Digital Commons Network^™

Computational Molecular Docking Studies Of Small Molecule Inhibitors With The Sars-Cov-2 Spike Protein Variants: In-Silico Drug Discovery Using Virtual Screening And Drug Repurposing Approaches, Grace Gupta

Computational and Data Sciences (MS) Theses

The pandemic caused by the emergence of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in 2019 has caused a global public health crisis of nearly unprecedented scale. In the years following the outbreak, the scientific community has mobilized to develop several vaccines and treatments. Drug repurposing as a strategy for drug development has produced many of the current therapeutic options. The greatest challenge to designing a therapeutic inhibitor of SARS-CoV-2 is the shifting mutational landscape of the virus as it evolves. In this study, we focus on the spike protein as a target for potential inhibitors. We explore two …

Teaching Animal And Plant Survival With Instructional And Assessment Strategies, Kapri Case

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

This capstone study explored the impact of instructional and assessment strategies on students’ achievement in science. The study spanned 6 days, comprising 5 lessons. The students took a 6-item pre-assessment to assess prior knowledge, a 4-item post-assessment at the unit’s conclusion, and a summative assessment to demonstrate their new knowledge.

Instructional strategies were adapted based on pre-assessment results. Analysis of student performance data revealed a marked increase in learning outcomes through the integration of differentiated instruction and assessment strategies. Following the review of the student work, it became evident that the integration of summarizing/note-taking and cooperative learning significantly enhanced post-instruction …

Costs Of Wind Erosion In The Northern Agricultural Region, Anne Bennett

Natural resources published reports

Summary

• To date, the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development’s (DPIRD) estimated opportunity cost of wind erosion for Western Australia’s (WA) agricultural region has only included the costs of forgone production income and therefore underestimates the broader costs of wind erosion events.
• This underestimation of costs was the impetus to create a case study to give an indication of the magnitude of the costs of wind erosion from agricultural land.
• Farmers in the Northern Agricultural Region (NAR) were contacted to seek information about the on-farm costs of wind erosion events that occurred in 2020. Seventeen farmers responded to the …

Functional And Anatomical Connectivity Predict Brain Stimulation’S Mnemonic Effects, Youssef Ezzyat, James E> Kragel, Ethan A. Solomon, Bradley C. Lega, Joshua P. Aronson, Barbara C. Jobst, Robert E. Gross, Michael R. Sperling, Gregory A. Worrell, Sameer A. Sheth, Paul A. Wanda, Daniel S. Rizzuto, Michael J. Kahana

Department of Neurology Faculty Papers

Closed-loop direct brain stimulation is a promising tool for modulating neural activity and behavior. However, it remains unclear how to optimally target stimulation to modulate brain activity in particular brain networks that underlie particular cognitive functions. Here, we test the hypothesis that stimulation's behavioral and physiological effects depend on the stimulation target's anatomical and functional network properties. We delivered closed-loop stimulation as 47 neurosurgical patients studied and recalled word lists. Multivariate classifiers, trained to predict momentary lapses in memory function, triggered the stimulation of the lateral temporal cortex (LTC) during the study phase of the task. We found that LTC …

Black Digital Spaces: Theorizing Resistance In The Wake Of Racist Technology, Shannan Moore

Graduate Student Research Fellowship

In the wake of major technological advancement, social media has increasingly become a communal space of daily congregation, particularly for Black people. This paper specifically explores how the Black Diaspora navigates these spaces at a complex intersection of social media and transnational Black histories. I draw from critical Internet studies, Black Diaspora studies, Black feminisms, and media studies to investigate how new technology allows Black folk to engage in conversations about our identity, community, and resistance. Employing a critical ethnographic approach, this paper analyzes online discourse within the Black community about Marvel's Black Panther (2018). This analysis emphasizes the parallels …

Novel Psychophysics Of Cognitive Color Appearance Phenomena, Luke Hellwig

Theses

Color appearance models can be used as an experimental design and analysis tool to better study high-level color perception involving brightness and chromatic adaptation. We investigate the experimental basis for the Helmholtz-Kohlrausch effect, the contribution of chromatic intensity to our perception of brightness. A new experimental method for measuring the brightness of chromatic colors leads to a model of the Helmholtz-Kohlrausch effect, which we use to extend CIECAM16, the color appearance model recommended by the Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage. The model is tested on high-dynamic-range images. The process of building this model also leads to several improvements in CIECAM16 itself. …

Knowledge Integration For Human-In-The-Loop Machine Learning, Ervine Zheng

Theses

Machine learning has evolved into advanced techniques for vision, language, and applications in different areas. However, human expertise is still essential in providing meaningful interpretations of the semantics for tasks in knowledge-rich domains, such as medicine, science, and security intelligence. It is beneficial to incorporate human knowledge into a machine learning system, and we consider human-in-the-loop an increasingly important area for future research. Human-in-the-loop machine learning aims to develop a reliable prediction model with minimal costs by integrating human knowledge and experience. In this thesis, we propose human-in-the-loop methods to address knowledge-rich data understanding challenges for different machine-learning tasks. Specifically, …

Pricing Corporate Governance, Albert H. Choi

UC Law Journal

Scholars and practitioners have long theorized that by penalizing firms with unattractive governance features, the stock market incentivizes firms to adopt the optimal governance structure at their initial public offerings (IPOs). This theory, however, does not seem to match with practice. Not only do many IPO firms offer putatively suboptimal governance arrangements, such as staggered boards and dual-class structures, but these arrangements have been gaining popularity among IPO firms. This Article argues that the IPO market is unlikely to provide the necessary discipline to incentivize companies to adopt the optimal governance package. In particular, when the optimal governance package differs …

Comparing Reasons For Hate Crime Reporting Using Racialized Legal Status, Pamela Ho

UC Law Journal

In the past decade, Latinxs and Asians in the United States have experienced an increase in hate crime victimization. Previous research has identified correlations between hate crime reporting and race. However, few statistical studies examine the intersection of race, immigration status, and hate crime reporting. This Note explores how racialized legal status applies to Latinx and Asian communities respectively and how racialized legal status affects a hate crime victim’s decision to report the crime to police. This Note then sets forth some recommendations for increasing hate crime reporting rates by Latinx and Asian victims.

An Exploration Of Two Information Literacy Open Learning Object Repositories: Value, Content, And Engagement, Tiffanie Lynn Ford-Baxter

Communications in Information Literacy

Information literacy (IL) open learning object repositories (LORs) provide a space for librarians to find and exchange instruction resources and lessons. Given many librarians enter the workforce with little or no formal training or educational opportunities to learn about pedagogy, these repositories are indispensable resources to the Library and Information Science field. This study explored the contents of two popular IL LORs, Project Cora and the Association of College and Research Libraries Framework for Information Literacy Sandbox, to uncover how users engage with the resources and how the repositories differ. This study's findings suggest that while resources within the LORs …

Unmasking And Addressing Burnout In The Mental Health Profession, Sara Edwards

University Honors Theses

Burnout poses a significant challenge among mental health workers, impacting both the well-being of practitioners and the outcomes for their patients. The key inquiries guiding this literature review are: what factors contribute to burnout, and what interventions are essential for treating and preventing burnout in mental health professionals? The findings reveal that factors such as level of experience, lack of quality supervision, vicarious trauma, working conditions, and personal beliefs significantly contribute to burnout. Effective prevention and treatment measures for mental health workers vulnerable to burnout encompass self-monitoring, participation in support groups, additional training, and organizational interventions. These insights could serve …

Critical Consciousness & The Rural-Urban Divide, Kendall O'Rorke

University Honors Theses

This study investigated the relationship between conceptions of Critical Consciousness (CC) and urban vs. rural geographic location type. Participants (N = 31) completed the Short Critical Consciousness Scale (CCS-S), and 25 additional questions regarding potential location-based idealogical differences. No measurable differences were found regarding differences in conceptions of critical consciousness (using CCS-S scores) based on rural-urban location, however, other responses supported some current research regarding political typology. Additional research is needed to fully understand this topic.

Russian Civic Criticism And The Idyllic Dream In Ivan Goncharov’S “Oblomov”, Cassio De Oliveira

World Languages and Literatures Faculty Publications and Presentations

Nikolai Dobroliubov’s and Dmitrii Pisarev’s reviews of Ivan Goncharov’s novel Oblomov have gone into history as exemplars of Russian civic criticism. Their main argument centers on the eponymous protagonist’s seeming inability to exit his lethargic condition, which they interpret as a symptom of the Russian status quo at the time of the Great Reforms. In the present article, I argue that the case of Oblomov demonstrates the limits of the civics’ mimetic criticism. The dominant chronotope of the novel, namely the idyll, indicates that Oblomov is not in essence a novel about the hero’s inability to change (which would presuppose …

Extension Event Attendance Increases Adoption Of Weed Management Practices By Sports Field Managers, George Frisvold, Chandrakant Agme, David Ervin, Shawn W. Askew, Rebecca Grubbs Bowling, Jennifer Allen, James T. Brosnan, Multiple Additional Authors

Economics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Data from a national survey of 348 U.S. sports field managers were used to examine the effects of participation in Cooperative Extension events on the adoption of turfgrass weed management practices. Of the respondents, 94% had attended at least one event in the previous 3 yr. Of this 94%, 97% reported adopting at least one practice as a result of knowledge gained at an Extension turfgrass event. Half of the respondents had adopted four or more practices; a third adopted five or more practices. Nonchemical, cultural practices were the most-adopted practices (65% of respondents). Multiple regression analysis was used to …

Disrupting Childhood Trauma With Holistic Health Practices In Low Ses Elementary Schools, Unna G. Burns, Ketzia Kogan, Sarah M. Wingerden, Hannah Meck

Psychology and Child Development

It is evident that adverse childhood experiences (ACE) are a large challenge to tackle in the U.S., with 61% of adults reporting that they’ve experienced one ACE and 16% reporting four or more ACEs by age 18 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2019). ACE score items include, but are not limited to experiencing verbal, physical, sexual abuse, physical and/or emotional neglect, having a mentally ill family member, witnessing violence in the home towards a parent, and/or having a family member in prison. Such experiences serve as a public health threat that, without early intervention, bring about long-term effects biologically, …

In The Symphony Of Green Spaces,Brain And Its Thoughts Find The Healing Melody., Man Mohan Mehndiratta, Vasundhara Aggarwa, Nishant Tomar

Pakistan Journal of Neurological Sciences (PJNS)

No abstract provided.

Independent- Dec. 1, 2023, Leslie Lozada

The Independent (1988-present)

No abstract provided.

The Strength Of Community: The Role Of Social Support Networks In Sport Officials’ Retention, Jacob K. Tingle, Brittany L. Jacobs, Matthew Katz, Stacy Warner

School of Business Faculty Research

Previous researchers have indicated that a sense of community and social support are vital to referee retention; however, little is known about the connection between specific characteristics of sports officials’ networks and retention. To better understand the sports officiating shortage, researchers explored the social support networks of 116 referees utilizing egocentric network analysis. The authors suggest that retention of sports officials depends on the interpersonal ties and network structures within which the referees are embedded. Specifically, resulting hierarchical models confirmed that retention relationships among officials are a multilevel phenomenon, and that outside communication and community were vital network characteristics that …

From Periphery To Center: Re-Presenting Black And Afro-Arab Characters In Contemporary Arabic Literature, Samer Ahmad Mayyas

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Black Arabs and Afro-Arabs tend not to be centered in Arabic discourse, especially modern Arabic literature, and Black people of other ethnicities are marginalized, as if Black peoples and Afro-Arabs were not part of the history and present-day of the Arabic-speaking world. I explore in this dissertation project the representations and experiences of Black and Afro-Arabs in contemporary Arabic fictional narratives. I argue that the contemporary literary era sees a shift in re-presenting Black peoples and Afro-Arabs in the Arabic fictional discourse. By moving Black and Afro-Arab characters from periphery to center, contemporary Arab writers challenge and disrupt, in an …

Foreword, The Honorable L. A. Harris Jr.

University of Richmond Law Review

“Your writing is so bad you will not be considered for Law Review and there is some question about your admittance to Law School.”

Life is strange and ironic. In 1974 as a second year law student at the T. C. Williams School of Law at the University of Richmond, I was invited to submit an article to determine if I would be permitted to serve on the Law Review. A member of the Law Review evaluated my article and met with me. In summation he said my writing was so bad that I would not be considered for Law …

Using Mindfulness Through Doodling In Interactive Notebooking To Increase Student Achievement, Michelle Brown

Dissertations

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, which unfolded from 2019 to 2021, disrupted education systems worldwide, leading to significant learning loss and inequities. The shift to digital learning, necessitated by the pandemic, presented challenges such as learning loss and social-emotional impacts. This study investigates the incorporation of Social Emotional Learning(SEL), with mindfulness, into the school curriculum to address these challenges.

The focus of the study is on the implementation of Mindful Doodling as a component of SEL within an interactive notebook in a middle school science curriculum to enhance student achievement. The study aimed to analyze how different amounts of Mindful Doodling in …

The Effect Of Step Rate Training On Running Economy And Biomechanics, Nahir Negron-Fernandez

All NMU Master's Theses

It is known that running economy is a determinant of running performance. Increased step rate has been correlated with improved running economy, but it is unknown whether these improvements can be maintained with chronic training. The purpose of this study was to determine if a step rate training intervention improves running economy and improves lower body kinetic factors in distance runners. Nine participants were randomly assigned to either an intervention group (n = 7) undergoing a 6-week supplemental training program, or a non-training control group (n = 2). The intervention group trained three times a week, running at a higher …

Using Readers' Theater To Increase Fluency For Second Grade Students, Serena Coyle

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

This study focuses the effect of reader’s theater on fluency for second-grade students. Fluency was measured through oral reading fluency and the multidimensional fluency scale. Students were selected from the researcher’s second-grade classroom. The study was done in a small group setting. Results show that students significantly improved oral reading fluency and prosody in the six-week study. Students grew an average of 24 words per minute in oral reading fluency.

The Effects Of One-On-One Interventions On Kindergarten Students., Laura Peterson

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

This 2023 study focuses on the impact that one-on-one interventions have on the academic achievement of kindergarten students. My focus is on whether one-on-one interventions play a significant role in the outcome of student scores on trimester achievement assessments, or if one-on-one interventions do not show success in student progress. Students will be assessed daily for 20 days on interventions in areas they are struggling with. The research took place in a Minnesota school, specifically five Kindergarten students who are in the same classroom. The data and results will follow.

Empowering Nursing Staff To Activate Rapid Response Teams: Using In Situ Simulation To Bolster Knowledge And Confidence, Elicia Egozcue, Marrice A. King, Natalie Bermudez, Nohemi Sadule Rios, Mayra Villalba, Ashley Miller

Nursing & Health Sciences Research Journal

Purpose: To examine the impact of in situ simulation (ISS) with scripting on nursing staff’s knowledge and confidence to initiate rapid response teams (RRTs) immediately after identifying patient condition deterioration. Background/Significance: Failure to rescue (FTR) related to delays in activation of RRT is on the rise, leading to poor patient outcomes. Lack of confidence, knowledge, and empowerment are associated with delayed activation of RRTs. As such, the nursing staff’s confidence is integral in activating RRTs and FTR prevention. In situ simulation may help nurses increase their confidence, thus empowering timely RRT initiation. Methods: This quantitative pretest–posttest study used a convenience …

Nurses - Tab Down Your Stress Level: A Pilot Study On The Use Of Aromatherapy To Decrease Stress Levels, Judith E. Bowling, Ashley N. Garbutt, Theresa Worden, Julie Erickson, Nicole Rowney

Nursing & Health Sciences Research Journal

Introduction: The average day-to-day nursing profession is a stressful one. The job often requires dealing with patients enduring some of the worst times of their lives, as well as contending with patients' emotional family members. This stressful environment is heightened even more for nurses employed in critical access hospitals (CAHs) due to the limited resources usually associated with these smaller facilities. Methods: Research and Evidence-Based Practice Council members at one CAH explored how to help nurses deal with the elevated work stress level. Aromatherapy tabs were used as an intervention to reduce nurses' stress. The nurses who participated in this …

Prevalence Of Substance Use Among Lesbian, Gay, And Bisexual High School Students In 2019 Vs. 2021, Jordyn Lee, Elisabeth Hayes, Adam Wyatt

Nursing & Health Sciences Research Journal

Background: Studies suggest that LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, plus) youth are at increased risk of engaging in alcohol and substance use. The COVID-19 pandemic forced many students to isolate in 2020 and 2021, and the impacts of this have been purported to be detrimental. This study examines the prevalence of alcohol and substance use among lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) U.S. high school students before the pandemic in 2019 versus 2021. Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study used results from the 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) and the 2021 Adolescent Behavior and Experiences Survey (ABES). The 2019 YRBS …

Exploring The Influence Of Technology-Supported Immersive Experiences: The Case Of Golf Simulators As A Way Of Relieving Stress In The Workplace, Luka Van Der Merwe

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study explores the impact of immersive technology, specifically golf simulators, on relieving work-related stress among hotel industry employees. The purpose of the current study was to examine how hotel employees perceive the use of immersive technology as a form of stress relief. The study was developed to learn whether hotel employees experience work-related stress, and if so, how they cope with it. The study also aimed to determine whether they would be interested in utilizing a golf simulator as a new form of stress relief if it were offered to them free of charge by their employer. Interviewing hotel …

Early Childhood Language Gains, Kindergarten Readiness, And Grade 3 Reading Achievement, Jessica A.R. Logan, Shayne B. Piasta, Kelly M. Purtell, Robert Nichols, Rachel E. Schachter

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

In this preregistered study, we used latent change score models to address two research aims: (1) whether preschool-aged children's language gains, over a year of early childhood education, were associated with later performance on state-mandated, literacy-focused kindergarten readiness and Grade 3 reading achievement assessments, and (2) whether gains in language, a more complex skill, predicted these outcomes after controlling for more basic emergent literacy skills. There were 724 participating children (mean = 57 months; 51% male; 76% White, 12% Black, 6% multiple races, and 5% Hispanic or Latino). We found that language gains significantly predicted kindergarten readiness when estimated in …

Social Network Analysis Of A Biomedical Research Co-Authorship Network, Amrina Ferdous

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

A social network analysis (SNA) is a graph-based method for visualizing social networks. Our study uses the SNA to analyze co-authorship patterns in National Institutes of Health (NIH) - Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE), Idaho Institutional Development Award (IDeA), Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE), and Biomedical Research Infrastructure Network (BRIN) grants between 2001 and 2022. It is of interest to us to analyze the growth and expansion of research over time to look at the social networks of research Hubs, the social networks of potential research Hubs in the near future, and the social networks of potential leaders …