Digital Commons Network^™

Cognitive Function Among Military Veterans With Stem Occupations., Justin T Mcdaniel, Kevin N Hascup, Erin R Hascup, Ugochukwu G Ezigbo, Amanda M Weidhuner, Harvey Henson, David L Albright

Articles

No abstract provided.

Probability Distributions Arising In Connection With The Inspection Paradox For Bernoulli Trials., James E. Marengo, Anne Marino Himes, W. Cade Reinberger, David L. Farnsworth

Articles

In renewal theory, the Inspection Paradox refers to the fact that an interarrival period in a renewal process which contains a fixed inspection time tends to be longer than one for the corresponding uninspected process. We focus on the paradox for Bernoulli trials. Probability distributions and moments for the lengths of the interarrival periods are derived for the inspected process, and we compare them to those for the uninspected case.

Shedding Light On Cellular Glycolysis Pathway Kinetics: Combining Kinetic, Mechanistic Modelling Approaches With Label Free Microspectroscopic Imaging. (Cytomechspec), Nitin Patil

Articles

Glycolysis pathway kinetics in cells are known to be modulated for several disorders (cancers, neurodegenerative disorders, diabetes, etc.) and are currently been targeted as a biomarker for disease diagnostics and therapy. Although there are several approaches for monitoring the pathway kinetics, ranging from simple kinetic biochemical assays to sophisticated omics techniques, there remains a significant gap in the field, as there is a noticeable compromise between the extent of insights achievable from approaches which are destructive to the sample, and the real-time, kinetic analysis of a system.

Vibrational spectroscopy is a powerful, label-free, non-invasive tool capable of sub-cellular resolution, the …

Exit Engineering, Rachel Landy

Articles

How do business lawyers create value? For nearly forty years, scholars have conceptualized the business lawyer as a “transaction cost engineer” who helps contracting parties efficiently break negotiation stalemates to create more valuable deals. This theory provides meaningful insights about sophisticated corporate law practice, where outside lawyers parachute in to make one-off deals happen. However, it fails to explain the behavior of startup lawyers, who develop long-term relationships with their clients and counsel them on seemingly routine matters, well before a major transaction materializes. These lawyers are not just transaction cost engineers, they are exit engineers. This Article offers a …

Partnering For Climate Resilience: Exploring The Maturity Of Private-Sector Efforts In The Great Lakes Region, Lisa Greenwood, Yewande Abraham, Jennifer Schneider, Vicki Lin

Articles

Communities and businesses continue to experience the effects of climate change as global temperatures rise and extreme weather events become more frequent. In the United States (US), the public sector has traditionally been responsible for mitigating these risks; however, engaging the private sector is crucial, given industrial impacts on and vulnerability to climate change. Private-sector mitigation and adaptation efforts are critical in the Great Lakes Region due to aging infrastructure as well as its economic, environmental, and political importance in the US and Canada. This study explores private-sector resilience efforts in three Great Lakes cities to identify opportunities and trends …

Dynamic Influence Diagram-Based Deep Reinforcement Learning Framework And Application For Decision Support For Operators In Control Rooms, Joseph Mietkiewicz, Ammar N. Abbas, Chidera W. Amazu, Anders L. Madsen, Gabriele Baldissone

Articles

In today’s complex industrial environment, operators are often faced with challenging situations that require quick and accurate decision-making. The human-machine interface (HMI) can display too much information, leading to information overload and potentially compromising the operator’s ability to respond effectively. To address this challenge, decision support models are needed to assist operators in identifying and responding to potential safety incidents. In this paper, we present an experiment to evaluate the effectiveness of a recommendation system in addressing the challenge of information overload. The case study focuses on a formaldehyde production simulator and examines the performance of an improved Human-Machine Interface …

Automated Vehicles, Moral Hazards & The "Av Problem", William H. Widen

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No abstract provided.

A Method For Generating A Non-Manual Feature Model For Sign Language Processing, Robert G. Smith Dr, Markus Hofmann Dr

Articles

While recent approaches to sign language processing have shifted to the domain of Machine Learning (ML), the treatment of Non-Manual Features (NMFs) remains an open question. The principal challenge facing this method is the comparatively small sign language corpora available for training machine learning models. This study produces a statistical model which may be used in future ML, rules-based, and hybrid-learning approaches for sign language processing tasks. In doing so, this research explores the emerging patterns of non-manual articulation concerning grammatical classes in Irish Sign Language (ISL). The experimental method applied here is a novel implementation of an association rules …

The Housing Bubble And Consumer Bankruptcy (Parts I And Ii), David G. Carlson

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During the COVID pandemic housing prices have soared. Consumers who have filed for bankruptcy are now looking at enormous realized and unrealized capital gains. This article assesses the chances that these consumer debtors can keep these gains out of the hands of their creditors. Part I of this two-part article addresses chapter 7 issues, which concern lien stripping, abandonment, and monetary exemptions. It also addresses lien stripping in chapter 13 cases. Part II will address whether a chapter 13 debtor must surrender appreciation value to the chapter 13 trustee or to a trustee in a converted chapter 7 case.

An Analysis Of The Impact And Efficacy Of An Online Mindfulness-Based Intervention As A Support For First-Year University Students, Wyndham Chalmers, Aiden Carthy, Maria Kenneally, Niamh Bruce, Colm Mcguinness, Philip Owende

Articles

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many university courses transitioned to online delivery, therefore, educators and students faced new challenges associated with the delivery of modules and the provision of necessary student supports. Given the scale of this transition, it is likely that many universities will continue to teach remotely far beyond the reach of any pandemic specific restrictions. This study sought to explore the impact and efficacy of a five-week online mindfulness course to a cohort of first year university students (n = 25) at Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin), Ireland. Results demonstrated that participation in the course …

Optical Characterisation Of Holographic Diffusers And Bangerter Foils For Treatment Of Amblyopia, Matthew Hellis, Suzanne Martin, Matthew Sheehan, Kevin Murphy

Articles

Amblyopia is a significant issue for children worldwide, and current treatment methods have drawbacks that can hinder treatment effectiveness and/or patient experience. This study proposes a new treatment method using holographic diffusers while also comparing their optical characteristics to a current treatment method (Bangerter foils). Holographic diffusers were developed by optically patterning thin polymer layers on a micron scale. Two compositions of photopolymer (acrylamide and diacetone acrylamide based) are analysed herein. Characterisation shows that holographic diffusers of either composition can achieve a wide range of on-axis intensity reductions, allowing for precise and customisable treatment levels by altering recording exposure time …

The State Of Accessibility In Blackboard: Survey And User Reviews Case Study, Mohamed Wiem Mkaouer, Wajdi Aljedaani, Stephanie Ludi, Mohammed Alkahtani, Marcelo M. Eler, Marouane Kessentini, Ali Ouni

Articles

Context: Nowadays, mobile applications (or apps) have become vital in our daily life, particularly within education. Many institutions increasingly rely on mobile apps to provide access to all their students. However, many education mobile apps remain inaccessible to users with disabilities who need to utilize accessibility features like talkback or screen reader features. Accessibility features have to be considered in mobile apps to foster equity and inclusion in the educational environment allowing to use of such apps without limitations. Gaps in the accessibility to educational systems persist.

Objective: In this paper, we focus on the accessibility of the Blackboard mobile …

Novel Block Grid Analysis (Bga) Based Algorithm For Use In Determining Coefficients Of Similarities Between Uv Fluorescent Spectra, Kevin N. Mellon Dr, Noel Carey Mr

Articles

This paper presents a novel computational process used for determining matching coefficients for optical spectra either in real time or from a database. This simple algorithmic method is capable of outputting a set of coefficients relating to comparative matching datapoints and to a weighted similarity ratio between spectra whilst still maintaining high computational efficiency due to the minimization of floating-point calculations. The process works as effectively on signal data during real time processing or on images of spectra which may be stored in a database. A subset of the algorithm has already been used very effectively in an embedded mobile …

James And Peirce On The Importance Of Individuals: The Differences That Make A Difference, Susan Haack

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No abstract provided.

The Replication Crisis And Ip Law: A Novel Policy Tool For Open Science, Or Cohen Sasson, Ofer Tur‐Sinai

Articles

In recent years, the scientific community has faced a considerable problem the replication crisis. Replication is the process of verifying scientific findings by repeating a published study. It is considered a cornerstone of the scientific enterprise, contributing to the credibility of research findings. Over the past two decades, however, replication has become increasingly difficult; in fact, in some disciplines the non-replicability rate is over 50%. A major factor accounting for this is diminished access to research materials required for replication (replication materials). This problem is particularly acute in computational studies, where the code, software documentation, datasets, and other information are …

Shades Of Justice: Racial Profiling Then And Now, F. Michael Higginbotham

Articles

It is not easy these days to talk about race in America, especially in a diverse group across racial lines. This is because people tend to feel strongly about these controversial issues, and when they disagree, they end up calling each other bad names, and that upsets their stomachs; then, they cannot enjoy the good food and drink that often accompany such events. So many simply choose not to attend, burying their heads in the sand. This Essay discusses several controversial aspects of the relevance of slavery law to issues of racial inequality today. Racial profiling has been a consistent …

Pvpbc: Privacy- And Verifiability-Preserving E-Voting Based On Permissioned Blockchain, Muntadher Sallal, Ruairí De Fréin, Ali Malik

Articles

Privacy and verifiability are crucial security requirements in e-voting systems and combining them is considered to be a challenge given that they seem to be contradictory. On one hand, privacy means that cast votes cannot be traced to the corresponding voters. On the other hand, linkability of voters and their votes is a requirement of verifiability which has the consequence that a voter is able to check their vote in the election result. These two contradictory features can be addressed by adopting privacy-preserving cryptographic primitives, which at the same time as achieving privacy, achieve verifiability. Many end-to-end schemes that support …

Precise And Analytical Calculation Of Interface Surface Area In Sharp Interfaces And Multiphase Modeling, Simon P. Shipkowski, Isaac Bernabe Perez Raya

Articles

Various kinds of Piecewise Linear Interface Calculations (PLIC) are commonly used in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) for multiphase flows. Here, a new method is proposed to calculate the interface size for CFD simulations. This PLIC method with the modifier, Analytic Size Based [method], (PLIC-ASB), being that the calculation requires a symbolic equation and no approximation or numerical methods. The primary advantage of the PLIC-ASB is maintaining a sharp interface and providing for physics-based (not iterative or empirically derived factors) mass transfer due to the cell-by-cell accuracy. Along with the sharp interface, this method leads to precise interface displacements and suppresses …

Fables Of Scarcity In Ip, Zahr K. Said

Articles

In this chapter, I use methods drawn from literary analysis to bear on artificial scarcity and explore how literary and legal storytelling engages in scarcity mongering. I find three particular narrative strategies calculated to compel a conclusion in favor of propertization: the spectacle of need, the diversionary tactic, and the rallying cry. First, I unpack the spectacle of need and its diversionary aspects through several literary accounts of scarcity and starvation. I juxtapose Franz Kafka's “A Hunger Artist,” a story explicitly centered on a wasting body, with J.M. Coetzee's The Life and Times of Michael K. Second, to explore how …

No Sense Of Decency, Kathryn E. Miller

Articles

For nearly seventy years, the Court has assessed Eighth Amendment claims by evaluating “the evolving standards of decency that mark the progress of a maturing society.” In this Article, I examine the evolving standards of decency test, which has long been a punching bag for critics on both the right and the left. Criticism of the doctrine has been fierce, but largely academic until recent years. Some fault the test for being too majoritarian, while others argue that it provides few constraints on the Justices’ discretion, permitting their personal predilections to rule the day. For many, the test is seen …

Analog Holographic Wavefront Sensor For Defocus And Spherical Aberration Measurement Recorded In A Photopolymer, Emma Branigan, Suzanne Martin, Matthew Sheehan, Kevin Murphy

Articles

An analog holographic wavefront sensor (AHWFS), for measurement of low and high order (defocus and spherical aberration) aberration modes has been developed as volume phase holograms in a photopolymer recording medium. This is the first time that high order aberrations such as spherical aberration can be sensed using a volume hologram in a photosensitive medium. Both defocus and spherical aberration were recorded in a multi-mode version of this AHWFS. Refractive elements were used to generate a maximum and minimum phase delay of each aberration which were multiplexed as a set of volume phase holograms in an acrylamide based-photopolymer layer. The …

Fair4pghd: A Framework For Fair Implementation Over Pghd, Abdullahi Abubakar Kawu, Dympna O'Sullivan, Lucy Hederman, Mirjam Van Reisen

Articles

Patient Generated Health Data (PGHD) are being considered for integration with health facilities, however little is known about how such data can be made machine-actionable in a way that meets FAIR guidelines. This article proposes a 5-stage framework that can be used to achieve this.

Probability Distributions Arising In Connection With The Inspection Paradox For The Poisson Process, James E. Marengo, Anne Marino Himes, David L. Farnsworth, W. Cade Reinberger

Articles

The Inspection Paradox refers to the fact that in a Renewal Process, the length of the interarrival period which contains a fixed time is stochastically larger than the length of a typical interarrival period. To provide a more complete understanding of this phenomenon, conditioning arguments are used to obtain the distributions and moments of the lengths of the interarrival periods other than the one containing this fixed time for the case of the time-homogeneous Poisson Process. Distributions of the waiting times for events that occur both before and after this fixed time are derived. This provides a fairly complete probabilistic …

Modeling And Fitting Two-Way Tables Containing Outliers, David L. Farnsworth

Articles

A model is proposed for two-way tables of measurement data containing outliers. The two independent variables are categorical and error free. Neither missing values nor replication are present. The model consists of the sum of a customary additive part that can be fit using least squares and a part that is composed of outliers. Recommendations are made for methods for identifying cells containing outliers and for fitting the model. A graph of the observations is used to determine the outliers’ locations. For all cells containing an outlier, replacement values are determined simultaneously using a classical missing-data tool. The result is …

Visual Literacy Of Molecular Biology Revealed Through A Card-Sorting Task, Dina L. Newman, Hannah Spector, Anna Neuenschwander, Anna J. Miller, Lauren Trumpore, Leslie Kate Wright

Articles

Visual literacy, which is the ability to effectively identify, interpret, evaluate, use, and create images and visual media, is an important aspect of science literacy. As molecular processes are not directly observable, researchers and educators rely on visual representations (e.g., drawings) to communicate ideas in biology. How learners interpret and organize those numerous diagrams is related to their underlying knowledge about biology and their skills in visual literacy. Furthermore, it is not always obvious how and why learners interpret diagrams in the way they do (especially if their interpretations are unexpected), as it is not possible to “see” inside the …

Determining The Proportionality Of Ischemic Stroke Risk Factors To Age, Elizabeth Hunter, John D. Kelleher

Articles

While age is an important risk factor, there are some disadvantages to including it in a stroke risk model: age can dominate the risk score and lead to over-or under-predictions in some age groups. There is evidence to suggest that some of these disadvantages are due to the non-proportionality of other risk factors with age, eg, risk factors contribute differently to stroke risk based on an individual’s age. In this paper, we present a framework to test if risk factors are proportional with age. We then apply the framework to a set of risk factors using Framingham heart study data …

Current Topics In Technology-Enabled Stroke Rehabilitation And Reintegration: A Scoping Review And Content Analysis, Katryna Cisek

Articles

Background. There is a worldwide health crisis stemming from the rising incidence of various debilitating chronic diseases, with stroke as a leading contributor. Chronic stroke management encompasses rehabilitation and reintegration, and can require decades of personalized medicine and care. Information technology (IT) tools have the potential to support individuals managing chronic stroke symptoms. Objectives. This scoping review identifies prevalent topics and concepts in research literature on IT technology for stroke rehabilitation and reintegration, utilizing content analysis, based on topic modelling techniques from natural language processing to identify gaps in this literature. Eligibility Criteria. Our methodological search initially identified over 14,000 …

Simple Polystyrene Microfluidic Device For Sensitive And Accurate Sers-Based Detection Of Infection By Malaria Parasites, Maria Joao Oliveira, Soraia Caetano, Ana Dalot, Filipe Sabino, Tomas Calmeiro, Elvira Fortunato, Rodrigo Martins, Eulalia Pereira, Miguel Prudencio, Hugh Byrne, Ricardo Franco, Hugo Aguas

Articles

Early and accurate detection of infection by pathogenic microorganisms, such as Plasmodium, the causative agent of malaria, is critical for clinical diagnosis and ultimately determines the patient’s outcome. We have combined a polystyrene-based microfluidic device with an immunoassay which utilises Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) to detect malaria. The method can be easily translated to a point-of-care testing format and shows excellent sensitivity and specificity, when compared to the gold standard for laboratorial detection of Plasmodium infections. The device can be fabricated in less than 30 min by direct patterning on shrinkable polystyrene sheets of adaptable three-dimensional microfluidic chips. To validate …

Laser Light As An Emerging Method For Sustainable Food Processing, Packaging, And Testing, Prasad Chavan, Rahul Yadav, Pallavi Sharma, Amit Jaiswal

Articles

In this review article, we systematically investigated the diverse applications of laser technology within the sphere of food processing, encompassing techniques such as laser ablation, microbial inactivation, state-of-the-art food packaging, and non-destructive testing. With a detailed exploration, we assess the utility of laser ablation for the removal of surface contaminants from foodstuffs, while also noting the potential financial and safety implications of its implementation on an industrial scale. Microbial inactivation by laser shows promise for reducing the microbial load on food surfaces, although concerns have been raised about potential damage to the physio characteristics of some fruits. Laser-based packaging techniques, …

Effect Of Ultrasound-Assisted Thin Bed Drying For Retaining The Quality Of Red Bell Pepper And Compare The Predictive Ability Of The Mathematical Model With Artificial Neural Network, Raju Sasikumar, Irengbam Barun Mangang, Kamchampati Vivek, Amit K. Jaiswal

Articles

Red bell peppers (Capsicum ann. L.) are low in calories and high in nutrients, including vitamins A and C. Various factors such as weight loss, senescence, and microbial influence affect their quality during storage. To address this, the present study aims to preserve and retain the quality of red bell peppers using ultrasound-assisted thin-bed drying. The results were analyzed using an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) for more accurate prediction of variables involved in the process. Variations in moisture ratio and moisture content during drying were calculated and predicted. The Mid. model provided satisfactory curve fitting at an air velocity of …