Digital Commons Network^™

Analysis Of The Applicability Of Video Segmentation To Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Surveillance Video, Bradley L. Pyburn

Theses and Dissertations

The focus of this research is to determine if applying edge detection segmentation (proposed by Ramin Zabih, Justin Miller, and Kevin Mai) to Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) video footage can provide meaningful segments for database storage and retrieval. The edge detection segmentation algorithm is applied to fifty-four UAV video sequences containing visual effects such as abrupt camera changes, camera zooms, motion (rapid and gradual), and cloud cover while varying the frame rate from 5 fps to 30 fps. An analysis of the results is performed to compare actual versus expected outcomes, similar sequences, and scenes with motion, along with explaining …

Assessment Of A Technical Assistance Model: Serving Youth With Disabilities In Residential Settings In North Dakota., Joan Bonsness

Theses and Dissertations

State education agencies, school districts, and residential corrective and treatment facilities share common concern for the disproportionate number of youth with disabilities placed in out-of-district settings. Central to this concern is the fact that many juveniles with disabilities in residential facilities may not receive the educational services to which they are entitled. The North Dakota Department of Public Instruction (DPI) initiated a technical assistance project in an effort to facilitate cooperation between corrective and treatment facilities and school districts in serving these youth.The purpose of this study was to identify if a technical assistance project could facilitate interaction among educators …

Temporally Regulated Gene Expression In The Embryonic Rat Thoracic Spinal Cord., Wendy Chrystine Perryman

Theses and Dissertations

Recent experimental approaches to the study of gene expression in the developing spinal cord have demonstrated the presence of neurotransmitters, growth factors and guidance cues that appear either at discrete times early in development or for extended periods of time throughout prenatal development and even into the postnatal period. Based on morphologic observations we have made previously in the developing rat thoracic spinal cord, the present study is designed to identify genes in the embryonic spinal cord that are expressed at very discrete developmental time points late in embryonic development. Our hypothesis is that previously unknown genes expressed at discrete …

Cultural Influences On Body Image Perception Of Native American Women., Melody Lafriniere

Theses and Dissertations

Although cultural influences are gaining increased recognition in research in many areas, few studies have considered cultural influences on body image perception. Similarly, literature addressing the issues of American Indian women is lacking. Very little research considers the cultural influence on body image perception of American Indian women.This project considers the influences of culture as it relates to an American Indian woman's perception of her body image. Eighty-four American Indian women, enrolled as students at a small Midwestern university participated in this study to determine their body image perception according to Cash's Multidimensional Body-Self Questionnaire, and the influences of their …

Effect Of The Partial Substitution Of A Commercial Feed For Corn Meal On Growth Performance Of Chickens, Óscar Amilcar García Portillo

Theses and Dissertations

Nutrition is a primary human need. Families often will raise their own animals to meet these nutritional needs. However, high feed costs can severely limit the viability of these small family enterprises. This study addressed ways to improve poultry production as a means for families to ameliorate their diets and increase income. Research was conducted at the Centro Universitario de Oriente (CUNORI), Chiquimula, Guatemala. For this study, commercial poultry feed was supplemented with corn flour at three treatment levels and fed to poultry. Results indicated that partial substitution of commercial feed with corn flour at these three treatment levels did …

Detection Of Antibodies Against Brucella Abortus In Bovine, Celso Arturo Moreno Paredes

Theses and Dissertations

The present investigation was made in the Laboratories of microbiology of the Ability of Cattle Sciences of the Polytechnic Superior School of Chimborazo, with samples obtained in the Municipal Camal Riobamba and the Community of Tunshi San Nicolás. The incidence of Brucellosis was analyzed in six more important cattle areas of the county using the antigens Brucella abortus and Rosa of Flare. The experimental units were obtained under a systematic sampling. The experiment had a duration of 4 months. The experimental results underwent the following analyses: variance, percentages, stockings, standard deviation, limit for the estimate error. According to carried out …

Comparative Study Of Six Different Types Of Subtracts In The Production Of Earthworm Humus And Its Productive Effect In Vegetables (Radish, Beet, White Onion, Cabbage), Romeo Byron Romero Mancero

Theses and Dissertations

In the province of Chimborazo, found in the Riobamba canton, a study was done with the purpose of comparing different subtracts for the production of earthworm humus (pig feces, guinea pig feces, rabbit feces, bovine feces, market residues, and vegetable residues from the harvest) and its productive effect in vegetables (radish, onion, beet and cabbage). Twenty-four beds, 1.5 m2 (1.5 x 1) in size, as well as sixteen 3 m2 (1 x 3) parcels were used for the study. A design of complete blocks was applied with a monofactorial in the first test, and a bifactorial in the second test. …

The Relation Between The Nutritional Status And The Acute Diarrhetic Diseases In Children Younger Than Five Years Of Age In The Indigenous, Black, And Mestizo Ethnic Groups Of The Rural Area In The Imbabura Province, 1998-1999, Tanya Vaca

Theses and Dissertations

The study conducted in the rural area of the province of Imbabura included a total of 518 families that when compared with the estimated sample of 96%, 42.7 % corresponding to the indigenous ethnic group, 28.15% to Black and 25% to mixed-race ethnic groups, these differences of involvement between ethnic groups is due to the fact that the indigenous population is greater than the two remaining populations. Of the 518 families studied they were able to obtain a total of 794 children younger than 5, in which 48.5% pertaining to the male sex and 51.4% to the female sex. In …

The Meaning Of Religious Belief, Practice, And Community For Latter-Day Saint Fathers Of Children With Special Needs, Loren Dean Marks

Theses and Dissertations

While the tragedy of American fatherlessness has evoked a growing body of research, religious beliefs, practices, and communities have not been a significant part of the scholarly discussion. This article discusses possible reasons for this and reviews the religion and family literature with a focus on fathers. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 19 Latter-day Saint (LDS) fathers of children with special needs and analyzed to examine the meaning of religious experience for these fathers and their families. Analysis indicated three dimensions of religious experience: spiritual belief, religious practice, and faith community. The spiritual belief in an eternal perspective, including the …

The Influence Of Religiosity In The Construction Of Meaning From Advertising Messages Intended To Promote Lifestyle Values, Lillian Billing

Theses and Dissertations

Religiosity has largely been ignored by consumer research as a factor in the negotiation of meaning from magazine advertisements containing lifestyle messages. A meaning based study was undertaken to seek to identify its presence and emergence within a religious audience. A qualitative methodology employing in-depth, phenomenological interviewing was designed. Six members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, three men and three women, were invited to give their interpretations, thoughts, and feelings towards four magazine advertisements. A second in-depth phenomenological interview was conducted with each participant to provide individual lifeworld contexts. Analysis employed a previously tested conceptual construct, …

Pesticide Issues And Public Policy Interaction, Elroy E. Haadem

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Examination Of Signals Involved In Dexamethasone Induced Apoptosis In Nb2 Lymphoma Cells, Suhas Badarinath

Theses and Dissertations

Consistent with previous studies, we demonstrated that dexamethasone (Dex) caused cytolysis/apoptosis in log phase Nb2 lymphoma cells, while prolactin (Prl) inhibited this effect. The Nb2 model was used to investigate the mechanisms of apoptosis control with the aid of immunocytochemistry (ICC). We established with absorption the specificity of staining due to Fas, Fas Ligand, Bcl-2, and Bax antibodies (the specificity of anti-p53 could not be verified). Dex-induced cytolysis/apoptosis was detected in synchronized (G⁰/G¹) cells after 6 and 8 hours of Dex exposure. A novel, computerized technique was used to quantitate the proportion of cells immunostained for the signals of interest …

Utilization Of Printer Resources Within A Computer Graphics Department: A Print Queue Analysis, Prentice Frazier

Theses and Dissertations

This paper examines print queue management for the graphics department of a financial services company. The current network configuration has proven to be sub-optimal. The IT department is currently undergoing testing of possible alternative network configurations. The objective is to improve performance by leveraging existing resources with new technology. In this paper, the effect of consolidating the queue into one primary queue manager is analyzed, along with prioritizing print jobs, and forecasting future printer needs. Analysis was performed using queuing theory concepts along with an analysis of both steady state and transient behavior using simulation modeling.

The Evolving Role Of Marketing In Large And Mid Size Law Firms, Kathleen Sams Flippen

Theses and Dissertations

Despite the fact that attorneys face stringent ethical restrictions regarding claims they can make about their legal abilities, the culture of many law firms is probably the greatest barrier to effective legal marketing. Expectancy theories, which state that behavior follows rewards, support this hypothesis. Culture affects many facets of a law firm: (1) its attitude about profitability, (2) the attorneys' understanding of effective business procedures, (3) the definition of value — from the firm's perspective and the perspective of clients and prospects, (4) management structure, decision making, and accountability, and (5) attitudes about change. This thesis examines the role that …

Assessment Of The Availability And Exploitation Of Hydric Resources In The Choquenaira Community, Luis Lizardo Iturry Urquizo

Theses and Dissertations

The precipitation data of the El Alto, Tambillo and Comanche stations are homogenous and consistent. The meteorological data from Irpa Chico, Collana and Viacha are consistent, but heterogeneous. The monthly precipitation in Viacha in December, January, March and April are better examples of a normal distribution in comparison to the months of October, November and February. The average annual precipitation in Viacha, in a thirty-four year time period, is 559 mm. Some 76% of this precipitation occurs in November to March. The minimum precipitation in Viacha, with an 80% probability of absence for the vegetative period, from October to April …

Obtaining And Sampling Of High Quality Energetic-Protein Mixtures (Pottages) Of Tuber-Cereal-Leguminous Bases In The Candelaria Area, Maria Lilian Maldonado Chavez

Theses and Dissertations

Specially designed foodstuffs destined for children of weaning age in the community of Candelaria were developed and evaluated biologically. These victuals had as bases combinations of tubers-cereals-legumes of high nutritional quality to be implemented in the home. Based on the availability of food and alimentary habits of the region, seven mixtures were formulated of triples and quadruples containing tubers (potato, oca, papaliza, and isano); cereals (rice, wheat, corn, and quinua); and legumes (tarwi, broad bean, and peanut). The cereal-leguminous proportion was maintained as one complement and the addition of the tubers. These mixes were subjected to biological tests, obtaining incremental …

The Development Of A Noncommercial Community Television Delivery System: A Model For Small Rural Community Colleges, Rudolf H. Timmerman

Theses and Dissertations

Information can empower as well as unite people. A primary source of information was found to be the media, specifically television. The literature indicated that in rural areas the information provided by the media was not germane to the residents and, considering the rather broad mission of community colleges, the investigator proposed the development of a noncommercial television delivery system using the assets of the college. It was further hypothesized that this development could serve as a model for other rural colleges. While the literature supported the proposition that local television access had a positive effect on the community, little …

Brownian Dynamics Of Nonspecific Protein-Dna Interactions, Fan Yang

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Neural Networks In The Analysis Of Water-Soluble Sulfonylurea Herbicides Using An Lc/Ms, Joseph Michael Pompano

Theses and Dissertations

In this research, a hidden node pruning algorithm was developed for an artificial neural network (ANN) that automatically determined a more efficient size of the hidden layer, caused the ANN to resize itself, and then continued to train using a standard back-propagation algorithm. The hidden-node pruning algorithm was based on determining the number of significant eigenvalues present in the matrix of values produced by the hidden layer, starting with an excessive number of hidden nodes.

Eight sulfonylurea herbicides were used as the target analytes in this study. The ability of an ANN to simplify the sample preparation needed for analysis …

The Determinants Of Juvenile Justice Policy In France And Germany, Jacqueline A. Meyers

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation assesses the factors that influence the development of juvenile justice policy in France and Germany within the context of systems theory, The project utilizes an open/closed systems framework as a way to conceptualize determinants of juvenile justice policy. France and Germany serve as two single case studies for demonstrating the open and closed dichotomy that characterize system theory with France being characterized as a closed system while Germany is characterized as an open system. This difference is demonstrated through a discussion of historical, cultural, political, social and economic variables, which shape policy development in each of these countries. …

Sociolinguistic Analysis Of The Discourse Of Selected Women In Power, Alla V. Yelyseieva

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Comparative Analysis Of The Performance Of A Traditional Flight Simulator Hydraulic Motion System To That Of A Prototype Roto-Pod Design, Jason A. Wood

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

1996 Presidential Campaign Re-Election Of President Clinton By Dick Morris As Compared To Time And Newsweek, Constance L. Osowski

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Comparative Analysis Of Inter-Aural Tympanogram Patterns, Kelly L. Tye Vallis

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Effectiveness Of Prophylactic Antibiotics In Otitis Media, Rebecca L. C Simonsen

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Predicting Responses To Consensual And Nonconsensual Sexually Aggressive Stories, Brian A. Wilson

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Genetic Population Structure Of Rana Sylvatica In Itasca State Park, Minnesota, Tina M. Squire

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Use And Accessibility Of Tobacco By Adolescents Before And After Implementation Of A City Ordinance, Debra Flack

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Abbreviated Breastfeeding And The Theory Of Planned Behavior : Womens' Stories, Barbara J. Forrest

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Appraisal Of Knowledge And Attitudes About Farm Safety Among Agricultural Producers In South Central North Dakota, Ramona Eisenbarth

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.