Digital Commons Network^™

An Investigation Of Sub-Pixel Cloud/Clear-Sky Contamination Using Hyper-Spectral Aviris Data, Celil Kaplan

Theses and Dissertations

Cloud and clear sky contamination due to sub-pixel clouds remains as a troubling issue for scientific applications that rely on remotely sensed data. Sub-pixel level clouds may not be detected by a standard cloud filtering process, and thus can cause uncertainties in satellite-based meteorological property retrievals. In this study, using collocated data from Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) and Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) data, sub-pixel cloud and clear-sky contamination were studied over the west coast of Northern California. The hyper-spectral data from AVIRIS have a spatial resolution on the order of 11.5 m for the study case, thus can …

Neuropsychological Comparisons Of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Subtype And Body Dysmorphic Disorder Symptomatology, Linda Renee Keenan

Theses and Dissertations

Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) are often severe and disabling psychiatric conditions. Although BDD is currently regarded as a somatoform disorder in the DSM-IV, it has been suggested that it would be better classified as being part of an obsessive-compulsive spectrum, as it shares many characteristics with OCD in terms of its clinical presentation. Although both disorders have been found to be associated with executive function deficits and other neuropsychological correlates, few studies have compared the two disorders directly in this regard. Further, some research has indicated that OCD symptom dimensions are associated with varying patterns of …

Mobile Vehicle Road And Weather Observation Quality Check Methods, Daniel Raymond Koller

Theses and Dissertations

Today State Departments of Transportation rely more and more on road weather data to make maintenance decisions. Inaccurate data can result in wrong treatment applications or inadequate staffing levels to maintain the roadway at the desired level of service.

Previous methods of road condition data reporting have been limited to static in situ sensor stations. These road weather information systems (RWIS) provide varied data about precipitation, winds, temperature, and more, but their siting does not always provide an accurate representation of weather and road conditions along the roadway. The use of mobile data collection from vehicles travelling the highway corridors …

Heat Transfer Measurements On An Incidence-Tolerant Low Pressure Turbine Blade In A High Speed Linear Cascade At Low To Moderate Reynolds Numbers, Leolein Patrick Gouemeni Moualeu

Theses and Dissertations

Runway-independent aircraft are expected to be the future for short-haul flights by improving

air transportation and reducing area congestion encountered in airports. The Vehicle

Systems Program of NASA identified a Large Civil Tilt-Rotor, equipped with variable-speed

power-turbine engines, as the best concept. At cruise altitude, the engine rotor-speed will

be reduced by as much as the 50% of take-off speed. The large incidence variation in the

low pressure turbine associated with the change in speed can be detrimental to the engine

performance. Low pressure turbine blades in cruise altitude are more predisposed to develop

regions of boundary layer separation. Typical …

Grassland Songbird Response To Landscape Composition And Vegetation In Northeastern And East-Central North Dakota, Dustin James Vanthuyne

Theses and Dissertations

Grassland songbirds are declining faster and more consistently than other avifauna of North America. This has resulted in many species being placed on state and federal lists as species of concern. These declines can be linked to former and current land use practices which have resulted in an extensive loss of habitat. Natural resource agencies are trying to offset these habitat losses by reconstructing grasslands formerly cropped areas and protecting remaining grassland tracts. Few studies have addressed how the location in the landscape and vegetation composition of these reconstructions affects grassland birds. This thesis describes data collected from 32 locations …

Pregnancy, Sexism, And The Greek System, Taylor Marie Walkky

Theses and Dissertations

Both hostile and benevolent sexism have been found to correlate with attitudes related to pregnancy (Terrell et al, in prep). Benevolent and hostile sexism have both been shown to correlate with attitudes towards sorority members as well (Walkky, unpublished). The goal of the present study was to expand on the knowledge of how sexism relates to pregnancy attitudes, especially how it relates to sorority membership. Participants read a scenario about a college woman, who was either in a sorority or not, who had just discovered that she was pregnant. In the scenario, she chose to either end the pregnancy, continue …

Variations Of E-Region Total Electron Content And Electron Density Profiles Over High Latitudes During Winter Solstice 2007 Using Radio Occultation Measurements, Kajli Agrawal

Theses and Dissertations

The space weather phenomenon involves the Sun, interplanetary space and the Earth. Different space weather conditions have diverse effects on the various layers of the Earth's atmosphere Technological advancements have created a situation in which human civilization is not only dependent on resources from deep inside the Earth, but also on the upper atmosphere and outer space region. Therefore, it is essential to improve the understanding of the impacts of space weather conditions on the ionosphere. This research focuses on the variation of total electron content (TEC) and the electron density within the E-region of the ionosphere, which extends from …

Elizabeth I And The Policy Of Marriage: The Anjou Match, 1572-1582, Aryn Elizabeth Bell

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis will explore how Queen Elizabeth I of England's use of interdynastic marriage negotiations as an essential component to the successful implementation of her foreign policy objectives. Many historians continue to debate whether a distinct foreign policy actually existed from the onset of Elizabeth's reign. While some contend that the queen had no policy in place, I suggest, that while it was not an active, aggressive policy, it did, in fact, exist. So the question becomes not whether she had a policy but how it was implemented. Using her unique role as an unwed female monarch, Elizabeth understood the …

Preparation And Characterization Of Meridionally Trischelated Rhenium(I) Terpyridine Dicarbonyl Complexes, Daniel Black

Theses and Dissertations

Recent work has uncovered a synthetic route to a new series of meridionally coordinated tridentate terpyridine rhenium dicarbonyl complexes. The complex mer,cis-Re(tpy-κ3N)(CO)₂Cl (1) undergoes facile chloride substitution to produce a variety of complexes of the type mer,cis-[Re(tpy-κ3N)(CO)₂(L)]n, where L = CF₃SO₃ (2), CH₃CN (3), CN (4), NC₅H₅ (5), PMe₃ (6), PEt₃ (7), PPh₃ (8), P(OMe)₃ (9), P(OEt)₃ (10), P(OPh)₃ (11) ), P(OiPr)₃ (12), P(OMe)(Ph)₂ (13). Complexes 1-13 absorb light throughout a significant portion of the visible spectrum. The electrochemistry of …

Characterization Of Evaporative Metal Bonding In Superalloys For Use In Gasified Coal Turbine Generators, Joshua Elliot Braband

Theses and Dissertations

The diffusion bonding of Kanthal APMT, CM247LC, and Rene 80 was studied. The objective of the first part of this work was to create diffusion bonded test samples of Kanthal APMT, CM247LC, and Rene 80 using a 25μm thick zinc interlayer at varying times and temperatures. Then, using scanning electron microscopy to determine the profile of the zinc diffusing into the parent materials, the diffusion coefficients of the zinc interlayer into the materials were determined for each of the materials at each bonding time and temperature. The next objective was to create a finite element model of the bonding process …

Experimental Investigation Of The Effect Of Turbulence On Slot-Fed Film Cooling Adiabatic Effectiveness And Downstream Heat Transfer, Mitch Busche

Theses and Dissertations

Modern turbine designers are greatly concerned with power out and the efficiency of their engines. One way to increase the power output and effectiveness of the engine is to increase the hot gas temperature inside the combustion chamber. The hot gas can reach a temperature that exceeds the physical limitations of parts inside the engine, causing the parts to fail prematurely. One possible method to cool the parts is with the use film cooling. Film cooling takes cool air from the compressor, bypasses the combustor, and ducts the air to internal chambers of parts, and then ejects the cool air …

Comparison Of Denitrification Potential Around A Tile Drain And In Aquifer Sediments: Oakes, Nd, Chase Christenson

Theses and Dissertations

Denitrification, the microbial reduction of nitrate (NO₃-) in groundwater, has three requirements: limited oxygen, bacteria capable of mediating the reaction, and electron donors for the bacteria to use in the redox reactions. The critical factor for aquifer denitrification is the concentrations of electron donors. Without an adequate supply of electron donors, bacteria cannot reduce concentrations of either oxygen or NO₃-.

Artificial drainage within agricultural areas may allow contaminants to bypass, or increase conveyance through, reduced areas in which denitrification is likely to occur. This contributes to elevated NO₃- yields as it is discharged directly …

Development And Outcomes Of An Experientially-Based Nonverbal Social Skills Curriculum For Youth With Visual Impairments, Rebecca J. Cicha

Theses and Dissertations

The importance of social skills training for youth with visual impairments has been widely researched within educational and rehabilitation settings. To date, social skills training curricula for visually impaired youth have largely utilized verbally-based methods for instruction and training. Given the non-visual aspects of human communication, it is proposed that verbal approaches to nonverbal social skills training may not be sufficient for visually impaired individuals. To address this issue, an experiential curriculum of nonverbal social skills training was developed that emphasized hands-on learning and practice of nonverbal social skills. This curriculum was administered to seventeen visually impaired youth attending short-term …

Optimization Of The Garch Model Parameters Using A Genetic Algorithm, Jonathon Patrick Cummings

Theses and Dissertations

Financial time series are often characterized by nonlinearity and volatility bunching. Standard regression analysis models cannot capture changing volatilities, potentially leading to erroneous results. The need to more completely model the characteristic volatilities inherent to financial time series eventually led to the creation of the GARCH model. Typical GARCH parameters are (1,1) incorporating a 1-period lag of the regression residual as well as a 1-period lag of the regression volatility. The primary question investigated in this paper is whether the typical GARCH(1,1) parameters are in fact optimal over all time periods and attempts to improve on the typical parameters by …

Determination Of Optimum Polymer Dose For Grand Forks Wastewater Treatment Plant Lagoon Sludge Dewatering, Dipesh Das

Theses and Dissertations

The Grand Forks Waste Water Treatment Plant (GFWWTP) is currently sending its waste activated sludge (WAS) from the activated sludge treatment process to an existing on-site wastewater treatment lagoon which has been in operation since 2003. The plant produces approximately 65,000 gallons of WAS per day. Because of this high level of loading, the existing lagoon system is no longer considered as a treatment option for the produced sludge. The Plant Authority is trying to find a sustainable solution for sludge disposal and for this reason the GFWWTP is interested in introducing screw press system for the dewatering process. As …

Does Google Search Data Aid In Predicting Unemployment?, Brennan Dyk

Theses and Dissertations

The unemployment rate is typically forecasted in the literature using initial claims for unemployment, a lagged value of unemployment, and an autoregressive component. This paper looks to improve upon existing models by adding Google search data to traditional models using initial claims or replacing initial claims with Google searches. One hypothesis is that Google searches may improve forecast accuracy due to employees knowing or getting a sense when they may become unemployed and be searching for jobs prior to filing for unemployment. Study of this is important to improve the accuracy of models and to provide more accurate out-of-sample forecasts …

Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor In Cortical Development, Jacob Thomas Cain

Theses and Dissertations

One of the characteristics unique to mammalian evolution is the development of the neocortex. The neocortex is a highly ordered six-layered structure, the development of which is tightly regulated. The formation of the cortex is concomitantly dependent upon an outward expansion of the neuroepithelium, a tissue from which all of the neuronal subtypes and glia are born and differentiated, and the investment of blood vessels from the outer pial surface. Orchestration of neurogenesis and blood vessel investment, or angiogenesis, in the cortex is critical for development; however, these processes are often studied independent of one another. While independent investigation of …

Seasonal Resource Selection, Site-Specific Brood Predictors, And Nest Characteristics Of Greater Prairie-Chicken Hens In Northwestern Minnesota, Nathaniel Emery

Theses and Dissertations

Greater prairie-chickens, Tympanuchus cupido pinnatus, are in decline across the majority of their already receding range due to changing land use patterns and habitat fragmentation. The Agassiz Beach Ridge region of northwestern Minnesota harbors one of the only sustained to increasing populations of prairie-chickens in the country due to the conversion of marginal agricultural lands to grasslands and through conservation entities securing tracts of land allowing for habitat stability and dispersal.

Nesting and brood-rearing habitats are the most limiting factors for population sustainability. Hens were marked with radio transmitters on booming grounds and at nest sites discovered by nest-dragging. Their …

The Collision Of Romanticism And Modernism In Post-World War Ii American Cinema: A Theoretical Defense Of Intellectual History In The Undergraduate Classroom, Daniel Hunter Ferris

Theses and Dissertations

The post-World War II era in the United States, which ran from 1945 to 1970, has long been divided into two distinct periods; the late 1940s and 1950s and the 1960s. Out of this separation has come a view of the late 1940s and 1950s as a time dominated by a conservative conformist culture that did little to rival pre-war norms. On the other hand, the 1960s have come to be seen as a decade that witnessed true social revolution and thus should be considered responsible for shaping the social and cultural landscape of late twentieth-century America. While these views …

Effects Of Instructor Continuity On A Large-Scale Pilot Training Program, Erik Michael Goff

Theses and Dissertations

In a large-scale pilot training program, like those run by the United States Air Force, Navy or many civilian colleges, quality of instruction is a very important question. These programs will have large numbers of instructors and students, but the effect of flying a student with a large number of different instructors is unknown. This paper will use continuous performance and failure data to see if there is a relationship between flying with too many instructors and failing or scoring poorly on a checkride. Multiple regression, difference in differencing, and probit analysis will be used to explore this question.

"Oh, Must We Dream Our Dreams And Have Them Too?": Transformation Through Reading In Elizabeth Bishop's "Questions Of Travel," Carol Shields' Swann, And Florian Henckel Von Donnersmarck's The Lives Of Others, Carissa Anne Green

Theses and Dissertations

Literary scholars study how readers interpret texts. Louise Rosenblatt, Wolfgang Iser, and Wayne Booth analyze how readers interact with texts transactionally, as a phenomenology, and as an ethical exchange. This grounding gives a foundation on which to analyze and define the interpretive acts demonstrated by readers. Poststructuralist critics Roland Barthes and Jacques Derrida open up the idea of "text," allowing us to apply our phenomenology of reading beyond words on paper. I apply the work of these and other critics not to the readers of texts but to characters depicted within texts who are readers. These characters confront unfamiliar texts, …

Predicting Political Revolution, Douglass Fraser Hart

Theses and Dissertations

My thesis study examines the economic and sociological factors associated with political revolutions in order to create a predictive model. I do this by using statistical methods with nation level panel data collected from public domain sources. I anticipate being able to create a predictive model that provides a probability forecast of a country undergoing political revolution within a two year time-frame.

A Framework For The Integration Of Technology Into Curricula Development And Student Assessment, Washington Helps

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this work is to amalgamate technology and education in a manner which will prove to be beneficial to all stakeholders involved and which will allow for an improvement in the ubiquitous process of curriculum development in the teaching and learning sphere. The primary motivation surrounds the issue of limited human resources in terms of teachers and expert knowledge as well as available physical resources such as computer equipment or other classroom artifacts. It should be duly noted that it is in many developing countries where the student-teacher ratio is very high and where such a framework will …

Microwave Tomography Using Stochastic Optimization And High Performance Computing, Michael William Holman

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis discusses the application of parallel computing in microwave tomography for detection and imaging of dielectric objects. The main focus is on microwave tomography with the use of a parallelized Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) forward solver in conjunction with non-linear stochastic optimization based inverse solvers. Because such solvers require very heavy computation, their investigation has been limited in favour of deterministic inverse solvers that make use of assumptions and approximations of the imaging target. Without the use of linearization assumptions, a non-linear stochastic microwave tomography system is able to resolve targets of arbitrary permittivity contrast profiles while avoiding …

The Influence Of Television And Film On Interest In Space And Science, Katrina Marie Jackson

Theses and Dissertations

Entertainment media has the great potential to inspire interest in the topics it presents. The purpose of this study is to better understand how entertainment media contributes to people's interests in space and science. There is a huge variety of science communication topics in previous literature, some of which deals with television and film, but very little that specifically study how television and film can inspire interest. A historical review of pioneers in the space industry shows that many were inspired by entertainment media, which at the time consisted of science fiction novels and magazines. In order to explore the …

The Effect Of Masculinity On Post-Deployment Veterans' Help-Seeking Behaviors And Mental Health Outcomes, Nils-Erik Juhani Juanto Laver

Theses and Dissertations

While the current literature has investigated various barriers to reintegration for male veterans of the Armed Forces of the United States, few have investigated how internal processes such as attitudes and beliefs impact reintegration outcomes. Civilian literature has indicated that men who adhere to traditional masculine ideals tend to have a lower quality of life, less help-seeking behaviors, and more mental and physical health problems. This study set out to investigate how traditional masculine values, age, combat exposure, and relative normative male alexithymia may affect mental health, quality of life, and help-seeking behaviors in veterans who were deployed to combat …

Sex Offenders' Perceptions Of North Dakota's Sex Offender Policies, Mariah Dawn Laver Juanto

Theses and Dissertations

Registered sex offenders in North Dakota were interviewed regarding their experiences with being on the registry. Results from the coded transcripts indicate that offenders felt the registry made finding housing and employment more difficult. Additionally, participants reported feeling the registry negatively impacted their ability to be involved in community organizations and impacted how they interacted with others, including forming supportive relationships. Participants also completed surveys, assessing general psychological symptoms, general stress levels, and demographic information, including registration requirement information. No significant relationships between sex offenders' registry requirements and psychological symptoms were found. Conclusions and implications for future research are discussed.

Does Time Matter? An Examination Of Sentence Length, Time Served And Probation Outcomes, Michael P. Mcgrath

Theses and Dissertations

There remains some uncertainty as to whether or not probation supervision can influence the behaviour of offenders as intended and thereby protect the public. Within the growing body of probation literature is support for a number of theoretically relevant variables and probation outcomes (Morgan, 1993; Gendreau, Little & Goggin, 1996). Some of the probation studies include a measure of time (Sims & Jones, 1997; Green & Winik, 2010), although it has never been exclusively studied in probation research. In the studies that do include a time measure, sentence length is the most frequently used and is often related to failure …

Utilization Of Emotional Freedom Techniques (Eft) To Reduce Test Anxiety In High Stakes Testing, Marie Elaine Mohler

Theses and Dissertations

There are many reasons a person may fail a high stakes test such as the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN®). Sleep deprivation, illness, life stressors, knowledge deficit, and test anxiety are some of the common explanations. A student with test anxiety may feel threatened by this evaluation process. This reaction causes the students to become self-absorbed with altered cognitive abilities such as reduced ability: to concentrate, to remember, and/or to retrieve information, thus lowering the students' performance. This research study explored the correlation among factors such as stress, test anxiety, and student expectations that may be predictive …

The Effects Of The State Agriculture Industry On Elections In South Dakota, Whitney Keleah Morsching

Theses and Dissertations

Although South Dakota has traditionally been an agriculture-based state, the state's economy has diversified immensely over the past few decades. This paper examines if the state agriculture industry has an effect on the statewide election results since 1990. Three models are used to determine the impact of farm earnings, state and national economic factors, and other control variables on the vote share of a candidate. Two ordinary least squares models focus on elections with incumbent candidates and elections with all candidates. A third model uses a probit estimation to determine the impact of the previously stated variables on the probability …