Digital Commons Network^™

Early Detection Of Sars-Cov-2 Variants Through Dynamic Co-Mutation Network Surveillance, Paul W. Bible, Qiang Huang, Huining Qiu, Yong Huang, Fangfang Zheng, Jing Gu, Jian Sun, Yuantao Hao, Yu Liu

Computer Science Faculty publications

Background: Precise public health and clinical interventions for the COVID-19 pandemic has spurred a global rush on SARS-CoV-2 variant tracking, but current approaches to variant tracking are challenged by the flood of viral genome sequences leading to a loss of timeliness, accuracy, and reliability. Here, we devised a new co-mutation network framework, aiming to tackle these difficulties in variant surveillance.

Methods: To avoid simultaneous input and modeling of the whole large-scale data, we dynamically investigate the nucleotide covarying pattern of weekly sequences. The community detection algorithm is applied to a co-occurring genomic alteration network constructed from mutation corpora of weekly …

Situating Dobbs, Paula A. Monopoli

Faculty Scholarship

The recent decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health has been characterized as an outlier because its effect is to erase a previously recognized constitutional right. This paper situates Dobbs in a broader feminist constitutional history. It asks if this retrenchment is really such a unique turn in American jurisprudence when it comes to protections or “rights” that matter most to women’s lived experience. The paper argues that if one opens the aperture of constitutional history to embrace a more capacious view of rights, those afforded to women have often been eroded or erased by state legislatures, Congress, and courts. …

The Suitability Of Demand-Controlled Sensor Based Ventilation Systems In Retrofit Dwellings - A Longitudinal Study., Seamus Harrington, Mark Mulville

Conference papers

A fabric-first approach to dwelling retrofit results in increased airtightness, therefore there is an obligation to ensure that the upgrades do not lead to poor indoor air quality (IAQ) resulting from inadequate ventilation. The sensor-based demand-controlled ventilation (SBDCV) under review seeks to provide fresh air for breathing and to dilute and exhaust pollutants and odours. This system modulates the ventilation rate over time based on relative humidity levels and/or presence detection and considers that the level of ventilation provided is sufficient to control the concentration of all other indoor air pollutants, including those that are not a result of human …

Walkable Neighborhoods: Linkages Between Place, Health, And Happiness In Younger And Older Adults, Kevin M. Leyden, Michael J. Hogan, Lorraine D'Arcy, Brendan Bunting, Sebastiaan Bierema

Articles

Problem, research strategy, and findings: We examined whether living in a walkable neighborhood influenced the happiness of younger and older city residents. The data for this study came from a comprehensive household population survey of 1,064 adults living in 16 neighborhoods in Dublin City (Ireland) and its suburbs. We used multigroup structural equation modeling to analyze the direct and indirect effects of walkability on happiness, mediated by health, trust, and satisfaction with neighborhood appearance. We found living in a walkable neighborhood was directly linked to the happiness of people aged 36 to 45 (p¼.001) and, to a lesser extent, those …

Assessment Of The Imerg Early-Run Precipitation Estimates Over South American Country Of Chile, Luciana Das Dores De Jesus Da Silva, Mohammed Mahoud, Lisdelys González-Rodríguez, Safa Mohammed, Lien Rodríguez-López, Mauricio Ivan Aguayo Arias

Articles

Accurate rainfall measurement is a challenge, especially in regions with diverse climates and complex topography. Thus, knowledge of precipitation patterns requires observational networks with a very high spatial and temporal resolution, which is very difficult to construct in remote areas with complex geological features such as desert areas and mountains, particularly in countries with high topographical variability such as Chile. This study evaluated the performance of the near-real-time Integrated Multi-satellite Retrievals for GPM (IMERG) Early product throughout Chile, a country located in South America between 16°S–66°S latitude. The accuracy of the IMERG Early was assessed at different special and temporal …

A Lak Of Direction Misalignment Between The Goals Of Learning Analytics And Its Research Scholarship, Benjamin A. Motz, Yoav Bergner, Christopher A. Brooks, Anna Gladden, Geraldine Gray, Charles Lang, Warren Li, Fernando Marmolejo-Ramos, Joshua D. Quick

Articles

Learning analytics defines itself with a focus on data from learners and learning environments, with corresponding goals of understanding and optimizing student learning. In this regard, learning analytics research, ideally, should be characterized by studies that make use of data from learners engaged in education systems, should measure student learning, and should make efforts to intervene and improve these learning environments.

Setransformer: A Transformer-Based Code Semantic Parser For Code Comment Generation, Zheng Li, Yonghao Wu, Bin Peng, Xiang Chen, Zeyu Sun, Yong Liu, Paul Doyle

Conference Papers

Automated code comment generation technologies can help developers understand code intent, which can significantly reduce the cost of software maintenance and revision. The latest studies in this field mainly depend on deep neural networks, such as convolutional neural networks and recurrent neural network. However, these methods may not generate high-quality and readable code comments due to the long-term dependence problem, which means that the code blocks used to summarize information are far from each other. Owing to the long-term dependence problem, these methods forget the previous input data’s feature information during the training process. In this article, to solve the …

What Impact Is Occupancy Behavior Having On The Energy Performance Gap Of A Cohort Of A Rated Dwellings?, Karl Mcgarry

Other resources

The use of energy asset ratings in the construction industry has been criticized in literature and in practice due to its apparent inaccuracies when compared to measured energy usage. In the Irish context the Dwelling Energy Assessment Procedure (DEAP), the asset rating tool has been the topic of many research papers of late with authors citing that in almost all cases the model is underestimating the energy usage of A rated dwellings. This point is of major concern due to A rated Building Energy Rating (BER) certificates now being minimum compliance with the building regulations for new build dwellings. The …

Landmark Stereo Dataset For Landmark Recognition And Moving Node Localization In A Non-Gps Battlefield Environment, Ganesh Sapkota, Sanjay Madria

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this paper, we have proposed a new strategy of using the landmark anchor node instead of a radio-Based anchor node to obtain the virtual coordinates (landmarkID, DISTANCE) of moving troops or defense forces that will help in tracking and maneuvering the troops along a safe path within a GPS-denied battlefield environment. the proposed strategy implements landmark recognition using the Yolov5 model and landmark distance estimation using an efficient Stereo Matching Algorithm. We consider that a moving node carrying a low-power mobile device facilitated with a calibrated stereo vision camera that can capture stereo images of a scene containing landmarks …

Neuemot: Mitigating Neutral Label And Reclassifying False Neutrals In The 2022 Fifa World Cup Via Low-Level Emotion, Ademola Adesokan, Sanjay Madria

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Sports have been extensively studied for their impact on people's emotional well-being, with research revealing that they have the ability to reduce anxiety and unhappiness while boosting positive emotions1. among all sports, soccer stands out as the most popular and controversial2, eliciting a wide range of emotional reactions from fans, players, officials, and spectators, particularly on social media. While sentiment classifications such as positive, negative, and neutral have been extensively studied, low-level emotions, which refer to more specific and granular emotional states beyond the three basic categories, have yet to be given much attention. This study scraped over 300,000 tweets …

Fedfast: Selective Federated Learning Using Fittest Parameters Aggregation And Slotted Clients Training, Ferdinand Kahenga, Antoine Bagula, Sajal K. Das

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper proposes a novel selective federated learning (FL) algorithm, called fittest aggregation and slotted training (FedFaSt). It relies on a 'free-for-all' client training process to score clients' efficiency while applying the 'natural selection' principle to elect the fittest clients to be used in FL training and aggregation processes. While relying on a combined data quality and training performance metric for scoring clients, FedFaSt implements a slotted training model enabling teams of fittest clients to participate in the training and aggregation processes for a fixed number of successive rounds, called slots. Performance validation using X-ray datasets reveals that FedFaSt outperforms …

Prediction Of Single Proppant Terminal Settling Velocity In High Viscosity Friction Reducers By Using Artificial Neural Networks And Xgboost, Xiaojing Ge, Rong Lu, Ghith Biheri, Abdulmohsin Imqam, Baojun Bai

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

High viscosity friction reducers (HVFRs) have been recently gaining more attention and increasing in use, not only as friction-reducing agents but also as proppant carriers. The settling velocity of the proppant is one of the key outputs to describe their proppant transport capability. However, it is influenced by many factors such as fluid properties, proppant properties, and fracture properties. Many empirical/physics-based models and correlations to predict particle settling velocity have been developed. However, they are usually based on certain assumptions and have applicable limits. In contrast, machine learning models can be considered as a black box. The objective of this …

Transport And Plugging Performance Evaluation Of A Novel Re-Crosslinkable Microgel Used For Conformance Control In Mature Oilfields With Super-Permeable Channels, Adel Alotibi, T. Song, Baojun Bai, Thomas P. Schuman

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Preformed particle gels (PPG) have been widely applied in oilfields to control excessive water production. However, PPG has limited success in treating opening features because the particles can be flushed readily during post-water flooding. We have developed a novel micro-sized Re-crosslinkable PPG (micro-RPPG) to solve the problem. The microgel can re-crosslink to form a bulk gel, avoiding being washed out easily. This paper evaluates the novel microgels' transport and plugging performance through super-permeable channels. Micro-RPPG was synthesized and evaluated for this study. Its storage moduli after fully swelling are approximately 82 Pa. The microgel characterization, self-healing process, transportation behavior, and …

Laboratory Investigation Of Regained Rock Permeability Using High Viscosity Friction Reducer In Comparison To Linear Guar Fracture Fluids, Ghith Biheri, Abdulmohsin Imqam

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Hydraulic fracturing is a method employed for extracting oil and gas from unconventional reservoirs by pumping a mixture of water, sand, and additives into the reservoirs to fracture oil formations. A high viscosity friction reducer (HVFR) based on polyacrylamide is a popular chemical that has been employed recently during hydraulic fracturing treatments to help transport proppant and to reduce friction. However, the use of HVFRs at high concentrations, especially in regions with high concentration levels of total dissolved solids (TDS), has raised concerns over the possibility of formation damage. In this research, a new type of HVFR was investigated for …

Supervision Of Artificial Intelligence In The Eu And The Protection Of Privacy, Johanna Chamberlain, Jane Reichel

FIU Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Development Of Digital Mass Surveillance In Norway: The Emergence Of A Surveillance State?, Iris Nguyên Duy

FIU Law Review

No abstract provided.

Calculated Privacy: Tech Meets Law & Law Meets Tech, Tobias J. Oechtering, Sara Saeidian, Cecilia Magnusson Sjöberg

FIU Law Review

No abstract provided.

Unmasking The Power Dynamic Between Local School Boards And The State Executive Branch: Implications For Future Local School Safety Protocols, Karla Michelle Cejas

FIU Law Review

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought attention to the government’s power in controlling the operation of public schools. The legal and political differences among local school boards and the State’s COVID policies are exemplified in media headline battles pertaining to school reopening and the Governor’s so called “anti-mask mandate.” The State capitalized on its emergency powers at the expense of providing local school boards with the autonomy to enact district-wide protective measures. Local school boards have faced several challenges in arguing against State Emergency Orders including a difficulty with proving state compulsion to comply with its directives, overly broad statutory language …

Evolving Privacy Protections For Emerging Machine Learning Data Under Carpenter V. United States, Emily Nicolella

FIU Law Review

The Fourth Amendment’s third-party doctrine eliminates an individual’s reasonable expectation of privacy in information they willingly turn over to third parties. Government scrutiny of this information is not considered a search under the Fourth Amendment and is therefore not given constitutional protections. In the 2018 case Carpenter v. United States, the Supreme Court created an exception to the third-party doctrine. In Carpenter, a case involving the warrantless use of cell site location information (CSLI) in a criminal investigation, the Court held that individuals do have a reasonable expectation of privacy regarding CSLI. According to Chief Justice Roberts, despite the necessary …

Present And Future Of Environmental Law In Cuba, Daimar Cánovas González

FIU Law Review

The environmental legal framework in Cuba is based on constitutional article 75 and Law 81, of July 11, 1997, on the environment, a framework law on the matter, with a series of complementary provisions with the rank of Decree Law or Ministerial Resolution. The adoption of the new constitutional text in 2019 is followed by the updating of all environmental legislation that requires a new framework law, which fills the gaps in the current one and leads to more effective environmental management. The paper addresses some of the areas in which significant changes have occurred or should occur. In particular, …

Contemporary Crises In Cuba: Economic, Political, And Social, Silvia Pedraza, Carlos Romero

FIU Law Review

In this paper my co-author and I will present the various crises that are taking place in Cuba at present: economic, political, and cultural. We rely on published data, such as the GDP, as well as materials from in-depth interviews and participant observation.

Age Is Not Just A Number: Problems With Florida’S Statutory Minimum Age For Juvenile Delinquency And Why It Must Be Increased, Natalie Brooks

FIU Law Review

Under a Florida law enacted in 2021, any child over the age of six years old can be arrested and subjected to juvenile delinquency proceedings. Florida, as well as the United States in general, is an outlier when it comes to statutory minimum ages for juvenile delinquency. The most common and recommended minimum age internationally is fourteen years old, and many studies show that arresting, charging, and adjudicating children below the age of fourteen is counterproductive, as it leads to increased recidivism, potentially violates due process, and leaves lasting negative effects on children. This comment will discuss juvenile delinquency in …

The Ultimate Injustice: States' Failure To Take Steps To Prevent Wrongful Convictions And, When Wrongful Convictions Are Exposed, To Provide Adequate Assistance To Exonerees, Natalie Lahera

FIU Law Review

Among the many rights guaranteed by the Constitution are the rights to a presumption of innocence, equal protection, due process, a speedy trial, a trial by jury, and legal counsel, if indigent and charged with a serious crime. But those rights do not ensure that the justice system succeeds every time. The United States has exonerated over 3,000 individuals since 1989. The exonerees have collectedly lost over 26,700 years of their lives. Each exoneration has provided insight into the causes of wrongful convictions, the issues with current compensation laws, and even the changes that need to be implemented to avoid …

A Survey Of The Literature On Federal Appellate Practice And Procedure, Thomas E. Baker

FIU Law Review

This is a survey of the literature related to appellate practice and procedure before the United States Courts of Appeals for the benefit of lawyers and judges and scholars. It is reproduced with permission from THOMAS E. BAKER, A PRIMER ON THE JURISDICTION OF THE U.S. COURTS OF APPEALS (Fed. Jud. Ctr. 3d ed. 2023) available at: https://www.fjc.gov/content/379899/primer-jurisdiction-us-courts-appeals-third-edition). This origin explains the scattered references in the entries to “this Primer.”

The Child Vanishes: Justice Scalia’S Approach To The Role Of Psychology In Determining Children’S Rights And Responsibilities, Aviva Orenstein

FIU Law Review

Justice Scalia’s attitudes about children and psychology reveal fascinating patterns in his thinking about the rights, responsibilities, needs, and experiences, of children. With his famous wit and acerbic style fully on display, Justice Scalia’s opinions across various legal doctrines demonstrated hostility to the science of psychology and its practitioners, as well as a callous attitude towards children’s trauma. Contemptuous of a best- interests analysis and the professionals who counsel about those interests, Justice Scalia instead emphasized parental and state power over children and tended to advocate for child protection only when it limited children’s agency and freedom. This article demonstrates …

A Free Speech-Based Response To Media Polarization, R. George Wright

FIU Law Review

The degree of polarization, distrust, and animosity in the political elements of our social media have reached remarkable levels. But any attempt to address the relevant problems that requires legal enforcement inevitably raises serious issues of free speech and free press. Relying instead on fact checkers has its own numerous, substantial, and inevitable limitations, some of which parallel the very problems sought to be addressed. More promising are political social media reforms, akin to that proposed herein, that are voluntary, generally pluralistic and critical, reflective of the relevant social science evidence, and unlikely to raise problems of free speech and …

How Florida’S Courts Should Evaluate The Admissibility Of Field Sobriety Testing And Blood Thc Levels Evidence In Marijuana Impaired Driving Prosecutions, Christopher Bomhoff

FIU Law Review

Field sobriety and blood alcohol concentration tests are proven reliable techniques to determine whether a person us under the influence of alcohol. No such technique has been developed to reliably determine whether a person is under the influence of marijuana. However, despite a lack of scientific consensus regarding the reliability of field sobriety and blood toxicology tests to determine marijuana impairment, these methods are routinely used as evidence of guilt in marijuana impaired driving prosecutions. Twenty-four states have legalized the recreational use of marijuana, and Florida appears to be set to join them in the near future. As a result …

Alpha Band Prefrontal Asymmetry Does Not Underlie Pain Approach-Avoidance: Results From Two Eeg Studies, Tracy W. Brown, Kayli N. Colpitts, Cristian M. Botello, Abby K. Hartman, Kathryn P. Seymour

Psychological Science Faculty Publications

Pain research is often focused on escape from pain or approach of relief, yet individuals with chronic pain make complex choices to face their pain to satiate other drives (approach-avoidance conflicts). An abundance of research has indicated that prefrontal alpha band asymmetry (PFA) underlies approach-avoidance in general, but there is limited information about whether PFA underlies pain approach-avoidance conflicts. Electroencephalogram activity was recorded while 70 participants with chronic pain (n=33) and without chronic pain (n=37) approached/avoided stimuli containing simultaneous pain (low-high) and monetary reward (low-high). Findings from both studies revealed that approach-avoidance for pain stimuli is not accompanied by prefrontal …

Towards A Novel Approach For Smart Agriculture Predictability, Rima Grati, Myriam Aloulou, Khouloud Boukadi

All Works

No abstract provided.

Impact Of Designed Task-Based Interventions On K-8 Preservice Teachers’ Knowledge And Ability To Solve Measurement Unit Conversion Problems, Ha Nguyen, Tuyin An, Eryn Maher

Mathematical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Converting two-dimensional measurement units presents challenges for K-8 preservice teachers (PSTs) (e.g., 9 ft2 = __ yd2). Place value deficiency, lack of understanding of metric system measurement units, misconceptions about relationships between measurement units, and uncertain knowledge of ratios have been identified as causes of student error in one-dimensional analysis (e.g., Livy & Vale, 2011; Morris, 2001; Southwell & Penglase, 2005). However, PSTs’ strategies for solving two-dimensional measurement unit conversion problems (MUCPs) and possible interventions for improvement are rarely investigated in research. The purpose of this study is to design and test a set of tasks that may help students …