Digital Commons Network^™

Predicting Risk Of Readmission In Heart Failure Patients Using Electronic Health Records, Pradumna Suryawanshi

Theses

This thesis research investigates the prediction of readmission risk in heart failure patients using their electronic health record (EHR) data from previous hospitalizations. We examine three primary questions. First, we study the use of attention mechanism in readmission prediction model based on long short-term memory(LSTM) networks and investigate the interpretability it offers regarding the importance of critical time during the visit in readmission prediction. Second given that, generally dataset is curated by combining data from multiple hospitals we investigate model generalization across multiple sites. Finally since in real life scenario model will be trained on past data and used to …

Radio Carbon - Hybrid Documentary Process, Robert Stokes

Theses

Radio Carbon is a documentary made using a methodology for creating conscious digital video projects with a process privileging respect for crew, subject, and environment over the needs of a commercial, or market driven product. The guidelines imposed by this method are fluid, and project-specific in terms of their exact interpretation for each film. This project is meant to demonstrate a production style that allows for work to be made by the participants without a dominating creative force at every stage of production. This is made possible through the introduction of chance operations at several key points along the production …

Feasibility Of Twitter Sentiment Analysis In Predicting Crime In The Uae, Rashed Khalifa Alsubousi

Theses

In this study, we demonstrate how the information provided by individuals on social media can represent some aspects of their behavior to predict criminal activities and intentions in societies. The problem discussed in this study is finding a model that can analyze social media posts to infer the intentions and feelings of the publisher behind those posts to predict the probability of committing a crime. This is a preventive technique that can be used to monitor individuals or organizations who have a behavioral pattern that can be inferred as criminal intent. To help detect and predict criminal activities, we observe …

A Deep Learning Classifier For Detecting Atrial Fibrillation In Hospital Settings Applicable To Various Sensing Modalities, Kamil Bukum

Theses

Cardiac signals provide variety of information related to the patient's health. One of the most important is for medical experts to diagnose the functionality of a patient’s heart. This information helps the medical experts monitor heart disease such as atrial fibrillation and heart failure. Atrial fibrillation (AF) is one of the most major diseases that are threatening patients’ health. Medical experts measure cardiac signals usng the Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG), the Photoplethysmogram (PPG), and more recently the Videoplethysmogram (VPG). Then they can use these measurements to analyze the heart functionality to detect heart diseases. In this study, these three major …

Developing Risk Assessment Tool For Patients’ In-Hospital Falls Using Predictive Modeling, Rasika Patil

Theses

Inpatient falls are a serious cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries among patients of all ages leading to disability and stillness. The post-fall treatment comes with rising medical costs and a stressful recovery phase. The present assessment tools align with analyzing causes of falls from historical data instead of present conditions. The key focus area of this research is to develop general-purpose fall risk assessment tools using machine learning-based predictive modeling. We used performance metrics to compare the accuracy and suggest the best suitable model for each shift. This general-purpose fall risk assessment tool can be used for all age …

Used Cars Price Prediction And Valuation Using Data Mining Techniques, Abdulla Alshared

Theses

Due to the unprecedented number of cars being purchased and sold, used car price prediction is a topic of high interest. Because of the affordability of used cars in developing countries, people tend more purchase used cars. A primary objective of this project is to estimate used car prices by using attributes that are highly correlated with a label (Price). To accomplish this, data mining technology has been employed. Null, redundant, and missing values were removed from the dataset during pre-processing. In this supervised learning study, three regressors (Random Forest Regressor, Linear Regression, and Bagging Regressor) have been trained, tested, …

Invasive Carp Movement, Behavior, And Habitat Use: Evaluating Common Carp As A Surrogate For Bigheaded Carps, Alexander Catalano

Theses

Invasive species are a major concern for fish populations globally, and the ability to predict the susceptibility of ecosystems to additional invasions or range expansions is needed. Bigheaded carp [Silver Carp (Hypophthalmichthys moltrix) and Bighead Carp (H. nobilis)] pose a serious threat to the Great Lakes Basin and numerous other aquatic ecosystems, where suitable habitat for spawning could allow for the establishment of breeding populations. Evaluating a surrogate would be useful to predict how bigheaded carp behave beyond their current range. To determine whether Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio) is an appropriate surrogate for bigheaded carp, their potential overlap in diets, …

Estimating The Power Produced By A Roof Mounted Wind Turbine In An Urban Setting, Kyle Reed Ozier

Theses

Growing concern over the effects of carbon emissions and resulting climate change have highlighted the need to move away from fossil fuels and towards renewable sources of energy. Wind energy is a popular and proven renewables technology that it is mostly implemented in rural environments. For urban settings, building mounted wind turbines could be a solution as a local source of renewable energy generation. In this study, the open-source Computational Fluid Dynamics software OpenFOAM is used to determine the wind speed on a high-rise rooftop. The simulation results are then used in tandem with real wind data from the 2020 …

Flow Of Quantum Genetic Lotka-Volterra Algebras On M2(ℂ), Sondos Muhammed Syam

Theses

In this thesis, a class of flow quantum Lotka-Volterra genetic algebras (FQLVG-A) is investigated and its structure is studied. Moreover, the necessary and sufficient conditions for the associativity and alternatively of FQGLV-A are derived. In addition, idempotent elements in FQGLV-A are found. Also, derivations of a class of FQLVG-A are described. Also, the automorphisms of a class of FQLVG-A and their positivity are examined.

Towards Automation Of Aluminum Cell Ramming Process, Maryam Salem Abdelfattah Mohamed Alkaabi

Theses

Newly installed cathode blocks in an aluminium reduction cell, expand due to a rapid increase of temperature when passing a high current at the start-up of the cell. High thermal stresses may result if cathode blocks are lined without gaps, and this can lead to cracking of the cathodes and failure of the cell. On the other hand, leaving gaps would cause failure due to molten metal infiltration in the gaps. To overcome these problems carbon-based ramming material is used to fill these gaps. Currently ‘Filling’ is carried out manually or partially automated, but this needs to be fully automated …

Immobilized Lipase On Zif For Enhanced Biofuel Production, Reem Mohammed Al Mansouri

Theses

Enzymatic transesterification of triglycerides to produce biodiesel has been gaining increasing attention owing to its advantages over chemical processes. Being catalysts, enzymes are not consumed during the processes in which they are used. Therefore, a successful technique to allow their repeated use can significantly enhance the economic feasibility of the process. The most common approach to allow easy separation of the enzymes and to eliminate their wastage is immobilization on a support matrix. Recently, Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) have been suggested as preferable support for enzyme immobilization, owing to their high-order structure and high porosity and specific surface area. This thesis …

The Impact Of Wastewater Chemistry And Flow Characteristics On Hydrogen Sulfide Concentration, Mohsina Muhammed Sherief

Theses

Hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) is a naturally occurring, highly toxic gas that is formed from the decomposition of sulfur compounds. At low concentrations, H₂S is an irritant for the eyes, respiratory and gastrointestinal tract. At higher H₂S concentrations, it produces neurological impairment with dizziness, headache, and loss of consciousness. Mortality was reported to reach 6 percent following exposure to elevated concentrations. H₂S is generated in different industrial processes. In wastewater collection and treatment plants, H₂S is a common source of concrete and metal corrosion that has resulted in huge economic loss. …

Split-Horizon Dual-Stage Dispatch Scheme For A Standalone Microgrid, Aslam Amir

Theses

The advent of microgrids has prompted plenty of studies into its design, control, protection, and implementation, with several operational as well as pilot systems being commissioned worldwide. This necessitates the development of hardware and software for the Energy Management System, the supervisory controller in a microgrid. Hence, this thesis provides a novel dual-stage dispatch scheme for the Energy Management System of a Standalone microgrid by “splitting” the dispatch time horizon into four equal quarters to facilitate better usage of power forecast accuracies. The two stages include Unit Commitment/Scheduling and Economic Dispatch for the dispatchable Distributed Energy Resources based on renewable …

Elucidation Of The Cellular Mechanisms Underlying Missense Mutations In Low Density Lipoprotein Receptor Related Protein 6 (Lrp6) Associated With Cardiovascular Diseases, Huda Issa Samha

Theses

Low-density Lipoprotein Receptor Related Protein 6 (LRP6) is a member of the Low-Density Lipoprotein Receptors family (LDLRs) which is involved in the clearance of LDL from the bloodstream and the signaling of the canonical wingless signaling pathway. Several genetic variants in the LRP6 gene have been conclusively associated with cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and metabolic syndrome. However, the structural and functional implications of those variations have not been fully elucidated. The CVD-associated LRP6 variants could be retained and possibly subjected to Endoplasmic Reticulum Associated Degradation (ERAD), a quality control and adaptive process employed by cells to eliminate misfolded proteins to maintain …

Minimization Of The Weld Distortion By Weld Sequence Optimization Using Artificial Intelligence, Jeyaganesh Devaraj

Theses

The application of dissimilar metal welding processes is increasing nowadays in the automobile, aerospace, marine industry as they not only serve for joint welding for different metals but also assist in repairing and reworking in a simplified manner. Study on optimization of weld parameter to weld a structure is important to have control over the distortion, mass deposition, tensile strength, etc. The present research reports the development and implementation of the Genetic algorithm integrated Artificial Neural Network (GANN) based weld sequence optimization for reducing deformation of dissimilar metal joining using the hot-encode technique. Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW) is used …

Harnessing Intelligence In Implementing Smart Parking Systems Integrated With Interactive Guidance System In Distinctive Shindagha Historical Neighborhood To Enhance And Regulate Mass Experiences, Rahaf Ahmad Al Kassab

Theses

Under the light of the importance of finding smart solutions for cities strategic issues and in conjunction with the broad race for urban development in order to provide the best living environment and the most appropriate tourist destination, Mobility Management occupies the first place among these issues. Due to the variation in the urban fabric of cities, especially the old historical neighborhoods that are unique in their nature, composition, and conditions for their preservation, challenges related to mobility management raised in these critical areas. Therefore, in this study, we present a smart suggestion to solve the problem of providing smart …

Possibilities In Simulated Reality, Yuan Yuan

Theses

This thesis work is based on two simple questions- what is reality, and is there any way to determine if you live in a real world. Whether from ancient times or the present, the east or the west, or fiction movies to philosophical reflection, countless people have ruminated on these questions. The answer seems obvious that reality is anything we can perceive based on our perceptions, but it’s not necessarily factual even though it feels very real. A philosophical viewpoint called epistemological skepticism indicates that we cannot be certain of anything, and there is a philosophy hypothesis named simulation theory …

Nature And Nurture, Jessica Maffett

Theses

Nature and Nurture is an animated short film about a mother wolf raising her newborn cub through its first year of life. Humanity has started to develop near their home and we see how that affects their ecosystem and existence from the perspective of the wolves. It is fiction based on historical facts of grey wolf populations in the American Midwest from the 1960’s onward. Being a predator species, they have been viewed as the villain in the folklore of many different civilizations and have been considered a pest for the damages to livestock and farmland that they can cause …

Self-Care Agency And Self-Care Practice Of Adult African Americans With Type 2 Diabetes, Martha Eddings

Theses

The purpose of the study was to identify and examine the concepts of self-care agency and self-care practice of African American adults diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, living in the local community. The research questions addressed were:

1) What is the self-care agency of adult African Americans diagnosed with type 2 diabetes?

2) What is the self-care practice of adult African Americans diagnosed with type 2 diabetes?

3) Is there a relationship between self-care agency and self-care practice in adult African Americans diagnosed with type 2 diabetes?

“From The House Come Everything”: Macler Shepard And Jeffvanderlou, Inc’S Effort To Rebuild A North St. Louis City Neighborhood, 1966-1978, Mark Loehrer

Theses

This thesis charts the course of the JeffVanderLou (JVL) organization between the pivotal years of 1966 to 1976, using the life of a man named Macler Shepard as the primary lens of exploration. Born in Marvell Arkansas, Macler Shepard followed in the footsteps of tens of thousands of other Southern migrants to cities like St. Louis, hoping to find a new life in the industrial North. However, no sooner had he settled in, he was displaced by the construction of Pruitt-Igoe, one of St. Louis’ first large-scale urban renewal programs. In response, Shepard became involved in neighborhood organizing, focusing on …

Stay In Touch: An Interaction Design Project For Managing And Facilitating Healthy Long-Distance Relationships, Zhichao Zhou

Theses

The global pandemic has deepened an epidemic of loneliness in America. Quarantine during COVID-19 restricts in-person social activities that make managing long-distance relationships challenging. People feel uncomfortable and less confident to maintain healthy relationships in a virtual world. My thesis explores interaction methods to encourage people to stay in touch in long-distance relationships through establishing and maintaining communication contracts. To solve the problem, I designed Stay In Touch - a mobile APP and a watch to provide users a quick and interesting way to monitor and manage long-distance relationships. The APP helps people manage connections and take quick reach-out actions. …

Task Assignment And Path Planning For Autonomous Mobile Robots In Stochastic Warehouse Systems, Maojia Patrick Li

Theses

The material handling industry is in the middle of a transformation from manual operations to automation due to the rapid growth in e-commerce. Autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) are being widely implemented to replace manually operated forklifts in warehouse systems to fulfil large shipping demand, extend warehouse operating hours, and mitigate safety concerns. Two open questions in AMR management are task assignment and path planning. This dissertation addresses the task assignment and path planning (TAPP) problem for autonomous mobile robots (AMR) in a warehouse environment. The goals are to maximize system productivity by avoiding AMR traffic and reducing travel time. The …

A Tool To Evaluate Simulations In Nursing Education, Susan Kane Patton

Theses

The purpose of the study is to test the interrater reliability of a tool to evaluate student performance during clinical simulations, using a convenience sample of senior Baccalaureate nursing (BSN) students and clinical instructors. Permission was obtained from Creighton University to use the Creighton Simulation Evaluation Instrument (CSEI) and further test inter-rater reliability.

Development Of A Novel Algorithm To Remove Spurious Edges From Biological Networks Through Functional Enrichment, Jeffrey Page

Theses

The field of systems biology has facilitated the modelling of large and complex biological networks. These networks, generated from prior knowledge contained in the corpus of medical and scientific literature, or from experimental data are being used to model differing macromolecule networks associated with distinct disease states. While these networks are vital in understanding disease pathology and possible treatment options, they are rife with spurious interactions. These interactions arise from the methods used to create such networks, where the ability to discriminate between direct and indirect relationships is a challenge. To combat these spurious interactions an algorithm that leverages functional …

Cultural Competence In The Baccalaureate Degree Nursing Curriculum, Angela E. Silvestri-Elmore

Theses

Health care providers are members of a helping profession and need to provide quality care to all members of society. As a result of current and projected demographic changes within the United States (U.S.), health care professionals are faced with the challenges of providing culturally competent care and fulfilling the role as the "helping profession." In the past 10 years, minority populations have increased in the U.S. For example, the African American population experienced an approximate 12.3% increase, and the Hispanic population increased by 43%. Just as it is necessary for health care professionals to respond to the increase in …

Hand-Tracking Object Interaction System, Zihao Li

Theses

At this point, VR, AR and MR technologies are thriving in different industries and business. They are increasing substantial productivity for large enterprises like Boeing and Ford at this point. Therefore, it’s well recognised that in future, VR, AR and MR will dive deeper into people's life, especially in to-business area. With VR, AR and MR being applied deeperly, more use cases and scenarios will show up. However, from interaction design and user experience perspective, current interactions for VR, AR and MR is still very primitive and not user-centered enough along with several major problems. Problems include limited accessibility, being …

Aerial Planning For Flying Taxi Of Dubai, Maitha Ali Salem Alnuaimi

Theses

Urban air mobility is the future of transportation in cities, and Dubai is one of the first cities to announce the use of air mobility models in the city. The air taxi is expected to be operational in 2023. It is announced to be electric and autonomous and will be the first in the region. The overall goal of the study was to prepare the infrastructure to operate the taxi. The problem was that the Dubai authorities have not yet started this phase, while the target date for operation has already been announced. The basic design of the study involved …

A Descriptive Study Of Case Managers' Knowledge Of Elder Abuse, Tracy L. Sooley

Theses

The purpose of the descriptive study was to measure knowledge of current legislation, awareness of current protocols, identify the use of screening and intervention tools, and the ability to identify indicators of elder abuse in case managers in a community setting in Ontario, Canada. Jean Watson's Theory of Caring and Pender's (1996) Health Promotion Model Revised guided this study. Written questionnaires developed by the researcher were distributed to community case managers during their monthly team meeting. Subjects consisted of a convenience sample of 127 case managers. A total of 122 questionnaires were completed. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics. …

Self-Reported Confidence Levels And Satisfaction By New Graduate Nurses Practicing Independently In A Nurse Residency Program, Kaitlynn Thurman

Theses

The current challenges in retaining and maintaining confident and satisfied new graduate nurses are attributed to three primary factors: lack of competence, lack of self-confidence and lack of peer support (Twibell et all, 2012). There has been a call for nurse residency programs to supplement the transition from student nurse to working nurse. The purpose of this study was to determine if new graduate nurses enrolled in the University of California Davis' Nurse Residency program reported satisfaction with their current job and to determine their level of confidence with specific nursing situations and tasks.

The Song Of The Soul: Transforming Disabling Illness Through Art, Zulis Yalte

Theses

The focus of this qualitative, arts-based inquiry was to understand how disabling illness might be transformed through art. A/r/tography - art/research/teaching and writing, was the method used to explore and understand the meaning(s) held within the art: Border Crossings - a conceptual, figurative, sculptural installation. The installation embodied the experience of disabling illness, symbolically depicting power relationships, identities, subjectivities and the multi-dimensional nature of being, of one coming up against the institution, the illness and the self. Guided by the work of Heidegger (Hermeneutic Circle), Deleuze and Guatarri (Rhizome and The body without Organs) and Foucault (Power Relationships), the A/r/tographer …