Digital Commons Network^™

Changing Practices: A Caution, Carolyn A. Raab

Journal of Extension

No abstract provided.

Chemical Dealers And Pesticide Safety, Lois C. Shern, Ann C. Slocum, Larry G. Olsen

Journal of Extension

No abstract provided.

Waste Management: New Directions For Home Economics, Marie S. Hammer

Journal of Extension

No abstract provided.

Renew: Building Remarried Family Strengths, Stephen F. Duncan

Journal of Extension

No abstract provided.

Hydrogeology And Hydrogeochemistry Of The Shallow Alluvial Aquifer Zone, Las Vegas Valley, Nevada, Harry Stephen Wild Jr.

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In Las Vegas Valley, Nevada, the shallow alluvial aquifer zone is a possible source of contamination to the principal alluvial aquifers that provide 30% of the public drinking water supply for the valley. Development of the principal aquifers has lowered pressure head in the principal aquifers and created the potential for downward seepage from the shallow aquifer zone. This study was undertaken to characterize the hydrogeology and hydrogeochemistry of the shallow alluvial aquifer zone and to compare the hydrogeochemistry of the shallow and principal alluvial aquifer zones.

A 37 well shallow ground water monitoring network was established and water-level, water-quality, …

Extension Of The Metal Light Pipe Infrared Spectroscopy Technique: Applications To Surface Adsorption And High Tc Superconductors, Torsten Will

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The development of an infrared instrument for the study of surface adsorption and high T_c superconductors is presented and its applicability is discussed. The use of and theoretical background for the metal light pipe multiple-reflection technique are discussed in comparison to other infrared devices. Measurements are carried out to determine its limitations with powdered substrates as well as its sensitivity limitation for thin films. The results of the two test measurements, adsorption of CO on MgO and investigation of the energy gap of high T_c superconductors, are presented. Comparisons of the spectra with the experimental and theoretical literature …

Investigating The Application Of The Theory Of Constraints To The Scheduling Environment Of The Iaf's Depots, Lewis S. Trigger

Theses and Dissertations

This research investigated the application and merits of the Theory of Constraints (TOC) to the scheduling environment of the Israeli Air Force's (IAF) maintenance depots. TOC was extensively reviewed including an elaboration of the TOC paradigm and the scheduling procedures developed for a commercial manufacturing setting. Background information was also presented on the IAF depots and traditional scheduling rules. An experiment was designed and conducted that simulated a simplified version of the process flow of the armaments depot. the simulation compared the terms of lower inventory and makespan. The experiment did not conclusively show any difference in standard throughput hours …

Nato Armaments Cooperation: The Case Of The European Fighter Aircraft, Carlos J. Sancho Gonzalez

Theses and Dissertations

Difficulties faced by cooperative acquisition programs are identified as the inability to agree on common requirements and the existence of economic or political interests of the partner nations which conflict with or impinge on the program. These are the causes of failure of many of the past cooperative projects undertaken by NATO countries for the purpose of standardization. The study investigated the European Fighter Aircraft (EFA) program in order to find if the same holds true for the EFA and the impact that those difficulties had in the program. The EFA has been subject to the same problems. All the …

Genevan Scholars In Intellectual Europe: From The 17th Century To The Middle Of The 19th Century - French, Theodore S. Feldman

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Investigation Of Direct And Indirect Optimization Algorithms For Aerospace Structures, Harry Hopkins Iii

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigated the performance of two direct and two indirect methods of structural optimization. A gradient calculator and overall design system was created with the finite element code FRAME. Three of the methods were employed using this system with the fourth being a commercial available code. The algorithms were applied to two different sized trusses using static constraints and were measured for accuracy, reliability, and efficiency. Results for the problems tested showed the Direct methods were sensitive to starting designs and their performance depended on the proper selection of internal parameters. They were also shown to have a high …

Adaptive Filtering And Smoothing For Tracking A Hypersonic Aircraft From A Space Platform, Kenneth A. Gotski

Theses and Dissertations

This study took a previously developed six state Kalman filter (designed for space-based tracking of a hypersonic transatmospheric vehicle), tuned it, and performed a Monte Carlo analysis. Three multiple model adaptive filters were then developed, with sub-filters designed for quiescent periods and periods with apparent acceleration. Next, a smoother was developed using the six state filter as the forward filter and a form of that same filter as the backward filter. The smoother and all of the above filters were compared for their ability to most accurately estimate the transatmospheric vehicle's state, with special emphasis on the acceleration states. This …

Nonlinear Analysis Of A Spinning Symmetric Satellite In An Elliptical Orbit, Michael Ulisse

Theses and Dissertations

Controlled and uncontrolled equations of motion for a spinning symmetric satellite in an elliptical orbit are analysed using Floquet theory, Poincare maps, and continuation. The equations of motion for the uncontrolled system are derived via energy methods. A simple feedback controller design and one based on Floquet theory are presented. Parameters varied in the equations of motion include the spin about the symmetry axis of the satellite, the inertia ratio of the satellite, the eccentricity of the orbit, and the controller gains. Floquet analyses determine local stability and bifurcation points. Poincare maps exhibit some interesting and complex structure in the …

An Evolution Operator Solution For A Nonlinear Beam Equation, Carl E. Crockett

Theses and Dissertations

A nonlinear partial differential equation, motivated by the transverse vibration of a beam, is shown to have a unique solution. The existence theory, which is in the setting of semigroups and evolution operators, is a composite and synthesis of theorems of Kato. The formulation of the problem and the verification that the formulation leads to a solution are new. The introductory chapter provides background on the topic generally. Chapter 2 provides detailed formulations for the constant coefficient case. Chapter 3 describes nonautonomous cases. The general theorem is presented here. In Chapter 4, a more general case is considered. Namely, Kelvin …

Characterization Of Multilayer Perceptrons And Their Application To Multisensor Automatic Target Detection, Dennis W. Ruck

Theses and Dissertations

The multilayer perceptron was extensively analyzed. A technique for analyzing the multilayer perceptron, the saliency measure, was developed which provides a measure of the importance of inputs. The method was compared to the conventional statistical technique of best features and shown to provide similar rankings of the input. Using the saliency measure, it is shown that the multilayer perceptron effectively ignores useless inputs and that whether it is trained using backpropagation or extended Kalman filtering, the weighting of the inputs is the same. The backpropagation training algorithm is shown to be a degenerate version of the extended Kalman filter. The …

Applications Of The Tap Te Chino Of Lao Tzu To Psychotherapy Theory And Technique, Thomas E. Hranilovich

Dissertations

Existing paradigms in psychology are almost exclusively founded upon the hypothetico-deductive scientific tradition. As a consequence, prevalent psychotherapy theories and techniques are also founded upon this tradition. In recent years the realization has been growing, even among its adherents, that the hypothetico-deductive method is not the only avenue to knowledge about the nature of existence. An alternate avenue is provided by the mystic tradition, as exemplified by Zen Buddhism, Hesychasm, Indian and Tibetan Yoga, Sufism, Christian mysticism, Hindu mysticism, Jewish mysticism, and Taoism. This study is an examination of the central beliefs of tao chia, or the Taoist school, and …

Intracellular Degradation Of Ribosomes In A Mesophilic And A Thermophilic Species Of Bacillus, Joe William Davis

Dissertations

The rates of intracellular degradation of ribosomal proteins were compared in a mesophilic and a thermophilic species of Bacillus. Cells were grown under various incubation conditions in the presence of a 14^C-protein hydrolysate m order to label the ribosomes. Rates of ribosome degradation were evaluated in terms of changes in the specific activity of in vivo ribosomes as a function of incubation time. The results indicated that, under most conditions, ribosomes were degraded (in vivo) at similar rates in both the mesophile and the thermophile. In some studies, ribosome degradation rates were slightly faster for the thermophile than for the …

Within-Subject And Between-Subjects Evaluation Of The Effects Of Hallucinogenic Drugs In Pigeons Responding Under Two Variations Of A Fixed-Consecutive-Number Schedule, Rodney D. Clark

Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was twofold: To determine the effects of LSD (0.03 - 1.0 mg/kg), mescaline (0.3 - 5.6 mg/kg), and DMT (0.3 - 3.0 mg/kg) on the performance of pigeons under two variants on an FCN schedule and to determine whether these effects differed substantially as a result of experimental design (i.e., within subject or between-subjects). Under this schedule, food was delivered whenever subjects responded between eight and 12 times on one response key (work key), then responded once on a second key (reinforcement key). Under one version, (FCN-S^D), an external discriminative stimulus was correlated with …

Stimulus-Specific And Stimulus-Nonspecific Reinforcement: Effects On Tact Training With Severely Mentally Impaired Young Adults, Steven J . Braam

Dissertations

The effects of specific or similar physical properties between discriminative stimuli and reinforcers in tact training were studied. Stimulus-specific reinforcement and stimulus-nonspecific reinforcement conditions were compared using a matched-groups design. When subjects correctly tacted in the former condition, the experimenter gave reinforcers with identical physical properties to the training stimuli. When subjects correctly tacted in the latter condition, the experimenter delivered reinforcers with different physical properties from the nonverbal training stimulus.

The subjects demonstrated no overall differences in learning trials. Only one subject, trained with stimulus- specific reinforcement learned tacts in consistently fewer trials than his counterpart trained with stimulus-nonspecific …

The Effects Of Relapse Prevention Training On Exercise Adherence, Sandra Beaty

Dissertations

Behavioral techniques have proven effective in the acquisition and maintenance of new behaviors. However, health related behaviors, such as exercise, pose a special problem for the field of behavior change in that they require long-term lifestyle changes. This study assessed the effectiveness of relapse prevention training on exercise adherence within the framework of a formal exercise program. There were 20 subjects in the experimental group and 20 subjects in the control group. Both groups met for three, one-hour sessions weekly for eight consecutive weeks. Exercise class attendance was recorded by the instructor. In addition, the Physical Activity Index (PAI, n.d., …

Graph Products And Covering Graph Imbeddings, Ghidewon Abay Asmerom

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Improving The Documentation Of Patient Progress In A Mental Health Facility Through The Use Of Training And Feedback, Maria Sonia Acosta

Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of various conditions, including staff training and feedback to improve the documentation of patient progress in a mental health facility. Forty nursing staff members participated in this study. Subjects were «posed to one of three experimental conditions. Subjects in the training-only condition received two hours of training on how to write progress notes. Subjects in the training plus feedback condition received two hours of training and weekly feedback in the form of group performance graphs and verbal explanation of their progress. Subjects in the third condition served merely as …

Improving Networks Reliability, Jamal H. Nouh

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Accountability Procedures On The Productivity Of Academic Performance Contractors In An Academic Support Program, Brian Delano Yancey

Dissertations

The purpose of the research was to evaluate the effects of accountability procedures on the productivity of performance managers in an academic support program. The contractors were responsible for supporting the academic performance of high-risk students enrolled in a one-credit-hour self-management course. The contractors awarded students points that counted toward their self-management course grade when the students produced assignments of value in their content courses. Prior research had shown that students sometimes performed poorly in the self-management course and that the contractors were often unsuccessful in helping these students improve their grades. Consequently, the experimenter speculated that the amount of …

Comparison Of The Effects Of Biofeedback Assisted Treatment On The Reduction Of Stress Among African-American And White Employees, Ollie O. Barnes Iii

Dissertations

Seventy-four employees at an internationally based Fortune 500 corporation participated in a comparative biofeedback study. The study was designed to determine whether there is a difference in the way African-Americans and white Americans respond to biofeedback-assisted stress management treatment. The study also serves as a springboard for increasing the quantity of empirical literature in the area of biofeedback in general and biofeedback using African-Americans as subjects, in particular. The researcher randomly assigned the employees to one of three groups (biofeedback, traditional, control). Each subject was assessed on six variables: state anxiety, trait anxiety, heart rate, skin temperature, blood pulse height, …

Shape Preserving Piecewise Cubic Interpolation, Thomas Bradford Sprague

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Histopathology Of Vibrio Alginolyticus Infection In Penaeus Monodon, Ted Tesaprateep, Lila Ruangpan, Kriengsag Saitanu, Tadashi Aoki, Makoto Endo

The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine

Vibrio alginolyticus infection of Penaeus monodon was examined histopathologically. Hemocyte responses to the bacteria comprised hemocyte aggregation with necrotic core, infiltration of free hemocytes, and hemocyte encapsulation. However, there was melanization in association with the hemocyte encapsulation. The pronounced parenchymal lesions occurred in the gill, antennal gland, lymphoid organ, and hepatopancreas. In the most serious cases, the sick prawns exhibited septicemia and decreased in numbers of free hemocytes.

The Locus Of Sovereignty: Judicial Review, Legislative Supremacy, And Federalism In The Constitutional Traditions Of Canada And The United States, Calvin R. Massey

Duke Law Journal

No abstract provided.

On The Moral Obligation To Obey The Law, George C. Christie

Duke Law Journal

No abstract provided.

A Critique Of Justice Antonin Scalia’S Approach To Fundamental Rights Adjudication, Edward Gary Spitko

Duke Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Gender-Based Harassment And The Hostile Work Environment, Joshua F. Thorpe

Duke Law Journal

No abstract provided.