Digital Commons Network^™

What Is Twail?, Makau W. Mutua

Journal Articles

The piece seeks to conceptualize the insurgent movement in international law known as Third World Approaches to International Law. Driven by scholars from the Third World, TWAIL rejects the traditional tenets and assumptions of traditional international law and argues for a re-imagination of the law of nations to purge it of racial and hegemonic precepts and biases to create a truly universal corpus that embraces inclusivity and empowerment. The movement turns away from the imperialist and colonialist foundation of international law. It argues that international law must be devoid of oppression, exploitation, and domination. The piece is among the first …

Successful Proposal Preparation, Mariesa Crow

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

No abstract provided.

Two Separate Continually Online Trained Neurocontrollers For Excitation And Turbine Control Of A Turbogenerator, Ganesh K. Venayagamoorthy, Ronald G. Harley

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper presents the design of two separate continually online trained (GOT) artificial neural network (ANN) controllers for excitation and turbine control of a turbogenerator connected to the infinite bus through a transmission line. These neurocontrollers augment/replace the conventional automatic voltage regulator and the turbine governor of a generator. A third COT ANN is used to identify the complex nonlinear dynamics of the power system. Results are presented to show that the two COT ANN controllers can control turbogenerators under steady state as well as transient conditions and thus allow turbogenerators to operate more closely to their steady state stability …

About Resonant Modes At The Shielded Dielectric Hemisphere, Sergey Kharkovsky, A. E. Kogut, Z. E. Eremenko, V. V. Kutuzov, Yuri F. Filipov

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The resonant modes, which are excited at the shielded dielectric hemisphere, are investigated by the theoretical and experimental methods. The low-Q-factor modes of air cavity and high-Q-factor whispering gallery modes of dielectric structure are existed together in the case of high radial index value. The Q-factor value of the whispering gallery modes of the shielded dielectric sphere with the certain correlation between the sizes of dielectric hemisphere and metal shield can be more great than the Q-factor of the whispering gallery modes of the similar open dielectric resonator.

Analysis Of Intangible Factors In Waste Minimization Projects, Halvard E. Nystrom, William Ralph Kehr

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Continual population growth and rising standards of living that accelerate the consumption of limited resources, are forcing society to encourage conservation of these resources. These resources not only include raw material, but also the areas to dispose of the wastes. As a result, communities are driving industries towards waste minimization by limiting waste generation and landfill availability. Firms'' environmentally friendly strategies can gain competitive advantage by leading in environmental practices. This advantage emanates from the reduction of risk of environmental regulatory overreaction, as well as improved asset utilization and landfill utilization. However, these intangible benefits are difficult to identify and …

Exercising Real Unit Operational Options Under Price Uncertainty, Chung-Li Tseng

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this paper, we use the real options framework to value the operation flexibility of a power plant. The power plant operation is formulated as a multi-stage stochastic problem. We assume that there are hourly spot markets for both electricity and the fuel used by the generator, and that their prices follow some Ito processes. At each hour, the power plant operator must decide whether or not to run the unit so as to maximize expected profit. However, the unit operation is subject to decision lead times and minimum uptime and downtime constraints, so the commitment decision must take into …

Dolomitization And Dolomite Neomorphism: Trenton And Black River Limestones (Middle Ordovician) Northern Indiana, U.S.A., M. I N Chan, Jay M. Gregg, Kevin L. Shelton

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The Trenton and Black River Limestones are dolomitized extensively along the axis of the Kankakee Arch in Indiana, with the proportion of dolomite decreasing to the south and southeast of the arch. Planar and nonplanar dolomite replacement textures and rhombic (type 1) and saddle (type 2) void-filling dolomite cements are present. Three stages of dolomitization, involving different fluids, are inferred on the basis of petrographic and geochemical characteristics of the dolomites. Nonferroan planar dolomite has relatively high δ18O values (-1.8 to -6.1‰ PDB) and has ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios (0.70833 to 0.70856) that overlap those of Middle Ordovician seawater. …

Quasi-Monte Carlo Methods In Cash Flow Testing Simulations, Michael Gene Hilgers

Business and Information Technology Faculty Research & Creative Works

What actuaries call cash flow testing is a large-scale simulation pitting a company''s current policy obligation against future earnings based on interest rates. While life contingency issues associated with contract payoff are a mainstay of the actuarial sciences, modeling the random fluctuations of US Treasury rates is less studied. Furthermore, applying standard simulation techniques, such as the Monte Carlo method, to actual multi-billion dollar companies produce a simulation that can be computationally prohibitive. In practice, only hundreds of sample paths can be considered, not the usual hundreds of thousands one might expect for a simulation of this complexity. Hence, insurance …

Controlled Comparison Of Emergency Department Charting Software With A Case Simulation Comparator Model, Kirt Walker, Sridhar Rajappan, Todd R. Johnson

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

Comparison Of Abbreviated Injury Scale (Ais) And International Classification Of Diseases In Severe Trama Patients, Noriaki Aoki, Molly C. Shek, Todd R. Johnson, Martin A. Shreiber, John B. Holcomb, Matthew J. Wall, Richard W. Cone, Robert Beck

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

Population Status And Distribution Of The Harbor Seal In Rhode Island Waters, Cheryl L. Schroeder

Open Access Master's Theses

The population of harbor seals has increased in Maine and Massachusetts since bounty hunting was discontinued in the 1960s and the advent of the Marine Mammal Protection Act in 1972. Little is known about the migrant population of harbor seals in southern New England. Until recently, only one long-duration census survey and occasional counts have recorded the number of harbor seals in Rhode Island waters. Since 1993, regular surveys of the locations where harbor seals come ashore or haul out semi-diurnally have provided the first estimates of local harbor seal abundance and distribution.

The western Atlantic harbor seal, Phoca vitulina …

Test Thesis, Xfirstname Xlast

Theses

Testing supplementary file suppression

Nutritional Therapies For Ulcerative Colitis: Literature Review, Chart Review Study, And Future Research, Joel S. Edman, William (Bill) H. Williams, Robert C. Atkins

Publications and Research

Few clinical studies suggest a significant influence of diet or nutritional supplementation on ulcerative colitis. One reason is that ulcerative colitis, like many chronic diseases, is multifactorial. This article reviews the relevant literature and presents the results of a retrospective chart review study that was done at a complimentary medicine office.

Plastic Manufacturing Process Selection Methodology Using Self-Organizing Map (Som)/Fuzzy Analysis, R. Raviwongse, Venkat Allada, T. Sandidge

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

For plastic products, one of the crucial decisions made during the preliminary design stage is the selection of an appropriate manufacturing process. In many industries, the selection of the manufacturing process is primarily based on the empirical knowledge and past experience of the manufacturing personnel. This selection procedure may result in inconsistent or poor choices if the manufacturing personnel fail to map correctly the product characteristics with the manufacturing efficacy of various manufacturing processes. This paper presents an intelligent self-organizing map (SOM)/fuzzy-based model to aid designers in the selection of an appropriate plastic manufacturing process. The plastic part attributes are …

Inappropriate Medication Use In An Elderly Nursing Home Population, Jyotsna Dhall

Open Access Master's Theses

Objective: This study was designed to study the inappropriate medication utilization in patients aged 65 years or older residing in a long term care facility; to examine patterns in the use of inappropriate medications during the stay in the facility; and to determine predictors of inappropriate medication use.

Design: Retrospective, cross-sectional study.

Methods: We used the Systematic Assessment of Geriatric Drug Use via Epidemiology (SAGE) database that includes data from all Medicaid/Medicare certified nursing homes located in 5 US states. We examined data collected with the federally mandated Minimum Data Set along with the sociodemographic, clinical and …

Relative Impact Of Various Sources Of Pharmacokinetic And Pharmacodynamic Variability On Warfarin Response, Shashikanth Gannu

Open Access Master's Theses

Warfarin is widely used oral anticoagulant and its pharrnacokinetic (PK) and pharrnacodynamic (PD) properties have been extensively studied. It has a narrow therapeutic index and displays poor quality of treatment due to its complex pharmacology and wide inter and intraindividual variability in the dose-response relationship.

This study developed an integrated PK-PD model using STELLA® to describe the dose concentration- effect relationship for warfarin. This model used previously reported\ population PK and PD models and parameter values to generate dose-response data. A one compartment stereo-specific semi-physiological PK model with zero-order drug input was linked to an indirect PD model describing the …

Deeply Virtual Compton Scattering At Small X, Ian Balitsky, Elena Kuchina

Physics Faculty Publications

We calculate the cross section of deeply virtual Compton scattering at large energies and intermediate momentum transfers.

Dan Cooper, American Designer (1901-1965), Diane Joyce Montenegro

Open Access Master's Theses

Dan Cooper (1901-1965) merits greater attention than he has received for his contributions to twentieth-century American interior design. During his forty-one-year career, he was a keen observer of changes in American society and was in the vanguard of interior designers offering attractive and usable products.

From 1924 to 1965, Cooper decorated the interiors of large private residences, hotels, public spaces, government housing projects, and corporate headquarters as well as several modes of transport. He helped validate his chosen profession by setting standards and advocating solid business practices. He offered furniture, fabrics, and accessories for almost every pocket book.

With an …

The Impact Of Decision Making On Tourism And The Environment In St. Kitts, William Rodney Gerdsen

Open Access Master's Theses

The wider Caribbean region is at a critical juncture in its development as a tourism dependent regional economy. After more than twenty years of outstanding growth in tourist arrivals and foreign currency earning, the prospects for continued growth depends on maintaining the pristine environment on which tourism has come to rely. However, with more tourists comes increased pressure on the finite natural resources. It is ironic that the tourism industry has become one of the biggest causes of environmental decay and stands to be one of its first victims.

In planning to develop an island economy based on tourism, it …

The Colors And Shadows Of My Word(S), Lydia A. Saravia

Open Access Master's Theses

If I find my voice, I will find my identity. Voice gives identity meaning. The acquisition of language (voice) means an acquisition of subjectivity (identity). A search for an identity is a search for voice. But formation of identity is difficult when multiple layers of subjectivity are to be considered: the layer of dual culture, in this case Guatemala and the United States, the layer of an urban environment, the layer of a working-class status, the layer of being female, which are all major players in the development of voice. To make sense of, and find a voice for, a …

Analysis Of A Traffic Diversion Strategy Using Corism Traffic Micro-Simulation Software, Daniel Ryan Abedon

Open Access Master's Theses

Throughout the United States metropolitan area freeways are operating at or near capacity. Any disturbance in the traffic flow on these freeways, planned or unplanned, can result in varying degrees of congestion. Incident management programs have been established in urban areas nationwide to help reduce the magnitude of incident induced congestion. These programs focus mainly on the incident identification and response stage, and have only recently begun to develop the tools and techniques needed to manage the recovery stage. One technique that has been becoming more widely employed, with the increased focus incident management and overall traffic systems management, is …

Hyperspectral Imaging For Bottom Type Classification And Water Depth Determination, Nikole L. Wilson

Theses

Many recreational, military, and commercial activities take place in shallow coastal waters; therefore, interest is high in characterizing these areas. A variety of methods have been employed to determine water depths and classify the bottom using remote sensing. This research proposes to apply Philpot's principal components algorithm for bathymetric mapping to a MISI hyperspectral image, whereas previously this approach has been used on synthetic data. A description of the principal components algorithm is presented along with an outline of how it was applied to airborne hyperspectral images. The algorithm takes advantage of the ability to implement a deep-water correction, and …

Narrative Whiskey Flasks, Christopher Mackey Kelly

Theses

This thesis will explore and celebrate how men have lived, their different roles throughout history, and their future position in the world. I have chosen the whiskey flask as a metaphor for men. Each flask will be a symbolic representation of a selected individual taken from literature.

Residency Status And Age Of Entry As Moderators Of The Effectiveness Of A Special Act School District, Sabrina Beckerink

Theses

This study investigated the effectiveness of the program at Randolph Academy Union Free School District, a special act school district designed to educate students with emotional, behavioral, and learning difficulties. The outcome of treatment is documented by measurement of change in academic achievement. Pre-post comparisons of standardized achievement test scores were collected from the psychoeducational files of 49 students. Results indicate significant gains in academic achievement. A two-way analysis of covariance identified age of entry into the program as a moderator of academic achievement: younger entrants improved their relative ranking more than older entrants.

Wavelet Analysis Of Acoustic Signals, John E. Smertneck

Theses

Wavelets and wavelet transforms have become popular new tools in the fields of signal processing and mathematical modeling because of the various advantages they have over traditional techniques. The Fourier Transform decomposes a signal into a frequency spectrum at the loss of time domain information. Wavelet transforms involve decomposing a signal into various levels to study frequency patterns over time. High frequency characteristics in the lower levels and low frequency characteristics in the higher levels allow the analyst to make predictions regarding the nature of the signal.

This case involved the study of tuning fork frequency characteristics using the Discrete …

Using Δe Distribution As A Predictor Of Digital Proofing Performance, Raul Eduardo Gonzalez Dorbecker

Theses

The performance of color matching in ICC-based Color Management Systems (CMS) is being improved, and its workflow established. As part of the digital workflow, digital proofing plays an important roll in the control of color from capture to the printed page, but its method of evaluation is not clearly understood.

To evaluate the degree of color matching by digital proofing in an ICC-based CMS between a reference image and a sample image, the [formula] calculated by averaging the individual color differences is being used. Doing a qualitative evaluation, ICC-based CMS should be able to stand behind the statement that the …

Needs Assessment Of Vietnamese Students And Families At Santa Teresa High School, Lynh T. Ngo

Master's Projects

No abstract provided.

Virtual Rubik's Cube, Wen-Bin Wu

Theses

Not Included

Simple Ensemble-Averaging Model Based On Generalized Regression Neural Network In Financial Forecasting Problems, Cihan H. Dagli, Parinya Disorntetiwat

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Introduces an ensemble-averaging model based on a GRNN (generalized regression neural network) for financial forecasting. The model trains all input individually using GRNNs and uses a simple ensemble-averaging committee machine to improve the accuracy performance. In a financial problem, there are many different factors that can effect the asset price movement at different times. An experiment is implemented in two different data sets, S&P 500 index and currency exchange rate. The predictive abilities of the model are evaluated on the basis of root mean squared error, standard deviation and percent direction correctness. The study shows a promising result of the …

Pod, Margaret Slinker

Theses

This thesis explores the themes which motivate the creation of abstract sculpture, searching for common forms and universal shapes throughout the pieces examined in the thesis. The examples presented were created by other artists and by the author, which include ceramic sculpture and earthenware oxides and glazes.