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Deep Learning For Power Flow Estimation And High Impedance Fault Detection, Kun Yang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

My thesis is divided into two parts.

The first part is: “Optimal Power Flow Estimation Using One-Dimensional Convolutional Neural Network [1]“. Optimal power flow (OPF) is an important research topic in power system operation and control decisions. Traditional OPF problems are solved through dynamic optimization with nonlinear programming techniques. For a large power system with large amounts of variables and constraints, the solving process would take a long time. This paper presents a new method to quickly estimate the OPF results using a one-dimensional convolutional neural network (1D-CNN). The OPF problem is treated as a high-dimensional mapping between the load …

Small Gtpase Regulated Intracellular Protein Trafficking In Endothelium, Caitlin Francis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Intracellular protein trafficking is the movement of membrane-bound organelles to and from requisite locations within the cell. Small GTPases are a critical component to the spatiotemporal accuracy of intracellular trafficking pathways as they determine the specificity and direction of organelle transport. There exists over 150 small GTPases categorized into 5 sub-families and are employed across all cell types. Despite their universal expression and relevance to cellular function, small GTPases remain incompletely understood across tissue types. In various instances, the trafficking pathway of a particular Rab in one cell type may belong to a completely disparate pathway in another cell type. …

Unsupervised Learning Algorithm For Noise Suppression And Speech Enhancement Applications, Abdullah Zaini Alsheibi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Smart and intelligent devices are being integrated more and more into day-to-day life to perform a multitude of tasks. These tasks include, but are not limited to, job automation, smart utility management, etc., with the aim to improve quality of life and to make normal day-to-day chores as effortless as possible. These smart devices may or may not be connected to the internet to accomplish tasks. Additionally, human-machine interaction with such devices may be touch-screen based or based on voice commands. To understand and act upon received voice commands, these devices require to enhance and distinguish the (clean) speech signal …

A Unified Approach To Regression Testing For Mobile Apps, Zeinab Saad Abdalla

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Mobile Applications have been widely used in recent years daily all over the world and are essential in our personal lives and at work. Because Mobile Applications update frequently, it is important that developers perform regression testing to ensure their quality. In addition, the Mobile Applications market has been growing rapidly, allowing anyone to write and publish an application without appropriate validation. A need for regression testing has arisen with the growth of different Mobile Apps and the added functionalities and complexities. In this dissertation, we adapted the FSMWeb [14] approach for selective regression testing to allow for selective regression …

Moving From Theory To Practice: Examining Teaching Mathematics For Social Justice In An Elementary School Classroom, Krystal Giles

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Teaching mathematics for social justice is a distinctive approach to mathematics education that seeks to have students use mathematics to navigate their identities, understand their lived experiences, examine inequities, and become agents of change. Current research provides a rich explanation of what teaching mathematics for social justice entails. Still, there is a need for research that studies how to move from theory to practice. The purpose of this research study is to examine the experience of teaching mathematics for social justice within my fifth-grade mathematics classroom for myself and my students, analyze the extent to which students’ ethnic and academic …

Being And Trauma: A Theory Of Listening As A Dis/Appropriation Of The Listener To The Call Of The Unspeakable In Trauma, Kathleen M. Douglass

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

What is it to have a voice, to be heard? And how is this connected to the need to have someone listen? Through a close reading of Heidegger’s later works woven together with readings of Judith Butler, Jean Luc Marion, Michel Foucault, and Shoshana Felman, I explore a concept of Listening as it is connected to the event of our being, creating a theory of Listening that emphasizes what happens in the Listener as she Listens.

The concept of Listening is relied on, but under-considered, in both clinical and philosophical theories. In order to understand what it means to have …

Flood Hydrology In Tropical Coastal Catchments: Linking Watershed Dynamics To Mangrove Sedimentation, Shannon L. Jones

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Coastal flooding is expected to be more frequent and severe from amplified flooding from sea level rise (SLR) and upstream anthropogenic activity, particularly in tropical regions. Improved hydrologic modeling and characterization are needed to better understand, predict, and manage flooding where these amplifications are expected. Yet tropical catchments are often ungauged or have limited hydrogeomorphic data. Thus, locally calibrated models that incorporate local knowledge and alternative data can be used to provide greater information. This doctoral dissertation quantifies relationships between land use, precipitation, discharge, and downstream sediment accretion in a representative ungauged catchment using a locally calibrated rainfallrunoff model validated …

Uncovering Zn2+ And Ca2+ Homeostasis And Crosstalk In Primary Hippocampal Neurons, Chen Zhang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Zn²⁺ has been suggested to act as an intracellular signaling molecule due to its regulatory effects on numerous protein targets including enzymes, transcription factors, ion channels, neurotrophic factors, and postsynaptic scaffolding proteins. However, intracellular Zn²⁺ concentration is tightly maintained at steady levels under natural physiological conditions. Dynamic changes in intracellular Zn²⁺ concentration have only been detected in cells exposed to pathologic stimuli or upon receptor ligand binding. In the first project of my dissertation, for the first time, we revealed that developing neurons fire spontaneous and synchronous Zn²⁺ spikes at a specific time window (from 14 …

Famines, Poverty And Intergenerational Mobility In Developing Countries, Monishankar Sarkar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The famine has not ended yet. Though much has been done, famine is still visiting some parts of the globe, ravaging economies, taking lives, and compelling people to experience acute hunger, starvation, and associated diseases. Deadly famines have impacted parts of Asia and the Pacific at different times. China has experienced the most lethal famine in history in terms of severity and fatalities. Africa is still facing famine. There are many countries worldwide, across continents, whose population is still facing hunger and starvation on an alarming scale. Thus, famine is still relevant today.

The effects of famine have been the …

The Impact Of Foreign Aid On Internal Stability: A Case Study Of Costa Rica And Venezuela, Sierra P. Tanner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the relationship between foreign aid and the internal stability of recipient countries. Foreign aid programs have been an important tool through which countries can receive support in development efforts. Through extensive case study and process tracing analysis of twelve foreign aid projects in Venezuela and Costa Rica, this thesis examines the question: Does foreign aid impact the internal stability of the recipient state? Although Costa Rica and Venezuela have different levels of internal stability, patterns emerge associating different types of aid projects with outcomes in both countries. The research finds that the impact of foreign aid on …

Design, Determination, And Evaluation Of Gender-Based Bias Mitigation Techniques For Music Recommender Systems, Sunny Shrestha

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The majority of smartphone users engage with a recommender system on a daily basis. Many rely on these recommendations to make their next purchase, download the next game, listen to the new music or find the next healthcare provider. Although there are plenty of evidence backed research that demonstrates presence of gender bias in Machine Learning (ML) models like recommender systems, the issue is viewed as a frivolous cause that doesn’t merit much action. However, gender bias poses to effect more than half of the population as by default ML systems are designed to cater to a cisgender man. This …

How Coteaching Impacts Student Academic Growth In Elementary School, Sally-Rose Cragin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of co-teaching on the academic achievement of elementary students in English Language Arts (ELA). The current body of research related to co-teaching is primarily qualitative and mostly inconclusive (Hurd & Weilbacher 2017). After the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 2004, it is vital for educational institutions to implement research-based practices to support students with and without disabilities in their Least Restrictive Environments (LRE). This study took a quantitative approach and utilized a causal-comparative design to answer the question: How does a co-taught classroom in comparison …

The Effect Of Nondiagnostic Information On Internal Auditor Skepticism: Capturing The Dilution Effect, Joseph Anthony Giordano

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Internal auditors assigned to assess internal controls over financial reporting incorporate irrelevant information into their judgment, showing decreased skepticism when irrelevant information contradicts preconceived stereotypes of management, known as the dilution effect and attributed to the representativeness heuristic. Irrelevant information consistent with preconceived stereotypes does not decrease skepticism. In this experiment practicing internal auditors are provided an irrelevant description of the Chief Information Officer portrayed as either gregarious or introverted then subsequently receive relevant internal controls information. When the Chief Information Officer is described as gregarious, counter to common stereotypes, internal auditors assess risk as less likely to occur compared …

Academic Performance Of Low Ses At-Risk Black And Latinx Students: A Case Study Of Teachers’ Perceptions, Shelly Lynn Anderson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study determined the perspective of the teacher when researching low SES at-risk Black and Latinx students’ academic performance. Research, over the years, not only highlight reasons and evidence for the low academic performance and the struggles the low SES at-risk Black and Latinx students face. In addition, research also recommends educational interventions that are not effective in bridging the achievement gap of low SES at-risk Black and Latinx students in comparison to their wealthier, White counterparts. Previous research denotes that school districts desire to implement educational interventions for struggling learners; however, theories, strategies, and interventions often do not translate …

The Perseverance Of Play: An Archaeological Analysis Of Residential Blocks With Preschools At The Amache National Historic Site, Megan Brown

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this project is to expand on the understanding of experiences of Japanese American children, specifically preschool-aged children, within the Amache National Historic Site, a WWII Japanese American internment facility located in Granada, Colorado. Through archaeological methods, GIS analysis, oral histories, and archival research, I analyzed the landscape and material culture of the five residential blocks within Amache that had designated preschools. I then compared these blocks with preschools to residential blocks without preschools to determine if there are any patterns and discernable differences between the two study areas. The findings of this research provide insight into how …

Perceived Social Isolation And Turnover Intention Among Black Faculty At Midwestern And Southeastern Public U.S. Universities, Trenee T. Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite organizational recruitment and retention initiatives, Black faculty remain underrepresented in U.S. higher education. Existing research substantiates that Black faculty continue to encounter the isolating effects of racial discrimination. The purpose of this quantitative survey research was to examine the association between perceived social isolation and turnover intention among Black faculty at predominately White institutions (PWIs) and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). This study also sought to identify systemic or social practices that counteract Black faculty retention initiatives. Two research questions guided the study: (a) Does perceived social isolation increase turnover intention among Black faculty? and (b) To what …

Perspective Of Nurse Practitioners On The Use Of Ebr Embedded In The Electronic Medical Record, Deashandrea Thomas Williams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The methods by which U.S. healthcare services are delivered are changing within the healthcare delivery system. The decision-making processes of healthcare providers are being guided by standardized protocols, clinical guidelines, policies, and procedures developed through evidence-based research. These clinical-decision support tools are adopted by healthcare organizations and embedded into electronic medical records to improve and standardize care among healthcare providers. Although these clinical support decision tools are readily available to healthcare providers, it is important to understand how these tools are being perceived among nurse practitioners. It is vital that the healthcare system understand the experiences of nurse practitioners with …

Legitimization Of Affective Domain Learning: A Transformative Mixed-Methods Analysis Of Learning Outcomes Assessment Practice, Lan Misty Song

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Ever since the development of Bloom’s Taxonomy, educational institutions have primarily focused on the cognitive learning domain, concerned with the transmission and acquisition of knowledge and skills. Recently, educators and researchers have become more interested in the affective domain—concerned with attitudes, emotions, and values—and how it affects student learning outcomes. While it is important to address affective-domain learning in any educational setting, one discipline giving it particular attention is nursing; their accrediting bodies are increasingly incorporating affective learning outcomes (ALOs) in their criteria. Thus, examining how nursing programs assess for ALOs may give insight in how to successfully integrate affective-domain …

Speech-Language Pathologists’ Barriers To Providing Services To The Deaf And Hard Of Hearing Children Ages 2–9, Irene S. García-Benavides

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative case study explored the knowledge and experiences of 12 speech-language pathologists (SLPs) regarding the culture and linguistic processes of the Deaf culture when assessing and treating deaf and hard of hearing children ages 2 to 9. Data analysis has resulted in identification of the following main themes: (a) The Scope of Practice, (b) Barriers Regarding Culturally and Linguistically Informed Practices, and (c) Awareness of Similarities and Differences in Language Acquisition and Structures in English and American Sign Language (ASL). The findings of this study underscored the importance of knowledge that SLPs have to acquire in order to provide …

A Multiple Case Study: The Impact Of Instructional Coaching On Novice Teachers, Misti N Tope

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study addressed the problem of retention for novice teachers in struggling schools. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to provide insight into the support instructional coaches provide novice teachers in an urban school district. School administrators have worked to determine the best method for utilizing their instructional coach to improve instructional practices and increase novice teacher retention. Data were collected using structured interviews with instructional leadership team members and their novice teachers. Three research sites were used, including one elementary, middle, and high school in an Oklahoma large urban school district. Findings indicated that good instructional …

Venous Leg Ulcers: An Analysis Of Nursing Knowledge, Shelia Moore-Miller

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project evaluated the knowledge level of wound center nursing staff on venous leg ulcer etiology and treatments after an educational intervention. To determine the effectiveness of the educational intervention, participants completed a pretest and posttest evaluation. Venous leg ulcers (VLUs) are chronic lower extremity ulcers affecting older Americans. VLUs are painful and negatively affect activities of daily living. Inadequate VLU treatment can become an infectious process that can ultimately threaten limb existence. A quantitative, quasi-experimental study was conducted over three weeks in a hospital-based wound care center in central Florida. The theoretical framework applied to this project is Lydia …

Burnout In Medical Assistants In Primary Care: Can Mindfulness Be A Solution?, Natalee D. Calais

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Burnout is described as feelings associated with emotional exhaustion, depersonalization of patients, and a loss of sense of personal accomplishment and it is unique to healthcare workers. Current research highlights this condition among physicians, nurses, and mid-level providers; however, insufficient research exists regarding the effects of burnout on medical assistants. Research led to mindfulness as a possible solution defined as an intentional regulation of attention and awareness of the present moment. This project sought to see if mindfulness practices could be utilized to mitigate the effects of burnout in medical assistants. It was hypothesized that mindfulness could be a solution. …

Does Publicness Matter? A Mixed Method Analysis Identifying And Measuring Institutional Contributions To State Goals For Public Higher Education, Sophia Laderman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

States founded, control, and fund public postsecondary institutions because higher education helps meet state goals. Public institutions of higher education provide considerable public benefits to states, but these benefits have not been systematically measured. As a result, public conversations about the broad value proposition of higher education do not center the public benefits produced by institutions. Using a framework of empirical and realized publicness, this exploratory sequential mixed-methods study used content analysis of state agency mission and vision statements to identify state goals for public higher education. Quantitative measurements of institutional contributions to common state goals for higher education were …

A Descriptive Qualitative Study Exploring Middle-School Teachers’ Perceptions Of Professional Development On Technology Integration, Dayana Núñez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Today’s teachers are being encouraged to incorporate technology into their classrooms. Technology integration became a worldwide focus for schools after remote learning was necessary to continue instruction due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, research shows that technology-infused lessons improve student achievement and increase student engagement. Despite efforts to support teachers throughout the technology integration process, concerns have developed. Preparing highly qualified teachers ready to incorporate technology into their teaching repertoire has developed additional stress factors. In this descriptive qualitative study, the researcher wanted to address the problem of teacher attrition, possibly related to stress factors associated with technology integration. The …

The Effect Of An American Heart Association–Approved Exercise Regimen On Burnout In Nurse Practitioners And Physician Assistants Working In Emergency Departments, Michelle Lee Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Burnout is a widely known state of physical and emotional fatigue previously noted to affect as many as 60% of healthcare providers, but one that is understudied in nurse practitioners and physician assistants working in emergency departments. It is imperative that the providers of healthcare recognize in themselves signs of burnout and have resources available to mitigate the condition. A pretest–posttest, quasi-experimental, nonequivalent control group, descriptive research design with descriptive statistics analysis was used to analyze answers to an email-based survey sent to nurse practitioners and physician assistants working for one large emergency medicine staffing company. The intent of this …

The Perceptions Of Faculty And Instructional Designers Regarding The Impact Of Professional Development To Teach Online Courses, Scott Mitchell January

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Leadership at a mid-sized 4-year university in the western region of Texas asserted a problem with the low amount of faculty training impacting online courses’ creation and quality. The purpose of this qualitative single case study was to investigate the elements needed to design quality online courses, determine how faculty and instructional designers perceived professional development provided by the university to develop online courses, and find out how faculty and instructional designers perceived professional development impacted faculty skills as an online instructor. Three research questions were created which generated two interview protocols. The following research questions were used and were …

Examining Leadership Experiences And Practices Of African American Women In Higher Education Settings To Overcome Barriers, Tanya Stubbs White

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract: This qualitative case study described the steps 11 African American women have practiced in growing and continuing their path to notable success in higher education leadership. No one size will fit all, but the methods used by African American women may guide other African American or culturally diverse women on how to transcend into and ascertain the well-deserved leadership roles in higher education administration or faculty careers. This study provided narratives of the women leaders to explain their journey to a leadership role. The purpose of the study was to describe the path, barriers, and supports that African American …

Building Resilience In Graduate Nurses Through Online Virtual Simulation, Robert Grant Harmon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Resilience has become a popular topic in nursing research. Nurses experience enormous stress throughout their training process that extends into their first employment as they transition into practice. Simulation training is a standard for training nurses and for continuing professional education within academia. Most simulation training for nurses is focused on building critical thinking skills. While critical thinking is an essential quality equipping nurses to meet professional demands, resilience is a crucial quality to overcome the stress of both training and practice. Resilience is believed to play an essential role in the retention of new graduate nurses and preventing burnout …

Pediatric Obesity In Primary Care, Lynne C. Liggins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this evidence-based quantitative quasi-experimental research was to compare if providing the parents with information on the health risk associated with childhood obesity would cause the parents to make healthier food choices and encourage their children to be involved in a full hour of physical activity a day. Participants included parents and pediatric and adolescent children 5 to 18 years of age at a solo practice primary care office in a large city in Southern, California, which specializes in treating pediatric and adolescent patients. A pre- and postquantitative intervention design were used and analyzed using the paired t …

Pathways To Success For Black Women Leaders In Online Higher Education: Intersectionality Of Gender, Race, And Personality Traits, Shanaya Kuykendahl Anderson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Previous literature has been used by researchers to suggest that Black women face challenges and obstacles seeking leadership roles at higher education institutions (HEIs). Many of these Black women have consistently and pervasively faced prevailing stereotypes, biases, and barriers as they seek career advancements at online HEIs (Nigar, 2020; Tarbutton, 2019). This qualitative phenomenological study was undertaken in order to examine the intersectionality of gender, race, and personality traits of Black women leaders who hold positions of department chair level or higher in HEIs. Using the theoretical framework of Black feminist thought, this research was conducted to understand better the …