Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 2010. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 119-125). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (B.A.)--University of Wisconsin -- La Crosse, 2009. / Also available online. Includes bibliographical references (p. 62-64).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Bryn Mawr college. / Bibliography; p. 145-152.

Thesis (B.S.)--University of Wisconsin -- La Crosse, 2009. / Also available online. Includes bibliographical references (leaf 37).

In research, we frequently position “modernity” against “tradition” to explain cultural changes within the indigenous realm. Such is the case of Andean textile studies, where commercialization and modernity are frequently attributed to the decline in Andean communities’ production and donning of hand-woven textiles. By doing this, we distance ourselves from the underlying issues causing these changes: poverty, discrimination, ethnic social stratification, etc. Also, by positioning “modernity” outside and against the indigenous realm, we contribute to the notion that modernity belongs to the western world alone and can only be achieved by Western influence. In doing so, we confine Andean textiles to a static notion of identity and ignore and antagonize the creative strategies that weavers’ use, moving outside of this notion. My work questions the “tradition” versus “modernity” binary by analyzing its history and first appearance in Bolivian Andean textile scholarship, and by analyzing changes within Andean textiles between the Inca and Colonial periods. My study also sheds light on the workings of internal colonialism within Andean textiles in the Bolivian regions of Jalq’a and Tarabuco. / text

In Bolivia, indigenous women's desires to give birth in an atmosphere of respect and cultural autonomy, as well as physicians' and politicians' attempts to mold the nation along racial lines, shaped the development of obstetric medicine. Based on oral histories of midwives, nurses and obstetricians, this study uses midwifery as a lens to examine the connections between nation-state formation and the development of obstetric medicine in Bolivia between 1900 and 1982. Putting midwives at the center of a study about nation-state formation reveals complexities that many male-centered studies miss: indigenous, mixed-race, and white Bolivian women played central roles in state projects and, through their embodiment of different forms of womanhood, influenced debates about Bolivian national identity. This study also engages groundbreaking feminist studies of the 1970s and '80s which showed that U.S. and European male physicians created obstetric medicine by pushing female midwives out of the practice. These physicians typically accused midwives of ineptitude and defined childbirth assistance as a scientific medical procedure that should not be practiced by women. While that pattern holds true in Bolivia to some extent, it does not explain the power dynamics that shaped childbirth assistance in Bolivia. Over the course of the twentieth century, Bolivian physician's desires to modernize childbirth assistance and childrearing practices intertwined with the efforts of Bolivia's elite to overcome what they considered the country's "Indian Problem."

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E-learning is a form of education that is increasingly being used in higher education in the developed world. However, the take-up and use of e-learning in developing countries is at a preliminary stage. This thesis deals with e-learning in the context of a developing country. The aim of the study was to describe and understand teachers’ beliefs about e-learning in higher education at UMSA. Qualitative semi-structured interviews and observations were used to identify 10 teachers’ beliefs about e-learning. The Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge framework was used for analysing the interviews and observations. Teachers’ showed varying levels of knowledge about technology, pedagogy and content, as well as varying knowledge levels about different combinations of these three knowledge domains. Despite the limited educational resources at Universidad Mayor de San Andrés (UMSA), most teachers’ believed e-learning is beneficial for themselves and their students

This thesis is an exploration of how particular Bolivian men and women who have migrated from Bolivia to Argentina, and have recently 'returned' to Bolivia, define, negotiate, and (re)create their identities in the migration experience. I argue that both the narratives and experiences of transnational migration for these migrants varies according to gender, age, economic possibilities, and legal circumstances. Furthermore, I suggest that this experience varies according to the multiple encounters with 'others' along the transnational circuit. By using a conceptualization of "migration" in transnational terms, my work has centered on how these migrants conceptualize the social conditions in which they live and how they actively search for ways to improve their living conditions in both Bolivia and Argentina. In this sense, the concept of 'home' has been critically explored in order to grasp the complex narratives of belonging and displacement.

The contribution of single complement system (CS) activation pathways to cerebral IR injury has not yet been adequately studied after ischemic stroke and reperfusion. It remains unclear whether a specific activation pathway (alternative, classical or lectin), single complement factors within the CS, or anaphylatoxins are responsible for increased cerebral IR injury after ischemic stroke and reperfusion. Also poorly understood is the relationship between these elements (activation pathways, CS factors and anaphylatoxins) and neutrophil mediated cerebral IR injury. The objective of this dissertation was to test the hypothesis that mannose binding lectin (MBL) deficiency during cerebral ischemia and reperfusion will result in a significant reduction of systemic neutrophil activation and cerebral injury after ischemic stroke and reperfusion via decreased CS activation and subsequent decreased anaphylatoxin production. Using the intraluminal filament method, mice with targeted mutations to MBL A/C genes (MBL-/- ) or the C57Bl/6 strain (MBL +/+ ) were subjected to 60 minutes of cerebral ischemia and either 15 minutes or 24 hours of reperfusion. After reperfusion (15 min and 24 hour) blood was removed to assess systemic neutrophil CD11b expression via flow cytometry. After 24 hours of reperfusion, the brain was removed to assess cerebral injury. CS activation after ischemic stroke and reperfusion was assessed via immunofluorescent C3 staining and RT-rtPCR methods. Our primary findings are, after ischemic stroke and reperfusion: (1) hepatic MBLA gene expression is significantly increased, (2) systemic neutrophils significantly express CD11b, (3) MBL deficiency significantly decreased cerebral infarct volume in the striatum but not in the cortex or total hemisphere, and (4) systemic neutrophil activation is independent of MBL deficiency. This study is the first to examine the contribution of MBL-initiated lectin pathway activation to cerebral IR injury after ischemic stroke and reperfusion. These findings suggest that MBL deficiency does not significantly reduce neutrophil activation or protect brain tissue after ischemic stoke and reperfusion. A complete understanding of reperfusion events after ischemic stroke is necessary for successful development of future stroke therapies to prevent cerebral IR injury. In this way, the acquisition of knowledge from the bench serves the stroke population cared for by nurses at the bedside.