Community Detection Detailed for Online Social Networks

Ever since the internet became publicly available it has allowed users to interact with each other across virtual networks. With this large amounts of data being collected the clustering of this information has become an even more powerful tool for recognize patterns and trends in a network. In this research we look build a model for Community Detection in these online social networks. We combine the ideas from both discrete mathematics and sociology, to build an algorithm with the specific intent on discovering communities that exist in an online social network. We present many of the sociology theories behind the patterns and clusters from in data and how our to identify overlapping and hierarchical communities. We investigate the properties of the objective function Modularity present by M. Girvan and M.E.J. Newman while use information from both the structures of the network and that of a spectral partitioning algorithm to return covers of a network

Examining The African American Male Undergraduate Students\u27 Perceptions of Barriers and Factors for Success

The purpose of this research study was to examine the barriers African American males face in higher education and the factors that promote academic success. This study focused on African American males who attended a large Midwestern public university.Their perceptions were collected through multiple interviews. The interviews were transcribed and coded for themes. In examining the perceptions of African American males it was found that the barriers they face (academic preparedness, transition into the instructional environment and identity development) and the factors that promote academic success (peer group influence, student involvement and mentoring relationships) at the research institution are similar to the barriers African American males face and the factors that promote academic success according to the literature (Bonner, et. al., 2006). Recommendations include exposing African American males to the campus environment prior to enrollment, strategically advising African American cultural student organizations. Future research should include conducting more in-depth interviews with a more diverse group of African American males

Environmental Factors That Predict Adolescent Smoking Behavior: The Influence of Parent, Peer, and Sibling Smoking

The majority of adult smoking begins during adolescence, and in order for prevention programs to be optimally effective it is critical to understand the influences of smoking initiation during this developmental period. However, little research has focused on how environmental factors, such as parent and peer smoking. influence smoking initiation exclusively within a rural population. The current study surveyed students from 23 middle schools in rural Virginia and New York State at the end of the sixth grade and then one-year later at the end of the seventh grade. Logistic regressions were used to predict changes in levels of adolescent smoking from factors such as parent smoking, peer smoking, sibling smoking, self-efficacy to refuse cigarettes, and whether the adolescent resided in a tobacco-growing area. Results from this study indicated that having a best friend who smokes was more important for trying smoking, whereas the number of friends who smoke was more important for experimental and higher levels of smoking. Two variables, having a mother who smokes and an adolescent’s self-efficacy to refuse cigarettes, were found to be a consistent influence across all stages of smoking behavior. Ethnicity had a slightly different impact on smoking behavior than demonstrated in previous research. African Americans were actually at a higher risk for trying smoking than Caucasians, and there were no differences for ethnicity among those who moved to experimental or higher levels of smoking. In addition, living in a tobacco-growing county was significantly related to adolescents trying smoking, but was not related to adolescents at this age moving to experimental or higher levels of smoking. The findings from this study suggest that there are unique aspects to the smoking behavior of rural adolescents, and suggestions for prevention are made

The Impact of a Peer-Led Program on the Peer Leaders\u27 Leadership-Related Skills

Leadership and goal setting skills were examined for 49 high school students who implemented a peer-led health and life skills program for sixth grade students. Participants completed surveys that included a leadership scale and a goal setting scale constructed for this study. and an adapted version of the Goals Inventory. Surveys were administered to the participants prior to a 3-day training (Time Point I), immediately following the training (Time Point 2). and at the completion of leading 12. 1-hour workshops (Time Point 3). The results indicate that high school peer leaders perceived an increase in both their leadership and goal setting skills. Results from retrospective pretest measures of the leadership and goal setting scales also indicate that the participants had overestimated those skills prior to their peer-leadership experience. The findings suggest that improved leadership and goal setting skills are ways that adolescents can benefit from a peer leadership experience

Examining The African American Male Undergraduate Students\u27 Perceptions of Barriers and Factors for Success

The purpose of this research study was to examine the barriers African American males face in higher education and the factors that promote academic success. This study focused on African American males who attended a large Midwestern public university.Their perceptions were collected through multiple interviews. The interviews were transcribed and coded for themes. In examining the perceptions of African American males it was found that the barriers they face (academic preparedness, transition into the instructional environment and identity development) and the factors that promote academic success (peer group influence, student involvement and mentoring relationships) at the research institution are similar to the barriers African American males face and the factors that promote academic success according to the literature (Bonner, et. al., 2006). Recommendations include exposing African American males to the campus environment prior to enrollment, strategically advising African American cultural student organizations. Future research should include conducting more in-depth interviews with a more diverse group of African American males

Transmission of fast solitons for the NLS with an external potential

We consider the dynamics of a boosted soliton evolving under the cubic NLS with an external potential. We show that for sufficiently large velocities, the soliton is effectively transmitted through the potential. This result extends work of Holmer, Marzuola, and Zworski, who considered the case of a delta potential with no bound states, and work of Datchev and Holmer, who considered the case of a delta potential with a linear bound state.Comment: 13 page