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On The Influence Of Spatio-Temporal Analysis On Clustering And Recommendation, Madhuri Debnath

Computer Science and Engineering Dissertations - Archive

In this dissertation, we propose efficient frameworks to analyze spatio-temporal data. In the first part of the dissertation, we use a clustering based method to mine useful information from trajectory data. Existing trajectory clustering algorithms have focused on geometric properties and spatial features of trajectories. In contrast to existing algorithms, we propose a new framework to cluster sub-trajectories based on a combination of spatial and non-spatial features. In the second part of dissertation, we propose a unified framework to build recommendation systems by analyzing human movement data. We propose recommendation frameworks to recommend POI locations and travel routes that use …

Common Tdp1 Polymorphisms In Relation To Survival Among Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients: A Multicenter Study From The International Lung Cancer Consortium, Pawadee Lohavanichbutr, Lori C. Sakoda, Christopher I. Amos, Susanne M. Arnold, David C. Christiani, Michael P. A. Davies, John K. Field, Eric B. Haura, Rayjean J Hung, Takashi Kohno, Maria Teresa Landi, Geoffrey Liu, Yi Liu, Michael W. Marcus, Grainne M. O'Kane, Matthew B. Schabath, Kouya Shiraishi, Stacey A. Slone, Adonina Tardón, Ping Yang, Kazushi Yoshida, Ruyang Zhang, Xuchen Zong, Gary E. Goodman, Noel S. Weiss, Chu Chen

Internal Medicine Faculty Publications

Background—DNA topoisomerase inhibitors are commonly used for treating small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). Tyrosyl-DNA phosphodiesterase (TDP1) repairs DNA damage caused by this class of drugs and may therefore influence treatment outcome. In this study, we investigated whether common TDP1 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) are associated with overall survival among SCLC patients.

Methods—Two TDP1 SNPs (rs942190 and rs2401863) were analyzed in 890 patients from 10 studies in the International Lung Cancer Consortium (ILCCO). The Kaplan–Meier method and Cox regression analyses were used to evaluate genotype associations with overall mortality at 36 months postdiagnosis, adjusting for age, sex, race, and tumor stage. …

An Examination Of School Leaders' Preferences For Teacher Applicant Characteristics., Byron Keith Davis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Teachers are important to student achievement. The selection of teachers in most schools in the United States is the responsibility of the principal. This study examined preferences of school leaders for teacher applicant characteristics. An exploratory factor analysis of the results (N = 209) of the Preferred Teacher Applicant Characteristics Survey (PTACS) determined four underlying dimension of the PTACS instrument: personal characteristics, professional characteristics, ancillary characteristics, and demographic characteristics. These became the dependent variable in a series of linear multiple regression analyses to examine the relationship between a school’s characteristics – poverty, school performance category, average teacher experience, and the …

Material Properties Design Using Simulations And Experiments For Powder Injection Molding Of Lead Zirconate Titanate (Pzt)., Bhushan Pramod Bandiwadekar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Powder injection molding (PIM) process simulations can be performed to minimize the number of injection molding experiments by estimating material properties necessary for PIM simulations. In current work, lead zirconate titanate (PZT) powder-polymer binder feedstock was compounded for 45 vol. % and 52 vol. % solids loading. PIM experiments on designed micro-pillar array geometry were performed using 52 vol. % PZT. Using PIM experiments results as basis, PIM simulations were performed on designed micro-pillar array geometries to understand the effectiveness of PIM simulations with the use of estimated feedstock properties in predicting molding behavior that have micro-features. Additionally, PIM simulations …

All-Optical Switching In Ferromagnetic Superlattices., Faren Hoveyda Marashi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The unexpected observation of ultrafast demagnetization (UDM) and subsequent time-resolved studies of laser-induced magnetization switching opened a new door to both fundamental physics and technological applications of magnetic materials. All-optical switching (AOS) can be initiated faster than the precession limit, hinting to its potential in increasing the writing speed and data storage density. However, notwithstanding considerable research interest, the mechanism of AOS in ferromagnetic materials remained unclear.

Ferromagnetic superlattices were deposited on glass substrates with e-beam evaporation and sputtering. Magnetization curves were measured in magneto-optical and vibrating sample magnetometer experiments. A femtosecond Ti:S laser was utilized in a writing setup …

The Knowledge Economy : Increasing Human Capital On The U.S. I-65 Corridor., Brandon S. Mcreynolds

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In economics, the term growth often refers to the increase in economic activity between two points in time. Within the context of the United States of America, the language of growth has permeated beyond just economics and into other societal institutions due to spillover. As a result, growth is not just an economic term but rather a part of the culture of capitalism which impacts every area of society. The dissertation using growth machine theory and the global cities literature examines how in the knowledge economy, cities play a growing role in mediating the supply and demand for …

Cnl As Educator: Justifying The Need For A Certified Diabetes Educator On The Medical Surgical/Telemetry Unit, Livneet K. Takhar

Master's Projects and Capstones

Abstract

This improvement project aims to justify the need for a certified diabetes educator (CDE) on the medical surgical/telemetry unit of a rural community hospital. A microsystem and gap analysis indicates lack of comprehensive, efficient and effective diabetes care education. The clinical nurse leader (CNL) conducted a learning needs assessment and pilot education project to integrate tasks of a CDE into the microsystem. Patients participated if they spoke English as their native language, met the criteria of a new diagnosis of diabetes, uncontrolled blood sugars, or hemoglobin A1C of 6.5% or higher. Thirty-minute education sessions were provided to twenty patients …

The Impact Of Groundwater And Well Characteristics On Irrigator Energy Contract Choice, Taylor Hackbart

Department of Agricultural Economics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The thesis uses cross sectional data from the year 2009 to analyze irrigator choice of electricity contract. The data includes irrigators from the Midwest Electric Cooperative Corporation (MECC), which covers portions of three of Nebraska’s Natural Resource Districts (the Middle Republican, Twin Platte, and Upper Republican NRDs). Each of these institutions tries to reduce the pressure its users place on limited natural resources.

To accomplish this the MECC has established interruptible contracts with irrigators. These contracts allow the MECC to control the electricity supply for an irrigator’s well for a pre-determined number of days, which allows it to better manage …

Latent Interaction Modeling With Planned Missing Data Designs, Jayden Nord

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Planned missing data (PMD) designs allow researchers to collect additional data under time constraints, which likely occur in educational research settings. The imposed missing data patterns, however, can hamper the efficiency of statistical models that are of interest to substantive researchers. Typically, PMD designs result in a modest power deficiency; however, this tenet has not been extended to latent interaction models. Such models are of increasing importance as researchers investigate moderated relationships involving continuous latent variables. Monte Carlo simulations were used to assess the efficacy of various latent interaction estimation methods under PMD designs.

Advisor: James A. Bovaird

Spirituality Among Black Americans: A Hierarchical Classification Of The Family Strengths Model, Genese Clark

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

There is a need for disaggregate data pertaining to the perceived strengths of Black American families. This study identified which traits are salient and dominant among African-American families according to the Family Strengths Model. Utilizing this model, a mixed methods study was conducted among Black Americans living in Connecticut who identify with belonging to a family (N=59) to investigate the importance of six family strength domains. Results found the hierarchical rank (from most important to least important) to be commitment, spirituality/ spiritual wellbeing, appreciation and affection, positive communication, time together, and the ability to manage stress and crisis effectively. Additionally, …

The Influence Of Previous Subject Experience On Interactions During Peer Instruction In An Introductory Physics Course: A Mixed Methods Analysis, Judy A. Vondruska

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Over the past decade, peer instruction and the introduction of student response systems has provided a means of improving student engagement and achievement in large-lecture settings. While the nature of the student discourse occurring during peer instruction is less understood, existing studies have shown student ideas about the subject, extraneous cues, and confidence level appear to matter in the student-student discourse. Using a mixed methods research design, this study examined the influence of previous subject experience on peer instruction in an introductory, one-semester Survey of Physics course. Quantitative results indicated students in discussion pairs where both had previous subject experience …

Examining The Relationships Between Prenatal Tobacco Exposure, Temperament, And Cognitive Ability In Early Childhood, Sam Pérez-González

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Prenatal tobacco exposure (PTE) has been extensively researched and consistently associated with outcomes indicative of self-regulation deficits (e.g., ADHD, behavioral problems, and impaired cognitive function). Self-regulation is a multifaceted construct critical to children’s successful behavioral, emotional, and academic adjustment and involves the integration of a cognitive component (executive function) and a temperamental component (effortful control). Previous research suggests temperament may be a pathway through which PTE affects children’s future behavior and cognitive outcomes, but such studies have been limited to infancy and have not included measures of executive function. Thus, the current study had three aims: a) to examine clusters …

Multilevel Metric Invariance: A Monte Carlo Simulation, Elizabeth Svoboda

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Multilevel measurement invariance determines the extent to which a construct is measured in the same way across multiple hierarchical nested levels in the context of the current study. Lower-level parameter estimates may differ from parameter estimates based on higher-level aggregates in applied research settings. Multilevel metric invariance is a method to detect the presence of a noninvariant factor loading.

The purpose of the current study was to determine the utility of multiple-group multilevel – confirmatory factor analysis (MGM-CFA) for detecting metric noninvariance in nested data. The example context is noninvariance occurring between treatment and control classrooms with students (i.e., level-one) …

Spatial Variation In Western Corn Rootworm (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) Susceptibility To Bacillus Thuringiensis Corn Events In Nebraska, Jordan D. Reinders

Department of Entomology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The western corn rootworm (WCR), Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte, is an economically important pest species of field corn (Zea mays L.) in the U.S. Corn Belt. Yield losses and control costs exceed greater than $1 billion annually. Over the past 10+ years, growers have adopted transgenic corn hybrids expressing rootworm-active Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) proteins as a primary WCR management tactic. Field-evolved resistance to Cry3Bb1 and mCry3A proteins expressed in single-trait Bt hybrids has been confirmed in some areas of Nebraska. Growers have used different tactics as needed to prevent or mitigate resistance, resulting in a mosaic of selection pressure placed …

An Examination Of Political Attitudes And Behavior Using Regulatory Focus Theory, Kristen D. Deppe

Department of Political Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Using Regulatory Focus Theory (RFT, Higgins 1997), I take a broad look at the manner in which political behaviors and attitudes are impacted by the promotion and prevention motivational systems. I first look at how behavior in life generally and political life specifically are similar in terms of regulatory focus. Second, I look at how RFT is related to political attitudes. Specifically, I look at whether there is a connection between regulatory focus and ideological attitudes, whether there is a relationship between policy context and motivational systems, and whether the status quo of a policy leads to a relationship between …

Land Use Land Cover Change Effects On Southern Great Plains Precipitation, Alexandra Caruthers

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Great Plains land use has changed substantially over the last 160 years, altering the properties of the land through increased settlement and advances in irrigation. Changing the interface between the land and atmosphere has implications for the atmospheric boundary layer, the regional circulation, the local surface energy budget and resulting precipitation patterns. Land use land cover (LULC) changes are an important topic for this region due to its heavy dependence on agriculture. This study investigates differences in Southern Great Plains precipitation patterns between four LULC scenarios: the pre-settlement, 1920’s, Dust Bowl and present day eras. Using the Weather Research and …

A Novel Approach To Defining "Whistleblower" In Dodd-Frank, Ian A. Engoron

Fordham Journal of Corporate & Financial Law

Following the Financial Crisis of 2008, trust in the financial industry was at an all-time low as the American taxpayer was forced to bailout the very same institutions responsible for their suffering. In response, Congress passed Dodd-Frank in 2010 to ensure another crisis like 2008 never happen again. Section 78u-6 of the Act provides incentives and protections for whistleblowers who report violations of securities laws. In recent years there has been a divide among circuit courts over the question of whether employees who report violations internally to their bosses—and not directly to the SEC—are protected by the Act. Currently, the …

Proxy Access And Optimal Standardization In Corporate Governance: An Empirical Analysis, Reilly S. Steel

Fordham Journal of Corporate & Financial Law

According to the conventional wisdom, “one size does not fit all” in corporate governance. Firms are heterogeneous with respect to their governance needs, implying that the optimal corporate governance structure must also vary from firm to firm. This one-size-does-not-fit-all axiom has featured prominently in arguments against numerous corporate law regulatory initiatives, including the SEC’s failed Rule 14a-11—an attempt to impose mandatory, uniform “proxy access” on all public companies—which the D.C. Circuit struck down for inadequate cost–benefit analysis.

This Article presents an alternative theory as to the role of standardization in corporate governance—in which investors prefer standardized terms—and empirical …

Multiphase Flow Modeling And Analysis Of Phased Filling Process For Pulsed Detonation Engine, Nirmal Kumar Umapathy

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Theses - Archive

Filling of reactants into a pulsed detonation engine (PDE) should be carried out quickly because any lengthening of the fill time will lead to an increased cycle time. The fill process and, the purge process constitutes a large proportion of time in a cycle. The purpose of this research was to improve the time of fill by implementing various injection geometries in two injection schemes with five different premixed stoichiometric fuel-air mixture injected at wide range of velocity. The different configurations examined were end wall injection, side wall injection with ports angled and normal to the flow direction and staggered …

The Problem Of Illusion In The Phenomenology Of Claude Romano, Joseph Cutolo

Student Theses and Dissertations

The phenomenology of Claude Romano constructs a strict distinction between perceptions and illusions. This distinction is so strict that the former excludes the latter completely. Putting this distinction into play is not a local decision about our experiences and the structures of our experiences. This decision brings with it metaphysical, ontological, and phenomenological frameworks to ground it. In what follows I attempt to draw out the consequences of Romano’s decisions about our experience, and to study the philosophical frameworks that underlie his decisions. In doing so, I reconnect his phenomenology with a wider terminology of phenomenology, in order to study …

Control Surfaces Of Aquatic Vertebrates: Active And Passive Design And Function, Frank E. Fish, George V. Lauder

Biology Faculty Publications

Aquatic vertebrates display a variety of control surfaces that are used for propulsion, stabilization, trim and maneuvering. Control surfaces include paired and median fins in fishes, and flippers and flukes in secondarily aquatic tetrapods. These structures initially evolved from embryonic fin folds in fishes and have been modified into complex control surfaces in derived aquatic tetrapods. Control surfaces function both actively and passively to produce torque about the center of mass by the generation of either lift or drag, or both, and thus produce vector forces to effect rectilinear locomotion, trim control and maneuvers. In addition to fins and flippers, …

An Integrated Evaluation Of Potential Petroleum Systems Of The Southern Carnarvon Basin, Western Australia, James E. Hobbs

Earth & Environmental Sciences Theses - Archive

The Southern Carnarvon Basin is an elongate basin in Western Australia covering approximately 200,000km2. There are two main regions: a western platform (Gascoyne Platform) with a Cambrian to Lower Carboniferous succession that has mostly flat-lying Cretaceous-Cenozoic cover; and an eastern set of half-grabens (Merlinleigh Sub-basin) forming a single mid-Carboniferous – Permian depocenter, now separated by a gneissic basement of the Carrandibby Inlier, which is considered to be a part of the Merlinleigh Sub-basin. The two regions have little in common except for sharing a Devonian to Lower Carboniferous succession and both have predominantly Paleozoic infill. Tectonics processes recorded in the …

Maximum Strength, Rate Of Force Development, Jump Height, And Peak Power Alterations In Weightlifters Across Five Months Of Training, W. Guy Hornsby, Jeremy A. Gentles, Christopher J. Macdonald, Satoshi Mizuguchi, Michael W. Ramsey, Michael H. Stone

Kinesiology

The purpose of this monitoring study was to investigate how alterations in training affect changes in force-related characteristics and weightlifting performance. Subjects: Seven competitive weightlifters participated in the study. Methods: The weightlifters performed a block style periodized plan across 20 weeks. Force plate data from the isometric mid-thigh pull and static jumps with 0 kg, 11 kg, and 20 kg were collected near the end of each training block (weeks 1, 6, 10, 13, 17, and 20). Weightlifting performance was measured at weeks 0, 7, 11, and 20. Results: Very strong correlations were noted between weightlifting performances and isometric rate …

Fake News: No One Is Liable, And That Is A Problem, Emma M. Savino

Buffalo Law Review

No abstract provided.

Per Pupil Expenditure, Graduation Rates, And Act Scores In Tennessee School Districts, Jay Irvin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate and identify possible relationships between academic achievement, as measured by high school graduation rate and ACT composite scores of individual school districts within the state of Tennessee, and the per-pupil expenditure of each district. Research was conducted to determine whether a significant difference existed in academic achievement measures (high school graduation rate, ACT composite score) among school districts in the state of Tennessee that were classified as above average, average, and below average in relation to their per-pupil expenditure (PPE) in the 2013-2014, 2014-2015, and 2015-16 school years.

Ex post facto data …

African Diaspora Scholar Mobility Programs: Looking Toward Models For South-South Cooperation, Kelsey Sherbondy

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

No abstract provided.

Boys Club Behind The Scenes: Using Title Vii To Remedy Gender Discrimination In Hollywood, Samira Paydar

Seton Hall Law Review

No abstract provided.

When Leaders Are Not Who They Appear: The Effects Of Leader Disclosure Of A Concealable Stigma On Follower Reactions, Gary A. Adams, Jennica R. Webster

Management Faculty Research and Publications

Two studies examined follower reactions to disclosure of concealable stigma (i.e., transgender identity) by a leader. Using 109 employed participants, Study 1 showed followers rated leaders disclosing a stigma less likable and effective. This effect was both direct and indirect through relational identification with the leader. Using 206 employed participants, Study 2 found when a leader's stigma was involuntarily found out and disclosed later they received lower ratings of likability and effectiveness compared to leaders who voluntarily came out and disclosed earlier. Method (found out vs. came out) and timing of disclosure (later vs. earlier) had direct relationships with ratings …

Vocational And Life Skills Monthly Data Update: December 2017, Uno Nebraska Center For Justice Research, Johanna Peterson

Reports

Grantees use an online data management system to submit data on participants served under their Vocational and Life Skills programming. This data is due monthly and reflects all services provided during the previous month to participants. Evaluators at the Nebraska Center for Justice Research work with grantees directly to correct any data errors on an ongoing basis during monthly update calls and regular site visits.

Data presented below is from the most recent monthly data extract. Because this data comes for an active database with live data being entered and updated daily, data, including previously submitted information, may fluctuate depending …

Virtual Reality And Augmented Reality Applications, Tuan Ho

Electrical Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Virtual Reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are the emerging fields of research. VR enables the immersive, being-there feelings of the viewers in a recorded or virtual environment, while AR enhances the real-world perception with the aid of an electronic device. On the VR part, this thesis introduces the novel 360-degree video stitching algorithms for dual-fisheye lens cameras, which are compact and affordable. On the AR section, this work presents a new approach in compressing the 3-dimensional point cloud models that are used in free view-point sports and tele-immersive applications.