Digital Commons Network^™

Effects Of Combined Exposure To Ethanol And Ionizing Radiation On The Antioxidant Status Of In Vitro And In Vivo Models, Joshua Ogony

Doctoral Dissertations

"Ethanol and ionizing radiation exposure are independently known to cause tissue damage through various mechanisms. Non-enzymatic and enzymatic metabolism of ethanol, the latter via the cytochrome P₄₅₀2E1-dependent pathway, produces free radicals which deplete cellular glutathione (GSH). Ionizing radiation exposure has been shown to induce lipid peroxidation, DNA damage, protein oxidation, and GSH depletion, as well. It was postulated that initial exposure to ethanol, followed by ionizing radiation, would result in heightened oxidative stress. The in vitro model used in this investigation was HepG2 cells (human hepatocellular liver carcinoma cell line), while the in vivo model was Cd-1 mice"--Abstract, page iii.

Development Of A Geographic Information System-Based Virtual Geotechnical Database And Assessment Of Liquefaction Potential For The St. Louis Metropolitan Area, Jae-Won Chung

Doctoral Dissertations

"The St. Louis Metropolitan area is the focus the U.S. Geological Survey's Earthquake Hazard Program's plan for assessing and reducing the likely risks of an earthquake likely emanating from New Madrid Seismic Zone (NMSZ), which is the most active seismic zone in the Midwestern United States. The St. Louis Metropolitan area consists of three counties in Missouri and four in Illinois, which are divided by the state boundary along the Mississippi River. Both of the state's respective geological surveys have produced their own geologic maps and datasets, employing dissimilar geodata information and systems, with differing map units, map scales, and …

Architecting System Of Systems: Artificial Life Analysis Of Financial Market Behavior, Nil Hande Ergin

Doctoral Dissertations

"This research study focuses on developing a framework that can be utilized by system architects to understand the emergent behavior of system architectures. The objective is to design a framework that is modular and flexible in providing different ways of modeling sub-systems of System of Systems. At the same time, the framework should capture the adaptive behavior of the system since evolution is one of the key characteristics of System of Systems. Another objective is to design the framework so that humans can be incorporated into the analysis. The framework should help system architects understand the behavior as well as …

An Investigation Of Lead And Other Metal Contaminants In The Sediments Of Clearwater Lake, Missouri, Gary W. Krizanich

Doctoral Dissertations

"The purpose of this investigation is to characterize the spatial and temporal distribution and concentration of trace metals in sediments of Clearwater Lake. Understanding how trace metals are released to and transported in aquatic environments is important to the overall understanding of the impacts of mining on the natural environment. The main focus of this research will be on historic sedimentation within Clearwater Lake, which may act as a sink where mining related trace metals are stored. Because of their high preservation rates in basins, sediments can provide detailed chronostratigraphic histories of trace metal inputs in lakes. Sediment records can …

Simple And Efficient Solutions To The Problems Associated With Acoustic Echo Cancellation, Asif Iqbal Mohammad

Doctoral Dissertations

"This dissertation is a collection of papers that addresses several important problems associated with acoustic/line echo cancellation (AEC/LEC), specifically double-talk and echo-path change detection. A double-talk detector is used to freeze AEC filter's adaptation during periods of near-end speech. This dissertation presents three different novel double-talk detection schemes. Simulations demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed algorithms"--Abstract, page iii.

Pilot Program To Assess Seismic Hazards Of The Granite City, Monks Mound, And Columbia Bottom Quadrangles, St. Louis Metropolitan Area, Missouri And Illinois, Deniz Karadeniz

Doctoral Dissertations

"Three 1:24000 scale quadrangles were selected for a pilot program intended to evaluate seismic site response across the spectrum of geologic conditions underlying the St. Louis Metropolitan area, using the Granite City, Monks Mound and Columbia Bottom quadrangles. These evaluations included assessments of: i) site amplification distributions; ii) probabilistic hazard analysis of PGA, 0.2 second and 1.0 second spectral accelerations for 2%, 5% and 10% probability of exceedance in 50 years; iii) two scenario earthquakes and their associated PGA, 0.2 sec, and 1 sec spectral accelerations; and v) sensitivity and uncertainty analyses. These hazard maps were prepared using a fully-probabilistic …

An Indirect Loss Estimation Methodology To Account For Regional Earthquake Damage To Highway Bridges, Chakkaphan Tirasirichai

Doctoral Dissertations

"This study proposes an integrated framework to estimate the indirect economic loss due to damaged bridges within the highway system from an earthquake event. The framework is designed to be general and convenient to apply to other study regions. In this dissertation, a simulated earthquake scenario centered in St. Louis Missouri with a magnitude 7.0 was used as a case study. The research results have clearly shown that the indirect losses are significant when compared to the direct loss. Policymakers can apply this study framework and the results as a guide and decision tool for developing an appropriate preventive action …

Modeling Network Traffic On A Global Network-Centric System With Artificial Neural Networks, Douglas K. Swift

Doctoral Dissertations

"This dissertation proposes a new methodology for modeling and predicting network traffic. It features an adaptive architecture based on artificial neural networks and is especially suited for large-scale, global, network-centric systems. Accurate characterization and prediction of network traffic is essential for network resource sizing and real-time network traffic management. As networks continue to increase in size and complexity, the task has become increasingly difficult and current methodology is not sufficiently adaptable or scaleable. Current methods model network traffic with express mathematical equations which are not easily maintained or adjusted. The accuracy of these models is based on detailed characterization of …

Detection Algorithms For Spatial Data, Spandan Tiwari

Doctoral Dissertations

"This dissertation addresses the problem of anomaly detection in spatial data. The problem of landmine detection in airborne spatial data is chosen as the specific detection scenario. The first part of the dissertation deals with the development of a fast algorithm for kernel-based non-linear anomaly detection in the airborne spatial data. The original Kernel RX algorithm, proposed by Kwon et al. [2005a], suffers from the problem of high computational complexity, and has seen limited application. With the aim to reduce the computational complexity, a reformulated version of the Kernel RX, termed the Spatially Weighted Kernel RX (SW-KRX), is presented. It …

Electron Beam Characterization Of Carbon Nanostructures, Eric Samuel Mandell

Doctoral Dissertations

"Atom-thick carbon nanostructures represent a class of novel materials that are of interest to those studying carbon's role in fossil fuel, hydrogen storage, scaled-down electronics, and other nanotechnology. Electron microscope images of "edge-on" graphene sheets show linear image features due to the projected potential of the sheets. Here, intensity profiles along these linear features can measure the curvature of the sheet, as well as the shape of the sheet (i.e. hexagonal, triangular). Also, electron diffraction powder profiles calculated for triangular graphene sheet shapes show a broadening of the low frequency edge of diffraction rings, in comparison to those calculated for …

Field And Laboratory Investigation Of Ozone-Indoor Surface Reactions: Secondary Emissions Inventory And Implications For Indoor Air Quality, Hong Wang

Doctoral Dissertations

"Interfacial chemistry greatly influences human exposure to reactants and products in indoor environments. Emissions of volatile organic compounds, as a result of ozone-surface interactions, can lower an occupant's exposure to ozone, but increase indoor concentrations of odorous and carcinogenic compounds. Therefore, investigation of ozone-surface interactions are necessary for better understanding and controlling exposure to ozone and the products of indoor surface chemistry. In this dissertation, field experiments were conducted in five homes in three seasons to quantify ozone-initiated secondary emission rates (SERs), yields surface reaction probabilities and study their temporal trends"--Abstract, page iv.

Incipient Continental Rifting: Insights From The Okavango Rift Zone, Northwestern Botswana, Baraka D. Kinabo

Doctoral Dissertations

"In this dissertation aeromagnetic, gravity, and Shuttle Radar Topography Mission Digital Elevation Model (SRTM DEM) data from the Okavango Rift Zone in northwest Botswana are used to map the distribution of rift and basement structures. The distribution of these structures provide useful insights into the early stages of continental rifting. The objectives of this study are (1) assessing the role of pre-existing structures on rift basin development, (2) characterizing the geometry of the nascent rift basins, (3) documenting fault growth and propagation patterns, and (4) investigating the border fault development"--Abstract, page iv.

Neural Network Control Of Nonstrict Feedback And Nonaffine Nonlinear Discrete-Time Systems With Application To Engine Control, Jonathan B. Vance

Doctoral Dissertations

"In this dissertation, neural networks (NN) approximate unknown nonlinear functions in the system equations, unknown control inputs, and cost functions for two different classes of nonlinear discrete-time systems. Employing NN in closed-loop feedback systems requires that weight update algorithms be stable...Controllers are developed and applied to a nonlinear, discrete-time system of equations for a spark ignition engine model to reduce the cyclic dispersion of heat release"--Abstract, page iv.

Synthetic Methods For Biologically Relevant Organofluorine Compounds, Meher Perambuduru

Doctoral Dissertations

"This thesis describes novel synthetic methodologies for the synthesis of biologically relevant organofluorine compounds"--Abstract, page iii.

The Leaching Behavior Of Arsenic, Selenium And Other Trace Elements In Coal Fly Ash, Tian Wang

Doctoral Dissertations

"The goals of this study are four fold, they are: (1) to investigate the leaching behavior of arsenic and selenium from fly ash as well as their affecting factors; (2) to analyze the speciation of arsenic and selenium in fly ash leachate; (3) to develop a modeling approach to quantify the availability and stability of trace cationic elements in fly ash; (4) to apply this model to describe the leaching/adsorption behavior of arsenic and selenium on fly ash, as well as the calcium effect on arsenic (V) adsorption process"--Abstract, page iv.

Impacts Of Acid Mine Drainage On Carbon Cycling In Receiving Streams, Ernest W. Fonyuy

Doctoral Dissertations

"Field and laboratory investigations of acid mine drainage (AMD) contaminated and uncontaminated waters were conducted in order to determine and model processes and reaction mechanisms that control dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) transformation and shifts in isotope ratio of DIC (Δ¹³C_DIC). The results show that AMD caused variable pH changes, overall decreases in Fe²⁺, alkalinity, and DIC, and increases in (Δ¹³C_DIC) in receiving streams. AMD caused more than 50 to > 98% seasonal DIC loss in stream water through CO₂ degassing. High DIC losses corresponded to high Fe²⁺ and lower or no HCO₃⁻ in the water samples, because …

The Development Of Hybrid Intelligent Systems For Technical Analysis Based Equivolume Charting, Thira Chavarnakul

Doctoral Dissertations

"This dissertation proposes the development of a hybrid intelligent system applied to technical analysis based equivolume charting for stock trading. A Neuro-Fuzzy based Genetic Algorithms (NF-GA) system of the Volume Adjusted Moving Average (VAMA) membership functions is introduced to evaluate the effectiveness of using a hybrid intelligent system that integrates neural networks, fuzzy logic, and genetic algorithms techniques for increasing the efficiency of technical analysis based equivolume charting for trading stocks"--Introduction, page 1.

An Analysis Of 2005 Naep 8th Grade Mathematics Achievement Items By Content Strand, Problem Type And Language Complexity, Yvette Marie Fagan

Doctoral Dissertations

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Resiliency And Attribution Factors Associated With Racially And Ethnically Diverse Adolescents With Learning Disabilities, Karen Yvette Cruter Mcgee

Doctoral Dissertations

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Teaching Critical Thinking In A Community-College Art-History Learning Environment : A Comparison Of Implicit Instruction Versus A Combination Of Implicit And Explicit Instruction, Michael Leonard

Doctoral Dissertations

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The Effect Of Optimistic Explanatory Style Instruction On The Explanatory Style, Reading Self Efficacy, Reading Resilience And Reading Performance Of Third-Fifth Grade Students With Learning Disabilities, Melba Rhodes-Stanford

Doctoral Dissertations

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A Case Study : Academic Achievement In An After-School Tutoring Program With Black Middle School Youth, Errie Denan Bohanon

Doctoral Dissertations

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Emotional Intelligence And Leadership Practices Among Human Service Program Managers, Cynthia Sims-Vanzant

Doctoral Dissertations

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Hyphenated Hplc-Ms Technique For Analysis Of Compositional Monosaccharides Of Transgenic Corn Glycoprotein And Characterization Of Degradation Products Of Diazinon, Fonofos And Aldicarb In Various Oxidation Systems, Tongwen Wang

Doctoral Dissertations

"The studies of this dissertation are composed of two sections. The first one deals with the analysis of compositional monosaccharides of transgenic corn glycoproteins. The method used in this study involved derivatization of monosaccharides with two fluorophores followed by HPLC/fluorescence detection for quantitative studies, and by HPLC/SSI/MS for identification confirmation of individual monosaccharide...The second section investigates the degradation processes of several pesticides including diazinon, fonofos and aldicarb in various oxidation systems"--Abstract, page iv.

Boffin's Books And Darwin's Finches: Victorian Cultures Of Collecting, Michael W. Hancock '89

Doctoral Dissertations

Although wealthy continental virtuosos had passionately and selectively accumulated a variety of natural and artificial objects from the Renaissance onwards, not until the nineteenth century did collecting become a conspicuous national pastime among all classes in Britain. As industry and empire made available many new and exotic goods for acquisition and display, the collection as a cultural form offered the Victorians a popular strategy of self-fashioning that was often represented in the literature of the age as a source of prestige and social legitimation. Through interdisciplinary readings of Victorian fiction, narrative nonfiction, and poetry, my study examines how textual representations …

Membrane Systems With Limited Parallelism, Bianca Daniela Popa

Doctoral Dissertations

Membrane computing is an emerging research field that belongs to the more general area of molecular computing, which deals with computational models inspired from bio-molecular processes. Membrane computing aims at defining models, called membrane systems or P systems, which abstract the functioning and structure of the cell. A membrane system consists of a hierarchical arrangement of membranes delimiting regions, which represent various compartments of a cell, and with each region containing bio-chemical elements of various types and having associated evolution rules, which represent bio-chemical processes taking place inside the cell.

This work is a continuation of the investigations aiming to …

Investigation Of Ethanol Dehydration In A Microscale Pervaporation Process, Sudhir Ramprasad

Doctoral Dissertations

Challenges due to surface tension effects for vaporization in microchannels have restricted the implementation of conventional separation processes that involve liquid boiling in a micro-chemical system. However, membrane separations offer a feasible alternative for exploring the advantages of liquid phase separation in micro-chemical systems. The main objective of this research was to evaluate the process intensification effects in a microscale pervaporation process with experiments involving the separation of ethanol/water using a commercially available polymer dehydration membrane.

The microchannels in the microseparator were fabricated by the dry etch process at Louisiana Tech University. Microchannel depths of 20 to 120 μm, with …

Microparticulate Drug Reformulation Using Electrostatic Layer -By -Layer Assembly And Co-Entrapment With Anionic Phospholipids In Calcium Carbonate Matrix, Krishna Gopal

Doctoral Dissertations

Non-invasive drug delivery systems for therapeutic drugs are gaining prominence. One such system, the nasal delivery system, shows good prospect for effective delivery of some drugs, however, it is yet to be well established for others. The preparation of a reformulated drug and studying its in vitro characteristics is a crucial step in the process of adapting the new drug for nasal delivery systems. The purpose of this research is to study the effect of electrostatic layer by layer assembly of polyelectrolytes on PROMAXX®insulin microparticles and to study the chemical, physical and corresponding release properties of the resulting formulations. PROMAXX® …

Fluorescent Enzymatic Smart Tattoos Comprising Hybrid Silicate Microparticles, Metalloporphyrin Complexes, And Mass Transport-Limiting Nanofilms, Erich Wayne Stein

Doctoral Dissertations

Diabetics are often required to self-monitor blood glucose levels to effectively deliver prescribed therapies. However, the pain and bother associated with traditional finger-prick measurements often result in decreased patient compliance and therefore poor disease management, which could result in the early-onset of complications. Enzymatic "smart tattoos"—implantable luminescent particles that may be transdermally interrogated with light—are being pursued as minimally-invasive diabetic monitoring devices, with hopes of increasing diabetic compliance by reducing excessive pain and bother associated with finger-prick measurements. These devices typically comprise an oxygen-quenched luminescent dye and glucose oxidase (GOx), an enzyme that catalyzes the oxidation of β-D-glucose. Under glucose-limited …

A Measurement Of The Top Quark Mass With A Matrix Element Method, Adam Paul Gibson '96

Doctoral Dissertations

We present a measurement of the mass of the top quark. Our event sample is selected from proton-antiproton collisions, at 1.96 TeV center-of-mass energy, observed with the CDF detector at Fermilab's Tevatron. We consider a 318 pb^-1 dataset collected between March 2002 and August 2004. We select events that contain one energetic lepton, large missing transverse energy, exactly four energetic jets, and at least one displaced vertex b tag. Our analysis uses leading-order tt and background matrix elements along with parameterized parton showering to construct event-by-event likelihoods as a function of top quark mass. From the 63 events observed …