Playing with Policy: What Insights Arise from Transgender Adults After Participating in a Legislative Theatre Exercise

The transgender community is underrepresented in the current body of academic research, underserved in the current clinical model of healthcare services, and legislatively oppressed on a state and federal level in the United States. As of March 2023, more than 400 anti-LGBTQI laws have been introduced on a state level in 2023 alone (ACLU, 2023). In response to the hostile Western sociopolitical climate, this thesis will focus on what insights arise from transgender adults and cisgender allies (N = 12) after participating in a dramatherapeutic group therapy session that explored current anti-trans legislation and highlighted the legal needs of the community. Participants were in a partially hospitalized substance treatment center and mental health counseling agency for adults in the Eastern United States. They engaged in three different interventions which were rooted in Boal’s theatre of the oppressed (Boal, 1998; Boal 2002) and Moreno’s psychodramatic (Giacomucci, 2021) frameworks and were guided via critical queer theory (Wilchins, 2004) and gender-affirming therapeutic (APA, 2023) orientations. Results of this study firstly, highlighted the ways in which participants do not feel protected by the current legislation; secondly, provided a blueprint for what the legal needs of the transgender community are moving forward

Mission Planning Techniques for Cooperative LEO Spacecraft Constellations

This research develops a mission planning approach that allows different systems to cooperate in accomplishing a single mission goal. Using the techniques described allows satellites to cooperate in efficiently maneuvering, or collecting images of Earth and transmitting the collected data to users on the ground. The individual resources onboard each satellite, like fuel, memory capacity and pointing agility, are used in a manner that ensures the goals and objectives of the mission are realized in a feasible way. A mission plan can be generated for each satellite within the cooperating group that collectively optimize the mission objectives from a global viewpoint. The unique methods and framework presented for planning the spacecraft operations are flexible and can be applied to a variety of decision making processes where prior decisions impact later decision options. This contribution to the satellite constellation mission planning field, thus has greater applicability to the wider decision problem discipline

Binary indices at various densities

Binary similarity indices are numerical analysis methods used to compare data involving two binary vectors (lists). The scope of this project involved comparing 54 binary similarity indices methods in relationship to binary vector density using the R programming language. Matrices were created of various vector data. The matrices were then scrambled to represent random data. Finally, the data was analyzed and plotted. Vector density variation can result in large differences - in both rate of change relative to density and magnitude. Awareness of these differences is important when selecting an analysis method and understanding the effects of changing vector density on analysis of results

A System to Measure Maximal Isometric Torque of the Mouse Quadriceps to Assess Functional Recovery of Skeletal Muscle in a Volumetric Muscle Loss Injury

Volumetric muscle loss (VML) is an injury characterized by the traumatic or surgical loss of skeletal muscle and a severe loss of function to the affected limb. Due to the injury’s size and complexity, the body is unable to regenerate sufficient muscle tissue after a VML injury, causing a functional deficit to the affected limb. To better analyze functionality of limb recovery after VML, we have created a protocol and custom built apparatus to measure peak isometric torque conducted by the quadriceps muscle of our mouse model. To complete this process and analyze the data, we have also created a custom in situ apparatus and novel MATLAB code for data analysis of the functional force data. One mouse underwent isometric torque testing immediately after receiving a surgically induced volumetric muscle loss injury. Maximum and average torque values of the injured leg saw a respective 53.2% and 55.6% drop when compared to the uninjured leg. After this preliminary testing, three mice received VML injuries and were allowed to heal for a 28-day period before isometric torque testing was conducted. All three mice showed decreases in both maximum and average torque readings across the injured legs, with maximum and average torque values of the uninjured leg being significantly greater than the injured leg (p values of 0.0325 and 0.0264 respectively). Our findings are promising and indicate that our testing method can quantify isometric torque readings and detect functional differences between injured and uninjured muscles. In the future we will apply this technique to studies in which regenerative therapies targeting muscle recovery, or even alternative injury models are explored.Undergraduat

Proceedings of the US and Canada Scallop Science Summit: St. Andrews, New Brunswick, May 6–8, 2014

A council of stakeholders ranging from fishermen, to scientists, and fisheries managers from both Canada and the United States convened on May 6, 7, and 8, 2014 in St. Andrews, New Brunswick to review and discuss the most recent scientific information relevant to the sea scallop fisheries and aquaculture efforts in the US and Canada. The US and Canada Scallop Summit aimed to strengthen and broaden the knowledge base in the scallop fisheries, with a focus on the nearshore fisheries in the Gulf of Maine and Bay of Fundy, as well as aquaculture efforts, and develop research priorities that aim to assist in the goal of profitable, sustainable fisheries that support coastal communities. More specifically, the overarching goals of this meeting were: i) to review and discuss the most recent scientific information relevant to the sea scallop fisheries and aquaculture efforts in the US and Canada among stakeholders – scientists, harvesters, and managers, ii) to bring together relevant groups – including scientists, harvesters, and managers, to increase coordination and collaboration on future scientific research opportunities, and iii) to provide an inclusive and participative forum to engage industry in scientific discussions and knowledge sharing. The summit involved 41 participants (mainly from Atlantic Canada and New England) and 14 presentations over four theme sessions. These proceedings provide an overall summary of the meeting presentations, questions, and discussion sessions

Atmospheric Contributors to Heavy Rainfall Events in the Arkansas-Red River Basin

This study analyzed the top 1% 24-hour rainfall events from 1994 to 2013 at eight climatological sites that represent the east to west precipitation gradient across the Arkansas-Red River Basin in North America. A total of 131 cases were identified and subsequently classified on the synoptic-scale, mesoscale, and local-scale to compile a climatological analysis of these extreme, heavy rainfall events based on atmospheric forcings. For each location, the prominent midtropospheric pattern, mesoscale feature, and predetermined thermodynamic variables were used to classify each 1% rainfall event. Individual events were then compared with other cases throughout the basin. The most profound results were that the magnitudes of the thermodynamic variables such as convective available potential energy and precipitable water values were poor predictors of the amount of rainfall produced in these extreme events. Further, the mesoscale forcings had more of an impact during the warm season and for the westernmost locations, whereas synoptic forcings were extremely prevalent during the cold season at the easternmost locations in the basin. The implications of this research are aimed at improving the forecasting of heavy precipitation at individual weather forecasts offices within the basin through the identified patterns at various scales

Gesture Controlled Collaborative Robot Arm and Lab Kit

In this paper, a mechatronics system was designed and implemented to include the subjects of artificial intelligence, control algorithms, robot servo motor control, and human-machine interface (HMI). The goal was to create an inexpensive, multi-functional robotics lab kit to promote students’ interest in STEM fields including computing and mechtronics. Industrial robotic systems have become vastly popular in manufacturing and other industries, and the demand for individuals with related skills is rapidly increasing. Robots can complete jobs that are dangerous, dull, or dirty for humans to perform. Recently, more and more collaborative robotic systems have been developed and implemented in the industry. Collaborative robots utilize artificial intelligence to become aware of and capable of interacting with a human operator in progressively natural ways. The work created a computer vision-based collaborative robotic system that can be controlled via several different methods including a touch screen HMI, hand gestures, and hard coding via the microcontroller integrated development environment (IDE). The flexibility provided in the framework resulted in an educational lab kit with varying levels of difficulty across several topics such as C and Python programming, machine learning, HMI design, and robotics. The hardware being used in this project includes a Raspberry Pi 4, an Arduino Due, a Braccio Robotics Kit, a Raspberry Pi 4 compatible vision module, and a 5-inch touchscreen display. We anticipate this education lab kit will improve the effectiveness of student learning in the field of mechatronics

A Rapid and Inexpensive Bioassay to Evaluate the Decontamination of Organophosphates

An inexpensive and rapid bioassay using adult red flour beetles was developed for use in assessing the decontamination of environments containing organophosphates and related chemicals. A decontamination protocol was developed which demonstrated that 2 to 3 applications of 5% bleach solution were required to obtain nearly complete decontamination of malathion. The bioassay was also used to screen common household cleaners as potential decontaminating agents, but only 5% bleach was effective at improving survival of insects on steel plates treated with 25% malathion. A toxic degradation product (malaoxon) was detected using gas chromatography/ mass spectrophotometry; this toxin affected the decontamination efficacy and resulted in continued toxicity to the beetles until subsequent decontaminations. The bioassay provides evidence to support the use of red flour beetles as a sensitive, less expensive method for determining safety levels of environments contaminated with malathion and other toxins, and may have application in the study of chemical warfare agents