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Assessment of Antibiotic Resistance in a Managed Aquifer Recharge System: Water Sustainability and Water Quality
No full textabstract: Managed Aquifer Recharge is an increasingly prevalent solution to sustain water availability in arid regions. Recharge of groundwater resources using treated wastewater effluent is one type of managed aquifer recharge that offers long-term sustainable water management. However, there are some concerns regarding the reuse of wastewater and its potential to increase exposures to antibiotic resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes that could affect human health. Antibiotic resistance genes can confer the ability for bacteria to resist antibacterial treatment, rendering their presence in water supplies as an area of research needed to evaluate where environmental “hot spots� of potential antibiotic resistance disseminate. To evaluate the occurrence of antibiotic resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes, sampling of an Arizona managed aquifer recharge facility was performed, with target antibiotic resistance genes measured using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The occurrence of antibiotic resistance genes was evaluated at several sampling wells and in sediments to examine trade-offs between water quantity benefits and water quality issues. The goal of this work is to inform management operations for secure water quality in the face of climate change. (abstract
Polarization and Profit: Newsrooms Need to Leave Both Behind
No full textabstract: This thesis examines the current polarization of news media, specifically written journalism, either in newspapers or on news websites. Americans increasingly get their news from polarized sources, and that is leading to a large divide in information. This issue is also exacerbated by political idealogy. Furthermore, I explore how the traditional business model of advertising-based revenue is leading to more polarized news coverage. To combat this, I offer interventions for news organizations, including the importance of journalistic ethics and the possibility of more news organizations transferring to nonprofit status, which has gained traction in recent years. Access to accurate news and information is essential in a functioning democracy, and if polarization and issues in news continue, it will be harmful to America as a whole. (abstract
Building Luxury Brands Across Borders: How to Strategically Position Luxury Brands across Colombia, Peru, & Venezuela
No full textabstract: This paper investigates how a luxury fashion brand would be able to strategically position itself within Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela. It specifically looks at consumers' perceptions of general and visual branding strategies such as international and local positioning. Secondary research was conducted on domestic and international branding strategies, standardization and adaption techniques, and cultural business differences between the three countries. After primary research was completed through a survey and multiple interviews. The survey looked into perceptions of international and local brands of each country. The survey was an A/B test where participants were either given questions surrounding a local or international brand description and advertisement visuals. With the interviews, they provided a baseline of information from Colombian consumers on general perceptions of luxury brands, products, and the memories associated with them. Overall, it was found that Columbian participants had more positive perceptions of international brands, Peruvian participates had a more positive perception of local brands, and Venezuelan participants did not have a significant preference for either. Based on these findings, recommendations were made suggesting possible brand positioning and entry strategies for companies wanting to expand throughout Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela. The continuation of this paper includes an analysis and interpretation of the findings, the limitations of the research, and the possible future direction and continuation of this research. (abstract
The Healing Properties of Food: Ingredient Index and Cookbook
No full textabstract: The purpose of this cookbook and ingredient index is to simplify the reasoning behind eating a plant based diet--including how it can be beneficial to your health, and what benefits each ingredient provides. These recipes have been cultivated and modified over time to provide nutritious meals that are also tasty. I was introduced to healthy eating at a young age, and have been fascinated by it ever since. The recipes and information conveyed about a plant based diet have come from the many books read and research I have done on the subject. This paper will walk you through how I started this journey, and go on to show a basic overview of what makes up the foods we consume and why we need them. The cookbook portion of my Thesis contains recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, sauces, and dessert. Following the cookbook is an ingredient index that goes through the majority of ingredients used in my recipes, and what health benefits they provide. I hope that by reading this, others will be inspired to use more plant-based whole foods in their diet, and realize the healing that can come from them. (abstract
Numerical Analysis of the C* Fracture Test Specimen using the Generalized Finite Element Method
No full textabstract: The experimental assessment of cracking distresses in asphalt concrete pavements is crucial to the longevity of pavements. As such, fracture parameters obtained from experiments play a key role in facilitating the use of fracture mechanics theories and prediction of cracking distresses in asphalt concrete (AC) pavements. The stress intensity factor (SIF) is among the fracture parameters derived from fracture mechanics theory. Many fracture mechanics based laboratory tests have been developed with the goal of calculating such key fracture parameters. The C* Fracture test is unique among them because it incorporates rate dependent loading into the calculation of fracture parameters via the theory of the C* Line integral. However, unlike other laboratory fracture tests, the C* Fracture test does not have any analytical solution or previous sources from literature which describe geometric shape factors used in the calculation of SIFs. Numerical modeling of the C* Fracture test specimen is also limited in literature. Therefore, there is a need for a high-fidelity numerical model of this fracture test in order to develop SIF functions. In this thesis, the numerical models of the C* Fracture test were developed using the Generalized Finite Element Method (GFEM). GFEM is particularly effective at modeling problems with discontinuities in complex 3-D structures. The use of the GFEM to solve this problem allows a high-fidelity numerical model to be created without a large computational cost and labor intensive mesh crafting. After verifying the model accuracy using convergence analysis, the specimen geometry was modeled by changing the crack size. A SIF function was developed that includes a specific geometry dependent shape factor for the C* Fracture test based on Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics (LEFM). (abstract
Assessing Social Sustainability in U.S. Cities: A Systems Approach
No full textabstract: Brundtland’s definition of sustainability is the ability to “meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs� (IISD, 2021). But what if there are no future generations? Social sustainability, the sector of sustainability that foregrounds the well-being and livelihoods of people (and thereby continuation of humanity), is included in definitions within the sustainability field, but less developed in sustainability practice. In an effort to bridge this gap of knowledge, 14 U.S. cities and over 100 sustainability policies were analyzed for their social sustainability performance. An eight-item analytical framework that deals with differing areas of social equity guided the analysis. Results found that most cities’ sustainability departments fell short of truly addressing social sustainability concerns. Out of the eight items, the most frequently addressed were housing security and racial and gender equality whereas few, if any, cities addressed the more specific social concerns of immigration, technology and media, or arts/cultural preservation. Future research is recommended to gain a better understanding of the ways existing cities can improve in this area. (abstract
Enhancing Prisons from the Inside Out: Race, Participatory Action Research, and the Future of Corrections.
No full textabstract: This thesis will assess the relationship between race and perceptions of incarceration through responses gathered from interviews administered to men incarcerated at the Arizona State Prison Complex in Florence, Arizona. The interviews were conducted by incarcerated men through a Participatory Action Research (PAR) project to enhance the prison environment. Critically, men who were interviewed answered the question “What would you do if you were the Director of the Department of Corrections?� The purpose of this thesis is twofold. First, what are the major themes provided to this question? Second, did these themes differ depending on the race or ethnicity of the respondent? The results from this survey can provide a more informed future for corrections that acknowledges the unique criminal justice system experiences held by members of different racial and ethnic groups. (abstract
Development of Frequency Selective Surfaces for RF Interrogator Design
No full textabstract: The honors thesis presented in this document describes an extension to an electrical engineering capstone project whose scope is to develop the receiver electronics for an RF interrogator. The RF interrogator functions by detecting the change in resonant frequency of (i.e, frequency of maximum backscatter from) a target resulting from an environmental input. The general idea of this honors project was to design three frequency selective surfaces that would act as surrogate backscattering or reflecting targets that each contains a distinct frequency response. Using 3-D electromagnetic simulation software, three surrogate targets exhibiting bandpass frequency responses at distinct frequencies were designed and presented in this thesis. (abstract
