Metamodel-based model conformance and multiview consistency checking

Model-driven development, using languages such as UML and BON, often makes use of multiple diagrams (e.g., class and sequence diagrams) when modeling systems. These diagrams, presenting different views of a system of interest, may be inconsistent. A metamodel provides a unifying framework in which to ensure and check consistency, while at the same time providing the means to distinguish between valid and invalid models, that is, conformance. Two formal specifications of the metamodel for an object-oriented modeling language are presented, and it is shown how to use these specifications for model conformance and multiview consistency checking. Comparisons are made in terms of completeness and the level of automation each provide for checking multiview consistency and model conformance. The lessons learned from applying formal techniques to the problems of metamodeling, model conformance, and multiview consistency checking are summarized

Fostering Success: What Happens After the Transition Out of Foster Care?

The foster care system in the United States continues to pose a great negative impact on its participants. This negative impact consequently lowers their chances of attaining the same level of success as their non-fostered peers. The foster care experience affects their academics, mental and physical health, employment, and has a special impact on minority children. There are several sources of support and resources available to assist this population if the individual, their foster parents, or case manager is aware of them. In addition to being aware of the sources of support and resources, the foster youth or foster care alumnus has to be willing to seek out the help and properly utilize the supports and resources available to them. The supports and resources I further researched are supportive adult relationships, participating in life-skills trainings, having friendships built on non-judgmental acceptance, formal supports, and providing more support focused on foster parents and potential foster parents

Movement patterns of the cave salamander (Eurycea lucifuga) in Sauerkraut Cave, Kentucky.

The Cave Salamander, Eurycea lucifuga, is a common but poorly understood species of salamander that inhabits limestone features and karst systems across the eastern and midwest United States. As a species that can bridge the gap between subterranean and epigean environments, E. lucifuga may behave as a top predator and act as a significant facilitator in the flow of energy from the outside environment into the dark zone. The goal of this study was to document the seasonal movements of a local population of cave salamanders in Louisville, Kentucky, and the relationship between those movements and abiotic factors. Secondarily, I explored how the movements of individuals among the cave zones affect the food web of the cave as a whole. Weekly or biweekly surveys were undertaken in Sauerkraut Cave from March 2015 to February 2016. Each encountered salamander was photographed, and I recorded its distance from the entrance (m), height upon the cave wall (cm), side of the passage (left or right, when viewed from the entrance), and substrate upon which it occurred. I also measured temperature (°C) and relative humidity (%) at regular intervals throughout the cave. Salamander activity generally followed variation in temperature and humidity, with proportionally more individuals sighted in the twilight zone during the warmer months, followed by a shift to the dark zone during the colder winter months. The number of salamanders recorded per survey increased as the year progressed, with the most current numbers being more than double the average number of salamanders seen per survey for the entirety of 2015. Individuals that were recaptured more than twice exhibited more variable movement patterns than the general population, perhaps due to courtship and breeding behavior. Further study of the seasonal fluctuations of cave salamander behavior in local populations such as this could be crucial in understanding the complexities of cave ecosystems across the temperate United States

Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite- R Series (GOES-R) 2016

This is a report on the first NOAA GOES-R satellite, launched on November 19th, 2016. This report will cover some of the details of the GOES-R project, as well as discuss the collaborations that made the project possible. This document will also detail some of the new satellite’s capabilities including geostationary lightning detection, and space weather monitoring, and will focus on real-world application of such technology. Additionally, this report will list some of the current and projected GOES-R products, and the potential benefits if testing proves successful

Prospective Physical Therapy Education Revisions According to Appalachian Physical Therapists and Physical Therapist Assistants

Abstract Physical Therapy Education Revisions According to Appalachian Physical Therapists and Physical Therapist Assistants Paige Freeman Dr. Michael Lane PhD, Department of Exercise Science According to the American Physical Therapy Association and associated literature, the Physical Therapy profession has not changed significantly since its modern beginnings despite the obvious changes in technology and research. The lack of these changes can leave graduates underprepared for the challenges of the workplace and have an increased variability in practice, yet students continue to pay more for the same inadequate education. These issues exist overall within the Physical Therapy and Physical Therapist Assistant professions but has other unforeseen impacts on specific communities. The Appalachian region, a notoriously underprivileged area, experiences a myriad of disparities: educational, health, socioeconomic, etc., which research has shown that Physical Therapy services can potentially aid in alleviating. As a result, the Physical Therapy profession is unable to adequately respond to these needs appropriately. Therefore, this paper responds to these challenges by assessing the opinions of these providers regarding which skills were deficient and which were emphasized the most within their respective educational program. For those who work within the Appalachian area, the greatest disparities that exist were determined in conjunction with their responses regarding educational deficits. A short survey via Qualtrics was created utilizing these questions, sent out to Physical Therapy associations, programs, individuals, and companies within Appalachia. Overall, the results indicated that physical therapy programs adequately prepared the participants to treat injuries and perform patient care, but students were underprepared in terms of stress management, time management, dealing with high-risk situations, cardiovascular, pulmonary, and endocrine systems dysfunctions. They also indicated that socioeconomic disparities were the most prevalent. Therefore, it is the duty of physical therapy programs to evaluate and change in order to progress the profession and become more educated about the Appalachian region to become a better overall provider

FACTORS IMPACTING TEACHER TURNOVER IN TEXAS PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICTS WITH FEWER THAN 500 STUDENTS: A MIXED METHODS STUDY

Rural Texas districts experience higher rates in teacher turnover compared to other districts. This explanatory sequential mixed methods study was designed to explore the relationships among district size and the factors that contributed to teacher turnover. Data was collected from Texas public school districts with fewer than 500 students. A simple correlation determined that no relationship existed between district size and teacher turnover rate during the 2016-2017 school year in the 313 districts that had fewer than 500 students. Participating districts came from two different regions. Four superintendents were interviewed about the factors surrounding turnover regarding the teacher turnover in 2016-2017 along with historical trends in their district. The results demonstrated that no significant relationship exists between district size and turnover rate. These findings may provide information on teacher turnover in Texas public school districts with fewer than 500 students

DNA Extraction and Analysis of Bone Samples from the Orton Quarry Ossuary

The Orton Quarry site (36ER243) is a Late Prehistoric ossuary along the coast of Lake Erie in northwestern Pennsylvania. In March 1991, heavy-equipment operators accidentally exposed and destroyed approximately two-thirds of the original ossuary, leaving only the eastern third intact. Due to a personal interest in ossuaries an extensive literature search and personal communication with a one of the lead archeologists from the site was conducted. It was discovered that very little had been published on the site’s importance or its original inhabitants. One of the primary objectives of this project is to change that. By extracting and analyzing the mtDNA using the Dabney et al. (2013) protocol and the aDNA contamination avoidance protocols standard in the Snow lab we will obtain valuable data on the site’s genetic ancestry. Thus far the DNA from the first five samples have been isolated, and are being amplified for the first hypervariable region of the mtDNA mitogenome. The resulting sequences will be reviewed in Sequencher software. Any single nucleotide polymorphisms that are identified in comparison with the revised Cambridge Reference Sequence will then be compared with the Haplogrep software in order to confirm haplogroup assignment. The aspiration of this project is to analyse the data and compare the results to other ancient and modern DNA data from the Great Lakes region, using haplogroup and haplotype comparisons, as seen in Pfeiffer et al. (2014). Ultimately all of these results will then be written and presented on, adding to both the knowledge of the Orton Quarry Ossuary at well as the genetic data for the Great Lakes region

Characterisation of the metacaspase gene family in Arabidopsis thaliana

Caspases are known to be involved in animal programmed cell death (PCD). The objective of this thesis was to use gene expression analysis and reverse genetics to determine if Arabidopsis metacaspase (AtMC) genes play a role in plant PCD. The majority of AtMC genes were found to be expressed nearly constitutively in various tissues, developmental stages, and under various inductive treatments. Transgenic Arabidopsis plants generated with AtMCpromoter::AtMCgene::GUS fusions showed expression of the reporter gene in leaves, vasculature, trichomes, siliques, anthers, and during embryo development. Preliminary phenotypic characterization of single and double Arabidopsis AtMC loss-of-function mutants suggested that the expression of the AtMC genes are highly functionally redundant. Nevertheless, our results suggest that AtMC1, 2, 4, 6 and 9 may be directly involved in rosette and/or stem development. Although this study does not provide a definitive role of MCs in plant PCD, it lays the foundation for their further in-depth analysis

Assessments to Enhance the Psycholinguistic Approach for Speech Sound Problems

When clinicians can pin-point exactly where a speech issue is originating in a child’s speech-language system, they can help the child learn more efficiently; this results in a quicker therapy process. Stackhouse, Pascoe, and Gardner (2006), presented an approach to speech therapy intervention which incorporated a three-way method. In their psycholinguistic approach, they gathered information about incoming speech, how the information was stored and processed, and the resulting production of speech by one child with a speech delay. This approach offered a more effective way to plan treatment. The current study’s goal was to explore the relationships among measures that could support the verbal aspect of the psycholinguistic model. Elements of both static and dynamic assessment methods were studied to foster better understanding of speech skills. This method was executed by comparing data from previous testing sessions of children, ages 3-7, specifically those sessions which used a standardized (static) test: the Hodson Assessment of Phonological Processes (HAPP), along with a test that measured the amount of help needed to say a sound (dynamic test): Glaspey Dynamic Assessment of Phonology (GDAP). By comparing the scores of these two tests with each other along with other client variables, the data were used to inform treatment plans for future use. Having enhanced measures that address specific areas in the psycholinguistic approach (input, storing, and output) could allow clinicians to create more appropriate treatment plans. The intention of this study was to discover how much more effectively these two kinds of measures could improve understanding of the verbal component of the approach. In using the HAPP assessment and by guiding treatment with the GDAP, the enhanced results of this “hybrid” psycholinguistic approach will be seen and described in this poster presentation