16144 research outputs found
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Liberty, Equality, Sisterhood: The Role of Women in the French Revolution
No full textIt is fitting that a woman, Marianne, is the symbol of France. The French Revolution shaped France into what it is today, and there would not have been a revolution without the help of women. In my research, I analyze the actions of women during the French Revolution, including their participation in the signing of petitions, demonstrations in the streets, and the violent riots of 1789. I give examples of influential women of the movement, and I explain how women were used as symbols of revolutionary ideals. Although women played an essential role in the French Revolution of 1789, their condition barely improved during the post-revolutionary period. It is ironic that despite all the contributions of women and despite the fact that they represented the face of the revolution, they were not respected as authors of their own fate, nor even as legitimate citizens of the republic. My research concludes by analyzing the reasons why women did not earn significant gains despite all their contributions during the revolution
Modeling Surface Electrode Stimulation
No full textPhantom limb pain is experienced by 50-80% of amputees. We hypothesize that eliciting a “real” sensation in the phantom limb using surface electrode stimulation may reduce or eliminate phantom limb pain. To assist in eventual electrode placement, a computer model is being developed to predict the effect of electrode location, size, and configuration on median nerve activation. A three-dimensional finite element model of the elbow was created with ANSYS Maxwell, using two illustrated cross sections of the arm swept together. Simulations were performed by applying a voltage across two 17x30 mm electrodes placed over the elbow. The median nerve was modeled with 10 fascicles in three random arrangements and NEURON was used to predict axon firing. A sensitivity analysis was performed to determine the effect of the number of nodes per axon, number of axons per fascicle, and resolution of exported voltages on nerve firing. After investigation of these parameters, the model can predict how many motor axons fire for a given fascicle size, fascicle location, and stimulation value. The next step will be performing a similar analysis with sensory axons. To adapt the model to account for the difference between the channel properties of motor and sensory axons, a sensory axon model was developed based on a motor axon model by McIntyre, Richardson, and Grill (2002) and information from literature. Parameters were adjusted to reflect the differences in channel properties. A sensitivity analysis was conducted to find the parameters with the largest effect on threshold, and these significant parameters were investigated further. The models are still in progress but presently predict a slightly lower threshold voltage for a sensory axon than a motor axon at a given fiber diameter. This differs from the predictions of the original model but is closer to experimental observations
Modeling the Behavior of Photomechanical Materials
No full textPhotomechanical materials experience strains in response to light of certain wavelengths. These remotely triggered, photo-induced strains lead to large-scale deformations, presenting significant opportunities for wireless actuators and light-driven morphing structures. Because of the difficulty in fabricating complex geometries with these materials, a tool for predicting the behavior of these materials without extensive testing would aid in the design of photomechanical devices. The goal of this project was to implement a method for the modeling of photomechanical materials and use it to explore a variety of material geometries. The modeling performed in this research project was done using COMSOL, a finite element analysis program that contains a versatile equation-based modeling feature. By adding equations to COMSOL for the strains generated upon application of light, the behavior of these materials was effectively modeled. Back and forth snap-toggling was simulated for a strip of photomechanical material asymmetrically buckled over a fixed pin and illuminated on one side. In this simulation, a transition between two stable buckling modes was observed. These results show the importance of considering contact conditions when designing with these materials and lay a foundation for designing light-driven actuators in which boundary conditions increase the complexity of motion. The modeling approach for photomechanical materials utilized in this project has already provided valuable design insight and shows great promise as a versatile design tool for future light responsive applications
Post-Secondary Education Among Foster Care Alumni
No full textAmong foster care alumni, less than ten percent graduate from post-secondary education. While there is good evidence proving that education plays a significant role in one’s likelihood to succeed in the future, the factors restricting foster care alumni from college graduation are less agreed upon. This research proposal seeks to identify which factors are the most significant in foster care alumni’s likelihood to graduate from post-secondary education
Smitten in the Mitten: Examining Trump Support in Michigan
No full textThe rapid ascension of Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, coupled with its sustained potency, has confounded political scientists from its inception. A campaign doomed for failure has thus far captured a plurality of support and seems destined to capture the Republican nomination barring a contested nominating convention. Many variables exist that might explain this surprising success, especially economic metrics: wealth, class, and education have all been thoroughly explored as explanatory variables for Trump’s primary wins. However, less examined are the social variables that might influence voter behavior, especially as it tends toward Trump. This paper breaks down Donald Trump’s primary election success in Michigan on a county-by-county basis, examining the relationship between white mortality rates, white suicide rates, church attendance, and divorce rates. While virtually no correlation exists between church attendance or divorce rates, a strong correlation appeared between white mortality rates, especially among males, white suicide rate, and a county’s support for Donald Trump. This correlation perhaps indicates a crisis wherein white Michiganders perceive a decline in their culture and thus seek a strongman leader promising to “restore” America through stringent immigration and deportation policies and stays on Muslim immigration into the United States
The Relationship Between Politics, Media and Ethnicity in Kenya
No full textIn many emerging democracies, ethnic affiliation remains an important public identity maker. What factors perpetuate this politicized ethnicity? How people understand politics and themselves is largely shaped by and reflected in the vehicles through which they access information. These vehicles include media outlets such as radio, newspaper, television, and more recently, internet-based social media. This paper asks how and in what ways media affects and reflects ethnicity as an organizing category for how people interface with the public arena. Using Kenya as a case study, this project proposes to explore questions surrounding how media and politics interact. This project uses an original dataset of media content analysis—from newspaper, internet, and radio station sources—alongside public opinion survey data and insights from participant observation to ascertain if and how ethnicity remains a salient public identity and what these findings suggest for the future of political stability and democracy in the country, and thus other emerging democracies. Thus, this project asks if ethnicity is a politicized identity that trumps other public consideration and if it fills such role, how ethnicity as a political identity is created, reinforced and disseminated with a focus on the role of media as a democratic institution
Effects of Light and Ambient Temperature in a Diurnal Rodent, the Nile Grass Rat
No full textChanges in environmental conditions often result in changes in the display of circadian rhythmicity and locomotor activity levels of mammals. In previous experiments, day active (diurnal) grass rats (Arvicanthis niloticus) have been shown to switch to a night active (nocturnal) pattern of activity after the introduction of a running wheel. However, it is not yet known the mechanism by which animals switch from being diurnal to nocturnal. Here, we used grass rats to examine activity levels following manipulations of varying ambient temperatures and lighting intensities. Animals were singly housed with running wheels and data were collected in 12:12 light-dark (LD) conditions. First, we examined how a warmer ambient temperature during the day (25 degrees Celsius) and a cooler night (21 degrees Celsius) would affect wheel running activity. We found that 100% of grass rats in this condition were diurnal. The ambient temperature was then raised to a warmer condition (constant 32 degrees Celsius). Diurnality was still expressed by 100% of the subjects following the temperature increase, yet overall wheel running activity significantly decreased (p \u3c .05). Next, we plan to adjust the ambient temperature to a colder condition. We predict that grass rats will maintain diurnal patterns of activity in cold conditions, but will exhibit higher overall wheel running activity. Finally, we plan to adjust the room temperature back to a baseline temperature of 25 degrees Celsius, and dim the intensity of light in the environment. Altogether, we predict that changes in ambient temperatures will affect overall activity levels while maintaining diurnality, whereas changes in lighting intensity will affect the display of diurnal activity patterns. Our results will allow us to predict how lighting and temperature maintain diurnality, which is important in light of the growing evidence that humans that become night-active have significant health consequences
Development of a Novel Method to Measure Per- and Polyfluoralkyl Substances in Paper and Textiles
No full textPer- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are chemical compounds used as powerful, long-lived surfactants in many consumer products. Because of the environmental persistence of PFASs, their ability to bioaccumulate, and their suspected human toxicity, new methods to identify these chemicals in consumer products are needed. Current techniques to measure PFASs involve liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) which requires significant time and expense per sample for analysis. Particle Induced gamma-ray emission (PIGE) spectroscopy is an established ion beam analysis method that utilizes a beam of accelerated protons to excite 19F nuclei in a sample. As these nuclei return to their ground state, they emit characteristic gamma rays that can be used to identify and quantify the total fluorine content in a sample. In this study, paper and textile samples were analyzed with LC-MS/MS, paired with the total oxidizable precursor (TOP) assay, and with PIGE. A set of PFAS reference standards were created by depositing known amounts of perfluorooctanoic acid onto filter paper, and these standards were used to determine the fluorine concentration on papers and textiles. In addition, preliminary results suggest that the contact angle of water on paper is roughly associated with the presence of PFAS. A comparison of these results reveals that PIGE is an effective tool to determine the presence or absence of PFASs added to these consumer products
Balancing High-Stakes Testing Pressure and Learning 21st Century Skills—Is it Possible? The STREAM Story
No full textProject-based learning (PBL) is an evolving instructional method with the potential to improve collaborative skills and content knowledge in science and math. STREAM School, a seventh and eighth grade program at a rural Midwest school district, offers an innovative approach to PBL by connecting students and their learning to the outdoors through a partnership with a non-profit environmental education organization. This mixed methods study used data from standardized tests and interviews with students, teachers, and parents to investigate this program’s influence on content knowledge and collaborative abilities. Preliminary ANOVA and MANOVA results revealed that standardized test scores did not differ significantly between STREAM and non-STREAM students. There was, however, a significant interaction between test date and participant group, the implications of which were explored during post-hoc analysis. Upon qualitative investigation of student interviews, it was found that STREAM does also have the potential to improve collaborative abilities. Results of this study contribute to ongoing conversations about authentic science learning, standardized testing, and social cognitive learning within the classroom
Evaluation of the Gender Pay Gap: The Value of Parental Leave
No full textOn April 8th, 2014, President Obama signed two executive orders aimed at closing the wage gap between men and women. These acts emphasize the national dialogue, mostly heated, over the topic of equal pay across genders. This paper aims to shed light on the wage gap the president is referring to in the aforementioned quote. Using data from the 13th year of the 1997 cohort of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the difference in coefficients will be studied. By using an empirical method aimed at addressing the issue of bias in maternity/paternity leave provision, the effect that receiving parental leave benefits has on monetary wages will be examined. What will be shown is that the pay gap in pure averages can be pared down piece by piece when factors such as education, industry choice, age, and benefits are controlled for; revealing that the gap in compensation, relative to mediating factors, is indeed smaller than the 22-25 cent over dollar figure that is touted most frequently. The question being: What effect does paid parental leave have on wages, and how does the gender skewed provision of this benefit affect the gender wage gap