cometadata/datacite-titles-descriptions-related-identifiers huggingface dataset:
DOI: 10.25549/gar-c81-12551
title: Mabel R. Gillis, letter, 1939-07-31, to Hamlin Garland

description: Mabel R. Gillis (California State Library), Sacramento, California, USA, letter, 1939 July 31, to Hamlin Garland, 2045 De Mille Drive, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA. "I have been looking forward to seeing your latest book 'The Mystery of the buried crosses' because some time ago Mr. Beaman told me some of the interesting facts in connection with it." -- first line.
DOI: 10.25549/usctheses-c40-130928
title: A study of the utilization by parish priests of the St. Vincent De Paul society (Los Angeles, California)
DOI: 10.25549/usctheses-c40-151893
title: Experience as a factor in length of treatment: A study of psychotherapists and graduate students
DOI: 10.25549/usctheses-c40-43506
title: Knowledge, use, and attitude of Catholic priests regarding the immigration and citizenship program of the Immigration and Citizenship Division of the Catholic Welfare Bureau: A descriptive study
DOI: 10.25549/usctheses-c40-45136
title: The consumer reports: Hiring of entry-level Jewish communal workers
DOI: 10.25549/usctheses-c40-46010
title: The deed shapes the heart, "Na'aseh V'nishma": The synagogue-Federation relationship
DOI: 10.25549/usctheses-c40-115924
title: A study of mental health in industry
DOI: 10.25549/usctheses-c40-126419
title: The unmarried mother: Some considerations regarding lack of use of Department of Adoption Services by Black and Mexican American pregnant women
DOI: 10.25549/usctheses-c40-349737
title: Expander Cayley graphs over finite strings and pseudorandomness

description: We present an explicit construction of expander Cayley graphs over the direct sum of multiple copies of ℤ/pℤ, where p is a prime number. So far as we know, our work is the first expander Cayley graph construction over such groups. Our construction consists of two phases. In the first phase, we consider Cayley graphs over the multiplicative groups of algebras over finite fields. We prove that for some well-chosen small generating sets which can be computed in polynomial time, the induced Cayley graphs are expanding. In the second phase, we construct an new Cayley graph by projecting the graph created in the first phase onto a direct component of the underlying group. We showed that the component on which the graph is projected is isomorphic to the direct sum of multiple copies of ℤ/pℤ, and the resulting Cayley graph is a good expander. Interestingly, we found that many expander graphs whose degrees are not of any special forms can be explicitly constructed under this framework, which could be regarded as a tiny progress towards the open problem of constructing infinite families of Ramanujan graphs of every degree. ❧ A special case of particular interest is when p equals 2. In this situation, the vertices of such a graph naturally correspond to bit strings of a fixed length, and each edge represents a transition between two bit strings under standard exclusive-or operation. As an application, we then propose a simple pseudorandom generator based on random walks on the graph. An important question is whether our pseudorandom generator is indistinguishable from a truly random source under probabilistic polynomial time attacks, which, however, remains open. In fact, constructing a secure and efficient pseudorandom generator has been an open problem since the birth of modern cryptography, whose solution may lead to huge breakthroughs in computer science. Therefore, our goal here is not addressing this problem, even partially. Instead, along with our discussion, we demonstrate that our expander Cayley graphs have some appealing features that all previous constructions do not have. These new features might bring a lot of potential topics for future research.
DOI: 10.25549/usctheses-c40-368954
title: Three essays in macroeconomics and finance

description: This dissertation contains three essays exploring the macroeconomic consequence of market imperfections, specifically, financial frictions and search frictions. ❧ In the first Chapter entitled "Trade Credit and Resource Allocation in China" provides an empirical evidence on the role of trade credit in China during the 2007-08 financial crisis. Using detailed Chinese firm-level data, I show that firms that relied more on trade credit grew faster before the crisis, but experienced a sharper decline after the crisis. In contrast, sales growth became less responsive to the dependence on bank credit. Using 2-digit industry-level data in China, I also show that State-owned intensive industries may alleviate financial distortions throughout trade credit networks. ❧ The second Chapter "Trade Credit and its Amplification Effect" investigates the linkage between firms' financing structure and sales growth. I develop a model with multiple collateral constraints in which the firm's financing structure affects sales growth in a manner consistent with the empirical findings. My model shows that trade credit amplifies the impact of the financial crisis on sales performance. ❧ The third Chapter "Accounting for the Growth of Exporters" studies a model of establishment dynamics in which the acquisition of customers can be endogenously sluggish due to the presence of search frictions.
DOI: 10.25549/usctheses-c40-124082
title: Single Women With Children In Group Living Situations
DOI: 10.25549/usctheses-c40-131905
title: Problems of the Big Brother volunteer
DOI: 10.25549/usctheses-c40-331783
title: Multilevel Bayesian latent class growth mixture model for longitudinal zero-inflated Poisson data

description: There has been a growing interest among researchers in the use of Latent Class Growth mixture modeling techniques for applications in the field of medicine, developmental psychology, social and behavioral science. Latent Class Growth Mixture (LCGM) model has been increasingly recognized for its effectiveness to identify distinct subgroups of trajectories based on longitudinal data. Current LCGM methods (e.g., using Mplus and SAS Proc Traj) for Zero‐inflated count data, have problems with convergence issue, non‐identification, local maxima etc. This research focuses on developing multilevel LCGM for Zero‐inflated Poisson longitudinal data using fully Bayesian approach. The goal is to model longitudinal growth curves on counts of rare events and to classify individuals into distinct latent groups that represent the unique phenotype of each individual. Bayesian MCMC Metropolis random walk algorithm is used to determine latent class membership for each individual and estimate the latent variables parameters in this proposed model. The methodological details are illustrated through simulation studies and are applied to both individual‐level data and multi‐level data on cigarette smoking from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health.
DOI: 10.25549/usctheses-c40-332798
title: ¿Estamos de acuerdo?: An evaluation of the cultural congruence of Latino patients’ and their psychotherapists’ narratives following an initial session

description: Latinos in the United States tend to show poor engagement with professional specialty mental health services. Some have suggested that this phenomenon may be partly related to the low cultural congruence between Latino patients and conventional mental health care. However, an assessment of congruence has not been conducted. Moreover, although Latinos tend to express a preference for psychotherapy over medication, little is known about their views at the start of therapy. Even less is known about their clinicians’ views. To address these gaps, we conducted semi-structured interviews with Latino patients and their therapists, following an initial therapy session. We utilized a theoretical thematic approach to identify common topics present in each party’s descriptions of the presenting problem. Three pairs of independent coders reliably rated the presence and salience of these codes using a quantitative index. We then utilized a reliability metric to measure the fit between corresponding narratives. Results suggest that Latino patients and their therapists endorse an array of views about the problem. Estimates of congruence indicate poor to no correspondence among corresponding dyads’ descriptions. These findings indicate that clinicians’ perspectives may lack cultural congruence with what Latino patients view as the problem that brought them to therapy.
DOI: 10.25549/usctheses-c40-357483
title: Beyond the veil: conversations with artists Michael Deas and Alexandra Grant about ghosts

description: This audio podcast project explores the artistic creative process through two interviews with significant American artists, Michael Deas and Alexandra Grant, who have particular relationships to the subject of ghosts. The idea was inspired by my experience as an artist. I see ghosts; I detect things that are not visibly present. The creative process has been much written about—the artist as catalyst for the invisible, conduit for the ""dead""—but little has actually been told about artists and ghosts. This project is driven by my curiosity to find other artists who can see ghosts—in effect tell ghost stories—and my aim is to use this exploration as a portal to a larger discussion about artistic inspiration and creative process. The two interviews are documented as audio pieces with the transcripts of each published alongside photographs of the artists on AmpersandLA.com. I set them within the context of the history of ghosts in art, highlighting two 19th century artists, William Mumler and Georgiana Houghton, who have used the paranormal, the metaphysical and the occult in their work. Deas, Grant, Houghton and Mumler are the subjects of this thesis because all four are famous for their artwork.
DOI: 10.25549/usctheses-c40-368000
title: Advanced methodologies for the investigation of transient membrane behavior

description: One of the most fundamental interfaces in biology is the plasma membrane. It is the epicenter of cellular function, and, given its complicated composition, even minute alterations in its structure can prompt extensive consequences. Understanding the dynamics of the plasma membrane can, therefore, provide a powerful glimpse into how life works and how it can be influenced. This dissertation details the development and application of new tools created to further our understanding of the structure and function of the plasma membrane. These tools are based on pulsed power, nonlinear optics, scientific computing, and data visualization. ❧ The primary means for asking questions of this membrane will be brief (~ns) but intense (MV/m) electric pulses termed nanosecond pulsed electric fields (nsPEFs). Pulsed power, like nsPEFs, is a valuable biomedical tool that is capable of controllably disrupting the membrane, making it an ideal means of testing new methodologies and techniques. Using multimodal probes and the specialized selection criteria of second harmonic generation (SHG), the development, both theoretical and practical, of a new methodology for measuring localized membrane disruption is presented. Once established, this new methodology is applied to investigate the effect of novel stimuli on the cell membrane. One such stimulus is bipolar nsPEFs, which are used to understand the role of membrane charging on nanopore development. Another stimulus of interest is infrared (IR) pulses, which we apply to primary neurons in order to conduct a mechanistic comparison of optical and electrical neural stimulation. ❧ Finally, the closing chapters of this dissertation outline efforts to develop an immersive data visualization framework capable of applying scientific computing to components of the membrane. While this framework is not limited to studies of the membrane, for the purposes of this dissertation, it provides a well-defined roadmap for further experimentation. For example, the software framework allows for dynamic simulation and visualization of nonequilibrium phase transitions in biological electron transport pathways, pivotal for cellular respiration. The workflow is unique, though, in that it can be generalized to examine and test any kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) process on a general graph in virtual reality (VR). Additionally, this framework is used to develop a virtual confocal microscope for large data sets, like those associated with molecular dynamic simulations of membranes.
DOI: 10.25549/usctheses-c40-372500
title: Deciphering the signaling crosstalk during neural stem cell fate determination

description: The impaired developmental process of the central nervous system causes neurodevelopmental disorders. A deeper understanding of the developmental process in the early stage can largely help dissecting the underlying mechanism and possibly lead to the discovery of disease therapeutics. In this study, we first investigated the molecular mechanism of the atypical Wnt receptor, Ryk, in mouse cortical neurogenesis. We found its interacting partner, Smek1/2 protein, is responsible for the nuclear translocation Ryk intracellular domain (Ryk-ICD) during neural differentiation. Smek1/2 deficiency negatively affected neurogenesis. Smek1/2 and Ryk-ICD regulate the downstream target gene expression dependently in the cell nucleus. ❧ After solved the myth of Ryk signaling mechanism, we started to investigate the crosstalk between Ryk signaling and Notch signaling during neural development. We were intrigued by the similarities between two receptors, both get cleaved by γ-secretase, but play opposite role in regulating neural stem cells; Notch signaling maintains stem cell identity and cell proliferation, Ryk signaling activates neural differentiation program. Surprisingly, we observed higher Notch activity level both in vivo and in vitro in the absence of Ryk and Smek1/2. Overexpression of Ryk and Smek inhibited canonical Notch activity. Physical interaction between Ryk, Smek and components in Notch signaling pathways suggested the direct crosstalk between these two pathways. We think we have a better understanding of cell fate switch mechanism during neural development with our findings.
DOI: 10.25549/usctheses-c40-376636
title: Mapping West Virginia surface mines with hyperspectral remotely sensed imagery classification

description: Mapping surface mines and mine activity is integral to both environmental preservation and tracking industrial production. West Virginia has a long history of coal and other types of surface mining, but detailed spatial information representing the extent of operations is limited. In developing nations, such information often does not exist in any form. While field collections of spatial feature data relating to mine activity are costly and resource-intensive, remotely sensed imagery presents a readily available tool to identify and map surface mines and their footprints on the Earth’s surface. ❧ Geographically referenced raster image datasets from sensors on board satellites in space as well as airborne vehicles can represent wavelengths of light well beyond the range of the visible spectrum. These types of multispectral datasets present grids of cells on the Earth’s surface that each represent the luminance properties of the surface materials at clearly defined wavelengths of light. This study analyzed recently collected multispectral data from West Virginia by examining the reflectance values at each point on the ground and attempted to classify materials known to exist in high concentrations in large mounds or pilings that are typically adjacent to large-scale surface mines. By inputting the known spectral properties of these Earth minerals into the classification process, this study was able to automatically classify and map the signature features of surface mines without user input or analysis. The automated classification methodology developed and tested in this study accurately identified surface mine locations throughout the study area in West Virginia at a rate of over 98%, and the output feature dataset can be implemented immediately in a comprehensive impact study of mining operations on the surrounding environment and populations.
DOI: 10.25549/usctheses-c40-386389
title: Effects of prenatal air pollution exposure on the development and severity of autism spectrum disorder

description: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a highly heterogeneous neurodevelopmental disorder affecting 1 in 68 children in the United States. Emerging evidence suggests that prenatal air pollution exposure can contribute to the development of the disease. However, how air pollution exposure can affect cognition and adaptive skills in ASD children has not yet been explored. We found that increased prenatal and first year of life exposure to nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) is significantly associated with decreases in cognitive and adaptive functioning in children with ASD. ASD ascertainment can vary by socioeconomic status (SES) and race/ethnicity, and both are also associated with air pollution, which can present potential confounding bias. We explored variations in indicators of ASD severity by SES and race/ethnicity in ASD subjects who sought services from the Department of Developmental Services (DDS). Significant differences were found in age of ASD diagnosis by mother’s race/ethnicity and country of birth. We also saw significant differences in verbal ability by SES and mother’s race/ethnicity.  While regional air pollutant exposures have been widely associated with ASD development, few studies have investigated how near roadway air pollution (NRAP) affect ASD development, and none have examined the role of ultrafine particles (UFP). Our study found an inverse association between increasing prenatal NRAP and UFP exposures and ASD, but not after adjustment for SES, suggesting SES was an influential confounder. The work of this dissertation has provided knowledge on environmental effects involved in ASD and the ASD phenotype, and also addressed potential biases that influence ASD assessment and the associations between air pollution and ASD.
DOI: 10.25549/usctheses-c40-48393
title: "So, what are we doing Thursday night?": An ethnographic study of a synagogue youth group
DOI: 10.25549/usctheses-c40-103107
title: The relationship between clinical practice setting and identification with the profession of Social Work
DOI: 10.25549/usctheses-c40-152464
title: Initial reactions and coping patterns of parents who have children with cystic fibrosis
DOI: 10.25549/usctheses-c40-367641
title: Hwæt! An interactive exploration of oral traditions

description: The purpose of this thesis project is to explore whether oral traditions can be replicated in the form of modern interactive media by utilizing the affordances of the medium to emphasize the communal and immersive aspects of storytelling that make it such an integral part of human history. To this end, my body of work and research is focused on the Old-English epic poem Beowulf—an extremely significant piece of literature with regards to the history of the English language and storytelling. The intention is to create an interactive experience that encourages players to listen to a telling of the ancient tale and then consider the steeped lineage of other storytellers that they join by enacting the venerable tradition of retelling it for themselves.
DOI: 10.25549/gar-c81-15494
title: Minnie R. Harvey, letter, 1927-05-14, to Hamlin Garland

description: Minnie R. Harvey, 1612 Main Street, Racine, Wisconsin, USA, letter, 1927 May 14, to Hamlin Garland. "Could you lecture for the Racine (illegible) and club in the afternoon of Nov [November] 30…" -- first line.
DOI: 10.25549/usctheses-c40-121637
title: A descriptive study of the population of a neighborhood free clinic
DOI: 10.25549/usctheses-c40-133765
title: Adolescents' perceptions of a residential treatment program
DOI: 10.25549/usctheses-c40-140600
title: The representativeness of Jewish Federation leadership: A case study
DOI: 10.25549/usctheses-c40-344805
title: An analysis of the practice of reconstitution on low-performing schools and marginalized communities

description: This study examined students', school staffs', and administrators' perceptions of the culture and climate of their reconstituted school, and the way these stakeholders believe the culture and climate are influenced by the school principal. Existing research suggests that school culture, school climate and leadership attributes, and the intersections of these attributes, affect learning, achievement, and students' academic opportunities. This study is a qualitative case study of a reconstituted comprehensive high school. The investigative activities analyzed how school culture and school climate attributes, as supported by the school principal, contributed to, and supported student learning and achievement before, and after reconstitution. The data for this qualitative study included teacher, staff and administrator interviews, student focus group interviews, school environment observations and school document analyses. The findings from the data revealed that the principal's observable and identifiable leadership attributes influenced the school culture and climate, affecting student's opportunities to learn.
DOI: 10.25549/usctheses-c40-374194
title: A new defense of public reason

description: I present a streamlined and modified version of Rawls' public reason view, on which willing citizens of liberal democracies have a moral duty to do the following: they must be prepared to explain their political decisions with sole reference to shared values and sole reliance on shared ways of reasoning. I draw on the features of my account to argue (i) that guidelines of inquiry can be developed to address the inconclusiveness and indeterminacy objections (both of which are versions of the incompleteness objection), (ii) that Vallier's intelligibility interpretation of justificatory reasons generates a dilemma for convergence theories of public reason and therefore that consensus theories (which rely on the shareability interpretation of justificatory reasons) are preferable to convergence theories, (iii) that the primary religious objections against public reason (i.e. the fairness objection and the integrity objection) fail, (iv) that public reason theory, though an instance of ideal theory, has important action-guiding value for citizens in non-ideal societies, and (v) that public reason can in principle include arguments both for and against the legal permissibility of abortion.
DOI: 10.25549/usctheses-c40-105060
title: A Survey, of Los Angeles Area Administrators' Perceptions Regarding the Nature and Extent of Citizen, Community and Other Inputs Utilized in the Development of Agency Policy and Decision Making Community Health
DOI: 10.25549/usctheses-c40-128967
title: Study of the Utilization and Effectiveness of the Clinical Nurse Practitioner in the Treatment and Management of the Diabetic Patient