Digital Commons Network^™

The Use Of Stomp To Evaluate The Impact Of Heterogeneity On Lnapl Pool Configuration, Saroj Kandel

Theses

AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF SAROJ KANDEL, for the Masters of Science degree in CIVIL ENGINEERING, presented on February 6, 2012, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. TITLE: THE USE OF STOMP TO EVALUATE THE IMPACT OF HETEROGENEITY ON LNAPL POOL CONFIGURATION MAJOR PROFESSOR: Dr. Lizette R. Chevalier Subsurface contamination by light non-aqueous phase liquid (LNAPL) is a widespread problem. A common LNAPL contamination is gasoline from leaking underground storage tanks (LUST). Heterogeneities in the media properties play a crucial role for defining the LNAPL movement and distribution in the subsurface. Hence, enhanced understanding of light non-aqueous phase liquid (LNAPL) …

Perceived Risk Of Homeland Security Incidents: The Insignificance Of Actual Risk Factors, Melissa R. Haynes

Theses

Contingency theory, with regard to risk of homeland security incidents and homeland security preparedness, has received considerable empirical support. In past research, risk has been measured subjectively as agency executives' perceived risk of specific homeland security incidents occurring within their jurisdictions. This study examines actual risk, using the objective risk factors of experience with past natural hazards, social vulnerability, and urbanization. These risk factors, used in combination, have been significantly associated with terrorism-related homeland security incidents in the United States, and are used in risk assessment models of natural hazards. Contrary to expectations, the results of this study indicate that …

A Vacation Within A Vacation: An Examination Of How Child Participation In Day Programs During Family Vacations Influences Parental Satisfaction With The Vacation, Kathrin Mirjam Birchler

Theses

Family vacations are an important part of life for many families. This paper will give an overview of family recreation and family vacations. Family recreation has many positive effects that influence family life and can lead to a better overall satisfaction for parents and children. This leads to certain advantages that many families experience while on vacation. Lastly, leisure constraints theory and family systems theory are described. These two theories serve as the theoretical framework of this study. In order to collect data a questionnaire was e-mailed to parents whose children attended a children's program while on family vacations. A …

Genetic Modifications Within The Gluconeogenic Organs Following Ileal Interposition In Non-Diabetic Rats: A Role Of Glut2, Shwetha Ravichandran

Theses

Obesity and Diabetes, the major cause for morbidity and mortality in United States raises a general curiosity regarding health care expenses when talked about treating them. Every year approximately 300,000 US adults die of reasons associated to obesity and diabetes, becoming the sixth leading cause of death. The prevalence of those diagnosed with diabetes witnessed an exponential curve in the last decade and for the year 2011 about 8.3% of the population in the US has been diagnosed with diabetes and it is predicted that in the year 2030 the prevalence of diabetes is to reach 4.4% globally. Type 2 …

Evaluation Of Soybean Recombinant Inbred Lines For Yield Potential And Resistance To Sudden Death Syndrome, James Arthur Anderson

Theses

Evaluation of soybean recombinant inbred lines for seed weight yield, agronomic traits, and resistance to sudden death syndrome Sudden death syndrome (SDS) caused by Fusarium virguliforme is a devastating disease in soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) that causes up to 70% of yield losses depending on the developmental stage when the plant become infected. The characterization of resistance is greatly significant for disease management. Therefore, three populations were developed by crossing three resistant lines, `Hamilton', LS90-1920 and LS97-1610 with a susceptible line to SDS, `Spencer'. Ninety-four F5:6 recombinant inbred lines from each population (Hamilton x Spencer, LS90-1920 x Spencer, and …

Nesting Ecology Of Ducks In Dense Nesting Cover And Restored Native Plantings In Northeastern North Dakota, Ryan D. Haffele

Theses

Conservation efforts to increase duck production have led the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to restore grasslands with multi-species (3-5) mixtures of cool season vegetation often termed dense nesting cover (DNC). The effectiveness of DNC to increase duck production has been variable, and maintenance of the cover type is expensive. In an effort to decrease the costs of maintaining DNC and support a more diverse community of wildlife, restoration of multi-species (16-32) plantings of native plants has been explored. Understanding the mechanisms of nest site selection for nesting ducks within these plantings is important in estimating the efficiency of …

Fun-Cleaning System: To Teach Children To Establish The Habit Of Sharing Housework, Tsaiwei Lin

Theses

This project originated with a single question: Why do many young adults today lack basic life skills? This question came to mind when I noticed that most of my college friends are clueless about how to do the laundry or how to use a vacuum cleaner. After giving this question considerable thought, I began to research changes in family relationships, culture, and psychology to better understand this phenomenon. I have focused my research on Taiwan, my country. Most families in Taiwan distribute housework between the parents rather than among the children. The primary duty of children is to study hard …

Above The Flesh, Romeal Hogan

Theses

The goal of this paper is to outline the production of the film "Above the Flesh", from conceptualization to completion. Also included in this paper are supplementary materials in order to further exhibit the production processes and any alterations to story and execution made. "Above the Flesh" explores the enigma of the carnal, animal nature of man in relation to socialization and religion. The film takes place in, and attempts to deconstruct the ideal domestic environment. The story unfolds from the viewpoint of the protagonist, Evan, a neurotic and sickly 25 year-old. Returning home for his 25th birthday, he finds …

Kindle Vs. Printed Book An Environmental Analysis, Dealva Jade Dowd-Hinkle

Theses

The focus of this thesis was to investigate digital technology in the print industry in order to better understand the environmental impact of certain digital devices. For this research, the Amazon Kindle was selected, and a secondary source was used for a comparison of a printed book. A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was performed on the Kindle using a software called SimaPro. The results were then compared to an adjusted version of the data from a secondary source on printed books. Results indicated that in the three primary areas examined, Global Warming Potential, Ozone Depletion, and Terrestrial Acidification, with only …

O, Karen Donnellan

Theses

My work is driven by the metaphysical and the potential for healing through the manipulation of energy. Points of research include the enso (the only symbol used in Zen Buddhism), which uses the circle as a symbol of wholeness, divinity, and enlightenment. The writings of Alex Grey, Eckhart Tolle and the work of Ann Hamilton will also be investigated. I plan to create work from turned wooden vortex forms, the shapes of which are based on the movement of energy within the body. These objects will be transformed from wood, through rubber, wax, plaster, iron, bronze to cast, and blown …

Government Debt Crisis In Eurozone Case Studies: Greece And Italy What Can Kosovo Learn From The Eurozone Crisis?, Blendi Hasaj

Theses

The ongoing government debt crisis, in some of the biggest Eurozone countries has become a great concern for the European societies. The inability of the governments to cover their expenditures over the last years has resulted into high public debts, followed by a set of economic problems such as recession, unemployment and growth issues, negative balance of payments and fewer investments. Some of the most affected countries of this crisis are Greece, Italy, Portugal, Ireland, and Spain. In this project, I analyze the factors that cause an increase of debt to GDP ratio in a Eurozone country, by estimating a …

Meeting Resistance To A Policy Of Cadaveric Organ Conscription: A Discussion Of The Important Issues And Arguments, Daniel Ryan Sahr

Theses

Conscripting organs from cadavers represents a radical new approach to the problem of organ procurement for transplantation. As it currently stands, there is a wide disparity between the supply of viable organs and the need for those organs in order to perform life-saving transplantations. There is, therefore, a major problem with the current organ procurement model in the United States. Cadaveric organ conscription avoids the requirement for consent in organ donation; all candidates for organ donation will have viable organs harvested for transplantation under this policy. Organ conscription has the potential to close the widening gap between the number of …

Natural Hair: A Content Analysis Of Black Hair Style And Texture On Youtube Videos, Toni Dominique Rowell

Theses

Within a society, the dominant ideology about aesthetics is instilled in individuals at a very early age. Hegemonic standards concerning the subject of hair style and texture has been an ongoing debate in the Black community for decades. A content analysis of videos on the video-sharing website YouTube was conducted to examine perceptions on African American women’s hair style, the relationship between the perceptions on hair style and gender, and the function of African American women’s’ hair styles as a status symbol. The sample consisted of 150 YouTube videos generated by using the keywords, “hair and Black women.” Three research …

The Personality Matching Of Mentors And Mentees In A Youth Mentoring Program, Toni Jolevski

Theses

This study examined the effectiveness of personality matching of high school mentors with elementary school mentees in an afterschool youth mentoring program. Study participants attended a Western New York school district including 20 mentors from grades 9 to 12, and 16 mentees from grades 4 to 6. Effectiveness was analyzed using three outcome measures: social connectedness, grade average, and school absences. Results showed evidence of iatrogenic effects for mentors. Mentors' performance declined in areas of social connectedness, school attendance, and grade average. Mentees did not have significant improvement in grade average and school attendance. Similar personality matched mentees displayed performance …

Supercritical Co2 Extraction Of Oil From Henna Flower: Experimental, Mathematical Modeling, And Antioxidant Activity, Bushra Saeed Mohammed Dohai

Theses

Henna is a plant that has been used traditionally for coloring nail, skin, and hair, and as medicinal plant. The supercritical fluid technology offers a considerable promise as extraction media due to its advantages over other conventional extraction techniques. The extraction of volatile components from flowers of henna was studied using supercritical carbon dioxide at temperatures and pressures ranging from 35 to 55°C and 80 to 120 bar, respectively. A maximum extraction yield of 31 % from 2g of henna flowers was obtained at 45 °C and 120 bar. The composition of the extracts was investigated by gas chromatography technique. …

A Data Driven Frequency Based Method For Electrical-Mechanical Actuator Condition Monitoring, Anthony J. Chirico Iii

Theses

This research investigates a novel data driven approach to condition monitoring of Electro-Mechanical Actuators (EMAs) consisting of feature extraction and fault classification. Since many common faults in rotating machinery produce unique frequency components, the approach is based on signal analysis in the frequency domain of both inherent EMA signals and accelerometers. The feature extraction process exposes fault frequencies in signal data that are synchronous with motor position through a series of signal processing techniques consisting of digital re-sampling, Power Spectral Density (PSD) computation, and feature reduction. The resulting reduced dimension feature is then used to determine the condition of the …

Kosovo Government Buildings : A Future Out Of City Center Location 2015-2025 : [Presentation Given February 29, 2012], Anjeza Alaj

Theses

Based on Kosovo’s Government budget, over the past ten years an average rate of 2.30 % of total capital investment went to the maintenance and renovation of government office buildings (see figure below). At this rate for the period of 2015-2025, approximately €144 Million will be budgeted for Government buildings. This capstone project has assessed long term tentative plans to accommodate government institutions. In a new site and out of city center location it considered the future planning for permanent accommodation of civil servants out of the city center. The total cost for this new site is estimated to be …

Annual Revenues From Kosovo's Value Added Tax ; [Presentation Given On February 29, 2012], Diamanta Skenderi

Theses

This capstone project assesses the current system of Value Added Tax in Kosovo and its impact on the national revenues. This topic is very important because the current government is implementing the VAT system for supplies related to goods and services, which are sold and imported into Kosovo. VAT tax is the biggest potential source for increasing revenue in the Kosovo budget. As a result there is a need to change the law related to this tax. The main goal of this project was to assess possible changes to the VAT system, and provide suggestions how to ensure a positive …

Planning Of City Center Government Office Accomodation : [Presentation Given On February 29, 2012], Laureta Mulliqi

Theses

This capstone project involved the evaluation and selection of an adequate solution to solving the problem of accommodating the government institutions of Kosovo within the existing infrastructure of Pristina City Center. The Engineering and Building Management (DEBM) within Kosova‟s Ministry of Public Administration (MPA), is competent for resolving the immediate accommodation issue of government employees. Different situations and movements in accommodation have changed the situation regarding building a new compound. A new capacity building has been made from the UNMIK to hold 9% of total employees. The new construction and existing facilities will hold 26%, and in addition “Germia” and …

Characterization Of Speaker Recognition In Noisy Channels, Robert Ghilduta

Theses

Speaker recognition is a frequently overlooked form of biometric security. Text-independent speaker identification is used by financial services, forensic experts, and human computer interaction developers to extract information that is transmitted along with a spoken message such as identity, gender, age, emotional state, etc. of a speaker. Speech features are classified as either low-level or high-level characteristics. Highlevel speech features are associated with syntax, dialect, and the overall meaning of a spoken message. In contrast, low-level features such as pitch, and phonemic spectra are associated much more with the physiology of the human vocal tract. It is these lowlevel features …

The Implementation Of The Civil Service Law And A Future Merit System : [Presentation Given February 29, 2012], Majlinde Sinani-Lulaj

Theses

This capstone_masters_project addresses the significant challenge of improving the Law on Civil Service (LCS) in Kosovo. It provides an analysis of the current state of the civil service and level of implementation of the LCS. The project analysis was based on surveys, published reports, and professional assessments. Job descriptions, classification of job positions, and performance evaluation, as important components of merit system are elaborated and highlighted. The LCS sets the rules for overall management, organization, rights, obligations, career progression and professional development of civil servants. With the 2010 enactment of the LCS there was a dramatic reduction of over 60 …

Design Optimization Framework To Estimate Environmental Impact Of Design Decisions In Consumer Products, Carlos M. Briceno

Theses

Most products have the potential to negatively impact the environment during all life-cycle stages. However, most environmental impact assessment methods focus on a single product life-cycle and on a specific lifecycle stage. In addition, consumer products can potentially amplify these impacts with their larger production volumes, wide dispersion, and miniaturization trends. The main objective of this project is to develop a design optimization framework that allows for estimating the environmental impact of design decisions (e.g. materials choice, etc.) across all life-cycle stages in consumer products. This work incorporates into one framework customer preferences (including preference for environmental friendliness), consumer adoption …

Classroom Habitat: Natural System Of Movement, Sandra Turner

Theses

With all the new technology in today's world, we are hard pressed to find a "sense of wonder and awe" unless it is plugged into a wall. As Jonathan Chapman describes in his book, Emotionally Durable Design; "Modern products seriously lack ... character and allure; they are too smart and precise, removing all possible surprise, mystery and, perhaps above all, charm from the process of engaging with them" (p. 49). Children spend as much, if not more time at school than at home. The classroom plays a critical role in a child's emotional development, yet the objects in the classroom …

Visualizing Actin Regulatory Proteins & The Mechanoelectrical Ion Channel In Inner Ear Stereocilia, Chih-Tao Tu

Theses

My thesis was a continuation of the "3D Virtual Ear Animation" project for the Imagine RIT Festival held in spring 2010. I worked with Dr. David Corey, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Investigator, whose research publications I had been reading since the spring of 2010. I learned about information that explains how hearing is transformed into neural signals ultimately perceived by the brain. Motivated by the presence of hearing-impaired students on the campus, I decided to continue this animation project. Another motivation for this topic was the lack of illustrations and animations that captured the latest discoveries, particularly the …

The Interaction Between An Omnivorous Mud Snail And Bloom-Forming Macroalgae Is Context-Dependent In Shallow Estuaries, Charles Yarrington

Theses

Eutrophication due to anthropogenic nutrient enrichment is the greatest factor leading to estuarine degradation. Even after external nutrient loading has been reduced, internal nutrient recycling has the potential to keep the system in a eutrophic state. In field studies, an association between the Eastern Mud Snail, Ilyanassa obsoleta (Say), and the opportunistic green macroalgae Ulva sp., has been observed and attributed to the detrital food source associated with the algal mat. In this study, we sought to determine the spatial and temporal context-dependence of this relationship, the reciprocal benefits of the association, and the potential feedbacks to macroalgal bloom formation …

Otter Spotter: The Creation And Evaluation Of An Educational Resource For The Association Of Zoos And Aquariums, Rochester Institute Of Technology, And The Seneca Park Zoo, Emily Coon-Frisch

Theses

Otter Spotter is an educational website providing information about otters found in Association of Zoos and Aquariums' (AZA) facilities. Though the site includes five species of otter it focuses primarily on the North American river otter. It was designed to meet the needs of AZA's Otter Species Survival Plan (SSP) committee, Rochester Institute of Technology's (RIT) Otter Research group, and the Seneca Park Zoo. This site helps fulfill the mission of modern zoos to become centers for conservation and education. Otter Spotter contains species information, photos, video clips, research summaries, teacher resources, and a blog with the latest news related …

The Development Of Resistance To Antibiotics From Bacteria Exposed To Triclosan And Triclocarban In Lake Ontario, Daniel Boone

Theses

Triclocarban (3,4,4'-trichlorocarbanilide) (TCC) and Triclosan ( 2,4,4'-trichloro-2'-hydroxydiphenyl ether) (TCS) are antimicrobials used extensively in soaps and detergents. They're known to bypass wastewater treatment plants and bioaccumulate in aquatic sediments. Their accumulation leads to an increase in bacterial exposure, which may lead to both antiseptic and antibiotic resistance, known as cross-resistance. This study investigates the occurrence of cross-resistance with bacteria exposed to TCS and TCC in Lake Ontario sediments. Sediment samples were chosen at various sites with a high probability of TCS and TCC exposure. The bacteria were enriched with 5mg/L TCS (equivalent to environmental concentrations) and the top biodegraders were …

Temperature Elevations Due To Nir Exposure In The Brain Tissue, Ali Ersen

Theses

Near infrared (NIR) lasers have been used in medical applications both for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. Temperature elevation profile inside the tissue is a critical factor that needs to be better understood in these applications. The purpose of this study is to determine the temperature distribution due to a low power N I R laser irradiation in living neural tissue. Temperature measurements were made directly using a thermocouple probe inside the rat brain cortex within the sagittal plane. The spatial map indicates that N I R light penetrates more readily in the vertical directions than the spreading in the horizontal …

Soy Protein-Poly (L-Lactic Acid) Blend Nanofibers For Drug Delivery Of Nardostachys Jatamansi, Swetha Tiwari

Theses

Electrospun nanofibers when nanofi bers are impregnated with drugs play a significant role in drug delivery. Nanomedical approaches to drug delivery focus on developing nanoscale particles or molecules to improve the bioavailab ility of a drug.

Biodegradable nanofibers were developed using Poly (L – lactic acid) and Soy protein for the delivery of an ayurvedic drug, Nardostachys jatamansi. A weighed quantity of powdered drug – Nardostachys Jatamansi was subjected to Soxhlet extraction using water and ethanol in equal quantities. Various blends of the drug extract and soy protein solution are prepared and mixed in Poly (L-lactic acid). Nanofibers of …

Alendronate Treatment Elicits A Reduction In Fatigue-Life Of Canine Cortical Bone, Joseph Ryan Geissler

Theses

Bone serves contradictory needs; bone must be strong yet light, and stiff yet flexible. At the tissue level bone material withstands cyclic loading without failing by dissipating energy via the formation and accumulation of microdamage. Proper removal of this damage in exchange for fresh tissue is vital to bone maintenance, and is achieved through a remodeling process. Imbalanced remodeling leads to osteoporotic fractures. Bisphosphonate drugs are proven to reduce fracture risk. However, the long-term effects of bisphosphonates on tissue-level properties are unknown. This study characterized the fatigue-life of cortical bone tissue after bisphosphonate treatment with alendronate (Aln). 1 1th ribs …