Digital Commons Network^™

The Purple Martins Of Plum Island, Sue Mcgrath, Alison O’Hare

Bird Observer

No abstract provided.

Birding The Northfield Sod Farm, Mark Taylor, Hector Galbraith

Bird Observer

No abstract provided.

Forecasting Of Seasonal And Cyclical Variations Of Fish Catch From Egyptian Mediterranean Fisheries, Zainab M. Abd El–Khalek, Nabil E. Hassan, Ola M. El – Sonbaty, Shaimaa M. Haggag, Rania I. Younis, Mohamed Toubar

Blue Economy

The fishing sector of Egypt in the Mediterranean Sea is characterized by an extensive economic resources. however magnitude of catch and the productivity of its resources is low and of decreasing trend over time, expressed in Catch Per Unit Effort (CPUE).

The Time Series package used to analyze secular trend, cyclic, seasonal changes and forecasting future trends. Bio/economic models (Schaefer, 1954 & Fox, 1970) are analyzed. To estimate maximum effort (Fmax) and maximum yield (Ymax) to maintain fish stocks biological, social and economic sustainability. Primary data about catch and efforts is scarce and un-detailed in aggregated form especially gear – …

Southern Adventist University Commencement Program December 2023, Southern Adventist University

Commencement Programs

Program for Southern Adventist University Winter 2023 graduation. The commencement service took place on December 14, 2023 at 7 pm in Iles Physical Education Center.

Exploring The Microbial Diversity And Characterization Of Cellulase And Hemicellulase Genes In Goat Rumen: A Metagenomic Approach, Santosh Thapa, Suping Zhou, Joshua O’Hair, Kamal Al Nasr, Alexander Ropelewski, Hui Li

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Faculty Research

Background

Goat rumen microbial communities are perceived as one of the most potential biochemical reservoirs of multi-functional enzymes, which are applicable to enhance wide array of bioprocesses such as the hydrolysis of cellulose and hemi-cellulose into fermentable sugar for biofuel and other value-added biochemical production. Even though, the limited understanding of rumen microbial genetic diversity and the absence of effective screening culture methods have impeded the full utilization of these potential enzymes. In this study, we applied culture independent metagenomics sequencing approach to isolate, and identify microbial communities in goat rumen, meanwhile, clone and functionally characterize novel cellulase and xylanase …

Hudson, Hannah Leigh, B. 2000 (Sc 3704), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 3704. “Historical Overview of Red Boiling Springs, Tennessee,” a paper by WKU student Hannah Hudson.

Supervaluation Of Pregnant Women Is Reductive Of Women, Jennifer Parks, Timothy F. Murphy

Philosophy: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Heloise Robinson argues that by certain threshold criteria pregnant women qualify for a higher moral status by reason of their pregnancies. While her intention is to make this a status upgrade for women we worry that it may result in a status downgrade for women as a class, by presupposing and reinforcing women’s value in relation to their reproductive labor. Historically central to feminist analysis is resistance to reductive accounts of women in relation to their reproductivity. For example, Simone de Beauvoir addressed men’s transcendence and contrasted it with women’s immanence, a status distinction possible because women are mired in …

On The Benefits Of The Tryptophan Metabolite 3-Hydroxyanthranilic Acid In Caenorhabditis Elegans And Mouse Aging., Hope Dang, Raul Castro-Portuguez, Luis Espejo, Grant Backer, Samuel Freitas, Erica Spence, Jeremy Meyers, Karissa Shuck, Emily A Gardea, Leah M Chang, Jonah Balsa, Niall Thorns, Caroline Corban, Teresa Liu, Shannon Bean, Susan Sheehan, Ron Korstanje, George L Sutphin

Faculty Research 2023

Tryptophan metabolism through the kynurenine pathway influences molecular processes critical to healthy aging including immune signaling, redox homeostasis, and energy production. Aberrant kynurenine metabolism occurs during normal aging and is implicated in many age-associated pathologies including chronic inflammation, atherosclerosis, neurodegeneration, and cancer. We and others previously identified three kynurenine pathway genes-tdo-2, kynu-1, and acsd-1-for which decreasing expression extends lifespan in invertebrates. Here we report that knockdown of haao-1, a fourth gene encoding the enzyme 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid (3HAA) dioxygenase (HAAO), extends lifespan by ~30% and delays age-associated health decline in Caenorhabditis elegans. Lifespan extension is mediated by increased physiological levels of …

E-Cigarette Use And Respiratory Symptoms In Adults: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Mohammed M. Alqahtani, Faraj K. Alenezi, Mohammed A. Almeshari, Abdullah M. Alanazi, Ziyad Ben Taleb, Mohammad E Ebrahimi Kalan, Mary P. Martinasek, Rheese J. Mcnab, Rachel Culbreth, Mansour Alotaibi, Hassan Alijohani, Lynda T. Goodfellow, Taha T. Ismaeil, Saleh S. Algarni, Tareq F. Alotaibi, Mobarek K. Alqahtani, Hamoud Al-Ajel, Khalid S. Alwadeai, Nafea S. Almutairi, Eric Ford

APC Fund

Introduction:
Electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use is gaining popularity among adults. Monitoring e-cigarette-induced respiratory symptoms is crucial for both clinical and regulatory purposes. We systematically reviewed the current literature to understand the prevalence of respiratory symptoms among exclusive e-cigarette users, dual users, and former smokers.

Methods:
Databases searched included PubMed, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Embase, and Scopus. We included all English-language, empirical quantitative articles that explored the prevalence of e-cigarette-related respiratory symptoms. Random-effects models were utilized in conducting the meta-analyses. The quality of identified studies was evaluated using the NIH Study Quality Assessment Tools. This study is registered with PROSPERO(#CRD42020165973).

Results:
The …

Salamander Modeling: Bridging The Gaps In Environmental Science Accessibility, Grace Leopold

Honors Program Theses and Projects

In the realm of science education, ensuring inclusivity and accessibility for all students, especially those with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), is an imperative goal. IEPs are customized plans designed to support students with diverse learning needs, which can encompass a broad spectrum of disabilities and learning differences (Shaw, 2021). Providing learners with an IEP is an integral part of Special Education, however, there are a host of overarching challenges faced by students with IEPs in science education, especially in environmental science classes. In this thesis, the development and application of clay salamander models are evaluated for their potential to provide …

Quality Matters: Using A Peer-Review Process To Create A Cohesive Multi-Campus Library Online Instruction Program, Stephanie Jacobs, Maryellen Nash, Theresa Burress, Kaya Van Beynen

Communications in Information Literacy

Librarians within a newly combined, multi-campus research and instruction department undertook a large-scale peer review of their online instruction program and materials. This collaborative assessment project sought to unite three library departments with a cohesive vision for self-guided online library instruction while establishing consistent quality standards and building a shared sense of ownership and accomplishment. These goals were achieved through a collaborative assessment of online instructional modules that included the development of a novel rubric based on the Quality Matters Course Design Standards. This article reports on that ongoing journey, as well as the goals, challenges, and outcomes of the …

The Minutes Of The Marshall University Staff Council Meeting, December 2023, Marshall University Staff Council

Staff Council Minutes

No abstract provided.

2023 December 14 - Academic Council Agenda And Minutes, Academic Council, East Tennessee State University

Academic Council Agenda and Minutes

No abstract provided.

Winter Commencement: December 14-15, 2023, University Of North Dakota

UND Commencement Programs

UND Winter Commencement program from December 14 and 15, 2023.

In Memoriam: Prof. Dr. Rer. Nat. Jeanette Erdmann, Pashmina Wiqar Shah, Satwat Hashmi, Tobias Reinberger, Nadine Odenthal, Luis Eichelmann, Daria Kosenko, Ilyas Ahmad, Jaafar Al-Hasani, Till Joscha Demal, Zouhair Aherrahrou

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

No abstract provided.

Rhetoric Vs. Reality: A Critical Analysis Of Georgia’S Official Curriculum For United States History, Haley Dawkins

Doctor of Education in Secondary and Middle Grades Education Dissertations

As there has been an increasing focus in education on standards-based instruction and accountability through standardized assessment, it is extremely important to analyze the standards closely. This study sought to explore and understand whose voices, experiences, and perspectives are represented and prioritized in the curriculum through the analysis of state standards and additional curricular resources. Through the lens of Critical Race Theory, this qualitative content analysis was designed to examine three of the curricular resources developed by the Georgia Department of Education to investigate how the Georgia United States History curriculum addresses race, racism, and representations of communities and individuals …

Conquer And Prevail Issue 153 December 14 2023, Wofford College. Office Of Marketing And Communications

Conquer and Prevail Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Re-Thinking Education For Sustainable Development: Key Learning Insights From The Sdsn Usa Transformative Education Summit 2023, Radhika Iyengar, Sumie Song, Deepak Sridhar, Wendy M. Purcell, Ann Nielsen, Iveta Silova, Matthew A. Witenstein, Wen-Wen Tung

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

This paper summarizes key learning insights from the 2023 U.S. Summit on Transformative Education organized by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network USA. Over 400 members from higher education institutions, non-governmental organizations, think tanks, students, and teachers, joined the online event held February 23-25. The Summit created a bridge between social justice issues with an historical lens and sustainable development. Learning insights include those shared by session speakers, dialogue among participants during thematic conversations and regional networking forums, comments made by attendees on session Jamboards and the Zoom Chat function, and post-Summit feedback. A high-level thematic review was undertaken to cluster …

Information Literacy In English-Language Higher Education Teaching Journals: A Review, Jennifer Masunaga, Lanyi Peng, Tiffanie Ford-Baxter, Kendall Faulkner

Communications in Information Literacy

Wider visibility of information literacy (IL) outside of the library and information science (LIS) field is important to the success of IL instruction, learning, and research. The development and major updates of several information literacy documents in the past decade evidence the changing landscape of IL research, but how these changes have impacted other disciplines remains to be seen. To aid in this discussion, this article examines a wide range of higher education teaching journals to expand on Badke's (2011) work, “Why Information Literacy is Invisible.” Specifically, this study examines articles published in 30 general higher education and 32 …

Catalyst-Free Epitaxy Of Core-Shell Nanowire Arrays For Wavelength-Selective And Substrate-Free Optoelectronic Devices, Alireza Abrand

Theses

This research is dedicated to advancing catalyst-free epitaxial growth methods for indium arsenide-based nanowires (NWs) on foreign substrates, including silicon and two-dimensional (2D) materials. The findings presented here demonstrate new methods for low-cost III-V semiconductor NW synthesis, manipulation of NW optical properties, and advanced techniques for modulation of NW geometry and composition during selective-area epitaxy (SAE). The first part of this work explores the growth of InAs NWs with sub-lithographic dimensions on reusable Si (111), toward NW membrane-based optoelectronic devices such as infrared photodetectors (IR PDs). A SiO2 masking template is first patterned using i-line photolithography, yielding hexagonal arrays of …

Teachers Re-Imagining Parental Involvement: Using Parents' Funds Of Knowledge In Math Lesson Designs, Enyinnaya Onyeukwu

Doctor of Education in Secondary and Middle Grades Education Dissertations

Abstract

Students often possess unique extensive bodies of knowledge that they have acquired through social, historical, and cultural backgrounds and experiences from their homes that are valuable in the teaching and learning of mathematics. This study, “Teachers Re-Imagining Parental Involvement: Using Parents’ Funds of Knowledge in Math Lesson Designs” used a qualitative single-case research design, bounded contextually within a church congregation located in a suburban community in the southwestern United States, included six parents of middle grade students and two middle grade mathematics teachers. The study utilized questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and document analysis to gather data to explore how Black …

Culturally Relevant Pedagogy In High School Science: Assessing The Implementation In Title 1 Classrooms, Micah Ducre

Doctor of Education in Teacher Leadership Dissertations

Culturally Relevant Pedagogy is defined as, using the cultural characteristics, experiences, and perspectives of ethnically diverse students as conduits for teaching them more effectively (Horowitz et al., 2018). Building relationships with students to understand their backgrounds and experiences to implement the best teaching practices such as accessing prior knowledge and making connections is imperative in a culturally diverse school with students with various learning styles, abilities, and interests. Moreover, the state of Georgia requires teachers to implement instructional practices relevant to students’ culture and learning abilities to receive proficient scores on their yearly evaluations. However, the state must provide its …

Strategic Morphology Interventions For Vocabulary Knowledge In Reading Comprehension, Danielle Marie Sharpe

Masters Projects

Many adolescent students have been shown to fall behind gradually as they reach

secondary grade levels. This has been researched as the effect of socioeconomic factors,

lack of immersive vocabulary backgrounds, and gaps in elementary years. Extensive

research has shown the benefits of morphology instruction in secondary students in

bridging vocabulary gaps, yet many schools have yet to provide them with the support to

comprehend difficult texts across content areas. This project explores the possible benefits

of offering adolescents the extra support and resources that can leverage reading

comprehension across content areas within secondary education. Through the use of

implementing …

Tropicalization Fact Sheet, Linda Walters, Carla Perscky

CEELAB Outreach Materials

The goal of this 2-sided fact sheet is to introduce the topic of tropicalization along our coastlines to young audiences and their families. Tropicalization is defined as, "the transformation of ecosystems by tropical organisms that migrate towards the poles in response to warming minimum winter temperatures."

Feminist Ethnographic Case Study: Financial/Emotional Stressors Of Parenting Trans-Children, Kay Siebler

English Faculty Publications

When a child resists gender socialization, many parents struggle to understand the path forward. Even supportive parents trying to help a gender-nonconforming child navigate a gendered world experience stress. These stressors are extended to the family. Through their attempts to navigate support for their gender-nonconforming children, parents are often without support or assistance when faced with systems of institutional power such as education, medicine, and government. This case study examines the complexities of being a supportive parent of a trans-identified child and the emotional, physical, and financial stress on the parent/family, using a feminist ethnographic approach. This case study of …

Artificial Intelligence-Assisted Inertial Geomagnetic Passive Navigation, Andrei Cuenca

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

In recent years, the integration of machine learning techniques into navigation systems has garnered significant interest due to their potential to improve estimation accuracy and system robustness. This doctoral dissertation investigates the use of Deep Learning combined with a Rao-Blackwellized Particle Filter for enhancing geomagnetic navigation in airborne simulated missions.

A simulation framework is developed to facilitate the evaluation of the proposed navigation system. This framework includes a detailed aircraft model, a mathematical representation of the Earth's magnetic field, and the incorporation of real-world magnetic field data obtained from online databases. The setup allows an accurate assessment of the performance …

Deep-Learning Based Multiple-Model Bayesian Architecture For Spacecraft Fault Estimation, Rocio Jado Puente

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

This thesis presents recent findings regarding the performance of an intelligent architecture designed for spacecraft fault estimation. The approach incorporates a collection of systematically organized autoencoders within a Bayesian framework, enabling early detection and classification of various spacecraft faults such as reaction-wheel damage, sensor faults, and power system degradation.

To assess the effectiveness of this architecture, a range of performance metrics is employed. Through extensive numerical simulations and in-lab experimental testing utilizing a dedicated spacecraft testbed, the capabilities and accuracy of the proposed intelligent architecture are analyzed. These evaluations provide valuable insights into the architecture's ability to detect and classify …

A Review Of Slipping Rib Syndrome: Diagnostic And Treatment Updates To A Rare And Challenging Problem, Isheeta Madeka, Sneha Alaparthi, Marisa Moreta, Shawn Peterson, Jeffrey Mojica, Johanes Roedl, Olugbenga Okusanya

Department of Surgery Faculty Papers

Slipping rib syndrome (SRS) is a disorder that occurs when one or more of the eighth through tenth ribs become abnormally mobile. SRS is a poorly understood condition leading to a significant delay in diagnosis and therapeutic management. History and a physical exam are usually sufficient for a diagnosis of SRS. The utility of dynamic ultrasounds has also been studied as a useful diagnostic tool. Multiple surgical techniques for SRS have been described within the literature. Cartilage rib excision (CRE) has been the most common technique utilized. However, the literature has shown a high rate of recurrence and associated risks …

Racialized Masculinities In Professional Basketball: Utilizing Mixedness To Challenge Commonplace Black/White Media Discourses About Nba Players, Anthony C. Peavy

Communication ETDs

In this dissertation project, I utilize a Critical Mixed Race Studies (CMRS) lens to examine how mixed-race Black/White players in the National Basketball Association (NBA) are represented, discussed, racialized, and gendered by major sports media platforms. More specifically, I utilize this project to elucidate how media centered on professional basketball continue to partake in hegemonic and essentialist rhetoric surrounding Black and White masculinity—that which has been used to discuss Black and White men in basketball throughout the entire history of the sport—to homogenize mixed-race Black/White men in the NBA and present them in a way that diminishes the potentially deconstructive …

The Impact Of Mindfulness On Perceived Stress And Academic Performance Among English Language Students In Central Asia, Laurie Wolfe

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The current study investigated the effectiveness of mindfulness training in reducing stress and increasing academic performance among Uzbek English language students. The researcher partnered with four English faculty at Tashkent State Pedagogical University (TSPU) to conduct a quasi-experimental study using a convenience sample of sixty 2^nd year students studying English as a foreign language. One group of students (n = 30) received mindfulness training while the acted as an active control group (n = 30) and received study skills training. Both groups received 20-minutes training in their English classes, four days a week, for 4-weeks. All participants …