Digital Commons Network^™

A Conceptual Model For Determining Career Choice Of Chrome Alumna Based On Farmer's Conceptual Models, Lisa Simmons Moore

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

This qualitative program evaluation examines the career decision-making processes and career choices of nine, African American women who participated in the Cooperating Hampton Roads Organization for Minorities in Engineering (CHROME) and who graduated from urban, rural or suburban high schools in the year 2000. The CHROME program is a nonprofit, pre-college intervention program that encourages underrepresented minority and female students to enter science, technically related, engineering, and math (STEM) career fields. The study describes career choices and decisions made by each participant over a five-year period since high school graduation. Data was collected through an Annual Report, Post High School …

Multi-Modal Enhancement Techniques For Visibility Improvement Of Digital Images, Li Tao

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Image enhancement techniques for visibility improvement of 8-bit color digital images based on spatial domain, wavelet transform domain, and multiple image fusion approaches are investigated in this dissertation research.

In the category of spatial domain approach, two enhancement algorithms are developed to deal with problems associated with images captured from scenes with high dynamic ranges. The first technique is based on an illuminance-reflectance (I-R) model of the scene irradiance. The dynamic range compression of the input image is achieved by a nonlinear transformation of the estimated illuminance based on a windowed inverse sigmoid transfer function. A single-scale neighborhood dependent contrast …

Modeling And Simulation Of Photonic Crystal Fibers And Distributed Feedback Photonic Crystal Fiber Lasers, Feng Wu

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

A photonic crystal fiber (PCF) is comprised of a solid or air core surrounded by periodically arranged air holes running along the length of the fiber, which guides light in a fundamentally new way compared to conventional optical fibers, affecting almost all areas of optics and photonics. To analyze the dispersion and loss properties of PCFs, a two-dimensional (2D) finite-difference frequency-domain (FDFD) method combined with the technique of perfectly matched layer (PML) is developed. The propagation constant and loss can be obtained with accuracies in the orders of ∼10-6 and ∼10 -3, respectively.

The Bragg fiber is a kind of …

Energy-Efficient Self-Organization Protocols For Sensor Networks, Qingwen Xu

Computer Science Theses & Dissertations

A Wireless Sensor Network (WSN, for short) consists of a large number of very small sensor devices deployed in an area of interest for gathering and delivery information. The fundamental goal of a WSN is to produce, over an extended period of time, global information from local data obtained by individual sensors. The WSN technology will have a significant impact on a wide array of applications on the efficiency of many civilian and military applications including combat field surveillance, intrusion detection, disaster management among many others. The basic management problem in the WSN is to balance the utility of the …

Inclusive And Exclusive Compton Processes In Quantum Chromodynamics, A. Psaker

Physics Theses & Dissertations

In our work, we describe two types of Compton processes. As an example of an inclusive process, we consider the high-energy photoproduction of massive muon pairs off the nucleon. We analyze the process in the framework of the QCD parton model, in which the usual parton distributions emerge as a tool to describe the nucleon in terms of quark and gluonic degrees of freedom. To study its exclusive version, a new class of phenomenological functions is required, namely, generalized parton distributions. They can be considered as a generalization of the usual parton distributions measured in deeply inelastic lepton-nucleon scattering. Generalized …

The Application Of A System Of Systems Analysis To Assessments Of National Power, George T. Hodermarsky

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation proposes an approach and methodology for the utilization of the fundamentals of systems theory as an aid to national security decision-making. At its core is an examination of the elements of nations' or non-state actor's power resources. The product of the analysis is the compilation of a set of nodes, and the relationships between these, upon which actions may be taken to achieve desired effects. Since the boundaries between the subsystems of power resources are flexible and permeable, and there will be interactions between elements in different subsystems, a system of systems approach is essential so that the …

Telecommunications Technology And Sovereignty: Effects On States As Information Transfer Increased From The Speed Of Oxcart To The Speed Of Light, James H. Radford

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

Sovereignty---the absolute and unlimited power of the state---provides independence of action. Information about actions or intentions of competitors, enemies, or even friends, arriving after extended periods of time, resulted in responses to fait accompli. When information travels nearly instantaneously, states must consider potentially rapid international reactions before the fact. This suggests that since a state's freedom of action has been abridged, the nature of their sovereignty has altered.

This study pursues the research question: In what ways does telecommunications technology affect state sovereignty? The evolution of sovereignty is compared to development of telecommunications technology over four distinct eras, each …

An Empirical Investigation Of The Link Between Market Orientation And New Product Performance: The Mediating Effects Of Organizational Capabilities, Turkan Dursun-Kilic

Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration

In today's business world, one of the most important problems that companies encounter is new product failure. The high product failure rate has been a major concern for practitioners for many years. It was reported that almost half of the new products introduced each year will actually fail (e.g., Sivadas and Dwyer 2000; Zirger and Maidique 1990). Given the fact that the increasing level of technological advancement, consumer expectations, and domestic as well as international competitive pressures continue to shorten the product life cycle for new products, it has become extremely important for companies to understand the critical determinants of …

Melting And Solidification Study Of Indium And Bismuth Nanocrystals Using Reflection High-Energy Electron Diffraction, Mohamed K. Zayed

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

As technology begins to utilize nanocrystals for many chemical, biological, medical, electrical, and optoelectrical applications, there is a growing need for an understanding of their fundamental properties. The study of melting and solidification of nanocrystals is of interest to fundamental understanding of the effect of reduced size and crystal shape on the solid-liquid phase transition. Melting and solidification of as-deposited and recrystallized indium and bismuth nanocrystals were studied using reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED). The nanocrystals were thermally deposited on highly oriented 002-graphite substrate at different deposition temperatures. The growth dynamics of the nanocrystals was studied using in situ RHEED …

Automatic Generation Of Social Network Data From Electronic-Mail Communications, Jason Yee, Robert F. Mills, Gilbert L. Peterson, Summer E. Bartczack

Faculty Publications

Most organizations have formal and informal elements. Formal structures are usually documented in organizational charts showing chain of command, levels of authority, and personnel resources. The actual effectiveness of the organization or specific individuals may actually depend on informal structures and internal communication networks. These are by definition personality-dependent and may provide significant insight into how work actually gets done within the organization. Effective leaders will want insight into these informal structures for various reasons. Inefficient decision-making or staffing processes may result in unnecessary or redundant communications, chokepoints, or single points of failure, each of which can either delay decisions …

Spatial Relationships Of Grassland Net Ecosystem Carbon Dioxide Exchange In A First-Order Agricultural Basin In Southern Ontario, Patrick S. Chahil

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This study quantified the midday (10:00 – 16:00) summer source/sink CO2 relationships of various land-use types, particularly grass-dominated riparian areas, using dynamic chamber techniques, while evaluating the relative contribution of root and microbial components towards the overall soil respiration. The influence of nearby agriculture and was related to elevated N and P, which were 40 and 1000% larger, respectively. A site adjacent to cropped fields showed similar (within 8%) study averaged soil respiration as an open grassland site, but 22% lower soil respiration than a riparian site 250-300 m downstream, which is adjacent to an open grassland fallow. A maple …

Harding University Course Catalog 2005-2006, Harding University

Harding Academic Catalogs

Academic catalog for the undergraduate programs at Harding University.

Characteristics Of Laser Forming Austenitic Stainless Steel Alloys, Jack Robert Pennuto

Masters Theses

"This thesis discusses the investigation of laser forming austenitic stainless-steel alloys for the development of free curve and complex shapes...Previous work in this area has focused on the development of single angle laser forming and process optimization for the development of multi-dimensional shapes. This thesis seeks to discuss the relationship of multiple parallel laser passes and any coupling effects that may exist for the class of austenitic stainless steels, including any metallurgical implications"--Abstract, page iii.

Investigation Of The Effect Of Subcutaneous Fat On Image Quality Performance Of 2d Conventional Imaging And Tissue Harmonic Imaging, Jacinta Browne, Amanda Watson, Peter Hoskins, Alex Elliott

Articles

Tissue harmonic imaging (THI) has been reported to improve contrast resolution, tissue differentiation and overall image quality in clinical examinations. However, a study carried out previously by the authors (Browne et al. 2004) found improvements only in spatial resolution and not in contrast resolution or anechoic target detection. This result may have been due to the homogeneity of the phantom. Biologic tissues are generally inhomogeneous and THI has been reported to improve image quality in the presence of large amounts of subcutaneous fat. The aims of the study were to simulate the distortion caused by subcutaneous fat to image quality …

Structure-Property Relationships For Electron-Vibrational Coupling In Conjugated Organic Oligomeric Systems, Luke O'Neill, Hugh Byrne

Articles

A series of ð-conjugated oligomers containing one to six monomer units were studied by absorption and photoluminescence spectroscopy. As is common for these systems, a linear relationship between the positioning of the lowest-energy absorption and the highest-energy photoluminescence maxima plotted versus inverse conjugation length is observed, in good agreement with a simple nearly free electron model, one of the earliest descriptions of the properties of one-dimensional organic molecules. It was observed that the Stokes shift and therefore Huang-Rhys factor also exhibit a well-defined relationship with increasing conjugation length, implying a correlation between the electron-vibrational coupling and chain length. This correlation …

Characterisation Of An Acrylamide-Based Photopolymer For Data Storage Utilizing Holographic Angular Multiplexing, Hosam Sherif, Izabela Naydenova, Suzanne Martin, Colm Mcginn, Vincent Toal

Articles

An acrylamide-based photopolymer formulated in the Centre for Industrial and Engineering Optics has been investigated with a view to further optimisation for holographic optical storage. Series of 18 to 30 gratings were angularly multiplexed in a volume of photopolymer layer at a spatial frequency of 1500 lines/mm. Since the photopolymer is a saturable material, an exposure scheduling method was used to exploit the entire dynamic range of the material and allow equal strength holographic gratings to be recorded. This investigation yielded the photopolymer M/# for moderately thin layers. Photopolymer temporal stability was also studied by measuring variations of material shrinkage, …

Modernization Of The Hilger And Watts Guage-Block Interferometer, Michael O'Hora, Brian Bowe, Vincent Toal, Sean Peyton

Articles

The Hilger & Watts gauge-block interferometer was designed and manufactured commercially in the 1950s. The instrument uses isotope lamps as wavelength standards to perform absolute length calibration of gauge blocks (slip gauges) up to 100 mm in length, to an accuracy of approximately 1 ppm. It is entirely manually operated. In order to make the instrument more suitable for the modern laboratory, new hardware has been added, and a customized software package developed to automate the measurement process. This paper shows how interferograms may be imaged successfully at each of the eight available wavelengths, and the critical fringe fraction measurement …

Common Data Set, 2004-2005, Planning, Research, And Policy Analysis

Common Data Set (2001-present)

Common Data Set 2004-2005 for Illinois state University

The Pioneer, Vol. 10, No. 1, Winter 2005, Illinois State University, College Of Education

The Pioneer (alumni newsletter)

Alumni Newsletter for University High School, College of Education

Tort Law - Punitive Damage Determinations: A Jury's Factual Inquiry Or A Court's Mathematical Leash, Stacey Obrecht

Wyoming Law Review

No abstract provided.

Word-Formation As Creativity Within Productivity Constraints: Sociolinguistic Evidence, Don William Chapman, Pavol Stekauer, Slávka Tomaščíková, Štefan Franko

Faculty Publications

Productivity has been one of the central topics in the field of word-formation in recent decades. Heretofore, productivity has been mainly, if not solely, discussed in formal terms, such as which affixes can be used with which stems, the productivity of rival affixes, etc. Such a formal approach leaves out the speakers’ needs for creating new words. Accounting for speakers’ word-formation needs requires a re-evaluation of the notion of creativity. In our approach to word-formation, this notion emphasizes the active role of language users, reflecting the fact that, in each act of naming, there is more or less significant space …

'Learning By Doing,' The Development Of A Constructivist Program: Putting Dewey Into Practice, Martha May Tevis, John Mcbride

Teaching and Learning Faculty Publications

For the past several years a unique graduate program that has been offered to public school teachers of mathematics and science in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas at the University of Texas – Pan American (UTPA). Some comments from graduates of this program are; “It has “changed my life, ” resulted in “bringing activities from the university classroom to public school classrooms to the home of my students.” “ ... helped me achieve a masters degree which would not have been possible for me as a mother of five— three of whom are enrolled in a university and …

Partnering For Perfection: An Economics Perspective On B2b Electronic Market Strategic Alliances, Qizhi Dai, Robert J. Kauffman

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

New technological innovations have made it possible for new intermediaries to create value in business processes that involve the procurement of manufacturing and services supplies. Associated with these innovations is the emergence of business-to-business (B2B) electronic markets. These act as digital intermediaries that aim to reduce the transaction costs and mitigate the risks inherent in procurement. They improve buyers’ capabilities to search for attractive prices and also serve to increase the liquidity of sellers’ products. In this chapter, the authors explore the evolution of B2B e-market firms in terms of the strategies they employ to “perfect” their value propositions and …

Oceanographic Conditions And Diversity Of Sea Stars (Echinodermata: Asteroidea) In The Gulf Of California, México, Carlos E. Cintra-Buenrostro, Hector Reyes-Bonilla, Maria Dinorah Herrero-Perezrul

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Species richness is one of the best indicators of biodiversity. However, there are few investigations on concordance of diversity patterns and environmental settings for marine regions. The objectives of this study were to correlate species richness of shallow water (< 200 m deep) sea stars with key oceanographic factors in the Gulf of California, México, and to predict species richness of Asteroidea using multiple regressions. In these analyses the Gulf was divided into nine sections of one degree in latitude (from 23 - 31° N), at each section we recorded: continental shelf area (at 100 and 200 m depth), temperature mean and range at three depth levels (0, 60 and 120 m), thermocline depth, surface nutrient concentrations (nitrates, phosphates and silicates), surface photosynthetic pigment concentration, and integrated productivity. Sea star species richness at each latitudinal section was estimated from literature data, new collections and museum records. Species were assigned to one of the following feeding guilds: predators of small mobile invertebrates (I), detritivores (D), predators of colonial organisms (C), generalist carnivores (G), and planktivores (P). There are 47 shallow water asteroid species in the Gulf of California (16 I, 15 D, eight C, six G, one P and one not assigned). Total species richness and guild species richness showed strong latitudinal attenuation patterns and were higher in the southernmost Gulf, an area characterized by a narrow shelf, high temperature, and low nutrient concentrations. Species diversity for each guild was correlated to a set of oceanographic parameters: temperature, nitrate concentration, and integrated productivity were linked to richness in must cases. We detected that nutrients and surface pigments always presented negative relationships with species richness, indicating that productive environments limit asteroid diversity in the study area. Finally, the postulated regression models to estimate species richness from oceanographic data were significant and highly precise. We conclude that species richness of Asteroidea in the Gulf of California is related to oceanographic conditions and can be estimated from regional oceanographic information.

Environment Friendly Organic Synthesis Using Bismuth Compounds. An Efficient Method For Carbonyl-Ene Reactions Catalyzed By Bismuth Triflate, Ram Mohan, Erin Anderson, Justin Ernat, Mai Nguyen, Ann Palma

Scholarship

Bismuth triflate (0.1 mol %) is a highly efficient catalyst for the cyclization of citronellal 1, a reaction that yields a ratio of 80:20 of isopulegol 2 and neoisopulegol 3. This methodology has also been extended to the synthesis of substituted piperidines. The bismuth triflate catalyzed ene reaction of aldehyde 4 gives a 70:30 mixture of piperidines 5 and 6. The advantages of these methods include the use of a highly efficient catalyst that is relatively nontoxic, cheap and easy to handle.

The Discovery-Oriented Approach To Organic Chemistry. 6. Selective Reduction In Organic Chemistry: Reduction Of Aldehydes In The Presence Of Esters Using Sodium Borohydride, Ram Mohan, Ashvin Baru

Scholarship

Chemoselective reductions are valuable in organic synthesis and are routinely discussed in a sophomore organic chemistry course. Yet, there are few examples of laboratory experiments that illustrate such chemoselectivity. A reaction that is routinely discussed in sophomore organic chemistry is the selective reduction of aldehydes and ketones using sodium borohydride. Esters are typically not affected by NaBH₄. However, none of the lab experiments reported to date illustrate this chemoselectivity (1). We have developed a discovery-oriented lab experiment that illustrates the chemoselective nature of reductions using sodium borohydride. The experiments involve the reduction of vanillin acetate (Scheme I) …

Hans Jorgen Pedersen: The Founder Of Danebod, Thorvald Hansen

The Bridge

He served as pastor in a number of congregations. He was president of three Folk Schools, two of which he founded. He was a good businessman and was able to finance some of his undertakings. Yet he seemed never to stay at any one thing for very long. He easily became discouraged and he seems to have been that type of person for whom the grass is always greener somewhere else. Nonetheless, in the thirty years of his activity in America, Hans Jorgen Pedersen made a significant contribution to the life of the Danish Lutheran Church among the immigrants.

From The Farm To The Faculty: The Educational Odyssey Of Paulus Falck, Johan Windmuller

The Bridge

During the last quarter of the nineteenth century, thousands of immigrants from Denmark settled in the American Midwest. Some of them brought with them educational concepts and religious convictions they hoped to pass on to future generations; to do so they created a variety of educational and religious institutions scattered across several Midwestern states. What follows is a study of Paulus Falck, who passed through several of these institutions.

Achievement Goal Theory: A Preliminary Study Examining Educators' Motivational Beliefs And Practices, Marc Groen

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Achievement goal theory has become one of the most promising motivational theories examining both student motivation and achievement. The purpose of this study was to expand the current body of research on achievement goal theory by exploring educators' motivational beliefs and instructional practices. Data was collected from two Eastern Iowa school districts using an online survey. Results from this preliminary study provide important information about the practical nature of motivational problems from the perspective of elementary and middle school educators. The author explores the implications of the findings for educators, school psychologists, and future research.

Illinois State Alumni Magazine, Winter 2005-2006, Illinois State University, University Marketing And Communications

State: The Magazine of Illinois State University (1999-present)

Illinois State University alumni magazine