Digital Commons Network^™

Molecular Responses To Catastrophic Molting In A Wild Marine Mammal, Anna Keith

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

While most mammals shed their hair and skin either continuously or seasonally, northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) undergo an annual catastrophic molt, in which they shed their entire fur and underlying skin layer in the span of just three weeks. Due to the energetic and thermoregulatory constraints of molting and the large distances between their coastal rookeries and foraging grounds, elephant seals must remain on land and fast for the duration of their molt. Previous studies of molting northern elephant seals have examined endocrine and metabolic adjustments to fasting, but not the molecular processes underlying molting. We examined changes in …

Effectiveness Of Social Media Marketing Strategies For Beauty Accounts On Instagram, Gitaine Reis

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Social media content strategies have been created and used for years as a way to advertise and influence market decisions in various industries. The reason for their effectiveness should be adequately studied so that we can have a better understanding of which strategies are successful and which ones are not. This study identifies effective social media content strategies, with a focus on brand and customer-centric strategies. After a content analysis of 251 Instagram posts from Huda Beauty and Glossier’s accounts, the hypotheses stating that brand-centric strategies will be more effective and all the strategies will be a useful way to …

The Effects Of Touchscreen Technology Usage On The Social Emotional Development Of Preschool-Aged Children, Amanda Marie Sharpe

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Technology plays an increasingly significant role in the lives of children and adults, and it is imperative to understand if and how it impacts the development of psychological processes and the subsequent behaviors of preschool-aged children so that we can better understand how to navigate guidelines for use and interventions for overuse. To better understand the relationship between screen time use and a child’s social emotional development, it is important to consider parent time on screens, child time on screens, and any effects an older sibling in the home or parental gender may have on their development. This study gathered …

Speech And Language Development Of Bilingual Deaf And Hard Of Hearing Children, Joanne J. Ryu

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Due to gaps in literature exploring communication outcomes in Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) children with access to more than one spoken language, limited agreement on optimal language use for DHH children, and an ongoing cultural and linguistic loss in this population, the aim of this pilot study was to further the literature and comprehensively explore the impact of oral bilingualism in DHH children. Participants were self-selected and recruited primarily through relevant social media. Speech and language development in children were observed and quantified at two time points (at the time of enrollment into the study and subsequently after …

Improving The Educational Experience Of Trauma-Impacted Students: Identifying Emerging Best Practices For Teaching Low-Socioeconomic Status Urban Students, Regina Lane

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative action research concentrates on examining the best practices for teachers in trauma-informed practices by producing an implementation guide to train the trainer. The theoretical framework utilized to help inform the development of this research was Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory (1989) in relation to human development for identifying the emerging best practices with being trauma informed. The scope of this research focuses on low-socioeconomic status (SES) urban youth, so cultural sensitivity is naturally always a component of a complete train-the-trainer, trauma-informed teaching program. I identified the emerging best practices in two ways: (a) by gathering and summarizing supporting sources …

Memory Strategy Instruction With Goal-Setting And Positive Feedback: Impact On Memory, Strategy Use, And Task Commitment, Mercedes E. Ball

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Strategy instruction can improve memory performance, but some training programs are more effective than others. Some scholars propose that a key element to boosting the benefits from training programs is enhancing or emphasizing self-regulatory factors, such as knowledge about memory, beliefs about ability, or motivational factors. Research supporting this claim evidence adds that programs that enhance trainees’ confidence in their abilities improve memory performance and that multifactorial programs are more effective than strategy-training-only programs. Setting performance goals and receiving feedback are two self-regulatory factors known to relate to memory performance that may sometimes be included in some training programs. However, …

Stress Resilience Development Of Undergraduate Student Leaders At Faith-Based Universities During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Grounded Theory Study, David Heitman

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Undergraduate student leaders express increasing stress levels, often leaving them unprepared to lead in a complex world of challenge and change. While higher education heavily invests in preparing graduates to think critically and lead successfully, research shows an increasing number of students display low-stress resiliency and risk-aversion while struggling to cope with challenge and failure pre-and post-graduation. This study, conducted at faith-based Christian universities during the COVID-19 pandemic, used grounded theory to generate a generalizable leadership stress resilience model that explains: (a) Why and how undergraduate student leaders experience stress; (b)The influence of stress on student leaders at faith-based institutions; …

Investigating The Specificity Of Coiled-Coil Recognition, Melina Huey

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The bZIP transcription factors make up a family of long α-helical proteins that dimerize based on a pattern of hydrophobic residues and bind to DNA through a region of basic residues. Because binding specificity is a particular topic of interest, the dimerization interaction is attractive as a possible candidate to better understand protein quaternary structure. Use of the Knob-Socket (KS) model for determination of packing structure provides a novel approach to analyze protein-protein interactions. A KS analysis of the protein-protein interface provides unique insight into the specificity of the classical leucine zipper pseudo-7mer repeat. From an analysis of the KS …

Barrier To Girls' Education In The Liberian School System And How To Empower Them To Remain In School, Annetta Lahn Nyanama

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis was to identify barriers to girls’ education in the fifteen years war in the ravished and impoverished country of Liberia, West Africa. With similar circumstances in developing countries around the world, comparison research is also explored and is clear that the consistent education of girls is often challenging and undervalued compared to the perceived and actual contributions girls make in the home without formal education.

The Dialectic Of Presence And Interpretation In Everyday Aesthetics: Applying Heidegger And Gumbrecht To A Walk In One’S Neighborhood, Thomas Leddy

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Gumbrecht’s Heidegger-inspired book, Production of Presence, provides valuable tools for resolving issues in everyday aesthetics. Gumbrecht distinguishes between “presence cultures” and “interpretation cultures.” (Gumbrecht 2004) We live in an interpretation culture, and yet even in our culture there are presence effects. Gumbrecht understands aesthetic experience in terms of the idea of presence. His paradigms are great works of art and great athletic events, all of which take us away from the everyday. I argue that his theory can be adapted, ironically, to everyday aesthetics, in particular to the experience of taking a walk. Much of what we experience aesthetically while …

Access To Technology In Humboldt County: Measuring Digital Preparedness At The Start Of A Pandemic, Lauren E. Proffitt

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This research is based on summer 2020 online survey data from a stratified random sample of 573 clients and care providers of a rural Northern California government social services agency. The goal was to study information technology access in Humboldt County, California, and the range of digital preparedness of clients of a local government agency: Humboldt County In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS). IHSS serves several groups of rural residents with low-income, foremost of which are older adults and people with disabilities. In 2020, in compliance with federal requirements, IHSS discontinued systems for paper-based client/provider confirmation of services, moving to digital technology-based …

The Effect Of Quality Of Life On Cardiometabolic Risk Factors In Postmenopausal Women, Chavela Lynn Riotutar

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Background: The emergence of cardiometabolic (CMD) indicators for Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) coincides with the decline in estrogen production during menopause and substantially increases development of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in women. Quality of life (QOL) encompasses physical, material, and social well-being. Research reveals a correlation between low QOL scores and CMD disease. Menopause significantly increases CMD risk, and may also lower QOL scores. Objective: To investigate the relationship between QOL and CMD risk in postmenopausal women. Method: Cisgender, postmenopausal women (age > 45 years) were recruited through emails to complete the online survey. Data collection included demographics, physical characteristics and activity level, …

Write Yourself Awake: The Double Pursuit Of Mindfulness Meditation And Writing, Alysia M. Hegg

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Contemplative pedagogy involves teaching methods designed to cultivate deepened awareness, concentration, and insight. Contemplative practices work to undo the Cartesian mind–body dualism that says that mental phenomena are non-physical, or that the mind and body are distinct and separable. This project focuses on an understanding that our internal world includes communication with one’s self, acts of imagination and visualization, and recall and memory. These internal experiences foster many things, such as compassion and kindness, as well as resilience and sustainability through connection.

“McMindfulness” is a term that refers to when mindfulness is used for self-serving and ego-enhancing purposes. Symptoms of …

Do Beaver Dam Analogues Act As Passage Barriers To Juvenile Coho Salmon And Juvenile Steelhead Trout?, Christopher G. O'Keefe

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

In the Pacific Northwest, the human-caused reduction of quality and quantity of freshwater rearing habitat is a limiting factor for Pacific Salmon populations. Beaver dam analogues (BDAs) increase suitable rearing habitat for juvenile salmonids and promote the restoration of critical stream processes. Installing BDAs is an increasingly popular alternative to more intensive restoration techniques, due to the relatively low cost and effort required to install BDA structures. However, widespread installation of BDAs has been slowed by regulatory agencies’ concerns that BDAs may impede fish passage. Few studies have empirically assessed the extent to which BDAs impede fish passage, and no …

Social Comparison Tendencies And The Reward Value Of Same-Sex Beauty Among Heterosexual Women, Melissa M. Martin Ms.

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Previous studies have suggested that heterosexual women, but not heterosexual men, find same sex beauty rewarding. This finding has been attributed to a “greater bisexual interest among heterosexual women”, but no other explanations have been offered or tested. The current study aimed to explore social comparison tendencies as a potential alternate explanation to this previously observed finding. Twenty-three heterosexual women completed a series of questionnaires designed to assess their social comparison tendencies (the social comparison orientation scale, the physical appearance comparison scale, and the intrasexual competition scale). They also completed a “pay-per-view” keypress task to measure the reward value of …

Merging Art And Science: Lessons Learned From An 'Otterly' Different Case Study, Jess Barger

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Environmental art projects use artistic interpretation to tell stories about the natural world, often with the hope that they will inspire awareness or behavioral change. In 2019, an art project to raise awareness about North American river otters (Lontra canadensis) was launched in Northern California, using over 100 river otter sculptures painted and decorated by local artists. Through a mixed-methods approach, I quantified the initial outcomes of the project, North Coast Otters, as well as the response to the project by the public on social media as a case study in environmental art and outreach. Participating artists’ interviews and …

Assessing California Commercial Fishing Community Well-Being In The Context Of Marine Protected Area (Mpa) Formation, Samantha Cook

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Marine protected areas (MPAs)—defined geographic areas where fishing and harvesting activity is limited or restricted—have emerged as a popular marine biodiversity and climate resilience strategy worldwide. MPA monitoring efforts often follow MPA designation to help inform the adaptive management of MPAs and MPA networks. In 2012, California completed the largest statewide system of MPAs to date, consisting of 124 MPAs covering 16% of state waters. Following MPA implementation, the state initiated a long-term monitoring program (2019-2022) to help inform the 10-year MPA management review. This two-chapter thesis presents findings from a state-funded project to conduct long-term socioeconomic monitoring for human …

Caution Fatigue: Group Identification And Disgust Provide Protection In The Covid-19 Pandemic, Logan F. Ashworth

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The current Coronavirus pandemic has yielded an abundance of concerns regarding the psychological effects of isolating a highly social species through widespread lockdowns and enhanced social distancing. Research show that many are suffering from mental health crises, while also refusing to isolate (Brooks et al., 2020; Czeiler, et al., 2020). These behaviors combine to increase risk of viral infection. An emerging term to explain this paradox is “Caution Fatigue”. Yet, there is no research that outlines its specific underlying mechanisms. The goal of this paper is to propose a series of models that delineate caution fatigue through the effects a) …

Need And Effectiveness Of Professional Development Courses For Academic Librarians Of Capital City Of Punjab, Pakistan, Naveed Anwar, Khurram Shahzad, Muhammad Tariq Dr.

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

1. 1. ABSTRACT

1.1 Objectives:

The aims of the study were to explore the need of the professional development courses, and effectiveness of the professional development courses in academic libraries of the capital city of Punjab, Pakistan.

1.2 Methodology:

Library professionals working in the academic libraries of Higher Education Commission (HEC) recognized public sector universities were the population of the study. As all library professionals of public sector universities located in Lahore (working in the capital city of Punjab, Pakistan were included so census sampling technique was adopted to meet the objectives of the study. 67 respondents participated in this study. …

Systemic Racism, The Government’S Pandemic Response, And Racial Inequities In Covid-19, Ruqaiijah Yearby, Seema Mohapatra

All Faculty Scholarship

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal and state governments have ignored racial and ethnic minorities’ unequal access to employment and health care that results in racial inequities in COVID-19 infections and deaths. In addition, they have enacted laws that further exacerbate these inequities. Consequently, many racial and ethnic minorities are employed in low-wage essential jobs that lack paid sick leave and health insurance. This lack of benefits causes them to go to work even when they are sick and prevents them from receiving appropriate medical treatment. As a result, racial and ethnic minorities have disproportionately been infected and died from …

From Mandates To Governance: Restructuring The Employment Relationship, Brett Mcdonnell, Matthew T. Bodie

All Faculty Scholarship

Employers are saddled with a dizzying array of responsibilities to their employees. Meant to advance a wide array of workplace policies, these demands have saddled employment with the burden of numerous social ends. However, that system has increasingly come under strain, as companies seek to shed employment relationships and workers lose important protections when terminated. In this Article, we propose that employers and employees should be given greater flexibility with a move from mandates to governance. Many of the employment protections required from employers stem from employees’ lack of organizational power. The imbalance is best addressed by providing workers with …

Protecting The Rights And Wellbeing Of People With Disabilities During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Elizabeth Pendo

All Faculty Scholarship

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed and exacerbated significant inequities experienced by people with disabilities. It has also emphasized the value of legal protections against discrimination based on disability. The Americans with Disabilities Act was enacted 30 years ago to eliminate discrimination against people with disabilities and ensure equal opportunity across major areas of American life (ADA, 2008). Together with an earlier law, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 Rehabilitation Act, 2012), this landmark civil rights law impacts a broad range of issues raised by the COVID-19 pandemic and protects a large and growing number of Americans. This Chapter focuses on application …

Trademark's 'Ship Of Theseus' Problem, Matthew T. Bodie

All Faculty Scholarship

The story of the ship of Theseus has long presented a puzzle over the nature of identity. Preserving the boat over time, the ancient Greeks would remove its wooden planks as they rotted and replace them with new planks. The question arose: was this still the same ship?

The problem hits at an issue that is critical to trademark law but has largely been overlooked: namely, what is the identity of the entity that holds the mark? And how do we determine whether that has changed over time? The law provides straightforward answers: it assigns the mark to the business …

Intellectual Property As A Determinant Of Health, Ana Santos Rutschman

All Faculty Scholarship

Public health literature has long recognized the existence of determinants of health, a set of socio-economic conditions that affect health risks and health outcomes across the world. The World Health Organization defines these determinants as “forces and systems” consisting of “factors combin[ing] together to affect the health of individuals and communities.” Frameworks relying on determinants of health have been widely adopted by countries in the global South and North alike, as well as international institutional players, several of which are direct or indirect players in transnational intellectual property (IP) policymaking. Issues raised by the implementation of IP policies, however, are …

Vaccine Clinical Trials And Data Infrastructure, Ana Santos Rutschman

All Faculty Scholarship

We find ourselves at a momentous turn in the history of vaccines. The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a quasi-global vaccine race that not only compressed vaccine research and development (R&D) timelines, but also paved the way for the administration of a new type of vaccine technology – mRNA vaccines, which work in substantially different ways from the vaccines in use before the pandemic.

While the process of bringing emerging COVID-19 vaccines to market has taken place in an unusually short timeframe, it was largely predicated on the same scientific and regulatory processes that govern the development, approval and deployment of new …

Social Media Self-Regulation And The Rise Of Vaccine Misinformation, Ana Santos Rutschman

All Faculty Scholarship

This essay examines the main characteristics and shortcomings of mainstream social media responses to vaccine misinformation and disinformation. Parts I and II contextualize the recent expansion of vaccine information and disinformation in the online environment. Part III provides a survey and taxonomy of ongoing responses to vaccine misinformation adopted by mainstream social media. It further notes the limitations of current self-regulatory modes and illustrates these limitations by presenting a short case study on Facebook—the largest social media vehicle for vaccine-specific misinformation, currently estimated to harbor approximately half of the social media accounts linked to vaccine misinformation. Part IV examines potential …

Queering Bostock, Jeremiah A. Ho

All Faculty Scholarship

Although the Supreme Court’s 2020 Title VII decision, Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia, is a victory for LGBTQ individuals, its doctrinal limitations unavoidably preserve a discriminatory status quo. This Article critically examines how and why Bostock fails to highlight the indignities experienced by queer minorities under decades of employment discrimination. In Bostock, Justice Gorsuch presents a sweeping textualist interpretation of Title VII that protects against sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination. Yet, the decision sparsely recognizes queer lived experiences, compared to prior pro-LGBTQ cases where such recognition contributed to developing an anti-stereotyping framework that confronted some of the heteronormative biases …

Challenges For Black Workers After 2020: Antiracism In The Gig Economy?, Michael C. Duff

All Faculty Scholarship

Black workers’ fortunes in the coming decades are tied to the expansion of the Gig economy, the impact of which is to destroy employee status. Because much antiracism law and policy has been transmitted to society through the medium of employment law, the disappearance of employee status should be of concern to all foes of racism. This short essay argues that Section 1981 of the Civil Rights Act of 1866 should be expanded to cover all forms of racist workplace conduct. Regulatory arbitrage will continue to challenge the definition of employment for the foreseeable future. It is fitting that one …

Exploring The Diagnostic Journey Of A Preschool-Aged Female: A Retrospective Case Study, Lindsay Nicole Crafton

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this case study was to investigate the diagnostic route of a preschool-aged female initially suspected of having ASD with communication deficits and explore her journey to seek and receive services. In any diagnostic experience, it is imperative that caregivers understand the steps to seek appropriate evaluations and receive necessary services to improve their child’s quality of life. While there are some systemic procedures in place aimed to identify children with communication disorders or other developmental concerns such as ASD early; the ultimate responsibility falls on the caregiver to follow up and follow through. Although diagnostic criteria for …

Retention And The Sophomore Slump: Understanding Whether Campus Residency Predicts Retention Of Sophomore College Students, Raglena Salmans

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Retention in higher education is an ongoing challenge in America. Traditional research claims a multitude of reasons for freshman college students to stop out, drop out, or transfer colleges. The term sophomore slump was created many years ago as an all-encompassing phrase for the large amount of students who do not return to campus for their sophomore year or end up leaving during the sophomore year. Institutions of higher education are on a continuous journey to retain students and to understand what the cause of students leaving their university is. Campus housing has morphed through the years to provide programming …