Digital Commons Network^™

An Interpretative Phenomenological Study Of College Women Who Participate In High-Risk Drinking, Their Perceptions Of Drinking Norms, And The Influence Of Those Norms On Their Drinking Behaviors, Elizabeth Leeman Carter

All Dissertations

High-risk alcohol use on college campuses is associated with several negative consequences for students. Social norms campaigns are a widely used intervention aimed at decreasing high-risk alcohol use in a university population but their efficacy can vary based on students’ peer groups and gender. Research on gendered drinking norms for college students tends to focus on men, as they are usually identified as more likely to drink alcohol overall and to drink in high-risk ways. Additionally, social norms campaigns implemented in a small group setting, which aim to correct misperceptions of students who may not initially identify with norms of …

Building Thermally Stable Electrochemical Energy Storage Devices Via Application Of Temperature Responsive Polymers, Han Jiang

All Dissertations

Electrochemical energy storage devices such as supercapacitors (SCs) and lithium ion batteries (LIBs) play pivotal role in the undergoing “green energy revolution”, which involves the profound transformation of energy production pattern from fossil fuel to renewable energy such as solar and wind due to environmental pollution, global warming, and the inevitable depletion of crude oil and coal. However, wide applications of SCs and LIBs are still limited due to issues like thermal runway and derived hazards such as ageing or capacity degradation, fires and explosions. Even more so, thermal control issues only aggravate in large format devices. With the purpose …

Building A Model Of Black Women's Confidence In Campus Sexual Assault Resources: A Critical Race Feminist Quantitative Study, Jimmy Lee Howard, Jr.

All Dissertations

The United States’ evolving federal regulations and laws are doing little to disrupt systemic sexual violence, and more narrowly, are doing very little to protect Black women (Dunn, 2014; Harris, 2017; Harris & Linder, 2017; Konradi, 2016; O’Toole et al., 2015; Yung, 2015). Further, Black women are underrepresented in college sexual assault literature and little is known about how Black women perceive campus sexual violence resources and policy (Crosby, 2015; Tillman et al., 2010). The purpose of this study is to create a model to explore Black women’s confidence in sexual assault resources. In order for institutions of higher education …

Second Graders' Responses To And Application Of Word-Picture Relationships In Picturebooks: A Case Study, Koti Lee Hubbard

All Dissertations

Picturebooks are defined by the interaction of words and pictures to convey narrative (Bader, 1976; Kiefer, 1995; Sipe, 2011), referred to in this study as the word-picture relationship. This dissertation study extends on the work of others who investigated young children’s responses to picturebooks (e.g., Arizpe & Styles, 2016; Sipe, 2008a; Sipe & Bauer, 2001) and picturebook productions (e.g., Pantaleo 2017, 2018; Zapata, 2013) by placing word-picture relationships at the forefront of this study. This study employed an embedded, single-case study design to investigate second graders’ responses to word-picture relationships in contemporary realistic fiction and fantasy picturebooks during interactive read-alouds …

Development Of A New Electron Spin Resonance Spectroscopy, Zhe Chen

All Dissertations

The dissertation focuses on the development of a novel electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy based on an RF interferometer. The ESR spectroscopy is broadband and quantitative which is tunable over a wide frequency range, in which the RF interferometer is used to remove radio-frequency (RF) probing signals at the detector. With a planar microwave resonator (MR) the ESR spectroscopy is able to measure as low as 0.2 µg (2.8×1014 spins) DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) sample at a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of ~ 121 at room temperature. The broadband ESR operation capability is investigated with a broadband meander micro-strip line (MML) by measuring …

Cases Of Contingent Stem Faculty Who Practice Critical Pedagogies With/In The Neoliberal University, Jeffrey Michael Kenney

All Dissertations

An increasingly neoliberal university means diminishing resources and labor security for those located in the lowest echelon, particularly those engaged in critical/radical/activist projects. The purpose of this study was to generate knowledge in an effort to sustain and advance critical pedagogical practices in college teaching. This study focused principally on the knowledge and insights of contingent STEM faculty who practice critical pedagogies in the neoliberal conditions of public universities. Utilizing critical and pragmatic perspectives, I explored both the ingenuity and practicality of the participants’ praxis as well as examined the structural machinations of neoliberal capitalism within their teaching and learning …

Understanding The Interactions Of Anions With Lewis Acids And Π-Acids To Develop Efficient Ion-Pair Receptors, Krishnendu Maity

All Dissertations

Anions play vital roles in many industrial, environmental, chemical, and biological processes. Due to their adverse effects on our health and ecosystem, precise regulation of toxic anions and ion-pairs are of prime importance. A majority of anion receptors rely on subtle supramolecular forces like electrostatic interactions and hydrogen bonding to bind anions, and the main source of selectivity comes from the shape and size complementarity of the receptors and guest anions. In aprotic solvents, interactions of anions with π-acidic receptors such as naphthalenediimides (NDIs) and perylenediimides (PDIs), and Lewis acids, such as silver ion, depend on their electron donating ability, …

Understanding The Impact Of Racism And Sexism On The Transition Experience Of Black Women Principals From The Classroom To The Secondary School Principalship, Brittany Denise Neely

All Dissertations

This study was focused on understanding how Black women currently serving as secondary school principals were able to obtain their positions and what supports they received and barriers they encountered during their transition from teacher to principal. The underlying purpose behind this study was to understand how racist and/or sexist practices within the educational system influenced their experiences in becoming some of the few Black women currently serving as secondary school principals. In this study, I drew upon Black feminist thought as my epistemological perspective and critical race feminism as my theoretical framework to understand this phenomenon. To investigate this …

Improving Deep Reinforcement Learning Using Graph Convolution And Visual Domain Transfer, Sufeng Niu

All Dissertations

Recent developments in Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) have shown tremendous progress in robotics control, Atari games, board games such as Go, etc. However, model free DRL still has limited use cases due to its poor sampling efficiency and generalization on a variety of tasks. In this thesis, two particular drawbacks of DRL are investigated: 1) the poor generalization abilities of model free DRL. More specifically, how to generalize an agent's policy to unseen environments and generalize to task performance on different data representations (e.g. image based or graph based) 2) The reality gap issue in DRL. That is, how to …

Characterization And Cultivation Of Marine Protist, Thraustochytrium Striatum For High-Value Bioproducts, Rui Xiao

All Dissertations

DHA/EPA producing marine protists have recently become more attractive due to their additional high-value products, including extracellular enzymes, extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), and astaxanthin. In this study, Thraustochytrium striatum ATCC 24473 was studied and the cultivation conditions were been optimized to achieve high biomass and fatty acid yield. Results showed that seawater salinity, neutral pH and mild rotation speed favored biomass growth, while better lipid accumulation was observed under high C/N ratio, higher salinity or high pH. Comparison in different carbon sources showed starch and glycerol improved fatty acid accumulation the most, and ammonia chloride was the best nitrogen source …

Hydrothermal Crystal Growth Of Tetrahedral Framework Oxides For Optical Applications, Rylan James Terry

All Dissertations

In our modern world, lasers are used every day, from the mundane task of playing a DVD to the innovative implementation of laser surgery. Nonlinear optical (NLO) crystals are crucial to laser technology for their ability to modify the frequency of a beam. The development of new NLO crystals is necessary for the advancement of laser technology, in order to reach wavelengths that are not currently accessible due to the limitations of current materials. Of particular importance to semiconductor photolithography, laser micromachining, and scientific instrumentation are the ultra-violet (UV, 200 nm > λ > 400 nm) and deep-UV (λ < 200 nm) portions of the optical spectrum. This dissertation delves into the synthesis of new potential NLO materials by means of hydrothermal crystal growth. In this study, tetrahedral oxides are utilized due to their likelihood of producing noncentrosymmetric (NCS) crystals, a necessity for NLO materials. Silicates are also employed in this study due to their particularly deep absorption edge into the UV. The addition of a spectroscopically silent rare earth ion which is capable of being doped with a lasing ion into a NCS crystal may lead to a single crystal that is both capable of lasing and frequency doubling. In the pursuit of such a crystal, the novel syntheses of Cs3YSi6O15 and LiRESiO4 (RE = Er, Tm, Yb, Lu) were established. Although these materials proved not to be NCS, their structures proved very intriguing and in the case of Cs3YSi6O15 is the parent structure to a family of structures that otherwise exhibits structural disorder or modulation. In expanding the range of mixed oxoanion species, the rare earth ion was replaced with a tetrahedral trivalent oxoanion. The appeal of a series with the general formula ABCO4, (A = alkali ion, B = trivalent metal, and C = tetravalent metal) is its prevalence to produce NCS crystals, notably having a tridymite-type framework. Tridymite is a high temperature variant of quartz that forms six-membered rings propagating through the structure, creating vacant channels. In a stuffed variation of this structural type, rings having negative charge are balanced by the “stuffing” of an alkali or alkaline earth cation into the vacant channels. While the archetype of the stuffed tridymites forms in the centrosymmetric (CS) space group setting of P63/mmc, there are four degrees of freedom that evolve as small variations in the structure are made, often leading to the removal of the inversion center. With the synthesis of a wide array of crystals in this family, those that were found to be NCS were analyzed for their potential use as NLO materials.

Method For Monetizing User-Generated Photos In Targeted Display Advertising, Jason Karsh

Defensive Publications Series

A method for monetizing user-generated photos in targeted display advertising is a system for letting users to make their photos anonymously and publicly available to advertisers for use in digital display advertising that targets the user or friends or connections of the user. The user would benefit by getting paid on a CPM basis for the use of the photo. Thus, the user would see monetization of their photos when they are surfaced in ads either targeted at them or to people that they are connected to.

Method For Swapping Out User-Generated Photos With High Quality Photos, Jason Karsh, Brian Hendricks

Defensive Publications Series

The present application discloses a system and method to assist a photographer to swap out their user-generated photo with a high quality photo by using appropriate software. The disclosed system includes a software application that enables the user to upload a captured photo for processing, which may include the user’s image. A landscape or object in the photo is detected by the application, which searches for a high quality photo of the same object, matching the user-generated photo. The application then swaps the user’s image into the high quality photo and/or allows the user to customize it, before cropping and …

Microphone Input For Accessibility Service, Anna Galusza

Defensive Publications Series

System and method are disclosed to connect a switch or set of switches to a device through its microphone input stream for use with an accessibility service. Each switch is provided with a different resistance and this allows mobile devices to recognize the different switches connected to the microphone input stream. To make the switches used in the inline microphone customizable, an adapter is provided that allows multiple switches to the maximum number of media buttons supported by the mobile device. On certain devices, an application can differentiate between different switch inputs by registering a BroadcastReceiver in the manifest with …

Lock Mechanism For Merchandise Security System, Invue Security Products Inc.

InVue Defensive Publications

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to merchandise security systems and methods for displaying and protecting an article of merchandise from theft. In one example, the merchandise security system includes a sensor configured to be secured to the article of merchandise and a cable configured to releasably engage the sensor to establish electrical communication therebetween. The merchandise security system also includes a lock mechanism configured to releasably lock the cable to the sensor in a locked position, wherein the cable is removable from the sensor when the lock mechanism is in an unlocked position, wherein the lock mechanism is …

Environmental Fate And Microbial Effects Of Monensin, Lincomycin, And Sulfamethazine Residues In Soil, Matteo D'Alessio, Lisa M. Durso, Daniel N. Miller, Brian Woodbury, Chittaranjan Ray, Daniel D. Snow

Nebraska Water Center: Faculty Publications

The impact of commonly-used livestock antibiotics on soil nitrogen transformations under varying redox conditions is largely unknown. Soil column incubations were conducted using three livestock antibiotics (monensin, lincomycin and sulfamethazine) to better understand the fate of the antibiotics, their effect on nitrogen transformation, and their impact on soil microbial communities under aerobic, anoxic, and denitrifying conditions. While monensin was not recovered in the effluent, lincomycin and sulfamethazine concentrations decreased slightly during transport through the columns. Sorption, and to a limited extent degradation, are likely to be the primary processes leading to antibiotic attenuation during leaching. Antibiotics also affected microbial respiration …

Salient Factors Among Hispanic Parents For Vaccinating Children Against Hpv, Madeline Fernandez

Open Access Dissertations

The human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI) among sexually active men and women in the U.S. HPV can lead to several types of cancers (e.g., cervical, penile, and anal cancers) that affect the Hispanic community disproportionately. In the U.S., Hispanic women have the highest rate of HPV incidence and the second highest death rate due to HPV-related cervical cancer, and Hispanic men are most affected by HPV-related penile cancers. In 2006, the HPV vaccine (HPVV) was released and recommended for girls and boys between the ages of nine and 26. Unfortunately, more than a decade …

Elucidating The Mechanism Of Cancer Drug Addiction In Alk+ Alcl, Soumya Sundara Rajan

Open Access Dissertations

The NPM1-ALK fusion kinase drives ALK-positive anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALK+ ALCL). Mechanisms of NPM1-ALK-driven lymphomagenesis are well defined, but mediators of cancer drug addiction in cells overexpressing it are unknown. Cancer drug addiction arises paradoxically when tumors become dependent on exposure to inhibitors to which they formerly were sensitive. We and others demonstrated previously that addiction to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) occurs in resistant ALK+ ALCL over-expressing NPM1-ALK. It is unknown, however, if addiction mechanisms defined recently for solid tumors addicted to MEK/ERK inhibitors apply also to these kinase-driven lymphomas. We consistently found that MEK/ERK activation and other oncogenic …

The Echo: November 30, 2018, Taylor University

2018-2019 (Volume 106)

Remembering Leland Boren – Taylor raises staff wages one percent – Continued learning on Title IX – KSAC reinforces its dress code policy with graphic – Taylor alumnus wins Indiana State Teacher of the year – Student from Myanmar to Taylor – Where does all of the Taylor University tuition go? – The dorm friendly recipe book: Christmas edition – A ministry funded by prayer – croc thoughts – The Weekly Bachelor and Bachelorette – Humans of Taylor U – Cultural music proclaims ‘Noel’ this Christmas – Exploring a life in faith and miracles – A&E Events – Ringing in …

Nephromyces Encodes A Urate Metabolism Pathway And Predicted Peroxisomes, Demonstrating These Are Not Ancient Losses Of Apicomplexans, Christopher Paight, Claudio H. Slamovits, Mary Beth Saffo, Christopher E. Lane

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The Phylum Apicomplexa is a quintessentially parasitic lineage, whose members infect a broad range of animals. One exception to this may be the apicomplexan genus Nephromyces, which has been described as having a mutualistic relationship with its host. Here we analyze transcriptome data from Nephromyces and its parasitic sister taxon, Cardiosporidium, revealing an ancestral purine degradation pathway thought to have been lost early in apicomplexan evolution. The predicted localization of many of the purine degradation enzymes to peroxisomes, and the in silico identification of a full set of peroxisome proteins, indicates that loss of both features in other …

Oral History Collections At James Madison University: Defining Digital Workflows, Mark Lane, Sarah Roth-Mullet

Libraries

Oral History collections present challenges surrounding legacy media formats, born digital and digitized content, transcription, preservation, and user access. Collections might contain a variety of analog and digital materials which need to be considered holistically for processing and organization, preservation, and access. In this presentation, librarians from James Madison University discuss collaborating to improve workflows for processing oral history collections held in JMU Libraries' Special Collections.

Raul Gomez, Csusb

South Colton Oral History Project Collection

No abstract provided.

Gotcha!, Alexa Bills

USU Student Folklore Fieldwork

I remember the first time I saw the stupid little sign. I was at my cousin’s high school graduation in 2017 at Rigby Idaho. Every member of the graduating class could make a sign or do a dance before they were handed their diploma. It was a ginormous class of about 420 or so, and at least two dozen of them, decided to do the ok signal held down below the hip. Now I don’t keep up in date, I’m not down with the diddly. But I did recognize the flossing dance from Fortnight, which I was surprised to see, …

Hear Us Roar, November 30, 2018, Michael Shonrock

Michael Shonrock

Digital newsletter produced by the office of President Michael Shonrock.

Data Protection Standards - Conditions Of Use And Computing Ethics

Information Technology Policies

The Conditions of Use and Computing Ethics applies to all active members of the University community, including faculty, students, staff, and affiliates, and to authorized visitors, guests, and others for whom University technology resources and network access are made available by the University. This policy also applies to campus visitors who avail themselves of the University’s temporary visitor wireless network access, and to those who register their computers and other devices through Conference and Event Services programs or through other offices, for use of the campus network.

Data Protection Standards - Data Protection Requirements

Information Technology Policies

This Guideline complements the Data Classification Policy by defining (1) the requirements for handling and protecting information at each stage of its lifecycle from creation to destruction and (2) the minimum security standards required for any electronic device that may be used to access or store Sensitive Information owned or used by University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy.

Sensitive Information is University Data that is classified as Internal, Confidential, or Restricted Use. See the Data Classification Policy for definitions and examples of each of these classifications.

Public (non-Sensitive) Information does not require any level of protection from disclosure but appropriate …

Data Protection Standards - Minimum Security Standards

Information Technology Policies

Protecting University Data is a shared effort. Individuals with access to University Data are responsible for accessing, storing, and processing data on systems that have appropriate security controls in place for the class of data. Individuals should consult with the IT Department to determine the best way to access, store, and use their data, particularly for more sensitive data.

This document defines the minimum security standards required for any Electronic Device (defined below) or cloud service that may be used to access, store or process (input, output, transmit, receive, display, calculate, etc.) Sensitive Information (defined below) owned or used by …

The Bison, November 30, 2018

The Bison Newspapers

No abstract provided.

Intermittent Departures, Returns, And The Incremental Acts Of The Everyday: Paid Domestic Work And Insurgency In Sitio Sibol, Bohol, Cherie Audrey Alfiler

Social Transformations Journal of the Global South

Our understanding of maids and their condition is confined within the current discourse of domestic labor exploitation and its general assumptions. This study presents an expansion of the discussion as experienced by residents of Sitio Sibol, Bohol including past experiences of NPA (New People’s Army) insurgency and counterinsurgency that partly played an instrumental role in shaping the maid’s experience. Informed by ethnographic research among former and current maids and their community in Sitio Sibol, this study problematizes how the changing context in the community affects the emergence and proliferation of local domestic work. It traces back the community’s history and …

Unh Announces Winners Of Statewide Social Venture Innovation Challenge, Erika Mantz

Media Relations

No abstract provided.