Digital Commons Network^™

Reinterpreting The Pollen Data From Dos Cabezas, Karl J. Reinhard, Vaughn M. Bryant, Sheila D. Vinton

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The published pollen analysis of the Dos Cabezas giants, Geyer et al. (2003), lists variety of purported dietary pollen types. The paper also hypothesises that the giants were poisoned with plant toxins. We have severe reservations about the pollen evidence of diet and poisoning. We suggest that the analysts made several errors in their interpretation. Firstly, some of the discovered pollen types are not prehistoric endemics to the Dos Cabezas region of coastal Peru. These include the pollen of fava beans (cultivated in the Old World), and specified species of agave and sage. We believe that some or all of …

Seasonal Changes In Thermal Conductance Of Bat Pelage: A Comparison Of The Eastern Red Bat (Lasiurus Borealis) And Big Brown Bat (Eptesicus Fuscus), Daniel Justin Judy

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Two species with different ecologies and natural histories use different morphological characteristics and thermoregulatory strategies to survive seasonal environmental changes. The purpose of this project was to investigate two such species, the eastern red bat (Lasiurus borealis) and big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus). Red bats roost in the foliage of trees and occasionally leaf litter and have dense fur, as well as a furred interfemoral membrane. These two species differ in their morphology and roosting ecology in that big brown bats are generally larger with less dense fur, no fur on the interfemoral membrane, and are less exposed to environmental …

Investigation Of Radio Frequency Discharges And Langmuir Probe Diagnostic Methods In A Fast Flowing Electronegative Background Gas, Nathaniel P. Lockwood

Theses and Dissertations

Discharges in a flowing background gas are used to produce charged and excited species for numerous applications including etching semiconductors and pumping gas discharge lasers (Pinhero and others, 1998). The effect of a flowing background gas on the charged and excited neutral species generation by an RF discharge in a flow tube and the diagnostics of the resulting plasma with a Langmuir probe have been investigated for pressures between 0.001 to 1 Torr and flow velocities up to 1000 m/s. This investigation was performed using a fluid method coupled to a chemical kinetic model and a hybrid Particle-In-Cell/Monte Carlo Collision …

Analysis Of Freight Tours In A Congested Urban Area Using Disaggregated Data: Characteristics And Data Collection Challenges, Miguel Andres Figliozzi, Lynsey Kingdon, Andrea Wilkitzki

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Confidentiality issues are usually an insurmountable barrier that precludes the collection of detailed and complete freight data. However, when detailed disaggregated truck activity data is available, the analysis of commercial vehicle routes and trip chain structures can provide insightful information about urban commercial vehicle tours, travel patterns, and congestion levels. Where truck data is usually aggregated and cross-sectional, this research analyzes several months of detailed truck activity records in a congested urban area and thus contributes a level of investigation unavailable with aggregated data. To the best of the author's knowledge, there is no published research regarding the analysis of …

The Distribution And Reproductive Success Of The Western Snowy Plover Along The Oregon Coast - 2007, David J. Lauten, Kathleen J. Castelein, Raya Pruner, Marvin Friel, Eleanor P. Gaines

Institute for Natural Resources Publications

From 3 April – 21 September 2007, we monitored the distribution, abundance and productivity of the federally Threatened Western Snowy Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus nivosus) along the Oregon coast. From north to south, we surveyed and monitored plover activity at Sutton Beach, Siltcoos River estuary, the Dunes Overlook, North Tahkenitch Creek, Tenmile Creek, Coos Bay North Spit, Bandon Beach, and New River. Our objectives for the Oregon coastal population in 2007 were to: 1) estimate the size of the adult Snowy Plover population, 2) locate plover nests, 3) continue selected use of mini-exclosures (MEs) to protect nests from predators …

Research Students In The Electronic Age: Impacts Of Changing Information Behavior On Information Literacy Needs, Kirsty Williamson, Vivienne Bernath, Steven Wright, Jen Sullivan

Communications in Information Literacy

Because of the rapid uptake of information and communication technology (ICT), understanding the ways in which information seeking has changed over the past decade is crucial to gaining a picture of how information literacy needs may also be changing in the electronic age. This qualitative research took an interpretivist/ constructivist approach in examining the ways in which access to electronic information-seeking affects the information literacy needs of 15 research students in an Australian university setting. An ethnographic technique, the interview, was used for the data collection. Three particular areas, related to information seeking and use, were selected: (1) information source …

Active Learning With Interactive Whiteboards: A Literature Review And A Case Study For College Freshmen, Robert Schroeder

Communications in Information Literacy

A well-designed classroom that includes appropriate technology can inspire and support successful instructional design. Interactive whiteboards (IWBs), an example of this technology, have been adopted in Great Britain, primarily in primary and secondary schools. While the literature anecdotally suggests that there are benefits associated with using them in classroom instruction little has been written about their application and efficacy in higher education. The author describes an exercise designed for college freshman, and discusses the benefits of the group work and active assignments engendered by the IWB.

Prey Naiveté: Evolutionary And Ecological Implications, Jonathan G. Cox

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite its ecological importance, the concept of prey naivete has become a biological truism that receives little study. I explored the evolution of naivete and its likely influence on two major ecological patterns: a) the historically greater destructiveness of freshwater predator introductions, and b) the greater strength of aquatic trophic cascades. In a review of the ecological literature, I demonstrate that the conditions for the evolution of naivete (isolation) exist in freshwater habitats at multiple spatial scales. In addition, I show that freshwater prey exhibit naivete which could be responsible for the high impacts of freshwater predator introductions. I then …

The Development Of A Quality Risk Management Solution Designed To Facilitate Compliance With The Risk-Based Qualification, Validation And Change Control Gmp Requirement Of The Eu, Kevin O'Donnell

Doctoral

This research work was concerned with investigating the risk-based regulatory requirements that are currently in place in the European Union governing the manufacture of medicinal products. The main goal of this research was to develop a practical Quality Risk Management methodology that served as a solution for facilitating compliance with the EU GMP requirements in the area of risk-based Qualification, Validation and Change Control, and which was fully in line with the principles and guidance of ICH Q9, on Quality Risk Management. Following extensive testing and evaluation activities with a range of key stakeholders including the pharmaceutical manufacturing sector in …

Privacy In Location Aware Computing Environments, Denise Anthony, Tristan Henderson, David Kotz

Dartmouth Scholarship

As location-aware and pervasive computing technologies become more prevalent, privacy concerns are becoming increasingly more important. User preferences about location privacy may depend on place, not only in terms of their physical location but also in terms of their social context: how they define where they are, what they are doing, and whom they are with at the time. Using the experience sampling method, the authors explored the privacy preferences of 25 users during one week. They found that participants were more willing to share location information when at home or alone than when at other locations or with friends. …

Theoretical And Experimental Evaluation Of Spatial Resolution In A Variable Resolution X-Ray Computed Tomography Scanner, Roman Melnyk

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

A variable resolution x-ray (VRX) computed tomography (CT) scanner can image objects of various sizes with greatly improved spatial resolution. The scanner employs an angulated discrete detector and achieves the resolution boost by matching the detector angulation to the scanner field of view (FOV) determined by the size of an object being imaged. A comprehensive evaluation of spatial resolution in an experimental version of the VRX CT scanner is presented in this dissertation. Two components of this resolution were evaluated – the pre-reconstruction spatial resolution, described by the detector presampling modulation transfer function (MTF), and the post-reconstruction spatial resolution, given …

On Mathematical Modeling, Nonlinear Properties And Stability Of Secondary Flow In A Dendrite Layer, Daniel N. Riahi

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

This paper studies instabilities in the flow of melt within a horizontal dendrite layer with deformed upper boundary and in the presence or absence of rotation during the solidification of a binary alloy. In the presence of rotation, it is assumed that the layer is rotating about a vertical axis at a constant angular velocity. Linear and weakly nonlinear stability analyses provide results about various flow features such as the critical mode of convection, neutral stability curve, preferred flow pattern and the solid fraction distribution within the dendrite layer. The preferred shape of the deformed upper boundary of the layer, …

A Christian Philosophy Of Education Of A Public School Educator, John C. Bartlett

Christian Perspectives in Education

As Christians continue to enter the world of public education, it is imperative that they develop a philosophy of education based on the truth of the Scriptures and a complete understanding of God’s desire that man enter a relationship with him. This philosophy of education is based on two distinct realities: 1) God desires a relationship with every individual; therefore, education must have the purpose to develop and nurture such a relationship. 2) Every individual has a unique purpose in life as defined by God; therefore, education must prepare every student to fulfill their God given purpose.

Preparing Tomorrow's Classroom Leaders: Challenges For Christian Higher Education, James E. Watson, Ph.D., Joel T. Uecker, M.A.

Christian Perspectives in Education

Christian college teacher education program faculties face the challenge of employing a Christian epistemology that includes a pedagogy that embraces today’s learners. The authors seek to communicate the foundations of modernism and postmodernism and their impact on the epistemology and pedagogies employed in university classrooms. How the postmodern thinking claims have influenced the lives of Christian students will also be examined. The paper concludes with a discussion of the challenges for Christian teacher education faculties.

A Case Study Of The Impact Of Musical Pattern Rehearsal On The Acquisition Of Oral And Written Language Skills In A Young Child With Learning Differences, Rebecca F. Carwile

Christian Perspectives in Education

The study explores the relationship between learning musical patterns and learning language patterns. A case study of a male diagnosed with learning differences in generative writing and graphic processing indicates a positive relationship between the neurological patterning of rehearsed musical patterns and the acquisition of oral and written language skills. The anecdotal study tracks the development of literacy from the initial identification of dysfunctional patterns of performance at age three through the acquisition of oral language and the mastery of basic reading skills in the primary years. Analysis of the case study supports the need for musical training in the …

Board Of Trustees Meeting Minutes 2007-11-30, Bowling Green State University

Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes

The official meeting minutes of Bowling Green State University's Board of Trustees.

2007-11-30, Board Of Regents, Murray State University

Board of Regents Meeting Minutes

No abstract provided.

Faculty Senate Meeting Minutes Nov 30, 2007, A-State Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Minutes

No abstract provided.

Clustering Methods For Delineating Regions Of Spatial Stationarity, Jared M. Collings

Theses and Dissertations

This paper seeks to further investigate data extracted by the use of Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (FMRI) as it is applied to brain tissue and how it measures blood flow to certain areas of the brain following the application of a stimulus. As a precursor to detailed spatial analysis of this kind of data, this paper develops methods of grouping data based on the necessary conditions for spatial statistical analysis. The purpose of this paper is to examine and develop methods that can be used to delineate regions of stationarity. One of the major assumptions used in spatial estimation is …

Newscast, November 30, 2007, Illinois State University, College Of Applied Science And Technology

newsCAST

Newsletter of the Illinois State University College of Applied Science and Technology

Volume Cxxv, Number 9, November 30, 2007, Lawrence University

The Lawrentian

No abstract provided.

10th Annual 'Books & Bears' Program Gives Campus Way To Say 'Thanks', Staff Report

University of Mississippi News

OXFORD, Miss. -- When most University of Mississippi faculty and staff are heading home each workday to spend the evening with family, another group of employees arrives for a night shift of cleaning, straightening, repairing and preparing the campus for another day.

Modeling Transition Probabilities For Loan States Using A Bayesian Hierarchical Model, Rebecca Lee Monson

Theses and Dissertations

A Markov Chain model can be used to model loan defaults because loans move through delinquency states as the borrower fails to make monthly payments. The transition matrix contains in each location a probability that a borrower in a given state one month moves to the possible delinquency states the next month. In order to use this model, it is necessary to know the transition probabilities, which are unknown quantities. A Bayesian hierarchical model is postulated because there may not be sufficient data for some rare transition probabilities. Using a hierarchical model, similarities between types or families of loans can …

Analysis And Implementation Of High-Order Compact Finite Difference Schemes, Jonathan G. Tyler

Theses and Dissertations

The derivation of centered compact schemes at interior and boundary grid points is performed and an analysis of stability and computational efficiency is given. Compact schemes are high order implicit methods for numerical solutions of initial and/or boundary value problems modeled by differential equations. These schemes generally require smaller stencils than the traditional explicit finite difference counterparts. To avoid numerical instabilities at and near boundaries and in regions of mesh non-uniformity, a numerical filtering technique is employed. Experiments for non-stationary linear problems (convection, heat conduction) and also for nonlinear problems (Burgers' and KdV equations) were performed. The compact solvers were …

Matching And Fairness In Threat-Based Mobile Sensor Coverage, Chris Y. T. Ma, Jren-Chit Chin, David K.Y. Yau, Nageswara S. Rao, Mallikarjun Shankar

Department of Computer Science Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

Scandium Oxide Thin Films And Their Optical Properties In The Extreme Ultraviolet, Guillermo Antonio Acosta

Theses and Dissertations

This study reports on the physical and optical characterization of scandium oxide thin films. Thin films of scandium oxide, 20-40 nm thick, were deposited on silicon wafers, quartz slides, and silicon photodiodes by reactively sputtering scandium in an oxygen environment. These samples were characterized using ellipsometry, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, scanning transmission electron microscopy, and energy dispersive x-ray analysis. A 28.46 nm thick scandium oxide thin film was measured in the Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) from 2.7 to 50 nm (459.3 to 24.8 eV) using synchrotron radiation at the Advanced Light Source Beamline 6.3.2 at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. In …

Education In The Environment: A Strategy For Continued Interagency Outdoor Education Programming: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Ending November 30, 2007, Environmental Education Strategy For Nevada

Reports (PLI Education)

During the past three months, the focus of the university’s efforts has included the following highlights:

• Progress was made on three projects to meet SNAP strategic messaging needs: an anti-litter exhibit; a volunteer restoration program with educational components; and activity stations to tell the story of Lee Meadows restoration efforts.
• Interpretive planning is underway for Mountain’s Edge Explorer’s Interpretive Trail.
• A Spanish class tailored to meet the communication needs of environmental educators and interpreters will be offered January 2008.
• Forever Earth was scheduled for 15 days and benefited 411 individuals.
• Eight Discover Mojave Outdoor World events were conducted for 102 …

The Inkwell, Armstrong Atlantic State University

The Inkwell

No abstract provided.

A Direct Algorithm For The K-Nearest-Neighbor Classifier Via Local Warping Of The Distance Metric, Tohkoon Neo

Theses and Dissertations

The k-nearest neighbor (k-NN) pattern classifier is a simple yet effective learner. However, it has a few drawbacks, one of which is the large model size. There are a number of algorithms that are able to condense the model size of the k-NN classifier at the expense of accuracy. Boosting is therefore desirable for increasing the accuracy of these condensed models. Unfortunately, there does not exist a boosting algorithm that works well with k-NN directly. We present a direct boosting algorithm for the k-NN classifier that creates an ensemble of models with locally modified distance weighting. An empirical study conducted …

Moment Analysis Of Near-Equilibrium Binding Interactions During Electrophoresis, Yousef Daneshbod, James D. Sterling, Ali Nadim

Business and Information Technology Faculty Research & Creative Works

The electrophoretic transport of three chemically reacting species, two of which can bind reversibly to form the third, is analyzed mathematically. The species are assumed to move horizontally through a long channel with different electrophoretic mobilities and diffusion coefficients. By considering small perturbations of the system about equilibrium or when one of the two binding species is much more abundant than the other, the governing advection-reaction- diffusion equations can be linearized and studied via the method of moments. The result is a set of coupled ordinary differential equations for the moments that can be solved analytically. Analysis of the long-time …