Digital Commons Network^™

Acute Aerobic Exercise-Induced Motor Priming Improves Piano Performance And Alters Motor Cortex Activation, Terence Moriarty, Andrea Johnson, Molly Thomas, Colin Evers, Abi Auten, Kristina Cavey, Katie Dorman, Kelsey Bourbeau

Faculty Publications

Acute aerobic exercise has been shown to improve fine motor skills and alter activation of the motor cortex (M1). The intensity of exercise may influence M1 activation, and further impact whole-body motor skill performance. The aims of the current study were to compare a whole-body motor skill via a piano task following moderate-intensity training (MIT) and high-intensity interval training (HIIT), and to determine if M1 activation is linked to any such changes in performance. Nine subjects (seven females and two males), aged 18 ± 1 years completed a control, MIT, and HIIT trial followed by administration of a piano performance …

Flood Depth Estimation During Hurricane Harvey Using Sentinel-1 And Uavsar Data, Sananda Kundu, Venkat Lakshmi, Raymond Torres

Faculty Publications

In August 2017, Hurricane Harvey was one of the most destructive storms to make landfall in the Houston area, causing loss of life and property. Temporal and spatial changes in the depth of floodwater and the extent of inundation form an essential part of flood studies. This work estimates the flood extent and depth from LiDAR DEM (light detection and ranging digital elevation model) using data from the Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)–Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR) and satellite sensor—Sentinel-1. The flood extent showed a decrease between 29–30 August and 5 September 2017. The flood depths estimated using the …

A Qualitative Report Of The Perceptions Of The Covid-19 Pandemic From Collegiate Student-Athletes, Dylan C. Rowe, Zachary K. Winkelmann Phd, Lat, Atc, Shawn M. Arent Ph.D., Cscs*D, Fissn, Facsm, Fnak, Michelle Angelique Arent Rd, Mph, Cscs, Cissn, Alexa Jenny Chandler, Nancy A. Uriegas, Toni Torres-Mcgehee Phd, Lat, Atc

Faculty Publications

Context

The COVID-19 pandemic led to an abrupt disruption in access to services and personnel for collegiate student-athletes in the spring and summer of 2020. We sought to identify the effects of this unprecedented change by examining the psychological well-being, changes to normal routines, and return-to-play considerations of current student-athletes in order to guide support for both current and future student-athletes who may face similar situations. Methods

We utilized a phenomenological approach to interview a purposeful sample of eighteen collegiate student-athletes (7 males, 11 females; mean age = 20 years) from across the United States. The participants were interviewed using …

Including Latinx Communities In Academic Libraries: A Theoretical Approach To Information Access, Andrew A. Wakelee, Kim M. Thompson

Faculty Publications

While more Latinx students continue to enroll in higher education, physical, intellectual, and socio-cultural barriers to information may continue to impede their success and inclusion. A tripartite theoretical model that examines physical, intellectual, and socio-cultural information access provides insights for academic libraries to better meet Latinx students’ information needs and include them in campus life. This paper gives an overview of the theoretical framework along with practical steps libraries can take to improve information equity.

Pocket2drug: An Encoder-Decoder Deep Neural Network For The Target-Based Drug Design, W T. Shi, M Singha, G Srivastava, L M. Pu, W T. Shi, M Brylinski

Faculty Publications

Computational modeling is an essential component of modern drug discovery. One of its most important applications is to select promising drug candidates for pharmacologically relevant target proteins. Because of continuing advances in structural biology, putative binding sites for small organic molecules are being discovered in numerous proteins linked to various diseases. These valuable data offer new opportunities to build efficient computational models predicting binding molecules for target sites through the application of data mining and machine learning. In particular, deep neural networks are powerful techniques capable of learning from complex data in order to make informed drug binding predictions. In …

Adapted Physical Educators’ Social Media Usage For Professional Learning, Scott Mcnamara, Kwok Ng, Sean Healy

Faculty Publications

Physical educators report a multitude of benefits from accessing informal learning opportunities via social media. However, a lack of research has been conducted on adapted physical education (APE) teachers’ usage of social media for professional learning (PL) purposes. Thus, the purpose of this study was to explore how APE teachers use social media to learn about APE content. A survey was used to identify APE teachers’ (n = 73) social media usage patterns. Descriptive statistics were reported, and multiple t-tests were used to compare how participants perceived the usefulness of social media vs. conferences for PL purposes. Multiple linear regression …

Determinants Of Covid-19 Vaccinations Among A State-Wide Year-Long Surveillance Initiative In A Conservative Southern State, Lídia Gual-Gonzalez, Maggie S.J. Mccarter, Kyndall Dye-Braumuller, Stella Self, Connor H. Ross, Chloe Rodriguez-Ramos, Virginie G. Daguise, Melissa Nolan Ph.D., Mph

Faculty Publications

By the end of 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in over 54 million cases and more than 800,000 deaths in the United States, and over 350 million cases and more than 5 million deaths worldwide. The uniqueness and gravity of this pandemic have been reflected in the public health guidelines poorly received by a growing subset of the United States population. These poorly received guidelines, including vaccine receipt, are a highly complex psychosocial issue, and have impacted the successful prevention of disease spread. Given the intricate nature of this important barrier, any single statistical analysis methodologically fails to address all …

Fast-Decaying Plant Litter Enhances Soil Carbon In Temperate Forests But Not Through Microbial Physiological Traits, Matthew E. Craig, Kevin M. Geyer, Katilyn V. Beidler, Edward R. Brzostek, Serita D. Frey, A. Stuart Grandy, Chao Liang, Richard P. Phillips

Faculty Publications

Conceptual and empirical advances in soil biogeochemistry have challenged long-held assumptions about the role of soil micro-organisms in soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics; yet, rigorous tests of emerging concepts remain sparse. Recent hypotheses suggest that microbial necromass production links plant inputs to SOC accumulation, with high-quality (i.e., rapidly decomposing) plant litter promoting microbial carbon use efficiency, growth, and turnover leading to more mineral stabilization of necromass. We test this hypothesis experimentally and with observations across six eastern US forests, using stable isotopes to measure microbial traits and SOC dynamics. Here we show, in both studies, that microbial growth, efficiency, and …

Considerations For Radio Frequency Fingerprinting Across Multiple Frequency Channels, Jose A. Gutierrez Del Arroyo, Brett J. Borghetti, Michael A. Temple

Faculty Publications

Radio Frequency Fingerprinting (RFF) is often proposed as an authentication mechanism for wireless device security, but application of existing techniques in multi-channel scenarios is limited because prior models were created and evaluated using bursts from a single frequency channel without considering the effects of multi-channel operation. Our research evaluated the multi-channel performance of four single-channel models with increasing complexity, to include a simple discriminant analysis model and three neural networks. Performance characterization using the multi-class Matthews Correlation Coefficient (MCC) revealed that using frequency channels other than those used to train the models can lead to a deterioration in performance from …

Cluttering In The Speech Of Young Men With Fragile X Syndrome, Katherine Bangert, Kathleen Scaler Scott, Charley Adams, Jessica S. Kisenwether, Lisa Giuffre, Jenna Reed, Angela John Thurman, Leonard Abbeduto, Jessica Klusek

Faculty Publications

Purpose: Cluttering is a fluency disorder that has been noted clinically in individuals with fragile X syndrome (FXS). Yet, cluttering has not been systematically characterized in this population, hindering identification and intervention efforts. This study examined the rates of cluttering in male young adults with FXS using expert clinical opinion, the alignment between expert clinical opinion and objectively quantified features of cluttering from language transcripts, and the association between cluttering and aspects of the FXS phenotype.

Method: Thirty-six men with FXS (aged 18-26 years; M = 22, SD = 2.35) contributed language samples and completed measures of nonverbal cognition, autism …

Madfam: Microarchitectural Data Framework And Methodology, Tor J. Langehaug, Scott R. Graham, Christine M. Schubert Kabban, Brett J. Borghetti

Faculty Publications

In the aftermath of Spectre and Meltdown researchers have proposed a variety of attack detection solutions by applying machine learning to data collected from hardware performance monitoring units. Although many microarchitectural attack detection systems provide high-accuracy detection results, the behavior of the underlying data collection mechanisms is not well described or understood. This research introduces the MicroArchitectural Data Framework And Methodology (MADFAM) to prescribe a systematic approach to collecting and preserving the information available in sequences of microarchitectural data. The proposed framework focuses on hardware performance counters (HPCs) as the primary data source. HPC configuration is complex, which makes it …

Task-Based Functional Connectivity And Blood-Oxygen-Level-Dependent Activation During Within-Scanner Performance Of Lumbopelvic Motor Tasks: A Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study, Mark K. Jordon, Jill Campbell Stewart Pt,Phd, Sheri P. Silfies, Paul F. Beattie

Faculty Publications

There are a limited number of neuroimaging investigations into motor control of the lumbopelvic musculature. Most investigation examining motor control of the lumbopelvic musculature utilize transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and focus primarily on the motor cortex. This has resulted in a dearth of knowledge as it relates to how other regions of the brain activate during lumbopelvic movement. Additionally, task-based functional connectivity during lumbopelvic movements has not been well elucidated. Therefore, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine brain activation and ROI-to-ROI task-based functional connectivity in 19 healthy individuals (12 female, age 29.8 ± 4.5 years) during the …

Refugee Food Insecurity & Technology: Surfacing Experiences Of Adaptation, Navigation, Negotiation And Sharing, Reem Talhouk, Kyle Montague, Hala Ghattas, Vera Araujo-Soares, Balsam Ahmad, Madeline Balaam

Faculty Publications

With the Syrian crisis still ongoing, 91% of Syrian refugee families in Lebanon do not have adequate access to safe and sufficient food. There has been a drive for technological innovation in humanitarian food assistance. To further inform such innovation, we used an Experience-Centred Design approach to gain a holistic understanding of the experiences of refugee food insecurity and how refugees envision technologies can support them. Design engagements with 13 women in an informal refugee settlement in Lebanon were conducted. The findings presented in this paper highlight that coping with food insecurity consists of experiences of adaptation, navigation, negotiation and …

Change Power Is In The Process: Leading In A Time Of Social Justice Unrest ( A Narration), Judy Rashid

Faculty Publications

This narrative article by Dr. Judy Rashid explores the vital role of leadership in navigating conflict during periods of racial and social justice unrest. Drawing from theories of intergroup conflict and principles of conflict management, Rashid argues that effective leadership must move beyond symbolic gestures to embrace structured, inclusive processes like mediation and truth-telling. She highlights how historical symbols of racism—such as statues, street names, and slave-era landmarks—perpetuate division and obstruct reconciliation. Leaders, she asserts, must learn to use conflict as a catalyst for dialogue, growth, and systemic change. The article presents core principles of conflict management and offers practical …

Writing By Presidential Example: The First Inaugural Addresses Of Reagan And Obama, Douglas E. Abrams

Faculty Publications

This article is about two recent U.S. presidents who differed from one another in prominent respects. One entered the Oval Office as a staunch Republican; the other entered as a staunch Democrat. One was one of the oldest men ever to serve in the Oval Office; the other was one of the youngest. The pair assumed contrasting positions on the political spectrum.

Despite these differences, however, the pair – Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama – shared an important common denominator. As president, both achieved recognition as “great communicators,” thanks in large part to their speeches marked by dexterity with the …

Child-Oriented Word Associations Improve Models Of Early Word Learning, C R. Cox, E Haebig

Faculty Publications

How words are associated within the linguistic environment conveys semantic content; however, different contexts induce different linguistic patterns. For instance, it is well known that adults speak differently to children than to other adults. We present results from a new word association study in which adult participants were instructed to produce either unconstrained or child-oriented responses to each cue, where cues included 672 nouns, verbs, adjectives, and other word forms from the McArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory (CDI; Fenson et al., 2006). Child-oriented responses consisted of higher frequency words with fewer letters, earlier ages of acquisition, and higher contextual diversity. Furthermore, …

A Comparison Of Hay And Fish Emulsion-Infused Water As Oviposition Attractants For The Cdc Gravid Trap, Timothy D. Mcnamara, Kristen Healy

Faculty Publications

Multiple oviposition attractants are used for Culex (Diptera: Culicidae) mosquito surveillance in the CDC Gravid Trap, including hay and fish emulsion-infused water. Despite the use of both in the United States, no research has compared their attractiveness. We conducted trapping throughout Louisiana to assess the attractiveness of hay and fish emulsion-infused water in various habitat types and climates. Our results indicate that fish emulsion-infused water attracts more mosquitoes overall, more Culex quinquefasciatus (Say, 1823), and a wider diversity of mosquitoes than hay-infused water. This trend was maintained, regardless of habitat type or climate.

Decreasing Phosphorus Fertility To Reduce Sweet Potato Root Growth During Container-Grown Transplant Production, L. Rouse, J. Beasley, D. Labonte, J. Kuehny

Faculty Publications

Sweetpotato [Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.], grown as an edible ornamental, is propagated in home gardens using locally purchased transplants. However, vigorous growth of sweetpotato limits the period of transplant salability due to root confinement. The objective of the experiment was to evaluate reductions in phosphorus (P) fertility to slow transplant root growth and extend the period of salability. Cuttings were planted into containers and fertilized at 0, 5 (0.0007), 10 (0.0012), 15 (0.0020), 20 (0.0024), and 31 mg P.L-1 (0.0040 oz P.gal-1) using a modified Hoagland solution. All transplants fertilized at 5 mg P.L-1 increased in shoot length, color, and …

The Relationship Between Dietary Intake And Sleep Quality In Endurance Athletes, Kamiah Moss, Yan Zhang, Andreas Kreutzer, Austin J. Graybeal, Ryan R. Porter, Robyn Braun-Trocchio, Meena Shah

Faculty Publications

Many endurance athletes have poor sleep quality which may affect performance and health. It is unclear how dietary intake affects sleep quality among athletes. We examined if sleep quality in endurance athletes is associated with consumption of fruit, vegetables, whole grains, dairy milk, and caffeinated beverages. Two hundred thirty-four endurance athletes (39.5 ± 14.1 year) participated in a survey. Participants provided information on demographics, anthropometry, sleep behavior and quality, and dietary intake via questionnaires. Sleep quality was assessed using the Athlete Sleep Screening Questionnaire (ASSQ) with a global score (ASSQ-global) and subscales including sleep difficulty (ASSQ-SD), chronotype (ASSQ-C), and disordered …

Introspective Meditation Before Seeking Pleasurable Activities As A Stress Reduction Tool Among College Students: A Multi-Theory Model-Based Pilot Study, Manoj Sharma, Amar Kanekar, Kavita Batra, Traci Hayes, Ram Lakhan

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Topological Edge States At Singular Points In Non-Hermitian Plasmonic Systems, Yin Huang, Yuecheng Shen, Georgios Veronis

Faculty Publications

We introduce non-Hermitian plasmonic waveguide-cavity systems with topological edge states (TESs) at singular points. The compound unit cells of the structures consist of metal-dielectric-metal (MDM) stub resonators side-coupled to an MDM waveguide. We show that we can realize both a TES and an exceptional point at the same frequency when a proper amount of loss is introduced into a finite three-unit-cell structure. We also show that the finite structure can exhibit both a TES and a spectral singularity when a proper amount of gain is introduced into the structure. In addition, we show that we can simultaneously realize a unidirectional …

Event-Triggered Control For Linear Time-Varying Systems Using A Positive Systems Approach, Frederic Mazenc, Michael Malisoff, Corina Barbalata, Zhong Ping Jiang

Faculty Publications

This paper presents a new design for the event-triggered output feedback control of uncertain linear time-varying systems. Departing from the traditional treatments of event-triggered linear time-invariant systems, it is shown that factoring of fundamental solutions as products of solutions of matrix differential equations, together with small-gain arguments and the notions of interval observers and positive systems, lead to a new class of robust event-triggered output-feedback controllers. A key innovation is our use of new event triggers, which use vectors of absolute values instead of the usual Euclidean 2-norms. An illustrative example of a curve tracking system from marine robotics validates …

Electronic Band Structure And Magnetism Of Cofev0.5mn0.5si, Parashu Kharel, Gavin Baker, Matthew Flesche, Adam Ramker, Young Moua, Shah Valloppilly, Paul M. Shand, Pavel V. Lukashev

Faculty Publications

Half-metallic Heusler alloys have attracted significant attention due to their potential application in spin-transport-based devices. We have synthesized one such alloy, CoFeV0.5Mn0.5Si, using arc melting and high-vacuum annealing at 600 °C for 24 hours. First principles calculation indicates that CoFeV0.5Mn0.5Si shows a nearly half-metallic band structure with a degree of spin polarization of about 93%. In addition, this value can be enhanced by the application of tensile strain. The room temperature x-ray diffraction patterns are indexed with the cubic crystal structure without secondary phases. The annealed sample shows ferromagnetic order with the Curie temperature well above room temperature (Tc = …

Riding The Wave: Reactive Vector-Borne Disease Policy Renders The United States Vulnerable To Outbreaks And Insecticide Resistance, Kyndall C. Dye-Braumuller, Jennifer R. Gordon, Kaci Mccoy, Danielle Johnson, Rhoel Dinglasan, Melissa Nolan Ph.D., Mph

Faculty Publications

Funding for vector-borne disease surveillance, management, and research is cyclical and reactive in the United States. The subsequent effects have yielded gross inequities nationally that unintentionally support recurrent outbreaks. This policy forum is comprised of four primary subsections that collectively identify specific areas for improvement and offer innovative solutions to address national inadequacies in vector borne disease policy and infrastructure.

How The Process Of Building Legal Technology Creates Professional Agility, Amy A. Emerson

Faculty Publications

As the legal and technology sectors continue to merge, the growing importance of applying technology to solve traditional legal problems cannot be overstated. Today’s lawyers must possess not only substantive legal knowledge, but also a high level of technical sophistication and the desire and ability to embrace innovation. Several U.S. law schools offer courses in which students apply substantive legal knowledge and analysis to build functional technologies intended for real world implementation for the benefit of self-represented individuals. These courses teach students about how technology functions, its role in narrowing the access to justice gap, and fulfill many pedagogic goals …

Viscosity Of Fe-Ni-C Liquids Up To Core Pressures And Implications For Dynamics Of Planetary Cores, Feng Zhu, Xiaojing Lai, Jianwei Wang, Quentin Williams, Jiachao Liu, Yoshio Kono, Bin Chen

Faculty Publications

The viscosity of iron alloy liquids is the key for the core dynamo and core-mantle differentiation of terrestrial bodies. Here we measured the viscosity of Fe-Ni-C liquids up to 7 GPa using the floating sphere viscometry method and up to 330 GPa using first-principles calculations. We found a viscosity increase at ∼3–5 GPa, coincident with a structural transition in the liquids. After the transition, the viscosity reaches ∼14–27 mPa·s, a factor of 2–4 higher than that of Fe and Fe-S liquids. Our computational results from 5 to 330 GPa also indicate a high viscosity of the Fe-Ni-C liquids. For a …

Meningiomas In Ancient Human Populations, Della Collins Cook, Marie Elaine Danforth

Faculty Publications

Meningiomas are the most common tumor of the central nervous system and can result in skeletal manifestations, including hyperostosis of the adjacent cranial bone, enostoses, depressions, and enhanced vascular impressions. However, their identification in the paleopathological literature has been rare and few cases have received broad acceptance of the diagnosis. A review of the literature identified some 43 cases in which individuals were argued to have suffered from meningiomas. Most were seen in older individuals but were more likely to affect males. Eleven individuals exhibited hyperostosis, the most easily recognized indicator, usually located on the parietal bone; the hyperostotic region …

Exploring The Effects Of Genetic Variation On Gene Regulation In Cancer In The Context Of 3d Genome Structure, N Osman, A M. Shawky, M Brylinski

Faculty Publications

Background Numerous genome-wide association studies (GWAS) conducted to date revealed genetic variants associated with various diseases, including breast and prostate cancers. Despite the availability of these large-scale data, relatively few variants have been functionally characterized, mainly because the majority of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) map to the non-coding regions of the human genome. The functional characterization of these non-coding variants and the identification of their target genes remain challenging. Results In this communication, we explore the potential functional mechanisms of non-coding SNPs by integrating GWAS with the high-resolution chromosome conformation capture (Hi-C) data for breast and prostate cancers. We show that …

Investigation Of Eating Disorder Risk And Body Image Dissatisfaction Among Female Competitive Cheerleaders, Allison B. Smith, Jennifer L. Gay, Eva V. Monsma, Shawn M. Arent, Mark A. Sarzynski, Dawn M. Emerson, Toni M. Torres-Mcgehee

Faculty Publications

Social agents associated with cheerleading environments are increasingly linked to body image dissatisfaction (BID) and eating disorders (ED). This study examined ED risk across team type, squad type, and position. An additional purpose determined BID in clothing type (daily clothing, midriff uniform, and full uniform), and meta-perceptions from the perspective of peers (MP peers), parents (MP parents), and coaches (MP coaches). Female cheerleaders ( = 268) completed an online survey which included demographics, the Eating Attitudes Test-26, and pathogenic behavior questions. Body image perceptions were assessed by using the Sex-Specific Figural Stimuli Silhouettes. Overall, 34.4% of cheerleaders ( = 268; …

Investigation Of Eating Disorder Risk And Body Image Dissatisfaction Among Female Competitive Cheerleaders, Allison B. Smith, Jennifer L. Gay, Eva V. Monsma, Shawn M. Arent Phd, Cscs*D, Fissn, Facsm, Fnak, Mark A. Sarzynski Ph.D., Faha, Facsm, Dawn M. Emerson Ph.D., Lat, Atc, Toni Torres-Mcgehee Phd, Lat, Atc

Faculty Publications

Social agents associated with cheerleading environments are increasingly linked to body image dissatisfaction (BID) and eating disorders (ED). This study examined ED risk across team type, squad type, and position. An additional purpose determined BID in clothing type (daily clothing, midriff uniform, and full uniform), and meta-perceptions from the perspective of peers (MP peers), parents (MP parents), and coaches (MP coaches). Female cheerleaders (n = 268) completed an online survey which included demographics, the Eating Attitudes Test-26, and pathogenic behavior questions. Body image perceptions were assessed by using the Sex-Specific Figural Stimuli Silhouettes. Overall, 34.4% of cheerleaders (n …