Digital Commons Network^™

The Effectiveness Of A Literature-Driven English Programme In Improving The English Language Skills Of Secondary One Students In Singapore, Mary Delfin Pereira

Theses

The aim of the research was to discover whether an integrated Literature and English curriculum would be effective in enhancing the English language skills of students in schools. The curriculum initiative project was conducted as multiple site case studies in four secondary schools in Singapore over a span of five to six weeks during 2004. These schools included a girls’ only school, a boys’ only school and two co-educational schools. These schools were also of different types: independent, government-aided and government schools. The sample within and across the schools provided: different levels of performance in a graded situation; multiple teachers …

A Grounded Theory: Realising Family Potential Through Choice Of Schooling, Angela Mccarthy

Theses

This study was designed to develop a substantive theory that would explain the process through which a family makes educational choices in Western Australia. The grounded theory method was chosen for this research. The participants in the study were mainly parents of children in Catholic schools who were invited to assist in the research through purposive sampling. Further theoretical sampling extended the parental informant group to include parents of children in the government sector as well as in non-government schools other than Catholic schools. The data were primarily obtained through formal interviews. The analysis of the data was conducted through …

Saints, Soldiers And Sinners The Mormon Experience In Early California 1846-1857, Charles Lamont Gunderson

Theses

This thesis compares California's three mid nineteenth-century Mormon settlements their origins, purpose, and ultimate abandonment. I argue that despite their common bond of faith, these three settlements differed tremendously because they were created for distinct reasons and at a perplexing time in the Mormons history.

Design Of An Air Vitiation Heater, Eusebio Samuel

Theses

No abstract provided.

Expression Of Tumor Suppressor Genes During Breast Cancer Progression In The Rat, Wafa Saqer Rashid Abdullah Aldhaheri

Theses

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer and the leading cause of cancer deaths among women in the United Arab Emirates and all over the world. Although many factors contribute to the high incidence of breast cancer, a considerable number of cases are related to environmental factors. In this study, breast cancer was induced in female rats using a single dose, 80 mg/kg body wt, of the environmental carcinogen 7,12- dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA). The aim was to characterize some of the early cellular and molecular changes that occur during breast cancer development in the DMBA-treated rat model. Mammary gland …

The Analysis And Characterisation Of Rotavirus And Norovirus Circulating In The South Of Ireland, Norma Reidy

Theses

On average more than 3,000 cases of rotavirus diarrhea are detected annually amongst Irish children less than 3 years of age. Rotavirus disease occurs mainly during the winter months, with peak infections detected from February to April. The symptoms of disease are diarrhea and dehydration, with 80% of patients requiring hospitalisation, The mean duration of hospitalisation is 3-4 days, with an average cost per day of €409. Eighteen percent of infections were detected in infants less than 6 months of age, suggesting inadequate maternal derived protection from existing strains, or the existence of novel strains in Ireland with little or …

Assessment Of The Effectiveness Of Available Pollution Control Technologies In Reducing Phenol Level At Enoc Refinery Wastewater Treatment Plant, Waddah Shihab Ghanim Al Hashemi

Theses

Phenols are present in discharge effluents of many heavy industries such as refineries. They are regulated and monitored by environmental authorities. Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC) processes condensate oil and produces wastewater that is treated at the ENOC Processing Company's (EPCL-refinery) wastewater treatment plant (ETP) through the use of physical, chemical and biological treatment processes. This study provides an in-depth description of the unit processes employed to treat the different waste streams generated at the EPCL refinery and identifies the different types of phenols which are formulated in the processes. Characterization of phenol level at EPCL-ETP and assessment of the …

Date Palm (Phoenix Dactylifera L.) Tissue Culture: Type Of Contamination And Improvement Of Disinfestation Techniques, Mouza Nasser Al-Shamisi

Theses

Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) cultivation in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is considered one of the most important economic supports for the agricultural sector. Propagation of date palm by offshoots cannot satisfy the increasing demand of date palm trees, and high propagation rate can only be achieved using tissue culture techniques. However, one of the major problems of this technique is the failure of producing aseptic cultures, yielding to the loss of the explants at the initiation phase.

The objectives of this study were to develop a reliable disinfection technique of date palm explants at the initiation …

Exploiting Semantic Locality To Improve Peer-To-Peer Search Mechanisms, Ajitabh Sharan

Theses

A Peer-to-Peer(P2P) network is the most popular technology in file sharing today. With the advent of various commercial and non-commercial applications like KaZaA, Gnutella, a P2P network has exercised its growth and popularity to the maximum. Every node (peer) in a P2P network acts as both a client and a server for other peers. A search in P2P network is performed as a query relayed between peers until the peer that contains the searched data is found. Huge data size, complex management requirements, dynamic network conditions and distributed systems are some of the difficult challenges a P2P system faces while …

Recommendations For A Comprehensive Identity Theft Victimization Survey Framework And Information Technology Prevention Strategies, Sara Berg

Theses

While steps have been undertaken in the last five years to better understand the problem of identity theft, there has been little research done in the areas of high tech crime victim profiling and prevention. Most studies focus on victim demographics without examining ways in which the victimization may have been facilitated technologically. Attempts to look at precipitating behaviors in the context of victimization are limited. As such, a weak empirical base exists on which to generate additional research and potential solutions to identity theft victimization. This thesis bridges previous identity theft research with other empirical studies in order to …

Security Aspects In Voice Over Ip Systems, Gokul Bhupathiraju

Theses

Security has become a major concern with the rapid growth of interest in the internet. This project deals with the security aspects of VoIP systems. Various supporting protocols and technologies are considered to provide solutions to the security problems. This project stresses on the underlying VoIP protocols like Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), Secure Real-time Transport Procotol (SRTP), H.323 and Media Gateway Control Protocol (MGCP). The project further discusses the Network Address Translation (NAT) devices and firewalls that perform NAT. A firewall provides a point of defense between two networks. This project considers issues regarding the firewalls and the problems faced …

Using 3d Graphic And Animation Software To Enhance Learning Experience In Ged Math, Willy Ochaya

Theses

This study was designed to explore trends in the use of 3D graphics and animation software within an educational context to enhance learning and to promote the use of calculators for a broader learning experience. This study targeted students in the GED component of Threshold Center for Alternative Youth Development who specifically were preparing to take the math section of the examination. Evidence from an array of studies (Simonson & Thompson, 1994; Weller, (1996); Lazarowitz and Huppert (1993); Yalcinalp, Geban, and Ozkan (1995) indicates that (computer technology in the classroom can have a positive impact on students learning, in terms …

Visualizing The Inner Structure Of N-Body Data, Edward Dale

Theses

N-body simulations produce a large amount of data that must be visualized in order to extract interesting features. This data consists of thousands of particles, each with a number of properties such as velocity, mass, and acceleration, that are persisted across hundreds of time steps. Rendering these points using traditional means quickly leads to a image that is satu- rated because the number of particles is greater than the number of pixels available. Volume rendering, and particularly splatting, seeks to remedy this and allows one to see inside the volume and discern the inner structure. The definition of inner structure …

Progress On Probabilistic Encryption Schemes, Kert Richardson

Theses

The purpose of this master's project is to study different probabilistic cryptography schemes. The older probabilistic schemes, Goldwasser-Micali and Blum-Goldwasser, will only be covered briefly for a historical perspective. Several new and promising schemes have appeared in the last 7 years, generating interest. I will be examining the Paillier and Damgard-Jurik schemes in depth. This report explains the mathematics behind the schemes along with their inherent benefits, while also suggesting some potential uses. Details are given on how I optimized the algorithms, with special emphasis on using the Chinese Remainder Theorem (CRT) in the Damgard-Jurik algorithm as well as the …

Symmetric Private Information Retrieval Via Additive Homomorphic Probabilistic Encryption, Laura Lincoln

Theses

Suppose there is a movie you would be interested in watching via pay-per-view, but you refuse to purchase the feed because you believe that the supplier will sell your information to groups paying for the contact information of all the people who purchased that movie, and the association of your name to that purchase could hinder career, relationships, or increase the amount of time you spend cleaning SPAM out of your mailbox. Private Information Retrieval (PIR) will allow you to retrieve a particular feed without the supplier knowing which feed you actually got, and Symmetric Private Information Retrieval (SPIR) will …

Polyvinylidene Fluoride Composites As An Option For Proton Exchange Membranes In Fuel Cells, Rohini P. Sajanpawar

Theses

This thesis details approaches for the preparation of composite membranes derived from poly (vinylidene fluoride), PVDF, or copolymers thereof. It was expected that these membranes would withstand the harsh thermal oxidative conditions of a practical fuel cell and might exhibit high proton mobility. Sulfonated carbon black was used as the proton conducting component in the membrane. The advantages and the disadvantages of the materials used for fabrication of proton exchange membranes were reviewed. This thesis provides procedures for the preparation of composites of PVDF with sulfonated carbon black (CB) which might be employed as proton exchange membranes. Thin films from …

Analysis Of Effective Mechanical Properties Of Thin Films Used In Microelectromechanical Systems, Ajay Pasupuleti

Theses

This research aims at analyzing the effective mechanical properties of thin film materials that are used in MEMS. Using the effective mechanical properties, reliable simulations of new or slightly altered designs can be performed successfully. The main reason for investigating effective material properties of MEMS devices is that the existing techniques can not provide consistent prediction of the mechanical properties without time-consuming and costly physical prototyping if the device or the fabrication recipe is slightly altered. To achieve this goal, two approaches were investigated: soft computing and analytical. In the soft computing approach, the effective material properties are empirically modeled …

High-Dynamic-Range Photography: Image Display And Perception, Jiangtao Kuang

Theses

Current desktop and hard copy display media are capable of only a limited dynamic range in luminance. Hence, high dynamic range (HDR) images require tone-mapping operators for rendering on these media to adequately reproduce their perceptual qualities. Furthermore, the development of these operators requires a methodology for their evaluation in terms of perceptual attributes. To this end, a series of psychophysical experiments was conducted to evaluate a wide-variety of previously published, HDR tone-mapping operators. The evaluations were conducted in terms of rendering accuracy and image preference, and from them, a general methodology for evaluating tonemapping operators was proposed. A next …

"Dr. Kyle Choe's Facial Plastic Surgery Patient Education Website", Eunju Park

Theses

Not Included

Streaming Video Performance And Enhancements In Resource-Constrained Wireless Networks, Justin James Madigan

Theses

Streaming video is an increasingly popular application in wireless networks. The concept of a live streaming video yields several enticing possibilities: real-time video conferencing, television broadcasting, pay-per-view movie streaming, and more. These ideas have already been explored via the internet and have met with mixed success, largely due to the shortcomings of the underlying network. Taking streaming video to wireless networks, then, poses several significant challenges. Wireless networks are inherently more susceptible to failures and data corruption due to their unstable communications medium. This volatility suggests serious drawbacks for any implementation of streaming video. Video frame errors, jitter, and even …

An Investigation Into Implementing E-Commerce Workflow In The Digital Print Market, Svetlana Dolinskiy

Theses

The Print Industry is gradually changing into IT technology based service provider as new services and technologies are continuously being introduced. It is vital for print service providers to keep abreast of these changes and provide custom solutions for their customers.

E-commerce solutions are some of the value-added services that print service providers offer. Digital printing is one of the fastest growing sectors in the Print Industry, with revenues increasing by 129 percent from 2000 to 2005 (Smyth, 2005 p. 23). Combined, e-commerce capabilities and digital printing can provide a service that fulfills the customers' requirements for fast turnaround times …

Development And Test Of A Kinematical Method For Estimating Rotation Using The Acceleration Of A Rigid Body, Douglas A. Carr

Theses

In this work, the feasibility of a novel method for combining inertial information gathered from accelerometers to calculate an estimate for rotational information independent of rate gyro measurements is investigated. The concept uses two, distinctly placed, parallel accelerometers on a rigid body to estimate rotational acceleration by comparing the difference in sensed acceleration caused by rotation. Since the estimation is independent of available rate gyro data, optimization of drift and scale factors can be used to calibrate the accelerometers in a real time fashion. Experimental trials were conducted on a small mobile robotic platform, due to the eventual objective of …

Predictors Of Reading Success For Hispanic Children Learning To Read In English, Therese A. Lawson

Theses

The utility of the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) for documenting the reading progress of English Language Learners (ELLs) was investigated. Relationships among the DIBELS measures were explored using a correlational matrix. The predictive validity of the DIBELS for determining later literacy outcomes was assessed via a series of step-wise regressions. Results suggest that the DIBELS are valid for assessing the reading progress of Spanish-speaking ELLs. Growth was seen on all measures and established DIBELS benchmarks were generally met on time. Differing from previous findings, PSF did not positively correlate with NWF for first graders, and only …

Convergence: The Next Big Step, Gaurav Paliwal

Theses

Recently, web based multimedia services have gained popularity and have proven themselves to be viable means of communication. This has inspired the telecommunication service providers and network operators to reinvent themselves to try and provide value added IP centric services. There was need for a system which would allow new services to be introduced rapidly with reduced capital expense (CAPEX) and operational expense (OPEX) through increased efficiency in network utilization. Various organizations and standardization agencies have been working together to establish such a system. Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) is a result of these efforts. IMS is an application level …

Molecular Viewer Using Spiegel, Pavani Baddepudi

Theses

Study of nucleic acids and proteins has evoked great interest for its role in research involving areas such as human genome and drug design. Understanding the core structure and behavior of these protein molecules requires reading and analyzing large amounts of data about atoms derived from a plethora of experiments. In recent years, computer graphics has gained popularity for its ability to translate these large datasets into three dimensional structures providing easy visualization. This project has implemented one such 3-D molecular viewer to display different models of molecules and study their properties. The project was developed in Java3D using the …

Chemistry At The Cu-Fluoropolymer Interface: Relevance To Adhesion, Daliana Gava Abreu

Theses

The adhesion of sputtered Cu to fluoropolymer surfaces modified by vacuum UV photo-oxidation increased with treatment time for Teflon® PTFE while for Teflon® FEP and PFA there was cohesive failure within FEP and PFA and not at the Cu-fluoropolymer interface. Ar ion etching of the surfaces after cohesive failure showed that the depth of FEP and PFA left on the Cu was ca. 3-10 nm. The chemistry at the interface included the presence of copper fluorides. Control experiments involving Ar ion etching of untreated fluoropolymers showed no evidence for fluoride ions. Thin films of Cu were thermally evaporated and sputter …

Upgrade, Aharon Charnov

Theses

Description of the creation of a computer-animated film, "Upgrade," a project whose goal was to create a visually acceptable story that was enjoyable and coherent, without the benefit of substantive collaborators. The film depicts a young man's relationship with his new computer, as the (anthropomorphized) operating system loses her initial attractiveness and becomes bloated, slow, jealous and vengeful. Includes thesis proposal, revised script, original story boards, color stills, and code for generating facial expressions.

Experimental Study Of Flow Boiling Heat Transfer And Critical Heat Flux In Microchannels, Wai Keat Kuan

Theses

Advancements in microprocessors and other high power electronics have resulted in increased heat dissipation from those devices. In addition, to reduce cost, the functionality of microprocessor per unit area has been increasing. The increase in functionality accompanied by reduction in chip size has caused its thermal management to be challenging. In order to dissipate the increase in heat generation, the size of conventional fin-type heat sinks has to be increased. As a result, the performance of these high heat flux generating electronics is often limited by the available cooling technology and space to accommodate the larger conventional air-cooled heat sinks. …

Horn Formula Minimization, Tom Chang

Theses

Horn formulas make up an important subclass of Boolean formulas that exhibits interesting and useful computational properties. They have been widely studied due to the fact that the satisfiability problem for Horn formulas is solvable in linear time. Also resulting from this, Horn formulas play an important role in the field of artificial intelligence. The minimization problem of Horn formulas is to reduce the size of a given Horn formula to find a shortest equivalent representation. Many knowledge bases in propositional expert systems are represented as Horn formulas. Therefore the minimization of Horn formulas can be used to reduce the …

Jacil: A Cli To Jvm Compiler, Almann Goo

Theses

Both the .NET Framework via the Common Language Infrastructure (CLI) and the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) provide a managed, virtual execution environment for running high-level virtual machine code. As these two platforms become ubiquitous, it is of pragmatic and academic interest to have the capability of running CLI code on the JVM and vice versa. This project developed JaCIL (pronounced "jackal"), a CLI assembly to JVM class file bytecode compiler framework. JaCIL also provides a user program for running CLI-to-JVM translations and a runtime library to support the translated code.