Digital Commons Network^™

Balancing Context And Clarity Through Visualizations For Better Decision-Making, Bhavana Doppalapudi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this era of a data driven world, the effective communication of data through visualizations is pivotal for converting complex information into accurate insights. Effective visualizations not only enhance users' comprehension of complex data but also induce trust, leading to better decision-making. This dissertation explores methods to improve trust in visualizations by providing additional context and enhancing their clarity, ensuring appropriate data interpretations and better decisions from users.

The work in the dissertation begins by examining the impact of scatterplots combined with statistical metrics such as accuracy on users' trust and decision-making focused on recommender systems. In addition, we show …

Exploring In-Service Science Teachers' Self-Perceptions Of Competence And Pedagogical Approaches To Socioscientific Issues In Education, Arberore Bicaj, Fatlume Berisha, Rachel Gisewhite

Faculty Publications

Global education experts are increasingly prioritizing scientific literacy development. Science education is key to enhancing scientific literacy, fostering social responsibility, and supporting economic growth by equipping individuals with essential scientific knowledge and skills. In the past two decades, socioscientific issues (SSI) have greatly influenced science education research, improving students’ ability to apply scientific knowledge in real-world contexts and advancing functional scientific literacy. Given the strong evidence that socioscientific issues (SSI) enhance scientific literacy and social responsibility skills, understanding SSI role in science education is crucial for developing countries aiming to boost economic and social growth. This research aimed to understand …

Antibiogram Pattern Of Enterococcus Species Among Urinary Tract-Infected Patients Visiting Tertiary Care Hospital In Karnataka, India, Sujatha Bhat, Dushan Uvindu Gunawardana, Delisha Kaur Boparai, Tharinya Kasundie Bamunusinghe

Open Access archive

Background: During the past several decades, enterococci are emerging as an important cause of healthcare-associated infections. They have developed resistance to various antimicrobials previously used for the treatment of urinary tract infections (UTIs). This study was aimed to determine the prevalence of Enterococcus species among urinary tract-infected patients in a tertiary care hospital, in Karnataka, India. Material and Methods: We have analyzed 4341 culture-positive urine samples received by microbiology laboratory during the year 2021. The bacterial identification was done by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry. The antibiotic sensitivity was tested by automated VITEK-2® COMPACT (bioMérieux) system. Results: …

Effect Of Specimen Size On The Tensile Properties Of Selective Laser Melted Ti-6ai-4v, Timothy L. Tan

Master's Theses

Metal additive manufacturing (MAM) is a burgeoning industry. It is capable of manufacturing metal components with fine, intricate features and enables localized microstructural control. Due to its fine resolution and compatibility with common engineering alloys, selective laser melting (SLM) is one particular MAM process popular in academia and industry. The biomedical and aerospace industries have shown exceptional interest in the capabilities of SLM with the alloy Ti-6Al-4V. Because SLM Ti-6Al-4V components are aimed for use in critical applications, it is necessary to understand how SLM processing characteristics affect final part performance. One characteristic of SLM Ti-6Al- 4V that requires further …

Active Tectonics, Erosion Rates, And Topographic Metrics In The Hayword-Calaveras Fault Zone, Simone I. Yeager

Master's Theses

In northern California, the complex geometry of the San Andreas Fault system, and how it steps and propagates across the Earth’s surface, is revealed in the topography. Activity along the Mission and Arroyo Aguague oblique reverse faults, located where the right-lateral Hayward Fault steps to the left of the Calaveras Fault, are manifested in the Diablo Mountain Range. The high topography in the restraining step can be observed in lidar imagery and seismicity studies show these faults are connected at depth. In this study, we investigate active tectonics, erosion rates, and topographic metrics from the southern end of the restraining …

Enhancing Cross-Cultural Communication In Low-Resource Language Conversational Agents, Hardi V. Trivedi

Master's Theses

Recent advancements in natural language processing (NLP) and large language models (LLMs) have facilitated the development of systems capable of generating human-like responses across a wide range of tasks. However, the majority of research has focused predominantly on English, overlooking the vast linguistic diversity globally. For true global inclusivity, extending research to other languages is crucial, particularly as it can significantly benefit various sectors such as business, healthcare, government, and education. A major challenge in this expansion is the scarcity of digital data available and the limited number of pre-trained models for low-resource languages. Our research specifically addresses these challenges …

The Impacts Of Recreational Infrastructure On Mammal Use Of Riparian Zones In Northern California Regional Parks, Emily A. Matthews

Master's Theses

Public lands have been important for the protection of riparian habitats; however, many public lands are also used for recreation, which can reduce mammal habitat use. Understanding how mammals are affected by recreation in riparian areas can help guide management decisions. The goal of this research is to understand the effect of recreation on mammal use of riparian habitats in two popular East Bay Regional Parks, Charles Lee Tilden and Wildcat Canyon, and to map the extent of that impact. Cameras were deployed in the riparian areas of a high, moderate, and low development site (Alvarado, Tilden, and Wildcat Canyon) …

Coding Connections: Exploring Relationships Between Computer Science Learning And Mathematics Achievement In Secondary Education, Bradley Hayes

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation in practice explores the intersection of computer science education, specifically computational thinking and programming, with mathematics achievement among 15-year-old students in selected English-speaking countries. The research addresses a gap in understanding whether skills developed through computer science can positively influence mathematics performance by assessing the extent to which learning in computer science transfers to mathematics.

To achieve this, a quantitative methodology was employed, incorporating pilot study data from a single school and large-scale survey data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2022. The analysis assessed the correlation between regular participation in programming activities and mathematics attainment, …

Sustainable Mobility: Machine Learning-Driven Deployment Of Ev Charging Points In Dublin, Ruairí De Fréin, Alexander Mutiso Mutua Mr

Articles

Electric vehicle (EV) drivers in urban areas face range anxiety due to the fear of running out of charge without timely access to charging points (CPs). The lack of sufficient numbers of CPs has hindered EV adoption and negatively impacted the progress of sustainable mobility. We propose a CP distribution algorithm that is machine learning-based and leverages population density, points of interest (POIs), and the most used roads as input parameters to determine the best locations for deploying CPs. The objects of the following research are as follows: (1) to allocate weights to the three parameters in a $6$ km …

Re: Butte Mine Flooding Site Cd, Cv 02-35 Bu-Rfc, 2024 Third Quarter Report, Mark Thompson, Dave Griffis

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

The Compositions Derived From By Changing Variable In Singular Distributions, Emi̇n Özçağ

Turkish Journal of Mathematics

In this paper we concern further results of \cite{kn:oz9,kn:oz8} by using the method mainly related to the finite part of divergent integral, in fact we consider the powers for positive integers of the composition of the Dirac delta function and an infinitely differentiable function having any number of distinct multiple roots which will be defined as the neutrix limit of the regular sequence $\delta^k_n(f(x))$. Moreover we show that the powers of the composition $\delta(f(x))$ for negative integers can be also defined via neutrix settings. Some compositions as examples to better understand will be given.

The Future Of Flying: An Exploration Of New Aircraft Design And Energy Required To Support Advanced Air Mobility – Part 1, Sarah Nilsson

Publications

Lecture exploring new aircraft design and energy required to support advanced air mobility.

The Moderating Role Of Meaningful Work On The Relationship Between Loss Of Self-Identity And Psychological Well-Being In Retired Collegiate Athletes, Sarah M. Kurd

Master's Theses

Collegiate athletes are a focal point for many universities. These student-athletes work most of their lives to make it to the university level. Many collegiate athletes aspire to make it to the professional level after they graduate from college, but only a rare handful make it to the top. The rest of the athlete population retires and is placed into a world of “normalcy,” but the transition out of athletics can be very challenging, impacting a person’s psychological well-being. Most of these athletes will have to work a professional job after leaving sports. The present study aimed to examine the …

A Novel Reinforcement Learning Method For Efficient Cross-Training Between Real And Simulated Robots, Zhonglin Liang

Master's Theses

Training reinforcement learning policy in a simulated environment can be a go-to choice for many research topics, as a simulated environment provides flexibility and costs less than building a physical environment for training. However, policy trained in a simulated environment often fails to transfer to the real environment for problems that have a more complex dynamics. As the solution, Sim2Real was proposed and it categorizes techniques that improve the performance of the transfer from simulation to reality. Sim2Real is an area of study that focuses on utilizing simulation data to train models that can apply to real world environment. It …

November 14, 2024, The Daily Mississippian

Daily Mississippian (all digitized issues)

No abstract provided.

Additional Challenges In Computational Enzymology:The Case Studies Of Qm-Cluster Models Of [Ni,Fe] Hydrogenase And Cytochrome P450, Tejaskumar A. Suhagia

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

The increasing complexity of enzyme catalysis requires precise and reproducible computational models to understand reaction mechanisms and support advances in drug design and protein engineering. This dissertation focuses on the advancement of enzyme modeling techniques, particularly in cytochrome P450 and hydrogenase enzymes, through the development of the Residue Interaction Network Residue Selector (RINRUS), an automated toolkit that addresses a critical gap in the reproducibility of quantum mechanics (QM)-cluster models. The RINRUS toolkit automates the systematic selection of catalytically relevant residues for QM-cluster model construction by leveraging residue interaction networks (RINs). By integrating the Probe and Arpeggio tools, RINRUS enhances model …

Internet Of Medical Things: Integrating Machine Learning And Wearables For Healthcare, Jingwen Zhang

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

The Internet of Medical Things (IoMT), which integrates Internet of Things technologies into healthcare, has become a powerful tool for enhancing health monitoring and predicting clinical outcomes. By leveraging wearable devices, IoMT facilitates continuous, cost-effective, and convenient tracking of patients' health conditions over time. This dissertation applies data-driven methods to address critical clinical challenges involving wearable devices. Specifically, it focuses on three significant clinical problems: (1) indoor contact tracing for healthcare workers using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons, (2) predicting surgical outcomes using wearable data, and (3) developing robust models for surgical outcome prediction that account for patient variability using …

Internet Of Medical Things: Integrating Machine Learning And Wearables For Healthcare, Jingwen Zhang

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

The Internet of Medical Things (IoMT), which integrates Internet of Things technologies into healthcare, has become a powerful tool for enhancing health monitoring and predicting clinical outcomes. By leveraging wearable devices, IoMT facilitates continuous, cost-effective, and convenient tracking of patients' health conditions over time. This dissertation applies data-driven methods to address critical clinical challenges involving wearable devices. Specifically, it focuses on three significant clinical problems: (1) indoor contact tracing for healthcare workers using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons, (2) predicting surgical outcomes using wearable data, and (3) developing robust models for surgical outcome prediction that account for patient variability using …

Relationship Of Cyber Threat Intelligence And Critical Infrastructure Assets On Information Technology Critical Infrastructure Attacks, Albert Su

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Ransomware cyberattacks on critical infrastructure can disrupt critical services with the capacity to impact human lives. Some security operations center (SOC) analysts feel overwhelmed by the influx of threat indicators of compromise (IoC), making it challenging to discern which alerts are significant for their organization. Grounded in John Boyd's OODA (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act) theoretical framework, the purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the relationship between cyber threat intelligence (CTI) and critical infrastructure assets on information technology critical infrastructure attacks. Data were collected by ingesting information from a U.S. CTI vendor and alerting IoCs related to critical …

Exploring The Wealth Creation Struggles Of Black Millennials, Jasmine Allen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The equity gap for Black millennials continues to lag compared to other racial groups. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand the experiences of Black millennials in navigating the landscape of quality internships, high-paying careers, and generational wealth through the lens of individual, interpersonal, organizational, and community system levels. Using a narrative approach, the qualitative analysis of narratives from eight participants who have experienced these obstacles is presented. A purposive sampling technique through social media platforms was used. This study was guided by Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory. Thematic analysis was employed. The themes were (a) limited exposure, (b) …

How Secondary Disciplinary Teachers Integrate Literacy Strategies To Improve Outcomes On State Assessments, Miracle T. Brewington

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

According to recent research, secondary disciplinary teachers’(DTs) role in increasing disciplinary literacy skills is vital. The problem in this urban school district in the Southern United States was that middle school DTs acknowledge they struggle to integrate literacy strategies in their specific disciplines to improve reading outcomes on state assessments. Guided by Shanahan and Shanahan’s disciplinary framework and Knowles’s theory of andragogy, the purpose of this study was to investigate DTs’ perceptions on integrating literacy strategies to improve reading outcomes on state assessments. A basic qualitative design was used with 10 purposefully selected secondary DTs using one-to-one, semistructured interviews. Data …

Longitudinal Pedestrian Safety Trends By Vehicle Type And Model: A 2015-2022 Study Of Texas, Olivia Tafoya

Civil Engineering ETDs

We observed pickup trucks, SUVs, and passenger cars and their two most popular vehicle models across Texas from 2015 through 2022. For each vehicle type and model, we obtained all reported pedestrian crashes, counts of registered vehicles, and vehicle design characteristics. Results suggest that older vehicles are more likely to seriously injure or kill a pedestrian than newer ones. They also indicate that SUVs were more deadly, after controlling for exposure using the number of registered vehicles, than other vehicle types. Of the models studied, the full-size SUVs proved to be particularly dangerous for pedestrians, being 2.08 times more likely …

Transitions Into Freezing Environments Linked With Shifts In Phylogenetic Integration Between Vitaceae Leaf Traits, Charles Tomo Parins-Fukuchi, Gregory W. Stull, Jun Wen, Jeremy M. Beaulieu

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Understanding how the intrinsic ability of populations and species to meet shifting selective demands shapes evolutionary patterns over both short and long timescales is a major question in biology. One major axis of evolutionary flexibility can be measured by phenotypic integration and modularity. The strength, scale, and structure of integration may constrain or catalyze evolution in the face of new selective pressures. We analyze a dataset of seven leaf measurements across Vitaceae to examine how correlations in trait divergence are linked to transitions between freezing and nonfreezing habitats. We assess this by applying a custom algorithm to compare the timing …

Oncolytic Virotherapies And Adjuvant Gut Microbiome Therapeutics To Enhance Efficacy Against Malignant Gliomas, Natalie M Meléndez-Vázquez, Candelaria Gomez-Manzano, Filipa Godoy-Vitorino

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most prevalent malignant brain tumor. Current standard-of-care treatments offer limited benefits for patient survival. Virotherapy is emerging as a novel strategy to use oncolytic viruses (OVs) for the treatment of GBM. These engineered and non-engineered viruses infect and lyse cancer cells, causing tumor destruction without harming healthy cells. Recent advances in genetic modifications to OVs have helped improve their targeting capabilities and introduce therapeutic genes, broadening the therapeutic window and minimizing potential side effects. The efficacy of oncolytic virotherapy can be enhanced by combining it with other treatments such as immunotherapy, chemotherapy, or radiation. Recent studies …

Characterization Of Non-Gaussianity In The Snow Distributions Of Various Landscapes, Noriaki Ohara, Andrew D. Parsekian, Benjamin M. Jones, Rodrigo C. Rangel, Kenneth M Hinkel, Rui A.P. Perdigão

Michigan Tech Publications

Seasonal snowpack is an important predictor of the water resources available in the following spring and early-summer melt season. Total basin snow water equivalent (SWE) estimation usually requires a form of statistical analysis that is implicitly built upon the Gaussian framework. However, it is important to characterize the non-Gaussian properties of snow distribution for accurate large-scale SWE estimation based on remotely sensed or sparse ground-based observations. This study quantified non-Gaussianity using sample negentropy; the Kullback-Leibler divergence from the Gaussian distribution for field-observed snow depth data from the North Slope, Alaska; and three representative SWE distributions in the western USA from …

Mixed Reality Environment Time Selection Using A Wrist Device, Samuel Wu

Defensive Publications Series

A computer-implemented method comprising: providing a time selection user interface element; receiving, using the time selection user interface element, a time selection; and generating, according to the time selection, a past state of a mixed reality environment, the past state depicting the mixed reality environment at a previous time corresponding to the time selection.

Hypothetical Learning Trajectory Of Sector Area And Arc Length Using The Clockwork Context, Ellis Salsabila, Mimi Nur Hajizah

PYTHAGORAS : Jurnal Matematika dan Pendidikan Matematika

Students' understanding on the concept of a circle especially the relationship between central angle, arc length, and sector area of the circle based on learning obstacle and learning trajectory need to be developed well by creating a good didactic design. Therefore, it is necessary to design hypothetical learning trajectories (HLT) for students in learning sector area and arc length using the clockwork context. The didactical design was developed through three stages, namely: (1) the preliminary design; (2) teaching experiment; and (3) retrospective analysis. This study focused on the first stage, since the main purpose of this research was to develop …

Siapkah Siswa Smp Menghadapi Digital Learning Pada Pembelajaran Matematika?, Wahyu Setyaningrum, Ponco Handayawati, Heri Retnawati, Kana Hidayati, Nur Lailatul Azizah, Maria Ulfah, Abdul Halim Abdullah

PYTHAGORAS : Jurnal Matematika dan Pendidikan Matematika

In this digital era, the world of education is required to keep up with the times. One of them is the application of digital learning. Digital learning is also often applied in mathematics learning. This research aims to map digital literacy competencies in mathematics learning for junior high school students in Purworejo Regency. This type of research is survey with a quantitative approach. This research was conducted at six junior high schools in Purworejo Regency with high, medium, and low strata based on National Mathematics Examination scores. The sample of this study was 171 students of eighth grade junior high …

Enchanting Math Audiblebook: Insights From Teachers, University Students, And Young Learners, Jesi Alexander Alim, Cici Oktaviani, Neni Hermita, Zetra Hainul Putra

PYTHAGORAS : Jurnal Matematika dan Pendidikan Matematika

Reading is an essential activity of learning. In this study, the researchers investigated the opinions of elementary school teachers, university students majoring in elementary school teacher education, and elementary school students on the mathematics audible book "Asyiknya Bermain Setatak”. The researchers distributed questionnaires to collect the data. Data collection was carried out randomly using the random sample method. The respondents comprised 75 people (9 elementary school teachers, 53 university students majoring in elementary school teacher education, and 13 elementary school students) in Pekanbaru, Riau. The data were analyzed using Rasch Model with item response theory (IRT). Based on the data …

Trends Stability Of Reliability Coefficient Based On Sample Size And Ability Of Test-Takers, Busnawir Busnawir, Kodirun Kodirun, Zamsir Zamsir, Hafiludin Samparadja, Hasnawati Hasnawati

PYTHAGORAS : Jurnal Matematika dan Pendidikan Matematika

One aspect that needs to be considered in the assessment of learning outcomes is the quality of the test by a stable reliability coefficient. This study aims to determine the trend of the stability of the reliability coefficient of the mathematics formative test based on the sample size and the ability of the test takers. The study was experimental in the form of a simulation, using a population of scores based on the answers of 403 test takers. The research sample was taken from the population of scores with 19 variations in sample sizes. Each sample size was repeated 31 …