Digital Commons Network^™

The Impacts Of Positive Praise On Science Achievement Levels Of Female Students, Sidney Hanel

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

To the general eye, it appears there has been an increase of women in STEM and overall female interest in science however, this is not apparent in the high school classrooms. The lowest level physics classrooms are overwhelmingly female, and the AP Physics class of twenty-five students has two female students. Society is seeing more equal numbers of males and females in biology, healthcare, dentistry, and other medical related fields. This is a wonderful advancement however many other STEM careers are being forgotten.

This study focuses on five physical science courses one of which is provided with additional feedback and …

Eco: A Sustainability Education Chatbot, Joey Gruber

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

There is a lack of access to information about sustainability from what the climate crisis is to how to recycle properly. For both sustainability-informed and uninformed individuals, learning new information about sustainability and reducing their waste in a way that compliments their lifestyle is time-consuming, requires strategic skills, and can cost them money. ECO is an audio and text-based chatbot that teaches users to be more environmentally conscious through waste reduction.

Investigation Of Microbe And Host Tissue Interactions Contributing To The Pathogenesis Of Colorectal Cancer, Ryan Chapman, Dhundy Bastola

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related death worldwide. The pathogenesis of this disease can fall under broad categories; however, the specific precursory mechanism of CRC pathogenesis is still unknown. Dysregulations of the gut microbiome have been identified in the CRC tissue environment. Additionally, CRC tissue gene expression has been observed to differ from that of healthy tissue. Despite these noticeable changes, few studies have directly compared the microorganism composition to the gene expression of CRC tissue. Doing so may identify whether the differentially abundant microorganisms influence the changes in gene expression. The goal of this …

One Ubiquitous Digital, But Social, Identity, Byron Moore

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Creating a digital identity in the Solana ecosystem is composed of creating accounts across multiple platforms with similar pseudo-names. Using public ledger technology (blockchain), digital identities can be developed so they are seamlessly applied across applications. Creating one such identity enables the individual to express themselves and build their personal brand. Blockchain technology automates this process by creating snapshots of an individual’s digital footprint within the scope of the ecosystem and enables a user to create a digital profile inspired by facets of self-sovereign identity principles. A digital identity should be controlled by the individual, but also allow for the …

Discrimination And Abuse Amongst Health Care Workers In A Tertiary Hospital In Kenya, Farah Alnoor Ebrahim

Master of Medicine in Internal Medicine

Background: Discrimination is defined as the unequal or disadvantageous treatment of an individual or a group of individuals. Discrimination in the health care setting can take many forms, including gender, race, verbal or emotional abuse, physical abuse, and sexual abuse. The prevalence of discrimination varies, with common forms being gender and racial discrimination as well as verbal and emotional abuse. Workplace discrimination often leads to a hostile environment for healthcare workers, resulting in significant mental strain. Patients, their relatives, and consultants are the foremost perpetrators of discrimination and abuse across the globe. Little is known about discrimination and abuse within …

Association Between Ct Severity Score And Clinical Severity Score Of Covid-19 Pneumonia At Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi, Paul Kareithi Nduati

Master of Medicine in Imaging and Diagnostic Radiology

Background: Imaging with chest computed tomography (CT) has demonstrated a role in stratifying COVID-19 patients into different clinical severity groups thus facilitating appropriate care decisions. In a limited number of settings, the wider applicability and reproducibility of these findings is unclear. Objectives: To determine the association between chest CT severity score and clinical severity of illness in RT-PCR confirmed SARS-CoV2 patients. To evaluate the relationship of CT chest severity score with short term clinical outcome of patients. Methods: CT chest of 172 SARS-CoV2 patients who accessed care at Aga Khan University Hospital Nairobi between 14th March and 31st December 2020 …

Comparison Of Maldi-Tof Ms And 16s Rrna Sequencing For Identification Of A Collection Of Clinical Isolates Of Nonntuberculous Mycobacteria In Kenya And Describing Their Antimicrobial Susceptibilities, David Enoch Kawalya

Master of Medicine in Clinical Pathology

Study background: non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are members of the genus Mycobacteria that are ubiquitous in the environment. They are increasingly documented to cause multi-drug resistant human and animal infections in immunocompromised as well as immunocompetent hosts and thus, they are a huge burden on public health resources. Diagnosis and treatment of these infections is particularly challenging due to their variable clinical presentation and the lack of easily accessible identification methods. MALDI-TOF MS is a proteomic method that has gained traction in the identification of microbial organisms in clinical practice due to its fast turn-around time, high resolution, and cost-effectiveness but …

Mini Bio: Mini Bioreactor, Keaten L. Tuttle, Justin R. Ramirez, Cole J. Marin, Brian A. Perkins

Mechanical Engineering

Cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) is a growing field of study that involves the production of proteins without the need for living cells to be a part of the reaction. When conducting CFPS reactions, bioreactors are commonly used to control and optimize environmental factors such that high yields can be obtained. Most commercially available bioreactors are not suited for use in research and development or in smaller laboratories as they are expensive and typically require 100s of milliliters of fluid volume. Additionally, many of these systems are complex to interface with and require hours of training to use properly. In this …

Cal Poly Fluid Power Vehicle Challenge 2022, Sangmin Sung, Eddy Rodriguez, Travis Welch, Jeremy Baechler, Kevin Pauls

Mechanical Engineering

In this report, the Featherweight Cycles design team puts forth the scope and overview of their design project, discusses background research and competitor analysis, and presents the project’s final design and manufacturing plans. The overall goal of this project is to fabricate and compete in the Fluid Power Vehicle Challenge, hosted by the National Fluid Power Association. To better define the design process, the team researched previous year’s designs from Cal Poly, as well as winning designs from the last two years to form a baseline of knowledge about competing schools’ designs. After researching multiple design paths, Featherweight Cycles chose …

Without Local Newspapers, Can We Save Our Democracy? An Analysis Of Political Culture, Voter Turnout, And Civic Engagement, Julia Reinhard

Political Science & International Studies | Senior Theses

Since the 1830s, newspapers have been accessible to all members of the public in the United States regardless of socio-economic status. Newspapers are important political information providers. Local journalists provide invaluable expertise for the community they serve about community-level problems, local elections, and help hold government accountable. If news organizations cannot afford to sustain a local newspaper and its staff, the result is a news desert for the community. While recent research has examined the decline of local newspapers, little has been done on how the decline of local newspapers affects civic engagement and voter turnout across the United States. …

Criminal Law, Thomas D. Church, Kate Forrest

Mercer Law Review

This Article provides a comprehensive review of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit’s most noteworthy criminal law opinions from 2021. Section II of this Article addresses substantive criminal offenses, such as economic crimes, drug offenses, and firearm offenses, while Section III covers criminal procedure and constitutional issues arising in criminal prosecutions. Section IV deals with the Federal Sentencing Guidelines (the Guidelines) and other sentencing issues, and Section V provides a limited review of the court’s decisions in post-conviction proceedings.

Healthcare Law, Kathryn Dunnam Harden

Mercer Law Review

This Article serves as a review of significant healthcare developments in the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit during this past Survey period. Specifically, this Article will cover cases, legislation, and trends involving COVID-19, healthcare fraud, and reproductive rights.

Labor And Employment, W. Jonathan Martin Ii, Patricia-Anne Brownback

Mercer Law Review

This Article focuses on recent cases concerning federal labor and employment laws. The following is a discussion of those opinions.

Prisoners, Punitive Damages, And Precedent, Oh My! The Eleventh Circuit In Hoever Overrules Prior Interpretation Of The Prison Litigation Reform Act, Tatiana Dobretsova

Mercer Law Review

Imagine you are a prisoner at Dooly State Prison in Unadilla, Georgia. A squad of about thirty officers march into the prison one day, dressed in riot gear, chanting, “kill, kill, kill.” The officers begin cursing and ordering inmates to get out of their cells, even yanking some by their shirts if they are not moving quickly enough. As you and the other inmates rush out of your cells, you are subjected to body cavity searches—you are ordered to strip naked, squat and cough, turn around, and bend over, all in the presence of several officers. An officer hands you …

Creating A Civil Remedy In Georgia For Survivors Of Out-Of-State Childhood Sexual Abuse, Alexandra H. Bradley

Mercer Law Review

Sexual abuse casts long shadows and causes long-lasting effects on its survivors, particularly children. Especially tragic, most abused children are abused by an adult whom that child knows and trusts. This abuse by anyone, especially by a child’s parents or close family friend, often causes lifelong emotional damage. Survivors generally do not recognize the extent of their abuse until many years later.

This late onset or delayed discovery has made it difficult for courts to provide redress. Although technically children could sue their abuser when the abuse occurs, children generally do not know they have a cause of action, nor …

Arctic Valley Trails Feasibility Assessment And Master Planning Support, Anthony Naciuk

Student Projects for Graduate Degrees

This project conducted a feasibility assessment to determine whether it is feasible to implement new trails at Arctic Valley. This assessment was executed by reviewing literature, collecting primary and secondary data, organizing data into tables, maps, interview logs, and documents. The data was analyzed and presented in summary reports elaborating on data collected, analysis performed, and findings. Findings were organized into six product packages for knowledge transfer to Anchorage Ski Club (ASC). These included a Stakeholder Feedback Report, Historical Infrastructure Analysis Report, Literature Review, Chugach State Park Regulation Change Process Model, Trail Mapping and Models Analysis, and Feasibility Assessment Report. …

Analyzing The Surface Chemistry Of Ni-Fe Hydroxide Alloy Nanoparticles As Catalysts For The Oxygen Evolution Reaction By X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy Analysis, Lauren B. Shepard

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Water electrolysis has been proposed as a renewable source of hydrogen, a possible replacement to harmful fossil fuels. This process can be broken down into two half reactions, the hydrogen evolution reaction and the oxygen evolution reaction. Because the oxygen evolution reaction has slow kinetics and a high overpotential to overcome, a catalyst is needed to speed up the kinetics and ensure faster and more efficient production of molecular hydrogen. The use of Ni-Fe hydroxide alloy nanoparticles as a catalyst has been shown to significantly improve the efficiency of the reaction by decreasing the overpotential, making the process more energy …

An Investigation Of Water Obstructions And Related Weather Conditions For Nebraska Roadways, Mark R. Anderson, Logan R. Bundy

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

Roadway resilience across the 10,000 miles of road and 3,500 bridges in Nebraska is critical to the economic success of productionand logistics. In a state where historical flooding scenarios, such as the one in March 2019 that caused $150 million in damage,could potentially be increasing, it has become essential to understand the spatial and temporal distribution of high-frequency waterobstruction areas on roadways. Therefore, in order to further investigate these areas, the main objectives of this research were toperform statistical and spatial analyses to quantify the relationship between water obstructions and their associated meteorologicalconditions, and identify the potential linkages between water …

Oligodontia, Mandibular Hypoplasia And Microglossia In Pediatric Patients: Review Of The Literature And Report Of A Case, Gage Williams, Robin Onikul, Jenna Sparks, Neena Patel, Amy Burleson, Brenda S. Bohaty

Posters

Introduction: The combined findings of oligodontia, mandibular hypoplasia and congenital malformation of the tongue (hypoplasia) is relatively rare in children. This presentation discusses the case of a 6-year-old female patient who presented to the dental clinic at The Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri for emergent care secondary to gross dental caries. Additional findings at the initial visit were that of oligodontia, microglossia, micrognathia, and mandibular hypoplasia. A review of the medical history indicated that due to the physical anomalies noted at birth, a genetic microarray was completed indicating some variants of unknow clinical significance. As these forms of …

Brazil's Orthodox Church Rising: Living Authentic Tradition In Brazil's Middle Class, Anastasia M. Theodoropoulos

Anthropology ETDs

This dissertation examines middle-class religiosity in Brazil through an analysis of the birth of a new religious organization, the Brazilian Orthodox Church. I investigate how the performance of “authentic tradition” (tradição verdadeira) orients and authenticates new middle-class subjectivities. In considering the unprecedented recent boom of middle classes worldwide, I explore how and why members of the growing Brazilian middle class, whose livelihoods are increasingly oriented around international finance capital and foreign corporate marketing, locate sources of the authentic beyond given, national boundaries. Through participant observation and interviews with middle-class congregants, I analyze how aligning with the “authentic tradition” …

Porous Silicon Photonics For Label-Free Interferometric Biosensing And Flat Optics, Tahmid Hassan Talukdar

All Dissertations

This dissertation uses porous silicon as a material platform to explore novel optical effects in three domains: (i) It studies dispersion engineering in integrated waveguides to achieve high performance group index sensing. With proper design parameters, the sensor waveguides can theoretically achieve 6 times larger group index shift compared to the actual bulk effective refractive index shift. We demonstrate the guided mode confinement factor to be a key parameter in design and implementation of these waveguides. (ii) It explores multicolor laser illumination to experimentally demonstrate perceptually enhanced colorimetric sensing, overcoming the limitations faced by many contemporary colorimetric sensors. Our technique …

Unveiling The Opioid Crisis: The Impact Of Opioids On Body Systems And Alternative Treatment Options To Reduce The Nationwide Opioid Epidemic, Krishna S. Patel, Elizabeth A. Manheim Ph.D.

Kean Quest

No abstract provided.

Terrorism: A Case Study Of The Global Security Threat Of Boko Haram And The Isis Alliance In Nigeria, Emmanuel Ben-Edet

Dissertations (2016-Present)

The literature on terrorism indicates that religion, cultures of origin, and environmental factors play globally critical roles in the emergence of terrorist groups worldwide. Terrorists use violence and threats to strike fear and intimidate people and governments into pursuing their religious, political, and ideological goals. One of the deadliest jihadist groups, Boko Haram, emerged in the early 2000s with a jihadist agenda mainly focused on Nigeria’s Islamization. In 2009, it launched violent attacks in Nigeria, which is Africa’s largest economy, and currently controls a large swathe of territory in its northeastern part. In its desire to create a caliphate, Boko …

Screening Of Near-Ir Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (Sers) Dyes Using Quick Freezing-Induced Aunp Aggregates (Qfiaas)., Carleigh A. Cimmerer

Forensic Science Master's Projects

Near-IR (NIR) surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is an emerging bioimaging technique that can be a safe alternative with a resolution better than current bioimaging techniques, such as MRI, CT, and PET. These can be hazardous with long-term exposure due to powerful magnetic fields or ionizing radiation. The success of NIR SERS bioimaging lies partially in the selection of highly sensitive NIR Raman reporters, which is essential to achieve highly resolved bioimaging of the body system. NIR Raman dyes must satisfy three important conditions: strong absorption in the NIR region, strong binding to the surfaces of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), and excellent …

Pain Assessment Policy Update And Nursing Education On Best Practices For Pain Assessment: A Quality Improvement Project, Jennifer Zhang

DNP Projects

Significance and Background: Chronic pain assessment should focus on patients' functional status, quality of life (QOL), and pain control. A tool to assess pain intensity and biopsychosocial impacts of pain for patients with chronic pain was needed in a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC). The Defense and Veterans Pain Rating Scale (DVPRS) incorporates a numeric rating scale with four functional questions on pain interference on ADLs. DVPRS design stimulates communication between patients and providers about their pain, its impact on function, and state of mind. Treatments are focused on making the pain tolerable and optimizing patient function while avoiding unwanted …

Mission Possible, Shashank Shah, Vijaya Sunder M

Asian Management Insights

Overcoming challenges to bring clean water to rural India.

Pivoting To Robo-Advisor Services In Wealth Management, Guan Liu Lee

Asian Management Insights

A white space for digital banks.

Digital Entrepreneurship In Asean, Chiraphol N. Chiyachantana, Pattarawan Mai Prasarnphanich

Asian Management Insights

Capitalising on the COVID-driven digitalisation phenomenon.

External Asset Managers In Singapore, T. Mandy Tham, Esther Kong, Juliana Koh

Asian Management Insights

Opportunities and challenges for the sector.

The Executive’S Guide To Getting Ai Wrong, Jerrold Soh

Asian Management Insights

This article explores how we see AI and argues that we mostly get it wrong. In the process, it explains the reasons backed by social science research on why we tend to get AI wrong and illustrates the dangers of doing so from a managerial and law-making perspective. Some readers may also find the article useful as a guide on how and when to manipulate portrayals of AI in your favour.