Digital Commons Network^™

Creation Of The Big Sky African Ensemble, Philip Michael Johns

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Johns, Philip M., MA. Fine Arts, July 2007 Integrated Arts and Education Creation of the Big Sky African Ensemble Chairperson: Dorothy Morrison In my final creative project, my primary goal was to reshape and redefine an existing course at Big Sky High School and in so doing to reshape and redefine myself as an artist. In the process of creating the African ensemble, I had to examine the cannons of my formal musical training to include an exploration of new avenues of expression and creativity. I had to creatively problem solve and overcome many obstacles while developing and maintaining a …

The Structure Function Relationship Of Silica Polyamine Composites, Mark Anthony Hughes

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The goals of this thesis were to improve the performance of silica polyamine composites by manipulating the surface structure and to understand the relationship between, polymer structure and ligand modification of the grafted polyamine. Improvements in silica polyamine composite performance resulted from modifying silica gel with methyltrichlorosilane (MTCS) substituted for a molar fraction of reagent chloropropyltrichlorosilane (CPTCS), which has been traditionally employed. MTCS does not possess a terminal chloride group thus preventing the subsequent attachment of a polyamine to this moiety. MTCS has a smaller molecular volume than CPTCS and as a consequence greater coverage of the silica gel surface …

Conservation Of Leopards In Ayubia National Park, Pakistan, Asad Lodhi

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Lodhi, Asad M.S. May 2007 Wildlife Biology Conservation of leopard in Ayubia National Park, Pakistan Committee Chair: Dr. Daniel H. Pletscher Large carnivores are important for biodiversity and ecosystem function, yet are very difficult to conserve because of their large home ranges and conflicts with humans. I examined human-leopard conflicts in and near Ayubia National Park, Pakistan, to provide management recommendations for the conservation of leopards. Persecution of leopards by humans has been on the rise primarily due to depredation on livestock and risk to human lives. Since 1989, 16 humans have either been killed or injured in and around …

Architecting System Of Systems: Artificial Life Analysis Of Financial Market Behavior, Nil Hande Ergin

Doctoral Dissertations

"This research study focuses on developing a framework that can be utilized by system architects to understand the emergent behavior of system architectures. The objective is to design a framework that is modular and flexible in providing different ways of modeling sub-systems of System of Systems. At the same time, the framework should capture the adaptive behavior of the system since evolution is one of the key characteristics of System of Systems. Another objective is to design the framework so that humans can be incorporated into the analysis. The framework should help system architects understand the behavior as well as …

Understanding Behavior Of System Of Systems Through Computational Intelligence Techniques, Nil H. Kilicay, Cihan H. Dagli

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The world is facing an increasing level of systems integration leading towards systems of systems (SoS) that adapt to changing environmental conditions. The number of connections between components, the diversity of the components and the way the components are organized can lead to different emergent system behavior. Therefore, the need to focus on overall system behavior is becoming an unavoidable issue. The problem is to develop methodologies appropriate for better understanding behavior of system of systems before the design and implementation phase. This paper focuses on computational intelligence techniques used for analysis of complex adaptive systems with the aim of …

Adaptive Neural Network Based Stabilizing Controller Design For Single Machine Infinite Bus Power Systems, Wenxin Liu, Ganesh K. Venayagamoorthy, Donald C. Wunsch, David A. Cartes, Jagannathan Sarangapani, Mariesa Crow

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Power system stabilizers are widely used to generate supplementary control signals for the excitation system in order to damp out the low frequency oscillations. In power system control literature, the performances of the proposed controllers were mostly demonstrated using simulation results without any rigorous stability analysis. This paper proposes a stabilizing neural network (NN) controller based on a sixth order single machine infinite bus power system model. The NN is used to approximate the complex nonlinear dynamics of power system. Unlike the other indirect adaptive NN control schemes, there is no offline training process and the NN can be directly …

An Evaluation Of Mahalanobis-Taguchi System And Neural Network For Multivariate Pattern Recognition, Jungeui Hong, Rajesh Jugulum, Kioumars Paryani, K. M. Ragsdell, Genichi Taguchi, Elizabeth A. Cudney

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The Mahalanobis-Taguchi System is a diagnosis and predictive method for analyzing patterns in multivariate cases. The goal of this study is to compare the ability of the Mahalanobis- Taguchi System and a neural-network to discriminate using small data sets. We examine the discriminant ability as a function of data set size using an application area where reliable data is publicly available. The study uses the Wisconsin Breast Cancer study with nine attributes and one class.

Effective Use Of Process Capability Indices For Supplier Management, Elizabeth A. Cudney, David Drain

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Process capability indices were originally invented to enable an organization to make economically sound decisions for process management. Process capability is a comparison of the voice of the process with the voice of the customer. Current practice is to use Cp and Cpk regardless of the validity of the underlying assumptions necessary for their use. Even if all necessary assumptions are satisfied, important problems can be missed if these indices are the sole process evaluation examined. Customer-supplier axioms are introduced to motivate more useful process evaluations and foster long-term harmonious relationships. This paper explores the alternative capability indices Cpm, Cpmk, …

The Iucn Sustainable Soil Project And Enforcement Failures, J. William Futrell

Pace Environmental Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Evolving Role Of Citizens In United States-Canadian International Environmental Law Compliance, Noah D. Hall

Pace Environmental Law Review

No abstract provided.

Shining The Spotlight On European Union Environmental Compliance, Clifford Rechtschaffen

Pace Environmental Law Review

No abstract provided.

Filling The Void In An Otherwise Occupied Field: Using Federal Common Law To Regulate Carbon Dioxide In The Absence Of A Preemptive Statute , Sarah Olinger

Pace Environmental Law Review

No abstract provided.

Kelo's Wake: In Search Of A Proportional Benefit, Jennie C. Nolon

Pace Environmental Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Buried Bodies Case: Alive And Well After Thirty Years, Lisa G. Lerman, Frank H. Armani, Thomas D. Morgan, Monroe H. Freedman

Scholarly Articles

No abstract provided.

Impacts Of Acid Mine Drainage On Carbon Cycling In Receiving Streams, Ernest W. Fonyuy

Doctoral Dissertations

"Field and laboratory investigations of acid mine drainage (AMD) contaminated and uncontaminated waters were conducted in order to determine and model processes and reaction mechanisms that control dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) transformation and shifts in isotope ratio of DIC (Δ¹³C_DIC). The results show that AMD caused variable pH changes, overall decreases in Fe²⁺, alkalinity, and DIC, and increases in (Δ¹³C_DIC) in receiving streams. AMD caused more than 50 to > 98% seasonal DIC loss in stream water through CO₂ degassing. High DIC losses corresponded to high Fe²⁺ and lower or no HCO₃⁻ in the water samples, because …

An Analysis Of Coaching Efficacy In Volunteer Soccer Coaches, Christopher Lee Kowalski

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship between five independent variables and volunteer soccer coaches' overall coaching efficacy as measured by motivation efficacy, character building efficacy, game strategy efficacy, and technique efficacy and five independent variables. The five independent variables explored included the age of a coach, a coach's gender, previous years of coaching experience, participation in a coaching training/licensing/certification program, and previous playing experience.

The study involved 69 participants who coached for the Cedar Valley Youth Soccer Association (CVYSA). The first part of the instrument used to measure coaching efficacy was a questionnaire discussing the various …

Factors That Affect Distribution Of Two Species Of Killifish In Northeast Florida Marshes, Stacy N. Galleher

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Fundulus heteroclitus and the closely related F. grondis are mainly distributed along the Atlantic coast of the U.S from Maine to Northeast Florida and from the East coast of Florida throughout the Gulf of Mexico, respectively. Both are resident salt marsh fishes whose range is thought to overlap in Northeast Florida, making them an ideal study system to examine resource partitioning between two closely related species. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of temperature and elevation on potential habitat partitioning of these two species. It is hypothesized that the northern species, F. heteroclitus, would have a …

Proximity Navigation For Map-Based Interfaces: Generalizing Menu Design For Multiple Dimensions, Brian Scott Malek

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The development of effective multidimensional map-based interfaces is an important area of research in need of design techniques and guidelines. To date, guidelines for multidimensional interfaces have been generalized from text-based interfaces and few experimental studies have been conducted to asses their effectiveness.

Guidelines for design were studied with the goal of extending the current body of knowledge about the usability of these interfaces. Based on design guidelines, multidimensional map-based interfaces with various levels of depth and breath, with and without scent-based components were used to perform simple and compound tasks. The goal of this study was to investigate the …

Dual Constraint Problem Optimization Using A Natural Approach: Genetic Algorithm And Simulated Annealing, James P. Sweeney

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Constraint optimization problems with multiple constraints and a large solution domain are NP hard and span almost all industries in a variety of applications. One such application is the optimization of resource scheduling in a "pay per use" grid environment. Charging for these resources based on demand is often referred to as Utility Computing, where resource providers lease computing power with varying costs based on processing speed. Consumers using this resource have time and cost constraints associated with each job they submit. Determining the optimal way to divide the job among the available resources with regard to the time and …

Florida High Stakes Testing And Graduation Success, Laurel Alva Stanley

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Florida has the longest history of high stakes testing of any state in the United States, spanning a period of 28 years, seven different testing policy periods, and five tests. In this study, analysis of statistics from the 28 years suggested that declines in graduation rates corresponded to increasingly difficult high stakes testing policy periods, new tests, and periods that did not include high stakes accountability for graduation rates. Overall, graduation rates declined through an erratic 28 years for a net loss of 4.51 %. The achievement gap in graduation rates between white and black students worsened 200% from 1992 …

An Evaluation Of Appearance, Fitness, Health, Illness, And Body Satisfaction Levels Plus Overweight Preoccupation Of Female Fitness Instructors In Cedar Falls And Waterloo, Ia, Catherine M. Zubrod

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to compare the researcher's results to published norms. This study investigated appearance, fitness, health, illness, and body satisfaction levels plus overweight preoccupation of female fitness instructors in Cedar Falls and Waterloo, IA. The respondents for the study were 41 female group fitness instructors. They responded to the Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire (Godin & Shephard, 1985) to determine leisure-time activity levels, the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire (MBSRQ; Cash, 2000) to determine appearance levels, fitness levels, health levels, illness levels, body satisfaction levels, and overweight preoccupation, and a self-developed questionnaire to acquire demographic data. The study …

Modeling Network Traffic On A Global Network-Centric System With Artificial Neural Networks, Douglas K. Swift

Doctoral Dissertations

"This dissertation proposes a new methodology for modeling and predicting network traffic. It features an adaptive architecture based on artificial neural networks and is especially suited for large-scale, global, network-centric systems. Accurate characterization and prediction of network traffic is essential for network resource sizing and real-time network traffic management. As networks continue to increase in size and complexity, the task has become increasingly difficult and current methodology is not sufficiently adaptable or scaleable. Current methods model network traffic with express mathematical equations which are not easily maintained or adjusted. The accuracy of these models is based on detailed characterization of …

Electron Beam Characterization Of Carbon Nanostructures, Eric Samuel Mandell

Doctoral Dissertations

"Atom-thick carbon nanostructures represent a class of novel materials that are of interest to those studying carbon's role in fossil fuel, hydrogen storage, scaled-down electronics, and other nanotechnology. Electron microscope images of "edge-on" graphene sheets show linear image features due to the projected potential of the sheets. Here, intensity profiles along these linear features can measure the curvature of the sheet, as well as the shape of the sheet (i.e. hexagonal, triangular). Also, electron diffraction powder profiles calculated for triangular graphene sheet shapes show a broadening of the low frequency edge of diffraction rings, in comparison to those calculated for …

Incipient Continental Rifting: Insights From The Okavango Rift Zone, Northwestern Botswana, Baraka D. Kinabo

Doctoral Dissertations

"In this dissertation aeromagnetic, gravity, and Shuttle Radar Topography Mission Digital Elevation Model (SRTM DEM) data from the Okavango Rift Zone in northwest Botswana are used to map the distribution of rift and basement structures. The distribution of these structures provide useful insights into the early stages of continental rifting. The objectives of this study are (1) assessing the role of pre-existing structures on rift basin development, (2) characterizing the geometry of the nascent rift basins, (3) documenting fault growth and propagation patterns, and (4) investigating the border fault development"--Abstract, page iv.

Quantifying Kinematics Of Purposeful Movements To Real, Imagined, Or Absent Functional Objects: Implications For Modelling Trajectories For Robot-Assisted Adl Tasks, Kimberly J. Wisneski, Michelle J. Johnson

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Background

Robotic therapy is at the forefront of stroke rehabilitation. The Activities of Daily Living Exercise Robot (ADLER) was developed to improve carryover of gains after training by combining the benefits of Activities of Daily Living (ADL) training (motivation and functional task practice with real objects), with the benefits of robot mediated therapy (repeatability and reliability). In combining these two therapy techniques, we seek to develop a new model for trajectory generation that will support functional movements to real objects during robot training. We studied natural movements to real objects and report on how initial reaching movements are affected by …

Sexual Minority Youth In The Research Literature : What Kind Of Coverage Is The Field Of School Psychology Providing?, Jill Hayes White

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The amount of coverage sexual minority youth have received in the research literature over the past 15 years was examined. A content analysis of all research articles published in Psychology in the Schools and The Journal of School Psychology from 1990 to 2005 was conducted. Comparisons were made between the topic areas receiving the most coverage in 1990 versus 2005. Results revealed that issues related to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth were discussed in only 0.4% of the articles. Topic areas receiving the most coverage included assessment, intervention, ethical and professional issues as well as race and diversity issues, …

An Analysis Of Intuitive Eating Among College Students, Danielle Marie Vsetecka

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

In response to the world's increasing obesity rates, the use of traditional dieting and weight loss techniques is at an all time high. Although dieting rates have rapidly increased, the world's rising obesity rates show no sign of slowing and the effectiveness and effects of dieting have long been questioned. As an alternative to dieting and exercise, a non-dieting approach to weight regulation has emerged. Intuitive eating is one of its main tenants and is defined by allowing individuals to listen to internal body cues to determine hunger and fullness levels to meet nutritional and physical needs. However, few studies …

Significance Of The General Public For Public Relations: A Study Of The Blogosphere's Impact On The October 2006 Edelman/Wal-Mart Crisis, Sergei Golitsinski

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The focus of this study is the general public and its significance in a public relations context. The study questions one of the fundamental principles of public relations, according to which organizations communicate only with those publics which have the potential to cause them negative consequences. The general public, according to -this principle, is considered insignificant and even nonexistent. This study's hypothesis is that new communication technologies have given the general public the power to cause direct negative consequences for organizations. To evaluate this hypothesis, the study examines the October 2006 Edelman/Wal-Mart crisis caused by the "Wal-Marting Across America" blog. …

An Examination Of Group Agreement Among Functional Ankle Instability Participant Inclusion Criteria, Shantelle A. Howe Weichers

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Functional ankle instability (FAI) has been commonly identified in the literature as a cause of ankle injury and dysfunction. However, the participant selection criteria for FAI research have not been consistent. Numerous authors have used various selection criteria, with seemingly no two criteria being alike. Although these inconsistencies in FAI research participant selection criteria may explain the contradictions that have been reported in FAI research, the true nature of these selection criteria differences is unknown. It is uncertain exactly if, and to what magnitude, these selection criteria differed. The purpose of this study was to examine group agreement regarding selection …

International Distributions: Divergence Of Co-Ownership Laws, Goldie Gabriel

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

United States copyrighted works are exploited internationally--or at least artists hope for them to be exploited internationally. The Berne Convention ("Berne"),' to which the U.S. became a member on March 1, 1989, is the primary regulator of international copyright issues. Berne's purpose is to "protect, in as effective and uniform a manner as possible, the rights of authors in their literary and artistic works." To achieve this purpose, Berne mandates that its parties provide equal treatment and minimum levels of protection to members of the Berne Union. Berne does not, however, require new laws to provide those protections. Instead, Berne …