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Schoenberg's Tonalities in the Middle Period: Deterritorializing Pierrot Lunaire
No full textThesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2025Arnold Schoenberg’s freely atonal period has been overshadowed in scholarship by his later serialist period. When the middle period is mentioned in literature, it is often viewed as existing only in service of the twelve-tone method. Rather than being an unorganized method of composition as some suggest, Schoenberg’s middle period presents music that sees the composer keenly aware of the concepts of tonality. The composer’s thoughts on the tonal system are elucidated in his theoretical writing in his Harmonielehre. These thoughts are also present in his 1912 Pierrot Lunaire.In this thesis, I argue that Pierrot Lunaire makes clear the connection between Schoenberg’s theoretical concepts and his compositional practice. Utilizing the Deleuzian concept of the refrain, I analyze Pierrot Lunaire as musically presenting Schoenberg’s deterritorializing process regarding the elements of tonality, which he then reterritorializes into an atonal framework. What this analysis reveals is a musical work that sees the composer actively working towards what he believed to be the inevitable usurpation of the tonal framework. Rather than being a chaotically explored dead-end on the path to twelve-tone music, I argue that Pierrot Lunaire evinces a complicated, conscious approach towards atonality that is reliant on the composer’s own theoretical writings
Evaluating Determinants and Strategy Implementation of the Single-Visit Screen and Treat Approach with Thermal Ablation in Kenya
No full textThesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2025Introduction: The availability of effective cervical cancer prevention interventions creates a clear pathway towards elimination. However, cervical cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women in low- and middle-income countries, primarily attributed to persistent implementation gaps. This dissertation explores the implementation of the single-visit, screen and treat approach with visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) and thermal ablation (SV-SAT+TA) by identifying key determinants, characterizing provider-led strategy adaptations, and evaluating the alignment between implementation strategies and contextual barriers. Methods: This dissertation is nested within a hybrid type III implementation trial aimed at developing and evaluating implementation strategies to support the national scale-up of the single-visit screen and treat approach using VIA and thermal ablation across 10 health facilities in Kenya. Chapter 2 used qualitative methods to identify barriers and facilitators to the implementation of the SV-SAT+TA among 34 participants: 20 frontline health care providers, 10 health facility managers, and 5 policymakers. In-depth interviews were conducted and guided by the adapted Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) for LMICs. In Chapter 3, we applied the Framework for Reporting Adaptations and Modifications to Evidence-based Implementation Strategies (FRAME-IS) to systematically document and track adaptations to the TIBA implementation strategies across the 10 health facilities. FRAME-IS guided the development of the Excel tracking sheets. Data was collected monthly by Technical Assistants through site visits, direct observations, and field notes. Chapter 4 employed a convergent mixed-methods approach to evaluate barrier-strategy matching using surveys and small group discussions with 40 participants, mainly frontline healthcare providers and facility managers.
Results: Findings from Chapter 2 identified leadership engagement, the relative advantage of thermal ablation over cryotherapy, and self-efficacy among providers as drivers of successful SV-SAT+TA implementation. Conversely, lack of essential commodities, infrastructural limitations, shortage of trained staff, and recruitment challenges emerged as barriers to implementation. Building on Chapter 2, findings from Chapter 3 revealed that most adaptations occurred early in implementation and were primarily education (57%) and resource-related (21%). Adaptations mainly targeted provider adoption of the SV-SAT+TA, and the rate of adaptations declined over time. In Chapter 4, we found that 71% of the pre-identified barriers were successfully addressed through well-matched strategies focusing on improving clinic workflows, training, and community engagement. However, structural issues such as staffing, client follow-up remained inadequately addressed.
Conclusion: This dissertation provides critical insights into the contextual and system-level factors influencing the implementation of cervical cancer prevention interventions in Kenya. The lessons learned have a broad relevance for scaling and sustaining cervical cancer prevention efforts across LMICs
Does The Available Evidence Support Guidelines for Pre-Pregnancy Weight Loss? A Scoping Review
No full textThesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2025While the risks of being pregnant and giving birth in a higher BMI class (> 24.9 kg/m2) are well documented, the ways to mitigate this risk are not. Current recommendations suggest entering pregnancy at a “healthy” or “normal” weight, conventionally defined as having a BMI between 18.5-24.9 kg/m2. However, it is unreasonable to expect women whose BMI is significantly above 24.9 kg/m2 to lose enough weight to enter the “normal” BMI range before they conceive. Moreover, in the United States, 40% of women of childbearing age have a BMI > 30 kg/m2. A set of standard recommendations is needed as to how much weight such women should lose before conceiving, whether they should attempt to lose weight in the early months of pregnancy if they conceive unexpectedly, and how they should attempt this weight loss to support a healthy pregnancy and birth. This review explores whether such recommendations can be made using the available evidence on pre-pregnancy weight loss and outcomes of the incident pregnancy. We focus on exposure to preconception weight loss and weight loss attempts (i.e. via dietary restriction), evaluating studies that examine maternal and fetal health outcomes in women who experienced pre-pregnancy weight loss and/or dieting. We conclude that the evidence does not consistently support recommendations that women with BMI > 24.9 kg/m2 lose weight before becoming pregnant to reduce their risk for complications. Rather, we draw on alternative frameworks for care--including Health At Every Size (HAES), weight neutrality, and evidence concerning weight cycling and weight stigma--to advocate for a weight-neutral approach to pre-conception maternal health counseling
Embodied Dialogic Love: How Restorative Justice Facilitators Perceive Power and Offer Meaningful Disruptions
No full textThesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2025As Restorative Justice (RJ) programs emerge throughout the U.S. as alternatives to the Western adjudication system, I examine an understudied yet impactful element of RJ: facilitators. RJ itself is a framework rooted in Indigenous worldviews to reveal intersectionality in our relationships especially after a harm has occurred in order to restore harmony and pursue justice in the community. Nevertheless, when situated within or in partnership with the domination systems of the U.S. that intersectionally oppress such as the criminal-legal system, significant tensions emerge. RJ facilitators are a locus of sociopolitical and institutional frames whose positionality and role are not only a unique, understudied perspective from which to critically examine the relationship between RJ programs and state institutions but also can interrupt historically oppressive power dynamics. This dissertation examines how RJ facilitators navigate the complexities of power, identity, and institutions to create dialoguing environments focused on self-determined healing. Through in-depth interviews with 23 RJ facilitators across the U.S., I investigated how facilitators conceptualized themselves and RJ in relation to power. From the data and through women of color feminist and grounded theory analysis, a grounded framework emerged to conceptualize the localized practices and perceptions of RJ facilitators: Embodied Dialogic Love (EDL). This framework provided an understanding of how facilitators engage with their own identities and situate themselves in relation to power through RJ processes and programs. Ultimately, I argue that Embodied Dialogic Love is a reflexive and communicative framework practiced by restorative justice facilitators that guides how they create meaningful disruptions to craft healing environments while navigating complex tensions they face when addressing systems of power. Facilitators adopting an EDL framework demonstrated an orientation to care for others and centralized the needs of the parties, meaning facilitators also held a heightened awareness, understanding, and curiosity for their own embodied social identities and the ways in which their social location and historic institutional power and relationships impacted their work. Facilitators communicated embodied love by co-creating a dialogic environment where they sought to empower parties to pursue healing while also interrupting institutional power and navigating tensions. By conceptualizing RJ and RJ facilitator practices and perceptions through EDL, this project contributes to larger discourses on social change (particularly in restorative justice), the future of RJ and its relationship to state institutions, and how facilitators operate as powerful players who interrupt power, co-create dialoguing spaces, and foster collective empowerment for self-determined healing
The Potential Influence of the Cost of Carbon on Asphalt Pavement Construction
No full textThesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2025Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) is a decision support method used in the roadway industry to compare the financial differences between alternative paving options. This project considers how the cost of carbon may be incorporated into LCCA studies, and what impact that may have on decision-making. A literature review on existing carbon costing avenues determined 300 and $500 per MTCO2e. These results demonstrated that the value of greenhouse gas emissions would need to be much higher in order for it to play a significant role in decision-making in the pavement industry
Machine Learning Framework for Early Prediction of Ventricular Tachycardia Using Single-Lead Electrocardiogram Signals
No full textThesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2025This study presents a machine learning framework designed for early prediction of ventricular tachycardia (VT) using single-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) signals collected from portable monitoring devices. Unlike prior studies that relied heavily on hospital-based data or incorporated additional demographic information, this work enhances applicability for out-of-hospital patient care. Three modeling approaches were explored: a Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) model, 2D Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) trained on spectrograms, and a Support Vector Machine (SVM) using features extracted by a Variational Auto-Encoder (VAE). Among these, the VAE-SVM model demonstrated superior performance, achieving an F1 score of 0.66 and a recall of 0.77. Explainable AI techniques, latent space traversal, and correlation analysis were applied to interpret model behavior and identify physiologically meaningful features associated with VT onset. These findings highlight a valuable opportunity for developing wearable-based VT detection tools that can be integrated into daily health monitoring systems
Strengthening Coastal Resilience: Understanding the Landscape of Sea Level Rise Vulnerability Assessments in the Pacific Northwest
No full textPrepared for: Washington State Department of Ecology + Cascadia Coastlines and Peoples Hazards Research HubThis study explores the current landscape of sea level rise (SLR) vulnerability assessments across coastal and Tribal jurisdictions in Washington State, with comparisons to Oregon and British Columbia. We analyzed assessments that focused specifically on sea level rise, as well as climate vulnerability assessments that included sea level rise among other climate hazards. Through a qualitative content analysis of 39 assessments (SLR-specific and climate vulnerability assessments that included sea level rise among other climate hazards) and six interviews with coastal planning professionals, we evaluate how sea level rise vulnerability is defined, measured, and applied in local adaptation planning.This project is supported with funding from Washington’s Climate
Commitment Act. The CCA supports Washington’s climate action
efforts by putting cap-and-invest dollars to work reducing climate
pollution, creating jobs, and improving public health. Information
about the CCA is available at www.climate.wa.gov.
This project is also supported with funding from the National
Science Foundation’s CoPe program through the Cascadia Coastlines
and Peoples Hazards Research Hub, NSF Award 2103713
Solvent Exchange Method for Protein-based Bioplastics
No full textThesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2025Additive manufacturing (AM) has seen significant growth in tissue engineering and medical device applications, with bioplastics emerging as preferred materials due to their biocompatibility and environmental sustainability. However, these bioplastic systems typically contain high water content, presenting significant challenges during the drying process. The high water content leads to anisotropic shrinkage, resulting in undesirable bending and warping of printed structures, which compromises their dimensional accuracy and functional properties. This study investigates the optimization of solvent exchange protocols using ethanol to produce dimensionally stable prints from bovine serum albumin (BSA) and poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) resin through vat photopolymerization. Our methodology focuses on establishing precise drying procedures that maintain the structural integrity of the printed components while preserving their mechanical properties. The results demonstrate that solvent-exchanged samples exhibited less than 30% volume reduction compared to control samples, indicating superior dimensional stability. Mechanical characterization revealed that the solvent exchange process did not significantly alter the material's mechanical properties, suggesting the preservation of its structural functionality. Thermal analysis was conducted to quantify the residual water content in solvent-exchanged samples, providing insights into the effectiveness of the dehydration process. Furthermore, complex printed structures subjected to the optimized solvent exchange protocol showed significantly reduced shrinkage, bending, and warping compared to untreated samples. This work establishes a robust methodology for producing high-resolution, dimensionally stable BSA-PEGDA prints suitable for consistent mechanical testing and complex structure fabrication, potentially advancing the field of biofabrication for tissue engineering and medical device applications
Evaluation of erosional processes and determining if atolls have aided the formation of polymetallic nodules Caroline Islands, Federated States of Micronesia’s Exclusive Economic Zone
No full textThis project aimed to identify the role nearshore sources of metallics play in the
formation of polymetallic nodules in the abyssal planes of the Western Equatorial Pacific.
Polymetallic nodules also known as ferromanganese nodules are valuable seafloor features that
contain high levels of rare earth metals, of which most notable are manganese and cobalt. The
incentive to mine these nodules for their metallics has increased due to the advancement of
technology, and demand. The site location for this study was within the exclusive economic zone
of the Federated States of Micronesia, and specifically Nam2 Atoll. Three sediment grab samples
were collected and an analysis of the historical undercurrents in the region were conducted. X ray fluorescence spectroscopy was performed on the sediment samples. Two locations contained
detectable levels of manganese and one contained cobalt. A particle settling analysis conducted
on the sediment grains using Stokes law, calculated the distance of possible travel using the
historical undercurrent to model the trajectory of the grains. A conservative time needed to reach
the atoll, utilizing only the undercurrents, is 71.2 days. The largest grains were calculated to
settle in 19 days while the smallest could stay suspended for several millennia. This study site
has had evidence of turbidity currents since the Miocene, and by comparing studies it was
determined that a turbidity current from Nam2 could reach approximately 400 km to sites on the
abyssal plain. Thus, via a turbidity current, all grain sizes collected could reach the abyssal
plains. This study suggests that Co-rich/Mn-rich sediment found at Nam2 Atoll within a wide
range of grain sizes, could aid in the formation of polymetallic nodule, (PMN). This would be
made possible through transport via undercurrents for smaller sizes and the effects of a large
sediment gravity flow for larger grain sizes. These findings potentially increase the locations
where mineable amounts of polymetallic nodules could be found globally
Gender is Performance and Performance is Behavior: Moving Behavior Analysis Beyond the Binary
No full textThesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2025Behavior analysts are often underprepared to implement gender-affirming practices with clients, supervisees, colleagues, and stakeholders. The purposes of this mixed methods study were to (a) explore behavior analysts’ knowledge of, experiences with, and needs for implementing gender- affirming practices; (b) identify if behavior analysts who complete a gender-affirming practice training showed greater understanding of and confidence in applying gender-affirming practices; and (c) what behavior analysts’ perceptions were of the acceptability, feasibility, and effectiveness of the training. The mixed methods study included focus group interviews and a quasi-experimental pre/post analysis. Findings indicated that gender-affirming practice trainings can be effective in increasing knowledge related to gender-affirming care and confidence in applying such practices for behavior analysts