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Heaven\u27s Own Doom: An Investigation into the Collapse of Mycenaean Greece and the Downfall of Its Sociopolitical Institutions
No full textThe collapse of the Mycenaean palaces, c. 1200 BC, has long been a subject of scholarly debate, with various interpretations attempting to account for the causes behind the societal breakdown and the physical destruction of the palaces. This thesis examines the collapse through the lens of Marxist archaeology, agency, and institutional archaeology, emphasizing the role of class conflict and institutions in shaping the Mycenaean collapse. It argues that the palaces, as centers of political, economic, and social organizations entrenched in hierarchical power, played a key role in perpetuating the societal hierarchy and the concentration of wealth and power. The inherent contradictions within these structures — manifested in class tensions, internal strife, and uprising against elites — are argued to be primary factors leading to their collapse. This thesis emphasizes the agency of non-elites whose exploitation of resources and labor from elites likely precipitated societal unrest. Furthermore, the role of globalization in the Mediterranean, like trade, is explored, shedding light on how interconnectedness may have played a role in the palatial decline. By applying a Marxist framework, this thesis argues that the collapse of Mycenaean palaces was largely due to the result of institutional uprising, social upheaval, and changing sociopolitical conditions driven by deep-seated class struggles and the failure of institutions as pillars of stability in the face of class conflict and systemic transformation
Transmission Routes and Possible Endogenization of Culicine-Associated Z Virus in Aedes japonicus Mosquitoes Located in Wooster, Ohio, USA
No full textThe Golden Ticket to Higher Earnings: Analyzing the College and Internship Earnings Premium Over Time
No full textThere has been an increased concern about the returns of a college education. This thesis looks to analyze if internships can fulfill the once sought after college wage premium. I develop a theory that is rooted in signaling theory, human capital theory, and social capital that explains why employers value an internship experience when facing uncertainty in the hiring process. The literature references the same theories an applies them to returns to education and the value that internships can provide, but do not combine the two subjects over time. My research bridges the gap between the returns of higher education and internships and the time component. I use two longitudinal, individual level datasets that follow eighth grade students through high school and years after. Using economic regression models, I examine the relationships between earnings and internship experience over time. My results reveal that internship experiences provide a significant increase in earnings and the returns to an internship have grown more over time in relation to the college wage premium
A Treatise on the Theory of Mersenne Numbers and Primality Testing
No full textThis thesis explores Mersenne numbers, numbers of the form where is prime. We are particularly concerned with when such numbers are themselves prime. We proceed rigorously and along a relatively consistent historical timeline, beginning with theory developed by Euclid in around 300 BCE and continuing through recent conjectures made in the late 20th century, as well as some elliptic curve theory. We start with some basic number theory and introduce the theory of quadratic residues to show that the prime factors of Mersenne numbers may only take certain forms. After that, we assume an algebraic approach to prove and discuss several primality tests, including the Lucas-Lehmer test, and Lenstra\u27s elliptic curve test, before moving on to look at the Lenstra-Pomerance-Wagstaff conjecture, concerning the distribution of Mersenne numbers
Priced Out of Home : Evaluating the Impacts of Gentrification on Housing Affordability in the United States
No full textThis thesis explores the relationship between gentrification and housing affordability across U.S. counties, with a particular focus on its impact beyond major metropolitan and megapolitan regions. Using a dataset of over 30,000 county-level observations from 2010 to 2019, I employ multiple Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regressions to assess how increasing levels of gentrification influence housing affordability. The results reveal that rising gentrification is strongly associated with declining housing affordability, disproportionately affecting less densely populated areas. These findings suggest that some communities may be particularly vulnerable to affordability pressures linked to gentrification, as rising housing prices outpace local wage growth. This study highlights the nuanced relationship between gentrification and housing affordability challenges across diverse geographic landscapes
‘Just Right’ is Never Enough: Examining Obsessive-Compulsive-Related Symptoms’ Impact on Quality of Life Among Current and Former Student-Athletes and Student-non-Athletes
No full textObsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a debilitating and mentally crippling disorder that can be characterized by the presence of obsessions and compulsions. Although tremendously thin, previous research has shown that OCD can be as prevalent as 5.2% among collegiate student athletes. OCD, regardless of athletic status, invariably has a negative effect on quality of life (QoL). Facets of life such as social interactions, daily functioning, and overall mental well-being appear to take the biggest form of hinderance from OCD. This study investigated the potential relationship between obsessive-compulsive-related (OCR) symptoms and QoL, as well as whether current-student athletes who experienced high levels of OCR symptoms would experience the greatest hinderance to their QoL. Four hundred and nineteen participants completed questionnaires regarding their college status, athletic status, OCR symptoms, and QoL. As hypothesized, results showed that total OCR symptoms and all OCR symptoms’ subscales to be significantly negatively associated with QoL. Moreover, results showed that, contrary to what was predicted, current student-athletes with high amounts of OCR symptoms had the highest QoL, whereas current student-non-athletes with high amounts of OCR symptoms had the lowest QoL. Future research should implement a longitudinal study to capture how OCR symptoms affect QoL over time and should control for psychiatric comorbidities that will likely have a compounding effect on one’s QoL
Exploring the Dynamics of Artificial Intelligence Adoption in The Private-Sector
No full textThis research explores the adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the private sector, with a focus on AI patent growth across various industries and regions. It aims to identify trends in AI adoption and understand the factors influencing its growth, such as company size, sector, geographic location, and workforce composition. Through data collection from the Emerging Technology Observatory and applying methods including regression modeling, machine learning, and time series analysis, the study examines how these factors drive AI patent activity and its potential relationship with stock market performance. The findings highlight key patterns, including regional disparities in AI adoption, the role of specialized workforce in patent growth, and the economic implications of AI technology integration. Additionally, the study discusses its limitations, provides recommendations for future research, and examines the broader implications of AI adoption for various stakeholders
Analyzing The Impact Of Varying Levels Of Family Involvement On Firm Performance
No full textThis study explores the impact of family governance on firm performance, focusing on three key governance indicators: family board representation, family CEO presence, and full family shareholding. The theoretical foundation of the study analyzes the production function of a family firm incorporating the assumption that family members may have higher productivity in management roles for many reasons. While prior literature presents mixed findings, this study finds a weak statistically significant negative relationship between family board representation and firm performance. However, there was no statistically significant relationship between the other two governance variables and firm performance. Instead we find that firm size, industry and region play a significant role in determining the performance of firms.
To ensure robust analysis, log transformations and a trimmed sample approach were applied to address non-normality and outliers. Additionally, three separate OLS regressions were conducted for each governance indicator, incorporating industry and region fixed effects to control for unobserved heterogeneity. The findings challenge the assumption that family governance inherently improves efficiency, instead highlighting its context-dependent effects. While the study provides valuable insights, limitations such as potential endogeneity remain. Future research should use panel data methods or instrumental variables to strengthen the validity of these findings. Lastly, this research underscores the need for balanced governance structures, where family influence is complemented by professional management. Family firms should be versatile and must be open to adopting new efficient strategies as they grow in size
Goldilocks and the Three Motion Management Techniques: Balancing Toxicity and Efficiency in Lung Radiotherapy
No full textAccounting for respiratory motion is a crucial part of providing safe and effective lung radiation therapy. The three main motion management techniques for lung stereotactic body radiation therapy are deep inspiration breath hold (DIBH), free breathing (FB), and respiratory gating (RG). This thesis will provide an overview of many aspects of medical physics, including the physics of radiation, the biology of cancer, and the mathematics of data analysis. The purpose of this thesis is to analyze lung dose and delivery efficiency of 1,000 patients (403 DIBH, 576 FB, 21 RG) treated at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. The planned lung dose and actual treatment time of these patients were retrospectively collected for statistical comparison. Supplemental analysis was conducted concerning organs at risk and utilizing a classification algorithm. This thesis found that DIBH has the smallest amount of dose delivered to healthy lung tissue, but also takes the longest time to complete. FB is the fastest of our three methods, but it also delivers the most dose to healthy lung tissue. Treatments that utilize RG have a similar efficiency to DIBH and a lower lung dose than FB. Because of its dosimetric advantages, RG may be a beneficial option for patients with middle or lower lung tumors who do not meet the breath hold requirements. The clinical use of a nonstop gated cone-beam CT has potential to increase efficiency of the RG technique and therefore decrease average treatment toxicity
One Team, One Family: How Quality Teammate Relationships and Coach-Athlete Relationships Impact Athletic Self-Efficacy and Perceived Performance in Individual and Team Sport Athletes
No full textAthletes at all levels are shaped and guided by their coaches and their teammates. Both teammates and coaches can instill confidence, trust, and a sense of enjoyment in their athletes. These relationships are therefore vital to an athlete’s development, particularly their athletic self-efficacy and perceived performance. When athletes have higher beliefs in their own abilities and potential for success, they have better athletic outcomes. The present research sought to determine whether coach-athlete or teammate relationships were more beneficial to athletic self-efficacy and perceived performance between individual and team sport athletes. A total of one hundred and fifty participants from six different sports were surveyed in person using four different measurement scales. Regression models indicated that coach-athlete relationships were significant predictors of self-efficacy and perceived performance, and individual sport athletes were more sensitive to the quality of this relationship. Additionally, quality teammate relationships were significant predictors of self-efficacy and perceived performance, but this was not conditional on sport type. The results indicate the importance of fostering close teammate and coach-athlete relationships for all athletes, but particularly close coach-athlete relationships for individual sport athletes. These findings can help inform both coaches and athletes of the necessity of building relationships to foster greater self-efficacy and perceived performance, and in turn, result in greater athletic success