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Volkswagen and the Volksprodukte: The Failed Revolution in Production and Consumption in the Third Reich
No full textVolksprodukte, with its utilization of consumption as a societal bond, was a crucial aspect for creating class harmony in Hitler\u27s National Socialism. This paper discusses the influence of Henry Ford\u27s manufacturing processes in supporting societal cohesion and their application to Volkswagen manufacture and the greater societal implications
Assertions of Monastic Identity and Power in the Cloister and Nave of St. Gall
No full textThe Carolingian monastery lived in an unresolved tension between the purity of separation from the world and the benefits to be gained from secular engagement. To confront this dilemma, the parts of the monastery received new layers of symbolic meaning, opening some spaces to lay penetration while shielding others more securely. Here I will examine the monastic cloister and the nave of the abbey church as instances of these two tendencies
Pink Silk Dress/Butterfly (image 2)
No full text“When a mountain girl wants a new dress, she catches a butterfly of the desired color, and crushes it between her teeth...”
Given to the University’s Museum by Mrs. B.J. Wade, this pink flowered sprigged dress possibly dates to the early 1900s and could be worn in a variety of settings; including the possibility of “Play Parties.” “Play Parties” are described by Mary Celestia Parler in CBS’ The Search: Folklore in Arkansas as similar to a dance, consisting of folksong instead of instrumentals, hand-swings rather than waist swings and a game that is directed through song.9While this specific garment may not have been worn for events such as this, one thing that remains to be true across cultures and generations is the desire to don a new outfit for a special occasion. Randolph’s conversations with community members proves this to be true as the saying goes, “When a mountain girl wants a new dress, she catches a butterfly of the desired color and crushes it between her teeth...”10
9 Parler, Mary Celestia. “CBS’ The Search: Arkansas.” YouTube, 1950. https://youtu.be/0JX5vQFDln4?si=4lRyBQw26nkPYzED.
10 Randolph, Vance. “Ozark Superstitions.” The American Journal of Folklore 46, no. 179, March 1933.https://scholarworks.uark.edu/uamucc/1005/thumbnail.jp
The Cannon-Thurston Map for Relatively Hyperbolic Free-by-Cyclic Groups
No full textLet F = H1 ∗ · · · ∗ Hk ∗ Fr be a splitting of a finitely generated free group, H = {H1 , . . . , Hk } a set of subgroups of F , and Φ ∈ Aut(F ) an automorphism such that for any i, Φ([Hi ]) = [Hj ] for some j. Consider the free-by-cyclic group Gϕ = ⟨F, t | t−1 xt = Φ(x)⟩. Suppose Gϕ is strongly hyperbolic relative to H̃ = {H̃1 , . . . , H̃k }, where H̃i = ⟨Hi , t | t−1 xt = Φ(x)⟩. In this thesis, we prove the existence and some properties of the Cannon-Thurston map î : ∆(F, H) → ∆(Gϕ , H̃). We build on work of mathematicians studying Cannon-Thurston maps in the contexts of manifolds, hyperbolic group extensions, and hyperbolic free-by-cyclic groups, in particular Cannon and Thurston [CT07], Mj [Mit98], and Kapovich and Lustig [KL15]. Our goal is to consider this work in the context of relatively hyperbolic free-by-cyclic groups, in a similar sense as Pal [Pal10]. Pal proved the existence of the Cannon-Thurston map for certain extensions of relatively hyperbolic groups. We use a construction based on the Grushko trees of splittings, rather than coned-off Cayley graphs, to look at the geometry of relatively hyperbolic free-by-cyclic groups and to prove the existence of the Cannon-Thurston map î. Using this construction, we are able to very quickly observe that î is surjective, and, in a particular case, that the restriction î |∂T : ∂T → ∆Gϕ is surjective as well. We also show that a known theorem about the Cannon-Thurston map for hyperbolic free-by-cyclic groups does not hold in the relative case
Examining the Use of Two-Dimensional Video Capture and a Pressure Sensing Walkway for Collection of Obstacle Crossing Measures
No full textObstacle crossing research is crucial for providing insights into how and why people trip and fall. However, a growing body of literature has proposed that laboratory-based studies may not directly translate into real-world settings due to the complex nature beyond the sterile lab. Unfortunately, the absence of real-world obstacle crossing literature is likely due to a lack of available validated methods for collection of data outside the laboratory. This dissertation explored two potential methodologies (i.e., 2D motion capture and a pressure sensing walkway) that are more portable and cost-effective for collecting real-world obstacle crossing measures. It is hypothesized that 2D video and a pressure sensing walkway will perform good-to-excellent for statistical evaluations of accuracy, agreement, and reliability, proving them adequate alternatives to expensive 3D motion capture for use in clinics and real-world collections. Participants (aim 1: n = 54; aim 2: n = 52) completed 10 obstacle crossings with simultaneous collection of 2D video and 3D motion capture (aim 1) and pressure sensing walkway and 3D motion capture (aim 2). Obstacle crossing measures collected via the 2D video and the pressure sensing walkway were compared to the gold standard (3D motion capture) during three random trials. For both aims, accuracy between methods were examined via absolute percent error, Pearson product correlation, and one-sample t tests. Agreement was assessed via Bland-Altman plot analysis and a linear regression. Lastly, intraclass correlations assessed reliability between trials. Generally, 2D video analysis performed poorly compared to 3D motion capture, for accuracy, agreement, and reliability. The pressure sensing walkway shows more promise for collection of horizontal obstacle crossing measures, evidenced by excellent accuracy of adjusted approach and landing distance with excellent agreement in crossing step length, but lack of reliability between trials is concerning. Although both 2D video and pressure sensing walkways have potential to be simple, cost-effective ways to collect obstacle crossing measures outside of a laboratory, we are not there yet
Truth, Justice, and the American Way: Negotiating Identity among Superhero Cosplayers at International Comic Book Conventions
No full textCosplay performances in convention spaces, and the increasing commercialization and commodification of both, remain largely unexplored domains that are rapidly expanding into global phenomena. The influx of capital internationally and the growing popularity of cosplay and conventions offers the opportunity to document and describe processes of performance, identity construction, and negotiation of the global phenomena within local contexts (“glocalization”) in non-Western spaces. I conducted ethnographic research at more than half a dozen research sites throughout Europe, the Middle East, South Asia, East Asia, and South and Central America, photographing convention spaces and cosplayers and conducting interviews with cosplayers. By focusing on the performances through which people negotiate individual identity utilizing embodied visualization to resist, reify, or parody the American hegemonic cultural exports, I explore the dichotomies of individual and collective, self and character, and global and local. Each of these constitute the emergent spatiotemporal self in separate ways, including along national, racial, and gender lines, and explores the impact of mass media and global culture on cultural expressions outside America. My analysis offers insight into the process by which latent ideologies encoded into narratives and symbols are enacted into material reality through embodied visualization, and the “glocalizing” activities through which mass-produced Western properties are modified to resonate with local cultural contexts
Anti-Inflammatory effects in Apio tuber
No full textInflammation is a crucial component of the body’s defense system but can lead to chronic diseases when uncontrolled. Diets rich in anti-inflammatory compounds are recognized as an effective strategy for mitigating chronic inflammation. This study investigated the anti-inflammatory potential of Apio (Arracacia xanthorrhiza), an underutilized Andean tuber. The goal of this study was to explore the health-promoting properties of Apio tuber, which could expand its commercial value to support local farmers and contribute to more sustainable agricultural practices.
Phenolic compounds were extracted from white (WAT) and yellow Apio tuber (YAT), and Total Phenolic Content (TPC) and antioxidant capacity of these extracts were measured using DPPH and ferrous reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays. The anti-inflammatory effects were evaluated in Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages by measuring pro-inflammatory mediators. The WAT showed higher TPC and antioxidant activity than the YAT, whereas both extracts significantly reduced nitric oxide (NO) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) production in a concentration-dependent manner. Despite its lower phenolic content and antioxidant activity, the YAT extract showed stronger anti-inflammatory effects than the WAT extracts, suggesting that other bioactive compounds may contribute to its anti-inflammatory properties.
Although the phenolic content was moderate, both Apio varieties exhibited antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, indicating their potential as functional food ingredients with enhanced nutrition and sustainability. Promoting its broader utilization could support natural antioxidant and anti-inflammatory intake while contributing to global Sustainable Development Goals
Towards Content Authenticity: Multimodal Fake News Detection and AI-Generated Text Identification
No full textIn today’s digital world, the spread of fake news and the rise of AI-generated text have become major threats to content authenticity and public trust. This thesis addresses both challenges through two complementary research directions: detecting fake news using multimodal features, and identifying AI-generated text using semantic and structural reasoning. The first part of the work focuses on fake news detection by introducing a novel model that combines text and image features through a unique rotational attention mechanism. Unlike traditional attention methods, this approach rotates the roles of query, key, and value across modalities to capture deeper interactions. Additionally, the model incorporates external domain information by linking news posts to top-ranked websites from Google search results, which helps assess the credibility of content based on its broader web context. This results in a more reliable and accurate fake news detection system that outperforms existing state-of-the-art methods. The second part presents SGG-ATD, a new framework for detecting AI-generated text. It uses masked language modeling to measure sentence coherence, followed by constructing a graph where keywords—both original and predicted—are connected based on semantic and contextual similarity. A Graph Convolutional Network (GCN) is then used to learn structural relationships within the text for final classification. Experimental results demonstrate that SGG-ATD achieves high F1-scores and consistently outperforms strong baselines. This method contributes to robust AI text detection, supporting accountability and resilience against AI-driven misinformation
Analysis and Predictive Modeling of Stall and Spin Accidents in General Aviation Fixed-Wing Aircraft
No full textStall and spin accidents represent a persistent safety concern in General Aviation, with approximately 41% resulting in fatalities despite their relatively low occurrence. This study analyzes 1,079 General Aviation stall and spin accidents from 2008 to 2023 using the National Transportation Safety Board accident database. Our analysis identified the top phases of flight, injury outcomes, and causal factors in stall/spin accidents. Findings indicate that over 93% of stall/spin events involved General Aviation aircraft, with most accidents occurring during initial climb, takeoff, or low-altitude maneuvering. Pilot-related control errors, especially poor airspeed and angle-of-attack management, were the most common causes. To assess accident severity prediction, we trained machine learning models—Logistic Regression, Decision Tree, Random Forest, and XGBoost—on structured features. The Random Forest model achieved the best performance (accuracy = 0.81, ROC-AUC = 0.89), demonstrating potential for integration into safety monitoring and training systems. The findings offer an interpretable, data-driven framework for identifying high-risk scenarios and informing targeted training to prevent stall/spin accidents in General Aviation. Building on prior text-mining and state-based modeling of NTSB reports, we also examined environmental factors such as airport elevation, altimeter settings, and light conditions, as well as human factors like pilot age. Feature-importance analysis revealed that in-flight loss of control, engine power loss, and recovery attempts are among the strongest predictors of fatal outcomes. Temporal trends show a modest decline in fatality proportion since 2015, suggesting improvements in pilot training and aircraft safety systems. The resulting severity-prediction tool is highly interpretable and can be embedded in real-time flight-data monitoring platforms to support proactive risk mitigation in General Aviation
Strain Induced Quantum Emitters in Monolayer WSe₂: Fabrication and Characterization of Dimple Dot Devices
No full textStrain induced defects in monolayer tungsten diselenide (WSe₂) give rise to localized exciton funnels, offering a promising approach for the development of tunable quantum emitters. The quantum devices fabricated for this thesis used a modified dimple dot geometry, in which nano indentation creates a strain profile on the monolayer WSe₂. This allows for the funneling of excitons to a confined region. These strain induced funnels enable localized emission from single excitons in WSe₂. Device fabrication was carried out through mechanical exfoliation, dry transfer, and electron beam lithography of Cr/Au gates on a SiO₂ substrate. These devices were then characterized using atomic force microscopy (AFM), photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, and Stark shift measurements under applied gate voltages. Optical spectroscopy at room temperature revealed localized emission features and early indications of electric gate tunability. Dimple dot devices in WSe₂ represent a promising platform for the deterministic placement and control of quantum emitters for integrated quantum photonics applications