A New Generation of Inhaled Vaccines

Vaccines have stood the test of time as being one of the greatest developments in health history. Delivery of these life-saving vaccines has primarily remained reliant on intramuscular administration, which has its own collection of shortcomings. When considering what vaccine formulation is best suited to be a widely accessible and effective tool in the fight against respiratory pathogens, current data and science points to a number of improvements available to us. These improvements include: • An inhaled formulation, uniquely stimulating mucosal immunity • A dry powder formulation to improve long-term stability • A live attenuated vaccine to increase immunogenic response • Liposomal encapsulation to increase overall stability and delivery • Utilization of a single-use, dry powder inhaler device to increase ease of transport and opening the door to self-administration Many of these elements are already common practice in vaccine development. Still, there are no FDA approved inhaled vaccines for use, and a vaccine formulation that harnesses all the points above together has yet to be seen. Through literary investigation, a vaccine as described above is possible and within the realistic bounds of what modern science is capable of. An inhaled vaccine is a viable option that has shown efficacy and safety outcomes non-inferior, if not superior, to intramuscular delivery

The Island of Lost Things

The Island of Lost Things is a speculative fiction novel following a man named Maurice. He is a long-time resident of the titular island. His life changes forever when a mysterious young girl washes up on his shores. As he gets to know her, Maurice realizes that he must make a choice between staying in the place he has lived for most of his life or leaving to make sure she gets home. Along the way, they make friends in unlikely places and learn about the extraordinary goodness in everyday people. This novel explores heavy themes of grief and social anxiety through Maurice’s character as he works through his past and tries to determine how it connects to his present

The Evolution of Dental Aesthetics: An Artistic and Cultural Journey Through History and Race

This thesis explores the intersection of art, dentistry, race, and healthcare through a critical analysis of how visual culture has shaped societal perceptions of dental aesthetics from antiquity to the modern day. Beginning with ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs and Renaissance anatomical drawings, the study traces how artistic portrayals of teeth evolved into tools of both medical education and social hierarchy. Particular attention is given to the racialization of dental aesthetics, examining how caricatures, colonial pseudoscience, and exclusionary marketing practices contributed to enduring stereotypes and disparities in oral healthcare. Through the lens of cultural symbols like grills—once markers of status among Etruscans, Mayans, and enslaved Africans, and later appropriated and stigmatized in mainstream media—this work illustrates the complex role of dental ornamentation in both resistance and oppression. The thesis also evaluates 20th- and 21st-century dental advertising, media portrayals, and clinical biases, showing how Eurocentric beauty standards continue to influence perceptions of oral hygiene and treatment access for communities of color. By interrogating the artistic and scientific narratives that inform dentistry’s racialized history, this research calls for a more inclusive and equitable approach to dental education, representation, and patient care—one that acknowledges the cultural diversity behind every smile

Preying for a Spot at the Table Examining Regulatory Policies and Solutions to Combat Predatory Microfinance Practices

Microfinance involves financial services such as small loans, savings accounts, and insurance to low-income populations typically excluded from traditional financial markets. While the services it provides can encourage entrepreneurship and work to alleviate poverty, insufficient regulation can lead to borrower exploitation and continued cycles of debt. This thesis explores the regulations leading to successful microfinance outcomes. Particularly, the variance in outcomes between Ghana and Jordan will be examined as a case study. In Ghana’s Wa West District, effective policies and financial literacy programs have enabled microfinance to promote economic growth. In the country of Jordan, however, a lack of strict standards and punitive debt laws have led to widespread borrower hardship and even imprisonment. To promote the success of microfinance programs, well-designed regulatory policies that emphasize borrower protection and fair interest rates are essential for ensuring that microfinance contributes to sustainable development rather than worsening poverty

The Spartan Mirage; A Study into Spartan Women

A myth has been perpetuated about the Greek city-state of Sparta which has shrouded it in a mirage. This mirage can make it difficult to determine what Sparta was truly like, which includes the reality of its women. Scholars tend to present Spartan women within extremes that either showcase them as no different from other women or as the ones holding all the power. Spartan women were key in passing on important values to their children such as to die bravely in battle or not come home at all. By looking into Spartan women, we can find strong evidence that they were different from women at that time, but we must look closer to see what “different” truly implies. For this paper, I plan to closely examine sources to draw the strongest conclusions about what it meant to be a Spartan woman and peel back the Spartan mirage

The Interaction Between Phonological Reading Skills and Executive Functioning in Adults with Cochlear Implants

Little research has been conducted concerning the interaction between phonological reading skills (the ability to recognize and manipulate the sounds of language) and executive functioning (a set of processes that are necessary for the cognitive control of behavior) in adults with hearing loss. The current study examined the potential association between phonological reading skills, hearing loss, and executive functioning in post-lingually deaf and hard of hearing adults who use cochlear implants. Two hypotheses were tested: 1) adult cochlear implant users have weaker executive functioning and phonological reading skills compared to their hearing peers; 2) adults with hearing loss who use cochlear implants will rely on executive functioning more to complete phonological reading tasks when compared to the TH group of participants. Design: Thirty-one post-lingually deafened older adults with cochlear implants (CIs) and 43 peers with age-typical hearing (TH) completed measures of phonological reading skills from the Test of Word Reading Efficiency (TOWRE-2) and measures of executive functioning skills from The Learning, Executive and Attention Functioning Scale (LEAF). Results: A one-tailed t-test revealed that the Hearing group had significantly higher scores than the adults with cochlear implants on the TOWRE-2 Test (t(69) = 1.96, p = .03). However, there were no significant group differences on subscales of the LEAF, suggesting that participants across groups self-reported comparable levels of executive functioning. Scores on the basic reading skills subtest from the LEAF were negatively correlated with non-words correct from the TOWRE-2 Test for the Hearing group (r(38) = -.37, p = .02). In contrast, the measures of executive functioning from the LEAF did not correlate with the TOWRE-2 phonological reading tasks for the adults with cochlear implants. Conclusions: Overall, these findings suggest that neither group of adults used executive function skills during the phonological reading test. The hearing adults used phonics skills to make sense of non-words but adults with cochlear implants did not. These findings contribute to our understanding of hearing loss and phonological reading skills. Future studies are needed to investigate potential barriers to phonological processing and reading in children with dyslexia and hearing loss