Digital Commons Network^™

Using Case-Method Pedagogy To Facilitate Audience Awareness, Vincent D. Robles

Faculty Publications

Introduction: Technical and professional communication (TPC) instructors value audience awareness, using peer- and client-based projects to facilitate it. We explore how students’ audience awareness is facilitated by the case method, which presents students with a professional communication task within a workplace scenario.

Situating the case: Case-method research suggests including a detailed audience and situation, multiple genres, and multimedia. Few studies have explored how case materials facilitate students’ audience awareness.

About the case: A 12-week case that was consistent with case-method research asked students to respond to an engineering firm’s internal problem with a proposal and report. How the case was …

Robotic Process Automation In Public Accounting, Lauren A. Cooper, D. Kip Holderness, Trevor L. Sorensen, David A. Wood

Faculty Publications

This study investigates the adoption and use of Robotic Process Automation (RPA) software— often referred to as bots—in the public accounting industry. Accounting firms use RPA software to automate the input, processing, and output of data across computer applications in order to streamline repetitive and mundane business processes. We conducted individual, semi-structured interviews with 14 accounting professionals including at least two RPA leaders at each of the Big 4 accounting firms to gain insights into how RPA software is currently being used. Interviewees note that bots are implemented in all areas of the firm but have gained the most traction …

Is There Information Content In Information Acquisition?, Michael S. Drake, Darren T. Roulstone, Bret A. Johnson, Jacob Thornock

Faculty Publications

In this study, we examine whether investors’ actions to acquire accounting information are predictive of future firm performance because these actions partially reveal investors’ private expectations of this performance. Using a database of EDGAR downloads, we find some evidence that information acquisition of accounting reports by EDGAR users is, on average, predictive of future firm performance. We then determine the identity of the EDGAR user and examine whether different users’ private expectations will be relatively more predictive of subsequent performance. We find that the information acquisition activities of more sophisticated institutional users (e.g., hedge funds, investment banks) are more strongly …

Evaluating Theory Of Structured Experience Propositions: Effects Of Service Quality And Experience Industry Techniques On Quality Of Immediate Leisure Experiences, Gary D. Ellis, Andrew Lacanienta, Patti A. Freeman, Brian J. Hill

Faculty Publications

We tested two propositions of the Theory of Structured Experience: first, strategies used to structure experiences in the leisure industries elevate experience quality only when a threshold of service performance is met or exceeded; and second, positive relations exist among indicators of experience quality. Two teams of higher education tourists visited 23 attractions on three Hawaiian Islands. Immediately after each visit, team one (n = 4) judged the attractions based on service quality and experience structuring performance. Members of team two (n = 14) also reported the quality of their individual experiences after each visit by measuring the prevalence of …

The Fog Of Warnings: How Non-Essential Notifications Blur With Security Warnings, Anthony Vance, David Eargle, Jeffrey Jenkins, C. Brock Kirwan, Bonnie Brinton Anderson

Faculty Publications

Adherence to security warnings continues to be an important problem in information security. Although users may fail to heed a security warning for a variety of reasons, a major contributor is habituation, which is decreased response to repeated stimulation. However, the scope of this problem may actually be much broader than previously thought because of the neurobiological phenomenon of generalization. Whereas habituation describes a diminished response with repetitions of the same stimulus, generalization occurs when habituation to one stimulus carries over to other novel stimuli that are similar in appearance.

Generalization has important implications for the domains of usable security …

Cognitive Checkpoint: Emerging Technologies For Biometric-Enabled Watchlist Screening, Svetlana N. Yanushkevich, Kelly W. Sundberg, Nathan W. Twyman, Richard M. Guest, Vlad P. Shmerko

Faculty Publications

This paper revisits the problem of individual risk assessment in the layered security model. It contributes to the concept of balancing security and privacy via cognitive-centric machine called an ‘e-interviewer’. Cognitive checkpoint is a cyber-physical security frontier in masstransit hubs that provides an automated screening using all types of identity (attributed, biometric, and biographical) from both physical and virtual worlds. We investigate how the development of the next generation of watchlist for rapid screening impacts a sensitive balancing mechanism between security and privacy. We identify directions of such an impact, trends in watchlist technologies, and propose ways to mitigate the …

A Strategy Of Truth: Andreas Feininger And The Creation Of Propaganda For The Office Of War Information, 1942, James Swensen

Faculty Publications

In 1942 photographer Andreas Feininger travelled across the United States documenting war industries for the Office of War Information, a New Deal agency. In the midst of world war, Feininger’s straightforward photographs of plane production, copper mining, and other key industries were carefully crafted propaganda designed to combat German rhetoric and bolster public support and confidence in the war effort. Feininger’s style, an admixture of modernist ideas and social detachment, found resonance within US ideological efforts that stressed data and facts, and became known as the ‘Strategy of Truth’.

Theory Of Experiential Career Exploration Technology (Tecet): Increasing Cybersecurity Career Interest Through Playable Case Studies, Justin Scott Giboney, Derek L. Hansen, Tanner Johnson, Desiree Winters, Jason K. Mcdonald, Jonathan Balzotti, Elizabeth Bonsignore

Faculty Publications

There is a large demand to fill cybersecurity jobs. To alleviate this need, it is important to generate interest in cybersecurity as a career. One way to do this is through job shadowing and internships. Using design science principles, we have built and tested a playable case study (PCS) where participants can act out a virtual internship and learn relevant cybersecurity skills. We ran a study with students in introductory university courses where they played through a simulated internship at a penetration testing company called CyberMatics. In the study we showed that a PCS format helps students 1) better understand …

Dynamic Stall Characteristics Of A Pitching Swept Finite Aspect Ratio Wing, Kristopher Tomek

Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics

This research will investigate various swept wing models, designing the mechanism for their pitching motion and control, designing wind tunnel implementation, and performing data measurements and analysis using particle image velocimetry. A NACA0012 section with an aspect ratio of AR = 4, free stream velocity of U∞=34 m/s, and Reynolds Number is Rec=2x105. Swept airfoils of Λ=0°, 15°, and 30° will be pitched sinusoidally between an AoA of 4°and 22°, at a reduced frequency of k=πfc/U∞=0.2. Higher sweep angles developing arch-type vortices interact with wing tip flow and abrupt tip stall is observed. Lower sweep angles possessed defined leading edge …

Computational Simulations Of Compressible Transitional Flows In A Turbine Vane Cascade, Alan James Perrault

Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics

In order to improve the efficiency and reduce the emissions of aircraft engines, new combustor designs have been developed to reduce outlet temperatures and increase mixing. At high altitudes, the low pressure and low Reynolds number flow would normally produce a laminar boundary layer on the turbine vanes. The increased turbulence generated by these newer combustors can cause transitional flow on the vane surfaces, which leads to increased heat transfer. Accurate computational simulations can reduce development costs by allowing rapid iteration of designs. Aerodynamic and heat transfer characteristics of the first stage stator vane from a high-altitude UAV has been …

Fatigue Behavior Of Flax Fiber Reinforced Polymer Matrix Composites, Md. Zahirul Islam

Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics

Bio-based flax fiber polymer composites (FFPC) have the potential to replace metals and synthetic fibers in certain applications due to their unique mechanical properties. However, the long term reliability of FFPC needs to be better understood. In this study, the fatigue limit was evaluated using mathematical, thermographic, and energy-based approaches. Each approach determined fatigue limits around 45% load of ultimate tensile strength at a loading frequency of 5 Hz. Thermographic and energy-based approaches were also implemented at different loading frequencies (5, 7, 10, and 15 Hz) to define the effect of loading frequency on the fatigue life. Fatigue limit was …

Bioprinting Of Pancreatic Cancer Cells For Improved Drug Testing, Chad Austin Rehovsky

Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics

Currently, many drugs are preclinically tested on two-dimensional cell cultures. However, this method does not adequately replicate the cellular interactions or diffusion gradient that occur in three-dimensional tissues, leading to poor indicators of how a drug may affect human tissues. The objective of this project was to use bioprinted pancreatic cancer cell cultures as a platform for three-dimensional drug testing. Various bioink formulations of cellulose, gelatin, and alginate were evaluated to determine which provided the best printability and cell viability. A cellulose nanocrystal and alginate hydrogel showed superior printability due to its shear thinning properties. Additionally, initial cell viability was …

Numerical Analysis Of A Pv/Microchannel Integrated Co2 Direct-Expansion Heat Pump Water Heater, Mohammad Rajib Uddin Rony

Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics

A steady-state numerical model of a PV/microchannel integrated direct-expansion CO2 heat pump (PV-DXHP) water heater is developed, validated, and analyzed in the present study. To accomplish the objectives, a numerical model of a microchannel evaporator integrated into a CO2 PV DXHP is developed and validated. The effects of evaporator operating parameters on the heat absorption and pressure drop are analyzed. Utilizing the evaporator model, the PV-DXHP model is developed, and the baseline values of the heat pump operating parameters are determined from the evaporator parametric study. The PV-DXHP demonstrates high water heating capability, while maintaining a reasonably high COP. The …

Mechanical Characterization And Constitutive Modeling Of Rate-Dependent Viscoelastic Brain Tissue Under High Rate Loadings, Mohammad Hosseini Farid

Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics

In this dissertation, theoretical, computational, and experimental methodologies are introduced to determine the rate-dependent material properties of the brain tissue. Experiments have shown that the brain tissue is significantly rate-dependent. To examine the range of strain rates at which trauma might happen, a validated finite element (FE) human head model was initially employed to examine the biomechanics and dynamic behavior of the head and brain under impact and blast loads. The strain rates to cause traumatic brain injury (TBI) were found to be in the range of 36 to 241 1/s, under these types of loadings. These findings provided a …

Experimental Investigation Of Molten Salt Torrefaction And The Development Of A Lab-Scale Torrefaction Methodology, Michael Jason Backer

Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics

A novel torrefaction methodology using molten salts as a means to reduce torrefaction temperatures was investigated. A lab-scale molten salt torrefaction methodology was developed to consistently torrify biomass; involving the development of a new torrefaction apparatus and investigation of key variables such as residence time, torrefaction temperature, salt-to-biomass ratio, and biomass particle size. Subsequently, this methodology was used to evaluate the effect of temperature and determine which component of the salt blend is the most influential on torrefaction levels. Temperatures ranging from 180 °C to 240 °C and salt blends with lithium nitrate, sodium nitrate, and potassium nitrate content ranging …

Microstructural Characteristics And Mechanical Behavior Of Anticorrosive Al-Zn Thermal Spray Coatings Deposited By Wire Arc Spraying And Cold Spraying Techniques, Amir Darabi Noferesti

Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics

Mechanical properties of thermal spray deposited coatings are highly influenced by their microstructural characteristics. The objective of this investigation is to evaluate the mechanical properties of thermally sprayed coatings consisted of aluminum and zinc based on the coating microstructure, using an image based computational scheme. Microstructural images of coating samples were subjected to image-based finite element analysis and the results were validated by experimental tests and analytical models. Comparison of the experimental data with FEA was used to explain the microstructural basis of the mechanical characteristics of Al-Zn coatings and the differences between two methods of thermal spray techniques. It …

The Fayoum, The Seila Pyramid, Fag El-Gamous And Its Nearby Cities: A Background, Kerry Muhlestein, Cannon Fairbairn, Ronald Harris

Faculty Publications

Because the excavations discussed in this volume take place in the Fayoum, and cover a time period that spans from the Old Kingdom through the Byzantine era, many readers will find it helpful to understand the history, geography, and geology of the Fayoum. Here we provide a brief outline of those subjects. This is not intended to present new information or be a definitive discussion. Rather, it is aimed at contextualizing the rest of the material presented in this volume, and thus making all of its information more accessible. The Fag el-Gamous cemetery and the Seila Pyramid are located on …

Excavations At The Seila Pyramid And Ritual Ramifications, Kerry Muhlestein

Faculty Publications

In modern times it was not apparent that the structure many travelers had seen atop the remote escarpment in Gebel El-Rus was actually a pyramid. Before its excavation it was locally known as el-Qalah, meaning “the fortress,” though it has since come to be called Harem Seila, or the Seila Pyramid. Even before excavation it could be easily seen as far away as Hawara when the air was clear. Though it stood six miles straight west of the Meidum Pyramid, there was nothing about the visible square covered in aeolian sand that would make explorers or archaeologists think it was …