cometadata/datacite-titles-descriptions-related-identifiers huggingface dataset:
DOI: 10.25549/usctheses-c127-645016
title: Performance of roof materials high SRI, low SRI, and green roof in California climate zone 8, Los Angeles, California

description: As cities expand, dark and inanimate surfaces cover more area; therefore, more solar energy is absorbed within the cities’ area and the temperature goes up. The heat island effect elevates temperature particularly during the summer. Studies demonstrate that materials that reflect a large fraction of solar radiation and green roofs are two ways to decrease this effect. ❧ Cool roof materials decrease the demand of energy during summer due to the fact that they bounce back the sun’s radiation into space instead of transferring it to the building below. The amount of heat that reflects or is absorbed by the surface is measured by two characteristics, solar reflectance (ρ) and absorptance (α.) The amount reradiated is characterized by thermal emittance (ε.) ❧ In order to compare the performance of roof materials, four test cells have been constructed. The author first compared (Round One Tests) the performance of four systems: a black roof without insulation, a cool roof without insulation, a conventional insulated black roof, and an insulated roof that is covered with cool roofing material. The test cells were made in climate zone 8 during June and July 2010. ❧ Temperatures were measured inside, outside and above the roof. The inside temperature shows the effect of different material and insulation on the performance of building envelope. The outside measurement provides data to understand the Urban Heat Island effect that is caused by dark areas in the city. The roof assemblies of the cells are: - Black painted roof without insulation - Black painted roof with R-13 insulation - White Roof Coating (Solar Reflectance =0.84, Thermal Emittance=0.91) without insulation - White Roof Coating (Solar Reflectance =0.84, Thermal Emittance=0.91) with R-13 insulation ❧ After September, the insulation was changed to R-30 for the insulated test cells in order to quantify the impact of insulation by comparing the inside and outside temperature for different insulation levels (Round Two Tests.) ❧ At the end of October, the black roof without insulation was replaced with a green roof (Round Three Tests.) The thermal mass of green roofs protects the building from getting cold during the winter as well as insulating the building during summer. Measurement inside and outside temperature and humidity of this test cells provide the data to compare the performance of mass as well as other aspect related to green roof with black and white roof. Evapotranspiration will reduce overheating, as well. ❧ The measurement and analysis of indoor and outdoor temperature data will indicate the results. This paper aims to determine the effect of the insulation, color, and thermal mass on the performance of the roof in climate zone 8, Los Angeles.
DOI: 10.25549/usctheses-c127-653295
title: Banking on status: How status can be transferred across dimensions to buffer the eroding status in others

description: This dissertation first reviews past literature that suggests that status may be distinguished along two distinct dimensions: a competence-based dimension and a social desirability-based dimension and puts forth the notion that individuals can have status along one or both these dimension simultaneously. Secondly, these studies build on research that suggests that having high status may be a burden, especially following a transgression or when expectations are not met. This dissertation suggests that an individual’s status may not always be harmful. Rather, how observers respond to the transgressions of high status individuals may not be just a function of his or her high status, but instead how that individual earned that status and what type of transgression was made. That is, the amount of status loss experienced following a transgression depends on the domain of the transgression and how that aligns with what the transgressor is regarded for—what dimension he or she has built status on. Results from these studies show that when a high-status transgressor commits a task-related transgression status loss was the greatest, especially when the target had only competence-based status. However, that extent of that status loss was moderated by whether the transgressor had built status along the other dimension. Moreover, these studies show that following a social desirability-related transgression, status loss was not as great.
DOI: 10.25549/usctheses-c127-659364
title: Experiential purchasing tendency as a function of approach versus avoidance motivation

description: Psychologists recommend that individuals purchase experiences, as opposed to material goods, as a way to improve their subjective well being, yet little is known about why individuals tend to make experiential purchases. The current research connects the tendency to make experiential purchases to approach (as opposed to avoidance) motivation, a fundamental psychological distinction. Across a wide array of measures, experiential purchasers were found to have greater subjective well-being, to be more sensitive to potential rewards, to be more prone to approach related emotions, to be more social, and to endorse approach oriented values, while being less sensitive to negative emotions, all of which is indicative of a general approach motivation. This relationship was found to be robust across samples, controlling for demographic and life satisfaction variables, and to demonstrate known groups validity. By increasing approach motivation, psychologists may be able to promote experiential purchasing, but results testing one potential manipulation, power priming, demonstrated a potential pitfall in developing broadly targeted interventions, as across three studies, power priming had differential effects on individuals with different educational backgrounds. The discussion focuses on how future research can target approach motivation in order to promote experiential purchasing, providing a positively framed avenue toward creating a post-materialist world.
DOI: 10.25549/usctheses-c127-667447
title: Molecular mechanism of Stat3-mediated self-renewal in mouse embryonic stem cells

description: Mouse embryonic stem (mES) cells are principally defined by two properties, pluripotency and self-renewal. In the conventional mES cell culture conditions, cytokine receptor-mediated activation of the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (Stat3) maintains the mES cell phenotype. Previous work has established that phosphorylation of tyrosine residue 705 is indispensable for Stat3 function in mES cells. However, no such determination has been made regarding serine 727, phosphorylation of which has been shown to either increase or decrease Stat3 transcriptional activity in a cell- and promoter-specific manner. We therefore evaluated the importance of serine 727 phosphorylation in mES cells by substituting mutant Stat3 for endogenous Stat3 in transfection experiments. We found that replacement of serine 727 with alanine resulted in dramatically reduced expression of certain self-renewal and pluripotency-related factors and a loss of mES cell phenotype as assessed through alkaline phosphatase staining. Another facet of our investigation concerned the reported association between Stat3 and the histone acetyltransferase tat interactive protein 60 (Tip60). Although this protein interaction was detected in non-ES cells, a separate study found that RNAi knockdown of Tip60 perturbed the mES cell phenotype . In co-immunoprecipitation experiments involving both endogenous and FLAG-tagged Stat3, we were unable to consistently detect a Tip60-Stat3 association in mES cells. Moreover, our own knockdown experiments showed that depletion of Tip60 had no effect on the normal expression patterns of a Stat3 target gene, Klf4. The findings described herein elaborate on the biomolecular paradigm developing around Stat3, specifically as it pertains to the relationship between Stat3 and the mES cell phenotype.
DOI: 10.25549/usctheses-c127-672191
title: The thermal and structural evolution of the Ronda peridotite during exhumation

description: The Ronda peridotite massif of southern Spain exposes subcontinental lithospheric mantle that records pressure-temperature data and microstructures formed during exhumation beneath the rapidly extending Alboran domain. The peridotite is zoned from garnet- and spinel-bearing mylonites at the structural top, to spinel-bearing tectonites, to melt-percolated spinel-bearing granular peridotites, to plagioclase-bearing tectonites at the structural base. I find microstructural evidence of melt present in the spinel zones prior to the deformation event which exhumed the peridotites, and I, therefore, reinterpret the spinel tectonites as being a result of deformational overprinting of part of the granular domain. I also reinterpret garnet intergrown with spinel in the mylonite zone as part of the pre-mylonitic porphyroclast assemblage, rather than as a syn-mylonite assemblage. This places mylonite formation within the spinel field, rather than right on the garnet-spinel transition (18 kb). Two-dimensional thermal modeling indicates that these conditions require removal of lithospheric mantle below 100 km followed by exhumation along a low angle shear zone. ❧ Olivine crystallographic lattice preferred orientations (LPO) from these samples fall into three categories: A-type with a maximum of (010) poles normal to foliation and bands of (100) and (001) parallel to foliation, B-type with (010) poles normal to foliation and (100) parallel foliation and normal to lineation, and E-type with (100) parallel to lineation and (010) parallel foliation and normal to lineation. The garnet- and spinelbearing mylonites and recrystallized grains in the spinel tectonites show A-type LPO, indicating dry conditions and moderate stresses during deformation. Coarse grains in the spinel tectonites and granular peridotites have a B-type LPO indicative of higher stresses and possible water contents. A shear zone that cross-cuts the granular peridotites has an E-type LPO, which suggests high water contents but similar stress conditions of the A-type fabrics. Neoblasts in the mylonite and tectonite zones both have an average grain size of 110 μm. Recrystallized grain size piezometry yields 40 MPa deviatoric stress during. ❧ The path of cooling and deformation of the mylonite and deeper units can be explained by removal of lithosphere below 100 km, followed by rapid exhumation on the order of 10-20 km/my along an initially 4 km wide shear zone (encompassing the mylonites and tectonites) dipping at 30°. The earliest stages of this shear zone are likely related to the horizon of lithospheric removal. It is possible that lithospheric mantle removal was localized into a zone of weakness, which was then exploited by as a zone of localization for a lithosphere-scale shear zone. As it cooled to 800-850 °C during exhumation, the shear zone was localized to ~500 m width, producing the mylonites and likely increased in slip rate during this process.
DOI: 10.25549/usctheses-c127-675321
title: Muscogee (Creek) Nation: blueprint for a seven generation plan

description: During the last quarter of the century, federal regulation of tribes and issues of tribal self-governance shifted in ways that enabled tribes to have more autonomy over their own affairs. This shift has opened the way for tribes to exercise self-determination, a limited form of sovereignty, in the area of long-term planning for economic, political, and cultural development. There are more than 500 federally recognized tribal nations in the United States, and self-determination has been implemented unevenly across Indian Country, because, there is no one-size-fits-all. Most tribes practice some degree of planning because it is necessary for funding; however, fewer tribes are implementing very long range plans; and fewer still have created a seven-generation plan. ❧ This study is a seven-generation planning blueprint for the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. Because anticipating needs and accomplishments across seven generations presumes significant self-determination, the underlying work for such planning involves three primary aspects: (1) exercising radical sovereignty (2) decolonizing methods for working with the community and (3) considering the long-range desired outcomes for a community. My analysis posits three overarching aspects related to seven generation planning: the ideological, the methodological, and the practical. These three moving parts, I argue, function to dismantle something larger than each of the separate parts, and that is settler colonialism. To illustrate and deepen the argument, I present a set of community based planning processes, and a set of theses to consider when practicing tribal planning. ❧ Each nation has political, cultural, and economic specificities to consider, and planning should take these specificities into consideration.   In order to assess such long-range planning for the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, I complete four analyses: 1) existing tribal plans to devise an appropriate planning process for MCN; 2) socioeconomic information about MCN's 11-county jurisdictional area and political economy; 3) power relations between MCN and other actors in the Oklahoma; and 4) tribal members' values and needs. Analyzing the results of these four research steps informed and shaped the dissertation's conclusion, which is a seven-generation planning blueprint for Muscogee (Creek) Nation. The blueprint is not itself a plan but is a guide to the execution of a tribal plan. The purpose of the blueprint is to demonstrate a method to integrate unique and specific tribal values into a long-term process of radical sovereignty that deepens self-determination, economic development, and cultural preservation.
DOI: 10.25549/usctheses-c40-103224
title: A descriptive study of the population served by EL ARCA (East Los Angeles Retarded Children's Association)
DOI: 10.25549/usctheses-c40-106887
title: A comparative study of the student and teacher perceptions of contemporary student hair and dress styles
DOI: 10.25549/usctheses-c40-128511
title: The acceptability to adolescents of three treatment modalities
DOI: 10.25549/usctheses-c40-152272
title: "I have a dream" an examination of how AFDC mothers prepared their children to enter kindergarten
DOI: 10.25549/usctheses-c40-320583
title: Identification of functional lung cancer risk-associated SNPs through examination of next generation sequencing data from lung-relevant cells

description: Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have been performed to identify genomic risk loci associated with lung cancer. To date, 23 lung cancer risk-associated loci that reached genome-wide significance (ρ = 5×10⁻⁸) have been found. However, since most GWAS index SNPs lie in non-coding regions and are co-inherited with hundreds of SNPs in linkage disequilibrium (LD), which SNP(s) play a causal role in the disease remains poorly understood. My thesis aims to identify the causal SNPs of lung cancer and interpret the mechanisms by which they contribute to the disease. To achieve this, I employed two strategies. The first strategy involves identification of functional lung adenocarcinoma risk-associated SNPs through positional integration with epigenomes of primary human alveolar epithelial cells (AECs), the putative progenitor cells of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). Through this approach, I have found 47 LUAD risk-associated SNPs that mapped to putative AEC enhancers. Further investigation of four interesting SNPs showed that rs6942067 and rs11364096 exhibited allele-specific enhancer activity in luciferase assays. eQTL analyses suggest these two SNPs may contribute to LUAD risk through regulating DCBLD1 and CASP7 expression respectively. The second strategy involves identification of functional lung cancer risk-associated SNPs through examination of allele-specific effects (ASE) in sequencing data of lung-relevant cells. Through this approach, I have identified 30 lung cancer risk-associated SNPs that showed ASE. Interestingly, seven SNPs in four loci that showed ASE are also top-ranked SNPs in fine mapping studies. Further investigation of eight interesting SNPs in four loci indicates that rs11571379, rs7725218, and rs3101018, which showed allele-specific enhancer/promoter activities in luciferase assays, may contribute to lung cancer risk through allele-specific regulation of RAD52, TERT and C4A expression respectively. In sum, I have performed comprehensive functional evaluation of lung cancer/LUAD risk-associated SNPs. Our findings have highlighted several potential causal SNPs and have provided insights into the mechanism by which these risk loci might contribute to lung cancer.
DOI: 10.25549/usctheses-c40-343453
title: The influence of globalization, economics, and educational policy on the development of 21st-century skills and education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in Irish schools such as Kishoge Community College

description: Over the past several decades, Ireland has seen dramatic economic growth as a result of globalization, changes to its economic policies, and an influx of multinational corporations (MNCs). As a result, the development of human capital and the cultivation of knowledge-based workers equipped with the skills necessary for competitiveness in the global marketplace became a greater priority for Ireland’s national educational systems. Educational leaders began to place greater emphasis on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and developing 21st-century skills through inquiry-based learning strategies such as science and technology fairs. However, competing priorities exist between Ireland’s strategic goals of increasing STEM educational opportunities and 21st-century skill development and its current education policies centered on its nationally standardized assessment known as the Leaving Certificate. ❧ The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of globalization and educational policy on the curriculum and instructional practices in schools in Ireland. This study also examined how science fairs and competitions, such as SciFest, influence the use of inquiry-based instructional strategies by teachers in the classroom to prepare students to enter the 21st-century workforce in the STEM fields. ❧ The principal findings of this predominantly qualitative study were that all participants felt that STEM education and 21st-century skill development are important in Ireland. However, they also felt that changes to the current educational policies in Ireland must occur to ensure that all students have access to STEM courses and opportunities to develop 21st-century skills. Study participants agreed that students benefit from participating in science competitions and show an increased interest in studying STEM-related fields in college as a result of that participation.
DOI: 10.25549/usctheses-c40-374380
title: Formulation and characterization of protein and peptide nanoparticles for targeting the acidic tumor microenvironment

description: This dissertation outlines work completed on formulating and characterizing protein and peptide nanoparticles, with the ultimate goal of targeting these nanoparticles for pH-dependent drug delivery in the acidic tumor microenvironment. This study begins in Chapter Two with a basic exploration of the complexities and limitations of polyelectrolyte complex formation between poly(Glutamic-Acid) and poly(Lysine), as anion and cation, respectively. These complexes are shown to be highly controllable in size and dispersity, and a critical size limitation of 20 amino-acids is reported for successful PEC formation. This concept is then carried into Chapter Three, where the pH-responsive copolymer HEn is paired with poly(Lysine) to form a peptide nanoparticle capable of encapsulating the drug daunomycin, and degrading specifically in response to a decrease in pH to between 6.0-6.5. ❧ The next chapters take a slightly different approach, and focus on obtaining a change in nanoparticle surface charge in response to a decreased pH. Chapter Four discusses a novel formulation method for heat-stabilized albumin-only nanoparticles, which removes any need for use of toxic cross-linkers, and provides numerous opportunities for surface modification chemistries. These heat-stabilized nanoparticles are then surface-modified in Chapter Five with various analogues of imidazole, all of which have a pKa of approximately 6.5, allowing them to serve as biologic pH-switches. These surface modifications all result in similar in vitro cell association. To further analyze the potential for imidazole as a physiologically relevant pH-switch, Chapter Six looks at a direct comparison between heat-stabilized nanoparticles that were unmodified, particles modified with the single-imidazole DAH moiety, and particles modified with the di-imidazole DIPA moiety. The DIPA-modified nanoparticles both quantitatively and qualitatively demonstrate increased pH-sensitivity at pH 6.5 compared to 7.4, and increase in vitro cell association compared to the DAH or unmodified nanoparticles, making the DIPA-modified nanoparticles of particular interest for further study in targeting the acidic tumor microenvironment.
DOI: 10.25549/usctheses-c127-621928
title: Private partnership for public benefit

description: A Private Partnership for Public Benefit (PPPB) is an ad-hoc structure that aligns private resources towards a government objective without leveraging additional public funds.  These structures can be proposed by either public or private entities depending on which party can identify a feasible opportunity that is aligned with both interests.  It is essential that proper standards and accountability are placed to ensure the integrity of the public objectives. ❧ There are instances in the public arena where the status quo is not the preferred option and a PPPB is an alternative to a purely regulatory approach.  The net effect of the stakeholders functioning in this system is not sustainable for the interests of the community.  The opportunity in this scenario is for the government to identify and engage the key private parties to align their interests under a new set of parameters that will still serve their objectives but also support the community.  The model of this scenario, within the California 62nd Assembly District, is currently being implemented to address the housing crisis and will be referenced as a case study. ❧ A neighborhood block model demonstration within the California 62nd Assembly District is facilitated and documented in this doctoral dissertation. The premise of this demonstration is for the PPPB to transform an abandoned property and then for existing public programs to be coordinated in an effort to revitalize the surrounding occupied homes in the neighborhood block.  The comprehensive impact of this model has an impact on property values, energy efficient savings on utility bills and increase overall civic engagement within the community.  An online social media platform, Telenoo, can replicate the impact of the neighborhood demonstration model and expand it to communities all over the world.  Telenoo is an online presence that can facilitate interaction between neighbors in the marketplace as well as civic engagement.  Most importantly, the ability for households to customize access to specific public programs will increase awareness and participation to utilize resources.