Digital Commons Network^™

The Multiple Pool Migrating Worker Paradigm : A Distributed System Framework And Model, Cynthia Ann Stanley

Dissertations and Theses

A network of workstations (NOW) can provide an inexpensive and effective distributed processing platform. The purpose of this thesis is two-fold, providing a methodology for distributed computing on a NOW first, and providing a model to predict and monitor performance second. The Multiple Pool-Migrating Worker (MPMW) paradigm uses multiple job pools to divide up tasks and migrating workers to balance the work load. The MPMW paradigm is a quick and efficient way of implementing problems using distributed processing without extensive knowledge of parallel programming. A model describing the MPMW paradigm is developed using queuing theory and Mean Value Analysis techniques. …

Ventilation Rates For Carassius Auratus During Changes In Dissolved Oxygen, Collin Nolan

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This experiment was designed to determine whether dissolved oxygen concentrations would influence the ventilation rate of goldfish, Carassius auratus. Ventilation rate can be determined by counting opercular movements. Opercular movements of the same five goldfish were counted at three different levels of dissolved oxygen to determine whether there were differences in ventilation rates. Average ventilation rates were established for each of the three levels of dissolved oxygen and compared statistically. There were significant differences in the ventilation rates averages at each of the three levels. Carassius auratus will exhibit changes in ventilation rates when dissolved oxygen levels change.

It Takes More Than Good Intentions : A Qualitative Study Of Cross-Cultural Teaching, Diane Creitz Cudahy

Doctoral Dissertations

Striking differences exist between the ethnic and racial diversity of the public school student population and the increasing homogeneity of the current and projected teaching force. Teachers in increasing numbers, many by necessity, some by accident and a few by choice, find themselves responsible for the education of children whose economic, cultural, racial and social world are different from their own. This study addresses the absence of the teacher's perspective in the literature on cross-cultural teaching. It describes the experiences of a group of White teachers involuntarily transferred from rural and suburban schools to inner-city schools which serve predominately African-American …

On Scheduling Real-Time Periodic Tasks In A Multiprocessor Environment., Stephen J. Bernard

Student Work

Real-Time periodic tasks are at the heart of many critical processing computer systems. Nuclear power plants, military command and control systems, aircraft automatic flight control systems, hospital life-support equipment all require precise processing performed within very strict timelines. Missing deadlines can have catastrophic consequences. The rate-monotonic priority assignment policy for scheduling hard-deadline periodic tasks was developed to guarantee those deadlines. In this thesis, we study the problem of scheduling hard-deadline periodic tasks. We begin by surveying the current state of multiprocessor rate-monotonic scheduling and reviewing earlier work. We present the results of a number of experiments we conducted to evaluate …

Relationships Between Selected Environmental Characteristics, Neighborhood Type, And School Achievement, Franklin Titus Iii

Student Work

The primary purpose of this study was to determine if neighborhood and school type help to predict 4th and 6th grade academic achievement above and beyond traditional socioeconomic status (SES) indices. A second purpose was to determine whether the findings of environmental effects research for smaller-size cities differ from studies which investigate larger urban centers. The study also sought to identify potential ways neighborhoods could be meaningfully classified in ways that might aid future research, and the possible presence of schools that succeed despite a profile that says they should not. Achievement test results of schools (N=61) from two Midwest …

Communication Apprehension And Exercise Adherence: An Exploratory Study, Janette Thomas Carr

Student Work

This thesis explored whether adhering to an exercise program could significantly predict an individual’s level of communication apprehension (CA). The project expands the study o f CA by analyzing a potentially new treatment option for alleviating this fear of communication. Specifically, it asked if an individual’s level o f exercise adherence (EA) - as measured by the four components of intensity, frequency, duration, and longevity - could significantly predict an individual’s level CA in each o f the four contexts - interpersonal conversations, group discussion, meetings and public speaking - and overall. Five research questions were posited (one for each …

Interparental Conflict, Family Environment And Perceived Interpersonal Conflicts Among Late Adolescents, Harry Durell Johnson

Student Work

The characteristics of interpersonal conflict within the family system during adolescence may be influenced not only by the attempts of adolescent's to individuate from their parents, but also by the environment in which this individuation process occurs. Family systems that are characterized by decreased family cohesion and increased interparental conflict may inadvertently provide environments that foster increases in conflict among its members. How these environmental factors are associated with the quantitative and qualitative aspects of conflict is an important question which is addressed in this study. The relationship between the family system environment (i.e., family cohesion and interparental conflict), participant's …

Samuel Pandolfo And The Mail Fraud Statute, Susan Marie Juza

Student Work

Talents of flaws in a man's character may go unnoticed until forced into the public's eye by unforeseen circumstances. Samel Pandolfo, a southern-born promoter, influenced many people's lives by his charismatic personality and his business ventures. Pandolfo had a zest for life, and moved frequently through his adult career, touching many communities. His range of interests included teaching, selling insurance, building an automobile manufacturing plant, developing a health food business, and promoting a loan company. While he invested much energy and money into these ventures, they all eventually failed.

Mccook's Man On Main Street: Publisher Harry D. Strunk And The Politics Of Water Reclamation In Southwest Nebraska, 1928-1938, Charles E. Real

Student Work

By the time Harry D. Strunk arrived in his new home of McCook, Nebraska in 1909, he had set his sights on becoming a newspaperman. While only seventeen years-old at the time of his first job with a McCook newspaper, he had already worked as a printer's devil and itinerant printer since the age of fourteen. With his arrival in McCook and first job in that city with the established Tribune, he soon found that his future in the newspaper business lay with starting his own paper. In 1911, without benefit of a formal journalistic education, Strunk opened the Red …

The League Of Women Voters Of Greater Omaha, 1920-1995, Deborah C. O'Donnell

Student Work

Most people know the League of Women Voters for its election-related activities; however, the League of Women Voters of Greater Omaha is also a recognized force in shaping public policy and in promoting citizen participation at all levels of government. In addition to voter registration activities and preparing voters' guides, League members also study important civic issues and give the public the information they need in deciding questions requiring potential political action. Six months before the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, the National League of Woman Voters was launched as an independent organization. The Omaha League was …

Developmentally Disabled Elderly: Reflections Of The Aging Network Workers' Readiness, Daniel Alan Kash

Student Work

This study looks at the readiness of the aging network workers to work with the developmentally disabled elderly. The developmentally disabled elderly population will grow along with the rest of the aging population. As this occurs, the aging network workers may be called upon to work with the developmentally disabled elderly population. This study surveyed the aging networker workers to determine their attitudes and opinions in serving the developmentally disabled elderly population. Specifically, the survey looked at the attitudes and opinions of the aging network workers of the developmentally disabled elderly population in the following areas: perceptions of the field, …

The 1992 Conventions, The Newsmagazines And The Candidates: A Content Analysis, Christine Clifford Peschier

Student Work

The purpose of this study was to examine Time, Newsweek, and U.S. News & World Report during the 1992 national party conventions to investigate how the newsmagazines depicted George Bush, Bill Clinton and Ross Perot, and how these depictions contributed to the candidates' image. Through content analysis, the results of this study indicated distinct difference in how the candidates were portrayed, in the newsmagazines treatment of the candidates, and in the newsmagazines use of assertions.

Opposing Versions Of Our Nation's Past: A Selective Look At The Absolutist And Accommodationist Debate Over The Proper Interpretation Of The Establishment Clause, Angela Mcmullen

Student Work

Few sections of the Bill of Rights have prompted more controversy than its initial clause: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion." Over the past half-century, judges and legal scholars have sought repeatedly to define the intent of the framers of the clause. Their efforts and their use of historical sources in that pursuit have led to considerable discord and legal confusion. The modern controversy began with Justice Hugo Black's opinion in Everson v. Board of Education (1947) which included an extensive historical essay maintaining that the framers of the First Amendment meant to erect a "wall …

Developmentally Disabled Elderly: Reflections Of The Aging Network Workers' Readiness, Daniel Alan Kash

Student Work

This study looks at the readiness of the aging network workers to work with the developmentally disabled elderly. The developmentally disabled elderly population will grow along with the rest of the aging population. As this occurs, the aging network workers may be called upon to work with the developmentally disabled elderly population. This study surveyed the aging networker workers to determine their attitudes and opinions in serving the developmentally disabled elderly population. Specifically, the survey looked at the attitudes and opinions of the aging network workers of the developmentally disabled elderly population in the following areas: perceptions of the field, …

Canine Hypoadrenocorticism (Canine Addison's Disease): History, Contemporary Diagnosis By Practicing Veterinarians, And Epidemiology, William James Kelch

Doctoral Dissertations

This study of canine hypoadrenocorticism (canine Addison's disease; adrenal insufficiency) used several techniques to determine the incidence and prevalence of the disease and to identify factors associated with its occurrence. These techniques were historical; statistical, including meta-analysis and logistic regression; and epidemiologic, including both case series and case control data. Data were gathered by: extracting the details of cases reported in the veterinary literature, a rudimentary meta-anaylsis; using data obtained by Ciba Animal Health in the clinical trial of the drug microcrystalline desoxycorticosterone pivalate (DOCP); using data obtained from the Veterinary Medical Data Base (VMDB), a data repository of clinical …

Mechanisms Of Carnitine-Mediated Modulation Of Aflatoxin B1-Dna Adduct Formation, Ayub Mohd Yatim

Doctoral Dissertations

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the possible mechanism(s) of L-carnitine-mediated modulation of AFB₁-DNA adducts formation. The first part of the study investigated the effect of increased doses of carnitine on AFB₁ binding to macromolecules, AFB₁ uptake, activity of glutathione S-transferase (GST), and total glutathione concentrations in freshly isolated hepatocytes. Carnitine dose was significantly correlated with the formation of AFB₁-DNA adduct ( r = -0.68;p = 0.0002 ), AFB₁-protein adduct (r = 0.58;p = 0.017), but not AFB₁-RNA adduct (r = 0.14;p = 0.604). …

The Factors Affecting The Transfer Of Training Based On The Opportunity To Perform Trained Tasks, David Arnold Blair

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify and define the factors that affect the transfer of newly learned skills to the job. One factor that has been shown to affect the transfer of training to the job is the extent to which the training participants are given the opportunity to perform trained tasks once they return to their jobs. The opportunity to perform was to consist of two dimensions: breadth and activity level.

Training participants from a government facility and their immediate supervisors (N = 74) responded to two different questionnaires which measured the three dimensions of the opportunity …

Secular Change And Allometry In The Long Limb Bones Of Americans From The Mid 1700s Through The 1970s, Lee Meadows Jantz

Doctoral Dissertations

Secular change has long been of interest to researchers in fields ranging from human growth to human identification. In addition to changes in size, changes in limb bone proportions may also have occurred.

Secular change in size and limb bone length proportion was investigated in five U.S. skeletal samples (Total N =2700) with dates of birth ranging from mid 1700 to 1970s. The six long bones are measured for maximum lengths, and stature is known for a approximately 2000 individuals. The goals of this study include 1) examining any changes in the long bones and stature of white and black …

Cultural Value Orientations As An Antecedent To The Formation Of International Interfirm Relationships: The Developmentof Cultural Value Dimensions In A Business Context, Susan Forquer Gupta

Doctoral Dissertations

With the importance of international interfirm relationships increasing, it becomes critical to understand the antecedents and consequences of relationship formation. Difficulty in relationships occur when firms with differing cultural value orientations attempt to engage in exchange. Culture affects the international firm in several ways: 1) difficulty in establishing a single organizational culture when a firm is comprised of multi-national employees; 2) difficulty in serving the market when cultural differences exist in the consumer; and 3) difficulty in establishing interfirm relationships across cultural boundaries. Individually, these problems are difficult to resolve, combined they can lead to failure. The first two have …

Improvements In A Hybrid Stochastic/Deterministic Method For Transient Three-Dimensional Neutron Transport, Charles L. Bentley

Doctoral Dissertations

This research develops an improved methodology (and corresponding code) for solving the time-dependent, three-dimensional Boltzmann Transport Equation with explicit representation of delayed neutrons. These improvements are incorporated in a modified version of the code TDKENO, entitled TDKENO-M. Specifically, these improvements are:

1. Incorporate the improved quasistatic methodology into an existing quasistatic framework. Specifically, include the flux shape derivative in the fixed source term instead of being neglected. Also, compute the point kinetics parameters deterministically by their inner product definitions.

2. Incorporate a hierarchy of three different integration time intervals for the numerical solution of the coupled set of ordinary differential …

Extensions Of Green's Function Discretization For Modeling Acoustics In Inhomogeneous Media, Jonathan C. French

Doctoral Dissertations

This research examines two new methods to numerically model linear field equations with spatially varying coefficients, with a particular focus on the acoustic velocity potential equation. The methods are based on a new field discretization technique, Green's function discretization (GFD), which was primarily developed to model the Hehnholtz equation for frequency domain acoustics problems in homogeneous media. GFD can be used to model acoustics in inhomogeneous media by assuming constant media properties across each computational stencil. The methods presented herein correct GFD for variations in the media across each stencil in two distinct ways: via a Fredholm volume integral, and …

Delayed Harvest Effects On The Moisture Sorption Properties Of Soybeans, Samuel Gaither Mcneill

Doctoral Dissertations

Absorption and desorption characteristics were determined for three varieties of soybean seeds that were harvested over 16 weeks in two crop years. Harvest began at physiological maturity and extended well beyond a normal harvest period. Fully exposed absorption tests were followed by desorption tests in all cases under near constant temperature and air flow conditions. Experimental data were analyzed by empirical, theoretical, and statistical models.

An investigation of the morphological features of soybean seeds led to sorption tests with two soybean varieties which included covering the hilum area (approximately 10% of the total surface area) with wax. It was concluded …

Multijurisdictional Cooperation In Municipal Solid Waste Management, Kelly Tiller

Doctoral Dissertations

This study examines the decision of local governments to conduct municipal solid waste (MSW) planning and management independently or cooperatively. First, the research develops a theoretical framework in which the decision process of local governments may be examined, drawing upon economic theory as well as other social science disciplines. According to the theoretical model developed, a governmental unit first selects optimal levels of choice characteristics, conditioned upon own characteristics, that maximize utility. The unit then compares the resulting optimal utility to utility levels achievable with alternative feasible arrangements for provision of MSW planning and management, to select the feasible arrangement …

Troubling Gender : Transgression And Postmodern Fiction, Kristi Larkin Havens

Doctoral Dissertations

From the violation of the incest taboo in Acker's Blood and Guts in High School to Pynchon's coprophiliac scene in Gravity's Rainbow, from Ballard's eroticization of the automobile in Crash to the ritualized rape and castration of Evelyn in Carter's The Passion of New Eve, transgression is central to much postmodern fiction. Such transgression has been read as a drama of liberation, wherein natural desires are vindicated and unnatural restraints are rejected. However, postmodern critiques of natural desire demand that we reevaluate the traditional notion of liberation and explore its reliance on conceptions of transgression that rely on models of …

Mein Kampf, Raul Marrero

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Our Endangered Animals: A Wildlife Management Case Study, Robin A. Renfroe

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

The Non-Traditional Student Experience, Susan M. Bovinette

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Advertising Trends In Territory 25, Heather Greeling

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Burst Pressure Prediction Of Filament Wound Composite Pressure Vessels Using Acoustic Emission, Marcus Elwood Fisher

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

This research demonstrates how acoustic emission (AE) data from flaw growth activity can be used to predict burst pressures in filament wound composite pressure vessels. Acoustic emission data were taken during hydroproof testing for a set of eleven ASTM standard 5.75 inch diameter fiberglass/epoxy bottles. Amplitude distributions were created using only the AE data up to 25% of the expected burst pressure to simulate low level proof loadings (thereby avoiding damage to the bottles). The bottles were tested at three different temperatures -- 32°F, 70°F, and 110°F - and hydroproofed using two different pressurization schemes and two transducer configurations. Moreover, …

Arrogance In The Name Of Christ: An Ethical Criticism Of Ralph Reed's Persuasive Narratives, Peter Allen Vanoosting

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.