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“O, from this time forth / My thoughts be bloody or nothing worth”: Existentialism, Metatheatricality, and Self-Reflective Fiction in Hamlet
Get PDFThe thesis offers a unique perspective on the characterization of William Shakespeare's protagonist, Hamlet, through the lens of twentieth-century existentialism and metatheatrical theory. The analysis argues that Hamlet is not merely an actor but a self-reflective character aware of his fictionality in the dramatic narrative. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach that combines philosophy, literary, and theatrical studies, Hamlet becomes a work that transcends historical context and continues to shape existentialist thought. Finally, the thesis refutes scholarly arguments that the final act of Hamlet demonstrates him experiencing a positive, religious transcendence. Rather, the final act demonstrates Hamlet's exhaustion in attempting to continue the dramatic narrative. Bachelor of Art
Examining Relative Predation on Juvenile Horseshoe Crabs across Intertidal Landscapes
Get PDFThe composition of intertidal landscapes plays a critical role in shaping nursery functionality by influencing predation pressure on juvenile organisms. To test whether intertidal oyster reef sills reduce predation on juvenile horseshoe crabs (Limulus polyphemus; HSC) in nearby sandflat nurseries, we used tethering to compare relative predation in two intertidal landscapes: one with an oyster reef (i.e., reef site) and one without (i.e., no-reef site). Lab behavior experiments confirmed that tethered HSCs behaved similarly to untethered HSCs, ensuring field results were unbiased. Field predation trials were conducted in the Fall of 2023 and Summer of 2024, with HSCs tethered at reef and no-reef sites. Relative predation was not significantly different between habitats with and without reefs but varied with season and HSC positioning to the reef. These findings suggest that nearby oyster reefs may influence predation dynamics in adjacent nurseries, highlighting the importance of habitat connectivity in shaping juvenile benthic invertebrate survival. Understanding these interactions can inform broader conservation strategies by illustrating how the loss of structural habitats like oyster reefs may compromise the integrity of surrounding nursery areas and contribute to the degradation of intertidal landscapes.Bachelor of Scienc
Taiwanese Mandarin and American English clear speech production and perception
Get PDFI report on a cross-linguistic study investigating how differences in phonological structures influence clear speech productions in Taiwanese Mandarin and American English, exploring whether speakers of these languages modify their speech in similar or different ways, and on the indirect correlation of those acoustic realizations with the clear speech benefit, intelligibility enhancement, in Mandarin. This systematic comparison may further our understanding of clear speech as produced in languages with substantial phonological differences and as produced and perceived in a language characterized by lexical tone. The results of this study revealed Mandarin clear speech elicited by a clear speech prompt with a non-native listener target population generally affords the clear speech benefit and that speakers exhibiting greater increases in tone duration and vowel space dispersion tend to be more “successful.” Additionally, cross-linguistic similarities in clear speech production strategies were evidenced. In both Mandarin and English, speakers tended to expand their vowel spaces (although Mandarin speakers generally exhibited less expansion); increase rime duration; and increase absolute segmental F0 mean. Globally, increases in pitch range were cross-linguistically evidenced, particularly amongst males. Primarily evidenced is the tendency for speakers to attempt to make salient phonological contrasts more prominent while also engaging in global clear speech modifications. Notably, the potential for vowel space expansion to be vowel inventory size dependent is also brought to the forefront.Bachelor of Scienc
Care to Share? How Facebook Groups Increase Support for Family Caregivers
Get PDFFamily caregivers often experience insufficient social connection and social support as they care for their loved ones. As the U.S. population ages, addressing these oversights is important for the wellbeing of both caregivers and those they care for. Through qualitative interviews and surveys with family caregivers, this thesis explores how group interactions in these digital caring communities provide emotional validation, support, encouragement, and practical advice to family caregivers. Findings highlight the ability of Facebook groups to create meaningful connections in family caregivers’ lives, enhancing caregivers’ wellbeing while also recognizing a need for more formal support and resources in their daily lives. Based on these insights, this thesis calls for a fundamental shift in how America understands and values caregiving, reframing it as a collective responsibility rather than an individual burden.Bachelor of Art
Assessment of OMI/MLS Satellite-Derived Tropospheric Ozone Product for Predicting Surface-Level Ozone Concentrations
Get PDFGround-level ozone is a hazardous air pollutant that contributes to respiratory and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, as well as to climate change and vegetation damage. Despite its significance, global surface ozone monitoring remains spatially sparse, particularly outside of North America, Europe, and East Asia. Satellite-based products such as the Ozone Monitoring Instrument/Microwave Limb Sounder (OMI/MLS) tropospheric column ozone (TCO) dataset offer a potential solution for improving estimates of global ozone at ground level. This study evaluates the performance of the OMI/MLS TCO product as a predictor of surface-level ozone by comparing it to monthly average ground-based Maximum Daily 8-hour Average (MDA8) ozone measurements from the TOAR-II database (2004–2020). Linear regressions were conducted globally, as well as by year, world region, value range, and month. Although global correlations were modest (R² = 0.30 globally), a positive trend was found between the TCO product and ground-based measurements. The satellite product captured expected seasonal and hemispheric trends in surface ozone, and the regression results were used to generate monthly global maps of estimated ground-level ozone. While not a substitute for in situ measurements, OMI/MLS TCO shows potential as an independent observational input to global data fusion methods in areas lacking ground-based monitoring.Bachelor of Science in Public Healt
Investigating Whole Brain Activation Patterns During Complex Movement Sequences
Get PDFVoluntary planning and execution of motor sequences rely not just on one brain area but on a distributed motor circuit. This brain-wide network includes both cortical and subcortical regions such as the supplementary motor area (SMA), basal ganglia, and the primary motor cortex (M1). Activity in each of these regions has proven necessary to both motor initiation and execution in both mice and monkeys. Still, technological limits have constrained the ability of previous experiments to simultaneously record activity from multiple brain areas, preventing the extension of these findings to ethologically relevant sequences. As a result of these limitations, prior work has resorted to either simplified movement sequences, such as finger tapping, or highly localized recordings from neural subpopulations. Here, we utilized a novel fMRI recording approach to acquire whole-brain images during a reach-to-grasp task. Using this technique, we were able to acquire motor network activity during both self-initiated and externally cued movement sequences, allowing for the appreciation of unique network signatures associated with either paradigm. These findings both demonstrate the validity of our fMRI method in eliminating movement artifact and shed light on the network dynamics necessary for self-initiated movement generation.Bachelor of Scienc
On the Behavior of Eigenfunctions on Surfaces of Revolution.
Get PDFIn this paper, we aim to analyze the behavior of solutions to the semi-classical Dirichlet eigenfunction problem on surfaces of revolution. We will first construct a surface with a few specific properties of interest. Then we will conduct some estimates on the L2 mass of eigenfunctions within specific regions of our surface.Bachelor of Scienc
Questioning the Questions: The Influence of Polarizing Questions on Survey Response Quality
Get PDFSince the 2016 election, survey research, particularly political polling, has faced growing criticisms about perceived errors. This study tests the hypothesis that rising affective polarization – and the hostile media biases, motivated reasoning, and partisan responding accompanying such polarization – is a reason behind these polling inaccuracies. In today’s polarizing environment, respondents may perceive surveys on politically charged topics as adversarial against their in-party, tainting response quality. This study analyzes this expectation through a survey experiment on crowdsourced and college student samples. Those randomized to the experimental group received ‘adversarial questions,’ or true-false questions highlighting factual yet uncongenial information about one’s in-party. In contrast, those in the control group received questions highlighting uncongenial facts about both Democrats and Republicans. Survey response quality was conceptualized through satisficing (measured by an index of satisficing behaviors and logical consistency) and adverse demand effects (ADEs), a concept introduced in this study to capture respondents' antagonistic reactions when perceiving hostility from the researcher. ADEs were measured through affective polarization, truthfulness, negative sentiments, and conformity acquiescence. The study hypothesized that exposure to adversarial questions would reduce satisficing due to greater cognitive engagement but heighten ADEs due to emotional instigation. After conducting regression modeling and sentiment analysis, the results showed no significant effects on satisficing behaviors, logical consistency, or conformity acquiescence. However, the experimental treatment led to lower truthfulness, increased affective polarization, and greater negative sentiments, indicating the subtle and implicit nature of ADEs. The study demonstrates the importance of remaining cognizant of potential downstream effects caused by politically charged topics and asking a balanced set of questions to receive responses uncontaminated by ADEs.Bachelor of Art
Expanding Vibrio-Squid Symbiosis Research by Evaluating Euprymna berryi as a Model Host for Vibrio fischeri Colonization and Bacterial Competition
Get PDFVibrio-squid symbiosis is a mutualistic relationship that occurs when theVibrio fischeri (V. fischeri) bacteria colonize the light organ of the bobtail squid. In this relationship, the squid shelters the bacteria while controlling the bioluminescence levels the bacteria exert to camouflage its silhouette to hide from predators. Within some V. fischeri strains is the Type VI secretion system (T6SS) gene cluster, a contact-dependent lethal weapon used in bacterial competition for the host’s limited space. Previous studies analyzed the role of T6SS during host colonization using the Euprymna scolopes (E. scolopes) squid host model. Recently, the Euprymna berryi (E. berryi) bobtail squid underwent CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing, the modification of DNA sequences, to deactivate two pigmentation enzymes. This allows for optical access of the light organ imaging in live animals, making them ideal for V. fischeri host colonization assays that such imaging approaches. We hypothesize that the E. berryi model will serve as an effective host for studying V. fischeri colonization, comparable to E. scolopes. Isolated Vibrio E. berryi strains were tested along with E. scolopes strains to analyze colonization levels of the E. berryi squid hatchlings by measuring the number of bacterial colonizers and host luminescence levels. Lethality of E. berryi isolates towards other symbiotic strains was assessed via co-incubation assays with a non-lethal V. fischeri strain. A mutation of an isolate with functional T6SS genes confirmed the lethality of the E. berryi isolate. Three of the five tested E. berryi isolates were found to have sufficient colonization levels and express the T6SS gene cluster. These findings determined that the E. berryi squid is an effective host for investigating Vibrio-squid symbiosis, adding further flexibility in this field.Bachelor of Scienc
Racial and Ethnic Disparities in No-Cost Naloxone Access in North Carolina
Get PDFINTRODUCTION: Though recent data indicate that opioid overdose deaths are decreasing, specific racial and ethnic groups continue to be disproportionately affected, with American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) non-Hispanic (NH) populations experiencing the highest overdose rate in North Carolina (NC). Some states have evaluated racial and ethnic disparities in access to naloxone; however, this has not yet been done in NC. Using a cross-sectional survey and 2017-2021 US Census Bureau American Community Survey’s population estimates, this study aims to identify racial and ethnic disparities in access to no- cost naloxone in NC. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was sent to 423 entities that distribute no-cost naloxone. Data were collected on the entity’s locations of naloxone distribution as well as frequency of distribution to the following racial and ethnic groups: American Indian/Alaska Native NH, white NH, Black NH, Asian NH, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander NH, and Hispanic. Results were then compared to ZIP code level population data to determine if the frequency of dispensing to each racial/ethnic group (naloxone score) was proportional to the population size of a race/ethnicity in that ZIP code (disparity ratio). RESULTS: All racial and ethnic groups were underserved no-cost naloxone relative to their population size other than Black NH and white NH groups. Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander NH and Asian NH were the most underserved, followed by American Indian/Alaska Native NH, then Hispanic. Black NH and white NH groups were considered overserved relative to their population size, with white NH being more overserved than Black NH. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that specific populations in NC, especially American Indian/Alaska Native NH populations, experience disparities in access to no- cost naloxone when considering population sizes. Efforts should be made to increase access to naloxone to the underserved populations that experience higher overdose rates in the state.Doctor of Pharmac