Digital Commons Network^™

Wetland Biogeochemical Responses To Predicted Climate Change Scenarios, Angela R. Shaffer

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Wetlands are one of the world's largest known carbon sinks while comprising only a small amount of the Earth's surface. However, the amount of carbon sequestered by wetlands is shrinking as droughts and human disturbance increases. Carbon in wetlands is stored through the contrast of decomposition and sedimentation of organic matter and absorption of CO₂ from the atmosphere by soil microbes. Understanding how changing hydrological regimes and increased wildfires will affect wetland soil and microbial processes is important in the face of predicted climate change for future wetland conservation practices. Specifically, I seek to understand the response of southeastern …

Some New Generalized Distribution Via Lindley-Weibuli And Lindley-Log-Logistic Distributions With Applications, Soliu A. Raheem

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

In this thesis, new generalized distributions, namely Beta Lindley-Log-Logistic (BLLLoG) distribution, Marshall-Olkin Lindley-Weibull (MOLW) distribution, and Gamma LindleyWeibull (GLW) distribution as well as related sub-distributions are proposed. Series expansion of the densities are obtained. Statistical properties of these distributions, including hazard function, reverse hazard function, moments, reliability, quantile function, mean deviations, Bonferroni and Lorenz curves, entropy and Fisher information are derived. Method of maximum likelihood is used to estimate the parameters of the new distributions. Monte Carlo simulation is employed to examine the performance of the proposed distributions. Applications of the generalized distributions to real lifetime data are presented to …

Safety Constraint Optimization Of Combination Drug Therapy In Hypertension Clinical Trials, Victor Chukwu

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

In Clinical Practice, combination drug therapy has become common in treating many disease conditions. The purpose of these combinations is often to ensure optimal efficacy and to reduce adverse effects that may arise from monotherapy. Clinical trials have also been conducted to ensure efficacy and safety of these combinations before they are introduced into the market. However, adverse effects still occur with combination therapies. The objective of this study is to (1) To determine a region of optimum doses of Drug A and Drug B in combination while focusing on efficacy alone (2) To determine a region of optimum doses …

Variable Selection In Accelerated Failure Time (Aft) Frailty Models: An Application Of Penalized Quasi-Likelihood, Sarbesh R. Pandeya

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Variable selection is one of the standard ways of selecting models in large scale datasets. It has applications in many fields of research study, especially in large multi-center clinical trials. One of the prominent methods in variable selection is the penalized likelihood, which is both consistent and efficient. However, the penalized selection is significantly challenging under the influence of random (frailty) covariates. It is even more complicated when there is involvement of censoring as it may not have a closed-form solution for the marginal log-likelihood. Therefore, we applied the penalized quasi-likelihood (PQL) approach that approximates the solution for such a …

Waste Management Of Highway Right Of Way Areas In Southeast Georgia, David M. Penn Ii

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Maintenance of highway right of way (ROW) areas has become problematic during the last several years due to the high cost, and little to no economic return associated with disposing vegetation waste that is continuously generated on all highways and interstates across the state of Georgia. The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) was interested in evaluating the feasibility of replacing ROW vegetation of highways throughout the state with high-value alternatives such as switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L. ‘Alamo’), big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) and woodland sunflower (Helianthus divaricatus). Preliminary objective involved measuring and mapping SOC and soil N concentrations in the highway …

Computer Vision-Based Traffic Sign Detection And Extraction: A Hybrid Approach Using Gis And Machine Learning, Zihao Wu

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Traffic sign detection and positioning have drawn considerable attention because of the recent development of autonomous driving and intelligent transportation systems. In order to detect and pinpoint traffic signs accurately, this research proposes two methods. In the first method, geo-tagged Google Street View images and road networks were utilized to locate traffic signs. In the second method, both traffic signs categories and locations were identified and extracted from the location-based GoPro video. TensorFlow is the machine learning framework used to implement these two methods. To that end, 363 stop signs were detected and mapped accurately using the first method (Google …

Graduate Catalog, Georgia Southern University

Graduate Catalogs

No abstract provided.

The Fall Of Sears From Within: How Customer Sentiments Refuted Retail Capital And Authority, Michael D. Harris, Ismet Anitsal, Melek Meral Anitsal

AMTP Proceedings 2019

This research aims to understand the relationship between Sears Holdings Corporation and its customers, while exploiting feedback from customers to identify reasons for Sears’ decline. The problem statement is dependent on identifying aspects that affect consumer behavior most and linking a connection to the increased number of dissatisfied Sears’ customers. In order to analyze this phenomenon, customer attitudes were compiled over the key four years of Sears history using a customer sentiment analysis. This empirical method of research was chosen because of the large impact that consumer sentiments have on spending, allowing the development of both internal and external views …

Quasi-Likelihood Ratio Tests For Homoscedasticity Of Variance In Linear Regression, Lili Yu, Varadan Sevilimedu, Robert Vogel, Hani Samawi

Biostatistics, Epidemiology & Environmental Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Two quasi-likelihood ratio tests are proposed for the homoscedasticity assumption in the linear regression models. They require few assumptions than the existing tests. The properties of the tests are investigated through simulation studies. An example is provided to illustrate the usefulness of the new proposed tests.

Introduction, Amanda Wall

Becoming: Journal of the Georgia Association for Middle Level Education

Introduction

Definitions And Meaning For Future Teachers In Spatial Measurement: Length, Area, And Volume, Eryn M. Stehr Maher, Jia He

Proceedings of the Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching & Learning Conference (Archived)

U.S. students have consistently demonstrated poor performance in spatial reasoning in standardized testing (e.g., National Assessment of Educational Progress). One possible reason is students' lack of conceptual understanding of measurement concepts (length, area, volume, capacity). This paper describes different ways that mathematics textbooks written for future elementary teachers define meanings of measurement concepts, especially the meaning of measure, area, and the measurement process (generally and for area). We base the analysis of definitions and construction of complete definitions using several definitions of each concept from mathematics textbooks written for future elementary teachers (e.g., Beckmann, 2012; Sowder, Sowder, & Nickerson, 2010). …

Stem Education In Rural Schools: Implications Of Untapped Potential, Rachel S. Harris, Charles B. Hodges

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Journal

A large number of students in American public schools attend rural schools. In this paper, the authors explore rural science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education and the issues associated with STEM education for students, teachers, and parents in rural communities. Characteristics of rural STEM education are examined to highlight unique considerations for this context. The authors conclude with the recommendation that more research is needed that specifically addresses rural STEM education.

Teaching The Way The Brain Is: Working Successfully In An Urban Classroom With Children Who Live In Poverty, Linda Ann H. Mccall

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Journal

During the past three decades, growing attention has been paid to the idea of mind/brain-based teaching and learning—an exciting approach, rooted in neuroscience research, that proves the interrelatedness of the mind, brain, and body. The purpose of this report is multifold: (a) to explain why mind/brain-based teaching and learning is relevant to children growing up in poverty; (b) to offer a review of the findings in cognitive neuroscience; (c) to offer a review of the findings regarding the effects of poverty on the developing mind/brain; (d) to identify themes emerging from these findings (i.e., research and understanding, communication, multiple intelligences, …

Five Oral Reading Fluency Strategies For Supporting Struggling Adolescent Readers, Kavin M. Ming

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Journal

By the time students enter the fourth grade, it is expected that they possess the basic literacy skills needed to read and learn content. It is the general belief that in the early grades, students are taught foundational literacy skills that make them proficient readers by the time they become adolescent learners. For many, this assumption is true. However, for a large majority of students between Grades 4 and 12, basic literacy skills are not in place, leading them to struggle to acquire information. Oral reading fluency, one of the basic literacy skills that adolescents must possess, can be explicitly …

Earthquake Exposures And Mental Health Outcomes In Children And Adolescents From Phulpingdanda Village, Nepal: A Cross-Sectional Study, Jessica S. Schwind, Clara B. Formby, Susan L. Santangelo, Stephanie A. Norman, Rebecca Brown, Rebecca Hoffman Frances, Elisabeth Koss, Dibesh Karmacharya

Biostatistics, Epidemiology & Environmental Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Background

Mental health issues can reach epidemic proportions in developed countries after natural disasters, but research is needed to better understand the impact on children and adolescents in developing nations.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was performed to examine the relationship between earthquake exposures and depression, PTSD, and resilience among children and adolescents in Phulpingdanda village in Nepal, 1 year after the 2015 earthquakes, using the Depression Self-Rating Scale for Children, Child PTSD Symptom Scale, and the Child and Youth Resilience Measure, respectively. To quantify exposure, a basic demographic and household questionnaire, including an earthquake exposure assessment tool for children and …

Subsets Of Vertices Of The Same Size And The Same Maximum Distance, Maria Axenovich, Dominik Duerrschnabel

Theory & Applications of Graphs

For a simple connected graph G=(V,E) and a subset X of its vertices, let

d*(X) = max {dist}_G(x,y): x,y ∈ X}

and let h*(G) be the largest k such that there are disjoint vertex subsets A and B of G, each of size k such that d*(A) = d*(B). Let h*(n) = min {h*(G): |V(G)|=n}. We prove that h*(n) =⌊(n+1)/3 ⌋, for n ≥ 6. This solves the homometric set problem restricted to the largest distance exactly. In addition we compare h*(G) with a respective function h_diam(G), where …

Come Get A Taste Of Our "Pb And J: Positive Behavior Journey", Ulysses J. Smallwood, Kine' Geathers

Georgia Association for Positive Behavior Support Conference

Established in 1971, Seaborn Lee has long been known as a place parents can confidently send their children. However, as times changed, Seaborn Lee started to experience challenges in behavior, discipline, and how the staff responded to those challenges. Prior to implementing School Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support (SWPBIS), students were missing more days of class than there were school days in the year. In 2012-2013, administrators reported nearly 300 behavior incidents that led to students missing instruction and 421 days in which students were suspended or in office time out. The types of behaviors which were leading to …

Own It: Becoming A Trauma Sensitive School, Oatanisha Dawson Ed.D., Karen Thierry

Georgia Association for Positive Behavior Support Conference

The concepts of poverty, trauma and child development cannot be ignored when reviewing educational outcomes especially in schools where trauma and poverty are prevalent. Glynn County School System (GCSS) has collectively witnessed an overwhelmingly negative impact that poverty has had on early learning. Low income students are highly likely to be traumatized (e.g. witnessing violence at home, polyvictims of abuse, having separated or divorced parents) so they don’t always come to school to learn but, come to school to be loved. Many GCSS schools have students that come from low-income, high-stress home environments. One school in this district, Goodyear Elementary …

Growing Student Leaders As Part Of A School-Wide Pbis Program, Melanie D. James, Nora Fowler

Georgia Association for Positive Behavior Support Conference

In efforts to build students' capacity, instill a sense of responsibility, and involve students in decision-making, we began a Student Leadership Program at Winterville Elementary. Students in fourth and fifth grade have the opportunity to apply to one of six student leader positions: Safety Patrol, Green Team Member, Student Ambassador, Flag Attendant, Classroom Role Model, or Peer Mediator. Students undergo an application process and those who are selected receive training specific to their leadership role. A sub-committee of our PBIS team oversees the Student Leaders Program. In our first year of implementation, we have seen the positive effect of the …

#Happyinhappyout - Improving School Climate Through Pbis Implementation, Caitlin Sabers, Lauren Girard, Aimee Range

Georgia Association for Positive Behavior Support Conference

An interactive session to guide participants in utilizing PBIS to foster a more positive school climate. PBIS Team members from Woodland Elementary School, a Fulton County Title 1 school with a diverse population, will describe our journey from 48% to 88% PBIS fidelity in just one school year. We will share how we increased staff implementation, parent involvement, and student support through PBIS. Participants will receive concrete strategies and resources to optimize their school climate.

We will provide examples of:

• Digital content curation for schoolwide behavior resources
• Behavior matrices for students, staff, and parents
• How to explicitly teach and reinforce …

Building Teacher Efficacy In A School-Wide Pbis Program, Melanie D. James, Nora Fowler

Georgia Association for Positive Behavior Support Conference

In order for a school's PBIS program to be effective, teachers and staff members must be equipped with the tools to engage positively with their students. Many PBIS programs fail because teacher buy-in and preparation have not occurred. At Winterville Elementary School, we feel that our PBIS program is successful because teachers receive regular training and updates on topics such as establishing effective classroom management procedures, building positive relationships with students, working with students with difficult behaviors, and knowing functions of behavior. We conduct PBIS walkthroughs, our UGA behavior analyst records positive vs. negative comments from teachers, administrators conduct classroom …

University Honors Program Newsletters, Honors College, Georgia Southern University

Honors College: News & Publications (2008-2020)

• Congratulations Fall Graduates!
• Carolyn Nixon is Named a Rangel Fellow
• Coffee, Beignets, and Conference Conversations
• Invest in Honors

Finite Simple Graphs And Their Associated Graph Lattices, James B. Hart, Brian Frazier

Theory & Applications of Graphs

In his 2005 dissertation, Antoine Vella explored combinatorical aspects of finite graphs utilizing a topological space whose open sets are intimately tied to the structure of the graph. In this paper, we go a step further and examine some aspects of the open set lattices induced by these topological spaces. In particular, we will characterize all lattices that constitute the opens for finite simple graphs endowed with this topology, explore the structure of these lattices, and show that these lattices contain information necessary to reconstruct the graph and its complement in several ways.

The George-Anne Inkwell Edition, Georgia Southern University

The Inkwell

No abstract provided.

Librarian's Report 11-27-2018, Georgia Southern University

Faculty Senate: Librarian's Reports

No abstract provided.

Faculty Senate Agenda

Faculty Senate Agendas

No abstract provided.

Structural, Magnetic, And Mössbauer Studies Of Transition Metal-Doped Gd2fe16ga0.5tm0.5 Intermetallic Compounds (Tm = Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, And Zn), Jiba Dahal, K. S. Syed Ali, S. R. Mishra, J. Alam

Physics & Astronomy: Faculty Publications

The effect of transition metal substitution for Fe and the structural and magnetic properties of Gd₂Fe₁₆Ga_0.5TM_0.5 (TM = Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn) compounds were investigated in this study. Rietveld analysis of X-ray data indicates that all the samples crystallize in the hexagonal Th₂Ni₁₇ structure. The lattice parameters a, c, and the unit cell volume show TM ionic radii dependence. Both Ga and TM atoms show preferred site occupancy for 12j and 12k sites. The saturation magnetization at room temperature was observed for Co, Ni, and Cu of …

Inpatient And Outpatient Infection As A Trigger Of Cardiovascular Disease: The Aric Study, Logan Cowan, Pamela L. Lutsey, James S. Pankow, Kunihiro Matsushita, Junichi Ishigami, Kamakshi Lakshminarayan

Biostatistics, Epidemiology & Environmental Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Background

Acute infections are known cardiovascular disease (CVD) triggers, but little is known regarding how CVD risk varies following inpatient versus outpatient infections. We hypothesized that in‐ and outpatient infections are associated with CVD risk and that the association is stronger for inpatient infections.

Methods and Results

Coronary heart disease (CHD) and ischemic stroke cases were identified and adjudicated in the ARIC (Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study). Hospital discharge diagnosis codes and Medicare claims data were used to identify infections diagnosed in in‐ and outpatient settings. A case‐crossover design and conditional logistic regression were used to compare in‐ and outpatient …

Group Theory And Particles, Elizabeth V. Hawkins

Honors College Theses

We begin by a brief overview of the notion of groups and Lie groups. We then explain what group representations are and give their main properties. Finally, we show how group representation form a natural framework to understand the Standard Model of physics.

Perceived Effects Of Learning Disabilities On College Students, Samantha E. Penta

Honors College Theses

The purpose of this study is to explore the perceived effects of learning disabilities on college students, as well as the barriers faced during the transition into postsecondary education. The sample was composed of 37 undergraduate students reporting a learning disability diagnosis. A questionnaire was distributed to explore several factors; including university accommodations, barriers to academic success, and perceived stigma on campus. Participants over the age of 18 reporting a learning disability were included in the study. Approximately one-quarter of participants reported the presence of a learning disability, however, the majority of these students denied receiving academic accommodations from their …