Digital Commons Network^™

Evaluating The Foundation Year – 'Foundation Sets You Up As A Student More Than Anything!', Louise Webber

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences

University entry requirements and programme structure can act as a barrier to many mature students wishing to embark on a university degree. A degree with a foundation year enables widening participation and access students, including mature students, an opportunity to enter universityand develop confidence and skills. This paper explores the experiences of five mature students on the Early Childhood Studies and Education foundation year programme at the University of Plymouth through a longitudinal, qualitative study. This evaluation focuses on the benefits of this foundation year programme and areas of challenge. Benefits of a foundation year include confidence building, identity change …

Exploring Attitudes Toward “Sugar Relationships” Across 87 Countries: A Global Perspective On Exchanges Of Resources For Sex And Companionship, Norbert Meskó, Marta Kowal, András Láng, Ferenc Kocsor, Szabolcs A. Bandi, Adam Putz, Piotr Sorokowski, David A. Frederick, Felipe E. García, Leonardo A. Aguilar, Anna Studzinska, Chee Seng Tan, Biljana Gjoneska, Taciano L. Milfont, Bulut M Topcu, Dmitry Grigoryev, Toivo Aavik, Mahmoud Boussena, Alan D.A. Mattiassi, Reza Afhami, Rizwana Amin, Roberto Baiocco, Hamdaoui Brahim, Ali R. Can, Joao Carneiro, Hakan Çetinkaya, Dimitri Chubinidze, Eliane Deschrijver, Yahya Don, Dmitrii Dubrov, Izzet Duyar, Marija Jovic, Julia A. Kamburidis, Farah Khan, Hareesol Khun-Inkeeree, Maida Koso-Drljevic, David Lacko, Karlijn Massar, Mara Morelli, Jean C. Natividade, Ellen K. Nyhus, Ju Hee Park, Farid Pazhoohi, Ekaterine Pirtskhalava, Koen Ponnet, Pavol Prokop, Dušana Šakan, Singha Tulyakul, Austin H. Wang, Sibele D. Aquino, Derya D. Atamtürk, Nana Burduli, Antonio Chirumbolo, Seda Dural, Edgardo Etchezahar, Moharrampour N Ghahraman, Balazs Aczel, Luca Kozma, Samuel Lins, Efisio Manunta, Tiago Marot, Moises Mebarak, Kirill G. Miroshnik, Katarina Misetic, Marietta Papadatou-Pastou, Bence Bakos, Fatima Zahra Sahli, Sangeeta Singh, Çağlar Solak, Tatiana Volkodav, Anna Wlodarczyk, Grace Akello, Marios Argyrides, Ogeday Çoker, Katarzyna Galasinska, Yepes T Gómez, Aleksander Kobylarek, Miguel Landa-Blanco, Marlon Mayorga, Barış Özener, Ma Criselda T. Pacquing, Marc Eric S. Reyes, Ayşegül Şahin, William Tamayo-Agudelo, Gulmira Topanova, N/A Toplu-Demir

School of Psychology

The current study investigates attitudes toward one form of sex for resources: the so-called sugar relationships, which often involve exchanges of resources for sex and/or companionship. The present study examined associations among attitudes toward sugar relationships and relevant variables (e.g., sex, sociosexuality, gender inequality, parasitic exposure) in 69,924 participants across 87 countries. Two self-report measures of Acceptance of Sugar Relationships (ASR) developed for younger companion providers (ASR-YWMS) and older resource providers (ASR-OMWS) were translated into 37 languages. We tested cross-sex and cross-linguistic construct equivalence, cross-cultural invariance in sex differences, and the importance of the hypothetical predictors of ASR. Both measures …

Size-Dependent Behavior And Challenges In Ag/Al2o3/Au Memristors: An Investigation Into Miniaturization Effect, Catherine Huang

Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science Independent Study

This study investigates the performance of Ag/Al₂O₃/Au memristors, focusing on devices with dimensions ranging from 400nm to 1um. It was observed that smaller devices (400nm and 600nm) consistently display Ohmic behavior, lacking a high-resistance state. This is attributed to increased current density and potential structural imperfections during fabrication. In contrast, larger devices (800nm and 1um) exhibit volatile threshold switching (VTS) and a notable delay in transitioning from high to low resistance states. The study suggests that this delay is due to the instability of conductive filaments in smaller volumes. Additionally, these larger memristors show short retention …

The Inevitability Of Sin, Kevin Timpe

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

Part of the traditional Christian doctrine of sin is the claim that, due to the effects of original sin, acts of sin are inevitable. Of course, our reflection on sinful actions is shaped by how we think about human freedom and divine providence more broadly. Some have argued that libertarians have a difficult time accounting for the inevitability of sin. This paper uses David Lewis’s work on counterfactuals and possible worlds to give an account of how the inevitability of sin can be understood. It then shows how both theological determinism and Molinism can give an account of sin’s inevitability …

Law Professor Calls For U.S. To Invest In 'New Space Race', Clara Turnage

University of Mississippi News

OXFORD, Miss. – University of Mississippi law professor Michelle Hanlon spoke before the House Committee on Natural Resources last week to make the case for more consideration and investment in space mining.

A New Addition To The Trademark Litigator's Tool Kit: A Neuroscientific Index Of Mark Similarity, Mark Bartholomew, Zhihao Zhang, Ming Hsu, Andrew S. Kayser, Femke Van Horen

Journal Articles

With trademark law always striving to keep abreast of new developments in science and technology, the authors of this article propose an innovative, neuroscience-based approach to answering the time-honored question of whether likelihood of consumer confusion exists in a particular dispute.

The Ninth Amendment: The "Hard Problem" Of U.S. Constitutional Law, Jorge M. Farinacci Fernós

Journal Articles

Like with the mythical lamp that can grant any three wishes, federal courts in the United States have buried the Ninth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution deep within the sands of American law in order to avoid coming to terms with its potential regarding the protection of unenumerated constitutional rights. Courts have been able to do so, in part, because of the seemingly impossible task of extracting from the text and history of the Ninth Amendment sufficient elements needed to identify which unenumerated rights may be subject to judicial enforcement.

This impossibility is an illusion and is contrary to the …

Your Mission, Should You Choose To Attempt It, Is To Save The Mona Lisa! Gamification As A Method For Teaching Art, Caleb Ovard

Theses and Dissertations

To increase student engagement in their classroom, the author created an art curriculum using gamification methods that incorporates elements of tabletop role-playing games. The Role-playing Art Curriculum is a key element of this thesis. Possible research approaches involving game-based learning and gamification were examined to point toward future research and reflection regarding games and game-like content into an art curriculum. Action research methods were used to create and run the Role-playing Art Curriculum. The author concludes that the gamified curriculum took extra preparation and required more management to run then other traditional art curriculums.

Evaluation Of Electrical Grid Resilience Based On Φλεπ Metrics And Integration Of A Nuclear Power Plant, Abdulla Darwish Alblooshi

Theses

This study analyzes electrical grid resilience, the evaluation methods, and resilience metrics, as well as the impact of a nuclear power plant as a base-load supplier on the resilience of an electrical grid during extreme events such as high-speed winds or hurricanes. The case study was implemented on a 10-generator 39-bus system (New England) using PowerWorld, and the data extraction and plotting were performed using MATLAB. The wind speeds, fragility curves, and time-to-restore function were randomly created based on previous models, and their values were extracted from MATLAB calculation using randomly generated but uniformly distributed wind speeds. The resilience metrics …

A Mega-Study Of Stereotypes And Attitudes Toward Nationality Groups In The United States, Ayse Selin Toprakkiran

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

The culture and demographics of the United States have been greatly influenced by numerous immigrant nationality groups, which continue to play a vital role in society. To understand how nationality groups are perceived in the United States, we asked residents to report stereotypes and attitudes toward 28 nationality groups and 6 racial/ethnic groups (N = 7,050). Our findings showed various patterns across 15 stereotypes, grouped under warmth, status, Americanness, and political orientation dimensions. Warmth-related stereotypes and attitudes varied widely across groups and did not follow a discernible pattern. Status-related stereotypes of Asian Americans and East Asian nationality groups were consistently …

Characterizing The Relationship Between Accented Speech Intelligibility And Listening Effort, Mel Mallard

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Unfamiliar accents can make speech communication difficult, both by reducing speech intelligibility and by increasing the effort listeners must put forth to understand speech. However, these two constructs, while related, are independent: for example, two 100% intelligible utterances may require different amounts of effort to accurately process. To better characterize the relationship between intelligibility and effort, this study presents speakers of four intelligibility levels (one natively-accented English speaker, and three Mandarin-accented English speakers) within a dual-task paradigm (featuring a vibrotactile secondary task) to measure listening effort. We found a negative nonlinear relationship between intelligibility and effort, with the steepest slope …

Consistent Across Situations? A Person Specific Approach To Examining A Long-Standing Paradox., Muchen Xi

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Bem and Allen (1974) address the person situation debate by proposing that there are some people behave more consistently, which can be better “explained” try personality traits, than others who are more influenced by situations. However, with failures to directly replicate Bem and Allen’s study, the existence of individual difference in cross situation consistency of behaviors remaining unclear. The current study addressed open questions that arose from the personality consistency debate by employing Mixed Effect Location Scale Model (MELSM) in an intensive longitudinal study. We found 1) there are individual difference in the overall behavioral consistency across situations; 2) there …

Yen Hsang Chang V. Westside 309 Llc

All Decisions

No abstract provided.

Mcpeek V. Dny2 153 Norfolk St. Llc

All Decisions

No abstract provided.

Ormonde Equities Llc V. Jacoby

All Decisions

No abstract provided.

Study On The Combined Effect Of Municipal Solid Waste Incineration Bottom Ash Andwaste Shingle In Hot Mix Asphalt, Kyungwon Park, Behnam Golestani, Boo Hyun Nam, Juan Hou, Jongwan Eun

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

This study investigated the positive effect of the combined use of recycled asphalt shingles (RASs) and municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) bottom ash (B.A.) in asphalt concrete, which contributes to enhanced sustainability in pavement engineering. In addition, unlike traditional approaches that employ individual recycling material in hot mix asphalt (HMA), the combined use of the two waste materials maximizes the mechanical performance of the asphalt mixture. The addition of RAS (with 30–40% aged binder) as an additive generally enhances the strength/stiffness of the asphalt mixture. The high porosity/absorption of MSWI BA results in an additional amount of liquid asphalt binder …

Estimating And Detecting Slow-Wave Events In Eeg Signals, Zhenghao Xiong

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Slow wave activity (SWA) is an electroencephalogram (EEG) pattern commonly occurring during anesthesia and deep sleep, and is hence a candidate biomarker to quantify such states and understand their connection to various phenotypes. SWA consists of individual slow waves (ISW), high-amplitude deflections lasting for approximately 0.5 to 1 second, and occurring quasi-periodically. This latter fact poses a challenge for conventional power spectral density EEG analysis methods that perform best when there is persistency of oscillatory activity. In this work, we pursue a time-domain detection framework for identifying and quantifying ISWs as a metric for SWA. Our method works, in essence, …

Harm Reduction In Undergraduate And Graduate Medical Education: A Systematic Scoping Review, Kelsey R. Smith, Nina K. Shah, Abby L. Adamczyk, Lara C. Weinstein, Erin L. Kelly

Department of Family & Community Medicine Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Substance use increasingly contributes to early morbidity and mortality, which necessitates greater preparation of the healthcare workforce to mitigate its harm. The purpose of this systematic scoping review is to: 1) review published curricula on harm reduction for substance use implemented by undergraduate (UME) and graduate medical education (GME) in the United States and Canada, 2) develop a framework to describe a comprehensive approach to harm reduction medical education, and 3) propose additional content topics for future consideration.

METHODS: PubMed, Scopus, ERIC: Education Resources Information Center (Ovid), and MedEdPORTAL were searched. Studies included any English language curricula about harm …

Missing The Point- The Disappointed Hope Of Self- Publishing Authors, Simone Schroff

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences

Trade book publishing is characterised by authors with weaker bargaining power than the commercial intermediaries, including publishers and distributors. One key solution representing the empowerment of authors is self-publishing works, thereby cutting out the gatekeeper. However, self-publication has failed to improve the position of authors: their incomes continue to fall across the sector. Using social network analysis as well as industry practices, this article examines UK trade book publishing dynamics. It argues that the reason for the self-publication route’s ‘underperformance’ is structural, explained by a realistic view of the publishing sector and the relationships it entails. The self- publishing author …

Standardised Tool For The Assessment Of Bruxism, Daniele Manfredini, Jari Ahlberg, Ghizlane Aarab, Steven Bender, Alessandro Bracci, Peter A. Cistulli, Paulo Cesar Conti, Reny De Leeuw, Justin Durham, Alona Emodi-Perlman, Dominik Ettlin, Luigi M. Gallo, Birgitta Häggman-Henrikson, Christer Hublin, Takafumi Kato, Gary Klasser, Michail Koutris, Gilles J. Lavigne, Daniel Paesani, Ingrid Peroz, Peter Svensson, Peter Wetselaar, Frank Lobbezoo

School of Dentistry Faculty Publications

OBJECTIVE: This paper aims to present and describe the Standardised Tool for the Assessment of Bruxism (STAB), an instrument that was developed to provide a multidimensional evaluation of bruxism status, comorbid conditions, aetiology and consequences. METHODS: The rationale for creating the tool and the road map that led to the selection of items included in the STAB has been discussed in previous publications. RESULTS: The tool consists of two axes, specifically dedicated to the evaluation of bruxism status and consequences (Axis A) and of bruxism risk and etiological factors and comorbid conditions (Axis B). The tool includes 14 domains, accounting …

The Relationship Of Mental Health With Learning Achievement In Adolescent, Muhammad Zulfikri Mukarom, Weslei Daeli

Cities and Urban Development Journal

Background: Mental health is not yet considered important in some countries. The most common mental health disorder in teenagers is depression. This research aims to determine whether there is a relationship between mental health and academic achievement in adolescents. When mental disorders occur, there will be problems with attention and concentration, health problems, difficulty understanding the material and motivation to learn will also decrease, affecting grades or achievement at school.

Aims: This research aims to determine whether there is a relationship between mental health and academic achievement in adolescents.

Methods: The mental health measuring tool uses SRQ-29 (Self reporting Questionnaire …

Dwelling Quality Assessment During Covid-19 Pandemic Self Isolation In East Jakarta, Aisyah Arimurti Afandi

Cities and Urban Development Journal

Background: The government encouraged public health protection with self isolation policy as an effort to control Covid-19 on a wide scale and prevent an increase in occupation rate on health service facilities in order to quickly and effectively handling confirmed cases of Covid-19. Dwelling quality is a significant factor to ensure that self isolation can be carried out effectively since it is stated in public health theory that one of the factors that influences

a person's health status is dwelling quality.

Aims: This research aims to assess dwelling quality where self-isolation being carried out during Covid-19 in East Jakarta. …

Analysis Of Online Zumba Post Covid-19 Pandemic: Case Study Of A Fitness Center In Kemang, South Jakarta, Redidzia Hernandi, Aisyah Arimurti Afandi, Asfarinal ., Garrin Alif Nandhito

Cities and Urban Development Journal

Background: This research discusses the analysis of zumba in the network (online or online) during the Covid-19 pandemic and after the Covid-19 pandemic with the perspective of socio-cultural change.

Aims: The aim of this research is to analyze the implementation of online Zumba and its sustainability after the pandemic.

Methods: The research method used in this research is literature study and interviews which are then analyzed within the framework of the interactional dimension of socio-cultural change theory. The interactional dimension of socio-cultural change theory is defined as a symptom of changing social structures and cultural patterns in a society. The …

Collaborative Strategy In Utilizing Restaurant Leftover Food For Vulnerable Communities In Depok City, Idris Hadi Sikumbang

Cities and Urban Development Journal

Background: The largest waste component every year is waste originating from the wasteful culture and lifestyle of some city residents which has an impact on the generation of waste originating from waste/leftover food.

Aims: This research aims to determine the city community's strategy for utilizing leftover food suitable for consumption produced by restaurants to be used to fulfill food needs for vulnerable communities in Depok City.

Methods: This research was conducted using a mixed research method, explanation design method. The quantitative method consists of distributing questionnaires and observing secondary data, while the qualitative method consists of field observations …

Social Competencies Of Productive Age Inclusion In The Work Industry In Dki Jakarta, Dyah Nawang Ratnasari

Cities and Urban Development Journal

Background: Competencies of people with inclusion or disabilities of productive age in urban areas who have the opportunity to work in the work industry in the Special Capital Region (DKI) Jakarta.

Aims: Seeing the relationship between the role of the world of work and their acceptance of inclusion or employment opportunities for inclusive children of productive age in Jakarta.

Methods: This research was conducted using a qualitative approach using in-depth interview techniques with a single instrumental case study, employers and families of people with inclusion. Data was obtained from interviews with key and supporting informants, namely family and employers. In …

Metagenomic Analysis Unveils The Microbial Landscape Of Pancreatic Tumors, Sheema Khan, Goutam Banerjee, Saini Setua, Daleniece Jones, Bhavin Chauhan, Anupam Dhasmana, Pratik Banerjee, Murali M. Yallapu, Stephen Behrman, Subhash C. Chuahan

School of Medicine Publications

The composition of resident microbes in the human body is linked to various diseases and their treatment outcomes. Although studies have identified pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC)-associated bacterial communities in the oral and gut samples, herein, we hypothesize that the prevalence of microbiota in pancreatic tumor tissues is different as compared with their matched adjacent, histologically normal appearing tissues, and these microbial molecular signatures can be highly useful for PDAC diagnosis/prognosis. In this study, we performed comparative profiling of bacterial populations in pancreatic tumors and their respective adjacent normal tissues using 16S rRNA-based metagenomics analysis. This study revealed a higher abundance …

Importance Of Sanitation For Stored-Product Pest Management, Georgina Bingham, David W. Hagstrum

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Sanitation is essential for the cost-effective pest management of stored-product insects. The Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act of 1938 led to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) tightening regulatory standards, and many local surveys, courses and conferences were organized to prepare the industry for these new regulations. Sanitation removes insects and residual food, which may also provide shelter for insects, with heat treatments and insecticide applications. The number of insects removed by cleaning may be reduced as the number of available hiding places increases. Decreased sanitation negatively affects the efficacy of most other pest management practices, with means of 1.3- …

Deep Learning Models To Predict Finishing Pig Weight Using Point Clouds, Shiva Paudel, Rafael Vieira De Sousa, Sudhendu Raj Sharma, Tami M. Brown-Bandl

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

The selection of animals to be marketed is largely completed by their visual assessment, solely relying on the skill level of the animal caretaker. Real-time monitoring of the weight of farm animals would provide important information for not only marketing, but also for the assessment of health and well-being issues. The objective of this study was to develop and evaluate a method based on 3D Convolutional Neural Network to predict weight from point clouds. Intel Real Sense D435 stereo depth camera placed at 2.7 m height was used to capture the 3D videos of a single finishing pig freely walking …

Deep Learning Models To Predict Finishing Pig Weight Using Point Clouds, Shiva Paudel, Rafael Vieira De Sousa, Sudhendu Raj Sharma, Tami M. Brown-Bandl

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

The selection of animals to be marketed is largely completed by their visual assessment, solely relying on the skill level of the animal caretaker. Real-time monitoring of the weight of farm animals would provide important information for not only marketing, but also for the assessment of health and well-being issues. The objective of this study was to develop and evaluate a method based on 3D Convolutional Neural Network to predict weight from point clouds. Intel Real Sense D435 stereo depth camera placed at 2.7 m height was used to capture the 3D videos of a single finishing pig freely walking …

Crop Dna Extraction With Lab-Made Magnetic Nanoparticles, Haichuan Wang, Xueqi Zhao, Li Tan, Junwei Zhu, David Hyten

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Molecular breeding methods, such as marker-assisted selection and genomic selection, require high-throughput and cost-effective methods for isolating genomic DNA from plants, specifically from crop tissue or seed with high polysaccharides, lipids, and proteins. A quick and inexpensive high-throughput method for isolating genomic DNA from seed and leaf tissue from multiple crops was tested with a DNA isolation method that combines CTAB extraction buffer and lab-made SA-coated magnetic nanoparticles. This method is capable of isolating quality genomic DNA from leaf tissue and seeds in less than 2 hours with fewer steps than a standard CTAB extraction method. The yield of the …