Digital Commons Network^™

Asymmetric Distribution Of Color-Opponent Response Types Across Mouse Visual Cortex Supports Superior Color Vision In The Sky, Katrin Franke, Chenchen Cai, Kayla Ponder, Jiakun Fu, Sacha Sokoloski, Philipp Berens, Andreas Savas Tolias

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Color is an important visual feature that informs behavior, and the retinal basis for color vision has been studied across various vertebrate species. While many studies have investigated how color information is processed in visual brain areas of primate species, we have limited understanding of how it is organized beyond the retina in other species, including most dichromatic mammals. In this study, we systematically characterized how color is represented in the primary visual cortex (V1) of mice. Using large-scale neuronal recordings and a luminance and color noise stimulus, we found that more than a third of neurons in mouse V1 …

[Discussions] Vol. 15 Iss. 1

Discussions

No abstract provided.

Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Paul Iversen, Ryan Tatton

Discussions

No abstract provided.

[Discussions] Vol. 14 Iss. 4

Discussions

No abstract provided.

[Discussions] Vol. 13 Iss. 3

Discussions

No abstract provided.

Re-Fashioning The Field: On Gender And Computer Science, Jessica Nash

Discussions

No abstract provided.

Adaptive Strategies For Phd Candidates To A Changing Academic Environment: Diversification And Time Management, Kirby Calvert

The Geographical Bulletin

The confluence of an increasing emphasis on ‘deliverables,’ rising numbers of PhD candidates, and waning employment opportunities presents significant challenges for prospective and incumbent PhD candidates. I identify two coping strategies for adapting to this changing environment: 1) diversify the set of theoretical leanings and methods to which you are exposed during your PhD experience to alleviate some of the concerns around employment opportunities by making your knowledge and skill-set marketable beyond the walls of academia; and 2) streamline your teaching, learning, and research duties to minimize the impact of these formal academic duties on your personal life and completion …

An Analysis Of Drivers Of The Federal Funds Rate, Stephen Johnson, Neha Dixit, Martin Selzer Ph.D.

SMU Data Science Review

The Federal Funds Rate (FFR) is a tool used by the Federal Reserve to set monetary policy on borrowing costs for consumers and businesses. The Fed’s primary motivation with the FFR is to control macroeconomic factors such as inflation and unemployment. Over time, policy stances for the Fed have varied in response to events such as the Great Recession, and more recently the COVID-19 pandemic. In light of the Fed’s actions following these events, there is intensified debate over which macroeconomic factors should be prioritized, and what magnitude of change is sufficient to warrant action. Additionally, when action is taken …

Enhancing Imputation Accuracy: A Multi-Faceted Approach For Missing Data In Chicago Arrest Records, Steve Bramhall, Jae Chung, Nicholas Mueller

SMU Data Science Review

This paper introduces a novel approach to enhance the imputation process for missing data, utilizing crime records from Chicago with arrests as the target feature. Robust imputation techniques are crucial in the era of burgeoning datasets for generating reliable insights. Our core objective is to present an innovative method that improves imputation techniques, augmenting model performance and bolstering the reliability of analytical outcomes. Leveraging numeric crime data, we establish a Gradient Boosting (GBM) baseline model, then introduce ensemble methods including Random Forest and Decision Trees for further refinement. By systematically exploring multiple imputation processes, we establish a baseline for comparative …

Applying Transfer Learning And Existing Eeg Datasets To Identify Patients With Als, Nibhrat Lohia, Chris Mathew, Garrett Shankel

SMU Data Science Review

Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have helped medical practitioners re-design the diagnosis of electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings, resulting in a level of accuracy and efficiency that matches or exceeds experts in the field. This study aims to explore the application of VGG19, an algorithm based on CNN architecture, to diagnose small subsets of neurodegenerative diseases, specifically amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a disease that reduces the nervous system’s ability to control the muscles of the body. Since EEG recordings are scarce for ALS, this study will use a larger collection of EEG recordings taken on patients with more common neurological diseases, including but …

Geospatial Temporal Crime Prediction Using Convolution And Lstm Neural Networks: Enhancing The Las Vegas Cardiff Model, Corey D. Holmes, Christian Orji, Chris Papesh

SMU Data Science Review

According to the Department of Justice, more than half of violent crimes go unreported to law enforcement in the United States (Kollar et al., 2018). This data gap reduces the opportunity to implement proven solutions in the areas with the greatest need. In 1996, Dr. Shepherd developed the Cardiff Model with the aim of bringing together hospitals, law enforcement, and community leaders through the sharing of data. We partnered with ongoing efforts to implement the Cardiff Model in Las Vegas, Nevada. Our goal was to provide a geospatial temporal model that can predict the next 30 days of crime. By …

Enhancing Shap With Multi-Core Parallelization And Distributed Computation, Matthew David, William Jones, Hayley Horn

SMU Data Science Review

In recent years, the adoption of complex machine learning algorithms, often perceived as “black box” models, has grown exponentially across various disciplines. However, the lack of understanding regarding how these models come to their predictions often fosters skepticism and mistrust. In response to the demand for transparency and interpretability, Explainable AI techniques, such as SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP), have emerged as powerful tools for comprehending and trusting these algorithms. However, SHAP has an exponential computational demand O( x2 ), where x is the number of features. This becomes increasingly problematic with the larger datasets standard in most industries. Many frameworks …

Volume 52-1 Complete Issue, Steven M. Schnell

The Geographical Bulletin

Volume 52-1 Complete Issue

Assessing The Impact Of Green Roofs On Urban Heat Island Mitigation: A Hardware Scale Modeling Approach, William C. Pompeii Ii, Timothy W. Hawkins

The Geographical Bulletin

As urban areas and the number of people living in urban areas grow, it is important to assess different mechanisms for mitigating the resulting urban heat island . Two hardware scale models (16 ft2 footprint), identical except for their roofing material, were constructed and monitored to assess the impact of green roofs on urban temperature and humidity . During the daytime, indoor and outdoor temperatures of the green roof model were 4 .2°C and 0 .3°C cooler respectively than the black roof model . The green roof indoor temperature was 0 .7°C warmer during the nighttime . Humidity differences between …

Reconstructing Canopy Disturbance History And Recruitment Patterns To Inform Management Decisions At The Lost 40 In The Chippewa National Forest, Northern Minnesota, Julia Rauchfuss, Susy Svatek Ziegler

The Geographical Bulletin

Old-growth eastern white pine (Pinus strobus) and red pine (Pinus resinosa) dominate the forest canopy but not the understory of the Lost 40 Scientific and Natural Area in northern Minnesota . Our objectives were to (1) analyze stand structure and species composition, (2) examine the tree-ring record to determine the frequency and magnitude of canopy disturbances, (3) characterize recruitment patterns to provide information for a science-based management plan, and (4) compare the canopy-disturbance history of the Lost 40 to the average decadal rate of disturbance in similar forests . Average canopy disturbance from 1880–1999 was 2 .6–8 .2 percent per …

Performance Studies Of An Axial Flow Waterjet Pump Using An Unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes Model, Stephen E. Monroe, Junfeng Wang, Chunlei Liang

Northeast Journal of Complex Systems (NEJCS)

In this study, an Unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) model is demonstrated its suitability for studying the flow and performance of open marine propellers and waterjet pumps. First, the accuracy of the URANS model is validated by studying turbulent flow past counter-rotating propellers (CRPs). Specifically, experimental data from Miller (1976) is employed for comparison against the URANS results. Subsequently, URANS is used to study the flow and performance of an Office of Naval Research (ONR) axial flow waterjet pump (AxWJ-2). Due to the large number of degrees of freedom for both simulations, parallel computations over 80 cores are performed. For the …

A Marine Knowledge System For Ocean Affairs: Integrating Data, Evaluating Usage, And Enabling Sustainable Marine Management, Yu-Jen Pan

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

This study presents the evolution and assessment of the Marine Knowledge Education System (MKES), designed to improve user acceptance among students in professional marine science courses in Taiwan. The MKES leverages real-world maritime cases from the General Coast Guard Administration and is built upon existing technologies like cloud services, social networks, and data analysis tools. The technology acceptance model (TAM) provides the theoretical underpinning for the assessment of user confidence. Data was collected from 190 participants through purposive sampling. Path analysis confirmed all hypothesized relationships within the TAM with statistical significance (p < 0.001). Additionally, paired-sample t-tests revealed a significant increase in student acceptance of the MKES after integrating it into the marine science curriculum. These findings underscore the capacity of the MKES as a digital learning tool to enrich course pedagogy and improve student learning outcomes, thereby offering valuable support in advancing the education of professional marine managers.

In Silico Engineering Of Fullerene-Like Al12n12 Nanostructured For The Adsorption Of Ph3, Nh3, And Cocl2 Industrial Affiliate Gases, Ededet A. Eno, Eban L. Kechi, Favour A. Nduoma, Henry O. Edet

Polytechnic Journal

The prevalent health hazards as well as environmental threats posed by industrial affiliate gases have become a point of concern to scientists today, this study explores the use of fullerene-like Al₁₂N₁₂ nanostructured for the adsorption of PH₃ NH₃ and COCl₂. Density Functional Theory (DFT) at the M06-2X/6-311+G (d, p) level of theory was utilized, in the detection of the adsorption properties of Al₁₂N₁₂ for PH₃, NH_3, and COCl₂ gases. The findings indicate that Al₁₂N₁₂exhibits high stability and suitability in gas adsorption applications. …

Embodiment, Plasticity, And The Re/Production Of Gender, Sex, And Race In Human Biology, Meredith Wilson

Human Biology Open Access Pre-Prints

This paper historically situates human biology research by engaging with feminist science and technology scholars to show how a key mechanism of embodiment, plasticity, is used to re/produce sex and gender binaries in anthropological research and beyond. I begin by defining embodiment and demonstrating its reliance on plasticity. Next, I discuss plasticity and review how and why it has been taken up in human biology research. After, I engage with the works of feminist, trans, and queer scholars who have examined the connection between embodiment, plasticity, and the creation of Western binarized sex and gender. Further, I present how the …

Commonwealth Times 2024-09-04

Commonwealth Times, 1969-

No abstract provided.

Insights Into Foraging Behavior From Multi-Day Sound Recording Tags On Goose-Beaked Whales (Ziphius Cavirostris) In The Southern California Bight, Shannon N. Coates, David A. Sweeney, Erin A. Falcone, Stephanie L. Watwood, Brenda K. Rone, Stacy L. De Ruiter, Jay Barlow, Karin A. Dolan, Ronald P. Morrissey, Nancy A. Dimarzio, Susan M. Jarvis, Russel D. Andrews, Gregory S. Schor

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

Goose-beaked whales (Ziphius cavirostris) are deep-diving cetaceans known for their elusive nature and specialized foraging behavior. In 2019 and 2020, six telemetry tags were deployed on these whales in Southern California, resulting in 395 h of acoustic and diving data. Foraging dives were manually identified by the presence of echolocation pulses and buzzes, and generalized additive models assessed factors influencing foraging behavior. The median bathymetric depth at foraging sites was 1,419 m (IQR = 359), and the maximum dive depth was highly correlated with bathymetry depth. Individuals started echolocating on descent at a median depth of 410 m (IQR = …

Climate Targets Versus Longterm Performance - How Effective Is B2 Retrofit In The Race To 2030?, Seamus Harrington, Mark Mulville

Conference papers

Ireland’s Climate Action Plan details a roadmap of measures that align with the European Union’s ambition to achieve a net-zero target carbon emissions by 2050. It seeks to play a key role in delivering energy efficiency in Ireland and follows a Europe wide approach to reduce energy consumption across the building sector. In this context, Ireland has introduced the National Retrofitting Scheme which has set a goal of retrofitting 500,000 existing homes to a Building Energy Rating (BER) of B2 by 2030. The route to attaining this rating is dependent on the pre-works BER of individual properties.

This research paper …

September 4, 2024 General Faculty Minutes, University Of South Carolina

Faculty Senate

No abstract provided.

Formation And Microwave Losses Of Hydrides In Superconducting Niobium Thin Films Resulting From Fluoride Chemical Processing, Carlos G. Torres-Castanedo, Dominic P. Goronzy, Thang Pham, Anthony Mcfadden, Nicholas Materise, Paul Masih Das, Matthew Cheng, Dmitry Lebedev, Stephanie M. Ribet, Mitchell J. Walker, David A. Garcia-Wetten, Cameron J. Kopas, Jayss Marshall, Ella Lachman, Nikolay Zhelev, James A. Sauls, Joshua Y. Mutus, Corey Rae H. Mcrae, Vinayak P. Dravid, Michael J. Bedzyk, Mark C. Hersam

Faculty Publications

Superconducting niobium (Nb) thin films have recently attracted significant attention due to their utility for quantum information technologies. In the processing of Nb thin films, fluoride-based chemical etchants are commonly used to remove surface oxides that are known to affect superconducting quantum devices adversely. However, these same etchants can also introduce hydrogen to form Nb hydrides, potentially negatively impacting microwave loss performance. Here, comprehensive materials characterization of Nb hydrides formed in Nb thin films as a function of fluoride chemical treatments is presented. In particular, secondary-ion mass spectrometry, X-ray scattering, and transmission electron microscopy reveal the spatial distribution and phase …

A Study To Explore How People Evaluate The Quality Of Their Medical Information From The Social Media For Celiac Disease, Phillip Arnold

Theses and Dissertations

Every day, millions of people visit various social media platforms to post updates on their daily lives, to search for information, and to repost and/or potentially like posts on social media. This has led to scores of pieces of misinformation appearing on these social media posts. While some misinformation can be harmless and disregarded by the general public, there are various subject matters, including medical treatments and diseases, where misinformation on the treatment and other various subjects involving the disease can lead to dire consequences. This research proposes to investigate how social media users vet their data on two different …

Gladys Mitchell House Collection, Dan Bonenberger, Jaclyn Panter, Katherine St. Amand, Ian Tomashik, Kate Zorn

Digital Heritage Preservation Collection

This collection explores the life of Gladys Mitchell and the home she shared with her family on Detroit's Eastside. Gladys and her husband, Ossian Sweet, lived with her parents Benjamin and Rosella in a residence on 9322-24 Cairney Street from 1922 to 1925 before moving to the now-historic bungalow at 2905 Garland Street, located about a mile southeast. In 1925, when the Sweets moved into an all-white neighborhood, their experience led to a landmark Supreme Court case that affirmed African Americans' rights to homeownership, including the right to defend their private property.

Benjamin Mitchell and his wife, Rosella, rented the …

Re: Approved Silver Bow Creek Conservation Area Repository Data Gap Quality Assurance Project Plan Request For Change To Install Additional Test Pits And Perform Material Characterization, Josh Bryson

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Assessing The Accuracy And Utility Of Chatgpt Responses To Patient Questions Regarding Posterior Lumbar Decompression, Alec Giakas, Rajkishen Narayanan, Teeto Ezeonu, Jonathan Dalton, Yunsoo Lee, Tyler Henry, John Mangan, Gregory Schroeder, Alex Vaccaro, Christopher Kepler

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Faculty Papers

Aim: To examine the clinical accuracy and applicability of ChatGPT answers to commonly asked questions from patients considering posterior lumbar decompression (PLD). Methods: A literature review was conducted to identify 10 questions that encompass some of the most common questions and concerns patients may have regarding lumbar decompression surgery. The selected questions were then posed to ChatGPT. Initial responses were then recorded, and no follow-up or clarifying questions were permitted. Two attending fellowship-trained spine surgeons then graded each response from the chatbot using a modified Global Quality Scale to evaluate ChatGPT’s accuracy and utility. The surgeons then analyzed each question, …

Promoting Leadership Wellbeing In Behavioral Health Organizations, Mychalbrianne Chatigny

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In this case study the strategies and hindrances in the well-being for leaders in a behavioral health organization located in the southern United States were explored. The study was framed around the Baldrige Excellence Framework focusing specifically on the components of leadership, workforce, and strategy. Data were collected including semi-structured interviews, analysis of numerous internal documents, and secondary sources of peer reviewed articles, and organizational websites and media. The results of this study revealed the organization demonstrated a commitment to maintaining a positive working environments and promoting their workforce’s well-being. Themes that emerged from data analysis revealed leaders’ recognition in …

An Ai-Infused Educational Technology To Cultivate Self-Directed Learning In Sustainable Waste Management, Qiming Sun, I-Han Hsiao

Computer Science and Engineering

Proper waste management is a critical aspect of sustainable living. Many sustainable communities have implemented various initiatives to support sustainability through better waste management. However, the knowledge required for proper waste management is increasingly complex, and the process of waste classification can be very confusing. In this work, we present a home-grown web-based educational technology, Waste Genie (WG), that supplies bite-size interactive learning content with a scalable Human-AI collaborated design to support sustainability learning. WG leverages large language models to provide personalized feedback to guide the users through practicing waste sorting; it also synthesizes informative posts to facilitate learning. In …