Digital Commons Network^™

"Lets Get Real" Zoom Series, Zion Savory, Khandice Lofton

Graduate Student Showcase

"Let's Get Real" was launched in the summer of 2020 in the wake of the disheartening and widely shared murder of George Floyd. The purpose of this series is to foster difficult but necessary organic community conversations about racial and social justice issues that majorly affect minority and black demographics in the hopes of working towards a better tomorrow.

3d Joint Kinematic And 2d Quality Of Movement Comparison Between Lateral And Forward Step Downs, Samantha Kaye Price, Ryne William Davis, Andrew Jonathan Hinton, Jimmy Lee Rowland, David Werner, Joaquin Alberto Barrios

Graduate Student Showcase

Step down assessments are frequently used in clinical settings with the lateral step-down (LSD) and forward step-down (FSD) two common variations.

The LSD and FSD are both reliable and are commonly used for the assessment of lower extremity pathologies such as patellofemoral pain, anterior ligament reconstruction, and femoral acetabular impingement (1-7).

Step down kinematics can be influenced by reduced dorsiflexion mobility (8).

Previous studies have demonstrated altered movement quality in those with pathology during either the LSD or FSD (4,7).

However, no studies have directly compared the lower extremity movement patterns of the FSD and LSD, using either 3-dimensional (3D) …

Chronic Administration Of The Novel Serca2 Activator Cdn1163 Induces Behavioral Andneurochemical Effects In Mice, Aikaterini Britzolaki

Graduate Student Showcase

The sarco/endoplasmic reticulum (SR/ER) calcium (Ca2+)-ATPase (SERCA) pump is a key regulator of intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis and subsequently essential for cell survival and function [1,2]. Neurons are no exception to this; intricate pathways involving SERCA-mediated Ca2+ signaling are implicated in brain pathophysiology. Several studies have indicated that dysregulation of SERCA pumps may be involved in the molecular mechanisms underlying debilitating brain diseases including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, ischemia and alcoholism [1-3]. Thus, this family of P-type ATPases comprises an emerging molecular target for developing efficient pharmacotherapies. Interestingly, preclinical studies in rodents suggest that chronic pharmacological activation of …

Optical Dilatometry Measurements For The Quantification Of Sustainable Aviation Fuel Materials Compatibility, Shane Kosir

Graduate Student Showcase

Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) offers a near-term opportunity to reduce aviation’s greenhouse gas emissions. Currently-approved SAFs are limited to a maximum blend ratio with conventional jet fuel due to materials compatibility issues (i.e., O-ring volume swell). Specifically, aircraft have been found to leak significant quantities of fuel when volume swell is insufficient. Here, optical dilatometer measurements of volume swell for SAFs are reported. These measurements will serve to screen candidate SAFs at an early stage of the approval process. Optical dilatometry measurements were also coupled with two-dimensional gas chromatography data to predict volume swell withfuel.

(L+1)-Point Boundary Value Problems For Ordinary Differential Equations, A Type Of Global Uniqueness Of Solutions Condition, Daniel Neugebauer

Graduate Student Showcase

We consider (l+1)-point boundary value problems and determine conditions so that solutions of the boundary value problems are unique.

Automated Residential Energy Audits Using A Smart Wifi Thermostat Enabled Data Mining Approach, Abdulrahman Alanezi

Graduate Student Showcase

This research has demonstrated the potential of conducting energy audits on large scales by utilizing smart WiFi thermostat data with other available residential data.

Digital Marketing: A Deep Dive & Path Forward, Gary Bernstein

Graduate Student Showcase

My project was a deep dive and a path forward into the Commonwealth Associates, Inc.'s digital marketing presence using the tools, analytics, and current practices acquired from MBA 631. This included critical assessments, key take-aways with recommendations, and also included additional funds for Commonwealth’s 2021 marketing budget.

Tep1 Regulates Yki Activity In Neural Stem Cells In Drosophila Glioma Model, Karishma Gangwani

Graduate Student Showcase

Glioblastoma is the most common form of malignant brain tumor with a poor prognosis. Using a Drosophila glioma model, we showed that the Drosophila Tep1 gene (human CD109) regulates Yki (human YAP/TAZ) via an evolutionarily conserved mechanism. Oncogenic signaling by the YAP/TAZ pathway occurs in cells that acquire CD109 expression. Loss of Tep1 caused a reduction in glioma growth. Further, Tep1 affects Yki mediated stem cell renewal in glioma, as reduction of Tep significantly decreases the number of neuroblasts in glioma. Thus, we identify Tep1-Yki interaction in the larval CNS that plays a key role in glioma growth and progression.

Toward A New Vision Of Catholicity For The Chinese Catholic Church, Huili Stout

Graduate Student Showcase

The Vatican-China agreement has brought all the Chinese bishops into communion with the pope, but some believe that the Chinese church remains substantially divided. To overcome the present antagonism, I propose that the Chinese church explore more closely, through the resources of communion ecclesiology, the spiritual dimension of catholicity. In particular, Dumitru Stăniloae’s concept of ‘sobornicity’ may provide an inspiration by clarifying the foundation and source of Christian communion, by emphasizing the role of the Holy Spirit, and by encouraging a cosmic and eschatological openness in the church’s attitude to the world.

An Exploration Of Curriculum Implementation For Early-Career Public School Teachers During The Induction Process, Matthew Mesenger

Graduate Student Showcase

My project was an action research study focused on ways to help the Brunswick City School District better support beginning teachers (those with less than five years’ experience) who are tasked with learning the district-assigned curricula. Tangential to the analysis was consideration of the fact that new teacher attrition has a major impact of student achievement. Findings from this qualitative study revealed six actionable takeaways that, collectively, can help improve the quality of instruction that new teachers give students while helping to retain those teachers for a longer period of time.

“Thinking Like Lawyers” In The Online Environment: Students’ And Faculty Members’ Perceptions Of Using The Socratic Method In An Online J.D. Course, Victoria L. Vanzandt

Graduate Student Showcase

With the American Bar Association’s recent move to a more liberal stance on distance learning and the newly gained experience with online education for all law students and legal educators due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is clear that online legal education, in some form, is here to stay. Additionally, there is no indication that the Socratic method with its strong ties to legal education will be abandoned. Therefore, the legal academy must address how it can continue to use the Socratic method as its preferred pedagogical tool to teach students “to think like lawyers” in online modalities.

This mixed …

Binder Free, Thin-Film Ceramic Coated Separators For Improved Safety Of Lithium-Ion Batteries, Ashish Gogia, Yuxing Wang, Amarendra K. Rai, Rabi Bhattacharya, Guru Subramanyam, Jitendra Kumar

Graduate Student Showcase

With the rapid development of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), safety issues are the greatest obstacles that restrict their large scale-applications, especially for the high-energy-density electric vehicle and aviation industry. Separators play a crucial role in ensuring the safety of LIBs. However, due to their poor thermal stability, commercial polyolefin-based separators such as polyethylene (PE) still possess serious safety risks under abuse conditions. To address these challenges, a novel type of binder-free, thin ceramic-coated separator with superior safety characteristics is demonstrated in this research.

Becoming Pro-Mysterion: Embracing A Future Of Mercy For All In Romans 11, Rachael Griggs

Graduate Student Showcase

This paper presents an exegesis of Paul's allegory of the olive tree (Romans 11) within the framework of present-day tragedies caused by antisemitism. While St. Paul exhorts gentile Christians to express humility regarding their newfound position within God's family, supersessionism has placed the Jewish and Christian faiths in a dichotomous relationship. Greek word studies and models of religious pluralism in this essay demonstrate that supersessionism is a poisonous root from which antisemitism grows. Paul's revelation of God's cosmic plan of salvation asks Jesus's followers--in any era--to become pro-mysterion: to embrace in faith God's redemptive plan for all.

Retail Store Layout: Shopper Preference Vs. Shopper Access, Shubham Gune

Graduate Student Showcase

Shopper satisfaction has been identified as one of the most influential factors in brick & mortar based retailing. This research investigates the effects of store layouts on customer satisfaction. This research allows decision makers to understand more about the relationship between adjacency and accessibility within retail environments.

School-Based Support For Foster Families: Understanding The Experiences And Needs Of The Biological Children Of Foster Parents, Lauren Smith

Graduate Student Showcase

The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of the biological children of foster parents while investigating suggestions for school-based supports. Following the phenomenological, qualitative method of research, ten participants ages 10-24, whose families chose to foster one or more children in their homes, were interviewed using a semi-structured interview protocol. Through a thematic analysis, themes emerged under two broad categories: Positive Experiences and Negative Experiences. Three specific recommendations for supports emerged from the data. The findings from this study can be used to inform school-based supports for the biological children of foster parents.

Assessing Diphenyl Polyenes As Ph-Sensitive Colorimetric Probes Of Proton Gradients In Polymer Coatings, Vaishnavi Shesham

Graduate Student Showcase

Polyester polyurethanes are a major class of polymers, which are commonly used in coatings. The biodegradation mechanism of polyester polyurethane is complicated since it involves both biochemical and chemical catalysis to hydrolyze the polymers. Hence, finding the ideal pH sensitive probe that does not react with hydrolases and yet is reactive with either base or acid catalysts is crucial for differentiating the biodegrading regions from the chemically degrading regions. In this project, we report two diphenyl polyenes (DPPs), all trans-1,4-diphenyl-1,3-butadiene (DPB) and all trans-1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (DPH) as potential pH sensitive probes suitable for polymer coatings. When exposed to trichloroacetic …

Mechanics And Dynamics Of Soft Additively Manufactured Elastomers With Extreme Stretchability, Asma Ul Hosna Meem

Graduate Student Showcase

• Additive Manufacturing (AM) is the process of building a 3D part layer by layer from metal/polymer feedstock.
• Digital Light Processing (DLP) is the AM method used in this project.
• Soft stretchable elastomers, thin sphere
• Mechanical properties are dependent on DLP process parameters.
• Goal: Investigate how different process parameters impact the tensile properties of soft 3D-printed elastomers and how a spherical membrane of such material dynamically responds to pressure
• Applications:Prosthetics, soft robotics, on-demand components for legacy aircraft

Investigation Of Elevated Turbulence On High-Lift Low Pressure Turbine Endwall Flows, Molly Donovan

Graduate Student Showcase

Goal: Determine how FSTI effects endwall flow structure behavior and losses in the region

Application: LPT, Endwall Flows, Junction Flows

Approach: Vary the incoming FSTI level in a low-speed linear cascade of seven L2F blades by installing a grid 2.3m upstream of cascade with 2.54 cm bars and 7.6 cm center to center spacing. Grid has an active option by having pairs of jets in the tubes angled and oriented downstream. Investigate the flow using high speed SPIV collected in the passage at 2.5kHz.

Action Research: A Narrative Inquiry Approach To Addressing Student Retention In Undergraduate Science Courses, Elizabeth A. Golba

Graduate Student Showcase

Research Question: How can the academic success of undergraduate students in science courses at a small, private, health care institution be improved?

Sub Question 1: Is there a difference in academic success in science courses between students who use support systems and students who do not use support systems?

Sub Question 2: Does a positive academic advising experience improve student retention in science courses?

Pervasive Communal Trauma In Higher Education: The Effects Of Covid-19 Trauma On U.S. Higher Education Professionals, Shane Borah

Graduate Student Showcase

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted campus life in a manner never before seen by higher education professionals causing them to adapt, reframe, and provide support to students in colleagues while navigating the unknown world of the pandemic themselves. To better understand the effect COVID-19 may have on higher education professionals, this study introduces a conceptual form of connective trauma experience in the form of communal pervasive trauma. This research study looked at: (1) How does COVID-19 affect higher education professionals’ relationship with their work? And (2) What effects does a pervasive communal traumatic experience, such as COVID-19, have on higher …

The Effects Of Parental Educational Attainment On Student Loan Debt, Megan J.F. Will

Graduate Student Showcase

There is a direct relationship between increased levels of a parent's/guardian's (PG) education and increased PG involvement in the student loan process.

• First-generation college students and students whose PG have lower levels of education were more likely to be solely responsible for their student loan applications.
• Increased parental involvement could hinder a student's financial socialization, which can lead to increased debt and decreased savings.
• However, there is no relationship between PG level of education and student loan type and amount.

Future Research: Parent perspectives, institutional variety, policy impacts, etc.

Current Practice: Informational materials, orientation sessions, etc.

Assessing Different Freeway Interchange Design Impacts On Traffic Emissions And Fuel Consumption Through Microsimulation, Fayezeh Samandi

Graduate Student Showcase

The environmental performance of an existing service interchange, a CDI, is compared with two other alternative designs, a Diverging Dimond Interchange DDI and a Single Point Urban Interchange SPUI, in terms of fuel consumption, emissions, and traffic operations through microsimulations analysis utilizing PTV Vissim. We are primarily focused on major pollutants, including CO2, CO, and NOx.