University of Memphis Digital Commons
Not a member yet
43176 research outputs found
Sort by
Research Recap: A Guide to OREA Publications of Interest
Get PDFhttps://digitalcommons.memphis.edu/govpubs-tn-comptroller-office-research-education-accountability/1169/thumbnail.jp
Identification of glaucoma subtypes using unsupervised machine learning methods
Get PDFHealthcare is currently in a transitional stage between demonstrating the potential of clustering algorithms in personalized medicine and their widespread adoption. With recent advancements in unsupervised data analysis, clustering methods have become increasingly important in disease subtyping. However, the design, development, optimization, and implementation of automated subtyping systems require further maturity before they can be fully integrated into healthcare systems. This dissertation investigates the application of clustering algorithms in creating automated subtyping systems and highlights the current challenges and limitations that must be addressed to facilitate clinical translation into personalized healthcare. Moreover, K-mean and density-based clustering were used to identify different subtypes of glaucoma disease. Specifically, we identified and characterized a subtype of ocular hypertensive eyes in the ocular hypertension treatment study (OHTS) that better responded to topical hypertensive medications. Even though the eyes in this cluster had a worse baseline mean deviation (MD) compared to eyes in all other clusters (-2.2±0.1 dB versus +0.47±1.2 dB, P \u3c 0.001) and patients were older (64.3 ±9.5 versus 54.7 ±8.94 years old, P \u3c 0.001), they had the best response to topical medication (MD rate of +0.04 dB/year versus -0.09 dB/year, P=0.03). Additionally, active eyes in this cluster had a significantly better MD rate than all other active eyes (MD rate of +0.04 versus -0.07 dB/year, P \u3c 0.001). The essential characteristics of eyes in this cluster were a less frequent family history of glaucoma (P=0.006), higher frequency of heart disease (P\u3c 0.001), and higher blood pressure (P \u3c 0.001). We also identified a subtype of glaucomatous patients with a higher risk of rapid visual field (VF) progression based on information from the onset visit. Bayes identified that MD threshold of -3.9 dB can separate eyes in this cluster from eyes in the other clusters at onset visit. This may suggest that eyes with MD worse than -3.9 dB at the onset visit are at higher risk of rapid progression and subsequent vision loss. The identified MD threshold may assist clinicians to stratify patients based on their risk of future vision loss
Application of Alexander Technique in the Practice and Performance of the Sibelius Violin Concerto, Op. 47
Get PDFMusicians often struggle with excessive tension, inefficient movement, and performance-related discomfort, which can hinder technical development and artistic expression. Alexander Technique (AT) has been widely recognized for improving coordination, reducing strain, and fostering a more mindful approach to performance. However, its integration into violin practice often lacks a systematic framework that students can apply without prior AT experience. This study investigates the development of a structured methodology for applying AT principles in the daily practice of college-level violin students, using Jean Sibelius’s Violin Concerto, Op. 47 as a case study. I implemented weekly AT lessons with licensed instructor Eleni Vosniadou to address this, incorporating targeted exercises into daily violin practice. Four performance excerpts were selected to represent key violin techniques: vibrato, shifting, articulation, and tone production. Independent observers analyzed pre- and post-lesson recordings using a structured perception-measurement scale. At the same time, qualitative data was gathered through self-reflective journal entries tracking physical awareness, tension management, and technical control. Findings indicated that AT principles can be systematically integrated into violin practice, leading to measurable improvements in technique, ease of movement, and overall performance comfort. While observer data revealed varying levels of perceptibility regarding improvement, self-reported reflections demonstrated increased body awareness, reduced strain, and a more deliberate approach to practice. The study’s structured AT exercises offered a replicable method for enhancing psychophysical awareness. This research contributes to the growing field of somatic education in music. Somatic education refers to methods that enhance physical function by increasing awareness of movement, improving motor control, and retraining habitual muscle patterns. This study provides a practical and systematic approach to integrating AT into violin pedagogy. By bridging the gap between somatic awareness and traditional violin training, this study offers musicians and educators a framework for refining technique, preventing injury, and fostering more efficient practice habits
Enhancing Self-Efficacy and Learning from Failure in Doctor of Physical Therapy Students: A Case-Based Reasoning Approach in Simulation-Based Learning
Get PDFDoctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students often encounter substantial challenges when transitioning from classroom-based didactic instruction to the dynamic and unpredictable environment of clinical practice. Among the most commonly cited difficulties are communication, critical thinking, patient education, and adaptability – skills that are not easily cultivated through traditional lecture-based learning alone. This conventional mode of instruction frequently lacks the experiential depth needed to adequately prepare DPT students for the multifaceted demands of real-world patient care. As a response to these limitations, Simulation-Based Learning Education (SBLE) has gained traction as an innovative and effective pedagogical approach. SBLE allows students to immerse themselves in both structured and ill-structured clinical scenarios, promoting hands-on engagement and deeper learning (Alharbi et al., 2024). This study specifically investigates the impact of SBLE on enhancing student self-efficacy and the capacity to learn from failure, framed within the theoretical model of Case-Based Reasoning (CBR). CBR suggests that learners build expertise by retrieving previous cases, applying them to new situations, refining their strategies through reflection, and retaining these improved approaches for future clinical decision-making (Tawfik & Kolodner, 2016). Within this framework, failure is not merely an obstacle but a vital part of the learning process. By encountering and analyzing mistakes or failure in a controlled simulation environment, students can refine their clinical reasoning, enhance problem-solving skills, and build resilience-qualities essential for professional growth and success. Self-efficacy, a critical factor in determining student performance and persistence, is strengthened through repeated simulation experiences that offer immediate feedback, guided reflection, and the opportunity to iteratively improve. While the benefits of SBLE are increasingly acknowledged in physical therapy education, there remains a need for deeper exploration into how failure within these simulation influences student confidence, clinical competence, and long-term retention of knowledge. This research aims to fill the gap by exploring the integration of failure as a deliberate component of SBLE and identifying best practices for maximizing its educational value for DPT students. Ultimately, the findings seek to contribute to the development of more effective, evidence-based simulation curricula that better prepare DPT students to become adaptable, confident, and competent healthcare professionals capable of navigating complex clinical environments
TELL ME A STORY ABOUT HOME: BLACK MASCULINITY THROUGH THE LENS OF PLACE, RELATIONSHIPS, AND DISCOURSE IN THE MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE
Get PDFABSTRACT The following dissertation explores the construction of Black masculinity in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) through a rhetorical analysis of three central figures: Sam Wilson, Black Panther (both T’Challa and Shuri) , and Luke Cage. Drawing from theoretical frameworks including Jackson’s (2006) concept of scripting, Griaule’s (1978) levels of the word, Gates’s (2018) theory of the double negative, and rhetorical fractals (Bloomfield & Chamblee, 2023), this project examines how Black masculinity is shaped through place, discourse, and relationships across rural, militarized, imagined, metaphysical, and urban environments. Each chapter foregrounds a distinct geography to investigate how the spatial, cultural, and institutional context influences the performance, vulnerability, and relational dimensions of Black masculinity. Sam Wilson’s character is analyzed through the lens of rural Louisiana and U.S. military institutions, with attention to systemic surveillance and inherited patriotic expectations. His masculinity is shaped by the burdens of emotional labor, care work, and national trauma, positioning him as both a protector and a witness to American contradictions. The Black Panther chapter focuses on T’Challa and Shuri, whose narratives unfold in the imagined and metaphysical spaces of Wakanda and the ancestral plane. Here, masculinity is negotiated through rituals of grief, cultural memory, and sovereign responsibility, offering a redefinition rooted in both lineage and innovation. Luke Cage’s masculinity emerges in Harlem a space of urban memory, community resilience, and generational trauma. His identity is shaped by neighborhood loyalties, Black public memory, and the tension between being both a weapon and a witness. Across these sites, Black masculinity is revealed as fluid, adaptive, and deeply contextual negotiated through rhetorical tensions between strength and softness, visibility and vulnerability, tradition and transformation. Furthermore, this dissertation argues that the MCU does not simply expand representations of masculinity but actively reimagines them. Characters such as Sam, T’Challa, Shuri, and Luke embody masculine identities that are emotionally intelligent, dialogic, and culturally grounded. Thus, this dissertation contributes to rhetorical studies, Black media studies, and masculinity studies concluding as well as proposing Afroterroir as a place-based, discourse-centered framework for understanding how Black masculinity is both scripted and disrupted in contemporary media. Ultimately, it contends that Black masculinity in the MCU is not a fixed archetype, but a dynamic site of cultural meaning always shaped by place, memory, relationships, and resistance
West Tennessee State Normal School 1915
No full texthttps://digitalcommons.memphis.edu/item-of-the-month-2025-08/1003/thumbnail.jp
A Gardner-Type Equation: Bore Propagation: A Gardner-Type..: J. L. Bona et al.
No full textBore propagation; Gardner equation; Long-wave models; Plasma physics models; Unidirectional water-wave model
Efficient spectral tests for multiple recursive generators
No full textBasis reduction; DX-k generators; Lattice structure; LLL algorithm; Normal vecto
Maximum Trimmed Likelihood Estimation for Discrete Multivariate Vasicek Processes
No full textautoregressive models; econometric modeling; maximum trimmed likelihood estimation; outliers; statistical robustness; times series analysi