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An Ensemble Study Of The Sea Level Rise Impact On Storm Surge And Inundation In The Coastal Bangladesh, Mansur Ali Jisan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The hydrodynamic model Delft3D is used to study the impact of Sea Level Rise (SLR) on storm surge and inundation in the coastal region of Bangladesh. To study the present-day inundation scenario, track of two known tropical cyclones (TC) were used: Aila (Category 1; 2009) and Sidr (Category 5; 2007). Model results were validated with the available observations. Future inundation scenarios were generated by using the strength of TC Sidr, TC Aila and an ensemble of historical TC tracks but incorporating the effect of SLR. Since future change in storm surge inundation under SLR impact is a probabilistic incident, that’s …

An Exploratory Study On The Possible Effect Of Hydraulic Fracturing Activities On Air Quality In The Eagle Ford Shale Region Of Texas., Laura B. Fimibama

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Eagle Ford Shale (EFS) play is one out of five major oil and gas formations in Texas, found in the South-Eastern region with approximately 30 counties. In addition to natural gas, it produces crude oil and petroleum liquids which in recent times has resulted in a surge in drilling due to a new drilling technology – hydraulic fracturing that injects massive quantities of water along with sand and chemical additives into a well to create tiny hairline cracks in rock formations. The success of this technology has made gas extraction more economically feasible. However, this technique has generated an array …

Cloning And Expression Of Bovine Alpha S1 Casein Peptides Of Variable Size And Position Of Sppep Inhibitor Sequence, Avleen Kaur Vishram

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Eurygaster integriceps Puton (Sunn pest) is the most damaging insect pest of wheat in areas of North Africa, Eastern Europe and Western and Central Asia. Sunn pest injects an enzyme characterized as a prolyl endylprotease (spPEP) into wheat grains that digests the gluten protein (Darkoh et al., 2010). Previous studies have shown that casein peptides generated by Lactobacillus species have inhibitory effects on human (hPEP) and bacterial prolyl endoproteases (bPEP) which makes casein a good natural candidate to inhibit spPEP. Developing biopesticides for food products from αS1 casein is complicated due to some allergenic amino acid sequences. Ruiter et al …

Geologic And Geochemical Characterization Of Cross-Communication Potential Within The Northern Edwards Aquifer System, Texas, Ingrid J. Eckhoff

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Edwards Aquifer is a large, complex groundwater system located throughout Central Texas in association with the Balcones Fault Zone. The San Antonio and Barton Spring segments of the Edwards Aquifer have been extensively studied in the past because they provide groundwater resources to the largely urbanized areas of San Antonio and Austin, respectively, and smaller communities along the Interstate 35 corridor. Previous research has been conducted on these southern and central portions of the Edwards Aquifer system, which have characterized the structural, hydrogeological and geochemical variations within the highly karsted region. However, the Northern Segment of the Edwards Aquifer …

Observations And Light Curve Analysis Of Transiting Extra-Solar Planets, Clark M. Holcomb

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to perform the procedures to study transiting exoplanets in their entirety, from the data collection process to determining physical characteristics and orbital properties. The research was conducted with two telescopes of different sizes (16” and 12”) at multiple sites in order to refine the detection process. Both Maxim DL and Mira Pro x64 software were used to process the resulting images. The PHOEBE program was used to model the data to determine the properties of the exoplanets, which were then compared to the results obtained by other astronomers. The data collection process as well …

Tobacco Use, Cessation, And Locus Of Control Among College Students, Bernard Ambe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to (a) determine the locus of control among American college students (b) determine if tobacco use or cessation correlate with any demographic variables to better understand the efficacy of tobacco interventions and help design an intervention most effective in the prominent LOC of college students.

The Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) was modified for the purposes of this study and used to determine demographic factors and tobacco usage status. The modified GATS survey also included the LOC questionnaire which yielded the data. Seventy-four responses were recorded. The mean locus of control scores were …

Pickering Lumber Company: Archival Processing Project, Joyce Madeline Pitts

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Founded by W.R. Pickering in 1894, the Pickering Lumber Company had lumber operations in Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, and California. The company practiced cut-and-run policy that dictated the relocation of lumber operations when the company exhausted its timber holdings. The Pickering Lumber Company operated in Texas and Western Louisiana from 1898 to roughly 1930 when timber holdings were exhausted and financial difficulties brought on by the Great Depression required the withdrawal of the company from its mill at Haslam. This thesis narrates the story of the Pickering Lumber Company and explains the procedures undertaken to process the Pickering Lumber Company Collection …

Effect Of Reproductive Efficiency In Regards To Workload On Peripheral Circulations Of Blood Cortisol And Leptin In The Open Mare, Michaelle K. Coker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Effect of Reproductive Efficiency in Regards to Workload on Peripheral Circulations of Blood Cortisol and Leptin in the Open Mare

(December, 2016)

Michaelle Kathleen Coker, B.S., Texas A&M University

Thesis Director: Dr. John Michael Mehaffey

Quarter and Paint horse mares (n= 9) were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups after being blocked based by expected conception date. Groups consist of mares on no work (NW), light work (LW), and moderate work (MW). Blood was taken weekly via jugular venipuncture prior to first heat cycle from each mare. Additionally, blood was taken at time of ovulation and then weekly …

Opening, Renee M. Wilcox

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

While examining some of the dark, chaotic, destructive issues that exist on a global level, I see an opposite movement actively emerging as a means to counteract, mend, and create new patterns of non-violent communication. This change is an opening to new beginnings. Opening expresses this concept through iconography, the use of symbols, which opens an internal and external dialog with the viewer, through incorporating text, and through portraits of contemporary leaders who are devoted to peace-building work. Members of the community have also expressed this desire to open themselves up to these possibilities, through their written intentions and dreams, …

Zirconium Diboride, Hexagonal Boron Nitride, And Amorphous Alumina Thin Films For High Temperature Applications, David Murdock Stewart

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The use of microelectronic sensors and actuators in harsh, high temperature environments, such as power plants, turbine engines, and industrial manufacturing, could greatly improve the safety, reliability, and energy efficiency of these processes. The primary challenge in implementing this technology is the breakdown and degradation of thin films used in fabricating these devices when exposed to high temperatures >800 °C and oxidizing atmospheres. Zirconium diboride, hexagonal boron nitride, and amorphous alumina are candidate materials for use as thin film sensor components due to their high melting temperatures and stable phases. Zirconium diboride thin films have metallic-like electrical conductivity and remain …

An Analysis Of Gulf Of Maine Cod Metapopulation Structure And Localized Stability, With Application To Area-Based Fisheries Management, Derek Olson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The complex metapopulation structure of groundfish stocks in the Gulf of Maine, particularly Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua), is largely ignored under the current system of broad-scale stock assessment and management. This mismatch of biological and administrative scales has contributed to severe overall stock decline and localized serial depletion of Gulf of Maine cod. Such chronic management failure has led to growing calls for a more area-based, finer-scale approach to managing groundfish in the Gulf of Maine. A primary difficulty hindering the development of finer-scale groundfish management has been the challenge of estimating fishing mortality upon local stock components. …

Wabanaki Access To Sweetgrass (Hierochloe Odorata) Within Coastal Maine's Diminishing Open Land Tradition, Amanda Marie Ellis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nontimber forest products (NTFPs), refer to a class of resources (i.e. moss, fungi, mushrooms, plants, etc.) gathered in both rural and urban landscapes. NTFPs are utilized by a variety of cultures all over the world and are a critical part of medicinal, spiritual, dietary, and economic practices. In fact, some NTFP species are so critical to people that they are considered ‘cultural keystone species’ (Garibaldi and Turner 2004). This designation means that without access to the NTFP, cultural survival is at risk. This is the case in Maine where the Wabanaki, a confederacy of four tribes (Passamaqouddy, Penobscot, Mikmaq, and …

Roles Of Siphon Flows In Suspension Feeding, Kevin Du Clos

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Benthic marine suspension feeders provide an important link between benthic and pelagic ecosystems. The strength of this link is determined by suspension-feeding rates. Many studies have measured suspension-feeding rates using indirect clearance-rate methods, which are based on the depletion of suspended particles. Direct methods that measure the flow of water itself are less common, but they can be more broadly applied because clearance-rate measurements are affected by properties of the cleared particles. We present pumping rates for three species of suspension feeders, the clams Mya arenaria and Mercenaria mercenaria and the tunicate Ciona intestinalis, calculated using a direct method …

Sperner's Lemma, The Brouwer Fixed Point Theorem, The Kakutani Fixed Point Theorem, And Their Applications In Social Sciences, Ayesha Maliwal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Can a cake be divided amongst people in such a manner that each individual is content with their share? In a game, is there a combination of strategies where no player is motivated to change their approach? Is there a price where the demand for goods is entirely met by the supply in the economy and there is no tendency for anything to change? In this paper, we will prove the existence of envy-free cake divisions, equilibrium game strategies and equilibrium prices in the economy, as well as discuss what brings them together under one heading.

This paper examines three …

Exploring The Liminal Space: Dual Enrollment At Maine's Community Colleges, Amy Lynn Hubbard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Exploring the Liminal Space: Dual Enrollment at Maine's Community Colleges

Only 39% of matriculated students will earn a college degree or certificate in six years due to inadequate preparation in high school (Center for Community College Student Engagement, 2016). Dual enrollment (DE) courses have been touted as one way to bridge the gap between high school and college (Hanson, Prusha, & Iverson, 2015; Harnish & Lynch, 2005; Johnson & Brophy, 2006; Karp, Calcagno, Hughes, Jeong, & Bailey, 2007; Morrison, 2008; Smith, 2007; Swanson, 2008). Dual enrollment is broadly defined as any course in which a high school student earns college …

The Forgotten Cousin In Freshwater Community Ecology: Tidal Freshwater Wetlands, Jack R. Mclachlan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Tidal freshwaters are unique in their placement in the landscape, forming where freshwater riverine flows are sufficient to overwhelm the saline water of the incoming tide, but not strong enough to suppress tidal water-height fluctuations. Tidal freshwaters and their wetlands have been overlooked by freshwater and marine researchers alike; neither discipline considers tidal freshwaters to fall under their purview. Invertebrate communities in tidal freshwaters are thought to be species depauperate; the consensus is that they support fewer taxa than nearby non-tidal freshwaters, but little is known about how these communities are structured. This study investigated how tidal hydrology, an atypical …

Experimental Methods And Practices For The Study Of Toroidal Inflated, Braided Fabric Members, Daniel J. Whitney

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Inflatable structures have become a very important area of interest for many differing applications where lightweight packable structures are required. NASA is developing Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (HIAD) technology that takes advantage of stacked, inflated fabric tori to form a decelerating spacecraft nose cone. The tori consist of a bladder, braided fabric shell, and reinforcing in the form of integral cords or externally bonded straps. The focus of this thesis is on the development of methods for the structural testing of inflated fabric tori and developing an enhanced understanding of their behavior. This is essential for providing insight into the …

The Influence Of The Invasive Chinese Tallow (Triadica Sebifera) Leaf Litter On Aquatic Chemistry And Microbial Community Composition, Raymond D. Montez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Global climate change and anthropogenic activity have facilitated the movement and invasive potential of nonnative plants in native environments. These invasions can have negative effects on ecosystem diversity and function. The nonnative and invasive plant, Chinese Tallow (Triadica sebifera), has already invaded much of the south eastern US where it is outcompeting native tree species and changing ecosystem diversity in a variety of habitats. Leaf litter from the Chinese tallow has been shown cause changes in dissolved oxygen and pH in the aquatic environment. Turbidity is also affected when Chinese tallow litter is present in water. A series of …

Chemical And Non-Chemical Control Of Potato Pink Rot, Xuemei (Missi) Zhang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pink rot of potato (Solanum tuberosum) is a widespread soilborne disease that causes significant losses in the field and storage. It is caused by Phytophthora erythroseptica (Pethybr.), an oomycete pathogen that produces sexual spores that can survive in soil for years. The management of pink rot mainly relies on chemical control. However, the most effective chemical in pink rot control, mefenoxam, is losing its efficacy owing to the development of mefenoxam resistance in P. erythroseptica. To evaluate alternative fungicides (including chemical and biological fungicides) to mefenoxam in pink rot control, two greenhouse experiments and three field trials …

Liberalism And Racial Justice In Relation To Disadvantaged African-American Communities, William S. Allen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

An ongoing social and political problem in America is how to bring about full racial justice for African Americans, particularly in regards to disadvantaged African-American communities. Give that American institutions, laws and political culture are rooted in ideas found in liberal political philosophy, it is apropos to investigate how liberalism addresses racial justice and whether it can serve as an effective guide towards fully realizing African-American racial justice. In this dissertation, I use liberal political philosophy in the tradition of J. S. Mill, John Rawls and classical British social contract theorists to provide insight into the socio-political status, and obligations …

Monotonic Testing Of Fully And Partially Anchored Wood-Shear Walls, Sean Michael Pezeshk

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Currently in the United States of America (USA), there are around 125 million single-family dwellings (SFDs), most of which consist of wood-frame construc-tion (SSA 2015). Traditionally wood frame construction SFDs have performed well in seismic events but more efficient designs against earthquake loads is de-sired. More than 143 million Americans are living in seismic regions and nearly 28 million live in high seismic regions (SSA 2015). During an earthquake event, the lateral forces created are characterized as cyclic and random. The main lateral force resisting system for these wood-frame SFDs is the shear wall, there-fore it is critical that the …

Examining Pre-Kindergarten-Grade 8 Teacher Practices And Perceptions Regarding Using Facebook And Twitter For Parent-Teacher Communication, Heidi L. Gruber

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative, descriptive, survey research was to examine pre-Kindergarten–Grade 8 teacher’s perceptions regarding their preparedness, propensity, and felt value of using Facebook and Twitter for parent–teacher communication. The 38 participants completed the Teacher Presurvey, followed by an online instructional intervention, which was proven effective in showing teachers how to use Facebook and Twitter for parent–teacher communication, through Teacher Postsurvey data. Data from the Teacher Presurvey and Postsurvey were used to examine three research questions. In the study, the researcher also investigated teacher perceptions of the benefits of using social media, and solicited what they perceived to be …

Carrie Mae Weems And The Construction Of Visual Text, W Michael Mosby

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Once photography's democratization of image started to take root in mid-1800's the evolution of the projected character of Emancipated African American became entwined with the visual, as well as the literary. My work examines MacArthur Fellow Carrie Mae Weems's series From Here I Saw What Happened and I Cried as a contemporary literary text in direct dialogue with Frederick Douglass's ideas about photography's place in the regeneration of "self-image" for the new race of free African Americans. Weems's use of historical photographs originally intended to reinforce the same stereotypes Douglass hoped to defeat reclaims the individual in each image of …

Mold In Residences And The Associated Respiratory Diseases/Symptoms Among Occupants, Bhavin Vinod Chauhan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Indoor mold may cause asthma and other respiratory symptoms; however, no study has been conducted in homes in Memphis. This study aims to monitor indoor mold exposure and explore its relationship to respiratory symptoms/illnesses. Environmental monitoring was conducted in 15 homes (9 with visible mold and 6 without) in Shelby County. Indoor environmental samples included ground and air vent dust, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), real-time particulate matter (PM), CO2, relative humidity (RH), and temperature. In laboratory, mold in dust samples were analyzed using an Endpoint PCR and VOCs on a thermal desorption-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (TD-GC/MS) system. No association was found …

Insights In Leveraging It Strategies: The Importance Of Identity In Adaptive Personalization Systems In Online Retailing And The Impact Of Open Source Software Production And Management Team's Knowledge On Software Startup's Success, Son Ngoc Bui

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In dynamic markets, companies constantly look for new ways to attract more customers, accelerate innovation, and improve their products. This two-way dissertation examines different information technology (IT) strategies used by firms to compete.The first essay investigates the impact of customers' willingness to share identity information on their repurchase intention whem companies use online adaptive personalization systems. The secondessays empirically open source software (OSS) startups' success and proprietary closed-source software startups' success and examines how the top management team's business knowledge moderates the impact of software production strategy on startups' success. Adaptive personalization systems are becoming common in online retail. These …

An Analysis Of The Relationship Between The Perceptions Of Value-Added Measurement And Teacher Job Satisfaction, Meagan A. Viar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Educational leaders are struggling with the issue of academic reform as it pertains to accountability for student achievement. With increasing pressures to improve student achievement, many states have adopted value-added measures to monitor student growth and teacher effectiveness. This study undertook a quantitative approach to examine the relationship between teacher perceptions of value-added evaluations, teachers' three-year mean value-added scores, and teacher job satisfaction using One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVAs). The four major questions posed in this study are as follows: 1) What are selected TN teachers' perceptions of the TVAAS-based teacher evaluation system in terms of fairness, accuracy, understandability, and …

Converting Clinician To Educator: Preparation For Dental Education By Continuing Professional Education, Lynn Samons Russell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Healthcare education is of the utmost importance for all individuals in our society. Those that teach in healthcare professional programs are often unprepared for the challenges that are present. Ill-prepared educators may or may not provide a quality education to those students who will eventually care for us. This research addresses this problem by questioning dental and dental hygiene educators currently involved in educating students. It further focuses on the manner in which the interviewed individuals have been prepared to offer instruction and whether that preparation has been adequate. Data was obtained by semi-structured interviews of dental educators who had …

Metabolic Alteration Induced By Time Restricted Feeding At Different Points In The Circadian Cycle, Laura Brooks Crone

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The goal was to determine if a high fat diet given in a time restricted fashion can protect against obesity and inflammatory mediators. 12 week old C57BL/6 male mice were assigned to either a standard chow diet or a diet containing 45% fat. The high fat diet was provided ad libitum or in a time restricted fashion, either during the first of the second half of the active phase for 8 weeks. Time restricted meal intake reduced body mass gain, adiposity, glucose intolerance and cholesterol levels in mice fed a high fat diet. Mice fed a high fat diet, even …

A Comprehensive Discrete Choice Analysis Of Injury Severity In Roadway Work Zone Crashes, Mohamed Osman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Work zones are critical parts of the transportation infrastructure renewal process consisting of rehabilitation of roadways, maintenance, and utility work. Given the specific nature of a work zone (complex arrangements of traffic control devices and signs, narrow lanes, duration) a number of crashes occur with varying severities involving different vehicle sizes.This dissertation proposes a comprehensive discrete choice analysis of injury severity of crashes in work zones on both the crash and occupant levels, in roadway work zones through a comprehensive set of discrete choice econometric frameworks. Robust discrete choice modeling structures are introduced and applied in the field of work …

An Examination Of Academic Advising Experiences Of Undergraduate Students Enrolled In Face-To-Face And Online Courses When Considering Gender, Ethnicity, First Generation Status, And Pell Grant Status, Dorothy Moss Hale

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Higher attrition rates among students in online as compared to face-to-face (F2F) degrees are a major concern in higher education. Consequently, many institutions are rethinking academic advising to support the retention and graduation of F2F and online students. This study analyzed existing data collected from 522 undergraduate seniors at a large public urban university who completed the 2014 National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) Academic Advising Module. Three research questions guided the study: 1) To what degree, if any, does the frequency of interaction with academic advisors reported by undergraduate students differ on the basis of course format (face-to-face vs. …