This study investigated a new approach to achieving high energy density supercapacitors (SCs) by using high surface area self-activated carbon from waste coffee grounds (WCGs) and modifying 3D printed electrodes' porous structure by varying infill density. The derived activated carbons' surface area, pore size, and pore volume were controlled by thermally treating the WCGs at different temperatures (1000˚C, 1100˚C, and 1200˚C) and post-treating with HCL to remove water-soluble ashes and contaminants that block activated carbon pores. Surface area characterization revealed that the carbon activated at 1000˚C had the highest surface of 1173.48 m2 g-1, and with the addition of HCL, the surface area increased to 1209.35 m2 g-1. This activated carbon was used for fabricating the electrodes based on the surface area and having both micropores and macropores, which are beneficial for charge storage. Direct ink writing (DIW) method was utilized for 3D printing SC electrodes and changing the electrode structure by increasing the infill densities at 30%, 50%, and 100%. Upon increasing the infill densities, the electrodes' mass increased linearly, porosity decreased, and the total surface area increased for the 30% and 50% infill electrodes but decreased for the 100% infill electrode. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) test on the assembled …

The current study aimed to explore the direct effect of insecure adult attachment on subjective wellbeing and its indirect effect via racial-ethnic identity. Additionally, the present study examined the extent to which racial-ethnic socialization practices may moderate adult attachment and racial-ethnic identity link. The final sample included 213 emerging adults (M = 20.94; SD = 2.96) with diverse racial-ethnic backgrounds. PROCESS Model 4 and 1 were used to examine the direct and indirect effect of insecure attachment on subjective wellbeing via racial-ethnic identity variables and the interaction effect between insecure attachment and racial-ethnic socialization on racial-ethnic identity variables. Results indicated the direct effect of insecure attachment on subjective wellbeing but did not support hypotheses for the indirect effect of insecure attachment on subjective wellbeing via the racial-ethnic identity variables. Additionally, results indicated that overt socialization buffered the negative impact of attachment avoidance on racial-ethnic identity exploration. Furthermore, racial-ethnic identity variables and subjective wellbeing significantly differed across racial-ethnic groups and socioeconomic statuses. Findings provide insight on the distinct concepts of attachment and racial-ethnic identity as they highlight inter- and intra-personal components, respectively. Mental health professionals may utilize overt socialization to help clients develop a sense of purpose and meaning related to …

The bristlenose pleco (Ancistrus cirrhosus) is a species of armored catfish in the Loricariidae family that breathes air facultatively when the aquatic environment becomes hypoxic. The bristlenose pleco uses its highly vascularized stomach as an air breathing organ. The two main goals of this developmental study were to determine the size of onset of air breathing and to determine the frequency of air breathing behavior in bristlenose plecos from juveniles to adults. Developing juveniles reach functional maturity within four to six months of hatching and grow to an adult size of eight to ten cm in length. To examine the developmental timing for the onset of air breathing, we tested different sized juveniles beginning at one cm up until 8 cm in length. The developmental timing for the onset of air breathing was measured by exposing each fish to a slowly decreasing aquatic oxygen content from 100% air saturation down to 8% air saturation. Fish were first able to breathe air at just over 2 cm and 1 gram in mass. There was a weak negative correlation between fish length and % air saturation at which air breathing began. When exposed to 15% air saturation, frequency of air breathing was …

Beneficial consumer outcomes are most likely when behavior-analytic interventions are implemented with high procedural fidelity (i.e., degree to which the procedure is implemented as intended). Video self-monitoring, which involves teaching staff members to monitor their own procedural fidelity when watching recordings of themselves, can be used to improve and maintain high procedural fidelity, but video self-monitoring requires additional staff time and resources. In-vivo self-monitoring, which involves monitoring procedural fidelity during or immediately following implementing a behavior-analytic intervention, could be a cost-effective option. However, in-vivo self-monitoring needs additional research to understand its effects on procedural fidelity. This current study analyzed the effects of in-vivo self-monitoring on the procedural fidelity of three behavior technicians implementing discrete trial instruction with children with autism. We used a nonconcurrent multiple baseline across participants design to teach participants how to score their procedural fidelity during their discrete trial instruction session. Data suggested that in-vivo self-monitoring was effective for two out of three participants, and those two participants were more likely to be accurate in their self-scored procedural fidelity. Procedural fidelity for the third participant did not increase with in-vivo or video self-monitoring, and the third participant was less likely to be accurate in their self-scored procedural …

Recent research suggests that race and ethnicity influence post-buyout land management in Harris County, Texas, yet lacked systematic empirical evidence to fully understand the relationship between management and demographics. To address this gap, this study analyzes post-buyout land use management practices and compares them with the socio-economic characteristics of the adjacent neighborhood at the block level in Harris County, Texas, an area with a long buyout history. I first identified post-buyout land use management practices in Harris County through county records and photo documentation of approximately 2000 buyout sites through fieldwork from 2017-2022. Second, using Ode and colleagues' framework for identifying visual characteristics on the landscape, I developed an index and evaluated post-buyout land use management practices for aesthetics, utility, and function. Finally, I spatially analyzed the socio-demographic composition of buyout neighborhoods using U.S. Census American Community Survey 5-year data (2017-2021) and compared it with post-buyout land use management practices in ArcGIS. From this spatial analysis, I identified differences in post-buyout land management that homeownership status, race, and ethnicity affected post-buyout land management. Most buyout properties in Harris County are managed as mowed, vacant lots regardless of socio-demographics; however, litter and debris were more prominent in predominantly Black neighborhoods. Of …

On April 16, 2014 the Sewol Ferry became one of the worst maritime disasters in South Korea with the loss of 304 passenger, the majority being high school students. South Korea is a collectivist culture, structured as a hierarchical system that teaches their students and children to always respect, listen, and trust authority figures especially in dangerous situations. This study explores how collectivist cultural elements impacted the response of the Sewol Ferry. By examining the timeline of the disaster through interviews, documentaries, news articles and media; this thesis offers insight into what happened that day by providing perspectives from the rescue crew, government officials, survivors, volunteers, and family members of those who died. The analysis showed that in collectivist culture, children and students are taught to trust and listen to authority figures when in dangerous situations, however because of the Sewol disasters, the culture of adhering to the hierarchical systems started to collapse. Students who survived stated that they no longer can trust and respect adults after the incident along with family members of the students who passed away and the public. Also, the government withheld information and failed to protect the children aboard the ferry, because they didn't want …

Radio map estimation (RME) is the task of predicting radio power at all locations in a two-dimensional area and at all frequencies in a given band. This thesis explores four deep learning approaches to RME: dual path autoencoders, skip connection autoencoders, diffusion, and joint learning with transmitter localization.

The relationship between Erasmus of Rotterdam and the religious movement called the Devotio Moderna, especially the latter's relevance to Erasmian piety, has been a somewhat contentious historiographical issue. This thesis examines that relationship, and asserts that the Devotio Moderna was a crucial formative aspect of Erasmus' religiosity. However, its relevance ought not be overstated, due to the humanist's significant developments away from his spiritual forerunners.

Tabletop role-playing games (TRPGs) present a unique opportunity to study political behavior. In educational settings, role-playing games (RPGs) of all kinds have proven to be valuable educational tools, and even when played for fun, participating in role playing games has been shown to increase one's level of confidence. Knowing this, I designed an experiment to attempt to increase internal political efficacy through the use of a politically-themed TRPG. I took inspiration from the original TRPGs of the 1970s and 1980s which were used purely for entertainment purposes to create my own game in a traditional TRPG setting with current issues woven into the story of the game (also called a campaign), and utilized quantitative and qualitative methods to analyze participants' reactions to the campaign and levels of efficacy. In doing so, I seek to determine whether players will recognize real-world issues when presented in a science fiction or fantasy-themed campaign. Furthermore, given that TRPGs have the potential to shape players' understanding of how the world works and their place in it, will players be more motivated to act on said issues presented in-game, even if they do not consciously make the connection between the real-life issues presented in the science …

Considering that both cardiovascular disease (CVD) and congenital heart diseases (CHD) are still the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, there is a need for a robust and reliable cardiac model. Cardiac organoids are complex, three-dimensional cellular constructs that recapitulate the processes of the human embryonic heart. However, certain vital morphological features within the fetus are not yet replicable with cardiac organoids. Here we report our investigation to generate cardiac organoids with chamber formations. Our method involves modulating the Wnt pathway at two different instances while also implementing two cell seeding densities, all to determine the most optimized that to produce chamber formations within cardiac organoids.

It is generally accepted among scholars that increases in descriptive representation result in increases in substantive representation. Although women's descriptive representation has increased in recent years, women are still underrepresented in politics. One reason for women's underrepresentation is that female candidates must overcome additional barriers in order to get elected, including on the low number of women in the pipeline to elected office, party gatekeeping, women's lower levels of political ambition, and voters' negative gender stereotypes about female candidates. Changes in women's descriptive representation and recent salience of women-friendly policies, such as abortion and paid maternity leave, has caused me to investigate whether implementation of these women-friendly policies result in an increase in women's descriptive representation. I assert that women-friendly policies reduce the barriers women must overcome to get elected to office. Specifically, the presence of more women-friendly abortion and paid maternity leave policies will result in an increase in women's descriptive representation at the state level. I find partial support for a relationship between these women-friendly policies and higher levels of women's descriptive representation. State-level abortion protections are associated with higher levels of women's descriptive representation in the state legislature.

The concept of "creativity" has been studied under the perspective of variability in behavior analysis. Creativity and variable responding contributes to problem solving in novel situations, learning new responses in different environments, and promote interactions that would otherwise be prohibited by repetitive behaviors and routines. During childhood, play contributes to the emergence of creativity and variability. Children develop many skills that are important to their lives while engaging in play behaviors. Some of those skills include self-advocacy, communication, and problem solving. Researchers have investigated different methods to promote variable play skills in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). There is limited research on prompting as an isolated variable in increasing variability in play responses. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of prompting on variable play skills. Results indicated that verbal instructions and modeling were effective in increasing variable play responses. Both participants displayed a sustained increase in novel item engagement when exposed to prompting.

Despite the evidence that supports the benefits of a holistic, collaborative approach to autism intervention, but there is little training to teach those skills to professionals. Behavior analysts working in applied settings will often partner with different individuals from very different backgrounds and disciplines. Skilled Dialogue has been recommended as an approach to conversations that values everyone's contributions in fostering compassionate, collaborative, and culturally responsive care to benefit the children served. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a training workshop to teach the concept and strategies of skilled dialogue to behavior analysts in training. The participants were taught and practiced using the six strategies of Skilled Dialogue: welcoming, allowing, sense-making, appreciating, joining, and harmonizing through use of instructions, rationales, activities, simulations, and feedback. The success of the training was evaluated using a multiple baseline design across training components. Audio and video responses to role-play scenarios were recorded, transcribed, and scored to measure the results of the training workshop on communication skills. The results suggested that the training workshop was an effective method to teaching future behavior analysts how to engage in the strategies and components of skilled dialogue, increasingly the likelihood of collaborative, and children …

This MFA graduate thesis explores the intersection of therapeutic photography, generational trauma, and Christian spirituality in promoting spiritual healing in disabled veterans diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Drawing from personal experience, rigorous biblical training, and extensive research, I argue that incorporating faith-based practices and beliefs can complement existing PTSD support and enhance spiritual and mental well-being. Through the lens of generational trauma, the thesis analyzes the complex interplay between individual and collective trauma. It posits that the healing process is intrinsically linked to the restoration of the individual and community. I present a framework for therapeutic photography that incorporates Christian spiritual principles and offers practical guidelines for implementation in conjunction with therapeutic photography. The thesis concludes with a call to action for faith-based communities, mental health practitioners, and policymakers to recognize and address the spiritual and artistic therapeutic needs of disabled veterans with PTSD.

This study aimed to broaden the understanding of young South Asian women's experiences/relationships and participation in leisure physical activities at universities in the United States. Using a phenomenological design, semi-structured interviews of 20-30 minutes duration were conducted with 5 South Asian women about their relationships and experiences when participating or attempting to participate in physical activity while attending university in the US. The following criteria were set for participants to be included in this study: they should be between the ages of 18 and 24, non-US citizens from a South Asian country, attend a university in the US, and engage in other physical activities. The interviews were audio recorded via Zoom and then the audio data were transcribed verbatim and then coded to identify the major barriers commonly experienced by participants. Results indicated that many girls and women perceived the US as a "safer" place with excellent infrastructure, ample opportunities to engage in physical activities, and convenient access to gyms, which encourage them (women) to remain active. Most participants were hesitant to participate in physical activities because of the culturally non-responsiveness of the system. This research study was done in a shorter time span with a small sample size. Further …

The aim of this thesis is to advance the field of solid lubrication science by developing coatings that provide reliable performance in ambient conditions, work on rough surfaces, and are amenable to industrial size and design complexities. Two different coating systems, Ti3C2Tx-MoS2 and Ti3C2Tx-Graphene Oxide blends, were studied in this work. The Ti3C2Tx-MoS2 nanocomposites were spray-coated onto rough 52100-grade steel surfaces, and their tribological performance was evaluated in a ball-on-disk configuration in a unidirectional sliding mode. The test results indicate that Ti3C2Tx-MoS2 coatings achieved superlubricity, which has not been previously reported for either pristine material under macroscale sliding conditions. The observed synergistic mechanism enabled the superlative performance, which was explained by the in-situ formation of a robust tribolayer responsible for sustained lubricity even at high contact pressures (>1.1 GPa) and sliding speeds (0.1 m/s). Processing, structure, and property correlation studies were conducted to understand the underlying phenomena. Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy were used to reveal the formation of the tribolayer. The Ti3C2Tx-Graphene Oxide blends were also spray-coated onto rough-bearing steel surfaces, and their tribological assessment was carried out in ambient environmental conditions and high contact pressures in a ball-on-disc experimental setup. The coatings led to …

The trope of the queer cannibal recurs throughout fiction as well as film and television. While literature scholars such as David Bergman and Caleb Crain have written about this figure in American literature, the queer cannibal remains unstudied in the realm of media studies. This thesis analyzes six media texts that feature queer cannibals: Hannibal (2013-2015), Ravenous (1999), The Terror (2018), Yellowjackets (2021-), Raw (2016), and Bones and All (2022). Through these analyses, this thesis establishes a genre termed "queer cannibal texts." These texts function on two different levels: they include a cannibal character who is or can be read as queer, and they in some way cannibalize and queer an existing story or societal script. The presence of a queer cannibal character often signals that the work itself is a queer cannibal text. These texts are built on an awareness of existing power structures and narratives. By cannibalizing these narratives—whether they be a fictional narrative that is being adapted, or societal narratives of white supremacy, heteronormativity, and so on—and interrogating them from a queer perspective, queer cannibal texts create reparative narratives that speak from the margins. Queer cannibal characters act as a textual manifestation of this framework, providing a …

The lack of success of the gun control movement and the success of the gun rights movement in the United States have prompted research into the root causes. Although the political infrastructure, organizational resources, and public interest prove to be important factors in a social movement's success, how each social movement frames their arguments is extremely important for proposing policy initiatives and garnering support. In order to understand how gun control and gun rights organizations frame their arguments this study does two things: (1) performs topic modeling on the six gun control organizations' and three gun rights organizations' press statements to see the frames that each social movement engages in, and (2) identifying these frames in the most popular gun control and gun rights organizations on Facebook to predict likes, comments, and shares. This study is able to identify the top frames in the gun control and gun rights social movements and see how followers of each of these movements engage with each of these frames on Facebook.

The production of Hate, albeit a historical, long-existing, and relentless process, has been reinvigorated by the simultaneously globalizing and localizing power of cyberspace. Techno-capitalism, often perceived as the actuating force of neoliberal globalization, has emanated novel formations of social interaction, community formation, the dissemination of ideology, and political mobilization. Far-right ideology is being globalized throughout popular social cyberspaces like YouTube by thought leaders or ideological entrepreneurs, while users then localize within alternative social cyberspaces like Gab, wherein their beliefs are reaffirmed, identities are consolidated, and communities are formed. This process is integral to the materialization of far-right extremism, manifested as political action in real, physical space, and thus, illuminates new expressions of real virtuality, various politics of scale, and contemporary consequences of neoliberal globalization.

In both Mexico and the U.S., abortion rights protests have been taking place in recent years, but while Mexico is moving forward with the legalization of abortion, the U.S. is going in the opposite direction with the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Through framing, journalists select salient information, shaping audiences' understandings of social movements. The protest paradigm suggests that due to journalistic norms and routines, journalists tend to focus on disruptive acts, which can stigmatize the protest. Additionally, scholars have stated that men and women photojournalists have different approaches to covering certain topics. This cross-national research combined a content analysis of photographs in U.S. and Mexican media with in-depth interviews with photojournalists to determine if photojournalists in each country are reproducing the protest paradigm and if there are gendered differences in how they photograph abortion rights protests. The results revealed that women and men photograph differently, with women capturing more intimate photos; however, photojournalists' gendered experiences are also influenced by how protesters perceive them. Furthermore, the study suggests that photojournalists from both countries are questioning objectivity and are attempting to move away from the protest paradigm. This research provides valuable insights into visual framing theory, protest news coverage, and gendered …

Climate disasters are on the rise, with devastating effects on communities around the globe. Scientists have provided evidence that severe weather events due to climate change will continue to increase in frequency and severity. Extreme weather events are often referred to as the great equalizers, disregarding the socioeconomic status and race of those affected during widespread destruction. However, the literature suggests that people of color are disproportionately exposed to and affected by climate change and extreme weather events. In this study, I examine how exposure to extreme weather events will influence climate change policy support amongst different races. I argue that people of color will support climate change policy more than white people. I run regression models using data from Collaborative Multiracial Post-Election Survey and National Centers for Environmental Information. I do not find support for my hypothesis, but I do find that among the Black population, climate change policy support increases as respondents get older.

The thesis examines post-event displacement of households in the year following Hurricane Harvey. Using data gathered from a three-page mail survey conducted approximately 1-year after the storm, this study examines two primary research objectives. First this thesis aims to identify variables that predict displacement or non-displacement after the disaster. Second, this study explores patterns in the destination and duration of displaced households following Hurricane Harvey. Logistic regression analyses were used to examine the extent to which household composition characteristics and level of damage sustained during Hurricane Harvey predicted post-disaster displacement. Next, independent sample t-tests and descriptive statistical analyses were used to identify patterns in the destination of post-event relocations. Research findings indicate in the overall binary logistic regression model that after Hurricane Harvey, being White, level of home damage, wind damage, and number of days a member of the household returned home post-Harvey increased the likelihood of a household being displaced. Analysis of the survey responses also indicated that many households made multiple moves following Hurricane Harvey and specifically, displaced households were more likely to stay with a friend or relative. Additionally, this study found that with each additional relocation, the duration of stay at each destination increased while the …

Hypoxia as a stressor has physiological implications that have been a focal point for many physiological studies in recent years. In some studies, hypoxia had large effects on the organ tissue degeneration, which ultimately effects multiple ecological processes. These organ tissue studies played a part in the development of new fields like neurocardiology, a specialty that studied the relationship between the brain and the heart. This thesis focuses on how hypoxia-induced cardiac arrest alters the amounts of GLYT2, a glycine reuptake transporter, in the central nervous system of zebrafish, Danio rerio. At 7 days post-fertilization (dpf), zebrafish were exposed to acute, severe hypoxia until they lost equilibrium, and minutes later, subsequent cardiac arrest occurred. Zebrafish were then placed into recovery groups to measure the GLYT2 levels at multiple points in zebrafish recovery. Fish were then sacrificed, and their brains dissected. Using immunofluorescence, the outer left optic tectum of the zebrafish was imaged, and mean image pixel fluorescent intensity was taken. There were significant changes (one-way ANOVA) in the levels of GLYT2 compared to that of the control groups during the course of recovery. GLYT2 levels continued to rise through the 24-hour recovery mark but did not show significant difference after …

Racial and ethnic diversity representation in the field of health service psychology is neither equitable nor reflective of the increasingly diverse population nationwide. This discrepancy is endemic to widespread problems associated with mental health care: Minorities are severely underrepresented in the workforce, in psychology training programs, and in treatment populations. The longstanding lack of diversity among trainees in doctoral programs and among professionals in the workforce is associated with poorer mental health outcomes among minority patients; however, the specific contributors that facilitate and maintain racial/ethnic diversity constriction appear to be understudied. Based on the extant literature, a reasonable hypothesis might be that admission of qualified underrepresented minorities to doctoral training is constricted by ineffective and/or outdated recruitment and admissions practices. The proposed study sought to investigate whether impostor feelings or self-reported resilience might be predictive of intent to apply to graduate programs among underrepresented minority students earning their bachelor's degree in psychology. Results indicated that resilience was the most impactful variable in undergraduate students' intent to apply to graduate programs. Hypothesized ethnic differences in impostor feelings and self-perceived resilience were not observed in the study sample. The larger implications of these findings underscore the need for more culturally informed measures …