Digital Commons Network^™

Efficiency Enhancements Of A Restricted Stochastic Search Algorithm For Locating Local And Global Minima, William C. Mckee, Saurin H. Rawal, Ye Xu

Faculty Publications

Kick is a simple computational method that enables stochastic searches for stable structures of systems of up to ∼15 atoms. We propose two new filters to be applied with Kick to enforce minimum bond lengths between all pair of atoms and connectivity of all atoms in candidate structures. As this Restricted Kick method rejects a rapidly increasing number of structures with increasing system size, we furthermore devised the restricted Random Assembly Stochastic Search method, which randomly assembles structures that automatically satisfy these filters. Significant improvements in convergence rate over the original Kick method are obtained for several well-established examples.

Achieving Tiered Model Quality In 3d Structure From Motion Models Using A Multi-Scale View-Planning Algorithm For Automated Targeted Inspection, Trent Okeson, Benjamin Barrett, Samuel Arce, Cory Vernon, Kevin W. Franke, John Hedengren

Faculty Publications

This study presents a novel multi-scale view-planning algorithm for automated targeted inspection using unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). In industrial inspection, it is important to collect the most relevant data to keep processing demands, both human and computational, to a minimum. This study investigates the viability of automated targeted multi-scale image acquisition for Structure from Motion (SfM)-based infrastructure modeling. A traditional view-planning approach for SfM is extended to a multi-scale approach, planning for targeted regions of high, medium, and low priority. The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) can traverse the entire aerial space and facilitates collection of an optimized set of views, …

Supporting Faculty To “Do The Flip!” Lessons Learned When Transitioning Faculty To Active Pedagogy In The Classroom, Laura Sullivan-Green, Patricia Backer, Ravisha Mathur

Faculty Publications

San José State University, in partnership with California State University-Los Angeles and Cal Poly Pomona, are developing supportive methods to transition STEM faculty from lecture-based instruction to instruction using active learning pedagogies. These efforts, sponsored by the Department of Education’s First in the World Grant Program, focus on providing faculty training through workshops conducted in the active learning model, resources to support their material development, and peer support through access to multi-disciplinary/multi-campus learning communities. Active learning pedagogies like the flipped classroom have been shown to be a high impact practice that increases URM student success and retention. The partner campuses, …

An Examination Of Professional Identity Development In Hbcu Construction Students, Andrea Nana Ofori-Boadu, Victor Ofori-Boadu, Iyshea Borders-Taylor, Lewis Waller, Paul Akangah

Faculty Publications

Workforce shortages, lack of diversity, and challenging student transitions from college into the construction profession remain a huge concern. There is the need for construction educators to target, attract, and prepare minority students who persist into construction professional roles and contribute to industry advancements. Identity theories emphasize that students' lived experiences shape their professional identity development processes and career decisions; and, in the long-term, influence students' persistence and career success. Construction students with strong professional identities are likely to persist and have smoother transitions into construction professions (CPs). However, little is known about the lived experiences of construction students, particularly …

Linking Water Quality To Aedes Aegypti And Zika In Flood-Prone Neighborhoods, Susan Harrell Yee, Donald A. Yee, Rebeca De Jesus Crespo, Autumn Oczkowski, Fengwei Bai, Stephanie Friedman

Faculty Publications

The ability of ecosystems to regulate water quality and flood events has been linked to health outcomes, including mosquito-borne illnesses. In the San Juan Bay Estuary watershed of Puerto Rico, habitat alterations and land-use development have disrupted watershed hydrology, exacerbating wastewater discharges and subjecting some neighborhoods to frequent flooding events. In 2016, the mosquito-borne illness Zika became a new cause for concern. We hypothesized that nutrient-enriched flood water could provide pulses of supplemental nutrients to local mosquito populations. We conducted a field study in six neighborhoods adjacent to the estuary to assess whether environmental variability of nutrient inputs could be …

Graph Pebbling Algorithms And Lemke Graphs, Charles A. Cusack, Aaron Green, Airat Bekmetjev, Mark Powers

Faculty Publications

Given a simple, connected graph, a pebbling configuration (or just configuration) is a function from its vertex set to the nonnegative integers. A pebbling move between adjacent vertices removes two pebbles from one vertex and adds one pebble to the other. A vertex r is said to be reachable from a configuration if there exists a sequence of pebbling moves that places at least one pebble on r. A configuration is solvable if every vertex is reachable. The pebbling number π(G) of a graph G is the minimum integer such that every configuration of size π(G) on G …

Characterization Of Genes Required For Both Rpg1 And Rpg4-Mediated Wheat Stem Rust Resistance In Barley, Shyam Solanki, Jonathan Richards, Gazala Ameen, Xue Wang, Atiya Khan, Harris Ali, Alex Stangel, Prabin Tamang, Thomas Gross, Patrick Gross, Thomas G. Fetch, Robert S. Brueggeman

Faculty Publications

Background: Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici (Pgt) race TTKSK and its lineage pose a threat to barley production world-wide justifying the extensive efforts to identify, clone, and characterize the rpg4-mediated resistance locus (RMRL), the only effective resistance to virulent Pgt races in the TTKSK lineage. The RMRL contains two nucleotide-binding domain and leucine-rich repeat (NLR) resistance genes, Rpg5 and HvRga1, which are required for resistance. The two NLRs have head-to-head genome architecture with one NLR, Rpg5, containing an integrated C-terminal protein kinase domain, characteristic of an "integrated sensory domain" resistance mechanism. Fast neutron mutagenesis of line Q21861 was utilized in …

Transverse Momentum Dependent Production Cross Sections Of Chargedpions, Kaons And Protons Produced In Inclusive E+ E− Annihilation At √S = 10.58 Gev, R. Seidl, I. Adachi, J. K. Ahn, H. Aihara, D. M. Asner, V. Aulchenko, T. Aushev, R. Ayad, A. M. Bakich, V. Bansal, P. Behera, C. Beleño, M. Berger, V. Bhardwaj, T. Bilka, J. Biswal, A. Bobrov, A. Bozek, M. Bračko, L. Cao, Milind Purohit, Et. Al.

Faculty Publications

We report measurements of the production cross sections of charged pions, kaons, and protons as a function of fractional energy, the event-shape variable called thrust, and the transverse momentum with respect to the thrust axis. These measurements access the transverse momenta created in the fragmentation process, which are of critical importance to the understanding of any transverse-momentum-dependent distribution and fragmentation functions. The low transverse-momentum part of the cross sections can be well described by Gaussians in transverse momentum as is generally assumed but the fractional-energy dependence is nontrivial and different hadron types have varying Gaussian widths. The width of these …

The Nuclear Network: Multiplex Network Analysis For Interconnected Systems, Bethany L. Goldblum, Andrew W. Reddie, Thomas C. Hickey, James E. Bevins, Sarah Laderman, Nathaniel Mahowald, Austin P. Wright, Elie Katzenson, Yara Mubarak

Faculty Publications

States facing the decision to develop a nuclear weapons program do so within a broader context of their relationships with other countries. How these diplomatic, economic, and strategic relationships impact proliferation decisions, however, remains under-specified. Adding to the existing empirical literature that attempts to model state proliferation decisions, this article introduces the first quantitative heterogeneous network analysis of how networks of conflict, alliances, trade, and nuclear cooperation interact to spur or deter nuclear proliferation. Using a multiplex network model, we conceptualize states as nodes linked by different modes of interaction represented on individual network layers. Node strength is used to …

Cardiovascular Factors Moderate The Association Of Infection Burden With Cognitive Function In Young To Middle-Aged U.S. Adults, Bruce L. Brown, Shawn D. Gale, Lance D. Erickson, Dawson W. Hedges, Andrew N. Berrett, Evan L. Thacker

Faculty Publications

Background: Infectious diseases might affect cognitive aging and dementia risk, possibly via neuroinflammation. Similarly, risk factors for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases are associated with cognitive function and dementia. We hypothesized that cardiovascular risk factors moderate the association of exposure to infectious diseases with cognitive function.

Methods: We studied 5662 participants aged 20 to 59 years from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1988–1994) in the United States. We used linear regression to investigate whether the Framingham general cardiovascular risk index moderated the association of infection burden based on exposure to eight different infectious diseases with cognitive functioning as …

Sequential Earthquake Damage Assessment Incorporating Optimized Suav Remote Sensing At Pescara Del Tronto, Michael Freeman, Cory Vernon, Benjamin Barrett, Nicole Hastings, Jeff Derricott, Janessa Pace, Benjamin Horne, Joshua Hammond, Joseph Janson, Filiberto Chiabrando, John Hedengren, Kevin W. Franke

Faculty Publications

A sequence of large earthquakes in central Italy ranging in moment magnitudes (Mw) from 4.2 to 6.5 caused significant damage to many small towns in the area. After each earthquake in 2016 (24 August and 26 October), automated small unmanned aerial vehicles (sUAV) acquired valuable imagery data for post-hazard reconnaissance in the mountain village of Pescara del Tronto, and were applied to 3D reconstruction using Structure-from-Motion (SfM). In July 2018, the site was again monitored to obtain additional imagery data capturing changes since the last visit following the 30 October 2016 Earthquake. A genetic-based mission-planning algorithm that delivers optimal viewpoints …

Dietary Inflammatory Index And Sleep Quality In Southern Italian Adults, Justyna Godos, Raffaele Ferri, Filippo Caraci, Filomena I. I. Cosentino, Sabrina Castellano, Nitin Shivappa, James R. Hébert, Fabio Galvano, Giuseppe Grosso

Faculty Publications

Background: Current evidence supports the central role of a subclinical, low-grade inflammation in a number of chronic illnesses and mental disorders; however, studies on sleep quality are scarce. The aim of this study was to test the association between the inflammatory potential of the diet and sleep quality in a cohort of Italian adults. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis of baseline data of the Mediterranean healthy Eating, Aging, and Lifestyle (MEAL) study was conducted on 1936 individuals recruited in the urban area of Catania during 2014-2015 through random sampling. A food frequency questionnaire and other validated instruments were used to calculate …

Habitat Preference Modulates Transoceanic Dispersal In A Terrestrial Vertebrate, Mozes P.K. Blom, Nicholas J. Matzke, Jason G. Bragg, Evy Arida, Christopher C. Austin, Adam R. Backlin, Miguel A. Carretero, Robert N. Fisher, Frank Glaw, Stacie A. Hathaway, Djoko T. Iskandar, Jimmy A. Mcguire, Benjamin R. Karin, Sean B. Reilly, Eric N. Rittmeyer, Sara Rocha, Mickaël Sanchez, Alexander L. Stubbs, Miguel Vences, Craig Moritz

Faculty Publications

© 2019 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved. The importance of long-distance dispersal (LDD) in shaping geographical distributions has been debated since the nineteenth century. In terrestrial vertebrates, LDD events across large water bodies are considered highly improbable, but organismal traits affecting dispersal capacity are generally not taken into account. Here, we focus on a recent lizard radiation and combine a summary-coalescent species tree based on 1225 exons with a probabilistic model that links dispersal capacity to an evolving trait, to investigate whether ecological specialization has influenced the probability of trans-oceanic dispersal. Cryptoblepharus species that occur …

Discrimination, Coping, And Social Exclusion Among African Immigrants In The United States: A Moderation Analysis, Sherinah K. Saasa

Faculty Publications

This cross-sectional study examined coping strategies as moderators of the relationship between perceived discrimination and social exclusion among African immigrants in the United States (N = 409). Moderation models using path analyses were conducted to examine the moderating effects of three coping strategies (active coping, use of instrumental support, and religious coping) on the relationship between discrimination and four dimensions of social exclusion: (1) material deprivation, (2) limited access to basic social rights, (3) limited social participation, and (4) insufficient cultural integration. Increases in perceived discrimination were associated with increased social exclusion on all four dimensions. Increased use of active …

Meat Analogs From Different Protein Sources: A Comparison Of Their Sustainability And Nutritional Content, Ujué Fresán, Maximino Alfredo Mejia, Winston J. Craig, Karen Jaceldo-Siegl, Joan Sabaté

Faculty Publications

© 2018 by the authors. Meat analogs are processed foods designed to mimic meat products. Their popularity is increasing among people seeking foods that are healthy and sustainable. Animal-sourced protein products differ in both their environmental impact and nutritional composition. The protein sources to produce meat analogs come from different plants. There is a lack of published research data assessing differences in these two aspects of meat analogs according to the plant protein source. This study compared the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of different types of meat analogs according to their main source of protein (wheat, soy, wheat and soy, …

High-Resolution Spectroscopy Of Boyajian's Star During Optical Dimming Events, M. J. Martínez González, C. González-Fernández, A. Asensio Ramos, H. Socas-Navarro, C. Westendorp Plaza, T. S. Boyajian, J. T. Wright, A. Collier Cameron, J. I. González Hernández, G. Holgado, G. M. Kennedy, T. Masseron, E. Molinari, J. Saario, S. Simón-Díaz, B. Toledo-Padrón

Faculty Publications

Boyajian's star is an apparently normal main-sequence F-type star with a very unusual light curve. The dipping activity of the star, discovered during the Kepler mission, presents deep, asymmetric, and aperiodic events. Here we present high-resolution spectroscopic follow-up during some dimming events recorded post-Kepler observations, from ground-based telescopes. We analyse data from the HERMES, HARPS-N, and FIES spectrographs to characterize the stellar atmosphere and to put some constraints on the hypotheses that have appeared in the literature concerning the occulting elements. The star's magnetism, if existing, is not extreme. The spots on the surface, if present, would occupy 0.02 per …

The Longest-Lasting Relationship: Patterns Of Contact And Well-Being Among Mid- To Later-Life Siblings, Alexander C. Jensen, Makayla K. Nielson, Jeremy B. Yorgason

Faculty Publications

Objectives: Adults in mid to later life experience shrinking social networks, which may hinder well-being. Siblings may be important sources of social contact. Yet, little is known about adults’ patterns of contact with siblings and how contact is linked to well-being.

Method: Participants included 491 adults from across the United States (M age = 58.96, SD = 6.25; 68% female) recruited online via Amazon Mechanical Turk; they reported on their contact with their sibling in person, over the phone, via email, texting, and social media.

Results: Latent class analysis found evidence for four patterns of contact (classes) among siblings: low, …

Torsades De Pointes And Qt Prolongation Associations With Antibiotics: A Pharmacovigilance Study Of The Fda Adverse Event Reporting System, Chengwen Teng Pharm.D., Ph.D., Elizabeth A. Walter, Daryl Kevin S. Gaspar, Obiageri O. Obodozie-Ofoegbu, Christopher R. Frei

Faculty Publications

Introduction: Macrolides, linezolid, imipenem-cilastatin, fluoroquinolones, penicillin combinations, and ceftriaxone are known to be associated with Torsades de pointes/QT prolongation (TdP/QTP). Other antibiotics may also lead to TdP/QTP, but no study has systemically compared TdP/QTP associations for many available antibiotics.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between TdP/QTP and many available antibiotics using the FDA Adverse Event Report System (FAERS).

Methods: FAERS reports from January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2017 were analyzed. The Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities (MedDRA) was used to identify TdP/QTP cases. We calculated the Reporting Odds Ratios (RORs) …

Approaches For Sample Characterization And Lithography With Nanoparticles Using Modes Of Scanning Probe Microscopy, Jayne C. Garno, Temitope O. Jegede, Kathryn B. Mckee, Melissia Porter, Autumn E. Webb, Jin Gyun Lee, Neepa Mk Kuruppu Arachchige, Justin R. Ragains, Noémie Elgrishi

Faculty Publications

Measurement and imaging modes of scanning probe microscopy (SPM) have been routinely applied for characterizing systems of nanoparticles; however the evolution of fabrication methods to prepare arrangements of nanoparticles remains a challenge. Reproducible fabrication of surface structures which integrate nanoparticles within ultra-small patterns will require innovative approaches to achieve high throughput and precision. Strategies for nanoscale lithography have been introduced for preparing defined arrangements of nanoparticles on surfaces based on physical or chemical interactions. For example, physisorption was employed for attaching nanoparticles based on colloidal lithography and site-directed assembly. Microfabricated atomic force microscope (AFM) tips with capillary channels have been …

Analyzing The Efficiency Of Horizontal Photovoltaic Cells In Various Climate Regions, Parker A. Hines, Torrey J. Wagner, Clay M. Koschnick, Steven J. Schuldt

Faculty Publications

This research presents the development of linear regression models to predict horizontal photovoltaic power output. We collected a dataset from 14 global Department of Defense (DoD) installations over a timeframe of one year using an experimental apparatus, resulting in 24,179 usable data points. We developed a linear model to predict power output, which incorporated site-specific weather and geographical characteristics, along with Köppen-Geiger climate classifications in order to determine the effect of adding climate to the model. After performing a Wald test between the full model and a reduced model without Köppen-Geiger climate variables, it was determined that including Köppen-Geiger climate …

The Prosecutors And Politics Project Study Of Campaign Contributions In Prosecutorial Elections, Carissa Byrne Hessick, Prosecutors And Politics Project

Faculty Publications

The Prosecutors and Politics Project has compiled a database that identifies who contributed to prosecutor elections and the amount of their donations. Campaign contribution information is often publicly available, but the format of that information varies from state to state, the information is often scattered across multiple sources and the information is sometimes incomplete. The Project has compiled this fragmented data into a single nationwide database that will allow sustained study about who contributes to prosecutor campaigns and the amount of contributions.

This report summarizes and analyzes some of the data from the database. The report will be updated as …

Mechanistic Perspectives In The Regioselective Indole Addition To Unsymmetrical Silyloxyallyl Cations, Caitlin G. Bresnahan, Kiara A. Taylor-Edinbyrd, Alexander H. Cleveland, Joshua A. Malone, Nitin S. Dange, Anne Milet, Revati Kumar, Rendy Kartika

Faculty Publications

© 2019 American Chemical Society. Our investigations on the reaction mechanism to account for regioselectivity on the addition of indoles to unsymmetrical silyloxyallyl cations are reported. Using both experimental and computational methods, we confirmed the significance of steric effects from the silyl ether group toward directing the inward approach of indoles, leading to nucleophilic attack at the less substituted electrophilic α′-carbon. The role of residual water toward accelerating the rate of reaction is established through stabilization of the participating silyloxyallyl cation.

How Health Care Providers Can Use Digital Health Technologies To Inform Human Papillomavirus (Hpv) Decision Making And Promote The Hpv Vaccine Uptake Among Adolescents And Young Adults, Versie Johnson-Mallard, Gabrielle Darville, Rebeccah Mercado, Charkarra Anderson-Lewis, Jann Macinnes

Faculty Publications

High-risk stains of human papillomavirus (HPV) is linked to causing cancer, is highly prevalent, and has increased incidence among adolescents and young adults. However, vaccination rates are low. Health care provider recommendation is the biggest influencer toward vaccine uptake. Since more health care providers are using digital health technologies in their medical practices, this study investigated the feasibility of technology to increase informed decision making. A convenience sample of 210 students completed an online survey. Participants were 18–25 years of age (88%), female (85%), Caucasian (60%), and never been diagnosed with HPV (92.9%). Overwhelmingly, participants owned a smartphone (98.9%) and …

Is Selenoprotein K Required For Borrelia Burgdorferi Infection Within The Tick Vector Ixodes Scapularis?, Deepak Kumar, Monica Embers, Thomas N. Mather, Shahid Karim

Faculty Publications

Background: Tick selenoproteins are involved in regulating oxidative and endoplasmic reticulum stress during prolonged tick feeding on mammalian hosts. How selenoproteins are activated upon tick-borne pathogen infection is yet to be defined.

Methods: To examine the functional role of selenoprotein K in Borrelia burgdorferi infection within the tick host Ixodes scapularis, RNA interference (RNAi)-based gene silencing was performed.

Results: Selenoprotein K is an endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-resident protein and a component of the ERAD complex involved in ER homeostasis. A qRT-PCR assay revealed the significant upregulation of selenogene K (selenoK) expression in B. burgdorferi-infected …

Preserving Mars Today Using Baseline Ecologies, Daniel S. Capper

Faculty Publications

Current calls to protect the Martian environment with “Planetary Parks” maintain environmental merit. However, they lack a sufficiently urgent timeframe for initiating protection as well as a robust scientific method for the establishment of noteworthy Martian natural landmarks as natural reserves. In response, if we return to the seminal environmental preservation teachings of Aldo Leopold and John Muir, we encounter the importance of grounding Martian preservation efforts on the fundamental environmental science method of a base-datum of normality, or baseline ecology. This method establishes natural reserves that feature both minimal human interference as well as known origination dates, thereby providing …

No God But Gain: The Untold Story Of Cuban Slavery, The Monroe Doctrine, And The Making Of The United States, By Stephen Chambers, Matthew David Childs

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Examining Religious Commitment, Personality, And Well-Being Among Latter-Day Saints, Kawika Allen, Ofa Hafoka, Lane Fischer

Faculty Publications

This study examined religious commitment, the big five personality traits, social interaction anxiety, and anger among 110 members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). Results suggest the majority of the participants are religious, score high on agreeableness and conscientiousness, and low on social interaction anxiety and anger. Agreeableness mediated the relationship between religious commitment and anger, and extraversion moderated the relationship between religious commitment and social interaction anxiety. Counseling strategies are discussed for social work providers. Implications and future directions are discussed.

"You Can't Go Back To Holding Hands." Reading Judy Blume's Forever In The #Metoo Era, Jenna Spiering, Kate Kedley

Faculty Publications

Judy Blume’s Forever is a cultural artifact that gives readers a historical look at society’s attitudes about sex and sexuality at the time of publication in 1975. However, in the #MeToo era, Blume’s text is poised for new analysis in light of important conversations and concerns about sex, sexuality, and consent. In this article, Critical Youth Studies and Queer Theory are used to explore the ways in which young readers can critically engage with Blume’s novel and questions about virginity, sex, sexuality, and consent associated with the #MeToo movement.

Using Big Data Analytics To Improve Hiv Medical Care Utilisation In South Carolina: A Study Protocol, Bankole Olatosi, Jiajia Zhang, Sharon Weissman, Jianjun Hu, Mohammad Rifat Haider, Xiaoming Li

Faculty Publications

Introduction Linkage and retention in HIV medical care remains problematic in the USA. Extensive health utilisation data collection through electronic health records (EHR) and claims data represent new opportunities for scientific discovery. Big data science (BDS) is a powerful tool for investigating HIV care utilisation patterns. The South Carolina (SC) office of Revenue and Fiscal Affairs (RFA) data warehouse captures individual-level longitudinal health utilisation data for persons living with HIV (PLWH). The data warehouse includes EHR, claims and data from private institutions, housing, prisons, mental health, Medicare, Medicaid, State Health Plan and the department of health and human services. The …

Highlights From The American Heart Association's Epi|Lifestyle 2019 Scientific Sessions, Alvaro Alonso, Madison D. Anderson, Michael P. Bancks, Sherry Ann Brown, Melissa C. Caughey, Alex R. Chang, Erin Delker, Kathryn Foti, Véronique Gingras, Michael G. Nanna, Alexander C. Razavi, Jewel Scott Phd, Rn, Fnp-C, Elizabeth Selvin, Catherine Tcheandjieu, Alvin G. Thomas, Ruth Alma N. Turkson-Ocran, Allison Webel, Deborah R. Young, Bailey M. Debarmore

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.