5063 research outputs found
Sort by
Effects of gender and sexual orientation on perceptions of the bereaved
Get PDFThe loss of a spouse is different for everyone who experiences it. There is no universal pattern for bereavement, and there is a wide variation in what is considered normal or healthy grieving (Hooyman & Kramer, 2010). Researchers have found that spousal bereavement is associated with increased risk of mortality, decrements in physical health, and diverse psychological reactions; some experience ongoing, disabling levels of stress, some experience symptoms that gradually decrease over time, and many experience little to no interference (Bonanno et al. 2004; Stroebe et al., 2007). The loss of a spouse or romantic partner affects most individuals at some point in their life, regardless of sexual orientation. Despite the increased support for same-sex relationships, many still face bias and prejudice throughout all periods of life, and can be exacerbated during the loss of a spouse or life partner. However, little research has explored the differences in perceptions of bereavement experiences of gay and straight individuals. In addition, little research has explored the difference of experiences between perceptions of the perceptions of bereavement experiences between men and women. Using 160 participants, I will assess the perceptions of bereavement experiences of gay men, straight men, lesbian women, and straight women. I hypothesize that the experiences of women will be perceived differently than those of men. I also hypothesize that the experiences of straight individuals will be perceived differently than those of gay/lesbian individuals
Gasification based waste tire integrated energy conversion systems
Get PDFThe objective of this study was to evaluate the operating parameters impacts on the performance of a gasification-based waste tire integrated energy conversion system. In this system, the waste tires are put into a downdraft gasifier that is providing fuel for a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC). The system is evaluated by the syngas production, power generation, and overall efficiency under various operating conditions. A hybrid 1-D model was adopted to perform a parametric study of the tire gasification and calculations were done to estimate the integrated system power generation and overall efficiency using MATLAB. Three parameters were studied: the moisture content of the waste tires, mixture ratio of wood and waste tire, and equivalence ratio (ER). At the varying levels of these parameters, the efficiency and power output of the system was determined. Based on the efficiency of the system, an equivalence ratio of 0.25, 30% moisture content, and 40% mixture ratio were determined to be optimal. Applying these conditions simultaneously to the SOFC simulation resulted in an efficiency of 33% and power output of 1.06(10^8) W. An ER of 0.25 increased the efficiency by 10% in all cases. The results show that tire is suitable to be used in a gasification based SOFC integrated system
Hazard Closing Actions in Predicting Safety Incidents
Get PDFPredictive analytics is a tool to be used in a number of areas including organizational health and safety. This proposal will explain how predictive analytics will be applied to an organization\u27s health and safety data to understand the circumstances that lead to a construction injury. Specifically, this proposal examines time lags between when a hazard is reported by a front-line worker/foreman and the time it takes to mitigate the hazard and administratively “close out” the hazard report. We hypothesize that construction sites that take a longer time between opening and closing a hazard will have had more incidents of injury among its workforce. If this relationship is confirmed, the company can use this information to put more influence on addressing the hazards in a timely manner
Identifying and Analyzing Astronomers\u27 Preferences for the Next Decade of NASA
Get PDFIn our research, we investigated the preferences of students and professionals in the astronomy and astrophysics communities to better understand what space-based missions and research activities the scientific community would most likely prioritize for the NASA Decadal Survey. The decadal is conducted by the United States National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to address past and present research as well as changes in civil policy, new programs, and how the community may respond to the results, among other topics of interest. The aim of the current research is to survey preferences in the astronomy and astrophysics community to better understand individual and community factors and present results on mission concepts, mission capabilities, and primary science. Understanding individual and group preferences can help researchers project likely outcomes for the coming decade to better inform industry and academia stakeholders on what mission concepts the community will be most likely to support. Every project is multi-faceted; therefore, knowing the community’s interests provides the ability to show how a mission concept meets the needs of the group while simultaneously protecting their values as well. We aim to contribute knowledge about the nature of the preferences held by individuals in the community and the amount of consensus between subgroups in the astronomy and astrophysics community. The study was performed using a survey methodology to collect a total of 796 responses. Participants were a convenience sample of members from the astronomy and astrophysics community who attended the June 2018 AAS conference in Denver or the January 2019 AAS conference in Seattle. The researchers described two contextual community subgroups by their direct involvement in space-based missions and found that most did not have any prior experience. From the responses, topics were then classified into similar subthemes generating 9 overarching themes. We implemented thematic analysis to identify patterns across the qualitative open-ended responses and evaluated preferences by their prioritized astrophysics missions and research activities. Our results revealed strong community preferences for observational astronomy and science versatility, capability, and scientific return for the upcoming decadal period. Furthermore, our findings show degrees of consensus among subgroups of the scientific community. We present results on mission concepts, mission capabilities, and primary science that NASA should consider strategically investing in for the future of astrophysics and astronomy research
Teacher\u27s guide to using literature to promote inclusion of people with disabilities
Get PDFThe Teacher’s Guide to Using Literature to Promote Inclusion of People with Disabilities has been designed to assist teachers who wish to use literature to promote inclusion of people with disabilities in all aspects of life. The Guide consists of two parts. Part 1 is a rubric for evaluating how short stories, books, poems, TV programs, movies, digital media, and other forms of literature portray characters with disabilities. Part 2 of the Teacher’s Guide to Using Literature to Promote Inclusion of People with Disabilities is a curriculum guide with learning objectives, lesson activities, and strategies for outcome evaluation. The curriculum guide is a resource for teachers who wish to design lessons using literature to teach about disabilities
The role of A-layer in polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA)-mediated effects on Aeromonas salmonicida subsp. salmonicida
Get PDFAeromonas salmonicida subsp. salmonicida is a Gram-negative bacterium that infects salmonids and non-salmonids worldwide leading to an infection known as furunculosis, which is characterized by skin lesions and hemorrhages of the fish epidermis. This infection is carried out by a A+ (virulent strain) of A. salmonicida containing an important virulent factor known as the A-layer, which is a 2D paracrystalline structure that binds to the basement membrane and functions to promote adherence to host membranes and resistance to host defense. The purpose of this study was to examine the ability of the A+ A. salmonicida to incorporate exogenous fatty acids into its lipid membrane and explore the phenotypic outcomes. A. salmonicida A+ and A- strains were differentiated using the Congo Red plating method. The A+ A. salmonicida cultures were grown in CM9 supplemented with the presence or absence of 300µM exogenous polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). Lipids were extracted and analyzed for membrane assimilation by thin-layer chromatography and ultra performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry and showed the ability of A. salmonicida to incorporate exogenous fatty acids into its lipid profile. The phenotypic outcomes were examined using a series of assays for membrane permeability, antimicrobial peptide susceptibility, and biofilm formation. The fatty acid 20:5 significantly (p \u3c 0.001) decreased biofilm formation consistently across the temperatures tested. A general decrease in biofilm formation was seen at a higher temperature of 28ºC. The PUFAs (18:3γ 20:3, 20:4, 20:5, 22:6) significantly (p \u3c 0.001) permeabilized the membrane by 40% when compared to the control tested in the crystal violet uptake. In addition, the PUFAs (18:3γ, 20:3) provided significant (p \u3c 0.001) protection against the antimicrobial peptide polymyxin B (PMB). The A+ strain when compared to the A- displayed similar phenotypic effects as a fish pathogen. In fact, both A+ and A- strains preferred the fatty acid 22:6 which may indicate a role omega-3 fatty acids play in A. salmonicida being a fish pathogen
Untitled
Get PDFThe project will attempt to explore what the struggle for peace, equality, and acceptance looks like in a fictional world that has members of the supernatural community living in a modern, Southern society. What are their realities? What rights and privileges do the white supernatural have that their Black counterparts do not? Who assimilates easiest? Who is at the bottom of the social hierarchical order? What does their relationship with normal humans look like? Who are the leaders in this town and society
Neither Believer nor Infidel Dialogic Portraits of Agnostic and Pragmatic Methodologies in Moby-Dick and Clarel
Get PDFMuch scholarship is dedicated to Melville’s religious themes, and other scholarship carefully analyzes the innovative formal techniques used by Melville, such as biblical allusion, digressive essays, and philosophical musings imbedded in fiction. However, religious analysis often turns to biographical interpretations of Melville’s own beliefs, and formal analysis tends to highlight Melville’s idiosyncrasies rather than determine their function. This thesis uses the Bakhtinian concepts of dialogism and polyphony to show that Melville’s poetic techniques create open texts, allowing readers to freely engage with multiple religious views that are equally valid, though not equally beneficial. Anticipating the methodologies of agnosticism and pragmatism, Moby-Dick exemplifies an attitude of cheerful agnosticism, whereas Melville’s final major work, Clarel, exemplifies the frustrations of uncertainty. A primarily formal analysis allows scholars to view Melville both conforming and breaking out of expected religious attitudes in the nineteenth-century, without considering Melville a prophet of twentieth-century literary attitudes
Mentally restorative areas for students: impacts of nature on psychophysiological state
Get PDFSituated in the top outdoor ranking city of Chattanooga, the campus of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) includes diverse areas available for student rest and recreation. This study aims to introduce UTC students into the collection of studies on the effects of natural environments on Attention Restoration Theory (ART) by using the Stroop cognitive test and portable electroencephalograph (EEG) headsets. Participants completed the Stroop test after ten-minute mental restoration sessions in environments of varying natural exposure included on campus. Through analysis of variance, location was found to significantly influence performance on Stroop testing and measures of relaxation (p=0.030). Participants performed with highest Stroop success and measured highest relaxation after resting in environments of natural exposure. Student Stroop performance was poorest after resting in the indoor area with no outdoor exposure to natural environments. Measures of heart rate variability (HRV) and Theta Beta ratio (TBR) also showed significant impact on Stroop performance (p=0.015 and p=0.009, respectively). Results support that natural environments hold mentally restorative abilities specific to student cognitive performance. This experiment contributes evidence of the influence of natural environments on cognitive restoration to encourage student visitation to mentally restorative areas and educate health policy and planning
Young adult: a poetic exploration of modern American life
Get PDFAdrienne Rich, in her 1993 essay “Someone Is Writing a Poem,” writes “In a political culture of managed spectacles and passive spectators, poetry appears as a rift, a peculiar lapse, in the prevailing mode.” In this collection, I make my own attempt to part with the prevailing mode. I use my poetry as a means of engaging and contending with the American socio-political dialogue that often feels both deeply pervasive and largely inaccessible. Grounded in the thematic conventions of political and ecological poetry, this collection is an exploration of what it means and how it feels to come of age in the midst of environmental, social, and economic uncertainty