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FROM MUTUAL TO BURSTYN: AN EVOLUTION OF FILM REGULATION AND THE FIRST AMENDMENT IN FILM BUSINESS
No full textBetween the establishment of the American film industry in the 1900s and the post-Classical Hollywood period of the 1960s, case law directing the regulation of motion pictures underwent transformative changes. Regulation of films during this period was affected by a variety of historical factors, and can be characterized as social, governmental, or political censorship. These elements contributing to censorship were enabled by the early classification of films as business rather than art and thus unqualified for First Amendment free speech protections. This designation enabled more stringent film regulations and lent power to these social, governmental, and political exertions of control over the exhibition of pictures. This thesis traces the evolution of film regulation and censorship, and examines how those various factors endowed censorship systems with the ability to reinforce legal censorship in the film industry until films were granted free speech protections by the Supreme Court in 1952. The analysis examines how each social, political, and governmental censorship factor was enabled by the legal precedent surrounding film regulation, how the industry and legal attitudes evolved to eventually outgrow this precedent, and how residual elements of old restrictions still affect parts of film exhibition today
WHEN JUSTICE FAVORS THE WEALTHY: THE CONSEQUENCES OF LEGAL FINANCIAL OBLIGATIONS
No full textThis thesis investigates the disproportionate impact of legal financial obligations (LFOs) on low-income and minority communities within the United States criminal justice system. Through case studies, legal analysis, and sociological research, it illustrates how these monetary sanctions deepen poverty, perpetuate systemic racial inequalities, and undermine rehabilitation. The work contrasts the experiences of individuals from different socioeconomic backgrounds to highlight disparities in legal outcomes and long-term consequences. It explores the health, emotional, and familial burdens of legal debt, particularly its intergenerational effects and gendered impacts. Additionally, the thesis examines how LFOs erode civil rights, such as voting and employment access, by tethering them to one's ability to pay. The analysis critiques the economic incentives that encourage municipalities to rely on legal debt as a revenue stream, often at the expense of justice. Policy recommendations include mandatory ability-to-pay hearings, elimination of unnecessary surcharges, and alternatives to monetary penalties like wage-based fines or community service. Ultimately, this thesis argues that reforming the system of LFOs is essential to achieving a more equitable legal system, one that does not punish individuals for their poverty but instead promotes fairness, rehabilitation, and social justice
NEURAL NARRATIVES: THE BRAIN'S ROLE IN THE MAKING AND MEANING OF AESTHETIC EXPERIENCE
No full textNeural Narratives: The Brain's Role in the Making and Meaning of Aesthetic Experience explores the emerging field of neuroaesthetics through a combination of academic research and personal experience. Neuroaesthetics examines how the brain perceives and processes aesthetic experiences, particularly in relation to visual art. The project begins with a literature review outlining foundational concepts and the intersection between neuroscience and aesthetics. It then introduces the work of 18th-century portraitist Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, whose art provides a case study for examining aesthetic perception. Drawing from personal experiences of viewing Vigée Le Brun's paintings in three different countries, the paper connects scientific research, historical context, and subjective response. This interdisciplinary approach highlights how the brain creates a uniquely rich and emotional response to visual art—one that differs significantly from other forms of sensory processing. By integrating neuroscience, art history, and personal narrative, the thesis argues that neuroaesthetics offers a compelling framework for understanding how and why art evokes meaning. The findings suggest that aesthetic experiences are not only neurologically distinctive but also shaped by personal and cultural context, underscoring the importance of both scientific and humanistic perspectives in exploring the power of art
UNDERSTANDING THE PERCEIVED BARRIERS TO ACCESS MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES FOR UNDERGRADUATE COLLEGE STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
No full textThis study explored structural and perceived barriers to mental health care among undergraduate students at the University of Arizona. Using a mixed-methods survey (n = 66), the research examined how logistical challenges, internal beliefs, and social factors influence students' decisions to seek or avoid mental health services. While structural barriers such as scheduling difficulties and insurance limitations were common, perceived barriers"”including internalized stigma, self-reliance, doubts about treatment effectiveness, and beliefs that concerns were not "serious enough" – proved more influential in determining help-seeking behavior. Although 70% of students affirmed the importance of mental health care, only 7.5% reported using the university's Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), with most turning to informal support systems instead. Statistically significant associations were found between beliefs, disability status, race/ethnicity, and counseling use. The study recommends integrating mental health literacy into first-year courses to help students recognize struggles earlier and understand that mental health services are not only for crisis care. Additional strategies include improving informational clarity, promoting culturally responsive services, and expanding flexible service delivery. These findings underscore the importance of addressing both perceived and structural barriers to increase mental health service utilization and support student well-being
EXPLORING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES, NEURAL ACTIVITY IN RESPONSE TO SOCIAL FEEDBACK, AND PERCEIVED SOCIAL SUPPORT
No full textBackground: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are related to a variety of negative social and mental health outcomes in adulthood, many of which are explained by difficulties in social-emotional information processing and evaluation. This project aims to investigate the relationship between ACEs, neural activation in response to social acceptance and rejection, and how perceived social support (PSS) may play a role. Methods: 146 adults in romantic relationships underwent functional MRI scans during which they viewed positive, negative, and neutral social feedback about themselves or their partners. Participants also completed the Adverse Childhood Experiences Questionnaire and the Multidimensional Perceived Social Support Scale. Results: ACEs were significantly negatively related to general PSS, PSS from family, and PSS from friends, but not PSS from a significant-other. ACEs were significantly negatively related to neural activation of the bilateral amygdala and the DLPFC during social rejection, but not significantly related to neural activation of the NAcc during social acceptance. PSS was not a significant moderator in these relationships. Conclusion: In this sample, which may be defined as adaptive in participants' abilities to develop and maintain close relationships in adulthood, those with greater ACE scores showed reduced activation of the amygdala during social rejection, demonstrating adaptative social-emotional responses not found in other investigations of ACEs. These results, along with our findings of reduced DLPFC activation, may suggest that a moderate level of early life adversity can be associated with a reduced need for emotional regulation due to lower emotional processing activity
INVESTIGATING ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN ENGAGEMENT QUALITY AND SYMPTOM IMPROVEMENT IN TRAUMA-FOCUSED DIGITAL THERAPIES
No full textPosttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) remains undertreated despite the efficacy of evidence-based therapies like Prolonged Exposure (PE) and Written Exposure Therapy (WET), largely due to access barriers and high attrition rates. This study introduces a novel engagement quality rating scale and presents preliminary data from a digital trauma-focused intervention (RainFrog) delivered to 47 college students with elevated PTSD symptoms. A piecewise multilevel model revealed greater symptom reductions in participants who engaged in imaginal exposure (IE) modules compared to participants who dropped out early. Exploratory analyses suggested a positive correlation between engagement quality, as assessed via the novel scale, and symptom improvement. Findings highlight the importance of measuring engagement quality to optimize outcomes in digital PTSD treatments
CONSUMER EMOTIONAL RESPONSES TO TARGETED ADVERTISING: IMPLICATIONS FOR PURCHASE INTENTION AND TRUST
No full textAs advertising technologies evolve, companies have gained increasingly sophisticated tools to target consumers. This study explores how consumers emotionally respond to different types of digital advertising: targeted, personalized, and general. It also examines how different emotions influence purchase intention. Using a mixed-methods approach that combined a consumer survey (N = 96) with open-ended qualitative responses and interviews with advertising professionals, the research found that targeted ads generated the highest purchase intentions, largely due to positive emotions such as curiosity and intrigue. Personalized ads, however, triggered the strongest feelings of discomfort and invasiveness, producing a polarized emotional response that weakened their effectiveness. General ads, while less emotionally provocative, were often perceived as irrelevant and failed to generate engagement. Results also revealed that concerns about data privacy and distrust in advertisers significantly shaped emotional reactions, with most participants expressing concern about how their data is used and supporting stricter regulations. While some consumers may be growing desensitized to targeted ads, highly personalized strategies continue to cross a line for many. These findings highlight a paradox in digital advertising: precise targeting can increase relevance, but excessive personalization may backfire. Advertisers must navigate this balance by prioritizing transparency, ethical data practices, and consumer comfort
3 Essays in the Economics of Kidney Failure
No full textThis dissertation is the first to explore treatment for kidney failure as a holistic market, where dialysis, deceased donor transplantation, and living donor transplantation are three separate treatment options within a common market rather than as entirely separate markets. The first chapter investigates the effectiveness of regulatory deterrence in the context of deceased and living donor transplantation. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) enacted conditions of participation for transplant centers in 2007. This effectively led to dual regulatory oversight by the Organ Procurement Transplantation Network and CMS. This policy change led to an increase in the expected penalty for violating pre-existing quality thresholds. The probability of being flagged for a quality violation just prior to the policy change is a continuous treatment in a differences-in-differences regression model. The more punitive regulatory regime was at least as effective as the prior regime in enforcing the quality mandates. Still, it came at the cost of a reduced transplant rate amongst centers most at risk of being flagged for a quality violation and increased firm exit, especially amongst smaller firms. In addition, small remote centers were the most likely to exit the market, suggesting disproportionate harm to rural patients. The second chapter uses a finite horizon discrete choice model to estimate willingness to pay for expanding access to kidney transplantation. Patients are treated with dialysis until they receive a transplant. Patients choose whether to wait for a deceased donor transplant or to receive quick access to a living donor transplant from a close relative or friend. I find that willingness to pay is similar between black and white patients but that black patients experience much larger gains in life expectancy. The third chapter explores the unintended consequences for the dialysis industry when access to transplantation is expanded. Economic theory predicts that the least efficient firms will exit first when demand declines. However, it is an empirical question if the least efficient firms are high-quality or low-quality. State policies serve as plausibly exogenous transplant shifters in a 2 stage least squares regression model. I find evidence of short-run quality improvements but long-run quality decline. Hospitalizations decline in the short run, but mortality increases in the long run
VALLEY FEVER LITERATURE REVIEW
No full textThis literature review delves into the dimorphic fungal pathogen responsible for Valley Fever, which is a prominent fungal disease in Arizona. The disease impacts both humans and animals and has two different morphologies, one in the host and the environment. In the environment, the fungus presents as a mold, and once in the body, it presents as endospores ready to infiltrate the host. Due to its unique cell wall structure and the glycoproteins present on the cell, the cells are able to evade immune responses and persist in the body, disseminating disease and even leading to death. Valley Fever can cause respiratory failure and even neurological deficits, and has detrimental impacts on both humans and animals. In some cases, people can remain asymptomatic. Dogs are most susceptible to the disease due to their affinity for digging in soil, which is where the fungus is most prominent. There are various clinical presentations of the disease in both the canine and human body, with the similarities lying in the way the disease is detected and the serological methods used to detect the disease. Numerous advanced imaging tactics must be used in order to rule out disease dissemination
Conveniently Located Convenience Stores or Inconvenient Konbini
No full text7-Eleven is the largest convenience store company or brand in the world with over 85,000 locations. Over half of these are in Japan where the parent company of 7-Eleven, Seven & i Holdings, is headquartered out of. Competition for convenience store, or “konbini” in Japanese, dominance comes from other companies in Japan, namely Familymart and Lawson. Okinawa, Japan is no exception to having its share of konbini, but 7-Eleven locations on the island are limited when compared to other major competitors. This project investigates the spatial relationship between 7-Eleven locations in Okinawa and census data for the expansion of 7-Eleven stores. The locations for 7-Eleven konbini were collected from Google while the census statistics and shapefiles were collected from the Statistics Bureau of Japan for 2020. The demographics used from the census data included persons by occupation, construction type, family type, ownership status, household size, economic structure, and age. Ordinary Least Squares regression techniques used within the analysis determine the relationship between convenience store locations and demographics. 7-Elevens have a positive relationship between census tracts containing apartments 11 floors or more, construction types classified as other, household sizes of 1, and women ages 35 – 39, while having a negative relationship with transportation or postal workers. A properly specified model for 7-Eleven locations was not determined due to weak Adjusted R-Squares values and severe multicollinearity present within the census statistics.This item is part of the MS-GIST Master's Reports collection. For more information about items in this collection, please contact the UA Campus Repository at [email protected]