Digital Commons Network^™

Alkaline Durability Tests For E-Glass/Vinyl Ester-Reinforced Polymer With Nanoclay, Shu-Kai Yeh

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Two kinds of GFRP (glass fiber reinforced plastics) composite materials were prepared and used in this study. One was E-glass/vinyl ester glass fiber reinforced polymer (plain GFRP) and the other was nano-GFRP prepared with the addition of 1 wt% of CloisiteRTM 10A nanoclay. These samples were aged in an alkaline solution (pH = 13.2) with 3560N (800-lbs), 2225N (500-lbs) and 885N (200-lbs) of sustained load, which were 50%, 31% and 12.5% of the tensile strength, respectively. Time to failure or tensile strength reduction was measured and used to determine durability of the samples in terms of Aging Index, which was …

Hybrid Neural Networks Models For A Membrane Reactor, Mohammed Al-Yemni

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Artificial neural networks (ANN) have become an established discipline and have gained extensive interest within chemical engineering. In recent years, research effort has focused on the use of "hybrid artificial neural networks" (HANN) models that combine both the deterministic and the ANN elements. Several methods have been proposed for combining ANN with first principle relations. In this thesis, a new hybrid scheme, which is similar to that developed by Kasprow for a space-independent and time-dependent fed-batch microbial reactor, was developed for a space-dependent steady-state enzymatic reactor. This scheme combines ANN with mass balances and assumed rate expressions. It was shown …

Spline Based Controller For Nonlinear Systems, Ali Karimi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The objective of this thesis is to apply spline theory to implement controllers for nonlinear systems. Two different systems, forced Duffing oscillators and power systems, are investigated. The spline method is used to mimic the controller which drives a state of the Duffing system toward a desired path. The spline-based nonlinear controller has piecewise polynomial segments with different order of polynomials on each segment. Controller efforts for different order of polynomial interpolants and power spectral densities of the controller signals are compared with the exact feedback linearizaton method.;The first objective for power systems is to design nonlinear excitation controllers for …

Plant-Wide Energy Assessment Using A Systems Approach, Rajkumar Selvaraj

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Energy plays a central role in the operation of the industrialized U.S. economy. Industry is historically the largest consuming sector of the economy with more than 60 percent of the energy consumed for manufacturing. The U.S. chemical industry is the world's largest producer of chemicals producing over 25 percent of the total production worldwide. In a chemical industry, the energy is used to supply heat and power for manufacturing processes and for energy feedstock. Due to the energy intensive nature of chemical industries, energy assessments performed could yield huge savings in energy and cost.;The aim of this research is to …

Reaction Engineering Study Of Natural Gas Hydrate Formation In Special Packed -Bed Reactors By Controlling The Boundary Layer Surfaces Of The Gas -Liquid -Solid Phases, Budhijanto Budhijanto

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Natural gas hydrates (NGH) are crystalline compounds that consist of water and natural gas (NG) molecules. By hydrogen bonds, water molecules form a regular lattice structure containing many cavities. NG molecules occupy the cavities, and therefore stabilize the cavities. NGH are considered to be one of the most potential alternative world energy resources. The applications of NGH in other fields, such as NG purification, storage, and transportation, are also possible. To obtain the full benefits of all the possible applications of NGH, a full understanding of the kinetics of NGH formation is needed.;Strictly speaking, the experimental works of reproducible intrinsic …

Designing A Scalable Dynamic Load -Balancing Algorithm For Pipelined Single Program Multiple Data Applications On A Non-Dedicated Heterogeneous Network Of Workstations, Ashraf Osman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Dynamic load balancing strategies have been shown to be the most critical part of an efficient implementation of various applications on large distributed computing systems. The need for dynamic load balancing strategies increases when the underlying hardware is a non-dedicated heterogeneous network of workstations (HNOW). This research focuses on the single program multiple data (SPMD) programming model as it has been extensively used in parallel programming for its simplicity and scalability in terms of computational power and memory size.;This dissertation formally defines and addresses the problem of designing a scalable dynamic load-balancing algorithm for pipelined SPMD applications on non-dedicated HNOW. …

Temporal Control And Response Strength In A Free -Operant Psychophysical Procedure, Lori M. Lieving

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of the present experiments was to examine the relation between timing and response strength. Pigeons responded on a two-component multiple schedule consisting of the free-operant psychophysical procedure, in which trials lasted 50 s. During the first 25 s of each trial, responding on the left key was reinforced according to a variable interval (VI) schedule of reinforcement. During the second 25 s of each trial, responding on the right key was reinforced according to a VI schedule of reinforcement. In Experiment 1, responding in one component was maintained by a VI 30-s schedule (rich component) and responding in …

Investigation Of Initiation Of Reverse Transcription In Retroviruses Using Vectors With Two Primer -Binding Sites, Yegor A. Voronin

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Initiation of reverse transcription in retroviruses occurs on a specific place in viral genome, called primer-binding site (PBS). Cellular tRNA is annealed to the complementary PBS and is used as a primer. We constructed murine leukemia virus (MLV)-based vectors containing two PBSs, one in normal position and another in the middle of the vector. Green fluorescence protein (GFP) gene was inserted between the two PBSs. The internal PBS was derived from a spleen necrosis virus (SNV), which uses the same tRNA-Pro as a primer. We have shown that the internal PBS was functional for initiation of reverse transcription. Replication of …

Soil Characterization, Classification, And Biomass Accumulation In The Otter Creek Wilderness, Jamie Schnably

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study evaluated soils of the Otter Creek Wilderness in the Monongahela National Forest. Thirteen sites were sampled and analyzed according to landscape position: three terrace soils (T), four ridgetop soils (R), three sideslope soils with argillic horizons (SSA), and three sideslope soils with cambic horizons (SSC). At each site, one pedon was described and sampled, and biomass data were collected. Standard chemical and physical properties, clay mineralogy, extractable sulfate and sulfated adsorption capacity were analyzed. The SSA soils had the highest pH, the most diverse vegetation, and the highest base saturation. These soils had a low risk for acid …

Numerical Analysis Of Source-Water Dynamics For Stream-Bounded Alluvial Aquifers, Sarah E. Webb

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Alluvial aquifers bounded by streams are water supply sources for numerous communities in the Ohio Valley, West Virginia. Groundwater flow models are tools for estimation of source areas, however, existing analytical solutions apply only in settings involving a single stream boundary. A series of numerical experiments was devised for wells near multiple surface sources examining the controlling aspects of well-location and boundary condition interaction on source areas. Local-scale models were constructed representing an alluvial aquifer bounded by a tributary intersecting a large river. Aquifer behavior was examined in response to variations in pumping well location and tributary gradient. Flow within …

Model Predictive Control Design For Load Frequency Control Problem, Nedzad Atic

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Load Frequency Control (LFC) is a mechanism by which power generation and power demand are balanced.;Model Predictive Control (MPC) has been widely accepted as a viable control strategy in the process industry. It is a model based control strategy where an optimization procedure is performed in every sampling interval over a prediction horizon, yielding an optimal control action. The optimization criterion, or objective function, is chosen in such a way as to satisfy the controlled system dynamics and constraints, penalize system output deviation from the desired trajectory, and minimize control efforts. Furthermore, a possibility to incorporate economic objectives into the …

Cerulean Warbler Relative Abundance And Frequency Of Occurrence Relative To Large-Scale Edge, Scott B. Bosworth

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Cerulean Warblers (Dendroica cerulea) were studied in southwestern West Virginia where the coal mining technique of mountaintop mining/valley fill (MTMVF) continues to perforate large contiguous tracts of deciduous forest. My study objectives were to (1) quantify abundance and probability of occurrence of Cerulean Warblers relative to distance from large-scale edge (defined as reclaimed MTMVF sites) and (2) relate habitat structure and landscape characteristics to the species' probability of occurrence. Cerulean Warbler abundance increased significantly (P < 0.10) with distance from reclaimed mine edge. However, percent occurrence relative to distance from mine edge was not significant, suggesting a degree of tolerance to the large-scale edge created by MTMVF. Abundance was significantly greater on ridges than bottomlands. Percent occurrence did not differ among the three slope positions but followed a trend similar to abundance. Consequently, disturbances such as MTMVF in which ridges are removed may have a greater impact on populations compared to other sources of fragmentation where ridges are not disturbed. Other habitat structure analyses suggest good indicators of Cerulean Warbler presence are the more productive sites on northwest to east facing slopes and low sapling density. Similarly, Cerulean Warbler abundance was positively associated with more productive sites and snag density. Important landscape characteristics positively associated with abundance were large blocks of mature deciduous forest and low edge density. Mountaintop mining/valley fill alters the spatial configuration of forested habitats in southwestern West Virginia, thus creating less suitable habitat and edge effects that negatively affect Cerulean Warbler abundance, occurrence, and distribution in the reclaimed mine landscape.

Statements Development Group Website, Josh Hewitt

Masters Theses & Doctoral Dissertations

The Statements development group is fast becoming one of the larger groups in Cards Technology thus making the decision to create a web presence a fairly easy one. Less than 5 years ago Statements was little more than two Project Leaders and three Analyst printing statements. Statements has now grown to more than 25 employees and looking to add more to that in the near future. This growth has added as much complexity to the system as it has added employees. The Statements group utilizes a network drive and an online content management system to store most of its documents. …

Dynamic Solutions For A Women's Basketball Web Site, Dawn R. Gaffney

Masters Theses & Doctoral Dissertations

The Dynamic Solutions for a Women's Basketball Web Site project involved taking a previously static web site and making it data driven and dynamic. The previous web site had over a hundred or more unorganized pages linked together. The previous web site worked well for the viewer, but was filled with functional errors and redundant processes for the web master. The Dynamic Solutions project end design - eliminated the functional errors and gave the web master more management capabilities. The following pages trace the process of creating the project from start- project planning, to finish- project implementation.

Metrics Application Designed For Dentists In The Office, Eleanor Chan

Masters Theses & Doctoral Dissertations

Chan software is a well-run system company. We practice with economic efficiency, employee involvement, and a commitment to quality, delivers quality service at affordable prices. lts service is of value to the clients and can improve their business. We can design databases for the web and other applications. We've worked with a variety of databases, such as Oracle, Microsoft Access, and MySQL. We're especially skilled at developing large-scale systems based on MySQL that use replication for high reliability and performance. Chan Software has been contacted by Grafton Family Dentistry ("Grafton") to design and implement a centralized client server Web based …

When Personality Traits Need A Frame Of Reference: Enhancing The Predictive Validity Of Non-Cognitive Measures, Andrew David English

Theses and Dissertations

The reconsideration of personality among personnel specialists is partly due to the discovery of the five-factor model of personality or the "Big Five" (Costa, 1996). In the years following the acceptance of this taxonomy, several researchers have examined the relationship of the "Big Five" personality traits to numerous job performance criteria. Research has show:n that personality testing can contribute significant incremental validity over that of cognitive ability and skills (Neuman & Wright, 1999). The issues of trait consistency and the faking of personality measures have divided researchers in regards to how detrimental the effects of each are. The results of …

The Mediating Role Of Organizational Learning Between Absorptive Capacity And Performance In Companies Employing Enterprise Resource Planning Software, Edith Galy

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This dissertation focuses on the acquisition of information systems technology and how the acquisition of information systems (IS) can improve the performance of a firm. The central purpose of this dissertation is to contribute to the literature that explains the success of IS projects. It addresses the organizational processes that contribute to the successful implementation of IS, and explains why some organizations achieve financial returns and strategic advantages from their IS efforts while others do not.

The population in this dissertation consists of top level IS executives in the US or Canada employed in firms who have implemented enterprise resource …

Indicators Of Teacher Collaboration In Texas Public High Schools, Michael James Mcclure

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The study employs both quantitative and qualitative data to extend the work of Rosenholtz (1991) with public elementary schools and the work of Hickey (1994) with public secondary schools in trying to assess the extent to which four pre-defined socio-organizational factors predict teacher collaboration in public schools. The four socio-organizational factors include: teacher certainty about a technical culture and their instructional capability; shared instructional goals; teacher involvement in decision making about instructional matters; and teacher involvement in team teaching. The study also investigates the hypothesis that the academic departments in public secondary schools provide structures that more nearly approach the …

The Effect Of A Non-Verbal Redirection On Out-Of-Seat Behavior In A Subject Diagnosed As Adhd And Mr, Amy Sharon Ellison-Marino

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This was a single subject study with the A-B-A-B across settings withdrawal design. This design was selected because the subject has comorbidity issues, Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) and Mental Retardation (MR). This researcher implemented the A-B-A-B design and collected data during all four phases. The subject was a eight year old Hispanic female diagnosed as ADHD and mild MR. ADHD is characterized by impulsivity, lack of ability to focus attention, and hyperactivity. MR is characterized by below average intellectual functioning which significantly limits functioning in at least two skill areas.

Visualization Of Internet Web Pages Based On Authority And Word Frequency, David Navarro

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The growth, accessibility, and integration of the World Wide Web with contemporary information utilization provides a rich domain in which to explore information retrieval systems. One approach in the evolution of retrieval systems couples successful and long-standing techniques of information retrieval with new techniques, such as visualization. The system developed and reported in this thesis takes this approach. It builds upon well-known techniques of information retrieval including stemming, keyword matching, and cosine similarity. It also incorporates the new and relatively successful hubs and authority approach, which describes Web documents by their reference by other documents. Finally, it develops a new …

Claus/Claws: A Journey Through Leonardland's Multivalent Meanings, Chris Leonard

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This exhibition paper presents the linkage of apparently unrelated topic and content. This arduous task is accomplished through an exploration of opposites and an overall presentation in the form of family fun or domestic distress disguised within personal world and the overall umbrella of homonyms: Claus (as in Santa) and Claws (as in cat). The work presented is a view of Leonardland, an intensely personal vision of my family and our history melded into a proposed future as seen through a wild conglomeration of seemingly dissimilar visions comprising the eclectic cultural mix that is our life on this geographic and …

Hardiness As A Career Transition Resource, Katherine Lee Rathburn

Theses and Dissertations

The relationship of hardiness to career transition resources was examined. Hardiness scores were obtained through the use of the Cognitive Hardiness Scale (CHS)(Nowack, 1996) and transition resources were measured by the Career Transitions Inventory (CTI) (Heppner, Multon, & Johnston, 1994). The study included 120 male and female adult participants from multiple settings (primarily from a local university, technical college, and job agency) who had a career transition in the last 15 months. Most participants had experienced multiple career-related changes. The general hypothesis for this study was that certain constructs measured by the CTI correlate with hardiness (the Personal Control factor …

Probing Scattering Wave Functions Close To The Nucleus, Don H. Madison, Daniel Fischer, Matthew S. Foster, Michael Schulz, Robert Moshammer, Stephenie J. Jones, Joachim Hermann Ullrich

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

Recently, three-dimensional imaging of the ejected electrons following 100  MeV/amu C⁶⁺ single ionization of helium led to the observation of a new structure not predicted by theory [M. Schulz et al., Nature (London) 422, 48 (2003)]. Instead of the usual “recoil lobe” centered on the momentum-transfer axis, a ring-shaped structure centered on the beam axis was observed. New measurements at 2  MeV/amu exhibit a similar structure, which is now predicted by theory. We argue that the same theory failed at 100  MeV/amu because the faster projectiles probe distances much closer to the nucleus, where our multiple-scattering model is expected …

The Relationship Between Personality And The Experience Of Solution-Focused Therapy And Cognitive Therapy, Shannon T. Woulfe

Theses and Dissertations

Throughout the past 20 years, a growing emphasis on client competence building within the psychotherapy literature has led to the creation of specific therapeutic interventions, such as narrative therapy and solution-focused therapy. These interventions offer a distinct alternative to traditional deficit-based interventions, where clients are viewed as having a dysfunction that is causing specific symptoms. This study indirectly compared the experiences of a client undergoing a competence model of helping, solution-focused therapy, with the experiences of the same client undergoing a deficit model of helping, cognitive therapy. Information about how personality dimensions are related to the experience of both solution-focused …

Charge Transfer In Slow Collisions Of C⁴⁺ With H Below 1 Kev/Amu, Chen-Nan Liu, Anh-Thu Le, C. D. Lin

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

We reexamined charge-transfer cross sections for C⁴⁺ + H collisions for energies from 1 meV/amu to 1 keV/amu using the recently developed hyperspherical close-coupling method. Our results agree with several previous theoretical calculations using molecular-orbital expansion. However, these converged theoretical predictions do not agree with total cross sections from the merged-beam experiments.

A Cross-Cultural Comparison Of Depressotypic Cognitions And Suitability For Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Lydia Christine Jackson

Theses and Dissertations

Although some researchers have suggested that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) might be an effective treatment paradigm for minority clients, there is little empirical evidence to support this claim. In addition, few studies have explored the cross-cultural expression of the maladaptive cognitions that CBT targets for change in the treatment of major depressive disorder. The purpose of the present study was twofold: (a) to compare the applicability of CBT approaches and assumptions in Caucasians and American Indians, and (b) to evaluate whether depressotypic cognitions found in the literature related to CBT are equally prevalent in both groups. In study one, an …

Past, Present And Future Of Language Policy In Kazakhstan, Aliya S. Kuzhabekova

Theses and Dissertations

This study is an analysis of the historical preliminaries, current state and directions of further development of the language policy in the former Soviet and presently independent Republic of Kazakhstan. Such an analysis is of special interest for sociolinguistic theory. The uniqueness of the linguistic situation challenging contemporary Kazakhstani language policy-making consists in the fact that Kazakh, the native tongue of the ethnic majority and the de jure state language of the independent Republic of Kazakhstan, is too lexically underdeveloped to successfully compete in most of the communicative domains with Russian, the state language of Soviet Kazakhstan and the alternate …

Delinquent Recidivism And Diversion From Formal Juvenile Court Proceedings: A Cognitive Restructuring Approach, Robert James Amos Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis takes a deductive approach by formulating and testing hypotheses, derived via theoretical proposition. A history of juvenile delinquency, delinquency intervention and development of the juvenile court is also presented and discussed. Social control theory is the main perspective in this study. Social learning theory is also a relevant perspective in this thesis.

Literature in this thesis indicates delinquent intervention has failed to reduce recidivism throughout history. A more effective form of intervention needs to implemented and examined pertaining to the influence of juvenile delinquency recidivism reduction Cognitive restructuring is a popular form of intervention today, which is assumed …

The Sexual Behavior Sequelae Of Childhood Sexual Abuse In College Women, Brian A. Wilson

Theses and Dissertations

The present investigation examined the association between childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and a variety of sexual behaviors in adulthood while controlling for the confounding effects of family environment and adolescent/adult sexual assault. Three hundred ninety female undergraduates completed measures of CSA, adolescent/adult sexual assault, family environment (physical abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, quality of the parent-child bond), sexual satisfaction and functioning, propensity to engage in casual sex, attraction to sexual aggression, sexual fantasy, and sexual preference. The results indicated that CSA, after controlling for confounding variables, was associated with increased sexual activity, a propensity for casual sex, and sexual fantasies staining …

Multiple Sclerosis, Time Of Day, And Subjectively Measured Sleep Effects On Neurological Functioning Using A Neuropsychological Battery, Julia R. Fitzgerald Smith

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the impact of time of day of testing and subjectively measured daytime sleepiness and nighttime sleep on memory performance in adults with multiple sclerosis (MS) and in unimpaired adults. Thirty-four multiple sclerosis subjects (a.m.; N=17 and p.m.; N=17) and forty controls (a.m.; N=16 and p.m.; N=24) were assessed using the Logical Memory, Visual Reproductions, and Digit Span subtests of the Weschler Memory Scale-Ill, California Verbal Learning Test, and several questionnaires about mood, sleep, and physical symptoms. The primary result of this study was the absence of significant differences between the multiple sclerosis participants and controls on many …