Digital Commons Network^™

Intrinsic Motion And Background Stimuli In Event Representation, Roshawn D. Kelly

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

Intrinsic motion pertains to the relative movements of a character’s body parts while mobile, while extrinsic motion pertains to those movements in relation to external landmarks. The current study aimed to explore whether the removal of identifiable features of a person (race and color of clothing) would force witnesses to move their focus to extrinsic motion. Previous studies regarding the concept of intrinsic and extrinsic motion have found that witnesses are more likely to encode intrinsic motion with the identity of a person, while extrinsic motion is encoded separately. This made it easier for participants to recognize an actor based …

Made Up, Margaret Louise Crowley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

Made Up, a body of paintings, expresses my love/loathe relationship with the beauty/fashion industries and the fantasy/deception they instill. Aging amplifies my fear of being rejected or invisible and is assuaged by being made-up. Pages torn from fashion layouts are manually distressed to become the visually striking crumpled images that are the basis for my painting. The wrinkled nature of my source communicates my frustration with aging and never being able to meet the standards of modern beauty ideals. My careful repainting of the disfiguration demonstrates my desire to intimately repair and own the image. In taking my power back …

Mechanisms Of Placental Dysfunction During Plasmodium Falciparum Infection In Pregnancy, Valentina Goldberg

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

Placental malaria infection, during which infected red blood cells sequester in the placenta, is a substantial cause of pregnancy-related complications in areas where malaria is endemic. Accumulation of infected red blood cells creates an inflammatory environment and induces an immune response that can be deleterious to the placenta. This response can cause complications that include low birth weight, which is a major risk factor for neonatal and infant death. A decrease in the megalin transport and signaling system has been demonstrated to be linked with placental malaria infection and to be connected with low birth weight pathology. In this study …

Mapping The Fresh-Saltwater Transition Zone Across The Beach Environment Using Ground-Penetrating Radar (Gpr), Joseph Michael Becker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

As sea level rises, saltwater migration can threaten coastal ecosystems and beach-dune environments, which negatively impacts coastal flora. This study uses ground penetrating radar (GPR) to evaluate the spatiotemporal variability of saltwater migration in the near shore at high lateral resolution (i.e. cm) by using daily micro tidal cycles as analogs to infer saltwater migration. Time-lapse GPR profiles were collected at low and high tide capturing phase lags of the tidal flux through different substrates. GPR measurements were collected at two sites in Miami with contrasting lithologies: a) Crandon Park, composed of unconsolidated sand; and b) the Barnacle Historic State …

Mercury Express, Cangshu Gran

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

My thesis exhibition “Mercury Express” is the culmination of my creative research and the paintings that I have created over the past three years. This body of work is comprised of fourteen oil glaze paintings on canvas, ranging in size from 16x 16 inches to 36 x 48 inches. These paintings demonstrate, through subjective color and the application of misty layers of luminous paint, my residence on the edge of moving to the future and looking to the past. Through imagination my paintings express a longing for connections and offer glimpses of happiness tinted with a pervasive overcast of melancholy. …

Modeling And Experimental Study Of Evaporation And Diffusion Of Water Droplets On Foam Substrates, Yining Tian

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

The objective of this thesis is to develop a new experimental method to characterize the diffusion of water in polymer resins, based on the evolution in the volume of water droplets as a function of time. A finite element model is established to model the mass transport of water droplet through evaporation and diffusion processes. Diffusivity of water into polymer resins is then extracted by matching the volume variation of the simulated water droplet to the experimental results. Capability of this method is demonstrated by determining the diffusivity of water into void-free epoxy and epoxy samples with voids. Diffusion coefficient …

Multi-Model Deep Learning For Grouper Sound Classification And Seizure Prediction, Ali K. Ibrahim

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

Deep learning models have been successfully applied to a variety of machine learning tasks, including image identification, image segmentation, object detection, speaker recognition, natural language processing, bioinformatics and drug discovery, among other things. This dissertation introduces Multi-Model Deep Learning (MMDL), a new ensemble deep learning approach for signal classification and event forecasting. The ultimate goal of the MMDL method is to improve classification and forecasting performances of individual classifiers by fusing results of participating deep learning models. The performance of such an ensemble model, however, depends heavily on the following two design features. Firstly, the diversity of the participating (or …

New Family Of Data Center Metrics Using A Multidimensional Approach For A Holistic Understanding, Levy Moises

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

Data centers’ mission critical nature, significant power consumption, and increasing reliance on them for storing digital information, have created a need to monitor and manage these facilities. Metrics are a key part of this effort to raise flags that lead to optimization of resource utilization. While existing metrics have contributed to improvements regarding data center efficiency, they are very specific and overlook important aspects such as the overall performance and the risks to which the data center is exposed. With several variables affecting performance, there is an urgent need for new and improved metrics, capable to provide a holistic understanding …

Monitoring Collagenolysis Utilizing Triple Helical Peptide Probes, Michal Tokmina-Roszyk

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

Collagen is the major structural scaffold in the body and serves as barrier between tissues, and thus its turnover is tightly regulated. Collagen triple-helical structure renders it resistant to general proteolysis. Several proteases are capable of cleaving the triplehelical regions of collagen, including several mammalian matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and bacterial collagenases. MMP-mediated collagenolysis is associated with numerous diseases and some bacterial collagenases have found clinical application use due to their efficiency in the hydrolysis of the collagen triple-helix. A selective Förster resonance energy transfer triple-helical peptide (fTHP) probe for monitoring the activity of Clostridial collagenase has been developed. The fTHP …

Neuroanatomical And Behavioral Correlates Of Reduced Stress In The Blind Mexican Cavefish, A. Mexicanus, Cody Lee Loomis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

Brain atlases have been created across species from flies to humans in order to obtain a better understanding of neuroanatomical morphology. Although these brain atlases allow for analysis of neuroanatomy they do not give insight about how the morphology adapt to fit challenges brought on by unique environments. Here I developed a brain atlas for Astyanax mexicanus, a species known to have populations that differ in various behaviors, to gain a better understanding about how populations of the same species, derived from different environments, evolve to be best suited for the challenges they face. By creating a brain atlas for …

Not At Home: Im[Migration] And Design, Melanie Uribe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

Not long ago, Venezuela was considered the wealthiest in Latin America. Today, Human Rights Watch estimates that 2.3 million Venezuelan refugees are scattered through the Americas. Imagine having to leave your home with just a few possessions. The world is currently witnessing a wave of mass migration, with nearly 65 million people being displaced because of war or persecution, and an even higher number migrating from poverty. This thesis uses design to visually articulate the personal narratives surrounding the struggles of flight and the significance of emotion to the debate on migrant identity, acculturation, and the perception of being the …

Novel Detection Techniques For Viable But Nonculturable Vibrio Vulnificus Cells In Response To Elevated Salinity, Brandon Mchenry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

Vibrio vulnificus is a marine pathogen of human health concern, capable of causing potentially fatal wound infections in a select group of the population. Previous studies have indicated this species’ strong negative correlation with salinity, not typically found above 30 ppt. This study assessed the ability of V. vulnificus to become Viable But Nonculturable in response to elevated salinity (35 ppt) as well as investigated novel methods for confirming their entrance into this state. Results showed a complete loss of culturability in both Environmental and Clinical strains of this bacterium by 9 days after inoculation. Using a High Content Imager, …

Measuring Nest-To-Surf Mortality Of Florida’S East And West Coast Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta Caretta) Hatchlings, Vindiola Brianna Villegas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

Sea turtle hatchlings emerge from their nest and quickly crawl to the surf. During the crawl, hatchlings may encounter threats, biotic and abiotic, which can affect their ability to successfully reach the surf. The impact of these threats on hatchling survival during that crawl is largely undocumented. Current methods used to estimate cohort recruitment rely heavily on nest inventory data. This method, however, does not account for post-emergent hatchling mortality that occurs during the crawl. During the 2017-2018 nesting seasons, I quantified the fates of 1,379 loggerhead (Caretta caretta) hatchlings from 26 nest emergences during their crawl from the nest …

Online Brand Communities, Interactive Communication, And Retention, Gina Brynildsen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

An estimated 90% of U.S. companies including Tesla, 3M, McDonald’s, and UnitedHealth Group use social media such as Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat to connect with consumers and form community around their brands; yet little is known about the effects of different social media structures on consumer-brand relationships. The purpose of this research is to understand the unique nature of firm-hosted online brand communities on social networking sites and how they can be used to retain customers. We review the literature on online brand communities as a tool for building relationships and apply network theory to understanding firm-hosted online brand communities …

Optimization Of Computed Tomography Calibration Curve For Proton Therapy Treatment Planning, Ghonchehnazi Maryam Ghasemi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

The accuracy of proton dose computation in the treatment planning system relies on the conversion from the Hounsfield units (HU) of each voxel in the patient CT scan to the proton stopping power ratio (SPR). The aim of this study is to investigate the potential improvement in determining proton SPR using single energy computed tomography (SECT) to reduce the uncertainty in predicting the proton range in patients. Factors which may cause CT number variations in the calibration curve have been examined. The HU-SPR calibration curve was determined based on HU of human body tissues using the stoichiometric method. The uncertainties …

P100 And N170 Responses To Race: Development And Relationship With Contact And Implicit Bias, Eli Fennell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

Racial bias remains a prevalent issue in society. Clues to the cognitive basis for such biases have been found in EEG studies of the ‘Other Race Effect’ (ORE) in relation to the P100 and N170 event related potentials (ERPs). Previous research in this area has focused on adults, and only one such study has looked at implicit racial biases (He et al., 2009), while only a few have looked at experience with own- and other-race persons (Herzmann et al., 2011; Stahl et al., 2008; Walker et al., 2008). The present study is the first to examine how race might modulate …

Persevering Through Preservation: The Unifying Force Of Indigenous Language In The Fiction Of Louise Erdrich And Patricia Grace, Elizabeth Wilber

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

Louise Erdrich, an American Ojibwe, and Patricia Grace, a New Zealand Māori, incorporate code-switching, moving between languages, in their creative works. Rather than viewing language choice as an aside to cultural representation in fiction, codeswitching should be viewed as an integral part of the text because these writers attempt to rectify the oppression of their people by using code-switching as a tool of cultural and language survival that shifts power dynamics in response to settler colonization. However, while Erdrich and Grace use the same linguistic tool for similar purposes, they ultimately impart different themes; Erdrich’s language protagonist symbolizes reconciliation while …

Effects Of A Confidence-Based, Individualized Remediation Strategy On Student Learning And Final Grades In A Multi-Campus Human Anatomy Curriculum, Ethan Snow

Theses and Dissertations

Reliable measurement of student learning and delivery of comparable education across distributed campus sites are two significant challenges facing institutions across the country. Evidence-based practices for learning objective (LO) development and use can help overcome comparability challenges, but widely-used correctness-only assessment methods contribute to these challenges since they are only able to interpret correct answers as displays of complete knowledge and incorrect answers as displays of absent knowledge. Assessment instruments that measure correctness alone are not able to distinguish guesswork (i.e., when a student lacks knowledge but randomly chooses the correct answer), partial knowledge (i.e., when a student has learned …

Transnationality And Teacher Educator Identity Development: A Collaborative Autoethnographic Study, Wei Liao, Jihea Maddamsetti

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

Transnational teacher educators, who cross national, social, and cultural boundaries to prepare teachers, play a vital role in nurturing teachers’ awareness and appreciation of learner diversity. However, transnational teacher educators tend to encounter tremendous challenges in developing their professional identities. To date, though many studies have investigated how teachers and teacher educators in general develop their professional identities, scant attention has been paid to that complex process of “transnational” teacher educators. To begin to close this research gap, this collaborative autoethnographic study examines how we develop our teacher educator identities through teaching a diversity course in the United States as …

Software Design Considerations For Mathematics In Mobile Games, Katherine Smith, Yuzhong Shen, Anthony Dean

VMASC Publications

A software system has been designed and developed to allow for the display, symbolic manipulation, and player entry of mathematics expressions in mobile games. Display, manipulation, and entry of mathematical expressions are traditionally difficult tasks. Increased limitations on screen space and user input when developing for mobile devices only exacerbate these difficulties. The developed software system balances considerations for ease of use and user interaction with the desire for players to be able to enter answers in a way that is more flexible and interactive than multiple choice, which is the dominant method of interactions in serious games. The software …

Leveraging Contracting Strategies With Private Shipyards For Increasing Naval Fleet Operational Availability, Kaitlynn M. Castelle, Joseph M. Bradley, Sanjeev Gupta

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

A major rethink of NAVSEA’s shipyard contracting strategy is required to support the critical need of improving our naval fleet availability. Operational Fleet material availability is reduced when various parts of the “NAVSEA production system” operate at cross-purposes. By increasing alignment between major players (i.e., NAVSEA and the private shipyards), major improvements in delivery performance, cost, and even throughput can be realized. Developing strategies and specific actions to do so is a rich field given the current state of the system. We take an analytical as well as evidence-based approach to propose strategies that can be successful given the peculiar …

Cost-Effectiveness In Animal Health, Govind Persad

Publications

This chapter evaluates the ethical issues that using cost-effectiveness considerations to set animal health priorities might present, and its conclusions are cautiously optimistic. While using cost-effectiveness calculations in animal health is not without ethical pitfalls, these calculations offer a pathway toward more rigorous priority-setting efforts that allow money spent on animal well-being to do more good. Although assessing quality of life for animals may be more challenging than in humans, implementing prioritization based on cost-effectiveness is less ethically fraught.

The Privilege Against Cellphone Incrimination, Bryan H. Choi

Publications

No abstract provided.

Fact Or Fiction: Flawed Approaches To Evaluating Market Behavior In Securities Litigation, Ann Lipton

Publications

Courts entertaining class actions brought under Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act are required to make numerous factual judgments about the economic effects of the alleged misconduct. For example, they must determine whether and for how long publicly-available information has exerted an influence on security prices, and whether an alleged fraud caused economic harm to investors. Judgments on these matters dictate whether cases will proceed to summary judgment and trial, whether classes will be certified and the scope of such classes, and the damages that investors are entitled to collect.

Over the years, courts have developed a variety of …

Developing A Culturally Competent Legal Research Curriculum: Best Practices For Weaving Cultural Competency Topics, Including Diversity, Into Your Lectures, Assignments, And Classroom Discussions, Shamika Dalton, Clanitra Stewart Nejdl

Publications

No abstract provided.

Alumni Oral Histories: A Collaboration Between The Libraries And Development And Alumni Relations At Grinnell College, Rebecca Ciota

Publications

This article describes a collaboration between Grinnell College’s libraries and its Office of Development and Alumni Relations on an oral history project in which college alumni are interviewed about their experiences at the college. Such close collaborations between development offices and libraries are rare. This collaboration was successful due to the equal participation of all parties.

From The Courtroom To The Classroom: How A Litigator Became A Transactional Drafting Professor, Amy Bauer

Publications

No abstract provided.

Negotiating The Lender Of Last Resort: The 1913 Federal Reserve Act As A Debate Over Credit Distribution, Nadav Orian Peer

Publications

“Lending of last resort” is one of the key powers of central banks. As a lender of last resort, the Federal Reserve (the “Fed”) famously supports commercial banks facing distressed liquidity conditions, thereby mitigating destabilizing bank runs. Less famously, lender-of-last-resort powers also influence the distribution of credit among different groups in society and therefore have high stakes for economic inequality. The Fed’s role as a lender of last resort witnessed an unprecedented expansion during the 2007–2009 Crisis when the Fed invoked emergency powers to lend to a new set of borrowers known as “shadow banks”. The decision proved controversial and …

The Right To Explanation, Explained, Margot E. Kaminski

Publications

Many have called for algorithmic accountability: laws governing decision-making by complex algorithms, or AI. The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) now establishes exactly this. The recent debate over the right to explanation (a right to information about individual decisions made by algorithms) has obscured the significant algorithmic accountability regime established by the GDPR. The GDPR’s provisions on algorithmic accountability, which include a right to explanation, have the potential to be broader, stronger, and deeper than the preceding requirements of the Data Protection Directive. This Essay clarifies, largely for a U.S. audience, what the GDPR actually requires, incorporating recently released …

The Architecture Of Drama: How Lawyers Can Use Screenwriting Techniques To Tell More Compelling Stories, Teresa M. Bruce

Publications

Hollywood writers have a secret. They know how to tell a compelling story—so compelling that the top-grossing motion pictures rake in millions, and sometimes billions, of dollars. How do they do it? They use a simple formula involving three acts that propel the story forward, three "plot points" that focus on the protagonist, and two "pinch points" that focus on the adversary. The attached Article argues that lawyers should build their stories in the same way Hollywood writers do. It deconstructs the storytelling formula used in movies and translates it into an IRAC-like acronym, SCOR. Attorneys who use SCOR will …