Digital Commons Network^™

Effectiveness Of Online Math Interventions On Middle School Student Math Achievement, Joshua Brandon Goodman

Student Theses and Dissertations

Tennessee middle school math students have come to a critical juncture in their mathematics education. State test scores have shown a decrease over several years due to an increase in the rigor of the content being taught, a shortage of teachers and teacher assistants, and other mitigating factors faced within public education. The need for alternative solutions to combat these issues came in the form of online math intervention programs. This study explored the effectiveness of two of those programs: Khan Academy and Study Island. A quantitative causal-comparative study was conducted to determine each program’s significance, as well as the …

Lindenwood Performance Science Team Uses Data To Spark Success, Lindenwood University

Archived Lindenwood Press Releases

No abstract provided.

A Modular Simulation Environment And B-Spline Trajectory Generation Methods For Multi-Agent Uav Systems, Landon D. Shumway

Theses and Dissertations

Multi-agent UAV systems present a complex challenge requiring solutions to numerous subproblems. This research addresses two key issues: simulation testing and path planning. A modular simulation environment is developed, enabling users to run diverse mission scenarios with heterogeneous UAV teams and to implement custom dynamic models and guidance laws. Additionally, two novel B-spline trajectory generation methods are proposed. The first generates time-synchronized B-spline paths for UAVs with arbitrary initial and final states in 2D space, accommodating scenarios where agents must follow predetermined speed profiles. The second guidance method converts spline paths between MINVO, Bézier, and non-uniform B-spline representations, leveraging the …

Spatiotemporal Analysis Of Available Freshwater Resources In Watersheds Across Northern New Jersey, Toritseju Oyen, Duke Ophori

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Groundwater is a critical freshwater resource, yet its quality is increasingly threatened by anthropogenic activities, particularly in urbanized regions. This study employs geospatial analysis to evaluate the spatiotemporal variability of groundwater quality across 11 Watershed Management Areas (WMAs) in northern New Jersey, from 1999 to 2016. Using specific conductance (SC) as a proxy for salinity, we applied Ordinary Kriging interpolation to estimate SC values in unmonitored locations, leveraging data from 295 shallow wells within the New Jersey Ambient Groundwater Quality Monitoring Network. The results reveal significant spatial heterogeneity in groundwater quality, strongly associated with land use and road density. The …

Evaluating The Impact Of Information Literacy Workshops On Student Success, Amanda Shannon, Aaron Skira, Ying Chen, Matt Shreffler

Roesch Library Faculty Publications

Objective – This study was designed to identify the impact of standalone information literacy tutorials on student success indicators. The study was conducted in two different phases to compare findings across different modalities and to identify whether online, asynchronous delivery of substantively similar content affected outcomes.

Methods – Using institutional records from a mid-sized, Midwestern public university, and attendance and completion data from student participation in asynchronous library workshops, the authors used propensity score matching to construct a control group that mirrored library workshop participants based on like characteristics. Statistical analyses were then conducted comparing the GPA, semester completion, and …

Enzymatic Characterization Of Bacterial Enzymes And Inhibitors As Potential Antibiotics With New Mechanisms Of Action, Emma Helene Kelley

Dissertations

Bacteria have become increasingly resistant to antibiotics, therefore there is an urgent need for new drug classes of antibiotics to help fight antibiotic infections. To this end, our research is focused on inhibitors of dizinc metalloenzymes N-succinyl-L,L-diaminopimelic acid desuccinylase (DapE), an enzyme in the lysine biosynthesis pathway, N-acetyl-L-ornithine deacetylase enzyme (ArgE), an enzyme in the arginine biosynthesis pathway, and sodium-dependent NADH: ubiquinone oxidoreductase (Na+-NQR) enzyme, a respiratory complex enzyme as promising drug targets. DapE, ArgE, and Na+-NQR and are only present in bacteria, including ESKAPE pathogens that can cause potentially deadly infections, thus inhibitors of DapE, ArgE, and Na+-NQR offer …

A Spatial Modeling Framework For Identifying Multidimensional Risk Factors Of Colorectal Cancer, Johnna K. Berryhill

Student Theses and Dissertations

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common and preventable cancers, yet significant disparities in screening, incidence, and late-stage diagnosis persist across different geographic and socioeconomic contexts. This thesis presents a spatial modeling framework for identifying multidimensional risk factors associated with CRC outcomes across various geographic scales. Using county- and census-tract-level data from national and state sources, the study integrates demographic, socioeconomic, environmental, built environment, and behavioral predictors to analyze geographic variability in CRC risk factors. Advanced spatial modeling techniques, including Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) and Geographically Weighted Random Forest (GW-RF), are employed to capture spatial heterogeneity in these …

Examining Teacher Efficacy And Academic Achievement: A Qualitative Exploration Of Middle Schools In A Rural Louisiana School District, Kristin Carriere Percle

Student Theses and Dissertations

The achievement gap among disadvantaged student populations in Louisiana’s public schools highlights the critical need for equitable educational practices for all students to be successful. This qualitative case study explores the relationships between teacher efficacy and student achievement in two low-performing schools servicing grades sixth through eighth in a rural Louisiana school district. Using Albert Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory as a framework, the study explores how teacher self-efficacy impacts instructional quality and student performance. Through semi-constructed interviews with six participants and document analysis of the Louisiana Department of Education’s Compass Observation Rubric and Value-Added Model (VAM) scores, the study collected …

Exploring K-12 Educators Remaining In The Profession In Louisiana Public Schools: A Phenomenological Inquiry, Brittany Benoit

Student Theses and Dissertations

School systems across the United States and worldwide face significant challenges due to a shortage of qualified teachers. These conditions negatively affect student outcomes and place additional financial burdens on school systems. Teacher shortages often lead to larger class sizes and increased workloads for existing educators, further exacerbating the issue. Addressing teacher retention is crucial to improving educational quality and stability within school systems. This qualitative phenomenological study explored the experiences and perceptions of relationships that influenced K-12 Louisiana Public School educators to remain in the profession. Guided by Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory, the research emphasized intrinsic factors that contributed to …

Closing The Learning Gaps: When Special Education Students Receive Grade Level Content Through Inclusionary Practices, Shaun Ross

Student Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the academic outcomes of special education students receiving core instruction in an inclusionary model compared to those receiving their instruction in a resource classroom. The research problem addressed the achievement gap between the two instructional approaches and how they impact student academic performance. The findings are relevant to educators, school administrators, and policymakers looking to improve instructional strategies for students with disabilities. The purpose of this quantitative correlational research study was to determine whether inclusionary based instructional practices led to higher academic achievement than the traditional pull-out model. Grounded in the theoretical framework of Positivism, the study …

Exploring The Elements Contributed By School-Level Administrators That Influence Teacher Retention, Summer Craddock

Student Theses and Dissertations

Teacher shortages and high attrition rates challenge educational systems, impacting instructional quality, school culture, and student outcomes. Therefore, this study aimed to examine how school-level administrators influenced teacher retention among K-5 public elementary teachers in a rural South Carolina school district. Guided by Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory, the research explored how administrators meet teachers’ needs and how fulfilling these needs motivates them to stay. A qualitative, phenomenological approach was used, with semi-structured interviews conducted with eighteen certified K-5 teachers with at least five years of experience and actively employed in the district. The first research question examined teachers’ experiences …

The Impact Of Supplemental Resources In Title I Schools On Student Achievement In High School Geometry, Jememia Black

Student Theses and Dissertations

Schools receive report card grades to inform the public about how the schools are performing and meeting the demands of their students. State mandated assessments factor into the report card grades for schools. When test scores are low, they negatively impact the report grades for schools. Therefore, there is a need to explore resources that could positively impact students’ test scores. The problem addressed in this study was that over 50% of the geometry students in Title I high schools within the district included in the study were not performing on grade level and demonstrating grade level understanding on state …

Examining The Influence Of Departmentalization On Elementary Teachers' Efficacy In Teaching Mathematics: A Qualitative Case Study Of First Grade And Second-Grade Elementary Teachers, Juasita Sherelle Patterson

Student Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine five elementary teachers’ perceptions of teaching mathematics within a departmentalized classroom organizational structure and its influence on their teacher efficacy in teaching mathematics at the elementary level, how teacher preparation programs have prepared elementary teachers to implement instruction in a departmentalized structure, and how they perceive their efficacy when teaching mathematics in a departmentalized classroom versus a self-contained classroom. This qualitative case study applied the theoretical framework of Frederick Taylor’s Scientific Management Theory and Albert Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory to assess the impact of departmentalization on teachers' self-efficacy in mathematics …

College And Career Readiness Of Students With Autism In The Dallas/Fort Worth Metropolitan Area, James Daniel Hobbs

Student Theses and Dissertations

Autism is a spectrum disorder involving individualized disabilities in social interactions, self-expression, and behavior control. Those diagnosed typically exhibit challenges in at least two of these areas. Many individuals with autism are identified through evaluations in public schools. Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, public schools must provide disabled students with a free and appropriate public education through special education. In Texas, autism is one of 13 disabilities that qualify a student for special education services. Once in special education, students receive an individualized education plan, which includes goals for life after high school. The Texas Education Agency tracks …

Principles For Physics Lab Reports Using Google Sheets, Vasiliy Znamenskiy

Open Educational Resources

This instructional guide provides detailed standards and best practices for students preparing physics lab reports using Google Sheets. It emphasizes the importance of precise data entry, formula-based calculations, and clearly labeled units. The document outlines rigorous conventions for mathematical formatting, error analysis (including percent error and percent difference), and data presentation in tables and graphs. It instructs students to maintain a structured single-page format for each report, include proper labeling and trendline analysis in graphs, and ensure automated and verifiable calculations. Submission and feedback procedures are clearly defined, highlighting the importance of collaborative revision and instructor comments. The guide also …

Arkansas High School Teacher Perceptions About Declining Enrollment And Learning Experiences In Advanced Science Courses, Tanya Lynette Ruble

Student Theses and Dissertations

Student enrollment in advanced high school science courses in Arkansas, specifically Chemistry, Physics, AP Biology, AP Chemistry, and AP Physics has declined since 2014. Colleges across the nation recommend that students take Biology, Chemistry, and Physics in high school to prepare for rigorous science majors in college. Decreased enrollment in these subjects can lead to fewer college science majors and impact the preparation of students for careers in STEM fields such as engineering and healthcare. This qualitative phenomenological study utilized three research questions to explore the reasons for the decline in advanced high school science course enrollment in Arkansas. It …

A Survey On Immersive Cyber Situational Awareness Systems, Hussain Ahmad, Faheem Ullah, Rehan Jafri

All Works

Cyber situational awareness systems are increasingly used for creating cyber common operating pictures for cybersecurity analysis and education. However, these systems face data occlusion and convolution issues due to the burgeoning complexity, dimensionality, and heterogeneity of cybersecurity data, which damages cyber situational awareness of end-users. Moreover, conventional forms of human–computer interactions, such as mouse and keyboard, increase the mental effort and cognitive load of cybersecurity practitioners when analyzing cyber situations of large-scale infrastructures. Therefore, immersive technologies, such as virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality, are employed in the cybersecurity realm to create intuitive, engaging, and interactive cyber common operating …

Unh Ocean Engineering Student Earns Prestigious Dod Smart Scholarship, Brooks Payette

UNH Today Archive

No abstract provided.

Online Hyperparameter Tuning For Llm Optimization, Ethan Lin, Nathan Yu, Jeromy Chang

Computer Science and Engineering Senior Theses

Large Language Models (LLMs) are becoming increasingly popular in modern society. However, despite their popularity, the deployment of LLMs in real-world scenarios is extremely challenging due to substantial computational costs and memory constraints. Edge devices, like smartphones and IoT devices, lack resources needed to run these models locally, instead offloading computations for cloud computing. Cloud computing requires users to send their data over the internet leading to numerous privacy and security concerns. In some domains, such as health and finances, sending such sensitive information is not an option. Existing solutions to compress or increase inference speed include Small Language Models …

2025 June 12 - Tennessee Weekly Drought Summary, Tennessee Climate Office, East Tennessee State University

Tennessee Climate Office Weekly Drought Summaries

No abstract provided.

Development Of Novel Force Fields For Metal Ions, Madelyn Smith

Dissertations

Many biological proteins require the presence of a metal ion in order to properly function. However, metal ions’ complex nature charge poses several challenges to accurately and efficiently simulate computationally. For example, metal ions can exhibit multiple oxidation states, electronic state degeneracy, flexible coordination numbers, and significant polarization effects. To address these problems, this dissertation aims to enhance force fields for modeling metal ions in molecular dynamics simulations. First, a comprehensive set of van der Waals radii for metal ions is derived, demonstrating the importance of using physically meaningful parameters in force fields. Second, a comprehensive set of atomic and …

Contributions Of California Teacher Librarians To Student Achievement, Keith Curry Lance, Caitlin Gerrity

Learning Hub

This article assesses the contributions of California Teacher Librarians (TLs) to student achievement, specifically in the area of English Language Arts and Literacy. This comparison-of-means analysis employed two major datasets: the California Department of Education (CDE) school library evaluation survey and California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) data, both for the 2022-23 school year. This study found that students who met or exceeded ELA standards were more likely to be in schools with: a full-time, certified TL rather than a part-time TL or no TL; a TL–full- or part-time–rather than no TL; a TL staffing a single library …

Re: Approval Letter For The Draft Final Butte Reduction Works (Brw) Air Monitoring For Interim Demolition Activities – Phase I Data Summary Report (Dated March 21, 2025), Emma Rott

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Re: Comment Letter For The Final Butte Reduction Works (Brw) Smelter Area Waste Remediation And Contaminated Groundwater Hydraulic Control Site Air Monitoring Quality Assurance Project Plan (Qapp) For Interim Demolition Activities (Dated May 19, 2025), Emma Rott

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

A New Model For Educational Program Assessments Using Automated Collective Concept Maps, Andrew R. Paullin

Master's Theses (2009 -)

This paper presents: Epistemological principles; the origins and theoretical foundations of concept maps; the current state of related works; the contributions, methods, results, and future road map of this research; and A New Model for Educational Program Assessments. An understanding that knowledge results from an evolution of cognitive structures enables a scientific approach to enhance the efficiency of learning. Building on prior works, this research provides a novel algorithm and tool to automatically create Collective Concept Maps from Individual Concept Maps by utilizing a dictionary, thesaurus, Natural Language Processing, Machine Learning / Artificial Intelligence, and domain expertise. Abstraction Filters enable …

Intelligent Intrusion Detection In Clustered Wireless Sensor Networks: A Dynamic Clustering And Machine Learning-Based Approach, Abdullah R. Abdulwahhab, Mohd Fadzli Mohd Salleh, Muhammad Firdaus Akb, Mohammed Najm Abdullah

Iraqi Journal for Computer Science and Mathematics

Traditional Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) designed for more conventional network infrastructures are often ill-equipped to handle the unique challenges WSNs pose, leading to significant gaps in security and resilience. This paper introduces an Intelligent Intrusion Detection System (IIDS) explicitly tailored for clustered WSNs to address these critical challenges. The proposed IIDS integrates dynamic clustering with advanced machine learning algorithms to create a robust and adaptive security solution capable of real-time threat detection and mitigation. The dynamic clustering mechanism is designed to continuously monitor and respond to changes in sensor node network topology and energy levels, ensuring that energy consumption is …

Non-Overlapping Patch-Based Pre-Trained Cnn For Breast Cancer Classification, Lamyaa Sabeeh Ashour, Ahmed Abed Mohammed, Mustafa M. Abd Zaid, Putra Sumari, Ahmed Kateb Jumaah Al-Nussairi, Sura Abdulateef Al-Shammari, Sarah Thabit Abdulmunem

Iraqi Journal for Computer Science and Mathematics

Breast cancer (BC) significantly impacts women's mortality rates and requires early detection to improve survival chances and enable appropriate treatment. Thus, a computer-aided system with high performance can speed up this process. A convolutional neural network (CNN) is considered sensitive to insufficient, noisy data. It cannot achieve high performance, however, restricted access to high-quality medical data, stemming from stringent confidentiality and privacy issues, is a considerable obstacle to the successful training of deep learning models. The current study aims to develop a remarkable, influential model for BC classification whilst considering modern pre-trained models ResNet50, AlexNet, InceptionV3 and VGG16 for extracting …

Retracted: Navigating The Complexities And Artificial Intelligence Of Internet Of Things Security Claims, Tamara Saad Mohamed, Saad Mohammed Khalifah

Iraqi Journal for Computer Science and Mathematics

The term ``Internet of Things'' (IoT) describes a system that allows everyday objects to communicate with one another and with controlled systems, servers, and other linked devices through a variety of connectivity constructions by means of embedded software, sensor technology, electronics, and connections. Data from the Internet of Things (IoT) will be sent to the servers over the internet from a variety of sensors, nods, and collectors. Governments, medical facilities, consumers, and corporations all make use of IoT devices. approximately, More than 65 billion Internet of Things devices are expected to be in operation by 2024. The proliferation of IoT …

Topological Indices For The Resize Graph Of (G2(3)), Manar Musab Ftekhan, Ali Abd Aubad

Iraqi Journal for Computer Science and Mathematics

Indexes of topological play a crucial role in mathematical chemistry and network theory, providing valuable insights into the structural properties of graphs. In this study, we investigate the Resize graph of G₂(3), a significant algebraic structure arising from the exceptional Lie group (G₂) over the finite field F₃. We compute several well-known topological indices, including the Zagreb indices, Wiener index, and Randić index, to analyze the graph's connectivity and complexity. Our results reveal intricate relationships between the algebraic structure of G₂(3) and its graphical properties, offering a deeper understanding of its combinatorial …

Machine Learning Algorithms To Detect Cyber-Attack In The Internet Of Things Platform, Maad Kamal Al-Anni, Rafah M. Almuttairi, Ammar A. Al-Hamadani, Khamis A. Zidan, Husam Ibrahiem Husain Alsaadi, Ghaidaa A. Al-Sultany

Iraqi Journal for Computer Science and Mathematics

In response to escalating cyber threats in Internet of Things (IoT) networks, this research investigates several traffic classification techniques by using benchmark datasets, such as CICIoT2023. This dataset was exclusively used to test the effectiveness of the proposed system, which aims to enhance the data processing for machine learning algorithms amid increasingly complex cyber threats. To prepare the naturally unstructured and raw dataset for analysis, Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) is applied for dimensionality reduction. The processed data and attributes are then fed into the proposed Fuzzy-Integrated Relevance Vector Machine Classifier (FIRVM), which is implemented in Python 3.10⁺ using the …