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Immune Response To Long-Term Lipopolysaccharide Infusion In Sheep, Laura A. Centanni

Honors Scholar Theses

Poor maternal nutrition (restricted and over-feeding) during gestation alters metabolism, growth, and body composition of offspring. It may also affect immune function. The purpose of this study is to determine the safety and efficacy of long-term immune challenge using lipopolysaccharide in sheep. Through two challenge weeks, each consisting of five days of lipopolysaccharide treatment, monitoring, and data collection, the treatment was found to be safe in sheep and effective to elicit an immune response. The data from this study will inform future studies on maternal nutrition in the University of Connecticut Animal Science Department.

The Effect Of Non-Profit Organizations On The Passage Of Climate Change Legislation In Connecticut, John-Henry Burke

Honors Scholar Theses

Connecticut has a long history of climate action. In this study, I looked into the effect that non-governmental organizations have on the passage of climate change legislation in Connecticut. Eighteen different climate policy stakeholders, including legislatures, non-governmental organization (NGO) staff members, youth activists and state employees were interviewed to gain their perspective on how non-profits forward climate initiatives. I found that non-profit organizations do have a significant impact on the passage of climate change legislation in Connecticut by working as providers of information to legislators and mobilizers of constituents. This impact can be limited by various political factors.

Post-Secondary Educational Interventions For Youth Aging Out Of Foster Care: A Systematic Review, Catherine Ware

Honors Scholar Theses

Youth with experience in foster care (YEFC) face significant educational disparities, with only a small fraction completing postsecondary education compared to the general population. These disparities stem from a complex interplay of adversities including placement instability, financial insecurity, trauma, and lack of support systems. In recent years, campus-based support programs (CSPs) have emerged to address these barriers and promote college access and success for YEFC. This systematic review synthesizes findings from 10 studies examining 15 CSPs across the United States, with a focus on (a) student perceptions of program experiences and (b) educational outcomes associated with program participation. Results indicate …

Signal Modeling Of High Purity Germanium Detectors, Brooke Parker Thibodeau

Honors Scholar Theses

Pulse shape analysis can be used to analyze radiation incident on a semiconductor diode detector. Finite element analysis (FEA) can be used to simulate high purity germanium detectors with user-specified geometry, impurity concentration, and bias voltage. Subsequent streamline calculation can be used to conduct pulse shape analysis for single and multiple site gamma-ray interactions within the detector volume. Cross sections of the detector can be visualized by contour plots of the electric field, drift velocity magnitude, and collection time, as well as t30 and t90 rise-time values.

The Relationship Between Mindfulness, Daily Difficult Events, Perceived Stress And Anxiety Among College Students, Gabrielle Lessard

Honors Scholar Theses

Background: Mindfulness is a multifaceted psychological construct that pertains to intentionally being aware of the present moment in a non-judgmental way. Little research has examined other facets of mindfulness and their association with perceived stress and anxiety.

Objective: To evaluate between-person and within-person relationships between specific facets of mindfulness (acting with awareness and nonjudging of inner experience) and various daily difficult events, perceived stress and anxiety levels among college-aged students across a 7-day period.

Methods: A sample of 78 undergraduates at the University of Connecticut were recruited through the Participant Pool and analyzed based on their baseline mindfulness and seven …

Characteristics Of Shallow Convection In Diverse Coastal Conditions, Zackary Mages

Electronic Dissertations and Theses, 2010-current

Clouds are an important component of Earth’s climate system. In particular, shallow convective clouds contribute to the vertical transport of heat, moisture, and momentum in the troposphere, and they generally have a net cooling effect on the planet’s radiation budget. Previous studies have often been limited by a lack of large observational samples needed to understand these clouds and their characteristics. This dissertation strives to overcome this limitation by analyzing observations of shallow convective clouds in two different coastal regions and using two different measurement paradigms. First, shallow convective clouds generated by cold-air outbreaks on the northern coast of Norway …

Personalized Nutrition Recommendations For Arab Communities: Transforming Diet And Health Through Machine Learning, Khalfan Aldoobi

Theses

A lack of cultural understanding in traditional nutrition approaches prevents proper adherence to healthy dietary patterns among individuals. The Arab population faces unique challenges due to cultural dietary customs and lifestyle changes that have made obesity and diet illnesses major global public health challenges. The rapid shift to high-calorie but undernourished foods and less physical activity has resulted in alarming rate increases of obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and type 2 diabetes. The lack of cultural understanding in traditional nutrition approaches prevents proper adherence to healthy dietary patterns among individuals. This study focuses to fills the existing gap by applying Artificial Intelligence …

Enhancing Third-Party Risk Management In Aviation: A Comprehensive Framework For Modern Challenges, Shamma Hussain Hammad Bin Hammad

Theses

This thesis is focused on improving the way airlines have managed risks from third-party vendors. Emirates and Etihad have been used as case studies. The thesis identifies major issues, including cybersecurity threats, slow manual processes, and the challenges in the following global regulations. To To solve such problems, the research proposes a new framework that integrates advanced tools including machine learning, blockchain, and real-time updates about threats. The framework includes different features like automatic risk scoring and detection of unusual vendor behavior and keeping the secure digital records through the blockchain. This will highlight the need for the staff to …

Future Unleashed: Reimagining Marketing Strategies With Future Foresight, Afra Sultan Al Suwaidi

Theses

In today’s fast-paced and dynamic business landscape, marketing plays a crucial role in influencing business strategy and decision-making in an organisation. Marketing not only helps organisations identify and anticipate trends, threats, and opportunities, but also enables them to formulate and implement effective strategies to capitalise on these insights and achieve the organisation’s vision and goals. Future Foresight in marketing empowers organisations to stay ahead of the curve and gain a deeper understanding of the target audience and industry landscape. The evolving nature of marketing driven by advancements in technology, particularly artificial intelligence, machine learning, and digital marketing channels, makes it …

Driving Innovations To Secure The Future Of Cell Culture Bioprocessing, Weichang Zhou

Cell Culture Engineering XIX

Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstract

Here Be Dragons: The Barriers Of Korean American Female Leaders In Secondary Schools, Joyce A. Kim

Dissertations

In K-12 public schools, there is a shortage of Korean American women in school leadership roles at the secondary level. This phenomenological study explores the contributing factors to this lack of representation, how institutions can recruit and retain Korean American female leaders, and how school systems can better support them. This study examines the leadership experiences of eight Korean American women. It utilizes the socio-political contexts of Korean patriarchy, the Model Minority Myth, and mentorship to help frame the problem of existing barriers. This study explores the following questions: What factors hinder Korean American women in school leadership? What structural …

Shades Of Families: Exploring Intersectionalities Of Cross-Cultural Parenting Experiences In The U.S., Shu-Han Huang

Dissertations

As multiracial and multicultural families continue to grow across the United States, parents must navigate evolving cultural identities, systemic inequities, and increasing social and emotional pressures. These realities underscore the need for parenting resources that are both culturally responsive and emotionally supportive. This transcendental phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of 11 cross-cultural parents raising children in the U.S., with a focus on how intersecting identities and systemic forces shape parenting practices.

Guided by Critical Multiracial Theory and Intersectionality Theory, this study investigated parenting at the personal, familial, societal, and structural levels. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed …

Quantum Oscillation Studies Of The Nodal Line Semimetal Ni3in2s2-Xsex, M. M. Sharma, Santosh Karki Chhetri, Gokul Acharya, David Graf, Dinesh Upreti, Sagar Dahal, Md Rafique Un Nabi, Sumaya Rahman, Joshua Sakon, Hugh O.H. Churchhill, Jin Hu

Physics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Ternary shandite compounds with the general formula T3M2X2 (T = Ni, Co, Rh or Pd; M = Sn, In, or Pb; and X = S or Se) have emerged as a large pool of topological semimetals. This family of compounds hosts different topological phases for various combinations of T, M and X. This paper reports the observation of quantum oscillations under the high magnetic fields in Ni3In2S2-xSex single crystals. Angular dependence of oscillation frequency suggests an evolution of the Fermi surface from three-dimensional to two-dimensional on Se substitution for S in Ni3In2S2. The effective mass obtained for each composition by …

Roads Of Tomorrow: Augmented Reality For Enhanced Road Maintenance, Nasser Humaid Alshamsi

Theses

The rapid deterioration of roads creates major obstacles that affect public security, urban movement capacity, and economic durability. Standardized road maintenance operations depend heavily on human inspections that prove time-consuming while being labour-intensive and subject to human mistakes. Implementing Augmented Reality (AR) with Point Cloud Data represents a smart approach that improves delivery efficiency in road maintenance procedures for modern cities. AR enables real-time visual content and interactive displays through this research, yet Point Cloud Data delivers detailed, precise road inspections through high-definition three-dimensional mapping. These technologies are evaluated for their usability, effectiveness, and adoption barriers in research that advance …

Redefining Ritual: Navigating The Intersection Of Transgender And Jewish Identities, Orly R. Wolf

Department of Sociology

Jewish practices vary widely across denominations and individual communities, reflecting diverse cultural influences and interpretations of Jewish law and tradition. For transgender Jews, navigating the intersection of their gender identity and Jewish identity can be challenging, and individuals may struggle to find a community where all aspects of their identity are fully accepted. Studying their narratives and learning from their experiences is vital for understanding how to create spaces that support these intersectional identities.

The purpose of my research is to learn more about the experiences of transgender Jews and how individuals navigate the intersection of their gender identity and …

A Bishnoi Woman’S Odhani: Gendered Labor, Environmental Ethics, And Textile Traditions In Rajasthan, Nidhi Patel

Department of Anthropology

This report examines an embroidered odhani (woman’s shawl) attributed to a Bishnoi artisan from Rajasthan, India. The odhani is housed in the May Weber Ethnographic Study Collection at Loyola University Chicago. Close analysis of technique and contextual evidence is used to reattribute the textile, which was originally mislabeled and situates it within the contexts of gendered labor and environmental ethics within the Bishnoi community. Utilizing the frameworks of materialist and eco-spiritual feminism, the report argues that the odhani functions as a site of ecological resistance, cultural transmission, and women’s embodied knowledge, as well as a garment.

The Effects Doctrine: The Simple Answer To The Absurd Results Of Florida's Judicial Interpretation Of Law Enforcement Jurisdiction, Ian A. Wise

Barry Law Review

Imagine the impotence a police officer must feel when watching a dangerous driver coming toward them but being unable to protect the public from harm until that driver crosses the invisible line of a city boundary. Even though hundreds of millions of Americans take preventive measures every day, Florida courts prohibit local law enforcement from doing the same; handcuffing officers by holding they may not take official action the moment they cross over the boundary lines of their city or county.

A narrow set of prudential exceptions to this rule has been created, resulting in absurdly contradictory rulings. Imagine a …

Caught In A Mouse Trap: How Disney V. Desantis Highlights The Difficulties Of Bringing A First Amendment Retaliation Claim Against A State Government, Nicolas Medina

Barry Law Review

The Disney v. DeSantis lawsuit is a product of the current times. Political tensions and animosity between Americans have reached an all-time high. Moreover, it is from these tumultuous times that massive changes can arise. The Disney v. DeSantis lawsuit has highlighted some of the difficulties and challenges modern-day courts face when resolving First Amendment issues in our current political climate. This Article attempts to provide an in-depth understanding of how this lawsuit began, what it is about, how it implicates core American values and ideals, and what new challenges courts might face in future First Amendment litigation.

Part I …

Measuring The Strategies To Cope With Shift Work Among Healthcare Workers, Khushi Mehta, Lindsay Ham

Psychological Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

It is known that lack of sleep, no matter what career a person is in, is detrimental to the overall longevity and health of an individual. Balance of sleep can be easy to attain, especially if one’s work life is able to facilitate it. Healthcare workers, however, often do not have that luxury. Healthcare professionals work a variety of shifts ranging from night shifts, 12-16-hour shifts, regular daytime hours, and being on call during the night. These irregular working schedules can have a detrimental effect on their sleep quality and quantity. If healthcare workers don’t get enough sleep, it can …

5g Network Slice Vulnerabilities And Exploit Chaining Through Enablers, John Breeden

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Network slicing provides fundamental support for the enhanced features of 5G. Network slicing enablers, such as software-defined networking and network function virtualization facilitate the separation of the physical distributed infrastructures and the functions that create isolated slices. With this framework, the network slice is no longer under the control of a single entity. Multiple infrastructure providers share responsibility for the slice. The 5G architecture derives from multiple services, distributed over great distances, and managed by multiple parties. Each enabler and provider adds vulnerability to network slicing. We examine the interweaving of these enablers to identify vulnerabilities, discuss potential mitigation, and …

"Bad Things Happen In Philadelphia": Managing Stigma And Threats In The Wake Of False Criminal Accusations, Steven Windisch

Sociology and Criminology Faculty Publications and Presentations

In the aftermath of the 2020 U.S. election, the boundary between activism and extremism blurred, with election officials reporting violent threats and false accusations of election fraud. From a symbolic interactionist perspective, these attacks provide a unique lens for examining the consequences of being falsely labeled a criminal. This study utilizes data from in-depth interviews with 15 election officials to explore the nature of informal false accusations, participants' subjective interpretations of these labels, and their behavioral and emotional strategies for managing their "spoiled identity." The findings highlight the criminalizing and dehumanizing effects of these accusations, with officials enduring verbal abuse, …

Nonconformity And Romance: An Analysis Of Pride And Prejudice On Film, Gabriella R. Molseed

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

This paper analyzes how a variety of adaptations, including a selection of traditional and offbeat interpretations, transform the story of Pride and Prejudice through the medium of film and makes a case for how successful each film is as an adaptation. The essay argues that Elizabeth and Darcy’s relationship is formed on a sense of mutual trust between two individuals who reject some aspect of what is expected of them from their society and culture, and any film adaptation must show how Elizabeth and Darcy go against the social norms of the world of their film in their interactions with …

Top Researchers, Scholars Honored With Inaugural Um Awards, Clara Turnage

University of Mississippi News

OXFORD, Miss. – A dozen outstanding faculty members at the University of Mississippi were recognized Tuesday (April 29) at the inaugural Chancellor's Awards for Research and Creative Scholarship.

An Assessment Of The Effects Of Indirect Consultation In Improving Quality Of Life For Adults With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities, Sarah Michele Russell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Seventeen percent of the total population of children are living with an intellectual / developmental disability (IDD), and while resources and therapeutic interventions are accessible during early childhood years, they often cease after turning 21 years old. As a result, many adults with IDD do not acquire the skills necessary to live independently and sustain employment or meaningful relationships, impacting their independence and quality of life. The purpose of this study is to understand how self-management training (in the form of indirect consultation) for adults with IDD influence independence and socially significant behavior in relation to quality of life. The …

Movement Ecology Of Sandhills Chub, A Carolina Endemic, Zachary Adam Ramsey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Fish movement studies have traditionally focused on species that support commercial and recreational fisheries, but recently more focus has been given to non-game, stream fishes because of their recognized importance in maintaining biodiversity within these ecosystems. Stream fish movement is described as being “restricted” and following a leptokurtic distribution via diffusive spread related to environmental and biological factors. Many studies of stream fish movement ecology in North America have occurred in high-gradient streams with coarse substrate in mountains or in streams of the interior plains. Sandhills streams of the southeastern USA are characterized as warm-water, low gradient, and dominated by …

Flow Field Surrounding Bluegill (Lepomis Macrochirus) During Suction-Feeding, Jensine Caroline Coggin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Suction-feeding is a common method for capturing prey by aquatic organisms and contributed to the diversification of fishes by enabling them to consume a wide range of prey. Suction-feeding is a complex fish-fluid interaction governed by various hydrodynamic forces: inertia, unsteady, viscous, and pressure gradients. These forces are described by the coupling between the flow physics equations (Navier-Stokes) and the dynamic behavior of the fish (motion and forces). However, the distribution of the pressure field that drives this process, and the extent to which suction-feeding is three-dimensional, remain underexplored. I estimated the pressure within the flow field surrounding the mouth …

Heterotopias Of Confinement: Zoo Architecture And The Loss Of Elephant Agency, Clayton Gill Beasley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Zoos functions as a site where human-animal relationships are structured through built environments that mediate control and representation. This study examines zoos as heterotopias—spaces where power and surveillance are negotiated between human observers and captive nonhuman animals. While zoos are often framed as spaces of conservation and education, their architectural design reinforces hierarchies of observation and confinement, shaping both human perceptions of nature and the lived experiences of nonhuman animals. This research focuses on Asian elephants as a critical species within this framework, exploring how their captivity illuminates tensions between human-imposed structures and nonhuman autonomy. Drawing from theories of heterotopia, …

End Of Life Care In Pets And What It Tells Us About The Moral Permissibility Of Physician-Assisted Suicide, Paavan Atluri

Philosophy Undergraduate Honors Theses

Our relationships define us. We have different relationships and obligations towards animals based on the societies we live in and the attitudes that individuals choose to have with these animals. People often see themselves as having more moral value than other animals based on the fact that they perceive themselves as having greater intelligence and conscious ability. I think this notion is misguided and the way that people actually perceive moral value is in terms of their relationships with the subject in question. If life was truly perceived in a “more intellect than more moral value” lens then the permissibility …

Implications Of Type Iv Pilus Retraction For Dna Uptake By Acinetobacter Baumannii, Yafan Yu

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) via natural competence allows bacteria to incorporate extracellular DNA (eDNA) into their genomes, facilitating genetic diversity and adaptation. In Acinetobacter species, natural competence depends on DNA binding and uptake mediated by type IV pili (T4P). T4P are dynamic extracellular filaments composed primarily of the major pilin subunit PilA, along with a few minor subunits. T4P drive a range of cellular functions including twitching motility, biofilm formation, and DNA uptake, with some functions dependent on pilus retraction and others not. However, how Acinetobacter T4P bind DNA and how T4P/eDNA interactions impact biofilm formation remain unclear. Here, I …

Crisis Response Hospital Physical Layout Considerations During Covid-19: A Framework For Surge Preparedness, Future Investigations, And Analysis, Golnoosh Abdolahzadeh

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This thesis investigates the intersection of hospital design and operational performance during health emergencies, explicitly focusing on layout modifications in emergency departments. The study is structured around four key components. First, it explores hospitals' significant challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic through data collected from interviews with Nebraska hospital leaders. Second, the research introduces a surge-based conceptual framework to guide hospital responses during crisis events. Developed from empirical data, the framework highlights the importance of flexible spatial planning and information-driven decision-making. Third, the study focuses on hospital physical layout considerations, identifying features that either supported or hindered Nebraska hospital operations during …