Assistive robotics focuses on human-robot systems that provide physical support and assistance to the elderly and people with motor-impairments. While assistive machines, such as the powered wheelchair, can significantly enhance the functional independence of individuals, many users are challenged by their direct operation, the manner in which such systems are...
Sexual minority individuals are at increased risk for negative health outcomes relative to heterosexual individuals (Meyer, 2003), and accumulating evidence indicates experience the greatest burden (for a review, see Feinstein & Dyar, 2017). These health disparities are due, in large part, to stigma-related stressors (e.g., discrimination; Meyer), and bisexual individuals...
Living organisms undergo morphogenesis as they develop and change shape to fit their evolved niche in natural ecosystems. The biological processes underlying morphogenesis involve sophisticated feedback loops between spatiotemporal release of morphogenic molecules that diffuse and signal cell differentiation, as well as contextual interaction with the physical surroundings of the...
Patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) experience lifelong struggles with both chronic and acute pain, often requiring medical intervention. Pain can be managed with medications, but dosages must balance the goal of pain mitigation against the risks of tolerance, addiction and other adverse effects. Setting appropriate dosages requires knowledge of...
This dissertation examines how China’s involvement in transnational LGBTQ activism, adaptation and innovation of queer media technologies, and the global pink economy have influenced queer men’s understandings of selfhood, sexual desires, and the relationships among queer subjects. It is based on extensive fieldwork in Beijing and digital ethnography on China’s...
Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) is an essential mediator of senescence and a potential therapeutic target for preventing aging-related pathologies. Cellular Senescence is associated with organismal aging and related pathologies. In our study, we investigate the efficacies of PAI-1 inhibitors in both in vitro and in vivo models of homocysteine...
Migrant illegality gives way to irregular livelihoods in Spain and around the world. Studies on migrant illegality have generally focused on its political, legal and economic production and the social impact of a states specific biopolitics. While invaluably important, there remains the need to better understand the modes of life...
This report shows that compensation plans have not met the needs of victims of nuclear disasters for three primary reasons: compensation plans have been devised by unelected officials and without full public knowledge or participation, governments have often capped the liability of the owners of nuclear facilities, which distorts cost-benefit...
Readme for Federal Circuit data file created by Melissa F. Wasserman and Jonathan D. Slack. The data file contains Federal Circuit opinions in each row and case/opinion attributes on the columns. The data file covers opinions issued from 10.13.2004 through 1.30.2018. This data file is the basis for the article...
The data file contains federal criminal cases as observations and case attribute variables. This data file is the basis for the article Discretion and Disparity in Federal Detention, 115 Nw. U. L. Rev. 1261 (2021), available at: https://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/nulr/vol115/iss5/1/. This data file is created with data from the U.S. Sentencing Commission...
In this paper, we propose a two-stage approach for predicting a trips destination by clustering geocoordinates and leveraging incremental learning and contextual rule-based methods for the prediction of end destinations. The proposed approach dynamically adapts to users change in behavior and is resilient against concept drift. Using this solution, 76.39%...
Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Virtual reality (VR) have attracted growing attention within the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry in recent years. Integration of BIM and VR technology can develop workflow efficiency through enhanced common understanding and prepare students in architecture and engineering programs to become leaders of the...
Electrochemical cell devices are increasingly being sought for energy conversion and storage applications due to their high efficiencies and their potential for operating free of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Solid Acid Electrochemical Cells (SAECs), which most commonly employ CsH2PO4 (CDP) as the electrolyte component, are uniquely suited to meet the...
Bumble bees are ecologically and economically important pollinators but have experienced rapid declines in recent decades. Yet, we know little about the lives of most wild bumble bee species. Where do they live? When are they active? What do they eat? What does all this mean for the future of...
As of March 28, 2021, the CDC's COVID-19 Vaccination Data shows the following: 1. Alaska, New Mexico, and South Dakota are leading the nation in vaccinating their populations. 2. The most populous states receive the greatest number of vaccines (ex: California). 3. The most populous states are not the most...
American communities of color have shouldered a disproportionate share of the COVID-19 pandemic’s burden. For instance, at peak, Hispanic/Latino Americans experienced a weekly all-cause death burden 130.9% in excess of previous years. Not all excess deaths are directly attributable to COVID-19—there is emerging evidence that delays in care associated with...
My submission is a data dashboard that depicts global trends for new and total COVID-19 cases between Jan 01, 2020 and March 08, 2021. It contains two tabs (new and total cases) with three interactive visualizations. Two maps, an original and a log-scale-filled, show the number of new COVID-19 cases...
Astronomers are studying how young stellar objects (YSOs) develop and accrete mass. The variability of the YSO brightness can give information about the rate of accretion and the growth of these young stars. The YSOs described in this project are found in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a galaxy nearby to...
I am a long time Facebook user and decided earlier this year to use the "download your information" feature offered on the web interface. I received over 6GB of data from Facebook and Instagram and wrote python code to parse useful information. After parsing through the raw data, I was...
This dataset contains measures of the representation of women in European National Parliaments. I chose to highlight the gap between the current levels of representation and a target of 50% equal representation. The horizontal lollipop bars are meant to allude to starting points and a destination. A rule of data...
In 1994, South Africa held its first fully enfranchised election to usher in a new era and move away from the cruel Apartheid system of racial separation. This paper seeks to explain how political party-based constitutional negotiations in the final years of Apartheid influenced the country’s structure of government. I...
This paper examines the international response to the issue of war crimes, exploring the effectiveness international institutions such as the International Criminal Court in investigating and prosecuting war crimes.
Aside from Constitutional and negligence arguments, plaintiffs seeking to recover for nursing home COVID-19 related injuries or deaths have a third route: the federal and state False Claims Acts. This paper will examine the landscape of the False Claims Act (FCA) as it applies to nursing home liability in the...
Abstract The synchronization of different \gamma-rhythms arising in different brain areas has been implicated in various cognitive functions. Here, we focus on the effect of the ubiquitous neuronal heterogeneity on the synchronization of ING (interneuronal network gamma) and PING (pyramidal-interneuronal network gamma) rhythms. The synchronization properties of rhythms depends on...
In an era where the world is plagued with environmental problems ranging from climate change to heavy metal pollution, new pathways towards environmental protection need to be implemented. Around the globe, countries have been constitutionalizing environmental rights in order to better use the law as a tool in these efforts....
¿Cómo funciona el concepto de paisaje en los Andes? ¿Cómo pensar lo andino por medio del paisaje? ¿De qué manera se superponen el concepto del trabajo, los discursos de la geografía, las ciencias sociales y las prácticas del extractivismo, la arqueología y la historia del arte en el paisaje andino?...
This study aims to understand how South Sudanese use Twitter to interact and share information about peace because some studies found out that social media users can engage in conversation that can facilitate open discussion on issues that can bring about peace and development. The study performed a content and...
Potassium ions (K+) are one of the most abundant ions in intracellular fluid, affecting a wide variety of cellular processes in living organisms. In humans, irregularities in extracellular K+ levels contribute to pathologies including cardiovascular disease, immunological diseases, and some cancers. Despite the role of K+ ions, the detection, quantification,...
In the English language, wh-question constructions give rise to gap positions in sentences, because the wh-phrase that corresponds with the object of the verb moves to the beginning of the sentence, leaving no word to appear in the typical object position. Typically wh-phrases are associated with just one gap, however,...
Homelessness and menstruation are constructs and processes that are plagued with stigma. For decades, academics have researched menstruation and homelessness as separately stigmatized experiences. However, in the process, scholars have overlooked the converging and intersectional nature of the stigma surrounding homeless menstruation. \\n\\nThrough library research and records, this paper analyzes...
The global coronavirus pandemic has dramatically changed the way people and institutions interact with one another. In the United States, there has been an observable and documented increase in xenophobia and a breakdown of social and institutional trust. Consistent with a US history of scapegoating other populations for major crises,...
Experts have recognized the potential for religion to shape environmental attitudes. In recent decades, the world has seen the rise of faith-based organizations in tackling issues of sustainability, particularly those following Islamic ecotheology. Embedded in Islamic scripture is an emphasis on responsibility and accountability towards the Earth; Islamic environmental organizations...
Zebrafish (Danio rerio) are heavily studied because they share a similar genetic structure to humans. The skin patterns of zebrafish are comprised of horizontal stripes of different colored pigment cells. Accurately quantifying the cell size of various pigment cells in relation to their location on the skin is a crucial...
Race is a socially constructed category firmly embedded within a system of privilege and oppression that places White people at the top and Black people at the bottom. Though this system has tangible implications in the lives of individuals, much existing literature explores race on an arguably superficial level, without...
Examining fertility knowledge and identifying knowledge gaps in those who may need to delay childbearing is essential, especially for individuals who may be pursuing higher education. Educating these individuals is also critical as prior research has confirmed that fertility awareness may modify future reproductive choices and outcomes. The primary goals...
A famous topic in mathematics involves the theoretically infinite nature of geographic coastlines. If one were to measure the perimeter of Great Britain, for example, the smaller the measuring tool, the larger and more accurate the measured perimeter would be. This phenomenon contains similar properties to the mathematical objects known...
There is a certain condition that exists in modern Japan that plagues people’s lives and causes their world to come to a halt. Here, the mere thought of leaving their room is unthinkable, let alone going to school or working. They fill their time with games and other mindless entertainment,...
The revitalization of endangered languages is both deeply personal and political, as language subjugation is directly linked to intentional efforts by colonizing powers to suppress and eradicate indigenous culture and dismantle local collective identity. Many studies have been conducted on how to promote endangered languages, but few evaluate the effectiveness...
Media accounts report that the COVID-19 pandemic and 2020 Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement disproportionately affected Black communities and businesses, amplifying already- existing racial health and economic disparities. Black-owned small businesses experienced significant indirect and direct economic damages in Chicago, Illinois, and research literature is now striving to provide analyses...
This project aimed to create a well-rounded digital marketing strategy for ChangEd, a student loan repayment application. We were tasked with improving the awareness, engagement, and consideration, areas the application needed to improve on. \n\n We created a digital and social media marketing strategy using primary research we conducted with...
Currently, a great deal of information is conveyed through written online communication. However, this leads to a lack of important pragmatic, or contextual, cues that are present in face-to-face interaction such as body language, tone of voice, or facial expressions. One method to potentially reduce this issue is emoji usage....
When asked to imagine a computer scientist, males and females tend to report that they imagine a male. This perception can be detrimental for females’ computer science self-efficacy and may contribute to findings that as early as elementary school females are less interested in and less confident in their computing...
Through framing, identical information can be portrayed in different ways. Existing literature finds that receiving positively framed information makes people more risk-averse than receiving negatively framed information, but disagreement remains on the strength of this effect and the conditions under which it occurs. In this study, 503 participants were surveyed...
Much insight into infants’ neuromotor development can be gleaned from their spontaneous movements. Specifically, a greater understanding of neuromotor development is valuable for the early diagnosis of cerebral palsy (CP), a neurological disorder resulting from brain injury or atypical development at an early age and is characterized by impaired movement...
During pregnancy, mothers undergo a range of physiological changes including shifting hormone levels, modified immune function, and reduced gut motility. These changes are necessary to meet the pregnant mother’s increased energy needs and inhibit rejection of the fetus. The gut microbiota (GM) – the community of microorganisms that live in...
Research finds people reproduce incorrect information provided by their collaborative partners. These “social contagion” effects largely studied memory for information introduced during experiments (e.g., word lists), rather than preexisting knowledge. This study extends the effects of social contagion of memory to social contagion of knowledge: Does what people know to...
For over a hundred years, psychologists have sought to understand the role of spirituality in human behavior and experience, and how it might relate to features of personality. This study considered personal narration of spiritual experience and how it relates to the personality traits of Openness to Experience, Conscientiousness, Extraversion,...
Bacteria interact intimately with humans, from “good” bacteria that live in our bodies to “bad” pathogenic bacteria that cause disease. Pathogenic bacteria express virulence genes, which help bacteria invade and attack their host. The ability to control virulence gene expression would help us treat infection more effectively. Several virulence genes...
he mapping of the human brain is one of the most challenging but important topics among the fields of research. The delicate, intertwined networks of neurons obstruct us from taking invasive measures to explore the wonders of the brain. Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) is a possible non-invasive technique for...
An action potential (AP) is a shift in the membrane voltage of a neuron generally caused by a sudden ion influx, resulting in excitation, allowing for the cell to send signals across its neural network. Spontaneous excitation can be crucial for organizing neural circuits, especially in sensory modalities. For hearing...
Gender-based violence (GBV) is a prevalent issue on a global scale, but the effects of such violence upon Asian/Asian American communities in the United States is compounded by their immigrant, refugee, and/or other historically marginalized identities. While current literature recognizes GBV as a public health issue of equity and social...
Now more than ever, forecasting the outcomes of U.S. elections is an important and challenging task. Traditionally, statistical or political-science methods have been employed to better understand how individuals will vote. Our approach differs in that we use mathematical modeling. Adapting methods commonly used in epidemiology to understand biological disease...
Codable robots, small electronic devices programmed with software or apps, have become popular toys for children to play with at home. During play, children learn about coding by programming their robot to move and behave however they choose. But given the novelty of coding, children may face impasses when coding...
By assessing infants’ movements, our research goal was to determine if particular movement characteristics are indicators for cerebral palsy (CP), a disorder caused by a brain injury to the fetus/infant that leads to impaired development of movement. Our research may contribute to developing an earlier diagnosis for CP, and therefore...
Why did political independence not lead to economic autonomy and sustained development which were confidently predicted by many development economists and nationalists in the 1950s and 1960s. Africa will not make sustainable progress in building democratic systems and fostering economic development until the continent acquires coherent, legitimate, and effective states....
Background: Neural impairments that follow hemiparetic stroke may negatively affect passive muscle properties, further limiting recovery. However, factors such as hypertonia, spasticity, and botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT), a common clinical intervention, confound our understanding of muscle properties in chronic stroke.
Objective: To determine if muscle passive biomechanical properties are different following...
Anstelle von wöchentlichen Webex-Sitzungen arbeitet dieses Seminar verstärkt mit Podcasts. Zwischen de zweiwöchentlichen Web-Sitzungen lade ich Podcasts zur jeweiligen Seminarlektüre hoch, die Sie im Anschluss auf Moodle im Forum kommentieren oder wo ie Fragen zum Text stellen.
Seit einigen Jahrzehnten – und heute mit neuer Vehemenz – gibt es von feministischer, postkolonialer und rassismustheoretischer Seite Interventionen in den philosophischen Kanon und das Selbstverständnis der Philosophie. Nicht nur stecken die klassischen philosophischen Texte voller misogyner und rassistischer Anekdoten und Andeutungen, sondern auch die scheinbar neutralen Begriffe und Themen,...