Digital Commons Network^™

Passive Scene Reconstruction In Non-Line-Of-Sight Scenarios, Andre Beckus

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Locating and identifying hidden objects can prove critical in applications ranging from military reconnaissance to emergency rescue. Although non-line-of-sight (NLOS) reconstruction and imaging have received much attention recently, state-of-the-art methods often use coherent sources (lasers) or require control of the scene. This dissertation focuses on passive NLOS scene reconstruction using the light reflected off a diffusive wall. No control over the light illuminating the scene is assumed, and the method is compatible with the partially coherent fields ubiquitous in both indoor and outdoor environments. In order to counteract the detrimental effects of the wall, rather than measuring the 2-dimensional intensity …

Reconsidering Student Attitudes Towards School Achievement: A Mixed Method Approach To Explore Gifted Middle School Underachievers' Attitudes About School, Allison Berner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

This study aimed to examine the attitudes and lived experiences of individuals identified as 'gifted underachievers'. A mixed-methods approach was used to investigate the concept 'gifted underachievement' using a survey regarding student attitudes towards school and individual interviews. This study used a sequential explanatory design: the first phase compared gifted achievers and gifted underachievers to determine school-related attitude differences; the second phase used a transcendental phenomenological design to describe the lived experiences of those identified as gifted underachievers. A mixed methods approach allowed for the strengths of both qualitative and quantitative research methods to be utilized with evidence from survey …

Keeping Girls' Voices At The Center Of Our Work: A Phenomenological Study On The Discipline Experiences Of Black Girls With Disabilities, Whitney Hanley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Disciplinary exclusion is disproportionately enforced with Black students with disabilities. Researchers in this area typically examine the overuse of disciplinary exclusion using homogeneous samples narrowed by race, gender, or disability category; however, implications of the overuse and misuse of discipline have rarely been explored at the intersection of race, gender, and disability. Furthermore, Black girls with disabilities and their experiences with discipline are often muted, or overlooked. Due to perceived defiance, which current researchers support, the actions and choices of Black girls are under heightened surveillance. Responses to their behavior often results in inequitable use of discipline. A master narrative …

A Nested Pcr Strategy For Recovering Highly Discriminatory Y-Str Dna Profiles From Trace Male Dna Samples, Anna Kimball

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

DNA profiling is an effective method of identifying individuals in forensic casework. In sexual assault cases in particular, male donor DNA can be genotyped using Y chromosome short tandem repeat (Y-STR) analysis even in the presence of significant levels of female DNA. The recently released recommended national standard for sexual assault evidence collection from the victim is within 5 days after the sexual assault, with the probability of obtaining a male DNA profile diminishing significantly thereafter due to degradation and/or loss of sperm. The present study was designed to develop a method of obtaining a highly probative DNA profile with …

Structural Equation Modeling (Sem) Analyses Of Perceived Contextual Factors With Departmental Climate For Teaching Quality Improvement In Stem, Eman Saqr

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

This study explored the correlation between perceived contextual factors (leadership, collegiality, resources, professional development, autonomy, and respect) and departmental climate for teaching quality improvement in STEM settings across institutional types and faculty's institutional roles. Institutional types include associate's colleges, doctoral-granting universities, master's colleges and universities, and baccalaureate colleges. Faculty's institutional roles included full professor, associate professor, assistant professor, lecturer, and instructor. Gappa et al.'s (2007) framework regarding faculty work was used to explain the explored correlation. Two hundred and seventy-eight faculty members in STEM settings across institutional types participated in the web survey. A partial least squares structural equation modeling …

An Analysis Of One Medical School's Student Mentoring Practices, Soraya Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Mentoring for medical students has been shown to be beneficial for mentees and mentors, aiding in career development, improved academics, and personal benefits like reducing burnout. The provision of mentoring is also an accreditation standard for all allopathic medical schools in the United States. This study examined a mentoring program in one urban medical school during the 2019-2020 academic year. The purpose of this study was to determine participant perceptions of their mentoring experiences and alignment with the qualities of the career and academic advising and mentoring standards identified by the literature, looking specifically at programmatic structure, oversight, integration into …

Getting Lost: The Fungal Hijacking Of Ant Foraging Behavior In Space And Time, Thienthanh Trinh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Many parasites have evolved strategies to exploit host behavior such that it benefits parasite transmission. Ophiocordyceps manipulations of carpenter ant behavior represent an evident example. Manipulated ants are coerced to ascend vegetation and clamp down their mandibles in a stereotypical "death-grip" bite. The fungus then kills the ant, sprouts a stalk and releases infective spores. Research has focused on this ultimate manipulation, leaving the subtler behavioral changes pre-biting largely unexplored. Field and transcriptome data found that the host circadian clocks, olfaction, and communication may be disrupted, suggesting that the fungus is affecting ant foraging activity and effectivity. To test these …

Exploring The Intersection Of Spiritual And Sexual Orientation Identity Development In Lgbt Undergraduate Graduates Of Faith-Based Institutions, Lavina Seawright

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the intersection and experiences of spiritual and sexual orientation identity development in LGBT graduates of faith-based institutions. Guided by Crenshaw's (1984), framework on intersectionality, this qualitative study was conducted through six in-depth interviews with LGBT graduates of faith-based institutions from Protestant faiths. Collected data was transcribed and analyzed using Colaizzi's (1978) process for phenomenological data. Four themes emerged from the data analysis: commitment to religious affiliation; positive campus environment; negative campus environment; and identity congruence and dissonance. Additionally, participants were asked to identify their institutions as liberal, conservative, or neither liberal …

Microdialysis: A Method For Quantifying In Situ Nitrogen Fluxes In Soil Microsites, Srusti Maddala, Mary C. Savin, Julie A. Stenken, Lisa S. Wood

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

Microdialysis, a diffusion-based sampling technique commonly used in biomedical research, has recently been recognized as a candidate for monitoring chemical changes in the rhizosphere. The information it provides about nutrient diffusion may improve nitrogen use efficiency, leading to enhanced management and success of restoration projects. The objective of this study was to determine the efficacy of microdialysis sampling to quantify the relative recoveries (RR%) of nitrate-N and ammonium-N, the two inorganic nitrogen compounds typically found in soil. The effects of microdialysis flow rate, sample medium concentration, and the presence of both analytes in solution on the relative recoveries obtained from …

Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders: Linking Motor And Process Skills, Sensory Patterns, And Psychiatric Symptoms, Lola Halperin, Janet Falk-Kessler

Occupational Therapy Faculty Publications

Background: Consistent evidence suggests sensory abnormalities and skill deficits in people with Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder (SSD). Further exploration of their sensory patterns and performance skills is warranted to promote community participation among these individuals.

Method: This study examined sensory patterns and motor and process skills in relationship to psychiatric symptoms in adult patients with SSD. Participants were evaluated using the Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile, the Assessment of Motor and Process Skills, and the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale.

Results: Of the 18 participants, the majority showed sensory differences, deficits in motor and process skills, and the presence of moderate to severe symptoms. …

Behavioral And Genetic Mechanisms Of Social Evolution: Insights From Incipiently And Facultatively Social Bees, Wyatt Abram Shell

Doctoral Dissertations

Bees are highly charismatic and ecologically valuable organisms, and most popularly represented by the honey bee. Honey bees are well known in no small part because they are eusocial: a single reproductive queen continually lays eggs, and is supported by overlapping generations of thousands of non-reproductive workers, all performing specialized tasks to feed and protect the colony. Despite the ecological edge it seems to confer, eusociality has emerged in relatively few bee lineages; most have instead either remained solitary (the ancestral state for all bees) or demonstrate any of a range of less derived forms of social organization. Researchers have …

Computational Studies Of Small Molecule Transport And Binding, Yong Liu

Doctoral Dissertations

In this thesis, I have studied two classes of systems using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations as a primary approach. The first class of systems is responsible for transport of small molecules. Specically, I have investigated diffusion pathways of inhibitory gas CO within the enzyme FeFe-hydrogenase as well as water transport in articial water channels. The second class of systems are biological proteins and their interactions with ligands. I have focused on Regulators of G-protein Signaling (RGS) proteins and their binding to thiadiazolidinone (TDZD) based small-molecule inhibitors as well as phosphosdiesterase 6 (PDE6) binding with cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP).

Specically, I …

Manipulating Single Polymer Molecules For Applications In Nanomaterials, Ruiwen Chen

Doctoral Dissertations

Polymeric nanoparticles have been utilized in an increasing number of fields over the past two decades due to their unique properties such as design flexibility and good biocompatibility. Despite various techniques available to produce polymer nanoparticles, the preparation of small nanoparticles with customized functions in the sub 20 nm dimension remains challenging. Inspired by the self-organizing behavior of natural biomacromolecules, a class of single-chain nanoparticles (SCNP) are synthesized featuring biomimicry and ultrafine size. These nanoparticles are prepared from self-folding of polymer precursors bearing reactive pendant groups by intramolecular cross-linking reactions. A variety of cross-linking chemistries are available including covalent, dynamic …

Effects Of Rumen-Protected Amino Acids And Levels And Sources Of Energy On Milk Production And Nutrient Utilization In Dairy Cattle Fed Metabolizable Protein-Deficient Diets, Yu Zang

Doctoral Dissertations

Lactating dairy cows are characterized by poor N efficiency and dietary N not captured in milk protein is excreted in urine and feces, which then contribute to environmental N pollution. Nitrogen losses also shrink profit margins for dairy producers due to costly protein sources. Additionally, the dairy industry is an important anthropogenic source of greenhouse gases such as CO2 and CH4, with CH4 representing a potent greenhouse gas and non-negligible energy losses in dairy cattle. Thus, my PhD program has focused on developing nutrition-based approaches to improve milk production efficiency (e.g., milk yield/dry matter intake) and reduce N excretion and …

23anddiverseme: Using Genetic Ancestry Tests To Establish Minority Status, Robert Karl

Health Matrix: The Journal of Law-Medicine

No abstract provided.

An Overview Of The Utilization Of A University Health Center, Ashley Rosato, Dhara Patel, Jailene Martinez, Rhianna Teates, Kaylee Campoverde, Sarah Kelly

Student Research Symposium

Background: College students often do not visit university health centers or attend scheduled appointments. Missed appointments affect not only the students’ health, but also the health center. Missed appointments cannot be easily rescheduled, limit appointment times for others, and lead to a higher cost for the university. The purpose of this study is to explore student usage of a university based health care center.

Method: A retrospective review of 400 electronic health records, from college students enrolled in a State University from 2016-2017, were examined. The information collected focused on the use of the university health center, reason for appointment, …

Graduate Catalog_2020-2021, Nova Southeastern University

Huizenga Postgraduate Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

2020-2021 Graduate Program Catalog, Nova Southeastern University

Halmos College of Arts and Sciences Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

The Aerodynamics And Power Requirements Of Forward Flapping Flight In The Mango Stem Borer Beetle (Batocera Rufomaculata), Tomer Urca, Anup Kumar Debnath, Jean Stefanini, Roi Gurka, Gal Ribak

Physics and Engineering Science

Synopsis The need for long dispersal flights can drive selection for behavioral, physiological, and biomechanical mechanisms to reduce the energy spent flying. However, some energy loss during the transfer of momentum from the wing to the fluid is inevitable, and inherent to the fluid wing interaction. Here, we analyzed these losses during the forward flight of the mango stem borer (Batocera rufomaculata). This relatively large beetle can disperse substantial distances in search of new host trees, and laboratory experiments have demonstrated continuous tethered flights that can last for up to an hour. We flew the beetles tethered in a wind …

Spies And The Virus: The Covid-19 Pandemic And Intelligence Communication In The United States, Ana Maria Lankford, Derrick Storzieri, Joseph Fitsanakis

Intelligence and Security Studies

This paper introduces a crucial parameter to the novel coronavirus response in the United States, by shedding light on the early-warning role of intelligence agencies. It argues that the intelligence components of the federal government's Biological Defense Program offered actionable forewarning about an impending pandemic in the years leading to the COVID-19 outbreak. Yet, almost from the opening stages of the pandemic, senior US government officials, including President Donald Trump, have repeatedly claimed that the virus "came out of nowhere"and that "nobody saw it coming."We show that these assertions contradict more than 15 years of pandemic preparedness warnings by intelligence …

Benefit Or Burden?: Brackeen V. Zinke And The Constitutionality Of The Indian Child Welfare Act, Katie L. Gojevic

Buffalo Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Practice Of Clitoridectomies: Its Influence On The Gikuyu Tribe, Kenyan National Identity, Cultural Nationalism, And British Powers, Savannah Scott

Undergraduate Research Awards

Within the Western world, the practice of clitoridectomies is infamous for its associations with infertility, hemorrhaging, and irreversible complications that affect the fertility and life of mothers and young women. In contrast, select tribes in the Eastern hemisphere uphold the practice with historical and cultural significance promoting its continuation in modern day; amongst these select tribes is the Gikuyu tribe in Kenya, Africa. The Gikuyu tribe, commonly known as the Kikuyu, has a long cultural history with clitoridectomies as the practice originated in ancestral tribal groups and is performed annually in a rite of passage ceremony called irua. Jomo Kenyatta, …

Bibliometric Analysis Of Neurosciences Research Productivity In Saudi Arabia From 2013-2018, Amani H. Alhibshi, Widyan A. Alamoudi, Ikram Ul Haq, Shafiq Ur Rehman, Rai K. Farooq, Foziah J. Al Shamrani

Neurosciences

Objectives: To review the dynamics of neuroscience research in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) from 2013-2018. Methods: Subject category of Neuroscience was selected in the SciVal feature of Scopus database, which includes all relevant categories of the field limiting it to Saudi Arabia. Results: Saudi Arabia is ranked 39th in publishing neuroscientific research worldwide. The number of yearly published articles has increased from 123 to 332 during the time period between 2013 and 2018. King Saud University & King Abdul Aziz University & their corresponding regions namely Western and Central regions are the major contributors to publications. Neuroscientists working …

False Confessions And Testimonial Injustice, Jennifer Lackey

Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology

In the criminal justice system, confessions have long been considered the gold standard in evidence. An immediate problem arises for this gold standard, however, when the prevalence of false confessions is taken into account. Since 1989, there have been 367 post-conviction DNA exonerations in the United States, and 28% of these involved false confessions. Moreover, false confessions involve everything from minor infractions to detailed accounts of violent crimes.

This article takes a close look at false confessions in connection with the phenomenon of testimonial injustice. It argues that false confessions provide a unique and compelling challenge to the current conceptual …

When Prosecutors Politick: Progressive Law Enforcers Then And Now, Bruce A. Green, Rebecca Roiphe

Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology

A new and recognizable group of reform-minded prosecutors has assumed the mantle of progressive prosecution. The term is hard to define in part because its adherents embrace a diverse set of policies and priorities. In comparing the contemporary movement with Progressive Era prosecutors, this Article has two related goals. First, it seeks to better define progressive prosecution. Second, it uses a historical comparison to draw some lessons for the current movement. Both groups of prosecutors were elected on a wave of popular support. Unlike today’s mainstream prosecutors who tend to campaign and labor in relative obscurity, these two sets of …

Bulletin Of Yale University School Of Nursing 2020-2021, Yale School Of Nursing

Yale School of Nursing Bulletins and Catalogues

Series 116, Number 15

September 5, 2020

Procurement Of Housing In Depressed, African-American Homeless Patients In A Large Urban Federally Qualified Health Center: A Pilot To Improve Workflow Processes, Identify Best Practices And Impact Outcomes, Asa Tavares Briggs

Yale School of Nursing Digital Theses

Homelessness is a chronic issue in the United States (US)-impacting individuals from every socio-economic class. African Americans in the US disproportionately experience rates of homelessness higher than those in the general population. These individuals are vulnerable to poor physical and chronic mental health problems, chief among them is depression. African-American homeless individuals have high rates of depression and experience disparities in utilization and access to health care. To address this problem within a healthcare systems level context, this Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP) project examined the association between homelessness and depression in African-Americans. A pilot project focused on the targeted …

Molecular Epidemiology Of Hookworm Infection In The Ashanti Region, Ghana., Emma Allen

Public Health Theses

INTRODUCTION: Parasitic helminth infections have persisted in resource-limited settings around the world, leading to greater numbers of people experiencing sequelae including malnutrition, anemia, and impaired growth and cognitive function among children. Despite periodic deworming efforts, a high burden of disease remains in sub-Saharan Africa. Establishing baseline prevalence of these infections can inform local and national deworming campaign objectives as well as tailor additional interventions accordingly. Here we describe our efforts to determine baseline prevalence and analyze potential risk factors for infection in Ashanti Region, Ghana.

OBJECTIVES: The primary objective of this study was to characterize the molecular epidemiology of hookworm …

Human Granulocytic Anaplasmosis In Connecticut, 2014-2019: An Analysis Of Surveillance Data And Future Recommendations, Taylor Eisenstein

Public Health Theses

Human granulocytic anaplasmosis is a tickborne zoonosis caused by the bacterium Anaplasma phagocytophilum and first became a nationally notifiable human disease in 1999. In 2008, the Connecticut Department of Public Health (CT DPH) added it to the list of reportable diseases for the state. In 2019, there was a three-fold increase in case counts compared to previous years. To understand trends in anaplasmosis and generate hypotheses regarding this increase, descriptive analyses were performed on confirmed cases reported to the CT DPH from 2014 to 2019. Percentage of cases by gender, age, county, and month were calculated for each year, and …

Racial And Ethnic Disparities In Pharmacologic Treatment For Emotional Distress Among Older Adults With Cancer, Saranya Govindaraju

Public Health Theses

Abstract

Objective: Disparities in self-reported emotional distress and subsequent pharmacologic treatment for emotional distress are not well understood among older adults with cancer. The main objective of this study is to understand racial and ethnic disparities in emotional distress medication and the relationship between self-reported levels of emotional distress. We hypothesize that as self-reported levels of emotional distress increase in severity, the race and ethnic disparities in emotional distress medication will diminish or decrease. Our secondary aim was to understand the role of socioeconomic factors on racial and ethnic disparities in medication use.

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, we …