Digital Commons Network^™

D&D&U&G: Uses And Gratifications Theory And Dungeons & Dragons, Ariana Ferrante

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Given the growing popularity of the tabletop role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, or D&D, this thesis study applied the Uses and Gratifications theory to determine what players of the game get from engagement with this particular, previously overlooked form of entertainment media. Additionally, this research sought to determine whether these discovered gratifications overlapped at all with perceived similar media, specifically massive multiplayer online roleplaying games, MMORPGs, and social media. A series of in-depth, semi-structured interviews designed to elicit relevant responses were conducted with 14 respondents, followed by a thematic analysis to determine gratifications. The qualitative analysis determined a set of …

Machine Learning In Fiber Optics, Xiaowen Hu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Recent burgeoning machine learning has revolutionized our ways of looking at the world. Being extraordinarily good at pattern recognition, machine learning has been widely applied to many fields to solve challenging problems. This dissertation demonstrates the applications of machine learning on scanning-free fiber-optic imaging systems (FOISs), and on the design of anti-resonant fibers. In the first part, we propose a semi-supervised learning framework called the adaptive inverse mapping (AIP) to stabilize the imaging performance through multimode fibers (MMFs). We show that if the state of the MMF is traced closely, the output images can be used as probes to correct …

Elementary Pre-Service Teacher Educators' Digital Writing Knowledge And Practices: A Qualitative Case Study, Kaira Kelly-Howard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Because preservice teachers will be tasked with the responsibility of preparing their future students for effective communication and engagement in our global society, the experiences and practices related to digital writing that preservice teachers engage in before they begin their practice as full-time educators is critical to their professional development. This qualitative case study investigated two research questions, "How do teacher educators describe their technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge of digital writing?" and "How is teacher educators' knowledge of digital writing practices evident in their teaching?" This study took place at a large university in the Southeastern United States. Documents, …

Improving The Performance And Durability Of Metal Contacts In Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells Using Advanced Characterization, Nafis Iqbal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Solar energy is one of the fastest growing forms of energy generation due to its low cost, lack of emissions, minimal maintenance, and excellent durability. However, like any other technology, it is also not free from defects and degradation, which limit its performance in the real world. Most of the degradation is related to metal contacts, which also happens to be one of the most expensive items in manufacturing, comprising almost half of the cost of converting a silicon wafer into a photovoltaic (PV) cell. Therefore, studying contact degradation to make them reliable and free of defects is the key …

Ground Penetrating Radar And Public Archaeology At Eastonville Memorial Gardens Cemetery, Richard Ott

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

This thesis explores the intersection of geophysical prospection methods such as ground penetrating radar (GPR) and public archaeology through a case study with the descendant community of Eatonville Memorial Gardens, an African American cemetery located in Central Florida. This moves beyond traditional uses of GPR, such as focusing on locating unmarked burials by engaging the descendant community in each stage of the research project. This expanded focus is advocated for because cemeteries serve as ancestral landscapes providing such communities with a sense of place and history. The maintenance and care of such places often reflect the same social conditions affecting …

Examining The Lived Experiences Of Mothers' And Maternal Grandmothers' Co-Caregiving For An Elementary-Aged Child With Asd: A Phenomenological Study, Chelsea Pierce

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often require additional support, compared to their neurotypical peers. Caregivers of individuals with ASD frequently report mental health impacts including high stress, as well as the need for familial support. While literature exists around grandparents raising children with ASD, the researcher was unable to identify studies regarding the complex care relationship between mothers and maternal grandmothers as co-caregivers for an elementary-aged child with ASD. Therefore, the researcher conducted a phenomenological study to contribute to the literature on the experiences of mothers and maternal grandmothers as co-caregivers for an elementary-aged child with ASD. The researcher …

Automation, Take The Wheel: An Examination Of Factors Influencing Trust In Automated Driver Assist Technologies, James Ferraro

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Driving technology has progressed significantly since the introduction of anti-lock braking and cruise control decades ago. Current driver assist features can alert drivers of oncoming vehicles and even take control to keep the vehicle centered within its lane. The level of trust that people place in automation can impact how they monitor and accept these automated systems. Previous research has shown several performance outcomes associated with improper calibrations of trust in automation. However, there is still a need to examine trust in the context of advanced driving technologies. Research has yet to sufficiently investigate factors influencing trust in assistive driving …

2d Animation Of The 21st Century: The Digital Age, James Chambless

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

My thesis project, entitled The Curse Breaker, is a personal and career venture studying the medium of 2D animation while battling my struggle with cigarette addiction. I researched and applied symbolism and narrative strategies while building an impactful hero narrative. Joseph Campbell's The Hero with a Thousand Faces provided insight into the monomyth and hero archetypes. Character and environment designs implemented symbolism as a driving focus of my thesis and fueled the semantic interpretation needed to successfully communicate my struggle with the audience in a non-verbal fashion. The language of cinematography aided in the effectiveness of my thesis film. The …

Acute Coronary Syndrome Prediction: A Data-Driven Machine Learning Modeling Approach In Emergency Care, Joshua Oluwatobiloba Emakhu

Wayne State University Dissertations

Healthcare facilities are faced with significant challenges all year round, with patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with different health issues. Of these challenges, heart disease seems to be an outlier. With heart disease being the primary cause of mortality and morbidity in both developed and developing countries, clinical concerns for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) are one of emergency medicine’s most common patient encounters. Of the three sub-categories of ACS, non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) has a long-term impact on the well-being of patients if left untreated. Previous efforts in hospital management have applied machine learning algorithms in differentiating …

Dancing The Storm: Neurobiological Correlates Of Trauma-Related Psychopathology In Youth Resettled As Refugees, And The Efficacy Of Creative Arts And Movement Therapies To Address Trauma-Related Psychopathology, Lana Ruvolo Grasser

Wayne State University Dissertations

Exposure to stress and trauma activates key adaptive pathways, including the sympathetic adrenomedullary system and the immune system, which can result in long-term health impacts of trauma especially when experienced during sensitive developmental periods. Alterations in these systems are measurable through non-invasive methods including skin conductance response (SCR), fear potentiated startle (FPS), and inflammation. Research regarding the impact of trauma, and more specifically posttraumatic stress disorder, has primarily focused on adults, and there is a paucity of neurobiological research in displaced populations—like refugees—who may experience higher rates of trauma exposure and related psychopathology. The present study measured SCR to a …

Reforming The Solid Waste Management System: The Case Of Rural Areas In Egypt /إصلاح نظام إدارة النفايات الصلبة: حالة المناطق الريفية في مصر, Ahmed El Masry, Fatema El Ghonemy, Ibrahim Abugazia, Raghda El Khater

Papers, Posters, and Presentations

The policy paper tackles the issue of managing solid waste in rural areas in Egypt. It mainly targets the reform of the solid waste management system. The authors deal with rural areas specifically due to their importance and significance. In this context, the policy paper research demonstrated that the current solid waste management system in the governorates studied has a number of flaws and limitations. These issues show the inadequate solid waste management technical performance at the governorate level in terms of institutional, technical, financial, economic, and environmental factors, due to the lack of or ineffective solid waste management departments …

Outside Literary Studies: Black Criticism And The University, Andy Hines

Staff Scholarship

This striking contribution to Black literary studies examines the practices of Black writers in the mid-twentieth century to revise our understanding of the institutionalization of literary studies in America. Andy Hines uncovers a vibrant history of interpretive resistance to university-based New Criticism by Black writers of the American left. These include well-known figures such as Langston Hughes and Lorraine Hansberry as well as still underappreciated writers like Melvin B. Tolson and Doxey Wilkerson. In their critical practice, these and other Black writers levied their critique from “outside” venues: behind the closed doors of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, in …

Bs Biological Science, Pre-Professional 2022-23, Arkansas State University - Jonesboro

Bachelor of Science and Education

No abstract provided.

Bs Wildlife, Fisheries, And Conservation, Wildlife 2022-23, Arkansas State University - Jonesboro

Bachelor of Science and Education

No abstract provided.

Bs Biotechnology, 2022-23, Arkansas State University - Jonesboro

Bachelor of Science and Education

No abstract provided.

Bs Wildlife, Fisheries, And Conservation, Fisheries 2022-23, Arkansas State University - Jonesboro

Bachelor of Science and Education

No abstract provided.

Stomach Contents And Stable Isotope Analysis Reveal Ontogenetic Shifts And Spatial Variability In Brama Australis Diet, Sebastian A. Klarian, Eric T. Schultz, María Francisca Hernández, Juan Antonio Valdes, Francisco Fernandoy, Mónica Barros, Sergio Neira, Hugo Arancibia

EEB Articles

Many marine fisheries rely on production and energy flow in the pelagic zone, thus sustainable management of exploited pelagic fishes benefits from insight into temporal, spatial and ontogenetic variability in the trophic ecology of these species. Here we analyze stomach contents and stable isotopes to reveal spatial variability (focusing on two fishing grounds, north and south of an oceanographic barrier in the Pacific Ocean) and ontogenetic changes (contrasting immature and mature) in Southern Ray’s Bream (Brama australis) diet composition in Chilean waters. Stomach contents analysis indicated that euphausiids were predominant components of the diet in both fishing grounds and ontogenetic …

Seasonal Reproductive Allocation In Landlocked Alewife Alosa Pseudoharengus, In The Context Of Niche Construction And Eco-Evolutionary Feedbacks, Foivos Mouchlianitis, Eric T. Schultz, Kostas Ganias

EEB Articles

The bidirectional dynamics between species and their biotic and abiotic environments, known as eco-evolutionary feedbacks, may shift the direction of evolution and alter the ecological role of species. Alewife, Alosa pseudoharengus, is an exemplary species to study reciprocal feedbacks between ecology and evolution, owing to repeated independent derivations of a landlocked life history from an ancestral anadromous form. In this study we analysed the reproductive allocation during the spawning season in a landlocked Alewife population in the context of eco-evolutionary feedbacks. We also compared our findings with previous results from a neighbouring anadromous population of the species. Similarities were found …

When A Statute Comes With A User Manual: Reconciling Textualism And Uniform Acts, Gregory A. Elinson, Robert H. Sitkoff

College of Law Faculty Publications

This Article develops an interpretive theory for statutes that originate as Uniform Acts promulgated by the Uniform Law Commission. Although overlooked in the literature on statutory interpretation, state-enacted Uniform Acts are ubiquitous. They shape our life cycles—governing marriage, parentage, divorce, and death—and structure trillions of dollars in daily commercial transactions.

Largely focusing on textualism, today’s dominant form of statutory interpretation, we analyze the interpretive consequences of two unusual features of state-enacted Uniform Acts. First, the text of every Uniform Act directs courts to interpret it to “promote uniformity.” Second, each provision is accompanied by an official explanatory comment, analogous to …

Factory Farming Who Benefits? How A Ruinous System Is Kept Afloat?, Peter Stevenson, Jacky Turner, Wendy Smith

General – Farm Animal Issues

Factory farming – industrial livestock production – is a key driver of multiple harms. Its crowded, stressful conditions can lead to the emergence, spread and amplification of pathogens, including zoonoses. It heightens the risk of further pandemics. It is dependent on the routine use of antimicrobials. Its huge demand for cereals and soy as animal feed leads to soil degradation, overuse and pollution of water, air pollution, biodiversity loss and deforestation. It places several of the UN Sustainable Development Goals out of reach and contributes to making it difficult to meeting the Paris Climate Agreement targets. How did we get …

2022-2023 Factbook, Tennessee. General Assembly

Factbook

This Fact Book provides an overview of the state's budget for the fiscal year.

Table Of Contents

Georgia State University Law Review

No abstract provided.

Ubiquitylation Of Unphosphorylated C-Myc By Novel E3 Ubiquitin Ligase Scffbxl8, Sagar Bajpai

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

Overexpression of c-myc via increased transcription or decreased protein degradation is common to many cancer etiologies. C-myc protein degradation is mediated by ubiquitin-dependent degradation and this ubiquitylation is regulated by several E3 ligases. The primary regulator is Fbxw7 which binds to a phospho-degron within c-myc. Here, we identify a new E3 ligase for c-myc, Fbxl8 (F-box and Leucine Rich Repeat Protein 8), as an adaptor component of the SCF (Skp1-Cullin1-F-box protein) ubiquitin ligase complex, for selective c-myc degradation. SCFFbxl8 binds and ubiquitylates c-myc, independent of phosphorylation revealing that it regulates a pool of c-myc distinct from SCFFbxw7. Reduction of Fbxl8 …

Protecting Children In The Age Of End-To-End Encryption, Laura Draper

Joint PIJIP/TLS Research Paper Series

No abstract provided.

Pulse 007

Pulse Magazine Archive

No abstract provided.

A Refugee Resource Guide 2022, Kerri Ullucci

Education Faculty Publications

Rhode Island has long hosted refugees from around the world. Schools in RI, particularly those in Providence, currently enroll hundreds of refugee youth. After spending a semester conducting research and teaching in a school that serves refugee youth, it became clear that explicit teacher training about this population rarely occurs. This guide seeks to provide resources in which to address this need.

At Roger Williams University, I teach courses in our Education programs about race, class, and culture. My professional research centers on the same topics. While on sabbatical, I created several documents for the principal I worked with, to …

The Havoc Death Wreaks: Civil Rights Challenges To Capital Punishment, Bailey D. Barnes

Faculty Publications

Following a per curium opinion that banned the imposition of capital punishment because it violated the Eighth Amendment, as made applicable to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment, United States Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall offered a unique criticism of capital punishment. Justice Marshall, an iconic civil rights litigator prior to his confirmation to the Court, stated, "[T]he death penalty wreaks havoc with our entire criminal justice system." Similarly, sometime in the late 1950s, Associate Justice Robert H. Jackson reportedly said that capital punishment "completely bitches up the criminal law." In essence, both Justices were asserting that the death penalty …

Solving The Procedural Puzzles Of The Texas Heartbeat Act And Its Imitators: The Limits And Opportunities For Offensive Litigation, Charles W. "Rocky" Rhodes, Howard M. Wasserman

Faculty Publications

Texas' Fetal Heartbeat Act, enacted in 2021 as Senate Bill 8, prohibits abortions following detection of a fetal heartbeat, a constitutionally invalid ban under current Supreme Court precedent. But the method of enforcement in the Texas law is unique—it prohibits enforcement by government officials in favor of private civil actions brought by “any person,” regardless of injury. Texas sought to burden reproductive-health providers and rights advocates with costly litigation and potentially crippling liability.

In a series of articles, we explore how SB8's exclusive reliance on private enforcement creates procedural and jurisdictional hurdles to challenging the law's constitutional validity and obtaining …

Temperature Management During Cytoreductive Surgery With Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy, Maria F. Ramirez, Juan Jose Guerra-Londono, Pascal Owusu-Agyemang, Keith Fournier, Carlos E. Guerra-Londono

Anesthesiology Articles

In addition to attaining complete or near complete cytoreduction, the instillation of select heated chemotherapeutic agents into the abdominal cavity has offered a chance for cure or longer survival inpatients with peritoneal surface malignancies. While the heating of chemotherapeutic agents enhances cytotoxicity, the resulting systemic hyperthermia has been associated with an increased risk of severe hyperthermia and its associated complications. Factors that have been associated with an increased risk of severe hyperthermia include intraoperative blood transfusions and longer perfusion duration. However, the development of severe hyperthermia still remains largely unpredictable. Thus, at several institutions, cooling protocols are employed during cytoreductive …

Solving The Procedural Puzzles Of Texas’ Fetal-Heartbeat Law And Its Imitators: The Potential For Defensive Litigation, Charles W. "Rocky" Rhodes, Howard M. Wasserman

Faculty Publications

Texas' Fetal Heartbeat Act, enacted in 2021 as Senate Bill 8, prohibits abortions following detection of a fetal heartbeat, a constitutionally invalid ban under current Supreme Court precedent. But the method of enforcement in the Texas law is unique—it prohibits enforcement by government officials in favor of private civil actions brought by “any person,” regardless of injury. Texas sought to burden reproductive-health providers and rights advocates with costly litigation and potentially crippling liability.

In a series of articles, we explore how SB8's exclusive reliance on private enforcement creates procedural and jurisdictional hurdles to challenging the law's constitutional validity and obtaining …