Digital Commons Network^™

Analyzing Fluctuation Of Topics And Public Sentiment Through Social Media Data, Haoyue Liu

Dissertations

Over the past decade years, Internet users were expending rapidly in the world. They form various online social networks through such Internet platforms as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. These platforms provide a fast way that helps their users receive and disseminate information and express personal opinions in virtual space. When dealing with massive and chaotic social media data, how to accurately determine what events or concepts users are discussing is an interesting and important problem.

This dissertation work mainly consists of two parts. First, this research pays attention to mining the hidden topics and user interest trend by analyzing real-world …

Stochastic Modeling Of Flows In Membrane Pore Networks, Binan Gu

Dissertations

Membrane filters provide immediate solutions to many urgent problems such as water purification, and effective remedies to pressing environmental concerns such as waste and air treatment. The ubiquity of applications gives rise to a significant amount of research in membrane material selection and structural design to optimize filter efficiency. As physical experiments tend to be costly, numerical simulation and analysis of fluid flow, foulant transport and geometric evolution due to foulant deposition in complex geometries become particularly relevant. In this dissertation, several mathematical modeling and analytical aspects of the industrial membrane filtration process are investigated. A first-principles mathematical model for …

Low-Reynolds-Number Locomotion Via Reinforcement Learning, Yuexin Liu

Dissertations

This dissertation summarizes computational results from applying reinforcement learning and deep neural network to the designs of artificial microswimmers in the inertialess regime, where the viscous dissipation in the surrounding fluid environment dominates and the swimmer’s inertia is completely negligible. In particular, works in this dissertation consist of four interrelated studies of the design of microswimmers for different tasks: (1) a one-dimensional microswimmer in free-space that moves towards the target via translation, (2) a one-dimensional microswimmer in a periodic domain that rotates to reach the target, (3) a two-dimensional microswimmer that switches gaits to navigate to the designated targets in …

Artificial Neural Networks And Their Applications To Intelligent Fault Diagnosis Of Power Transmission Lines, Fatemeh Mohammadi Shakiba

Dissertations

Over the past thirty years, the idea of computing based on models inspired by human brains and biological neural networks emerged. Artificial neural networks play an important role in the field of machine learning and hold the key to the success of performing many intelligent tasks by machines. They are used in various applications such as pattern recognition, data classification, stock market prediction, aerospace, weather forecasting, control systems, intelligent automation, robotics, and healthcare. Their architectures generally consist of an input layer, multiple hidden layers, and one output layer. They can be implemented on software or hardware. Nowadays, various structures with …

Diagnostics Of Energy Release In Solar Flares With Radio Dynamic Imaging Spectroscopy, Yingjie Luo

Dissertations

Studies of the magnetic energy release and conversion process lie at the core of solar flare physics. Radio observations serve as a unique diagnostic method. In this dissertation, taking advantage of broadband radio dynamic imaging spectroscopy observations made by the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA), studies are carried out on the flare energy release processes using different types of radio emissions.

The VLA is a general-purpose radio observatory located in New Mexico, which provides high-quality radio dynamic imaging spectroscopic observations with an ultra-fast time cadence. In the first study, stochastic decimetric radio spike bursts are observed by the …

Sensorimotor Content Of Multi-Unit Activity In The Paramedian Lobule Of The Cerebellum, Esma Cetinkaya

Dissertations

Based on Center for Disease Control and Prevention report 2016, around 39.5 million people in the United States suffer from motor disabilities. These disabilities are due to traumatic conditions like traumatic brain injury (TBI), neurological diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or congenital conditions. One of the approaches for restoring the lost motor function is to extract the volitional information from the central nervous system (CNS) and control a mechanical device that can replace the function of a paralyzed limb through systems called Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI).

One of the major challenges being faced in BCIs and also in general …

Resource Allocation, User Association And Placement For Uav-Assisted Communications, Shuai Zhang

Dissertations

In the past few years, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-assisted heterogeneous network has attracted significant attention due to its wide range of applications, such as disaster rescue and recovery, ground macro base station (MBS) traffic offloading, communications for temporary events, and data collection for further processing in Internet of Things (IoT). A UAV can act as a flying base station (BS) to quickly recover the communication coverage in the disaster area when the regular terrestrial infrastructure is malfunctioned. The UAV-assisted heterogeneous network can effectively provision line of sight (LoS) communication links and therefore can mitigate potential signal shadowing and blockage. The …

Towards Ensuring Integrity And Authenticity Of Software Repositories, Sangat Vaidya

Dissertations

The software development process comprises a series of steps known as a software supply chain. These steps include managing the source code, testing, building and packaging it into a final product, and distributing the product to end users. Along this chain, software repositories are used for different purposes such as source code management (Git, SVN, mercurial), software distribution (PyPI, RubyGems, NPM) or for deploying software based on container images (Harbor, DockerHub, Artifact Hub). In the recent past, different types of repositories have increasingly been the target of attacks. As such, there is a need for mechanisms to ensure integrity and …

Critical Mass Of Women On Biotech Corporate Boards And Its Implication For Firm Performance: A Mixed Method Explanatory Sequential Study, Shesh Sharma

Dissertations

This study examined the influence of demographic, functional, and cognitive diversities on firm performance of North American Biotech companies using a mixed method explanatory sequential approach. One-year cross-sectional data of 100 companies was analyzed followed by purposeful semistructured interviews with eight board members from the dataset. The combined results resolved several ambiguities present in the literature regarding board selection, composition, and the correlation of board diversity with firm performance. This study used the well-known market-based financial metric Tobin’s Q to measure firm performance.

The quantitative results showed a dichotomous relationship between gender ratio and Tobin’s Q based on a theoretically …

Parameter Selection In Fully Homomorphic Encryption Schemes And Fhe Applications, Cavidan Yakupoglu

Dissertations

Quantum computing has been gaining momentum as a result of recent technological advances. Existing cryptographic systems rely on the difficult problems that can be solved by sufficiently powerful quantum computers. As the quantum age approaches, the desire to discover new difficult problems that cannot be solved by quantum systems has increased. Lattice-based cryptography is a prominent tool for the post-quantum era that facilitates the implementation of encryption systems for practical applications.

The Learning with Error (LWE) and Ring-LWE problems introduce new lattice hardness assumptions that have been incorporated into public-key cryptosystems to facilitate the implementation of numerous privacy-enhancing applications. Fully …

Effect Of Fluid Penetration On The Damage Processes And Microseismicity Due To The Hydraulic Fracturing Of Rocks, Catarina Baptista-Pereira

Dissertations

The hydraulic fracturing is used when fluids are injected inside the matrices of rocks to allow the creation of new cracks while, the propagation of the existent cracks can also occur. This process has been widely used for the past decades in the deep earth energy sector which comprises four main subsectors: 1) recovery of geothermal resources, 2) CO₂ and hydrogen sequestration; 3) wastewater and nuclear waste disposal, and 4) recovery of (non)conventional fluids. By creating new flow paths or enhancing the existing ones, the pores are allowed to connect and, thus, it increases the permeability of rocks. For …

Patient Perception Of Intensive Care Unit Discomfort, Essa Hakamy

Dissertations

Background: Discomfort has a significant effect on patient health and well-being; however, the symptoms are often difficult to address in ICU. Most patients in ICU are unable to communicate, making it difficult for physicians and nurses to distinguish between pain and discomfort. For example, artificial airways and assisted ventilation prevent patients from communicating. Patients may also have difficulty communicating due to delirium, fatigue, sedation, or neurological disease. Rationale: Discomfort has a considerable influence on patient health outcomes and well-being if not identified and addressed. Researchers have not explicitly explored discomfort apart from pain, which underscores the importance of studying the …

Cultural Intelligence Practices Community College Presidents Use To Lead Their Organization, Jennifer Marta

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative multicase study was to discover and describe the cultural intelligence practices California community college presidents use to lead their organization through the four dimensions of Ang et al. (2007) cultural intelligence (CQ) framework. Lastly, this study will examine the CQ practices of California community college presidents through the four dimensions of Ang et al.’s (2007) CQ framework.

Methodology: This qualitative multicase study was conducted through semistructured interviews of four California community college presidents to discover their use of CQ practices. Artifact collection and review was used to further describe how they use CQ practices …

A Structured Orientation Development System For Nursing Faculty, Dana R. Mangum

Dissertations

A national nursing shortage is nearing its crest. The Baby Boomer generation is begining to retire in record numbers. Healthcare technology is continually evolving and the topography of nursing education is changing. In order to aquire, develop, and retain excellent nursing faculty to meet the ever changing demands, nursing faculty need to be streamlined into the world of academia. A Structured Orientation Development System (SODS) was developed to aid nursing faculty into the transition from expert bedside nurse to expert nursing faculty. A literature review found no evidence of a structured type nursing faculty orientation system. The purpose of this …

An Examination Of The Effects Of Workgroup Characteristics On Criminal Case Processing & Case Outcomes, Luis Torres

Dissertations

The court communities and inhabited institutions perspectives posit that courts should be examined through a lens that considers the complex and collaborative process that court actors (e.g., judges, prosecutors, and defense counsels), collectively referred to as the courtroom workgroup, engage in during case processing. However, empirical research infrequently examines such intricacies and devotes little attention to how the characteristics of workgroup members influence courtroom interactions, the efficiency they process cases, and ultimately case decisions. This omission is notable because theory asserts that the dynamics of the workgroup are at least in part driven by the characteristics of its members.

This …

A Crisis Should Not Be Wasted: A Phenomenological Study On How Female Leaders From Military Academic Institutions Find Common Ground During Crisis, Diana Molodilo

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to identify and describe the lived experience of female leaders from military academic institutions in finding common ground during crisis situations.

Methodology: This phenomenological study identified and described how female mid-level leaders from Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center and Naval Postgraduate School found common ground during crisis. The population for this study includes all female leaders from military academic institutions in California, which is estimated at 60 to 100, of which 16 were sampled.

Findings: The findings from this research illustrate that female leaders found common ground when they (a) consistently …

Virtual Reality Simulation's Influence On Nursing Students' Anxiety And Communication Skills With Anxious Patients, Tanae A. Traister

Dissertations

The incidence of medical-surgical patients with a secondary anxiety diagnosis is increasing, and nurses' feelings of inadequacy in communicating with anxious patients have hindered the therapeutic nurse-patient relationship, negatively impacting patient outcomes. Simulation methods such as high fidelity simulation and standardized patients have decreased nursing students' anxiety levels in caring for anxious patients. However, they face maintenance costs, availability, and consistency barriers. Full immersion virtual reality simulation has demonstrated
success in nonhealthcare and medical education but is limited in nursing education. Nursing students from an associate and bachelor's degree nursing program participated in a full immersion virtual reality simulation anxious …

Student Nurses' Senior Practicum Experience And Its Role In Transition To Practice, Trilla A. Mays

Dissertations

Newly graduated nurses (NGNs) are not prepared to transition to practice, often leaving practice within the first year. The purpose of this descriptive qualitative study, guided by Meleis' transition theory, was to explore the NGN's perceptions of their senior practicum experience and how the experience prepared them for transition to practice. The Covid-19 pandemic limited recruitment of participants. After extended recruitment efforts, three NGNs were recruited, interviewed using a semistructured interview guide, and recorded using Zoom, which was verified while listening to the recording. The Ravitch and Carl three-pronged coding approach and NVivo was used to assist with the manual …

Family Rejection Predicting Suicidal Thoughts And Behaviors Among Sexual Minority Males: Indirect Effects Through Internalized Homophobia And The Interpersonal Theory Of Suicide Constructs, Brian Bulla

Dissertations

Past research has identified sexual minority males as presenting with more suicidal thoughts and behaviors in comparison to the general population, possibly due to additional stressors (e.g., family rejection, internalized homophobia) encountered throughout their lives that are specific to minority identities (Meyer, 2003). Extant literature has also examined constructs from the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide (ITS; Joiner, 2005; Van Orden et al., 2008) with mixed support for each (e.g., perceived burdensomeness, thwarted belongingness, capability) predicting suicidal thoughts and behaviors among sexual minority males. The current study, therefore, sought to further existing literature by examining indirect effects of family rejection on …

Measuring Psychological Safety, High-Reliability (Hro) Perception And Safety Reporting Intentions Among Pediatric Nurses, Lauren Pfeifer

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationships between psychological safety, perception of working in a high reliability organization (HRO) and safety event reporting intentions among pediatric nurses working in acute care.

The quality and safety of patient care is dependent upon nurses to report safety events and near-misses in order to address systems' issues and identify improvement opportunities. To encourage feedback and promote reporting, many health care organizations have adopted the high reliability framework and strategies to promote team psychological safety. A dearth of literature exists on how the pediatric nurse perceives their workplace. This study addressed …

A Delphi Study Of The Skills Necessary For A Speech-Language Pathologist Or Occupational Therapist To Be Successful In A Leadership Position, Jessica Miller

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this Delphi study was to identify the skills necessary for a speech-language pathologist or occupational therapist to be successful in a leadership position using an expert panel. In addition, the purpose was to rate the identified skills based on importance and lastly to determine the activities experts recommend to acquire the top-rated skills. Methodology: This study used a three-round Delphi method to collect data from expert leaders in speech-language pathology and occupational therapy. In Round 1, the expert panel was asked to identify the skills necessary to transition from a speech-language pathologist or occupational therapist to …

How Exemplary High School Principals Who Utilize Heart-Led Principles Achieve Extraordinary Results, Jeyan Danesh

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe how exemplary high school principals in Riverside and San Bernardino counties lead from the heart using Mark Crowley’s four principles (building a highly engaged team, connecting on a personal level, maximizing employee potential, and valuing and honoring achievements) to accomplish extraordinary results in their organizations. Methodology: Semistructured interviews were conducted with 8 high school principals to better understand how the use of heart-led principles can lead to extraordinary results on a high school campus. Interview data were collected, transcribed, and coded for themes, allowing the researcher to triangulate data and …

How System Efficacy Affects Risk Perception: Comparison Of The United States, Iran, And China Throughout The Covid-19 Pandemic, Nazanin Bani Amerian

Dissertations

The current study fills a gap in the risk and health communication literature that deals with perception of risk. The extended parallel process model (EPPM) and associated Risk Behavior Diagnosis Scale lack consideration for attenuated perceptions of risk when people believe that some agent (e.g., government agencies or first responders) will protect them from a hazard. This project’s intention is to establish the validity of a new concept, system efficacy, as an addition to the EPPM model. System efficacy supplements current use of self and response efficacy. In addition, this study tries to investigate how culture affect risk perception by …

Effects Of Excessive Student Technology Usage On Student Cognitive Engagement, Kristina Leah Loveland

Dissertations

Technology in the classroom has educators asking the question of whether technology engages students on a deep cognitive level or whether technology is holding students back. Educational technology has the potential to increase student engagement (Norris & Coutas, 2014). Wexler (2019) found technology is holding students back because they prefer the virtual setting to a real-world setting. The purpose of this mixed-methods research study was to determine if there is a connection between student cognitive engagement and excessive technology use. Developed by Antonetti and Stice (2018), the four components of Powerful Task Design were identified as the conceptual framework that …

The Development And Testing Of An Instrument To Measure Decision Making In Emergency Department Triage Nurses, Kelly J. Cone

Dissertations

An emergency department may be the initial entry site for health care for the critically ill client; the triage nurse is the frontline provider to prioritize care. Decision-making skills are important in the accurate direction of client care. To date, no published research was available about triage nurses' decision-making skills in the triage setting. The conceptual frameworks for this study were diagnostic reasoning and Benner's theory of novice to expert.

A Genomic Investigation Of Divergence Between Tuna Species, Pavel V. Dimens

Dissertations

Effective management and conservation of marine pelagic fishes is heavily dependent on a robust understanding of their population structure, their evolutionary history, and the delineation of appropriate management units. The Yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) and the Blackfin tuna (Thunnus atlanticus) are two exploited epipelagic marine species with overlapping ranges in the tropical and sub-tropical Atlantic Ocean. This work analyzed genome-wide genetic variation of both species in the Atlantic basin to investigate the occurrence of population subdivision and adaptive variation. A de novo assembly of the Blackfin tuna genome was generated using Illumina paired-end sequencing data and …

For Colored Girls Who Considered Natural When The Perm Was Enuf: A Cultural Examination Of The Political Significance Of Natural Hair Youtube Influencers, Randrika C. Henderson

Dissertations

This dissertation explores the discourse between natural hair YouTube vloggers and audiences’ interactions with two popular YouTube channels, Jasmine Brown and The Chic Natural. This study uses hooks’ (2003) oppositional gaze as a theoretical framework that centers on media representation of Black women and the inability to produce images that mirrors Black women’s spectatorship (hooks, 2003). This study investigates how hegemonic and averisve racist ideologies (often represented in Western beauty standards) are encoded and decoded in Black women’s mediated spaces. This cultural and critical semiotic analysis explores two research questions: how hegemonic structures exist during the interactions between influencers and …

Impact Of An Active Learning Intervention On Student Success In An Introductory-Level Biology Course, Cynthia Littlejohn

Dissertations

Large enrollment introductory-level courses with high rates of students receiving a D, F, or withdrawing have been identified within higher education as gateway courses. Students not successfully completing these courses are disproportionately represented by historically and continually marginalized populations, such as low-income, poorly represented ethnic groups, and first-generation students. A form of blended learning called the flipped class model is becoming increasingly prevalent in gateway courses. A flipped class design may reduce the cognitive load by allowing time for processing information before class while cooperative learning may result in a collective working memory effect where social interactions may serve to …

A Predictive Model Of Completion At Mississippi’S Community Colleges, Richard Baker

Dissertations

In the 2020 American presidential election and throughout the time since, the discussion of free community college continues to raise its head in the present political landscape in the United States. As the recognition of the contribution of community colleges to the overall educational level of the country grows, increased focus is going to be placed on how efficient and effective these two-year institutions are.

This research expands the body of knowledge by combining Resource Dependency Theory (RDT) and Astin’s Input-Environment-Output (IEO) model into an educational production function as defined by Bowles (1970). Neither RDT nor IEO is complete on …

The Effect Changes In The Weather Have On Kindergarten Through Third-Grade Students’ Behavior, Sara Michelle Calderon

Dissertations

The joking comments throughout the halls of elementary schools between teachers, “it is going to rain soon” or “a storm is brewing,” seemed to be just a hard day’s excuse. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to understand if there was accuracy in these joking comments. Beginning with quality classroom management and understanding student behaviors, this research examined educators’ perspectives on changing weather and the behavior of their students in their classrooms. In order for a comprehensive understanding, quality classroom management was the most important aspect. Classroom management is one of the most difficult aspects of teaching (Gage …