Digital Commons Network^™

The Solar Maya: Resilience And Strength In The Face Of Climate Change, Anna Frances Paradise

Pitzer Senior Theses

The solar maya of Yucatán, Mexico is an example of a sustainable agroecosystem that holds the potential to embed resilience in the livelihoods of those who utilize it. However, this traditional and indigenous system of agriculture is threatened by the immense forces of urbanization and modernization imposed on the area. I conducted research that included 14 different in-person and online interviews of academic and local personnel in Mérida and in nearby Yucatecan municipalities as well as visited seven different solares mayas, documenting my findings through audio recordings and photographs. With this collection of qualitative data, I found trends in the …

Untangling The Classification Of Surfaces: An Accessibility-Centered Perspective On Topology, Charlotte N. Richards

Pitzer Senior Theses

Mathematics has clear benefits in education, from preparing students for future careers to teaching them how to problem-solve. While mathematics achievement has been falling in recent decades, students claim that the problem is not the mathematics itself, but the ‘boring’ classroom material that feels removed from real life. More advanced mathematics topics, such as topology, could offer a solution, as their applications lie in countless fields. However, topology has been restricted to upper-level mathematics, disregarding the potential benefits of making this material broadly reachable for a junior high-school audience. In this paper, we analyze five different proofs of the theorem …

The Impacts Of Dietary And Educational Intervention In Addressing Adult Obesity In The Mexican Population, Matthew C. Servin

CMC Senior Theses

Mexico’s obesity epidemic has been an ongoing issue for the past few decades, with multiple studies attributing this to the disparities in accessing healthy food and health education. Designing a solution to Mexico’s adult obesity crisis will focus on studying the effects of an intervention plan that addresses these obesogenic factors. This proposed study will assess how a token system and health education sessions may impact the risk of obesity in the adult Mexican population. This study also will consider any limitations that arise when only one of the two intervention methods are used. As these interventions are implemented over …

Accommodating Pregnancy In Academic Libraries: Tips For Librarians And Supervisors, Samantha Peter, Katie Quirin Manwiller

Educational Leadership & Higher Education Administration Faculty Publications

Pregnancy and disability are rarely seen as overlapping experiences within Amer­ican society’s limited concepts of disability. Disabled pregnant people face inva­sive ableism from the general public and their healthcare providers. However, people with disabilities report similar rates of pregnancy as those without disabilities. Even for nondisabled pregnant people, pregnancy itself can be inherently disabling. While many nondisabled people will not personally identify with disability during their pregnancy, their symptoms may necessitate accommodation to continue working. As such, we must look at the intersections of disability and pregnancy when creating inclusive libraries. This chapter provides a practical guide to accommodating pregnancy …

Hope For A New Us/Earth Via E-Co-Aectivity And Jeong (정 情), Jea Sophia Oh

Philosophy Faculty Publications

In E-Co-Affectivity, Marjolein Oele explores the deep connectivity and relational entanglements of plants, animals, humans, and the soil as elemental components of a co-affective community. Her deconstructive reading of the Aristotelian conception of degrees of three souls, with such hierarchy of humans-animals-vegetables via what she calls categorical contamination,” is a brilliant example of how re-reading the western canon can cast important interpretive light upon contemporary ethico-political questions. Oele’s work shows how it is crucial to foreground (eco)feminist re-interpretations of the writings of major figures in the western philosophical traditions. It is reconstruction and construction of feminist hermeneutics so that it …

Impact Of Hiv-2 Rod9 Vpx Mutations On Samhd1 Degradation And Vpx Nuclear Trafficking, Tolulope R. Oladimeji

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a leading cause of death in many parts of the world. HIV-2, endemic to West Africa, has infected over 2 million people globally. A key difference between HIV-2 and the more widespread HIV-1 is the HIV-2 protein Vpx, which facilitates infection in non-dividing cells by targeting SAMHD1, a host innate immune protein, for proteasomal degradation. This research aims to identify specific amino acid residues in HIV-2 ROD9 Vpx that are essential for mediating SAMHD1 degradation by the proteosome. I hypothesize that amino acid residues located in the C-terminal region of Vpx play a critical role …

Creation Of A Dual-Fluorescence Reporter System To Assay Mirna Regulation Of Apobec3a, Tolulope D. Ajayi

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

MicroRNAs have an important role in regulating gene expression, including regulating the transcripts of the APOBEC3 family of cytidine deaminases. The APOBEC3 family is part of the immune defense against viral infection but has also been implicated in cancer progression. The hypothesis for this thesis is that specific miRNAs could be identified that regulate APOBEC3A (A3A) expression. I used molecular cloning and confocal microscopy to evaluate the miRNA-mediated silencing of A3A. A commercially available vector, psiCHECK-2, can be used to assay microRNA (miRNA) activity on specific targets. Molecular cloning was performed to modify the psiCHECK-2 Dual luciferase system (Renilla and …

Strategic Assessment 2025: Evolving Great Power Competition At Mid-Decade, Thomas F. Lynch Iii, Richard Andres, Natalle Cawston-Gibson, William T. Eliason, Douglas Farah, Liana Fix, T.X. Hammes, Benjamin Harris, John Hickman, Jeffrey Mankoff, Jeremy T. Mathis, Dawn C. Murphy, Marianne Richardson, Phillip C. Saunders, Joel Wuthnow

Books

Strategic Assessment 2025: Great Power Competition at Mid-Decade explores the ongoing dramatic evolution of strategic competition among and between today's three Great Powers - the United States, China, and Russia. Over the past decade, these Great Powers moved from an era of generally cooperative and collaborative interactions to those now dominated by competitive and confrontational dynamics. This book spotlights and evaluates the evolving global strategies pursued by Washington, Beijing and Moscow at mid-decade, illuminating how they clash or complement national power and international status in an array of geostrategic regions and functions.

Between A Rock And A Wet Place: Analyzing Mangrove Expansion On Intertidal Oyster Reefs, Lindsay Dolan, Andre Wicks, Lina Souza, Jenna Hodgson, Gabriella Zigler, Ethan Gau, Meagan Pack, Antonia Ferguson, Gwyn Kirby, Mako Rosario, Lee Nguyen, Dwartney Wortham, Jack Budd, Michelle Ganuza, Abby Greene, Cori Mcwilliams, Dyllon Thompson, Emma Quade, Dani Andrews, Jessie Shaffer, Abigail Bond, Julia Murray

High Impact Practices Student Showcase Spring 2025

As global temperatures rise due to climate change, tropical mangroves have spread poleward and now impact many other ecosystems, including salt marshes and oyster reefs in central Florida. A recent study documented a 198% increase in mangrove numbers on intertidal reefs of the eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) since 1984 in the Indian River Lagoon (IRL). Our field research project had two goals. First, to collect 2025 data as part of a long-term study to understand the current dimensions, densities, and spatial distributions of red mangroves (Rhizophora mangle) on intertidal oyster reefs in Mosquito Lagoon (north IRL), and second, to compare …

Analytical Approach To Find Effective Factors On Users' Attachment To Public Spaces (Case Study : Khayyam Street, Qazvin), Maryam Chakhchian

Journal of Urban Culture Research

Different physical, social, activity and meaning aspects define public spaces as a social space. Several studies argue the relations between those main aspects and users’ attachment to such spaces. In this regard, this study tries to evaluate the significance of the relations between those four mentioned aspects in a selected public space based on the citizens' choice as a successful and desirable urban space. Data have been analyzed by SPSS software and the results indicate all of mentioned dimensions have a positive significance correlation users’ attachment to the place. Although, the result of path analysis shows activity aspect has an …

Ancient Service Systems In Historic Houses And Their Contribution To Sustainable Urban Development : The Case Of Architect Sinan’S House, Gülşen Dişli, Gül Gediri-Gökçen

Journal of Urban Culture Research

The service systems of historic buildings, namely, heating, ventilation, cooling, lighting, and drainage play a critical role in the life cycle of buildings and sustainable urban development to preserve traditional knowledge systems. Therefore, a detailed investigation is required before, during, and after any preservation activity to ensure the historic integrity. Hence, this research aims to identify, investigate, and research the original service systems of a historic building, namely, the Architect Sinan's house in Ağırnas, Türkiye, to reveal and sustain these original passive survivability details to future generations and to learn from these details in present constructions. Main methods were site …

Dean's Report- Winter-Spring 2025, Marina K. Holz

GSBMS Dean’s Report

No abstract provided.

Urban Heterogeneity Drives Dissolved Organic Matter Sources, Transport, And Transformation From Local To Macro Scales, Rebecca L. Hale, Kristina G. Hopkins, Krista A. Capps, John S. Kominoski, Jennifer L. Morse, Allison H. Roy, Shuo Chen, Annika Quick, Andrew J. Blinn, Liz Ortiz Muñoz, Gwendolynn Folk

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Urbanization reshapes dissolved organic matter (DOM) sources, transport, and transformations through changes in vegetation, hydrology, and management of waste and water. Yet the impacts of urbanization on DOM are variable within and among cities. Predicting heterogeneous responses to urbanization is challenged by diverse human activities and underlying biophysical variation along stream networks. Using data from the 486 largest urban areas in the continental United States and seven focal cities, we identified macro and local scale urban gradients in social, built, and biophysical factors that are expected to shape DOM. We used these gradients and the literature to develop hypotheses about …

Adapting A Mobile Health Intervention To Improve Prep Adherence Among Young Black Msm In Fulton County, Georgia, Kassidy Maust

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Young Black men who have sex with men (YBMSM) in the southern United States, particularly in Fulton County, Georgia, face disproportionately high rates of HIV and unique structural barriers to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) uptake and adherence. Sustained adherence among YBMSM remains low due to intersecting structural, social, and behavioral barriers. To address these disparities, this paper presents an adapted implementation of the evidence-based M-Cubed (Mobile Messaging for Men) mHealth intervention. Prior studies of M-Cubed and similar mHealth interventions have shown promising outcomes in increasing PrEP adherence among Black MSM populations. The adapted intervention integrates culturally tailored messaging specific to behaviors …

Upper And Lower Body Volume-Equated Resistance Exercise Increases Post-Exercise Lipid Oxidation In Trained Eumenorrheic Females., Alyssa L. Parten, Abbie E. Smith-Ryan, Eric K. O'Neal, T Scott Lyons, Hunter S. Waldman

Theses

Exercise strategies targeted to increase lipid oxidation (LOx) in the resting state present an opportunity to optimize long-term metabolic health. However, research examining the effects of resistance training (RT) on LOx in females remains scarce, particularly with no studies yet examining whether differences exist in LOx between upper and lower body RT. This study examined LOx changes following volume-load equated upper and lower body RT in well-trained, eumenorrheic females. Twenty-two (age: 25.4 ± 5.6 years, BMI: 24.6 ± 2.7) females completed a 3-repetition-maximum (RM) and 1RM test for the barbell back squat (BS) and bench press (BP), respectively. From these …

Restoring Rattlesnake Creek: Using Citizen Science To Assess The Ecological And Morphological Impacts Of Dam Removal In Western Montana, Bethany Blakey

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

As dam removals increase in frequency across the U.S., most research has focused on the impact of larger dam removals, despite the removal of small dams being much more common. Given the hundreds of small dams in Montana, this research uses citizen science data collected over eight years spanning before and after a 2020 small dam removal in Rattlesnake Creek, Montana, to investigate impact on stream ecology and morphology. We analyzed pebble count grain size distributions and aquatic macroinvertebrate biotic indices from 2017 to 2024 to assess changes in sediment transport and macroinvertebrate population as well as evaluate the efficacy …

Bailing Out Biometrics, Chinmayi Sharma, Elijah Gordon

Faculty Scholarship

In 2023, hackers breached 23andMe and extracted the biometric and genealogical data of nearly seven million people. By 2025, that data-originally offered up in the spirit of medical discovery and consumer empowerment-was being auctioned off in bankruptcy court as a corporate asset. The breach exposed more than technical lapses or governance failures. It revealed a structural gap in how the law understands, regulates, and protects biometric identity. Biometric data is intimate, immutable, and implicates human dignity and autonomy. And yet, the legal frameworks most often tasked with protecting it-tort, contract, and even modern privacy statutes-have consistently failed to impose meaningful …

Neutrosophic Twofold Superhyperalgebra And Anti Superhyperalgebra, Takaaki Fujita, Florentin Smarandache

Branch Mathematics and Statistics Faculty and Staff Publications

Neutrosophic Sets are conceptual frameworks designed to address uncertainty. A Neutrosophic TwoFold Algebra is a hybrid algebraic structure defined over a neutrosophic set, combining classical algebraic operations with neutrosophic components. Concepts such as Hyperalgebra and Superhyperalgebra extend classical Algebra using Power Sets and 𝑛-th powersets. Additionally, structures such as NeutroAlgebra and AntiAlgebra have been defined in recent y ears. This paper explores several related concepts, including TwoFold SuperhyperAlgebra and Anti SuperhyperAlgebra.

Ending The Presumption Of Reasonableness And Using Data To Reduce Sentencing Disparities, Brandon Mordue

Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology

The idea that one’s punishment should depend on the crime committed rather than which judge happens to do the sentencing strikes most as uncontroversial, if not a requirement for a fair sentencing regime. Forty years ago, the passage of the Sentencing Reform Act promised just that result. Increased data availability allows us to evaluate the project’s success. The results are not encouraging.

Federal defendants are sentenced using guidelines issued by the United States Sentencing Commission that sometimes bear little relation to the underlying wrongdoing. This has created a split among judges, with some following the guidelines and others rejecting them. …

Yet Another Elected Power: A Case For Randomly Selected Forepersons, Cj Miller

Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology

Most United States courts require the jury to elect their own foreperson, a role that has amplified influence on the jury’s verdict. In practice, the election process is done quickly and without discussion. As a result, the foreperson is demographically biased toward older men of high socioeconomic status. This paper uses psychological literature to argue that the current selection system produces suboptimal forepersons. Instead, it proposes a system of random selection, including an opt-out procedure for those who do not feel capable of holding the position.

Defining The Genetic Basis Of Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Liver Disease With Whole Exome Sequencing, Xinmiao Meng

Public Health Theses

Polycystic liver and kidney diseases are inherited disorders marked by progressive cyst formation in hepatic and renal tissues, leading to significant morbidity through organ enlargement, impaired function, and eventual kidney failure or painful hepatic enlargement. While several genes—including PKD1, PKD2, GANAB, and PRKCSH—are implicated, a substantial proportion of cases remain genetically unexplained, limiting diagnostic precision and therapeutic development. This thesis aims to refine the genetic understanding of polycystic liver diseases through whole exome sequencing of 292 individuals with liver and/or kidney cysts. We first identify pathogenic variants in known disease genes in 133 individuals (46%), confirming the recurrent involvement of …

The Immunological Pathogenesis Of Persistent Lyme Disease And Babesiosis, Evan Navori

Public Health Theses

Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome (PTLDS) and persistent babesiosis are late-stage manifestations of two tick-borne diseases. Both are characterized by protracted symptoms despite the use of standard antimicrobial treatment. PTLDS is thought to be associated with immune dysregulation rather than active infection, while persistent and relapsing babesiosis is due to long-lasting infection caused by host immunodeficiency, pathogen antimicrobial resistance, and immune evasion. This thesis examines the immunological host deficits underlying both conditions, one too strong and the other too weak, and explores the mechanisms that contribute to prolonged disease states. Numerous studies suggest that Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative bacteria of Lyme …

An Analysis Of The Impact Of Genetic Diversity In Pfsec13 And Pfendo Genes On Pre-Clinical Drug Response To Med6-189 Analogs: A Novel Potent Class Of Antimalarial Compounds, Don-Pedro Ume

Public Health Theses

Malaria is a deadly disease responsible for 263 million cases and 597,000 deaths in 2023, with the majority being from the WHO African Region. While resistance to chloroquine and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) emerged decades ago, there have been records of partial resistance to artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) in African countries like Rwanda, Uganda, and Ethiopia. Given that ACTs are the main malaria drug of choice in Africa, there is a need to develop novel antimalarial agents that target pathways not explored by the current antimalarial therapies. Mutations in coding genes (PfSec13 and Pfendoplasmin or PfEndo) have been previously associated with resistance …

Crimes Of The Past, Present, And Future: Considering The Global Problem Of Microplastic Pollution And The Potential For Success Within The Public Trust Doctrine, Rose Heppner

Emory International Law Review

Microplastic pollution is a global and transboundary issue—one that international states have failed to properly address through regulatory bodies, multilateral treaties, and nonbinding conventions. Despite efforts by the international community to reduce plastic pollution, the problem has been exacerbated exponentially year over year by an ever-expanding plastic industry. The U.N. Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution is currently leading discussions for the most promising solution: a binding treaty targeting the full lifecycle of plastic. Unfortunately, pro-plastic industry groups and lobbyists have been granted a seat at the table, and negotiations have yet to produce a final treaty draft.

Although legislation …

Automatic Identification And Visualization Of Reaction Mechanisms Contained Within Direct Dynamics Simulations, Trent Kobulnicky, Emmanuel Boafo, George L. Barnes

Faculty Publications – Chemistry

Direct dynamics simulations are employed in many areas of chemistry and biochemistry. When paired with an appropriate underlying ab initio, semiempirical, or DFT-based potential energy surface and proper sampling of initial conditions, direct dynamics simulations provide an atomic-level view of the reaction dynamics within the system of interest, yielding considerable fundamental insights. Moreover, when a sufficient number of simulations are conducted, they provide a wealth of information regarding the overall trends in reactivity. However, they also generate large data sets that often require significant manual interpretation through inspection or developing case-specific analysis techniques. Here, we present an analysis method …

No Evidence Of Immune Priming In Bumble Bee Hosts Against Novel Exposure To A Honey Bee Virus, Austin Calhoun, Ben M. Sadd

Faculty Publications – Biological Sciences

Ongoing global change presents novel challenges to species persistence, including heightened emerging infectious diseases (EID) exposure. While invertebrates lack vertebrate acquired immunity, many species exhibit “immune priming” with enhanced protection to repeated pathogen exposures. This phenomenon could be critical for species of conservation concern, such as for wild bumble bees, where EID risk is amplified through contact with managed bee pollinators. We investigate the potential for immune priming against the honey bee-derived Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus (IAPV) in Bombus impatiens bumble bees. We test the hypothesis that prior pathogen-associated exposure affords greater resistance and tolerance upon secondary pathogen exposure, due …

Oriented Surface Immobilization Of Antibodies Using Enzyme-Mediated Site-Specific Biotinylation For Enhanced Antigen-Binding Capacity, Emily Beitello, Kwame Osei, Trent Kobulnicky, Faith Breausche, Jon A. Friesen, Jeremy D. Driskell

Faculty Publications – Chemistry

The effectiveness of surface-immobilized antibodies is often diminished by improper antibody orientation and limited stability, impeding the analytical performance of biosensors. Here, we report a novel enzyme-mediated strategy to biotinylate the Fc region of an anti-horseradish peroxidase (anti-HRP) antibody with site-specificity that enables oriented immobilization on a streptavidin-functionalized surface. Microbial transglutaminase (mTG) catalyzes the covalent coupling between the amine functional group on a biotin analogue (NH₂-PEG₄-biotin) and the side chain of a privileged glutamine residue (Q295) located on the heavy chain Fc region of IgG antibodies. For comparison, an anti-HRP antibody was biotinylated using an amine-reactive …

Synthesis Of Alkyl Substituted Carbatripyrrins And Their Application To The Preparation Of Carbaporphyrins And Oxacarbaporphyrins, Ian A. Mclauchlan, Bethany K.X. Overbey, Tyler J. Smolczyk, John J. Woods, Timothy D. Lash

Faculty Publications – Chemistry

Unsubstituted carbatripyrrins have previously been shown to be useful intermediates in the synthesis of benzocarbaporphyrins and related core-modified analogues. However, the absence of substituents often resulted in the formation of poorly soluble products. In this study, four examples alkyl substituted carbatripyrrins were constructed by base-catalyzed condensation of dihydrofulvenes with pyrrole aldehydes. Further reaction with a pyrrole dialdehyde in the presence of trifluoroacetic acid afforded a series of carbaporphyrins, while reactions with 2,5-furandicarboxaldehyde generated oxacarbaporphyrins. These results demonstrate that alkyl substituted carbatripyrrins are promising precursors to new carbaporphyrinoid structures.

Material, Health, And Social Vulnerability And Loneliness Among Older Adults: From The Welfare Regime Perspective, Ji Young Kang, Oejin Shin, Sojung Park, Jihye Baek, Minyoung Kwak

Faculty Publications - Social Work

Loneliness in later life is a significant global public health issue that negatively impacts well-being, life satisfaction, and mental health. This study investigates how material, health, and social vulnerabilities contribute to loneliness among older adults using a welfare regime framework. It examines the link between vulnerability and loneliness in the United States, Korea, Sweden, Spain, and Germany using the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) alongside its international sister studies, encompassing both Western and East Asian welfare states. Findings indicate that older adults in less generous welfare regimes experience higher levels of loneliness and material vulnerability. A multidimensional approach reveals that …

Bat Genomes Illuminate Adaptations To Viral Tolerance And Disease Resistance, Ariadna E. Morales, Yue Dong, Thomas Brown, Kaushal Baid, Dimitrios Georgios Kontopoulos, Victoria Gonzalez, Zixia Huang, Alexis Walid Ahmed, Arkadeb Bhuinya, Leon Hilgers, Sylke Winkler, Graham Hughes, Xiaomeng Li, Ping Lu, Yixin Yang, Bogdan M. Kirilenko, Paolo Devanna, Tanya M. Lama, Yomiran Nissan, Martin Pippel, Liliana M. Dávalos, Sonja C. Vernes, Sebastien J. Puechmaille, Stephen J. Rossiter, Yossi Yovel, Joseph B. Prescott, Andreas Kurth, David A. Ray, Burton K. Lim, Eugene Myers, Emma C. Teeling, Arinjay Banerjee

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Zoonoses are infectious diseases transmitted from animals to humans. Bats have been suggested to harbour more zoonotic viruses than any other mammalian order1. Infections in bats are largely asymptomatic2,3, indicating limited tissue-damaging inflammation and immunopathology. To investigate the genomic basis of disease resistance, the Bat1K project generated reference-quality genomes of ten bat species, including potential viral reservoirs. Here we describe a systematic analysis covering 115 mammalian genomes that revealed that signatures of selection in immune genes are more prevalent in bats than in other mammalian orders. We found an excess of immune gene adaptations in the ancestral chiropteran branch and …