Matching Items (24)
Filtering by

Clear all filters

147950-Thumbnail Image.png
Description

The privatization of prisons within Arizona has been a hot button issue and needs to be further analyzed to determine their benefits and expenses. To begin this investigation into the effectiveness of private prisons within Arizona and possible steps that need to be taken for its rehabilitation certain definitions and

The privatization of prisons within Arizona has been a hot button issue and needs to be further analyzed to determine their benefits and expenses. To begin this investigation into the effectiveness of private prisons within Arizona and possible steps that need to be taken for its rehabilitation certain definitions and prior research need to be understood. Following this explanation, areas such as costs analysis across different types of prisons, liability rates across differing types of prison guards, and the differing psychology of different types of prisons can be examined to gain an overall assessment of the current performance of privatized prisons within Arizona. After this in-depth analysis of the current private prison system within Arizona, the flaws of the system will become abundantly clear and the solutions that should be implemented to alleviate these problems will be discussed.

ContributorsPeters, Grayson Allen (Author) / Rigoni, Adam (Thesis director) / Schuh, Carl (Committee member) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor, Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05
148228-Thumbnail Image.png
Description

2D fetal echocardiography (ECHO) can be used for monitoring heart development in utero. This study’s purpose is to empirically model normal fetal heart growth and function changes during development by ECHO and compare these to fetuses diagnosed with and without cardiomyopathy with diabetic mothers. There are existing mathematical models describing

2D fetal echocardiography (ECHO) can be used for monitoring heart development in utero. This study’s purpose is to empirically model normal fetal heart growth and function changes during development by ECHO and compare these to fetuses diagnosed with and without cardiomyopathy with diabetic mothers. There are existing mathematical models describing fetal heart development but they warrant revalidation and adjustment. 377 normal fetuses with healthy mothers, 98 normal fetuses with diabetic mothers, and 37 fetuses with cardiomyopathy and diabetic mothers had their cardiac structural dimensions, cardiothoracic ratio, valve flow velocities, and heart rates measured by fetal ECHO in a retrospective chart review. Cardiac features were fitted to linear functions, with respect to gestational age, femur length, head circumference, and biparietal diameter and z-scores were created to model normal fetal growth for all parameters. These z-scores were used to assess what metrics had no difference in means between the normal fetuses of both healthy and diabetic mothers but differed from those diagnosed with cardiomyopathy. It was found that functional metrics like mitral and tricuspid E wave and pulmonary velocity could be important predictors for cardiomyopathy when fitted by gestational age, femur length, head circumference, and biparietal diameter. Additionally, aortic and tricuspid annulus diameters when fitted to estimated gestational age showed potential to be predictors for fetal cardiomyopathy. While the metrics overlapped over their full range, combining them together may have the potential for predicting cardiomyopathy in utero. Future directions of this study will explore creating a classifier model that can predict cardiomyopathy using the metrics assessed in this study.

ContributorsMishra, Shambhavi (Co-author) / Numani, Asfia (Co-author) / Sweazea, Karen (Thesis director) / Plasencia, Jonathan (Committee member) / Economics Program in CLAS (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05
148229-Thumbnail Image.png
Description

2D fetal echocardiography (ECHO) can be used for monitoring heart development in utero. This study’s purpose is to empirically model normal fetal heart growth and function changes during development by ECHO and compare these to fetuses diagnosed with and without cardiomyopathy with diabetic mothers. There are existing mathematical models describing

2D fetal echocardiography (ECHO) can be used for monitoring heart development in utero. This study’s purpose is to empirically model normal fetal heart growth and function changes during development by ECHO and compare these to fetuses diagnosed with and without cardiomyopathy with diabetic mothers. There are existing mathematical models describing fetal heart development but they warrant revalidation and adjustment. 377 normal fetuses with healthy mothers, 98 normal fetuses with diabetic mothers, and 37 fetuses with cardiomyopathy and diabetic mothers had their cardiac structural dimensions, cardiothoracic ratio, valve flow velocities, and heart rates measured by fetal ECHO in a retrospective chart review. Cardiac features were fitted to linear functions, with respect to gestational age, femur length, head circumference, and biparietal diameter and z-scores were created to model normal fetal growth for all parameters. These z-scores were used to assess what metrics had no difference in means between the normal fetuses of both healthy and diabetic mothers, but differed from those diagnosed with cardiomyopathy. It was found that functional metrics like mitral and tricuspid E wave and pulmonary velocity could be important predictors for cardiomyopathy when fitted by gestational age, femur length, head circumference, and biparietal diameter. Additionally, aortic and tricuspid annulus diameters when fitted to estimated gestational age showed potential to be predictors for fetal cardiomyopathy. While the metrics overlapped over their full range, combining them together may have the potential for predicting cardiomyopathy in utero. Future directions of this study will explore creating a classifier model that can predict cardiomyopathy using the metrics assessed in this study.

ContributorsNumani, Asfia (Co-author) / Mishra, Shambhavi (Co-author) / Sweazea, Karen (Thesis director) / Plasencia, Jon (Committee member) / School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05
136200-Thumbnail Image.png
Description
There has been an alarming rise in the prevalence of obesity which has been attributed to the paralleled rise in consumption of high-fat foods. It’s commonly accepted that high-fat diets can lead to increased weight gain, however not all fats have the same physiological action. This study primarily focuses on

There has been an alarming rise in the prevalence of obesity which has been attributed to the paralleled rise in consumption of high-fat foods. It’s commonly accepted that high-fat diets can lead to increased weight gain, however not all fats have the same physiological action. This study primarily focuses on the effect of canola oil, a monounsaturated fat, on energy homeostasis and body composition when it’s given as a supplement to a high-fat diet composed of saturated fatty acid. Rodent models were divided into three dietary groups: 1) low-fat diet (LFD), 2) high-fat diet (HFD) and 3) canola oils supplemented HFD (HF+CAN). After 4 weeks of dietary intervention, samples of epididymal fat, perinephric fat, and liver were analyzed across the three groups to see if the changes in energy homeostasis could be explained by the cellular behavior and composition of these tissues. Interestingly, the supplement of canola oil appeared to reverse the deleterious effects of a saturated fat diet, reverting energy intake, body weight gain and adipose tissue sizes to that (if not lower than that) of the LFD group. The only exception to this effect was the liver: the livers remained larger and fattier than those of the HFD. This occurrence is possibly due to a decrease in free fatty acid uptake in the adipose tissues—resulting in smaller adipose tissue sizes—and increased fatty acid uptake in the liver. The mechanism by which this occurs has yet to be elucidated and will be the primary focus of upcoming studies on the effect of monounsaturated fat on other diets.
ContributorsZuo, Connie Wanda (Author) / Washo-Krupps, Delon (Thesis director) / Deviche, Pierre (Committee member) / Herman, Richard (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor)
Created2015-05
147764-Thumbnail Image.png
Description

The history of Arizona is filled with ambitious pioneers, courageous Natives, and loyal<br/>soldiers, but there is a seeming disconnect between those who came before us and many of those<br/>who currently inhabit this space. Many historic locations that are vital to discovering the past in<br/>Arizona are both hard to find and

The history of Arizona is filled with ambitious pioneers, courageous Natives, and loyal<br/>soldiers, but there is a seeming disconnect between those who came before us and many of those<br/>who currently inhabit this space. Many historic locations that are vital to discovering the past in<br/>Arizona are both hard to find and lacking in information pertaining to what happened there.<br/>However, despite the apparent lack of history and knowledge pertaining to these locations, they<br/>are vitally present in the public memory of the region, and we wish to shed some much-needed<br/>light on a few of these locations and the historical takeaways that can be gleaned from their<br/>study. This thesis argues the significance of three concepts: place-making, public memory, and<br/>stories. Place-making is the reinvention of history in the theater of mind which creates a<br/>plausible reality of the past through what is known in the present. Public memory is a way to<br/>explain how events in a location affect the public consciousness regarding that site and further<br/>events that stem from it. Lastly, stories about a place and event help to explain its overall impact<br/>and what can be learned from the occurrences there. Throughout this thesis we will be discussing<br/>seven sites across Arizona, the events that occurred there, and how these three aspects of study<br/>can be used to experience history in a personal way that gives us a special perspective on the<br/>land around us. The importance of personalizing history lies in finding our own identity as<br/>inhabitants of this land we call home and knowing the stories gives us greater attachment to the<br/>larger narrative of humanity as it has existed in this space.

ContributorsMartin, Trevor James (Co-author) / Martin, Austin (Co-author) / Fixico, Donald (Thesis director) / O'Donnell, Catherine (Committee member) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05
131091-Thumbnail Image.png
DescriptionThis paper takes a comprehensive approach to evaluate Arizona’s conformity process after the passage of TCJA in December 2017.
ContributorsBowman, Anika (Author) / Frost, Donald (Thesis director) / Dallmus, John (Committee member) / School of Accountancy (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
131115-Thumbnail Image.png
Description
The United States has been long considered a country of immigrants. Throughout U.S. history the implementation of immigration policies has oscillated from lenient to highly restrictive. Currently, the Department of Homeland Security manages the largest detention system in the world. In December 2019, the National Detention Standards that govern the

The United States has been long considered a country of immigrants. Throughout U.S. history the implementation of immigration policies has oscillated from lenient to highly restrictive. Currently, the Department of Homeland Security manages the largest detention system in the world. In December 2019, the National Detention Standards that govern the level of care in detention were revised. These revisions grant more oversight to private detention companies, including mental health treatment options and the use of solitary confinement. This is concerning given the amount of suicides that have occurred in detention. Despite an increasing trend in funding for detention centers, mental health resources are scarce and increasingly remiss in detention centers. Individuals held in civil detention are subject to deteriorating mental health due to the locations of detention centers, solitary confinement and high costs associated with outbound calls and visitations.
ContributorsPelayo, Berenice (Author) / Serat, Leah (Thesis director) / Hinojosa, Magda (Committee member) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
131932-Thumbnail Image.png
Description
Birds maintain resting plasma glucose concentrations (pGlu) nearly twice that of comparably sized mammals. Despite this, birds do not incur much of the oxidative tissue damage that might be expected from a high pGlu. Their ability to stave off oxidative damage allows birds to serve as a negative model of

Birds maintain resting plasma glucose concentrations (pGlu) nearly twice that of comparably sized mammals. Despite this, birds do not incur much of the oxidative tissue damage that might be expected from a high pGlu. Their ability to stave off oxidative damage allows birds to serve as a negative model of hyperglycemia-related complications, making them ideal for the development of new diabetes treatments with the potential for human application. Previous studies conducted by the Sweazea Lab at Arizona State University aimed to use diet as a means to raise blood glucose in mourning doves (Zenaida macroura) in order to better understand the mechanisms they utilize to stave off oxidative damage. These protocols used dietary interventions—a 60% high fat (HF) “chow” diet, and a high carbohydrate (HC) white bread diet—but were unsuccessful in inducing pathologies. Based on this research, we hypothesized that a model of an urban diet (high in fat, refined carbohydrates, and sodium) might impair vasodilation, as the effect of this diet on birds is currently unknown. We found that tibial vasodilation was significantly impaired in birds fed an urban diet compared to those fed a seed diet. Unexpectedly, vasodilation in the urban diet group was comparable to data of wild-caught birds from previous research, possibly indicating that the birds had already been eating a diet similar to this study’s urban diet before they were caught. This may constitute evidence that the seed diet improved vasodilation while the urban diet more closely mimicked the diet of the birds before the trial, suggesting that the model of the urban diet acted as the control diet in this context. This study is the first step in elucidating avian mechanisms for dealing with diabetogenic diets and has potential to aid in the development of treatments for humans with metabolic syndrome.
ContributorsRenner, Michael William (Author) / Sweazea, Karen (Thesis director) / Johnston, Carol (Committee member) / Basile, Anthony (Committee member) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
131653-Thumbnail Image.png
Description
Above and Beyond ASU's Campus is a blog created for college students at Arizona State University in order to suggest opportunities to explore in Arizona out of the Tempe region. The purpose of this blog is to encourage students to go and gain life experiences that cannot be found directly

Above and Beyond ASU's Campus is a blog created for college students at Arizona State University in order to suggest opportunities to explore in Arizona out of the Tempe region. The purpose of this blog is to encourage students to go and gain life experiences that cannot be found directly on campus and allow them to make the most of their time in this desert landscape. The blog is divided into three categories consisting of outdoor activities, historical locations, and popular culture events. The blog is written from both my first-person point of view along with researched information in regard to each activity. The goal of the blog is to be relatable to the student as well as be a one-stop, easy format for finding a variety of information. The blog format was chosen in order to appeal to the target audience with its appearance, simple format, and ability to write in a relatable tone.
ContributorsDollarhide, Hannah Marie (Author) / Lynch, Jacquelyn (Thesis director) / McWilliams, Claire (Committee member) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor, Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
133053-Thumbnail Image.png
Description
A point of care glucose sensor using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) with a glutaraldehyde-linked enzyme shows promise as an effective biosensor platform. This report details the characterization of various factors on optimal binding frequency (OBF) and sensor performance to better prepare the sensor for future experimentation. Utilizing a screen printed

A point of care glucose sensor using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) with a glutaraldehyde-linked enzyme shows promise as an effective biosensor platform. This report details the characterization of various factors on optimal binding frequency (OBF) and sensor performance to better prepare the sensor for future experimentation. Utilizing a screen printed carbon electrode, the necessary amount of glucose oxidase was determined to be 10 mg/mL. Binding time trials ranging from 1-3 minutes demonstrated that 1.5 minutes was the optimal binding time. This timeframe produced the strongest impedance response at each glucose concentration. Using this enzyme concentration and binding time, the native OBF of the biosensor was found to be 1.18 Hz using vector analysis. Temperature testing showed little change in OBF in sensors exposed to 4 \u00B0C through 43.3 \u00B0C. Only exposure to 60 \u00B0C resulted in rapid OBF change which was likely due to glucose oxidase becoming denatured. Humidity tests showed little change in OBF and sensor performance between sensors prepared at the humidities of 7.5%, 10.625% and 16.5% humidity. Alternatively, solutions containing common interference molecules such as uric acid, acetaminophen, and ascorbic acid resulted in a highly shifted OBF and drastically reduced signal.
ContributorsMatloff, Daniel (Co-author) / Khanwalker, Mukund (Co-author) / Johns, Jared (Co-author) / LaBelle, Jeffrey (Thesis director) / Pizziconi, Vincent (Committee member) / Lin, Chi (Committee member) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-12