Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Phun With Phages: Discovering Novel Bacteriophages In The Soil, Julia Kutz, Ryan Dodds, Logan Dykstra, Taylor M. Rentschler, Emma Steinhardt, Megan Vangarven, Jacie Vanderwaal, Shayler Vangelder, Byron Noordewier, Sara S. Tolsma

Celebration of Research

We used three bacterial hosts: Mycobacterium smegmatis, Microbacterium foliorum, and Gordonia terrae, to isolate novel bacteriophages from soil samples. We named these phages, created high titer lysates, and purified their DNA genomes. We have archived the high titer lysates at Northwestern College and the University of Pittsburgh. The genomes of three of our phages were sequences at the University of Pittsburgh and we will be sequencing the remaining genomes this summer. Additionally, we are planning to image our phages with transmission electron microscopy at the University of Iowa or Nebraska yet this semester.

Latent Classification Of Multi-Model Non-Homogeneous Continuous-Time Markov Chains, Joonha Chang

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

The continuous-time Markov chain (CTMC) model and latent clustering models are commonly used to study longitudinal measures of categorical outcomes. Because of its simple but powerful Markovian property, CTMC models have been widely used in medical and public health researches. Due to limitations in the standard CTMC model, there have been some studies on non-homogeneous continuous-time Markov chain (NH-CTMC) that utilized time-dependent rates, but the progresses have been limited. NH-CTMC can be more powerful than CTMC by its default nature of time-dependent rate that can be fitted to a wider range of applications in medical studies. In this study, we …

Patterns, Drivers, And Implications Of Postfire Delayed Tree Mortality In Temperate Conifer Forests Of The Western United States, Sebastian Busby, Cody Evers, Andrés Holz

Geography Faculty Publications and Presentations

Conifer forest resilience may be threatened by increasing wildfire activity and compound disturbances in western North America. Fire refugia enhance forest resilience, yet may decline over time due to delayed mortality—a process that remains poorly understood at landscape and regional scales. To address this uncertainty, we used high-resolution satellite imagery (5-m pixel) to map and quantify delayed mortality of conifer tree cover between 1 and 5 years postfire, across 30 large wildfires that burned within three montane ecoregions in the western United States. We used statistical models to explore the influence of burn severity, topography, soils, and climate moisture deficit …

Protecting American Children: A Social-Ecological Analysis Of Pactp4, Julia Rossmiller

Student Works

The quantity of pesticides used annually in the United States exceeds one billion pounds every year, and the amount is only rising. The current law that governs the use of pesticides—The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), permits the use of 72 known pesticides that have been proven harmful and are banned in other countries. Research links the usage of pesticides to the health of individuals, families, and whole communities within the environment. Moreover, dangerous pesticides have been shown to disproportionately affect children, agricultural workers, people of color, and low-income communities. Despite the mounting evidence that confirms the adverse …

Unlocking The Secret To Weight Loss: Discovering The Most Effective Green Tea Products, Seoyeon Kim

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

To find the most effective green tea product that can replace

weight loss drugs, we compared the amount of catechin in six

different green tea products. The result was green tea latte

powder contained a significantly small amount of catechin

compared to other products, and the dried pearl green tea leaves

had the highest amount of catechin. Also, the unexpected result

was that green tea supplements had less amount of catechin

compared to dried leaves or even tea bags that are commonly

sold in markets.

Optimizing Nba Roster Construction, Nick R. Riccardi

Sport Management - All Scholarship

This study aims to quantify the effect that complementary player types have on team success in the National Basketball Association. Using cluster analysis, player-seasons are redefined from their traditional basketball positions to better encompass the roles that players play. For the 10 seasons of data, the best player for each of the 30 teams in the league is determined and teams are grouped based on the cluster of their best player. Ordinary Least Squares regressions are performed to test what player types fit together best. The results of this study show the importance of complementary workers to a firm’s success.

An Exploration Of Companion Robots, Annelyse Lockhart

2024 Student Academic Showcase

Japan and the United States have a drastically different view towards artificial intelligence and smart machines. Within my project, I did an exploratory analysis of robotics within the United States and Japan, and posed the question as to why Japan has substantially more robotics within their day-to-day life. I took an in-depth look at Japanese robotics that do not exist within the United States, as well as explored the biases behind smart machines in both cultures. Judging Category: Exploratory

Ua12/2/1 College Heights Herald: Big Red By Ai, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

Magazine edition of the College Heights Herald for the period March 3 - April 8, 2024.

• Big Red, Is That You?
• Anderson, Alexandria. Letter from the Editor - Artificial Intelligence
• Phelps, Maggie. What is AI? - Artificial Intelligence
• AI’s Impact on Higher Education
• Reed, Bailey. Students Share Opinions on AI
• Abney, Shayla. WKU Faculty Discuss AI in Courses
• Hawkins, Kaylee. AI’s Impact on Blackboard Ultra
• Randolph, Eli. AI Recreates a WKU Tour
• Shaw, Cameron. WKU Department of Political Science Hosts Dead President’s Tour

04.08.2024 Orsp Connect, Liz Williamson

ORED Newsletter

Nature Masterclasses Overview, Mary Lea McMillan, Cost Transfer Policy, NSF Author and Allocation citing

The Jesuit Tradition Of Astronomy At Holy Cross, Sarah Campbell M.A., M.S.I.S.

Staff publications

This paper summarizes the study of astronomy and related fields as part of the curriculum at the College of the Holy Cross. It briefly profiles four Jesuit priests who were associated with Holy Cross and made significant contributions to the study of astronomy, solar physics and other scientific disciplines. The history of a campus observatory is briefly described as well.

This paper was presented an event sponsored by the Holy Cross Libraries to commemmorate the solar exclipse which occurred April 8. 2024.

An Integrated Architecture For A Global Clean Energy Transition, Alice Kaswan

Journal of Interdisciplinary Perspectives and Scholarship

No abstract provided.

What Effect Does Standards-Based Grading Versus Traditional Grading Have On Standardized Tests For Fifth-Grade Students In Mathematics In Arkansas?, Ruby Dean

ATU Theses and Dissertations 2021 - Present

WHAT EFFECT DOES STANDARDS-BASED GRADING VERSUS TRADITIONAL

GRADING HAVE ON STANDARDIZED TESTS FOR FIFTH GRADE STUDENTS IN MATHEMATICS IN ARKANSAS?

Ruby Earlene Dean

This study examined the effects of standards-based grading and traditional grading on standardized tests for fifth grade students in mathematics in Arkansas. The purpose of the study was to determine whether the type of grading system (traditional or standards-based) used to assess student progress makes a difference on the ACT Aspire results in fifth grade in mathematics. The information gleaned from this study will provide school leaders and teachers with information to make more informed decisions to …

Navigating Murky Waters: State-Level Strategies For Wetland Preservation And Tile Drainage Regulation After Sackett V. Epa, Caleb M. Swanson

Honors Thesis

Wetlands are some of the world’s most valuable ecosystems, serving as provisioners of species habitat, carbon sequestration, flood mitigation, water quality purification, and other ecosystem services. Human development has resulted in substantial wetland loss the world over. In the 1970s, the United States Congress passed the Clean Water Act, giving the EPA broad authority over wetland protection. However, in the summer of 2023, the United States Supreme Court decided Sackett v. EPA, limiting the EPA’s jurisdiction over wetlands to those indistinguishably connected to generally recognized “Waters of the United States” and removing federal protection for millions of acres of wetlands, …

Employing Ai To Enhance In-Class Role Playing Scenarios, Eric Fournier

Generative AI Teaching Activities

Role playing can deepen student’s engagement with course content and help them develop skills while learning course material. Students will use AI to develop their characters and help them craft compelling arguments in the role-play scenarios

Nowcasting Heavy Rainfall With Convolutional Long Short-Term Memory Networks: A Pixelwise Modeling Approach, Yi Victor Wang, Seung Hee Kim, Geunsu Lyu, Choeng-Lyong Lee, Soorok Ryu, Gyuwon Lee, Ki-Hong Min, Menas C. Kafatos

Institute for ECHO Articles and Research

The recent decades have seen an increasing academic interest in leveraging machine learning approaches to nowcast, or forecast in a highly short-term manner, precipitation at a high resolution, given the limitations of the traditional numerical weather prediction models on this task. To capture the spatiotemporal associations of data on input variables, a deep learning (DL) architecture with the combination of a convolutional neural network and a recurrent neural network can be an ideal design for nowcasting rainfall. In this study, a long short-term memory (LSTM) modeling structure is proposed with convolutional operations on input variables. To resolve the issue of …

Socioecological Assessment Of Birds In Ngezi-Vumawimbi Nature Forest Reserve, Eli Taub

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Effective management of natural resources requires consideration of the environment through both a physical and a sociological lens. In this study, the birds in Ngezi-Vumawimbi Nature Forest Reserve were examined through both a biological mist-net survey and a socioecological series of interviews with people living in the surrounding villages. The mist-net survey compared the understory species in undisturbed and disturbed area of the forest, as well as analyzing birds caught for biologically meaningful information on subspecies and sexual dimorphism. While the mist-net survey was largely unsuccessful, highlighting the need for alternative bird capture methods in Ngezi, it found a decrease …

Remote, Rugged Field Scenarios For Archaeology And The Field Sciences: Object Avoidance And 3d Flight Planning With Suas Photogrammetry, Carla Klehm, Malcolm D. Williamson, Leland C. Bement, Brandi Bethke

Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies Publications and Presentations

Advances built into recent sUASs (drones) offer a compelling possibility for field-based data collection in logistically challenging and GPS-denied environments. sUASs-based photogrammetry generates 3D models of features and landscapes, used extensively in archaeology as well as other field sciences. Until recently, navigation has been limited by the expertise of the pilot, as objects, like trees, and vertical or complex environments, such as cliffs, create significant risks to successful documentation. This article assesses sUASs’ capability for autonomous obstacle avoidance and 3D flight planning using data collection scenarios carried out in Black Mesa, Oklahoma. Imagery processed using commercial software confirmed that the …

Assessing The Usability And Feasibility Of Digital Assistant Tools For Direct Support Professionals: Participatory Design And Pilot-Testing, Patrice Dolhonde Tremoulet, Andrea Lobo, Christina A. Simmons, Ganesh Baliga, Matthew Brady

College of Science & Mathematics Departmental Research

Background: The United States is experiencing a direct support professional (DSP) crisis, with demand far exceeding supply. Although generating documentation is a critical responsibility, it is one of the most wearisome aspects of DSPs’ jobs. Technology that enables DSPs to log informal time-stamped notes throughout their shift could help reduce the burden of end-of-shift documentation and increase job satisfaction, which in turn could improve the quality of life of the individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs) whom DSPs support. However, DSPs, with varied ages, levels of education, and comfort using technology, are not likely to adopt tools that detract …

White-Fronted Capuchins (Cebus Albifrons Aequatorialis) In La Hesperia Cloud Forest Reserve: A Study Of Aggressive Behaviors In Response To Human Presence, Marin Lynch

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The Ecuadorian white-fronted capuchin, Cebus albifrons aequatorialis, is a critically endangered primate species native to Ecuador and northern Peru. Their population consists of only a handful of surviving troops spread out across this region. One surviving population exists in La Hesperia Cloud Forest Reserve in Ecuador. This reserve serves as an education and volunteer site for dozens of international travelers every year. I studied the effect of the presence of humans and the lodging they have constructed. Specifically, I investigated the effect on behavior of the proximity of the troops alpha male to manmade structures in the reserve. I …

Paving The Way For Recycled Roadways: Are Plastic Roads The Solution To Our Global Plastic Waster Crisis?, Reese Van Osdel, Katheryn Austin, Libbie Pepple, Soledad Stevanov

Environmental Engagement in the Community (ENVR 319): Student Projects

Environmental Engagement in the Community projects, spring 2024

A poster titled Paving the Way for Recycled Roadways: Are Plastic Roads the Solution to Our Global Plastic Waster Crisis? for client South Sioux City, nebraska.

Small Towns Can Do Evs Too!, Tyler Knaak, Connor Wanetka, Makenna Eisenzimmer, Krista Price, Fame Punpoka

Environmental Engagement in the Community (ENVR 319): Student Projects

Environmental Engagement in the Community projects, fall 2023

A poster titled Small Towns Can Do EVs Too! for client City of Wayne, Nebraska.

Smu Libraries – An Enabling Partner In Ai Information Literacy, Samantha Seah, Zhe Benedict Yeo, Lukas Tschopp

Research Collection Library

SMU Libraries plays a pivotal role in advancing AI information literacy within the larger need for digital literacy skills in the SMU community. In this presentation, participants will get an overview of SMU Libraries' engagement and partnerships with the academic community and will showcase initiatives and resources supporting AI literacy. This includes a discussion of insights from the scholarly literature, research findings and critical perspectives to inform teaching and learning practices related to AI. Speakers will share SMU Libraries’ contributions towards awareness and adoption of AI through a portfolio of successful collaborations and initiatives with partners and stakeholders within and …

A Green New England? Regional Implementation Of Grant-Based Provisions Of The Inflation Reduction Act In The Northeastern U.S., Samuel Cooper

Sustainability and Social Justice

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 has been described as “the most significant action Congress has taken on clean energy and climate change in the nation’s history,” totaling some $370 billion in tax credits and federal grants for everything from residential solar panels to urban forestry. As the first of its size in U.S. climate policy, the IRA has been a subject of study and debate since its introduction, but it is only in this past year that funding reporting data has become available. This thesis utilizes this federal data to produce a novel analysis of IRA implementation at the …

“Making The Bed”: Challenging Ideologies Of Ownership, Nonlocality, And Romanticism In The Age Of The Anthropocene, Ainsley P. Foster

[Archive] Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)

The current Age of the Anthropocene marks a recent and rapid transition into a period in climate history that is notably defined by human impact. Modern Western sentiments of grief, frustration, and romanticism as a result of the interplay between domestic and corporate spaces seem to culminate in an overall attitude of apathy and acceptance of the Age of the Anthropocene. Various art forms collaborate to create the current conversation of the causatory and reactionary relationship that humans have with the Anthropocene, offering interpretations of how individuals and corporations view ownership of and responsibilities to the environment. There is a …

Health And Healthcare: Designing For The Social Determinants Of Health And Blue Zones In North Nashville, Rebecca Tonguis, Honor Thomas, Olivia Hobbs

[Archive] Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)

Owned by North Nashville’s First Community Church, a now empty site in the Osage-North Fisk neighborhood of North Nashville has been identified as a potential site for a new location of The Store, in addition to a community-centric architectural development based on the social determinants of health and informed by the principles behind Blue Zones, the locations with the highest lifespans in the world. Opened by Brad Paisley and Kimberly Williams-Paisley, The Store is a free grocery store that “allow[s] people to shop for their basic needs in a way that protects dignity and fosters hope”, for which North Nashville …

Mean Flow And Dispersion In The Western Mediterranean Sea From Drifter Observations, Helga Huntley, James Turbett, A.D. Kirwan, Jr., Pierre-Marie Poulain

College of Science & Mathematics Departmental Research

Currents in the ocean distribute water masses and everything floating in them. To understand how fast the water (and its flotsam) travels and how effectively it mixes, we need to study the flow statistics. There are two types of measurements of ocean currents: Eulerian measurements that look at how the ocean velocities change at a stationary point on the Earth; and Lagrangian measurements that follow a water mass. Dispersion and mixing is generally best captured by Lagrangian measurements. At the submesoscale (~10-1 – 10 km), the observational tool of choice are drifters, or floating buoys, tethered to a drogue that …

Santa Clara Magazine, Volume 65 Number 1, Spring 2024, Santa Clara University

Santa Clara Magazine

14 - A CAMPUS ON THE RISE Six new buildings on campus aren’t the only changes brought by a successful $1 billion fundraising campaign. Lauren Loftus & Leslie Griffy

20 - HUMAN AT HEART How Santa Clara University is distinguishing itself as a leader in human-focused health care innovation. Lauren Loftus

26 - SHEPHERDING INNOVATION How wonder, and God, can make us better scientists. Brother Guy Consolmagno, S.J.

30 - THE CO-OP Santa Clara University has long been a bastion of interdisciplinary learning. A new fund is taking cross-collaboration to new heights. SCM Staff

34 - MAKE AI THE BEST …

2024- The Twenty-Eighth Annual Symposium Of Student Scholars

Symposium of Student Scholars Program Books

The full program book from the 28th Annual Symposium of Student Scholars, held on April 17-19, 2024. Includes abstracts from the presentations and posters.

Unearthing The Past: A Comprehensive Study Of Natural And Anthropogenic Changes At An Archaeological Site Through Hydrogeologic Connectivity Utilizing Gis, Mehlich Ii Phosphorus Extractant, And Ph, Dana L. F. Herren

Theses

This thesis aims to thoroughly analyze the Mehlich II Phosphorus Extractant and pH levels at the Bains Gap Village Site in Anniston, AL., while examining the impact of various environmental factors and human activities on them. Phosphorus is often used in archaeology as an indicator of human activity. Soil core samples were collected to analyze anomalies in phosphorus levels.

To establish any relationships, phosphorus and pH levels from soil cores were correlated with findings from past excavation units and features. The potential effects of hydrogeologic connectivity on soil phosphorus and pH levels were investigated. Geospatial technologies were used to manage …

Research On Word Segmentation Of Ancient Books Based On Domain Large Language Model, Danhao Zhu, Zhao Zhixiao, Na Wu, Xiyu Wang

Journal of Scientific Information Research

[Purpose/significance]In this paper, we take the automatic text segmentation of ancient books as an entry point, introduce the "Xunzi" series of large language models, and explore the performance of large language models on the task of word division of ancient texts. [Method/process]This paper constructs an instruction dataset based on the Zuozhuan, with data cleaning and organisation.on this basis, 1 000 pieces were extracted from it as test data, then 500, 1 000, 2 000, and 5 000 pieces of data were used as training data to fine-tune the instructions and test their performance, respectively. [Result/conclusion]The experimental results show that only …