Digital Commons Network^™

The Effects Of Beetroot Juice On Vo2max And Blood Pressure During Submaximal Exercise, Jose M. Perez

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Supplementation with beetroot juice (BR) has been shown to reduce blood pressure (BP) at rest and improve several performance parameters during submaximal and maximal exercise. BR effects on BP during submaximal exercise have not been investigated. Furthermore, the effects of BR on VO₂max are inconclusive. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of BR on VO₂max and BP during submaximal exercise. 20 healthy, recreationally trained volunteers (age 21.8±2.35 years, weight 75.10±10.62 kg, height 177.4±6.39 cm) participated in this study, which had a double-blind placebo controlled randomized crossover design. Participants began supplementation with either …

Secure Cloud Controlled Software Defined Radio Network For Bandwidth Allocation, Isaac J. Cushman

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to investigate the impact of mobility of wireless devices for opportunistic spectrum access and communications using National Instrument Universal Software Radio Peripherals devices. The overall system utilizes software defined radio networks for frequency allocation, cloud connectivity to maintain up-to-date information, and moving target defense as a security mechanism. Each USRP device sends its geolocation to query the spectrum database for idle channels. The cloud cluster was designed for complex data storage and allocation using a smart load balancer to offer ultra-security to users. This project also explores the advantages of data protection and security …

Intuition And Curriculum: From Precognition To Agency, Sandra Martinaitis

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The dissertation is a speculative essay using the framework of Joseph Schwab’s (1969) commonplaces of: subject matter, student, teacher and milieu to examine how intuition can and should form part of curriculum. The overarching theme is that intuition and intuitive teaching and learning is an iterative path which leads to self-knowledge, reflection, cognition and acceptance of ‘other’ -- the Freirian (2010) notion of tolérance-- resulting in critical thinking and agency to ameliorate lives -- particularly of the oppressed. It embraces the clichéd notion of education leading to informed citizens who will make the right choices for society as a …

Examining And Exposing The Darknet, Ton H. Don

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This thesis consists of two studies; the first study is “Diving into the Darknet” and the second is “Exposing the Darknet on Mobile Devices”. The Darknet is a network of hidden sites and services which are built based on anonymity. In “Diving into the Darknet”, we applied different data science methods to establish the relationships between the data in the data set. This data set has information related to seller, drug types, and transactions. Additionally, we used Tableau to visualize the data set. For the second study, we took a digital forensics perspective of the Darknet. Orfox and Orbot, a …

Academic Engagement, Motivation, Self-Regulation, And Achievement Of Georgia Southern University Sophomore Students, John O. Lemay Iv

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Research has shown that engagement, motivation, self-regulation, and their individual effects on student achievement are established factors that influence college students’ success. However, what is less clear are these variables’ relationships and their collective influence on achievement. Since students face unique trials as they persist through college, consideration of these relationships and their effect on the achievement of all students is necessary. There is a widening achievement gap between sexes; females have now passed males in enrollment, persistence, and graduation rates. Previous research in this area has been largely centered on undergraduate female students in their freshman year, but the …

A Correlational Study Of The Georgia School Board Association's Board Recognition Program And Student Achievement, Holly E. Rutledge

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The role of school boards in American public education has been intensely debated for well over a century (Johnson, 2013). A broad variety of research on school boards exists, ranging from the topic of school board elections, to board member leadership styles, and to decision making processes. Much less research exists, however, on the impact of school boards on student achievement, even though school boards are increasingly targeted as one of the main reasons for poor student achievement (Jacobsen & Linkow, 2014). Johnson (2013) contends there is a growing body of evidence that indicates school boards play a critical role …

Modeling Volatility Of Financial Time Series Using Arc Length, Benjamin H. Hoerlein

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This thesis explores how arc length can be modeled and used to measure the risk involved with a financial time series. Having arc length as a measure of volatility can help an investor in sorting which stocks are safer/riskier to invest in. A Gamma autoregressive model of order one(GAR(1)) is proposed to model arc length series. Kernel regression based bias correction is studied when model parameters are estimated using method of moment procedure. As an application, a model-based clustering involving thirty different stocks is presented using k-means++ and hierarchical clustering techniques.

Study And Implementation Of Wideband Bow-Tie Antennas, Md Rakibul Islam

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Demand for multifunctional electronic devices is increasing in modern wireless communication systems. As the antenna plays a vital role in wireless communication, the need to design antennas which will provide better performance and more reliable communication is growing. In this thesis, innovative designs for antennas with wideband characteristic have been proposed to meet the demands of current multi-functional wireless communication systems. First, this thesis explores the design of a wideband pattern reconfigurable antenna with steady realized gain over the operating bandwidth. Another novel design of this thesis work is a highly directive wideband Yagi antenna. Finally, a two-planar structured CPLPDA …

Ego-Localization Navigation For Intelligent Vehicles Using 360° Lidar Sensor For Point Cloud Mapping, Tyler Naes

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

With its prospects of reducing vehicular accidents and traffic in highly populated urban areas by taking the human error out of driving, the future in automobiles is leaning towards autonomous navigation using intelligent vehicles. Autonomous navigation via Light Detection And Ranging (LIDAR) provides very accurate localization within a predefined, a priori, point cloud environment that is not possible with Global Positioning System (GPS) and video camera technology. Vehicles may be able to follow paths in the point cloud environment if the baseline paths it must follow are known in that environment by referencing objects detected in the point cloud …

Audio-Based Productivity Forecasting Of Construction Cyclic Activities, Chris A. Sabillon

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Due to its high cost, project managers must be able to monitor the performance of construction heavy equipment promptly. This cannot be achieved through traditional management techniques, which are based on direct observation or on estimations from historical data. Some manufacturers have started to integrate their proprietary technologies, but construction contractors are unlikely to have a fleet of entirely new and single manufacturer equipment for this to represent a solution. Third party automated approaches include the use of active sensors such as accelerometers and gyroscopes, passive technologies such as computer vision and image processing, and audio signal processing. Hitherto, most …

Performance Analysis Of Massive Mimo System With Quality Of Service Requirements And Precoding Techniques, Kishan Neupane

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The massive MIMO is a promising technology for future 5G wireless communication systems to provide high spectrum efficiency. The use of a very large number of antennas for both transmission and reception is an intuitive approach to boost the system capacity and enhance the link reliability. The main requirement of future wireless systems are high throughput, serving many users simultaneously with optimal energy consumption. In the first part of the thesis, we proposed a novel algorithm for secrecy rate analysis of massive MIMO with QoS requirement by adapting the transmit signal vector and power of user using game theory. The …

Simulation Genres And Student Uptake: The Patient Health Record In Clinical Nursing Simulations, Lillian Campbell

English Faculty Research and Publications

Drawing on fieldwork, this article examines nursing students’ design and use of a patient health record during clinical simulations, where small teams of students provide nursing care for a robotic patient. The student-designed patient health record provides a compelling example of how simulation genres can both authentically coordinate action within a classroom simulation and support professional genre uptake. First, the range of rhetorical choices available to students in designing their simulation health records are discussed. Then, the article draws on an extended example of how student uptake of the patient health record within a clinical simulation emphasized its intertextual relationship …

The Rhetoric Of Health And Medicine As A “Teaching Subject”: Lessons From The Medical Humanities And Simulation Pedagogy, Lillian Campbell

English Faculty Research and Publications

The rhetoric of health and medicine has only begun to intervene in health pedagogy. In contrast, the medical humanities has spearheaded curriculum to address dehumanizing trends in medicine. This article argues that rhetorical scholars can align with medical humanities’ initiatives and uniquely contribute to health curriculum. Drawing on the author’s research on clinical simulation, the article discusses rhetorical methodologies, genre theory, and critical lenses as areas for pedagogical collaboration between rhetoricians and health practitioners.

New Paradigms, After 2001, Gerry Canavan

English Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Building Mental Maps: Implications From Research On Reading In The Stem Disciplines, Rebecca Nowacek, Heather G. James

English Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

"A Dimple In The Tomb": Cuteness In Emily Dickinson, Angela Sorby

English Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Using Persona Descriptions To Inform Library Space Design, Holt Zaugg

Faculty Publications

Purpose: Library space and services should center on library patrons and what they need. Trying to match the needs of each patron can become a daunting task. A new approach needs to be taken. One that describes patrons and their needs in a useful way. Using an approach from marketing and product design, personas or user groups, offer a unique approach to thinking and describing patron needs to assist in the identification and design of library space and services.

Design & Methodology: The identification, development, and validation of personas employs an iterative process using both qualitative and quantitative methods to …

Bedrock Structural Control On Catchment Scale Connectivity And Alluvial Fan Processes, High Atlas Mountains, Morocco., Anne E. Mather, Martin Stokes

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

No abstract provided.

Veiling In Fear Or In Faith? Meanings Of The Hijab To Practicing Muslim Wives And Husbands In The United States, Zahra Alghafli, Loren Marks, Trevan Hatch, Andrew Rose

Faculty Publications

This article examines the Muslim practice of wearing the hijab—the veiling and covering of a woman’s head and body. More specifically, this study aims to present insiders’ perspectives regarding the personal understandings of the hijab among 20 wives and 20 husbands (n = 40) in religious Shia and Sunni Muslim families living in the United States. Qualitative analysis yielded three emergent themes: (1) The hijab as a symbol of religious commitment; (2) The hijab as a tool of protection, rather than oppression, for women and families; and (3) Two different views of Muslims’ reasoning behind the hijab. These …

Visualizing Morphogenesis With The Processing Programming Language, Avik Patel, Amar Bains, Richard Millet, Tamira Elul

Faculty Publications & Research of the TUC College of Osteopathic Medicine

We used Processing, a visual artists’ programming language developed at MIT Media Lab, to simulate cellular mechanisms of morphogenesis – the generation of form and shape in embryonic tissues. Based on observations of in vivo time-lapse image sequences, we created animations of neural cell motility responsible for elongating the spinal cord, and of optic axon branching dynamics that establish primary visual connectivity. These visual models underscore the significance of the computational decomposition of cellular dynamics underlying morphogenesis.

Morphometrics In Developmental Neurobiology: Quantitative Analysis Of Growth Cone Motility In Vivo, Anokh Sohal, James Ha, Manuel Zhu, Fayha Lakhani, Lauren Olszewski, Raagav Mohanakrishnan, Tamira Elul

Faculty Publications & Research of the TUC College of Osteopathic Medicine

In order for the nervous system to function properly, neurons in the brain must establish specific connections during embryonic development. Formation of neuronal circuits involves axons extending from cell bodies and navigating through diverse tissues to reach their targets in the brain. Once axons reach their target tissues, they arborize and make synaptic connections. Axon pathfinding is driven by dynamic motility behaviors expressed by terminal growth cones at the tips of the axons. Here, we applied morphometrics to determine quantitative values for six morphological and motility parameters for growth cones of optic axons navigating through the optic tract of a …

Coulomb Stress Transfer And Fault Interaction Over Millennia On Non-Planar Active Normal Faults: The Mw 6.5–5.0 Seismic Sequence Of 2016–2017, Central Italy, Zoe K. Mildon, Gerald P. Roberts, Walker Jp Faure, Francesco Iezzi

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

No abstract provided.

Does Gamification Increase Engagement With Online Programs? A Systematic Review, Jemma Looyestyn, Jocelyn Kernot, Kobie Boshoff, Jillian Ryan, Sarah Edney, Carol Maher

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background Engagement in online programs is difficult to maintain. Gamification is the recent trend that offers to increase engagement through the inclusion of game-like features like points and badges, in non-game contexts. This review will answer the following question, ‘Are gamification strategies effective in increasing engagement in online programs?’ Method Eight databases (Web of Science, PsycINFO, Medline, INSPEC, ERIC, Cochrane Library, Business Source Complete and ACM Digital Library) were searched from 2010 to the 28th of October 2015 using a comprehensive search strategy. Eligibility criteria was based on the PICOS format, where “population” included adults, “intervention” involved an online program …

Supporting Positive School Culture Through Interpersonal Engagement: Phase Two Report: Hampton Senior High School December 2017, Geoffrey Lummis, Julia Morris, Graeme Lock

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The Industry Collaboration Project, ‘Supporting Positive School Culture Through Interpersonal Engagement’ is a joint project between Edith Cowan University, Hampton Senior High School, Kinross College and Mindarie Senior College. The project aims to empower school leaders to co-create, implement and evaluate professional learning programs that promote enhanced staff relationships. Supporting school leaders to improve staff relationships is important because staff (both teaching and school support) are key stakeholders in children’s educational outcomes (Stringer, 2013). Ensuring school staff feel valued in their school community is also of ongoing importance, particularly as staff accountability and burnout rises in the teaching profession both …

The Assessment Of Online Degree Programs: Lessons From Recent Alumni, Yoram Neumann, Edith F. Neumann, Shelia Lewis

Touro University Worldwide Publications and Research

The main focus of this study was the assessment performed by recent alumni as an important component of online degree program outcomes assessment. A model of components of the online learning environment was developed and tested to predictive various levels of educational outcomes of online degree programs separately for bachelor and master degree programs' alumni. The educational outcomes include direct educational outcomes and attributed educational outcomes. The model was then validated in predicting summative outcomes assessment. The model played an important role in understanding degree program's online educational outcomes and its predictive validity across all outcomes and degree levels is …

The Robust Learning Model With A Spiral Curriculum: Implications For The Educational Effectiveness Of Online Master Degree Programs, Yoram Neumann, Edith F. Neumann, Shelia Lewis

Touro University Worldwide Publications and Research

This study integrated the Spiral Curriculum approach into the Robust Learning Model as part of a continuous improvement process that was designed to improve educational effectiveness and then assessed the differences between the initial and integrated models as well as the predictability of the first course in the integrated learning model on a wide range of educational effectiveness indicators for online master degree programs.

Meaningful improvement in educational effectiveness was validated by the study. The importance of the first course's predictors in predicting and explaining the various degree program educational effectiveness indicators was also very instrumental.

The theoretical and practical …

Medical Student Burnout: A Social Cognitive Learning Perspective On Medical Student Mental Health And Wellness, Robert Lubin, Michael Hamlin

Touro University Worldwide Publications and Research

Medical students' mental health is a topic of great interest as it has implications not only for medical students but also for the patients of these future doctors. Medical students face many academic pressures and burnout is one possible consequence of these stressors with some studies suggesting that burnout affects up to 50% of medical students. Our own study of American students in a medical programme located outside of the U.S. showed that student perceptions of the medical learning environment were linked with burnout suggesting that reducing burnout requires a pedagogical approach that addresses academically related stress factors. This chapter …

Misuse Of Novel Synthetic Opioids: A Deadly New Trend, Matthew P. Prekupec, Peter A. Mansky, Michael H. Baumann

College of Osteopathic Medicine (TUN) Publications and Research

Novel synthetic opioids (NSOs) include various analogs of fentanyl and newly emerging non-fentanyl compounds. Together with illicitly manufactured fentanyl (IMF), these drugs have caused a recent spike in overdose deaths, whereas deaths from prescription opioids have stabilized. NSOs are used as stand-alone products, as adulterants in heroin, or as constituents of counterfeit prescription medications. During 2015 alone, there were 9580 deaths from synthetic opioids other than methadone. Most of these fatalities were associated with IMF rather than diverted pharmaceutical fentanyl. In opioid overdose cases, where the presence of fentanyl analogs was examined, analogs were implicated in 17% of fatalities. Recent …

Measuring The Value Of Cultural Activity In Regional Western Australia: Evaluation Report, Helen Rusak, Susan Studham

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This report, Measuring the value of cultural activity in regional Western Australia (WA) represents a collaboration between Country Arts Western
Australia (CAWA) and Edith Cowan University (ECU) that investigates the intrinsic value of cultural programs that have been benefitted from the Royalties for Regions investment in regional WA.

Impact Of Different Housing Systems And Age Of Layers On Egg Quality Characteristics, Bi̇lgehan Yilmaz Di̇kmen, Aydin İpek, Ümran Şahan, Arda Sözcü, Süleyman Can Baycan

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

The aim of this study was to investigate effects of conventional-cage (CC), enriched-cage (EC), and free-range (FR) systems and hen age on internal and external egg quality parameters of layers (Lohmann Brown). A total of 720 eggs were analyzed for egg weight (EW), shell weight (SW), yolk weight (YW), albumen weight (AW), shell thickness (ST), shell breaking strength (SBS), shape (SI), albumen (AI), yolk index (YI) of eggs, shell ratio of eggs (SR), albumen ratio of eggs (AR), yolk ratio of eggs (YR), yolk color (YC), and Haugh unit (HU). The highest EW, YW, AW, SW, AI, YI, HU (all …