Digital Commons Network^™

Use It Or Lose It: Canadian Identity And The Construction Of Arctic Security Policy, Michael P. Mccormack

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the specific factors that drive state action in Canadian Arctic security policy, particularly in relation to securitization of the Arctic region and historical factors that influence decision-making. The purpose of this research is to develop stronger linkages between securitization processes and actual policymaking. When studying the Arctic as a defined geographical space, we see considerable differences between Arctic states when it comes to how cultural and historical attachment to the Arctic region may serve as a selling point for the ability of national governments to justify allocation of defense resources to their respective publics. Using the Canadian …

Design And Synthesis Of Novel Azasteroids And Pseudoazulenyl Nitrones, Nagaraju Birudukota

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Steroids are one of the essential classes of bioactive compounds and are involved in many biological functions which include their role as signaling compounds, the alteration of membrane fluidity and the regulation of a variety of metabolic processes. In order to identify novel compounds with beneficial pharmacological action, the synthesis of modified steroids is gaining much attention in recent years. Among those analogs, azasteroids are one of the most important classes which display a variety of biological activities, often free from undesirable side effects. The challenges in the synthesis of steroids, particularly azasteroids, and the potential of azasteroids as novel …

Achieving And Maintaining Food Security In The Prc: The Impact On Foreign Policy, Paul D. Rittenhouse

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to examine how the People’s Republic of China has used domestic and foreign policy to achieve and maintain food security. This is a formidable task for the PRC given that it has 20% of the world’s population and only 7% of its arable land. It has been made more formidable by domestic policy errors and its changing position within the international system.

The PRC has evolved from a Marxist revisionist state to one that mixes state capitalism and free enterprise and has become a combination of revisionist and status quo. Such changes lend …

Optical Coherence Photoacoustic Microscopy (Oc-Pam) For Multimodal Imaging, Xiaojing Liu

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) and Photoacoustic microscopy (PAM) are two noninvasive, high-resolution, three-dimensional, biomedical imaging modalities based on different contrast mechanisms. OCT detects the light backscattered from a biological sample either in the time or spectral domain using an interferometer to form an image. PAM is sensitive to optical absorption by detecting the light-induced acoustic waves to form an image. Due to their complementary contrast mechanisms, OCT and PAM are suitable for being combined to achieve multimodal imaging.

In this dissertation, an optical coherence photoacoustic microscopy (OC-PAM) system was developed for in vivo multimodal retinal imaging with a pulsed broadband …

Understanding The Value Of Travel Time Reliability For Freight Transportation To Support Freight Planning, Kollol Shams 3085942

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Today’s logistics practices are moving from inventory-based push supply chains to replenishment-based pull supply chains, leading to a lower and less centralized inventory, smaller shipment sizes, and more just-in-time deliveries. As a result, industries are now demanding greater reliability in freight transportation. Delays and uncertainty in freight transportation translate directly into additional inventory, higher manufacturing costs, less economic competitiveness for businesses, and higher costs of goods that are being passed on to the consumers. Given the growing demand in freight transportation, the emerging needs to better understand freight behavior for better policy and investment decisions, and the increasing role of …

Nationalism As A Process For Making The Desired Identity Salient: Bosnian Muslims Become Bosniaks, Mirsad Krijestorac

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study is concerned with the particular relationship between the process of nationalism and a group’s salient identity. It proposes that nationalism as the independent variable serves as a principal factor and facilitator for a change of identity, which is seen as the dependent variable. The Bosnian Muslim emergence as an independent nation with the new salient Bosniak identity was used as a case study to test the main proposition.

The inquiry was completed through a mixed research method, using grounded theory and the historic process tracing technique, a large survey analysis collected specifically for this study, and a logistic …

Going Beyond The Analysis Of Common Contaminants: Target, Suspect, And Non-Target Analysis Of Complex Environmental Matrices By High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry, Anna Katarina Huba

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The advancements in the field of analytical chemistry, and especially mass spectrometry, have been redefining the field of contaminant detection. While more traditional analysis was sufficient to screen for a small number of well-known compounds, new techniques such as high-resolution mass spectrometry, have enabled a fairly comprehensive screening for previously unknown contaminants. This is enormously beneficial with respect to the analysis of water, air, or soil quality in a society that continuously introduces novel anthropogenic compounds into the environment. This dissertation, thus, focused on the analysis of the uncharacterized portion of compounds in two types of complex environmental matrices (i.e., …

Optimum Distribution System Architectures For Efficient Operation Of Hybrid Ac/Dc Power Systems Involving Energy Storage And Pulsed Loads, Ahmed T. Elsayed

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

After more than a century of the ultimate dominance of AC in distribution systems, DC distribution is being re-considered. However, the advantages of AC systems cannot be omitted. This is mainly due to the cheap and efficient means of generation provided by the synchronous AC machines and voltage stepping up/down allowed by the AC transformers. As an intermediate solution, hybrid AC/DC distribution systems or microgrids are proposed. This hybridization of distribution systems, incorporation of heterogeneous mix of energy sources, and introducing Pulsed Power Loads (PPL) together add more complications and challenges to the design problem of distribution systems. In this …

Channel And Noise Variance Estimation For Future 5g Cellular Networks, Jorge Iscar Vergara

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Future fifth generation (5G) cellular networks have to cope with the expected ten-fold increase in mobile data traffic between 2015 and 2021. To achieve this goal, new technologies are being considered, including massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems and millimeter-wave (mmWave) communications. Massive MIMO involves the use of large antenna array sizes at the base station, while mmWave communications employ frequencies between 30 and 300 GHz. In this thesis we study the impact of these technologies on the performance of channel estimators.

Our results show that the characteristics of the propagation channel at mmWave frequencies improve the channel estimation performance in …

Wide-Area Time-Synchronized Closed-Loop Control Of Power Systems And Decentralized Active Distribution Networks, Mehmet Hazar Cintuglu

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The rapidly expanding power system grid infrastructure and the need to reduce the occurrence of major blackouts and prevention or hardening of systems against cyber-attacks, have led to increased interest in the improved resilience of the electrical grid. Distributed and decentralized control have been widely applied to computer science research. However, for power system applications, the real-time application of decentralized and distributed control algorithms introduce several challenges. In this dissertation, new algorithms and methods for decentralized control, protection and energy management of Wide Area Monitoring, Protection and Control (WAMPAC) and the Active Distribution Network (ADN) are developed to improve the …

A Quantitative Investigation Exploring Illicit Drug Use Inside And Out Of The Foodservice Industry, Kristen Kaminski

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to perform a follow-up quantitative investigation of foodservice employees’ illicit drug use behaviors, experiences with illicit drug use prevention efforts, and perceived negative outcomes associated with illicit drug use as compared to the non-foodservice labor force. An online survey was designed for this study to collect data and independent t-tests were conducted to analyze the data and test the hypotheses. Results indicated foodservice employees are more likely to use illicit drugs and are more concerned with short-term negative outcomes as a result of illicit drug use than the non-foodservice labor force. Furthermore, illicit …

Risk-Based Decision Making Support For Construction Corporate Resource Management, Reza Sheykhi

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Competitive bidding typically challenges contractors to stay in business by reducing contingency and limiting profit margin, which imposes more prudent resource utilization and allocation decisions during both planning and construction phases of projects. Many of these decisions must be made considering uncertainties that affect resource production and construction performance through several factors such as weather, managerial practices, job-type, and market conditions, etc. Construction decision makers will therefore have varied approaches to deal with these uncertainties based on their risk utility or perception. This research presents the development of a model for investigating the impact of risk-based approaches on construction network …

Investigation Of Low Reynolds Number Flow And Heat Transfer Of Louvered Surfaces, Pradeep R. Shinde

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study focuses on the investigation of flow behavior at low Reynolds numbers by the experimental and numerical performance testing of micro-channel heat exchangers. An experimental study of the heat transfers and pressure drop of compact heat exchangers with louvered fins and flat tubes was conducted within a low air-side Reynolds number range of 20 < Re_Lp < 225. Using an existing low-speed wind tunnel, 26 sample heat exchangers of corrugated louver fin type, were tested. New correlations for Colburn j and Fanning friction f factor have been developed in terms of non-dimensional parameters. Within the investigated parameter ranges, it seems that both the j and f factors are better represented by two correlations in two flow regimes (one for Re_Lp = 20 – 80 and one for Re_Lp = 80 – 200) than a single regime correlation in the power-law format. The results support the conclusion that airflow and heat transfer at very low Reynolds numbers behaves differently from that …

Exploratory Assessment Of Roadway Infrastructure Adaptation To The Impacts Of Sea-Level Rise, Mostafa Batouli

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Transportation agencies in coastal urban areas face a significant challenge to enhance the long-term resilience of their networks to flooding and storm surge events exacerbated by sea level rise. The problem of sea-level rise adaptation is characterized by deep uncertainty that makes it complex to assess the value of adaptation investments. To enable informed adaptation decisions, the present study created a dynamic stochastic modeling framework based on the theoretical underpinnings of complex adaptive systems that integrates: (i) stochastic simulation of sea-level rise stressors based on the data obtained from downscaled climate studies pertaining to future projections of sea-level and precipitation; …

Strategic Communications To Prevent Hiv Infections Among Black And Hispanic Young Adults, Elena Sebekos

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Disparities in HIV disease continue to adversely affect Black and Hispanic populations in the United States. Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) 2010 in Broward County, Florida, used strategic communications to alert Black and Hispanic young adults of the serious threat and the choices they could make to prevent HIV infection. This study assessed the channels through which 18-39 year-old African American, Haitian, Afro-Caribbean, and Hispanic residents of 12 high AIDS-incidence ZIP-code areas obtained information about HIV/AIDS and which sources they found most helpful. In addition, this study examined how obtaining HIV/AIDS information was associated with histories of …

Hurricane Preparedness In A Construction Site: A Framework To Assess The Construction Companies’ Current Practices, Michelle S. Chavez

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Civil infrastructure construction sites including incomplete structures and unsecured resources are among the most vulnerable environments to hurricane conditions. Hurricane driven damages cause disruption of construction sites and considerable schedule delays, and thus negatively impact the efficiency of the construction projects. This research aims to study current best practices on securing construction sites from hurricane conditions and evaluate the performance of the preparedness plan. To do that, first, an interview-survey is conducted with key project personnel from multiple construction companies. Then, the insight from the interviews serves to do a Micro and Macro Environmental Analysis. For further analysis, a Balanced …

Disaster Capitalism: Empirical Evidence From Latin America And The Caribbean, Ransford F. Edwards Jr.

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Natural disasters are uniquely transformative events. They can drastically transform physical terrain and the lives of those unfortunate enough to be caught in their wrath. However, natural disasters also provide an opportunity to reflect on past failures and, at times, a clean slate to correct those shortcomings. This project takes a political economic approach and recognizes natural disasters as occasions for agenda-setting on behalf of transnational commercial enterprises and market-oriented policy elites. These reformers often use the post-disaster policy space to articulate long-term development strategies based on market fundamentalism, and, more importantly, advance a set of policies consistent with their …

Government Capacity And The Acquisition, Implementation, And Impact Of Arra Funds, Nakhyeok Choi

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examined transportation grants provided to states under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). Some states acquired more grants and utilized them in a timelier manner than others. This dissertation examined why this is the case, utilizing System Theory and Resource Based Theory as the intellectual framework. Human resource and financial resource capacities were viewed as the principal drivers of success and studying this managerially controllable variables underpin the analysis.

Though many studies have examined ARRA since 2009, my dissertation is the first to simultaneously examine the three stages of the ARRA transportation grant process: acquisition, …

Eeg Spectral Changes Before And After An Eight-Week Intervention Period Of Preksha Meditation, Chintan Joshi

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Various types of meditation techniques, primarily categorized into concentrative and mindfulness meditation, have evolved over the years to enhance the physiological and psychological well-being of people in all walks of life. However, the scientific knowledge of the impact of meditation on physiological and psychological well-being is very limited. Electroencephalography (EEG) was used to study the effect of a sequence of different forms of Preksha meditation on brain activity. EEG data from 13 novice participants (10 females, 3 males; Age: 19-49 yrs) were collected while meditating for the first time (pre) and at the end of an eight week (post) intervention …

Design And Development Of Smart Brain-Machine-Brain Interface (Sbmibi) For Deep Brain Stimulation And Other Biomedical Applications, Muhammad S. Khan

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Machine collaboration with the biological body/brain by sending electrical information back and forth is one of the leading research areas in neuro-engineering during the twenty-first century. Hence, Brain-Machine-Brain Interface (BMBI) is a powerful tool for achieving such machine-brain/body collaboration. BMBI generally is a smart device (usually invasive) that can record, store, and analyze neural activities, and generate corresponding responses in the form of electrical pulses to stimulate specific brain regions. The Smart Brain-Machine-Brain-Interface (SBMBI) is a step forward with compared to the traditional BMBI by including smart functions, such as in-electrode local computing capabilities, and availability of cloud connectivity in …

Creation And Evaluation Of Polymer/Multiwall Carbon Nanotube Films For Structural Vibration Control And Strain Sensing Properties, Weiwei Lin

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Multifunctional materials both with damping properties and strain sensing properties are very important. They promise to be more weight-efficient, and provide volume-efficient performance, flexibility and potentially, less maintenance than traditional multi-component brass-board systems.

The goal of this dissertation work was to design, synthesize, investigate and apply polyaniline/Multiwall carbon nanotube (PANI/MWCNT) and polyurethane (PU) /MWCNT composites films for structural vibration control and strain sensors using free layer damping methods and static and dynamic strain sensing test methods.

The PANI/MWCNT was made by in situ polymerization of PANI in the presence of MWCNT, then frit compression was used to make circular and …

Risk And Protective Factors Associated With The Adult Achievement Of Substance-Using Adolescents: Findings From The National Longitudinal Study Of Adolescent To Adult Health, Dana G. Farrell

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The literature has well-documented the deleterious effect of alcohol and other drug (AOD) use on adolescent development and future outcomes. Despite these devastating results, some adolescents are able to attain high achievement as adults, despite their earlier AOD use. Secondary quantitative analyses were conducted on nationally-representative data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. Longitudinal data, collected at Wave I (1994-1995), and Wave IV (2007-2008), were analyzed from a sample of 4,266 American high school students between the ages of 13-19 years. The majority of high school students in the sample self-reported AOD use (n=2,833, 66.4%), compared …

Carbon Nanotube- And Gold Nanoparticle-Based Materials For Electrochemical And Colorimetric Sensing Applications, Janak Paudyal 9255967

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are widely used for sensing applications due to their distinctive electrical and optical properties, and we have explored the development of methods that enable the incorporation of these nanomaterials into new and improved sensing devices.

As a means for fabricating simple, low-cost and fast detection platforms for various applications, we have developed paper-based electrochemical detection platforms based on CNTs or platinum nanoparticle (PtNP)-CNT composite materials. We describe the use of a paper-based, low density, a three-dimensional thin film of interconnected CNTs as an electrode material. We studied the electrochemical properties of these paper-based …

The Politics Of Democratization: Jean-Bertrand Aristide And The Lavalas Movement In Haiti, Dimmy Herard

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As the 29-year Duvalier dictatorship ended in 1986, the emergence of Mouvement Lavalas out of the grassroots organizations of Haiti's poor majority, and election of charismatic priest Jean-Bertrand Aristide in 1990, challenged efforts by Haitian political parties and the U.S. foreign policy establishment to contain the parameters of Haiti's democratic transition. This dissertation examines the politics of Lavalas to determine whether it held a particular conception of democracy that explains the movement's antagonistic relationship with the political parties and U.S. democracy promoters.

Using the qualitative methodology of process-tracing outlined in the works of Paul F. Steinberg (2004) and Tulia G. …

Second Language Learners’ Performance On Non-Isomorphic Cross-Language Cognates In Translation, Carlos I. Canizares

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Do adult L2 English bilingual speakers have difficulty with cognate words whose meanings are distinct across their two languages? This study explored the extent to which variations in meaning in cross-language cognates affect translation performance in a translation task by L2 English (L1 Spanish) speakers who learned English as adults. A prep-phase experiment was conducted to test native English-speakers’ predicted completions of the study’s stimuli sentences, in order to choose the optimal stimuli for the primary experiment. The method for the primary experiment of this study consisted of a web-based translation task of 120 sentences from Spanish to English, while …

A Framework For Assessing Alternative Agro-Ecosystems: Finding Multi-Functional Solutions For Sustainable Urban Landscapes., Thais H. Thiesen Ms.

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Creating sustainable urban landscapes in light of growing population pressures requires interdisciplinary multi-functional solutions. Alternative agro-ecosystems described as food forests, permaculture gardens, and/or edible landscapes among others could offer potential ways to address the social, economic and ecological goals of various stakeholders simultaneously. The present research used a unique rubric, the Permaculture and Agro-ecosystems Sustainability Scorecard (PASS) that combines existing agricultural and landscape sustainability indicators in order to assess alternative agro-ecosystems. The rubric evaluates provisioning, regulating, supporting and cultural ecosystem services such as pollinator presence, biodiversity, pesticides and fertilizer use, carbon sequestration and human interactions. The PASS was used to …

Synthesis And Characterization Of A Hydrolytically Stable Photochromic Copolymer Containing An N-Alkylindolylfulgimide, Samina Yasmeen

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Fulgides and fulgimides comprise one class of thermally irreversible photochromic organic compounds. Light dependent isomerization, has made these organic molecules promising materials for several applications, including optical memory devices, and switches. Hydrolytic stability of fulgides and fulgimides is crucial for their practical applications in biological systems and humid environments. Fulgimides, the most important derivative of fulgides, have a succinimide ring, which, unlike the anhydride ring, of fulgides, is resistant to hydrolytic degradation. A novel N-alkylindolylfulgimide was synthesized and copolymerized with acrylamide. The photochromic and hydrolytic properties of the copolymer in phosphate (pH 7.4) and acetate (pH 5.0) buffer solutions …

A Comprehensive Decision Support Framework In The Front-End Phase Of Major Transportation Projects, Nahid Vesali Mahmoud

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Identifying the best project alternative is a critical challenge facing major transportation projects (MTPs) at the front-end phase. The increasing complexity and dynamism of MTPs have imposed substantial uncertainties and subjectivities in the decision-making process. Despite the efforts made in previous studies, a stochastic framework to facilitate the comprehensive assessment is still missing.

In this research, a stochastic decision support framework has been developed to cope with the considerable uncertainties in MTPs. The features of the proposed decision support framework are achieved by using the Bayesian belief network modeling technique to provide a comprehensive registry of the relevant decision factors, …

Informal Urban Displacement In Rio De Janeiro: Ecolimits And Disaster Biopolitics In The Favela Santa Marta, Charles L. Heck

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the effect of environmental discourse and disaster risk reduction mapping in the favela Santa Marta, an urban informal settlement in the municipality of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. With the world’s largest urban forest within the metro area, Rio de Janeiro is unusual for a metropolis of more than ten million people in the rapidly urbanizing country of Brazil. The government of Rio de Janeiro has attempted to control favela settlements since the early 20^th century, but beginning in the 1990s the prefecture began delimiting favela settlements with environmentally protected areas called ecolimits. According to the state’s …

Management Optimization Of Energy Consumption Reduction For Residential Hot Water, Francesco Cataldi

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this thesis is to create an automatic water management system capable of optimizing the usage of warm water stored in two water tanks to reduce the monthly energy consumption of the instant water heater installed in a residential house. This system is called Water Mixing System (WMS). The two heat sources considered are: PV-T system and heat rejected by the air condition system. The PV-T system is a new technology that allows transformation of the sun radiation into both electricity and warm water, increasing the efficiency of the panel compared to either a common photovoltaic panel or …