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- Creator:
- Martin, Justin Thomas
- Description:
- The aim of the present study was to fit data to a structural equation model that includes conservatism, HIV-related stigma, and avoidance behavior. An exploratory factor analysis was performed, and a subsequent structural model was created with conservatism directly relating to avoidance and indirectly affecting avoidance through HIV-related stigma. Results showed that though the chi-square was significant, the structural model resulted in good model fit. In the full model, positive pathways were found between all latent variables, though the direct path between conservatism and avoidance was not significant in the full model. When tested alone, it was found that the pathway between conservatism and avoidance was significant and positive, and further tests indicated full mediation with 45.6% of the effect of avoidance mediated through stigma. Replication studies should be performed to validate these results, and future research should focus on expanding the avoidance latent variable by including HIV-testing rates.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Psychology
- Creator:
- Williams, Lauren D.
- Description:
- Transgender older adults are amongst the most marginalized communities in the United States, both historically and presently. While many of the challenges experienced by this cohort are also common to the broader aging lesbian, gay, and bisexual population, the social support needs of this community are largely understudied. Alongside the inarguable amount of discrimination and obstructions that elder transgender individuals have experienced across decades, are the qualities of resilience and courage which should not be understated. This research examines the expressed levels of social support and isolationism of transgender older adults. A qualitative and exploratory research design will be utilized to identify statistically significant patterns by exploring six community members’ account of the status of their social support system. This, in turn, will be helpful the field of social work and, most importantly, this underserved community at large.
- Resource Type:
- Project
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Social Work
- Creator:
- Onovakpuri, Ogheneruno
- Description:
- Increased penetration levels of Distributed Generation (DG) can cause harmful harmonics and power quality issues for the power distribution system. This project aims to investigate harmonic and power quality issues related to high penetration levels of DG. The existing harmonic and power quality concerns and problems caused by DG on typical power distribution systems will be studied. The focus will be on a commonly used type of DG known as solar Photo-Voltaic (PV) that contributes to power quality issues. Sample tests utilizing a case study of power quality at a PV plant in Princeton, NJ, and simulation results showing the power quality problems will be analyzed. Possible solutions and recommendations for mitigating these power quality issues will be investigated.
- Resource Type:
- Project
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering
- Creator:
- West, Michael
- Description:
- Introduction--High altitude illness, specifically acute mountain sickness, is a potentially life threating ailment for individuals that travel to high altitude. Acute mountain sickness is characterized by the following symptoms; headache, lethargy, dizziness and gastrointestinal issues. To date there have been several attempts to validate the use of heart rate variability in an effort to predict when an individual is more likely to become sick at altitude, but no studies have included a model with exercise that is known to increase acute mountain sickness.--Purpose-- The purpose of this study is to examine changes in autonomic output via heart rate variability to see if there is a relationship between autonomic output and severity of acute mountain sickness during a 12-hour exposure to normobaric hypoxia.--Methods--Eleven participants (7 male and 4 female) were recruited for this study, of which eight (6 male and 2 female) finished the study. Participants were exposed to two 12-hour altitude sessions (FIO2 12.4%) which was roughly 4,200 meters. Baseline heart rate variability, blood pressures, heart rate, oxygen saturations and Lake Louise scores were obtained with participants seated for five minutes prior to entering the altitude tent. Subsequent measurements were taken at hours 3, 4, 5, 6 and 12 with participants seated for at least five minutes and were taken prior to any exercise. A two-way repeated measures ANOVA was used to determine any significant differences and Tukeys post hoc was used to determine where those differences occurred between groups. A Pearsons correlation was used to determine any relationships between the changes in HRV and AMS scores from hours 6 to 12. An alpha level of 0.05 was used for significance.--Results--The main finding of the study was a main effect for treatment and time for HRV measures. Significant differences between groups were observed and a significant difference between hour 3 and 12 of the non-exercise trial with LnrMSSD values being 3.73±0.45 and 3.40±0.36 respectively for hours 3 and 12. An interaction effect of treatment by time was observed for heart rate. Heart rates were significantly higher in the exercise trial at hours 4, 5, 6 and 12 when compared to all timepoints except hour 12 during the non-exercise trial. A Pearson value of 0.41 and 0.14 were calculated for non-exercise and exercise differences between LnrMSSD and LLS between hours 6 and 12 which yielded p-values of 0.30 and 0.75 respectively.--Conclusions--Although significant differences were found regarding HRV, no significant relationships between HRV and AMS were observed. This leads to the conclusion that HRV is not a valid tool for predicting AMS during acute normobaric hypoxic exposures.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Kinesiology (Exercise Science)
- Creator:
- Sanni, Shukurat
- Description:
- Safety is a major work zone concern; this concern is heightened for workers that work near travelling public. Motorists and passengers are more vulnerable and have a greater likelihood to be injured or killed from a work zone crash. The prevalence of work zone crashes was 45 percent in California in 2014. Work Zone Intrusion Alarm (WZIA) systems are innovative safety devices with the technology to provide auditory alert in work zones following a vehicle intrusion. These devices typically have a detection, transmitter, and auditory alert unit, with some devices having a visual and/or personal safety alert unit. The objective of this thesis is to assess the effectiveness of WZIAs. The objective was achieved with a combination of a qualitative and quantitative analysis. The qualitative analysis revealed the potential of the devices. The quantitative analysis resulted from a pilot test of three WZIA systems: the Traffic Guard Worker Alert System, SonoBlaster and Intellicone. The research found WZIAs to be effective but recommends improvement to the systems’ functional characteristics. The findings and recommendations presented in this research will assist in the widespread implementation of Work Zone Intrusion Alarm systems. This thesis concludes with future research suggestions that will expand on this research’s findings.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Civil Engineering (Transportation)
- Creator:
- Ward, Christian
- Description:
- This study discussed the arrangement of library online help information and examined theories and methods for improving online help effectiveness. A brief historical background of online library systems was provided to both inform the reader and define the library website environment. Theories and methods for evaluating website effectiveness were presented, with an emphasis on improving factors of convenience and relevance of website information. The discussion then turned to help seeking behaviors of students in the academic setting, and examined the expectations and preferences for online help tools through the analysis of anonymous survey data. Student perception data for online help and library research services was compared to librarian perception data and website use statistics in order to identify alignment and misalignment of results. The study concludes with a summary of the finding and their alignment with the discussed theories and methods, and highlights the need for future research to examine user preferences for online help content to improve the effectiveness of library online help tools.
- Resource Type:
- Project
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Education (Educational Technology)
- Creator:
- Noureddine, Ikbal
- Description:
- Newcomers coming from the Middle East and North Africa, as English Learners (ELs), face barriers to learning and often lag behind their native-English-speaking peers, and further also face racial disparities in discipline (Burke, 2015; Losen & Keith, 2015). The purpose of this comparative study was to identify MENA high school newcomers’ academic, acculturation and socio-emotional challenges, and examine how these challenges were addressed within restorative justice practices [RJP] high schools compared to Non-RJP high schools at the leadership, communication and cultural awareness levels. The researcher conducted the study in two RJP and two Non-RJP oriented high schools within the same school district, using a concurrent mixed methods approach. Surveys were administered to teachers (N=97) and MENA newcomers (N=46). In addition, individual interviews (N=39) with MENA newcomers and four principals and focus groups (N=22) as well as discussions with teachers were conducted to triangulate data. Quantitative data collected was analyzed using Multivariate, Univariate, Independent Samples t-Test and Pearson correlation tests. Student results showed significant differences in MENA newcomers’ self- awareness and school connectedness. In RJP schools, students were more supported within their microsystem by their teachers. Research findings showed the existence of mismanagement and staffing problems at the leadership level that directly impacted ELs/ MENA newcomers. The finding suggest that MENA newcomers felt disconnected from their school and exhibited low self-image in Non-RJP schools when compared to their peers in RJP schools. MENA newcomers’ school connectedness was affected by their surrounding ecological systems which resulted in academic limitations and coping difficulties in their new schooling environment.
- Resource Type:
- Dissertation
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Education (Educational Leadership)
- Creator:
- Haigh, Nathan
- Description:
- Chronic wounds are a growing problem caused by increases in the incidence of diabetes, obesity, and the aging population, and they represent a disproportionately large burden to the healthcare system. The risk of complications including infections that result in hospitalization and amputation make chronic wounds particularly pernicious. Many attempts have been made to identify both the molecular basis behind chronic wounds and an effective treatment to improve prognosis. As yet, the exact cause of chronic wounds is idiopathic and may be varied, but research indicates many if not most result from a failure to advance from the inflammatory phase to the proliferative phase of wound healing. Current standard care and even the most advanced treatments currently on the market provide little value to chronic wounds, leaving a tremendous need for both a better understanding of the physiology of chronic wounds and relief for patients suffering with chronic wounds and their complications. One avenue being pursued for chronic wound healing is the application of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) due to their ability to release growth factors and anti-inflammatory cytokines. MSCs normally home to wound sites, but they require a structural support that may be damaged in chronic wounds. Therefore, research is pursuing scaffolds, such as hydrogels, to provide an appropriate niche comparable to a normal wound to hold MSCs at the wound site and stimulate them to release appropriate factors for that point in the healing process. MSCs like other cells anchor to their environment through membrane bound proteins including integrins, which provide signals about the nature of the extracellular matrix (ECM) within which the cell resides. Hydrogels are polymers of either synthetic or natural organic compounds that can serve as anchors for MSCs and delivery vehicles for factors that influence healing. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) is a synthetic hydrogel that can be tuned to varying degrees of stiffness and used to deliver MSCs. However, PEG requires the conjugation of ligands that integrins can bind. These ligands can be designed to be highly specific to only one or a few relevant integrins. Research in the Maverakis lab has used the one-bead-one-compound method to screen potential ligands for integrin-binding specificity and assessed their capacity to induce differentiation in vitro. However, the capacity of these ligand-conjugated hydrogels to modulate MSC function in vitro or facilitate wound healing has not yet been determined. The overall goal of the Maverakis lab is to develop hydrogels that can be administered in a clinical setting to facilitate healing of chronic wounds. Previous work in the has suggested MSCs differentiate toward chondrogenic and osteogenic lineages using tentagel beads conjugated with integrin binding ligands. Here the effect of 30 cell culture in PEG-hydrogels conjugated to integrin binding ligand specific to a4~ 1 integrin is explored through PCR and RNA-seq. To characterize MSCs received from collaborating labs, flow cytometry was used for cell surface expression of MSC markers: C044, CD73, C090, and C0105. The presence of MSC markers and the absence of markers for ematopoietic cells suggests experiments were conducted on true MSCs. To characterize the effect of specific integrin stimulation in 30 cell culture on hydrogel encapsulated MSCs PCR and RNA-seq was used. The results from RNA-seq analysis support differentiation of MSCs into osteogenic and chondrogenic lineages when treated with LLP2A in support of previous finding in the Maverakis lab from 20 tengel bead cultures. The finding that a4~ 1 integrin stimulation results in osteogenic and chondrogenic differentiation suggests that LLP2A may not be effective for dermal wound healing. In contrast, RGD conjugated hydrogel, a control for LLP2A, showed differentiation toward smooth muscle and adipose with enhanced angiogenic signaling, suggesting a potentially effective treatment of improving dermal wound healing. While these findings were not born out in the in vivo studies using hydrogels alone without MSCs, there remains the possibility that hydrogel encapsulated MSCs will be able to enhance wound healing as proposed. Moving forward, additional putative integrin binding ligands will continue to be screened. Specific integrin binding ligands that have been screened will be tested for their effect on MSCs in vitro, and hydrogel encapsulated MSCs will be used in in vivo studies on mouse splint wounds. LLP2A conjugated hydrogel may be studied for in vivo healing in bone and cartilage dysfunction.
- Resource Type:
- Project
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Biological Sciences (Stem Cell)
- Creator:
- Gee, Elaine K.-L.
- Description:
- Informal caregivers may experience objective strain, subjective strain, and isolation as a result of caregiving. Harmony Support for Caregivers (Harmony) (Hieb, 2017) is a ministry of a Northern California church that provides caregivers with information and emotional support. Handmade cards are used to communicate with caregivers. The student created the Caregiver Outreach Program, a component of Harmony, as a result of the creation of the handmade cards. Three objectives were created to provide direction for the project and include the following: (1) Reduce caregiver strain and isolation by using the caregivers' church as a source of support, (2) provide individualized caregiver support, and (3) encourage caregivers to return to interests that were stopped when caregiving became overwhelming. Carl Rogers' (1951) theory of self-actualization provided the foundation for the study. Forty caregivers within the age range of 30 through the 80s participated in the project. A convenience sample of the caregivers was surveyed to determine the project's helpfulness. Quantitative results of the survey showed that Harmony provided caregivers with useful information (75%), helped caregivers feel connected to their church (50%), and helped them feel as important as their care recipients (50%). Caregivers returned to old hobbies (56%) and were interested in pursuing other Harmony activities (56%). Although caregivers indicated that the type of card they received did not make a difference (56%), the qualitative results showed that caregivers clarified their original responses by writing that handmade cards made them feel special (50%). The survey results indicate that caregivers respond positively to individualized support from their community. This support reminds caregivers to think about themselves. The use of handmade cards is debatable and needs further study. The project will be sustained by recruiting caregivers, church members, and other church ministries to help create cards for Harmony to use and exploring different ways card-makers can have access to card-making supplies that includes accountability.
- Resource Type:
- Project
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Gerontology
- Creator:
- Rajguru, Aniruddha Shekhar
- Description:
- Over the years, data privacy has been a major concern amongst consumers. Applications such as Facebook, Uber, and Instagram collect a huge amount of data from users in return for the free service. Some of this data collection is necessary for the service to work. However, the data being collected is often not essential for the functionality but is rather used for targeted advertising or user analytics. As the data collection takes place in the background, most consumers are left clueless. Consumers also lack the technical expertise to identify such data collection. Not just third-party applications, but even the Android operating system itself sometimes violates users’ privacy heavily. There are various ways of collecting user data, one of which is using device sensors, such as microphones, cameras, GPS, Wi-Fi and accelerometer, to precisely monitor the users’ activity. The goal of this project is to create a sensor monitor that allows users to view and capture accurately what happens to their data on a day-to-day basis. The sensor monitor also informs users to view which applications are accessing which sensors and at what time. To achieve this functionality, the sensor monitor targets three parts of the Android stack: the Linux kernel’s PROC file system, Android’s SensorManager utility, and sensor.h header file. Combining these metrics along with a flag status allows the sensor monitor to form historical insights and send real-time alerts. The sensor monitor is designed to be modular for better maintainability and extensibility. All sensor monitor insights are stored in JSON and can be easily exported for further analysis. Thus, the sensor monitor will benefit a regular smartphone user as well as form a base for future projects in the Android domain.
- Resource Type:
- Project
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Computer Science