Digital Commons Network^™

Auto-Correction Model For Lip Reading System, Nada Hussain Ali, Matheel E., Akbas Ezaldeen Ali

Iraqi Journal of Computers, Communications, Control and Systems Engineering

Auto-Correction is the process of correcting a misspelled word typed by the user as an application of automated translation process. lip-reading is the process of recognizing the words through processing and observing the visual lip movement of a speaker’s talking without any audio input. Although visual information itself cannot be considered as enough resource to provide normal speech as intelligibility, it may succeed with several cases especially when the words to be recognized are limited. Auto-correction is a trail to diminish the number of errors that can be generated by lip reading systems and to improve their accuracy, many error-correction …

Task Scheduling In Cloud Computing Based On The Cuckoo Search Algorithm, Sajjad Jaber, Yossra Ali, Nuha Ibrahim

Iraqi Journal of Computers, Communications, Control and Systems Engineering

Task scheduling is one of the very crucial facets of cloud computing. The task scheduling method must assign jobs to virtual machines. In cloud computing, task scheduling includes a frontal influence on a system's resource utilization and operational costs. Diverse meta-heuristic algorithms, in addition to their modifications, have been developed to improve the efficiency of task executions in the cloud. In this paper, a multiobjective optimization model is applied using the metaheuristics cuckoo search optimization algorithm (MCSO) to enhance the performance of a cloud system with limited computing resources while minimizing the time and cost. Finally, we analyze the performance …

Host Plant-Based Artificial Diets Enhance Development, Survival And Fecundity Of The Edible Long-Horned Grasshopper Ruspolia Differens (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae), Alfonce Leonard, James P. Egonyu, Chrysantus M. Tanga, Samuel Kyamanywa, Sunday Ekesi, Fathiya M. Khamis, Sevgan Subramanian

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Wild swarms of the long-horned grasshoppers Ruspolia differens (Serville) which are widely harvested for consumption and sale in Africa are seasonal and unsustainable, hence the need for innovative ways of artificially producing the insects. We investigated the development, survival, and reproduction of R. differens in the laboratory on diets mixed with host plants [Digitaria gayana Kunth, Cynodon dactylon (L.) and Megathyrsus maximus Jacq (Poales: Poaceae); Ageratum conyzoides L. (Asterales: Asteraceae)] identified from guts of their wild conspecifics with a view to developing a suitable diet for artificial mass rearing of the edible insect. A standard diet comprising ground black soldier …

Insight On Fruit Fly Ipm Technology Uptake And Barriers To Scaling In Africa, Saliou Niassy, Beatrice Murithii, Evanson R. Omuse, Emily Kimathi, Henri Tonnang, Shepard Ndlela, Samira Mohamed, Sunday Ekesi

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Tephritid fruit flies are considered one of the world’s most notorious pests of horticultural crops, causing extensive direct and indirect damage. Over the past two decades, a comprehensive, integrated pest management (IPM) package for the management of a plethora of fruit fly pests, includ-ing Bactrocera dorsalis, B. latifrons, B. zonata, Ceratitis cosyra, C. rosa, C. fasciventris, C. quilici, C. capitata, Dacus spp. and Zeugodacus cucurbitae, has been developed, disseminated and promoted among horticultural growers in Africa. To estimate the numbers of beneficiaries reached by the fruit fly IPM technology and the barriers to technology uptake, we interviewed 290 experts in …

Who Decides: What The Constitution Says About Parental Authority And The Rights Of Minor Children To Seek Gender Transition Treatment, F. Lee Francis

Southern Illinois University Law Journal

Transgender advocates argue that minor children ought to be able to make their own decisions regarding transition. Advocates further argue that such a choice should be permitted without parental consent. The minor children’s transgender moment has the potential to drastically erode the traditional understanding of parental rights. What individuals such as Elliot Page, Caitlyn Jenner, and Laverne Cox all have in common is the fact that they were adults when they transitioned, not children. Children, this article asserts, are mentally incapable of understanding the full effect of transition and the damage inflicted by gender transition treatment and surgery.

As such, …

Ecopsychologists' Vital Importance In The Time Of Climate Crises, Nicole B. Auckerman Psyd

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Ecopsychology is a systems-based philosophy that expands the therapeutic lens to include client interactions with and perceptions of the natural environment as an integral element of well-being or pathology. Ecopsychology, known forward as EP, also looks at the pathology of our culture and what kind of diagnoses lead to practices that put our planet at risk. In recent decades, the field has amassed a substantial amount of empirical evidence supporting its effectiveness but remains largely underutilized. First generation EP suggested a cultural reordering shifting away from consumer culture and reordering our way of life. Second generation posits working within the …

Pcl-Peg Copolymer Based Injectable Thermosensitive Hydrogels, Mithun Rajendra Dethe, Prabakaran A, Hafiz Ahmed, Mukta Agrawal, Upal Roy, Amit Alexander

Health & Biomedical Sciences Faculty Publications

A number of stimuli-responsive-based hydrogels has been widely explored in biomedical applications in the last few decades because of their excellent biodegradability and biocompatibility. The development of synthetic chemistry and materials science leads to the emergence of in situ stimuli-responsive hydrogels. In this regard, several synthetic and natural polymers have been synthesized and utilized to prepare temperature-sensitive in situ forming hydrogels. This could be best used via injections as temperature stimulus could trigger in situ hydrogels gelation and swelling behaviors. There are many smart polymers available for the formulation of the in situ based thermoresponsive injectable hydrogel. Among these, poly …

Rural Older Female Family Caregivers Lived Experiences In The Context Of Caregiving For Those With Ad/Adrd During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Candace Harrington, Cheryl Witt

Sigma Foundation for Nursing Research Grant Reports

This qualitative study aimed to understand how COVID-19 affects older female caregivers' lived experience, ongoing capacity, and willingness to provide care for their loved one(s) with AD/ADRD.

Machine Learning For Modeling Wildfire Susceptibility At The State Level: An Example From Arkansas, Usa, Abdullah Al Saim, Mohamed H. Aly

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Fire susceptibility modeling is crucial for sustaining and managing forests among many other valuable land resources. With 56% of its area covered by forests, Arkansas is known as the "natural state". About 1000 wildfires occurred and burned more than 10,000 acres each year during 1981-2018. In this paper, we use remote-sensing-based machine learning methods to address the natural and anthropogenic factors influencing wildfires and model fire susceptibility in Arkansas. Among the 15 explored variables, potential evapotranspiration, soil moisture, Palmer drought severity index, and dry season precipitation were recognized as the most significant factors contributing to the fire density. The obtained …

Exploring Learning Classifier System Behaviors In Multi-Action, Turn-Based Wargames, Garth J.S. Terlizzi Iii

Theses and Dissertations

State of the art game-playing Artificial Intelligence research focuses heavily on non-symbolic learning methods. These methods offer little explainable insight into their decision-making processes. Learning Classifier Systems (LCSs) provide an alternative. LCSs use rule-based learning, guided by a Genetic Algorithm (GA), to produce a human-readable rule-set. This thesis explores LCS usefulness in game-playing agents for multi-agent wargames. Several Multi-Agent Learning Classifier System (MALCS) variants are implemented in the wargame Stratagem MIST: a Zeroeth-Level Classifier System (ZCS), an extended Classifier System (XCS), and an Adaptive Pittsburgh Classifier System (APCS). These algorithms were tested against baseline agents as well as the Online …

An Analysis Of Telework Performance During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Patrick J. Lopez

Theses and Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic forced many individuals to shift from an atmosphere of face-to-face work to the digital work environment known as telework. Telework is an effective mitigation tool that ensures the continuity of operations. However, maximized telework may not be effective for all individuals. Many individual, organizational, and group level factors influence one’s telework performance and this study examines four of the most influential antecedents. Using linear regression analysis, conscientiousness, overload, communication, and non-distractibility were found to be significant predictors that account for over half the variance explained in telework performance. Supported by self-regulation theories, both conscientiousness and non-distractibility contained …

Investigation Of Additively Manufactured Molybdenum-Tungsten-Rhenium Alloys, Randolph T. Abaya

Theses and Dissertations

The process of creating metal components through additive manufacturing is changing the way different industries can avoid the shortcomings of traditional metal production. Metals such as tungsten, molybdenum, and rhenium have many advantages for different applications, especially when alloyed together. In this study, an additively manufactured alloy containing 70% molybdenum, 25% tungsten, and 5% rhenium (70Mo-25W-5Re) is tested for its strength, ductility, hardness, and porosity. The 70Mo-25W-5Re alloy is printed through Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) under different conditions such as printing speed and printing atmosphere. Additionally, the effects of post printing heat treatment are conducted to understand the advantages …

The Use Of Electronic Nose In The Quality Evaluation And Adulteration Identification Of Beijing-You Chicken, Jingru Chen, Wenjie Yan, Yu Fu, Liang Wang, Xueze Lv, Ruitong Dai, Xingming Li, Fei Jia

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The objective of this study was to reveal the secrets of the unique meat characteristics of Beijing-you chicken (BJY) and to compare the difference of quality and flavor with Luhua chicken (LH) and Arbor Acres broiler (AA) at their typical market ages. The results showed the meat of BJY was richer in essential amino acids, arachidonic acid contents, inosine monophosphate (IMP), and guanosine monophosphate (GMP). The total fatty acid and unsaturated fatty acid contents of BJY chicken and LH chicken were lower than that of AA broilers, whereas the ratios of unsaturated fatty acids/saturated fatty acids (2.31) and polyunsaturated fatty …

Tissue-Targeted Crispr-Cas9-Mediated Genome Editing Of Multiple Homeologs In F0 Generation Xenopus Laevis Embryos, Mark E Corkins, Bridget D Delay, Rachel K Miller

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Xenopus laevis frogs are a powerful developmental model that enables studies combining classical embryology and molecular manipulation. Because of the large embryo size, ease of microinjection, and ability to target tissues through established fate maps, X. laevis have become the predominant amphibian research model. Given that their allotetraploid genome has complicated the generation of gene knockouts, strategies need to be established for efficient mutagenesis of multiple homeologs to evaluate gene function. Here we describe a protocol to utilize CRISPR-Cas9-mediated genome editing to target either single alleles or multiple alloalleles in F0 X. laevis embryos. A single guide (sg) RNA is …

Kaposiform Lymphangiomatosis Presenting With A Group A Streptococcus Pericardial Effusion, Taylor Koerner, Mehul D Patel, Vinay Pai, Gitanjali Indramohan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

A 4-year-old child was transferred to the paediatric intensive care unit with acute respiratory failure following 4 days of fever, nausea and vomiting. Chest X-ray on admission had an enlarged cardiac silhouette and transthoracic echo confirmed a large pericardial effusion. An emergent pericardiocentesis was performed at bedside which drained nearly 1000 mL of purulent fluid. Postdrainage course was complicated by acute systolic and diastolic heart failure, thrombocytopenia and acute renal failure. A chest CT and MRI were concerning for a diffuse mediastinal soft-tissue density, so the patient underwent interventional radiology-guided biopsy complicated by haemorrhage requiring mediastinal exploration and subtotal thymectomy. …

Towards Efficient Annotations For A Human-Ai Collaborative, Clinical Decision Support System: A Case Study On Physical Stroke Rehabilitation Assessment, Min Hun Lee, Daniel P. Siewiorek, Asim Smailagic, Alexandre Bernardino, Sergi Bermúdez I Badia

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) algorithms are increasingly being explored to support various decision-making tasks in health (e.g. rehabilitation assessment). However, the development of such AI/ML-based decision support systems is challenging due to the expensive process to collect an annotated dataset. In this paper, we describe the development process of a human-AI collaborative, clinical decision support system that augments an ML model with a rule-based (RB) model from domain experts. We conducted its empirical evaluation in the context of assessing physical stroke rehabilitation with the dataset of three exercises from 15 post-stroke survivors and therapists. Our results bring …

Comparative Assessment Of Pollutant Concentrations And Meteorological Parameters From Tceq Cams Sites At Houston And Rio Grande Valley Regions Of Texas, Usa In 2016, Esmeralda Mendez, Jonathan Rodriguez, August Luna, Amit U. Raysoni

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Spatial and temporal heterogeneity in pollutant concentrations exists at the intra-urban level. In this research work, the concentrations of various pollutants and meteorological parameters are characterized between various central ambient monitoring sites at Houston, TX, and the Rio Grande Valley Regions of South Texas. Meteorological (temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and direction) and pollutant (O3, SO2, CO, NO2, and various PM species) concentrations were downloaded from the appropriate Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) Central Ambient Monitoring Station (CAMS) sites for the year 2016. Correlation Analyses and Coefficient of Divergence (COD) analyses suggest that statistically significant differences occur between the …

Alcohol Consumption And Cardiovascular Outcomes In Patients With Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: A Population-Based Cohort Study, Malik Janjua, Matthew Knuiman, Mark Divitini, Brendan Mcquillan, John K. Olynyk, Gary P. Jeffrey, Leon A. Adams

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Low-level alcohol consumption is associated with reduced cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the general population. It is unclear whether this association is seen in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) who have an increased risk of CVD. We examined the association between alcohol consumption and CVD-related outcomes in subjects with NAFLD from a general population cohort. Subjects participating in the 1994-1995 Busselton Health survey underwent clinical and biochemical assessment. NAFLD was identified using the Fatty Liver Index of >60, and alcohol consumption quantified using a validated questionnaire. CVD hospitalizations and death during the ensuing 20 years were ascertained using the …

Assessing The Causal Effects Of Adipokines On Uric Acid And Gout: A Two-Sample Mendelian Randomization Study, Ruyi Cong, Xiaoyu Zhang, Zihong Song, Shanshan Chen, Guanhua Liu, Yizhi Liu, Xiuyu Pang, Fang Dong, Weijia Xing, Youxin Wang, Xizhu Xu

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Previous observational studies have highlighted associations between adipokines and hyperuricemia, as well as gout, but the causality and direction of these associations are not clear. Therefore, we attempted to assess whether there are causal effects of specific adipokines (such as adiponectin (ADP) and soluble leptin receptors (sOB-R)) on uric acid (UA) or gout in a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis, based on summary statistics from large genome-wide association studies. The inverse-variance weighted (IVW) method was performed as the primary analysis. Sensitivity analyses (including MR-Egger regression, weighted median, penalized weighted median, and MR pleiotropy residual sum and outlier methods) were also …

Development Of 1,2,4-Oxadiazole Antimicrobial Agents To Treat Enteric Pathogens Within The Gastrointestinal Tract, Noel P. Pitcher, Jitendra R. Harjani, Yichao Zhao, Jianwen Jin, Daniel Knight, Lucy Li, Papanin Putsathit, Thomas V. Riley, Glen P. Carter, Jonathan B. Baell

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Colonization of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract with pathogenic bacteria is an important risk factor for the development of certain potentially severe and life-threatening healthcare-associated infections, yet efforts to develop effective decolonization agents have been largely unsuccessful thus far. Herein, we report modification of the 1,2,4-oxadiazole class of antimicrobial compounds with poorly permeable functional groups in order to target bacterial pathogens within the GI tract. We have identified that the quaternary ammonium functionality of analogue 26a results in complete impermeability in Caco-2 cell monolayers while retaining activity against GI pathogens Clostridioides difficile and multidrug-resistant (MDR) Enterococcus faecium. Low compound recovery levels …

High Definition Tdcs Effect On Postural Control In Healthy Individuals: Entropy Analysis Of A Crossover Clinical Trial, Diandra B. Favoretto, Eduardo Bergonzoni, Diego Carvalho Nascimento, Francisco Louzada, Tenysson W. Lemos, Rosangela A. Batistela, Renato Moraes, João P. Leite, Brunna P. Rimoli, Dylan J. Edwards, Taiza G.S. Edwards

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Objective: Converging evidence supporting an effect of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on postural control and human verticality perception highlights this strategy as promising for post-stroke rehabilitation. We have previously demonstrated polarity-dependent effects of high-definition tDCS (HD-tDCS) on weight-bearing asymmetry. However, there is no investigation regarding the time-course of effects on postural control induced by HD-tDCS protocols. Thus, we performed a nonlinear time series analysis focusing on the entropy of the ground reaction force as a secondary investigation of our randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover clinical trial. Materials and Methods: Twenty healthy right-handed young adults received the following conditions (random order, …

An Analysis Of The Effects Of Large Wildfires On The Hydrology Of Three Small Catchments In Central Chile Using Tritium-Based Measurements And Hydrological Metrics, Francisco Balocchi, Diego Rivera, José Luis Arumi, Uwe Morgenstern, Donald A. White, Richard P. Silberstein, Pablo Ramírez De Arellano

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Wildfires are an important disturbance affecting catchments’ soil and hydrological processes within. Wildfires are predicted to increase in both frequency and severity under climate change. Here, we present measurements of tritium (3H) in surface water of three streams before and after the ‘las Máquinas’ megafire of January 2017 in central Chile and streamflow metrics. Mean transit times (MTTs) of water were calculated in three coastal catchments with the Mediterranean climate type, covered by native forest, a mixture of native forest and Pinus radiata D. Don, and P. radiata. Lumped parameter models (LPMs) were used to obtain MTTs. Tritium activities from …

Evaluation Of Pd-L1 Expression On Circulating Tumour Cells In Small-Cell Lung Cancer, Emmanuel Acheampong, Afaf Abed, Michael Morici, Isaacs Spencer, Aaron B. Beasley, Samantha Bowyer, Du Bois Asante, Chris Lomma, Weitao Lin, Michael Millward, Elin S. Gray

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Antibodies against the programmed death-1 (PD-1) receptor and its ligand (PD-L1) have been recently approved for small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) treatment. Circulating tumour cells (CTCs) have emerged as an appealing liquid biopsy candidate that could enhance treatment decision-making in systemic therapy for SCLC patients. Several current technologies enrich CTCs using specific surface epitopes, size, rigidity, or dielectric properties. However, they are hampered by the heterogeneity of the enriched cells from blood samples. Methods: We evaluated two CTC enrichment systems: EpCAM conjugated to magnetic beads and a microfluidic device (Parsortix, Angle plc). PD-L1 expression was evaluated on the isolated CTCs. …

High Sex Ratios And Household Portfolio Choice In China, Wenchao Li, Changcheng Song, Shu Xu, Junjian Yi

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This paper studies how high sex ratios (more men than women) affect household portfolio choice. Using data from a nationally representative Chinese household finance survey, we find that a 1 standard deviation increase in the sex ratio would raise the stock market participation rate by 2.9 percentage points or 52.2 percent for families with a son relative to families with a daughter. Our estimates imply that rising sex ratios explain around 10 percent of the significant growth in China’s stock market size in recent decades.

The Prospector, March 1, 2022, Utep Student Publications

The Prospector

Headline: Russia's Invasion of Ukraine Has Global Impacts

You Can’T Betray A Fish: One Reason Eating Fish May Cause Less Harm Than Eating Cows, Ronald G. Oldfield

Faculty Scholarship

In The Ultimate Betrayal: Is There Happy Meat?, Bohanec (2013) proposed that farmed animals raised humanely may experience betrayal when slaughtered. I argue based on personal experience that humans often betray trust relationships with farmed animals. Using published scientific literature, I find that typical farmed animals (mammals) and farmed fishes are both cognitively capable of a rudimentary experience of betrayal. However, the manner in which fishes are typically maintained does not present opportunities for human-fish trust relationships to develop. Eating farmed fishes presents fewer ethical implications than eating cows, at least in some cases.

This article was featured in …

Using Near-Term Forecasts And Uncertainty Partitioning To Inform Prediction Of Oligotrophic Lake Cyanobacterial Density, Mary E. Lofton, Jennifer A. Brentrup, Whitney S. Beck, Jacob A. Zwart, Ruchi Bhattacharya, Ludmila S. Brighenti, Sarah H. Burnet, Ian M. Mccullough, Bethel G. Steele, Cayelan C. Carey, Kathryn L. Cottingham, Michael C. Dietze, Holly Ewing, Kathleen C. Weathers, Shannon L. Ladeau

All Faculty Scholarship

Near-term ecological forecasts provide resource managers advance notice of changes in ecosystem services, such as fisheries stocks, timber yields, or water quality. Importantly, ecological forecasts can identify where there is uncertainty in the forecasting system, which is necessary to improve forecast skill and guide interpretation of forecast results. Uncertainty partitioning identifies the relative contributions to total forecast variance introduced by different sources, including specification of the model structure, errors in driver data, and estimation of current states (initial conditions). Uncertainty partitioning could be particularly useful in improving forecasts of highly variable cyanobacterial densities, which are difficult to predict and present …

Comorbid Patterns In The Homeless Population: A Theoretical Model To Enhance Patient Care, Kanwalgeet Hans, Luke Mike, Robert Heidel, Paula Benavides, Robert Arnce, Jan Talley

Faculty and Staff Publications

Introduction:

From the perspective of social determinants, homelessness perpetuates poor health and creates barriers to effective chronic disease management, necessitating frequent use of emergency department (ED) services. In this study we developed a screening algorithm (checklist) from common comorbidities observed in the homeless population in the United States. The result was a theoretical screening tool (checklist) to aid healthcare workers in the ED, including residents, medical students, and other trainees, to provide more efficacious treatment and referrals for discharge.

Methods:

In this retrospective cohort study we used the Nationwide Emergency Department Sample (NEDS) to investigate comorbidities and ED utilization patterns …

Analyzing The Impact Of Digital Payment On Efficiency And Productivity Of Commercial Banks: A Case Study In China, Haopeng Wang, Aldy Gunawan

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Digital payment has become one of the most popular payment methods all around the world, especially in countries that witnessed the rapid development of internet. As a traditional financial institution, commercial banks have been impacted by newly developed payment technology since third payment platforms have attracted customers to use the digital payment for daily consumption, transferring, and even investment. This paper focuses on analyzing whether and how the commercial banks in China have been affected by digital payment by using empirical methods. Systematic Generalized Method of Moments (SYS-GMM) is used to test the relationship between the productivity of commercial banks …

Psychophysiological Predictors Of Change In Emotion Dysregulation 6 Months After Traumatic Injury, Jacklynn M. Fitzgerald, Sydney Clare Timmer-Murillo, Claire Sheeran, Hailey Begg, Morgan Christoph, Terri A Deroon-Cassini, Christine L. Larson

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Emotional dysregulation that occurs after trauma conveys risk for multiple disorders, including posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety. Psychophysiological data (e.g., skin conductance level [SCL]) may be a useful biomarker for quantifying emotion dysregulation given that autonomic nervous system (ANS)-mediated arousal may underlie this feature. In this longitudinal study, we tested whether SCL collected following a single-incident traumatic injury could predict changes in emotion dysregulation over 6 months. Sixty-six adults were recruited from the emergency department; SCL was quantified during an active trauma narrative, in which participants re-told their traumatic event to a research staff member, as well as a …