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Predicting Lung Cancer Severity Using Machine Learning Algorithms: Enhanced by Statistical Analysis
Full text linkCancer is a serious and severe cause seen in every region of the world and severely affects the quality of life and life span. Among the various types of cancer, lung cancer is one of the most critical, having a fatal impact on life. While medical imaging techniques, laboratory results, and biomarkers play a significant role in diagnosis and prognosis, clinical studies are also crucial in monitoring the progression of cancer and identifying diagnostic and prognostic factors. The findings demonstrate satisfactory accuracy, and the analysis incorporates statistical data with machine learning techniques. These findings play a pivotal role in supporting decision-making processes and contribute to the execution of treatment strategies. This study utilized a comprehensive dataset including demographic information, clinical characteristics, and treatment outcomes of lung cancer patients. Used techniques enabled the evaluation, analysis, and modeling of lung cancer data with high accuracy. This approach enabled the evaluation, analysis, and modeling of lung cancer data with high accuracy. In this study, Random Forest demonstrated the highest performance among the tested models for determining lung cancer severity levels, followed by K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN). The findings offer in-depth analyses to enhance lung cancer treatment protocols and improve clinical decision-making. The results will contribute to the advancement of early treatment and the improvement of patients\u27 life expectancy
\u3cem\u3eMy Octopus Teacher\u3c/em\u3e (2020) directed by Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed
Full text linkMy Octopus Teacher combines a carefully structured love story with astonishing information about undersea life, documenting a year of encounters between a photographer and an octopus. It is important as a non-standard love story and as a reflection on the possibility of deep connection with non-human creatures.https://digitalcommons.montclair.edu/iapc_thinkingstories_picturebooks/1009/thumbnail.jp
Alexander von Humboldt
No full texthttps://digitalcommons.montclair.edu/iapc_picturebook_gallery/1002/thumbnail.jp
Buzzing with Questions
No full texthttps://digitalcommons.montclair.edu/iapc_picturebook_gallery/1010/thumbnail.jp
I\u27m Trying to Love Garbage
No full texthttps://digitalcommons.montclair.edu/iapc_picturebook_gallery/1015/thumbnail.jp
Examining Strategies for the Recruitment and Retention of Students of Color in Health Service Psychology Doctoral Programs
Full text linkStudents of color are significantly underrepresented in the field of health service psychology, including at the doctoral level. Doctoral programs in health service psychology utilize various strategies to foster the recruitment and retention of students of color, though limited research has investigated which strategies are used most frequently. As part of the present study, 18 APA-accredited doctoral programs in health service psychology submitted narrative sections from their APA accreditation self-study report describing their efforts to recruit and retain students of color and evaluate the effectiveness of their efforts, as well as the racial/ethnic breakdown of their students. Qualitative analysis of the narratives revealed that programs most commonly reported recruitment efforts focused upon marketing, outreach, demonstrating commitment to diversity, and inclusive admissions practices. Programs most commonly reported retention efforts focused upon faculty, financial support, program curriculum and training, social community, support for diversity, and program climate. Programs most frequently evaluated effectiveness by assessing program demographic data. Correlates of student representation included the availability of grants/fellowships, responsiveness to diversity-related needs, and spaces for open dialogue. Findings highlight some innovative efforts to address barriers to student recruitment and retention, including increasing accessibility of the application process and supporting current students in establishing and maintain their racial/ethnic identities. Implications for ongoing recruitment and retention practices are discussed
Learning to Teach for Inclusion: A Professional Learning Community of Elementary and Middle School Educators Collaborate for Inclusion
Full text linkThis qualitative research study examines how eighteen elementary and middle school educators within a feminist professional learning community, grounded in a book study, developed inclusive understandings, practices, and actions. My first research question was: How do elementary and middle school educators, working within a feminist PLC, make sense of and enact inclusive teaching practices?, and the sub question was: How did using a shared text act as a catalyst for exploring inclusive practices? My second research question was: How do I enact feminist pedagogy in my facilitation of a professional learning community for inclusive teaching? I constructed and collected data between spring of 2021 and the summer of 2022. Data included audio recordings and transcripts of our PLC meetings, audio-recordings and transcripts of individual interviews, and researcher’s journal entries. Throughout my facilitation of the study, I engaged in self-reflection with the help of critical friends. To analyze the data, I immersed myself in “a conversation with the data” (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016, p. 204), moving from open coding to analytical coding, and using In Vivo coding to preserve participants’ voices (Saldaña, 2016). As I moved into theming and deeper analysis, I applied iterative analysis through memo writing and reflective responses to the data. My dissertation chair, Dr Monica Taylor, participated in ongoing conversations with me during data analysis, and supported me in deepening my interpretations. Findings shed light on the complexities of inclusive teaching, including the importance of affirming learners’ intersectional identities, cultivating connection and belonging with students, and embracing uncertainty and unknowability. The collaborative work participants engaged in subsequent to the book study led to deepened understandings, including the need to take risks through challenging conversations, shifting away from deficit mindsets, examining our practices for authenticity, providing students with multiple ways to access learning and belonging, and disrupting norms by recognizing and challenging institutional barriers. I conclude the study by using a dialectical framework to examine several of the underlying tensions, including the erasure of disability from our intersectional inclusive learning, the need for both individual and systemic transformation to meaningfully enact intersectional inclusive teaching, and the importance of bringing bodies, hearts, and minds into the classrooms
Ferrate(VI)-Enabled Water Reuse for Agricultural Irrigation
No full textWater is vital to agriculture. In the United States, approximately two-thirds of freshwater withdrawal is consumed in the agricultural sector. Effective reuse of treated municipal wastewater offers a promising solution to mitigating dependence on scarce natural water resources and establishing a reliable, alternative, and local water supply, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions. Thus, the long-term goal of this dissertation is to develop innovative, technically viable, economically competitive, and environmentally friendly technologies for water reclamation to enhance agricultural sustainability and resilience. The overarching objective is to provide the scientific basis for utilizing ferrate(VI) to address diverse contaminants in municipal wastewater, bridge the gap between research and practical application of ferrate(VI) treatment, and ensure the long-term performance of ferrate(VI) applications for sustainable agricultural water reuse. Specifically, this dissertation research comprises four tasks that provide a comprehensive evaluation of the ferrate(VI)-based wastewater treatment process, highlighting its potential as an innovative and sustainable approach to water reclamation in agricultural irrigation. The major findings in each task are briefly summarized below. In task I, laboratory-scale experiments were carried out to comprehensively assess ferrate(VI) treatment of secondary municipal wastewater effluent for agricultural irrigation. The ferrate(VI)-enabled water reclamation was evaluated in four aspects. 1) Ferrate decomposition behaviors. Fe(VI) decay exhibited a biphasic kinetic pattern, that is, a 2nd-order reaction pattern with respect to Fe(VI) followed by a 1st-order reaction behavior. 2) Nutrient management. As the Fe(VI) dose increased, potassium (K) was linearly increased due to the presence of K in the ferrate(VI) salt (i.e., K2FeO4), total nitrogen (TN) nearly remained constant, and phosphorus (P), including P in both inorganic orthophosphate and organic phosphorus compounds, was largely removed. 3) Mitigation of emerging contaminants (ECs). Sulfamethoxazole, a representative EC, was effectively degraded over the ferrate(VI) treatment. 4) Disinfection and formation potential of disinfection byproducts (DBPs). Ferrate(VI) could not only effectively inactive waterborne pathogens, as indicated by the high removal of two bacterial indicators (i.e., total coliform and E. coli), but also mitigate the DBP precursors (e.g., trihalomethanes and 1,1-dichloroacetate) and thus reduce their formation potentials, to varying degrees, during subsequent chlorination. Task II focused on the investigation of the ferrate(VI)-mediated transformations of various N species within secondary effluent and revealed the underlying mechanisms. Although TN level remained nearly constant, ferrate(VI) altered the distribution of different N species. Specifically, ferrate(VI) oxidation could oxidize part of dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) into inorganic nitrogen (DIN), predominantly in the form of nitrate nitrogen (NO3--N). Among different DIN species, ammonia nitrogen remained almost the same, and nitrite nitrogen declined, while NO3--N increased. Ferrate(VI) oxidation closely resembles natural mineralization and nitrification steps, transforming less bio-accessible DON into bioavailable and soil-leachable NO3--N. This shift offers significant agricultural benefits, such as reducing the need for synthetic fertilizers and promoting environmental sustainability. Additionally, ferrate(VI) effectively mitigated the formation potentials of nitrogenous DBPs, such as haloacetonitriles, thereby minimizing the risks associated with harmful nitrogenous DBP formation during the following disinfection processes. In task III, efforts were made to examine the characteristics of ferrate(VI) treatment residuals and assess their potential for beneficial reuse as well as their ultimate disposal strategies. This task focused on two primary aspects. 1) Characterization. Ferrate(VI)-induced residual particles, primarily composed of iron (hydr)oxides with a mix of amorphous and crystalline phases, showed strong adsorption capacities in mitigating certain water contaminants, such as P and most toxic metals and metalloids. However, their small size, negative surface charge, and stable suspension in the supernatant posed a threat to downstream water treatment processes, particularly in achieving effective solid-liquid separation. The characteristics of these particles were influenced by operational parameters, such as Fe(VI) dose, pH, and sulfite activation. Higher Fe(VI) dose, elevated pH, and increased sulfite concentrations favored the formation of larger and denser particles, predominantly at the microparticle scale. 2) Management. The reuse potential of ferrate(VI)-induced iron sludge for P adsorption was limited due to the rapid saturation of adsorption sites, leading to a significant decline in P removal efficiency after the initial treatment cycle. Furthermore, this study highlighted the environmental risks associated with the disposal of these residuals. Under the study conditions, arsenic (As), chromium (Cr), lead (Pb), and selenium (Se) passed the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) tests, while cadmium (Cd) leaching exceeded its regulatory threshold. These TCLP results indicate that ferrate(VI) treatment residuals can be classified as non-hazardous waste in most cases, suitable for disposal in Subtitle D municipal solid waste landfills. However, when secondary municipal wastewater effluent contains significant levels of Cd, standard leaching tests must be carefully conducted. If Cd leaching fails these tests, the residuals are classified as hazardous waste under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and must be disposed of in Subtitle C hazardous waste landfills. In Task IV, the implications of this dissertation research and the limitations of ferrate(VI) technology for wastewater reuse in agriculture were discussed. This research makes significant contributions to advancing ferrate(VI) science and technology in two key areas (i.e., ferrate(VI)-mediated N transformation and ferrate(VI) treatment residuals management). These advancements enhance water and nutrient management practices in agriculture and provide a pathway for applying ferrate(VI) technology to address global water challenges in agriculture. Additionally, the major limitations of ferrate(VI) technology for water reclamation, such as challenges in P recovery, the need for pH adjustment, and the complexities associated with residuals management, were critically evaluated. These identified limitations help define the direction for future research efforts to overcome these barriers and broaden the practical application of ferrate(VI) technology. In summary, this dissertation establishes a solid scientific foundation of ferrate(VI)-enabled water reuse for agricultural irrigation, emphasizing its multifunctional capabilities in contaminant removal, nutrient recovery, and treatment byproduct management. This in-depth study advances the fundamental understanding of ferrate(VI) chemistry in secondary wastewater effluent, which underpins its application for agriculture reuse. These findings offer valuable insights for the development of efficient, promising, sustainable water treatment technologies capable of improving water quality and enhancing the resilience of agricultural systems against water scarcity and contamination challenges. Furthermore, this study underscores the importance of integrating environmentally sound strategies for managing ferrate(VI)-induced residuals, addressing both regulatory and ecological considerations. These contributions are pivotal for advancing sustainable agricultural practices, supporting the transition to a circular water economy, and mitigating the broader environmental risks associated with wastewater reuse and residual waste management
The TikTok Miracle: Cracking the Code of TikTok’s Platform Strategy
Full text linkThis study decodes the winning platform strategies behind TikTok\u27s rapid rise in the social media ecosystem, aiming to provide generalizable insights for companies in the platform economy. It explores how TikTok overcame the formidable network effects of dominant platforms like Meta and identifies the platform strategies that fueled its unprecedented growth. The study identified six key platform strategies driving TikTok\u27s success: 1) Create a fun and immersive user experience; 2) Build network effects by supporting creators; 3) Harness human psychology in AI algorithms; 4) Foster viral dissemination via social Interactions; 5) Transform its weaknesses into strengths in competition; and 6) Cultivate a super-app with continuous innovation. These strategies enabled TikTok to rapidly gain market share and challenge established social media giants. By dissecting TikTok\u27s winning platform strategies, it offers valuable lessons for businesses seeking to innovate and succeed in the platform economy
A Miniature Replica of Life : Reality, Critique, and the Burden of Representation in Oscar Micheaux\u27s Body and Soul
Full text linkWith the release of his controversial silent film Body and Soul (1925), filmmaker Oscar Micheaux elicited strong reactions from censors, critics, and audience members alike. While some praised the work as a triumph of Black filmmaking, others were horrified by Micheaux’s corrupt preacher storyline and supposedly negative characterizations. The creation of this film occurred during a particularly fraught period of history, which saw some Harlem Renaissance figures argue that only positive depictions deserved a place in the public discourse. With Body and Soul, however, Micheaux refused to be limited by this undue burden of representation. In this thesis, I further the work of other scholars in orienting the film within the period’s cultural context. Through my analysis of historical records and the ways in which critics would have viewed Micheaux’s filmic depictions as controversial, I assert that the film acts as an artistic preservation of the very real ways of life that society sought to erase, as well as a medium for Micheaux to critique the beliefs and behaviors he took issue with. Body and Soul is particularly significant in its ability to survive amidst the loss of the majority of race films created during this era