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Authoring Inclusion: The Sonnet's Shifting Form, Aloysius Devine

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The history of canonical love poetry is inaccurate without the inclusion of minoritized groups. The relevance of the sonnet’s incomplete history and its lingering impact on contemporary poetry are not examined enough within academia. The sonnet is taught through white-, straight-, and cisgender-centered lenses, contributing to the erasure of historically relevant sonneteers who do not align with these identities. This thesis celebrates the diverse history of sonneteering, while drawing attention to the remaining narrow-mindedness within the poetic community. This thesis dismantles traditional elements of the sonnet through varying form, subject matter, and stylistic choices.

When viewed in the physical form, …

The Concept Of Grief: A Phenomenological Account With Continual Reference To Kierkegaard, Nathan Sweetman

Honors Undergraduate Theses

My thesis argues that Søren Kierkegaard provides a perspective on grief that validates emotional experience while offering the opportunity for transcendence beyond the immediacy of grief through the work of love in recollecting one who is dead. Conventional philosophical approaches offer an incomplete picture by focusing on grief either as exclusively emotional or exclusively moral. The alternative methodology of phenomenology serves to draw out common threads from the intensely subjective, inward experience of grief. Kierkegaard’s writings on the topics of grief, sorrow, and love for the dead reflect the complexity uncovered in the phenomenological analysis. Traditional interpretations of Kierkegaard’s call …

Revealing The Black Form: Black Bodies In Nineteenth-Century French Orientalist Visual Art, Nathanael Amir Justin Lapierre

Honors Undergraduate Theses

In the nineteenth century, Orientalism functioned as a Western tool for dominating and restructuring the perception of the Orient. In France, where Orientalism found favor amongst artists, Orientalist works were produced in the literary and visual arts to inform and control the narrative about the East. Influenced by the Napoleonic imperial conquests and an increased French presence in the East, Orientalism became an integral movement in the French visual arts. The relationship between France and the Orient was one of power and domination, which was mirrored in that between the French and the Blacks.

As a part of the Western …

Spies, Sanctions, And Single-Party States: How American Sanctions Influence Intelligence Operations, Anthony J. Anta

Honors Undergraduate Theses

States have a diverse and unique set of available mechanisms to deploy when seeking to interact in the international community. Economic sanctions have long been one such tool available for states looking to coerce or incentivize a change in the behavior of another state. Likewise, states have historically sought to influence and gain unknown knowledge on another state or actor. Covert intelligence operations have changed forms, mechanisms, and techniques, especially since the expansive advancements in technology in the 21^st century. This paper seeks to understand the influence that economic sanctions have on the ability for single-party states to conduct …

Relationship Between Video Games And Recovery From Work: A Comparison Of Different Genres And Leisure Activities, Jessica A. Gass

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Work stress can have a negative impact for both individuals and organizations, warranting research on how to recover from it. This research analyzes how the relationship between video games and work recovery differs depending on the genre of the video game played. In addition, these relationships are compared against the relationships between the recovery experiences and other leisure activities. Participants were asked to provide information on how often they play video games and engage in other leisure activities. In addition, two different measures of the four components of work recovery (psychological detachment from work, relaxation, mastery experiences, and control) were …

A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis Of The Relationship Between The Creb Protein's Neuroplastic Functions And The Implications In Neurodegenerative Diseases: A Possible Link Between Synaptic Plasticity And Neurodegenerative Diseases, Mani Sarmast

Honors Undergraduate Theses

In this two-part study, I investigated whether the cyclic-adenosine monophosphate response element-binding (CREB) protein has the potential to be clinically modulated as a therapeutic target for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Part one consisted of a systematic review that was conducted on select articles gathered through a stepwise method to explore (1) the relationship between diseased, neurodegenerative brains and levels of active, phosphorylated CREB (pCREB), (2) increased activation of CREB as a treatment for neurodegenerative symptoms, and (3) a potential therapeutic drug for neurodegenerative diseases that can target CREB signaling. The results of the systematic review showed evidence that suggested …

To The Moon And Back: The Impact Of Moon Rocks On The Historical Legacy Of Nasa's Apollo Program, Emily Strickland

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Most would say that the pinnacle of the Space Race was when the United States landed on the Moon. Besides the countless videos and images, what is the proof that the U.S. was there? Moon rocks are tangible evidence that the U.S. was on the Moon. Once the moon rocks came to Earth, they were studied, distributed, and displayed. The goal of this research is to examine the displays and narratives of the Apollo lunar samples. Understanding where and how the rocks ended up in their earthly homes around the country allows for analysis of the historical and cultural impacts …

Synthesis, Characterization, And Modeling Of Thermo-Responsive Hydrogels With Improved Mechanical Strength And Swelling Kinetics, Marilu Ortiz Nieves

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Hydrogels have been extensively studied for use in applications such as tissue engineering, drug delivery systems, wound dressing, actuators, valves, and sensors in Micromechanical Systems (MEMS), among others. Thermo-responsive hydrogels in particular pose various advantages such as their capability to respond to an external stimulus and reverse the response when the stimulus is removed and the ability to imbibe a significant amount of solvent and increase their volume by over 1000%. Extensive research has been conducted to tune and improve hydrogel’s rate and degree of swelling and mechanical properties. Previous work showed that when synthetic clay (Laponite) is cross-linked with …

The Direct And Indirect Effects Of Strategic Displacement On Territorial Control In Conventional Civil War, Jennifer Hudson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Which strategies contribute towards a belligerent's ability to shift territorial control in its favor more quickly than others? This dissertation advances a theory of territorial control dynamics in conventional civil war that places the civilian population at the center of the analysis. Existing scholarship explaining territorial control in conventional civil war has emphasized the role of relative military capabilities, direct military confrontations aimed at territorial conquest, and the existence of established zones of control, with civilians generally residing in areas clearly dominated by one party or another, not in contested areas. As such, theory holds that this makes the civilian …

Note To Survivors: An Analysis Of Suicide Discourse On Suicide Noted And The Figured World Of Suicide, Breahannah Hilaire

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The purpose of this discourse analytic study was to explore and examine suicide attempt survivors' suicidal discourse. Although there is robust knowledge and quantitative research regarding suicidal ideation and suicide attempts, qualitative research on this population could help to expand what is known about and what can help to prevent future suicide attempts. Often, the research on suicidal ideation and attempts have focused on prevention, intervention, and behavioral risk factors. Prior research concentrates on suicide risk and protective factors, yet little is written about the basis and origin of suicidal ideation and behavior among adolescents. Further, few of these studies …

Financial Sustainability Of Florida Cities: Comparative, Retrospective Modeling For Prospective Municipal Financial Health, Terry Henley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The Great Recession produced rising debt, deficits, and exposed vulnerabilities for municipalities in a globalist economy. The two-month COVID recession in 2020 accelerated these burdens; a lagging downturn recently added pressures of reduced economic activity, record inflation, and rising costs in 2022. This dissertation studies how local financial sustainability (FS) and financial condition (FC) approaches can work in concert towards a set of indicators with internal and external categorization to explain municipal financial health (MFH). Unassigned fund balance plus select formal stabilizations measure MFH, are conceptually supported in having retrospective (FC) and prospective (FS) value as an intergenerational resource and …

Compulsory Conformity In Modern Japanese Culture: An Exploration Of Asexuality In The Works Of Murata Sayaka, Kawakami Mieko, And Kamatani Yuki, Nicholas Colecio

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

This thesis investigates the representation of asexual individuals in the works of Murata Sayaka, Kawakami Mieko, and Kamatani Yuki, all of whom are contemporary Japanese writers that portray near–suffocating social environments in their depictions of modern-day Japan. Their texts illustrate the augmented demands Japanese society places upon a cross-section of asexual and neurodivergent individuals. Despite the thematic and character–related similarities in their works, I argue that each author presents a unique interpretation of how these asexual individuals interact with—and try to integrate into—wider Japanese society and mainstream culture. Murata's texts demonstrate an unapologetically radical separatism by invoking an idealized queer …

A Critical Intersectional Analysis Of Black Doulas' Experiences In Maternal Healthcare, Emely Matos

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), maternal death ratios are severely racially stratified as African American women face the most significant risk. Currently, Black women are four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related death in the United States than white women. Race disparities in maternal health outcomes may be exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic as preliminary research suggests that the pandemic's disproportionate impact on Black communities and existing concerns about Black women's medical treatment may indicate an increase in mortality within the next few years. Racial health disparities reflect the nation's flawed maternal healthcare …

Crystal Viscoplastic Modeling Of Single Crystal And Directionally Solidified Nickel-Base Superalloys, Navindra Wijeyeratne

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Nickel-base superalloys (NBSAs) are widely used in engineering applications for many turbomachinery component designs. Superior material properties at high temperatures such as high tensile strength, superior fatigue strength, excellent resistance to thermal shocks, and strong corrosion resistance are primarily responsible for their extensive application. This proposal focuses on modeling generic single crystal (SX) and directionally solidified (DS) Ni-base superalloy. Compared to polycrystal superalloys, SX superalloys exhibit superior thermal fatigue and creep resistance which is attributed to the absence of grain boundaries in the SX crystalline structure. Directional solidification procedures enable the solidification structure of the materials to be comprised of …

Lithium-Ion Battery Prognosis With Variational Hybrid Physics-Informed Neural Networks, Renato Giorgiani Do Nascimento

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Lithium-ion batteries are an increasingly popular source of power for many electric applications. Applications range from electric cars, driven by thousands of people every day, to existing and future air vehicles, such as unmanned aircraft vehicles (UAVs) and urban air mobility (UAM) drones. Therefore, robust modeling approaches are essential to ensure high reliability levels by monitoring battery state-of-charge (SOC) and forecasting the remaining useful life (RUL). Building principled-based models is challenging due to the complex electrochemistry that governs battery operation, which would entail computationally expensive models not suited for prognosis and health management applications. Alternatively, reduced-order models can be used …

Hitting A Little Too Close To Home: Reflexivity, Liminality, And Identification In Horror Across Film, Theatre, And Games, Alyssa Barrack

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Reflexive art makes explicit the inherent connection between artistic process, intertextual context, and an audience to create an intentional dialogue with its audience by tapping into the duality inherent in spectatorship - awareness of both the creation process and the final product, and participation in one or both through viewership. In this study I analyze several pieces across three mediums––film (Funny Games (2007), The Poughkeepsie Tapes (2007)), theatre (Ubu Roi (1896)), and video games (The Stanley Parable (2013), Bioshock (2007))––and consider audience reviews to determine how audiences are affected by reflexivity in each. Through the lens of the horror genre …

Hannibal Lecter And A Friend Walk Into A Bar: The Role Of Psychopathy In Peer Drinking Behaviors, Matthew Kramer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

OVERVIEW: College student drinking remains a concern on campuses, with many interventions for college students not showing the desired effect in lowering alcohol use and problems. Thus, examining possible underlying factors, such as psychopathy, is important. Psychopathy includes elements of callousness, manipulativeness, charm, and impulsivity. Additionally, psychopathy has been associated with increased alcohol use and problems. Despite the overwhelming evidence of psychopathy's role in alcohol pathology writ large, and that psychopathy is considered to include predatory interpersonal skills and antisocial behaviors, there is little research examining the role of psychopathy in peer influence related to alcohol use and protective strategies. …

Influence Of Nonlinear Multiaxial Matrix Viscoelasticity On Piezoresistivity Of Carbon Nanotube Polymer Composites, Wolfgang Klimm

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Nanocomposites are prominent candidates to extend the capabilities in areas of established fiber reinforced composites. Carbon nanotubes (CNT) with their outstanding mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties are of particular interest. Especially polymers profit from the addition of CNTs, and can be rendered significantly stiffer, stronger, and even electrically conductive. The resulting electrical conductance is deformation-sensitive, known as piezoresistivity, and is utilized in strain sensing applications. However, the polymer matrix introduces time- and temperature-dependency into the mechanical behavior, known as viscoelasticity, and thus affects the relationship between deformation and electrical conductivity over time. Although piezoresistivity and polymer viscoelasticity have been studied …

Deciphering The Role And Clinical Application Of The Fgfr4-Klb-Fgf19 Axis In Colorectal Neoplastic Progression, Michael Rohr

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common and third deadliest cancer worldwide with rising incidence rates attributed to environmental risk factors like diet. Investigating how these factors impact carcinogenesis requires an understanding of how transcriptional events evolve with respect to neoplastic progression. We employed meta-transcriptomics and latent trajectory modeling to establish a compendium of profiled healthy, adenoma, and CRC samples scored by their position along a pseudotemporal axis. By interpolating a continuous scale from cross-sectional data, dynamic processes occurring throughout disease progression can be analyzed more accurately. For example, smaller pseudotimes represented pre-malignant dysplasia and was characterized by cellular …

Physics And Applications Of Space-Time Wave Packets, Murat Yessenov

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Space-time wave packets (STWP) constitute a broad class of pulsed optical fields that are rigidly transported in linear media without diffraction or dispersion, and are therefore propagation-invariant in absence of optical nonlinearities or waveguiding structures. Such wave packets exhibit unique characteristics, such as controllable group velocities in free space and exotic refractive phenomena. At the root of these behaviors is a fundamental feature underpinning STWP: their spectra are not separable with respect to the spatial and temporal degrees of freedom. Indeed, the spatio-temporal structure is endowed with angular dispersion, in which each spatial frequency is associated with a single prescribed …

Post-Crisis Organizational Learning Thresholds, Pitfalls And The Risk Of Repeated Crises: Clarifying The Discourse Of Renewal Theory, Rodrigo Soares

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Through a case study analysis of repeated crises that impacted the same organization in Brazil, this dissertation aimed to solve an applied problem: the potential for unresolved or amplified risk for organizations and their stakeholders facing repeated crises due to incomplete post-crisis learning. This research expands and clarifies the understanding of organizational learning, particularly in the Discourse of Renewal theory, by exploring the potential for organizations to ascertain vital lessons for a crisis but fail to communicatively constitute them as central features of a renewed organization. The study investigated an organization's failure to avoid repeating a crisis within a relatively …

The Sociology Of God: The Case Of Homeless Believers, John L'Hommedieu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

This research began as personal curiosity about the religious beliefs of persons experiencing homelessness, and in particular their beliefs about God. What do they believe about God, and how are their beliefs socially constructed? Social research has generally limited its focus to assessing religion as an asset in ameliorating homelessness as a social problem with little attention to the religious behaviors and thought processes of persons experiencing homelessness themselves. I conducted a classic grounded theory (CGT) analysis based on 14 in-depth interviews with homeless believers (HB's) and three interviews with pastors-service-providers (PSP's) for comparative analysis. The findings include two major …

Heat Transfer Characterization Of Carbon Dioxide In Micro Impinging Jet(S) Near Critical Conditions, Stephen Adeoye

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The continuous growth and demand of increased operating performances of electronics has brought about an increase in the chip power density posing threat to the thermal management of these devices. Although numerous thermal solutions ranging from passive to active cooling together with a variety of working fluids have been adopted, however, the question whether these available cooling methods could meet up with the ever-growing need for increased operating performances is a concerning one. Jet impingement cooling has been effectively used in many industrial applications due to its high heat transfer capability. The limited study at the micro scale suggests that …

An Anthropological Study Of The Effects Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Drug Treatment In The United States, Abigail Shepherd

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

This thesis examined the extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the structure of drug treatment in the United States and how the effects have influenced the experience of undergoing and providing services in a variety of contexts. The COVID-19 pandemic emerged amid an opioid epidemic, which has taken the lives of over 564,000 Americans since the late 1990s. With overdose deaths increasing since the onset of the pandemic and government agencies responding with policy changes, recent research in the social sciences and on drug treatment services has necessarily shifted its focus to the effects of the pandemic on …

Design And Mechanical Characterization Of Functionally Graded Sandwich Beams Fabricated Via Additive Manufacturing, Timothy Grondin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Lightweight aerospace structures have been sought after since humans took flight in 1903, making major strides in NASA's pursuit of the moon with the development of sandwich panel composites. Sandwich structures typically consist of two stiff phases (i.e., face sheets) separated by a lightweight phase (i.e., core), which are stacked together through adhesive layers. Such a structural arrangement provides a high stiffness-to-weight ratio and is often used in applications where weight saving is critical. Functionally Graded Materials (FGMs), refer to multifunctional materials, which contain a spatial variation of composition and/or microstructure for the specific purpose of altering thermal and structural …

Uncovering Ophelia: The Reclamation Of Women's Madness Through Feminist Disability Studies, Amy Crawford

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

In his essay "The Philosophy of Composition," Edgar Allan Poe proclaims that "the death of a beautiful woman is unquestionably the most poetical topic in the world," and this sentiment remains curiously persistent within the literary world. Artists have looked towards their beautiful muses for centuries as a source of inspiration and introspection, and the faces that these muses wear were often swooning, longing, or even dead. Nineteenth-century British aesthetics solidified a gendered ideology that remains prevalent to this day; in particular, one subculture of Victorian aesthetics that emerged during this period was the Cult of Ophelia: a collection of …

Plasmonic Sensor Based Detection Of Dopamine, Sang Lee

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

With a rapidly ageing population, neurological diseases are becoming increasingly relevant in the design of public health policies and strategies in western societies. In the last decades, biochemical research has consistently shown the critical role that neurotransmitters and their associated metabolites play as biomarkers in tracking and diagnosis of different brain disorders and cancers. In particular, dopamine, an organic electrochemical neurotransmitter, has been shown to be paramount for the proper functioning of the neural system. Dopamine's dysfunction, has been shown to underlie the pathogenesis in several neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease, depression, chronic schizophrenia and psychosis. Unfortunately, currently available …

On Liquid Rotating Detonation Rocket Engines Characterization And Performance, Vidhan Malik

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The current research investigates a next-generation method of combustion called detonations for propulsive applications which has support from the Combustion Services Branch at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) of the Rocket Propulsion Division. The overall initiative seeks to explore the viability of detonation-based systems to augment or replace current rocket propulsion methods in the coming five years. The present work progresses this vision by providing proof of a liquid RP-2 based Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine (RDRE) as well as the fundamentals associated with the physics involved to further the understanding of the phenomenon and its potential uses. Phase one …

The Loyalty Of The Lords Of Albret: An Investigation Of The Gascon Rolls At The Outset Of The Hundred Years War, Jason Delaney

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

This thesis will examine the juxtaposition of the duchy of Gascony's importance to the Plantagenet Crown with the difficulties administering the region and protecting it from French interference during the late-thirteenth and early-fourteenth centuries, resulting in the necessity of securing the loyalty of Gascon nobles for assistance. The lords of Albret were powerful allies under Edward I (1272-1307), and their defection to the French under his son, Edward II (1307-1327), put Plantagenet Gascony in a vulnerable position when the Hundred Years War began in 1337. Resecuring the loyalty of Albret – and other powerful Gascon lords – was crucial for …

Circulating Suburbia: Locating A Transnational Suburban Imagination In Post-War Periodicals, 1945-1970, Tyler Dick

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

In this thesis I argue that a suburban cultural imagination developed transnationally during the post-war period (roughly 1945-1970) rather than as a cultural phenomenon largely associated with the 1950s United States. I situate the suburbs—in both their physical and cultural constructions—as my primary focus and discuss the suburb's influence on hegemonic culture by performing an in-depth comparison of the U.S. with another country with a long history of suburbanization—Australia. Given that the suburbs structure several social, cultural, economic, political, and historical vectors—which all in turn inform issues of gender, race, class, sexuality, and nationality—I focus on how the suburbs inform …