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Comparing Executive Control: Bilingualism\u27s Cognitive Advantage
Get PDFThe Stroop Task is a widely used method for studying executive control. It helps to understand cognitive processes like inhibition and attentional regulation to examine how reading text and naming colors can interfere with each other. The study intends to use the Stroop Task to explore the executive control abilities of both bilingual and monolingual individuals. Previous research has shown that bilingual individuals perform better in the Stroop test compared to those who only speak one language (Bialystok et al., 2010). The impact of this advantage is believed to be due to the need to switch between languages and prevent interference from non-target languages, which strengthens executive control. This study aims to replicate these findings, with a specific focus on undergraduate students from Central Washington University as the sample population. The study aims to enroll 60 participants and expects bilingual individuals to demonstrate enhanced cognitive control due to their extensive experience suppressing the non-target language
Fire-Vegetation-Climate Interactions: An 8,000- Year Long Paleoecological Reconstruction from Round Lake, Idaho (USA)
No full textThe Idaho Transportation Department recently contracted archeologists from Eastern Washington University (EWU) to assess potential impacts to cultural resources near McArthur Lake in Bonner County, Idaho, as the result of rerouting U.S. Route 95. The goal of this research is to aid EWU archeologists in their interpretation of the artifacts recovered from the McArthur Lake site by providing them with a local paleoecological reconstruction. Lake sediment-based paleoecological reconstructions provide detailed information on fire history and vegetation change through time and indicate how landscapes responded to past climate variability and human activities. In summer 2022, a sediment core was extracted from Round Lake, which is located in Round Lake State Park, approximately 7 km south of Sandpoint, ID, and 46 km south of the McArthur Lake site. The fire history of Round Lake was reconstructed through macroscopic charcoal analysis and the vegetation history was determined using pollen analysis. The results of this research indicate that the warm and dry early Holocene (ca. 7910-7860 calendar years before present [cal yr BP]) was characterized by an Artemisia-dominated steppe with low/no fire activity. During the middle Holocene (ca. 7830-3220 cal yr BP) more effective moisture became available across the landscape and fire iv activity increased due to higher abundance of burnable biomass. The vegetation present at the site during this time was a mesic mixed-conifer forest dominated by Pinus, Pseudotsuga/Larix, Picea, and Abies, and a riparian forest of Salix, Populus, and Sambucus. The late Holocene (ca. 3220 cal yr BP to present) was the coolest and wettest time period, marked by decreased fire activity and increased abundance of mesic taxa such as Thuja plicata and Tsuga heterophylla. Little to no change was observed in the Round Lake vegetation following EuroAmerican settlement (ca. 100 [1850 CE] to -72 cal yr BP [2022 CE]). In general, fire activity at Round Lake was frequent throughout most of the past 8,000 years. The fire history at Round Lake is indicative of a mixed-severity fire regime throughout much of the Holocene, with the exception of the years during and immediately after the Medieval Climate Anomaly warm period, where a lower proportion of herbaceous charcoal indicates that fires were larger and/or of greater severity. Interestingly, fire activity sharply dropped at the beginning of the Little Ice Age and never returned to the landscape following the termination of the cold, wet period. It is highly probable that the absence of fire during the past ca. 500 cal yr BP was in part a result of the removal of cultural fire regimes from the landscape. Given the frequent, low-moderate severity fire activity at Round Lake throughout much of the past 8,000 years, land managers might want to consider utilizing prescribed burning to reestablish the historic fire regime
Timescales of Magma Storage and the Pre-eruptive History for the Most Recent Lava Flow at Mount Baker (Koma Kulshan), WA
Get PDFMount Baker, ranked as a very-high threat volcano in the United States, is in a well-populated area in northern WA, putting many at risk in the event of a future eruption. Previous work on Mount Baker focused on understanding the magmatic architecture beneath the volcano and has identified multiple magmatic components that contributed to different eruptions throughout its history. The youngest lava flow in the Mount Baker Volcanic Field is the 9.8 ka Sulphur Creek lava flow. The last study conducted on this flow by Garvey (2022) determined the most recent magma mush configuration that was tapped for this eruption. This included finding four co-crystallizing mineral assemblages and their respective equilibrium liquids representing four distinct magma components stored at a variety of depths beneath Mount Baker. However, it is still unknown how long these magma components were stored in an eruptible state before the eruption and how quickly the final ascent of magma to the surface was after the eruption initiation mechanism. Using EPMA and LA-ICP-MS, chemical gradients across individual crystals were collected for thermometry and diffusion chronometry. The Mg and Sr concentration gradients across core to interior zone boundaries in plagioclase were fit by diffusion models at 750 °C and produced median residence timescales of 164 ± 772, 34 years and 656 ± 927, 396 years, respectively. The Mg gradients across interior zones to rims of plagioclase and Fe-Mg interdiffusion in clinopyroxene were analyzed using the temperatures calculated via mineral-liquid thermometers in ThermoBar (Wieser et al., 2022) to produce median eruption initiation timescales of 1.3 ± 2.4, 0.7 months and 7 ± 6, 5 years, respectively. This work provides insight into timescales associated with an active magma system in the Cascades that has no diffusion studies to date and assists in planning for hazard and risk mitigation in the case of a future eruption at Mount Baker
Members Only: Do Mandatory Inclusive Introductions Inadvertently Cause Exclusion?
Get PDFIn order to establish the proper way to address peers and colleagues, an introduction is necessary. In an attempt to support inclusion, it has become standard to ask that people state their associated pronouns. Researchers have shown that the proper use of one’s pronouns can help people feel safe in a new environment (e.g., Kramer et al., 2022; Lauscher et al., 2022; Palanica et al., 2022); however, to my knowledge, very few researchers have explored the potential adverse effects of requiring pronouns in introductions. The practice of stating pronouns during introductions has been established relatively recently (MIT, 2020), limiting research studies that have explored the possible exclusion experienced by those who feel unsure, unsafe, and/or conflicted about their pronouns or how they choose to communicate them. The purpose of this experimental study was to examine how participants responded to a randomly assigned hypothetical introduction scenario in which introductions – 1) require pronouns, 2) give the option for pronouns, or 3) ask for any personal choice identifiers. Afterward, participants introduced themselves (open-ended) and completed an anxiety scale that measured their affective response to the introduction scenario. Contrary to my first hypothesis, participants assigned to the required pronouns condition did not report higher levels of anxiety in comparison to those in the optional pronouns condition. In addition, my exploratory hypothesis that encouraged additional choice identifiers would lead to lower levels of anxiety than the requiring pronouns was also not supported by the data, as no differences in anxiety were found between these groups
Constraining Magma Oxidation State through Zircon Trace Elements: Estimating Tungsten Mineralization Potential in Northeastern Washington
No full textThe oxidation state of a magma (measured by oxygen fugacity, fO2) controls what reactions are favored during crystallization and what elements are concentrated and potentially precipitated into minerals, making it a key factor in ore-forming processes as some commodity elements are best concentrated under specific redox conditions. Tungsten (W) is best concentrated under reducing magmatic conditions, a characteristic that makes constraining magma oxidation state, done through analysis of zircon trace elements, an essential tool in plutonic tungsten deposit exploration.
This research analyzes the zircon trace elements of several Cretaceous-age intrusions in the region surrounding the now-inactive Germania tungsten mine in the Adam’s Mountain and Hunters (AMH) 7.5 minute quadrangles, located in northeastern Washington. These intrusions range from granite to granodiorite, and previously determined zircon U-Pb age calculations give two age populations, 100.3 Ma to 104.7 Ma and 71.8 to 74.7 Ma respectively, with the W-bearing intrusions belonging to the older population. Zircons from thirteen samples of W-mineralized and unmineralized intrusions from both age populations were chemically analyzed to constrain magma oxygen fugacity and zircon crystallization temperatures associated with tungsten mineralization.
The W-bearing AMH intrusions have fO2 values relative to the quartz-fayalite-magnetite (QFM) buffer ranging between -2.0 and +2.1, indicating more reduced conditions; zircons from the unmineralized intrusions have slightly higher fO2 values relative to the QFM buffer, ranging between +0.10 and +3.6, indicating more oxidized conditions. The W-mineralized AMH intrusions also generally have zircon crystallization temperatures 700°C. The distinct differences in magma fO2 relative to the QFM buffer and zircon crystallization temperature correlating with tungsten mineralization suggests that zircon chemistry can be used as a tool to quantify the potential for tungsten mineralization in a crystallizing magma chamber. By applying the zircon geochemical results of AMH plutons known to contain tungsten to those from plutons of unknown mineralization, exploration for plutonic tungsten deposits can be conducted more efficiently
Influence of the Influencer: Decoding the Credibility of Influencers Among College Students.
Get PDFAs the first “digitally native” cohort, Gen Z\u27s upbringing amidst rapid technological advancements has shaped their attitudes, preferences, and decision-making processes in unprecedented ways. In 2023, e-commerce sales accounted for 20 percent of total sales in financial markets. This increase creates an urgency for understanding the different ways in which Gen Z interacts with retail. The study aims to investigate the mechanisms through which social media influencers have emerged as influential figures by addressing the fundamental mechanisms that drive social engagement and purchase behaviours. The study investigated theoretical mechanisms such as self-determination theory, social influence theory, social comparison theory, and personality. Participants of the online survey were convenience and snowball sampled from Pacific University’s College of Arts and Sciences using emails and text messages, as well as through social media platforms. Results of this study yielded significant results, finding a positive correlation between social comparison and informed consumer behavior, a negative correlation between self-esteem and engagement with influencer content and marketing, a negative correlation between social comparison and self-esteem, and significant differences in the levels of self-determination and trait conscientiousness between individuals who reported following influencers and those who did not. Understanding these results may provide valuable insights for businesses seeking to effectively engage with Gen Z consumers in the digital marketplace
Found in the Archives-Paul Creston
No full textNathan Sandell shares archival documentation about Professor Paul Creston (1906-1985), a prolific American composer during the 20th century. Professor Creston came to Central Washington State College in 1967 as Distinguished Visting Professor. He was appointed Professor of Music and Composer in Residence in 1968 and served in this role until his retirement in 1975. Creston’s compositions included orchestral works, concertos, chamber music, choral music, and those specific for string orchestra, piano, and symphonic band
Simplifying the HECVAT: A Supplier Risk Assessment for Higher Education Institutions
Get PDFThe internet revolutionized global communication, enabling rapid messaging to thousands. This also means that malicious communication can happen quickly as well. In higher education, cyber risk has reached unprecedented levels due to the increased interconnectivity facilitated by the internet—it is one of the most cyber-attacked industries worldwide. Establishing robust preventative practices to safeguard sensitive data and maintain trust within the educational community is crucial. Preventative practices must be in place to ensure that suppliers and businesses follow specific security and privacy rules to warrant secure communication. Ensuring supplier compliance with security and privacy rules is critical to safeguarding student data, legal adherence, risk mitigation, supplier accountability, and maintaining trust within the educational community. For this reason, over 150 colleges and universities use the Higher Education Community Vendor Assessment Toolkit (HECVAT), a detailed 256-question questionnaire to identify any security and privacy practices that are or are not followed. This study aims to simplify and facilitate this preventative risk assessment industry-standard practice for suppliers and higher education institutions by streamlining this complicated and lengthy assessment process, thereby enhancing security and fostering collaboration
RC Baja: Drivetrain and Chassis
Get PDFThe engineers in the CWU Mechanical Engineering Technology program were asked to design and manufacture a remote-controlled Baja car to compete in several different events. The car was required to compete in a drag race, slalom event, and Baja event against other cars created by engineering students. To compete at the highest level, the cars needed to finely balance ruggedness, weight, torque, and top speed.
This report is dedicated to the designing, manufacturing, and testing of the drivetrain and chassis that supported the RC car as it competed in the school-sanctioned competition; a partner was responsible for the steering and suspension portion of the project. After creating a list of project requirements during the Fall quarter, the engineers applied a multitude of engineering principles in their analyses to ensure that the car would meet all design criteria and project requirements. The team designed the entire car during the Fall quarter, manufactured it during the Winter quarter, and conducted the testing and racing during the Spring quarter.
Upon the project\u27s completion, the team was able to qualitatively determine the success of the drivetrain and chassis prototypes through extensive testing during the spring quarter. With a top speed of 24 MPH, an acceleration from zero to 20 MPH in under 5 seconds, and a chassis deflection of less than 0.2” when subjected to a 25-pound load at the center, this project was considered a success
JCATI Carbon Fiber Recycler - Conveyance System
Get PDFThe JCATI Carbon Fiber Recycler shreds, transports, and bakes carbon fiber within its system to recycle it by burning off the resin within the material at temperatures over 500 Celsius. The conveyance portion of the recycler, as it stood in previous iterations, has not been able to transport then batch the shredded material before going into the oven. Doing so would introduce more system independence without the need for someone to manually collect the shredded batches from the conveyor belt.
After designing the project in SolidWorks to meet the objective, it was manufactured using various methods. Some parts were purchased or donated to be a part of the assembly process. Some parts were created through processes done on the CNC machine. Many other parts were created through 3D printing, milling, band saws, and drilling and tapping by hand. The methods created many small parts to be part of an intricate assembly.
The project resulted in the successful production of a conveyance system which could collect, transport, and batch carbon fiber at a controllable rate. The conveyor belt moved at 1 foot per minute while carrying loads at 0-30 degrees of angle with a speed controller. The hopper was able to hold 30 square feet of shredded carbon fiber, and its motor could be controllable to batch and send off the fiber as requested by the oven every 30 minutes. By the end, 90% of the material was able to reach the oven through the belt and hopper