Digital Commons Network^™

Vision Graph Construction In Wireless Multimedia Sensor Networks, Xin Dong, Mehmet C. Vuran

School of Computing: Conference and Workshop Papers

In Wireless multimedia sensor networks (WMSNs), the camera nodes connected in the vision graph share overlapped field of views (FOVs) and they depend on the densely deployed relay nodes in the communication network graph to communicate with each other. Given a uniformly deployed camera sensor network with relay nodes, the problem is to find the number of hops for the vision-graph-neighbor-searching messages to construct the vision graph in an energy efficient way. In this paper, mathematical models are developed to analyze the FOV overlap of the camera nodes and the multi-hop communications in two dimensional topologies, which are utilized to …

Implementation Of A Relationship-Based School Readiness Intervention: A Multidimensional Approach To Fidelity Measurement For Early Childhood, Lisa L. Knoche, Susan M. Sheridan, Carolyn P. Edwards, Allison Q. Osborn

Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families, and Schools: Faculty Publications

The implementation efforts of 65 early childhood professionals involved in the Getting Ready project, an integrated, multi-systemic intervention that promotes school readiness through parent engagement for children from birth to age five, were investigated. Digital videotaped records of professionals engaged in home visits with families across both treatment and comparison conditions were coded objectively using a partial–interval recording system to identify and record early childhood professionals’ implementation of intervention strategies and their effectiveness in promoting parent engagement and interest in their child. Adherence, quality of intervention delivery, differentiation between groups, and participant responsiveness were assessed as multiple dimensions of fidelity. …

Exploring Links Between Well-Being And Interactional Sense-Making In Married Couples’ Jointly Told Stories Of Stress, Jody Koenig Kellas, April R. Trees, Paul Schrodt, Cassandra Leclair-Underberg, Erin K. Willer

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

Narrative theorizing suggests that narrating stress, difficulty, or trauma can be beneficial for improved mental health, yet extant research tends to consider narrating stress as an individual or psychological construct. However, in close relationships, people often experience shared stressors and jointly tell their shared stories of difficulty to others. Thus, joint storytelling processes likely also relate to individual health. We tested this expectation using a series of actor-partner interdependence models and path analyses in a study that included 68 couples’ video-recorded joint storytelling interactions. Findings primarily indicate relationships between husbands’, wives’, and couples’ storytelling behaviors and husbands’ mental health. Generally …

Building The Genomic Base-Layer Of The Oral “Omic” World, Forsyth Metagenomic Support Consortium, Jacques Izard

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

With the shift of molecular technologies directed toward the understanding of greater biological complexity of the oral cavity, a knowledge gap was created by the lack of genomic data from the diverse oral microorganisms. To facilitate and enable the interpretation of metagenomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic data generated or soon to be generated from oral biofilms, we are providing reference genomic information from phylogenetically diverse oral bacterial isolates. This work, initiated by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research as an isolated effort, is now part of the Human Microbiome Project. The goal of this effort is the public release …

Infant Temperament, Maternal Personality, And Parenting Stress As Contributors To Infant Developmental Outcomes, Victoria J. Molfese, Kathleen Moritz Rudasill, Jennifer L. Beswick, Jill L. Jacobi-Vessels, Melissa C. Ferguson, Jamie M. White

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

This study examined contributions of maternal personality and infant temperament to infant vocabulary and cognitive development both directly and indirectly through parental stress. Participants were recruited at birth and included 63 infant twin pairs and their mothers. Assessments were completed at 6, 9, 12, and 18 months of age and included Dimensions of Temperament–Revised (maternal personality), Parenting Stress Index (parental stress), Infant Behavior Questionnaire–Revised (infant temperament), Bayley Scales of Infant Development II: Mental Development Index, and MacArthur-Bates Total Vocabulary. Structural equation modeling with a jackknife approach was used to analyze data separately for each twin in the pair. At 12 …

Bullying, Amanda B. Siebecker, Susan M. Swearer Napolitano

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Defines bullying: Bullying may be the most prevalent type of aggression experienced by school-aged youth. Bullying has been defined as any form of aggression in which one student or group of students repeatedly harasses a target (i.e., victim) verbally or physically. The three key components or characteristics of bullying behaviors are (1) the behavior is intended to harm, (2) the behavior occurs repeatedly over time, and (3) there is an imbalance of power.

Discusses prevalence, impact, gender differences, development, and ecological perspectives.

Concludes:Bullying is a complex phenomenon, which is adversely affecting the majority of school-aged youth. There are long-term psychological …

Current And Future Molecular Approaches To Investigate The White Pine Blister Rust Pathosystem, B. A. Richardson, A. K. M. Ekramoddoulah, J.-J. Liu, M.-S. Kim, N. B. Klopfenstein

United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Molecular genetics is proving to be especially useful for addressing a wide variety of research and management questions on the white pine blister rust pathosystem. White pine blister rust, caused by Cronartium ribicola, is an ideal model for studying biogeography, genetics, and evolution because: (1) it involves an introduced pathogen; (2) it includes multiple primary and alternate hosts occurring in large, relatively undisturbed ecosystems; (3) some hosts exhibit endemic resistance; and (4) the disease interaction is long enduring. Molecular techniques are used to investigate population genetics, phylogenetics, hybrids, and proteomics in white pine (Pinus, subgenus Strobus) …

Isolation Of The Phycodnavirus Pbcv-1 By Biological Laser Printing, Lisa A. Fitzgerald, Peter K. Wu, James Gurnon, Justin C. Biffinger, Bradley R. Ringeisen, James L. Van Etten

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

The Phycodnaviridae family of viruses is diverse genetically but similar morphologically. These viruses infect eukaryotic algal hosts from both fresh and marine waters, and are an important component of aqueous environments. They play important roles in the dynamics of algal blooms, nutrient cycling, algal community structure, and possibly gene transfer between organisms. As such, it is important to identify new viruses within the Phycodnaviridae family. Biological laser printing (BioLP) was used to isolate single virus particles from solution. BioLP prints droplets containing a single virus particle directly onto a host medium, thereby enabling viruses to be isolated from unmodified samples. …

Isolation Of The Phycodnavirus Pbcv-1 By Biological Laser Printing, Lisa A. Fitzgerald, Peter K. Wu, James R. Gurnon, Justin C. Biffinger, Bradley R. Ringeisen, James L. Van Etten

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

The Phycodnaviridae family of viruses is diverse genetically but similar morphologically. These viruses infect eukaryotic algal hosts from both fresh and marine waters, and are an important component of aqueous environments. They play important roles in the dynamics of algal blooms, nutrient cycling, algal community structure, and possibly gene transfer between organisms. As such, it is important to identify new viruses within the Phycodnaviridae family. Biological laser printing (BioLP) was used to isolate single virus particles from solution. BioLP prints droplets containing a single virus particle directly onto a host medium, thereby enabling viruses to be isolated from unmodified samples. …

Adsorption-Controlled Growth Of Bimno3 Films By Molecular-Beam Epitaxy, J. H. Lee, X. Ke, R. Misra, J. F. Ihlefeld, X. S. Xu, Z. G. Mei, T. Heeg, M. Roeckerath, J. Schubert, Z. K. Liu, J. L. Musfeldt, P. Schiffer, D. G. Schlom

Xiaoshan Xu Papers

We have developed the means to grow BiMnO₃ thin films with unparalleled structural perfection by reactive molecular-beam epitaxy and determined its band gap. Film growth occurs in an adsorption-controlled growth regime. Within this growth window bounded by oxygen pressure and substrate temperature at a fixed bismuth overpressure, single-phase films of the metastable perovskite BiMnO₃ may be grown by epitaxial stabilization. X-ray diffraction reveals phase-pure and epitaxial films with w rocking curve full width at half maximum values as narrow as 11 arc sec (0.003°). Optical absorption measurements reveal that BiMnO₃ has a direct band gap of 1.1±0.1 …

Interlayer Exchange Coupling Across A Ferroelectric Barrier, M. Ye. Zhuravlev, A. V. Vedyayev, Evgeny Y. Tsymbal

Evgeny Tsymbal Publications

A new magnetoelectric effect is predicted originating from the interlayer exchange coupling between two ferromagnetic layers separated by an ultrathin ferroelectric barrier. It is demonstrated that ferroelectric polarization switching driven by an external electric field leads to a sizable change in the interlayer exchange coupling. The effect occurs in asymmetric ferromagnet/ferroelectric/ferromagnet junctions due to a change in the electrostatic potential profile across the junction affecting the interlayer coupling. The predicted phenomenon indicates the possibility of switching the magnetic configuration by reversing the polarization of the ferroelectric barrier layer.

Dynamic Changes In Genome-Wide Histone H3 Changes Lysine 4 Methylation Patterns In Response To Dehydration Stress In Arabidopsis Thaliana, Karin V. Van Dijk, Yong Ding, Sridar Achary Malkaram, Jean-Jack Riethoven, Rong Liu, Jingyi Yang, Peter Laczko, Han Chen, Yuannan Xia, Istvan Ladunga, Zoya V. Avramova, Michael E. Fromm

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Background: The molecular mechanisms of genome reprogramming during transcriptional responses to stress are associated with specific chromatin modifications. Available data, however, describe histone modifications only at individual plant genes induced by stress. We have no knowledge of chromatin modifications taking place at genes whose transcription has been down-regulated or on the genome-wide chromatin modification patterns that occur during the plant’s response to dehydration stress. Results: Using chromatin immunoprecipitation and deep sequencing (ChIP-Seq) we established the wholegenome distribution patterns of histone H3 lysine 4 mono-, di- and tri-methylation (H3K4me1, H3K4me2, and H3K4me3, respectively) in Arabidopsis thaliana during watered and dehydration stress …

Microevolution Of Intermediary Metabolism: Evolutionary Genetics Meets Metabolic Biochemistry, Anthony J. Zera

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

During the past decade, microevolution of intermediary metabolism has become an important new research focus at the interface between metabolic biochemistry and evolutionary genetics. Increasing recognition of the importance of integrative studies in evolutionary analysis, the rising interest in ‘evolutionary systems biology’, and the development of various ‘omics’ technologies have all contributed significantly to this developing interface. The present review primarily focuses on five prominent areas of recent research on pathway microevolution: lipid metabolism and life-history evolution; the electron transport system, hybrid breakdown and speciation; glycolysis, alcohol metabolism and population adaptation in Drosophila; chemostat selection in microorganisms; and anthocyanin …

It As A Resource For Competitive Agility: An Analysis Of Firm Performance During Industry Turbulence, Shoshana Altschuller, David S. Gelb, Theresa F. Henry

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

In an increasingly fast-paced business context, agility is crucial to firm performance. Competitive agility, the ability of a firm to rapidly sense and respond to changes in its environment, is especially important during industry turbulence. This research examines whether investment in Information Technology (IT) enhances firms’ competitive agility using analysis of firm performance during industry growth and contraction. The research approach addresses the causality question faced by previous IT productivity studies by focusing on ex-ante IT investment and subsequent firm performance during periods of unanticipated industry shocks. Findings indicate that IT investment enhances competitive agility but only in industries with …

A Framework For Identifying And Understanding Risks In Information Technology Projects, Jack T. Marchewka

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

Managing the costs, complexity, and risks of IT projects continues to be a challenge for many organizations. Project risk management is becoming an important sub-discipline of software engineering, and focuses on identifying, analyzing, and developing strategies for responding to project risk efficiently and effectively. This paper presents an IT project risk identification framework to facilitate identifying and understanding various project risks as part of an overall project risk management process. The proposed framework should be of interest to IT practitioners during the creation of the project plan and over the course of a project so that appropriate and corrective actions …

An Integrative Conceptual Model Of Vietnam As An Emerging Destination For Offshore Outsourcing Of Software Development For Finnish Companies, Nazmun Nahar, Linh Kuivanen

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

Companies are constantly under pressure to develop software within tight budgets and more efficiently. Offshore outsourcing has been seen as one solution to the dilemma, and lucrative outsourcing businesses have evolved in many countries. Vietnam is now emerging within this global outsourcing sector. This study conducts an in-depth literature review and analyzes a number of important issues related to developing countries in general and Vietnam in particular, as an offshore outsourcing destination for Finnish companies for developing their software. From the analysis, an integrative conceptual model of software development through offshore outsourcing was developed. The study found challenges as well …

Technological-Personal-Environmental (Tpe) Framework: A Conceptual Model For Technology Acceptance At The Individual Level, Yijun Jiang, Dongyu Chen, Fujun Lai

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

This paper describes the development of the Technological-Personal-Environmental (TPE) framework, which explains individuals’ behaviors of technology acceptance. We argue that existing individual-level technology acceptance theories provide a valuable, but incomplete, understanding of individuals’ technology acceptance. By synthesizing extant technology acceptance models and theories, the proposed TPE delineates the individual-level technology acceptance from technological, personal, and environmental aspects. The proposed framework provides a wider angle to investigate individual-level technology acceptance.

Leadership Characteristics And Team Outcomes In The Development Of A Marketing Web Page, Garry L. White, Karen H. Smith

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

Team structures are changing under the pressures of e-commerce and globalization. Today teams have to manage the challenges of working across functional boundaries, such as marketing and web development. In such an environment, research in the disciplines of management and psychology have found that shared leadership among team members may be superior to traditional leadership by a single team member, but this notion has not been tested in the contexts of marketing and web development. This paper presents the results of an empirical study showing that teams with shared leadership exhibited better performance and greater member satisfaction than teams with …

A Framework For Analyzing Business Model Innovation In Mobile Commerce, Chung-Shing Lee, Jonathan C. Ho

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

The paper develops and tests a framework for evaluating mobile commerce business models and strategies. To study business model innovation in mobile commerce, we analyze the cost, revenue, and growth components of the business model. In addition, we also investigate whether the implementation of the new business model successfully capitalized on the key disruptive attributes of mobile commerce. An analytical framework is developed to guide the empirical study of the two leading mobile commerce companies in Taiwan. The empirical research indicates that the mobile commerce industry in Taiwan has been able to capitalize on many but not all of the …

Information Technology Certification Value: An Initial Response From Employers, David Wiershem, Guoying Zhang, Charles R. Johnston

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

This article looks at the value of certification from the employer's perspective. It is perhaps the first study in this area that gathers data directly from employers. A survey of directors of university information technology departments is analyzed, and the results indicate limited support for certifications being valued assets of their employees. While not sufficiently strong enough to warrant generalization of the results to business in general, with this information, students and professionals should be able to better prepare themselves for finding employment and academic programs can better evaluate the appropriateness of the inclusion of certification training in their curricula.

Lip Movement Exaggerations During Infant Directed Speech, Jordan R. Green, Ignatius S. B. Nip, Erin M. Wilson, Antje Mefferd, Yana Yunusova

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Purpose: Although a growing body of literature has indentified the positive effects of visual speech on speech and language learning, oral movements of infant directed speech have rarely been studied. This investigation used 3-dimensional motion capture technology to describe how mothers modify their lip movements when talking to their infants.
Method: Lip movements were recorded from twenty-five mothers as they spoke to their infants and other adults. Lip shapes were analyzed for differences across speaking conditions. The maximum fundamental frequency, duration, acoustic intensity, and first and second formant frequency of each vowel were also measured.
Results: Lip movements were significantly …

The Polypeptide Syn67 Interacts Physically With Human Holocarboxylase Synthetase, But Is Not A Target For Biotinylation, Yousef I. Hassan, Hideaki Moriyama, Janos Zempleni

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Holocarboxylase synthetase (HCS) catalyzes the binding of biotin to lysines in carboxylases and histones in two steps. First, HCS catalyzes the synthesis of biotinyl-5′-AMP; second, the biotinyl moiety is ligated to lysine residues. It has been proposed that step two is fairly promiscuous, and that protein biotinylation may occur in the absence of HCS as long as sufficient exogenous biotinyl-5′- AMP is provided. Here, we identified a novel polypeptide (Syn67) with a basic patch of lysines and arginines. Yeast-two-hybrid assays and limited proteolysis assays revealed that both N- and C-termini of HCS interact with Syn67. A potential target lysine in …

Aging And The Vulnerability Of Speech To Dual Task Demands, Susan Kemper, Ralynn Schmalzried, Lesa Hoffman, Ruth Herman

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Tracking a digital pursuit rotor task was used to measure dual task costs of language production by young and older adults. Tracking performance by both groups was affected by dual task demands: time on target declined and tracking error increased as dual task demands increased from the baseline condition to a moderately demanding dual task condition to a more demanding dual task condition. When dual task demands were moderate, older adults’ speech rate declined but their fluency, grammatical complexity, and content were unaffected. When the dual task was more demanding, older adults’ speech, like young adults’ speech, became highly fragmented, …

Understanding Caretakers' Dilemma In Deciding Whether Or Not To Adhere With Referral Advice After Pre-Referral Treatment With Rectal Artesunate, D.O. Simba, D.C. Kakoko, M. Warsame, Zul Premji, M.F. Gomes, G. Tomson, E. Johansson

Pathology, East Africa

Background: Malaria kills. A single rectal dose of artesunate before referral can reduce mortality and prevent permanent disability. However, the success of this intervention depends on caretakers' adherence to referral advice for follow-up care. This paper explores the dilemma facing caretakers when they are in the process of deciding whether or not to transit their child to a health facility after pre-referral treatment with rectal artesunate.

Methods: Four focus group discussions were held in each of three purposively selected villages in Mtwara rural district of Tanzania. Data were analysed manually using latent qualitative content analysis.

Results: The theme «Caretakers dilemma …

Specialist Program In School Psychology Handbook Of Field-Based Training Experiences In School Psychology 2010, Nova University

College of Psychological Services / College of Psychology Postgraduate Student and Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Coastal New England Pilot Study To Determine Fossil And Biogenic Formaldehyde Source Contributions Using Radiocarbon, Haiwei Shen, Brian G. Heikes, John T. Merrill, Ann P. Mcnichol, Li Xu

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

Compound specific radiocarbon analyses of atmospheric formaldehyde are reported as fraction modern (Fm) for a limited number of winter and summer air samples collected in coastal southern New England in 2007. The 11 of 13 samples with Fm < 0.2 were collected under the influence of the semipermanent Bermuda high‐pressure system with transport from the Washington, D. C., to New York City urban corridor. The two samples with Fm > 0.2 (max ∼ 0.35) were collected on days with strong northwesterly flow and the least urban impact. The Fm data were combined with VOC observations from the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, estimates of oxygenated VOC (OVOC), and back trajectories to interpret the relative contributions of biogenic and fossil carbon sources. It is argued that CH₂O sources were dominated …

Short- And Medium-Range Prediction Of Tropical And Transitioning Cyclone Tracks Within The Ncep Global Ensemble Forecasting System, Christian E. Buckingham, Timothy Marchok, Isaac Ginis, Lewis M. Rothstein, Dail Rowe

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

The NCEP Global Ensemble Forecasting System (GEFS) is examined in its ability to predict tropical cyclone and extratropical transition (ET) positions. Forecast and observed tracks are compared in Atlantic and western North Pacific basins for 2006–08, and the accuracy and consistency of the ensemble are examined out to 8 days. Accuracy is quantified by the average absolute and along- and cross-track errors of the ensemble mean. Consistency is evaluated through the use of dispersion diagrams, missing rate error, and probability within spread. Homogeneous comparisons are made with the NCEP Global Forecasting System (GFS). The average absolute track error of the …

Modeling The Impact Of Declining Sea Ice On The Arctic Marine Planktonic Ecosystem, Jinlun Zhang, Yvette H. Spitz, Michael Steele, Carin Ashjian, Robert Campbell, Léo Berline, Patricia Matrai

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

We have developed a coupled 3‐D pan‐Arctic biology/sea ice/ocean model to investigate the impact of declining Arctic sea ice on the marine planktonic ecosystem over 1988–2007. The biophysical model results agree with satellite observations of a generally downward trend in summer sea ice extent during 1988–2007, resulting in an increase in the simulated photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) at the ocean surface and marine primary productivity (PP) in the upper 100 m over open water areas of the Arctic Ocean. The simulated Arctic sea ice thickness has decreased steadily during 1988–2007, leading to an increase in PAR and PP in sea …

The Activelecture System, Sanuja Dabade

Master's Projects

For an instructor, it has always been a challenging task to keep students engaged during the lecture and assess them in real time. Instructors use different methodologies to address the challenge of keeping students engaged during the class and increase their participation. Widely used methodologies for active learning include clickers and Tablet PCs. Clickers are small handheld devices which are used to collect student responses and present these responses graphically. Tablet PCs provide a functionality to use natural handwriting to provide feedback. Web browsers are a cost effective approaches. I have used a web based technology to create active learning …

The Informationist: Ten Years Later, Mark Aaron Polger

Publications and Research

The article explores the last 10 years of literature relating to Davidoff and Florance’s informationist concept. An informationist provides many of the same services as a medical librarian, is a permanent member of the clinical team, and resides on the clinical floors. The author explores the job functions of the informationist and examines whether this service has come to fruition. The author argues that the informationist service can only be fully realized in large academic health sciences libraries, large teaching hospitals, and medical research organizations such as the National Institutes of Health. To facilitate this argument, a questionnaire was distributed …