Digital Commons Network^™

Machine Learning-Based Classification Of Chronic Traumatic Brain Injury Using Hybrid Diffusion Imaging, Jennifer Muller, Ruixuan Wang, Devon Middleton, Mahdi Alizadeh, Kichang Kang, Ryan Hryczyk, George Zabrecky, Chloe Hriso, Emily Navarreto, Nancy Wintering, Anthony J. Bazzan, Chengyuan Wu, Daniel A. Monti, Xun Jiao, Qianhong Wu, Andrew B. Newberg, Feroze Mohamed

Marcus Institute of Integrative Health Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) can cause progressive neuropathology that leads to chronic impairments, creating a need for biomarkers to detect and monitor this condition to improve outcomes. This study aimed to analyze the ability of data-driven analysis of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and neurite orientation dispersion imaging (NODDI) to develop biomarkers to infer symptom severity and determine whether they outperform conventional T1-weighted imaging.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A machine learning-based model was developed using a dataset of hybrid diffusion imaging of patients with chronic traumatic brain injury. We first extracted the useful features from the hybrid diffusion imaging …

Intrusion Detection: Machine Learning Techniques For Software Defined Networks, Jacob S. Rodriguez

Masters Theses

In recent years, software defined networking (SDN) has gained popularity as a novel approach towards network management and architecture. Compared to traditional network architectures, this software-based approach offers greater flexibility, programmability, and automation. However, despite the advantages of this system, there still remains the possibility that it could be compromised. As we continue to explore new approaches to network management, we must also develop new ways of protecting those systems from threats. Throughout this paper, I will describe and test a network intrusion detection system (NIDS), and how it can be implemented within a software defined network. This system will …

A Phenomenological Study Of The Lived Experiences Of High School Seniors In Mathematics Classrooms: Analyzing Methodologies That Increase Engagement, Andrea L. Crews-Brown

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to understand the methods high school seniors found engaging in mathematics classrooms at a private high school in Northern Florida. This study focused on engagement theory, which explains processes that help students learn based on attentiveness to presented content. Data collection for the phenomenological study consisted of interviews, focus groups, and journal entries as students shared their perspectives on engagement in their mathematics courses throughout upper school at a private Florida high school. Data collection took place by interviewing 15 students with the intention of students following into the other phases allowing …

Music Advocacy: The Cognitive Development, Behavioral And Emotional Management, And Academic Success That Music Education Provides Students In Louisiana’S Low Socioeconomic Elementary Schools, Cory D. Dugar

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

There are many technological curricular activities in math and science classrooms, yet few are found in music classrooms. Although many elementary schools may be benefiting from advocacy for music and technology, many elementary schools in the state of Louisiana have lost funding for music programs. For the Louisiana Department of Education to act as an advocate for music education, there must be a thorough understanding of the benefits of music education. Extensive research is one way to suggest that elementary music classes can raise the cognitive capacity of elementary students and could be the catalyst for ensuring the upcoming generation’s …

Black Teacher Recruitment And Retention In Rural Areas Of Southeastern North Carolina, Angelina Latrice Cobb

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore teacher recruitment and retention practices for Black educators in rural counties in Southeastern North Carolina. The theories that guided this study are John Ogbu’s cultural-ecological theory of minority school performance, and Richard Valencia’s deficit thinking theory. The research question that supported this study was: What are the lived experiences of recruitment and retention initiatives for Black teachers in rural Southeastern North Carolina? The study design was a descriptive study that utilized the sample of Black educators in rural Southeastern North Carolina. There was a total of 10 teacher participants in this …

The Effects Of Grade-Level Configuration On Students' Academic, Social And Emotional Health: A Case Study, Gerry Benaquista

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this case study aimed to understand how educators perceive the impacts of grade-level configurations regarding academic, social, and emotional effects on students transitioning from elementary school to middle school in the northeast part of the United States. Grade level configuration is defined as the number of grade levels grouped within a school in a district (Malone et al., 2020). The central research question was: What are the differences in student success in schools with transitions between grade levels and schools without transitions? Schlossberg’s theory regarding transition and the 4 S framework guided this study to facilitate the …

A Quantitative Comparison Of Emotional Intelligence Scores For Generation X And Millennial School Leaders, April Desjarlais Clark

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative study using a non-experimental, quantitative, and correlational research design, was to discriminate between the emotional intelligence of school leaders in two cohorts: Generation X and the Millennial Generation. Emotional intelligence (the ability to process emotions and emotional stimuli to guide thinking and behavior) was measured using the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso-Emotional-Intelligence-Test. Emails on public school district websites were used to recruit the principals and distribute the survey. The convenience sample consisted of 86 school principals from the northeastern United States. The total emotional intelligence score was significantly higher in the Millennials than Generation X. Discriminant Function Analysis classified …

Influence Of Athletic Participation On At-Risk Students: A Phenomenological Study, Jonathan Michael Lee

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutic, phenomenological study was to understand the lived experiences of secondary athletic coaches concerning the influence of sports participation as part of an intervention strategy for at-risk students in a suburban school district in the southwest United States. The central research question was, what is the perceived influence participation in secondary sports programs has on at-risk students? The theories guiding this study are Bandura’s social cognitive theory and Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development theory, which explain changes in individuals resulting from environmental and mentor influences. This study used a questionnaire, individual interview, and a letter-writing prompt …

Prediction Of Health Literacy Scores From A Linear Combination Of Age, Sex, Smoking Status, And Health Insurance For College Students, Diane Mary Dolezel

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative correlational study is to examine how well the independent variables predict the health literacy levels of college-age students, to fill the gap in research in this area. This study is significant because research has shown that health literacy levels are low in the United States which leads to poor health outcomes and costly overuse of the healthcare system. College students have been underrepresented in health literacy studies. Results will inform educators’ interventions to improve the health literacy abilities of college students, which could have future benefits for the students and the United States health care …

Remediation As Perceived By Community College Students: A Case Study, Amy Katherine Justice Taylor

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this single instrumental case was to understand how community college students in rural Tennessee perceive the impacts of mandatory remediation with regard to finances, time, and effectiveness. The theory that was used to guide this study was Malcom Knowles’ adult learning theory. This case study was conducted with qualitative measures by utilizing a survey, journaling, and interviews with a sample of students from a community college in rural Tennessee who were assigned to remedial placement in the areas of math, reading, and/or writing. This method of data collection provided students with the opportunity to share their individual …

Biblical Memorization And Meditation As An Effective Means Of Spiritual Warfare, Scott Ahern

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This action research project aims to evidence how biblical memorization and meditation are effective means of spiritual warfare. The need for this type of study arises from the neglect of biblical memorization and especially biblical meditation in many evangelical churches. This author hopes the research project will help retrieve these spiritual disciplines for his home church Calvary Chapel of the Hills and broader evangelicalism. To promote biblical memorization and meditation in the author’s home church, he self-published a workbook titled Memorization and Meditation Manual: A Guided Workbook to Memorize and Meditate on Ephesians 6:10-18. This workbook guides readers in a …

Creating Talent: The Effect Of Environment On The Development Of Musical Skill, Nathan Jeffrey Herfindahl

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Despite literature investigating the effects of ecology on student development, very little research has been conducted concerning the influence of the adolescent living environment on the development of musical skills related to music performance. Gaining a clear understanding of adolescent environmental factors' influence on musical skill development will afford more students the opportunity to participate in music education and performance. Through a qualitative research approach, this study aims to investigate the effect of adolescent living environment on musical skill development by interviewing eight professional opera singers. In exploring the findings from this research, similarities in adolescent living environment have been …

The Impact Of Video-Based Whole Group Lessons On Place, Manner, And Voicing Of Speech Sounds On Reading Achievement, Myranda Noelle Victoria

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to determine if students who received video-based lessons of the place, manner, and voicing (PMV) of speech sounds demonstrated gains on reading achievement compared to students who did not receive the intervention. A quantitative, quasi-experimental study with a pretest, posttest was developed, using the instrumentation of the reading Measures of Academic Progress (MAP). This study addressed gaps in the existing research regarding the impact of video-based instruction of speech sounds on reading achievement. Participants in this study (n=136) were drawn from a convenience sample of kindergarten students attending two elementary schools within the same …

The Lived Experiences Of Secondary Teachers Who Give Grades And Feedback: A Phenomenological Study, Brandon Miles Moore

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to understand the lived experiences of secondary teachers who grade student work, including their grading beliefs, decisions, and feedback practices at Discovery Hills Unified School District. The theory that guided this study was self-determination theory as it helps explain the motivation, both intrinsic and extrinsic, for teacher grading practices and the impact of teacher feedback on students. The central question was: What are secondary teachers’ lived experiences with grading student work? Sub questions were used to explore the beliefs, decisions, and practices secondary teachers employ when grading student work or providing feedback. …

The Day Of The Lord Separates Tribulation From Wrath, Samuel Gray Ramsey

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this dissertation is to define biblical terms related to the timing of the rapture. After defining those terms, this dissertation will make a case for a prewrath and posttribulation rapture of the Church. The primary passages this dissertation will use are Matthew 24-25, Revelation 6-21, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:9, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4, 2 Peter 3:3-10, and Daniel 7-12. The goal of this dissertation is to show that all scholars raise difficult questions that no other theory has successfully addressed. When the terms "tribulation" and "wrath" are defined, this dissertation will argue that the biblical eschatological word "tribulation" defines …

Exploring Academic Goal Commitment And Grit In College Education: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study Of The Experiences Of African American Male Graduates, Anthony Earl Reid

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative transcendental phenomenological study was to explore how African American male graduates experience and understand academic goal commitment and grit regarding college education in a small Southeastern regional North Carolina district. Duckworth’s grit theory was the framework used to explore the learning problems students encounter based on the premise that everyone can use the constructs of passion, perseverance, sustained interest, and sustained effort toward achieving long-term goals. Data from 10 African American male graduates came from a questionnaire; one-on-one, open-ended interviews; and focus groups. The approach used for data analysis was reactive awareness toward bringing a …

The Experiences Of Tier 3 Early Reading Intervention Providers Three Years After A School Closure: A Phenomenological Study, Sue Ellen Nilena Washington

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the lived experiences of Tier 3 early reading intervention providers at the Urban Independent School District in Texas three years after a school closure. The central research question was, what are the lived experiences of Tier 3 early reading intervention providers in the Urban Independent School district three years after a school closure? Sub-questions explored early reading intervention providers’ beliefs, attitudes, mental states, and actions three years after a school closure. This study was guided by two central theories: the Vygotskian sociocultural theory of human learning and Bandura’s self-efficacy theory. …

A Phenomenological Study Examining The Experiences Of Homeschool Parents Who Use Online Courses As Scaffolding To Improve Their Children's Self-Efficacy, Andrew Scott Robinson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The number of homeschooling families in the United States has rapidly increased since the 1970s, and in particular since the COVID-19 pandemic. This influx of families has brought differing motivations for homeschooling and expectations for curriculum. Online course implementation has been linked to improved self-efficacy, as well as science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) career selection. The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to understand how homeschool parents utilize online courses as scaffolding to improve self-efficacy in their children as a means of college or career preparation. The theories guiding this study were Bandura’s theory of self-efficacy and Bruner’s …

Temporal Organization Of Stride-To-Stride Variations Contradicts Predictive Models For Sensorimotor Control Of Footfalls During Walking, Madhur Mangalam, Damian G. Kelty-Stephen, Joel H. Sommerfeld, Nicholas Stergiou, Aaron Likens

Journal Articles

Walking exhibits stride-to-stride variations. Given ongoing perturbations, these variations critically support continuous adaptations between the goal-directed organism and its surroundings. Here, we report that stride-to-stride variations during self-paced overground walking show cascade-like intermittency—stride intervals become uneven because stride intervals of different sizes interact and do not simply balance each other. Moreover, even when synchronizing footfalls with visual cues with variable timing of presentation, asynchrony in the timings of the cue and footfall shows cascade-like intermittency. This evidence conflicts with theories about the sensorimotor control of walking, according to which internal predictive models correct asynchrony in the timings of the cue …

Digital Literacies As Policy Catalysts Of Social Innovation And Socioeconomic Transformation: Interpretive Analysis From Singapore And The Uae, Ravi S. Sharma, Intan Azura Mokhtar, Dhanjoo N. Ghista, Amril Nazir, Sana Z. Khan

All Works

Even before the COVID-19 global pandemic, the world saw the adoption and proliferation of numerous digital tools and technologies, or a global digital transformation. This paved the way for digital inclusion, particularly through e-commerce and shared services platforms which helped to reduce barriers to entry and created abundant socio-economic opportunities across income groups. As a result, digital literacy becomes a vital aspect of modern life due to the rapid global shift toward this digital transformation. Numerous scholars have investigated the benefits of digital literacies since 1995. The primary objective of this paper is to investigate good practices and lessons learned …

Characterization Of Hyperspectral Imagers, Jonathon Michael Wade

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Hyperspectral imaging (HSI) is a technology that captures three dimensions of information, two spatial dimensions and a spectral dimension. A focal plane, which is used to collect the intensity information of a scene, is only two-dimensional. In a conventional camera this is not a problem as it collects only two-dimensional images, but since hyperspectral imagers collect three-dimensional images this presents a problem. How do you collect these three-dimensional images? There have been clever schemes to use the focal plane to collect three-dimensional data as well as different capture methods which make either a spatial or spectral dimension the third dimension …

The Fabrication Of Nearly Monodisperse Chiral And Achiral Plasmonic Nanostructures And Their Applications, Macayla J. Caso

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

An object is chiral when it holds no lines of symmetry. This quality naturally occurs in chemistry and biology. When an object is chiral it has a unique handedness and objects of opposite chirality are called enantiomers. The importance of handedness was brought to light in the 1960’s when a racemic mixture of thalidomide enantiomers was given to pregnant women. One enantiomer was able to treat morning sickness while the other caused severe birth defects. This case brought to light how enantiomers have unique properties from each other even though they are similar materials. With this knowledge chiral nanomaterials must …

Elementary Science Teachers Perceived Self-Efficacy: A Correlational Study Between Teachers With Content And Non-Content Major Degrees In New Jersey, Tiffany R. Baskerville

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This predictive, correlational study examines the relationship between undergraduate degree type, methods courses taken in undergraduate school, and the number of years teaching the same grade level and elementary science teachers’ perceived self-efficacy. In this non-experimental study, participants submitted their online responses to the 25-item survey, Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument (STEBI-A), and their demographic information via Google Forms. The researcher used multiple regression to analyze participants’ anonymous responses. In using a multiple linear regression analysis, the researcher examined the results of the STEBI-A to determine how accurately an elementary science teachers’ perceived self-efficacy is predicted by the predictor variable …

The Relationship Between High School Math Students' Self-Esteem And Their Perceptions Of Teacher Behaviors, Patti Pearcy Gallagher

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this predictive, correlation study was to determine if there is a relationship between high ability high school math student’s self-reported self-esteem and their perceptions of teachers’ behaviors as controlling or supportive at the high school level. The criterion variable was self-esteem, and the predictor variables were student perceptions of teachers’ behaviors as controlling or supportive. Research has connected the positive self-esteem in educational achievements in the classroom to a high probability of success in the workforce as well. Other research has also correlated lower academic success to lower self-esteem and less success in the workforce. Students often …

Public Health Instructors' Attitudes Regarding Online Instructional Course Design: A Collective Case Study, Meaghan A. Gargin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this collective case study was to describe instructors’ attitudes regarding Keller’s personalized system of instruction (PSI) for a sample of online master’s-level public health instructors at an institution of higher education. The central research question was how do public health instructors describe their attitudes regarding personalized system of instruction and online graduate education? The institution selected for this investigation was “University A.” The theory guiding this study was Keller’s personalized system of instruction (PSI), as it features five elements for student-centered course design in higher education learning. The elements include: (a) self-pacing, (b) unit mastery, (c) lectures …

One Font Doesn’T Fit All: The Influence Of Digital Text Personalization On Comprehension In Child And Adolescent Readers, Shannon M. Sheppard, Susanne L. Nobles, Anton Palma, Sophie Kajfez, Marjorie Jordan, Kathy Crowley, Sofie Beier

Communication Sciences and Disorders Faculty Articles and Research

Reading comprehension is an essential skill. It is unclear whether and to what degree typography and font personalization may impact reading comprehension in younger readers. With advancements in technology, it is now feasible to personalize digital reading formats in general technology tools, but this feature is not yet available for many educational tools. The current study aimed to investigate the effect of character width and inter-letter spacing on reading speed and comprehension. We enrolled 94 children (kindergarten–8th grade) and compared performance with six font variations on a word-level semantic decision task (Experiment 1) and a passage-level comprehension task (Experiment 2). …

Structured Illumination Microscope Image Reconstruction Using Unrolled Physics-Informed Generative Adversarial Network (Upigan), Seyedeh Parisa Dajkhosh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

In three-dimensional structured illumination microscopy (3D-SIM) where the images are taken from the object through the point spread function (PSF) of the imaging system, data acquisition can result in images taken under undesirable aberrations that contribute to a model mismatch. The inverse imaging problem in 3D-SIM has been solved using a variety of conventional model-based techniques that can be computationally intensive. Deep learning (DL) approaches, as opposed to traditional restoration methods, tackle the issue without access to the analytical model. This research aims to provide an unrolled physics-informed generative adversarial network (UPIGAN) for the reconstruction of 3D-SIM images utilizing data …

A Phenomenological Study Of Early Childhood Teachers’ Lived Experiences And Perceptions Of Their Training In Recognizing Dysgraphia In Young Children, Melonie Daun Boyd Ardoin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to examine the lived experiences of early childhood teachers who are seeking to recognize the warning signs of dysgraphia in young children. The learning disorder known as dysgraphia affects written expression and can affect a student’s academic development, achievements, and self-efficacy. The study was conducted via Zoom at two Oklahoma public schools and one Texas public school. The 12 participants were active early childhood teachers who individually expressed their knowledge and perceptions on the recognition of dysgraphia through a written letter, an interview, and a focus group. One central research question guided …

The Relationship Between Self-Efficacy, Years Of Experience, And Stress Scores For Special Education Teachers In Central Tennessee, Deborah Joy Ellison

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative, correlational study was to identify the relationship between stress levels, years of experience, and feelings of self-efficacy for special education teachers in central Tennessee. High levels of stress for special education teachers have impacted classrooms and education systems in recent years. This study built on previous and existing research on special education teacher stress by studying how stress impacts feelings of teacher self-efficacy for special education teachers and whether years of teaching experience plays a role in this. The 74 participants came from a convenience sample of elementary, middle, and high school special education teachers …

A Phenomenological Study Of Teachers' Experiences With Educational Gamification And Its Impact On Student Engagement In The Middle School Math And Science Classroom, Kimberly Rudd Parks

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand digital gamification and its effect on student engagement based on the lived experiences of middle school math and science teachers in rural schools in the southeast region of the United States. Nick Pelling’s gamification theory guided the study herein. Gamification theory served as a tool to alter learner engagement which impacted instruction and learning. I used a criterion-based purposeful selection of 10 middle school math and science teachers with gamification experience. Participating teachers had three or more years of teaching experience and taught in regional rural schools. The hermeneutical phenomenological study …