Digital Commons Network^™

Using Predator Exclosures To Protect Ground Nests From Red Fox, Ben C. West, Terry A. Messmer, Dominic C. Bachman

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Nest predation often is cited as a primary cause for low recruitment and subsequent population decline of many ground-nesting bird species. In response, managers and researchers have developed a myriad of techniques to reduce rates of predation on ground nests. Fences to exclude predators from nesting areas have reportedly been a successful, albeit expensive, strategy to reduce predation rates. Although many studies have evaluated the use of exclusionary fences as a management tool, nearly all of these studies have evaluated the impact of fences in terms of nest success rather than by actual fence penetration by predators. Many authors, for …

Sails: A New Gypsum Speleothem From Naica, Chihuahua, Mexico, Tullio Bernabei, Paolo Forti, Roberto Villasuso

International Journal of Speleology

The caves of Naica (Chihuahua, Mexico) are perhaps the most famous mine caves of the world due to the presence of gigantic gypsum crystals. Nevertheless, very little research has been carried out on this karst area until now. A multidisciplinary investigation started in 2006 with the aim not only to define the genesis and the age of the Naica gypsum crystals, but also on other scientific aspects of these caves. This paper describes a completely new type of gypsum speleothem: the “sails”, observed only inside the Cueva de las Velas, one of the caves of the Naica system. This speleothem …

Provision Of Library And Information Services To The Visually Challenged Students In University Of Ghana, Legon, Efua Mansa Ayiah Mrs

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Visually Challenged students (VCS) in University of Ghana, Legon face various constraints in accessing library and information services. The study was based on Ranganathan’s five principles of librarianship. Literature was reviewed on provision and access to library and information services. The researcher adopted case study, since the sample size was small they were all included in the study. Descriptive data analysis technique was used to analyze data. Tables and graphs were used to display information. Findings of the study indicated that there is no program for VCS, they were aware of technological developments in information communication technologies (ICT), access to …

Comic : An Exploration Into Computer-Mediated Intercultural Communication, Simone Alder

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores how cultural differences manifest themselves in computermediated intercultural communication (CoMIC). This study particularly looks at the role and use of digital nonverbals (DNVs) and their regulatory functions. The data analyzed is from a global virtual team working together for a period of three months. The grounded theory method has been employed to code the electronic transcript of the team's communication. Furthermore, the participants were surveyed regarding their personal backgrounds, their work, and their perception of the communication processes that took place. The study shows that in an intercultural communication process DNVs are used to avoid intercultural misunderstandings …

Investigation Of The Catalytic And Structural Roles Of Conserved Histidines Of Human Coproporphyrinogen Oxidase Using Site-Directed Mutagenesis, Shani J. Gitter, Christopher L. Cooper, Jon A. Frieson, Timothy D. Lash, Marjorie A. Jones

Faculty Publications – Chemistry

Background: The catalytic contribution of four conserved histidines of human coproporphyrinogen oxidase (CPO) has been investigated using site-directed mutagenesis to change histidine (H) into alanine (A). Material/Methods: The wild-type and mutant enzyme forms were analyzed for their ability to utilize coproporphyrinogen-III, mesoporphvrinogen-VI, and harderoporphyrinogen as substrates. Results: Wild-type CPO had specific activities of 4.9 +/- 0.9 nmole product/min/mg for coproporphyrinogen-III, 1.7 +/- 0.7 nmole ptoduct/min/mg for mesoporphyrinogen-VI, and 5.1 +/- 1.8 nmole product/min/mg for harderoporphyrinogen. The four mutant enzymes were catalytically competent With all three substrates, but to varying degrees. The most affected Mutant was the H158A enzyme which exhibited …

Assistive Technology : An Instructional Tool To Assist College Students With Written Language Disabilities, Isandra Martinez-Marrero

Graduate Research Papers

In their practice, instructional designers develop instructional materials and learning environments that address the individual needs of learners. However, little research has been conducted on how to address the needs of learners with disabilities, especially in post-secondary education. The purpose of this literature review is to explore the literature regarding the use of Assistive Technology as an instructional tool to assist college learners with written language disabilities. Implications for instructional designers are presented.

America's Lost Landscape: The Tallgrass Prairie Activity Guide, University Of Northern Iowa. Tallgrass Prairie Center.

K-12 Curriculum Supplements

This book is a K-12 curriculum supplement developed by the Tallgrass Prairie Center at the University of Northern Iowa to accompany the film, America's Lost Landscape. The activity guide was used in the educators' workshop held at the University of of Northern Iowa in fall 2007.

Proceedings Of The 119th Annual Meeting Of The Iowa Academy Of Science [Program, 2007], Iowa Academy Of Science

Iowa Academy of Science Documents

Contents:

Welcome from the Executive Director --- 3
Program Summary/Timeline --- 4
Iowa Junior Academy of Science --- 6
General Session Presentations --- 7
Symposia Presentations --- 10
Senior Poster Program --- 14
Awards Luncheon --- 16
President's Banquet --- 16
IAS Annual Business Meeting --- 17
2006-2007 Officers and Volunteers --- 18
Notes --- 19
Field Trips --- 20
Section Meeting Programs and Oral Presentations (Alphabetical by Section) --- 22
Abstracts (by Section) --- 27
Author Index --- 53

Iowa Academy Of Science: The New Bulletin, V03n1, Winter 2007, Iowa Academy Of Science

New Bulletin

Inside This Issue:

--Message from the Executive Director

--New IAS Membership Brochure

--Evolution and Intelligent Design Conference

--REAP-CEP Program Funds Project WET

--National Outstanding New Biology Teacher

--119th Annual Meeting

--Financial Statements 2007

--Expedition Iowa

--A Message from Our President

--IAS Section Update

--Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science Update

--Outstanding Earth Science Teacher Award

Hybrid Training With Binary Search Protocol For Wireless Sensor Networks, Ruzana Ishak, Qingwen Xu, Stephan Olariu, Shaharuddin Salleh

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Locationing problem in Wireless Sensor Networks(WSN) can be viewed as a general distributed sensor problem. It is with sensors that can discover other nodes or estimate ranges between nodes. that serve as position references. In this paper. we show that sensors acquire coarse-grain location awareness by the training protocol. The training protocol which hybrids the synchronization and training procedure. In this protocol, synchronization and training are combined into one scheme. The sink node sends two beacons in each slot instead of one. In the training, sensor searching for its location using a binary search scheme. Our simulation results shown less …

Hand-Holding, Brow-Beating, And Shaming Into Compliance, Craig A. Max

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

Tax authorities and policy planners have a variety of tools at their disposal to create mechanisms to encourage and enforce compliance with revenue collection systems. Traditionally, these mechanisms include the possibility of criminal prosecution as well as civil pecuniary sanctions. Despite the dominate role that prosecution and pecuniary sanctions hold internationally, there exists a range of alternative enforcement mechanisms utilized. The United States has recently started to implement nonpecuniary enforcement devices to achieve policy goals, namely the encouragement of participating with the federal taxing system. This Note attempts to take an initial step into exploring the range of international enforcement …

Using Building Energy Simulation And Geospatial Modeling Techniques In Determine High Resolution Building Sector Energy Consumption Profiles, Shem C. Heiple

Dissertations and Theses

A technique is presented for estimating hourly and seasonal energy consumption profiles in the building sector at spatial scales down to the individual taxlot or parcel. The method combines annual building energy simulations for cityspecific prototypical buildings and commonly available geospatial data in a Geographical Information System (GIS) framework. Hourly results can be extracted for any day and exported as a raster output at spatial scales as fine as an individual parcel (

Learning Styles, Multimedia Hybrid Versus Traditional Teaching, Course Satisfaction, And Learning Outcomes In Art Appreciation Courses, Ching-Chuan Chan

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

Dramatic changes in technology in the 1980s have had an impact on human lives, not only in the field of business, but also in the field of education. In recent years, more academic institutions have chosen to deliver curricula online, and instructors have used different educational technology tools to support students' learning abilities. In fact, web-based educational approaches have been examined by numerous researchers, and as a practical issue in the educational field, web-based instruction can be cost-effective, flexible, and convenient.

The purpose of this exploratory (comparative) and explanatory (correlational), prospective survey research design was to investigate the relationship among …

Differences Among Non -Handicapped Students, Students With Mathematics Learning Disabilities, And Students With Mild Mental Retardation, In Elementary School In The Cognitive Components For The Addition Operation, Fawzi A. Al-Doukhi

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study is aimed at specifying the cognitive components for addition operations (encoding, speed of executing the operation, operation selection, and strategy choice) to determine if they are responsible for the difficulties that students with learning disabilities and mild mental retardation face in the elementary school in solving simple addition problems. The researcher selected 240 male and female pupils as a random sample from third and fifth grades from the state schools in the State of Kuwait. The sample was selected based on the characteristics of gender, type of handicap, and grade. The study employed two measurements. First, the addition …

Novelty, Arousal, And Love: The Mediating Role Of Self -Expansion, Amy Deloyski

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There is a substantial amount of evidence for a decline in feelings of passionate love across the course of intimate relationships (Aron, Norman, & Aron, 2001). Self-expansion theory (Aron & Aron, 1986) posits that individuals enter into relationships to expand their sense of self and suggests that declines in feelings of passionate love are due to diminished opportunities for expansion with one's partner over time. Previous researchers have been able to create increases in relationship quality by having partners engage in joint participation in novel and arousing activities, which are considered a basis for self-expansion (Aron, et al., 2000). The …

Self -Efficacy And Health Value Among Undergraduates Following A Lifetime Fitness Course, Heather M. Brown

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The question of whether perceived self-efficacy for exercise and health value, respectively, varied as a function of gender and exercise stage of change was the focus of this study. An archival data set was used. Participants were 190 college students who completed a demographic questionnaire, the Exercise Stage of Change Questionnaire, the Rokeach Values Survey, and the Self-Efficacy for Exercise questionnaire before and after completing a lifetime fitness course. Two 2-factor analyses of covariance were conducted for each dependent variable, self-efficacy and health value. Gender and exercise stage of change were the independent variables. Exercise stage of change was divided …

Fundamentals Of The Network Neutrality Debates, Tayfun Uslu

Theses

The Network Neutrality debate is a complicated one because of the dramatic impact of networks, mainly the Internet, on people’s lives. Therefore, concepts like innovation, decentralized networks, social and political aspects need to be analyzed to have a better understanding of the fundamentals of the debate.

Fouling In Silicon Microchannel Designs Used For Ic Chip Cooling And Its Mitigation, Jeffrey L. Perry

Theses

Particulate fouling studies with alumina and silica dispersions were performed in silicon, rectangular microchannels having hydraulic diameters between 220-225 μm. The particulates used ranged from the colloidal size range up to tens of microns in size (for particle aggregates). Data show for the most part the absence of particle depositions within the microchannels. This is even the case when there is an electrostatic attraction between the particles and the microchannel surface. The primary reason for this is due to the high wall shear stress at the microchannel walls. In contrast, the headers for the microchannels are quite susceptible to particulate …

In Search Of Common Icons For The East Asian Union, Fernando N. Zialcita

Sociology & Anthropology Department Faculty Publications

That “Europe” is a cultural unity is the theme of the euro bank notes issued by the European Union. Thus, 5 euro has a representation of a Roman arch; 10 euro a Romanesque church door with its characteristic series of receding arches decorated with carvings; 20 euro, a traceried pointed arch from a Gothic church; 50 euro, a Renaissance rounded arch topped with a triangular pediment; 100 euro, a theatrical Baroque doorway guarded by caryatids; 200 euro, windows and a hallway, both arched and of metal, that were popular in 19th century pavilions; and finally, 500 euro, a Contemporary high-rise …

The Solution Of Traffic Signal Timing By Using Traffic Intensity Estimation And Fuzzy Logic, Paothai Vonglao

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study aims at calculating the traffic signal timing that suits traffic intensity at intersections studied in the inner city of Ubon Rachathani Provice, Thailand. The mixed models between maximum likelihood estimation and Bayesian inference are presented to estimate traffic intensity. A queuing system is used to generate the performance of traffic flow. A fuzzy logic system is applied to calculate the optimal length of each phase of the cycle. The fortran language is used to produce the computer program for computation. The algorithm of the computer programming is based on EM algorithm, Markov Chain Monte Carlo algorithm, queuing generation …

Mapping The Elements Of Physical Security Towards The Creation Of A Holistic Physical Security Model, Zachary J. Alach

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study has designed a theoretical mapping of complex element relationships within the field of physical security. The main purpose of the mapping is to form individual knowledge structures for modelling and provide a relative understanding of overall risk based on different combinations of physical security arrangements. An understanding of overall risk for modelling purposes should lead to improvements in providing support for decision making within this field. The final series of knowledge structures in this study have been represented by value matrices for element pair assessments within the topic of physical security. The values that have been presented in …

Student's Perception Of School Climate, Jodi L. Roberts

Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate student's perception of school climate in the middle school. More specifically, this study examined school climate as it relates to student's academic achievement, attendance, and disciplinary referrals. Participants consisted of 29 females and 14 males in grades 6th, 7th, and 8th and their parents from a rural middle school located in upstate New York. School climate was measured using the Student version of the Yale Child Study School Development Program, School Climate Survey-Revised Version (Emmons, Haynes, & Comer, 2002). Parents reported on their child's school performance. Data analysis consisted of a One …

Vision Based Localization Of Mobile Robots, Jason Mooberry

Theses

Mobile robotics is an active and exciting sub-field of Computer Science. Its importance is easily witnessed in a variety of undertakings from DARPA's Grand Challenge to NASA's Mars exploration program. The field is relatively young, and still many challenges face roboticists across the board. One important area of research is localization, which concerns itself with granting a robot the ability to discover and continually update an internal representation of its position. Vision based sensor systems have been investigated [8,22,27], but to much lesser extent than other popular techniques [4,6,7,9,10]. A custom mobile platform has been constructed on top of which …

Displacement, Lila Mandzyk

Theses

Not Included

The Subjectivity Of Effective History And The Suppressed Husserlian Elements In Gadamer’S Philosophical Hermeneutics, Sebastian Luft

Philosophy Faculty Research and Publications

This essay makes two claims. The first, exegetical, point shows that there are Husserlian elements in Gadamer’s hermeneutics that are usually overlooked. The second, systematic, claim takes issue with the fact that Gadamer saw himself in alliance with the project of the later Heidegger. It would have been more fruitful had Gadamer aligned himself with Husserl and the enlightenment tradition. following Heidegger in his concept of “effective history,” Gadamer risks betraying the main tenets of the enlightenment by shifting the weight from subjectivity to effective history as the “agent” in history. This is not a wholesale dismissal of Gadamer’s project, …

Parental Perceptions Of School Climate And Middle School Students' Performance, Christine Demart

Theses

This research study explored the relationship between parental perceptions of school climate and middle school students' academic and social success. In particular, this study investigated what specific school climate factors may have the greatest impact on students' academic achievement, disciplinary referrals, and school attendance.

Transmission And Reception Of Blended Family Narratives In The Church Context, Christopher W. Perry

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Identification And Ranking Of Relevant Image Content, Mustafa I. A. Jaber

Theses

The work in this thesis proposes an image understanding algorithm for automatically identifying and ranking different image regions into several levels of importance. Given a color image, specialized maps for classifying image content namely: weighted similarity, weighted homogeneity, image contrast and memory color maps are generated and combined to provide a perceptual importance map. Further analysis of this map yields a region ranking map which sorts the image content into different levels of significance.

The algorithm was tested on a large database that contains a variety of color images. Those images were acquired from the Berkeley segmentation dataset as well …

Neural Networks And Differential Equations, Kathleen J. Freitag

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Ieee Compliant Double-Precision Fpu And 64-Bit Alu With Variable Latency Integer Divider, Ryan D. Williams

Theses

Together the arithmetic logic unit (ALU) and floating-point unit (FPU) perform all of the mathematical and logic operations of computer processors. Because they are used so prominently, they fall in the critical path of the central processing unit - often becoming the bottleneck, or limiting factor for performance. As such, the design of a high-speed ALU and FPU is vital to creating a processor capable of performing up to the demanding standards of today's computer users.

In this paper, both a 64-bit ALU and a 64-bit FPU are designed based on the reduced instruction set computer architecture. The ALU performs …