Digital Commons Network^™

Breaking Down The Box Office: An Analysis Of Film Profitability Factors, Zachary Wisnefsky

Honors Scholar Theses

This study analyzes a comprehensive sample of 1,892 films from 2007-2019, looking at the relations between qualitative film factors and their profitability. I estimate profitability using public box office and production budget data as well as an estimated post-production marketing budget. The study investigates the role of three prevalent film factors in film box office performance: type of film, the Motion Picture Association of America’s (MPAA) rating, and star power in the director’s chair or casting. Utilizing multivariate regressions and various means of robustness checks, this study whittles down what film factors have a tangible effect on ending financial performance. …

Genetic Implications Of Language Acquisition, Marissa Renee Ciccarini

Honors Scholar Theses

The argument about whether language acquisition is "nature" or "nurture" has been long debated. Linguists have concluded that it requires the two, but how much does language acquisition rely on nature? Children show the capacity to learn languages quickly and without much effort. While research suggests that infants absorb many visual and verbal cues in their environment, biological structures are the underlying component of how this knowledge is gathered and organized. The genetics that code for specific neurophysiological pathways affect how people interact with their environment and where information is stored, forming the basis for these biological structures. Genetic research …

Spot1328 Meira Spit, Robert C. Mahon, Elizabeth J. Trower, Benjamin P. Smith, Tyler A. Lincoln, Juliana Olsen-Valdez, John S. Magyar, Cedric J. Hagen

2D Wave Spectral Data, South Arm, Great Salt Lake, Utah

Data in this folder are produced by a SoFarOcean Spotter wave buoy deployed along the south arm of the Great Salt Lake, near Antelope Island State Park from the period of July 13, 2021 through June 28, 2022, in relatively shallow water, approximately 1.6m.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Water depths for #1328 (Miera Spit) started at ~1.7 m, but dropped rapidly to 0.9 m on July 15, 2021 and dropped further to ~0.4 m on August 17, 2021. The timing of these rapid water depth changes matches the timing of buoy location changes when the anchor was dragged inshore by waves. When …

Spot1328 Meira Spit Derived Data, Robert C. Mahon, Elizabeth J. Trower, Benjamin P. Smith, Tyler A. Lincoln, Juliana Olsen-Valdez, John S. Magyar, Cedric J. Hagen

2D Wave Spectral Data, South Arm, Great Salt Lake, Utah

Data in this folder are produced by a SoFarOcean Spotter wave buoy deployed along the south arm of the Great Salt Lake, near Antelope Island State Park from the period of July 13, 2021 through June 28, 2022, in relatively shallow water, approximately 1.6m.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Water depths for #1328 (Miera Spit) started at ~1.7 m, but dropped rapidly to 0.9 m on July 15, 2021 and dropped further to ~0.4 m on August 17, 2021. The timing of these rapid water depth changes matches the timing of buoy location changes when the anchor was dragged inshore by waves. When …

Spot1356 Black Rock, Robert C. Mahon, Elizabeth J. Trower, Benjamin P. Smith, Tyler A. Lincoln, Juliana Olsen-Valdez, John S. Magyar, Cedric J. Hagen

2D Wave Spectral Data, South Arm, Great Salt Lake, Utah

Data in this folder are produced by a SoFarOcean Spotter wave buoy deployed along the south arm of the Great Salt Lake, near Antelope Island State Park from the period of July 13, 2021 through June 28, 2022, in relatively shallow water, approximately 1.6m.

Spot1356 Black Rock Derived Data, Robert C. Mahon, Elizabeth J. Trower, Benjamin P. Smith, Tyler A. Lincoln, Juliana Olsen-Valdez, John S. Magyar, Cedric J. Hagen

2D Wave Spectral Data, South Arm, Great Salt Lake, Utah

Data in this folder are produced by a SoFarOcean Spotter wave buoy deployed along the south arm of the Great Salt Lake, near Antelope Island State Park from the period of July 13, 2021 through June 28, 2022, in relatively shallow water, approximately 1.6m.

An Integrative Approach To Assess The Behavioral Impacts Of Noise Stimuli On The Australian Black Field Cricket, Teleogryllus Commodus, Jessica Briggs

Doctoral Dissertations

For acoustically oriented species, elevated levels of ambient sound can interfere with an organism’s ability to detect and assess acoustic signals and cues needed for making important decisions. Ambient noise, defined as any unwanted or non-focal acoustic signal, can impact behavior and decision-making by disrupting auditory sensory perception. As a result, noise in the context of this dissertation can be further delineated as excess sound that hinders a receiver's ability to detect and distinguish acoustic signals. Noise consists of either airborne or substrate-borne modalities or both. While many studies focus on the impact of airborne noise, many species have evolved …

Numerical Modeling Of Flexible Structures In Open Ocean Environment, Alexander Knysh

Doctoral Dissertations

The dissertation presents advancements in numerical modeling of offshore aquaculture and harbor protection structures in the open ocean environment. The advancements were implemented in the finite element software Hydro-FE that expands the Morison equation approach previously incorporated in Aqua-FE software developed at the University of New Hampshire.

The concept of equivalent dropper was introduced and validated on the example of a typical mussel longline design. Parametric studies for mussel dropper drag coefficients and bending stiffness contributions were performed for different environmental conditions.

To model kelp aggregates in macroalgae aquaculture, a corresponding numerical technique was developed. The technique proposes a modified …

The Lsu Agcenter Healthy Communities Initiative: Community-Participatory Policy, Systems, And Environmental Change, Denise Holston, Matthew Greene

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Access To Athletic Trainers And Emergency Medical Services Activations For Sport-Related Injuries, Rebecca M. Hirschhorn, Robert A. Huggins, Zachary Y. Kerr, James M. Mensch, Thomas P. Dompier, Caroline Rudisill, Susan W. Yeargin

Faculty Publications

Context: Having athletic trainers (ATs) employed at secondary schools is associated with improved preparedness for sport-related emergencies. The use of emergency medical services (EMS) in settings with different access to athletic training services remains unknown. Objective: To compare the incidence of EMS activations for patients with sport-related injuries among zip codes with various levels of access to athletic training services. Design: Descriptive epidemiology study. Setting: Data were obtained from the National EMS Information System and the Athletic Training Location and Services Project. Patients or Other Participants: Zip codes where 911 EMS activations for sport-related injuries among individuals 13 to 18 …

Higher Glucose Fluctuation Is Associated With A Higher Risk Of Cardiovascular Disease: Insights From Pooled Results Among Patients With Diabetes, Feng Li, Lei Zhang, Yun Shen, Huan Huan Liu, Zhen Ye Zhang, Gang Hu, Ru Xing Wang

Population and Public Health Science Faculty Publications

Background: The relationship between glucose fluctuation and the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in patients with diabetes remains elusive. Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) variability is a key parameter of glucose fluctuation. Methods: PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Embase were searched up to 1 July 2022. Studies reporting associations of HbA1c variability (HbA1c-SD), coefficient of variation of HbA1c (HbA1c-CV), and HbA1c variability score [HVS] with the risk of CVD among patients with diabetes were included. We used three different insights (a high-low value meta-analysis, a study-specific meta-analysis, and a non-linear dose–response meta-analysis) to explore the relationship between HbA1c variability and …

The Impact Of Reimbursement For Non-Face-To-Face Chronic Care Management On Health Utilization Among Patients With Type 2 Diabetes In Louisiana, Yixue Shao, Charles Stoecker, Dongzhe Hong, Elizabeth Nauman, Vivian Fonseca, Gang Hu, Alessandra N. Bazzano, Edmond K. Kabagambe, Lizheng Shi

Population and Public Health Science Faculty Publications

Objectives: We evaluated the impact of reimbursement for non-face-to-face chronic care management (NFFCCM) on healthcare utilization among Medicare beneficiaries with type 2 diabetes in Louisiana. Methods: We implemented group-based trajectory balancing and propensity score matching to obtain comparable treatment (with NFFCCM) and control (without NFFCCM) groups at baseline. Patients with diabetes with Medicare as their primary payer at baseline were extracted using electronic health records of 3 health systems from Research Action for Health Network, a Clinical Research Network. The study period is from 2013 to early 2020. Our outcomes include general healthcare utilization (outpatient, emergency department, and inpatient encounters) …

Cotton Blight Identification With Ground Framed Canopy Photo-Assisted Multispectral Uav Images, Changwei Wang, Yongchong Chen, Zhipei Xiao, Xianming Zeng, Shihao Tang, Fei Lin, Luxiang Zhang, Xuelian Meng, Shaoqun Liu

Faculty Publications

Cotton plays an essential role in global human life and economic development. However, diseases such as leaf blight pose a serious threat to cotton production. This study aims to advance the existing approach by identifying cotton blight infection and classifying its severity at a higher accuracy. We selected a cotton field in Shihezi, Xinjiang in China to acquire multispectral images with an unmanned airborne vehicle (UAV); then, fifty-three 50 cm by 50 cm ground framed plots were set with defined coordinates, and a photo of its cotton canopy was taken of each and converted to the L*a*b* color space as …

Study On The Thermospheric Density Distribution Pattern During Geomagnetic Activity, Lirong Yin, Lei Wang, Lijun Ge, Jiawei Tian, Zhengtong Yin, Mingzhe Liu, Wenfeng Zheng

Faculty Publications

The atmospheric density of the thermosphere is a fundamental parameter for spacecraft launch and orbit control. Under magnetic storm conditions, the thermospheric atmospheric density experiences significant fluctuations, which have a negative impact on spacecraft control. Exploring thermospheric density during geomagnetic storms can help to mitigate the effects of such events. Research on the inversion of accelerometer measurements for different satellites and the variations of atmospheric density under extreme conditions is still in its infancy. In this paper, the distribution of atmospheric density during three geomagnetic storms is investigated from the inversion results of the Swarm-C accelerometer. Three major geomagnetic storms …

Multidecadal Pre- And Post-Collapse Dynamics Of The Northern Larsen Ice Shelf, Shujie Wang, Hongxing Liu, Richard B. Alley, Kenneth Jezek, Patrick Alexander, Karen E. Alley, Zhengrui Huang, Lei Wang

Faculty Publications

Rapid retreat of Antarctic ice shelves in a warmer climate remains challenging to predict, contributing to uncertainties in projections of sea level rise. The collapse of the Larsen B Ice Shelf on the Antarctic Peninsula in 2002 was perhaps the most dramatic example of ice shelf retreat on record. Despite a general consensus that regional climate warming is associated with ice shelf collapse, knowledge of the precise details leading to and following collapse is limited. Here we examine a comprehensive set of satellite observations, modeling experiments, and climate reanalysis data to elucidate calving behavior, flow dynamics, and mechanical conditions of …

Editorial Introduction: Punctuated Equilibrium, Multiple Streams, Environmental Governance, And Many More, Geoboo Song, Michael D. Jones, Holly L. Peterson, Aaron Smith-Walter, Melissa K. Merry, Gwen Arnold, Creed Tumlison, Rachael M. Moyer

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Networks In Motion: The Alliances Of Information Communication Technologies And Mobility Technologies During The 1918 Influenza Pandemic, Miles C. Coleman, Will Mari

Faculty Publications

In this article, we turn back to the 1918 influenza pandemic to throw light on the alliances of information communication technologies and technologies of mobility (such as the car) during the pandemic. We examine newspaper articles, technical publications, and other historical texts to demonstrate that, despite the fact that mobile technologies—such as cellular phones—did not exist during the 1918 pandemic, the telephone and mobility technology nonetheless formed alliances as networks in motion, or social moments in which risk and reward are calculated not simply by the ability to move, but rather the ability to move, while remaining connected, revealing insight …

Is It Good To Be Bad? The Potential Buffering Role Of Callous-Unemotional Traits On The Relationship Between Trauma And Juvenile Offending, Kathryn Anne Mcgill

Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)

Juvenile offending is prevalent, costly, and often difficult to intervene in. Although there are a multitude of factors previously studied that contribute to offending, researchers are still unable to pinpoint all possible variables contributing to juvenile offending. More so, of explored and accepted factors leading to juvenile offending, predictive ability of any specific factor leading to offending is still weak. Thus, study of specific predisposing factors leading to juvenile offending, as well as mediational or moderational variables, is needed. This study explores two previously studied variables in the pathway to juvenile offending: trauma and callous-unemotional traits. Novel study of the …

Royal Authority And Erotic Desires: Marlowe's Views On Kingship In Dido, Queen Of Carthage, And Edward Ii, Jared Lambert

Honors Theses

Royal authority and erotic desires: Marlowe's views on kingship in Dido, Queen of Carthage, and Edward II focuses on the works of Christopher Marlowe and how they correlate to his perceptions of the Elizabethan court. This essay is meant to serve as one potential interpretation of both the public and personal life of Christopher Marlowe. Though there is little concrete information on Marlowe's life, it is a fact that he was working for the Elizabethan court in some capacity as an informant and potential provocateur against Catholics in England.

Oxalic Acid Leaf Disk Soak Assay Is A New Possibility In Screening For Blight Resistance In Castanea Species, Kaitlyn Harden

Honors Theses

Chestnut blight is a disease caused by the ascomycete fungus Cryphonectria parasitica in the Castanea species. The fungus uses oxalic acid (OA) to attack the tree’s cells. Castanea dentata, the American chestnut, was wiped out by chestnut blight in the early to mid-20th century, but several East Asian Castanea species appear highly resistant to the fungus. To breed resistant American type trees, screening methods are used to enable selection of interspecific hybrids. The alternative small stem assay (aSSA) is a method of screening container-grown hybrid seedlings during their first growing season by directly infecting them with C. parasitica. Some plant …

The Hilbert Sequence And Its Associated Jacobi Matrix, Caleb Beckler

Honors Theses

In this project, we investigate positive definite sequences and their associated Jacobi matrices in Hilbert space. We set out to determine the Jacobi matrix associated to the Hilbert sequence by methods described in Akhiezer’s book The Classical Moment Problem. Using methods in Teschl’s book Jacobi Operators and Completely Integrable Nonlinear Lattice, we determine the essential spectrum of the corresponding Jacobi matrix.

Viability Of Equine Assisted Activities And Therapies For Individuals With Developmental Disorders: A Systematic Review, Faith Pinson

Honors Theses

The objective of this review is to determine whether Equine-Assisted Activities and Therapies (EAAT) are a viable form of therapy for people with various developmental disorders. A viable form of therapy is one that is more beneficial than traditional forms of therapy that already exist, as traditional therapies may be generally less expensive and have plentiful research to support their use). In order to be beneficial, EAAT would need to yield improved results when either compared side by side with traditional therapy or used as a complementary therapy with traditional therapy. In this systematic review, the included studies examined the …

Assessing The Utility Of High-Throughput Phenotyping For Ecological Applications, Annabree Corlew

Honors Theses

A phenotype describes the expressed traits of an organism. These traits can provide insight into interactions between an organism and its environment, making them a key focus of ecological research. But the process of phenotyping traits can be tedious to collect for large-scale experiments. High-throughput phenotyping software has the ability to speed up the phenotyping process by allowing multiple traits to be phenotyped at once. However, the utility of this relatively new and continually developing computational tool is still being assessed, especially beyond applications focused on agricultural crops and grasses. I investigated the accuracy and efficiency of the open-access high-throughput …

Cared For Ed Non-Emergency Care: College Student Acceptance, Ranking, And Economic Deterrents Of Ed Non-Emergency Care, Evan Britt

Honors Theses

There has been increasing concern from hospitals and insurance policyholders over the rise of Emergency Department (ED) visits, as it is linked with overcrowding and longer waiting times; an increasingly large proportion of these ED visits are described as non-urgent or clinically unnecessary (O’Keefe, 2017; Pierce, 2009). The purpose of this project is to understand how college students’ perceptions of Emergency Departments influence their decisions on where to seek medical care. Methods: I developed a three-part scenario-based survey using Qualtrics that included the following sections: Consent and General Demographics, Pre-Price Scenarios, and Price Included Scenarios. Participants were asked to rank …

Iran's Involvement In The Syrian Civil War Before And After Jcpoa, Kaitlin Coulter

Honors Theses

The Syrian civil war has been going on for over a decade and has caused the death of over 500,000 people and the displacement of thirteen million more. Ending the war has been difficult for policy makers worldwide due to the number of outside actors involved in the conflict. The most prominent actor that has made this task so difficult is Iran. Syria and Iran have been staunch allies since the inception of the Islamic Republic in 1979. Despite religious differences, their support for each other through the decades has proven extremely beneficial for both countries. When the Syrian civil …

Species Diversity Of Coleoptera Populations In An Urban Garden In Chattanooga, Tennessee, Mallory Anderson

Honors Theses

Insects are an essential part of the function of ecosystems. The majority of entomological faunistic research has been conducted primarily in rural areas due to high diversity, space for bulky traps, and less outside influence from human activities. However, the need for time-series insect biodiversity data, in rural areas and urban areas alike, is paramount in the wake of our current sixth mass extinction event. Previous research has shown that the greater Chattanooga area is comprised of a diverse population of insects in the Coleoptera (beetles) order, and as shown in the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s (UTC) Insect Collection. …

Perceptions Of Stress: A Gendered Comparison Of Undergraduates In Stem, Molly Martin

Honors Theses

Students enrolled in undergraduate universities face numerous stressors every day. Outside of stress from their academic studies (i.e., homework, studying for exams, writing papers), they also encounter daily life stressors relating to self-sufficiency, career choices, families, housing, and many other areas. While every student deals with stress coming from multiple areas of their life, women tend to place more stress on themselves than men due to social pressure to perform well and the feeling of societal expectation to have a high stress load from which to derive personal value. Within the field of Science, Technology and Math (STEM), —a field …

Creator As Audience: Mixtape Albums As An Expression Of Life And Memory, Sadie Montague

Honors Theses

Music is a foundation of our popular culture. With music’s distribution far and wide, songs, lyrics, and melodies can be familiar to people from all backgrounds, connecting us through a shared cultural experience. Songs can also be deeply personal and take on sentimental meaning, taking us back to specific moments, feelings, or times in our own lives. Since the 1940s, when album art was invented, graphic design and music have been inseparable, informing individuals’ personal and cultural identity. In recent decades, digital technology has disembodied the human experience, including our consumption of music and design. In response to this dematerialization, …

Women In Organizations: Leadership And Overcoming Biases, Madison T. Witt

Honors Thesis

This thesis will work to describe the different experiences women have in the workplace compared to men. It will discuss the biases faced: prove-it-again bias, tightrope bias, and the maternal wall bias. These play a large role in why women act as they do in the workplace as well as why they tend to experience different barriers within the corporate ladder. This research notes both gender biases facing women and the additional bias women of color face. These different experiences change how women lead companies when placed in executive positions. These leadership styles of women tend to be more welcoming …

Introduction Of Probiotics To Improve Eczema Symptoms In Children In One Pediatric Primary Care Practice: A Quality Improvement Project, Christie Potter

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Projects

Background: There is emerging interest in alternative approaches to treating children with eczema because there is currently no allopathic cure. Non-pharmacological approaches are regarded as generally safe, well tolerated, and cost effective. Eczema is a chronic, relapsing inflammatory, itchy skin condition that adversely affects quality of life in many individuals, including children. Eczema interferes with sleep, leads to secondary skin infections, and causes intractable itching. Topical steroids are the current standard of practice in treating patients but, evidence suggests that they can cause unwanted side effects and can lead to serious systemic reactions. The purpose of this quality improvement project …