Digital Commons Network^™

Supporting Ksu English Instructors In Meeting The Access Needs Of Deaf And Hard And Hearing Students, Kris Roberson

Master's Projects

The lack of instructors prepared to work with deaf and hard of hearing (DHOH) students in higher education causes course accessibility barriers (Palmer et al., 2019; National Deaf Center [NDC] of Postsecondary Outcomes, n.d) and increased stress for students and instructors (Valle-Flórez et al., 2021; Salko, 2023). These obstacles inhibit DHOH student graduation rates and workforce entry (Garberoglio, 2019). Instructors require more training to effectively support DHOH students with best practices beyond basic accommodations. This qualitative research study presents phenomenological data from six interviews conducted with participants from one large, southeastern, R2 public university (Kennesaw State University, [KSU]) and one …

My Body Adorned, Marie Y. Peterson

Art and Art History Honors Projects

My studio art honors project is an autobiographical body of work expressed through a ceramic-based installation. Further exploring the hybridized identity of being an Asian-American adoptee, My Body Adorned aims to juxtapose the contentious history of body modifications using the familiar and prestigious visual language of South Korean-inspired celadon-ware. My Body Adorned showcases a collection of vessels inspired by Korean ceramics with “tattooed” exteriors. Reinforced and informed by my tattooing practice, my work exposes the visual, linguistic, and technical skills that intertwine clay and skin and establishes a conversation between my physical human body and body of work.

Russian Verbs Of Sound’S Web-Scraping Results From The A.A. Zalizniak Grammatical Dictionary And The Russian National Corpus. Multi-Dimensional Scaling Techniques And Visualization Strategies, John Simmons, Irina V. Ivliyeva

Graduate Student Research & Creative Works

This project aims to enhance web extraction techniques pertaining to a specific lexical-semantic group of Russian verbs of sounds, which undergo semantic modifications at the word-formation level (affixation). Additionally, it seeks to organize search results in a manner conducive to linguistic research using Multi-Dimensional Scaling (MDS) techniques and novel visualization strategies.

The primary objective in this phase of the research was to gather, consolidate, analyze, and present a comprehensive index of all forms of verbs of sound sourced from the A.A. Zalizniak Grammatical Dictionary of the Russian language, hyperlink each verbal form in this index with the Russian National Corpus …

The Queer Gazes Back: A Dowry Of Blood As A Queer Mirror To Cisheterosexual Gothic Fears, Robin Bozik

English

This paper examines the connection between the contemporary Gothic A Dowry of Blood and its literary predecessors, Dracula, Frankenstein, and Carmilla. Through a focus on queer bodies, this work demonstrates the evolution of queer lineage-making and responses to cisheterosexual threats. Using literature as a “mirror” to gaze back on the visceral fears held by those who fall outside the norms of gender and sexuality in their respective time periods, this work also examines social tensions in the 21^st century surrounding reproduction and gender-affirming care.

In addition to literary analysis of the primary texts, this paper is …

Empirical Models Of The Hβ Broad Emission Line Gas Density Field, Lizvette Villafaña, Tommaso Treu, Lourenzo Colleyn, Brendon J. Brewer, Aaron J. Barth, Matthew A. Malkan, Vivian U, Vardha N. Bennert

Physics

We present the second iteration of the caramel-gas code, an empirical model of the broad-line region (BLR) gas density field. Building on the initial development and testing of caramel-gas, we expand the meaning of the model parameter α, which initially represented only the power-law index of the dependency of emissivity on radial distance. In this work, we test a more generalized radial power-law index, α, that also includes a description of the effective emitting size(s) of the BLR structure as a function of radial distance. We select a sample of 10 active galactic nuclei (AGN) from three different …

Cradle Explorer: Casfer Interactive Platform For Data And Model Visualization, Olatunde D. Akanbi, Vibha S. Mandayam, Haiping Ai, Arafath Nihar, Erika I. Barcelos, Laura S. Bruckman, Jeffrey Yarus, Yinghui Wu, Huichun (Judy) Zhang, Roger H. French

Student Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Geospatial Analysis Of Precipitation Data And River Networks Using Satellite Imagery, Vibha S. Mandayam, Olatunde D. Akanbi, Ethan Tobey, Adaezeogo Ezeogo-Enwo, Hyangmok Baek, Atharva Gupta, Laura S. Bruckman, Erika I. Barcelos, Roger H. French

Student Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Increases In Regional Brain Volume Across Two Native South American Male Populations, Nikhil N. Chaudhari, Phoebe E. Imms, Nathan F. Chowdhury, Margaret Gatz, Benjamin Trumble, Wendy J. Mack, E. Meng Law, M. Linda Sutherland, James D. Sutherland, Christopher J. Rowan, L. Samuel Wann, Adel H. Allam, Randall C. Thompson, David E. Michalik, Michael I. Miyamoto, Guido Lombardi, Daniel Cummings, Edmond Seabright, Sarah Alami, Angela R. Garcia, Daniel E. Rodriguez, Raul Quispe Gutierrez, Adrian J. Copajira, Paul L. Hooper, Kenneth Buetow, Jonathan Stieglitz, Michael D. Gurven, Gregory S. Thomas, Hillard Kaplan, Caleb E. Finch, Andrei Irimia

ESI Publications

Industrialized environments, despite benefits such as higher levels of formal education and lower rates of infections, can also have pernicious impacts upon brain atrophy. Partly for this reason, comparing age-related brain volume trajectories between industrialized and non-industrialized populations can help to suggest lifestyle correlates of brain health. The Tsimane, indigenous to the Bolivian Amazon, derive their subsistence from foraging and horticulture and are physically active. The Moseten, a mixed-ethnicity farming population, are physically active but less than the Tsimane. Within both populations (N = 1024; age range = 46–83), we calculated regional brain volumes from computed tomography and compared …

An Investigation Of The Interactions Of Gradient Coherence And Network Pruning In Neural Networks, Zachary Yauney

Theses and Dissertations

We investigate the coherent gradient hypothesis and show that the coherence measurements are different on real and random data regardless of the network's initialization. We introduce "diffs," an attempt at an element-wise approximation at coherence, and investigate their properties. We study how coherence is affected by increasing the width of simple fully-connected networks. We then prune those fully-connected networks and find that sparse networks outperform dense networks with the same number of nonzero parameters. In addition, we show that it is possible to increase the performance of a sparse network by scaling the size of the dense parent network it …

Comprehensive Analysis Of Bulk And Single-Cell Transcriptomic Data Reveals A Novel Signature Associated With Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress, Lipid Metabolism, And Liver Metastasis In Pancreatic Cancer, Xing Wang, Minzhi Gu, Feihan Zhou, Ruiling Xiao, Xiyuan Luo, Lei You, Yupei Zhao

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a lethal malignancy with high probability of recurrence and distant metastasis. Liver metastasis is the predominant metastatic mode developed in most pancreatic cancer cases, which seriously affects the overall survival rate of patients. Abnormally activated endoplasmic reticulum stress and lipid metabolism reprogramming are closely related to tumor growth and metastasis. This study aims to construct a prognostic model based on endoplasmic reticulum stress and lipid metabolism for pancreatic cancer, and further explore its correlation with tumor immunity and the possibility of immunotherapy.

METHODS: Transcriptomic and clinical data are acquired from TCGA, ICGC, and GEO …

Affect Variability And Cortisol In Context: The Moderating Roles Of Mean Affect And Stress, Brooke N. Jenkins, Logan T. Martin, Hee Youn (Helen) Lee, John F. Hunter, Amanda M. Acevedo, Sarah D. Pressman

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Positive and negative affect have been shown to have implications for hormones like cortisol but how moment to moment changes in affect (i.e., affect variability) influence cortisol secretion is less well understood. Additionally, context characteristics such as mean affect and stress may influence the association between affect variability and cortisol output. In the current study, we examined affect, stress, and cortisol data from 113 participants (age range = 25–63, M = 35.63, SD = 11.34; 29 % male; 42 % White/Caucasian, 37 % Asian or Pacific Islander, 13 % Hispanic/Latino, 4 % Black/African American, 1 % Native American, Eskimo, or …

Terrestrial Exchange Of Atmospheric Metals: Insights From Fallout Radionuclides, Joshua D. Landis

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Forests mediate the exchange of gases and particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) between terrestrial ecosystems and the atmosphere over 30% of global land area. Because forest foliage efficiently absorbs PM with persistent pollutants including metals Pb and Hg, as well as CO₂ and gaseous elemental mercury (GEM), this exchange profoundly influences the composition of the atmosphere as well as terrestrial biogeochemical cycles. The processes by which PM is absorbed remain enigmatic, however, due to the complexity of micrometeorological physics and submicron physical scale of the interaction. Here, measurements of fallout radionuclides (FRNs) beryllium-7 and lead-210, which are quintessential tracers …

Implementing And Marketing Diversity, Equity And Inclusion Practices And Resources: Creating The E‐Buzz!, Essraa Nawar, Kristin Laughtin-Dunker

Library Presentations, Posters, and Audiovisual Materials

Leatherby Libraries Librarians are committed to supporting and promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion for students, faculty, researchers, and staff. We demonstrate this commitment holistically through the provision of all resources and services in support of teaching, learning, and research. Our goal is to reduce obstacles to accessing diverse research resources, services, learning, and engagement through educational outreach in order to raise awareness of diversity related issues.

In 2020, Library administration selected a Diversity and Outreach librarian that was charged with creating a comprehensive Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) and Outreach plan. As a result, a number of practices and initiatives …

Assessing Brain Processing Deficits Using Neuropsychological And Vision-Specific Tests For Concussion, Brent A. Harper, Rahul Soangra

Physical Therapy Faculty Articles and Research

Introduction: Since verbal memory and visual processing transpire within analogous cerebral regions, this study assessed (i) if a visual function can predict verbal memory performance. It also hypothesized whether neurocognitive (e.g., ImPACT) tests focusing on the Visual Memory and Cognitive Efficacy Index will predict Verbal Memory scores and (ii) if vision metrics and age can identify individuals with a history of concussion. Finally, it also hypothesized that King–Devick and near point of convergence scores alongside age considerations will identify candidates with a prior reported history of concussion. Materials and methods: This observational cohort assessed 25 collegiate ice hockey players prior …

Número Completo

Intersecciones Hispánicas: Revista de Cultura, Literatura y Lingüística

No abstract provided.

Electron-Phonon Interaction Mediated Gigantic Enhancement Of Thermoelectric Power Factor Induced By Topological Phase Transition., Zhi Li, Koushik Pal, Huiju Lee, Chris Wolverton, Yi Xia

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

We propose an effective strategy to significantly enhance the thermoelectric power factor (PF) of a series of 2D semimetals and semiconductors by driving them toward a topological phase transition (TPT). Employing first-principles calculations with an explicit consideration of electron-phonon interactions, we analyze the electronic transport properties of germanene across the TPT by applying hydrogenation and biaxial strain. We reveal that the nontrivial semimetal phase, hydrogenated germanene with 8% biaxial strain, achieves a considerable 4-fold PF enhancement, attributed to the highly asymmetric electronic structure and semimetallic nature of the nontrivial phase. We extend the strategy to another two representative 2D materials …

Using Probability Theory To Calculate The Odds That Either Candidate Wins The 2024 Presidential Election, Andrew Ruggero

Department of Applied Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Publications

In the U.S., where the electoral college is used to determine the votes of an election, calculating the odds of a president winning is not as simple as looking at the total vote percentages. With each state not exactly having a proportionally linear amount of votes per its population, the total percentage doesn’t mean much. As such, in order to calculate these odds, we must look at a variety of winning combinations per each candidate. First, we must take into account that swing states are the only ones that matter. Defined as a 5% difference between the two main candidates, …

Exploring The Psychological And Physiological Outcomes Of Recreational Pole Dancing: A Feasibility Study, Joanna Nicholas, James A. Dimmock, Jacqueline A. Alderson, Cyril J. Donnelly, Ben Jackson

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

In qualitative and cross-sectional studies, participation in recreational pole dancing classes has been shown to align with improvements in body image, physical fitness, satisfaction of basic psychological needs and group identity. The purpose of this feasibility study was to quantify retention and adherence rates, along with physiological and psychological changes, across eight weeks of pole dancing classes. Of the 76 participants recruited, 68 females (age range nineteen to 60 years) attended baseline testing, a typical term of pole dancing classes at eight local studios (i.e., two 60-minute classes a week for eight weeks) and a post-program testing session resulting in …

An Interview With Santiago Vaquera-Vásquez, An Unrepentant Border Crosser (Jorge A. Hernández Jr. Y Alonso Arana, Pp. 11-15), Jorge A. Hernández Jr., Alonso Arana

Intersecciones Hispánicas: Revista de Cultura, Literatura y Lingüística

Having a conversation with Santiago Vaquera-Vásquez, professor and Chair of the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at the University of New Mexico, is like sitting down at your family table and sharing a deep conversation about the best tacos in town, experiences about crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, traveling across the globe, and everything in between. This interview was born out of our long-time relationship as students of his and out of personal and shared connections, reflections, and conversations regarding the U.S.-Mexico borderlands, la frontera, and northern Mexico. In this interview, he talks about his upbringing, influences within his creative and …

The Second Rebellion Of Satan: The Beautiful Raw Power Of The She-Other. An Interview With Violet Castro (Mario Morera, Pp. 16-19), Mario Morera

Intersecciones Hispánicas: Revista de Cultura, Literatura y Lingüística

The idea of this interview was, in fact, born from the participation of Violet Castro in the anthology Inferno (The Infernal Clock, 2020.) Such text presents a series of short stories representing each of the nine circles of hell in Dante’s Divine Comedy. Her short story At the bottom of my lake of blood, inspired by circle number six, suggests to accompany its reading with the 1990’s song Seasons in the abyss, by the californian trash metal band Slayer. A particular daring trait in this short story is the fact that Satan is portrayed as woman. This interview took place …

Maternal Care Utilization And Provision During The Covid-19 Pandemic: Voices From Minoritized Pregnant And Postpartum Women And Maternal Care Providers In Deep South, Ran Zhang, Tiffany Byrd, Shan Qiao Ph.D., Myriam E. Torres Phd, Msph, Xiaoming Li Ph.D., Jihong Liu Sc.D.

Faculty Publications

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected maternal care services especially for minoritized individuals, creating challenges for both service users (i.e., African American and Hispanic pregnant/postpartum women) and maternal care providers (MCPs). Guided by a socioecological framework, this study aims to investigate the experiences of African American and Hispanic pregnant and postpartum women, as well as MCPs, in accessing and providing maternal care services during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Deep South.

Methods

We conducted semi-structured interviews with 19 African American women, 20 Hispanic women, and 9 MCPs between January and August 2022. Participants were recruited from Obstetrics and Gynecology …

Hydrological Model Of The Diyala River Watershed In Iraq Using Soil Water Assessment Tool, Ahmed Sagban Khudier, Ahmed Naseh Ahmed Hamdan

Al-Bahir

The motivation of the present study is to study and address the limitations imposed on hydrological models and the spatial and temporal distribution of streamflow in the Watershed Diyala River (WDR) from January 1996 to April 2023, which has an area of 25652 km2, which is considered an important source of water for central and southern Iraq, to enable decision-makers to make a future management plan for streamflow. To achieve this motivation, the SWAT model was used and fed by input data such as a Digital elevation model with a 30 m resolution, a soil map, the land use and …

Surface Treatments' Effects On The Capacitor's Dielectric Performance Under Electro-Thermal Stresses, Haider. M. Umran, Feipeng Wang

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

Biaxial-oriented polypropylene (BOPP) films are characterized by unfavorable aging behavior because of their poor susceptibility to high temperatures, humidity, and high electric fields. This makes them unqualified to withstand harsh operating conditions, such as in capacitor applications. This study investigates the impact of annealing BOPP samples at 100 °C for five hours after fluorination at different times (15, 30, and 60 minutes) on their electrical and mechanical performance under electro-thermal stresses. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images confirm that there is an increase in surface roughness and the formation of a dense layer of fluorine-containing groups monotonically with fluorination time. So, …

Unlocking The Power Of Experiential Learning: Student Reported Changes Following Combined Nicu Instruction, Megan M. Black, Natalie A. Perkins, Valerie F. Mcdaniel

Pacific Journal of Health

Purpose: This study aimed to assess the impact of in-person observation, in conjunction with didactic lectures, on students' perceived knowledge of speech-language pathology's (SLP) role and the roles of other healthcare professionals within the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

Method: Data for this study were initially collected for educational purposes and were later retrospectively analyzed with Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval. Ten participants who met the inclusion criteria underwent a didactic lecture on SLPs in the NICU followed by observing an SLP in action at a local NICU. Participants completed multiple surveys, allowing for a comparison of their perceived knowledge …

Taylor Swift As Religion: The Deification Of An International Pop Music Superstar And The Ramifications Of Fame, With A Comparison To Vox Lux, Jessica Cotturone

Religion and Film

This paper explores the ways in which the culture surrounding pop music superstar Taylor Swift is a religion. Taylor Swift has had an indelible impact on her fans, who are known as Swifties, and this paper brings attention to the ways that she establishes a strong connection with her fans such that they come to view her as a religious figure. Definitions of religion proposed by scholars Clifford Geertz and Meghan Johnston Aelabouni are used to analyze how this popular music culture can fit into a broader conceptualization of religion. Special attention is given to the deification of celebrities in …

Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind: The Hidden Issues And Entertainment Within The World Of Crime And Punishment, John Charlton, Christian Sorrells, Aaron Burney, Jonathan Yi

ENGL 1102 Showcase

An anthology diving into observing topics related to crime and punishment and determining the effect on the greater topic. Explains why people are so interested in crime, how PTSD can lead to violence and questioning how prisoners spend their time and all through provoking questions addressed in this anthology in the hope that it creates a greater understanding of crime and punishment as a whole.

The Special Education Process: A Step-By-Step Guide To Understanding Your Rights And The Significance Of Parent Involvement In Your Child’S Educational Process., Juweria Haji

Masters Theses/Capstone Projects

This project explores the challenges faced by parents with diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds in navigating the special education system, particularly the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) process. It highlights barriers, such as language obstacles, lack of cultural sensitivity among educators, and parents' unawareness of their legal rights, which can lead to inadequate services for their children. The project's significance lies in empowering parents to actively participate in and advocate for their children's educational needs, thus fostering a more inclusive and effective special education program. This project aims to provide strategies and resources to enhance parents' understanding of the IEP process. …

An Evidence-Based Strategy For The Use Of Simulation To Assess Situation Awareness In Applicants To Nurse Anesthesia Programs, Angela Lee

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Projects

Medical errors are considered one of the top causes of patient death. Closed claims analysis reveals an estimated 50% of claims are associated with preventable events by the anesthesia provider. Errors in anesthesia leading to critical incidents are associated with errors in situation awareness (SA). Identification of human factor variables, such as SA, provides an analysis of observable behavior and intuition necessary to guide crisis management, maintain clinical performance, and mitigate errors in patient safety. The human factor components of human error and SA play critical roles in patient safety and overall clinical anesthesia practice. The viability of simulation assessment …

No. 18: Refugee Protection And Food Security In Kampala, Uganda, Andrea M. Brown

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

This study proposes strategies to better recognize and protect the food security needs of Kampala’s refugee population. Uganda is Africa’s largest refugee host, with a policy approach that has been widely lauded for its flexible settlement provisions and commitment to durable solutions. However, growing refugee populations and underfunding have led to serious pressures, severely exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Food insecurity in designated refugee settlements is at critical levels: 75% of residents are food insecure. One unique aspect of Uganda’s refugee governance approach is the allowance of refugee populations to self-settle outside of designated camps, in the capital city, Kampala. …

Evidence Based Practice Guidelines For The Pediatric Autistic Spectrum Disorder Population, Calvin Sparks

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Projects

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), as well as caregivers, experience significant challenges in their interactions with healthcare providers in a clinical setting. This is primarily due to their issues with communication, social interaction, and sensory sensitivities to anesthetic treatment during premedication or preoperative environments. Due to these characteristics, it is important to maintain and update the current standards of care for children with ASD while utilizing evidence-guided strategies to provide a pre-operative assessment effectively. The pre-operative assessment is a critical component that renders impact throughout the surgical experience with the purpose of risk stratification, preparation of altering the normal …