Digital Commons Network^™

An Investigation Of At-Risk College Students Through Data Mining And Implementation Of Predictive Analysis, Nicole Alaine Cresse

Kutztown University Masters Theses

This project will encompass an in-depth study of at-risk college students that implements both predictive analysis and data mining techniques. At-risk students are students with a specific set of demographics, study habits, and historical academic performance. Using predictive analysis, factors that directly correlate with student performance will be used to create a detection algorithm for particular student characteristics. From this data, it will be determined if a student is deemed “at-risk” academically, and if action needs to be taken by faculty or the student themselves.

The goal of this study is to determine the optimal algorithm that identifies at-risk students …

Outcomes Of Prediabetes And Diabetes Education Programs Tailored For Vulnerable Popuations, Diana Al Sayed Hassan

Dissertations

Diabetes is a debilitating disease and if not managed properly it can lead to multiple complications and even premature death. Diabetes continues to disproportionately affect vulnerable populations. The purpose of this three-paper method dissertation was to examine the implementation of a prediabetes and diabetes programs in a community setting to serve vulnerable populations in addition to understanding future diabetes-related educational needs.

The first paper is an evaluation of a shortened five-week diabetes prevention program for older adults with prediabetes or at a high risk for developing type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Chang in nutrition knowledge, eating and physical activity behaviors, …

Implementation Of A Staff Management System To Increase Consumer Engagement In Group Homes, Jeana L. Koerber

Dissertations

A multi-component staff management system was implemented in three residential group homes for adults with disabilities to examine if it would increase consumer (resident) engagement in leisure activities. The design was a non-concurrent and concurrent multiple baseline design across homes. Participants included consumers who lived in the homes and the direct care staff (DCS) who worked with them: a total of 35 participants. Sessions were an hour in length and occurred twice a day, Monday through Friday. The study lasted approximately 17 weeks in each group home.

There were four phases: (phase A) baseline assessment of consumer engagement and affect, …

Novel Software Defined Radio Architecture With Graphics Processor Acceleration, Lalith Narasimhan

Dissertations

Wireless has become one of the most pervasive core technologies in the modern world. Demand for faster data rates, improved spectrum efficiency, higher system access capacity, seamless protocol integration, improved security and robustness under varying channel environments has led to the resurgence of programmable software defined radio (SDR) as an alternative to traditional ASIC based radios. Future SDR implementations will need support for multiple standards on platforms with multi-Gb/s connectivity, parallel processing and spectrum sensing capabilities. This dissertation implemented key technologies of importance in addressing these issues namely development of cost effective multi-mode reconfigurable SDR and providing a framework to …

Effects Of Exercise Training And Doxorubicin On Myogenic Regulatory Factors, Colin Joseph Quinn

Dissertations

Doxorubicin (DOX) is a widely used anthracycline antibiotic used to treat a number of hematological and solid tumor cancers. Dosage; however, is limited due to its toxic effects in healthy tissues. Negative consequences include myotoxicity in skeletal muscle, which may limit mobility and activities of daily living. The capacity for skeletal muscular regeneration relies heavily of the activity of myogenic regulatory factor (MRF) proteins. In vitro experiments with DOX depress expression of MRFs but in vivo treatment may elicit different responses. Endurance exercise has been shown to elevate MRF expression, and may preserve MRFs following in vivo DOX-treatment. Purpose: To …

Students’ Development Of Geometric Reasoning About The Derivative Of Complex-Valued Functions, Jonathan David Troup

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the nature of students’ reasoning about the derivative of a complex-valued function, and to study ways in which they developed this reasoning while working with Geometer’s Sketchpad (GSP). The participants in this study were four students from one undergraduate complex analysis class. The development of participants’ reasoning about the derivative of a complex-valued function was captured via video-recording and screen-capture software in a four-day interview sequence consisting of a two-hour-long interview each day. This reasoning was interpreted through the theoretical perspective of embodied cognition. The findings indicated that students manifested embodied reasoning …

When 1 + 1 > 2: Nanostructured Composites For Hard Tissue Engineering Applications, Vuk Uskoković

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Multicomponent, synergistic and multifunctional nanostructures have taken over the spotlight in the realm of biomedical nanotechnologies. The most prospective materials for bone regeneration today are almost exclusively composites comprising two or more components that compensate for the shortcomings of each one of them alone. This is quite natural in view of the fact that all hard tissues in the human body, except perhaps the tooth enamel, are composite nanostructures. This review article highlights some of the most prospective breakthroughs made in this research direction, with the hard tissues in main focus being those comprising bone, tooth cementum, dentin and enamel. …

Legitimacy And The International Trade Regime, Thomas Christiano

San Diego Law Review

Issues of global justice and trade are usually dealt with in terms of what a just system of trade is like and what the distribution of income, opportunities, or welfare ought to be. But the question I address and explore is what a legitimate way of making decisions in the international realm is. This issue has arisen acutely in the case of the formation of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and other international institutions. In particular, many have complained that developed countries engaged in hard bargaining with developing countries in the conferences that led up to the formation of the …

Two Conceptions Of Justice And The Dystopia Of Global Justice, Horacio Spector

San Diego Law Review

Political associations raise special questions of justice. Some authors contend that those special questions derive from characteristic features of the modern state. For instance, Thomas Nagel argues that two defining features of the political community justify associative redistributive duties that hold among its members but not among members and nonmembers. Those features are the fact that the political community exercises sovereign power over its members by resorting to the imposition of coercive rules and the fact that it exercises that power in the name of its members. In this paper, I will not challenge this assertion but will nonetheless argue …

A Study Of Ethics For Accounting Students At East Tennessee State University, Jordan Warhurst

Undergraduate Honors Theses

What is being done to stop the increase of accounting scandals and frauds? This study focuses on ethics teaching for accounting students at the undergraduate level. This study asks the question, "have students increased in their use of professional judgement as defined by the AICPA code of Professional Conduct?"

Logic Gates Using The Digilent Basys3, Austin H. Duncan

Undergraduate Honors Theses

ENTC 3370 teaches students the basics of digital circuits. Until recently the students were taught using an analog device called a Protoboard. With the acquisition of the Digilent Basys3, a digital device, the class will begin to be taught using digital modeling techniques. This is a collection of lab activities designed to be used with the Basys3 within the class. The activities were designed in a way so that students with little programming knowledge could complete the tasks.

Innocent Until Proven Guilty: Shakespeare's Use Of Source Material In Three Plays, Alexandria C. Mcqueen

Undergraduate Honors Theses

In my thesis, I discuss and analyze William Shakespeare’s utilization and adaptation of source texts within three of his dramas: Henry IV, Part I, a history; Twelfth Night, a comedy; and Julius Caesar, a tragedy. By comparing Shakespeare’s adaption of sources to the contemporary United Kingdom intellectual property policies, it becomes possible for me to determine whether Shakespeare’s extensive and popular dramas would violate modern copyright law.

The first chapter, “Printing and Writing in the Early Modern Period,” discusses the development of proprietary interests among the Elizabethan people. I break down the individual components of the printing process in …

"A Spark" With Critical Introduction "Ore And Lore: Mining, Literature, And Loss", Andrea J. Warren

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis explores the emotional, physical, and familial repercussions of coal mining in the Appalachian region, especially in regards to relationships within the community. The thesis is divided into two parts; a critical essay in which the objective facts, statistics, and histories of coal mining are addressed, and a short story which shares the subjective experience of the Hicks family.

Demography And Disease Of The Rare Shrub Buckleya Distichophylla (Santalaceae) In Northeastern Tennessee, William Seth Ratliff

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Piratebush (Buckleya distichophylla (Nutt.) Torr.) is a rare, hemiparasitic shrub with the only extant populations in western North Carolina, northeastern Tennessee, and southwestern Virginia. The preferred natural hosts of piratebush, Carolina and eastern hemlocks, have seen sharp declines over the last decade due to the invasive hemlock woolly adelgid. Virginia pine, another important host of piratebush, is also susceptible to disease, specifically Cronartium appalachianum, a rust fungus for which piratebush is the secondary host. This study described and analyzed current demographic parameters of three Tennessee piratebush populations. Additionally, spatial patterns of disease and demographic characters were analyzed. These …

Multiple Sclerosis And The Benefits Of Exercise, Sydney P. Lovelace

University Honors College

In this report, the effects that exercise has on multiple sclerosis are presented. Types, symptoms, and treatment options are described in order to give a clear understanding of the disease. The modes of exercise and the benefits that each mode holds will be explained and applied to the life of one living with multiple sclerosis. There will more attention toward resistance exercise, yoga, and tai chi as forms of exercise. Along with the benefits, the ways that poor posture and balance will be identified. With this information, the reader will gain an understanding about how identifying issues in posture and …

Proof Beyond A Reasonable Doubt: A Balanced Retributive Account, Alec Walen

Louisiana Law Review

No abstract provided.

Choosing Among Imprecise American State Parentage Laws, Jeffrey A. Parness

Louisiana Law Review

No abstract provided.

Death In The City: Gorman’S Flawed Application Of The Direct Action Statute To Insured Political Subdivisions, Grant Tolbird

Louisiana Law Review

No abstract provided.

Policing Charitable Organizations: Whose Responsibility Is It?, Maxwell B. Kallenberger

Louisiana Law Review

No abstract provided.

Common Law Fundamentals Of The Right To Abortion, Anita Bernstein

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

To Win Wars, Correct The Army's Political Blind Spot, Joseph Roger Clark

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

No abstract provided.

Students' Perception Towards Thermal Sensation In Libraries / Chen Sin Yee, Sin Yee Chen

Student Works (2010-2019)

Recently, the effect of thermal sensation found to greatly impacted on the outcome or productivity of work within an area. Based on the thermal environment data, the air temperature and mean radiant temperature found to be in compliance with the standard stated, but the percentage rate of relative humidity revealed that were higher than standard, whereas the air velocity has reported were lower than standard. On the other hand, the results shown from relevant parameters in perceived thermal sensation, i.e. the level of coldness (air temperature and mean radiant temperature), the level of humidity (relative humidity) and the level of …

A Financial Analysis Of Buffalo Charter Schools: Are Charter Schools Getting Their Fair Share Of Public Funds?, Kimberly R. German

Public Administration Master’s Projects

The charter school movement has existed for approximately 20 years and just under that in New York State. Charter schools are privately-managed public schools. As the quantity of charter schools and the students attending them increase in the city of Buffalo so too does the amount of taxpayer dollars directed to them. Charter schools receive tuition payments from local school districts for students from those districts attending their school. The payments are public funds, the amounts of which are derived from a funding formula created by the state and paid by the local school district. Charter schools argue there is …

Examining The Association Between Psychotropic Medication And Suicidal Desire And Risk, Brittney L. Assavedo

Master's Theses

The primary aim of this study was to examine the relationship between components of suicidal desire and psychotropic medication. Specifically, the usage of psychotropic medication, the usage of specific classes of psychotropic medications and the amount of psychotropic medication utilized and differences in feelings of perceived burdensomeness, thwarted belongingness and overall suicide risk were examined. The present study utilized pre-collected data consisting of 225 patients with substance use disorder undergoing residential treatment for substance dependence. It was posited that individuals utilizing psychotropic medications would exhibit higher mean levels of thwarted belongingness, perceived burdensomeness, and suicide risk relative to individuals not …

Effects Of Failure On Subsequent Performance In The Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops Truncatus), Lisa Kay Lauderdale

Master's Theses

The current study examined the immediate effects of two types of failure during operant-conditioning based training sessions in 11 bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) at the U.S. Navy Marine Mammal Program in San Diego, CA. While learning a multi-faceted behavior not commonly found in nature, such as beaching, animals are likely to perform approximations of the behavior that are not successful and do not result in reinforcement. The effects of failure on beaching trials were systematically investigated over a three-month period by determining the mean failure rate and the probability of success after initial success, initial attempts, and initial …

A Cultural Consideration: Eliminating The Barriers In Order To Effectively Communicate Crises, Morgan H. Dunaway

Master's Theses

This study aimed at gaining a better understanding of the Hispanic American culture in an effort to evaluate how they view and receive messages sent from the government. The purpose of this study was to further the conversation that messages should be designed with careful thought in order to resonate with the target audience involved in the communication process. A previous study found that the majority of the Hispanic American population felt as if they are overlooked and would not be warned properly in a time of crisis (Heath, Lee, & Ni, 2009). Therefore, the present study focused on variables …

Child Routines And Self-Regulation As Mediators Of Parenting Practices And Externalizing Problems In Preschoolers, Lovina R. Bater

Master's Theses

Studies clearly indicate that parenting practices relate to child externalizing behaviors, although the mechanisms underlying this relation are less well understood. Researchers suggest that daily routines are one way through which parenting practices relate to externalizing behaviors, allowing children to regulate their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors accordingly, potentially promoting development of appropriate self-regulatory behaviors. Self-regulation is also a possible route through which child routines inversely relate to externalizing behaviors. These relationships have been tested in school-age and older children, yet self-regulatory abilities are known to develop during the preschool period. This study examined child routines and self-regulation as serial mediators …

Mixed-Criticality Job Models: A Comparison, Sanjoy K. Baruah, Zhishan Guo

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

The Vestal model in widely used in the real-time scheduling community for representing mixed-criticality real-time workloads. This model requires that multiple WCET estimates -- one for each criticality level in a system -- be obtained for each task. Burns suggests that being required to obtain too many WCET estimates may place an undue burden on system developers, and proposes a simplification to the Vestal model that makes do with just two WCET estimates per task. Burns makes a convincing case in favor of adopting this simplified model; here, we report on our attempts at comparing the two models -- Vestal’s …

Building Crowd Movement Model Using Sample-Based Mobility Survey, Larry J. J. Lin, Shih-Fen Cheng, Hoong Chuin Lau

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Crowd simulation is a well-studied topic, yet it usually focuses on visualization. In this paper, we study a special class of crowd simulation, where individual agents have diverse backgrounds, ad hoc objectives, and non-repeating visits. Such crowd simulation is particularly useful when modeling human agents movement in leisure settings such as visiting museums or theme parks. In these settings, we are interested in accurately estimating aggregate crowd-related movement statistics. As comprehensive monitoring is usually not feasible for a large crowd, we propose to conduct mobility surveys on only a small group of sampled individuals. We demonstrate via simulation that we …

Learning And Controlling Network Diffusion In Dependent Cascade Models, Jiali Du, Pradeep Varakantham, Akshat Kumar, Shih-Fen Cheng

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Diffusion processes have increasingly been used to represent flow of ideas, traffic and diseases in networks. Learning and controlling the diffusion dynamics through management actions has been studied extensively in the context of independent cascade models, where diffusion on outgoing edges from a node are independent of each other. Our work, in contrast, addresses (a) learning diffusion taking management actions to alter the diffusion dynamics to achieve a desired outcome in dependent cascade models. A key characteristic of such dependent cascade models is the flow preservation at all nodes in the network. For example, traffic and people flow is preserved …