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- Creator:
- Miranda, Ricardo Pinheiro
- Description:
- Tambatajá de Marrí is a movie that represents a desire to create, through an original cinematic language, an authentic portrait of Colares - a remote island that exists in the Amazon region of Brazil, my home. As the movie's narrative unfolds a true story - based on an unusual romance between a sophisticated homosexual from Rio de Janeiro and a rudimentary and yet sensitive fisherman from the jungle - the project's ultimate, artistic and creative, goals fuse the attempt to depict the uniqueness of the island's culture with the unfolding of my visual style as a filmmaker. This thesis report describes how regional anecdotal storytelling (the Causos) becomes the main tool and the canvas of my project, and how I utilize it as conceptual and artistic methods to depict the island's singularities and to encounter a visual identity as a filmmaker.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Los Angeles
- Department:
- Television, Film and Theatre
- Creator:
- Martinez, Bridget
- Description:
- This literature review explored the underutilization of mental health services among elderly Hispanics with depression. Although depression is one of the most recurrently diagnosed mental disorders among older Hispanics, elderly Hispanics are one of the least likely to seek out help. As a result, untreated depression can lead to physiological, psychological, and societal consequences. This review of the literature attempted to answer the following questions: 1) what factors prevent depressed older adult Hispanics from seeking treatment? 2) What effect do primary care interventions have in comparison to community-based intervention programs in the treatment of depressed older adult Hispanics? There were 43 peer-reviewed articles and two policy briefs that were systematically reviewed. Findings suggest that the most recurring barriers preventing elderly Hispanics from seeking treatment include sociodemographic factors, social support factors, and cultural factors. It was also found that the programs that incorporated a collaborative care approach were the most effective in treating depression. Overall, primary care setting programs utilizing a collaborative care model demonstrated the most effectiveness in treating older Hispanics with depression. It is vital that future research continue to expand the body of the literature to include more longitudinal studies and studies comparing older Hispanic subgroups in order to narrow the gap of mental health disparities. These findings can improve the quality of depression treatments so that Hispanic older adults can live a better quality of life.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Los Angeles
- Department:
- Social Work
- Creator:
- Beamer, Courtney O'Connor
- Description:
- The purpose of this research project was to understand how it can be that women, as a group, are consistently more impoverished and face more hardships than men. This was accomplished by first examining the specific predictors of poverty among women. The second purpose of this project was to understand what can be done to address the feminization of poverty. By reviewing the program evaluation literature, the project was able to determine which programs have been successful at alleviating poverty among women. Findings demonstrate that while there are many personal factors that may increase the risk of poverty among women, social factors, such as job opportunity, the devaluation of work that women do, access to contraception, domestic violence, and role expectations, have the most influence on whether or not women become impoverished. Programs that encourage and foster social capital and networking, those that offer placement in actual career trajectories, and those that focus on job training, skills, and education are the most effective at lifting women out of poverty. The implications of these findings taken together are discussed in terms of social work policy and practice.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Los Angeles
- Department:
- Social Work
- Creator:
- Young, Jonathan Michael
- Description:
- This thesis is an attempt to understand one simple question: What are the circumstances that cause students to learn? These circumstances may include but are not limited to: listening to lectures in person or online, doing exercises in class or out of class, code examples, and student independent work. The basis for this study was my experience as a teaching associate (TA) in a functional programming class in which we explored this question. My duties included helping students with (a) assignments and (b) certifying (i) that the work they did was correct and (ii) that they understood and could explain the work they claimed as their own. The course was taught as a modified flipped classroom where the students were passed some aspects of responsibility. The results varied from student to student. I also conducted an informal survey of students in an attempt to understand where they were having problems with the material as well as their overall attitudes toward the course, i.e., the material, the instructor, the pedagogical style, etc. (Students felt more comfortable talking to me as a TA than to the professor.) Using the survey I was able to piece together a more complete picture that involves both spectrums of the learning process, the students, and the teachers. My overall conclusion is that a person’s attitude is the most important thing. It either helps them learn or impedes their learning. The Pedagogical technique matters far less than a student’s own motivation and drive to learn. That raises the next question: Can pedagogical technique change student attitudes towards learning? I believe that research into pedagogy should be asking this question more explicitly.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Los Angeles
- Department:
- Computer Science
- Creator:
- Zamano, Alicia
- Description:
- The purpose of this research is to examine the factors contributing to juvenile delinquency. In addition, this study examines specific variable to determine the effect they have upon individuals and their relationship within the criminal justice system. This study includes a qualitative content analysis with an extensive literature review of scholarly peer reviewed articles with the dependent variable of juvenile delinquency. The significance of the findings is in the complexity of resolving this issue. Those who have been victims of maltreatment, have poor school engagements, and lack a supportive family system are more likely to become delinquents or part of the criminal justice system. Literatures have been consistent in showing that such factors are associated with an increased risk for delinquent behaviors to develop among juveniles. It is important to understand how each factor affects the individual in order to implement a system that targets those behvaiors and decreases the risks of individuals entering the criminal justice system. There are many interventions identified that are appropriate for schools, communities, and agencies to implement to help with this precise population.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Los Angeles
- Department:
- Social Work
- Creator:
- Iao, Mei Leng
- Description:
- Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the major reason for abnormal liver function in Western world. It is associated with obesity, diabetes as well as insulin resistance. The development of fatty liver during starvation is well-established in many animal models. The accumulation of triglyceride in the liver during starvation is evolutionary advantageous to survival, due to animal's increased ability to withstand food deprivation. For ground squirrels, annual cycle of fast and feast are prominent practices. Using the preliminary studies data as well as available research literature, we propose an animal model using ground squirrel to study NAFLD. The study of the ground squirrel's ability to maintain enzymatic equilibrium during the rapid weight gain and prolonged starvation period, and the absence of hepatic damage will provide valuable information on preventing hepatic steatosis, and also will enhance the understanding of metabolic diseases.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Los Angeles
- Department:
- Kinesiology and Nutritional Sciences
- Creator:
- Han, Leena
- Description:
- Thesis (M.S.) California State University, Los Angeles, 2012, Over the past decades, culturally competent patient care has been emphasized in our healthcare system. However, no significant progress has been made in obtaining effective cross- cultural communication between patients and healthcare providers. A total of 13 current culturally competent modules were critically analyzed to identify problems that hinder improving culturally competent nursing care. The purpose of the project, titled the Culturally Competent Nursing Care with Communication Focused Module (CCNCFM), is to strengthen nurses' communication skills with minority patients to provide culturally and linguistically congruent care. The CCNCFM is a web- based, self-study, and self- paced continuing education program for hospital staff nurses. The content of the CCNCFM contains three themes and nine modules. These modules include approaches to enhance attitude, knowledge, and skills for cultural competent care with an emphasis on communication. Anticipated outcomes of the CCNCFM and recommendations for future program development are also discussed., and Committee members: Ming F Wang, Cynthia Hughes
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Los Angeles
- Creator:
- Lagunas, Biviana
- Description:
- The purpose of this thesis project was to present a policy analysis of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program (TANF), a federal bill that was passed in 1996 in response to poverty and political attack on welfare dependency and out-of-wedlock children. Tracing politics, societal values and beliefs of poverty, women, and antipoverty programs, this project highlighted the strengths and challenges posed by the TANF program and its impact on alleviating poverty. The findings indicated TANF has not been functioning as an effective safety net. In fact, TANF has not resulted in significant outcomes in uplifting women out of poverty. TANF provides immediate needs improving short-term results, but fails to address the root of the problem. The study findings suggested program barriers including time limits, sanctions, relationship with eligibility workers and welfare agencies, lack of education, poor job quality, and insufficient child care and transportation resources were the principal reasons for the poor outcomes. The study’s importance to social work practice, recommendations for future research, and policy recommendations are discussed.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Los Angeles
- Department:
- Social Work
- Creator:
- Cooper, William Michael
- Description:
- The purpose of this research is to examine the factors contributing to a positive attitude toward the use of religion and spirituality (RS) in social work practice. The specific objectives of this research include analyzing the factors that influence the attitude of social workers toward the use of RS in practice and developing an appropriate assessment framework reflecting the client’s religious preferences based on generalist social work practice. Finally, this study seeks to develop an educational framework to provide the professional social worker with culturally competent information to enhance social work practice. This study includes a qualitative analysis drawn from a literature review of scholarly, peer-reviewed articles with the dependent variable of the attitude of social workers. The significant findings of this study relates to a lack of education in this culturally significant aspect of the human condition. While this trend in social work practice has been improving, almost three fourths of professional social workers have received no education in the use of RS in their professional practice. Consequently, the professional social worker responds to RS with a neutral to negative attitude towards the use of RS in practice. The study also found that personal religious or spiritual beliefs and practices of the social worker were also a contributing factor to a positive attitude toward the use of RS in their professional practice settings. Additional research is needed to understand how race and ethnicity may contribute to a more positive attitude toward the use of RS in social work practice.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Los Angeles
- Department:
- Social Work
- Creator:
- Mendez, Adriana
- Description:
- Research has shown that instructional bias may influence eyewitness decision making when the culprit is absent, thus potentially resulting in a false identification. Historically, law enforcement has addressed this issue by reading an instruction to witnesses before viewing the suspect, which informs them that they should not assume that the actual culprit is present in the group. This is referred to as the “may or may not be there” instruction, or the “admonition” in the law enforcement community. In 1999, the Department of Justice recommended that a “continue-to-investigate” instruction be read before lineup procedure to reduce pressure in eyewitnesses. Consequently, a new instruction called the additional-opportunities instruction, or the AOI, was developed. The AOI was designed to inform eyewitnesses that in case of a nonidentification, law enforcement will continue to investigate the case, which can lead to additional opportunities in the future for another chance to identify a suspect. An examination of the AOI in lab showup conditions demonstrated a decrease in false identifications, with only a slight cost to accurate identifications. In this experiment, participants witnessed a minor crime, and then received the AOI before either a showup or lineup identification procedure. Results indicated that regardless of instruction type, choosing rates were higher in showup conditions compared to lineup conditions. The rate of choosing was also higher in culprit-present conditions compared to culprit-absent conditions. When examining eyewitness accuracy, no significant results indicated that the AOI reduced false identifications.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Los Angeles
- Department:
- Psychology
- Creator:
- Onofre Vásquez, Berenice R.
- Description:
- This qualitative study was undertaken to critically explore and explain the parent engagement of a group of immigrant Latina mothers at an elementary school located in a primarily White and relatively affluent school district in California, United States. The study examined the barriers that the group of Latina mothers encountered, along with the enabling factors available to them. Three research question guided the study: 1) How did one group of Latina immigrant mothers engage in a majority White and relatively affluent public school district, and how did they advocate for maintenance of a cultural event? 2) What barriers might inhibit Latino parent engagement in their children’s school? 3) What enabling factors might enhance Latino parent engagement in their children’s school? The study used Critical Race Theory as the theoretical framework. Data was collected through participant observation, interviews, document review, and field notes. A narrative inquiry method was used to chronologically narrate, as a series of events, the lived experiences of the group of immigrant Latina mothers. The study discovered a different situation than the deficit concept that Latino parents are not involved in their children’s school. The findings narrate a counterstory in that a group of Latina immigrant mothers, with the assistance of community advocates, was able to infiltrate the elementary school’s space of power and influence and effect change for the betterment of Latino parents, students, and the school in general. The group of Latina mothers was confronted with many barriers. Some of the specific obstacles that inhibited their engagement at their children’s school were: 1) systemic White privilege; 2) race, racism, and a lack of Latino power and influence in school decisions; 3) administrative disregard for the importance of culture, 4) a Latino parent engagement equity gap, 5) parent low socioeconomic status, 6) parent language barriers, and 7) low parental educational attainment. On the other hand, there were enabling factors that supported the Latina mothers’ engagement at their children’s school, including: 1) resilience and resistance to being silenced, 2) in-group and community support, and 3) the parent educational programs in the community and at school. These factors supported their arduous trajectory to resolve their concerns, with one of their main concerns being the re-instatement of a 42-year-old Cinco de Mayo event at an elementary school. The results of this study are significant because, as the Latino community continues to expand into new reaches of the United States, Latino parents could likely encounter similar situations in their new communities.
- Resource Type:
- Dissertation
- Campus Tesim:
- Los Angeles
- Department:
- Applied and Advanced Studies in Education
- Creator:
- Remy, Alex
- Description:
- In today’s political and social climate, the need for effective multicultural education has reached crisis proportions. Implementation of multicultural education helps verse students in a variety of social issues, and can also help students identify how social, political, and economic forces have been influenced by privilege and oppression over time. In particular, multicultural education is essential for graduate social work students, who typically work with the most marginalized members of society. This thesis provides a history and overview of multicultural education, as well as a literature review of the most effective pedagogical methods for providing multicultural education to university students. Further, it presents an intensive two-day privilege and oppression workshop, intended for use with students in the Masters of Social Work program at California State University. The workshop is centered on the premise that multicultural pedagogy is most effective when it incorporates media, experiential learning, and intergroup dialogue, and includes detailed lesson plans to support this approach. Overall, the presented thesis is designed to raise awareness of the need for critical, comprehensive multicultural education--particularly in programs that involve direct interaction with vulnerable clients.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Los Angeles
- Department:
- Social Work
113. The investigation of the sociopolitical environment in the former Czechoslovakia during the 1960s
- Creator:
- Balcarek, Zdenek Robert
- Description:
- The intention of my thesis work is to communicate the cultural and sociopolitical environment that existed in the later1960s Czechoslovakia and the function and relationship between the concepts of paradox and memory in this environment. My investigation and the subsequent artistic output are informed by the themes that were an integral part of a critical era in the former Iron Curtain country. My aim is to communicate the fundamental nature of these themes and their specificity to this environment during this timeframe in a visual format. Formally and conceptually, the paintings reflect my childhood memories of the environment I grew up in, and are visual juxtapositions with recent investigation of the 1960s Czechoslovakia and the paradoxes of the communist regime. The Prague Spring of 1968, and the invasion of the Warsaw Pact Armies are also integral aspect of this body of work. The paintings are the visual vehicle through which I am addressing and questioning this particular era, and the events that helped to shape it, hoping to indentify the consequences of this sociopolitical environment.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Los Angeles
- Department:
- Art
114. The Ballerina
- Creator:
- Sandler, Morgan
- Description:
- The thesis I set out to accomplish is one that I had envisioned long before I decided to pursue a Master's Degree. The goal was to write a filmmaking textbook, as well as shoot a narrative film to accompany the book. The film will serve as interactive examples of the concepts the book discusses, as well as a standalone film. The concept of the book is fairly simple. When disusing a particular topic in the book, there will be 2 video clips accompanying the subject. The 1st will be an actual moving image of the concept discussed, the 2nd will be a wider shot of what the crew is actually doing to accomplish the shot. This will give readers not only a high-quality moving image to analyze, but also a guide as to how to accomplish it.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Los Angeles
- Department:
- Television, Film and Theatre
115. Sacred and Secular Performance Practices: The Vocal Pedagogy of Nineteenth Century European Choirs
- Creator:
- Mosley, James Aaron
- Description:
- The last one hundred years of Choral Pedagogy has steadily splintered into various beliefs and methodologies. Although choirs have become more diverse, pedagogy related to previous periods may be lacking the requisite skills for performance. Within the choral spectrum two camps have become primary to performance. One, commonly known as the straight-tone method requires singers to use very little vibrato, while the other requires much vibrato and strength. Both practices are suitable for current trends in choral music, but they lack the requisite skills for performing Nineteenth Century music. Up until the early Twentieth Century, Bel Canto technique was primarily used for training singers. Vocal training consisted of exercises related to intonation, unifying registers, clear diction, vocal flexibility and pathos. This project report will illuminate the philosophies and training used for training singers. The basic tenets and attributes of singing will be contrasted with those of today. The discussion will include the application of the Bel Canto technique to choral music.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Los Angeles
- Department:
- Music, Theatre and Dance
- Creator:
- Garcia, Hugo
- Description:
- Over the past few decades, single father households have increased in numbers within the United States. In order to better understand this family structure and the support available to single fathers in the U.S., literature reviews were conducted on both risk factors associated with single fathers and the impacts on children, as well as a review of three current fatherhood programs in the United States. In the first literature review on the risk factors associated with single fathers and the impacts on children, five risk factors were identified and researched: Depression, Substance Abuse, Divorce or Separation, Economic Risk Factors, and Social Networks. The second literature review on current fatherhood programs in the United States focused on current research and program curriculums, in order to better understand the success rates of working with single fathers. The three programs reviewed are: Dads for Life, Responsible Fatherhood Programs for Incarcerated Dads, and the Parenting Together Project.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Los Angeles
- Department:
- Social Work
- Creator:
- Meyka, Marisa
- Description:
- The research study examined a university GEAR UP program in order to gain a better understanding of HEA's progress in providing at-risk students from high poverty families with mentoring, counseling, outreach, and supportive services to both students and their parents. Case study was used to examine implementation of the government funded partnership program between the university and local schools. The study took a detailed, in depth look at how the program impacted students, their families, school and university personnel and in what ways GEAR UP did in fact help the urban Latino high school students attend college. The research probed one of the factors possibly contributing to the Latino achievement gap in education: the roles that parents and educators play in developing and creating new cultural and social capital. Keywords: Latino students, at-risk students, high poverty families, cultural and social capital, GEAR UP, deficit theory, voluntary vs. involuntary minorities, case studies, college attendance, student trajectories
- Resource Type:
- Dissertation
- Campus Tesim:
- Los Angeles
- Department:
- Applied and Advanced Studies in Education
- Creator:
- Goney, Sai Kethan
- Description:
- An experimental investigation of a motor driven air compressor with rocking type piston design. Either designed to create suction or vacuum of air from the atmosphere and to compress air into the cylinder tank has led us into converting as a compressed air motor or steam engine. By changing the outlet port as the inlet port and the inlet port as an outlet thereby allowing the working fluid to enter into the two compression chambers of the compressed air motor. By introducing an external solenoid valve/switch which helps to control the inlet and outlet of working fluid, by fixing the control system either by contact switch or by non-contact type sensor and by designing a cam to act as a guide for contact type solenoid controller i.e., which fulfills the required valve timing of the converted compressed air motor. Specifically concentrating on the importance of an external cam, the valve timing diagram, design and analysis of load acting on cam and cam shaft which is influenced by the flow rate of solenoid valve, dealing with the triggering action of the piston. Which acts as the partial follower on the cam an analyzing the time taken by one revolution to trigger the solenoid switch.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Los Angeles
- Department:
- Mechanical Engineering
119. The Relationship Between Bullying, Gender, Academic Success, and Emotional Well-being in Adolescents
- Creator:
- Bagumyan, Lilit
- Description:
- The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between bullying, gender, academic success, and emotional well-being in adolescents living in the United States. The following research is a a quantitative study in which secondary data are used as a means of gathering information from the (CHIS) Adolescents Survey. In this study, the researcher analyzed the data using descriptive statistics including frequency, mean, standard deviation, and inferential statistics, such as independent sample T-test, logistic regression, and correlations analysis. The findings in this research revealed that there is a statistically significant relationship between bullying, gender, academic success, and emotional well-being of adolescents. The social work implication is that the social workers should work in collaboration with schools to reduce the incidents of bullying. The link between bullying, emotional well-being, and academic success emphasized the importance of creating programs and practices that try to address this phenomenon. Making sure that there are policies and programs that protect youth from emotional harm that is associated with bullying will possible prevent serious mental health consequences.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Los Angeles
- Department:
- Social Work
- Creator:
- Batth, Navanjot Singh
- Description:
- Novel approaches for prophylaxis and therapy are needed for respiratory tract infections. The innate immune system fights infectious agents in the respiratory tract where epithelial cells form part of the first line of defense, secreting antimicrobial peptides and antimicrobial lipids, including cholesteryl esters (CEs). The relative contribution of CEs to the antimicrobial activity of airway epithelia has not been clarified. Synthesis of CEs is catalyzed by sterol O-acyltransferase 1(SOAT1). We hypothesized that if CEs play an important role in innate immunity of the respiratory tract, then selective inhibition of SOAT1 expression will decrease CE production in human bronchial epithelial (HBE) cells leading to a reduction in antimicrobial activity of HBE cell secretions. Employing 0.1 nM dicer substrate RNA the expression of SOAT1 was selectively and significantly reduced to 0.25 ± 0.23 of the expression in untreated cells (means ± SD, n=3, p < 0.01 in ANOVA). Down-regulation of SOAT1 could be extended to 48 h post transfection (0.16 ± 0.11 of untreated cells, means ± SD, n=3, p = 0.005 in ANOVA). However, bacterial proliferation in cell culture supernatants and cholesteryl ester profile did not significantly differ between the treatment groups. At least in part, this could attributed to the presence of CEs in the lipofection reagent used for dsRNA delivery. Alternative approaches such as a peptide-based transfection reagent will be considered in the future. Understanding the role of antimicrobial lipids as innate effector molecules in the respiratory tract may lead to improved treatment of infectious disease through manipulation of CE production.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Los Angeles
- Department:
- Biological Sciences
- Creator:
- Parks, Anthony Thomas
- Description:
- The practice of arson analysis in a forensic science laboratory is based upon detecting the presence of ignitable liquids. If an ignitable liquid is present, it is suggestive of arson; if no ignitable liquid is found an arson claim is more difficult to assert. Ignitable liquids are detected using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. Instrumental results from a GC/MS can display components of an ignitable liquid but an analyst needs to make the final decision. Even with correct instrumentation and suggested guidelines, ignitable liquid analysis can be subjective and based upon the analysts’ education and experience. To better understand the interpretive practices of the fire debris analysis community, a survey consisting of reference samples, mixture standards, and multiple unknowns was created in consultation with the Los Angeles Police Department Arson Unit. The samples consisted of different substrates with varying classes and volumes of ignitable liquid. They were created using a destructive distillation method first developed by the State of Florida Bureau of Forensic Fire and Explosives Analysis. Extraction of the samples was completed using a carbon strip to perform passive headspace absorption following the ASTM E 1412 method. The samples were analyzed with a GC/MS following National Commission on Forensic Science parameters. To maintain confidentiality, participant responses are stripped of identifiers and the results of the survey, details about the procedure, and discussions will be presented.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Los Angeles
- Department:
- Criminal Justice and Criminalistics
- Creator:
- Habahbeh, Layla
- Description:
- The goal of my research project is to attempt to advance the understanding of computational thinking skills in young children. This thesis serves as an example of a fully executable research study that could be conducted to introduce children to emerging technology that would allow them to explore programming concepts through play. The methodology in this design involves an experimental study of children working in pairs to program instructions to send to a wooden robot that awaits directions for how to move across an adventure map. Instructions would be sent using a tangible coding language that involves arranging colorful wooden blocks in a meaningful order on an interface board. Results would be collected through a series of tasks that are measured using a 6-point Likert Scale – tasks include navigating the interface, sequencing, creating algorithms, using subroutines, and debugging. Findings could be used to further the discussion on how and when computational thinking can be taught during a time when technology is so prevalent that it is bound to augment the young developing mind.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Los Angeles
- Department:
- Computer Science
- Creator:
- Barnes, Jonathan Marc
- Description:
- Protostars are stars in their earliest stages of development. They are born in giant molecular clouds of gas that can be as dense as 104 solar masses and as cool as 10K. When the gravity is strong enough, the gas collapses in on itself creating the star. The envelope of gas that surrounds the protostar in its development also plays a role in creating a solar system. Some physical properties such as the mass of the protostar can be gathered by modeling the infalling and rotational motion of the gas of the envelope. [can determine the mass of the growing protostar]. We developed a method to measure protostar masses quickly and conveniently by data-mining the ALMA archive and using automated processing tools. ADMIT is a processing tool that automatically models, via spectral line identification, the infalling and rotational motion, of the gas, with a PV diagram and moment maps including the 2nd moment. We validate our method by modeling the motion of the gas in the L1527 protostar’s envelope and comparing to and already known model. This same method should work on other protostar’s with ALMA data to determine its mass.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Los Angeles
- Department:
- Physics and Astronomy
- Creator:
- Alvarado, Cynthia
- Description:
- ABSTRACT Psychological Distress and Latina Women By Cynthia Christina Alvarado Olmedo Psychological distress involves symptoms of depression, anxiety, and unpleasant emotions that affect a person’s general day to day functioning that may require professional clinical treatment. Almost 20% of the American population suffers from depression and anxiety; literature found that the Latino population, especially Latina women, report having symptoms of psychological distress more than African Americans and Whites. This study seeks to answer why Latina women report higher psychological distress than Latino men by investigating variables and how they correlate with psychological distress. Using a representative sample of 2,669 Latinas, I utilized secondary data from the 2017/2018 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) to investigate the variables and how they impact psychological distress among Latinas in the United States. The significant variables that impact Latina psychological distress were younger age, unemployment, and federal poverty level (FPL). Latina-focused programs, resources, and interventions are recommended to be implemented at pre-existing Latino Human Service Organizations, as well as the design of more Latina-specific Human Service Organizations as an advocacy recommendation for the Latina population in the United States.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Los Angeles
- Department:
- Social Work
- Creator:
- Harwood, Miranda Palmira
- Description:
- The purpose of this study is to analyze domestic violence and victims' perceptions of police response. The dependent variable is "police response," the independent variables are "domestic violence" and ethnicity, specifically African American and White. The research used quantitative data from a non-probability sample of convenience of 289 students from California State University- Los Angeles and California State University-Dominguez Hills. Data were filtered to isolate figures that referred to African American women and White women who experienced domestic violence. The final sample consisted of 33 African American women and 14 White women. Results show a high level of dissatisfaction with police response from both groups. In addition, women in both groups reported greater satisfaction with help from organizations and agencies than with help from family and friends. These findings highlight the vital role played by social workers in the complex issue of domestic violence.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Los Angeles
- Department:
- Social Work
126. The Impact of Acculturation on Access to Care Amongst Latinos and Non-Hispanic Whites Ages 19-64
- Creator:
- Flores, Eileen
- Description:
- This study examines the impact that acculturation has on access to care amongst Latinos and non-Hispanic Whites ages 19-64. The dependent variable is access to care amongst Latinos and non-Hispanic Whites. The independent variables are acculturation, socioeconomic status (SES) and race. This study found that older age was associated with being more likely to have a usual place to go when sick or needing health advice and being insured. This study also found a correlation between socioeconomic status and access to care. Those in poverty were less likely to have a usual source of care or to be insured while those that are more educated were more likely to have a usual source of care. Latinos were less likely than non-Hispanic white adults to be insured. In terms of acculturation, those that were more highly acculturated, i.e., had better English proficiency, lived in the U.S. longer, and were U.S. citizens were more likely to be insured and to have a usual place to go when sick or needing health advice. Social work practitioners should consider the impact of these variables on access to care when implementing services and programs aimed towards increasing health literacy.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Los Angeles
- Department:
- Social Work
- Creator:
- Ahmed, Hoda
- Description:
- Recent scientific evidence suggests that hyperexcitability in neural circuits may be responsible for neurodegeneration and cognitive impairment. This may, in turn, be due to an imbalance between excitation (Glutamatergic) and inhibition (GABAergic) neurotransmission. Thus, developing a way to prevent hyperexcitability in the brain can be an excellent strategy for preventing neuronal death and cognitive decline. Withania somnifera (WS), also known as ashwagandha, is herbal medicine in Ayurvedic medicine and is known as an adaptogenic plant because of its stress reducing capability. Our preliminary studies show that whole root WS modulates hippocampal activity and survival via a GABA-mimetic mechanism. In addition, the most widely studied active components of WS root extract, withaferin A and withanolide A, were not responsible for the observed GABA receptor activation. Thus, we hypothesize that other key WS constituents promote optimal hippocampal function and neuronal survival via GABAergic mechanism. To test this hypothesis, whole WS extracts have been separated into four fractions using liquid-liquid extraction. To identify bioactive fractions with GABA activity, we perfused the Xenopus laevis oocytes (injected with with GABAρ1 cRNA) with each of the WS fractions and measured current response using voltage clamp set up. Results showed that two out of four fractions (water and butanol) exhibit significant maximal GABA response comparable to control, 10 uM GABA (One Way ANOVA, p < 0.001). To test the effect of WS fractions on neuronal survival, LDH assay was performed. Although, butanol and hexane WS extracts had the highest cell cytotoxicity, there was not statistical significance. These findings support part of our hypothesis that major WS constituents may be responsible for the GABA-mimetic activity. But more optimization will need to be executed on the LDH assay. Understanding the mechanism of WS may be valuable for the development of pharmacological treatments for neurological disorders associated with GABAergic signaling dysfunction.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Los Angeles
- Department:
- Biological Sciences
- Creator:
- Alexanian, Ishag Abraham
- Description:
- The California Tree Squirrel Project is a part of a broad research effort conducted by an interdisciplinary group of faculty and students from California State University, Los Angeles. The project was led by Dr. Alan Muchlinski from the Department of Biological Sciences, and was further carried out by the students of the Computer Science, Geoscience, and Biological Science departments. In order for this study to be current and accurate, it must rely on computer and smart phone apps to gather the latest squirrel sighting data. The general public will use mobile phones to send squirrel sighting location data to the server, which will be used by the researchers to map the current distribution of squirrels in California. The project has two main components, the Android app and a Java EE server application. The Android app provides an application in Android Google Play where the general public may download the software, read about the research, register and login a user, and send squirrel sightings to the database. The sever application is where approvers and administrators may login, view unverified sightings, and authenticate and manage users. The project began in the winter quarter of 2013. After three quarters of design and implementation, the Android app was on Google Play in March 2014. Since then, it has gone through many revisions and testing phases. Currently, it is in operational use for the general public.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Los Angeles
- Department:
- Computer Science
- Creator:
- Guerrero, Marisol
- Description:
- This project is an analysis of the impact of the popular press on the work done by child-protective agencies. The focus of this examination is on the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) in Los Angeles County. Chapter 1 begins with the story of the tragic death of a child for whom the DCFS was responsible. This is followed by a brief history of child welfare, statistics pertinent to child protection, and the current structure of DCFS. Chapter 2 is a review of the studies conducted to evaluate social workers' perceptions of their jobs. These studies were geared to understand organizational culture and climate. Chapter 3 is a summary of the suggestions found in the literature for the problems facing social workers, as well as some of the recent attempts at the DCSF to correct their organization, including a strike and a blue ribbon commission.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Los Angeles
- Department:
- Social Work
- Creator:
- Anwardeen, Athika Sultana Anwar
- Description:
- This research investigates proximal end root morphology changes in human anagen head hair from antemortem subjects. Hairs were exposed to various environmental conditions in an effort to identify the factors that contribute to the formation of antemortem root banding. A total of five anagen hairs from 25 living subjects were exposed to eight different environmental conditions, including submerging hairs in NanopureTM water, normal saline, 3% hydrogen peroxide, ocean water, phosphate buffer solution, antibacterial solution, ethanol, and xylene. The hairs were exposed to each environment for a period of 14 days and subsequently examined by plane polarized light microscopy for the presence of anagen root banding. A total of 106 antemortem anagen hairs showed morphological changes comparable to those explained in existing literature as unique to the postmortem rate. The root banding was observed in five of eight environments, displaying an average measurement that was 0.34mm from the root tip In conclusion, this study has demonstrated that antemortem anagen hairs can replicate postmortem characteristics when submerged in specific environments for as few as two weeks. The results of this study questions the uniqueness of such root banding and the probative value of such evidence in court.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Los Angeles
- Department:
- Criminal Justice and Criminalistics
- Creator:
- Rahmani, Alireza
- Description:
- Oil and gas industry activities include exploration, drilling, and extraction of petroleum deposits, as well as storage, transportation of product from the production site, and refining of product. Exploration and extraction of petroleum involves fluids, including drilling and completion fluids, produced water and workover fluids. In a spill event, these fluids can be conveyed to surface water via stormwater. The mobilization and transportation of these fluids to surface water can be detrimental to the biota thriving in those waterbodies and may adversely affect the beneficial uses of those waterbodies. The Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board has developed the The Los Angeles Regional Board's Basin Plan which designates a list of beneficial uses for surface and ground waters within the Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. The Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board staff implemented this pilot project to determine if stormwater discharge from oil and gas extraction facilities is required to be regulated under the State wide General Permit for Discharges of Storm Water Associated with Industrial Activities, Order No. 97-03-DWQ, now replaced by Order No. 2014-0057-DWQ. Staff selected an urbanized area in south Los Angeles to conduct this project. Also, this project intends to determine the disposal practices of produced water, drilling and completion fluids, and workover fluids generated at these oil and gas facilities.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Los Angeles
- Department:
- Geosciences and Environment
- Creator:
- Bensimon, Aida
- Description:
- Substance use among Latino adolescents is an important public health concern in the United States, especially given the rapid growth in the number and proportion of Latinos in recent years, which is expected to continue into the future. The purpose of this thesis project was to examine the problem of substance use among Latino adolescents by exploring the following research questions: (1) What types of psychosocial stressors are associated with substance use among Latino adolescents?; and (2) Among Latino adolescents, how do family-based programs, in comparison to school-based and community-based programs, impact adolescent substance use? To answer each question, a separate literature review was conducted by using California State University Los Angeles’s online library. Peer-reviewed scholarly articles that met inclusion criteria were reviewed and analyzed. The findings indicated that psychosocial stressors associated with substance use among Latino adolescents can be divided into the three types: (1) parent-adolescent acculturative gap stress; (2) perceived discrimination stress; and (3) community violence stress. The findings also indicated that interventions that are currently available for Latino adolescents can be divided into family-based, school-based, and community-based interventions. Based on the current available literature, it was concluded that, among Latino adolescents, family-based programs, in comparison to school-based and community-based programs, have the most positive impact on reducing substance use. Based on the findings and limitations of existing studies, directions for future research and advocacy efforts are discussed.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Los Angeles
- Department:
- Social Work
- Creator:
- Quan, Andrew Jason
- Description:
- The correlation between openness and inflation has been generally posed as a negative relationship. Since Romer (1993) first proposed his study, under the guise that the absence of precommitment to monetary expansion can lead to higher inflation, many other studies and regressions have been done, attributing the effects to different causes or under special circumstances. Terra (1998) argued that the negative results were due to severely indebted countries in the 1980s, resulting in largely different magnitudes during different periods. Alfaro (2005) incorporated Reinhart and Rogoff's (2004) measure of exchange rate regime and found a positive relationship. And recently, Lin (2010) incorporated Koenker's (2004) quantile regression method, accounting for effects of openness on different levels of inflation, resulting in positive and negative effects as well as significant and insignificant. In this study, all of the previous studies will be revisited and reassessed with averaging least squares, panel fixed effect models, and quantile regression spanning the relevant time periods and segmented time periods. In addition, regressions will be taken in fixed effect least squares and quantile regression to explore the effects of an alternative form of openness and the problem of using imports to lower inflation.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Los Angeles
- Department:
- Economics and Statistics
- Creator:
- Chandler, Joel
- Description:
- According to Martin Heidegger the history of Western thought has led us to nihilism which, coupled with the influence of modern technology, effectively achieves for us a world depleted of meaningful differences - a world where nothing presents itself as intrinsically more meaningful than anything else. Exploring this issue I follow a problem/solution program in my two part paper. In part one I outline the problem of today's nihilism as historically generated and technologically conditioned. In part two I roughly outline Heidegger's "solution" to this problem by presenting a novel interpretation of his concept of the fourfold.In a lengthy appendix I take Heidegger as a jumping off point to envision an original project designed to inject into public discourse a dialogue concerning the way we talk about meaningful differences and the role they play in our lives., Four Causes, Fourfold, Heidegger, Nihilism, Project IOAL, Technicity, Thesis (M.A.) California State University, Los Angeles, 2012, and Committee members: Joseph Prabhu, Jay Conway, Kayley Vernallis
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Los Angeles
- Creator:
- Esaian, Sevan
- Description:
- Los Angeles (LA) is home to one of the most diverse urban forests on the planet, with estimates suggesting nearly 600 native and exotic tree species are distributed throughout the metropolitan area. This diversity of urban trees is likely responsible for attracting a large assemblage of wintering migratory bird species that spend upwards of six months of the annual cycle searching for insect and fruit items on tree surfaces. While LA is renowned for its urban biodiversity, the patterns of tree and bird diversity are likely variable throughout the city. One important factor that likely exerts a major influence on the observed differences in urban biodiversity throughout LA is the strong socioeconomic disparity among communities. For my MSc thesis, I quantified the relationships between habitat attributes and bird diversity and abundance and documented foraging behavior and tree-species preferences by migratory and non-migratory birds in 40 residential communities situated along a socio-economic gradient throughout LA and adjacent communities. From October to March in 2016-2018, at 159 sampling locations, I conducted avian point counts and collected 950 bird foraging observations. My analysis revealed a strong positive association of migratory birds with tree cover, which was greater in wealthy communities. Further, I found that foraging birds utilized native street trees, and a handful of exotics, in greater proportion than they were available on the urban landscape. My findings demonstrate the role of the LA urban forest as important bird habitat and highlight needs for future management in impoverished communities throughout LA.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Los Angeles
- Department:
- Biological Sciences
- Creator:
- Anderson, Michael John
- Description:
- Committee members: Trinh K Pham, Crist Khachikian, Darrell Guillaume, Thesis (M.S.) California State University, Los Angeles, 2012, and This thesis explores different methods and proposes a final configuration to be used to collect acoustic data for fault diagnosis in a jet engine combustion chamber. An acoustic signature was collected for each specified swirl number using Matlab's fast Fourier transform(FFT). The swirl number is calculated as the ratio of the tangential and the axial air flow. The following swirl numbers and corresponding tangential(T) and axial(A) air flows were used: 0(0T8A), 7.44(1T7A), 17.36(2T6A), 31.25(3T5A), 52.08(4T4A), 86.81(5T3A), 156.25(6T2A), 364.58(7T1A), Infinity(8T0A). In this thesis, the tangential and axial air flows must be specified parallel to to the swirl number because there is a possibility of overlapping swirl numbers; each swirl number corresponds to specific tangential and axial air flows. In this study, the total air flow used in all experiments is equal to 8 cubic feet per minute.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Los Angeles
- Creator:
- Gordillo, Yesica Karina
- Description:
- The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of acculturation and substance use on psychological distress, among Latino American adolescents and to identify implications for social practice and policy. Data was analyzed using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 23.0, and variables including dependent, independent, and demographic, as well as frequency, central frequency, central tendency, and dispersion were describe using descriptive statistics. The relationship between citizenship and smoking in the Latino American adolescent population was not statistically significant (χ2 = .293; df = 2; p = .864). Moreover, results indicated that psychological distress and alcohol use were statistically significant (t=5.735, df= 985, p=0.00). Gender was statistically significant at the 0.001 level because it was found that females have a higher psychological distress than males. Females have a much higher rate of psychological distress than males.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Los Angeles
- Department:
- Social Work
138. The comparison of self-determination between American and Thai youth with intellectual disabilities
- Creator:
- Pamanee, Kanit
- Description:
- The study was to compare the levels of self-determination skills between the American and Thai youth with intellectual disabilities, to observe the relationships between the demographic information and the levels of self-determination skills of each group, and to propose the guideline for increasing the self-determination skills for youth with disabilities in Thailand. The participants were 86 American students attending in post-secondary and secondary and 85 Thai students attending in high schools and vocational schools. The demographic survey and ARC Self-determination Scale were used to collect the data. The descriptive statistics included means, standard divisions, t-test, and one-way ANOVA were employed to test the hypotheses. The study found that no significantly different on self-determination skills between the American and Thai youth with intellectual disabilities. However, there were found significantly different between some aspect of self-determination skills and demographic information of each group. Because self-determination is a new concept and not mandatory in Thailand, it is recommended that professional training are highly suggested for those who work with individuals with disabilities. In addition, since self-determination is an important part of transition, the transition programs should be established for individuals with disabilities in particular the students attending in high schools and residential schools.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Los Angeles
- Department:
- Special Education and Counseling
- Creator:
- Banchi, Waka Fukuhara
- Description:
- Ever since Japanese cuisine was first introduced to the United States in the last quarter of the 19th century, public acceptance of Japanese cuisine has steadily improved among the American public. In the past few decades, Japanese foods have gained much attention and popularity, and the types of foods served at Japanese restaurants have become diverse: noodles like Ramen, Soba, Udon, and Shabu-shabu, Kushi-yaki, BBQs, just naming the few. The number of Asian supermarkets have also been increasing, making it easier for consumers to access authentic ingredients at affordable prices. After WWII, Japanese foods have been significantly influenced by Western culture. While many of their dishes have become higher in calories, unhealthy fats, and sugar, Japanese people still claim the title for the longest life expectancy in the world. This paper will examine a variety of Japanese functional foods that are available in the United States. Each food carries unique therapeutic effects, which may be a part of the secret to Japanese longevity. Sample recipes are provided using Japanese functional food ingredients so that readers can try these nutritious recipes and add them to their cooking repertoire.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Los Angeles
- Department:
- Kinesiology and Nutritional Sciences
- Creator:
- Veliz, Amber Marie
- Description:
- The purpose of this study was to assess the contribution of individual words of a sentence to its overall intelligibility. The stimulus sentences used in this study were composed of seven to nine syllables, and contained three target words, all monosyllabic and of CNC format. The stimulus sentences were selected from the Veteran Administration Sentence Test (VAST) that was developed to control indexical, lexical, and sentence-to-sentence perceptual variability. The dependent variable was the number of target words in each sentence correctly identified. The question of interest was how the degradation of the audibility of the initial word would affect the other target words. Other variables in the design included presentation levels that resulted in overall performance from 50 to 100 percent correct. Noise levels were fixed at 60 dB, and speech levels were varied to 57dB (-3dB), 54dB (-6dB), and 51dB (-9dB) signal-to-noise ratio (SNR)., Thesis (M.A.) California State University, Los Angeles, 2012, Audibility, Degradation, Intelligibility, Masker, Presentation Level, Word Position, and Committee members: Theodore S. Bell, Robert F. Kennison, Peter Ivory, Senqi Hu
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Los Angeles
- Creator:
- Lemus, Jazmin
- Description:
- As audience members, we see what gender dominates certain genres of music, such as males dominating the Hip Hop and Rap genres. In some cases, we see a balance between men and women in Pop and R&B. However, we never hear about the people that promote tours or execute a campaign for a successful album release. This study was conducted in order to learn about the work ethics and characteristics women utilize to be promoted in the organizational culture of the music industry and eventually land a leadership position. All participants that were interviewed work at independent labels that sign Rock, Indie, and Alternative bands. Out of the 12 subjects interviewed, 8 were women. The women in this study were asked about their experiences as well as their aspirations. Throughout the interviews, topics that were discussed were sex appeal and sexual manipulation, respect among superiors and subordinates, women's work ethic and characteristics, gender ratio of occupations in the industry, women in management, and among a few interviews, there was also discussion about women in leadership.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Los Angeles
- Department:
- Communication Studies
- Creator:
- Alexander, Katharine Elizabeth
- Description:
- Thesis (M.S.) California State University, Los Angeles, 2011, Breakfast, Breakfast Skipping, Childhood, Intra Abdominal Adipose Tissue, Obesity, Visceral Fat, Committee members: Chick Tam, Pera Jambazian, Nazareth Khodiguian, and Recent studies have suggested that breakfast skipping is associated with obesity. We aim to ascertain whether breakfast intake is associated with adiposity, specifically intra abdominal adipose tissue (IAAT), in youth. This cross sectional study investigated breakfast consumption patterns in 93 overweight Latino youth (10-17 years) with a family history of type 2 diabetes. Dietary intake was determined by two 24-hour recalls, body composition by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry, insulin dynamics by a frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test, and IAAT by magnetic resonance imaging. Breakfast skipping was associated with increased IAAT (P = 0.003) independent of daily energy intake, total body fat, total body lean tissue mass, sex, age and Tanner. There were no significant differences in insulin dynamics or any other adiposity measure between breakfast categories. Breakfast consumption is associated with lower visceral fat in overweight Latino youth. We recommend further studies on breakfast omission and adiposity.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Los Angeles
- Creator:
- Tomokiyo, Stephanie Elyse
- Description:
- The Khmer Rouge was a devastating auto-genocide that swept through Cambodia from 1975-1979. It followed quickly on the heels of the American-Vietnam war and left behind a traumatized population. This study focuses on that now adult population and has asked their children to retrospectively reflect on the parent/child relationship they had with their survivor parents. Using a modified version of the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire (APQ), the following study asked 19 second generation Cambodian-Americans to fill out the 35 questions via an online survey for both their mother and father. The APQ is designed to measure six different aspects of the parent/child relationship: involvement, poor supervision/monitoring, inconsistent discipline, corporal punishment, specific discipline tactics, and independence. While the study has no standing threshold as to whether or not the parent/child relationship was fair or poor, it does give a numerical average to show you where the relationship stands. The results show that other than mothers in the parental involvement category, all other measures fell below the 50th percentile of possible points. While it was hypothesized that the age of the survivor, during the Khmer Rouge, may have had an effect on the parent/child relationship, the study showed few patterns related to the age of the participants.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Los Angeles
- Department:
- Social Work
- Creator:
- Solis, Benito Rustic
- Description:
- Jorge Luis Borges's oeuvre yields various incarnations of Borges as a poet, fiction writer, and essayist. Borges's works contain multiple levels of simultaneous meanings that often incorporate autobiography into allegorical metafiction. His oeuvre contains a literary genealogy, an allusive typology that illuminates the reimagining of his perceived personal experiences through a framework of literary archetypes. This thesis examines overarching themes in Borges's oeuvre as the basis for its abstract cohesion. The intertextual linking of Borges's fictions, poetry, and essays illuminates the literary distinctions his texts deconstruct, redefine, or efface. This paper juxtaposes fragments of Borges's biography with readings of his texts to demonstrate the intrinsic relationship between his life and works, and reveals the synchronous metalinguistic and metaliterary discourse present in his oeuvre, and its effect on the reader's perception of a Borges persona.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Los Angeles
- Department:
- English
- Creator:
- Del Villar, Denise
- Description:
- This thesis project examines the factors associated with recidivism among males and interventions designed to address the problem. Specifically, this thesis examined the following research questions: 1) what factors are correlated with recidivism among males? and 2) among males, what effect does prison-based interventions, in comparison to community-based interventions, have on recidivism? To answer these questions, two literature reviews of current studies were conducted. Factors that were associated with recidivism among males were: demographics, mental health, criminal history, substance use, and childhood experiences. Furthermore, different interventions were found to be effective in address recidivism among males. They include: diversion programs, prison based programs, inside outside interventions, and aftercare/reentry programs. The most effective interventions were those that not only provided services in prisons, but also continued to follow up with offenders upon release. Suggestions for future research such as why are African American males at higher risk of recidivating and implications for the social work practice such as micro, mezzo and macro level interventions that can be designed are furthered discussed. Keywords: Recidivism, Factors of Recidivism, Predictors of Recidivism, Recidivism Prevention Programs, Reentry Programs, Prison Based Programs.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Los Angeles
- Department:
- Social Work
- Creator:
- Balian, Arshaluis Amy
- Description:
- In the general population, ethnic minorities experience a range of health care disparities. These include a lack of health insurance, lack of access to health care, lack of knowledge about existing health services, mis/under-diagnoses, and poorly developed cultural sensitivity or discrimination among health care providers. The justice systems are disproportionately comprised of ethnic minorities, particularly African Americans and Hispanics. Health care provision, especially mental health, is sorely lacking within the justice systems, contributing to recidivism. Given these considerations, this study aims to investigate the extent that ethnic minorities with histories in the justice systems report health care disparities. The paper is based on firsthand ethnographic data collected in South Los Angeles from participants at a community-based organization (n=10). Justice systems involvement was defined as having ever been arrested. All participants (n=10) were either African American or Hispanic. Results reveal that such individuals report a range of health care disparities.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Los Angeles
- Department:
- Social Work
- Creator:
- Zhao, Bingqing
- Description:
- Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD) are the two most prevailing neurodegenerative disorders. This thesis focuses on the studies of complexes that inhibit the formation of some neurotoxic species. The aggregation of the amyloid beta (Aâ) peptides is the initial steps in the amyloid cascade hypothesis for the etiology of AD. Using size-exclusion chromatography, tabersonine is shown to interact with the Aâ42 pentamer, to inhibit the formation of Aâ42 fibrils and convert them to innocuous amorphous aggregates. The Fe(III)-catalyzed oxidation of dopamine (DA) was studied with ion-pair chromatography. The Fe(III) center in the DA-Fe(III) complex can be stabilized by adenosine triphosphate (ATP). The catalytic activity of Fe(III) is annihilated, resulting in a significant reduction of neurotoxic species. This DA-Fe(III)-ATP ternary complex was identified in substantia nigra of rat brain. Our finding provides significant insight into how the DA-Fe(III)-ATP ternary complex inhibits the iron-catalyzed DA oxidation.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Los Angeles
- Department:
- Chemistry and Biochemistry
- Creator:
- Miyazawa, Kimiko
- Description:
- The relationship between the sharp increase in the prevalence of obesity in recent years in the U.S. with a correlating increase in added sugars, particularly those of fructose in foods and beverages is examined. The unique metabolic effects of fructose have gained considerable research and media attention in recent years and studies are increasingly indicating that fructose may increase weight, especially around the mid-section or visceral adipose tissue, (VAT), when compared with other types of sugars. VAT has been found to significantly increase the risk of developing life-threatening diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular complications. Recent studies indicate that the level of intake and source of fructose may be the key to reducing VAT and other undesirable health conditions that may be exacerbated by this type of sugar. This current project explains the metabolism of fructose and its implications on health in an e-book format. It will also provide nutritionally balanced natural low fructose menu plan and recipes. The caloric intake used as a guideline for this e-book is geared towards meeting the Dietary Reference Intakes for women aged between 31-50.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Los Angeles
- Department:
- Kinesiology and Nutritional Sciences
149. Converging Minority Identities: Minority Social Identities and Their Pathways to Academic Outcomes
- Creator:
- Chavez, Andrew Robert
- Description:
- Recent research on social identities has begun to stray away from examining outcomes of single-identity experiences and has shifted to investigating outcomes that result from the lived experiences of our multiple social identities. This type of research, known as intersectional research, is being conducted in various social domains, including politics, health, and education. This study adopts an intersectional design to investigate how experiences of discrimination for ethnic and sexual identity are related to academic outcomes, specifically academic self-concept and academic engagement. Both academic self-concept and academic engagement are variables that have been related to academic performance, retention, psychological well-being, and self-esteem among college students. This study investigated the mediating role of psychological distress on the relationship between experiences of discrimination and academic self-concept. 274 student participants reported their ethnic and sexual identities and experiences of discrimination related to those identities. The participants also reported their levels of psychological distress and academic self-concept. Results demonstrated that psychological distress mediates the relationship between both types of discrimination experiences and academic self-concept. Discrimination experiences and their relationships to psychological distress and academic outcomes are discussed.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Los Angeles
- Department:
- Psychology
- Creator:
- Avidikian, Rita
- Description:
- The purpose of this research is to examine the factors contributing to the academic journey of adolescents in the foster care system. The specific objection of this analysis is to review different barriers that effect the academic outcome of youth. In addition, this study examines the impact of placement stability and positive adult relationship with a greater focus. This study includes a qualitative content analysis with an extensive literature review of scholarly peer reviewed articles with the dependent variable of academic outcome. The significance of the findings is the complexity of resolving the issue. The research discovers interventions that have been implanted addressing each specific barrier. However, additional research is needed to understand the educational gap amongst foster care youth, and to explore challenges that rise in the lives of these adolescents.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Los Angeles
- Department:
- Social Work