The corpus, word list, and usability analysis for the corpus of extended reality

2023 Spring.Includes bibliographical references.There are multiple uses for word lists and corpora inside of linguistics-based research and studies; however, their primary function is the evaluation of authentic language for pedagogical application. This study presents both current and novel methods of approaching word list curation, word list evaluation by experts before publishing, and a collaborative analysis of pedagogical applications by focus group participants. The curation of the Corpus of Extended Reality (CoXR), a discipline within Computer Science, and its word list, the CoXR Word List, capture the language structures that are specific to the discipline of Extended Reality (XR). The CoXR Word List additionally includes hyphenated word forms that are specific to the discipline of XR. To test the efficacy of the corpus it was evaluated by graduate students in the discipline of XR to gain insight to whether traditional methods of discipline-specific corpus curation actually generate discipline specific words and whether the generated examples are meaningful. Firstly, the study found that verification of a word list is useful for determining the efficacy of the corpus itself and the word list with its coordinating examples. Secondly, the study found that (1) students from XR and outside of XR (English Language studies) found the CoXR Word List to be meaningful. Thirdly, all participants found the CoXR Word List as a tool they might use in the classroom as a teacher or student. Lastly, participants indicated that if they had access to discipline-specific word lists such as the CoXR Word List they would be incentivized to engage in cross-disciplinary research

Nature's contributions to people: socio-economic assessments of strategies to conserve natural capital and guide the sustainable provision and equitable distribution of ecosystem services in developing countries

Includes bibliographical references.2023 Spring.Natural resources continue to be unsustainably used and their benefits inequitably shared. In many instances economic incentives and resource management approaches have not led to the sustainable use or equitable distribution of the benefits of natural resources such as fisheries and forests. This has occurred in part because policy makers and natural resource users and managers, particularly in developing countries, lack information about the outcomes and impacts of current economic incentives that drive natural resource use behavior and potential alternative strategies for resource governance and management. This dissertation uses theories and approaches from the discipline of natural resource economics to measure the benefits of natural resource use under current governance approaches, evaluate the effectiveness of popular natural resource conservation strategies, and propose options for improving the effectiveness of those strategies in developing countries, thus contributing scientific evidence to the body of literature on the effectiveness of natural resource management approaches. In three chapters, it evaluates: 1) the effectiveness of a PES scheme in securing additional provision of watershed ecosystem services, 2) the elasticity of supply of watershed ecosystem services as a function of payments for forest conservation, and 3) the use of an ecosystem services perspective to measure the distribution of benefits from wild capture fisheries to different stakeholder groups. Chapter 1 finds that PES impacts may be somewhat offset by leakages; Chapter 2 finds that participation in PES programs could be increased by higher payments, but the relationship between payments and participation is non-linear; and Chapter 3 that an ecosystem services perspective can shed new light on managing fisheries for greatest local benefits and sustainability. These three independent analyses improve our understanding of natural resource management by dissecting resource management concepts, building upon existing ecosystem service valuation and evaluation methods, and supplying empirical evidence to resource management debates

Development of an ovine cardiac model for the modified Blalock-Thomas-Taussig shunt

2023 Spring.Includes bibliographical references.This pilot study aimed to better describe the ovine thoracic vascular anatomy, to develop a model for placement of a modified Blalock-Thomas-Taussig (BT) shunt in sheep, and to evaluate whether hyaluronan-treated grafts would have decreased thrombosis and adherence compared to traditional polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) grafts. Ovine thoracic vasculature follows the pattern of a bovine aortic arch and branching of arterial vascular does not occur until the thoracic inlet. A prominent left azygos vein and ligamentum arteriosum are also present. Placement of a modified BT-shunt was possible in sheep and did appear to lead to some long-term changes in cardiac values. Hyaluronan-treated shunts were subjectively less adherent with incomplete thrombosis occurring in the subjects. Further research is needed to better evaluate the latter two aims of this project

Hashtag activism interrogated and embodied: case studies on social justice movements

Includes bibliographical references and index.This volume analyzes the ways hashtags repurpose and reclaim societal narratives, carrying over into external spaces and are embodied by both participants and spectators alike. A diverse set of contributors from a range of disciplines utilize a variety of methodologies to interrogate trajectories and strategies of specific hashtag campaigns.--Provided by publisher.Introduction: redefining hashtag activism / Melissa Ames and Kristi McDuffie -- Networked intervention and the emergence of #BostonHelp / Megan McIntyre -- Sticky hashtags: the role of emotions and affect in hashtag activism / Salma Kalim -- Affecting digital activism: comparative study of tweets from the March For Our Lives rallies and Women's Marches / Melissa Ames and Kristi McDuffie -- #iLookLikeAnEngineer: women reclaiming STEM through hashtag activism / Holly M. Wells -- The ideograph and the #pussyhat: multimodal rhetorics of brevity in the Women's March / Sarah Riddick -- Imagi(ni)ng radicalism in the context of Indian student activism: the discursivity of hashtags and memes / Avishek Ray and Neha Gupta -- Wake up Mr. West: Kanye West, the Sunken Place, and the rhetoric of Black Twitter / Kyesha Jennings -- Lexa deserved better: how one character's death sparked a revolution and changed media representation for the LGBTQ+ community / Erin B. Waggoner -- Constructing digital diasporic spaces and reframing Black masculinity through Insecure's #LawrenceHive / Robert Barry Jr. -- Meme warfare and fake hashtag activism: 4chan's alt-right trolling culture / Jeffrey J. Hall -- A rhetoric of zaniness: trolling, the alt-right, and Pepe the Frog / Sean Milligan -- Who's the #FakeHistorian?: the rhetoric of #FakeHistory among conservative (counter)publics on Twitter / Anonymous -- Digital matters: Twitter reacts and hashtivist narratives / Gabriel I. Green and Morgan K. Johnson -- Conclusion: capturing a moving target: ethical research practices for hashtag activism / Elizabeth Buchanan, Rosemary Clark-Parsons, Stephanie Vie, William I. Wolff, and Kristi McDuffie

Land tenure security and land-cover change: a case study from protected area buffer zone communities in Madagascar

2023 Spring.Includes bibliographical references.Tenure and property rights define the relationship that people have with land and natural resources. Customary tenure systems are predominant in Madagascar, where locally administered rule systems have the flexibility to adapt to changing conditions, inherent conflict resolution mechanisms, and often, community buy-in. However, laws and regulations at different governmental levels throughout the country's history have often caused tenure systems to overlap in rural areas, which, in turn, often causes conflict and tenure insecurity. One important alteration to existing land and natural resource tenure systems is the creation of protected areas, which are commonly created to preserve the endemic biodiversity of the country. Many investigations have attempted to link land tenure to land-cover change using earth observing satellite imagery, but the study reported here is the first of the kind for Madagascar. This study addresses the following questions: if and how a land tenure system and its relative security influence land-cover change within a community and if and how land tenure outside of a protected area influences change within. Land cover classifications created from the Landsat TM and ETM+ images achieved high accuracies despite low image availability due to the period during which the study took place and the significant cloud cover found over the study sites. Findings of the study show that protected areas are relatively unaffected by surrounding land-use and land tenure security in the villages near the protected areas, and that the protected areas are effective at conserving the forests within their boundaries. Within each community, however, conflict and tenure insecurity are associated with elevated conversion of forest areas to other land-covers, regardless of tenure. These results highlight the need to prioritize land tenure security to both ensure local communities access to land and natural resources and meet widespread goals related to conserving biodiversity held by the international conservation community through the support of customary tenure systems and the promotion of socially responsible agricultural transitions

Cameron Douglas: capstone

2023 Spring.Colorado State University Art and Art History Department capstone project.Capstone contains the artist's statement, a list of works, and images of works.The artist's statement: The origin of this series is built upon the double standard society has created surrounding one's expression of anger. Men are often allowed and in some cases encouraged, to convey verbal and physical anger openly, while women are expected to suppress or express anger in a more socially acceptable manner. The double standard of expression not only perpetuates a gender stereotype but discourages women from expressing their authentic feelings of self. Women who are innately assertive and direct are commonly feared, whereas their counterparts who exude the same behavior are deemed as inspirational. This marginalized perspective has created an environment at which a man's true expression of self is praised at the demise of a woman.This semantic double standard has created a deeply rooted feeling of generational grief. Regardless of status, race, and age all women, including myself, have endured the pain of being stereotyped solely based upon what resides underneath our clothes. Visually expressing rage is by no means a nuanced idea, however medias' capitalization of portraying a woman with emotions as "hysterical" has created a market saturated with inaccurate and pathetic depiction of "feminine rage". I was fortunate to be raised by a woman who valued honesty, authenticity and provided guidance to becoming a strong independent woman. As a woman leading a life of honesty and authenticity labeled me as a "scary bitch". Thankfully my mother has taught me to not keel over at the stereotypes that have been instilled upon me. Rather respond with a smile and a "flock of these"; referring to the act of twirling fingers followed by two middle fingers. As a woman who is well versed in being a bitch, I am passionate about creating a body of work which juxtaposes the media's diluted depiction of "feminine rage". Blending the world of performance and print is intended to symbolize the repetition of the gender discrimination seen throughout history. The representation of authentic expression intends to break down the door which has withheld feminine rage from society for years. Within this body of work I strive to inspire other women, like myself, to embrace their authentic selves while attempting to palliate the generational pain we as women have experienced for centuries

Anna Hood: capstone

2023 Spring.Colorado State University Art and Art History Department capstone project.Capstone contains the artist's statement, a list of works, and images of works.The artist's statement: When beginning my designs, I ask myself what story or idea am I trying to share with others. I take a concept and try to look at it from every angle. At the start, the important part is not the one idea I chose to elaborate more on. It's all the research that got me there and helped me better understand my project's goals. My work is like starting and finishing a puzzle. I start by choosing the puzzle, then study the goal and work hard until it all fits together. By testing a variety of different layouts and styles, eventually finding the perfect fit for my project's tone. I take my inspiration from my surroundings and everyday life. Whether it's emotions, looking at solutions to problems, or designs in nature, they all help me develop unique concepts for projects. I believe my style is minimalist, I take a simple approach that will appeal to all crowds. My goal for my projects is creating a way to share ideas and information in a way that will last in others mind