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Investigating Factors Influencing Chinese Private College Students’ Engagement in Emergency Online Learning
No full textOnline learning has witnessed a rapid growth following its widespread adoption across global higher education throughout the COVID-19 global pandemic. Although online learning was intended to maintain continuity of education during the public health emergency, the issue of student engagement in emergency online learning (EOL) has risen to prominence. Given the close association between student engagement and academic outcomes, investigating factors influencing student engagement in EOL is crucial for informing effective educational policies and interventions that support student success. In the absence of a comprehensive theoretical model for understanding student engagement in the unique context of EOL, this study proposed an extended community of inquiry model for predicting student engagement in EOL, incorporating learner, learning community, technological, and family factors. The model’s predictive power was validated by collecting 1,988 cases from a midsized Chinese private university using a translated and adapted questionnaire. Specifically, this study examined students’ overall and four-dimensional engagement, compared group differences in engagement based on demographics, and identified the factors influencing student engagement in EOL. Descriptive analyses revealed that students consistently reported medium to high levels of engagement, but they also reported higher levels of behavioral and cognitive engagement than vii emotional and social engagement. Independent-samples t tests and one-way between-groups analyses of variance unveiled significant differences in engagement across age, gender, grade level, and grade point average (GPA) groups, with younger, 1st-year male students with lower GPAs being less engaged. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses demonstrated the model’s significant predictive power, explaining 66.1% to 81.8% of the variance in overall and four- dimensional engagement. Notably, adaptability was most predictive of overall and cognitive engagement, and facilitating conditions, perceived usefulness, and social presence were most predictive of behavioral, emotional, and social engagement, respectively. These results offer valuable insights for universities, instructors, students, and families seeking to enhance students’ EOL engagement. Recommendations include fostering students’ adaptability and online learning self-efficacy, building online learning communities, optimizing technological infrastructure and online learning platforms, and incorporating family support into education
2024 Phi Beta Kappa Induction Ceremony Program
Get PDFThe 2024 Induction Ceremony for the Psi of Chapter California was held on May 7, 2024 at the Hilbert Museum of California Art at Chapman University. In this ceremony, 22 outstanding students were inducted into Phi Beta Kappa.https://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/pbk_induction_programs/1004/thumbnail.jp
Climate Crisis -Thematic Collage
No full textThis is a horizontal collage with a red background that contains white text on the left side, featuring a snowboarder using a pen as a board. On the right side, there is an image of snow goggles reflecting a mountain engulfed in fire, with lava running down the center. This collage was created to draw attention to the climate crisis we are currently facing. I made a conscious decision regarding certain prominent characteristics of this artwork, which I will explain.
I chose snowboarding as a way to connect the artwork to myself (the artist) because I love snowboarding during the winter. Unfortunately, due to climate change, the winter season has been cut short in the local Big Bear Mountains. Most of the snow has been man-made, resulting in poor ride conditions and damage to the riders and their boards. I chose red as the main color throughout the collage to symbolize the blood on all our hands if we do not make any changes to shift the trajectory of our planet.
The goggles that every snowboarder and skier must use were a perfect way for me to illustrate what I believe these beautiful ski resorts will look like if we do not address this climate crisis. I used an abstract painting that I created last semester as my background
La gentrificación: un estudio comparativo entre la ciudad de Santa Ana, California y la Ciudad de México
No full textGentrification has increased within the latino community. Two examples of this process occurring today include cities like Santa Ana and Mexico city. Capitalistic views facilitate gentrification as companies with more purchasing power are able to buy areas and maintain their ability to stay there. Residents from Mexico city and Santa Ana provide their side of the story of the changes they are witnessing and how they are being affected. The globalization of businesses has further facilitated the process of gentrification as companies are motivated by capital led development in urban spaces. After Mexico signed the NAFTA, WTO, and OECD, it marked the country’s entrance into globalization which led to the flow of foreign capital and investment into urban infrastructure affecting Mexico City. Santa Ana’s residents began to feel the effects of gentrification when a street trolley began to be built in the downtown area without warning making it difficult for local businesses to maintain open. Modern, aesthetic, and trendy infrastructure and businesses depicting an image of luxury brought in people with more spending power into these areas which have been taking over the local communities making it harder for existing residents to stay in areas that they have been living in for years
A Meta-Analysis of Seafood Species Mislabeling Rates in the United States
No full textSeafood is vulnerable to species mislabeling due to factors such as complex global supply chains, varying prices, and similar appearance of species. Numerous studies have been published reporting a range of mislabeling rates for various forms of seafood. However, these studies oftentimes focus on lesser-consumed species that are vulnerable to species mislabeling. As a result, the overall mislabeling rate of commercially sold seafood in the U.S. remains unknown, especially for the most consumed species. Thus, the objective of the current study was to compile the results of seafood mislabeling studies into a single resource to provide informative statistics on U.S. seafood mislabeling. A meta-analysis was conducted on U.S. seafood mislabeling studies from peer-reviewed and informal articles that tested commercial samples from 2010 or later. Articles were found using a combination of Google, Google Scholar, the Web of Science, cited references, and the Google Scholar “cited by” function. A total of 33 studies, including 4,101 samples from 33 U.S. states, were analyzed, revealing an overall mislabeling rate of 39.4%. The leading form of mislabeling was species substitution (26.2%), followed by unacceptable market names (17.1%) and conflicting market names (1.3%). The overall mislabeling rate for the top 10 consumed seafoods in the U.S. was 31%, compared to 53% for the most frequently investigated species. On average, 14% of the top 10 consumed seafoods were substituted on the basis of species compared to 43% of frequently investigated species. The results of this investigation provide comprehensive information on the mislabeling rates of seafood sold in the U.S., with the potential to influence policy decisions and improve public trust in the seafood industry
Bluey And Adult Fandom: The Importance Of Play In Culture
Get PDFThis thesis explores the animated children’s show Bluey(2018 -), its ever-growing appeal to millennials, and the online fandom that these millennials have formed. The thesis outlines a brief history of media aimed at children and families, starting with the children’s matinees of the 1930s to children’s educational media of the 1960s through the 2000s with shows like Spongebob Squarepants (1999 -) and Shrek (2001) appealing to a broad audience of all ages. Compounding on the history of animation and family-centered media, the advent of social media allows users to revisit media they have nostalgia for, share with others, and create a community of fans known as a fandom. The concept of fandom is expanded upon through the theoretical framework of Johan Huizinga’s Homo Ludens: A Study Of The Play-Element In Culture to discuss how play positively affects people and how engaging in fandom online is a form of play that many millennials engage in. In conjunction, Thomas Ruggerio’s Uses and Gratifications Theory is utilized to discuss why people use social media, and Henry Jenkins’s work on participatory and remix culture explains how social media is used by those involved with fandom. The theories presented by Ruggerio and Jenkins are the framework for transmedia marketing. This marketing strategy is utilized by shows like Glee (2009 - 2015), which targeted millennials through encouraging engagement on social media. This marketing strategy was adopted by the marketing team at Ludi Studios for Bluey. These elements explain why millennials would be drawn to a series geared toward young children
Global to Glocal: A Confluence of Data Science and Earth Observations in the Advancement of the SDGs
No full textThe United Nations\u27 (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), part of Agenda 2030, comprise 17 interconnected goals and 169 actionable targets, providing an effective framework for addressing diverse issues ranging from individual challenges such as poverty, hunger, and health to broader corporate and global challenges like climate change and equality. Among these interconnected SDGs, this dissertation focuses on the role of climate and infrastructure in global and local sustainability. To this end, earth observations have been conducted utilizing data science techniques to advance these SDGs. For this dissertation, the author has conducted earth studies serving the following SDGs: SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being): The influence of atmospheric aerosols on the fatality rate for COVID-19 was studied. Results suggested that atmospheric aerosol optical depth may be a factor in estimating the coronavirus fatality rate, though uncertainties in the analytical results could be attributed to data quality and the absence of other important factors. SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation): A groundwater case study was conducted for California, providing insights into future groundwater availability. Forecasts using deep learning suggested continued deficits in coastal and southern hydrological regions, while increased precipitation was forecasted for some inland hydrological regions. SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure): Displacements observed on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) (Ethiopia) and the Shasta Dam (California, USA) were analyzed using the latest interferometry techniques. Time series analysis revealed different displacement trends at various sections of the GERD and the Saddle Dam, with varying displacement magnitudes observed on the Shasta Dam. SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and 13 (Climate Action): A comprehensive analysis of land stability in Alexandria, Egypt, was conducted. A novel approach was developed to update Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) using the Small Baseline Subset method, facilitating the creation of a probabilistic DEM for the year 2040
Chlorogenic and Caffeic Acids’ Impact on Formation of Fluorescent and Non-Fluorescent Advanced Glycation End-Products as a Function of Temperature
No full textThe glycation of amino acids with carbonyl groups of reducing sugars produces advanced glycation end-products (AGEs). These AGEs can be harmful to health over time. The research objective was to compare the effects of 0-1.00 mM chlorogenic acid (CGA) and caffeic acid (CA) on AGEs formed in glucose-lysine solutions at 25 °C, 63 °C and 100 °C for 30 and 60 minutes by measuring fluorescent AGEs: vesperlysine A and B, vesperlysine C, and total AGEs, and non- fluorescent carboxymethyl-lysine (CML) and carboxyethyl-lysine (CEL) with LC-MS. Chlorogenic acid inhibited the formation of AGEs to a greater extent compared to CA at 25 °C due to CGA’s lower pKa causing it to oxidize faster, thus forming highly reactive quinones that successfully competed with dicarbonyl intermediates and formed quinone-protein adducts, as well as CGA’s higher antioxidant capacity due to having more hydroxyl groups. In contrast both CGA and CA enhanced AGE formation the most at 63 °C, compared to 25 °C and 100 °C likely due to the formation of pro-oxidants from the thermal degradation of the HCAs. With further heating, a balance of antioxidants and pro-oxidants were present, causing no significant inhibition or enhancement of fluorescent AGEs at 100 °C. LC-MS analysis revealed that carboxyethyl-lysine (CEL) was formed in higher quantities than carboxymethyl-lysine (CML); however, there was no inhibition or enhancement of CEL or CML at 63 °C or 100 °C. Overall, temperature had the greatest impact on the formation of AGEs. The significance of the study was to determine which HCA exhibited higher AGE inhibition so that it can later be further investigated and used as an ingredient in beverages to lower exogenous AGE formation
Predicting FFAR4 Agonists Using Structure-Based Machine Learning Approach Based on Molecular Fingerprints
Get PDFFree Fatty Acid Receptor 4 (FFAR4), a G-protein-coupled receptor, is responsible for triggering intracellular signaling pathways that regulate various physiological processes. FFAR4 agonists are associated with enhancing insulin release and mitigating the atherogenic, obesogenic, pro-carcinogenic, and pro-diabetogenic effects, normally associated with the free fatty acids bound to FFAR4. In this research, molecular structure-based machine-learning techniques were employed to evaluate compounds as potential agonists for FFAR4. Molecular structures were encoded into bit arrays, serving as molecular fingerprints, which were subsequently analyzed using the Bayesian network algorithm to identify patterns for screening the data. The shortlisted hits obtained via machine learning protocols were further validated by Molecular Docking and via ADME and Toxicity predictions. The shortlisted compounds were then subjected to MD Simulations of the membrane-bound FFAR4-ligand complexes for 100 ns each. Molecular analyses, encompassing binding interactions, RMSD, RMSF, RoG, PCA, and FEL, were conducted to scrutinize the protein–ligand complexes at the inter-atomic level. The analyses revealed significant interactions of the shortlisted compounds with the crucial residues of FFAR4 previously documented. FFAR4 as part of the complexes demonstrated consistent RMSDs, ranging from 3.57 to 3.64, with minimal residue fluctuations 5.27 to 6.03 nm, suggesting stable complexes. The gyration values fluctuated between 22.8 to 23.5 nm, indicating structural compactness and orderliness across the studied systems. Additionally, distinct conformational motions were observed in each complex, with energy contours shifting to broader energy basins throughout the simulation, suggesting thermodynamically stable protein–ligand complexes. The two compounds CHEMBL2012662 and CHEMBL64616 are presented as potential FFAR4 agonists, based on these insights and in-depth analyses. Collectively, these findings advance our comprehension of FFAR4’s functions and mechanisms, highlighting these compounds as potential FFAR4 agonists worthy of further exploration as innovative treatments for metabolic and immune-related conditions
Gate-controlled Supercurrent Effect in Dry-etched Dayem Bridges of Non-centrosymmetric Niobium Rhenium
Get PDFThe application of a gate voltage to control the superconducting current flowing through a nanoscale superconducting constriction, named as gate-controlled supercurrent (GCS), has raised great interest for fundamental and technological reasons. To gain a deeper understanding of this effect and develop superconducting technologies based on it, the material and physical parameters crucial for the GCS effect must be identified. Top-down fabrication protocols should also be optimized to increase device scalability, although studies suggest that top-down fabricated devices are more resilient to show a GCS. Here, we investigate gated superconducting nanobridges made with a top-down fabrication process from thin films of the non-centrosymmetric superconductor niobium rhenium with varying ratios of the constituents (NbRe). Unlike other devices previously reported and made with a top-down approach, our NbRe devices systematically exhibit a GCS effect when they were fabricated from NbRe thin films with small grain size and etched in specific conditions. These observations pave the way for the realization of top-down-made GCS devices with high scalability. Our results also imply that physical parameters like structural disorder and surface physical properties of the nanobridges, which can be in turn modified by the fabrication process, are crucial for a GCS observation, providing therefore also important insights into the physics underlying the GCS effect