Digital Commons Network^™

Boron Nitride Colloidal Solutions, Ultralight Aerogels And Freestanding Membranes Through One-Step Exfoliation And Functionalization, Weiwei Lei, Vadym Mochalin, Dan Liu, Si Qin, Yury G. Gogotsi, Ying Chen

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

Manufacturing of aerogels and membranes from hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) is much more difficult than from graphene or graphene oxides because of the poor dispersibility of h-BN in water, which limits its exfoliation and preparation of colloidal solutions. Here, a simple, one-step mechano-chemical process to exfoliate and functionalize h-BN into highly water-dispersible, few-layer h-BN containing amino groups is presented. The colloidal solutions of few-layer h-BN can have unprecedentedly high concentrations, up to 30 mg ml^-1, and are stable for up to several months. They can be used to produce ultralight aerogels with a density of 1.4 mg cm …

A Survey Of Methods For Finding Outliers In Wireless Sensor Networks, Dylan Mcdonald, Stewart Sanchez, Sanjay Kumar Madria, Fikret Ercal

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Outlier detection is a well-studied problem in various fields. The unique characteristics and constraints of wireless sensor networks (WSN) make this problem especially challenging. Sensors can detect outliers for a plethora of reasons and these reasons need to be inferred in real time. Here, we survey the current state of research in this area, compare them and present some future directions for smarter handling of outliers in WSN.

Privacy Policy Inference Of User-Uploaded Images On Content Sharing Sites, Anna Cinzia Squicciarini, Dan Lin, Smitha Sundareswaran, Joshua Wede

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

With the increasing volume of images users share through social sites, maintaining privacy has become a major problem, as demonstrated by a recent wave of publicized incidents where users inadvertently shared personal information. In light of these incidents, the need of tools to help users control access to their shared content is apparent. Toward addressing this need, we propose an Adaptive Privacy Policy Prediction (A3P) system to help users compose privacy settings for their images. We examine the role of social context, image content, and metadata as possible indicators of users' privacy preferences. We propose a two-level framework which according …

Data-Enabled Field Experiment Planning, Management, And Research Using Cyberinfrastructure, Ibrahim Demir, Helen Conover, Witold F. Krajewski, Bong Chul Seo, Radosław Goska, Yubin He, Michael F. Mceniry, Sara J. Graves, Walter Petersen

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In the spring of 2013, NASA conducted a field campaign known as Iowa Flood Studies (IFloodS) as part of the Ground Validation (GV) program for the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission. The purpose of IFloodS was to enhance the understanding of flood-related, space-based observations of precipitation processes in events that transpire worldwide. NASA used a number of scientific instruments such as ground based weather radars, rain and soil moisture gauges, stream gauges, and disdrometers to monitor rainfall events in Iowa. This article presents the cyberinfrastructure tools and systems that supported the planning, reporting, and management of the field campaign and …

Ascension, Sandra Bennett, Doy Cave

Research & Economic Development

editor: director: designer:

Mallory Biggers photographer: Jeremy Wilburn

Properly Colored Notions Of Connectivity - A Dynamic Survey, Xueliang Li, Colton Magnant

Mathematical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Sheehan conjectured in 1975 that every Hamiltonian regular simple graph of even degree at least four contains a second Hamiltonian cycle. We prove that most claw-free Hamiltonian graphs with minimum degree at least 3 have a second Hamiltonian cycle and describe the structure of those graphs not covered by our result. By this result, we show that Sheehan’s conjecture holds for claw-free graphs whose order is not divisible by 6. In addition, we believe that the structure that we introduce can be useful for further studies on claw-free graphs.

Second Hamiltonian Cycles In Claw-Free Graphs, Hossein Esfandiari, Colton Magnant, Pouria Salehi Nowbandegani, Shirdareh Haghighi

Mathematical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Sheehan conjectured in 1975 that every Hamiltonian regular simple graph of even degree at least four contains a second Hamiltonian cycle. We prove that most claw-free Hamiltonian graphs with minimum degree at least 3 have a second Hamiltonian cycle and describe the structure of those graphs not covered by our result. By this result, we show that Sheehan’s conjecture holds for claw-free graphs whose order is not divisible by 6. In addition, we believe that the structure that we introduce can be useful for further studies on claw-free graphs.

The Dawn Of Social Intelligence (Socint), Laura K. Donohue

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

More information about citizens’ lives is recorded than ever before. Because the data is digitized, it can be accessed, analyzed, shared, and combined with other information to generate new knowledge. In a post-9/‌11 environment, the legal standards impeding access to such data have fallen. Simultaneously, the advent of global communications and cloud computing, along with network convergence, have expanded the scope of information available. The U.S. government has begun to collect and to analyze the associated data.

The result is the emergence of what can be termed “social intelligence” (SOCINT), which this Article defines as the collection of digital data …

Experimental Comparison Of Empirical Material Decomposition Methods For Spectral Ct, Kevin C. Zimmerman, Taly Gilat Schmidt

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Material composition can be estimated from spectral information acquired using photon counting x-ray detectors with pulse height analysis. Non-ideal effects in photon counting x-ray detectors such as charge-sharing, k-escape, and pulse-pileup distort the detected spectrum, which can cause material decomposition errors. This work compared the performance of two empirical decomposition methods: a neural network estimator and a linearized maximum likelihood estimator with correction (A-table method). The two investigated methods differ in how they model the nonlinear relationship between the spectral measurements and material decomposition estimates. The bias and standard deviation of material decomposition estimates were compared for the two methods, …

In Vivo Detection Of Hyperoxia-Induced Pulmonary Endothelial Cell Death Using 99mTc-Duramycin, Said H. Audi, Elizabeth R. Jacobs, Ming Zhao, David L. Roerig, Steven T. Haworth, Anne V. Clough

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Introduction

^99mTc-duramycin, DU, is a SPECT biomarker of tissue injury identifying cell death. The objective of this study is to investigate the potential of DU imaging to quantify capillary endothelial cell death in rat lung injury resulting from hyperoxia exposure as a model of acute lung injury.

Methods

Rats were exposed to room air (normoxic) or > 98% O₂ for 48 or 60 hours. DU was injected i.v. in anesthetized rats, scintigraphy images were acquired at steady-state, and lung DU uptake was quantified from the images. Post-mortem, the lungs were removed for histological studies. Sequential lung sections were immunostained …

A Portable, Low-Cost Wheelchair Ergometer Design Based On A Mathematical Model Of Pediatric Wheelchair Dynamics, Jacob R. Rammer, Susan A. Riedel, Gerald F. Harris

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Evaluation and training of wheelchair propulsion improves efficiency and prevents orthopaedic injury in pediatric manual wheelchair users. Ergometers allow static propulsion and emulate typical conditions. Currently available ergometers have deficiencies that limit their use in motion analysis. A new ergometer is developed and evaluated based on a model of wheelchair inertial dynamics that eliminates these deficiencies. This makes integrated motion analysis of wheelchair propulsion in current community, home, and international outreach efforts possible.

Performance Oriented Adaptive Architectures With Guaranteed Bounds, Benjamin Gruenwald, Tansel Yucelen, Mario Fravolini

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

While adaptive control has been used in numerous applications to achieve given system stabilization or command following criteria, the ability to obtain a predictable transient performance is a challenging problem when there is no a priori knowledge about system uncertainties (e.g., their upper bounds and/or domains). In order to address this problem, a new method is presented in [1, 2] utilizing artificial basis functions in the update law of an adaptive control design. This approach is predicated on a gradient minimization procedure and achieves a predictable transient performance without inducing oscillations in the system response as the constant gain due …

Graph-Theoretic Characterization Of Cyber-Threat Infrastructures, Amine Boukhtouta, Djedjiga Mouheb, Mourad Debbabi, Omar Alfandi, Farkhund Iqbal, May El Barachi

All Works

In this paper, we investigate cyber-threats and the underlying infrastructures. More precisely, we detect and analyze cyber-threat infrastructures for the purpose of unveiling key players (owners, domains, IPs, organizations, malware families, etc.) and the relationships between these players. To this end, we propose metrics to measure the badness of different infrastructure elements using graph theoretic concepts such as centrality concepts and Google PageRank. In addition, we quantify the sharing of infrastructure elements among different malware samples and families to unveil potential groups that are behind specific attacks. Moreover, we study the evolution of cyber-threat infrastructures over time to infer patterns …

A Domain Decomposition Method For The Steady-State Navier-Stokes-Darcy Model With Beavers-Joseph Interface Condition, Xiaoming He, Jian Li, Yanping Lin, Ju Ming

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper proposes and analyzes a Robin-type multiphysics domain decomposition method (DDM) for the steady-state Navier-Stokes-Darcy model with three interface conditions. In addition to the two regular interface conditions for the mass conservation and the force balance, the Beavers-Joseph condition is used as the interface condition in the tangential direction. The major mathematical difficulty in adopting the Beavers-Joseph condition is that it creates an indefinite leading order contribution to the total energy budget of the system [Y. Cao et al., Comm. Math. Sci., 8 (2010), pp. 1-25; Y. Cao et al., SIAM J. Numer. Anal., 47 (2010), pp. 4239-4256]. In …

Library Annual Report

Library Annual Reports

No abstract provided.

Desiring Dual Language Bilingual Education: One Community’S Perspectives On Past And Future Directions For Bilingual Learners, Amy A. Weimer, Daniela Kuri, J. Joy Esquierdo, Francisco Guajardo, Luis A. Correa

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications

Perceptions and beliefs about past, present, and future bilingual educational programs were gathered from key members of a bilingual community, including teachers, parents, and educational administrators. Participants’ responses were analyzed and three overarching themes emerged. Current perceptions of bilingual education programs are strongly influenced by: (a) sociohistorical and political factors, (b) the effectiveness of instructional techniques; and (c) beliefs about bilingualism in general. Implications of these results are described with a focus on how they can inform policies and practices for bilingual learners.

Geothermal Regime Of The Williston Basin In North Dakota, Faye N. Ricker

Theses and Dissertations

Understanding the thermal regime of a large intracontinental basin such as the Williston Basin can be enhanced by analysis of the relationships among radiogenic heat production, surface heat flow, formation temperatures, and gravity and magnetic anomaly patterns. Digital processing of the spatial and causal relationships gives insight into the effect of basement heat production on the thermal state of the basement rocks and the overlying sedimentary successions. These relationships provide valuable insight on the radioactive heat contribution to heat flow, heat flow from the lower crust, composition of the upper crust, and the potential for geothermal power generation. The specific …

Teacher Influence On Elementary School Students’ Participation In Science, Technology, Engineering, And Mathematics, Courtney Hartman

Honors College Theses

The purpose of this study is to explore the influence of elementary school teachers on encouraging students’ interest and participation in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. The researcher sought to understand what methods teachers use in their classrooms to encourage students to participate in STEM subjects and programs. This mixed methods study consisted of a questionnaire to collect quantitative data, as well as an interview of selected teachers who participated in the questionnaire to collect qualitative data. The data was analyzed to determine the overall perceptions of teachers regarding the importance of encouraging students to participate in STEM. The qualitative …

University Honors Program Newsletter, Honors College, Georgia Southern University

Honors College: News & Publications (2008-2020)

• Rebecca Henderson Returns From Korea
• Honors In Action with COBA
• Engel Appointed NCHC Treasurer
• Students Will Return to Camp Twin Lakes

An Investigation Of The Products And Impact Of Graduate Student Sotl Programs: Observations And Recommendations From A Single Institution, Nancy L. Chick, Cynthia Brame

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

This study offers an investigation of three graduate-level SoTL programs offered since 2007 at a mid-size, highly selective, private, research-intensive university in the southeastern United States. We identify patterns in these early experiences with the scholarship of teaching and learning, specifically the choices made while carrying out their first SoTL projects and their perceptions of the impact of the program. We analyzed 72 project posters and 39 impact survey responses. Drawn from the rich particularities of a single institution, this study offers insight into novice SoTL work and recommendations for developing introductory SoTL programs on other campuses.

Sotl Champions: Leveraging Their Lessons Learned, Sara Marcketti, Ann Marie Vanderzanden, Jennifer R. Leptien

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

The benefits of conducting SoTL impact individual faculty, staff, students, as well as disciplines, departments, and institutions. In spite of these benefits, colleges and universities, as well as faculty members, do not consistently embrace a broader vision of scholarship, including SoTL. This research explored individual experiences within the institutional framework of one land-grant institution to further institutionalize SoTL practice. A qualitative methodology of individual, semi-structured interviews was used to collect data. Eighteen faculty members with ranks from assistant to full professor revealed why they became involved in SoTL and the personal and professional benefits that went beyond those that “counted” …

Using Reading Guides And On-Line Quizzes To Improve Reading Compliance And Quiz Scores, Trent W. Maurer, Judith Longfield

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

This study compared students’ daily in-class reading quiz scores in an introductory Child Development course across five conditions: control, reading guide only, reading guide and on-line practice quiz, reading guide and on-line graded quiz, and reading guide and both types of on-line quizzes. At the beginning of class, students completed a 5-item quiz over the assigned readings. With the exception of the control section, all students had access to an instructor-designed reading guide for each of the 20 assigned readings. Results revealed that reading guides significantly increased student learning as demonstrated by increased scores on the in-class reading quizzes, with …

Showing Up Is Half The Battle: Assessing Different Contextualized Learning Tools To Increase The Performance In Introductory Computer Science Courses, Christine Rolka, Anja Remshagen

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

Contextualized learning is considered beneficial for student success. In this article, we assess the impact of context-based learning tools on student grade performance in an introductory computer science course. In particular, we investigate two central questions: (1) does the use context-based learning tools, robots and animations, affect student performance? (2) How do age, gender, and ethnicity impact performance? To explore these questions, we compare the impact of educational robots in conjunction with animations against a second group of students who use only animations, while controlling for the effects of gender and ethnicity. We find that the addition of robots did …

Evaluating Classroom Time Through Systematic Analysis And Student Feedback, Rebecca M. Achen, Angela Lumpkin

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

The purpose of this action research was to examine the use of class time through classroom observation and student feedback. Students’, the teacher’s, and whole class activities during class were categorized every two minutes. Students also were given pre- and post-course surveys to assess perceptions on lecture time, impact of learning strategies, and enjoyment of learning strategies. Results indicated students spent the majority of class time actively engaged in their learning instead of passively listening to lectures. However, their views of the optimal amount of lecture time did not change. Even though students overwhelmingly enjoyed engaging learning activities and found …

Students’ Opinions Of Instructional Strategies In A Graduate-Level Creativity Course, Dave S. Knowlton, David C. Sharp

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

This paper empirically examines a variety of instructional strategies as impetus for creative thinking and achievement in a graduate-level university course. This empiricism considers students’ opinions about the strategies used and the resulting effect of the class more holistically. Results indicate that reading the textbook and writing bi-weekly reflection journals were the most valued strategies by students for elevating creative thinking. The course, as a whole, did have benefit in that students felt that it allowed them to transform themselves into more creative thinkers.

More Than Math: On The Affective Domain In Developmental Mathematics, G. Michael Guy, Jonathan Cornick, Ian Beckford

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

Students at a large urban community college enrolled in fourteen sections of a developmental algebra class. While cognitive variables are often used to place students, affective characteristics may also influence their success. To explore the impact of affective variables, students took ACT’s Engage survey measuring motivation, academic-related skills and social engagement, as well as the ATMI (Attitudes Toward Math Inventory) survey. Student performance on the course was measured by a common 25 question multiple choice final exam. Of the affective variables measured, ATMI Motivation was statistically significant in positive correlation with final exam score, and ATMI Confidence had a statistically …

Supporting Graduate Student Instructors In Calculus, Daniel L. Reinholz, Murray Cox, Ryan Croke

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

This paper focuses on the use of the teaching method Peer-Assisted Reflection (PAR) to help graduate student instructors (GSIs) develop as teachers. PAR engages students in analyzing the work of their peers and providing feedback to promote their abilities of communication, collaboration, and persistence. The goals of the PAR activity were taken as goals for instruction generally, and used to support the GSIs to develop student-centered pedagogies. This report provides in depth case studies of two of four GSIs involved in implementing PAR in their introductory calculus recitation sections. Two of the GSIs showed considerable changes in practices and beliefs, …

Mapping Relational Algebra Operators Into Sql Queries: A Database Case Study, John N. Dyer, Camille F. Rogers

Information Systems & Analytics: Faculty Publications

Relational algebra operators and mapping to resulting structured query language (SQL) queries are among the most important concepts and skills for students taking a course in database design and implementation, especially those majoring in IS/IT. The most typical relational algebra operators mapped to foundational SQL include unions and intersections, as well as other relational operators applied to these operators, including differences and various joins. Unfortunately, few textbooks or external resources provide ample opportunity for students to apply the full set of most common relational algebra operators mapped to resulting SQL over a single unified case. Most database textbooks exemplify each …

Patent Scope And Enablement In Rapidly Developing Arts, Alan L. Durham

Articles

The claims of a patent and its enabling disclosure must be commensurate in scope However because of the openended nature of most patent claims in fields of rapidlydeveloping technology it is almost inevitable that before the patent has expired the claims will read on embodiments that the specification does not teach The current law on scope enablement is the source of much confusion Because enablement must be judged from a filingdate perspective some cases dismiss later advancements eg a newlydiscovered species within a claimed genus as irrelevant Other cases in contrast hold patent claims invalid because they exceed the scope …

Excluding Two Minors Of The Petersen Graph, Adam Beau Ferguson

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In this dissertation, we begin with a brief survey of the Petersen graph and its role in graph theory. We will then develop an alternative decomposition to clique sums for 3-connected graphs, called T-sums. This decomposition will be used in Chapter 2 to completely characterize those graphs which have no P_3 minor, where P_3 is a graph with 7 vertices, 12 edges, and is isomorphic to the graph created by contracting three edges of a perfect matching of the Petersen Graph. In Chapter 3, we determine the structure of any large internally 4-connected graph which has no P_2 minor, where …