Digital Commons Network^™

Poisson Hurdle Model-Based Method For Clustering Microbiome Features, Zhili Qiao, Elle Barnes, Susannah Tringe, Daniel P. Schachtman, Peng Liu

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Motivation: High-throughput sequencing technologies have greatly facilitated microbiome research and have generated a large volume of microbiome data with the potential to answer key questions regarding microbiome assembly, structure and function. Cluster analysis aims to group features that behave similarly across treatments, and such grouping helps to highlight the functional relationships among features and may provide biological insights into microbiome networks. However, clustering microbiome data are challenging due to the sparsity and high dimensionality.

Results: We propose a model-based clustering method based on Poisson hurdle models for sparse microbiome count data. We describe an expectation–maximization algorithm and a …

Nursing Considerations For Elderly Adults With Urinary Tract Infections In Nursing Homes, Mary Marlett

D.U.Quark

No abstract provided.

Six-Dimensional Single-Molecule Imaging With Isotropic Resolution Using A Multi-View Reflector Microscope, Oumeng Zhang, Zijian Guo, Yuanyuan He, Tingting Wu, Michael D. Vahey, Matthew D. Lew

Electrical & Systems Engineering Publications and Presentations

Imaging of both the positions and orientations of single fluorophores, termed single-molecule orientation-localization microscopy, is a powerful tool for the study of biochemical processes. However, the limited photon budget associated with single-molecule fluorescence makes high-dimensional imaging with isotropic, nanoscale spatial resolution a formidable challenge. Here we realize a radially and azimuthally polarized multi-view reflector (raMVR) microscope for the imaging of the three-dimensional (3D) positions and 3D orientations of single molecules, with precisions of 10.9 nm and 2.0° over a 1.5-μm depth range. The raMVR microscope achieves 6D super-resolution imaging of Nile red molecules transiently bound to lipid-coated spheres, accurately resolving …

Identification Of Pathogenic Bacteria In Food Samples From Cafeterias Of A University In Denpasar, Indonesia, Anak Agung Ayu Lila Paramasatiari, Putu Indah Budiapsari, Putu Arya Suryanditha, Ni Wayan Widhidewi

Folia Medica Indonesiana

Highlights: • Eschericia colli was the most contaminant bacteria among food samples from Warmadewa Cafeterias • Further suggestions to increase the hygiene in food processing must be offered. Abstract : Foodborne diseases still remain a problem especially in public areas. This study aimed to identify pathogenic bacteria in foods sold at the cafeterias of Universitas Warmadewa, Denpasar, Indonesia. The presence of pathogenic bacteria in the food samples was identified using the brain heart infusion (BHI) agar for the growth of Escherichia coli and Streptococcus aureus, selenite for Shigella and Salmonella, and alkaline peptone for Vibrio cholerae, then bacterial culture was …

A View Into Secondary Education Mathematics, Thomas Krieger Jr.

Honors Theses

Teaching methods, and the effects they can have on students, are important to consider for a classroom because when teaching you should allow for every student to have an opportunity. Every student should feel encouraged in the classroom, however not every method may allow for that. An important task for a teacher is to find out how to reach their students in their classroom; be it adapting methods or choosing when to implement one item over another. This task differs with every student that enters the classroom as no student is the same. Every students’ differences stem from their academic …

Land Use Change In Baghdad City And Assessment Of The Jadriyah And Umm Al- Khanazeer Island Important Bird Area (Iba) From 1984 To 2020, Nadheer A. Fazaa, Abdulrahman B. Ali, Ahmad Jm Al-Jabinawi, Richard Francksen, Mark J. Whittingham

Baghdad Science Journal

Land use change, particularly the expansion of urban areas and associated human activities at the expense of natural and semi-natural areas, is a major ecological issue in urban areas around the world. Climate change being a very strong additional driver for changing the temperature and habitat in the cities. This also applies to Baghdad, Iraq, where urbanisation and climate change exerts a major pressure on the natural habitats of the city, and thus may affect the ability of city planners to adapt to future climate change scenarios. Here we present evidence of substantial growth in urban areas, increases in temperature, …

Short Text Semantic Similarity Measurement Approach Based On Semantic Network, Naamah Hussien Hameed, Adel M. Alimi, Ahmed T. Sadiq

Baghdad Science Journal

Estimating the semantic similarity between short texts plays an increasingly prominent role in many fields related to text mining and natural language processing applications, especially with the large increase in the volume of textual data that is produced daily. Traditional approaches for calculating the degree of similarity between two texts, based on the words they share, do not perform well with short texts because two similar texts may be written in different terms by employing synonyms. As a result, short texts should be semantically compared. In this paper, a semantic similarity measurement method between texts is presented which combines knowledge-based …

Mortality Assessment Of Pediatric Septic Patients Through Pediatric Sofa+Anion Gap And Pelod-2 Scores, Johaan Pawe Siampa, Arie Utariani, Elizeus Hanindito

Folia Medica Indonesiana

Highlight: • Sepsis and septic shock cause morbidity and mortality in pediatric patients. • The accuracy of pediatric sequential organ failure assessment and anion gap (pSOFA+AG) was compared with AG and pediatric logistic organ dysfunction-2 (AG+PELOD-2). • The mortality assessment of pediatric septic patients showed that pSOFA was more sensitive than PELOD-2, while pSOFA+AG was not more sensitive than PELOD-2. Abstract: Sepsis and septic shock are some of the causes of morbidity and mortality (50-60%) in pediatric patients treated in intensive care rooms. This study aimed to compare the accuracy of pediatric Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (pSOFA) score combined with …

Chondroregenerative Potential Of Platelet-Rich Fibrin (Prf)-Impregnated Decelulrized Bovine Cartilage Scaffold Implanted Subcutaneously, Putu Ardhy Parama Widyatmika, Muhammad Sjaifuddin Noer, Magda Rosalina Hutagalung

Folia Medica Indonesiana

Highlights: • This research compared the hondroregenerative potential between bovine cartilage scaffold with platelet-rich fibrin (BCPRF) and autologous cartilage. • The formation of newly-regenerated chondrocyte, the thickness of type II collagen, and the rate of cartilage resorption following the subcutaneous implantation were assessed. • BCPRF is highly biocompatible and can be developed as an alternative to alloplastic porous polyethylene (Medpor) implant material. Abstract: The invention of alternative implants with regenerative potential comparable to autologous cartilage continues to be encouraged due to high morbidity of the donor site related to autologous harvesting process. This research attempted an invention of alternative implant …

Hybrid Procedure In Aortoiliac Bifurcation And Femoral Lesion, Yudi Her Oktaviono

Folia Medica Indonesiana

Highlights: • A patient had a long segment of total occlusion to the proximal right common iliac and anterior tibial artery. • The treatment is a combination of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) using vascular stent and the Fogarty thrombectomy. • Hybrid procedure can treat multilevel artery occlusive diseases, with shorter hospitalization, less perioperative morbidity, and similar early- and long-term efficacy. Abstract: Critical limb ischemia is a condition that threatens the viability of lower extremities and must be treated promptly to avoid major amputation. Revascularization is the most effective treatment method for critical limb ischemia. Revascularization using a hybrid of endovascular …

The Cycle Of Book Publishing Through A Queer Lens, Aly Gilmore

Master of Arts in Professional Writing Capstones

This capstone assesses the current landscape of the publishing industry with regard to Queer authors and stories that have been published within the United States. It will start off with a literature review utilizing secondary research upon the current publishing landscape, as well as the rules that guide how writing craft is constructed and taught. Within this section, I also unpack personal experiences from working in a local bookstore as well as integrating some information from interviews from individuals with connections to the publishing industry. It will conclude with an autoethnography, in which I reflect how my own experiences intertwine …

Tiptoeing Through The Tulips At Seventy: A Memoir, Fran Miele

Master of Arts in Professional Writing Capstones

This is a memoir about my lifetime search for clarity about my gender identity. My primary goal for the project was to catalog the steps I took in the sometimes-tortured and confusing path I followed over the course of my life, from childhood to late adulthood, striving to understand who and what I am in terms of my identity and how, once it was clarified in my mind, coming to terms with it and, at the ripe old age of seventy, taking the steps necessary to affirm it by way of the male-to-female transition. A secondary, incidental goal was …

Courier Of Souls, Brian Cochran

Master of Arts in Professional Writing Capstones

Abriel is a courier in a world plagued by curses cast by spiteful deities, and the only safe haven from curses are the roads themselves, which cause curses to burn. Following in her father’s footsteps, she strives to match his skills as a courier, and respect the legacy of her adoptive father, who saved her from a life of abandonment and rejection.

Investigating Mindfulness And Practice Strategies In The K-12 Music Curriculum, Emily Foltz

Honors Projects

The purpose of this project was to uncover how music educators teach students to practice effectively and to discover effective mindfulness tools and strategies that could be used to enhance music practice. My aim was to uncover methods of mindful practice and integrate them into a model for effective music practice that teachers can incorporate into their instruction. The research questions that guided this project include: 1) How are music educators teaching students to practice effectively? 2) How does mindfulness affect music practice? 3) What are effective strategies for teaching mindful instrumental music practice in the K-12 classroom? Is there …

Efficacy And Safety Of Pacritinib Vs Placebo For Patients With Severe Covid-19: A Phase 2 Randomized Clinical Trial, John Cafardi, Carole Miller, Howard Terebelo, Chad Tewell, Sadia Benzaquen, David Park, Pamela Egan, Daniel Lebovic, Kristen Pettit, Eric Whitman, Douglas Tremblay, Jonathan Feld, Sarah Buckley, Karisse Roman-Torres, Jennifer Smith, Adam Craig, John Mascarenhas

Einstein Health Papers

IMPORTANCE: The morbidity and mortality associated with COVID-19 remain high despite advances in standard of care therapy, and the role of anti-inflammatory agents that inhibit the interleukin 6/JAK2 pathway is still being elucidated.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of the oral JAK2/IRAK1 inhibitor pacritinib vs placebo in the treatment of adults with severe COVID-19.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This phase 2, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial enrolled hospitalized adult patients with severe COVID-19 at 21 centers across the US between June 2020 and February 2021, with approximately 1.5 months of safety follow-up per patient. Data analysis was performed …

Federated Learning Enables Big Data For Rare Cancer Boundary Detection, Sarthak Pati, Ujjwal Baid, Brandon Edwards, Micah Sheller, Shih-Han Wang, G. Anthony Reina, Patrick Foley, Alexey Gruzdev, Deepthi Karkada, Christos Davatzikos, Chiharu Sako, Satyam Ghodasara, Michel Bilello, Suyash Mohan, Philipp Vollmuth, Gianluca Brugnara, Chandrakanth J. Preetha, Felix Sahm, Klaus Maier-Hein, Maximilian Zenk, Martin Bendszus, Wolfgang Wick, Evan Calabrese, Jeffrey Rudie, Javier Villanueva-Meyer, Soonmee Cha, Madhura Ingalhalikar, Manali Jadhav, Umang Pandey, Jitender Saini, John Garrett, Matthew Larson, Robert Jeraj, Stuart Currie, Russell Frood, Kavi Fatania, Raymond Y. Huang, Ken Chang, Carmen Balaña, Jaume Capellades, Josep Puig, Johannes Trenkler, Josef Pichler, Georg Necker, Andreas Haunschmidt, Stephan Meckel, Gaurav Shukla, Spencer Liem, Gregory S Alexander, Joseph Lombardo, Joshua D. Palmer, Adam E. Flanders, Adam P. Dicker, Haris I. Sair, Craig K. Jones, Archana Venkataraman, Meirui Jiang, Tiffany Y. So, Cheng Chen, Pheng Ann Heng, Qi Dou, Michal Kozubek, Filip Lux, Jan Michálek, Petr Matula, Miloš Keřkovský, Tereza Kopřivová, Marek Dostál, Václav Vybíhal, Michael A. Vogelbaum, J. Ross Mitchell, Joaquim Farinhas, Joseph A. Maldjian, Chandan Ganesh Bangalore Yogananda, Marco C. Pinho, Divya Reddy, James Holcomb, Benjamin C. Wagner, Benjamin M. Ellingson, Timothy F. Cloughesy, Catalina Raymond, Talia Oughourlian, Akifumi Hagiwara, Chencai Wang, Minh-Son To, Sargam Bhardwaj, Chee Chong, Marc Agzarian, Alexandre Xavier Falcão, Samuel B. Martins, Bernardo C. A. Teixeira, Flávia Sprenger, David Menotti, Diego R. Lucio, Pamela Lamontagne, Daniel Marcus, Benedikt Wiestler, Florian Kofler, Ivan Ezhov, Marie Metz, Rajan Jain, Matthew Lee, Yvonne W. Lui, Richard Mckinley, Johannes Slotboom, Piotr Radojewski, Raphael Meier, Roland Wiest, Derrick Murcia, Eric Fu, Rourke Haas, John Thompson, David Ryan Ormond, Chaitra Badve, Andrew E. Sloan, Vachan Vadmal, Kristin Waite, Rivka R. Colen, Linmin Pei, Murat Ak, Ashok Srinivasan, J. Rajiv Bapuraj, Arvind Rao, Nicholas Wang, Ota Yoshiaki, Toshio Moritani, Sevcan Turk, Joonsang Lee, Snehal Prabhudesai, Fanny Morón, Jacob Mandel, Konstantinos Kamnitsas, Ben Glocker, Luke V. M. Dixon, Matthew Williams, Peter Zampakis, Vasileios Panagiotopoulos, Panagiotis Tsiganos, Sotiris Alexiou, Ilias Haliassos, Evangelia I Zacharaki, Konstantinos Moustakas, Christina Kalogeropoulou, Dimitrios M. Kardamakis, Yoon Seong Choi, Seung-Koo Lee, Jong Hee Chang, Sung Soo Ahn, Bing Luo, Laila Poisson, Ning Wen, Pallavi Tiwari, Ruchika Verma, Rohan Bareja, Ipsa Yadav, Jonathan Chen, Neeraj Kumar, Marion Smits, Sebastian R. Van Der Voort, Ahmed Alafandi, Fatih Incekara, Maarten M. J. Wijnenga, Georgios Kapsas, Renske Gahrmann, Joost W Schouten, Hendrikus J. Dubbink, Arnaud J. P. E. Vincent, Martin J. Van Den Bent, Pim J. French, Stefan Klein, Yading Yuan, Sonam Sharma, Tzu-Chi Tseng, Saba Adabi, Simone P. Niclou, Olivier Keunen, Ann-Christin Hau, Martin Vallières, David Fortin, Martin Lepage, Bennett Landman, Karthik Ramadass, Kaiwen Xu, Silky Chotai, Lola B. Chambless, Akshitkumar Mistry, Reid C. Thompson, Yuriy Gusev, Krithika Bhuvaneshwar, Anousheh Sayah, Camelia Bencheqroun, Anas Belouali, Subha Madhavan, Thomas C. Booth, Alysha Chelliah, Marc Modat, Haris Shuaib, Carmen Dragos, Aly Abayazeed, Kenneth Kolodziej, Michael Hill, Ahmed Abbassy, Shady Gamal, Mahmoud Mekhaimar, Mohamed Qayati, Mauricio Reyes, Ji Eun Park, Jihye Yun, Ho Sung Kim, Abhishek Mahajan, Mark Muzi, Sean Benson, Regina G. H. Beets-Tan, Jonas Teuwen, Alejandro Herrera-Trujillo, Maria Trujillo, William Escobar, Ana Abello, Jose Bernal, Jhon Gómez, Joseph Choi, Stephen Baek, Yusung Kim, Heba Ismael, Bryan Allen, John M. Buatti, Aikaterini Kotrotsou, Hongwei Li, Tobias Weiss, Michael Weller, Andrea Bink, Bertrand Pouymayou, Hassan F. Shaykh, Joel Saltz, Prateek Prasanna, Sampurna Shrestha, Kartik M. Mani, David Payne, Tahsin Kurc, Enrique Pelaez, Heydy Franco-Maldonado, Francis Loayza, Sebastian Quevedo, Pamela Guevara, Esteban Torche, Cristobal Mendoza, Franco Vera, Elvis Ríos, Eduardo López, Sergio A. Velastin, Godwin Ogbole, Mayowa Soneye, Dotun Oyekunle, Olubunmi Odafe-Oyibotha, Babatunde Osobu, Mustapha Shu'aibu, Adeleye Dorcas, Farouk Dako, Amber L. Simpson, Mohammad Hamghalam, Jacob J. Peoples, Ricky Hu, Anh Tran, Danielle Cutler, Fabio Y. Moraes, Michael A. Boss, James Gimpel, Deepak Kattil Veettil, Kendall Schmidt, Brian Bialecki, Sailaja Marella, Cynthia Price, Lisa Cimino, Charles Apgar, Prashant Shah, Bjoern Menze, Jill S. Barnholtz-Sloan, Jason Martin, Spyridon Bakas

Department of Radiation Oncology Faculty Papers

Although machine learning (ML) has shown promise across disciplines, out-of-sample generalizability is concerning. This is currently addressed by sharing multi-site data, but such centralization is challenging/infeasible to scale due to various limitations. Federated ML (FL) provides an alternative paradigm for accurate and generalizable ML, by only sharing numerical model updates. Here we present the largest FL study to-date, involving data from 71 sites across 6 continents, to generate an automatic tumor boundary detector for the rare disease of glioblastoma, reporting the largest such dataset in the literature (n = 6, 314). We demonstrate a 33% delineation improvement for the surgically …

Behavior Of Completely Automated Evapotranspiration Estimation (Eemetric), Atiqullah Atif

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Evapotranspiration (ET) is the second-largest component in the water balance equation, globally consuming 70% of the earth’s annual precipitation. Accurate and consistent estimation of ET is essential for ensuring water resources sustainability, proper management, planning, and regulations of water resources. Though a 100% accurate estimation of ET may not be feasible with the current technology, there are proven techniques that give us estimates of ET we can heavily rely on. Mapping Evapotranspiration at High Resolution with Internalized Calibration (METRIC) is a widely used surface energy balance model that produces relatively accurate ET maps utilizing remote sensing data and requires skilled …

An Asymptotic Analysis Of The Gradient Remediability Problem For Disturbed Distributed Linear Systems, Soraya Rekkab, Samir Benhadid, Raheam Al-Saphory

Baghdad Science Journal

The goal of this work is demonstrating, through the gradient observation of a of type linear ( -systems), the possibility for reducing the effect of any disturbances (pollution, radiation, infection, etc.) asymptotically, by a suitable choice of related actuators of these systems. Thus, a class of ( -system) was developed based on finite time ( -system). Furthermore, definitions and some properties of this concept -system and asymptotically gradient controllable system ( -controllable) were stated and studied. More precisely, asymptotically gradient efficient actuators ensuring the weak asymptotically gradient compensation system ( -system) of known or unknown disturbances are examined. Consequently, under …

Effects Of Castor Oil Nanoemulsion Extracted By Hexane On The Fourth Larval Stage Of Culex Quinquefsciatus From Al Hawizeh Marsh/Iraq, And Non- Targeted Organism, Alla Abd Al Hassan Al Hilfy, Soolaf A. Kathiar, Hazim Idan Al Shammari

Baghdad Science Journal

The current study aims to show the importance of plant products as mosquitocides against Culex quinquefasciatus. Castor oil Nanoemulsions were subedit in various ratios including castor oil, ethanol, tween 80, and deionized water by using ultrasonication. Thermodynamic, centrifugation, PH, assay which improved that the formula of 10 ml of castor oil, ethanol 5ml, tween 80 (14 ml) and deionized water 71ml was more stable than other formulas. The stable formula of castor oil nanoemulsion was characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS). Nanoemulsion droplets were spherical in shape and were found to have a Z-average diameter …

Cluster Analysis Of Biochemical Markers As Predictor Of Covid-19 Severity, Suhayla K. Mohammed, Muzahem Mohialdeen Taha, Ekhlass M. Taha, Massara Najim Abdulla Mohammad

Baghdad Science Journal

Numerous blood biomarkers are altered in COVID-19 patients; however, no early biochemical markers are currently being used in clinical practice to predict COVID-19 severity. COVID-19, the most recent pandemic, is caused by the SRS-CoV-2 coronavirus. The study was aimed to identify patient groups with a high and low risk of developing COVID-19 using a cluster analysis of several biomarkers. 137 women with confirmed SARS CoV-2 RNA testing were collected and analyzed for biochemical profiles. Two-dimensional automated hierarchy clustering of all biomarkers was applied, and patients were sorted into classes. Biochemistry marker variations (Ferritin, lactate dehydrogenase LDH, D-dimer, and C- reactive …

Proposed Framework For Official Document Sharing And Verification In E-Government Environment Based On Blockchain Technology, Rana F. Ghani, Asia Ali Salman Al-Karkhi, Shakir Mahmood Mahdi

Baghdad Science Journal

Progression in Computer networks and emerging of new technologies in this field helps to find out new protocols and frameworks that provides new computer network-based services. E-government services, a modernized version of conventional government, are created through the steady evolution of technology in addition to the growing need of societies for numerous services. Government services are deeply related to citizens’ daily lives; therefore, it is important to evolve with technological developments—it is necessary to move from the traditional methods of managing government work to cutting-edge technical approaches that improve the effectiveness of government systems for providing services to citizens. Blockchain …

Final Revised Butte Reduction Works (Brw) Phase Iii Qapp, Nikia Greene

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Predicting The Outcomes Of Internet-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy For Tinnitus: Applications Of Artificial Neural Network And Support Vector Machine, Hansapani Rodrigo, Eldré W. Beukes, Gerhard Andersson, Vinaya Manchaiah

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

Purpose:

Internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (ICBT) has been found to be effective for tinnitus management, although there is limited understanding about who will benefit the most from ICBT. Traditional statistical models have largely failed to identify the nonlinear associations and hence find strong predictors of success with ICBT. This study aimed at examining the use of an artificial neural network (ANN) and support vector machine (SVM) to identify variables associated with treatment success in ICBT for tinnitus.

Method:

The study involved a secondary analysis of data from 228 individuals who had completed ICBT in previous intervention studies. A 13-point reduction …

The Interaction Of Normalisation And Clustering In Sub-Domain Definition For Multi-Source Transfer Learning Based Time Series Anomaly Detection, Matthew Nicholson, Rahul Agrahari, Clare Conran, Haythem Assem, John D. Kelleher

Articles

This paper examines how data normalisation and clustering interact in the definition of sub-domains within multi-source transfer learning systems for time series anomaly detection. The paper introduces a distinction between (i) clustering as a primary/direct method for anomaly detection, and (ii) clustering as a method for identifying sub-domains within the source or target datasets. Reporting the results of three sets of experiments, we find that normalisation after feature extraction and before clustering results in the best performance for anomaly detection. Interestingly, we find that in the multi-source transfer learning scenario clustering on the target dataset and identifying subdomains in the …

Organizational Factors Influencing Campus Law Enforcement Agencies Belonging To Professional Accrediting Bodies, Jamie Adam Gauthier

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Accreditation in campus law enforcement agencies is considered a modality of professionalism in the industry. The use of accreditation requires a voluntary approach to implement industry standards, policies, procedures, and best practices, while being scrutinized by an accreditation team. Law enforcement leaders frequently review a management strategy to professionalize the policing industry, although, without accreditation in place, the methodology is based on prior trial and errors of the past. Using a quantitative nonexperimental research design, this study aims to examine the implementation of accreditation within campus law enforcement agencies. With a nationally representative sample, a research question addressing the factors …

Ergonomic Safety In Supply Chains, Andrew Thompson Prior

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Ergonomic injuries within supply chain and logistics organizations, specifically the finished vehicle logistics realm, have become a global crisis. The only way to solve this crisis is through proactive steps to reduce the lagging indicator of incident frequency and costs. This mixed method research study demonstrates the use of wearable safety technology to lower both incident frequency and incident cost. Quantitatively, this study resulted in statistically significant results that reduced the incident frequency at one site within the United States. Qualitatively, and the studies mixed results from the leadership and hourly employee within a finished vehicle logistics organization. Leadership focused …

A Survey Of Teaching Methods Used To Relate To Generation Alpha Congregants In Central Texas, Shawna Mischell Dixon

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The evolution of time and approaches to addressing the learning styles of students were influential in designing and redesigning educational programming to meet the needs of each generation. The theory that guided this study was the Strauss-Howe generational theory which proposes that each generation has a personality and characteristics that shape how they learn. However, literature described current-day youth congregants as being taught with the same or very similar teaching methods as those that were implemented to teach previous generations. The purpose of this quantitative descriptive study was to discover the teaching methods being used by youth ministry leaders and …

Exploring Succession Planning For Executive Leadership Positions Within Ohio's Faith-Based Organizations: A Multiple-Case Study, Gilda Drammeh

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The predicted shortage in the number of qualified professionals available to fill vacant executive leadership positions is a significant concern for the non-profit sector. This qualitative multiple-case study explored the general problem of the potential lack of succession planning, resulting in the inability to identify future leaders within Ohio’s faith-based organizations. Specifically, this study concentrated on the selection process of candidates for executive leadership positions, and the succession planning process that contributed to a successful or failure to implement. In a purposeful sample, eighteen (18) senior leaders located in the eastern and western regions of Ohio, were selected for this …

Comparing The Academic Growth Among Black Students In Philadelphia’S Black-Operated Charter Schools, Non-Black Operated Charter Schools, And Traditional Public Schools., Cherryann M. Joseph

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This ex post facto, causal-comparative quantitative study assessed the math and English language arts (ELA) 7th to 8th-grade academic growth among Black students enrolled in Philadelphia’s black-operated public charter schools, non-black operated charter schools, and traditional public schools while controlling for 6th-grade exam scores. Over 65 years after Brown versus Board of Education disallowed public school segregation, the academic achievement gap between Black and white students persists. Various parental and educational stakeholders have considered charter public schools as suitable educational alternatives for narrowing this academic gap. This condition along with an assertion by some community activists that Black leaders are …

Characteristics That Make An Excellent Worship Leader According To The Perspectives Of Baptist Congregants In North Texas, Carlos Jerome Benson

Masters Theses

Despite many Baptists Churches in North Texas, most church congregants vary significantly in how they characterize an excellent worship leader. These congregants often rely on trial and error to establish characteristic traits that are acceptable for the whole of a particular church. There is a gap in the research study of characteristics that make an excellent worship leader according to the perspectives of Baptist congregants in North Texas. This study will find which attributes of worship leadership are most desirable according to the views of North Texas Baptist congregants. These literary examples do not specifically name what characteristics North Texas …