Digital Commons Network^™

Analytics And Baseball's New Generation, John Roche

Essential Studies UNDergraduate Showcase

Major League Baseball has been a catalyst for making decisions in sports and competition from a purely mathematical viewpoint. We have seen teams utilize unique on-field player alignments and roster-building strategies based on statistical observations and applications of math. This project examines the advantages Sabermetrics and analytics present within the sport. Untapped statistical categories that could further the success of teams in the future is also briefly discussed.

The Most Important Statistics In Football, Jacob Holmen

Essential Studies UNDergraduate Showcase

This research is based on the Five Factors that were devised by Bill Connelly of SBNation. The Five Factors of football include Explosiveness, Efficiency, Field Position, Finishing Drives, and Turnovers. Each factor is composed of associated statistics that when put together make up the most important statistics in football. This research includes the analysis of all 857 FBS (the highest level of NCAA Division I football) games from the 2016 season. Data was analyzed through the use of an Excel spreadsheet. Five different statistics were looked at, each associated with one of the Five Factors. The statistics include Yards per …

Usarray Imaging Of Continental Crust In The Conterminous United States, Xiaofei Ma, Anthony R. Lowry

Geosciences Faculty Publications

The thickness and bulk composition of continental crust provide important constraints on the evolution and dynamics of continents. Crustal mineralogy and thickness both may influence gravity anomalies, topographic elevation, and lithospheric strength, but prior to the inception of EarthScope’s USArray, seismic measurements of crustal thickness and properties useful for inferring lithology are sparse. Here we improve upon a previously published methodology for joint inversion of Bouguer gravity anomalies and seismic receiver functions by using parameter space stacking of cross correlations of modeled synthetic and observed receiver functions instead of standard H-κ amplitude stacking. The new method is applied to estimation …

The Star-Forming Main Sequence Of Dwarf Low Surface Brightness Galaxies, Stacy S. Mcgaugh

Faculty Scholarship

We explore the star-forming properties of late-type, low surface brightness (LSB) galaxies. The star-forming main sequence (SFR-M∗) of LSB dwarfs has a steep slope, indistinguishable from unity (1.04 ± 0.06). They form a distinct sequence from more massive spirals, which exhibit a shallower slope. The break occurs around M∗ ≈ 1010 Mo , and can also be seen in the gas mass-stellar mass plane. The global Kennicutt-Schmidt law (SFR-Mg) has a slope of 1.47 ± 0.11 without the break seen in the main sequence. There is an ample supply of gas in LSB galaxies, which have gas depletion times well …

College Of Engineering Senior Design Competition Fall 2017, University Of Nevada, Las Vegas

Fred and Harriet Cox Senior Design Competition Projects

Part of every UNLV engineering student’s academic experience, the senior design project stimulates engineering innovation and entrepreneurship. Each student in their senior year chooses, plans, designs, and prototypes a product in this required element of the curriculum. A capstone to the student’s educational career, the senior design project encourages the student to use everything learned in the engineering program to create a practical, real world solution to an engineering challenge. The senior design competition helps focus the senior students in increasing the quality and potential for commercial application for their design projects. Judges from local industry evaluate the projects on …

Application Of Real Field Connected Vehicle Data For Aggressive Driving Identification On Horizontal Curves, Arash Jahangiri, Vincent Berardi, Sahar Ghanipoor Machiani

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

The emerging technology of connected vehicles generates a vast amount of data that could be used to enhance roadway safety. In this paper, we focused on safety applications of a real field connected vehicle data on a horizontal curve. The database contains connected vehicle data that were collected on public roads in Ann Arbor, Michigan with instrumented vehicles. Horizontal curve negotiations are associated with a great number of accidents, which are mainly attributed to driving errors. Aggressive/risky driving is a contributing factor to the high rate of crashes on horizontal curves. Using basic safety message data in connected vehicle data …

Classification Of A Meteorite Found Near Colgate, North Dakota, Justin Germann

Undergraduate Theses and Senior Projects

In 1999 a 39 Kg stony meteorite was found near Colgate, North Dakota, during the construction of a new house. The surface of the meteorite contains many shallow regmaglypts and a weathered crust with a reddish orange color to dark brown-red, and the interior reveals a high abundance of metallic flecks. The SiO2/MgO ratio is 1.5, FeO/SiO2 ratio is 0.71, the Femetallic/FeO ratio is 0.72, the total metallic Fe is 19.8%,the average chondrule diameter is 0.3 mm, and the Fa composition is 20.27 mol%. The meteorite also has a crystalline matrix, with mostly well segregated chondrules, little igneous glass, and …

Towards Approaches And Techniques For Analysing Wifi Location Data, John Mcauley, Clement Roux, James Little

Conference papers

Citieshaveanincreasinglydensenetworkofconnectedaccess points that enable individuals and groups to access the web on a range of different devices. Although, in most cases, the data collected from these networks is anonymised, when aggregated, it provides a rich illustration of how cities, public places and urban spaces are used. However, making use of this data can prove challenging as rarely, due to anonymization and data protection measures, is the data labelled and often the accuracy of the location information is questionable. Given these constraints, we have investigated a set of methods that can be applied to anonymous WiFi- location-based data. Through two specific …

Designing In-Headset Authoring Tools For Virtual Reality Video, Cuong Nguyen

Dissertations and Theses

Virtual Reality (VR) video is emerging as a new art form. Viewing VR video requires wearing the VR headset to fully experience the immersive surrounding of the content. However, the novel viewing experience of VR video creates new challenges and requirements for conventional video authoring tools, which were designed mainly for working with normal video on a desktop display. Designing effective authoring tools for VR video requires intuitive video interfaces specific to VR.

This dissertation develops new workflows and systems that enable filmmakers to create and improve VR video while fully immersed in a VR headset. We introduce a series …

Sleep And Young Children's Development Of Self-Regulation And Academic Skills, Emily Michelle Weiss

Dissertations and Theses

School readiness incorporates children's academic abilities and their ability to self-regulate in the classroom. Prior research shows that sleep is related to children's development of these skills, although the mechanisms through which sleep affects school readiness are not well understood. Research also indicates that economically disadvantaged children and children of color may have poorer academic and regulatory skills at school entry and may sleep less and sleep less well on a regular basis.

The current study explores the role of sleep quantity and quality in young children's development of two skills critical for school success: self-regulation and academic abilities. This …

Multi-Hazard Performance Assessment Of High-Rise Buildings, Jad El Khoury Antoun

LSU Master's Theses

In the last few decades, there has been an important increase in building high-rise constructions in many cities around the world. Since they offer several benefits in populous areas in terms of space efficiency, economy and sustainability, tower buildings attracted practitioners and researchers to understand better their exclusive behavior and response to natural hazards (e.g., hurricanes, earthquakes). Because of their flexibility and their commonly limited damping, skyscrapers are more susceptible to wind and earthquake actions than low- and mid-rise buildings. Moreover, many locations are prone to multiple hazards; hence, it is important to understand thoroughly the structural behavior of structures …

Improving Advertisement Delivery In Video Streaming, Mary Witkowski, Marshall Witkowski

Defensive Publications Series

Generally, the present disclosure is directed to improving advertisement delivery based on the content of a video. In particular, in some implementations, the systems and methods of the present disclosure can include or otherwise leverage one or more machine-learned models to predict a non-intrusive location for an advertisement based on the content of a video.

Predicting Search Queries Based On Personal Routines, Greg Hartrell

Defensive Publications Series

Generally, the present disclosure is directed to a computing system for predicting user intent in operation of a device based on personal routines. In particular, in some implementations, the systems and methods of the present disclosure can include or otherwise leverage one or more machine-learned models to predict user intent in operation of a device based on past and/or current operation of the device and routine of the user.

Allocating System Resources In Display Of Advertisements, Bin Liu, Jiefu Zheng

Defensive Publications Series

Generally, the present disclosure is directed to predicting whether bid data of a present ad query (e.g., the largest cost per thousand impressions provided by a bid responsive to the ad query) will satisfy a threshold (e.g., a threshold cost per thousand impressions) based on bid data from one or more previous ad queries and/or characteristics of the present ad query. In particular, in some implementations, the systems and methods of the present disclosure can include or otherwise leverage one or more machine-learned models to predict whether bid data of an ad query will satisfy a threshold based on bid …

Predicting Categorical Information For New Content In Application Recommender Systems, Jun Hong, Xiao Zhang

Defensive Publications Series

Generally, the present disclosure is directed to predicting categorical information for newly created content in an application recommender system. In particular, in some implementations, the systems and methods of the present disclosure can include or otherwise leverage one or more machine-learned models to predict categorical information of new applications in an applications marketplace based on screenshots of such new applications in the applications marketplace.

Effects Of Extracurricular Activities And Physical Activity On Academic Success

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

In this paper, I provide a comprehensive review of recent literature (published since 2010) regarding the relation between academic success and participation in extracurricular activities. I examine the direct effects—both positive and negative—that such participation has on the academic performance of students of all grade levels. Subsequently, because sports constitute a large portion of the extracurricular spectrum, I also examine studies that analyze t he effects of physical activity on academic performance. These studies suggest that extracurricular activities may have a positive effect on academics, especially when they contribute to a balanced life, self-confidence, an increased sense of personal duty …

Teacher Expectations And The Black-White Scholastic Achievement Gap

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

Decades after the desegregation of schools, a Black-White achievement gap remains in the American school system. Researchers have given many possible explanations, including socioeconomic factors and teachers’ expectations of their students. In this paper, I summarize some of the literature on racial prejudice in teach er expectations and its impact on students’ academic and personal lives. I also analyze the role of stereotypes and other factors in teacher expectations and the communication of explicit and implicit expectations through teaching practices and nonverbal behavior. Finally, I discuss the use of teacher workshops as a possible means for narrowing the ethnic achievement …

Calculating Risk, Denying Uncertainty: Seismicity And Hydropower Development In Nepal, Christopher Butler, Matthäus Rest

HIMALAYA, the Journal of the Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies

If Ulrich Beck’s definition of ‘risk society’ describes societies increasingly structured by preoccupations with future environmental threats and related insecurities created by modernization, then Nepal’s hydropower community would appear to be quite the opposite, propelled into environmental denial by twin demands for domestic electricity and revenue earned through hydroelectric export. Our research reveals that prior to the April 2015 earthquake in Nepal, the hydropower community was engaging in what Eviatar Zerubavel calls ‘socially organized denial,’ largely ignoring the uncertainties associated with seismic activity. Earthquakes and tremors were viewed as unavoidable realities that should not impede hydropower development. This denial, we …

Long-Term High Salt Intake Involves Reduced Sk Currents And Increased Excitability Of Pvn Neurons With Projections To The Rostral Ventrolateral Medulla In Rats, Andrew D. Chapp, Renjun Wang, Zixi Cheng, Zhiying Shan, Qing-Hui Chen

Department of Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology Publications

Evidence indicates that high salt (HS) intake activates presympathetic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) neurons, which contributes to sympathoexcitation of salt-sensitive hypertension. The present study determined whether 5 weeks of HS (2% NaCl) intake alters the small conductance Ca²⁺-activated potassium channel (SK) current in presympathetic PVN neurons and whether this change affects the neuronal excitability. In whole-cell voltage-clamp recordings, HS-treated rats had significantly decreased SK currents compared to rats with normal salt (NS, 0.4% NaCl) intake in PVN neurons. The sensitivity of PVN neuronal excitability in response to current injections was greater in HS group compared to NS controls. The …

Red Pens, White Paper: Wider Implications Of Coulthard’S Call To Sovereignty, Brian Burkhart, David J. Carlson, Billy J. Stratton, Theodore C. Van Alst, Carol Edelman Warrior

English and Literary Arts: Faculty Scholarship

Transcript of a roundtable conversation focused on Glen Coulthard's book Red Skins, White Masks.

Pros And Cons Of Marine Zoological Parks According To Marine Conservationists, Kayla L. Patama

HCNSO Student Capstones

Throughout history zoos and aquariums have satisfied a number of different, albeit to some, conflicting roles (Ballantyne, Packer, Hughes, & Dierking, 2007). In recent years, zoos and aquariums have shifted their focus on taking a proactive role in wildlife conservation and promoting conservation learning among their visitors. The present capstone addresses the justifications that marine conservationists see in marine zoological parks and how they believe parks can become more relevant and valuable in the future. A 65 question survey (Appendix I) was distributed to marine science professionals online through personal contact between June and September 2017 questioning participant’s personal opinions …

Synthesis Of A Model Of The Bc Ring System Of Oxygenated Angucyclines, Xiaolan Wu, Abdullah Allaoa, Tony E. Nicolas

Publications and Research

Angucycline is a subclass of natural antibiotics, containing a characteristic tetracyclic ring structure, and featuring a wide range of biological functions, including antitumor, antiviral and antifungal properties. This extraordinarily therapeutic character has interested many chemists to develop efficient methodologies for synthesizing the tetracyclic ring system of angucycline. Construction of the BC ring configuration appears as a synthetic challenge. Successful installation of hydroxyl groups at the AB junction would pave the way for efficient syntheses. As a continuation of the previous work done on this system, our synthetic methodology focuses on the coupling of a suitably substituted Phthalide and an activated …

A Teachable Unit On Soft Corals With Instructional Method Variances, Emily Breech

Honors Projects

The soft coral Sinularia flexibilis contains an aqueous alcohol extract that has shown antineoplastic activity against lymphocytic leukemia (Weinheimer and Matson, 1977). It also has other biological properties that work as antimicrobials, anti-inflammatory agents, and cytotoxicity activities (Kamel and Slattery, 2005). There is much research on the effects of flow rate on growth and morphology (Khalesi, Beeftink, & Wijffels, 2007) and the effects of light-dependency on growth rate (Khalesi, Beeftink, & Wijffels, 2009). The purpose of this student project was to further research on S. flexibilis, as well as incorporate that research into evaluating the effects of lecture-based teaching …

Improving The Accuracy Of Cosmic-Ray Neutron Probe Estimate Of Soil Water Content Using Multiple Detectors And Remote Sensing Estimates Of Vegetation, Xiaochen Dong

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The recently developed Cosmic-ray Neutron Probe (CRNP) for estimating soil water content (SWC) fills a critical measurement gap between point scale methods and large scale measurements collected from remote sensing. CRNP works by measuring the change in low-energy neutron intensity over time. However, the accuracy of CRNP to measure SWC is well known to be affected by other hydrogen sources (e.g. soil organic content, atmospheric water vapor, vegetation and surface water). This study focuses on the influence of rapidly growing vegetation in agricultural fields on the accuracy of the CRNP method. Here we use data from three long-term CRNP study …

Measuring Polarized Emission In Clusters In The Cmb S4 Era, Louis Thibaut, Emory F. Bunn, Benjamin Wandelt, Joseph Silk

Physics Faculty Publications

The next generation of CMB experiments (CMB Stage-4) will produce a Sunyaev-Zel’dovich (SZ) cluster catalog containing ∼105 objects, two orders of magnitudes more than currently available. In this paper, we discuss the detectability of the polarized signal generated by scattering of the CMB quadrupole on the cluster electron gas using this catalog. We discuss the possibility of using this signal to measure the relationship between cluster optical depth and mass. We find that the area of observation of S4 maximizes the signal-to-noise (S/N) on the polarized signal but that this S/N is extremely small for an individual cluster, of order …

Investigation Of The Effectiveness Of N, N-Dimethylformamide As A Solvent For Cdte Electrodeposition, Joshua Aaron Vangilder

Student Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this dissertation project was to investigate the viability of N, N-dimethylformamide (DMF) as a solvent for CdTe electrodeposition. The Taguchi Method was used to design a minimal set of experiments to determine this. The factors chosen were deposition voltage, solution composition, stir rate, and temperature. There were a total of nine experiments and 18 samples produced (2 per experiment). Optical absorbance data was collected for each film to approximate the bandgap of the material. This data was used to determine the optimal set of conditions and the relative significance of each factor to one another. It was …

The Anchor, Volume 131.12: December 6, 2017, Hope College

The Anchor: 2017

The Anchor began in 1887 and was first issued weekly in 1914. Covering national and campus news alike, Hope College’s student-run newspaper has grown over the years to encompass over two-dozen editors, reporters, and staff. For much of The Anchor's history, the latest issue was distributed across campus each Wednesday throughout the academic school year (with few exceptions). In recent years The Anchor moved to monthly print issues and a more frequently updated website. The Anchor is now published in print twice per academic semester. Occasionally, the volume and/or issue numbering is irregular.

Cloudsat-Based Assessment Of Gpm Microwave Imager Snowfall Observation Capabilities, Giulia Panegrossi, Jean-François Rysman, Daniele Casella, Anna Cinzia Marra, Mark Kulie

Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences Publications

The sensitivity of Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Microwave Imager (GMI) high-frequency channels to snowfall at higher latitudes (around 60^◦N/S) is investigated using coincident CloudSat observations. The 166 GHz channel is highlighted throughout the study due to its ice scattering sensitivity and polarization information. The analysis of three case studies evidences the important combined role of total precipitable water (TPW), supercooled cloud water,and background surface composition on the brightness temperature (TB) behavior for different snow-producing clouds. A regression tree statistical analysis applied to the entire GMI-CloudSat snowfall dataset indicates which variables influence the 166 GHz polarization difference (166∆TB)and its …

A Redescription Of The Ichnospecies Koreanaornis Anhuiensis (Aves) From The Lower Cretaceous Qiuzhuang Formation At Mingguang City, Anhui Province, China, Li-Da Xing, Yuan-Chao Hu, Jian-Dong Huang, Qing He, Martin G. Lockley, Michael E. Burns, Jun Fang

Research, Publications & Creative Work

The Cretaceous bird trackway originally labeled Aquatilavipes anhuiensis, in 1994, had previously been examined, photographed and replicated, but never described or illustrated in detail. However, it has been part of a widening discussion about the distribution of Aquatilavipes and Koreanaornis in China (and Korea). Here we illustrate and formally describe the holotype in detail and assign it to Koreanaornis (Koreanaornis anhuiensis) as informally proposed by previous authors. We also demonstrate that most authenticated reports of Koreanaornis, including the Anhui occurrence, are from the Lower Cretaceous, not from the Upper Cretaceous as previously reported.

Failing Food Supply: Permaculture's Potential, John Faltin

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Conventional agriculture is the currently leading production method to grow crops in the western hemisphere. Long-term sustainability of the system and all the components is secondary to producing high yields each growing season, which leads to issues such as erosion and reduced soil quality. Other agricultural production methods such as permaculture aim to build soil and improve quality every growing season. This experiment intends to look at the potential of permaculture to improve soil quality on small-scales at the end of each growing season. The parameters to gauge success are a larger concentration of macronutrients at the end of the …