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Systemic Barriers to Voting Rights for Minorities: Gerrymandering and Voter ID Laws
Full text linkSince 1870, the struggle for voting accessibility has been an ongoing challenge for marginalized communities in the United States. Despite the Voting Rights Act of 1965, systemic barriers limit minority participation in elections and influence their political representation. Modern systemic barriers refer to institutional practices and policies that hinder equal access to resources, rights, and opportunities. These barriers typically disproportionately impact minority groups. Furthermore, recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions and legislative policies have led to an examination of how modern obstacles—such as gerrymandering and voter identification laws—lead to discriminatory burdens on marginalized groups. These practices differ from tactics such as poll taxes used post-Reconstruction era, but have equally detrimental effects. The decision to weaken federal oversight of election laws has increased concerns about weakened minority voting rights. It is argued that these barriers maintain systemic inequalities and threaten democratic principles that the U.S. was founded on by reducing political participation and manipulating representation. Highlighting these challenges and acknowledging the need to advocate for legal and policy reforms is essential to address these enduring challenges for marginalized communities and ensure non-discriminatory access to the executing one\u27s constitutional right to vote
ACROSS THE GREAT DIVIDE: APPALACHIA AND NATIONAL CRISIS
No full textThis dissertation, submitted for completion of my Ph. D requirements at Florida Atlantic University, consists of excerpts from a considerably much longer work in progress, tentatively titled Across the Great Divide: Appalachia & The National Imagination. The aim of the work is not only to disabuse certain stereotypes of Appalachia and “Appalachian Literature,” which is a common enough move in Appalachian Studies discourse, but also to problematize the ideas of “Appalachia” and “Appalachian Literature” in and of themselves. Most of four chapters from that study (which contains more than two dozen in its complete form, meaning that these pages will not present, in any sense, the full scope of my arguments, engagements, or concerns) – “For Those Who Love Us Into Interbeing,” “Beyond the Hillbilly Question,” “Appalachia in Fact and (Non-) Fiction,” and “After America, or Before Columbus?” – are offered here (along with passages on the poets Jim Wayne Miller, Marilou Awiakta, and Coleman Barks) as a way of conveying at least a sense of my positional attitude (all of us write from perspective(s), and we’re all lost if we get locked in just one), relationship to my own literary influences (it’s complicated), take (or non-take) on certain prominent modes of discourse about the region (lots of self-serving agitprop and/or neoliberal essentialism), assessment of recent public non-fiction debates over the region (whether or not it reveals anything substantial about Appalachia, it certainly reveals something about the US’ institutional zones and their communicative silos), and, finally, at least a partial nod to what I feel are more fulsome and helpful understandings of not only Appalachian culture, but of relationships between people in general (pragmatist humanists, many but not all of them writers pigeonholed by academe’s neoliberal essentialist establishment as “Black feminists,” have been trying to warn us away from neoliberal essentialism for some time
RADIOBIOLOGICAL AND DOSIMETRIC COMPARISON OF IMRT AND SBRT FOR PROSTATE CANCER TREATMENT PLANNING
Full text linkRadiation therapy is one of the most effective and widely utilized methods for treating prostate cancer, employing high energy rays or particles to eradicate cancer cells. Among the available techniques, intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) are commonly used approaches that enable the delivery of a conformal radiation dose to the target tumor while minimizing exposure to surrounding healthy tissues. This study presents a comparative analysis of these two treatment plans for prostate cancer based on radiobiological and dosimetric parameters. IMRT treatment plans for prostate cancer patients were collected, and corresponding SBRT plans were developed using the Monaco treatment planning system following NRG GU005 dose constraints. The results demonstrated that SBRT plans yielded a higher biological effective dose (BED) and tumor control probability (TCP) for the target volume compared to IMRT, while maintaining a comparable BED for organs at risk (OARs). Additionally, normal tissue complication probabilities (NTCP) were negligible for both IMRT and SBRT plans. Dose-volume histogram (DVH) analysis indicated a uniform dose distribution in both treatment plans, with no significant difference observed in homogeneity index (HI). The maximum dose deviation from the prescribed dose remained within a 10% threshold for both plans. Although IMRT plans exhibited a higher conformity index compared to SBRT, SBRT plans with optimal conformity provided better tumor control while ensuring adequate sparing of OARs. These findings suggest that both IMRT and SBRT are effective treatment methods for prostate cancer
THE CHANGING ROLES OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PRINCIPALS
Full text linkThe role of the elementary school principal has changed throughout its history. The role has shifted from primarily a managerial role to an instructional leadership role, to the more current role of a multi-faceted operational leader. Recent events, from the Covid-19 pandemic to highly publicized school shootings, has added additional responsibilities to the current role of the principal. The current high-stakes accountability to ensure all students are learning has also added an increased amount of pressure on elementary school principals. The ability to effectively manage both the operational and instructional roles has created stress and anxiety on elementary school principals.
The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the elementary school principals’ perceptions of the changing roles of elementary school principals. The study encompassed the lived experiences of twelve elementary school principals in a large, urban school district in the Southeast. Semi-structured interviews were utilized and a document analysis was conducted of the principal evaluation tool, the principal job description, and the number of memos received by the principals over a one-month period. Data analysis was conducted through rounds of open and axial coding. The three thematic findings revolved around a major role shift from instructional leader to a multifaceted operational leader. Other findings were centered on the role of high stakes accountability in relationship to the shifting roles of principals and principals’ strong desire for more job autonomy and strategic support.
The study’s outcomes call attention to the role district leadership, district departments, school boards, and state leaders have on impacting the role and responsibilities placed on elementary school principals. The current environment of high-stakes accountability, along with the increasing operational demands being placed on principals, is adding additional stress and anxiety on elementary school principals. Educational leaders must be mindful of the current demands placed on elementary school principals and support them in balancing the operational and instructional needs they face on a daily basis. It is imperative that the educational landscape supporting the elementary school principal is designed to minimize the political and operational distractors that divert attention away from supporting their staff in improving the academic outcomes of all students
AGE-GROUP DIFFERENCES IN FRIEND INFLUENCE OVER ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
Full text linkSpeculation about the developmental shifts in the magnitude of peer influence has outstripped empirical research. Friends are assumed to be particularly influential at the onset of adolescence, as adult oversight declines and the salience of peers increases. Few studies, however, have explored age-group differences in the magnitude of friend influence over academic achievement and physical activity. The present longitudinal study compares friendship dyads in late childhood (grades 4-5) versus early adolescence (grades 6-7), describing the strength of their mutual influence across peer- and self-reports of academic achievement and physical activity. Participants included 170 adolescents (99 girls, 71 boys) in 85 stable friend dyads from two Florida public schools and 268 adolescents (137 girls, 131 boys) in 134 stable friend dyads from nine Lithuanian public schools. Results indicated that one friend’s initial self- and peer-reported academic achievement and physical activity at Time 1 predicted changes in the other friend’s academic achievement and physical activity at Time 2. Grade differences emerged for peer-reports of academic achievement, such that friend influence was greater in grades 6-7 than in grades 4-5. The findings of the current study highlight the importance of friends in promoting healthy academic and physical activity behaviors and can guide the development of effective peer-mediated interventions
MODELING SINGLE-ENGINE FAILURE IN DUAL-ENGINE TILT-ROTOR AIRCRAFT
Full text linkWhile single-engine failure has been considered in dual-engine tilt-rotor aircraft, more complex failures have been less investigated. This thesis will model a simultaneous powertrain and drivetrain complex failure scenario during vertical flight on a dual-engine tilt-rotor aircraft. This thesis is valuable to designers and operators, as it will simulate the aircraft\u27s complex failure scenario and flight dynamics. Complex failure is modeled using MATLAB’s Simulink to accomplish a six degrees-of-freedom translational and rotational dynamic and kinematic free-fall model. A counter-rotating rotor system representation for the dual-engine tilt-rotor aircraft was also achieved by incorporating the rotor block in Simulink. It was discovered that it is advantageous for tilt-rotor aircraft to autorotate during a complex failure scenario by simultaneously lowering the collective in both rotors. During the initiation of the complex failure scenario at 785 ft, the aircraft experienced a -3695 ft min vertical descent rate at 9.725 seconds. The model increased the collective blade pitch angle to 2.648 degrees in both rotors at 9.725 seconds for a final -263 ft min vertical descent rate during impact. The aircraft did not roll about the longitudinal axis, as the counter-rotating rotor system remained in equilibrium
BALANCING RISK AND REWARD: HEALTH INSURANCE AND THE FINANCIAL STABILITY OF FEMALE ENTREPRENEURS WITH CHILDREN
Full text linkThis study examines the specific influence of health insurance on female entrepreneurs with children, a demographic that has been underexplored in existing research on health insurance and entrepreneurship. The aim is to evaluate whether access to health insurance significantly affects these entrepreneurs\u27 business decisions, financial stability, and overall well-being.
Grounded in job-lock theory and evidence of the gender gap, the research hypothesizes that health insurance enhances entrepreneurial performance, particularly benefiting women with children. It anticipates that female entrepreneurs will encounter more significant challenges than their male counterparts and that those with children may face additional performance barriers, especially when lacking insurance. It suggests that insurance gives a competitive advantage to entrepreneurs with children over those who do not have insurance.
Analyzing data from the Entrepreneurship in the Population (EPOP) survey from 2022 to 2024, regression models demonstrate consistent positive associations between health insurance and improved financial outcomes. The study finds that while health insurance generally boosts profit-loss performance, the expected performance gap between insured female and male entrepreneurs does not exist; both genders benefit equally from having insurance. Having children is linked to positive financial outcomes, although female entrepreneurs with children still tend to underperform relative to males. Additionally, insured entrepreneurs with children achieve superior performance, highlighting the importance of health insurance for this group.
Overall, the findings affirm the critical role of health insurance in supporting female entrepreneurs and underscore the necessity for policies that enhance insurance access and affordability, reducing gender disparities and nurturing a supportive entrepreneurial environment
ADVANCES IN GENERAL RELATIVISTIC SIMULATIONS OF NEUTRON STARS
Full text linkIncreasingly improving gravitational wave (GW) detectors with progressively lower signal-to-noise ratios will provide GW signal data with higher accuracy. They will also detect GW signals from compact body coalescence (CBC) events, such as binary neutron star (BNS) mergers, more frequently. This, in turn, poses a two-fold challenge to the numerical relativity community: generating numerical relativity simulations with greater accuracy at greater speed and performing tailored simulations to investigate observed GW events post-fact. Towards addressing the first challenge, we present here a new hybrid spatial differentiation scheme that combines a discontinuous Galerkin (DG) method highly efficient at handling smooth fields with finite volume (FV) and finite difference (FD) methods that handle non-smooth fields robustly. When parallelizing, the computational mesh is usually divided into smaller elements distributed among the various computational processes, and traditional FV methods require information from up to 26 neighboring elements when using noncuboid patches. This reduces scalability when using large supercomputers. Our FV implementation is compactified to require information exchange only from the surface of 6 neighboring elements that touch but do not overlap. Through this, we plan to retain the DG method’s high scalability when parallelizing the hybrid scheme. We utilize our new method to simulate single neutron star cases, including the challenging cases of a neutron star migrating from an unstable equilibrium to a stable configuration and a boosted neutron star, which are performed for the first time in 3D with full general relativistic hydrodynamics using DG methods. We use the Nmesh program for this purpose. However, Nmesh is a fledgling program still undergoing testing before being deemed fit for BNS simulations. As such, for the second goal of investigating GW events, we use the well-established BAM program. As a case study, we investigate the GW190425 event. Owing to the larger chirp mass and lack of an electromagnetic counterpart, most studies modeled this event as a black hole neutron star event. We, however, simulate BNS systems with mass ratios q = 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, and 1 with the MPA1 equation of state to investigate it. We study the related GW signals and matter behavior
Fast Fashion: Discovering American Consumers\u27 Opinions
Full text linkThe effects of fast fashion range from human rights violations to environmental devastation. This study uncovers the views of Americans on fast fashion. It was expected to find that many Americans prioritize price when shopping, due to the growth of these companies. The study had 193 people complete a questionnaire on Amazon Turk that contained 16 questions. It found that most Americans consider the price to be more important than the ethics when shopping, with there being a statistically significant difference (p \u3c .001) in that older consumers are more likely to prioritize price. It also found that males are more likely to disagree than females with the statement that fast fashion is unethical (p \u3c .001). This data can be used to create marketing strategies to encourage American consumers to purchase from sustainable companies
CONVERSION OF ORANGE WASTE TO CHEMICALLY MODIFIED ACTIVATED CARBON ADSORBENT MATERIALS FOR AQUEOUS PHASE PHOSPHATE REMOVAL
Full text linkPhosphorus pollution in surface waters drives harmful algal blooms, creating ecological, public health, and economic risks. This study examined citrus processing waste as a sustainable, low-cost precursor for producing chemically modified adsorbents for phosphorus removal. Orange waste was pyrolyzed, resulting in a carbon-rich material with low ash content, as confirmed by thermogravimetric analysis. The material was modified using lanthanum chloride, iron (III) chloride, and calcium chloride at varying mass ratios and screened under standard conditions (1 mg P/L, 1 g/L dosage, 24-hour contact time). Lanthanum- and iron-modified samples demonstrated the best removal efficiencies and underwent further evaluation. The lanthanum-modified sample achieved over 98% phosphorus removal across conditions, with rapid uptake and stable performance even at low dosage and short contact time. The iron-modified sample showed moderate removal and was identified as a cost-effective alternative. These results support orange waste as a viable material for phosphorus control in surface waters