Digital Commons Network^™

Stability Of Two-Dimensional Magnetic Skyrmions, Amel Derras-Chouk

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Magnetic skyrmions are whirls formed by magnetic moments in a crystal. They have attracted attention largely due to their topological protection, which provides an avenue for technology like next-generation memory storage. The idea of topologically protected solutions of a quantum field theory was originally proposed by Tony Skyrme when he developed a model to explain the stability of hadrons in particle physics. His work has extended far beyond his original intent to several areas of condensed matter physics. Here we focus on skyrmions in magnetic materials.

Skyrme's original theory modeled excitations which exist in three spatial dimensions, a requirement for …

The Moral Economy Of Ordinary Belarussians And A Critical Examination And Re-Evaluation Of The 2020 Post-Electoral Uprising, Geoffrey Blank

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This study is three studies in one: First, a qualitative study of the moral economy of ordinary Belarussians based on E.P Thompson’s class-based economic conception of moral economy, as applied to complex socio-economic systems by Reinarman (1987). Second, a critical and broad examination and re-evaluation of the August 9, 2020 post-electoral uprising. And third, an examination of both the West’s hostility toward Belarus’ largely state-owned socially-oriented economic model (often considered market socialism) and toward President Lukashenka, and, of the West’s commitment to overthrowing President Lukashenka and Belarus’ largely state-owned socially-oriented economic model, through its sponsorship of color revolution, “democratization,” regime …

A Queens Community Teacher Storytelling Project: A Qualitative Research Study Of Five Local Afro-Caribbean And Latina Public School Teachers And Community Teachers In New York City, José Alfredo Menjivar Ortéz

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation thesis examines the lived experiences, life stories, and storytelling of five Afro-Caribbean and Latina people, who are all local from the borough of Queens, alumni of New York City’s public schools, and since then, became their local public school teachers, classroom practitioners, and local community teachers. We refer to this specific and unique population of teachers as alumni-community teachers and to these and other similar stories as teacher life stories.

This qualitative research and study were conducted through a series of writing workshops and semi-structured interviews. The study’s main examination is preoccupied to understand how local teachers make …

A Repository Of Books By Women From The Arab World Translated To English, Nadia El Mouldi

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The translation of women writers from the Arab world in the West contributes to the harmful and inaccurate stereotyping of women from the region in the Global North as oppressed and silenced. In this paper, I describe the rationale and building process for “The repository of books by women from the Arab world translated to English”, a digital project built to counter this flattened image of women from the Arab world by shedding light on the books translated so far and exposing the patterns in the choice and translation of books from Arabic to English. I start by discussing the …

Transcriptional Mechanisms Of Neuroprotection In Excitotoxicity Driven Neurodegeneration In C. Elegans, Zelda Z. Mendelowitz

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Excitotoxicity is notorious for triggering neuronal cell death in both developmental and adult-onset neurodegenerative diseases. In excitotoxicity, excessive concentrations of Glutamate in the synapse overstimulate Glutamate Receptors (GluRs) on postsynaptic neurons. While GluR mediated degenerative mechanisms remain obscure, GluR activation was surprisingly found to also have a neuroprotective effect through activation of specific transcriptional programs. To identify evolutionarily conserved transcriptional programs in neuroprotection we use a C. elegans model of excitotoxic necrosis (glt-3;nuIs5). We have identified that non-canonical activation of the transcription factor CRH-1/CREB mediates neuroprotection in our excitotoxicity model. We found the Histone Acetyl Transferase, MYS-1/KAT6, and the neuronal …

The International Academy Of Language And Culture: The Global (Pre)K-12 Charter School Network, Dree-El Simmons

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The International Academy of Language and Culture (IALC) is a charter school based on the original concept of charter schools by Ray Budde and Albert Shanker, as an academic environment dedicated and designed to improving the educational outcomes for its students through innovative pedagogy. Committed to American (and global) education reform, the IALC incorporates elements from higher education into the early childhood and adolescent settings. We accomplish this by utilizing an interdisciplinary approach in our language and culture-based program.

The IALC is a multilingual, full-immersion program. Food Studies (including culinary arts), the Arts, the Humanities, Social Sciences, and Martial Arts …

El Poder De Las Tierras Estatales: Conflictos De Propiedad, Formaciones Estatales Y La Construcción De Los Llanos En Colombia, Julio Arias Vanegas

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This work examines different conflicts over the definition, delimitation, and use of state lands in Colombia. It focuses on the conflicts over three places, which have been produced as state properties and “baldíos” (public, untitled lands) from the 1940s to the 2010s in Los Llanos region. This dissertation departs from two premises. First, the making and unmaking of state lands are unique windows to examine how the limits between state and non-state properties, actors, and spaces are defined and disputed. Second, state lands, and especially baldíos, have been a key form of state territorialization and appropriation of marginalized regions. Thus, …

Analog Matters: Labels, Cassettes, And Alternative Economies In Argentina’S Independent Music Scenes, Maria Agustina Checa

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation is a multi-sited ethnographic study of current cassette production and circulation in Argentina. It analyzes the work of independent labels that record music available online onto cassette tapes, incorporating a variety of music styles. I examine practices of production, circulation, and exchange, and the alternative economies performed around cassettes, with particular attention to the materialities constituting these processes. Through cassettes, I conceptualize and trace "relational value," a notion to understand objects with different kinds of social agencies valued for their abilities to generate connections. Relational value is a theoretical construct that emerges from the ground-up approach to studying …

Future Opportunities For Research In Rescue Treatments, James W. Wheless, Daniel Friedman, Gregory L. Krauss, Vikram R. Rao, Michael R Sperling, Enrique Carrazana, Adrian L. Rabinowicz

Department of Neurology Faculty Papers

Clinical studies of rescue medications for seizure clusters are limited and are designed to satisfy regulatory requirements, which may not fully consider the needs of the diverse patient population that experiences seizure clusters or utilize rescue medication. The purpose of this narrative review is to examine the factors that contribute to, or may influence the quality of, seizure cluster research with a goal of improving clinical practice. We address five areas of unmet needs and provide advice for how they could enhance future trials of seizure cluster treatments. The topics addressed in this article are: (1) unaddressed end points to …

Policy Evaluation Of The Role Of Extracurricular Activities On Students' Character Building And Academic Excellence: A Case Study Of Cairo's Schools, Nanis Yousry

Theses and Dissertations

The Education policies have usually been given the highest priority globally. This research reflects that the Egyptian educational system currently faces a bottleneck in applying its policies due to significant budgetary constraints. This is seen in public schools, unlike international ones. The research compares and contrasts three educational systems (public, community and international) with the purpose of examining the impact of policy processes on education. This thesis aims to explore how far the existence of extracurricular activities, as a component that complements academic education, is capable of supporting students to acquire the 21st century life skills and fulfill some of …

Multi-Stage Evolution Of The Lost City Hydrothermal Vent Fluids, Karmina A. Aquino, Gretchen L. Fruh-Green, Joerg Rickli, Stefano M. Bernasconi, Susan Q. Lang Ph.D., M.S., B.S., Marvin D. Lilley, David A. Butterfield

Faculty Publications

Serpentinization-influenced hydrothermal systems, such as the Lost City Hydrothermal Field (LCHF), are considered as potential sites for the origin of life. Despite an abundance of reducing power in this system (H₂ and CH₄), microbial habitability may be limited by high pH, elevated temperatures, and/or low concentrations of bioavailable carbon. At the LCHF, the relative contribution of biotic and abiotic processes to the vent fluid composition, especially in the lower temperature vents, remain poorly constrained. We present fluid chemistry and isotope data that suggest that all LCHF fluids are derived from a single endmember produced in the hotter, …

Citation Sources For Legal Scholarship: Ranking The Top 28 Law Faculties, John R. Beatty

Law Librarian Contributions to Books

Published in The Role of Citation in the Law: A Yale Law School Symposium, Michael Chiorazzi, ed.

This study examines the effects of the data source on citation metrics and faculty rankings by comparing three sources of legal scholarship citation data: Google Scholar, Westlaw, and HeinOnline. It compares six years of citations to works by all of the tenured and tenure-track members of the top twenty-eight faculties as determined by two recent legal citation studies. Rankings generated using the Leiter-Sisk method on the data from the three sources showed moderate to high correlation (0. 77 to 0. 96) to each …

Holding States Accountable For Harmful Algal Blooms: Florida's Water Crisis In Focus, Jason Totoiu, Jaclyn Lopez

University of Florida Journal of Law & Public Policy

Scientists generally agree that agricultural runoff is a principal source of nutrient pollution in the United States. Intensive agricultural practices have resulted in decades of phosphorus and nitrogen accumulating in the natural system which continue to contribute substantially to nutrients entering watersheds. Coupled with failed water quality control measures, this water pollution has led to some of the worst harmful algal blooms (HABs) in recorded history. These nonpoint sources need to be addressed to restore and protect water quality.

Florida’s Lake Okeechobee watershed provides an apt case study. Commonly referred to as the “liquid heart” of the Everglades, the lake …

Hidden In Plain Sight: Two Models Of Medicare Privatization, Hannah Ruth Leibson

University of Florida Journal of Law & Public Policy

Medicare and private insurance are often cast as diametrically opposed forces. This framing is not only inaccurate, but it obscures the dynamic relationship that has existed between these entities for several decades. Private insurers have been playing an active role in Medicare delivery since its passage in 1965, and their role has expanded over time.

This Article seeks to illuminate the way privatization has impacted Medicare and what current privatization policy choices mean for its future. This Article draws from the copious literature on government administration and privatization to explain two key models of privatization within the Medicare program. Highlighting …

The Pro-Choice Case For Overturning Roe V. Wade: A New Constitutional Home For Reproductive Rights, Jordan Grana

University of Florida Journal of Law & Public Policy

Reproductive rights, despite their white-hot controversial nature in the last decades of American politics and their life-changing impact on those who are denied such rights, are a constitutional anomaly. More than any other right forced to take shelter with the right to privacy in the Fourteenth Amendment’s cramped Due Process Clause, reproductive rights are in danger of losing their federal constitutional protection. This Note posits that pro-choice activists must abandon Roe v. Wade and its progeny––not because the cases are wrong, but simply because they are unlikely to survive much longer. Instead, the goal of preserving access to reproductive rights …

Substrate Stiffness Modulates Migration And Local Intercellular Membrane Motion In Pulmonary Endothelial Cell Monolayers, Sunita Subedi Paudel, Althea Deweever, Sarah Sayner, Troy Stevens, Dhananjay T. Tambe

University Faculty and Staff Publications

The pulmonary artery endothelium forms a semipermeable barrier that limits macromolecular flux through intercellular junctions. This barrier is maintained by an intrinsic forward protrusion of the interacting membranes between adjacent cells. However, the dynamic interactions of these membranes have been incompletely quantified. Here, we present a novel technique to quantify the motion of the peripheral membrane of the cells, called paracellular morphological fluctuations (PMFs), and to assess the impact of substrate stiffness on PMFs. Substrate stiffness impacted large-length scale morphological changes such as cell size and motion. Cell size was larger on stiffer substrates, whereas the speed of cell movement …

The Multidimensional Media Literacy & Engagement Framework: A Tool For Fostering Informed Civic Participation, Brett L.M. Levy, Julie E. Learned, Cornelia B. Harris

Educational Theory and Practice Faculty Scholarship

Teaching media literacy helps students interpret media messages accurately and supports their informed civic participation.

Black Culture Is "Professional": Causation After Bostock & Racial Stereotypes, Adriante Carter

University of Florida Journal of Law & Public Policy

Employment discrimination has progressed past the days of overt prejudices. In today’s society, employment discrimination manifests as stereotypes that perpetuate negative results. Those who suffer from stereotypic discrimination have long been denied redress for these wrongs. The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Bostock, this Note argues, is a way forward. This Note argues that case law has developed, and should continue to develop, in a way that recognizes racial stereotyping as discriminatory. This Note explores the history of this case law and examines how the theory of causation from Bostock can be used to better the jurisprudence on racial …

Cell-Intrinsic Melanin Fails To Protect Melanocytes From Ultraviolet-Mutagenesis In The Absence Of Epidermal Melanin, Tirzah J. Weiss, Emma R. Crawford, Valentina Posada, Hafeez Rahman, Tong Liu, Brandon M. Murphy, Tiffany E. Arnold, Shannon Gray, Zhexuan Hu, Rebecca C. Hennessey, Lianbo Yu, John August D'Orazio, Craig J. Burd, Jonathan H. Zippin, Douglas Grossman, Christin E. Burd

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Melanin is a free-radical scavenger, antioxidant, and broadband absorber of ultraviolet (UV) radiation which protects the skin from environmental carcinogenesis. However, melanin synthesis and UV-induced reactive melanin species are also implicated in melanocyte genotoxicity. Here, we attempted to reconcile these disparate functions of melanin using a UVB- sensitive, NRAS-mutant mouse model, TpN. We crossed TpN mice heterozygous for an inactivating mutation in Tyrosinase to produce albino and black littermates on a C57BL/6J background. These animals were then exposed to a single UVB dose on postnatal day three when keratinocytes in the skin have yet to be melanized. Approximately one-third (35%) …

Low-Cost Compact Optical Spectroscopy And Novel Spectroscopic Algorithm For Point-Of-Care Real-Time Monitoring Of Nanoparticle Delivery In Biological Tissue Models, Zahid Hasan, Jing Yan, Zhongchao Yi, Madison O. Korfhage, Sheng Tong, Caigang Zhu

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Objective: Real-time monitoring of nanoparticle delivery in biological models is essential to optimize nanoparticle- mediated therapies. However, few techniques are available for convenient real-time monitoring of nanoparticle concentrations in tissue samples. This work reported novel optical spectroscopic approaches for low-cost point-of-care real-time quantification of nanoparticle concentrations in biological tissue samples.

Methods: Fiber probe measured diffuse reflectance can be described with a simple analytical model by introducing an explicit dependence on the reduced scattering coefficient. Relying on this, the changes on the inverse of diffuse reflectance are proportional to absorption change when the scattering perturbation is negligible. We developed this model …

Sustainable Rural Transportation Through The Lens Of The Waccamaw Regional Council Of Government’S 2040 Long Range Rural Transportation Plan, Conner Denny

Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

No abstract provided.

The Preservation Of Gullah Geechee Culture In Georgetown, South Carolina, Jamesia St. Louis

Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

No abstract provided.

Assessment Of Cardiac, Vascular, And Pulmonary Pathobiology In Vivo During Acute Covid‐19, Shirjel R. Alam, Sudhir Vinayak, Adeel Shah, Jeilan Mohamed, Redemptar Kimeu, Felix Riunga, Sylvia Gachoka, Rodney Adam, Mariah Obino, Khalid Makhdomi, Kevin Ombati, Edward Nganga, Samuel Gitau

Imaging & Diagnostic Radiology, East Africa

Background: Acute COVID‐19–related myocardial, pulmonary, and vascular pathology and how these relate to each other remain unclear. To our knowledge, no studies have used complementary imaging techniques, including molecular imaging, to elucidate this. We used multimodality imaging and biochemical sampling in vivo to identify the pathobiology of acute COVID‐19. Specifically, we investigated the presence of myocardial inflammation and its association with coronary artery disease, systemic vasculitis, and pneumonitis.

Methods and Results: Consecutive patients presenting with acute COVID‐19 were prospectively recruited during hospital admission in this cross‐sectional study. Imaging involved computed tomography coronary angiography (identified coronary disease), cardiac 2‐deoxy‐2‐[fluorine‐18]fluoro‐D‐glucose positron emission …

Minutes From September 1 2022, University Senate

University Senate Minutes

Minutes from September 1 2022 University Senate Meeting

A Modern Guide To Tourism Economics, Chapter 1: Introduction, Robertico Croes, Yang Yang

Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

This Modern Guide captures the evolution of foundational tenets, theories, frameworks and models that buttressed tourism economics into an evolving discipline, shining light on both new and old approaches. It systematically examines current and future trends and issues related to new economic perspectives, consolidating the notion of tourism economics as a discipline.

Evaluation Of The Control Of Water Sanitation And Hygiene Related Disease Through Community Hygiene Club Intervention In Rwanda, Amans Ntakarutimana, Elias Nyandwi, Nadine Rujeni, Chantal Marie Ingabire Dr, Kato Jonas Njunwa, Théoneste Ntakirutimana, Gaspard Rwanyiziri, Joseph Tuyishimire, Schaddrack Ngabonziza

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

This article consists of a review article reporting the results of previous evaluations of the control of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) related disease through the Community Hygiene Club (CHC) intervention from 2010 to 2020. CHC constitutes the main intervention for the control of WASH-related disease in Rwanda and is implemented countrywide. The study objective was to evaluate if the CHC intervention significantly reduced the prevalence of WASH-related disease after 10 years of its implementation in Rwanda. The study utilized online existing policy documents, research reports, and experiences on the CHC intervention in Rwanda published between 2010 and 2020. We …

Surgical Removal Of Urinary Bladder Urolith In Female Asian Elephant (Elephas Maximus) By Episiotomy And Urinary Bladder Sphincterotomy, Nikorn Thongtip, Supaphen Sripiboon, Nattaphol Muangthong, Suteeranun Pipitwanichtham, Smit Srisomrun, Patcharida Dittawong, Phawaran Meetipkit, Ratiwan Sitdhibutr, Warangkhana Lankaphin, Petthisak Sombutputorn, Weerapongse Tangjitjaroen

The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine

A 50-year-old female Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) was referred to the Kasetsart University Veterinary Teaching Hospital with histories of anuria and abdominal pain for five days. Trans-rectal ultrasonography demonstrated the presence of hyperechogenic uroliths located between the neck and trigone of the urinary bladder. Vestibuloscopy by endoscope revealed an abnormal brownish mass obstructing the internal bladder orifice. Episiotomy was performed after standing sedation with dexmedetomidine, epidural anesthesia and perineal infiltration with lidocaine. A single 1.7 kg urinary bladder urolith with 17x12x10 cm dimension was manually removed using a combination of several methods, including sphincter dilatation using lidocaine ring infiltration at …

Environmental Enrichment And The Behavioral Effects On Captive Beluga Whales (Delphinapterus Leucas), Tsung-Hsien Li, Evonne Lim, I-Chun Chen, Chuen-Fu Lin, Shih-Chu Chen, Ming-An Tsai

The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine

Environmental enrichment methods are meant to encourage animals to display their complete ethogram while under human care in zoos and aquariums. In this study, we sought to characterize the effectiveness of environmental enrichment (involving the inclusion of toys in the living environment) on captive beluga whales in the National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium. Our results indicate that belugas with toys spend less time floating and swimming repetitively than do belugas without toys. The presence of toys was also shown to enhance social interactions among captive belugas. Overall, our findings indicate that the provision of toys can enrich the …

Molecular Determination Of West Nile Virus, Equine Herpesvirus 1 And Herpesvirus 4 In Feral Horses In Turkey, Irmak Dik, Oguzhan Avci, Sibel Yavru, H. Pelin Aslim, H.Sercan Palanci

The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine

West Nile Virus (WNV), Equine Herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) and Equine Herpesvirus 4 (EHV-4) are among the important pathogenic viral factors for both domestic and feral horses. This study was carried out to determine the molecular presence of WNV, EHV-1 and EHV-4 infections in feral horses in Konya. Blood samples were taken from 36 horses selected by a randomized sampling method from a total of 250 feral horses bred together. The leukocyte samples obtained were examined virologically for the presence nucleic acid of WNV using the Nested reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction assay (nested RT-PCR) method and using molecular methods for the …

Therapeutic Effects Of Sildenafil Combined With Low-Dosage Imatinib On Pulmonary Hypertension In Five Dogs, Yu Sahashi, Yoshiaki Hikasa

The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine

Five dogs were diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension (PH) secondary to chronic degenerative mitral valve disease or ventricular septal defect. They were initially administered low-dose imatinib mesylate (3 mg/kg, q24h) without changes to the background therapy to treat PH. The low-dose imatinib improved the right ventricular (RV) function parameters including estimated systolic and mean pulmonary arterial pressures (sPA and mPAP) and clinical symptoms. On day 53 to day 168 after imatinib administration, as PH and clinical signs worsened, low-dose sildenafil (0.5 mg/kg, q12h) was administered in combination with imatinib. This combination greatly reduced the estimated sPA and mPAP, and improved clinical …