Digital Commons Network^™

The Determinants Of African Political Participation: A Model For Voter Turnout, Denver Sherman

Harriet L Wilkes Honors College Theses 2010 - 2019

In the lingering shadow of colonialism, African states have sprouted shallow, unstable democratic roots; the success of which is reliant upon the collective engagement of African citizens. In this paper, the socioeconomic determinants of political participation are analyzed econometrically. We use the Afrobarometer 5th Round dataset which provides large-scale data of 55,000 individuals across 34 African countries (Afrobarometer, 2015). The data analysis includes traditional political participation determinants, or those found to be significant in previous literature, as baseline control. Additional independent variables, like perceived corruption, party affiliation, and democratic perceptions, are then tested for significant participatory influence.

Forced Sterilization: The Blurred Line Between Justified And Illegitimate Coercion, Rosa M.E. Román

Harriet L Wilkes Honors College Theses 2010 - 2019

Ninety years ago, the United States Supreme Court ruled in favor of a Virginia statute allowing state actors to forcibly sterilize those with hereditary forms of intellectual disability, in Buck v. Bell. Fifteen years later, the Court readdressed the concept of compulsory sterilization in the 1942 case, Skinner v. Oklahoma. Skinner v. Oklahoma failed to overturn Buck v. Bell, and as a result, the Supreme Court left an opening for state actors to forcibly sterilize members of their population. I consider the history of forced sterilization and the broad spectrum of views present today. In questioning if there’s a right …

Toward A Mathematics For Life: Whitehead On Education, William Parker

Harriet L Wilkes Honors College Theses 2010 - 2019

The twentieth century mathematician and philosopher, Alfred North Whitehead, conceived the ideal education to be an adventure of the human spirit whereby the manifold aspects of the individual’s capacities are explored and developed. It’s not clear how much mathematics, viewed as a dry mechanical activity consisting of mere technical calculation, could contribute to education so conceived. Yet Whitehead considered mathematical training crucial for developing mental capacity in its abstract, general, and particular operations. Mathematical activity by its very nature promotes the modes of engagement that constitute the ideal education. Understanding is best facilitated by an education where the particular and …

Placebo Use In Clinical Practice, Lauren Lowy

Harriet L Wilkes Honors College Theses 2010 - 2019

This thesis examines placebos and their potential for use in clinical settings. I begin by defining “placebo” and “placebo effect” in various contexts, including associated biochemical mechanisms. I then discuss how expectation, conditioning, and patient-physician interactions influence the magnitude of the placebo effect on patients. My research delves into the difficulty of defining and measuring the placebo effect given its subjective nature, and supports the harnessing of this effect as a viable treatment option for certain conditions, including but not limited to depression and pain management. Finally, I address the accompanying ethical concerns of placebo use in clinical practice in …

Fusible Rings, Richard Otto Krogman

Harriet L Wilkes Honors College Theses 2010 - 2019

Abstract algebra is the study of structure, as represented by a set with operations acting on the set. One such type of structure is known as a ring. Rings themselves are abstract objects which may be classi ed. Such classi cations become a large area of study in ring theory. If every instance of a class of rings satis es the de ning property for another class and vice versa, then they are equivalient classi cations. However, if every instance of one class satis es the de ning property of the other ring, yet there is a counterexample of a …

Trichloroisocyanuric Acid (Tcca) As An Inexpensive And Environmentally Friendly Reagent For Chlorocyclization And Chlorolactonization, Isaac C. Hackett

Harriet L Wilkes Honors College Theses 2010 - 2019

Trichloroisocyanuric Acid (TCCA) is an inexpensive swimming pool chlorinating agent. We found that it is a suitable reagent for fast and clean chlorolactonization and chlorocyclization reactions. Chlorolactonizations of unsaturated carboxylic acids and esters and chlorocyclizations of unsaturated alcohols proceeded in excellent yields. The reaction was fast, clean and use of an excess of TCCA did not present a problem. In some instances, no post-work up purification was needed. TCCA chlorocyclofunctionalization reactions worked well in acetonitrile, ethyl acetate, and acetone as solvents.

Dissecting The Stability Of Rhes- A Striatal Protein Involved In Motor Function, Vincenzo Giovinazzo

Harriet L Wilkes Honors College Theses 2010 - 2019

The Rhes protein in the striatum of the brain coordinates motor defects related to Huntington’s disease (HD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD). The Rhes protein interacts with mutant Huntingtin protein to increase its solubility, resulting in cellular death (Subramaniam, Sixt, Barrow, & Snyder, 2009). In PD, Rhes promotes abnormal movements induced by continuous use of L-DOPA, the PD drug (Subramaniam et al., 2012). Thus, small molecule drugs that interact with Rhes are potential therapeutics for HD and PD and movement disorders that affect the striatum. Despite these emerging disease relevant roles, fundamental knowledge about Rhes stability, which is important for designing …

Cellular Senescence Increases In The Ercc1-/Δ Mouse Model Of Accelerated Aging, Christina Bukata

Harriet L Wilkes Honors College Theses 2010 - 2019

Aging is the result of the progressive and intrinsic accumulation of detrimental changes in an organism over time. Understanding the molecular pathways that contribute to aging is critical for the development of therapeutic agents to treat age-related disorders. As an animal ages, it accumulates senescent cells, cells that are unable to grow or divide but remain metabolically active. They secrete Senescence Associated Secretory Phenotype (SASP) factors, which can disrupt tissue and cause age related diseases. The Ercc1-/Δ mice are an accelerated aging, progeriod model, and thus it was hypothesized that cellular senescence would increase in the Ercc1-/Δ mice. Through quantitative …

Dockyard, Naval Base And Town: The Social And Political Dynamics Of Plymouth 1800-1950, Gh Bennett

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences

No abstract provided.

An Operational View In Computational Construction Of Information, Florentin Smarandache, Stefan Vladutescu, Constantin Dima, Valeriu Voinea

Branch Mathematics and Statistics Faculty and Staff Publications

The paper aims to explain the technology of emergence of information. Our research proves that information as communicational product is the result of processing within some operations, actions, mechanisms and strategies of informational material meanings. Are determined eight computational-communicative operations of building information. Information occurs in two communication phases, syncretic and the segregation-synthetic. The syncretic phase consists of four operations: referral of significant field, primary delimitation of information, detection-looking information and an anticipative-draft constitution (feedforward). The segregation-synthetic phase also includes four operations: discrimination, identification, interpretation and confrontation (feedback). In the future we will investigate informational actions, mechanisms and strategies.

Bibliometric Analysis Of Research Literature On Piper Betle, Dr. A. Thirumagal, A. Vanitha, M. Mani

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Betel leaf plays an important role in ancient civilization. Chewing betel leaves with areca nut was pointed out in the pre-historic books. In 13^th century, Marco Polo mentioned about the betel chewing among kings and nobles in India. Betel and areca nut plays an important role in Indian Culture, especially among Hindus. On that basis of idea the keyword of “Piper betle” or betel was collected from the Web of Science. This study is limited for the period 1997- 2016 with Bibexcel and Pajek tool. Scientists are so much interested to publish the research immediately in the journal article. …

Collection And Management Of E-Books In Nigerian University Libraries, Sirajudeen Femi Bakrin, Mujidat Adeola Bello

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Nigerian literature has focused more on the general concept of e-resources without dedicated attention to e-books. This work takes a critical look at the challenges related to e-books collection and management in Nigerian universities. The study was conducted among six federal universities in Nigeria; one from each geo-political zone of the federation. A survey research design was utilized to carry out the study with structured interview conducted for system librarians of the six university libraries. While there is proliferation of e-books in the libraries, absence of local titles, budgeting, consortium and awareness of DRM issues remain obvious challenges.

Bibliotheca: The Road To Wisdom, Simjith V, Vasudevan T.M

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

There is a path which takes any creative intellect from the world of information to that of wisdom through the world of knowledge. This path for creative realization is indeed resonant with the 'Upanishadic' method of spiritual realization, i.e. the transformative ideology of the East, consisting of the phases of 'Sravana', 'Manana', and 'Nididhyasana' in that order, with the outcome of the phases being Information, Knowledge and Wisdom respectively. This has been seen to be true in the case of legendary literary work and unparalleled epic of the East, 'Mahabharata', inspired the master writer of India, MT Vasudevan Nair in …

Predictors Of Information Retrieval Effectiveness Among Library And Information Science Undergraduates In Kwara State Universities, Adeyinka Tella

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

In this information age, it is observed that, as the quantity of information grows the ability of individuals to search and retrieve the needed information decreases in a dramatically manner, which implies that our information retrieval activity lacks effectiveness. It assumed that some factors should be responsible; however, there is no empirical evidence that predict or determine information retrieval effectiveness. This study examined predictors of information retrieval effectiveness among Library and Information Science (LIS) undergraduate students in universities in Kwara State, Nigeria; considered correlation among the predictors of information retrieval effectiveness, identify the best predictive factor of information retrieval effectiveness, …

Assessment Of Study Space Usage In The Kenneth Dike Library, Bolariwa M. Adeyemi

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This paper explore the actual use of the physical space in Kenneth Dike Library by the students' population, the role these spaces are playing for learning and for related services in the university of Ibadan academic environment. It looked at the suitability of available spaces and suggestions for improvement. Survey method was adopted for the study with 94.5% response rate. It found that quite study is what attract majority respondents to Kenneth Dike Library. What emerged was that academic pursuits remain the most common activity in the library space.

A Survey Of Information Literacy (Il) Programmes In Technical University (Tu) Libraries In Ghana, Baffour Ohene Agyekum Mr, Kwabena Ntiamoah-Sarpong Mr, Beatrice Arthur Ms

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

A quantitative study of the libraries of 7 Technical Universities (TUs) of Ghana was conducted to evaluate information literacy programmes at such universities in Ghana. The study employed a descriptive survey research strategy. A sample of 7 librarians out of the 8 TU libraries in Ghana was collected using purposive sampling. A questionnaire served as the instrument to collect data relating to the objectives of the study. The study gathered mostly quantitative data which were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The findings showed that the majority of the examined libraries included information literacy classes as part …

Digital Literacy Skills Of Undergraduate Students In Nigeria Universities, Azeez Adebamgbola Adeoye, Basirat Jumoke Adeoye

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Influence of digital technology in our educational system cannot be overemphasized. Hardly can any undergraduate student survive in tertiary institution without basic skills and knowledge of digital technology. The composite skills require for student to fit into digital environment in achieving his/her academic pursuit is digital literacy skill. This prompted the study on the digital literacy skills of undergraduate students of Federal Universities in Southwest, Nigeria.

Research design employed for this study was the descriptive survey design. The population for this study was 60,997 undergraduate students of Obafemi Awolowo University, University of Ibadan and University of Lagos. However, multiple stage …

Influence Of Socio-Economic Factors On Farmers’ Use Of Mobile Phones For Agricultural Information In Nigeria, Adeyemi Adewale Akinola

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Farmers use mobile phones to access information needed to improve their agricultural practice. However, in cases where they do maximize their mobile phone utilization, they may be hindered by some socio-economic factors which may lead to inadequate access to agricultural information. Therefore, this study investigated the influence of socio-economic factors on famers’ use of mobile phones for agricultural information in Nigeria. The research adopted a survey design. The study population was 9,650 registered farmers in Yewa South Local Government, Ogun State, Nigeria. The proportionate stratified random sampling technique was used. The instrument used was structured questionnaire. Data were collected from …

An Assessment Of Collaborative Activities Among Nigerian Librarians, Olanike Oladunni Olaniyi, Pius Olatunji Olaojo Dr

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study investigated the positioning of Nigerian libraries in collaboration for library and information science development in Nigeria. A descriptive survey research design was adopted, using cluster sampling technique at the 2014 Annual General Meeting of the Nigerian Library Association held at Owerri, Nigeria. One hundred and fifty (150) copies of the questionnaire were given to librarians from academic, public, special, national and school libraries, 144 copies of the questionnaire were returned out of the 150 copies distributed, interview was also conducted as instrument for collection of data. Recommendations were made towards improving the positioning of Nigerian librarians in collaborations …

Antecedents And Consequences Of Private Label Brand Attitude In The Egyptian Retailers, Madiha Metawie, Reham Ibrahim Elseidi

Business Administration

The importance of private label brands has increased; several factors have been affecting the attitude towards private label brands. This research examines the relationship between the antecedents and consequences of private label attitude. A structural model is developed using AMOS version 22, and tested providing indications for the factors affecting the attitude towards private label brands. The results from the structural equation model explained the relationships between store image, familiarity with private label brands, price consciousness, quality consciousness, national brand loyalty and store loyalty on private label attitude. The findings revealed that six hypotheses were accepted and only one had …

On The Effectiveness Of Code-Reuse-Based Android Application Obfuscation, Xiaoxiao Tang, Yu Liang, Xinjie Ma, Yan Lin, Debin Gao

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Attackers use reverse engineering techniques to gain detailed understanding of executable for malicious purposes, such as re-packaging an Android app to inject malicious code or advertising components. To make reverse engineering more difficult, researchers have proposed various code obfuscation techniques to conceal purposes or logic of code segments. One interesting idea of code obfuscation is to apply codereuse techniques (e.g., Return-Oriented Programming) to (re-)distribute essential code segments before they are reconstructed at runtime. Such techniques are well understood on x86 platform, but relatively less explored on Android. In this paper, we present an evaluation on the extent to which code-reuse-based …

Research Strategies For Biomedical And Health Informatics: Some Thought-Provoking And Critical Proposals To Encourage Scientific Debate On The Nature Of Good Research In Medical Informatics, Reinhold Haux, Et Al.

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Medical informatics, or biomedical and health informatics (BMHI), has become an established scientific discipline. In all such disciplines there is a certain inertia to persist in focusing on well-established research areas and to hold on to well-known research methodologies rather than adopting new ones, which may be more appropriate. To search for answers to the following questions: What are research fields in informatics, which are not being currently adequately addressed, and which methodological approaches might be insufficiently used? Do we know about reasons? What could be consequences of change for research and for education? Outstanding informatics scientists were invited to …

Strategically Managing Product Innovation To Create Consumer Value: An Analysis In The Context Of The Australian Electric Vehicle Market, Brendan Koehler

Theses

This thesis encompasses a body of research which looks to explore how strategic management, consumer value and product innovation interrelate. In particular, this research will evaluate such a unilateral relationship in specific reference to product innovations developed as a result of emerging and disruptive technology. Therefore, this research will be conducted in the context of the Australian electric vehicle industry. This industry was selected as it has displayed traits of an industry with companies that have a desire to incorporate electric vehicle product innovations into their portfolio from a strategic perspective; yet these product innovations have no particular consumer demand …

How Top Law Schools Can Resuscitate An Inclusive Climate For Minority And Low-Income Law Students, Taifha N. Baker

Faculty Publications

(Excerpt)

I would not wish my law school experience on my worst enemy. Georgetown University Law Center (GULC), my social-justice focused law school, has largely ignored the recent racially-motivated, legally-upheld killings of people of color and their effects on marginalized communities. As an African-American law student from a welfare-reliant household, GULC's silence has been especially painful because it suggests that my law school does not care about events that impact my community.

At each critical point of my first year in law school, GULC remained silent to the nationally recognized, racially-motived, and repeated police killings of unarmed African-American men. On …

Refugees In The United States: Are They Worse Off?, Lily Chang

Mark A. Israel '91 Endowed Summer Research Fund in Economics

This paper aims to investigate how refugees perform in the US labor market in relation to economic immigrants and natives. Drawing from conclusions from human capital and discrimination theories, I hypothesize that compared to economic immigrants and natives, refugees are more likely to be disadvantaged in the US upon their arrival. For example, refugees often have less time and fewer resources to acquire desirable US-specific labor skills prior to their entry and may face taste-based and statistical discrimination from employers after they arrive. However, over time assimilation would occur for refugees as they obtain more US-specific human capital, such as …

‘A Fluctuating Relationship With Nature’: Tom Raworth's Ecopoetics, Mandy Bloomfield

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences

No abstract provided.

Analyzing The Rio Chama Flow Project’S Capacity To Implement Adaptive Management, Avery Olshefski

Water Resources Professional Project Reports

The Rio Chama is the main tributary to the Rio Grande in New Mexico. Several reservoirs were built on the Rio Chama to store water for downstream users, which has led to the river section becoming highly managed, resulting in negative ecological effects. Approximately 400,000 AF per year of water is conveyed through the system without considerable consumptive amounts, 96,200 AF of which were added with the San Juan-Chama trans-basin diversion, creating more water in the system then historically available. Therefore, the flow between the El Vado and Abiquiu Reservoirs has the potential to be optimized in order to provide …

Value-Based Bundled Repayment In Total Joint Arthroplasty, Michael M. Decker

UNM Orthopaedic Research Journal

The United States continues to spend an unprecedented amount of annual money on healthcare. However, the costs of providing care may not appropriately reflect the quality of care patients are receiving. This is particularly concerning when examining the projected increase in total joint arthroplasty (TJA) procedures over the next few decades, which are expected to increase to nearly 4 million procedures annually. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has responded by increasingly shifting reimbursements from the less efficient fee-forservice repayment model to value-based repayment. The Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR) bundle payment model has recently been implemented …

The Choctaw Nation Of Oklahoma: History, Influences, And Contemporary Setting Of The Choctaw Legal Structure, Austin C. Megli

Tribal Law Journal

The goal of this tribal profile is to provide an overview of the internal laws of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma; to give a detailed emphasis on the tribe’s historic use of customary law, governance structures, enacted law, case law; and to examine how their internal law changed throughout history. By helping the reader become familiar with the history of Choctaw customary law and the contemporary structure of the Choctaw government, this profile will assist practitioners and academics in understanding the Choctaw Nation. Part I of this paper will describe the customary laws of the Choctaw Nation. Part II of …

If Trees Could Lobby They Would Be People Too: The Environmental And Cultural Benefits Of Granting Legal Personality To Nature, M. Alexis Volner

Tribal Law Journal

In the Western culture today, the environment is perceived as a source for goods and resources. However, this perspective has resulted in serious environmental degradation and a real threat to our species’ survival. To combat these problems there must be a radical shift in the Western culture’s conception of nature.

The first step in this shift is to recognize the environment as a legal person. The United States should grant legal personality to all publicly owned lands containing sites held sacred by Indigenous peoples and establish a collaborative board to manage the sites to recognize Indigenous cultural rights and encourage …