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Retelling Korean folktales via miniature RC racing
No full textThis project explores the integration of multiple disciplines into a cohesive kinetic art project that attempts to tell the Korean folktale of “Sister Sun and Brother Moon.” It outlines the four parts of the experience: (1) the visual storytelling, (2) the auditory storytelling, (3) the autonomous remote control (RC) car algorithm, and (4) the Human Robot Interaction (HRI). Through a series of pictorials, the project illustrates the progression of the story and delves into each of its themes. The outcomes are an interdisciplinary project that combines art, culture, storytelling, robotics, and machine learning
Dayside Pulsating Diffuse Aurora and the Interplanetary Magnetic Field
No full textChanges in the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) orientation can affect pulsations in the dayside aurora. It has been reported that multiple dayside arcs(Pc 5 band) were replaced by diffuse pulsating aurora (Pc 3-4 band) when the IMF turned northward. Dayside green (557.7 nm emission) pulsating aurora had been reported to occur between 0800 and 1100 MLT (0500-0800 UT) in patches. The pulsations are normally associated with Pc 3-5 range. This statistical study examines pulsating green aurora using ground-based optical data are obtained from the Kjell Henriksen Observatory (KHO) in Longyearbyen, Svalbard (GEO: N, E; AACGM: N, E). All-Sky Camera images are obtained from the Boreal Aurora Camera Constellation (BACC) and intensities are obtained from the meridian scanning photometer data. Oscillations from the pulsating aurora are obtained from the BACC and compared with the magnetic deflections obtained from the IMAGE magnetometer network. The pulsating events are combined with IMF data. The results of the study show that (i) the pulsating green aurora occurs over a large area of the BACC field of view, (ii) the period of oscillations are between 5-10 minutes, (iii) very few events occur past 12 MLT
The Crystallographic, Spectroscopic, and Theoretical Study of Square Planar Platinum Complexes with Varying Sterics and Electronics
No full textAs this work is not yet published, the authors have requested the removal of the abstract
DEFICIENT DIETARY FOLIC ACID AND SYSTEMIC DSP-4 INDUCED LOCUS COERULEUS LOSS ASSESSED AS NEURODEGENERATIVE COGNITIVE MODEL IN ADULT CB57/J6 MICE
Get PDFDEFICIENT DIETARY FOLIC ACID AND SYSTEMIC DSP-4 INDUCED LOCUS COERULEUS LOSS ASSESSED AS NEURODEGENERATIVE COGNITIVE MODEL IN ADULT CB57/J6 MICE Gabriel Kong, C. Foster Graf, Aristotle Zeng, Theodore Helm, Simon Khorani, Rohan Rample, Smayana Kurapati, Riva Rainier, Aidan Schmidt, Maximilian Doane, David B. Green, and Susan E. Helm Chemistry and Nutritional Science, Pepperdine University, Malibu, California
Dietary deficiency of folic acid (FA) shortened nerve lengths as much as 50% in hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG). Locus coeruleus (LC) is largest noradrenergic nucleus in central nervous system with neurogenic projections widely dispersed in the brain and, notably, a major norepinephrine source in the DG and frontal cortex (FC). For 16 weeks, adult CB57/J6 mice (N=66) were provided 4 dietary/DSP-4 treatments: NFCS (n=16, normal FA control, saline injected [0.2 mg FA/kg BW]); NFCD (n=18, normal FA, DSP-4 injected (50 mg DSP-4/kg BW); FADS (n=16, FA deficient, saline injected); and, FADD (n=16, FA deficient, DSP-4 injected). NE in FC was measured in addition to significant loss of LC neurons; astrocytes, calcium signaling, and embryonic neurons using, respectively, immunohistochemical methods for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), GABA fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), parvalbumin (PV), doublecortin (DCX) were analyzed. Confirmation of phenotypic cognitive behavior with Nesting Behavior; decreased distance traveled with Novel Object Recognition (NOR); and, decreased rearing and latency to explore to the center of the field in Open Field Testing (OFT) were enumerated between NFCS and FADD (
A tick\u27s quest: The effects of climatic stress on host-seeking behavior of wild ticks
Get PDFThe Lone Star Tick (Amblyomma americanum) is one of the most epidemiologically relevant tick species in the United States and is experiencing a range expansion. Our study aimed to investigate the effects of climatic stress on the behavior and physiology of the Lone Star Tick at the expansion front. We hypothesized that there are differences in survivorship, questing (host-seeking) behavior, and dehydration tolerance based on sex or geographic origin. We also predicted that ticks increase their host-seeking behavior as they approach death due to dehydration stress. We collected adult ticks from six sites across Oklahoma and New York/New Jersey. We placed 138 males and 135 females in individual tubes, and split them evenly in three relative humidity treatments (32%, 58%, and 84%). We assessed the ticks daily for survivorship and questing, and we evaluated their dehydration tolerance by comparing the mass of each tick when it died to when it was fully hydrated. Survivorship was higher in Oklahoma males compared to New York/New Jersey males; however, there was no difference in survivorship between female populations. Male ticks quested almost twice as frequently as females regardless of geographic origin. Dehydration tolerance was highest in Oklahoma females. Lastly, our data did not support the hypothesis that ticks quest more frequently as they approach death. The novel discovery of significant differences in survivorship, questing behavior, and dehydration tolerance based on sex and geographic origin highlights the presence of important behavioral and physiological adaptations at the margins of their distribution
Prediction of Future New Entrepreneurs Using Population Survey Data
No full textEntrepreneurship is essential to the U.S. economy and understanding the characteristics of entrepreneurs can help organizations like the Small Business Administration (SBA) assist with growth of startup businesses. Understanding what makes an entrepreneur can be difficult and predicting future entrepreneurs even more so. Using data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey (CPS), we are able to track annual survey respondents across a 16 month period from non-self-employment to self-employment. With our own technique, we successfully matched records from nearly 1.2 million respondents over a 10 year period from 2009 to 2019. Using machine learning techniques trained with an optimized set of features, we created one model to classify entrepreneurs and another to predict future entrepreneurs or the transition to entrepreneurship. The first model can be used to help understand defining factors of entrepreneurship and the second can be used to assist potential new or first time business owners. Other research conducted on the subject relies on niche datasets, which are expensive to collect and hard to come by; through machine learning and data mining approaches our technique shows the untapped potential of population data sets, such as the CPS, in business and economic research such as this
Checking for ticks: Analyzing the efficiency of different tick collection methods
No full textTicks are the most important arthropod disease vectors in both North America and Europe. Field collection of wild ticks is vital for research on the ecology of vector-borne diseases. Dragging and trapping are the two most common methods for collecting wild ticks. Dragging involves a researcher pulling a canvas through a field to collect ticks searching for a host, while trapping exploits ticks’ natural attraction to carbon dioxide to lure them onto a canvas where they get caught on tape. Our study aimed to evaluate which of these two methods is more effective. We chose six sites across three states, setting three traps and performing three drags at each site. We recorded the time for every collection event, the species, life stage, and sex of every tick collected. We collected a total of 1954 ticks belonging to four species, Lone Star Tick (Amblyomma americanum), Blacklegged Tick (Ixodes scapularis), Asian Longhorned Tick (Haemaphysalis longicornis), and American Dog Tick (Dermacentor variabilis). We found that trapping is slightly more effective for collecting adult females in Oklahoma, but dragging is more effective for collecting nymphs in Oklahoma, New York, and New Jersey. When considering other factors such as material and labor costs, we conclude that trapping has a higher material cost but a much lower labor requirement, while dragging has only one low initial material cost but requires much more manual labor
Policy Implications and Recommendations Concerning the United States’ Non-ratification of International Human Rights Treaties
Get PDFThis paper delves into the historical background, policy implications, and recommendations concerning the United States\u27 non-ratification of crucial international human rights treaties. The UN treaties analyzed include the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). Despite being a global hegemon, the United States\u27 refusal to ratify these treaties raises questions about its commitment to human rights and international cooperation. Through examining historical and current rationales, alongside the potential impacts of ratification, this paper argues for the necessity of the United States accepting these treaties, emphasizing the benefits they offer domestically and internationally
The benefits of voluntary disorienting dilemmas for a transformational life: a grounded theory study in transformational learning
Get PDFBeing uncomfortable by choice as a means of personal growth has been touted for hundreds of years among scholars, philosophers, religious leaders, modern pop culture icons, and more. Yet, research pertaining to the benefits of being uncomfortable by choice is sparse. This qualitative, grounded theory study addressed the first step of transformational learning: the disorienting dilemma. Seventy participants located in America participated in extensive interviews to answer this study’s research question, “what if any, are the benefits of voluntary disorienting dilemmas?” Additional research questions, “what is the meaning(s) of voluntary disorienting dilemmas?” and “would subjects repeat their voluntary disorienting dilemmas again? Why or why not?” further contributed to the theoretical model presented in this study on the benefits, meanings, and motivations of voluntary disorienting dilemmas. This body of work adds to transformational learning theory and has implications for sociology, change management, global leadership, and more
How political elite leverage Twitter to polarize America
Get PDFWhile social media has changed how humans use the internet, Twitter has drastically reformed how individuals worldwide receive their news. As news outlets fail to keep up with the rapid dissemination of information online, Twitter has become a sounding board for the political elite who leverage the platform\u27s immediacy and virality. This study, using Quantitative Ethnography\u27s Epistemic Network Analysis, seeks to determine if the political elite, specifically members of Congress, are leveraging Twitter to spread polarizing information to strengthen their base. In this study, extensive coding of select members of the 118th Congress was completed and compared to Voteview.com\u27s DW-Nominate polarization scores for each studied Member of Congress. The second question looks at Twitter\u27s algorithm. It seeks to determine if the algorithm gives preferential status to the political elite who use polarizing tweets to generate higher user engagement resulting in higher ad revenue. In the second research question, the study dives into the type of rhetoric used by Members of Congress to determine the key terms used in polarizing tweets that garner the highest engagement.
Lastly, the study intends to determine if the political manipulation of Twitter users is problematic. A review of the former President Donald Trump and Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro\u27s Twitter accounts are studied, coded, and imported into the Epistemic Network Analysis Web Tool to determine if these two leaders bear any responsibility for the subsequent insurrections that took place in Washington D.C. and Praça dos Três Poderes, Brazil. The study revealed that there is an immediate need for monitoring and potentially regulating social content as there is extensive use of highly polarizing language by the political elite that has brought with it harmful consequences