Digital Commons Network^™

A Gis And Economic Analysis Into Solar Electricity Generation Siting Within The Greater Kalamazoo Area, Devon Kelly

Honors Theses

The recently passed Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) contains a significant number of incentives, both grants and loans, for state and local governments to institute clean energy-related projects. As such, and to aid in the development of decision-making support tools for solar investments in the City of Kalamazoo, this research contains a ground-mounted solar project suitability map with an additional development siting potential map for the municipal government of Kalamazoo. The main purpose of this study is to evaluate the feasibility and specific parcel-by-parcel siting potential of land for the construction of solar projects in the Kalamazoo Area. In doing so, …

April 20, 2023, Caa

Minutes

No abstract provided.

Racial And Ethnic Disparities In Alcohol-Attributed Deaths In The United States, 1999–2020, Ibraheem M. Karaye, Nasim Maleki, Ismaeel Yunusa Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

The disparities in alcohol-attributed death rates among different racial and ethnic groups in the United States (US) have received limited research attention. Our study aimed to examine the burden and trends in alcohol-attributed mortality rates in the US by race and ethnicity from 1999 to 2020. We used national mortality data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (CDC WONDER) database and employed the ICD-10 coding system to identify alcohol-related deaths. Disparity rate ratios were calculated using the Taylor series, and Joinpoint regression was used to analyze temporal trends and calculate annual and …

Examining Youth Bicycle Programming Through The Empowerment- Based Youth Development Model, Thomas Clanton, Charles Chancellor, Harrison Pinckney, Venera Balidemaj

Journal of Youth Development

This study evaluates Momentum Bicycle Clubs (MBC) through the empowerment-based positive youth development framework (EMPYD). Data were collected through eight cross-sectional focus groups of MBC youth participants (ages 10-17). Sessions included three topics: the MBC program, the mentors, and the bicycle, all of which elucidated elements of an EMPYD program for analysis. The data were analyzed utilizing an interpretative phenomenological approach. The results of the focus groups revealed how MBC empowers its youth participants. MBC displayed characteristics of the EMPYD model by providing youth with opportunities to develop mastery and moral identity in addition to the 5Cs of positive youth …

A Cross-National Investigation Of Human Trafficking Exploitation, Aniyah D. Richardson

Honors College Theses

Human trafficking is a prevalent business, generating up to an estimated annual profit of $150 billion dollars globally (International Labour Organization [ILO], 2014). Although human trafficking is a global phenomenon, an element that has not received considerable empirical attention has been nuances between trafficking that occurs within a singular country (i.e., domestic trafficking) and that which occurs between multiple countries (i.e., international trafficking). The current study utilized cross-national data from the Counter Trafficking Data Collaborative’s (CTDC) Global Synthetic Dataset (GSD) to compare demographic profiles of victims trafficked domestically and internationally. Incorporating measures of gender, age, country of citizenship, country of …

Dynamic And Thermodynamic Influences On Precipitation In Northeast Mexico On Orbital To Millennial Timescales, Kevin T. Wright, Kathleen R. Johnson, Gabriela Serrato Marks, David Mcgee, Tripti Bhattacharya, Gregory R. Goldsmith, Clay R. Tabor, Jean-Louis Lacaille-Muzquiz, Gianna Lum, Laura Beramendi-Orosco

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

The timing and mechanisms of past hydroclimate change in northeast Mexico are poorly constrained, limiting our ability to evaluate climate model performance. To address this, we present a multiproxy speleothem record of past hydroclimate variability spanning 62.5 to 5.1 ka from Tamaulipas, Mexico. Here we show a strong influence of Atlantic and Pacific sea surface temperatures on orbital and millennial scale precipitation changes in the region. Multiple proxies show no clear response to insolation forcing, but strong evidence for dry conditions during Heinrich Stadials. While these trends are consistent with other records from across Mesoamerica and the Caribbean, the relative …

Wildfire And Degradation Accelerate Northern Peatland Carbon Release, S. L. Wilkinson, R. Andersen, P. A. Moore, S. J. Davidson, G. Granath, J. M. Waddington

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

The northern peatland carbon sink plays a vital role in climate regulation; however, the future of the carbon sink is uncertain, in part, due to the changing interactions of peatlands and wildfire. Here, we use empirical datasets from natural, degraded and restored peatlands in non-permafrost boreal and temperate regions to model net ecosystem exchange and methane fluxes, integrating peatland degradation status, wildfire combustion and post-fire dynamics. We find that wildfire processes reduced carbon uptake in pristine peatlands by 35% and further enhanced emissions from degraded peatlands by 10%. The current small net sink is vulnerable to the interactions of peatland …

Professor Text: University Fundraising Optimization, Braden Anderson, Connor Dobbs, Hien Lam, John Santerre

SMU Data Science Review

University fundraising campaigns are a unique type of cause-related marketing with its own challenges and opportunities. Campaigns like this typically last an extended period, such as five or more years, and goals exist beyond the dollar amount raised. These supplemental goals, such as awareness among potential future donators or brand reputation within the local community, are important to consider and strategize. There can also be unique limitations, such as requiring advertising specifically on recent large gifts or endowment programs. This research explores how machine learning techniques such as natural language processing can be used to optimize a fundraising campaign strategy, …

Backmatter (Volume 1, Issue 1), Grayson Carter

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

No abstract provided.

Review Essay: Lewis Agonistes: How C. S. Lewis Can Train Us To Wrestle With The Modern And Postmodern World, William Gentrup

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

A lengthy review of Lewis Agonistes: How C. S. Lewis Can Train Us to Wrestle with the Modern and Postmodern World. By Louis Markos. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2003.

ISBN 0-8054-2778-3. Pp. xv + 174. $19.99 [paper].

Full Issue

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Upcoming Events

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

The free exhibit featuring Dead Sea Scroll replicas and artifacts continues to tour the Midwest until 30 August 2000. For the latest information about specific times and locations regarding the following schedule, contact an area stake center or visit the FARMS Web site (from the Free Services or the Member Services page, go to "Dead Sea Scrolls," found under "Links of Interest," and then to "Dead Sea Scrolls Traveling Exhibit").

Travel Across The "Narrow Neck Of Land", Matthew Roper

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

In recent years a number of Book of Mormon scholars have associated the "narrow neck of land" mentioned by Mormon with the Mexican Isthmus of Tehuantepec. Mormon states that it was approximately "a day and a half's journey for a Nephite, on the line Bountiful and the land Desolation, from the east to the west sea" (Alma 22:32). This was the speed "for a Nephite," and presumably a group of people or even a non-Nephite might take longer. Moreover, since Mormon was speaking of a fortified line of defense along which communication would be desirable, the phrase "for a Nephite" …

Cpart Digitizes Archives In Lebanon And Vatican

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

In April 1999 INSIGHTS reported on negotiations between representatives of the Center for the Preservation of Ancient Religious Texts (CPART) at Brigham Young University and officials in Beirut, Lebanon, and at the Vatican Apostolic Library in Rome about digitally imaging ancient Syriac manuscripts for inclusion in CD-ROM databases. Since then agreements have been forged and work is under way.

Whiteness And An Immigrant’S Attainment Of The “American Dream”: Chinese And Polish Immigrants In The United States, Ethan Brown

Legacy

No abstract provided.

No. 08: Young People’S Mobilities, Farming Aspirations And Engagements In Northern Ghana, Siera Vercillo, Bruce Frayne

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

Development policies targeting young people and African agriculture tend to focus on their abandonment of the sector and the need to attract new generations to agricultural activities through its commercialization. This paper points to potential gaps in such interventions by investigating the diverse mobilities, aspirations, and engagements of young people in farming, through a qualitative case study in rural northern Ghana. Our study also challenges the prevalent assumption of African farmers’ movements from rural to rural areas, from rural to urban areas, and out of farming altogether, as we found evidence of young people migrating from urban to rural areas. …

Sound, Stories, And Psychology: The Perceptions And Motivations Of Audiobook Consumption, Ellice K. Tan

Theses and Dissertations

The demand for audiobooks is higher than ever--and increasing each year, surpassing the growth rate of electronic books, print books, and the US economy overall. Audiobooks have long been used to aid adolescent and struggling readers; however, recent studies have revealed that the majority of audiences consume audiobooks for the purpose of entertainment and relaxation. Despite this, much of the research available on audiobooks still applies to audiobooks as they are used in education. The purpose of this study was to understand the attitudes, opinions, and beliefs of people who love listening to audiobooks. The study was conducted using Q …

Spring 2023 Student Showcase For Research & Creative Inquiry Program, Office Of Student Research

Spring Showcase for Research and Creative Inquiry

No abstract provided.

Offsets And The Path To Carbon Neutrality In Higher Education And Study Abroad, Paul Sylvester, Michael A. Di Giovine, Bradley Flamm

Sustainability Research & Practice Seminar Presentations

Professors Paul Sylvester, Early & Middle Grades Education, and Michael Di Giovine, Anthropology, in conversation with Bradley Flamm - Offsets and the Path to Carbon Neutrality in Higher Education and Study Abroad

Water Table Height And Microtopography In Swamps Of Southeastern Michigan As Influences Of Black Ash Tree Establishment And Survival In The Presence Of Emerald Ash Borer, Samantha Chauvin

Honors College Theses

The detrimental impact of invasive species on native biota is a source for many studies spanning all kinds of biological systems. The introduction of emerald ash borer in southeastern Michigan in the early 2000's has decimated the region’s mature black ash tree population, but its regeneration, both asexual (sprouts) and sexual (seedlings) still occurs. The arrangement and features of the wetlands’ land surfaces may play a role in black ash establishment. Black ash is generally found on wet-mesic to wet soils, but rising water table levels due to climate change and overstory tree mortality in on these sites may inundate …

Eco-Anxiety And Heteronormativity In Dystopian Novels, Léa M. Briere

Foreign Languages & Literatures ETDs

For marginalized communities, such as women and queer individuals, survival in their environment has always been a matter of adapting to social norms and expectations. However, the challenges have become even more complex in the face of climate change and environmental catastrophes, which often affect these communities disproportionately. While modern dystopian stories often evoke eco-anxiety by portraying societies at the mercy of their environment, Michelle Tea and Wendy Delorme have found an opportunity to break free from societal norms and heteronormative expectations in the speculative worlds they create in Black Wave (2015) and Viendra le temps du feu (2021), respectively. …

Documentation Status And Youth’S Critical Consciousness Across Borders, Sarah Gallo, Melissa Adams Corral

Teaching and Learning Faculty Publications

Centering the testimonios of two sets of transborder high school seniors living and learning in Mexico and the U.S., in this article, we draw upon decolonizing approaches to theorize critical consciousness formation for and with students from families with mixed documentation status who cross physical and metaphorical borders. Data come from two larger qualitative studies on immigration and education and demonstrate how young people recognize inequity, critique it, and engage in a range of actions to counteract it. We argue that border-crossing youth draw upon personal experiences to critique and take action to change oppressive realities. We extend critical consciousness …

United States Census Bureau Statistical Quality Standards

Copyright, Fair Use, Scholarly Communication, etc.

United States Census Bureau Statistical Quality Standards (April 19, 2023), the leading source of quality data about the nation's people and economy.

Effectiveness Of Instructional Design And Technology In A Non-Traditional Parental Program, Sonja Howell

Liberty University Research Week

Graduate

Applied

Characteristics Of Public School Principals: Analysis Of The National Teacher And Principal Survey, Jessica True, Misty Wilburn

Graduate Research Conference

Gender and racial diversity in the principalship, or the lack thereof, has been a topic for research for several years. While the concerns about general disparity are widely discussed, it is equally important to consider where underrepresented groups are typically hired, such as urban schools with high-poverty levels. Discrepancies in hiring have implications for promotion into superintendent and other educational leadership positions, as well as for overall financial compensation, where minority groups such as females and races other than White are forced to take lower-level jobs or jobs at the same level for less pay than their White male counterparts. …

Side Effects Of The Covid-19 Vaccination Among Liberty University Students, Yuhan Yan

Liberty University Research Week

Graduate

Applied

The Food Distribution Program On Indian Reservations: Past, Present, And Future, Samantha Doss

Arkansas Law Review

In 2018, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) proposed replacing much of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) with “America’s Harvest Box,” a program that would directly distribute a package of non-perishable food items to low-income families. The proposal was met with intense controversy. Many hunger advocates, grocery retailers, and former government officials spurned the idea, citing logistics challenges, nutrition concerns, and stigmatization associated with a direct distribution system. However, a few Indigenous advocates were quick to point out that a direct commodity distribution system has been in place in the United States for generations, often overlooked due to …

Rescaling City Property, Amnon Lehavi

Arkansas Law Review

This Article seeks to identify the growing tension between the contemporary physical and digital reality of cities across the world and the formal, often archaic, body of norms that governs city powers and duties vis-à-vis different types of persons and corporations: locals, non-local residents of the same nation-state, and foreigners. The nation-state’s continuing dominance, both in the domestic division of power across various legal systems and in the international arena, often results in a systemic mismatch.

Introduction To Theme 4: Scientific Essentials And Sustainable Environments, Alison R. Holmes

csuglobaljournal

No abstract provided.

Economic Globalization And Local Transformations In California, Xiaoye She

csuglobaljournal

No abstract provided.