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What\u27s the Issue (or the Trade, or the Graphic Novel)?: Comics and Graphic Novels for Everyone
No full textWhat’s next beyond Raina Telgemeier, Dogman, and every Babymouse adventure ever written? Comics and graphic novels are high-interest kid-bait, and many of us can never keep enough on the shelves! In this session, we will discuss general tips & tricks for identifying and collecting comics, then highlight ways to use them in your library and classroom. And, of course, we’ll enthusiastically booktalk recent titles you may not be familiar with
One Mississippi: Using a Children’s Book Based on Our Official State Song in the Classroom
No full textONE MISSISSIPPI, the newly adopted official state song written and performed by Delta musician Steve Azar, has been adapted into a children’s book illustrated by Sarah Frances Hardy. The book features people, places, and cultural events throughout our state, and Sarah Frances will walk through each illustration while offering a teacher’s guide and suggestions for extra activities for students
The Twenty-Four Hour Book
No full textWe wish to share the experience of this 75-year-old’s path to writing our first book “The Yorkie Who Sings at Midnight”. How did we do it in 24 hours? Can it be replicated? What were we thinking? And finally, we DID it…with a little help from our friends. We also discuss the ‘art’ of shameless promotion because ‘when you BELIEVE’ in your story, you cannot be stopped
Cost-Risk Analysis of the ERCOT Region Using Modern Portfolio Theory
Get PDFIn this work, we study the use of modern portfolio theory in a cost-risk analysis of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT). Based upon the risk-return concepts of modern portfolio theory, we develop an n-asset minimization problem to create a risk-cost frontier of portfolios of technologies within the ERCOT electricity region. The levelized cost of electricity for each technology in the region is a step in evaluating the expected cost of the portfolio, and the historical data of cost factors estimate the variance of cost for each technology. In addition, there are several constraints in our minimization problem to account for real-world limitations. Using certain scenario data given by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and ERCOT, we analyze the efficient frontier of technology mixes for risk reduction of cost
Chaucer’s Lists and the Parson’s Priests: Heresy, Censorship, and The Parson\u27s Tale
Get PDFChaucer’s Parson’s Tale is a sermon on penance told by a fictional late-fourteenth-century Parson in The Canterbury Tales. What the Parson preaches is incompletely aligned with Roman Catholic orthodox beliefs, as suggested both by accusations of Lollardy elsewhere in the Canterbury Tales and heterodox features of the sermon itself. The Parson’s soteriology—the theology of how to attain salvation—invites consideration of the sermon’s potential influence from the contemporary heretical movement known as Lollardy, including the theology of John Wyclif; this theology disagreed with orthodox Catholic penitential practices.
However, despite increasing anti-Wycliffite sentiment at the turn of the fifteenth century, Chaucer’s Parson’s Tale was not suppressed or censored as a heretical text. This thesis argues that Chaucer’s tiered lists in the structure of the Tale and abbreviated discussions of priests effectively conceal the potential heresy in the Parson’s presentation of penance. Building on prior scholarship identifying Chaucer’s orthodox and heterodox sources and cataloging manuscript witnesses of the Parson’s Tale, this thesis asserts that the Parson’s Tale’s convoluted structure made it possible for the sermon at the end of the Canterbury Tales to evade the label of heresy in the 1400s. This reading of the Parson’s Tale contends that whether or not Chaucer himself was aware of the tale’s possible heresy, the rhetorical strategies of the tale—employing tiered lists, presenting orthodox sources in heretical ways, and strategically placing references to priests—effectively hide the sermon’s more heretical points behind a veil of orthodoxy
A Study of Ge Gan-ru\u27s Piano Quintet Four Studies of Peking Opera
No full textPeking Opera is one of the traditional Chinese theatrical art forms that incorporates various musical and performance elements. It is distinguished by its unique singing style, intricate rhythms, and innovative performance techniques to create vivid and powerful visual scenes for the audience. The Four Studies of Peking Opera for Piano and String Quartet was composed by Gan-ru Ge (b. 1954) in 2002. He is widely regarded as one of China’s pioneer avant-garde composers. This chamber work consists of four movements: Prologue, Aria, Narrative, and Clown Music. Each movement skillfully extracts some characteristic elements of Peking Opera to craft a distinct sonic and dramatic effect. This project aims to examine and identify all Peking Opera elements utilized in this chamber work and discuss how these elements are expressed
The Assessment of Autonomic Function in Young Adults with an Elevated Risk of Metabolic Syndrome
Get PDFMetabolic syndrome (MetS) is a complex medical condition defined by the co-occurrence of multiple cardiometabolic risk factors. Despite the well-defined profile of autonomic function in individuals with MetS, autonomic function in those with an elevated risk of developing MetS remains unclear. Our study aimed to shed light on the progression of cardiometabolic disease and its impact on autonomic function. To investigate, twenty participants, ten of whom were classified as having an elevated risk of developing MetS based on identification of risk factors using NCEP ATP III criteria, completed a two-visit study protocol. In the second visit, spontaneous cardiovagal baroreflex sensitivity (cBRS) and heart rate variability (HRV) were evaluated during ten minutes of supine rest, where heart rate (HR), beat-by-beat blood pressure (BP), and breathing frequency were recorded continuously and analyzed using the sequence method (SBP change \u3e1.0mmHg, pulse interval change \u3e5.0ms, r\u3e0.80, sequence length \u3e3 beats). Metaboreflex (MMX) responses were evaluated during 8 minutes of rhythmic handgrip at 25% maximal voluntary contraction (MVC), where HR, beat-by-by BP, and tissue oxygen saturation index (TSI) were recorded continuously. The change in mean arterial pressure vs the change in TSI were plotted to produce a slope quantifying the magnitude of the response. We found that individuals with an elevated risk of developing MetS had significantly impaired cBRS(
An Open Conversation: Deliberating Perceptions of Power Through New Media
Get PDFThis research aims to investigate aims to critically assess how mediated participants utilize new media spheres deliberate upon perceptions of power through rhetorical criticism and critical discourse analysis. Since the conception of social media, users have utilized the platforms to network, negotiate, and dissent from controversies through mediated public deliberation. The present study aims to nuance how Habermas’ original conception of deliberative rhetoric has transformed through new media deliberation. To exemplify this change in deliberative rhetoric, the present study will also critically evaluate online social movements through the case study of the AOC Tik Tok Challenge, responses to online controversies through YouTube apology videos, and the comment data from YouTube apology videos to understand how responses to controversy are accepted, rejected, and renegotiated through public discourse. Research findings suggest that deliberative rhetoric has shifted from a focus on matters of policy to issues of ideology. Further, social media discourse suggests that new media proposes new methods of argumentation through an emphasis on individualistic messaging contributing to larger public sentiment and the use of parasocial relationships to articulate perceptions of hegemony.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to acknowledge my advisor, Dr. Laurance Paul Strait, for his perpetual interest, guidance, and encouragement through the dissertation and my graduate career. Through my academic career, he has met each idea, question, or interest with enthusiasm and nuance. Dr. Strait’s guidance was integral in instilling confidence in myself. His lessons extend beyond the pages of this dissertation and serve as a foundation for life beyond graduate studies. Further, I would like to thank the members of my committee for their continuous feedback and support. Particularly, I would like to thank Dr. Laura Alberti and Dr. Laura Stengrim for their approaches to workshopping. Ultimately, several chapters of this project would not be possible without their advisement. Finally, I would like to thank Dr. Dave Davies and Dr Simpson for their feedback on inquiring about areas of inquiry that seemed promising and, more importantly, telling me what did not
Improving Standardized Test Scores, Spatial Ability, and Interest in Math with the Introduction of 3D Printers into High School Math Classes
Get PDFMathematics education faces significant challenges with declining ACT scores, national math proficiency rates, and a prevalent dislike for the subject among high school students. Spatial thinking ability, crucial for success in STEM fields, intersects with mathematical comprehension, suggesting a potential avenue for improvement. This study addresses these challenges by integrating 3D printing technology into secondary mathematics instruction. Employing a quasi-experimental quantitative research design, the study evaluates the impact of 3D printers on ACT math scores, spatial abilities, and attitudes toward mathematics. Results from ANOVA tests indicate marginal increases in spatial test scores and positive shifts in students\u27 interest, self-confidence, and motivation, albeit not statistically significant enough to attribute to 3D printing solely. However, significant differences appeared in the subset of motivation within attitudes towards mathematics. Further research is warranted to explore the efficacy of 3D printers in math classrooms, echoing previous studies\u27 calls for innovative teaching strategies to enhance mathematical and spatial abilities, ultimately fostering greater student engagement and confidence in mathematics education
Variability in Semidiurnal Surface and Internal Tides in Global Ocean Model Simulations
Get PDFThis dissertation focuses on semidiurnal (D2) surface and internal tides. Chapter 2 investigates the transition of M2 barotropic Kelvin waves into Hybrid Kelvin-Edge (HKE) waves and the associated generation of internal tides at widening shelves using theory and a realistic global baroclinic Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM) simulation. To understand the effect of complex, realistic bathymetry on the HKE wave transition, we perform quasi-realistic barotropic HYCOM simulations of the Celtic Sea/Bay of Biscay shelf areas. We conclude that the HKE wave transition is most likely masked by the effects of complex bathymetry and offshelf baroclinic fluxes cannot be exclusively attributed to the HKE wave transition.
In Chapter 3, we study the seasonal variability of total (stationary and non-stationary) D2 internal tide and the phase-locked (stationary) M2 internal tide sea surface height (SSH) using global HYCOM simulations and altimeter datasets. The internal tides generated in the coastal regions of Georges Bank and the Arabian Sea feature the strongest seasonal variability. The amplitude of the seasonal cycle and the seasonal arrival times (phase) of the semidiurnal internal tides in the HYCOM simulation agree with these observed in the altimetry data. However, the variance (amplitude) of M2 steric sea surface height (SSSH) in the HYCOM simulation is about 70% (20%) larger than in the altimeter observations. Even after applying a correction for bottom pressure, the HYCOM SSSH remains larger than the altimetry M2 variance.
Chapter 4 compares the seasonal variability observed in the D2 SSSH variance with D2 internal tide energetics using global HYCOM simulations and an altimeter dataset. The seasonal trends of monthly SSSH variance and energetics are in phase in Georges Bank and the Arabian Sea. However, outside these hotspots, the seasonal variability in D2 energetics is out of phase with D2 SSSH variance. While the seasonal variability in D2 energy is driven by seasonal changes in barotropic to baroclinic conversion at topography, D2 SSSH variance is also modulated by seasonal changes in surface stratification. Hence, one should be careful in interpreting the temporal variability in internal tide SSH as the true internal tide variability, which is better determined from energetics