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LEGEND-200 Commissioning, Operations and an Investigation of HPGe Detector Performance
Get PDFDespite being discovered over 70 years ago, much remains unknown about the neutrino, such as its mass and its quantum nature. It is the only fermion in the standard model with mass but no electric charge making it the only potential candidate to be a Majorana particle, or a particle that is its own antiparticle. To determine the Majorana nature of the neutrino one can observe a theorized decay process called neutrinoless double beta decay (0νββ) where a nucleus beta decays twice simultaneously but does not emit any neutrinos. The Large Enriched Germanium Experiment for Neutrinoless double beta Decay (LEGEND) collaboration has deployed its first array, LEGEND-200, of high purity germanium (HPGe) detectors enriched in the double beta decaying isotope 76Ge to search for 0νββ. This dissertation describes the construction of the HPGe detector units and their installation into the LEGEND-200 array. The operation of the array including the parameters used to acquire data and the calibration of the HPGe detectors will be discussed. An analysis of the operational performance of the HPGe detectors during its first physics measurement period will demonstrate the feasibility of the novel ICPC detector design for LEGEND-1000 while exploring several problems exhibited by a subset of detectors. Sources of some of these problems will be identified as well as some solutions and necessary studies that need to be performed going forward. Finally, results from LEGEND-200’s first physics measurement will be summarized.Doctor of Philosoph
LOVE THY NEIGHBOR: POST-CIVIL WAR RECONCILIATION AND SOCIAL INEQUALITY
Get PDFThis thesis investigates the role of social inequality in the recurrence of civil war, arguing that prevailing peacebuilding strategies—such as power-sharing agreements and peacekeeping missions—are insufficient without a genuine commitment to social equity. Drawing on theories of relative deprivation and (re)humanization, I contend that unresolved grievances rooted in perceptions of civil and public inequality among social groups significantly undermine the durability of peace. Using a multilevel logistic regression analysis of post-conflict societies from 1992 to 2023, I find that greater equality in civil liberties and access to public services significantly reduces the likelihood of renewed conflict, even when controlling for established peacebuilding mechanisms. These findings are further illustrated through a comparative case study of the First and Second Liberian Civil Wars, which underscores the importance of inclusive governance and community-level reconciliation. This research contributes to the peacebuilding literature by highlighting the critical need to address social grievances in post-conflict societies to prevent cyclical violence and promote sustainable peace.Master of Art
Factors Affecting Equipment Removal Decisions in a Suspected Cervical Spine Injury
Get PDFKaitlin Zelinski: Factors Affecting Equipment Removal Decisions in Acute Suspected Cervical Spine Injury(Under the direction of Aliza Nedimyer) Athletic equipment includes protective devices such as helmet and shoulder pads that help reduce injury incidence. While equipment aids in protection from acute injuries for which it is designed, it cannot fully prevent injury, and there are circumstances after acute trauma in which equipment becomes a barrier to treatment. In the event of a suspected cervical spine injury, athletic trainers are presented with a choice, to remove the athlete’s equipment on field or postpone removal for transport to further care. The current literature recommends making this decision considering several situational factors. With a current lack of understanding of such factors, this study aimed to use a cross sectional, online survey to understand and determine the importance of several situational factors as they relate to equipment removal. Certified athletic trainers completed an electronic survey describing their previous experiences in equipment removal decisions for equipment laden athletes with suspected cervical spine injury. In total, 63 of the 87 participants had chosen to remove equipment on field (72%). Ultimately this study found no statistically significant difference between equipment removal decision and the number of individuals in the rescuing team. There was also no statistically significant difference found between equipment removal cases in the collegiate and high school settings. The high incidence of on field equipment removal, however, should indicate the need to prioritize more research exploring the factors and resources necessary to perform proper equipment removal strategies safely and effectively. Master of Art
The Disenfranchisement of Tomorrow: Black Youth and the Struggle for Political Legibility During the Era of School Desegregation in Warren County, North Carolina, 1954-1971
Get PDFYoung people, particularly those who have yet to reach the legal voting age, often appear in both the greater political imaginary and academic research as accidental, underdeveloped, yet powerfully potent, “pre”-citizens. This conceptualization of childhood, rooted in Progressive Era movements, is pervasive in education philosophy that identifies the U.S. public school as a training ground for future participation in democracy. It is also grounded in historiographical and archival records where young people exist as silence despite their contributions and witness to historical movements, present and past. In the United States, Black youth – criminalized in the integrated public school and infantilized in history – occupy a specific, methodologically unconsidered, unthinkable, and illegible position regarding their political thought, action, and desires. In response to these issues, this dissertation fashions a historical and cultural study of school desegregation policy and youth political action. Utilizing primary archival sources, original oral histories, and secondary literature on social movement and education history, the study first, reveals the segregationist policy apparatus, actions, and rhetoric of the Warren County Board of Education and other North Carolina local and state officials during the county’s fifteen-year journey through desegregation following the decision in Brown v. Board of Education (1954). Second, the study chronicles the largely untold story of the motives, methods, events, and outcomes of a Black youth-led struggle, coined The Soul Children’s Movement of 1970-1971, in the rural and predominately Black Warren County, North Carolina during the height of the Black Power era. Telling this lesser-known local history of these struggles for and against the equalization of educational opportunity and Black liberation contributes to the greater body of literature on Black youth movements for liberation and North Carolina-based movements for civil rights, youth resistance research, and contemporary issues of education policy, practice, and reform, including “school choice,” school vouchers, and school discipline, and resegregation. Ultimately, this study aims to shed light on persisting and unavoidable contradictions inherent in liberal democracy and citizenship vis-à-vis the political category of “child,” and interrogates the future of a democratic society where participation is foreclosed to one fifth of the nation’s population.Doctor of Philosoph
ROOTS OF GREATNESS: THE IMPACT OF COACHING TREES ON LEADERSHIP AND PROGRAM CULTURE IN NCAA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Get PDFCoaching trees -- networks of former players and assistant coaches who ascend to head coaching positions -- have been extensively studied in men's sports, yet their influence in NCAA women’s basketball remains underexplored. These coaching lineages provide a unique perspective on the transmission and adaptation of leadership philosophies, cultural values, and strategic approaches across coaching generations. This study examines the coaching tree of Courtney Banghart, head coach at the University of North Carolina, and explores how her leadership has shaped the coaching approaches of four former players and assistants who are now head coaches at Lehigh University, the California Institute of Technology, Harvard University, and Columbia University. Through semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis, this research identifies shared leadership values, cultural strategies, and definitions of success among these coaches.Findings suggest that mentorship within coaching trees plays a significant role in shaping leadership identity, while also allowing space for individual coaches to adapt or evolve their own philosophies. This study contributes to the growing body of literature on leadership in collegiate athletics and highlights the power of mentorship in developing future coaching leaders in women’s basketball.Master of Art
“In Patronizing These Places, Mention The Green Book": Visualizing the Social Production of Space in Twentieth-Century Black Travel
Get PDFFrom 1936 - 1966 The Green Book published listings of accommodations safe from the dangers of discrimination and the Jim Crow South. The pocket-sized Green Book did not reiterate sites advertised in other popular guidebooks and roadmaps. Instead, it relied upon an interpersonal network of Black business owners and community members to share locations they owned or frequented. While The Green Book is often treated as a written work or historical artifact, its pages are not exclusively textual but accompanied by illustrated advertisements and photographs. The Green Book’s readers also reciprocated information by visually documenting their travel through photographic postcards Through an analysis of The Green Book’s illustrations and photographs, contemporary artwork inspired by the travel guide, and postcards from Green Book travel destinations, this thesis argues that The Green Book is more than a mere travel guide; it is a social production of space which is created through its counter-hegemonic network of Black travelers bound together by a greater yearning for mobility.Master of Art
Targeting G9a-m6A translational mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis for multifaceted therapeutics of COVID-19 and its sequalae
Get PDFN6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification pathway is hijacked by several RNA viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, making it an attractive host-directed target for development of broad-spectrum antivirals. Here, we show that histone methyltransferase G9a, through its interaction with METTL3, regulates SARS-CoV-2 mediated rewiring of host m6A methylome to ultimately promote turnover, abundance, secretion and/or phosphorylation of various viral receptors and proteases, transcription factors, cytokines/chemokines, coagulation & angiogenesis associated proteins, and fibrosis markers. More importantly, drugs targeting G9a and its associated protein EZH2 are potent inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 replication and reverse multi-omic effects of coronavirus infection in human alveolar epithelial cells (A549-hACE2) and COVID-19 patient PBMCs - with similar changes seen in multiorgan autopsy samples from COVID-19 patients. Altogether, we extend G9a function(s) beyond transcription to translational regulation during COVID-19 pathogenesis and show that targeting this master regulatory complex represents a new strategy (drug-class) that can be leveraged to combat emerging anti-viral resistance and infections
Apoptosis inhibitor of macrophage suppress immune responses via IL-10 production and delay bacterial clearance in Mycobacterium avium infection
Get PDFNon-tuberculous mycobacteria infections, including Mycobacterium avium, are increasingly recognized as a growing public health concern, even among immunocompetent individuals. These infections are a significant cause of chronic pulmonary disease, and they are characterized by the formation of foamy macrophages (FMs) that facilitate bacterial persistence. Previously, we reported that apoptosis inhibitor of macrophage (AIM), a protein secreted by macrophages, promotes lipid droplet accumulation in M. avium-infected macrophages. However, the precise role of AIM in modulating immune responses remains unclear. This study aimed to elucidate the effect of AIM on FM formation, bacterial burden, and immune response in M. avium-infected mice by comparing AIM knockout (KO) mice with wild-type mice. Histological analysis revealed a reduction in FM formation in AIM KO mice, accompanied by decreased lipid droplet accumulation and altered expression of lipid metabolism-related genes. Furthermore, AIM KO mice exhibited a reduced bacterial load in the lungs, highlighting decreased cytokine production, including IL-1β, compared to wild-type mice. In addition, the analysis of the immune cells of AIM KO mice using flow cytometry revealed an increase in M1 macrophages and IFN-γ-producing T cells, as well as a decrease in M2 macrophages and interleukin 10 (IL-10)-producing T cells. The reduced expression of CD36 and PD-L1 in macrophages from AIM KO mice further supports the skewing toward an M1 phenotype. In vitro experiments with bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) confirmed reduced bacterial growth and lipid droplet formation in AIM KO BMDMs, which was restored by AIM and IL-10 treatment. These findings suggest that AIM contributes to the promotion of FM formation by establishing an immunosuppressive environment that promotes the establishment of M. avium through IL-10 production
Unique growth and morphology properties of Clade 5 Clostridioides difficile strains revealed by single-cell time-lapse microscopy.
Get PDFClostridioides difficile is a gastrointestinal pathogen of both humans and agricultural animals and thus a major One Health threat. The C. difficile species consists of five main clades, with Clade 5 currently undergoing speciation from Clades 1-4. Since Clade 5 strains are highly prevalent in agricultural animals and a frequent cause of zoonotic infections, these strains may have evolved phenotypes that distinguish them from Clade 1-4 strains. Here, we compare the growth properties of Clade 5 strains to those of Clade 1-4 strains using anaerobic time-lapse microscopy coupled with automated image analysis. Our analyses indicate that Clade 5 strains grow faster and are more likely to form long chains of cells than Clade 1-4 strains. Using comparative genomic and CRISPRi analyses, we show that the chaining phenotype of Clade 5 strains is driven by the orientation of the invertible cmr switch sequence, with chaining strains exhibiting a bias to the cmr-ON state. Interestingly, Clade 5 strains with a bias towards the cmr-ON state shifted to a largely cmr-OFF state during murine infection, suggesting that the cmr-OFF state is under positive selection during infection. Collectively, our data reveal that Clade 5 strains have distinct growth properties, which may allow them to inhabit diverse ecological niches
Black Pastors as Change Agents Promoting COVID-19 Vaccination in South Carolina: Application of Diffusion of Innovations Theory
Get PDFDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, many minority communities tried different strategies to increase their members’ vaccination rates. This study uses diffusion of innovations theory [] with a focus on “the sequence of change agent roles” to explore Black pastors’ approach to COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. Ten semi-structured interviews gauged how Black pastors understood their role in increasing vaccine use in their communities. Seven themes emerged from analysis: creating awareness of change; establishing a connection; seeking to understand; encouraging the new behavior; leveraging the power of interpersonal communication; maintaining support; and providing future assistance. Results im-ply that by continuing to work with healthcare providers, Black pastors can help to in-crease awareness about annual COVID-19 boosters among their church members and in surrounding communities