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Parowan Valley Gaming Pieces And Insights Into Fremont Social Organization, Molly Allison Hall Aug 2008

Parowan Valley Gaming Pieces And Insights Into Fremont Social Organization, Molly Allison Hall

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis primarily addresses the implications of Fremont gaming pieces in the Parowan Valley. First, I review ethnographic gaming pieces and compare them to the Fremont worked bone pieces in order to support the idea that they were used by the Fremont in games similar to the ones recorded ethnographically. Then, I analyze a collection of Fremont gaming pieces from excavations at three Parowan Valley sites. I note drastic differences in the characteristics found on pieces inside the Parowan Valley and those form outside the Parowan Valley. It is also clear that gaming pieces are being produced in the Parowan …

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Optimization Constrained Cad Framework With Iso-Performing Design Generator, Kelly Eric Bowman Aug 2008

Optimization Constrained Cad Framework With Iso-Performing Design Generator, Kelly Eric Bowman

Theses and Dissertations

Design decisions have a large impact early in the design process. Optimization methods can help engineers improve their early decision making, however, design problems are often ill-posed for optimization at this early stage. This thesis develops engineering methods to use optimization during embodiment design, despite these difficulties. One common difficulty in designing mechanical systems is in handling the effects that design changes in one subsystem have on another. This is made more difficult in early engineering design, when design information is preliminary. Increased efforts have been made to use numerical optimization methods in early engineering design – because of the …

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A Microanalytical Approach To Understanding The Origin Of Cumulate Xenoliths From Mauna Kea, Hawaii, Megan Pickard Aug 2008

A Microanalytical Approach To Understanding The Origin Of Cumulate Xenoliths From Mauna Kea, Hawaii, Megan Pickard

Theses and Dissertations

Cumulate xenoliths erupted with alkalic hawaiite lavas from a postshield cinder cone on Mauna Kea, Hawaii include a variety of mafic and ultramafic rock types. Previous studies of major and trace element compositions of minerals in the xenoliths are interpreted to show transitional to alkalic magma parentages from the postshield stage, although any orthopyroxene-bearing xenoliths are considered to have tholeiitic parents. Major element compositions minerals were analyzed using the electron microprobe and trace element compositions of clinopyroxene grains were analyzed by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. In this study, major element compositions of clinopyroxene, olivine and plagioclase grains …

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On Autonomous Multi-Agent Control In Wilderness Search And Rescue: A Mixed Initiative Approach, Benjamin C. Hardin Aug 2008

On Autonomous Multi-Agent Control In Wilderness Search And Rescue: A Mixed Initiative Approach, Benjamin C. Hardin

Theses and Dissertations

Searching for lost people in a Wilderness Search and Rescue (WiSAR) scenario is a task that can benefit from large numbers of agents, some of whom may be robotic. These agents may have differing levels of autonomy, determined by the set of tasks they are performing. In addition, the level of autonomy that results in the best performance may change due to varying workload or other factors. Allowing a supervisor and a searcher to jointly decide the correct level of autonomy for a given situation (“mixed initiative”) results in better overall performance than giving an agent absolute control over their …

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Magmatic Sulfur And Chlorine Abundances At Stromboli, Italy And Their Role In The Formation Of Vesicle-Hosted Metal Alloys, Nichelle Lynn Baxter Aug 2008

Magmatic Sulfur And Chlorine Abundances At Stromboli, Italy And Their Role In The Formation Of Vesicle-Hosted Metal Alloys, Nichelle Lynn Baxter

Theses and Dissertations

Strand et al. (2002) discovered small metal alloy grains rich in Cu, Co, and Sn (maximum size 150 µm) in vesicles of lava from Kilauea Volcano. These alloys are also found in basaltic rocks of several Italian volcanoes. To better understand the origin of these metal-rich grains, bombs from Stromboli Volcano were examined. Two bomb types were collected from Stromboli: pumiceous bombs and scoriaceous bombs. Bulk rock trace element geochemistry indicates that there are no significant differences in Cu, Co, or Sn (the three major components of the metal alloys) between the pumiceous and scoriaceous bombs. Comparison of olivine melt …

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Fmri Evidence Of Group Differences On The Word Memory Test In A Sample Of Traumatic Brain Injury Patients, James Douglas Larsen Aug 2008

Fmri Evidence Of Group Differences On The Word Memory Test In A Sample Of Traumatic Brain Injury Patients, James Douglas Larsen

Theses and Dissertations

The Word Memory Test (WMT) is a popular effort test that requires participants to memorize lists of paired words and repeat them back in a variety of different memory tasks. Four brain injured patients participated in two trials of the delayed recall (DR) portion of the WMT while undergoing fMRI scanning. In the first trial subjects put forth full effort, and during the second trial subjects were instructed to simulate increased memory impairment in order to represent poor effort. fMRI activation from both trials were compared in order to contrast full and simulated poor effort activation patterns during the WMT. …

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Patterns Of Social Participation: Assessing The Long-Term Effects Of Creating Social Capital, Camille Miller Aug 2008

Patterns Of Social Participation: Assessing The Long-Term Effects Of Creating Social Capital, Camille Miller

Theses and Dissertations

Given the numerous benefits noted in academic research from having social capital, investigators may now turn to looking at what makes a person likely to create it. In this study I examine whether building social capital in high school through participation in religious, athletic, and volunteer activities makes individuals more likely to continue to create it as adults through participation in similar activities. Using data from the National Education Longitudinal Study, I employ both multilevel and seemingly unrelated regression models. I find that early participation in religious and athletic activities increases the likelihood of doing two out of three social …

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Pre-Eruptive Conditions Of The Oligocene Wah Wah Springs Tuff, Southeastern Great Basin Ignimbrite Province, Kurtus Steven Woolf Aug 2008

Pre-Eruptive Conditions Of The Oligocene Wah Wah Springs Tuff, Southeastern Great Basin Ignimbrite Province, Kurtus Steven Woolf

Theses and Dissertations

The Wah Wah Springs Tuff (30.0 Ma) is one of several very large volume ash-flow tuffs (>3200 km³ of erupted magma) that were emplaced near the peak of the flare-up of activity in the Great Basin ignimbrite province of western North America. It can be characterized as a "monotonous intermediate" ignimbrite because of its intermediate concentrations of silica (~63 to ~70 wt. %), apparent uniform chemical and mineralogical characteristics, and crystal-rich nature (32 ± 10 % phenocrysts on a dense rock basis). The major phase assemblage found throughout deposit is similar to other monotonous intermediates with a few exceptions …

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Regulators Of G-Protein Signaling, Rgs13 And Rgs16, Are Associated With Cxcl12-Mediated Cd4+ T Cell Migration, Lijin Xia Aug 2008

Regulators Of G-Protein Signaling, Rgs13 And Rgs16, Are Associated With Cxcl12-Mediated Cd4+ T Cell Migration, Lijin Xia

Theses and Dissertations

Chemokines are important chemical signals that guide lymphocyte movement within the immune system and promote the organization and functions of germinal centers (GCs) in the secondary lymphoid tissues. Previous studies have shown that GC T cells exhibit high expression of chemokine receptor 4, CXCR4, but that these cells are unable to migrate to the ligand for this receptor, the chemokine CXCL12. This “migratory paralysis” to CXCL12 was found to be correlated with the expression of two Regulators of G-protein Signaling, RGS13 and RGS16 in the GC T cells. The objective of my research was to determine whether RGS13 and RGS16 …

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Watertight Trimmed Nurbs, Thomas W. Sederberg, Xin Li, Hongwei Lin, Heather Ipson Aug 2008

Watertight Trimmed Nurbs, Thomas W. Sederberg, Xin Li, Hongwei Lin, Heather Ipson

Faculty Publications

This paper addresses the long-standing problem of the unavoidable gaps that arise when expressing the intersection of two NURBS surfaces using conventional trimmed-NURBS representation. The solution converts each trimmed NURBS into an untrimmed T-Spline, and then merges the untrimmed T-Splines into a single, watertight model. The solution enables watertight fillets of NURBS models, as well as arbitrary feature curves that do not have to follow isoparameter curves. The resulting T-Spline representation can be exported without error as a collection of NURBS surfaces.

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Spectroscopic Study Of Compressible Mobile Phase And Stationary Phase Behavior In Chromatography, Lawrence R. Baker Jul 2008

Spectroscopic Study Of Compressible Mobile Phase And Stationary Phase Behavior In Chromatography, Lawrence R. Baker

Theses and Dissertations

Raman spectroscopy, laser-induced fluorescence, and sum-frequency generation (SFG) spectroscopy are used to investigate the behavior of compressible mobile phases and stationary phases under a variety of chromatographic conditions. Efforts to understand and optimize separations employing compressible mobile phases have been limited by a lack of understanding of the mobile phase density gradient. Mobile phase compressibility leads to gradients in linear velocity and solute retention and affects separation speed and efficiency, especially in packed columns. This work describes on-column density measurement of CO2, a common carrier fluid for SFC and SGC, in packed capillary columns using Raman microspectroscopy. On-column detection by …

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Fish Passage At Udot Culverts: Prioritization And Assessment, Aaron Evens Beavers Jul 2008

Fish Passage At Udot Culverts: Prioritization And Assessment, Aaron Evens Beavers

Theses and Dissertations

State Departments of Transportation are becoming more involved in providing Aquatic Organism Passage (AOP) at road-stream crossings. Department of Transportation (DOT) emphasis on AOP has been driven largely in response to endangered species listings, other agencies' initiatives, and the desire to restore ecosystem connectivity to watercourses. UDOT is currently responsible for approximately 47,000 culverts, but AOP is currently addressed only on an as-needed basis. Currently UDOT has no prioritization or assessment strategy procedure for AOP at UDOT road-stream crossings. Historical fish passage strategies have focused on federally listed adult anadromous salmon and trout. These are generally very large fish whose …

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The Development Of A Computational Model Of Thrombosis In Hemodialysis Catheters, Daniel J. Lattin Jul 2008

The Development Of A Computational Model Of Thrombosis In Hemodialysis Catheters, Daniel J. Lattin

Theses and Dissertations

Thromboembolism (TE) significantly limits the usefulness and safety of blood-contacting devices such as hemodialysis catheters. Computer simulation of TE can provide understanding of the process and can facilitate the design of more effective devices. Previous work conducted at BYU successfully modeled TE in a simple, two-dimensional flow cell design by adding quantitative TE code to a commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) package, Fluent. This two-dimensional model predicted thrombus initiation and growth and adjusted flow to accommodate thrombus geometries, but was limited by computational power and unsophisticated meshing techniques. To build upon this work, and take advantage of BYU's new supercomputing …

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Localized Coarsening Of Conforming All-Hexahedral Meshes, Adam C. Woodbury Jul 2008

Localized Coarsening Of Conforming All-Hexahedral Meshes, Adam C. Woodbury

Theses and Dissertations

Finite element mesh adaptation methods can be used to improve the efficiency and accuracy of solutions to computational modeling problems. For many finite element modeling applications, a conforming all-hexahedral mesh is preferred. When adapting a hexahedral mesh, localized modifications that preserve topologic conformity are often desired. Effective hexahedral refinement methods that satisfy these criteria have recently become available. However, due to hexahedral mesh topology constraints, little progress has been made in the area of hexahedral coarsening. This thesis presents a new method to locally coarsen conforming all-hexahedral meshes. The method works on both structured and unstructured meshes and is not …

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The Progymnasmata: New/Old Ways To Teach Reading, Writing, And Thinking In Secondary Schools, Natalie Sue Baxter Jul 2008

The Progymnasmata: New/Old Ways To Teach Reading, Writing, And Thinking In Secondary Schools, Natalie Sue Baxter

Theses and Dissertations

Within the past two decades, theorists have begun to look back to the classical rhetorical past for answers to modern dilemmas in composition teaching. Several textbooks have been published that focus their teaching of college composition on the classical tradition. While the movement to revitalize classical rhetoric is gaining strength in universities, however, the benefits of this movement have not yet reached, in any real way, the levels of elementary, middle school, or high school education. This thesis shows how the classical rhetorical curriculum generally, and a specific part of that curriculum, the progymnasmata, accomplish important aims of modern composition …

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Factors Affecting The Implementation Of Instructional Technology In The Second Language Classroom, Veronica Naimova Jul 2008

Factors Affecting The Implementation Of Instructional Technology In The Second Language Classroom, Veronica Naimova

Theses and Dissertations

Various studies show that the use of instructional technology in university-level second language courses can improve and enrich students' L2 acquisition and greatly motivate students to continue learning their target language. In spite of such advantages, few instructors are integrating instructional technology into their lessons. This research investigates the main issues that affect the use of instructional technology among L2 instructors at Brigham Young University. An online survey was administered to 98 instructors, examining the following factors: time, factors concerning software and availability, teacher training, and the attitudes of administrators. Results showed that the three most significant factors that impede …

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The Effects Of Manageable Corrective Feedback On Esl Writing Accuracy, K James Hartshorn Jul 2008

The Effects Of Manageable Corrective Feedback On Esl Writing Accuracy, K James Hartshorn

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to test the effect of one approach to writing pedagogy on second-language (L2) writing accuracy. This study used two groups of L2 writers who were learning English as a second language: a control group (n = 19) who were taught with traditional process writing methods and a treatment group (n = 28) who were taught with an innovative approach to L2 writing pedagogy. The methodology for the treatment group was designed to improve L2 writing accuracy by raising the linguistic awareness of the learners through error correction. Central to the instructional methodology were four …

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Deriving Operational Principles For The Design Of Engaging Learning Experiences, Richard Heywood Swan Jul 2008

Deriving Operational Principles For The Design Of Engaging Learning Experiences, Richard Heywood Swan

Theses and Dissertations

The issue of learner engagement is an important question for education and for instructional design. It is acknowledged that computer games in general are engaging. Thus, one possible solution to learner engagement is to integrate computer games into education; however, the literature indicates that pedagogical, logistical and political barriers remain. Another possible solution is to derive principles for the design of engaging experiences from a critical examination of computer game design. One possible application of the derived design principles is that instruction may be designed to be inherently more engaging. The purpose of this dissertation was to look for operational …

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Comparison Of Guided And Open Inquiry Instruction In A High School Physics Classroom, Brett M. Guisti Jul 2008

Comparison Of Guided And Open Inquiry Instruction In A High School Physics Classroom, Brett M. Guisti

Theses and Dissertations

This study compared two levels of inquiry in high school physics classrooms over a year-long course. One class fit well the definition of guided-inquiry and the other matched common descriptions of open-inquiry. Four sections of introductory physics at Lone Peak High School in Highland, Utah were randomly divided into two sections for each treatment. The majority of students in all classes were sophomores with relatively few juniors and seniors. The guided-inquiry classes followed the Modeling Instruction Program developed at Arizona State University, while the open-inquiry classes were be based on an approach used by Wolff-Michael Roth, at the University of …

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Changes In Kindergarteners' Writing Complexity When Using Story Elements, Lynne M. Watanabe Jul 2008

Changes In Kindergarteners' Writing Complexity When Using Story Elements, Lynne M. Watanabe

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined changes in kindergarteners' writing complexity after implementing writing instruction based on story elements (character, setting, problem, and solution). Writing samples from six students of three ability levels (i.e., beginning, intermediate, and advanced) were collected over a six-week period within a guided writing context. These samples included three types of texts (oral language, pictures, and written text)and were analyzed using two analytic rubrics specifically created for this study, one for writing development and the other for the inclusion of story elements. Findings from this study suggest that all students, regardless of ability level wrote in more complex ways …

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The Effects Of Viewing Physical And Relational Aggression In The Media: Evidence For A Cross-Over Effect, Sarah M. Coyne, David A. Nelson, Frances Lawton, Shelly Haslam, Lucy Rooney, Leigh Titterington, Hannah Trainor, Jack Remnant, Leah Ogunlaja Jul 2008

The Effects Of Viewing Physical And Relational Aggression In The Media: Evidence For A Cross-Over Effect, Sarah M. Coyne, David A. Nelson, Frances Lawton, Shelly Haslam, Lucy Rooney, Leigh Titterington, Hannah Trainor, Jack Remnant, Leah Ogunlaja

Faculty Publications

Research has shown that viewing violence in the media can have a profound impact on aggressive thoughts and behaviors. However, the impact of viewing relational aggression in the media has rarely been examined. This paper presents the results of an experimental study that examines the impact of viewing relational and physical aggression in the media on subsequent aggression. In this study, adult females were shown video clips containing no-aggression, relational aggression, or physical aggression. Their aggressive behavior was measured through the use of a competitive reaction time task (physical aggression) and evaluations of a confederate of the experiment (relational aggression). …

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Differential Expression And Functional Characterization Of Alpha3 Beta2 Neuronal Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors, John Hideo Mizukawa Jul 2008

Differential Expression And Functional Characterization Of Alpha3 Beta2 Neuronal Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors, John Hideo Mizukawa

Theses and Dissertations

Neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are expressed in both the periperhal and central nervous systems, and are involved in pre-, post-, and non-synaptic control of neuronal activation. In the brain, these receptors play an important role in a variety of physiological processes such as cognition, development, learning, and memory formation. Malfunction of these receptors have been implicated in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's disease (AD), schizophrenia, and Parkinson's disease. To date, 17 different nAChR subunits, including α2-α7 and β2-β4, have been cloned that can form homo- and/or hetero-pentameric ionotropic receptors. The unique combinations of subunit pentamers manifest in distinct functional receptors. …

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Assessing Multivariate Heritability Through Nonparametric Methods, Benjamin Alan Carper Jul 2008

Assessing Multivariate Heritability Through Nonparametric Methods, Benjamin Alan Carper

Theses and Dissertations

The similarities between generations of living subjects are often quantified by heritability. By distinguishing genotypic variation, or variation due to parental pairings, from phenotypic variation, or normal intraspecies variation, the heritability of traits can be estimated. Due to the multivariate nature of many traits, such as size and shape, computation of heritability can be difficult. Also, assessment of the variation of the heritability estimate is extremely difficult. This study uses nonparametric methods, namely the randomization test and the bootstrap, to obtain both a measure of the extremity of the observed heritability and an assessment of the uncertainty.

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The Compatibility Of Containment And Autonomy In Lydia Minatoya's The Strangeness Of Beauty, Rachel Jeppsen Jul 2008

The Compatibility Of Containment And Autonomy In Lydia Minatoya's The Strangeness Of Beauty, Rachel Jeppsen

Theses and Dissertations

Subaltern studies has overwhelmingly privileged subaltern resistance as a means for the subaltern to attain autonomy. While the group's project has made breakthroughs in rewriting Indian subaltern history, their emphasis on resistance to oppression has also essentialized what it means to create autonomy. A 1999 novel, Lydia Minatoya's The Strangeness of Beauty, challenges this essentialist view by portraying alternative behaviors that indicate autonomy. The novel is set in 1920s Japan when transnational excitement and anxiety provided opportunities for one subaltern group, Japanese women, to gain autonomy. While some feminist movements in Japan substantiate the notion that autonomy must be gained …

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Predicting Performance On Criterion-Referenced Reading Tests With Benchmark Assessments, Kaitlyn Nicole Dyson Jul 2008

Predicting Performance On Criterion-Referenced Reading Tests With Benchmark Assessments, Kaitlyn Nicole Dyson

Theses and Dissertations

The current research study investigates the predictive value of two frequently-used benchmark reading assessments: Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) and the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS). With an increasing emphasis on high-stakes testing to measure reading proficiency, benchmark assessments may assist in predicting end-of-year performance on high-stakes testing. Utah's high-stakes measurement of end-of-year reading achievement is the English Language Arts Criterion-Referenced Test (ELA-CRT). A Utah urban school district provided data for students who completed the DRA, DIBELS, and ELA-CRT in the 2005-2006 school year. The primary purpose of the study was to determine the accuracy to which the …

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Theory And Estimation Of Acoustic Intensity And Energy Density, Derek C. Thomas Jul 2008

Theory And Estimation Of Acoustic Intensity And Energy Density, Derek C. Thomas

Theses and Dissertations

In order to facilitate the acquisition and accurate interpretation of intensity and energy density data in high-amplitude pressure fields, the expressions for intensity and energy density are examined to ascertain the impact of nonlinear processes on the standard expressions. Measurement techniques for estimating acoustic particle velocity are presented. The finite-difference method is developed in an alternate manner and presented along with bias and confidence estimates. Additionally, two new methods for estimating the local particle velocity are presented. These methods appears to eliminate the errors and bias associated with the finite-difference technique for certain cases.

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Enhancing Students' Science Content Knowledge Through Text Structure Awareness, Jamie Lynn Christensen Jul 2008

Enhancing Students' Science Content Knowledge Through Text Structure Awareness, Jamie Lynn Christensen

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of teaching text structure as a tool to assist first grade students' understanding of science content in a unit of study on plants. A quantitative analysis was performed to reveal any difference in mean post-test scores between a control group and a treatment group. Results indicated that the treatment group students' science content knowledge was increased significantly more than students in the control group. Usage of specific text structure keywords did not increase. However, students did use synonyms of keywords. Recommendations for further research are discussed.

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Quantitative Uncertainty Of Chemical Plume Transport In Low Wind Speeds Using Measured Field Data And Stochastic Modeling, Veronica Elaine Wannberg Jul 2008

Quantitative Uncertainty Of Chemical Plume Transport In Low Wind Speeds Using Measured Field Data And Stochastic Modeling, Veronica Elaine Wannberg

Theses and Dissertations

Low wind speed conditions should be studied because these conditions can present risk, particularly for areas immediately surrounding the release point, where high concentrations can occur and not dissipate. The following research attempts to clarify the processes governing both the general and low wind speed cases by determining the accuracy and uncertainty of standard prediction methods for contaminant plume transport in low wind speed plume modeling. Multiple techniques were utilized to incorporate field measured data, previously gathered for a different purpose, to generate parameter distributions and ground-truth data that could be used in stochastic models for chemical plume prediction. These …

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The Parents As Teachers Program And Kindergarten Literacy Readiness, Teresa Lynn Ockey Jul 2008

The Parents As Teachers Program And Kindergarten Literacy Readiness, Teresa Lynn Ockey

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to assess the Parents as Teachers program and its relationship to literacy and school readiness among kindergarten students enrolled in three elementary schools in southwestern New Mexico, using the Dynamic Indicators of Literacy Skills assessment system. Data were collected by trained teachers and parent volunteers and used by the Parents as Teachers program as part of their program evaluation. Analysis of these data showed that the PAT program is having positive results for participating students in this school district in comparison to non-PAT kindergartners. The overall results from this study support continuing implementation of …

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Lyapunov Exponents And Invariant Manifold For Random Dynamical Systems In A Banach Space, Zeng Lian Jul 2008

Lyapunov Exponents And Invariant Manifold For Random Dynamical Systems In A Banach Space, Zeng Lian

Theses and Dissertations

We study the Lyapunov exponents and their associated invariant subspaces for infinite dimensional random dynamical systems in a Banach space, which are generated by, for example, stochastic or random partial differential equations. We prove a multiplicative ergodic theorem. Then, we use this theorem to establish the stable and unstable manifold theorem for nonuniformly hyperbolic random invariant sets.

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