Theses and Dissertations, Capstones, and Directed Research

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Electronic theses and dissertations, and graduate and undergraduate Capstones and Directed Research.

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18th-Century Spanish Conduct Literature for Women
(2006-06) Jaffe, Catherine M.
On two research trips to the National Library in Madrid, Spain (July and December 2006), I spent five weeks studying discourse of women's reading in 18th-century conduct books and education manuals for women. I purchased a laptop computer to aid my research. I will use this material as background for several articles and as primary material for a book on the cultural impact of women's literacy in 18th-century Spain.
A Community History of Tulum, Quintana Roo, Mexico: Recovering the Maya Past
(2004-01) Juarez, Ana M.
I propose to write a community history of early twentieth century Tulum, Quintana Roo, Mexico. Tulum was a Maya village that became a key political and religious site for Mayas during the mid nineteenth century Caste War of Yucatan (1847-1901). Although the archeological ruins adjacent to the village are now one of Mexico's leading archeological sites and tourist attractions, the history of the adjacent village and its residents remains largely unwritten and unrecorded. Local residents, especially elders, have significant knowledge of the early twentieth century in Tulum, and it is crucial to recover this knowledge as soon as possible. This knowledge will contribute to understanding Maya culture and the socio-political relations that Santa Cruz Mayas had with Mexicans and other outsiders during the first half of the twentieth century. I propose to use oral histories of community elders, members of Tulum's founding families, and a broad range of other people familiar with the region to reconstruct the early twentieth century history of Tulum. I will further use historical photographs to supplement the interviews and evoke memories about socio-political relations and cultural practices. I will ask about a variety of topics, including socio-political relations and military roles, religious structures and ideology, work and economic production, kinship, marriage and family, and education. This research will make a significant contribution to understanding the socio-cultural and political-economic processes that defined and shaped Santa Cruz Maya communities during the first half of the twentieth century.
A Nation of Friends: Diffusion of Online Social Networking
(2008-01) Royal, Cindy L.
The purpose of this study is to understand the diffusion patterns of online social networks. The past five years have seen the growing popularity of these spaces. Several companies have emerged on the forefront of this phenomenon, attracting millions of users. But, some have waned in popularity. Users, who were once enthusiastically loyal to one site, easily change their allegiances to another. After speaking with multiple students about their social media habits, the PI chose to do a content analysis of social networking sites to understand the diffusion within media. Data has been collected and PI is writing up results for conference submission and publication.
A Study of Consolidations between Banks and Non-Banks: Motivations and Consequences
(2008-01) Yi, Ha Chin
This study focuses on the reasons for and the implications of banks' decisions to acquire non- bank financial service firms (non-banks). The choice to acquire non-banks is driven by both external forces such as deregulation and regulatory capital and by internal forces such as a diversification strategy and efforts to enhance revenue and return to equity holders. We find that whereas the impact of acquiring non-banks increases their non-interest income, it also increases their non-interest expense. The net effect of choosing non-bank acquisitions lowers their subsequent return on assets, market value, and stock returns, as well as increasing their risk. However, the non-bank acquisitions do significantly increase the acquiring banks top executives' subsequent compensation. We conclude that non-bank acquisitions are driven by both regulatory and strategic forces within the banking industry. However, such acquisitions manifest into agency problems.
A Study of Organizational Culture in South Texas
(2004-01) Wardrope, William; Minifie, Jana
Hispanics or Latinos are the largest minority of the United States population. The majority of these minorities are concentrated in the Southwest, in which Texas is located. With the continued immigration and the close proximity of Hispanics with Mexico and other Latin American countries, Mexican-Americans have shown retention of their ethnic culture and social forms. This research effort is to determine to what extent Hispanic culture is being incorporated into American organizations. A survey was developed and administered to small businesses in the South Texas region. Based on these results, suggestions are provided to assist American-based cultures in incorporating Hispanic cultures within their organization.
Abolition, Irish Freedom, and Immigrant Citizenship: The Rise and Fall of the American Associations for Irish Repeal
(2007-01) Murphy, Angela F.
My study investigates the transatlantic interactions among abolitionists, Irish nationalists and Irish immigrants as the issues of slavery and abolition complicated the first Irish nationalist movement in the United States. One of the central questions of my work is why anti-abolitionist sentiment was so pervasive among members of Irish American repeal societies' Irish nationalist groups so-named because they promoted the repeal of the parliamentary union between Great Britain and Ireland. Though several historians have noted the hostility of Irish American repealers towards the American antislavery movement, my own work will be the first book-length study of the phenomenon. In addition, my explanation of anti-abolition among members of the repeal associations departs from the traditional interpretation, which focuses on the economic status of the Irish American population.
Acculturation in the Fast Food Nation: Latinos (as) and the Texas Obesity Epidemic
(2008-01) Ceballos, Natalie A.; Czyzewska, Maria
Obesity is an issue of major concern in our society. Texas consistently ranks highly in reports of obesity prevalence, and young Latinos (as) comprise one of the most heavily affected groups within our state. Although much is known about the consequences of obesity, few studies have examined factors that may influence unhealthy eating among Latinos (as). Thus, this project was designed to investigate eating behaviors and acculturation changes relevant to food consumption in this population. To examine acculturation effects, data were collected from college students in central Texas, the Texas-Mexico border region, and in Mexico. Data consisted of both self-reported measures of food preferences and eating habits, as well as computerized tasks designed to assess automatic responses to food-related images and ability to control impulsive reactions. Preliminary results suggest that ethnic differences may exist among college-aged students with regard to food cravings and reasons for engaging in unhealthy eating. However, our analyses failed to find any significant differences in the accuracy of body weight/height reporting or body image satisfaction between Latino vs. Caucasian participants. The results of this project not only provide much needed information about factors related to the development of obesity in the Latino (a) population, but may also pave the way for the establishment of an externally funded program of research for the prevention and treatment of obesity within the Latino(a) community.
Acquire and Self-regulate Knowledge in Multimedia Environment (ASKME)
(2008-01) Bos, Beth
It is difficult to examine the effectiveness of technology-based courses (TBC) without understanding the design and application in classrooms. There is evidence of disconnects among the theory for designing, the theory used to apply TBCs in classrooms, and the theory used to research and evaluate TBCs (Hickey, 1997). Comments provided by administrators, teachers and students lead researchers to determine whether or not the original TBC course goals have been attained. We looked at examples of theoretical disconnects found in other technology-based research (Alevan et al., 2003; Hickey & McCaslin, 2001). Then, we describe the course design of the mathematics TBC used in this study, the reasons the principal and the teachers believe the software will benefit their mathematics students, and the perceptions of mathematics students regarding the effectiveness of the technology in their classroom. In conclusion, we found how this preliminary.
Advancing Educational Equity: Does K-12 Outreach Participation Affect College Success?
(2008-01) Yamamura, Erica K.
Findings revealed that both academic and social benefits from participating in the outreach program continued through the college years. Academic Benefits: Developing navigational capital. Students gained navigational capital by understanding the need for efficient time management, effective study skills, and indicated the helpfulness of group study skills which was emphasized in the program. Students mentioned their high level of preparation in advanced placement (AP) courses due in part to the program and then reaping the college benefits of having been successful on AP examinations (i.e. passing out of course requirements, being eligible for more advanced courses). Social Benefits: Peer cultural wealth as resistant capital. Interviews during the 1st year of college revealed that all students in the study had developed weak ties (Granovetter, 1973), friendships with acquaintances that are often more important than strong ties or core friendships, with other outreach peers at the start of college. However, these relationships evolved throughout students 2nd-4th years in college, in no discerning pattern. Strengthening the pipeline: Building resistant and navigational capitals. Once in college, all students developed a stronger awareness of educational inequities in their communities. Furthermore, all students in the sample translated this awareness into action by volunteering or working with an outreach-esque program to improve access to college. Four students worked over 10 hours a week for outreach programs, including one student who worked 20+ hours a week during her entire four years in college.
After the Revolution: Art and Culture in the Republic of Georgia
(2005-08) Colombik, Roger
Dr. Ketevan Kintsurashvili, David Janiashvili and I began the project through lengthy discussions pertaining to the issues of the Rose Revolution in 2003. We felt that if the "revolution" was going to be of any benefit to this society, the focus must be placed upon the children. The title of the project, Me var…Revolutsia (I am…the Revolution), addresses the role that the children in the country must be actively deployed in if Georgia is going to awaken from the post-Soviet nightmare. Most importantly, it will be the charge of this generation to carry forward the rich cultural heritage that defines this society. Our project attempted to draw attention to the two most pressing needs for a civil Georgian society: the nurturing of the children and the care for the elderly. In the Republic of Georgia, banners are the primary means of political advertising. Our project utilized this methodology for expressing the will of the individual and the needs of a benevolent society. The logo of the project, Me var…Revolutsia, was placed on each of the banners. The banners were hung in downtown Tbilisi along Rustaveli St., the principal boulevard of the downtown district. Images of children learning tradition folk dance in dilapidated studios were hung upon the facade of a historical theatre. Portraits of the elderly were suspended in a civic building across the street, while the exterior of the building featured portraits of children.
An Analysis of Factors Affecting Academic Performance of College Freshmen
(2007-01) Morrish, Douglas G.
Agribusiness and related industries currently employ over 17 percent of the U.S. labor force (United States, Department of Agriculture, 2000). The demand for professionals in the field is expected to continue to grow, given increasing emphasis on liberalized trade in agriculture around the globe. To meet this increasing demand for food and agricultural sciences graduates, we need to make sure that sufficient numbers of students are completing their degrees in the field. One way to ensure this completion is to assure success at the freshman level classes because low grades in the early required classes account for much of the attrition. The attrition rate in agriculture at Texas State University ranged from 21% to 35% of the freshman class during the 1999-2004 period (Texas State University, 2006). We collected data on the following variables from students in agriculture at the end of their freshman year: GPA, SAT or ACT score, high school GPA, high school agriculture completer or non-completer, scholarship, loan, hours of labor force participation, number of credit hours, attendance in classes, gender, hours of studying time out of classroom, and participation in extracurricular activities. We are in the process of using multiple regression analysis to analyze the collected data. Earned GPA at the end of the freshman year will be used as a proxy for academic performance, the dependent variable in the regression equation. Finally, stepwise regression analysis will be used to find the best predictors of academic performance of students in agriculture.
An Economic Analysis of the Factors Affecting the U.S. Chile Pepper Production
(2009-01) Gandonou, Jean-Marc
Twenty-four novelty varieties (Mexican and Asian) of hot peppers were grown in field and hydroponic conditions on the campus of Texas State University. Peppers were evaluated for suitability for production in Central Texas based on quantity and quality characteristics. Peppers were evaluated quantitatively by measuring overall yield of both field and greenhouse production for individual cultivars as measured in fresh weight and cumulative fruit production, average individual fruit size, as well as individual pepper cultivar characteristics such as average time to fruit and average length of fruit bearing time. Qualitative attributes of peppers were measured by rating pepper cultivars regarding insect and disease resistance, drought tolerance, pepper quality/aesthetics and pepper taste using a Likert scale system that allowed growers to rate characteristics of the plant on a 1-5 scale. Twenty-four varieties were narrowed to 15 based on growth and quality characteristics from the first season to the second season. Fifteen varieties are currently being grown and tested at this time. Peppers grown were evaluated by local restaurant owners/managers in San Marcos, Austin and San Antonio. Those included were asked to complete a survey asking if they recognize the products offered and if they value/would purchase the product in a dried or fresh state. Restaurant owners also estimated the price that they would be willing to pay for the peppers. Research is on-going. Results will be presented in the relevant journals.
An Exploratory Qualitative Study of Parenting the Asperger Child
(2005-08) Lasser, Jon S.
The core concept that emerged from the qualitative data, constructing normalcy, refers to both the parents' process of meaning-making as well and efforts to create adaptive outcomes for their children. Understood in a cultural context of socially constructed normalcy, the research participants' narratives illustrate a dynamic model of what it means to raise a child with Asperger's Disorder (AD). Parents reported that constructing normalcy was complicated by the fact that, unlike children with many other disabilities, children with AD often appear normal to outsiders until their behavior suggests otherwise. Parents experience critical moments in social settings that result in a second variety of normalcy construction. These critical moments, called normalcy incongruities, occur in social settings in which an individual that does not know the child with AD and assumes that he is non-disabled begins to notice the characteristics of the disability emerge. Parents of children with AD work hard to help their children be successful in home, school, and community settings. As parents look to the future, they work toward creating the means by which their child with AD can develop the skills needed to be successful in the real world after high school. While for some independent living is possible, others may have more significant support needs. Nevertheless, parents are mindful of their responsibility to construct normalcy for their child.
An Investigation into Cause of Death and the Controversial Phenomenon of Pink Teeth
(2008-01) Hamilton, Michelle D.
Project is dependent on cooperative work with the Travis County Medical Examiner's Office, and data has been slow to accumulate on that end. Project is still in data collection phase, and is anticipated to take another year for meaningful data to gather. In the meantime, the scanner purchased with the REP has been utilized by my graduate student in another project, assessing age variation in tooth dentine in Hispanic populations. Co-authored presentation of this project will be a paper submitted for presentation by Marrero I. and Hamilton M.D. at the 2010 American Academy of Forensic Sciences meeting.
Analysis of Topological Persistence in Data Sets
(2005-08) Snyder, David
The PI and his student assistant chose to develop code in C++, leveraging the open source Computational Geometry Algorithmic Library (CGAL; see http://www.cgal.org/). They installed the CGAL software, including incidental 3-d geometry viewing softwares. CGAL does not have built-in support for either version of the Persistence Homology Algorithm (PHA), as these algorithms are new. Thus the PI and the student implemented these PHAs in the CGAL framework, using the CGAL mailing list for technical support. Two approaches were taken to investigate the efficiency of the PHAs. The first was to build a particularly complex 3-dimensional model of Zeeman's Dunce Cap that has peculiar topological properties suitable for testing PHA performance, resulting in evidence that PHAs perform poorly on certain types of data sets. The second approach taken was a ""needle in the haystack" approach: build a 3-d model of a large triangulated cube with over 100,000 vertices and then randomly search through medium-sized sub-triangulations for objects in 3-space that cause the worst algorithm performance. Even with the size restrictions, the search space is so large that this approach has not yet completed (running 24/7 since August 2005). Preliminary results show PHAs performed rather well on average, using a constant number of steps per vertex. Still, until the search completes in Fall 2006, the worst-case performance is unknown. Some impacts of this REP: one peer-reviewed article accepted, one submitted, and one pending final results in Fall 2006; four NSF proposals, with Snyder as PI, submitted (pending as of 15 June 2006).
Aptamers for Detection and Management of Bacterial Pathogens
(2007-01) Vattem, Dhiraj
Aptamers against 3O–C12–HSL or “Dec AHL” were synthesized by a process called “Systematic Evolution of Ligands by Exponential enrichment” or “SELEX” and their sequences determined. Their effect on modulation of Acyl homeserine lactones (AHL) activity was determined in model biosensor systems. AHL’s from P. aeruginosa were purified and mixed with 3O–C12–HSL aptamers and incubated at room temperature. A. tumefaciens KYC55 biosensor was used to test the activity of the AHL’s in the presence and absence of the aptamers in a top agar diffusion assay system developed in the laboratory and compared with controls. The control (only AHL) showed a number of blue colonies that indicated P. aeruginosa - galactosidase. BAHL mediated expression of lacZ gene and hydrolysis of X-gal by The treatment, which contained nuclease resistant (3O–C12–HSL) aptamers in addition to the AHL, had fewer number of blue colonies, suggesting a possible binding of the AHL’s by the aptamers and resulting inhibition of the AHL mediated lacZ expression. These results, clearly indicate a strong effect of the aptamers synthesized in the laboratory on inhibiting AHL mediated gene expression. This could also suggest that, these 3O–C12–H SL-aptamers, and the aptamers specific to other QS molecules in P. aeruginosa can prove to be effective tools in inhibiting QS mediated virulence. The represents a novel approach to overcoming antibiotic resistance, biofilm formation and biofouling, not just for Pseudomonads but for many species of bacteria that exhibit quorum sensing for medical and food safety applications.
Archival Research at the Arnold Schoenberg Center, Vienna, Austria
(2006-06) Gonzales, Cynthia
My current research centers on the early tonal songs of Arnold Schoenberg. All of the hand-written manuscripts are housed at the Arnold Schoenberg Center in Vienna, Austria. While there (29 June - 5 Aug), I viewed the manuscripts for all of the early songs in Opera 1, 2, 3, and 6; as well as manuscripts for Schoenberg's choral masterpiece "Friede Auf Erden;" and numerous canons about which no published article exists. Viewing manuscripts can reveal much about Schoenberg's compositional process. For example, the short introduction to "Alles" (Op. 6, no. 2) first appears drafted in the bottom right-hand corner, not at the beginning. From this, I deduce that the introduction was not part of the composer's original conception of the song; and this affects how I analyze the song. To prepare for my research at the Arnold Schoenberg Center, I and a student researcher undertook a study of the poets and poetry anthologies that served as textual sources for Schoenberg's songs.
Archival Research in Brazil
(2005-08) Romo, Anadelia
I applied for a research development grant to conduct archival research in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and to support my writing upon my return. My current project seeks to unite the political and intellectual histories of race relations in twentieth-century Brazil. To understand the political situation, it is necessary to examine the role of public officials and public policies in some detail. For this reason I focused my project on the state of Bahia, Brazil. Bahia provides an important counterbalance to studies of race that have most often focused on Rio, where Afro-Brazilians compose a minority of the population and where Afro-Brazilian culture never reached the same level of dominance, influence, and mainstream political acceptance. My methodology for this project combines close textual analysis of documents with an in-depth study of the personal archives of several central figures in Bahian politics. My research during the course of the REP grant focused on the political side of this project and examined extensive personal records of various Bahian public figures held in the archive of the Getulio Vargas Foundation in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. My research promises a new reading of traditional political sources, as well as a new approach to Brazilian race relations. Upon my return from research I was able to dedicate significant time to beginning the process of writing up this research, which will be a chapter in my upcoming book.
Are Fast Food Menus Contributing to Overweight Children?
(2007-01) Stutts, Mary Ann; Smith, Karen H.
Health officials have become alarmed by the rapid rise in obesity among American children. Predictions are that 2010, almost 20% of children in the United States will be overweight. Among Mexican American and African American youth, the rates are around 40%. If this overweight segment of society does not reverse itself, we will see a continued increase in health problems such as Type II diabetes and heart disease in children. Because of the importance of this problem an experiment was designed to test whether providing calorie and fat content information or a heart symbol denoting healthier choices to children ages 6-1l will favorably affect their meal choices at fast food restaurants. Children (240) were recruited through the Girl and Boy Scouts. The experiment consisted of three conditions: (1) no nutrition information, (2) calorie and fat content next to menu items, and (3) a heart- healthy symbol next to healthy items. Tri-fold poster boards were developed based on menu boards at McDonald's and Wendy's and each child was shown a menu board from each restaurant and asked to make a meal selection. Additional data was collected via child and parent questionnaires. Preliminary results from the study include: (1) many children want to eat healthy, (2) females made healthier choices than males, (3) nutrition information can affect behavior, and (4) pictorial information may be more effective for children than verbal information.
Are You My Type — Interactive Website on Typography
(2006-06) Blanco, Ivanete
The project, Are You My Type, proposed the development of an interactive website that covers all aspects of typography an innovative website that prior to Are You My Type did not exist. Typography is an essential part of graphic design and is used to communicate a message to an intended audience. Type can be used simply to be read, as an image or shape, or to convey a feeling or meaning. Learning what typography is and how to use type effectively is one of the most important skills a graphic designer can obtain. Because the topic of Typography is so expansive, I broke down the project into four sections that cover all aspects of typography: Type Speak, Face Value, What is Type? and Type Connections. The What is Type? section introduces the historical significance of typography. In the Type Speak section, terminology, classification, uses of type, anatomy and a few typographic exercises were added. In the Face Value section, I examined specific typefaces from all the categories that are listed in the classification portion of the Type Speak section. The Type Connection section lists all the reference materials researched to develop the content for this project. Are You My Type is a useful online resource to better develop my knowledge of typography, which will greatly enhance my future creative work. The Are You My Type website (http: //www.areyoumytype.org) is now available for private or public use.

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