The purpose of this thesis is to analyze the main advantages and disadvantages of various working structures. This paper specifically evaluates the pros and cons of working fully online, fully in the office, and a hybrid model. This paper also assesses factors that will influence individual companies’ decision for how to organize their workspaces, as well as macroeconomic trends that have emerged from remote work during the pandemic. This paper shows that optimal work setup is a hybrid environment. Although there are distinct advantages to fully online and fully in-person office environments, the hybrid setup stands as the most efficient and practical. It is important to note that every company must consider how their resources can support a hybrid setup, and if they can support a hybrid model at all. Companies that adopt a hybrid setup will capture most of the benefits from both online and in-person work, while limiting the disadvantages caused by each work style. Additionally, hybrid modality will become even more practical as technology continues to progress, and virtual work continues to become more efficient. The main advantages to online work are that it makes employees more efficient, eliminates unnecessary commuting to work, and expands companies’ talent pools for hiring. The main disadvantages to online work are also the main advantage to office work, and that is the knowledge spillovers from having workers physically together. Although knowledge spillovers increase the value of a company’s workforce, virtual work has made in-person work seem inefficient. The hybrid model combines the benefits of both online and in-person work, allowing workers to still be partially together in the office while allowing for better technological integration.

U.S. border colonias, otherwise known as Disadvantaged Unincorporated Communities, are rural settlements along the U.S. Mexico border with substandard housing conditions. Colonia residents often face inadequate access to necessities such as appropriate shelter, septic and sewer systems, and potable water. Water insecurity in colonias poses a particularly difficult challenge for residents who require clean water not only for consumption, but also household use in sanitation and hygienic practices. As of 2015, an estimated 30% of over five million US colonia residents lack access to clean drinking water, resulting in health complications and unsanitary living conditions. Preliminary health data collected indicates that due to water insecurity, colonia residents are more likely to contract gastrointestinal disease, be exposed to carcinogenic compounds from contaminated water, and experience psychosocial distress. Yet more comprehensive research needs to be conducted to understand the full breadth of the public health issue. A scoping review on water insecurity in colonias has not been completed before and could be beneficial in informing policymakers and other stakeholders on the severity of the situation while advising possible solutions.

This research highlights the experiences of mothers diagnosed with preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome through qualitative data analysis of social media comments. I collected 300 comments from the Instagram accounts @preeclampsia.foundation and @HELLPsyndrome. The two overarching themes found were: (1) Experiences with maternal healthcare and (2) Virtual Healing Spaces. These Instagram accounts represented unique communities that provide support and information that cannot be found elsewhere. These findings address gaps in the literature on maternal experience with preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome and identify directions for further research. The conclusions drawn add to current research that points to the need for reform in maternal healthcare.

Mitigation banks are a tool created to mitigate and compensate for negative impacts on the environment resulting from man made activities, especially damage caused to endangered wildlife, plants, and wetland ecosystems. The main objective of creating the system of mitigation banks is to achieve environmental equilibrium, meaning “No Net Loss” to all environmental functions. This means damage to one area is compensated for in another area of like-kind through restoration. There is great controversy surrounding this claim. There is a system of debits and credits to ensure ecological loss from development is preceded by restoration of a similar ecology and function. Wetland mitigation banks are the focus for the purpose of research. Background and benefits will be given first, followed by threats, issues, solutions and a personal experience with mitigation banks.

Annually approximately 1.5 million Americans suffer from a traumatic brain injury (TBI) increasing the risk of developing a further neurological complication later in life [1-3]. The molecular drivers of the subsequent ensuing pathologies after the initial injury event are vast and include signaling processes that may contribute to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). One such molecular signaling pathway that may link TBI to AD is necroptosis. Necroptosis is an atypical mode of cell death compared with traditional apoptosis, both of which have been demonstrated to be present post-TBI [4-6]. Necroptosis is initiated by tissue necrosis factor (TNF) signaling through the RIPK1/RIPK3/MLKL pathway, leading to cell failure and subsequent death. Prior studies in rodent TBI models report necroptotic activity acutely after injury, within 48 hours. Here, the study objective was to recapitulate prior data and characterize MLKL and RIPK1 cortical expression post-TBI with our lab’s controlled cortical impact mouse model. Using standard immunohistochemistry approaches, it was determined that the tissue sections acquired by prior lab members were of poor quality to conduct robust MLKL and RIPK1 immunostaining assessment. Therefore, the thesis focused on presenting the staining method completed. The discussion also expanded on expected results from these studies regarding the spatial distribution necroptotic signaling in this TBI model.

This paper studies how the COVID-19 global pandemic influenced a new generation of investors into the stock market. The paper will take a look at the state of the financial markets and its participants before the pandemic, during the pandemic, and after the pandemic. It is important to note that as of this paper, the COVID-19 pandemic is far from being over—these conclusions and recommendations are based on the current trends within the financial market. The research concludes that the younger participants that joined the market were more risk tolerant, traded in large quantities with little money, and found many of their trading strategies on social media platforms. Further research also suggests that market sentiments were highly correlated with price differences in stocks and other securities. Along with a categorization for the new investors in the market, this paper will take a look at how the new participants have affected more traditional experienced investors that were in the stock market well before the pandemic, and their ability to give and take investment advice from the new generation.

Key words: COVID-19 pandemic, risk average, pandemic investors, market sentiments

While a fairly new concept, Internet of Things (IoT) has become an important part of the business structure and operating segments of many technology companies in the last decade. IoT refers to the evolution of devices that, connected to the internet, can share and integrate information, becoming an always-growing intelligent system of systems. As a leader in the semiconductor industry, Company X and its growing IoT division, have constant new challenges and opportunities given the complexity of the IoT field. The business model employed by the IoT division includes adopting and modifying existing technologies and products from its sister groups within Company X. Since these products are being leveraged by the IoT division, it makes indirect research and development allocation for said products much more complex. This thesis will address how the IoT division at Company X can approach this problem in the most beneficial way for the division and company as a whole through the analysis of two allocation methodologies: percentage of revenue (Allocation Basis 1) and percentage of direct research and development (Allocation Basis 2).

While a fairly new concept, Internet of Things (IoT) has become an important part of the business structure and operating segments of many technology companies in the last decade. IoT refers to the evolution of devices that, connected to the internet, can share and integrate information, becoming an always-growing intelligent system of systems. As a leader in the semiconductor industry, Company X and its growing IoT division, have constant new challenges and opportunities given the complexity of the IoT field. The business model employed by the IoT division includes adopting and modifying existing technologies and products from its sister groups within Company X. Since these products are being leveraged by the IoT division, it makes indirect research and development allocation for said products much more complex. This thesis will address how the IoT division at Company X can approach this problem in the most beneficial way for the division and company as a whole through the analysis of two allocation methodologies: percentage of revenue (Allocation Basis 1) and percentage of direct research and development (Allocation Basis 2).

While a fairly new concept, Internet of Things (IoT) has become an important part of the business structure and operating segments of many technology companies in the last decade. IoT refers to the evolution of devices that, connected to the internet, can share and integrate information, becoming an always-growing intelligent system of systems. As a leader in the semiconductor industry, Company X and its growing IoT division, have constant new challenges and opportunities given the complexity of the IoT field. The business model employed by the IoT division includes adopting and modifying existing technologies and products from its sister groups within Company X. Since these products are being leveraged by the IoT division, it makes indirect research and development allocation for said products much more complex. This thesis will address how the IoT division at Company X can approach this problem in the most beneficial way for the division and company as a whole through the analysis of two allocation methodologies: percentage of revenue (Allocation Basis 1) and percentage of direct research and development (Allocation Basis 2).