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The Spaces Between: A Study Of The Split Natures Of Clay, Eric R. Jager May 2024

The Spaces Between: A Study Of The Split Natures Of Clay, Eric R. Jager

Theses - ALL

This paper will delve into the dichotomies of clay across multiple landscapes; historical vs. contemporary, natural vs. industrial, mass produced vs. individualistic, and art vs. craft; and how those directly translate into my experience, feelings, and vision as an Alaskan-born ceramic artist working in America today.

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Discarded And Forgotten, Declan J. Yert May 2024

Discarded And Forgotten, Declan J. Yert

Theses - ALL

This thesis serves as written documentation of the processes, outcomes, and the conceptual nature of my sculptural practice. I consider and question our set definitions towards the natural world and human-built environments. Using emerging lexicons that serve as a starting point for defining instances of synthetic materials merging with organic ecosystems, I draw from locations, scientific research, individual observations, and human-built environments that have produced or influenced the objects and materials I use in my everyday life and art practice. Vocabulary and language surrounding the excess of objects and materials in natural environments are interrogated and subverted to reflect acts …

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Information Structure By Phase: An Analysis Of Rural Palestinian Arabic, Mahmoud Alawneh May 2024

Information Structure By Phase: An Analysis Of Rural Palestinian Arabic, Mahmoud Alawneh

Theses - ALL

This thesis analyzes how the information-structural constituents topic and contrastive focus are syntactically encoded in Rural Palestinian Arabic. In doing so, two original proposals are argued for. First, the syntactic encodement of information-structure is recursive and domain-bound. That is, the same information-structural movements are repeatedly available within multiple domains that differ incrementally from one another in terms of locality: they are available at DP, PP, vP, AspectP, FinP, and ForceP. Second, I argue that, at least in Rural Palestinian Arabic, the information structure literature and the phase theory literature essentially describe the same phenomena, with the central argument being that …

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Nrf2 Regulates Basal Gluathione Production In Astrocytes, Jiali He May 2024

Nrf2 Regulates Basal Gluathione Production In Astrocytes, Jiali He

Theses - ALL

In the central nervous system, astrocytes are the primary source of glutathione (GSH), an important and abundant non-protein thiol antioxidant. GSH biosynthesis takes place in the cytosol and involves two sequential steps, the first catalyzed by glutamate cysteine ligase (GCL) and the subsequent by glutathione synthetase (GSS). The process relies heavily on the availability of cysteine, which is obtained through the action of the glutamate/cystine antiporter, System xc-. This transporter imports cystine into the cells, where it is rapidly reduced to cysteine intracellularly for GSH synthesis. Furthermore, the multidrug resistance protein 1 (Mrp1) facilitates the export of GSH from astrocytes …

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Rebuttal To Jeffrey C. Sun’S "The Privilege To Silence ‘Customized’ Speech: The Website Kerfuffle In 303 Creative V. Elenis”, Charles J. Russo May 2024

Rebuttal To Jeffrey C. Sun’S "The Privilege To Silence ‘Customized’ Speech: The Website Kerfuffle In 303 Creative V. Elenis”, Charles J. Russo

University of Dayton Law Review

No abstract provided.

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Gauge-Invariant Correlators In Quantum Gravity, Kenneth Ratliff May 2024

Gauge-Invariant Correlators In Quantum Gravity, Kenneth Ratliff

Dissertations - ALL

Recent successes in Euclidean Dynamical Triangulations (EDT) motivate the further comparison of lattice observables to predictions of general relativity (GR) treated as an effective quantum theory. A particularly promising observable is the two-point function of the scalar curvature, which can be straightforwardly computed on the lattice and which in principle can also be computed from the Einstein-Hilbert path integral. Any such comparison should be between manifestly gauge-invariant observables, and will require that the GR predictions be analytically continued in a gauge-invariant manner to the Euclidean signature of the lattice. In this thesis I present my work toward this goal, namely: …

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Transcriptional And Environmental Regulation Of A Putative Xylan Biosynthesis Gene, Ptrparvus2 In Poplar, Dan Wang May 2024

Transcriptional And Environmental Regulation Of A Putative Xylan Biosynthesis Gene, Ptrparvus2 In Poplar, Dan Wang

Dissertations - ALL

Secondary cell wall (SCW) biosynthesis plays a crucial role in plant development and biomass production, with implications for various industries, including biofuels and forestry. Understanding the regulatory mechanisms governing SCW formation is essential for manipulating plant cell wall composition and properties to improve biomass yield and quality. In this study, we investigated the regulatory mechanisms controlling SCW biosynthesis in poplar, focusing on the transcriptional regulation of PtrPARVUS2, a putative gene involved in SCW formation. The regulatory mechanisms governing SCW biosynthesis in poplar were investigated, with a focus on the transcriptional regulation of PtrPARVUS2. Bioinformatic analysis of the PtrPARVUS2 promoter revealed …

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Past And Future Predictions Of Climate Change And Urbanization Effects On The Carbon, Nitrogen, And Water Dynamics In Northeastern Forest Ecosystems, Linghui Meng May 2024

Past And Future Predictions Of Climate Change And Urbanization Effects On The Carbon, Nitrogen, And Water Dynamics In Northeastern Forest Ecosystems, Linghui Meng

Dissertations - ALL

Human activities have significantly influenced the structure and function of forest ecosystems in the northeastern US. Urbanization directly reduces forest area and alters forest functions. Forest growth, health, and function can also be affected by climate change, atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations, and air pollution including ground-level ozone (O3) and atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition. Critical questions for research and environmental management are: How will urbanization, climate change, and air pollution interact to influence the function of forest ecosystems, and how will changes in these environmental drivers alter the function of forests in the future? In this dissertation, I simulate the …

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Critical Evaluation And Recommendations Of Methods To Visualize Uncertainty In Static Image Maps Of Climate Change Model Outputs, Matthew Arsenault May 2024

Critical Evaluation And Recommendations Of Methods To Visualize Uncertainty In Static Image Maps Of Climate Change Model Outputs, Matthew Arsenault

Dissertations - ALL

This research presents an evaluation of the methods that can be used to visualize uncertainty in static image maps of climate change model outputs. Visualizing uncertainty can be traced back to the early days of cartography, scientific visualization, and information visualization. For decades, visualizations of uncertainty have been the focus of disparate research fields and multiple techniques have been proposed. However, critical evaluation of these approaches has not received the same level of consideration. This study identifies the current state of research for representing uncertainty on static maps and applies those methods to geospatial visualizations of climate change. Existing research …

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Sociocultural Behaviors That Affect How Haitian Americans Seek Financial Information, Rebecca Charles Williams May 2024

Sociocultural Behaviors That Affect How Haitian Americans Seek Financial Information, Rebecca Charles Williams

Dissertations - ALL

Sociocultural behaviors related to information-seeking are common among Haitians, where a line firmly separates the roles of adults and children. This study assessed how the children of Haitian immigrants sought information about financial literacy despite sociocultural behaviors that restrict financial conversations between adults and children. Utilizing Reijo Savolainen’s study of six sociocultural barriers to information-seeking, this mixed methods study explored whether cultural behaviors affected the financial literacy of Haitian Americans. Data was aggregated from a combination of survey responses and semi-structured interviews. The demographic (n=131) was limited to the Millennial and Generation Z children of Haitian immigrants. Participants reported how …

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Cuban Migration To Syracuse, Ny: "Los Comunicados" And The Evolution Of Social Networks And Cuban Identities, Erika Carter Grosso May 2024

Cuban Migration To Syracuse, Ny: "Los Comunicados" And The Evolution Of Social Networks And Cuban Identities, Erika Carter Grosso

Dissertations - ALL

This dissertation investigates the phenomenon of Cuban migration and highlights the critical role that social networks play in facilitating the process of emigration, settlement, and the formation of new identities for Cuban migrants in Syracuse. With a focus on the most recent waves of Cuban migrants, the study explores how social networks have become integral in shaping the migration experiences of these new Cubans, enabling them to navigate the challenges and opportunities associated with emigrating and settling in Syracuse, NY, a non-gateway city. This research employs a qualitative approach, drawing on in-depth interviews of twenty-five participants, participant observations, and analysis …

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Learning In Relation: The Experiences Of Disabled Genderqueer Youth Learning In Nature, Emilee Baker May 2024

Learning In Relation: The Experiences Of Disabled Genderqueer Youth Learning In Nature, Emilee Baker

Dissertations - ALL

Summer camps span the United States, with approximately 26 million children attending overnight or “stay away” summer camps when not in school (ACA as cited in Gay, 2022). Twenty-six million children attending summer camps is approximately half the number of children attending public school during the school year, which was approximately 49.4 million in 2021 (NCES, 2023). Arguably, summer camp should be for all kids (Gay, 2022), but these numbers represent that not all kids have access to summer camp. Camp is not school, but that does not mean the knowledge located and curated outside of schools is not beneficial …

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Becoming And Unbecoming "Girl:" Understanding A Gendered Life Through Lessons Learned As A "Horse Girl", Katie Stone May 2024

Becoming And Unbecoming "Girl:" Understanding A Gendered Life Through Lessons Learned As A "Horse Girl", Katie Stone

Theses - ALL

This thesis dissects the experience of gender in public and private spaces utilizing lessons gathered as a “horse girl.” The concept and experience of being “woman” is navigated through various value systems drawn from Indigenous philosophies, government treaties, the queer experience, the history of the cowboy, familial story-telling, and personal life accounts. The Americanized, Western worldview of gender is analyzed and critiqued. This research discusses the implications the era of “Manifest Destiny” had on the colonization of land, bodies, and ultimately the contemporary idea of identity. I employ the cowboy as a vessel for translating these histories and identities. Our …

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Optimizing Flash Flood Prediction In Arid And Semi-Arid Regions: A Comparative Evaluation Of Infiltration Models And Parameter Estimation Guidance Across Spatial Scales, Sara Rassa May 2024

Optimizing Flash Flood Prediction In Arid And Semi-Arid Regions: A Comparative Evaluation Of Infiltration Models And Parameter Estimation Guidance Across Spatial Scales, Sara Rassa

Civil Engineering ETDs

This study improves flash flood prediction by analyzing the vital role of infiltration models in hydrologic modeling, especially for areas with scarce data. It offers new parameter estimation guidance for three infiltration models—initial-constant (IC), linear-constant (LC), and Green-Ampt (GA)—based on plot-scale rainfall simulations. The research emphasizes the impact of soil texture, moisture, and crust on model parameters. A comparative analysis of four models (curve-number, IC, GA, and LC) using data from Arizona's Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed under different calibration scenarios shows the GA model's superiority in certain conditions, though it faces issues of equifinality in unconstrained calibrations. Meanwhile, the simpler …

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Insight Into The Application Of Engineered Phenol Polymer Nanocomposites For Geothermal Well Applications To Modify Fracture Permeability, Fatemeh Hamidi May 2024

Insight Into The Application Of Engineered Phenol Polymer Nanocomposites For Geothermal Well Applications To Modify Fracture Permeability, Fatemeh Hamidi

Civil Engineering ETDs

In enhanced geothermal systems, the efficient transfer of heat from the formation to the fluid circulating through the fracture network can be compromised when thermal short-circuiting occurs due to preferential flow through highly conductive fractures. This study introduces a pioneering approach using newly developed phenol polymer nanocomposites as an engineering solution to address the challenges associated with preferential flow in geothermal wells, which can lead to thermal short-circuiting. Multiple phenol polymer nanocomposites were formulated, incorporating aluminum oxide, COOH-functionalized graphitized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), and graphene nanoparticles, each with a 0.5 wt.% polymer dosage. This research successfully modified the crosslinking process …

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The Fate Of Section 230, Kimberly A. Gry May 2024

The Fate Of Section 230, Kimberly A. Gry

Colorado Technology Law Journal

No abstract provided.

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Explaining Geographic Disparities In Cardiovascular Disease Mortality: The Roles Of Physical Environment, Industry Structures, And State Policies, Yue Sun May 2024

Explaining Geographic Disparities In Cardiovascular Disease Mortality: The Roles Of Physical Environment, Industry Structures, And State Policies, Yue Sun

Dissertations - ALL

Geographic disparities in cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality in the United States are significant and have grown over time. The overarching objective of this dissertation is to explain geographic disparities in CVD mortality from air pollution, counties’ industry structures, and states’ environmental policies. Understanding the associations between these physical environments and CVD mortality is important because it can help to inform strategies for reducing geographic disparities in CVD mortality and promoting population health. In the first empirical chapter, I examine the associations between air pollution and county-level CVD mortality for the years 2016 to 2018 and how these associations vary across …

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Comparing Equivalent Face-To-Face [F2f] And Online [Ol] Delivery Formats: Observations Of Learner Interactions To Determine Instructional Quality, Garmondyu D. Whorway May 2024

Comparing Equivalent Face-To-Face [F2f] And Online [Ol] Delivery Formats: Observations Of Learner Interactions To Determine Instructional Quality, Garmondyu D. Whorway

Dissertations - ALL

Instruction, designed to impact learning, accentuates the quantity and quality of learner interactions. Theoretically, the higher the level or quantity of learner interaction within instruction, the higher the quality of instruction. Learner interactions are fostered through learner-to-learner (L2L), learner-to-instructor (L2I), and learner-to-content (L2C) experiences. Higher education graduate programs have advanced over the last few decades to enhance learner interactions by providing quality instructional experiences using technologies in multiple delivery options, ranging from traditional face-to-face (F2F) or residency options to various newer formats in a variety of online (OL) versions. Today, learners are often faced with the choice to enroll in …

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A Mixed Methods Study Of Chinese And Korean International Student Satisfaction And Experience In American Higher Education, Sujung Lee May 2024

A Mixed Methods Study Of Chinese And Korean International Student Satisfaction And Experience In American Higher Education, Sujung Lee

Dissertations - ALL

This dissertation is a mixed methods study examining Chinese and Korean international undergraduate student satisfaction and their experiences in American higher education. Through survey methodology, I conceptualize the analytical model into “individual factors,” “institutional factors,” and “ethnic-community factors” and find out how these factors contribute to student satisfaction. Furthermore, I look at how national differences manifest into unique ways international students navigate new educational, cultural, and social settings. With in-depth interviews, I focus on understanding international student agentic experiences situated in power dynamics by looking at tensions between “deficit narrative” portraying Asian students as “inassimilable others” and student agency challenging …

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Development And Application Of Photoresponsive Small Molecule Probes To Modulate And Characterize Neuroreceptors, Spencer Kim May 2024

Development And Application Of Photoresponsive Small Molecule Probes To Modulate And Characterize Neuroreceptors, Spencer Kim

Dissertations - ALL

The field of neuroscience is rapidly evolving and so the development of novel tools that support innovative research is urgently needed. Two tools that have proven to be particularly impactful to the field of neuroscience are activity-based protein profiling (ABPP) and optogenetics, both of which have seen widespread application but with relatively limited advancement of the underlying technology. Limitations of ABPP and optogenetics have become increasingly apparent and research output is stalling due to lack of technological advancement. For example, few systems exist for targeting low-abundance and unstable proteins via ABPP and application of ABPP and optogenetic systems thus far …

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Generating And Detecting Adversarial Examples For Increased Security And Privacy, Weiheng Chai May 2024

Generating And Detecting Adversarial Examples For Increased Security And Privacy, Weiheng Chai

Dissertations - ALL

With the advancement of hardware and algorithms, Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) have become ubiquitous in various real-world applications, some of which are highly sensitive to security and privacy issues. These applications include perception systems in autonomous vehicles, indoor surveillance systems, and medical image processing. Recent years have seen an increased focus on understanding the vulnerabilities of DNNs and the development of various adversarial attack and defense methods. This thesis delves into the detection of adversarial examples and the utilization of these adversarial examples for data privacy protection. Adversarial examples pose significant risks to the deployment of DNN applications, encouraging researchers …

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Ace Invisibilities: Asexual Social Identity Through Podcasting And Digital Media, Kyle Kreye Webster May 2024

Ace Invisibilities: Asexual Social Identity Through Podcasting And Digital Media, Kyle Kreye Webster

Dissertations - ALL

Asexuality is a growing topic of sexuality and media scholarship as representations and expressions of asexual identity have seen a small but significant rise in traditional and digital media throughout the 21st century. However, much of the existing media and scholarship has focused on the definition and self-identification of asexuality. This emphasis has lead to a research gap in the consideration of asexual social identity and its expression in media spaces. To address this gap, this textual analysis study examined the content and social media fan reception of the asexual conversation and interview podcast Sounds Fake But Okay through the …

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Path Planning And Cyber-Physical System Integration In Unmanned Aerial Vehicles For Wireless Communication, Mohamad Hani Sulieman May 2024

Path Planning And Cyber-Physical System Integration In Unmanned Aerial Vehicles For Wireless Communication, Mohamad Hani Sulieman

Dissertations - ALL

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have become indispensable in a variety of fields, including surveillance, emergency response, packet delivery, and data collection for the Internet of Things (IoT). These systems are also critical in enhancing connectivity within cellular networks. This dissertation focuses on improving UAV operational efficiency and security by advancing trajectory optimization techniques, enhancing trajectory design through antenna radiation patterns, and increasing resilience against cyber-physical attacks, particularly GPS sensor faults. The first part of the study addresses UAV trajectory optimization in wireless communications, highlighting the significance of trajectory planning in improving the efficiency and reliability of UAV operations. Effective trajectory …

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Effects Of Immune-Checkpoint Inhibitors On Atherosclerosis During Lipid Lowering, Burak Talip Cilhoroz May 2024

Effects Of Immune-Checkpoint Inhibitors On Atherosclerosis During Lipid Lowering, Burak Talip Cilhoroz

Dissertations - ALL

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) confer potent antitumor benefits, thereby improving the prognosis of many patients with cancer. PD-1 and CTLA-4 inhibitors are the most commonly used ICIs in a clinical setting. Treatment with PD-1 and CTLA-4 inhibitors may exacerbate atherosclerosis, a chronic inflammatory disease of the large arteries characterized by lipid accumulation. Most cancer patients, particularly those with lung cancer, present with subclinical/preexisting atherosclerosis, which is typically treated with lipid lowering strategies (e.g., low cholesterol diet) concurrently with their cancer treatment, such as ICIs. However, the concomitant use of lipid lowering and ICIs in clinical practice has not yet been …

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Investigation Of Hydropathy Of Proteins, Lipid-Modified Proteins, And Self-Defensive Biomaterials, Jingjing Ji May 2024

Investigation Of Hydropathy Of Proteins, Lipid-Modified Proteins, And Self-Defensive Biomaterials, Jingjing Ji

Dissertations - ALL

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations serve as crucial tools for unraveling the underlying physical principles governing the structure and functionality of biological macromolecules. Experimental techniques provide valuable results, but sometimes it is quite difficult to explain phenomena at atomic and molecular levels. MD simulations investigate physical motion of atoms and molecules over microsecond time scale and compute the equilibrium properties. In this work, I investigated the hydropathy of proteins, lipid-modified proteins, and self-defensive biomaterials with atomistic MD simulations and coarse-grained (CG) MD simulations. The method, Protocol for Assigning a Residue's Character on a Hydropathy (PARCH) scale, is developed to characterize and …

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Development And Progress Towards Functional Photoresponsive Systems, Jasmine Gomez May 2024

Development And Progress Towards Functional Photoresponsive Systems, Jasmine Gomez

Dissertations - ALL

Chapter 2: Surface Functionalization of Thermally-Expandable Microspheres with Gold Nanoparticles The advancement of methods for controlling motion on a variety of scales is significant in order to develop finely tuned next-generation devices. Here, we’ve created a micron-scale actuator system triggered via photothermal activation and capable of powering macro-scale movement in an elastomer matrix. This system fundamentally relies on thermally-expandable microspheres (TEMs) – a core-shell complex containing a polymeric shell and liquid core that expands dramatically upon heating. To improve the ability of TEMs as soft-actuators controlled via light, we grafted a secondary silicate-silane copolymer shell to attach gold nanoparticles. The …

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A Molecular Toolbox To Study Dopamine And Serotonin Receptors For The Development Of Improved Therapeutics, Emma Joanna Doukmak May 2024

A Molecular Toolbox To Study Dopamine And Serotonin Receptors For The Development Of Improved Therapeutics, Emma Joanna Doukmak

Dissertations - ALL

Dopaminergic and serotonergic signaling pathways are involved in numerous biological processes including behavior, mood regulation, and cognition. Dysfunction in these pathways can lead to neurological and mental health disorders, which are often treated with drugs targeting the dopamine and serotonin receptors. However, many of these drugs, along with those targeting other G protein couple receptors (GPCRs), suffer a lack of target specificity, leading to nonspecific binding and therefore side effects. In recent years, new advances in chemical biological techniques, including affinity-based protein profiling (ABPP) and optogenetics, have further elucidated the structure and function of GPCRs, which can in turn aid …

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Making Hybridity Happen: Hybrid Entrepreneurship Motivations And Practices Among Docpreneurs In Ghana, Charis Asante-Agyei May 2024

Making Hybridity Happen: Hybrid Entrepreneurship Motivations And Practices Among Docpreneurs In Ghana, Charis Asante-Agyei

Dissertations - ALL

A rising number of professionals around the world are engaging in hybrid entrepreneurship, the phenomenon in which employees simultaneously start a venture while maintaining a full-time wage job. Motivations for hybrid entrepreneurship include income supplementation, non-monetary benefits, and a means by which to transition to full-time entrepreneurship, however little else is known about the nuanced motivations and practices of hybrid entrepreneurs. This dissertation addresses this gap in understanding via a multi-method qualitative study of docpreneurs, i.e. medical doctors who engage in hybrid entrepreneurship, in Ghana. Data was collected using surveys, semi-structured interviews, and vignettes from 40 participants. Through an inductive …

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Explaining Authoritarian Populist Behavior During Episodes Of Democratic Backsliding, Samantha Call May 2024

Explaining Authoritarian Populist Behavior During Episodes Of Democratic Backsliding, Samantha Call

Dissertations - ALL

The world has seen an increase in backsliding states in the past 15 years, with authoritarian populist leaders concentrating power through executive aggrandizement and limitations on civil liberties (Bermeo 2016). Democratic institutions are often targeted by an authoritarian populist during episodes of democratic backsliding either directly through taking away powers from the institutions or indirectly through using rhetoric to weaken public trust in the institutions. Scholars have identified patterns that suggest targeting the court and legislature first is the most common strategy of backsliders, while other institutions are targeted later. However, there is variation among these cases, with not all …

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Initiated Reading: Occult Hermeneutics In Helena Blavatsky's Isis Unveiled, Diana Brown May 2024

Initiated Reading: Occult Hermeneutics In Helena Blavatsky's Isis Unveiled, Diana Brown

Dissertations - ALL

In this dissertation, I argue that Theosophical Society co-founder Helena Petrovna Blavatsky’s first major work, Isis Unveiled (1877), describes an occult hermeneutic of myth based on the privileging of intuition, theorized especially in Neoplatonic terms, and premised on a tripartite spirit-soul-body constitution of the human being. Her hermeneutic also privileges initiation, construed as experiential gnosis often produced by ritual, and she opposes both intuition and initiation to reason and empiricism. Theorizing global myths as allegories revealing elements of a universal religion, or secret doctrine, traceable to India, she brings together an esotericism premised on a combination of Indian religion and …

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