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Data Fusion Based Optimal Eeg Electrode Selection For Early Diagnosis Of Alzheimer's Disease, Brian Balut

Theses and Dissertations

As medicinal and technological advances lengthen the average human life span, diseases affecting the elderly such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease are seeing increasingly growing numbers, especially in developed countries. As a result, the necessity for an accurate, inexpensive, noninvasive means of diagnosis becomes particularly important, since such a method is not readily available to the general population. One biomarker that has recently showed promise is the analysis of the electroencephalogram (EEG).

Over the course of two studies, more than 130 subjects have been recruited providing information from 16-19 EEG electrodes for each subject. These signals have been decomposed …

Ensemble Of Classifiers Based Data Fusion Of Eeg And Mri For Diagnosis Of Neurodegenerative Disorders, Tejash Patel

Theses and Dissertations

The prevalence of Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) are rising at an alarming rate as the average age of the population increases, especially in developing nations. The efficacy of the new medical treatments critically depends on the ability to diagnose these diseases at the earliest stages. To facilitate the availability of early diagnosis in community hospitals, an accurate, inexpensive, and noninvasive diagnostic tool must be made available. As biomarkers, the event related potentials (ERP) of the electroencephalogram (EEG) - which has previously shown promise in automated diagnosis - in addition to volumetric magnetic resonance …

Use Of Linear Predictive Features And Pattern Recognition Techniques To Develop A Vector Quantization Based Blind Snr Estimation System, Russell Paul Ondusko Iii

Theses and Dissertations

Signal-to-noise ratio is defined as the ratio of a given transmitted signal to the background noise of the transmission medium. Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is a common concept found in all forms of electrical communications. The easiest way to measure the signal-to-noise ratio is through intrusive means in which a corrupt signal is compared to its original signal. This technique is inefficient and impractical because it requires the original signal and can only be used to theoretically test the noise properties of a channel rather than estimate the SNR of a communicated signal. Characteristics of speech signals can be used to …

Exploration Of Multiple Pathways For The Development Of Immersive Virtual Reality Environments, Kevin Laurence Garrison

Theses and Dissertations

The focus of this thesis is the study and recommendation of optimal techniques for developing immersive virtual environments for generic applications. The overarching objective is to ensure that virtual environments can be created and deployed, rapidly and accurately, using commercial off-the-shelf software. Specific subjective and objective criteria have been employed to determine trade-offs between multiple pathways for designing such environments and specific recommendations are made for the applicability of each. The efficacy of the techniques developed as part of this research work has been demonstrated by applying them to three widely differing areas - visualizing arbitrary 2D surface data, synthesis …

Quad General Tree Drawing Algorithm And General Trees Characterization: Towards An Environment For The Experimental Study On General Tree Drawing Algorithms, Chu Yao

Theses and Dissertations

Information visualization produces (interactive) visual representations of abstract data to reinforce human cognition and perception; thus enabling the viewer to gain knowledge about the internal structure of the data and causal relationships in it. The visualization of information hierarchies is concerned with the presentation of abstract hierarchical information about relationships between various entities. It has many applications in diverse domains such as software engineering, information systems, biology, and chemistry. Information hierarchies are typically modeled by an abstract tree, where vertices are entities and edges represent relationships between entities. The aim of visualizing tree drawings is to automatically produce drawings of …

Investigation Of The Performance Of Flexible Pavement Systems Under Moving Loads Using Finite Element Analyses, Dona Jacqueline Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

The introduction of larger and heavier aircraft with more complex wheel configurations is making the current design methods inadequate for airfield pavements. In addition, airport pavements experience significant wander. However, the effect of wander on airport pavement performance has not been evaluated. In previous studies, the stress interactions between each tire of a triple-dual-tandem (TDT) axle used on B-777 and A380 aircraft cannot be captured using a two-dimensional model. In addition, many of these studies have assumed a linear-elastic material behavior of the pavement layers.

The purpose of this study is to conduct a three-dimensional finite element analysis to quantify …

Consumer Adoption Of Bandwidth Intensive Applications And Its Impacts On Broadband Adoption, Peter Helekiah Oburu

Economics Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the capacity required by an internet application in tandem with the network connection type (dial-up or broadband). An internet user’s experience in accessing various types of applications with either high bandwidth or low bandwidth is examined in a consumer choice model of broadband adoption. A consumer implicitly values the time-saving benefits derived from a higher speed internet connection used to access a particular internet application, and compares those utility benefits to the higher price of high speed connection services in making the decision to shift to broadband or remain with a dial-up connection. We find that using …

Estimating The Firm’S Demand For Human Resource Management Practices, Benjamin Israel Miller

Economics Dissertations

This dissertation investigates two related aspects of firms’ choice of HRM practices. The first is why some firms expend a great deal of resources on HRM practices for each employee while others spend very little; the second is the extent to which firms’ bundles of HRM practices sort into general discrete employment systems. In order to empirically address these issues, this dissertation uses an economics-based theoretical approach. The key theoretical link to economics is to treat HRM as a separate factor input in the production process, which allows me to derive an HRM input demand function. This function expresses the …

Predictability In The Indian Stock Market: A Study From An Econometric Perspective., Debabrata Mukhopadhyay Dr.

Doctoral Theses

No abstract provided.

Language Attitudes, Linguistic Knowledge, And The Multicultural Education Of Pre-Service Teachers: A Sociolinguistic Study, Maria Elisa Paredes

Dissertations

Abstract This research created, implemented and evaluated the impact of a language unit designed to increase linguistic knowledge and change attitudes toward linguistic diversity for pre-service teachers taking an education class that focused on child and adolescent development at an urban university in Missouri. Both quantitative and qualitative measures were used to document learning and attitude change toward linguistic variety during 4-8 hours of instruction. The language unit included a pretest/posttest design, an overview of general linguistics, phonetics, phonology, sociolinguistics, language acquisition and bilingualism; the unit utilized multiple digital tools (DVD & CD) created by the researcher. Demographic correlates to …

Mezirow's Transformational Learning Theory And Alternative Health Therapeutics Of Mind, Body, And Spirit, Lewis Edward Blackwell

Dissertations

An illness, like prostate cancer, brings crisis to our experience and confuses the structure of our reality as well as disturbs our meaning which is upheld by interpretive imagery. Hence, recovery involves a learning experience that consists of a reflective, educational, and spiritual process to rebuild and reconstruct meaning through the use and transformation of our images and themes to create meaning. The purpose of the research was to investigate the meaning of the illness experience through the lens of transformational learning theory. As such, one-on-one interviews were conducted with 10 African American men who lived in large metropolitan areas …

The Rooney Rule: Affirmative Action Policy And Institutional Discrimination In The National Football League, Erica R. Smith

Open Access Dissertations

African American underrepresentation in positions of power within the intercollegiate and professional sports hierarchy continues to be a major concern among the media, professional sports organizations, and academic researchers. Although African Americans dominate the rosters of college and professional football teams, they remain grossly underrepresented in the management ranks. In 2002, the NFL designed a diversity plan that is commonly referred to as the "Rooney Rule" in order to increase the recruitment of African-Americans in head coaching positions. This dissertation is based on an examination of the impact of this policy in fostering diversity in NFL hiring patterns for the …

Origination, Rachel Huckins

Theses

My thesis is focused on progressions found within the human life cycle, specifically on the acts of creation, birth, and growth. I am inspired by the idea that all new life contains a certain potential, yet to be fulfilled. Some of the are a series of parts, which represent a change and movement over time. Color plays an important role, visually and conceptually using a pallet of whites to create a sense of purity and freshness associated with the beginning of life. I see my sculptures as a microcosm of the human life cycle, which symbolically represent the various types …

The Relationship Between Nonword Repetition Performance And Social Behaviors In 7- To 11-Year-Old Children With Language Impairment, Bethany Lynne Hillary

Theses and Dissertations

Recent literature has suggested a link between verbal working memory and language impairment (LI) in children. There is limited research, however, about the link between verbal working memory and social behaviors in children with LI. This study was designed to explore the relationship between social behaviors (measured by the Teacher Behavior Rating Scale; Hart & Robinson, 1996) and verbal working memory abilities (measured by a 3-, 4-, and 5-syllable nonword repetition task) in children with LI. Thirty-six children (18 with LI and 18 typically developing) aged 7 to 11 years participated in the study. Children with LI were rated by …

Dynamic Optical Model Of The Primate Crystalline Lens And Implications For The Restoration Of Accommodation, David Borja

Open Access Dissertations

The human crystalline lens is a complex, inhomogeneous and dynamic optical element which enables the eye to adjust focus in a process known as accommodation. Age related changes in the optical and mechanical properties of the lens cause a loss in accommodative ability leading to a condition known as presbyopia. Several experimental surgical techniques are under development for the correction of presbyopia. The goal of this dissertation is to better understand the relationship between the crystalline lens shape, its non-uniform refractive index gradient and its optical power and their changes with age and accommodation. In this study direct lens power …

On The Variability Of The Wind Stress At The Air-Sea Interface, Fei Zhang

Open Access Dissertations

This dissertation investigates wind-wave-current interaction, wave breaking detection and the analysis of breaking characteristics at the air-sea interface. In-situ data measured during the Shoaling Waves Experiment (SHOWEX) and Baltic Sea Swell Experiment (BASE) are applied in the studies and analysis. Wind, wind stress and wave data were obtained from several Air Sea Interaction Spar (ASIS) buoys. Surface currents were measured by a High-Frequency Ocean Surface Current Radar. Two distinct types of wave-current-wind interaction were observed in the presence of a strong along-coast current. First, the horizontal current shear resulted in wind-sea waves shifting away from the wind direction. This motion …

Superconducting Iridium Thin Films Astransition Edge Sensors, Daniela F. Bogorin

Open Access Dissertations

Transition edge sensors are the detectors of choice for a wide range of applications; from dark matter search, neutrino search, to cosmic radiation detection from near infrared to millimeter wavelengths. We are developing transition edge sensors using superconducting iridium thin films and we are proposing their use for future dark matter and neutrino search experiments. Our Ir films are deposited using an radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering and photolithographic techniques and measured using an adiabatic refrigerator capable of reaching temperatures of a few tens of mK. This thesis presents a detailed description of superconducting iridium thin films from the fabrication …

Recreation Policies And Programs For New Immigrants To Canada: A Case Study Of Spanish-Speaking Immigrants In Windsor, Ontario., Matias Ignacio Golob

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Towards The Total Synthesis Of Thioviridamide: Thiyl Radical Approach To The Beta-Thioenamide Linkage Formation, Jung-Hoon Kang

Theses and Dissertations

We developed an approach to the β-thioenamide linkage contained in the S-(2-aminovinyl)cysteine (avCys) residue of thioviridamide.1,2 Kinetic and thermodynamic control of radical additions of thiols to ynamides were studied for the formation of β-thioenamide linkage. Thiyl radicals are electrophilic and ynamides are electron-rich alkynes. This complementary polarity of the radical and acceptor increases the likelihood of a successful radical addition reaction. Because little is known about these types of compounds (β-thioenamides), we were unsure what kinds of yields and stereoselectivities (cis vs. trans) to expect. The adduct stability is another issue to consider. Fortunately, under typical radical addition conditions, the …

Parentage Statements And Paired Stelae: Signs Of Dynastic Succession For The Classic Maya, Daniel Moroni Stewart

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to describe and document parentage statements and paired stela found on Maya monuments or portable objects. While the existence of parentage statements, within the Maya text, has been known since the late 1970s, no thesis or major research project has ever been published pertaining to this class of glyphs within the Maya script. In 1977 Christopher Jones is credited with the discovery of parentage statements in Maya hieroglyphic texts (Jones 1977). His discovery was followed by a detailed analysis of parentage statements by Floyd Lounsbury, Peter Mathews, and Linda Schele (1977). They introduced most …

Attitude Estimation And Maneuvering For Autonomous Obstacle Avoidance By Miniature Air Vehicles, James K. Hall

Theses and Dissertations

Utilizing the Euler-Rodrigues symmetric parameters (attitude quaternion) to describe vehicle orientation, we develop a multiplicative, nonlinear (extended) variation of the Kalman filter (MEKF) to fuse data from low-cost sensors. The sensor suite is comprised of gyroscopes, accelerometers, and a GPS receiver. In contrast to the common approach of using the complete vehicle attitude as the quantities to be estimated, our filter states consist of the three components of an attitude error vector. In parallel with the time update of the attitude error estimate, we utilize the gyroscope measurements for the time propagation of the attitude quaternion. The accelerometer and the …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Polymer Brushes For Controlled Adsorption Of Proteins, Olha Hoy

All Dissertations

Performance of biomedical devices to a large extent depends on the interactions between the device surface and the biological liquids/protein molecules. To achieve controllable interactions between the device and biomolecules and still retain the required mechanical strength on the whole, modification of the surface is often done.
In the present study surface properties were modified through a polymer brush approach. After the modification, surfaces gain tunability toward protein adsorption. Mixed polymer brushes consisting of protein repelling and protein attractive components were used, with a 'grafting to' method employed for the synthesis of polymer layers. First, poly(ethylene glycol), the protein repelling …

Against Pyrrhonian Equipollence, John Everett Button

Philosophy Theses

The production of equipollence is the most important part of the Pyrrhonian skeptic’s method for bringing about the suspension of judgment. The skeptic produces equipollence methodically, by opposing arguments, propositions, or appearances, in anyway whatsoever, until he produces an equality of “weightiness” on both sides of the conflicting views. Having no appropriate criterion to break the deadlock of equipollence, the skeptic (or his interlocutor) is left with no reason to accept either view. I have two main aims in this paper. My first aim is to distinguish between two different types of equipollence; that produced in the Pyrrhonist, called Psychological …

Utilitizing And Moving Beyond A Constructionist Approach To Trace The Emergence Of Racial And Ethnic Identities Among Pre-Mexican, Mexican And Americans Of Mexican Descent, Owen Williamson

Theses and Dissertations

Cornell and Hartmann (2007) developed a constructionist framework that can describe the development of racial and ethnic identities. Yet this framework has greater utility than its authors have intended as it also provides the best rubric to date for comprehending the transitions between collective identity group types. This study engages in a thorough investigation of the development of racial and ethnic identities within the context of those that precede it via an ethnohistorical analysis. It also demonstrates that this framework is capable of describing pre-modern religious and national identity types in addition to racial and ethnic identity types. This permits …

High School Vocational Program Tracking: Race-Ethnic Variations In Placement And Consequences For Academic And Career Outcomes, Anthony D. Greene

Open Access Dissertations

Data from the National Educational Longitudinal Study (NELS: 88) are used to examine differential student placement and to assess the independent effects of race on academic tracking within the vocational program. The study examines how the structure of tracking within the vocational program shapes both academic achievement outcomes and career opportunities among high school students. Student's placement in the vocational program is argued to function as a unique track program that disadvantage students academically, particularly students of color. Racial-ethnic minority students are disproportionately placed into lower level academic courses and programs including vocational education. Once so placed, their subsequent enrollment …

Ck2 Contributes To The Synergistic Effects Of Bmp7 And Bdnf On Smad 1/5/8 Phosphorylation In Septal Neurons, Florence Chaverneff

Open Access Dissertations

The combination of bone morphogenetic protein 7 (BMP7) and neurotrophins (e.g. brain-derived neurotrophic factor, BDNF) protects septal neurons during hypoglycemic stress. I investigated the signaling mechanisms underlying this synergistic protection. BMP7 (5 nM) increased phosphorylation and nuclear translocation of BMP-responsive Smads 1/5/8 within 30 min in cultures of rat embryonic septal neurons. BDNF (100 ng/ml) enhanced the BMP7-induced increase in phospho-Smad levels in both nucleus and cytoplasm; this effect was more pronounced after a hypoglycemic stress. BDNF increased both Akt and Erk phosphorylation, but pharmacological blockade of these kinase pathways (with wortmannin and U0126, respectively) did not reduce the Smad …

Comparative Hydrodynamic Testing Of Small Scale Models, Jared Acosta

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Early in the ship design process, naval architects must often evaluate and compare multiple hull forms for a specific set of requirements. Analytical tools are useful for quick comparisons, but they usually specialize in a specific hull type and are therefore not adequate for comparing dissimilar hull types. Scale model hydrodynamic testing is the traditional evaluation method, and is applicable to most hull forms. Scale model tests are usually performed on the largest model possible in order to achieve the most accurate performance predictions. However, such testing is very resource intensive, and is therefore not a cost effective method of …

Responses Of A Louisiana Oligohaline Marsh Plant Community To Nutrient Loading And Disturbance, Danielle Meert

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Aboveground plant community dynamics in the oligohaline marsh at Big Branch Marsh National Wildlife Refuge, Louisiana, USA, were assessed in response to nutrient loading (3 N x 3 P treatments) and disturbance (both planned lethal disturbance and stochastic tropical storm/hurricane disturbance). Sampling was conducted seasonally from April 2004 to September 2006. Spartina patens and Schoenoplectus americanus are co-dominant plant species in this marsh. Low N-loading additions resulted in increased S. patens cover. However, increased N loading did not result in a shift in plant community composition despite S. americanus consistently having higher leaf tissue N than S. patens. Our results …

Storm Water Management Using A High Density Rainfall Network Along With Long Term Records, Siamak N. Mokhtarnejad

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The United States Weather Bureau had published Technical Paper No. 40 (TP-40) in 1961 which provides a rainfall atlas for the United States. These rainfall frequencies have been used by engineers throughout the United States including Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. Rainfall from Audubon and the New Orleans International Airport rain gauge stations were used with the Log Pearson Method to provide rainfall frequency for Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. The results from the frequency rainfall that were developed for this research along with the current Jefferson Parish design storm rainfall were applied to a typical urban development to evaluate the extent of flooding.

A Semi-Supervised Information Extraction Framework For Large Redundant Corpora, Eric Normand

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The vast majority of text freely available on the Internet is not available in a form that computers can understand. There have been numerous approaches to automatically extract information from human- readable sources. The most successful attempts rely on vast training sets of data. Others have succeeded in extracting restricted subsets of the available information. These approaches have limited use and require domain knowledge to be coded into the application. The current thesis proposes a novel framework for Information Extraction. From large sets of documents, the system develops statistical models of the data the user wishes to query which generally …