bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Incidence and Risk Factors of Neonates with Vocal Cord Immobility after Cardiac Surgery
Authors:   , Jones Amanda , Wilson Linda
Published: July 2021

Background: Unilateral vocal cord immobility (UVCI) negatively impacts the ability to provide adequate and safe nutrition to neonates after cardiac surgery (Dewan, Cephus, Owczarzak, & Ocampo, 2012; Strychowsky, Rukholm, Gupta, & Reid, 2014). Purpose: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the incidence and risk factors of UVCI in patients (0-30 days old) undergoing cardiac surgery to promote earlier diagnosis, standardize management, safer feeding and decreased length of stay. Methods: This is a retrospective chart review of all infants who underwent cardiac surgery within the first 30 days of life during a one year period. Evaluation: Data was received de-identified from the PC4 database and analyzed. Descriptive analysis was utilized to determine incidence of vocal cord immobility. Results: The incidence of UVCI was 6.7%. There were no statistically significantly risk factors, although there was predominance in female infants (66.7%) and those with aortic arch involvement (88.9%). Birth weight, gestational age, age and weight at the time of surgery and length of stay were not found to be risk factors for UVCI. Clinical Implications: Without evaluating all patients, true incidence of UVCI cannot be determined. The lack of heterogeneity and insignificant number of patients with UVCI precludes risk factor identification. Future research should include prospective studies to reveal true incidence of UVCI, as well as standardizing the at management and future recovery of vocal cord function.
Semantics of auditory neglect
Authors:   , Keshavarzian Neggin , Williams J. Michael
Published: July 2021

Auditory neglect exists when a person who has a brain lesion does not perceive an auditory stimulus in one ear when stimuli are presented binaurally or dichotically. The first aim of the current study was to simulate auditory neglect in participants with normal auditory perception using an experimental model of auditory neglect. This study hypothesized that when semantically related words were presented dichotically the simulated auditory neglect would be attenuated but not with unrelated words. Forty-five participants with normal auditory perception listened to the words pairs in a dichotic listening task in which the left ear was masked with noise. The experimental task was able to simulate auditory neglect and semantically related words were reported more than unrelated words. A second experiment was conducted to determine brain areas mediating the semantic system using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI). It was hypothesized that brain activation would be lateralized to the left hemisphere during auditory processing of semantic stimuli and there would be a difference in activation for semantically related words compared to non-semantically related words. Seventeen healthy, neurologically normal participants underwent fMRI scanning during which they listened semantic and non-semantic word pairs presented dichotically and judged if the words were related in meaning. Activation was lateralized to the left for the task. Both semantic and non-semantic conditions showed activation throughout the left frontal and temporal lobes. Direct comparison of the semantic and the non-semantic conditions did not yield different localization patterns.
Survivors of Sex Trafficking in Healthcare Settings and their Recommendations Regarding Identification Screening Protocols and Practices
Authors:   , Richie-Zavaleta Arduizur C. , Villanueva Augusta M.
Published: July 2021

Today, millions of children, women, and men are suffering gross human rights violations in every corner of the world, including the United States (US) and manifested through Human Trafficking (HT). This type of victimization is a public health concern and a human rights issue. US-born victims are typically commercially sexual exploited through sex trafficking. Once victimized, they become an extremely hidden population. Yet, they interact with healthcare providers (HCP) when seeking medical care at some point during their period of victimization. Although few protocols and trainings to identify HT victims in healthcare settings exist, only a limited number of hospitals and healthcare facilities implement them. Therefore, sex trafficking victims go unidentified. There is scant research investigating patient-healthcare provider interactions from the survivor of sex trafficking (SST) perspective. Therefore, this study sought to: 1) identify the type of healthcare settings sex trafficking survivors frequented during their victimization period and reasons for their visit; 2) explore SST's perceptions about their interactions with HCPs; and 3) document survivors' recommendations on how to best screen, identify, and assist victims of sex trafficking within healthcare settings. This study utilized an exploratory, concurrent mixed-methods research approach with a triangulation design model. Recruitment took place in San Diego, CA and Philadelphia, PA. A 48-item questionnaire and semi-structured interview guide were utilized to collect data. Data analyses were based on descriptive and inductive processes. Participants were US-born and self-identified as SST (N=21). Almost one-half of them were white (47.6%), followed by Blacks (23.8%). On average, SST were victimized for 4.9 years. Most commonly sought healthcare settings were Emergency Departments (ED) and community care clinics, specifically Planned Parenthood (PP). SST's non-disclosure of their victimization to medical professionals was high, 61.9%. Participants' recommendations to the healthcare community encompassed three types: 1) Knowledge and Skills; 2) Attitudes and Behaviors; and 3) Safe Plans and Resources. This study confirmed previous findings that sex trafficking victims seek care at different types of healthcare settings and reasons for seeking medical care. Most importantly, it presented noteworthy insights regarding barriers limiting SSTs from disclosing their victimization to HCPs, and thus contributes key facts with which to identify and intervene on behalf of sex trafficking victims within healthcare settings. Keywords: healthcare providers, healthcare settings, interactions, sex trafficking, United States
A Morphological Analysis of Metal Transfer on Retrieved Ceramic and Cobalt Chrome Femoral Heads
Authors:   , Fredette Eliza Kathleen , Allen Fred D. , Kurtz Steven M.
Published: July 2021

Total hip arthroplasty is one of the most common procedures to treat end-stage osteoarthritis, with many variations on the components used. Although cobalt chromium-on-polyethylene is the gold standard, other materials combinations have recently gained popularity such as ceramic-on-polyethylene and ceramic-on-ceramic bearing couples due to their increased hardness and reduced wear. Metal transfer has been observed on the bearing surface of retrieved femoral heads in total hip replacements; described as dark metallic smears of titanium or cobalt chromium alloy. In vitro wear testing has shown increased wear of the polyethylene acetabular liner with the presence of metal transfer on femoral heads. Little is known though about the effects bearing surface materials may have on the morphology of metal transfer. This retrieval study sought to investigate the extent of metal transfer surface damage on the typical bearing surface of Cobalt Chrome (CoCr) and ceramic femoral heads, and to identify prevalent patterns and morphologies for later recreation. Femoral heads from three types of bearing couples (CoCr-on-polyethylene (n = 50), ceramic-on-polyethylene (n = 35), and ceramic-on-ceramic (n=15)) were assessed for the presence and extent of metal transfer. Visual evidence of metal transfer was observed on 75% (n = 75/100) of the femoral heads with a median metal transfer surface area coverage of 1.22% across all cohorts (n = 89/100). Metal transfer was found to cover more surface area for ceramic-on-ceramic bearing couples than CoCr-on-polyethylene bearing couples (Kruskal Wallis Test: p = 0.027), suggesting the influence of material factors. The most prevalent metal transfer morphologies observed were random stripes (n = 21/75), longitudinal stripes (n = 17/75), and random patches (n = 13/75). CoCr-on-polyethylene femoral heads showed significantly taller metal transfer than ceramic-on ceramic femoral heads for the longitudinal stripe pattern, suggesting that material factors could be linked to metal transfer severity (Kruskal Wallis Test: p = 0.025). Understanding the morphology of metal transfer may be useful for more accurate polyethylene wear studies through more realistic re-creation of metal transfer in in vitro pin-on-disk and joint simulators studies. This would allow for metal transfer and its correlation to polyethylene wear to be more accurately studied under normal and adverse activities, and for predictive wear studies of metal transfer producing failure mechanisms to be performed on various bearing couple combinations.
Cultural Machine Translation Using MRF Gibbs model & Bayesian Learning
Authors:   , Zhong Zheng , Cohen Fernand S.
Published: July 2021

In this thesis, we introduce a novel Gibbs language model constructed on a multi-layered dependency semantic graph to lexically disambiguate word, phrases, and sentences that lend themselves to different possible meaning and interpretations for use in machine translation (MT). The model looks at semantic cliques of words (key words) and assigns Gibbs potentials and conditional probabilities in proportion to the importance and degree of interactions between a given word and its neighbors within the semantic cliques. Efficient estimates (maximum likelihood estimators (MLE)) for the Gibbs clique parameters are obtained using bilingual parallel corpora. Our method also naturally factors in the beliefs of expert translators, maps them into expert Gibbs parameters, and updates the MLE to maximum a posterior probability (MAP) estimates. Experimental results using our model and method are reported on testbeds in the medical and literary fiction domains and our results fare more than favorably when compared to the state-of-the-art long short-term memory (LSTM) Neural Network (NN) approach.
Development of 3 dimensional subject specific dynamic models for the ankle and its assessment against in vitro cadaveric experimental data using distance mapping and kinematic evaluation
Authors:   , Padmanabhan Deepak , Siegler Sorin
Published: July 2021

Currently osteoarthritis is the leading joint disease which in turn leads to major socio-economic losses in terms of physical pain and inability to work leading to losses of over $60 Billion to the US economy alone (Buckwalter et al, 2004). Current treatment methods include Total Ankle Replacement (TAR) or arthrodesis. Since arthrodesis leads to major loss in mobility, TAR comes across as a better alternative. Recent research by Siegler et al (2016) proposes patient specific models, which would help, recreate kinematics closest to regular. Previous experimental studies conducted to understand and validate the effect of morphological variations to kinematics involved invasive surgical procedures and hence could only be conducted in cadaveric foot. Hence a need for a dynamic model which could predict and recreate the kinematics of an ankle using only CT and, or MRI data was realized. Such a model could help in development and non-invasive testing of subject specific TAR. This study involves the development of five 3D patient specific dynamic models in MSC ADAMSTM to simulate the motion of the talus and the calcaneus on application of different moments. The simulation has been conducted on 3D models which have been developed using CT and MRI data of five cadaveric legs, which have already undergone studies for the subchondral bones using distance mapping, which is a tool in Geomagic ControlTM. The ADAMSTM model has been used to simulate moments like the experiment and to acquire kinematic data and study surface-to-surface interaction between the bones using distance mapping techniques.
Numerical Study of a Mixing Flow of Gas and Liquid in Hydrocyclone
Authors:   , Yilmaz Abdurrahman , Cho Young I.
Published: July 2021

Hyrocyclones are commonly used for the separation of minerals from the mixture of liquid and suspended solids such as in the mixture of water and sand. In the present study, the hydrocyclone consisted of two different inlets such as liquid inlet and gas inlet and one outlet for the mixture of liquid and gas, and its geometry includes two different scales of reactor dimensions. Introducing gas while the hydrocyclone was in operation brought a new understanding of the hydrocyclone study. The optimization of the hydrocyclone operation for different gas flow rates and different water pressures was conducted in order to learn the effect of such different parameters on the vortex generation inside the hydrocyclone. These different parameters were used as the boundary conditions for the present numerical simulation and have impacted on the magnitudes of pressure, fraction, velocity streamlines, tangential velocity and axial velocity field distributions. All the simulations given in the present study were calculated with Fluent of the ANSYS 17.2 package program. k-[epsilon] model was applied for all the calculations with the volume of fluid (VOF) algorithm with no-slip conditions. The numerical study resulted in the results in six different cases with the combination of two sets of boundary conditions of 3 cfm, 9 cfm, 12 cfm, 15 cfm with 1psi gas inlet flow rates; and 100 gpm and 20 gpm with 15 psi, 20 psi and 25 psi water inlet pressures. Changing the gas flow rates with a constant water pressure had a significant impact on the vortex generation inside the hydrocyclone. However, changing the water inlet pressures with a constant gas flow rate did not have any effect on the development of the swirl flow inside the hydrocyclone.
The Binge Watching Trend
Authors:   , Raikar Rutika , Tedesco Albert S. , Salas Philip W.
Published: July 2021

Viewers today enjoy unprecedented control over the way they watch content on television. With constant advancements in technology, the way in which viewers consume content has seen a considerable shift. Binge watching has become a common point of discussion among the audience as well as industry experts. The core focus of this study is to understand and analyze the shift that has occurred as a result of the entry of streaming services in the market. Though binge watching was in practice years before with marathons and re-runs, the easy availability of internet service significantly changed the landscape of television. Television moving to streaming services and the entry of OTT platforms like Netflix releasing original content all at once brought about massive changes to the television industry. Not only did the way viewers consume entertainment change, it also brought about massive changes from the business perspective. This thesis utilized a survey and in depth interviews to analyze the viewing habits of the audience, and to understand the strategies media experts are putting into action in order to retain viewership, ratings and in turn the most crucial aspect of the television business, advertising revenue.
Systems toxicology
Authors:   , Desai Kaushal D. , Hu Xiaohua
Published: July 2021

Systems toxicology, a branch of toxicology that studies chemical effects on biological systems, presents exciting knowledge discovery challenges for the information researcher. The exponential increase in availability of genomic and proteomic data in this domain needs to be matched with increasingly sophisticated network analysis approaches. Improved ability to mine complex gene and protein interaction networks may eventually lead to discovery of drugs that target biological sub-networks ('network medicine') instead of individual proteins. In this thesis, we have proposed and investigated the use of a maximal edge centrality criterion to discover drug-toxicity signaling paths inside a human protein interaction network. The signaling path detection approach utilizes drug and toxicity information along with two novel edge weighting measures, one based on edge centrality for detected paths and another using differential gene expression between tissues treated with toxicity-inducing drugs and a control set. Drugs known to induce non-immune Neutropenia were analyzed as a test case and common path proteins on discovered signaling paths were evaluated for toxicological significance. In addition to investigating the value of topological connectivity for identification of toxicity biomarkers, the gene expression-based measure led to identification of a proposed biomarker panel for screening new drug candidates. Comparative evaluation of findings from the DTSP approach with standard microarray analysis method showed clear improvements in various performance measures including true positive rate, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and overall accuracy. Comparison of non-immune Neutropenia signaling paths with those discovered for a control set showed increased transcript-level activation of discovered signaling paths for toxicity-inducing drugs. We have demonstrated the scientific value from a systems-based approach for identifying toxicity-related proteins inside complex biological networks. The algorithm should be useful for biomarker identification for any toxicity assuming availability of relevant drug and drug-induced toxicity information.
Life Cycle Environmental and Cost Assessments Incorporating Lifetime Prediction of High Density Polyethylene and Alternatives in Drainage Applications
Authors:   , Nguyen Long , Spatari Sabrina , Hsuan Yick Grace
Published: July 2021

The production supply chain of high density polyethylene (HDPE) and portland cement uses and consumes vast quantities of fossil energy (mainly petroleum) used for their extraction and production. Those consumed resources emit large volumes of greenhouse gases (GHG) to the atmosphere. In the past decade, HDPE has become a widely used polymeric engineering material that has been adopted in different industries, including in the construction of landfill liners, power and telecom cable conduits, sewage and drainage pipes, and automotive fuel tanks. Unlike HDPE, portland cement has been commonly used for centuries and it became the standard for many research on construction materials. This dissertation is going to investigate the life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle cost (LCC) of pristine HDPE, ordinary portland cement and its various alternative materials such as post-consumer recycled plastics, nanocomposite and bio-based plastics, non-portland cement based cementitious binders, which could be economically beneficial since they either use obsolete resources or engage the renewable resources. In other words, they could potentially consume less energy to process compared to its conventional counterparts, and may also have lower production costs. A thorough LCA study needs to account for the presence of uncertainty and risk. There is no doubt that these factors heavily impact the decision-making process. For this reason, this dissertation employs the resampling and stochastic methods to quantify the data uncertainty of input parameters with the hope that the analysis would generate more precise results. By incorporating the uncertainty characterization and a standard by ASTM with the LCA and LCC, this dissertation hopes to deliver a meaningful life cycle environmental and cost analysis to the industrial decision-makers and investors.
Issues Regarding the Retention of Special Education Teachers With a Focus on the Principal's Role
Authors:   , Rank Kim , Vorndran Christina M.
Published: July 2021

Recruitment and retention of special education teachers is a growing problem in the education field. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) from 2014, 50% of special education teachers will leave the education profession during their first five years of teaching. In order to strengthen school teaching teams, knowledgeable and qualified special education teachers must be recruited and retained by school districts (Henderson, 2014). This study explores factors that contribute to special education teachers' decisions to leave their positions, and the development of effective work environments that sustain the retention of special education teachers. The additional demand placed on special education teachers has increased such as caseload numbers, compliance deadlines, data collection, litigious cases, and intensive needs of the students. It is imperative for school districts and higher education institutions to increase the pool of highly qualified special education candidates with the skills and sense of support so they stay in the special education field. Findings from this convergent parallel research study have identified areas of improvement in the building administrator's role and strategies recommended for school districts to implement in order to increase their retention rate of special education teachers.
A Study of the Pennsylvania Framework for Leadership
Authors:   , Harvey Nicole M. , Grant Allen C.
Published: July 2021

This study examined the perceptions of principals in a suburban southeastern Pennsylvania county regarding the Framework for Leadership evaluation process. This explanatory sequential mixed-methods multiple case study was designed to explore and explain the relationship among the collection of evidence, the providing of feedback, and the principal's perception of the Framework for Leadership. The Framework for Leadership was first implemented during the 2014-2015 school year, and to date there is no existing research on the extent to which it is improving principal practice. Improved principal practices lead to increased student achievement. The first phase of the study included quantitative data collected from 40 principals via an electronic survey questionnaire about how they perceive the evaluation process through the use of a published survey, the Teacher Evaluation Profile (TEP). The TEP is designed to better understand teachers' experiences with the evaluation process and can be applied to principals' experiences with the evaluation process as well. Therefore, this study used a revised version of the TEP named the Principal Evaluation Profile (PEP). The second phase of the study included qualitative data collected from three school districts during focus group interviews. The three focus groups each contained two to three principals from the same district and consisted of one group in each of the following areas: highest average perceptions of the evaluation process, lowest average perceptions of the evaluation process, and neutral average perceptions about the evaluation process. The qualitative data was used to further explain the quantitative data in order to study principal perceptions of the Framework for Leadership evaluation process.
Classifying Human Driving Behavior via Deep Neural Networks
Authors:   , Kim Jae Hoon , Ontañón Santiago
Published: July 2021

The average person spends several hours a day behind the wheel of their vehicles, which are usually equipped with on-board computers capable of collecting real-time data concerning driving behavior. However, this data source has rarely been tapped for healthcare and behavioral research purposes. This MS thesis is done in the context of the Diagnostic Driving project, an NSF funded collaborative project between Drexel, Children Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and the University of Central Florida that aims at studying the possibility of using driving behavior data to diagnose medical conditions. Specifically, this paper introduces focuses on the classification of driving behavior data collected in a driving simulator using deep neural networks. The target classification task is to differentiate novice versus expert drivers. The paper presents a comparative study on using different variants of LSTM (Long-Short Term Memory networks) and Auto-encoder networks to deal with the fact that we have a small amount of labels (16 examples of people driving in the simulator, each labeled with an 'expert' or 'inexpert' label), but each simulator drive is high dimensional and too densely sampled (each drive consists of 100 variables sampled at 60Hz). Our results show that using an intermediate number of neurons in the LSTM networks and using data filtering (only considering one out of each 10 samples) obtains better results, and that using Auto-encoders works worse than using manual feature selection.
Expertise on Boards of Directors and the Market for Directors with Acquisition Experience
Authors:   , Obonyo Tirimba T. , Szewczyk Samuel Hideyo , Tsetsekos George
Published: July 2021

OBJECTIVE: This dissertation explores the effect of three macro-level factors on smoking behavior among U.S. adults: 1) bar and restaurant smoking ban policies, 2) cigarette prices, and 3) social aspects of the neighborhood environment. METHODS: Longitudinal epidemiologic cohort data from two sources: 1) the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA, 1985-2011, N=5071 young/middle-aged adults); 2) Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA, 2000-2012, middle-aged to older adults, samples used were N=4884 and N=5856). Cohort data were geocoded and linked to three datasets: 1) state, county, city 100% smoke-free policies in bars and restaurants (American Non-Smokers Rights Foundation's Local Ordinance Database 1985-2011); 2) cigarette prices at chain supermarkets and drug stores within 3 miles of the participant's residence (IRI 2001-2011); and 3) neighborhood social environment scores for three domains: aesthetic quality, safety, and social cohesion (MESA Neighborhood Survey, 2002-2005 and 2010-2012). Various statistical modeling approaches were used: econometric models with subject fixed effects for within-person change in smoking outcomes, modified Poisson regression, and generalized linear mixed models for longitudinal and cross-sectional analyses. RESULTS: Smokefree policies: Restaurant/ bar smoking bans were associated with a significant decline in current smoking risk and smoking intensity (risk ratio (RR): 0.92, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.87, 0.97, and RR: 0.91 (0.83, 0.99), respectively), and an increased likelihood of a quit attempt (RR: 1.10 (1.02, 1.19)). Policy impacts on declines in current smoking were strongest among those with higher education (>bachelor's degree) but the impact on quit attempts was strongest among women and lower income individuals. Cigarette prices: A $1 higher cigarette pack price was associated with lower smoking prevalence (prevalence ratio (PR): 0.88 (0.77, 1.01)) and smoking intensity in MESA year 10 (PR: 0.77 (0.62, 0.95)). A $1 increase in pack price was associated with reductions in current smoking risk (RR: 0.97 (0.93, 1.01)), intensity (RR: 0.93 (0.87, 0.99), and risk of relapse (RR: 0.72 (0.56, 0.95). Social environment: Participants living in areas with higher baseline neighborhood social environment composite score (reflecting a better environment) had 13% lower prevalence of baseline smoking (PR: 0.87 (0.78, 0.98). Similar results were observed for neighborhood safety and aesthetic quality but not for social cohesion. No associations were observed between neighborhood social environment and changes in smoking status or smoking intensity over time. CONCLUSIONS: Macro-level factors play an important role in smoking behavior. The differential effect of smoking bans by socioeconomic status underscores the importance of evaluating equity throughout policy implementation. Future work is needed to evaluate whether the neighborhood social environment influences earlier life smoking patterns.
A Phenomenological Study on Academic Advising
Authors:   , O'Connor Dianna Marie , Vorndran Christina M.
Published: July 2021

Retention and student graduation rates are a major concern for community colleges nationwide. As student dropout rates continue to climb and graduation figures languish, many studies have been conducted to investigate the causes of student attrition. Numerous reports have found faculty advising to be a contributing factor in student retention, however much of the research has been compiled from the student point of view (Braxton & Mundy, 2002 & McArthur, 2005). Although a connection between student persistence and advising has been established, there is a need for further research from a faculty perspective in order to create a successful program and to improve retention, and ultimately, graduation rates. The purpose of this phenomenological study is to explore, describe, and understand the academic advising experience of full-time faculty at a community college. The research questions will focus on how community college faculty perceive their role in academic advising and explore their perspectives on the connection between academic advising and student retention. The interpretive/constructivist research paradigm will use qualitative data to describe and understand community college faculty perspectives regarding student retention and academic advising.
The Socio-Economic Impact of Student Loan Debt on African American Graduates of the University of Phoenix Residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Authors:   , Daniels Terrence D. , Phillips Joy C.
Published: July 2021

Little is known about the long-term socio-economic impact of student loan debt on African-American graduates of the University of Phoenix who reside in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The purpose of this case study is to examine the socio-economic impact of student loan debt on these students five years after receiving a degree from this for-profit institution. This research study focused on answering the following questions: What factors influence an individual's decision to attend the University of Phoenix?; How do the student services offered at the University of Phoenix prepare its graduates to repay their student loan debt?; How does student loan debt associated with attending the University of Phoenix impact African American borrowers' ability to make major life decisions, such as purchasing a home or starting a family?; and, How does obtaining a degree from the University of Phoenix serve as a vehicle for African-Americans from marginal communities that want to improve their socio-economic lives? The research is structured as a qualitative research method design and based on a case study approach. A qualitative design was selected because it allows the researcher to obtain an extensive and in-depth examination of the contemporary phenomenon of student loan debt within the real-life context of African American alumni from the University of Phoenix.
The Impact of Language Status, Gender, and Ecological Factors on Academic Success of Hispanic Children in Grades 3-5
Authors:   , Selekman Aaron Michael , Gullo Dominic F.
Published: July 2021

The ability to read is an essential component of the educational process and is strongly correlated with academic success. The literature reveals that, in general, Hispanic elementary school students in third through fifth grade consistently perform below their school-age peers in the academic arena, and that once below, remain below throughout their schooling. The purpose of the present study was to more clearly identify the ecological factors that are closely associated with the academic success of Hispanic third through fifth grade elementary school students who are identified as English Language Learners (ELL). Two research questions guided this study: 1.) Are there differences between third to fifth grade Hispanic boys and girls who are identified as ELL on reading and math achievement as measured by the Smarter Balanced Assessments, and 2.) Are there differences in achievement as measured by the Smarter Balanced reading and math assessment among ecological variables (Neighborhood, School, Friends, Family, Parent Education Involvement, Health and Well-Being, Social Behavior at Home and School, and School Performance) for third to fifth grade boys and girls identified as ELL? The sample consisted of 65 Hispanic third through fifth grade students who were identified as English Language Learners. They were assessed using the Elementary Student Success Profile (ESSP); this tool resulted in triangulated data from three different surveys (from parents, the children, and their teachers). The ESSP was then used to identify the factors associated with academic achievement in reading and math, as measured by the Smarter Balanced Assessment. Statistical analysis yielded non-significant findings for both questions. However, when additional analysis was completed, significant associations were found between school environment and reading scores, friends and math scores, and health and well-being with both reading and math scores. There was no difference by gender.
Diet-Dependent Balance Between Autophagy and Proliferation Regulates Follicle Stem Cell Lifetime
Authors:   , Singh Tanu , O'Reilly Alana M. , Reginato Mauricio
Published: July 2021

Stem cells are essential for the overall wellbeing of an organism. Decline in stem cell number and function can lead to loss of tissue homeostasis and aging. Mechanisms essential for stem cell maintenance are not well understood. Diet-dependent signaling can regulate stem cell lifespan. Adult epithelial stem cells, called Follicle Stem Cells (FSCs) in Drosophila ovaries are one such stem cell population that switches from quiescent to proliferative states depending on nutrient availability. FSCs proliferate actively in the presence of food and switch to a quiescent state during low-nutrient availability. Recent work indicates that proliferation can extend FSC lifespan. We have previously shown that during lownutrient conditions, a transmembrane protein called Boi sequesters Hh ligand and limits FSC proliferation. Flies bearing a loss-of-function boi mutation (boi mutants) have increased Hh release and subsequent increased FSC proliferation. Despite increased FSC proliferation, we found that boi mutants become infertile rapidly relative to wild-type flies. Paradoxically, we also find that constitutive Hh signaling leads to FSC loss despite increased proliferation, suggesting that additional mechanisms contribute to stem cell lifespan. Using a genetic suppressor screen we determined that reducing the expression of core autophagy pathway genes restores the fertility of boi mutants. Moreover, boi and the Hh gof mutants have elevated levels of autophagy within FSCs. Autophagy is a conserved lysosome-dependent degradation pathway and plays important role in stem cell maintenance, differentiation, and quality control. Surprisingly, the effects of increased Hh activity on autophagy induction are separable from the Hh-mediated proliferation response in FSCs. We have identified that the primary Hh-pathway effector Smo is dispensable for autophagy signaling and that instead, signaling happens through Ptc, which negatively regulates most Hh-dependent processes. Together, these results support a model in which the Hh signaling pathway activates two responses, autophagy and proliferation, that contribute independently to regulation of FSC lifetime. A similar mechanism is observed in old, WT FSCs, suggesting that age-dependent shifting of the proliferation-autophagy balance decreases fertility in normal conditions. Strikingly, we find that this balance is coordinated via the Hh and Insulin signaling, with Insulin signaling inhibiting Hh-induced autophagy but not proliferation. Overall this thesis concludes that diet-dependent signaling controls the balance between autophagy and proliferation to maintain FSCs, providing a molecular mechanism that connects a balanced diet with reproductive lifespan.
Arts Teacher Evaluation
Authors:   , Basescu Rachael M. , Brody Jean
Published: July 2021

The purpose of this study is to understand the evaluation and support system for specials teachers at National Heritage Academy Charter schools. This study uses an exploratory sequential mixed methodology. Research included interviews with leadership members of Brooklyn Dreams Charter School, followed by a survey sent to all of the New York NHA specials teachers. Both parties came to the conclusion that leaders were under-prepared to fully evaluate and support specials teachers due to lack of knowledge in the specialized subject matter as well as insufficient training in using the company's evaluation tool as it applies to specials teachers. I suggest the organization work to improve the evaluation tool to have the flexibility to work for any staff member that does not fit the mold of a general education teacher and for the organization to also work towards restructuring some key staff positions to better support specials teachers across the charter. Specific guidance documents are suggested for each specialty to support the evaluation tool along with an added position with special skillset in specials teacher. These results and suggestions can be useful for organizations who use teaching artists and any other education setting that works with and evaluate specials teachers.
Embedding reporters into war
Authors:   , Adams Tracie , Tedesco Albert S. , Timmins Lydia
Published: July 2021

The Embedded Media Program was created in 2003 prior to the war in Iraq to allow reporters unprecedented access to the battlefield (DoD, 2003). As part of the Information Operations Campaign, the objectives were to counter disinformation and increase reporter objectivity, strengthen the trust between the military and the media and positively sway public opinion. Military leaders leveraged the media to counter propaganda and more accurately tell the story to the American people back home (DoD, 2003). In doing so, they rallied support for the troops and enhanced the shaky relationship between the press and the United States Armed Forces. This study examines the impact on the military-media relationship from the perspective of servicemembers who served in combat zones along side civilian reporters. Six active duty men and women from the Armed Services were interviewed to explore their opinions about what effect having civilian media embedded had on reporter objectivity, counteracting propaganda, mustering support for the troops and the overall relationship between the military and the media.
Modeling and Analysis of Information-Embedded Power Electronic Converter Systems
Authors:   , Jayasuriya Sachi Nisansala , Miu Karen Nan
Published: July 2021

At present, power electronic converters are widely used in systems such as shipboard power systems, distributed generation systems and DC microgrids. These devices allow for direct and fast control of the system states: voltages and currents. This is a desirable characteristic, especially when considering smart grid applications. However, the rise in the number of such devices connected to the grid, adds to the inherent nonlinearity of the power system leading to phenomena such as bifurcation and chaos. Further complications arise due to the interactions between the power system and the communication system; two systems that have been historically considered as detached from one another. Due to the growing incentives for smart grid development, the interdependence of these two systems must be recognized and incorporated into existing power electronic converter system models. This work presents models for DC-DC converter systems inclusive of both power system variables and information variables. The effects of network delay on the steady-state and dynamic stability of the overall information-embedded power electronic converter system are analyzed and quantified through proposed metrics. Additionally, uncertainty is introduced into the system model in the form of perturbations in network delay, the effects of which on system stability as well as the first exit times are investigated.
Capacitive Performance of Two-Dimensional Metal Carbides
Authors:   , Lukatskaya Maria R. , Barsoum Michel W. , Gogotsi Yury
Published: July 2021

Recently a new family of two-dimensional (2D) early transition metal carbides and carbonitrides, called MXenes, was discovered. Unlike graphene, whose chemistry is restricted to carbon, MXenes allow a variety of chemical compositions and are establishing themselves as a large new class of two-dimensional materials. MXenes combine the metallic conductivity of transition metal carbide layers with the hydrophilic nature of their mostly hydroxyl or oxygen terminated surfaces. In essence, they behave as "conductive clays" and have shown much of promise as electrode materials for Li-ion batteries. Prior to the initiation of this study, there have been no reports on the capacitive properties of MXenes. In this work the potential was explored of the new family of the two-dimensional carbides, MXenes, as electrode materials for electrochemical capacitors. This study was focused on Ti₃C₂T_x. It was established that variety of single- and multiply charged cations (such as Li⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, NH4+, Mg²⁺) can intercalate MXenes (chemically or electrochemically) and participate in energy storage. Highly reversible electrochemical insertion of the same cations has been demonstrated for Ti₃C₂T_x in aqueous electrolytes. Perfect capacitive behavior was observed for Ti₃C₂T_x MXene even at quite high charge and discharge rates, all coupled with excellent cyclability; no drop in capacitance was observed even after 10 000 cycles. Further investigation showed that surface chemistry has significant effect on the resulting capacitance, i.e. by creating predominantly oxygen-containing functionalities the capacitance can be substantially boosted in comparison to the as-received material. It was also demonstrated that Ti₃C₂T_x clay produced using LiF-HCl mixturewith predominantly oxygen-containing functionalities, showed outstanding capacitance up to 900 F/cm3 and can be manufactured in to electrodes in less than 10 min without need of binder or conductive additive. Electrochemical in-situ XAS measurements detected changes in Ti oxidation state during cycling, which matched closely the observed experimental values of the material's capacitance. Therefore it was concluded that mechanism of electrochemical storage of the Ti₃C₂T_x MXene clay is predominantly pseudocapacitive. . Also concept of all-solid-state asymmetrical supercapacitor (freestanding and current collector free) based on Ti₃C₂T_x was developed. Among other applications, using in-situ AFM the potential of the use of MXenes in electrochemical actuators was demonstrated. It was also shown that MXenes other than Ti₃C₂T_x also demonstrated a lot of promise for electrochemical capacitors: Nb2CTx/CNT paper electrodes showed high volumetric capacitance of 325 F/cm3 when tested in a Li-ion capacitor configuration.
Relationship between Carbon Electrode Materials and Electrolytes in Capacitive Energy Storage
Authors:   , Van Aken Katherine Louise , Gogotsi Yury
Published: July 2021

This dissertation aims to explore the relationship between the electrolyte and electrodes in capacitive energy storage systems. Specifically, ionic liquid electrolytes were investigated for their performance in different carbon electrode-based supercapacitors. First, the effect of cation size on capacitive performance was observed with onion-like carbon electrodes, which suggests that choosing the right ionic liquid is important for optimizing the system. Additionally, it was shown that ionic liquids have a limited potential window due to the asymmetric performance between the two ions. This can be corrected by simply mixing two ionic liquids together at the correct ratio, expanding the operating window by 1 V and therefore the energy density. This concept of ionic liquid mixtures was also applied to more complex porous carbon electrode materials. By mixing two ionic liquids with different sized cations, the rate performance of a porous carbon material can be improved, taking advantage of the larger ion at low rates and the smaller ion at high rates. The same increase in potential window was shown for the porous carbon as well, suggesting that mixing ionic liquids can improve the performance of many different types of carbon electrodes. Finally, this method of mixing ionic liquids was applied to the development of a model for predicting the ideal mixture concentration for a given carbon materials, specific to its pore size distribution and surface area. The model suggests that by adding 0.1 mole fraction of a smaller anion, the capacitance of the system could be increased by 30%. It can also be extended to different ionic liquids with different sized ions. When experimentally verified, the predicated capacitance was within 6% of the experimental value. This can be further improved with more development of the model and the parameters, including the surface area and pore size distribution of the given material. This model is useful, however, for screening the best electrolytes to test with new materials which are being developed for energy storage every day.
Experimental Testbed for Load Control on an AC/DC Microgrid
Authors:   , John Edwin , Miu Karen Nan
Published: July 2021

Microgrids are becoming increasingly popular in the world of power systems to mitigate the effects of high impact events that can lead to blackouts. They are also integral to including distributed renewable energy generation in the grid. A major challenge in effective implementation of DC microgrids, in particular, is the lack of adequate testing platforms. This thesis primarily aims to build a testbed of an AC/DC microgrid in a laboratory environment using programmable sources and loads. A central measurement and control platform is developed to monitor and actuate all the loads from a single unit. While this enhances data measurement, it also enables simultaneous operation of the loads. The use of such state-of-the-art technology gives a better understanding of integration of microgrids into existing power systems. Having a microgrid testbed allows for the study of the control of hybrid AC/DC microgrids under various operating conditions. This thesis uses this capability to test a load shedding problem on a 3 bus and 4 bus AC/DC microgrid. An algorithmic solution to the problem is proposed and implemented in hardware. The results are compared to more traditional control strategies. The microgrid testbed developed in this thesis can prove integral to future research work on AC/DC microgrid controllers. The central control platform can also be used for future research into the effect of communication networks on the performance of the microgrid and power system as a whole.
Effect of CEO Human Capital on Managerial Decision Making and Firm Growth
Authors:   , Koo KwangJoo , Curatola Anthony Paul
Published: July 2021

This dissertation examines how CEO human capital, one of the most critical issues in recent firm research, affects crucial managerial decisions and firm growth. Academics and practitioners have increasingly focused on human capital given the value that it provides to firms. Scholars have recently begun exploring the role of human capital in CEO selection and compensation schemes. For example, Kaplan, Mark, and Morton (2011) document the important characteristics and abilities of candidate CEOs. Building on upper echelon theory and human capital theory, the present study hypothesizes that managerial decisions and firm performance depend on CEO human capital. It also documents two types of human capital that play mutually exclusive roles in determining fixed and contingent components of compensation: general human capital and firm-specific human capital. My findings suggest that CEO human capital is essential to understanding firm operations, and that general human capital is the most important driver of firms' value-enhancing investment activities over a nine-year period, consistent with human capital theory. Finally, the study outlines possible avenues that scholars can pursue to further examine the role of human capital in managerial decision making and firm growth.