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Participatory Budgeting and Electoral Outcomes in North American Cities
No full textThe dissatisfaction with democratic processes and the low participation rates we see trending in cities around the world, have inspired practitioners to experiment with new democratic practices. Scholars of participatory democracy have argued that when people participate in one democratic activity, they are more likely to engage in other activities. Therefore, this project clarifies the expectations set for a specific type of process, called Participatory Budgeting (PB). The two questions I address in this project look at the relationship between PB and voter turnout in local elections, and PB and incumbency retention rates for those who implement the process in Chicago, New York City, and Montreal. To study these relationships, I use a mixed-methods approach by quantitatively assessing the general trends and following up with a qualitative chapter to deepen our understanding of the mechanisms at play. The first two quantitative chapters employ two-way fixed effects models, using novel data on PB processes in the three cities and local electoral data between 2000 and 2023. I find that there PB or participation within PB shows no impact on voter turnout rates in local elections, nor on the incumbents’ success rate. The final empirical chapter explores why there is no significant relationship between the main variables of interest, and I find that working to attract new participants and increasing the rate at which they participate could be one of the key factors for practitioners aiming to create participatory effects
Evaluation of Bacteriophage Infection of Enterococcus faecalis in a Monolayer
No full textEnterococcus faecalis is one of the first colonizers of the human gastrointestinal tract, and it plays a role in the intestinal immune development at the very early stages of life. However, it is also an opportunistic pathogen, capable of translocating across the mucosal barrier to cause systemic infections. E. faecalis is also linked to infections including endocarditis, recurrent urinary tract infections (rUTIs), bacteremia, wound infections, meningitis, root canal infections, intra-abdominal and pelvic infections, and septicemia. Persistent enterococcal opportunistic infections have been associated with the production of virulence factors and sharing of antibiotic resistance genes, thus making E. faecalis difficult to kill with current treatments. Bacteriophage, viruses that infect bacteria, are an attractive alternative to antibiotics. In this study, we observed the effects of bacteriophage (phage) infection of E. faecalis in both controlled laboratory conditions and human tissue environments. First, three phage were tested against 22 clinical E. faecalis isolates to determine phage host range. Using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), the phage morphology as well as phage attachment to bacterial cells was determined. Confocal microscopy was used to identify instances where phage DNA insertion into E. faecalis cells suggesting successful absorption. Next, we used confocal microscopy to image interactions between E. faecalis strains and human cells. Using the U2OS cell line, we found that the E. faecalis strains tested were able to attach to the monolayer. When we added fluorescently labeled phage to these wells, we were unable to replicate the bacteria-phage interaction seen when looking at them in isolation. This work was essential in establishing a protocol for imaging attachment and injection of phage DNA into E. faecalis cells and E. faecalis cell attachment to U2OS cells
A Fijian Barkcloth in the May Weber Ethnographic Study Collection
No full textThis report examines an object in the May Weber Ethnographic Study Collection, a barkcloth attributed to the Fiji Islands. The report discusses the attribution, as well as the distinction of the object as Fijian masi kesa. The report discusses the techniques used to make bark cloth, as well as past studies of bark cloth in the Pacific Islands. It also examines the gendered context of masi, as well as the issue of cultural intellectual property in recent uses of masi motifs for commercial purposes
Interactions between Microplastics, Biofilms, and Antimicrobials in Freshwater Streams
No full textMicroplastics (MPs) are ubiquitous contaminants in freshwater ecosystems that could be hotspots for the interaction of antimicrobial compounds and surface-attached microbial biofilm communities. MPs and antimicrobials are both common in wastewater and urban freshwaters and MPs can adsorb contaminants like antimicrobials to their surface. Within aquatic habitats, MPs also support colonization by microbial biofilms. Therefore, we hypothesized that the adsorption of antimicrobials to MP surfaces would affect microbial communities colonizing MPs, altering their diversity, composition, and antimicrobial resistance. We investigated the effects of these interactions across two studies. The first study, discussed in Chapter 2, used a microcosm approach to assess the potential for acrylic, nylon, and polyester MP fibers to adsorb the antimicrobial compound triclosan and alter bacterial and algal communities. We found that triclosan adsorption varied between polymer types and that triclosan significantly impacted the diversity and composition of bacteria and algae within MP-associated biofilms and in the surrounding water. We conducted the second study, discussed in Chapter 3, to further examine these interactions in artificial stream mesocosms containing environmentally relevant concentrations of polyester MP fibers and a cocktail of eight commonly prescribed antimicrobial compounds. Concentrations of antimicrobials representative of untreated wastewater influent significantly impacted taxonomic abundance and community composition on MPs and in water, and selected for taxa associated with plastic degradation, multidrug resistance, and human pathogenicity. The class 1 integrase gene intI1, a proxy for general antimicrobial resistance, was also significantly less abundant at high antimicrobial concentrations. Results from both studies suggest that widespread MP and antimicrobial contamination could potentially alter natural bacterial and algal communities in freshwater habitats
Selling The Spell: The Commodification of Feminist Witchcraft
No full textSelling the Spell argues that Feminist Witches, or Crafters, navigated a fraught relationship with consumer culture, at once resisting commodification, embracing it, and reshaping it in ways that carried spiritual, political, and economic consequences. Drawing on oral histories, archival and digital sources, this dissertation traces the evolution of American Feminist Witchcraft and related Pagan traditions from the 1960s through the early 2000s. It situates the Craft at the intersection of feminism, counterculture, and capitalism, showing how spiritual practices that emphasized female embodiment and communal ritual became entangled with publishing, festivals, consumer goods, and the Internet. The dissertation contributes to four fields of scholarship. In Counterculture Studies, it demonstrates how Paganism extended and transformed the politics of the 1960s and 70s. In Feminist Studies, it recovers the overlooked role of spiritual feminists in shaping debates over embodiment and liberation. In Capitalism Studies, it examines how spiritual goods and services illustrate the commodification of resistance. Finally, in Pagan Studies, it offers a historical account that emphasizes intergenerational conflict, inclusion, and the destabilizing force of the digital turn. By following Paganism’s trajectory from grassroots to online communities, Selling the Spell reveals that Feminist Witchcraft\u27s survival in America was not despite the market, but through it
Understanding Early Childhood Community Collaborations (Ecccs) in Relation to Systems Change
No full textThe early childhood system in the United States is piecemeal and fragmented (Adams et al., 2017; Gomez & Rendon, 2019; Kagan & Kauerz, 2012; State Capacity Building Center, 2022). The result is that families have unequal access to care, education, and other early childhood services for their young children. There have been various approaches to building, impacting, and changing the early childhood system to move toward equity, and many of these approaches call for collaborative efforts. The state of Illinois is engaged in comprehensive early childhood systems work, and one of the vehicles driving this change has been the work of cross-sector groups called early childhood community collaborations (ECCCs). There is a paucity of peer-reviewed research describing exactly what ECCCs are, how they interact with the early childhood system, and how they enact change within it. This qualitative study examines the roles, successes, and barriers experienced by ECCCs in their efforts to change early childhood systems, as illustrated by five ECCCs in Illinois. Data was analyzed through the lens of an adapted Six Conditions of Systems Change (Kania et al., 2018) theoretical model, providing insight into these groups and their role in impacting the local early childhood system. For the first time, this study ties together systems work, Collective Impact, and early childhood collaborations, which is a significant contribution to the field. Results indicate the important role of ECCCs in bringing people together as closing systems gaps, collaborating to bring important resources together, and changing perspectives about early childhood. ECCC successes include shifting system conditions, although tracking the work can be challenging. Barriers include the need for more funding and a recognition of the existing ways in which inequitable systems are perpetuated
Revisiting Collective Efficacy: Insights from Cognitive Interviews and Experimental Surveys
No full textThis three-part study revisits the collective efficacy scale developed by Sampson and colleagues in the 1990s to see if the scale needs updating. Defined as community cohesion and social control, collective efficacy is often used in community research to explain crime rates. The first phase uses cognitive interviews to understand how survey respondents interpret the original collective efficacy survey. The interview data then helps create new versions of the ten questions in the second phase. In the third phase, ChatGPT generates a revised version of the collective efficacy scale. The study employs a split-ballot experimental survey to test whether the revised versions improve reliability and validity. Each of the 258 respondents is randomly assigned one version of the scale. Various data quality metrics—such as internal consistency, nonresponse, response time, straightlining, and concurrent validity—are used to identify the best survey version. While the results do not conclude that one version is superior, they do favor the revised ones, indicating that there is room for improvement over the original scale
Chinese Dragon Robe
No full textThis report examines a traditional Chinese dragon robe attributed to China during the Qing Dynasty. The dragon robe is housed in the May Weber Ethnographic Study Collection at Loyola University Chicago. This report studies the attribution, technique, cultural production and use, and aesthetics and patterns of the robe. The goal of this report is to provide researchers with a clear description of the textile, the materials used, the creation techniques, and details of the cultural symbolism and significance of the robe
The Effect of Specific Nurse Manager Attributes on the Clinical Work Environment
No full textThe nurse manager (NM) is one of the most influential positions in a health care organization. The individual in this position interfaces with patients, family members, nursing and support staff, other health care professionals, ancillary department personnel, and hospital administrators. The NM has a significant influence on staff nurse satisfaction, and the clinical work environment. Patient outcomes are influenced by staff nurse satisfaction and performance, and the clinical practice environment. Effective staff nurse performance and positive patient outcomes contribute to organizational effectiveness. Thus, the NM must possess the requisite knowledge, skills, and attributes that contribute to staff satisfaction and a healthy clinical practice environment. The American Organization for Nursing Leadership’s (AONL, 2015) NM competencies provided the framework for assessment of NM attributes to include The Art, The Science, and The Leader Within. The purpose of this study was to address NM attributes in relation to Authentic Leadership ability (The Art), Graduate Academic Preparation (The Science), and level of Emotional Intelligence (The Leader Within) and the extent to which a single attribute, or combination of attributes, has on staff nurse satisfaction and the clinical practice environment. Findings revealed that NM master’s preparation provided the only statistically significant relationship with the clinical work environment
Social Identities and Space: Children of Muslim Bangladeshi Immigrants\u27 Navigations of Romantic Relationships in Chicago, Usa, and Toronto, Canada
No full textThis study examines the ways in which children of Muslim Bangladeshi immigrants find romantic partners and the factors they consider when selecting romantic partners. This is a comparative study that uses data from 32 semi-structured in-depth interviews with individuals of 1.5 and second-generation Muslim Bangladeshi origin that are currently living in Chicago, USA and Toroto, Canada, and employing a life course approach, this study examines the adaptation and assimilation processes experienced by these individuals, who are part of a largely middle- and upper-middle-class cohort often described as the new second generation. This study focuses on dating and marriage choices to reveal the complex dilemmas, negotiations, navigation, and autonomy in the experiences of Muslim Bangladeshi children. The findings of this study are as follows: (1) the life history approach reveals that there were two types of family orientations for the respondents of this study: selective-traditional and selective-integrated family orientation. (2) In Chicago, respondents use religion as a baseline to define their own identities, whereas in Toronto, they use social class identity to define themselves. (3) Lastly, respondents in both cities relied on dating apps and social media to find their romantic partners, to create autonomy from the traditional way of finding romantic partners