Digital Commons Network^™

Predicting A Detailed Permeability Profile From Minipermeameter Measurements And Well Log Data, Shawn D. Nines

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Permeability, along with the porosity, comprises one of the two most important properties in petroleum engineering with respect producing hydrocarbon fluids.;It is standard practice in the petroleum industry to determine permeability in one of two ways. These are pressure transient testing and core analysis. Both methods are expensive in their own ways. This research focuses on a way to minimize or limit the need for both of these testing procedures.;The purpose of this research was to utilize well log data, mainly gamma ray and density, Minipermeameter values, and basic information such as depth and spatial coordinates to predict permeability in …

Approaches To Creating Anonymous Patient Database, Shijun Shen

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Health care providers, health plans and health care clearinghouses collect patient medical data derived from their normal operations every day. These patient data can greatly benefit the health care organization if data mining techniques are applied upon these data sets. However, individual identifiable patient information needs to be protected in accordance with Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and the quality of patient data also needs to be ensured in order for data mining tasks achieve accurate results. This thesis describes a patient data transformation system which transforms patient data into high quality and anonymous patient records that is …

Effects Of Reinforcement History For Following Rules On Sensitivity To Contingencies Of Reinforcement, Carolina Aguilera

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The present experiment manipulated subjects' experimental history of reinforcement for following rules in order to assess sensitivity to contingency changes. Ten undergraduate students were presented with four training tasks. Half the subjects were presented with instructions that corresponded with the reinforcement contingencies for these tasks (Accurate Instructions group), while the other half was presented with instructions that did not correspond with the reinforcement contingencies (Inaccurate Instructions group). After meeting stability criteria, unsignaled changes in the contingencies of one of the tasks were made to test for sensitivity. Although the behavior of all the subjects eventually changed after contacting the changed …

Commercialism, Subsistence, And Competency On The Western Virginia Frontier, 1765--1800, John M. Boback

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Since the early nineteenth century, Americans have frequently associated the pioneers of the Appalachian Mountains with subsistence farming, economic independence, and a certain degree of hostility toward capitalism. This thesis disproves the myth of pioneer self-sufficiency by demonstrating how the men and women who settled in western Virginia during the final third of the eighteenth century used a variety of tactics in their struggle to achieve a competency. Although subsistence activities, such as hunting and farming, undoubtedly held an important place in the backcountry domestic economy, the settlers also interacted with the commercial market as both producers and consumers of …

Evaluation Of Maternal Serum Triple Screen As An Identifier Of Trisomy 21 Pregnancy, Jonnie Ann Lane

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Maternal serum triple screen is used to identify women less than 35 years of age who are at an increased risk of having a fetus with Down syndrome. The screen identifies 5% of women tested as being at an increased risk but only 2--3% of these women actually have a fetus with chromosome abnormalities, indicating a high false positive rate. Medical records for 900 cases referred for maternal serum triple screen and maternal age were reviewed. The percentages of abnormal karyotypes in the two populations were not significantly different from each other or the expected value. While 3% of all …

Diversity Of Ectomycorrhizal Fungi On Two Reclaimed Surface Mines Differing In Soil Properties, Betsy S. Kurnik

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

I analyzed community structure of ectomycorrhizal fungi on white pine (Pinus strobus) on two reclaimed surface mines in eastern Ohio. One site was acidic and metal-stressed, the other was alkaline. Completely different community composition was found on the two sites by PCR/ITS/RFLP analyses of field collected mycorrhizae. However, Shannon-Wiener index values indicated that the two communities were equally diverse. A population of isolates of one species common to both sites was obtained from trap cultures planted with white pine. The identity of this species as Wilcoxina mikolae was established through DNA sequencing of the ITS region. The W. mikolae populations …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Metal Oxide Nanoparticles, Heidi Jo Magnone

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Nanoparticles of CuO, Co3O4 and Mn5O 8 were prepared via sol-gel chemical routes. Thermal treatments of the gels were used to obtain particles of different sizes, as determined by the widths of the Bragg lines in x-ray diffraction. To prepare CuO nanoparticles, a Cu(OH)2 gel was first produced by reacting copper nitrate with sodium hydroxide, followed by annealing the gel at temperatures between 160°C to 1,000°C to produce particles in the 6 to 36 nm range. Nanoparticles of Co3O4 in the size range of 9 to 45 nm were prepared in an analogous manner by reacting cobalt nitrate and sodium …

Increasing Nutrition Knowledge And Food-Related Behavior Practices Among Participants In The "Dining With Diabetes" Program In West Virginia, Amy B. O'Dell

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Diabetes is a serious disease that effects a large number of West Virginia's population. A study was conducted using 591 diabetic and non-diabetic subjects who attended the "Dining with Diabetes" program. Subjects completed a demographic form, pretest, and posttest. Pearson's correlation and ANOVA were used to determine the effect of a diabetes intervention program on nutrition knowledge, diabetes behaviors, and practices. The results indicated that there was no significant difference in nutrition knowledge between diabetic and non-diabetic subjects. Interaction was noted when subjects were placed into groups based on their pretest score (p < 0.07). The change in score (posttest score-pretest score) was negatively correlated with pretest score (r = -0.75, p < 0.00). Significant association was also noted between nutrition knowledge score and several behavior and diabetic practices. The results conclude that diabetes education programs may significantly affect some behaviors and diabetic practices.

Investigation And Simulation Of The Planetary Combination Hybrid Electric Vehicle, Csaba Toth-Nagy

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was the detailed examination of a Planetary Combination Hybrid Electric Vehicle design (PC-Hybrid). The PC-Hybrid unites all the advantages of the existing hybrid electric vehicle powertrain concepts, such as series, parallel and combination, while eliminating the disadvantages of each.;The PC-Hybrid powertrain is built up of an internal combustion engine, and two electric motor/alternators connected together via a planetary gear set. Several different powertrain configuration layouts were investigated as possible setups of the PC-Hybrid and the two most promising ones were chosen for further investigation and simulation. A control strategy has been developed for the optimal …

Effect Of Manufacturing Process Conditions On The Durability Of Pultruded Vinyl Ester/Glass Composites, Chrystal Ann Garland

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Fiber reinforced polymer composites, FRPs, have an increased role in structural applications. Environmental durability is important for the design of structural components. Processes such as pultrusion are cost-effective methods of producing FRPs. This research focused on the durability of pultruded FRP with different processing conditions. Pultruded samples made at different line speeds (4, 8, and 12 ipm) were immersed in water at 25, 50, and 85°C for varying lengths of time and the mechanical properties evaluated via 3-point bending tests. A reduction in strength was observed for the samples immersed in 50 and 85°C water, with the largest reduction occurring …

Evaluation Of Survival And Recovery Characteristics Of Bifidobacteria As Indicators Of Fecal Pollution Of Water, John Elmer Ravenscroft Jr.

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The examination of aquatic environments for bacterial indicator organisms has proven to be a useful and well-established practice for the purpose of monitoring microbiological water quality. An ideal indicator of fecal pollution should be present in sufficient density to allow detection, present simultaneous with pathogen(s), incapable of aftergrowth in external aquatic environments, easy to enumerate, and exclusively of fecal origin. Unfortunately, none of the indicator organisms presently in use today meet all of these requirements. Bifidobacteria show promise as indicators of fecal pollution in water with the additional ability of potentially distinguishing between fecal pollution of human and animal origin. …

Encoding Of Periodic Skin Stimuli By Spinal Dorsal Horn Neurons, Jeffrey J. Lawson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The encoding of vibrotactile pitch by neurons of the somatosensory system has been investigated at many levels of the neuraxis. These studies, however, have not extended to the spinal dorsal horn, which is known to process low threshold mechanoreceptive input. The studies presented here were designed to assess the possible role of the dorsal horn in the encoding of vibrotactile pitch. To accomplish this task, dorsal horn single unit extracellular recordings were obtained during periodic electrical and sinusoidal mechanical stimulation of their receptive fields. Techniques used in classifying vibrotactile pitch encoding were similar to those used in other somatosensory nuclei, …

Alexander Von Humboldt And Nineteenth-Century Ideas On The Origin Of American Indians, Michael Anthony Wadyko

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation revolves around Alexander von Humboldt's research on Indian origins. Humboldt conducted investigations on Indians during his precedent-setting scientific expedition to Meso- and South America during the years 1799--1804. Officially sponsored by the Spanish crown, the main purposes for this expedition were twofold: to examine, evaluate, and discredit Buffon's "degeneracy" claims about America and its inhabitants, and to gather empirical evidence on geography, climate, flora, fauna, and the indigenous cultures. From these results Humboldt published three major works about the expedition, particularly a thirty-volume work condensed to two volumes, Vues de Cordilleres et monuments des peuples d' Amerique.;From this …

Teacher Videotaping As A Method Of Self -Assessing Questioning Skills In Secondary Public Schools, Stephen Alan Alberts Ii

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Primarily this action research project was designed to hone my ability to Socratically question students by reflecting on my teaching through the lens of a videocamera---while reconciling my own paradigm with as many outside assessment devices as possible. The paramount consideration of my questioning/framing references was to incite students to think critically (see Pedagogical Skills Honed in chapter seven). The higher priorities of the outside assessors, on the other hand, were more political than instructional in nature (see Reconciling Multiple Assessments in chapter seven).;Scrutinizing and improving my questioning skills (the focus of the research) led to the epiphany that the …

Formal Specification Of Requirements For Analytical Redundancy-Based Fault -Tolerant Flight Control Systems, Diego Del Gobbo

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Flight control systems are undergoing a rapid process of automation. The use of Fly-By-Wire digital flight control systems in commercial aviation (Airbus 320 and Boeing FBW-B777) is a clear sign of this trend. The increased automation goes in parallel with an increased complexity of flight control systems with obvious consequences on reliability and safety. Flight control systems must meet strict fault-tolerance requirements. The standard solution to achieving fault tolerance capability relies on multi-string architectures. On the other hand, multi-string architectures further increase the complexity of the system inducing a reduction of overall reliability.;In the past two decades a variety of …

Luciano Berio's Music Theatre: Az/One Musicale, Claudine Canzonire Simonson

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Luciano Berio refers to his large-scale works for music theatre not as operas, but as azioni musicali, or musical actions. Berio was able to develop the idea that a large-scale work for music theatre should follow an episodic narrative and allow the music to direct the action of the dramaturgy because of the following influences: his collaborations with Cathy Berberian, Edoardo Sanguineti, Umberto Eco, and Italo Calvino; Brecht's epic theatre; Wagner's music drama; and electronic music. Berio was able to successfully realize his musical action concept with Un re in ascolto, or The King Listens (1984), his first …

The Etic/Emic Dimensions Of Organizational Citizenship Behavior In Mexico: A Cross -Cultural Research Study, Luis Ortiz

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The purpose of this dissertation is to use field research data gathered from Mexican maquiladora administrative professionals in order to develop a new scale of Mexican Organizational Citizenship Behaviors (MOCB—“going beyond the norm”). A major tenet from the literature states that to correctly capture an entire phenomenon such as MOCBs in a different culture, researchers must use both the emic/etic dyad, triangulation, and should use employee samples.

The methodology in this dissertation utilizes a preliminary study and a main study. The first study uses two large multinational enterprises (MNEs) to empirically test six propositions. The preliminary study determined that organizational …

Modeling Of A Meat Cooking Process For On-Line Monitoring And Control, Oralia Garcia

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

A heat transfer model is developed to predict cooking time of meat patties given the initial temperature of meat, oven temperature, and meat properties to monitor and control a cooking process on-line. Experiments were performed to find the cause of variability in cooked weight and raw temperature effects in forming and final cooked temperature. Advanced charting techniques concluded that only common causes of variability were present in the process. Thermal conductivity experiments were performed to determine the thermal conductivity of meat (k), which was compared with the properties of meat published in literature to validate the experiment. Oven design analysis …

Montana Kaimin, December 1, 2000, Associated Students Of The University Of Montana

Montana Kaimin, 1898-present

Student newspaper of the University of Montana, Missoula.

Scotus On Morality And Nature, John E. Hare

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

No abstract provided.

Dec. 2000

NASIG Newsletter

No abstract provided.

An Efficient And Practical Scheme For Privacy Protection In E-Commerce Of Digital Goods, Feng Bao, Robert H. Deng, Peirong Feng

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

It is commonly acknowledged that customers’ privacy in electronic commerce should be well protected. The solutions may come not only from the ethics education and legislation, but also from cryptographic technologies. In this paper we propose and analyze a privacy protection scheme for e-commerce of digital goods. The scheme takes cryptography as its technical means to realize privacy protection for online customers. It is efficient in both computational cost and communication cost. It is very practical for real e-commerce systems compared with previous solutions. The cryptographic technique presented in this paper is rather simple. But the scheme has great application …

Confucian Ethics And The Critique Of Ideology, Alan Kam Leung Chan

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

The debate between Hans-Georg Gadamer and Jürgen Habermas provides a fresh perspective from which Confucian philosophy may be approached. In this paper, focusing on the Lunyu (Analects), I argue that the sayings of Confucius reflect an essentially 'conservative' orientation, finding in tradition a reservoir of insight and truth. There is a critical dimension to it in that ethical reflection and self-cultivation would enable the individual to challenge particular claims of tradition. However, can self-cultivation transcend tradition as a whole and enable the individual to effect radical change? Following the strategy of Habermas' critique of Gadamer, what happens if tradition is …

The Minnesota News Council: Principles, Precedent And Moral Authority, Erik Ugland

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

This study addresses the Minnesota News Council’s moral authority–that is, its ability to serve as a referent for the ethical or moral choices of others–and how its authority might be affected by perceptions of its legitimacy. After analyzing all of the Council’s 125 written determinations, we argue that the Council’s legitimacy and authority could be enlarged by clearer statements of ethical principles, explicit expressions of standards of conduct, and more consistent references to past determinations.

The Catalyst, December 2000, Illinois State University, Center For The Advancement Of Teaching

The CATalyst

Newsletter of the Center for the Advancement of Teaching (CAT) at Illinois State University

Dit Independent , 1st.-31st. Of December, 2000, Dit:Students Union

DIT Student Union

No abstract provided.

Bs News

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Novel Processing Of Hydroxyapatite-Zirconia Composites Using Nano-Sized Particles, Mark R. Towler, I. R. Gibson, S. M. Best

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A method to produce composites of hydroxyapatite (HA) with ZrO2 (Y-TZP) additions between 0 and 10 wt % at a low sinter temperature of 750 °C is presented. The method limits the amount of reaction between the HA and ZrO2. A ZrO2 loading level that would improve strength while limiting the decomposition of the HA is studied.

Simplified Window Glass Design Procedure, H. Scott Norville, Joseph E. Minor

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper presents a simplified window glass design procedure (SWGDP) as an alternative to the comprehensive window glass design procedure described in ASTM E 1300, `Standard practice for determining the load resistance of glass in buildings.' Although ASTM E 1300 provides a technically robust treatment of the strength of window glass and window glass constructions, architects and engineers will find ASTM E 1300 difficult to use. The SWGDP presented herein uses the same failure prediction methodology to characterize the annealed window glass strength that underlies ASTM E 1300. By reducing the number of basic glass strength charts to one, the …

A Technique To Measure Opinions, Skills, Intentions, And Behaviors That's Different-Even Fun, Nancy Ellen Kiernan, Gwen Brock

Journal of Extension

This article introduces a fun and graphic approach to measuring opinions, skill levels, intentions for practice change, and knowledge--a step scale. You can use the approach with youth, adapt it for low literacy and non-English speaking audiences, and use it to collect data at more than one point in time. The article describes construction of the scale and analysis of data and provides examples from an actual program.