Digital Commons Network^™

Comparative Analysis Of Command Protocols For Cubesat Data Handling Systems, Roman Dowling

Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Researchers at the University of Arkansas developed ARKSAT-1, a cubic satellite with the purpose of employing an LED with a tracking system to perform spectroscopic measurements of the atmosphere.

The control board of the satellite contained several microcontrollers which worked in concert to collect and manage data. Discussed in this report are the software programs developed for the microcontrollers, dual Arduino MKRZeros, utilized as data repositories and for control of satellite peripherals. The programs discussed in this project include an original existing command-response protocol and an improved batch-command protocol, each with its accompanying data handling and storage system. These programs …

A Study Of Varying Dielectric Constant And Thickness Of Dielectric Barrier Discharge Devices And Their Subsequent Plasma Actuation, Sharon Kardasz

Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The principles of air-breathing ion propulsion are relatively unestablished in the aerodynamic realm as traditional forms of combustion for propulsion systems have remained in use. However, due to increasing environmental, economic, and efficiency concerns of traditional combustion, interests in innovative propulsion methodologies, such as electric propulsion, are emerging. A primary technology of interest for use of ion propulsion is the Dielectric Barrier Discharge Device (DBD). Preliminary research conducted at the University of Arkansas has determined the most favorable DBD geometry. This work will continue the preliminary research to decipher the most favorable DBD configuration by varying dielectric thickness and dielectric …

Cosmic Object Space Management Operations System (C.O.S.M.O.S.), Riah Ivy, Tyler Bumpus, Gabriel Soter

Senior Design Project For Engineers

In the expansive realm of outer space, humanity has ventured into new territories, yet this progress is accompanied by challenges. Among the most significant challenges confronting space exploration today is the growing amount of space debris within low earth orbit. Satellites, spent rocket stages, and assorted fragments orbiting Earth present a considerable hazard to spacecraft and astronauts, and this issue is steadily worsening. For years, the task of remedying this orbital congestion has remained formidable and unresolved. This design provides a novel and innovative solution to this growing problem.

Evaluation Of An Emergency Department Provider Information Update On The Initiation Of Suboxone With A Community Treatment Program Referral For Opioid Overdose And Opioid Use Disorder, Carmen Brewington

All Dissertations

Over 21 million people in the United States (U.S.) require substance use disorder (SUD) treatment; yet less than 4 million people receive treatment (Bressan & Kening, 2023). According to Thomas et al. (2022), opioid overdose deaths are increasing, and improving access to evidence-based treatment is critical. Hospital emergency departments (EDs) play a lifesaving in the emergency treatment of opioid overdoses; but can also serve as gateways to opioid treatment by healthcare providers for opioid addictions (Reuter et al., 2022). Mortality, after an ED visit for opioid overdose, is high (Thomas et al., 2022). Community resources are limited, thus making it …

Chm116 Principles Of Chemistry Ii Lecture Slides, Leah S. Cohen, Probal Banerjee

Open Educational Resources

This file contains the lecture slides that are used in CHM116, Principles of Chemistry II.

Reducing The Burden: Increasing Housing Supply To Lower Housing Costs

Miscellaneous Reports

No abstract provided.

A Mechanical Model For Stress Relaxation Of Polylactic Acid/Thermoplastic Polyurethane Blends, Yi-Sheng Jhao, Hao Ouyang, Chien-Chao Huang, Fuqian Yang, Sanboh Lee

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Polylactic acid (PLA) is considered a promising biodegradable polymer alternative. Due to its high brittleness, composite materials made by melt blending thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) with PLA can enhance the toughness of PLA. To understand the forced aging caused by stress relaxation in polymer materials, this study explains the stress relaxation experiments of PLA/TPU blends with different mass ratios under applied strain through mechanical model simulations. The Kelvin representation of the standard linear solid model (SLSM) is used to analyze the stress relaxation data of TPU/PLA blends, successfully explaining that the Young’s moduli (E1 and E2) of springs decrease with increasing …

Consumerism & Sustainability, Karen Strange

Instructional Psychology and Technology Graduate Student Projects

The purpose of my project was two-fold. Firstly, it aimed to create a supplemental course on Consumerism and Sustainability to accompany existing textbook readings in a BYU course on textiles. Secondly, the project sought to convert an activity from the chapter with passive learner-content interaction with the video lectures and chapter readings into one that had interactive learner-content interaction. This project was created for the instructor/students in the Textile Course 382 in FACS Education Department at BYU. By updating the course content, students would have an opportunity to interact with the content as well as with other students in a …

"Sugar, We're Goin Down"?': Major Questions Doctrine And The Securities And Exchange Commission's Climate Disclosure Rule, Austin S. Mccleery

Colorado Environmental Law Journal

No abstract provided.

(Re)Consider The Walls: Exploring Meaning Potentials Of An Art Classroom’S Contents Through Thing-Powered Illustrations, Dylan Newton Hale

School of Art Graduate Theses

This arts-based self-study aimed to investigate the dynamic interplay of semiotic relationships and art pedagogical praxes through objects within the researcher’s art classroom. Utilizing interdisciplinary perspectives of semiotics, the new materialist concept of thing-power, and art scholarship, this arts-based self-study explores how inanimate objects possess the ability to influence and reflect pedagogical ideologies. The literature review provides an overview of educational semiotics, new materialist theory with a focus on the concept of thing-power, and drawing as a form of scholarship. It examines the communicative ability of the educational environment, elaborating on the role of objects as signs and symbols in …

Relation Between Cognitive Assessment And Clinical Physical Performance Measures After Mild Traumatic Brain Injury, Prokopios Antonellis, Margaret M. Weightman, Peter C. Fino, Siting Chen, Mark E. Lester, Carrie W. Hoppes, Leland E. Dibble, Laurie A. King

Physical Therapy Faculty Publications

Objectives

To investigate the relation between cognitive and motor performance in individuals with mild traumatic brain injury(mTBI) and examine differences in both cognitive and motor performance between adults after mTBI and healthy controls.

Design

Multi-center, cross-sectional study.

Setting

Three institutional sites (Courage Kenny Research Center, Minneapolis, MN, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, and University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT).

Participants

Data were collected from 110 participants (N=110), including those with mTBI and healthy controls, who completed cognitive and physical performance assessments.

Interventions

Not applicable.

Outcome Measures

Cognitive assessments involved the Automated Neuropsychological Assessment Metrics to evaluate …

Journalistic Quality In The Digital Age Relating To Newsroom Diversity, Max Guerrera

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Traditionally, journalistic quality is determined by the integrity of a piece, along with its contribution to public knowledge. High quality, ethical journalism serves the purpose of holding those in power accountable and ensuring transparency in government actions through factual reporting. Objectivity is a highly emphasized element of American journalism because it allows the audience to form their own opinions and evaluate facts individually. However, as the distribution of media has changed with technological advancements, so have news writing trends. The theory of agenda setting, the concept that the media have the power to shift public opinions and perceptions of the …

Reimagining Inclusion: Shaping The Future Of Special Education Engagement, Selena Rodriguez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

For this Capstone Project, the researchers investigated how special education teachers, general education teachers, and a behavioral technician at Landscape Elementary view student engagement and what they think could be done to improve it. This is important because students with special needs deserve quality education that revolves around equity. It is argued that special education teachers require increased support that empowers them to effectively engage students and promote their learning. The primary stakeholder perspectives chosen were three general education teachers, two special education teachers, and one behavioral technician, because they all have experience in working with students with special needs. …

Stronger Together: Uniting Parents, Educators, And Professionals For Enhanced Social-Emotional, Leslie Montiel

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This Capstone project addresses the crucial issue of inadequate social-emotional learning in elementary schools, focusing on improving access and quality for students. It is essential to tackle this issue because limited access hinders the development of students' social-emotional skills, potentially affecting their long-term success. It is argued that integrating higher-quality social-emotional learning into education is necessary to foster lifelong skills. Three key stakeholders—two parents and one principal—were interviewed to obtain their suggestions for improving social-emotional skills. Analysis of the data revealed three potential action options: hiring more professionals; providing additional professional development for educators; and enhancing parental involvement. Of these, …

Will The Future Of Video Game Music Require Real Composers?, Nathan Barrett

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

In order to gain a better understanding of video game composition and whether or not real composers will be required, I will explore a variety of categories within the field of game composition and sound design. General categories of focus will cover, 1) Basics, Standards, and Tropes for Game Composition 2) How Games Compositions Have Evolved 3) Creative Uses of Music inside of Games 4) Innovative Techniques for Game Compositions, and 5) The Ethics of Procedural Music and it's use in games.

The Importance Of An Operations Manual, Richard Schlotthauer

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Without having an operations manual programs are susceptible to misinformation between one another. Partners for Peace is a program that is dedicated to serving Monterey County, and its troubled youth as well as their parents/guardians. Creating an operations manual will help to ensure that all staff members are on the same page when it comes to day to day issues around the office. Every staff member now has a copy of the operations manual, this will ensure that all members of the team will be on the same page when issues arise in and out of the office. In order …

Sexual Wellness Across Abilities: Reimagining Education For Adults With Disabilities, Damiana Kelsey

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Many adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDDs) lack sexuality education and opportunities for personal expression. Because of this, a sexuality education curriculum was developed for Gateway’s program, Without Walls. This program is specifically for adults with Intellectual Disabilities. This curriculum was delivered to 15 students ages 25 to 56. The purpose of this project is to bridge information for this population and make it more accessible. Especially with this group, there is a need for further discussion and a space to ask questions about social-emotional and sexual health. Over the course of 11 classes, the students reported having a …

Socio-Emotional Learning Interventions For Student Achievement, Alexis Campos

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Marina High School students face challenges including misbehavior, truancy, and academic struggles. In collaboration with a social worker, the school's counseling department focuses on supporting high-risk students. High-risk students can lead to dropouts, involvement in crime, and poverty. The focus is on addressing academic underachievement due to behavior issues and low grades. Targeting the roots of this issue is to tackle mental health, improve life skills, and build a positive environment. The capstone aims to develop educational interventions around mental health, skill development, and socio-emotional well-being. High-risk students were identified and placed in targeted interventions or groups to address their …

Gamification Of Speech Therapy With Pronunciation Pal, Parker Zbylut

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

This capstone report examines the theory and implementation behind applying game design principles to educational applications, and explores their implementation in an educational game through the Pronunciation Pal application. The gamification of learning tools aims to increase learners' engagement and attentiveness with a subject by restructuring content using game design principles of challenges, rewards and feedback. Feedback can be delivered via visuals and/or sounds, as well as regular indicators of player progress and accomplishment. In addition, a successful game implementation establishes challenges to facilitate a player's intrinsic desire to continue playing and improving at the skills presented by the game. …

Anti-Thesis: When Your Worst Moments Become Your Best Work, Abigail Williamson

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

My honors capstone project expands the creative work of a major writing assignment in English 3170: Successful Freelance Magazine Writing, which was modeled after Susan Shapiro’s “Humiliation Essay.” Shapiro’s signature assignment encourages students to write about an embarrassing or upsetting moment with the aim to force sincerity and humility. She writes, “It encourages students to shed vanity and pretension and relive an embarrassing moment that makes them look silly, fearful, fragile or naked.” The humiliation essay, she claims, often leads to publication because the conflict of the assignment inspires writers, and the narrator’s self-insight that occurs during the process of …

Reading Fluency Intervention: The Impact Of Integrating Differentiated Instructional Strategies Into Small Group Instruction, Amaya Brodine

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

This capstone project will report the effectiveness of three instructional strategies and two assessment strategies integrated into a 11-week reading fluency unit. These strategies were implemented in a small group setting with the goal of improving students’ automaticity reading scores. This small intervention group met four times a week for eleven weeks where students practiced choral reading, buddy reading, and game-based learning strategies. Throughout this reading intervention unit student data was gathered through triannual growth assessment, weekly progress monitoring, formal assessment strategies, and a final project. This capstone will also provide an overview of the data collection methods utilized through …

Development Of A Solution Concept Inventory For The High School Chemistry Classroom, Grace Tetschner

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Many high school chemistry students struggle to learn the chemistry of solutions because they hold alternate conceptions—beliefs that differ from scientifically accepted ideas—related to the topics covered in a traditional solution unit. For this reason, high school chemistry teachers would benefit from the development of a Solution Concept Inventory (SCI)—a multiple-choice assessment that could be used in the high school classroom to identify student alternate conceptions on the concept of solutions. In this study, common solution-related alternate conceptions were identified, items for an SCI were developed, an analysis was performed to determine the quality of the items, and validity evidence …

Seeking Sanctuary: An Analysis Of U Visa Policies In Omaha, Nebraska And Their Impact On Immigrant Communities, Emma Ehmke

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Since 2000, immigrants have been eligible for U visa status if they are a victim of a particular crime and assist law enforcement in criminal investigations. However, challenges arise for numerous reasons with the I-918 Supplement B form, which must be signed by an agency certifier within law enforcement or an attorney’s office. This study examines the policies of six law enforcement agencies and attorney’s offices in the Omaha Metro Area through semi-structured interviews to understand their approach to U visas and the characteristics of successful applications. The study aims to uncover variations in agency procedures and understandings and the …

Enhanced Microstructural Stability And Hardness Of Multi-Component Nanocrystalline Nickel Alloys Processed Via Mechanical Alloying, Mari Therese S. Burton, B. Chad Hornbuckle, Vincent H. Hammond, Kristopher A. Darling, Helen M. Chan, Christopher J. Marvel, Martin P. Harmer

Faculty Publications

Nanocrystalline alloys are noteworthy for their high strength, and nanocrystalline Ni is being investigated for high-temperature applications. However, nanocrystalline alloys are unstable against coarsening, thereby prone to degradation of strength. In this work, two nanocrystalline alloys, Ni–(0, 11 at pct W)–3 at pct Ta–2 at pct Y, were designed to exhibit microstructural stability and high strength by forming nanoscale precipitates, maintaining stable nanoscale grains to exploit Hall–Petch hardening, and decreasing the stacking fault energy of the Ni-based matrix. Produced via high-energy cryogenic mechanical alloying, both alloys exhibited thermal stability and enhanced mechanical properties due to beneficial impurity yttrium oxide/nitride particles …

Optimization Of Tyrosine Hydroxylase Antibody For Immunohistochemistry Fluorescence Detection In Zebrafish (Danio Rerio), Madison Thurber

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Dopamine is an important neurotransmitter produced through the catecholamine synthesis pathway that affects brain activity. Unregulated dopamine levels can lead to various diseases such as Parkinson’s Disease or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Optimization of an immunohistochemistry protocol will allow for the quantification of tyrosine hydroxylase antibody, which indirectly allows for dopamine quantification in dopaminergic regions within the brain. However, the antibody concentration to give the optimal signal-to-noise ratio in IHC varies across studies. Through this experiment, I determined the concentration of tyrosine hydroxylase (TyrH) antibody for immunohistochemistry that gave the best signal-to-background noise ratio within several known dopaminergic regions …

Addressing Athletes Coexisting Conditions Of Autism And Depression: Participants Self-Report Decreased Feelings Of Depression Post Exercise, Joshua Sutton, Saundra Shillingstad, Jessica Baldwin

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

The goal of this study was to evaluate if exercise would decrease depressive symptoms of participants who reported having coexisting conditions of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and depression. Research has reported that autistic people have increased rates of depression, in comparison to general populations (Unruh et al., 2020). The purpose of this research was to evaluate if exercise would decrease depressive symptoms of the Unified Fitness athlete participants who self-identified as having depressive symptoms and ASD. This research was conducted during the Fall 2023 semester as an extension of the class Kinesiology Practicum, using the University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO) …

Preparing 3rd Graders For Addition & Subtraction Using Differentiated Instructional & Assessment Methods, Emily Brasfield

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

This capstone project reports the effectiveness of four instructional strategies and two assessment methods that were integrated into a second-grade mathematics unit. The unit focused on addition and subtraction within 1,000 with missing numbers and story problems. The unit was taught over five days. The unit included both a pre- and post-assessment to assist in documenting student growth from the first to the last lesson. In my capstone, I will discuss the most effective instructional and assessment strategies and their impact students learning. After the completion of this unit, I analyzed the pre- and post-assessment data. I discovered that using …

The Age Of Adolescence: Examining The Relationship Between Body Image And Mood In Early Adolescence, Destiny R. Klanecky

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

The current study sought to examine the relationship between body dissatisfaction and early adolescent mood with the intent of raising awareness and prevention, as well as intervention, when it comes to negative mental health and depressive mood in early adolescence. General self-worth acted as the outcome variable, examining body dissatisfaction, gender, and affect as potential predictor variables of lower general self-worth at the end of the school year. All measures were done through self-report questionnaires. Correlations were run to determine gender differences among the variables of interest and a hierarchical regression was done to account for change in general self-worth …

Phonics In Kindergarten: Introducing Digraphs Using Scaffolding And Manipulatives, Courtney Brink

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

In my capstone project, I incorporated multiple strategies that supported students’ learning of and engagement with lessons on three digraphs: sh, th, and ch. My objective was not to teach to mastery, but instead to expose students to higher level literacy concepts and build their background knowledge for future lessons. Based on student artifacts, students gained multiple opportunities for exposure and practice of reading and writing words with digraphs. The assessment data does not directly support an improvement in student performance with independent writing. This capstone will highlight the instructional and assessment strategies I used, the data I collected, and …

That Way: An Examination Of Male Relationships In Film During The Hays Code, Jane Knudsen

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

The Hays Code (1934-1968) influenced the construct of United States masculinity and the discourse surrounding masculine presentation between the 1920s to the 1960s. The Hays Code and World War II affected the culture surrounding male/male relationships in the United States. Previous research done by David Lugowski (1999) and Jeffrey Suzik (1999) shows that both World Wars led to crises of masculinity in which the hegemonic ideal of masculinity was restructured to establish men as providers and warriors, and Code-era films reflected the discourse. To understand the gender roles in the 20^th century, I analyzed the Hays code, male bonds, …