Digital Commons Network^™

Animal Groups And Social Ontology: An Argument From The Phenomenology Of Behavior, Alejandro Arango

Philosophy Faculty Scholarship

Through a critical engagement with Merleau-Ponty’s discussion of the concepts of nature, life, and behavior, and with contemporary accounts of animal groups, this article argues that animal groups exhibit sociality and that sociality is a fundamental ontological condition. I situate my account in relation to the superorganism and selfish individual accounts of animal groups in recent biology and zoology. I argue that both accounts are inadequate. I propose an alternative account of animal groups and animal sociality through a Merleau-Pontian inspired definition of behavior. I criticize Merleau-Ponty’s individualistic prejudice, but show that his philosophy contains the resources necessary to overcome …

Surface Optimization Of Siloxane-Polyurethane Marine Coatings For Improved Fouling-Release Properties, Teluka Pasan Galhenage

Coatings and Polymeric Materials

Biofouling has been an economically and environmentally costly problem to mankind ever since they set sail. Biofouling causes frictional drag leading to slow vessel speeds, and increased fuel costs. Antifouling (AF) coatings containing biocides have been used for decades, however, since some biocides have shown undesired effects towards the environment, a non-toxic solution to combat fouling is desired. Subsequently, fouling release (FR) coatings quickly gained acceptance as a non-toxic approach to contend with biofouling. Unlike AF coatings, FR coatings not necessarily prevent settlement of organisms, they permit weak adhesion which is easily released by water shear or light grooming. The …

Classification Of Lidar Data Using Window-Based Techniques, Shuhang Li

Computer Science

Given LiDAR maps, we focus on identifying anthropologically relevant ditches automatically on the map. Archeologists can identify these features visually at the site, but approaches based on remotely sensed data would be preferable. This paper proposes an algorithm that uses window-based technique to read the characteristics of each region from maps, whose ditches are already identified, regressively, and then builds histograms to represent the different characters of each region. A classification model is then built based on the histograms and used to predict future data. The goal is to produce a large training data set using window-based technology and use …

Signature Extraction From E-Mails, Divya Muttineni

Computer Science

Detecting user identity information from the email is one of the predominant exploring topics in data mining. One approach is to extract signature from the body of emails. Those names are usually suitable for representing the sender’s or recipient’s identity. To overcome the limitation, we proposed the novel approach to extract the signature of email sender and recipient from salutation and signature blocks and email bodies. After locating and extracting signature blocks from email bodies, we can identify the names in the salutation and signature lines, which can be directly associated with the corresponding email address in email headers and …

Computing The Yield Per Acre For A Given Field Using Gis Capabilities, Sadhana Badu

Computer Science

Software tools and technologies, such as geographic information systems (GIS), are playing an important role in the field of agriculture. The capabilities of the open source GIS system GRASS are used to process LandSat imagery and calculate the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), as a measure of biomass, for a given agricultural field at times before and after early harvest activity. Areas for which the NDVI value decreases substantially between two images are assumed to have been harvested during that time. Knowledge of the harvested area, in conjunction with the delivery records from American Crystal Sugar, allows computing the yield …

Pataphysical Prosthesis: Bringing The 3d Printing Industry From Detroit, Mi To The World, Carmen Johnson

Architecture Theses

Modern architectural theory criticizes the use of computers in architectural design for producing cold, inhuman environments. How then should we use the fascinating technology at our fingertips if we are told that doing so will result in meaningless architecture? Historically, man has been driven to push technology forward. Technology plays a crucial role in the way that humans perceive and experience the world, and the innate calling to advance technology has become a construct of our identity as a species and a culture. However, we stand at risk to lose control of technology, and in doing so would lose a …

Disengagement From Ideologically-Based And Violent Organizations: A Systematic Review Of The Literature, Steven Windisch, Peter Simi, Gina Sott Ligon, Hillary Mcneel

Sociology Faculty Articles and Research

Research on disengagement from violent extremism is an emerging field of inquiry. As compared to the related field of radicalization, there have been fewer studies of disengagement. Further, little effort has been made to conduct a large scale, systematic review of what is currently known about disengagement from violent extremism. This type of meta-literature assessment can play an important role in terms of informing strategies and programs designed to facilitate exit. To help fill this gap, our project systematically examines the disengagement literature to determine the range and frequency of various exit factors identified in previous studies. We also rely …

Effectors And Effector Delivery In Magnaporthe Oryzae, Thakshayni Thevathasan

Plant Pathology

Rice blast, caused by the fungus Magnaporthe oryzae, is one of the most destructive rice diseases. All plant parts can be affected including leaves, leaf collars, necks, panicles, pedicels, and seeds. The disease symptoms are caused in part by the effectors produced by Magnaporthe oryzae. Magnaporthe oryzae apoplastic effectors are secreted from invasive hyphae into the extracellular compartment through the conventional secretory pathway, Golgi complex to the plasma membrane, and are released into the apoplastic space. The biotrophic interfacial complex (BIC) appears to be the site of transfer of some of the cytoplasmic effectors into the host. Experimental results suggest …

Oil-Based Food Extracts From Distillers Dried Grains, Joseph Michael Kallenbach

Plant Sciences

The goal of this project was to examine benefits of developing a DDGS-based extract for human food consumption. The antioxidant activity of extracts derived from corn and distillers’ dried grains with solubles (DDGS) was determined. Adding 1% DDGS extract to chips significantly decreased peroxide value and hexanal content compared to the control and potentially lengthened the oxidation induction period. Supercritical carbon dioxide was successful in producing extracts with similar phytochemical content, but adding 0.05% extract to crackers did not significantly reduce oxidation, although the DDGS extract may have lengthened the induction period. Tocopherols and lutein significantly decreased during oxidation and …

Civil Religion, Nativist Rhetoric, And The Origins Of Washington National Cathedral, Richard Benjamin Crosby

Faculty Publications

Set atop the highest point in the nation's capital, The Washington National Cathedral is the sixth largest cathedral in the world. It has become a central site for the high holy rituals of American civil religion, hosting presidential funerals, National Day of Prayer services, and the tombs of national luminaries. Drawing on archival research, this essay situates the cathedral within a history of religious competition and national tension. The essay concludes that the cathedral's roots lie largely in the fecund rhetorical soil of nineteenth-century nativism, the cultural prejudice that emerged in reaction to Roman Catholicism's remarkable growth during that period. …

Global Sensitivity Analysis For A Comprehensive Char Conversion Model In Oxy-Fuel Conditions, Troy Michael Holland, Thomas H. Fletcher

Faculty Publications

Oxy-fired coal combustion is a promising potential carbon capture technology. Predictive CFD simulations are valuable tools in evaluating and deploying oxy-fuel and other carbon capture technologies either as retrofit technologies or for new construction. However, accurate predictive simulations require physically realistic submodels with low computational requirements. In particular, comprehensive char oxidation and gasification models have been developed that describe multiple reaction and diffusion processes. This work focuses on the sensitivity of a recent comprehensive char conversion code named CCK, which treats surface oxidation and gasification reactions as well as the processes such as film diffusion, pore diffusion, ash encapsulation, and …

Stories Of Smartness And Whiteness In School Pictures And Yearbooks, Eric Ruiz Bybee

Faculty Publications

This article explores the way that discourses of smartness and whiteness are produced and reproduced in schooling. Using an approach grounded in narra- tive research, I explore the convergences and contradictions between my own educational autobiography and the representations of schooling found in my school pictures and yearbooks. In my analysis, I argue that white supremacy played an important role in the construction of my own story of smartness throughout my primary and secondary schooling experiences. I also argue that yearbooks form powerful “artifacts of smartness” (Hatt, 2011, p. 448) that can be used to interpret and interrogate personal experiences …

Recovering With Acquired Apraxia Of Speech: The First 2 Years, Tyson G. Harmon, Katarina L. Haley, Jennifer N. Shafer, Adam Jacks

Faculty Publications

This study was intended to document speech recovery for 1 person with acquired apraxia of speech quantitatively and on the basis of her lived experience. The second author sustained a traumatic brain injury that resulted in acquired apraxia of speech. Over a 2-year period, she documented her recovery through 22 video-recorded monologues. We analyzed these monologues using a combination of auditory perceptual, acoustic, and qualitative methods. Recovery was evident for all quantitative variables examined. For speech sound production, the recovery was most prominent during the first 3 months, but slower improvement was evident for many months. Measures of speaking rate, …

Folate And Inflammatory Markers Moderate The Association Between Helicobacter Pylori Exposure And Cognitive Function In Us Adults, Bruce L. Brown, Andrew N. Berrett, Shawn D. Gale, Lance D. Erickson, Dawson W. Hedges

Faculty Publications

Background: Helicobacter pylori(H. pylori) infection is associated with cogni-tive deficits in humans, an association potentially mediated or moderated byfolate concentration or inflammation.Materials and

Methods: We used the National Health and Nutrition Exami-nation Survey (NHANES) datasets to examine whether folate concentrationor inflammation mediates or moderates the relationship betweenH. pyloriand cognitive function. Models were performed using linear, Poisson, andzero-inflated Poisson regression, and we performed separate analyses forgroups aged 20–59 and 60–90 years with sample sizes ranging from 700 to1700.Results:We did not find evidence of mediation in either age group. In the20- to 59-year group, interactions betweenH. pyloriand ferritin (pvaluesranging from .004 to …

An Organizational Assessment For The Boys & Girls Clubs Of South Park Using Community Capital Frameworks, April-Dawn Knudsen

Sociology and Anthropology

The Boys & Girls Clubs of South Park (BGCSP) is a youth service 501(c)3 serving Park County, Colorado. With over 60% of Park County’s workforce commuting to another county for employment the need for affordable out-of-school youth care is apparent, but the need for BGCSP goes further. These rural communities need local opportunities for children. This isolated population is a food desert, medical desert, and had limited industry. The schools lack resources and the population is projected to see unprecedented growth over the next eight years. The need for BGCSP is apparent, but what is their impact? The following chapters …

Comparing The Publication Process In Accounting, Economics, Finance, Management, Marketing, Psychology, And The Natural Sciences, David A. Wood

Faculty Publications

I present two types of data about the publication and review process in the accounting, economics, finance, management, marketing, psychology, and natural science disciplines. First, I collect all articles published in 2012 in top tier journals of these disciplines and compare the articles based on word counts, figures and tables included in each article, the time it took to be published, citations, the number of co-authors, and submission fees. I then survey academics in each discipline. Survey questions were designed to evaluate overall perceptions of the review process; changes in the review process in the last 5 years; opinions about …

Serious Games: An Evaluation Framework And Case Study, David W. Wilson, Jeff Jenkins, Nathan Twyman, Matthew Jensen, Joe Valacich, Norah Dunbar, Scott Wilson, Claude Miller, Bradley Adame, Yu-Hao Lee, Judee Burgoon, Jay F. Nunamaker

Faculty Publications

Serious games show promise as an effective training method, but such games are complex and few guidelines exist for their effective evaluation. We draw on the design science literature to develop a serious game evaluation framework that emphasizes grounding evaluation in each of four key areas— theoretical, technical, empirical, and external. We further recommend that serious game developers assume an iterative, adaptive approach to grounding an evaluation effort in these four areas, emphasizing some areas more than others at different stages of the development cycle. We illustrate our framework using a case study of a large-scale serious game development project. …

Creating Agile Organizations Through It: The Influence Of Internal It Service Perceptions On It Service Quality And It Agility, Paul Benjamin Lowry, David W. Wilson

Faculty Publications

Businesses continue to make large investments in information technology (IT) resources, and it is crucial for them to implement effective management strategies to better leverage these resources. Modern organizations are increasingly dependent on IT to remain agile and competitive in a rapidly changing market, but there remain gaps in understanding how IT resources support IT agility. Recent IT strategy research highlights the role of IT service climate in driving positive IT service quality, and we extend this work in the form of a theoretical model that relates an organization’s internal IT service perceptions to IT agility. We hypothesize a partially …

The Fall Of Fertility: How Same-Sex Marriage Will Further Declining Birthrates In The United States, Jason S. Carroll, Walter Schumm

Faculty Publications

The current debate over the definition of marriage is typically portrayed as a decision to "expand" or "extend" the boundaries of marriage to include same-sex couples. This argument, however, rests on the assumption that the basic nature off marriage will remain largely unchanged by granting marriage status to same-sex partnerships and that all this policy change will do is absorb same-se partnerships within the existing boundaries of marriage and emend the benefits of marriage to a wider segment of society. Indeed, the very term "same-sex marriage" implies that same-sex couples in committed relationships are already a type of marriage that …

Identification And Development Of Patron Personas For An Academic Library, Holt Zaugg, Scott Rackham

Faculty Publications

Purpose. Ranganathan’s Laws of Library Science and continued refinements to his initial laws place identification of patron’s needs and connection of those needs to library services of primary importance in libraries (Ranganathan, 1931; Crawford & Gorman, 1995; Noruzi, 2004). Identifying and developing personas or user group descriptions helps to identify the unique nature of library patrons. Each persona helps librarians to identify or create services specific to the persona of library patrons. As each library persona is better understood, the library faculty and staff are able to prepare and plan for service delivery. Initially personas were developed for undergraduate …

Strategic Human Resource Development Impact On Organizational Performance: Does Shrd Matter?, Rebecca Lyons

Education

In the United States today organizational leaders are concerned with skills gaps, or the limited availability of qualified workers to fill open positions. The reason for their concern is the impact of skills gaps on organizational performance in a number of areas including productivity, customer satisfaction, profitability, and the ability to expand. To address skills gaps, many leaders choose to employ workforce training and development. Strategic Human Resource Development (SHRD) is a growing field of research and practice that aims to integrate and align training and development approaches with organizational strategy to improve organizational performance. However, there is inconsistent empirical …

The Perceived Impacts Of Woman-To-Woman Rape And Sexual Assault, And The Subsequent Experience Of Disclosure, Reaction, And Support On Victim/Survivors’ Subjective Experience Of Occupation, Rebecca Twinley

School of Health Professions Theses

The traditional and universal assumption that rape and sexual assault are gendered in nature - perpetrated by men upon women in order to control, oppress, or subordinate them - has implications for victim/survivors of every other form of unwanted sexual contact and non-contact. The historical focus upon male-to-female rape has overlooked the fact that – regardless of gender – children and adults are sexually victimised by people of all ages and genders. In my thesis, I explore the experiences of a group of victim/survivors who national and international research, and anti-sexual-victimisation efforts, have essentially ignored: women who have been sexually …

Copy Number Variation In Bipolar Disorder, Ek Green, E Rees, Jtr Walters, K-G Smith, Et Al

School of Biomedical Sciences

Large (>100 kb), rare (<1% in the population) copy number variants (CNVs) have been shown to confer risk for schizophrenia (SZ), but the findings for bipolar disorder (BD) are less clear. In a new BD sample from the United Kingdom (n=2591), we have examined the occurrence of CNVs and compared this with previously reported samples of 6882 SZ and 8842 control subjects. When combined with previous data, we find evidence for a contribution to BD for three SZ-associated CNV loci: duplications at 1q21.1 (P=0.022), deletions at 3q29 (P=0.03) and duplications at 16p11.2 (P=2.3 × 10(-4)). The latter survives multiple-testing correction for the number of recurrent large CNV loci in the genome. Genes in 20 regions (total of 55 genes) were enriched for rare exonic CNVs among BD cases, but none of these survives correction for multiple testing. Finally, our data provide strong support for the hypothesis of a lesser contribution of very large (>500 kb) CNVs in BD compared with SZ, most notably for deletions >1 Mb (P=9 × 10(-4)).

Personalized Health Insurance Services Using Big Data, Ylli Sadikaj

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Cloud computing paradigm has significantly affected the healthcare sector like various other business domains. Persistently growing healthcare data over the Internet has called for the development of methodologies to efficiently handle the health big data. This study presents a framework that utilizes the cloud computing services to offer personalized recommendations about the most apposite health insurance plans. The users are offered implicit and explicit recommendations. A standard ontology is presented to offer a unified representation to the health insurance plans. The plans are ranked based on: (a) similarities between the users’ coverage requirements and the plans (b) priority of the …

On The Concept Of Self-Hatred: A Misnomer, Ilana Maymind

Religious Studies Faculty Articles and Research

"Jewish existence is often said to be marked by two contradictory perils: hatred and acceptance. Reflecting on the historical past, I note that, at its extreme, hatred led to mass extermination (the Holocaust), whereas acceptance, ironically, had the potential to result in self- attrition through the massive loss of Jewish self-identification (assimilation).¹ As a result of hatred, Jewish life was characterized by centuries of segregation and oppression, which of course affected the construction of Jewish identity. The advent of Jewish inclusion resulting from Enlightenment thought brought to light the issue of an identity grounded in conflict and hardship. For …

George Zimmerman, Jerry Sandusky, And The Ethics Of Counsel’S Use Of The Media, Wesley M. Oliver, Rebecca L. Silinski

Oklahoma Law Review

The media is both a tool and a temptress for the modern lawyer. With interest in trials increasing, particularly criminal trials, lawyers are frequently invited to become part of the media’s coverage. The media provides lawyers an opportunity to tell their clients’ stories, but it also brings a type of fame to the attorney, which may bias the lawyer’s view of the wisdom of the coverage. The American Bar Association’s (ABA) Model Rules of Professional Conduct (Model Rules) have long recognized that a lawyer’s interest in the literary and media rights to the client’s story potentially compromises the client’s representation. …

Merchant Restraints: Credit-Card-Transaction Surcharging And Interchange-Fee Regulation In The Wake Of Landmark Industry Changes, Samuel J. Merchant

Oklahoma Law Review

No abstract provided.

Rocked By Rocket: Applying Oklahoma’S Mrta To Severed Mineral Interests After Rocket V. Donabar, Jason Hubbert

Oklahoma Law Review

No abstract provided.

Are Intellectually Disabled Individuals Still At Risk Of Capital Punishment After Hall V. Florida? The Need For A Totality-Of-The-Evidence Test To Protect Human Rights In Determining Intellectual Disability, Ruthie Stevens

Oklahoma Law Review

No abstract provided.

What Are Constitutional Rights For? The Case Of The Second Amendment, Christopher J. Peters

Oklahoma Law Review

District of Columbia v. Heller—the Supreme Court’s 2008 Second Amendment decision—was the occasion for a momentous national conversation that never happened. Heller sparked heated debates about the Court’s originalist interpretive methodology, but virtually nobody asked what should have been an obvious question: Even if the Court got the meaning of the Second Amendment right, why should we obey that amendment?

This is the curiously underexplored question of the authority of constitutional rights: Why, indeed whether, we have some obligation to respect those rights even when we disagree with them. The Second Amendment brings that question front and center in …