5063 research outputs found
Sort by
The dark South
Get PDFThis thesis contains a portion of my novel, The Dark South, as well as a craft essay titled “The Use of Plain Style in Modern Fiction Writing.” The craft essay examines how a plain style of writing can be used to great effect in fiction. I explore how simple writing can improve action, description, and exposition, and provide examples of writers who take advantage of these techniques. The Dark South, a Southern horror novel, tells the story of one man’s journey through a twisted version of the American South. Luke, a young man fresh out of college, finds himself stuck in the rural outskirts of Georgia in the wake of a mysterious, world-altering crisis. With the help of fellow survivors, Luke must contend with a bevy of killers and outlaws, while at the same time coming to terms with his own role in this new world. This section of the novel starts from the very beginning, and details Luke’s arrival in the South as well as the events that follow
Entropy aided RF-DNA fingerprint learning from Gabor-based images
Get PDFThe number of devices connected to the internet have been increasing and shape Internet of Things (IoT). The security of IoT is an issue due to the use of weak or no encryption. Specific Emitter Identification (SEI) was introduced to overcome this issue by introduce RF-DNA fingerprinting exploring the PHY layer features. Recently, The SEI performance improved by the usage of the signal’s Time Frequency (TF) representation and accelerated using the Deep learning (DL) Convolutional Neural Network (CNN). While the classification accuracy has been improved from using raw signals learning the amount of data generated is large and computationally expensive. This work investigate the usage of statistical thresholds like entropy applied to ”tiles” selected from the signals’ TF representation to reduce the amount of data generated. The results show that the entropy based data reduction decrease the average classification accuracy by 0.86% compared to the usage of the full gray-scale image at 30dB. The usage of enhanced tiles selection algorithms shows an improvement in the average classification accuracy by 25% from the original tile selection procedure at 9dB
Investigation of Reinforcement Learning in Subgrid-Scale Modeling in Large Eddy Simulation
Get PDFSubgrid-scale (SGS) modeling in Large Eddy Simulation (LES) has gained significant attention in recent years due to its critical role in determining the accuracy and realism of LES simulations. The SGS model is essential in providing an estimate of the impact of turbulence that is not resolved on the resolved scales, enabling the simulation to more accurately predict turbulence-induced mixing and transport of heat, mass, and momentum. SGS modeling also enhances simulation stability and robustness by preventing the buildup of numerical errors. Reinforcement learning (RL) has been a promising approach for SGS modeling in LES in recent years. The essential advantage of using RL is its ability to learn from a relatively small amount of high-fidelity data or low-fidelity models, addressing the challenge of limited data availability. This work investigates RL’s advantages and potential use in SGS modeling in LES
Trembling Troubadours preserving the voice and bringing awareness to Parkinson\u27s disease one note at a time
Get PDFImprovement in movement, mood, thinking, social connection, & sense-of-self merit older adults participation in group singing. Older adults living with Parkinson’s disease (PD) experience and enhanced advantage by participating in group singing through improvement in breath control, vocal intensity and voluntary speech production. Trembling Troubadours is a therapeutic choir for those living with Parkinson’s disease & their caregivers. The presentation will explore therapeutic outcomes, evidence-based music therapy interventions utilized and strategies for cultivating an inclusive environment in the treatment of PD, along with examples of the choir\u27s education and advocacy work
Toward a holistic understanding of conduct disorder across the lifespan
Get PDFConduct Disorder is a developmental disorder characterized by clinically significant and culturally unexpected aggressive and antisocial behaviors. While much work has focused on the numerous predisposing genetic, neurobiological, psychological, and environmental risk factors for Conduct Disorder, its causal mechanisms, several developmental trajectories, and interacting risks have still yet to be properly elucidated within the context of these factors. With the aim of integrating the literature’s current understanding of Conduct Disorder, we searched APA PsycNet and Google Scholar using a scoping review to select peer-reviewed articles relating to age of onset, presentation, trajectory, persistence, and outcomes of Conduct Disorder. Of the 29 papers found, abstract screening and full text review identified 21 relevant peer-reviewed articles. When taken together and critically examined from a developmentally informed perspective, this holistic review of the literature highlights age of onset and persistence as important influences of disorder trajectory and outcome. The vast heterogeneity of Conduct Disorder should be given greater weight in future research, diagnosis, and early intervention efforts
The Effects of Self-Affirmation on COVID-19 Safe Behaviors
Get PDFThis paper aims to seek if self-affirming activities can be used to increase compliance with group-protective public health policy such as the mandate to wear face masks for the COVID-19 pandemic. Completing a self-affirmation has been shown to increase compliance to health advice when it is beneficial for the self (Sherman & Cohen, 2020). To determine if self-affirming activities, as described by Self-Affirmation theory, increases compliance to health advice that is beneficial for others, the present experiment (N = 106) asked university students to complete a self-affirmation or a control task, read a relevant article, and rate how often they would wear a mask in a variety of situations in a survey. Participants also rated their peers to test if the self-affirmation would mitigate the difference between how people rate themselves and their peers. This study showed that the self-affirmation caused people to rate themselves and their peers’ mask-wearing intentions higher in all situations except in their own homes where there was no change in rating between the two groups, p = .008. The self-affirmation manipulation had no interaction effect with the target of rating (self vs. peer) and so did not change how people rated themselves compared to others, p = .60. These results suggest that Self-Affirmation theory can be used to promote group-protective health advice and could potentially make public health campaigns more effective in the future
Something holy
Get PDFThis thesis contains two parts: a craft paper on interiority and seven chapters of a young adult social realism novel. The craft paper explores different strategies for “showing and telling” as a means of conveying interiority in faith-based characters, and it analyzes these strategies in two YA novels, Let’s Call it Doomsday by Katie Henry and Autoboyography by Christina Lauren, both of which center around queer, Mormon characters. The novel chapters in the thesis are from Something Holy, which follows Beck Taylor, an eighteen-year-old, mostly closeted bisexual boy who only has a few months until he leaves on a two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Determined to make the most of his time left, he and his cousin Emilia follow Evergreen, their favorite local band, on tour, but when Beck falls for the male drummer Julius, feelings and faith complicate his perfect summer
Implementation of a Cardiogenic Shock Protocol
Get PDFBedside intensive care unit (ICU) staff are essential in evaluating, caring for, and treating patients with cardiogenic shock. Early recognition and diagnosis of cardiogenic shock by a bedside clinician can prevent further deterioration and improve outcomes. The frontline members of the healthcare team in the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (CVICU) include critical care nurses and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) specialists. It is important to provide resources, protocols, and education to these clinicians to utilize their knowledge, expertise, and skills to escalate the needs of appropriate patients. The driving question for this quality improvement project to be addressed is in the CVICU registered nurses and ECMO specialists, how does the implementation of a cardiogenic shock protocol and education program, compare to the current practice, impact the self-efficacy and competency to recognize cardiogenic shock and refer to the ECMO team. The project will evaluate the competency, knowledge, and self-efficacy of the CVICU nurses and ECMO specialists before and after the implementation of a cardiogenic shock protocol and educational program. One goal is to improve self-efficacy and competency in CVICU nurses and ECMO specialists. Another goal of the implementation process is to impact referrals to the ECMO team for advanced cardiac support. In conclusion, I feel that utilizing a multidisciplinary approach to include the ICU staff may aid in early detection and escalation to the next-level provider. An educational program and cardiogenic shock protocol are expected to increase the knowledge, skills, and confidence of the bedside clinicians and guide them in the process of escalation of care. The combination of education and a standardized protocol to escalate care will be an initial intervention that could lead to improvement in the clinical area. Overall, the outcome of this QI project is to improve patient care and quality for this patient population
Continuum robot for finger rehabilitation
Get PDFThe Continuum Robot for Finger Rehabilitation is a multi-jointed wire-actuated apparatus that can be used for practicing individual finger joint movements, as to improve the muscle memory and motor movement of the user’s finger. The specific criteria required by this project includes individual finger segment actuation, finger size adjustability, abduction/adduction finger movement, and fully engaging the user finger muscles for full movement rehabilitation
Exploring the relationship between the growing number of satellites and space debris in low earth orbit, and people\u27s perception of space debris environmental impacts
Get PDFThe rapid increase of satellite deployments to Earth orbits is causing an increase to the numbers of space debris and inactive satellites in Earth\u27s orbits which poses a growing threat of orbital collisions. Orbital collisions can trigger a domino effect, known as the Kessler syndrome, which can cause uncontrolled continuous orbital collisions. This research utilizes documented data on approximately 65,000 Anthropogenic Space Objects in Earth\u27s orbit dating from the first ASO launched in 1957 to April 1st, 2022. The research study provides a comprehensive analysis of all monitored ASOs in Earth\u27s orbit by presenting and exploring the current state of space debris and the relationship to the active satellites in Earth\u27s orbit. The findings of this study will contribute to ongoing efforts to address the challenges of space debris, uncontrolled reentry, and orbital impacts, and promote a sustainable space environment