Digital Commons Network^™

Young Leader's Sustained Engagement In Environmental Action: A Narrative Inquiry, Sara Wicks

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Young people have been identified as key stakeholders in taking a leadership role in addressing environmental issues, but more research is required to find out how to sustain young people’s motivation for environmental action over time. The present study investigated this through narrative interviews with eleven environmental leaders who attended a conference called IMPACT! Youth Conference for Sustainability Leadership in 2009 or 2011. Drawing upon the literature on life paths to environmental action (Almers, 2013; Chan, 2009; Chawla, 1998, 1999; Harré, Tepavac, & Bullen, 2009) the interviews incorporated an exercise that asked participants to plot important events in their lives …

Children's Letter Learning: The Effect Of Manipulating Visual Complexity On Children's Letter Learning, Bahar Amani

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

As a growing presence in homes and schools, technology plays an important role in the way that children learn in their environment. The early integration of technology within education reflects the promise of computer-based educational tools to facilitate early learning in children (Grant, Wood, Gottardo, Evans, Phillips, & Savage, 2012). Young learners are reported to be challenged with high levels of distractibility that can hinder their ability to learn in particular conditions and contexts (Fisher, Godwin, & Seltman, 2014). This can be a problem when considering that educational materials are often designed to be elaborate to keep young learners interested. …

Exploring Police Officers' Perceptions Of Mobile Crisis Rapid Response Teams Within A Nodal Policing Framework, Trevor Viersen

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

An increasing portion of police service resources are being dedicated to interactions involving persons with mental illness (PMI). As a result, Mobile Crisis Rapid Response Teams (MCT) comprised of mental health professionals have been recently implemented to assist police officers in more efficiently handling police calls for service involving PMI. The current ethnographic study used data collected through researcher ride-alongs with police officers at a mid-sized police service in Ontario to assess how police officers interact with and perceive MCTs. Results from thematic analysis indicated that officers value the skill sets possessed by MCT workers, had relatively positive perceptions towards …

Ambivalent But Not Indifferent: Consumer Motivations To Seek Versus Avoid Professional Advice, David Lewis

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

An under-explored dimension of consumer decision-making is the motivation for seeking professional advice. While extant research in marketing describes some antecedents to seeking advice (e.g. complexity, risk), it is not known how these factors combine to influence consumer intentions to seek advice. Given the general consumer reluctance to obtain professional advice, the current research examines the factors that influence the motivations to seek advice. Professional financial advice is selected as the empirical context to investigate this issue.

The first of two studies involved exploratory qualitative research and revealed the factors affecting the motivation to seek advice. It was observed that …

The Synthesis Of Symmetric Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons And The Mesomorphic Properties Of Their Brominated Derivatives, Vanessa Bellemore

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In this thesis, the synthesis of a series of brominated alkoxy-substituted trinaphthylenes was developed using a nickel-mediated Yamamoto coupling as the main step. Characterization of these compounds led to the discovery of a new set of broad range liquid crystals. They were found to undergo higher order transitions (i.e. glass phases/soft crystals/liquid crystal) via DSC, and also to decompose before reaching an isotropic liquid, as verified via thermogravimetric analysis. Polarized optical microscopy showed a texture characteristic of a columnar hexagonal mesophase. In addition, the aggregation in solution was studied using concentration dependent NMR studies, and the brominated-derivatives were determined to …

“Serial Killers Are Interesting, They’Re Not Heroes”: Moral Boundaries, Identity Management, And Emotional Work Within An Online Community, Michael Spychaj

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This research project examines the functioning of one specific serial murderer fandom community present online. Using ethnographic content analysis, the fandom was shown to undergo the creation, reinforcement and subversion of its own moral boundaries, undertake strategies of identity management in relation to their fan identity, and undergo emotion work to cope with the realities of serial murderers.

From Brain Drain To Brain Train – A Transnational Case Analysis Of Nigerian Migrant Health Care Workers, Sheri Adekola

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This study involves a micro-analysis of the experience of Nigerian-trained health professionals in Canada and is designed to understand the experiences of these skilled migrants, the impact of their migration, and how further migration might be stimulated or reduced through engagement in transnational activities with workers still in Nigeria. The research questions asked, (a) Which discourses of skill exchange are most meaningful to Nigerian health care workers in Canada? (b) How is this process of value exchange and extraction structured by transnational connectivity? (c) How does this research contribute to current concepts regarding skilled migration?

Framed by the Integrative Model …

Negative Intergroup Contact: Self-Distancing Facilitates Wisdom For First-Generation Immigrants, Hajer Al Homedawy

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Negative intergroup interactions can be utilized for the collective good if reasoned through wisely. An effective mechanism for facilitating wise reasoning is the empirically well-established self-distancing perspective. First-generation immigrants were recruited because their position in society makes them susceptible to a different set of challenges than second- or third-generation immigrants. Negative intergroup interaction memories were conjured by either the distanced-why or immersed-why perspective. The distanced-why perspective proved ineffective at reducing explicit negative affect but marginally increased wise reasoning (p = .057) when compared to the immersed-why perspective. The effect of condition was significant for the “search for compromise and …

Phytoforensics: Applications In Vapor Intrusion Assessment, Jordan Lee Wilson

Doctoral Dissertations

"Vapor intrusion (VI) occurs when contaminants in the vapor phase migrate in the shallow subsurface and enter buildings through cracks, seams, and gaps and has been recognized as a serious human-health threat as occupants are exposed to potentially harmful concentrations over long periods of time. The VI pathway has recently (2017) been identified as a primary exposure pathway and implemented into the Hazard Ranking System for inclusion on the Nation Priorities List. However, assessing VI and human exposure is not simple and current methods are time-, cost-, and labor-intensive; intrusive; and temporally and spatially variability. Trees are ideal candidates for …

Controlled Cytotoxicity Of Plasma Treated Water Formulated By Open-Air Hybrid Mode Discharge, Peng Lu, Daniela Boehm, Paula Bourke, Patrick J. Cullen

Articles

Plasma‐activated liquids (PAL) attract increasing interest with demonstrated biological effects. Plasma exposure in air produces stable aqueous reactive species which can serve as chemical diagnostics of PAL systems. Here, we tailor aqueous reactive species inside plasma‐activated water (PAW) through treating water with AC air spark and glow discharges in contact with water. Chemical probing demonstrated species specificity between two types of PAW. Spark discharge PAW contains urn:x-wiley:14381656:media:ppap201600207:ppap201600207-math-0006 and urn:x-wiley:14381656:media:ppap201600207:ppap201600207-math-0007, while urn:x-wiley:14381656:media:ppap201600207:ppap201600207-math-0008and urn:x-wiley:14381656:media:ppap201600207:ppap201600207-math-0009 are generated in glow discharge PAW. Species formation in different PAWs have been discussed in terms of discharge mechanisms and liquid phase chemistry process. Species specificity can provide …

Gender And Sexuality (First Edition), Carol C. Mukhopadhyay, Tami Blumenfield, Susan Harper, Abby Gondak

Anthropology Publications

Learning Objectives:

• Identify ways in which culture shapes sex/gender and sexuality.
• Describe ways in which gender and sexuality organize and structure the societies in which we live.
• Assess the range of possible ways of constructing gender and sexuality by sharing examples from different cultures, including small-scale societies.
• Analyze how anthropology as a discipline is affected by gender ideology and gender norms.
• Evaluate cultural “origin” stories that are not supported by anthropological data.

Living Joyfully After Losing Social Hope: Kierkegaard And Chrétien On Selfhood And Eschatological Expectation, J. Aaron Simmons

Religion Publications

In this essay, I offer an existential-phenomenological consideration of what it might look like to live joyfully after losing social hope. Using the example of the widespread hopelessness that many are feeling in light of the election of Donald Trump, I suggest that the danger of losing hope is that we can also lose our selfhood in the process. In order to develop a conception of “eschatological hope” that would be resistant to the loss of such social and political expectations, I draw specifically on Søren Kierkegaard’s notion that “the expectancy of faith is victory,” and Jean-Louis Chrétien’s idea of …

Milner Library Makerspace Working Group Final Report, Chad Kahl

Reports and White Papers - Milner Library

The Makerspace Working Group was created in 2016 with the following charge:

To investigate the development of a makerspace in Milner Library’s uLab space. Specifically, the project team will explore the professional literature, perform a needs assessment, gather feedback from campus and external users and identify potential campus and off-campus partners to define what should be included in the makerspace. The team will produce a schedule for development of the makerspace, ascertain short- and long-term expenses, identify potential staffing and corresponding professional development and training needs, and develop an assessment plan for makerspace usage.

Interest in a potential makerspace grew …

Hydrogeochemical Controls On Reactive And Nonreactive Solute Transport In Heterogenous Porous Media, Mahta Gholizadeh Ansari

Masters Theses

"This work examines how physical and chemical heterogeneity can affect reactive and non-reactive transport in porous media. The effect of heterogeneity of the porous media is investigated both on dissolution rate of magnesite and attenuation time of nonreactive contaminants in non-reactive media. Various spatial distribution were created using statistical parameters in PETREL.A total of 6793 transport modeling simulations were run using CrunchFlow. Lasso regression was used to select most significant features and those features are then used in linear regression and deep learning models.

The magnesite dissolution simulations were performed under different permeability ratios (magnesite /sand permeability) and inlet pH. …

Communicating With Customers On Social Media In The United States And South Korea: An Analysis Of Four Companies' Practices, Yeonkyung Lee

Masters Theses

"In this study, I analyzed four companies' Facebook and Twitter posts to study the similarities and differences of American and Korean businesses' communication practices on social media. The study used a qualitative research method: each Facebook and Twitter post was assigned as a unit and coded. Southwest Airlines, General Electric, Asiana Airlines, and Samsung Electronics were selected, and a total of 402 Facebook posts and 465 Tweets from July 6 to September 5, 2016, were collected. Each post was coded by two coders under three coding categories: post-content, medium, and Aristotle's pisteis. After the data was coded, I analyzed each …

Preferences Of Women For Web-Based Nutritional Information In Pregnancy, Rachel Ak Kennedy, Laura Mullaney, C.M.E. Reynolds, Shona Cawley, Daniel Mccartney, M.J. Turner

Articles

Objectives During pregnancy, women are increasingly turning to web-based resources for information. This study examined the use of web-based nutritional information by women during pregnancy and explored their preferences. Study design Cross-sectional observational study. Methods Women were enrolled at their convenience from a large maternity hospital. Clinical and sociodemographic details were collected and women's use of web-based resources was assessed using a detailed questionnaire. Results Of the 101 women, 41.6% were nulliparous and the mean age was 33.1 years (19–47 years). All women had internet access and only 3% did not own a smartphone. Women derived pregnancy-related nutritional information from …

Theoretical Modelling And Design Of Photonic Structures In Zeolite Nanocomposites For Gas Sensing: Part I - Surface Relief Gratings, Dervil Cody, Izabela Naydenova

Articles

The suitability of holographic structures fabricated in zeolite nanoparticle-polymer composite materials for gas sensing applications has been investigated. Theoretical modelling of the sensor response (i.e. change in hologram readout due to a change in refractive index modulation or thickness as a result of gas adsorption) of different sensor designs was carried out using Raman-Nath theory and Kogelnik’s Couple Wave Theory. The influence of a range of parameters on the sensor response of holographically-recorded surface and volume photonic grating structures has been studied, namely phase difference between the diffracted and probe beam introduced by the grating, grating geometry, thickness, spatial frequency, …

Development And Characterisation Of A Bath-Based Vertical Blackbody Cavity Calibration Source For The Range −30 °C To 150 °C, Sam Boles, Igor Pušnik, Dubhaltach Mac Lochlainn, David Fleming, Izabela Naydenova, Suzanne Martin

Articles

Industrial use of Radiation Thermometers (RTs) is becoming increasingly common due to the perceived advantages and wide market availability. Blackbody Cavity Radiation Sources (BCRSs) are typically used for calibration of these instruments, and these cavities are oriented horizontally in most cases. For BCRSs based in thermal baths, this necessitates the use of custom-built baths with side openings. This paper presents a unique design of vertical bath-based BCRS that may be immersed in conventional calibration baths without modifications to the baths. The method, results, and analysis of an international comparison comparing this vertical BCRS, standard horizontal BCRSs, and a previous iteration …

The Electrochemical Deposition Of Zn-Mn Coating From Choline Choloride-Urea Deep Eutectic Solvent, Mihael Bucko, David Culliton, Tony Betts, Jelena Bajat

Articles

Electrochemical and microscopic techniques were used for characterization of Zn˗Mn coatings electrodeposited from choline chloride˗urea deep eutectic solvent. Cyclic voltammograms show that there was no discernible Mn reduction peak when only Mn2+ was present in DES solution. The distinct Mn peak developed only upon addition of Zn2+ to the solution, probably due to previous Zn nucleation on the steel substrate. It was found that 22-27 wt.% Mn, was deposited at current densities of 3-8 mA cm-2, amounts significantly higher than in aqueous electrolytes. Since higher deposition current densities resulted in the formation of a porous surface consisting of clusters of …

Photoluminescence Of Lead Sulfide Quantum Dots Of Different Sizes In A Nanoporous Silicate Glass Matrix, Aleksandr P. Litvin, Anton Babaev, Peter Parfenov, Elena Ushakova, Mikhail Baranov, Olga Andreeva, Kevin Berwick, Anatoly Fedorov, Alexander Baranov

Articles

The optical properties of lead sulfide quantum dots (QDs) of different sizes embedded in a nanoporous silicate glass matrix (NSM) are investigated by steady-state and transient photoluminescence spectroscopy. The use of this matrix allows the fabrication of samples with reproducible optical characteristics, for both isolated and close-packed QDs. Low-temperature PL analysis of isolated QDs with sizes of 3.7 and 4.5 nm shows that the coefficient of temperature shift of the PL position changes sign with reducing QD size because of size-dependent contributions from thermal expansion, mechanical strain, and electron–phonon coupling. The PL intensity is determined by size-dependent splitting of the …

The Battle Over U.S. Water: Why The Clean Water Rule "Flows" Within The Bounds Of Supreme Court Precedent, Ashleigh Allione

American University Law Review

No abstract provided.

Fair For Whom? Why Debt-Collection Lawsuits In St. Louis Violate The Procedural Due Process Rights Of Low-Income Communities, Aimee Constantineau

American University Law Review

No abstract provided.

A Different Class Of Care: The Benefits Crisis And Low-Wage Workers, Trina Jones

American University Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Investment-Related Aspects Of Intellectual Property Rights, Peter K. Yu

American University Law Review

No abstract provided.

Judges As Diplomats In Advancing The Rule Of Law: A Conversation With President Koen Lenaerts And Justice Stephen Breyer, Koen Lenaerts, Stephen Breyer

American University Law Review

No abstract provided.

Can We Act Globally While Thinking Locally? Responding To Stella Burch Elias, The Perils And Possibilities Of Refugee Federalism, Kit Johnson

American University Law Review

In The Perils and Possibilities of Refugee Federalism, Professor Stella Burch Elias skillfully exposes both the dangers and the opportunities presented by state responses to the resettlement of refugees within their borders. She concludes that states are prohibited from excluding refugees from their territory, but she argues that states have a previously untapped opportunity to legislate at the local level in an effort to promote the integration of refugees into their communities.

This Response does not challenge those conclusions. Rather, this Response seeks to provide context to the idea of refugee federalism by further discussing the problem, acknowledged by Professor …

Red Note New Music Festival Program, 2017, School Of Music

Red Note New Music Festival

The RED NOTE New Music Festival at Illinois State University is a week-long event which features outstanding performances of contemporary concert music.

Lexicography In-Your-Face: The Active Semantics Of Pastaza Quichua Ideophones, Janis B. Nuckolls, Tod D. Swanson, Diana Shelton, Alexander Rice, Sarah Hatton

Faculty Publications

English:

We argue that a multimodal approach to defining a depictive class of words called ‘ideophones’ by linguists is essential for grasping their meanings. Our argument for this approach is based on the formal properties of Pastaza Quichua ideophones, which set them apart from the non-ideophonic lexicon, and on the cultural assumptions brought by speakers to their use. We analyze deficiencies in past attempts to define this language’s ideophones, which have used only audio data. We offer, instead, an audiovisual corpus which we call an ‘antidictionary’, because it defines words not with other words, but with clips featuring actual contexts …

Citizen Petitions: Long, Late-Filed, And At-Last Denied, Michael A. Carrier, Carl Minniti

American University Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Weaponized Lawsuit Against The Media: Litigation Funding As A New Threat To Journalism, Lili Levi

American University Law Review

No abstract provided.