Digital Commons Network^™

Vision, Winter 2018

Vision

A newsletter published for Deaf Catholics in USA

VisionFinding Aid

Magnolia Gates, Aimee Adams, Mark Crowley, Jason Hull

Master of Real Estate Development

No abstract provided.

The Social Value Of Seiu Women, Alex Rothfelder

Sustainability and Social Justice

This paper analyzes women in health care unions by specifically examining the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) as a case study. Moreover, this paper asks: what motivates these health care workers; is it primarily patient care, or are there other significant issues? How do workers think about their product of care, and how does this affect unionism? And how is gender connected to these issues? After interviewing six health care workers in SEIU, this paper found that the motivation of health care workers is partially motivated by patient issues, but that this occurs in a negative sense. Union organizational limitations …

Young’S Modulus As A Measurement To Estimate Damage Related With Alkali-Silica Reaction In Concrete., Anazaria J. Ortega Gonzalez

Civil Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The main purpose of this research is to compare two nondestructive methods to assess Alkali-Silica reaction (ASR) in concrete. Fifteen concrete prisms were cast using aggregates with different Alkali-Silica reactivity such as Jobe sand and Van Buren sand. The change in strain, shear wave velocity and Young’s modulus were determined according to ASTM C129 and ASTM C215, respectively. This data was collected by Dillon K Self, who determined that the shear wave velocity and strain are inversely proportional. However, when single cracking in the concrete specimen transition to map cracking, the shear wave velocity dropped significantly, whereas the strain value …

The Graduate Standard - 12/2018, Western Michigan University

Graduate College news

• News from the Western Michigan University Graduate College
• Watch our "Every Great Journey Leads to Gold" promotional video
• Fall 2018 Three Minute Thesis
• 2018 Graduate Student Research and Travel Grant Awards Announced
• WMU Biological Sciences Ph.D. Alum Tiantian Zhang Attains Post-Doctoral Position at Prestigious Cancer Research Lab
• The New Graduate Student Commons at Waldo Library
• A Brief History of Walwood Hall

Numerical Treatment For The Flow Of Casson Fluid And Heat Transfer Model Over An Unsteady Stretching Surface In The Presence Of Internal Heat Generation/Absorption And Thermal Radiation, Mohammed M. Babatin

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

Several important industrial and engineering problems are very difficult to solve analytically since they are high nonlinear. The Chebyshev spectral collocation method possesses an ability to predict the solution behavior for a system of high nonlinear ordinary differential equations. This method which is based on differentiated Chebyshev polynomials is introduced to obtain an approximate solution to the system of ordinary differential equations which physically describe the flow and heat transfer problem of an unsteady Casson fluid model taking into consideration both heat generation and radiation effects in the temperature equation. Based on the spectral collocation method, the obtained solution is …

Natural Sciences Newsletter - Fall 2018, Parkland College, Manuel I. Rodriguez

Department of Natural Sciences Newsletter

In this semester's Parkland College Natural Sciences Newsletter, you'll find a letter from Department Chair Scott Siechen, updates from the Natural Science Commons, the Planetarium, the Professional Development Committee, and Astronomy and Science Clubs. Also, we say hello and good bye to incoming and outgoing faculty, and learn about conference happenings.

What Can A Micro-Level View Tell Us About Plurinational Bolivia?, Maureen Heffern Ponicki

Journal of International and Global Studies

Book review on:

• Borda-Niño-Wildman, Carolina. The Medicalisation of Incest and Abuse: Biomedical and Indigenous Perceptions in Rural Bolivia. London: Routledge, 2018.
• Ellison, Susan Helen. Domesticating Democracy: The Politics of Conflict Resolution in Bolivia. Durham and London: Duke University Press, 2018.

Ectopic High Endothelial Venules In Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma: A Unique Site For Targeted Delivery., Baharak Bahmani, Mayuko Uehara, Farideh Ordikhani, Xiaofei Li, Liwei Jiang, Naima Banouni, Takaharu Ichimura, Vivek Kasinath, Siawosh K Eskandari, Nasim Annabi, Jonathan S Bromberg, Leonard D. Shultz, Dale L Greiner, Reza Abdi

Faculty Research 2018

BACKGROUND: Nanomedicine offers an excellent opportunity to tackle treatment-refractory malignancies by enhancing the delivery of therapeutics to the tumor site. High endothelial venules (HEVs) are found primarily in lymph nodes or formed de novo in peripheral tissues during inflammatory responses. They express peripheral node addressin (PNAd), which is recognized by the monoclonal antibody MECA79.

METHODS: Here, we demonstrated that HEVs form de novo in human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). We engineered MECA79 coated nanoparticles (MECA79-NPs) that recognize these ectopic HEVs in PDAC.

FINDINGS: The trafficking of MECA79-NPs following intravenous delivery to human PDAC implanted in a humanized mouse model was …

Connections, 2018, University Of Montana--Missoula. Mansfield Library

Connections

No abstract provided.

Inspire E-News 12 2018, College Of Engineering And Applied Sciences

College of Engineering and Applied Sciences News

• Holiday greetings from the Dean
• Simulating flight
• Join us for Innovation EXPO
• Students attend Society of Women Engineers annual conference
• Last roll
• Ph.D. student joins board of industrial engineering institute
• College Snapshot: Industrial and Entrepreneurial

Fiber Element-Based Nonlinear Analysis Of Concrete Bridge Piers With Consideration Of Permanent Displacement, Mokhtar Ansari, Farhad Daneshjoo, Amir Safiey, Naser Safaeian Hamzehkolaei, Maryam Sorkhou

Publications

Utilization of fiber beam-column element has gained considerable attention in recent years due mainly to its ability to model distributed plasticity over the length of the element through a number of integration points. However, the relatively high sensitivity of the method to modeling parameters as well as material behavior models can pose a significant challenge. Residual drift is one of the seismic demands which is highly sensitive to modeling parameters and material behavior models. Permanent deformations play a prominent role in the post-earthquake evaluation of serviceability of bridges affected by a near- fault ground shaking. In this research, the influence …

Dad Jokes, Susan Swan

USU Student Folklore Fieldwork

M: Okay, now we're going to talk about your goat joke. *laughs*

J: *chuckles* okay... well it’s not my joke you know?

M: I know, but I want to hear a story behind it. *clears throat* So first can you tell it to me?

J: The goat joke huh? Uhhh, okay… *long pause* Well, two good old boys uh were out hunting one day, and as they were walking through the woods they came up to a- a big ol’ hole in the

ground. And they both stood at the edge and they looked down and being good old boys, …

A Tutor As An Educator, Justyn Hardy

Tutor's Column

Tutoring as a verb implies the requirement to educate; however, the role of the tutor as an educator is often set aside in order to fix the immediate issues with a paper rather than the overarching issues with a student’s writing. Tutors provide answers, but it’s far better to provide long-term solutions through a moment of education. This paper seeks to identify the moments a tutor ought to become the educator and assuage the trepidations a tutor might have in using their voice in a moment of formal education with a student.

The Writer: An Endangered Species, Hayley Dykman

Tutor's Column

The ability to write is a necessity in every stage of education and the career field beyond; however, few people are willing to label themselves as “writers.” It is especially important that students adopt the mindset that they are “writers” because writing is something they are required to do frequently. Believing you are a “writer” makes writing seem easier and a more innate part of your abilities. However, students often have an incorrect idea of what it means to be a “writer,” thinking that to be a “writer” is to be a published author or someone who always enjoys the …

Risky Business: Pilot Of The Social Norms Program For Secondary Schools, Katherine Dix, Toby Carslake

Wellbeing

Intent on contributing to drug and alcohol education in secondary schools, Life Education set out in 2017 to explore the viability of using a social norms approach that confronted young people's misconceptions about risk-taking behaviours amongst their peers. A literature review (Ahmed, Mitchell & Trevitt, 2018) provided strong foundations for developing and piloting Australia's first social norms-based drug and alcohol program for secondary school students. Norms are considered to have a behavioural dimension – how the majority of people in a group behave – as well as an attitudinal dimension – how this majority believes they and others should behave. …

Understanding Track Substructure Behavior: Field Instrumentation Data Analysis And Development Of Numerical Models, Huseyin Boler, Debakanta Mishra, Wenting Hou, Erol Tutumluer

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Numerous studies have targeted using numerical modeling, field instrumentation, or combinations of both to gain insight into track substructure behavior under loading. In-depth understanding of track substructure behavior serving both passenger and freight trains is critical to developing suitable design and maintenance/rehabilitation methods to ensure adequate performance under loading. This manuscript presents findings from a recently completed study involving advanced instrumentation and numerical modeling to investigate track substructure-related issues at several problematic railroad bridge approaches in the United States. Multi-Depth Deflectometers (MDDs) were installed to measure transient as well as plastic deformations experienced by track substructure layers under loading. Strain …

University At Albany Stars Report, University At Albany, State University Of New York

STARS reports

Gold Rating: STARS Version 2.1

The Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS®) is a transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to gauge relative progress toward sustainability. STARS was developed by AASHE with broad participation from the higher education community.

STARS is designed to:

• Provide a framework for understanding sustainability in all sectors of higher education.

• Enable meaningful comparisons over time and across institutions using a common set of measurements developed with broad participation from the campus sustainability community.

• Create incentives for continual improvement toward sustainability.

• Facilitate information sharing about higher education sustainability practices and …

The R Journal (December 2018) 10(2): Complete Issue, The R Foundation

The R Journal

Editorial, John Verzani

Contributed Research Articles

stplanr: A Package for Transport Planning, Robin Lovelace and Richard Ellison

The utiml Package: Multi-label Classification in R, Adriano Rivolli and Andre C. P. L. F. de Carvalho

rcss: R Package for Optimal Convex Stochastic Switching, Juri Hinz and Jeremy Yee

nsROC: An R package for Non-Standard ROC Curve Analysis, Sonia Pérez-Fernández, Pablo Martínez-Camblor, Peter Filzmoser, and Norberto Corral

addhaz: Contribution of Chronic Diseases to the Disability Burden Using R, Renata Tiene de Carvalho Yokota, Caspar WN Looman, Wilma Johanna Nusselder, Herman Van Oyen, and Geert Molenberghs

Snowboot: Bootstrap Methods for Network Inference, Yuzhou …

Development Of Anti-Icing Airfield Heated Pavement Systems Using Solar Energy, Joseph Daniels

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation analyzes developing and assessing the viability of an anti-icing airfield heated pavement system using solar energy. This study includes two components, a field experimentation component and a numerical analysis component. Field experimentation investigates two systems: (1) an electrical heated pavement system with a photovoltaic energy system as its power source, and (2) a hydronic heated pavement system with a solar water-heating system as its heating source. The systems operate under an automated thermostat heating sequence for operation optimization and energy conservation. Study results found the solar systems capable of supplying enough energy to maintain pavement surface temperature above …

Molecular Basis Of Pathogenesis And Host Determination In Cercospora Sojina: From Phenotypic To Genotypic Patterns, Wagner Calegari Fagundes

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Frogeye leaf spot (FLS), caused by Cercospora sojina, is an important and recurrent disease of soybean in many production regions. Genetic resistance is potentially one of the most cost-effective and sustainable strategies to control FLS. However, C. sojina has already demonstrated the ability to overcome resistance conveyed by single R-genes (resistance genes) of soybeans, followed by the emergence of new physiological races. Although understanding population genomics and the virulence gene inventories in fungal plant pathogens is extremely important to improve disease control measures, studies regarding host specificity and pathogenesis in C. sojina are very limited. Therefore, the overarching goal of …

Utilizing The Hvsr Second Peak For Surface Wave Inversions In The Mississippi Embayment, Ashraf Kamal Himel

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Ambient noise data from 24 sites within the Mississippi Embayment were analyzed to estimate the fundamental frequency using the horizontal to vertical spectral ratio (HVSR) method. The fundamental frequency ranged from 0.17 to 3.43 Hz for the tested sites. At seventeen of the sites, a second higher frequency HVSR peak, which ranged from 0.617 Hz to 2.154 Hz, was observed in addition to the fundamental HVSR peak. The second peak frequency in the HVSR curve has been attributed by previous researchers as either an odd harmonic of the fundamental peak or a shallow impedance contrast from the Memphis sand layer …

Early Life Flexural Performance And Behavior Of Reinforced Bcsa Concrete Beams, Gabriel Cook

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Belitic calcium sulfoaluminate cement (BCSA) is a hydraulic, rapid setting alternative to ordinary portland cement (OPC) with reduced energy demands and CO2 emissions. BCSA cement has numerous current and potential applications including transportation repair and precast manufacturing. Currently, limited research exists regarding the structural performance of CSA cements, restricting its potential implementation. Thus, the purpose of this research is to provide insight into the flexural performance and behavior of reinforced BCSA concrete beams. Overall, BCSA concrete had similar cracking and loading behavior to the OPC beams, with increased moment capacity for compression controlled specimens. Furthermore, BCSA concrete showed increased tensile …

Interfacial Tailoring Of Lithium-Ion Batteries By Atomic/Molecular Layer Deposition, Qian Sun

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are promising energy storage devices, which play significant roles in addressing problems related to fossil fuels depletion and environmental pollution. Since the 1990s, LIBs have attracted great attention for many applications. Nowadays, LIBs are dominating portable electronics, having several advantages over their forerunners, such as high voltage (3.3~4.2 V) [1,2], low self-discharge (< 5~10 %/month) [3,4], wide operation temperature (-20~60 °C) [5,6], and fast charge/discharge rate [7,8]. However, LIBs deliver an energy density of 100-220 Wh/kg in practice to date, which is far from their theoretical ones, thus hindering their further applications in electric vehicles. Additionally, LIBs have been plagued by other problems, such as intolerance to overcharge/overdischarge, low heat resistance, lithium dendrites growth, large volume change of the silicon anode, large polarization and even safety problems.

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) and molecular layer deposition (MLD) are two important techniques, both proceeding in self-limiting gas-solid reactions and exhibiting excellent capabilities for ultra-thin films, conformal coatings, and controllable growth. They can be employed to address the problems of LIBs mentioned above by …

Examining The Use Of Idealized Granular Material In Validated Dem Simulations, Anjana Thoroppady Kittu

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Discrete element method (DEM) modeling, is becoming widely used for understanding the micro-mechanical behavior of granular materials at the particle level. This dissertation presents important considerations regarding the experimental boundary conditions and idealized granular materials used in DEM validations.

A common issue in DEM validation studies for direct shear and direct simple shear is selecting top and bottom cap boundary conditions that allow for shear transmission while also being efficiently modeled in the DEM simulations. While the traditional grid boundary types used in the laboratory can be replicated in the numerical models, researchers have also used fixed-particle boundaries, sawtooth boundaries, …

A Generative Statistical Approach For Data Classification In A Biologically Inspired Design Tool, Marvin Manuel Arroyo Rujano

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The objective of the research this thesis describes is to find a way to classify text-based descriptions of biological adaption to support Biologically Inspired design. Biologically inspired design is a fairly new field with ongoing research. There are different tools to assist designers and biologists in bio-inspired design. Some of the most common are BioTRIZ and AskNature. In recent years, more tools have been proposed to aid and make research in the field easier, for example, the Biologically Inspired Adaptive System Design (BIASD) tool. This tool was designed with the goal of helping designers in early design stages generate more …

Fatigue Performance And Shear Demand Distributions Of Clustered Shear Connectors In Composite Bridge Girders, Brian David Hillhouse

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The current American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Bridge Specifications assumes uniform shear flow demands at the steel-concrete interface of composite bridge girders. As stud pitch increases to beyond 24 in or as studs become clustered to account for pre-cast concrete decks, this assumed shear demand distribution may be unrepresentative. Understanding shear transfer and resulting demands on headed studs in composite beams are important for ensuring adequate composite design. This study investigates stud demands in composite bridge girders using large-scale fatigue testing and direct pressure measurements for stud force calculations. In this study, two large-scale composite beam …

Accumulation Of Lead By Biofilms In Drinking Water Distribution Systems, Kaleb Oren Belcher

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Recent crises, such as the one in Flint, MI, indicate that lead exposure from drinking water is a major health concern in the United States. Over six million lead service lines are still in use in the United States, and a universal protocol to safely remove these lead service lines from drinking water distribution systems has not yet been established. This paper calls to attention the potential hazard that biofilms pose as a source of lead in distribution systems, even after the removal of lead pipes. This study used a simulated water distribution system containing a lead source pipe and …

The Effect Of Incorporating End-User Customization Into Additive Manufacturing Designs, Jonathan D. Ashley

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the realm of additive manufacturing there is an increasing trend among makers to create designs that allow for end-users to alter them prior to printing an artifact. Online design repositories have tools that facilitate the creation of such artifacts. There are currently no rules for how to create a good customizable design or a way to measure the degree of customization within a design. This work defines three types of customizations found in additive manufacturing and presents three metrics to measure the degree of customization within designs based on the three types of customization. The goal of this work …

Developing Computer Codes For Analyzing Bridge Response Due To Wim Data Truck Loading, Kenneth Patrick Pasley

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Despite actual truck demographics evolving over the past 30 years, the Arkansas legal loads for bridge posting have not been updated. Custom computer codes were developed.to facilitate comparison between the current Arkansas legal loads for bridge posting and the actual Arkansas truck traffic to ensure that actual reactions are enveloped by the state'. The program, WIMFluence, calculates shear and moment influence lines for a bridge and the resulting shear and moment reactions based on weigh-in-motion data. With supporting scripts, the reactions due to actual Arkansas truck traffic were compared to those due to the current Arkansas legal loads for bridge …