Collector of Nothing Good

My work stems from a fascination with our reactions, both mentally and physically, to ideas of stress and anxiety. Referencing interviews and conversations gathered from others as well as my own experiences with stress my work creates a dialogue for these often-unrecognized occurrences. Each of my pieces is a conglomeration of several different ideas of stress. Often during conversations and interviews it becomes apparent that bases of tension cross paths between multiple individuals. This paper will discuss the work presented in my thesis exhibition as well as the ways that the work is initially created through the interview process

Assessment of the interrelationships between fish population dynamics and limnological characteristics of Iowa lakes

Lakes are important resources and understanding relationships between fish, humans, and environmental conditions is critical for guiding management activities. We examined fish populations, limnological conditions, lake basin morphology, and watershed characteristics in 129 Iowa lakes. Our purpose was to evaluate patterns in population characteristics of important fish species in relation to environmental conditions. Bluegill Lepomis macrochirus and largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides abundance was highest in systems with high water transparency and nutrients. Catch rates of bluegill, black crappie, and largemouth bass were generally low when omnivores (e.g., black bullhead Ameiurus melas, common carp Cyprinus carpio) were present. Body condition of the study species was highest in highly productive lakes with clear water. Bluegill and largemouth bass condition and bluegill growth showed evidence of density dependence. This study suggests that high water transparency generally resulted in high relative abundance, good condition, and fast growth of sport fishes in Iowa\u27s highly productive lakes

Digital Hydrography Underestimates Stream Length and Leads to Underestimates of Trout Population Size

Stream length is measured for many fisheries management applications. Characteristics of populations and habitats measured at field sites are commonly generalized to unsampled areas using estimates of stream length or stream network length. There are many ways to measure stream length, but map-based stream length measurements are commonly used in fisheries applications even though they are known to be biased. We evaluated how length of headwater streams in Arizona may be underestimated by the National Hydrography Dataset and how that bias influences streamwide abundance estimates for adult Apache Trout Oncorhynchus apache. As expected, stream lengths measured using National Hydrography Dataset flowlines underestimated true length revealed by National Agricultural Imagery Program imagery on average 11.1% (SD = 4.1%), and this bias was higher in meadow versus forested habitats. The observed bias led to streamwide estimates of adult Apache Trout abundance that were only 88% on average (SD = 5%) of those made with more realistic imagery-based stream measurements. As we have shown, high-resolution imagery, now widely available, can be used to assess and quantify stream length bias, and we conclude that it is important to assess whether this bias has the potential to negatively impact important fishery management decisions

Junior Recital: Zachary Opitz

A junior recital featuring Zachary Opitz, Tyrone Jackson, Piper Johnson, and Josh Baffour.https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/musicprograms/2416/thumbnail.jp

An Exploration of Discrimination, Sense of Belonging, and Persistence among Students in Higher Education

Despite the benefits of higher education and increasing enrollment at many universities, a number of students who enroll in postsecondary institutions fail to complete their degree. Data show persistence and degree attainment differ by gender and race, which may indicate social factors or social experiences not addressed within common conceptual persistence and retention frameworks. The objective of this dissertation is to assess the role of discrimination and the sense of belonging in college students’ educational persistence through three manuscripts that analyze data obtained from the Health Mind Study (HMS). The central hypothesis is that sense of belonging and discrimination have a significant and unique impact on persistence beyond the influence of relevant demographic and social factors. The results from this dissertation indicated that discrimination and sense of belonging are significant factors in predicting students’ confidence in their ability to overcome challenges to graduate. The students who indicated that they were not confident in their ability to finish their degree were 1.42 (95% CI [1.118, 1.79]) times more likely to report experiencing discrimination frequently and were 0.76 (95% CI [0.709, 0.824]) times less likely to score high on the sense of belonging scale. The frequency of discrimination is racialized, then gendered. White women were likely to report experiencing discrimination more often than White men, but less often than all men of color. The men of color, however, reported more frequently experiencing discrimination compared to women of the same racial identity. There were also significant racial and gender differences in students’ sense of belonging, yet, students’ sense of belonging was significantly affected by housing arrangements and participation in extracurricular activities. The findings offer insights into the lived experience of diverse students and prompt rethinking of retention initiatives. Institutions must make additional efforts to decrease discrimination on campus and enhance students' sense of belonging through in order to significantly impact on persistence

Dynamical evolution of thin dispersion-dominated planetesimal disks

We study the dynamics of a vertically thin, dispersion-dominated disk of planetesimals with eccentricities $e$ and inclinations $i$ (normalized in Hill units) satisfying $e >> 1$, $i << e^{-2} << 1$. This situation may be typical for e.g. a population of protoplanetary cores in the end of the oligarchic phase of planet formation. In this regime of orbital parameters planetesimal scattering has an anisotropic character and strongly differs from scattering in thick ($i ~ e$) disks. We derive analytical expressions for the planetesimal scattering coefficients and compare them with numerical calculations. We find significant discrepancies in the inclination scattering coefficients obtained by the two approaches and ascribe this difference to the effects not accounted for in the analytical calculation: multiple scattering events (temporary captures, which may be relevant for the production of distant planetary satellites outside the Hill sphere) and distant interaction of planetesimals prior to their close encounter. Our calculations show that the inclination of a thin, dispersion-dominated planetesimal disk grows exponentially on a very short time scale implying that (1) such disks must be very short-lived and (2) planetesimal accretion in this dynamical phase is insignificant. Our results are also applicable to the dynamics of shear-dominated disks switching to the dispersion-dominated regime.Comment: 16 pages, 12 figures, submitted to A

Combining high power laser modules with compound parabolic concentrators to test components at high heat fluxes

Assessing the performance and lifetime of components is a key step towards deploying new technologies in the aerospace and fusion sectors. Experimental testing at representative thermal conditions is particularly important when investigating novel materials that have yet to be fully characterized. This paper presents the key features of a new high-power laser facility developed to test components destined for extreme environments. This facility, OLAHF (Oxford LAser Heating Facility), provides a maximum power of 24 kW over an area of 200 mm by 104 mm for a base intensity of 1.15 MW/m2 via a combination of laser modules. A bespoke control system manages the laser and instrumentation systems as well as supporting cooling air and water infrastructure. A numerical model of the lasers is validated against supplier data, enabling high fidelity computational representation of experimental setups. Compound parabolic concentrators (CPCs) are investigated to increase applied laser power over smaller testing surfaces. A laser module-CPC system assessed the performance of gold and aluminum coatings at a range of surfaces roughnesses. High transmission efficiencies were demonstrated when surfaces are gold coated and below 0.1 µm average roughness. Future plans for OLAHF are additionally presented, including additional test campaigns using higher power CPC systems

The Mediating Influence of Employee Behaviour on the Relationship Between Strategic Planning and Competitive Advantage of Large Manufacturing Firms in Kenya

Several studies have been carried out in the past to find out how strategic planning and competitive advantage are connected and the causes of differences in competitive advantage among firms. Scholars have argued that competitive advantage can emanate from either internal or external sources and is usually in several forms which include; valuable resources, the position held within the industry, position within the marketplace, operating at lower costs than rival firms, differentiation, capabilities and dynamic capabilities. The debate on what causes differences in competitive advantage is still on. This study sought to establish the mediating influence of employee behaviour on the relationship between strategic planning and competitive advantage of large manufacturing firms in Kenya. The study was underpinned by the competitive advantage typology of Michael Porter, the resource-based theory, dynamic capabilities theory, and goal-setting theory. The study used a positivist research paradigm and a cross-sectional survey design. This was a census study from 124 large manufacturing firms in Kenya. Out of the 124 firms, data on strategic planning, employee behaviour and competitive advantage was collected from 122 of the firms representing a response rate of 98.4%. The data was interpreted using a 5-point Likert type questionnaire. The data received was analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Reliability tests returned an average Cronbach Alpha Value for the three variables that is strategic planning, employee behaviour and competitive advantage, of 0.86. Hypotheses were tested using both simple and multivariate regression analysis as well as hierarchical analysis for mediation. The findings indicate that overall strategic planning has a statistically significant influence on competitive advantage and that employee behaviour mediates completely the relationship between strategic planning and competitive advantage (R2=0.751, p-value&lt;0.05). The study concluded that the relationship between strategic planning and competitive advantage is completely mediated by employee behaviour. The study further recommended that employees’ behaviour should be strategically aligned to the goals and objectives set in the strategic plan and that they should be committed fully to the ideals of the firm in order for the firm to attain and sustain its competitive advantage position. Keywords: strategic planning, competitive advantage employee behaviour, lower costs, differentiation, capabilities, dynamic capabilities DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/11-8-01 Publication date:March 31st 201

Modified Zero-Gravity Chair in the Management of Pain and Anxiety with Emphasis on Pre and Post Anesthesia for Surgical Procedures

The purpose of this research is the integration of a zero-gravity chair with planar vibration as a non-pharmaceutical approach to preoperative anxiety and postoperative pain management. The treatment plan involves preoperative familiarization with the chair\u27s vibrational patterns and postoperative use for pain relief. Integration of this approach holds promise in reshaping postoperative care paradigms, advocating for personalized, holistic interventions to enhance patient well-being and mitigate opioid-related risks