Digital Commons Network^™

Application Of Artificial Intelligence In Detection And Mitigation Of Human Factor Errors In Nuclear Power Plants: A Review, Meenu Sethu, Bhavya Kotla, Darrell Russell, Mahboubeh Madadi, Nesar Ahmed Titu, Jamie Baalis Coble, Ronald L. Boring, Klaus Blache, Vivek Agarwal, Vaibhav Yadav, Anahita Khojandi

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Human factors and ergonomics have played an essential role in increasing the safety and performance of operators in the nuclear energy industry. In this critical review, we examine how artificial intelligence (AI) technologies can be leveraged to mitigate human errors, thereby improving the safety and performance of operators in nuclear power plants (NPPs). First, we discuss the various causes of human errors in NPPs. Next, we examine the ways in which AI has been introduced to and incorporated into different types of operator support systems to mitigate these human errors. We specifically examine (1) operator support systems, including decision support …

Comparing Enacted And Perceived Parental Communication As Predictors Of Adolescents’ Emotion Regulation In Families With Harmful Versus Non-Harmful Parental Alcohol Use, Marie C. Haverfield, Jennifer A. Theiss

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Emotion regulation is an important skill that adolescents typically learn through early interactions with their primary caregivers. Associations between parental communication and adolescent emotion regulation are well-documented however, it is unclear whether the parent’s actual communication behavior or adolescents’ perceptions of the parent’s behavior is a more robust predictor of emotion regulation outcomes. This study used Baumrind’s parenting styles typology as a theoretical foundation for examining parents’ enacted responsiveness and control and adolescents’ perceptions of their parent’s responsiveness and control during conversation as competing predictors of adolescents’ self-reported emotion regulation during two parent-child interactions. Sixty parent-adolescent dyads participated in an …

Dispersal And Coastal Geomorphology Limit Potential For Mangrove Range Expansion Under Climate Change, Jacqueline L. Raw, Tom Van Der Stocken, Dustin Carroll, Linda R. Harris, Anusha Rajkaran, Lara Van Niekerk, Janine B. Adams

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Latitudinal range limits for mangroves on high-energy, wave-dominated coasts are controlled by geomorphological features and estuarine dynamics. Mangroves reach a southern global range limit along the South African coastline, but the distribution is patchy, with stands occurring in only 16% of the estuaries in the region. Yet, the persistence of forests planted >50 years ago beyond the natural distribution limit suggests that additional estuaries could support mangroves. Understanding regional drivers is necessary to inform global-scale estimates for how this important ecosystem is predicted to respond to climate change. Here, we combine species distribution modelling (MaxEnt), Lagrangian particle tracking using an …

Disequilibrium River Networks Dissecting The Western Slope Of The Sierra Nevada, California, Usa, Record Significant Late Cenozoic Tilting And Associated Surface Uplift: Comment, Emmanuel Gabet

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Beeson and McCoy (2022) present several interesting methods for detecting uplift from river profiles; however, these techniques rely on conditions and assumptions that are not met in the Sierra Nevada. Moreover, one of the key predictions from their numerical model, the presence of migrating knickpoints along the Sierra’s trunk streams, is not supported by field observations or digital elevation model (DEM) analyses.

Racial-Religious Decoupling In The University: Investigating Religious Students’ Perceptions Of Institutional Commitment To Diversity, Saugher Nojan

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Muslims face racism based on their racialized religious identities, yet few address their experiences through critical race theory or campus racial climate. This paper addresses how religious students rate institutional commitments to campus diversity when considering racial and religious respect. This study examines undergraduate experience surveys across nine campuses and a Muslim student photovoice project through a mixed-methods design. I argue that racial and religious respect derived from interpersonal, discursive, and material sources influence Muslim students’ perceptions of institutional commitment to diversity. I introduce racial-religious decoupling to refer to how the separation of race and religion as distinct social experiences …

Reconfigurations In Brain Networks Upon Awakening From Slow Wave Sleep: Interventions And Implications In Neural Communication, Cassie J. Hilditch, Kanika Bansal, Ravi Chachad, Lily R. Wong, Nicholas G. Bathurst, Nathan H. Feick, Amanda Santamaria, Nita L. Shattuck, Javier O. Garcia, Erin E. Flynn-Evans

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Sleep inertia is the brief period of impaired alertness and performance experienced immediately after waking. Little is known about the neural mechanisms underlying this phenomenon. A better understanding of the neural processes during sleep inertia may offer insight into the awakening process. We observed brain activity every 15 min for 1 hr following abrupt awakening from slow wave sleep during the biological night. Using 32-channel electroencephalography, a network science approach, and a within-subject design, we evaluated power, clustering coefficient, and path length across frequency bands under both a control and a polychromatic short-wavelength-enriched light intervention condition. We found that under …

Sleep Health Education To Promote Public Health: Attitudes And Desired Learning Goals Among Social Work Students, Christine Spadola, Danielle B. Groton, Kerry Littlewood, Cassie Hilditch, Shanna Burke, Suzanne M. Bertisch

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Social workers are often front line behavioral health providers for underserved populations, many of whom experience sleep disturbances. Inadequate sleep presents a public health challenge and is associated with many adverse physical health and mental health consequences. Social workers are uniquely positioned to promote sleep health among individuals experiencing health inequities. However, sleep is rarely included as part of the curricula in social work programs in the U.S. We conducted qualitative formative research to investigate social work students’ perceptions of sleep education and desired sleep learning objectives. Twenty-five social work students were recruited via a listserv e-mail to participate in …

Principals’ Knowledge Of Trauma-Informed School Practices, Elsa Leyhe

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Trauma has become a larger issue in schools, and it is necessary for school administrators, specifically principals, to be fully aware of and equipped to deal with trauma in the student body. There is limited quantitative research on what principals currently know about trauma and trauma-informed practices. To help fill this need for more quantitative data, this research study surveyed principals in two Midwest states to address the following questions: To what extent do principals know about traumainformed care in schools? Did the principals receive any training on trauma-informed care in their graduate/certification programs? Did they seek training on their …

Boundary Lines Crossed? Seeking Honor After The Vietnam War Took Their Sons, Hannah Ackerman

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

On June 3 1969, a Navy destroyer, USS Frank E. Evans DD-754 and seventy-four Evans sailors who were serving on her were killed in an accident with the Australian aircraft carrier, HMAS Melbourne, in the South China Sea. Family members would later discover their names were not inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C. due to criteria which disqualified them. Facts of the Evans case to determine if the names of 74 Evans sailors rightfully belong on the Wall are examined. Continuing legislative efforts by the Evans Association to put the names on the Wall and other …

Understanding Student Perceptions Of Supplemental Instruction: Student Perceptions Of Supplemental Instruction Implemented In Order To Overcome Perceived Skill Deficits, Andrew Miehe

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Supplemental instruction has become so prevalent that it is simply a thing educators do to students without the students’ input or their understanding of its purpose. This prevalence combined with a lack of understanding on the part of the students could create problems around programmatic success and student motivation in addition to the potential of limiting access to coursework. Due to the fact that there is not an abundance of research focused on the student perceptions of supplemental instruction there is consensus that this perspective is often absent despite its critical role (Yazzie-Mintz & McCormick, 2012).

The proliferation of supplemental …

The Pandemic-Uncanny: Self-Estrangement And Environment In Out There And Bliss Montage, Kersten Khaley

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the WHO on March 11, 2020. The COVID-19 Public Health Emergency lasted from January 30, 2020, to May 11, 2023. During this time, abundant literature across disciplines began appearing, assessing the pandemic experience and aftermath. However, there needs to be more investigation and application of the term uncanny in the pandemic experience and literature.

Two short story collections, Out There by Kate Folk and Bliss Montage by Ling Ma, both published in 2022, are works of pandemic literature demonstrating the pandemic's inherent uncanniness and the human experience. The term pandemic-uncanny represents an inherent attachment …

A Graduate Recital In Piano, Christine Compton

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Christine Compton presented a full graduate piano recital on Monday, November 6th, 2023. The recital was presented at 6:00 p.m. in Davis Hall in the Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa. This recital was given in partial fulfillment of the Master of Music degree in Piano Performance and Pedagogy. It consisted of works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Franz Schubert, Frédéric Chopin, and Claude Debussy. This abstract contains further discussion of performed works.

Restorative Justice Diversion As A Structural Health Intervention In The Criminal Legal System, Thalia Gonzalez

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Estrés Postraumático Y Covid-19 En América Latina: Un Llamado A La Acción/Posttraumatic Stress And Covid-19 In Latin American: A Call To Action, Alfonso Mercado, Andy Torres, Amanda Palomin, Frances Morales, Cecilia Colunga-Rodríguez, Mario Angel Gonzalez, Luis E. Sarabia-López, Gabriel Davalos-Picazo, Diemen Delgado-García, Daniel Duclos

Psychological Science Faculty Publications

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the mental wellbeing of the entire globe. However, Latin American countries’ systemic and environmental challenges hindered the ability of many nations in the region to serve the mental health needs of its habitants. Compared to other mental health symptoms, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms (PTSS) were particularly higher among this geographical region. Nonetheless, there is scarcity of research identifying the unique symptom profile of PTSS. Given that the typology of PTSS is multidimensional and appears to be contingent on the type of stressor, this study (as part of larger international study) aimed to identify differences in PTSS …

Home-Based Electrical Stimulation To Accelerate Wound Healing-A Double-Blinded Randomized Control Trial, Alejandro Zulbaran-Rojas, Catherine Park, Nesreen El-Refaei, Brian Lepow, Bijan Najafi

Center on Aging Staff Publications

Background: Electrical stimulation (E-Stim) may offer a unique adjunctive treatment to heal complicated diabetic foot ulcers (DFU). Our primary goal is to examine the effectiveness of daily home-based E-Stim therapy to speed-up wound healing.

Methods: Patients with chronic DFUs and mild to severe peripheral arterial disease (PAD) were recruited and randomized to either control (CG) or intervention (IG) groups. The IG received 1-hour home-based E-Stim therapy on daily basis for 4 weeks (4W). E-Stim was delivered through electrical pads placed above the ankle joint using a bio-electric stimulation technology (BEST®) platform (Tennant Biomodulator® PRO). The CG was provided with an …

Validity And Diagnostic Performance Of Computing Fractional Flow Reserve From 2-Dimensional Coronary Angiography Images, Vahid Mohammadi, Massoud Ghasemi, Reza Rahmani, Maryam Mehrpooya, Hamidreza Babakhani, Akbar Shafiee, Mohammad Sadeghian

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

BACKGROUND: Measurement of fractional flow reserve (FFR) is the gold standard for determining the physiologic significance of coronary artery stenosis, but newer software programs can calculate the FFR from 2-dimensional angiography images.

METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted using the records of patients with intermediate coronary stenoses who had undergone adenosine FFR (aFFR). To calculate the computed FFR, a software program used simulated coronary blood flow using computational geometry constructed using at least 2 patient-specific angiographic images. Two cardiologists reviewed the angiograms and determined the computational FFR independently. Intraobserver variability was measured using κ analysis and the intraclass correlation coefficient. …

Cardiac Fibroma Presenting With Left Bundle Branch Block In An Adult With Gorlin Syndrome, Kumar Jatti, Ramya Dhandapani, Vishal Sharma, Balazs Ruzsics

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

No abstract provided.

Innovating With In-Service Mathematics Teachers’ Professional Development: The Intersection Among Mixed-Reality Simulations, Approximation-Of-Practice, And Technology-Acceptance, Jair J. Aguilar, Seokmin Kang

Teaching and Learning Faculty Publications

In-service teachers must be provided with high-quality professional development (PD) opportunities that not only effectively improves and develops their skills, but also engage, and motivate them to continue growing. In this project, we studied in-service teachers’ perceptions, opinions, and mindset toward the use of mixed-reality simulations (MRS) as a potential tool for PD to advance and enhance their pedagogical knowledge for mathematics. We followed a convergent parallel mixed-method approach with 49 in-service teachers who were exposed to a series of simulations sessions. We found evidence that the use and integration of technologies like MRS as a tool for PD is …

Climatic Stress Decreases Tick Survival But Increases Rate Of Host-Seeking Behavior, Caleb Nielebeck, Sang Hyo Kim, Antonio Pepe, Lucian Himes, Zachary Miller, Sophia Zummo, Mary Tang, Javier D. Monzón

All Faculty Open Access Publications

Ticks are vectors of many diseases and are expanding in geographic distribution. However, how ticks will fare in their new environments, where they may experience stressful climatic conditions at the expansion front, remains unclear. Since there is a trade-off in ticks between behaviors that promote longevity and behaviors that promote reproduction, we hypothesized that extreme climatic stress reduces the survivorship of ticks but increases the frequency of tick host-seeking behavior, or questing. Here, we used a novel method to simulate climatic stress on individual ticks of three species—Amblyomma americanum, Dermacentor variabilis, and Ixodes scapularis—to evaluate their survival, physiology, and questing …

Nohwi Nadeesh Diyih: Honoring Indigenous Health Through Research, Evaluation, And Policy, Danya S. Carroll

Theses and Dissertations

American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities in the United States (US) represent culturally rich food landscapes, traditions, and languages. Food access remains a public health issue in AI/AN communities that is influenced by a myriad of factors. Indigenous food cultures and Indigenous languages are also underappreciated factors in the health of AI/AN communities. This dissertation in practice is guided by both the Social Ecological Model (SEM) and Indigenous Evaluation Framework (IEF) Model with the intent of highlighting multilevel culturally aligned approaches to promoting AI/AN health through food access and Indigenous languages. Specifically, this dissertation in practice sought to platform …

The Use Of Cyber Media In Hybrid Warfare: Narrative Stories From The Front Lines; Proposing A New Gatekeeping Theory, Hussain Almalki

Theses and Dissertations

This study used a qualitative narrative approach to investigate the experiences of journalists operating in the context of hybrid warfare across several global regions. The objective of this study is to ascertain the many problems and hazards encountered by numerous journalists who are subjected to pursuit, censorship, harassment, abduction, incarceration, or fatality daily. Furthermore, the objective of this study is to comprehend the ethical and individual incentives that have driven journalists to venture into and remain in regions of violence. Lastly, this study aims to comprehend the utilization of cyber media by journalists in reporting on instances of violence and …

Environmental Toxicity Of Isoxazoline Drugs On Non-Target Species, Haley M. Cooper

Theses and Dissertations

Lyme disease affects tens of thousands of people every year in the United States, causing serious illness and even death. It is caused by the bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi, through infected black-legged tick bites. The range of these ticks is expanding, causing Lyme disease cases to increase. Considerable effort has been put toward research and eradication of Lyme disease, with limited success. Isoxazoline drugs, commonly used to prevent flea and tick infestations in dogs, could be dispatched in the field to keep black-legged ticks off the reservoir host of Lyme disease, the White-footed mouse. Little research has been done on …

Dietary Nitrate Supplementation Enhances Performance And Speeds Muscle Deoxyhaemoglobin Kinetics During An End-Sprint After Prolonged Moderate-Intensity Exercise, Samantha N. Rowland, Mariasole Da Boit, Rachel Tan, George P. Robinson, Emma O’Donnell, Lewis J. James, Stephen J. Bailey

All Faculty Open Access Publications

Short-term dietary nitrate (NO3−) supplementation has the potential to enhance performance during submaximal endurance, and short-duration, maximal-intensity exercise. However, it has yet to be determined whether NO3− supplementation before and during submaximal endurance exercise can improve performance during a short-duration, maximal-intensity end-sprint. In a randomised, double-blind, crossover study, 9 recreationally active men ingested NO3−-rich (BR: 8 mmol NO3−/day) and NO3−-depleted (PL: 0.75 mmol NO3−/day) beetroot powder for 7 days. On day 7, participants completed 2 h of moderate-intensity cycling, which immediately transitioned into a 60 s maximal-intensity end-sprint, with supplements ingested 2 h before and 1 h into the moderate-intensity …

Unchoreographed Dance: Trust And Venture Into Vulnerability—Building A Plural, Organic, And Recursive Collective, Miryam Espinosa-Dulanto, Eunice Lerma, Karin A. Lewis, Vejoya Viren

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications

In this autoethnography, we—four Hispanic Serving Institution colleagues at the USA–Mexican frontera—share our process of building a collective where a plural, organic, vulnerable, and recursive space was created. In this space, through readings, conversations, feedings, discussions, and memories, un/anticipated stories emerge…in our unchoreographed writings, we whirl, twirl, collide, and craft our collective space, which was at once chaotic, cathartic, and sustaining.

Low-Fidelity Design Optimization And Parameter Sensitivity Analysis Of Tilt-Rotor Evtol Electric Propulsion Systems, Tyler Critchfield, Andrew Ning

Faculty Publications

Urban air mobility requires a multidisciplinary approach to tackle the important chal- lenges facing the design of these aircraft. This work uses low-to-mid fidelity tools to model rotor aerodynamics, blade structures, vehicle aerodynamics, and electric propulsion for a tilt-rotor electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. We use gradient-based design optimization and extensive parameter sensitivity analysis to explore the design space and complex tradeoffs of tilt-rotor distributed electric propulsion systems.

Aerostructural Predictions Combining Fenics And A Viscous Vortex Particle Method, Ryan Anderson, Andrew Ning, Ru Xiang, Sebastiaan P. C. Van Schie, Mark Sperry, Darshan Sarojini, David Kamensky, John T. Hwang

Faculty Publications

Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft experience complex, unsteady aerodynamic interactions between rotors, wings, and fuselage that can make design difficult. We introduce a new framework for predicting aerostructural interactions. Specifically, we demonstrate the coupling of a finite element solver with Reissner-Mindlin shell theory for computing deflections and a viscous vortex particle for capturing wakes. We perform convergence studies of the aerodynamics and the coupled aerostructural model. Finally, we share some preliminary results of the dynamic aeroelastic response of Uber’s eCRM-002 main wing, and share some qualitative observations.

Ecological-Niche Modeling Reveals Current Opportunities For Agave Dryland Farming In Sonora, Mexico And Arizona, Usa, Hector G. Ortiz-Cano, Robert Hadfield, Teresa Gomez, Kevin Hultine, Ricardo Mata-Gonzalez, Steven L. Petersen, Neil C. Hansen, Michael T. Searcy, Jason Stetler, Teodoro Cervantes-Mendivil, David Burchfield, Pilman Park, J. Ryan Stewart

Faculty Publications

For centuries, humans occupying arid regions of North America have maintained an intricate relationship with Agave (Agavoideae, Asparagaceae). Today Agave cultivation, primarily for beverage production, provides an economic engine for rural communities throughout Mexico. Among known dryland-farming methods, the use of rock piles and cattle-grazed areas stand out as promising approaches for Agave cultivation. Identifying new cultivation areas to apply these approaches in Arizona, USA and Sonora, Mexico warrants a geographic assessment of areas outside the known ranges of rock piles and grasslands. The objective of this study was to predict areas for dryland-farming of Agave and develop models to …

Anyone Can Make A Religious Object: Undoing Spirituality And Contemporary Art, Mark Graham, Clark Goldsberry, Isaac Calvert

Faculty Publications

The spiritual dimensions of art and education have been explored for their potential to offer different ways of understanding or representing knowledge and their potential to inspire transcendence or cultivate wholeness. This article examines connections between transcendent or sacred territories of human existence, teaching, and contemporary art. Experiences of walking in the Himalayan mountains with Tibetan Buddhist monks, conversing with rabbis in Jerusalem, and teaching in state school classrooms are used to illustrate connections between education, spirituality, religion, and contemporary art. We seek to understand how the spiritual dimensions of education and contemporary art could be understood through the lenses …

Mindfulness As Art Education, Self-Inquiry, And Artmaking, Mark Graham, Rebecca Lewis

Faculty Publications

This article presents an overview and continuation of a study investigating how artist awareness and critical response might provide a better understanding of mindfulness and its practice within art education. While there are distinct advantages to mindfulness practices in education, these practices might also have problematic aspects, such as helping people conform to oppressive structures in education rather than questioning them. The pandemic of 2020–2021 accentuated student concerns with social, emotional, and mental health and illuminated possible benefits of mindfulness practice. Results show that preservice art education students used mindfulness and data visualization to connect art and self-inquiry. Important findings …

Serious Games For Health Promotion In Adolescents – A Systematic Scoping Review, Lesley Andrew, Donna Barwood, Julie Boston, Martin Masek, Lauren Bloomfield, Amanda Devine

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Digital gaming has broad appeal globally, with a reported 2.7 billion gamers worldwide. There is significant interest in using games to enhance learning, with ‘serious games’ being included in classrooms to engage adolescents’ learning across a range of domains. A systematic scoping review of serious games used for health promotion with adolescents was conducted to identify serious games, review the methods used to evaluate these games, and outline evidence available to support the efficacy of these games in improving knowledge, beliefs/attitudes and behaviours in the target groups. Player engagement/enjoyment was reported if assessed. A total of 21 studies were found …