Digital Commons Network^™

The Failure Of Westphalia: A Constructivist Examination Of Western And Middle Eastern Relations, Jayson Warren

Masters Theses

This thesis is not intended to be a dogmatic or pedantic endorsement of any one religion, ethic, or culture. To the contrary, it is the intent of the author to examine a number of competing ideas, philosophies, and belief systems in order to extrapolate their geopolitical implications and to pursue them to their logical (albeit sometimes inevitable) conclusions. Too often, any number of presuppositions at work within a given situation go overlooked and subsequently skew geopolitical analysis and resulting policy decisions. This thesis seeks to transcend mere opinion or speculation and achieve instead a framework of Constructivism for pragmatic comprehension …

The Influence Of Resin Rich Volumes On The Mechanical Properties Of Glass Fibre Reinforced Polymer Composites, Grant Lewin

The Plymouth Student Scientist

Glass fibre composite plates were manufactured using several methods to promote increasing levels of fibre volume fraction (Vf), inversely leading to a lower residual resin content and theoretically smaller resin rich volumes (RRV). The aim of this project is to determine the effect of resin rich volumes on the mechanical properties tested and whether they scale with the increase in Vf. Five test plates were manufactured, the first using hand-lamination (HL) with three further plates produced using resin infusion (RI), with infusion occurring under consolidation pressures of 300, 600 and 900mbar. The fifth plate was infused under full vacuum, ~1000mbar …

End-Of-Life Recycling Options For Glass Fibre Reinforced Polymers, Shannon Hall

The Plymouth Student Scientist

This report covers the possible recycling options for end-of-life glass fibre reinforced polymers. Two forms (jigsaw and diamond bladed wet saw) of composite size reduction were compared to determine the most viable option. It was determined that the use of a jigsaw is essential due to its portability and low cost; being ≈36% less than the cost of the wet saw. Incineration with fibre recovery was performed at six different temperatures to determine which was the best to achieve complete resin decomposition. It was found that the most effective temperature, in terms of cost, burn-off time and effectiveness was 500°C. …

Modelling The Response Of Phytoplankton To Mesoscale And Submesoscale Processes At The Sub-Antarctic Front, Zoë E. Waring

The Plymouth Student Scientist

This study extends a basic NPZ (Nutrient, Phytoplankton, Zooplankton) model to investigate the impact of turbulence on phytoplankton growth. Despite recent studies suggesting that submesoscale dynamics are crucial for the transfer of energy and nutrients across eddies, there are relatively few in situ studies and none, before now, at the Sub-Antarctic Front (SAF) to the East of Drake Passage. This study draws on data collected at the SAF and predictions made by the model to give an insight into the processes governing phytoplankton growth across a cold core mesoscale eddy. Conductivity, temperature, nutrient and chlorophyll-a (chl-a) measurements were used to …

The Cytotoxic And Genotoxic Potential Of Titanium Dioxide (Tio2) Nanoparticles On Human Sh-Sy5y Neuronal Cells In Vitro, Rebecca Allen

The Plymouth Student Scientist

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles are one of the most commonly used nanomaterials. They are used in plastics, sunscreens, personal care products, pharmaceuticals and the food industry due to their photocatalytic properties, high refractive index and generally unreactive nature. Their vast range of applications, and hence potential exposure to humans, raises concern over the safety of the nanomaterial. TiO2 nanoparticles have been extensively studied; however, their toxic effect on humans is still poorly understood, particularly the adverse effects they may have on the nervous system. In vivo studies have shown that TiO2 nanoparticles are able to enter the brain via circulation …

Factors Affecting The Quantity Of Social Interactions And Aggression In Captive Group Housed Asiatic Black Bears (Ursus Thibetanus), Lianne Ottewell

The Plymouth Student Scientist

This study observed a group of Asiatic black bears (Ursus thibetanus) in a captive environment that differs greatly to standard zoological institutions. Rather than being housed alone or with one other, as is typical in captivity, two large groups of bears consisting of 24 individuals were observed in two different enclosures. Any instance of social behaviour was noted down, both positive and negative, to determine the extent to which social relationships form and whether these animals have the capacity to live in large groups, regardless of their supposed solitary nature. The results indicated that the duration of social interactions were …

Callosal Connectivity And Interhemispheric Bilateral Advantage: A Diffusion Tensor Imaging Study, Sophie Clarke

The Plymouth Student Scientist

There is wide acknowledgement that the cerebral hemispheres do not operate in isolation when processing complex visual stimuli (Singh, 2000; Schulte & Muller-Oehring, 2010). Patterns of interhemispheric communication are believed to be integral to such cognitive abilities, yet the circumstances under which communication takes place and the nature of information being processed is poorly understood. This experiment addresses the role of interhemispheric communication regarding inter-individual differences in underlying white matter (WM) relating to the matching facial identity. Several studies have already documented the role of WM in processing abilities such as with differences in gender, age and disease (Schulte & …

Parameterisation Of Intra Array Effects Around Wind Turbine Monopiles, Maxwell Needham

The Plymouth Student Scientist

Project II is a continuation of project I which studied the effects of wave incidence angle and current interaction around offshore Wind Turbine Monopiles. This report presents a brief recap of project I findings and objectives before identifying the experimental methodology used for lab testing, post processing and results analysis. Laboratory testing conducted in the Plymouth Coast basin used a 1:50 scale Monopile to replicate the prototype site and conditions of Scroby Sands Offshore Windfarm. Turbulent Kinetic Energy (TKE) and Bed Shear Stress were measured across the wake region as part of this testing, enabling a number of conclusions to …

Engineering The Future, Deborah Greaves

The Plymouth Student Scientist

Guest editorial from: Deborah Greaves, Professor in Ocean Engineering and Director of the Coast Laboratory, Plymouth University

Fugro Seacore: Airlift Pump Modelling Proposal, Matthew Hobson

The Plymouth Student Scientist

This Project reviews options available to Fugro Seacore (fugro), an over water drilling contractor, for predicting the operability of Airlift pumps. This is particular a problem during projects conducted from Jack-Up Barges in areas with large tidal ranges. By reviewing literature and attempting to construct both mathematical and CFD models it is concluded that CFD is too complex for the speed of calculation Fugro require when tendering for projects. In literature a mathematical model is found however further work will be needed to ensure this can be applied to Fugro’s large scale pumps. This is because while Fugro operate in …

The Cowl - V.81 - N.11 - Dec 1, 2016

The Cowl

The Cowl - student newspaper of Providence College. Volume 81, Number 11 - December 1, 2016. 24 pages.

A Tale Of Two Antennules: The Performance Of Crab Odor-Capture Organs In Air And Water, Lindsay D. Waldrop, Laura A. Miller, Shilpa Khatri

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Odour capture is an important part of olfaction, where dissolved chemical cues (odours) are brought into contact with chemosensory structures. Antennule flicking by marine crabs is an example of discrete odour capture (sniffing) where an array of chemosensory hairs is waved through the water to create a flow–no flow pattern based on a narrow range of speeds, diameters of and spacings between hairs. Changing the speed of movement and spacing of hairs at this scale to manipulate flow represents a complicated fluid dynamics problem. In this study, we use numerical simulation of the advection and diffusion of a chemical gradient …

The Pursuit Of Perfection, Jacob Perry

Verbum

In lieu of an abstract, below is the essay's first paragraph.

"Both Hinduism and Buddhism contain a specific characteristic that sets them apart from each other, but at the same time ties them together. Buddhism was born out of Hinduism and contains many of the same aspects, but where they differ most comes through how each religion defines dharma. Dharma can be applied to almost any religion in some way, most in similar forms, but how it is represented in these two religions is what makes it especially intriguing and intricate."

A New Valuation School: Integrating Diverse Values Of Nature In Resource And Land Use Decisions, Sander Jacobs, Nicolas Dendoncker, Berta Martin-Lopez, David Nicholas Barton, Erik Gomez-Baggethun, Fanny Boeraeve, Francesca L. Mcgrath, Kati Vierikko, Davide Geneletti, Katharina J. Sevecke, Nathalie Pipart, Eeva Primmer, Peter Mederly, Stefan Schmidt, Alexandra Aragao, Himlal Baral, Rosalind H. Bark, Tania Briceno, Delphine Brogna, Pedro Cabral, Rik De Vreese, Camino Liquete, Hannah Mueller, Kelvin S.H. Peh, Anna Phelan, Alexander R. Rincon, Shannon H. Rogers, Francis Turkelboom, Wouter Van Reeth, Boris T. Van Zanten, Hilde Karine Wam, Carla-Leanne Washbourne

New Hampshire EPSCoR

We are increasingly confronted with severe social and economic impacts of environmental degradation all over the world. From a valuation perspective, environmental problems and conflicts originate from trade-offs between values. The urgency and importance to integrate nature's diverse values in decisions and actions stand out more than ever.

Valuation, in its broad sense of ‘assigning importance’, is inherently part of most decisions on natural resource and land use. Scholars from different traditions -while moving from heuristic interdisciplinary debate to applied transdisciplinary science- now acknowledge the need for combining multiple disciplines and methods to represent the diverse set of values of …

Montclair Magazine (Fall/Winter 2016), Montclair State University

Montclair: The magazine of Montclair State University

No abstract provided.

Fyla Newsletter, Issue 5, December 2016, Oberlin College Libraries

Notes from your First Year Library Advisor

No abstract provided.

Factors Influencing Accessibility To American Public Higher Education, Angela Leanne Bryan

Dissertations

Since their inception in the early 1900s, community colleges have been about making higher education accessible. While their initial purpose was to overcome the geography barrier to higher education, the mission of community colleges and higher education on the whole has expanded over time to mitigate other barriers to higher education to include gender, race, religion, and socioeconomic barriers. As public support for higher education has changed over time, institutions have had to change their tuition and fee structure to make up the budget shortfall created by the decreases in public funding. How have these changes impacted accessibility to public …

Burmese Nationalism And Christianity In Myanmar: Christian Identity And Witness In Myanmar Today, Zam Khat Kham

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

The dissertation first considers the historical and cultural settings of a rising Burmese nationalism that embraces Buddhism as an essential component and seeks to enforce a cultural homogenization known as “Burmanization” on all citizens of Myanmar. For the minority Christian church in Myanmar, this ardent and pervasive nationalism presents a serious challenge, for which the church has yet to present an adequate response. After evaluating the few efforts made by Christians to address the problems confronting the church in the context of a culture of aggressive Buddhist nationalism, the study offers a way forward. Drawing on the resources of Reformation …

Using The Assessment Process To Improve Evidence-Based Information Gathering Skills For Future Audiologists, Mickel Paris, Jiong Hu, Veronica Koo, Susanna Marshall, Gabriella Musacchia

University Libraries Librarian and Staff Articles and Papers

Success of students in Doctor of Audiology programs depends on the ability of the learner to find and evaluate scholarly evidence. The objective of this study is to determine if an information literacy training session on evidence-based information gathering will increase four student measures: (1) Attitudes toward gathering and evaluating scholarly evidence, (2) Knowledge about evidence-base information gathering practices, (3) Perceived value of the training regarding evidence-based searching methods, and (4) Ability to gather evidence for clinical research questions. 23 first-year audiology doctoral students (AuD) at the University of the Pacific in San Francisco participated in this study. Pre- and …

Orofacial Pain Overview: Getting Rid Of The Riddles, Andrew L. Young

All Dugoni School of Dentistry Faculty Articles

While most pains that find their way to the dental office are dental in origin, some have less familiar roots: muscular, joint, neurological, headache, sinus or psychological. All of these roots can at times masquerade as a toothache. The purpose of this article is to alert the dentist to the select features of each root that distinguish it from the rest, resulting in efficient and appropriate treatment.

The Scoop, Vol. 3 Issue 9, December 2016, Health Sciences Library

Volume 3

Latest news and events from the Health Sciences Library in our monthly newsletter for December 2016.

A Deeper Look Into The Complex Relationship Between Social Media Use And Academic Outcomes And Attitudes, Martin Hassell, Mary Sukalich

Management Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

"Let Me Tell You What I See" Creating A Culturally Relevant Arts Based Education Through The Use Of Photography And Storytelling, William Tran

Master's Projects and Capstones

There are many constructs that can hinder the ability of students of color to succeed in a classroom environment. Factors such as the construct of whiteness, microaggressions, the banking method, as well as cuts in arts based classes create a learning environment where oppression occurs on multiple levels. The construct of whiteness creates an environment in which only the ideas, values, lived experiences, and knowledge of whites are considered valid. Microaggressions uphold the construct of whiteness by insulting and invalidating any ideas, values, lived experiences, languages, and knowledge that are outside the construct of whiteness. The constructs of whiteness as …

Lotuses Rising: Fostering Southeast Asian Community Cultural Wealth Through Arts Based Culturally Specific Programming, Rhummanee Hang

Master's Projects and Capstones

This project explores how Banteay Srei, a community organization in Oakland, California, works with young Southeast Asian American women using arts based and culturally specific programming to make visible the community cultural wealth that exists in this community. Through cooking and telling stories about their elders' refuge and resettlement experiences, the young women gain a better sense of their own history, culture, and identity. This intergenerational project allows participants to learn, feel empowered, and begin to heal. The result is a cookbook for the young women of the organization. While this project and program is not meant to be replicated …

Academic Relationships Between At-Risk High School Students And Teachers Within An Alternative School Setting: "It Is More Than Just Academics, It's Attitude", Daniel R. Galdeano

Theses and Dissertations

The first public schools in the United States were originally created to give all school-aged children the opportunity to gain access to a well-rounded education (Cable, Plucker & Spradlin, 2009). Options in public schools, preparation for high-stakes standardized tests, and graduation requirements are among the many educational reform policies that have been implemented in hopes of enabling students to reach their academic potential (Lange & Sletten, 2002). As a substitute to dropping out, alternative schools are among the leaders in the charge to try to curb the dropout problem that schools are facing. Alternative schools have existed since the civil …

Love Sex God, Magdiel G. Alfonso

Theses and Dissertations

As a result of the absence of a father-figure and the repulsion of machismo, a love for that masculinity and a void within grew from the missing father-son/male-male interaction; this is the drive to codify my work with homoerotic imagery bathed with guilty religiosity through a torturous sadomasochist context to display a life-mirrored desire to punish and love the male simultaneously while feeling guilty doing it. The work is inspired by homoerotic and religious art history and at times the blending of the two.

The purpose of this work is not only to show the love for the celebration of …

A Journey To Understand Dual Language And The Bilingual World: An Autoethnography Of A Bilingual Program Director In An Urban District, Olivia Hernandez

Theses and Dissertations

This research represents a personalized account of the complexities, interpretations, and reflections on the life-long epistemological development of a bilingual program director currently implementing a dual language program in an urban school district. Using myself as a subject and a researcher in cultural, personal, and professional contexts provided the impetus for this self-study. Through the lens of a mother, daughter, sister, teacher, principal, and bilingual program director, I have chronicled and traced the epistemological conception of the assets that guide my advocacy in the academic realm of bilingual education. As an autoethnography, this study invites the reader to experience the …

Low Temperature Flexible Perovskite Solar Cell With Mesoporous Tio2 Electron Transport Layer In High Humidity Environment, Felipe De La Torre

Theses and Dissertations

Perovskite solar cells are the fastest advancing solar technology to date with efficiencies increasing from 3.9% to more than 21% within a few years. They have emerged as a possible alternative to silicon photovoltaics due to their exceptional photovoltaic performance, light absorbing properties, and low-cost fabrication with methylammonium lead iodide (CH3NH 3PbI3) getting considerable interest in research and development. However, there are still many challenges that must be addressed for perovskite solar cells to replace contemporary solar cells, such as improving their stability, making them nonhazardous, further increasing their efficiency, and developing better techniques for large scale fabrication. In this …

Foraging Patterns And Population Density Of The Buff-Bellied Hummingbird (Amazilia Yucatanensis) In Hidalgo County, Tx, Megan I. Villarreal

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this investigation was to examine the foraging patterns and population density of the Buff-bellied Hummingbird (Amazilia yucatanensis ) in Hidalgo County, TX. Previous studies showed that hummingbirds use flowers displaying traditional bird pollination (ornithophilous) characteristics: reddish coloration, tubular corolla, and extended anthers. Observation sessions noted type and frequency of flowering species utilized for nectar, characteristics, and number of individuals seen in each area. Amazilia yucatanensis showed higher use of ornithophilous flowers. Significant results found: f-ratio 5.45 > p-value (0.05) 3.24. Two highly utilized species showed the expected 20–40% sucrose content expected in ornithophilous flowers. Population density per …

Forcespinning®: An Alternative Method To Fabricate Metal Oxide/Carbon Composite Nanofiber Anodes For Li-Ion Batteries, Luis Zuniga

Theses and Dissertations

Metals and their respective oxides have been highly regarded as next generation anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). In this research work the electrochemical performance of Sn, SnO2, and TiO2. With the advantages of nanotechnology and the Forcespinning® method of fabricating micro and nanofibers, binder-free anodes are produced from metal or metal oxide/carbon composite microfibers. Through these microfibers the electrochemical performance of the above mentioned materials are significantly improved due to the increased surface area per volume providing a large number of reaction sites for the anode materials. Further performance enhancement was achieved by also modifying the fiber microstructure to …