Digital Commons Network^™

Applied Machine Learning For Classification Of Musculoskeletal Inference Using Neural Networks And Component Analysis, Shaswat Sharma

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is acquiring more recognition than ever by researchers and machine learning practitioners. AI has found significance in many applications like biomedical research for cancer diagnosis using image analysis, pharmaceutical research, and, diagnosis and prognosis of diseases based on knowledge about patients' previous conditions. Due to the increased computational power of modern computers implementing AI, there has been an increase in the feasibility of performing more complex research.

Within the field of orthopedic biomechanics, this research considers complex time-series dataset of the "sit-to-stand" motion of 48 Total Hip Arthroplasty (THA) patients that was collected by the Human Dynamics …

"Stretched Thin": Pregnancy And Motherhood In Clinical And Counseling Psychology Doctoral Programs, Kimberlee Yalango

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Given that women now earn the majority of psychology doctoral degrees in the United States (Aud et al., 2012), there needs to be consideration of unique social and systemic difficulties that women may face during their studies. One particular issue of importance is women's choice to become pregnant and start families during their graduate education. Despite the challenges of becoming pregnant during a doctoral program and balancing the roles of mother and student, there has been limited research that examines this phenomenon. The purpose of this study was to understand the experiences of women who become pregnant during their time …

Evaluation Of A Sexual Health Training For Child Welfare Workers, Katie Massey Comsb

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: Elevated rates of early pregnancy and parenting among youth in foster care (YFC) are well documented. Training child welfare workers to provide sexual health information and resources is stated throughout the extant literature as a pressing need in efforts to prevent unintended pregnancy among YFC. However, few child welfare agencies offer such training to their workers, and little is known about the extent to which conversations about sexual and reproductive health already occur between child welfare workers and youth. Thus, this study aimed to: a) assess baseline attitudes, knowledge, and communication among child welfare workers regarding sexual health of …

The Use Of Clinical Judgment In Differentiating Symptoms Of Autism Spectrum Disorder From Those Of Other Childhood Conditions: A Delphi Study, Staci Jordan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

More and more, due to long waiting lists at diagnostic clinics and access barriers for certain segments of the population, schools are often the first environment in which children are evaluated for ASD (Sullivan, 2013). And while accurate identification of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is essential for proper treatment and service provision, large percentages of school and community-based identifications of ASD are overturned when children are re-evaluated with strict clinical criteria (Wiggins et al., 2015). In part, challenges faced in accurately differentiating ASD from other conditions may be contributed to the diagnostic complexities of the condition itself. Clinical expertise is …

A Gendered Intersectional Analysis Of The Private Security Industry, Noa Shapira

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis conducts an intersectional gendered analysis of the privatization of wars and armed conflicts through the use of private military and security companies (PMSC's), thus responding to an existing gap in scholarship on this matter. Two methodologies were used for this analysis. The first is a discourse analysis and interviews conducted in the 5th annual assembly of the International Code of Conduct Association, in November 2018. The second is a search in newspapers and secondary sources for specific incidences of gender-related human rights abuses. Based on lessons learned from peacekeeping operations, this thesis aims to answer the question how …

Defining The Relationship: Intentional Decision-Making And Sexual Risk In Adolescent And Young Adult Romantic Relationships, Kayla Knopp

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents three manuscripts addressing different sets of findings related to the "defining the relationship" (DTR) talk in adolescents' and young adults' romantic relationships. Paper 1 describes descriptive results from two studies, one utilizing a college undergraduate young adult sample (N = 341) and the other using a nationwide online sample of 15 to 17-year-old adolescents (N = 248). Key findings from Paper 1 indicate that DTR talks were used frequently in the relationships of young people, and were associated with relationship commitment and sexual behaviors. Paper 2 describes more in-depth analyses testing associations between having a …

Response Surface Analysis Of Genomic Prediction Accuracy Values Using Quality Control Covariates In Soybean, Diego Jarquin, Reka Howard, George L. Graef, Aaron Lorenz

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

An important and broadly used tool for selection purposes and to increase yield and genetic gain in plant breeding programs is genomic prediction (GP). Genomic prediction is a technique where molecular marker information and phenotypic data are used to predict the phenotype (eg, yield) of individuals for which only marker data are available. Higher prediction accuracy can be achieved not only by using efficient models but also by using quality molecular marker and phenotypic data. The steps of a typical quality control (QC) of marker data include the elimination of markers with certain level of minor allele frequency (MAF) and …

Cc: Connecticut College Magazine, Winter 2019, Connecticut College

Alumni News/Connecticut College Magazine

No abstract provided.

Mice Fed An Obesogenic Western Diet, Administered Antibiotics, And Subjected To A Sterile Surgical Procedure Develop Lethal Septicemia With Multidrug-Resistant Pathobionts, Sanjiv K. Hyoju, Alexander Zaborin, Robert Keskey, Anukriti Sharma, Wyatt Arnold, Fons Van Den Berg, Sangman Michael Kim, Neil Gottel, Cindy Bethel, Angella Charnot-Katsikas, Peng Jianxin, Carleen Adriaansens, Emily Papazian, Jack A. Gilbert, Olga Zaborina, John C. Alverdy

Biology Faculty Publications

Despite antibiotics and sterile technique, postoperative infections remain a real and present danger to patients. Recent estimates suggest that 50% of the pathogens associated with postoperative infections have become resistant to the standard antibiotics used for prophylaxis. Risk factors identified in such cases include obesity and antibiotic exposure. To study the combined effect of obesity and antibiotic exposure on postoperative infection, mice were allowed to gain weight on an obesogenic Western-type diet (WD), administered antibiotics and then subjected to an otherwise recoverable sterile surgical injury (30% hepatectomy). The feeding of a WD alone resulted in a major imbalance of the …

The Redwood, V.115 2018-2019, Santa Clara University

The Redwood

No abstract provided.

Vegf Induced Differentiation Of Gingival Stem Cells To Endothelial Cells In Vitro, Garima Gupta

Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Background: Birth defects that result in structural malformation of major organs are one of the major causes of mortality in children. Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine (TERM) strategies are particularly beneficial for the pediatric patients to correct these defects owing to their greater regenerative capacity compared to the adult population. Limited availability of pediatric patient’s auto-transplantation of organs makes TERM strategies as a promising alternative toconventional clinical procedures that utilize the grafts. Recent developments in stem cells technologies, there is an enormous potential for TERM in correcting birth defects and enhancing the life span in young population. However, the major …

A Hox-Tale Regulatory Circuit For Neural Crest Patterning Is Conserved Across Vertebrates, Hugo J. Parker, Bony De Kumar, Stephen A. Green, Karin D. Prummel, Christopher Hess, Charles K. Kaufman, Christian Mosimann, Leanne M. Wiedemann, Marianne E. Bronner, Robb Krumlauf

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Clinical Characterization Of Host Response To Simian Hemorrhagic Fever Virus Infection In Permissive And Refractory Hosts: A Model For Determining Mechanisms Of Vhf Pathogenesis, Adam L. Bailey, Et Al

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Aav-Mediated Taz Gene Replacement Restores Mitochondrial And Cardioskeletal Function In Barth Syndrome, Silveli Suzuki-Hatano, Madhurima Saha, Skylar A. Rizzo, Rachael L. Witko, Bennett J. Gosiker, Manashwi Ramanathan, Meghan S. Soustek, Michael D. Jones, Peter B. Kang, Barry J. Byrne, W. Todd Cade, Christina A. Pacak

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Clinical Trials In Multiple Sclerosis: Potential Future Trial Designs, Navid Manouchehri, Yinan Zhang, Amber Salter, Rehana Z Hussain, Hans-Peter Hartung, Bernhard Hemmer, Ralf Linker, Benjamin M Segal, Gary Cutter, Olaf Stüve

Open Access Publications

Clinical trials of new treatments in multiple sclerosis (MS) currently require large sample sizes and long durations in order to yield reliable results. The differential responses of an already heterogeneous population of MS patients to individual disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) will further complicate future trials. MS trials with smaller samples and faster outcomes are conceivable through the substitution of current clinical and MRI outcomes with objectively measureable genomic and proteomic biomarkers. Currently, biomarkers that could be utilized for diagnosis and monitoring of MS disease activity are in the early validation phase. The power of single biomarkers or multiple correlated biomarkers to …

Being Biblical In A Pluralistic Academy

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

This essay examines two senses of what it means to be biblical in a pluralistic academy. The first is to examine the Bible as a document of the university, susceptible to many kinds of critical probing. The rest of the essay explores the second way, which is to use the Bible as the authoritative control story that articulates how Christians view Jesus Christ as the ground, grammar, and goal of both the university and the universe itself. I examine how biblical authority should and should not be deployed in the academy by looking at the natural and human sciences. I …

Reaching Key Populations With Community-Based Hiv Test And Start Services In Lagos And Benue States In Nigeria: Baseline Findings, Project Soar

HIV and AIDS

Key populations (KPs), such as men who have sex with men (MSM), female sex workers (FSWs), and people who inject drugs, remain disproportionately affected by HIV compared to the general population. In Nigeria, HIV prevalence declined among the general population from 2007–18. Among key populations from 2007–14, HIV also decreased among FSWs, but increased among MSM. Evidence-based strategies to sustain the decline among the general population and FSWs, and mitigate the increase among MSM, are needed. Nigeria has adopted the World Health Organization’s “test and start” (TnS) strategy, which recommends initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART) by persons living with HIV as …

Evolution Of Occupational Therapy Practice: Life History Of Joan Rogers, Phd, Otr/L, Faota, Michelle Arnhalt, Ivy Steiger

Oral History Posters

Objective: This qualitative study was to examine the evolution of occupational therapy practice throughout the life history and career of Joan Rogers. The purpose of the study is to provide current and future generations of occupational therapists a view of the history and how occupational therapy practice has evolved from its inception to current practice through the life history stories of occupational therapists who have held leadership roles at the national level and beyond.

Method: The Kawa Model guided Semi-structured interview questions. Throughout the interview process, the researchers gained information regarding Joan Roger’s experiences related to gaining her occupational therapy …

Georeferenced Video Mapping To Classify Streambank Erosion Susceptibility

Journal of Spatial Hydrology

Boat-mounted, georeferenced videos were used to develop a method to rapidly document streambank conditions and assess erosion susceptibility over long stream segments. Traditional streambank survey methods are often spatially limited, time-consuming, and expensive. A novel Streambank Video Mapping System (SVMS) comprised of a GPS receiver, two streambank-facing video cameras, and thalweg depth sensor gathered continuous georeferenced data on both streambanks in a single pass. A modification of the commonly applied Bank Erosion Hazard Index was used to classify streambank conditions. The modified index, named the Bank Erosion Susceptibility Index (BESI), was derived from a combination of the variables including bank …

Joseph Smith: The World’S Greatest Guesser (A Bayesian Statistical Analysis Of Positive And Negative Correspondences Between The Book Of Mormon And The Maya), Bruce E. Dale, Brian M. Dale

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

Dr. Michael Coe is a prominent Mesoamerican scholar and author of a synthesis and review of ancient Mesoamerican Indian cultures entitled The Maya.1 Dr. Coe is also a prominent skeptic of the Book of Mormon. However, there is in his book strong evidence that favors the Book of Mormon, which Dr. Coe has not taken into account. This article analyzes that evidence, using Bayesian statistics. We apply a strongly skeptical prior assumption that the Book of Mormon “has little to do with early Indian cultures,” as Dr. Coe claims. We then compare 131 separate positive correspondences or points of evidence …

Space City, Joshua Gottlieb-Miller

Birmingham Poetry Review

pp. 131-134

Diary Of Our Fatal Illness, Susannah B. Mintz

Birmingham Poetry Review

pp. 257-265

Arkansas Men's Golf Record Book, 2018-2019, University Of Arkansas, Fayetteville. Athletics Media Relations

Arkansas Men's Golf

No abstract provided.

Associations Between Residual Feed Intake And Apparent Nutrient Digestibility, In Vitro Methane-Producing Activity, And Volatile Fatty Acid Concentrations In Growing Beef Cattle, Jocelyn R. Johnson, Gordon E. Carstens, Wimberly K. Krueger, Phillip A. Lancaster, Erin G. Brown, Luis O. Tedeschi, Robin C. Anderson, Kristen A. Johnson, Arieh Brosh

Faculty Publications

The objectives of this study were to examine the relationship between residual feed intake (RFI) and DM and nutrient digestibility, in vitro methane production, and volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentrations in growing beef cattle. Residual feed intake was measured in growing Santa Gertrudis steers (Study 1; n = 57; initial BW = 291.1 ± 33.8 kg) and Brangus heifers (Study 2; n = 468; initial BW = 271.4 ± 26.1 kg) fed a high-roughage-based diet (ME = 2.1 Mcal/kg DM) for 70 d in a Calan-gate feeding barn. Animals were ranked by RFI based on performance and feed intake measured …

Young Children’S Family History Of Stuttering And Their Articulation, Language And Attentional Abilities: An Exploratory Study, Victoria Tumanova, Dahye Choi, Edward G. Conture, Chagit E. Clark, Tedra A. Walden, Robin M. Jones

Communication Sciences and Disorders - All Scholarship

Purpose—The purpose of this study was to determine whether young children who do (CWS) and do not stutter (CWNS) with a positive versus negative family history of stuttering differ in articulation, language and attentional abilities and family histories of articulation, language and attention related disorders.

Method—Participants were 25 young CWS and 50 young CWNS. All 75 participants’ caregivers consistently reported a positive or negative family history of stuttering across three consecutive time points that were about 8 months apart for a total of approximately 16 months. Each participant’s family history focused on the same, relatively limited number of generations (i.e., …

Oak Lake Wetland Restoration: Difference In Hydrology Between Newly Restored And Reference Wetlands, Jennifer A. Dailey, Nels H. Troelstrup Jr.

Oak Lake Field Station 30th Anniversary Retreat Presentations

No abstract provided.

Oak Lake Field Station : Perspectives Of A Field Station Director, Nels H. Troelstrup Jr.

Oak Lake Field Station 30th Anniversary Retreat Presentations

No abstract provided.

Central Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Signaling Via Brainstem Catecholamine Neurons Counteracts Hypertension In Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats, Kenichi Katsurada, Masanori Nakata, Toshinobu Saito, Boyang Zhang, Yuko Maejima, Shyam Sundar Nandi, Neeru M. Sharma, Kaushik K. Patel, Kazuomi Kario, Toshihiko Yada

Journal Articles: Cellular & Integrative Physiology

Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonists, widely used to treat type 2 diabetes, reduce blood pressure (BP) in hypertensive patients. Whether this action involves central mechanisms is unknown. We here report that repeated lateral ventricular (LV) injection of GLP-1R agonist, liraglutide, once daily for 15 days counteracted the development of hypertension in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). In parallel, it suppressed urinary norepinephrine excretion, and induced c-Fos expressions in the area postrema (AP) and nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) of brainstem including the NTS neurons immunoreactive to dopamine beta-hydroxylase (DBH). Acute administration of liraglutide into fourth ventricle, the area with easy access to …

Re-Examination Of The Effects Of Food Abundance On Jaw Plasticity In Purple Sea Urchins, Maya S. Devries, Summer Webb, Jennifer R. A. Taylor

Faculty Publications, Biological Sciences

Morphological plasticity is a critical mechanism that animals use to cope with variations in resource availability. During periods of food scarcity, sea urchins demonstrate an increase in jaw length relative to test diameter. This trait is thought to be reversible and adaptive by yielding an increase in feeding efficiency. We directly test the hypotheses that (1) there are reversible shifts in jaw length to test diameter ratios with food abundance in individual urchins, and (2) these shifts alter feeding efficiency. Purple sea urchins, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, were collected and placed in either high or low food treatments for 3 months, …

Undergraduate Research And Teaching At Oak Lake Field Station, Lan Xu

Oak Lake Field Station 30th Anniversary Retreat Presentations

No abstract provided.