The human female orgasm, has often been a topic of debate in evolutionary scholarship. Some scholars argue that it evolved to aid in sperm selection of high quality males, others argue that it evolved as part of a pair-bond maintenance system, and som . . .

All species within the genus Pongo are Critically Endangered; the Bornean orangutan (Pongo pymaeus), the Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelli), and the recently classified species from Batang Toru (Pongo tapanuliensis). the North American Orangutan Specie . . .

Smart materials are new generation materials which possess great properties to mend themselves with a change in environment. However, manufacturing of these materials is extremely challenging, particularly at micron scale due to their extreme mechanic . . .

Smart ceramic materials are new generation materials having the inherent intelligence to adapt to change in external environment. Currently, there is a need for machining of smart materials at micron scale with high accuracy and precision. Laser-beam . . .

While previous studies have investigated the effects of temperature on an organismal level, we need more research on how thermal stress affects species interactions. We used a common rocky intertidal organism (the owl limpet Lottia gigantea) and its l . . .

This study examined relationships between non-physical and physical intimate partner violence (IPV) and five different Latino cultural constructs among 87 Latina college students. the cultural constructs under investigation included machismo, caballer . . .

In this research, a study was conducted on the feasibility of replacement of concrete pavements with precast concrete pavements which will result in faster construction, thinner slabs and more durable life of the pavement. It was observed that precast . . .

Children with autism often experience sudden meltdowns which not only makes the moment tough for the caretakers/parents but also make the children hurt themselves physically. Studies have discovered that children with autistic spectrum disorder exhibi . . .

Parents play a critical role in their child’s PA; however, limited interventions have targeted parents and their beliefs, such as self-efficacy (SE) and outcome expectations (OE). Narrative messages are a tool that have been used to promote PA by targ . . .

This study investigated reliability of the average (avgV) and peak velocity (peakV), and average (avgM) and peak momentum (peakM), of a drive block test (DBT) in fifteen male high school OL, and relationships to football performance tests. a linear po . . .

A Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) provides an interaction between a brain and a device that enables the electroencephalography (EEG) signals from the scalp of the person to control an external device, such as operations of an electric wheelchair, elect . . .

A Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) provides an interaction between a brain and a device that enables the electroencephalography (EEG) signals from the scalp of the person to control an external device, such as operations of an electric wheelchair, elect . . .

Much of the literature related to the role of parents supports the importance of parental involvement during a student’s elementary and secondary educational placement. However, very little research follows through with this parent involvement support . . .

Supervised machine learning has become a powerful method of creating predictions and classifying labeled data sets. the ability to analyze and classify data is a powerful tool used in applications spanning almost every industry. the most popular class . . .

Ancient authigenic dolomites (e.g., concretions) have been studied extensively in order to determine formation conditions and characterize shallow diagenetic environments. the formation of these dolomites is commonly attributed to the anaerobic microb . . .

An Ultrasonic Powder Consolidation (UPC) is an additive manufacturing technique that utilizes high-frequency vibrations to consolidate micro/nano powder materials to fully dense and near to net-shaped parts. Experimental studies have shown that UPC pr . . .

Bone tissue is typically stored frozen (cryopreservation) for bone grafts or tissue investigation. Whole osteocytic bone, bone with osteocytes, is resistant to the damaging effects of cryopreservation. Anosteocytic bone, bone without osteocytes, is p . . .

In this thesis, the concept of neural networks, a form of machine learning, is applied to network intrusion detection to compare the performance of shallow and deep neural networks. Neural networks provide a robust method of machine learning that can . . .

Standing meditation (SM) is the fundamental component of Tai Chi Chuan (TCC)—a complex neuromotor exercise found to be associated with many health benefits including improved mindfulness and fall reduction in older adults (OA). PROBLEM: Despite its im . . .

Immigrants face many psychosocial stressors when leaving their culture of origin and acclimating to a new host culture. Ethnic minorities have less positive attitudes about mental health, even though they may actually be a population that should seek . . .

This qualitative study explored how teachers of upper elementary school students with mild to moderate disabilities navigate the potentially competing demands of CCSS expectations and best practices for supporting students with learning disabilities i . . .

The philosophy behind the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and its tenets of critical thought, creativity, and application of knowledge require a shift from a focus on content knowledge to how that knowledge is applied across the curriculum and w . . .

Second-generation Mexican-American millennials with parents of unauthorized status are understudied in the current literature compared to first-generation children and young adults who have unauthorized status in the United States. Although many secon . . .

Running related injuries are related to foot strike pattern (FSP). Cross-sectional area (CSA), pennation angle (PA), and fascicle length (FL) of the lower limb musculature contribute to plantarflexion (PF)/dorsiflexion (DF) strength, and may influence . . .

Antibiotics are losing effectiveness as multidrug resistance among bacterial pathogens is spreading. Resistance enzymes, like AAC(6’)-Ib, allow bacteria to survive and proliferate in the presence of antibiotics. Conversely, discovery of new antibiotic . . .

Tourism is an informal way that developing countries are able to enter into the global economy. Ecotourism, the fastest growing sector of this industry, is an economic development tool that also seeks to achieve social development, and environmental p . . .

Cryptic species can often cause problems for baseline and ecological studies as these species are not readily identified in the field. Lottia scabra and Lottia conus form a north/south cryptic species pair where they occupy the same habitat, but L. sc . . .

Gender peer effects on the educational production function are one of the most important determinants in choosing the most optimal sorting of males and female students into a school, grade and classroom. the Burkinablé Response to Improve Girls’ Chanc . . .

Determining the reasons behind how and why evolutionary mechanisms that establish or remove genetic variations within a population is a fundamental question in evolutionary biology. by tying together, the origin, evolutionary patterns, molecular mecha . . .

In an effort to place motive in context, this essay addresses the issue of whether worldviews and histories that emphasize race and geography offer more distractions and less understanding than do studies that focus upon labor. through the narrative o . . .

There is growing interest in studying the role of protective factors in risk assessment and management. the goal of the present study was to explore the role of the strength and vulnerability items found on the Short-Term Assessment of Risk Treatabili . . .

This qualitative study explored the meaning of education for stopped-out students. There has been no exploration of the meaning of education for students who have stopped out of college. Stopping out of college is defined as leaving college for a peri . . .

This thesis study investigated the experience and management of relational struggles and identity gaps in intrafaith romantic relationships. in total, 16 unmarried intrafaith partners (eight couples) participated. In-depth interviews were conducted an . . .

Previous research has documented that human females report a number of preference changes for sexual partners and sexual activity during the high- relative to low-fertility days of the ovulatory cycle. Less studied, however, are the effects of female . . .

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, J . . .

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 trans . . .

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 . . .

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 . . .

Evidence suggests preschool age students with disabilities (SWD) benefit from inclusive settings. Inclusive education has positive impacts on students’ social–emotional, language, and cognitive skills. Yet, preschool age SWD continue to have limited a . . .

This qualitative dissertation looks at how first-generation college students (FGCS) experience the emotion of guilt as it relates to social capital within higher education. This study included 21 FGCS enrolled at two community colleges in Los Angeles . . .

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, co . . .

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 . . .

This dissertation used qualitative, interpretive methods to explore African American and Latino/a community college students’ use of autoethnographic writing to express experiences of marginalization and sense of belonging on their college campus. . . .

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 pur . . .

Economic conditions require a workforce of lifelong learners. Regional Occupational Programs (ROP) provide career technical education that engage every student in high-quality, rigorous and relevant education to help students become career and college . . .

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 . . .

This comparative case study analyzed two styles of coaching, team and individual, and the perceived impact each style has on instructional practices. This study was conducted in two elementary schools that are part of the same charter organization in . . .

Seating arrangements in college English Literature courses can have an impact on the learning experience for the student. Students who had completed at least one college-level English literature course at a community college were asked about their exp . . .

This study investigated the lived experiences of community college faculty within the California Community College system. It adds to existing literature that aims to understand the factors that influence faculty perceptions of academic accommodations . . .

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 gover . . .

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 . . .

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 n . . .

The Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) process and the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) are relatively new policies school districts across the state are learning to implement. the intention of these policies is to simplify the California sc . . .

This multiple case study used observations and participant interviews to determine if teachers who share their stories of perseverance can influence their students’ ability to persevere through their own challenging situations and if these teachers sh . . .

This study considers how administrators work to provide excellent educational experiences for all students through supporting teacher practice within teacher observation for evaluation (TOFE) systems. Qualitative methodology was used for this research . . .

This qualitative study explored the criteria for success of mentoring, as well as the differences in the success of mentoring provided by internal and external mentors to new principals. In total, 11 administrators participated in the study, one super . . .

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 va . . .

This phenomenological research examined the perceptions of eleven online instructors at one community college regarding their experiences teaching online courses. the instructors were invited to participate because their students’ academic course outc . . .

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 ar . . .

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 th . . .

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 . . .

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 worldwid . . .

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 . . .

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 . . .

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 foref . . .

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. Researche . . .

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 efficien . . .

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 . . .

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 ext . . .

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) usag . . .

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 particip . . .

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 . . .

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 . . .

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 . . .

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 be . . .

As growing numbers of young adults with high-functioning autism disorder (HFASD) make the transition to college, the need for effective high school transition programs is increasing. Due to inherent deficits in social skills and executive functioning . . .

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: 3 . . .

Professional sports organizations have been utilizing data-based approaches when selecting potential athletes increasingly over the past couple of decades, as depicted in Moneyball. the National Football League (NFL) conducts a yearly Scouting Combine . . .

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 . . .

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 w . . .

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 tu . . .

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 . . .

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 numb . . .

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 descr . . .

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 potent . . .

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 t . . .

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 i . . .

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 t . . .

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 . . .

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 reduc . . .

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 . . .

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 str . . .

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 . . .

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, . . .

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 stu . . .

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 . . .

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 . . .