Digital Commons Network^™

A Longitudinal Investigation Of Functional Activity Changes From Vision Therapy: A Study Of Binocularly Normal Controls And Patients With Convergence Insufficiency, Cristian Morales Carrasco

Dissertations

Convergence insufficiency (CI) is a binocular vision dysfunction in which the person has difficulty maintaining a sustained fixation on an object in the near field of view. This condition is present in about 5% of the general population and with a greater prevalence in patients with traumatic brain injury or attentional deficit hyperactivity disorder. One therapeutic intervention for CI is Office-Based Vergence and Accommodative therapy (OBVAT) which is successful in about 75% of the pediatric and young adult population. The neural mechanism by which OBVAT leads to a sustained reduction in visual symptoms is not fully understood. Vergence eye movements …

Addressing Ad-Blocking Challenges In Online Publishing: A Data Science Approach, Shuai Zhao

Dissertations

The revenue of online display advertising is expected to reach 389 billion U.S. dollars globally in 2021. However, the fast increase in ad-blocker usage impacts publishers' ad revenue and the ad-supported free web. Faced with this problem, many online publishers choose either to cooperate with ad-blocker software companies to show acceptable ads or to build a wall that requires users to whitelist (i.e., turn off ad-blockers) for content access. This dissertation aims to deepen the understanding of existing counter-ad-blocking strategies and further explore how to address ad-blocking challenges through a data science approach.

The dissertation starts with investigating and identifying …

River & Estuary Observation Network: Refinement Of Stage Height Sensor Subsystem For Low Cost And High Reliability, W. D. Kirkey, C. B. Fuller, P. O'Brien, P. J. Kirkey, Ahmed Mahmoud, Andrew Ernest, Javier Guerrero

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

A system comprised of software and on-site measurements is presented for accurately obtaining water stage data from vented or non-vented submersible pressure sensors installed at autonomous stream gauging stations. The system accounts for pressure sensor offset errors, water density, and local gravitational acceleration to produce a stage height reading which is accurate to either ±0.01 ft (±3 mm) or to the accuracy limit of the sensor, whichever is greater. A 2nd order polynomial expression for determination of water density from temperature and salinity is developed and found to be sufficiently accurate for this purpose. Simulated stage measurements performed in the …

Statistical Modeling Of Quarrying Activities And Their Impact On Residents’ Satisfaction, Jefferson M. Domingues, Vania F. L. Miranda, Denise C. Rezende, Yara S. Lares, Saulo R. Ferreira, Izabela R. C. De Oliveira

Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development

This research aims to analyse the impact of quarrying on the health and perception of neighbouring communities. A standard questionnaire survey was conducted to collect data from quarry neighbours in a residential neighbourhood located in the city of Lavras, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Residences were distributed based on proximity to a quarrying company, resulting in three distances divided by three equally distant radii, named as Area I (closest to the quarrying company at 630 m), Area II (730 m), and Area III (farthest from the quarrying company at 830 m). Data gathered from 177 residents were analysed with logistic regression models. …

Research News. Publications, 2020. Volume 4, Soumyajit Majumdar

Publications (2015-)

Publications that appeared during the period October 1 through December 31, 2020

Investigating The Lack Of Consensus Among Sentiment Analysis Tools, Ma Palomino, Ap Varma, A Connelly

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

Sentiment analysis, the classification of human emotion expressed in text, has the potential to enhance our ability to analyse the ever growing amount of information published each day on social media. Thus, we compare here seven of the most well-regarded sentiment analysis tools, and conclude that none of them is sufficiently reliable to be used on its own. Combining them and relying on their results only when various tools reach an agreement seems to be a better option. The pros and cons of such an approach are discussed in this paper, while providing recommendations related to the usability of the …

Digital Revolution During Covid-19 Era, Monalisa Biswas

Manipal Journal of Medical Sciences

Triaging is of utmost importance in any pandemic and is essential in the present COVID-19 times when we are witnessing an enormous number of our population being affected by the novel coronavirus. Further, it is important to acknowledge the varied spectrum of manifestations among our patients with each patient needing a tailored protocol and facilitating in gaining an understanding of the epidemiology and disease pathophysiology. The rapid spread of COVID-19 and shortage of health care personnel in a developing country like India needs immediate and effective health technology to triage COVID suspects thereby reducing doctor – suspects’ contact and monitor …

2020 Scholarly Productivity Report, Missouri University Of Science And Technology

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Scholarly Productivity Reports

No abstract provided.

Pillars Of Sustainable Development–Land Capability And Conceptual Project Design, Ian D. Hollingsworth

Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development

Conserving land capability is a pillar of sustainable development strategy. Land units comprising unique combinations of native vegetation, soils, geology, and landforms are used to interpret local environmental processes and land capabilities. An emerging practice is extrapolation modeling of edaphic parameter surfaces in Digital Soil Mapping (DSM) using statistical correlation. Commercial studies of land capability for sustainable development, including a mine closure in a national park, another closure for grazing land restoral, urban stormwater flood mitigation, and wind farm development in plantation forestry, are presented to illustrate applications and review the utility of DSM data. The first case, a mine …

Agricultural Pesticide Use In The Upper Citarum River Basin: Basic Data For Model-Based Risk Management, Rosetyati R. Utami, Gertjan W. Geerling, Indah R. S. Salami, Suprihanto Notodarmojo, Ad M.J. Ragas

Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development

Since the middle of the 20th century, pesticide use has been a primary foundation of global agricultural development. However, the massive usage of pesticides can have detrimental impacts on human health and the environment, particularly in the aquatic ecosystem. This study determined the use of pesticides in the agricultural area of the Upper Citarum River Basin (UCRB); a crucial water resource on Java Island. A survey of 174 farmers was conducted in eight districts along the basin by using the random walk and quota sampling method. The questionnaire was designed to acquire data about the amount and types of pesticides …

Audits For The Minimization Of Eco-Anxiety In The World Economy, Karina Nazarova, Volodymyr Hordopolov, Mariia Nezhyva, Viktoriia Mysiuk, Tetiana Kopotiienko

Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development

The global pandemic of 2019–2020 is changing not only the lives of citizens, but also approaches to business management. The activities of audit companies have not escaped. Problematic and debatable issues need to be addressed to formulate a comprehensive approach to audits in a transformative economic environment and minimize the global economy's eco-anxiety. The purpose of the article is to determine the role of the audit in minimizing the eco-anxiety of the world economy. The study's materials were indicators of the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in the world, public writings of scientists, official reports of international organizations, regulations, and …

Relationship Between Hotels' Design Adequacy And Hoteliers' Perception Of Sustainable Energy Management In Abuja, Nigeria, Aisha Isa Shehu, Bala Ishiyaku, Hadiza Balarabe Kudan, Sani Inusa Milala

Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development

Energy is a sustainability issue receiving primary global concern. Improving energy efficiency and utilizing renewable resources are important in building energy sustainability. An energy-efficient design is a basis for controlling energy efficiency in buildings, and it is highly motivated by the sustainable energy management perception of relevant stakeholders. Hotels have high energy intensities and high working costs. This study investigates the relationship between hotel design adequacy and hoteliers' perception of sustainable energy management in Abuja, Nigeria. The investigation embraces quantitative structure utilizing exploratory and elucidating techniques. The mean ranking and Pearson product-moment correlation results revealed substantial and weak positive correlations …

Tiny House: Reflection On Participatory Action Research As A Tool Of Inquiry In The Kampung Community, Elita Nuraeny, Amira Paramitha, Herlily Herlily

Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development

At the end of 2015, the government of Jakarta declared a river normalization program to widen both banks of the Ciliwung River and increase its channel capacity. Approximately 15 meters of inspection road was to be constructed immediately. To avoid eviction, 223 households in Kampung Anak Kali (KAKC) reduced their domestic spaces by shearing five meters off their houses, forcing them to allocate less space for daily activities, including cooking, bathing, and washing. Living in a tight space, constructing a tiny house is a necessity, not a lifestyle choice. The residents of KAKC, therefore, live in limited areas for survival, …

Sustainable Development In The Aspect Of Auditing In Condition Of Transformation Of Social Insurance System, Muqadamkhon Zokirkhonovna Abdurahmonova

Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development

In the modern condition of economy transformation, in the result of reformation of social insurance system appeared different problems. In the result of previous research about the transformation of social insurance system we defined some disadvantages of this sphere expressed in candidate dissertation on theme “Features of development and modernisation of social security system in the national economy of Tajikistan”. The problems regarding to amount of social insurance influenced to the research in the aspect of auditing. So, just by controlling and revision procedures determines economic based decisions for decreasing problems. Methods. In the process of our research, we used …

Impact Of Excessive Pumping On Groundwater Quality: The Arsenic Problem Of The Ganges–Meghna–Brahmaputra Delta In Southeast Asia, Rhitwik Chatterjee, Mousumi Chowdhury

Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development

This review of the impact of large-scale pumping on arsenic distribution reveals that groundwater-fed irrigation and domestic withdrawal impart tremendous stress on the limited groundwater resource base and disrupts the dynamic equilibrium of the groundwater system of the Ganges–Meghna–Brahmaputra (GMB) delta in Southeast Asia. Excessive groundwater extraction through pumping affects the groundwater quality in three major ways. First, excessive pumping transports atmospheric oxygen and organic-rich surface water to the subsurface. Second, it promotes arsenic build up in surface soil irrigated with arsenic-laced groundwater. Finally, it shifts groundwater replenishment zones lying at various depths near extraction points, thus, carrying dissolved arsenic …

An Overview Of Plastic Waste Recycling In The Urban Areas Of Java Island In Indonesia, Nurdiana Darus, Maya Tamimi, Silvi Tirawaty, Muchtazar Muchtazar, Dini Trisyanti, Rangga Akib, Dyota Condorini, Khair Ranggi

Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development

Plastic products have been an integral part of human lives. However, concerns over plastic pollution have been growing. Thus, alternative practices that allow more sustainable production and consumption pattern are urgently needed. Improving plastic recycling management is one of the solutions to prevent an increase in plastic pollution. This paper aims to uncover the potential of plastic recycling, to define factors that can leverage the expansion of the recycling process, and to evaluate possible measures that can realize such expansion, especially given the limited literature on these topics. Therefore, a four-month study, which involved two months of rigorous primary survey …

Cold Storage Work And Cold Protective Gloves – A Review, Daena Charles

Theses

The rise of e-commerce and the increasing demand for online grocery shopping and delivery has prompted the growth of warehouse workers subjected to cold temperature working conditions. To ensure food safety and the preservation of inventory, majority of these e-grocery warehouses are cold storage with temperatures from 10°C to -23°C. Exposure to such cold working environments can have effects on the workers comfort, performance and health. As the demand for workers in cold temperature environments increases, it is important to understand how this environment affects the workers and the challenges it may present.

This review evaluates how working in cold …

Preparation And Characterization Of Reactive Composites Combining Boron With Mixed Oxides, Purvam Mehulkumar Gandhi

Theses

Thirteen liquids have been explored as Process Control Agents (PCAs) for high-energy mechanical milling of two metal oxide powders, CuO and Bi₂O₃, with the practical purpose to reduce the sizes of powder particles and refine their crystal structure. Multiple liquid properties have been considered to analyze their effect on evolution of both particle and crystallite sizes during milling for each oxide. Experimental data were analyzed using the δ-AICc (Akaike Information criterion) correlation function applied to linear relations between liquid properties and powder characteristics. Multiple linear correlation models were ranked based on the highest log-likelihood and the …

Treated Hfo2 Based Rram Devices With Ru, Tan, Tin As Top Electrode For In-Memory Computing Hardware, Yuvraj Dineshkumar Patel

Theses

The scalability and power efficiency of the conventional CMOS technology is steadily coming to a halt due to increasing problems and challenges in fabrication technology. Many non-volatile memory devices have emerged recently to meet the scaling challenges. Memory devices such as RRAMs or ReRAM (Resistive Random-Access Memory) have proved to be a promising candidate for analog in memory computing applications related to inference and learning in artificial intelligence. A RRAM cell has a MIM (Metal insulator metal) structure that exhibits reversible resistive switching on application of positive or negative voltage. But detailed studies on the power consumption, repeatability and retention …

Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha Snp Variant In Promoter Region G308a, Cause Preeclampsia During Pregnancy In Pakistani Women, A Case Control Study, Azizah Ziauddin, Sadia Ahmad, Asad Iqbal, Abdul Majid Khan, Shahid Mahmood Baig

Journal of Bioresource Management

Preeclampsia (PE) is a very common critical condition during pregnancy. As PE is a high-risk condition during pregnancy, occurring in 25% of all pregnancies, worldwide. In women with PE there is an increase in hypertension and albuminuria. Elevated blood pressure can be life-threatening after 20^th week of pregnancy. Single nucleotide variation in gene sequence can be disease causing, among these pathogenic SNPs, a variant in TNF-α, G308A is analyzed in many studies as a causative variant to cause preeclampsia. In this case control study fifty patients and fifty healthy individuals were enrolled for analysis of TNF-α promoter region …

Cotrimoxazole Prophylaxis Increases Resistance Gene Prevalence And Α-Diversity But Decreases Β-Diversity In The Gut Microbiome Of Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Exposed, Uninfected Infants, Alaric W D'Souza, Eshia Moodley-Govender, Bertram Berla, Tejas Kelkar, Bin Wang, Xiaoqing Sun, Brodie Daniels, Anna Coutsoudis, Indi Trehan, Gautam Dantas

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Prophylactic cotrimoxazole treatment is recommended in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-exposed, uninfected (HEU) infants, but the effects of this treatment on developing HEU infant gut microbiotas and resistomes are largely undefined.

METHODS: We analyzed whole-metagenome sequencing data from 163 longitudinally collected stool samples from 63 HEU infants randomized to receive (n = 34; CTX-T) or to not receive (n = 29; CTX-N) prophylactic cotrimoxazole treatment. We generated taxonomic, functional pathway, and resistance gene profiles for each sample and compared microbiome signatures between the CTX-T and CTX-N infants.

RESULTS: Metagenomic analysis did not reveal significant differences in taxonomic or functional pathway …

Village Fund Accountability And Gendering In Masculine Hegemonic Institution: A Study During Covid-19, Desti Fitriani, Elvia R. Shauki, Siti Czafrani Pratiwi

ASEAN Journal of Community Engagement

The study is aimed to evaluate accountability and gender roles in enhancing the accountability of village fund and other government-related assistance during COVID-19 pandemic. This study employed an integrated framework of accountability, gender socialization theory and gender subtext theory. This study applies a case study with 2 (two) types of instruments, i.e., observations and semi-structured interviews. The villages observed have provided limited information regarding the BLT DD assistance and other COVID-19 related assistance. Consequently, the villagers did not have sufficient information to participate in the village decision-making process and to criticize BLT DD assistance and other COVID-19 related assistance distribution …

The 21st Century Global Digital Economies Revolution And The Aftermath Of Covid-19 Pandemic: Some Anticipated Implication Changes For Developing Nations, Agyei Fosu

ASEAN Journal of Community Engagement

The 21^st century digital global economies era changed developmental approaches drastically to a point where most researchers, policy makers, and developers have asserted that to achieve economic development for developing nations; it is paramount for Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) investments in all sectors contributing to their economy. The current COVID-19 pandemic and the various measures taken by governments such as lockdown, curfew, companies asking employees to work from home, and the use of e-learning by schools to curb the disease brings into perspective the assertion raised by various scholars about the need for developing nations to invest in …

Centering The Arts In Stem, Fay Cobb Payton

The Transdisciplinary STEAM+ Journal

A reflection on a STEAM initiative: NC State University Alumni and their children attended free STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) family workshops at D.H. Hill Library. This program was a collaboration between Dr. Fay Cobb Payton, professor of Information Systems/Technology and University Faculty Scholar at NC State, the NCSU Libraries, and Arts NC State

An Esoteric Case For The Scientific Study Of Meditation, Vish Chatterji

The Transdisciplinary STEAM+ Journal

The science of meditation has served to help overcome ego-related obstacles in meditation, and has enable the propagation of a powerful tool for the increased consciousness, health and peace of humanity.

The Beautiful Math Of Everything And You Included, E. Ozie

The Transdisciplinary STEAM+ Journal

This a reflection on how there is beautiful math to everything. An author's interpretation of matrices and mechanics in its relationship to someone's identity.

Drawing Parallels In Art Science For Collaborative Learning: A Case Study, Karen Westland

The Transdisciplinary STEAM+ Journal

This research paper explores drawing as a tool to facilitate interdisciplinary practice. Outlined is the personal experience of PhD researcher [name removed] in their physics/craft research project, combined with thoughts and opinions from collaborators gathered through group discursive interviews. Interdisciplinary projects face interpersonal and conceptually ambiguous challenges which can be addressed through adopting drawing techniques for educational purposes. Findings highlight that drawing can assist across a breadth of applications as a learning tool for everyone, regardless of drawing ability, to improve the functionality of collaborative projects. Specifically, drawing combined with other communication techniques develops a performative communicative approach that enriches …

Literature As A Pathway To Steam Careers, Michelle Mohrweis

The Transdisciplinary STEAM+ Journal

In this piece, I discuss the way STEAM focused literature can help guide students into the world of STEAM. Through books, kids can see themselves doing STEAM focused careers, helping to make it more accessible even to groups still underrepresented in many technical fields. STEAM in children’s literature can also help students navigate important skills, such as the design process and learning how to have a growth mindset.

Trial By Steam: A Lesson Plan For Using “Repent, Harlequin!” In The Steam Classroom, Olivia Burgess

The Transdisciplinary STEAM+ Journal

This lesson plan uses Harlan Ellison’s “Repent, Harlequin! Said the Ticktockman” as part of an interdisciplinary first-year curriculum linking perspectives from the humanities with engineering design. Students participated in a “mock trial” based on two characters from the story as a way to reflect on good teamwork, the value of creativity, and on the nature of the engineering profession. Both Ellison’s story and the lesson explore the benefits of taking a “STEAM” perspective that integrates the precision and timeliness needed in engineering (represented by the Ticktockman) with the flexibility and creativity inspired by the humanities (represented by Harlequin).

The Future In Their Imaginations: Music And Robotics School Holidays Program For School-Aged Children, Adam Manning, Amelia Bessenyei, Helen English

The Transdisciplinary STEAM+ Journal

This report reflects on an exploratory STEAM workshop at the University of Newcastle, School of Creative Industries, Conservatorium of Music, Australia. Twenty-six middle school-aged students attended the two-day workshop. On the final day, students presented an immersive concert for parents and friends, showcasing creativity, innovation and teamwork. Interestingly, Lego robots were employed as a physical tool through which music-making students interacted with each other and built attributes of creative engagement. These attributes were measured via the Six C’s established by Bers comprising: (1) Collaboration; (2) Community Building; (3) Communication; (4) Content Creation; (5) Creativity; and (6) Choices of Conduct. This …