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Resilience Redefined: Exploring the Impact of Childhood Trauma on the Value Systems of High-Achieving Corporate Men
No full textThis qualitative study employed Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to explore how childhood trauma influences the value systems of high-achieving corporate men. In contemporary corporate culture, where stoicism, performance, and independence are often rewarded, little attention is paid to how early adversity informs internal frameworks of meaning, leadership, and success. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six high-achieving men, all executives and leaders in high-performing industries, who self-identified as having experienced childhood trauma. Data were analyzed using a six-step IPA process and interpreted through the lens of Schwartz’s Theory of Basic Human Values and social constructivism. Findings revealed that childhood trauma deeply shaped participants’ held values around control, success, self-sufficiency, and integrity. Participants described formative messages of scarcity, conditional love, and emotional suppression that fueled a relentless drive for achievement. While many externalized successes as a form of redemption and protection, they also reported internal struggles with isolation, unmet emotional needs, and difficulty sustaining interpersonal relationships. Key themes emerged, including the impact of childhood adversity on value formation, financial security and fear of loss, resilience and drive to succeed, authenticity, integrity and empathetic leadership, work-life balance and personal wellbeing, and lastly, interpersonal relationships and the “Tribe” mentality. This study provides insight into how trauma-informed values manifest in corporate leadership and personal identity. It challenges traditional narratives of masculinity and success by illustrating how resilience is often rooted in unprocessed pain. Implications are offered for mental health professionals, counselor educators, and leadership development programs to better recognize achievement as a potential coping mechanism and support healthier models of masculinity and value integration. Keywords: childhood trauma, high-achieving corporate men, value systems, masculinity, Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, leadership, resilienc
The Market for Local Beef and Local Beef Processing Investment in Arkansas.
No full textThe COVID-19 pandemic exposed vulnerabilities in the U.S. food supply chain, particularly in the beef sector, where processing bottlenecks and labor shortages disrupted meat production and the market. In response, several policies were implemented to strengthen food system resilience, and significant funding was allocated to expand independent meat processing capacity nationwide. However, the long-term viability of expanding regional processing capacity remains uncertain, notably in Arkansas, a net exporter of live cattle. This study evaluates whether consumer demand supports the expansion of local beef processing in Arkansas. Using a dichotomous choice survey, we estimate market shares for beef labeled “Arkansas Grown” and examine how factors like freezer storage availability influence bulk beef purchasing decisions. By comparing demand estimates to the state’s limited processing capacity, the study helps determine if infrastructure investments align with market interest. The findings provide practical guidance for policymakers and industry leaders seeking to enhance regional food systems
Automated Chick Sexing using Computer Vision
No full textThis thesis presents two complementary approaches to chick sexing, a critical task in poultry production that demands accurate and early gender identification. By investigating both facial and vent-based modalities, we present two complementary methods that aim to improve the efficiency, scalability, and ethical standards of gender classification in day-old chicks through the use of computer vision and deep learning. The first approach draws inspiration from human facial gender recognition to introduce facial chick sexing, a minimally invasive technique that eliminates the need for expert knowledge. This system encompasses a complete pipeline that includes image acquisition, facial detection and alignment, keypoint localization, and final classification. Two facial cropping strategies are evaluated—Cropped Full Face and Cropped Middle Face—both of which retain critical visual features. This method demonstrates promising accuracy while offering a scalable and welfare-conscious alternative to traditional practices. In addition, we propose VentVision an automated system for vent-based chick sexing, automating the process through a structured pipeline comprising multi-modality video capture, temporal segment selection, vent region detection, and gender classification. The proposed system incorporates both RGB and infrared imaging to enhance feature extraction and improve model reliability. Experiments show that the combined RGB-IR modality achieves expert-level accuracy, reinforcing the method\u27s potential for deployment in real-world environments. Together, these methods offer two distinct yet complementary pathways toward modernizing chick sexing: one grounded in facial biometrics and another leveraging enhanced vent analysis. Extensive quantitative and qualitative experiments confirm the effectiveness of each approach. In conclusion, this thesis contributes a novel framework for facial chick sexing and an automated implementation of traditional vent sexing, both designed to balance precision, efficiency, and ethical considerations. By reducing dependence on specialized expertise and advancing automation in chick sexing, we pave the way for scalable and humane solutions in poultry production
Analysis of the Scleroderma / Systemic Sclerosis Etiopathology using the University of California at Davis (UCD)-SSc Chicken Line
No full textScleroderma/Systemic Sclerosis (SSc) is a multifaceted autoimmune disorder affecting approximately 300,000 people in the United States. Main features include vasculitis, immune dysfunction (innate and adaptive), autoantibody production, perivascular leukocyte infiltration, and extensive tissue fibrosis. The University of California, Davis (UCD) SSc chicken line was shown to exhibit all clinical and biological manifestations of human SSc. One early and distinctive clinical sign in both humans and UCD-SSc chickens is Raynaud’s phenomenon (RP), characterized by decreased blood flow in extremities and skin lesions. RP-like lesions develop in combs of UCD-SSc chickens within one- to two-weeks post-hatch, progressing from erythema and edema to necrosis and fibrosis, resulting in partial or complete comb-loss by six to eight weeks of age. This dissertation presents several longitudinal studies that explore cellular and molecular changes in the RP-like comb lesions of UCD-SSc chickens compared to healthy controls from 0 (hatch) to 47 days of age. In Chapter 1, immunohistochemistry was used to track the presence and quantity of immune cells in UCD-SSc combs as RP-like lesions developed. Macrophages were the first to infiltrate, accumulating in large numbers at 11 days when comb inflammation was first visible. By day 15 and 21, macrophages, T cell subsets (CD4+, CD8+, γδ T cells), and B cells reached maximum infiltration. Lymphocyte levels returned to baseline by day 35, but macrophages remained elevated. The coordinated activity of these immune cells appears crucial for comb regression and mirrors the immune activity observed in human SSc-affected skin. In Chapter 2, comb samples collected from UCD-SSc and control chickens based on RP-phenotype were assigned to age groups: 0 and 3 days (no RP), 8 days (early lesions), 21 days (active lesions), and 47 days (various stages of inflammation and regression). These samples were analyzed with next-generation RNA-sequencing to identify gene pathways altered in UCD-SSc. Early on (0 and 3 days), upregulated genes pointed to differences in comb growth. By 8 days, genes involved in immune responses and inflammation were significantly upregulated, while at 21 days, signatures of cell dysfunction, necrosis, and cell death emerged. At 47 days, immune-related pathways were upregulated again, likely reflecting ongoing inflammation and fibrosis. These findings highlight strong parallels between the SSc progression in UCD-SSc chickens and humans. Chapter 3 delved into the role of transforming growth factors (TGF)-β and their receptors. Using RNA-sequencing data, the study found higher TGF-β1 and TGF-β3 expression at 8 and 47 days, respectively, but lower TGF-β2 at 47 days in SSc combs compared to controls. TGFβ-receptor expression analysis revealed TGFBR1, TGFBR2, and TGFBR3 increasing from 0 to 47 days in UCD-SSc combs, with constitutively higher expression of TGFBR-2 and -3 throughout. Elevated plasma TGF-β1 levels, especially at 4, 7, and 28 days, suggest a role of TGF-β1 in promoting vascular changes and fibrosis. The altered expression patterns of TGF-β and its receptors likely contribute to SSc susceptibility and disease progression. Together, these studies strengthen the link between the UCD-SSc chicken model and human SSc, providing valuable insights into disease mechanisms and potential therapeutic targets
Understanding Paradoxical Dynamics in Online Communities: The Role of Governance and Community Characteristics
No full textOnline knowledge communities have become critical arenas for information exchange, collaborative problem-solving, and the co-construction of expertise in the digital age. As these platforms expand and mature, they increasingly face design tensions that challenge their ability to remain inclusive, participatory, and high in quality. Institutional rules aimed at fostering content standards may reduce engagement, while features intended to promote openness can unintentionally reinforce ideological conformity. This dissertation adopts a two-essay structure to examine the paradoxical dynamics that emerge in the design and functioning of online communities. Each essay investigates a distinct but interconnected aspect of how institutional structures and communicative patterns shape participation, discourse, and broader community outcomes. Together, they offer complementary perspectives on the structural tensions that often undermine the participatory ideals of digital platforms. The first essay explores how institutional constraints, particularly rules that govern user behavior and content, influence participation and community sustainability. It uses agent-based modeling to simulate how different configurations of rules interact with user preferences to produce patterns of engagement, contribution, and withdrawal. The findings show that content- focused rules tend to improve discourse quality and responsiveness. In contrast, behavior- focused constraints often suppress participation and accelerate user turnover, especially when community engagement is already low. These results highlight the importance of adaptive and context-sensitive governance that aligns rule design with community conditions. The second essay turns to the communicative layer of community dynamics. It examines how emotional and rational discourse styles contribute to the emergence of ideological alignment and discursive closure over time. Drawing on a large dataset of user interactions, the study uses natural language processing techniques, including sentiment and argumentation analysis, alongside panel data regression, to analyze how discourse patterns evolve. The results indicate that emotional expression is linked to greater ideological homogeneity, particularly in fast- growing communities with high interaction volume. Rational discourse, by contrast, is associated with increased openness and cognitive diversity. The effects of responsiveness depend on its distribution. When broadly shared, responsiveness can mitigate emotional polarization. When concentrated among a small number of active participants, it amplifies the impact of rational dialogue. Together, these essays demonstrate that the paradoxes observed in online community design are not incidental but reflect structural tensions embedded within platforms. Rules created to improve quality can discourage contribution. Features that promote openness may lead to ideological silos. Discourse patterns that boost engagement may weaken deliberative depth. This dissertation contributes to institutional and communication theory by uncovering non- linear and context-dependent relationships between platform design and user behavior. It also offers practical guidance for developers, moderators, and policymakers seeking to design online environments that are more inclusive, sustainable, and ideologically diverse
Improved Autofluorescence Lifetime Decay Analysis for Identification of Cellular Autofluorescence Biomarkers for Label-Free, Single-Cell Assessment of Mitochondrial Membrane Potential
No full textOptical imaging of metabolism using the autofluorescence of the metabolic cofactors NADH, NADPH, and FAD has a wide range of sensitivities and the capability to collect a great deal of metabolic information. Multiphoton microscopy (MPM) is a non-invasive, label-free optical imaging technique capable of performing fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) using time correlated single photon counting (TCSPC). However, autofluorescence FLIM presents a challenge in collecting sufficient photons to provide adequate signal to noise ratios (SNR) for analysis. Additionally, the specificity of autofluorescence biomarkers of metabolism has not been well-defined. Contextualizing these autofluorescence measures using established functional biomarkers can improve interpretability of metabolic information collected using MPM-FLIM. The goal of this dissertation was to establish non-invasive, label-fee optical approaches to characterize mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), an essential biomarker of mitochondrial and cellular function, to improve the quantitative analysis of autofluorescence measures of metabolism. A custom, iterative MATLAB fitting algorithm was developed to mitigate the effects of low SNR and proved to greatly increase the accuracy of bi-exponential fitting of autofluorescence FLIM decays compared to that of a commercial software package often used to analyze autofluorescence FLIM (SPCImage). Accuracy was tested using simulated NAD(P)H decay curves and verified using an NADH and lactate dehydrogenase solution of known concentration and binding proportion. This fitting algorithm allowed for a whole-cell binning approach that further improved accuracy for low SNR data and cut FLIM collection time in half. This fitting algorithm was applied to NAD(P)H and FAD autofluorescence collected from NIH3T3 cells treated with extracellular ATP, the mitochondrial uncoupler BAM15, and starved of glucose and L-glutamine to vary metabolic responses and MMP. Autofluorescence measurements were paired cell-by-cell with the FLIM intensity of TMRE, a fluorescent MMP probe. These measurements informed a random forest regression model for predicting TMRE intensity based on nine different autofluorescence biomarkers of metabolism identified using a multiple linear regression model. This work provides a toolset for increasing autofluorescence FLIM SNR for accurate analysis that can be applied as part of a methodological framework combining spectral, temporal, and spatial information derived from cellular autofluorescence measurements of metabolism to predict other additional functional biomarkers
Isolated Multiphase Series Capacitor Converters
No full textA multiphase power converter for converting electrical energy. The multiphase power converter includes at least one transformer providing isolation in the multiphase power converter. The multiphase power converter further includes a series capacitor in a series capacitor configuration. The multiphase power converter additionally includes a plurality of switches connected within the series capacitor configuration. Furthermore, the multiphase power converter includes a controller in electrical communication with the series capacitor and the plurality of switches, where the controller is configured to control power output by causing the plurality of switches to be switched according to a plurality of switching intervals of a period
Infiltrating the Black Box: Expanding the No-Impeachment Rule to Protect Defendants from Pervasive Juror Bias
Get PDFIn the United States, a criminal defendant is entitled to “a fair trial but not a perfect one, for there are no perfect trials.” However, defendants are also guaranteed the right to an impartial jury. While perfection within a jury is “an untenable goal,” a system that allows for juror bias during deliberations to go undetected threatens a defendant’s most crucial constitutional rights. Thus, when juror bias threatens to interfere with a defendant’s rights to a fair trial and impartial jury, there is a prevalent need for the judicial system to step in and mitigate the effects of juror bias. While there are pre-trial systems in place designed to protect against juror bias, there is a significant lack of protection for post-trial allegations of juror bias. Federal Rule of Evidence 606 (otherwise known as the no impeachment rule) limits investigation into the validity of a jury’s verdict by generally prohibiting jurors from testifying about statements or incidents occurring during deliberations. The rule offers limited exceptions, which permit juror testimony about extraneous prejudicial information improperly shown to the jury, improper outside influence, and mistakes made on the verdict form. However, these exceptions do not account for statements or incidents indicating explicit juror bias or prejudice that had an effect on the jury’s verdict. When the Supreme Court of the United States decided Pena-Rodriguez v. Colorado in 2017, it created an additional exception that allows courts to consider evidence of juror statements of racial animus made during deliberations that had an effect on the jury’s decision. This exception covers only race-based statements, leaving the possibility for other forms of juror bias to invade the jury room and leave defendants defenseless against violations of their constitutional rights to a fair trial and impartial jury. This article addresses the current state of the no-impeachment rule and emphasizes the disconnect between the purported policies behind the rule and its realities. It also recommends a cohesive test to be adopted by states to ensure the constitutional rights of criminal defendants are not undermined by the desire to maintain jury secrecy. Part II will outline the legislative history behind Federal Rule of Evidence 606(b) and how it has led to the current state of the no-impeachment rule. Part III will address the gaps in the current system and provide suggestions for states to address these issues. Specifically, this Part will highlight how the existing procedures for addressing juror bias are insufficient in light of the gravity of defendants’ rights that are at stake and acknowledge the judicial system’s history in addressing racial, gender, and sexual orientation bias in other areas of the court system. Further, this Part will argue that post-verdict inquiry for allegations of juror bias fits squarely within the current evidentiary practices of the court system and will propose a general framework and procedures for states in addressing allegations of juror bias