The deadly shipwrecks of migrant boats in the Mediterranean brought international attention to the plight of migrants in the mid-2010s but the focus soon shifted from humanitarian assistance to capturing smugglers and preventing migrants from reaching the shores of Europe. The step towards a humane migration policy was a short-lived diversion from the project of “Fortress Europe” undertaken since the passing of the Schengen Convention. This project seeks to harden the external borders of Europe and prevent refugees from accessing the asylum system by enlisting neighboring non-European states to prevent migration at the point of departure. Deals such as the EU-Turkey deal of 2016 and the Spanish-Moroccan deals have resulted in migrants being funneled into increasingly dangerous corridors, such as Libya, as the safest and shortest paths are cut off. Although these deals are problematic in their own right, they pale in comparison to the egregious Italy-Libya Memorandum of 2017, which in practice enables Libyan militias to enforce Italy’s migration policy within the Libyan “rescue zone.” The human rights abuses perpetrated by these Libyan mercenaries in makeshift detention centers and on the Mediterranean are well documented, yet the Italian government continues to renew the deal and continue supplying these criminal groups. This literature review examines the issue of European border externalization in the Mediterranean and its impact on the internationally recognized rights of migrants and the stability of African governments. Using a systematic review of existing research, I analyze the key themes and trends that have emerged in the literature on this topic, including the legal and ethical implications of border externalization policies, the impact on African economies and governments, and the human rights implications for migrants. The review concludes that international courts are becoming increasingly ineffective in enforcing the rights of refugees and recommends a reform of the international refugee protection regime to favor autonomous movement.

Education is known for being powerful in reducing poverty, improving health, promoting healthier economies, and providing peaceful and productive opportunities for young people worldwide. It’s a key to success that has been threatened in the state of Arizona through low funding, teacher shortages, and a lack of resources. Inadequate learning environments further educational inequalities and hinder academic achievement among students. In finding a solution, the objectives of education policy in Arizona are analyzed from an economic and equity standpoint.

I have designed a college-level course to help college-aged students build and maintain healthy friendships. Every week, students will engage in collaborative activities and learn a variety of topics related to friendship, including the benefits of friendship, barriers to friendship, and friendship maintenance mechanisms. As part of their final project, students will demonstrate their knowledge of making and maintaining healthy friendships by completing a case study in which students will be expected to apply their learnings from class to a chosen friendship and observe how the friendship changes as a result. In order to establish the need for the course I made, I first conducted a literature review on friendship, loneliness, and factors that may contribute to young adults having difficulties making friends.

This thesis investigates the performance of publicly traded equity real estate investment trusts (REITs) in the United States (U.S.) and their sensitivity to underlying macroeconomic factors. Specifically, this study employs a quantitative research analysis that utilizes technical, correlation, and regression analyses to identify how different REIT sectors react to changes in economic conditions. Data for the study was collected from publicly available and reliable sources, including the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (Nareit) and the Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED). Four areas of research guide the study. First, the study explores the relationship between different REIT property sectors and the underlying causes of similarities and differences in sector performance. Second, the study examines how macroeconomic variables, such as GDP, inflation, and interest rates, affect the performance of publicly traded equity REITs. Third, the study investigates the significance of the relationship between macroeconomic factors and REIT sector performance to assess the varying impact on different property types. Finally, the study explores whether a model can be developed to predict the performance of REIT sectors based on macroeconomic variables. Overall, the findings in this study will provide valuable insights into how REITs across and within property types perform and react to changes in the macroeconomic environment. Furthermore, because real estate represents a significant component of the economy, it can offer investors valuable insights into broader economic trends and conditions, contributing to a better understanding of economic cycles and identifying potential opportunities and risks.

This project is called the Zoom Room and it is about the use of virtual reality (VR) for workspace productivity. It is where Zoom and VR meet to form an enhanced productive workspace for users. Equipped with two 3D printers that show how a 3D printer moves and the intricate parts that make up the 3D printer, it is much more than just a standard meeting room. It is a place to analyze machines and meet with others in a virtual space.

Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus (B. bacteriovorus) is a predatory bacterium that preys on other gram-negative bacteria. In order to survive and reproduce, B. bacteriovorus invades the periplasm of other bacterial cells creating the potential for it to act as a “living antibiotic”. In this work, a comparison was made between the rates of predation of B. bacteriovorus in vitro and in vivo. In vitro, the behavior of B. bacteriovorus was examined in the presence of prey. In vivo, the behavior of B. bacteriovorus was examined in the presence of prey and a living host, Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans). C. elegans were infected with Escherichia coli (E. coli) and treated with B. bacteriovorus. In previous studies that analyzed B. bacteriovorus in vitro, a decrease in concentrations of bacteria has been observed after introduction of B. bacteriovorus. In vivo, B. bacteriovorus were found to not have a net reduction of E. coli but to reproducibly raise the level of fluctuations in E. coli concentrations.