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The Construction of Character and Authenticity on \u3ci\u3eRuPaul\u27s Drag Race\u3c/i\u3e
Get PDFOne of the most common instructions delivered to the drag queens competing on RuPaul\u27s Drag Race is to show their true self. At first glance, RuPaul\u27s Drag Race foregrounds authenticity and individuality, but it does so through a constructed lens that shapes its contestants into characters. While storylines and characterizations on the show are necessarily informed by the queen\u27s actions, they are heavily shaped by editing.
In this essay, I will be exploring the ways in which authenticity manifests itself throughout several seasons of RuPaul\u27s Drag Race. Each episode of Season Seven, Eight and Nine was watched with special attention directed towards how each season built up character arcs and storylines. Additionally, I will be explaining the various ways in which real people are turned into characters through the process of the show. By constantly bringing up certain character traits in response to each queen, the show builds a connection between those traits and the drag queen - especially when dealing with cultural and body differences. I argue that neoliberal values shape the way that RPDR characterizes its contestants and that the \u27typical\u27 drag queen for RPDR is not only white, but thin, from the US, and able to operate as an individual and a commodity under a neoliberal framework
How Different Modes of Photosynthesis Impact Stormwater Runoff and Weed Growth on Ecoroof Trays During Early Establishment?
Get PDFEcoroofs remove of stormwater runoff from the combined sewer system in Portland, Oregon. Reducing runoff is essential in cities considering how impervious surfaces promote flooding. A limited number of studies focus on comparing stormwater retention of ecoroof plants during their establishment period within Portland\u27s climate. Different photosynthetic pathways in plants may impact stormwater runoff based on their water use efficiency. This study undertook a one-year study to determine the effect of plant establishment on water retention for a C4 and CAM species in six ecoroof trays. Weeds were investigated as a factor in water retention, and whether plant type within the tray impacts weed growth. Retention varied based on the season, with both species reaching about 25% at the end of the study. Plant coverage reached 63% for buffalograss and 69% for white stonecrop in by the end of the study. Across all seasons, buffalograss trays had a lower LAI than white stonecrop, but runoff did not differ between the two species. No difference was found in the weed count and species within the two types of trays. Water retention in this study had comparable observations to local ecoroof research, with winter having the lowest retention. Neither plant type outperformed the other in retention, which could be investigated further in longer studies comparing the full establishment period including many species in each pathway. Clients and ecoroof professionals may use these data to strengthen their understanding of two commonly used species and their probable interactions with weeds during establishment
Building Climate Resilience: How Climate Groups Can Channel Anxiety and Grief into Action
Get PDFAs the impacts of climate change increasingly stress the ecological and social systems of the planet there is also a greater incidence of psychological struggles related to climate instability. Climate change is a significant source of psychological distress for many individuals, often manifesting as climate anxiety and grief. This thesis explores research and therapeutic experience that has been generated as the discipline of psychology seeks to meet this rising challenge. In particular, the fields of ecopsychology, psychodynamic therapy, existential psychology and Indigenous knowledge contributed the majority of the insight to the conclusions drawn along with contributions from potentially applicable emotions research outside of the climate field. A synthesis of best practices is proposed to support the creation of peer based climate groups. By addressing the emotional, psychological, and ecological dimensions of climate distress, the aim is to empower individuals to move beyond anxiety and grief towards values-driven action and a sense of agency despite deep environmental uncertainty
Examining the Interaction Between Calcium Supplement Use, Demographics, and Lifestyle Factors on Bone Health in Women
Get PDFOsteoporosis is a condition which poses a significant health threat, particularly among women during the menopause transition, where accelerated bone loss increases fracture risk. Calcium supplementation has been shown to be an important intervention to mitigate bone mineral density (BMD) decline during this and other periods of life. However, the efficacy of calcium supplementation is influenced by various individual factors, including demographics and lifestyle habits. This study investigates the interaction between calcium supplement use, and several interaction terms on bone health in women. Multiple linear regression analysis is employed to assess the impact of these factors on BMD. Data from the Study of Women\u27s Health Across the Nation (SWAN) dataset, representing diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds, are utilized. The findings aim to inform personalized strategies for optimizing bone health and preventing osteoporotic fractures in postmenopausal women
Death, Grief, and Loss Through the Eyes of Child: The Importance of Teaching Children About Death Using Children\u27s Literature
Get PDFThis thesis will explore how we view death as a death-denying society, along with the importance of teaching children about death and grief early on in their lives. When talking to children about death it is critical to refrain from abstract language and instead use death-specific language. Children need to understand that death is a universal experience, that death is irreversible, and that the body ceases all life functions at the time of death. This thesis will also discuss avenues for teaching children about death and argues that picture books are a fantastic way of introducing children to death. It will evaluate four picture books on their usage of death-specific language, what it teaches children, and how relatable they are. Furthermore, it will clarify what death education is and why it is so important to include in our classrooms
Biofeedback Gaming for Substance Use Disorder
Get PDFSubstance Use Disorder (SUD) and stress are often predictive of one another, bidirectionally causal, and mutually intensifying. This thesis describes the bi-directional connection between physiological stress-modulating systems and Substance Use Disorder, and explores some emerging biofeedback stress-reduction gaming technology as a potential adjunct to recovery treatments. Improving autonomic balance, often described by Heart Rate Variability, has been shown to be beneficial for physical and psychological recovery, as well as improving self-control. For this reason, regular biofeedback for stress relief could be helpful in augmenting SUD treatment and preventing relapse. This exploration found that presenting it through a gaming lens may improve adherence and motivation
Remediating History: A Review of Restoration for Creeks Polluted from Historical Mining Sites, with the Red Boy Mine as a Primary Case Study
Get PDFI conducted a literature review to examine the key aspects of restoring watersheds affected by pollution from historical mining. This review is then applied to a case study discussion of the Red Boy Mine and Clear Creek remediation project in Granite, Oregon. The goal of this discussion is to explore how an analysis of site conditions along with current literature on management practices can help guide these projects. Thousands of abandoned hard rock mines remain throughout the country, and many pose serious environmental health effects. Heavy metals like cadmium, nickel, and copper are brought to the surface from mining activity, where they are left in tailing piles and are able to mobilize into the environment. Mining practices like mercury amalgamation can further introduce long-term pollutants to the site. Remediation can be achieved through studying the site\u27s history, conducting sampling to gauge the amount of pollutants present, and implementing adaptive management strategies and technologies to control the pollutants. The Red Boy Mine and Clear Creek remediation project exemplifies the complexities that go into these projects and how cleanup of these sites is never a linear process. By studying a site\u27s history and examining current literature on remediation strategies, managers can determine what components to consider to create an effective adaptive management plan for their site
Enhancing Robustness of Machine Learning Models Against Adversarial Attacks
Get PDFMachine learning models are integral for numerous applications, but they remain increasingly vulnerable to adversarial attacks. These attacks involve subtle manipulation of input data to deceive models, presenting a critical threat to their dependability and security. This thesis addresses the need for strengthening these models against such adversarial attacks. Prior research has primarily focused on identifying specific types of adversarial attacks on a limited range of ML algorithms. However, there is a gap in the evaluation of model resilience across algorithms and in the development of effective defense mechanisms. To bridge this gap, this work adopts a two-phase approach. First, it simulates attacks like the Basic Iterative Method (BIM), DeepFool, and Fast Gradient Sign Method (FGSM)on common ML models trained on MNIST and CIFAR-10, which are used for image processing. This thesis will then discuss defensive strategies, which reduces the sensitivity of the model to input changes to improve model resilience against attacks. The findings are aimed to benefit ML researchers to develop more secure and robust ML systems
Accommodating Spatio-Temporal Dependency in Airline Demand Modeling
Get PDFThe objective of the current study is to examine monthly air passenger departures at the airport level considering spatial interactions between airports. In this study, we develop a novel spatial grouped generalized ordered probit (SGGOP) model system of monthly air passenger departures at the airport level. Specifically, we estimate two variants of spatial models including spatial lag model and spatial error model. In the presence of repeated demand measures for the airports, we also consider temporal variations of spatial correlation effects among proximally located airports by employing space and time-based weight matrix. The proposed model is estimated using monthly air passenger departures for five years for 369 airports across the US. The proposed spatial model is implemented using composite marginal likelihood (CML) approach that offers a computationally feasible framework. From the estimation results, it is evident that air passenger departures at the airport level are influenced by different factors including MSA specific demographic characteristics, built environment characteristics, airport specific factors, spatial factors, and temporal factors. Moreover, spatial autocorrelation parameter is found to be significant validating our hypothesis of the presence of common unobserved factors associated with the spatial unit of analysis. In this study, we also perform a validation analysis to examine the predictive performance of the proposed spatial models. The results highlight the superiority of spatial error model compared to spatial lag model and the independent model that ignores the spatial interactions. Finally, we undertake an elasticity analysis to quantify the impact of the independent variables