Digital Commons Network^™

Electromagnetic Characteristics Of The Soil, Abdul Salam, Usman Raza

Faculty Publications

The electromagnetic characteristics of the soil are discussed in this chapter. The characteristics of porous bedrock, soil medium, and impacts of rain attenuations are also presented. The models of dielectric soil properties are studied with a rigorous focus on the constitutive parameters of subsurface soil medium. Moreover, the permittivity and wavenumber in soil are explained. In addition, the frequency-dependent dielectric properties such as dispersion in soil, absorption characteristic, and penetration depth versus frequency are reviewed. Furthermore, the effective permittivity of soil–water mixture for through-the soil-propagation mechanism is analyzed thoroughly.

Signals In The Soil: Underground Antennas, Abdul Salam, Usman Raza

Faculty Publications

Antenna is a major design component of Internet of Underground Things (IOUT) communication system. The use of antenna, in IOUT, differs from traditional communication in that it is buried in the soil. Therefore, one of the main challenges, in IOUT applications, is to establish a reliable communication. To that end, there is a need of designing an underground-specific antenna. Three major factors that can impact the performance of a buried antenna are: (1) effect of high soil permittivity changes the wavelength of EM waves, (2) variations in soil moisture with time affecting the permittivity of the soil, and (3) difference …

Soil Moisture And Permittivity Estimation, Abdul Salam, Usman Raza

Faculty Publications

The soil moisture and permittivity estimation is vital for the success of the variable rate approaches in the field of the decision agriculture. In this chapter, the development of a novel permittivity estimation and soil moisture sensing approach is presented. The empirical setup and experimental methodology for the power delay measurements used in model are introduced. Moreover, the performance analysis is explained that includes the model validation and error analysis. The transfer functions are reported as well for soil moisture and permittivity estimation. Furthermore, the potential applications of the developed approach in different disciplines are also examined.

Decision Agriculture, Abdul Salam, Usman Raza

Faculty Publications

In this chapter, the latest developments in the field of decision agriculture are discussed. The practice of management zones in digital agriculture is described for efficient and smart faming. Accordingly, the methodology for delineating management zones is presented. Modeling of decision support systems is explained along with discussion of the issues and challenges in this area. Moreover, the precision agriculture technology is also considered. Moreover, the chapter surveys the state of the decision agriculture technologies in the countries such as Bulgaria, Denmark, France, Israel, Malaysia, Pakistan, United Kingdom, Ukraine, and Sweden. Finally, different field factors such as GPS accuracy and …

Autonomous Irrigation Management In Decision Agriculture, Abdul Salam, Usman Raza

Faculty Publications

In this chapter, the important application of autonomous irrigation management in the field decision agriculture is discussed. The different types of sensor-guided irrigation systems are presented that includes center pivot systems and drip irrigation systems. Their sensing and actuator components are with detailed focus on real-time decision-making and integration to the cloud. This chapter also presents irrigation control systems which takes, as an input, soil moisture and temperature from IOUT and weather data from Internet and communicate with center pivot based irrigation systems. Moreover, the system architecture is explored where development of the nodes including sensing and actuators is presented. …

Underground Wireless Channel Bandwidth And Capacity, Abdul Salam, Usman Raza

Faculty Publications

The UG channel bandwidth and capacity are vital parameters in wireless underground communication system design. In this chapter, a comprehensive analysis of the wireless underground channel capacity is presented. The impact of soil on return loss, bandwidth, and path loss is discussed. The results of underground multi-carrier modulation capacity are also outlined. Moreover, the single user capacity and multi-carrier capacity are also introduced with an in-depth treatment of soil texture, soil moisture, and distance effects on channel capacity. Finally, the chapter is concluded with a discussion of challenges and open research issues.

Variable Rate Applications In Decision Agriculture, Abdul Salam, Usman Raza

Faculty Publications

In this chapter, the variable rate applications (VRA) are presented for the field of decision agriculture. The characteristics of VRA control systems are described along with control hardware. Different types of VRA systems are discussed (e.g., liquid VRA systems and dry VRA systems). A case study is also explored in this regard. Moreover, recent advances and future trends are also outlined. Accordingly, a sustainable variable-rate irrigation scheduling is studied where different hardware and software component of the cyber-physical system are considered. Finally, chapter is concluded with a novel sensor deployment methodology.

Predictors Of Social Distancing And Mask-Wearing Behavior: Panel Survey In Seven U.S. States, Plamen Nikolov, Andreas Pape, Ozlem Tonguc, Charlotte Williams

Economics Faculty Scholarship

This paper presents preliminary summary results from a longitudinal study of participants in seven U.S. states during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to standard socio-economic characteristics, we collect data on various economic preference parameters: time, risk, and social preferences, and risk perception biases. We pay special attention to predictors that are both important drivers of social distancing and are potentially malleable and susceptible to policy levers. We note three important findings: (1) demographic characteristics exert the largest influence on social distancing measures and mask-wearing, (2) we show that individual risk perception and cognitive biases exert a critical role in influencing …

Perceptions And Self-Efficacy Of Kindergarten Through Grade Four Teachers On Their Readiness To Provide Instruction To English Language Learner Children Of Northeastern Arkansas Rural Schools, Hollie Amelia Goodson

Student Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to obtain the perceptions of faculty about their instructional readiness and support to instruct English Language Learners (ELL). The rapid ELL enrollment in rural Arkansas public schools makes this study important. The current research was conducted to improve the quality of education for this growing population in classrooms. This quantitative study gathered data to examine teachers' perceptions toward their readiness to instruct ELL students in mainstream classrooms. A survey instrument was administered to a sample of full-time, regular classroom teachers educating students from kindergarten through fourth grade, in order to elicit their perceptions regarding …

Enhancing The Student Learning Experience Through Engagement With Community: A Transdisciplinary And Collaborative Approach To Wil, Petra Perolini, Naomi Hay

DRS Biennial Conference Series

LiveSpace is a transdisciplinary work-integrated learning (WIL) design studio unit at Griffith University. The studio has worked on a broad spectrum of community engagement projects from its inception in 2014. Design staff mentor students in a scaffolded WIL environment allowing for authentic engagement with community, industry, government and not-for-profit groups for an enhanced student learning experience. As such, collaborative approaches to live projects are examined for potential benefits to learning and teaching, student engagement, and to the wider community. This paper provides an overview of the studio, outlines the team development phase and participant involvement, highlights two highly successful community …

Multispecies Cohabitation And Future Design, Stanislav Roudavski

DRS Biennial Conference Series

How should humans live with animals and other forms of life? Could responses to this question improve the health and wellbeing of the biosphere? This paper argues that design researchers ought to engage nonhuman lifeforms as collaborators: informants and co-designers, or clients and users. Inspired by recent design challenges involving birds, bats and trees, this paper positions emancipatory multispecies cohabitation as a goal that can alleviate ongoing biodiversity losses and human-wildlife conflicts, in cities and beyond. It opens an interdisciplinary conversation by translating emerging scholarship in ethics, politics, and aesthetics to a narrative about desirable more-than-human cultures. This discussion has …

Beyond Green Infrastructure - Integrating The Ecosystem Services Framework Into Urban Planning Law And Policy, J.B. Ruhl

Journal of Comparative Urban Law and Policy

No abstract provided.

Orda Weekly Update, 2020.08.10, Office Of Research And Development Administration

ORDA Weekly Update

No abstract provided.

The Roles Of Library And Information Services In Achieving Sustainable Development Goals (Sdgs) In Uganda, Walter Omona

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The world is currently faced with various challenges which have become a major drawback in achieving sustainable development across the developing world. One way to address these challenges is to ensure that countries work towards achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which require a number of stakeholders to intervene if these challenges must be reduced for the benefit of humanity, and one such stakeholder is the library and information sector. This paper uses insights from the Development and Access to Information (DA2I) framework to thematically examine and synthesize the contribution of library and information services in achieving SDGs …

Social Power Of Jazz Festivals, Olga Bekenshtein

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Jazz festivals occur in all parts of the world, small cities and metropolises, urban and rural landscapes, stadiums, churches, streets, and abandoned factories. Being a part of the entertainment industry, they have the potential to impact social change. Jazz festivals help us reconsider notions of identity and community, and their communal experience has the potential to undermine dominant social norms. The industry of jazz festivals is based on Black music and has a history of positive and negative social outcomes. Evaluating festivals through the symbolic meaning of music provides an optic into how festivals marginalize and exploit African American cultural …

Con Confianza: Using Community-Based Participatory Research Principles To Inform Community-Academic Partnership Practices And Build Trust In Hispanic Communities, Sharon Tafolla

Master's Projects and Capstones

Hispanic communities are at disproportionate risk for chronic diseases and researchers have cited the need for further community and culturally informed studies to improve research outcomes to either make treatments and interventions more generalizable or modify them to the needs of Hispanic communities. However, many of the same linguistic and cultural barriers to health care access and utilization also impact the ability for Hispanic groups to participate in research studies. Community Academic Partnerships (CAPs) are positioned to conduct culturally and linguistically competent research in Hispanic communities. For research in Hispanic communities to be effective, CAPs must prioritize practices that build …

A Gis-Based Approach For Auditing Sustainable Development Of New Industrial Communities: The Case Of “New Borg Elarab” City, Egypt, Yasser Fouda, Deena Elkhazendar

Architecture and Planning Journal (APJ)

As till the present time most of the industrial cities in Egypt have not achieved the necessary objectives aimed for them, they need different strategic auditing plans to ensure that the city urban area is developed in a sustainable manner.

Social Reproduction In The Making: Recentering The Margins, Expanding The Directions, Zhivka Valiavicharska

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

This essay aims to broaden existing historical narratives of social reproduction by revisiting Black-feminist, postcolonial feminist, and migrant diasporic writings on social reproduction from the 1970s onwards. Centering on the historical experience of women of color, migrant communities, and women in postcolonial contexts and other parts of the world, these writings develop much-needed critiques of dominant social reproduction themes developed in the capitalist contexts in Western Europe and North America. These alternative feminist methodologies and historical accounts add important correctives to what is becoming the main corpus of social reproduction theory and its historiography today. They contain political potentials that …

Assessing Undergraduate Sustainability Knowledge At California Polytechnic State University, Elysa Briens

Master of Science in Environmental Sciences and Management Projects

Sustainability education has become an important focus of many higher education institutions (HEIs), with the inclusion of many sustainability-related learning objectives for undergraduate students. As sustainability is a new, rising discipline, an increasing number of HEIs have made efforts to assess their teaching and learning effectiveness. However, most assessments fall short in determining the relationship between sustainability curriculum and the impacts on leaning outcomes. Therefore, this study aims to assess the impact of academic setting, specifically of a structured sustainability curriculum, on undergraduate sustainability knowledge, as well as analyze the implications of perceived barriers and opportunities to implementing sustainability into …

Publicly Supported Rental Housing And Affordability For Very Low-Income Suburbanites: A Study Of Metropolitan America, Eric Varela

Public Affairs Dissertations - Archive

This dissertation is about subsidized housing and its provision in the contemporary metropolis, with particular focus on suburbs. Subsidized housing has typically been conceived as fundamentally an urban issue given its historical roots largely centered on addressing destitute slums and inner-city poverty (Stoloff, 2004). Yet today’s American metropolis is fundamentally different from that which existed one hundred, fifty, or even twenty-five years ago. Suburbs are more prominent now than ever before, both as economic centers and diverse cultural mosaics in metropolitan America (Zhang & Logan, 2017). In fact, suburbs are now home to more impoverished Americans than principal cities (Kneebone, …

Outdoor Recreation, Greenspace, And Covid-19 In Maine, Jayne Marie Foley

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

In this report we are exploring the significance of outdoor recreation and usage in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We will discuss the importance of green space and outdoor recreation as a part of sustainability and what we can do for the future to provide sustainable and safe spaces for the public. I will be looking at the response of 119 individuals from a survey collected and three interviews from stakeholders in Maine on their experiences with the outdoors during COVID-19 and comparing these results to other similar findings. We can use this information from the COVID-19 experience to better …

Community-Based Participatory Research: How Residents Of A Small Low-Income Racially Homogenous Disadvantaged Neighborhood Perceive The Effects Of Poverty Stigma, Community Disorder, & Feelings Of Unsafety On Health, Stan Korotchenko, Kim M. Anderson

Qualitative Criminology (QC)

Although research indicates that social determinants impact minority health, there remains a dearth of knowledge on how economically disadvantaged communities perceive the effects of poverty stigmatization, community disorder, and feelings of unsafety on their health status. This qualitative study used community-based participatory research methods to explore how minority residents (n=23) from an urban neighborhood of concentrated poverty perceived the impact of residential and environmental factors on their health. Thematic analysis highlighted how the combination of high crime rates and community disorder negatively affected residents’ ability to maintain a healthy lifestyle due to increased levels of stress and decreased access to …

Philanthropic Structuring: The Asian Context, Hang Wu Tang, Man Yip, Vincent Ooi

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Asian philanthropy has tremendous potential for growth. Even as the population of ultra-rich individuals in Asia continues to expand, studies indicate that Asian philanthropists have the capacity to give a lot more. The key to tapping into the massive potential for Asian giving and catalysing sustainable and impactful philanthropy in Asia, is to understand the Asian way of giving and embrace strategic institutional and industry innovation.Our paper proposes three strategic directions to expand access to philanthropy: encouraging giving beyond one’s home and religious causes; encouraging everyone to give regardless of the size of the gift; and encouraging formal giving.Strong support …

Assessing Undergraduate Sustainability Knowledge At California Polytechnic State University, Elysa C. M. Briens

Master's Theses

Sustainability education has become an important focus of many higher education institutions (HEIs), with the inclusion of many sustainability-related learning objectives for undergraduate students. As sustainability is a new, rising discipline, an increasing number of HEIs have made efforts to assess their teaching and learning effectiveness. However, most assessments fall short in determining the relationship between sustainability curriculum and the impacts on leaning outcomes. Therefore, this study aims to assess the impact of academic setting, specifically of a structured sustainability curriculum, on undergraduate sustainability knowledge, as well as analyze the implications of perceived barriers and opportunities to implementing sustainability into …

Phoenix: A Cubesat Mission To Study The Impact Of Urban Heat Islands Within The U.S., Sarah Rogers, Jaime Sanchez De La Vega, Yegor Zenkov, Craig Knoblauch, Devon Bautista, Trevor Bautista, Ryan Fagan, Cody Roberson, Stephen Flores, Raymond Barakat, Vivek Chacko, Johnathan Gamaunt, Antonio Acuna, Judd D. Bowman, Daniel C. Jacobs

Small Satellite Conference

Phoenix is a student-led CubeSat mission, developed at Arizona State University (ASU), to study the effects of Urban Heat Islands in several U.S. cities through infrared remote sensing and educate students on space mission design. The spacecraft is designed using commercial off-the-shelf components (COTS) and several custom support boards developed by the student team. As such, the student team was responsible for the design, test, and validation of the spacecraft to demonstrate the capability of using COTS hardware to conduct high-fidelity science. This paper details the mission’s concept of operations, as well as the spacecraft and ground system design that …

Collective Sensemaking Around Covid-19: Experiences, Concerns, And Agendas For Our Rapidly Changing Organizational Lives, Keri Stephens, Jody L.S. Jahn, Stephanie Fox, Piyawan Charoensap-Kelly, Rahul Mitra, Jeannette Sutton, Eric D. Waters, Bo Xie, Rebecca J. Meisenbach

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

Uncertainty is at the forefront of many crises, disasters, and emergencies, and the COVID-19 pandemic is no different in this regard. In this forum, we, as a group of organizational communication scholars currently living in North America, engage in sensemaking and sensegiving around this pandemic to help process and share some of the academic uncertainties and opportunities relevant to organizational scholars. We begin by reflexively making sense of our own experiences with adjusting to new ways of working during the onset of the pandemic, including uncomfortable realizations around privilege, positionality, race, and ethnicity. We then discuss key concerns about how …

Enhanced Model Of Collaboration And Social Capital: Hampton Roads All Hazards Advisory Committee: A Replication Study, Adale M. Martin

School of Public Service Theses & Dissertations

To address the call for improving the understanding of collaboration in public policy, this dissertation is designed to validate a study by Morris, Gibson, Leavitt, and Jones (2013), entitled, The Case for Grassroots Collaboration: Social Capital and Ecosystem Restoration at the Local Level. The Enhanced Model of Collaboration (EMC), which was developed to explore collaboration and social capital deriving from grassroots efforts, will be applied to examine agency-based regional collaboration in southeastern Virginia.

The population for this study is the members of the Hampton Roads All Hazards Advisory Committee (AHAC). Members include representatives of local, state, and federal government agencies, …

Cross-Border Development: A Long-Term Role For Universities, Robert Brian Smith, Nucharee Nuchkoom Smith

ASEAN Journal of Community Engagement

Low-income economies are experiencing potential serious threats in terms of long-term sustainability and social development. At the same time, most developing economies are grappling with possible disruptions from the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the current COVID-19 pandemic and its economic consequences. However, every economy has the same goal of elevating its status to that of a developed country. This research uses the narrative/case study approach to examine cross-border development and the role that universities can play as important actors in the development of society. Moreover, this research combines observations and literature analysis. Universities are clearly best placed to play an …

Too Much ‘Stuff’ And The Wrong Space: A Conceptual Framework Of Material Possessions, Elena Marco, Katie Williams, Sonya Oliveira

Interiority

Space for living in new build houses in the UK is at premium and households have more stuff than ever before. The way this stuff is accommodated in dwellings can significantly affect residents’ quality of life and well-being. This paper presents a new conceptualisation of material possessions that could be of use to those involved in housing design. Three universal characteristics of material possessions; value, temporality and visibility are used to identify the space in the home that possessions might require. A conceptual framework that integrates these characteristics with spatial information about the interior of the home is developed. The …

Increasing Access To Play: Establishing A Switch-Adapted Toy Library At Christ Presbyterian Church, Megan Moody

OTD Capstone Projects

The focus of this project was to advocate for the occupational potential of children with disabilities and promote increased access to play. This was completed through the establishment of a community-based lending library of switch-adapted toys, as well as through the creation of corresponding educational materials detailing play-based strategies for promoting development.