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Take a Look it's in a Book: Supporting Student Learning Through Interdisciplinary, Community-Based, Experiential Learning
No full textA survey was used as the data collection methodology. It is anticipated that students will report increased understanding of phonoloigcal awareness, vocabulary, and receptive language. It is anticipated that students will have a deeper understanding of these concepts from their interdisciplinary work. In addition, it is anticipated that students will identify strengths and suggestions to improve the project for future classes.Interdisciplinary academic experiences enrich students' understanding of complicated concepts. Community-based learning helps students connect academic information with activities occurring in their own communities. Experiential learning allows students to apply concepts taught in the classroom. This project combined interdisciplinary, community-based, and experiential learning to plan and execute a bookfair hosted by graduate students in speech-language pathology (SLP) and educational leadership (EDL). Graduate students from both programs learned about three components of early literacy (i.e., vocabulary, phonological awareness, and receptive language skills). Using books from the Dolly Parton Imagination Library (DPIL), the students were tasked with creating extension activities for families to practice early literacy skills at home with their children. Children at Opportunity School, a local preschool for children from at risk backgrounds, are enrolled in the DPIL and receive a developmentally appropriate book from the DPIL each month until they turn 5. The graduate students hosted a bookfair at Opportunity School and shared their extension activities for books these children receive through the DPIL. Students voluntarily completed a pre- and post-survey assessing their knowledge of early literacy skills and their experiences in the project. It is anticipated that graduate students will report increased understanding of the importance of early literacy skills, vocabulary, phonological awareness, and receptive language by completing the project. The students also shared their experiences with interdisciplinary learning and teamwork
PANDEMIC IN THE PANHANDLE: AN EVALUATION OF COMMUNICATION USED DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC BY COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES
Get PDFSituational crisis communication theory, developed by Coombs (2007), was used to evaluate and code communication used by higher educational institutions in the Texas Panhandle during December 2019 through December 2020. This time period was determined relevant because the COVID-19 pandemic closed institutions down, and impacted fall 2020 enrollment (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022).
Communication posted by the institutions across Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and COVID-19 webpages was collected and coded. Communication was coded with a rubric that evaluated calls-to-action, crisis response types, and institutional responses. Calls-to-action were related to public health, admissions, enrollment, information relevant to the institutions. Crisis response types were deny, diminish, and rebuild based upon research by Liu et al. (2018). Institutional responses were guidance (connected to calls-to-action), informative, and neutral. The amount of communication institutions published was weighted against enrollment and admissions data.
One finding is institutions of a larger size had more defined communication patterns than smaller institutions. The institutions in the study did not experience a secondary crisis that would warrant deny or diminish response. More beneficial communication an institution used could have a possible impact in retaining stakeholders. Ultimately institutions in the Panhandle may have used communication that would allow them to retain stakeholders during the crisis
Attitudes and Perceptions of Stakeholders toward the FFA and it's Perceived Importance for Student Success
Get PDFThis study aimed to describe and compare stakeholders' perceptions and attitudes toward FFA in Texas and its relation to student success. Stakeholders are defined as FFA alumni, secondary school principals, university department heads, and employers. The researcher conducted the study utilizing a descriptive survey research design.
Four survey instruments were developed by the researcher using a Qualtrics research tool and distributed electronically by email to 2,067 previous members of the Texas FFA Association, known as FFA alumni, 1,081 secondary education high school principals, known as school admin, 72 four-year university department heads, and utilizing the link-tracing method of sampling sent to 160 Texas employers. The data was analyzed using Microsoft Excel descriptive statistics and a general linear model in SAS version 9.4. There were 257 responses to the FFA alum survey, with a response rate of 12%; 255 responses to the school admin survey, with a response rate of 24%; 29 responses to the department head survey, with a response rate of 40%; and finally, 31 responses to the employer survey with a response rate of 19%.
The study found that stakeholders have positive attitudes and perceptions of the FFA overall. Membership in career and technical student organizations like the FFA was extremely important and higher than all other high school activities. The FFA was ranked extremely important and ranked higher than all other career and technical student
organizations that were presented. Statistical differences were observed between stakeholder groups. These differences were most significant among university department heads and employers. Statistical differences were also observed between stakeholders with different experiences, like having an agricultural background. It is recommended that communication efforts between FFA professionals and stakeholders be strengthened. Efforts should be made to engage stakeholders with FFA programs to increase knowledge of objectives and goals. Further research should be done on tools and experiences that positively impact stakeholder attitudes and perceptions. These attitudes and perceptions, short– and long–term impacts should also be studied
Stephen Graham Jones
No full textThis lesson explores different understandings of readings, genres, and the writing process through the use of Stephen Graham Jones' short essay, "What You Can Remember".
This resource includes materials for four class periods. Created for English Language Arts and Reading III.
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS)
Discuss and write about the explicit and implicit meanings of text; analyze the author's purpose, audience, and message within a text; compose informational texts such as explanatory essays, reports, resumes, and personal essays using genre characteristics and craft;This lesson explores different understandings of readings, genres, and the writing process through the use of Stephen Graham Jones' short essay, "What You Can Remember"
A SYNOPSIS OF GROWTH AND CARCASS COMPOSITION IN ANGUS X HOLSTEIN HEIFERS AND AKAUSHI CATTLE WITHIN THE FEEDYARD FINISHING PHASE
No full textThe objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of days on feed (DOF) on
performance and carcass characteristics of Angus x Holstein heifers (n = 3,676). At time
of arrival (d 0), heifers from a single source were placed into large (~300 animal) pens at
two commercial feedlot locations in the Texas Panhandle. At administration of final
implant (Revalor 200; d 240), heifers, within pen, were randomly assigned to one of four
smaller pens, creating a block (location A block n = 6, location B block n = 7). Pens
within blocks were randomly assigned to treatment (323, 344, 365, or 386 DOF). Data
were analyzed using DOF as the fixed effect; block was nested within location as a
random effect. Linear and quadratic effects were also tested; pen was experimental unit
(n = 52). Heifer dry matter intake (DMI) did not differ across DOF (P = 0.72). Heifer
average daily gain decreased linearly (1.52, 1.37, 1.31, and 1.27 kg/d; P ≤ 0.01) as DOF
increased. Heifer hot carcass weight (HCW; 372, 387, 401, and 414 kg), longissimus
dorsi muscle area (88.63, 89.55, 90.80, and 91.95 cm2), and marbling score (modest35, modest53, modest63, and modest94) linearly increased (P ≤ 0.01) as DOF increased.
Percentage of USDA Prime carcasses (6.6, 11.2, 12.8, and 19.0 %) increased (P ≤ 0.01)
with increasing DOF. Frequency of liver scores (edible, minor, or major abscess) did not
change with increasing DOF (P ≥ 0.82). Frequency of ideal heart score decreased with
increasing DOF (53.0, 44.3, 25.7, and 15.0 %; P ≤ 0.01). Frequency of USDA yield grade
(YG) 3 did not change (P = 0.68), however YG 4 increased with increasing DOF (6.2,12.0, 14.0, and 22.5 %; DOF P ≤ 0.01). Data collected in this trial indicate that increasing
DOF led to increased HCW, LM area, marbling, YG, and QG with minimal changes to
DMI or liver scores for Angus x Holstein heifers.
The second study evaluated Comfort (COMF; Ralco Agriculture; Marshall, MN)
as a feed additive that contains essential oils and capsicum which are antioxidants and
selectively antimicrobial. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of
COMF on growth, feedyard performance, and ultrasound parameters in Akaushi and
Akaushi crossbred steers and heifers during the feedlot phase. Steers and heifers (283.50
± 27.01 kg; n = 56) were shipped to the West Texas A&M University research feedyard
(Canyon, TX); weighed, ultrasound scanned upon arrival, and allocated to treatment.
Treatments were a negative control that received no COMF and a COMF treatment,
received 0.23 kg/hd/d top-dressed on the ration. An equal number of steers and heifers
were allocated to each treatment. Data were analyzed using treatment and sex as the fixed
effect and repeated measures were day. Pen was the experimental unit. Statistical analysis
was ran in SAS 9.4 utilizing PROC MIXED. Animal final BW was not different between
treatments (422 COMF vs. 427 kg control; P = 0.57). Animal average daily gain (ADG)
was not different between treatments (1.07 vs. 1.06 kg/d; P = 0.58). There was a
significant interaction between treatment × sex for REAU (P = 0.04; 73.68 for CON
steers, 74.67 for COMF steers, 78.16 for CON heifers, and 74.63 cm2
for COMF heifers). Percentage IMF, fat thickness, nor rump fat was different between the treatments (P ≥ 0.19). Data collected in this trial indicate that COMF had minimal effect on final BW, ADG, DMI, IMF, FT, and rump fat and COMF negatively affected REAU in heifers
Rural and Suburban Superintendent Beliefs, Values, and Attitudes in Relation to English Learner Students: An Equity-Focused Exploration
No full textThis scholarly delivery is a combination of two articles that both highlight social justice leadership, decision-making of superintendents and the impacts this type of leadership has on the English Learner population. The first scholarly deliverable is a case study titled “Standing Up for What's Right: A New Superintendent Challenges Mindsets.” The case study examines a complex set of problems for a new superintendent. The problems include dealing with concerns from teachers and parents about the equitable treatment of students in the district. The second scholarly deliverable is an empirical research article titled “Rural and Suburban Superintendent Beliefs, Values, and Attitudes in Relation to English Learner Students: A Qualitative, Equity-Focused Exploration.” The study explores four Texas superintendents and what influences their decision-making on issues of equity with English Learner students
Circadian Regulation of Peripheral Serotonin in Mice
No full textC57BL/6 mice were fed ad libitum (AL) or placed on a gradual daytime restricted feeding regimen (DRF) while maintained in a 12:12 light-dark cycle (LD) or constant darkness (DD). Tissue samples were collected every fours in LD or DD conditions, beginning at ZT 2. Serotonin levels in tissues were quantified using ELISA (blood serum) or LC/MS/MS (duodenum and stools). Tph1 gene expression was measured using qPCR. Statistical analysis was performed using cosinor analysis (CircWave).Most organisms possess biological clocks which control and coordinate numerous physiological processes over each 24-hour day. Circadian oscillators play a role in generating biological rhythms and coordinating numerous processes with environmental stimuli, such as timing of a meal or exposure to light. The indolamine molecule serotonin is an important peripheral hormone produced by the intestinal mucosa of mammals, but its regulation as an output of the circadian clock is not well understood. Recent studies in my lab have investigated circadian rhythmicity of serotonin and its entrainment to light stimuli or food availability in various tissues or compartments in mice, including blood serum, stools, and the intestinal wall. In these experiments, mice were fed ad libitum (AL) or placed on a gradual daytime restricted feeding regimen (DRF) while maintained in a 12:12 light-dark cycle (LD) or constant darkness (DD). Using a repeated measures design, we demonstrated a high-amplitude circadian rhythm of serotonin in stool samples that persisted in constant conditions and entrained to both light and food availability, with a peak occurring close to the day-night transition under LD conditions. In contrast to some published findings, no circadian rhythm of serotonin was detected in blood serum. Preliminary data suggest that duodenal serotonin is rhythmic in LD and peaks later during the late night. This is consistent with our measurements of tph1 mRNA rhythms, which peaked during the late night in LD or DD, respectively. Taken together, these data suggest that peripheral serotonin is differentially regulated by the circadian clock in different compartments, and the rhythm of serotonin in stools is likely contributed to by oscillators outside the duodenum
INDIGENOUS DEVELOPMENT OF DYE-SENSITIZED SOLAR CELLS AND PERFORMANCE EVALUATION UNDER TEXAS ENVIRONMENT
No full textRenewable energy is a reliable solution for energy challenges that face the planet nowadays. Its resources are available, environmentally friendly, and renewable. The challenge is how to manage them by converting from a type to another. For Texas environment, sunlight is available most days of the year reaching more than 6 kWh/m2/day. Hence, Texas has an untapped potential for solar energy conversion. Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are a new type of solar cells that have attractive features but also needs some improvement and tests under Texas environment.
The primary goal of this project is to design, fabricate, test, and improve the efficiency of DSSC that will be working under Texas environment. As DSSC is one of the recent technologies in PV cells field, the project goes through its history, components, and working principle. Moreover, carbon-based monolithic perovskite solar cell (mPSC) which is inspired from DSSC or can be considered as a solid state of DSSC is also fabricated and tested. A proposed design is applied in the fabrication of these two types of solar cells.
For DSSC, a small test cell of 36 mm2 active area is fabricated using TiO2 paste with a 20mmx20mm photoelectrode made from silicon glass coated with fluorine tin oxide (FTO). All design and fabrication phases are guided by pre-set design and technical constraints such as cost, manufacturability and processing, and safety. Ruthenizer N719 dye which has good absorbance efficiency among the spectrum is used as a sensitizer. Platinum is used in coating the counter electrode which is stuck to the photo-electrode with 6 μm thickness
Syrelene polymer. A liquid electrolyte (Iodolyte HI-30) is injected between the photo- electrode and the counter-electrode to generate neutrality to the oxidized dye that guarantees the continuous of the cell’s generated power.
On the other hand, for the mPSC, a small test cell of 150mm2 active area is fabricated using methylammonium lead Iodide (MAPbI3) as a perovskite which is injected to the cell. The cell consists of three layers which are Titania, zirconia, and carbon. The cell
is then encapsulated with Syrelene polymer and ready to be tested.
The cells are then tested and characterized using standard equipment such as solar simulator, Keithly Source Measurement Unit, and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). Analysing the data, for DSSC, 0.67 V, 0.51 mA, 0.5%, and 0.51 are obtained for cell’s open-circuit voltage (Voc), short-circuit current (Isc), efficiency, and fill factor (FF), respectively. While for mPSC, 0.93 V, 9.24 mA, 3.11%, and 0.54 are obtained for cell’s open-circuit voltage (Voc), short-circuit current (Isc), efficiency, and fill factor (FF), respectively This design will go through phases of improvement and optimization to enhance the cell’s performance under harsh environment
Smartphone IoT-Based Point of Care Method for Arrhythmia Detection
No full textIn this research, a novel method for continuously monitoring heart rate to detect arrhythmia is proposed. According to modern trends, wearable sensors have become promising for their use in the healthcare industry due to their convenience, ubiquity for patients, and ability to gather real-time data. Technological advancements in new heart rate monitoring devices, such as wearable sensors and wireless monitors, are needed to help improve arrhythmia detection for patients. We propose a novel non-invasive, portable, and wireless method for monitoring heart rate by using electrical signals gathered using a Smartphone IoT-based system. Our experimental approach uses the measurement of peak-to-peak intervals between two successive signal peaks to estimate the heart rate of a test subject. The hardware used in the experiment includes a Node MCU Arduino platform to gather the raw data that is analyzed in MATLAB. Furthermore, a combination of filtering algorithms and peak detection of Electrocardiogram (ECG) signals is performed to remove noise and process the signals appropriately. The algorithm is tested on a healthy subject for seven minutes. Statistical data analysis is performed and the performance in terms of accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity was 96.1%, 95.2%, and 94.8% respectively
Group table and Sudoku puzzles
No full textWhen I was teaching algebraic structure to the engineering students, I noticed the difficulty of introducing abstract structures. Group multiplication table will convey all of the information of a group, but it is more visual-friendly. So I switched to the group tables. It is very noticeable that the table looks like a (complete) Sudoku puzzle. So a natural question is: Will the group table always become a Sudoku puzzle? This is the origin of the research project. Then I assigned it to two undergraduates to become a research project. We finished most of the theoretical work and we are currently in searching for a good Sukodu-generating algorithm so that we can verify how many of those Sudokus are induced by groups.For any finite group, we will notice a striking similarity between its group multiplication table and the Sudoku puzzles. Every nXn Sudoku puzzle should satisfy three rules: Every row should contain exactly those n numbers 1 through n; Every column should contain exactly those n numbers 1 throught n; In addition, if n=kXk is a perfect square, then every kXk (non-overlapping) grid should contain exactly those n numbers 1 through n. By the cancellation law of the group, every group multiplication table will automatically satisfy the first two rules. Unfortunately, it will almost always fail the last rule. One way to fix it is to allow row/column switching for the group multiplication table. A natural question is: Can all Sudoku puzzles be induced by a group in this way? The answer is: It depends. We will explore this question from both algebraic and statistical perspectives and search through computer programming to see the percentage of group-induced Sudokus among all Sudokus