Digital Commons Network^™

Reading Level Identification Using Natural Language Processing Techniques, William Arnost, Ellen Lull, Joseph Schueder, Joseph Engler

SMU Data Science Review

This paper investigates using the Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT) algorithm and lexical-syntactic features to measure readability. Readability is important in many disciplines, for functions such as selecting passages for school children, assessing the complexity of publications, and writing documentation. Text at an appropriate reading level will help make communication clear and effective. Readability is primarily measured using well-established statistical methods. Recent advances in Natural Language Processing (NLP) have had mixed success incorporating higher-level text features in a way that consistently beats established metrics. This paper contributes a readability method using a modern transformer technique and compares the results …

Emotion Integrated Music Recommendation System Using Generative Adversarial Networks, Mrinmoy Bhaumik, Patrica U. Attah, Faizan Javed

SMU Data Science Review

Music can stimulate emotions within us; hence is often called the “language of emotion.” This study explores emotion as an additional feature in generating a playlist with a deep learning model to improve the current music recommendation system. This study will sample emotions from certain subjects for each song in a sample of the data. Since the effect of music on emotion is subjective and is different person to person, this study would need a considerable number of subjects to reduce subjectivity. Due to the limited resources, a portion of the data will be labeled with emotion from subjects and …

Alternative Methods For Deriving Emotion Metrics In The Spotify® Recommendation Algorithm, Ronald M. Sherga Jr., David Wei, Neil Benson, Faizan Javed

SMU Data Science Review

Spotify's® recommendation algorithm tailors music offerings to create a unique listening experience for each user. Though what this recommender does is highly impressive, there is always room for improvement given that these techniques are not fully prescient. This study posits that in addition to creating certain features based on audio analysis, incorporating new features derived from album art color as well as lyrical sentiment analysis may provide additional value to the end user. This team did not find that a significant difference existed between color valence and Spotify® valence; however, all other comparisons resulted in statistically significant difference of means …

Clinical Diagnosis Support With Convolutional Neural Network By Transfer Learning, Spencer Fogleman, Jeremy Otsap, Sangrae Cho

SMU Data Science Review

Breast cancer is prevalent among women in the United States. Breast cancer screening is standard but requires a radiologist to review screening images to make a diagnosis. Diagnosis through the traditional screening method of mammography currently has an accuracy of about 78% for women of all ages and demographics. A more recent and precise technique called Digital Breast Tomosynthesis (DBT) has shown to be more promising but is less well studied. A machine learning model trained on DBT images has the potential to increase the success of identifying breast cancer and reduce the time it takes to diagnose a patient, …

Covid-19 - A Graph Network Approach, Nibhrat Lohia, Rajesh Satluri, Suchismita Moharana, Venkat Kasarla

SMU Data Science Review

The effects of COVID-19 and its spreads are attributed to various factors. This study uses CDC open-source data on COVID-19 effected population with features ranging from location to ethnicity, to create a Knowledge Graph to measure the similarity between COVID-19 cases and estimate the risk for people likely affected by COVID-19. This data could be used to find correlations between distinct factors, like ethnicity and pre-existing health conditions, to find the vulnerability of a given COVID-19 patient. Using the Jaccard similarity coefficient, in the knowledge graph, we are able to identify and explore relationships between COVID-19 cases as well as …

The Art Of Storying A Life, Alexandra Fidyk

Artizein: Arts and Teaching Journal

Attending what might be passed as an ordinary if difficult exchange with a fellow graduate student when in doctoral studies, the storyteller weaves a particular happening into a much more telling account of power and agency. The teller permits time and place to shift, amplifying other encounters in relation to the initial student meeting. While not easy reading, especially for those who enjoy a telling as smooth and direct as an arrow flies, if you can allow yourself to wend along the curves that arc to and fro, something powerful will unfold. You will find yourself at a place not …

The Bridge, Bonnie Berkowitz

Artizein: Arts and Teaching Journal

Abstract “The Bridge”

Stories That Mattered: Inspirited Stories and the Unfolding Arts Curriculum as a call for papers for Fall 2021 issue inspired this Art Therapy educator to consider and re-examine past teaching beliefs and practices, to underscore and understand with more clarity, how the dissonance between two styles of a classical Fine Arts and an Art Therapy Education became apparent in an Art Therapy graduate studio course. With a sharing of past experiences and ideology, Berkowitz writes about how the examination of quality and fears, about a fine arts critique and the nonjudgmental art discussion, highlight the need to …

Reflections, Relationships And Art Class, Rochelle St. Martin Pettenati

Artizein: Arts and Teaching Journal

My homeroom class was 8H. At that time the district grouped students homogeneously by rank or GPA. The “lowest” ranking class was 8H and they were mine. I remember the first day I met them, I was full of knowledge after completing my Master of Art Education just a few months before. I knew just what to do, just what to say. Undoubtedly, the students would love and respect me, and I would inspire them and teach them to love art. They would use art as another language for learning, I would differentiate to meet their needs and identify their …

Full Issue Artizein_December 2021, Peter London

Artizein: Arts and Teaching Journal

A full PDF of the themed Artizein: Arts & Teaching Journal issue entitled 'Stories that Mattered' edited by Peter London.

Rocket Learn, Daanesh Ibrahim, Jules Stacy, David Stroud, Yusi Zhang

SMU Data Science Review

Abstract. This paper covers the development, testing, and implementation of Reinforcement Learning methods designed to autonomously learn and optimize Rocket League play. This study aims to analyze and benchmark model frameworks commonly used in Reinforcement Learning applications. These models can be applied to tasks ranging in difficulty from simple to superhumanly complex, and this study will begin with and build upon simple models performing simple tasks. It will result in complex models performing difficult tasks. Models will be allowed to train autonomously on the game using mass parallelization to expedite training times with the goal of maximizing reward function scores. …

Machine Learning Approach To Distinguish Ulcerative Colitis And Crohn’S Disease Using Smote (Synthetic Minority Oversampling Technique) Methods, Kris Ghimire, Walter Lai, Yasser Omar, Thad Schwebke, Jamie Vo

SMU Data Science Review

Irritable Bowel Disease (IBD) affects a sizable portion of the US population, causing symptoms such as vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. Despite the disease’s prevalence, the precise cause is not fully understood. This study consists of endoscopic and histological data from patients diagnosed with IBD and a control population for reference. The machine learning models' focus is to classify patients into IBD types. Several models were analyzed, including decision trees, logistic regression, and k-nearest neighbors. In addition, various methods of SMOTE were applied to determine the most effective transformation and ensuring that the dataset is balanced. The best model with …

Intelligent Investment Portfolio Management Using Time-Series Analytics And Deep Reinforcement Learning, Sachin Chavan, Pradeep Kumar, Tom Gianelle

SMU Data Science Review

Abstract. – With globalization, the capital markets have exploded in size and value, making them exceedingly difficult to predict. These days the public has access to real-time data of the market-leading to more participation. As a positive step, this might lead to better wealth distribution in the society, and it also adds to the random nature of the market, making it more unpredictable. The portfolio accounts consisting of stocks and bonds are considered serious investment assets. They can make or break a person’s future. It is also a way of shielding one against market risk or rising inflation. These accounts, …

Identifying Vacant Lots To Reduce Violent Crime In Dallas, Texas, Laura Lazarescou, Andrew Mejia, Tina Pai, Sabrina Purvis, Robert Slater, Owen Wilson-Chavez

SMU Data Science Review

Vacant lots have been associated with community violence for many years. Researchers have confirmed a positive correlation between vacant lots and vacant buildings with increased violence in urban and rural geographies. However, identifying vacant lots has been a challenge, and modeling methods were largely manual and time-intensive. This prevented cities and non-profit organizations from acting on the information since it was expensive and high-risk to develop remediation programs without clearly understanding where or how many vacant lots existed.

The primary objective of this study was to provide a predictive model that accelerates and improves the accuracy of prior land classification …

Machine Learning Forecasting Of Construction Demand In The Usa As Indicated By Economic, Geographic And Demographic Cues, Jayson Barker, Emil Ramos, John Rodgers, Saqib Shahzad

SMU Data Science Review

This paper aims to optimize the investment and position of a building supply company by using a predictive modeling approach that focuses on single-family housing starts in the United States. This approach aims to guide where capital investments such as truss-plants and lumber yards should be constructed before housing demand in a particular Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) rises. By accurately predicting these MSAs, a building supply company could save costs and improve service while establishing a competitive advantage in the market. This study leverages Multi-Linear Regressions, XGBoost Regression, and Artificial Neural Network (Multilayer Perceptron - MLP) algorithms to identify the …

Identification And Characterization Of Forest Fire Risk Zones Leveraging Machine Learning Methods, Joshua Balson, Matt Chinchilla, Cam Lu, Jeff Washburn, Nibhrat Lohia

SMU Data Science Review

Across the United States, record numbers of wildfires are observed costing billions of dollars in property damage, polluting the environment, and putting lives at risk. The ability of emergency management professionals, city planners, and private entities such as insurance companies to determine if an area is at higher risk of a fire breaking out has never been greater. This paper proposes a novel methodology for identifying and characterizing zones with increased risks of forest fires. Methods involving machine learning techniques use the widely available and recorded data, thus making it possible to implement the tool quickly.

Qualitative Leveraging Natural Language Processing To Establish Judge Incrimination Statistics To Educate Voters In Re-Elections, Aurian Ghaemmaghami, Paul Huggins, Grace Lang, Julia Layne, Robert Slater

SMU Data Science Review

The prevalence of data has given consumers the power to make informed choices based off reviews, ratings, and descriptive statistics. However, when a local judge is coming up for re-election there is not any available data that aids voters in making data-driven decision on their vote. Currently court docket data is stored in text or PDFs with very little uniformity. Scaling the collection of this information could prove to be complicated and tiresome. There is a demand for an automated, intelligent system that can extract and organize useful information from the datasets. This paper covers the process of web scraping …

Promoting Professional Development Through Appreciative Inquiry: Aiding The Transition Of College Student Employees As Emerging Professionals, Juleane Johnson

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

The purpose of this action research study aimed to identify how to better promote and support the transition as emerging professionals and elevate the professional development capacity of Sixth College Residence Life at the University of California, San Diego. The primary research question guiding these endeavors is: What role do I/our office play in the transition of student employees to emerging professionals? The secondary question is: How can I/our office collaborate to elevate professional development practices and capacity? Research participants took part through virtual interviews, virtual focus groups, and the completion of an online survey. The significance of my efforts …

Practice Development Trajectories Of Experienced Nurses: Adaptive Experts, Routine Experts, And Non-Experts, Dee Mulcahy

Nursing ETDs

This qualitative study examined practice development among experienced, acute care nurses (n = 9) with at least 10 years of experience. Using an interpretive biographical approach, with participants’ written practice narratives and in-depth interviews, the study focused on how the work environment and life experiences influenced or impeded practice development. Participants were classified as routine- or adaptive experts (n = 3 of each type) with one intermediate case and two not readily classifiable. Antecedents to becoming a nurse included family influences, personal interests, altruistic values, and financial need. Experience was necessary but not sufficient for adaptive expertise. Compared …

A Quantitative Exploration Of Relationships Between Severity Of Infant Congenital Muscular Torticollis And Caregiver Understanding Of Positioning And Handling During Occupations Of Infancy, Dalton J. Krencik, Pam Kasyan-Howe, Kristin Domville, Lisa Schubert

Fall 2021 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Congenital muscular torticollis (CMT) is a musculoskeletal disorder typically presenting in newborns/infants that is characterized by unilateral shortening and increased tone in the upper cervical muscle called the sternocleidomastoid. (Hardgrib, 2017) This increased tone and shortening of the musculature causes the infant to present in a higher degree of lateral flexion on the ipsilateral side, and higher degree of cervical rotation on the contralateral side. (Ellwood et al., 2020) Infants participate in occupations with their caregivers throughout daily routines, and the various impairments caused by CMT can cause an effect on occupational performance and participation of the infant. The problem …

Role Of School-Based Occupational Therapy Practitioners: Perspectives From Teachers And Ots, Kristen A. Ollison, Pam Kasyan-Howe, Kristin Domville, Lisa Schubert

Fall 2021 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Schools are the third largest employer of occupational therapists (OTs) in the United States (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2021). Occupational Therapists have the distinctive ability to observe the child in their natural context of the school, a place where children participate in a variety of activities (Benson et al., 2015). The problem is that there continues to be discrepancies in the understanding and utilization of OT services in the school setting that affect the perceptions of both OTs and teachers regarding the OT role in school, and general service provision (Bolton & Plattner, 2020; Seruya & Garfinkel, 2020; Truong …

Florida Frontiers Radio Program #447, Dr. Ben Brotemarkle, Florida Historical Society

Florida Frontiers Radio Transcripts

SEGMENTS | Seminole Cheyenne Kippenberger | Florida Negro Farm Cooperative Extension Service | Groveland Four Exonerated

Board Of Trustees Meeting Minutes 2021-12-10, Bowling Green State University

Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes

The official meeting minutes of Bowling Green State University's Board of Trustees.

Perioperative Consultative Hematology: Can You Clear My Patient For A Procedure?, Allison Elaine Burnett, Bishoy Ragheb, Scott Kaatz

Hospital Medicine Articles

Periprocedural management of antithrombotics is a common but challenging clinical scenario that renders patients vulnerable to potential adverse events such as bleeding and thrombosis. Over the past decade, periprocedural antithrombotic approaches have changed considerably with the advent of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs), as well as a paradigm shift away from bridging in many warfarin patients. Successfully navigating this high-risk period relies on a number of individualized patient assessments conducted within a framework of standardized, systematic approaches. It also requires a thorough understanding of antithrombotic pharmacokinetics, multidisciplinary coordination of care, and comprehensive patient education and empowerment. In this article, we provide …

Culture Change For Occupational Therapists On Safe Patient Handling And Mobility (Sphm): Advocacy For Sphm Policies For A National Organization., Guldana Alizakhova, Pam Kasyan-Howe, Kristin Domville, Lisa Schubert

Fall 2021 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Safe patient handling and mobility is an ergonomic approach consisting of policies, programs, and equipment to reduce WMSD and facilitate a culture of safety among patients and healthcare practitioners. Due to occupational therapy’s established role in ergonomics, practitioners are skilled to utilize SPHM to provide evaluative, consultative, preventative, and therapeutic services to patients while preventing WMSDs to healthcare practitioners. Despite OT’s contributions to SPHM, occupational therapy practitioners are not recognized as leaders in SPHM. To address this problem, in the Spring 2021 meeting, the AOTA Representative Assembly was presented a request for action by a taskforce that also recognized this …

Kris Brickman, M.D. Interview For The Boonshoft School Of Medicine 50th Anniversary Oral History Project, Kris Brickman, Kristen Dilger

Boonshoft 50th Anniversary Oral History Project

Kristen Dilger interviews Kirs Brickman, a graduate of the Boonshoft School of Medicine and Chief Physician Executive at the University of Toledo at the time of the interview. Part of the class of 1983, Brickman discusses his collegiate career, including why he chose Wright State University's new medical college and talks about what it was like attending the college. He talks about the challenges and processes of attending a new medical college, and how attending the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine assisted him in his early career.

Healthcare Associated Infections: A Benchmark Study, Neal Ziedan

MSN Capstone Projects

When it comes to hospital-acquired infections, whether the hospital has implemented best-practice infection control measures, whether it has introduced best practice infection control measures, or whether it will be held vicariously liable for negligent or intentional failures by staff to follow the infection control measures in place, is the determining factor. If a hospital and its administrators fail to develop or implement best practice infection control methods, resulting in patient harm, they may be held directly liable. Patients may be held vicariously liable if hospital employees fail to comply with infection control measures implemented by the hospital during the course …

Racism As Reproductive Injustice Talk Held On Campus: A Winonan Article, Mckenna Scherer

Feminist & Queer Praxis

This is an article extracted from the December 10, 2021 issue of The Winonan, Winona State University's student newspaper.

Gsu Hosts Annual Holiday Party, Office Of Marketing And Communications

Newsroom

Governors State University (GSU) celebrated the holidays with its Annual Holiday Party Dec. 10, marking the first time the in-person event was held since 2019.

Growth In Confidence And Search For Belonging: A Case Study Of Muslim Student Experience At An American College, Amir Duric

Muslim Student Life

The broader perception of Muslim Student Association (MSA) in the wider society is not always positive. It is often viewed as a conservative organization where all members need to be a specific type of Muslim to fit in or a political space influenced by a foreign group or ideology. Because of this I studied the group, and my findings challenge this view drawing from the semester-long fieldwork, participant observations, and four in-depth interviews with MSA members at Salt City University (SCU). Data collected shows how the group and its members and the broader Muslim community on campus made Muslim students …

2021-12-10_Michigandaily_Covidmap, Michigan Department Of Health & Human Services

Daily Michigan COVID-19 Update

The "WHERE WE STAND WITH COVID-19" map was obtained from Michigan's main COVID-19 page: https://www.michigan.gov/coronavirus. Data was compiled by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). The information was updated daily at 3p.m., Monday - Saturday.

The State of Michigan is working around the clock to test and treat COVID-19 patients. Below is the most recent data healthcare experts across the state have compiled.

The image contained a map, indicating total cases by county, and also provides statistics on Total Confirmed Cases, Total COVID-19 Deaths, Daily Confirmed Cases, and Daily COVID-19 Deaths. There …