TTU Published Journals @ Volpe Library
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The Toiling Effects of Being Borne Back Ceaselessly into the Past: A New Critics Analysis of The Great Gatsby
Get PDFThe Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a timeless masterpiece of American literature. Although the events that the characters endured are long past, the emotions that they stir within the human conciseness have been preserved by every reader in the past 96 years. Factors such as war, love, and selfishness are defining things that shape the characters, and in turn, the world that surrounds them. Throughout this literary critique, I closely examine the text of the novel to connect all the different aspects of Fitzgerald's masterpiece to a single underlying theme of nostalgic longing. Within the analysis, I connect the theme with many of the important characters to reveal how their questionable actions could be explained. Additionally, I connect the theme to the novel's symbolism to create a greater depth of emotion than what can be seen on the surface. Finally, I discuss the reason why this longing exists in the first place and how it could quite possibly be a faulty human condition that still exists within the generations of our own time
*WINNER* Fanny Hill: An Eighteenth Century Bisexual Woman
No full textWhat exactly counts as "sex"? John Cleland's Fanny Hill: Memoir of a Woman of Pleasure (1748) works to answer this question even as it, of course, titillates its readers. Fanny Hill's conception of "sex" is fundamental to modern conceptions of sexuality. Not only was it the first pornographic novel written in English, read widely in the three centuries since its initial publication. The novel grapples with the concept of sexual desire and related paradigms of consent. To do so, it suppresses homoerotic pleasures it displays through sexual scenes, emphasizing the idea that homoerotic relationships are less satisfying than penetrative heterosexual sex. In the text, Fanny feels desire for and has sexual relations with both men and women. However, the novel never considers her homoerotic relations "sex". Instead, the women who engage in this type of pleasure describe the events as acts of masturbation or mutual masturbation if they are with women and "sex"only if a penis comes into play. Situations that would be labeled as rape today, are portrayed in a way that suggests that women consent by being women are available for intercourse at the time the men desire it. These two paradigms work together to limit the control that women can exercise over their sexuality. I use Michel Foucault's History of Sexuality to explain how Fanny Hill relates to changing definitions of women's sexuality and suggest that the novel displays a bisexual erotic experience
*WINNER* Industry Leaders' Perceived Critical Thinking Dispositions of Early-Career Employees
No full textRecently, a plethora of research has been conducted to gauge which "soft skills" (communication, critical thinking, teamwork, etc.) are most highly valued in current employees and new hires; as well as if and how institutions of higher education are responsible for aiding colleges students in developing critical thinking dispositions and skills that prepare them for the global workforce. The purpose of this study was to determine how industry leaders perceive the critical thinking dispositions of their early-career (21-35 years) employees. Participants were chosen based on their current positions and relationship with the School of Agriculture. A modified version of the University of Florida – Engagement, Cognitive Maturity, and Innovativeness (EMI) instrument was used to capture early-career employees' critical thinking dispositions. Preliminary data suggests that early-career employees strive to be well informed (3.9/5.0), are able to get along with people who do not share the same opinions (3.9/5.0), and are looking for opportunities to solve problems (3.6/5.0). However, they are lacking in their ability to find multiple solutions to problems (3.0/5.0), relate to a wide variety of issues (3.1/5.0), and consider the facts and not let biases affect their decisions (3.1/5.0). Therefore, developing courses and/or pedagogical strategies that promote critical thinking skills will assist students in becoming valuable contributors to the global workforce
*WINNER* A Method for Mapping Environmental Justice Factors by Watershed
No full textEnvironmental justice (EJ) is defined by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin or income concerning the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations and policies. Since the rise in awareness of EJ issues in recent years, our government has declared it essential to identify and address infrastructure problems of communities with EJ concerns. While the EPA has created an Environmental Justice Screening and Mapping Tool (EJSCREEN) to aid in identifying those communities, it contains limited EJ indicators and can only assess how communities are affected at the census tract level. This project aims to map watersheds and quantify their relative EJ factors alongside environmental factors to understand better their influence on communities. Using ArcGIS, our goal is to develop a spatial and statistical methodology for use as an environmental justice tool for watersheds in Tennessee. The findings from this study can provide state and federal governments with a tool to understand how EJ and environmental factors interact within their communities and watersheds
Investigation of Optimum Quality Parameters of Low-cost Metal Material Extrusion using Machine Learning and Response Surface Methodology
No full textAdditive manufacturing (AM) is a widely used layer-by-layer manufacturing process. However, the good quality production of additively manufactured parts is limited by the use of different materials, machines and process parameters. Material Extrusion (ME) is one of the most widely used AM technologies. Thus, it is adopted in this research. Low-cost Metal Material Extrusion (LCMME) is a new AM technology used to fabricate metal parts using sintering metal infused filament material. Since the filaments used in LCMME are relatively new, there is a need to investigate the most suitable process parameters of the LCMME process for real-world applications. Each step of the process such as 3D printing of the samples and the sintering will affect the quality of final part significantly. By using Machine Learning and Response Surface Methodology (RSM), a comprehensive quality analysis of the Bronze samples fabricated by the LCMME process is developed in this research. RSM can assist researchers in sophisticated pre-manufacturing planning and product quality assessment and control. The findings of this study can help researchers and engineers to optimize the process parameters to obtain high quality metal parts fabricated by LCMME process
Modeling and Analysis of Equivalent Circuit of Metamaterial-based Wireless Power Transfer System
No full textIn this study, an equivalent circuit model is presented to emulate the behavior of a metamaterial-based wireless power transfer system. For this purpose, the electromagnetic field simulation of the proposed system is conducted in ANSYS high-frequency structure simulator for medium parameter extraction. In addition, a numerical analysis of the proposed structure is explored to evaluate its transfer characteristics. The power transfer efficiency of the proposed structure is represented by the transmission scattering parameter. While some methods, including interference theory and effective medium theory have been exploited to explain the physics mechanism of MM-based WPT systems, some of the reactive parameters and the basic physical interpretation have not been clearly expounded. In contrast to existing theoretical model, the proposed approach focuses on the effect of the system parameters and transfer coils on the system transfer characteristics and its effectiveness in analyzing complex circuit. Numerical solution of the system transfer characteristics, including the scattering parameter and power transfer efficiency is conducted in Matlab. The calculation results based on numerical estimation validates the full wave electromagnetic simulation results, effectively verifying the accuracy of the analytical model
*WINNER* Towards Automated Machine Learning Detection of Academic Dishonesty in Computer-Based Testing
No full textThe global pandemic forced a rapid shift of learning environments to an online and remote modality. In a computer-based testing environment, ensuring academic integrity is difficult without resorting to technology that is intrusive to student privacy. During online examinations, students have many opportunities and resources to act dishonestly. However, the computer-based testing environment also provides data about the examination process that can be collected which is not possible in face-to-face settings. Utilizing features extracted from computer-based testing logs, a machine learning model was implemented to determine if students completed the exam honestly or not. The model was validated with high recall or low false negatives. Implementing this model into online examinations would allow for suspected academic dishonesty to be automatically flagged for further review by the instructor. Results indicate it is possible for the model to detect dishonest conduct, including unauthorized collaboration and utilization of external resources such as exam assistance services
*WINNER* Microplastics Sampling and Identification in Wastewater Treatment Plants around Middle Tennessee
No full textRecent research has shown that microplastics (MPs) are present ubiquitously in natural and drinking water systems. One of the possible sources of MPs are municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Because of their key role in maintaining public health, WWTPs can give insight into how much MPs are being disposed by human activities, and if existing treatment plants can process these emerging pollutants. The goal of the research study was to address the inconsistencies present in other research methodologies by determining the efficacies of collection and preparation methods for MPs in wastewater. In order to accomplish this, samples were collected via grab, composite, and pump filtration from two WWTPs in middle Tennessee to be processed and analyzed. The facilities chosen for this study were selected to account for variables such as population density, hydraulic capacity, treatment processes, and receiving streams where wastewater effluent is discharged. Through experimentation, this study will process the samples using hydrogen peroxide oxidation and zinc chloride density separation. The future outcomes from analysis of the collected and processed samples using epifluorescence microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy to quantify and identify MPs will give results to the adequacy of research methodologies for the overall goal of understanding the fate of MPs in WWTPs
*WINNER* Direct Formic Acid Fuel Cells: Mass Transport Optimization of the Anode Catalyst Layer
No full textTo meet the ever-rising demand for portable power sources, batteries have become a vital part in mobile electronics such as cell phones and laptops. However, the efficiency of batteries is compromised due to exponential degradation over time, lengthy recharging times, and limited charge capacity. Direct formic acid fuel cells (DFAFC) present an alternative to batteries, due to their near instantaneous re-fueling times, higher efficiency, and 24/7 operation capabilities. However, two-phase flow in conjunction with the small pore size between anode catalyst agglomerates (~20 nm) restricts the cell's efficiency. To improve the mass transport gaseous products (carbon dioxide) and liquid reactants (formic acid), a pore-former is integrated into the anode catalyst layer during fabrication and subsequently removed. The additional templated porosity enhances the two-phase mass transport in and out of the anode catalyst layer. Previous work has been done with the addition of a smaller pore-former, MgO (~50 nm) resulting in an increase in cell performance and electrochemical surface area. [2] The intent of the pore-former is to increase the porosity of the anode catalyst layer while retaining the connectivity of the agglomerates. The present work aims study more variations in the wt% of pore-former (0-60 wt%).1. Lam, S., Bixby, M.M., and Rice, C.A., Optimization of Mass Transport within Direct Formic Acid Fuel Cell Catalyst Layer via Pore Formers. 2020, 98, 355
*WINNER* Role of Intermediaries in the Degradation of Acetaminophen by Photocatalytic Methods: Preliminary Observations
No full textAcetaminophen is one of the most common drugs used to treat minor pains and illnesses as well as to control fever. Due to both the widespread use of acetaminophen and its incomplete metabolism by humans, undesirable quantities of the drug may end up in our water systems even after partial microbial metabolic processes reduce the amount present in wastewater. This represents a significant health hazard as there are currently no treatment processes that are readily available for wastewater treatment facilities to remove acetaminophen from the water in its entirety. This project is seeking to test the feasibility of photocatalytic degradation of acetaminophen using photocatalytic methods via the immobilization of titanium dioxide on thin films. The overall goal of the project is to find the most efficient and effective experimental conditions for the of degradation of acetaminophen. One important aspect of this effort is to identify the role played by potential intermediaries due to the degradation of the drug and their possible interference in the efficiency of the process. After presenting experimental evidence of the presence of intermediate products, a theoretical analysis based on information found in the literature and molecular structures will be presented. Properties of the intermediary molecules as well as their contamination strength and future work needed to completely elucidate the role of the intermediaries in the process will be presented