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An Interpolation Based Approach For Pattern Recognition And Generation, Vishnukumar Galigekere Nagabhushana Jan 2013

An Interpolation Based Approach For Pattern Recognition And Generation, Vishnukumar Galigekere Nagabhushana

Computer Science and Engineering Dissertations - Archive

A large number of problems in computer vision and computer graphics can essentially be reduced to a pattern recognition problem. In this thesis, we explore a novel interpolation based framework to address some of the various recognition problems in these areas. Our interpolation based framework is a supervised learning algorithm that allows for both generation (synthesis) of new patterns as well as perception (analysis) of existing patterns. The method is simple to implement and yet, expects a very straightforward and intuitive set of parameters to model the complex nature of such recognition problems.Specifically, given a set of training data along …


Optimized Estimates Based On Multiple Sensor Configuration Knowledge, Roochi Mishra Jan 2013

Optimized Estimates Based On Multiple Sensor Configuration Knowledge, Roochi Mishra

Industrial, Manufacturing, and Systems Engineering Dissertations - Archive

There has been an increase in the usage of sensor technology as they are adaptable for use in different environments, many of which are hostile to direct human observation, such as regions affected by land mines or forest fires. The sensors used to monitor developing situations are small inexpensive computing devices with limited processing capabilities, limited power supply and may be destroyed in the event that they are monitoring, without suffering a great financial cost. Also, since these devices are inexpensive, multiple sensors can be deployed for the same application where the sensors are placed or attached to a mobile …


Mathematical Programming Approaches For Land Use Planning That Limits Urban Sprawl, Piyush Kumar Jan 2013

Mathematical Programming Approaches For Land Use Planning That Limits Urban Sprawl, Piyush Kumar

Industrial, Manufacturing, and Systems Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Sprawl has a detrimental effect on quality of life and the environment. For example, it increases our dependence on vehicles for daily tasks. This leads to increased vehicular pollution. It also increases traffic, which results in people spending more time on the road. With dwindling resources and increasing population, it becomes necessary that we manage sprawl. Ewing et al. defined factors to measure sprawl in the present urban structure. The measures are divided into four broad categories, which are density factors, mixed use factors, streets factor, and centers factors. These measures address various aspects that contribute to sprawl. For example, …


Variants Of Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines (Mars): Convex Vs. Non-Convex, Piecewise-Linear Vs. Smooth And Sequential Algorithms., Diana Luisa Martinez Cepeda Jan 2013

Variants Of Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines (Mars): Convex Vs. Non-Convex, Piecewise-Linear Vs. Smooth And Sequential Algorithms., Diana Luisa Martinez Cepeda

Industrial, Manufacturing, and Systems Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines (MARS) is a statistical modeling method used to represent high-dimensional data with interactions. It uses different algorithms to select the terms to be included in the approximation model that best represent the data. In addition, it performs a variable selection, therefore the most significant predictors are shown in the final model. Design and analysis of computer experiments (DACE) is a statistical technique for creating approximations (called metamodels) of computer models. For optimization problems in which there is an unknown function that must be approximated, DACE approach could be applied. In stochastic dynamic programming (SDP) for example, …


A Model Characterization Of The Texas Healthcare Facilities, Shernette R. Kydd Jan 2013

A Model Characterization Of The Texas Healthcare Facilities, Shernette R. Kydd

Industrial, Manufacturing, and Systems Engineering Dissertations - Archive

The Patient Protect and Affordable Care Act of 2010 became a law on March 23, 2010. This healthcare act, according to the authors, is designed to improve health services by targeting various facets of the industry: hospitals, private physicians, insurance companies and the drug industry - to name a few. It impacts many people, both directly and indirectly. The effects of this new law will most likely not immediately be recognized, although is it possible for "pockets: of success stories.The administration of Medicare is an area of interest primarily because of the finances involved. Today, there are many waste streams …


Adding Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Data To A Melting Point And Thin-Layer Chromatography Laboratory, Adam M. Azman, Julie A. Barrett, Megan Darragh, John J. Esteb Jan 2013

Adding Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Data To A Melting Point And Thin-Layer Chromatography Laboratory, Adam M. Azman, Julie A. Barrett, Megan Darragh, John J. Esteb

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

The addition of gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) data interpretation to a thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and melting point (mp) laboratory for an introductory organic course is described.


Development And Validation Of The Resilience Protective Factors Inventory: A Confirmatory Factor Analysis, Kristin Whitehill Bolton Jan 2013

Development And Validation Of The Resilience Protective Factors Inventory: A Confirmatory Factor Analysis, Kristin Whitehill Bolton

Social Work Dissertations - Archive

The concept of resilience was empirically discovered over 40 years ago. Over the last several decades' researchers continued to generate a theoretical and empirical evidence base relative to the concept of resilience. This study builds on the existing theoretical and empirical literature of resilience in an attempt to construct a measurement model capable of assessing the protective factors associated with resilience in an older adult population. The development of the tested measurement model was two-fold (N=151). First, a qualitative interpretive meta-synthesis (QIMS) of qualitative studies on resilience among older adults was performed. Findings from the QIMS revealed 9 factors: Grit, …


Professional Preparation And Practices Of Child Custody Evaluators: A Comparative Study Of Masters-Level And Doctoral-Level Practitioners, Aaron Robb Jan 2013

Professional Preparation And Practices Of Child Custody Evaluators: A Comparative Study Of Masters-Level And Doctoral-Level Practitioners, Aaron Robb

Social Work Dissertations - Archive

While a substantial amount of the research on child custody evaluation practices has focused on psychologists and psychiatrists, virtually none of the existing research has addressed child custody evaluation practices of social workers or other mental health professionals. This study explores and describes the training and practice differences between doctoral-level child custody evaluators, primarily psychologists, and their masters-level counterparts, who are drawn from a much wider professional background. The exact population of evaluators in the community is unknown, thus a snowball sampling method was utilized for outreach to evaluators who then provided responses to a survey instrument. Statistical comparisons of …


Bystander Sexual Violence Prevention Program: Implementation And Evaluation With High-Risk University Males, Nada Elias-Lambert Jan 2013

Bystander Sexual Violence Prevention Program: Implementation And Evaluation With High-Risk University Males, Nada Elias-Lambert

Social Work Dissertations - Archive

This research reports the findings of an evaluation of a theoretically-based, peer-facilitated, bystander sexual violence prevention program to determine its effectiveness at changing attitudes and behaviors related to sexual violence with university males who are at low- and high-risk of using sexually coercive behavior. Bystander interventions focus on men and women as bystanders to change social norms in a peer culture that supports abusive behaviors. Few studies have examined the effectiveness of these interventions with high-risk populations, which is the focus of this study. A bystander sexual violence prevention program was presented to 142 fraternity members in 2012. A quasi-experimental …


A Qualitative Evaluation Of Wraparound Services From Caregivers' Perspective, Misty R. England Jan 2013

A Qualitative Evaluation Of Wraparound Services From Caregivers' Perspective, Misty R. England

Social Work Theses - Archive

Wraparound services are becoming a prominent form of service delivery for system of care for Mental Health services for children. This study examined the benefits, limitations, obstacles and any other themes reported by caregivers with children aged 0-6 with a Severe Emotional Disorder (SED) receiving wraparound service from a Community Based Mental Health agency. Responses of 24 caregivers to qualitative questionnaires were analyzed. Seven themes were identified: 1) program benefits; 2) facilitator characteristics; 3) wrap team implementation; 4) implementation barriers; 5) program limitations; 6) juxtaposition of program appreciation despite lack of perceived effectiveness; and 7) other desired resources. Caregivers' responses …


Deterrent Effects Of Reliable Structured Decision-Making Protocols On Spouse Abuse Perpetration And Re-Offense In The U.S. Army, Tyler Dumars Jan 2013

Deterrent Effects Of Reliable Structured Decision-Making Protocols On Spouse Abuse Perpetration And Re-Offense In The U.S. Army, Tyler Dumars

Social Work Dissertations - Archive

Since the early 1980s, victims' rights advocates, law enforcement officials, health care practitioners, and policymakers have all worked diligently to reduce or arrest the high levels of intimate partner violence (IPV) in military communities. Despite increased awareness and funding, new treatment approaches, and numerous policy changes, IPV in the military continues to be a deeply entrenched and recalcitrant problem. In January 2008, the Army began using a structured decision-making protocol (the Decision Tree Algorithm) that requires users to assess whether alleged incidents of intimate partner abuse coincide with evidence-based maltreatment definitions, and indicate that actual harm (or the potential for …


Development Of An Adaptation Model For Health Interventions For Sexual And Gender Minorities: A Grounded Theory Study, Pamela Hancock Bowers Jan 2013

Development Of An Adaptation Model For Health Interventions For Sexual And Gender Minorities: A Grounded Theory Study, Pamela Hancock Bowers

Social Work Dissertations - Archive

A dearth of literature exists on health issues impacting sexual and gender minority (SGM) populations. SGM face health disparities linked to stigma, discrimination, and denial of their civil and human rights. Albeit limited in scope and depth, available data suggests sexual orientation and gender identity have been an important demographic factor associated with higher risk for several negative health outcomes such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, and stroke. Some of the major inequities affecting SGM include tobacco use, alcohol and illicit drug abuse, being overweight/obese, psychiatric disorders, and violence. The SGM who face health disparities created by the use of various …


A Case Study Of North Texas Area Community Health Centers, Inc. And The Implementation Of Integrated Health Care, Brittany H. Eghaneyan Jan 2013

A Case Study Of North Texas Area Community Health Centers, Inc. And The Implementation Of Integrated Health Care, Brittany H. Eghaneyan

Social Work Theses - Archive

The purpose of this case study was to examine the implementation process of an integrated health care model in a primary care setting that serves a primarily low-income, Latino population. The main unit of analysis was semi-structured interviews that were conducted with seven clinical and administrative staff members. Additional units of analysis included direct observations, the grant application for the program, clinic reports and other related documents. A grounded theory approach was used to analyze the interviews. The results indicated that adequate training and preparation, buy-in from key personnel, possible communication barriers, tools for systematic follow-up and measurement, and organizational …


Survivors Of Suicide: What Are Their Struggles And How Do They Heal?, Amy Crow Jan 2013

Survivors Of Suicide: What Are Their Struggles And How Do They Heal?, Amy Crow

Social Work Theses - Archive

The purpose of this study was to answer five questions: 1) what are the coping strategies of suicide survivors?; 2) what percentage of survivors have post-traumatic stress?; 3) what percentage of survivors are at risk of suicide?; 4) what percentage of survivors experience post-traumatic growth?; and 5) what are the relationships among these variables? Four standardized assessments on suicide risk, post-traumatic stress and post-traumatic growth were administered along with a questionnaire covering demographics and coping strategies. Results provided support that survivors do experience post-traumatic stress and that they are at risk of suicide. The findings suggest that survivors need help …


Cfmd Research Journal 2013 Volume 2, Center For Metropolitan Density, Michael P. Buckley, Taner R. Ozdil Jan 2013

Cfmd Research Journal 2013 Volume 2, Center For Metropolitan Density, Michael P. Buckley, Taner R. Ozdil

Center for Metropolitan Density Publications - Archive

The Center's mission is to demonstrate that greater density, including suburban scale density, will produce the most economically productive, operationally effective, fiscally efficient, environmentally responsible, and culturally supportive environments. CfMD will fulfill its mission by conducting sponsored research, convening symposia, and consulting with industry partners.


Nanomaterials For Photo-Based Diagnostic And Therapeutic Applications, Baohong Yuan, Jyothi Unnikrishna Menon, Khanh Vu, Parth V. Jadeja, Kytai Truong Nguyen, Pranjali P. Tambe Jan 2013

Nanomaterials For Photo-Based Diagnostic And Therapeutic Applications, Baohong Yuan, Jyothi Unnikrishna Menon, Khanh Vu, Parth V. Jadeja, Kytai Truong Nguyen, Pranjali P. Tambe

Bioengineering Faculty Publications - Archive

Photo-based diagnosis and treatment methods are gaining prominence due to increased spatial imaging resolution, minimally invasive modalities involved as well as localized treatment. Recently, nanoparticles (NPs) have been developed and used in photo-based therapeutic applications. While some nanomaterials have inherent photo-based imaging capabilities, others including polymeric NPs act as nanocarriers to deliver various fluorescent dyes or photosensitizers for photoimaging and therapeutic applications. These applications can vary from Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and optical imaging to photothermal therapy (PTT) and chemotherapy. Materials commonly used for development of photo-based NPs ranges from metal-based (gold, silver and silica) to polymer- based (chitosan, dextran, …


A Method For Simulating Burr Type Iii And Type Xii Distributions Through Moments And Correlations, Mohan Pant, Todd C. Headrick Jan 2013

A Method For Simulating Burr Type Iii And Type Xii Distributions Through Moments And Correlations, Mohan Pant, Todd C. Headrick

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications - Archive

This paper derives the Burr Type III and Type XII family of distributions in the contexts of univariate ??-moments and the ??- correlations. Included is the development of a procedure for specifying nonnormal distributions with controlled degrees of ??-skew, ??-kurtosis, and ??-correlations. The procedure can be applied in a variety of settings such as statistical modeling (e.g., forestry, fracture roughness, life testing, operational risk, etc.) and Monte Carlo or simulation studies. Numerical examples are provided to demonstrate that ??-moment-based Burr distributions are superior to their conventional moment-based analogs in terms of estimation and distribution fitting. Evaluation of the proposed procedure …


Visual And Linguistic Factors In Literacy Acquisition: Instructional Implication For Beginning Readers In Low Income Countries, Helen Abadzi, C Marinelli, M Martelli, P. Praphamontripong, P Zoccolotti Jan 2013

Visual And Linguistic Factors In Literacy Acquisition: Instructional Implication For Beginning Readers In Low Income Countries, Helen Abadzi, C Marinelli, M Martelli, P. Praphamontripong, P Zoccolotti

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications - Archive

Improving the quality of literacy teaching may require intervening at different levels, for example, encouraging school attendance and optimizing textbook format and teaching methods. Reading is a complex task involving perceptual, motor, linguistic, phonological, and memory components, each of which has a crucial role in determining reading rate. High poverty rates continue to have a negative impact on human resource development and education quality in Africa, further complicating the ability of most countries to reach the Education for All (EFA) and Millennium Development Goals (MDG). Moreover, Africa and Asia are hosts to most of the world's multilingual countries, in which …


Education For All In Low-Income Countries: A Crucial Role For Cognitive Scientists, Helen Abadzi Jan 2013

Education For All In Low-Income Countries: A Crucial Role For Cognitive Scientists, Helen Abadzi

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications - Archive

Donor funding has helped enroll in school most children of low-income countries. However, students get little schooling and few opportunities to encode and consolidate information. Many fail to learn and automatize the small units needed for more complex skills, such as reading. As a result, many children remain illiterate and drop out in the early primary grades. However, donors and governments often focus on the socioeconomic difficulties of the very poor and have limited insights on how to teach students who get no academic preparation before grade 1. Furthermore, staff experiences with middle class schools may promote complex instructional methods …


Effects Of Cooling And Heating Fans On Thermoregulation, David Cooley Jan 2013

Effects Of Cooling And Heating Fans On Thermoregulation, David Cooley

Kinesiology Student Research - Archive

INTRODUCTION: The human body must maintain a constant internal environment for optimal operation of cellular activity. This homeostatic balance is maintained at rest but becomes more of a challenge during exercise. An important internal regulatory mechanism is thermoregulation. Thermoregulation is defined as the ability of an organism to maintain a core body temperature within certain boundaries, even when internal and external temperatures are altered. The hypothalamus is responsible for keeping the body’s core temperature within a normal range, around 97 to 99 degrees Fahrenheit, at rest and during exercise. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects …


The Effects Of Assault On A Graded Exercise Test, Bhavin Rana Jan 2013

The Effects Of Assault On A Graded Exercise Test, Bhavin Rana

Kinesiology Student Research - Archive

INTRODUCTION: Maximal oxygen consumption (VO₂ max) is the maximal capacity of the body to transport oxygen while performing the Bruce Protocol, an incremental stress test. VO₂ max is the best indicator of an individual’s cardiovascular fitness and aerobic endurance because the more oxygen you can use during a high level exercise, the more ATP (energy) is being produced and is measured in milliliters of oxygen used per kilogram of body weight in one minute (ml/kg/min). PURPOSE: The purpose of this research study was to examine whether Assault, a vasodilator, will improve results on a Bruce Protocol Stress Test. METHODS: Eight …


Solving The Optimization Control Problem For Lunar Soft Landing Using Minimization Technique, Lizeth Patricia Ocampo Jan 2013

Solving The Optimization Control Problem For Lunar Soft Landing Using Minimization Technique, Lizeth Patricia Ocampo

Mathematics Theses - Archive

Minimizing fuel consumption in lunar missions has been a well studied and documented optimization problem. In this paper two cases of the lunar Lander are studied. The first case is the one dimensional problem where the objective is to make a vertical soft landing using the minimum amount of fuel. The second case has the same objective but an initial tangential velocity greater than zero is given making it a two dimensional problem. The first case is solved using Newton's shooting method, finite difference method (using MATLAB's embedded function bvp4c), and solving it explicitly. For the second case, a minimization …


The Role Of Religion In Managing Existential Threat: Effects On Outgroup Attitudes, Lauren Elizabeth Coursey Jan 2013

The Role Of Religion In Managing Existential Threat: Effects On Outgroup Attitudes, Lauren Elizabeth Coursey

Psychology Theses - Archive

The increased worldview defense following mortality salience is a robust finding in terror management theory research. In some cases, this defense can take the form of ingroup favoritism, outgroup bias, and prejudice. I predicted that religious affiliation would attenuate the effects of mortality salience on expressions of prejudice. Specifically, I predicted an interaction between religious affiliation and mortality salience to emerge, such that whereas the religiously non-affiliated will exhibit an increase in prejudice scores following mortality salience, the religiously affiliated will not. I further hypothesized that among religiously affiliated participants, the interaction between MS and affiliation will predict outgroup attitudes …


What Are The Long-Term Consequences Of Peer Victimization? Changes In Biological Functioning And Its Effects On Psychological And Physical Health, Priya Anapurna Iyer Jan 2013

What Are The Long-Term Consequences Of Peer Victimization? Changes In Biological Functioning And Its Effects On Psychological And Physical Health, Priya Anapurna Iyer

Psychology Dissertations - Archive

Prior research has documented long-term psychological problems (e.g. emotional distress, anxiety, and depression; Kochenderfer-Ladd & Wardrop, 2001) experienced as a result of being bullied as an adolescent. Although being a recipient of peer victimization has been related to psychological health, limited research has looked at the association between peer victimization and physical health problems. Even fewer studies have investigated the relationship between being bullied and health outcomes over time. This dissertation examined whether peer victimization in early adolescence lead to changes in neuroendocrine functioning (as assessed by cortisol) and physical health outcomes several years later. Adolescents and their parents (N …


An Examination Of The Validity Of The Central Sensitization Inventory With Chronic Disabling Occupational Musculoskeletal Disorders, Yunhee Choi Jan 2013

An Examination Of The Validity Of The Central Sensitization Inventory With Chronic Disabling Occupational Musculoskeletal Disorders, Yunhee Choi

Psychology Dissertations - Archive

Central Sensitivity Syndrome (CSS) includes a group of related conditions that share a common pathophysiological mechanism called central sensitization (e.g., fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, tension headache/migraine, etc.). Individuals with these conditions display increased pain sensitivity in response to painful stimuli, pain in response to normally non-painful stimuli, and expansion of the receptive field. Depression and anxiety frequently occur among individuals with CSS, as well as disturbed sleep, somatic symptoms and emotional distress. The Central Sensitization Inventory (CSI) is a newly developed self-report measure to assess the full array of 25 somatic and emotional symptoms associated with CSS. The present study …


Nanoscintillators For Radiation Detection, Ryan Gregory Hall Jan 2013

Nanoscintillators For Radiation Detection, Ryan Gregory Hall

Physics Theses - Archive

In the search for faster, more effective methods for detection of and protection against radiological weapons, advances in materials for radiation detection are a critical component of any successful strategy. This work focuses on producing inexpensive, but highly sensitive, nanoparticle alternatives to existing single-crystal installations. Attention is given to particular types of promising inorganic scintillators: LaF₃, yttrium-aluminum-garnet (YAG), and SrF₂, each one an inorganic host doped with additional elements that encourage luminescent decay and increase effective Z-value. I examine the possible routes to synthesize these compounds, and the difficulties and benefits of each method. After synthesizing these materials, testing was …


Search For The Standard Model Higgs Boson In Eτ Final States, Ian James Howley Jan 2013

Search For The Standard Model Higgs Boson In Eτ Final States, Ian James Howley

Physics Dissertations - Archive

Presented in this dissertation is a search for the standard model (SM) Higgs boson using the DØ detector at Fermilab in Batavia, IL. The SM is a fantastically accurate theory describing the fundamental interactions and particles of the Universe. The only undiscovered particle in the SM is the Higgs boson, which is hypothesized to be responsible for electroweak symmetry breaking and giving mass to all other particles. Considered in this search is the process H + X -> eτhjj, where e is an electron, τh is the hadronic decay of a τ, and j is a jet, using pp̄ collisions …


Optimization Of Energy Resolution In The Digital Hadron Calorimeter Using Longitudinal Weights, Jacob Russell Smith Jan 2013

Optimization Of Energy Resolution In The Digital Hadron Calorimeter Using Longitudinal Weights, Jacob Russell Smith

Physics Dissertations - Archive

Particle physics seeks to describe matter in its most elementary structure. With lepton colliders; couplings of gauge bosons and heavy quarks, physics beyond the Standard Model, and properties of a recently discovered Higgs boson can be studied with very high precision. Particle Flow Algorithms (PFA), able to achieve necessary jet-energy and di-jet mass resolutions, require fine transverse and longitudinal segmentation from calorimeters. To validate digital imaging calorimetry in this context, a Digital Hadron Calorimeter (DHCAL) with single-bit (digital) readout on imbedded electronics from 1×1 cm2 pads throughout its volume has been constructed and exposed to particle beams as a large …


The Impact Of Peer Victimization On Adolescent Inflammatory Markers, Allyson Antoinette Arana Jan 2013

The Impact Of Peer Victimization On Adolescent Inflammatory Markers, Allyson Antoinette Arana

Psychology Theses - Archive

For years, research has linked peer victimization to various outcomes, ranging from those in the psychological realm (e.g., depression, anxiety) to physical health symptoms (e.g., frequent doctor visits, abdominal pain). While there are many possible mechanisms responsible for this relationship, this study focused on immune system dysregulation, specifically concerning the inflammatory markers interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP). Prior research has found that environmental stress is related to increased production of these markers (e.g., Danese et al., 2007; Kiecolt-Glaser et al., 2003). Furthermore, elevated levels of IL-6 and CRP have been associated with health problems such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, …


Impact Of Recurrence On Prostate Cancer Survivors, Gabriela Orsak Jan 2013

Impact Of Recurrence On Prostate Cancer Survivors, Gabriela Orsak

Psychology Theses - Archive

The present study examined the impact of recurrence on health-related and prostate-specific quality of life, post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, physiological arousal to stress, and psychological distress by comparing disease-free survivors (N = 46) to survivors who experienced recurrence (N = 18), and healthy controls (N = 18). Participants completed paper and pencil questionnaires and submitted blood samples. Groups did not report differences in health-related quality of life, sexual and urinary function, problems with urinary function, perceived stress, psychological distress, epinephrine levels and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms. Survivors who experienced recurrence reported less bowel function than disease-free survivors. However, survivors who …