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Embryonic and Hatchling Vocalization in Olive Ridley Sea Turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea)
No full texthttp://opus.ipfw.edu/stu_symp2016/1039/thumbnail.jp
Inverted Trilobites: Key to Complex Preservation of an Organically Textured Surface in Offshore Siliciclastic Mudstone and Carbonate Facies: Kope Formation (Upper Ordovician), Kenton County, Kentucky, USA
No full textUnusual preservation of small primaspid trilobites may provide a key to interpretation of an enigmatic, apparently organically textured surface or sedimentary structure in the subtidal Upper Ordovician (Katian) Kope Formation of northern Kentucky. A thin, elliptical lens of silty mudstone in the lower Kope Formation (Pioneer Valley submember, Southgate Member, C-1 Sequence) has several unique features mainly present on its basal surface, as a hyporelief, but also to a limited extent on the upper surface. Toward one end, the basal surface has sinuous fluting that terminates at the other end in a complex of conjoined, flattened, ellipsoidal or spatulate lobes that is partly overlain by an outlier of the primary lens. The basal surface has small-scale corrugations (3 to 4 mm wide) and polygonal reticulation variably developed. Articulated exoskeletons of small, spinose primaspid trilobites [Primaspis crosotus (Locke)] occur mostly with their ventral surfaces applied directly to the textured surfaces (i.e., dorsal side down). On some lobes the reticulate texturing wraps around from the basal to the upper surface and is covered with minute rounded pustules (~ 0.3 mm). These enigmatic features are interpreted either as a recumbent microbial mat or an erect three-dimensional organism that was smothered and infilled by influx of silty sediment, preserved ultimately as a mold in hyporelief with trilobites in life position. Evidence for similar organic structures has not been previously reported from the Kope Formation. The taphonomic processes responsible for their preservation carry paleoenvironmental implications for possible microbial or macroalgal biotas within photic depths, and complex mediation of episodic depositional processes by organic biofilms or tissues
Public Confidence in Government: Public Service Motivation and Political Ideology
No full textA collection of surveys taken over the past several decades indicates that trust in government has been declining. One of the surveys is the General Social Survey (GSS). The GSS collects information from the general public on a wide variety of subjects, including attitudes toward government, politics, and policy issues. The 2014 GSS finds that only 11 percent of Americans have a great deal of confidence in the executive branch. Political trust is a crucial element of representative governance. With the upcoming Presidential election, it is critical to understand what explains public confidence in the executive branch of the federal government. To see government succeed, there needs to be a foundation of trust among all citizens. To address this research question, data from the 2014 General Social Survey are analyzed using ordered logistic regression. The main findings of this study include the following: Government employees are more likely to express confidence in executive branch leaders. In other words, government employees support the very institutions they work for. Also, Democrats are more likely to express confidence in executive branch leaders given that the White House was controlled by the Democratic Party in 2014. This study shows that executive leaders are seen as partisan leaders who have strong influence on forming attitudes toward government. Keywords: confidence in government, public/private differences, and political ideology.http://opus.ipfw.edu/stu_symp2016/1026/thumbnail.jp
Flow Analysis In aDirect Borohydride-Hydrogen Peroxide Fuel-Cell Stack
No full textFuel cells are energy storage devices analogous to batteries in which electrochemical energy is directly converted into electrical energy. The main difference between a fuel cell and a battery is that a fuel cell is an open system allowing for chemicals to flow through while a battery is a closed system. As a consequence, a fuel cell can be turned off by simply stopping the flow. Fuel cells are also very energy dense, due to the fact that it is possible to store the chemicals that flow through them in separate tanks. Additionally, fuel cells do not pollute and, in theory, have a high current efficiency, making them an ideal long-lasting, flexible power source.
Research in direct borohydride-hydrogen peroxide fuel cells is still in its early stages, but results have been promising and the assembly process of a low-cost stack design needs to be investigated. This paper concentrates on the development of a computational fluid dynamics model for the flow in a fuel cell with ionic potassium borohydride as the fuel and hydrogen peroxide as the oxidizer. Once this model is developed and verified, it is used in conjunction with the system chemistry to determine the maximum number of cells that can be stacked and the corresponding flow rate that allows every cell to produce power without running out of reactant. The solution is dependent on the current per square centimeter produced by test cells. The results of this study show that a test cell producing 0.4 A/cm2 can be scaled up to a stack of 15 cells with a flow rate of 115 ml/min using the analyzed stack design. Furthermore, a detailed analysis of the internal flow through a single cell is conducted to determine possible locations for design improvement to accommodate a large number of high-power stacks (50 or more cells). These results show that the present cell design is adequate for initial stack testing, but not for making large high-powered stacks. Refinements of the fuel cell design will need to be done in the future to allow for more cells to be stacked for higher power outputs. The most important issue to address is reduction of the differential pressure at the inlet and outlet of the cell by eliminating the use of narrow tubing.http://opus.ipfw.edu/stu_symp2016/1061/thumbnail.jp
Contextualized Histories in the Old English Hexateuch
No full textMy poster seeks to explore the function of the Old English Hexateuch (Cotton Claudius BIV) within the context of Anglo-Saxon culture and what can be learned about this culture through their own understanding and interpretation of the Hexateuch. The focus of my research is on both the formation and the reception of this manuscript, particularly regarding the illustrations that comprise the text (394 in all). The inclusion of these highly contextualized illustrations suggests that this manuscript was intended for the laity that likely would not have had the ability to read. Consequently, the paintings are not perfect representations of the text; rather, they are portrayals of Old Testament stories within Anglo-Saxon culture, in order to enable all interacting with the manuscript to gain a better understanding of the passages being dealt with. Though many of the pictures are incomplete (or missing entirely) they reveal a great deal about the values of Anglo-Saxon culture, especially regarding the ascetic qualities of nature and architecture. My poster seeks to highlight some of these aesthetic values in order to expose greater concerns within the culture. Additionally, in order to gain a sense of how exactly the people would have interacted with the manuscript, my research briefly explores the history of the Benedictine Abbey of Saint Augustine—the origin of the manuscript and the epicenter of cultural creation within Anglo-Saxon culture.http://opus.ipfw.edu/stu_symp2016/1019/thumbnail.jp
Determining the Role of Attentional Control among Construction Workers in Improving Safety Performance
No full textHuman error is the most dominant factor in approximately 70 to 80% of safety-related accidents in the construction industry. The inability to exert attentional control has proven to be a contributing factor in many injuries, such as falls, slips, and trips in field construction activities. The sources of attention in the human brain can be categorized into three networks: alertness, orientation, and executive control. This paper focuses on an investigation of specific links between the three attentional networks and safety-related risks among construction workers. Subsequently, this paper aims to test the hypothesis that construction workers with high attentional control are able to recognize and perceive more safety hazards than those with lower attentional control. To address it, work experience and knowledge on safety information of participants is evaluated using a questionnaire. Then, the attention network test (ANT) is conducted to assess the efficiency of the three attention networks of participants. Finally, an experiment using photos of potential hazards in the workplace is performed to evaluate the ability of participants to recognize and perceive safety hazards followed by a statistical analysis. The paper makes recommendation based on the conducted experiment as well as statistical result
