Digital Commons Network^™

Digital Resurrection Of Historical Figures: A Case Study On Mary Sibley Through Customized Chatgpt, James Hutson, Paul Huffman, Jeremiah Ratican

Faculty Scholarship

This study investigates the emerging realm of digital resurrection, focusing on Mary Sibley (1800–1878), the esteemed founder of Lindenwood University. The core objective was to demonstrate the capability of advanced artificial intelligence, specifically a customized version of ChatGPT, in revitalizing historical figures for educational and engagement purposes. By integrating comprehensive diaries from Sibley with Claude 2.0, the research utilized a substantial autobiographical dataset to develop a GPT beta version that replicates her distinct voice and tone. The incorporation of her official portrait and diaries into the GPT Builder was pivotal, creating an interactive platform that accurately reflects her perspectives on …

Metabolomic Profiling Reveals Altered Phenylalanine Metabolism In Parkinson’S Disease In An Egyptian Cohort, Nourhan Shebl, Shaimaa El-Jaafary, Ayman A. Saeed, Passent Elkafrawy, Amr El-Sayed, Samir Shamma, Rasha Elnemr, Jaidaa Mekky, Lobna A. Mohamed, Omar Kittaneh, Hassan El-Fawal, Mie Rizig, Mohamed Salama

Faculty Journal Articles

Introduction: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the most common motor neurodegenerative disease worldwide. Given the complexity of PD etiology and the different metabolic derangements correlated to the disease, metabolomics profiling of patients is a helpful tool to identify patho-mechanistic pathways for the disease development. Dopamine metabolism has been the target of several previous studies, of which some have reported lower phenylalanine and tyrosine levels in PD patients compared to controls. Methods: In this study, we have collected plasma from 27 PD patients, 18 reference controls, and 8 high-risk controls to perform a metabolomic study using liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization–tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS). …

The Ordinariness Of Ethics And The Extraordinariness Of Revolution: Ethical Selves And The Egyptian January Revolution At Home And School, Ramy Aly

Faculty Journal Articles

In this article I present experiences of Egyptians too young to have taken part in the street protests and movement of the 2011 revolution. Today in their early twenties, they narrate their experiences during the early months of the uprising. None claimed to be revolutionaries then or now, but the revolution seems to animate them in complex and long-lasting ways. The January revolution failed to bring about change at the level of state power. Yet more is at stake than the political endgame. I turn my attention to how people narrate the revolution as a process of ethical reflection and …

Acausal Modeling And Validation Of Platform Hydrodynamics Of A Floating Offshore Wind Turbine, Doyal Kumar Sarker

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

This thesis presents the development of a platform hydrodynamics module for floating offshore wind turbines (FOWT) within the Control-oriented, Reconfigurable, and Acausal Floating Turbine Simulator (CRAFTS), which is currently being developed in the Hybrid Sustainable Energy Systems Laboratory at UCF. The CRAFTS simulator is an acausal modeling and simulation environment developed utilizing the Modelica language. CRAFTS is capable of fully coupled multi-physics simulations of various types of FOWTs and facilitates Control Co-Design (CCD) of FOWTs.

This work describes an acausal approach for modeling the structure and hydrodynamics, and for verifying the control of a semi-submersible floating platform for a 15MW …

Modelling Of The Viscoelastic Relaxation Of A Stowed Telescope Starshade, Rahul Raghu

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

The Habitable Worlds Telescope Starshade is an occulting disk that orbits in tandem with a telescope that occludes and diffuses the light from stars to observe the relatively dim exoplanets in orbit around them. It achieves this in part with tailored petals that diffuse light to soften the light from the star. Due to the relative sizes of the star and the planet, NASA considers the shape stability of the Starshade's petals to be a Key Technology Gap. The Starshade is developed to be a deployable composite structure that folds on itself to fit within modern rockets. Due to the …

Characterizing The Material Response Of The Passive Myocardium, Mehlil Ahmed

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Cardiovascular diseases remain a major public health concern worldwide, with heart failure emerging as a significant contributor to morbidity and mortality. Among heart failure cases, Heart Failure with preserved Ejection Fraction (HFpEF) presents a substantial clinical challenge due to its poor understanding and diagnostic complexity. Despite its prevalence, HFpEF lacks accurate diagnostic tools, hindering effective prognosis and therapy planning. This study addresses the knowledge gap surrounding HFpEF and diastolic dysfunction by focusing on the passive myocardial response during atrial systole, a critical yet understudied aspect of cardiac function. Current clinical measures, such as left ventricular ejection fraction, have limitations in …

Understanding The Overall Health Of Midwestern Bats, Nicole Castaneda

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The overall health of an individual or population can be measured in various ways. This research investigates bat health and reports baseline values of 1) hematological measures, 2) ectoparasite and endoparasite indices, and 3) prevalence of a zoonotic bacterium Bartonella , in four bat species, including big brown bat ( Eptesicus fuscus ), eastern red bat ( Lasiurus borealis ), Indiana bat ( Myotis sodalis ), and the evening bat ( Nycticeius humeralis ) that I captured at six state-protected sites in northeastern Missouri, USA over three summers. Such baseline values are needed, for example, when comparing diseased and stressed …

Madly In Love: A Meditation On The Capacity Of Love And Madness, Sarah Jane

CGU Theses & Dissertations

"Madly in Love" contends that madness is not merely a condition to be pathologized buta 'supernatural' universal energy that transcends realms, moving through and around all bodies and leaving profound bio-physiological imprints. This dissertation introduces the concept of neo- madness, which recognizes the intricate interplay between this ethereal energy and the corporeal, reshaping our understanding of mental health. This work calls for a radical reimagining of how we witness, honor, and engage with madness by adopting a neo-mad love discourse, methodology, and pedagogy. It centers critical love, a blend of empathy, compassion, and active critical engagement, as essential to creating …

Analysis Of Research On The Effects Of Auditory Stimulation On Anxiety And Stress In Clinical And General Populations, Rebecca Lee

CMC Senior Theses

The use of auditory stimulation may be a useful method in treating clinical anxiety disorders, as well as aiding in coping with daily stress among general populations. The understanding of how certain forms of auditory stimulation can increase anxiety and stress is also critical so clinicians and the general population can approach decreasing anxiety and stress in the most effective way possible. The following paper will provide a literature review on studies published after the year 2000, analyzing the various impacts of different types of auditory stimulation, including impacts of music-therapy, music and noise at different frequencies, binaural beat stimulation, …

The Standing Of Anger: Insights From The Debate(S) On Constructed Emotion, Andrew Holzer

CMC Senior Theses

In her book, Anger and Forgiveness: Resentment, Generosity, Justice, Martha Nussbaum argues that anger is inherently flawed because it fundamentally contains the desire for payback. To support her argument, she posits specific metaphysical claims about the nature of emotions like anger. This thesis is an extended critique of her metaphysical foundation from the perspective of empirical research in the neuroscience of emotion. The first reason to dispute this picture is descriptive; this view of anger is based on an outdated version of cognitive appraisal theory, which sees emotions as triggered directly by static moments of cognitive appraisal. The second …

Guía Para Padres Y Familias, 2024-2025, Illinois State University, Dean Of Students Office, Parent And Family Services

Parent and Family Guide

Campus guide prepared by the Illinois State University Dean of Students Office's Parent and Family Services Department

The Fourth Industrial Paradigm: The Emergence Of Artificial Intelligence As A Business Tool For Startups And Technology Companies, Evan Barr

Honors Theses

Society is currently living in an era known as the Fourth Industrial Revolution (IR 4.0), which is primarily defined by technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, which provide prediction capabilities for businesses across all industries. But how are small technology companies and startup businesses navigating the influx of future possibilities of AI? This thesis examines how governments and consulting firms portray the future possibilities of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Using Sheila Jasanoff’s concept of sociotechnical imaginaries, the research explores how these imaginaries shape AI narratives through primary documents like the Biden Administration's "Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights" and McKinsey & …

Baseball: A Vehicle For Exchange Between Two Complicated Global Powers, Cole W. Tully

Honors Theses

Baseball, America’s “national pastime,” has a similarly prominent role in Japanese culture and the nation’s history. Since the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, baseball at professional, collegiate, high school, and youth levels has become increasingly prominent within each nation. As baseball became increasingly central to each nation's social and cultural identities, it also began to play a critical role in furthering the nations’ bilateral relationship.

The paper explores various periods where baseball has influenced diplomatic relations, especially “soft diplomacy” and cultural exchange between each nation’s citizens. This includes baseball’s institutionalization into Japan’s education systems during the Meiji Restoration, as …

The Effect Of The Tax Cuts And Jobs Act Of 2017 Expansion Of The Child Tax Credit On The Distribution Of Household Chores, Joseph M. Barrett

Honors Theses

This paper investigates the effect of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA) expansion of the Child Tax Credit (CTC) on time spent doing household work in married or cohabiting households with children. Using American Time Use Survey (ATUS) data from before and after the implementation of the TCJA, I conduct a difference-in-differences analysis to determine the effect of the CTC expansion on time spent on all household chores, on historically female household chores, on historically male household chores, and on childcare. Then, using an adapted version of Bargain’s (2008) collective utility model, I simulate the TCJA expansion …

The Social Implications Of Assisted Reproductive Technologies: An Analysis Of Feminist Discourse And Popular Media, Charlotte S. Buswick

Honors Theses

Assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) have been a valuable tool in allowing many people to have children who previously struggled with infertility. However, feminists have raised the question: what impact do these new reproductive technologies have on women? This thesis investigates the discourse around the social implications of ARTs from the seventies to the present day. Looking at both feminist literature and portrayals of ARTs in women’s magazines, I performed a discourse analysis to track how the perception of the social implications of ARTs has changed over time. I also use a science, technology, and society (STS) studies lens to look …

Map Or Graph? Investigating The Structure Of Spatial Representations, Ainsley K. Bonin

Honors Theses

The present study investigated the structure of spatial representations using a novel computer-based navigation task in concert with computational modeling, specifically with the Successor Representation (SR) model. In particular, we examined whether participant’s knowledge of a virtual environment fit in better with either the cognitive map or labeled graph hypothesis for spatial representation. Twenty-four participants aged 18-22 learned the positions of 25 objects within a 5x5 grid of virtual rooms through disparate routes. Participants then made relative and absolute distance judgments, generated novel shortcuts, and drew a map of the environment to test their knowledge about the spatial locations of …

Felling For Photovoltaics: Remote Sensing For The Detection Of Solar Facilities In Maine, James A. Lane

Honors Theses

Solar power is an area with increasing development in the State of Maine. Photovoltaic solar, which uses large arrays of panels constructed on facilities of several hectares, is an ideal renewable energy source for Maine, because of its low population density and small proportion of conserved lands. Since most of the state of Maine is forested, the development of photovoltaic solar will require increasing amounts of deforestation. Environmental impacts of this deforestation include loss of carbon sequestration, erosion, damage to habitat, and inhibition of other forest benefits. This study uses Landsat data and remote sensing to analyze a large portion …

Black Rhino Conservation And Ranger Wellness In Namibia, Terra Gallo

Honors Theses

Wildlife rangers play an essential role in conserving biodiversity worldwide. Until recently, little was known about ranger working conditions and welfare. In 2019 the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) released a report that summarized survey results about ranger wellness from 7,110 rangers across multiple continents. However, the WWF study had geographic gaps and did not survey rangers from southern Africa, including the Republic of Namibia. In Namibia, rangers in the Kunene region are central to the conservation of the desert-adapted black rhino. Save the Rhino Trust (SRT) is a Namibian organization that supports rhino rangers and black rhino conservation. The aim …

Impacts Of Climate Change On Vector-Borne Disease Burden In The United States: Exploring The Epidemiological Evidence, Leah V. Loetman

Honors Theses

Climate change models predict shifts in vector-borne diseases (VBDs) around the world, including in the United States. However, to my knowledge there has yet to be a comprehensive descriptive epidemiological study examining prevalence, geographic distribution, and trends for all tick- and mosquito-borne diseases in the United States. I compiled data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), which publishes yearly case numbers for 17 vector-borne diseases. However, these publications depend on a scattered framework of state regulations regarding disease reporting. I compiled data from the CDC to determine the current geographic distribution, prevalence, and trends of tick- and mosquito-borne …

Reviving Caribbean Scleractinian Corals: Medication In Ex-Situ Care, Christopher E. Cho

Honors Theses

The Caribbean basin is facing an unprecedented decline in coral reef health, with factors such as coral disease, climate change, and algal overgrowth contributing to the deterioration of these vital ecosystems. In response, land-based facilities have emerged to aid in coral conservation and restoration efforts. One aspect of these conservation efforts involves the treatment of coral ailments, which is still an emerging field within coral conservation. By medicating corals, researchers aim to combat diseases and alleviate stressors that threaten coral health. This practice holds promise for preserving genetic diversity and supporting future repopulation initiatives. This study evaluates the effectiveness of …

Modification Of Marine Snail Microhabitats By Canopy-Forming Algae, Eleanor Mcgrath

Honors Theses

Brown algae, including the canopy-forming macroalgae Fucus distichus, are declining in abundance around the world due to stressors associated with climate change. Local extinction of Fucus impacts the intertidal community through cascading effects as the ecosystem loses a dominant primary producer at the base of the food web. However, Fucus is not only a resource species; it is also an ecosystem engineer. This thesis investigates the effect of Fucus extinction on the abundance of two herbivorous marine snails, L. saxatilis and L. obtusata, with a focus on the role of Fucus as a habitat- modifier. Specifically, I explored: …

Of Mind And Men: Replications And Rejections Of Hegemonic Masculinity At Colby And Beyond, Florence O. Kane

Honors Theses

This thesis examines what is at stake in the highly-racialized, -sexualized, and -gendered systems in which male Colby students craft self-concepts and how the college culture both rejects and replicates broader social notions of masculinity. I also analyze the theoretical threads that gave way to the field of masculinity studies and how such a discipline responds to contemporary claims of a “crisis of masculinity.” I then shift my focus to conduct a discourse analysis of “Sex Ed for Guys,” a TikTok account created by a group of male Colby students that offers a direct commentary on young men’s social and …

Sustainable Frameworks & The Circular Economy Within Digital Marketing & Advertising Agency Groups, Angelique Bautista

Honors Theses

Digital marketing significantly contributes to the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of marketing and advertising agencies. Despite efforts towards corporate sustainability, discrepancies in carbon accounting and sustainability practices persist across the industry. An increasingly relevant topic for many industries is the circular economy (CE). It is concerned with creating a structured and cyclical sustainable practice and/or operation. This research paper examines the intersection of the CE and environmental sustainability initiatives in global digital marketing, analyzing sustainability efforts and ordinances up to April 2024, alongside theories from Science and Technology Studies (STS). Then, CE principles are explored more in-depth and the sociotechnological …

Accessing And Assessing Components Of Elementary And Middle School Students’ Mathematical Disposition Through Metaphors, Emily Deal, Edward Mooney, Amanda Cullen, Neet Priya Bajwa, Allison M. Kroesch, Julien Corven, Beth Macdonald

Faculty Publications – Mathematics

This study examined student-generated metaphors comparing food to math as a means of accessing and assessing components of prekindergarten through Grade 8 students’ (N = 306) mathematical disposition. Previous research provided insight into predominantly affective components of older students’ mathematical disposition (i.e. Grade 4 through college). However, we extend these findings to include nonaffective components and younger students. Our study highlights the value in conceptualizing mathematical disposition as the sum of three mental functions, namely cognitive (e.g., mental processes such as reasoning), affective (e.g., attitudes, feelings, beliefs about mathematics or oneself as a learner), and conative (e.g., effort, grit, …

Children's Nature Play: Access To The Outdoors And Interactions With Biodiversity, Allison Antink-Meyer, Anthony W. Lorsbach, Ryan A. Brown

Faculty Publications - College of Education

In the U.S. and elsewhere, the nature play and outdoor time that is important to childhood development is not accessible to many. Children’s interactions with elements of nature, including biodiversity, are important. This study explored community-based affordances, using a nature play continuum, to examine the wildness in specific space types. To investigate children’s access and uncover how they interacted with nature in specific types of outdoor spaces, two iterations of household surveys for 489 families were used in the study. Underlying associations between types of outdoor space and children’s access were found. Direct and intentional interactions with biodiversity were related …

Volume 36 — Developing Synodality: From Churches To The World, The Ecumencial Association Of Nigerian Theologians

Bulletin of Ecumenical Theology

Volume 36 of The Bulletin of Ecumenical Theology is available for purchase by contacting Dr. Peter Osuji at Duquesne University. After two years, issues are made freely available through the Duquesne Scholarship Collection.

• Editorial
• The Synthesis Report of the 2023 Synod on Synodality, James Chukwuma Okoye
• Theopolitics of Africae Munus and Theological Anthropology of Fratelli Tutti: Implications for Nigeria, Joseph Ogbonnaya
• Myth, Meaning, and Marginalization: Exploring the Smart India Mission, Socio-Economic Challenges, and the Purusha Suktam, Sebastian Madathummuriyil
• Lift Every Voice—The Influence of the African American Church: An Illustration of the Power of a Culturally Incarnated Witness, Charles Gilmer
• Religious …

The Impacts Of Anthropogenic Activity And Climate Change On The Formation Of Harmful Algal Blooms (Habs) And Its Ecological Consequence, Zhangxi Hu, Aifeng Li, Zhun Li, Margaret R. Mulholland

OES Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Intercalibration: A Cornerstone Of The Success Of The Geotraces Program, Ana Aguilar-Islas, Hélène Planquette, Maeve C. Lohan, Walter Geibert, Gregory Cutter

OES Faculty Publications

The international GEOTRACES program was developed to enhance knowledge about the distribution of trace elements and their isotopes (TEIs) in the ocean and to reduce the uncertainty about their sources, sinks, and internal cycling. Recognizing the importance of intercalibration from the outset, GEOTRACES implemented intercalibration efforts early in the program, and consensus materials were generated that included the full range of TEIs dissolved in seawater, in suspended particles, and from aerosols. The GEOTRACES section cruises include “crossover station(s)” that are occupied by two or more sections and whereby all aspects of sample collection, preservation, and processing can be compared and …

Diel Vertical Migration Rates Of The Dinoflagellate Species Margalefidinium Polykrikoides In A Lower Chesapeake Bay Tributary, S. Clayton, Jacqueline B. Chrabot, Michael Echevarria, Leah Gibala-Smith, Kathryn Mogatas, Peter Bernhardt, Margaret R. Mulholland

OES Faculty Publications

Margalefidinium polykrikoides is a mixotrophic dinoflagellate harmful algal bloom (HAB) species that blooms annually in the lower Chesapeake Bay. M. polykrikoides undertakes a diel vertical migration (DVM) which may give it a competitive advantage over purely phototrophic organisms who cannot access deeper nutrient pools and allow it to form large toxic blooms. Laboratory-based estimates of M. polykrikoides’ DVM rates suggest that it is one of the fastest known dinoflagellate swimmers and understanding this behavior is likely important for modeling and predicting M. polykrikoides blooms. However, to date, no field-derived estimates of M. polykrikoides’ DVM rates have been made in the …

Widespread Crab Burrows Enhance Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Coastal Blue Carbon Ecosystems, Kai Xiao, Yuchen Wu, Feng Pan, Yingrong Huang, Hebo Peng, Meiqing Lu, Yan Zhang, Hailong Li, Yan Zheng, Chunmiao Zheng, Yan Liu, Nengwan Chen, Leilei Xiao, Guangxuan Han, Yasong Li, Pei Xin, Ruili Li, Bochao Xu, Faming Wang, Joseph J. Tamborski, Alicia M. Wilson, Daniel M. Alongi, Isaac R. Santos

OES Faculty Publications

Fiddler crabs, as coastal ecosystem engineers, play a crucial role in enhancing biodiversity and accelerating the flow of material and energy. Here we show how widespread crab burrows modify the carbon sequestration capacity of different habitats across a large climatic gradient. The process of crab burrowing results in the reallocation of sediment organic carbon and humus. Crab burrows can increase more greenhouse gases emissions compared to the sediment matrix (CO2: by 17-30%; CH4: by 49-141%). Straightforward calculations indicate that these increased emissions could offset 35-134% of sediment carbon burial in these two ecosystems. This research highlights the complex interactions between …