Digital Commons Network^™

Political Representation, Democracy, And The Electoral College: An Applied Theoretical Analysis, Jordan A. Marsh

Honors Theses

Though a key institution in the United States presidential election, the Electoral College has often been overlooked for close theoretical analysis and even less frequently dissected for a deeper understanding of its consistency with theories of representative democracy. As such, this presentation summarizes a study of the Electoral College through a theoretical perspective to ultimately investigate the degree to which it is democratically representative. The first section of this thesis analyzes the Electoral College through both a historical and a modern contextual lens. The second section explores various theories of representation, highlighting the works of Pitkin, Rehfeld, and Manin. The …

Risky Business: A Review Essay On The Law & Economics Of Selection In Insurance Markets, Peter Siegelman

Connecticut Insurance Law Journal

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Government Data Open Platform Construction On Promoting The Development Of Digital Government: An Econometric Analysis Based On Psm Model, Taitian Mao, Tang Gan, Jinliang Chen

Journal of Scientific Information Research

[Purpose/significance]Open government data is the direction of the digital development of government, and exploring the impact of the Open Government Data Platform （OGDP） on the development of digital government is of guiding significance in advancing the goal of modernizing the national governance system and governance capacity. [Method/process]Based on the establishment or not of OGDP, this paper uses the propensity score matching method to investigate the causal relationship between OGDP construction and digital government development by using the cross-sectional data of 101 prefecture-level cities across China in 2019 as the research sample for empirical analysis. [Result/conclusion]Overcoming sample selection bias and eliminating …

Sentiment Analysis Of Online Healthy Community Based On Semantic Enhancement, Pu Han, Ye Dongyu

Journal of Scientific Information Research

[Purpose/significance]In order to make full use of the value of text dependent syntactic information and prior emotion knowledge in emotion analysis， a semantic enhanced online healthy community emotion analysis model was proposed. [Method/process]Firstly， feature vectors for pre-processed online health community data are generated by Word2Vec and BERT; then local and global information of online review text are extracted using TextCNN and BiLSTM respectively based on dual-channel idea; then sentiment knowledge and dependency grammar information are merged in graph attention networks for semantic enhancement; finally， dual-channel features are fused and perform online health community sentiment classification in fully connected layer. [Result/conclusion]The …

Research On The Construction Of Knowledge Graph Of Intangible Cultural Heritage From The Perspective Of Aigc, Yucheng Chen, Li Yang, Jiangfeng Liu, Fan Yang

Journal of Scientific Information Research

[Purpose/significance]Intangible cultural heritage is an important component of human civilization, which is of great significance for protecting and promoting national spirit, enhancing national identity and cohesion. [Method/process]This paper explores how to utilize the advantages of  AIGC, combined with traditional deep learning methods, then construct a comprehensive and efficient map of intangible cultural heritage knowledge. [Result/conclusion]In the classification study of intangible cultural heritage projects, the fine-tuned Baihuan-7B has the best effect, with an macro-F1 value of 0.7688. In the extraction of intangible cultural heritage attribute information, RoBERTa has the best effect, with an F1 value of 0.7085. The …

Spatial Pattern Analysis Of Agricultural Drought In The Jatiluhur Reservoir’S Irrigation Area Using Normalized Drought Index (Nddi) Modis Satellite Image, Ahmad Zubair, N C. Sakina, N Khairunnisa, Ayyasy Siddiq, Andry Rustanto, Faris Zulkarnain, Muhammad Dimyati

Jurnal Geografi Lingkungan Tropik (Journal of Geography of Tropical Environments)

Agricultural drought occurs in various irrigation areas in Indonesia, one of which is the Jatiluhur Reservoir’s irrigation area. Agricultural drought in this area occurs due to several factors, including the natural phenomenon of climate anomalies which causes the length of the dry season, and also due to less optimal irrigation networks, damaged networks and other obstacles. But, not all agricultural land in the irrigated area experiences drought. Agricultural land affected by drought is important to know its spatial and temporal distribution to determine priority locations in drought disaster management, especially on agricultural land. Therefore, this study aims to examine the …

The Way Of Madness, Sacha Lamont

Postgraduate

This study explores the cognitive process of creating a design for a single Tarot card, concentrating on the relationship between the visual (non-verbal, spatial) and verbal (linear) elements involved in the process. The research uncovered that linear and non-linear (visual) cognitive strategies are employed in synergy during the conception and creation of the artwork. The most notable result of the research is that immediate, pre-reflective and non-verbal experiencing has undeniable primacy over verbal, conceptual thinking. Verbalising thoughts is interchangeable with analytical, critical, symbolic, and linear cognitive strategy (“rational”). However, the context, interrelationships, and, ultimately, meaning are provided by integrating the …

Delving Into The Star Curriculum And How It Enhances Or Detracts From A Federal Level Iii Setting, Erika Hennen

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The primary research question of this capstone project is: How can teachers effectively implement the Strategies for Teaching based on Autism Research (STAR) program in a Federal Level III setting classroom? The STAR curriculum was developed based on research done by Joel Arick. Research has demonstrated the effectiveness of the STAR curriculum through seventeen evidence-based practices that are embedded into the curriculum. The professional development for this project focuses on utilizing the STAR curriculum as a road map to guide the instruction occurring in a Federal Level III setting classroom. Participants are provided with four professional developments along with a …

Math Educators, Positive Student Mindsets, And Math Centers, Riki Baker

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

It is a math educator’s job to help each student develop academic, emotional, behavioral, and social skills in a supportive and rigorous instructional environment. Reinforcing a growth mindset is the pinnacle of successful teaching and learning. However, there are always experiences that deter students from feeling like they can become successful in an area or multiple areas. Instructional time can become feared and mindsets can become fixed. It could even potentially become a lifelong source of trauma. Math is perhaps one of the most notorious content areas that induce feelings of fear, failure, and perpetual condemnation. Teaching strategies play an …

The Connection Between Depth And Complexity And Culturally Relevant Teaching, Aisling Schlosser

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This paper is the documentation of an educational coach’s journey to find the most effective small group instructional practices for teaching phonemic awareness and phonics to kindergarten and first grade students. The need to share this research led to the development of four professional development sessions for effective instruction of phonemic awareness and phonics instruction specifically created for teachers of kindergarten and first grade students. The Capstone project began by answering the question, How do kindergarten-first grade teachers use best practices in phonemic awareness and phonics to develop effective small group reading instruction that will increase students reading proficiency? The …

Parks And Education, Carson Law

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Parks and education have a substantial correlation. People of all ages, from young to old, learn from their surroundings by spending time in parks. Public parks can play a significant role in a child's education, simultaneously offering a place for learning and free play. Outdoor education is crucial to a child's development, from mental and physical health to social skills and developmental benefits. Outdoor education has two branches: adventure and environmental education. Understanding these branches will help us explore how these experiences must be accessible. The experiences of outdoor, adventure, and environmental education should be accessible to the masses. Race, …

The History Of The Philosophy Of Science And Its Impacts On Modern Science Education, Rebecca Steele

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This capstone project explores the question of the philosophical ideas that have given rise to modern conventions of teaching and learning science, and what alternatives exist to these methods. By exploring the philosophies that underpin our modern methods of science teaching and learning, and how have they come to dominate the space of scientific thought, the author has created a website resource for teachers to use for professional development, to learn about the philosophical history of science, in order to fully understand the reasons why science operates within specifically empirical and mechanistic paradigms. The project includes an interactive historical timeline …

Social-Emotional Learning Skills Embedded Within Math And Reading During The Primary Years, Cassandra Sutherland

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The research question asked in this capstone project was: How can social-emotional learning skills be taught within academic lessons to promote academic progress in primary years? Just like it is necessary to teach reading and math concepts; students need to be explicitly taught social-emotional learning skills. Students should feel a sense of belonging, feel successful and treat others with respect. All of these skills should lead to encountering academic success. This capstone project explores research about the importance of teaching social skills during primary years. The project portion of this capstone is a supplemental curricular resource that includes math and …

The Impact Of Teacher-Led Read Alouds On Middle School Students’ Reading Comprehension And Literacy Skills, Lauren Moberg

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This capstone curriculum project seeks to answer the question: How will middle school students' literacy and reading comprehension be impacted when using the intervention of read alouds? Current research shows that the instructional practice of read alouds encourages students’ reading comprehension, literacy skills, and fosters a love of reading. Based on the resources found in the current literature, this unit was designed as a novel study of Gris Grimly’s Frankenstein that regularly applies read alouds into the curriculum. These lessons provide students with opportunities to apply their learning and includes assessments for teachers to measure comprehension. This unit could be …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Heavy-Metal Oxoanion- And Phosphonate-Binding Nanojars, Pooja Singh

Dissertations

Nanojars are an emerging class of anion-binding and extraction agents. These supramolecular coordination complexes (2 nm wide) exhibit exceptional anion binding strength that points to their possible application in the recovery of toxic or valuable anions from water bodies. Nanojars of the formula (TBA)2[XO3/42−⸦{CuII(μ-OH)(μ-pyrazolate)}n] (TBA = tetrabutylammonium cation; XO3/42− = anion; X = Se, Te, Cr, Mo, W, HP, HAs, HV; n = 26 – 36) are synthesized from Cu2+, OH−, pyrazole and the TBA salts of various anions. Nanojars possess hydrophobic exteriors with an array of pyrazolate ligands and hydrophilic interiors with a …

04.01.2024 Orsp Connect, Liz Williamson

ORED Newsletter

NSF Conference, Jennifer Baumbaugh, Sustainable Food Packaging research, Export Control Policy Update

Videntis: A Design-Based Methodology For Secondary Educators, Ashlen Jackson

MFA Theses Exhibitions Final Papers

View the Digital Exhibition of Videntis

Videntis explores the application of graphic design process and visual outcomes to secondary education curricula in Alabama. Videntis was influenced by the following methodologies currently used in education: Design-Based Learning (DBL), Problem-Based Learning (PBL), Engineering Design Process (EDP), Project-Based Learning (PBL), and Design Thinking (DT). The paper provides the definitions of these methodologies and the benefits of these methods in the classroom. In the formation of my methodology, seven high school educators were interviewed to obtain their perspectives on the framework of Videntis. The results identified factors that would best help them teach content …

Digital Frontiers In Aesthetics: Applying Dewey's Insights To Generative Ai, Malcolm F. Lathrop-Allen

Student Publications

The last few years have seen the emergence of ‘artificially intelligent’ systems en masse, which perform tasks which had previously only been possible by human intelligence. Arguably, the impact of ‘AI 2.0’ has been felt most prominently in the art world — artists have panicked as DALL-E, Midjourney, and other image generation algorithms manufacture pieces which previously required weeks of painstaking labor to create. This project seeks to develop a more critical framework for this novel mode of artistic creation and propose better ways of thinking about, using, and “becoming with” artificial intelligence in the domain of artistry. The first …

Marie Curie: The Quantum Matriarch, Diptiman Das

Student Publications

Entitled “Marie Curie: The Quantum Matriarch,” this paper illuminates the extraordinary life and enduring legacy of Marie Curie, whose groundbreaking work in radioactivity revolutionized the scientific landscape. Born as Maria Skłodowska in the heart of Warsaw, Curie’s odyssey from Poland’s clandestine Flying University to the hallowed halls of Paris’ Sorbonne epitomizes her tenacious quest for enlightenment amidst the shackles of societal norms. In collaboration with her spouse, Pierre Curie, she discovered the elements polonium and radium, thereby introducing the concept of “radioactivity” to the world and securing Nobel accolades in both Physics and Chemistry. This paper ventures into her intimate …

Quantum Realities: A Comparative Analysis Of Interpretations Addressing The Measurement Problem In Quantum Mechanics, Adib Kabir

Student Publications

This paper examines the measurement problem in quantum mechanics and evaluates three major interpretations: the Copenhagen interpretation, the Many-Worlds Interpretation (MWI), and the Pilot-Wave theory. The Copenhagen interpretation posits that particles exist in superposition until measured, at which point their wave functions collapse. MWI suggests that all possible outcomes occur in separate, non-interacting branches of the universe, eliminating wave function collapse but introducing an infinite number of unobservable universes. The Pilot-Wave theory reintroduces determinism through hidden variables, guiding particles along definite paths. The paper concludes that the Copenhagen interpretation is the most plausible, balancing empirical adequacy, ontological clarity, and simplicity.

The Effects Of Phenological Shifts On The Reproductive Success Of Common Terns (Sterna Hirundo) And Arctic Terns (Sterna Paradisaea) In The Gulf Of Maine, Jamie W. Dinella

Student Publications

Climate change is resulting in ecosystem-wide consequences, including shifts in the geographical distribution of species and the timing of biological events, or phenology. The rapidly warming Gulf of Maine hosts breeding populations of migratory common terns (Sterna hirundo) and Arctic terns (Sterna paradisaea). I used nest check data (2013-2022) and eggshell membrane stable isotope data (2022) from Petit Manan Island in the Gulf of Maine to examine the causes and consequences of variation in phenology in common and Arctic terns. I hypothesized that the timing of an individual’s breeding was impacted by their foraging behavior and that female terns that …

The ''Lights Out!" Game On Threshold Graphs, Troy E. Conlay, Darren B. Parker

McNair Scholars Manuscripts

The 'Lights Out' game was originally played on a 5x5 grid of buttons that started as either on or off. Pressing the buttons flips the state of the button pressed and the directly adjacent buttons, the goal being to have all of the lights out. We can play 'Lights Out' on a graph if we assign 0 or 1 to each of the vertices on the graph, analogous to on and off in the original game, and switch the labels of a vertex and its neighbors from 0 to 1 and vice versa when the vertex is toggled. This paper …

A Novel Interaction Of Nesidiocoris Tenuis (Hemiptera: Miridae) As A Biological Control Agent Of Bactericera Cockerelli (Hemiptera: Triozidae) In Potato, Gabriela Esparza-Diaz, Raul Villanueva, Ismael E. Badillo-Vargas

Entomology Faculty Publications

Nesidiocoris tenuis (Hemiptera: Miridae) is a generalist predator commonly used to control the whitefly Bemisia tabaci in Europe. This mirid has been found and established in South Texas, where it was initially observed feeding on nymphs of the psyllid Bactericera cockerelli (Hemiptera: Triozidae) in open tomato fields. B. cockerelli is the vector of the fastidious bacterium “Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum” that causes diseases in several solanaceous crops, including zebra chip (ZC) disease in potatoes. There is a need to better understand how this predator impacts the control of important crop pests, such as potato psyllids. We assessed the interactions between N. …

Accommodations And Resources For Audiologists With Hearing Loss, Joseph Thomas Kraus

Doctoral Scholarly Projects & Capstones

Hearing loss affects millions of people worldwide. The audiology profession strives to help all individuals achieve their communicative goals and needs, providing support and expertise to a deserving population. Audiologists themselves are not immune to the challenges of hearing differences themselves. This project has two main objectives to identify and discuss needs and challenges faced by audiologists, both within their professional field, as well as their educational upbringing, and to highlight specific accommodations that can enhance their professional success. The research phase of this project aims to develop a resource guide tailored to the needs of audiologists with hearing loss …

Tea Shop Manager, Ruben Becerril

Posters - 2024

Tea Shop Manager is meant to be a business simulator game. Business is a subject that is difficult to learn especially as a child who may not understand how the world works yet. Business is all about its application to the real world, as a result the game will:

• Bring aspects of business, simplify it, and then apply it to a semi-realistic setting such as managing a shop.

• Concepts and skills will be taught through the user’s interaction with the game.

• Show statistics based on management performance.

Statistical Analysis Of Recent Trends In Nuclear Verdicts, Kelsey Chorath

Posters - 2024

By understanding and addressing the impact of nuclear verdicts, the insurance industry can strive for resilience and sustainable growth amidst a rapidly changing legal and economic environment. Social inflation describes how insurers’ claims costs are increasing above general economic inflation. Nuclear verdicts are a testament to rising costs that insurance companies must manage when running of their business. As the frequency and magnitude of nuclear verdicts continue to rise, the surge in massive settlements has prompted insurers to reassess risk management strategies, leading to increased premiums and a reevaluation of underwriting practices. Insurers are compelled to anticipate and mitigate the …

Objective.Gg: Uniting Scholastic Esports, Douglas Beirne

Posters - 2024

Objective.gg is a startup recruitment platform within the scholastic esports scene that seeks to unite esports prospects with collegiate esports programs in an effective manner. Objective.gg seeks to accomplish its mission by operating an online platform that allows prospects and collegiate coaches to create their own profiles and connect with one another, building a community in the process. This platform will begin with a free tier, but additional features will be offered through a subscription-based model with two additional pricing tiers to choose from. The online platform will be supported by free online and paid in-person tournaments for Objective.gg platform …

Atlas, James P . Clark

Posters - 2024

• Problem: Hard for new gym goers to know how to achieve their goals.
• Motivation: I had a hard time figuring out how to achieve the goals I wanted in the gym. A lot of it was just not knowing what to do or how to do it.
• Solution: I want to create an application that will display some basic information, such as maintenance calories and current weight. It will be able to assist with calculations that need to take place to achieve a certain fitness goal.

Rewilding The Danube Delta; How Rewilding Can Revitalize Ecosystems And Restore Biomes, Antonio Martinez

Posters - 2024

The Danube Delta and the surrounding area harbors a variety of ecosystems and biodiversity from Romania to Ukraine. The 580,000-hectare delta is particularly well known for its abundance of birdlife, with the presence of 312 important bird species, many of which use the Delta as an important stopover and breeding area such as the Dalmatian Pelican (UNESCO et al.,1998). Here, also lie some of Europe’s very few remaining grazed mosaic landscapes, the beautiful wetlands. The delta region includes extensive examples of unaltered rivers, lakes, reed beds, marshes, steppes, dunes, sandbars, coasts, lagoons, salt marshes and climax forests (Rewilding Europe n.d.).This …

Rewilding The ”Wild West”: Restoring Bison Populations In The American Prairie, Ana Christina Diaz

Posters - 2024

Historically, North America was home to a biodiverse and environmentally rich land, from beavers, mountain lions, numerous bird and insect species, and North America’s largest land mammal, the bison (Figure 1). The American bison (Bison bison), also referred to as buffalo, are a keystone species in their environments, meaning their absence can have detrimental effects on other species. Bison are environmental engineers that create a “mosaic of habitats” with their behaviors including wallowing, grazing, and defecating (American Prairie Foundation 2024). Bison once roamed from Canada to Mexico with a population estimated around 50 million but were tragically almost wiped to …