Search Constraints
Filtering by:
Campus
Chico
Remove constraint Campus: Chico
Collection
Thesis
Remove constraint Collection: Thesis
« Previous |
1 - 10 of 1,062
|
Next »
Number of results to display per page
Search Results
- Creator:
- Wells, Karin
- Description:
- In order to assess variation in oral health, hygiene, and diet within the Santa Clara County Valley Medical Center pauper cemetery, pathological conditions of the teeth and jaws were analyzed by ancestry group. Utilizing a biocultural approach for analyzing pathological conditions, this study aims at understanding the interactions of sociocultural constructs and biology in a late 19th and early 20th century pauper cemetery. A total of 40 individuals from the Valley Medical Center (VMC) collection was analyzed for carious lesions, alveolar abscesses, dental attrition, and antemortem tooth loss. These individuals were separated into ancestry groups using dental morphological methods of ancestry estimation. As this skeletal collection is very poorly preserved, it was hypothesized that dental morphology would be a more reliable method of ancestry estimation than previously employed cranial methods. Analysis of the ancestry estimation results indicate that all of the previously indeterminate individuals were able to be estimated using dental morphology, though to what degree of accuracy is unknown. It was hypothesized that there would be variation in the frequency and type of dental pathology between the estimated ancestry groups. It was predicted that the greatest frequency of pathological conditions of the dentition would be seen among the non-white ancestry groups due to differences in access to healthcare and overall diet. Results of these data indicate that there is a significant difference in the number of carious lesions between white and non-white groups; however, the prediction was not supported. More significant dental pathology was observed among the white ancestry group, possibly indicating a lack of access to proper nutrition and healthcare, or diets more reliant on refined sugars. This project highlights the limitations of using dental pathology for indications of social status when working with a small sample size, as well as the inherent difficulty in estimating ancestry from skeletal remains.
- Campus Tesim:
- Chico
- Department:
- Anthropology
- Creator:
- Peters, Mallory
- Description:
- Understanding how culture shapes skeletal development, maintenance, and decomposition is critical to bioarchaeological studies that depend on skeletal assemblages to make conclusions about past populations. Few studies have thus far focused on how socioeconomic status has impacted bone mineral density and skeletal preservation. To address this, the current study compares bone mineral density in different skeletal collections and taphonomic damage within a single historic Californian skeletal collection. It was hypothesized that (1) cultural factors would impact bone mineral density, (2) that the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center (SCVMC) population’s mean bone mineral density is impacted because of its marginalized status, (3) within the SCVMC sample the hospital patients will have lower density than non-patients, and (4) individuals within the SCVMC sample with lower density will have higher rates of taphonomic damage. These hypotheses were tested using second metacarpal radiogrammetry to assess bone mineral density levels in four samples and compare these values across populations. The results indicate that the populations examined in this study do not have significantly different bone mineral density levels but the SCVMC collection’s density is lower than the modern and contemporaneous historic populations examined. Additionally, within the SCVMC collection there was no significant difference in density levels between patients and non-patients. The one hypothesis that was supported was that individuals in the SCVMC collection with lower density levels incurred greater amounts of taphonomic damage than those with higher density levels. This line of study would benefit from using larger and more diverse samples with greater demographic information. It supports previous literature which identifies bone mineral density as a key component in susceptibility to taphonomic processes but does not suggest that culture is a predominantly driving force in determining density levels for populations.
- Campus Tesim:
- Chico
- Department:
- Anthropology
- Creator:
- McMahon, Claire E.
- Description:
- In 1956, members of the University of California Survey, Baumhoff, Bennyhoff, Elasser, and Kranz, excavated Payne’s Cave (CA-TEH-193), a site associated with Southern Yana territory. The artifact assemblage indicated a clear pre- and protohistoric occupation. At the time, Baumhoff determined the seasonality of occupation as the winter season, given the elevation of the site at 1,600 feet. Baumhoff also developed a culture chronology, and stated the cave was likely occupied during what he called the “Period of Hiding,” lasting from about 1850-1875 AD. This study uses models from Human Behavioral Ecology to examine the faunal data from the Payne’s Cave assemblage to refine our understanding of the impact of Euro-American contact for the Yana. Aspects of resource depression and mobility are analyzed to uncover the unique method of resistance-survival used by the Yana during contact era. Also, cementum increment analysis is conducted on mule deer teeth from the assemblage to confirm Baumhoff’s original seasonality determination. Results include provisional support data indicating resource depression at the time of culture contact, while faunal data in tangent with historic data show strong support for high Yana mobility at this time. Cementum increment results support Baumhoff’s determination, and provide a higher resolution of site use.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Chico
- Department:
- Anthropology
- Creator:
- Maxey, Tamara
- Description:
- The events of September 11, 2001 caused emotional trauma across the United States and elicited myriad reactions within the Nation that effected the lives of every American to some degree. In the months and years following the attacks, there was an enthusiastic drive to memorialize the lives that were lost on that day, as well as to acknowledge the actions of the first responders who died in the line of duty. Many small, civic memorials now dot the Country and educate the public about the events and significance of 9/11. This thesis considers civic 9/11 memorials from a museological perspective and aims to determine what initiated the civic memorialization process, how World Trade Center artifacts are used in the memorials, and what the installations contribute to the collective understanding of the attacks. In formant interviews and site surveys were used to gather data on the design and construction process of the memorials, as well as the various objects and words featured at each location. The influence of object curation and organization on the creation of collective historical memory is explored, as well as the significance of social and material capital in facilitating access to public expression. Additionally, this study looks at what is missing from the memorial sites; what parts of the 9/11 story are left out and how these omissions contribute to the particular historical message that memorial visitors encounter. This study observes that some civic 9/11 memorials, through the careful curation of objects and ideas, as well as the application of social and material capital, offer a framing of 9/11 which encourages a historically disconnected understanding of the event and glosses over some of the more unflattering aspects of the Nation’s response to the tragedy.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Chico
- Department:
- Anthropology
- Creator:
- Hart, Kelsie Mae
- Description:
- The identification of autopsy and dissection on human skeletal remains is challenged by a lack of formal diagnostic criteria for distinguishing between various anatomization activities. The Point San Jose assemblage consists of commingled, fragmentary human skeletal remains dating to the late-nineteenth century. Cut and saw marks observed on the bones suggest that these individuals were subjected to autopsy or dissection. This thesis aims to identify the activities that contributed to the formation of the Point San Jose assemblage and uses this site as a case study to explore the challenges for the identification of autopsy and dissection on human skeletal remains. The interpretation of the Point San Jose assemblage was approached through a review of the bioarchaeology literature and the formation of diagnostic criteria for the identification of various anatomization activities. The cut marks on the Point San Jose assemblage were recorded using the zonation method of Knüsel and Outram (2004). The evidence indicates dissection as the best explanation for the cut marks observed on the Point San Jose assemblage. Statistical analyses reveal that the cut mark data from Point San Jose is most similar to the data from Holden Chapel. These results suggest that the Point San Jose assemblage represents a “cleanup” event of unwanted or leftover skeletal elements following dissection and specimen preparation. This thesis makes a tentative argument for structural violence in the formation of the Point San Jose skeletal assemblage based on the higher representation of Asian and Hispanic ancestries, which may suggest the targeting of marginalized populations for dissection.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Chico
- Department:
- Anthropology
- Creator:
- Curry, Jessica N.
- Description:
- Commingling provides a unique challenge in the identification of human remains. The ability to accurately sort the skeletal elements of two or more individuals is vitally important in mass disasters or in other situations in which the bones of one individual become intermixed with those of another individual. Most methods utilized in reconciling commingling rely on visual observations and pair matching undertaken by the lead anthropologist or principle investigator. As such, these methods rely on the experience and expertise of the person performing the analysis. These subjective methods of reconciling commingling can certainly be useful in these cases. However, developing an objective, statistically-based method of analysis that can be utilized in cases where visual matching may not be possible is of utmost importance. This thesis investigates the use of x-ray fluorescence (XRF) technology as a means of sorting remains and reconciling commingling in cases where the remains have been taphonomically altered. Further, this thesis seeks to address the influence of different depositional environments on the chemical composition of bone. To evaluate this method, XRF analyses were conducted on a sample of 40 individuals from the Valley Medical Center (VMC) pauper cemetery (1871-1937) in Santa Clara County, California, and on 20 individuals from the California State University, Chico (CSU, Chico) donated forensic collection. The 40 individuals from the VMC collection originate from the same depositional environment while the 20 individuals form the CSU, Chico collection originate from different depositional environments. This thesis tests the hypothesis that inter-skeletal differences in x-ray fluorescence chemical elemental signatures will be observed between individual skeletons from the VMC collection. In addition, this thesis also tests the hypothesis that no statistically significant differences in intra-skeletal XRF signatures will be observed within individual skeletons in the VMC collection. If these hypotheses are supported, this would demonstrate that diagenesis did not significantly alter chemical signatures in the skeletal remains, indicating that the method has utility for sorting commingled remains in historic burials. If these hypotheses are not supported, the results would indicate that diagenesis obscured in vivo chemical signatures, negating the use of the method on sorting archaeological human remains. Results suggest that variation in certain chemical elemental ratios between individuals is significantly different while the variation in other chemical elemental ratios within individual burials is not significantly different. This lack of statistical significance within burials allows for skeletal elements to be accurately associated with additional skeletal elements from the same burial. Further, the presence of a significant differences between individuals allows for burials to be accurately isolated from one another, greatly enhancing our ability to reconcile commingling when other methods are unable to do so.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Chico
- Department:
- Anthropology
- Creator:
- Kerkhove-Peltier, Jacques
- Description:
- The purpose of this study is to review and garner a better understanding of archaeological law and site protection as implemented by government agencies and affiliates in northern California. In recent years, a 67-year-old man was sentenced to three years of probation after he was caught stealing Maidu artifacts from Lake Oroville Recreation Area. Such disreputable behavior often goes unnoticed, and in the case of this man, it went unnoticed for more than 20 years. When local sites are vandalized it is often considered a matter of lesser importance. In my view, this is quite possibly related to an affinity people in the United States have towards more impressive archaeological sites. In Steven Newcomb’s view, it might be related to a site’s specific context (i.e., Christian versus non-Chrisitian) . The Lake Oroville Recreation Area, the Belfast Petroglyph site, and Tommy Tucker Cave are just some of the most recent examples of vandalism at archaeological sites in northeastern California. In order to shed light on such localized examples, this research pertains to archaeology as it is practiced by agency archaeologists in northern California. Places of investigation include the following: Department of Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Eagle Lake (Susanville), Redding, and Bishop field offices; and Caltrans Stockton Field Office. Additionally, the study involves a review of archaeological law, site looters, and those who are interested in cultural resources. Based on the results of this data, a model to identify sites considered most at risk for vandalism and looting is proposed.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Chico
- Department:
- Anthropology
- Creator:
- Martin, Heather C.
- Description:
- The Valene L. Smith Museum of Anthropology at California State University, Chico, has a permanent collection that comprises over 2,000 ethnographic objects from around the world. The museum’s limited space results in the majority of the permanent collection remaining off-exhibit and inaccessible to the public. The growing momentum of the new museum theory has encouraged museums to address issues of accessibility in their museums. Facing criticism of collections growing stagnant in storage rooms, unavailable to the public and researchers alike, there is a growing trend in creating online databases to increase access to collections. The purpose of this thesis is to demonstrate that new museum theory can be a framework that supports the effort to engage with the community through the production of an online database. This thesis details the process of creating an online database of the North American basketry collection at the Valene L. Smith Museum of Anthropology. New museum theory was applied through collaboration with the local Native American community to create a database the makes the museum’s collections more accessible to the public. The project contributes to the field of anthropology and museum studies by facilitating anthropological research, using extant museum collections, and serves as an example for other small museums that are interested in making the best use of their collections.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Chico
- Department:
- Anthropology
- Creator:
- Barrera, Lisa
- Description:
- The California State Indian Museum (SIM) in Sacramento, California has a collection of over 12,000 objects in storage, about one third of which are basketry. This basketry collection was not known to me until I started to work there as a graduate student assistant in 2011 at which time I realized that access was very limited. In this thesis, I investigated three other repositories as my case studies that successfully incorporated programs, which increased access to their collections in storage. These museums are the Indian Arts Research Center (IARC) at the School for Advanced Research in Santa Fe, New Mexico, the C. Hart Merriam Collection at the University of California at Davis, and the Phoebe Hearst Museum of Anthropology. Many of the programs discussed not only increased access, but also made their collections relevant to their respective communities by utilizing the New Museum Theory of inclusivity and collaboration. Many museums are starting to come around to the fact that they are not the sole authority over the objects in their collections any longer. If they do not start to relinquish the controls a little, they might risk becoming irrelevant to the people they are supposed to serve.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Chico
- Department:
- Anthropology
- Creator:
- Lona, Irene
- Description:
- Walnut (Juglans) and wingnut (Pterocarya) trees have been declining in response to Thousand Cankers Disease (TCD). The TCD pathogen, Geosmithia morbida, is vectored by a phloeophagous bark beetle, the walnut twig beetle (Pityophthorus juglandis Blackman). To understand P. juglandis host selection, the following were investigated at two orchards in Northern California: 1) The susceptibility of two walnut species (Juglans californica and J . major) native to the western USA by comparing P. juglandis flight and landing responses to unbaited branch sections and 2) The relationship between English walnut (Juglans regia) tree health, represented by several levels of plant water stress, and P. juglandis colonization success. P. juglandis preferred to land on J. californica over J. major. With J. regia, there was no significant difference in P. juglandis activity between branches from trees in high water stress and low water stress groups (both baited with P. juglandis aggregation pheromone). No P. juglandis colonization activity was observed in unbaited branches from the negative control group (unbaited). Activity by P. juglandis was found primarily on 4 cm diameter branches. Other invasive bark and ambrosia beetles such as Hypothenemus eruditus and Xyleborinus saxeseni; and an invasive longhorned beetle, Nathrius brevipennis preferred to land on J. major over J. californica. Collections of H. eruditus and an invasive ambrosia beetle, Xyleborus affinis, in Butte County reflect the northernmost records of these species in California. No significant relationships were found in J. regia between water stress and activity by N. brevipennis and a parasitoid Gildoria sp; however, activity by N. brevipennis and Gildoria sp. was found primarily on secondary 1 cm diameter branches (twigs). In conjunction with this study, significant flight responses of N. brevipennis and X. saxeseni to ethanol were recorded in a J. regia orchard. Overall, this study demonstrated that volatile cues from Juglans may influence host selection by P. juglandis and associated insects.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Chico
- Department:
- Biological Sciences