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Clarett V. National Football League: Defining The Non-Statutory Labor Exception To Antitrust Law As It Pertains To Restraints Primarily Focused In Labor Markets And Restraints Primarily Focused In Business Markets, Ronald Terk Sia

The University of New Hampshire Law Review

[Excerpt] “Contemporary sports have seen an influx of young talent opting for a chance at playing in the big leagues earlier at the expense of obtaining higher education. Many dream of playing professional sports—dreams often prohibited by player eligibility rules. In situations where the restraints are not argued to have been protected by non-statutory labor exception, antitrust law has been seen to set its talons into eligibility rules. […]

Federal antitrust law and national labor law set forth two conflicting policies that have created a periodic drama for sports fans concerned that their favorite sports will suffer a cataclysmic court …

Solomon Huebner And The Development Of Life Insurance Sales Professionalism, 1905-1927, Drew Vandecreek

Faculty Articles, Papers, and Other Scholarship

In 1927 the National Association of Life Underwriters collaborated with Professor Solomon Huebner of the University of Pennsylvania to found the American College of Life Underwriters, an institution devoted to establishing and maintaining professional standards for the nation's life insurance salesmen. Their work sheds light on the new politics of expertise and associations that emerged in the 1920s. While many historians have portrayed the period's experts as purveyors of new, technical knowledge and apolitical agents of an inevitable modernity, Huebner in fact brought little real knowledge of insurance to his work. Instead, he introduced the industry's prevailing ideology of public …

Equity Vs Excellence : A Preliminary Exploration Of Hong Kong's Education Reform, Anita, Y.K. Poon, Yiu Chung Wong

CAPS Working Paper Series

Although Hong Kong 's education system has long been criticized as lacking in creativity and putting too much emphasis on rote learning, on the whole it has served Hong Kong well in the past in that it has bred outstanding business, academic and po1itical leaders who maintained the competitive edge of Hong Kong. The traditional elite schools played a most important role in the process. The education reform, which is still on going, aims to overhaul the entire system by introducing the “through-road” model through changing the existing admission mechanism of Primary 1 and Secondary 1 students, combining different bandings …

Saturation, World Ensembles, And Design: Death By A Thousand Multiplications?, Del Ratzsch

Faith and Philosophy: Journal of the Society of Christian Philosophers

No abstract provided.

Actin Nanokinematics Under The Influence Of Dc Electric Fields, Raghu Chilakamarri

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Molecular shuttles are nanometer-sized machines capable of transporting single molecules over small distances under user control. Actin-myosin system is a motor protein system, which naturally evolved within the cell for the nanoscale transport. The Acto-Myosin system is fuelled by ATP, converting chemical energy into linear motion. The gliding geometry movement of actin wherein the tails of the motors are adsorbed to the surface and the heads of the motors move the actin filaments across the surface can be exploited to achieve the directional control. The motion of actin in a specific direction and the surface of travel can be modified …

Characterization And Investigation Of Molybdenum Carbides On Activated Carbon As Hydrogenation Catalysts, Christopher H. Clark

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The formation of Mo2C and MoC supported on activated carbon was investigated in three different flowing reaction gas environments: H2, He, and CO. Additionally, benzene hydrogenation activity was studied for the catalysts reduced in each of these three different gas environments.;It was found through in-situ x-ray diffraction (XRD) that reducing in H2, ammonium heptamolybdate impregnated on activated carbon yielded 1-3 nm Mo2C particles. When the same material was calcinced in inert, 9 nm Mo2C particles were formed. If the reduction gas were CO, MoC particles having size less than 3 nm were formed. In all three reduction environments, the in-situ …

Non-Ideal Iris Recognition, Vivekanand Dorairaj

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Of the many biometrics that exist, iris recognition is finding more attention than any other due to its potential for improved accuracy, permanence, and acceptance. Current iris recognition systems operate on frontal view images of good quality. Due to the small area of the iris, user co-operation is required. In this work, a new system capable of processing iris images which are not necessarily in frontal view is described. This overcomes one of the major hurdles with current iris recognition systems and enhances user convenience and accuracy. The proposed system is designed to operate in two steps: (i) preprocessing and …

Modeling And Control Of A Small Glass Furnace, Andrea R. Holladay

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Most control systems currently used for glass furnaces monitor temperature with a thermocouple placed in the crown of the furnace and adjust the flow rate of the fuel to maintain a set point. The temperature measured is much closer to that of the combustion gasses within the furnace rather than the temperature of the glass. Models that predict the temperature of the glass are available in the form of complicated Computational Fluid Dynamics packages that are cost prohibitive to companies with small profit margins.;In this work, a simplified mathematical model has been developed to represent the dynamic performance of a …

Multiagent Autonomous Energy Management, Shilpa B. Ganesh

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The objective of this thesis is to design distributed software agents for reliable operation of integrated electric power systems of modern electric warships. The automatic reconfiguration of electric shipboard power systems is an important step toward improved fight-through and self-healing capabilities of naval warships. The improvements are conceptualized by redesigning the electric power system and its controls. This research focuses on a new scheme for an energy management system in the form of distributed control/software agents. Multiagent systems provide an ideal level of abstraction for modeling complex applications where distributed and heterogeneous entities need to cooperate to achieve a common …

Image Quality Assessment For Iris Biometric, Nathan D. Kalka

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Iris recognition, the ability to recognize and distinguish individuals by their iris pattern, is the most reliable biometric in terms of recognition and identification performance. However, performance of these systems is affected by poor quality imaging. In this work, we extend previous research efforts on iris quality assessment by analyzing the effect of seven quality factors: defocus blur, motion blur, off-angle, occlusion, specular reflection, lighting, and pixel-counts on the performance of traditional iris recognition system. We have concluded that defocus blur, motion blur, and off-angle are the factors that affect recognition performance the most. We further designed a fully automated …

Optical Detection Of Multiple Faults Of A Mems Based Linear Comb Resonator, Lakshmi Deepasree Konduparthi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Investigating the dynamic behavior of any Micro Electro Mechanical system is critical for better control and fault prediction. Linear Comb Resonator is one such MEMS generic device that exhibits motion parallel to the plane of the chip. The dynamic motion of the Linear Comb Resonator is characterized by various parameters such as mass, force applied and also the stiffness constant of the flexure that holds the device. The aim of the project is to determine the changes caused by the asymmetry in the flexure design and the fluctuations in the behavior of the resonator due to this. The changes in …

Investigation Of Moisture Sensitivity Of Hot Mix Asphalt Concrete, Anu Ganesan Viswanathan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The objective of this research project is to evaluate impact of change in AASHTO T 283 test method on Superpave mix designs in West Virginia. The Lottman test method and Tunnicliff and Root test method were combined into Modified Lottman test procedure and published as AASHTO T 283 in 1985 and revised in 1989. Research was done to establish how the Superpave compaction and conditioning method affect the test results. As a result of this research, AASHTO T 283 test method was revised in 2003. In the 2003 version, use of gyratory compactor was allowed and changes were made to …

Computer Aided Detection Of Defects In Frp Bridge Decks Using Infrared Thermography, Gajanan M. Lonkar

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The objective of this research is to develop a turn-key system that is able to interface with the FLIR ThermaCAM S60 infrared camera and automatically capture and analyze defects in infrared images of FRP bridge decks. Infrared thermography is one of the nondestructive evaluation (NDE) techniques that are being used to locate defects (debonds and delaminations) in bridge components. It is a rapid data collection and interpretation technique having high sensitivity and reliability. Analysis of infrared images by human interpretation is dependent on the users knowledge and hence introduces ambiguity in the defect detection process.;This thesis investigates the use of …

Error And Attack Tolerance Of Complex Real Networks, Vamsi Salla

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Real networks are often subjected to failures and attacks. Real networks are found to be robust to errors and vulnerable to attacks. This behavior of real networks is attributed to their non-homogeneous degree distribution. Non-homogenous networks are also known as scale free networks. Real networks along with the scale free property show high modularity.;Many network models have been proposed to model real networks. Erdos-Renyi Random network model is the first attempt, but fails to incorporate both properties - scale free as well as the high modularity of the real networks. Small world model shows high clustering but lacks non-homogeneous distribution. …

Characterization Of Web Server Workload, Amit Sangle

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Realistic and formal mathematical description of web-server workload forms a fundamental step in the design of synthetic workload generators, capacity planning and accurate predictions of performance measures. In this thesis we perform detailed empirical analysis of the web workload by analyzing access logs of nine web-servers. Unlike most previous work that focused on request-based workload characterization, we analyze both request and session characteristics. We perform rigorous statistical analysis to determine the self-similarity of web traffic and heavy-tailedness of the distribution of different session parameters. Our analysis shows that web traffic is self-similar and the degree of self-similarity is proportional to …

Empirical Study Of Error Behavior In Web Servers, Ajay Deep Singh

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The World Wide Web has been a huge success, bringing the Internet to widespread popularity. For Web based systems to deal effectively with increasing number of Web clients, it is very important to understand the basic fundamentals of Web workload and error characteristics. In this thesis we focus on detailed empirical analysis of Web server error characteristics and reliability based on the data extracted from eleven different web servers. First, we address the data collection process and describe the methods for extraction of workload and error data from Web logs. Then, we analyze the Web error characteristics which include unique …

Ensemble Learning For Ranking Interesting Attributes, Erik W. Sinsel

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Machine learning knowledge representations, such as decision trees; are often incomprehensible to humans. They can also contain errors specific to the representation type and the data used to generate them. By combining larger; less comprehensible decision trees, it is possible to increase their accuracy as an ensemble compared to the best individual tree. The thesis examines an ensemble learning technique and presents a unique knowledge elicitation technique which produces an ordered ranking of attributes by their importance in leading to more desirable classifications. The technique compares full branches of decision trees, finding the set difference of shared attributes. The combination …

Carbon Fuels For The Direct Carbon Fuel Cell, Abha Saddawi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This research focuses on using the U.S.' abundant coal reserves to create carbon fuels for the production of energy in a very efficient and environmentally friendly manner via the use of a Direct Carbon Fuel Cell (DCFC). This cell utilizes a process by which carbon is electrochemically converted directly to electricity, allowing theoretical cell efficiency to approach 80%. Using carbon made from the solvent extraction of coal eliminates most of the volatiles, ash, and sulfur from the fuel while most of the remaining NOX, sulfur, and fly-ash byproducts are captured by the cell itself. The aim of this project is …

Development Of A Vehicle Road Load Model For Ecu Broadcast Power Verification In On-Road Emissions Testing, Nathan A. Moynahan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

West Virginia University (WVU) has become an industry leader in heavy-duty emissions testing and is continuously improving and updating their testing goals, procedures, and quality. As emissions testing is conducted at WVU in a real-world, on-road environment, engine parameter values are read through the test vehicle's electronic control unit (ECU) and recorded for use in data reductions. One significant value that is recorded by the WVU emissions measurement system is the ECU engine power output. Theses values are recorded and used to report vehicle's brake specific emissions values over a prescribed open-road test route. Because of the fact that the …

Investigation Of Internal Fluid Pressure In Cells, Jayendran Srinivasan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Articular cartilage is a connective tissue that covers the ends of bones in joints, providing a nearly frictionless bearing surface for efficiently transmitting loads to the underlying joint. It is made up of specialized cells called chondrocytes that are responsible for its growth and maintenance. Studies indicate that cells remodel the tissue in response to mechanical loading. However the mechanism by which cells sense and respond to mechanical signals is poorly understood.;Studies also suggest the presence of internal fluid pressure in cells and change in this fluid pressure is believed to play a role in cellular mechanical signal transduction. This …

Prosody In Text-To-Speech Synthesis Using Fuzzy Logic, Jonathan Brent Williams

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

For over a thousand years, inventors, scientists and researchers have tried to reproduce human speech. Today, the quality of synthesized speech is not equivalent to the quality of real speech. Most research on speech synthesis focuses on improving the quality of the speech produced by Text-to-Speech (TTS) systems. The best TTS systems use unit selection-based concatenation to synthesize speech. However, this method is very timely and the speech database is very large. Diphone concatenated synthesized speech requires less memory, but sounds robotic. This thesis explores the use of fuzzy logic to make diphone concatenated speech sound more natural. A TTS …

Reconstruction Of Fingerprints From Minutiae Points, Jidnya A. Shah

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Most fingerprint authentication systems utilize minutiae information to compare fingerprint images. During enrollment, the minutiae template of a user's fingerprint is extracted and stored in the database. In this work, we concern ourselves with the amount of fingerprint information that can be elicited from the minutiae template of a user's fingerprint. We demonstrate that minutiae information can reveal substantial details such as the orientation field and class of the (unseen) parent fingerprint that can potentially be used to reconstruct the original fingerprint image.;Given a minutiae template, the proposed method first estimates the orientation map of the parent fingerprint by constructing …

Graphical User Interface For Three-Dimensional Fe Modeling Of Composite Steel Bridges, Aditya Vuchi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The goal of bridge engineers has always been to design economical structures that are safe, serviceable and durable. In order to assess the performance and safety of these bridges, one of the analytical methods employed is finite-element (FE) modeling. This method involves breaking down the bridge structure into an assembly of finite-sized elements. The behavior of the elements and the overall structure can be obtained by formulating a series of constitutive relationships and algebraic equations that can be readily solved with computer processors.;Extensive research is being carried out to develop efficient finite element programs for bridge design. As a part …

Culvert Inventory And Effects On Fish Assemblages In A Central Appalachian Watershed, Ira O. Poplar-Jeffers

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

We surveyed 120 state-owned culverts within the upper Cheat River basin, West Virginia, and used a fish passage evaluation filter to quantify passage barriers. We quantified the length of stream and weighted potential brook trout recruitment area isolated by each culvert. We also sampled fish communities upstream and downstream of 24 culverts to quantify the impacts of culvert-related isolation on fish assemblages. We found 69% of culverts to be completely impassable. We determined that 17% of the stream length and 23% of weighted potential recruitment area in the study area were isolated by impassable culverts. We found that impassable culverts …

Parents' Perceptions Of The Gluten-Free Casein-Free Diet For Their Children With Autism, Annette Puglisi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study examined the factors that affected parent's decision for putting their autistic children on a gluten free casein free diet (gfcf diet). Parents completed a fifteen question survey relating to multiple factors affecting their lives while having their children on a gfcf diet. In addition, parents were asked to fill out a three day diet history for their child for a nutrient analysis.;Fifty three surveys (21%) and ten diet histories were returned. The majority of parents first heard of the gfcf diet either on the Internet (28%) or from Parent Magazine (32%). Desperation (25%) was the main reason parents …

Small Particle Separation In A Circulating Fluidized Bed Riser System, Robert R. Almond

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Particle separation is an important area of interest in many fields, such as the coal and mineral processing industries. A circulating fluidized bed riser system has been built to investigate the separation processes. The system separated the particles into three streams which lead to the dense bin, the product bin, and the filter chamber. Promising results have been obtained which may lead to a system which is viable for commercial separation. The following categories of separation were investigated: separation based on size difference of the particles, separation based on density difference of the particles, and the practicality of separating mineral …

Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy As A Diagnostic Tool For Coal Fines, I. Andrew Aurelio

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) is a technique that uses a laser, to focus down and atomize a sample of desired material. Focusing of the laser onto the material causes a plasma formation, which the material is broken down into excited ionic and atomic states. The atoms then emit characteristic optical radiation. Collection of the emitted light can be used to provide information on the elemental composition of the material. This research investigates a fundamental study of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) applied to coal samples, coal fines, and fly ash. During this research, apparatus and methodology were developed to quantify …

Robust Pre-Processing Techniques For Non-Ideal Iris Images, Purva M. Barve

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The human iris has been demonstrated to be a very accurate, non-invasive and easy-to-use biometric for personal identification. Most of the current state-of-the-art iris recognition systems require the iris acquisition to be ideal. A lot of constraints are hence put on the user and the acquisition process.;Our aim in this research is to relax these conditions and to develop a pre-processing algorithm, which can be used in conjunction with any matching algorithm to handle the so-called non-ideal iris images. In this thesis we present a few robust techniques to process the non-ideal iris images so as to give a segmented …

Automated Dental Identification: A Micro-Macro Decision-Making Approach, Diaa Eldin M. Nassar

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Identification of deceased individuals based on dental characteristics is receiving increased attention, especially with the large volume of victims encountered in mass disasters. In this work we consider three important problems in automated dental identification beyond the basic approach of tooth-to-tooth matching.;The first problem is on automatic classification of teeth into incisors, canines, premolars and molars as part of creating a data structure that guides tooth-to-tooth matching, thus avoiding illogical comparisons that inefficiently consume the limited computational resources and may also mislead the decision-making. We tackle this problem using principal component analysis and string matching techniques. We reconstruct the segmented …

Evaluation Of The Transverse Load Capacity Of Block Stoppings For Mine Ventilation Control, Thomas M. Barczak

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The transverse loading requirement for stoppings as specified in the current Code of Federal Regulations is 39 psf. This measure is based on physical testing of a freestanding wall in accordance with ASTM E 72 specifications, where the dominant parameter is the tensile strength of the sealant. A new protocol based on arching has been developed to determine the true transverse load capacity of stoppings. Arching is achieved by the restraint of the stopping against the mine roof and floor, whereby compressive forces are developed within the wall. A laboratory procedure using the NIOSH Mine Roof Simulator (MRS) to simulate …