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Collection Description
Collection of student theses and dissertations from as early as 1939, but mainly from 2010 to present.
Pages
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- A critical examination of dual-language science educators: Ideology, pedagogy, access, and equity
- This study explores how K-8 critically conscious dual-language science teachers (CCDLSTs) working with bilingual learners (BLs) practice their critical consciousness via the four tenets of dual-language education: ideological clarity, pedagogical perspective and clarity, access for all, and equitable spaces (IPAE). This study is informed by the main research question: How are the IPAE tenets manifested in K-8 CCDLSTs’ daily classroom practice? Previous research offers limited information on how dual-language science teachers practice their critical consciousness. Given the era of Common Core State Standards and the number of BLs left with underprepared teachers, this study advances understanding of what CCDLSTs are doing in classrooms to draw on the assets of BLs. A phenomenological design was used to gather interview and observational data of how six CCDLSTs employed a critically conscious pedagogy in a dual-language setting while creating access to science content, with equity at the core. Findings include research-based examples of the instructional processes CCDLSTs used in their classrooms and how they planned and implemented science lessons inclusive of the IPAE tenets. Keywords: dual-language, science pedagogy, critical consciousness, equity, bilingual teachers, San Diego State University; Claremont Graduate University
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- A critique of the au pair scheme in Norway: In light of neoliberalism
- This thesis examines critically the current state of the au pair scheme in Norway, and connects the scheme to neoliberal ideology. The scheme is officially referred to as cultural exchange, but this definition ignores and hides the labor relationship that is currently the primary function of the au pair scheme. In this thesis the public debate concerning au pairs in Norway will be analyzed, and I will illustrate how supporters of the scheme typically base their arguments on neoliberal ideology. Supporters of the arrangement claim that the au pair scheme is beneficial to au pairs, but this thesis will show how the scheme is based on neoliberal arguments and policies that, amongst other factors, commodifies au pairs, creates a race and gender hierarchy, increases inequality, and diminishes ethical standards. Furthermore, this thesis will reject neoliberal ideology and suggest different notions that must be introduced to create new global ethics, which can lead to a more liberating and democratic society. If new global ethics are implemented, there will be no foundation left to continue the current au pair scheme.
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- A cross layer optimization for power management in wireless ad hoc networks
- Wireless ad hoc networks have been an important area of research since past decade. They are self-organized, rapidly deployable and require no fixed infrastructure. They are quickly becoming an important part of our modern communication systems with a wide range of applications like personal communications, gaming, military, disaster relief operations, environment monitoring and more. Transmission of data like voice and video has become increasingly popular for such networks. These applications require strict end-to-end delay constraints on data delivery, requiring speedy transmissions by wireless nodes. Various transmission schemes have been proposed to deal with the delay parameter by implementing smart routing techniques, using more power to guarantee delivery, etc. But for battery powered wireless nodes, minimizing energy consumption is of supreme importance. In absence of strategic transmission schemes the energy consumption of such nodes transmitting delay critical data is very high. Minimizing energy consumption without affecting communication activities is crucial to prolong the lifetime and improve robustness of the network. The power-delay trade-off is hence an important factor in designing the transmission schemes for such networks. Most of the techniques proposed to deal with this trade-off follow the layered approach of the OSI model, which was primarily created with a wired architecture in mind. Characteristics such as absence of a central authority, links subject to multiple access, fading, interference and limited power availability exacerbate the variance of network conditions and bring greater challenges for multimedia delivery. This situation causes interdependencies across the network layers, unlike their wire-line counterparts. Recent studies indicate that power management for ad-hoc networks can be significantly improved using a cross-layer design in which different layers of the OSI stack are jointly optimized for performance. Our approach discusses a cross layer collaboration achieved by a synergy between Application, MAC and PHY layers to serve delay critical applications energy efficiently. We propose a data transmission scheme based upon the channel condition, the power constraint of an individual node and the delay constraint of the data that is being transmitted. We formulate an optimization problem and solve it using dynamic programming techniques for calculating the optimal transmission policy. We provide Matlab simulation results along with simulations performed on the Ns2 network simulator to study the energy-delay tradeoffs in a delay constrained ad hoc network environment. Additionally, we compare the benefits of our transmission policy to a scheme without the benefits of cross-layer network parameter information.
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- A cross-sectional analysis of exposure to poly-drug use and IPV among MSM in San Diego, CA enrolled in the STAHR-II
- Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant health problem. Drug abuse, intimate partner violence, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) function in a unique environment. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between exposure to poly-drug use compared to single-drug use and sexual intimate partner violence among men who have sex with men (MSM). Using UCSD's STAHR-II study, a cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate the relationship between poly-drug use and sexual intimate partner violence among MSM. The final adjusted multivariable logistic regression model showed higher education, being HIV positive and having an unknown HIV status were associated with sexual intimate partner violence. The odds of a lifetime forced sexual experience among MSM with higher education were 2.0 (1.2-3.3 95% CI, p-value=0.01) times higher than those who have a high school education. The odds of a lifetime forced sexual experience among MSM with either HIV positive status or unknown status had the strongest risk relationships throughout the study. The odds of a lifetime forced sexual experience among MSM who are HIV positive are 2.3 (1.1-4.7 95% CI, p-value=0.03) times higher than those who are HIV negative. The odds of a lifetime forced sexual experience among MSM who do not know their HIV status are 4.2 (1.2-15.0 95% CI, p-value=0.03) times higher than those who are HIV negative. The results of this study have important implications for the treatment of related high risk behaviors such as substance abuse., San Diego State University
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- A cross-sectional analysis of metabolic syndrome in San Diego firefighters: San Diego Sports Medicine Center 2005-2013
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 34-37)., Metabolic syndrome is composed of five main risk factors, which are also closely related to obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Firefighters represent a unique population that could possibly be at a higher risk for metabolic syndrome due to job duties. This study aimed to determine correlates of metabolic syndrome in San Diego firefighters enrolled in a fire wellness program. The data comes from the San Diego Sports Medicine center fire wellness program. 1069 firefighters were enrolled into the study. Data that was collected included anthropometric measures, blood measures, cardiorespiratory function, and medical history. Backwards stepwise logistic regression modeling was used to analyze the data. The population was stratified by gender due to disproportionate gender sample sizes. The final sample size included 981 males and 88 females. Male firefighters with 'medium' metabolic equivalents (METs) were more likely to have metabolic syndrome at baseline, compared to male firefighters with 'high' METs, after controlling for all other variables [OR=3.68 95% CI: 1.51, 8.98; p=0.004]. After controlling for all other variables in the model, male firefighters with 'low' METs were more likely to have metabolic syndrome at baseline, compared to male firefighters with 'high' METs [OR=7.64 95% CI: 2.94, 19.88; p=0.004]. Male firefighters with 'very low' METs were more likely to have metabolic syndrome at baseline compared to male firefighters with 'high' METs, after controlling for all other variables [OR=13.21 95% CI: 4.42, 39.49; p<0.001]. The results of our study suggest that San Diego firefighters are more fit than other firefighter populations in the literature. 'Metabolic equivalents' was also inversely related to metabolic syndrome outcome; higher levels of fitness decreased the odds of metabolic syndrome in firefighters enrolled at the fire wellness program. Age-associated declines in cardiorespiratory function can be explained by the age-related increases in metabolic syndrome. The results also add to the sparse body of literature on firefighters and metabolic syndrome. Future interventions should focus on promoting healthy behaviors that lead to a higher level of fitness in firefighters.
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- A cross-sectional study of alcoholism: Is there an association with bullying in school-age adolescent
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 23-27)., Bullying and alcohol use is a major public health concern for adolescents in the United States. They are connected to one another and recent and tragic school shootings that have occurred in various locations were attributed to bullying. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between bullying perpetration and alcohol use among school-aged children. According to the Health Behavior in School-Aged Children (HBSC) 2005-2006 survey, about 34.4% of students have reported that they have bullied another student in the past 30 days. Also, 28.6% of the students have reported drinking alcohol at least once in the past month. Dataset from this study was used to perform an analysis of the association between bullying perpetration and alcohol use among the participants (n = 9,227). Results have shown that there is a significant association between bullying perpetration and alcohol use among the students. A logistic regression was performed and after adjusting for gender, grade level, tobacco use, and race, bullying was still significantly associated with alcohol use. The odds of bullying were 1.8 times significantly higher among those that drank alcohol once or twice in the past 30 days than those who did not (95% CI 1.6 - 2.1). In addition, the odds of bullying were 2.2 times significantly higher among those that drank alcohol 3-5 times than those who did not (95% CI 1.8 - 2.7) and 2.5 times significantly higher among those that drank alcohol 6-9 times than those that did not (95% CI 2.1 - 3.0). There are important implications from the secondary analysis of data coming from this study for the prevention of bullying among adolescents in the United States. Further study of factors like gender, race, and amounts of alcohol use are needed.
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- A dangerous neutrality: Ronald Reagan, Argentina, and the South Atlantic crisis
- Cold War historians traditionally portray Third World nations as trapped between two world superpowers, however, the reality is complicated and much more interesting. While the Cold War often played out in foreign theatres through foreign actors, the world was not a static chessboard and these actors were not simple proxies. On the contrary, the United States and the Soviet Union struggled to manage the regional politics of nonaligned nations and the goals of their own international agendas. In Latin America, where the Cold War was rarely cold, political and military leaders adopted strategies of accommodation or opposition to negotiate their asymmetric positions. Thus, this thesis seeks to address the Cold War myth of superpower bilateralism through a transnational analysis of the Falklands War/Guerra del Atlántico Sur. I argue that President Ronald Reagan collaborated with the Argentine military in Nicaragua and El Salvador as a means to circumvent public opinion and congressional oversight. The Argentine decision to invade the Malvinas/Falklands Islands imperiled this strategy and forced the Reagan administration into a compromised position. While Argentine leaders hoped to capitalize on their budding alliance with the Reagan administration, the British expected nothing less than complete political and military support.
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- A data-driven study of random graphs & social networks intended for the department of mathematics and statistics
- Social networks have become an ubiquitous part of society, and it is through these connections that most of our information gets disseminated. However, existing tools, such as graph theory, are not well equipped to sufficiently characterize such large-scale, evolving networks. We present a new empirical approach to analyzing this class of networks in which we supplement graph theoretical concepts with traditional dynamical systems techniques. Specifically, we leverage Dynamic Mode Decomposition (DMD) using small cycle counts as the underlying observable data driving the system. This provides a framework for analyzing the dynamics that describes the growth of social networks. We first review traditional graph theory and well-known random-graph models as well as detail our process of generating dynamical systems using cycle counts. We then demonstrate the feasibility of this approach by obtaining a real-world Twitter dataset, generating corresponding synthetic networks using a new retweet random-graph model, and comparing their DMD spectra and reconstruction error., San Diego State University
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- A decision support system to enhance electricity grid resilience against flooding disasters
- In watersheds across the U.S., there are utility poles and other critical infrastructure that are vulnerable to flooding damage. The goal of this multidisciplinary research is to assess and minimize the probability of utility pole failure through conventional hydrological, hydrostatic, and geotechnical calculations embedded to a mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) optimization framework. Once the flow rates that cause utility pole overturn are determined, the most cost-efficient subterranean pipe network configuration can be created that will allow for flood waters to be redirected from vulnerable infrastructure elements. The optimization framework was simulated using the Julia scientific programming language, for which the JuMP interface and Gurobi solver package were employed to solve a minimum cost network flow objective function given the numerous decision variables and constraints across the network. We implemented our optimization framework in three different watersheds across the U.S. These watersheds are located near Whittier, NC; Leadville, CO; and London, AR. The implementation of a minimum cost network flow optimization model within these watersheds produced results demonstrating that the necessary amount of flood waters could be conveyed away from utility poles to prevent failure by flooding., San Diego State University
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- A description of the NTRU cryptosystem and its cryptanalysis via the LL algorithm
- In 1996, Jeffrey Hoffstein, Jill Pipher, and Joseph H. Silverman introduced the NTRU cryptographic system. The latter is regarded as a post quantum cryptographic system due to its resistance to quantum attacks. In this work we review the encryption and decryption algorithms for the NTRU and also one cryptanalysis method based on the LLL (Lenstra, Lenstra, Lov´asz) algorithm for finding short vectors in a lattice. We implemented the cryptanalysis in Magma to observe in which cases the private key can be quickly recovered, i.e., in which cases the cryptographic system becomes vulnerable. Another type of attack, with the objective of recovering the message, but not the key, was also implemented., San Diego State University
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- A descriptive analysis of the evaluation practices of faculty development programs in the California public institutions of higher education
- The primary purpose of this study was to identify and compare evaluation practices for faculty development programs in California public institutions of higher education. A secondary purpose was to suggest standards for establishing evaluation plans and procedures for faculty development programs. The data were collected in three parts: during a telephone survey, a mailed questionnaire phase and a telephone interview. The data were analyzed descriptively and analytically to answer the following question: How is faculty development evaluated in the California public institutions of higher education? The subquestions to be answered were: 1. Do the institutions have a faculty development program? 2. Have they established systematic evaluation procedures? 3. How are the results of the evaluation used? 4. What kinds of evaluation practices are preferred? From the analysis of the data, the following findings were made: 1. There is no one model for faculty development program evaluation. 2. The three types of colleges and universities reflect their mission as outlined in the California Master Plan in dealing with faculty development program evaluation. 3. Most institutions which indicate that they have a program, include a series of loosely connected activities with an informal evaluation plan attached. 4. Faculty development programs in California currently are not directly related to institutional goals and objectives. On the basis of the findings, three recommendations are 1. Board policy, administration commitment and faculty involvement are necessary to integrate faculty development and institutional goals. 2. Faculty development program evaluation needs to be designed for the particular program within the institution. 3. Faculty development program evaluation should encompass a variety of evaluation measures depending on the intent of the program., San Diego State University; Claremont Graduate School, Digitization of this archival thesis was made possible through a generous donation from Robin B. Luby.