Digital Commons Network^™

Two Novel Approaches Used To Produce Biodiesel From Low-Cost Feedstocks, Xiaohu Fan, Xi Wang, Feng Chen

Publications

The price of feedstock is one of the most significant factors affecting the economic viability of biodiesel manufacturer. Many approaches were investigated to reduce the biodiesel production cost. The present work gave a preliminary study of two approaches to economically produce biodiesel from waste cooking oil (WCO) and flaked cottonseed. One was the use of ultrasound-assisted synthesis of biodiesel from WCO. The other was the application of in situ transesterification from flaked cottonseed. Gas chromatography (GC) and High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) results demonstrated the feasibility of using both approaches to produce biodiesel from low-cost feedstock.

A Comparative Identification Of Ochratoxin A In Longan Fruit Pulp By High Performance Liquid Chromatography-Fluorescence Detection And Electron Spray Ionization-Mass Spectrometry, Jing Li, Haihui Xie, Bao Yang, Xinhong Dong, Linyan Feng, Feng Chen, Yueming Jiang

Publications

Harvested longan (Dimocarpus longan Lour.) fruit are susceptible to decay caused by both bacterial and fungal infections. Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a kind of mycotoxin produced by a number of fungi. In this study, OTA was extracted from longan fruit pulp by 80% methanol and then loaded on C-18 solid-phase extraction columns. The extract solution was then analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography - fluorescence detection (HPLC-FD) and an electron spray ionization-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), respectively. The HPLC-FD analysis showed that a compound similar to OTA might exist in longan fruit pulp, but further analysis by the ESI-MS method demonstrated that …

Contrasting Patterns Of Phylogeographic Relationships In Sympatric Sister Species Of Ironclad Beetles (Zopheridae: Phloeodes Spp.) In California's Transverse Ranges, Michael S. Caterino, Maxi Polihronakis

Publications

Comparative phylogeography of sympatric sibling species provides an opportunity to isolate the effects of geography and demographics on the evolutionary history of two lineages over the same, known time scale. In the current study, we investigated the phylogeographic structure of two zopherid beetle species, Phloeodes diabolicus and P. plicatus, where their ranges overlap in California's Transverse Ranges.

Empirical Modeling Of The Stress-Strain Relationship For An Upsetting Process Under Direct Electrical Current, Joshua Jones, Laine Mears, J. T. Roth

Publications

Present research involving Electrically-Assisted Manufacturing (EAM) has shown the advantageous effects that an applied current flux provides on the mechanical properties with respect to part formation. Overall general results using this process include the reduction of the flow stress during forming, increased achievable deformation, and a decrease or elimination of springback. Specifically targeting the compression process, this paper evaluates the stress-strain relationship and develops from experimental results an initial stress predictor function that includes the effect of electrical current. Once developed, the derived empirical model is shown capable of estimating the flow stress for an EAM upsetting test at various …

High Performance Computing Instrumentation And Research Productivity In U.S. Universities, Amy W. Apon, Linh B. Ngo, Stanley Ahalt, Vijay Dantuluri, Constantin Gurdgiev, Moez Limayem, Michael Stealey

Publications

This paper studies the relationship between investments in High-Performance Computing (HPC) instrumentation and research competitiveness. Measures of institutional HPC investment are computed from data that is readily available from the Top 500 list, a list that has been published twice a year since 1993 that lists the fastest 500 computers in the world at that time. Institutions that are studied include US doctoral-granting institutions that fall into the very high or high research rankings according to the Carnegie Foundation classifications and additional institutions that have had entries in the Top 500 list. Research competitiveness is derived from federal funding data, …

Investigation Of The Machining Of Titanium Components For Lightweight Vehicles, Laine Mears, Mathew A. Kuttolamadom, Joshua J. Jones, Thomas R. Kurfess, Aditya S. Choragudi

Publications

Due to titanium’s excellent strength-to-weight ratio and high corrosion resistance, titanium and its alloys have great potential to reduce energy usage in vehicles through a reduction in vehicle mass. The mass of a road vehicle is directly related to its energy consumption through inertial requirements and tire rolling resistance losses. However, when considering the manufacture of titanium automotive components, the machinability is poor, thus increasing processing cost through a trade-off between extended cycle time (labor cost) or increased tool wear (tooling cost). This fact has classified titanium as a “difficult-to-machine” material and consequently, titanium has been traditionally used for application …

Stem Education And Leadership: A Mathematics And Science Partnership Approach, Chris Merrill, Jenny Daugherty

Publications

The issue of attracting more young people to choose careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) has become critical for the United States. Recent studies by businesses, associations, and education have all agreed that the United States’ performance in the STEM disciplines have placed our nation in grave risk of relinquishing its competitive edge in the marketplace (e.g., Rising above the gathering storm, 2007). A Congressional Research Service (2006) report stated that, a “large majority of secondary students fail to reach proficiency in math and science, and many are taught by teachers lacking adequate subject matter knowledge” (Congressional Research …

Engineering Student Outcomes For Infusion Into Technological Literacy Programs: Grades 9-12, Craig Rhodes, Vincent Childress

Publications

In 2004, the National Center for Engineering and Technology Education (NCETE) secured funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to infuse engineering design into the schools through technology education. In order to reach this goal the researchers, in cooperation with NCETE, conducted a two phase study to identify outcomes for high-school students studying engineering. The first study (referred to as a Phase I) focused on students who intended to enter an engineering program after high school, answering the question:

What are the engineering student outcomes that prospective engineering students in grades 9 through 12 should know and be able to …

Taxing Services, 2010 January, Holley Hewitt Ulbrich

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No abstract provided.

The Self Portrait: How Are We Doing In South Carolina?: Summary Of Responses, 2010, Donna S. London

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No abstract provided.

On The Origin Of The Highest Redshift Gamma-Ray Bursts, Krzysztof Belczynski, Daniel E. Holz, Chris L. Fryer, Edo Berger, Dieter H. Hartmann, Brain O'Shea

Publications

GRB 080913 and GRB 090423 are the most distant gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) known to date, with spectroscop-ically determined redshifts of z = 6.7 and z = 8.1, respectively. The detection of bursts at this early epoch of the universe significantly constrains the nature of GRBs and their progenitors. We perform population synthesis studies of the formation and evolution of early stars, and calculate the resulting formation rates of short- and long-duration GRBs at high redshift. The peak of the GRB rate from Population II stars occurs at z ∼ 7for a model with efficient/fast mixing of metals, while it is …

Optimizing The Physical And Nutritional Environment Of Unleached Root-Zones, Curtis B. Adams

Publications

Unleached root-zones represent an environmental ideal by eliminating wasteful leaching of nutrients and water. NASA grows plants in space in unleached root-zones, incorporating polymer-coated fertilizer (PCF) into a ceramic media (Turface or Profile). However, lack of growth productivity in space has led to the need for research to improve the nutritional and physical environment of the root-zone, which is the objective of this research. PCF types are diverse in release characteristics and the effects of temperature and substrate water content have not been well characterized. In spite of widespread use, studies on chemical properties and applied studies to verify soil …

Quality Of Academic Law Library Online Catalogs And Its Effect On Information Retrieval, Georgia Briscoe

Publications

Quality in online catalogs is generally presumed to be high. Ms. Briscoe examined a number of online catalog entries and documented the accuracy of selected bibliographic records. After finding a high level of errors, she surveyed reference librarians to determine if they believed that these errors would affect their ability to answer reference questions.

Quantifying Male-Biased Dispersal Among Social Groups In The Collared Peccary (Pecari Tajacu) Using Analyses Based On Mtdna Variation., J D Cooper, R Vitalis, P M Waser, D Gopurenko, E C Hellgren, T M Gabor, J A Dewoody

Publications

Recent advances in the statistical analysis of microsatellite data permit calculation of sex-specific dispersal rates through sex- and age-specific comparisons of genetic variation. This approach, developed for the analysis of data derived from co-dominant autosomal markers, should be applicable to a sex-specific marker such as mitochondrial DNA. To test this premise, we amplified a 449 bp control region DNA sequence from the mitochondrial genome of the collared peccary (Pecari tajacu), and estimated intra-class correlations among herds sampled from three Texas populations. Analyses on data partitioned by breeding group showed a clear signal of male-biased dispersal; sex-specific fixation indices associated with …

Fin Ray Chemistry As A Potential Natural Tag For Smallmouth Bass In Northern Illinois Rivers, Kurt T. Smith, Gregory Whitledge

Publications

Natural chemical markers in otoliths and fin rays have proven useful for describing environmental history of fishes in a variety of environments. However, no studies have evaluated smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) pectoral fin ray chemistry as a non-lethal alternative to otolith chemistry. We evaluated the trace element composition of smallmouth bass fin rays collected from northern Illinois rivers and determined the accuracy with which fish could be classified to their environment of capture using pectoral fin ray strontium:calcium (Sr:Ca) and barium:calcium (Ba:Ca) ratios. Fish were collected from nine sites during summer 2008. Fin ray Sr:Ca differed among some …

Jamming Of Frictional Spheres And Random Loose Packing, Leo Silbert

Publications

The role of the friction coefficient, m, on the jamming properties of disordered, particle packings is studied using computer simulations. Compressed, soft-sphere packings are brought towards the jamming transition-the point where a packing loses mechanical stability-by decreasing the packing fraction. The values of the packing fraction at the jamming transition, phi(mu)(c), gradually decrease from the random close packing point for zero friction, to a value coincident with random loose packing as the friction coefficient is increased over several orders of magnitude. This is accompanied by a decrease in the coordination number at the jamming transition, z(c)(mu), which varies from approximately …

Methodological Challenges In The Study Of Social Communication, Scott D. Mcclurg

Publications

This chapter examines how the questions and concepts used in social communications research affect data collection. It begins by offering conceptual definitions of two types of social environments – networks and contexts – that are used to define the boundaries of the field and to highlight its diversity. From this starting point, the implications of these definitions for three methodological issues are discussed: 1) choosing an environmental unit of analysis, 2) selecting cases of social environments for inclusion in a study, and 3) establishing causality. The organizing theme of this chapter is that social communications research is best served by …

The Ghetto And The Prison, Daria Roithmayr

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No abstract provided.

Clarifying Cultural Property, Kristen A. Carpenter, Sonia K. Katyal, Angela R. Riley

Publications

Author Stephenie Meyer forever altered the cultural existence of Quileute Indians when she wrote them into her Twilight novels. Now a veritable global phenomenon complete with books, movies, and affiliated merchandise, the Twilight series depicts young, male members of the tribe as vampire-fighting werewolves who ferociously defend a peace and territorial treaty made with local bloodsuckers. In reality, the Quileute Tribe consists of approximately 700 Indians, many of whom live on a remote reservation in the Pacific Northwest, a tiny parcel of the once vast Quileute territory. Since Twilight's unprecedented international success, the Quileute have been overwhelmed with fans …

Climate Change, Fragmentation, And The Challenges Of Global Environmental Law: Elements Of A Post-Copenhagen Assemblage, William Boyd

Publications

The 2009 United Nations climate conference in Copenhagen has been widely viewed as a failure -a referendum in the eyes of many on the top-down, comprehensive approach to climate governance embodied in the Kyoto Protocol and carried forward in efforts to negotiate a successor regime. Despite a modest agreement on future work toward a new agreement, the most recent climate meeting in Cancún, Mexico reinforces this view, underscoring the conclusion that Copenhagen represents an important inflection point for international climate policy. Although much of the post-Copenhagen commentary has correctly identified various problems, even fatal flaws, with the process, very little …

A Distributive Theory Of Criminal Law, Aya Gruber

Publications

In criminal law circles, the accepted wisdom is that there are two and only two true justifications of punishment-retributivism and utilitarianism. The multitude of moral claims about punishment may thus be reduced to two propositions: (1) punishment should be imposed because defendants deserve it, and (2) punishment should be imposed because it makes society safer. At the same time, most penal scholars notice the trend in criminal law to de-emphasize intent, centralize harm, and focus on victims, but they largely write off this trend as an irrational return to antiquated notions of vengeance. This Article asserts that there is in …

Can Compassionate Practice Also Be Good Legal Practice?: Answers From The Lives Of Buddhist Lawyers, Deborah J. Cantrell

Publications

What does it mean to say that one is a "good lawyer" in the United States? The dominant view is that a lawyer is a zealous advocate owing loyalty to, and taking direction from, the client. The lawyer is singularly focused and hyper-rationality is prized. This article challenges that narrative. Using the real lives of a group of lawyers across the United States, this article offers rich and nuanced descriptive data about the possibilities of "good lawyering" through compassion, equanimity, and an expanded notion of honesty. This article contributes importantly to the debate about what it means to be a …

Business-Like: The Supreme Court's 2009-2010 Labor And Employment Decisions, Melissa Hart

Publications

The 2009-10 Term at the Supreme Court was a relatively quiet one for labor and employment law. While the Justices were in the news for decisions on corporate political donations and the Second Amendment, the Court’s work-related docket grabbed no headlines. In fact, though, the Court considered 7 work law cases this Term, in areas ranging from standards for arbitration agreements to employee privacy rights in new technology to time limitations for filing Title VII disparate impact claims. This article discusses the Court’s labor and employment cases for the Term. While they may not have made much news, several of …

How Does Foreign Direct Investment Affect Growth In Developing Countries? An Empirical Investigation, E. M. Ekanayake, John R. Ledgerwood

Publications

This paper analyzes the effects of foreign direct investment on the economic growth of developing countries. The study uses annual data on a group of 85 developing countries covering Asia, Africa, and Latin America and the Caribbean for the period 1980-2007. We explore the hypothesis that foreign direct investment can promote growth in developing countries. We test this hypothesis using panel data series for foreign direct investment, while accounting for regional differences in Asian, African, Latin American, and the Caribbean countries as well as the differences in income levels. While the findings of previous studies are generally mixed, our results …

Integrating Situation Awareness Assessment Into Test And Evaluation, Cheryl A. Bolstad, Haydee Maria Cuevas

Publications

To guarantee the success if network- centric operations, warfighters need the ability to extract and share critical task-relevant information to develop and maintain the situation awareness that is so critical far effective team performance. As such, the design of emerging technologies and systems must adopt a "user-centric" approach, with consideration for human information processing capabilities and limitations. In turn, to ensure that these technologies and systems are meeting their design objectives, test and evaluation must similarly be expanded to include metrics that assess how well system features and functions are supporting critical human cognitive processes such as situation awareness and …

The Real Exchange Rate Volatility And U.S. Exports: An Empirical Investigation, E. M. Ekanayake, John R. Ledgerwood, Sabrina D'Souza

Publications

This paper investigates effects of exchange rate volatility on U.S. exports, using disaggregated sectoral data on U.S. exports to its major trading partners. In this paper, we use a generalized ARCH-type model (GARCH) to generate a measure of exchange rate volatility which is then tested in a model of U.S. exports. The analysis uses monthly trade data for the period from January 1990 through December 2007. Testing sectoral trade data allows us to detect whether the direction or magnitude of the impact of volatility differs depending on the types of goods that are traded. The results obtained in this paper …

On Osgood's Criterion For Classical Wave Equations And Nonlinear Shallow Water Wave Equations, Timothy Smith, Greg Spradlin

Publications

The problem on classical solutions for the wave equation and the BBM equation is considered. The equations are considered with a forcing term and sufficient conditions of solvability, existence and uniqueness are established.

Integration Matters: Rethinking The Architecture Of International Dispute Resolution, Anna Spain

Publications

International law promotes global peace and security by providing mechanisms for the pacific settlement of international disputes. This Article examines these mechanisms and their place in the architecture of the international dispute resolution ("IDR") system. The Article identifies three core deficiencies of the IDR system that limit its effectiveness and capacity. First, the international legal system has prioritized the development of adjudication over other forms of dispute resolution; the judicialization of international disputes and the proliferation of courts and tribunals evidence this. However, adjudication is limited in its capacity to resolve disputes that involve non-state parties and extra-legal issues. This …

A Critical Legal Rhetoric Approach To In Re African-American Slave Descendants Litigation, Lolita Buckner Inniss

Publications

In this paper I apply critical legal rhetoric to the judicial opinion rendered in response to the Defendants' Motion to Dismiss Plaintiffs' Second Amended and Consolidated Complaint in 'In Re African American Slave Descendants', a case concerning the efforts of a group of modern-day descendants of enslaved African-Americans to obtain redress for the harms of slavery. The chief methodological framework for performing critical legal rhetorical analysis comes from the work of Marouf Hasian, Jr. particularly his schema for analysis which he calls substantive units in critical legal rhetoric. Critical legal rhetoric is a potent tool for exposing the …

Tort Damages And The New Science Of Happiness, Rick Swedloff, Peter H. Huang

Publications

The happiness revolution is coming to legal scholarship. Based on empirical data about the how and why of positive emotions, legal scholars are beginning to suggest reforms to legal institutions. In this article we aim to redirect and slow down this revolution.

One of their first targets of these legal hedonists is the jury system for tort damages. In several recent articles, scholars have concluded that early findings about hedonic adaptation and affective forecasting undermine tort awards for pain and suffering, mental anguish, loss of enjoyment of life, and other non-economic damages. In the shadow of a broader debate about …