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2020

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Performance Art And The Disruption Of Colonialism In Museums, Evan Murdoch Jan 2020

Performance Art And The Disruption Of Colonialism In Museums, Evan Murdoch

Theses & ETDs

This thesis will explore the potential of contemporary performance art to confront colonial legacies in museums. The imposition of marginalized artists’ physical bodies, which have been historically objectified by the institution, into the space disrupts the notion of the museum as a neutral classifying house and draws attention to its colonial inheritance. This live, active body of the performer contrasts with the static identities and objects otherwise on display. It is from this contrast that performance art draws its power within museological spaces, contesting the naturalization of a passive Otherness through the assertion of agency and identity. The disruptive character …

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Analytical Chemistry Of Consumer Products: Research And Regulation Of Tampons And Eyeshadows, Katrina Carlin Jan 2020

Analytical Chemistry Of Consumer Products: Research And Regulation Of Tampons And Eyeshadows, Katrina Carlin

Theses & ETDs

During the modern era, consumer product technology has advanced significantly, while regulation often cannot keep up. Analyzing existing consumer products for contaminants can show how well existing regulation is working, and what classes of chemicals need to be regulated further in such products. In this thesis, tampons and cosmetics are selected as case studies of consumer product research, and the methodological integrity of the research is examined in addition to the research motivation and resulting regulatory action. Several studies in the literature show trace amounts of potential contaminants from imported cosmetics and poor manufacturing processes; Suggestions are made for furthering …

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What Is Enriching For Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus) Across Enrichment Types And Contexts?, Alyssa Borgschulte Jan 2020

What Is Enriching For Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus) Across Enrichment Types And Contexts?, Alyssa Borgschulte

Theses & ETDs

Enrichment can be defined as the addition of stimuli to an animal’s environment that aims to enhance the animal’s physical and mental conditions, as well as to reduce stress. Enrichment has been utilized and researched in zoos and aquariums all over the world for years. However, not many studies have focused on the individual across multiple contexts. This study focuses on individual differences in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatas) in response to various environmental enrichment classes, as well as the dolphins’ levels of participation with human interaction versus no human interaction, ingestibles versus no ingestibles, and before versus after fish-reinforced training …

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A Study In Nationalism And Its Effects On Historical Writing: German Nationalism And The Investiture Contest, Emma Todd Jan 2020

A Study In Nationalism And Its Effects On Historical Writing: German Nationalism And The Investiture Contest, Emma Todd

Theses & ETDs

This thesis discusses the influence of German nationalism and Nazism on historical writing, looking specifically at the interpretations of the Investiture Contest of the eleventh- and twelfth-centuries. In the late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-centuries German historians, such as Leopold von Ranke (17951886), were preoccupied with the search for German origins, and they often looked back to the Middle Ages for their answers. In Chapter 1, I introduce the Investiture Contesta conflict of empire and papacyparticularly the relationship between King Henry IV and Pope Gregory VII. In Chapter 2, I discuss the influence that romanticism and nationalism had on, not only …

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The Fire, The Forest, And The Witness Watching It: Mitski Miyawaki’S Physical And Musical Embodiment Of Gender, Asian American Identity, And Autonomy, Hayley Vanstrum Jan 2020

The Fire, The Forest, And The Witness Watching It: Mitski Miyawaki’S Physical And Musical Embodiment Of Gender, Asian American Identity, And Autonomy, Hayley Vanstrum

Theses & ETDs

This is an examination of musical artist Mitski Miyawaki’s construction of identity within her work and external life, centering themes of gender, race, performance, and public perception. I use a combination of personal accounts, interview quotes, lyrical analysis, and sociological/feminist theory to position Mitski within the realm of social transformation, arguing that her presence within the indie music genre carves out valuable avenues of identity exploration for her young, largely female and Asian American fanbase.

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The Effectiveness Of Emotional Support Animals At Alleviating Symptoms Of Depression And Anxiety In College Students Living On A Residential Campus, Cassidy Heaton Jan 2020

The Effectiveness Of Emotional Support Animals At Alleviating Symptoms Of Depression And Anxiety In College Students Living On A Residential Campus, Cassidy Heaton

Theses & ETDs

Emotional support animals (ESAs) are an increasingly popular, medically validated treatment option for several psychiatric disorders. This includes depression and anxiety, which disproportionately affect college students. When prescribed by a medical doctor or psychiatrist, ESAs are a legally protected right and may accompany their person on airplanes and in all types of housing, even housing that is not considered “pet friendly.” ESAs as a disability right has been a contentious and challenging issue in the media; some people claim that ESAs cause more problems than they improve. Using four methods (survey, interview, physiological measures, and a pre-and post ESA cohort), …

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No Man’S Wasteland: A Critical Genealogy Of The Anthropocene, Aubrey Neher Jan 2020

No Man’S Wasteland: A Critical Genealogy Of The Anthropocene, Aubrey Neher

Theses & ETDs

The universalizing narrative of the Anthropocene has been criticized for its failure to engage analyses of power in its representation of the production and distribution of environmental harm. Considering this post-racial and inequity-blind frame, I argue that the concept naturally glides over these realities of life on Earth because it stems from, and perpetuates, a tradition of discursively constructing the Earth in ways that overlook and cause harm toward people of color. I begin by juxtaposing the proposed beginnings of this new planetary era with an example of Anthropocene elision: the nuclear weapons testing and radiological experimentation in the Marshall …

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Anxious Bodies, Miranda Chapman Jan 2020

Anxious Bodies, Miranda Chapman

Theses & ETDs

Combatting the malignant theory of separation of body and mind proposed by René Descartes in 1641, Anxious Bodies details the suffering associated with anxiety disorders. Eleven highly realistic mixed-media paintings featuring embroidery transform anxiety from something invisible to something obvious and alarming, inviting the viewer into the world of mental illness. The horrific subject matter of the works, depicting parasites, dermatological conditions, mutations, etc. corrupting various parts of the human body call to the viewer while also disturbing them. Contrasting my work with more oppressive paintings of mental illness done in the 19th century and comparing my work to the …

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Agency And Time-Space Compression In The Internet, Ariel Parets Jan 2020

Agency And Time-Space Compression In The Internet, Ariel Parets

Theses & ETDs

In this project I claim that agency is impacted by the internet through time-space compression. This topic is very relevant to the effects the internet has on society and individuals today. With the acceleration of mental states in cyberspace through time-space compression, our intentional dispositions are impacted, and thus our agency is impacted. In this thesis I address what time-space compression is, what the effects are, how identity plays a role in agency, and how our agency is impacted by time-space compression through answering the above questions. I use both Kadri Vihvelin and Marya Schechtman’s perspectives to make my points. …

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Food For The Future: An Analysis Of Florida Forest Gardens And Their Resilience To Climate Change, Sydney Clingo Jan 2020

Food For The Future: An Analysis Of Florida Forest Gardens And Their Resilience To Climate Change, Sydney Clingo

Theses & ETDs

Forest gardens mimic natural forest ecosystems in several ways, suggesting that research on forest ecosystems could be applied to forest gardens. The similarities of these systems could aid in closing the gap of knowledge that exists currently for forest gardens and their resilience to climate change, but more research is necessary. This thesis initiates a discussion on what makes Florida forest gardens resilient to climate change, focusing on factors that make forests resilient: the level of species diversity, perennials, natives, tolerance to extreme conditions, and the vertical layers or levels filled. With a focus on three forest garden sites located …

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Rare Event Detection Of Somatic Pdgfrb Activating Variants In A Mosaic And Aneurysm Patient, Daphne Salime Toglia Jan 2020

Rare Event Detection Of Somatic Pdgfrb Activating Variants In A Mosaic And Aneurysm Patient, Daphne Salime Toglia

Theses & ETDs

The role that somatic genetic variants have towards the development of intracranial-aneurysm formation is unknown. The Ferreira lab, at the University of Washington Medical Center, identified a 23-year old man with progressive, right-sided intracranial aneurysms that were lateralized and who had pigmentation of his skin localized to his right side. He underwent a succession of genetic evaluations for known connective-tissue disorders, but these were unrevealing. Initial paired-sample exome sequencing between blood and fibroblasts derived from the patient’s affected areas detected a gain-of-function mutation predicted to cause a p.Tyr562Cys change within the platelet-derived growth factor receptor b gene (PDGFRB). Initial variant-allele …

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Analyzing The Effect Of Reactive Oxygen Species On The Catalytic Rate Of C. Elegans Cytoplasmic Malate Dehydrogenase, Melissa Simmons Jan 2020

Analyzing The Effect Of Reactive Oxygen Species On The Catalytic Rate Of C. Elegans Cytoplasmic Malate Dehydrogenase, Melissa Simmons

Theses & ETDs

The way aerobic cells produce energy is through ATP synthesis using its mitochondria. The mitochondria synthesize ATP by using proteins on its inner membrane. These proteins make up the electron transport chain and require nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide which comes from the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and glycolysis. In the TCA cycle, malate dehydrogenase is an enzyme used to catalyze the reaction that produces NADH. Once NADH is transferred to the electron transport chain, ATP is synthesized, and molecular oxygen is reduced to water. Sometimes the oxygen isn’t fully reduced, and reactive oxygen species are formed. These species are highly reactive …

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Tropics, Transmission, And Epidemics: Using Hiv/Aids Data To Compare Health Systems In Yucatan, Florida, And Cuba., Ormond Derrick Jan 2020

Tropics, Transmission, And Epidemics: Using Hiv/Aids Data To Compare Health Systems In Yucatan, Florida, And Cuba., Ormond Derrick

Theses & ETDs

Differences in health systems are a point of debate among public health scholars around the world. Some countries provide free and universal healthcare through a single payer system, others use an employment-based healthcare system, and some have no universal healthcare guarantee. Health systems also include public health structures, which differ based on the healthcare system as well. The variation of these systems and of their varying levels of integration make comparisons of the effectiveness of health systems difficult. Using HIV/AIDS data allows for an insight into how well each of these systems operate, by providing universal, standardized, and comparable public …

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Adoption Out Of Foster Care: Using Subsidies As A Means To Increase Adoption Rates, Kaeli Williams Jan 2020

Adoption Out Of Foster Care: Using Subsidies As A Means To Increase Adoption Rates, Kaeli Williams

Theses & ETDs

This paper examines the factors that most influence a foster parent’s choice to adopt their foster child. To determine whether adoption subsidies, age, and race are influential factors in adoption choice we did a data analysis using data from 2015. We also conducted an in-depth literature review and created a supply and demand model to observe the effects of subsidies on adoption rates. Our results showed that older children and minorities, especially African American children are the least likely groups of children to be adopted. There was no obvious connection between subsidy rates and adoption rates. We conclude that this …

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Judging With A Sniff: Can Horses Associate Scents With Trained Behaviors?, Aiden Juge Jan 2020

Judging With A Sniff: Can Horses Associate Scents With Trained Behaviors?, Aiden Juge

Theses & ETDs

Past research has shown that horses are able to learn via positive reinforcement-based training and can discriminate between a variety of olfactory stimuli. This study investigates whether horses can learn to respond to olfactory cues with trained behaviors. It was expected that horses would learn to produce specific behaviors in response to olfactory stimuli. Using positive reinforcement, three horses were trained in a set of four head movement behaviors, each associated with a different scent, and subsequently tested via presentation of the scent cues. Results indicated that horses did not learn to associate scents with specific behaviors, but did learn …

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A Study On The Viability Of 3d Clinorotation As An Accurate Simulator Of Microgravity In ​Triticum Aestivum L. Cv. Usu Apogee, Matthew Brickhouse Jan 2020

A Study On The Viability Of 3d Clinorotation As An Accurate Simulator Of Microgravity In ​Triticum Aestivum L. Cv. Usu Apogee, Matthew Brickhouse

Theses & ETDs

The International Space Station (ISS) is a research station where astronauts live and conduct cutting edge space research. While many think the ISS exists in a state of “zero-g”, the station and its inhabitants are actually exposed to “microgravity”, which is broadly defined as, “less than 1 g.” Gravitropism is defined as the growth of a plant in response to the pull of gravity. There is evidence that the standard gravitropic pathway is altered in plants exposed to microgravity. A 3D clinostat is a device consisting of two frames with motors that rotate in perpendicular directions at random, disparate rates. …

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A Call For Community Consciousness: Ethnographic Elucidation Of The Importance Of ‘Community’ In Hiv Care And Outreach Services Of Sarasota, Florida, Andrew Lanser Jan 2020

A Call For Community Consciousness: Ethnographic Elucidation Of The Importance Of ‘Community’ In Hiv Care And Outreach Services Of Sarasota, Florida, Andrew Lanser

Theses & ETDs

This anthropological study explores the presence of ‘community’ within HIV related communities of the Sarasota area through ethnographic research with HIV service providers. ‘Community’ is a concept frequently discussed within the framework of communities inordinately affected by HIV but rarely explored through perspectives of professionals in HIV care and outreach. In adopting the later perspective, community is presented as evidencing itself in the form of (1) communities most at risk of HIV infection; (2) ‘community’ among HIV service providers; (3) ‘community’ among people living with HIV; and (4) community-oriented HIV outreach. Aside from the commonality of ‘community’ across informant conversations, …

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A Multispecies Approach To The Intersection Of Hacktivism And Performance Art, Jimi Depriest Jan 2020

A Multispecies Approach To The Intersection Of Hacktivism And Performance Art, Jimi Depriest

Theses & ETDs

The purpose of this thesis is to critique the neoliberal exploitation of science, technology, and media while conceptualizing how hacktivism can be used to disrupt the operations of neoliberal institutions. I will explore how the proletariat can use DIY and decentralized forms of techno scientific creations to fight and dismantle imperialism and devising how these creations can function as tools for catalyzing a post-capitalist society. I will also examine how the relationship between human and nonhuman organisms is continually redefined by abrasive technologies and digital media. I address how hacktivist actions framed as insurrectionary ritualistic practice can alter the digital …

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Breaking The Gay-Straight Binary Through The Bisexual Experience In Young Adult Literature, Asia Lord Jan 2020

Breaking The Gay-Straight Binary Through The Bisexual Experience In Young Adult Literature, Asia Lord

Theses & ETDs

This thesis addresses the erasure of bisexuals in LGBTQ+ young adult literature, in particular through the “coming-out, coming-of-age” narrative which previously favored gay and lesbian characters or themes, and has only recently begun to focus more on bisexuals. Bisexual erasure is argued to stem from a concept known as the gay-straight binary, a system which alienates or mislabels individuals through the idea that a person is "gay” or “straight” unless explicitly-labeled otherwise. I look at several contemporary young adult novels that focus on explicitly-labeled bisexual characters to discuss how they go against both the gay-straight binary and negative representations of …

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Heidegger And The Question Concerning Technology, Elias Latimer Jan 2020

Heidegger And The Question Concerning Technology, Elias Latimer

Theses & ETDs

After the atrocities of WWII, certain technologies such as nuclear weaponry has been shown to not necessarily be in humanity’s best interest. Yet, technology is a necessary component of our everyday lives; hence, there is an ever-increasing imperative to properly control it. Although, according to Martin Heidegger, Modern Technology may be irreversibly in control of humanity rather than vice versa. Given such a grim outlook, the question of this thesis aims to clarify Heidegger’s perspective on the origin of this problem as well as his solution of ‘poetic dwelling’.

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Better You, Better Us, Better Today: How To Be Good, Not Bad, Jesus Olive Jan 2020

Better You, Better Us, Better Today: How To Be Good, Not Bad, Jesus Olive

Theses & ETDs

The act of assigning value and judgement towards the things we come across is and always has been an inescapable component of the human experience. Without our judgement, we are totally inept, we would be stuck in directionless states of indecision and random choices. However, when we inappropriately judge and misjudge on others, it can and often does result in immense suffering for those under scrutiny. While our tendency to judge others is assuredly a potential hazard, we still depend on it completely. Therefore, rather than abandon the practice altogether, we should refine it to diminish the harm it can …

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Potential For A 'Greener Sense Of Self' : An Exploration Of The Photocatalytic Degradation Of Water Pollutants Via Tio2 Nanoparticles Through A Citizen Science Framework And Its Impact On Environmental Stewardship Attitudes And Scientific Agency, Kristen Patterson Jan 2020

Potential For A 'Greener Sense Of Self' : An Exploration Of The Photocatalytic Degradation Of Water Pollutants Via Tio2 Nanoparticles Through A Citizen Science Framework And Its Impact On Environmental Stewardship Attitudes And Scientific Agency, Kristen Patterson

Theses & ETDs

Citizen science is a volunteer framework that has proven itself to be a powerful guide for environmental research, but has often limited volunteer participation to data collection. This thesis explores the potential of developing the citizen science framework in conducting water quality treatment. Chemically, the aim was to determine whether dye sensitization of titanium dioxide nanoparticles could increase their photocatalytic pollutant degradation efficiency. In this, a citizen science initiative was created around this tool and introduced to the Meadows Community Association in Sarasota, Florida, where we partnered to develop the methodology of and collect data for the project to speak …

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Exploring The “Phenomenon” Of Female Dominance In Malagasy Lemurs: The World’S Most Endangered Mammalian Group, Maya Owitz Greenberg Jan 2020

Exploring The “Phenomenon” Of Female Dominance In Malagasy Lemurs: The World’S Most Endangered Mammalian Group, Maya Owitz Greenberg

Theses & ETDs

Literature on sex-biased power in nonhuman primates typically portrays male dominance as the baseline assumption, perhaps due to human cultural biases. Yet recent research incorporating a broader range of taxa and a more inclusive framework of social power increasingly sheds light on the true diversity of intersexual power dynamics across species. For example, female-biased power structures are widespread across Malagasy lemurs, representing nearly 30% of all primate species. To expand research into female power in lemurs, the present study investigated patterns of intersexual interactions in two small, captive groups of Mongoose lemurs (Eulemur mongoz), an Adult Group (two males and …

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An Investigation Into The Inhibitory Behavior Of Extracts From Ocimum Basilicum Var. Thyrsiflora On Acetylcholinesterase Enzymatic Activity, Philana Phan Jan 2020

An Investigation Into The Inhibitory Behavior Of Extracts From Ocimum Basilicum Var. Thyrsiflora On Acetylcholinesterase Enzymatic Activity, Philana Phan

Theses & ETDs

Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative disease where therapeutic research has included plant derived treatments of the disease. When examining the chemical components of these medicinal herbs, Ocimum basilicum var. thyrsiflora was chosen for examination. Within the study, plant material was gathered and separated into two different aerial components: stems and leaves. Plant extracts were then yielded through steam distillation and dissolved in hexane. The extracts were placed on a rotary evaporator to concentrate the sample. Initial UV-Vis spectroscopy tests were done to form a calibration curve for acetylcholinesterase (AchE) in order to determine the enzyme’s optimum substrate concentration for later …

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Biopolitics, Individuality, And Engaged Science: Two Paradigm Shifts And Their Implications For A Liberatory Biology, David Finch Jan 2020

Biopolitics, Individuality, And Engaged Science: Two Paradigm Shifts And Their Implications For A Liberatory Biology, David Finch

Theses & ETDs

Science and technology studies (STS) is the study of the relationships between science and technology on one hand, and society, politics, and culture on the other. Feminist/postcolonial STS uses this form of interdisciplinary inquiry to address issues relating to social justice. Of particular interest to some feminist and postcolonial STS scholars has been the topic of genetic determinism, which has historically been used to justify colonial, ethnic, sex-based and class-based hierarchies. This viewpoint fallaciously suggests that genes play a uniquely deterministic role in the development and lifestyles of humans and other organisms, relying on the idea that biological (and indeed, …

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Analysis Of Papain Contents In Over-The-Counter Papaya Enzyme Supplements, Chau Ngo Jan 2020

Analysis Of Papain Contents In Over-The-Counter Papaya Enzyme Supplements, Chau Ngo

Theses & ETDs

Over-the-counter (OTC) digestive enzyme supplements containing the papaya protease papain are neither approved nor regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This work aimed to analyze the papain contents and determine the effectiveness of OTC papaya enzyme supplements. Based on the labeled amounts on the packaging of five different products, 4 mg mL-1 and 10 mg mL-1 papain extractions were prepared using a method adapted from a published study by Muharram and Abdel-Kader (2017). Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and a Bradford assay were performed to examine the purity and protein concentration in the supplements. Standard …

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The Effects Of Increased Wildfires Due To Climate Change On The Respiratory Health Of New Mexicans, Satyam D. Patel Jan 2020

The Effects Of Increased Wildfires Due To Climate Change On The Respiratory Health Of New Mexicans, Satyam D. Patel

Climate Change and Public Health Preparedness

No abstract provided.

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Entomology/Beekeeping, 3-5 Years In Project, Dewayne Shoemaker, Scott Stewart, Karen Vail, Jennifer Tsuruda, Jennifer Richards, Kaushalya Amarasekare Jan 2020

Entomology/Beekeeping, 3-5 Years In Project, Dewayne Shoemaker, Scott Stewart, Karen Vail, Jennifer Tsuruda, Jennifer Richards, Kaushalya Amarasekare

Extension Publications

No abstract provided.

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Big-Eyed Bugs, Axel Gonzalez, Karla Addesso Jan 2020

Big-Eyed Bugs, Axel Gonzalez, Karla Addesso

Extension Publications

No abstract provided.

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Persimilis Mite, Victoria Deren, Karla Addesso Jan 2020

Persimilis Mite, Victoria Deren, Karla Addesso

Extension Publications

No abstract provided.

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