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A Study Into The Psychology Of Emotions, Dark Comedy, And Theatre Of The Absurd: Ghosted An Original Script, Courtney Bronson

Undergraduate University Honors Capstones

Imagine a world without emotions. Ghosted is an eleven-part dark comedy script inspired by The Giver, Clue, Knives Out: Glass Onion, and Inside Out. The script explores the consequences of a dystopian, government-controlled society that has eradicated emotions in the name of order. The script blends dark comedy with elements of Theatre of the Absurd to highlight the farcical nature and danger of emotional suppression. Drawing on research in emotional psychology and emotional dysregulation, Ghosted presents emotions as incorporeal “Emotion Ghosts” that possess five volunteers and unleash unpredictable chaos. When one volunteer ends up dead, the remaining members begin to …

Queens Of Chaos: How Adhd Affects The Experience Of Motherhood, Ashley Marie Murray

Educational Studies Dissertations

Historically, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) research and public perception have centered on hyperactive young boys, overlooking how the condition manifests in women, particularly mothers. As diagnostic understanding improves, increasing numbers of women are receiving ADHD diagnoses in adulthood, shedding light on the intersection of ADHD symptoms and gendered social expectations, including the ideals of motherhood. This hermeneutic phenomenological study explores how ADHD affects the lived experience of motherhood through in-depth interviews with five mothers across North America. Findings reveal significant challenges in executive functioning, emotional regulation, time management, and self-perception, exacerbated by societal expectations of maternal competence. Participants describe the …

Stress-Related Phenotypic Differentiation Identified By Motivational Behaviors In Male Mice, Renee A. Brummels

Honors Thesis

Social stress substantially contributes to psychological disorders, including anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Recognizing these disorders affect millions, it is essential to understand social stress’s impacts on behavior and how these behaviors vary among affected populations. We address these questions through a social defeat/avoidance paradigm, the Stress-Alternatives Model (SAM), which demonstrates defeat (Stay) and avoidance (Escape) responses across species, including fish, rats, hamsters, and mice. Avoidance of social conflict in the SAM is possible by utilizing escape routes for smaller test mice during aggressive interactions. Additionally, measurements of SAM motivational behaviors, like time near and nose pokes into escape …

You Are What You Spray: How New Mexico Can Better Protect Farmworkers From Pesticides, Rachel Swanteson-Franz

Natural Resources Journal

The impact of pesticides on farmworkers is at the intersection of environmental and labor law. Existing federal regulations designed to protect farmworkers from pesticide exposure and illness have failed to adequately do so. While some states have tried to fill these gaps by enacting state regulations, New Mexico is not one of them. However, by borrowing and combining regulatory protections from other states, New Mexico could become a leader in this area. This note first provides a detailed summary of the federal protections and the regulatory history while summarizing criticisms from farmworker advocates. Next, it provides a comprehensive overview of …

Front Matter, Natural Resources Journal Nrj

Natural Resources Journal

No abstract provided.

Introduction, Danielle Lopez, Lauren Hewitt

Natural Resources Journal

No abstract provided.

Applying Conservation Biology Principles In Federal Conservation Efforts For Candidate, Threatened, And Endangered Species, Kenna Fung

Natural Resources Journal

As human activities continue to accelerate the extinction of species, federal and state programs emerge as some of the last solutions to wildlife protection in the United States. Since the establishment of the Endangered Species Act (“ESA”) in 1973, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (“the Service”) has designated occupied and unoccupied critical habitats for threatened and endangered species as part of the species’ recovery plan. A recent U.S. Supreme Court case signaled that courts are less willing to grant the Service the same deference to designate areas as critical habitats as before. Because the ESA never defined “habitat,” the …

Water Governance And Water Futures In The United States And Australia, Robert Haskell Abrams

Natural Resources Journal

The world’s hydroclimate has become more extreme in the last several decades—a phenomenon described in technical terms as the loss of stationarity. Focusing particularly on the drought-induced stresses, this Article examines water governance in the American West and Australia seeking aspects in the laws, institutions, and approaches of each nation that could be adapted to advantage by the other in coping with the onset of reduced flows in major river basins—most prominently, the Colorado in the U.S. and the Murray-Darling in Australia. Significant similarities of history, settlement of arid regions, and legal systems abound. These include Anglo settlement bringing riparian …

The Fallout Of The Trinity Test: The Need To Expand Reca To Include New Mexico Downwinders, Angélica Ortega

Natural Resources Journal

The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (“RECA”), which offers one-time payments to designated individuals who have developed specific diseases and cancers due to radiation exposure, was set to expire on June 10, 2024. On March 7, 2024, the U.S. Senate passed Senate Bill 3853 (“S. 3853”), the “Radiation Exposure Compensation Reauthorization Act” which would continue RECA payments for an additional six years and would allow for more individuals to be eligible for these payments. However, the bill has not become law because it is still pending review by the U.S. Congress. One of the groups that would be eligible for these …

Forging A Sustainable Southwest: The Power Of Collaborative Conservation, Nicolas Estrada

Natural Resources Journal

No abstract provided.

Tacrolimus Dosing In Liver Transplant Recipients Using Phenotypic Personalized Medicine: A Phase 2 Randomized Clinical Trial, Jeffrey Khong, Megan Lee, Curtis Warren, Un Kim, Sergio Duarte, Kenneth Andreoni, Sunaina Shrestha, Mark Johnson, Narendra Battula, Danielle Mckimmy, Thiago Beduschi, Ji-Hyun Lee, Derek Li, Chih-Ming Ho, Ali Zarrinpar

Department of Surgery Faculty Papers

Tacrolimus is the most commonly used immunosuppression drug after solid organ transplantation; however, its dosing is challenging due to substantial inter-individual variability, often resulting in blood levels that deviate from the target therapeutic range. We explored whether a dynamically customized, phenotypic-outcome-guided drug dosing method could improve maintenance of drug trough levels within pre-determined target ranges, focusing on tacrolimus immediately after liver transplantation. This single-center, partially blinded, completed clinical trial involved 62 adults undergoing liver transplantation, block randomized into parallel groups: standard-of-care (SOC) clinician-determined or Phenotypic Personalized Medicine (PPM)-guided tacrolimus dosing. The primary outcome was percentage of post-transplant days with large …

Clinical Predictors Of Inherited Breast Cancer At A Comprehensive Cancer Centre In Oman: Is It Time For Universal Germline Genetic Testing?, Reem Abdulrahim, Hasan Al-Sayegh, Sara Al-Kiyumi, Ilse Crouse, Khalid Albaimani, Adil Aljarrah, Chantel Van Wyk, Abeer Alsayegh

Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal

Objectives: This study aimed to explore the clinical, histopathological and demographic characteristics of female Omani breast cancer (BC) patients to identify possible predictors of a positive test result. Additionally, it aimed to evaluate the applicability of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines for germline genetic testing in risk assessment. Methods: This study was conducted at the Sultan Qaboos Comprehensive Cancer Centre, Oman, between September 2021 and September 2022. The variables examined included age, disease stage, presence of metastasis at diagnosis, hormone receptor status, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 status, histopathological type, Ki-67 levels, family history of …

Aerial Robotic Studies Of Volcanic Co2 Emissions, John Ericksen

Computer Science ETDs

Volcanic systems are inherently complex, involving dynamic interactions among magma flow, gas emissions, and atmospheric dispersion. This dissertation focuses on developing and analyzing autonomous UAS algorithms for efficiently surveying volcanic CO2 plumes, introducing several novel methods: the LoCUS algorithm, a swarm coordination and self-healing algorithm that supports gradient-based plume tracking, a transect-based technique that employs a 2D Gaussian fit to calculate CO2 plume flux, and the Sketch algorithm for rapid plume boundary tracing. By treating multiple UAS as a single scientific instrument, these methods leverage swarm algorithms to use in-situ data in ways impossible with individual drones. Validated through simulations …

Alexithymia: A Review Of Existing Literature And A Prospective Route For Future Training, Jessica C. Friedman

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Alexithymia, a trans-diagnostic construct characterized by a disability to identify and articulate emotions, has received increasing attention within the medical and psychiatric communities due to its profound, negative impact on treatment outcomes. This paper provides insight into its complex and pervasive nature, its conceptualization and assessment, underlying neurobiological mechanisms and acquisition, extensive comorbidities, treatment implications, clinical manifestations, clinical considerations, and analysis of the existing body of research. While previous research assumed Alexithymia to be largely untreatable, recent publications have indicated its ability to be affected by emotional-awareness skill building and relationally based interventions, though no specific treatments for Alexithymia currently …

The Connection Between An Unequitable Distribution Of Care Responsibilities And A Widening Gender Nutrition Gap In Latin America, Alexis Nicole Bodlak

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The notion of care refers to activities that satisfy the basic needs of existence and reproduction. Within rural communities, care work such as the production and preparation of food contributes to food security at the household level. Care work supports the paid workforce, allowing workers to focus on commercial productive activities that generate economic income in rural communities. Women perform 6.3 to 29.5 more hours per week than men in unpaid care work, reducing their time for income-generating activities and personal nutrition management. Affecting their economic independence and ability to access and consume nutritious food. Studies show that in food-insecure …

Comparison Of Hand-Wrist And Cvms Methods For Craniofacial Growth Spurt Assessment, Ardita Ajvazi

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Objective: Hand-wrist (HW) radiographs are considered the most accurate method for assessing pubertal growth spurts in orthodontics but have declined in use due to added radiation exposure and the expertise required. Cervical vertebral maturation staging (CVMS) is now commonly used, given the routine availability of lateral cephalograms. However, the validity of CVMS remains uncertain. A recent study reported only 66% inter-observer reliability across time periods (Ingersoll, 2024). This follow-up study aims to evaluate CVMS as a predictor of growth to guide clinical decision-making. Methods: With protocol approval (MU HR-4695), this retrospective study followed a design modeled after a prior study …

Blind School Saved My Life: An Autoethnography On The Benefits Of Visual Impairment Schools, Valenzuella Jordan

Theses and Dissertations from DePaul University

This article is an autoethnography of my experiences in blind education. Covering the years from 1962-1977, this autoethnography compares my two years in public school education as a person with a visual impairment to my 12 years at a boarding school specifically designed for the visually impaired. The IDEA framework for disability education was developed in 1964 and I spent my early years of blindness educated under a program of that design with itinerant special education teachers. In 1965, I was admitted into the Illinois School for the Visually Impaired where I spent the rest of my years of K-12 …

Reason And All My Senses: Surveying The Post Enlightenment Frame Of Reason Through Contemporary Philosophy, Cognitive Psychology, And Cognitive Linguistics, Joshua T. Lowe Rev. Dr.

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

This dissertation argues that Christian theology and practice are aided and enriched by a more complete understanding of reason by surveying recent studies and views in theology, philosophy, cognitive psychology, and cognitive linguistics. Since the Enlightenment, Christian theology has assumed widely the Enlightenment model of human reason as ideally acontextual, that is, free from constraints of contexts, and therefore universal, that is, applicable in all contexts. Recent developments from a variety of perspectives challenge this model of rationality. Some challenge the acontextualism of the Enlightenment understanding by showing how it arose from and depends on a context, and that context …

A Roadmap For Greywater Reuse At The University Of San Francisco Hilltop Campus: A Financial, Regulatory, And Technical Feasibility Study, Apama'bo Anand Oszkar

Master's Projects and Capstones

Abstract

Water scarcity is increasing in California, so we need strategies to reduce potable water demand. Decentralized greywater systems offer promising solutions to this problem. This study provides a roadmap for successfully implementing greywater reuse at the University of San Francisco (USF) by addressing financial, technical, and regulatory considerations. By deploying a mixed-methods approach that combines qualitative expert interviews and quantitative water usage analysis, policy review, cost analysis, and case studies, this study established USF’s annual recycled water demand as 8 million gallons, with two primary uses: irrigation, which accounts for 67% of the demand, and toilet-urinal flushing, which represents …

Balancing Burrowing Owl (Athene Cunicularia Hypugaea) Protections While Maintaining Renewable Energy Development Within The San Joaquin Valley, Madison Lenzi Mcginn

Master's Projects and Capstones

Balancing the needs of wildlife and people has long been a complex challenge. The San Joaquin Valley exemplifies this tension, as space for agriculture and urbanization compete for land use of native grasslands– often resulting in the conversion of grasslands for agriculture fields, commercialized areas, or energy development. With an increasing number of agricultural landscapes going fallow and the passing of SB-100 in 2018, solar farm development has emerged as an attractive option to offset financial losses from unproductive farmland. However, the same landscapes favored for solar development also provide suitable habitat for sensitive species such the western burrowing owl …

On Valuing Community Environmental Management: Revenues, Costs Avoided, Economic Impacts, And Amenities, William N. Ferris

Duke Environmental Law & Policy Forum

No abstract provided.

Watching The Tide Roll Away: Looking Forward After Fifty Years Of The Coastal Area Management Act, Julia Furr Youngman

Duke Environmental Law & Policy Forum

No abstract provided.

Effect Of Endodontic Access Preparation On The Retention Of Zirconia Crowns With Temporary Or Permanent Access Hole Restorations: An In Vitro Study, J. Nick Sanders, Amir H. Nejat, Peter Dupree, Edwin Kee, Madeleine E. Raymond, Fred Mcmullen

School of Dentistry Faculty Publications

Objectives: To evaluate the effect endodontic access preparation had on the retention of anterior zirconia crowns after restoring the access hole with temporary versus permanent restorative materials. Methods: 30 anterior zirconia crowns were milled from 5Y-TZP zirconia and bonded to a 3D printed die with resin cement. Crowns were randomly divided into three groups including negative control (NC, n = 10) with no endodontic access preparation; positive control (PC, N = 10) received endodontic access preparation and was restored with a temporary restorative material (Cavit); composite restoration (CR, N = 10) received an endodontic access preparation and then the access …

A Correlational Study Of The Relationships Between The Big Five Aspects Of Personality And Career Interest: Practical Implications For Teachers In Guidance Counseling Roles, Mary J. Haberman

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Classroom teachers are often required to teach advisory courses that include career counseling and social emotional learning components. The author used a combination of personality and career assessments to guide students into careers that were a good fit, not only for their interests but their temperaments as well. This holistic approach to advising allowed the author to address a wide variety of personal issues (e.g., unmet needs) that students were having and help them to discover their own motivations for approaching these issues. While the study is focused on collecting information from working adults, the results of this study could …

An Overview Of Global Navigation Satellite System Reflectometry In Coastal Wetlands, Luke Andrew Redwine

Theses and Dissertations

With rising global temperatures, increasing sea levels, and the accelerated erosion of coastal wetlands, efficient methods for monitoring this vulnerable ecosystem are crucial. Traditional approaches, such as manual surveys, are labor-intensive, hazardous, and invasive to the environment they are attempting to protect, while current remote sensing methods are cost prohibitive and rely on irregular data collection techniques. To address these challenges, a scalable solution is needed for reliable and frequent data collection. This study explores the use of GNSS Reflectometry (GNSS-R) combined with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to monitor the shifting topology in wetlands with minimal human invasion. By leveraging …

“Here For Everyone” (?): How Intimate Partner Violence Service Organizations Address Community Needs And Transgender Inclusion In The Deep South, Brian Tesch

Theses and Dissertations

Transgender individuals face disproportionately high rates of intimate partner violence (also known as IPV) when compared to other sociodemographic groups. Despite this prevalence, IPV service organizations in the Deep South (e.g., Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina), a region of the U.S. encompassing several rural communities and characterized by traditional gender norms and conservative Christian religious values, may have difficulties meeting the unique needs of transgender IPV survivors. This dissertation explores two key areas: (1) the perceptions of IPV service organization staff members in the Deep South concerning how their agencies assist members of the transgender community, and (2) …

Exploring Sustainable Biopolyesters: Synthesis From 1,4-Butanediol And Aliphatic Diacids, Vinashkumar Jayantibhai Chaudhari

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

In this thesis, we applied 1,4-butanediol, which is an emerging biobased and low-cost monomer, was synthesized with a series of aliphatic dicarboxylic acids, namely succinic acid, adipic acid, and sebacic acid using melt polycondensation to Biobased polyesters. The resulting polymers poly(butylene succinate) (PPeS), poly(butylene adipate) (PPeA), and poly(butylene sebacate) (PPeSe) chemical structures were analysis through Fourier transfer infrared spectroscopy(FT-IR), ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) revealed the elimination of side reactions in the obtained polyesters. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was employed to analyze physical properties, and the impact of dicarboxylate chain length and long short diol on crystalline structure and …

A Graduate Recital In Voice, Matthew C. Stephens

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

The thesis will consist of program notes for my graduate vocal performance recital. The recital included a variety of music from the composers Stanislaw Moniuszko, Wolfgang Mozart, Carl Loewe, Michael Costa, and John Philip Sousa. Each piece was accompanied by program notes that included a brief biography of the composer, information about the piece, text and translation, and a performance reflection. In this recital, I wanted to have a program of pieces that were rarely, if ever, performed. I’m personally part Polish from my moms’ side, which sparked a desire to include something in Polish. The Mozart aria was one …

Trade-Off Between Limonene & Geraniol-Based Reprocessable And Non-Reprocessable Epoxy Thermosets: Role Of Aliphatic Diamines In Polymer Networks Design, Priyankkumar Kanubhai Patel

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

The growing demand for sustainable materials, driven by environmental concerns and the rapid depletion of fossil fuels, has garnered significant attention in the fabrication of bio-based epoxy thermosets as renewable alternatives to petroleum-derived thermosetting polymers. The present study focuses on the synthesis and characterization of epoxy prepolymer resins derived from limonene and geraniol via a two-step process, followed by the fabrication of thermally cross-linked flexible epoxy thermoset films using various traditional aliphatic diamine curing agents, namely 1,2-ethylenediamine (EDA), 1,4-butylenediamine (BDA), and 1,6-hexamethylenediamine (HDA). Additionally, the incorporation of cystamine, a disulfide-containing diamine, enabled the formation of a covalent adaptable network through …

Zn–Assisted Synthesis Of M (Mn/Fe/Co/Ni)-N-C Catalysts For Multifunctional Electrochemical Activity, Kemila A. Chaudhary

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

The design and development of atomically dispersed M-N-C catalysts (metal (M) supported on an nitrogen-carbon (NC) matrix with high multifunctional electrocatalytic performance is desirable but proved to be very challenging. Herein, we synthesized M-N-C catalysts (M = Fe, Co, Mn, and Ni) using Zn-assisted high temperature treatment and characterized using various techniques. The prepared catalysts were tested for their electrocatalytic performance towards oxygen and hydrogen evolution reaction (OER and HER) as well as oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in alkaline media. The results indicated that Mn-N-C catalyst showed higher performance towards both the ORR (E_1/2 = 0.90 V) and …