Digital Commons Network^™

Valence Matters: An Exploration Of Small And Large Value Extra Credit Assignments To Incentivize College Students, Angela J. Murphy, Holger Amort

Journal of Business, Industry, and Economics

Extra credit homework can be a supplemental pathway for professors to reinforce course content and encourage students to engage in co-curricular activities (e.g., career fairs). For extra credit to be effectual, it must have valence or be attractive to the intended audience (Vroom 1964). This paper explored the valence of extra credit through two distinct assignments—one small value and the other large. Students could earn up to five bonus points or a late pass as a reward for completing an extra credit assignment. The authors expected 20% would select a late pass, but only 2% did. There was a second …

Qualitative Study Of Hiv-Related Stigma In The Dental Care Setting, Sania A. Pullen, Dr. Dina T. Garcia

UROP Posters

Objectives: People living with HIV (PLWH) are susceptible to developing a variety of oral conditions that if left untreated can lead to sore gums, painful chewing, and tooth loss as well as compromise HIV management and viral suppression. Despite the increased risk of developing oral conditions, it is estimated that up to 58% of PLH do not receive regular dental care. This study aimed to examine HIV-related stigma and discrimination in the dental care setting.

Methods: Adults living with HIV who receive care through the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program at the VCU Infectious Disease (ID) clinic were recruited to participate. …

Belief In War, Mary Ellen O'Connell

Journal Articles

Introductory Statement

Belief in war dominates our world. From Ukraine to Sudan to America’s ‘war on terror’, extraordinary resources are poured into militaries and arms races. The explanation for why belief in war has become prominent in foreign and security policy in Russia, the United States., China, NATO states and many other places is linked to the influence of Realist political theory. Pope St. John XXIII’s encyclical Pacem in Terris argued for honoring the alternatives to Realism – international law and institutions. It is time for an encyclical that responds directly to Realism and teaches belief in the authentic natural …

State Sovereign Immunity And The New Purposivism, Anthony J. Bellia Jr., Bradford R. Clark

Journal Articles

Since the Constitution was first proposed, courts and commentators have debated the extent to which it alienated the States’ preexisting sovereign immunity from suit by individuals. During the ratification period, these debates focused on the language of the citizen-state diversity provisions of Article III. After the Supreme Court read these provisions to abrogate state sovereign immunity in Chisholm v. Georgia, Congress and the States adopted the Eleventh Amendment to prohibit this construction. The Court subsequently ruled that States enjoy sovereign immunity independent of the Eleventh Amendment, which neither conferred nor diminished it. In the late twentieth-century, Congress began enacting statutes …

Remember The Human: A Systematic Review Of Ethical Considerations In Reddit Research, Casey Fiesler, Michael Zimmer, Nicholas Proferes, Sarah A. Gilbert, Naiyan Jones

Computer Science Faculty Research and Publications

Reddit is one of the world's most prominent social media platforms, and also a valuable source of data for internet researchers. However, working with this kind of data also presents novel ethical complications for researchers, including issues around privacy, vulnerable populations, and unintended consequences. This paper describes an analysis of 134 papers that rely on Reddit data while also including some discussion of ethical implications and/or considerations by the researchers. Our analysis of these papers reveals common ethical issues and ethically motivated methodological decisions, as described by the researchers themselves, while also exposing some gaps for further ethical contemplation for …

Voiceattack: Fingerprinting Voice Command On Vpn-Protected Smart Home Speakers, Xiaoguang Guo, Keyang Yu, Qi Li, Dong Chen

Computer Science Faculty Research and Publications

Recently, there are growing security and privacy concerns regarding smart voice speakers, such as Amazon Alexa and Google Home. Extensive prior research has shown that it is surprisingly easy to infer Amazon Alexa voice commands over their network traffic data. To prevent these traffic analytics (TA)-based inference attacks, smart home owners are considering deploying virtual private networks (VPNs) to safeguard their smart speakers. In this work, we design a new machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL)-powered attack framework---VoiceAttack that could still accurately fingerprint voice commands on VPN-encrypted voice speaker network traffic. We evaluate VoiceAttack under 5 different real-world settings …

2024 Usd Fact Book, University Of San Diego

USD Fact Books (1985- )

No abstract provided.

Forum: The Russia–Ukraine War And Reactions From The Global South, Vidya Nadkarni, Paul D’Anieri, S. A. Kerr, Gulnaz Sharafutdinova, Xiaoyu Pu, Deepa M. Ollapally, Paulo Velasco, Candice Moore, Abdolrasool Divsallar

Political Science and International Relations Faculty Publications

The war between Russia and Ukraine has been a topic of interest for scholars and policymakers worldwide. Western countries have condemned and imposed sanctions on Russia, while countries in the Global South have taken varying positions. In this Forum, we will analyse the origins of the war and the responses to it of key countries in the Global South, including China, India, Brazil, South Africa, and Iran. The war has multiple causes, and identifying them has implications for understanding what is necessary to regain peace. However, reaching a consensus on its causes will not be easy. Great and middle powers …

Experimental Evaluation Of Thermal Adaptation And Transient Thermal Comfort In A Tropical Mixed-Mode Ventilation Context, Yue Lei, Duygu Zeynep Tekler, Sicheng Zhan, Clayton Miller, Adrian Chong

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

Mixed-mode ventilation offers a promising solution for achieving comfortable indoor environments in an energy-efficient manner. However, in the tropics, characterized by a year-round hot and humid climate, opportunities for natural ventilation (NV) are typically limited to specific hours, necessitating operational mode switches on an intraday basis. Much of the thermal comfort research on mixed-mode ventilation relies either on cross-sectional data collected from different subjects or longitudinal data spanning a few seasons. This raises an open question: Can occupants thermally adapt when switching between NV and air-conditioning (AC) modes within a single day? To address the gap, our experimental study engaged …

Filling Time-Series Gaps Using Image Techniques: Multidimensional Context Autoencoder Approach For Building Energy Data Imputation, Chun Fu, Matias Quintana, Zoltan Nagy, Clayton Miller

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

Building energy prediction and management has become increasingly important in recent decades, driven by the growth of Internet of Things (IoT) devices and the availability of more energy data. However, energy data is often collected from multiple sources and can be incomplete or inconsistent, which can hinder accurate predictions and management of energy systems and limit the usefulness of the data for decision-making and research. To address this issue, past studies have focused on imputing missing gaps in energy data, including random and continuous gaps. One of the main challenges in this area is the lack of validation on a …

Predictors Of Outcomes In Acute Myocardial Infarction Complicated By Cardiogenic Shock In A Regional Hospital, Wong Chun Kit

Journal of the Hong Kong College of Cardiology

Background

Cardiogenic shock complicating acute myocardial infarction (AMI-CS) carries high inhospital mortality across decades of advancement in modern revascularization strategies, intensive care management, and mechanical circulatory support devices. The predictors of outcomes in AMI-CS patients have not been fully elucidated in this region.

Methods

This retrospective single-center observational study examined all patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention for acute myocardial infarction complicated by cardiogenic shock at Princess Margaret Hospital between March 1, 2012 to March 1, 2020. Baseline characteristics including demographics, medical comorbidities, laboratory data, interventional procedures, and patient outcomes were tabulated. The primary outcome measured was 30-day mortality; secondary …

Racial And Ethnic Disparities In Hospital Practices That Support Breastfeeding In The United States, Jane Lazar Tucker

Open Access Dissertations

Breastfeeding is the optimal form of infant nutrition and has many health benefits for mothers as well as infants (CDC, 2022a; Victora et al., 2016). Though rates of breastfeeding have improved in recent years, disparities in breastfeeding persist among Black and Hispanic women compared to White women (Beauregard et al., 2019; Chiang et al., 2021), despite similar intentions to breastfeed across all racial/ethnic groups (Hamner et al., 2021). Hospital practices that support breastfeeding, such as the baby being placed skin-to-skin immediately after delivery or staying in the room with the mother throughout the hospital stay, are known to predict breastfeeding …

Development And Modeling Of An Innovative Microfluidic Paper-Based Analytical Device For Quantitative Elisa, Ashutosh Kumar

Open Access Dissertations

This work contributes to the burgeoning field of paper-based analytical devices, with a particular focus on advancing global health outcomes through the development of an innovative paper-based Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (p-ELISA) platform. At its core, this research seeks to address the critical need for accessible, efficient, and reliable diagnostic tools by leveraging the unique properties of paper as a substrate for fluid dynamics and biochemical reactions. The motivation behind this endeavor is the potential for such devices to significantly improve diagnostic capabilities, especially in resource-limited settings where traditional laboratory infrastructure is scarce.

The work is structured around a comprehensive exploration …

Executing Advanced Algorithms To Extrapolate Voter Arrival Behavior In U.S. Elections, James P. Houghton

Open Access Dissertations

Convenience measures for voting continue to evolve in the United States. While most voters are required to cast ballots at predetermined polling locations based on geographically defined boundaries, many states have adopted vote center models that allow voters to cast a ballot at any of the available polling locations in the county either during the early voting period, on election day, or both. A vote center model provides greater flexibility and convenience by allowing voters to choose how, when, and where to cast their ballot. However, the convenience that vote centers provide voters can add a layer of complexity to …

Translanguaging Through Experiencing: The Lived Experiences Of Multilingual Learners Studying Chinese, Jiangping Cai

Open Access Dissertations

Although the United States has a population with diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds, multilingual education has been greatly influenced by monolingual and raciolinguistic ideologies (Flores & Rosa, 2019; García, 2014; Ruiz, 1984). With world language enrollment continuing to decline (Lusin et al., 2023), investigation of the lived experiences of diverse groups of multilingual learners (MLLs) would help to understand language learning from a sociocultural perspective, and better support multilingual education and planning. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the Chinese learning experiences of native English multilingual students studying Chinese at a U.S. public university language program. The …

The Impact Of Multi-Tier Supply Chain Complexity And Network Centrality On Buying Firms’ Performance, Li Liu

Open Access Dissertations

Firms establish business relationships and exchange products and services in multi-tier supply chains. Lower-tier suppliers provide parts, components, and services to buying firms through tier-1 suppliers in the multi-tier supply network. The complexity and network characteristics of those lower-tier suppliers could impact buying firm’ performance. These firms are more likely to be driven by the supply-side economics to pursue innovativeness and support in the information and communication technology (ICT) industry, due to the shift from physical processes to information and resource-based integration across the entire supply chains. Despite the potential, it is challenging for buying firms to identify and manage …

Effects Of Western Diet Or Exercise Exposure In A Novel Rat Model Of Late-Onset Alzheimer’S Disease, Jennifer M. Mattar

Open Access Dissertations

Sporadic, late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (LOAD) accounts for a staggering 98% of cases yet does not arise from a single genetic mutation. Rather, an extensive body of research has revealed that LOAD is likely the result of complex interactions between genetics and several lifestyle factors. There exists a substantial gap in understanding the mechanisms behind LOAD development and the impacts of lifestyle on disease progression. Enhanced rodent models may help elucidate mechanisms by which LOAD develops. This longitudinal study introduces a novel rat model of LOAD (CrAβ), created using CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technology to express humanized Aβ. The effects of a …

Design And Application Of Ph Sensitive Peptides For Fluorescence Imaging And Therapy Of Tumors, Michael Dupont

Open Access Dissertations

The most common cancer treatments are chemotherapy and radiation therapy which include an untargeted delivery of toxic molecules, resulting in systemic effects and reduction in patient comfort. This leads to research for cancer treatments that are targeted and will reduce the severity of systemic effects on patients. Tumor resection surgery also has its own complications relating to not having real time confirmation of tumor geometry and position. pHLIP peptide targets acidity which is a characteristic of most cancer lines due to the Warburg effect, along with targeting tumor associated macrophages, cancer associated fibroblasts, and myeloid derives suppresser cells that are …

From Woke-Washing To Authentic Brand Activism: Essays On Its Impact On Consumer Identity, Brand Morality And Brand Responses, Priscilla Yamilet Peña

Open Access Dissertations

Brand activism, in which a brand publicly takes a political or social justice stance, has gained momentum, positioning brands as agents of societal change. However, accusations of inauthentic brand activism or "woke washing" present a significant challenge. Understanding the basis for these accusations and their effects on consumer identity, particularly among stigmatized groups, requires further exploration. This dissertation aims to shed light on consumers' perspectives of inauthentic brand activism and proposes effective brand messaging strategies. The first manuscript explores consumer accusations of woke-washing using the Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique (ZMET), uncovering emerging themes, and assessing the damage to identity within …

Dna Damage, Modification And Repair, Xianhao Zhou

Open Access Dissertations

DNA is necessarily to be stable and intact since it is the repository of genetic information in each living cell. However, DNA is not inert, and it is vulnerable to the endogenous and environmental assaults including reactive oxygen species (ROS), ultraviolet (UV) light, and various carcinogens. Exposure to these DNA damaging agents is associated with various adducts ranging from small methyl or etheno adducts to bulky adducts such as acetylaminofluorene. These resulting damages, if not repaired, will lead to replication block or mutation which can eventually cause cancer or other genetic diseases.

The research covered by this dissertation falls into …

Design, Simulation, And Rapid Prototyping Of Soft Robotic Actuators For Deep-Sea Applications, Alexander Yin

Open Access Dissertations

A new design and rapid prototyping approach for hydraulic soft actuators was developed and used to create bio-inspired underwater soft actuators that were tested and applied in the field. Underwater soft-bodied animals demonstrate complex approaches to move around the ocean and sophisticated methods of physically interacting with other organism and objects. Studying the functional design and kinematics of these animals can provide insight and solutions for complex tasks and locomotion, and soft robotics provides pathways to create complex actuators that imitate or are inspired by these animals. However, creating a complex soft actuator is currently an arduous and time-consuming process …

Implementation And Evaluation Of A Nutriton-Focused Steam Summer Program For Urban Youth, Jacquelyn Potvin

Open Access Dissertations

Background: Youth from low-income, racially and ethnically diverse families are at increased risk for academic challenges and nutritionally inadequate diets. Summer programs offer an opportunity to foster interest and engage students in science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM) education while addressing summer learning loss. Nutrition education early in life can help youth develop healthy dietary behaviors that they carry into adulthood. Project stRIde: Science and Technology Reinforced by Innovative Dietary Education was a summer program for 4-6th grade youth from racially and ethnically diverse and low-income families. The goal of the program was to engage youth in nutrition-centered …

Using Insar Technology To Assess The Impact Of Coastal Subsidence In Major Cities Globally, Pei-Chin Wu

Open Access Dissertations

Urban subsidence is a critical issue that poses significant risks to cities worldwide. This research leverages Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) technology to provide a comprehensive analysis of subsidence patterns and impacts across various urban contexts. The study is presented through three interconnected manuscripts, each addressing different aspects of subsidence.

Globally, subsidence in coastal cities is analyzed using Sentinel-1 data from 2015 to 2020. In Manuscript 1, we constructed a subsidence map for 99 major coastal cities, revealing that many of these cities are subsiding at rates that surpass sea level rise. Human activities, particularly groundwater extraction, are identified as …

Mechanistic And Toxicokinetic Analysis Of Perfluoroalkyl Substances: Proteomics Approach And The Role Of Fatty Acid Binding (Fabp), Seyed Mohamad Sadegh Modaresi

Open Access Dissertations

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent chemicals used in many industries, known for their resilience and resistance to degradation. The extended half-lives of PFAS in the human body result in bioaccumulation, with serum half-lives for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), and perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS) estimated at 3.4, 4.6, and 7.1 years, respectively. PFAS primarily accumulate in the liver, hypothesized due to their resemblance to fatty acids and their binding with liver fatty acid-binding proteins (LFABP), affecting lipid metabolism and leading to liver toxicity. Although extensive research has been performed on long-chain PFAS over the past decade, …

This Could Be Heaven Or This Could Be Hell: Figurations Of Urban Life In Contemporary California, Diana Turken

Open Access Dissertations

This project examines city space as a material and conceptual process within contemporary California. Concretized in differing figurations, my work investigates the urban as a distinct praxis reimagining subject and space. If California is truly a “non-canonical” landscape as Krista Comer argues, its vision of “Westness” must offer an alternate geography that, while gesturing to the West as an historical event, departs from dominant narratives to envision a counter-site somehow “west of West.” My first chapter looks to Tommy Orange’s There, There (1996). Evoking Deleuze’s theorization of the Fold, I read the novel’s depiction of Oakland as a folded configuration …

Strategies To Stress Less: A Meta-Analytic Review Of The Effects Of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (Mbsr) On Self-Reported Stress, Gregory J. Champion

Open Access Dissertations

Introduction: Stress negatively impacts health, well-being, and productivity. Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) interventions are a promising strategy to reduce stress, but they are not covered by most health insurance policies in the United States (US). A recent Delphi process gathered feedback from key stakeholders, such as clinicians, MBSR instructors and students, policymakers, healthcare administrators, and health insurance company leaders. The results indicated synthesizing the existing evidence of the impact of MBSR interventions on stress was the 2nd highest priority out of 43 options evaluated. Past research has indicated MBSR interventions may be as effective as active controls at reducing …

Valuation’S Role In The Investment Decisions Process A Mixed Method Study, Joseph D. Foresi

Open Access Dissertations

The inspiration for this dissertation began as a practitioner. As a Wall Street equity analyst, I calculated the valuation of various types of stocks using relative and intrinsic valuation methods on a daily basis. I noticed an interesting phenomenon while performing these calculations. The estimated stock prices were often largely disconnected from the actual stock market price leading me to wonder what the role of estimated valuations was in the overall investment process.

I believe there is a separation between a stock’s market price and fundamental value consistent with the “Noise” Trader Model (NTM). If this is true, a researcher …

Ultrafast Dynamics Of Intrinsic And Hybrid Phonon Modes In Wide-Bandgap Semiconductors, Chandra Prasad Neupane

Open Access Dissertations

Wide-bandgap semiconductors, such as Barium Tin Oxide (BaSnO₃) and Strontium Titanate (SrTiO₃) are important for advanced electronic device applications. These materials offer high electron mobility and a high breakdown voltage, addressing limitations commonly found in traditional silicon-based transistors, such as low forward voltage and instability in harsh conditions. The high breakdown voltage resulting from wide bandgaps allows for operation at higher voltages, which is essential for high-power electronic devices. Additionally, wide-bandgap semiconductors exhibit significantly high electron mobility, a key factor in switching speed. For instance, BaSnO₃ demonstrates electron mobility in the range of 100-300 cm …

The Applicability Of Hydrocarbon Production Sharing Agreement Contract Terms To Offshore Wind Energy Projects, Helen Croskell

Open Access Dissertations

This mixed method research uses interviews and stochastic cash flow “meta-modelling” to investigate the applicability of Oil & Gas industry Production Sharing Agreement (PSA)-like contract terms to offshore wind energy. The qualitative analysis, consisting of interviews with Oil & Gas professionals, found that many of the advantages of PSAs would also be applicable to an offshore wind farm and attractive to both parties to the contract. The quantitative research demonstrated the conceptual feasibility of the PSA contract structure to offshore wind energy using a stochastic cash flow model. The contract terms governing Royalty, Cost Recovery, Profit Sharing, Uplift, and Taxes …

Airline Supply Chains: A Supply Chain Flow Approach, Gervais Tchoutan Ngoudjou

Open Access Dissertations

This dissertation consists of two essays on airline supply chains (ASC). Managing ASC is inherently challenging, and the impact of COVID-19 and recent disruptions has only added to the complexity. Timely delivery of inventory in the right quantities is crucial, making effective supply chain management (SCM) essential for airlines. However, optimizing supply chain operations in the airline industry is an intricate task, fraught with unique challenges. High capital expenditures, fuel price fluctuations, and substantial maintenance costs must be navigated, while continuous technology and fleet investments require a precise balance in inventory management to avoid obsolete parts and missed deliveries. The …