Digital Commons Network^™

Nashville-Basin Tornadoes: Using Storm Types To Elucidate The Local Climatology And Forecasting Challenges, Morgan Steckler, Kelsey Ellis

Pursuit - The Journal of Undergraduate Research at The University of Tennessee

Early 3 March 2020 was a devastating night for many middle Tennessee residents. A strong EF-3 tornado tore through Nashville at 65 mph, and another EF-4 killed 18 in Baxter and Cookeville alone. Residents of the Southeastern United States are particularly vulnerable to tornadoes. This study aims to better understand local forecasting challenges by looking at the types of storms that produce tornadoes. Storm types, also known as convective modes, divide tornado-producing storms into categories by length, shape, multiplicity, and intensity. Distinguishing storms by these modes allows for a broader understanding of their occurrences and impacts. This study specifically evaluates …

_Not That Bad_: Lessons Women Learn In A Rape Culture, Sydney J. Selman

Pursuit - The Journal of Undergraduate Research at The University of Tennessee

In 2018, Roxane Gay assembled an anthology that addresses the severity of rape, rejecting the common belief that some sexually violent acts, compared to others, are not that bad. This collection, titled Not That Bad: Dispatches from Rape Culture, compiles pieces from thirty different authors and sheds light on how the notion of not that bad contributes to a broader structural social problem involving sexual violence. This social problem, known as rape culture, is commonly defined as a culture that normalizes sexual violence and blames victims of sexual assault (“What is Rape Culture?”). In other words, rape culture …

Pandemics And Power: An Applied Analysis Of American Inequality, Megan A. Engle

Pursuit - The Journal of Undergraduate Research at The University of Tennessee

Pandemics represent both social change and continuance. While these public health crises bring about seemingly new issues, they also have a unique ability to reveal pre-existing problems within our society and perpetual social processes. Understanding historical patterns related to public health crises provides greater insight on the ongoing pandemic and American policy needs. Research reveals that, both historically and presently, systemic social injustices and economic inequalities are inflamed by such events. As a result, pandemics disproportionately affect minority groups in several interconnected ways. In examining public health theory, past pandemics, and the present moment, the effects of both power disparities …

Synthesis And Consolidation Of The Aluminosilicate Mineral Anorthite, Lauren E. Eccles

Pursuit - The Journal of Undergraduate Research at The University of Tennessee

Solid-state ceramic synthesis is a fabrication process involving high temperature reactions of solid component powders and is used to prepare materials with novel and advanced properties. Regarding synthetic mineral ceramics, the solid-state process makes it possible to design synthetic minerals with specific compositions and properties not commonly found in their natural, comparatively impure, counterparts. This study focuses on the synthesis of the feldspar anorthite, CaAl₂Si₂O₈, via solid-state procedures and the densification of the synthesized powders using the technique of uniaxial hot-pressing. Constituent powders of aluminum sesquioxide (Al₂O₃), silicon dioxide (SiO …

Deification Or Demonization: Jesus’ Post-Resurrection Body In Luke 24:36-40, Shannon Dugger

Pursuit - The Journal of Undergraduate Research at The University of Tennessee

There has been much scholarly debate about the mythological category of Jesus, arguing that the Lucan portrayal of his post-resurrection body aligns either with Roman-period beliefs about ghosts or resurrected gods. This paper examines Greco-Roman ghost stories, apotheosis narratives, and academic work from both sides of the debate pertaining to Luke 24:36-401 in an attempt to better understand why the passage resists categorization. The paper also introduces theories of liminality and anomy to explain the possible ambiguity in the gospel’s portrayal of Jesus’ body. The paper concludes that Luke 24 is neither clearly a ghost story nor a deification story. …

How Not To Read Literature: The Nazis’ Appropriation Of The Merchant Of Venice, William W. White

Pursuit - The Journal of Undergraduate Research at The University of Tennessee

In his essay “Reading Law, Reading Literature: Law as Language,” legal scholar James Boyd White extols the interpretive flexibility of literary and legal texts and warns against viewing literature as having “objective and determinate meanings.” White’s warning raises the question of whether a literary work's meaning can be used to promote a morally corrupt agenda. This paper seeks to explore the danger of reducing a work of literature's meaning to a determinate claim by focusing on how Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice was utilized by the Nazis as anti-Semitic political propaganda. Shakespeare’s play experienced a massive surge in popularity during …

Applying Modern Immunology To The Plague Of Ancient Athens, Juhi C. Patel

Pursuit - The Journal of Undergraduate Research at The University of Tennessee

During the 5^th century BCE, ancient Athens and Sparta were involved in a major war during which an epidemic disease broke out in Athens, claiming the lives of a substantial part of the population. Although the ancient Greek historian Thucydides provides a first-hand account of the symptoms of the plague, modern historians have not been able to definitively identify the pathogen that caused the deadly epidemic. In 1994, a burial tomb of Athens was unearthed that unveiled the likely remains of plague victims. In 2005, scientists conducted molecular testing on the dental remains and used suicide PCR to compare …

Molecular Characterization Of A Gene Encoding Insulin-Like Peptide 5 (Ilp5) In Drosophila Virilis, Nikolas R. Likourentzos, Jae H. Park

Pursuit - The Journal of Undergraduate Research at The University of Tennessee

The study of the insulin-like peptides of Drosophila can provide insight of their similarities to mammalian insulin and their potential usage in treating human insulin-related diseases. In this study, we isolated and characterized cDNA encoding insulin-like peptide (ILP) 5 in D. virilis by using RNA purification, reverse transcription, and RACE protocols. Subsequently, various bioinformatic softwares were employed to predict peptide structure. The ILP5 gene (587 base pairs) codes for 121 amino acids that make up prepro-ILP5. After maturation, functional ILP5 is a peptide of two 25 amino acid chains, A- and B-chain, connected by two disulfide bonds. Sequencing genomic DNA …

Numerical Modeling Of Magnetic Fields For Mirror Neutron Search Experiment, Adam Johnston

Pursuit - The Journal of Undergraduate Research at The University of Tennessee

This paper will outline the configuration of 3D magnetic field model simulated from electric current sources using MATLAB. The model is using 3D arrays allowing for quick and accurate numerical approximations of Bio-Savart integrals, of error < , modeling the behavior of a magnetic field due to current carrying wires. We will discuss the development of a 3D magnetic field configuration produced by the current carrying wires around a large 2.5 m diameter vacuum beam tube in the proposed mirror neutron search experiment at High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The simulations demonstrate that the magnetic field with uniformity better than ± 2.5 mG that will allow for optimal results in experiment within the controlled range of net magnetic field magnitudes |B| 500 mG and in the large vacuum tube along 20-m neutron flight path can be achieved for an approximately 6 cm radius section at the center of the tube.

Ecosystem Services Of Urban Tree Canopy For The Mitigation Of Climate Change: Measuring Carbon Sequestration And Understory Temperature Reduction Of Knoxville’S Urban Forest, Tyler Hounshell

Pursuit - The Journal of Undergraduate Research at The University of Tennessee

In the future, the city of Knoxville, Tennessee will be impacted by climate warming due to anthropogenic climate change. Yet, the ecosystem services provided by urban tree canopy in Knoxville’s urban forest can help mitigate the effects of climate warming. In addition to improving air quality, regulating water flow, and reducing noise pollution, Knoxville’s urban forest serves as a carbon sink and sequesters carbon dioxide on an annual basis. Utilizing methods for calculating carbon sequestration by trees in urban and suburban settings developed by the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the sequestration potential and its uncertainty is calculated until the year …

Acronym Usage In Groups: The Relationship Of Socialization And Identification, Dara K. Carney-Nedelman

Pursuit - The Journal of Undergraduate Research at The University of Tennessee

This study analyzed the relationship between knowledge of acronym meaning and group member’s socialization and identification. It examined the understudied relationship between knowledge of acronym meaning for group members and their socialization and identification in the group. Research has concluded that when assimilated into a group the group members contribute more, and overall have greater satisfaction (Riddle, Anderson, & Martin, 2000). This assimilation can be separated into two variables, socialization and identification of group members. Research on the relationship for knowledge of acronym meaning and assimilation has been understudied; therefore, this project explored how the terms we use in groups …

The Current Neuroscientific Understanding Of Alzheimer's Disease, Rachel A. Brandes

Pursuit - The Journal of Undergraduate Research at The University of Tennessee

Alzheimer’s disease is a degenerative neurological illness characterized by the deterioration of brain regions implicated in memory and cognitive function. While researchers have yet to find a cure or effective treatment, they have gained a better understanding of its pathology and development. Through years of neuroscience research, scientists have discovered much of what happens in the brain during Alzheimer’s disease onset and how this causes its symptoms; many hypotheses regarding this aspect of the illness involve temporal lobe atrophy, neurofibrillary tangles, and amyloid plaques. Although Alzheimer’s disease affects millions of people every day, it seems that most are unaware of …

Defining Insanity: How An Individual's View Can Impact A Trial, Jayme L. Ayres

Pursuit - The Journal of Undergraduate Research at The University of Tennessee

The insanity plea has always been a controversial topic among anyone. No one sees eye to eye on the matter. This can present a problem within professional fields. When insanity cases are brought into courtrooms, legal and psychology professionals need to be able to agree to some extent. However, these professionals have no true control on how jurors define insanity. Jurors tend to determine guilty or not guilty in insanity cases, based on their own personal views. The current study is a replication of Doctor John Geiger’s 2003 and 2008 study of how legal professionals and undergraduate psychology students view …

The Oppressive Pressures Of Globalization And Neoliberalism On Mexican Maquiladora Garment Workers, Jenna Demeter

Pursuit - The Journal of Undergraduate Research at The University of Tennessee

The international economic trends of globalization and neoliberalism have exposed and enabled the exploitation of Mexican workers, especially women in the maquiladora garment industry. During the 1950s, globalization gave rise to the new international division of labor and transnational corporations (TNCs) that have offshored labor-intensive phases of production to developing countries, many of which have pursued export-led industrialization. Export processing in Mexico was encouraged in the 1960s by Item 807 of the U.S. Tariff Code and Mexico’s Border Industrialization Program. Especially following the Latin American debt crisis of the 1980s, advanced capitalist countries and International Financial Institutions foisted neoliberal structural …

Analysis Of Hurricane Track Forecast Accuracy During The 2018 Season, Jonathan D. Unger

Pursuit - The Journal of Undergraduate Research at The University of Tennessee

Hurricane track forecasting has become more accurate in recent years due to technological advances in modeling methods. However, due to the complex nature of the relationship between oceanic and atmospheric variables and hurricane tracks, noteworthy errors in track prediction, especially for predictions several days into the future, still remain. In this study, two different methods of forecasting hurricane tracks are compared. Using the four United States landfalling hurricanes of the 2018 season as a sample, the official forecast tracks published by the National Hurricane Center (NHC) and hypothetical tracks based purely on climatology were mapped simultaneously with the preliminary best …

The Native American Occupation Of Alcatraz Island: Radio And Rhetoric, Megan Engle

Pursuit - The Journal of Undergraduate Research at The University of Tennessee

In order to draw attention to the numerous social and economic plights facing indigenous populations, a group of Native American protesters occupied Alcatraz Island from November 1969 to June 1971. Throughout the nineteen months of occupation, protesters received much attention from the media. While in theory this coverage may have been beneficial, the media presented the story in a largely negative and inaccurate light. Upon review of the literature, it becomes evident that the media used racist and poor journalistic practices to diminish the protest. To counter this biased view, the occupiers released their own news via radio. A comparative …

Tennessee's Promise: Education For All?, Tristan M. Hightower

Pursuit - The Journal of Undergraduate Research at The University of Tennessee

Access to education has been at the forefront of public policy issues over the past several years. In order to combat relatively low rates of college attainment, Tennessee legislators implemented the Tennessee Promise program. It operates by providing financial aid for any direct costs not covered by students’ grants and scholarships. Notably, the program is not applicable to four-year degree programs; students wishing to utilize the funds must attend select schools that offer certificates and associate’s degrees. Community colleges are the most popular. While a boost in community college attendance has occurred, and more people will likely graduate with an …

Lidar-Based Sinkhole Detection And Mapping In Knox County, Tennessee, J Clint Shannon, David Moore, Yingkui Li, Cathy Olsen

Pursuit - The Journal of Undergraduate Research at The University of Tennessee

Sinkholes are one of the major causes of damage to roads, buildings, and other infrastructure throughout the US. Sinkholes near or on roads are especially costly and occasionally deadly. Knox County and much of East Tennessee are located within karst areas (comprised of porous and soluble limestone and dolomite), deeming it at risk for sinkholes. Currently, Knox County uses contour maps to manually identify sinkholes. Supported by a geographic information system (GIS), we developed a streamlined model to identify the locations and extents of potential sinkholes using 1.3-ft resolution LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) data and applied it to the …

An Overview And Analysis Of The Impacts Of Extreme Heat On The Aviation Industry, Brandon T. Carpenter

Pursuit - The Journal of Undergraduate Research at The University of Tennessee

Weather is a common cause of flight delays and cancellations. However, the vast majority of the time when thinking about weather and its effect on aviation, winter conditions such as snow come to mind. Heat is usually one of the last types of weather we associate with airline challenges. Recently, a bomb cyclone made headlines for the disruptions it caused with travel, especially at John F. Kennedy International Airport. Interestingly, the exact opposite of winter weather conditions can cause just as many challenges. During the summer of 2017, a number of flights at various airports such as Phoenix Sky Harbor …

Feasibility Of Using Participant Owned Smartphone Features To Conduct Ecological Momentary Assessment Of Planned Exercise Behavior In College-Aged Adults, Lucas F. Sheridan, Lindsay Toth, Kelley Strohacker

Pursuit - The Journal of Undergraduate Research at The University of Tennessee

Background: Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) allows input of affective, social, and behavioral factors by participants in real time, which reduces recall bias. While such data may help predict exercise behavior, one limitation is the need for additional devices (palm pilot) or the creation of an app for a smartphone. The use of an online survey distribution platform compatible with personal smartphones to conduct EMA of exercise behavior in free-living adults is still unclear. Methods: Across 14 days, texts with a survey link were distributed at 9:30 am, 1:30 pm, 5:30 pm, and 9:30 pm. The survey assessed hypothesized …

Spatial Analysis Of Tornado Warning System Understanding And Relationship With Tornado Occurrence, Chesnea A. Skeen

Pursuit - The Journal of Undergraduate Research at The University of Tennessee

Tornadoes present a significant threat to life and property. The National Weather Service watch and warning system warns the public of tornadoes. If these warnings are not heeded by the public, the potential fatalities and destruction of property cannot be minimized. Thus, to prevent further loss of life and property, it is necessary to understand how the public understands the watch and warning system, as well as how they react. This paper aims to understand the correlation between understanding of watches and warnings and the occurrence of tornadoes, as well as how understanding varies spatially. Survey data were collected from …

Sexual Violence, Consent, And Contradictions: A Call For Communication Scholars To Impact Sexual Violence Prevention, Katie D. Scott, Clint Graves

Pursuit - The Journal of Undergraduate Research at The University of Tennessee

The goal of this paper is to provide an overview of the conflicting findings from existing sexual violence and consent communication research with the intention of motivating communication scholars to study these areas. Generally, normative roles and alcohol add to the inherent complexity of consent communication. Moreover, contradictory findings in the literature make it difficult to define a practicable approach to the reduction of sexual violence across college campuses. This paper broadly reviews the current literature in this area of research with the ultimate goal of creating a guiding research agenda based in communication theory. Sexual violence prevention programming may …

Non-Governmental Organizations' Involvement In Poverty Alleviation In Bangladesh, Taylor N. Scheffing

Pursuit - The Journal of Undergraduate Research at The University of Tennessee

Labeled as one of the poorest countries in the world, Bangladesh is accustomed to poverty. Beginning in the late 1970s and even more since the arrival of the millennium, Bangladesh had made significant strides towards economic development through poverty alleviation efforts brought on by the World Bank initiatives. However, widespread discontent with the World Bank has led to increased, dominant presence and involvement from non-governmental organizations. Non-governmental organizations typically share a public mission, where those in Bangladesh aim to work exclusively with those in disadvantaged, rural areas. This paper will be addressing the growing question: what are non-governmental organizations (NGOs) …

A Case Study Analysis Of The “Letter From Birmingham Jail”: Conceptualizing The Conscience Of King Through The Lens Of Paulo Freire, Tremaine T. Sails-Dunbar

Pursuit - The Journal of Undergraduate Research at The University of Tennessee

The pedagogical qualities of Martin King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” can be observed through the lens of Paulo Freire as his illustration of thematic universe’s can be used as a framework to contextualize the conscience of King. King encountered obstacles, in his contemporary context, to his self-actualization that once cognitively subjugated were transformative to his being. Three questions are explored: What manifestations led to the writing of the “Letter from Birmingham Jail”? What were King’s transformative actions? Will an answer to the first help make sense of the second? I endeavor to briefly examine the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” through …

Zora Neale Hurston: Scientist, Folklorist, Storyteller, Mary Catherine Russell

Pursuit - The Journal of Undergraduate Research at The University of Tennessee

This paper examines the life and work of Zora Neale Hurston and her contribution to American literature in the 20th Century. While previous critical analysis of Hurston’s work has focused primarily on her most popular novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, this paper examines Hurston’s career by taking a holistic approach to the body of her literary works. Hurston’s early career as an anthropologist is shown to provide a foundation for her later interest in folklore. In turn, her connection and participation in the Harlem Renaissance gave Hurston’s writing a nuanced and individualized style as part of the American modernist …

Review Of Literature: The Clinical Nurses' Perception Of Their Role In Hospital Reimbursement, Mckinsey Patterson

Pursuit - The Journal of Undergraduate Research at The University of Tennessee

Background: Nursing-sensitive indicators (NSI’s) serve to measure the impact nurses have in promotion of quality care. Existing research highlights the value-based purchasing (VBP) system implemented by the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Few studies explore nurse perception.

Method: This review provides a state-of-the-science addressing NSI’s regarding delivery of quality care, hospital assessment related to value-based purchasing and the role of patient satisfaction regarding nursing care in the reimbursement of hospitals. Existing data related to nurses’ roles in VBP reimbursement efforts is described.

Results: A theme in the literature is that the HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) survey, …

Loss Model For Gallium Nitride Dc-Dc Buck Converter, Rushi P. Patel

Pursuit - The Journal of Undergraduate Research at The University of Tennessee

In recent years, more research has been done on Enhancement Mode Gallium Nitride (eGaN) converters, as the world is moving towards more power efficient converters. Power converters play a major role in efficiently controlling and converting electric energy used by machines, systems, and everyday products. The process to make converters more efficient was complicated and slow in the twentieth century. One of the important aspects in power electronics is to evaluate different losses and minimize losses to achieve high efficiency of the converter. With help of simulation tools such as MATLAB and LTspice, this process has become much faster and …

Female Migrant Labor In The Philippines: The Institutionalization Of Traditional Gender Roles In The Name Of Economic Development, Sabiha Iman Mohyuddin

Pursuit - The Journal of Undergraduate Research at The University of Tennessee

This paper investigates the ways the Philippines’ government applies Filipino ideas of femininity and kinship in pushing Filipina women into becoming transnational migrants as a means of economic development. Given that remittance money sent back by migrants to the Philippines makes up nearly ten percent of the country’s GDP, and that over half of Filipino overseas migrants are female, the Filipino government is committed to maintaining and overseeing transnational migration. As a way to maintain economic stability, the Filipino government has utilized traditional conceptions of femininity, domesticity, and kinship that influence the procurement, recruitment processes of oversea migration, and the …

Evaluation Of Foldable Tractor Roll-Over Protective Structures (Rops) Clearance, Luke Martin

Pursuit - The Journal of Undergraduate Research at The University of Tennessee

Tractor rollovers are a leading cause of death in the agricultural industry. While rollovers continue to happen, Roll-Over Protective Structures (ROPS) have shown great ability to prevent or reduce the casualties and injuries associated with rollover events. One authority on the subject even goes so far as to claim that “that fatality rates due to tractor overturns could be reduced by a minimum of 71% if all tractors in the U.S. were equipped with ROPS,” (NIOSH, 2009). The potential of this promising statistic has been devalued slightly due to the misapplication of foldable ROPS by leaving the ROPS in the …

Second-Language Acquisition And Motivation: A Literature Review, Pat Goodridge

Pursuit - The Journal of Undergraduate Research at The University of Tennessee

This literature review traces the development of motivation in second-language acquisition, a field that has evolved from basic associations between affective factors and second-language performance to nuanced approaches of how motivation is shaped by a learner’s subjective cognition. With this review, we see that motivation’s role has always been central to language learning, and the development of our understanding of this role has mirrored the development of our understanding of second-language acquisition’s psychological and cognitive aspects. Such understanding contributes to many areas of second-language pedagogy, developmental psychology, and applied linguistics, all of which are relevant to our practical research goals …