Digital Commons Network^™

The Foundational Skills And Methods That Unify All First-Year Courses, Scott Rempell

Events at Dickinson Law

Many perceive LRW courses as important for practice yet largely distinct from the core “doctrinal” courses that purport to teach students how to “think like a lawyer.” However, a remarkably consistent core of skills and methods of thought unify all first-year courses. If these core skills and methods are at the heart of all first-year courses, then the professors who should cover them in class have to acknowledge they exist and work together to teach them. In short, to break down barriers, LRW professors have to bring to the surface the framework underlying core law school learning objectives – a …

The Study Of Encoding And Depth Of Learning, Camryn Blauth

Psychology Student Research

This study is looking at how we learn by testing three different levels of encoding. Based on how a word is used the level of encoding changes. In order to test this, three groups were formed based on randomly handing out sheets. Each sheet had a question which required a different level of comprehension. It was a between-subjects design, with self-selecting participants that were mostly 18-year-old female students. The goal of this study was to find out if the more a word is comprehended, or the deeper the encoding, the more likely it is to be able to remember that …

Music And Memory, Stephen Ray, Elizabeth Peters

Psychology Student Research

The study that we are conducting takes a look at how listening to music can affect reading comprehension and memory. Students at Kutztown University will sign up to participate through the SONA System, as well as a few friends participating in the study. We look to place the participants in a room with either playing music or having no music playing. Each participant will be randomly assigned to the condition. The music we will be playing will consist of Billboards Top 10 Songs on a shuffled and repeated playlist. We are using Billboard in order to play relevant music that …

Forensic Investigation Of Building Failure – The Harbour Cay Condominium Disaster, John Airis

Publications and Research

When a building suffers collapse, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is tasked with conducting an investigation into the cause. Often OSHA will request technical assistance from the National Institute for Standards and Technology to assist in the forensic technical aspects determining a most probable cause. This forensic effort entails many actions. The Harbour Cay Condominium disaster occurred on March 28, 1981 in Cocoa Beach, Florida. It was a total collapse of a five story reinforced concrete structure during the last stage of roof construction, resulting in 11 deaths and 24 injuries. The investigation report revealed structural design …

Augmented Reality Gaming: Harnessing Real-World Environment With Game Interactions, Steven Li

Publications and Research

Augmented Reality (AR) technologies enhance the version of the physical environment with computer-generated sensory input such as sound, video, or graphics overlaid on top of the real-world view. AR can also be used to improve the user experience while interacting with the world. Today, some examples of AR games consist of Pokémon Go and Zombies Run!. These games display virtual characters in the real-world using smartphones, capturing the surrounding environment, and embedding the virtual characters as if they were real ones. In these games, players are also able to interact and play against each other. AR has other uses beyond …

The Privacy Preserving Framework With Virtual Ring And Identity-Based Cryptography For Smart Grid, Leonard Sutanto

Publications and Research

One of the main challenges in the smart grid is how to efficiently manage the high-volume data from smart meters and sensors and preserve the privacy from the consumption data to avoid potential attacks (e.g., identity theft) for the involved prosumers, retail electricity providers and other clusters of distributed energy resources. This poster proposes a two-layer framework with the cloud computing infrastructure. The virtual ring and identity-based cryptography are utilized in each layer to preserve privacy efficiently. The methods of the virtual ring and identity-based cryptography are introduced. The purposes and needs are discussed at the end of this poster.

Fabrication And Imaging Characterization Of Poly (Dimethyl Siloxane)/Sic Nano-Fillers Samples As Model Biomaterials, Tetiana Soloviova, Viorica Gutu, Zoya Vinokur, Akm S. Rahman, Subhendra Sarkar

Publications and Research

Biopolymers are being developed with embedded nanostructures for in vivo drug delivery to treat various diseases including cancers. In the current project we developed fabrication steps to prepare two biopolymers, poly di-methoxy siloxane (PDMS) with 0-0.9 vol% of SiC nano whisker (fillers) followed by non- destructive characterization. Optical reflection microscopy (5-100X) was performed to ensure loading and distribution of increasing SiC content. Optical microscopy showed progressively higher SiC distribution as filler loading was increased from 0-0.9 vol%. X-ray imaging at low kV (kilovoltage) and low mAs (milliamperage per second) were optimized to allow distinction between filled PDMS with SiC concentration …

Physico-Chemical Modeling, Optical Microscopy And Near-Infrared Spectroscopic Characterization Of Model Biomaterials., Amina Shahbaz, Subhendra N. Sarkar, Zoya Vinokur, Aldona Gjoni

Publications and Research

Biopolymers are being developed with nanostructures which acts as a carriers for drug delivery to treat different diseases including cancers. In this project, the authors made one biopolymer PDMS with 0-0.9% of SiC filler a novel characterization was demonstrated. Characterization included optical surface microscopy (5-100X) and 2D X-ray imaging at low kVp and low mAs to ensure proper loading and uniform distribution of SiC filler content in PDMS matrix distinguishable within 0.2 vol% of SiC. MR measurements also seemed to be very promising.

Design And Manufacturing Of A Walking Machine, Aneita L. Torres

Publications and Research

Advancements and research in technology takes influence from several different sources, some of which is from nature. For example, vehicles and wheeled machines face the challenge of terrain that is not smooth or small obstacles that animals and humans can simple walk through. Thus, the motivation of our project is to build a quadruped robot that will be able to travel through areas it wouldn’t be able to with wheels. This sort of robot can be used to carry needed supplies through areas dangerous for humans without being hindered by the types of obstacles land and air vehicles are held …

Static Analysis Of Circular Plates Under Mechanical Loads, Harpreet Lalia

Publications and Research

In this research statics analysis of circular plates is performed using SolidWorks.

Circular plates with different material properties, thickness to radius ratios, and boundary conditions under mechanical loads are modeled and analyzed in SolidWorks.

The results are obtained for deflections of circular plates under uniform and point loads.

A three-dimensional (3D) model of circular plates is first created in SolidWorks. Then the material properties, mechanical loads and boundary conditions are defined for the plate.

It is found deflection of plates is depended on magnitude of mechanical loads, geometrical parameters, boundary conditions and material properties. Responses of SolidWorks for deflections of …

An Overview Of The Health Delivery System In The State Of Mississippi, Cerlyn K. Ellis

Publications and Research

Imagine residing in a high-income country that doesn’t provide access to necessary healthcare. The state of Mississippi remains one of the poorest states in the United States. This has resulted in poor health outcomes and chronic access barriers. Residents of Mississippi ranks poorly in most health indicators, including Infectious Disease, Infant Mortality, Clinic Care, Obesity, Diabetes, and Premature Death.

With half of all rural hospitals in Mississippi threatened with closure, access and quality of care barriers will become more challenging to resolve. This comes partly as a result of the state largely governed by Republicans and the legislators refusing to …

Income Disparities Between Levels Of Management Within The Workplace In The Us, Cerlyn K. Ellis

Publications and Research

The continuous rise of inequality particularly in the growing concentration of income at the top level of distribution in the United States has become a great focus of assessment for economists and policy makers. Skilled workers struggle to improve their income compensation by integrating higher level of schooling with on-the-job experience to boost their opportunity and gain the edge in this competitive labor market. Understanding the factors behind this phenomenon is essential to determine whether policy action is needed to reduce income inequality while taking into account other policy objectives. Since the problem won’t be solved without understanding the origin …

The Ethical Implications Of Bioengineering Advancements, Mainstream Media Coverage Of Those Developments, And The Future Of Motherhood, Aliff Abad, Katherine Gregory

Publications and Research

How do the media interpret reproductive interventions that involve genetic testing? When a scientist performed the first known genetic editing on twins, Lulu and Nana, he ignored ethical considerations of CRISPR use. This project provides a content analysis based on a review of popular science and newspaper articles. Our interpretation of these articles suggest that there is a lack of critical understanding of this unethical procedure and a similar attitude towards future genetic developments. While the public is curious about the repercussions of genetic editing, not enough focus is applied to the ethics of conducting such a procedure.

Correlation Of Open Lab X And Students' Final Grades, Fahameda Hassan, Zoya Vinokur, Mary Lee

Publications and Research

Open ended laboratory or open lab as it is known to the Radiological Technology students is an invaluable tool that the Radiological Technology and Medical Imaging Department provides to help the students become better radiographers. One way to ensure students use this resource is to make it a weekly requirement for some classes, other classes have no weekly requirements or may have a set total hour requirement per semester. We hope to study how utilizing this department resource impacts the students final grades over a multi-year study. Does making it mandatory help the students succeed in improving their skills and …

Static Analysis Of Structural Members, Amani Calderon, Alexis Villalona, Farhad Alinaghizadeh

Publications and Research

This research is devoted to statics analysis of structural members under mechanical loads. Static analysis of beams under uniform transverse mechanical loads is presented. The beams are supported by simply supported boundary condition at both sides. The equilibrium equation of the beams is obtained and solved using analytical method and numerical method. The numerical method employed in this work is generalized differential quadrature (GDQ) method. The type of differential quadrature method used for numerical solution is the polynomial-based GDQ method. The differential equation is discretized into algebraic equations based on the GDQ technique. The algebraic equations are then solved to …

Information Design, Rana A. Abdelnaby

Publications and Research

To apply statistical information with visual data graphics that use information to tell a story. The poster must have numerical info that you can compare and use in a chart or a graph. Poster must present ‘the problem’ and then explain or explore ‘the problem’ through data.

Green Roof System Integrated Soil Methods, Jude R. Vallon, Ivan L. Guzman

Publications and Research

Large metropolitan areas like NYC are seeking to integrate sustainability into retrofitting buildings for the development of green infrastructure. Among the many environmental issues of urbanization, the UHI (urban heat island) effect and storm water runoff are of particular interest when it comes building structures. Individual buildings can contribute towards mitigating these effects with implementation of vegetative rooftops, i.e. Green Roofs. Commercial buildings are currently receiving government incentives and new constructions are required to include green roof installations. However, if existing buildings are considering the addition of a green roof on an existing roof, they have to factor in the …

Low-Cost Near Infrared Diffuse Optical Imaging System, Mohammed Z. Shakil, Chen Xu

Publications and Research

Diffuse Optical Tomography (DOT) and Optical Spectroscopy using near-infrared (NIR) diffused light has demonstrated great potential for the initial diagnosis of tumors and in the assessment of tumor vasculature response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The NIR technique utilizes intrinsic hemoglobin contrast, which is directly related to tumor angiogenesis development, a key process required for tumor growth and metastasis. The NIR diffuse tomography holds great promise in distinguishing early-stage invasive breast cancers from benign lesions. This technique also provides insight into tumor metabolism and tumor hypoxia, important indicators of tumor response to various forms of therapy. Currently, the high cost of the …

Analysis Of People's Fears Due To News Outlets, Pedro Marquard

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

In the past, people obtained their news from newspapers and by conversations with other people. However, over the past couple of decades the media has completely evolved and people have access to an array of news sources. Media has great persuasive capacity, analysis has found that certain broadcast networks can influence voting patterns when introduced to Cable TV in areas where it was not broadcasted before. Research has shown that the daily news people receive has a persuasive role in an individual’s way of thinking and their personal fears. Media has a direct impact on how people react to a …

Into Action With The Tiered Fidelity Inventory And The Self-Assessment Survey, Deborah A. Keane

Georgia Association for Positive Behavior Support Conference

Title of Presentation: Into Action with the Tiered Fidelity Inventory (TFI) and Self-Assessment Survey

Length- 45 mins to one hour

Audience- School-based PBIS Coaches/Teams

This session will provide participants insight and practice on how to use the TFI and SAS Items reports to correlate data and action plan. The Item Report is the basis for Action Planning and is designed to facilitate the decision-making of a team as they identify (a) which items will be the focus of implementation efforts for the coming month, and (b) what the specific action(s) will be, who will lead in completing the …

Road To Successful High School Pbis Implementation: Grows And Glows, Yvonne S. Isom Ph. D, Taneisha E. Favors, Sheena Middlebrooks

Georgia Association for Positive Behavior Support Conference

The beginning of our Road to Success started with an environment that was not conducive to learning. Our school climate and culture which included: disengaged scholars, low engagement from parents, and scholars lacking the social and emotional skills to foster healthy relationships was counterproductive to the mission of our school. Our mission is to educate every scholar and prepare them to be college and career ready.

Road to successful High School PBIS Implementation: Grows and Glows is a presentation that includes how to build a cohesive team to support PBIS in high school, identify a variety of systems and interventions …

Classroom Management Techniques To Improve Efficiency, Confidence, And Positivity, Aaron K. Eubanks

Georgia Association for Positive Behavior Support Conference

The dynamics of the southern rural classroom are extremely diverse, and creating a classroom environment conducive to that can be tricky. Students learn best when they feel confident in the direction of the class and their ability to be successful. This session will provide a guide for teachers to follow when developing and sequencing classroom management strategies in order to improve the learning environment in the classroom. Positive communication strategies can improve the classroom environment, school culture, and also transfer to a positive home environment. The ability to build positive communication skills in students will ultimately lead to their utilization …

"Oh Behave!" Positive De-Escalation Strategies For Challenging Student Behaviors, Cheryl A. Rice

Georgia Association for Positive Behavior Support Conference

This presentation provides basic "common sense" strategies for verbal and non-verbal behavior de-escalation through the use of body language, tone, and proactive prevention. I will be able to present two sessions—one that is focused more on the needs of young children (preschool through grade 5) and one that is more focused on older children (grades 6-12), although all information can be applied across all grades if only one session is available. Behavior of any kind is communication, and teachers desperately need support in providing appropriate interventions for students who struggle to appropriately communicate their needs/feelings (i.e., anger, anxiety, frustrations, …

The Psychology Of Hurricane Warnings: Why They Are Sometimes Ignored, Christina Bhawanidin

Publications and Research

Why do some people heed evacuation orders given before an impending major disaster such as a hurricane, while others do not? Failure to comply with departure instructions puts the individual at personal peril, as well as the first responders responsible for rescue and evacuation during those dangerous times. For example, during Hurricane Sandy in New Jersey, 72% of people refused to evacuate their homes, whereas during Hurricane Rita in the Gulf of Mexico, 53% of people disobeyed orders to evacuate. The purpose of this research is to begin the process of investigating the psychological factors that contribute to individual differences …

An Application Of The Ising Model, Juliano A. Everett

Publications and Research

Understanding how the Ising model works,what it represents, and how it can be applied to neurology. Given that an Ising model is an Entropy model that could be representative of the firing of neurons, some assumptions of the system are made and then the process is simulated through Monte Carlo methods.

Case Presentation On Urinary Bladder Cancer And Cysto-Prostatectomy, Tetiana Soloviova

Publications and Research

Patients who have invasive bladder cancer (spread to different tissues and organs) may need to have a radical cystectomy type of surgery. In male patients, the surgeon usually removes the prostate and seminal vesicles in addition to the bladder, parts of the ureters, and lymph nodes (Nicholson, 2017, ¶ 1)

In our case a reconstructive surgery followed right after removing of the bladder and prostate gland. A different way of urine to be stored and passed from the patient’s body was created by the surgeon. A part of small intestine was used to make up a reservoir that will serve …

Best Practices: An Exciting Showcase Of Inclusive, Innovative, & Interconnected Libraries In Asia And The Usa, Buenaventura (Ven) Basco, John Hickok

Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Conference Presentation presented at PLAI 2019 National Congress in Tagaytay City, Philippines.

Libraries across the world—especially in the US and Asia—are rapidly changing. New technology, trends, and user needs are all driving libraries to adapt. This includes being more inclusive (meeting all users’ needs, of diverse backgrounds), more innovative (overcoming challenges and seizing opportunities), and more interconnected (forging partnerships and making creative connections). This paper presentation will showcase inspiring, real-life examples of just such libraries! The two co-presenters bring first-hand experience in featuring these showcased libraries. The first leads the Asian Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA), a professional library organization …

Affordability Of Course Materials In Higher Education: Exploring An Equity Issue, Grace Allbaugh, Anne Shelley

Faculty and Staff Publications – Milner Library

The ever-increasing cost of textbooks is making it more challenging for college students to afford necessary class resources. While all students pursuing a college degree are affected by textbook costs, the impact is greatest on students from low-income families. Milner Library staff, who work to provide affordable academic resources and support learning on campus through many collaborations, are in a unique position to assist in addressing this problem.

Representatives from Milner Library will discuss the ways in which textbook affordability became a problem and how it impacts different groups on ISU’s campus; steps the library is taking to increase access …

Cic 2019 Youth Survey Presentation, Petr Cincala

Human Subject Research Archive

Power Point Presentation of the CIC 2019 Youth Survey Report

Oh No! Oh Know! Early-Career Deaf Educators Negotiating Knowledge & Experience In Student-Teaching Mentorship Panel Discussion, Michael E. Skyer

Presentations and other scholarship

Recent survey data show that student-teaching is a transformative and pivotal component of teacher- preparation for deaf educators. During student teaching, deaf educators-in training face complex problems and interdependent issues that they must confront, including the transference of theoretical knowledge gained in coursework into concrete teaching praxis. Likewise, new teachers of deaf students must learn how negotiate themselves as legitimate knowers (and erstwhile, learners) within an established deaf educational system or context. This presentation will take the form of a panel composed of several early-career deaf educators from diverse background. The discussion will be led by Michael E. Skyer, Senior …