Digital Commons Network^™

A Framework For Designing Blockchain Systems In A Smart City Setting, Mohammad Alhefdi

All ETDs from UAB

As main characteristics of successful smart cities, the high demand for increased data security and accessibility and citizen engagement mean the role of blockchain technology has begun to increase. Nonetheless, blockchain technology also faces several challenges, which have slowed its adoption. In response, this dissertation introduces a framework for designing blockchain systems in a smart city setting and considers the smart city and blockchain challenges. Researchers have proposed several smart city models that study and analyze the complexity of smart cities to improve city security, functionality, services, and smartness. The proposed information-theoretical modeling approach to generate an innovated blockchain model …

Teaching Economic Values: A Mixed Methods Study Of Kindergarten Curricula, Values, Practices, And Teachers' Perspectives In Saudi Arabia, Hanaa Abualsoud

All ETDs from UAB

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate Saudi teachers' practices in developing economic values for kindergarten children, in Eastern region (Qatif city). The researcher also looked at teachers' awareness of Saudi Vision 2030 educational goals. The research was conducted using a convergent mixed methods design. In the quantitative strand, data was collected from 263 teachers using questionnaires. Data was collected from seven knowledgeable teachers using semi-structured interviews in the qualitative strand. The qualitative and quantitative data were analyzed independently through content analysis for the qualitative data and a Google Forms for quantitative data. Results from both strands were …

Teacher Perception, Experience, And Attitudes On Student Achievement In A Title I High School In Central Alabama, Marvin Augusta Carter

All ETDs from UAB

The purpose of this study was to share the lived experiences of teachers regarding how they supported student achievement in a Title I high school. After almost 60 years of Title I initiatives, the achievement gap between students in poverty and other more affluent students has not changed in any statistically significant manner (Jimenez-Castellanos, 2010). Due to the lack of academic growth for students in Title I schools as compared to students in non-Title I schools, parents, policymakers, and other stakeholders have increased pressure on educators and educational researchers to identify student achievement barriers and implement the use of effective …

Sturmian Theorems, Asymptotic Behavior For Eigenvalues, And Spectral Theory For Ordinary Differential Equations With Distributional Coefficients, Minh Nguyen

All ETDs from UAB

We study the theory of ordinary differential equations whose coefficients are distributions of order 0. In the first chapter of the thesis, we present some of the basic facts about the theory of distributions of order 0, the first-order ordinary differential equation with distributional coefficients, and the theory of linear relation associated with these differential equations. In the second chapter, we study the spectral theory of the first order equation with distributional coefficients. In particular, we prove that the adjoint of the minimal relation is equal to the maximal relation, which is a cornerstone for a spectral theory since it …

Room To Breathe: Using Adaptive Architecture To Examine The Relationship Between Alexithymia And Interoception, Haneen Abdulhamid, Nils Jäger, Holger Schnädelbach, Alastair D. Smith

School of Psychology

ObjectiveIndividuals with alexithymia experience difficulties interpreting emotional states in self and others, which has been associated with interoceptive impairment. Current theories are primarily based on subjective and conscious measures of interoceptive sensitivity, such as heartrate detection, but it is unclear whether similar observations would be found for objective or implicit psychophysiological measures. The present exploratory study assesses the potential of a novel assay through the use of adaptive immersive architecture [ExoBuilding].MethodsN = 88 participants were screened for alexithymic traits and N = 27 individuals, representing the range of scores, were sampled to participate in the behavioural task. In a repeated-measures …

Four Decades Of Mapping And Quantifying Neuroreceptors At Work In Vivo By Positron Emission Tomography, Albert Gjedde, Dean F Wong

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Decryption of brain images is the basis for the necessary translation of the findings from imaging to information required to meet the demands of clinical intervention. Tools of brain imaging, therefore, must satisfy the conditions dictated by the needs for interpretation in terms of diagnosis and prognosis. In addition, the applications must serve as fundamental research tools that enable the understanding of new therapeutic drugs, including compounds as diverse as antipsychotics, antidepressants, anxiolytics, and drugs serving the relief of symptoms from neurochemical disorders as unrelated as multiple sclerosis, stroke, and dementia. Here we review and explain the kinetics of methods …

Fluorescence Imaging Of Beta Cell Primary Cilia, Zipeng A Li, Jung Hoon Cho, Louis G Woodhams, Jing W Hughes

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Primary cilia are slender cell-surface organelles that project into the intercellular space. In pancreatic beta cells, primary cilia coordinate a variety of cell responses including GPCR signaling, calcium influx, and insulin secretion, along with likely many underappreciated roles in islet development and differentiation. To study cilia function in islet biology, direct visualization of primary cilia by microscopic methods is often a necessary first step. Ciliary abundance, distribution, and morphology are heterogeneous among islet cells and are best visualized by fluorescence microscopy, the tools for which are readily accessible to most researchers. Here we present a collection of fluorescence imaging methods …

Impact Of Fast-Track Regulatory Designations On Strategic Commercialization Decisions For Autologous Cell Therapies, Ching Lam, Edward Meinert, Aidong Yang, Zhanfeng Cui

School of Nursing and Midwifery

Background: Regulatory authorities around the world have introduced incentives to improve the speed-to-market of innovative therapies. Aim & methods: To better understand the capacity and portfolio planning decisions of autologous cell therapies and particularly the impact of fast-tracking designations, this paper describes a mixed-integer linear programming approach for the optimization of capacity investment and portfolio selection decisions to maximize the net present value of a candidate portfolio of therapies under different regulatory programs. Results: The illustrative example shows that fast-track designations allow a 25% earlier breakeven, 42–86% higher net present value over a 20-year horizon with earlier upfront capital and …

Fea Modelling And Environmental Assessment Of A Thin-Walled Composite Drive Shaft, Joseph Searle, Maozhou Meng, John Summerscales

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

Fibre reinforced plastics (FRP) composites have been widely used in the automotive industry with the primary focus on reduced mass. However, there are relatively few reports on their application on power transmission components, such as drive shafts. This paper explores the feasibility of replacing the traditional structural steel by light weight FRP composites in a drive shaft. Three FRP composites are considered against a steel drive shaft; basalt/epoxy, carbon/epoxy, and CNT (carbon nanotubes) reinforced carbon/epoxy composites. The mechanical performance was analysed by finite element analysis (FEA) tool and classical laminate theory (CLT), while the environmental performance was evaluated by life …

A Neural Network-Based Model For Lower Limb Continuous Estimation Against The Disturbance Of Uncertainty, Wanting Li, Keping Liu, Zhongbo Sun, C Li, Yuanyuan Chai, Jian Gu

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

In this paper, a novel prediction model is proposed to estimate human continuous motion intention using a fuzzy wavelet neural network (FWNN) and a zeroing neural network (ZNN). During walking, seven channel surface electromyography (sEMG) signals and motion data of hip and knee are collected, and two signals are selected and processed from the seven muscles based on physiological and correlation analysis. Then, FWNN is built as an intention recognition model, with sEMG signals as input and physical hip and knee information as output. Meanwhile, ZNN is exploited into the FWNN model, forming a hybrid model to eliminate the prediction …

Mixture Toxicity Of Tio2 Nps And Tetracycline At Two Trophic Levels In The Marine Ecosystem: Chlorella Sp. And Artemia Salina, V Thiagarajan, R Seenivasan, D Jenkins, N Chandrasekaran, A Mukherjee

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

No abstract provided.

Magnetic, Optical And Phase Transformation Properties Of Fe And Co Doped Vo2(A) Nanobelts, Ss Saeidi, B Vaseghi, G Rezaei, H Khajehsharifi, D Jenkins

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

In this work, the effects of Fe and Co dopants on the optical bandgap and structural, morphological, and magnetic properties of VO2(A) nanobelts with rectangular cross-sections were studied. The optimized hydrothermal method with proper parameters was used to synthesize the samples. The XRD analyses show that the hydrothermal method promotes the formation of VO2(B) rather than the usual VO2(A) and causes the tetragonal-monoclinic transformation in VO2. Furthermore, expanding the VO2 lattice constant by dopants reveals that Fe3+ and Co2+ are successfully substituted into the lattice sites of V4+. Also, obtained results indicate the optical band gap increment with dopants and …

Quantifying Multiple Uncertainties In Modelling Shallow Water-Sediment Flows: A Stochastic Galerkin Framework With Haar Wavelet Expansion And An Operator-Splitting Approach, Ji Li, Zhixian Cao, Alistair G.L. Borthwick

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

No abstract provided.

Strategies Using Threat Intelligence To Detect Advanced Persistent Threats: A Qualitative Case Study, Melisa A. Joyner

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Advanced persistent threats (APTs) targeting critical infrastructures can adversely impact human lives. Cyber security analysts are concerned with APT attacks because they make it challenging to defend critical infrastructures. Grounded in routines activity theory (RAT), the purpose of this qualitative exploratory multiple case study was to explore strategies cybersecurity analysts use to defend critical infrastructures from APT attacks. Data were collected through interviews with 8 participants and documents from two organizations. Participants were required to have experience analyzing network traffic on a critical infrastructure network, one year of cyber threat hunting experience, prior or current knowledge of cyber threat intelligence …

Workaholism Development As A Self-Efficacy Behavior Among Black Women In The Workplace, Tiffany Nicole Johnson Lemon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Understanding how workaholism develops in Black women and the role organizational culture plays in its development, specifically individuals who work in predominantly White organizations, is needed to address this phenomenon. Data were gathered from individuals who identify as Black women and are self-proclaimed workaholics who work in settings comprised predominantly of White employees. Understanding workplace culture and the events that may lead to behavioral changes has been limited, specific to the minority group of Black women. The key research questions investigated the development of workaholism in Black women who work in predominantly White organizations and the role organizational culture plays …

Barriers And Support To The Successful Postsecondary Transition Of Virgin Islands Males With A Specific Learning Disability, Marissa S. Johnson Rogers

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The post high school transition for males with a specific learning disability (SLD) can be challenging. Unemployment among persons with disabilities was markedly higher than those without. There was also mounting evidence that showed that persons with disabilities had difficulties adjusting to post-secondary environments. For male students with disabilities, their post-secondary experience was impacted by the support services received, both at school and within their community. Little was known about the post-secondary experiences of minority males with SLD. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore post-secondary transition experiences among Virgin Islands male high school graduates with SLD. Particularly, …

Exploring Critical Success Factors For Implementing It Modernization Systems In Michigan State Agencies, Luc Armand Kamdem

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Since 2001, most government organizations’ IT modernization programs had failed because of ineffective implementation strategies from IT leaders. The research problem was the absence of effective strategies to modernize IT legacy systems. The purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore effective IT modernization strategies to revolutionize IT legacy systems. The researcher sought to answer how organizations create effective strategies to modernize IT legacy systems. The study used purposeful sampling, including 13 IT leaders, IT technicians, and customers based on their experience in implementing successful IT modernization programs’ strategies. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and agency documentation. …

Using Agile Strategies To Improve Project Success Rates, Tim Kirkland

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Project failures can be costly to businesses, but on average, program managers’ (PMs’) success rates for managing information technology (IT) projects is less than 35%. Organizational cultures struggle to adapt to agile project management (APM) that provides stakeholder flexibility for dynamic environments. Grounded by project management theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies project managers use to reduce IT project failures. The participants consisted of nine project managers in the northeastern United States with APM experience managing successful IT projects. Data were collected from virtual semi-structured interviews and journal notes. Ten open-ended interview questions …

International Baccalaureate Teachers’ Perspectives On Integrating Approaches To Learning Skills To Enhance Transdisciplinary Learning, Nancy Macharia

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract

The International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum recognizes approaches to learning skills(ATLS) as an integral part of the Primary Years Programme (PYP) framework. This vital element of learning is designed to be embedded in the program standards and practices of the inquiry-based IB curriculum. After an evaluation visit by the IB school visit team members in 2017, a report was shared with the international primary school (IPS) study site located in Southeast Asia, which indicated that teachers were encountering challenges in consistent integration of ATLS to enhance transdisciplinary learning, which is the problem of this study. The purpose of this qualitative …

Healthcare Literacy Strategies To Mitigate Healthcare Utilization And Rising Costs, Stella Obiageli Maduka

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Low health literacy can adversely affect individuals and groups without access to health information. Health insurance leaders who lack strategies to decrease low health literacy may lose their ability to provide quality health services and control care costs. Grounded in the health belief model and the Andersen health service model, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to identify the strategies private health insurance leaders use to increase medical utilization to reduce healthcare costs. The three participants were from two private insurance companies in Las Vegas, Nevada. Data were gathered through semistructured, open-ended interviews via videoconferencing, a review …

K-12 Administrators’ Perceptions Of Factors Contributing To Teacher Attrition In Rural Schools, Michelle Mcdonald

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Teacher attrition is a debilitating problem that plagues education, contributes to the teacher shortage, and challenges administrators to staff schools with qualified teachers. The high teacher attrition rates in rural schools in the southeastern United States were the fundamental problem addressed in this qualitative case study. This qualitative case study's purpose was to explore how K–12 administrators perceived the factors influencing teacher attrition in a rural school district in the southeastern United States. Maslow's hierarchy of needs human motivation theory, emphasizing the concepts of the hierarchy of needs, provided support for the two research questions exploring K–12 school and district …

Meaning Of Interpersonal Interaction And Content Mastery In Online Adult Education, Barbara Green Mcwhite

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Working adult students may have difficulty mastering complex concepts when taking courses online. Researchers have argued there is a need for in-person, peer-teacher interaction available in traditional classrooms that is lacking online. The purpose of this dual-focus phenomenological study was to explore the meaning of purposeful interpersonal interaction and the experience of content mastery among undergraduate working students taking online psychology courses. Constructivism and adult learning theory guided the study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 working adults with experience taking online psychology courses within the last 2 years. Data were analyzed using Moustakas’s guidelines. Results indicated that participants experienced …

Optimal Domotic Systems Based On Archival Data Trend Analysis, Bettina Yvette Moore

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Domotics is the integration of technology into building systems. Due to the rapid growth in the use of domotic systems in recent years, the industry is struggling to establish consistency and standardization. The purpose of this archival-based qualitative case study was to identify current trends and patterns in scholarly domotic research to create an instrument to evaluate domotic systems and domotic interrelationships using bibliometric searches. The facilities management and modeling system provided the framework for the study. Archival research data were examined to identify trends and patterns in domotic research and provide visualization of domotic relationships through technology trajectory mapping …

Strategies For Differentiating The Curricula For Online Gifted Students: A Delphi Study, Joy Nehr

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Educators must meet the needs of the growing online gifted learner population to ensure these students are being appropriately challenged and are receiving the education they deserve. Current gifted education literature does not address the strategies for differentiating the curriculum for online gifted students. The study participants were teachers with at least 5 years’ experience working online or working with gifted students. The purpose of this qualitative study was to determine the best strategies for teachers to use to differentiate the curricula for this population. The theoretical frameworks used were Ward’s differential education and Tomlinson’s differentiated instruction methods. Both theories …

Challenges Of Digital Privacy In Banking Organizations, Okechukwu Innocent Ogudebe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

As the information and technology age becomes more advanced, digital privacy flaws have become more challenging. Information technology (IT) security managers, chief information security officers, and other stakeholders in banks are concerned with identity-based authentication attacks because identity-theft attacks cause data breaches. Grounded in the protection motivation theory, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic study was to examine strategies IT security professionals working on internet banking platforms use to mitigate identity-based authentication attacks. The study participants comprised five IT security professionals currently working in the online banking industry from the northeastern United States with at least 5 years of experience …

Relationship Between Cost, Schedule Overruns, And Project Success In The Nuclear Construction Industry In The United Kingdom, Adesegun Francis Osadare

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Failure to achieve project success due to cost and schedule overruns may negatively affect an organization's financial strength, profitability, and competitive advantage. Organizational leaders must constantly monitor and control projects throughout the life cycle to reduce the impact of cost and schedule overruns and ensure project success. Grounded in the triple constraint model, the purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the relationship between cost, schedule overruns, and project success. Data were collected from 66 project managers, project directors, project control, delivery integration managers, and construction project planners. The multiple linear regression analysis results were significant, F (2,63) …

How Investors Relate Portfolio Returns To Investment Performance Using Financial Options, Nurillo Pashshayev

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This quantitative study addressed the absence of a simple investment model for private investors by analyzing the relationship between the portfolio returns and the investment performance using financial options. The purpose was to determine whether the financial options added to a portfolio can positively influence an investor’s portfolio performance when diversified properly. Modern portfolio theory and option pricing theory were tested to relate portfolio returns to the investment performance using financial options for individual investors in the United States. Secondary data from Yahoo Finance, New York Stock Exchange, Chicago Board of Options Exchange, and TD Ameritrade were used to perform …

Challenges And Opportunities For Implementing Sustainable Wind Strategies In The Dominican Republic, Virgil J. Perez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The difficulties utility managers in the Dominican Republic have implementing sustainable wind strategies threaten the ability to diversify the energy supply and reduce dependence on imported fuels. Grounded in Rogers’s diffusion of innovation theory, the purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore strategies utility managers use to implement renewable wind energy in the Dominican Republic. The participants were five wind energy managers in the Dominican Republic. Data were collected using semistructured, face-to-face interviews and a review of company documents. Three themes emerged through thematic analysis: deconstructing the existing regulatory legal framework for renewable energy development, the fusion …

Teacher Perceptions Of Technology-Enhanced, Collaborative, Project-Based Learning On Students In Mixed-Ability Classrooms, Amy Lauren Pierson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The skill of collaboration is fundamental for every student as a future participant of a global society. Students with learning disabilities feel excluded amongst peers in a traditional classroom setting, specifically elementary students with learning disabilities in the area of collaboration. The overall purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore elementary teacher perceptions of how students in mixed-ability classrooms collaborate using technology in a project-based learning (PBL) environment. Vygotsky’s social constructivism theory informed this study by providing a framework for learning in social groups, specifically collaborative learning practices in a PBL environment. The research question in this study …

Elementary Educators’ Perceptions Of Common Core Mathematics Standards For English Language Learners, Katricia Purnell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A problem exists at the local site that classroom practices are not adequately preparing English language learners (ELLs) for academic success in the area of mathematics, and since the implementation of the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSS-M), there has been a lack of progress in mathematics proficiency for ELLs. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore elementary educators’ perceptions of CCSS-M implementation and its impact on math proficiency for ELLs at a Title I elementary school bordering a large urban area. Perceptions may influence beliefs and attitudes regarding CCSS-M implementation with ELLs, but little research …