Digital Commons Network^™

Balanced Blended Space: Proposing A Universal Theoretical Framework For Combinative Reality, David Smith, Frederick Bianchi

Publications and Research

In today's fragmented societies, a unified framework for communication and collaboration across different realities is crucial. We introduce Balanced Blended Space (BBS) as a framework for describing combinative reality, encompassing virtual, physical, and conceptual realms, all intrinsically connected. Interactions within these environments shape our perceptual space. This paper outlines key axiomatic assumptions, criteria for a universal framework, and fundamental terminology. We identify deep symmetries enabling the BBS framework, including Cognitive and Computational Symmetry, Physical and Virtual Symmetry, Mediation Pathway Symmetry, Space-Time Symmetry, and Sensory Symmetry. We propose tests to determine its viability, emphasizing virtual intelligence as a collaborative partner. We …

Multi-Ancestry Genome-Wide Study Identifies Effector Genes And Druggable Pathways For Coronary Artery Calcification, Maryam Kavousi, Maxime M Bos, Hanna J Barnes, Christian L Lino Cardenas, Doris Wong, Haojie Lu, Chani J Hodonsky, Lennart P L Landsmeer, Adam W Turner, Minjung Kho, Natalie R Hasbani, Paul S De Vries, Donald W Bowden, Sandesh Chopade, Joris Deelen, Ernest Diez Benavente, Xiuqing Guo, Edith Hofer, Shih-Jen Hwang, Sharon M Lutz, Leo-Pekka Lyytikäinen, Lotte Slenders, Albert V Smith, Maggie A Stanislawski, Jessica Van Setten, Quenna Wong, Lisa R Yanek, Diane M Becker, Marian Beekman, Matthew J Budoff, Mary F Feitosa, Chris Finan, Austin T Hilliard, Sharon L R Kardia, Jason C Kovacic, Brian G Kral, Carl D Langefeld, Lenore J Launer, Shaista Malik, Firdaus A A Mohamed Hoesein, Michal Mokry, Reinhold Schmidt, Jennifer A Smith, Kent D Taylor, James G Terry, Jeroen Van Der Grond, Joyce Van Meurs, Rozemarijn Vliegenthart, Jianzhao Xu, Kendra A Young, Nuno R Zilhão, Robert Zweiker, Themistocles L Assimes, Lewis C Becker, Daniel Bos, J Jeffrey Carr, L Adrienne Cupples, Dominique P V De Kleijn, Menno De Winther, Hester M Den Ruijter, Myriam Fornage, Barry I Freedman, Vilmundur Gudnason, Aroon D Hingorani, John E Hokanson, M Arfan Ikram, Ivana Išgum, David R Jacobs, Mika Kähönen, Leslie A Lange, Terho Lehtimäki, Gerard Pasterkamp, Olli T Raitakari, Helena Schmidt, P Eline Slagboom, André G Uitterlinden, Meike W Vernooij, Joshua C Bis, Nora Franceschini, Bruce M Psaty, Wendy S Post, Jerome I Rotter, Johan L M Björkegren, Christopher J O'Donnell, Lawrence F Bielak, Patricia A Peyser, Rajeev Malhotra, Sander W Van Der Laan, Clint L Miller

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Coronary artery calcification (CAC), a measure of subclinical atherosclerosis, predicts future symptomatic coronary artery disease (CAD). Identifying genetic risk factors for CAC may point to new therapeutic avenues for prevention. Currently, there are only four known risk loci for CAC identified from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in the general population. Here we conducted the largest multi-ancestry GWAS meta-analysis of CAC to date, which comprised 26,909 individuals of European ancestry and 8,867 individuals of African ancestry. We identified 11 independent risk loci, of which eight were new for CAC and five had not been reported for CAD. These new CAC loci …

Underrepresentation Of Women In Exercise Science And Physiology Research Is Associated With Authorship Gender, Jessica J. James, Emilie A. Klevenow, Mira A. Atkinson, Emma E. Vosters, Elizabeth P. Bueckers, Meagan E. Quinn, Samantha L. Kindy, Azara P. Mason, Sophia K. Nelson, Kennedy A. H. Rainwater, Petra V. Taylor, Elena P. Zippel, Sandra K. Hunter

Exercise Science Faculty Research and Publications

Historically, low representation of women participants in exercise science and physiology studies has led to a lack of understanding in the response of women to exercise and therapeutic interventions. We hypothesized that 1) the number of women authors, participants, and editorial board members increased over 30 years (1991–2021) and 2) larger representation of women as editors and authors is associated with more women participants. Gender (man/woman) of editorial board members (n = 394), authors (n = 5,735), and participants (n = 2,984,883) of 972 original research articles with human participants published in 1991 and 2021 …

The Biological Basis Of Sex Differences In Athletic Performance: Consensus Statement For The American College Of Sports Medicine, Sandra K. Hunter, Siddhartha S. Angadi, Aditi Bhargava, Joanna Harper, Angelica Lindén Hirschberg, Benjamin D. Levine, Kerrie L. Moreau, Natalie J. Nokoff, Nina S. Stachenfeld, Stéphane Bermon

Exercise Science Faculty Research and Publications

Biological sex is a primary determinant of athletic performance because of fundamental sex differences in anatomy and physiology dictated by sex chromosomes and sex hormones. Adult men are typically stronger, more powerful, and faster than women of similar age and training status. Thus, for athletic events and sports relying on endurance, muscle strength, speed, and power, males typically outperform females by 10%–30% depending on the requirements of the event. These sex differences in performance emerge with the onset of puberty and coincide with the increase in endogenous sex steroid hormones, in particular testosterone in males, which increases 30-fold by adulthood, …

Nuclear Receptors As Potential Therapeutic Targets In Peripheral Arterial Disease And Related Myopathy, Ashok Kumar, Vihang A Narkar

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a prevalent cardiovascular complication of limb vascular insufficiency, causing ischemic injury, mitochondrial metabolic damage and functional impairment in the skeletal muscle, and ultimately leading to immobility and mortality. While potential therapies have been mostly focussed on revascularization, none of the currently available pharmacological treatments are fully effective in PAD, often leading to amputations, particularly in chronic metabolic diseases. One major limitation of focussed angiogenesis and revascularization as a therapeutic strategy is a limited effect on metabolic restoration and muscle regeneration in the affected limb. Therefore, additional preclinical investigations are needed to discover novel treatment options …

Controversy And Consensus On The Management Of Elevated Sperm Dna Fragmentation In Male Infertility: A Global Survey, Current Guidelines, And Expert Recommendations, Ala'a Farkouh, Ashok Agarwal, Taha Abo-Almagd Abdel-Meguid Hamoda, Parviz Kavoussi, Ramadan Saleh, Armand Zini, Mohamed Arafa, Ahmed M Harraz, Murat Gul, Vilvapathy Senguttuvan Karthikeyan, Damayanthi Durairajanayagam, Amarnath Rambhatla, Florence Boitrelle, Eric Chung, Ponco Birowo, Tuncay Toprak, Ramy Abou Ghayda, Rossella Cannarella, Nguyen Ho Vinh Phuoc, Fotios Dimitriadis, Giorgio I Russo, Ioannis Sokolakis, Taymour Mostafa, Konstantinos Makarounis, Imad Ziouziou, Shinnosuke Kuroda, Marion Bendayan, Raneen Sawaid Kaiyal, Andrian Japari, Mara Simopoulou, Lucia Rocco, Nicolas Garrido, Nazim Gherabi, Kadir Bocu, Oguzhan Kahraman, Tan V Le, Christine Wyns, Kelton Tremellen, Selcuk Sarikaya, Sheena Lewis, Donald P Evenson, Edmund Ko, Aldo E Calogero, Fahmi Bahar, Marlon Martinez, Andrea Crafa, Quang Nguyen, Rafael F Ambar, Giovanni Colpi, Mustafa Emre Bakircioglu, Ralf Henkel, Hussein Kandil, Ege Can Serefoglu, Abdullah Alarbid, Akira Tsujimura, Alireza Kheradmand, Christina Anagnostopoulou, Angelo Marino, Aram Adamyan, Birute Zilaitiene, Cevahir Ozer, Edoardo Pescatori, Paraskevi Vogiatzi, Gian Maria Busetto, Giancarlo Balercia, Haitham Elbardisi, Hamed Akhavizadegan, Hesamoddin Sajadi, Hisanori Taniguchi, Hyun Jun Park, Israel Maldonado Rosas, Mohamed Al-Marhoon, Mohammad Ali Sadighi Gilani, Naif Alhathal, Germar-Michael Pinggera, Priyank Kothari, Nasser Mogharabian, Sava Micic, Sheryl Homa, Sara Darbandi, Tran Quang Tien Long, Wael Zohdy, Widi Atmoko, Marjan Sabbaghian, Wael Ibrahim, Ryan P Smith, Christopher Chee Kong Ho, Jean De La Rosette, Ahmed I El-Sakka, Mirko Preto, Cătălina Zenoaga-Barbăroșie, Saad Mohammed Abumelha, Aykut Baser, Kaan Aydos, Liliana Ramirez-Dominguez, Vijay Kumar, Teng Aik Ong, Tiago Cesar Mierzwa, Ricky Adriansjah, Saleem A Banihani, Kasonde Bowa, Shinichiro Fukuhara, Marcelo Rodriguez Peña, Mohamad Moussa, Umut Çağın Ari, Chak-Lam Cho, Nicholas N Tadros, Muhammet Rasit Ugur, Edouard Amar, Marco Falcone, Frederic Romain Santer, Arif Kalkanli, Keshab Kumar Karna, Kareim Khalafalla, Ranjit B Vishwakarma, Federica Finocchi, Carlo Giulioni, Erman Ceyhan, Gökhan Çeker, Chadi Yazbeck, Osvaldo Rajmil, Mehmet Yilmaz, Baris Altay, Trenton L Barrett, Kay Seong Ngoo, Shubhadeep Roychoudhury, Gianmaria Salvio, Haocheng Lin, Ates Kadioglu, Massimiliano Timpano, Tomer Avidor-Reiss, Lukman Hakim, Puneet Sindhwani, Giorgio Franco, Rajender Singh, Filippo Giacone, Mikhail Ruzaev, Raghavender Kosgi, Nikolaos Sofikitis, Ayad Palani, Gokhan Calik, Deniz Kulaksız, Davor Jezek, Manaf Al Hashmi, Panagiotis Drakopoulos, Huda Omran, Sofia Leonardi, Ciler Celik-Ozenci, Nur Dokuzeylül Güngör, Jonathan Ramsay, Toshiyasu Amano, Emrullah Sogutdelen, Gede Wirya Kusuma Duarsa, Koji Chiba, Sunil Jindal, Missy Savira, Luca Boeri, Edson Borges, Deepak Gupte, Fatih Gokalp, Guadalupe Hernández Hebrard, Suks Minhas, Rupin Shah, Global Andrology Forum

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Purpose: Sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF) has been associated with male infertility and poor outcomes of assisted reproductive technology (ART). The purpose of this study was to investigate global practices related to the management of elevated SDF in infertile men, summarize the relevant professional society recommendations, and provide expert recommendations for managing this condition.

Materials and methods: An online global survey on clinical practices related to SDF was disseminated to reproductive clinicians, according to the CHERRIES checklist criteria. Management protocols for various conditions associated with SDF were captured and compared to the relevant recommendations in professional society guidelines and the appropriate …

Cas Monthly Newsletter October 2023, Andrews University

College of Arts & Sciences Newsletter

Key Dates for October

IN THIS ISSUE

UPDATES & REPORTS

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Professional Learning Series

Qualitative Writing Workshop

Bobwhite Quail Re-Introduction

HAPPENINGS

Department of History & Political Science

Andrews Autumn Conference on Religion & Science

Research Week

Archaeology Field School in Jordan

John O. Waller Lectureship Series on the Arts

ACADEMIC & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Required Safety Training

Open Education Resources Grant

Registration Timeline

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Employee Institute Resources

Center for Teaching & Learning Excellence Highlights

Traveling with Students (Day Trips and Overnight Trips)

Mycorrhizal Fungi Mediate Aboveground – Belowground Interactions In Forest Ecosystems, Amelia A. Fitch

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

The activities of plants and soil microbes are the primary drivers of forest ecosystem processes such as carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling, and mycorrhizal fungi serve as a bridge between these two groups of organisms. The combined efforts of trees and associated mycorrhizal fungi to seek soil nutrients links C and N cycling through effects on saprotrophic communities and decomposition activity. In these studies, I investigated the effects of arbuscular (AM) and ectomycorrhizal (EcM) associations on microbial communities and ecosystem processes related to SOM decomposition and N cycling, and in turn how differences in soils beneath AM and EcM …

Genetic Architecture Of Soybean Tolerance To Off-Target Dicamba, Caio Canella Vieira, Jing Zhou, Diego Jarquin, Jiangfeng Zhou, Brian Diers, Dean E. Riechers, Henry T. Nguyen, Grover Shannon

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

The adoption of dicamba-tolerant (DT) soybean in the United States resulted in extensive off-target dicamba damage to non-DT vegetation across soybean-producing states. Although soybeans are highly sensitive to dicamba, the intensity of observed symptoms and yield losses are affected by the genetic background of genotypes. Thus, the objective of this study was to detect novel marker-trait associations and expand on previously identified genomic regions related to soybean response to off-target dicamba. A total of 551 non-DT advanced breeding lines derived from 232 unique bi-parental populations were phenotyped for off-target dicamba across nine environments for three years. Breeding lines were genotyped …

The Development Of Blue Light Activated Methacrylated Hyaluronic Acid Hydrogel For Drug Delivery System, Puree Chaopanitcharoen, Nirada Dhanesuan, Jittima Amie Luckanagul, Sorasun Rungsiyanont

The Thai Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Objective: The aim of this study was to develop blue light-activated methacrylated hyaluronic acid (MeHA) hydrogel for further used as biomaterials-delivering system in the tissue engineering field. Materials and Methods: The MeHA hydrogel was synthesized with various concentrations of lithium phenyl-2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl phosphonate (LAP) added as a photoinitiator. The hydrogel was then exposed to several durations of 480 nm blue light to promote proper crosslinking. Physical properties including surface morphology under scanning electron microscopy (SEM), gelation time, swelling properties, and protein-releasing profiles were determined. Results: It was found that LAP at 15 mg/L per 100 mg/L of MeHA …

Cytotoxicity And Antioxidative Effects Of Individual Components In A Traditional Thai Polyherbal Remedy Called Prompak, Bhudsaban Sukkarn, Bhanuz Dechayont, Jirun Wongpung, Ramon Aphibanpathomrath

The Thai Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Prompak is a traditional Thai polyherbal remedy for curing symptoms found in gastrointestinal (GI) cancer. This study aimed to evaluate the anticancer potentials of individual ingredients of Prompak, i.e., Myristica fragrans, Euphorbia antiquorum, Piper nigrum, Aloe vera, Ferula assa-foetida, Moringa oleifera, and camphor. Sulforhodamine B assay was used to evaluate the cytotoxicity of each ingredient against KATO-III, LS 174T, HepG2 cancer cells, and HaCaT normal cells. The antioxidant activity of each herb was examined using ABTS and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assays. The ethanolic extract of E. antiquorum showed the highest cytotoxicity with the most considerable selectivity against HepG2, KATO-III, and …

Bioactive Phytochemicals From Ephedra: An Updated Review, Manish Kumar, Praveen Kumar, Amardeep Kaur, Sandeep Kaur, Satwinderjeet Kaur

The Thai Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Ephedra is a genus of gymnosperms that belongs to the Ephedraceae family and order Gnetales. The majority of Ephedra species grow as shrubs and is found in arid and semiarid climates across the world. Ephedra intermedia, Ephedra gerardiana, Ephedra alata, Ephedra aphylla, Ephedra foliata, Ephedra campylopoda, and others are some of the most common Ephedra species. Ephedra spp. are used for therapeutic purposes in many regions of the globe as a stimulant, diaphoretic, antiasthmatic, respiratory sedative, and also for digestive system problems, fever, flu, cough therapy, and so on. Phenolics, flavonoids, alkaloids, volatile organic compounds, and other phytochemicals have …

Flujos De Servicios Ecosistémicos En Un Área Marina Protegida Del Atlántico Sur: Perspectivas Desde El Análisis De La Teoría De Redes, Mitch Porter

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

En cuestiones de gestión de áreas protegidas, los servicios ecosistémicos se tienen cada vez más en cuenta junto con la conservación de la biodiversidad. Sin embargo, las decisiones que se toman sobre la conservación de los servicios ecosistémicos no suelen incluir los posibles efectos en cascada de la pérdida de biodiversidad sobre la provisión de servicios. Los conocimientos de la teoría de redes y los estudios de robustez pueden proporcionar una metodología para evaluar la vulnerabilidad de estos servicios frente la estructura trófica de los ecosistemas que los proveen. A través de una serie de simulaciones de extinción para la …

Hidden Hurdles: Evaluating Informal Barriers To Primary Healthcare Access Among Undocumented Migrants In Switzerland, Arantxa Bonifaz Rosas

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Undocumented migrants face heightened difficulties in accessing healthcare due to a combination of legal, financial, and social challenges. Informal barriers to accessing healthcare further exacerbate poor health outcomes among undocumented migrants. In Switzerland, where undocumented migrants have the right to health insurance, barriers to receiving healthcare continue to restrict their access to essential services, such as primary healthcare (PHC). Employing a meta-analysis approach, this qualitative study aimed to broaden existing research on informal barriers hindering access to PHC for undocumented migrants, with a particular focus on the Swiss context. The identified informal barriers centered around health insurance, fear of deportation, …

The Implications Of Politicizing Global Health Diplomacy In A Multipolar World, Haley Stock

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This research paper is the result of an independent study project that details the implications of politicizing global health diplomacy. With a mixture of interviews, primary sources, and secondary sources, this project aims to explain how and why global health has become entrenched in politics in the world today. This paper explores the intersection between global health and foreign policy and analyzes the extent to which countries use medical interventions to achieve political and economic success. Medical interventions, like vaccines, have become increasingly significant, especially looking back at the recent pandemic. Therefore, this paper will also explore the complex nature …

Organism Communities On Giant Clam Shells As Compared To The Surrounding Substrate In Reefs Around Lizard Island, Queensland, Gayatri Singla

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Coral reef ecosystems are facing destruction at the hands of anthropogenic climate change. Therefore, it is essential that we move to better understand the ecosystem functions of the organisms present in reefs. One such family whose ecosystem function we are unfamiliar with are the giant clams (family Cardiidae). As unique and abundant macrofauna, they have the potential to play an important role in their environment. The goal of our study was to determine how giant clams function as settlement substrata. We conducted 151 observational surveys of epibionts residing on living giant clam shells and of the organism communities in the …

Education To Employment: The Role Of University Career Guidance In Reducing Youth Unemployment In Jordan, Anoushka Saraf

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper addresses the need for effective career guidance for university students, and sustainable post-graduation alumni support systems, to improve the employability of university graduates and reduce youth unemployment in Jordan. Through interviews and surveys, this paper will identify the key problems contributing to the skill mismatch between university graduates and the demands of the labor market. It will try and tackle how career centers can help their students develop soft skills like communication and teamwork, build a portfolio to differentiate themselves to employers, empower themselves with skills through online courses on software development, data science, research, and other technological …

If We Were Fiction: Insect-Human Stories, Isabella Delaney

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This creative project delves into the nonlinear, interconnected web of insect-human relations in Nepal. Through exploring humans’ perceptions and stories of insects, this work intends to remedy the limits of traditional entomological knowledge, which forgets the ubiquitous reality of insects as more than biological and ecological agents. Insects are social, economic, and ethical “characters” in our lives, and recognizing this opens up possibilities for connection, hope, and evolution in this world. The potential of the mundane, the forgettable, pulses within humans’ unique attitudes toward insects and the forces that shaped them. This potential is represented in the final product of …

The Role Of Insulin Signaling In Controlling Oogenesis In Drosophila Melanogaster, Tancia W. Bradshaw

Theses and Dissertations

Adult stem cell activity responds to organismal nutrient status to maintain and support tissue homeostasis. Despite the intricate relationship between dietary input, adipose tissue and peripheral organ function, we are at the tip of the iceberg regarding our understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying adipose communication to other tissues. The Drosophila ovary receives nutritional signals from the fat body with multiple nutrient-sensing pathways functioning in adipocytes to control distinct stages of oogenesis. Insulin/insulin-like growth factor signaling (IIS) within adult adipocytes remotely controls oocyte production at distinct stages of oogenesis. The PI3K/Akt1 axis in adipocytes promotes germline stem cell …

The Impact Of Pediatric Ckd On Educational And Employment Outcomes., Lyndsay A. Harshman, Ryan C. Ward, Matthew B. Matheson, Anne Dawson, Amy J. Kogon, Marc B. Lande, Stephen J. Molitor, Rebecca J. Johnson, Camille Wilson, Bradley A. Warady, Susan L. Furth, Stephen R. Hooper

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

KEY POINTS: This study evaluates educational and employment outcomes in patients with pediatric kidney disease and assesses predictors of educational attainment and employment in young adulthood. Despite high rates of high school graduation, nearly 20% of patients with CKD are unemployed or receiving disability at long-term follow-up.

BACKGROUND: Pediatric patients with CKD are at risk for neurocognitive deficits and academic underachievement. This population may be at risk for lower educational attainment and higher rates of unemployment; however, published data have focused on patients with advanced CKD and exist in isolation from assessment of neurocognition and kidney function.

METHODS: Data from …

Outcomes And Discriminatory Accuracy Of The Cha2ds2vasc Score In Atrial Fibrillation And Cancer, Waqas Ullah, Mathew Dimeglio, Daniel Frisch, Rodrigo Bagur, Louise Sun, David Fischman, Andrija Matetic, Bonnie Ky, Mamas Mamas

Division of Cardiology Faculty Papers

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is highly prevalent among cancer patients. The role of traditional risk stratification scores in the context of different cancer types in these patients remains unknown. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the discriminative accuracy of the CHA₂DS₂VASc score for ischemic stroke using receiver operating characteristic and area under the curve. Methods: The National Readmission Database (2015-2019) was used to identify all AF patients stratified by the cancer diagnosis, type, and CHA₂DS₂VASc category (low; moderate; high risk). Outcomes at 30-day readmission were compared between cancer and …

My Journey Toward A Culturally Relevant Music Pedagogy, Adam Michael Steele

Theses and Dissertations

In this study I utilized critical autoethnography to examine my role as a White, male implementing Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (CRP) in an early childhood music classrooms. Five research questions were posed: (a) In what ways does White supremacy appear in an elementary music school curriculum? (b) What curricular transformations occur when I, as a White teacher, seek to make my curriculum more relevant to students of Color? (c) What dispositional transformations occur when I, as a White teacher, seek to make my music curriculum more relevant to students of Color? (d) What happens when students of Color engage in a …

Counter-Stories From Former Foster Youth: College Graduates Disrupting The Dominant Narrative, Amanda May Moon

Theses and Dissertations

In the past decade, research on children in foster care or adults with foster care backgrounds has begun to explore factors that contributed to successful trajectories. Little work has been done, however, on factors that can be controlled, such as resources and support offered by K-12 schools, or for K-12 schooling. In this qualitative study, I explored the beliefs and perceptions of former foster youth college graduates about the impact of K-12 experiences on their academic and life trajectories. After surveying and interviewing five former foster youth college graduates, I used narrative analysis to understand the impact of their K-12 …

Impact Of The Engineering Design Process On Rural Female Students’ Achievement And Self-Efficacy, Whitney Lowery Oberndorf

Theses and Dissertations

Nearly one-fifth of U.S. children attend rural schools; however, these students have fewer opportunities for high-quality STEM learning. Rural students are also less likely to attend college and less likely to enroll in STEM majors than their urban and suburban peers. In conjunction with these factors, female students are also less likely to pursue STEM degrees and work in STEM fields. Broadening access and exposure to these areas, as well as improving female perceptions about STEM fields, is critical to closing the gap. This mixed-methods action research study was an effort to increase female achievement and self-efficacy in science and …

Adapting Deep Learning Techniques For Geologic Investigations Of Hydrothermal Venting At Seafloor Spreading Ridges Using Auv Surveys, Isaac Keohane

Theses and Dissertations

Locating hydrothermal chimney sites unlocks research into their correlations with geology, lithospheric cooling, and deep-sea biogeography at seafloor spreading ridges. High-resolution bathymetry and sidescan sonar collected by Automated Underwater Vehicles allows for chimneys, only a few meters wide and tall, and fissures, only a few meters wide, to be resolved across large areas (>100 km2). We developed a Chimney Identification Tool (CIT) that utilizes a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), a Machine-Learning model able to classify based on shapes and textures, to identify chimneys in 1m-gridded bathymetry. We then utilized the CIT to identify many potential off-axis chimney structures at …

The Association Between Symptoms Of Adhd And Alcohol Use And Related Consequences In College Students: Social And Environmental Protective And Risk Factors As Moderators Of This Relation, Cameron Shepard Massey

Theses and Dissertations

Alcohol use, while common in college student populations, can bring about significant mental health and educational problems that have negative consequences (Harris et al., 2017; White & Hingson, 2013). Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can also result in significant impairment in academic settings (Kuriyan et al., 2012; Blase et al., 2009, Barbaresi et al., 2007), and those with ADHD often show increased rates of alcohol consumption and related problems, which can greatly increase the risk for students to struggle in college (Barbaresi et al., 2013; Baker et al., 2012). Examining the impact that specific risk and protective factors play in this relation …

Examination And Application Of Body Condition Methods In Cetaceans, Kira Anne Telford

Theses and Dissertations

Body condition assessments are a valuable tool for evaluating the relative health of a population through various metrics, indexes, or proxies. Long-term data collection can be used to examine the relationship between fluctuations in body condition and natural or anthropogenic drivers. Application of this information is vital for monitoring the success of the conservation management decisions for a species or population. Cetaceans have a variety of methods available to assess body condition, including invasive methods like biopsies and necropsies or observational methods such as photogrammetry. Exploration of the application of these methods in the literature revealed an emphasis on necropsies …

Sustained Attention And Object Manipulation In Autism Spectrum Disorder, Alexis Federico

Theses and Dissertations

Infants interact with their environment from the moment they are born. These interactions can assist in shaping a child’s development, including the skills they gain. Object manipulation has been specifically associated with numerous important outcomes in childhood, such as cognitive skills, motor skills, and language skills. This study aims to characterize object manipulation behaviors at 9 months of age between infants who are at an elevated genetic likelihood for ASD and infants who have no family history of ASD. This study also investigates associations between object manipulation behaviors and a biological measure of attention in both participant groups. While differences …

Bohuslav Martinů’S Eight Preludes For Piano H. 181: Style Analysis And Pedagogical Approaches In Piano Performance, Jinkyung Kim

Theses and Dissertations

This treatise delves into Bohuslav Martinů’s Eight Preludes for Piano H. 181, offering a comprehensive exploration of the twentieth-century Czech composer’s life; discussing his compositional significance; analyzing the style of his Eight Preludes using the framework of Sound, Harmony, Melody, Rhythm, and Growth (SHMRG); and suggesting pedagogical approaches for advanced piano learners. The study examines Martinů’s life and the socio-cultural influences that shaped his artistic language. His compositional journey, combining elements of Czech folk music with Parisian influences of impressionism, neoclassicism, and jazz, illustrates his versatility and ingenuity. Through the SHMRG framework by Jan LaRue, the style analysis of Eight …

Deep Learning For Studying Materials Stability And Solving Thermodynamically Consistent Pdes With Dynamic Boundary Conditions In Arbitrary Domains, Chunyan Li

Theses and Dissertations

Deep learning has achieved remarkable success in various fields, including image processing, natural language processing, and signal processing, ushering in a transformative era in research and real-life applications. This rise underscores the transformative capabilities of deep learning, with its innovative approach to function approximation. Traditionally, approximation theory relied on additive constructions, but deep neural networks have introduced a compositional approach, reshaping the landscape of function approximation. This thesis explores the efficacy of this compositional construction within the realm of material science and the solution of thermodynamically consistent partial differential equations with thermodynamically consistent dynamic boundary conditions in arbitrary domains. As …