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- Creator:
- Craven, Lauren
- Description:
- The purpose of this thesis project is to create a reference guide that school counselors in the Los Angeles area can utilize to better understand eating disorders. The information will include specific types of eating disorders, as well as their symptoms and warning signs. Also mentioned, is how the school counselor can play a role in the life of a student who has an eating disorder. In addition to this project being a reference guide, there is also a short listing of referrals which includes support services for those who are suffering from an eating disorder.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Northridge
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Nunez, Annette
- Description:
- This study investigated that the use of Floor time in a social-emotional skills group, would increase the emotional development of the group, and increase the spontaneous initiations within the group. The social skills group consisted of four children age three, diagnosed with autism. The group met for one hour a week, for eight weeks. During this time, the Floor time protocol was implemented. A pre-test and post-test video was taken of the children without any facilitation, to measure the emotional development and the total number of initiations within the group. Results indicate there was a significant amount of improvement. The group increased in their overall social-emotional developmental level, as well as their capacity to initiate more social interactions.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Northridge
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Fang, Qi
- Description:
- This graduate project designed and implemented a prototype of an easy-to-use, yet very versatile and powerful 20 sketcher and 30 interactive modeler for architects. The predominant concepts of the modeler design are a simplified and integrated GUI that supports MDI, a transparent 20 sketch board that imitates tracing paper, and efficient creation and modification of 30 objects. These concepts are proven to be feasible and valuable by the partial implementation. Lessons and experiences gained from the design and implementation processes are presented. This report also listed ideas for future enhancements.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Northridge
- Department:
- Computer Science
- Creator:
- Hightower, Whitney Jennifer
- Description:
- This applied research project investigates the use of culturally responsive teaching as a means of increasing students' knowledge and understanding in social studies, and provides a culturally responsive unit incorporating primary sources on the Japanese-American internment during World War II. Culturally responsive teaching as a whole instructional and curricular approach is defined, and includes equitable pedagogy and social justice analysis and application. (See more in text.)
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Northridge
- Department:
- Elementary Education
- Creator:
- Deaton, Jack Wesley
- Description:
- Experimental and theoretical studies of the manner in which molecules are distributed amongst micelles are described. Micelles are spherical, when separated "compartments" in aqueous solution that have the ability to solubilize water insoluble molecules. Much work and speculation have appeared over the years concerning the number distribution of these solublizates. In this work, the technique of electron spin resonance has been employed to test the dogma that uncharged molecules distribute randomly i.e. according to the Poisson distribution. Unlike most experimental techniques, this technique offers the tremendous advantage of being able to separate the contributions due to singly, doubly, triply, etc. occupied compartments. We have proved that the experimental results are inconsistent with a random distribution, and that particle-particle interactions must be taken into account. These interactions were studied theoretically in the framework of the grand canonical ensemble and also in the framework of a new phenomenology which models the flow of particles into compartments under the influence of an impedance to entry. The number distributions are shown to be identical in both frameworks, allowing two physical views of the process and allowing calculations to be carried out by either technique. In addition to a formal repulsion between particles that might be expected, an attractive pairing potential for singly occupied micelles was necessary to explain the results. Both the attractive and repulsive parts of the potential are found to be the same for two different solubilizates.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Northridge
- Department:
- Physics and Astronomy
- Creator:
- Lopez, Elizabeth
- Description:
- In recent years, there has been a rapid increase in HIV infection rates among women. Young females in particular have been disproportionately affected. Current HIV prevention interventions fail to meet the needs of those young females who are at highest risk for HIV. Incarcerated female youth are at particularly greater risk due to their life circumstances and propensity to take risks. The current program is _different from other programs in that it strives to address HIV prevention within the context of interpersonal relationships rather than relying solely on knowledge acquisition and skills building. Objectives of the twelve-week curriculum are to increase self-esteem, increase self-efficacy, identify resources within themselves and the relationships in their lives, and learn effective communication skills.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Northridge
- Department:
- Educational Psychology and Counseling
7. Any truth
- Creator:
- Kellis, Melody T.
- Description:
- In 2003 I came home to the United States after living in Europe for almost eight years. The week of my return was also the week that Colin Powell made his presentation to the United Nations regarding the American "proof' for war against Iraq. As I left Europe I watched the BBC and CNN International, both news outlets I had grown to rely on during my time abroad. My beliefs regarding current international affairs had been constructed by those news outlets as my country went through a contentious presidential election in 2000, was attacked on September 11, 2001, went to war in Afghanistan and considered going to war again, this time against Iraq. I still quite vividly remember turning on the news after I returned home and the confusion that followed. The proof that Colin Powell had presented was interpreted completely differently here. I realized over the passing weeks that almost all the news events had been interpreted and reported very differently in my hometown. Nobody wanted to hear me talk about what people thought in Europe, in Asia. I was called anti-American by close family friends -I felt angry and isolated. In the midst of all of this, my artwork changed direction completely and an entire body of work, culminating in my thesis, was born. Initially my work assumed a political perspective and was focused on simply showing different reports of the same news event. In conversations with my professors, however, I realized that my vision of this topic was quite limited and would benefit from an expansion of perspective. I began to disregard the notion of right and wrong and instead focus on the construction of media itself. I studied Media Literacy and documentary and questioned the very notion of truth through film or media. As I progressed in my theoretical studies regarding media truth, I also advanced in my profession as a television editor. I lefilned the tricks of the trade, so to speak, from the inside. Initially, I became an editor to make documentfilies, and cinema verite documentaries in particular. This "filmmaker as tly-on-the-wall" approach had become my personal favorite and the form of documentary that I felt came the closest to telling the truth, or at least inspiring the viewer to interpret events using his/her own critical thinking skills. In 2007 I began conceptualizing my thesis project. At the same time I was hired to work on a few reality shows. The film Any Truth, my thesis project, is what resulted from my studies and the realistic professional demands that are put on an editor in the work place to tell a story, no - to create a story as compellingly as possible not for the sake of the truth but for the eyeballs.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Northridge
- Department:
- Art
- Creator:
- Deyirmencian, Nuran Ohannes
- Description:
- The behavior of water flow through a rectangular open channel spillway with a stilling basin and step was analyzed using Excel and Visual Basic for Applications. All the parameters of the flow (such as critical flow, depths at key points, lengths of different segments) were calculated given a set of parameters. For the initial stilling basin design, the Froude number at the beginning of the jump and the length of the stilling basin after the jump were set. Also it was assumed that the flow will become "uniform" after the step. Given these parameters a flow profile was derived. To test the design for various conditions, the flow was decreased while the channel dimensions (such as total length of the spillway, step size) were left the same as the initial design to simulate seasonal flow changes. Then the new flow profile and Froude number at the beginning of the jump were determined as functions of flow rate.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Northridge
- Department:
- Manufacturing Systems Engineering and Management
- Creator:
- Hallin, Mary J.
- Description:
- Africa is often called the "Dark Continent". Few studies have sought to understand African consumer behavior from the consumers' perspective. Utilizing conjoint analysis and Likert statements, this thesis evaluates the determinants of Cameroonian purchase buying behavior of over-the-counter (OTC) pain relievers. This thesis also organizes and integrates academic and government data and personal interviews to present a comprehensive background on the Cameroonian pharmaceutical market. Key to marketing in Cameroon and Africa is distribution: distribution barriers limit the choices available and increase prices in rural areas. The increased price forces many rural Cameroonians to obtain drugs from the black market. Informal distribution channels were found to exist among NGO's and drug peddlers. This study found that effectiveness was the most important attribute to the consumer, followed by price, the type of shop selling OTC pain relievers and country-of- origin. The attributes product packaging, distance one must travel to obtain the pain reliever and the type of pain reliever were not considered important. This study also found that increased familiarity with a country does not increase perceived quality for that country. Cameroonians perceive drugs from Europe to be of higher quality than those made in Africa, thus they prefer drugs made in Europe over those made in an African nation. This research contributes to the limited existing body of research on marketing in Africa, in addition to providing an in-depth analysis of one sub-Saharan nation. Suggestions for future research in this area are also provided.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Northridge
- Department:
- Public Administration
- Creator:
- Ruiz, Linda
- Description:
- Mexican-American immigrants have been key figures in one of the greatest migration occurrences in the United States. This population makes contributions to the culture, financial system, and employment industry of the United States. They are an ongoing influx of positive attributes and support to the wellbeing of the United States. Mexican-American immigrants are faced with various challenges as they take part in the employment arena. The career issues they encounter such as being expected to work in the secondary labor market, having minimal knowledge of their work environment, and limited employment experience affects their career paths. The purpose of this project is to assist Mexican-American immigrants with their career issues and have them learn through a career developmental process. The career development program will consist of eight weekly sessions that include one individualized session and seven group sessions. The program is geared to assist them through a career exploration process, to become knowledgeable of the world of work, to develop appropriate career decisions techniques, and make effective career plans. The program features experiential learning activities focused around John Holland's theory of types and Donald Super's life-span theory. It also provides them knowledge of employment information necessary to succeed in the labor market.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Northridge
- Department:
- Education
- Creator:
- Hocking, Sheldon M.
- Description:
- Today is difficult, there really aren't many things left that seem to be pure. I think love is pure. I think art is pure. And magic. Magic is everything we don't know ... Fritz Scholderl I have long been fascinated by the magic and power of objects and images to affect memory, emotion and experience. I began these paintings with memories of personal experiences, then conjured images which served as literal and personal or symbolic metaphors relating to my past (times, places, people, etc.). With each piece I started with an idea, but without a preconcieved idea of what the finished painting would look like. The metaphors and composition evolved in the process of making the picture. [see more in text]
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Northridge
- Department:
- Art
- Creator:
- Bates, Rebecca Joyce
- Description:
- To become part of any literary tradition is to call upon the classics while inventing new and individual ideas and concepts. In my writing I strive to find a balance between the old and the new . I have been heavily influenced by authors in the literary canon such as Jane Austen , Charlotte and Emily Bronte , and George Eliot, while being deeply interested in contemporary writers like Libba Bray and Brad Barkley. This has created a deep fascination in me for finding the balance between the traditional and the contemporary and what will happen when the two clash . The novel seeks to capture a moment in time and wrap its pages around the intense questions of identity in a time and place where traditional and contemporary society are grating against each other. The identity in question is that of eighteen-year-old Tara Worthington , the middle-child in an old-money southern family. The novel 's theme revolves around the idea of holding onto traditions of the past while also struggling to move forward and away from the old . What can stay and what must be left behind when the two worlds will not combine? I intend to set up as many dichotomies as possible such as the left and the right, north and south , the traditional and the contemporary. In placing all these ideas together I hope to illustrate the struggle that happens in one person when faced with all of them.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Northridge
- Department:
- English
- Creator:
- Cuillier, Joseph A.
- Description:
- This project demonstrates that a Catholic school is operated more efficiently and effectively than a public school. An in-depth, two-year comparison was done to support this finding while working as a teacher in each setting. This is a comparative study of the Catholic and public school systems of metropolitan Los Angeles. It is a thesis in partial fulfillment of requirement for the Master of Public Administration program at CSUN. The study touches upon certain overall comparisons of the two huge school systems, but particular comparisons are made of Immaculate Heart of Mary School (1.H.M.) and Toluca Lake Elementary School. The project focuses on three particular areas: organizational culture; size of the student body; and nature of the student body. Specific comparisons are made in the area of budgets, bureaucracy, operations, motivation, human resources, ethics, family participation, neighborhood specs, classroom specs and school system size. The information in this project was gathered by a few methods. I used personal interviews and research to collect information. I reviewed existing data related to the subject, and a large portion of the information was based on my experience working in both settings. In my recommendations and conclusions, I answer the question, "Do Catholic Schools do more with less?" Data concerning Toluca Lake and Immaculate Heart is included to support my findings.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Northridge
- Department:
- Public Administration
- Creator:
- Pardo, Kenneth A.
- Description:
- Background and Purpose. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of an aerobic exercise program on the treatment of mild (stage I) cubital tunnel syndrome. Subjects. Two female subjects participated in this study. Both subjects were diagnosed with mild (stage I) cubital tunnel syndrome by a physical therapist, who was also a board certified orthopedic specialist. Methods. Two subjects met the inclusion criteria for this study and were given a pre-test to determine baseline symptoms. Baseline tests included a sensory two-point discrimination test, a monofilament sensory test, and a modified McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ). Each subject also completed a questionnaire that included estimated symptomatic days per week for the 7 day and 30 day periods preceding initial testing. The subjects viewed a short educational video and a low impact aerobics video to be performed at home 3-5 days per week. Subjects were also instructed to wear an elbow splint at night to their tolerance. Each subject kept a daily log describing the quality of their symptoms, the severity of their symptoms, the amount of time the splint was worn, and the amount of exercise performed. At the completion of an eight-week exercise program, subjects were post-tested in the same manner as the pre-test, and completed the questionnaire that included estimated symptomatic days per week. Data was collected and analyzed to determine whether any change in their symptoms occurred during the program. Results. Both subjects reported improvements in the severity of their symptoms as evidenced by MPQ scores. In addition, the estimated average symptomatic days per week for each subject was reduced after participating in the eight-week program. Between the pre-test and post-test, subject #1 improved slightly in both the monofilament and two point discrimination sensory tests. Subject #2 improved slightly in the monofilament sensory test, and declined slightly in the two-point discrimination sensory test. Conclusion. Aerobic exercise appears to have a beneficial effect on the severity of symptoms and light (superficial) touch sensitivity related to mild cubital tunnel syndrome. Results of two point discrimination were inconclusive as both subjects in the study had inconsistent pre and post-test scores. Overall, the results of this study warrant further investigation with a larger sample.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Northridge
- Department:
- Health Sciences
- Creator:
- Steiger, Laura L.
- Description:
- Construct accessibility has been found to play an important role in the interpretation of social information. Even when a construct is primed implicitly it has been proven to have a temporary effect on person perception. The present experiment examined the effects of increasing the construct accessibility for the traits of friendliness and hostility on social perception. The interaction of these two trait categories with person perception and gender was also investigated. Subjects performed a task in which they were unknowingly exposed to either 0%, 20%, or 80% friendly or hostile words. Next, subjects read a behavioral description that was ambiguously related to both hostility and friendliness, and rated the stimulus person on several trait scales. Although there were no significant priming effects in the experimental condition, two separate experiments indicate that effects would have been found had the exposure time during the priming task been slower. There was a significant gender difference in the hostility rating of the behavioral description across conditions; the implications of this are discussed.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Northridge
- Department:
- Psychology
- Creator:
- Hernandez, Elizabeth
- Description:
- The purpose of this study is to examine protective factors of adolescent resiliency with a focus on educationally supportive parenting behaviors. It is a correlational study examining the effects of perceived academically supportive behaviors by parents (i.e. their monitoring behaviors, their involvement in school, their academic encouragement behaviors and their educational aspirations for their children) have on the academic motivation and educational aspirations of adolescents. Educational resiliency research is largely concerned with highlighting the malleable factors that increase resilience in adolescents from socially and economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Self-report data were collected from 376 first and second-generation Mexican-American high school students from one high school located in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, California. A secondary data analysis was conducted using bivariate correlations and multiple regressions. Although the results indicated that generational status did not affect adolescents' perceptions about educational support from parents, all forms of support were significantly and positively correlated to both adolescent academic motivation and educational aspirations.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Northridge
- Department:
- Educational Psychology and Counseling
- Creator:
- Holtreman, Isabel
- Description:
- Hostile Takeover: A Love Story is a romantic comedy about Frannie O'Riley, an overgrown tom boy who has trouble opening up her heart to love and romance. Frannie works in her father's construction company, a company that had once been successful but is struggling to stay afloat in the current economic climate. In order to ride out this wave, where no one wants to build, the O'Rileys decide they will survive by doing smaller renovation jobs. As Frannie attempts to book more work, she discovers there's a new company in town that's snatching up all the leads and business. Being the fireball that she is, Frannie sets out to find the owner and to convince him to get the hell out of her city. Erek Butowski, the progressive and groovy owner of EMB Homes, rejects Frannie's request, but as much as he infuriates her, they're drawn to one another and the sparks begin to fly. When they finally connect, Frannie begins to learn how to open up her heart to love and to her dormant feminine side. But the bliss doesn't last long because their philosophies are diametrically opposed and Frannie dumps him. This breaks her heart, however, because she's already in love. In the end, Frannie manages to show Erek the error of his ways, he wins her back and they live happily ever after.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Northridge
- Department:
- Cinema and Television Arts
- Creator:
- Guzman, Isabel Pacheco
- Description:
- The purpose of this study is to examine group differences in attachment styles and relationship functioning among individuals with high and low psychopathic traits. It was hypothesized that individuals with high psychopathic traits would report greater incidence of dismissing attachment and a lower incidence of secure attachment, relationship satisfaction, and relational-anxiety as compared with individuals with low psychopathic traits. It was also hypothesized that high psychopathic traits will have greater negative associations with secure attachment, preoccupied attachment, fearful attachment, relationship satisfaction, and relational-anxiety, as well as a greater positive association with dismissing attachment as compared to lower levels of psychopathic traits. Procedures included recruitment of 117 undergraduate students and administration of several self-report measures. The high psychopathy group reported greater incidence of fearful attachment while the low psychopathy group reported greater incidence of secure attachment and relationship satisfaction. No significant group differences were found in relationships between psychopathy, attachment, relationship satisfaction, and relational-anxiety. Clinical implications are discussed.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Northridge
- Department:
- Psychology
- Creator:
- Gunther, Daniel R.
- Description:
- The use of AIDS metaphors in AIDS articles from popular American periodicals is compared and contrasted. Articles from periodicals listed under the AIDS subject headings in the Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature for January to March, 1983 are compared with articles for January to March, 1993. Analysis of AIDS Metaphors is divided into categories of crime, death, entity, otherness, plague, sin, war, and those not applicable to the first seven. The thesis hypothesis is that the number of AIDS metaphors per 1000 words is significantly lower in the 1993 articles than in the 1983 articles. Analysis does not support the hypothesis; the null hypothesis is not disproved. In fact, the metaphor rate for the 1993 articles is the same as the rate for the 1983 articles: ten AIDS metaphors per 1000 words written. x Further analysis of the types of AIDS metaphors used is conducted and differences between the 1983 and the 1993 articles are discussed. Of particular note is the high prevalence of AIDS crime metaphors in the 1983 articles, and their subsequent decline in the 1993 articles, and the increase in use of AIDS war metaphors and AIDS personification metaphors in the 1993 articles compared to the 1983 articles. These changes in AIDS metaphor usage appear to reflect changing perceptions about the disease. Specifically, there seems less fear as might be expressed in metaphorical terms of death, plague, or AIDS as a punishment. There also appears to be an expansion in the understanding of AIDS through more neutral personification metaphors and more acceptance of HIV disease as one of many illnesses that are part of human life. However, the continued prevalence of AIDS metaphors and the increase in frequency of war metaphors portends misapplication of metaphorical concepts in society's approach to the disease. It is important, especially for health professionals, to be aware of how metaphorical language regarding a disease like AIDS can reveal concepts and misconceptions about the disease. Further, these metaphorically-based concepts must be closely monitored because their use in policy and treatment decisions may affect individual liberties.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Northridge
- Department:
- Health Sciences
20. Jim Crow, Louis J. Winston, and the survival of black politicos in post-bellum Natchez, Mississippi
- Creator:
- Nomelli, Sheryl Lynn
- Description:
- This study explores politics, Jim Crow, and the effect of white relationships on the survival of black politicos through the life and achievements of Louis J. Winston during the most controversial period of history experienced by the South. Born into slavery, to a wealthy white father on the eve of the Civil War in 1848, Winston rose to unprecedented heights in his political and economic career in the post-Reconstruction era of Natchez, Mississippi. Winston was elected as Circuit Clerk of Adams County for twenty consecutive years, served as County Assessor and Collector of Port, founded two successful building and loan investment companies, began his own law practice, started up a Republican newspaper, which he published and edited for nineteen years, served on the school board of the Union School, and founded the fraternal organization, Woodman of Union. Primary research from court records, land deeds, wills, and a variety of documents in Natchez and Greenville, Mississippi, reveal Winston's intimate connection to an unusual white heritage brought him unprecedented success among elite whites and blacks, but in the end was not enough to carry him through the turbulent times in which he lived.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Northridge
- Department:
- History
- Creator:
- Mayes, Frank
- Description:
- In preparing this recital, I wanted to play a variety of clarinet music, including some that to my knowledge has never been performed outside of a teachers studio. I also included two standard works of the repertoire and two works of the twentieth century. The entire first half of the recital was un-accompanied, for clarinet alone. The second half had two works with piano accompaniment and one work with pre-recorded electronic sounds on magnetic tape to be played back during the performance of the work. The entire recital made use of mylar (mirror like) panels behind the performer and special subtle color changes in lighting in order to warm the stage and create a slightly different setting for each work. I began with the Rose Etude Number One in order to begin with a musically expressive and welcoming piece. Cyrille Rose began teaching at the Paris Conservatoire immediately following the death of Klose in 1880. He wrote several etude books that are well known to all clarinetists with Etude Number One being his most popular. Etude Number Two from Twenty Five Etudes de Virtuosite, by Henri Sarlit is a transcription of a Chopin Etude Opus 10 no. 2. It is kept in the original key of the piano etude A minor, thus sounding a whole step lower than the piano when played on a B-flat clarinet. It is representative of a period in nineteenth century music when the repertoire of the clarinet was so limited that transcriptions had to be employed. (See more in text.)
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Northridge
- Department:
- Music
- Creator:
- Ngai, Terence Nai-ching
- Description:
- Trellis-Coded Modulation (TCM) is a technique which combines channel coding and modulation for the transmission of digital signals over bandlimited channels. The basic idea is to use signal-set expansion to provide redundancy for coding, and to design coding and signal-mapping functions jointly so as to maximize directly the minimum Euclidean distance between coded signal sequences. The coding gain is achieved without sacrificing data rate or expanding bandwidth at the expense of increasing decoder complexity. Simple TCM schemes with 2 to 8 states can provide asymptotic coding gains of 3 dB compared to uncoded modulation. With more complex schemes, asymptotic coding gains of 6 dB can be realized. This paper describes the general principle and performance of conventional TCM schemes and the methods for maximizing such performance. Additional 1 to 2 dB gain can be obtained by introducing asymmetry to signal constellation or by transmitting multiple symbols per state transition. Performance improvement and drawbacks of these schemes are also discussed. The important effects of carrier-phase offset are presented. Problems arise when a carrier-modulated TCM signal is demodulated with a phase offset which could be caused by the inability of the phase-tracking scheme of the receiver to track phase disturbances instantly. Several concepts relating to the application of soft-decision maximum-likelihood Viterbi decoder are discussed. An example of soft-decision decoding of M-ary signals is also presented.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Northridge
- Department:
- Engineering
- Creator:
- Schuylar, Regan
- Description:
- Recently my work has moved from a lighter view of people in their daily encounters to an examination of people foundering in the ruins of their lives in homes built on shifting sands. As politics vacillate and our foundations quake, many cannot swim or stay afloat; and many others teeter on erratic fulcrums. These stygian canvases I now employ seem the right ambience for these troubled souls. My references to buckled houses, to the many natural disasters that have beset southern California, and to playful dancers fronting a burning house, speak to the issues of ruin, hedonism and a hunger for material things which blinds humanity to the destruction we perpetuate on our home, our only home--this planet. These tortured people who have fallen prey to the habit of torturing themselves are dark targets of a life I know too well. The somberness of my work in value and subject matter has been, for me, brightened by the delight I feel when employing the painting process and the elements therein; the color, value, shapes, etc., on the roughened shady surface of my canvas. The joy of painting is thus closely entwined with the pain which springs each day from a perusal of the morning news, and somehow alleviates the pain. This strange ill-mated dichotomy has forged for me a meaningful experience these past many months, and not unlike Jacob's wrestle with the archangel, I feel I have wrestled with the art angel.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Northridge
- Department:
- Art
- Creator:
- Dakota, Sage
- Description:
- Consciousness as a construct continues to have utility in society; legally, medically and interpersonally. Repression is an often-studied mechanism to explain how some things are kept out of consciousness. The Constructive Repression Approach emphasizes a measured examination of previously experienced traumatic stimuli, based on the clinician's judgement as to the ability of the client to tolerate the associated en10tional pain. The Constructive Repression Approach to psychotherapy integrates techniques and addresses psychopathology at the level of human functioning. This is in contrast with the many approaches that integrate at the level of theory, therapeutic technique or psychopathology. The following discussion will consider the roles of consciousness and repression in therapy and the four major theoretical orientations to doing therapy. It will propose a new approach called Constructive Repression followed by a pamphlet which discusses how clients would be viewed by therapists who utilize one of the major therapeutic orientations. This pamphlet will also aid clients in finding an appropriate therapist.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Northridge
- Department:
- Educational Psychology and Counseling
- Creator:
- Peng, Beiping
- Description:
- This paper compares the legislation on electronic commerce in China and America. Regulatory agencies and legislation on electronic commerce in China and America are identified. The main issues regarding the electronic transactions are discussed. By comparing the overall policy, I conclude that China needs an overall policy to govern the enactment of legislation on electronic commerce. Through analyzing the PRC (People's Public of China) Contract Law and comparing the legislation on electronic transaction, we have a better understanding of legal situation in China and America. In the landmark Contract Law promulgated in April 1999, electronic contracts are endowed with the same legal position as other written forms of contracts by article 11. From this perspective, The PRC Contract Law is situated the leading position in recognition of legal status of electronic contract, but it did not mention the use of digital signatures in online contracts. So the electronic contracting will not be widely used in business transactions in China, which in turn will likely hamper the development of e-commerce in China. On February I, 2003, Guangdong Province promulgated comprehensive local legislation on E-commerce, "The Rules on Electronic Transactions of Guangdong Province." It is a significant step in enacting national law on E-commerce. However, China has yet to enact national legislation on electronic commerce. It is of great significance to study the legislation on electronic commerce in America. At the same time, the real situation of China's legal environment should be taken into consideration when enacting a law. Based on the comparative stud y, a series of suggestions are put forward for China's national and local governments.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Northridge
- Department:
- Public Administration
- Creator:
- Bugarin, Elba
- Description:
- The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of significant others' academic support on adolescents' academic identity and educational aspirations in Latino adolescents. Self-report data was collected from 164 Latino adolescents from one high school in the San Fernando Valley. The sample consisted of 44% males and 56% females, 14-16 years old (M= 15). The results of correlation and multiple regression analyses indicate that academic encouragement by the mothers, fathers, teachers, and peers was not significantly related to educational aspirations. However, academic encouragement by mothers, fathers, teachers, and peers was significantly related to the academic identity of males. Fathers' academic encouragement was not significantly related to female academic identity.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Northridge
- Department:
- Educational Psychology and Counseling
- Creator:
- De Leon, Carol
- Description:
- The repertoire chosen for my recital is comprised of arias and art songs that reflect the natural human emotions of love and loss. This musical journey is vast in descriptive text taking the listener through a part of the imagination where power, fear and solace are intertwined. The recital begins with Italian opera and is followed by French melodie, German lied, Spanish folk song, American song and opera in French. Frederic Handel (1685-1759) was a German born composer known for his opera composition. Throughout his years of writing for opera, Handel was set apart from his contemporaries because of his outstanding and superior ability to express with immediate conviction the emotions of the characters in the context of the aria. In his opera, Giulio Cesare (1724) the arias are more elaborate and musical expression is more consistently connected to drama. Non disperar, Act I Scene V, is Cleopatra's first aria. It is sung after it is reveals that her brother, Tolomeo sent Caesar the head of Pompey as a gift to win his alliance. She is distressed and quickly devises a plan to charm Caesar. Handel's Cleopatra is much younger than the Shakespearean queen and her youthful urgency is evident in this aria. The aria begins with quick sixteenth notes that are pressing forward into a melody that introduces the vocal line. There are sudden dynamic changes from forte to piano that also give insight into her character and mood. For example on the word "amor," there are extended and decorated melismas that indicate her determination to utilize her beauty and sensuality to seduce Caesar. Cleopatra sings Se Piela in Act II Scene VIII. Recognizing that Caesar is in a vulnerable position and could be killed by the Egyptians she begs the gods for help. This aria is one of the most moving arias in the opera encompassing her serenity and quiet fear. Delicate passages that descend slowly and quietly are the centerpiece of this da capo aria. There is a sense of sacredness and steadiness in the music that is indicative of Cleopatra's uncertainty and honest request for help. (See more in text.)
- Resource Type:
- Audio recording and Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Northridge
- Department:
- Music
- Creator:
- Courter, William Farrell
- Description:
- Population growth in Southern California throughout the decade of the 1980s brought about a furtherance in the augmentation of an already dynamic urban fringe to the east of the city of Los Angeles, and a continuing diminishment of local agricultural lands. Southwestern Riverside County has been directly affected by the population surge, and the resulting expansion of the urban realm of the Los Angeles metropolis. Urban proliferation and development are examined, as they relate to the consumption of formerly non-urban lands, from two perspectives: 1) A theoretical standpoint; and 2) An historical and geographical description of urban growth, and agricultural extenuation definitively related to Los Angeles. Former, remnant, and currently productive agricultural lands within the Los Angeles agglomeration are utilized as examples supporting_ or contradicting some common location theories. Through these perspectives urban growth in southwestern Riverside County during the 1980s is examined and related to suburban development coterminous to the Temucula Approved Viticultural Area. The result of these analyses demonstrates the antithetical nature of urban and agricultural landscapes, the competition for land between urban and agricultural usages along routes facilitating ease of movement, and the possibility for the maintenance of a heterogeneous landscape of wine grape vineyards and extensive urban development in the Temecula area. Also, the significance of zoning and preservation measures is discussed within the context of the unique, but not unusual, site and situation of southwestern Riverside County.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Northridge
- Department:
- Geography and Environmental Studies
- Creator:
- Siefert, Lucy A.
- Description:
- The songs presented here, whether by well-known or obscure composers, are, for the most part, less familiar. However, each is intrinsically attractive, musically valid, and of more than just historical interest. Monteverdi's Scherzi Musicali (1632) consists of miscellaneous earlier pieces in a light vein. Strophic songs utilizing solo voice and basso continuo are presented on the program. "Ecco di dolci raggi" is incomplete in this publication. It appears in an earlier collection with five strophes. "Eilt, Ihr stunden, kommt herbei" is from Bach's 1738 cantata for the midsummer feast of St. John the Baptist. The constant movement and violin-voice duet bring to mind the style of A. Scarlatti. Wolf's Spanisches Liederbuch was composed in 1889-90, using German translations of Spanish poetry. There is some attempt at Spanish flavor, particularly in "Sagt, seid Ihr es," but these songs are primarily Wolf's Germanic response to the texts. Debussy's works are the epitome of the Impressionistic style, as these songs illustrate. "L'Echelonnement des Haies" and "La Mer est plus belle" are views of England by Paul Verlaine. The other two songs use sentimental poems by Paul Bourget. Rainier's Three Greek Epigrams, from the Greek of Anyte of Tegea, were composed in 1937. They feature bold rhythms, ostinato passages, block sonorities, use of the augmented fourth, and a vocal line of often instrumental character. The Spanish songs by Guridi and Nin are based on folk forms and melodies. Their charm lies in the unusual rhythms and unexpected harmonic twists, together with pervasive guitar idioms. As a whole, this recital displays various facets of musical art through the centuries, but all with a common goal: the sincere expression of beauty.
- Resource Type:
- Audio recording and Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Northridge
- Department:
- Music
- Creator:
- Dalal, Hemal Mahesh
- Description:
- An X-band design using NE4210S01 's scattering parameters, the input and output matching networks were designed to create four Maximum Gain Amplifiers which are combined with four 90 Degree hybrid couplers, designed using Microstrip Line Technology, to finally create Dual Stage Balanced Amplifier. It is designed to have maximum gain with better stability and input/output return loss also known as voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR) than a single Maximum Gain Amplifier. Microwave Office 2007 is used for simulations.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Northridge
- Department:
- Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Creator:
- Henry, Lorelei Lee
- Description:
- My thesis will focus on three of O'Brien's Vietnam War novels: The Things They Carried, Going After Cacciato, and In the Lake of the Woods. I will show how O'Brien develops these stories in terms of individual, social, cultural, and historical aspects in ways similar to, and perhaps indebted to Hemingway and Conrad. However, I will also demonstrate that O'Brien is correct in seei11g differences between his own approach and that of these authors, and other war literature writers. Where the suggestive style of Hemingway and Conrad minimize horrid detail, O'Brien's style highlights horror in an evocative, Gothic depiction of the true horror of war: the degeneration of men, the impossibility of regeneration, and the absolute moral desolation that results from the experience of war. O'Brien will thus be seen as representative of his generation, given to exaggeration, excess, overt disgust, anger, and fear. Chapter I will address the way in which O'Brien's depiction of the Vietnam War aligns it with World War I. In many ways, the cultural climate of the 1960s made the war a battle not unlike The Great War, in which Romantic ideals of nationalism and patriotism crumbled at the hands of a more personal disillusionment with war. The horrific individual, social, and cultural ramifications of war are brought to the forefront in O'Brien's works. Like Hemingway, O'Brien discusses very similar issues, central to the war of his time, in which, like Hemingway, the wasteland of the battlefield becomes an individual wasteland. In many ways, society was not prepared for either war, or for the shock, horror and degradation that war entails. We can see this clearly in the depiction of war as a degenerative force on society and culture in both Hemingway and O'Brien. Aligning the two wars historically also sets up social and cultural parallels between O'Brien and Hemingway. O'Brien is quoted as stating his admiration for Hemingway's work, and critics have noted the similarities between O'Brien's Vietnam stories and Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms. However, a much clearer connection exists between O'Brien's works and Hemingway's In Our Time, which depicts the transformation of Romantic idealism at the hands of Modernist fragmentation and alienation. The similarities between O'Brien and Hemingway are seen most strikingly between "Speaking of Courage," from The Things They Carried and "Soldier's Home" from In Our Time. Like Hemingway, O'Brien points out the failure of a Romantic ideal of war, the loss of patriotism and nationalism, to reveal the impossibility of individual, social, or cultural post-war regeneration. The Modernist wasteland that begins with Krebs ends logically in O'Brien. In Chapter Two, I will compare O'Brien's In the Lake of the Woods to Conrad's Heart of Darkness. Where Hemingway's style mutes some of the awful details of war, O'Brien's style elaborates these details in order that the horror of war, in both the realistic and the Conradian sense, can be more clearly depicted. In In the Lake of the Woods, as in Heart of Darkness, one character's journey toward another through a dark and mysterious outer landscape mirrors an inner, moral journey, and exposes a figurative darkness lurking within the novel's protagonist. John Wade, a Vietnam veteran who now faces the shame and guilt not only of losing a political election, but also of his participation in the My Lai Massacre, is haunted by a past he cannot reconcile with his present life. Wade's psyche, already overshadowed by a traumatic childhood, grows morally darker as a direct result of his violent and horrific Vietnam War experience, which takes place in a dark and chaotic jungle reminiscent of Conrad's Congo. Although O'Brien's works are clearly indebted to Hemingway for the depiction of war as degenerative, and also to Conrad for the depiction of war as horror and moral terror, the most profitable way to read them is in terms of those elements we think of as Gothic, for then they become like confessionals, attempting to justify and resolve the transgressive individual, social, and cultural conflicts created by war. Chapter Three examines O'Brien's novels in terms of the Gothic genre, which sheds new light on the victory of fear over bravery, of terror over courage, of the loss of self at the hands of "the other," and of ghosts, the memories of war that arise from that dark landscape to haunt those that survived. By placing soldiers within a haunted landscape, issues of bravery and courage no longer lie solely within the realm of the characters' will, but, as in Gothic novels, are subject to outside forces that are constantly at odds with reality. When we examine O'Brien's Vietnam stories as discussing the failure of a Romantic ideal, as the reflection of individual, historical, social, and cultural anxiety, then they can be seen in terms of horror, where the stripped-down wasteland of Hemingway and the festering horror of Conrad come together in a Gothic world. O' Brien's The Things They Carried, In the Lake of the Woods, and Going After Cacciato, mediated by Gothic elements, reveal an individual, historical, social, and cultural anxiety beyond that which can be accomplished within the war literature genre.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Northridge
- Department:
- English
- Creator:
- Stark, Stacy A.
- Description:
- This project examined the components of successful teacher induction programs, most specifically mentoring, support group meetings, and peer collegiality. The focus of this project was on assisting teachers with their incredibly diverse student populations. Diversity was defined as variations in academic achievement and ability, socioeconomic status, and ethnic and linguistic backgrounds, The goal of the program was to foster teachers' use of varied and 'best practice' instructional strategies and to increase new teacher retention, while acknowledging and accommodating the developmental stages through which novices pass during their induction years. The literature reviewed showed the successes experienced by model induction program participants. Features from many of these models were replicated in the creation of this model.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Northridge
- Department:
- Special Education
- Creator:
- Munsch, Alexander Paul
- Description:
- Che dite, o miei pensieri by Antonio Caldara is a typical example of the chamber cantata form of the Middle Baroque period. It contains two da capo arias of contrasting character, each preceded by a recitative. The aria Meta di voi gua vadano from the opera Don Giovanni by W.A. Mozart is an action aria. The overall form of this aria is A(abcba)B(de)-coda which provides for a large variety of dramatic expression. The first three songs by Gustav Mahler are settings of poems by Frederick Ruckert. The forth (Der Tamboursg'sell) is from the collection Des Knaben Wunderhorn. Surprise shifts between major and minor tonalities, rich harmonies, unprepa.red key changes, and shifting metric patterns are some of the more obvious characteristics to be found in these songs. The five songs by Arthur Bliss are part of his collection Seven American Poems. They include short settings of poems by Elinor Wylie and Edna St. Vincent Millay. Although they appear to have atonal elements in them, they are merely tonal pieces which contain, at times, severe chromatic alterations. (See more in text.)
- Resource Type:
- Audio recording and Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Northridge
- Department:
- Music
- Creator:
- Di Fusco, Laura
- Description:
- For a great many Americans, daily life constitutes an ongoing crisis of emotional survival (Garfield, 1987). Many individuals take on more than one role such as, a mother, wife, worker, and student. One may be faced with much pressure to be successful in all the roles. If one fails or has potential to fail with one or more of the roles, then one may become angry with oneself. Failure, a stressor, may be accompanied with anger (Friedland, 1984). For some individuals anger causes hurt. For instance, if an adolescent argues with his parents, he may feel guilty and hurt afterwards. In return, the hurt causes emotional damage in the long run. For example, the failure of communication between the adolescent and the parent may result in the adolescent feeling distant from the parent and diminished bonding results as the teenager grows up. As a result, the individual may become fearful, anxious, withdrawn from others, depressed, or have low self-esteem. In addition, the emotional damage may result in misdirecting aggressive behaviors, such as, screaming at another, throwing objects, suicide etc. Once these behaviors are being manifested, one has lost self-control. These behaviors are thought of as aggressive and antisocial. In order to control these antisocial behaviors, society has set up systems to intervene. Some examples of systems which shape one's behavior include legal, parents, school, and church. Each of these systems has consequences for antisocial behaviors. For instance, if one physically assaults another, then the legal system punishes the offender by placing one in jail. These systems may be effective in so far as society is concerned. However, the outbreak of antisocial behavior, for instance, gang violence, continues to be a serious problem in society. The problem is the individuals lack the skills to release anger in a prosocial manner. Therefore, there is a need for further development of additional systems to shape negative behavior which results from anger. One suggestion is therapeutic recreation activities existing within the Gunn & Peterson (1977, 1978) continuum which has potential to decrease the amount of hostile outbursts one has. No research has been conducted showing the relationship between anger management and the Gunn & Peterson (1977, 1978) continuum.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Northridge
- Department:
- Recreation and Tourism Management
- Creator:
- Khadem, Zahire
- Description:
- My thesis exhibition, The Body: A Grotesque Discombobulation, deals with issues of the human condition. In my mixed media drawings I depict fragmented and damaged bodies or body parts to explore physical and psychological disintegration. By abstracting representational subject matter the work lends itself to multiple interpretations and thus engages a wider audience. I defy the convention of the square plane so that the drawings begin to interact with one another, thus working individually and as a unified installation.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Northridge
- Department:
- Art
- Creator:
- Favakehi, Mohamad
- Description:
- The objective of this project is to design and evaluate an interactive terminal using vacuum fluorescent technology. The display tube used is six lines by forty characters wide to enable to display 240 characters of display data. The touch input panel uses infrared switch matrix optical technology to transmit the operator's interaction to the host system. A detailed explanation of design philosophy will be presented and a comparison between various types of touch input technologies will be discussed.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Northridge
- Department:
- Engineering
- Creator:
- Osagawa, Manabu
- Description:
- This project is considered as a portion of the XCoNet (Xilinx Chip on the Net). The main goal of XCoNet project is to connect Xilinx FPGAs to the Internet directly so that the chip can be re-configured and upgraded by receiving the configuration bitstream. In this project, ICMP echo reply module is designed. As necessary support information, Xilinx Virtex FPGA family architecture is described in CHAPTER 2. TCP/IP protocol suite is briefly explained in CHAPTER 3. A prototyping platform XESS XSV board is introduced in CHAPTER 4.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Northridge
- Department:
- Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Creator:
- Ferman, Patricia
- Description:
- The purpose of this thesis project is to develop a program, consisting of training sessions and a manual through which preschool teachers will learn ways of working with children with autism to increase social interactions. A manual will be created so that teachers can have an educational tool, to refer back to, after they have completed the instructional trainings. In the trainings preschool teachers will acquire the knowledge needed to work with children with autism. They will be taught methods and strategies for working with and encouraging play in high functioning preschool children with autism. Literature supports the notion that adults need to see an obvious connection between what they are learning and real life events. Through incorporation of the training sessions and the manual, participants will learn how effective strategies are in assisting them in the classroom setting. In doing so, teachers will be able to take what they have learned and apply it to their own lives. Research has demonstrated that the one characteristic exhibited in almost all children with autism is their apparent lack of social-communicative gestures and utterances therefore making it difficult for these children to be able to interact and play with their teachers and peers (Koegel, Koegel, Frea & Smith, 2000). However, if a teacher has the knowledge and skills needed to be able to facilitate social-communication interactions among the children then everyone in the classroom benefits. Research suggests that there is strong evidence that children with developmental delays can most efficiently learn age-appropriate behavior from an environment of similarly aged typical peer models (Koegel, Koegel, Frea & Smith, 2000). It also appears that children with severe social impairments can best learn to socialize if they are in an environment that provides a significant number of appropriate opportunities for social interactions (Guralnick & Groom, 1988; Stainback, & Forest, 1989). If acceptance by peers is a critical factor in child development, then segregation from typically developing peers is likely to be a detrimental and further disabling experience for any child. Therefore, having teachers in preschools knowledgeable on how to motivate the children with autism to respond to social and environmental stimulation and teaching the children to respond to complex multiple cues will benefit the children with autism and allow them to begin making friendships. A manual was developed to teach preschool teachers how to facilitate social interactions of children with high functioning autism with their peers. The manual will detail in length social intervention strategies and will give teachers a reference to refer back to. The manual will explore the following topic areas: child development, play, autism and intervention strategies. The manual was outlined, for quick references and contains the major points of the manual. An evaluation form was developed to critique the manual in the areas of description, content, objectives and program clarity. A panel of six experts was chosen based on the following minimum criteria: 1. Minimum teaching experience, 1 academic year with integrated classroom or 2. Minimum of 5 years experience working with preschool children. Once the evaluations were received the author reviewed and evaluated the comments to make the final revision of the manual. Recommendations have been created for those who wish to develop a program and for preschool administrators as to the reasons why they should implement the program.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Northridge
- Department:
- Recreation and Tourism Management
- Creator:
- Ruzicka, Alyssa L.
- Description:
- Cognitive workload theories typically assume linear additive impacts on performance as cognitive workload increases (O'Donnell & Eggemeier, 1986; Tsang & Wilson, 1997). Meanwhile, current trends suggest inclusion of variability analysis may be of benefit (Balota & Spieler, 1999; Brown & Heathcote, 2003; Van Zandt, 2002). The first study replicates Cooper and Shepard's mental rotation study (1973), confirming that mean response times shift in the analysis of variance (ANOVA), but that significant variability changes are also present. The second study adds a grouped-response dual tone discrimination task, revealing similar trends in means shifts and further significant increases in variability as difficulty rises. Implications for the development and analysis of cognitive theories of cognitive workload are discussed.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Northridge
- Department:
- Psychology
- Creator:
- Sweo, Robert Edward
- Description:
- This study was conducted to determine the effect of hand used and input task on input device selection. Forty-two right handed subjects were tested on both hands, across three input tasks: selection, position and orientation. Input device was used as a between subjects variable with an equal number of subjects carrying out the tasks with a mechanical mouse, trackball or graphics tablet. Of the three input devices tested in this experiment the graphics tablet allowed the fastest data entry. Performance on the graphics tablet was equal to or better than either the mouse or trackball on every task with either hand. Performance with the trackball and mouse was nearly equal on all the tasks, with either hand. Methodological limitations in this study made it difficult to assess the effects of hand used on input device. Further investigation is necessary before any firm conclusions can be reached. The variable that measured which direction the subject had to look from the target object to find the test object (horizontal, vertical or diagonal) entered into a three way interaction with hand and input device on the selection task. Analysis of the data showed most of the difference occurred in the left hand results. The left hand trackball users did equally well in each direction, while the mouse users did best on diagonal movements, worst on vertical and the graphics tablet users did best on horizontal movements but showed no difference for diagonal or vertical movements. The implications and limitations of this studies results are discussed and recommendations for future research are made.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Northridge
- Department:
- Psychology
- Creator:
- Hirsch, Haim Daniel
- Description:
- To determine how trust is affected by an interface containing the anthropomorphic representation of an intelligent agent, 593 visitors to a popular automotive Web site were surveyed on their use of an online agent-like system. The type of Personification (plain text-only, text with an icon representing the agent, text with an icon and a biography about the agent) and Message Style (Structured and Anthropomorphic) were manipulated. A significant interaction was found for all three derived factors: Decision Support, F(2, 587) = 5.79, p ? .01; Implicit Trust, F(2, 587) = 6.08, p ? .01; and System Competence, F(2, 587) = 3.29, p ? .05. The lack of main effects indicates that simple manipulations may not have the large impact typically assumed in the literature. Interface Designers wishing to enhance the acceptance of systems that include intelligent agents should ensure that the anthropomorphic characteristics as a whole, including the communication style and visual representation, should form a strongly cohesive and consistent presentation to the user.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Northridge
- Department:
- Psychology
- Creator:
- Ishimaru, Reiko
- Description:
- The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics has long advocated the use of calculators at all levels of mathematics instruction. Research (Hembree, 1986; Dunham & Dick, 1994) has indicated that students using calculators possess a better attitude toward mathematics. With that in mind, this study focused on the use of the graphing calculator and its influence on student attitudes toward mathematics in high school. In the study, questionnaires were given by four public high school teachers in four mathematics classes. The questionnaires were concerned with attitudes toward the graphing calculator itself and toward mathematics. The questionnaires were administered to approximately 140 students as a pre-survey at the beginning of a mathematics course and again at the conclusion of the same course after students had calculator instruction and experience working with the graphing calculator. Journals were kept by the teachers to provide additional opportunity to measure any changes in attitudes. Teachers recorded student reactions to learning with the graphing calculator. Some notes also included possible ways of improving the activities used in the instruction. Open-ended questions were also given to the students after the selected calculator lessons. These questionnaires provided a place for the students to express their feelings in their own words. These remarks provided more data to determine the student attitude changes. At the conclusion of the semester, the students were ranked by their final course grade in the classes under study. The students were then grouped into top one third, middle one third, and bottom one third of each class. The three groups were labeled high, medium, and low respectively. From each group, five students were randomly selected to be used for our data analysis. The findings verified the expectation that the graphing calculator and its use in mathematics classes would have a positive impact on the attitudes of students towards mathematics. Findings and conclusions were made based on the results of the questionnaires, open-ended questions and journal entries.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Northridge
- Department:
- Secondary Education
- Creator:
- Goraya, Sapandeep Singh
- Description:
- The aim of the project is to study state of the a1t in the design, development and applications of RF MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) devices, with primary emphases on RF MEMS switches, in the context of its imminent insertion and deployment in radio frequency (RF) and microwave wireless applications. A detailed study of the relevance of MEMS Devices for their inclusion in the various Wireless Transceiver architectures is attempted. The project also focuses on modelling RF MEMS Capacitive Shunt Switch for Wireless applications using Lumped Components Model & 3 Dimensional Full Wave Electromagnetic Simulation of the MEMS Switch in both the ON & OFF states, within a very broad range of frequencies from DC to 50 GHz. Simulated Electric field patterns & Current distribution plots in both the states of the MEMS Switch are also given. The project includes comprehensive parametric analysis, simulating the effect of various dimensional parameters of the MEMS switch on the electromagnetic performance of the device.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Northridge
- Department:
- Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Creator:
- Perez, Concepcion H.
- Description:
- In recent years, colleges and universities have attempted to increase the effectiveness of their educational programs in order to better assure student success. An integral tool that needs to be improved in the educational system of higher education is that of Academic Advisement (Sandor, 1984). Although, academic advising has existed for some time now, historically, it has never been used to its full potential. Frost (1980) states that this is due to "the often limited vision of the function of academic advising, and because of the resulting low value placed upon it by the institution in general, and the faculty, in particular" (pg. 56). Because of this need to make the full use of academic advisement as a tool for student success, I prepared a manual that contains the fundamental basics of academic advisement. This manual includes the importance of developmental advising, how to train faculty and student advisors, how to assess student needs, and how to make appropriate referrals. It demonstrates what a typical advising session covers, and how to develop a tracking, and follow-up program. Other important components of this manual include, how to deal with probation and disqualified students, the importance of getting to know the campus resources, tips for academic advisors, and common questions students ask.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Northridge
- Department:
- Educational Psychology and Counseling
- Creator:
- Stupar, Jerry Allen
- Description:
- The lack of quality physical education, as well as an absence of health and wellness concepts being taught, (particularly in California) results in children leaving elementary school with poor levels of physical activity and fitness. Project Health Zone (PHZ), a pilot program designed to assist in the delivery of physical education to K-2 students, included a physical education program that focused on health and wellness components through physical activity. PHZ's goals were to increase moderate and vigorous activity. It is unclear if increasing student' MVP A during physical education will result in increased levels during recess. Recess time can provide additional time for students to engage in moderate and/or vigorous activity. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a comprehensive quality physical education curriculum on physical activity during in-school recess. Each child's physical activity was assessed using SOFIT measures of physical activity. One hundred and five 4-8 year old elementary students were observed during three pre (September) and post sessions (April). Fifty-eight intervention students from the PHZ physical education classes and 4 7 students from the control group, received physical education from their classroom teachers, were observed during recess using the System for Observing Fitness Instruction Time (SOFIT). Activity categories were analyzed using Repeated Measures ANOV A. Intervention students significantly increased their time being very active and decreased their time sitting and standing. A significant change pre to post in frequency of walking and being very active was also noted. The control students' results indicated little change and individual results suggested less activity. More sedentary activity (sitting, standing) by the control group as well as a higher incidence of consumption of food prior to engaging in :free-play/exercise was also found. Control students were observed in larger cliques, and participating in activities that reduced moving due to structure (12-15 students playing half court basketball). Intervention students were organized in smaller groups thus promoting more individual interaction within the activity therefore increasing physical activity. These findings help support the need to include quality activity based physical education programs as part of the solution to increasing activity levels outside of the classroom. Current unstructured physical education classes do not adequately develop skill in fundamental movement patterns, and do not provide opportunities to learn about the importance of daily physical activity that could transfer to recess. This study contributes to the literature supporting quality physical education taught by trained professionals in elementary schools.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Northridge
- Department:
- Kinesiology
- Creator:
- David, Suzanne R.
- Description:
- The effect of database linking structure on complex search task performance was examined. Database structure was either hierarchical only or hierarchical with added relational links (mixed structure). Participants were asked to provide answers to five complex task scenarios, using one of two versions of a large, unfamiliar database. Participants also completed a questionnaire about their subjective ratings and comments about the database. The results indicated that the mixed structure facilitated better performance with respect to time for task completion and number of information and menu screens visited. No significant difference was found for accuracy/ completeness of response. Likewise, no significant difference was found with respect to subjective satisfaction or cognitive/navigational disorientation. The results appear to support the position that properly implemented relational links aid users in information search tasks.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Northridge
- Department:
- Psychology
- Creator:
- Balderrama, Joe O.
- Description:
- This study examined the effects of explicit warning salience on perceived risk. The design was a 4 X 6 mixed factorial. The between-subjects variable was warning label type. Its 4 levels were reactive pictogram plus text, proactive pictogram plus text, text only, and control. Reactive pictograms showed vivid injuries, and proactive pictograms showed protective behaviors. Hazard type was the within-subjects variable. Its 6 levels were bum, acid, inhalation, crush, eye projectile, and laceration. Subjects were presented with scenarios and then asked to rate warning labels. The 5 dependent measures were ratings on perceived level of hazard, level of caution, severity of injury, likelihood of injury, and susceptibility of injury. Compared to text only warnings, reactive warnings were perceived with greater risk than proactive warnings. However, the most interesting results are how certain hazard types were already perceived with a high degree of hazard regardless of the warning label type.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Northridge
- Department:
- Psychology
- Creator:
- Hamor, Sarah
- Description:
- Music information retrieval (MIR) is the fi eld dedicated to the organization and retrieval of music data. One of the eventual goals of MlR research is automatic transcription, where any musical recording can be transcribed to accurate sheet music with no human intervention, allowing easy cataloging of music and facilitating the creation of music databases for query-by-example systems. Towards this goal, l have investigated pitch detection algorithms for hummed or instrumental input and created an open source tool to transcribe monophonic melodies using the Java programming language. Additional goals include examining the current state of MlR research and encouraging future graduate students to explore MIR and expand on this tool.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Northridge
- Department:
- Computer Science
- Creator:
- Talebian, Sasan
- Description:
- The objective of this project is to discuss the assembly, behavior, building code requirements, and standard design practices for horizontal and vertical wood diaphragms. The discussions presented are intended to highlight the basics involved in design of wood diaphragms as lateral resisting elements for structures. A brief overview of construction practices and requirements has been incorporated in the text to facilitate related design discussions. Key tables from Uniform Building Code, 1985 edition, are included in the appendix.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Northridge
- Department:
- Engineering
- Creator:
- Rathod, Nikhil
- Description:
- The Project is to investigate the current techniques for fingerprint recognition. This target can be mainly decomposed into image preprocessing, feature extraction and feature match. For each sub-task, some classical and up-to-date methods in literatures are anal yzed. Based on the analysis, an integrated solution for fingerprint recognition is developed for demonstration. The program is coded in C Language. For the program, some optimization at coding level and algorithm level are proposed to improve the performance of fingerprint recognition system. These performance enhancements are shown by experiments conducted upon a variety of fingerprint images. Also, the experiments illustrate the key issues of fingerprint recognition that are consistent with what the available literatures say.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Northridge
- Department:
- Electrical and Computer Engineering