Search Constraints
Number of results to display per page
Search Results
- Creator:
- Willison, Sabrina Catherine
- Description:
- The purpose of this content analysis is to examine representations and use of racialized and coded language in print media sources between August 9, 2014 and December 6, 2014 about the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. The analysis includes coverage of specific time periods during those months of Al Jazeera America, the New York Post, The New York Times, and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. After a white police officer shoots a black teenager, the media creates and responds to opposing narratives regarding race, justice, and the role of police in poor communities. This project illustrates how the media frames and shapes narratives and how the use of specific language shapes those narratives. The findings highlight three themes that appear throughout the news sources: the consensus and exacerbation of political discord, the media’s racialization of the military style law enforcement, and the social construction of race through discourse.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Sociology
- Creator:
- Godbole, Gargi Kiran
- Description:
- This study explored the effects of interviewers’ emotions in a mock interrogation context. Prior research reveals that emotional states can either hinder or improve information processing and decision-making. For example, studies show that a sad, but not a happy, state leads to better lie detection accuracy (Ask & Granhag, 2007; Semmler & Brewer, 2002). Other research shows that a sad, but not an angry, state leads to careful processing of criminal scenarios (Tiedens & Linton, 2001). Emotion models suggest that happy and angry moods induce perceivers to a shallow-based, heuristics processing style, whereas sad moods lead to a deep, systematic-based processing style. Thus, it can be predicted that sad moods will have a more focused approach in interrogating suspects, while angry and happy emotions will lead to having a more dispersed choosing style. In this study, we examined angry, happy, sad, and neutral emotional states on mock interrogators’ decisions about the use of high- versus low-coercive interrogation tactics. Participant read a crime scenario where they imagined being an interrogator. Next, they were told to visualize and write an autobiographical event to induce one of the four emotional states – angry, happy, sad, or neutral. They then rated two broad categories of tactics – lowpressure tactics (e.g., “reduce fears”) and high-pressure tactics (e.g., “identify and exaggerate fears”) – on the extent to which they would use them to interview the suspect in the scenario. It was hypothesized that sad, but not angry or happy, participants would select less coercive tactics to interview the potential suspect. The results did not confirm the main hypothesis; although emotions were induced, they did not have an effect on selecting tactics. All participants across emotion conditions significantly selected the low-pressure tactics as a way to interrogate the potential suspect. One reason this may have happened is that the choice of low-pressure tactics could have been seen a more socially desirable response for the college student participants in this study. The limitations in this study and future research will be discussed.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Psychology
- Creator:
- Mccaffrey, Sean
- Description:
- Low back pathologies are some of the most prevalent in western society. Two factors that have shown to influence low back pain are sitting and lifting; however, little research has identified how sitting effects muscle activation during these tasks. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of prolonged sitting on muscle activation and muscle involvement of the biceps femoris (BF), rectus femoris (RF), erector spinae (ES) and gluteus maximus (GM) muscles during a lifting task. Twenty-one recreationally active males (24 ± 2 years, 1.80 ± 0.06 m, 81.0 ± 12.50 kg, 25.16 ± 3.34 kg/m2 ) completed 5 lifts with a 22.68 kg crate before and after two hours of sitting. Surface electromyography (EMG) was used to measure muscle activation during the concentric and eccentric phases of the lifts. Muscle activation ratios were calculated for each muscle during the lift. No significant differences were found in muscle activation ratios (p > 0.05) post sitting. There were no significant differences in RMS EMG for the GM, ES, and RF (p > 0.05) muscles; however, the BF muscle decreased 17% (p = 0.046) during the eccentric phase of the lift. Prolonged sitting significantly decreases muscle activation of the BF muscle. Therefore, altered pathologies could be expected in populations that sit for two hours or more.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Kinesiology
- Creator:
- Patil, Hrishikesh
- Description:
- MEMS (Micro-electro-mechanical systems) gyroscopes are widely used as an inertial measurement unit in different industrial applications. MEMS are the device that combines mechanical and electrical components on a small silicon wafer with components sized in the range of a micro meter. Amongst all the gyroscopes available, vibratory gyroscopes are most simple in construction and are widely used. In vibratory rate gyroscope, sensitivity is achieved by reducing frequency mismatch and this is mostly done by selecting the common beam topology. However, due to the common beam, mechanical coupling effect is introduced, which might affect the overall stability of the device. Thus, this is a challenging part for a designer to achieve higher sensitivity, while maintaining stability. In this thesis a new 2-DOF vibratory rate gyroscope is proposed that has two independent axis of vibration with a mechanical coupling measure. Design includes selection of structural parameter, as well as driving and sensing topology. The structural design parameters of drive and sense beams are carefully selected so as to achieve maximum sensitivity, while reducing the overall coupling between the drive and sense mechanism. The design showed improved decoupling and sensing sensitivity. From the simulation, the displacement sensitivity is in the range of 3nm/(°/sec) and capacitance change is in the range of femto Farad. Furthermore, the angular rate table and capacitance results are provided in this paper to verify device performance.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Electrical Engineering
- Creator:
- Esquibel, Marissa S.
- Description:
- This study explores the relationship between negative religious coping (NRC) and symptoms of depression and anxiety in Arab American adolescents, an under-researched topic in an under-researched population. The data were provided by a previous study that investigated socio-cultural adversities, cultural resources, and psychological distress in Arab American adolescents (Ahmed, Kia-Keating, & Tsai, 2011). In general, research has demonstrated NRC is associated with poor mental health outcomes in samples varying in age, race, gender, religion, and so on. However, research investigating NRC in Arab American adolescents is nonexistent. The current study includes four hypotheses. First, it was hypothesized that NRC would have a positive relationship with depression. Second, it was hypothesized that NRC would have a positive association with anxiety. Third, it was hypothesized that female participants would have a stronger relationship between NRC and depression and anxiety. Fourth, it was hypothesized that second generation participants would have a stronger relationship between NRC and depression and anxiety. The sample consisted of a predominately Muslim Arab American population of 240 adolescents. The results demonstrated that NRC was positively associated with anxiety and second generation participants had a stronger relation between NRC and depression and anxiety. Understanding the relationship between NRC and mental health in Arab American adolescents can inform counselors and help provide better psychological treatment for this vulnerable population.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Psychology
- Creator:
- Wieber, Emily Nguyen
- Description:
- The purpose of this study was 1) to measure fruit yield of navel orange trees and the plants’ physiological responses to regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) and 2) to determine if plant-based measures, including stem water potentials (stem), sap flow (SF), and daily trunk diameter fluctuations (TDF) could be easily used to indicate citrus water need using minimal instruments. The study was conducted in 2014/15 at the Citrus Experiment Station at the University of California, Riverside, and consisted of one control and three deficit irrigation treatments. Control trees were irrigated to replace 100% of water lost due to crop evapotranspiration (ETc). During the early fruit growth period (mid-May to mid-July), RDI1 and RDI3 trees were subjected to 25% of ETc. During fruit maturity period (mid-October to mid-December), RDI2 and RDI3 trees were subjected to 75% of ETc. At all other times, irrigation was 100% of ETc. All RDI treatments resulted in lower yield and higher percentage of small oranges than the control, but the yield effects were only significant for RDI1 and the size effect only for RDI1 and RDI3. Total water savings were 19% for RDI1, 2% for RDI2, and 21% for RDI3. Considering the benefits of water savings and the potential loss/gain in gross revenues, RDI3 and RDI2 were better irrigation strategies than RDI1. Of the plant-based parameters, the labor-intensive discontinuous stem had the highest signal intensity for water stress, while the continuous measurements using plant sensors failed to detect water stress consistently.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Biological Sciences
- Creator:
- Wynants, Shelli A.
- Description:
- In higher education, the population of students with disabilities has more than tripled in the last three decades; however, they continue to have low rates of persistence, retention, and degree completion (National Council of Disability, 2003; Wagner, Newman, Cameto, Levine, & Garza, 2006). Faculty play a critical role in the success of students with disabilities but many lack an understanding of these students’ needs and of inclusive instructional strategies to enhance their success (Burgstahler & Moore, 2009). The purpose of this mixed methods study was to investigate the impact of an online disability awareness program on college faculty’s knowledge, attitudes, and application. The four research questions that guided the study investigated (a) the differences in participants’ knowledge of and attitudes toward students with disabilities prior to and after completion of the online program; (b) how participants’ pretest and posttest knowledge and attitudes toward students with disabilities differ by faculty demographics; (c) how faculty describe their experience in the program, including their intentions to incorporate their learning into their teaching practices and interactions with students; and (d) how the themes that emerge from the qualitative data can provide a deeper understanding of the quantitative knowledge and attitude impact of the program on faculty. The study followed a sequential, transformative mixed methods design consisting of three phases. In the first phase, 38 faculty members completed a survey measuring attitudes toward and knowledge of students with disabilities, both before and after completing an online disability awareness program. Quantitative results indicated both attitudes and knowledge significantly improved from pretest to posttest. In the second qualitative phase, 10 faculty participants were interviewed. Analysis of the qualitative findings led to the identification of three themes in regard to the impact of the program on faculty pedagogy and two themes related to practical issues of online professional development. The third meta-analysis phase of the study found four convergences supporting the overall positive impact of the program and two divergences related to faculty demographic characteristics. Interpretations of these findings along with their implications for policy, theory, practice, and future research are discussed.
- Resource Type:
- Dissertation
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Educational Leadership
- Creator:
- Lwali, Racha
- Description:
- The electronics industry has remarkably evolved. The new technology of power film resistors has helped shrink equipment size and minimize cost. The manufacturing parameters that affect power resistors’ key capabilities are the temperature coefficient of resistant, long-term stability, and humidity resistance. Since voids are widely associated with reliability and performance issues, this project focuses on refining power film resistor manufacturing process in order to minimize the voids that occur within the solder joints during the soldering process. In order to do so, vacuum hot plate soldering is investigated as an alternate manufacturing technique. The present study is intended to demonstrate that the vacuum hot plate soldering method is a strong candidate for manufacturing power film resistors. For this purpose, the research presented below will seek to illustrate how the performance, the long-term reliability, and the manufacturing of the resistors can be improved, with this new process. This study will show how using the vacuum hot plate method reduces voids in the solder joints of the power film resistors. Also, it will show how resistors produced with the vacuum hot plate method have a stable temperature coefficient of resistance and preform well during load life and humidity testing. These results will compared to other soldering methods as well as competitor parts.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Mechanical Engineering
- Creator:
- Kloess, Peter Alfred
- Description:
- California has experienced significant climate change from the onset of the Miocene (~23Ma) to the present. The impact of past climate change is often recorded in the fossil record, and can be revealed by studying how ecological communities change through time. Fossil seabirds are the ideal taxon for studying faunal responses to environmental changes because they are numerous in collections, easily identified from fragmentary remains, and since modern seabirds respond quickly to immediate changes in their environments, we expect the fossil record of seabirds to faithfully represent past environments. The first study to look at fossil seabird diversity through the Tertiary of the North Pacific relied entirely on literature records to describe the appearance and disappearance of seabird species and correlated these patterns to geologic and climatic events. My thesis utilizes an empirical, specimen-based approach to accurately describe the seabird response to climate and tectonic change during ~12 million years of coastal California’s geologic history (middle Miocene to early Pliocene). The foundation of my dataset is a previously unstudied collection of 305 bird specimens from the John D. Cooper Center for Archaeology and Paleontology, representing a relatively complete sequence of strata (Topanga Group, Monterey Formation-equivalent, and Capistrano Formation). Representing the middle Miocene to early Pliocene of Orange County, these strata form the basis for delineating chronostratigraphic bins used for studying the diversity of the fossil seabird community of California. Comparison of this new collection with 378 seabird specimens from three other institutions across California provides a more complete and detailed view of the seabird community during this period. Diversity, taxonomic richness, and relative abundance were examined using quantitative statistical methods to understand the change in seabird populations over time and depth of deposition. Using these statistical techniques, my data show a clear increase of panalcid abundance and decline of sulid abundance that is coincident with global climatic and tectonic changes as well as enhanced nutrient upwelling. Upwelling through this time also accounts for morphological changes in salmon and speciation in marine mammals. In the future, the specimen-based methodology used here can be applied to contemporaneous taxa, such as marine mammals, to quantitatively analyze diversity and relative abundance during the late Neogene and further explore the relationship between physical drivers and faunal change.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Geological Sciences
- Creator:
- Quinn, Taylor A.
- Description:
- Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic pain condition most prevalent in women, particularly over the age of 50. Chronic conditions, including pain, affect more than half of adults over 65. Such conditions can contribute to functional limitations that lead to disability, illness, and death. Currently, the U.S. faces a national healthcare crisis that can be attributed to the deteriorating cognitive and physical health of older adults. Exploring ways to promote healthy behaviors that may prevent or delay such conditions should be of paramount importance. Past literature exploring the benefits of positive mood has linked elevated positive affect (PA) with improved memory, physical recovery, and habitual activity engagement. The focus of this study was to identify potential benefits of heightened levels of PA on various domains of cognition, physical performance, and perceived cognitive and physical health. A total of 94 individuals 50+ years of age with and without FM participated in the current investigation. A series of objective and subjective cognitive and physical assessments were administered. Results from the study indicate associated benefits of heightened PA for FM and non-FM individuals. For FM individuals, higher PA was associated with fewer reported problems with concentration and improved working memory performance. For non-FM individuals, higher PA was associated with fewer functional limitations, superior lower extremity strength, and fewer reported troubles with memory and concentration.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Psychology
- Creator:
- Walker, Amanda
- Description:
- This study examines the relationship between previous work experience and alcohol use after retirement. Stress-coping theory and role theory suggest that major life transitions can contribute to changes in alcohol consumption, but most investigations into this relationship have been limited to younger and middle-aged adults. Retirement is one of the most significant life changes, but research is mixed on the impact of retirement on alcohol use. Using data from the first two waves of the Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS) and National Study of Daily Experiences (NSDE), this study examines the prior work experience and subsequent drinking changes in middle-aged and older retirees. Overall, participants maintained their usual levels of drinking after retirement and results suggest that work-related variables, such as work pride, coworker support, supervisor support, skill discretion, decision authority, and workplace demands were not significant predictors of changes in alcohol consumption in retirement. Despite the expectation that people who were working longer hours and experiencing more workrelated stress during employment would be more likely to drink post-retirement, results did not uphold these hypotheses. Findings suggest that work-related factors do not influence drinking status changes following retirement, but additional research is needed to fully understand the possible differences between cohorts as well as to explore other important contributing variables.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Psychology
- Creator:
- Sanchez, Melany
- Description:
- This study explores the experiences of single Mexican American women who have chosen to remain single. I explore the question: How do Mexican American women understand singlehood and how has their experience of taking on a nonnormative gender role impacted their lives? The intent of this study is to explore longterm voluntary singlehood among Mexican American women who have chosen to go against, not only societal expectations, but also their cultural and familial norms and values. Exploring single Mexican American women’s experiences offers insight on how women often successfully go against cultural norms to create new norms that change our generational traditions. I conducted ten in-depth interviews with Mexican American, heterosexual-identified women who claimed a connection to Mexican culture. My sample of women, were between the ages of 35 years to 50 years of age and were currently not in a committed relationship, nor looking for one. The findings from this research underline the importance of achieving a transformative identity that challenges dominant gender roles. It allows transformative women’s identities to reveal themselves and to constitute a new structure of gender relations.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Sociology
- Creator:
- Daniels, Christina L.
- Description:
- Atmospheric aerosol particles impact global climate indirectly by forming clouds that interact with solar radiation. The aerosol interaction with water is dependent on the particle composition and composition can change via reactions in the atmosphere. Dicarboxylic acids are a prevalent organic component of aerosol in our atmosphere and have the ability to readily react with both light and hydroxyl radicals. In this study, aqueous solutions of succinic acid (SA), a C4 dicarboxylic acid, and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) were photolyzed resulting in the formation of hydroxyl radicals that in turn react with the succinic acid. Solutions of various concentrations of hydrogen peroxide to succinic acid (H2O2:SA) were measured from 0 to 120 min to study the change in particle composition and resulting hygroscopic growth (i.e., water uptake) of the products. The product composition was analyzed using gas chromatography coupled with either a flame ionization detector or mass spectrometry for concentration and composition information, respectively. Reaction products with carbon chains greater than succinic acid were formed at small H2O2:SA ratios (< 2:1 H2O2:SA) when C-C bond scission dominates over H abstraction while oxidation of succinic acid to smaller reaction products dominates at larger H2O2:SA ratios (> 5:1 H2O2:SA). The hygroscopic growth behavior of the reaction product mixtures was measured using a humidified tandem differential mobility analyzer (HTDMA). There was no change in hygroscopic growth when photolyzed from 15 to 120 minutes for a 1:1 H2O2:SA solution although the relative ratio of reaction products varies. There was an increase in hygroscopic growth (> 20%) with increased peroxide concentration when photolyzed for 30 minutes given the formation of much smaller, highly hygroscopic compounds for H2O2:SA ≥ 5:1. Growth factor data can be accurately represented using the Zdanovskii-Stokes-Robinson (ZSR) mixing rule when the majority of product mass balance is known through 1) identification of the majority of reaction products or 2) products are lost to the gas phase. These results indicate that aqueous oxidation of succinic acid could dramatically affect how succinic acid forms clouds and, in turn, affects climate.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
- Creator:
- Pasquarella, Fred Joseph
- Description:
- The Fullerton Ontological Confusion (FOC) scale was constructed to address the issues of inconsistent theory and inadequate measurement regarding paranormal, superstitious, magical, and supernatural (PSMS) beliefs. For the FOC scale, PSMS beliefs were defined as confusions of ontology, or the misattribution of core knowledge belief categories. The FOC was empirically evaluated under an Item Response Theory framework using the nominal response model (NRM) to estimate item parameters and the Wald test to evaluate within-item category variation. Using the NRM and the Wald test, the FOC scale items were revised to yield a measure that was optimally formatted and informative. Correlational analysis was used to validate the FOC scale by testing the hypothesized relationships to theoretically related and unrelated constructs. The FOC scale was found to have a good degree of validity with most of the testable validation hypotheses being supported. Compared to the available existing measures, the FOC scale could be used as a more pure and informative measure for PSMS beliefs.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Psychology
115. Scavengers of Human Sorrow: The Lives and Crimes of Gilles De Rais and Elizabeth Bathory, 1405-1614
- Creator:
- Mccoy, Damian
- Description:
- That members of the nobility in pre-modern Europe were occasionally cruel is no secret. However, the French marshal Gilles de Rais (d. 1440) and the Hungarian countess Elizabeth Bathory (d. 1614) represent something more than nobles behaving badly. They are two of the earliest documented “serial killers,” but despite of what is known about them, their motives have remained unclear. Using an interdisciplinary and comparative approach for analysis, Gilles de Rais and Elizabeth Bathory are revealed here as more complex than previously thought. Firstly, primary sources ranging from trial records to letters provide the necessary historical background. Secondly, modern scholarship supplies the psycho-criminological methods, helps contextualize pre-modern violence and society, and shows the impact of Gilles’ and Elizabeth’s and their victims’ social status, associations, and gender. Lastly, movies, television shows, and song lyrics show how Gilles and Elizabeth continue to be immortalized even centuries after their crimes. Gilles and Elizabeth killed because they were serial killers, but the social climate of their times effectively enabled them to do so.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of History
- Creator:
- Geddes, Amanda C.
- Description:
- Newcomers to America bring with them unique cultures, values, customs, and languages. Although accepted and welcomed, these newcomers are expected to assimilate into the American way of life, and learning English is part of that assimilation. The effects of this continued flow of newcomers to America on public education are broadly evident. With increasing numbers of newcomers comes the need to adjust laws and teacher expectations for instructing students in English. California Senate Bill 2042 (SB 2042) is one example of a shift in policy with a goal of better preparing teachers to instruct English Language Learners (ELLs). Passed in 1998, SB 2042 mandated the Crosscultural, Language, and Academic Development Certificate be embedded in the base credential. This resulted in teachers credentialed in1998 and later being trained in effective English language development (ELD) strategies prior to entering the classroom. This mixed methods dissertation investigates teachers’ perceptions of their preparation for teaching ELLs by comparing pre- and post-SB 2042 credentialed teachers’ perceptions of their adequacy in using effective ELD strategies for teaching ELLs. In the past, preservice teachers primarily received subject matter instruction and direct teaching in classroom management (McDonald et al., 2011). The focus on ELL support was lacking and, in some cases, absent completely. Because of the passage of SB 2042, instruction in the effective use of ELD strategies for teaching ELLs is increasingly promoted and mandated in teacher preparatory programs. In response to the growing ELL population, teacher preparatory programs continue offering ELD strategies in their coursework. Although some studies have addressed the infusion of ELD strategies in teacher preparatory programs, gaps still remain in the current literature pertaining to teacher perceptions of their own preparation for teaching ELLs. The problem this study addressed was the variation in training that teachers receive in effective ELD strategies for teaching ELLs.
- Resource Type:
- Dissertation
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Educational Leadership
- Creator:
- Fawaz, Allia A.
- Description:
- Evolutionary trees present hypotheses of the relationships among taxa. Some undergraduate biology students have trouble properly interpreting relationships on these trees; instead of using the most recent common ancestor (MRCA), many students use alternative strategies such as tip proximity, node counting, or morphological similarity to determine relationships. I designed questions to examine these alternative strategies and the use of the MRCA strategy to measure the most commonly, and the most consistently, used strategies by students in college introductory biology. I developed three highly reliable multiple-choice questionnaires, with each of the four possible answers for a question indicating the use of a different strategy (Cronbach’s α = 0.83; α = 0.89; α = 0.89). I administered the questionnaires to undergraduate students in their first core biology class after they received instruction on reading evolutionary trees (n = 197; n = 115; n = 97). Some students’ alternative strategy use was consistent. Students were much more likely to choose answers consistent with the tip proximity and node counting strategies than the morphological similarity strategy. The students looked at the expected areas for their chosen strategy when taking the questionnaire using eye-tracking equipment. Over 53% of the students missed at least one question on the questionnaires. The taxa and tree structure may have influenced the students’ use of the alternative strategies on the questionnaires. These questionnaires allow us to understand how students determine evolutionary relatedness among species and can help instructors of biology courses improve students’ understanding of evolutionary trees.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Biological Sciences
- Creator:
- Morales, Thomas Alexander
- Description:
- University students evaluated actions in moral scenarios in which a decision had to be made about whether to kill one person to save the lives of a larger number of people. Each participant rated both how right and how wrong they felt this action would be (bivariate measurement), with non-zero ratings on both scales representing moral ambivalence. Participants also indicated whether they would personally perform the action by responding Yes, No, or Can’t Decide (indecision). Participants’ sensitivities to impending reward (rightness of saving lives) and punishment (wrongness of killing) were measured on scales corresponding to the Behavioral Inhibition System and Behavioral Activation System (BIS/BAS). No correlations were found between BIS scores and ratings of wrong and BAS scores and ratings of right. Moderated logistic regression analysis of responses of Can’t Decide vs. Did Decide indicated no predictive value for high BIS scores but for several scenarios Can’t Decide was negatively correlated with the degree of separation between ratings of right and wrong. Additional correlational analysis showed that: (1) when a decision was made, the proportion of Yes responses was correlated with the group’s mean ratings of Right – Wrong; (2) the proportion of Can’t Decide responses was negatively correlated with the proportion of Yes responses among Decided subjects, implying that Can’t Decide was a substitute for committing to taking no action. Indecision in situations where doing nothing meant letting more people die was apparently an escape from taking moral responsibility for the consequences of inaction.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Psychology
- Creator:
- Vo, Holly H.
- Description:
- Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a common eye disease that could lead to irreversible vision loss but hard to be noticed by carriers in early stages. On the path of recognizing DR stages by multi-scale color uniform local binary pattern in retinopathy images, this work explores two main point. The first point is investigating the role of feature dimensionality reduction in the process of extracting discriminatory features for effective classification. The second point is exploring the discriminatory information carried in different color spaces for fundus images. Experiments are conducted on a large scale dataset of 35,126 training images and 53,576 testing images that have been taken by different devices with high variance in dimension, quality and luminance. The proposed multi-level feature dimensionality reduction (FDR) methodology is applied in three scopes in the feature hierarchy of the fusion of five color spaces: RGB, L*a*b*, HSI, I1I2I3, and rgb. The novel combination of the proposed multi-level FDR method and color fusion achieves 75.2% accuracy by one-to-one SVM classifier.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Computer Science
- Creator:
- Adebayo-ige, Morenike V.
- Description:
- Many immigrant Nigerian women make the life changing decision to study in American higher education institutions in order to empower and improve their socio-economic status (Ojo, 2009). However, there is a paucity of research on immigrant African women and even more lacking are studies on immigrant Nigerian women. The few available studies on immigrant African women homogenized immigrant African women by painting them as a monolithic group, thereby overlooking the uniqueness of specific women from diverse African groups (Belenky, Clinchy, Goldberger and Tarule’s, 1986; Ogundipe-Leslie, 1994). As a result, the voices of immigrant Nigerian women are absent. Thus, the aim of this study was to fill a gap in literature concerning immigrant to project the voices of Nigerian women by exploring their experiences in American higher education institutions. This study examined factors that influenced participants’ educational success, the effects of higher education attainment on their lives, and the coping strategies they employed in navigating their pathways through American colleges and universities. Utilizing a narrative approach and Ogundipe-Leslie’s (1994) African feminism and Social Transformation Including Women in Africa (STIWA) as a framework, the findings revealed that immigrant Nigerian women’s success was influenced by support from families, peers, church (spirituality), and their self-determination. In addition, findings showed that participation in higher education resulted in financial stability and increased self-esteem/voice and a positive influence on others, as well as confrontation with discrimination. Participants cultivated various coping strategies, such as faith in God and focusing on their educational goal. The study concludes with recommendations for policy makers, educational leaders and faculty to embrace diversity by being more culturally sensitive to the needs of immigrant students and to hire more faculty of color to create a more equitable and inclusive teaching and learning environments (Bensimon, 2007; Jones & Jones, 2008; Turner, Gonzalez and Wood, 2008).
- Resource Type:
- Dissertation
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Educational Leadership