17504 research outputs found
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High Resolution Mass Spectrometry for Analysis of Emerging Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in Precipitation from the Midwestern United States: A Multi-Year Study
No full textDevelopment of an In-Field Sampling Device for Parts-Per-Quadrillion Levels of PFAS in Treated Water
No full textExploring the Impact of Foreign Direct Investment on Economic Growth in Africa
No full textThis study investigates the impact of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) on economic growth in African countries. Based on the Solow and Endogenous growth models, the research reveals a significant positive correlation between FDI and economic growth. The paper emphasizes the importance of considering the unique social, economic, and political contexts of individual African countries to maximize the benefits of FDI. It employs a multivariate regression model to analyze the relationship between FDI and GDP growth, while controlling for country-specific and time-specific factors. This research contributes to the existing body of literature by providing a nuanced understanding of FDI\u27s role in Africa\u27s economic development, offering valuable insights for policymakers, investors, and other stakeholders interested in promoting sustainable economic growth in Africa
Comprehensive Usability Testing and UX/UI Evaluation of Ni Hao Pengyou: Advancing the Traveler’s Experience Through an Innovative Application
No full textInspired by an internship experience in Taipei, Taiwan, this application is designed to address the challenges faced by travelers, especially those encountering language barriers in navigating the public transportation system. As a Taiwanese-American with English as my primary language, the learning curve in adapting to Taipei’s transportation was significant, leading to the creation of Nı Hao Pengyou, an iOS application constructed with the Flutter framework and Google APIs. It features multi-mode transportation GPS, translation services, interactive maps, and emergency assistance, aiming to enhance travel convenience, accessibility, and safety. Throughout its development, a strong emphasis is placed on User Experience (UX) and User Interface (UI) design principles to ensure the application meets the diverse needs of its users. The usability testing, involving 14 participants and two prototype applications, employed both quantitative and qualitative methods to thoroughly evaluate user experience and functionality. It was revealed that there was a preference for Prototype 2 due to its ease of use, search functionality, design, and potential for future use. The research underlined the importance of user feedback for refining app designs to boost intuitiveness, efficiency, and appeal
A Performance Analysis of the Sum of Sines and Fast Fourier Transform Algorithms for Real-Time Ocean Rendering
No full textComputer-generated water is a key element for establishing atmosphere and interactivity in video games, films, and computer simulations. This study explores the efficiency of two fundamental real-time ocean rendering algorithms: the sum of sines and Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). This study answers the question: Which ocean modelling algorithms have the most significant impact on ocean shader performance, as measured by frame rate, render time, and current memory usage? Both algorithms produce detailed, animated ocean meshes, but the FFT has a more efficient anticipated time complexity. This study implements the sum of sines algorithm in an ocean shader for the Godot rendering engine. This study also examines one open-source implementation of the Fast Fourier Transform algorithm in an ocean shader for the Unity game engine. This research question is answered by profiling the average frame rate, render time, and memory usage of both shaders at varying model mesh resolutions and levels of wave detail. It is found that the FFT implementation outperforms the sum of sines implementation at higher mesh resolutions, but the sum of sines implementation achieves a consistently higher frame rate than the FFT at higher levels of wave detail, which contradicts the expected algorithmic complexity of the FFT. However, the FFT shader is more visually realistic than the sum of sines shader, especially at high levels of wave detail. A FFT shader at 1024 by 1024 mesh resolution with 256 waves profiled at 69 FPS is proposed as an optimal ocean shader configuration. It is critical to make advancements in water rendering efficiency since water often requires a significant portion of computation resources in real-time graphics applications (Ang, 2018). Contemporary video games are challenged with balancing high game performance expectations with realistic water appearance, motion, and interactivity (Liu, 2023). Analyzing the performance of two common ocean generation algorithms and their variations helps establish a guideline for developing efficient yet realistic ocean shaders
Election Candidates on Social Media: Does Having a Strong Social Media Presence Affect a Candidate’s Electability
No full textDoes the Strength of Social Media presence affect the vote share in U.S. House elections? Research suggests that social media has greatly impacted campaign strategy by creating a way for candidates to bypass traditional media and have direct, one-way communication with their constituents (Hendericks and Schill 2017; Jungherr 2016; Panagopoulos 2016). The impact of social media in elections, however, is greatly contested. Some scholars have attempted to use social media to predict elections, finding correlations rather than causation. Some have found that social media like Twitter likely did have limited effects on elections, lowering the vote-share for Republicans (Fujiwara, Müller, and Schwarz 2021). A Candidate’s gender could affect social media’s impact on elections as high-profile female candidates are targeted more severely online by uncivil messages than male candidates (Rheault, Rayment, and Musulan 2019). However, minimal research has been done to measure the effects of candidate run social media accounts and vote-share. I used an existing data set for house elections from Sorensen and Chen\u27s (2022) research and built my own measure of social media following to test whether social media presence impacts vote share when controlling for various electoral factors. Using ordinary least squares regression, I found support for the idea that candidate follower count is positively associated with vote share and that follower count is negatively associated with vote share for highly visible female candidates
Exploring the Alternative: Subverted Means of Connecting with the Environment
No full textAn interdisciplinary exploration of how humans connect to the environment, this project aims to provide an encompassing account of individuals who work extensively with the natural world. Moving through brief historical backgrounds into interviews, a hands-on approach to understanding the importance of forming a relationship takes place so that the personal opinions and experiences of a farmer, beekeeper, and herbalist are highlighted. Each interview provides the personal accounts of the individuals who participated, minimally edited to preserve authenticity. A personal essay intertwined with a literary analysis of Robin Wall Kimmerer’s Braiding Sweetgrass concludes the research
Biomimetic Passive Samplers to Estimate the Bioconcentration Factor of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances: Evaluation by Field Deployment in the Volta River, Ghana
No full textPer- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a class of synthetic chemicals that are of emerging concern in the environment. PFAS are known to bioaccumulate, thus their monitoring levels in aquatic organisms is needed. Measurement of PFAS in organisms, such as fish, to assess biological impacts can be challenging. Here, a biomimetic passive sampler to assess bioconcentration factors (BCF) of PFAS in fish was developed and tested. The sampler was based on swellable organically modified silica (SOMS) comprised of 250 mg/g of adsorbed bovine serum albumin (BSA). BSA was chosen as the protein of the passive sampler because serum albumin is abundant in the blood of many organisms and has been hypothesized to be the main carrier of PFAS.
Laboratory testing of the BSA-SOMS passive sampler was conducted. Measurement of PFAS adsorption over time indicated that the passive samplers reached fast equilibrium (within the first three days of deployment). Results from laboratory testing show an increasing KSW (sampler-water equilibrium constant) of PFAS by chain length. Binding affinity for individual PFAS to BSA-SOMS passive samplers increased for PFAS with longer fluorinated carbon chains. Increased binding affinity with longer chain lengths matches trends in fish tissue bioconcentration factors for PFAS. The BSA-SOMS passive sampler was tested in natural waters during field testing in Ghana. Sampling took place in the Volta River, the main water source for the capital city of Accra, as well as surrounding cities. Results of field testing validated the results of laboratory testing, showing the increase in PFAS binding by chain length. The magnitude of KSW for the BSA-SOMS passive samplers was higher in laboratory and field testing than for BCF from the literature. Although an equal value between the sampler equilibrium constants and BCF was not found, the higher binding affinity of the sampler improves limits of detection while still providing assessment of environmental impact
The Ripple Effect of Volunteerism: Examining Its Reach and Impact on Conservation Organizations
No full textDay by day, we are seeing evidence of climate change through habitat loss and the disruption of ecosystems. In response, there has been a rise of conservation nonprofits whose mission is to restore and protect the environment. As a result, there is a growing need to utilize and understand volunteer programs, which are an essential component of how these organizations achieve their goals. This Independent Study focuses on the impacts of volunteerism through the perspectives of 13 conservation organizations’ volunteer coordinators. I investigated the benefits and challenges of utilizing volunteers, and what these organizations are doing to optimize their volunteer programs. The academic literature discussed in this study centers around scholarly work that explores volunteers’ experiences working with conservation organizations through their motivations for participating and, additionally, reviews the limited research done on the experiences that nonprofit organizations have surrounding volunteering. The data for this research was gathered through interviewing 13 coordinators in Northern Ohio as well as observing three of the volunteer programs’ events. I hope this study helps fill in gaps in the literature as they relate to volunteerism in conservation, allowing these organizations to better utilize their volunteers and, therefore, better achieve their missions of protecting the environment
Developing A Web Application For Displaying Major League Baseball Statistics
No full textThe purpose of this study is to display Major League Baseball statistics in a readable and understandable manner for the casual fan. We begin by introducing the aspects that goes into creating this web application such as User Interface Design, Usability Testing, and the history of Major League Baseball and its statistics. The paper will then present a web application and its components designed to display Major League Baseball Statistics. Usability testing will be conducted on this web application to find possible usability issues and receive feedback about the application’s design. This independent study seeks to create a great user experience for looking at Major League Baseball statistics through the design and implementation of a web application