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An Investigation Of Entamoeba Histolytica Chitin Synthases And Other Encystation Factors In Early Encystation, John N. Talledo

All Theses

Entamoeba histolytica is a food-and-water-borne human protozoan pathogen that relies on a two-stage life cycle for successful proliferation outside of the host. E. histolytica exists in its dormant cyst form while outside of its host and converts to the motile trophozoite (amoeba) form in the small intestine. The trophozoites colonize the large intestine to cause symptomatic disease in ~10% of infections, resulting in ~100 million cases of amoebic dysentery each year. Trophozoites can convert back to the cyst form, which is shed in feces to continue the infection cycle.

Currently, there is a lack of understanding of the exact molecular …

Splitting Shores: Comparative Analysis Of Italy’S And Spain’S Reactions To Immigration, William E. Montgomery V

International and Global Studies Undergraduate Honors Theses

The divergence in public immigration sentiment between Italy and Spain, two countries with striking historical, geographic, and demographic similarities, is seen as a mystery for popular theoretical frameworks. Although both nations transitioned from net emigration to net immigration beginning in the 1970s and 1980s, Italy has consistently exhibited more negative attitudes toward immigration relative to the European average, while Spain has seen sustained improvement in immigration sentiment despite receiving immigrants at historically unprecedented levels. Employing a Most Similar Systems Design and drawing on quantitative demographic and survey data, primary legislative texts, and secondary scholarly literature, this thesis tests Group Threat …

Establishing Caenorhabditis Elegans As A Platform For Bioaccumulation And Selectivity Screening Of Anthelmintic Compounds, Jiarui Li

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

To address the cuticular barrier in anthelmintic discovery, this study establishes a bifurcated framework in Caenorhabditis elegans. First, HPLC-based quantification of 14 PIM inhibitors revealed that cuticular penetrance is primarily dictated by phylogenetic lineage (Clade V) rather than ecological niche. Specifically, C. elegans demonstrated a significant pharmacokinetic correlation with the hookworm Ancylostoma ceylanicum (Clade V) but not the whipworm Trichuris muris (Clade I), validating it as a superior surrogate model for hookworm bioaccumulation. Within this small molecule inhibitor library, SGI-12was identified as a lead candidate with superior potency against C. elegans and bioaccumulation. Second, target validation using a C. …

Temporal Logic Planning In Semantic Maps Of Unknown Environments Using Tl-Rrt, Dongrui Yang

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Autonomous mobile robots are increasingly expected to perform complex missions in unstructured environments. Traditional path planning approaches handle simple point-to-point navigation, but struggle with complex tasks that involve temporal and logical orderings of objectives. Linear Temporal Logic (LTL) provides a method for complex missions (e.g., sequential visits to multiple targets or surveillance tasks) in a strict way. This thesis presents an integrated planning framework that enables a robot to satisfy LTL-based task specifications in an unknown environment by combining a Temporal Logic RRT* (TL-RRT*) planner with semantic mapping. The robot builds a semantic map of its environment online using simultaneous …

Supremacy Politics: The Coding Of Power In Artificial Intelligence (Ai), Dana G. Jones

North Carolina Civil Rights Law Review

No abstract provided.

School Resource Officers: Why And How We Should Demand Change, Jillian La Serna

North Carolina Civil Rights Law Review

No abstract provided.

White Predominance Is The Point, Kimberly West-Faulcon

North Carolina Civil Rights Law Review

No abstract provided.

Protecting Abortion By Protecting Speech: Revisiting North Carolina's Mandatory Ultrasound Law After Dobbs And Nifla, Kathryn S. Rowe

North Carolina Civil Rights Law Review

No abstract provided.

More Than Just An "Atypical" Hardship: How Courts Are Missing The Mark On Solitary Confinement, Kyra Goins

North Carolina Civil Rights Law Review

No abstract provided.

Discrimination Disguised As Parental Empowerment: A Title Ix Challenge To North Carolina's Bill Of Rights, Beth Lecroy

North Carolina Civil Rights Law Review

No abstract provided.

Forgotten Campesinos, Forgotten Counties: The Rampant, Fatal Civil Rights Abuses Against H-2a Laborers In North Carolina And Their Fight For Bargaining Power In N.C. Farm Bureau Federation V. U.S. Department Of Labor, Luke O. Smith

North Carolina Civil Rights Law Review

No abstract provided.

Punishment, Cruelty & Justice: Critically Interrogating Grants Pass V. Johnson, Sara K. Rankin

North Carolina Civil Rights Law Review

No abstract provided.

Establishing The Inter-Rater Reliability Of The Titleist Performance Institute (Tpi) Movement Screen, Ian Henry Dahners, Matthew Fetner, Carlan Haugrud, Hunter Johnson, Braeden Lee Knutson, Erica Jo Peters, Dana Jayde Zarn

Physical Therapy Scholarly Projects

Background: The Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) Movement Screen is a golf-specific physical assessment widely used by professionals to identify physical limitations that may influence swing mechanics and injury risk. Despite its popularity, there is limited peer-reviewed evidence regarding the screen’s inter-rater reliability. Without established reliability, clinical and performance decisions based on TPI scores may be questionable. Prior research on similar tools, such as the Functional Movement Screen (FMS) and Selective Functional Movement Assessment (SFMA), shows that reliability varies based on evaluator experience, scoring objectivity, and standardization—all relevant concerns for the TPI Movement Screen.

Purpose: To determine the inter-rater reliability of …

Implementation Of A Local Llm Serving System For Agentic Ai, Zhiheng Ni

All Theses

This thesis presents a system that allows large AI models to run directly on personal devices instead of relying on cloud servers. Recent advances in artificial intelligence, especially large language models (LLMs), have made it possible to build powerful applications such as chatbots, coding assistants, and intelligent agents. However, most of these systems run in the cloud, which raises concerns about privacy, latency, and cost.

To address these issues, this work develops a local AI serving system that runs efficiently on a specialized hardware component called a Neural Processing Unit (NPU). The system provides a unified interface that supports multiple …

Examining Organizational Factors Contributing To Burnout In Community College Employees: An Anthropological Perspective, Jesse N. Blue

Leadership Education Capstones

Organizational culture and systemic inequities remain under-researched factors driving the mental and physical deterioration of community college employees. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe and interpret the lived experiences of job-related burnout among community college employees. This qualitative short-term ethnography was conducted at Big Rock College, a rural community college in central Arkansas. The sample consisted of six volunteer participants across administrative, faculty, and staff roles. Data collection involved semi-structured interviews conducted via Zoom®. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and triangulated with institutional document analysis. Findings indicated that 84% of participants experienced varying degrees of burnout, driven by …

Exploring Alternative Curriculum Implementation In Special Education Settings, Amber R. Wilson

Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand teachers’ perceptions of implementing an alternative curriculum in their self-contained special education settings and grade levels, as well as their perceptions of the training and ongoing support provided for its implementation. This study used a case study research design. Findings revealed that the participants experienced several challenges related to training, ongoing support, and curriculum implementation, including issues aligning the alternative curriculum with state standards and assessments. This study is significant because alternative curriculum implementation is under-researched in the United States, and the international literature on this topic is limited.

Second-Class Justice: Making The Case For Reforming Military Appellate Review, Shekinah I. Tony-Oyeleye

University of Baltimore Law Review

No abstract provided.

A Fourth Uniform Parentage Act, Jeffrey A. Parness

University of Baltimore Law Review

No abstract provided.

Kicking Away Jurisdiction: Why Mls Must Submit To Fifa Authority And Reform Its Unilateral Extension Framework, William Cellitto

University of Baltimore Law Review

No abstract provided.

Teaching Legal Thinking In The Age Of Ai: Reimagining Legal Education Through Cognitive Science And Deliberate Practice, Joan R. M. Bullock

University of Baltimore Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Unitary Executive’S Removal Power, James Bernstein

University of Baltimore Law Review

No abstract provided.

Sappho’S Flowers: Lyric Ἄνθεσιν And The Aeolic Dative, Jorge Alejandro Wong Medina

Classical Studies Faculty Publications

The retention of -ss- in the Aeolic dialects implies that Proto-Aeolic had s-stem dative plurals with -ss- (ἄνθεσ-σι). Yet the Lesbian lyric poets only have forms with a single -s- (ἄνθεσι). In an influential study, Morpurgo Davies argued that the ἄνθεσιν-type is native to Lesbian and used these forms as crucial evidence for the simplification of -ss- in Proto-Aeolic. However, a closer look at the epigraphic and literary evidence strongly suggests that ἄνθεσιν in Lesbian lyric is a poetic borrowing from Ionic and that Proto-Aeolic maintained -ss- in the dative plural of the s-stems. These findings have important implications for …

Defining My Country: An Appalachian Educator’S Autoethnography Of Linguistic Erasure And Ai, Kimberly B. Wright

Dissertations

When students use AI writing tools to revise their work, the algorithms often erase the cultural and linguistic markers that constitute their authentic voice. This erasure operates through the same mechanisms that linguistic justice scholars have documented for decades: a dominant language ideology that frames non-dominant expression as deficient and “corrects” it into standardized prose. As a first-generation Appalachian educator who spent years suppressing her own voice to succeed in academic spaces, I recognize this pattern from the inside. Using autoethnography as a methodology, this study examines how my journey from voice erasure to reclamation informs my pedagogy to help …

Reshoring In The U.S. Textile And Apparel Industry: A Systematic Literature Review, Grace Whittier

Major Papers by TMD Master of Science Students

This systematic literature review examines the renewed movement to reshore textile and apparel production to the United States in response to rising geopolitical uncertainty, supply chain disruptions, and sustainability pressures. Although interest in reshoring has grown, existing research remains fragmented, with industry reports, government documents, and academic articles often working separately instead of building on one another, creating gaps in understanding. To address this, the review synthesizes 45 peer‑reviewed articles, industry reports, and government publications published between 2010 and 2026.

Using PRISMA guidelines and purposive sampling, the study identifies key drivers of reshoring—including tariff exposure, supply chain risk, sustainability demands, …

A Comparative Look At The Training Objectives Of The United States Marine Corps And Corporate America, Davis M. Johnson

Finance Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis investigates how divergent institutional objectives influence leader development in two organizational contexts: U.S. Marine Corps officer training and corporate leadership development programs. The study draws on organizational socialization theory, institutional theory, and stress inoculation research. It contends that leadership formation is shaped by the missions, values, and structural demands unique to each institution. The research uses comparative analysis of selection practices, socialization tactics, identity construction, and adaptability development, explicitly contrasting how each institution develops leaders. The Marine Corps uses divestiture socialization, collective identity formation, and structured stress exposure to embed group loyalty and prepare officers for decisive action …

The Limits Of Democratic Representation: Institutional Constraints And The Failure To Reflect Public Will In The Case Of Congressional Term Limits, Kian Mcwilliams

Political Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study examines why congressional term limit reform has not succeeded despite widespread public support. Although there has been sustained bipartisan approval across decades, term limits have not gained any meaningful institutional traction, raising a central question: Why do reforms with strong public backing fail to advance within Congress itself? Drawing on historical analysis, public opinion data, and original survey research conducted with Members of Congress, this study argues that the failure of congressional term limit reform is not the result of a lack of public engagement, but rather a consequence of institutional constraints that prevent public preferences from translating …

Pictured And Framed: A Media Analysis Of Local News Coverage Of The Unhoused In Fayetteville, Sabine Skoch

School of Social Work Undergraduate Honors Theses

Amid a growing housing crisis in Fayetteville, local media serves as an influential force in shaping public understanding of homelessness. This study examines how homelessness is framed in local news coverage through a reflexive thematic analysis of ten randomly selected articles published between May 2022 and November 2025. Guided by media framing and attribution theory, this analysis explores how causes, consequences, and solutions to homelessness are constructed within a rapidly growing Southern city.

Three central themes emerged. First, local reporting centers empathy through lived experiences and community testimonies, emphasizing dignity, vulnerability, and structural precarity rather than individual failure. Second, coverage …

Enhancing Corporate Prayer Of The Clearwater Church Of Christ, Lyle Hinsdale

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation was designed to enhance corporate prayer in the Clearwater Church of Christ. The dissertation explores the formative role of corporate prayer in congregational life and how intentional engagement with the Psalms can deepen the theological and spiritual practice of prayer within a local church. Corporate prayer can slip into habitual practice with limited theological range or emotional depth. This project investigates whether structured use of the Psalms as a model for prayer can expand the language, theological imagination, and engagement in the prayers of a worshiping community. The study used participatory action research methodology and was conducted within …

"Obsessive Myth:" Disturbing The Grammar Of The Lyric And Epic In Theresa Hak Kyung Cha's "Dictee", Noelle (Nell) Kriegel

All Theses

The archival text Dictée by Theresa Hak Kyung Cha spans many genres, making it a highly hybrid text. Cha uses personal letters, official government documents, images, prose, dictation exercises, translations, and poetry to create a composite identity of women neglected through history. Dictée’s hybrid form allows it to experiment with the lyric and epic traditions, challenging their forms to adequately reflect the lived experience of oppressed women. Dictée’s hybridity is but one aspect of its interrogation of literary form and language; the text also plays with grammar, specifically pronouns, to depict a genealogy of female voices as they relate to …

The Economic And Strategic Responses To Black Lives Matter In Professional Sports: A Comparative Analysis Of The Nba And Nfl Post-2020, Jackson Dawson

Theses & ETDs

In 2020, the Black Lives Matter movement prompted sharply divergent responses from the NBA and NFL. This thesis investigates why the NBA embraced visible activism during its Orlando bubble season while the NFL maintained a restrained “Inspire Change” approach, and assesses the economic consequences of these strategies. Drawing on rational choice and stakeholder theory, the study hypothesizes that fan demographics and revenue models shaped each league’s utility-maximizing decisions. Using a Difference-in-Differences framework on regular-season national telecast viewership from 2016 to 2023, supplemented by qualitative process-tracing of league statements, polls, and sponsor behavior, the analysis compares outcomes before and after 2020. …