Digital Commons Network^™

Compensatory Functional Activation During Motion Discrimination In Parkinson’S Disease, Stetphanie Nitschke, Kayla Julio, Nicholas Shaff, Chris Wertz, David Stone, Andrei Vakhtin, Andrew Mayer, Elena K. Festa, William C. Heindel, David P. Salmon, Gerson Suarez Cedeno, Amandaa Deligtisch, Sarah Pirio Richardson, Sephira Ryman

Brain & Behavioral Health Research Day

Objective

PD patients commonly exhibit cognitive dysfunction early in the disease course which may or may not predict further cognitive decline. In contrast, early emergence of visuospatial and memory impairments are more consistent predictors of an evolving dementia syndrome. Prior studies using fMRI have demonstrated that PD patients exhibit hyperactivation dependent on the degree of cognitive impairment, suggestive of compensatory strategies. No study has evaluated whether PD patients with normal cognition (PD-NC) and PD patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment (PD-MCI) exhibit compensatory activation patterns during visuospatial task performance.

Participants and Methods

10 PD-NC, 12 PD-MCI, and 14 age and sex-matched …

Use Of Library Resources And Services As Correlates Of Research Activities Among Postgraduate Students In Southwest Federal Universities, Nigeria, Mausi Ajoviyon Bokoh Mr., Bosede Adebimpe Ajiboye Dr., Morenikeji Modinat Bello Miss

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Library resources and services are essential in postgraduate studies to conduct a successful research, demonstrate academic scholarship and gain recognition for creative thinking. However, observations and frequent requests for assistance from library personnel by postgraduate students reveal low use of library resources. Hence, this study evaluated the use of library resources and services as correlates of research activities among postgraduate students in southwest Federal Universities, Nigeria. A survey research design was adopted for the study. Multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select 378 respondents for the study. Data were collected with the use of a structured questionnaire and focus group …

“Knowledge Belongs To All, But You Don’T Understand That Because You’Re Nothing But A White”: The Mystical Philosophy Of Embrace Of The Serpent, Rebecca Makas

Journal of Religion & Film

This article explores the implicit theory of mysticism in Ciro Guerra’s 2015 film Embrace of the Serpent (Sp. El abrazo de la serpiente). While many theories of mysticism argue that true mystical experience is unmediated and, therefore, universal, Guerra makes a more provocative statement in the film. He depicts two Westerners’ attempts to have an entheogenic mystical experience in journeys on the Amazon, guided by an indigenous shaman named Karamakate. While the first experience is unsuccessful, the second produces an astonishing mystical vision. The film’s apex transcends culture and suggests the power of the mystical to heal the trauma …

Transcendence And Spirituality In Chinese Cinema: A Theological Exploration, James Lorenz

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a book review of Kris H.K. Chong, Transcendence and Spirituality in Chinese Cinema: A Theological Exploration (New York, NY: Routledge, 2020).

A Research-Based Approach For Teaching Written Apologies To English For Academic Purposes Learners, Lisa Leopold

MITESOL Journal: An Online Publication of MITESOL

This article describes a research-based approach for teaching written personal, corporate, and public apologies to advanced English language learners. Following an explicit-inductive approach, the proposed lessons incorporate authentic input, metapragmatic explanation, noticing activities, corpus-based exercises, and empirically based research findings, all of which have been shown to enhance learners’ sociopragmatic and pragmalinguistic competence. Learners apply research findings to analyze authentic apologies, revise them for greater sincerity, and use a corpus to expand the range of expressions for apologizing. The pedagogical activities expand the scope of written pragmatics instruction which has been relatively under-represented in the field of pragmatics.

Mindful Space In Sentences - A Dataset Of Virtual Emotions For Natural Language Classification, Han Tu, Chunfeng Yang

Architecture and Planning Journal (APJ)

Spatial emotions have played a critical role in visual-spatial environmental assessment, which can be assessed using bio-sensors and language description. However, information on virtual spatial emotion assessment with objective emotion labels and natural language processing (NLP) is insufficient in literature. Thus, designers’ ability to assess spatial design quantitatively and cost effectively is limited before the design is finalized. This research measures the emotions expressed using electroencephalograms (EEGs) and descriptions in virtual reality (VR) spaces with different parameters. First, 26 subjects experienced 10 designed virtual spaces with a VR headset (Quest 2 device) corresponding to the different space parameters of shape, …

Memorability Of Spatial Features In Virtual Reality - Süleymaniye Experience, Asena Kumsal Şen Bayram, Orkan Zeynel Güzelci̇, Sema Alaçam

Architecture and Planning Journal (APJ)

The goal of this study is to uncover and understand the user's perception of spatial features as they interact with cultural heritage in a virtual environment. The virtual reality (VR) experience adopted Kaufmann's three-fold imagery conception to structure the research methodology, which suggests that linguistic representation, visual imagery representation, and exploratory activity all have a strong relationship during the problem-solving/creative process. Since it has distinctive spatial features, the Süleymaniye Mosque in Istanbul was chosen for the VR experience as part of the scope. Following the VR experience in two sessions, it was analyzed using semi-structured interviews, sketching, and route extraction. …

Urban Design Analysis Of New York City’S Virtual Model - The Case Of Tom Clancy’S The Division, Nima Sharafi Rohani, Ikhwan Kim

Architecture and Planning Journal (APJ)

People have started spending time with digital tools and virtual worlds to escape reality's horrors. However, designed spaces are more than the players' needs, especially those digital games that their stories involve urban environments. This inefficiency causes spending futile efforts both in time and cost for the digital games' productions; The urban environments in these digital games are replicas of real-world cities. Some companies use some techniques for downgrading replicas. Therefore, this study aims to uncover the used techniques for designing Tom Clancy's The Division (2016). By using reverse engineering methodology and qualitative comparative analysis, the in-game map compared with …

Low-Cost Portable Wireless Electroencephalography To Detect Emotional Responses To Visual Cues - Validation And Potential Applications, Ahmed Marey, Sherif Goubran

Architecture and Planning Journal (APJ)

This paper validates the using a low-cost EEG headset – Emotiv Insight 2.0 – for detecting emotional responses to visual stimuli. The researchers detected, based on brainwave activity, the viewer’s emotional states in reference to a series of visuals and mapped them on valance and arousal axes. Valence in this research is defined as the viewer’s positive or negative state, and arousal is defined as the intensity of the emotion or how calm or excited the viewer is. A set of thirty images – divided into two categories: Objects and Scenes – was collected from the Open Affective Standard Image …

Progeny: A Grasshopper Plug-In That Augments Cellular Automata Algorithms For 3d Form Explorations, İnanç Şencan

Architecture and Planning Journal (APJ)

Cellular automata (CA) is a well-known computation method introduced by John von Neumann and Stanislaw Ulam in the 1940s. Since then, it has been studied in various fields such as computer science, biology, physics, chemistry, and art. The Classic CA algorithm is a calculation of a grid of cells' binary states based on neighboring cells and a set of rules. With the variation of these parameters, the CA algorithm has evolved into alternative versions such as 3D CA, Multiple neighborhood CA, Multiple rules CA, and Stochastic CA (Url-1). As a rule-based generative algorithm, CA has been used as a bottom-up …

An Investigation Of The Impact Targeted Motivational Efforts And Leadership Styles Have On School Climate, Ashley Nichole Galloway

Dissertations

This dissertation explored the challenging nature school climate holds within the realms of organizational and building effectiveness among building leaders, staff, and students. Difficulties associated with organizational climate were identified. There are numerous factors that contributed to shaping school climate and school climate is also highly dependent on perceptions (McGregor, 1960). Through an interdisciplinary focus between targeted motivational efforts and administrative leadership styles, this study aimed to discover a new understanding of central climate and leadership factors which might lend to a more positive environment. Despite the substantial amount of critical work performed within this study, recommendations for future research …

The Digitization Of Notarial Tasks - A Comparative Overview And Outlook Of ‘Cyber Notary’ In Indonesia And Germany, Stefan Koos

The Indonesian Journal of Socio-Legal Studies

This article highlights the newer discussion of the term "cyber notary" in the Indonesian legal context and compares the discussion with the discussion on the use of digital instruments for German notaries. The article notes that the concept of cyber notary is being discussed in Germany and other EU-member states as well, where the integration of digital and cyber elements into the notary system is considered as a way to make processes more efficient, accessible, and secure. This includes the use of digital signatures, online notarization, the use of notarial blockchains, or secure digital storage for notarized documents. However, the …

A Comparative Study Of Technological Excess On The National Futsal Team In Iraq Preparation Of Researchers, Mohammed Musarhad Ali, Raed Dawood Salman

Modern Sport

The current research aims to study the comparison of technological excess on the players of the national futsal team, in the fields of health, behavioral, psychological, and social studies, touching on the effects resulting from technological excess, according to the gender variable, using the survey method, which is one of the descriptive methods. The study was conducted on a community of futsal players, numbering (48) of both sexes, who are accustomed to using the Internet and its applications for long periods of time. The effect of technological excess, depending on the theoretical literature for the topic of the current research, …

Application Of The Recitation Method To Improve The Competence Of Medical Laboratory Technology Students In The Immunology Field, Patricia Gita Naully, Perdina Nursidika

Jurnal Pendidikan Sains

An accredited mid-level MLT (Medical Laboratory Technology) must have the competence to perform medical laboratory examinations from pre-analytic, analytic, and post-analytic stages in several fields, one of which is immunology. Many D3 MLT students are facing obstacles to passed the immunology course. This obstacle is not only experienced by students of D3 MLT but also by medical students, pharmacy students, and similar majors. The purpose of this research is to determine the effect of recitation method in the form of animation video making and immunology based device on the competence of Diploma 3 (D3) MLT students. This research is a …

The Impact Of Supplemental Phonemic Awareness Lessons On Phonological Awareness And Spelling Development Among Kindergarten And First Graders, Crystal Olinger

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

Reading is a developmental process that builds on complex cognitive processes and starts long before children enter school. This present study investigated the impact of supplemental phonemic awareness lessons on phonological awareness and spelling development among kindergarten and first graders. The Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing (CTOPP-2) measured phonological awareness. The Kindergarten Inventory of Developmental Spelling (KIDS) measured spelling development in kindergarten students. The Developmental Spelling Analysis (DSA) measured spelling development in first grade. Participants in the treatment group received 16 weeks of weekly word study instruction and 10-15 minute daily phonemic awareness instruction. A mixed design full factorial ANOVA …

Motherhood In The Multiverse: Melodrama And Asian American Identity In Everything, Everywhere, All At Once, Aditya Sudhakaran

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In what follows, I look to the visual and narrative composition of the multiverse between Everything, Everywhere, All at Once (The Daniels, 2022) and Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness (Sam Raimi, 2022) to develop a more precise understanding of the superhero blockbuster as a contemporary expression of sensation melodrama. To do so, I use two depictions of maternity to excavate two very different approaches to the multiverse: one that externalizes social conflict, which it answers with individuated and exculpatory violence, and another that internalizes social conflict, which it answers through collective care. I introduce the blockbuster’s mobilization of the multiverse …

Publish Or Perish And Its Implications To Academia, Ador Revelar Torneo

Asia-Pacific Social Science Review

No abstract provided.

A Sociolinguistic Analysis Of Bilingual Puns In The Linguistic Landscapes Of Guangzhou, China, Junhua Peng, Nor Shahila Mansor, Zalina Mohd Kasim, Lay Hoon Ang

Asia-Pacific Social Science Review

Punning, either monolingual or bilingual, is a significant action in creating literal humor and rhetorical jokes. Notwithstanding, there is a dearth of linguistic studies on punning, particularly bilingual punning. Therefore, this study aims to conduct a sociolinguistic appraisal of Chinese-English bilingual puns in Guangzhou, an international Chinese metropolis, by presenting and analyzing the data collected from the linguistic landscapes of Guangzhou. A qualitative method was employed in analyzing the data collected from 18 commercial signages with visible bilingual puns that were located in two popular commercial centers of Guangzhou. Resultantly, Chinese-English puns largely occurred at the word level with bilingual …

Native And Non-Native Identity Preferences In Elt Hiring Practices Amid Global Englishes: The Case Of Online Job Advertisements, Yusop Boonsuk, Fa-Ezah Wasoh, Fan Fang

Asia-Pacific Social Science Review

No abstract provided.

Cultural Competency In Universities And Library Services: Definition And Review, Brady Lund Dr, Maoka Dikotla Dr, Matlala Mahlatji, Ting Wang, Awojobi Esther Abosede

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Cultural competency is critical aspects that requires proper management in view of the fact that institutions of higher learning worldwide are more diverse with the greater rate of international student enrollment, expansion of opportunities for women and ethnic minorities, and increase in more affordable options for achieving a degree. This qualitative study sought to presents a literature review of the concept of cultural competency as it pertains to the provision of educational and library and information services at institutions of higher education. This literature review explores the various definitions for cultural literacy, how the concept has been used in higher …

Ten Years After Imagenet: A 360° Perspective On Artificial Intelligence, Sanjay Chawla, Preslav Nakov, Ahmed Ali, Wendy Hall, Issa Khalil, Xiaosong Ma, Husrev Taha Sencar, Ingmar Weber, Michael Wooldridge, Ting Yu

Natural Language Processing Faculty Publications

It is 10 years since neural networks made their spectacular comeback. Prompted by this anniversary, we take a holistic perspective on artificial intelligence (AI). Supervised learning for cognitive tasks is effectively solved - provided we have enough high-quality labelled data. However, deep neural network models are not easily interpretable, and thus the debate between blackbox and whitebox modelling has come to the fore. The rise of attention networks, self-supervised learning, generative modelling and graph neural networks has widened the application space of AI. Deep learning has also propelled the return of reinforcement learning as a core building block of autonomous …

We Are ... Marshall, March 29, 2023, Office Of Marshall University Communication

We Are ... Marshall: the Newsletter for Marshall University 1999-2023

No abstract provided.

Hybrid Forecasting Of Geopolitical Events, Daniel M. Benjamin, Fred Morstatter, Ali E. Abbas, Andres Abeliuk, Pavel Atanasov, Stephen Bennett, Andreas Beger, Saurabh Birari, David V. Budescu, Michele Catasta, Emilio Ferrara, Lucas Haravitch, Mark Himmelstein, Ksm Tozammel Hossain, Yuzhong Huang, Woojeong Jin, Regina Joseph, Jure Leskovec, Akira Matsui, Amandeep Singh, Rok Sosic, Mark Steyvers, Pedro A. Szekely, Michael D. Ward, Aram Galstyan

HCBE Faculty Articles

Sound decision-making relies on accurate prediction for tangible outcomes ranging from military conflict to disease outbreaks. To improve crowdsourced forecasting accuracy, we developed SAGE, a hybrid forecasting system that combines human and machine generated forecasts. The system provides a platform where users can interact with machine models and thus anchor their judgments on an objective benchmark. The system also aggregates human and machine forecasts weighting both for propinquity and based on assessed skill while adjusting for overconfidence. We present results from the Hybrid Forecasting Competition (HFC)—larger than comparable forecasting tournaments—including 1085 users forecasting 398 real-world forecasting problems over 8 months. …

March 29, 2023 Greenmail, University Of Alabama At Birmingham

GreenMail (student newsletter through 2024)

No abstract provided.

Self-Determination And The Lived Experience Of Employed Adults With Intellectual Disabilities: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, Abdelrahman Mohammad Alzarie

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Literature reveals that self-determination is a critical predictor of employment at the post-secondary level for individuals with Intellectual Disabilities (ID). However, current research concerning self-determination in the post-secondary work of individuals with ID is scarce and primarily focused on the perspectives of parents or educators or has been driven by evaluating learning models of self-determination. Furthermore, individuals with ID were not adequately represented as participants in the current research, and their voices were not given the opportunity to be heard. Therefore, this qualitative phenomenological study aimed to explore the lived experience of six Saudi employed adults with mild ID who …

English Use In Italian Contexts: A Digital Ethnographic Study Of Language Ideological Discourses, Antonella Gazzardi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Language ideologies are systems of beliefs about languages. Naturalized as “common sense,” they are widespread and significantly influence social, discursive, and linguistic practices. Language ideologies are expressed and circulated in a wide range of media formats, including social media, where lay people and experts alike share their opinions and beliefs. One “language problem” they debate about is the use of English in otherwise Italian contexts that is (mostly) deemed unnecessary (referred to as Italenglish). By applying a citizen sociolinguistic lens (Rymes & Leone, 2014), and by adding an ethnographic component to the critical discourse analysis of digital data (Fairclough, 2013), …

Music As An Instructional Modality To Increase Attending Behavior Of Elementary Students, Zachary Grossman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Audio and audiovisual cues, when used as teaching tools, result in desirable learning outcomes for young learners when compared to visual cues alone (Havy et al., 2017; Kirkham et al., 2019; Sloutsky & Napolitano, 2003). Previous research has demonstrated that music can be an effective delivery method for teaching math in the elementary classrooms (An & Tillman, 2015; An et al., 2014; Azaryahu et al., 2020). However, the effectiveness of music at increasing attending behavior specifically has not been assessed in these studies. This study evaluated the effectiveness of music based instruction on students’ attending behaviors compared to non-music based …

Evaluation Factors Of Solar Power Plants To Reduce Cost Under Neutrosophic Multi-Criteria Decision Making Model, Mohamed Abouhawwash, Mohammed Jameel

Sustainable Machine Intelligence Journal

Solar power facilities must be efficient, reliable, and sustainable to meet energy demands. This study conducts a comprehensive analysis of criteria for evaluating solar power installations, focusing on factors impacting performance, economic viability, and environmental sustainability. Drawing from extensive literature, industry practices, and case studies, we identify key considerations such as technological feasibility, economic viability, environmental impact, legal frameworks, and social acceptance. To address the complexity and uncertainty associated with these criteria, we employ a multi-criteria decision-making approach. Specifically, the CRiteria Importance Through Inter-criteria Correlation (CRITIC) method is utilized to determine the weights of criteria, while the neutrosophic set theory …

Interpreter-Mediated Psychotherapy With Refugees, Shadin Atiyeh, Mina Attia, Julie Beckmann

Journal of Counseling Research and Practice

This article is a content analysis of peer-reviewed journal publications exploring interpreter-mediated counseling over the last ten years. The intention of the analysis was to identify trends in publication regarding this topic and gaps for future research. After an exhaustive search, 70 articles were identified and seven were specifically focused on refugees and asylum seekers. Themes of the publishing trends were identified and recommendations for the counseling field are presented.

Graduate Student Transcription Of Accented Speech, Emily Covington

Theses & Honors Papers

There are many speech sound differences between Standard American English and English spoken by an individual from a different language background, who speaks with an accent. The purpose of this study is to research graduate students' preparedness and ability to transcribe speech from varying cultural backgrounds. A transcription assessment was administered to current speech-language pathology graduate students with results compared to professionals in the field who completed the transcription based on both listening and spectrogram images. Graduate students were also surveyed regarding their phonetics education experiences. Overall, students were able to transcribe accented speech with 64.2% accuracy. Participants’ transcription of …