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Global privacy concerns of facial recognition big data
Get PDFFacial recognition technology is a system of automatic acknowledgement that recognizes individuals by categorizing specific features of their facial structure to link the scanned information to stored data. Within the past few decades facial recognition technology has been implemented on a large scale to increase the security measures needed to access personal information. This has been specifically used in surveillance systems, social media platforms, and mobile device access control. The extensive use of facial recognition systems has created challenges as it relates to biometric information control and privacy concerns. This concern raises the cost and benefit analysis of an individual’s security versus his/her privacy. Due to the contactless ability of facial recognition identification, the global market of this technology is expected to increase considerably over the next decade. This expansion implies the requirements of additional legal regulations in regard to the use of facial recognition technology. Data privacy laws have been passed in over 80 countries around the world and several states within the United States have created laws that apply to this form of technology. However increased action should be taken on a national level to enact stricter regulations in regard to biometric data collection and use
Politicized prayer: how thoughts and prayers hinder gun legislation
Get PDFThoughts and prayers are a strategic rhetorical tool, rather than a religious sentiment, when it comes to gun reform in the US. I confirm my three hypotheses: that the rhetorical use of thoughts and prayers do rise sharply after a mass shooting, that the use is centered in the gun rights coalition, and the use of thoughts and prayers is intentional. This establishes a direct link between the sending of thoughts and prayers and the lack of measurable gun reform laws in the United States
Improving engineering education through cyber-physical systems: instrumentation and control of a unit operations laboratory
Get PDFA cyber-physical system (CPS) is a network of physical devices that are monitored or controlled by computer-based algorithms. A key enabler for future technology developments, CPS is an interdisciplinary research area that engages a broad spectrum of disciplines and could bring about revolutionary changes in domains such as energy, environment, and healthcare [1, 2] Using CPS to develop smart, connected products through hierarchies such as internet of things (IoT) allows for integration of systems and provides open access to data subsets for digital service applications. This technology has the potential to transform our everyday lives (e.g., smartphones, activity trackers), our communities (e.g., self-driving cars, smart cities), and even our future (e.g., clean energy, space exploration). The Dr. Jim Henry Chemical Engineering and Control Systems Laboratory located at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) is being modernized by integrating National Instruments (NI) myRIO-1900s with NI LabVIEW. Stations currently using these technologies are: Multi Tank Level System (MTLS), Continuously Stirred Tank Reactor (CSTR) Train, Absorption Column, and Pump Flow. A new Adsorber station is also currently under development. Using CPS, students have access to pilot-scale engineering systems that they can monitor and control in the laboratory. UTC’s chemical engineering program is continuously renovating the Dr. Jim Henry Chemical Engineering and Control Systems Laboratory. These renovations will increase student productivity and efficiency while providing a superior learning experience for the students conducting experiments in the lab. Efficiency and ease-of-use is very important for maximizing the academic performance of a diverse student population at UTC. The CECS serves students from a diverse range of socioeconomic backgrounds who are at different stages in life. Of particular relevance is the enactment of the Tennessee Promise, a scholarship and mentorship program that provides last-dollar scholarships for low-income students to attend any state community college [3]. This means that the number of students who will transfer to four-year universities like UTC will grow exponentially in the coming years. Transfer students face unique barriers to success, including economic hardships that require part- or full-time employment [4]. The portability and convenience of remote access can not only positively affect student education in laboratory courses, but their overall academic performance as well. In addition, this remote laboratory will serve as a showcase of the UTC CECS’s laboratory capabilities for local high schools and local industry professionals. It will also eventually be made available to interested parties across the nation and abroad. Thus, this project closely aligns with the University’s mission, as UTC is a metropolitan university that strives to provide a nurturing environment that connects students, community, and opportunity. This undergraduate departmental honors thesis will present initial work towards transforming the Dr. Jim Henry Laboratory into a remote laboratory accessible to students from UTC and beyond. Specifically, this project presented here includes the renovation of the Absorption Column as well as initial design and testing of the Adsorber
Evaluation of Antecedent Ambiguity on Identification and Categorization of Behavior in Lunar-Effects Research
Get PDFWe created an online survey to determine the degree to which 114 participants could correctly identify and categorize scripted visual examples of typical and atypical behavior when the antecedent preceding those behaviors was not present. We also asked participants to determine whether our visual examples of behavior occurred in the presence of a full moon, and subsequently evaluated these data in the context of participant’s self-reported belief in lunar-effects. Our results show the absence of an antecedent event influenced some participants’ identification and categorization accuracy scores, and that participants with a prior belief in lunar effects were more likely to attribute atypical behavior to the presence of a full moon. Future areas for improving measurement in lunar-effects research are discussed
The relationship between the flipped classroom and critical thinking, academic performance, student perceptions, and student evaluations in an introductory psychology course
Get PDFFor more than two centuries, traditional college instruction in America has relied upon the use of the lecture as the model for the college classroom learning environment (Christensen & Eyring, 2011; Costin, 1972; Woodard, 2011). However, criticism of the lecture has led to the development of alternative instruction models (Dillenbourg, 1999a; Prince, 2004). The flipped classroom is one of these models. The flipped classroom flips the traditional model by moving content typically delivered through a lecture to an online environment and using class time for learning activities that are active and collaborative (Abeysekera & Dawson, 2015b). Despite many advocates for using the flipped classroom model, there has been little research on how effective the model is at generating desired student outcomes. Understanding the viability of the flipped classroom for promoting learning is necessary if college educators are going to utilize the model. This study considers the flipped classroom’s effectiveness in three areas: academic performance, critical thinking, and evaluation and perception of the learning environment. Additional consideration was given to the relationship between student perception and academic performance. This mixed methods study used a quasi-experimental, within subjects design. The population was comprised of students from two sections of a General Psychology course at a private, liberal arts university during one full fall semester. Treatments were counterbalanced so that each group of participants experienced the models in a different order. Individual qualitative interviews were conducted with 11 students who were recruited from the original sample
“A moral imperative to prevent AIDS”: race and religion in Atlanta’s AIDS activism, 1981-1993
Get PDFThe early years of the AIDS epidemic marked a tumultuous period of American history, calling into question the authority of doctors and the ability of scientists to cure disease. Already marginalized groups, such as gay men and intravenous drug users, appeared to be most vulnerable to a deadly virus with no cure or effective treatments. In the face of discrimination, activists rose up to provide necessary services for AIDS patients and advocate on their behalf. This activism uniquely characterized the early AIDS epidemic and permanently changed the field of biomedical research. The current historiography of AIDS activism tends to focus on a few prominent activist groups that existed in New York and San Francisco, but these are not the only locations where activism occurred. This thesis investigates AIDS activism specifically in the city of Atlanta, finding that this activism was very similar to that of other large cities. However, a significant portion of Atlanta’s AIDS activism was carried out by religious groups, unlike in New York or San Francisco. This provides insight into faith-based AIDS activism as a whole and suggests that it could be more important in the overall landscape of AIDS activism than previously assumed
The problem-solving workshop: adapting process improvement methodologies for K-12 educators
Get PDFLean and Six Sigma have been lauded in the manufacturing sector for their ability to streamline processes, reduce waste, minimize variation and defects, and improve the bottom line. Although these methodologies have begun to spread to other industries, their impact has been relegated to certain areas and has largely missed others. One area that bears strong consideration is education. Education is heavily process-based and notoriously tight on resources. It is hypothesized that if educators were taught the basics of these strategies and were able to implement them in the classroom setting, the effectiveness of both teaching strategies and classroom operations would improve, saving teachers time and improving school performance in a number of areas. This study focused on developing and testing a workshop-based method for teaching the process improvement methods to K-12 teachers and administrators with the goal of finding a method that could be scaled. Engagement emerged as a significant obstacle, but based the workshop results and feedback from educators, the study found that overall, the workshop is a viable method for communicating these skills. Alternate ideas for future programs are presented based on the challenges encountered with the pilot study
Prediction of Sport-Related Concussion and Musculoskeletal Injury Occurrences among High School Football Players
Get PDFPURPOSE: The purposes of this study were to assess retrospective and prospective associations of risk screening metrics with Sport-Related Concussion (SRC) and Core or Lower Extremity Injury (CLEI) for estimating and predicting injury risk for high school football players. METHODS: An observational cohort study included 92 high school football players (15.6 ± 1.1 years of age; range 13 – 18) that completed a pre-participation perceptual-motor test and survey questionnaires concerning recognized symptoms of post-concussion syndrome and persisting effects of prior musculoskeletal injuries (MSI). The perceptual-motor test consisted of a smartphone Flanker Test app which displayed incongruent (\u3c\u3c\u3e\u3c\u3c or \u3e\u3e\u3c\u3e\u3e) or congruent (\u3c\u3c\u3c\u3c\u3c or \u3e\u3e\u3e\u3e\u3e) arrows and registered a response when manually tilted in a right or left direction. Reaction time and response accuracy were used to determine Flanker Test conflict effect (CE) and efficiency index ratio (EIR). The Overall Wellness Index (OWI) and Sport Fitness Index (SFI) surveys quantified any post-concussion symptoms (Sx) and persisting effects of previous MSI on a 0 – 100 score. RESULTS: Self-reported history of concussion (HxSRC) was reported in 15% of the players. In the surveillance period following the initial screening, 8% of the players suffered SRC, 29% of the players with HxSRC sustained a new SRC, and a total of 64 CLEIs were sustained within the cohort. Factors that discriminated between players with a HxSRC versus no history of concussion included Flanker Test CE ≥52 ms (OR, 3.86), OWI symptoms ≥4 (OR, 8.75), OWI Score ≤88 (OR, 4.78), and SFI score ≤88 (OR, 2.52). Prospective predictors of a new SRC occurrence included Flanker Test EIR ≥1.7 (OR, 3.82), OWI symptoms ≥7 (OR, 36.44), OWI Score ≤76 (OR, 12.83), and SFI score ≤78 (OR, 16.82). Among players with a HxSRC, SFI score ≤92 (OR, 33.80) had a 100% negative predictive value and Flanker Test EIR ≥2.0 (OR, 17.00) had a 100% positive predictive value in prospectively predicting a new CLEI. CONCLUSION: Our findings strongly support utilization of the OWI, SFI, and Flanker Test to identify individual high school football players who are likely to derive greatest benefit from focused efforts to further assess cognitive-motor function and potentially reduce injury risk
Initiatory Exploration of Forest School Programs
Get PDFThis study examines the origin, development, and impact of Forest Kindergarten/School programs locally, nationally, and internationally. Data and conclusions are drawn from current and past studies as well as local observations and interviews
Transport and magnetic properties of amorphous Fe-Dy-Oxide thin films
Get PDFNovel amorphous FeDy-Oxide thin films, deposited by e-beam evaporation, show room-temperature magnetism, as well as high electrical conductivity, carrier mobility, and optical transparency that is very promising for a multitude of applications. We have systematically studied transport, optical and magnetic properties of a large set of films deposited on Quartz and SiO2/Si substrates at different oxygen partial pressures [10-6,10-8,10-9 Torr]. Atomic ratios of Fe to Dy in the films (confirmed by EDS) varied from 0.3 to 6, but all samples had resistivity less than 2.5E-03 Ohm*cm. Optical bandgap of as prepared films was 2.4±0.1 eV. The films showed high ordinary Hall mobility (~10 cm2/V-s) which is among the highest for amorphous oxides, as well as anomalous Hall mobility (~102 cm2/V-s). At low temperatures there was two step magnetization that suggests coexistence of two magnetic phases below H=0.08 T and ferromagnetic phase at higher fields. Select films were taken through cyclic annealing (300-700K) which after 3 cycles resulted in still amorphous, thermally stable homogeneous FeDyO material. These results will motivate further investigation into the fundamental mechanisms responsible for these properties and how they might be tuned for integration in devices