Digital Commons Network^™

Neutron Scattering: A Subsurface Application Review, Mirhasan Hosseini, Muhammad Arif, Alireza Keshavarz, Stefan Iglauer

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Geomaterials and filling fluids properties that are pertinent to a geologic porous media can be characterized using a range of methods, such as nuclear magnetic resonance, X-rays, infrared spectroscopy, and neutron scattering (NS). In this context, NS features as an important tool elucidate key properties of a porous medium, which has recently gained significant attention. Key rock properties that can be measured by NS include: rock texture (i.e. crystallographic preferred orientation), mechanical properties (i.e. stress and strain) as well as porous medium properties (pore porosity, pore size and connectivity). In addition, NS imaging can help elucidate the phase behaviour of …

Healing Right Way: Study Protocol For A Stepped Wedge Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial To Enhance Rehabilitation Services And Improve Quality Of Life In Aboriginal Australians After Brain Injury, Elizabeth Armstrong, Juli Coffin, Deborah J. Hersh, Judith M. Katzenellenbogen, Sandra Thompson, Leon Flicker, Meaghan Mcallister, Dominique A. Cadilhac, Tapan Rai, Erin Godecke, Colleen Hayward, Graeme J. Hankey, Neil M. Drew, Ivan Lin, Deborah Woods, Natalie Ciccone

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Introduction: Despite higher incidence of brain injury among Aboriginal compared with non-Aboriginal Australians, suboptimal engagement exists between rehabilitation services and Aboriginal brain injury survivors. Aboriginal patients often feel culturally insecure in hospital and navigation of services post discharge is complex. Health professionals report feeling ill-equipped working with Aboriginal patients. This study will test the impact of a research-informed culturally secure intervention model for Aboriginal people with brain injury.

Methods and Analysis: Design: Stepped wedge cluster randomised control trial design; intervention sequentially introduced at four pairs of healthcare sites across Western Australia at 26-week intervals.

Recruitment: Aboriginal participants aged ≥18 years …

A Review Of Security Standards And Frameworks For Iot-Based Smart Environments, Nickson M. Karie, Nor Masri Sahri, Wencheng Yang, Craig Valli, Victor R. Kebande

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Assessing the security of IoT-based smart environments such as smart homes and smart cities is becoming fundamentally essential to implementing the correct control measures and effectively reducing security threats and risks brought about by deploying IoT-based smart technologies. The problem, however, is in finding security standards and assessment frameworks that best meets the security requirements as well as comprehensively assesses and exposes the security posture of IoT-based smart environments. To explore this gap, this paper presents a review of existing security standards and assessment frameworks which also includes several NIST special publications on security techniques highlighting their primary areas of …

Searching For A Technology-Driven Acute Rheumatic Fever Test: The Start Study Protocol, Anna P. Ralph, Rachel Webb, Nicole J. Moreland, Reuben Mcgregor, Anthony Bosco, David Broadhurst, Timo Lassmann, Timothy C. Barnett, Rym Benothman, Jennifer Yan, Bo Remenyi, Julie Bennett, Nigel Wilson, Mark Mayo, Glenn Pearson, Tobias Kollmann, Jonathan R. Carapetis

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Introduction:

The absence of a diagnostic test for acute rheumatic fever (ARF) is a major impediment in managing this serious childhood condition. ARF is an autoimmune condition triggered by infection with group A Streptococcus. It is the precursor to rheumatic heart disease (RHD), a leading cause of health inequity and premature mortality for Indigenous peoples of Australia, New Zealand and internationally.

Methods and analysis:

Searching for a Technology-Driven Acute Rheumatic Fever Test' (START) is a biomarker discovery study that aims to detect and test a biomarker signature that distinguishes ARF cases from non-ARF, and use systems biology and serology to …

Toward Open Research: A Narrative Review Of The Challenges And Opportunities For Open Humanities, Paul L. Arthur, Lydia A. Hearn

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Open research represents a new set of principles and methodologies for greater cooperation, transparent sharing of findings, and access to and re-use of research data, materials or outputs, making knowledge more freely available to wider audiences for societal benefit. Yet, the future success of the international move toward open research will be dependent on key stakeholders addressing current barriers to increase uptake, effectiveness, and sustainability. This article builds on “An Agenda for Open Science in Communication,” raising dialog around the need for a broader view of open research as opposed to open science through a deeper understanding of specific challenges …

Managing Risks In The Improved Model Of Rolling Mill Loading: A Case Study, Nelli V. Syreyshchikova, Danil Y. Pimenov, Elena N. Yaroslavova, Munish K. Gupta, Muhammad Aamir, Khaled Giasin

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This article reflects the main sources of risks for metallurgical enterprises in Russia, presenting the implementation of an innovative approach to increasing the competitiveness of an industrial enterprise, which is a typical representative of large enterprises of the metallurgical industry, based on the development of risk-oriented thinking when loading rolling mills with orders of intersecting assortment according to a new model. To reduce the emerging risks of a new model of the loading process of rolling mills of a metallurgical enterprise, it is proposed to take into account the risks in a complex way, taking into account their interactions with …

Atrophy Expansion Rates In Stargardt Disease Using Ultra-Widefield Fundus Autofluorescence, Rachael C. Heath-Jeffery, Jennifer A. Thompson, Johnny Lo, Tina M. Lamey, Terri L. Mclaren, Ian L. Mcallister, David A. Mackey, Ian J. Constable, John N. De Roach, Fred K. Chen

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Purpose To investigate atrophy expansion rate (ER) using ultra-widefield (UWF) fundus autofluorescence (FAF) in Stargardt disease (STGD1). Design Retrospective, longitudinal study. Participants Patients with biallelic ABCA4 mutations who were evaluated with UWF FAF and Heidelberg 30° × 30° and 55° × 55° FAF imaging. Methods Patients with atrophy secondary to STGD1 were classified into genotype groups: group A, biallelic severe or null-like variants with early-onset disease; group B, 1 intermediate variant in trans with severe or null-like variant; and group C, 1 mild variant in trans with severe or null-like variant or late-onset disease. The boundaries of definitely decreased autofluorescence …

The Effect Of The Covid-19 Vaccine On Daily Cases And Deaths Based On Global Vaccine Data, Zhiwei Li, Xiangtong Liu, Mengyang Liu, Zhiyuan Wu, Yue Liu, Weiming Li, Mengmeng Liu, Xiaonan Wang, Bo Gao, Yanxia Luo, Xia Li, Lixin Tao, Wei Wang, Xiuhua Guo

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a global pandemic, has caused over 216 million cases and 4.50 million deaths as of 30 August 2021. Vaccines can be regarded as one of the most powerful weapons to eliminate the pandemic, but the impact of vaccines on daily COVID-19 cases and deaths by country is unclear. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between vaccines and daily newly confirmed cases and deaths of COVID-19 in each country worldwide. Methods: Daily data on firstly vaccinated people, fully vaccinated people, new cases and new deaths of COVID-19 were collected from 187 countries. First, we used …

Graphene Nanoplatelets Suspended In Different Basefluids Based Solar Collector: An Experimental And Analytical Study, Omer A. Alawi, Haslinda Mohamed Kamar, Abdul Rahman Mallah, Hussein A. Mohammed, Mohd Aizad Sazrul Sabrudin, Omar A. Hussein, Salim Newaz Kazi, Gholamhassan Najafi

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

© 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. A flat plate solar collector (FPSC) was analytically studied, with functionalized graphene nanoplatelets (f-GNPs) as its working fluid. Four samples (wt % nanofluids) were prepared in different base fluids such as ethylene glycol (EG), distilled water (DW):EG (70:30), and DW:EG (50:50). Experimental results (via DW) were used to verify the effectiveness of the analytical model. Some of the operating conditions were taken into account in this research, including temperatures, power, and mass flow rates. Experimental techniques were used to elucidate the modified nanofluids’ physicochemical properties, such as its particle sizes, stability, …

Detection And Recognition Of Moving Video Objects: Kalman Filtering With Deep Learning, Hind Rustum Mohammed, Zahir M. Hussain

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

© 2021. All rights reserved. Research in object recognition has lately found that Deep Convolutional Neuronal Networks (CNN) provide a breakthrough in detection scores, especially in video applications. This paper presents an approach for object recognition in videos by combining Kalman filter with CNN. Kalman filter is first applied for detection, removing the background and then cropping object. Kalman filtering achieves three important functions: predicting the future location of the object, reducing noise and interference from incorrect detections, and associating multi-objects to tracks. After detection and cropping the moving object, a CNN model will predict the category of object. The …

Performance Of Fft-Ofdm Versus Dwt-Ofdm Under Compressive Sensing, Zainab Hdeib Al-Shably, Zahir M. Hussain

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

In this work, we present a comparative study on the performance of Fourier-based OFDM (FFT-OFDM) and wavelet-based OFDM (DWT-OFDM) under compressive sensing (CS). Transmission over FFT-OFDM and DWT-OFDM, which has been made under different baseband modulation schemes such as Binary Phase Shift Keying (BPSK), Quadrature Phase Shift Key (QPSK), Quadrature amplitude modulation (16QAM) and (64QAM) has been considered. From numerical simulation results, it is observed that the Wavelet-based OFDM system outperforms Fourier based OFDM when the Quadrature Amplitude Modulation is 16QAM and 64QAM within the signal to noise ratios range 30 to 40 dB. Although CS is more efficient in …

Recovery Agenda For Sustainable Development Post Covid-19 At The Country Level: Developing A Fuzzy Action Priority Surface, Meisam Ranjbari, Zahra S. Esfandabadi, Simone D. Scagnelli, Peer O. Siebers, Francesco Quatraro

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

As a response to the urgent call for recovery actions against the COVID-19 crisis, this research aims to identify action priority areas post COVID-19 toward achieving the targets of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) within the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development launched by the United Nations (UN). This paper applies a mixed-method approach to map the post-COVID-19 SDGs targets on a fuzzy action priority surface at the country level in Iran, as a developing country, by taking the following four main steps: (1) using a modified Delphi method to make a list of the SDGs targets influenced by COVID-19; (2) …

A Secured Message Transmission Protocol For Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks, A. F. M. Suaib Akhter, A. F. M. Shahen Shah, Mohiuddin Ahmed, Nour Moustafa, Unal Çavuşoğlu, Ahmet Zengin

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Vehicular Ad hoc Networks (VANETs) become a very crucial addition in the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS). It is challenging for a VANET system to provide security services and parallelly maintain high throughput by utilizing limited resources. To overcome these challenges, we propose a blockchain-based Secured Cluster-based MAC (SCB-MAC) protocol. The nearby vehicles heading towards the same direction will form a cluster and each of the clusters has its blockchain to store and distribute the safety messages. The message which contains emergency information and requires Strict Delay Requirement (SDR) for transmission are called safety messages (SM). Cluster Members (CMs) sign SMs …

A Novel Augmented Deep Transfer Learning For Classification Of Covid-19 And Other Thoracic Diseases From X-Rays, Fouzia Atlaf, Syed M. S. Islam, Naeem K. Janjua

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Deep learning has provided numerous breakthroughs in natural imaging tasks. However, its successful application to medical images is severely handicapped with the limited amount of annotated training data. Transfer learning is commonly adopted for the medical imaging tasks. However, a large covariant shift between the source domain of natural images and target domain of medical images results in poor transfer learning. Moreover, scarcity of annotated data for the medical imaging tasks causes further problems for effective transfer learning. To address these problems, we develop an augmented ensemble transfer learning technique that leads to significant performance gain over the conventional transfer …

Evaluating The Impact Of Sandbox Applications On Live Digital Forensics Investigation, Reem Bashir, Helge Janicke, Wen Zeng

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Sandbox applications can be used as anti-forensics techniques to hide important evidence in the digital forensics investigation. There is limited research on sandboxing technologies, and the existing researches on sandboxing are focusing on the technology itself. The impact of sandbox applications on live digital forensics investigation has not been systematically analysed and documented. In this study, we proposed a methodology to analyse sandbox applications on Windows systems. The impact of having standalone sandbox applications on Windows operating systems image was evaluated. Experiments were conducted to examine the artefacts of three sandbox applications: Sandboxie, BufferZone and ToolWiz Time Freeze on Windows …

Towards A Resilient Community: Application Of Advanced Computational Models And Big Data Analytics, Md Golam Rabbani Fahad

All ETDs from UAB

Human-induced climate change has affected the ecosystems and communities across the world in numerous ways. The cascading consequences of climate change have already impacted our infrastructure, human health, energy, and productivity. Climate change likely caused significant changes in weather patterns with devastating effects such as droughts and flooding, sea-level rise, high-intensity rainfall, extreme heat stress, and much more. High fidelity quantification of the associated risk and resiliency to mitigate the impact of extreme weather events has become necessary as communities across the United States are suffering from the repetitive occurrence of natural disasters such as hurricanes, storm surges, and urban …

Near-Field Propagation Analysis For Vivaldi Antenna Design: Insight Into The Propagation Process For Optimizing The Directivity, Integrity Of Signal Transmission, And Efficiency, Ha Hoang, Matthias John, Patrick Mcevoy, Max Ammann

Articles

Refined optimization of complex curve–linear-shaped radiators, such as traveling-wave Vivaldi antennas, can be achieved by considering simulated near fields to interpret in detail the structural influences of a design. The relationships between the space and time distributions of electromagnetic (EM) energy clusters and the geometric features are revealed with appropriate use of impulse response analysis combined with the multiple signal classification (MUSIC) algorithm. This article reports a deeper approach when applied to the adjustment of the geometric features of a traveling-wave antenna based on an analysis of near-field propagation features.

Exploring The Influence Of Social Relationships On Multisource Feedback Assessments For Uk General Practitioners: A Social Network Analysis, Sebastian Andrew George Stevens

Other Faculty of Health Theses

One of the most common approaches to assess the performance of qualified doctors is that of multisource feedback (MSF). Previous research often cites MSF to be a valid, reliable and feasible method of assessing performance. However, potential biases in the self-selection of raters has been highlighted as a concern for the utility of MSF, particularly when used in high-stakes assessments such as medical Revalidation. This research uses general practice as the study setting to explore the extent to which social relationships influence the rater selection choices made by doctors. A case study approach was adopted recruiting three GP practices varying …

Exploring The Design, Use And Impact Of Companion Pet Robots And Automata For Older Adults And People With Dementia, Hannah Bradwell

Other Faculty of Health Theses

Companion robots, socially assistive robots typically possessing zoomorphic features, have shown potential in the care of older adults and people with dementia. Previous research demonstrated reduced agitation, anxiety, loneliness and blood pressure for older adults, and reduced carer burden. However, many literature gaps and methodological flaws remained, and there was limited evidence of real-world adoption into health and care practice. In particular, most research involved Paro, the robot seal costing ~£5000, a prohibitive cost for most intended end-users. Furthermore, contradictory research results, robot failures and variable responses of older people suggested sub-optimal robot design. This thesis therefore aimed to expand …

Reconstructing Baselines: Use Of Habitat Suitability Modelling To Predict Pre-Fishing Condition Of A Vulnerable Marine Ecosystem, Anna Leena Downie, Nils Piechaud, Kerry Howell, Froján C Barrio, Mar Sacau, Andrew Kenny

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

As industrialized fishing activities have moved into deeper water, the recognition of Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems (VMEs) has become important for the protection of the deep-sea. Our limited knowledge on the past and present distribution of VMEs hinders our ability to manage bottom fisheries effectively. This study investigated whether accounting for bottom fishing intensity (derived from Vessel Monitoring System records) as a predictor in habitat suitability models can (1) improve predictions of, and (2) provide estimates for a pre-fishing baseline for the distribution and biomass of a VME indicator taxon. Random Forest models were applied to presence/absence and biomass of Geodia …

The Effect Of Prekindergarten Participation On Third-Grade Reading And Math, Audra Denise Olukoya

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractStudent reading and math achievement in the U.S. is not only low but also is decreasing. The purpose of this study was to determine the differences in third-grade reading and math scores between students who attended prekindergarten programs and students who did not attend prekindergarten programs. The theoretical framework was Bruner’s constructivist learning theory. A quantitative, causal-comparative ex post facto study was conducted. The third-grade reading and math scores of students who completed the Georgia Milestones in 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 were analyzed using MANOVA (N = 16,533). There was a statistically significant difference between the combined math and reading scores …

Security Strategies Information Technology Security Mangers Use In Deploying Blockchain Applications, Prince Nana Yaw Gyedu Nkrumah

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Blockchain is seen as a potential game-changer in many industries and a transformational technology in the 21st century. However, security concerns have made blockchain technology adoption relatively slow. Massive security breaches in cryptocurrency, an example of blockchain technology, have caused organizations to lose $11.3 billion in illegal transactions, exacerbating these security concerns for information technology (IT) security managers who are worried about the safety of blockchain. Grounded in the routine activity theory, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies used by IT security managers to deploy blockchain applications securely. The participants were 4 IT security managers …

An Educational Program For Nurses To Improve Culturally-Appropriate Mental Health Assessment For Nigerian Immigrant Youth In Central Florida, Blessing Anyaiwe Onyekachi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractNigerians, like other immigrants, face many health issues with rising waves of conflict and political instability that contribute to high migration rates. As a result, when they arrive in other countries, these immigrants not only have to deal with the trauma they left behind but face issues such as cultural stereotypes, stigma, lack of insurance, cultural and language barriers, poor communication, social discrimination, and low socioeconomic status. The question that this project addressed was whether an educational program for nurses would improve knowledge on culturally-appropriate mental health assessment for Nigerian immigrant youth in Central Florida. This was a nursing staff …

Communicating Organizational Vision And Values To A Multigenerational Workforce, Jose M. Peralta

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Differences in values, motives, and beliefs of members of a multigenerational workforce can negatively impact organizational sustainability. Business leaders who cannot communicate organizational vision and values to a multigenerational workforce risk reduced organizational sustainability. Grounded in generational cohort theory, communication accommodation theory, and organizational culture theory, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies that leaders of multigenerational workforces within the financial industry use to communicate organizational values and vision for a sustainable work environment. Participants comprised five financial organization leaders in New York City who successfully implemented communication strategies to communicate organizational vision and values for …

Effect Of Student-Centered Instructional Strategies On Mathematics Achievement Of Elementary Students, Keisha Knight Scott

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

To promote learner-centered mathematics instruction and improve student outcomes, district leaders sought to implement research-based instructional strategies in the 2018-2019 school year. These strategies were being implemented at Elementary School A but not at Elementary School B during the following school year. The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to investigate the implementation and outcomes of research-based instructional strategies such as hands-on activities, small group investigations, problem-solving tasks, and classroom discourse for district students in Grades 2–5. Weimer’s learner-centered teaching principles served as the theoretical framework for the study. Quantitative methods were used to test whether a difference in mathematical …

General Education Curriculum And Students With Disabilities In Inclusive, Personalized Learning Classrooms, Kelly Sharpe Stalcup

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Findings from previous studies indicate that general educators are rarely proficient in providing students with disabilities (SWD) opportunities to access the general education curriculum. This may be due to a lack of personalized learning instructional strategies in classrooms. The purpose of this study was to investigate the perspectives of general educators in inclusive, personalized learning environments on planning and using personalized learning instructional strategies to provide SWD access to the general education curriculum. Concepts in Bloom’s mastery learning theory—flexible pacing, differentiation and feedback—framed the study. A qualitative descriptive case study was used to investigate the research questions. Data were collected …

Impact Of Case Management On Childhood Lead Exposure In Marion County, Indiana, Maliki Yacouba

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently declared that no amount of childhood blood lead level (BLL) is safe. The purpose of this quantitative study with a retrospective cohort design was to evaluate the effectiveness of case management intervention on children diagnosed with elevated BLL (EBLL; ≥ 5 μg/dL) in Marion, County, Indiana. The health belief model was used as the theoretical foundation for the study. A data set of 160 lead exposure case management records was analyzed to find whether: (a) BLL at post-case-management time significantly differ from BLL at baseline (b) BLL at post-case-management time is affected …

Haitian Immigrant Parents’ Perceptions On Acculturation And High-Risk Behaviors Among Their Children, Weiselande Cesar

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Immigrant Haitian parents experience acculturative stress when adjusting to the norms and expectations of a new country. Acculturative stress may be exacerbated if their adolescent children display unfamiliar behaviors, which may result in a greater need for psychological assessments and education programs to mitigate the instances of family breakdown. Following Haiti’s 2010 earthquake, there has been an increase in high-risk behaviors among Haitian adolescents. To date, there is limited research on acculturative stress in immigrant Haitian parents and how this stress may relate to their actions and perceptions of high-risk behaviors in their adolescent children. In this case study date …

Principals’ And Teachers’ Perceptions Of Content-Specific Instructional Feedback, Shernore S. Prince

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The research problem for this basic qualitative study was that principals were not consistently providing content-specific feedback to support teachers’ instructional practices. This problem was important because principals, as instructional leaders, are responsible for giving feedback to teachers to support teachers’ instructional practices. The purpose of this study was to investigate principals’ and teachers’ perceptions of content-specific feedback. Danielson’s framework for teaching was the conceptual framework that linked the concepts and variables in this study. The research questions addressed how principals perceived that they provided content-specific feedback to support teachers’ instructional practice, and how teachers perceived principals as providing content-specific …

Strategies To Successfully Sustain Operations For Rural Micro And Small Enterprises, Katrina S. Chance

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Only 50% of micro and small enterprises (MSEs) survive beyond the first 5 years. As a result, it is important rural MSE managers have successful strategies to sustain their business. Grounded in general systems theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore successful strategies rural MSE managers use to sustain operations successfully beyond 5 years. Participants included five rural MSE managers in the southeastern United States who integrated sustainability strategies to avoid premature business failure. Data were collected from semistructured interviews and organizational documents, such as company reports, event flyers, image files, and social media platforms. …