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Navigating (In)security and Belonging: Refugee Experiences in Ferrara
Full text linkThis dissertation explores the dynamics between refugees and cities through three papers that examine refugees’ precarious journey toward establishing a home and the challenges of accountability within the refugee reception system. Focusing on Ferrara's accoglienza diffusa model of dispersed reception, this research is enriched through collaborations with local social cooperatives (SCs) and nonprofit organizations (NPOs).
The first two papers delve into refugees' perceptions of insecurity, community-building efforts, and the processes of homemaking in temporary living conditions. These studies critically assess how urban policies and dominant narratives shape refugees’ interactions with the city and their ability to establish a sense of belonging. Using participatory action research, including video ethnography and interviews, the research amplifies marginalized refugee voices, highlighting their resilience and efforts to navigate and challenge dominant migration discourses that link refugees with insecurity and crime.
The third paper shifts to the structural dimension of accountability within the refugee reception system. It examines how SCs balance upward accountability to funders and downward accountability to refugees. Through a mixed-methods approach, the paper investigates the experiences of SC staff and stakeholders, providing insights into the complexities of managing accountability within a hybrid nonprofit sector that merges social, public, and market-driven objectives.
Together, these papers bridge individual and systemic perspectives, contributing to academic and policy discussions on forced displacement, urban inclusion, and stakeholder accountability. The dissertation offers actionable insights for creating more inclusive urban environments and improving refugee integration. By centering the lived experiences of refugees, this research advocates for policies that promote greater urban equity, focusing on gender, socio-economic marginalization, and the complexities of displacement. The findings underscore the importance of integrating refugee voices in urban planning and the design of reception systems that truly support their integration
Orbits and Invariants in Quantum Information Theory
Full text linkIn the field of quantum information theory, one studies---among other things---the information processing tasks that can be achieved by taking advantage of a quantum phenomenon known as entanglement. There is a mathematical formalism that captures the notion of entanglement by elements of a vector space called state vectors. The local unitary and SLOCC (stochastic local operations with classical communication) groups act on this space, producing natural equivalence classes of state vectors. In this work, we consider group actions, their invariants, and how these can be used to classify and distinguish state vectors.
In Chapter 1, we give an introduction to quantum information theory. In Chapter 2, we show how results from Lie theory can be used to help find stationary points of invariant polynomials; these points correspond to highly entangled states. In Chapter 3, we discuss the problem of classifying orbits in these state spaces
Effects of climate change on physiology and recombination rates in two species of Drosophila
No full textThis dissertation investigates how environmental stressors, both individually and in combination, affect physiological, reproductive, and genetic traits in Drosophila species, shedding light on their resilience and adaptability to climate change. Chapter 1 examines species and sex specific thermal stress responses in Drosophila melanogaster and Drosophila pseudoobscura, revealing differences in critical thermal maximum, respiratory quotient, and reproductive outcomes. Chapter 2 explores how combined hypoxia and low temperature impact reproductive success in D. melanogaster, highlighting the role of genetic background in modulating responses. Chapter 3 measures recombination rates under combined stress, showing how genetic variation influences stress-induced changes. Together, these studies demonstrate the complex interaction between stressors and genetic factors, emphasizing the need for integrative approaches to predict responses to climate change. This research contributes valuable insights into species' resilience and provides a framework for future studies on how environmental stressors shape evolutionary dynamics and biodiversity under climate change
On Accelerating Deep Neural Network Mutation Analysis
Full text linkThe usage of Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) is increasing rapidly across various domains, necessitating rigorous testing to ensure validity, usability, and effectiveness. Mutation analysis of DNNs, a technique that applies mutations to models, creating mutants used to evaluate effectiveness, has emerged as a powerful approach for assessing model robustness. However, existing mutation analysis techniques for DNNs face prohibitive computational costs, especially for large real-world models. This creates a critical need to accelerate the analysis of
DNN mutations while maintaining the effectiveness of the testing.
The primary contribution of this thesis is DEEPMAACC, a novel tool that was designed to mitigate these computational expenses. DEEPMAACC implements two distinct acceleration methods: neuron clustering and mutant clustering. Both methods utilize hierarchical agglomerative clustering to group neurons or mutants with similar weights, with the aim of improving efficiency while maintaining the accuracy of the mutation score. To evaluate DEEPMAACC, this research conducts an empirical study using eight DNN models on four popular classification datasets and two DNN architectures. The secondary contribution of this thesis is two more approaches that are used to accelerate the mutation analysis of DNNs. The approaches are Random Mutant Selection and Boundary Sample Size Selection. Random Mutant Selection is inspired by Ghanbari et al. and acts as a baseline to show that randomly choosing a certain percentage of mutants will not result in the same outcomes as DEEPMAACC. Boundary Sample Size Selection is a unique approach inspired by Shen et al. which only tests on certain sensitivities of decision boundary samples
The Memorialization of Emma Tenayuca: A Labor Activist’s Imprint on San Antonio, Texas
No full textThis thesis examines how public opinions pertaining to Emma Tenayuca changed throughout her life, starting with the Pecan Strike in San Antonio, Texas in 1938 until her death in July of 1999. It argues that public records starting in 1938 actively misrepresented Emma Tenayuca as she made her way into the public sphere of civil and labor rights. During Tenayuca’s first major strike as strike leader, newspaper editors and journalists flooded their readers with stories about Emma Tenayuca’s appearance, character, and anything they could latch onto in order to misrepresent her. The thesis further demonstrates that Tenayuca never left the public eye. By tracing how narratives of Tenayuca evolved, this thesis reflects how shifting contexts over the course of a person’s life changes how they are remembered by the public and offers lessons for public historians as they interpret and commemorate complex, multi-faceted individuals
Water Quality and PFAS - State Policy Innovation to Control an Emerging Contaminant - A Study of Administrative Rulemaking
No full textThis dissertation examines the determinants of state-level policy innovation in regulating per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination in water resources. PFAS, often referred to as "forever chemicals," are persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic, posing significant risks to human health and the environment. Despite the widespread contamination, regulatory responses have varied significantly across states.
Utilizing an explanatory sequential mixed methods design, the study integrates quantitative analysis of PFAS rulemaking across 50 states from 2005 to 2019 with qualitative case studies of North Carolina and Alabama. The research adapts Alka Sapat's framework for the adoption of administrative policy innovations to explain variations in state administrative water quality rulemaking for PFAS.
Quantitative findings indicate that administrative agencies in states with higher per capita income and the presence of PFAS manufacturing facilities are more likely to engage in PFAS rulemaking. The period post-2016, marked by increased public awareness and federal health advisories, significantly influenced state actions. However, industrial interest groups negatively impacted the likelihood of rulemaking, while environmental interest group contributions did not show a significant effect.
The qualitative case studies reveal the critical role of leadership and advocacy in driving policy innovation. North Carolina's proactive stance, driven by strong leadership, effective advocacy, and significant public health concerns, contrasts with Alabama's reactive approach, influenced by limited resources, industry-friendly leadership, and a lack of effective advocacy efforts. The findings underscore the importance of institutional commitment, public awareness, and balanced regulatory frameworks in advancing environmental policies.
This research contributes to the theoretical understanding of state environmental policy innovation, extending Sapat's framework to the context of PFAS regulation. It provides practical recommendations for policymakers, emphasizing the need for adequate resources, proactive leadership, and public engagement to address emerging contaminants effectively. The study highlights the complexities of environmental regulation and the critical role of state administrative agencies in safeguarding public health and the environment
Establishment of a one-step reverse-transcription qPCR to detect Getah virus in mosquitoes and feral swine in Alabama, USA
Full text linkGetah virus (GETV) is an emerging mosquito-borne alphavirus in the family Togaviridae, known to cause disease in a range of animal hosts including pigs, horses, and occasionally humans. The virus is endemic to several countries in Asia and the Western Pacific, where it has caused outbreaks characterized by febrile illness, reproductive failure in swine, and fever and rash in horses. Transmission occurs primarily via mosquitoes, particularly Culex, Aedes, and Anopheles species, some of which are also found in the United States. Although GETV has never been reported in North America, the presence of competent mosquito vectors and susceptible animal hosts raises concern over the potential for introduction and establishment. To date, no large-scale surveillance efforts have been conducted in the U.S. to assess the presence or absence of GETV in local vector or animal populations.
To address this gap, we developed a highly sensitive and specific one-step reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) assay targeting a conserved region of the GETV genome. The assay was first optimized and validated using synthetic GETV RNA controls to ensure diagnostic accuracy. We then applied this molecular tool in a surveillance study involving both mosquito vectors and potential mammalian amplifying hosts. A total of 1,626 mosquitoes, collected across Alabama between 2019 and 2024, were pooled and tested. In parallel, 315 tissue and blood samples (kidney, spleen, and whole blood) were collected from feral swine, a species known to develop high viremia following GETV infection and serve as a major amplifying host in endemic regions. All samples were processed for total RNA extraction, followed by RT-PCR screening for GETV.
All 1,626 mosquito pools and 315 swine samples tested negative for GETV RNA using the established RT-PCR assay. These findings suggest that detectable circulation of GETV were not identified in our mosquito and feral pig samples collected in Alabama. This is the first study to employ molecular techniques for large-scale GETV surveillance in the U.S.
Our results provide the first molecular evidence supporting the absence of GETV in both mosquito and feral swine samples in the southeastern U.S., thereby offering valuable baseline data for future risk assessments. The significance of this work lies not only in the development of a reliable diagnostic tool but also in its application to proactive surveillance in an ecologically suitable region. Given the increasing global movement of animals and the documented expansion of arboviruses into new geographic regions, this work is timely and critical. While GETV is not currently present in the U.S., the detection of competent vectors and susceptible hosts reinforces the need for continued monitoring to enable early detection and rapid response should the virus be introduced.
This study had several limitations. First, our surveillance relied solely on molecular detection of viral RNA, which identifies only active infections and may miss previous exposures. Serological assays, which could detect past infections through antibody presence, might offer a more comprehensive understanding of viral exposure. Unfortunately, no commercial ELISA kits are currently available for GETV antibody detection. Second, our host surveillance was limited to mosquitoes and feral pigs, despite the fact that horses and humans are also susceptible to GETV infection. Third, this study focused on a single state—Alabama—and cannot be generalized to the entire U.S. To build a more comprehensive understanding of the potential GETV threat, future studies should expand surveillance to include more geographic regions, additional host species, and incorporate both molecular and serological approaches.
This study provides the first molecular evidence of the absence of Getah virus in mosquito and feral swine populations in Alabama. While the virus was not detected, the ecological presence of competent vectors and susceptible hosts in the U.S. warrants continued and expanded surveillance efforts to monitor for potential future introductions of this emerging pathogen
The Dignity of Every Human Life: Catholic Thought and Catholic Women’s Action from 1945-1980
No full textThis dissertation examines the National Council of Catholic Women from 1945-1980 and explores the organization’s activities which were based on a framework of the inherent dignity of every human life. It argues that the women of the NCCW believed that all human life was sacred and had inherent dignity. That foundational belief shaped the NCCW’s activism and explains why the group operated outside of traditional US political parties. The NCCW had a place in mainstream politics in the immediate post-war period, but as political issues changed the NCCW maintained its own course.
The structure of the NCCW as an independent organization for Catholic women within the US Council of Bishops allowed the group to speak for American Catholic women as a group. As an all women organization, the NCCW fit into the mold of other difference feminist organizations like the Women’s Divisions of the Democratic and Republican Party as well as labor feminists. As the Catholic Church put the changes of Vatican II into practices, all female spaces became less important for Catholic women. They no longer needed the NCCW to have a say in church affairs and instead joined non-gendered parish organizations. Despite the decreased size of the NCCW, the foundational ideas about the dignity of the human person and the ensuing activism can still be seen in Catholic activism to this day
Sound Analysis with Dynamic Impacts
No full textThe impact analysis helps identify potential issues or provides a professional diagnosis, treatment, and management strategies. The first part of the research explored the interaction between spheres (tennis ball, ping-pong ball, pickleball, and lacrosse ball) and solid surfaces (wood, aluminum, and concrete surface) through impact experiments designed to collect sound signals and motion data. By varying experimental parameters, the study investigated how different factors, such as spheres and contact surfaces, affect impact dynamics. The audio feature analysis included dominant frequency, short-time pitch, and spectral entropy. The study examined the correlation between the kinematic coefficient of restitution (COR) and sound features. The dominant frequency had similar tendencies with COR when balls (excluding lacrosse balls) impacted different surfaces. The mean of short-time pitch and COR had similar tendencies when balls (excluding tennis and ping-pong balls) impacted different surfaces. The mean of spectral entropy had similar tendencies with COR when balls (excluding tennis balls and lacrosse balls) impacted different surfaces (excluding aluminum surfaces). The maximum sound pressure level and COR mostly had no similar tendencies for the collision. The deep learning method provided a convenient way to accurately distinguish the influence of various spheres and solid surfaces on impact.
The second part of the research examined the footfalls of 25 horses trotted on a concrete surface. Sounds of footfalls were recorded, analyzed, and compared. At the same time, gait was evaluated to determine whether or not horses were lame using an inertial, sensor-based motion-analysis system. The study compared audio using audio features analysis and non-linear analysis methods. Statistical tests were applied to the characteristic audio signal parameters collected from sound and lame horses. The mean of short-time pitch results showed statistically significant differences in the audio signal features between sound and lame horses. Audio features recorded for horses while trotting might be a means of identifying lameness and potentially identifying the painful limb causing the lameness. The approximate entropy and largest Lyapunov exponent results showed significant differences in the audio signals between sound and lame horses. Lame horses exhibited lower values of approximate entropy, indicating more disordered and less predictable signal patterns, and higher largest Lyapunov exponent values, indicating less stability and regularity in their signals
Raccoon (Procyon lotor) Rabies in Alabama: Insights from Historical Trends, Oral Rabies Vaccine Bait Fate, and Spatial Epizootiology
Full text linkRabies epizootiology and management in Alabama have evolved significantly over the past two centuries, yet the influence of long-term ecological and historical factors on the effectiveness of oral rabies vaccine (ORV) programs remains poorly understood. This study synthesizes historical trends in rabies occurrence and management, emphasizing Alabama’s role as the westernmost extent of the raccoon rabies virus enzootic zone. Additionally, we investigated the effects of region, habitat, bait type, and climate on ORV bait uptake by raccoons (Procyon lotor). Our findings highlight substantial competition for baits from non-target species, particularly Virginia opossums (Didelphis virginiana), and a rapid decline in bait uptake over time as key factors limiting the success of current management efforts. These results underscore the need to tailor ORV strategies to Alabama’s unique historical context and diverse ecosystems to enhance efficiency, minimize redundancy, and reduce the economic burden associated with zoonotic disease control