Middle Tennessee State University
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The Impact of Family Involvement on Academic Success in College: A Comparison of Black Students
No full textThis study examined the impact of family involvement on academic achievement of Black students. The Family Involvement and Academic Success questionnaire was divided into three sections that included the Family Involvement Scale, demographic information, and student grade point average. Participants included 93 Black students from a four-year public university in middle Tennessee. The research found there was a difference in family involvement between Black first- and second-generation students and a relationship to specific behaviors that family participated in, such as freshmen orientation.Ed.D
Explorations on Conjugations of Local Rotations
No full textThe process of manipulating single local rotations of vertices can represent standard topological graph theory techniques to add vertices or edges to an existing embedding. This paper looks to find patterns of these local rotations we can generalize. We start by reviewing the local rotations of vertices of small degree (3, 4, and 5). At those local rotations, we propose some hypotheses to be tested on local rotations of higher degree. We then move to outline an algorithm that can be used to analyze vertices of larger degrees programmatically.M.S
The Impacts of Rock Climbing on Climate Change: A Comparative Study on Carbon Emissions and the Ethics of Nature Based Recreation
No full textThis thesis seeks to provide data on carbon emissions for the various disciplines of rock climbing (bouldering, sport climbing, trad climbing) and discuss the ethical implications that participation poses under the lens of utilitarian ethics. Climate change is the focus of much political and economic debate, and the impact of greenhouse gas emissions on the environment is often the center of attention. This research provides more data on how individuals’ enjoyment of rock climbing might potentially hurt the environment and what that means for those who spend their time outdoors. This study calculates carbon emissions related to climbing gear based on the life cycle assessment of raw materials used in their production, as well as those emitted by travel to a climbing destination in a standard passenger vehicle
An Analysis of Sponsorship Strategies in Esports
No full textEsports, while originating decades ago, have become exponentially more popular in the last decade. Because of this, businesses are tempted to enter the industry in the form of sponsorships to promote their brands. While well-known companies already have esports sponsorship deals, there is still hesitation from many others. This study examines the sponsorship practices of one endemic and one non-endemic brand. The endemic brand that was analyzed is Razer, a company that manufactures and sells gaming peripherals and has been in esports since the company’s beginnings in 1998. The non-endemic brand was State Farm, an insurance provider that started in 1922. This company entered the esports industry in 2018 but had a deep history with traditional sports sponsorships that influenced their strategies in esports. This study includes a literature review of the beginnings of esports and gives definitions and explanations of sponsorships. This is provided to give the reader context as to why these brands wish to sponsor in esports. There is background given for each company for their general history, as well as esports background for Razer and traditional sports background for State Farm. Then, the strategies of each company are analyzed and then made into advice for other brands wishing to enter esports sponsorships
APPLICATIONS OF MODERN NLP TECHNIQUES FOR PREDICTIVE MODELING IN ACTUARIAL SCIENCE
No full textIn this dissertation, the research focuses on Natural Language Processing (NLP)
applications in actuarial science. NLP techniques, as powerful text analytic tools,
can automatically help actuaries to exploit the information in textual data. Recently,
many NLP techniques have been applied in different research fields, but
only a few NLP applications can be found in actuarial science. This dissertation
researches NLP techniques in actuarial science and proposes some NLP solutions
for actuarial applications.
This dissertation consists of five chapters. The first chapter is an introduction
of NLP and some opportunities for its use in actuarial science. The possibilities
of traditional actuarial applications incorporating NLP are also discussed. A few
NLP applications proposed by actuaries are also introduced as references.
The second chapter is the literature review of relevant NLP techniques. Some
basic technologies are introduced such as word embeddings and tokenizations.
Also, advanced NLP tools such as Bidirectional Encoder Representation for Transformers
(BERT) and related techniques are discussed.
The third chapter is an NLP application based on extended truck warranty
data. This chapter develops a BERT-based aggregate loss model with a rescaled
10-value scale severity to predict future losses based on the frequency distribution
of claim counts with contracts and severity distribution of claim records. The NLP
tool helps to extract information from the textual description in the data, and the
extracted values are exploited to predict loss severity.
The fourth chapter is another NPL application for basic truck warranty data.
A data-based portfolio allocation model is proposed to predict losses using the
modern portfolio theory (MPT) developed by Nobel Laureate Harry Markowitz
in 1952. In this chapter, BERT is applied to improve the accuracy of multi-class
classification in the BERT enhanced data-based portfolio allocation model. Also,
a technique similar to the one used in chapter 3 is applied to derive a BERTbased
severity model for multi-class aggregate loss prediction through a different
approach with the BERT enhanced data-based portfolio allocation model.
The last chapter summarizes the described applications. The applications of
modern NLP techniques for predictive analytics are practical and promising. However,
applications to actuarial science are almost nonexistent. This dissertation
demonstrates the possibilities of NLP applications to improve predictive modeling
in actuarial science. The NLP techniques can help to gather information from
textual descriptions discarded by traditional models. The possible improvements
that can be made in future research are also described in this chapter.Ph.D
Barriers and Facilitators Influencing Infant Feeding Practices of Black Mothers: A Scoping Review of the Literature and a Quantitative Study
No full textBreastfeeding has been shown to provide health benefits to an infant as well as the mother. Although existing literature demonstrates the benefits of breastfeeding, Black mothers continue to have lower breastfeeding initiation and duration rates compared to other racial and ethnic groups. Prior studies have examined various factors such as breastfeeding knowledge, the availability of social support, and social determinants to examine the lower rates of breastfeeding within the Black community. Information on barriers and facilitators that significantly influence breastfeeding practices among Black women can be used to develop programs and initiatives. Therefore, the current study adds to the growing body of literature examining impactful breastfeeding variables.
Article one is a scoping review of the literature which focuses on Black mothers utilizing breastfeeding social media groups as a form of social support. The scoping study explores the various forms of social support provided through social media and emerging themes within the literature. Additionally, the study highlights the importance of breastfeeding spaces specifically for Black mothers. Within the scoping review, few included articles discuss the wants and importance of a supportive Black breastfeeding community. Supportive communities were described as places where women of shared cultural experiences can bond and feel seen. Lastly, the study explored potential social media strategies to increase breastfeeding rates among Black women.
Article two is a quantitative study based on the social ecological model. Although numerous studies on the breastfeeding behaviors of Black women exist within the literature, to our knowledge, this is the first study focusing on Black women in Tennessee. The purpose of the study is to determine barriers and facilitators within the levels of the social ecological framework which influence breastfeeding initiation and duration among Black women residing in Tennessee. Quantitative survey data were analyzed to determine which multi-level predictive variables impacted breastfeeding initiation within one hour of birth and breastfeeding duration rates. Study findings indicate that prenatal self-efficacy, assistance from a birth worker, and social support were significant determinants of breastfeeding within one hour of birth and breastfeeding durations.Ph.D
All Humans are Human: Environmental Humanization and Its Positive Impacts on People Struggling with Substance Abuse
Get PDFThe Opiate Epidemic began in three waves, each wave getting gradually worse. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute of Health, and the Department of Health and Human Services changed the guidelines for how prescription opiates were being prescribed and began helping people who have already become addicted. With these changes, the amount of opiate related deaths dropped 5.1% (CDC, 2018). The question then is, why have the trends not changes so much? There must be an underlying factor that is not being taken in account. A study conducted by a Canadian researcher, Bruce Alexander (1978), shows through a series of rat experiments that the environment can be just as impactful as the chemical makeups of addictive drugs. The methods of this procedure included recruiting participants from Facebook support groups to complete a survey asking qualitative questions about the environment they were raised in, the environment their addiction began, and their environment after completing a rehabilitation program. As a result with 23 responses, it was concluded through multiple things that the environment positively impacts sobriety because of confidence, family relationships, and mental health. The negative impacts of environmental dehumanization included abused trust, physical or mental abuse, normalized substance abuse, and poor mental health
Mind Map Automation: Using Natural Language Processing to Graphically Represent a Portion of a U.S. History Textbook
Get PDFA mind map is a hierarchical representation of ideas that can be branched back to one centralized theme. Mind mapping can be applied to many disciplines and provides numerous cognitive benefits. One problem, however, is that the process of creating a mind map can become tedious and time consuming. This is especially problematic for students who have busy schedules and need to optimize their studying time. Therefore, this thesis aims to solve the challenge by developing an automated mind mapping system to analyze sections of a U.S. history textbook. The system uses natural language processing techniques to organize the text so that it can be graphically displayed for users. The primary goal of this project is to give students a supplementary tool that they can use to further their studies, and a future objective of this research is to expand the scope to include subjects outside of U.S. history
Media Multitasking and Its Effect on Multisensory Integration
Get PDFThe present study examined media multitasking and its potential benefit of multisensory integration. Prior research on media multitasking have found that heavy media multitasking is associated with a wider breadth of attention. Research have also found spreading attention across sensory modalities may be more beneficial to detect multisensory stimuli and enhance perception of the environment. Included in the final analyses were 40 (10 men and 30 women) undergraduate college students. Participants completed three questionnaires including the media use questionnaire and completed two psychological assessments to investigate the two extreme media groups and multisensory integration. Collected data were analyzed with a series of 2 (Group: HMM versus LMM) x 2 (Condition: VSAT Trial 2 versus VSAT Trial 3) ANOVAs as well as 2 (Group: HMM versus LMM) x 2 (Condition: LGME Eyes Open versus LGME Eyes Closed) ANOVAs. Results showed that there were no significant difference between the two extreme media groups or between MMI scores and conditions, demonstrating that both groups have similar breadth of attention and did not benefit from either conditions.M.A
Dioramas of the Sublime: Pseudonature and Fading Femininity in American Literary Naturalism
Get PDFThe study of American literary naturalism frequently relies on a handful of defining characteristics—plots of decline, aesthetic realism, and an emphasis on the deterministic forces beyond human control, to name a few. These characteristics often play out against the backdrop of late nineteenth-century urban settings fraught with the anxiety of a recently industrialized culture on the brink of modernism, and scholarship on naturalism tends to focus on the city. However, the emergence of pseudonatural spaces—areas of cultivated organic aesthetic such as parks or gardens—within that city setting has not been explored. Drawing on relevant ecocritical, psychoanalytical, and feminist theory, this project examines the depiction of these spaces in American literary naturalism and argues that representations of pseudonature emerge as a result of a unique overlap of cultural forces and reveal a new set of anxieties about the arrangement of the modern world. Chapter I introduces the concept of pseudonature and works toward both a definition for the material space of pseudonature and an understanding of the historical/cultural context into which this iteration of “Nature” emerges. Chapter II performs a close-reading of the pseudonature in three primary texts—Stephen Crane’s Maggie (1893), Theodore Dreiser’s Sister Carrie (1900), and Edith Wharton’s The House of Mirth (1905)—through an affective ecocritical lens, focusing on the transcorporeal relationship between pseudonature and the female characters with which pseudonatural spaces are closely associated. Chapter III provides a psychoanalytic account of pseudonature, with a sustained reading of Frank Norris’s McTeague (1899) in the context of the Mark Seltzer’s “body-machine complex” outlined in Bodies and Machines (1992). This chapter combines psychoanalysis with feminist geography in order to explore the psychological implications of built spaces in the texts as reflective of human forms. Chapter IV applies the “body-machine complex” to the female bodies in these novels and explores the commodification of the female body through the lens of Stacy Alaimo’s concept of “toxic bodies” in Material Feminisms (2008), extending that commodification to the body of pseudonature with which the female form is linked. The final chapter makes a case for the scope of pseudonature in American art since this period and concludes with a reflection on how this project complicates an understanding of naturalism which has relied on complacent notions of inevitability in forces of culture.Ph.D