TRANSISTION METAL CHALCOGENIDES AND PHOSPHIDES FOR ENERGY STORAGE AND CONVERSION THROUGH WATER SPLITTING

In contemporary society, there are many different ways that energy is used in daily life. From applications that require a high energy density to long-term storage in a stable manner, the requirements for energy usage are diverse. Therefore, the greater the number of uses a designed material exhibits, the more practical it may be for wide-scale manufacture. Two areas of particular interest for energy applications are fuel cells (to generate energy) and supercapacitors (to store energy). To provide cheaper and more durable alternatives for energy storage, electrodes containing CoMoO4, NiMoO4, CoMoS4, NiMoS4, CoMoP, and NIMoP were synthesized. The electrodes were synthesized through a hydrothermal method using Ni-foam as the substrate then tested as electrocatalysts for water splitting and electrodes for supercapacitor. As an electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction, NiMoS4 displayed the lowest overpotential of 148 mV with a Tafel slope of 159 mV/dec. On the other hand, CoMoS4 showed the lowest overpotential of 189 mV with a Tafel slope of 78 mV/dec among all four samples for oxygen evolution reactions. In terms of energy storage, the CoMoO4 had the highest specific capacitance of 2652 F/g at a current density of 0.5 A/g with an averaged charge retention of 91% and a Coulombic efficiency of 99% after 10,000 cycles

Synthesis of Nanostructured Transition Metal Oxides and Sulfides for Overall Water Splitting and Supercapacitors

In contemporary society, there are many different ways that energy is used in daily life. From applications that require a high energy density to long term storage in a stable manner the requirements for energy usage are diverse. Therefore, the greater the number of uses a designed material exhibits the more practical it may be for wide-scale manufacture. Two areas of particular interest for energy applications are fuel cells (to generate energy) and supercapacitors (to store energy). To provide cheaper and more durable alternatives for energy storage electrodes containing CoMoO4, NiMoO4, CoMoS4, and NiMoS4 were synthesized. The electrodes were synthesized through a hydrothermal method using Ni-foam as the substrate then tested as electrocatalysts for water splitting and electrodes for supercapacitors. As an electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction, NiMoS4 displayed the lowest overpotential of 148 mV with a Tafel slope of 159 mV/dec. On the other hand, CoMoS4 showed the lowest overpotential of 189 mV with a Tafel slope of 78 mV/dec among all four samples for oxygen evolution reactions. In terms of energy storage, the CoMoO4 had the highest specific capacitance of 2652 F/g at a current density of 0.5 A/g with an averaged charge retention of 91% and a Coulombic efficiency of 99% after 10,000 cycles

Current Unanswered Questions in Social Media Activism Research

For the last decade, researchers have conducted numerous research studies on the role various social media platforms have been used by activists to affect change. These general surveys and specific analyses address how media sites are being used in the specific roles they currently play or have played in a given movement. Immeasurable time and effort has been regularly dedicated to understand the impact these platforms have had on social change. However, social media sites continue to change and evolve over time, creating new opportunities for investigation. This transitional article is intended to propose and contextualize some of the current questions related to the largest platforms in social media activism, with the intent to suggest direction for such future research

Squad Goals: A Content Analysis of Teen Shows over Three Decades on Television (1993-2017)

This study represents a longitudinal content analysis of the portrayals of teenagers on teenoriented situation comedies. The sample included 91 shows chosen from the archive of the Center for Research on the Effects of Television (CRETV) at Ithaca College. An initial analysis showed that many teen sitcoms take place mainly inside the home with interactions primarily between teens and their parents or siblings; those shows were excluded from this analysis in order to focus on teen relationships outside of the home. Programs were selected for analysis that were a 30-minute teen-focused situation comedy aired during the years 1994-1997, 2004-2007, or 2014-2017, and had at least 3 non-related teen characters. Content was coded for all teen dyads that occurred within the program (including family members), and demographic information (gender, age, race, relationship, and approximate age) were coded for all characters. The nature of the teen relationship was fully described for each dyad, including displays and discussion of affection, gender messages, discussions of other dyads, and put-downs. Results showed that teen-oriented situation comedies that aired in the 1990s tended to cover more serious issues such as eating disorders and drug use, while episodes that aired in the later years of the study tended to focus more on fluff (such as getting a celebrity to perform at school, or dance competitions at prom). The earlier shows were also significantly more likely to include displays of affection between significant others, while more recent shows focused primarily on samegender and mixed-gender friendships

Exploration of the Effectiveness of Dance as a Tool of Communication

Visual art is one of the most iconic and widespread forms of art in the world. However, some may claim that it is losing its relevance and place in the current art scene due to technology and instant gratification courtesy of the internet. We hope to translate iconic and propagandist artwork from the time period of the Space Race, into a form that we most closely understand and may be more relevant for a wider audience through dance. We look forward to incorporating other artists in this project and, as a team, produce artwork from a piece of choreography and create a new work ourselves based on an influential painting from this era to translate meaning, context, and feeling. There are so many opportunities for collaboration between dancers, painters, and historians. By bringing together paintings, photographs, and drawings, which many consider to be stagnant and two dimensional, and dance, which has live bodies and constant movement, history and art can be brought to life in a new way. By using artwork from this era as our inspiration, we are able to not only express the history of the era, but convey the feelings and emotions this event had on various cultures during that time. In doing this, we can allow audience members to immerse themselves into the context of this historical era that they may otherwise never understand. This would revitalize both mediums of art and merge the two art audiences and build a new bridge between artists and historians

Systematic Analysis of Real-World Driving Behavior Following Focal Brain Lesions

Many patients with circumscribed brain injuries, such as those caused by stroke or focal trauma, return to driving after a period of acute recovery. These persons often have chronic residual cognitive deficits that may impact on driving safety, but little is known about their driving behavior in the real world. Extant studies tend to rely on driving simulators or controlled on-road drives. These methods of observation are not able to capture the complexities of the typical driving environment, and may not accurately represent a driver’s usual behavior on the road. The current study used a video event-activated data recorder (VEADR) system to observe drivers with focal brain lesions in their normal daily driving environment over a three-month period. In the context of primarily safe driving behavior, we were able to document a number of relatively infrequent and hitherto unobserved high risk behaviors and traffic violations. These findings demonstrate the feasibility and value of sampling real-world driving in neurologic patient populations such as those with focal brain lesions, and highlight the critical importance of evaluating unsafe driving behaviors which may occur with insufficient frequency to be captured by relatively brief simulator or controlled on-road evaluations

Introducing complementary food to preterm infants: Integrating parent perspectives and evidence-based practices

The transition to complementary food is a critical time for infant nutrition, growth, and neurodevelopment. It is a particularly important period for preterm infants, as the transition to complementary food highlights preterm infants’ higher nutritional needs, greater difficulty with parent-infant feeding interactions, and higher risk of chronic pediatric feeding disorder. Family support during this period has the potential to improve infant feeding skills and prevent long-term feeding problems. However, little is known about parental experiences managing this transition, or evidence-based practices for the preterm infant population. This dissertation contains two studies. In the first study, eighteen parents of preterm infants were interviewed to explore their experiences introducing complementary food and their needs and preferences for improving this transition. Framework analysis was used to analyze transcripts and identify broader themes. In the second study, parent surveys (n = 76) about their infant’s feeding experience across the introduction to complementary food, as well as their infant’s feeding skill and feeding problem outcomes at 12 months adjusted age, were analyzed.The results of the interviews revealed that parents of preterm infants used medical provider advice and their infant’s cues to navigate introducing complementary foods, and various food textures, to their infant. Further, their beliefs and concerns about their infant’s feeding and growth also influenced their decision making. Parents desired more support from their medical providers about safely introducing advanced textures, as well as tailored, preterm infant specific advice they could access on the go. The results of the survey offer preliminary evidence that texture introduction patterns are associated with later infant feeding skill development, and parental strategies during complementary feeding are associated with later symptoms of feeding problems. Age of initial introduction to complementary foods was not associated with infant feeding skills or symptoms of feeding problems at 12 months adjusted age in this sample. Together, the two studies indicate that additional research is needed to identify evidence-based practices that can be recommended to families with a preference for individualized, cue-based advice. They also point to opportunities for future studies to determine developmental readiness cues for complementary food introduction and texture introduction that are appropriate for preterm infants. Longitudinal, naturalistic studies would be beneficial in solidifying understanding of the process of CF introduction in this population. Overall, these findings can be used to inform future prevention efforts.Doctor of Philosoph

The Effect of the Chirp Wheel and Other Ergogenic Aids on Back Flexion and Recovery

Foam rollers are used frequently as tools by health professionals and athletes to increase joint range of motion, tissue temperature, and blood flow, providing myofascial relief to areas targeted by the user. Standard foam rollers have been the subject of many studies, with limited work regarding foam rolling of the spine, despite this technique being a common practice among athletes. The chirp wheel is a foam rolling product with a groove down the middle, made to increase pressure on deep back muscles which may act to decrease muscle tension and soreness while optimizing perceived recovery. To our knowledge, this is the first study examining the effectiveness of the chirp wheel. Hope College football players were recruited to take part in this 4-week, 5-session counterbalanced study. The first data session consisted of participant information collection and familiarization while the final four sessions involved weightlifting regimens followed by structured recovery and sit and reach tests. Recovery treatments included the application of either a standard foam roller, chirp wheel, or yoga block to muscles in the gluteal, lumbar, thoracic, cervical, and full back regions. Additionally, in each session perceived relief was recorded immediately after working out, post-treatment (standard foam roller, chirp wheel, or yoga block), and 24 hours after the session. The yoga block was used as a placebo to reduce expectancy error. It was hypothesized that the chirp wheel would provide the greatest increase in lumbar flexion and perceived relief, followed by the standard foam roller and yoga block conditions. Significant results would validate company claims regarding the chirp wheel and would support the preferential use of the chirp wheel in foam rolling of the back. This study is ongoing, results will be available during the celebration