2024 ACCESS Student Training and Engagement Program (STEP-2) Final Student Report

This paper summarizes Sharon Colson's ACCESS STEP internship with the AtlanticWave-SDX project. She worked to develop a Python library aimed at simplifying network configuration and management for researchers and educators.NSF OAC #213830

High on Hemp: The Proliferation of, Public Health Implications, and Policy Debate over Regulating Hemp-Derived Psychoactive Products

This policy spotlight discusses the current unresolved issue of hemp-derived products that contain psychoactive drugs being sold for consumption in Illinois and many other states without federal or state regulation and oversight. Made possible by a loophole in federal legislation, these unregulated hemp-derived products can and often do contain psychoactive drugs on par with or surpassing the potency of cannabis-derived products that are closely licensed and regulated by the state. The sale of hemp-derived products has proliferated across the United States over the last five years, fueled in part by the lack of regulation and licensing. The proliferation has caused public health concerns, as sales of these products are presently not age-restricted and can be purchased online or at a wide and growing variety of outlets, including “smoke shops”, convenience stores, and gas stations. Additional health concerns are attributable to the lack of production oversight, testing, and quality control, resulting in impurities such as heavy metals and volatile solvents that are used in processing as well as pesticides and pathogens being retained in the final products sold to and consumed but the public

Topic mining and evolution analysis of digital literacy research topics abroad

The paper employs text analysis techniques to conduct a systematic quantitative analysis of literature in the field of digital literacy, aiming to recognize and organize the research topics and their evolutionary process within this field. The study selected literature data on digital literacy from the Web of Science database between 2004 and 2023 as research subjects, dividing them into ten stages. Subsequently, the LDA2vec method was used to recognize research topics in the field of digital literacy, and the evolutionary process of these topics was analyzed from two aspects: the evolution of topic content and the evolution of topic intensity. The results indicate that scholars in the field of digital literacy primarily focus on research topics such as education, digital technology, digital practice, and cybersecurity. The research process of these topics can be summarized into three stages: exploration, practice, and expansion. In terms of the evolution of topic content, the identified types of evolution include division, merging, inheritance, disappearance, and generation. In the aspect of topic intensity evolution, it was found that changes in topic intensity are influenced by factors such as policy, research content, and the primary field of study. In the future, the topic of education and digital technology will remain the focus of research in the field of digital literacy. At the same time, the field will concentrate on conducting in-depth research into social topics such as health, aging society, and the challenges and risks associated with digital transformation

Does information literacy help to mitigate misinformation in post-truth era?

The participatory nature of social media is a contributing factor to the rapid spread of unfiltered information. Information literacy (IL) is considered a strong tool to fight back the rise of misinformation, disinformation, propaganda, fake news, hoaxes, and conspiracy theories leading the world into the post-truth era. This study is intended to find out how and why educated citizens of Pakistan use social media. It further enquires about their concerns regarding misinformation on social media, their IL skills, and their intentions to combat misinformation. Drawing upon the post-positivist paradigm, the study adopted a quantitative approach. A structured questionnaire was adapted and administered online through Facebook, WhatsApp, and email. The findings revealed that the participants spent a good amount of their time per day on social media. To pass the time, finding and sharing information and staying in touch were the main reasons for using social media. The respondents often encountered misinformation over social media but appeared less concerned about cross-checking the information to ensure its authenticity. Moreover, they seemed less bothered to consult any fact-checking website to verify the doubted social media content or news. The results indicated a low IL rate among the participants while indicating a positive correlation and significant positive effect of IL skills on misinformation combating intentions. Insights gained from the study provide a basis for designing and programming effective IL interventions to better equip citizens with cognitive abilities to detect and mitigate misinformation hence, be instrumental in improving the flow of quality information on social media

Water Supply Planning: American Bottoms Assessment of Water Resources for Water Supply

Located adjacent to the Mississippi River and immediately east of St. Louis, MO, the American Bottoms Water Supply Planning Region (WSPR) envelopes portions of Madison, St. Clair, and Monroe counties (Figure 1). The Illinois Department of Natural Resources Office of Water Resources (IDNR-OWR) funds the Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS) to analyze water resources and sustainability in WSPRs throughout the state The Water Supply Planning initiative funded by IDNR-OWR is intended to promote discussions and management solutions for long-term sustainability of the state’s water resources. The following report discusses water resources and water usage in the American Bottoms WSPR. With the broad foundation provided by this report, we hope that informed regional stakeholders may help direct research into local water resource sustainability. The American Bottoms, occasionally referred to as the American Bottom, constitute the floodplain of the Mississippi River between Grafton, IL—where the Illinois River merges with the Mississippi River—and the northern vicinity of Chester, IL—where the Kaskaskia River converges with the Mississippi River. The eastern boundary of the floodplain is an 80-mile bluff that extends 200 to 300 feet above the floodplain. The American Bottoms WSPR consists of two anecdotal subregions: (1) the limestone uplands to the east, and (2) the ancestral Mississippi River floodplain (Figure 2). Important regional municipal centers include Alton, Wood River, Edwardsville, Collinsville, Granite City, East St. Louis, and Cahokia Heights (Figure 2). Many of the listed notable regional centers reside in the ancestral Mississippi River’s floodplain, where during the early 20th century the surficial glacio-alluvial aquifer provided an ample supply of high-quality groundwater. Also, several important interstate highways (I-55, I-64, and I-70) all converge in this WSPR, so maintaining healthy interstate commerce (i.e., managing stormwater runoff flooding) is an important regional concern. The influence of the ancestral and modern Mississippi River is evident throughout the American Bottoms WSPR. The Mississippi River is responsible for eroding, depositing, and creating the alluvial floodplain aquifer. Also, the paths of the ancestral Mississippi River are exhibited in the numerous surface water bodies that dot the floodplain, including Horseshoe Lake, an ancient river meander that has become an oxbow lake in the region. Furthermore, the water from the Mississippi River has promoted human settlement in the region throughout prehistory and today. Historically, the American Bottoms’ Mississippi River floodplain was home to one of the largest indigenous civilizations north of Mexico on the North American continent (Brown, 2004). Their influence and archaeological footprint can be witnessed at the Cahokia Mounds State Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site (UNESCO World Heritage Centre, 2024), that is to the southeast of Horseshoe Lake near the center of the Mississippi River floodplain of the American Bottoms.Grant Code D497

Effectiveness of Geosynthetics in Soil/Aggregate Stabilization—Evaluation Using Bender Element Sensor Technology

This report presents laboratory evaluations of the effectiveness of geosynthetics in stabilizing unbound aggregate layers and develops design guidelines for using geosynthetic-stabilized pavements in Illinois. The research focused on quantifying benefits from geosynthetic mechanical stabilization and incorporating those benefits into pavement analysis and design procedures. An experimental program was conducted, including laboratory triaxial testing and large-scale test bed evaluations. Twelve geosynthetic products, including ten geogrids (integral or punched and drawn, welded, and woven) and two geotextiles (woven and nonwoven), were tested. Six common aggregate materials were evaluated, including dense-graded aggregates (e.g., IDOT CA 6, CA 6/10, partially crushed gravel, recycled concrete aggregate) and open-graded aggregates (AASHTO No. 57, IDOT RR 01) with selected geosynthetics. Bender element sensor technology was used to quantify modulus enhancement due to geosynthetic inclusion through increased shear wave velocity measurements. The study found that geosynthetics can enhance the modulus of aggregate layers, and both integral and welded geogrids generally outperformed woven geogrids and geotextiles. Proper matching between geogrid aperture size and aggregate particle size was essential for achieving effective interlocking in open-graded materials. The zone of influence for geogrids to form a mechanically stabilized layer was typically about 4 in. The results were integrated into finite element analysis (FEA) models to simulate pavement layered structures and solve for the response behavior. The vertical deviator stress computed on a subgrade using FEA was typically reduced when a geosynthetic was present at the base-subgrade layer interface, indicating a response benefit. Design guidelines were developed to recommend reduced aggregate base thicknesses when geosynthetics are used. These guidelines are intended to update IDOT’s Subgrade Stability Manual and the Bureau of Local Roads and Streets Manual for Class IV low-volume roads. This study provided ready-to-use recommendations for geosynthetic selection and its benefits based on the laboratory quantification of modulus enhancement used in the mechanistic pavement analysis.IDOT-R27-23

Decoding Cultural Literacy: Rhetorically Analyzing Everyday Media for Professional Writers

"With the goal of improving cultural literacy among writers, this new digital publication positions writing as an active process in the development of cultural competency, thus effectively establishing the connection between rhetorical analysis and improved cultural literacy. Fowlkes’s method for writing rhetorical analysis is especially important considering the public’s increasing access to cultural performances across various media platforms and the growing necessity to competently engage with diverse perspectives and experiences….Decoding Cultural Literacy provides a much-needed contribution to the intersection of writing, rhetoric, and media studies." Taryn K. Myers, West Chester University Go beyond the surface level in reading and producing persuasive, yet efficacious writing. For writers looking to engage with everyday media, cultural background knowledge is essential to understanding the depths of any media and thus interpreting its message. This handbook helps writers learn what cultural literacy is, how to critically analyze media, and then create writing which appeals to one’s own authorial credibility. The key takeaway of Decoding Cultural Literacy is to help analyze everyday media through the rhetorical analysis process, and then engage in a recursive dance by using the same rhetorical steps to write works which are culturally literate and effective for your chosen audience. These same steps for writers will then be applied for moving forward into a professional writing setting and showing how to transfer these skills for the everyday writer, to a professional writing career. This title was peer reviewed with a single-blind process by the AFRO-PWW editorial board. Please cite this book using the DOI: 10.21900/pww.30

Harmonizing Data: Discovering "The Girl From Ipanema"

This poster explores the potential of Linked Data to enhance library catalog records, using the internationally recognized song "The Girl from Ipanema" as a case study. By applying Linked Data principles, the study demonstrates how metadata enrichment can improve access and discoverability in library systems. This is achieved by including the incorporation of International Resource Indicators (IRIs), the utilization of external sources such as the Virtual International Authority File (VIAF), and the Last.fm application programming interface (API). In addition, a knowledge graph is introduced as a tool for providing structured relationships with bibliographic entities within a catalog. The Last.fm open API is used to enrich metadata, offer track listings, and add album art to search results thus enhancing user experience and information retrieval

Patron Perception of Research Consultation by Human Librarian – Version 1

This scale assesses patrons’ perceptions of the quality of research consultations provided by human librarians. It focuses on five key aspects of delivery: listening, understanding, needs recognition, clarity in response, and encouragement of researcher growth. Respondents rate each item on a 5-point Likert scale from “Not at all” to “Extremely.