Digital Commons Network^™

Environmental And Social Sustainability In The Boardroom, Jon Lukomnik

Ira M. Millstein Center for Global Markets and Corporate Ownership

The last 10 years has seen a remarkable shift in the attention and importance of social and environmental issues for public corporations. This has meant an increased focus by boards on these important matters.

Climate change, human rights, corporate political influence, and inequality are just some of the issues that are being raised by shareholders and other stakeholders. As calls for corporate transparency grow, how boards incorporate these issues into their decision making processes, disclose them, and address them from a risk perspective will continue to garner attention.

Development Of Antimicrobial Chitosan Based Nanofiber Dressings For Wound Healing Applications, Lee Cremar, Jorge Gutierrez, Jennifer Martinez, Luis A. Materon, Robert Gilkerson, Fenghua Xu, Karen Lozano

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

Objective(s): Chitosan based composite fine fibers were successfully produced via a centrifugal spinning technology. This study evaluates the ability of the composites to function as scaffolds for cell growth while maintaining an antibacterial activity.

Materials and Methods: Two sets of chitosan fiber composites were prepared, one filled with anti-microbial silver nanoparticles and another one with cinnamaldeyhde. Chitosan powder was dissolved in trifluoroacetic acid and dichloromethane followed by addition of the fillers. The fiber output was optimized by configuring the polymer weight concentration (7, 8, and 9 w/w% chitosan) and applied angular velocity (6000-9000 RPM) within the spinning process.

Results: …

Machismo Predicts Prejudice Toward Lesbian And Gay Individuals: Testing A Mediating Role Of Contact, Michiyo Hirai, Serkan Dolma, Jason R. Popan, Mark H. Winkel

Psychological Science Faculty Publications

This study examined the relationship between traditional machismo and prejudice toward lesbian and gay individuals as mediated by contact in a Latino college sample. Gender was examined as a potential moderator. Undergraduate students from a public university in South Texas (128 males and 447 females; mean age = 22.1. SD = 4.75) completed online measures of prejudice toward lesbian and gay individuals, machismo, and contact experience with lesbian and gay individuals. Contact significantly mediated the relationship between machismo and anti-gay prejudice, yet this indirect effect was relatively small. Significant direct and indirect effects of machismo on prejudiced attitudes toward lesbian …

Serving Students: The Legacy Of Milner’S Library 05: Helping Hand (3 Panels), Angela L. Bonnell

Serving Students: The Legacy of Milner’s Library

Milner developed a library collection of varied formats to meet a variety of needs. She provided classroom instruction and reference assistance to help students make use of the collections but felt “…the pupils are best off when they learn how to help themselves." Under Milner’s helpful direction students used the collections and her services hand in hand to conduct their research.

Aligning And Combining: Using Webinars For Feedback In An Online Module In Postgraduate Up-Skilling For Construction Professionals, Simon Mcguinness, Barry Ryan

Irish Journal of Academic Practice

The investigative case study presented here is an exploration of an online, multi-disciplinary, professional up-skilling module that seeks to understand how participants perceived an online delivery, feedback and constructively aligned assessment strategy. Initially a validated survey, and subsequently a purposefully selected group of four participants informed the outcomes of this study. The findings, in brief, noted that the structure of the online course was well received by the learners; with the key emergent themes focussing on the aligned approach to content, assessment and feedback as well as the flexibility the online (a)synchronous learning offered participants. Conversely, the use of webinars …

Analysis Of Earnings Volatility Between Groups, Jeremiah Lindquist

The Park Place Economist

With this project, the intent is to take a detailed look at how the level of earnings volatility varies between groups. In order to do this, statistical comparison tests will be performed on earnings data. The initial hypothesis is that earnings volatility will be positively correlated to earnings level due to higher earners having more to gain or lose at a given time. The results from the analysis, however, will indicate otherwise. The overall findings of this paper will show varying levels of earnings volatility for different groups, findings I hope will be expanded on in the future.

Long-Term Fuel-Specific Nox And Particle Emission Trends For In-Use Heavy-Duty Vehicles In California, Molly J. Haugen, Gary A. Bishop

Fuel Efficiency Automobile Test Publications

Two California heavy-duty fleets have been measured in 2013, 2015 and 2017 using the On-road Heavy-duty Measurement System. The Port of Los Angeles drayage fleet has increased in age by 3.3 model years (4.2 to 7.5 years old) since 2013, with little fleet turnover. Large increases in fuel specific particle emissions (PM) observed in 2015 were reversed in 2017, returning to near 2013 levels, suggesting repairs and or removal of high emitting vehicles. Fuel specific oxides of nitrogen (NO_x) emissions of this fleet have increased and NO_x after-treatment systems do not appear to perform ideally in this …

Teaching The Welcoming Of Diversity And Difference In A Contemporary Australian University, Lekkie Hopkins, Lucy Hopkins

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Reimagining an Australia where diversity and difference are welcomed rather than feared holds particular challenges for academics charged with the task of educating new undergraduate students who have been raised on a diet of conservative binary discourses and fear-inducing political slogans. This paper reports on the thinking we have done and on the practices we adopt to create a one-semester undergraduate unit on working respectfully and inclusively across diversity and difference. The unit is designed for delivery to students who will be working as professionals in contemporary Australia. Although our unit is currently being taught to students in the human …

Author Biographies

Res Publica - Journal of Undergraduate Research

No abstract provided.

Dom Pérignon Vs. Miller Lite: Investigating Anti-Elite Sentiment At The Individual Level, Zoe Bouras

Res Publica - Journal of Undergraduate Research

As right-wing populism has gained a stronger footing globally, so have the ideas that right-wing populists support. Developed democracies are exhibiting high levels of political distrust and anti-elite sentiment, which pose a serious threat to the health of democracy and existing political systems. While there are system-level trends that contribute to anti-elitism, there remain variations in individual anti-elite sentiment. Two broad schools of thought suggest explanations; one contending that the way an individual perceives and responds to their economic situation leads to anti-elite sentiment, and the other, that anti-elite sentiment has risen as a reactionary undercurrent to the “silent revolution” …

A Machine Learning Management Model For Qoe Enhancement In Next-Generation Wireless Ecosystems, Eva Ibarrola, Mark Davis, Camille Voisin, Ciara Close, Leire Cristobo

Conference papers

Next-generation wireless ecosystems are expected to comprise heterogeneous technologies and diverse deployment scenarios. Ensuring a good quality of service (QoS) will be one of the major challenges of next-generation wireless systems on account of a variety of factors that are beyond the control of network and service providers. In this context, ITU-T is working on updating the various Recommendations related to QoS and users' quality of experience (QoE). Considering the ITU-T QoS framework, we propose a methodology to develop a global QoS management model for next-generation wireless ecosystems taking advantage of big data and machine learning. The results from a …

Public Goods And Public Policy: What Is Public Good, And Who And What Decides?, Ellen Hazelkorn, Andrew Gibson

Articles

Higher education is usually seen as serving the public good, especially when funded directly by the state, and because of the ‘social benefit efficiency gains and potential equity effects on opportunity and reduced inequality’ (McMahon, 2009, p. 255). Calhoun (2006, p. 19) argues that public support for higher education is only given and maintained according to its capacity, capability, and willingness, to ‘educate citizens in general, to share knowledge, to distribute it as widely as possible in accord with publically articulated purposes’.

An Energy-Based Approach To Assess And Predict Erosive Airfoil Defouling, Arthur Rudek, Thomas-Alexander Zitzmann, Geral Russ, Barry Duignan

Articles

A dynamic indentation experiment is presented for assessment of the adhesive behavior of a range of coatings in erosive defouling of commercial aircraft engines using CO2 dry-ice. A series of experiments is presented in which particles made from a reference material (polyoxymethylene – POM) and from CO2 dry-ice are made to impact compressor airfoils under a range of impact angle and velocity conditions. The airfoils investigated are coated with an indicator material (PTFE), which is typically used to visualise the defouling effect in large scale compressor defouling experiments. In addition, fouled compressor airfoils taken from service and coated with a …

Guide To The University Archives Collection, Pettus Archives

University Archives Finding Aids

No abstract provided.

W408-003c-01 - Business Office: Student Financial Services: Correspondence And Memoranda, Division Of Finance And Business Affairs, Business Office, Student Financial Services

University Archives Finding Aids

No abstract provided.

Safe Research Protocol, Becky Stancer

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences

Joint protocol created for NIHR (9PB-PG-0815-20058) and Autistica (7239 )

The Impact And Influence Of Rankings On The Quality, Performance And Accountability Agenda, Ellen Hazelkorn, Andrew Gibson

Other resources

When global rankings first appeared in 2003, rankings in general were little known despite the fact that collecting statistical information on individual academic institutions had begun by the U.S. Bureau of Education in the late 19th century (Snyder, 1993). This was followed by various attempts to measure and compare the performance of faculty members and correspondingly their institutions by focusing on the schooling and characteristics of birth of such “Geniuses” or “Great Men”. This early focus on "distinguished persons" dominated rankings to the 1950s but effectively excluded most public universities, such as Land Grant universities, because they were newer institutions …

A Distributed Service Delivery Platform For Automotive Environments: Enhancing Communication Capabilities Of An M2m Service Platform For Automotive Application, Markus Glaab

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

The automotive domain is changing. On the way to more convenient, safe, and efficient vehicles, the role of electronic controllers and particularly software has increased significantly for many years, and vehicles have become software-intensive systems. Furthermore, vehicles are connected to the Internet to enable Advanced Driver Assistance Systems and enhanced In-Vehicle Infotainment functionalities. This widens the automotive software and system landscape beyond the physical vehicle boundaries to presently include as well external backend servers in the cloud. Moreover, the connectivity facilitates new kinds of distributed functionalities, making the vehicle a part of an Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) and thus an …

Automated Identification Of Digital Evidence Across Heterogeneous Data Resources, Hussam J Mohammed

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

Digital forensics has become an increasingly important tool in the fight against cyber and computer-assisted crime. However, with an increasing range of technologies at people’s disposal, investigators find themselves having to process and analyse many systems with large volumes of data (e.g., PCs, laptops, tablets, and smartphones) within a single case. Unfortunately, current digital forensic tools operate in an isolated manner, investigating systems and applications individually. The heterogeneity and volume of evidence place time constraints and a significant burden on investigators. Examples of heterogeneity include applications such as messaging (e.g., iMessenger, Viber, Snapchat, and WhatsApp), web browsers (e.g., Firefox and …

On Lowering The Error Floor Of Short-To-Medium Block Length Irregular Low Density Parity Check Codes, Umar-Faruk Abdu-Aguye

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

Gallager proposed and developed low density parity check (LDPC) codes in the early 1960s. LDPC codes were rediscovered in the early 1990s and shown to be capacity approaching over the additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel. Subsequently, density evolution (DE) optimized symbol node degree distributions were used to significantly improve the decoding performance of short to medium length irregular LDPC codes. Currently, the short to medium length LDPC codes with the lowest error floor are DE optimized irregular LDPC codes constructed using progressive edge growth (PEG) algorithm modifications which are designed to increase the approximate cycle extrinsic message degrees (ACE) …

Contributions To Converters In Single Phase Distributed Photovoltaic Systems, Ali Hussein Abduljabbar Al-Omari

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

This thesis contributes to improve the photovoltaic Distributed Generation (DG) systems by proposing three novel methods to the system. On DC conversion side, a new integrated magnetic structure for interleaved converter and a new method to calculate the eddy current and hysteresis losses in the magnetic core were proposed. On inversion side, A new synchronisation method for grid tie inverters was suggested. The technique is using the Recursive Discrete Fourier Transform (RDFT) to find fundamental in grid waveform. On the DC converter side, the benefits of the new structure is to produce magnetic flux that alternate in the core across …

A Scientometric Analysis Of Knowledge Management Research And Practice Literature: 2003 – 2015, Ahmed Ramy, Jenni Floody, Mohamed Af Ragab, Amr Arisha

Articles

The purpose of this paper is to explore the current research trends in Knowledge Management (KM) through a scientometric analysis of all literature published in KMRP between 2003 and 2015 (506 articles). The review framework explores three sets of review questions addressing Research Productivity, Research Themes and Methods, and Citation Analysis. The study elucidates wide global interest in KM and an increasing trend towards multi-author collaboration. Although more than 55 different industries have featured in the journal, certain knowledge-intensive sectors remain underrepresented. Country productivity shows few nations taking the lead with an interesting correlation between research activity and economic prosperity. …

Volume 27, Issue 3, Winter 2018-19, Office Of Communications, Illinois Wesleyan University

Illinois Wesleyan University Magazine, 2018-present

INSIDE THIS ISSUE
VOLUME 27 | NUMBER 3 | WINTER 2018-19

ON OUR COVER: A breakthrough moment inspired Lisa Mishra ’15 to put her career on hold and pursue a future in the music industry. Portrait photo by Jason Reblando. Digital illustration by Gary Schwartz.
14 Homecoming 2018 Illinois Wesleyan celebrated 100 years of Homecoming at “A Century of Celebration,” with many alumni and friends returning to campus for the annual tradition Oct. 5-7, 2018.
16 Leap of Faith Music has always been a way of life for Lisa Mishra ’15, but a breakthrough moment launched a new career for …

Green Networking: Analyses Of Power Consumption Of Real And Complex Ifft/Fft Used In Next-Generation Networks And Optical Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing, Sameer Sami Hassan Al-Obaidi

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

The Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing is a promising technology for the Next Generation Networks. This technique was selected because of the flexibility for the various parameters, high spectral efficiency, and immunity to ISI. The OFDM technique suffers from significant digital signal processing, especially inside the Inverse/ Fast Fourier Transform IFFT/FFT. This part is used to perform the orthogonality/De-orthogonality between the subcarriers which the important part of the OFDM system. Therefore, it is important to understand the parameter effects on the increase or to decrease the FPGA power consumption for the IFFT/FFT. This thesis is focusing on the FPGA power consumption …

Drivers Of Wearable Computing Adoption: An Empirical Study Of Success Factors Including It Security And Consumer Behaviour-Related Aspects, Lena Gribel

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

The recent advances in information technologies have dramatically changed the manner in which people understand, experience and use IT systems. Wearable computers are emerging new technologies in the evolution of mobile devices, which introduce a paradigm shift in the field of human computer-interaction. By equipping the user with computational capabilities, ‘wearables’ provide context-aware and seamlessly integrated on-the-fly computing across heterogeneous circumstances and irrespective of place and time. Not least the very promising market prospects for wearable devices imply various unprecedented business opportunities and a vast economic potential of these socio-technological gadgets. Nonetheless, analysis of the current market situation shows that …

Taxation For Whom?:A Diachronic Analysis Of Taxation In Ireland And The United Kingdom From 1970-2015., Ewan Macdonald, John Hogan, Brendan O'Rourke

Other

This paper explores the discursive development of taxation within budget speeches in two countries, the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom, from 1970 to 2015 by means of a corpus-assisted discourse analysis. We ask the following questions; how have discourses of taxation developed diachronically in both countries, what are the similarities and differences in the observable discourses across both countries, and for whom and how are these discourses legitimised? In answering these questions, this paper makes use of Corpus linguistics, a methodological approach which utilises computational analysis of large bodies of text to draw statistically significant conclusions about the …

Towards A Conceptual Framework For The Development Of Immersive Experiences To Negotiate Meaning And Identify In Irish Language Learning, Naoise Collins, Brian Vaughan, Keith Gardiner, Charlie Cullen

Conference papers

The onset of virtual reality systems allows for new immersive content which provides users with a sense of presence in their virtual environment. This paper provides the conceptual framework for a larger study examining how designed virtual reality experiences can be utilised to transform Irish language meaning making and a user's personal Irish language identity.

Belonging At Itb: The Use Of Photovoice Methodology (Pvm) To Investigate Inclusion And Exclusion At Itb Based On Ethnicity And Nationality From A Student Perspective, Fionnuala Darby

Articles

The aim of this research is to sensitise readers to issues of inclusion and exclusion on campus at ITB in order to deepen our capacity to empathise with our students in a meaningful, accessible and evocative way in relation to ethnicity and/or nationality. Using Photovoice Methodology (PVM), the objective is to investigate the use of space and place that students occupy on campus. The outcomes of the research through images and text reveal surroundings on campus that students find inclusive and exclusive. The paper begins with a review of the literature salient to the topic. Then follows a description of …

Expanding The Traditional Role Of Optometry: Current Practice Patterns And Attitudes To Enhanced Glaucoma Services In Ireland, Catriona Barrett, James Loughman

Articles

Purpose: To investigate current diagnostic equipment availability and usage for glaucoma casefinding within community optometric practice, and to explore optometrists’ attitudes towards an enhanced scope of clinical practice. Methods: An anonymous survey was developed, validated, and distributed to all optometrists in Ireland. Results: 199 optometrists (27% of registrants) responded to the survey. 87% had access to the traditional triad of tests necessary to conduct adequate glaucoma case finding. Standard automated perimetry was the most commonly absent (13%) of the three essential screening tests. 64% of respondents indicated that monocular direct ophthalmoscopy was their first choice technique for fundus examination. 47% …

Allen Carr’S Easyway To Stop Smoking - A Randomised Clinical Trial, Luke Clancy, Sheila Keogan, Shasha Li

Articles

Objective To determine if Allen Carr’s Easyway to Stop Smoking (AC) was superior to Quit. ie in a randomised clinical trial (RCT). Setting Single centre, open RCT, general population