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- Creator:
- Koirala, Janak Das
- Description:
- Every year, millions of scrap tires are either discarded in huge piles across the landscape or dumped in landfills in large volumes all over the world. These tire piles cause environmental pollution while posing fire and health hazards. Being volumetric goods in comparison to other wastes, they occupy large volumes in landfills. Rainwater tends to accumulate in the stockpiled tires, which, then become a breeding ground for mosquitoes that carry dangerous diseases, such as encephalitis. Several states in the United States have, therefore, banned the disposal of used tires in the land. Shredded rubber has been used in a variety of applications in geotechnical engineering including in highway pavements and backfills of retaining walls, but mostly as individual material. In this study, kaolinite and montmorillonite were modified using different sizes and quantities of shredded rubber tires and used to evaluate the improvement in geotechnical properties. Five different sizes and five different proportions of shredded rubber tires were mixed with the clay minerals. Laboratory experiments were carried out to evaluate the changes in density, permeability and unconfined compressive strength of such modified soil with shredded tires. The results showed that for kaolinite, the maximum dry density decreased as the percentage of shredded rubber tire in the mixture was greater than 4% by dry weight. In Montmorillonite, the maximum dry density of the modified soil increased till 2 to 4% of shredded rubber tire was added to the soil. The highest strength was observed at 4% shredded rubber tire content in kaolinite and at 5% shredded rubber tire content in montmorillonite. Permeability increased when smaller sized shredded rubber tire was added to kaolinite. In montmorillonite, permeability values sharply increased up to 2% shredded rubber tire content and thereafter, showed a linear increase in permeability for all sizes of shredded rubber tire used. From this study, it is concluded that shredded rubber can be effectively used to improve the compaction and strength characteristics of weak soils.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Creator:
- Piercy, Brooke
- Description:
- Anxiety is one of the most prevalent mental health disorders both globally and in the United States. Early-life stressors such as poor socialization and isolation, as well as diets high in fats and sugars have been shown to increase levels of anxiety and play a detrimental role on mental health. the present study sought to analyze the effects of both poor nutritional diet and social isolation on anxiety levels using an animal model. Eighty male Sprague-Dawley rodents at age five weeks at the beginning of testing were used to measure anxiety behaviors on the Elevated Plus Maze (EPM). Rodents were placed into one of four testing groups to assess anxiety: A control group, a high-fat and high-sucrose diet group, a socially isolated group, and an experimental condition in which social isolation and a high-fat, high-sucrose diet was given. It was hypothesized that Sprague-Dawley rodents living socially isolated and receiving the high-fat, high-sucrose diet would experience the high levels of anxiety, rodents living socially isolated would experience more anxiety than those receiving only the high-fat, high-sucrose diet, and rodents receiving the high-fat, high-sucrose diet would have higher levels of anxiety than the control group. Results showed that overall poor nutritional diet was not contributing to increased levels of anxiety in young male rodents, while social isolation was partially contributing to increased anxiety levels. Although many non-significant results were found, the importance of socialization and proper nutritional diet is explored, as well as the possible resiliency of young rodents to early-life stress.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Identifier:
- 9780438053847
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Psychology
- Creator:
- Leyh, Julius
- Description:
- Increasing tourism in Nosara, Costa Rica brings along more challenges for sustainable development of the community. as local resources become stressed and overdevelopment interferes with wildlife, the community is continuously developing strategies to mitigate environmental degradation and include the local population to benefit of the ecotourism industry. Using mixed methods, this thesis is examining the current challenges that Nosara is facing and the strategies that are in place to guarantee sustainable development. the research for this study was done through semi-structured interviews with employees of the hospitality industry and non-governmental organizations in Nosara. Questionnaires were used to gather information about tourists visiting Nosara. Additionally, secondary sources were used to identify the overall development goals of the tourism industry of Costa Rica. the current challenges in Nosara were identified as the lack of commitment from the local authorities to protect pristine beaches and wildlife, as well as neglecting the waste collection. Sustainable development in Nosara is only prevalent because of the voluntary actions taken by some local hotels, restaurants, and the many NGOs located in town. Future development strategies need to focus on more education of local businesses and a better motivated and willing governmental authority to support sustainable development in Nosara.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Identifier:
- 9780438054684
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Geography and the Environment
- Creator:
- Tenbrook, Sean
- Description:
- Music is generally considered a powerful tool to experience emotions. However, there is mixed research on whether it can hinder or enhance our emotional states. the present study aimed to explore this concept further. Moreover, the purpose of this study was to examine music’s effects on emotional experiences and the potential mechanisms facilitating emotional catharsis when listening to music. These mechanisms included absorption, whether someone was a music major or not, mood-congruent music (sad), non-mood congruent music (happy), or white noise (control). a total sample of 68 students at CSUF was utilized, 40 being non-music majors and 28 being music majors. the Faces Scale and a Music Absorption Scale were used to measure emotional states before and after the musical intervention and to measure musical absorption levels, respectively. an independent samples t test was conducted, and it was found that musicians had significantly higher levels of musical absorption. an ANCOVA was performed, and the results found that music did facilitate emotional catharsis, but there were no major differences between musicians and non-musicians overall. However, the happy music did provoke the most emotional release, regardless of music major status. Interestingly, when listening to sad music, music majors experienced significantly more emotional release, therefore suggesting that if given specific conditions, facilitation of emotional catharsis through music can be effective and powerful. Implications of research findings, limitations and future directions are discussed
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Identifier:
- 9780438054912
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Psychology
- Creator:
- Skorka, Christopher
- Description:
- Trypanosoma cruzi is the protozoan parasite that is the causative agent of Chagas disease. This disease is endemic to Latin America but has spread to other non-endemic areas due to globalization. the disease currently lacks an FDA approved treatment, and current treatments are non-specific and have severe side effects. More specific and novel pathways of T. cruzi must be identified to develop more effective treatments of Chagas. One potential target is ion channels, which play a wide array of important physiological roles throughout eukaryotic organisms. We have identified and characterized a calcium-activated potassium channel in Trypanosoma cruzi, TcCaKC, that is hypothesized to contribute to significant physiological function in T. cruzi. Using two-electrode voltage clamp method with Xenopus laevis oocytes heterologously expressing TcCaKC, the channel has been shown to be calcium-activated. This calcium activation causes an increase in current and a negative shift in reversal potential that is blocked by barium. These results suggest TcCaKC is a potassium conducting channel. Characterization of a selectivity filter mutant also supports this hypothesis. Fluorometric recording of parasites that were knockouts of TcCaKC showed that the channel plays a significant role in maintaining membrane potential, intracellular calcium, and pH of the parasite. Full biophysical characterization of this novel ion channel could potentially lead to the identification of a unique drug target for T. cruzi infection treatment.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Identifier:
- 9780438054202
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Biological Sciences
- Creator:
- Hamidi, Bijan Alexander
- Description:
- Bijan Hamidi explores economic systems in video games and expands on the definition of virtual economics to include economic behavior. Gamers commonly look to gain advantages over their opposition during game play. This thesis performs an analysis of how those decisions are constructed and provides insight on where economic principles are found in game play. This body of work is based upon preexisting virtual economic works from Edward Castronova, Zachary Simpson, and Richard Bartle. However, this work does not focus purely on economic markets, but extends to study economic behavior exhibited during play.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Identifier:
- 9780438054585
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Computer Science
- Creator:
- Robertson, Melanie A.
- Description:
- The purpose of this Case Study was to consider the current conditions for students as it pertains to their mindsets, and how they are being taught about their mindsets in the classroom. This Case Study was a call to action project for teachers who struggle with motivating their students who demonstrate behaviors that are fixed. By the end of this study students were able to recognize and identify the way they were thinking while problem solving, and were able to redirect their thinking and their behaviors in a positive way. The participants in this study included two fifth-grade all inclusive general education teachers at an Orange County, California elementary school. Two surveys were administered by the researcher and were taken by two teachers for the data collection in this study. the researcher focused on the teachers’ answers about whether or not their students’ mindsets were changed after the instrument had been given in the one-month timespan. The research from this study suggests that teaching students about Growth Mindset will help them think about how to resolve preconceived ideas that they might have about their learning and behaviors. After this strategy was implemented, shifts in the teachers’ mindsets occurred to reflect that they too, had adopted a Growth Mindset.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Special Education
- Creator:
- Millar, Nicole
- Description:
- Recent literature has highlighted the necessity to include specific strength training that mimic on-field demands that lead to successful performance. Few studies have examined specific strength training in female athletes. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine whether explosive hip thrusts (HT) or explosive half squats (SQ) would improve strength, sprinting, agility, jumping, or kicking performance in female high school soccer players. the participants were randomized into two groups: HT (n = 6, age: 15.7 ± 0.8 years, height: 162.6 ± 5.8 cm, mass: 56.3 ± 6.4 kg) or SQ (n = 8, 15.3 ±.71 years, height: 159.1 ± 7.2 cm, mass: 56.7 ±6.7 kg). the 6-week training program required each group to perform their respective exercise twice-a-week during in-season. a two-way repeated measures ANOVA revealed a main effect for HT and SQ strength, broad jump and kicking distance; however, no interactions were present for any of the dependent variables. Furthermore, ANOVA revealed HT provided a notable effect size for kicking distance when compared to the SQ, indicating greater possible carryover. the present study showed HT and SQ produced similar increases in performance, with no statistical advantage over the other. Therefore, it is recommended to include one of these exercises within a strength training program. Inclusion of either exercise may depend on coaching or athlete preference, specificity, and/or availability of equipment.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Identifier:
- 9780438053519
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Kinesiology
- Creator:
- Ricarte, Adrian
- Description:
- Copper Transporter 1 has been known to be the main route of dietary copper uptake while the involvement of Divalent Metal Transporter 1 is still disputed. in human colorectal adenocarcinoma cells (Caco2), knockdown of DMT1 mRNA has been shown to reduce rates of both Cu(I) and Fe(II) uptake [18]. Over-expression of mouse or rat DMT1 mRNA in HEK293 (human embryonic kidney) cells has increased Cu(II) uptake [19, 26]. Using divalent ions known to inhibit DMT1, we measured uptake of 5µm radiolabeled 67Cu(I) in Caco2 cells. Neither 50 or 200 uM of Ni(II) or Mn(II) inhibited Cu(I) uptake. CTR1 and a potential Cl dependent transporter were also examined in Caco2 [20]. Silver inhibition (Ag(I)) can be used to determine contribution of CTR1 and substitution of 150 mM Na2SO4 for NaCl was used to assess Cl- dependent uptake. Ag(I) inhibited Cu(I) uptake (30%, p < 0.01). Substitution of 150 mM SO42- for Cl- decreased uptake (~30%, p < 0.01). in the presence of SO42- and Ag(I), ~50% reduction of the total rate resulted suggesting that the effects are additive. Pretreatment with extra Cu failed to change uptake rates significantly; iron status decreased rates significantly by ~60% (absolute rate). to conclude, Cl- dependent transporters and CTR1 make up approximately 60% of the total Cu(I) uptake rate and that DMT1 is unlikely to be involved in Caco2 cells. the remaining 40-50% reveals that there are still other Cu(I) transporters still not accounted for.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Identifier:
- 9780438055148
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
- Creator:
- Sebastian, Trevor
- Description:
- Yoga has become an increasingly popular form of exercise in the West with promising findings of improved physiological and psychological well-being. However, researchers have expressed concern in its efficacy in a clinical setting. This study aimed to provide further evidence regarding yoga’s therapeutic efficacy in comparing both meditation and light cardio, along with further understanding whether the breathing (pranayama) or physical (asana) aspects of yoga contribute to its effectiveness. Participants (N = 48) were randomly assigned into either yoga, meditation, or walking conditions and completed five sessions at 30 minutes in length over the course of the week. Differences in reduced levels of stress, anxiety, and depression, along with improvements of mood between yoga, meditation, and walking interventions were assessed through a one-way ANOVA. Significant differences were not found between the interventions, failing to reject the null hypotheses. Considerations were made regarding yoga’s efficacy as a complementary therapy where other therapies, such as meditation or other forms of exercise, may be more appropriate. Limitations and implications for future research were also discussed.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Identifier:
- 9780438054950
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Psychology
- Creator:
- Jayaprakash, Neha T.
- Description:
- Recent developments in robot automation have fostered the development of many assistive devices to improve the quality of life for individuals with disabilities. Notable among these devices are autonomous wheelchairs, which are capable of navigating to given destinations while avoiding obstacles. However, the method of destination selection and navigation in unmapped indoor environments remains a challenge for these autonomous wheelchairs. in this work, a novel approach to selecting a destination for an autonomous wheelchair in an unmapped indoor environment using Deep Learning System for object detection, camera, ranging LIDAR is presented. Object Detection Process not only recognizes and classifies object of interest in an image but also localizes each object by along with a bounding box and desired class name around it. the model for object detection was developed on TensorFlow Framework using three classes of dataset ie Forever21, JCPenney and Macy’s. the proposed System scans the environment (prototyped mall) at startup and compiles a list of possible destinations which are fed to object detection system for Predictive Comparison of the Stores. Once the stores are detected, Lidar examines the distance and the wheelchair is successfully able to navigate to the destination along with obstacle avoidance. the system successfully navigated to the destination in100% of the trials for close-range destinations and 90% of the trials for mid-range and long-range destination.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Identifier:
- 9780438055223
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Computer Science
- Creator:
- Huang, Harrison
- Description:
- The Southern California Bight receives approximately 1.5 million gallons of wastewater effluent per day. Although regional monitoring has occurred periodically since the implementation of wastewater treatment practices, few studies have attempted to investigate long-term fish population or environmental changes in response to changes in wastewater treatment. The present study compared Pacific sanddab, California lizardfish, and English sole populations and environmental parameters near a wastewater outfall site and far-field site located in Orange County, California, between 1990 and 2015. Biannual fish trawl data and environmental data (surface temperature, bottom temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen) collected by Orange County Sanitation District’s Ocean Monitoring Program were analyzed using a two-way analysis of variance and regression analysis. Overall, there was no interaction between sample sites and treatment periods on the fish population (except English sole abundance) and environmental parameters analyzed. Fish abundance and relative condition factor did not differ significantly between sites, but all fish species were significantly larger at the outfall site. Wastewater effluent did not appear to adversely impact the three fish populations or the four environmental parameters investigated in this study. Further monitoring and investigation into other indicators of pollution are necessary to manage and further asses the effects of wastewater discharge.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Identifier:
- 9780438055247
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Biological Sciences
- Creator:
- Bowers, Samuel
- Description:
- The purpose of this study was to explore how avatar appearance and player-avatar interaction impact prosocial and antisocial online play in World of Warcraft (WoW). the Proteus effect, a phenomenon where players shift their in-game behavior based on the appearance of their avatars, is well documented in experimental settings. Variable player-avatar interaction (PAX) is a newer concept that seeks to capture the way a player relates to his or her avatar as if it were an extension of self, a mere plaything, or a distinct social other. Analysis of survey data from 1,353 WoW players provided partial support for many hypotheses. Significant correlations were present between self-report measures of play motivations (relationship, socializing, teamwork, and competing motivations) and numerical data representing avatars’ in-game actions (healing-to-damage ratio and player-versus-player kill ratio). Overall, Proteus effect cues such as avatar attractiveness, gender, size, and clothing color had modest yet significant impact on specific measures of prosocial and antisocial play. Regression models showed PAX dimensions as significant predictors of prosocial and antisocial play. This study contributed to the field of game studies in three ways. First, it established correlations between player motivation and concrete measures of in-game behavior. Second, it tested the influence of the Proteus effect in a large-scale naturalistic setting. Third, it examined the influence of PAX variations alongside Proteus effect cues as predictors of prosocial and antisocial play.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Identifier:
- 9780438055377
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Communications
- Creator:
- Martinez, Anastasia
- Description:
- West Nile Virus (WNV) is a worldwide concern to the health of the human population. Severe cases of infection can progress into neurological diseases that are potentially fatal due to the lack of treatment or vaccine. the NS2B-NS3 protease is a potential therapeutic target of WNV because of its’ vital role in the viral replication cycle. a drug that can inhibit this protease can serve as a treatment for WNV infections. with the use of a fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) assay, a high throughput screen of a chemical library resulted in the discovery of Zafirlukast as a mixed competitive inhibitor for the WNV NS2B-NS3 protease. as an FDA approved treatment of asthma, Zafirlukast is a promising lead compound for optimization as a NS2B-NS3 protease inhibitor. through a series of structure-activity relationship studies, the significant structural elements of Zafirlukast as a WNV NS2B-NS3 protease inhibitor were identified as the cyclopentyl carbamate and o-toluenesulfonamide. Additionally, a Zafirlukast analog that replaced the cyclopentyl carbamate with a phenyl carbamate was found to have an increased inhibition of 92% at 60 µM and an IC50 of 22.58 µM. Molecular modeling of the Zafirlukast analog bound to the WNV NS2B-NS3 protease revealed mainly hydrophobic interactions with an allosteric site. the o-toluenesulfonamide seems to be important in blocking the NS2B cofactor from binding to the NS3 protein; therefore, inhibiting proteolytic activity.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Identifier:
- 9780438055254
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
- Creator:
- Tyre, Anthony
- Description:
- Through interviews, research and a theoretical framework, this study examines “e-sports”, or electronic sports, and considers whether e-sports should be categorized as a sport and its players categorized as athletes. E-sports is the term used to describe professional/competitive video games. in the present study, discourse analysis used two primary interviews from two participants—one involved in e-sports, the other in traditional sports. the study used literature to compare the different aspects of both e-sports and traditional sports and noted where the two overlapped. Additionally, this was backed with existing literature and the theoretical framework of play theory to provide insight into sports entertainment. Results revealed interesting first-hand insight on the future of e-sports and in what way traditional sports fit into the equation. by isolating the terms “athlete” and “sports” as a basis for analysis, the traditional and current definitions can be fully understood. the research also revealed that like play theory, both traditional sports and video games originated from a common place—play, and it is because of this similar trajectory, they are what they are now. This study offers novel insight into how the distinction between traditional sports and the characteristics of athletes has become increasingly unclear; thus, with the amount of overlap between the two, traditional definitions, are changing and moving forward, and as a result, all sports and all athletes will be looked at through the same lens.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Identifier:
- 9780438054417
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Communications
- Creator:
- Qassim, Hussam
- Description:
- One of the promising processes to elevate the accuracy of the convolutional neural networks is by increasing the depth of the convolutional neural networks. However, increasing the depth of the convolutional neural network leads to a boost in the number of layers, which means an increase in the number of parameters. Which drive the depth convolutional neural network to be slow in convergence during the backpropagation process and prone to overfitting and degradation. We used two different techniques, the residual learning plus the deep supervision, to build the models. We trained the models to classify a large-scale scene dataset MIT Places 205 and MIT Places 365-Standard. the result from the experiments proved that the proposed models named (Residual-CNDS) have addressed the problems of overfitting, slower convergence, and degradation. the proposed models came in two models (Residual-CNDS8), and (Residual-CNDS10), which include eight and ten convolutional layers sequentially. Furthermore, reforming the proposed Residual-CNDS8 by applying a compression method to optimize the size and the time needed to train the Residual-CNDS8. Therefore, we proposed a Residual Squeeze CNDS, which address the issue of speed and size while maintaining addressing the issues of overfitting, slower convergence, and degradation. with matching the accuracy of Residual-CNDS8 on MIT Places 365-Standard scene dataset, the Residual Squeeze CNDS is 87.64% smaller in size and 13.33% faster in the training time.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Identifier:
- 9780438055445
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Computer Science
- Creator:
- Estrada Tiempos, Jose
- Description:
- The increasing demand for renewable energy sources has accelerated endeavors for the optimization of biomass fuel oxidation for direct liquid fuel cells. Good efficiency for electrochemical oxidation of biomass and other has been observed on palladium (Pd) based catalysts in alkaline media, but further catalyst optimization is required to increase the viability of these fuels for direct liquid fuel cells. as such this work explored the use of a single-walled carbon nanotube support for Pd catalysts (Pd/CNT), in place of a traditional Pd/C (carbon supported) catalyst, for the enhanced oxidation of renewable fuels: formate, ethanol, 1-propanol, 2-propanol, ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, and glycerol. of these fuels, the greatest electrochemical enhancement, evaluated via chronoamperometry (CA), was observed for the oxidation of formate, propylene glycol, and ethylene glycol a 2.6, 2.6, and 2.5 fold increase compared to Pd/C, respectively. Furthermore, bimetallic alloy catalysts, such as PdCu/C have also been shown to promote the oxidation of these fuels. as such, a Pd 62Cu37/CNT catalyst was used to investigate whether the individual enhancements due to a Cu adatom and a CNT support are additive. Finally, the efficient electrochemical oxidation of ethylene glycol and glycerol on carbon supported Pd catalysts (Pd/C and PdCu/C), at high concentration and high pH, inspired the exploration of these catalysts for the electrochemical detection of ethylene glycol and glycerol. This work shows that a CA pulsed method is viable for the detection of ethylene glycol on leached-Pd10Cu 90/C and glycerol on Pd/C or leached-Pd10Cu90/C.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Identifier:
- 9780438055469
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
- Creator:
- Fernandez, Esteban M
- Description:
- Since the early 2000s, a series of new voter identification laws have been passed. These laws could possibly reduce voter turnout in a way that provides a structural advantage to certain candidates. This paper uses state level presidential election turnout data for the elections between 2000 and 2012 in order to estimate the impact of voter ID laws on voter turnout. I find that there is no statistically significant decrease in turnout from these new laws. This may be due to the small number of strict ID laws that are in place during this period. I test this assumption by performing a simulated power-analysis. I find that this state level difference in difference methodology suffers from low power with a sufficiently low effect size. with caveats, this paper concludes by suggesting a different methodology.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Identifier:
- 9780438055612
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Economics
- Creator:
- Raveendra, Rakesh
- Description:
- Stress is an unavoidable factor in everyday life that triggers the human body’s reaction to an anticipated threat, challenge, or scare. to test and receive a better understanding as to how the body reacts under stress, a method of stress measurement was tested through a technique known as Resonant Field Imaging (RFI). the RFI device measures the human energy field (Aura) intensity as frequency (MHz) around the human body at different energy reserve points (chakras). Acute stress was induced through a mobile game application called “Not Not”. This brain teaser game induces acute stress by challenging a player’s logic reasoning, directional choices, and quick decision making. Individual trials were accomplished to determine if there existed a correlation between the data received from RFI and conventional stress measurement devices. Overall data showed high frequency readings from RFI correlated with increased measurement readings from conventional stress measurement devices. These measurements are made very close to the human body (0-4 inches). Finally, a video-based technique was implemented using MATLAB for detecting the induced stress. This technique was introduced to serve the purpose of measuring stress from certain distance, away from the subject. We were able to classify the difference between physical and mental stress. This technique is useful for doctors to remotely monitor patient’s health condition.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Identifier:
- 9780438053410
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Computer Science
- Creator:
- Ungerman, Lindsey
- Description:
- This study investigated the effects of different designs of sports bras on peak absolute breast acceleration and perceived comfort ratings. This study offers two hypotheses: (1) the hybrid bra, controlling for the most superior-inferior motion, would produce the least amount of acceleration; and (2) the hybrid bra combining the encapsulation and compression principles, would be rated the most comfortable. Previous research indicates that breasts could be a barrier for physical activity and exercise. Eleven recreationally active female subjects ages 18–30 ranging from cup size 36C–34 DD were asked to perform six short running trials at two self-selected speeds based on the RPE scale (RPE 12 and RPE 17) in three different sports bra conditions. a triaxial high sensitivity ICP accelerometer was placed inside the bra anterior to the right nipple in order to track peak absolute acceleration. After each trial participants were asked to rate their overall exercise-induced breast pain using a numerical scale for breast pain. Results from this study showed manipulation of bra type had a significant effect on the resulting breast acceleration (p ≤ .001). the compression bra produced the greatest resultant breast acceleration in both the RPE 12 speed and the RPE 17 speed. the encapsulation bra was rated significantly more comfortable than the compression bra at the RPE 12 and 17 speeds. the findings of this study may help guide future research and sports bra design by attempting to illuminate the role acceleration plays in perceived breast discomfort while exercising.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Identifier:
- 9780438055414
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Kinesiology
- Creator:
- Moffit, Tyler
- Description:
- Introduction: Strength training can be used to prevent injuries and improve running economy in distance runners. the purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between lower extremity strength and distance running biomechanics. Methods: 36 competitive distance runners (26 male, 10 female) participated in this study. Participants performed maximal voluntary isometric contractions of the hip and knee extensors and knee flexors, a 1 repetition maximum back squat, and running biomechanics at a standardized and self-selected speed. Pearson correlations were used to analyze relationships between strength and biomechanics at the standard speed. Partial correlations were used to analyze relationships at the self-selected speed. Results: Hip extension peak torque (PT) was associated with less the peak hip extension power, standard speed (r = 0.48, p < 0.01), self-selected speed (r = 0.58 p = 0.001). Greater 1RM was associated with faster self-reported 5km time (r = -0.51 p = 0.002) and 1500m time (r = -.65 p < 0.001). Greater hip extension PT was also associated with faster 1500m time (r = -0.54 p < 0.01). Greater knee flexor PT was associated with faster 5k (r = -0.43 p = 0.01) and 1500m time (r = -0.50 p < 0.01). Discussion: Hip extension PT was positively correlated with hip extension power at preferred speed and standardized speed, indicating that weaker runners utilized more hip extension joint power for propulsion. While maximal strength may not influence joint mechanics at relatively slow paces in distance runners, it may allow the runners and maintain higher velocities in competition.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Identifier:
- 9780438055070
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Kinesiology
22. Sex-specific Behavioral Strategies for Thermoregulation in the Common Chuckwalla (sauromalus Ater)
- Creator:
- Sanchez, Emily Rose
- Description:
- Intraspecific variability of behavioral thermoregulation in lizards due to habitat, temperature availability, and seasonality is well documented, but variability due to sex is not. Sex-specific thermoregulatory behaviors are important to understand because they can affect relative fitness in ways that result in different responses to environmental changes. the common chuckwalla (Sauromalus ater) is a great model for investigating sex differences in thermoregulation because males behave differently from females while they actively defend distinct territories while females may not. I recorded body temperatures of wild adult chuckwallas continuously from May to July 2016, as well as operative environmental temperatures in crevices and aboveground sites used by chuckwallas for basking. I compared the effect of sex on indices of thermoregulatory accuracy and effectiveness, aboveground activity, and the time chuckwallas selected body temperatures relative to their preferred temperature range (34–39 °C) for May-July. Males and females achieved the same thermoregulatory accuracy and effectiveness, and amount of time at preferred body temperatures, but males were more active aboveground than females, especially in June. These results indicate that different behavioral strategies can accomplish the same thermoregulatory outcomes. Further, chuckwallas might be able to cope with predicted changes in climate that result in a shorter amount of time they could be active at preferred body temperature because these lizards were only active aboveground for one to four hours per day, a fraction of the time available.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Identifier:
- 9780438054776
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Biological Sciences
- Creator:
- Park, Jim
- Description:
- Nazi Germany took great measures to establish a homogenous society at the cost of human life and suffering. Seeking to create a racially pure nation, the leaders of National Socialism envisioned communal solidarity in political ideals, race, and even sexual orientation. in an attempt to create this “utopia,” the Nazis tried eradicating perceived “outsiders” through the concentration camp system either through death, enslavement, and/or “reeducation.” Among the groups targeted were homosexual men. Homosexuals had choices to either avoid or become released from concentration camps by demonstrating sexual intercourse with prostitutes or by agreeing to castration. Homosexuals were also released from concentration camps to serve in the German military during the Second World War. My research explores the everyday lives of homosexual men living under the Third Reich by utilizing the approach known as Alltagsgeschichte. I analyze the persecution of homosexuals by examining the memoirs of four survivors spanning from the closing years of the Weimar Republic to the end of the Third Reich. Alltagsgeschichte is invaluable by revealing the grey areas, taboo topics, and contradictions which structural history often times fails to address. by the utilization of my method, I conclude that gay men experienced different circumstances during the Nazi period due to a variety of factors including what area of the Third Reich they came from, reasons for arrests, where they were imprisoned, and cultural/religious background.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Identifier:
- 9780438061224
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of History
- Creator:
- Ali, Bezait Gashachew
- Description:
- An analysis of green roof water quality was done to answer this question: does the use of green roofs reduce or contribute to storm water pollution? Green Roofs can increase the overall water retention of an urban area and lower the volume of expected stormwater runoff. a Green Roof (GR) prototype was used to compare the runoff contamination level with a Non- Green Roof (NGR) system. Two tests were performed: The first one using rainwater samples collected over a span of three months and the second from a synthetic rainwater sample created in a laboratory. the sample set using rainwater source had a significant increase of Phosphate and a small decrease in Nitrate concentration within the GR system compared to the NGR system. the sample set of synthetic rainwater source had a larger reduction of Nitrate compared to the accumulation of Phosphate. the experiment also includes a peak flow calculation of GR and NGR systems within a study area in the City of Fullerton. GR and NGR systems were simulated using a hydrologic modeling software, Storm Water Management Model (SWMM). a 25%GR, 50%GR, and 60%GR runoff was compared to the NGR. All three GR systems helped reduced the runoff flow and depth. Furthermore, the proposed conditions were significantly effective in decreasing max flow, max full flow, and max full depth. Both rain water samples and synthetic rain samples show that GR system can improve water quality by decreasing nitrate concentration compared to the NGR system.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Identifier:
- 9780438055926
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Creator:
- Petros, Peter
- Description:
- SRAM memories constitute a considerable fraction of modern VLSI designs and consist of a single system repeated thousands of times. Thus, design of these singular bitcells is essential to optimizing SRAM performance. However, comparison of designs is often difficult due to highly variable testing conditions, making direct comparisons of systems infeasible without independent simulations. This document serves as an introduction to common SRAM metrics in the categories of delay, power, and static noise margin in a 22nm process node. Common SRAM types 6T, 8T, and 4T as well as 4T loadless, 5T, and 8T charge recycling memories are tested using these methods. These systems are compared and presented as a reference material for future designs. a novel type of memory, 6T capacitively coupled, is presented and tested for viability and possible use cases. the memory is found to be infeasible using conventional methods, however a demonstration of its intended operation is presented.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Identifier:
- 9780438055322
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Computer Science
26. Child Holocaust Survivors: Trials, Tribulations and Memory of Time Spent in Ghettos And/or Camps
- Creator:
- Cisneros, Ana Luisa
- Description:
- In the vast scholarship of Holocaust history, a lacuna exists with regards to child Holocaust survivors. It would not be until after the 1980s, when child Holocaust survivors were given acknowledgement as well as a survivors group in which to participate. by using interviews from the University of Southern California’s Shoah Foundation archives of fourteen child survivors, as well as memoirs, scholars of Holocaust history are provided with a broader view of their experiences; from how their childhoods were transformed throughout their early lives in European countries and all at ages ranging from three to eighteen through the duration of the war, to how those experiences affected them into adulthood, emigration, and parenthood. to survive day after day, these children used a variety of survival strategies. the experiences they lived through shaping not only themselves as they matured, but also their children and families. Ultimately, I argue there is no singular experience for children in the Holocaust, nor in their legacy thereafter.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Identifier:
- 9780438054547
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of History
27. Does Social Media Matter? Analysis of Social Media Usage and Political Actions from 2016 Election
- Creator:
- Coloso, Christian
- Description:
- This research study examines whether different degrees of social media (SM) usage increase the likelihood of individual and collective political actions—such as voting behavior or participation in protests or rallies. Studies on social media (SM) usage and political behavior show a positive relationship between SM and political engagement (Boulianne 2015), although how SM usage is associated with individual versus collective political actions remains unclear. during the 2016 U.S. presidential election, political strategist firm Cambridge Analytica and Russia’s Internet Research Agency micro-targeted biased FB content towards politically-related groups to shape the political narratives around candidates and voting behavior. While the effects of these fake news articles on election results is unknown, this study revisits the relationship between SM usage and political actions and attitudes during this last election period. Using the American National Election Survey 2016 Time Series Data, this study uses binary logistic and linear regression to reexamine the relationship between SM usage and political actions and attitudes surrounding the 2016 election. Parallel to previous studies, the researcher concludes that SM usage is moderately correlated to collective political actions, but remains weak and conditionally related to individualized political action.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Identifier:
- 9780438054677
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Sociology
- Creator:
- Famili, Azadeh G.
- Description:
- The semiconductor industry has perfected the process of manipulating electron charge. the structure of a transistor is based on the formation of a channel between the source and drain when the gate voltage is applied. This time-tested structure is extremely reliable. However, there are several fundamental issues with this structure that need to be addressed. the standard (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) CMOS has gate control issues and can cause leakage by short channel effect. This occurs when the size of the transistor is scaled down which can cause the leakage and the static power to increase. Some of the new technologies have a better structure that doesn’t leak by nature. This research is focused on Spintronic devices. the research is not concentrating on a direct replacement to CMOS devices but to take advantage of Spintronic devices characteristic to achieve robust and high-performance computing. the idea behind Spintronics is to take advantage of the electron’s spin angular momentum to make a device that consumes less power compared to CMOS devices. We utilize this idea in a novel design for (Physical Unclonable functions) PUFs in hardware security which compared to conventional CMOS based not only it is low powered, but it can also be initialized. Spin-based design for a crossbar array to achieve computation in memory is also proposed in this research.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Identifier:
- 9780438054899
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Computer Science
- Creator:
- Kakadiya, Sharadkumar A.
- Description:
- This research involves the experimental study of micromachining of Shape Memory Alloys using Dry Micro Electrical Discharge Machining process on an in-house built machining setup. the study considers the effect of critical process parameters including input voltage, input current, and capacitance on the material removal rate, cavity size and the tool wear ratio. a comparison study is performed between the Micro Electrical Discharge Machining process using the liquid as well as air as the dielectric medium. in this study, microcavities are successfully machined on shape memory alloys using Dry Micro Electrical Discharge Machining process. the study found that the Dry Micro Electrical Discharge Machining produces a comparatively better surface finish, has lower tool wear and lesser material removal rate compared to the process using the liquid as the dielectric medium. the results of this research could extend the critical industrial applications of Micro Electrical Discharge Machining processes.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Identifier:
- 9780438055940
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Mechanical Engineering
- Creator:
- Zaheer, Adam
- Description:
- Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) have gained in popularity due to their possibility of one day replacing, the more common, silicon-based cells. Overall, dye-sensitized solar cells are cheaper to produce and can even achieve higher levels of efficiency than that of their predecessor. Although research into this specific form of renewable energy is relatively new, there are various ways to make DSSCs. One common type of cell, that is primarily found in research labs, is the glass-based DSSC. Currently the manufacturing of this type of cell is done almost exclusively by hand. in this work, a prototype of an autonomous DSSC manufacturing system is presented. with the utilization of a robotic arm, a motor driven conveyor belt, automated chemical dispensers, and an improvised hot plate, almost all human interaction with the manufacturing process is removed. Alongside these automated features lies an IoT network that is utilized to display sensor readings onto a webpage. Due to the modularity of this network, multiple sensors could be utilized for monitoring purposes although no controlling aspect is put in place at the moment. the cells that have been created by the system are compared to a handmade cell to ensure that the quality of the DSSC that is produced is up to par with what is typically used.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Identifier:
- 9780438055667
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Computer Science
- Creator:
- Silvas, Rebecca
- Description:
- There is limited literature on how factors like race and disguise jointly impact eyewitness identification. Both of these factors are very likely to occur simultaneously in a crime in which an eyewitness may need to identify the perpetrator. Researchers agree on the well-established existence of the other-race effect (ORE) Malpass & Kravitz, 1969; Meissner, Susa, & Ross, 2009, and the negative effects of disguises on facial recognition (Righi, Peissig, & Tarr, 2012; Fletcher, Butavicius, & Lee, 2008). the present study sought to explore the relationship between these factors. This study examined facial recognition amongst Asian, White, and Latinx participants using faces from all three races either wearing a disguise (hoodie and sunglasses) or no disguise. to investigate how quality and quantity of interactions with other races impacted facial recognition and the ORE, participants also completed an Interracial Contact Questionnaire. There was a significant main effect for disguise across all participants. Overall, all three races performed poorer on disguise trials than non-disguise regardless of the race of face. the relationship between accuracy and experience with other races was found to be nonsignificant. in the present study, we did not find evidence of the ORE, which may be the result of these disguises decreasing accuracy to below chance levels. It is also possible that an ORE might be found using more sensitive measures of performance. Future studies should consider the limitations of this study to further explore the effect of hoodies on face recognition.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Psychology
- Creator:
- Grewal, Harkishan Singh
- Description:
- Autonomous navigation has risen to prominence in public discourse in recent years. Pursuits of a self-driving car by notable tech companies, Tesla and Waymo (formerly Google self-driving car project), have brought autonomous navigation to the forefront and inspired much excitement. However, the applications of autonomous navigation are not limited to self-driving cars. A potential and promising application is to modify electric wheelchairs to improve the lives of individuals with disabilities. Individuals with motor neurodegenerative diseases and spinal cord injuries cannot use conventional wheelchairs, leaving them immobile and stripped of autonomy. An autonomous wheelchair capable of navigation in both mapped and unmapped indoor environments is proposed to restore mobility and autonomy to such individuals. The wheelchair uses various sensor to detect stationary and moving obstacles in real-time, enabling it to safely chart a course to its destination. Several sets of trials are conducted to test the functionally of the proposed system in different mapped and unmapped environments. The proposed system successfully and autonomously navigated to its destination in most trails with no collisions. These results are promising and validate the design, usability, and safety of the proposed system. They show potential of enriching the lives of individuals with disabilities with autonomy and mobility.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Computer Science
- Creator:
- Pelayo, Pablo, Jr.
- Description:
- Assistive technologies performing bio-medical applications may be extremely beneficial for individuals who suffer from neurodegenerative diseases such as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or Locked-In Syndrome. These diseases usually progress and continue to limit patients. Therefore, a universal system which still works as their disease progresses would be extremely beneficial to the patients because of the familiarity and cost-effectiveness. the system presented supports six types of input, and neck movements is seen as the starting point of the system because of its high accuracy and fast response time. Two other common input sources are Electromyography, which uses signals corresponding to muscle movements, and Electrooculography, where patients can move their eyes in order to serve as the system control. Unfortunately, if the disease keeps on progressing then a patient may lose voluntarily neck, muscle, and eye movements. Luckily, the presented system still supports input signals even if voluntary movements are gone. Brain-Computer Interface processes Electroencephalography signals, using three paradigms: Steady-State Visual Evoked Potential, P300-based Event Related Potential, and Auditory Steady-State Response. Multiple trials were conducted to test the accuracy and efficiency of the system. the average accuracy for the presented system is 80.55%. the application presented in this study is intended for iOS communication, but the end product can be integrated with any other system, including an electric wheelchair and robotic arm.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Computer Science
- Creator:
- Machia, Tiffany
- Description:
- Since the advent of the Internet, researchers have sought to determine whether the Internet may advance users’ well-being or if Internet use is associated with a variety of negative outcomes, including emotional distress. Additionally, although social support literature tends to indicate that social support is associated with increased emotional well-being, the research on the impact of social support on the relationship between Internet use and depression has yielded inconclusive results. Existing literature also neglects the role that offline social support and the different types of social support (emotional, companionship, informational, and tangible) have on this relationship. the current study sought to explore the relationships between Internet use, types of offline social support, and depression. a sample of 164 undergraduate students at California State University, Fullerton completed a series of measures of their Internet use patterns, perceived offline social support, and depression. Results of a linear regression indicated that Internet use did not significantly predict levels of depression. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated that all types of social support (emotional, companionship, informational, and tangible) did not moderate an Internet use-depression relationship. However, all types of offline social support were found to be significant predictors of depression. Specifically, increases in the various types of social support were positively associated with depression. Findings of this study are in direct opposition with prior research. Possible explanations for this discrepancy are discussed.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Psychology
- Creator:
- Ly, Phillip
- Description:
- The goal of this thesis is to create mobile applications that can leverage the power of deep learning to detect malignant melanoma in the early phase and save lives. Thus, it is imperative to extend the reach of such essential diagnostic care worldwide. in this thesis, we will first present three deep learning methodologies that entail constructions of convolutional neural networks in conjunction with the uses of modern transfer learning and regularization techniques. the proposed deep learning methodologies leverage a dynamic dataset to optimize performance of a skin cancer classification mobile application called ChekSkin. Dynamic datasets refer to the expansion of datasets from influx of new data. Furthermore, the proposed deep learning methodologies generate mobile compatible models by rendering and training 80,192 high quality images. We performed rigorous experiments to attain the following top-1 accuracies: 81% (overall accuracy on the test dataset) using advanced transfer learning and data augmentation techniques via TensorFlow, 85.7% by training a batch-normalized CNN from scratch, and 88.35% with the uses of potent feature extraction and data augmentation methods via Keras. Additionally, the ChekSkin app is tested in real-world situations in which there are drastic variations in lighting conditions and image quality. We have considered tests in both experimental and real-world settings as important metrics for life-saving mobile applications.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Computer Science
- Creator:
- Al-behadili, Mohammed
- Description:
- Undrained shear strength is important in the evaluation of the stability of both natural and man-made slopes. Some researchers have proposed methods such as SHANSEP to evaluate the undrained shear strength of fine grained soils. However, the impact of plasticity characteristics and mineralogical composition on the undrained shear strength has not been widely studied. to do so, the SHANSEP technique was extended to include the interpretation of the normalized undrained strength ratio in this study. to determine the normalized undrained strength ratio, the undrained strength ratio for a sample at any over-consolidation ratio (OCR) is normalized by the value of undrained strength ratio for a normally consolidated sample of the same soil. This study will also focus on calculating the true friction angle and the true cohesion of various mixtures. in this study, five mixtures of montmorillonite with quartz and three mixtures of kaolinite with quartz were used. Unique relationships dependent on the mineralogical composition were developed between the normalized undrained strength ratio with the OCR. the results also showed that the true friction angle decreases with an increase in plasticity index for soils with plasticity indices less than 60% and liquid limit in soils with liquid limits less than 125%, beyond which there are negligible changes in the true friction angle. the base friction angle increases with an increase in plasticity index and liquid limit in soils with kaolinite as the clay mineral, but does not change significantly in soils with montmorillonite as the clay mineral.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Creator:
- Menon, Vivek Anand
- Description:
- This research involves the use of Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulation technique to investigate the complex and dynamic mechanisms involved in Liquid-Assisted Laser Beam Micromachining (LA-LBMM) process both in static and dynamic mode. the results of the MD simulation are compared with those of Laser Beam Micromachining (LBMM) performed in air. the study revealed that machining during LA-LBMM process showed higher removal compared with LBMM process. the LA-LBMM process in dynamic mode showed lesser material removal compared with static mode as the flowing water carrying the heat away from the machining zone. Investigation of material removal mechanism revealed the presence of a thermal blanket and bubble formation in LA-LBMM process aiding in higher material removal. the findings of this study provide further insights to strengthen the knowledge base of laser beam micromachining technology.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Mechanical Engineering
- Creator:
- Duccini, Kalie
- Description:
- Rare olivine-pyroxene cumulates and hornblende gabbros of the ca. 150 Ma Summit gabbro are scrutinized with the goal of revealing initial differentiation trajectories and source characteristics of mafic magmas within the Late Jurassic Sierra Nevada arc. Geochemical analyses suggest that the magmas that produced the Summit gabbros were not primary, mantle-derived magmas, but rather experienced differentiation in the mid- to lower crust prior to their emplacement in the upper crust. Xenocrystic zircon grains in one cumulate sample document some amount of mid-crustal assimilation. in other samples, multi-shell coronas separate adjacent olivine and plagioclase crystals. Coronas likely formed by solid-state recrystallization during slow subsolidus cooling at relatively high (> 6 kbar) pressures, consistent with initial crystallization in the deep crust. Evidence for dissolution and reequilibration in early-formed minerals suggests disequilibrium with host magmas. Aphanitic-porphyritic textures in hornblende gabbros suggest that disquilibrium was induced by decompression during entrainment in upwardly migrating differentiated magmas, which transported cumulate autocrysts and autoliths of coronitic gabbros into the shallow arc crust. Field relations coupled with a range in crystal accumulation textures and rock types supports a model for emplacement of the Summit gabbro in a dike-sill complex similar to the Torres del Paine of the Miocene Andean arc. Existing geochronology suggests that the Summit gabbro may represent a deeper expression of the Independence dike swarm.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Geological Sciences
- Creator:
- Palermo, Jennifer
- Description:
- Crystal Lake is a small (0.02 km2), alpine lake in the San Gabriel Mountains. This hydrologically closed lake is one of the very few permanent, freshwater lakes in the range. as a result, it is ideal for recording coastal southwestern US hydrologic variability. This study presents a 1300 year sub-decadally resolved reconstruction of extreme hydrologic events (i.e., floods). Regional records of late Holocene floods are scarce and largely limited to marine sediment archives, making this research integral to better prepare the highly-urbanized area for, and to mitigate the effects of, excess water. Sediment cores were obtained in May 2014 from the lake’s depocenter. Magnetic susceptibility, LOI 550°C and 950°C, and grain size were measured at 1 cm contiguous intervals; Corg:Ntotal ratios and bulk δ13Corg were measured every 2 cm. an age model was generated by linear regression of 8 AMS 14C dates of discrete organic matter. Age control for the past 200 years is based on correlation to Rothenberg et al. (2010) core ages. Fourteen storm-induced, rapidly deposited layers are distinguished and characterized from ambient sediments. Regionally, these rapidly deposited event layers occur during both wet and dry climate states. Forcings related to Pacific Ocean-atmosphere interactions are explored as potential drivers of these hydrologic events. Ultimately, the Crystal Lake record shows that large flood-producing storm events, likely caused by atmospheric rivers, have occurred in the late Holocene and will occur in the future, regardless of the background climate state.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Geological Sciences
- Creator:
- Low, Joey
- Description:
- In 1406, the armies of the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) invaded Dai Viet, or present-day Vietnam. Zhu Di, or the Yongle emperor (r. 1403–1424), ousted Ho Quy Ly (1336–1407?) of the Ho dynasty (1400–1407), leading to an occupation of twenty years. Nearly ninety years later in 1494, the French army invaded Naples in southern Italy. Charles VIII (r. 1483–1498) then ousted the Aragonese dynasty, all the while proposing to use Naples as a base from which to start a crusade against the Ottomans. Both conquests did not last long. the Vietnamese defeated their oppressors in 1427. a coalition of European powers forced the French regime back to France in 1495. the French continued to invade Italy until 1559. Based on its comparison within a framework of narrative theory of the public narratives as presented by the Ming dynasty and French monarchy to justify their wars, this thesis shows that despite their geographical, contextual, political, and cultural differences, the Ming and French invasions possessed three major things in common and one disparity: (1) both the Ming emperor and the French kings utilized just war concepts rooted in ideological traditions in their public narratives; (2) these rulers relied on dubious historical claims to justify their wars; (3) internal and foreign ministers exerted tremendous influence on the creation of these wars; and (4) both narratives differed on the prevalence of prophecy, a recurring element in Italy, but not in China nor Vietnam.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of History
- Creator:
- Franklin, Matthew
- Description:
- The 1970 Postal Strike, beyond being the largest wildcat strike in U.S. history, served as an important milestone in the decline of the American labor movement in the second half of the twentieth century. the events of the strike, the rank-and-file’s reasons behind the demonstration, and their leadership’s response revealed the major flaws and problems that kept unions from maintaining their power after the 1960s: members’ feelings of disrespect from union leaders, said leaders’ unwillingness to adapt to the changing times, and a president and congress that focused less on mutual cooperation and more on “trimming the fat” of government spending. Although postal employees succeeded in gaining pay raises and numerous benefits, the lack of meaningful reform and union democratization failed to correct many of the major issues that caused the strike in the first place. the decades following the postal strike show a series of events that confirm 1970 as the start of a national trend toward a more austere political and economic atmosphere—and a sign that American labor as a single entity could not adapt to this change. This failure to adapt allowed anti-union elements within the government to turn public opinion against organized labor and further speed its decline.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of History
- Creator:
- Mccormack, Chris
- Description:
- In 1919, the indigenous people of Southern California, to provide a united front in their struggle to secure rights and protect tribal sovereignty, formed the Pan-Indian Mission Indian Federation. the roots of the problems they faced—the federal government’s allotment policy, paternalistic officials, and population decline—can be traced back to a public that viewed First Peoples through a prism of stereotypes. Government officials and settlers chiseled this prism out of inaccurate histories that promoted the belief of culturally inferiority, and provided the justification needed to murder, implement assimilation programs, and trample on rights. Federationists fought against non-Indian attacks on their sovereignty by writing histories that challenged people’s stereotypes. their histories focused on their ancestors’ contributions to the region before and after European arrival, resistance to colonialism, and cultural perseverance. Furthermore, their memories of the past became manifested in the organization’s governing structure. Members, by maintaining aspects of their traditional governments found a way to protect their sovereignty in the face of foreign aggression. and in the process of using history as a weapon to fight oppression and maintain their traditions, they highlighted the intellectual historians’ responsibility to create factual accounts of the past. the historical revisionism that occurred in Southern California spread to other parts of the nation and became an effective tool of resistance still in use to this day.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of History
- Creator:
- Castaneda, Marlon
- Description:
- Intergroup bias was evaluated using moral dilemmas in which killing one person was necessary to save five others. The five people had demographic characteristics that placed them in varying degrees of proximity to the decision-maker: atheists, elderly, strangers, cousins, siblings, and children. A total of 253 university students rated both how right and how wrong killing the target was to save the at-risk groups. Theoretically, ratings of right captured the benefits of saving the five people, while ratings of wrong emphasized the costs of killing the target. Averaged across all scenarios, ratings of right increased from strangers to children; ratings of wrong decreased but to a lesser extent. Moral identity and religiosity were also measured to see if intergroup bias varied with these personality factors. Moral identity had no correlation with the ratings. However, religiosity correlated with the ratings and suggested a deontological bias in which participants applied a moral rule that prohibits killing regardless of any perceived benefits. For all proximity levels, religious groups’ ratings of right were lower, and their ratings of wrong were higher, compared to the non-religious group, illustrating an aversion to killing the target regardless of the at-risk group. However, the religious groups and the non-religious group showed a similar increase in ratings of right towards genetically related, at-risk groups. Therefore, intergroup bias was still present in conjunction with the religious deontological bias.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Psychology
- Creator:
- Benedicto, Samantha
- Description:
- Restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRBs) are a core symptom of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The most common RRBs are hand flapping, finger tapping, body swaying, or out-of-context waving. RRBs disrupt attachment between parent and child. The purpose of the current study was to create a rating scale that measures RRBs during observation of parent-child interactions to allow researchers to objectively score RRBs to yield ratings with higher reliability and validity than current measurements. The Repetitive Behavior Scale-Observation (RBS-O) was created to assess 30 RRBs. Participants were 26 ASD children, who interacted in the lab with their mothers in a problem-solving task. Researchers rated children’s RRBs. Analyses of the RBS-O revealed the difficulty of witnessing these RRBs during a short time period, particularly in a laboratory setting. Only 33% of items on the original measure were observed and scored. I removed items that were not scored, as well as those with no variability in scoring. Items with low item whole correlations were also removed, leaving a final sixitem measure. Inter-rater reliability was high and concurrent validity with an existing measure of parent-reported observable behaviors was high as well. Limitations, however, include the low number of behaviors observed and short testing period.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Psychology
- Creator:
- Frenzel, Lena Viktoria
- Description:
- The master thesis “Media Richness and Message Complexity as Influencers of Social Media Engagement” seeks to identify the relationship between message complexity, media richness, and its effect on social media engagement. the literature review in this field revealed a recent trend that earlier studies tended to reject the media richness theory, whereas the recent studies, which applied the theory to social media, overwhelmingly confirmed the media richness theory. to further investigate this phenomenon, the media richness theory by Daft and Lengel (1986) will be used to derive potential predictors of social media engagement. a quantitative content analyses will be performed by exporting posts from a Facebook business page and running a multiple linear regression analysis to identify predictors of social media reach. the Facebook business page used for this study is a social media influencer brand called Linz Stanley, which has over 20,000 Facebook followers and successfully established itself in the cosplay market by publishing photos of handcrafted costumes and attendances of cosplay conferences on her social media profiles.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Communications
- Creator:
- Eum, Sharon
- Description:
- I examined acculturative stress among Korean immigrants living in the U.S. Acculturative stress is a stress individuals experience as they adjust to a new culture. Acculturative stress damages mental health. I investigated how acculturative stress, conflicts between parents and children, depressive symptoms, and the belief individuals have that they can alleviate their negative emotional states are associated with each other. The participants were 103 immigrants of Korean descent who completed questionnaires. The participants had options to respond to the survey in English or Korean, in person or online. A MANOVA revealed that there was no significant difference in scores between languages. Correlational analyses showed that acculturative stress was significantly positively correlated with intergenerational conflict related to education and career, intergenerational conflict related to dating and marriage, and depressive symptoms. Acculturative stress was also significantly negatively correlated with negative mood regulation expectancies (NMRE). Multivariate analyses showed that years of residence in U.S., intergenerational conflict related to education and career, and NMRE all significantly predicted acculturative stress. Furthermore, NMRE and acculturative stress significantly predicted depressive symptoms. Tests of NMRE as a moderator were not significant. Korean immigrants in this study were experiencing acculturative stress and depressive symptoms. Clinical interventions targeting raising NMRE may build Korean immigrants’ resilience to acculturative stress.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Psychology
- Creator:
- Pastarnak, Dmitriy
- Description:
- Over the years, the techniques used for the extraction of target compounds out of complex chemical matrices have been continuously improving due to rapidly evolving technologies. This thesis explores several sample preparation techniques. We evaluated solid phase extraction (SPE), solid phase microextraction (SPME), and headspace techniques by comparing them to the current silica gel column chromatography method for extracting two biomarker groups, terpanes and steranes, from bitumen (petroleum tar). We then ranked the methods according to their extraction/column chromatography capability and environmental impact. the extraction/column chromatography capability was evaluated using a gas chromatograph equipped with a single quadrupole mass spectrometer and assessed based on validation parameters. the method safety and the environmental impact were evaluated following the twelve principles of green chemistry. the headspace technique failed to concentrate the target compounds from bitumen during the developmental stage and thus was not included in the validation. the SPME method demonstrated superior selectivity, required the least cleanup and equipment maintenance, had the lowest impact on the environment, and offered an enhanced capability for air sampling. the SPE method was the simplest, quickest, and least expensive. It also yielded the most precise measurements.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
- Creator:
- Hwang, Joey
- Description:
- The popular perception of the Gallipoli campaign, and the Great War as a whole, as the birthplace of Australia and New Zealand as distinct nations from Britain is not inaccurate. the stories of the ANZACs bravely storming the beaches in Turkey remain a sacred part of their national histories. While most historians recognize that the First World War shaped the two nations, the popular narratives of the war tend to come from a distinctly European perspective. the native peoples of both nations also had a major impact on the development of their national identities, as well as their views of each other. the exploits of the Maori at Gallipoli and the Western Front, as well as continued discrimination against Aboriginal Australians on the home front, had a much stronger influence on the national mythos of both nations than is commonly portrayed. Furthermore, the war’s impact eroded the “colonials’” opinion of Britain, the mother country, and served to only further exacerbate the growing divisions within the empire.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of History
- Creator:
- Quinn, Brettni
- Description:
- Acinetobacter baumannii has emerged over the last few decades as a major nosocomial pathogen. Its ability to acquire genetic material and survive in extreme environments has positioned it as a paradigm of multidrug resistance. Horizontal genetic transfer, specifically natural transformation, has played a key role in its evolution. However, little is known about how competence for natural transformation is induced or regulated in A. baumannii and, therefore, our research focuses on identifying inducers of competence and characterizing genes involved in this process. to identify inducers of competence, A. baumannii cells were grown in the presence of host human products or antibiotics and transformation frequencies were assessed. Human serum albumin (HSA) was the only host human product that significantly increased transformation frequencies, suggesting that an albumin-specific mechanism exists in this species. in addition, all three antibiotics tested increased transformation frequencies, likely via different pathways. to better understand induction of competence, RNA sequencing was performed under HSA induction and 167 genes were identified as being significantly differentially expressed. Twenty-three genes were analyzed in depth, including putative transcriptional regulators and those associated with two component regulatory systems and type IV pili. This analysis led to the identification of a number of genes that were not explored before and whose roles in competence development are suitable for further analysis.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Biological Sciences
- Creator:
- Panah, Sadie S.
- Description:
- Individual differences in the perception of harmony between religious and American identity may moderate how these identities jointly relate to adjustment and may explain mixed findings on religious identity and adjustment for immigrants. Christian, Jewish, and Muslim immigrants (N = 232) living in the U.S. completed online surveys in English via Amazon Mechanical Turk. Religious-American identity predicted increased symptoms of anxiety and decreased satisfaction with life when immigrants perceived their religious and American identities to be neutral or conflictual, but not when they perceived those identities to be harmonious. Moreover, results revealed that Muslims are more likely than Christians and Jewish individuals to perceive low harmony between their religious and American identities. These findings are important in terms of expanding the results of previous research with perceived harmony between ethnic and host cultures to harmony between religion and host (American) culture and how these identities relate to adjustment.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Psychology