Digital Commons Network^™

Can Trained Field Community Workers Identify Stroke Using A Stroke Symptom Questionnaire As Well As Neurologists? Adaptation And Validation Of A Community Worker Administered Stroke Symptom Questionnaire In A Peri-Urban Pakistani Community., Maria Khan,, Ayeesha Kamran Kamal, Muhammad S. Ilyas, Muhammad Islam, Iqbal Azam Syed, Azam Virk,, Alia Nasir, Hasan Rehman,, Anita Arif,, Muhammad Jan,, Anjum Akhtar,, Minaz Mawani, Junaid Abdul Razzak,, Omrana Pasha

Department of Medicine

Background: Stroke is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. There is a paucity of data from South Asia where stroke is highly prevalent. Validated tools administrable by Community Health Workers (CHWs) are required to identify stroke in the community in a resource strapped region such as this.

Methods: The study was conducted in a transitional slum in Karachi, Pakistan. Questionnaire for Verifying Stroke-Free Status (QVSFS) was adapted and translated into Urdu. Two CHWs, trained by a neurologist, selected 322 community dwelling subjects using purposive sampling. Each CHW collected data independently which was validated by a vascular neurologist who …

Automated Computation Of Scattering Amplitudes From Integrand Reduction To Monte Carlo Tools, Hans Van Deurzen, Gionata Luisoni, Pierpaolo Mastrolia, Giovanni Ossola, Zhibai Zhang

Publications and Research

After a general introduction about the calculation of one-loop scattering amplitudes via integrand-level techniques, which led to the construction of efficient and automated computational tools for NLO predictions, we briefly describe an approach to the reduction of scattering amplitudes based on integrand-level reduction via multivariate polynomial division also applicable beyond one-loop amplitudes. We also review the main features of the GoSam 2.0 automated framework for NLO calculations and show some of its application to Standard Model processes involving the production massive particles, such as the Higgs boson or top-quark pairs, obtained embedding of the virtual amplitudes produced by GoSam within …

Innovative Web Applications For Analyzing Traffic Operations, Natasha Petrovska

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

The road traffic along with other key infrastructure sectors such as telecommunication, power, etc. has an important role in economic and technological growth of one country. Traffic engineers and analysts are responsible for solving a diversity of traffic problems, such as traffic data acquisition and evaluation. In response to the need to improve traffic operation, researchers implement advanced technologies and integration of systems and data, and develop state-of-the-art applications. This thesis introduces three novel web applications with an aim to offer traffic operators, managers, and analysts’ possibility to monitor the congestion, and analyze incidents and signal performance measures. They offer …

Keeping An Eye On Cheaters: Cognitive And Social Determinates Of Successful Deontic Reasoning In Preschool Children, Patrick D Ii Sellers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

Deontic reasoning is a domain of reasoning concerning permissions, obligations, and prohibitions founded on conditional logic (Wason,1968). The inclusion of a social valence to deontic rules leads to increased rule violation identification in both adults (Cosmides & Tooby, 1992) and children (Harris & Nunez, 1996), suggesting an evolutionary advantage for a specific class of reasoning known as “cheater-detection” (Fiddick, 2004). The current investigation is the first attempt to understand the cognitive and social variables that account for children’s logical reasoning advantage in social violation situations.

Methionine Sulfoxide Reductase (Msr) Modulates Lifespan Andlocomotion In Drosophila Melanogaster, Lindsay Bruce

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

Oxidative stress is considered a major factor in the etiology of age related diseases and the aging process itself. Organisms have developed mechanisms to protect against oxidative damage resulting from increased production of reactive oxygen species during aging. One of the major antioxidant systems is the methionine sulfoxide reductase (Msr) enzyme family. The two major Msr enzymes, MsrA and MsrB, can stereospecifically reduce the S and R epimers, respectively, of methionine sulfoxide in proteins back to methionine. This study, using Drosophila melanogaster, decribes the first animal system lacking both MsrA and MsrB. The loss of either MsrA or MsrB had …

Mechanisms Of Placental Dysfunction In Pregnancy Malaria, Jared Lybbert

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

The molecular mechanisms by which pregnancy malaria affects the outcome of fetal development are unknown. Megalin, which has been well studied in kidney, has high expression in the placenta from early stages to term, and is proposed to be an important factor in extensive maternofetal exchange during development of the fetus. Pregnancy malaria (PM) is characterized by inflammation in placenta and is associated with low birthweight (LBW), stillborn birth, and other pathologies. It is hypothesized that PM disturbs megalin function/expression/distribution in the brush boarder of syncytiotrophoblast which, in turn, may contribute significantly to pathology of LBW. Our studies show that …

Mmo Gaming Culture: An Online Gaming Family, Michael Perez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

This study examines the social organization of Gaiscíoch, a large online gaming community that exists within the simulated world of a massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG). It provides an ethnographic account of an online gaming community that is open to any player without skill or time commitment requirements, but still maintains high status within the game world. This project identifies eight elements that make this inclusive, friendly, and casual community successful in virtual worlds that tend to be dominated by communities that have a competitive, strict, and exclusive approach to online gaming (social interaction, code of values, leadership, …

Paleodemography Of Highland Beach The Demographic Parameters Of A Native American Population From Southeastern Florida, Christopher Hennessey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

Those who practice within the field and those who wish to discredit the field have long debated the field of paleodemography. In 1999 and again in 2000, researchers who used paleodemographic analysis assembled in Rostock, Germany to amend the present issues and change the way research is conducted in the future (Hoppa and Vaupel 2002). As a result of these meetings, researchers created the Rostock Manifesto. While many scholars accepted the change in the suite of methodologies carried out under the new guidance, little has been said on the effectiveness of the manifesto. In this thesis, I argue that the …

Noise Radiation From A Cylindrical Embossment Immersed In Turbulent Boundary Layer Flow, Benjamin Skyler Bryan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

This dissertation will consider the sound radiation from forward-facing steps and a three dimensional cylindrical embossment of very low aspect ratio mounted on a plate. Glegg et al (2014) outlined a theory for predicting the sound radiation from separated flows and applied the method to predicting the sound from forward-facing steps. In order to validate this theory it has been applied to the results of Catlett et al (2014) and Ji and Wang (2010). This validation study revealed that the original theory could be adjusted to include a mixed scaling which gives a better prediction. RANS simulations have been performed …

Perceptions Of The Environment: An Ethnographic Study Of Sensory Awareness And Environmental Activism Among South Florida Yoga Practitioners, Meagan L. Weisner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

The practice of yoga is an increasingly popularized movement within the West that incorporates the desire for physical fitness, spiritual consciousness, and environmentalism. Emanating from the New Age movement, the popularity of yoga has proliferated as a subculture that seeks to encourage mind–body wellbeing while representing an ethos that assumes environmental responsibility. This thesis examines the techniques of modern yoga and the influence that asana (posture) and meditational relaxation have on the senses and subsequently on environmental awareness and activism.

Perceived Job Satisfaction Of Resident Assistants In Student Housing At Three Florida Public Universities, Teeranai Ovathanasin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

The purpose of this study was to determine differences in satisfaction of public university Resident Assistants (RAs) with regard to several job satisfaction factors identified on the Resident Assistant Satisfaction Survey (RASS), specifically as compared to Casey’s (2009) normative sample of RAs in privatized university housing. The RASS outlined eight Employment Aspect Factors and three Criterion Factors to determine RA job satisfaction. This study also determined if there were differences in job satisfaction for public university RAs based on gender, racial ethnic identification, or academic class standing. Resident Assistants from three Research I Florida institutions in the United States completed …

Perceptions Of Ambiguous Events, Cleopatre Paulvin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

This study looked at the effects of stereotypes in the media on memory for ambiguous events. The latter were stimuli created to portray individuals of two different racial groups (white and black) in situations that did not necessarily negatively implicate these actors. Two hundred and thirty six participants took part and viewed these events as well as six media clips. Three groups of media clips were shown: clips with black actors, white actors, and both races. A subset of participants, the explicit condition, were asked to rate the media clips for stereotypes, whereas another group, the implicit condition, were instructed …

Perceptions Of Academic Resilience Among Teachers And Twelfth Grade Adolescent Girls, Alise Obrien

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

This qualitative research study explored perceptions of academic resilience among teachers and twelfth grade adolescent girls. Specifically, how students and teachers believe teachers promote academic resilience in students, the characteristics of academically resilient students according to students and teachers, and the characteristics of academically non-resilient students according to teachers. The relationship between the general comments made during student focus group sessions and the students' responses on the Locus of Control (LOC) survey were analyzed. Qualitative data were collected including teacher interviews, student focus groups, Implicit Theories of Intelligence Scales for teachers and students as well as the Nowicki-Strickland Locus of …

Predictive Modeling For Chronic Conditions, Ritesh Jain

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

Chronic Diseases are the major cause of mortality around the world, accounting for 7 out of 10 deaths each year in the United States. Because of its adverse effect on the quality of life, it has become a major problem globally. Health care costs involved in managing these diseases are also very high. In this thesis, we will focus on two major chronic diseases Asthma and Diabetes, which are among the leading causes of mortality around the globe. It involves design and development of a predictive analytics based decision support system which uses five supervised machine learning algorithm to predict …

Policy Entrepreneurship: A Descriptive Portrait Of Higher Education Leaders, Rivka A. Felsher

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

As the gap between the haves and have-nots widens, the call for reform in higher education in the United States intensifies. Policy actors, philanthropists, and academics from across the political spectrum work on various policy solutions, creating a policy environment that is complex and often contentious. Incrementalists claim that major policy reform is unlikely since unknown variables and inexplicable events can stall or dismantle policy initiatives. In such environments, policy entrepreneurs—those individuals who advocate for policy innovation, work for change, and help shape policy solutions from within and without government—try to break through the barriers of incremental politics. As important …

An Examination Of Relationships Between Mindfulness, Personality, Anxiety, And Depression In Americans And Japanese College Students, Melissa Stiksma

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

Mindfulness – nonjudgmental awareness of the present moment - has recently garnered significant attention in psychological literature for decreasing clinical symptoms. Certain personality traits such as emotionality, however, can predict higher levels of anxiety and depression. The present study examines whether mindfulness mediates the relationship between personality traits and perceived stress and depression in nonclinical populations. A total of 321 participants from two samples—American and Japanese undergraduates —self-reported scores on measures of mindfulness, personality, perceived stress and depression. Cross-cultural comparisons following measurement invariance tests also allow for insight into the definition of mindfulness, especially given the Eastern religion origin of …

An Examination Of African-American Male Awareness Of And Application To Honors Programs, Lulrick Balzora

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

The purpose of this study was to examine African-American male awareness of and application to honors programs at two selected state colleges in the southeastern region of the United States. The researcher also attempted to fill a current void in the literature and to present an emergent theory for attracting African-American males to honors programs in State College settings. A disproportionate amount of research focuses on remediation and underachievement among African-American males. The lack of information on the experiences of high ability African-American males leaves many unanswered questions about how to best recruit and serve the needs of this population …

An Investigation Of The Program Curriculum Leading To Successful Sobriety In A Substance Abuse Residential Treatment Center In Florida, Anthony G. Foster

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

Recovery from alcoholism and substance abuse has had an ignominious history. There does not appear to be any statistics that stand up to any rigorous fact-checking which show how well treatment centers do at helping their clients to stay sober. Statistics that are used to show success rates are not considered credible and they are shockingly low. Despite these issues, substance abuse research has failed to link the historical knowledge of why people stay sober for long periods of time with what is being taught in treatment centers in hopes of creating a better, more accurate outcome. The qualitative, phenomenological …

Stability Analysis For Singularly Perturbed Systems With Time-Delays, Yang Yang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

Singularly perturbed systems with or without delays commonly appear in mathematical modeling of physical and chemical processes, engineering applications, and increasingly, in mathematical biology. There has been intensive work for singularly perturbed systems, yet most of the work so far focused on systems without delays. In this thesis, we provide a new set of tools for the stability analysis for singularly perturbed control systems with time delays.

Sources Of Infant Care Informational Social Support For Mothers Of Infants In The Appalachian Region, Mary Ellen Wright

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

The purpose of this study was to describe the sources of infant care informational support systems that mothers residing in the Western North Carolina Appalachian region use and prefer in the postpartum period. In addition, the study explored the associations of the sources for informational social support on infant care with personal factors (age, socioeconomic status, parity, race, ethnicity, residence, marital status, education, access to Internet, access to cellular phone, prior attendance in childbirth classes, and other adult infant care assistance in the home) of the mothers.

Stereo Vision-Based Target Tracking System For Usv Operations, Armando Jose Sinisterra

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

A methodology to estimate the state of a moving marine vehicle, defined by its position, velocity and heading, from an unmanned surface vehicle (USV), also in motion, using a stereo vision-based system, is presented in this work, in support of following a target vehicle using an USV.

Streamflow Extremes And Climate Variability In Southeastern United States, Jenna Bobsein

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

Trends in streamflow extremes at a regional scale linked to the possible influences of four major oceanic-atmospheric oscillations are analyzed in this study. Oscillations considered include: El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO), and North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). The main emphasis is low flows in the South-Atlantic Gulf region of the United States. Several standard drought indices of low flow extremes during two different phases (warm/positive and cool/negative) of these oscillations are evaluated. Long-term streamflow data at 43 USGS sites in the region from the Hydro-Climatic Data Network that are least affected by anthropogenic …

Sex Estimation In Subadult Skeletons: A Test Of Eight Nonmetric Traits Of The Mandible And Ilium, Alyssa Shiloh Reinman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

Diagnosing the sex of subadult skeletal material is a difficult task for bioarchaeologists and forensic anthropologists. Metric and nonmetric techniques have been tested utilizing both fetal (Boucher 1957, Weaver 1980) and juvenile (Loth and Henneberg 2001, Weaver 1980) skeletal remains. Some metric techniques show promise in estimating the sex of juvenile skeletons, but most are found to be lacking in adequate accuracies (Holcomb and Konigsberg 1995, Weaver 1980). Nonmetric techniques have been found to be more accurate, performing better than chance (Loth and Henneberg 2001, Mittler and Sheridan 1992, Weaver 1980). This study adds to this conversation, utilizing the Hamann-Todd …

Temporal Response Of Creatine Kinase And Fibroblast Growth Factor-21 To High And Low Repetition Resistance Training Programs, Rocky Blanco

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

The purpose of this study was to examine the acute and temporal response of CK- MM and FGF-21 to 3-day/wk. different repetition-range, volume-equated resistance training programs over 8-weeks in previously trained males. Sixteen trained, college- aged males were counterbalanced into high (DUP-HR) or low (DUP-LR) repetition groups. Subjects performed the squat and bench press 3x/wk. for 8 weeks. Blood samples were collected at various intervals throughout the study. Trained individuals did not elicit significant acute or chronic changes in CK-MM or FGF-21 following training and the lack of change was present in both groups. Additionally, neither biomarker correlated with changes …

Studies On Performance Aspects Of Smart Wireless Devices And Related Network Services, Aziz Ulhaq Noori

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

This study is a focused effort on elucidating the performance aspects of modern, handheld wireless devices and associated mobile network services. Specifically addressed thereof are: (i) Assessing the performance details on certain hardware sections of smart handheld devices and (ii) determining the performance profile of market penetration considerations vis-à-vis provisioning mobile networks. To meet the scope of this research, the projected efforts are exercised in compiling relevant literature and deciding the said hardware and technoeconomic performance issues. Hence, written in two parts, Part A is devoted to hardware performance details of smart, handheld devices relevant to (a) delay issues in …

Synchrony In Adult Male Atlantic Spotted Dolphins (Stenella Frontalis) During Aggression, Alyson J. Myers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

Synchrony between Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) is crucial for successfully fending off bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) during interspecies aggression. The present study examined synchrony in adult Atlantic spotted dolphins during aggressive encounters with bottlenose dolphins. Across group size, aggressive behavioral events increased preceding synchrony, peaked during synchrony, and decreased dramatically after synchrony. Although smaller groups (< 10 dolphins) became synchronous more frequently than larger groups (> 10 dolphins), larger groups remained synchronous longer; however, smaller groups exhibited more frequent aggressive behavioral events during synchrony, suggesting that additional aggressive behaviors may be necessary to compensate for the small group size, whereas larger groups may be able to rely on synchrony …

Teaching Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorder Safe Pedestrian Skills Using Video Modeling With In Situ Video Prompting, Toby Honsberger

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects 1 in every 68 children. Individuals with ASD have deficits in social, communication and behavioral skills which put them at a higher risk of injury and death than their typically developing peers. Parking lots are environments that present a number of potentially dangerous situations. Pedestrian skills, due to reliance on subtle cues and quick problem solving, can be especially difficult for individuals with ASD to master. The present study used a multiple probe design across participants to examine the effectiveness of a video modeling intervention with in situ video prompting feedback to teach five individuals …

Talking In Circles: A Mixed Methods Study Of School-Wide Restorative Practices In Two Urban Middle Schools, Martha A. Brown

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

This mixed methods, multisite case study examined the relational ecology of two urban middle schools that had adopted school-wide restorative practices (SWRPs) and the changes that occurred as a result of the reform initiative. The study was conducted in two Title I middle schools in the Oakland Unified School District in California. A positive relational ecology existed in these two urban middle schools, and this ecology was built on the interacting and interrelated themes of relational trust, being heard, a relational-based, student-centered culture, and a commitment to the principles of social justice. The positive relational ecology created a strong foundation …

Statutory Constraints And Constitutional Decisionmaking, Anthony O'Rourke

Journal Articles

Although constitutional scholars frequently analyze the relationships between courts and legislatures, they rarely examine the relationship between courts and statutes. This Article is the first to systematically examine how the presence or absence of a statute can influence constitutional doctrine. It analyzes pairs of cases that raise similar constitutional questions, but differ with respect to whether the court is reviewing the constitutionality of legislation. These case pairs suggest that statutes place significant constraints on constitutional decisionmaking. Specifically, in cases that involve a challenge to a statute, courts are less inclined to use doctrine to regulate the behavior of nonjudicial officials. …

Imagining Kandinsky’S Theories As A Synesthetic Iphone App, Anna Torlen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

Wassily Kandinsky wrote Über das Geistige in der Kunst, in 1912, and was translated from German into English by Michael Sadler. Naming it at first, “The Art of Spiritual Harmony” in 1914 it is known as, Concerning the Spiritual in Art. He wrote color and music theories based on angles, synesthetic experiences, subjective instincts, chromotherapy, and shapes. Kandinsky’s theories are worth continuing to research and bring forth into the new generation of technology where we can see music as numerical expressions. The goal of this iPhone Application is to teach users the relationship between color and music based on Kandinsky’s …