The University of Texas at Tyler
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How Does Augmentation Affect Feature Space: A Study Using Various Augmentation Methods in Distributed Learning
Get PDFThis thesis examines the impact of data augmentation techniques on model performance within a distributed learning framework, focusing on enhancing feature diversity and improving representation for under-represented classes. Data augmentation, commonly used to address data imbalance, significantly influences the feature space learned by deep learning models, with varied effects in distributed settings where data is split across nodes. Our study reveals that inconsistencies in feature learning across nodes reduce the benefits of local augmentation in capturing complex patterns, leading to suboptimal model performance. To address this, we propose a coherent augmentation approach that embeds consistent transformations in the central server, resulting in improved class distinction, and balanced learning across classes. Our findings underscore the potential of embedding augmentation to optimize distributed models, suggesting paths for refining augmentation parameters and enhancing feature space visualization in decentralized environments, with future applications across diverse data structures and distributed learning paradigms
Evaluating the Success of a Relocated Mussel Community in the Lower Sulphur River, Texas
Get PDFConservation efforts to preserve freshwater mussel communities have become more common as these animals become increasingly threatened by their changing habitats. As humans continue to shape and change the world around them, aquatic species living in modified and disturbed water systems can be negatively impacted leading to decline of the ecosystem. During disturbance events involving a stream, river, or pond, the relocation of affected mussel beds is becoming more widespread. Although there are few of these studies, many of those that have been conducted are seen as successful in relocating and conserving their mussel communities. This study focuses on detection probability, survival, and the overall success of relocating a mussel community impacted by a dewatering event to repair the Wright Patman Dam on the Sulphur River of Texas. We collected mussels along the bank following a receding water line and within the dewatered basin over a three-day period. Collected mussels were transported downstream to a predetermined relocation site. At the relocation site, all mussels were identified to species and a representative number of each species were measured and tagged. Along with the initial sampling during the dewatering event, two additional sampling events were conducted from September 2023 to August 2024 to assess the success of the relocation efforts using a mark-recapture approach. The results, although underestimated, suggest that the relocated community are established and growing
The Best Places to Raise a Family in Texas: Developing the Hibbs Institute Family Index
No full textThe Hibbs Institute\u27s December 2024 brief, The Best Places to Raise a Family in Texas: Developing the Hibbs Institute Family Index, introduces the Hibbs Institute Family Index, a comprehensive tool designed to evaluate the family-friendliness of Texas\u27s 25 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs). The index assesses 18 factors across five categories: Health and Safety, Economic Performance, Quality Education, Amenities and Recreation, and Social Environment. Each category is weighted to reflect its importance in family well-being, with Health and Safety accounting for 30% of the total score, Economic Performance 25%, Quality Education 20%, Amenities and Recreation 15%, and Social Environment 10%. The analysis reveals that Tyler ranks highest among the MSAs, excelling particularly in healthcare access and economic performance. Conversely, El Paso and Laredo rank lowest, facing challenges such as high crime rates and income inequality. This index serves as a valuable resource for families considering relocation, providing insights into the strengths and areas for improvement within Texas communities
Ocean Decade Manual for Non-Governmental Organizations
Get PDFThe ocean is at the heart of countless activities and disciplines profoundly impacting the environment, economy, and well-being of billions of people around the world. Its health, today and tomorrow, depends on science-based approaches to marine conservation and restoration, adaptive governance, and effective management of ocean resources.
The United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 2021-2030 (‘Ocean Decade’) provides a transformative framework for identifying, generating, sharing, and using the critical ocean knowledge needed to sustainably manage the ocean by 2030 and beyond. Implemented by and for a wide range of stakeholders, the Ocean Decade promotes co-design, collaboration, and partnerships, offering multiple entry points to multiple interests.
As we prepare to enter the second half of its implementation, thousands of partners from all parts of society are already generating the data, information, and knowledge needed for more science-based policies and solutions at all levels. By collectively aligning research, investments, and initiatives around a set of common challenges, the Ocean Decade community contributes to a well-functioning and healthy ocean.
With their transdisciplinary expertise and deep grassroots connections, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) act as a vital link between scientific research and community engagement. Within the Ocean Decade, they play essential roles such as shaping policies, promoting ocean stewardship, and fostering solutions across the science-policy-society interface. Engagement in the Ocean Decade also brings significant benefits to NGOs, ranging from innovative partnerships to improved access to resources, data, and knowledge
Validation of the Self-Efficacy for Sleep Hygiene Inventory in Young Adult College Students
No full textPresented at Great Plains Honors Council (GPHC) Conference, March 22, 2024; Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma.https://scholarworks.uttyler.edu/honors_nursing_posters/1002/thumbnail.jp
DNP Final Report: ADDRESSING INCIVILITY IN NURSING EDUCATION: AN EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE PROJECT
Get PDFIncivility in nursing education remains a pervasive issue, necessitating effective interventions to address its impact on students and faculty. This project was conducted to address a perceived problem of incivility in a nursing school in northeast Texas. Guided by the Johns Hopkins evidence-based practice model, an evidence search followed by critical appraisal was undertaken to determine the most effective intervention to combat incivility within the nursing school. Because the project included no experimental procedures and did not pose physical or emotional risks to nursing students or faculty, the organizational IRB approved the project. An evidence-based educational session incorporating cognitive rehearsal techniques and role-playing opportunities was implemented with students and faculty in the final semester of the Associate Degree in Nursing program. Before and after the intervention, incivility was measured using the Incivility in Nursing Education-Revised (INE-R) survey. The project produced the valuable insight that incivility was less prevalent in the school of nursing than was perceived prior to the project. Aligning with the evidence supporting the project, three months after the intervention, student and faculty perceptions about both frequency and severity of incivility were markedly decreased from baseline. The positive impact of this project enhances the likelihood that the intervention will be incorporated into routine practice within the organization, enhancing the overall learning environment and promoting a culture of respect and professionalism in nursing education
Advancing Clinical Microbiology: Applications and Future of Next-Generation Sequencing
Get PDFNext-generation sequencing (NGS) has reformed infectious disease management, including COVID-19. While real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is widely used for rapid pathogen detection, it requires predefined targets. NGS offers an unbiased approach, detecting multiple pathogens simultaneously without prior knowledge. Despite its potential, NGS implementation in clinical settings faces challenges like high costs and technical complexity. NGS platforms like Illumina, Ion Torrent, and Nanopore provide high-throughput sequencing, identifying pathogens and resistance markers. Applications include whole genome sequencing (WGS), metagenomic NGS (mNGS), and targeted NGS (tNGS). Integrating NGS with conventional methods could improve diagnostics, but current evidence is mixed for supporting its widespread clinical use
Improving Reading Outcomes Through Blended Learning
Get PDFThis paper was framed and studied using Improvement Science Dissertation in Practice. Using a framework grounded in improvement science allows the research practitioner to participate in Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA) cycles. Iterative mini-experiments known as the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle allow educators to discuss potential changes, put them into action, evaluate the outcomes, and then make a final decision on how to proceed (e.g., whether to adopt, modify, or scrap the change entirely). Bryk et al., (2017) state that PDSA cycles during research educators learn quickly and affordably which treatments work and, afterward, how to integrate them to achieve excellent outcomes reliably at scale adaptively. This dissertation was conducted in two phases: the first phase was the evaluation of the current context, and the second phase was the intervention to address the problem of practice
DEVELOPMENT OF A NOVEL EDNA SAMPLING METHOD FOR MACROINVERTEBRATE SPECIES OF GREATEST CONSERVATION NEED (SGCN) IN TEXAS
Get PDFEnvironmental DNA (eDNA) sampling is a new sampling technique that allows for non-invasive sampling of target species or the characterization of entire communities based on barcoding genes. The goal of this study was to sequence common barcoding genes such as 28S rRNA and Cytochrome C Oxidase I (COI), and then develop species-specific primers for eight macroinvertebrates listed as Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) in Texas. After sampling for the target species, five were not found, all of which were in the Order Trichoptera (caddisflies). A sixth target species, Isoperla sagittata, was found to have only one gap and four differences in nucleotides across the entire 28S gene region (~1950 nucleotides) in comparison to the most closely related (based on phylogenetic analyses) 28S stonefly sequences on NCBI. In contrast, a novel species-specific primer for the 28S gene was developed for both target mayfly species (seventh and eighth species), Tricorythodes curvatus and Sparbarus coushatta, (TCf/TCr & SCf/SCr primers). In vitro lab testing of these mayfly primers was promising; however, when testing these novel primers against eDNA samples from the field, they were unable to detect the presence of the target species leading to false negatives. The reason for the false negatives may relate to the fact that these are rare species with likely low abundances coupled with the fact that we do not know how fast eDNA degrades in the lentic Texas water bodies or the rate at which these macroinvertebrate species shed eDNA
AN EVALUATION OF FACTORS IMPEDING GROWTH ON TELPAS AND INSIGHTS FOR ACADEMIC ADVANCEMENT
Get PDFThe study evaluates factors impeding the growth of the Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System (TELPAS) and provides crucial insights for academic advancement among English Learners (ELs) within a Texas district. Employing a mixed methods approach, the research integrates quantitative data from STAAR and TELPAS scores with qualitative insights from interviews and surveys, offering a comprehensive understanding of ELs’ academic challenges and successes. A significant improvement in STAAR reading performance from 2021 to 2023 was observed. However, TELPAS scores remained stable, indicating that improvements in reading proficiency did not fully translate into overall language proficiency gains required for reclassification. This discrepancy highlights the need for balanced instructional strategies addressing content-specific skills and comprehensive language development (Texas Education Agency, 2023d). Qualitative data identified critical barriers such as the TELPAS assessment environment, perceived test difficulties, and misalignment between curriculum and language acquisition principles. Participants emphasized the importance of professional development, targeted interventions, and greater administrative involvement to support ELs effectively. Project-Based Learning (PBL) emerged as a beneficial approach, promoting contextual learning and personalized attention for ELs (Gilliland, 2023). The findings align with existing literature on the positive impact of evidence-based instructional practices on EL academic performance while highlighting unique challenges like the TELPAS platform’s complexity. Recommendations include enhancing curriculum alignment with language acquisition principles, providing ongoing professional development, addressing TELPAS platform issues, and increasing administrative support, which hold great potential for improving ELs’ language proficiency