Digital Commons Network^™

Catalyzing Communities Of Research Rigour Champions, Audrey C Brumback, William X Q Ngiam, Dana M Lapato, David B Allison, Christin L Daniels, Michael Dougherty, Haley F Hazlett, Kara L Kerr, Susan Pusek, Naomi Schrag

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

The biomedical sciences must maintain and enhance a research culture that prioritizes rigour and transparency. The US National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke convened a workshop entitled 'Catalyzing Communities of Research Rigor Champions' that brought together a diverse group of leaders in promoting research rigour and transparency (identified as 'rigour champions') to discuss strategies, barriers and resources for catalyzing technical, cultural and educational changes in the biomedical sciences. This article summarizes 2 days of panels and discussions and provides an overview of critical barriers to research rigour, perspectives behind reform initiatives and considerations for stakeholders across science. Additionally, we …

A Contractual Approach To Resolving Disputes Arising From Failure To Achieve Green Certification, Bahaa Chammout, Islam H. El-Adaway

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Green Construction Is An Approach To Reducing The Environmental Impact Of Resource-Intensive Construction. Several Certification Systems Have Been Devised And Are Globally Recognized To Provide Green Building Rating Frameworks. While A Building Can Be Designed To Achieve A Green Rating, The Rating Is Achieved Based On The Completed Facility's Actual Measured Performance. There Had Previously Been Limited Attempts To Give An In-Depth Examination Of The Remedies For Unrealized Green Ratings. As Such, This Paper Addresses This Knowledge Gap Using A Multistep Research Methodology. First, The Authors Analyzed And Classified The Nature Of Damages Resulting From Failed Green Certification Under The …

Investigating Price Fluctuation Transmission Among Construction Materials, Mohamad Abdul Nabi, Islam H. El-Adaway, Rayan H. Assaad

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Generally, Fluctuation In One Material's Price Can Cause A Series Of Chain Reactions In The Supply Chain System, Known As Price Fluctuation Transmission, As All Materials Are Interconnected And Interrelated. None Of The Previous Studies Have Investigated Price Fluctuation Transmission Among All Construction Materials. This Paper Aims To Fill This Gap In Knowledge. The Authors Collected Producer Price Index (PPI) Data For 16 Construction Materials, Modeled The Relationship Between Each Pair Of Materials Using Vector Autoregression Technique, And Validated The Causality Using Granger Causality Test. Network Analysis Was Performed To Identify The Price Fluctuation Transmission Capacity, Susceptibility, And Intermediatory Capacity …

Collect Spatiotemporally Correlated Data In Iot Networks With An Energy-Constrained Uav, Wenzheng Xu, Heng Shao, Qunli Shen, Jian Peng, Wen Huang, Weifa Liang, Tang Liu, Xin Wei Yao, Tao Lin, Sajal K. Das

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) Are Promising Tools For Efficient Data Collections Of Sensors In IoT Networks. Existing Studies Exploited Both Spatial And Temporal Data Correlations To Reduce The Amount Of Collected Redundant Data, In Which Sensors Are First Partitioned Into Different Clusters, A Master Sensor In Each Cluster Then Collects Raw Data From Other Sensors And Compresses The Received Data. An Energy-Constrained UAV Finally Collects The Maximum Amount Of Compressed Data From Different Master Sensors. We However Notice That The Compressed Data From Only A Portion Of Clusters Are Collected By The UAV In The Existing Studies, While The Data …

Resource Aware Clustering For Tackling The Heterogeneity Of Participants In Federated Learning, Rahul Mishra, Hari Prabhat Gupta, Garvit Banga, Sajal K. Das

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Federated Learning Is A Training Framework That Enables Multiple Participants To Collaboratively Train A Shared Model While Preserving Data Privacy. The Heterogeneity Of Devices And Networking Resources Of The Participants Delay The Training And Aggregation. The Paper Introduces A Novel Approach To Federated Learning By Incorporating Resource-Aware Clustering. This Method Addresses The Challenges Posed By The Diverse Devices And Networking Resources Among Participants. Unlike Static Clustering Approaches, This Paper Proposes A Dynamic Method To Determine The Optimal Number Of Clusters Using Dunn Indices. It Enables Adaptability To The Varying Heterogeneity Levels Among Participants, Ensuring A Responsive And Customized Approach To …

Personalized Federated Graph Learning On Non-Iid Electronic Health Records, Tao Tang, Zhuoyang Han, Zhen Cai, Shuo Yu, Xiaokang Zhou, Taiwo Oseni, Sajal K. Das

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Understanding The Latent Disease Patterns Embedded In Electronic Health Records (EHRs) Is Crucial For Making Precise And Proactive Healthcare Decisions. Federated Graph Learning-Based Methods Are Commonly Employed To Extract Complex Disease Patterns From The Distributed EHRs Without Sharing The Client-Side Raw Data. However, The Intrinsic Characteristics Of The Distributed EHRs Are Typically Non-Independent And Identically Distributed (Non-IID), Significantly Bringing Challenges Related To Data Imbalance And Leading To A Notable Decrease In The Effectiveness Of Making Healthcare Decisions Derived From The Global Model. To Address These Challenges, We Introduce A Novel Personalized Federated Learning Framework Named PEARL, Which Is Designed For …

Undeniable Authentication Of Digital Twin-Managed Smart Microfactory, Anusha Vangala, Ashok Kumar Das, Sajal K. Das

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Smart Microfactories Use Additive Manufacturing to Create Products with Mixed Materials and Variable Sizes. Digital Twin Technology Enhances Control of the Additive Manufacturing Equipment in These Factories, Increasing Productivity and Minimizing Errors. the Digital Twins Communicate with the Machines to Furnish Sensitive Data and Instructions, Which Must Be Protected from Tampering. Authentication Rescues the Digital and Physical Twins from Menacing Attacks Such as Privileged Insider, Impersonation, Ephemeral Secret Leakage (ESL) and Man-In-The-Middle (MiTM) Attacks. to This End, We Propose Lightweight Authentication among the Digital and Physical Twins with the Undeniability of Issued Commands and Deniable Key Agreement. It Achieves Perfect …

Lease: Leveraging Energy-Awareness In Serverless Edge For Latency-Sensitive Iot Services, Aastik Verma, Anurag Satpathy, Sajal K. Das, Sourav Kanti Addya

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Resource Scheduling Catering to Real-Time IoT Services in a Serverless-Enabled Edge Network is Particularly Challenging Owing to the Workload Variability, Strict Constraints on Tolerable Latency, and Unpredictability in the Energy Sources Powering the Edge Devices. This Paper Proposes a Framework LEASE that Dynamically Schedules Resources in Serverless Functions Catering to Different Microservices and Adhering to their Deadline Constraint. to Assist the Scheduler in Making Effective Scheduling Decisions, We Introduce a Priority-Based Approach that Offloads Functions from over-Provisioned Edge Nodes to Under-Provisioned Peer Nodes, Considering the Expended Energy in the Process Without Compromising the Completion Time of Microservices. for Real-World Implementations, …

Early Detection Of Driving Maneuvers For Proactive Congestion Prevention, Debasree Das, Shameek Bhattacharjee, Sandip Chakraborty, Bivas Mitra, Sajal K. Das

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Road Traffic Congestion Affects Not Only the Commute Delay but Also a city's overall Social, Economic, and Environmental Growth. Existing Approaches for Road Congestion Mitigation Primarily Adopt a Reactive Approach by Detecting Congestion after It Occurs and Recommending Alternate Routes to the Vehicles, Which Fails to Prevent Congestion Cascading. in Contrast, We Propose a Pervasive Platform Called ProCon that Proactively Infers the Driving Micro-Behaviors that Can Contribute to Congestion Formation and Assist the Drivers in Avoiding Such Maneuvers in Real-Time during the Navigation. Thorough Evaluations over Multiple Real-Life and Simulated Datasets Indicate that ProCon Can Reduce Congestion for More Than …

Incivility In Open Source Projects: A Comprehensive Annotated Dataset Of Locked Github Issue Threads, Ramtin Ehsani, Mia Mohammad Imran, Robert Zita, Kostadin Damevski, Preetha Chatterjee

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

In the dynamic landscape of open-source software (OSS) development, understanding and addressing incivility within issue discussions is crucial for fostering healthy and productive collaborations. This paper presents a curated dataset of 404 locked GitHub issue discussion threads and 5961 individual comments, collected from 213 OSS projects. We annotated the comments with various categories of incivility using Tone Bearing Discussion Features (TBDFs), and, for each issue thread, we annotated the triggers, targets, and consequences of incivility. We observed that Bitter frustration, Impatience, and Mocking are the most prevalent TBDFs exhibited in our dataset. The most common triggers, targets, and consequences of …

On The K-Weak Coverage Of Random Mobile Sensors, Sajal K. Das, Rafal Kapelko

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper studies the fundamental problem of energy consumption in the movement of mobile random sensors ensuring k-weak coverage on the domain. In particular, we analyze two notions of k-weak coverage on the unit square, namely (1) (k, x)-weak coverage in which every straight-line path across the width of the unit square passes through the sensing range of at least k sensors; and (2) (k, x, y)-weak coverage in which every straight-line path across the width and the length of the unit square passes through the sensing range of at least k sensors. The number of reliable and p-reliable sensors …

Posca: Path Optimization For Solar Cover Amelioration In Urban Air Mobility, Debjyoti Sengupta, Anurag Satpathy, Sajal K. Das

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Urban Air Mobility (UAM) encompasses both piloted and autonomous aerial vehicles, spanning from small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) like drones to passenger-carrying personal air vehicles (PAVs), to revolutionize smart transportation in congested urban areas. This emerging paradigm is anticipated to offer disruptive solutions to the mobility challenges in congested cities. In this context, a pivotal concern centers on the sustainability of transitioning to this mode of transportation, especially with the focus on incorporating clean technology into developing innovative solutions from the ground up. Recent studies highlight that a significant portion of the total energy consumption in UAM can be attributed …

Tasr: A Novel Trust-Aware Stackelberg Routing Algorithm To Mitigate Traffic Congestion, Doris E.M. Brown, Venkata Sriram Siddhardh Nadendla, Sajal K. Das

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

A Stackelberg routing platform (SRP) reduces congestion in one-shot traffic networks by proposing optimal route recommendations to the selfish travelers. Traditionally, Stackel-berg routing is cast as a partial control problem where a fraction of the traveler flow complies with route recommendations, while the remaining responds as selfish travelers. In this paper, we formulate a novel Stackelberg routing framework where the agents exhibit probabilistic compliance by accepting SRP's route recommendations with a trust probability. Specifically, we propose a greedy Trust-Aware Stackelberg Routing algorithm (in short, TASR) for SRP to compute unique path recommendations to each traveler flow with a unique demand. …

Traffic Prediction-Based Vnf Auto-Scaling And Deployment Mechanism For Flexible And Elastic Service Provision, Bo Yi, Jiacheng Wang, Qiang He, Xingwei Wang, Min Huang, Sajal K. Das, Keqin Li

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Network Function Virtualization (NFV) provides a flexible way to provision new services by decoupling network functions from hardware and implementing them as Virtual Network Functions (VNFs). However, the rapid development of technologies greatly promotes the explosion of diverse services, which directly results in the exponential increase of heterogeneous traffic. In addition, such a tremendous amount of heterogeneous traffic will generate bursts in a more dynamic and unexpected manner, so it becomes extremely hard to satisfy the customer demands. Aiming at addressing these challenges, this work proposes a positive and elastic VNF deployment mechanism for service provisioning, which introduces three novelties: …

L3geocast: Enabling P4-Based Customizable Network-Layer Geocast At The Network Edge, Xindi Hou, Shuai Gao, Ningchun Liu, Fangtao Yao, Hongke Zhang, Sajal K. Das

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Geocast is a one-to-many communication paradigm that enables the transmission of data packets to a designated area rather than an IP address. The most common geocast solutions rely on the application-layer Geolocation-to-IP database. But these IP-based approaches cannot cope with the challenges of flexibility and mobility in a granularity-customizable geocast scenario. While some non-IP network-layer (L3) attempts have resulted in low addressing accuracy and poor routing scalability. Besides, the clean-slate design is incompatible with the existing network. To address these issues, this article proposes an innovative network-layer geographic addressing scheme that leverages P4-based Software Defined Networks (SDN) to enable flexible …

Learning Social Fairness Preferences From Non-Expert Stakeholder Opinions In Kidney Placement, Mukund Telukunta, Sukruth Rao, Gabriella Stickney, Venkata Sriram Siddardh Nadendla, Casey I. Canfield

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Modern kidney placement incorporates several intelligent recommendation systems which exhibit social discrimination due to biases inherited from training data. Although initial attempts were made in the literature to study algorithmic fairness in kidney placement, these methods replace true outcomes with surgeons' decisions due to the long delays involved in recording such outcomes reliably. However, the replacement of true outcomes with surgeons' decisions disregards expert stakeholders' biases as well as social opinions of other stakeholders who do not possess medical expertise. This paper alleviates the latter concern and designs a novel fairness feedback survey to evaluate an acceptance rate predictor (ARP) …

Book Review: Wapsipinicon Almanac: Selections From Thirty Years, Andy Oler

Publications

The Wapsipinicon Almanac: Selections from Thirty Years, edited by Timothy Fay. Iowa City: University of Iowa press, 2023. xi, 249 pp. Illustrations. $27.50 paperback.

Validating The Critical Teaching Behaviors Midterm Feedback Instrument For Enhanced Teaching Effectiveness And Student Engagement, Claudia Cornejo Happel, Chad Rohrbacher, Teha Cooks, Jenna Korentsides, Joseph R. Keebler, Carmen Van Ommen, Kimberly N. Williams, Lauren Barbeau

Publications

This study, conducted at a private STEM university in the Southeastern United States, presents a series of qualitative and quantitative data validating the Critical Teaching Behaviors Midterm Feedback Instrument (CTB-MFI). The instrument’s validity and reliability were tested through a mixed-methods approach involving faculty surveys, statistical analyses, and a student experience survey and focus groups. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) suggests that the CTB-MFI model has excellent fit across multiple indicators, as well as excellent convergent validity. However, low discriminant validity indicates possible correlations between categories of critical teaching behaviors. Data further show that faculty and students perceive the instrument as …

Comprehensive Investigation Of Using Tire-Derived Aggregate In Chip Seal Subjected To Various Traffic And Environmental Conditions, Alireza Pourhassan

Doctoral Dissertations

"Chip seal is one of the most cost- and performance-effective pavement preservation treatments commonly used in the United States. Using crumb rubber obtained from scrap tires as a partial or full replacement for mineral aggregate has been proposed as a sustainable solution to reduce the negative environmental impacts of scrap tire accumulation and excessive consumption of natural resources. However, there was no data available regarding the performance of rubberized chip seal under traffic loads and environmental conditions. An extensive study using laboratory specimens and conditioning as well as field implementation and assessments were conducted to bridge this gap. Different traffic …

Nurses' Knowledge, Confidence, And Compliance With An Ambulatory Surgery Discharge Checklist, Heather Van Marion

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Practice Innovation Projects

Background: Preventable errors in healthcare are fueling the growth of patient safety cultures. Checklists have been found to increase discharge accuracy and efficiency and detection of patient safety concerns before discharge.
Local Problem: Oversight errors can be traced back to poor communication or outdated workflows. Ad hoc communication and knowledge of physician preferences are no longer sufficient for ensuring complete discharge instructions. Methods & Interventions: A discharge checklist was developed and implemented in an ambulatory surgery department to ensure discharge instructions were complete and accurate. Nurses completed a pre and 3-month post-checklist questionnaire assessing their knowledge and confidence in the …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Quantum Materials, Yunsheng Qiu

Doctoral Dissertations

"In this study, attempts were made to grow quantum materials that have recently undergone a profound change of perspective. These materials are involved in intricate macroscopic properties rooted in the subtle nature of quantum physics. To explore our understanding of quantum materials, this study includes three projects: Magnetic Topological Insulators, Topological Superconductors, and high-temperature superconductors.

A Cr-doped Sb₂Te₃ is added to the category for the magnetic topological insulators project. Their transport properties are studied, and the origin of ferromagnetism is studied. Anomalous Hall effect is observed in the Hall measurements, and serval factors (cooling rate, dopant deficiency) …

Implementation Of An Induction Of Labor Protocol, Rebecca A. Erickson

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Practice Innovation Projects

Background: Nationwide focus has been placed on the reduction of incidence of adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes in nulliparous, term, singleton, vertex (NTSV) patients.
Local Problem: Nursing leaders of a maternal child health unit in the upper Midwest recognized a need to reduce the rate of adverse maternal outcomes with evidence-based practice. The facility does not currently have an induction of labor (IOL) protocol.
Methods: The California Maternal Quality Care Collaboration Toolkit to Support Vaginal Birth and Reduce Primary Cesarean Sections was used to create an IOL protocol to prevent adverse maternal outcomes. Categorical outcome data was compared for 6 …

Implementation Of An Oral Sucrose Protocol For Advanced Practice Providers, Cori Shatto

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Practice Innovation Projects

Background/Purpose: Pain in infancy due to immunization administration often goes untreated. The pain infants experience leads to negative effects on neurodevelopment and pain response. Needle fear develops in infancy and can extend into adulthood, leading to vaccine avoidance and endemic outbreaks. Methods: In a family practice clinic in an upper Midwest state, an oral sucrose protocol was implemented for use by advanced practice providers (APPs). Prior to education on the protocol, a survey was administered to assess the providers’ knowledge, attitudes, and practice (KAP) in relation to oral sucrose. The providers were educated on the benefits and intended use of …

Implementation Of A Non-Pharmacological Cognitive Stimulation Therapeutic Activities Protocol As A Delirium Prevention Method For Adults, Jada Hieb

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Practice Innovation Projects

Background/Purpose: Delirium is a complex clinical syndrome comprising a constellation of symptoms, including acute onset, inattention, altered level of consciousness, and disorganized thinking or cognitive dysfunction. Delirium is a common complication often unrecognized, expensive, and preventable. This project's focus was further exploring non-pharmacological delirium prevention strategies (NDPS).
Methods: A NDPS program using a therapeutic activity book (TAB) was implemented in a Midwestern acute care hospital measuring the impact on the number of positive delirium screens, the number of delirium diagnoses, and hospital length of stay (LOS).
Results: A causative relationship or association between the TAB and outcomes could not be …

Implementation Of A Prediabetes Risk Assessment And Motivational Interviewing In Adults Ages 35 And Older, Emma Lilleberg

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Practice Innovation Projects

Background: The American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommends screening for prediabetes using a validated assessment tool in asymptomatic adults starting at age 35. An effective process to raise screening numbers to identify those at risk of prediabetes and diabetes is needed to provide quality care.
Methods: Nursing staff were educated on use of the risk assessment tool and principles of motivational interviewing (MI). Utilizing the ADA risk assessment tool identified those at risk. Nursing staff completed MI with individuals who scored 5 or higher. A readiness for change survey was completed by patients after receiving MI. Additionally, individuals received education on …

Impact Of An End-Of-Life Simulation On Nurses’ Attitudes, Self-Confidence, And Communication Skills, Amanda Scofield

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Practice Innovation Projects

Background: New graduate nurses (NGNs) often lack exposure to end-of-life (EOL) care. Simulation experiences offer a safe place for learning and reflection. Implementation of an EOL simulation has the potential to increase NGNs attitudes, selfconfidence, and communication skills.
Methods: Forty-one NGNs in a nurse residency program participated in an EOL simulation. Attitudes toward EOL, self-confidence regarding EOL care, and EOL communication were evaluated using a pretest posttest format.
Results: Following the simulation, mean self-confidence scores increased, however the increase was not statistically significant (p = 0.53). Mean scores increased for 1 of 2 categories related to attitude toward EOL, however …

Impact Of Evidence-Based Interventions On Nurse Burnout Among Ambulatory Care Nurses, Haley M. Lupher

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Practice Innovation Projects

Background: The physical and emotional demands of the nursing profession often cause increased stress and burnout in nurses. If burnout is not addressed, the negative consequences of burnout are perpetuated by one another. Evidence-based interventions, such as meditation, yoga, and physical activity can help reduce nurse burnout.
Local Problem: This project was completed at an ambulatory dermatology clinic that sees approximately 300 patients a day. In recent years, this department has noticed increased nurse turnover and low nurse morale.
Methods: A convenience sample from approximately 30 nurses was utilized. Burnout was measured using the Maslach Burnout Inventory for Medical Personnel …

Implementation Of A Daily Protocol To Reduce Central Line Days On A Medical-Surgical Unit, Katherine Wickstrom

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Practice Innovation Projects

Background: Central line associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) are preventable healthcare associated infections (HAI) in the United States. CLABSIs are associated with increased length of hospital stays, mortality, and financial implications for both patients and hospital systems. Extensive research has shown implementing CLABSI prevention bundles can reduce infections and costs. These bundles are often misused, highlighting the importance of bundle compliance and education.
Local Problem: A medical surgical unit in the upper Midwest continues to have delayed central line removal despite a CLABSI prevention bundle. Efforts to decrease central line days were identified as a priority.
Methods: Staff completed education on …

Implementing The Teach-Back Method On Pessary Utilization In A Urogynecology Clinic, Marissa Eich

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Practice Innovation Projects

Background: The effectiveness of pessary patient education using the teach-back method and improving nurse confidence and conviction related to pessary use are essential in improving patient outcomes.
/="/">Local Problem: The current limitations in pessary education stem from constraints in nurse availability and workload distribution.
/="/">Methods: The quality improvement initiative involved conducting surveys to evaluate nurse confidence using surveys adapted from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality toolkit before the nurse education session, 1 month into the intervention, and at 3 months, when the implementation period ended. These surveys assessed the effectiveness of the teach-back method.
/="/">Intervention: …

Reducing Emergency Department Decision To Admit To Disposition Time Using The Sydney Triage To Admission Risk Tool, Jolyn Sackmann

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Practice Innovation Projects

Background: Long emergency department (ED) length of stay (LOS) is associated with increased mortality, delay in care, longer inpatient (IP) stays, readmission risk, poor patient satisfaction, and opportunity for error. Within the ED LOS is a quality indicator measuring the time a provider determines a patient will be admitted to the time the patient leaves the ED for an IP unit, called ED-2. Prolonged ED-2 indicates impaired ED output.
/="/">Local Problem: Despite previous interventions, the ED-2 at a rural Midwest hospital was about 63.5 minutes; the goal set forth by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid is 35 minutes …