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A Qualitative Case Study on Nature Relatedness in Advanced Alpinists and Members of Subsistence Communities
Get PDFIn light of the current possibility of climate disaster and ecological destruction, a branch of psychology has formed to investigate the human relationship with nature. Scaled surveys have been created to gauge nature relatedness with the hope that this construct might help predict environmental awareness and action towards environmental change. This undergraduate thesis aims to explore the concept of connection to nature through a detailed case study on two participants who are both advanced alpinists (high risk mountain recreationalists) and members of subsistence communities (procuring food directly from the environment). The participants were given scaled surveys of nature relatedness and interviewed about their experiences in both practices. Results demonstrated that both participants showed very high levels of nature relatedness, but it also illuminated ideological biases in the way psychology imagines connection to nature. Using a grounded theory approach, themes of both connection and distraction appeared in both alpinism and subsistence activities, the two of which were primarily separated by themes of work in subsistence and sport in alpinism. Their reports challenged the conventional ideology of what constitutes environmentally responsible behavior, and how nature relatedness connects to this
MOCK: an Algorithm for Learning Nonparametric Differential Equations via Multivariate Occupation Kernel Functions
No full textLearning a nonparametric system of ordinary differential equations from trajectories in a -dimensional state space requires learning functions of variables. Explicit formulations often scale quadratically in unless additional knowledge about system properties, such as sparsity and symmetries, is available. In this work, we propose a linear approach, the multivariate occupation kernel method (MOCK), using the implicit formulation provided by vector-valued reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces. The solution for the vector field relies on multivariate occupation kernel functions associated with the trajectories and scales linearly with the dimension of the state space. We validate through experiments on a variety of simulated and real datasets ranging from 2 to 1024 dimensions, and provide an example with a divergence-free vector field. MOCK outperforms all other comparators on 3 of the 9 datasets on full trajectory prediction and 4 out of the 9 datasets on next-point prediction
Beyond Skins: The Far-flung Impacts of Sea Otter Fur Capitalism
No full textSea otter fur was one of the first commodities to shape the broader Pacific Ocean trade. As the trade expanded, it became entwined in a global network of commerce that stretched from St. Petersburg to Alaska, from Boston to Astoria, from London to Nootka Sound, and from Hawaii to Canton (China, modern-day Guangzhou). This paper aims not just to view the trade qua trade, but to go Beyond Skins to tell four stories of impacts of sea otter fur capitalism, in the areas of geopolitics, Indigenous cultures, trade in China, and local ecology. Originating in the Pacific Northwest, the sea otter fur trade drew the attention first of traders and then of governments as they vied for territorial supremacy over the region. The reliance on Indigenous labor resulted in immense Indigenous influence over the trade until the impacts of disease, government policy, and the declining sea otter population reversed that dynamic. In Canton, at the other end of the supply chain, the sea otter trade provided an entrée for Americans who, with their aggressive practices, undermined the meticulously built, yet delicate, Chinese trading system at a crucial time. Finally, this paper explores what in hindsight seems inevitable, the trade\u27s devastation of the sea otters themselves
Investigation into Thermodynamic and Kinetic Phenomena in Arylation Reactions with Diaryliodonium Salts
No full textBenzenoid rings are fundamental structural motifs in organic chemistry, widely recognized for their prevalence in natural products, pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and functional materials. Transition metal-catalyzed arylation, using catalysts such as palladium, nickel, or copper, has revolutionized C-C, C-O, and C-N bond formation, offering broad substrate scope and high efficiency. Among the reagents developed for efficient aryl group transfer, diaryliodonium salts have emerged as particularly powerful tools. Diaryliodonium salts facilitate metal-free arylations across a broad spectrum of nucleophiles, offering high reactivity, operational simplicity and environmental compatibility. The versatility of diaryliodonium salts has led to their widespread adoption as efficient arylating reagent in pharmaceutical and agrochemical. Despite significant advances in the application of diaryliodonium salts, critical knowledge gaps persist regarding their fundamental solution phase behavior and mechanistic reactivity. To address this knowledge gap, this work focuses on investigating the solution phase dynamics of diaryliodonium salts and provides mechanistic insights of their role in N- and O- arylation reactions.
The initial study focused on determining the Lewis basicity parameters of synthetically relevant amines which are used in several arylation reactions with diaryliodonium salts. This study also demonstrated distinct solvent effects in the interaction of anionic and neutral Lewis bases. The observed solvent effects further highlighted the need for a deeper investigation into the speciation of diaryliodonium salts in solution. The extent of ion pairing was quantified by determining the association constant of iodonium salts with different combinations of counter anion and solvent. The Lewis acidity parameter was redefined by including the extent of ion pairing of iodonium salts in solution. Next, the impact of counter in N-arylation reactions with diaryliodonium salts were described. Finally, kinetic studies were conducted to understand the O-arylation pathway of phenols with diaryliodonium salts. This study provided significant insights into the probable different pathways that O- arylation reactions can undergo with diaryliodonium salts. The overall aim of the study was to develop a more complete understanding of the reactivity of diaryliodonium salts in solution by thermodynamic and kinetic studies
Renewal of the Mind: Forgiveness Through the Lens of Christian Faith and Neuroscience
No full textWithin Christian theology, forgiveness is a foundational concept that is often understood as a divine command, a spiritual practice, and a path toward reconciliation and personal growth. Recent neuroscientific research further supports this viewpoint, providing data that shows forgiveness engages neural systems responsible for emotional regulation, empathy, moral reasoning, and perspective-taking. Through neuroplasticity, repeated acts of forgiveness reshape the brain, strengthen connections between prefrontal and limbic regions, reduce amygdala reactivity, and enhance emotional stability and cognitive flexibility. Although forgiveness offers many benefits, modern culture frequently distorts its meaning, framing it as a sign of weakness, gullibility, or a form of self-betrayal. This resistance is not harmless; in fact, unforgiveness perpetuates inner suffering, reinforces patterns of fear, and obstructs the healing God desires for His people. By examining the psychological, physiological, and spiritual effects of forgiveness, this work aims to encourage individuals to resist culturally diluted conceptions and embrace the scriptural call to extend grace to others
The Ossuaries
No full textThe Ossuaries is a collection of sixteen poems conceptualized around the ancient Greek funerary practice of placing the bones of the dead in an ossuary with scholarly analysis. This thesis is an exploration of the author\u27s family history and a meditation on funerary practice, social history, photography and distance. The author works heavily with an archive of family photographs dating back to 1900. In the pattern of investigative and documentary poetics, poems incorporate photographs, legal documents, interviews, and genealogical research. The collection is titled after a series of five poems, each about an individual relative, assembled from fragments of information gathered during research and articulated into poetry
Death to Comphet: A Chapina Southern Lesbian Story
No full textThis paper is a counterstory that fights narratives that have been placed upon Latina Lesbians by everyone but us. The main topic is compulsory heteronormativity also known as comphet . This autoethnography explains how comphet may affect different identities but specifically a Latina Lesbian from the South. There are nine chapters that explain how each topic affects a different aspect of identity but centers lesbianism. Societal reasons, cultural reasons, date to marry culture, Southern upbringing, sex education received, racial and gender stereotypes, and capitalism are all of the topics being explored through the lens of a Southern Latina Lesbian. These topics in conjunction with comphet will explain how one may have a hard time understanding their sexuality. The South is a character in the story that adds a geographic place that is not as explored and how this would impact comphet . The paper will give a voice to those who could not find themselves in the current academic landscape
Assessing the Challenges Latin Immigrant Populations Face in Accessing Healthcare and Proposing Solutions to Improve Accessibility
No full textAccess to healthcare is considered a basic human right, yet many Hispanic and Latin immigrant populations in the United States, especially those living in rural areas, face significant barriers that prevent them from receiving the care they need. These barriers include language differences, cultural misunderstandings, financial hardship, fear of legal consequences, and geographic isolation. This literature review explores the challenges that Hispanic/Latin immigrants aged 19-25 in rural areas encounter when trying to access healthcare, particularly preventative services.
Drawing from a wide range of existing research, this thesis identifies how policy restrictions, social determinants of health, and systemic discrimination contribute to healthcare disparities in these communities. It highlights how fear and confusion caused by immigration enforcement policies, public charge regulations, and lack of clear healthcare rights often discourage even legally eligible individuals from seeking care.
The review also examines how language barriers, medical mistrust, and limited access to nearby healthcare facilities further compound the problem, especially in under-resourced rural areas. Evidence shows that community-based interventions, culturally tailored programs, and trusted local organizations can make a meaningful difference. These solutions help bridge the gap between underserved communities and the care they need by offering support that is not only accessible but also culturally and linguistically appropriate.
While this review offers valuable insights, it is limited by its reliance on previously published data and by its focus on rural areas, which may not fully reflect the experiences of Hispanic/Latin immigrants in urban settings or across diverse national backgrounds. Still, the findings point clearly to a path forward: more equitable, community-centered, and culturally competent healthcare systems that can better serve immigrant populations across the U.S
Messy Kitchens, Clean Hands
No full textContemporary industrial food systems are well-tuned towards their primary goal: the efficient production of cheap food to generate high profits. Perhaps nowhere is this more acute than in the production of industrial meat. Here, workers, consumers and animals are trapped in a system that ignores their interests in order to achieve maximum profit for shareholders. But how does modern industrial meat production remain mostly hidden from view?
This interdisciplinary art and cultural history thesis explores this question by looking to the kitchen, and more specifically, to its decor. These decorative objects both reflect and enable a complex ideological transformation. I explore this dynamic as a way to frame my own artistic response to the topic of industrial animal slaughter. Drawing on the genre of bucolic kitchen decor, I create my own set of kitchen towels, which reference this phenomena and interrogate this and other contradictions inherent to modern day eating.
Kitchen decor is saturated with ideas about nature. Its imagery often presents an idealized version of food production: animals content, landscapes untouched, and the rhythms of agrarian life uninterrupted. While the concept of a sentimental pastoral is often used to critique reverence for the natural, in this thesis I argue that it can act as an ideological marker for a romanticized past. Just as visions of the pastoral can be used to celebrate the natural, they can also be used to erase our connections to the nature of mass slaughter. Masking the difficult-to-stomach reality of producing our food, this imagery allows us a sense of connection to the abstracted site of the farm