Digital Commons Network^™

Self-Explainable Graph Neural Network For Alzheimer Disease And Related Dementias Risk Prediction: Algorithm Development And Validation Study, Yifang Dang, Fang Li, Jingna Feng, Evan Yu, Cui Tao

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Alzheimer disease and related dementias (ADRD) rank as the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, underlining the importance of accurate ADRD risk prediction. While recent advancements in ADRD risk prediction have primarily relied on imaging analysis, not all patients undergo medical imaging before an ADRD diagnosis. Merging machine learning with claims data can reveal additional risk factors and uncover interconnections among diverse medical codes.

Objective: The study aims to use graph neural networks (GNNs) with claim data for ADRD risk prediction. Addressing the lack of human-interpretable reasons behind these predictions, we introduce an innovative, self-explainable method …

Pulsed Secondary Electron Yield Measurements Of Metallic And Dielectric Materials Of Interest For High Power Vacuum Electron Devices, Bilal Ahmed Malik

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

Secondary electron emission (SEE) from conductors is thought to play an important role in the initiation of Multipactor breakdown in vacuum electron devices. The SEE of dielectric materials plays a crucial role in numerous scientific and technological applications, including particle accelerators, spacecraft charging, and plasma diagnostics. Additionally, the SEE of an insulator may depend on its electrical stress history. In both cases, SEE strongly depends on any conditioning of the material surface. We present measurements on both conducting and insulating materials of interest in these applications. Measurements are being made in an existing test stand, recently modified to enable measurements …

Examining Teacher Attrition And The Contemporary Educator Shortage In The United States: A Quantitative Study Of Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory, Joycelyn Wesley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

In many educational systems across the world, teacher attrition has become a major problem. As the student population in America continues to grow, one problem plaguing policymakers and school districts is staffing schools with quality educators. This national shortage of educators has been plaguing the United States for almost a decade. It brings one to question why there is such a shortage of qualified educators available to effectively instruct and academically prepare America’s youth. The main goal of this quantitative study is to investigate the reasons for teacher attrition in a large urban school district in the southeastern region of …

Efficient Computation Using Near-Memory Processing And High-Level Synthesis, Chenfeng Zhao

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

With the diminishing of Moore’s law and the end of Dennard scaling, alongside the explosion of data, the need for efficient computation—both in terms of performance and energy consumption—has become paramount. This is particularly crucial for processing large-scale data across various workloads. While a universal computation method is highly desirable, the inherent unique characteristics of different applications and datasets preclude a one-size-fits-all solution. It is usually the case that an appropriate computation technology choice could benefit a particular set of workloads and vice versa. Addressing this challenge requires designers to possess profound knowledge and insights into both hardware and software. …

A Splash Of Color: A Dual Dive Into The Effects Of Evo On Decision-Making With Goal Models: Supplemental Material, Alicia M. Grubb, Yesugen Baatartogtokh, Irene Foster

Computer Science: Faculty Publications

Supplemental material for the paper: "A Splash of Color: A Dual Dive into the Effects of EVO on Decision-Making with Goal Models" doi.org/10.1007/s00766-024-00422-5

Establishing Silphids In The Invertebrate Dna Toolbox: A Proof Of Concept, Katherine E. Higdon, Kristin Brzeski, Melanie A. Ottino, Tara Bal

Michigan Tech Publications

Environmental DNA (eDNA) analyses are an increasingly popular tool for assessing biodiversity. eDNA sampling that uses invertebrates, or invertebrate DNA (iDNA), has become a more common method in mammal biodiversity studies where biodiversity is assessed via diet analysis of different coprophagous or hematophagous invertebrates. The carrion feeding family of beetles (Silphidae: Coleoptera, Latreille (1807)), have not yet been established as a viable iDNA source in primary scientific literature, yet could be useful indicators for tracking biodiversity in forested ecosystems. Silphids find carcasses of varying size for both food and reproduction, with some species having host preference for small mammals; therefore, …

Prelicensure Baccalaureate Nursing Faculty’S Experiences Of Providing Incivility Awareness Education To Students, Emily Vanessa Pappa

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study investigated prelicensure baccalaureate nursing faculty’s lived experiences of providing incivility awareness education to students. The problem was that previous research regarding incivility awareness education to prelicensure baccalaureate nursing students focused on pilot studies to find effective strategies and students’ receptiveness to educational approaches, but it lacked the nurse educators’ experiences of delivering the education. The purpose was to explore the lived experiences of nurse educators providing incivility awareness education to prelicensure baccalaureate nursing students. with at least 1 year of teaching experience in prelicensure baccalaureate nursing programs and had taught the topic of incivility awareness. Using the qualitative …

Examining Psycho-Social Factors Of Foster Parents Who Engage In Contact Sexual Abuse, Heather Lee Manning

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Previous work has been done to identify psych-social factors of criminals, although no work currently exists to identify the specific type of sexual offender identified within this study- foster parents who sexually offend foster children. This qualitative study focused on pre-determined psycho-social factors of both male and female offenders. The study reviewed nine cases which met the inclusion criteria and where sufficient data was able to be collected. Results of the study revealed that most offenders were male, most were married or in an otherwise committed relationship with a consenting adult during the time of their offending behaviors. These finding …

Impact Of Parental Attachment On Family Communication Patterns About Sex And Intimacy, Trish Mook

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Risky sexual behaviors in adolescence continue to be a social problem that impacts individuals, families, and communities across the United States. Previous research showed that parents who actively talk with their adolescents about sex and intimacy topics reduce their likelihood of engaging in these behaviors. Still, less is known about what motivates a parent to engage in these discussions. This correlational quantitative research study aimed to apply Bowlby’s attachment theory and McLeod and Chaffee’s family communication patterns theory to identify if a relationship exists between parental attachment style and the family communication patterns that a parent employs when discussing sex …

Deep Sequence-Coupled Biopanning And Vaccine Development, Julianne Peabody

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

Virus-like particles (VLPs) are nanoparticles comprised of viral structural proteins. They physically resemble the virus from which they are derived but lack genomic material. They are non-infectious, non-replicating, and have a favorable safety profile. VLPs are highly immunogenic with a dense, repetitive structure that is strongly activating for B cells. VLPs can be utilized to develop vaccines and can be used either as direct immunogens or platforms for the display of heterologous antigens. The display of foreign peptides on VLPs can be used to elicit high-titer antibodies against the displayed peptide. A virus-like particle based on the RNA bacteriophage MS2 …

Phytoplankton Community Dynamics In The Northern California Current System, Kristin E. Forgrave

Dissertations and Theses

The Northern California Current system is a productive coastal ecosystem encompassing a variety of temporal and spatial features. The photosynthetic microbial community plays a crucial role in supporting the rich ecosystem and its economically important fisheries. My research integrates data across location and two years to investigate the community composition of two major phytoplankton groups in this system: picocyanobacteria and photosynthetic picoeukaryotes (PPE). The abundances and sizes of the phytoplankton were measured using flow cytometry. I found PPE present at similar concentrations in both summer and winter seasons. Abundances of both PPE and picocyanobacteria were comparable in the winter, but …

Leadership Strategies For Small Business’ Sustainability, Abhay Arora

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small business leaders are concerned with the lack of effective leadership strategies for sustaining their businesses, which can jeopardize their long-term operational and financial success. Grounded in systems theory, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry was to explore leadership strategies small business leaders use to sustain their financial performance. The participants were comprised of four business leaders operating businesses in local malls in Manchester, Connecticut who implemented successful leadership strategies for sustainability. Data were collected using semistructured interviews. Five key themes emerged from the thematic analysis: (a) customer focus and service, (b) community engagement, (c) employee collaboration and engagement, …

Exploring Teacher Perceptions On The Effectiveness Of The Freshman Academy, Renee C. Goode-Boyd

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A Southeastern school district created freshman academies to assist freshman students with strategies and support they need to combat ninth-grade failure successfully, but little change was observed. The purpose of the study was to explore teachers' perceptions of the freshman academy's transition program structure, benefits, challenges, and effectiveness. The conceptual framework for this study encompassed elements of constructivist theory, which explains how children adapt to their environments and learn how to process information successfully. The research questions examined teachers' perceptions regarding the benefits, challenges, and perceived effectiveness of the freshman academy intervention program. The data for this basic qualitative study …

Frequency & Severity Modeling Of Cyber Risk, Vilma Yayra Mensah Ofori

Theses and Dissertations

In an era where cyber risks are escalating at an unprecedented rate, understanding andmitigating data breach risks has become critical for organizations. This paper proposes a novel frequency-severity model to assess hacking data breach risks at the individual company level, focusing on the Finance, Healthcare, and Technology sectors. Our anal- ysis reveals significant heterogeneity in breach frequencies and severities across sectors and individual companies within those sectors. To model breach frequency, we employ a Zero-Inflated Poisson (ZI-Poisson) model with random effects, capturing unobserved heterogeneity and within-firm correlations over time. Breach severity is modeled using a log-normal regression, given the symmetrical …

Reducing Recidivism At Daep With Social Emotional Learning And Character Education In Restorative Circles, William Alex Robinson

Education Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the impact of integrating social-emotional learning (SEL) and character education (CE) in restorative circles on recidivism rates in district alternative education programs (DAEP). It also explores how comprehensive training influences teachers' perceptions of teaching SEL and CE within restorative circles. With an increasing number of students returning to DAEPs, there is concern over the insufficient SEL/CE skills necessary for success in their regular school environments. A mixed-method approach was utilized, incorporating quantitative data on student attendance, discipline, and a Likert survey on teacher perceptions, alongside qualitative data from open-ended questions. Recidivism was measured by tracking the number …

Hormonal Differences In Perpetrators Of Intimate Partner Violence, Arturo L. Cantos, Gabriela Ontiveros, Robert K. Dearth, K. Daniel O'Leary

Psychological Science Faculty Publications

Objective: In order to gain a better understanding of the individual and joint impact of testosterone and cortisol on behavior, the present study was developed to test the differences in each hormone alone and conjointly between perpetrators of IPV and non-violent controls.

Method: Perpetrators of IPV on probation were compared to a control group of non-aggressive males from Hidalgo County in the Rio Grande Valley on baseline testosterone and cortisol, as well as several relevant questionnaires measuring aggression and trait anger. Differences in cortisol following exposure to a stressful event were also examined. Procedures included two laboratory visits consisting of …

Microservices Architecture: Evolution, Realizing Benefits, And Addressing Challenges In The Modern Software Era -A Systematic Literature Review, Linah M. Elnaghi, Ramadan Moawad

Future Computing and Informatics Journal

This paper explores the world of modern software development and the rising popularity of microservices architecture. Microservices, a modern approach, brings benefits like scalability, Reusability, and fault tolerance. challenging traditional monolithic approaches.This survey involves a detailed comparison, unraveling the motivations behind the wide usage of microservices. This paper extracts insights from a diverse range of studies, presenting a clear and accessible synthesis of the key benefits and challenges associated with microservices architecture. Through a methodical analysis of these factors, the study aims to discern the most pivotal advantages and challenges within the domain of microservices. Steering away from complicated terminology, …

Fisherman Community Health Behavior In Facing Covid 19 Pandemic At Port Iii, Pamekasan Regency, Budijanto Budijanto, Ifan Deffinika, Alfyananda Kurnia Putra

Jurnal Pendidikan Geografi: Kajian, Teori, dan Praktek dalam Bidang Pendidikan dan Ilmu Geografi

The problem of slum and squatter settlement is caused by improper environmental planning. This study examines socioeconomic determinants of human health by adopting concepts of population morbidity from Mosley and Chen. The purpose of this study was to analyze various conditions behind the low environmental health behavior of fishermen's households in the face of the COVID 19 pandemic. This study used a quantitative approach with a population from fishermen's households. The samples were selected purposively by considering economic and spatial conditions. Primary data collection was carried out through structured and in-depth interviews. The dependent variable in this study was individual …

Arcgis Story Maps In Improving Teachers’ Geography Awareness, Purwanto Purwanto, Ike Sari Astuti, Rudi Hartono, Ghada Abd Elsattar Mohammed Oraby

Jurnal Pendidikan Geografi: Kajian, Teori, dan Praktek dalam Bidang Pendidikan dan Ilmu Geografi

The purpose of this study is to examine the use of story maps in increasing sustainable Geography awareness among Geography teachers. The advent of story maps has altered the current Geography education in the digital era. ArcGIS story maps are a type of user-friendly geospatial technology renewal. This story map is believed capable of helping students learn Geography more independently, transforming Geography education. This belief should be reinforced by implementing story maps on their own Geography teachers, who have low Geography literacy rates in general. This action research involved 67 Geography teachers who were members of the East Java Geography …

Building A Resilient Community With An Ict-Powered Local Government Unit (Lgu): Community-Based Disaster Solution, Von Gerald D Macose

Jurnal Pendidikan Geografi: Kajian, Teori, dan Praktek dalam Bidang Pendidikan dan Ilmu Geografi

The Philippines is the 3rd most disaster-prone country globally. While the Aurora, one of its provinces facing the Pacific, is included in 27 identified high-risk provinces in the Philippines. Due to its high disaster risk, the community and the local government craft different policies and innovations to ensure the local population's safety. This development research study harnesses the potential of ICT in providing solutions for the community. The researcher develops an ICT solution that empowers the LGU and the community, thus helping them in formulating decisions and responses. The chaos and panic caused by disasters demand quick solutions as time …

Analysis Of Circular Population Migration Pattern From Sigi Regency To Palu City, Hadi Suryono, Iwan Alim Saputra

Jurnal Pendidikan Geografi: Kajian, Teori, dan Praktek dalam Bidang Pendidikan dan Ilmu Geografi

Urbanization is closely related to regional development. The population migration in Palu City is mostly caused by the people’s needs to fulfill their needs. This study aims to identify the migration pattern of the residents of Sigi Regency to Palu City. This study used a descriptive quantitative method and gathered data from secondary data on the Labor Force (AK) from the Center Bureau of Statistics of Palu City in 2015 and 2019. Meanwhile, the data analysis was carried out using gravity analysis to see the interactions and linkages between Palu City and Sigi Regency. Our data analysis results indicate that …

Evaluation Of Land Resilience Against Natural Disasters Using Ecosystem Services Approach In Kendari City, Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia, La Ode Restele, Fitra Saleh, L. M. Iradat, Jufri Karim, Noor Husna Khairisa

Jurnal Pendidikan Geografi: Kajian, Teori, dan Praktek dalam Bidang Pendidikan dan Ilmu Geografi

Kendari City has multiple disasters hazard, especially floods and landslides. Consequently, the city requires systematic preventive efforts to minimize the potential disaster risk. This study aims to create a spatial model to determine the resilience of the land against floods and landslides with an ecosystem services approach. We used Sentinel-2 and DEMNAS (National Digital Elevation Model of Indonesia) as our primary data collection tools. Sentinel-2 was used to compile land use maps, and DEMNAS was the basis for compiling landform maps. The integration of the two was carried out by the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). The results showed that 8,259.98 …

Challenges In Gis Practice In Geography Teacher Training During Covid 19 Pandemic: Students' Perspective From Private Islamic University In Indonesia, Anang Widhi Nirwansyah

Jurnal Pendidikan Geografi: Kajian, Teori, dan Praktek dalam Bidang Pendidikan dan Ilmu Geografi

During the COVID 19 pandemic, a vast number of universities need to limit their face-to-face teaching activities, including laboratory access. For Geography education students, this situation forced them to use Geographic Information System (GIS) as a major skill set in a virtual learning model, even only with minimum infrastructures such as laptops, mobile phones, and unstable internet connections. In the current study, the perception of undergraduate students from the Geography teaching program at Universitas Muhammadiyah Purwokerto, Central Java, Indonesia, about the effectiveness and readiness of online learning platforms as the impact of the global pandemic were examined. The results showed …

The Effects Of Torso-Borne Loads On Functional Movement Patterns, Kathryn S. Bell, Jasmine D. Brooks, Kara N. Radzak, Sean W. Mulvenon, Brian K. Schilling

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 17(7): 975-984, 2024. Functional movement patterns are an important aspect of everyday life, and a growing area of interest for determining the risk of injury and performance ability. Police, military, and fire personnel often carry torso-borne loads that increase the demands on the body while performing occupational tasks. The purpose of this study was to compare movement screen results in both a loaded and unloaded condition to identify potential effects that torso-borne body armor load carriage may have on tactical performance. This provided objective data on the effects that external loads may have on functional …

Community-Level Factors And Their Associations With Changing Opioid Overdose Fatality Rates In Kentucky, 2019–2021, Shawn R. Nigam, Philip M. Westgate, Svetla Slavova, Rachel Vickers-Smith, Katherine L. Thompson

Journal of Appalachian Health

Introduction: Kentucky has one of the highest opioid overdose fatality rates in the United States, which has increased significantly from 2019 to 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused lasting effects on mental health and health care, which have been linked with increased opioid overdose. These effects are exacerbated in Appalachian regions, where there is a lack of sufficient access to community pharmacies and adequate health care.

Purpose: In this study, we characterize changes in opioid overdose fatality rates in Kentucky from 2019 to 2021, with a specific focus on changes in Appalachian vs non-Appalachian counties. We aim to identify associations …

Kinetics Of Selenate Reduction Mediated By Underpotentially Deposited Cu On Polycrystalline Au Electrodes In Aqueous Perchloric Acid, Jonathan Strobl, Saurabh Pathak, Daniel Scherson

Faculty Scholarship

The reduction of selenate, SeO²₄⁻(aq),in 0.1 M HClO₄ solutions, induced by underpotential deposition, UPD, of Cu on polycrystalline Au electrodes was investigated using the rotating ring-disk electrode, RRDE, technique. Design and implementation of electrode potential-rotation rate protocols made it possible to determine the rates of SeO²₄⁻(aq)reduction as a function of Cu coverage, θCu, as determined by the Bruckenstein method (Swathirajan et al. J. Phys. Chem. 1982, 86, 2480–2485). In agreement with the results reported recently for Au(111) film electrodes (Strobl et al. Electrochimica Acta 2024, 493, 144,298), the reaction was found to proceed only for θCu above a critical value, …

Fe-Rich X-Ray Amorphous Material Records Past Climate And Persistence Of Water On Mars, Anthony D. Feldman, Elisabeth M. Hausrath, Elizabeth B. Rampe, Valerie Tu, Tanya S. Peretyazhko, Christopher Defelice, Thomas Sharp

Geoscience Faculty Research

X-ray amorphous material comprises 15-73 wt.% of sedimentary rocks and eolian sediments in Gale crater. This material is variably siliceous and iron rich but aluminum poor. The presence of volatiles is consistent with the existence of incipient weathering products. To better understand the implications of this material for past aqueous conditions on Mars, here we investigate X-ray amorphous material formation and longevity within terrestrial iron rich soils with varying ages and environmental conditions using bulk and selective dissolution methods, X-ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy. Results indicate that in situ aqueous alteration is required to concentrate iron into clay-size fraction …

Increasing Stroke Symptom Awareness In The Hispanic Community, Karina Barabash

DNP Projects

Ethnic and racial minorities are at higher risk for many health conditions including coronary artery disease and stroke (Mital et al., 2021). The Hispanic population specifically faces more risk factors, less knowledge of stroke symptoms, and higher probability of death and disability post stroke (Eisenstein et al., 2018). Unless this gap is addressed, ethnic and racial minority patients will continue to experience higher rates of death and disability from stroke, compared to non-Hispanic White patients. Therefore, the purpose of this project was to provide clinic-based stroke education in Spanish to Hispanic community members. The goal was to increase awareness of …

An Investigation Into Loneliness And Solitary Drinking In A University Sample, Daniel C. Faraci

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Alcohol consumption tends to occur in social contexts and has been shown to increase prosocial behaviors and facilitate social connection. Simultaneously, socially excluded drinkers tend to increase or continue problematic levels of alcohol consumption when alone, possibly consuming alcohol as a replacement for desired but unavailable social connection. This investigation attempted to examine the relationship between loneliness (i.e., lack of perceived social connection) and subsequent alcohol consumption in solitary versus social contexts using ecological momentary assessment (EMA) techniques. University students recruited through a research subject pool who drank at least once per week were asked to respond to 28 short …

Editorial: Interaction And Dynamics Of Biological Molecules, Mohana Priya Arumugam, Umashankar Vetrivel, Jeyakanthan Jeyaraman, Subhash Chauhan, Jayakanthan Mannu

School of Medicine Publications

No abstract provided.