Digital Commons Network^™

Culturally Responsive Education: Creating A Safe And Inclusive Environment For Lgbtq+ Students, Kassidi M. Adams

Masters Projects

This paper explores research that discusses the impact of a culturally responsive education and lack-of for LGBTQ+ students and recommends a solution to ensure all students are safe and represented in schools. The research cited varies in their definitions and uses of the term LGBTQ+. This paper will use the term LGBTQ+, an abbreviation for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and more communities; however, the abbreviation used in the referenced research may be shortened to LG, LGB, LGBT, or LGBTQ to reflect only specific communities included in LGBTTTQQIAAP (VandenBos, 2015). This paper will also focus on inclusion, which refers to …

2023-12-08, Board Of Regents, Murray State University

Board of Regents Meeting Minutes

No abstract provided.

Design And Performance Of Fiber-Reinforced Shrinkage Compensating Eco-Friendly Concrete, Kamran Aghaee, Kamal Khayat

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Eco-Crete is an ecological and economical concrete that benefits from high packing density of solid materials and reduced paste. Eco-Crete can enhance the service life of structures by reducing the risk of shrinkage cracking. In this study, shrinkage mitigating materials included an expansive agent (EA), a shrinkage reducing admixture (SRA), and a lightweight sand (LWS), as well as steel and synthetic fibers were used to minimize the risk of cracking. A total of 35 fiber-reinforced Eco-Crete mixtures were prepared with 350 kg/m3 of cementitious materials and 55 % substitution of fly ash and slag. Key fresh and mechanical properties in …

Designing Macromolecules On Nanoparticle Surfaces: In Situ Formation Of Silica Grafted With Star Chains, Fatimah Aldakheel, Konstantinos Ntetsikas, Arief Yudhanto, Gilles Lubineau, Nikos Hadjichristidis

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Herein, we report the synthesis and characterization of asymmetric 3-arm homostar (3h-star) and 3-miktoarm star (3μ-star) chains grafted on silica nanoparticles simultaneously with the formation of silica. We employed high-vacuum anionic polymerization techniques to synthesize well-defined ω-triethoxysilyl (TEOS)-terminated (PS)2PS, (PS)2PI, and (PS)2PI-b-PS macromonomers (polystyrene (PS) and polyisoprene (PI)), which upon hydrolysis/condensation of the terminal TEOS yielded the grafted silica nanoparticles. The molecular characteristics of the precursors (PS)2PS-TEOS, (PS)2PI-TEOS, and (PS)2PI-b-PS-TEOS were determined by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and size-exclusion chromatography (SEC). The formation of 3h-star and 3μ-star@SiO2 nanoparticles was demonstrated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, ²⁹Si solid-state …

Prediction Of Self-Consolidating Concrete Properties Using Xgboost Machine Learning Algorithm: Part 1–Workability, Amine El Mahdi Safhi, Hamed Dabiri, Ahmed Soliman, Kamal Khayat

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The Interest in Implementing Self-Consolidating Concrete (SCC) in Major Construction Projects Has Increased Significantly in Recent Years. This Paper Reports the Results of an Extensive Survey of Experimental Data of More Than 1700 SCC Mixtures from over 100 Studies Published in the Last Decade. the Survey Included the SCC Mixture Proportioning, Key Fresh Properties Including Flowability, Passing Ability, and Segregation Resistance, as Well as Some of the Derived Properties (E.g., Paste Volume). the Statistical Analysis of the Reported Parameters Showed Wide Variations in Values. the Outcome of the Survey Indicates that SCC Mixture Design and Workability Properties Do Not Systematically …

Student Organization Spotlights

Mountaineer Undergraduate Research Review

No abstract provided.

Full Issue

Mountaineer Undergraduate Research Review

No abstract provided.

Construing Children’S Perceptions Of Ideal Learning Spaces: Home Vs. School, Rawan Natheer Abdel Rahman

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

Learning is an intrinsic aspect of human experience, predominantly shaped by interactions within the socio-physical environment, including engagements with educators, peers, and the built surroundings. The design and character of these learning spaces influence children's cognitive, perceptual, and motor development while also embodying different pedagogical philosophies. Therefore, designing these spaces to align with educational shifts and enhance learning experiences requires a deep understanding of learner’s needs and perceptions. With the COVID-19 pandemic necessitating a shift to home-learning, there arose a unique opportunity to explore children’s perception of ideal learning spaces as they experienced both home and school settings. [Aims:] This …

Costs Associated With Voluntary Speed Reduction Requests In Central California Marine Sanctuaries To Protect Endangered Whales, K. Eric Wolfe, Ian A. Mathis

Journal of Ocean and Coastal Economics

International trade is vital to the U.S. economy. As waterborne traffic accounts for about 40 percent of all international cargo value and 70 percent of international tonnage, regulatory changes involving waterborne transportation may significantly impact the United States (US) economy on both local and national levels. A Voluntary Speed Reduction (VSR) program reduces vessel speeds off the central coast of California for vessels 300 gross tons and larger from May 1^st to November 15^th to protect whales and other marine mammals. This study investigates the magnitude of changes in vessel costs associated with VSR requests.

This analysis contributes …

A Review On Ship Recycling Industry In Bangladesh From Global Perspective, Ahammad Abdullah, Zobair Ibn Awal, M Ziauddin Alamgir, Md. Jobayer Mia, Farihatul Mim, Utpal K. Dhar

Journal of Ocean and Coastal Economics

At present, the global center of the ship breaking and recycling industry is in South Asia, specifically Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan. These three countries account for 70–80 percent of the international recycling market for ocean-going vessels, with China and Turkey covering most of the remaining market. Only about 5 percent of global volume is scrapped outside these five countries. Bangladesh has environmentally beneficial coastal region and affordable labor that make the shipbreaking and recycling business as a potential sector for the country. In addition, ship recycling and its related businesses are helping to solve our nation’s unemployment issues at all …

Possibility Thinking In The Community-Engaged Classroom: Uniting Hope And Imagination Towards Anti-Racist Action, Betsy Bowen, Lilly Campbell, Jenna Green, Emily A. Phillips

Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal

Drawing on the work of Patrick Saint-Jean, S.J., this article examines the contribution that “possibility thinking” makes to community-engaged learning at three Jesuit universities. The article considers ways in which possibility thinking intersects both Jesuit and secular perspectives on hope and imagination, and their relationship to anti-racist praxis. We then describe three institutional contexts at different stages of enacting community-engaged learning in introductory and upper-level English classes. The article concludes by offering three praxis-oriented directions for community-engaged learning educators to take up in their own institutional contexts: developing faculty capacity and awareness; fostering solidarity not charity; and encouraging reflection not …

Equity And Local Access To Jesuit Higher Education: The Catalyst Pilot, Joan Iva C. Fawcett, Catherine Zeisner

Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal

College access continues to be highly stratified across racial, socioeconomic, and first-generation status. Although there are numerous studies on college readiness programs, the research on the correlation between college proximity and college access is lacking or contradictory. Moreover, minimal research exists on college readiness programs within the context of place-based community engagement at a Jesuit university. This mixed-methods, action research case study investigated how to build accessible and equitable pathways to Jesuit colleges and universities within close proximity of historically underrepresented communities, focusing primarily on first-generation, low-income students of color from Northeast Spokane, Washington. Bordieu’s theories of cultural and social …

Sr 23-24-09 Cc, Marshall University Faculty Senate

Recommendations

No abstract provided.

Sr 23-24-16 Cc, Marshall University Faculty Senate

Recommendations

No abstract provided.

Revitalizing The Middle-Skill Talent Pipeline: Exploring The Decision To Enroll In A Postsecondary Career And Technical Education Program, Felicia Hall

Dissertations

A workforce shortage exists within occupations requiring educational training beyond high school but less than a 4-year degree, known as middle-skill occupations. Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs offered at community colleges throughout the United States equip graduates at the middle-skill level. Although affordable CTE programs are readily available, little is currently known about what makes students consider and ultimately enroll in postsecondary CTE programs. This qualitative phenomenological study investigated the decision to enroll in a postsecondary CTE program as experienced by current students at a North Alabama community college to identify enablers and barriers faced during the decision to …

Vol.51 N.20 December 7th 2023, Voice Media Ventures

Black Voice News

No abstract provided.

Thermally Rearranging Polyimide Networks For High-Temperature Applications, William Guzman

Dissertations

High-performance polymers can retain functional properties when exposed to long-term or short-term durations of harsh conditions, such as mechanical action, at elevated temperatures (>177 °C). A mixture of intramolecular and intermolecular forces of and between polymer chains provide excellent property retention at elevated temperatures. Specifically, the highly aromatic nature of high-performance polymer backbones provides outstanding thermal stability, which is typically attributed to π-π stacking. However, the interrelationship between thermal stability and high aromaticity creates a challenging structure-processing relationship paradigm, which causes poor polymer processability in most high-performance polymers. Herein, it was demonstrated that rationally designing a crosslinking phenylethynyl imide …

An Analysis Of The Factors That Affect Self-Employment, Stefani Broome

Dissertations

This dissertation research identifies the factors that affect self-employment in a three-essay format. Essay one builds a foundation on analyzing the determinants that affect self-employment in the United States through a country-level time-series analysis. Essay two includes a time-series panel analysis and comparative analysis between the United States and United Kingdom by expanding on Meager’s (1992) study of the relationship between unemployment and self-employment. This analysis focuses on the United Kingdom, an outlier in Meager’s (1992) study, which included a structural change to the motivation to enter self-employment after an economic shock in the late 1970s. Essay three utilizes a …

Using Afm-Ir To Study Nanoscopic Phase Behavior Of Polymer Blends And Photovoltaic Bulk Heterojunctions, Nathaniel L. Prine

Dissertations

Conjugated polymers (CPs) and polymer blends harbor the potential for high-performance organic solar cells (OSCs) due to their short energy payback time, low cost, solution processability, lightweight attributes, and flexibility. However, OSCs suffer from poor thermal stability compared to their inorganic equivalents. This study explores the thermal instability of OSCs, focusing on phase separation of the photoactive layer under heat, resulting in morphology changes and degradation of power conversion efficiency (PCE). Utilizing atomic-force microscopy coupled with infrared spectroscopy (AFM-IR) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), we delve into thermal stability-morphology relationships to devise strategies to improve OSC blend durability under thermal …

Timeseries Forecasting Of U.S. Housing Price Index Using Machine Learning And Deep Learning Models, Krishna Chaitanya Nunna

Dissertations

Time series forecasting is a promising technique for various applications which predicts future values or patterns by taking historical data as base. Forecasting future trends is very beneficial for different industries to make valuable decisions and strategies. One such industry is housing market; it has biggest influence on U.S. economy. Housing price index (HPI) is a one of the crucial economic indices published by various government funded and private agency to benefit several industries and individuals for better analysis of future trends of housing market.

Several factors influence the HPI, economical, geographical, and demographic features. Development of traditional time series …

Heterotypic Interaction Of Α-Synuclein And Tdp-43 In Neurodegenerative Diseases, Shailendra Dhakal

Dissertations

Amyloid aggregates of specific proteins form important pathological hallmarks in many neurodegenerative diseases, defining neuronal degeneration and disease onset. Recently, increasing numbers of patients show co-morbidities and exhibit clinical and pathological overlaps between multiple neurodegenerative diseases including α-synucleinopathies and TDP-43 proteinopathies. These overlaps are often accompanied by co-localization of α-synuclein (αS) and TDP-43 enhancing the possibility of direct interactions to generate heterotypic amyloids with distinct cellular consequences. To understand this, we investigate the interaction of α-synuclein (αS) and prion-like domain of TDP-43 (TDP-43 PrLD) in both homogenous and inhomogeneous phases. Firstly, we show that monomeric TDP-43 PrLD and αS interact …

Curriculum Subcommittee Minutes December 7, 2023, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Approval of Minutes
• Program Proposals
• Semester Course Approval Reviews:
• College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences
• Caine College of the Arts
• Jon M. Huntsman School of Business
• Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services
• College of Engineering
• College of Humanities and Social Sciences
• S.J. & Jessie E. Quinney College of Natural Resources
• College of Science
• College of Veterinary Medicine
• Other Business
• Adjourn: 3:02 pm

Intelpvt And Opt-Stvit: Advances In Vision Transformers For Object Detection, Classification And Video Recognition, Divya Nimma

Dissertations

Since the advent of Transformers, followed by Vision Transformers (ViTs), great success has been achieved by researchers in the field of computer vision and object detection. The difficult mechanism of splitting images into fixed patches posed a serious challenge in this arena and resulted in the loss of useful information at the time of object detection and classification. We propose an innovative Intelligent-based patching mechanism to overcome the challenges and integrate it seamlessly into the conventional Patch-based ViT framework. The proposed method enables the utilization of patches with flexible sizes to capture and retain essential semantic content from input images, …

2023 Fall Engr333 Section B Final Report, Ally Gauss, Stuart Johnston, Zachary Rozendal, Nora Terbeek, Samantha Bush, Daniel Cordeiro, David Harris, Nathan Zylstra, Mikayla Bindon, David Schmurr, Zachary Swart, Micah Vandeburg, David Conhoff, Mitchell Cook, Yonggi Kim, Mark Schultz

ENGR 333

Calvin University is currently committed to being carbon neutral by 2057. However, by 2057 the earth will see irreversible damage due to global warming. Because of the constant rise in global carbon emissions, President Boer tasked the students of ENGR-333 to find an earlier date for Calvin to become carbon neutral. Carbon net neutrality involves eliminating the emissions associated with heating and electricity. To have the most immediate impact, it was desired to reduce the most carbon as fast as was cost effective. Starting immediately, Calvin would start buying carbon free electricity from Consumer’s Energy, continuing until 2040 when Consumer’s …

2023 Fall Engr333 Section A Final Report, Owen Kalsbeek, Panashe Makuvaro, Luke Penning, Caleb Gaffner, David Visser, Jared Skaggs, Stephen Langerak, Kyle Borror, Caleb Clark, Michael Lanning, Brayden Raches, Sam Mennega, Seth Devries, Kyle Vandusen, Hayden White

ENGR 333

On 6 December 2017, then-president Michael Le Roy signed the President’s Climate Commitment, which committed Calvin University to carbon neutrality by 2057. Within a global scope, humanity has already emitted approximately 83% of its carbon allowance before causing global warming of 1.5°C. The Paris Climate Accords stated this temperature increase as the point at which humanity’s damage to the planet becomes irreversible. Given this, the year 2057 seemed like a dangerously late date for Calvin to achieve carbon neutrality. These concerns led President Boer to task the students of Engineering 333 with the following question: what earlier year should Calvin …

Educational Policies Committee Minutes December 7, 2023, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Approval of Minutes
• Subcommittee Reports:
• Curriculum Subcommittee
• Academic Standards Subcommittee
• General Education Subcommittee
• Other Business
• Adjourn: 4:00 pm

Cobalt Chromium In Biomedical Applications And The Development Of A Pspp Map, Nouralhouda Jamal

BCoE Publications

During the world wars, Cobalt-Chromium (Co-Cr) alloys gained prominence for their use in aircraft engine components, where they exhibited high temperature strength and durability. They are used in a wide range of industries due to their unique set of qualities, particularly strength, corrosion resistance, and biocompatibility. They have emerged as versatile materials with a broad spectrum of applications, from aerospace and automotive components to biomedical implants.

This paper presents a thorough analysis of its composition, processing techniques, microstructure, mechanical properties, and performance characteristics. The primary goal of this project is to develop a PSPP (Process, structure, properties, and performance) map …

Kenyon Collegian - December 7, 2023

The Kenyon Collegian

No abstract provided.

An Examination Of Influential Factors Of Academic Dishonesty And Ethical Decision-Making Among Community College Nursing Students, Roshelle L. Lemon-Howard

Dissertations

Academic dishonesty remains a pervasive, multi-discipline dilemma which has been reported as having the propensity of resulting in longstanding consequences beyond academic settings. Previous research has suggested that students who participate in dishonest behaviors while attending institutions of higher education have greater tendencies to engage in dishonest and unethical behaviors within professional settings. Notably, schools of nursing are not exempt from academic dishonesty and the ramifications that have been associated with such misconduct. Although academic dishonesty has been examined from various perspectives, and in numerous contexts, current studies that compare relationships between peer and faculty influences on academic dishonesty and …

Analyzing Flight Delays: Legacy And Low-Cost Carriers In The U.S., Kwangyeol Yang, Dae Keun Jeon, Nawaf Nasser M. Alsubaie, Vivek Sharma, Brooke Wheeler

Aeronautics Student Publications

This study analyzed flight delays between legacy and low-cost carriers in the U.S. from 2013 to 2022. The study found a higher average percentage of flights delayed among low-cost carriers than legacy carriers and identified a significant difference in the percentage of total flights delayed by airline type.