Theses and Dissertations
This collection includes both ASU Theses and Dissertations, submitted by graduate students, and the Barrett, Honors College theses submitted by undergraduate students.
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- Creators: Barrett, The Honors College
Description
Protein crystallization is a technique for the formation of three-dimensional protein crystals, which is widely utilized by scientists, engineers, and researchers. Protein crystallography allows for protein structures and functions to be studied. As proteins play a central role in biological systems and life itself, a deeper understanding of their structure-function properties is crucial to elucidating fundamental behaviors, such as protein folding in addition to the role that they play in emerging fields, such as, tissue engineering with application to the emerging field of regenerative medicine. However, a significant limitation toward achieving further advancements in this field is that in order to determine detailed structure of proteins from protein crystals, high-quality and larger size protein crystals are needed. Because it is difficult to produce adequate size, high-quality crystals, it remains difficult to determine the structure of many proteins. However, a new method using a microgravity environment to crystallize proteins has proven effective through various studies conducted on the International Space Station (ISS). In the presence of microgravity, free convection is essentially absent in the bulk solution where crystallization occurs, thus allowing for purely random Brownian motion to exist which favors the nucleation and growth of high-quality protein crystals. Many studies from the ISS to date have demonstrated that growing protein crystals in a microgravity environment produces larger and higher-quality crystals. This method provides new opportunities for better structure identification and analysis of proteins. Although there remains many more limitations and challenges in the field, microgravity protein crystallization holds many opportunities for the future of biotechnology and scientific development. The objective of this thesis was to study the crystallization of hen egg white lysozyme (HEWL) and determine the effects of both unit and microgravity on growth/size and quality of HEWL. Through preliminary trials using a universal ground-based reduced-gravity system, the crystallization of HEWL in a simulated microgravity environment was successfully conducted and the results reported are promising. The utility of continuous, scalable ground-based, microgravity platforms for studies on a wide range of material systems and behavior, such as, protein crystallization, has significant implications regarding its impact on many industries, including drug development as well as regenerative medicine.
ContributorsTran, Amanda Marie (Author) / Pizziconi, Vincent (Thesis director) / Alford, Terry (Committee member) / Chemical Engineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-12
Description
The design and intent of this research proposal was unknowingly established during my first semester at Arizona State University. Dr. John Hepburn, my Introduction to Criminology professor at the time, and I created an honors contract where I would be conducting a qualitative research project with the municipality of Chandler, Arizona. This encompassed two main components: 28 hours of ride-alongs with the Chandler Police Department during their over-night shifts and, secondly, four additional hours observing the criminal courts at Chandler Municipal Court. This entailed the very start of my first-hand exposure to the American—and more specifically the Arizona—criminal justice system. At the conclusion of this experience, the need for reform and equity within our current criminal justice system divulged. Thus, I was inspired to dedicate the prompt of my honors thesis project to the Arizona criminal justice system and the Arizona community.
As my academic career progressed at ASU, I witnessed the Black Lives Matter and Blue Lives Matter movements emerge, accompanied with a polarization between communities and U.S. law enforcement. This exposure led the mission of my honors thesis project towards helping alleviate those tensions. With the help of my committee, I found it most appropriate to investigate the community-police programs that already exist and seeing how communities across the states can develop not a single community police program but develop a mechanism for tailoring and modernizing programs as needed.
As my academic career progressed at ASU, I witnessed the Black Lives Matter and Blue Lives Matter movements emerge, accompanied with a polarization between communities and U.S. law enforcement. This exposure led the mission of my honors thesis project towards helping alleviate those tensions. With the help of my committee, I found it most appropriate to investigate the community-police programs that already exist and seeing how communities across the states can develop not a single community police program but develop a mechanism for tailoring and modernizing programs as needed.
ContributorsHernandez, Daisy (Author) / Hepburn, John (Thesis director) / Robinson, Kevin (Committee member) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / School of Public Affairs (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
The goal of our research is to highlight the reality of criminal justice professionals’ roles. We interviewed six criminal justice professionals from three different fields within the criminal justice profession. The professions we focused on included judges, lawyers and police officers. During each interview we showed the professionals a series of video clips from popular movies and television shows that portrayed individuals in their field. At the conclusion of each video, we asked the professionals to point out the realistic and overexaggerated aspects in the videos. Towards the very end of the interviews, we asked each professional a series of questions that corresponded with their specific field (See Appendix A). We received a lot of insight on what their jobs truly entail.
We gathered qualitative data on criminal justice professionals because we wanted to debunk myths associated with their professions. Professions within the criminal justice field can be extremely dangerous and even life-threatening, therefore it is important that individuals looking to enter these professions are well-informed. With technology improving daily, more and more people have easy access to social media, news, and television shows. Some people rely solely on these platforms to receive information. Another key reason we chose qualitative methods is because we wanted our information to be applicable for criminal justice professionals themselves. Maureen McGough from the National Institute of Justice describes that for police officers, policy related research tends to be geared towards academics (McGough, 2019). We used qualitative methods to provide more actionable and relatable feedback. However, these platforms do not always reveal the full story. Our research reveals how television shows and movies are not always accurate in portraying the roles of criminal justice professionals.
Our findings revealed that there are both realistic and overexaggerated aspects in the portrayal of criminal justice professionals in television shows and movies. Some of the overexaggerated aspects include how nearly all the television shows and movies only captured action parts of criminal justice professionals’ roles. Which creates the illusion that these roles are all about action and never have dull moments. None of the scenes captured the research and paperwork that goes along with being a criminal justice professional. On the other hand, there were some aspects of television shows and movies that the professionals found realistic. These aspects include the unusual humor police officers use to cope with the pressures of their job and the tactics lawyers use to sway a jury.
Aside from the information we received about what was real and overexaggerated in television shows and movies, we also identified some of the aspects of criminal justice roles that are omitted from television shows and movies. The professionals we interviewed also shared some of the rewarding and fulfilling aspects of their roles that are often overlooked or just unknown to the public. With the valuable information we gathered from our thesis project, we created a website (See Appendix B). The website includes profiles on the criminal justice professionals we interviewed and a summary of our findings. The purpose of this website is to reach a larger audience, so that we can inform more people about the reality of criminal justice professionals’ roles. Individuals can use our website to learn more about what the role of a criminal justice professional entails and how to prepare.
We gathered qualitative data on criminal justice professionals because we wanted to debunk myths associated with their professions. Professions within the criminal justice field can be extremely dangerous and even life-threatening, therefore it is important that individuals looking to enter these professions are well-informed. With technology improving daily, more and more people have easy access to social media, news, and television shows. Some people rely solely on these platforms to receive information. Another key reason we chose qualitative methods is because we wanted our information to be applicable for criminal justice professionals themselves. Maureen McGough from the National Institute of Justice describes that for police officers, policy related research tends to be geared towards academics (McGough, 2019). We used qualitative methods to provide more actionable and relatable feedback. However, these platforms do not always reveal the full story. Our research reveals how television shows and movies are not always accurate in portraying the roles of criminal justice professionals.
Our findings revealed that there are both realistic and overexaggerated aspects in the portrayal of criminal justice professionals in television shows and movies. Some of the overexaggerated aspects include how nearly all the television shows and movies only captured action parts of criminal justice professionals’ roles. Which creates the illusion that these roles are all about action and never have dull moments. None of the scenes captured the research and paperwork that goes along with being a criminal justice professional. On the other hand, there were some aspects of television shows and movies that the professionals found realistic. These aspects include the unusual humor police officers use to cope with the pressures of their job and the tactics lawyers use to sway a jury.
Aside from the information we received about what was real and overexaggerated in television shows and movies, we also identified some of the aspects of criminal justice roles that are omitted from television shows and movies. The professionals we interviewed also shared some of the rewarding and fulfilling aspects of their roles that are often overlooked or just unknown to the public. With the valuable information we gathered from our thesis project, we created a website (See Appendix B). The website includes profiles on the criminal justice professionals we interviewed and a summary of our findings. The purpose of this website is to reach a larger audience, so that we can inform more people about the reality of criminal justice professionals’ roles. Individuals can use our website to learn more about what the role of a criminal justice professional entails and how to prepare.
ContributorsLynch-Howell, Deja (Co-author) / Roldan, Joshua (Co-author) / DeCarolis, Claudine (Thesis director) / Robinson, Kevin (Committee member) / School of Criminology and Criminal Justice (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor, Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
This project consists of a police officer training manual and supplemental paper. The goal being to address current flaws in police officer training and implement new ideas in the area of communication, stress management, and cultural awareness. Utilizing expertise from qualitative interviews as well as support found in existing literature this project was able to create a training curriculum that has the potential to lessen the gaps in police officer training.
ContributorsHenderson, Isabelle (Author) / Holohan, Brynn (Co-author) / DeCarolis, Claudine (Thesis director) / Robinson, Kevin (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics (Contributor) / School of Criminology and Criminal Justice (Contributor)
Created2023-05
ContributorsHenderson, Isabelle (Author) / Holohan, Brynn (Co-author) / DeCarolis, Claudine (Thesis director) / Robinson, Kevin (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics (Contributor) / School of Criminology and Criminal Justice (Contributor)
Created2023-05
ContributorsHenderson, Isabelle (Author) / Holohan, Brynn (Co-author) / DeCarolis, Claudine (Thesis director) / Robinson, Kevin (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics (Contributor) / School of Criminology and Criminal Justice (Contributor)
Created2023-05
ContributorsHenderson, Isabelle (Author) / Holohan, Brynn (Co-author) / DeCarolis, Claudine (Thesis director) / Robinson, Kevin (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics (Contributor) / School of Criminology and Criminal Justice (Contributor)
Created2023-05
Description
This project consists of a police officer manual and supplemental paper. The goal of this project was to address current flaws in police officer training and implement new ideas in the areas of communication, stress management, and cultural awareness. Utilizing expertise from qualitative interviews as well as support found in existing literature, this project was able to create a training curriculum that has the potential to lessen the gaps in police officer training.
ContributorsHolohan, Brynn (Author) / Henderson, Isabelle (Co-author) / DeCarolis, Claudine (Thesis director) / Robinson, Kevin (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Criminology and Criminal Justice (Contributor) / Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law (Contributor)
Created2023-05
ContributorsHolohan, Brynn (Author) / Henderson, Isabelle (Co-author) / DeCarolis, Claudine (Thesis director) / Robinson, Kevin (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Criminology and Criminal Justice (Contributor) / Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law (Contributor)
Created2023-05
ContributorsHolohan, Brynn (Author) / Henderson, Isabelle (Co-author) / DeCarolis, Claudine (Thesis director) / Robinson, Kevin (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Criminology and Criminal Justice (Contributor) / Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law (Contributor)
Created2023-05