Digital Commons Network^™

The Refractive Thinker®: Artificial Intelligence: The New Frontier Of The Digital Age: Ch 7: Navigating The Integration Of Ai In Higher Education: Opportunities, Challenges, And Ethical Considerations, Cheryl Lentz, Dr. Karen Balcanoff

Publications

As educators in higher education continue to learn the effects and influence of artificial intelligence (AI), there are questions regarding the role of educators. According to Bearman et al. (2023), more research has been conducted about AI technology rather than how AI will affect higher education institutes (HEI). The goal of this chapter was to begin to fill this gap regarding the how by offering discourse through a refractive thinking approach and review of the literature with practical application of this how, particularly in the areas of (a) ethics and cheating, (b) use of administrative repetitive tasks easily delegated, and …

Protecting Minority Representation In An Era Of Political Polarization And The Hollowing Out Of Voting Rights Protections, Henry L. Chambers Jr.

Washington and Lee Law Review

The United States Supreme Court has hollowed out various voting rights protections, leaving all voters—minority and nonminority—less protected in a politically polarized America. Surprisingly, the Court has continued to protect representation for minority race voters who live in racially polarized areas. However, minority race voters risk losing that protection, typically provided through majority-minority districts authorized under the Voting Rights Act, if they build cross-racial coalitions with their neighbors. Under the Court’s interpretation of the VRA, cross-racial voting coalitions may be less protected than local majorities comprised of a single race of voters. The loss of such protection could leave their …

Unprincipled All The Way Down, Wilfred U. Codrington Iii

Washington and Lee Law Review

In 2006, the Supreme Court issued an emergency stay order in Purcell v. Gonzalez. Sparing in words and inattentive to the realities on the ground, the opinion nevertheless made a reasonable and understandable assertion: prior to issuing relief, courts presiding over elections should take into account any harms that judicial orders might cause, particularly in the lead-up to voting, alongside other considerations unique to elections. The statement was general enough to mollify the masses in the short-term. But over the long haul, it has proven to be a vehicle through which important election decisions might be made in less than …

A Major Wrong On A Private Right Of Action Under The Voting Rights Act, Macin Graber, Joshua A. Douglas

Washington and Lee Law Review

In Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee, Justice Neil Gorsuch posited in a short concurrence that Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act (“VRA”) does not confer a private right of action. That idea seemingly came out of nowhere, as Supreme Court precedent was clear and no one had suggested that the VRA did not allow private parties to bring suit. Justice Gorsuch’s one-paragraph concurrence was both unsupported and wrong. Even the single case he cited did not support his proposition.

An Arkansas district court and then the Eighth Circuit, however, followed Justice Gorsuch’s lead, ruling that only the federal Department …

The Scope Of Election Litigation, Michael T. Morley

Washington and Lee Law Review

One way to think about the “scope” of a case is based on the range of parties who are—or must be—involved in it. The broader a case’s scope in this regard, the more burdensome and costly it can be for plaintiffs to file and the more complicated and time-consuming it may be for a court to adjudicate. Requiring large numbers of parties to be involved in a case can sometimes effectively preclude otherwise meritorious suits from being filed. This is especially true in election law disputes which often arise under harried circumstances and can be subject to strict time constraints. …

Guess Who?: First-Time In-Court Identifications And Due Process, Natalie Beers

Washington and Lee Law Review

Juries believe eyewitnesses. When an identifying eyewitness takes the stand and points to a defendant in a courtroom, the jury is more likely to render a guilty verdict. But how reliable is that identification? What if the eyewitness is on the stand identifying a perpetrator for the first time, in the court room, rather than at the police station with a lineup or photo array? How do those suggestive circumstances implicate a criminal defendant’s due process rights?

First-time in-court identifications are inherently suggestive. While the Supreme Court has acknowledged the suggestive nature of similar identifications, it did not directly address …

July 2024 News Releases, University Of Montana--Missoula. Office Of University Relations

University of Montana News Releases, 1928, 1956-present

No abstract provided.

Identifying Goalkeeper Movement Timing From Single-Camera Broadcast Footage Through Pose Estimation: A Pilot Study, Reddy Chethan, Woohyoung Jeon

Health & Kinesiology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Featured Application: This research describes a methodology for identifying the moment when a goalkeeper initiates their save attempt in the frontal plane, providing a way to benchmark the timing component of a save attempt. This study explores how open-source pose estimation can be utilized to identify goalkeeper dive initiation during soccer penalty kicks. The purpose of this study is to provide an accessible, low-cost heuristic methodology for identifying goalkeeper dive initiation. This study uses single-camera broadcast footage (1080 p resolution, 50 frames per second) of all 41 penalty shootout kicks attempted during the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup. We isolated …

Balloon Borne Gps-Enabled Radiosondes That Enable Simultaneous Multi-Point Atmospheric Sensing With A Single Ground Station, Peter A. Ribbens

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Radiosondes are balloon borne atmospheric instruments that are a critical tool for understanding dynamics in the lower layers of the atmosphere. The low-cost radiosondes developed in the Space and Atmospheric Instrumentation Lab have been further developed to improve the system's use as a science-quality atmospheric instrument that is unique in its ability to simultaneously track multiple sondes with a single ground station. Sensors to measure temperature and pressure were added to improve measurements of the atmospheric state. A printed circuit board shield and 3D-printed shell were designed to make mass manufacturing possible. A thermistor-based temperature sensor was developed and tested …

Exploring A New Conceptual Framework In Aviation Maintenance Incident Reporting Using Natural Language Processing, Christopher P. Braun

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

In the analysis of human error incidents, human factors specialists predominantly follow two schools of thought in categorization strategies. One is to categorize the operator’s actions by the physical properties of the activity (phenotypes); the other focuses on the cognitive behaviors preceding the incident (genotypes). These categorization strategies are intended to foster an understanding of the events, identify risks, and assist in the implementation of risk reduction interventions. Commercial aviation maintenance presents unique challenges to human factor practitioners in terms of task requirements, working environments, communication modalities, and safety standards. Complex tasks are handed from one shift of personnel to …

Situation Awareness Assessment Of Enhanced Stable Approach Flight Instrument Displays, David J. Hunter

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Through the year 2022, runway-related events, including excursions, abnormal runway contact, and runway undershoot and overshoot, were the third leading causes of fatal aircraft accidents. Principal to these runway-related accidents was the presence of an unstable approach. Pilots currently must depend on the timely recall of stable approach criteria stored in long-term memory, application of those criteria against current flight conditions, perception and cognition of deviation from those criteria, and determination of potential courses of action. Such recall is fallible, and challenges to perception and cognition are ever-present.

This study examined whether the presentation of stable approach criteria boundaries and …

Assessing The Impact Of Spacecraft Fragmentation In The Cislunar Region, Marta Lopez Castro

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

In the last decades, space missions have followed great advancements due to technological improvements and the extensive research developed in the field. Some of these missions are increasingly focusing on satellites orbiting the Moon. The Cislunar region is known to have a higher non-linear chaotic component in the dynamics compared to the low-Earth environment. This research is focused on studying the impact that a satellite explosion has in the Cislunar vicinity. The study is conducted for different periodic orbits that are key destinations for Cislunar traffic. By varying the initial conditions, simulations of explosions at different locations of the orbits …

Refinement Of A Regional Storm Surge Mesh For High-Resolution Topographic Representation Of Volusia County, Morgan Harbin

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

In 2022, Volusia and Flagler Counties of northeast central Florida were impacted indirectly by consecutive Hurricanes Ian and Nicole; the destabilization of dunes and armoring infrastructure caused by Ian left the region susceptible to Hurricane Nicole, which caused unprecedented coastal damage to dunes and seawalls. The extent of damage that occurred within Volusia and Flagler Counties during the 2022 hurricane season, the underrepresentation of this region within sustainability and resilience research, and the ecological, social, and economic value of the geography provide just cause for scientific inquiry of the area’s coastal dynamics. This thesis specifically describes an investigation of Hurricane …

Gaze In Context: Individual And Group Differences In Real-World Visual Attention, Amanda J. Haskins

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

When exploring a real-world scene, individuals direct their gaze to selectively attend, leaving a trace of their informational priorities. What drives this information selection, and what causes individuals to prioritize information differently from one another? In this dissertation, I aim to understand the influences that guide visual attention as individuals explore real-world environments and to characterize patterns of visual attention that differ among individuals and among groups with neurodevelopmental conditions. In Chapter 1, I introduce a novel eyetracking paradigm, in which participants can actively explore immersive, naturalistic scene photospheres via headmounted virtual reality. Using this paradigm, I demonstrate that naturalistic …

Validation Of A Tool To Evaluate Nursing Students’ Electronic Health Record Competency In Simulation, Susan Mcbride, Laura Thomas, Sharon Decker, Matthew Pierce, Shelley Burson, Huaxin Song, Katie Haerling (Adamson)

Nursing Faculty Publications and Presentations

AIM

The aim of the study was to establish reliability and validity of the Competency Assessment in Simulation of Electronic Health Records (CASE) tool.

BACKGROUND

Effective teaching and learning practices, including valid and reliable assessment of students’ electronic health record (EHR) competency, contribute to safe, high-quality, efficient nursing care.

METHOD

The study used a mixed-methods design to test reliability and validity of the CASE tool. RESULTS A nationally representative sample of faculty from universities representing 27 states provided scores for videos using the CASE tool. Forty-seven participants completed the first scoring survey; 22 of the 47 participants (47%) completed the …

A Review Of The Rheological Consistency Of Materials, Alan Gurt, Michael Khonsari

Faculty Publications

Despite the ubiquity and prevalence of rheological consistency across a wide range of industries, there is no clear consensus on its meaning or on one particular technique for quantifying it. Instead, there exist various definitions of “consistency” that are each specific to a given context, and each industry has its own procedure for measuring it. This paper organizes the many subjects and terminologies associated with consistency, providing a comprehensive guide of fundamental mechanics, fundamental properties, modeling techniques, and standardized tests that describe consistency. This includes outlining the rheological models that describe the behavior of viscoelastic and non-Newtonian materials as well …

Breaking Silence: The Historiography Of The Bear River Massacre, Logan C. Romney

GLI MA in American History Student Works

This paper explores the historiography of the Bear River Massacre, analyzing its progression from historical silence and mischaracterization to recognition and nuanced interpretation. By addressing biases, evolving narratives, and modern efforts to commemorate the tragedy, this paper underscores the importance of preserving this complex and overlooked chapter of American history.

Maternal Sacrifice And Resilience: The Legacy Of Harriet Jacobs And Enslaved Black Motherhood, Beverly A. Duran

GLI MA in American History Student Works

This paper explores the unique role of enslaved Black women in preserving family and cultural identity during the American slavery era, focusing on the life and writings of Harriet Jacobs. Through her autobiography, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Jacobs exemplifies the extraordinary sacrifices and resilience of enslaved mothers, who navigated the dual burdens of racial and gender oppression. The study delves into Jacobs’s years-long confinement in an attic to avoid separation from her children and her use of storytelling, education, and cultural practices to resist dehumanization. It highlights how enslaved women, despite systemic constraints, developed strategies to …

Deep Learning-Based Geomorphic Feature Identification In Dredge Pit Marine Environment, Wenqiang Zhang, Xiaobing Chen, Xiangwei Zhou, Jianhua Chen, Jianguo Yuan, Taibiao Zhao, Kehui Xu

Faculty Publications

Deep learning methods paired with sidescan sonar (SSS) are commonly used in underwater search-and-rescue operations for drowning victims, wrecks, and airplanes. However, these techniques are primarily used to detect mine-like objects and are rarely applied to identifying features in dynamic dredge pit environments. In this study, we present a Sandy Point dredge pit (SPDP) dataset, in which high-resolution SSS data were collected from the west flank of the Mississippi bird-foot delta on the Louisiana inner shelf. This dataset contains a total of 385 SSS images. We then introduce a new Effective Geomorphology Classification model (EGC). Through ablation studies, we analyze …

Computational Models As Tools For Supporting Responsive Teaching, Hillary Swanson, Luettamae Lawrence, Jared Arnell, Bonni Jones, Bruce Sherin, Uri Wilensky

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

It is widely agreed that science instruction should help students build new knowledge on the foundation of their prior knowledge. Responsive teaching refers to a family of teaching strategies that pursue and build on student ideas. We introduce a particular approach to responsive teaching and examine how it can be supported by the use of computational models. We analyze an 8^th grade science teacher's facilitation of a class discussion near the end of a lesson on sound. We present a moment-by-moment characterization of her responsive teaching moves, highlighting the ways she used a computational model to help students articulate …

Multisensory System For Probing Scattering Media, Muralidhar Madabhushi Balaji

Electrical Engineering Theses and Dissertations

There are numerous problems in the physical sciences wherein the scattering of light fundamentally limits our ability to perceive and reason about objects within the visual field. Examples include navigation in foggy weather, detecting hidden contraband/explosives, detecting diseased regions in agricultural produce, and detecting tumors within tissue. In all these scenarios, the scrambling of light paths due to scattering reduces the ability to locate embedded objects and identify their spatial or spectral features.

Existing approaches address the challenge by augmenting optical sensing modalities with complementary techniques that do not rely on optical phenomenology, such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) or …

Cte Can Be For Me: Middle School Counselors’ Perception Of Their Knowledge And Abilities To Guide Students In Career And Technical Education In The State Of Texas, Justin W. Hooten, Ronald S. Rhone, Lesley F. Leach, Juanita M. Reyes

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

A renewed emphasis on career and technical education has guided the transformation of high school education to support alternatives to college achievement. Research shows that career identity development begins in middle school or earlier, though the literature is scarce when discussing career guidance at the middle school level. Through phenomenological interviews, this research attempted to understand the processes and perceptions of middle school counselors when discussing career and technology education with their students. This study revealed recommendations for district officials and those in academia to assist in creating more robust career development programs at the middle school level.

Preparing Teachers For The Rise Of Challenging Behaviors, Abbie Chesling

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

Previous research indicates the increase of challenging behaviors observed and how those behaviors impact the classroom. Findings from the research show the lifelong effects of adverse childhood experiences, trauma manifestations, and educational impacts. Other studies acknowledged educators and their experiences with negative behaviors in the classroom. Those same studies recognized a lack of teacher readiness to manage challenging behaviors in the classroom. A school improvement plan was designed to provide all school staff with targeted professional development to help mitigate challenging behaviors and the lasting impact in the school setting.

Teaching Practices To Prevent And Support Challenging Behaviors In Early Childhood Classrooms, Abigail Koster

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

search is finding that challenging behaviors are occurring in classrooms more and more. Challenging behaviors are one of the main reasons that teachers are leaving the profession along with large workloads, and lack of administration and community support. Research shows that teachers need to have a strong classroom management plan and high consistence expectations to diminish challenging behaviors from occurring in the classroom. With research in mind, a school improvement plan was created to provide professional development for teachers in the fall to support them in creating strong classroom management plans for the following school year. Teachers will using the …

Impact Of Social-Emotional Programs, Heidi Nannemann

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

This research investigates the impact of Social/Emotional Learning (SEL) programs on elementary school children, particularly focusing on their emotional well-being and academic performance. Conducted in a K-6 public school, the study involved teachers, parents, and administrators, utilizing a mixed-methods approach with online surveys to gather data. Findings revealed that SEL programs significantly enhance students' emotional regulation, social skills, and academic engagement. However, the research also highlighted challenges in consistent implementation, underscoring the need for ongoing professional development and support for educators. The study suggests that integrating SEL into the curriculum is vital for fostering holistic student development and calls for …

Students Speak: A Qualitative Examination Of The Intersection Of Identity And Sexual Violence In A University Setting, Danika M. Charles

Theses and Dissertations

Sexual violence remains a public health concern in the United States. Much of the research has focused on gender-binary individuals, despite the heightened vulnerability of Black, transgender, and nonbinary (BTN) individuals due to societal stigma and discrimination. Campus climate surveys have been recommended by the Obama Administration to address sexual violence, though they often underrepresent BTN students, failing to capture their unique experiences. This study aims to bridge this gap by focusing on the intersection of gender and racial identities, using an intersectional stigma framework to explore the prevalence and impact of sexual violence on BTN students and advocate for …

Development Of An Algorithm To Identify And Calculate The Amount Of File Slack On An Image Of A Given Drive, Nicholas Flynn

Honors Theses

As society increasingly relies on technology, the rates of cyber crime have been increasing at exponential rates. Cyber criminals are also discovering new ways to hide evidence of their crimes. This study develops a forensic analysis algorithm to evaluate the amount of file slack on an image of a drive. Slack space, leftover drive space on a disk sector after a file has been written, can be exploited to hide data. The algorithm aims to detect and calculate this slack space to help direct forensic investigations. The algorithm was evaluated on a population dataset of 100,000 files with random data …

Crosssections, Summer 2024, University Of Northern Iowa. Department Of Physics.

CrossSections

Contents:

A Message from the Department Head, Dr. Paul Shand --- 01
New Secretary --- 02
Homecoming Picnic --- 03
Visits to the Department --- 04
Awards Banquet --- 05
Begeman Lecture --- 05
Physics Competition --- 06
Holiday Colloquium --- 06
Tim Kidd Lecture --- 07
Faculty Profile - Larry Escalada --- 07
Student Profile - Ashley Harrington --- 08
Student Research - Haley Harms --- 10
Physics Scholarships and Awards --- 12
Teacher Education Transformation --- 13
Alumni Profile - Justin Bohnet --- 14
Alumni News - Corey Cooling --- 15
Alumni News - John Bolte --- 16 …

Summer 2024 Degree Summary, Systems Intelligence And Data Analytics, University Of Nebraska At Omaha

Enrollment Reports

No abstract provided.

Efficient Machine Learning On Scientific Data Using Bayesian Optimization, Rui Xin

Theses and Dissertations

Deep Learning is pivotal in advancing data analysis across various scientific fields, from genomics to materials discovery. Despite its widespread use, efficiently learning from limited data and operating under resource constraints remains a significant challenge, often limiting its full potential in environments where data is scarce or resources are restricted. This dissertation explores Active Learning and Automated Machine Learning (AutoML) powered by Bayesian Optimization to enhance the efficiency of machine learning across multiple disciplines. It focuses on algorithm optimization and data management through three interconnected studies. In the first study, we investigate how data management technique - active learning helps …