Exploring Information Technology Student Retention

The purpose of our research project is to explore and analyze an anonymized data set of 2,300 School of Information Technology students who attended ISU between 1996 and 2016 and present a visualization of student retention predictors. Visualizing various factors influencing student retention required knowledge of both computer programming and data analysis. We used Microsoft Power BI for data visualization and applied Python programming language to explore potential predictors leading to Information Technology (IT) student retention. Moreover, Power BI was used to create a dashboard which helped us visualize demographic attributes. We later conducted predictive analytics (i.e., multiple linear regression and logistic regression) using Python. We found that logistic regression is most suitable for our student retention data. Exploring these factors through various data science techniques helped us better understand the relationships between student retention and other factors. Insights for our data analyses and retention strategies are provided.https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/urs2021it/1000/thumbnail.jp

Uniqueness of Gibbs Measure for Models With Uncountable Set of Spin Values on a Cayley Tree

We consider models with nearest-neighbor interactions and with the set $[0,1]$ of spin values, on a Cayley tree of order $k\geq 1$. It is known that the "splitting Gibbs measures" of the model can be described by solutions of a nonlinear integral equation. For arbitrary $k\geq 2$ we find a sufficient condition under which the integral equation has unique solution, hence under the condition the corresponding model has unique splitting Gibbs measure.Comment: 13 page

Micro-Electro-Mechanical-Systems (MEMS) and Fluid Flows

The micromachining technology that emerged in the late 1980s can provide micron-sized sensors and actuators. These micro transducers are able to be integrated with signal conditioning and processing circuitry to form micro-electro-mechanical-systems (MEMS) that can perform real-time distributed control. This capability opens up a new territory for flow control research. On the other hand, surface effects dominate the fluid flowing through these miniature mechanical devices because of the large surface-to-volume ratio in micron-scale configurations. We need to reexamine the surface forces in the momentum equation. Owing to their smallness, gas flows experience large Knudsen numbers, and therefore boundary conditions need to be modified. Besides being an enabling technology, MEMS also provide many challenges for fundamental flow-science research

Need of Assistance with Daily Oral Hygiene Measures Among Nursing Home Resident Elderly Versus the Actual Assistance Received from the Staff

The aim was to evaluate the need of assistance with daily oral hygiene measures among nursing home resident elderly versus the actual assistance received from the staff. The need of daily oral hygiene assistance was assessed descriptively for nursing home resident elderly who participated in an annual oral health screening in three geographical regions in Sweden, in the year 2008. All individuals of age ≥ 65 years were included (n = 22,453; 6,327 men; 16,126 women). The proportion of individuals in need of assistance with daily oral hygiene measures was 77.5 % (n=22,453), whereas the proportion of individuals receiving assistance with daily oral hygiene measures was 6.9 % in total (n=22,453). The proportions were largely similar in all geographical regions. There seems to be a large discrepancy between the need of assistance with daily oral hygiene measures, and the oral hygiene assistance received, among nursing home resident elderly

Cirsium species show disparity in patterns of genetic variation at their range-edge, despite similar patterns of reproduction and isolation

Genetic variation was assessed across the UK geographical range of Cirsium acaule and Cirsium heterophyllum. A decline in genetic diversity and increase in population divergence approaching the range edge of these species was predicted based on parallel declines in population density and seed production reported seperately. Patterns were compared with UK populations of the widespread Cirsium arvense.Populations were sampled along a latitudinal transect in the UK and genetic variation assessed using microsatellite markers. Cirsium acaule shows strong isolation by distance, a significant decline in diversity and an increase in divergence among range-edge populations. Geographical structure is also evident in C. arvense, whereas no such patterns are seen in C.heterophyllum. There is a major disparity between patterns of genetic variation in C. acaule and C. heterophyllum despite very similar patterns in seed production and population isolation in these species. This suggests it may be misleading to make assumptions about the geographical structure of genetic variation within species based solely on the present-day reproduction and distribution of populations

The COVID‐19 Yorkshire Rehabilitation Scale (C19‐YRS): application and psychometric analysis in a post‐COVID‐19 syndrome cohort

As our understanding of the nature and prevalence of post-coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) syndrome (PCS) is increasing, a measure of the impact of COVID-19 could provide valuable insights into patients' perceptions in clinical trials and epidemiological studies as well as routine clinical practice. To evaluate the clinical usefulness and psychometric properties of the COVID-19 Yorkshire Rehabilitation Scale (C19-YRS) in patients with PCS, a prospective, observational study of 187 consecutive patients attending a post-COVID-19 rehabilitation clinic was conducted. The C19-YRS was used to record patients' symptoms, functioning, and disability. A global health question was used to measure the overall impact of PCS on health. Classical psychometric methods (data quality, scaling assumptions, targeting, reliability, and validity) were used to assess the C19-YRS. For the total group, missing data were low, scaling and targeting assumptions were satisfied, and internal consistency was high (Cronbach's α = 0.891). Relationships between the overall perception of health and patients' reports of symptoms, functioning, and disability demonstrated good concordance. This is the first study to examine the psychometric properties of an outcome measure in patients with PCS. In this sample of patients, the C19-YRS was clinically useful and satisfied standard psychometric criteria, providing preliminary evidence of its suitability as a measure of PCS

Owning an overweight or underweight body: distinguishing the physical, experienced and virtual body

Our bodies are the most intimately familiar objects we encounter in our perceptual environment. Virtual reality provides a unique method to allow us to experience having a very different body from our own, thereby providing a valuable method to explore the plasticity of body representation. In this paper, we show that women can experience ownership over a whole virtual body that is considerably smaller or larger than their physical body. In order to gain a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying body ownership, we use an embodiment questionnaire, and introduce two new behavioral response measures: an affordance estimation task (indirect measure of body size) and a body size estimation task (direct measure of body size). Interestingly, after viewing the virtual body from first person perspective, both the affordance and the body size estimation tasks indicate a change in the perception of the size of the participant’s experienced body. The change is biased by the size of the virtual body (overweight or underweight). Another novel aspect of our study is that we distinguish between the physical, experienced and virtual bodies, by asking participants to provide affordance and body size estimations for each of the three bodies separately. This methodological point is important for virtual reality experiments investigating body ownership of a virtual body, because it offers a better understanding of which cues (e.g. visual, proprioceptive, memory, or a combination thereof) influence body perception, and whether the impact of these cues can vary between different setups

The modified COVID-19 Yorkshire Rehabilitation Scale (C19-YRSm) patient-reported outcome measure for Long Covid or Post-COVID-19 syndrome

Background The C19-YRS is the literature's first condition-specific, validated scale for patient assessment and monitoring in Post-COVID-19 syndrome (PCS). The 22-item scale's subscales (scores) are symptom severity (0–100), functional disability (0–50), additional symptoms (0–60), and overall health (0–10). Objectives This study aimed to test the scale's psychometric properties using Rasch analysis and modify the scale based on analysis findings, emerging information on essential PCS symptoms, and feedback from a working group of patients and professionals. Methods Data from 370 PCS patients were assessed using a Rasch Measurement Theory framework to test model fit, local dependency, response category functioning, differential item functioning, targeting, reliability, and unidimensionality. The working group undertook iterative changes to the scale based on the psychometric results and including essential symptoms. Results Symptom severity and functional disability subscales showed good targeting and reliability. Post hoc rescoring suggested that a 4-point response category structure would be more appropriate than an 11-point response for both subscales. Symptoms with binary responses were placed in the other symptoms subscale. The overall health single-item subscale remained unchanged. Conclusion A 17-item C19-YRSm was developed with subscales (scores): symptom severity (0–30), functional disability (0–15), other symptoms (0–25), and overall health (0–10)