This qualitative, multiple participant case study investigates the phenomenon of student textbook engagement in a First-Year Composition course at a private, evangelical four-year university. Shifting away from a dominant history where textbooks served as the primary object of study (Besser et al., 1999; Carr, Carr, & Schultz, 2005; Colby, 2013; Connors, 1987; Edwards, 1984; Faigley, 1992; Gale & Gale, 1999; Hawhee, 1999; Issitt, 2004; Miles, 2000; Ohmann, 1979; Rendleman, 2009, 2011; Welch, 1987), I answered...

Current analysis of manufacturing defects in the production of rims and tires via x-ray inspection at an industry partner’s manufacturing plant requires that a quality control specialist visually inspect radiographic images for defects of varying sizes. For each sample, twelve radiographs are taken within 35 seconds. Some defects are very small in size and difficult to see (e.g., pinholes) whereas others are large and easily identifiable. Implementing this quality control practice across all products in...

Capacitive-wireless power transfer (CPT) effectively charges battery-powered devices without a physical contact. It is an alternative to inductive-wireless power transfer (IPT) which is available in the present market. Compared with IPT, CPT offers flexibility in designing the coupling section. Because of its flexibility, CPT utilizes various coupling methods to enhance the coupling capacitance. Misalignment is a common issue in any WPT system. Among IPT and CPT, IPT has better performance for misalignments, but it requires...

During the summer of 2021, ODU undergraduate computer science students undertook image processing research projects. These projects focused on utilizing the Raspberry Pi computer and camera module to address three real-world problems concerning parking control, classroom seating, and flood monitoring. The parking lot occupancy project aimed to develop a system that monitors the occupancy of parking spaces in a lot and communicates the status of the lot of drivers and the lot attendants. The COVID-19...

One of the biggest obstacles to operating a GaAs polarized electron source with a long charge lifetime is the mitigation of ion back-bombardment. Several techniques exist to either clear ions from the accelerator or to mitigate ion damage of the photocathode. Predicting the effectiveness of these techniques requires sophisticated simulation models of electron impact ionization within the photo-gun. In this work, the effectiveness of applying a positive anode bias voltage to mitigate ion damage and...

The Modeling and Control for Agile Aircraft Development (MCAAD) group at NASA Langley Research Center(LaRC) is developing techniques for Real-Time Global Modeling (RTGM) and Robust Learning Control (RLC) for NASA’s Transformational Tools and Technologies Project. This project seeks to develop a systematic approach to reduce the iterative nature of aircraft design by introducing a model-less control law and enabling inflight aerodynamic modeling and controller design. The development of the flight control system without prior knowledge...

Old Dominion University (ODU) Space Systems students in conjunction with the United States Coast Guard Academy (USCGA) are designing and developing a 3U Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO) CubeSat mission aptly named SeaLion. This work specifically details the design of the Electrical Power System (EPS) and Communication System of the satellite. Electrical power in orbit is a precious commodity and must be carefully regulated and distributed to ensure the satellite’s operational health. Commonly, CubeSat electrical...

As plastic becomes a ubiquitous part of society, its growth outpaces waste disposal infrastructure and enters the environment as physical and chemical pollution. Plastic can also erode during the use cycle and reach the environment without any chance of being arrested by collection efforts. Plastic is a hazard to many parts of the earth’s life support system but there are many knowledge gaps regarding the processes by which plastic moves through the use cycle and...

Mycobacteriosis was first documented in Chesapeake Bay striped bass (Morone saxatilis) in 1997 after fish exhibited emaciation and skin lesions. Since it was first identified, studies of mycobacteriosis in the mainstem of the Chesapeake Bay (2003-2007) and the Rappahannock River (2005-2012) have shown high disease prevalence and disease-associated mortality. Until this study, no current prevalence data existed from the Rappahannock River, and no published prevalence data existed for the James River, leaving a gap in...

In this work, we present a novel abiotic glucose fuel cell with battery-less remote access. In the presence of a glucose analyte, we characterized the power generation and biosensing capabilities. This system is developed on a flexible substrate in bacterial nanocellulose with gold nanoparticles used as a conductive ink for piezoelectric deposition based printing. The abiotic glucose fuel cell is constructed using colloidal platinum on gold (Au-co-Pt) and a composite of silver oxide nanoparticles and...

The debate over the 1,200 kilometer Nord Stream 2 pipeline, capable of delivering 110 billion cubic meters of liquified natural gas (LNG) under the Baltic Sea directly from Russia to Germany, has received global attention since its declaration of intent in 2015. The Nord Stream 2 pipeline is not only significant for the contestation it has created within the European Union but for the divisions it has deepened in the U.S.-German transatlantic alliance. Specifically, many...

Purpose: The Latino population within the United States show low levels of physical activity and have a high prevalence of obesity. The purpose of this literature review is to analyze the interaction between three different levels of the social ecological model and their impact on physical inactivity behaviors. Methods: The databases CINAHL Plus, PubMed, and PsycINFO were searched with Latino adults as the target population. The inclusion criteria were studies focusing on Latino adults over...

With the evolution in detector technologies and electronic components used in the Nuclear Physics field, experimental setups become larger and more complex. Faster electronics enable particle accelerator experiments to run with higher beam intensity, providing more interactions per time and more particles per interaction. However, the increased beam intensities present a challenge to particle detectors because of the higher amount of noise and uncorrelated signals. Higher noise levels lead to a more challenging particle reconstruction...

The deployment of autonomous vehicles (AVs) has been expected to significantly reshape traffic safety on roads. However, there is still a relatively long journey to achieve high-level autonomy and the safety level of interaction between AVs and vulnerable road users (e.g., pedestrians, cyclists, or passengers) is still unclear due to very limited data and field tests. The main objective of this paper is to propose a high-fidelity human-in-the-loop simulation that is capable of supporting AV-pedestrian...

As the Coronavirus pandemic continues to be a threat for those of all ages, schools were a main concern when discussing how we should attempt to return to our “normal” lives. A considerable amount of speech therapy is done in schools, and speech-language pathologists nationwide are also being impacted by the changes during this school year. This research examined many aspects of providing speech therapy during the 2020-2021 school year, beginning with introductory statistics concerning...

n a technology thrived society, one would think that anyone can have access to technology – especially in schools. However, it is not always the case due to budgets and other factors. As technology becomes an essential part of the workforce, students need to know certain web applications that companies use. This study will compare four school districts within the Tidewater area of Virginia. The following school districts include Hampton City Schools, Newport News Public...

As teachers plan for instruction, technology integration is an important factor in the planning and implementation process. This is become imperative in a virtual learning environment for instructors to be competent (Gregory & Lodge, 2015). Problems exist with integrating technology that aligns with teaching and learning in content areas. Among the many possible factors that contribute to these problems is lack of understanding of technology, lack of support for teachers with technology, everchanging technology tools,...

Diabetes continues to be a major health concern for public health officials. The incidence of diabetes has grown in the past two decades producing more than 37 million Americans who live with diabetes (about 1 in 10), and approximately 90-95% of Americans have type 2 diabetes 1. It is estimated that in 2030 cases of diabetes will rise to 439 million 2. Risk factors contribute to the likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes and other...

Toggling Between is collection of short essays that cover topics such as race, love, lost, healing and the main theme is trauma from moments in my life. This manuscript frames my childhood to my adulthood. I play with point of view and time in some of these short essays. Each essay focuses on a certain area of my life from childhood trauma to societal trauma, and to romantic trauma. I hope this manuscript will help...

So, you’ve stumbled upon my neck of the woods, where the weird and fantastical reside. Wit and humor may save you here but beware of what draws near. Beneath the bright and smiling facade, you may find the danse macabre. Within these pages you’ll find magic and wonder, darkness, and failure. The setting is post-March 2020 in Norfolk, Virginia. An urban city at the heart of Hampton Roads where the lines between reality and otherworldliness...

There has been a massive decline in coral population worldwide, but the Caribbean Sea has been particularly impacted. The Caribbean was once the home to millions of branching coral, Acropora, but has seen severe degradation in the past few decades due to climate change, pollution, coral disease, bleaching events, overfishing, coastal development and other disturbances. Coral reef restoration has since expanded rapidly with thousands of coral nurseries in the Caribbean alone and has become an...

The nation is at a critical juncture in history as it seeks to increase the number of students who enter the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) workforce. The national push to have a properly trained STEM workforce was at the forefront of the past administration’s top priority list. The higher education community has a unique opportunity to contribute to the creation of a sustainable U.S. STEM workforce. Although significant progress has been made in...

he rise of National Oil Companies (NOCs) in the 20th century has been well documented. However, little work has been done with respect to how these entities have evolved in the 21st century. This study aims to measure the changing strength of contemporary NOCs by comparing them to their privatized counterparts. Using this comparative analysis, the study will explain the changing global energy landscape and the potential internecine effects on the international system.

Commonly believed to be a thought experiment to help us with life affirmation, a cosmological or metaphysical interpretation of Nietzsche’s eternal recurrence seems to be gaining ground. I argue for a metaphysical reading of the eternal recurrence. In arguing for this position, I hold that Nietzsche’s view of the eternal recurrence can be traced back to his admiration for the pre-Socratic philosopher Heraclitus. Specifically, I think Nietzsche draws on a few of Heraclitus’ cosmological doctrines...

In this dissertation, a method of extracting gluon momentum distributions inside hadrons, and particularly nucleons, is developed. In general, the utility and application of performing calculations in coordinate space at the operator level is discussed, and its application to the method of pseudodistributions in the lattice extraction of parton distributions. An introduction to the background field method and other techniques used in the calculation of corrections to gluon operators are provided. Then, an outline of...