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Visual Communication Within Animal Advocacy: Sentience, Self-Persuasion, Semiotics
No full textAnimal advocacy uses strategies of visual communication to eradicate animal suffering as perpetuated by human consumption; two concepts to further promote this aim are investigated. Analysis of representation exploring how identifiable characters are used to propagate discourse, while analysis of visual self-persuasion versus direct persuasion examines how these alternative appeals are utilized. Research featured a mixed-method content and semiotic analysis that enumerated and contextualized variables within 500 (n=500) still image Instagram posts from 10 animal advocacy organizations that are based in the United States and prioritize vegan outreach. Results revealed a greater percentage of animal than human representation, at 71.8% to 29%. However, human representation was shown to have an affirmative effect on user engagement, revealing an incongruous discord between usage and effect, where it may be beneficial for animal advocacy to increase the presence of human forms within their portfolio. Additionally, visual self-persuasion was identified throughout 2.4% (n=12) of the entire sample, compared to direct persuasion at 97.6% (n=488); figures that reveal a glaring issue for animal advocacy in their implementation of these divergent persuasive appeals
Maternal Postpartum Depression and Affect Incongruence: Exploring Early Developmental Pathways to Emotion Dysregulation
Get PDFEmotion dysregulation, or responses to emotions that do not meet the needs of the situational demands or social standards, has been noted as an early risk factor for later psychopathology. Maternal postpartum depression (PPD) has been shown to increase children’s risk of developing maladaptive emotion regulation (ER) strategies. One potential mechanism linking PPD to these outcomes is affect incongruence, or a mismatch between biological and emotional responses to stress. While such incongruence may be adaptive in older individuals who consciously mask their internal stress (e.g., suppressing biological arousal while appearing calms), it may be maladaptive in infants and young children who lack the capacity for such regulation. In early development, this form of unconscious affect incongruence–captured through the interaction between biological and observed affective responses–may help explain how maternal PPD contributes to disruptions in children’s ER development. Therefore, this study aimed to incorporate social- environmental, psychological, and biological factors into a moderated mediation model to better understand the development of maladaptive ER. Participants were 61 mother-child dyads followed from pregnancy through 18 months postpartum. Mothers were between 18 and 40 years old during pregnancy (M = 28.21; SD = 5.98; 68.9% white). While the direct and indirect effects were nonsignificant, the overall model reached significance. Further exploration revealed that only the covariate of temperament was significantly associated with toddler ER. These findings highlight the need for continued research on the biopsychosocial influences on early emotional development
A Parting Repast
Get PDFBoth the thesis document and exhibition comprise the story of my journey through grief, examination of loss, contemplation of death, and transformation through acceptance and relinquishment. I conflate art and emotion to put form to the complex human experience of watching a loved one die, having to say a last goodbye, and the mourning that ultimately follows.
I examine the rituals surrounding death, the role of memory, and the symbolic presence of food as a shared experience of both mourning and nourishment, the intimate moments of mourning, and the gradual process of finding peace and closure.
Featuring works from a diverse range of media, my thesis installation includes a layered assemblage of vessels, fruit and juice, candles, personal mementos, photographs, metal, glass, wax, branches, and a performance involving jewelry. Each object in the exhibition reflects the multifaceted nature of grief—whether it is expressed through abstract representation, intimate portraiture, symbolic still life, or the immersive installation and performance. The works invite reflection on the delicate balance between sorrow and acceptance.
In a world that often rushes past grief, the exhibition provides a moment to pause and acknowledge the deep emotional truths of loss. Through the lens of art, grief becomes a means to transcend sorrow and becomes a catalyst for transformative healing and reconciliation
Post Opera
Get PDFPost Opera is a spell and work of embodied research which explores medicalization, desire, labor, and belief. Through methods of performance, sound, text and installation, I facilitate encounters of trans-femininity, spiritual power and connectivity. An opening wound, a set of psychic scalpels, sutures and bandages prepare this text for your consumption, take care to digest her well
False Face: The Musical! and Contact
No full textTwo gay teen boys grapple with the pain of homophobia in their own ways, Russell by trying to pray away his inner Music Man and Burt by performing extreme masculinity as the youngest action hero of a secret agency whose mission is to save queer youth in danger. When Russell chooses to undergo conversion therapy and Burt fumbles his rescue attempt, the boys will have to interrogate their beliefs and values if they hope to save each other, ultimately learning that being who you are, not changing who you are, can make any heart sing and any hero soar
Comparative Evaluation of Three Endodontic Rotary File Systems in S-shaped Root Canals: An In-depth Analysis
No full textObjective: This study compares three endodontic file systems—XP‐3D Shaper⁺, EdgeFile X7 and WaveOne Gold in S‐shaped simulated canals in resin blocks. It aimed to quantify canals volumetric changes post‐instrumentation to guide clinical selection of a system that preserves tooth structure while efficiently shaping root canals.
Methods: Thirty S‐shaped canals in resin blocks were divided into three groups (n=10) for instrumentation with XP‐3D Shaper⁺, EdgeFile X7 or WaveOne Gold using the crown‐down technique and manufacturers recommended settings. A no‐treatment control provided a baseline for volumetric changes measured via CBCT scans analyzed with ITK‐SNAP. Data were analyzed using ANOVA and Tukey’s test (P \u3c 0.05).
Results: Significant differences in canal volume changes were observed. XP‐3D Shaper⁺ produced the smallest post‐instrumentation mean volume (34.13 mm³; a 13.77% increase from a baseline of 30.0 mm³). EdgeFile X7 resulted in an intermediate mean volume (38.24 mm³; 27.47% increase), while WaveOne Gold yielded the largest mean volume (46.82 mm³; 56.07% increase). ANOVA showed significant differences (F = 1021.29, p \u3c 0.05), with Tukey’s test confirming distinct pairwise differences.
Conclusion: XP-3D Shaper+ file produced the least amount of canal enlargement, suggesting a capacity to preserve tooth structure. EdgeFile X7 and WaveOne Gold resulted in greater volumetric changes, indicating more extensive shaping and greater potential for structural removal. XP-3D Shaper+ shows promise for balancing shaping efficiency and preservation of structural integrity in S-shaped canals. Further in vivo research is needed to correlate these findings with clinical conditions
Infinite Finite: A View on Human Progression Through Emergent Generative Systems
Get PDFContemporary crises reveal an imbalance in human progression, prioritizing material advancement while neglecting ethical, compassionate, and spiritual dimensions. This thesis examines natural progression through the lens of emergence, where simple interactions produce complex outcomes. Analyzing natural patterns across different scales, from cosmic formations to neural interactions, underscores emergence\u27s universal nature.
Within this context, Infinite Finite introduces a generative digital tool simulating emergence through iterative cycles of construction and deconstruction. Depicting a century of human progression informed by historical behaviors via simulated cellular interactions, the tool visually differentiates ethical from unethical progression. This is represented through ten data visualization tiles composed of tesserae: wooden for ethical progression, symbolizing growth and renewal, and rockite for unethical progression, signifying rigidity and depletion. This analytical depiction encourages reflection on humanity’s role within natural systems, offering insights into global challenges and the interconnected aspects of humanity’s shared progression
Beneath the Roots: Becoming native through mangrove teachings and wisdom
Get PDFBeneath the Roots uses the wisdom of mangroves to investigate the naturalization of humans through science, spirituality, and storytelling. The seeds of Avicennia marina, the gray mangrove, drifted to Qatar at some point in history and took root, like so many other people here. The mangrove survives in a harsh saline environment through a unique salt excretion process. As a Qatar-born expat, I relate to this struggle to survive and nativize in a land that is both my own and foreign to me, in a cyclical conversation. I explore this nativization process through a ritual of salt extraction, creating botanical compositions, and returning the salt to its source, symbolizing how nativization is a reciprocal process where land and life are intertwined
DEVELOPMENT OF AN INTRANASAL COMBINATION ANTIRETROVIRAL THERAPY DELIVERY SYSTEM FOR THE TREATMENT OF NEUROAIDS: AN IN VITRO STUDY
No full textIntranasal drug delivery offers a promising alternative to systemic administration for treating central nervous system (CNS) disorders such as NeuroAIDS by bypassing the blood-brain barrier and directly targeting the brain via the nose-to-brain route. However, challenges including enzymatic degradation in the nasal mucosa, low permeability, mucociliary clearance, and complex nasal anatomy must be overcome. This dissertation combines two complementary studies to address these barriers and enhance the intranasal delivery of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART).
To overcome the first three challenges, the first study developed solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) with varying PEGylation levels (0%, 5%, 10%, and 15% w/w of PEGylated lipid), co-encapsulated with Elvitegravir (EVG) and Atazanavir (ATZ) as an integrase and protease inhibitor, respectively. Pre-formulation studies confirmed the compatibility of the drugs with the excipients. Characterization showed that PEGylation reduces SLN size by approximately 12% while maintaining monodispersity and high encapsulation efficiency of over 99% for both EVG and ATZ in their amorphous forms. Incubation of the formulations in artificial nasal mucus revealed that increased PEGylation consistently reduces nanoparticle aggregation and mean aggregate size, suggesting improved SLN stability in the mucus. Importantly, higher PEGylation levels significantly enhanced model drug permeability across the nasal mucus barrier by up to 10-fold. Lastly, cellular uptake studies using the RPMI 2650 nasal epithelial cell line indicated that PEGylation does not reduce nanoparticle uptake rates. These findings highlight the potential of PEGylated SLNs as an effective vehicle for enhancing the intranasal delivery of cART to treat NeuroAIDS.
The second study addressed the challenge of effectively targeting the olfactory region of the nasal cavity, which is the primary deposition site for nose-to-brain drug delivery. To enhance delivery to this region, we developed a nasal device that combines a vibrating mesh nebulizer with a gas-propelled aerosol mixer. Using the optimized PEGylated cART-loaded SLNs (cART-SLNs) from the first study, we first evaluated the impact of nebulization on the nanoparticle size distribution and observed minimal changes, confirming the device’s suitability for delivering cART-SLNs. We then conducted deposition studies using fluorescein sodium salt as a model fluorescent drug in place of cART-SLNs. These studies explored the effects of auxiliary airflow (10–40 LPM), insertion tip geometry (wide vs. narrow), and head angle across three anatomically accurate nasal models. The results showed that greater airflow rates, narrower insertion tips, and higher sagittal angles significantly enhanced deposition in the olfactory region, with up to 10 percent of the recovered dose reaching the target site. This approach also reduced deposition in the less absorptive anterior nasal region, potentially improving overall targeting efficiency. This study provides the first in vitro demonstration of a gas-propelled vibrating mesh nebulizer specifically designed for the olfactory delivery of cART-SLNs. The findings underscore the importance of auxiliary airflow and insertion geometry in optimizing nose-to-brain (N-t-B) delivery.
Together, these two studies offer critical insights into overcoming barriers to nose-to-brain delivery of HIV therapies. PEGylated SLNs enhance drug stability, permeability, and uptake, while the optimized nasal delivery device improves the targeting of the olfactory region. By integrating advanced nanocarriers with innovative aerosol delivery techniques, this work lays a foundation for future in vivo studies and eventual clinical applications. The research advances the feasibility of treating NeuroAIDS via the intranasal route and opens the door to broader therapeutic opportunities for CNS disorders
Development, Synthesis and Characterization of Advanced Low- Cobalt and High-Nickel Cathode Materials for Lithium-Ion Batteries
Get PDFThis dissertation focuses on the improvement of structural and electrochemical stability of active materials for lithium-ion batteries. It explores the modification strategies to mitigate the issues related to Ni-rich cathode materials, along with the continuous production of cathode precursors using a slug flow reactor to improve the quality of the product.
The First part of the dissertation examines the effect of substitution of cobalt with aluminum and iron on the electrochemical stability of Ni-rich lithium nickel cobalt manganese oxide (NCM) materials. This study investigates how Al and Fe doping work and how they impact the performance and stability of these materials. Both of these studies use three different amounts of Al and Fe to find the optimum amount of dopant for a better electrochemical performance. The results of this study are further used to suppress the formation of nickel oxide impurity phase during the high-temperature calcination.
The second part explores methods to improve the structural stability of Ni-rich NCM cathode materials. A modified three-phase slug flow reactor is used to synthesize core-shell material by sequential addition of metal salts, where the core is high nickel and the shell has high manganese. The work studies the viability of a slug flow reactor to produce battery precursor materials with the modified design.
The third part of the dissertation utilizes a single-crystal synthesis method to improve the cycling stability of Ni-rich cathodes. The study uses a simple high-temperature calcination process to synthesize a single-crystal structure. The reasons for improved stability of single-crystal materials are investigated along with the effect of the formation of impurities. A dual modification strategy is applied to further improve the coulombic efficiency of active material, where the material is doped with aluminum and synthesized as a single-crystal material.
Finally, calculations and suggested reactor arrangements are provided for scale-up to produce kg-scale material using a slug flow reactor, along with the economic benefits of doping. The advancements presented in this work contribute to the ongoing development of durable and high-performance lithium-ion batteries