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Microsatellite Dna Diversity And Paternity Determination In A Captive Population Of Radiated Tortoises (Geochelone Radiata), Jennifer Leigh Mook

All Theses

In the present study, five microsatellite loci are used to examine genetic diversity and determine genetic similarities among 66 radiated tortoises (Geochelone radiata) located in ten different zoos and institutions in the United States. These tortoises, representatives of one of the world's most endangered species, were originally collected in Madagascar and are being used as founders in the development of an organized breeding program, the radiated tortoise Species Survival Plan (SSP). Parentage analysis was also conducted for 13 juvenile tortoises of uncertain parentage from two institutions. Founder tortoises demonstrated high levels of genetic diversity at the five loci …

Surface Segregation And Restructuring Of Colossal-Magnetoresistant Manganese Perovskites La0.65Sr0.35Mno3, Hani Dulli, Peter A. Dowben, Sy-Hwang Liou, E. Ward Plummer

Department of Physics and Astronomy: Faculty Publications

We have investigated the surface chemical composition of crystalline films of La_0.65Sr_0.35MnO₃ by angle-resolved x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The surface composition was found to be significantly different from that of the bulk because of an appreciable Sr segregation. Furthermore, our study suggests that this Sr segregation has caused a major restructuring of the surface region characterized by the formation of a Ruddlesden-Popper phase (La,Sr)_n+1Mn_nO_3n+1 with n = 1. Segregation and restructuring in the surface region should be common in these doped perovskites and will have a profound impact on the electronic …

Extracranial-Intracranial Bypass Surgery In Cerebrovascular Diseases, Jens Haase

Saudi Medical Journal

Since the report from the International Study on extracranial-intracranial bypass was presented in 1985, an abrupt stop to almost all bypass surgery was introduced. The clear goals of the bypass study to reduce repeated strokes based on extracranial-intracranial bypass could not be documented. This review emphasizes the drawbacks of this previous study and why its conclusions were too sweeping, including statements that the study could not validate. The present status on cerebral hemodynamics and possible augmentations of reduced cerebral vascular reserve using extracranial-intracranial bypass are given. It is concluded that in hemodynamic proven cases extracranial-intracranial bypass may definitely benefit the …

Antibiotic Resistance. An Impending Crisis, Manuel W. Mah, Ziad A. Memish

Saudi Medical Journal

The global emergence of antimicrobial resistance has become a pre-eminent concern in medicine and public health. Antimicrobial resistance is of particular concern because the problem is widespread, the causative factors are uncontrolled, and national strategies to address the problem are lacking. The persisting burden of infectious diseases makes elimination of antibiotic use unethical, but dramatic overuse and misuse of antimicrobial agents around the world must be reduced to extend the useful lifetimes of these drugs. Population genetic models suggest that resistance emerges rapidly under the selective pressure of antibiotics, but decays slowly once that pressure is removed. Hence, measures to …

An Attempt To Estimate Gestational Age Of Newborns Using Physical Characteristics, Muhammed A. Al-Mansoob, Afrah S. Al-Nuzeili

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the validity of using some physical characteristics to estimate gestational age of the Yemini newborn babies and to compare the results with the findings of other similar studies. METHODS: By using the definitions of 12 physical characteristics and the simple and multiple regression methods, the gestational ages of 184 Yemeni newborns were estimated. RESULTS: The study has proved that, with reasonable estimation precision, only 5 physical characteristics namely skin texture, skin opacity, plantar creases, ear firmness and skull hardness can be used to estimate the gestational age of the Yemeni newborn babies. Further, estimation precision will be …

Ornithological Literature, Robert C. Beason

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

BABY BIRD PORTRAITS BY GEORGE MIKSCH SUTTON.

COLLINS ILLUSTRATED CHECKLIST: BIRDS OF SOUTHERN AFRICA.

BIRDS OF AFRICA: FROM SEABIRDS TO SEED-EATERS. By Chris and Tilde Stuart.

HARMONY AND CONFLICT IN THE LIVING WORLD. By Alexander F. Skutch.

HOPE IS THE THING WITH FEATHERS. By Christopher Cokinos.

STURKIE’S AVIAN PHYSIOLOGY. Edited by G. Causey Whittow.

STARLINGS AND MYNAS. By Chris Feare and Adrian Craig.

BIRDING IN THE AMERICAN WEST. By Kevin J. Zimmer.

TAKING WING: ARCHAEOPTERYX AND THE EVOLUTION OF BIRD FLIGHT. By Pat Shipman.

Allosteric Tuning Of Ruthenium 2,2’-Bipyridyl Luminescent Sensor Systems, Daqing Gan

Masters Theses

A series of new ruthenium bipyridyl crown supramolecular sensor systems containing two binding sites were synthesized. The crystal structure and photophysical properties of the developed sensor systems were thoroughly studied using x-ray, nuclear magnetic resonance and photoscopy methods. It turned out that the chelation of transition metal on the remote sites of the bipyridyl crown ligands greatly reduced the reactivity of the crown cavity. It is believed that the chelation of transition metal on the nitrogen atoms forces the bipyridyl function towards coplanarity and restricts the conformational freedom of the crown ring. The conformational rigidity in turn influences the binding …

Small Below-Endurance-Limit Cycle Damage Contributions In Variable Sequence Loading For 2024-T351 Aluminum Alloy, Christopher M. Ngiau

Masters Theses

It is a common practice in industry today to totally discard the presence of small below-endurance/fatigue limit cycles while calculating damage accumulation using the Palmgren-Miner rule. However, it was experimentally found in a number of studies that small cycles with stress amplitudes below the fatigue/endurance limit do in fact contribute significantly to the damage accumulation in all types of materials. There was a need to investigate cases where small cycles would only be present for a certain percentage of the material's life. An experimental study was done on 2024- T351 aluminum alloy. Loading was done in low and high cyclic …

Role Of Dopamine D4 Receptor In The Genomic And Behavioral Effects Of Psychostimulants: Relevance To Schizophrenia, Bina Garimella

Masters Theses

The role of dopamine D4 receptors in the induction and expression of behavioral sensitization to amphetamine, cocaine and PCP was investigated in this study. Behavioral changes and genomic responses accompanying sensitization were examined using a highly selective D4 receptor antagonist, PNU-101387G. Induction and expression of behavioral sensitization to cocaine was blocked by PNU-101387G. However, the D4 antagonist did not modulate the induction and expression of behavioral sensitization to PCP. Neuroadaptive genomic responses accompanying acute and chronic effects of amphetamine and their modulation by PNU-101387G was examined by looking at alterations in the expression of two immediate-early genes: c-fos and NGFI-A. …

Eustasy Determination From Borehole Data, Onshore New Jersey: New Boreholes And New Porosity Estimates, William Alan Van Sickel

Masters Theses

Backstripping analysis of detailed stratigraphic data from the Bass River and Ancora boreholes on the New Jersey Coastal Plain (Ocean Drilling Project Leg 17 4AX) was conducted to test and refine previous eustatic estimates (Kominz et al., 1998) and provide new Upper Cretaceous estimates. Porositydepth relationships required by the backstripping method were estimated to supplement those from the Cost B-2 well (Rhodehamel, 1977). Sand and mud porosity at shallow depths (<500 m) obtained here are higher than was seen at the Cost B-2 well.

The Bass River and Ancora boreholes targeted older sequences of the Upper Cretaceous to Paleocene. This new data allow for more accurate estimate of the magnitude of long-term sea-level …

Knowledge Discovery As An Aid To Organizational Creativity, Keng Siau

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Computers can play an important role in the creative process. With the abundance of data and increasing speed of computers, creativity can now be stimulated and enhanced with knowledge mined from available data. The process is known as knowledge discovery or data mining. Knowledge discovery is the process of discovering interesting associations among data in the database. Users in the creativity process can feed on the discovered associations to generate creative solutions. The objective of this paper is to present knowledge discovery as an aid to creativity. The paper first presents the concept of knowledge discovery and then discusses the …

Generalized Tcp Congestion Avoidance And Its Effect On Bandwidth Sharing And Variability, Archan Misra, John Baras, Teunis Ott

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

To model possible suggested changes in TCP window adaptation in response to randomized feedback, such as ECN (explicit congestion notification), we formulate a generalized version of the TCP congestion avoidance algorithm. We first consider multiple such generalized TCP flows sharing a bottleneck buffer under the assured service model and use a fixed point technique to obtain the mean window sizes and throughputs for the TCP flows, To further study how changes in the adaptation algorithm affect the variability in the throughput, we use an analytical-cum-numerical technique to derive the window distribution (and related statistics) of a single generalized flow under …

Parents' Perceptions Of Their Involvement In Selected North Dakota Public Schools, Patricia Groven

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Alternative Solutions For The Use Of Outdated Computer Hardware, Benjamin Erickson

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Harmonization Of International Adequacy Rules For Securities Firms: An Argument To Implement The Value At Risk Approach By Adopting Basle's Internal Model Methodology, Elene Spanakos

Brooklyn Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Presentation Media On Student Reading Comprehension, Jeffrey T. Conklin

Dissertations

The purpose o f this study was to investigate the effect of display media on reading comprehension in students with learning disabilities. This research examined two types o f display media, computer screen and paper.

Three groups of subjects were used in this study: (1) readers with learning disabilities, (2) low achieving readers, and (3) average readers. Three instruments were used to gather performance data in this study: a) a standardized measure o f reading comprehension, b) a measure of individual passage comprehension, and c) a measure of vocabulary knowledge using words from the experimental passages.

The data presented in …

Issues Of Factorial Invariance Inherent In Conceptual Change: Teachers’ Evolving Perceptions Of Classroom Practice, Cynthia C. Phillips

Dissertations

This study explored the extent to which confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) can be used to address the measurement challenges faced by evaluators engaged in the assessment of change; in particular, the interpretation of self-report survey data collected under quasi-experimental conditions. The psychometric principles behind the instruments used to measure change are built on the assumptions that the constructs of interest remain stable and that error and score magnitude alone may vary. This study examined the complications that arise, with respect to the valid use of change scores, when the constructs of interest reflect conceptual change.

CFA techniques are available enabling …

Middle-Level Summer School Effectiveness As Measured By Student Gains In Achievement And Attitude, Melanie Janine Mueller

Student Work

The purpose of this study was to determine to what extent, if any, an effective middle level summer school program, using Edmonds' (1979) five effective schools characteristics (e.g., educational leadership, emphasis on basic skills, high expectations, safe climate, frequent monitoring of student progress) enhanced students' academic achievement and change in attitude.

The Higher Education Option For Poor Women With Children, Shanta Pandey, Min Zhan, Susan Neely-Barnes, Natasha Menon

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Postsecondary education is the key to exiting from poverty permanently. Yet, the PRWORA allows women only up to 12 months of vocational training while on welfare. This paper focuses on bringing back the importance of investing in the education of poor women, particularly the postsecondary education of poor women with children, to the forefront of the welfare debate. In this paper we review federal and state level welfare policies toward postsecondary education of poor women with children. Some states are interpreting federal welfare policy strictly and allowing only up to 12 months of vocational training while on welfare. Other states …

Faint Radio Sources And Star Formation History, Deborah B. Haarsma, R. B. Partridge, R. A. Windhorst, E. A. Richards

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

The centimeter-wave luminosity of local radio galaxies correlates well with their star formation rate. We extend this correlation to surveys of high-redshift radio sources to estimate the global star formation history. The star formation rate found from radio observations needs no correction for dust obscuration, unlike the values calculated from optical and ultraviolet data. Three deep radio surveys have provided catalogs of sources with nearly complete optical identifications and nearly 60% complete spectroscopic redshifts: the Hubble Deep Field and Flanking Fields at 12h + 62°, the SSA13 field at 13h + 42°, and the V15 field at 14h + 52°. …

Information Outlook, December 2000, Special Libraries Association

Information Outlook, 2000

Volume 4, Issue 12

Modeling High-Frequency Seafloor Backscattering Of Gassy Sediments: The Eel River Margin Case, Luciano E. Fonseca, Larry A. Mayer

Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping

Models of acoustic backscatter typically take into account two different processes: interface scattering and volume scattering. What happens to these two contributions when the sediment is charged with gas bubbles? For the interface backscatter contribution we adopted the model developed by Jackson et al. (1986), but added modifications to accommodate gas bubbles, which when present, even in very small quantities, can dominate the acoustic characteristics of the sediment. The model parameters that are affected by gas content are the density ratio, the sound speed ratio and the loss parameter. To a first approximation, the model roughness parameters are not influenced …

Osl Dating Supports "High" Sedimentation Rates In Central Arctic Ocean, Martin Jakobsson, Andrew Murray, Jan Backman, Reidar Lovlie

Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping

No abstract provided.

Improving The Simulation Of A Waterflooding Recovery Process Using Artificial Neural Networks, Edison Gil

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The waterflood performance of the dual five-spot pilot project in the Stringtown oil field, situated in West Virginia, has been studied. A numerical simulator, called BOAST98, was used for the simulation purposes, after developing a reservoir description.;The producing horizon in the field is the Upper Devonian Gordon sandstone, which is characterized by severe heterogeneity due to the depositional environment. Using available core and log data and geological analysis, a reservoir characterization study was done. A preliminary reservoir description based on log porosity-core permeability correlation was improved by developing Artificial Neural Networks (A.N.N.), which incorporates geophysical well log information. These A.N.N.'s …

Evaluation Of Opacity, Particulate Matter, And Carbon Monoxide From Heavy-Duty Diesel Transient Chassis Tests, Ronald Page Jarrett

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Opacity and emission data were collected from heavy-duty diesel engines exercised through snap-acceleration tests and transient chassis dynamometer tests. Emission data were gathered using the West Virginia University (WVU) Transportable Heavy Duty Vehicle Emission Testing Laboratories (THDVETL) and opacity data were collected from two opacity meters; the Wager 650CP full flow opacity meter and the Bosch RT 100 partial flow opacimeter. Results showed that the Bosch peak opacity readings were consistently higher than the Wager peak opacity readings, and both meters showed little correlation with filter-captured particulate matter (PM). It was also observed that the snap-acceleration test did not identify …

Three-Dimensional Image Reconstruction Of Skeletal Tissue From Computed Tomography, Sundareswar Bangalore Jayashekar

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Edge Detection Techniques play a very important role in medical imaging. Pre-operative diagnosis of diseases such as cancer, tumors, bone fractures etc. depend on edge detection techniques to identify the malignant growths. In orthopedics, edge detection techniques are used in the reconstruction of the skeletal system from modalities such as MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) and CT (computed tomography).;In this thesis, we develop a simple process for the three dimensional image reconstruction of the human knee, starting from computed tomography scans. Designing a digital image processing technique which successfully separates the bone from the surrounding flesh and muscle tissue is the …

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 …

Computational Model Of Ductile Erosion By Single Particle Impact, Chandrakant Rai

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Erosion by solid particle impact is a common problem in many industrial applications. It results due to mechanical contact between the particle and the metal surface, which in turn result in potential material losses. Erosion of machine parts by the small solid particle entrained in liquid or gaseous working environment is a serious problem in many industrial applications. Numerous experiments have been conducted to obtain empirical relations for predicting material loss due to these impacts and to arrive at an appropriate material for a particular working environment. But with so many new materials being used for different applications, and operating …

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 …

Dynamic Property Evaluation Of Frother, Yunkai Xia

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Fourteen solvents were evaluated through frothing test and laboratory flotation batch tests. A new frothing parameter, initial dynamic froth index (IDFI), is proposed to compare the frothability of solvent. IDFI is derived from initial retention time of froth instead of retention time. IDFI is defined as the limiting slope of the initial retention time versus concentration curves while the concentration approaches zero. IDFI value depends on chemical structure and molecular weight of the solvent. Combined with normalized frothability index (NFI), normalized collapse rate constant (NKc), hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) and dynamic froth index (DFI), IDFI can be a useful index in …