Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Wind-Induced Exchange In Semi-Enclosed Basins, Rosario Sanay

OES Theses and Dissertations

The wind-induced circulation over laterally varying bathymetry was investigated in homogeneous and in stratified systems using the three-dimensional Regional Ocean Model (ROMS). For homogeneous systems, the focus was to describe the influence of the earth's rotation on the lateral distribution of the flow with particular emphasis on the transverse circulation. Along-basin wind-stress with no rotation caused a circulation dominated by an axially symmetric transverse structure consisting of downwind flow over the shoals and upwind flow in the channel along the whole domain. Transverse circulation was important only at the head of the system where the water sank and reversed direction …

Dissolved Humic Substances: Characterization Of Their Sorption Onto Iron Hydroxide Aluminum Hydroxide Kaolinite And Smectite, Sarah E. Diebel

OES Theses and Dissertations

Humic (HA) and fulvic (FA) acids participate in many geochemical processes and the mechanisms of their sorption to colloidal surfaces are numerous, indicating these substances are complex and heterogeneous. The current study focuses on the interactions of the Fe hydroxide (FE), Al hydroxide, Kaolinite (KA) and Smectite (SM) and these naturally occurring organic acids using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and DOC analysis at pH 4. FTIR was used for the initial functional group characterization, as well as the comparison of before and after adsorption spectra of the HA and FA. DOC examined the amounts of HA and FA adsorbed …

Schema Matching And Data Extraction Over Html Tables, Cui Tao

Theses and Dissertations

Data on the Web in HTML tables is mostly structured, but we usually do not know the structure in advance. Thus, we cannot directly query for data of interest. We propose a solution to this problem for the case of mostly structured data in the form of HTML tables, based on document-independent extraction ontologies. The solution entails elements of table location and table understanding, data integration, and wrapper creation. Table location and understanding allows us to locate the table of interest, recognize attributes and values, pair attributes with values, and form records. Data-integration techniques allow us to match source records …

A Full-Wave Investigation Of The Use Of A 'Cancellation Factor' In Gw-Airglow Interaction Studies, Yonghui Yu

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

Atmospheric gravity waves (GWs) perturb minor species involved in the chemical reactions of airglow emissions in the mesopause region of the earth's atmosphere. The so-called 'Cancellation Factor' (CF) is defined as a transfer function relating the amplitude of airglow brightness fluctuation to the amplitude of GW-induced fluctuation in temperature [Swenson and Gardner, 1998]. This transfer factor can be used to determine GW fluxes and the forcing effects of GWs on the mean state through airglow observations, because GW fluxes are proportional to the square of GW amplitude.

Numerical models [Walterscheid et al., 1987; Schubert et al., 1991] have previously shown …

Kinetic And Analytical Studies On Catalytic And Noncatalytic Oxidative Degradation Of Some Hazardous Organic Dyes Using Hydrogen Peroxide, Salem Hmoud Salem Al-Ameri

Theses

Dyes have become a very important part to countless modem applications. As a result of this huge consumption of dyes in manufacturing processes, huge amounts of wastewater contaminated with dyes are released into different natural dumps like rivers and seas. These dyes contaminated wastes have dangerous impacts on the environment and toxic affects. Two problems are facing scientists concerned about this environmental task. First, dyes vary in their chemical and physical natures and different waste treatments are needed which sometime are not available. Second, getting rid of these pollutants from its sources is costly, that many manufactures can not afford. …

The Radiopacity Of 29 Resin Restorative Materials Compared To Enamel, Peter Lubisich Iv

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The radiodensity of a composite resin can greatly influence a clinician's ability to analyze a restoration for failure. The purpose of this study was to determine the relative radiopacities of 29 resin restorative materials compared to enamel, and to verify the comparable radiopacity between shades of 23 of the restorative composite resin materials. Composite resin discs measuring >5mm in diameter and 2 mm in thickness were made and polymerized. Radiographs were taken of the composite resin discs, which included an aluminum step wedge for calibration and a densitometer was used to measure the radiodensity of the composite resin samples. The …

Quantification Of Bone Deposition In Onlay Bone Grafting, Gregory Alan Kammeyer

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The purpose of this study was to quantitatively evaluate; 1) mandibular posterior mono-cortical block onlay bone graft success rates 2) the amount of grafted bone retained after initial resorption in radiographic projections. Seven consecutive patients with 14 mandibular posterior implant sites requiring bone augmentation for implants of a standard 3.8mm x 10mm dimension were sought. Mono-cortical block bone grafts from the ipsilateral ascending ramus were placed then observed with two standardized CT scans, dividing them into two groups: Group A had the first CT at 4 weeks after graft placement and a second taken before Prosthodontic reconstruction, 36.7 weeks later. …

The Psychological Characteristics Of Obese Children, Thomas Taylor Mitchell

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Several studies along with the surgeon general of the United States have identified obesity as a national health issue. Research indicates that adult obesity treatment has relatively poor long-term effects. Consequently increased attention has been given to addressing obesity in children. This focus is particularly vital due to the fact that children are one of the populations showing the most rapid increase in overweight and obesity. The purpose of this study was to identify the some of the unique psychological characteristics of obese children by analyzing the intake data of children and adolescents attending the Loma Linda University Growing Fit …

Programming Language Trends : An Empirical Study, Yaofei Chen

Dissertations

Predicting the evolution of software engineering technology trends is a dubious proposition. The recent evolution of software technology is a prime example; it is fast paced and affected by many factors, which are themselves driven by a wide range of sources. This dissertation is part of a long term project intended to analyze software engineering technology trends and how they evolve. Basically, the following questions will be answered: How to watch, predict, adapt to, and affect software engineering trends?

In this dissertation, one field of software engineering, programming languages, will be discussed. After reviewing the history of a group of …

Selective Removal Of Nox From Catalytic Cracking Regenerator Effluent Using Wet Scrubbing With Aqueous Sodium Chlorite Solutions, Pin Gu

Dissertations

In most refineries, the flue gas from the regenerator in the fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) unit represents a key source of NOx, SOx, particulate, and CO emissions. Wet scrubbing systems have been used with great success to control particulate and SOx emissions from typical FCC regenerator flue gas. Development of relatively inexpensive and safe additives that can be used in existing scrubbing systems to oxidize and absorb NOx is important in order to increase the industrial options to meet the provisions of the Clean Air Act and recently proposed EPA rules. This paper explores the feasibility of removing NOx from …

Measurement Of The Nonlinear Refractive Index (N2) And Stimulated Raman Scattering In Optical Fibers As A Function Of Germania Content, Using The Photorefractive Beam Coupling Technique, Ferdinand Anayo Oguama

Dissertations

One of the greatest challenges in optical communication is the understanding and control of optical fiber nonlinearities. While these nonlinearites limit the power handling capacity of optical fibers and can cause noise, signal distortion and cross talk in optically amplified transmission systems, they have been equally harnessed for the development of new generations of optical amplifiers and tunable laser sources. The two prominent parameters that characterize the nonlinear properties of an optical fiber are the nonlinear refractive index n₂ and the Raman gain coefficient g_R. These parameters are related to the third order nonlinear susceptibility [x^{(3) …}

Thermochemistry And Kinetics In Pyrolysis And Oxidation Reaction Of Oxygenate Chlorocarbons, Neopentane, And Ortho-Xylene, Hongyan Sun

Dissertations

Thermochemical properties of chlorinated alcohols, chlorinated hydroperoxides and corresponding alkoxy, hydroxy alkyl radicals, peroxy and hydroperoxy alkyl radicals are determined by ab initlo and density functional calculations for modeling and optimization of complex chemical processes for combustion or incineration of chlorinated hydrocarbons. The entropy and heat capacities from vibrational, translational, and external rotational contributions are calculated by statistical mechanics, and the hindered rotational contributions to S^°₂₉₈ and C_p(T)'s are calculated by using direct integration over energy levels of the internal rotational potentials. The values of ΔH_f^°₂₉₈ are determined using isodesmic reactions …

Design And Evaluation Of A List Gathering Tool In A Web-Based Collaborative Environment, Yuanqiong Wang

Dissertations

This research focuses on how to build a "list" structure to combine individual items of information into some sort of structure that converts the individual items of information into a structure of knowledge relative to the problem. Software was designed to provide relationships among and comparisons of the contributions in a "list" structure, so that individual members of a group process will be able to understand the contributions of information made by the group as a whole.

A List Gathering Tool was designed and implemented, which is one component in a Web-based Social Decision Support System (SDSS) Toolkit. Then, a …

Design And Evaluation Of A Voting Tool In A Collaborative Environment, Zheng Li

Dissertations

This dissertation researchdesigned, implemented, and evaluated a Web-based Dynamic Voting Toolfor small group decision-making in a collaborative environment.

In this dissertation, theliterature on voting tools in current GDSS research is presented. Variousvoting theories and methods are analyzed, and the advantages and weaknessesare compared, so as to gain a better understanding of how to apply thesedifferent voting methods to diverse decision-making situations. A briefoverview of scaling theories is also given, with an emphasis on Thurstone'sLaw.

The basic features of someweb-based voting tool implementations are reviewed along with a discussionof the pros and cons of Intemet voting. A discussion of Human DynamicVoting …

Understanding The Origins Of Metastability In Thin Film Growth; Tantalum And The Early Group Vb-Vib Metals, Neme Okechukwu Nnolim

Dissertations

Tantalum (Ta) is a metal that is highly prized for its applications in a variety of industries, including the microelectronics industry, where it is largely used in thin film modifications in order to achieve various electronic, magnetic and structural capabilities in solid-state devices. Ta frequently forms metastable phases, including the well-known ß-phase, during the preparation of thin Ta films by standard film deposition methods such as sputtering and electro-deposition. In order to gain insight into Ta metastable phase formation, the Bain transformation mechanism is studied for Ta and the neighboring body centered cubic (bcc) transition metals in Groups 5 and …

An Experimental Study On Network Intrusion Detection Systems, Peng Fu

Theses

A signature database is the key component of an elaborate intrusion detection system. The efficiency of signature generation for an intrusion detection system is a crucial requirement because of the rapid appearance of new attacks on the World Wide Web. However, in the commercial applications, signature generation is still a manual process, which requires professional skills and heavy human effort. Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining methods may be a solution to this problem. Data Mining and Machine Learning algorithms can be applied to the network traffic databases, in order to automatically generate signatures.

The purpose of this thesis and the …

Synthesis And Application Of Novel Chiral Ionic Liquids Derived From Alpha-Pinene, Yun Wang

Theses

Two new chiral ionic liquids of oxazolinium cations derived from a-pinene: 9,9-Dimethyl-4-propenyl-5-propyl-3 -oxa-5-azonia-tricyclo [6.1.1.0 ^2,6] dec-4-ene tetrafluoro borate ([ChIPOZ] [BF₄]) and 9,9-Dimethyl-4-propenyl-5-propyl-3-oxa-5-azonia-tricyclo [6.1.1.0 ^2,6] dec-4-ene hexafluoro phosphate ([ChIPOZ][PF₆]). Both these chiral ionic liquids have been applied in enantiomeric copper-catalyzed 1,4-addition reactions with diethyl zinc. The enantiomeric excess for product using [ChIPOZ][BF₄] is above 70% and for [ChIPOZ][PF₆] is above 30%. Chiral ionic liquids worked as phase transfer catalysts In this reaction.

α-Pinene was used as the "chiral pool" in the synthesis of amino alcohol through a two-step reaction, followed by …

Face Recognition Using Principal Component Analysis, Timothy Kevin Larkin

Theses

Current methods of face recognition use linear methods to extract features. This causes potentially valuable nonlinear features to be lost. Using a kernel to extract nonlinear features should lead to better feature extraction and, therefore, lower error rates. Kernel Principal Component Analysis (KPCA) will be used as the method for nonlinear feature extraction. KPCA will be compared with well known linear methods such as correlation, Eigenfaces, and Fisherfaces.

Essays On Minimum Cost Spanning Tree Games., Anirban Kar Dr.

Doctoral Theses

There is a wide range of economic contexts in which aggregate costs have to be allocated amongst individual agents or components who derive t he benefits from a common project. A firm has to allocate overheard costs atmongst its different divisions. Regulatory authorities have to set taxes or fees on individual users for a variety of services. Partners in a joint venture must share costs (and benefits) of the joint venture. For example, when two doctors share an office they need to divide the cost of office space, medical equipment and secretarial help. If several municipalities use a common water …

Placing Monitoring Devices In Electric Power Networks Modeled By Block Graphs., David Wayne Atkins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The problem of monitoring an electric power system by placing as few measurement devices in the system as possible is closely related to the well known vertex covering and dominating set problems in graph theory. A set S of vertices is defined to be a power dominating set of a graphs if every vertex and every edge in the system is monitored by the set S (following a set of rules for power system monitoring). The minimum cardinality of a power dominating set of a graph is its power domination number. In this thesis, we investigate the power domination number …

Winning An Independence Achievement Game., Mark C. Taylor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The game "Generalized Kayles (or Independence Achievement)" is played by two players A and B on an arbitrary graph G. The players alternate removing a vertex and its neighbors from G, the winner being the last player with a nonempty set from which to choose. In this thesis, we present winning strategies for some paths.

Spectroscopic Examination Of The Catalytic Decomposition Of Hydrogen Peroxide By A Copper (Ii) Complex Of A Dissymmetric Schiff Base And An Imidazole Derivative., John D. Davis Jr.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Previous studies involving copper (II) complexed with a dissymmetric Schiff base and imidazole derivatives had identified catalase activity of these complexes towards H₂O₂. Reactions such as this are of great interest due to the important role of copper-based complexes in biological systems. Our research has been conducted to add to the base of knowledge regarding the efforts of other researchers to investigate copper complexes that exhibit similar reactivity as copper-based proteins towards dioxygen. The copper complex chosen for this study contained a tri-dentate Schiff base adduct which, when complexed with an imidazole derivative, limited the manner …

Synthesis Of Chiral Surfactants For Enantioselective Organic Synthesis., Kalyan Mondal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The first step of the synthesis of the hydrocarbon-based chiral surfactant (2) involved the methylation of (S)-leucinol to give (2S)-N-hexadecyl-N,N-dimethyl-(1-hydroxy-4-methyl-1-pentyl)-2-ammonium bromide (2.92g, 67%). The chiral surfactant was synthesized by reacting (2S)-N,N-dimethyl-2-amino-4-methyl-1-pentanol (1) with bromohexadecane (2.06g, 71%). The functionalized styrene for the polymer supported chiral catalyst (6) was synthesized by reacting (1) with 4-vinylbenzyl chloride. The polymerization was carried out with 10% of the functionalized monomer (5) (1.26g, 70.2%), 5% cross-linking agent divinylbenzene, and 85% of styrene with AIBN as the initiator. The structure of each of the products was confirmed by using FTIR and NMR spectroscopy. The activity of the …

Strategies For Enhancing The Performance Of Chemical Sensors Based On Microcantilever Sensors, Christopher Tipple

Doctoral Dissertations

Microcantilever (MC) based chemical sensors have become more widely used during the past 10 years due to the advantages they possess over other chemical sensors. One of the most significant characteristics is their extremely high surface to volume ratio. This key facet allows surface forces that can be ignored on a macroscale to become a significant sensing transduction mechanism. MC based sensors also exhibit a higher mass sensitivity to adsorbates than do many other chemical sensor platforms. Under many conditions, MC based sensors directly translate changes in Gibbs free energies due to analyte-surface interactions into mechanical responses. However, the widespread …

Thermodynamics And Kinetics Of Defects At Surfaces, Tianjiao Zhang

Doctoral Dissertations

Fundamental understanding of the various electronic and structural properties at surfaces is a prerequisite for improved control of nanometer-scale patterning of surfaces for potential technological applications. In this dissertation, we have used multi-scale theoretical approaches to investigate the thermodynamic and kinetic properties of a few elemental types of surface defects. The multi-scale approaches range from first-principles calculations within density functional theory to empirical embedded atom method (EAM) to statistical analysis to kinetic Monte Carlo simulations. In studying the thermodynamic properties of intrinsic line defects on a vicinal TaC(910) surface, our Monte Carlo simulations in comparison with scanning tuning microscope (STM) …

Data Access In Wide Area Networks Of Heterogeneous Workstations, Kim Buckner

Doctoral Dissertations

The accessibility of data in wide area networks can be difficult. This research shows the use of the Internet Backplane Protocol (IBP) along with a modified version of the C standard I/O library that can allow data to be easily accessible without having to make major modifications to legacy code. In fact if legacy programs only use standard input and output routines, they need only be recompiled to effect a homogeneous file system. It also demonstrates that this access is predictable enough to make decisions on what data to access and in what fashion that access is most effective.

“Enhancement Of Sensitivity And Selectivity Of Chemical Sensors Through Thin Film Coatings And Surface Modifications, Joseph Jeremy Headrick

Doctoral Dissertations

Chemical sensors have become major analytical tools for how we monitor
and obtain information about the chemical nature of ourselves and our
surroundings. Two characteristics of chemical sensors that are under constant
development and improvement are their selectivity and their sensitivity.
Selectivity is a concern of any chemical sensor, without it the signal obtained by
a chemical sensor cannot be related to the target species concentration with any
confidence. With chemical sensors the selectivity is generally created by the
used of a chemical recognition layer such as a permeable membrane, or a thin
chemical film. The sensitivity of a chemical …

Electrical Conductivity Measurements Of Lithium-Ammonia Solutions, Mariana Constantin Barbu

Masters Theses

The topic covered in this thesis is the study of electronic interactions for liquid metal-ammonia solutions, lithium-ammonia solutions in particular. To obtain a theoretical understanding of so-called correlated electron systems.

The work focuses on sample creation and measurement of electrical conductivity of lithium-ammonia solutions varying with temperature for different concentrations. We have taken measurements in liquid lithium-ammonia mixtures using four-wire method to minimize the contact resistance. We have shown how it is possible to carry out accurate measurements of the electrical conductivity in these systems with the four wire measurements.

Public Commons For Geospatial Data: A Conceptual Model, Chakravarthy Namindi Sharad

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A wide variety of spatial data collection efforts are ongoing throughout local, state and federal agencies, private firms and non-profit organizations. Each effort is established for a different purpose but organizations and individuals often collect and maintain the same or similar information. The United States federal government has undertaken many initiatives such as the National Spatial Data Infrastructure, the National Map and Geospatial One-Stop to reduce duplicative spatial data collection and promote the coordinated use, sharing, and dissemination of spatial data nationwide. A key premise in most of these initiatives is that no national government will be able to gather …

The Characteristics That Control The Stability Of Eroding Coastal Bluffs In Maine, Corinn C. Keblinsky

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Bluffs of glacigenic sediment exist along 53% of the tidal shoreline of Maine. Under the current regime of rising sea level, waves, groundwater, and sub-aerial processes easily erode these materials. The hazardous nature of the bluffs is not widely recognized by the public, and new homeowners are often shocked to find out that their property is disappearing. To better educate the public, the Maine Geological Survey is mapping the stability of coastal bluffs. This report utilizes that database along with other available data to determine what controls the relative stability of bluffs. A geographic information system (GIs) was used to …