning cycles. Methods and findings Between November, 2, 2011 and June 20th 2012, we interviewed 1294 households about activity limitations and functioning difficulties associated with a health problem …

Political Barriers To Distributed Generation Solar In The Sunshine State, Debra Taylor

Harriet L Wilkes Honors College Theses 2010 - 2019

Scientists agree that human activity, particularly the burning of fossil fuels to produce energy, is a major contributor to climate change. Recent global efforts to curb climate change involve the investment in carbon-cutting renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar. Despite being known as “the Sunshine State,” only 0.26% of Florida’s energy production came from solar sources in 2016. Florida ranks third in the U.S. for rooftop solar potential but only twelfth in the cumulative amount of solar capacity installed. Distributed generation (DG) solar refers to electricity generated near the point-of-use via photovoltaic (PV) solar panels, which includes rooftop …

Daca Eligible Students Should Not Be Removed From This Country And Should Be Eligible For Advantages Like Financial Aid, Selene C. Vázquez

Harriet L Wilkes Honors College Theses 2010 - 2019

The United States is founded on the principles of liberty, democracy and equality. Many individuals leave their home countries in the hope of enjoying these American ideals. The young children who are brought along on the journey quickly assimilate, yet as they grow older society teaches them they are different. Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, an executive order, allows certain unauthorized immigrants who entered the country as minors to receive a renewable deferred action from deportation and a work permit. Drawing on legal scholarship and works of political theory, I argue that if these minors can prove they are people …

The Determinants Of African Political Participation: A Model For Voter Turnout, Denver Sherman

Harriet L Wilkes Honors College Theses 2010 - 2019

In the lingering shadow of colonialism, African states have sprouted shallow, unstable democratic roots; the success of which is reliant upon the collective engagement of African citizens. In this paper, the socioeconomic determinants of political participation are analyzed econometrically. We use the Afrobarometer 5th Round dataset which provides large-scale data of 55,000 individuals across 34 African countries (Afrobarometer, 2015). The data analysis includes traditional political participation determinants, or those found to be significant in previous literature, as baseline control. Additional independent variables, like perceived corruption, party affiliation, and democratic perceptions, are then tested for significant participatory influence.

Forced Sterilization: The Blurred Line Between Justified And Illegitimate Coercion, Rosa M.E. Román

Harriet L Wilkes Honors College Theses 2010 - 2019

Ninety years ago, the United States Supreme Court ruled in favor of a Virginia statute allowing state actors to forcibly sterilize those with hereditary forms of intellectual disability, in Buck v. Bell. Fifteen years later, the Court readdressed the concept of compulsory sterilization in the 1942 case, Skinner v. Oklahoma. Skinner v. Oklahoma failed to overturn Buck v. Bell, and as a result, the Supreme Court left an opening for state actors to forcibly sterilize members of their population. I consider the history of forced sterilization and the broad spectrum of views present today. In questioning if there’s a right …

Toward A Mathematics For Life: Whitehead On Education, William Parker

Harriet L Wilkes Honors College Theses 2010 - 2019

The twentieth century mathematician and philosopher, Alfred North Whitehead, conceived the ideal education to be an adventure of the human spirit whereby the manifold aspects of the individual’s capacities are explored and developed. It’s not clear how much mathematics, viewed as a dry mechanical activity consisting of mere technical calculation, could contribute to education so conceived. Yet Whitehead considered mathematical training crucial for developing mental capacity in its abstract, general, and particular operations. Mathematical activity by its very nature promotes the modes of engagement that constitute the ideal education. Understanding is best facilitated by an education where the particular and …

Placebo Use In Clinical Practice, Lauren Lowy

Harriet L Wilkes Honors College Theses 2010 - 2019

This thesis examines placebos and their potential for use in clinical settings. I begin by defining “placebo” and “placebo effect” in various contexts, including associated biochemical mechanisms. I then discuss how expectation, conditioning, and patient-physician interactions influence the magnitude of the placebo effect on patients. My research delves into the difficulty of defining and measuring the placebo effect given its subjective nature, and supports the harnessing of this effect as a viable treatment option for certain conditions, including but not limited to depression and pain management. Finally, I address the accompanying ethical concerns of placebo use in clinical practice in …