Digital Commons Network^™

Examining The Role Of Parental Support On Youth's Interest In And Self-Efficacy Of Computer Programming, Umar Shehzad, Jody Clarke-Midura, Mimi Recker

Publications

Objectives. The increasing demand for computing skills has led to a rapid rise in the development of new computer science (CS) curricula, many with the goal of equitably broadening participation of underrepresented students in CS. While such initiatives are vital, factors outside of the school environment also play a role in influencing students' interests. In this paper, we examined the effects of students' perceived parental support on their interest in computer programming and explored the mechanisms through which this effect may have been established as students participated in an introductory CS instructional unit.

Participants. This instructional unit was …

Designing Self-Management For And With Persons Living With Dementia Osullivan, Dympna, Dympna O'Sullivan, Michael Wilson, Damon Berry, Orla Moran, Siobhan O,Neill, Ciaran Nugent, Jonathan Turner, Julie Doyle

Articles

Promoting high quality of life for persons living with dementia has emerged as a central goal in global public health agendas. The emphasis has shifted from extending life to actively enhancing overall well-being by postponing or preventing additional disability. This represents a departure from traditional medical perspectives on dementia to a more socially-oriented approach, placing a strong focus on wellbeing.

In parallel, the concept of self-management for people with living dementia has emerged, where this is a person-centred approach in which the individual is empowered and has ownership over the management of their life and condition. Practice recommendations for person-centered …

Natural Dialectics: Māori & Sioux Ecosophy Encounters The Rule Of Law, Robert T.F. Downes

The Journal of International Relations, Peace Studies, and Development

In the age of intensifying anthropogenic climate change, an ecosophical shift is required in the epistemological and ontological comprehension of the interrelations between the human and non-human worlds. This shift is essential for refining existing social scientific approaches to investigating and adjudicating questions of environmental governance, environmental justice, environmental sovereignty, in addition to advancing democratic counters to the effects of ecological degradation and environmental catastrophe that move beyond rigid political-economic constraints. This essay constitutes a novel engagement with discourses of radical democracy and radical ecology that applies the philosophical method of dialectical naturalism to an ecosophical interpretation of the human-nature …

Prediction Of Noise From A Construction Site, Amira Mostafa Ibrahim Miss, Nashwa Mohamed Yossef Prof, Adel Ibrahim Eldosouky Emeritus Professor

Journal of Engineering Research

Construction activities significantly contribute to environmental noise pollution, affecting workers' health and the surrounding community, posing significant challenges to human well-being and productivity. This paper presents a prediction method and a modelling technique used to assess construction site noise. Various factors influencing noise generation and propagation, such as equipment types, operational conditions, site characteristics, and environmental factors, are discussed. This paper explores the application of Monte Carlo technique as an effective method for predicting construction site noise and planning noise mitigation strategies.

تحسين كفاءه التوازن الحرارى لمستخدمى الفراغات السكنيه, Alamera Kamal Elden Elfeky, Elamira Elfeky, Walaa Ahmed Nour, Lobna Abdallah Agha

Journal of Engineering Research

human belonging to nature Considered innate, and known as Biophilie, it has direct and strong relation with human heath and his welfare which affected by quality of internal environment where we Live and work as we spend most of our time in this environment. Biophelic design Aim to improve heath and welfare of human. natural. and reconnect him with his natural environment beside achieving the aesthetic aspect of his place.

in our present time, gap appeared in relation between human and environment as a result of modern design solution, as it has negative effect on human heath and safety, to …

Urbanism Strategies For Linking Existing And New Cities, Naglaa J. Q. Mo’Men Abdel-Qader Ebrahim1, Mohsen Bayad2

Journal of Engineering Research

New cities, designed for urban growth outside existing metropolitan regions, face challenges in street infrastructure due to rapid expansion. Efficient control of mobility is crucial as cities grow. Sustainable transportation involves factors like infrastructure, public transit, delivery networks, affordability, efficiency, air quality, health, and reduced emissions. Commuting between established and new urban areas is common, leading to issues like urban sprawl, longer travel times, and congestion in developing countries. The challenge is to improve accessibility while addressing air quality, traffic, congestion, noise, built environment, emissions, and sprawl. This study aims to explore factors influencing mobility choices in Egypt, focusing on …

Ocular Gene Transfer In The Spotlight: Implications Of Newspaper Content For Clinical Communications, Shelly Benjaminy, Tania M. Bubela

Office of the Provost

Background: Ocular gene transfer clinical trials are raising hopes for blindness treatments and attracting media attention. News media provide an accessible health information source for patients and the public, but are often criticized for overemphasizing benefits and underplaying risks of novel biomedical interventions. Overly optimistic portrayals of unproven interventions may influence public and patient expectations; the latter may cause patients to downplay risks and over-emphasize benefits, with implications for informed consent for clinical trials. We analyze the news media communications landscape about ocular gene transfer and make recommendations for improving communications between clinicians and potential trial participants in light of …

Empirical Insights Into Ai-Assisted Game Development: A Case Study On The Integration Of Generative Ai Tools In Creative Pipelines, Andrew Begemann, James Hutson

Student Scholarship

This study conducts an empirical exploration of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools across the game development pipeline, from concept art creation to 3D model integration in a game engine. Employing AI generators like Leonardo AI, Scenario AI, Alpha 3D, and Luma AI, the research investigates their application in generating game assets. The process, documented in a diary-like format, ranges from producing concept art using fantasy game prompts to optimizing 3D models in Blender and applying them in Unreal Engine 5. The findings highlight the potential of AI to enhance the conceptualization phase and identify challenges in producing optimized, high-quality 3D …

Promoting Ethical Technology Design Practices By Leveraging Human Psychology, Emily Foster-Hanson, Sukrit Venkatagiri

Psychology Faculty Works

The design of technology can result in unintended and unethical consequences. Despite a recent upswing in interventions for enabling more ethical technology design, however, there is little empirical evidence on which strategies work and why. In this review and provocation, we detail how research on the psychology of belief and behavior change can help shift ethical culture within technology design teams, organizations, and the industry more broadly. We suggest three approaches, each supported by empirical evidence: (1) questioning intuitive assumptions, (2) highlighting system complexity, and (3) targeting social and organizational structures. Crucially, these three approaches rely on both individual and …

Mega-Influencers And Brand Dynamics: Shaping Attitudes Toward Leading And Challenger Brandsthrough Electronic Word Of Mouth, Riccardo Rialto, Lamberto Zollo, Kacy Kim, Sukki Yoon

Mathematics and Economics Faculty Journal Articles

The aim of this paper is to explore how mega‐influencers' electronic word of mouth (eWOM) messages on social media influence consumers' brand attitudes in duopolistic markets. Through three experimental studies, we observe that when mega‐ influencers send positive (vs. negative) eWOM messages about a leading brand, followers form positive (vs. negative) brand attitudes, but these effects fail to occur when influencers back challenger brands. The findings are consistent across three duopolistic market rivals (Apple vs. Samsung; UPS vs. FedEx; Nike vs. Adidas), three social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, and X), and four mega‐influencers (Marques Brownlee, Gary Vaynerchuk, Kanye West, and …

Enhancing Adult Learner Success In Higher Education Through Decision Tree Models: A Machine Learning Approach, Emily Barnes, James Hutson, Karriem Perry

Faculty Scholarship

This article explores the use of machine learning, specifically Classification and Regression Trees (CART), to address the unique challenges faced by adult learners in higher education. These learners confront socio-cultural, economic, and institutional hurdles, such as stereotypes, financial constraints, and systemic inefficiencies. The study utilizes decision tree models to evaluate their effectiveness in predicting graduation outcomes, which helps in formulating tailored educational strategies. The research analyzed a comprehensive dataset spanning the academic years 2013–2014 to 2021–2022, evaluating the predictive accuracy of CART models using precision, recall, and F1 score. Findings indicate that attendance, age, and Pell Grant eligibility are key …

Mathematical Methods For Economics And Business Syllabus, Marian Melnyk

Open Educational Resources

This syllabus outlines an online asynchronous course introducing essential mathematical tools and techniques in economics. It spans 24 sessions covering Functions, Differentiation, Limits, Integration, and Multivariable Functions, grounded in college algebra and calculus. The course utilizes Open Educational Resources (OER) for all materials, available in text and video formats on Blackboard. Continuous assessment, including quizzes, homework, two 1-hour tests, and a final exam, ensures consistent progress. Weekly online office hours provide additional support. The primary objective is to equip students with the mathematical skills necessary for economic analysis and problem-solving.

Exploring Producers' Willingness To Pay For Ecosystem Services: Three Essays On Soil Health, Location Preferences, And Cover Crop Adoption, Kaouter Essakkat

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

This dissertation comprises three essays: one assessing Midwest producers' willingness-to-pay (WTP) for soil health-enhancing ecosystem services (ES), another examining the impact of policy implementation locations on WTP, and a third identifying factors influencing producers' adoption of cover crops (CC).

The first essay pioneers the understanding of agricultural producers’ valuation of soil health-associated ES amid growing concerns of soil degradation due to agricultural intensification. Using a discrete choice experiment, this study assesses producers’ WTP for a policy that incentivizes ES provision, specifically improved water quality, carbon sequestration, and enhanced crop yield. Surveying producers across Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska, our results show …

Virtual Fencing In Livestock Management: Effects On Beef Cattle Stress And Enhancing Wildlife Conservation, Kaitlyn E. Dozler

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

I examined the effects of virtual fencing on beef cattle stress and how implementing the technology can aid wildlife habitat conservation at the University of Nebraska Gudmundsen Sandhills laboratory (GSL) near Whitman, NE. First, I examined how virtual fencing influences acute heart rate changes in beef cattle fitted with the virtual fencing collars. No significant difference in the average heart rate of a cow (P > 0.05) was observed between the 30 min control and virtual fenced periods for both trial dates. Second, I examined the influence of topography on wildlife species richness and presence at GSL using wildlife camera …

My Ai Companion: An Examination Of The Removal Of Erotic Role Play From Replika Through User Discussion On Reddit, Chelsee M. Allen

Department of Sociology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The development of artificial intelligence (AI) software has expanded rapidly in recent years, and thus has emerged the importance of exploring human relationships with AI chatbots. Replika, an app which uses AI to mimic human conversation, removed a function called Erotic Role Play (ERP) that allowed for sexual conversation with users’ customizable chatbots in February of 2023. This exploratory qualitative study examines the aftermath of ERP’s removal through an analysis of user interactions on Reddit. Five overarching themes emerged through the analysis of top posts to a Replika-specific subreddit, encompassing topics around mental health, stigma, coping, sex work and gendered …

Green Finance Growth Prediction Model Based On Time-Series Conditional Generative Adversarial Networks, Aya Salama Abdelhady, Nadia Dahmani, Lobna M. Abouel-Magd, Ashraf Darwish, Aboul Ella Hassanien

All Works

Climate change mitigation necessitates increased investment in green sectors. This study proposes a methodology to predict green finance growth across various countries, aiming to encourage such investments. Our approach leverages time-series Conditional Generative Adversarial Networks (CT-GANs) for data augmentation and Nonlinear Autoregressive Neural Networks (NARNNs) for prediction. The green finance growth predicting model was applied to datasets collected from forty countries across five continents. The Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) test confirmed the non-stationary nature of the data, supporting the use of Nonlinear Autoregressive Neural Networks (NARNNs). CT-GANs were then employed to augment the data for improved prediction accuracy. Results demonstrate the …

Broadening The View: Demonstration-Augmented Prompt Learning For Conversational Recommendation, Quang Huy Dao, Yang Deng, Dung D. Le, Lizi Liao

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Conversational Recommender Systems (CRSs) leverage natural language dialogues to provide tailored recommendations. Traditional methods in this field primarily focus on extracting user preferences from isolated dialogues. It often yields responses with a limited perspective, confined to the scope of individual conversations. Recognizing the potential in collective dialogue examples, our research proposes an expanded approach for CRS models, utilizing selective analogues from dialogue histories and responses to enrich both generation and recommendation processes. This introduces significant research challenges, including: (1) How to secure high-quality collections of recommendation dialogue exemplars? (2) How to effectively leverage these exemplars to enhance CRS models?To tackle …

Towards Human-Centered Proactive Conversational Agents, Yang Deng, Lizi Liao, Zhonghua Zheng, Grace Hui Yang, Tat-Seng Chua

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Recent research on proactive conversational agents (PCAs) mainly focuses on improving the system's capabilities in anticipating and planning action sequences to accomplish tasks and achieve goals before users articulate their requests. This perspectives paper highlights the importance of moving towards building human-centered PCAs that emphasize human needs and expectations, and that considers ethical and social implications of these agents, rather than solely focusing on technological capabilities. The distinction between a proactive and a reactive system lies in the proactive system's initiative-taking nature. Without thoughtful design, proactive systems risk being perceived as intrusive by human users. We address the issue by …

Raemap: Real-Time Advanced Eye Movements Analysis Pipeline, Gavindya Jayawardena

Computer Science Theses & Dissertations

Eye-tracking offers insights into human cognition and attention allocation by capturing and interpreting eye movements. Traditionally, eye tracking research has relied on offline analysis methods, requiring post-experiment processing to derive insights from gaze data. This approach limits its applicability in contexts requiring immediate feedback and adaptive responses based on real-time gaze behaviors. Recent advancements in computing power and eye tracking technology have enabled a shift towards real-time analysis, allowing modern systems to interpret gaze data with minimal latency, facilitating integration into interactive applications and experiments. Despite these advancements, existing tools often face challenges with real-time computation of advanced gaze measures …

Empowering Informed Decision-Making In Mental Health Care: A Web-Based Recommendation System For Mobile App Selection, Md Romael Haque

Dissertations (1934 -)

In 2022, 23.1% of adults in the United States (77 million individuals) were affected by mental health (MH) concerns. Due to the inaccessibility and high cost of traditional treatment, around 55% of people with severe mental illnesses do not receive treatment. Mental health concerns are prevalent, affecting a significant portion of the population in the United States. Traditional treatment options are often inaccessible and expensive, leaving many people without essential mental healthcare. However, the rise of mobile technologies has given rise to a promising solution: mobile mental health applications (MMHAs). These apps offer greater accessibility and affordability, potentially expanding mental …

Streaminghub - A Realtime Biosignal Processing Framework For Lab Scale Experimentation, Yasith Jayawardana

Computer Science Theses & Dissertations

In human subjects research, biosignals such as eye movements, heart rate, and brain activity, are often collected and analyzed to find patterns with tangible real-world implications. Modern advancements in technology have sparked interest towards analyzing biosignals in realtime. When developing such algorithms, one may expect to find free, open-source tools that provide easy access to live, recorded, and simulated data streams. Yet, biosignal interfaces are often vendor-specific, making cross-vendor biosignal streaming non-trivial. Likewise, reading biosignal datasets is also non-trivial, as their content may be arranged quite differently.

To combat this divide, we provide the scientific community with a realtime biosignal …

Integration Analysis Of Nssm, Winlogon, And P2p Networks: Security Impact And Mitigation Strategies, Maisa Emneina

Theses and Dissertations

In today's digital world, where everything is interconnected, new security threats are constantly emerging. This thesis explores the security risks that come from the combination of three specific technologies: Non-Sucking Service Manager (NSSM), Winlogon Helper DLLs, and Peer-to-Peer (P2P) networks. NSSM is a powerful tool for managing services, but it can also be used by attackers to find and exploit system weaknesses. Winlogon Helper DLLs are essential for the Windows logon process, making them a critical target for attacks. When you add P2P networks into the mix, which many applications use to share data, the potential for security issues increases …

Safe And Efficient Operation Of Mobile Robots In Indoor Environments: A User-Centric Shared Control System With High-Level Navigation Capabilities, Ahmet Saglam

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Hospitalization and isolation can be a traumatic experience for immunocompromised children, especially because they are separated from their families and friends. Social robots have been proposed as a way to improve the quality of care for children hospitalized in isolation by providing alternative means of social interaction and support. Remote control of such robots in a hospital setting, particularly where safety is a major concern, can be a daunting task for young patients.

This dissertation introduces a multilevel shared control system for mobile robots, specifically companion robots in hospital-like indoor spaces. The system integrates user inputs with algorithmic semi-autonomous control …

Reproducibility Debt: Challenges And Future Pathways, Zara Hassan, Christoph Treude, Michael Norrish, Graham Williams, Alex Potanin

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Reproducibility of scientic computation is a critical factor in validating its underlying process, but it is often elusive. Complexity and continuous evolution in software systems have introduced new challenges for reproducibility across a myriad of computational sciences, resulting in growing debt. This requires a comprehensive domain-agnostic study to dene and asses Reproducibility Debt (RpD) in scientic software, thus uncovering and classifying all underlying factors attributed towards its emergence and identication i.e., causes and eects. Moreover, an organised map of prevention strategies is imperative to guide researchers for its proactive management. This vision paper highlights the challenges that hinder eective management …

A Bottom-Up Multi-Disciplinary Approach For Sustainability Education: Un-Sdg 13.3, Benjamin Gan, Thomas Menkhoff, Eng Lieh Ouh, Kevin Cheong

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Teaching both information systems and business undergraduates to break the current inertia in sustainability action requires innovative teaching & learning approaches as well as inter-disciplinary knowledge inputs. This study presents a bottom-up T&L approach delivered by a group of educators from different disciplines aimed at addressing UN-SDG Goal 13 ‘Climate Action’ with a novel approach. Integrating a problem-centric community project assignment into existing courses, our students worked on different disciplinary elements such as persuasive technologies and awareness campaigns to help to address local sustainability initiatives by community partners. We collected data to measure how students’ motivation, engagement, teamwork, and community …

Using Chatgpt As A Thought Partner In Writing Relevant Proportional Reasoning Word Problems, Andrea Berryhill, Lendon Chandler, Liza Bondurant, Bima Sapkota

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

In this article, we, two preservice mathematics teachers (PSTs) and two mathematics teacher educators (MTEs), explore the potential of using ChatGPT, a large language model (LLM), as a thought partner to create relevant proportional reasoning word problems. We detail our iterative process of refining our inputs and critically evaluating ChatGPT's outputs. Our takeaways from this journey offer valuable insights for educators seeking to leverage the capabilities of LLMs in their lesson-planning endeavors.

Problem-Based Learning Model Assisted With A Humanistic-Merdeka Belajar Approach Improved Biology Students’ Learning Ownership, Dita Tri Mulyani, Dwi Listyorini

Jurnal Pendidikan Sains

Fostering ownership over learning constitutes a pivotal aspect for students to cultivate a comprehensive understanding, employ cognitive strategies effectively, hone essential skills, and refine learning methodologies. Preliminary studies have underscored a prevalent deficiency in the learning ownership among biology students, categorizing it as notably low. The purpose of this study is to ascertain the effect of the Project Based Learning (PBL) model assisted with a Humanistic-Merdeka Belajar (HMB) approach, in nurturing students’ ownership of their learning endeavors. Employing a quasi-experimental design, the research adopts a pre-test post-test non-equivalent control group configuration, administered both prior to and following the intervention within …

Identify Resources Activated By Students When Solving Straight Motion Kinematics Problems With Different Representation, Nur Utami Amaliah, Sutopo Sutopo, Eny Latifah, Hutkemri Zulnaidi

Jurnal Pendidikan Sains

This research aims to explore kinematic resources in linear kinematics by utilizing different forms of problem representation. The study was conducted by administering 15 reasoned multiple-choice questions to 146 high school students from three districts in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. The research instrument covers topics in linear kinematics, including distance, displacement, speed, and velocity, presented through diagrammatic representations, graphs, and mathematical equations. The students’ written answers were analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively. Quantitative analysis was conducted to determine descriptive statistics from the data, while qualitative analysis identified the resources students activated when solving these questions. The findings reveal that the various …

Students’ Science Literacy On Discussion-Based Contextual Approaches Of Human Reproductive System Learning, Yeni Mulyaningsih, Chaerul Rochman, Adam Malik, Tri Wahyu Agustina, Yulia Sukmawardani, Nur Hamidah, Nurul Annisa

Jurnal Pendidikan Sains

The aim of this study was to enhance students’ science literacy through a discussion-based contextual approach in the learning of the human reproductive system. This quantitative research employed an experimental method with a quasi-experimental posttest-only design. The study involved 60 students, with 30 students each in class XI MIPA 4 serving as the experimental group and class XI MIPA 5 serving as the control group. The control group received instruction through a conceptual approach-based lecture method, whereas the experimental group engaged in learning through a contextual approach-based discussion method. The research instrument comprised 10 open-ended science literacy questions pertaining to …

Containerization On A Self-Supervised Active Foveated Approach To Computer Vision, Dario Dematties, Silvio Rizzi, George K. Thiruvathukal

Computer Science: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Scaling complexity and appropriate data sets availability for training current Computer Vision (CV) applications poses major challenges. We tackle these challenges finding inspiration in biology and introducing a Self-supervised (SS) active foveated approach for CV. In this paper we present our solution to achieve portability and reproducibility by means of containerization utilizing Singularity. We also show the parallelization scheme used to run our models on ThetaGPU–an Argonne Leadership Computing Facility (ALCF) machine of 24 NVIDIA DGX A100 nodes. We describe how to use mpi4py to provide DistributedDataParallel (DDP) with all the needed information about world size as well as global …