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- Creator:
- Bolton-Saksena, Krista
- Description:
- Non-removal of the spoon (NRS) is an empirically supported intervention for food selectivity. However, the way in which NRS has been described in the feeding literature varies significantly, making it difficult to determine what procedural characteristics are necessary for NRS to be effective. In this study, four male participants between the ages of 7 and 10 were exposed to an alternating treatments design comparing two variations of a NRS procedure (one requiring acceptance (ACC) and the other requiring mouth-clean (MC) and a passive exposure procedure (PASS) which served as a control condition. Dependent variables included latency to consumption and independent consumption. The NRS procedure requiring MC was most effective for all 4 participants. Results were replicated across foods associated with each condition for 2 of the 4 participants.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Psychology (Applied Behavior Analysis)
- Creator:
- Nasafi, Murtaza Taz
- Description:
- For some terrorism has become the daily part of their lives. This thesis attempts to find a relationship as to why some would be motivated to commit such acts. We present an argument of relative economic deprivation (REDI), leading to anger frustration and thereby motivating individuals to commit acts of terrorism to change their status quo. This thesis uses unbalanced panel data across 126 countries spanning 1970 to 2011 to estimate the relationship between REDI and counts of terrorism events. This study models terrorism data using negative binomial models, Zero-inflated negative binomial models, and fixed effects negative binomial models. In addition, we have implement principal component analysis (PCA) to create a relative economic deprivation index since the factors that determine REDI are likely highly collinear (i.e., gross domestic product per capita, loss of purchasing power measured through inflation, and income distribution measured through Gini index). Furthermore, we control for political factors, domestic instability factors, and demographic factors. Domestic instability factors are categorized into two hypotheses, failed state hypothesis and escalation effect hypothesis. We find that increase in REDI is a statistically significant predictor of counts of terrorism events, suggesting that when a group of people within a country feel deprived through a decrease in gross domestic product per capita, an increase in inflation, and an increase in Gini index, that country is likely to experience higher counts of terrorism events. Moreover, this study finds evidence supporting the failed state hypothesis, where a country experiencing ethnic or revolutionary war is likely to experience higher counts of terrorism events. Furthermore, our results suggest that increase religious fractionalization has a decreasing effect on counts of terrorism events. This thesis puts forward that when implementing policies to lower terrorism levels, policy makers should focus on the promotion of greater income growth, stability in prices, higher distribution of wealth, and religious tolerance.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Economics
- Creator:
- Paragas, Grace Orille
- Description:
- The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV-1) has reached pandemic levels, with an estimated 36.9 million people infected worldwide. Over time, HIV infection progresses to AIDS, which compromises the immune system and ultimately results in death. While there is currently no cure for HIV, there are treatments that delay the onset of AIDS. One such treatment is highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), that uses a combination of inhibitors to delay the progression of HIV to AIDS. These drugs are effective, but their utility is diminished by toxic side effects and viral resistance. To overcome these problems, it is essential to develop new HIV inhibitors. Most of the drugs created are designed to attack the virus once the host cell has already been infected. A promising area of research has focused on developing potent anti-HIV drugs that can inhibit HIV entry before the host cell is compromised. Research has shown that polyanionic glycodendrimers, sugar-based polymers, are useful in applications as therapeutic agents. Glycodendrimers are being investigated for their potential as viral inhibitors, where interactions with a virus may inhibit viral adhesion to the host cell and prevent infection. The current study involved the determination of the most effective and optimum route to synthesize anti-viral glycodendrimers. To efficiently create glycodendrimers, it is important to construct them in high yielding, chemoselective reactions. An attractive methodology is through the covalent coupling of reducing carbohydrates with aminooxy nucleophiles to form oximes. Oxime linkages have been shown to be stable against hydrolysis. Moreover, oxime coupling can be performed with microwave-assistance in reduced reaction times and good yields. By these means, dendritic cores modified with aminooxy-terminated linkers can be conjugated with reducing sugars by microwave irradiation to create robust oxime-linked glycodendrimers in good yields. The first step for glycodendrimer synthesis involved creating aminooxy-functionalized dendrimers. The dendrimer core, poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) generation 0, was amide coupled both traditionally and by microwave irradiation with short and long carboxy-terminated aminooxy linkers to create tetravalent branched cores. The coupling agents BOP, PyBOP, TBTU, EDCI/HOBt, and DCC/HOBt were used to compare yields and determine the best reagent for amide coupling. The best two-step yields using EDCI/HOBt were 94.0% and 71.0% for both the short and long tetravalent dendrimers, respectively. PAMAM generation 1 was next amide coupled by microwave irradiation using EDCI/HOBt with the short and long carboxy-terminated linkers to create octavalent branched cores in 65.3% and 77.9% two-step yields, respectively. Next, these modified dendritic cores were oxime coupled with the sugar maltotriose using microwave-assistance, creating novel glycodendrimers in a 98.4% and 70.9% yield for the short and long tetravalent dendrimers. Full substitution, however, was not achieved for the octavalent dendrimers. The short octavalent dendrimer was half-glycosylated in a 64.0% yield and the long octavalent dendrimer was hexa-glycosylated in an 83.5% yield. The study showed that glycodendrimers could be synthesized rapidly and in good yields. These oxime-linked glycodendrimers will ultimately be evaluated for their potential as viral inhibitors.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Chemistry (Biochemistry)
- Creator:
- Oneto, Arianna Nicole
- Description:
- Obesity at a young age predisposes children to have detrimental behaviors and non-communicable diseases associated with being obese that can continue throughout their lives. Research has shown that early obesity prevention programs are an effective way to establish lasting healthy eating and physical activity behaviors in children. The current study tested a short-term, standards-based nutrition curriculum with 20 rural, first-grade students. The USDA’s MyPlate curriculum, consisting of nine lessons focused on the five food groups, was implemented over a three-week period. The classroom teacher implemented the curricular lessons while the researcher conducted assessments of nutritional knowledge during regularly scheduled classroom activities. Teacher perceptions of the curriculum were gathered using both informal check-ins and one structured interview. The results showed significant increases in the participants’ nutritional knowledge. Findings from the study align with previous research showing that early, school-based nutritional prevention programs are effective at increasing young children’s nutritional knowledge. The teacher’s evaluation of the program revealed that the curriculum was easy to implement in the classroom. The study’s findings indicate that school-based intervention programs may be one promising tool for addressing the problem of obesity.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Child Development
- Creator:
- Davis, Katryn
- Description:
- The individuals associated with the United States Military, including servicemembers, veterans, and military families, constitute a distinct social community that defines and characterizes itself in part, according to a categorical distinction between the military and civil sectors. This study explores the military/civilian binary with data derived from participant observation and ethnographic interviews conducted with servicemembers, recent veterans, and family members of military personnel. It describes the ways in which members of the military community currently construct and construe the distinctions between the military and civil realms, and discusses the significance and implications of this binary, particularly in terms of how it gives meaning to individuals’ lives and self-understandings, and how it animates a narrative that the military community uses to reflect on their identity and experiences as they pertain to war and military life. Specifically, participants engage with a narrative that orients around the military community's exceptionality in order to supplant stereotypes with which they do not want to identify, and to redeem hardships in which they need to find meaning.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Anthropology
- Creator:
- Medved, Shannon Virginia
- Description:
- It is common for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to exhibit repetitive behaviors and have high levels of inattention which can lead to decreased opportunities for learning in the classroom setting (McCurdy & Cole, 2014). Consequently, educators may encounter difficulties when it comes to promoting academic engagement while working with students with ASD, especially with the adoption of the rigorous Common Core State Standards. If students merely attend school, but are not actively engaged throughout the learning process, what short and long-term benefit does this have in terms of academic success and life-long learning? This study investigated the use of a classwide interdependent group contingency to increase academic engagement during math and science instruction in an elementary special day classroom. Participants included seven students with ASD in a third through fifth grade special day classroom. An ABAB withdrawal design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention. Data was collected with the use of an interval recording system (i.e., momentary time sampling). Results suggested that the intervention increased the students’ academic engagement during math and science instruction. Specifically, the mean percentage of academic engagement was higher during intervention phases (M= 45.6%) than baseline phases (M= 24.4%). Limitations and future research, along with implications for school-based practitioners, are discussed.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Education (Special Education)
- Creator:
- Moore, Haley
- Description:
- Many students struggle to master the concept of two-digit subtraction as a result of lacking appropriate content vocabulary and developing a solid understanding of base-ten procedures. The researcher conducted a qualitative study to investigate the effectiveness of integrating concrete and abstract models of mathematical concepts to explore the ways in which students are better able to solve subtraction problems and explain their thinking. Twenty-four second grade students from a suburban school in Northern California were invited to participate in this four-week study. Ultimately, five students were selected as a representation of the whole group of participants for the purposes of more in-depth examination. An initial interview and a post interview were conducted to analyze and examine the growth of student understanding of subtraction as a result of the integration of the concrete models. The discussion of results outlines key recommendations for planning and implementing effective instruction in subtraction.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Education (Curriculum and Instruction)
- Creator:
- Alvarado Nava, Mariana
- Description:
- The police crash investigation department requires an engineering study of a vehicle crash before presenting a case to the judicial system. Vehicle crash reconstruction simulations establish new scientific basis for the judiciary system. Computer models are used to reconstruct the vehicle performance, since the dynamic performance of a vehicle collision cannot be repeated in real time. Vehicle dynamics is the engineering study of a vehicle based on mechanics and physics. This thesis uses modern techniques in combination with the information of Event Data Recorders (EDR) to help the judiciary system identify the safety parameters and condition of vehicles. The research analysis mainly focuses on the performance of police vehicles. The EDR is a device installed in the vehicle to record how the driver responds to a crash event. Since 2004 the event data recorders are mandatory in every vehicle. Also, the EDR is able to analyze the change in velocity of the vehicle at the time of the impact. The analysis of the change in velocity allows a base structure for computer simulation. A 3-D computer solid model of a 2004 Ford Crown Victoria is developed using Solidwoks. Also, dynamic computer simulations are developed using Adams View. The solid models consist of a tire assembly, a suspension assembly and a vehicle structure. These are assembled to form a complete model of the vehicle. The main objective is to analyze the vehicle’s performance during tactile driving maneuverers. The second objective is to provide new alternative methods to demonstrate a crash reconstruction to the judicial system. This method will provide a simpler, faster, and more accurate analysis of a vehicle dynamics. Additionally, the outcome of these simulations will provide a theoretical basis for future vehicle design.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Mechanical Engineering
37459. Inclusionary housing and the tipping point: the impact of affordable units on market-rate units
- Creator:
- Soltani, Sahar
- Description:
- California is home to many of the most unaffordable housing markets in United States and, if the cost of housing is included, has the highest percentage of people living in poverty. State and local governments have continuously put efforts into solving this problem. Inclusionary Housing is one land use policy tool that cities and counties in California and across the nation use to address their affordable housing shortage without dedicating any public funds. There is, however, controversy among housing developers, land use policy makers, housing advocates, and other stakeholders about the effectiveness of this tool. Despite this ongoing disagreement, hundreds of California municipalities continue to form Inclusionary Housing policies to increase their supply of affordable housing. This thesis aims to evaluate the effect of Inclusionary Housing on rental housing development by analyzing the impact of affordable housing units on market-rate units within mixed-income rental properties. I apply a mixed-methods approach to conduct this analysis. I use multivariate regression analysis to understand the relationship between affordable units and the average per square foot rent of market-rate units. To expand on the findings of the regression analysis, I conduct interviews with a selected group of property managers from a sample of mixed-income properties in Sacramento County. To form my dataset, I obtain a list of all mixed-income properties in Sacramento County from Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency (SHRA). I use secondary data accessible online, through phone calls, or via in-person visits to properties to compile a list of fully market-rate properties comparable to these mixed-income properties. The regression analysis found that, everything else held constant, the existence of up to 43 percent affordable units within any property in Sacramento County has no negative impact on the average per square foot rent of market-rate units. However, 43 percent is the tipping point, and after that, every 10 percent increase in the number of affordable units leads to a 4¢ reduction in the per square foot rent of the market-rate units. Although this number seems minimal when multiplied by unit square footages and projected over a year, it can become a sizeable loss in the gross annual rental income of the property. The qualitative part of the research found that property managers do not endure any challenges in managing the property that are directly related to the existence of affordable units but the community, in general, perceives affordable housing as a negative externality that affects the demand for market-rate units in mixed-income properties. Based on these findings, I recommend that the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) set a maximum threshold for Inclusionary Housing that any given jurisdiction can impose. Local governments should incorporate several options into their Inclusionary Housing policy, such as offering longer municipal fee deferral programs to projects subject to Inclusionary Housing requirements and granting by-right entitlements to projects that are zoning compliant and providing inclusionary units on site.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Urban Land Development
37460. A comparison of postural performance and kinematics between collegiate sprinters and non-sprinters
- Creator:
- Arce, Sotero O., III
- Description:
- The purpose of this study was to compare the postural differences and kinematics between sprinters and non-sprinters. It was hypothesized that sprinters differed from non-sprinter in a forefoot and flat-foot conditions in static balance and in center of mass (CoM) displacement during a 40m sprint. 16 male collegiate (community college) sprinters and 18 male non-sprinters (kinesiology students) were used. The subjects were tested using center of pressure (CoP) for the static test. A force platform (Wii Balance Board) was used to obtain CoP data in the form of CoP length in the mediolateral (M/L) direction. Three 30 second trials were obtained for each static condition. The subjects were also tested measuring CoM displacement (mid-point of the foot and CoM in the M/L direction). One trial of a 40-meter sprint was recorded (Casio; 120 Hz). Statistical testing included Independent t-test to determine the differences between sprinters and non-sprinters with alpha set to α=.05. It was hypothesized the sprinters would exhibit greater postural control than non-sprinters. In the forefoot and flatfoot stance in the M/L direction, sprinters exhibited significantly better postural control, flatfoot (p = .009), forefoot (p = .015). In CoM displacement during the 40m sprint, sprinters exhibited greater postural control (p = .000). In conclusion, findings confirm our hypothesis that sprinters will exhibit greater postural control in all conditions.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Kinesiology (Exercise Science)
- Creator:
- DeJong, Natalie Alyse
- Description:
- The cultural expectations surrounding the father have evolved in the last century to include a more involved and active father. In that case, the researcher is interested in seeing if this shift has been shown in popular children’s media. Young children receive a majority of their acculturation from their immediate environment. Appropriate social cues, and interactions are modeled by caregivers, media and through other familial exchanges. Picture books are one such media which children can receive cultural expectations. Picture books that are widely accessible have a better chance of being seen by children. The winners of the children literary award, Caldecott, is one such readily available type of picture book and is an ideal medium by which to examine if an evolutionary change of the father-child relationship has occurred within the context of picture books and if a shift has occurred, what is it? Sources of Data The ideograph was chosen as a way to view the possible illustrative shift of the father role over a 75-year period. Ideographs are culturally and historically grounded phrases that evoke a strong reaction to key social terms. An ideograph can be an abstract term or visual depiction, and has the ability to be understood in a universal context. Ideographs, in this study are representatives of the US American cultural expectations of fathering that have been depicted to children over the last 75-years in Caldecott award winning picture books. The prevalent ideographs represent these cultural expectations over time. This study will examine 40 books awarded the Caldecott honor, in order to identify the ideographic representation of fathers, that exists within children’s literature. Conclusion Reached It was found that fathers were depicted often in their traditional role, still they were shown with the same frequency as being affection givers. Fathers were shown in the traditional role most often in the 1940-1960’s. This declined starting in the 1970’s. By the 1980’s it all but disappears, and in the 1990-2013 is not present at all. During these decades fathers are either not present at all or taking on a non-traditional role and are shown as affection givers and teachers predominately. All ideographs found in the sample to represent fathers included: <Traditional>, <Affectionate>, <Apathetic>, <Absent>, <Equal>, <Bystander> and <Friend>. An additional category of illustrative representative forms of fathers was the other father figure (OFF), and is most often shown providing affection and teaching children.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Communication Studies
37462. The Merten Affair
- Creator:
- Archer, William D.
- Description:
- Dr. Max Merten, a German military official during the Nazi occupation of Greece, methodically participated in the destruction of Salonika’s Jewish community. His actions during the Second World War aided the Nazi regime in extorting, deporting, and ultimately exterminating the Greek Jews of Salonika. In 1957, Merten returned to Greece and was arrested, tried, and convicted of war crimes. Two years later, under the guise of an economic agreement between West Germany and Greece, he was released despite his conviction and twenty-five year prison sentence. New archival research, however, indicates Merten’s release from prison was specifically arranged in order to prevent disclosures of Nazi collaboration involving West German State Secretary Hans Globke, and separately, Greek Prime Minister Konstantinos Karamanlis. Information gathered and shared by the American and West German intelligence services discloses that Merten likely possessed, and continuously sought, information implicating both eminent political figures. Archival evidence additionally indicates that Merten used the war-period information as leverage for blackmailing both government officials in order to maintain his freedom and receive compensation.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- History
- Creator:
- Perez, Teresa
- Description:
- A significant number of high school graduates who apply for higher education are not prepared for a college-level mathematics course. At the start of their college careers, students who are not sufficiently prepared to complete entry-level courses are often encouraged or required to take remedial courses (U.S. Department of Education, 2013). College and universities are trying alternative instructional approaches to improve the teaching of remedial mathematics with the goal of increasing the number of students who have the skills and knowledge required for college-level math course. With the recent growth of the internet, new methods of delivering instruction are now possible thanks to the use of computers, so student will have choices of when, where and how they learn math. The purpose of this study is to compare academic performance of freshmen students attending California State University, Sacramento, (CSUS) who are enrolled in Elementary Algebra with Geometry remedial courses using traditional instructions and web based format (ALEKS). Students’ performance based on their gender and ethnicity will be explored as well. This study is based on freshmen enrolled in two Elementary Algebra with Geometry classes, during the fall 2012, 2013, and 2014 semesters. A total of 458 students were enrolled in both classes, 31% were males and 69% were females. In term of students’ ethnicity 25% were Asian, 11% African American, 32% Hispanic and 21% Whites. The classes were offered in two different format; traditional instructions and web-based online format. All the students completed the course and took the Intermediate Algebra Diagnostic (IAD) exam. Data was collected by two departments at California State University, Sacramento; The Math Learning Skill and Mathematics and Statistics Department. The three exam scores analyzed in the study were provided by the Learning Skill Assistant Professor and Math Coordinator. The Intermediate Algebra Diagnostic exam scores were provided by the Math Lab Coordinator. The results of this study showed that students in the ALEKS classes outperformed traditional lecture students in the Elementary Algebra with Geometry exam scores. In the Intermediate Algebra Diagnostic test students in traditional lecture outperformed ALEKS students. In terms of the Elementary Algebra with Geometry exam results, the study found that there is a significant gender difference in all semesters and in both classes, with females scoring higher than males. Additionally, females enrolled in ALEKS classes scored higher than females in lecture classes. In the IAD results the study showed that females also outperformed males in both classes. The results revealed that there was not a significant difference between the average test scores based on students’ ethnicity. All ethnic groups except African Americans had similar scores in both classes. African American students enrolled in lecture class scored higher than other ALEKS students. In terms of the IAD test, African American scored lower in both classes than Asian, Hispanic and Whites. Regarding class type the traditional lecture sections obtained the high passing rates. Based on the literature review and the results of this research the writer concluded ALEKS has a better impact on students learning. However the difference in lecture courses were slightly lower. More research need to be done to find out which teaching method has better impact on math remediation
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Education (Curriculum and Instruction)
- Creator:
- Piring, Donald Estrella, Jr.
- Description:
- Carlos Bulosan, Filipino writer and labor organizer, fabricated or embellished details of his life in his autobiography and elsewhere. Bulosan's autobiography, America Is in the Heart, will be heavily scrutinized for accuracy. It will be cross-referenced with archival materials and other primary sources. Some of his writings will be examined to extract literary themes that play throughout his life, and to get a sense of his mindset. Bulosan never gave a completely accurate depiction of his life. He took on Filipino migrant sufferings for himself and wrote as if he experienced these abuses firsthand. He did this in order to give his audience an arena in which to seriously contend with the hardships Filipinos faced in America.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- History
- Creator:
- White, Lynell Hanzel
- Description:
- In the 1950s, real estate agents and builders steered Sacramento residents of color to the West End, an area that used to occupy much of downtown Sacramento. However, as federal dollars became available for urban renewal programs, Sacramento officials elected to tear down the West End, sending thousands of West Enders into the greater Sacramento area. Many of these individuals were again steered into areas without racial covenants, such as Del Paso Heights, Oak Park, and various areas within South Sacramento. Some of these individuals held professional careers and could comfortably afford to live in areas of their choice. Not only this, many refused to allow anyone to dictate to them where they were to reside; and, thus attempted to purchase newer homes, which in many cases were in Sacramento suburbs, traditionally off limits to people of color. These individuals sometimes resorted to having white friends purchase homes for them in these areas, later transferring the deed into their own name. Others attempted to purchase homes in exclusively white areas and when experiencing racial discrimination, challenged home owners, builders, and real estate agents in court. By the late 1950s, the population of color in California had risen dramatically; however, the practice of placing people of color in segregated areas had created a situation of congestion. Sensing the need for action, local civil rights groups and California politicians aided people of color by both equipping them with fair housing legislation and providing legal aid to challenge institutional discrimination in housing in court. In 1959, California lawmakers passed two key civil rights laws (Hawkins Act and Unruh Act) that outlawed discrimination in public housing and in business dealings. By 1963, the Rumford Fair Housing Act was passed, which prohibited housing discrimination by private parties. Civil rights groups in Sacramento aided individuals in court as they used these newly created laws to secure the housing of their choice. This thesis examines the process of getting key housing legislation passed, explores the development and efforts of local civil rights groups, and discusses noteworthy individuals who worked tirelessly to create a level housing market in Sacramento. The sources that are used in writing this thesis include: newspaper articles, scholarly secondary literature, government committee minutes, magazine articles, primary sources from local organizations, speeches, documentaries, memoirs, digital media, maps, and photographs. The conclusion reached was that the collective efforts of California politicians, local organizations, and individual citizens effectively challenged housing discrimination in Sacramento, creating a more equitable housing market, while at the same time solving immediate housing needs.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- History
- Creator:
- Brocker, Paul Solace
- Description:
- Since the ending of the Space Shuttle Program, the National Aeronautic Space Administration (NASA) has embarked in ambitions projects for the conquest of space. Nowadays going to Mars and beyond are high new goals. NASA’s Morpheus Project requires the development of a new planetary lander that can go to the Moon, to Asteroids or other Planets. At this stage most planned proposals are unmanned intelligent and autonomous vehicles. Study of the stability and the fuel consumption are goals within the scope of this research. Due to the changing mass of the vehicle because of fuel consumption the development of computer models is required to predict how the vehicle will operate autonomously in space making decisions based on the circumstances.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Mechanical Engineering (Design and Dynamic Systems)
- Creator:
- Carhart, Andrew Edward
- Description:
- Abstract of "School Finance Decisions and Academic Performance: An Analysis of the Impacts of School Expenditures on Student Performance" by Andrew Edward Carhart. In 2013, California enacted the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) and set the most significant change to the state’s education system in the past forty years in motion. The LCFF reformed the state’s education finance system by reducing categorical funding programs, creating new formula funding mechanisms for students with the most significant needs, and providing flexibility to local decision makers. Since the LCFF has abolished or consolidated a majority of the categorical programs that the Legislature built up over the course of three decades, current administrators will be tested with newfound autonomy. In addition, school districts will be held accountable for their budgetary choices under the LCFF through Local Control and Accountability Plans (LCAPs), which must detail school wide goals, specific actions, performance measures, and expenditure projections to estimate what effect school policies will have on academic achievement. In this thesis, I use the basis of a regression analysis to provide a framework for rationalizing and prioritizing fiscal decisions and assess what choices can provide the best academic outcomes for California’s schools and students. Using two regression methods—ordinary least squares (OLS) and logistic—I examine the relationships among school, student, and teacher characteristics, test scores, and exemplary school performance using extensive data from primary and secondary schools in the state of Texas. The OLS regression analysis demonstrates a clear relationship between school expenditures in certain functions and average standardized test scores, while controlling for the complex interactions among the many other inputs of the education process. Based on the results of this first OLS analysis, I also perform a separate secondary regression analysis using a logistic regression model that demonstrates there is a non linear relationship exists between expenditures and exemplary performing schools, with significantly differing effects based on the majority demographic composition of the school.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Public Policy and Administration
- Creator:
- Darcey, Emily Katherine
- Description:
- The purpose of this study was to assess matrix training to teach twelve college students to play music notes and rhythms on the piano. We conducted two experiments using a multiple baseline design across participants. In Experiment 1, we taught participants to tact and play notes and rhythms on the piano when presented together as compound stimuli. After mastery, we tested to see if participants could tact and play the same notes and rhythms combined in different ways. We assessed whether participants could tact and play correctly when listening to audio clips with notes and rhythms, and play a musical piece with previously learned stimuli. In Experiment 2, we played a metronome in all conditions for three participants and faded out the metronome for the other participants. We tested to see whether participants could tact and play untrained compound stimuli before and after training and removed reinforcement before probes. We observed recombinative generalization, and novel piano play across all participants. During probes, no one played or tacted in the presence of audio clips proficiently. Results suggest that matrix training is an effective procedure to teach music skills to college students.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Psychology (Applied Behavior Analysis)
- Creator:
- Hahn, William
- Description:
- Nanostructured aluminum alloys are advantageous for their high strength properties and low density due to the presence of not only multiple material components, but also the presence of nanocrystalline grains that increase strength through grain boundary strengthening. Microstructural analysis is a crucial step in understanding alloy mechanical properties. The alloys observed in this research were analyzed through transmission electron microscope (TEM) observation and grain analysis to determine the average grain size of each nanocrystalline alloy and determine the distribution of grain sizes through each alloy. Average grain sizes for the alloys, found through number fraction analysis, ranged from 44nm to 624nm. Each alloy had a distribution of grain sizes, where the alloy contained high concentrations of grains close their respective average grain sizes with lower concentrations of grains further from the average size.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Mechanical Engineering
- Creator:
- Henry, Madeline Alys
- Description:
- Electoral systems have a direct impact on elections and their outcomes. Traditionally, local elections in California have used “first past the post” electoral systems. Beginning in 2002, a few cities began to explore other electoral options. San Francisco, Berkeley and San Leandro now use a Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) system; other cities such as Davis have considered but not adopted RCV. This thesis seeks to determine the motivations behind RCV, what makes a city more likely to enact the electoral system, and how it has been implemented. Using four case studies from cities in California, this research finds that cities are motivated to use RCV in order to improve voter participation and eliminate runoff elections, reducing costs. Through interviews with city officials, I found that highly educated, progressive and innovative cities have been more likely to consider a move to RCV. Cities with an existing charter appear to have an easier time moving to the new voting system. Those cities adopting RCV have seen a reduction in runoff elections and a change in campaign strategies; however, voter turnout has remained stable when compared to previous elections. RCV is a new system in California, it has only been used in three election cycles, but it has had an impact on the cities where it has been implemented. There is a need for more research to continue monitoring the impacts of RCV in California and to create a better understanding of how it is best implemented. Based on my findings, I recommend that the Secretary of State’s Office lead the effort in conducting research on RCV. I also advocate that statewide and local policies be developed to guide cities when they consider RCV and when they implement it.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Public Policy and Administration
- Creator:
- McCollum, Christine
- Description:
- Recent archaeological studies have increased our understanding of Early and Middle Holocene prehistoric occupation in the western Mojave Desert. These studies have also helped to resolve nearly a century of debate and disagreement regarding what defines the “Pinto Complex.” For this thesis, previously recovered and accessible Pinto Basin locality artifacts from the collections of Elizabeth and William Campbell in the 1930s, Carl and Jeanne Janish in the 1950s, and Adella Schroth in the 1990s were reanalyzed. Data from laboratory reanalysis were compared with assemblage data from three additional localities in the region known to contain a distinct Pinto complex assemblage (Awl, Goldstone, and Tiefort Basin) to identify variation in Early and Middle Holocene chronology, settlement, subsistence, technology, and trade and exchange in the Mojave Desert. Results of this study suggest the Pinto phenomenon was geographically vast, economically dynamic, and incorporated a diverse range of adaptive responses to local conditions. Another important outcome of this study is the determination that the Pinto Basin has potential for additional research and contains information that can inform our understanding of southwestern Great Basin occupation and human behavioral pattern, during the Early and Middle Holocene.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Anthropology
- Creator:
- Tran, Vy Ngoc
- Description:
- Previous literature on non-parental caregivers and attachment has focused on professional caregivers and child characteristics that influence a secure attachment relationship. However, there is little empirical research on non-professional caregivers and their characteristics that may influence a secure attachment relationship with toddlers. The purpose of this study is to explore non-professional caregivers’ characteristics (such as education, experience, investment and temperament) that influence attachment security of the toddlers in their care. Parents of 47 toddlers filled out surveys regarding their children. Participants also comprised of 28 student staff at a public university’s children center. These participants completed surveys and questionnaires regarding demographics, attachment and temperaments. Multiple regressions analysis and General Linear Modeling (ANOVA) were used to determine where caregiver characteristics and child factors (caregiver stability, education, experience, ad investment, child’s age, and child temperament) correlated with security scores. Results found significant correlations between the number of hours non-parental caregivers work, and a positive adjustment with children. It was also found that the child’s age (the older they were) was significantly correlated with their relationship with caregivers. However, caregivers’ education, experience, investment and temperament were not found to be significantly correlated with the attachment relationship with the children in their care.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Child Development (Applied Settings)
- Creator:
- Torres, Zitlali
- Description:
- A recent report by the Pew Research Center (2014) estimates that approximately 200,000-225,000 undocumented students are enrolled in post-secondary institutions across the United States (Teranishi, Suarez-Orozco & Suarez-Orozco, 2014). The recent passage of federal and state policies which permit eligible undocumented students to receive in-state-tuition rates, state financial aid, institutional scholarships and temporary employment authorization have significantly contributed to the increase in enrollment of undocumented students into institutions of higher learning (Olivas, 2010; Perez, 2014; Richards & Bohorquez, 2015). However, research on this rapidly growing student population continues to lag far behind (Teranishi, Suarez-Orozco & Suarez-Orozco, 2014). The purpose of this work was to interview undocumented college students to analyze, what if any, gender differences and or similarities existed between undocumented female and male students as they pursued a post-secondary education. This study examined the following questions; What are the educational, psychological and social experiences of undocumented female versus male college students? What motivates undocumented female versus male students to pursue a post-secondary education? In what ways, if any, do undocumented female and male students utilize mentors and support systems to navigate college? While undocumented female and male college students encountered similar experiences as a result of their shared lack of legal immigration status; through an intersectional analysis of gender, race and citizenship status it was evident that the educational, psychological and social experiences of undocumented female and male students varied as a result of gender-socialization, double-standards and stereotypes towards undocumented immigrants. The results of this study indicated that undocumented female and male college students encountered gender differences as well as similarities which impacted their educational, psychological and social experiences. For instance, both female and male participants reported being emotionally impacted by family separation, were inspired to become role models for their younger siblings and determined to persevere through their educational goals. Furthermore, there were distinctive gender differences in disclosing immigration status, engagement in extracurricular activities and parental advice related to employment and career aspirations.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Education (Behavioral Sciences Gender Equity Studies)
- Creator:
- Hernández, J. Ramiro
- Description:
- Statement of Problem: The mathematical writing of students in K-12 dual-immersion programs merits increased attention following the adoption of new academic standards across the United States earlier this decade. These standards convey the expectation that students produce discipline-specific academic language across content areas, including mathematics. Consequently, the mathematical achievement of students across the nation—including those in dual-immersion programs—will be judged partly on their production of mathematical writing. To help dual-immersion students develop the ability to produce mathematical writing, educators must thus be aware of the particular ways in which these students apply language resources to write mathematically. This study provides an analysis of the language resources applied by one dual-immersion student in her written responses to mathematical-writing prompts. Based on conclusions derived from this analysis, recommendations are offered for developing K-12 students’ ability to write mathematically. Sources of Data: Data for this study consisted of one dual-immersion second-grader’s written responses to six mathematical writing prompts. Qualitative analysis highlighted in detail the specific language resources the student applied within each individual writing sample, as well as across writing samples. Conclusions Reached: Itzel produced hybrid forms of text in response to the tasks of composing story-problems and informative/explanatory mathematical writing. These hybrid forms were primarily results of combining a variety of language resources found in writing standards at grade level and above grade level. The “hybridity” of the student’s writing facilitated her attention to the language demands of purpose/process, form, context, and content. However, language resources were applied more adeptly in response to the task of composing story-problems than in response to informative/explanatory mathematical writing tasks. This finding suggests that students and educators alike would benefit from more detailed pedagogical support, direction, and research regarding mathematical writing, particularly informative/explanatory forms.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Education (Multicultural Education)
- Creator:
- Chesarek, Amy
- Description:
- The State of California recently experienced one of its driest years in 2013 since it became a state in 1850. This not only influences modern day construction practices, but some counties enforce mandatory conservatory practices. Amador County, California is an agricultural community 40 miles east of Sacramento that is experiencing significant growth in wine and viticulture. The Hudson Winery is opening its doors in Amador County and is setting the standard locally for a LEED Certified tasting room. The Winery spent months researching the best materials, construction methods, and operating practices through books, articles, and interviews with local businesses. The most utilized source was the Guide to LEED AP text which detailed the categories and how to achieve a LEED rating. The Hudson Winery was awarded the Silver LEED rating for its innovation in construction materials and sustainable operating practices. It is the first winery in Amador County to be awarded a LEED rating, but hopefully many more businesses will follow the same path to sustainability.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Urban Land Development
- Creator:
- Jones, Marcia Lenae
- Description:
- The purpose of this study was to observe gender differences in children’s play in the socio-dramatic play area of a preschool classroom. Also, to gain retrospect on children’s ideas of gender roles through a facilitation of discussion through reading of children’s literature. The data was collected qualitatively through use of observational methodology and analyzed thematically. The following research questions were examined: What kind of gender roles do children display through interactions with peers in: sociodramatic play area, block area, children’s conversations, peers assigning roles, adult roles (mommy/daddy), and dramatic characters (superheroes)? What are the ways in which these gender role behaviors are expressed, verbally (speech) and non-verbally (actions)?; What are children’s responses to literature concerning gender roles? The researcher conducted this study at a Northern Sacramento preschool. Participants in the study were all aged 3 to 5 years old. There was a total of 18 children, six girls and 12 boys that participated in this study. The racial background of children consisted of: eight of the 18 participants were African American; five of the 18 participants were Caucasian; three of the 18 participants were Asian American; and two of the 18 participants were Hispanic. As far as age, there were a total of four 5 year olds, eleven 4 year olds, and four 3 year olds. All of the children’s names used in this study were pseudonyms. Throughout the data, children seemed to express a sense of traditional and non-traditional feminine and masculine roles. The overall arching themes evident in the data were: Dress up prior to play, Helping roles, Nurturing roles, Domestic roles, Dominance, Aggression, and Risk Taking Roles, and Use of Stereotypical Language. The data concerned with children’s responses to the selected children’s literature displayed some significant results that are explained following the themes. Also, children’s reactions to the readings of the selected text were enthralling. Children demonstrated interest in all three texts. Both boys and girls exemplified attentiveness to the stories read aloud. Most importantly, the researcher observed that children learn and create their belief systems of behavior through close observations of others. Ultimately, more global awareness to gender behavior that children display and communicate, will grant parents, teachers and other important role models in a children’s life the moments to support and teach children about gender equality.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Education (Behavioral Sciences Gender Equity Studies)
- Creator:
- Price, Jenifer N.
- Description:
- This study examined the effectiveness of performance feedback (PFB) training to train nine undergraduate students with no previous coursework experience in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) to conduct trial-based functional analyses (TBFA). Effects of self-review of a task analysis (TA) checklist, written instructions in non-behavioral language (WI) or article review (AR), and small group PFB training were evaluated. In contrast to previous research, training did not include any didactic instruction on the principles of ABA and rationale of functional analysis methodology. TA with written instructions was found to be insufficient, but the addition of small-group training with PFB was found to be effective. Results offer a socially valid training protocol to teach paraprofessionals to assist certified behavior analysts in conducting TBFAs in applied settings.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Psychology (Applied Behavior Analysis)
- Creator:
- Smith, Shannon
- Description:
- This thesis explores how feminist activism at California State University, Sacramento (CSUS), in the Seventies, transformed the university. My research utilizes archival sources, newspapers, and oral histories from women who participated in the movement. This paper focuses on four forms of feminism present at CSUS: labor, liberal, academic, and anti-rape. Those who identified with these forms of feminism challenged unfair maternity policies, fought for the creation of an on-site child care center, confronted the sexist ideology that dominated employment practices, and addressed the university traditions and customary practices that objectified and sexualized women.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- History
- Creator:
- Tadena, Alyssa N.
- Description:
- The prevalence of adolescent overweight and obesity is a major public health concern in the United States. Adolescent populations of low socioeconomic status (LSES) have a higher relationship of becoming obese. Obesity is linked to a lack of physical activity (PA) and poor nutrition. It has also been indicated that technology usage has been suspect to sedentary behavior and weight gain. This study examined the prevalence of OW and OB among ethnicity, PA, nutrition, and technology usage in comparison to health status of LSES 8th grade adolescents attending a charter middle school in Sacramento, CA. A sample of 141 LSES 8th grade adolescents attending a charter middle school in Sacramento, CA was assessed. The School Physical Activity and Nutrition Survey was used in order to analyze the self-reported values of ethnicity, PA, nutrition, and technology usage in comparison to health status using BMI classifications. The gth grade population had a prevalence of OB and OW 50% or more. Each ethnic population rates of OB and OW were high, approximately 50%. All students self-reported high amounts of PA, even the OB and OW students. However, 50% or more of OB and OW students were aware of the recommended amounts of PA. Self-reported values of low vegetable intake (0-2 servings per day) was contradictive to the availability of fresh vegetables in the home. High frequency of water (0-4 servings a day) and soda (0-2 servings a day) was reported among all students. Overall, 25% of OB and OW students reported using technology four hours or more a day. Presented data confirms the high rate of OB and OW among LSES gth grade students enrolled in a charter school in Sacramento, CA. However, overreporting of PA may have occurred which could have led to the prevalence of high values amongst all students. Future research, should consider different strategies to avoid any bias such as the use of activity trackers and mobile diet logs. It is also suggested that due to mobile devices becoming more of a necessity, it would be appropriate to measure the amount of time spent using cell phones in relationship to OB and OW. It is also important to acknowledge gender among adolescents due to possible differences in social desirability.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Kinesiology (Exercise Science)
- Creator:
- Corches, Kara Beth
- Description:
- More individuals have health care coverage after the passage of the monumental federal health care reform law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). However, the promise of the ACA cannot be fulfilled if there are not enough physicians participating in Medicaid to sustain the huge beneficiary population. With a low provider to beneficiary ratio in Medicaid, individuals are forced to go without needed care or wait weeks, if not months, to be seen by a medical provider. Long waits to see a health care provider can have life or death implications, raising the urgency of this policy problem. This study analyzed the relationship between physician participation in Medicaid and a variety of environmental factors, such as reimbursement rates, practice characteristics and personal traits. My research sought to identify which factors are the most influential in a physician’s decision to participate in the governmental health care program. I employed a series of ordered logistic regression and logistic regression models in my quantitative analysis. Data from the 2012 and 2013 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey were used to evaluate the relationship between influencing factors and participation, as physicians prepared for the sharp increase in the Medicaid population due to the 2014 ACA implementation. The quantitative analysis demonstrated that reimbursement rates may not actually be the golden ticket to improving physician participation, while the ethnicity of a physician and region of practice are far more influential in a physician’s decision to participate in Medicaid. A central finding from my study indicated the ethnicity of a physician is a critical factor impacting Medicaid participation; minority physicians are more likely to participate in Medicaid than non-minority physicians. Another important finding showed physicians who practice in rural locations are more likely to participate in Medicaid than those who practice in urban areas. My study has policy implications for lawmakers and Medicaid officials. It is vital that the federal and state governments increase physician participation to deliver on the promise of the ACA and subsequently improve the health and well-being of millions of Medicaid beneficiaries nationwide.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Public Policy and Administration
- Creator:
- Cowgill, Tami L.
- Description:
- California is the most populous and one of the most racially diverse states in the country. To avert the potential problem of not covering enough medical services for the entire population, California integrated the services of Medi-Cal and Medicare and developed the Coordinated Care Initiative. California wishes to provide amalgamated and adequate health care options to its eligible beneficiary population. This prompts an important public policy question: is the California Coordinated Care Initiative the most efficient (cost effective) way to do this? To answer the above question, I drew on evaluations conducted by Research Triangle Institute, or RTI International (RTI). RTI contracted with Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) prior to implementation and is the basis for all evaluations and the official evaluator of the CMS Demonstrations. One of the advantages of the RTI evaluations is that they utilize the exact same surveys and observations for each state, as the core method to gather information from the programs. In addition to analyzing evaluations by RTI, I include responses from stakeholders I interviewed, based on my findings in the analysis. The individuals I had the pleasure of talking with include: Amber Christ, Senior Staff Attorney with Justice in Aging, Christian Griffith, Chief Consultant of the California State Assembly Budget Committee, Andrea Margolis, Consultant of California State Assembly, and two individuals who wished to remain anonymous, with combined experience in working in the non-profit sector as a health care advocate, and in state government in finance and legislation. My analysis illustrates that it is possible to successfully integrate health plans only if there is ample time to plan, put policies in place, and inform those affected prior to implementation. Based on discussions with those who work with the program or understand its components, as well as evaluations done on the integrated programs, if some parts of the integration had been handled differently, the CCI program may not have suffered such catastrophic issues with implementation.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Public Policy and Administration
- Creator:
- Duncan, Donna and Ganem, Pixie
- Description:
- The primary purpose of this study was to debut and evaluate the efficacy of an integrative Restorative Justice and Narrative Mediation circle approach. This qualitative content analysis study utilized non-probability convenience sampling to incorporate 23 MSW students. Participants were also asked to complete a post-circle survey addressing their experience and satisfaction of the circle process. One remarkable result was that regardless of participants’ experience with restorative and narrative practices, every participant acknowledged a better understanding of the problems affecting their cohort as a result of the circle process. This study demonstrates the need for further research into the compatibility between restorative and narrative practices, as well as, the need for individuals, communities, organizations, and institutions to utilize the integration to be better equipped to address, prevent, and resolve conflict.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Social Work
- Creator:
- Michaud, Andrew Charles
- Description:
- Inquiries into the accountability process have demonstrated that a variety of factors affect perceptions of law enforcement. Few studies, however, have investigated the relationship between media, sensationalism, and perceptions. Thus, a sample of California State University, Sacramento criminal justice and communications students participated in a survey during the 2016-2017 academic year. Subsequent statistical analyses indicated that criminal justice and communications majors do not differ significantly in their perceptions of police, which may suggest that media consumption does not affect individuals. Hypotheses are suggested that may explain the findings.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Criminal Justice
- Creator:
- Marquez, Eliud
- Description:
- Thorough research has determined that police attitudes towards mental-health consumers have shifted through the past few decades. After collecting data from peer reviewed articles, multiple textbooks, and some government documents, a prevalent theme shows factors associated with mental illness lead to criminal behavior. Additionally, these same factors alter people’s perception of reality, create a dependence on alcohol/drugs, and leads towards police arresting mental-health consumers. The dynamics of mental illness, alcohol/drug abuse, and criminal activity equates to overpopulation of prisons. This has led to the criminal justice system becoming an asylum instead of a correctional resource. The criminal justice system will continue to increase arrest rates, overcrowding of prisons, and the treatment of mental-health consumers as criminals without proper guidance.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Criminal Justice
- Creator:
- Tram, Jenny Shi
- Description:
- Despite the growing research of mindfulness in the field of education, there are few studies addressing students with disabilities. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of mindfulness lessons, using mindful breathing and mindful listening, on the on-task behavior of students with disabilities during academic instruction (i.e. whole group reading instruction). The participants in this study were 11 students, from first through grade, in a special day class for students with disabilities. In this quantitative study, the researcher used a single-subject, alternating treatment experimental design with a 3-week baseline phase followed by an 8-week alternating treatment phase (a total of 41 sessions). Data was collected by observations of students’ on-task behaviors during whole-group instruction using round-robin interval recording. The mean percentage of on-task behavior (M) increased from baseline phase (M=67%) to alternating treatment phases of mindful listening (M=73%) and mindful breathing (M=73%). Analysis with the percentage of non-overlapping data (PND) indicated that mindful listening (PND= 73%) was effective, while mindful breathing (PND= 69%) had a questionable effect on student on-task behavior. The data suggested that both treatments may have been equally effective in improving on-task behavior (PND=94%). Overall, findings suggested that mindfulness training correlated with increased on-task behavior of students with mild to moderate disabilities in a public elementary school setting, during whole group reading instruction.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Education (Special Education)
- Creator:
- Marina-Espinoza, Marthese
- Description:
- Past literature indicated that women struggling with infertility reported higher levels of stigma and distress. This study examined whether infertility problems had deleterious impact on women’s mental health and if pressure from a spouse/partner and parents, importance of parenthood, and stigma worsened distress levels of infertile women. The data used were from the first wave of the National Survey of Fertility Barriers (NSFB), which is a sub-survey of the National Survey of Family Choices. Results showed that infertility was associated with depressive symptoms of women. Further, stigma increased depressive symptoms of infertile women while spousal expectations effectively decreased depressive symptoms of these women.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Sociology
- Creator:
- Walker, Kevin Anthony
- Description:
- Policymakers have struggled with how to reduce the prevalence of unintentional shootings for decades. Sadly, the people who are affected by unintentional shootings are often minors. In attempts to address this issue, policymakers in a variety of states have passed Child Access Prevention (CAP) laws, aimed at reducing the prevalence of incidents involving a minor obtaining a firearm and unintentionally shooting themselves or someone else. This study explores some demographic and contextual information surrounding such incidents, and examines whether the rates at which these unintentional shootings by minors occur differ across states based on the presence or lack of a CAP law or laws. The data analyzed for this study were drawn from a variety of sources, including the Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund, the Law Center for Gun Violence Prevention, and the United States Census Bureau. Data on unintentional shootings by minors were collected for all fifty states for the calendar years 2015 and 2016. These data were used to provide descriptive analyses on some demographic and contextual characteristics of these incidents, and a series of t-tests were used to examine whether there was a difference in the rate of unintentional shootings by minors between states with and without at least one CAP law. Analyses of the incident-based data discovered that a majority of both shooters and victims in these incidents were males. The average age of the shooters was 10, while the average age of the victims was one year younger, 9. Handguns were the type of firearm most commonly involved in unintentional shootings by minors. Most incidents occurred within a residence, usually the residence of the victim of the shooting. Approximately a third of the shootings were fatal, while the other two thirds resulted in injury, but not death. Analyses comparing rates of unintentional shootings by minors across states by the presence of a CAP law returned results that failed to reach statistical significance. That is, this study found that states with at least one CAP law do not have statistically different rates of unintentional shootings by minors than states without a CAP law. The study concludes with suggestions as to how future research could further explore the effectiveness of CAP laws at reducing rates of unintentional shootings by minors.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Criminal Justice
- Creator:
- Santos, Tessa Elizabeth
- Description:
- Statement of Problem Special education is a service intended for students struggling to maintain grade level achievement alongside their typically developing peers. Students are referred to special education when their disability or suspected disability begins to interfere with their ability to function and learn in the general education setting. “The intransigent problem of overrepresentation of students of colour in special education in the USA has been well documented in the literature” (Ferri & Connor, 2010, p. 106). Although compelling, current data does not explain why so many special education classrooms contain so few young women. “Disabled girls represent a dwindling presence in the special education classroom where young males make up on average two-thirds of the special education population (Mitchell 2006)” (Ferri & Connor, 2010, p. 106). The discrepancy between boys and girls receiving special education services does not accurately represent the overall population of student enrollment in California. According to the data taken by the California Department of Education (CDE) Educational Demographics Unit, girls made up 48.8% of the school population during the 2013-2014 school year. Therefore, in order to be adequately represented, girls would need to make up 48.8% of the population receiving special education services (California Department of Education, 2016). As the special education world moves towards a more inclusive practice model, it is important for special education and general education teachers to be aware of the discrepancy that exists and cohesively work to address the inequities that continue to exist in education. The gender discrepancy of students in special education warrants an examination of a segment of the referral process and a look into general education teacher bias in order to avoid perpetuating the achievement gap. The underrepresentation of girls or the overrepresentation of boys receiving special education services leads one to gather the possibility that some girls with disabilities may go unidentified and as a result unsupported, throughout their K-12 school journey. Furthermore, this could mean that boys are being unjustly referred, stigmatized, and frequently excluded from their typical peers as a result of a gender bias on behalf of general education teachers. Sources of Data The methodology utilized in this study consists of a researcher-constructed survey complete with six fictional case studies. Data was produced as a result of teacher survey input and subsequently recorded in the hope of finding a trend as a result of boys and girls being referred to special education. The anonymous survey was sent out to general education teachers in K-6 teaching positions within one school district. The survey questions asked teachers to identify their teaching background: grade level taught, gender, number of years teaching, the special education model currently implemented in their school, and other credentials held. Additionally, each survey contained two case studies selected at random. General education teachers were then instructed to read the case study and recommend the next steps in intervention they determined to be necessary for the two given students to reach optimum success (referral to special education, response to intervention, 504 plan, or student study team). Teachers were then instructed to justify their selections for their chosen next steps of intervention. The justification following the case studies allowed teachers to write in open-ended narrative format. Open-ended narrative, qualitative research utilized within this study allowed for data to expand beyond multiple-choice quantitative data. Conclusions Reached Overall findings indicate that while changing the gender specific name from Katie to Billy does not make a difference in the quantitative findings of recommended interventions, and indicates a bias towards the male gendered name, Billy, within open-ended narrative data results. Billy and Katie were both recommended to receive an SST most commonly, however Billy was recommended to be in a separate setting, need medical professional help, and deemed to be too difficult for a general education teacher to handle more than twice the amount of Katie.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Education (Behavioral Sciences Gender Equity Studies)
- Creator:
- Dunlap, Stewart
- Description:
- Solid state hard drives are rapidly replacing spinning disk hard drives in the electronics industry, because of their reliability, and speed. Solid state hard drives primarily consist of NAND flash Memory, DRAM memory, capacitors, inductors, voltage regulators, and a controller. Solid state hard drives heat up significantly during their use, because of the large quantity of NAND memory devices. There is also a push for data centers to use ambient air, instead of controlled cool air, to reduce cost. Previous solid state drive designs did not require addressing the high power, high ambient temperature conditions, so the designs utilized simple box geometry, and no specific materials were used to help transfer heat. In order to speed up the development process, and save prototype development cost, finite element analysis simulation can be used. Different temperature, air flows, and materials, can be simulated with SolidWorks, to come up with the optimum design, before any parts are fabricated. The results of the design can then be compared against testing data, to verify the simulation. This paper will focus on thermal simulation of the design using SolidWorks, and comparison of the design against actual testing results.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Mechanical Engineering
- Creator:
- Thao, Pang and Dang, Valerie
- Description:
- The research examined the issue of the delay in graduation time among Southeast Asian students at California State University, Sacramento (CSUS) in relation to the factors of the lack of finances and lack of advising. This exploratory research utilized a mixed method study design. Convenience and snowball sampling was used in order to gather 123 qualifying participants; however, due to validity concerns six were excluded leaving a total of 117 participants. Data analysis found there to be no significance between the lack of finances and the delay graduation time among participants; however, there were significance between the number of times met with an advisor for junior students and graduates/alumni and the number of semesters completed at CSUS. This research reveals the importance of consistent academic advising as it has an impact on college retention and graduation rates.
- Resource Type:
- Project
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Social Work
- Creator:
- Lerma-Garcia, Teresa Dolores
- Description:
- Brief Literature Review The literature points out two important concepts: the benefit from working and attending college and challenges associated with working while attending college. A Federal Work-Study (FWS) job can provide a student with effective time management strategies. For some students, their FWS job is their first experience learning how to manage school and work. As more students are employed, they face having to balance their academic requirements, extracurricular activities, and employment responsibilities to maintain their lifestyles (Scott-Clayton, 2011). Statement of the Problem The focus of this study was to determine the following: What factors, in addition to financial aid assistance, are provided to eligible students in the FWS program; the relevant learning students acquire from participating in a FWS program; and the types of benefits students recognize they received from participating in a FWS program. Additionally, it examined the ways in which the FWS experience might be structured to maximize the academic life experience benefits to participating students. Methodology In this quantitative study, respondents were asked to answer closed-ended and multiple-choice questions independently and voluntarily. Five initial questions were posed to gain demographic information: age range, sex, ethnicity, current grade level, and grade level at the start of their FWS employment. The survey was administered solely online, via SurveyMonkey, also used to collect, record, and summarize results. Conclusions and Recommendations Students participate in the FWS program for many reasons. The data from the students who participated in the FWS program indicated the extent to which their FWS experience helped them develop skills. The FWS employers also had an impact on the students’ career development. Respondents provided advice to future FWS students. Recommendations include helping FWS students become engaged in activities that encourage active and collaborative learning and foster positive interaction between students, employers, and faculty members. Additionally, campus leaders should also consider intentionally designing active collaboration learning experiences for FWS students that also appear to be linked with more frequent student-employer interactions.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Education (Higher Education Leadership)
- Creator:
- Yang, Chong
- Description:
- The United States faces a major STEM worker availability gap for the 21st century. This gap puts the US at risk for maintaining its competitive advantage for innovation. The fields of engineering and computer science is predominately participated by White and Asian men. Under-represented minorities (URM) can fill that crucial gap. For the last set of decades, the United States have implemented student academic support programs in all levels of education in order to improve URM students’ persistence in STEM education. HMong men are classified within the pan-ethnic classification of Asian men. This classification often removes HMong men from participation in student academic support services targeting engineering and computer science (ECS) academic success. For minority men, specifically Blacks and Hispanics, often requires additional academic support services to be successful in ECS majors. These individuals are often first-generation college students stemming from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. 8 cohorts of HMong men and their participation and persistence in engineering education at a minority serving institution (California State University, Sacramento) were examined. Of all 8 cohorts, 52.9% would be first generation college students and 79.4% would receive the Pell Grant. HMong men do not have a significant participation gap. They have a significant persistence gap – worse than any group examined. 4 out of 5 incoming freshmen HMong men who would matriculate into engineering or computer science did not finish in 6-years.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Education (Education Technology)
- Creator:
- Hladek, Nicholas Ralph
- Description:
- This thesis seeks to estimate the impact of internet availability on international trade using a theoretically consistent model of international trade and statistically sound estimation techniques. Specifically, it is hypothesized that an increase in any two countries' populations' ability to communicate over the internet will lead to an increase in bilateral trade flows between them, ceteris paribus. This hypothesis is tested using the Poisson pseudo-maximum likelihood estimator to estimate a reduced form specification of the gravity model. It is estimated that an increase in internet availability will result in an increase in exports to OECD countries, though the magnitudes of these increases depend on whether the exporting country is an OECD or non-OECD country.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Economics
- Creator:
- Houser, Brent James
- Description:
- California’s executive agencies continue to experience a growing number of older employees. The threat of these employees retiring and agencies experiencing the loss of their most trained and experienced staff presents a high risk for departments to implement essential services to Californians. In addition, California’s non-working population (under 18 and over 65) is steadily increasing, which may demand more services from California state government. This thesis explores to what extent California state agencies are adequately planning for the possibility of a major exit of baby boomers from the state workforce. The goal is to identify the extent and quality of workforce planning in California state agencies. Additionally, I aim to identify factors that both encourage and discourage agencies from engaging in such planning. I explored workforce planning in California departments using two methods. First, I acquired a sample of five publically available department workforce plans. The five workforce plans served as my sample to assess the quality of workforce planning by California departments. My analysis of the five workforce plans was guided by a rubric I developed based on the existing literature on workforce planning. Secondly, I interviewed representatives spanning seven departments to gain a greater understanding of what encouraged or discouraged those departments to invest resources in workforce planning. Those departments engaged in workforce planning demonstrated a number of positive features such as executive support, alignment with strategic planning, and data collection. In addition, California departments revealed challenges with workforce planning such as balancing competing priorities and not having adequate expertise in workforce planning. However, this study also discovered a majority of California departments are not developing workforce plans; this is an opportunity for improvement. I identified a number of policy recommendations aimed at increasing the number of agencies completing workforce plans and improving the quality of workforce planning for all departments.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Public Policy and Administration
- Creator:
- Olson, Allisha Tatiana Delarese
- Description:
- This thesis explores the ways in which African American characters within Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye, Sula, and Home, create their own sense of identity and belonging within a society that prevents them from forming their own master narratives. While community is important to each of these characters, members of their respective communities act in ways that are both helpful and harmful; thus calling into question the responsibility that a community has to its members. Viewed alongside liminal theory, post-colonial theory, and through a feminist lens, this thesis attempts to deconstruct the manners in which these novels have previously been viewed, and elicit a response to the new definition of identity that Toni Morrison’s novels put forth.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- English (Literature)
- Creator:
- Sousa-Johnson, Michael
- Description:
- INTRODUCTION: Baseball pitchers have the highest volume of throws of all baseball players. These large volumes of throwing may lead to injury of the throwing shoulder. Each pitcher has their particular throwing style and arm position they prefer, called arm slot. PURPOSE: Primary aim was to compare the differences in shoulder abduction angle, lateral trunk lean, and shoulder proximal force, in each arm slot. Secondary aim was to provide evidence for defining ranges for each arm slot and bring about information of a new variable, arm slot angle. METHODS: Motion capture (240 Hz) of fourteen (14) pitchers throwing off an artificial dirt mound in a lab. Data analyzed were shoulder abduction angle, lateral trunk lean, and shoulder proximal force. RESULTS: No statistical significance found comparing shoulder abduction angle or shoulder proximal force (P > 0.05) between arm slot groups. Lateral trunk lean however was significantly different (P < 0.05) between arm slot groups. DISCUSSION: Present study was one of the first to look at differences in shoulder proximal forces between different arm slots. Limited data to shoulder kinematics and kinetics in literature; however, data has been shown that at ball release there are high amounts of force and torque occurring at the elbow. Further research needed to look closer into the shoulder forces and torques in each arm slot, and to define ranges for each arm slot as far as arm slot angle.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Kinesiology (Exercise Science)
- Creator:
- Eccles, Jessica D.
- Description:
- This study explores links between parental status and attitudes towards parenthood through the analysis of data received from California State University, Sacramento’s annual CALSPEAKS survey. Previously used researched questions on this topic were added by special request to the core set of questions on the CALSPEAKS omnibus survey along with questions measuring life satisfaction. In light of the passage of Paid Family Leave legislation in 2002, California parents were hypothesized to report higher levels of satisfaction than nonparents. California parents were also hypothesized to hold more conventional ideas about children compared to nonparents. General findings support the first hypothesis indicating uniquely high satisfaction levels by California parents that are less frequently seen in U.S. samples. The second hypothesis was also confirmed with California parents holding more conventional ideas about parenthood than nonparents. The results of this sample point to possible positive large-scale national impacts of paid leave policies within the United States as well as the role of social policies in shaping the impact of children on life satisfaction.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Sociology
- Creator:
- Bullis, Cory Alexander
- Description:
- In 2008, the California Legislature passed SB 375, which required the state’s metropolitan planning organizations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through better land use and transportation planning. Their first milestone to reduce emissions was 2020. With this deadline just around the corner, it is unclear if Sacramento is on track to hit its target, or how well implementation is going overall. Finally, given this first round of implementation, it is unclear what additional tools will be needed to hit the following milestone after 2020, 2035. This study answered each of these questions through a series of in-person or phone interviews with public officials involved in the implementation of SB 375 in Sacramento – local planners, planners at the Sacramento metropolitan planning organization, and state agency officials. My research found that Sacramento is on track to meet the 2020 target, and the area faces many barriers to implementation, the biggest one being lack of appropriate funding. Furthermore, Sacramento has a long way to go in building the demographics necessary that want and are able to afford the kinds of land use projects built through SB 375. And finally, if Sacramento is going to meet its 2035 target, it will need additional tools in the form of more creative financing mechanisms, more direct outreach from the state and metropolitan planning organizations to local governments helping them with implementation, and broader CEQA reform to encourage more SB 375-type development.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Public Policy and Administration
- Creator:
- Potts, Christopher Wayne
- Description:
- Powder metallurgy is a widely used process specializing in the creation of unique alloys and metal matrix composites (MMCs) that cast and wrought alloy processing techniques cannot achieve. Production of metal powders, however, can be cost prohibitive when considering small production runs. Some techniques, such as gas atomization, are necessary for producing clean, spherical powders, but these pristine powders are not always required, depending on the post-processing technique that will be employed. For example, during cryomilling the pristine nature of the metal feedstock powders is destroyed from ball milling in a slurry of liquid nitrogen or argon. Building on the work of previous research, we have designed a machine capable of generating inexpensive, irregularly shaped powder metals suitable for further processing. Design of the centrifuge was based off the findings from investigating two different analytical models with the results verified by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) for powder formation in the centrifuge chamber. The analytical models agree within 3% of one another and within 11% of the CFD model. The machine has been designed and developed to be built for under $15,000 to meet the criteria given to be considered “inexpensive.”
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Mechanical Engineering (Manufacturing and Materials Engineering)
- Creator:
- Fox, Andrew Douglass
- Description:
- In recent years, state and local government officials have responded to rising public support for a higher minimum wage by introducing legislation that would boost the wage floor in their respective jurisdictions. These recent minimum wage increases make a thorough analysis of such a policy imperative. This thesis contributes to the vast minimum wage literature by examining the impact that state minimum wage increases had on poverty rates for 47 of the contiguous US states from 2003 to 2012 by implementing several regression techniques that researchers have used in prior studies. Specifications include various fixed effects models, random effects models, regressions that account for spatial heterogeneity, regressions that examine the sensitivity of the results to the definition of poverty, and two stage least squares (TSLS) regressions. When using TSLS to account for minimum wage endogeneity, the results of the analysis indicate that minimum wage increases may be an effective policy tool to lower poverty rates. The analysis indicates that the decline in poverty rates following a 10% increase in the real minimum wage ranges between 8.6% and 10%.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- Economics