Digital Commons Network^™

Catalysts Of Change: How Social Movement Organizations Accelerate Shifts In Social Norms, Katie A. Apker, Michelle Blood Checketts, Taeya M. Howell, Lisa Jones Christensen, Ben William Lewis, Gordon N. Scott

Faculty Publications

We examine how social movement organizations (SMOs), particularly third-party rating agencies, can catalyze rapid shifts in social norms among an organizational population. We propose that rating agencies can instigate new social norms by defining appropriate and acceptable standards of performance that prompt organizations to realign their behaviors to mirror these new standards, thereby accelerating changes in shared understandings regarding appropriate firm behavior. We tested our theory by analyzing how members of the S&P 500 index adapted to a new gender diversity rating by KLD Research & Analytics, focusing on the acceptance and implementation of gender diversity standards on corporate boards …

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Of Ultrasound Fields For Visualization And Measurement Of Pressure Amplitudes, Paul-Emile Victor Passe-Carlus

Theses and Dissertations

In vivo pressure estimations for therapeutic ultrasound has the potential of rendering treatments using non-invasive ultrasound targeting safer and more reliable. By quantifying pressures and their respective spatial locations, better acoustic predictions and models can be made. In this thesis, we aim to measure a pressure field from a piezo-electric transducer through a ballistic gel medium by using an external gradient coil to encode the pressure field in a way that can be read and quantified using an MRI scanner. We describe the methods and the results pertaining to visualizing a pressure field. The setup was able to capture pressure …

Hydrogen Underground Storage For Grid Electricity Storage: An Optimization Study On Techno-Economic Analysis, Yunzhi Chen, Daniel Hill, Blake Billings, John Hedengren, Kody Powell

Faculty Publications

This study performs a techno-economic analysis of hydrogen underground storage systems for grid electricity storage, evaluating their economic viability at the plant scale using dynamic optimization. It explores the feasibility of various system configurations and revenue models in the context of volatile electricity prices and the necessity for multiple revenue streams. The hypothesis tested is that large-scale hydrogen storage, despite its low round-trip efficiency, can be economically viable with the right mix of revenue streams. This study uses scenario-based analysis to assess the impacts of different system configurations, including engaging in time-shifting arbitrage, ancillary service markets and blending hydrogen with …

Violence Against Muslims In India, Janai Wright

Ballard Brief

Violence against Muslims in India is an issue rooted in historical tensions and political ideologies. This violence encompasses various forms, including communal riots, targeted attacks, and spontaneous assaults. Historical factors dating back to the Partition of British India in 1947 with unresolved territorial disputes, have contributed to ongoing hostilities. Hindu nationalism, propagated by groups like the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has exacerbated religious divisions, with policies and rhetoric marginalizing Muslims and promoting a Hindu majoritarian agenda. The failure of law enforcement and justice systems to address violence against Muslims further creates social insecurity. Consequently, Muslims in India face economic and …

Home Ownership Inaccessibility For Upcoming Generations In The United States, Kendall A. Isom

Ballard Brief

Affording adequate shelter is an important human need, but it is also a significant aspect of the American Dream to be able to own a home. Housing inaccessibility poses a significant challenge for younger generations in America, including Millennials and Generation Z, compared to their parent and grandparent generations such as Baby Boomers and Generation X. This challenge is primarily driven by contributing factors such as wage stagnation, an increased cost of living, and a housing shortage. These factors collectively contribute to consequences including younger individuals being unable to afford homes, exacerbating wealth inequality, and hindering one’s ability to retire …

Editor's Note, Joseph Drew Editor-In-Chief

Comparative Civilizations Review

Although the International Society for the Comparative Study of Civilizations was formally launched in 1961 via a scholarly conference convened in Salzburg, Austria, which brought together many of the world’s leading experts on the subject under the sponsorship of the Austrian government and UNESCO, regular annual meetings for those interested in comparative civilizations have been held subsequently by the society variously in North America, South America, Asia or Europe almost every year since that time.

Is Donald Trump A Modern-Day Catiline?, Jamie González-Ocaña

Comparative Civilizations Review

Could the story of a failed Roman politician who organized a plot to seize the Roman republic in 63 BCE be a metaphor for Donald Trump’s political persona — his initial presidential run against the establishment, his rhetorical effort to overthrow the status quo and the natural order of things in national politics, the love affair Trump has always had with the struggling working-class voters (with the “forgotten” Americans), his constant testing the Constitutional limits of our republican system of government? Could both figures be symptoms of times when a republic is in crisis and reminders of the perils that …

Seventeen Crises In Western Civilization That Have Arisen Since The Dark Ages: A Cognition Science-Oriented Approach, Andrew Targowski

Comparative Civilizations Review

The purpose of this article is to synthesize those crises in the unfolding of Western civilization that are controlled by human knowledge and wisdom. The methodology is transdisciplinary, utilizing a cognitive science-oriented, big-picture view of civilization and main conflicts. The crises are investigated across three time periods; the Dark Ages (from the fifth to the fourteenth century), Modern Times (from the fifteenth to the twentieth century), and the present century. The findings reveal that today Western civilization faces seventeen significant crises. Knowledge is not sufficient to solve these crises; we need to employ knowledge-based wisdom. This approach presents a new …

What Lessons Can Be Learned From The United Nations Preventive Deployment Mission In North Macedonia, On The Border Of Two Civilizations: Nothing Fails Like Success?, Mary Frances Lebamoff

Comparative Civilizations Review

Preventive deployment as a conflict prevention tool has not recurred in the past several decades, despite the broadly acclaimed success of the United Nations Preventive Deployment in Macedonia, UNPREDEP 1995-1999, and of its predecessor missions, UNPROFOR/Macedonia, and UNPROFOR/M 1992-1995.

The United Nations in particular has continued with mainly first- and second-generation peacekeeping, peacemaking and peacebuilding actions even on civilizational borders. What may best explain why there has been no other engagement in preventive deployment missions? There has been much emphasis placed formally and informally on early warning, detection, mitigation, and prevention of conflict. There have also been increasing numbers of …

Son Preference In India, Susan May Watts

Ballard Brief

Son preference, based on the belief that sons are more valuable than daughters, creates environments where girls are neglected and discriminated against all over the world. India has one of the strongest cultures of son preference, as evidenced by its abnormal sex ratio at birth (SRB) of 110 boys born for every 100 girls. Son preference in India is caused by cultural norms placing sons in positions of importance, as sons are tasked with performing funeral rites for parents, supporting parents financially, and taking care of their parents in their old age. Additionally, having daughters is a financial burden on …

Books Of Interest, Stephen T. Satkiewicz

Comparative Civilizations Review

The journal is adding this section since there are books that may be of interest to scholars of the comparative study of civilizations and that may add significantly to the body of scholarship in the civilizational field. The books listed below are also available to be reviewed in the Book Review section of future editions of Comparative Civilizations Review.

Book Review: The Americans: The Democratic Experience And The Creators, Robert Bedeski

Comparative Civilizations Review

Two classics by American historian Daniel Boorstin should be central in the analysis of civilization.

The Sociology Of Crisis: Pitirim Sorokin’S Scholarly Legacy And Current Problems, Resilience, And Community, Emiliana Mangone

Comparative Civilizations Review

In his writings on crises, Sorokin highlighted their complexity and their multiple consequences on a personal, cultural, and social level. In this paper, crises in the 21st century are analyzed from Sorokin’s incisive perspective. The significant points include:

1. the study of crises cannot be enclosed within the confines of individual disciplines but rather must incorporate interdisciplinary approaches.
2. the category “crisis” does not encompass only those conditions that are the consequences of specific disastrous events such as natural disasters, wars, and terrorism but also all those phenomena that produce the conjunction of harm to human beings and social disturbances.
3. successive crises …

The Geographic Clash Of Civilizations?, Mojtaba Sadeghi

Comparative Civilizations Review

The Geographic Clash of Civilizations represents a significant geographic-civilizational reality and process, a phenomenon that has occurred and is expected to unfold increasingly in the third millennium. Understanding, analyzing, and forecasting this phenomenon relies solely on the geographic conceptualization of civilization. Through that perspective, the world is undergoing another instance of the geographic clash of civilizations, a clash more profound than the Clash of Civilizations, impacting the survival or collapse of human civilizations. The geographic clash of civilizations epitomizes an inescapable conflict between the soul (das-man) and the body (no-da-sein) of a civilization, stemming from …

Unrest On The Eurasian Landmass Since 1917, Bertil Haggman

Comparative Civilizations Review

The terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, and the subsequent war on global terrorism and its networks reminded the world of the danger to civilization of worldwide criminal enterprises. The purpose of these notes is to present some introductory material on the ongoing planetary civil war since 1917. The training for worldwide revolutionary war started at Soviet Russian political warfare academies shortly after the Russian Revolution. During the 1990s, similarly, terrorists have been undergoing terrorism training. Thousands of terrorists have graduated from terrorist schools and have been active in around 60 countries worldwide.

The Dravidian And Āryan Migrations In Europe And India, Alexander Jacob

Comparative Civilizations Review

Much has been written about the relationship between the Indo-Āryans and the Dravidians. Debates have proliferated on the question of whether the Āryans invaded Dravidian India or whether they were indigenous to Dravida. If we consider the literary evidence of the ancient Indians we can inform a different view of the origins of Indian Brāhmanical religion and the historical relationship between the two major population groupings of India.

Full Issue

Comparative Civilizations Review

No abstract provided.

Economic Impact Considerations For Sustainable Design Engineering As Derived From The Literature, K. Joshua Kelley, Christopher A. Mattson, Nile Hatch, John L. Salmon

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis contributes to the scholarship on sustainable development by presenting a review of the literature on the economic impacts of engineering design decisions and engineered products. Many design engineers already consider the economic impacts of their work, especially those impacts related to production cost and the economic feasibility of their products. However, we believe that a review of our findings can help design engineers consider a more comprehensive set of economic impacts that apply to their work, leading to greater sustainability. Presented in this thesis are 11 economic impact categories, spanning three economic scopes.

Diversification And Evolution Of Hawaiian Megalagrion Damselflies (Pinapinao, Odonata: Coenagrionidae), Robert K. Hadfield

Theses and Dissertations

The Megalagrion damselflies of HawaiÊ»i present a valuable study system for understanding the impacts of geology on evolutionary processes. Despite their significance, our understanding of the temporal, geographic, and phylogenetic origins of these damselflies remains incomplete. Prior phylogenetic studies have proposed adaptive ecological and morphological progressions, but evaluating these hypotheses relies on a sound understanding of phylogenetic relationships within the genus. Previous phylogenetic analyses have produced conflicting topologies. To resolve these uncertainties, we performed phylogenetic analyses including divergence time estimation with 90 nuclear loci (>50 kbp) and 2 mitochondrial loci (>1000 bp), sampling representatives from each genus within …

A Comprehensive Review And Meta-Analysis Of Breast Cancer Gene Expression Data: Understanding The Molecular Complexity Of A Silent Epidemic, Ifeanyichukwu O. Nwosu

Theses and Dissertations

Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer type and the leading cause of cancer death; it accounts for 23% of total cases and 14% of deaths, with over 2 million new cases diagnosed and 600,000 deaths in 2020. This is a huge public health burden. Traditionally, clinical subtypes of breast cancer are defined based on a patient's immunohistochemistry profile. These profiles are determined by the combined expression status of three receptors: estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2. It has also been observed that women of African descent, more commonly present with ER, PR and …

The Effects Of Writing Groups On Student Self-Efficacy, Katie Francom

Theses and Dissertations

High school students often lack confidence in their writing. One way to change this is by increasing their self-efficacy regarding writing. Previous studies suggest that writing groups have effectively improved students' self-efficacy in higher education. However, more must be done to see if this same intervention would succeed in high school. This study aimed to test this hypothesis and answer the question: How does participating in writing groups shape adolescents' writing self-efficacy? To do this, 57 11th-grade students participated in writing groups in an Honors English 11 class over a semester. For the study, they were surveyed about their writerly …

Reconstructing Visual Narratives: Mary Colter, Fred Kabotie, And The Myth Of The West At Desert View Watchtower, Allison M. Foster

Theses and Dissertations

Desert View Watchtower opened in 1933 on the Grand Canyon South Rim, under the management of the Fred Harvey Company. The structure contains many self-contradictions, in terms of style and use. In this thesis, I argue that these contradictions come from the dichotomous motives of Desert View Watchtower's architect, Mary Colter, and her employers, the Fred Harvey Company and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway. New western history theory of the Mythical West is used to explain Harvey/Santa Fe marketing, which created a narrative suggesting that Native American lifeways were going to disappear from the Southwest. I argue that …

Feature Engineering For Grain Boundaries And Other Variable-Sized Atom Clusters, C. Braxton Owens

Theses and Dissertations

Obtaining microscopic structure-property relationships for grain boundaries are challenging because of the complex atomic structures that underlie their behavior. This has led to recent efforts to obtain these relationships with machine learning, but representing a grain boundary structure in a manner suitable for machine learning is not a trivial task. There are three key steps common to property prediction in grain boundaries and other variable-sized atom clustered structures. These are: (1) describe the atomic structure as a feature matrix, (2) transform the variable-sized feature matrices of different structures to a fixed length common to all structures, and (3) apply machine …

The Cofactor Matrix For Optimized Normal Transformations & Real-Time Caustics And Refractions Using Signed Distance Fields, Dane William Christensen

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis contains two distinct manuscripts both focused on real-time rendering research; an abstract for each is provided: 1. We survey methods for mapping normal vectors to a transformed surface with emphasis on the cofactor matrix form. We demonstrate that the cofactor matrix uniquely and correctly supports matrix transformations that are rank deficient or have negative determinants, while also generalizing to operations such as rotation, scaling, translation, and shearing. We derive and demonstrate the completeness of this new convention in contrast to other approaches, while also establishing its computational efficiency benefits. 2. We present SDF volumes as an efficient datastructure …

Linguistic Perspectives In Ecuadorian Amazonian Kichwa, Max Nathan Jensen

Theses and Dissertations

Despite the fact that Amazonian Kichwa speakers consider themselves to be both linguistically and culturally distinct from their highland counterparts (Ennis 2020; Wroblewski 2012), relatively little has been done to document their language attitudes and how these attitudes are reflected in their speech. This study shows this to be a valid line of questioning. Using commentary from interviews with Amazonian Kichwa people, I show that views on the status and future of the language are divided, as well as perspectives on the role of non-Kichwa sources like schools and governments in language maintenance. Older and native speakers of Kichwa are …

Deep Learning For Source Localization In A Laboratory Tank, Corey Emerson Dobbs

Theses and Dissertations

Deep learning has been applied to underwater acoustics problems in many forms. One difficulty in applying deep learning techniques to ocean acoustics is the spatially and temporally varying environmental properties. Another challenge is the lack of labeled data for training large networks. The overall goal of this work is to develop deep learning approaches for source localization that can be adaptable to different conditions. In this work, a convolutional neural network was trained on acoustic data measured in a water tank, while the water was at room temperature, to predict source-receiver range. Tests were done to ascertain ideal quantities of …

An Investigation Of University General Education Assessment Practice, Joseph H. Hanks

Theses and Dissertations

Many-facets Rasch modeling (MFRM) is an effective way to compensate for rater effects (e.g., rater leniency/severity) in the ratings assigned during rater-mediated assessment. While a fully crossed MFRM rating design, in which all raters rate every rating object, is the ideal from a psychometric standpoint; fully crossed designs are rarely implemented in practice because of the resource burden they impose on assessment personnel. Thus, incomplete rating designs, where each rater does not rate all rating objects, are the norm. However, unless assessment personnel consciously attend to a variety of aspects of rating design, incomplete rating designs may suffer from design …

Emergent Leadership, L2 Oral Proficiency, And Social Networks During Study Abroad, Nicole C. Whitby

Theses and Dissertations

Research shows that study abroad (SA) provides a unique, yet varied outcome for students seeking to improve their target language oral proficiency during study abroad SA (Freed et al., 2004). Contemporary work in second language acquisition (SLA) during SA has looked beyond individual behaviors of sojourners to analyze social networks as a structure with significant influence on outcomes, yet emergent leadership has not been addressed within social network analysis in SA. To address this gap the current study employed a computational social network approach. This mixed methods study analyzes the social networks of 30 SA sojourners from a large private …

Design For Pullout Resistance And Global Stability Of Metallic Reinforcements In Mse Walls With Lightweight Cellular Concrete Backfill, Joshua Curt Peterson

Theses and Dissertations

Lightweight cellular concrete (LCC) is a type of concrete that has reduced density and weight compared to traditional concrete. This is achieved by incorporating a large amount of air- filled cells or voids into the mixture. The resulting material is lighter, yet still possesses considerable strength and durability, making it suitable for a range of construction applications, especially in the case of retaining walls because of its reduced weight. Unlike traditional concrete, which can be extremely heavy and place significant stress on the supporting structure, lightweight cellular concrete reduces the pressure on the retaining wall, helping to prevent deformation and …

Exploring The Mechanism Of Increased Survival In Rb1-Mutant Glioblastoma Multiforme, Lucia Wesemann

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) is an incredibly invasive and particularly lethal central nervous system cancer. Recent work has shown that GBM patients with mutated RB1 have greater overall survival. A proposed mechanism for the improved prognosis of this molecular subgroup is mainly supported by previous research that is not specific to GBM. I utilize the Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium (CPTAC) dataset to interrogate this mechanism using GBM-specific data. The mechanism is largely not supported by the CPTAC GBM dataset, and the trend of significantly improved overall survival in RB1-mutant GBM patients is not validated here. This study highlights the …