Master of Science / Department of Computer Science / Daniel A. Andresen / With an improvement in technology and miniaturization of sensors, there have been attempts to utilize the new technology in various areas to improve the quality of human life. One main area of research that has seen an adoption of the technology is the healthcare sector. The people in need of healthcare services find it very expensive this is particularly true in developing countries. As a result, this project is an attempt to solve a healthcare problem currently society is facing. The main objective of the project was to design a remote healthcare system. It’s comprised of three main parts. The first part being, detection of patient’s vitals using sensors, second for sending data to cloud storage and the last part was providing the detected data for remote viewing. Remote viewing of the data enables a doctor or guardian to monitor a patient’s health progress away from hospital premises. The Internet of Things (IoT) concepts have been widely used to interconnect the available medical resources and offer smart, reliable, and effective healthcare service to the patients. Health monitoring for active and assisted living is one of the paradigms that can use the IoT advantages to improve the patient’s lifestyle. In this project, I have presented an IoT architecture customized for healthcare applications. The aim of the project was to come up with a Remote Health Monitoring System that can be made with locally available sensors with a view to making it affordable if it were to be mass produced. Hence the proposed architecture collects the sensor data through Arduino microcontroller and relays it to the cloud where it is processed and analyzed for remote viewing. Feedback actions based on the analyzed data can be sent back to the doctor or guardian through Email and/or SMS alerts in case of any emergencies.

This paper is addressed to the problem of how it is possible to conduct coherent, purposeful conversations. It describes a computer model of a conversation between two robots, each robot being represented by a section of program. The conversation is conducted in a small subset of English, and is a mixed-initiative dialogue which can involve interruptions and the nesting of one segment of dialogue in another. The conversation is meant to arise naturally from a well defined setting, so that it is clear whether or not the robots are saying appropriate things. They are placed in a simple world of a few objects, and co-operate in order to achieve a practical goal in this world. Their conversation arises out of this common aim; they have to agree on a plan, exchange information, discuss the consequences of their actions, and so on. In previous language-using programs, the conversation has been conducted by a robot and a human operator, rather than by two robots. In these systems, it is almost always the human operator who takes the initiative and determines the overall structure of the dialogue, and the processes by which he does so are hidden away in his mind. The aim of our program is to make these processes totally explicit, and it is for this reason that we have used two robots and avoided human participation. Thus the main focus of interest is not the structuring of individual utterances, but the higher-level organisation of the dialogue, and how the dialogue is related to the private thoughts which underlie it. The program has two kinds of procedure, which we call ROUTINES and GAMES, the Games being used to conduct sections of conversation and the Routines to conduct the underlying thoughts. These procedures can call each other in the normal way. Thus the occurrence of a section of dialogue will be caused by the call of a Game by a Routine; and when the section of dialogue ends, the Game will exit, returning control to the Routine which called it. There are several Games, each corresponding to a common conversational pattern, such as a question and its answer, or a plan suggestion and the response to it. The Games determine what can be said, who will say it, how each remark will be analysed, and how it will be responded to. They are thus joint procedures, in which the instructions are divided up between the robots. When a section of dialogue occurs, the relevant Game will be loaded in the minds of both robots, but they will have adopted different roles in the Game, and will consequently perform different instructions and make different utterances.

This study utilized a quantitative survey design in order to explore the perceptions and preparedness of Master of Social Work (MSW) students in regards to substance using clients. The study was exploratory and the data that was collected focused on the perceptions, attitudes, and level of preparedness of forty MSW students. The study used a self-report survey that included demographic questions in order to identify factors such as age, gender, ethnicity, cohort placement, current year in the program, formal training, and declared specialization. This study found that the perceptions and attitudes of MSW students were mixed and varied across the board. Results indicated that formal training contributed to level of preparedness and that a large majority of the sample felt that taking a substance use course would contribute to preparedness. The study also found that the majority of the sample felt that their MSW program did not contribute to preparedness. The study recommends that future studies on perceptions and preparedness of MSW students collect data from more than one MSW program and include qualitative interviews in order to gain a better understanding of MSW students’ perceptions.

This test demonstration was intended to develop a modern management program to improve broiler production in Nigeria through extension teaching methodology. The management programs included animal health, nutrition, and general care. Some of the factors that limit broiler production in Nigeria are associated with the management strategy presently adopted by Nigerian subsistence farmers. This report considers the effect of different protein sources on broiler nutrition and the techniques necessary to get the farmers to practice the result of up-to-date research findings. The extension teaching demonstration reported here is based on 60 day-old chicks. Chicks were randomly assigned to two pens, Pen A and Pen B at the Utah State University poultry farm. Pen A had 40 chicks and Pen B had 20 chicks. Chicks in Pen A received Diet #1 (corn-cottonseed meal). Chicks were weighed weekly starting on July 2, 1983 which was the third week of the demonstration. The difference between the weekly weight gain was obvious. Birds fed corn-soybean diet were superior to those fed corn-cottonseed meal diet. The birds in Pen A were marketable at eight weeks whereas those in Pen B were not marketable at the same chronological age. A field day was conducted at the poultry farm to report the results of the demonstration.

Natural fibers show potential to replace glass fibers in thermoset and thermoplastic composites. Kenaf is a bast-type fiber with high specific strength and great potential to compete with glass fibers. In this research kenaf/epoxy composites were analyzed using Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA). A three-point bend apparatus was used in the DMA testing. The samples were tested at 1 hertz, at a displacement of 10 μm, and at room temperature. The fiber volume content of the kenaf was varied from 20%-40% in 5% increments. Ten samples of each fiber volume fraction were manufactured and tested. The flexural storage modulus, the flexural loss modulus, and the loss factor were reported. Generally as the fiber volume fraction of kenaf increased, the flexural storage and flexural loss modulus increased. The loss factor remained relatively constant with increasing fiber volume fraction. Woven and chopped fiberglass/epoxy composites were manufactured and tested to be compared with the kanaf/epoxy composites were manufactured and tested to be compared with the kenaf/epoxy composites. Both of the fiberglass/epoxy composites reported higher flexural storage and flexural loss modulus values. The kenaf/epoxy composites reported higher loss factor values. The specific flexural storage and specific flexural loss modulus were calculated for both the fiberglass and kenaf fiber composites. Even though the kenaf composites reported a lower density, the fiberglass composites reported higher specific mechanical properties.

AN ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION OF SHEILA LONG, for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION, presented on April 4, 2017, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. TITLE: African American Males’ Achievement in Literacy at a Medium-sized School District MAJOR PROFESSOR: Dr. John McIntyre, Examination Committee Chair The purpose of this mixed methods study was to determine how culturally relevant pedagogy affects African American males’ academic achievement in literacy. The study examined the perceptions of third grade teachers and third grade African American male students about the use of culturally relevant pedagogy in their classrooms. Culturally relevant pedagogy is defined operationally as “student-centered approach to teaching in which the students' unique cultural strengths are identified and nurtured to promote student achievement and a sense of well-being about the student's cultural place in the world.” Culturally relevant pedagogy is consistent with students’ values and culture that ensures academic achievement while still meeting the expectations of the school district and state requirements. This study was a sequential explanatory mixed method study. Phase one of the study was a quantitative survey of 20 questions that was completed by 8 3rd grade teachers. A small sample size. The data was analyzed using matched pair T-Test of teachers’ perceptions of culturally responsive literacy use in the classrooms and African American males’ vocabulary. In addition to the surveys, Pre- and Post-Vocabulary Tests were collected from 47 3rd grade African American males who attend school in this predominantly white school district. Phase II of the study was a convenience sample of 9 3rd grade teachers and 19 African American males 3rd grade students. I investigated the students’ perceptions of culturally responsive pedagogy through the use of the Journeys (2013) basal series in classrooms. The data was collected and analyzed using interviews and observations. The following questions were addressed to explore the research topic: First, how does the use of culturally responsive pedagogy increase African American males’ achievement in literacy as measured by I-Ready assessment? Second, what perceptions do teachers have about the use of culturally responsive pedagogy in their classrooms? Third, what perceptions do third grade African American male students have about the use of culturally responsive pedagogy in their classrooms? The findings of the study showed that African American males’ literacy scores increased with the implementation of culturally responsive pedagogy using the Journeys’ (2013) Basal series.

Abstract Habitat selection decisions are crucial in determining fitness. Research indicates that individuals of many taxa are flexible in habitat selection and gather information prior to decision-making in order to control for environmental unpredictability. For time limited migrant birds, cues provide a quick and reliable information source with which to make habitat selection decisions. In this thesis I investigate habitat selection decisions, and their fitness consequences, of boreal passerines using heterospecifics or predators as cues. In support of the heterospecific attraction hypothesis, plots with augmented resident titmice densities attracted increased migrant densities. The predicted negative effects stemming from competition did not occur even at unnaturally high resident densities. This suggests that in the north it may always be beneficial for migrants to use residents as cues in habitat selection decisions. By manipulating habitat selection, I found that great tits (Parus major) had poorer reproductive success when forced to breed in close proximity to pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca) compared to when breeding alone. Flycatchers, in contrast, did slightly better when breeding close to tits. These results indirectly suggest that heterospecific attraction may not be a mutually positive species interaction. Indeed, flycatchers seem to parasitize the high quality microhabitat indicated by breeding great tits. I also tested if residents provide a reliable cue relative to predation risk. However, willow tit (P. montanus) nest location appeared random relative to avian predator nests. They do not appear to reliably indicate safe breeding habitats to later arriving migrants. In addition, closer proximity to breeding avian predators had a negative impact on willow tit reproductive output. Later arriving migrants may be in a better position to avoid avian predator nests during habitat selection. Pied flycatchers avoid settling in the immediate vicinity of sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) nests. However, nest box occupation, laying dates and initial reproductive investment (clutch size) showed a unimodal relationship with distance to sparrowhawk. A unimodal trend in these measures indicates there may be a trade-off between the costs (increased adult predation risk) and potential benefits (decreased nest predation risk) of settling in proximity to avian predator nests. Spatially predictable predation risk gradients that emanate from predator nests are termed a "predation risk landscape". Furthermore, flycatchers nesting closer to sparrowhawks produced fewer and smaller nestlings than those farther away. In addition, measures of maternal physiological stress (body condition and stress protein levels) had a negative linear relationship with distance to sparrowhawk nest. It appears that increased perceived predation risk near avian predator nests results in stressful and poor conditions for adult passerines, which results in lower reproductive output. This thesis highlights the importance of information gathering prior to making habitat selection decisions in order to optimise territory location relative to heterospecifics or predators. These decisions clearly impact individual fitness.

This paper presents an implementation of autonomous indoor aerial gripping using a low-cost, custom-built quadrotor. Such research extends the typical functionality of micro air vehicles (MAV) from passive observation and sensing to dynamic interaction with the environment. To achieve this, three major challenges are overcome: precise positioning, sensing and manipulation of the object, and stabilization in the presence of disturbance due to interaction with the object. Navigation in both indoor and outdoor unstructured, Global Positioning System-denied (GPS-denied) environments is achieved using a visual Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) algorithm that relies on an onboard monocular camera. A secondary camera, capable of detecting infrared light sources, is used to estimate the 3D location of the object, while an under-actuated and passively compliant manipulator is designed for effective gripping under uncertainty. The system utilizes nested ProportionalIntegral-Derivative (PID) controllers for attitude stabilization, vision-based navigation, and gripping. The quadrotor is therefore able to autonomously navigate, locate, and grasp an object, using only onboard sensors.

This qualitative study examined how my practice of using manipulatives to teach multiplying and dividing fractions to 8th grade students facilitated their conceptual understanding of those operations. The students who participated in the study were enrolled in one of my intensive mathematics classes. Before the lessons began, I interviewed the students and gave them a pre-assessment to determine their content knowledge and comfort level with manipulatives. The students engaged in activities that included solving problems using various manipulatives. During the activities, I made observations of their problem solving techniques and how they used the manipulatives. At the conclusion of the unit I gave them a post assessment and conducted post interviews to determine any change in their content knowledge and comfort level with using manipulatives. I concluded through my research that by giving the students a hands-on, minds-on approach to learning they were able to develop an understanding of the concepts and apply that knowledge to multiplying and dividing fractions.

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