Digital Commons Network^™

The Role Of Rad51 In Trichomonas Vaginalis, Dominique Hall

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Drug resistance to the current treatments on the market is on the rise, therefore there is strong interest in understanding what could be causing the resistance, how resistance could be spreading through the population, and finding some possible new drug targets. One protein of interest is Radiation Sensitive Protein 51 (Rad51). It is a protein that is involved in homologous recombination as well as other processes such as DNA damage repair. While Trichomonas vaginalis traditionally has been known to replicate via binary fission, a modified form of closed mitosis, there is some evidence that meiosis, or at least some form …

Spouses Of First Responders: A Narrative Inquiry Of Survival, Recovery And Healing, Jennifer D. Geiger

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The nature of the work of emergency responders (i.e., firefighters, law enforcement, paramedics, and dispatch) includes high stress and direct experiences of traumatic situations. The experience of posttraumatic stress is common. The spouse or significant other is often the first person to see a change in their responder and the person most likely to be sought out for support from the responder, yet there is little support for the spouses or significant others of emergency workers. The purpose of this qualitative study using in-depth interviews and narrative inquiry was to learn about participants’ experiences at the 6-day residential treatment (retreat) …

Motivating Factors For Academic Dishonesty And Reoccurrence Prevention Of These Behaviors, Andrew Bryzgornia

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Teachers often turn to assessments to measure a student’s learning in a class. The intent is for the student to complete this assessment by meeting the instructor’s requirements, but often they look for alternate means to aid in the assignment’s completion, which is known as academic dishonesty or cheating. While students may illegally use notes, partner with others, and more, it is common for the students to have other justifications beyond simply desiring a better grade in the class. Not knowing they are cheating, believing cheating is not wrong, believing the class is too difficult, distrusting the instructor, and having …

The Impact Of Classroom Management On Behavior Regulation For Students In Early Childhood And Elementary School Classrooms, Katherine S. Winters

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A significant obstacle for teachers in early childhood and elementary classrooms is regulating negative student behavior. The implementation of classroom management programs is a strategy used by school districts worldwide to lessen learning distractions caused by negative student behavior to improve classroom quality. This thesis is a review of studies specifically linking the impact that classroom management interventions have on behavior regulation. Review of both preventative and reactive classroom management practices were discussed as well as the training process and implementation fidelity. The consistent trend in the research related to increasing positive student behavior in the classroom, is that positive …

Inclusion In The Modern-Day Classroom: Identification Of Benefits, Reservations, And Methods Of Implementation, Carley Anne Dyer

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates some of the most apparent benefits of creating an inclusive classroom. Inclusion is a vital part of development for students with special education needs, but also directly benefits their general education peers and teachers as well. Some of these benefits are peer learning, forming connections with peers, and preparing the students for post-secondary life. This thesis also takes time to identify some of the areas that inclusion can have some perceived setbacks for both educators and students alike. Identifying these negatives are crucial for the advancement of inclusion, as it is necessary to know what areas need …

The Importance Of Building Positive Classroom Community For Adolescents After The Relational Disconnect From The Covid-19 Pandemic, Jessica Ann Swanson

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This paper aims to analyze the importance of providing students with a positive classroom environment that supports adolescent mental health. Middle school can be a time when students feel lonely, isolated, and oftentimes, it can be physiologically confusing as the body is transforming to becoming an adult. The Covid-19 pandemic exemplified the negative characteristics of normal adolescence. Research suggests that schools that incorporate belonging, relationship building, resilience training, community, and conflict resolution into the classroom can translate to academic success. Social-emotional learning programs can build community and improve adolescent mental health by promoting well-being. Addressing mental health through these types …

Successful Co-Teaching Models In The Secondary Setting, Alexandra L. Hermoza

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Co-teaching is an educational practice that emerged in the early 1970’s with the creation of the IDEA act. In this inclusive teaching model, a special education and a general education teacher work together to share responsibilities of the classroom such as planning lessons, monitoring student progress, and managing student behaviors and learning. While some teachers are not able to implement this strategy successfully, other teachers and schools find great success in this inclusive practice. Studies indicate that teachers struggle with co-teaching when they do not communicate adequately or are not given the proper training or time to collaborate. Teachers who …

The Influence Of Differentiation: Student Engagement, Academic Achievement, Classroom Management And Barriers To Successful Implementation, Elise E. Erlandson

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Differentiation is the instructional practice founded on the belief that every student deserves to receive the instruction that they need on an individual basis. When successfully implemented, it can positively influence student engagement, academic achievement, and classroom management. While each of these components of a classroom space are interconnected and interdependent, the positive influence of differentiation can be seen throughout. This may look like a higher percentage of student engagement in instruction, higher academic achievement, and more positive, collaborative classroom communities. However, there are definite barriers to a successful, effective implementation of differentiation in an individual classroom or within larger …

The Role Of Inclusion In Creating A Positive Learning Experience And Outcomes For Students With Disabilities, Jacob Rath

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This paper reviews the current research regarding the inclusion of students with special education services in the general education setting and what steps would be necessary to effectively implement more inclusive approaches in schools today. There has been considerable debate about the potential effects of inclusion on students with and without disabilities in recent years. All students have the potential to make a positive impact in the classroom. Students with special needs deserve to learn in the least restrictive environment possible, having access to the same resources and socialization as their peers. In creating an inclusive education plan for any …

Race Car Aerodynamics Simulation And Transmitted Tire Reaction Forces, Mark T.J. Lin, Periklis Papadopoulos

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Often in Computational Fluid Dynamics integral forces and restoring moments are calculated, but the location where they should be applied may not always be clear. This is because the location is not intuitive: it is dependent on the vehicle’s velocity and its orientation (e.g. sideslip angle). A technique has been developed to translate the aerodynamic forces to the reaction forces on the vehicle’s tires. In this study, CFD simulation is performed with a 7.5° yaw to look at the effect of cornering. To understand aerodynamic effect on vehicle dynamics one must know the location at which this force is applied. …

Normative Values Of College-Aged Men And Women For The 1.5-Mile Run Test On A Treadmill For Cardiorespiratory Fitness, Eli Baginski

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Physical activity has been shown to positively affect both mental and physical health. A means of determining an individual’s physical fitness is a necessary tool in developing and maintaining a healthy exercise routine. The 1.5-mile run test provides an accurate and reliable estimate of VO₂ max and can be used to routinely assess cardiorespiratory fitness. The aim of this study is to develop normative data for the 1.5 mile run test for both college-aged women and men. We examine how the calculated normative data presented produced by the Cooper Institute compares to our measured values, as well as compare …

Forecasting The Outcomes Of Managing A Rare Endemic Plant At Its Elevational Limit Under Climate Change Scenarios, Ethan Reibsome

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Lupinus constancei (Lassics lupine) is an exceptionally rare forb with a population that in 2020 consisted of 1,300 individuals located on two adjacent mountaintops in northwestern California, USA. Past work has demonstrated the species is threatened by high levels of seed predation by small mammals, which is likely the result of fire exclusion and the subsequent vegetation encroachment that both increases small mammal habitat and directly reduces suitable habitat for the species. Because of this, active management through caging of reproductive individuals to reduce seed consumption has been conducted every year since 2003. In addition, growing season temperatures have increased …

Does Having Siblings Affect Caretaking Responses To Infants?, Kaitlin Rose Duskin

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Infant facial cues affect a variety of caretaking-related responses in adults. These effects have primarily been explored as they relate to parental care, however infants receive care from others who are not their parents and it would be important for any caregiver, regardless of parental status, to respond to infant cues effectively. Because siblings often fulfill a caregiver role in the home, this study investigated whether having siblings, younger siblings in particular, influences the way in which adults respond to infant cues. Contrary to my predictions, the findings in this study indicate that having siblings does not influence how rewarding …

Our Place In Research: Understanding Social Productions Of Knowledge Using Digital Spaces, Allison C. Iafrate

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Academic research and research-writing are increasingly being recognized across disciplines as social and collaborative processes, involving many different voices and perspectives in the negotiation of meaning. However, within the context of the university classroom, research is often framed as an individualized process where students learn and perform research skills as single authors. This project approaches this discrepancy with a critical eye towards change by introducing digital spaces as a tool for reframing student perceptions of academic research. A selected review of literature is offered, which touches on topics such as critical research pedagogy, language varieties and language-play, multimodality and genres …

Uncertainty, Populist Deprivation Rhetoric, And Extremism, Crane Conso

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The present study investigates the influence of leadership messages on support for extremism using a social identity framework. Specifically, the study highlights the potential role of populist deprivation rhetoric and self-uncertainty in generating support for leaders and extremism. The study seeks to fill a gap in the existing research to understand the use of deprivation rhetoric as a direct process of populist leadership. Political extremism can serve to reduce feelings of uncertainty. Group relative deprivation results from a social comparison in which a person believes another individual or group is denying them something to which they feel entitled. Leaders can …

Resource Access And Equity In Humboldt County (How Social Myth Becomes Social Fact), Colton J. Hubbard

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Rural areas of Northern California have gone without health and social services for decades. The shortcomings of local services have given rise to the idea that there are no services in these rural and isolated communities. Conditions and beliefs have brought up two important questions. The first question is how can access and knowledge of available services be improved in rural areas? The second question is, through what mechanisms do communities develop their facts?

To address the previous questions, I worked with the primary health and social service provider in Humboldt County, CA. We developed a database of local services …

Envisioning A Grassroots Framework For Community-Based Mental Health Crisis Intervention, Xandra C. Gradine

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The mental health and well-being of both individuals and communities are going to be best served by community-based services and care completely unreliant on traditional top-down models that often include inaccessible services and/or coercive methods. This is especially prevalent in the case of mental health crisis intervention; where most state-based interventions involve coercive agents who often are not given any specific training on mental health crisis response. As mental health crisis and suicide rates continue to rise in the U.S., and even the most well-respected model of crisis intervention has done little to resolve the issues of prisons serving as …

Nā Pua Makani Wind Farm: The Shifting Winds Of Renewable Development In HawaiʻI, George Webster Ross Iv

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

In 2015, Hawaiʻi set the most ambitious renewable energy portfolio goal in the nation by vowing to reach 100% renewable energy by 2045. Since then, many renewable energy development projects in Hawaiʻi have been met with strong community opposition, including the Nā Pua Makani wind farm (NPM) in Kahuku. The aim of this project is to analyze the process timeline of NPM to identify factors in the development process that contributed to organized protest, and to offer recommendations for improving the process. In order to get a full picture of the events throughout the Nā Pua Makani project’s timeline, my …

Do Steller’S Jays Respond To Human Providers?, Jessica E. Guenther

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

For millennia, humans and wildlife coevolved in a myriad of landscapes influencing each other through social interactions. Humans may be providing non-verbal signals in their facial features with gaze and head orientation that are perceived by non-human animals. The ability to follow human eye gaze and head orientation could enable non-human animals to access valuable resources, for example, birds provided with supplemental food. Few studies have quantified how closely birds in the wild watch and respond to ‘familiar’ humans who regularly provide food. From 2015-2019, Steller’s jays (Cyanocitta stelleri) in Arcata, California were fed shelled peanuts and observed …

Escherichia Coli And Salmonella Sp. In Domestic Cattle And Wild Roosevelt Elk: Fecal Pathogens At The Wildlife-Domestic Interface, Emily A. Buck

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Direct or indirect contact between domestic populations of animals and wildlife carries an inherent risk for transmission of pathogens that cause infectious disease. In Humboldt and Del Norte counties of northern California, ongoing conflict between ranchers and Roosevelt elk groups results from elk use of ranching pastures and pastures on private land. Fecal samples from elk in association with cattle, cattle, and from elk not in known association with cattle were assessed for the presence of bacteria Salmonella enterica and pathogenic Escherichia coli to assess whether association with cattle increases risk of infection for elk. Group identity (one of the …

Developing Standards For Gender-Responsive Human Rights Due Diligence, Constance Z. Wagner, Nancy Kaymar Stafford

All Faculty Scholarship

This article addresses the current state of gender-responsive human rights due diligence (GR-HRDD) standards and advocates for greater attention to be paid to women’s human rights in the due diligence process. The 2011 United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) created a global framework for recognizing, preventing, and addressing the risk of adverse impacts of human rights violations linked to business activities. The responsibility of businesses to respect human rights under the UNGPs includes implementing a human rights due diligence process. Although the UNGPs do not provide guidance on the process for integrating women’s rights into human …

Kentucky Agricultural Education Teachers’ Perceived Barriers Of Delivering Instruction Through Internet-Based Distance Learning Amid The Covid-19 Pandemic, Jeci Crane-Bohannon

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

In the spring of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic brought about a multitude of challenges around the world. Mass closures of public places seemed to happen overnight and instantaneously. Essential workers kept the world afloat to the best of their abilities, but the harsh reality quickly settled in that education was not considered essential in the view of a worldwide pandemic. Educators worked continue the education of their pupils while trying to minimize movement and limit social gatherings leaving schools around the world reeling to find their ground in an abrupt switch from in-person learning to internet-based, distance education. Globally, the …

Virtual Learning And Its Impact On Belonging And Mental Health, Chelsey Highley

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examined virtual learning and the link between sense of belonging and mental health. Specifically, this qualitative study assessed the perceptions and opinions of 15 high school students from a rural high school setting who participated in virtual learning for at least one semester during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research questions that guided this study were: (a) How did high school students experience belongingness with teachers and peers when engaged in virtual learning; and (b) How did high school students experience mental health issues during virtual learning? The data was collected via individual interviews and analyzed. The category emerging …

How To Hospital: Barriers To Developing A Patient 'Hospital Survival Guide' To Support Information Transfer During Ward-Rounds On The Patient Journey From Admission To Hospital To Discharge, Swyn Lewis, Gwenlli Mai Jones, Paul Barach, Hawys Tomos, Mari Davies, Buddug Eckley, Hannah Rebecca Dowell, Christian Peter Subbe

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

Clinicians can enable patients to actively participate in their care but communication with patients is often poor and highly variable. The aim of this study was to explore patients' understanding of their current illness while in hospital and using a codesign process to create prototype tools to facilitate better communication during ward rounds. A mixed-methods, multistep design with step 1: Application of a questionnaire addressing domains of care in the acute medical unit; step 2: Development of communication aids that were codesigned with active help of patients, students and a specialist in user centric design to address patient needs and …

Promoting Vaccine Innovation, Mirit Eyal-Cohen, Ana Santos Rutschman

Faculty Publications

As society grows to understand the need to promote innovation, policymakers try to employ an arsenal of policy tools, from traditional intellectual property (“IP”) to newer tools such as grants, regulatory vouchers, and prizes. This Article argues that these frameworks crowd out certain types of investments in innovation projects that have a high social value. Vaccine innovation is a case in point. Despite the immense socioeconomic benefit of vaccines, existing policies have been limited in fostering investments in this space. This is because they fail to directly address the relevant bottleneck issues distinct to vaccine development.

This Article offers a …

Analyzing Collaborative Practices Of Education And Mental Health Professionals In An Education Program Serving Students With Emotional And Behavioral Disorders: A Case Study Utilizing A Cultural Historical Activity Lens, Elizabeth A. Jara

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative single case study examined systemic collaborative practices related to service implementation for high school students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders (EBD) in a public school intensive therapeutic intervention program. Specifically, this study explored the interdependent and co-creative relational structures, actions, and activities of education and mental health professionals as supported by program leadership. This study used semi-structured interviews to investigate (1) how special education and mental health leadership support implementation of service, and (2) how ideologies of education and mental health professionals’ impact collaborative practices? Cultural Historical Activity Theory served as the theoretical and methodological lens for this …

Empowerment By Design: Classroom Innovation And Inquiry Through Design Thinking And Action Research, Cory Rayala

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Increasingly standardized and assessment-driven educational systems are failing to meet the needs of many students, replacing their love of learning with a fear of failure. Importantly, the fear of failure is a common mindset of not only students but also teachers, administrators, and policymakers. This qualitative, action research study is situated in a design thinking/growth mindset conceptual theory that posits that the design thinking process can serve as a meaningful growth mindset opportunity for teachers and students. The prototyping mindset inherent in design thinking may mitigate the fear of failure by focusing on rapid iteration rather than striving for perfection. …

A Cultural Perspective Of The Adult Attachment Projective Picture System With Latino Youth, Erika J. Leacox

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the usefulness of administering the Adult Attachment Projective Picture system (AAP) through a cultural lens with two Latino youth receiving mental health treatment. The AAP is a measure developed from the Bowlby-Ainsworth developmental attachment theory that is used to assess an attachment state of mind for individuals. These case studies facilitated an understanding of how the attachment perspective may be combined with knowledge of cultural themes represented in the AAP results to inform mental health treatment. Each of the participants of this single-subject study design are youth who have experienced symptoms of trauma. We observe from this …

Social Movement Splintering: An Examination Of Stockton Stands With Minneapolis And News Media Representation, Kevin Ozomaro

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The phenomenon surrounding news media’s power to alter group identity and group cohesion is something that rarely a point of focus in communication studies. In this study I worked with a local social movement group called Stockton Stands with Minneapolis. This group illustrated the importance of maintaining shared values. Utilizing relational Interviewing, SSWM members provided evidence showing the connection between news media and group success. News media has had a role in shaping group members’ understanding of SSWM and activism. SSWM has faced internal conflict as a result of negative news representation. SSWM is a relatively small and young (2 …

Teacher Retention Policy Coherence: An Analysis Of Policies And Practices Across Federal, State, And Division Levels, Andrene Castro, Adria Hoffman, Jonathan D. Becker, David Naff, Peter S. Willis, Andy Kane

MERC Publications

As part of a larger MERC study, this report provides an overview of federal, state, and regional policies and practices relevant to teacher retention. Using key informant interviews and document analysis, the report addresses the following research questions: What teacher retention policies exist at the federal, state, and local levels? How are these policies structured at the state level and local levels? How do teacher retention policies vary across MERC divisions? Following the findings, the report presents recommendations for policy and practice.