Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Strategies To Overcome Constraints For Small Business Sustainability, Jaquane Mawyne Jones

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

More than 20% of small businesses that started in March 2018 failed within a year. Small business owners would benefit from strategies to identify and mitigate constraints from inception for business survival because business failure rates are higher among small businesses less than five years old. Grounded in the theory of constraints, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies small business owners use to sustain beyond the one year of operation. The participants included six small business owners in Georgia who successfully sustained their business beyond five years. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and …

Knowledge Workers’ Daily Experiences With Technostress And Presenteeism: A Single Case Study, Teresa Himes Mcgovern

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite the prominence of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)-enabled technostress in organizations, there is a gap in the literature on how knowledge workers cope with technostress, and managers know little about the interface of ICT-induced presenteeism on employee productivity. The overarching research question was developed to address the purpose of this qualitative single case study with embedded units, which was to understand the perceptions of knowledge workers on the interface of technostress and ICT-induced presenteeism on their work productivity. This study was framed by the concept of presenteeism developed by Lohaus and Habermann within their comprehensive presenteeism model, a decision-integrated …

Security Strategies Information Technology Security Mangers Use In Deploying Blockchain Applications, Prince Nana Yaw Gyedu Nkrumah

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Blockchain is seen as a potential game-changer in many industries and a transformational technology in the 21st century. However, security concerns have made blockchain technology adoption relatively slow. Massive security breaches in cryptocurrency, an example of blockchain technology, have caused organizations to lose $11.3 billion in illegal transactions, exacerbating these security concerns for information technology (IT) security managers who are worried about the safety of blockchain. Grounded in the routine activity theory, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies used by IT security managers to deploy blockchain applications securely. The participants were 4 IT security managers …

Strategies For Small Business Entrepreneur Sustainability For 5 Years And Beyond, Ralph A. Heath Iii

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractSmall business failures impede entrepreneurs' sustainability in localities, the state, and the U.S. economy. Small business entrepreneurs are concerned about strategies to target and minimize obstacles from business inception for business survival because the failure rate increases as the business develop. Grounded in the entrepreneurial theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies for small business entrepreneur sustainability beyond five years. Participants comprised three small business owners in Southeast Virginia who effectively used strategies to sustain their business beyond five years. Data were collected from semistructured interviews, analysis of participants’ business documentation, and research of …

Information Technology Resources For Precision Medicine, Nicholas L. Bertram

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Healthcare delivery organizations have an opportunity to use insights from the emerging field of precision medicine to improve the quality of patient care; however, information technology resources to fully enable precision medicine are lacking. The specific problem was that people have limited information to use when making decisions regarding information technology resources for precision medicine in healthcare delivery organizations given the emerging state of precision medicine. The purpose of this Delphi study was to determine how a panel of precision medicine information technology experts view information technology resource importance and feasibility for precision medicine in healthcare delivery organizations. The research …

Mitigating It Security Risk In United States Healthcare: A Qualitative Examination Of Best Practices, Joann Hemann

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractCyberattacks are ranked as third in the top 10 highest global threats in terms of likelihood, ranked after extreme weather events and natural disasters. Traditional technology risk management plans for preventative, detective, and recovery measures have failed to mitigate cybersecurity risks created by new technologies. The social problem addressed was the impact of cybercrime to the healthcare industry. The purpose of this qualitative classical Delphi study was to determine how a panel of 25 healthcare cybersecurity experts, based in the United States, viewed the desirability, feasibility, and importance of information technology (IT) cybersecurity risk mitigation techniques. The conceptual framework selected …

Characterizing The Presence Of Edta In Blood Samples, Alexandra Wright

Master of Science in Forensic Science Directed Research Projects

Blood is often a type of evidence found at crime scenes. There has been a long history of criminal cases involving blood evidence samples that were allegedly planted at the scene by a third party. Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, or EDTA, is an anticoagulant that is not naturally occurring in blood samples; it chelates to ions in blood to prevent clotting. If present in a blood evidence sample, it could be indicative that the blood sample may have been planted at the crime scene to implicate a suspect. EDTA is also reported to modify clothing and exist in detergents, to allow dyes …

Carbon Policy Implementation: A Country-Level Analysis Of Carbon Tax Vs. Cap And Trade, Paris Mccaw

CMC Senior Theses

Climate change is arguably the greatest issue faced by this generation. Mitigation requires an informed and motivated global effort in order to be effective. This paper examines the relationship between emissions from 1980-2020 along with relevant covariates, and carbon policy status, specifically a carbon tax and a cap and trade. An analysis of how the implementation of carbon policies impacts emissions helps to determine the most effective and efficient way to combat climate change. I first run a regression of covariates with emissions and find statistically significant factors that influence emissions: meat production, population, intellectual property charges, and infant deaths. …

Multifractional Brownian Motion And Its Applications To Factor Analysis On Consumer Confidence Index, Christopher Box

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis aims at introducing a new way to model time series objects in statistics using multifractional processes. It provides a detailed review of Brownian motion, fractional Brownian motion and extends the above 2 models to multifractional processes. To demonstrate a successful application to the real world, we perform pattern analysis on consumer confidence and household spending behavior. The analysis is conducted through investigating the local Holder regularity of the consumer confidence index and household expenditure. In the analysis, we first model consumer confidence index and household expenditure with a multifractional stochastic processes. We then use the index, pointwise Holder …

Global Dynamics Of Generalized Second-Order Beverton–Holt Equations Of Linear And Quadratic Type, Elliott J. Bertrand, Mustafa R. S. Kulenović

Mathematics Faculty Publications

We investigate second-order generalized Beverton–Holt difference equations ... In particular, we will investigate the local and global dynamics in the event f is a certain type of linear or quadratic polynomial, and we explore the existence problem of period-two solutions.

Multi-Level Analysis Of Atomic Layer Deposition Barrier Coatings On Additively Manufactured Plastics For High Vacuum Applications, Nupur Bihari

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

While hardware innovations in micro/nano electronics and photonics are heavily patented, the rise of the open-source movement has significantly shifted focus to the importance of obtaining low-cost, functional and easily modifiable research equipment. This thesis provides a foundation of open source development of equipment to aid in the micro/nano electronics and photonics fields.

First, the massive acceptance of the open source Arduino microcontroller has aided in the development of control systems with a wide variety of uses. Here it is used for the development of an open-source dual axis gimbal system. This system is used to characterize optoelectronic properties of …

Real-Time Environmental Forecasts Of The Chesapeake Bay: Model Setup, Improvements, And Online Visualization, Aaron Bever, Marjorie A.M. Friedrichs, Pierre St-Laurent

VIMS Articles

Daily real-time nowcasts (current conditions) and 2-day forecasts of environmental conditions in the Chesapeake Bay have been continuously available for 4 years. The forecasts use a 3-D hydrodynamic-biogeochemical model with 1–2 km resolution and 3-D output every 6 h that includes salinity, water temperature, pH, aragonite saturation state, alkalinity, dissolved oxygen, and hypoxic volume. Visualizations of the forecasts are available through a local institutional website (www.vims.edu/hypoxia) and the MARACOOS Oceans Map portal (https://oceansmap.maracoos.org/chesapeake-bay/). Modifications to real-time graphics on the local website are routinely made based on stakeholder input and are formatted for use on a mobile …

Mechanisms Driving Decadal Changes In The Carbonate System Of A Coastal Plain Estuary, Fei Da, Marjorie A.M. Friedrichs, Pierre St-Laurent, Elizabeth Shadwick, Raymond G. Najjaar, Kyle E. Hinson

VIMS Articles

Understanding decadal changes in the coastal carbonate system is essential for predicting how the health of these waters responds to anthropogenic drivers, such as changing atmospheric conditions and riverine inputs. However, studies that quantify the relative impacts of these drivers are lacking. In this study, the primary drivers of decadal trends in the surface carbonate system, and the spatiotemporal variability in these trends, are identified for a large coastal plain estuary: the Chesapeake Bay. Experiments using a coupled three-dimensional hydrodynamic-biogeochemical model highlight that, over the past three decades, the changes in the surface carbonate system of Chesapeake Bay have strong …

Experimental Tree Mortality Does Not Induce Marsh Transgression In A Chesapeake Bay Low-Lying Coastal Forest, David C. Walters, Joel A. Carr, (...), Matthew L. Kirwan, Et Al

VIMS Articles

Transgression into adjacent uplands is an important global response of coastal wetlands to accelerated rates of sea level rise. “Ghost forests” mark a signature characteristic of marsh transgression on the landscape, as changes in tidal inundation and salinity cause bordering upland tree mortality, increase light availability, and the emergence of tidal marsh species due to reduced competition. To investigate these mechanisms of the marsh migration process, we conducted a field experiment to simulate a natural disturbance event (e.g., storm-induced flooding) by inducing the death of established trees (coastal loblolly pine, Pinus taeda) at the marsh-upland forest ecotone. After this simulated …

Effects Of Sports And Student Motivation On Academic Success, Brittany Erdmann

Master of Science in Mathematics

In the past 50 years, high school sports have been on the rise with more and more students deciding to participate in a high school sport. Because of this, it is important that schools, parents, and students look at the research behind how sport participation effects academic success. There have been studies that show sports having a positive effect on academic success, there have been studies that have shown that the intrinsic motivation is strongly correlated with academic success, and there have been studies that have shown that sport participation increases motivation to perform. The current study seeks to bridge …

Examination Of Student, Instructor, And Classroom Characteristics To Predict Success In Elementary Algebra At Shawnee State University, Chelsey A. Thompson

Master of Science in Mathematics

There is a high emphasis on gaining a college education in order to prosper and be successful in life. Student success is a high priority to all institutions, but many students enroll into college lacking the basic skills required for college level courses. This is especially true for mathematics. Developmental education started off as tutoring, however, it grew into something more than tutoring alone. Developmental courses were created to help students gain those basic skills so that they can take college level courses and hopefully obtain a college degree. There are concerns with students dropping out without a degree due …

The Determinants Of Acceptance And Intention To Use Autonomous Vehicles And Its Implication On The Auto Insurance Industry, Cal David Thomay

Master of Science in Mathematics

Autonomous vehicles are an emerging new technology that have sparked the interest of the general public in recent years. Their arrival impacts a wide range of groups, the auto insurance industry being one example. However, many challenges exist that may prevent autonomous vehicles from becoming a part of everyday life. This study aimed to determine factors that influence the acceptance and intention to use autonomous vehicles, as well as provide a discussion on various implications in the auto insurance industry. Participants were recruited to participate in completing a short questionnaire to express their attitudes and opinions about autonomous vehicles. By …

Individual Sports Vs Team Sports: Gpa In And Out Of Athletic Season, Stephanie Pope

Master of Science in Mathematics

Student-athletes are a unique group of individuals that can always use help succeeding academically. Teachers and coaches want to help their students and student-athletes succeed both on and off the playing field. This study aims to determine when student­athletes need the most academic support-during competition season or during the off season-and what specific student-athletes need that academic support. The GPAs of student-athletes who played either a fall or a spring sport, but not both, were examined to determine if there was a difference in GP A when the student-athletes were in season as compared to out of competition season. The …

Factors Correlated To The Success Of Stem Students In Calculus 2, Kathleen Mccormack

Master of Science in Mathematics

This study examines the academic success of math-intensive STEM students enrolled in Calculus 2. As the need for qualified STEM professionals continues to grow in the United States, universities seek to understand factors that impact academic success and student retention in STEM majors. Success in first-year college calculus courses is critical for students to succeed in upper-level courses needed to graduate in math-intensive STEM majors like mathematics, the physical sciences, and engineering. As more students enter universities with Calculus 1 credit from Advanced Placement (AP) or Dual Enrollment courses in high school or from another post-secondary institution, a higher number …

Evaluating The Florida Postsecondary Education Readiness Test For Bias: An Adaptation Of The Meade-Fetzer Updated Cleary Method, Ryan C. Criss

Master of Science in Mathematics

In 2008, the Florida Senate enacted a College and Career Readiness Initiative which saw the creation of a statewide common placement test: the Postsecondary Education Readiness Test, or PERT. However, as of 2021, there is only one publicly available study on the predictive validity of the PERT and none on the potential for Test Bias. This study aimed to detect Adam Meade and Michael Fetzer s definition of Test Bias, a systematic error in how a test measures performance for a particular group, using their updated version of the standard and widely-accepted Cleary Regression Method. The expectation was that either …

The Correlation Between Level Of Athletic Motivation In High School Students And Their Academic Success In Mathematics, Courtney Bradford, Grace Franjesevic

Master of Science in Mathematics

In the current study, researchers investigate if there is a correlation between the level of athletic motivation in high school students and their academic success in mathematics. Motivation for this study is due to the lack of research in the field of motivation and mathematics. In order to conduct the study, researchers used a modified version of the Sports Motivation Scale which can identify if student-athletes identify with intrinsic, extrinsic, or amotived motivation. Between Coventry High School and Lake Middle High School, 142 student-athletes responded and accurately answered each of the 28 statements on the SMS while stating their grade, …

Interaction Of Alpha-Crystallin With Four Major Phospholipids Of Eye Lens Membranes, Raju Timsina, Nawal K. Khadka, David Maldonado, Laxman Mainali

Physics Faculty Publications and Presentations

It is well-studied that the significant factor in cataract formation is the association of α-crystallin, a major eye lens protein, with the fiber cell plasma membrane of the eye lens. The fiber cell plasma membrane of the eye lens consists of four major phospholipids (PLs), i.e., phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylserine (PS), and sphingomyelin (SM). Despite several attempts to study the interaction of α-crystallin with PLs of the eye lens membrane, the role of individual PL for the binding with α-crystallin is still unclear. We recently developed the electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spin-labeling method to study the binding of α-crystallin …

A Data Repository For Extent And Causes Of Chesapeake Bay Warming, Kyle E. Hinson, Marjorie A.M. Friedrichs, Pierre St-Laurent

Data

This data repository is a permanent archive of the results presented in the associated publication (Hinson et al. 2021, Journal of the American Water Resources Association, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1111/1752-1688.12916

A Deep Learning U-Net For Detecting And Segmenting Liver Tumors, Vidhya Cardozo

Theses and Dissertations

Visualization of liver tumors on simulation CT scans is challenging even with contrast-enhancement, due to the sensitivity of the contrast enhancement to the timing of the CT acquisition. Image registration to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be helpful for delineation, but differences in patient position, liver shape and volume, and the lack of anatomical landmarks between the two image sets makes the task difficult. This study develops a U-Net based neural network for automated liver and tumor segmentation for purposes of radiotherapy treatment planning. Non-contrast simulation based abdominal CT axial scans of 52 patients with primary liver tumors were utilized. …

Mathematical Modeling Of Lung Inflammation: Macrophage Polarization And Ventilator-Induced Lung Injury With Methods For Predicting Outcome, Sarah B. Minucci

Theses and Dissertations

Lung insults, such as respiratory infections and lung injuries, can damage the pulmonary epithelium, with the most severe cases needing mechanical ventilation for effective breathing and survival. Furthermore, despite the benefits of mechanical ventilators, prolonged or misuse of ventilators may lead to ventilation-associated/ventilation-induced lung injury (VILI). Damaged epithelial cells within the alveoli trigger a local immune response. A key immune cell is the macrophage, which can differentiate into a spectrum of phenotypes ranging from pro- to anti-inflammatory. To gain a greater understanding of the mechanisms of the immune response in the lungs and possible outcomes, we developed several mathematical models …

Equations Of State For Warm Dense Carbon From Quantum Espresso, Derek J. Schauss

Theses and Dissertations

Warm dense plasma is the matter that exists, roughly, in the range of 10,000 to 10,000,000 Kelvin and has solid-like densities, typically between 0.1 and 10 grams per centimeter. Warm dense fluids like hydrogen, helium, and carbon are believed to make up the interiors of many planets, white dwarfs, and other stars in our universe. The existence of warm dense matter (WDM) on Earth, however, is very rare, as it can only be created with high-energy sources like a nuclear explosion. In such an event, theoretical and computational models that accurately predict the response of certain materials are thus very …

Modeling Vegetation Effects On Barrier Island Evolution, Eric W. Schoen

Theses and Dissertations

Barrier islands play a significant role in protecting coastlines and harboring coastal habitats. In an effort to study and better understand the evolution of barrier island systems, a cellular model capturing various meteorological and environmental processes is proposed. Erosion due to wind, gravity, and marine processes are coupled with plant population effects. We demonstrate the inhibition of plant cover on sediment mobility, island migration, and erosion in the presence of sea level rise.

Building A Competitive Platform For Cyber Security And Computer Science Technical Challenges, Zachariah Pelletier

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

To answer the question of whether creating a competitive environment drives students’ engagement while completing class objectives, two EMU Honors students designed and built a web application that creates such an environment. This system allows students to complete assignments that are weighted on a point system and compare scores on an anonymous “Leaderboard”. This system attempts to emulate a competition environment for objective-based learning and is designed to be used for Information Security lab assignments similar to a Security competition environment. Although the primary proof-of-concept labs for this project for this project are in the Computer Science and Information Security …

Abelian P-Groups With Minimal Full Inertia, Brendan Goldsmith, Luigi Salce

Articles

The class of abelian p-groups with minimal full inertia, that is, satisfying the property that fully inert subgroups are commensurable with fully invariant subgroups is investigated, as well as the class of groups not satisfying this property; it is known that both the class of direct sums of cyclic groups and that of torsion-complete groups are of the first type. It is proved that groups with “small" endomorphism ring do not satisfy the property and concrete examples of them are provided via Corner’s realization theorems. Closure properties with respect to direct sums of the two classes of groups are also …

Synthesis Of Nonperipherally Tetra-[5-(Diethylamino)-2-Formylphenoxy] Substituted Metallophthalocyanines And Their Electrochemistry, Turgut Keleş, Di̇lek Ünlüer, Zekeri̇ya Biyiklioğlu, Yasemi̇n Ünver

Turkish Journal of Chemistry

3-[5-(diethylamino)-2-formylphenoxy]phthalonitrile (n-TY-CN), metallophthalocyanines n-TY-Co, n-TY-Cu, and n-TY-Mn bearing [5-(diethylamino)-2-formylphenoxy] groups at nonperipheral positions were prepared for the first time. These compounds were characterized with IR, NMR (only for n-TY-CN), mass and UV-vis (except n-TY-CN) spectroscopy. Voltammetric characterizations of n-TY-Co, n-TY-Cu, and n-TY-Mn revealed that while n-TY-Co, n-TY-Cu, and n-TY-Mn showed characteristic Pc ring and/or metal-based reduction reaction, n-TY-Co, n-TY-Cu, and n-TY-Mn were coated on the working electrode during the oxidation processes owing to the cationic electropolymerizations of the [5-(diethylamino)-2-formylphenoxy] substituents.