Digital Commons Network^™

Increasing Student Achievement In Ece Fundamentals Through Standards-Based Grading, Barbara E. Merino, David Berube

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Works

In a traditional STEM course, student work is evaluated using points, allowing students to receive partial credit on the problems attempted. Final grades are then determined by combining the scores on the formative (homework) and summative (tests) assessments using a predetermined formula. In some cases, attendance, class participation, and lab work may factor in the final grade calculation. Although this works reasonably well, the final grade does not accurately reflect student knowledge. Standards-based Grading is a more authentic way to assess student achievement. In a course using authentic grading, course grades are based on student proficiency in specific topics,called standards. …

Family Roots And Research Journal Unm Emeritus Professor José A. Rivera, José A. Rivera Ph.D

Faculty Publications

This article is an abbreviated life narrative of UNM Emeritus Professor of Community and Regional Planning, José A. Rivera. It begins with highlights of his family ancestry and continues with an account of his educational experiences K-12 and into a decade of university life as a student while earning a bachelor’s, two master’s and a doctorate. He taught at UNM for 35 years while also conducting research in his areas of interest, mostly in community irrigation studies, mutual aid societies, and rural development. The main body in the article focuses on positions he held at UNM and on publications that …

Challenges And Future Strategies For B-Schools, Anatoly Zhuplev, Francisco J. Valle, Jose Rincón, Max Plithides

Management Faculty Works

This chapter examines the evolution of American higher education (HE) and business schools (B-schools) in the historical and contemporary strategic context. It explores the influence of the Humboldtian model on the contemporary HE industry in America. The chapter analyzes the current HE landscape, revenue sources, and global reach. The chapter investigates strategic disruptors like demographic shifts, skyrocketing costs of college and student loan burden, technological impacts, including proliferation of IT and AI, eroding public confidence in HE, and political and regulatory trends. The chapter explores solutions like accreditation reform and diversified credentials. It examines pressures on B-schools, including slow technology …

About The Authors, Sjsj

Seattle Journal for Social Justice

No abstract provided.

Works Of Audience, Works Of Authorship, And The Human’S Way Of Knowing, Michael Mactaggert

Seattle Journal for Social Justice

No abstract provided.

I Thought I Found My One True Love: Enabling A Web Of Exploitation On Social Media, Amos N. Guiora, Rosalie Rawlins

Seattle Journal for Social Justice

When Amanda Todd first shared a sexually explicit photo with the person who would end up exploiting her, she was just a child, with no idea the dangerous web she would soon be caught up in. Amanda, one of the most notorious victims of child sexual exploitation via the internet, is just one of the growing number of minors who are subjected to this form of abuse each year. According to the FBI, internet exploitation of minors has increased exponentially in recent years. Amanda’s tragic example, and that of other vulnerable young people, makes the case for demanding accountability for …

Situation Assessment Of Wildland Fire Preparedness Efforts In Missoula County: A Communities Of Practice Approach, Sylvia K. Coston

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Due to the multi-jurisdictional nature and increased risk of wildland fire, collaboratives play an important role in creating long-term solutions for building prepared and resilient wildfire landscapes and communities. Drawing from Communities of Practice (CoP) theory, mutual engagement, shared repertoire, and negotiation of a joint enterprise are critical elements of establishing natural resource multi-stakeholder collaboratives or partnerships. This professional paper uses CoP theory to conduct and analyze a situation assessment of Missoula County Fire Protection Association (MCFPA). With the support of MCFPA, three focus groups (working meetings) and two interviews were conducted to identify the association’s successes, challenges, and needs. …

Intercellular Mitochondrial Transfer Contributes To Microenvironmental Redirection Of Cancer Cell Fate, Julie Sofie Bjerring, Yara Khodour, Emilee Anne Peterson, Patrick Christian Sachs, Robert David Bruno

School of Medical Diagnostics & Translational Sciences Publications

The mammary microenvironment has been shown to suppress tumor progression by redirecting cancer cells to adopt a normal mammary epithelial progenitor fate in vivo. However, the mechanism(s) by which this alteration occurs has yet to be defined. Here, we test the hypothesis that mitochondrial transfer from normal mammary epithelial cells to breast cancer cells plays a role in this redirection process. We evaluate mitochondrial transfer in 2D and 3D organoids using our unique 3D bioprinting system to produce chimeric organoids containing normal and cancer cells. We demonstrate that breast cancer tumoroid growth is hindered following interaction with mammary epithelial cells …

Modeling Healthcare Managerial And It Sophistication, Gary Hackbarth, Teuta Cata

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

Sophisticated healthcare managers understand that managing information and selecting technology are two related but separate skill sets. Information Technology Governance (ITG) allows healthcare organizations to deal with complex issues, compete effectively, and support patient needs by integrating managerial and IT sophistication to improve business performance. An organizational model that merges IT and managerial sophistication by improving ITG to forecast business outcomes must grasp the intricacies of technology to acquire, manage, and utilize information technology in alignment with business strategies. The proposed model differentiates between internal and external IT management strategic thinking, emphasizing the critical need to govern IT effectively by …

Massachusetts, Elizabeth Ford

Thin Blue Advantage: Police Exceptionalism and the Two-Tier System of Public Sector Collective Bargaining

In Massachusetts there are several areas of difference in the treatment of police and non-police collective bargaining. They include the following:

• Interest Arbitration. In Massachusetts police and fire bargaining units are entitled to interest arbitration to resolve bargaining disputes. Other employees have access to a less powerful non-binding fact finding process. All public employees are prohibited from striking.
• Transparency of Rules and Agency Processes. The rules that govern police impasse procedures are hidden in a law that was passed in 1987 and never codified, creating a “if you know, you know” process for police.
• Use of Impact Bargaining …

Florida, Elizabeth Ford

Thin Blue Advantage: Police Exceptionalism and the Two-Tier System of Public Sector Collective Bargaining

In general, Florida Public Employment Relations Commission (PERC) decisions and statute demonstrate a dramatic divergence between police and non-police mandatory subjects of bargaining, particularly in the area of discipline. In addition,

• Duty to Bargain Discipline More Expansive for Police. The duty to bargain disciplinary rules in the non-police setting is much more expansive in the police setting.
• Duty to Bargain Work Reassignment More Expansive For Police. The reassignment rules are dramatically different in the police and non-police context.
• Duty to Bargain Change of Duties Broader for Police. There are few cases about changes of duties, but those that exist are …

Affordable And Sustainable: Innovating Filament Extrusion For Recycled Materials, Turab S. Rizvi

UROP Posters

The chemical stability, toxicity and non-biodegradability of the polymers pose a significant environmental threat. Addressing end-of-life treatment sustainability is crucial for mitigating these issues. The customized Lyman filament extruder in the Advanced Magnetic Materials Processing Laboratory represents an innovative approach to advancing sustainability in renewable energy production and CO₂ mitigation. Redesigning the thermal system and screw operation will tackle key challenges, including precise temperature control, consistent material flow to handle diverse recycled materials. Integrating an advanced thermal regulation system will reduce the energy consumption by maintaining optimal thermal conditions, thereby lowering the CO₂ footprint of the recycling process. The optimized …

Systematic Co-Culture Of Ipsc-Cm And Ipsc-An Promote Co-Maturation In Vitro, William Gregory Terrell Jr.

Graduate Dissertations and Theses

The cardiac microenvironment is a complex system of multicellular interactions that enables proper heart function. In native heart muscle, sympathetic neurons (SN) and parasympathetic neurons (PSN) modulate the beat rate of cardiomyocytes (CM) to maintain homeostasis. Pluripotent stem cells can differentiate into CM, but differentiated CMs are fetal-like, with a high beat rate, and lack organized sarcomeric structure. Recent reports of co-cultured pluripotent CM/SN pairs have reported electrophysiological changes in the SN (increased upstroke velocity). However, interpretation of these results are obscured by the differences in co-culture parameters between studies (stage of development, co-culture duration, etc.). The goal of this …

Prima Facie Regulatory Capture: Lessons From Epa’S Regulation Of Glyphosate And Pfas ‘Forever Chemicals’, Jason Maclean

Minnesota Journal of Law, Science & Technology

No abstract provided.

Improving Student Support On A Decentralized Campus, Delaney Ybarra, Andrea Garrity, Erica L. Wagner

Office of Academic Affairs Publications

Project management has been a key tool in many industries, such as technology and construction, yet it remains underutilized in the higher education sector. In 2013, Portland State University’s Office of Student Success adopted a project management framework to improve student outcomes. This article describes how in using project management we developed a pilot program that helped administer hardship funds to students, what the outcomes were, and how it advanced the project across a decentralized landscape.

Quantification Of Changes With Combined Shape Mode Analysis And Swimming Simulations, Kelli E. Gutierrez, Becca Thomases, Paulo E. Arratia, Robert D. Guy

Mathematics Sciences: Faculty Publications

Many different microswimmers propel themselves using flagella that beat periodically. The shape of the flagellar beat and swimming speed have been observed to change with fluid rheology. We quantify changes in the flagellar waveforms of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii in response to changes in fluid viscosity using (i) shape mode analysis and (ii) a full swimmer simulation to analyse how shape changes affect the swimming speed and to explore the dimensionality of the shape space. By decomposing the gait into the time‑independent mean shape and the time‑varying stroke, we find that the flagellar mean shape substantially changes in response to viscosity, while …

A Literature Review Of Behavioral Outcome Measurement And Reporting Methods In Contemporary Diversity Training Research, Jesse Basson

Selected Full Text Dissertations, 2011-

Diversity Training (DT) has become increasingly popular within organizational and academic settings as sociopolitical issues such as race relations, gender discrimination, and advocacy for LGBTQ+ populations continue to be examined in the United States. Research on the impacts of DT on participant learning has produced mixed findings, provoking questions regarding overall effectiveness and outcome measurement in DT. Training evaluation research has previously defined learning into three separate categories; Affective learning, cognitive learning, and behavioral learning (Kraiger et al., 1993), and behavioral learning outcomes in DT have been the least investigated of the three (Kulik & Roberson, 2008a). This critical literature …

An Exploratory Study On The Usability Of Distance Learning Technology In The U.S. Army Recruiting And Retention Command, Rony Arizandieta Rodas

Selected Full Text Dissertations, 2011-

This exploratory study investigates how integrating distance learning technologies within the U.S. Army impacts enlisted soldiers in terms of implementation, usability, and long-term career mobility. With internet-based education, active-duty enlisted personnel can pursue academic degrees from accredited military-affiliated institutions while simultaneously fulfilling operational duties, deployments, and daily training. The U.S. Army Recruiting Command has capitalized on this advancement by framing online education and digital accessibility as core components of its enlistment strategy. This approach is particularly relevant given that a significant proportion of new recruits originate from rural and economically disadvantaged areas, where access to higher education is often limited, …

Evaluation Of The Niosh Sound Level Meter App In Real Work Settings, Maxwell Scott Costlow

All ETDs from UAB

With the significant presence of occupational noise exposure, the development of mobile sound measurement applications has been reported. These apps have the potential to help reduce purchasing costs of sampling equipment for small businesses. One of the most promising apps is the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Sound Level Meter (SLM), but most studies on the accuracy of the app have been conducted in controlled labs. The purpose of this study was to examine the differences between the NIOSH SLM and type 2 noise measuring instruments in real work settings. Both short-term and long-term noise sampling was …

Targeting The Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone Receptor (Tshr) In Thyroid Cancer, Grayson Robert Gimblet

All ETDs from UAB

Radioactive iodine (RAI) has been effective in the treatment of thyroid cancer, the most common endocrine neoplasia, since its introduction into clinical use over eighty years ago. However, not all patients benefit from RAI. Up to 20% of patients with well-differentiated thyroid cancer (WDTC) become radioactive iodine refractory (RAI-R). These RAI-R patients have 5-year survival rates of 50% and 10-year survival rates of 10%. In addition, more aggressive subtypes including oncocytic thyroid carcinoma (OC), poorly differentiated thyroid carcinoma (PDTC), and anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) are less responsive to RAI therapy. Despite accounting for less than 5% of annual thyroid cancer …

Electrophysiological Integration Of Engineered Tissue Graft With The Host Swine Myocardium, Bijay Guragain

All ETDs from UAB

The adult mammalian heart lacks regenerative capacity to replenish cardiomyocytes (CMs) lost due to myocardial infarction (MI). Instead, the damaged heart undergoes extensive remodeling that significantly impairs normal cardiac function and may eventually lead to heart failure. Recent therapies that implant engineered tissues fabricated from human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) have shown promising results with improved cardiac function and structural integration. However, the extent of electrophysiological coupling between engineered and host tissue remains unclear. This is a critical factor for functional integration of the implant as well as for arrhythmia risk arising from the implant. Our study aims …

Development Of A Resistive Force Paradigm For The Treatment Of Hemiparesis, Jonathan Daniel Hill

All ETDs from UAB

Hemiparesis is weakening of one side of the body as a result of a stroke that contributes to a decrease in propelling forces (i.e. propulsion) while walking. Existing research to improve propulsion of individuals post-stroke has implemented single-belt and split-belt treadmills, various walking speeds, asynchronous belt speeds (on split-belt treadmills), and a variety of methods for inducing resistive force upon a paretic limb in an attempt to strengthen the paretic limb and improve overall gait symmetry. However, despite this concerted effort of clinicians and scientists, gait deficits remain. Novel methods are required to improve reduced propulsion of individuals post-stroke. Recently, …

Mechanoactivation Of Vegfr-2 Promotes Angiogenesis In The Tumor Microenvironment, Bronte Johnson

All ETDs from UAB

Cancer progression relies on blood vessel growth; without vasculature, tumors would be limited to less than 200µm in diameter. With this reasoning, several cancer therapies have been developed that target the process of angiogenesis, or the growth of vessels off pre-existing vasculature. These treatments target the major promoters of angiogenesis, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and VEGF receptor 2 (VEGFR-2); however, anti-angiogenic therapies are not effective by themselves. This is likely due to mechanoactivation of VEGFR-2 through physical alterations in the tumor microenvironment (TME). One prevalent mechanical change is increased strain on surrounding cells and matrix due to highly contractile …

In Pursuit Of Sovereignty: Transformations Of Colonial Medicine From Wilhelmine To Nazi Germany, Veda Joshi

All ETDs from UAB

After the Berlin Conference of 1884-1885, the Great Powers of Europe, including the newly-born German Empire, greatly expanded their influence and colonial possessions in Africa, with colonies in East Asia and the South Pacific quickly following suit. The German Empire, like its contemporaries, engaged with medicine as a necessary part of its colonial endeavors in order to keep both its native laborers and European settlers healthy. Using documents from the German Bundesarchiv (Federal Archive), including official reports made to the German Colonial Office and documenting of formally conducted expeditions, as well as the writings of colonial doctors, this research examines …

Evaluation Of In Vitro Cardiac Models For Characterizing The Role Of Autophagy In Streptococcus Pneumoniae Infection, Georgianna Khong

All ETDs from UAB

Streptococcus pneumoniae (Spn) is a gram-positive bacterium that causes community-acquired pneumonia, the most prevalent type of pneumonia and a predominant infectious disease. There is evidence linking Spn infection to cardiovascular damage through the ability of Spn to invade and replicate in the myocardium, inducing cardiomyocyte death and disrupting cardiac function. Spn infects cardiomyocytes intracellularly through clathrin-mediated endocytosis, with demonstrated evidence of inhibitory mechanisms including clathrin-mediated endocytosis inhibitors and antioxidants. As a result, autophagy is being investigated as a potential pathway for cardiomyocyte self-defense against Spn, as it may protect cardiomyocytes intracellularly. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate …

Mesenchymal Hippo Signaling In Lung Development And Disease, Kylie Klinkhammer

All ETDs from UAB

During both lung development and regeneration, the proper coordination of different cellular populations working in concert are vital to proper development and wound repairs. Myofibroblasts, highly contractile mesenchymal cells, are vital the organization of cells during lung development and to the remodeling of the extra cellular matrix (ECM) during regeneration. As important as myofibroblasts are, their apoptosis or differentiation to a less contractile phenotype is equally important to normal development and regenerative processes. Excessive differentiation of myofibroblasts or the improper localization of myofibroblasts are associated with pulmonary fibrosis, which is characteristic of lung disease, such as bronchopulmonary dysplasia or idiopathic …

Synergistic Effects Of Hyaluronic Acid And Mechanical Strain On Ovarian Cancer Cell Behaviors, Maranda Erin Kramer

All ETDs from UAB

Ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynecological cancer, but despite this, the effects of the ovarian tumor microenvironment (TME) on disease progression are poorly understood. The TME consist of the extra cellular matrix (ECM), cellular components, and mechanical forces. Cancer associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are stromal cells that secrete several ECM components including collagen, fibronectin, and hyaluronic acid (HA). CAFs also have increased motility and contractility, this increased movement creates micro-strains experienced by the tumor cells in the TME. HA interacts with cancer cells as both a serum and stromal component. Increases in stromal HA in the ovarian TME are associated …

Accuracy Of 3d Printed Models With Various Range Of Crowding Created By Dlp Printer With Different Designs Of Model Base, Chih Yen Liu

All ETDs from UAB

Objective: Treatment planning and appliance fabrication depend on the accurate representation of dentition. Research on the accuracy of digital light processing (DLP) printed models with different base designs across various levels of dental crowding remains limited. This study aims to evaluate the fidelity of DLP printed models and the suitability of different base designs for representing dentition with mild, moderate, and severe crowding. Materials and Methods: The objective is to determine the optimal base designs for DLP-printed models to address varying degrees of dental crowding. A two-way ANOVA was used to compare root mean square (RMS) error across different base …

Evaluating Multiparametric Imaging Biomarkers For Guiding Targeted Therapies In Her2+ Breast Cancer, Ameer Mansur

All ETDs from UAB

Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 positive (HER2+) breast cancer is a biologically diverse disease, in which intratumoral heterogeneity plays a significant role in tumor progression. Advanced medical imaging and image processing techniques offer the potential to noninvasively characterize the underlying intratumoral biology. Capturing these complex changes can allow for assessing therapeutic response and eventually guiding personalized therapeutic strategies. This work evaluates single and multiparametric imaging biomarkers to characterize tumor biology, identify treatment-induced changes, and predict response to targeted therapies. First, the utility of 3’-Deoxy-3’-[18F]Fluorothymidine positron emission tomography ([18F]FLT-PET) was assessed as a biomarker of proliferation for monitoring response to …

Therapeutic Implications Of Fractionated Radiotherapy And Marcks’ Regulation Of Tunneling Nanotubes In Glioblastoma, Lauren Catherine Nassour-Caswell

All ETDs from UAB

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common primary brain malignancy in adults and the gradual development of treatment resistance prevents patients from achieving remission. A primary objective in the field is to devise strategies to overcome this. We predicted this could be achieved by improving existing therapies, creating better models to study GBM, and by identifying a potential therapeutic target. Fractionated radiotherapy (RT) has been used in GBM standard of care for over a century but does not account for GBM heterogeneity. We first hypothesized that in silico mathematical modeling would be a useful tool for cytotoxicity prediction. While this model …