Cultivating Contemplative Mind in the Classroom

In Fall 2019, we showed video interviews of successful (i.e., graduated) alumni to first-year seminar students in the hope that incoming students would be inspired to adopt similar success strategies leading to increased retention and completion of their UNLV degree. The Academic Success Center filmed interviews with ten UNLV graduates who took our first-year seminar, COLA 100E. These COLA 100E Success Stories were then edited into three videos, each focusing on a particular theme, such as the first-year transition, the major selection process, and the key tips for graduation. The goal was that these successfully-graduated students would serve as motivational role models for UNLV’s diverse first-year student population. Though the alumni echoed concepts taught in the class, we imagined these peers would be more relatable than the instructor alone, encouraging students to identify with and potentially adopt new approaches to and perspectives of success early in their college careers.https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/btp_expo/1090/thumbnail.jp

Statistical analysis of identity risk of exposure and cost using the ecosystem of identity attributes

Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is often called the "currency of the Internet" as identity assets are collected, shared, sold, and used for almost every transaction on the Internet. PII is used for all types of applications from access control to credit score calculations to targeted advertising. Every market sector relies on PII to know and authenticate their customers and their employees. With so many businesses and government agencies relying on PII to make important decisions and so many people being asked to share personal data, it is critical to better understand the fundamentals of identity to protect it and responsibly use it. Previously developed comprehensive Identity Ecosystem utilizes graphs to model PII assets and their relationships and is powered by empirical data from almost 6,000 real-world identity theft and fraud news reports to populate the UT CID Identity Ecosystem. We analyze UT CID Identity Ecosystem using graph theory and report numerous novel statistics using identity asset content, structure, value, accessibility, and impact. Our work sheds light on how identity is used and paves the way for improving identity protection.Electrical and Computer Engineerin

Searching for isovector signatures in the neutron-rich oxygen and calcium isotopes

We search for potential isovector signatures in the neutron-rich oxygen and calcium isotopes within the framework of a relativistic mean-field theory with an exact treatment of pairing correlations. To probe the isovector sector we calibrate a few relativistic density functionals using the same isoscalar constraints but with one differing isovector assumption. It is found that under certain conditions, the isotopic chain in oxygen can be made to terminate at the experimentally observed ${}^{24}$O isotope and in the case of the calcium isotopes at ${}^{60}$Ca. To produce such behavior, the resulting symmetry energy must be soft, with predicted values for the symmetry energy and its slope at saturation density being $J\!=\!(30.92\pm0.47)$ MeV and $L\!=\!(51.0\pm1.5)$ MeV, respectively. As a consequence, the neutron-skin thickness of ${}^{208}$Pb is rather small: $R_{\rm skin}^{208}\!=\!(0.161\pm0.011)$ fm. This same model - labelled "FSUGarnet" - predicts $R_{1.4}\!=\!(13.1\pm0.1)$ km for the radius of a "canonical" 1.4$M_{\odot}$ neutron star, yet is also able to support a two-solar-mass neutron star.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure

What Drives IoT-Based Smart Pet Appliances Usage Intention? The Perspective of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology Model

The advancement of IOT (Internet of Things) has facilitated the development of smart pet appliances, and the market for these products has growing rapidly, this study seeks to identify key factors for pet owner adoption of “smart” pet appliances. The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) a wellestablished model in the field of IOT research is used as the main framework, integrating brand trust, perceived value and perceived enjoyment as the basis for hypothesis formulation and testing based on data collected through questionnaires distributed through online social platforms. Reliability analysis, validity analysis and structural equation model analysis were carried out through confirmatory factor analysis to test the variables and research hypotheses. Results for the UTAUT indicate that effort expectancy has a direct impact on performance expectancy, while performance expectancy, effort expectancy and facilitating condition all have a positive impact on intention. While social influence does not directly or significantly affect use intention, it can indirectly affect intention through perceived value and perceived enjoyment. Brand trust does not have a significant impact on use intention, but can indirectly affect use intention through perceived value. This study further compares user age and number of smart pet home appliances owned to better understand the impact of demographic factors. Findings indicate that, for users under the age of 30, effort expectancy has no significant impact on use intention, while brand trust has no significant impact on perceived value among users over 30. Among the research results based on age as a basis, the impact of hardships in the ethnic group in the age of 30 is not significant, nor do facilitating conditions or perceived value have significant impact on use intention. For users with one smart pet device at home, neither favorable conditions not perceived value have significant impact on use intention, while for users with two smart pet devices, perceived enjoyment does not significantly impact use intention. These finding have potential reference value for future related research in the IOT or smart pet home appliance research field