Digital Commons Network^™

Crowd-Sourced Learning For Computer Graphics Applications, Yunhao Zhang

Dissertations

Computer Graphics (CG) revolves around virtual content creation using computational methods, spanning applications from games to visual effects. Typically, the creation of CG content is led by expert practitioners who guide computational algorithms towards satisfactory results. Thus, creating CG content often requires manual iterations encompassing algorithm design, parameter tuning, and aesthetic feedback. This work investigates how to leverage crowd-sourcing to streamline such creation processes, focusing on animation and simulation. In animation, a novel crowd-sourcing framework is proposed for combat animation, enabling users to analyze motion similarities, and retrieve matching motions using novel crowd-sourced motion features. Such features enable quantifying previously …

Students’ Concept Maps Profile On Environmental Pollution Material During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Sunarni Sunarni, Sri Widoretno, Puguh Karyanto, Bowo Sugiharto, Sri Dwiastuti, Chandra Adi Prabowo

Jurnal Pendidikan Sains

The study investigates the performance of students in constructing Concept Maps (CM) related to environmental pollution material during the COVID-19 pandemic. The data reveals that the overall achievement in CM construction was suboptimal, with no component reaching more than half of its maximum potential. The highest achievement was recorded in the valid relationship component, which attained 9.75% of its maximum possible score. This was followed by the hierarchy component, achieving 7.34%, and the branching component at 3.42%. The pattern component ranked fourth with 1.31%, closely followed by the example component at 1.30%. The lowest performance was observed in the crosslink …

Analysis Of Students’ Problem-Solving Skills In Newton’S Law With 5e Learning Cycle, Nidya Desyana, Sutopo Sutopo, Nandang Mufti

Jurnal Pendidikan Sains

The aim of this study is to identify students’ problem-solving skills in Newton’s laws through the implementation of the 5E learning cycle in the classroom. A pre-experimental design with a one-group pretest-posttest approach was employed. Data on problem-solving skills were collected from students’ pre-test and post-test responses to two essay questions. The indicator with the highest percentage of problem-solving skills was useful description (83% of students), while the indicator with the lowest percentage was specific application of physics (33% of students). Due to the non-normal distribution of the data, the Wilcoxon test was utilized. The results indicated a significant difference …

Development Of Conceptual Scaffolding-Assisted Formative Assessment For Enhancing Understanding Of Temperature And Heat, Ana Lailatul Fitriyah, Sentot Kusairi, Markus Diantoro

Jurnal Pendidikan Sains

This research aims to develop formative assessment media assisted by conceptual scaffolding to improve students’ understanding of temperature and heat, test its validity and practicality, and gauge student responses. Utilizing the ADDIE model, the research follows five stages: Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation. In the Analysis stage, a literature review was conducted to identify critical components, including formative assessment, conceptual scaffolding, concept mastery, and previous research. The Design stage involved identifying users, defining competencies and indicators, creating a storyboard, integrating assessment components, and determining mastery levels. During the Development stage, the assessment media were developed into a functional product. …

Design Of Motivational-Realistic-Pancasila Learning In Mathematics, Marup Marup, Suradi Tahmir, Ahmad Talib, Nurzatulshima Kamaruddin

Jurnal Pendidikan Sains

Learning mathematics in class greatly influences students' learning success both in terms of knowledge and attitudes. In carrying out learning, a learning design is needed that can foster student motivation so that they provide learning outcomes to the learning objectives. Motivational-Realistic-Pancasila learning design is considered to be an alternative solution. Morela is a design that combines motivational, realistic indicators and Pancasila values. The teaching of mathematics in the classroom significantly influences students' academic success, both in terms of knowledge and attitude. To effectively carry out the teaching process, a well-designed instructional approach is necessary to foster students' motivation to achieve …

Impact Of Urban Development On Uv Exposure: A Clustering And Machine Learning Assessment, Taufik Roni Sahroni Mr., Verdi Yasin, Lulut Alfaris, Reza Ariefka, Ruben Cornelius Siagian, Mohammad Alfin Karim, Nana Rahdiana, Ade Suhara

Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development

The relocation of Indonesia's capital city is anticipated to promote inclusive economic growth while embracing cultural diversity. However, this transition may affect ultraviolet (UV) radiation exposure patterns. The study investigated variations in UV exposure in the IKN region, focusing on urban development factors such as land use and population density that affect public health, sun protection, and skin cancer prevention. The research hypothesized that UV radiation is significantly correlated with these factors. UV Index data from 2010-2023, a hierarchical clustering method, identifies complex data patterns without determining the number of clusters. XGBoost, a machine learning model, was used for handling …

Surveying The Role Of Visual Analytics In Human-Machine Teaming, Naga Datha Saikiran Battula

Theses

Humans and machines both possess their unique capabilities and have their strengths and weaknesses, which can be complementary to one another and allow them to achieve a common goal. Teaming in the modern era involves text prompts, voice commands, gesture recognition, touch interfaces, and the latest visualization techniques that allow parties/agents to interact. Communication through visualization plays a vital role in allowing robust insights to be gained through a glance. Using visualization as a medium between humans and machines can increase the communication bandwidth. Human-machine teaming has witnessed much progress, with many theories and practical examples emerging. In the report, …

Ai-Assisted Academia: Unveiling Doctoral Students' Perspectives On Dissertation In Practice Innovation, Jennifer J. Lesh, Jévaughn J. Lancaster

Faculty and Staff Publications & Presentations

This action research study explores 73 doctoral students' perceptions of using Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) throughout their research journey in one educational doctorate (Ed.D) program. The first phase employed surveys, while the second incorporated semi-structured focus group interviews based on the survey data from a diverse sample of students across educational disciplines currently enrolled in the university's educational leadership doctoral program. In the study's first phase, the survey quantified educators' familiarity with, attitudes towards, perceived challenges, ethical considerations, and benefits of using GAI in doctoral research. The exploration of GAI in this practitioner-inspired doctoral program has uncovered essential insights into …

A Novel Format For Math Circles: Circles With No Center, Frederick A. Peck, Ian P. Renga, Nick Grener, David R. Erickson, Matt B. Roscoe, Ke Wu

Journal of Math Circles

This paper shares a novel format for Math Circles, which we call “circles with no center.” Circles with no center do not have a traditional facilitator. The problem or activity is novel to everyone in the room. All members engage in mathematical inquiry, and everyone takes responsibility for running the gathering. The “no center” format has benefits for participants and organizers. For participants, the format offers more freedom and more responsibility. For organizers, the format is easier to organize, more fun, and involves less pressure. Our assessment of a 3-day retreat for teachers suggests participants may prefer a circle with …

Understanding Women, Infant And Children Feeding Decisions In Emergencies: The Case Of Covid-19 And The Formula Shortage, Davida Mensah, Edmund F. Agyemang, Constance Gewa

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: The advantages of breastfeeding and its role in emergencies are undeniable. Studies show that many women in developed countries choose formula over breastmilk, even in emergencies. Nevertheless, no one knows if postpartum women under the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program turned out to breastfeed or re-lactate their infants during these crises. This study aims to better understand WIC participants' perceptions about breastfeeding their babies in emergencies.

Methods: A chi-square test of independence was used to assess the association between breastfeeding choice and demographic characteristics and potential covariates of respondents. A post hoc analysis using Dunn's multiple comparisons test …

Increasing Youth Engagement In Community Heritage And Social Justice Through Implementation Of A Youth Participatory Empowerment Model, Jancarlos Wagner-Romero, Mary Gillis, Lindsay Clemens, Amanda J. Dworak Rowland, Curlinda Mitchell-Blacksheep, Melanie Canaday-Talley

Journal of Multicultural Affairs

Youth in traditionally marginalized communities are often the target of policies and practices without the opportunity to provide input. This article highlights effective strategies to empower youth to become active participants in their communities. Using a Youth Participatory Empowerment Model (YPEM), youth participants from six demographically distinct communities engaged in YPEM-supported activities and strategies to identify and address a need within their community. To gain insight into successful strategies, qualitative data from pre and post implementation focus group interviews and observational field notes informed the conclusions. The participant youth represent tribal, undocumented, rural, suburban, and urban youth from underserved populations. …

Measuring And Improving Api Usability And Quality: A Comprehensive Framework And Empirical Study, Sultan Alanazy

Computer Science and Engineering Theses and Dissertations

Cloud computing provides on-demand access to flexible computing resources, enabling rapid application deployment without substantial infrastructure investment. Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) play an important role in ensuring the success of cloud applications. The primary users of APIs are the extensive community of application programmers who search, read, and understand APIs before integrating them into their applications or systems. In addition, developers often turn to online API support when seeking help. Problems in such support can result in incorrect API usage and integration problems. There is an urgent need to measure API usability and support issues to identify, characterize, and assess …

Overcoming Obstacles To Interdisciplinary Research: Empirical Insights And Strategies [Peer-Reviewed Journal], Cristo Leon Ph.D., James Lipuma Ph.D.

STEM for Success Resources

Explore how to overcome obstacles to interdisciplinary research with strategies for transdisciplinary communication, breaking silos, and fostering collaboration. Read insights from Cristo Leon and James Lipuma in this impactful study.

Investigation Of The Use Of Nanotechnology In Food Packaging, Ollie-May Woodland

The Plymouth Student Scientist

This review discusses topics related to the use and development of nanotechnology and nanomaterials in food packaging applications. The accelerated use of these technologies brings about relevant safety, environmental, ethical and legislative/ regulatory concerns and as such the aim of this work is to assess the viability of the use of current commercialised nano-enabled packaging and to evaluate the potential future trends in the progression of these technologies against public opinion and potential risk(s). The data for this report was collected through comprehensive research of nanotechnology and its applications, specifically the packaging industry in the food sector. An online survey …

Multimodal Representation Learning Frameworks For Modeling Progression And Heterogeneity In Alzheimer’S Disease, Sayantan Kumar

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia, characterised by cognitive and functional impairments that disrupt daily activities. Different clinical modalities such as neuroimaging biomarkers, cognitive assessments, fluid biomarkers and genetic data provide unique and complementary information, contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of disease progression and heterogeneity in disease characteristics. With recent advancements in computational capabilities, particularly in deep learning, multimodal representation learning frameworks aim to integrate diverse clinical modalities into a cohesive framework, capturing the most significant patterns within each modality. Existing data-driven multimodal representation learning frameworks in AD research have two major limitations. First, AD progresses …

Multimodal Representation Learning Frameworks For Modeling Progression And Heterogeneity In Alzheimer’S Disease, Sayantan Kumar

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia, characterised by cognitive and functional impairments that disrupt daily activities. Different clinical modalities such as neuroimaging biomarkers, cognitive assessments, fluid biomarkers and genetic data provide unique and complementary information, contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of disease progression and heterogeneity in disease characteristics. With recent advancements in computational capabilities, particularly in deep learning, multimodal representation learning frameworks aim to integrate diverse clinical modalities into a cohesive framework, capturing the most significant patterns within each modality. Existing data-driven multimodal representation learning frameworks in AD research have two major limitations. First, AD progresses …

A Comprehensive Usability And Economic Analysis Of Heat-Related Wearable Technologies: Applications To Occupational Health, Ryan T. Cannady

Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to analyze the usability and economic considerations of real-time wearable technologies that are implemented in occupational settings to assess risk of heat stress and heat strain. The study population included current agriculture workers and Department of Energy (DOE), Environmental Management (EM) contractors. We employed a mixed-methods approach to comprehensively analyze the usability and economic considerations of heat-related technologies. Specifically, our approach assessed three distinct aspects the applications of these technologies in occupational settings to comprehensively address our research objective: (1) worker perceptions of heat-related wearable technologies, (2) field-based assessment of these heat-related wearable technologies, …

Racial And Ethnic Differences In Outcomes Of Neonates Born At Less Than 30 Weeks' Gestation, 2018-2022, Nansi S. Boghossian, Marco Geraci, Erika M. Edwards, Jeffrey D. Horbar

Faculty Publications

Importance: Previous research has examined outcomes among very preterm newborns by the birthing parent's race and ethnicity, but knowledge about these trends during the COVID-19 pandemic is limited. Objective: To examine trends in outcomes among Black, Hispanic, and Asian preterm newborns compared with White preterm newborns. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study (2018-2022) took place at 774 neonatal intensive care units in the Vermont Oxford Network. Participants were newborns born at 22 to 29 weeks' gestation. Exposure: Race and ethnicity. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcomes were mortality and complications, including respiratory distress syndrome, necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), early-onset …

Integrating Criminological Theories In Cybersecurity Risk Assessment: A Study Of The Traci Framework's Application To Critical Infrastructure, Connor S. Martin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation explores the application of the Taxonomy for Risk Assessment of Cyberattacks on Critical Infrastructure (TRACI) framework, a tool designed to systematically evaluate cybersecurity threats against critical infrastructure. TRACI integrates principles from Routine Activity and Rational Choice Theories to provide a detailed and comprehensive understanding of cybersecurity risks. This integration facilitates an in-depth analysis not only of how cyberattacks occur but also of the underlying reasons they are initiated, by categorizing and assessing risks based on factors such as attacker motivations and systemic vulnerabilities. By employing ANOVA to assess variations in risk assessment scores across TRACI's designated categories—Assets, Risk …

Exploration Of The Gap Between The Secure Web Application Development Competencies Needed By Industry And Those Competencies Provided By Graduates Of U.S. Undergraduate Software Engineering Programs, Gary Allen Harris

Theses and Dissertations

Literature demonstrates that threats and attacks on computer systems and networks have been around since the beginning of computing, and the number, severity, sophistication, and costs of attacks and data breaches are continuing to grow. Several studies suggest that one of the most common causes of data breaches is insecure web applications that contain vulnerable application code. These studies suggest that poor secure web application development practices are a prime cause of the susceptible web applications. Additionally, studies suggest that higher education is not meeting industry’s secure software/web application development needs. Employers have reported that they are not getting the …

Emergency Vehicle Dispatching Model Considering Demand Urgency And Delivery Fairness, Long Kejun, Liu Jia, Gao Zhibo, Chen Suqian, Zhang Zhonggen

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

In emergency vehicle dispatching after unexpected events，it is crucial to prioritize critical nodes with high demand urgency while minimizing excessive delivery delays at other nodes to prevent secondary impacts.On this basis，this study developed an emergency vehicle dispatching model that considered demand urgency and delivery delay fairness.Firstly，the entropy weight-TOPSIS method was used to calculate the demand urgency for each node，and a delivery delay balance index was introduced to minimize disparities in delivery delays between nodes.Secondly，a multi-objective optimization model was established with total delivery time，overall cost，and delivery delay balance as objectives，while considering constraints such as inventory levels at distribution centers and route …

Editorial - Sure Journal Vol 6, Anne M. Friel, Eva Campion, Sinead Loughran

SURE Journal: Science Undergraduate Research Experience Journal

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Embodied Cognition And Teaching Stem: Tenets To Explain And Enhance A Middle School Science Project, Jonathan E. Roberts, Joshua L. Williams, Robert A. Hodgdon, Caroline Payne, Gabriela Ruiz Emmanuelli

Current Issues in Middle Level Education

STEM pedagogy is a popular area for research and discussion. The empirical literature on this topic supports a variety of approaches (e.g., inquiry-based) to help instructors spark student interest create an effective learning environment, and foster long-term retention and transfer of information related to STEM topics. One potential approach is to use tenets of embodied cognition, in which behavior and cognition emerge out of real-time sensorimotor behavior of the individual situated within a particular context, to implement strategies to enhance STEM pedagogy. We applied the six lessons of embodied cognition to understand the beneficial aspects of a middle-school project on …

An Open-Source, Student-Centric Approach To The Cyber Kill Chain, Justin Lane Wooten

Theses and Dissertations

The cybersecurity landscape demands professionals with practical skills and a deep understanding of attack methodologies. However, many institutions face significant challenges in providing comprehensive cybersecurity education due to the high costs associated with commercial tools and platforms. This thesis presents a student-centric, open-source curriculum for teaching the Cyber Kill Chain, designed to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and real-world application while addressing the financial constraints faced by many educational institutions. Our approach leverages freely available tools and hands-on exercises to cover each phase of the Cyber Kill Chain, emphasizing ethical considerations and collaborative learning. We detail the curriculum development …

Investigating Student Expectations, Buy-In, And Engagement In Lower Division Undergraduate Chemistry Labs, Elizabeth Blanche Vaughan

Dissertations and Theses

Laboratory courses constitute an integral aspect of chemistry education at the undergraduate level. Despite their prominence, a growing number of researchers have begun to think more critically about the value of laboratory learning experiences. As pedagogical decisions should be based on evidence, it is necessary for chemistry education researchers and practitioners to investigate the claim that teaching laboratories are a valuable part of science education. Therefore, the aim of this dissertation was to address one small section of this gap in the literature by obtaining a more robust understanding of students' expectations, buy-in, and engagement in lower division, undergraduate, chemistry …

Closed Domain Question Answering With Language Models: Application Of Retrieval-Augmented Generation And Parameter Efficient Fine-Tuning In Healthcare, Aaron Cummings

Master's Theses

Dementia care presents significant challenges for informal caregivers, particularly in managing behavioral symptoms that affect over 90% of individuals with Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) during the moderate-to-severe stages. These symptoms, including agitation, wandering, and repetitive activities, impose emotional and physical burdens on caregivers, often exacerbated by a lack of reliable, accessible, and personalized resources. Non-pharmacological interventions, while evidence-based, are underutilized due to knowledge gaps and the inefficiency of traditional training and information retrieval methods.

This research explores the adaptation of large language models (LLMs) to address these challenges by developing a framework for closed-domain Question Answering (QA) systems, …

Does Tourists’ Perception Of Social Responsibility Awareness Shape Tourists’ Environmental Behavior: A Case Study In A High Mountain Region, Amjad Ali

CBER Conference

Tourism has emerged as a crucial source of livelihood for high mountain communities in Pakistan, leading to a notable increase in tourist influx over the past few years (Ali and Shedayi, 2023). This growth has created numerous income-generating opportunities for local communities, particularly in the hotel and transport sectors, offering substantial employment to the local population. However, tourism has significant adverse environmental impacts on destinations, especially fragile mountain areas (Ali, 2021). Irresponsible tourist behavior exacerbates these adverse effects (Juvan & Dolnicar, 2017; Lee et al., 2013). Therefore, understanding tourist behavior is crucial for effective destination management and policymaking. Developing and …

Assessing University Students' Behavior Toward Environmental Sustainability In Pakistan; A Case Study Of Islamabad And Rawalpindi, Shahla Rani

CBER Conference

The rising temperature and unsustainable environmental conditions are worldwide issues, posing critical threats to the ecosystem and human well-being. According to the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) 2022, Pakistan ranks second last among 180 countries, highlighting severe environmental challenges. This study aims to understand the current state of students' behavior toward the environment using the theory of planned behavior. By understanding these behaviors, the research seeks to determine whether students' actions align with sustainable practices. Additionally, the study will review environmental policies in Pakistan and internationally, focusing on the extent to which these policies incorporate behavioral aspects. This research intends to …

Orbital Thinking: Planetary Orbit As A Model For Neurodivergent Thought Experiences In Animation, Thomas Labow

Honors Projects

As an artist diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD, the aim of my research is to artistically explore neurodivergent experiences using gravity-assisted space flight as a visual metaphor for episodic memory and the pivot between correlated ideas. “Orbit of Attention” is a short animated film that visualizes interconnected mental processes through the use of a character-driven narrative. The creative choice of depicting ideas as planets is inspired by the gravity-assisted flight path of the Voyagers’ grand tour of the solar system. In visualizing unconventional thought processes, “orbital thinking” was used to model episodic memory. As a research project, this film …

Sd-Weat: Towards Robustly Measuring Bias In Input Embeddings For Artificial Intelligence Language Models, Magnus Gray

Theses and Dissertations

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming industries and markets, from healthcare to entertainment, revolutionizing decision-making processes. However, as AI grow more influential, they also risk amplifying existing biases, potentially leading to harmful consequences. Recent advancements in large language models (LLMs), such as GPT-4 and Llama, have heightened concerns about bias in natural language processing (NLP) tasks, driving the need for robust methods to detect and mitigate bias. Current approaches, such as the Word Embedding Association Test (WEAT) and its sentence-level extension the Sentence Encoder Association Test (SEAT) often fall short in capturing the nuances of biases in the input embeddings …