Digital Commons Network^™

Personality And Behavioral Syndromes Of The Big Brown Bat, Eptesicus Fuscus, Amanda Marie Boyer

Biological Sciences

As the study of animal personality has significant expanded in the last decade, a growing amount of research has focused on the impacts of sociality and group dynamics on behavioral repeatability. The research presented here focused on examining personality in a captive colony of a common bat species, the big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus). Chapter 1 focused on calculating repeatability along common personality axes, as well as examining relationships between these axes (behavioral syndromes). High repeatabilities were observed for two behavioral axes (exploration and activity) and a significant correlation was found between these axes, confirming a common behavioral syndrome. Chapter …

Regional Sea Level Rise Along The United States Coasts, Alessandra G. Burgos

OES Theses and Dissertations

Over the past several years, there has been several studies focused on reconstructing global mean sea level (GMSL) for the 20th century, along with projecting rates out into the future. Of greater importance for mitigation and adaptation plans, however, is the rate of local or regional sea level (RSL) rise. Ocean dynamics along with changes in Earth’s gravitational field can cause RSL to deviate from the change in GMSL. During the satellite altimeter era covering the past two decades, RSL trends can be four times the global average, with much of this spatial variation due to internal climate variability. Isolating …

Unobtrusive And Extensible Archival Replay Banners Using Custom Elements, Sawood Alam, Mat Kelly, Michele C. Weigle, Michael L. Nelson

Computer Science Faculty Publications

We compare and contrast three different ways to implement an archival replay banner. We propose an implementation that utilizes Custom Elements and adds some unique behaviors, not common in existing archival replay systems, to enhance the user experience. Our approach has a minimal user interface footprint and resource overhead while still providing rich interactivity and extended on-demand provenance information about the archived resources.

Quantification Of Twist From The Central Lines Of Β-Strands, Tunazzina Islam, Michael Poteat, Jing He

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Since the discovery of right-handed twist of a β-strand, many studies have been conducted to understand the twist. Given the atomic structure of a protein, twist angles have been defined using atomic positions of the backbone. However, limited study is available to characterize twist when the atomic positions are not available, but the central lines of β-strands are. Recent studies in cryoelectron microscopy show that it is possible to predict the central lines of β-strands from a medium-resolution density map. Accurate measurement of twist angles is important in identification of β-strands from such density maps. We propose an effective method …

Efficient Randomized Algorithms For The Fixed Precision Low Rank Matrix Approximation, Wenjian Yu, Yu Gu, Yaohang Li

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Randomized algorithms for low-rank matrix approximation are investigated, with the emphasis on the fixed-precision problem and computational efficiency for handling large matrices. The algorithms are based on the so-called QB factorization, where Q is an orthonormal matrix. First, a mechanism for calculating the approximation error in the Frobenius norm is proposed, which enables efficient adaptive rank determination for a large and/or sparse matrix. It can be combined with any QB-form factorization algorithm in which B's rows are incrementally generated. Based on the blocked randQB algorithm by Martinsson and Voronin, this results in an algorithm called randQB_EI. Then, we further revise …

Social And Emotional Learning In Daily Instruction For Intermediate Elementary Students., Laura R. Williams

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Teachers today are consumed with a vast number of responsibilities. All teachers, no matter what licensure or specialized area, have the same responsibility to ensure that students receive an equitable and quality education by providing students challenging opportunities that help them rise to their potential and be successful in life. A key challenge for 21st-century schools involves serving culturally diverse students with varied abilities and motivations for learning (Durlak, Dymnicki, Schellinger, Taylor & Weissberg, 2011). Research has encouraged new initiatives for education involving culturally responsive teaching and trauma informed practices, which address and better serve the diverse needs of our …

Computational Investigation Of Energetic Materials: Influence Of Intramolecular And Intermolecular Interactions On Sensitivity, Ashley Lauren Shoaf

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

The development of novel high energy density materials (HEDMs) with superior energetic properties depends on characterizing how and why detonation occurs. Detonation is highly energetic and a nearly instantaneous process, making experimental studies challenging; thus, computational modeling through density functional theory (DFT) and molecular dynamics (MD) can be used to propose weakened, or activated, bonds that break to initiate explosive decomposition, termed trigger bonds. Bond activation is characterized by the Wiberg bond index (WBI), a measure of interatomic electron density. Trigger bonds in HEDMs are commonly found in explosophores, functional groups that contribute to energetic potential such as X-NO_{2 …}

Research And Graduate Studies Annual Report, 2018, Office Of Research And Graduate Studies, Illinois State University

Research and Graduate Studies Annual Report

No abstract provided.

In Praise Of The Catenary, Fred Behroozi

Faculty Work

When a chain hangs loosely from its end points, it takes the familiar form known as the catenary. Power lines, clothes lines, and chain links are familiar examples of the catenary in everyday life. Nevertheless, the subject is conspicuously absent from current introductory physics and calculus courses.1 Even in upper-level physics and math courses, the catenary equation is usually introduced as an example of hyperbolic functions or discussed as an application of the calculus of variations. We present a new derivation of the catenary equation that is suitable for introductory physics and mathematics courses.

Infant And Toddler Problem Solving With Chutes & Silos™ [Infants-Toddlers], Regents’ Center For Early Developmental Education

STEM Experiences for Classrooms

No abstract provided.

Infants And Toddlers Block Play: Stem In The Blocks Center [Infants-Toddlers], Regents’ Center For Early Developmental Education

STEM Experiences for Classrooms

No abstract provided.

Fish Consciousness, David Gamez

Animal Sentience

Woodruff makes two arguments to support his claim that ray-finned fish are conscious: (1) Fish neuroanatomy has similarities with the structures in the human brain that support consciousness. (2) The complexity and flexibility of fish behaviour suggest that they are conscious. This commentary will argue that neither the neuroanatomical nor the behavioural argument can provide conclusive evidence for consciousness in fish. We should suspend judgement until we have discovered mathematical theories of consciousness that can reliably map between states of consciousness and states of the physical world.

An Investigation Of Atomic Structures Derived From X-Ray Crystallography And Cryo-Electron Microscopy Using Distal Blocks Of Side-Chains, Lin Chen, Jing He, Salim Sazzed, Rayshawn Walker

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) is a structure determination method for large molecular complexes. As more and more atomic structures are determined using this technique, it is becoming possible to perform statistical characterization of side-chain conformations. Two data sets were involved to characterize block lengths for each of the 18 types of amino acids. One set contains 9131 structures resolved using X-ray crystallography from density maps with better than or equal to 1.5 Å resolutions, and the other contains 237 protein structures derived from cryo-EM density maps with 2-4 Å resolutions. The results show that the normalized probability density function of block …

The Rhythmic, Harmonic And Phrasing Language Of Lennie Tristano: Analysis And Strategies For Incorporation In Modern Jazz Improvisation, Austin Salisbury

Theses : Honours

Pianist Lennie Tristano is regarded as one of the most original voices in jazz history. His uncompromising adherence to artistic ideals led to both great innovation and obscurity, limiting his impact on future generations of musicians. Until recently, his music has been largely overlooked by musicians and academics alike. Coinciding with a revival in interest in Tristano and his music by modern jazz musicians, this dissertation seeks to investigate the transferability of several aspects of Tristano’s rhythmic, harmonic and phrasing vocabulary to modern jazz improvisation. Building upon existing literature concerning his pedagogy and musical analysis, this research emphasises Tristano’s relevance …

A Survey To Investigate The Participation Of Female Jazz-Trained Instrumentalists At Waapa And In Perth’S Professional Music Scene, Talya Valenti

Theses : Honours

Traditionally, men have dominated jazz music in terms of participation and professional acknowledgement, but even in present times, female instrumentalists remain under-represented in jazz performance and education. Various studies such as Kathleen M. McKeage’s Gender and Participation in Undergraduate Jazz Ensembles: A National Survey and Erin L. Wehr’s Understanding the Experiences of Women in Jazz: A Suggested Model, have produced statistics that illustrate the low participation of female instrumentalists in jazz, and have also provided social-psychological theories to explain why these patterns continue to prevail.

As a working jazz-trained female instrumentalist myself, I have noticed the under-representation of female jazz …

Analysing Intonation Of The Pied Butcherbird, Jean-Michel Maujean

Theses : Honours

Native to Australia, the Pied Butcherbird has been extensively studied and transcribed by previous composers, notably including Olivier Messiaen. This may be due to richness and diversity in each bird’s repertoire, along with parallels drawn from Western Tonality. Hollis Taylor has conducted extensive study in this field, notably with an analysis of a transcription made by Messiaen, that was incorporated in his piece Éclairs sur l'au- delà (1988-91). Coupled with the original field recording, Taylor’s analysis and Messiaen’s score, this study will reanalyse the original recording from which Messiaen made his transcription.

Zoomusicology is a practice that represents the …

The Study Of The Relationship Between Perceived Richness Of Information Resources At Academic Library And Attitude Towards Using Them, Mohammad Reza Farhadpoor

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between perceived richness of information resources at academic library and the attitude to use them by students' of Islamic Azad University of Ahvaz; and conducted by an analytical survey method. Using stratified random sampling 380 students were selected and data were collected using researcher made questionnaire. Results showed that the students have no tendency (mean=3.2281) to use the information resources of library. Meanwhile, the library information resources in terms of update (mean=3.2281), accessibility (mean=3.1702), quality (mean=3.1342), transparency (mean=3.1325) and quick feedback ability (mean=3.1325) are above average and in a relatively favorable level; but, …

Simulation-Based Security Of Function-Hiding Inner Product Encryption, Qingsong Zhao, Qingkai Zeng, Ximeng Liu, Huanliang Xu

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Functional encryption (FE) [1,2] is a modern type of encryption scheme that extends several previous notions and allows tremendous flexibility in controlling and computing on encrypted data. FE enables an authority to derive constrained decryption keys that are used by a user to obtain specific functions of encrypted messages. Informally, the authority generates a secret key skf for a function f from a master secret key. Then, the user can only learn f(x) from a ciphertext Enc(x) with skf and reveal nothing else about x.

Real-World Large-Scale Iot Systems For Community Eldercare: A Comparative Study On System Dependability, Hwee-Pink Tan, Austin Zhang

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

The paradigm of aging-in-place — where the elderly live and age in their own homes, independently and safely, with care provided by the community — is compelling, especially in societies that face both shortages in institutionalized eldercare resources, and rapidly-aging populations. Internet-of-Things (IoT) technologies, particularly in-home monitoring solutions, are commercially available, and can be a fundamental enabler of smart community eldercare, if they are dependable. In this paper, we present our findings on system performance of solutions from two vendors, which we have deployed at scale for technology-enabled community care. In particular, we highlight the importance of quantifying actual system …

Pagesense: Toward Stylewise Contextual Advertising Via Visual Analysis Of Web Pages, Tao Mei, Lusong Li, Xinmei Tian, Dacheng Tao, Chong-Wah Ngo

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

The Internet has emerged as the most effective and a highly popular medium for advertising. Current contextual advertising platforms need publishers to manually change the original structure of their Web pages and predefine the position and style of embedded ads. Although publishers spend significant effort optimizing their Web page layout, a large number of Web pages contain noticeable blank regions. We present an innovative stylewise advertising platform for contextual advertising, called PageSense. The "style" of Web pages refers to the visual appearance of a Web page, such as color and layout. PageSense aims to associate style-consistent ads with Web pages. …

Discriminant Analysis On Riemannian Manifold Of Gaussian Distributions For Face Recognition With Image Sets, W. Wang, R. Wang, Zhiwu Huang, S. Shan, X. Chen

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

To address the problem of face recognition with image sets, we aim to capture the underlying data distribution in each set and thus facilitate more robust classification. To this end, we represent image set as the Gaussian mixture model (GMM) comprising a number of Gaussian components with prior probabilities and seek to discriminate Gaussian components from different classes. Since in the light of information geometry, the Gaussians lie on a specific Riemannian manifold, this paper presents a method named discriminant analysis on Riemannian manifold of Gaussian distributions (DARG). We investigate several distance metrics between Gaussians and accordingly two discriminative learning …

Utilizing Hypervisor To Enhance Trustzone’S Introspection Capabilities On Non-Secure World, Zhang-Kai Zhang, Zhou-Jun Li, Chun-He Xia, Jin-Xin Ma, Jinhua Cui

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Widely used on the Android phones, the technology of ARM TrustZone divides the hardware resources of Android phones into two worlds:non-secure world and secure world. The Android operating system used by user is running in the non-secure world, while the non-secure world's introspection systems (e.g., KNOX, Hypervisor) that are based on TrustZone are running in the secure world. These introspection systems have the high privilege. They can dynamically check Android kernel integrity and perform memory management of non-secure world instead of Android kernel. But TrustZonecan can not completely introspect the hardware resources (e.g., Cache) of non-secure world because of the …

Anatomy Of Online Hate: Developing A Taxonomy And Machine Learning Models For Identifying And Classifying Hate In Online News Media, Joni Salminen, Hind Almerekhi, Milica Milenkovic, Soon-Gyu Jung, Haewoon Kwak, Haewoon Kwak, Bernard J. Jansen

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Online social media platforms generally attempt to mitigate hateful expressions, as these comments can be detrimental to the health of the community. However, automatically identifying hateful comments can be challenging. We manually label 5,143 hateful expressions posted to YouTube and Facebook videos among a dataset of 137,098 comments from an online news media. We then create a granular taxonomy of different types and targets of online hate and train machine learning models to automatically detect and classify the hateful comments in the full dataset. Our contribution is twofold: 1) creating a granular taxonomy for hateful online comments that includes both …

Skylens: Visual Analysis Of Skyline On Multi-Dimensional Data, Xun Zhao, Yanhong Wu, Weiwei Cui, Xinnan Du, Yuan Chen, Yong Wang, Dik Lun Lee, Huamin Qu

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Skyline queries have wide-ranging applications in fields that involve multi-criteria decision making, including tourism, retail industry, and human resources. By automatically removing incompetent candidates, skyline queries allow users to focus on a subset of superior data items (i.e.. the skyline), thus reducing the decision-making overhead. However, users are still required to interpret and compare these superior items manually before making a successful choice. This task is challenging because of two issues. First, people usually have fuzzy, unstable, and inconsistent preferences when presented with multiple candidates. Second, skyline queries do not reveal the reasons for the superiority of certain skyline points …

Genotypic Responses Of Brachiaria Grass (Brachiaria Spp.) Accessions To Drought Stress, Duncan Cheruiyot, Charles Aura Odhiambo Midega, Johnnie Van Den Berg, John Anthony Pickett, Zeyaur Rahman Khan

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Background and Objective: Brachiaria, a warm season C4 grass, is rapidly gaining popularity as fodder crop in Africa where it is also used as a component of a habitat management strategy for maize stem borers. However, increasing drought limits productivity of this grass species. The aim of this study was to evaluate and select high yielding brachiaria genotypes under simulated drought conditions. Materials and Methods: The morphological and physiological performance of 18 apomictic accessions of brachiaria in simulated drought conditions in a screen house were evaluated. Plants were exposed to different watering regimes. Well-watered (control) plants were watered every 48 …

An Iterated Local Search Algorithm For The Team Orienteering Problem With Variable Profits, Aldy Gunawan, Kien Ming Ng, Graham Kendall, Junhan Lai

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

The orienteering problem (OP) is a routing problem that has numerous applications in various domains such as logistics and tourism. The objective is to determine a subset of vertices to visit for a vehicle so that the total collected score is maximized and a given time budget is not exceeded. The extensive application of the OP has led to many different variants, including the team orienteering problem (TOP) and the team orienteering problem with time windows. The TOP extends the OP by considering multiple vehicles. In this article, the team orienteering problem with variable profits (TOPVP) is studied. The main …

Hybrid Privacy-Preserving Clinical Decision Support System In Fog-Cloud Computing, Ximeng Liu, Robert H. Deng, Yang Yang, Ngoc Hieu Tran, Shangping Zhong

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

In this paper, we propose a framework for hybrid privacy-preserving clinical decision support system in fog cloud computing, called HPCS. In HPCS, a fog server uses a lightweight data mining method to securely monitor patients' health condition in real-time. The newly detected abnormal symptoms can be further sent to the cloud server for high-accuracy prediction in a privacy-preserving way. Specifically, for the fog servers, we design a new secure outsourced inner-product protocol for achieving secure lightweight single-layer neural network. Also, a privacy-preserving piecewise polynomial calculation protocol allows cloud server to securely perform any activation functions in multiple-layer neural network. Moreover, …

Multi-Target Deep Neural Networks: Theoretical Analysis And Implementation, Zeng Zeng, Nanying Liang, Xulei Yang, Steven C. H. Hoi

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

In this work, we propose a novel deep neural network referred to as Multi-Target Deep Neural Network (MT-DNN). We theoretically prove that different stable target models with shared learning paths are stable and can achieve optimal solutions respectively. Based on GoogleNet, we design a single model with three different targets, one for classification, one for regression, and one for masks that is composed of 256  ×  256 sub-models. Unlike bounding boxes used in ImageNet, our single model can draw the shapes of target objects, and in the meanwhile, classify the objects and calculate their sizes. We validate our single MT-DNN …

Pricing For A Last-Mile Transportation System, Yiwei Chen, Hai Wang

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

The Last-Mile Problem refers to the provision of travel service from the nearest public transportation node to a home or other destination. Last-Mile Transportation System (LMTS), which has recently emerged, provide on-demand shared transportation. We consider an LMTS with multiple passenger types—adults, senior citizens, children, and students. The LMTS designer determines the price for the passengers, last-mile service vehicle capacity, and service fleet size (number of vehicles) for each last-mile region to maximize the social welfare generated by the LMTS. The level of last-mile service (in terms of passenger waiting time) is approximated by using a batch arrival, batch service, …

Bimetallic Complexes: The Fundamental Aspects Of Metal-Metal Interactions, Ligand Sterics And Application, Michael Bernard Pastor

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Metal containing complexes have been used to catalyze various organic transformations for the past few decades. The success of several mononuclear catalysts led to transition metal catalysts used in pharmaceuticals, environmental, and industrial processes. While mononuclear complexes have been used extensively, bimetallic systems have received far less attention. Bimetallic or polynuclear sites are commonly found in metalloenzymes that perform elegant transformation in biological systems, underlying their significance. Inorganic chemists take inspiration from nature and design model bimetallic complexes to further study this cooperativity effect. A bimetallic platform offers many structural and functional differences such as the identity of the metal …