Experimenting with Colors in Music: Making and Breaking Rules in The Butterfly Effect

The following thesis is a culmination of four years of academic and musical development as a percussionist at the University of Mississippi. It offers a discussion and analysis of my original composition, The Butterfly Effect (2021-2023), exploring the compositional process from preliminary sketches to the finalized score. It also discusses the inspiration for composing an original work, the use of different music theory techniques relevant to an analysis of the work, and comparisons to relevant compositions throughout the history of Western music. The Butterfly Effect experiments with compositional techniques that often depart from established rules of harmony and counterpoint, a decision that is discussed throughout the thesis. Specific examples drawn from the fields of music theory and music history are provided, as well as visual aids to help illustrate the way in which compositional materials are used in this composition. Early drafts of the composition are also included, as well as the completed score

Tourism in Raja Ampat: New Chances and Challenges

This study focuses on the ways in which the tourism industry in Raja Ampat has contributed to local livelihoods and encouraged the preservation of marine resources, looking specifically at the case of a dive operator and a volunteer tourism operation. The study illuminates the challenges that these operators face when engaging with the local community to protect the environment, and recommends more effective strategies for improving relations between tourism operators and the communities in which they reside. The study ultimately makes the case that the legacy of colonial rule in Western Papua must be a consideration in tourism planning, as this history of extraction and domination of local communities is as risk of continuing with this new industry. Ultimately, by understanding the economic, community, and environmental impacts that tourism brings to Raja Ampat, private operators can maintain the long term success of both their own businesses as well as the communities and ecosystems on which their success depends

Image Restoration using Automatic Damaged Regions Detection and Machine Learning-Based Inpainting Technique

In this dissertation we propose two novel image restoration schemes. The first pertains to automatic detection of damaged regions in old photographs and digital images of cracked paintings. In cases when inpainting mask generation cannot be completely automatic, our detection algorithm facilitates precise mask creation, particularly useful for images containing damage that is tedious to annotate or difficult to geometrically define. The main contribution of this dissertation is the development and utilization of a new inpainting technique, region hiding, to repair a single image by training a convolutional neural network on various transformations of that image. Region hiding is also effective in object removal tasks. Lastly, we present a segmentation system for distinguishing glands, stroma, and cells in slide images, in addition to current results, as one component of an ongoing project to aid in colon cancer prognostication

Pollution Solution

This paper shows the immensity of air pollution contaminating the Earth and discusses some of the repercussions experienced by humans. While coal plants are seen as a major contributor to air pollution, automobiles are just as harmful to the environment. In addition to some specific statistics regarding these harmful pollutants, this paper offers a possible researched solution that, if put into action, could drastically reduce the Earth\u27s air pollution problem. Thrive: Social Innovation Learning Community, Prof. Jim Davis, Prof. JoyEllen Freeman, Prof. Lydia Laucella, and Prof. Pablo Valenzuel

Use of Plastic Nesting Material and its Potential Impact on American Robin (Turdus migratorius) Nests

Rising levels of plastic pollution in the environment continue to impact aquatic and terrestrial organisms, including birds when they incorporate it into their nests. Whether the use of plastic as nesting material is entirely helpful or harmful is largely unknown. Potential detrimental effects of incorporating non-anthropogenic matter as nesting material include entanglement, ingestion, alteration of thermal properties, and increase in predation risk. The proportion of plastic used in robin (Turdus migratorius) nests was determined in 3 types of locations in Northwest Indiana. These sites included shopping area parking lots, Valparaiso University campus, and local parks. Post-breeding season robin nests (n=44, f=4.51, p\u3c.025) were collected and dissected. Overall, 89% of the nests contained plastic. The nests with the most plastic originated from shopping areas. The effects plastic material had on nest predation rate were examined by placing artificial and natural nests around campus with model clay eggs. Half of the trials had white polyethylene plastic incorporated into their nests, and half contained no plastic. Time to nest disturbance or the presence of animal markings on the eggs were used to measure predation. In 2022, 74% of the nests were attacked with more predation from bird species than mammals. The time until predation was significantly longer for nests with plastic (n=11, t=2.3, p\u3c.050). In 2023, the experiment was replicated, and results indicated that the time until predation was significantly longer for nests without plastic. Future research is required to understand the comprehensive impacts plastic has on bird nest quality and breeding success

An investigation of the effects of two training programs on selected cardio-respiratory variables of college women

The total fitness of an individual should be the aim of every physical educator. Physical fitness, in particular, has been emphasized as an accepted objective of physical education throughout its history(2). Only through exercise and training can one's fitness level be raised. Extensive research has been conducted using various types and methods of training to improve levels of fitness. According to Morehouse and Miller(15), the method of training should be related to the dominant feature of the event. The training in this study stressed endurance as the primary factor being developed. Endurance may be defined as "the ability to continue work.” (16:26) In order to increase the capacity of the individual to continue work, the theory of overload was practiced. This advocates developing the individual by increasing the intensity of the activity. Morehouse and Rasch state that endurance is limited by two factors: "the willingness to work on in spite of the pain of fatigue, and the capacity of the homeostatic mechanism to make rapid and extensive adjustments within the functioning organism.” (16:25) in light of the latter of these two limiting factors, the cardio-respiratory functions were studied to observe the effects of the training upon the body

Using a Computerised Staircase and Incremental Optotype Sizes to Improve Visual Acuity Assessment Accuracy.

BackgroundGiven the impact of visual acuity results on diagnosis and management, it is essential that the test is accurate, determined by factors such as test-retest variability. Standardisation improves accuracy, which can be performed via a computerised staircase methodology. Standard clinical tests with scoring of 0.02 per optotype implies an incremental score per optotype despite optotype size remaining constant on each line. The aim of this study is to establish if near continuous incremental optotype display and scoring improves test-retest variability compared to current testing methods.MethodsA computerised three up, one down adaptive staircase was used to display Kay Picture optotypes on an LCD monitor. Three methods of visual acuity assessment were undertaken: ETDRS, Kay Pictures and computerised Kay Pictures. Tests were performed twice under standard clinical conditions.ResultsOne hundred nineteen adults were tested. Test-retest variability for computerised Kay pictures was 0.01 logMAR (±0.04, p = 0.001). Good levels of agreement were observed for computerised Kay pictures in terms of test-retest variability, where the test had the smallest mean bias (0.01 logMAR compared to 0.03 and 0.08 logMAR for Kay Pictures and ETDRS respectively) and narrowest limits of agreement. Participants performed better in computerised Kay pictures than Kay Pictures by 0.03 logMAR, and better in ETDRS than computerised Kay pictures by 0.1 logMAR.ConclusionComputerised Kay pictures exhibited a low test-retest variability, demonstrating it is reliable and repeatable. This repeatability measure is lower than the test-retest variability of the ETDRS and Kay Pictures tests

Corrigendum: Using a Computerised Staircase and Incremental Optotype Sizes to Improve Visual Acuity Assessment Accuracy

This article details a correction to: O’Connor, A., King, C., Milling, A. and Tidbury, L., 2022. Using a Computerised Staircase and Incremental Optotype Sizes to Improve Visual Acuity Assessment Accuracy. 'British and Irish Orthoptic Journal', 18(1), pp. 93–100. DOI: http://doi.org/10.22599/bioj.271

Prenatal maternal stress was not associated with birthweight or gestational age at birth during COVID-19 restrictions in Australia : the BITTOC longitudinal cohort study

Background: Various forms of prenatal maternal stress (PNMS) have been reported to increase risk for preterm birth and low birthweight. However, the associations between specific components of stress – namely objective hardship and subjective distress - and birth outcomes are not well understood. Aims: Here, we aimed to determine the relationship between birthweight and gestational age at birth and specific prenatal factors (infant gender and COVID-19 pandemic-related objective hardship, subjective distress, change in diet), and to determine whether effects of hardship are moderated by maternal subjective distress, change in diet, or infant gender. Materials and methods: As part of the Birth in the Time of COVID (BITTOC study), women (N = 2285) who delivered in Australia during the pandemic were recruited online between August 2020 and February 2021. We assessed objective hardship and subjective distress related to the COVID pandemic and restrictions, and birth outcomes through questionnaires that were completed at recruitment and two months post-partum. Analyses included hierarchical multiple regressions. Results: No associations between maternal objective hardship or subjective distress and gestational age at birth or birthweight were identified. Lower birthweight was significantly associated with female gender (adjusted β = 0.083, P < 0.001) and with self-reported improvement in maternal diet (adjusted β = 0.059, P = 0.015). Conclusions: In a socioeconomically advantaged sample, neither objective hardship nor subjective distress related to COVID-19 were associated with birth outcomes. Further research is warranted to understand how other individual factors influence susceptibility to PNMS and how these findings are applicable to women with lower socioeconomic status