ACTIV-ES: a novel Spanish-language corpus for linguistic and cultural comparisons between communities of the Hispanic world

This proposal requests Level 1 funding to develop a novel Spanish-language corpus, ACTIV-ES. This electronic resource will be the first to compile the language of common, everyday life for three linguistically, culturally, and geographically distinct communities— Spain, Mexico, and Argentina. It will provide scholars, instructors, students, and other interested parties with a unique perspective, enabling for the first time a rich cross-linguistic and cross-cultural analysis of current patterns and themes in the Hispanic world. A series of planning sessions among experts in linguistics, pedagogy, computer science, and psychology will guide the technical and theoretical steps to optimize ACTIV-ES for applications in second-language pedagogy and enable heretofore impossible contemporary humanistic understanding. Insights gained from the project will inform a Level 2 proposal aimed at adding size, attributes, and a web interface to enable flexible public and scholarly access to the corpus

Police and Social Worker Perceptions of Child Maltreatment: An Examination through the Context of the Defund the Police Movements

Over the past several years there has been a shift in the conceptualization of what police work ought to consist of, with some recent social movements such as “defund the police” arguing that social workers are better equipped to handle various societal issues such as homelessness, petty crime, mental health crises, and issues of family dysfunction. Despite this recent call for the reallocation of funds, there has not been a thorough analysis of how social workers and police officers perceive different behaviors and societal issues, and how their perceptions may inform their decision-making and subsequent action or inaction. Prior research has found that extralegal factors such as race, gender, demeanor, and personal characteristics of the perpetrator and victim have been shown to influence the outcome of police investigations. Law enforcement officers also have varying views regarding what qualifies as child maltreatment and have conflicting views as to what should constitute an arrestable offense. Similar findings have been found in the field of social work, as social workers have not been found to have uniform views regarding child maltreatment and have also been shown to make decisions based on extralegal factors such as race. However, other research has shown that consensus among the family and professional team and social worker experience has been shown to impact decision-making. Advocates of social movements such as defund the police have argued that social workers are better equipped to respond to various societal issues such as mental health, homelessness, and family issues because of their nuanced and solution-based approach, in contrast with the punitive approach often associated with law enforcement. Existing research has not settled the question of how social workers and law enforcement officers perceive behaviors similarly or differently—and thus has not settled which field would be better at handling specific complex issues. The study consisted of an online survey, a semi structured interview, and an online exit survey. Descriptive statistics, principal component analyses, and independent samples t-tests were used to analyze quantitative date. Results indicated that there is a significant difference between the perceived relevancy of morality in child maltreatment investigations between law enforcement officers and social workers. Thematic analysis of the semi structured interviews also revealed some differences between law enforcement and social worker perceptions for child maltreatment cases. Policy implications and suggestions for future research are discussed

A Summary Analysis of Research: The Effects of eLearning on Prisoner Recidivism and Re-Entry

The authors combined their interests in improving corrections and information technology to examine how the variables correctional education using technology (or eLearning) are artfully used to educate prisoners to reduce recidivism and improve reentry. To address the issue, the authors conducted an extensive literature review and using a set of criteria (study sample size, definition of recidivism and eLearning) conducted a comparative analysis of 35 research studies published in referred journals. The analysis reveals insufficient research on correctional education, namely eLearning programs. The authors conclude that the data collection challenges and technology security concerns may not outweigh the champion of using the eLearning mode to education prisoners and association with improved recidivism and reentry

Doctor of Philosophy

dissertationThrough a case study analysis of 19th and 21st century communitarian innovation groups, this dissertation develops a business model that promotes innovation without the incentives of monopoly profits provided by patents. Social Utopian communities of the 19th century and Free and Open Source Software development communities share similar contributors' incentives and comparable organizational structures which provides a foundation for a business model that can be transported to other industries, specifically biotechnology. Communitarian innovation groups already exist within the biotechnology sector but have not yet been proven effective or capable of applying the communitarian business model through all stages of research and development. This dissertation provides the business model for communitarian innovation as well as recommendations on how to apply the business model to all stages of biotechnology innovation

Achievement Motivation and Study Strategies of Graduate Students: Testing Boundary Conditions of Theoretical Constructs

Professional graduate student programs have relatively low completion rates, which comes at significant cost to the university and student. Achievement motivation theory can account for success or failure with undergraduate students, but this has not been fully tested with graduate students. This study found that achievement motivation theory was a modest predictor of student achievement and type of study strategy use for first-term graduate students at the University of St. Augustine. Certain achievement goal orientations and study strategy combinations may affect a graduate student\u27s academic success. Achievement goal orientations, along with study strategies, may comprise helpful criteria to identify students most likely to succeed in graduate programs

Oxider to Fuel Ratio Shift Compensation Via Vortex Strength Control in Hybrid Rocket Motors

Hybrid motors have existed as a hypothetical propulsion system for decades in a wide range of upper stage rocket motors due to their simple, robust, non-toxic, and versatile nature. However, inherent to hybrids is Oxidizer to Fuel ratio (O/F) shift over time, which results in performance losses for the majority of the rocket’s lifetime. The purpose of this study is to develop a hybrid rocket motor capable of manipulating O/F at will, resulting in an engine which eliminates the undesirable effects of O/F shift. By developing and refining a numerical simulation, a novel injector system, and an open-loop control scheme, this thesis demonstrates programmable O/F manipulation in an experimental hybrid engine