Spongiform Encephalopathies are a rare family of degenerative brain diseases characterized by the accumulation of plaques and formation of tiny holes in the brain tissue making it look "spongy". Spongiform Encephalopathies have a relatively short history but their origins date back to a time long before they were recognized as a disease. It was not until the 1700s that the first record of their existence was made. In 1732 a shepherd in England noticed that some sheep in his flock had become itchy and were "scraping" themselves on nearby trees and fence posts; he reported it to the agricultural authorities of the time. As the symptoms seen in his sheep progressed they also developed problems walking and began to have seizures. Eventually their neurological symptoms progressed to an unmanageable level and they died. In 1794, over 50 years later, the Board of Agriculture in the UK termed this illness in sheep "the Rubbers". In the following years while coming in and out of mention in many flocks of sheep "the Rubbers" remained a disease of minimal consequence showing negligible ability to spread among sheep and having no precedence for jumping the species barrier and affecting humans. The first mention of "the Rubbers" as Scrapie was in 1853, and it is still the designation of the disease in sheep today.

This study examines sustainable development concerns as an essential part of the Costa Rican national identity. Interviews with ecotourism industry workers and an analysis of pertinent news articles shine light on the Costa Rican citizen's perspective of sustainable development, showing that in spite of current initiatives industry workers still have unmet environmental and economic concerns, and that the general public is both passionately interested and personally invested in the topic.

My thesis is on the subject of mentoring. I researched the benefits and the styles of programs available and then used my research to create a survey to give to IDSA national members to see what they believe would make a good mentoring program. From there I tried to improve the current ASU IDSA mentoring program.

"Baba Aruki: A Walk Down Baba Lane" will introduce the reader to scenes from my study abroad at Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan. The reader will experience the whirlwind nature of study abroad, the complexity of Japanese culture, and vicarious nostalgia for a place, time, and group of people now far removed from my daily life. I invite you to join me on this journey into my time in a different world. (Please note: turn on "comments" in the pdf file.)

Ten percent of the global population believed that the world would end on December 21, 2012. But people have believed that the world was going to end before. What causes these apocalyptic crazes and what allows them to spread beyond the fringes of society? What role does popular religion play in creating or spreading apocalyptic hysteria? How do these prophets of doom react when the world still exists past its predicted date of expiration? What about the people who believed them? This paper examines historical instances of apocalyptic predictions, how these predictions were formed out of or shaped by popular religion, as well as the reactions \u2014 both internal and external \u2014 of those who either predicted or believed that the end was near. After building this historical context, I turn my focus to the pop culture phenomenon that is the end of the Mayan Calendar. I attempt to understand and explain what aspects of the current social, religious, and psychological climate have contributed to the cultural ubiquity of and fascination with the December 21, 2012 apocalypse, and what the date actually meant to the Classical Maya. Finally, I examine the existential, religious, and cultural factors that make Americans in particular so ready and willing to believe that the end of the earth is imminent.

The Hunger Games is one of the best representations of trauma and PTSD within a fictional work. While none of the characters are specifically diagnosed with PTSD, all of those who undergo the games put in place by the Capitol experience various forms of trauma and find various methods of coping. We see characters such as Haymitch or the morphling victors turn to drugs and alcohol for their survival. Further, we see characters such as Wiress and Annie who have incoherent speech and who struggle to put their thoughts into words. Finally, there are characters such as Peeta and Katniss who fight to hold onto the slightest bit of hope to try and remain in the present and avoid flashbacks and nightmares that return them to the horrors of the past. However, despite all of these symptoms of PTSD and trauma that are present through all three books of the series, one of the most important aspects of recovery from trauma that is demonstrated is the power of the ability to reconnect, to yourself, to family and friends and to others who have also experienced trauma. This social aspect of reconnecting relationships is the focus I would like to take for my thesis because I believe that it is one of the most powerful and the most healing aspect of trauma and PTSD. It is the most beneficial when those around you understand your experiences with PTSD and trauma and they are the ones who are able to help you the most in remaining in the present and wanting to continue living.

In this paper, I wish to reassess the role of the International Criminal Court regarding victims and affected communities as we approach the tenth anniversary of the Court's establishment. I argue that the Court's intentions may be sound, the structure itself causes many difficulties and provisions for victims' participation are often difficult to implement or even dilatory to the administration of justice. The judicial ideals of the Court, including the maintenance of prosecutorial independence and the protection of due process rights of defendants, can actually come in conflict with victim participation provisions of the Rome Statute. In the course of my summer internship at the ICC, I came to believe that it is time to reconsider the Court's designation as an innovative organization and look for structural and institutional reform.