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School Administrators Making Sense of Wellness Issues and Technology Policy: A Qualitative Instrumental Case Study
Get PDFTechnology use has been identified as a key contributor to the decrease in youth mental health (Children’s Bureau, 2019; Lebrun-Harris et al., 2022; Dwyer, 2022; Mojtabai et al., 2016; Yasakci, 2019; Odgers & Jensen, 2020). The purpose of this qualitative instrumental case study was to investigate how school district administrators are addressing wellness issues that are developing in elementary aged students due to technology use. The intent of this study was to use the theory of sensemaking (Weick, 1995) to investigate how administrators create policies that respond to the current wellness crisis arising from technology usage in public elementary school settings. Data collection included semi-structured interviews and document collection. The sample included district level administrators from New York State public schools. This study found that district administrators believed the responsibility for correcting a child\u27s behavior regarding technology use on the family, rather than the school or government. Furthermore, this study found that administrators used retrospection to inform decisions regarding pedagogical practices and policies regarding technology in classrooms. Finally, the study found that administrators struggled to keep an administrative lens while creating policies and making decisions as they encountered conflicting thoughts while making decisions due to the various capacities they serve
If Someone Had Stopped the First World Racist, There Would Be No Racism Today : Empowering African American Muslim Elementary Students Through a Critical Literacy(CritLit) project
Get PDFThe Critical Literacy (CritLit) project promotes using critical texts to engage readers in examining their lived experiences and understanding of social justice issues. This study used a qualitative participatory approach with a narrative design to research the students’ engagement in a book club using critical texts. Participants were fourth- and fifth-grade African American students who participated in a 4-week project at a weekend Islamic school in Philadelphia. I organized my study into four sessions. Three book club sessions were audio-recorded and observed. Field notes were taken; pre and post-interviews were conducted; student/teacher reflections were collected with students’ notes and handouts; and cultural artifacts were collected by the participants. Data were collected and transcribed, and themes were identified. Findings show that engaging students in critical literacy enabled them to be critically conscious through deep analysis of social justice themes in the text. They also showed a connection between their personal narratives and systemic injustice expressing it through multimodality. Finally, they gained racial and cultural empowerment and envisioned change as individual and group responsibility. This study has significant implications for literacy education theory, methodology, practice, and policy
Unrefined and Milled Ilmenite as a Cost-Effective Photocatalyst for UV-Assisted Destruction and Mineralization of PFAS
Get PDFPer- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are fluorinated and refractory pollutants that are ubiquitous in industrial wastewater. Photocatalytic destruction of such pollutants with catalysts such as TiO2 and ZnO is an attractive avenue for removal of PFAS, but refined forms of such photocatalysts are expensive. This study, for the first time, utilized milled unrefined raw mineral ilmenite, coupled to UV-C irradiation to achieve mineralization of the two model PFAS compounds perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluoro octane sulfonic acid (PFOS). Results obtained using a bench-scale photocatalytic reactor system demonstrated rapid removal kinetics of PFAS compounds (\u3e90% removal in less than 10 h) in environmentally-relevant concentrations (200–1000 ppb). Raw ilmenite was reused over three consecutive degradation cycles of PFAS, retaining \u3e80% removal efficiency. Analysis of degradation products indicated defluorination and the presence of shorter-chain PFAS intermediates in the initial samples. End samples indicated the disappearance of short-chain PFAS intermediates and further accumulation of fluoride ions, suggesting that original PFAS compounds underwent mineralization due to an oxygen-radical-based photocatalytic destruction mechanism induced by TiO2 present in ilmenite and UV irradiation. The outcome of this study implies that raw ilmenite coupled to UV-C is suitable for cost-effective reactor operation and efficient photocatalytic destruction of PFAS compounds
OPTIMIZING NEURAL NETWORK ARCHITECTURE USING KERNEL PRINCIPAL COMPONENT ANALYSIS
No full textNeural networks have proven to be powerful tools for modeling a wide range of problems across applications. However, one of the challenges in implementing a neural network model lies in determining the neural network architecture, i.e. the appropriate number of hidden layers and the number of neurons per hidden layer. It has been suggested that one way to determine the number of hidden layers is by using information on the variability captured by each principal component. In this research, we expand on this idea and propose a new approach to determine the neural network architecture for a multilayer perceptron used to classify data with a large number of attributes. The proposed approach makes use of kernel principal component analysis and clustering to determine the appropriate number of hidden layers and neurons per hidden layer. This methodology was tested using two datasets: the Parkinson’s Disease Classification dataset with binary outcomes, and the Gas Sensor Array Drift dataset with six output classes. The application of the proposed method suggests a three-hidden-layer architecture for the Parkinson’s Disease Classification dataset, achieving an average validation accuracy of 89%, while a two-hidden-layer architecture is recommended for classifying the Gas Sensor Array Drift dataset, achieving an average validation accuracy of 98%. Performance comparisons between various models and architectures are presented
Open Access for Student Researchers in STEM
Get PDFThis workshop is for graduate and undergraduate students involved in science and engineering research on the Glassboro campus. It is critical for students to understand the pros and cons of making their research results available worldwide on Rowan University\u27s institutional repository (Rowan Digital Works). While Open Access has many benefits, there are also potential issues around journal publication and commercialization that must be considered. Student researchers should understand the implications of making their research Open Access, to make an informed choice now and in their future research
Breaking the causality limit for broadband acoustic absorption using a noncausal active absorber
Get PDFThe principle of causality imposes a constraint between the thickness and bandwidth of absorbers. This trade-off applies to any linear, time-invariant, passive system, limiting the development of broadband-absorbing materials that demand a thin profile for sound, light, and radio waves. Here, we demonstrate a strategy to overcome this constraint in acoustics using a noncausal active absorber whose response is controlled over time. A theoretical framework is established, which sets a relation among minimum thickness, bandwidth, and a priori information about the incident signal, representing a relaxed physical bound for noncausal absorbers. We design an absorber based on this principle and experimentally show that its response bandwidth surpasses the conventional limit. Our results showcase an active metamaterial that reduces the footprint of acoustic absorbers and elucidate the role of prior information in enhancing acoustic technologies, offering insights into the design of active acoustic devices
DESIGN OF AN ABOVE PAVEMENT WIRELESS SENSOR NODE (APWSN) FOR REAL-TIME ROADWAY MONITORING USING PIEZOELECTRIC ENERGY-HARVESTING
Get PDFThe evolution of Smart Highway and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies offers new opportunities to improve the safety and efficiency of vehicular traffic on roads. This research effort describes the development of a wireless pavement sensor that provides a novel method to detect key pavement parameters while incorporating low-power energy harvesting that leverages the kinetic energy generated by vehicular traffic. The Above Pavement Wireless Sensor Node (APWSN) is the embodiment of the approach. APWSN can facilitate the strategic deployment of sensors on a wide variety of roads to enable real-time data collection to support decision-making processes for road infrastructure maintenance and safety. The work addresses the technical hurdles associated with the design of energy-efficient wireless nodes and demonstrates integration with cloud-based platforms to provide sensor data that provides data-driven insight into road conditions. The results contribute to the advancement of IoT devices and to the expansion of roadway monitoring systems, which can contribute to optimizing the maintenance and safety of the nation’s infrastructure
DyVir: Virtual Reality Generated Synthetic Training Datasets for AI
Get PDFArtificial Intelligence (AI) can perform complex tasks quickly such as object detection. To perform these tasks, the AI algorithms are first trained on data. However, some data such as labeled imagery of aerial objects is hard to obtain. Utilizing Virtual Reality (VR) software, a custom tool called DyViR was made to generate synthetic training datasets. Users customize the virtual environment, aerial objects, and sensor modality to produce custom-tailored datasets
Searching Google Scholar like a Pro (Library Workshop)
Get PDFLearning objectives: Attendees will set-up preferences in searching Google Scholar Attendees will learn advanced search tips for creating focused search strategies in Google Scholar
Description:
Google Scholar has rapidly become a starting point for research. Dan Kipnis, Life Sciences Librarian, will introduce search tips and tricks for searching Google Scholar. Rather than getting millions of results, learn techniques to focus your searches. In 30 minutes attendees will become power searchers and learn the tricks the expert searchers use to improve their results. The last 15 minutes will be dedicated for questions and practice.
Skill levels for attendees: Little to no experience
Software Requirements: Non
CANCER TREATMENT BY TARGETING HDAC4 TRANSLOCATION INDUCED BY MICROSECOND PULSED ELECTRIC FIELD EXPOSURE: MECHANISTIC INSIGHTS THROUGH KINASES AND PHOSPHATASES
Get PDFEpigenetic modifications, arising from sub-cellular shifts in histone deacetylase (HDAC) activity and localization, present promising strategies for diverse cancer treatments. HDACs, enzymes responsible for post-translational histone modifications, induce these epigenetic changes by removing acetyl groups from ε-N-acetyl-lysine residues on histones, thereby suppressing gene transcription. Within the HDAC group, class IIa HDACs are notable for their responsiveness to extracellular signals, bridging the gap between external stimuli, plasma membrane, and genome through nuclear-cytoplasmic translocation. This localization offers two significant mechanisms for cancer treatment: nuclear accumulation of HDACs represses oncogenic transcription factors, such as myocyte-specific enhancer factor 2C (MEF2C), triggering various cell death pathways. Conversely, cytoplasmic HDAC accumulation acts similarly to HDAC inhibitors by silencing genes. My dissertation introduces an innovative approach for glioblastoma and breast cancer treatment by investigating the application of microsecond pulsed electric fields. It particularly focuses on HDAC4, a class IIa HDAC overexpressed in these cancers. Beyond demonstrating HDAC4 translocation, my research delves into the intricate roles of kinases and phosphatases, shedding light on the underlying factors governing HDAC4 translocation