Digital Commons Network^™

Analysis Of Intervention Effectiveness Using Early Outbreak Transmission Dynamics To Guide Future Pandemic Management And Decision-Making In Kuwait, Michael G. Tyshenko, Tamer Oraby, Joseph C. Longenecker, Harri Vainio, Janvier Gasana, Walid Q. Alali, Mohammad Alseaidan, Susie Elsaadany, Mustafa Al-Zoughool

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a World Health Organization designated pandemic that can result in severe symptoms and death that disproportionately affects older patients or those with comorbidities. Kuwait reported its first imported cases of COVID-19 on February 24, 2020. Analysis of data from the first three months of community transmission of the COVID-19 outbreak in Kuwait can provide important guidance for decision-making when dealing with future SARS-CoV-2 epidemic wave management. The analysis of intervention scenarios can help to evaluate the possible impacts of various outbreak control measures going forward which aim to reduce the effective reproduction …

Hexagon Tilings Of The Plane That Are Not Edge-To-Edge, D. Frettlöh, Alexey Glazyrin, Z. Lángi

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

An irregular vertex in a tiling by polygons is a vertex of one tile and belongs to the interior of an edge of another tile. In this paper we show that for any integer k≥3, there exists a normal tiling of the Euclidean plane by convex hexagons of unit area with exactly k irregular vertices. Using the same approach we show that there are normal edge-to-edge tilings of the plane by hexagons of unit area and exactly k many n-gons (n>6) of unit area. A result of Akopyan yields an upper bound for k depending on the maximal diameter …

Internet-Based Cognitive–Behavioural Therapy For Tinnitus: Secondary Analysis To Examine Predictors Of Outcomes, Hansapani Rodrigo, Eldré W. Beukes, Gerhard Andersson, Vinaya Manchaiah

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

Objectives The current study examined predictors of outcomes of internet-based cognitive–behavioural therapy (ICBT) for individuals with tinnitus.

Design Secondary analysis of intervention studies.

Setting Internet-based guided tinnitus intervention provided in the UK.

Participants 228 individuals who underwent ICBT.

Interventions ICBT.

Primary and secondary outcome measures The key predictor variables included demographic, tinnitus, hearing-related and treatment-related variables as well as clinical factors (eg, anxiety, depression, insomnia), which can have an impact on the treatment outcome. A 13-point reduction in Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI) scores has been defined as a successful outcome.

Results Of the 228 subjects who were included in the …

Maximizing User Engagement In Short Marketing Campaigns Within An Online Living Lab: A Reinforcement Learning Perspective, Aniekan Michael Ini-Abasi

Wayne State University Dissertations

ABSTRACT

MAXIMIZING USER ENGAGEMENT IN SHORT MARKETING CAMPAIGNS WITHIN AN ONLINE LIVING LAB: A REINFORCEMENT LEARNING PERSPECTIVE

by

ANIEKAN MICHAEL INI-ABASI

August 2021

Advisor: Dr. Ratna Babu Chinnam Major: Industrial & Systems Engineering Degree: Doctor of Philosophy

User engagement has emerged as the engine driving online business growth. Many firms have pay incentives tied to engagement and growth metrics. These corporations are turning to recommender systems as the tool of choice in the business of maximizing engagement. LinkedIn reported a 40% higher email response with the introduction of a new recommender system. At Amazon 35% of sales originate from recommendations, …

Software As A Service: The Mediating Role Of Consequences Of Saas Diffusion On Firm Performance, Cristina Marie-Mccarthy Recchia

Wayne State University Dissertations

ABSTRACTSOFTWARE AS A SERVICE: THE MEDIATING ROLE OF CONSEQUENCES OF SAAS DIFFUSION ON FIRM PERFORMANCE by CRISTINA MARIE-MCCARTHY RECCHIA DECEMBER 2021 Advisor: Dr. Ratna Babu Chinnam Major: Industrial Engineering Degree: Doctor of Philosophy There are ample studies that support a positive link between information technology and firm performance. Bharadwaj (2000) and Chae (2014, 2018) are two examples that provided a foundation for this work. These scholars looked at how capabilities associated with information technology contribute to improved financial performance using a specific set of financial ratios. In addition, there are studies that examine a positive link between Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and …

Big Data Distributed Support Vector Machine, Raed Abdulkareem Hasan, Tole Sutikno Tole Sutikno, Mohd Arfian Ismail Mohd Arfian Ismail

Mesopotamian Journal of Big Data

Data mining and machine learning (ML) methods are being used more than ever before in cyber security. The use of machine learning (ML) is one of the potential solutions that may be successful against zero day attacks, starting with the categorization of IP traffic and filtering harmful traffic for intrusion detection. In this field, certain published systematic reviews were taken into consideration. Contemporary systematic reviews may incorporate both older and more recent works in the topic of investigation. All of the papers we looked at were thus recent. Data from 2016 to 2021 were utilized in the study. Both security …

Development Of Triangular And Tetrahedral Finite Elements For Solutions To Thermoelastic Instabilities Using Hotspotter, Cortney Samuel Leneave

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The objective of the work presented in this thesis is to develop first-order triangular and tetrahedral elements for solutions to Thermoelastic Instabilities (TEI) regarding sliding friction systems in Hotspotter.

Hotspotter software uses a finite element method and an eigenvalue method and is an important tool because currently no other commercial software exists which solves the TEI problem for critical velocities and wave numbers of a system. Hotspotter currently uses quadrilateral and hexahedral elements for two and three dimensional analysis, respectively. Typically, tri and tet elements are used in industry when doing static and dynamic stress analysis. Therefore, the Hotspotter user …

Exponential Random Graphs And A Generalization Of Parking Functions, Ryan Demuse

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Random graphs are a powerful tool in the analysis of modern networks. Exponential random graph models provide a framework that allows one to encode desirable subgraph features directly into the probability measure. Using the theory of graph limits pioneered by Borgs et. al. as a foundation, we build upon the work of Chatterjee & Diaconis and Radin & Yin. We add complexity to the previously studied models by considering exponential random graph models with edge-weights coming from a generic distribution satisfying mild assumptions. In particular, we show that a large family of two-parameter, edge-weighted exponential random graphs display a phase …

Blockchain Technology Applications, Concerns And Recommendations For Public Sector, Mohanad Ghazi Yaseen, Mahadi Bahari, Omar A. Hammood

Mesopotamian Journal of Computer Science

Blockchain technology is being hailed as the next significant phenomenon, with potential near-term uses that might profoundly impact society and the economy. While the previous studies emphasized cryptocurrency research, our article focused more on the blockchain-based applications applied in public sectors. This review was conducted by collecting articles from different libraries, and the search strategy was applied Nvivo software was utilized to code the literature and extract the themes used to build the body of this research. Finally, the study identified several applications and concerns regarding adopting and implementing blockchain technology within these sectors and the recommendations offered by scholars …

Character Recognition By Implementing Fpga-Based Artificial Neural Network, Ahmed Hussein Ali, Mostafa Abdulghfoor Mohammed, Munef Abdullah Ahmed

Mesopotamian Journal of Computer Science

A non-linear applied math knowledge modelling tool, Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) are predominantly used to model complicated interactions between inputs and outputs or to look for patterns within the data. Using VHDL coding, we developed a generic hardware-based ANN. This classifier has been trained to recognize letters on a 4x4 binary grid that a user fills out using 16 toggle switches. An LCD shows the most likely classification that the ANN proposed. The ANN was taught to recognize 20 English character patterns and 9 Arabic character patterns on a 4x4 grid to showcase the viability of the FPGA execution of …

Character Recognition Techniques And Approaches: A Literature Review, Mostafa Abdulghfoor Mohammed, Shuyuan Yang

Mesopotamian Journal of Computer Science

Researchers have carried out many approaches to recognizing the OCR through software-based and FPGA-based and its relationship with the ANNs and training these NNs by using the BP algorithm. The FPGA supports high speed to recognize the character because it works in parallel. It involves many logic circuits and can process at the same time (clock cycle). There have been problems with the established system because the size, shape, and style of supposedly identical characters might differ from person to person and even within the same person on rare occasions. The photograph is vulnerable to noise and can lose some …

On-Road Remote Sensing Of Automobile Emissions In The Fresno, Ca Area: Spring 2021, Gary A. Bishop

Fuel Efficiency Automobile Test Publications

No abstract provided.

Stockton Ca Data Summary, Gary Bishop

Fuel Efficiency Automobile Test Publications

Simple data summary for on-road emission measurements from Stockton CA.

The Downturn Of Representative Democracy: An Analysis Of How Strategic Voting Drives Political Polarization, Anna Eager

Res Publica - Journal of Undergraduate Research

Over the years, polarization in America has not only increased but also become more ideologically focused on in government. Furthermore, scholarship on polarization has ignored the payoffs that political actors seek while they pursue re-election. Elected representatives have numerous objectives to balance while in office. Not only do they need to manage the preferences of the people and the party, but re-election is at the centerfold of their decision-making process. To evaluate this decision-making process a difference is identified between actual vs. perceived polarization. By illustrating a gap between the constituents’ preferences and representatives’ voting choices via actual and perceived …

The Irrationalness Of Game Theory, Oscar Romero

Res Publica - Journal of Undergraduate Research

In February 1909, at a time where political scientists were confused as to their purpose to society, the Right Honorable James Bryce highlighted the three most important criteria for effective research of political science at the fifth annual meeting of the American Political Science Association. He declares that political scientists “1) must be critical, 2) must beware of superficial resemblances, and 3) must endeavor to disengage the personal or accidental from the general causes at work” (numbers added) (8). These specific criteria ensure that any political science research conducted leads society to increase its understanding of the laws that govern …

Freak Waves Caused By Reflection, David Andrade, Raphael Stuhlmeier, Michael Stiassnie

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

No abstract provided.

Biological Constraints On Neural Network Models Of Cognitive Function, Friedemann Pulvermüller, Rosario Tomasello, Malte R. Henningsen-Schomers, Thomas Wennekers

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

Neural network models are potential tools for improving our understanding of complex brain functions. To address this goal, these models need to be neurobiologically realistic. However, although neural networks have advanced dramatically in recent years and even achieve human-like performance on complex perceptual and cognitive tasks, their similarity to aspects of brain anatomy and physiology is imperfect. Here, we discuss different types of neural models, including localist, auto-associative, hetero-associative, deep and whole-brain networks, and identify aspects under which their biological plausibility can be improved. These aspects range from the choice of model neurons and of mechanisms of synaptic plasticity and …

An Analytical Model For Loop Tiling Transformation, V Kelefouras

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

Loop tiling is a well-known loop transformation that enhances data locality in memory hierarchy. In this paper, we initially reveal two important inefficiencies of current analytical loop tiling models and we provide the theoretical background on how current analytical models can address these inefficiencies. To this end, we propose a new analytical model which is more accurate that the existing ones. We showcase, both theoretically and experimentally, that the proposed model can accurately estimate the number of cache misses for every generated tile size and as a result more efficient tile sizes are opted. Our evaluation results provide high cache …

Smart Sop Architectures And Power Control Managements Between Light Dc Railway And Lv Distribution Network, Tamer Kamel, Zhongbei Tian, Pietro Tricoli

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

This paper presents different architectures of smart soft open points to interface electrified DC railways and low voltage power distribution networks. Both networks have similar objectives of power losses reduction, preserve network stability even with a high penetration of renewable energy sources, and accommodate new energy sectors such as electric vehicles and energy storage systems. The proposed smart soft open points will enable a flexible inter-exchange of electrical power between the two networks in order to achieve these challenging objectives. Different power management control approaches are provided in this paper according to the traffic conditions on the railway network as …

Polystyrene Foam As A Source And Sink Of Chemicals In The Marine Environment: An Xrf Study, Andrew Turner

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

No abstract provided.

Wave Farms And Coastal Protection On Gravel Dominated Beaches, Cristobal Rodriguez-Delgado

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

The repercussions produced by the use of fossil fuels, e.g. climate change and sea level rise, have increased attention on the development of renewable energies. The European Commission has adopted the replacement of carbon fuels by renewable energy sources as one of the main objectives for the XXI century. Among these, wave energy is poised to become one of the most important due to the extensive worldwide resource and comparatively low environmental impacts. Although this renewable energy is yet in an early stage of its development and further research is required, the global resource, including the Mediterranean Sea, provides a …

Optimisation Of Retrofit Wall Insulation: An Irish Case Study, Rakshit D. Muddu, D M. Gowda, Anthony James Robinson, Aimee Byrne

Articles

Ireland has one of the highest rates of emissions per capita in the world and its residential sector is responsible for approximately 10% of total national CO2 emissions. Therefore, reducing the CO2 emissions in this sector will play a decisive role in achieving EU targets of reducing emissions by 40% by 2030. To better inform decisions regarding retrofit of the existing building stock, this study proposes Optimum Insulation Thicknesses (OIT) for typical walls in 25 regions in Ireland. The calculation of OIT includes annual heat energy expenditure, CO2 emissions, and material payback period. The approach taken is based on Heating …

Private Groundwater Management And Risk Awareness: A Cross-Sectional Analysis Of Two Age-Related Subsets In The Republic Of Ireland, Simon Mooney, J. O'Dwyer, Paul Hynds

Articles

Risk communication represents the optimal instrument for decreasing the incidence of private groundwater contamination and associated waterborne illnesses. However, despite attempts to promote voluntary well maintenance in high groundwater-reliant regions such as the Republic of Ireland, awareness levels of supply status (e.g. structural integrity) have remained low. As investigations of supply awareness are often thematically narrow and homogeneous with respect to sub-population, revised analyses of awareness among both current and future supply owners (i.e. adults of typical well owner and student age) are necessary. Accordingly, the current study utilised a national survey of well users and an age-based comparison of …

Towards An Improved Understanding Of Biogeochemical Processes Across Surface-Groundwater Interactions In Intermittent Rivers And Ephemeral Streams, Lluís Gómez-Gener

Articles

Surface-groundwater interactions in intermittent rivers and ephemeral streams (IRES), waterways which do not flow year-round, are spatially and temporally dynamic because of alternations between flowing, non-flowing and dry hydrological states. Interactions between surface and groundwater often create mixing zones with distinct redox gradients, potentially driving high rates of carbon and nutrient cycling. Yet a complete understanding of how underlying biogeochemical processes across surface-groundwater flowpaths in IRES differ among various hydrological states remains elusive. Here, we present a conceptual framework relating spatial and temporal hydrological variability in surface water-groundwater interactions to biogeochemical processing hotspots in IRES. We combine a review of …

Socio-Economic Factors Associated With The Incidence Of Shiga-Toxin Producing Escherichia Coli (Stec) Enteritis And Cryptosporidiosis In The Republic Of Ireland, 2008–2017, Eiimear Cleary, Martin Boudou, Coilín Oscar Óhaiseadha, Patricia Garvey, Paul Mckeown, Jean O'Dwyer, Paul Hynds

Articles

The Republic of Ireland (ROI) currently reports the highest incidence rates of Shiga-toxin producing Escherichia coli (STEC) enteritis and cryptosporidiosis in Europe, with the spatial distribution of both infections exhibiting a clear urban/rural divide. To date, no investigation of the role of socio-demographic profile on the incidence of either infection in the ROI has been undertaken. The current study employed bivariate analyses and Random Forest classification to identify associations between individual components of a national deprivation index and spatially aggregated cases of STEC enteritis and cryptosporidiosis. Classification accuracies ranged from 78.2% (STEC, urban) to 90.6% (cryptosporidiosis, rural). STEC incidence was …

Development Of A Situational Judgement Test And An Assessment Of Its Efficacy As A Stimulus Of Metacognitive Behaviour In Engineering Students, Darren Carthy

Doctoral

Metacognition entails the conscious evaluation and control of one's cognitive processes. This meta-level control of cognitive process is not essential for all activities, but in the domain of problem solving and the development of new expertise, conscious control of mental functioning is essential to success. Previous studies have shown a relationship between metacognitive knowledge & skills and student self-regulated learning, self-efficacy and more generally, with success in academic and non-academic endeavours; they represent critical skills for an aspiring engineer to possess for their future employability. Metacognition can be stimulated by allowing students to engage and reflect on the problem-solving process. …

Preparing Teachers To Teach In K-12 Blended Environments: A Systematic Mapping Review Of Research Trends, Impact, And Themes, Cecil R. Short, Charles R. Graham, Theresa Holmes, Laura Oviatt, Hannah Bateman

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Reducing Energy Demand In China And The United Kingdom: The Importance Of Energy Literacy, D. R.E. Cotton, J. Zhai, W. Miller, L. Dalla Valle, J. Winter

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

As the impacts of climate change become increasingly visible across the globe, awareness of the need for cleaner energy and demand reduction is growing. Energy literacy offers a strong potential for explaining and predicting energy-related behaviours, yet research and policies focused on this topic remain limited. In this study, energy literacy was measured in a sample of 2806 university students in the United Kingdom and China, in addition to their wider environmental attitudes using the New Ecological Paradigm scale. Findings indicate that energy literacy was relatively high overall, but there were significant differences between the knowledge, attitudes and behavioural intentions …

Hyperhidrosis Disease Severity Measure-Axillary (Hdsm-Ax): Evaluation Of Measurement Performance, Jeremy Hobart, Laurie Burke, Brandon Kirsch, Deepak Chadha

Peninsula Medical School

Background: Clinical trials of primary axillary hyperhidrosis (AHH) require rigorous measurement of AHH severity from the patient’s perspective. Previously, we reported conceptualization and item content development for the Hyperhidrosis Disease Severity Measure-Axillary (HDSM-Ax) scale.Objective: To evaluate the psychometric performance and estimate clinically meaningful change scores for the HDSM-Ax in a Phase IIb clinical study of sofpironium bromide gel for AHH.Method: HDSM-Ax measurement performance was analyzed in trial response data using two psychometric paradigms: Classical Test and Rasch Measurement Theories (CTT; RMT). HDSM-Ax meaningful change scores were estimated from anchor-based methods using two global summary questions of hyperhidrosis severity and the …

An Univariate Extreme Sea State And Extreme Wind Speed For An Offshore Wind Turbine Off The South Coast Of Jamaica, A White, M Hann, J Miles, R Rawlinson-Smith, D Greaves

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

Offshore wind turbines are exposed to hydrodynamic and wind forces, which must be evaluated when designing them. One of the fundamental steps in the determination of these forces is the calculation of the return levels for significant wave height (Hs), peak wave period (Tp) and 10 m mean wind speed (u10). This paper explored the development of a univariate extreme value-analysis (EVA) sea state(Hs and Tp) and extreme wind speed, within the Caribbean Sea. These results will be used as inputs to a numerical model of a floating offshore wind turbine (FOWT). The Hs and wind speed were determined by …