Digital Commons Network^™

Unraveling Complexity About Childhood Obesity And Nutritional Interventions: Modeling Interactions Among Psychological Factors., Keith Feldman, Gisela M B Solymos, Maria Paula De Albuquerque, Nitesh V. Chawla

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

As the global prevalence of childhood obesity continues to rise, researchers and clinicians have sought to develop more effective and personalized intervention techniques. In doing so, obesity interventions have expanded beyond the traditional context of nutrition to address several facets of a child's life, including their psychological state. While the consideration of psychological features has significantly advanced the view of obesity as a holistic condition, attempts to associate such features with outcomes of treatment have been inconclusive. We posit that such uncertainty may arise from the univariate manner in which features are evaluated, focusing on a particular aspect such as …

Application Of Ground-Based Lidar And Gap Intercept Measurements To Quantify A Shrub Configuration Metric Within Greater Sage-Grouse Nesting Habitat, Khodabakhsh Zabihi, Kenneth L. Driese, Ginger B. Paige, Ann L. Hild

Western North American Naturalist

Vegetation composition (i.e., relative proportion of species) and configuration (i.e., horizontal and vertical arrangement of the plant components) in sagebrush-steppe ecosystems are fundamental determinants of the suitability of nesting habitat for Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus). The spatial arrangement of shrub and herbaceous canopy cover conceals Greater Sage-Grouse from predators and protects the nest from natural hazards, and gaps in vegetative cover provide escape routes for hens. Most sage-grouse habitat studies quantify vegetation composition, but few quantify habitat configuration at fine scales. We used ground-based lidar (light detection and ranging) data from Greater Sage-Grouse nesting habitat to test the …

Relationship Between Stress And Performance In Skills Competencies In An Undergraduate Nursing Program, Erin Ababiy

Master of Science in Nursing Final Projects

This research study describes the potential relationship between perceived high stress levels and failure in high-stakes performance testing in a baccalaureate undergraduate nursing environment. In addition, it determines if there is a marked difference between perceived stress levels in accelerated and traditional students. To answer these questions, the researcher administered the Cohen’s self-report Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) to baccalaureate nursing students fifteen minutes before high-stakes performance skills competency testing. Of 102 voluntary participants, 33 were of the accelerated nursing track and 69 were of the traditional track. Encompassing both groups, nine students failed the skills competency test.

The results showed …

Search For Physics Beyond The Standard Model In Events With Overlapping Photons And Jets, A. M. Sirunyan

Department of Physics and Astronomy: Faculty Publications

Results are reported from a search for new particles that decay into a photon and two gluons, in events with jets. Novel jet substructure techniques are developed that allow photons to be identified in an environment densely populated with hadrons. The analyzed proton-proton collision data were collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC, in 2016 at √s = 13 TeV, and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb⁻¹. The spectra of total transverse hadronic energy of candidate events are examined for deviations from the standard model predictions. No statistically significant excess is observed over the expected …

3d Shape Prediction On Convolutional Deep Belief Networks, Gregory Y. Enriquez

Master's Projects

The field of image recognition software has grown immensely in recent years with the emergence of new deep learning techniques. Deep belief networks inspired by Hinton [11] were one of the earliest methodologies of deep learning in the late 2000s. More recently, convolutional neural networks have been used in deep learning techniques, architecture, and software to identify patterns in imagery in order to make predictions such as classification, image segmentation, etc. Traditional two-dimensional, or 2D, images stored as picture files, typically contain red, green, and blue color data for each individual pixel in the picture. However, more recent commercial 2.5D …

A Hybrid Approach For Multi-Document Text Summarization, Rashmi Varma

Master's Projects

Text summarization has been a long studied topic in the field of natural language processing. There have been various approaches for both extractive text summarization as well as abstractive text summarization. Summarizing texts for a single document is a methodical task. But summarizing multiple documents poses as a greater challenge. This thesis explores the application of Latent Semantic Analysis, Text-Rank, Lex-Rank and Reduction algorithms for single document text summarization and compares it with the proposed approach of creating a hybrid system combining each of the above algorithms, individually, with Restricted Boltzmann Machines for multi-document text summarization and analyzing how all …

Music Retrieval System Using Query-By-Humming, Parth Patel

Master's Projects

Music Information Retrieval (MIR) is a particular research area of great interest because there are various strategies to retrieve music. To retrieve music, it is important to find a similarity between the input query and the matching music. Several solutions have been proposed that are currently being used in the application domain(s) such as Query- by-Example (QBE) which takes a sample of an audio recording playing in the background and retrieves the result. However, there is no efficient approach to solve this problem in a Query-by-Humming (QBH) application. In a Query-by-Humming application, the aim is to retrieve music that is …

Muscle Synergy Adaptation During A Novel Postural Stabilization Task, Rajat Emanuel Singh

Theses and Dissertations

Background: In human postural studies, it is believed that low dimensional motor modules are combined to simplify the movement. These lower dimensional modules are termed as muscle synergies (MS). Therefore, understanding MS evoked by postural perturbation may provide us the specific muscle co-activation pattern for stability. Research Aim: The scope of our study is to identify synergies associated with postural stability while walking on a perturbing platform and study the effect of different proficiency levels on their size and structure. Methodology: We asked nine human participants to walk overground and on a slackline to study task-specific modulation of synergy structures. …

Recommendations Regarding Q-Matrix Design And Missing Data Treatment In The Main Effect Log-Linear Cognitive Diagnosis Model, Rui Ma

Theses and Dissertations

Diagnostic classification models used in conjunction with diagnostic assessments are to classify individual respondents into masters and nonmasters at the level of attributes. Previous researchers (Madison & Bradshaw, 2015) recommended items on the assessment should measure all patterns of attribute combinations to ensure classification accuracy, but in practice, certain attributes may not be measured by themselves. Moreover, the model estimation requires large sample size, but in reality, there could be unanswered items in the data. Therefore, the current study sought to provide suggestions on selecting between two alternative Q-matrix designs when an attribute cannot be measured in isolation and when …

Towards An Understanding Of The Testing Opt-Out Movement: Why Parents Choose To Opt Out Or Opt In, Margaret Paladino

Theses & Dissertations

Long Island, New York has led the nation in parent opt-out rates. The Opt-Out Movement is a grassroots coalition of opposition to high-stakes tests that are used to sort students, evaluate teachers, and rank schools. Approximately 50% of students in grades three to eight opted out of the English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics tests in 2019 (“Projects: ELA and Math Opt-Outs 2016-2019,” 2019). Quantitative research has shown a racial disparity between parents who opted out and opted in with White, middle-class parents participating in the opt-out movement at greater rates than Latinx, Black, and Asian parents (Au, 2017; Bennett, …

College Of Public Health News, Georgia Southern University

College of Public Health: News & Publications

• Georgia Southern researchers receive major grant, aim to improve water quality monitoring on Georgia beaches
• Georgia Southern improves health in Coastal Georgia through new partnership
• Georgia Southern's Master of Public Health program ranked No. 1 in nation

Demographic Variables And Academic Discipline As Determinants Of Undergraduates’ Use Of Electronic Library Resources In Federal Universities In South-West, Nigeria, Adefunke Sarah Ebijuwa, Iyabo Mabawonku Professor

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Undergraduates use electronic library resources for academic activities because it offers access to relevant and current information from different subject areas. Literature review indicated that undergraduates’ use of electronic library resources is low in Nigeria owing to a number of factors that are largely attributed to user’s attitude, computer literacy and information retrieval skills, but, little attention was given to factors such as demographic variables and academic discipline. This study, therefore, examined demographic variables (age, gender) and academic discipline as determinants of undergraduates’ use of electronic library resources in in federal universities in South-west, Nigeria. The descriptive survey research design …

Testing And Modeling Of The Indirect Solar Drying Of Thin Film Mangos, Olivier Montmayeur

Theses

In Haiti, 80% of rural people live in dire poverty living on less than a dollar a day. Cultivated and wild grown foods such as mangos and breadfruit could be used to reduce the economic and nutritional disparity for rural communities. Unfortunately in these areas there is a high amount of spoilage due to short harvesting seasons with high yields and lack of preservation options. 80% of breadfruit and 60% of mangoes are lost annually according to a local farmer’s co-op in Borgne, Haiti [1]. Based on a 2018 three-week collaborative design session with Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) and …

2019-12-11 Undergraduate Curriculum Committee Meeting Minutes, Morehead State University. Faculty Senate., Undergraduate Curriculum Committee.

Faculty Senate Records

Undergraduate Curriculum Committee meeting minutes for December 11, 2019.

A 30-Year Climatology Of Meteorological Conditions Associated With Lightning Days In The Western United States, Dmitri Alexander Kalashnikov

Dissertations and Theses

A 30-year climatology of lightning and associated synoptic meteorological patterns are characterized across the Western United States (WUS), utilizing a comprehensive composite analysis. Results generally show a preferred synoptic meteorological setup with positive 500-hPa geopotential height anomalies to the northeast of the location experiencing a lightning day, and negative sea level pressure anomalies co-located and to the northwest. Variation in preferred anomaly patterns across the western US reflects the divide between those areas affected by the North American monsoon system and areas outside the monsoonal core. Locations in the western Great Basin and northern Rocky Mountains, which are outside the …

Monte Carlo And Experimental Analysis Of A Novel Directional Rotating Scatter Mask Gamma Detection System, Julie V. Logan, Darren E. Holland, Larry W. Burggraf, Justin A. Clinton, Buckley E. O'Day Iii

Faculty Publications

Excerpt: This work demonstrates successful experimental operation of a prototype system to identify source direction which was modeled using a library of signals simulated using GEANT and a novel algorithm....

Alternative Education In The Global Era: Study Of Alternative Models Of Islamic Education In Tazkia International Islamic Boarding School Malang, Wildana Wargadinata, Wahidmurni Wahidmurni, Abdussakir Abdussakir, Esa Nur Wahyuni, Iffat Maimunah

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This paper aims to describe the model of Islamic education in Tazkia International Islamic Boarding School (IIBS) Malang which is applied in the global era and the factors that influenced the success of this institution. The authors used a descriptive qualitative research method. The results showed that the Islamic education model of Tazkia IIBS Malang had organized a well-structured education program. This can be seen in the vision and mission manifested in several excellent programs, such as; al-Qur'an teaching with an al-Muyassar method, the international curriculum is guided by the Cambridge and al-Azhar Egypt curriculum, enrichment and extension programs as …

Rapid Characterization Of Dissolved Organic Matter And Precursors To Disinfection By-Products By Fluorescence Technique, Taha Marhaba

Sustainability Seminar Series

Natural organic matter (NOM) in the environment today does not only come from humic sources, but also from non-humic or synthetic sources. The typical total organic carbon (TOC) analysis has been typically used as an aggregate measure of NOM in water. NOM from surface water sources were isolated and fractionated by resin adsorption techniques into hydrophobic acid, hydrophobic neutral, hydrophobic base, hydrophilic acid, hydrophilic neutral and hydrophilic base. The Spectral Fluorescent Signatures (SFS) technique through a database of spectral characteristics specific to each fraction was developed for the identification of the six NOM fractions. Among the main advantages of the …

Advertising In A World Full Of Human Trafficking: How Advertising And Human Trafficking Coincide, April M. Cherry

EKU Libraries Research Award for Undergraduates

No abstract provided.

Learning Consequences Of School Improvement In Mexico: Evidence From A Large Government Program, Carlos Alejandro Noyola Contreras

Undergraduate Economic Review

I study the impact of investment in infrastructure of already existing poor schools and increased school based management on learning outcomes, as measured by student achievement in standardized tests. To that end, I implement a difference-in-differences design to compare schools that received money from a large government program to improve their physical conditions with those that do not, before and after program implementation. Unlike previous studies, I focus on the effect of improving schools that already exist, to see whether the impact is different from that of building schools. I find no evidence of positive impacts on test scores at …

The Ecophysiology Of Photosynthetic Heat Tolerances In Tropical Plants, Timothy More Perez

Open Access Dissertations

Temperature governs several biological processes from molecular to macroecological scales. Underlying many ecological processes is the assumption that fitness is constrained by the physiological limits of species’ metabolic function. The thermal limits of metabolic function, termed thermal tolerances, are often assumed to directly translate into the environmental conditions that define species’ abiotic thermal niches. When species exceed their physiological thermal tolerances, it is expected to negatively impact fitness, and may therefore provide a basis for understanding the environmental constraints on species distributions. Given the rising temperatures caused by climate change, heat tolerances are of particular interest for understanding these constraints. …

Induction Of Beta-Cell Regeneration By Activin-Like Kinase 3 Stimulation, Mirza Muhammad Fahd Qadir

Open Access Dissertations

Glucose homeostasis is maintained and tightly regulated via production of key hormones that control the uptake and metabolism of glucose. β-cells, which secrete insulin, are the subject of autoimmune destruction in type 1 diabetes. From a developmental standpoint, Bone Morphogenetic Protein receptors (BMPRs) have a key role in multiple cell processes, including proliferation and differentiation. Targeting these receptors to identify and induce the proliferation of progenitor cells could have therapeutic applications. Previous studies have shown the conversion of the exocrine compartment of the pancreas to form insulin-producing cells. In this context, we have identified a cell residing in the pancreatic …

Mathematical Modeling Of Convective Heat And Mass Transfer In A Closed Volume For The Effective Use Of Solar And Geothermal Energy In Greenhouses, B E. Khayriddinov, G. G. Halimov, B. A. Khayriddinov, D. Zh. Nurmatova

Scientific-technical journal

The paper presents the results of mathematical modeling of the processes of hydrodynamic and convective heat and mass transfer in the medium of helio and geothermalon heated greenhouses.

Study Of Photovoltaic And Photoresistive Properties Of A Thin Cdte Layer In A Film Heterostructure N-Cds / P-Cdte, O M. Мaмаtоv, N Kh Yuldashev

Scientific-technical journal

The volt-ampere, lux-ampere, lux-voltage characteristics of film by thickness with the photo voltage property, grown up on photo resistive layer () with a transparent glass substrate are investigated. It is revealed, that photo voltage properties of film are essentially modulated at excitation of photoconductivity of the layer. In particular, backlight from a substrate own light with intensity completely removes photo voltage in layer.

Transmission Spectroscopy Of Wasp-79b From 0.6 To 5.0 Μm, Kristin S. Sotzen, Kevin B. Stevenson, David K. Sing, Brian M. Kilpatrick, Hannah R. Wakeford, Joseph C. Filippazzo, Nikole K. Lewis, Sarah M. Hörst, Mercedes López-Morales, Gregory W. Henry, Lars A. Buchhave, David Ehrenreich, Jonathan D. Fraine, Antonio García Muñoz, Rahul Jayaraman, Panayotis Lavvas, Alain Lecavelier Des Etangs, Mark S. Marley, Nikolay Nikolov, Alexander D. Rathcke, Jorge Sanz-Forcada

Information Systems and Engineering Management Research Publications

As part of the Panchromatic Exoplanet Treasury program, we have conducted a spectroscopic study of WASP-79b, an inflated hot Jupiter orbiting an F-type star in Eridanus with a period of 3.66 days. Building on the original WASP and TRAPPIST photometry of Smalley et al., we examine Hubble Space Telescope (HST)/Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) (1.125–1.650 μm), Magellan/Low Dispersion Survey Spectrograph (LDSS)-3C (0.6–1 μm) data, and Spitzer data (3.6 and 4.5 μm). Using data from all three instruments, we constrain the water abundance to be −2.20 ≤ log(H2O) ≤ −1.55. We present these results along with the results of an atmospheric …

Reflection On Use Of The "Reacting To The Past" Pedagogy In A History Of Mathematics Course, Davida Fischman

Q2S Enhancing Pedagogy

This brief report provides a reflection on the use of the "Reacting to the Past" (RTTP) pedagogy in a History of Mathematics classroom. The conclusion is drawn that the RTTP pedagogy is very successful in engaging students in active learning, and appropriate games may be utilized to help students learn about the role of mathematics in historical developments as well as in society today.

Coordination Of Anions By Noncovalently Bonded Σ-Hole Ligands, Steve Scheiner, Mariusz Michalczyk, Wiktor Zierkiewicz

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Research on σ-hole interactions that include halogen, chalcogen, pnicogen, and tetrel bonding has been accelerating in recent years. These cousins of the H-bond have many similar properties, including geometric preferences and energetics. Most of the work to date has focused on neutral complexes, with less known about these bonds to anions. This review summarizes the current state of knowledge about the complexes of anions with ligands that engage in these sorts of noncovalent bonds. Of particular interest are comparisons with H-bonds, and how the geometry of the fully coordinated complex varies as the number of surrounding ligands increases. A specific …

Student Nutrition Access Center: Impact Analysis 2019, Amanda M. Hagman, Hayden Hoopes, Nelda Ault-Dyslin

Publications

Introduction: Access to nutritional food items is crucial to student well-being, which in turn is crucial to student success. Student success emerges from “the amount of physical and psychological energy that the student devotes to the academic experience” (Astin, 1984). Campus nutrition programs help students eliminate food security issues so that they can devote more energy to the academic experience. However, creating efficient and convenient nutrition programs requires that administrators understand the complexities of their implementation, their effect on specific student segments, and their effect on decisions to either persist at or leave an institution. This report explores the impact …

Aggie Recreation Center Impact Report Fall 2015 To Spring 2019, Amanda M. Hagman, Erik Dickamore, Daniel Lawrence, Mitchell Colver

Publications

Recreation facilities are an integral part of the university community. The Aggie Recreation Center is a place that helps foster a well balanced student. The ARC provides students with a myriad of opportunities for recreation, exercise, and community that can support students on their academic journey. This report explored the association between ARC facility use and student persistence to the next term at Utah State University. METHODS: Students recreation center use was captured with entry log-ins as students entered the facility. Students who had a record of using the facility were compared to similar students who did not have a …

Oh Chemistry Of Non-Methane Organic Gases (Nmogs) Emitted From Laboratory And Ambient Biomass Burning Smoke: Evaluating The Influence Of Furans And Oxygenated Aromatics On Ozone And Secondary Nmog Formation, Matthew M. Coggon, Christopher Y. Lim, Abigail R. Koss, Kanako Sekimoto, Bin Yuan, Jessica B. Gilman, David H. Hagan, Vanessa Selimovic, Kyle J. Zarzana, Steven S. Brown, James M Roberts, Markus Müller, Robert Yokelson, Armin Wisthaler, Jordan E. Krechmer, Jose L. Jimenez, Christopher Cappa, Jesse H. Kroll, Joost De Gouw, Carsten Warneke

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Chamber oxidation experiments conducted at the Fire Sciences Laboratory in 2016 are evaluated to identify important chemical processes contributing to the hydroxy radical (OH) chemistry of biomass burning non-methane organic gases (NMOGs). Based on the decay of primary carbon measured by proton transfer reaction time-of-flight mass spectrometry (PTR-ToF-MS), it is confirmed that furans and oxygenated aromatics are among the NMOGs emitted from western United States fuel types with the highest reactivities towards OH. The oxidation processes and formation of secondary NMOG masses measured by PTR-ToF-MS and iodide-clustering time-of-flight chemical ionization mass spectrometry (I-CIMS) is interpreted using a box model employing …