Digital Commons Network^™

The Interplay Of The Physical Landscape And Social Dynamics In Shaping Movement Of African Savanna Elephants (Loxodonta Africana), Maggie Wisniewska

Dissertations

Free ranging African savanna elephants (Loxodonta africana) are increasingly impacted by human-induced habitat loss and poaching for ivory. Because elephants live in tightly knit groups, this combination of threats not only reduces the size of their populations but also degrades their social interactions. Long-term relationships with socially competent individuals, such as experienced seniors, benefit the ability of other group members to access limiting resources and avoid danger. Understanding how anthropogenic pressure may affect persistence of elephant populations is important, because elephants are an economically important keystone species. This doctoral thesis characterizes how individual elephants influence the movement of their social …

Towards Adversarial Robustness With 01 Lossmodels, And Novel Convolutional Neural Netsystems For Ultrasound Images, Meiyan Xie

Dissertations

This dissertation investigates adversarial robustness with 01 loss models and a novel convolutional neural net systems for vascular ultrasound images.

In the first part, the dissertation presents stochastic coordinate descent for 01 loss and its sensitivity to adversarial attacks. The study here suggests that 01 loss may be more resilient to adversarial attacks than the hinge loss and further work is required.

In the second part, this dissertation proposes sign activation network with a novel gradient-free stochastic coordinate descent algorithm and its ensembling model. The study here finds that the ensembling model gives a high minimum distortion (as measured by …

The Impact Of Community Masking On Covid-19: A Cluster-Randomized Trial In Bangladesh, Jason Abaluck, Laura H. Kwong, Ashley Styczynski, Ashraful Haque, Md. Alamgir Kabir, Ellen Bates-Jeffries, Emily Crawford, Jade Benjamin-Chung, Salim Benhachmi, Shabib Raihan, Shadman Rahman, Neeti Zaman, Peter J. Winch, Md. Maqsud Hossain, Hasan Mahmud Reza, Stephen P. Luby, Ahmed Mushfiq Mobarak, Abdulla All Jaber, Shawkee Gulshan Momen, Faika Laz Bani, Aura Rahman, Tahrima Saiha Huq

Discussion Papers

Background: Mask usage remains low across many parts of the world during the COVID- 19 pandemic, and strategies to increase mask-wearing remain untested. Our objectives were to identify strategies that can persistently increase mask-wearing and assess the impact of increasing mask-wearing on symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections.

Methods: We conducted a cluster-randomized trial of community-level mask promotion in rural Bangladesh from November 2020 to April 2021 (N=600 villages, N=342,126 adults). We cross-randomized mask promotion strategies at the village and household level, including cloth vs. surgical masks. All intervention arms received free masks, information on the importance of masking, role modeling by community …

Gw Covid-19 Intelligence Unit-Brief Report Delta Variant Of Sars-Cov2, George Washington University

Intelligence Unit Research Briefs

No abstract provided.

Towards Understanding The Role Of Central Processing In Release From Masking, Nima Alamatsaz

Dissertations

People with normal hearing have the ability to listen to a desired target sound while filtering out unwanted sounds in the background. However, most patients with hearing impairment struggle in noisy environments, a perceptual deficit which current hearing aids and cochlear implants cannot resolve. Even though peripheral dysfunction of the ears undoubtedly contribute to this deficit, surmounting evidence has implicated central processing in the inability to detect sounds in background noise. Therefore, it is essential to better understand the underlying neural mechanisms by which target sounds are dissociated from competing maskers. This research focuses on two phenomena that help suppress …

Foe To Friend: Parallel Domestication Of Ophiocordyceps From Fungal Parasite To Beneficial Symbiont In Cicadas, Jason Vailionis, Eric Rl Gordon, Chris Simon

University Scholar Projects

Nutritional symbioses are integral to the survival and diversity of many insects. The majority of herbivorous insects in the order Hemiptera possess stable, inherited symbionts that produce essential amino acids and vitamins. However, instability has been observed in cicadas, with one bacterial symbiont, Hodgkinia cicadicola, being repeatedly replaced by a new fungal symbiont, Ophiocordyceps. The fungal symbionts are thought to be derived from parasitic Ophiocordyceps species, but little is known about these parasitic ancestors or how the transition from parasite to mutualist occurs. We used a combination of targeted amplified genes and metagenomic sequencing to investigate the evolution …

Gardner-Webb Returning Students: Be Fully Present, Find A Balance And Dream Big, Office Of University Communications

Gardner-Webb NewsCenter Archive

“Live in the moment.” Four words that can make a difference in your college experience, noted senior Jada Newton, president of the Gardner-Webb University Student Government Association (SGA). Her advice is echoed by sophomore Katie Wilson, junior Sammy Itodo, and seniors Mackenzie Sauter and Javonda Adams. From their experiences, these students offer tips to those beginning their college journey.

Association Between Self-Reported Fatigue And Sarcopenia Measures Among Elderly In Selangor, Malaysia, Maria Justine, Aliff Latir, Nadhirah Noor, Angelbeth Joanny, Izzaty Iskandar, Maisarah Sakinah Amirul Faizi, Dzulhelmi Edinan

Kesmas

The association between fatigue and sarcopenia is not well understood, therefore, this study aimed to compare the sarcopenia measures among elderly with mild and severe fatigue and to determine whether fatigue severity is associated with sarcopenia measures. This was a cross-sectional study conducted on201 elderly (age = 68.45±6.30 years). The elderly was classified into either mild or severe fatigue based on the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), meanwhile, sarcopenia measures include SARC-F score, muscle mass (ASM/height2), calf circumference (CC), upper (handgrip) and lower limb muscle strength, as well as physical performance (gait speed). Data were analyzed using independent t-tests and logistic …

Bee Assemblages Data [2021], Daniel A. Potter, Bernadette M. Mach

Entomology Research Data

Plant characteristics, sample sites, and non-native bee assemblages for a bee survey conducted in 2014-2017 by Bernadette Mach in the Daniel A. Potter lab at the University of Kentucky.

Usaha Tanpa Izin Lingkungan: Menilai Pertanggungjawaban Pidana Korporasi, Hariman Satria

Indonesia Criminal Law Review

PT Agro Indomas as a corporation was convicted of having committed a criminal act of running a business without an environmental permit, explicitly in Decision Number 77/Pid.Sus/2018/PN Tgt. This study method uses normative legal research, through a case approach and a conceptual approach. There are several findings in this study, namely: the expressive verbis a quo decision has met the formal and material requirements of the indictment. If seen from the prosecution letter, the a quo decision has a weakness, namely that there are no additional criminal charges in the form of corrections due to criminal acts. In the ratio …

Clustering Of Pain Dynamics In Sickle Cell Disease From Sparse, Uneven Samples, Gary K. Nave Jr, Swati Padhee, Amanuel Alambo, Tanvi Banerjee, Nirmish Shah, Daniel M. Abrams

Computer Science and Engineering Faculty Publications

Irregularly sampled time series data are common in a variety of fields. Many typical methods for drawing insight from data fail in this case. Here we attempt to generalize methods for clustering trajectories to irregularly and sparsely sampled data. We first construct synthetic data sets, then propose and assess four methods of data alignment to allow for application of spectral clustering. We also repeat the same process for real data drawn from medical records of patients with sickle cell disease -- patients whose subjective experiences of pain were tracked for several months via a mobile app. We find that different …

Daily Eastern News: August 31, 2021, Eastern Illinois University

August

No abstract provided.

Electrical Property Of Polypropylene Films Subjected To Different Temperatures And Dc Electric Fields, Huseyin R. Hiziroglu, Chuyan Zhang, Weichen Shi, Qiao Wang, Mingguang Diao

Electrical & Computer Engineering Publications

A polypropylene (PP) film is usually used as a dielectric material in capacitors as well as cables. However, PP films may degrade because of the combined effect of temperature and electric field. In an earlier study, plain PP films and PP films loaded with nano-metric natural clay were studied under sinusoidal (AC) electric fields at power frequency and temperatures above the ambient. To better understand the electrical characteristics of PP film under various conditions, the objective of this study is to determine the time-to-breakdown of the plain PP and PP filled with 2% (wt) natural nano-clay when subjected to time-invariant …

August 31, 2021 Ereporter, University Of Alabama At Birmingham

eReporter (campus newsletter)

No abstract provided.

Persistent Brainstem Abscess Requiring Repeat Microsurgical Drainage: Case Report, Wesley M. Shoap, Ellery A. Hayden, George A. Crabill

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

n this paper, we present a patient who was treated for a pontine abscess at our institution. This patient underwent sub-occipital craniotomy for microscopic abscess drainage after which cultures grew Streptococcus intermedius. She was treated with antibiotics but failed to show clinical improvement and was taken back to the operating room for repeat abscess drainage. Clinical improvement was seen after the second operation. This case report describes open surgical technique as a safe and effective way of treating brainstem abscess.

Investigation Of Environmental-Friendly, Membraneless Hydrogen Peroxide Fuel Cells, Bao Nguyen

Dissertations and Theses

Human-induced climate change is one of the biggest threats to humanity in the 21^st century. This is caused by the increase in greenhouse gas concentrations in the Earth's atmosphere. The burning of fossil fuels is the primary cause of climate change. This problem can be addressed by replacing fossil fuels with fuel sources that have clean by-products and are cost-effective. For the last few decades, hydrogen (H₂) has been extensively studied as an alternative to carbon-based fossil fuels. Currently, H₂ still has many shortcomings for commercial applications. The photocatalytic production of H₂ still suffers from …

South Side High School, Memphis, The Scrapper, 1938

Shelby County, Tennessee

"The Scrapper", June 1938, published by the students of South Side High School in Memphis, Tennessee. South Side High School was established in 1925 and located at 1880 Prospect. The school closed in 2008 and the campus became South Side Health Careers Academy.

Drug Overdose Prevention 2021: Lived Experiences Study, Daniel Kreuzberg, Liam Heerten-Rodriguez, Jeanette Harder

Reports

STEPs wishes to acknowledge and thank the following:

•The interview participants who were so generous in sharing their time, experiences, and perspectives,

•The many substance abuse treatment providers, treatment centers, the Grace Abbott School of Social Work, and the many other individuals who shared recruitment messaging, and

•NE DHHS DOP for their continued partnership and dedication to this vital work.

The Influence Of Gender, Weight, And Age On Osa Progression In Rem And Nrem Sleep, Alan M. Jones

Dissertations

In the United States, it is estimated that obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), which greatly increases the risk of many adverse health conditions, affects over 25 million adults with prevalence rates that have drastically increased over the last two decades, likely due to the obesity epidemic. Research has identified several explanatory variables of OSA, but studies have indicated that OSA incidence and severity is mainly determined by three variables: gender, weight and age.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects and importance of gender, weight, and age on OSA levels (as measured by respiratory disturbance index (RDI) values) …

Micrornas As Biomarkers For Predicting Complications Following Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage, Wang-Xia Wang, Joe E. Springer, Kevin W. Hatton

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications

Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) is a high mortality hemorrhagic stroke that affects nearly 30,000 patients annually in the United States. Approximately 30% of aSAH patients die during initial hospitalization and those who survive often carry poor prognosis with one in five having permanent physical and/or cognitive disabilities. The poor outcome of aSAH can be the result of the initial catastrophic event or due to the many acute or delayed neurological complications, such as cerebral ischemia, hydrocephalus, and re-bleeding. Unfortunately, no effective biomarker exists to predict or diagnose these complications at a clinically relevant time point when neurologic injury can be …

A Minority Within A Minority: Exploring Identity Development In Relation To Mental Health Outcomes Within The Black Deaf Community, Nekolas Milton

Doctoral Dissertations

Black Deaf people are a double minority group that faces discrimination on multiple fronts. There is little literature on the relationship of cultural identity development and mental health concerns of this marginalized group. This study employs a mixed method approach to examine this relationship and explore the extant culturally tailored interventions targeted towards Black Deaf adults in a clinical setting. There were two phases of this project. Phase 1 included qualitative interviews with service providers of black deaf people to ascertain the type of culturally tailored interventions that are in place for this population. 5 themes emerged: systemic issues, mental …

Temporal Evolution Of Structure And Function In The Periphery And Central Auditory Systems With Mild Blast Induced Tinnitus In Rat Animal Models, Ningning Shao

Dissertations

Exposure to blast causes debilitating trauma including tinnitus among soldiers and civilians (Cave et al., 2007; Remenschneider et al., 2014; Singh et al., 2016). Tinnitus is a constant ringing noise perception without external acoustic event; it affects sleep, concentration, behavior, leading to suicidal tendencies (Swan et al., 2017). Though blast induced tinnitus has been studied, structural and functional dysfunctions along auditory systems have not been systematically studied. It was hypothesized in this work that blast causes tinnitus even while the ears are mechanically protected, and the damage occurred in both central and peripheral auditory systems, which contributed to increased anxiety …

Wandering With Artificial Intelligence And Its Obscure Legal Liability, Muhammad Pasha Nur Fauzan, Darian Amarta, Evan Tobias, Vikri Ricardo, Melania Fidela G.

Indonesia Law Review

The high level of autonomy of AI will raise the problem of legal liability at some point in the future. If AI’s behaviour causes an illegal consequence, who to held liable? This article will explore the problem concerning legal liability of AI into two main discussion. The first discussion will explore the possibility of imposing legal liability of AI to human. This part will discuss various available option to solve the AI liability problem by imposing legal liability on either users or manufacturers. While the second discussion will explore the possibility of imposing legal liability of AI to AI itself. …

Accelerating The Provision Of Safe Water Supply In Urban And Rural Areas Of Indonesia, Sumengen Sutomo, Salord Sagala, Bebi Sutomo, Sri Winarti, Gelant Sanjaya

Kesmas

Over the past 100 years, the provision of a safe water supply to drink in Indonesia has been slowly progressed with low coverage. The majority of the population does not have access to safe water. Morbidity and mortality of water-related diseases, including diarrhea, are very high. The provision of safe water is not a technological issue but good water management that comprises content, institutional, and communication layer. This paper provided information for strategic and operational decisions to accelerate the provision of safe water services in urban and rural areas. Benchmarking good water management with the characteristics of the water supply …

Strategy For Diagnosing Breast Cancer In Indonesia During The Covid-19 Pandemic: Switching To Ultrasound-Guided Percutaneous Core Needle Biopsy, Farida Briani Sobri, Adang Bachtiar, Sonar Soni Panigoro, Juwita Cresti Rahmaania, Patria Wardana Yuswar, Ening Krisnuhoni, Nelly Tandiari

Kesmas

In this era of COVID-19, suspected breast cancer patients experience delay in diagnosis due to the fear of contracting the virus and reduction of non-COVID-19 health services. Furthermore, it may lead to potential increase in the incidence of advanced cancers in the future. Ultrasound-guided (US-guided) percutaneous core needle biopsy (CNB) is a great option for the diagnosis of cancer but it is poorly utilized. This study aimed to prove that the US-guided CNBis accurate when performed in a local setting and a potential solution for diagnosing breast cancer patients in this pandemic. In addition, it was a single health center …

Correlation Between Dental Environment And Perceived Stress Scale Among Dental Students During The Covid-19 Pandemic In Indonesia, Tri Erri Astoeti, Howis Josephine, Armelia Sari Widyarman, Widijanto Sudhana

Kesmas

Academic stressors in a medical educational environment are related to two factors. This study was carried out in order to analyze the correlation between the dental environment and perceived stress among dental students during the COVID-19 pandemic. The respondents were 422 undergraduate dental students and the validated Modified Dental Environmental Stress (DES) and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) questionnaires were used. Furthermore, the Spearman correlation analysis was used to measure the correlation between DES and PSS score. The result showed that five dental stressors were noted to have the strongest correlations with PSS (p-value >0.40). They include expectation towards dental school …

Covid-19 Preparedness And The Anxiety Of Thai Citizens, Afifi Lateh, Prasopchai Pasunon, Kiflan Dolah, Panida Kongjam, Saminee Chemae, Phanupong Panomwan, Alawee Lateh

Kesmas

The outbreak of COVID-19 has brought sickness and fatality to Thai citizens. In addition, it left a tremendous psychological impact on mental health as they experienced panic and anxiety about controlling situations and preserving their physical and mental well-being. This study aimed to analyze the factors influencing COVID-19 preparedness and anxiety based on groups of Thai citizens. Online questionnaires were employed to collect data from 2,768 respondents selected through convenience sampling and snowball sampling on Facebook, having shared questionnaires with 190 other users. Data were collected from March 29 to April 3, 2020. The acquired data were analyzed using percentage …

Parameterization Of Food Wastes To Develop An Automatic Recycling System For Livestock And Poultry Feed, Ali Roshanianfard, Samira Nematzadeh, Tarahom Mesri-Gundoshmian

Emirates Journal for Engineering Research

Food wastes are known as one of the big concerns in urban management because of grain consumption gain, environmental pollution, and traditional waste management methods. The reuse of restaurant waste can reduce the cost of producing animal food production. This study attempts to find related parameters to use in the development of an automatic recycling machine and also a suitable method for food waste management (wastes of restaurants in universities and other academic environments) to use in various animal diets. Determination of various parameters including the percentage of dry matter (using a dryer), protein (using Kjeldahl test), fat (using Soxhlet …

Reasonable Doubt?, Jeff Ploegstra

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

"It is important to engage in critical thinking and dialogue when it is done carefully and lovingly."

Posting about ­­­­­­­­finding commonality despite disagreements from In All Things - an online journal for critical reflection on faith, culture, art, and every ordinary-yet-graced square inch of God’s creation.

https://inallthings.org/reasonable-doubt/

Spring/Summer 2021: Surf Program Goes International, St. Norbert College

St. Norbert College Magazine 2019-2023

Maria Soledad Yanqui-Rivera, a medical student from Ecuador, became the first international student to participate in St. Norbert College’s Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program, overcoming COVID-related challenges and visa hurdles to conduct hands-on research on E. coli while gaining cross-cultural and laboratory experience.