A Century of Students

published or submitted for publicatio

A Methodological Review of the Cross-Cultural Ethical Dilemmas That Exist Within the Informed Consent Process: When Ethical Considerations in Human Research Differ

The purpose of this study was to (a) explore researchers’ and participants’ experiences with the consent process in cross-cultural human research, and to (b) offer culturally responsive methods of how cross-cultural consent could be negotiated. Despite the lack of empirical studies, there has been much theoretical debate concerning the appropriateness of the Western approach to informed consent in developing countries (Dawson & Kass, 2005). Therefore, a qualitative approach to exploring past cross-cultural studies’ researchers’ and participants’ views was needed to gain an in-depth and clearer understanding of these ethical issues, as well as what appropriate measures need to be taken to improve the current informed consent process as it pertains to cross-cultural human research. Seventeen in-depth case study interviews were collected that offered insight on the ethical issues that exist surrounding the informed consent process. A thematic analysis was conducted and the findings organized into two broad sections. Findings such as trust, cultural orientation, and cross-gender interactions are discussed further in Chapter V leading to recommendations that could be made at the individual as well as national levels of the Institutional Review Board in an effort to help lessen the ethical dilemmas that occur in cross-cultural research studies. Implications of the findings from this study are in the areas of the researcher understanding how to gain true consent from participants in a culturally responsive manner and how cultural orientation fits into the practice of cultural humility. Culturally complex research practices such as those mentioned in this study are all aspects that a cultural competent researcher should apply to their own research practice. Such aspects can help contribute constructive and critical knowledge for a greater cause. The findings and recommendations from this research, as well as similar research studies that examine the cultural complexities that exists, can help to further cultural responsive research practices. Keywords: consent form process, cross-cultural ethics, cultural awareness, cultural complex research, cultural humility, cultural orientation, cultural responsiveness, ethics in social science, IRB, reflexivity, trust

Plastic Bottles In Architecture: A How To Guide On Life-Cycle Through Reuse

This booklet is a collection of 6 case studies that utilize reused plastic bottles significantly within their design. Prior to working with the case studies, much time was dedicated to research that justified the need for such a project. In-depth research on the environmental crisis, waste management trends, stewardship, sustainability, and ethics was conducted and recorded in the introduction to contextualize the need for an accessible how-to guide such as this one. Time was also given to establishing background information on bottles, reprocessing, and architecture to elaborate further on each piece of the content matter. It is curated as a ‘how-to manual’ so that others may learn how to incorporate these practices into their own lives. Some precedents for this method include The Underdome Guide to Energy Reform, by Janette Kim and Eric Carver as well as The Cannibal’s Cookbook: Mining Myths of Cyclopean Constructions, by Brandon Clifford. The case study projects were selected based on their usage of plastic bottles in a minimally modified fashion, categorizing it as a reuse method rather than recycled. Initially, there was a much larger list of potential projects to document, but ultimately it was narrowed to the following 6 to emphasize different methods of incorporation while reducing redundancy. Such methods include different means of securing the bottle to the structures, using the bottle as a structural member itself rather than ornamentally, different types of bottles used, and various other materials used in addition across three scales of work. They are organized into three sections based on said scales with two small, two medium, and two large scale work examples. Each project in every scale section is divided into a Starter Kit, Instructions, and Post Production manual that recounts the preparation, parts, tools, modifications, creations, assembly, waste, and maintenance necessary for that method. The written information is accompanied by photos and diagrammatic graphics demonstrating the example structure, details, and steps. The conclusion of the booklet analyzes the case studies individually while making observations about their comparisons. It will evaluate what those trends could mean, and how plastic bottles in architecture can continue to develop

The Effects of Self-Selected Music on Exercise Performance

Please see the pdf version of the abstract

Verbal Communication Skills Requirements for Information Systems Professionals

The role of information systems (IS) professionals in organizations has changed through the years, from one who works mostly with technically oriented peers, to one who spends a significant amount of time interacting with people who are involved in the functional areas of the organization. In many organizations, IS professionals are assigned permanently to the user area and they are expected to not only be technically competent, but also be competent in the user\u27s area. This move of IS professionals to the functional areas necessitates that they communicate more with the functional users whose IS needs they are fulfilling. The users, on the other hand, are also required to interact and communicate more with the IS people. With the move toward distributed IS, users are becoming more involved in the specification, design and sometimes even construction of their own systems. It is therefore imperative that analysts and users be able to communicate with each other unequivocally, so that the systems are specified and developed properly. This research investigated the verbal communication skills requirements for IS practicing professionals and new university graduates. A survey was used for data collection. It was sent to IS professionals in several large organizations, that represented the industry in general. A nearly perfect response rate was achieved. The findings are useful for both IS professionals and university programs. Organizations can use the findings to identify areas of weaknesses in the skills of their IS personnel and eliminate them with continuing education. Universities can use the findings to identify skills that they may not be currently emphasizing in their curricula and make necessary adjustments

Chromophoric Dissolved Organic Matter and Dissolved Organic Carbon in Lakes Across an Elevational Gradient From the Mountains to the Sea

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) in lakes across elevation gradients is a complex function of topography, climate, vegetation coverage, land use, and lake properties. To examine sources and processing of DOM from sea level to mountain lakes (3–1,574 m), we measured dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations and chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) optical properties, lake characteristics, and water quality parameters in 62 freshwater lakes in the Pacific Northwest, USA. Higher elevation lakes had lower DOC concentrations and absorbance. These lakes had higher forest cover and minimal wetlands in their watershed, in addition to low nutrients, water temperatures, and chlorophyll a in the lake itself. Two humic-like and one protein-like fluorescent component were identified from excitation-emission matrix spectroscopy. The index of recent autochthonous contribution (BIX), fluorescence index (FIX), and SR optical indices showed that most lakes were dominated by terrestrially derived material. The humification index (HIX) and specific ultra-violet absorbance (SUVA254) were consistent with more aromatic humic CDOM at lower elevations. The lower fluorescence of humic-like components at higher elevation was attributed to lower inputs from vegetation. The relative contribution of the protein-like component increased at higher elevation. This may be due to reduced allochthonous terrestrial inputs relative to in situ production of autochthonous material or increased photochemical/biological degradation of allochthonous material. Differences in optical characteristics associated with the amount and source of CDOM were observed across the elevational gradient. These differences were driven by characteristics at both within-lake and watershed scales

Supporting Information for Chromophoric Dissolved Organic Matter (CDOM) Across an Elevational Gradient from Sea Level to Mountain Lakes in the Pacific Northwest

This dataset is in support of Juetten et al., which has been submitted to the Journal of Geophysical Research Biogeosciences for consideration for publication. Chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) in lakes across elevation gradients is a complex function of topography, climate, vegetation coverage, land use, and lake properties. To examine sources and processing of CDOM from sea level to mountain lakes (3 to 1574 m), we measured CDOM optical properties, lake characteristics, and water quality parameters in 62 freshwater lakes in the Pacific Northwest, USA. Higher elevation lakes had lower dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and absorbance. These lakes had higher forest cover, minimal wetlands or crops, low nutrients, cooler water temperatures, and low chlorophyll a. Two humic-like and one protein-like fluorescent component were identified from excitation-emission matrix spectroscopy (EEMs). The index of recent autochthonous contribution (BIX), fluorescence index (FIX) and SR optical indices indicated that most lakes were dominated by terrestrially-derived material. The humification index (HIX) and specific ultra-violet absorbance (SUVA) were consistent with more aromatic humic CDOM at lower elevations. Fluorescence of humic-like components was lower at higher elevation, indicating reduced amounts of CDOM, attributed to lower inputs from vegetation. The relative contribution of the protein-like component increased at higher elevation, because allochthonous terrestrial inputs are reduced relative to in situ production of autochthonous material or higher photochemical and biological degradation of allochthonous material. Differences in optical characteristics associated with CDOM levels and some characteristics associated with CDOM source and quality were observed across the elevational gradient. These differences were driven by characteristics at both within-lake and watershed scales, suggesting a more complete understanding of CDOM patterns can be gained by examining factors at multiple spatial scales. The dataset available below is supplementary information to the paper in a Word file format. This includes: a figure corresponding to the RDA Figure 6 in the manuscript giving the lake names; a table giving sampling dates, elevations, locations and watershed characteristics for the lakes; a table comparing water quality parameters for deep vs, surface water samples from Lake Padden in 2011; and a table giving the measured water quality parameters for the lakes from summer 2018

Impact of the Macrophyte Nymphaea odorata (Lily Pads) on Dissolved Organic Matter (DOM) in a Lake

(Files are available for download below.) Macrophytes are a potential source of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in lakes. To probe the contribution of Nymphaea odorata (lily pads), dissolved organic carbon concentrations (DOC) and optical properties of chromophoric DOM were measured in a lake in the Pacific Northwest, United States over a year. Lily pads are prevalent around the shoreline during summer, dying back in fall. Indices of recent autochthonous contribution (BIX), fluorescence (FIX) and SR showed the lake was dominated by terrestrially-derived material. DOC concentrations were not correlated with rainfall, but were positively correlated with absorption coefficients. Values were highest in the summer dry season and decreased in the winter wet season, suggesting a source in the lake being diluted by precipitation rather than a dominant source from watershed runoff. Humic-like and protein-like fluorescent components were identified from excitation-emission matrix spectroscopy in lake waters and lily pad leachates. The protein-like component was highest during the summer, indicative of an in situ autochthonous source. Lily pad leachates had BIX, FIX, and SR values characteristic of terrestrial material and lake samples. However, leachates had lower humification index (HIX), specific ultraviolet absorbance (SUVA), flu/abs ratios and spectral slope (S) values. Higher absorption coefficients and DOC concentrations in the lake in summer were correlated with lower HIX, SUVA, flu/abs and S values, consistent with material leaching from lily pads. Seasonal trends in optical indices, absorption coefficients and DOC concentrations are consistent with lily pads being a significant DOM source in the lake, particularly in the summer dry season with low watershed runoff. This is for the supporting data for the paper in Limnology and Oceanography, specifically the absorbance and fluorescence spectra of the Lake Louise water samples (taken weekly over the course of a year). These files include large spreadsheets with raw and corrected absorbance and fluorescence intensity data as a function of wavelength, as well as the raw and corrected absorbance and fluorescence 3D excitation-emission matrix spectra (EEMs). These files are in .opj format, which is readable with commercially available Origin graphing software. Data includes tables with optical parameters and indices for absorbance and fluorescence for the weekly lake water samples, and spreadsheets with raw and corrected absorbance and fluorescence intensity data as a function of wavelength, as well as raw and corrected absorbance and fluorescence 3D excitation-emission matrix spectra (EEMs)

Seasonal Optical Properties of Chromophoric Dissolved Organic Matter (CDOM) in Surface Waters of Fresh Water Lake in Pacific Northwest

The water of Lake Louise (a lake neighboring lake Whatcom in Whatcom County, WA) was sampled from January 17, 2018 to November 29, 2018 and absorbance and fluorescence characteristics of the water’s chromophoric dissolved organic matter were analyzed to look for seasonal trends. The majority of the parameters that were examined were determined by t-test to be statistically the same across all seasons. Some parameters, such as dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration, were determined by t-test to be statistically different, relative to season (winter, spring, summer, fall), but these differences were not anything abnormal. The trends that were observed logically correlated to their respective season/seasonal change. Lake Louise is a relatively typical and healthy lake, and nothing was found to be amiss

Computational model for optimizing longitudinal fin heat transfer in laminar internal flows

Optimal configurations are identified, based on a numerical model, for fully developed laminar internal flows whose base boundary walls have perpendicular fins extending longitudinally into the fluid. The optimum coolant flow channel, formed between each fin, has an aspect ratio dependent on the coolant to wall thermal conductivity ratio and on the fin to channel width ratio, which is optimally about unity. A base thickness exists which minimizes the base hot-spot temperature, and its value is dependent on the fin to channel width ratio. 8 refs., 9 figs., 2 tabs