Digital Commons Network^™

Evaluating Father Involvement In The Voluntary Family Maintenance And Reunification Process, Elizabeth Crescencio-Garduno

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

ACTION’s Community Case Management program works collaboratively with Monterey County Department of Social Services’ Family and Children Services’ Voluntary Family Maintenance and Voluntary Family Reunification unit, to keep children safe at home and out of the court system. Recurrent child maltreatment rates are too high in voluntary and court-ordered child protective services. Various factors contribute to father involvement and engagement in family stabilization efforts. This capstone was an exploratory research project that assessed father involvement in parent education services for families that were referred to voluntary child protective services in Monterey County. This project aimed to increase awareness on the …

The Saturation Trilogy: The Importance Of The Vocal Mix, Nicholas Roa

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This paper goes over the background of BROCKHAMPTON and how the group came together. It will also discuss each role that the members of the group have. This history of the group will be one of the topics in the paper. The three albums from The SATURATION Trilogy will be the main topic that this paper will examine. Within these albums, the tone and stand out elements will be discussed. The importance of the vocal mix will be highlighted throughout, and the paper will pinpoint the three important tools that help the vocal mix within these albums. The three tools …

Impact Of The Model Minority Myth For Asian American Students, Gustavo Morales-Magbitang

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Asian-Americans are often recognized for their merit among the minority groups. They attain jobs that allow them to hit the glass ceiling while also being recognized for their academic success. The society sees Asian Americans as the model minorities, a minority group that has been able to thrive in the Eurocentric society. They are the epitome of success for which other minority groups should strive for as an example. However, the idea of Model Minority sets a guise over Asian-Americans and the struggles they face. The purpose of this senior capstone is to examine in depth on how the Model …

Effects Of University Pen Pals On The Literacy Development Of Elementary School Students, Tami Chanthorn

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

A study done in a local school to research college student pen pals with first graders and found that students want to learn more about their pen pals, to write, and to strive to produce coherent communication with their university pen pals. Given this study, this senior capstone examines the effects of university pen pals on literacy development of elementary school students through use of literature review and a university pen pals project conducted with a class of elementary school students in the Monterey Bay area. The findings reveal that elementary school students are motivated to learn about higher education, …

A Comparative Analysis Between The Voting Patterns Of Csumb Students And Nationwide Voters, Ages 18-24, Selena Corona

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The purpose of this capstone is to evaluate if CSUMB students, ages 18-24, follow the historically low voting and low voter registration patterns of other U.S. voters, ages 18-24. The study will draw on the theory of political information efficacy in order to analyze why young voters, ages 18-24, are less likely to vote in federal and state elections. My methodology for this study included using both qualitative and quantitative methods. I created an online survey to critically analyze why young adults from 18 to 24 years old vote in significantly fewer numbers than voters over the age of 64. …

22 Update: Survey Email Sent To Campus On May 1, 2019, University Of Northern Iowa. General Education Re-Envisioning Committee.

General Education Re-envisioning Committee Documents

A request for faculty to fill out a survey on the structural elements for organizing the general education curriculum sent on May 1, 2019.

24 Update: Structural Elements Results From Online Survey To Campus, University Of Northern Iowa. General Education Re-Envisioning Committee.

General Education Re-envisioning Committee Documents

The results of the survey on the structural elements for the general education program that was sent out May 1, 2019.

Machine Learning And Empirical Asset Pricing, Yingnan Yi

Doctor of Business Administration Dissertations

In this paper, I conduct a comprehensive study of using machine learning tools to forecast the U.S. stock returns. I use three sets of predictors: the past history summarized by 120 lagged returns, the technical indicators measured by 120 moving average trading signals, and the 79 firm fundamentals, which helps to understand the weak-form market efficiency, algorithm trading and fundamental analysis. I find each set independently has strong predictive power, and buying the top 20% stocks with the greatest predicted returns and shorting bottom 20% with the lowest earns economically significant profits, and the profitability is robust to a number …

Rest For The Heart: Respite Care Training For Interns, Victoria Rose Weatherford

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Jacob’s Heart Children Cancer Support Services is a local nonprofit agency that provides support for families of children that have been diagnosed with cancer. Due to the complicated treatment processes and their effects, families of children with cancer experience high levels of psychological distress. To support these families, Jacob’s Heart intends on providing a respite care program. However, interns at Jacob’s Heart are unprepared to provide respite care to families experiencing a cancer diagnosis. An educational intervention was utilized to prepare interns to confidently provide quality, compassionate respite care to families of children with cancer. The training curriculum developed has …

A Data-Driven Approach To Increasing Male Advocacy At Casa Of Monterey County, Andrea Ledesma

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) is a non-profit organization focused on advocating for abused and neglected children in the foster system. CASA trains and supports community volunteers who become advocates. For every 50 male children there are only 15 male advocates. Those other 35 boys are left with female advocates. More than half of the youth who age out of foster care are incarcerated at some point by their mid-20s. Many boys decline into the world of drugs, violence, even incarceration. Advocates who connect with the male children at a crucial age, establish a bond and resemblance on another level. …

Merecemos Saber/ We Deserve To Know, Erika Arreola

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Safe Ag Safe Schools, a coalition of 50-plus organizations works with the community to reduce pesticide exposure in Monterey County. Although pesticides are used to kill and repel pests, pesticides put human health at risk. Despite the efforts addressing pesticides issues, Spanish speaking individuals are unaware of what those issues are. Merecemos Saber/ We Deserve to Know is an educational intervention aimed to increase Spanish speaking individuals’ knowledge and awareness about pesticide issues. This project included an educational intervention, mapping of expected pesticide applications near Greenfield schools, and a presentation conducted at the Community Forum on Pesticides in Greenfield City …

Finding Chromebooks For The Community, Angel Tran

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Too many low-income families in Monterey County do not have access to a computer in their homes. Loaves, Fishes & Computers (LFC) is a nonprofit organization that provides low cost technology system and repair to low-income families. In August of 2018, LFC received a donation of 2,000 Chromebooks from a local school district. Most of these Chromebooks have been distributed and now currently the agency is running out. The purpose of this project is to help LFC to find more Chromebooks by initiating and reaching out to IT Directors from different school districts. In the future, LFC can pass down …

An Analysis Of Parental Engagement In Spanish And Bilingual Families, Marielena F. Villicana

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Head Start programs in the United States began in 1965 and are an important part of preparing low income children through education, health, social and other services. The Monterey County Office of Head Start and Early Start serves more than 1,245 families each year. The majority of the families served have Spanish as a primary language. Using a questionnaire, this study examined parental involvement by identifying the skills parents found most important and the amount of time parents spent developing those skills. Twenty-one parents completed the survey. The study found 93% of parents spend time talking to their children about …

Community Development & Engaging Clients At Omni, Christopher Lizaola

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The OMNI Resource Center is a wellness Center in Salinas; OMNI handles workshops and activities for adults who suffer mental health and who are homeless. Too many people with mental health issues don’t have community support. In addition, there has not been any sufficient advocacy for this population. The project will focus on developing connections with OMNI and other local agencies. It shall be preceded by doing surveys to the clients to see what other resource OMNI can provide to its clients. This research project which will contain data collection interviews will allow me to see if all the resources …

Effectiveness Of Inmate Labor Programs: A Case Study Of Marion County's Inmate Work Farm, Cassie Beck

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This research project explores the topic of prison labor in the United States. The aim is to analyze the both the strengths and weaknesses of inmate labor programs. In addition, this project examines the effect that these programs have on both the prison itself and the inmates that participate. It analyzes Marion County’s Inmate Work Farm in order to investigate how helpful or harmful this program is to the inmates and the community that surrounds it. This project uses several different theoretical concepts to further explain the topic including Michele Foucault’s concept of power as well as the concept of …

Standards Based Social Emotional Learning For Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Cortney D. Roberts, Marissa L. Kase

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

This study investigates how professionals in the field perceive the usefulness of the Kase-Roberts Curriculum for Social Emotional Learning for Students with Autism. The study included 176 participants from divisions of the Council for Exceptional Children. Most of the participants had over 10 years of teaching experience (M= 13.42, SD= 1.6) which helped to increase the credibly of overall survey responses. Data was collected through a Likert scale online survey created by SurveyMonkey^TM and analysis of survey items were carried out. Results of the survey revealed that a total of 172 (98.29 %) participants are interested in the …

Developing Digital Citizens Using Social-Emotional Competencies, Anthony Panella, Meghan Quinn

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

The purpose of this study is to determine how social media affects the behavior of elementary-aged children and how to apply the specific social-emotional learning (SEL) competencies students need to develop in order to have a successful online experience. There is a need for elementary-aged children to use social-emotional learning (SEL) competencies on social media.

The purpose of this mixed-methods sequential phase design study is to explore the parent perception of the relationship between social-emotional learning (SEL) and social media use in the behavior of elementary students. Through the use of questionnaires and a focus group, the researchers found themes …

Metabolomic Patterns In Adolescents With Mild To Moderate Ckd., Ellen R. Brooks, David C. Lin, Craig B. Langman, J Will Thompson, Lisa St John-Williams, Susan L. Furth, Bradley A. Warady, Shannon Haymond

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Sex Role Stereotype Endorsement And Work-Family Conflict On Emerging Adult Aspirations, Andrea Fink-Armold

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Workplace and household inequality remain prevalent in the United States and sex role (e.g. breadwinner and caregiver) stereotypes affect the roles that individuals seek out. This research used a mixed-methods approach to investigate the effects of sex role stereotypes and expected work-family conflict on the work and family aspirations of emerging adults. A racially diverse sample wrote freely about their future selves for ten minutes then completed measures to evaluate their sex-role stereotype endorsement, expected work-family conflict, and personal preferences for career and family roles. Results indicate that endorsement of stereotypes predicts increased expectations of work-family conflict, for both men …

Development Of A Breast Cancer Survivorship Care Toolkit, Lauren Elaine Scott

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

A breast cancer survivor’s journey does not end with treatment. After treatment, most breast cancer survivors go on to face many life-long physical and mental challenges caused by their cancer and treatment. Once active cancer treatment is completed, patients enter the next important step in cancer care, cancer survivorship. Cancer survivorship is a comprehensive approach to post-oncology management that promotes the best outcomes for survivors as they transition from oncology care to primary care; and new breast-cancer survivorship guidelines have emerged. Research suggests that primary care NPs’ lack of awareness of the current 2016 American Cancer Society/American Society of Clinical …

An Integrative Review: Maternal Engagement In The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit And Health Outcomes For U.S.-Born Preterm Infants And Their Parents, Susanne Klawetter, Jennifer C. Greenfield, Stephanie Rachel Speer, Kyria Brown, Sunah S. Hwang

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Hospitals and perinatal organizations recognize the importance of family engagement in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) defines family engagement as “A set of behaviors by patients, family members, and health professionals and a set of organizational policies and procedures that foster both the inclusion of patients and family members as active members of the health care team and collaborative partnerships with providers and provider organizations.” In-unit barriers and facilitators to enhance family engagement are well studied; however, less is known specifically about maternal engagement’s influence in the NICU on the health …

Brief Of The R Street Institute As Amicus Curiae In Support Of Petitioner, Charles Duan

Amicus Briefs & Court Filings

It is a common but misleading premise of cases such as this one that the disappointed patent applicant has two options for judicial review: a 35 U.S.C. § 145 district court action and an appeal under 35 U.S.C. § 141. The applicant also has a non-judicial option: administrative remedies within the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

These administrative remedies add an important dimension to this case. The Court of Appeals adopted what it conceded was an atextual construction of § 145 expense recovery provision in order to ensure that § 145 actions were not cost-prohibitive to “small businesses and individual …

The Digital Public Humanities: Giving New Arguments And New Ways To Argue, Jordana Cox, Lauren Tilton

Rhetoric and Communication Studies Faculty Publications

In response to the latest “crisis” in the humanities, advocates have marched, rallied, fundraised, and—especially—argued. This essay contends that communication scholars can support the growing “case for the humanities” by analyzing argumentative strategies, and more specifically, by offering ethical argumentative strategies that avoid replicating structures of domination. In particular, we look to Mari Lee Mifsud's theorization of rhetoric as gift, which follows Henry W. Johnstone in conceptualizing argument as something other than winning over an adversary. We place Mifsud's theorization of the gift in conversation with the methods of the digital public humanities (DPH), which acknowledge and offer abundant resources …

Talking 80s: An Online Brand, Charles B. Mcpherson

Theses

This project focuses on the organic establishment of an online brand, from conception to execution. The primary focus is the steps taken to establish an online brand. The aim of the project is to discuss the results of steps going into the brand creation, what worked and what did not work. Furthermore, the project discusses possible solutions to avoid potential issues and problems in brand creation.

Galatea: A Representation Of The Nature Of The Goddess, Courtney Flamm

Theses

This paper analyzes the figure Galatea, including the original narratives of Ovid’s Metamorphoses and the visual representations of her character. Examinations of these images and the circumstances that surround Galatea’s character, including her association with Venus, provide an in-depth exploration of Galatea’s relationship to the archetypal Mother Goddess and the role of feminine deities throughout history. As interpreted in the prehistoric past, the ancient Mother Goddess was worshipped as an all-encompassing deity in ancient Sumerian, Egyptian, Aztec, and Greek societies. Her duality as the source of life and death provided a superior nature to her surrounding male counterparts that was …

Examining The Fears, Benefits, And Applications Of Teaching Improvisation In General Music, Krystle Boyd

Theses

This project focused on identifying and resolving fears associated with teaching improvisation in the general music classroom. The primary focus was on music educators and providing them with reassurance, reasoning, and plans on how to begin the process of teaching improvisation and follow through so that it is a well-developed initiative that will be built upon and utilized for years to come. This project demonstrated plans for an entire year of 5th grade general music instruction and provided a curriculum map, lesson plans, rubrics, and a manual of explanation for the lessons and activities.

Cracking The Social Media Code Of Post-Millennials, Bailey Elizabeth Kinney

Theses

This project will investigate the way that generation z/post millennials interact and respond to digital marketing and social media. The final deliverable is a 30-minute webinar offering a wide assessment of this up and coming generation. The video will include a comparison between how advertising is currently conducted for millennials and how it will need to change their successors. The webinar will also include research, examples of successful marketing to this generation, and practical application tips.

The Development Of A Standards Based Grading Assessment Plan In The Sixth Grade Choral Classroom, Olivia Mae Howard

Theses

This project focuses on the best assessment methods for standards-based grading in the sixth grade choral classroom. In the middle school choral world, resources are limited in the area of standards-based grading in the sixth grade choral classroom. This project was created to study and focus on how the new national standards connect with assessments methods utilized by choral music educators for sixth grade and then to connect these methods to standards-based grading. The aim of the project was to create the best assessment methods to be utilized with the new national music standards in the sixth grade choral music …

Prevalence, Intensity And Risk Factors Of Tungiasis In Kilifi County, Kenya Ii: Results From A School-Based Observational Study, Lynne Elson, Susanne Wiese, Hermann Feldmeier, Ulrike Fillinger

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Introduction Awareness of the public health importance of tungiasis has been growing in East Africa in recent years, but data on epidemiological characteristics necessary for the planning and implementation of control measures do not exist. The work presented here was part of a larger cross-sectional study on the epidemiology of tungiasis in coastal Kenya and aims at identifying risk factors of tungiasis and severe disease in school children. Methods A total of 1,829 students of all age groups from five schools and 56 classes were clinically examined for tungiasis on their feet based on standardized procedures and observations made about …

Modelling Appropriate Use Of Trypanocides To Restrict Wide-Spread Multi-Drug Resistance During Chemotherapy Of Animal African Trypanosomiasis, Ibrahim I. Wangwe, Sarah A. Wamwenje, Caroline Mirieri, Nicodemus M. Masila, Lillian Wambua, Benard W. Kulohoma

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Trypanocide resistance remains a huge challenge in the management of animal African trypanosomiasis. Paucity of data on the prevalence of multi-drug resistant trypanosomes has greatly hindered optimal veterinary management practices. We use mathematical model predictions to highlight appropriate drug regimens that impede trypanocide resistance development in cattle. We demonstrate that using drugs in decreasing resistance order results in a negligible increase in number of cattle with resistant infection, in contrast to a more pronounced increase from trypanocide use in increasing resistance order. We demonstrate that the lowest levels of trypanocide resistance are achieved with combination therapy. We also show that …