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2023

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A Phenomenological Exploration Of Women’S Lived Experiences During Their Pregnancy Lifecycle, Ashley J. Blount, Charmayne R. Adams, Kara M. Schneider, Gurudutt Pendyala, Ann L. Anderson-Berry, Corrine Hanson Nov 2023

A Phenomenological Exploration Of Women’S Lived Experiences During Their Pregnancy Lifecycle, Ashley J. Blount, Charmayne R. Adams, Kara M. Schneider, Gurudutt Pendyala, Ann L. Anderson-Berry, Corrine Hanson

Office of Health Promotion Scholarship

When considering peri-and-post natal health, there are several biopsychosocial risk factors at play. Biological, psychological, and social health factors are significant in contributing to maternal wellbeing and influencing maternal morbidity/mortality [1]. The Covid-19 pandemic had significant impacts on general populations and on vulnerable groups such as pre-peri-and-post natal women [2]. In previous epidemics, pregnant women were reluctant to attend hospitals and doctors’ appointments due to fear of infection [3]. Covid-19 has shown similar effects [2] and as such, risks associated with the pregnancy lifecycle have increased. A phenomenological investigation found themes of women experiencing negative healthcare, struggles with self-advocacy, heightened …


Association Of Elevated Serum Aldosterone Concentrations In Pregnancy With Hypertension, Robin C. Shoemaker, Marko Poglitsch, Dolph Lewis Davis Iii, Hong Huang, Aric Schadler, Neil Patel, Katherine Vignes, Aarthi Srinivasan, Cynthia Cockerham-Morris, John Anthony Bauer, John M. O’Brien Nov 2023

Association Of Elevated Serum Aldosterone Concentrations In Pregnancy With Hypertension, Robin C. Shoemaker, Marko Poglitsch, Dolph Lewis Davis Iii, Hong Huang, Aric Schadler, Neil Patel, Katherine Vignes, Aarthi Srinivasan, Cynthia Cockerham-Morris, John Anthony Bauer, John M. O’Brien

UK CARES Faculty Publications

Emerging evidence indicates a previously unrecognized, clinically relevant spectrum of abnormal aldosterone secretion associated with hypertension severity. It is not known whether excess aldosterone secretion contributes to hypertension during pregnancy. We quantified aldosterone concentrations and angiotensin peptides in serum (using liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry) in a cohort of 128 pregnant women recruited from a high-risk obstetrics clinic and followed prospectively for the development of gestational hypertension, pre-eclampsia, superimposed pre-eclampsia, chronic hypertension, or remaining normotensive. The cohort was grouped by quartile of aldosterone concentration in serum measured in the first trimester, and blood pressure, angiotensin peptides, and hypertension outcomes …


A Telencephalon Cell Type Atlas For Goldfish Reveals Diversity In The Evolution Of Spatial Structure And Cell Types, Muhammad Tibi, Stav Biton Hayun, Hannah Hochgerner, Zhige Lin, Shachar Givon, Osnat Ophir, Tal Shay, Thomas Mueller, Ronen Segev, Amit Zeisel Nov 2023

A Telencephalon Cell Type Atlas For Goldfish Reveals Diversity In The Evolution Of Spatial Structure And Cell Types, Muhammad Tibi, Stav Biton Hayun, Hannah Hochgerner, Zhige Lin, Shachar Givon, Osnat Ophir, Tal Shay, Thomas Mueller, Ronen Segev, Amit Zeisel

Department of Biology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Teleost fish form the largest group of vertebrates and show a tremendous variety of adaptive behaviors, making them critically important for the study of brain evolution and cognition. The neural basis mediating these behaviors remains elusive. We performed a systematic comparative survey of the goldfish telencephalon. We mapped cell types using single-cell RNA sequencing and spatial transcriptomics, resulting in de novo molecular neuroanatomy parcellation. Glial cells were highly conserved across 450 million years of evolution separating mouse and goldfish, while neurons showed diversity and modularity in gene expression. Specifically, somatostatin interneurons, famously interspersed in the mammalian isocortex for local inhibitory …


Pestfacts Wa Issue 21 - November 2023, Cindy L. Webster, Benjamin S. Congdon, Rebecca Severtson, Ciara Beard, Andrea Hills, Geoff J. Thomas Nov 2023

Pestfacts Wa Issue 21 - November 2023, Cindy L. Webster, Benjamin S. Congdon, Rebecca Severtson, Ciara Beard, Andrea Hills, Geoff J. Thomas

PestFacts WA

PestFacts WA Issue 21 - November 2023 contents:

  • Final PestFacts WA newsletter for 2023!
  • Virus surveillance and aphid monitoring findings
  • Dongara weevil investigation update
  • Green bridge management over summer


Book Review It Takes An Ecosystem: Understanding The People, Places, And Possibilities Of Learning And Development Across Settings, Denise Montgomery Nov 2023

Book Review It Takes An Ecosystem: Understanding The People, Places, And Possibilities Of Learning And Development Across Settings, Denise Montgomery

Journal of Youth Development

It Takes an Ecosystem: Understanding the People, Places, and Possibilities of Learning and Development Across Settings, edited by Thomas Akiva and Kimberly H. Robinson, is a call to take a holistic and dynamic ecosystem approach to thinking about, designing, developing, and investing in the allied youth fields to more equitably and effectively support young people’s learning and development. Published in 2022, the volume outlines a vision for out-of-school time programs and systems, schools, community-based organizations, and the public sector to move beyond focusing separately on individual systems to a learning and development ecosystem approach that more accurately and inclusively reflects …


Why Domain-Specific Science Knowledge Matters In Teacher Certification: Focusing On Evidence For Effective Science Teaching (Revised Version), Elizabeth B. Lewis, Lyrica L. Lucas, Amy Tankersley, Elizabeth Hasseler Nov 2023

Why Domain-Specific Science Knowledge Matters In Teacher Certification: Focusing On Evidence For Effective Science Teaching (Revised Version), Elizabeth B. Lewis, Lyrica L. Lucas, Amy Tankersley, Elizabeth Hasseler

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

The landscape of teacher preparation is complex. From a research perspective, how to prepare teachers presents as a multilevel, multivariable puzzle. For decades, federal and state policymakers, educational researchers, and administrators, along with teacher education institutions, school districts, and other stakeholders have tried to determine and measure the key malleable factors that result in effective teaching (NRC, 2010).

Periodically, state departments of education review secondary science teaching endorsement policy guidelines. As revisions occur, teacher educators in higher education and district administrators need to engage in a multidisciplinary discussion about:

1. the ways in which strong domain-specific science content knowledge contributes …


Development Of Poly(Acrylamide)-Based Hydrogel Composites With Powdered Activated Carbon For Controlled Sorption Of Pfoa And Pfos In Aqueous Systems, Maria Victoria X. Klaus, Angela M. Gutierrez, J. Zach Hilt Nov 2023

Development Of Poly(Acrylamide)-Based Hydrogel Composites With Powdered Activated Carbon For Controlled Sorption Of Pfoa And Pfos In Aqueous Systems, Maria Victoria X. Klaus, Angela M. Gutierrez, J. Zach Hilt

UK CARES Faculty Publications

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are anthropogenic compounds developed for various applications; some are connected to adverse health impacts including immunosuppression and higher susceptibility to some cancers. Current PFAS remediation treatments from aqueous sources include granular activated carbon (GAC) adsorption, membrane separation, and anion- exchange resin (AER) removal. Each has specific disadvantages, hence the need for a new and efficient technology. Herein, acrylamide-based hydrogel composites were synthesized with powdered activated carbon (PAC) and characterized to determine their affinity for PFAS. Physicochemical characterization included Fourier-Transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) to identify chemical composition, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) to confirm PAC loading percentage, and …


Benchmark Dataset For Training Machine Learning Models To Predict The Pathway Involvement Of Metabolites, Erik D. Huckvale, Christian D. Powell, Huan Jin, Hunter N. B. Moseley Nov 2023

Benchmark Dataset For Training Machine Learning Models To Predict The Pathway Involvement Of Metabolites, Erik D. Huckvale, Christian D. Powell, Huan Jin, Hunter N. B. Moseley

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Metabolic pathways are a human-defined grouping of life sustaining biochemical reactions, metabolites being both the reactants and products of these reactions. But many public datasets include identified metabolites whose pathway involvement is unknown, hindering metabolic interpretation. To address these shortcomings, various machine learning models, including those trained on data from the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), have been developed to predict the pathway involvement of metabolites based on their chemical descriptions; however, these prior models are based on old metabolite KEGG-based datasets, including one benchmark dataset that is invalid due to the presence of over 1500 duplicate entries. …


The Parthenon, November 1, 2023, Evan Green, Conner Woodruff, Matt Schaffer, Chayce Matheny, Victoria Ware, Shauntelle Thompson, Rafael Alfonso, Scott Price Nov 2023

The Parthenon, November 1, 2023, Evan Green, Conner Woodruff, Matt Schaffer, Chayce Matheny, Victoria Ware, Shauntelle Thompson, Rafael Alfonso, Scott Price

The Parthenon

No abstract provided.


Expert Report Of Dr. David Cecelski, David S. Cecelski Nov 2023

Expert Report Of Dr. David Cecelski, David S. Cecelski

North Carolina Civil Rights Law Review

No abstract provided.


Affect Theory, The Perceived Impact Of Judicial Diversity, And The Gender Pay Gap In The Irish Legal Profession, Caoimhe Kiernan Nov 2023

Affect Theory, The Perceived Impact Of Judicial Diversity, And The Gender Pay Gap In The Irish Legal Profession, Caoimhe Kiernan

Books/Book Chapters

This chapter investigates how affect theory can be used as a framework when examining judicial diversity, along with how affect theory can be used to help explore the impact of increasing gender diversity on the Irish bench. This chapter will first examine the current gender pay gap in the Irish legal profession, the status of women in Ireland throughout the 20th Century, recount the women’s movement of the 1960’s and 1970’s and discuss the appointment of the first women judges to Irish courts. Affect theory will then be explored, including how affect theory can be applied as a framework when …


Impact Of Transglutaminase Treated Micellar Casein Concentrate And Milk Protein Concentrate On The Functionality Of Processed Cheese Product Slice Formulations, Prafulla Salunke, Lloyd E. Metzger Nov 2023

Impact Of Transglutaminase Treated Micellar Casein Concentrate And Milk Protein Concentrate On The Functionality Of Processed Cheese Product Slice Formulations, Prafulla Salunke, Lloyd E. Metzger

Dairy Science and Food Science Faculty Publications: 2022 to Present

Milk protein concentrate (MPC) is used as an ingredient in processed cheese product (PCP) formulations. However, its use can result in texture defects such as a soft body and restricted melting characteristics. The use of micellar casein concentrate (MCC), which has a higher level of casein and less serum protein, improves the texture of PCP. Further improvement in PCP products may be possible using transglutaminase (TGase), an enzyme that can crosslink proteins. This study aimed to determine the effect of TGase treatment of MPC and MCC retentates on the functionality of MPC and MCC when used in a PCP slice …


Incorporation Of Probiotics And Other Functional Ingredients In Dairy Fat-Rich Products: Benefits, Challenges, And Opportunities, Kritika Gaba, Sanjeev Anand Nov 2023

Incorporation Of Probiotics And Other Functional Ingredients In Dairy Fat-Rich Products: Benefits, Challenges, And Opportunities, Kritika Gaba, Sanjeev Anand

Dairy Science and Food Science Faculty Publications: 2022 to Present

This review focuses on the potential opportunities to incorporate functional ingredients like probiotics in the dairy fat-rich matrix to develop functional foods. Many dietary guidelines and the relevant literature have in general indicated many benefits of consuming milk-fat-rich products for the human body. Milk fat contains essential nutrients, including fat-soluble vitamins; short-, medium-, and long-chain with odd and branched chain fatty acids; essential amino acids; and calcium, which are all known for their bioactive properties. In addition, the incorporation of probiotics, which are known for their bioactive properties, could further enhance the products’ attributes. However, direct probiotic addition is known …


First Records Of The Pacific Sleeper Shark Somniosus Cf. Pacificus In The Western Tropical Pacific, Louw Claassens, Brennan Phillips, David A. Ebert, Denley Delaney, Brad Henning, Victor Nestor, Adrian Ililau, Jonatha Giddens Nov 2023

First Records Of The Pacific Sleeper Shark Somniosus Cf. Pacificus In The Western Tropical Pacific, Louw Claassens, Brennan Phillips, David A. Ebert, Denley Delaney, Brad Henning, Victor Nestor, Adrian Ililau, Jonatha Giddens

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

Technological advances have enabled the expansion of ocean exploration to include the deep ocean, providing new species observations. Here, the authors present two new observations, captured by deep-sea cameras, of the sleeper shark Somniosus cf. pacificus from the Solomon Islands and Palau. This presents the first observation of S. cf. pacificus in the western Pacific tropics and extends its range about 2000 nautical miles south. The observations presented here provide much-needed information on the range of this species which can help guide future management and conservation actions.


Une Library Services Quarterly Report November 2023, Une Library Services Nov 2023

Une Library Services Quarterly Report November 2023, Une Library Services

Quarterly Reports

Highlights of accomplishments of the University of New England's Library Services department.


Supporting The Quality Of Digital Learning: Project Brief, Abha Bhagat Nov 2023

Supporting The Quality Of Digital Learning: Project Brief, Abha Bhagat

ACER India

Khan Academy introduced the Science Essentials Course to build a strong foundation in fundamental concepts among learners using deep conceptual videos. The course consists of learning videos and exercises - the videos help strengthen conceptual understanding for students, while the element of focused practice allows learners to retrieve concepts learnt, make mistakes, receive feedback, and in the process, master skills. The Australian Council for Educational Research (India) reviewed a sample of videos and exercises in physics, chemistry, and biology of the Science Essentials Course for students in grades 11 and 12.


The Pros And Cons Of Beta Blockers: Doping In Music Performance, University Of Denver Nov 2023

The Pros And Cons Of Beta Blockers: Doping In Music Performance, University Of Denver

Musicology and Ethnomusicology: Student Scholarship

When performing in front of an intimidating panel of judges, an audience, or peers, many musicians faces a common problem that’s not talked about often: music performance anxiety. In this current time, every musician at least knows someone that takes a type of drug that enhances their music performance and gets rid of their anxiety. However, there’s been some controversies in using drugs in music competitions and auditions, leading in the continuous practice of drug abuse, questioning ethically what’s right and what’s wrong, and the suspicion in cheating. In this paper will examine the pros and cons of beta blockers, …


Pedicle Screw Placement Accuracy In Robot-Assisted Spinal Fusion In A Multicenter Study, Victoria L. Volk, Keegan A. Steele, Mia Cinello‑Smith, Richard V. Chua, John Pollina, Gregory Poulter, Eiman Shafa, Peter Busselberg, Clare K. Fitzpatrick Nov 2023

Pedicle Screw Placement Accuracy In Robot-Assisted Spinal Fusion In A Multicenter Study, Victoria L. Volk, Keegan A. Steele, Mia Cinello‑Smith, Richard V. Chua, John Pollina, Gregory Poulter, Eiman Shafa, Peter Busselberg, Clare K. Fitzpatrick

Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Pedicle screw fixation is a spinal fusion technique that involves the implantation of screws into vertebral pedicles to restrict movement between those vertebrae. The objective of this research is to measure pedicle screw placement accuracy using a novel automated measurement system that directly compares the implanted screw location to the planned target in all three anatomical views. Preoperative CT scans were used to plan the screw trajectories in 122 patients across four surgical centers. Postoperative scans were fused to the preoperative plan to quantify placement accuracy using an automated measurement algorithm. The mean medial–lateral and superior–inferior deviations in the pedicle …


Spectrum-Enhanced Trca (Se-Trca): A Novel Approach For Direction Detection In Ssvep-Based Bci, Amirmohammad Mijani, Mohammad Norizadeh Cherloo, Haoteng Tang, Liang Zhan Nov 2023

Spectrum-Enhanced Trca (Se-Trca): A Novel Approach For Direction Detection In Ssvep-Based Bci, Amirmohammad Mijani, Mohammad Norizadeh Cherloo, Haoteng Tang, Liang Zhan

Computer Science Faculty Publications

The Steady State Visual Evoked Potential (SSVEP) is a widely used component in BCIs due to its high noise resistance and low equipment requirements. Recently, a novel SSVEP-based paradigm has been introduced for direction detection, in which, unlike the common SSVEP paradigms that use several frequency stimuli, only one flickering stimulus is used and it makes direction detection very challenging. So far, only the CCA method has been used for direction detection using SSVEP component analysis. Since Canonical Correlation Analysis (CCA) has some limitations, a Task-Related Component Analysis (TRCA) based method has been introduced for feature extraction to improve the …


Permeable Concrete Barriers To Control Water Pollution: A Review, Rehab O. Abdel Rahman, Ahmed M. El-Kamash, Yung-Tse Hung Nov 2023

Permeable Concrete Barriers To Control Water Pollution: A Review, Rehab O. Abdel Rahman, Ahmed M. El-Kamash, Yung-Tse Hung

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Permeable concrete is a class of materials that has long been tested and implemented to control water pollution. Its application in low-impact development practices has proved its efficiency in mitigating some of the impacts of urbanization on the environment, including urban heat islands, attenuation of flashfloods, and reduction of transportation-related noise. Additionally, several research efforts have been directed at the dissemination of these materials for controlling pollution via their use as permeable reactive barriers, as well as their use in the treatment of waste water and water purification. This work is focused on the potential use of these materials as …


Paternity And Child Welfare, Nafees Alam Nov 2023

Paternity And Child Welfare, Nafees Alam

Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

This theoretical and conceptual analysis, rooted and organized by frameworks and empirical literature, aims to explain biases against fathers in the United States’ family court system. Positive paternal involvement has been shown to be correlated with positive child outcomes, placing an emphasis not just on quantity, but quality as well. Despite these findings, fathers are societally expected to be less involved than mothers. Fathers are also in positions to be held financially hostage even when alternatives to pregnancy are legally accessible, suggesting that paternal financial contributions are viable substitutes for paternal involvement. The court of law and the court of …


Biological And Environmental Factors May Affect Children’S Executive Function Through Motor And Sensorimotor Development: Preterm Birth And Cerebral Palsy, Iryna Babik, Andrea B. Cunha, Sudha Srinivasan Nov 2023

Biological And Environmental Factors May Affect Children’S Executive Function Through Motor And Sensorimotor Development: Preterm Birth And Cerebral Palsy, Iryna Babik, Andrea B. Cunha, Sudha Srinivasan

Psychological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Disruptive biological and environmental factors may undermine the development of children’s motor and sensorimotor skills. Since the development of cognitive skills, including executive function, is grounded in early motor and sensorimotor experiences, early delays or impairments in motor and sensorimotor processing often trigger dynamic developmental cascades that lead to suboptimal executive function outcomes. The purpose of this perspective paper is to link early differences in motor/sensorimotor processing to the development of executive function in children born preterm or with cerebral palsy. Uncovering such links in clinical populations would improve our understanding of developmental pathways and key motor and sensorimotor skills …


The Persistence Of Blue Ash In The Aftermath Of Emerald Ash Borer May Be Due To Adult Oviposition Preferences And Reduced Larval Performance, Don Cipollini, Emily Morton Nov 2023

The Persistence Of Blue Ash In The Aftermath Of Emerald Ash Borer May Be Due To Adult Oviposition Preferences And Reduced Larval Performance, Don Cipollini, Emily Morton

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

  1. We examined the health of mature blue ash, Fraxinus quadrangulata, in two forests in southwestern Ohio in relation to that of mature white ash, F. americana, and examined the potential importance of oviposition preferences and larval resistance in the persistence of blue ash.
  2. Both blue ash and white ash were largely unaffected by emerald ash borer in 2012. By 2018, nearly 90% of the blue ash trees observed in these forests had full or nearly full canopies, as opposed to less than 20% of the white ash encountered in our studies. In 2021, blue ash maintained a …


Diabetes-Associated Hyperglycemia Causes Rapid-Onset Ocular Surface Damage, Judy Weng, Christopher Ross, Jacob Baker, Saleh Alfuraih, Kiumars Shamloo, Ajay Sharma Nov 2023

Diabetes-Associated Hyperglycemia Causes Rapid-Onset Ocular Surface Damage, Judy Weng, Christopher Ross, Jacob Baker, Saleh Alfuraih, Kiumars Shamloo, Ajay Sharma

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Purpose: The metabolic alterations due to chronic hyperglycemia are well-known to cause diabetes-associated complications. Short-term hyperglycemia has also been shown to cause many acute changes, including hemodynamic alterations and osmotic, oxidative, and inflammatory stress. The present study was designed to investigate whether diabetes-associated hyperglycemia can cause rapid-onset detrimental effects on the tear film, goblet cells, and glycocalyx and can lead to activation of an inflammatory cascade or cellular stress response in the cornea.

Methods: Mouse models of type 1 and type 2 diabetes were used. Tear film volume, goblet cell number, and corneal glycocalyx area were measured on …


Stew News, November 2023, University Of Dayton. Rivers Institute Nov 2023

Stew News, November 2023, University Of Dayton. Rivers Institute

Stew News: The Newsletter of the University of Dayton River Stewards

No abstract provided.


November 1, 2023 Faculty Senate Minutes, University Of South Carolina Nov 2023

November 1, 2023 Faculty Senate Minutes, University Of South Carolina

Faculty Senate

No abstract provided.


Population-Specific Mutation Patterns In Breast Tumors From African American, European American, And Kenyan Patients, Wei Tang, Jung S. Byun, Tiffany H. Dorsey, Harris G. Yfantis, Anuoluwapo Ajao, Huaitian Liu, Margaret S. Pichardo, Catherine M. Pichardo, Alexandra R. Harris, Shahin Sayed Nov 2023

Population-Specific Mutation Patterns In Breast Tumors From African American, European American, And Kenyan Patients, Wei Tang, Jung S. Byun, Tiffany H. Dorsey, Harris G. Yfantis, Anuoluwapo Ajao, Huaitian Liu, Margaret S. Pichardo, Catherine M. Pichardo, Alexandra R. Harris, Shahin Sayed

Pathology, East Africa

Women of African descent have the highest breast cancer mortality in the United States and are more likely than women from other population groups to develop an aggressive disease. It remains uncertain to what extent breast cancer in Africa is reminiscent of breast cancer in African American or European American patients. Here, we performed whole-exome sequencing of genomic DNA from 191 breast tumor and non-cancerous adjacent tissue pairs obtained from 97 African American, 69 European American, 2 Asian American, and 23 Kenyan patients. Our analysis of the sequencing data revealed an elevated tumor mutational burden in both Kenyan and African …


The Evaluation Of Calsporin And Imw50 On Production Performance, Microbial Population, And Immune Function Of The Laying Hen, Kayla N. Kleist Nov 2023

The Evaluation Of Calsporin And Imw50 On Production Performance, Microbial Population, And Immune Function Of The Laying Hen, Kayla N. Kleist

Master's Theses

The use of antibiotics as growth promotors in the food animal industry has led to the generation of antibiotic resistant microorganisms, which are a major health risk to humans. Therefore, bans and limitations, including the FDA’s veterinary feed directive, have been placed on the use of antibiotics as growth promotors, and there has been a push to find an adequate alternative. In the laying hen, probiotics and/or prebiotics have shown promise as they help promote the colonization of beneficial bacteria in the GI tract of the host, increase feed efficiency, increase egg production, and provide protection against pathogenic bacteria.

In …


Emulating Evolutionary Principles For Agriculture: Designing A Biomimetic Vertical Garden By Mimicking Tracheophyte Evolution, Earl M. Riddell Nov 2023

Emulating Evolutionary Principles For Agriculture: Designing A Biomimetic Vertical Garden By Mimicking Tracheophyte Evolution, Earl M. Riddell

Honors Theses

Biodiversity, particularly in the world’s equatorial regions, is under threat from human industry. Among the most daunting problems facing these biomes is that of the food industry’s continual expansion into what was once rainforest. Expansive monoculture (large cultivated swaths of a single crop species) are the primary threat to tropical biodiversity. This method of agriculture is harmful because it requires the clearing of land that once supported thousands of species in order to replace it with rows of a single crop. If more plants could be grown in a smaller horizontal square footage, farms need not rely so heavily on …


Individuality And The Collective In Ai Agents: Explorations Of Shared Consciousness And Digital Homunculi In The Metaverse For Cultural Heritage, James Hutson, Jay Ratican Nov 2023

Individuality And The Collective In Ai Agents: Explorations Of Shared Consciousness And Digital Homunculi In The Metaverse For Cultural Heritage, James Hutson, Jay Ratican

Faculty Scholarship

The confluence of extended reality (XR) technologies, including augmented and virtual reality, with large language models (LLM) marks a significant advancement in the field of digital humanities, opening uncharted avenues for the representation of cultural heritage within the burgeoning metaverse. This paper undertakes an examination of the potentialities and intricacies of such a convergence, focusing particularly on the creation of digital homunculi or changelings. These virtual beings, remarkable for their sentience and individuality, are also part of a collective consciousness, a notion explored through a thematic comparison in science fiction with the Borg and the Changelings in the Star Trek …