Digital Commons Network^™

What Are Factors Of An Effective Parent And Family Involvement Program Within High School?, Nicole Walsh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

According to the literature, parents or guardians of high school students will participate within the high school—though their participation is dependent on many factors. Parents with a higher social capital tend to be the most involved, while parents with lower social capital tend to be less involved. In other words, generally parents or guardians with high social capital would be much more likely to be involved in their child’s school, whereas parents with low social capital would not be involved in their child’s school at all (Goodwin, Rothon, Stansfeld, 2012). In this study, the researcher formulated and analyzed the following …

July 2016 News Releases, University Of Montana--Missoula. Office Of University Relations

University of Montana News Releases, 1928, 1956-present

No abstract provided.

A Preliminary Examination Of Elevated Blood Lead Levels In A Rural Georgia County, R. Christopher Rustin, Yu Sun, Chris Calhoun, Christy Kuriantnyk

Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association

Background: Rural areas are often viewed as lower risk for lead poisoning and toxic exposures seriously impacting development of the brain and central nervous system; this report examines the prevalence of elevated blood lead levels for childrenCounty, GA.

Methods: Lead surveillance data from the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) were analyzed using SAS®v-9.3 to calculate the prevalence of elevated blood lead levels (≥5ug/dL) among those children in Ben Hill County who had been tested for lead; the results were compared to Georgia and national data.

Results: A preliminary analysis of 2010-2015 screening data for Ben Hill County indicates that …

Remote Access And Computerized User Control Of Robotic Micromanipulators, Ryan M. Dunn

Theses

Nano- and micromanipulators are critical research tools in numerous fields including micro-manufacturing and disease study. Despite their importance, nano- and micromanipulation systems remain inaccessible to many groups due to price and lack of portability. An intuitive and remotely accessible manipulation system helps mitigate this access problem. Previously, optimal control hardware for single-probe manipulation and the effect of latency on user performance were not well understood. Remote access demands full computerization; graphical user interfaces with networking capabilities were developed to fulfill this requirement and allow the use of numerous hardware controllers. Virtual environments were created to simulate the use of a …

Advanced Technologies For Sustainable Systems, Hesham Safwat

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Self-Regulated Incremental Clustering With Focused Preferences, Di Wang, Ah-Hwee Tan

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Due to their online learning nature, incremental clustering techniques can handle a continuous stream of data. In particular, various incremental clustering techniques based on Adaptive Resonance Theory (ART) have been shown to have low computational complexity in adaptive learning and are less sensitive to noisy information. However, parameter regularization in existing ART clustering techniques is applied either on different features or on different clusters exclusively. In this paper, we introduce Interest-Focused Clustering based on Adaptive Resonance Theory (IFC-ART), which self-regulates the vigilance parameter associated with each feature and each cluster. As such, we can incorporate the domain knowledge of the …

Informant Witnesses And The Risk Of Wrongful Convictions, Jessica A. Roth

Articles

Several studies in the last two decades have revealed that false criminal informant testimony is a leading factor in wrongful convictions, along with false confessions, eyewitness misidentification, and faulty forensic science. Although a great deal more remains to be done, many jurisdictions have implemented evidence-based reforms to these last three categories of evidence. Policy about criminal informants, however, seems to be stubbornly stagnant, and relevant social science is virtually nonexistent. This Article questions the relative lack of attention to informant testimony and suggests that the dangers posed by informant testimony are both greater and different than previously thought. Unlike much …

Displaying Race At The Jamestown Ter-Centennial Exposition, Bryan Patrick Bennett

History Theses & Dissertations

World expositions of the nineteenth and early twentieth century often displayed the latest anthropological, ethnological, biological, and technological research on race and ethnicity, promoting the view that whites were superior to all other peoples. The Jamestown Ter-Centennial Exposition of 1907, held in Norfolk, Virginia to commemorate the three-hundred anniversary of the founding of the Jamestown settlement and its contribution to the building of the United States, offers an opportunity to examine American perspectives on whiteness, race, and society.

First, the Jamestown Exposition offered a glimpse into the historical memory of white America, especially the influential citizens that comprised the controlling …

Fake It Until You Make It? Female Leaders’ Emotional Expression Management And Subordinates’ Gender Stereotypes, Rebecca C. Garden

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

As part of their organizational role, leaders manage their emotional expressions for the purpose of maintaining influence over followers, a concept that has received far less attention than the impact of other leadership behaviors. Further, there is almost no existing research regarding an employees’ reactions to the female supervisors’ emotional expression management (EEM), or the influence of subordinates’ underlying gender stereotypes on the relationship between leaders’ EEM and subordinate outcomes. To gain a better understanding of how EEM and the followers’ perception of gender roles interactively influence affective and attitudinal outcomes, this study used multi-source data from female leaders and …

Machine Learning Methods For Medical And Biological Image Computing, Rongjian Li

Computer Science Theses & Dissertations

Medical and biological imaging technologies provide valuable visualization information of structure and function for an organ from the level of individual molecules to the whole object. Brain is the most complex organ in body, and it increasingly attracts intense research attentions with the rapid development of medical and bio-logical imaging technologies. A massive amount of high-dimensional brain imaging data being generated makes the design of computational methods for efficient analysis on those images highly demanded. The current study of computational methods using hand-crafted features does not scale with the increasing number of brain images, hindering the pace of scientific discoveries …

The Relationship Between Resilience, Attachment, And Emotional Coping Styles, Jennika K. Jenkins

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The construct of resilience has been widely associated with the ability to adequately cope with stressors, which leads to positive long-term health outcomes. Attachment and emotional coping style literatures have both been tentatively linked to resilience, with dismissive and secure attachment styles as well as the repressive coping style positively associated with resilience. However, both avoidantly attached and repressive individuals employ coping strategies that allow them to dissociate from negative emotions, which seems to contradict the stress adaptive quality of resilience. The goal of this study was to explore the theoretical parallel between the attachment and emotional coping styles literature …

An Etiological Model Of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder In Female Oef/Oif/Ond Veterans: Adding Military Sexual Trauma As A Risk Factor, Erin Doty Kurtz

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Studies on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have involved limited focus on the specific risk and protective factors for female veterans and how these may differ from factors identified for male veterans. Additionally, models incorporating risk and protective factors for PTSD in female veterans have yet to include military sexual trauma (MST) as a risk factor. Given the prevalence of MST among female service members, this study examined whether MST predicts PTSD diagnosis in addition to other frequently examined variables (premilitary trauma exposure, combat exposure, postmilitary trauma, and perceived social support). In addition, the degree …

Selfish Mutations: The Genetic Basis Of The Paternal Age Effect, Eoin C. Whelan

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

As the mean age of childrearing grows, the effect of parental age on genetic disease and child health becomes ever more important. A number of autosomal dominant disorders show a dramatic paternal age effect due to selfish mutations: substitutions that grant spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) a selective advantage in the testes of the father but have a deleterious effect in offspring.

I present a mathematical model to analyse the normal function of the stem cell compartment, which provides a framework for SSC renewal and accommodates differences between animal systems. In order to model the SSC mutation accumulation, a Markov chain …

Regional Extinction Risk And Conservation Priorities For Persian Gulf Marine Bony Fishes, Jack Ryan Buchanan

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Around the world, protected areas are the primary conservation measure used to combat biodiversity loss; however, these are often established without comprehensive species-specific information, leading to placement in areas that often do not address the processes that threaten biodiversity. To address this, International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List assessments are being utilized to determine species-specific threats and population status at the global and sub-global levels. This study examines the regional extinction risk for all known marine bony fishes of the Persian Gulf. About 8.3% of the 471 marine bony fishes assessed are at elevated risk of regional extinction. …

Hotspots, Extinction Risk And Conservation Priorities Of Greater Caribbean And Gulf Of Mexico Marine Bony Shorefishes, Christi Linardich

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Understanding the status of species is important for allocation of resources to redress biodiversity loss. Regional organizations tasked with managing threats to the 1,360 marine bony shorefishes of the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico would benefit from a delineation of conservation priorities. However, prior to this study, conservation status was known for only one quarter of these shorefishes. Extinction risk assessment under IUCN Red List Criteria is a widely-used, objective method to communicate species-specific conservation needs. Data were collated on each species’ distribution, population, habitats and threats and experts at three Red List workshops assigned a global level extinction risk …

Machine Learning Methods For Brain Image Analysis, Ahmed Fakhry

Computer Science Theses & Dissertations

Understanding how the brain functions and quantifying compound interactions between complex synaptic networks inside the brain remain some of the most challenging problems in neuroscience. Lack or abundance of data, shortage of manpower along with heterogeneity of data following from various species all served as an added complexity to the already perplexing problem. The ability to process vast amount of brain data need to be performed automatically, yet with an accuracy close to manual human-level performance. These automated methods essentially need to generalize well to be able to accommodate data from different species. Also, novel approaches and techniques are becoming …

Towards Aggregating Time-Discounted Information In Sensor Networks, Xianping Wang

Computer Science Theses & Dissertations

Sensor networks are deployed to monitor a seemingly endless list of events in a multitude of application domains. Through data collection and aggregation enhanced with data mining and machine learning techniques, many static and dynamic patterns can be found by sensor networks. The aggregation problem is complicated by the fact that the perceived value of the data collected by the sensors is affected by many factors such as time, location and user valuation. In addition, the value of information deteriorates often dramatically over time. Through our research, we already achieved some results:

A formal algebraic analysis of information discounting, especially …

Possible Sources And Impacts Of Biochar Water Extractable Organic Compounds On Aquatic Microorganisms, Cameron Russell Smith

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

Smokeless biomass pyrolysis with application of biochar as a soil amendment could be a significant approach for carbon sequestration to possibly control climate change for energy and environmental sustainability. If biochar were to be utilized as a soil amendment and a carbon sequestration agent at Gt C scales, the release of potentially toxic compounds into soils and associated hydrological systems, through soil rainwater runoff and leaching, might have negative consequences, in both agro-ecosystems and aquatic environmental systems. Therefore, the main focus of this dissertation was to study the sources and chemical composition of biochar water extractable (soluble) organic compounds and …

A Comparison Of Microstructure And Uniaxial Compressive Response Of Ice-Templated Porous Alumina Scaffolds Fabricated From Two Different Particle Sizes, Nikhil D. Dhavale

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Development of bio-inspired highly porous (>50 vol.%) cellular ceramics is crucial to meet the demand of high-performance lightweight and damage-tolerant materials for a number of cutting-edge applications including impact energy absorption, biomedical implants, and energy storage. A key design feature that is observed in many natural materials (e.g., nacre, bamboo, wood, etc.) is the presence of hierarchical microstructure that results in an excellent synergy of various material properties, which are otherwise considered as mutually exclusive in current paradigm of materials design. To this end, development of multilayered, interconnected and anisotropic cellular ceramics could benefit the aforementioned applications. However, mimicking …

Acculturation And Enculturation, Perception Of Depressive Symptoms, And Help-Seeking Behaviors Among Korean Americans, Kristoffer Park

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The literature suggests that acculturation, enculturation, and the perception of mental health symptoms are some of the factors that explain help-seeking behaviors in Asian Americans. While there has been previous research addressing these concerns for Asian Americans as a unified ethnic group, few studies have examined these factors to explain help-seeking behaviors specifically in Korean Americans. 107 Korean Americans were recruited from Korean American churches in a large metropolitan city in the southeast region. Participants completed an online questionnaire, which included instruments assessing acculturation (AVS-R) and enculturation (EAVS-AA-R) levels as well as their perception of how problematic depressive symptoms were …

Bakken Bombs: A Criminological Inquiry Into The Lynchburg Train Derailment, Travis W. Milburn

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

In recent years, several significant train derailments involving the transportation of crude oil have dotted the North American landscape. Each resulted in environmental and social harm to some degree which was extensive in many instances. Oil train derailments have occurred in places such as Lac-Mégantic, Canada (July 2013), Casselton, North Dakota (December 2013 and November 2014), and Mount Carbon, West Virginia (February 2015). Following derailments, communities have faced substantial environmental damage, human death and injury, and overall disruption from the explosions and subsequent oil spills that characterize these events. This project specifically examined the April 30, 2014 derailment in Lynchburg, …

Killing The State: The Cultural Afterlife Of Edward Byrne, Justin Turner

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

The death of a police officer provides us a chance to understand our current histories. As something tragic, the bodies of officers killed in the line-of-duty gain national attention. On display at police funerals is the enormous power of the state, as thousands of officers escort the casket, while helicopters and SWAT, accompanies the body to its final resting place. Following the officer’s death is a nation’s grief. As bills are passed in their honor, and weeks are named for those lost, the nation responds to such acts with general anger and disbelief. The killing of a police officer, generally, …

Microbubble Generation By Piezoelectric Transducers For Biomedical Studies, Mohammed Alkhazal

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Bubbles induced by blast waves or shocks are speculated as the major cause of damage in biological cells in mild traumatic brain injuries (TBI). Microbubble collapse was found to induce noticeable cell detachment from the cell substrate, changes in focal adhesion, and biomechanics. To better understand the bubble mechanism, a system needs to be constructed which allows clear differentiation on the impact of bubbles from that of shocks. Such a generator needs to be low profile in order to place under a microscope. A piezoelectric transducer system was designed to meet the need. The system uses either a flat or …

A Computational Framework For Learning From Complex Data: Formulations, Algorithms, And Applications, Wenlu Zhang

Computer Science Theses & Dissertations

Many real-world processes are dynamically changing over time. As a consequence, the observed complex data generated by these processes also evolve smoothly. For example, in computational biology, the expression data matrices are evolving, since gene expression controls are deployed sequentially during development in many biological processes. Investigations into the spatial and temporal gene expression dynamics are essential for understanding the regulatory biology governing development. In this dissertation, I mainly focus on two types of complex data: genome-wide spatial gene expression patterns in the model organism fruit fly and Allen Brain Atlas mouse brain data. I provide a framework to explore …

Predicting Academic Performance: A Commitment Perspective, Frank E. Gomez Jr.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Shifts from scientific and theoretical exploration to occupational preparation within academic scholarship has led researchers to focus on performance variables, such as grade point average (GPA), to better understand how to promote academic success. For example, researchers have examined variables to determine their influence on GPA. The purpose of this study was to identify if commitment variables in conjunction with executive functioning significantly predicted cumulative GPA in a college setting beyond previously established predictors. Results indicated that high school GPA (b = .44) was the only significant predictor of cumulative GPA. When high school GPA was eliminated from …

Dietary Nitrate Increases Exercise Tolerance In Patients With Non-Ischemic, Dilated Cardiomyopathy-A Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Crossover Trial., Conor Kerley, James O'Neill, Venu Reddy Bijjam, Ciara Blaine, Philip James, Liam Cormican

Articles

No abstract provided.

Rationale And Design Of The Baptist Employee Healthy Heart Study: A Randomized Trial Assessing The Efficacy Of The Addition Of An Interactive, Personalized, Web-Based, Lifestyle Intervention Tool To An Existing Health Information Web Platform In A High-Risk Employee Population, Janisse Post, Shozab Ali, Lara Roberson, Ehimen Aneni, Adnan Younus, Omar Jamal, Rameez Ahmad, Muhammad Aziz, Rehan Malik, Theodore Feldman, Jonathan Fialkow, Emir Veledar, Ricardo Cury, Arthur Agatston, Khurram Nasir

All Publications

BACKGROUND:
Metabolic syndrome (MetS) and diabetes confer a high risk for developing subsequent cardiovascular disease (CVD). Persons with MetS constitute 24-34 % of the employee population at Baptist Health South Florida (BHSF), a self-insured healthcare organization. The Baptist Employee Healthy Heart Study (BEHHS) aims to assess the addition of a personalized, interactive, web-based, nutrition-management and lifestyle-management program to the existing health-expertise web platform available to BHSF employees in reducing and/or stabilizing CVD and lifestyle risk factors and markers of subclinical CVD. METHODS/DESIGN:
Subjects with MetS or Type II Diabetes will be recruited from an employee population at BHSF and randomized …

Learning Intentionally And The Metacognitive Task, Patti Alleva, Jennifer A. Gundlach

Hofstra Law Faculty Scholarship

This article serves both to frame The Pedagogy of Procedure symposium it introduces and to itself explore the importance of metacognition and learning about learning to legal education and lawyering. The authors begin by suggesting why Civil Procedure doctrine is so challenging to teach and learn, noting how the symposium pieces help to tackle those challenges. They then join the growing number of law professors who advocate that learning how to learn deserves greater attention in the law school curriculum, suggesting that law schools should do more to demonstrate respect for the process of learning as an end in itself. …

Disrupting Hypoxia-Induced Bicarbonate Transport Acidifies Tumor Cells And Suppresses Tumor Growth, A Mcintyre, A Hulikova, I Ledaki, C Snell, Et Al

Peninsula Medical School

Tumor hypoxia is associated clinically with therapeutic resistance and poor patient outcomes. One feature of tumor hypoxia is activated expression of carbonic anhydrase IX (CA9), a regulator of pH and tumor growth. In this study, we investigated the hypothesis that impeding the reuptake of bicarbonate produced extracellularly by CA9 could exacerbate the intracellular acidity produced by hypoxic conditions, perhaps compromising cell growth and viability as a result. In 8 of 10 cancer cell lines, we found that hypoxia induced the expression of at least one bicarbonate transporter. The most robust and frequent inductions were of the sodium-driven bicarbonate transporters SLC4A4 …

Single Particle Icp-Ms Method Development For The Determination Of Plant Uptake And Accumulation Of Ceo2 Nanoparticles, Yongbo Dan, Xingmao Ma, Weilan Zhang, Kun Liu, Chady Stephan, Honglan Shi

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

Cerium dioxide nanoparticles (CeO₂NPs) are among the most broadly used engineered nanoparticles that will be increasingly released into the environment. Thus, understanding their uptake, transportation, and transformation in plants, especially food crops, is critical because it represents a potential pathway for human consumption. One of the primary challenges for the endeavor is the inadequacy of current analytical methodologies to characterize and quantify the nanomaterial in complex biological samples at environmentally relevant concentrations. Herein, a method was developed using single particle-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (SP-ICP-MS) technology to simultaneously detect the size and size distribution of particulate Ce, particle concentration, …