4210 research outputs found
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Quantitative Astrophotography: Interpreting Astrophysics from Star-Formation Regions
No full textAs undergraduates produce their own high-quality astrophotography images, STEM identity is shown to increase. Can more be obtained? Specifically, what student learning is possible about the physical processes occurring within these images? In this workshop, we focused on star-formation regions (stellar birth) as a model for quantification of astrophysical values. Narrowband, photometric observations from Skynet were processed in Afterglow Access, which included aligning, stacking, and coloring. Next, within the context of Strömgren sphere modelling, threshold boundaries were established for the electron number density. By securing an upper- and lower-bound on a common astrophysical quantity, undergraduates better understand how observation and theory work together for practicing scientists. In summary, this workshop reveals the capacity of astrophotography to deepen STEM identity and belonging within undergraduates by carrying out the same activities as scientists
Aspects of the Domain-Wall Standard Model
No full textIn the “Domain-Wall Standard Model,” all the Standard Model (SM) fields are localized in certain domains in a non-compact 5D space-time. While the SM is realized as a 4D effective theory at low energies, the model involves Kaluza–Klein (KK) modes of the SM particles. In this paper we introduce two simple solvable examples which lead to domain-wall configurations for the SM particles and their KK-modes. Based on the examples, we address a variety of phenomenologies of the Domain-Wall SM, such as the KK-mode gauge boson phenomenology at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the effect of the KK-mode SM fermions on Higgs boson phenomenology, and the KK-mode fermion search at the LHC with its decay into a corresponding SM fermion and a Nambu–Goldstone boson associated with a spontaneous breaking of the translational invariance in the 5th dimension. We also propose a simple unified picture of localizing all the SM fields
The Leaf-footed Cactus Bug Is Not a Cactus Specialist: Narnia femorata Feeds, Fights, and Mates on Thistle
No full textNovel host plants are incorporated into the diets of phytophagous insects when females oviposit and juveniles feed and survive on them. A change in diet, however, can have morphological consequences. We recently found a population of the leaf-footed cactus bug, Narnia femorata (Hemiptera: Coreidae), a historical cactus specialist, living and feeding on Cirsium thistle. We also found adults breeding and males using their enlarged hind legs (i.e., weapons) in male–male combat on thistle. When we compared this thistle population with a population feeding on cactus, we found that both populations had similar body and weapon sizes as well as weapon composition. However, the population living on thistle had longer mouthparts than the population found on cactus, although this difference only occurred at larger body sizes. This difference in adult mouthpart size is likely a result of the juvenile rearing environment (i.e., thistle or cactus). However, genetic differences may also affect this trait. Our results provide some interesting avenues for future research (e.g., a reciprocal transplant experiment) in a species with a recent host range expansion
Where do Central Cushitic Ejectives Come From?
No full textThis paper examines and accounts for the origin and presence of ejectives in Central Cushitic (CC) languages. Appleyard (2006) claimed that most occurrences of ejectives are due to borrowing from the Ethiosemitic languages. This is certainly true for all ejectives in Kemantney, and some in Blin and Xamtanga. However, examination of Appleyard’s data shows that only 37% of ejectives in Blin and 25% of ejectives in Xamtanga are found in borrowings. Most ejectives in CC in these two languages are therefore “of indubitable Agaw origin”, which suggests that ejectives are from the proto-language rather than through sound change. This paper analyzes the distribution of ejectives in Appleyard’s data and re-examines the consequences for reconstructed forms and probable sound changes
Augmented Debate-Centered Instruction: A Novel Research Agenda for Responsible AI Integration in Education
No full textThis paper puts forth a novel research agenda called Augmented Debate-Centered Instruction (ADCI) to address a concerning gap in understanding the responsible integration of AI in education. As assessments grounded in individual writing become unreliable with the proliferation of language models, most attention has focused on detecting AI cheating rather than exploring pedagogical adaptations. This oversight leaves open critical questions about how generative AI might be leveraged to augment instructional practices and provide alternative modes of assessment, especially for developing essential cognitive abilities and durable skills
Investigating the Effects of Three Trace Metals on the Viability, Embryonic Development, and Locomotor Behavior of the Seminole Ramshorn Snail at Environmentally Relevant Concentrations
Get PDFTrace metal contamination is a widespread issue due to its many natural and anthropogenic sources and known carcinogenic, teratogenic, and reproductive effects. As previous invertebrate trace metal research has primarily focused on model species (Daphnia magna, Chironomidae, etc.), our understanding of effects on non-model invertebrate species remains relatively poor. As such, this study assessed the exposure effects of cadmium, arsenic, and lead on viability, locomotor behavior, and embryonic development of the Seminole ramshorn snail (Planorbella duryi). Exposure treatments of CdCl2, Na2HAsO4 • 7H2O, or Pb (NO3)2 were prepared at concentrations of 0, 0.01, 0.1, 1, and 10 mg/L and confirmed using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). Individual adult P. duryi were exposed for 7 days with viability assessed every 24 h, and locomotor behavior was accessed on Days 1 and 7 using ToxTrac v2.97 automated behavior software. Individual embryos from newly laid (\u3c6 h old) embryonic clutches were exposed for 10 days, during which embryonic development stage was documented every 24 h. Based on our results, an additional follow-up study for cadmium was conducted using a lower range of 0–0.1 mg/L to allow for the observation of sub-lethal endpoints. Adult lead and cadmium exposure resulted in significant mortality in the highest treatments (1 and 10 mg/L), dose-dependent behavioral effects, and delayed embryonic development. Arsenic exposures resulted in little to no impacts for all assessed endpoints. Our results provide new insight into the sub-lethal impacts of these contaminants and highlight potential for behavior and embryonic development as useful tools for risk assessment
Analytical and Numerical Analysis of the SIRS Model
Get PDFMathematical models in epidemiology describe how diseases affect and spread within a population. By understanding the trends of a disease, more effective public health policies can be made. In this paper, the Susceptible-Infected-Recovered-Susceptible (SIRS) Model was examined analytically and numerically to compare with the data for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Since the SIRS model is a complex model, analytical techniques were used to solve simplified versions of the SIRS model in order to understand general trends that occur. Then by Euler\u27s Method, the Runge-Kutta Method, and the Predictor-Corrector Method, computational approximations were obtained to solve and plot the SIRS model. Finally, with the Predictor-Corrector Method, the SIRS model was compared to COVID-19 data for 2021 in the United States. Using two different databases between the model and real data complicated the fit of the SIRS model on COVID-19. Nevertheless, the SIRS model could still potentially fit as the reinfection of COVID-19 has been a prevalent issue today
Perceived Normality of IPV and PTSD Symptoms as Moderators of the Relationship between IPV-Related Injury and Perceptions of Responsibility for IPV
Get PDFSurvivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) who have experienced injury may have numerous lingering effects of the violence, even long after the abusive romantic relationship has ended. However, despite understanding some of these lingering effects, it is unclear how the impact of perceived normality of IPV and PTSD symptoms affect survivors’ perceptions of responsibility for the violence. The present study aimed to examine these variables (perceived normality and PTSD symptoms) as moderators of the link between IPV-related injury and perceptions of the extent to which an individual provokes their own experience of abuse. To this end, participants (n = 510) viewed a series of vignettes describing intimate partners experiencing a conflict and encountering no IPV, emotional abuse, or physical abuse. Participants’ views on the extent to which they interpreted the violence as provoked, as well as how normal they think that IPV is and their own symptoms of PTSD that they have developed from IPV, were measured. Results indicated that participants who experienced IPV-related injury perceived others’ experiences of abuse to be provoked when they (1) generally perceive abuse to be normal and (2) had low levels of PTSD symptoms. These findings underscore the impact that the normalization of IPV and the development of PTSD symptoms have on survivors of intimate partner violence as they evaluate new relationship dynamics
Asian American Represenation in Sitcoms
Get PDFRepresentation of minorities in the media is powerful in shaping the public’s perceptions of a community or group. Some well-known Asian stereotypes are that they are good at math, tiger moms, and foreigners. In the literature review, I found that in addition to those common stereotypes, Asians were commonly portrayed as model minority myth, kung fu master, dragon lady/lotus blossom, and family-oriented. Using a quantitative content analysis approach, I examined how Asian Americans are portrayed in American sitcoms and searched for positive and negative representations. I analyzed 24 episodes of Fresh Off The Boat, which aired from 2015 to 2020 about an Asian American family living in Florida in the 1990s. Stereotypes were present throughout the show, and I found those stereotypes produced positive, negative, and neutral representations of Asian Americans. This research was conducted in COMM 460 under the guidance of Dr. Adria Goldman
Portraying Mrs. Hubbard in Agatha Christie\u27s Murder on the Orient Express
No full textMadison Baylor completes her Senior Project as an actor in Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express, adapted for the stage by Ken Ludwig. She portrayed the role of Mrs. Hubbard. This is a documentation of her process, starting from the first rehearsal to the final performance. This project includes the physical and emotional work used to develop the character, the textual analysis, the dialect work, and the daily journals used to catalog her journey