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Exploring Juvenile Vulnerability in Archaeological Contexts Through an Intersectional Approach
No full textThe main goal of this dissertation is to reconstruct juvenile vulnerability in past populations using a bioarchaeological approach that integrates aspects of social theory and developmental biology. Previous bioarchaeological research on childhood and adolescent vulnerability often overlooks the complex biosocial relationships that influence vulnerability, instead focusing on mortality and pathological patterns based on age. The methodology proposed in this dissertation employs an intersectional approach that combines biological and social identity categories with contextual information to identify potential factors contributing to vulnerability. Vulnerability is defined as a state that increases an individual’s susceptibility to morbidity and early mortality due to the biological and social categories they possess. Here, vulnerability is linked to more than just a person's age or health status. Instead, it results from multiple categories. Although not all categories will equally impact vulnerability, understanding which categories and combinations of them influence vulnerability enables bioarchaeologists to develop population-specific models. The theoretical framework of intersectionality helps explain how different categories combine to create vulnerability. Previous bioarchaeological research has used an intersectional approach to explore patterns of health, especially among adults. This dissertation expands on that by focusing on juveniles and how intersecting identity categories lead to inequality or marginalization, making some juveniles more vulnerable than others. The population-specific models developed through this approach start with collecting demographic, contextual, and skeletal biomarker data. After gathering this information, statistical analyses that explore multi-way interactions between variables are performed. To test the applicability of this approach, it was first applied to a small group of juveniles from Turkey Creek Pueblo, a 13th-century Ancestral Puebloan community in the central Arizona highlands. This initial case study demonstrated the advantages of an intersectional approach for reconstructing vulnerability and was then used on a larger sample of juveniles from two disparate archaeological sites in Sonora, Mexico. The results of this dissertation suggest that identity categories beyond age and health influence juvenile vulnerability and that juvenility is not a single, uniform life phase. However, there are limitations to this approach, especially in prehistoric contexts. Specifically, it can be difficult to gather and interpret certain categories among individuals from prehistoric populations. Nonetheless, the approach to reconstructing juvenile vulnerability introduced and utilized in this dissertation demonstrates how bioarchaeologists can identify patterns of vulnerability that might be overlooked with a more traditional focus on age or pathology
Multilayered Regulation of TORC1 Signaling by Ait1, Gcn2, and SEAC/gator During Nitrogen Limitation and Starvation
No full textThe Target of Rapamycin Complex 1 (TORC1) is a conserved signaling hub that senses nutrient and stress inputs to control cell growth, metabolism, and survival. This dissertation first reviews three decades of research on the structure, function, and evolution of the TORC1 signaling network in yeast and mammals, highlighting recently described mechanisms that drive non-uniform signaling and enable condition-dependent output programs. I also outline key open questions in the field, emphasizing the need for a systems-level understanding of how signaling information is integrated and processed within the TORC1 network.One mechanism that underlies differential TORC1 output control is multilayered regulation. In Chapters 3 and 4, I present two studies that define this mechanism and examine TORC1 condition-dependent signaling using genetic and phosphoproteomic approaches in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The first study reveals distinct TORC1-dependent phosphorylation programs governing growth and metabolism, dictated by the activities of two direct regulators, Gtr1/2 and Pib2. We identify a novel, partially active TORC1 signaling state (Gtr1/2-inhibited, Pib2-ON) that arises during nitrogen limitation, sustaining slow growth while maintaining amino acid uptake and biosynthesis. This work demonstrates how distinct regulatory inputs combine to fine-tune TORC1 activity and promote adaptation to fluctuating nutrient environments. Building on this framework, the second and primary study of my dissertation uncovers multilayered regulation of TORC1 signaling during nitrogen limitation and starvation. Under nitrogen-limiting conditions, Ait1 and Gcn2 cooperate to attenuate growth signaling, reprogram nutrient transport and metabolism, and establish a newly defined Low-Nitrogen Adaptive (LoNA) state. In contrast, during complete nitrogen starvation, the SEAC complex acts on top of the Ait1–Gcn2 inhibitory layer to enforce full TORC1 repression, growth arrest, and entry into quiescence.Release after 12/01/202
Mind-Body Skills Group for Underrepresented Graduate Nursing Students: A Program Evaluation
No full textBackground: Graduate nursing students from underrepresented (UR) backgrounds, includingfirst-generation students, racial/ethnic minorities, and those from socioeconomically disadvantaged upbringings, often face heightened stress, burnout, and systemic barriers impacting academic success and well-being. Evidence-based interventions that promote resilience and emotional regulation are essential. Mind-Body Skills Groups (MBSGs) have shown promise in reducing stress and improving coping among healthcare trainees by incorporating mindfulness, guided imagery, and movement-based practices. Purpose: This project evaluated outcomes of an eight-week MBSG for graduate nursing students from UR backgrounds. Outcomes included changes in perceived stress and resilience measured by the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-25), along with participant satisfaction and applicability to practice. Methods: A retrospective program evaluation was conducted. Pre/post surveys measured perceived stress and resilience, analyzed with paired t-tests, descriptive statistics, Cronbach’s alpha, and Cohen’s d. Open-ended post-survey responses underwent narrative analysis to identify themes of satisfaction, helpful practices, and recommendations. Results: Eleven students participated, with seven completing pre/post surveys. Mean perceived stress decreased slightly from 18.14 to 17.00 (p = .75, d = –0.13). Resilience increased from 73.86 to 78.57 (p = .27, d = 0.46). Internal consistency values were low (PSS α = .36; CD-RISC α = .30) because of the small sample size. Item-level patterns suggested subtle shifts toward reduced helplessness and improved coping and self-efficacy. Qualitative data indicated high
satisfaction, with participants highlighting breathing, meditation, guided imagery, and peer sharing as most beneficial. Many intended to continue using skills personally and with patients, and most would recommend the group. Conclusions: Although quantitative results were not statistically significant, resilience showed a small-to-moderate effect size and qualitative feedback was consistently positive. Findings suggest MBSGs are feasible, acceptable, and potentially valuable for supporting resilience and
stress management in graduate nursing students. Larger studies are warranted
Tracing Eight Years of Kuwait’s Air Quality Trends From Traffic, Industry, and Dust
No full textRapid urbanization, industrial expansion, and frequent dust storms have made air quality a growing concern in Kuwait, yet long-term assessments remain limited. This study provides a multi-platform evaluation of Kuwait’s air quality and emission trends from 2015 to 2022 by combining in-situ observations from the Kuwait Environmental Public Authority (K-EPA) with satellite retrievals from the Tropospheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI), the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), and anthropogenic emission inventories from the Emission Database for Global Atmospheric Research (EDGAR). Our assessment allows for the identification of multi-species trends for insights into recent drivers of Kuwait’s air quality. Eight key pollutants were examined, including nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), carbon monoxide (CO), methane (CH4), ammonia (NH3), ozone (O3), and particulate matter (PM2.5, PM10), across four sites, Shuwaikh, Ahmadi, Jahra, and Salam, each characterized by distinct industrial and residential emission profiles. Meteorological parameters such as temperature, wind speed, wind direction, and humidity were also analyzed to support the overall interpretation of the air quality trends. Results reveal clear spatiotemporal variations across Kuwait, with both industrial and residential sites showing strong positive CO-NO2 correlations (r = 0.41-0.64), indicating dominant combustion-related emissions. Mean PM2.5 (PM10) concentrations exceeded the WHO 24-hour guideline on over 73% (90%) of monitoring days. Shuwaikh emerged as the primary hotspot for NO2, CO, SO2, and CH4, while Ahmadi showed persistently elevated SO2 and CH4 linked to refineries. This integrated satellite-ground approach provides baseline trends of Kuwait’s air quality in the recent decade. While moderate decline was observed in combustion pollutants, persistently high PM2.5, PM10, CH4, and NH3 levels highlight the continued impact of industrial and dust emissions, emphasizing the need for stronger emission-control measures
Exploring the Roles of Hormonal Status and Estrogen in Gut Health and Inflammation: A Cross-Species Proteomic Analysis of Mouse and Human Cell Line Models
No full textIntroduction: Menopause is associated with increased susceptibility to cardiovascular disease (CVD), the leading cause of death in women worldwide, but the mechanism is currently unknown. Estrogen has been shown to play a role in CVD and studies have suggested that loss of estrogen signaling in the intestine during menopause may lead to worse myocardial infarction (MI) outcomes in female mice. Meanwhile, suppressing inflammation in the gut using pre- and pro-biotics has been shown to protect the heart from ischemic heart disease caused by MI through unknown means. Though data support a functional relationship between menopause, gut, and heart health, further studies are needed to reveal the functional role of estrogen in the gut and improve our understanding of how this system is affected when estrogen signaling is lost during menopause. To address this, large-scale proteomics analysis was utilized to identify relevant pathways across three experimental models and two species that investigate changes in hormonal status, sex, and inflammation with respect to estrogen. Methods: Utilizing the 4-vinylcyclohexene diepoxide (VCD) mouse model of menopause, the effects of estrogen were investigated in vivo by comparing mice at different stages of hormonal status (premenopausal, menopausal, male, and aged), then ex vivo by treating premenopausal and menopausal mouse ileal organoids with an inflammatory stressor. Human colon carcinoma brush border expressing (Caco-2 BBe) cells were treated in vitro with 17β-estradiol (E2) and evaluated to determine changes in the expression of key proteins involved in inflammation. Proteomic analysis was performed on mouse ileal tissue, organoids treated with or without lipopolysaccharides (LPS), and Caco-2 BBe cells treated with LPS or flagellin (FLAG) either alone or in the presence of E2. These data were then evaluated to determine key estrogen-mediated pathways and promising prospects for validation. Results: Initially, we found that the expression of estrogen receptor beta (ERβ) in Caco-2 BBe cells was significantly decreased in cells that were fully differentiated or confluent in culture compared to proliferating cells. It was also shown that E2 treatment in Caco-2 BBe cells altered the expression of toll-like receptors 5 (TLR5) and 7 (TLR7), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα), interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1α), and the antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) REG3γ and RELMβ. Further, analysis of post-translational modifications (PTMs) in mouse tissue and human cells revealed decreased phosphorylation of cytoskeletal keratins and reduced histone acetylation under estrogen deficient conditions. Estrogen was also shown to serve a protective role in gut barrier function and evaluating orthologs across mouse- and human cell models highlighted key areas of cross-species conservation. Discussion: Collectively, the findings presented in this dissertation suggests that loss of estrogen disrupts cytoskeletal organization and epigenetic regulation within the gut epithelium, leading to barrier dysfunction and inflammation that may increase cardiovascular disease risk in menopausal women through gut-mediated inflammation. Though there is more to explore, these data will eventually lead us in the right direction to improve therapies available to aging and menopausal women
MODERN DAY SLAVERY: IDENTIFYING HUMAN TRAFFICKING VICTIMS IN AN URGENT CARE SETTING
No full textBackground: It is estimated that 27 million people are exploited for labor, services, and commercial sex globally each year (Oliviera et al., 2024). Forced labor generates an estimated $236 billion US dollars each year (ILO, 2024). In Alaska, 30% of our homeless young adults identify as having been, or are, victims of trafficking (Stremple, 2024). Education for providers and health care staff is lacking when it comes to identifying trafficking victims. Data shows that 63% of surveyed health care providers have not had training in human trafficking (Oliviera et al., 2024). Purpose: The purpose of this DNP Project was to increase the ability for a trafficking victim to be recognized in an urgent care setting. An opportunity exists to improve outcomes by providing fast and easy education to providers and health care staff. Methods: The participants for this project consisted of male and female medical assistants, registered nurses, nurse practitioners and other providers, laboratory technicians and administrative staff of an urgent care office. Recruitment was done via word-of-mouth where a flier was presented, and participation was optional. Results: The total number of participants was 13 (n = 13). All participants (100%) completed the pretest and posttest. Where a p value of 0.05 is considered significant, the combined data showed an overall p value of 0.034, which is considered statistically significant. Conclusion: The pre and posttest gave undoubtable insight that education did improve knowledge and confidence in the health care workers by simply watching a four-minute educational video
Power Side-Channel Leakage Assessment of FPGA-Based Spiking Neural Networks
No full textOn-chip learning refers to the process of training or updating machine learning models directly on specialized hardware, rather than relying on external computational resources such as CPUs or GPUs. On-chip learning offers reduced latency, energy efficiency, privacy, and adaptability. Hence, on-chip learning is a promising approach for enabling intelligent decision-making and adaptability in edge and IoT devices while addressing the challenges posed by limited resources and data privacy concerns. One of the main features of on-chip learning involves adapting synaptic weights within a Spiking Neural Network (SNN), allowing dynamic adjustments of the network's behavior to align with desired outcomes. Such adaptability is a double-edged sword, as it opens doors for potential security vulnerabilities. Unaddressed security risks in on-chip learning could lead to a wide range of threats, including data leaks, unauthorized access, and even adversarial manipulation of the learning process. In this work, we demonstrate a successful power side-channel attack (SCA) targeting a quantized SNN deployed on the CW305 FPGA using ChipWhisperer. Our analysis reveals consistent power leakage patterns correlated with neuron updates, enabling attackers to infer internal model attributes without accessing model weights or inputs. Furthermore, we extend this analysis by performing a Correlation Power Analysis (CPA) attack to successfully recover the secret synaptic weights of the network. Using a Hamming Weight leakage model, we demonstrate that these weights can be extracted with high confidence using as few as 1500 power traces. This thesis aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the security risks associated with on-chip learning, highlighting the potential vulnerabilities within the SNN architecture. We will examine real-world scenarios in which these vulnerabilities can be exploited and discuss their implications for applications in IoT, edge computing, and other domains. Furthermore, this thesis will outline safeguards and mitigation strategies to address these security concerns at the software-hardware boundary. We will explore design principles, cryptographic techniques, and access control mechanisms that can be used to secure on-chip learning systems without impacting their performance
ENHANCING FLIGHT SAFETY TRAINING WITH AI-GENERATED TELEMETRY DATA FOR MISSION READINESS
No full textObtaining simulated or pre-recorded telemetry data is often restricted due to classification or
proprietary constraints, limiting its use for training, pre-mission workups and flight safety preparation.
In many cases operators only encounter real telemetry data at the first live test event.
The use of AI driven tools allows for the generation of realistic flight safety values, enabling the
production of simulated telemetry data streams. These values can be manipulated to represent a range
of realistic flight conditions, providing the necessary complexity and situation evolution seen in high
dynamic failure modes. These data can therefore be used to enhance training scenarios, by ensuring
that flight safety personnel are prepared for a range of complex and realistic failure conditions.
In addition, other AI-based tools have enabled historical paper records (eg Apollo 11 and past
missions) to be digitised in simulated telemetry IRIG 106 Chapter 4 Pulse Code Modulation (PCM)
streams and then utilised for system checkout and technician training.International Foundation for TelemeteringProceedings from the International Telemetering Conference are made available by the International Foundation for Telemetering and the University of Arizona Libraries. Visit https://telemetry.org/contact/ if you have questions about items in this collection
SYSTEM DESIGN AND VERSATILE USE CASES APPROACH FOR A NEXT-GEN MODULAR FLIGHT TEST INSTRUMENTATION
No full textA few years ago, SDS presented the exploration of a new type of modular instrumentation that led
to the realization of a proof of concept. This approach kickstarted the development of an innovative
product addressing typical "pain points" of the Flight Test Instrumentation engineers. The purpose
of this paper is to present the system design approach applied to this new product line. It will also
demonstrate the broad range of use cases covered thanks to the versatility of this new concept and
its standardized interfaces.International Foundation for TelemeteringProceedings from the International Telemetering Conference are made available by the International Foundation for Telemetering and the University of Arizona Libraries. Visit https://telemetry.org/contact/ if you have questions about items in this collection
AUTONOMOUS NAVIGATION USING SLAM AND A MARITIME RADAR SYSTEM
No full textThis paper presents the design and evaluation of an Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) capable
of autonomous navigation and remote coastline mapping. The system implements a radar-based
solution with a Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) algorithm to construct large-
scale ground-truth maps for both localization and path planning. Radar is leveraged over LiDAR
for long-range scanning due to its superior range and higher scan accuracy. The SLAM algorithm
works by extracting and matching features from multiple radar scans, which allows it to stitch new
features onto a large-scale generated map. The generated map is used in tandem with the on-board
LiDAR unit, with the map being used to plot out proposed courses for the USV, while the LiDAR
employs basic obstacle detection and avoidance techniques while pathing to the desired location.International Foundation for TelemeteringProceedings from the International Telemetering Conference are made available by the International Foundation for Telemetering and the University of Arizona Libraries. Visit https://telemetry.org/contact/ if you have questions about items in this collection