Matching Items (346)
Description
For my creative project, I originally decided to produce an original instrumental EP (Extended Play), its aim to bridge the gap between classical Choral/Orchestral literature and more modern Hip-Hop/Rhythm & Blues through the implementation of sample-based sounds and melodies. As the semester went on, however, I realized that my original focus was really putting a strain on my creativity. A broadening in scope was exactly what I needed to spark the creativity within me. I had to create what suited me at the time, or what was a reflection of my current environment. This change began to push me beyond what I believed I was capable of; the tracks for the EP seemed to follow effortlessly. For the first production on my EP, I sampled from an a cappella file that I found on a royalty-free music database. The file had a raw cut, sans instrumentation and effects, of a teenage girl singing an original Soul/Rhythm & Blues tune of hers named "Don't Go." Atop the vocal, I added an original drum kit and sub-bass waveform, sound-designed by me, and an airy synthesizer line. My second original production, titled "Dreams," is a production that exudes everything that I stand for and am inspired by with regards to music. This work is the kind of production that got me into producing music in the first place. It demonstrates simplicity and elegance in every sense. A Rhythm & Blues record (Monnie Riperton's Edge of a Dream), a simple, yet hard-hitting drum groove with drum sounds sampled from live drums, and bass-line were the only ingredients necessary to produce "Dreams." The video logs, an addition to the original productions, were put in place to track my progress throughout the semester. The observer gets to learn alongside me, from the inception and into the execution of the project, the facets of sampling, building a drum groove, and creating an arrangement. By including access to my workflow as part of this project, I wish to provide a dynamic, evolving tool for producers in the future.
ContributorsShargal, Tamir Mike (Author) / Tobias, Evan (Thesis director) / Evans, Bartlett (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Human Evolution and Social Change (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
Among wild rodent populations, vertical transmission is believed to constitute the primary route of infection for Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus (LCMV), a non-lytic arenavirus with both acute and chronic forms. When carrier mice infected at birth with the acute Armstrong strain reproduce, they generate congenital carrier offspring containing a quasispecies of LCMV that includes Armstrong as well as its chronic Clone-13 variant. This study examined the genetic trends in the vertical transmission of LCMV from mothers infected perinatally with Clone-13. Viral isolates obtained from the serum of congenital carrier offspring were partially sequenced to reveal residue 260 in the glycoprotein-encoding region of their S segment, the site of a major amino acid change differentiating the chronic and acute strains. It was found that the phenylalanine-to-leucine mutation associated with Clone-13 was present in 100% of the isolates, strongly indicating that the offspring of Clone-13 carriers contain exclusively the chronic variant. This research has broad implications for the epidemiology of the virus, and, given the predominance of Armstrong in the wild, suggests that there must be a biological cost associated with Clone-13 infection in non-carriers.
ContributorsFrear, Cody Christian (Author) / Blattman, Joseph (Thesis director) / Hogue, Brenda (Committee member) / Holechek, Susan (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Human Evolution and Social Change (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
Maternal health and mental health have recently become globally recognized as critical areas of focus. The continued research into the relationship between maternal health and mental health—in particular, how they are affected by public policy and infrastructure—is vital to the improvement of general health outcomes. An investigation of literature, current health landscape and indicators, gray literature, and the current policy landscape in an exemplar country (Australia), Bangladesh and Nepal was done. Bangladesh and Nepal were chosen due to the recent amounts of change seen in each country’s maternal health status. Both Bangladesh and Nepal are severely lacking in official mental health services, facilities, and personnel. The analysis revealed flaws and disparities in each country’s current policy landscape. Despite these disparities it should be recognized that policies and programs are being implemented – just in a very piecemeal manner, and not entirely by each country’s respective government. Integration of maternal health services and mental health services is recommended to improve functionality of already existing services. The addition of minimal but necessary components to health systems is recommended.
ContributorsCiampaglio, Kaitlyn Rae (Author) / Gaughan, Monica (Thesis director) / Hagaman, Ashley (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Human Evolution and Social Change (Contributor) / School of Sustainability (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
Breast cancer affects hundreds of thousands of women a year in the United States, and kills tens of thousands. African-American women experience a lower incidence of breast cancer, yet they die at twice the rate of Caucasian women. This disparity demonstrates the ineffectiveness of mammography at decreasing mortality in women at higher risk of late stage diagnosis. In this paper I argue that the continued support of the predominating idea that the benefits of mammograms strictly outweigh their negative effects may be a factor in the continued racial disparity in breast cancer mortality between African-American and Caucasian women. In addition, I will argue that mammograms are less effective for African American women because they are predisposed to later stage diagnosis and the accompanying poorer mortality prognosis due to higher-risk environments caused by varied socio-political status. My claims are supported by studies of incidence rates, survivorship versus mortality rates, screening usage rates, late stage and early stage diagnosis rate, tumor type, and the effects of socioeconomic status on stage of diagnosis. In particular, mortality rates have not decreased parallel with increased mammogram usage, especially in African-American women. Although early stage diagnosis has drastically increased, late stage-diagnosis remains unchanged and higher in African-American women. Tumor types vary by race, and African American women tend to have tumors that are highly prolific and more likely to be metastatic. Socioeconomic factors are more of a marker for breast cancer disparities than race, however race and socio-political structures that embody racism are often intersected.
ContributorsHuper-Holmes, Chloe Lynn (Author) / Lynch, John (Thesis director) / Brian, Jennifer (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Human Evolution and Social Change (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
Patients who are infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and who remain adherent to their highly active antiretroviral treatment (HAART) regimen are likely to achieve good virologic control over significant periods of time. Children who start with a low CD4 percentage (below 15%) are associated with adverse clinical outcomes and the risk of never increasing their CD4 counts to normal functioning levels. While adherent adult HIV patients have been studied frequently, this was a retrospective chart study that aimed to describe the immune reconstitution pattern for up to 16 years in virologically controlled pediatric patients who had been or who are currently being treated at the Bill Holt Clinic at Phoenix Children's Hospital. In the preliminary study, 35 patients met criteria for inclusion and three years later for this extension study 7 more were added while 17 of the initial patients were followed further because they have remained in care and virologically controlled. All 28 patients who achieved 5 years of viral suppression were >25% CD4. All 8 patients who achieved 12 years of viral suppression were >31% CD4. All patients who achieved 16 years of viral suppression were >41% CD4. After 12 years, the 8 patients who maintained viral suppression all had absolute CD4 counts of over 600 cells and additionally each had CD4/CD8 ratios greater than 1. Overall, the data shows immune system normalization for up to 16 years, although CD4/CD8 ratios improved but never completely normalized. Some limitations include a small sample size and missing data points due to laboratory testing errors or the lack of technology in different countries to test for CD8 cells. These findings suggest that children who remain adherent to HAART can experience ongoing immune healing for up to 16 years. This may provide additional incentive to providers and caretakers to encourage adherence and maximize long-term immune competence in HIV positive children.
ContributorsRichards, Anne Elizabeth (Author) / Wachter, Rebekka (Thesis director) / Blattman, Joseph (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry (Contributor) / School of Human Evolution and Social Change (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
Waste generation in the U.S. has reached new heights, but the exploitation of Native American lands for waste disposal is nothing new. Many of the negative effects of massive waste production and toxic pollution, such as poor health outcomes and decreased property values, disproportionately burden impoverished, minority communities inside and outside the United States (Brulle and Pellow, 2006). Native American communities have long been exploited for their natural resources and land-use, but in recent decades Indian country has also become a common place to store nuclear, hazardous and municipal wastes. This project is a case study of a local Indian reservation, the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, and examined the socio-historical context of the landfill operations in terms of five principles of environmental justice. Each principle was defined and key moments from the SRPMIC's landfill history were discussed to demonstrate ways that the situation has improved, stayed the same or worsened with regard to the rights outlined in each principle. It was concluded that there needs to be an acknowledgement by involved municipalities and industries of the historical context that make the SRPMIC and other nearby Native American communities "ideal" contractors for waste management. Additionally, while the SRPMIC could currently benefit from looking into the principles of environmental justice as a guide to manage past and operating landfills, the Community will have a specific opportunity to revisit these issues under closer scrutiny during the closure of the Salt River Landfill in 2032 in order to ensure more environmentally just outcomes. Finally, it was concluded that scholarship at the intersection of environmental justice and Native American communities should continue because looking closer at the ways that local Native American communities are facing and resisting environmental injustice can serve to develop future models for other communities facing similar challenges to achieving environmental justice.
ContributorsScott, Nicole Danielle (Author) / Kinzig, Ann (Thesis director) / Harlan, Sharon (Committee member) / Maienschein, Jane (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Community Resources and Development (Contributor) / School of Social Transformation (Contributor) / School of Human Evolution and Social Change (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
With an increasing global interest in Chinese economics and society, more and more native English speakers have started to learn Chinese as a second language (L2). While English and Chinese share a similar word order at the syntactic level, they differ significantly in ways to keep track of reference at the discourse level. There are generally three ways to keep track of reference: repeating the full noun phrase (NP), replacing the full NP with a lexical pronoun, or omitting the NP using zero anaphora. Chinese, a topic-prominent language, allows a wide use of zero anaphora to maintain reference; whereas English, a subject-prominent language, allows only a limited use of zero anaphora. Due to this difference, Chinese as a second language learners whose native language is English (CSL learners), must learn to implement the use of zero anaphora more frequently in their Chinese discourse. The purpose of this study is to investigate how CSL learners keep track of reference using zero anaphora. It is hypothesized that CSL learners at intermediate proficiency level would display a transfer effect from English to Chinese in their Chinese discourse. Specifically, they would produce fewer zero anaphora than native Chinese speakers, and they would also tend to consider discourse with many uses of zero anaphora for reference tracking as less appropriate. To test the hypothesis, a story-retelling task and multiple-choice questions task were adopted. The results of both tasks supported the hypothesis. Meanwhile, it is also evident that the CSL learners have acquired some usage of zero anaphora in their Chinese discourse as the usage of zero anaphora was more frequent when speaking Chinese than English.
ContributorsTang, Tianyu (Co-author) / Abdulla, Farzana (Co-author) / Chien, Jasmine (Co-author) / Zhang, Xia (Thesis director) / Bahtchevanova, Mariana (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / School of Human Evolution and Social Change (Contributor) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
Ethanol is a widely used biofuel in the United States that is typically produced through the fermentation of biomass feedstocks. Demand for ethanol has grown significantly from 2000 to 2015 chiefly due to a desire to increase energy independence and reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases associated with transportation. As demand grows, new ethanol plants must be developed in order for supply to meet demand. This report covers some of the major considerations in developing these new plants such as the type of biomass used, feed treatment process, and product separation and investigates their effect on the economic viability and environmental benefits of the ethanol produced. The dry grind process for producing ethanol from corn, the most common method of production, is examined in greater detail. Analysis indicates that this process currently has the highest capacity for production and profitability but limited effect on greenhouse gas emissions compared to less common alternatives.
ContributorsSchrilla, John Paul (Author) / Kashiwagi, Dean (Thesis director) / Kashiwagi, Jacob (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Chemical Engineering Program (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
This paper explains what factors influence mental health issues and what type of care is provided in various countries. The countries in this study will include the United States, Japan, Ethiopia and South Africa, all of which have varying degrees of ethnic diversity, economic status and understanding of mental health issues. It discusses the specific healthcare systems in each country, as well as the attitudes and problems associated with depression and schizophrenia, two prevalent mental health disorders. This paper examines the different ways that a diagnosis is reached for schizophrenia and major depression in these different countries, as well as what methods are used for treating individuals with these disorders. It will also examine the prominent notion that schizophrenia has better outcomes in developing countries than in places that have wider medical care available. It then discusses what treatments are available in each country, as well as social constructs that exist regarding those treatments in order to understand the ways that treatments can be expanded to improve outcomes. This paper will then examine the different outcomes of these mental health disorders that are common in each country, and conclude with ideas on how to make global mental health a reality.
ContributorsOlsen, Rachel Lindsay (Author) / Gaughan, Monica (Thesis director) / Wood, Reed (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / School of Human Evolution and Social Change (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
This paper explores the intersection between principles of Information Measurement Theory (IMT) and sales techniques to identify a best value approach for sales professionals. Developed at Arizona State University and supported by numerous academic publications, IMT is a thinking paradigm that utilizes deductive logic and reasoning to understand how the world works and identify best value practices that minimize risk, decision making, and stress. One core concept of IMT is that individuals have no influence on the people around them, an idea that directly contradicts with traditional beliefs of the sales industry. The goal of this paper is to understand the qualities that make a sales professional successful from an IMT perspective, while outlining best value practices to apply in the real world. Comparison research for the sales industry was conducted by analyzing classic and modern sales literature, author participation in an industry-leading, professional sales training program, and input from sales professionals. The analysis identifies how top sales experts utilize techniques that allow them to efficiently uncover dominant information about their prospects' needs and then use that information to sell a valuable product to their customers. The analysis also outlines the common personality traits amongst well-aligned sales professionals. By adopting the practices and thinking paradigms outlined in this paper, individuals can maximize their potential in a sales career.
ContributorsFrelka, Benjamin (Author) / Kashiwagi, Dean (Thesis director) / Kashiwagi, Jacob (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2015-05