Digital Commons Network^™

Linguistic Cohesion In Middle-School Texts: A Comparison Of Logical Connectives Usage In Science And Social Studies Textbooks, Diego Román, Allison Briceño, Hannah Rhode, Stephanie Hironka

Faculty Publications

Learning from textbooks is challenging because students must understand novel concepts while also comprehending the language used to convey those concepts. In the domain of science, one posited reason for the perceived difficulty in the reading comprehension of science texts is the low frequency of logical connectives (words that signal relationships between sentences and ideas). To test this claim and discuss its potential effects on the reading comprehension of texts used at the middle school level, this study measured whether the usage of logical connectives (e.g., therefore, so) differed between science and social studies textbooks. Our findings from a large …

Making Instructional Decisions: Deepening Our Understanding Of Emergent English Learners' Processing Of Text, Allison Briceño, Adria Klein

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Review Of In The Archives Of Composition: Writing And Rhetoric In High Schools And Normal Schools, Lori Ostergaard And Henrietta Rix Wood, Ryan Skinnell

Faculty Publications, English and Comparative Literature

Book review of In the Archives of Composition: Writing and Rhetoric in High Schools and Normal Schools, by Lori Ostergaard and Henrietta Rix Wood. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburg Press, 2015. 235 pages. $27.95 paperback

Study Of Reit Etf Beta, Stoyu Ivanov

Faculty Publications

PurposeThe aim of this study is to examine real estate investment trust exchange-traded funds (REIT ETFs) and test for the existence of the “asymmetric beta puzzle” phenomenon in these financial instruments that are relatively new and are gaining popularity. The “asymmetric beta puzzle” phenomenon is used to identify the hedging and diversification benefits of a financial instrument. “Asymmetric beta puzzle” exists when betas in declining markets are higher than betas in advancing markets.Design/methodology/approachTo study 14 REIT ETFs by using monthly and daily Center for Research in Security Prices (CRSP) data. Capital asset pricing model (CAPM) and Fama–French three-factor model were …

Curating Flipboard Magazine International Safe Zone To Support International Lgbt Students, Kyoung Choi, Christel Van Der Boom

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

A Cloud-Based Framework For Smart Permit System For Buildings, Magdalini Eirinaki, Subhankar Dhar, Shishir Mathur

Faculty Publications

In this paper we propose a novel cloud-based platform for building permit system that is efficient, user-friendly, transparent, and has quick turn-around time for homeowners. Compared to the existing permit systems, the proposed smart city permit framework provides a pre-permitting decision workflow, and incorporates a data analytics and mining module that enables the continuous improvement of a) the end user experience, by analyzing explicit and implicit user feedback, and b) the permitting and urban planning process, allowing a gleaning of key insights for real estate development and city planning purposes, by analyzing how users interact with the system depending on …

Pro-Fit: Exercise With Friends, Saumil Dharia, Vijesh Jain, Jvalant Patel, Jainikkumar Vora, Rizen Yamauchi, Magdalini Eirinaki, Iraklis Varlamis

Faculty Publications

The advancements in wearable technology, where embedded accelerometers, gyroscopes and other sensors enable the users to actively monitor their activity have made it easier for individuals to pursue a healthy lifestyle. However, most of the existing applications expect continuous commitment from the end users, who need to proactively interact with the application in order to connect with friends and attain their goals. These applications fail to engage and motivate users who have busy schedules, or are not as committed and self-motivated. In this work, we present PRO-Fit, a personalized fitness assistant application that employs machine learning and recommendation algorithms in …

Threshold-Bounded Influence Dominating Sets For Recommendations In Social Networks, Magdalini Eirinaki, Nuno Moniz, Katerina Potika

Faculty Publications

The process of decision making in humans involves a combination of the genuine information held by the individual, and the external influence from their social network connections. This helps individuals to make decisions or adopt behaviors, opinions or products. In this work, we seek to investigate under which conditions and with what cost we can form neighborhoods of influence within a social network, in order to assist individuals with little or no prior genuine information through a two-phase recommendation process. Most of the existing approaches regard the problem of identifying influentials as a long-term, network diffusion process, where information cascading …

Time-Based Ensembles For Prediction Of Rare Events In News Streams, Nuno Moniz, Luís Torgo, Magdalini Eirinaki

Faculty Publications

Thousands of news are published everyday reporting worldwide events. Most of these news obtain a low level of popularity and only a small set of events become highly popular in social media platforms. Predicting rare cases of highly popular news is not a trivial task due to shortcomings of standard learning approaches and evaluation metrics. So far, the standard task of predicting the popularity of news items has been tackled by either of two distinct strategies related to the publication time of news. The first strategy, a priori, is focused on predicting the popularity of news upon their publication when …

System Level Analysis And Design For Wireless Inter-Chip Interconnection Communication Systems By Applying Advanced Wireless Communication Technologies, Xin Zheng

Theses and Dissertations

As the dramatic development of high speed integrated circuits has progressed, the 60 GHz silicon technology has been introduced to enable much faster computer systems and their corresponding applications. However, when signals are propagating at 60 GHz or higher frequencies on a PCB (Printed Circuit Board), the crosstalk among signal buses and devices, trace losses, and introduced parasitic capacitance and inductance between high density traces, become significant and may be severe enough such that the inter-chip communications will not be able to meet computer system signal specifications. High speed circuit signal integrity researchers in both electronic industries and academia have …

Classification Of Natural Phytoplankton Populations With Fluorescence Excitation-Based Imaging Multivariate Optical Computing, Shawna Kathleen Tazik

Theses and Dissertations

Phytoplankton account for the majority of the primary productivity in the ocean and contribute significantly to the global carbon cycle through photosynthesis. A quantitative characterization of phytoplankton cell size and taxonomic composition is essential for understanding marine biogeochemical cycles, quantifying carbon export, and for predicting the ocean’s response to future climate change. Our labs have developed a new instrument for this purpose that combines fluorescence excitation spectroscopy with an all-optical approach to multivariate statistics called multivariate optical computing (MOC). The instrument, known as the Shipboard Streak Imaging Multivariate Optical Computing (SSIMOC) photometer, is a simple filter photometer that images the …

The Repeated Name Penalty And The Overt Pronoun Penalty In Japanese, Shinichi Shoji

Theses and Dissertations

This research investigated the Repeated Name Penalty (RNP) and the Overt Pronoun Penalty (OPP) in Japanese. The RNP was first reported by Gordon, Grosz and Gilliom (1993), who observed that English sentences with repeated-name subject anaphors were read slower than sentences with overt-pronoun subjects when the antecedents were either the grammatical subject or the first-mentioned surface-initial noun phrase of the previous sentence. The OPP has been reported in studies of Spanish (Gelormini-Lezama & Almor, 2011) in which sentences with overt-pronoun subject anaphors were read slower than sentences with null-pronoun subject anaphors for subject antecedents.

A concern with the RNP and …

The Identification Of The Direct And Indirect Pathways Through Which Leptin Facilitates Synaptic Plasticity In The Hippocampus, Catherine Van Doorn

Theses and Dissertations

Leptin, a peptide synthesized by adipocytes in the periphery, has been shown to play significant roles in feeding and energy expenditure mediated by the hypothalamus. Growing evidence supports the role of leptin in influencing synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus in that leptin dose-dependently enhances LTP, alters morphology and neurogenesis, facilitates spatial learning and memory, as well as memory retention. Models of leptin deficiency and resistance have further supported the importance of leptin in synaptic plasticity by exhibiting deficits in electrophysiological, morphological and behavioral tests that are improved after leptin restoration. The effects of leptin when applied directly into the hippocampus …

Synthesis And Utility Of Bis-Urea Macrocycles As Nanoreactors And As Ligands For Metal Organic Materials, Sahan R. Salpage

Theses and Dissertations

“Supramolecular chemistry” powered by non-covalent interactive forces forms the crux in the area of host-guest chemistry. Supramolecular assemblies often have different chemical and physical properties than that of its individual molecular entities and are used to develop novel functional materials. Our expertise involves making functional materials from macrocycles, which contain two urea groups and two rigid C shaped spacer groups. These individual macrocyclic components can self-assemble through hydrogen bonding and other non-covalent interactions to form porous supramolecular assemblies that can be used as confined reaction environments and as ligands to synthesize novel metal organic materials.

This dissertation focuses on studying …

Crystal Growth And Characterization Of Reduced Early Transition Metal Compounds Grown Via Hydrothermal And Molten Flux Methods, Anthony J. Cortese

Theses and Dissertations

Interest in new and facile ways to prepare early transition metal reduced oxides has recently been increasing. In the past difficult flux techniques involving vacuum furnaces, expensive metal tubing, complicated electrolytic reduction apparatuses, were used to achieve in situ reduction of fully oxidized transition metal precursors. Often times these techniques were coupled with use of a difficult flux, such as boric acid, which is hard to remove due to its insolubility in water at room temperature. These limitations can be circumvented in multiple ways, including carefully choosing a redox neutral flux, using evacuated fused silica tubes for reaction vessels, and …

The Experiences Of Black Males In Honors Colleges, Sandra Greene

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to explore the experiences of Black Males in honors colleges. Specifically this study aims to highlight the successes, challenges, and common experiences of Black males in honors colleges. To this end, the researcher interviewed six Black men in an honors college located in a predominantly White institution in the southeast. This study sought to share a story of success to counteract the majoritarian narrative of Black male underachievement. Critical Race Theory provided a framework and lens to help understand the emergent themes and findings. Through interviews with the study participants the following seven themes …

Measuring The Self-Perceived Transformational Leadership Skills Of School Counselors: A Comparison Across Settings, Christina Lowe

Theses and Dissertations

Transformational leadership is a style of leadership that is well suited for the nature of the modern school counselor. Previous research has shown the ways in which a school counselor can incorporate transformational leadership components into his or her school counseling program. However, little research has currently been conducted to assess what factors contribute to counselors’ self-perceived transformational leadership. This study aimed to examine influential factors in the development of transformational leadership skills of school counselors across the United States. This study took into account age, years of experience, school setting (i.e., elementary, middle or high school) and leadership in …

Organizational Strategy Under Institutional Pluralism: A Latent Variable Analysis Of Institutional Effects On Organizational Behavior In The United States Pharmaceutical Industry, Thomas Christopher Robinson

Theses and Dissertations

The United States pharmaceutical industry is a dynamic organizational system populated by organizations pursuing different strategies to reach different goals. The aim of this dissertation is to examine the organizational field of the pharmaceutical industry to determine if categories of pharmaceutical organizations exist based on organizational strategy. This project applies the theoretical constructs of organizational fields and institutional logics developed by institutional theorists to examine the institutional effects on organizational strategies. This is a mixed methods project using historical analysis, latent class analysis, and case studies to evaluate the drug development process. The findings of this study show field level …

The Counselors’ Sexual Identity Development, Heterosexual Privilege Awareness, Faith Identity Development, And Religiosity As Predictors Of Their Sexual Orientation Counseling Competency In Working With Lgb Clients, James H. Brown

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate counselors’ sexual identity development, heterosexual privilege awareness, faith identity development, and intrinsic religiosity as predictors of their sexual orientation counseling competencies in working with LGB clients. The design of the study is a correlational survey design. The data analysis that was used is standard multiple regression.

The participants were 103 self-identified heterosexual licensed counselors. They were asked to fill out a survey consisting of the Measure of Sexual Identity Exploration and Commitment (MoSIEC), the Heterosexual Privilege Awareness (HPA), the Revised Faith Development Scale (RFDS), the Duke University Religion Index (DUREL), and …

Geospatial Modeling And Assessment Of The Environmentally Sensitive Lands In The Midwestern U.S., William M. Soohoo

Theses and Dissertations

Agricultural land-use change, especially corn expansion, has been accelerating since the 2000s to meet the growing bioenergy demand in the United States. This study identifies the environmentally sensitive lands (ESLs) in the U.S. Midwest and explores the environmental implications of land-use changes in this vital agricultural region. A new distance factor is introduced to a soil erodibility model to take wetlands and waterbodies into account. With a GIS-Ranking Model, the ESLs in 2008 and 2011 (two representative years of corn expansion) in the study region are ranked based on their soil erosion severity. Under various scenarios of bioenergy land-use change …

Alongshore Momentum Balance Over Shoreface-Connected Ridges, Fire Island, Ny, Conor Ofsthun

Theses and Dissertations

Bathymetric variations, such as shoreface-connected ridges (SFCRs), modify inner shelf circulation, altering the significance of and relationships between alongshore momentum balance terms. The inner shelf of Fire Island, NY provides a study site representative of SFCRs around the world. During the winter of 2014, hydrodynamic observations (~12 m depth) from 6 ADCPs, 3 SeaGauge pressure sensors, 2 tide gauges, and 2 meteorological buoys were collected over a region of the inner shelf spanning a full wavelength of one such SFCR. Analysis of the data, under westward wind forcing, revealed a predominantly alongshore circulation with localized offshore (onshore) current veering over …

Neural And Behavioral Correlates Of Planning During Vocal Motor Control, Stacey Jean Sangtian

Theses and Dissertations

Speech is a goal-directed movement developed to serve the purpose of human communication. During speech, the brain simultaneously coordinates complex motor behavior and sensory information for planning, execution and online monitoring for error correction in order to ensure accurate delivery of the vocal messages. Models of speech production and voice motor control have adapted the principles of the internal forward model to explain that speech sound production is controlled by comparison of internal predictions with sensory feedback. Growing evidence from studies conducted in speech and limb motor movement indicate that these sensory predictions and responsive commands are loaded in anticipation …

Adhd Symptoms, Social Problems, And Independence In Adolescent And Young Adult Males With Fxs, Marjorie Lee Grefer

Theses and Dissertations

Adolescents and young adults with fragile X syndrome (FXS) typically report a range of comorbid, impairing conditions including cognitive deficits, autism, and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Similarly these individuals experience social problems and very low levels of proficiency in independent living, which makes it extremely important to better understand what contributes to these deficits and how to potentially intervene and improve outcomes. Despite this importance, very little attention has been paid to the developmental period of adolescence in the FXS population. In addition, no previous work has utilized specific narrow band measures to probe for ADHD symptoms and instead has …

Studies Of Asphalt Roofing Sealant Failure For Shingle Systems Subjected To High Wind Conditions For Both Elastic And Viscoelastic Sealant Material Response, Artem Aleshin

Theses and Dissertations

It has been documented that the sealant between asphalt roof shingles may delaminate at significantly lower wind speeds than those for which they are rated, with major consequences on safety and repair costs. In perspective, developing more resilient material systems and devising more effective installation procedures are sensible strategies to mitigate this problem. A practical approach may also entail adding a second self-sealing strip. In the first portion of this thesis, the elastic structural response of an asphalt roof shingle-sealant system consisting of individual three-tab shingles, which are bonded to the underlying shingles with two sealant strips and are subjected …

How The European Union’S Criteria For Membership Move Public Opinion, Douglas Page

Theses and Dissertations

Existing studies suggest that normative commitments to the European Union’s human rights standards remain weak in states applying for EU membership, and that citizens are unresponsive to information the EU provides. This research does not gauge public support for human rights when they are framed as an EU issue. In an original experimental survey of Bosnia and Herzegovina, I examine the effect of EU framing on support for the equal treatment of gay people, equal pay between women and men, and blame assigned to the government for policy outcomes regarding these rights. I find that EU frames affect blame towards …

Estimation Of Basic And Mission Benefit Of Condition-Based Maintenance Deployment In Hums Equipped Ah-64 Aircraft Using Nlp And Regression Analysis, Tanzina Zaman

Theses and Dissertations

Condition-based maintenance (CBM) is a maintenance practice that involves regular monitoring of the mechanical condition of components of interest, processing of information collected, and then decision-making to ensure both maximizing the time interval between repairs and minimizing the number of unscheduled failures. CBM also offers early detection of failure which can prevent major breakdowns and repairs. Vibration monitoring is one of the effective techniques for condition monitoring. Health and Usage Monitoring System (HUMS) is a powerful tool for aviation industry which monitors health status and trending data. Vibration Monitoring Unit (VMU) and Modernized Signal Processing Unit (MSPU) are two forms …

The Neural Representation Of Duration In Event Concepts, Christopher Todd Hackett

Theses and Dissertations

Little is known about the neural basis of temporal concepts. Some have suggested that temporal concepts are grounded in spatial or temporal processes. Here we aimed to examine the representation of duration of event concepts, and compare them with judgments of object size, which may entail spatial processing. A 2x2 block design used event and object nouns as stimuli that were presented during functional imaging. Participants made judgments about event duration, object size, and event and object valence. In addition to whole-brain analyses, we examined activations in areas known to be involved in temporal processing and spatial processing. Knowledge of …

Investigation And Development Of Friction Stir Welding Process For Unreinforced Polyphenylene Sulfide And Reinforced Polyetheretherketone, Hossain Ahmed

Theses and Dissertations

The joining of thermoplastics through welding, a specific form of fusion bonding, offers numerous advantages over mechanical joining. It eliminates the use of costly fasteners and has only a limited effect on the strength of the parts being joined since it does not require the introduction of holes and loading pins, and it does not create significant stress concentrations. A specific form of welding, Friction Stir Welding, was investigated for the creation of butt joints of unreinforced polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) and short carbon fiber reinforced polyetheretherketone (PEEK) plates. Friction stir welding requires a rotating pin, a shoulder arrangement, relative movement …

Role Of Altered Gut Microbiota In Tumor Development, Mucus Production And Inflammation In Apc Min/+ Mouse Model, Kamaljeet Kaur

Theses and Dissertations

The microbiome forms an integral part of the gut microenvironment. Once ignored, the topic has gained momentum in research during the past decade, where studies have strongly suggested the association of microbiota with health and a misbalance thereof, to many disease conditions ranging from inflammation and colitis to diabetes, obesity and colon cancer. The Human Microbiome Project (HMP, NIH common fund - 2008) has used a variety of high throughput analyses in order to study gut microbiota in health. The consortium has so far been able to isolate and characterize more than 1,300 reference bacterial strains from the human body. …

Solving Atomic Structures Using Statistical Mechanical Searches On X-Ray Scattering Derived Potential Energy Surfaces, Christopher James Wright

Theses and Dissertations

Engineering the next generation of materials, especially nanomaterials, requires a detailed understanding of the material’s underlying atomic structure. These structures give us better insight into structure-property relationships, allowing for property driven material design on the atomic level. Even more importantly, understanding structures in-situ will translate stimuli and responses on the macroscopic scale to changes on the nanoscale. Despite the importance of precise atomic structures for materials design, solving atomic structures is difficult both experimentally and computationally. Atomic pair distribution functions (PDFs) provide information on atomic structure, but the difficulty of extracting the PDF from x-ray total scattering measurements limits their …