Digital Commons Network^™

A Social Dimension For Digital Architectural Practice, Chris Speed

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

This thesis proceeds from an analysis of practice and critical commentary to claim that the opportunities presented to some architectural practices by the advent of ubiquitous digital technology have not been properly exploited. The missed opportunities, it claims, can be attributed largely to the retention of a model of time and spaces as discrete design parameters, which is inappropriate in the context of the widening awareness of social interconnectedness that digital technology has also facilitated. As a remedy, the thesis shows that some social considerations essential to good architecture - which could have been more fully integrated in practice and …

Structural Analysis Of A Small Volume Offshore Aquaculture Cage System Utilizing Numerical Modeling And Scaled Physical Testing, Ashley M. Risso

Master's Theses and Capstones

The global demand for fish products has surpassed the supply available from wild harvest. As this demand continues to increase, the need for ample aquaculture facilities is causing many protective coastal areas, common for fish growing sites, to become highly overloaded creating both environmental and space concerns. Progressive solutions are enabling the development of new sites in the offshore environment. This study evaluated the structural performance of the American Soybean Association International Marketing and U.S. Soybean Export Council's open ocean aquaculture fish cage and mooring design proposed for use in developing countries.

The analysis included numerical modeling and physical testing. …

Trace Determination Of The Flame Retardant Tetrabromobisphenol A In The Atmosphere By Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry, Zhiyong Xie, Ralf Ebinghaus, Rainer Lohmann, Olaf Heemken, Armando Caba, Wilhelm Püttmann

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

A simple and effective method has been developed for analysis of the flame retardant tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) in environmental samples by using modified soxhlet extraction in combination with silica gel clean-up, derivatization with silylation reagent and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) in selected ion monitoring mode (SIM). Satisfactory recoveries were achieved for the large volume sampling, soxhlet extraction and silica gel clean-up. The overall recovery is 79 ± 1%. The derivatization procedure is simple and fast, and produces stable TBBPA derivative. GC–MS with electronic impact (EI) ionization mode shows better detection power than using negative chemical ionization (NCI) mode. EI gives …

The Colonial Ascidian Didemnum Sp. A: Current Distribution, Basic Biology And Potential Threat To Marine Communities Of The Northeast And West Coasts Of North America, S. G. Bullard, G. Lambert, M. R. Carman, J. Byrnes, R. B. Whitlatch, G. Ruiz, R. J. Miller, L. Harris, P. C. Valentine, Jeremy S. Collie, J. Pederson, D. C. Mcnaught, A. N. Cohen, R. G. Asch, J. Dijkstra, K. Heinonen

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

Didemnum sp. A is a colonial ascidian with rapidly expanding populations on the east and west coasts of North America. The origin of Didemum sp. A is unknown. Populations were first observed on the northeast coast of the U.S. in the late 1980s and on the west coast during the 1990s. It is currently undergoing a massive population explosion and is now a dominant member of many subtidal communities on both coasts. To determine Didemnum sp. A's current distribution, we conducted surveys from Maine to Virginia on the east coast and from British Columbia to southern California on the west …

Inside Outsourcing: A Grounded Theory Of Relationship Formation Within A Nascent Service System, Lisa Dell Kreeger

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The theory of relationship formation developed in this study tells a coherent story about the relational work of service initiation in technology outsourcing. The study is focused on the contractually defined period of time at the beginning of outsourcing service delivery. As with a play-within-a-play, this work goes on primarily behind the scenes, away from the concurrent task of launching the inter-firm relationship between the client and the provider that will extend for the term of the full contract. This grounded theory study was completed over an eight-month period. The findings are grounded in interviews with 25 individuals who were …

Rain In Shallow Cumulus Over The Ocean: The Rico Campaign, Robert M. Rauber, Brian G. Heikes, Et Al

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

Shallow, maritime cumuli are ubiquitous over much of the tropical oceans, and characterizing their properties is important to understanding weather and climate. The Rain in Cumulus over the Ocean (RICO) field campaign, which took place during November 2004–January 2005 in the trades over the western Atlantic, emphasized measurements of processes related to the formation of rain in shallow cumuli, and how rain subsequently modifies the structure and ensemble statistics of trade wind clouds. Eight weeks of nearly continuous S-band polarimetric radar sampling, 57 flights from three heavily instrumented research aircraft, and a suite of ground- and ship-based instrumentation provided data …

The 1951 Convention And The 1967 Protocol Relating To The Status Of Refugees: Evolution And Relevance For Today, Pierre-Michel Fontaine

Intercultural Human Rights Law Review

One may justifiably wonder why the relevance of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, ("Convention"), which has been called alternatively a "Bill of Rights for Refugees" and a "Magna Carta for Refugees," would be made an issue in a discussion on refugee law. The fact is that it became quite fashionable in some circles within the refugee advocacy community in the late 1980's and early 1990's to boldly claim that the 1951 Convention (its Protocol was rarely mentioned in this context) was no longer relevant to most refugee situations. Such a claim continues to be made today, …

Video Transmission Over Mimo-Ofdm System: Mdc And Space-Time Coding-Based Approaches, Haifeng Zheng, Congchong Ru, Chang Wen Chen, Lun Yu

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Faculty Publications

MIMO-OFDM is a promising technique for the broadband wireless communication system. In this paper, we propose a novel scheme that integrates multiple-description coding (MDC), error-resilient video coding, and unequal error protection strategy with hybrid space-time coding structure for robust video transmission over MIMO-OFDM system. The proposed MDC coder generates multiple bitstreams of equal importance which are very suitable for multiple-antennas system. Furthermore, according to the contribution to the reconstructed video quality, we apply unequal error protection strategy using BLAST and STBC space-time codes for each video bitstream. Experimental results have demonstrated that the proposed scheme can be an excellent alternative …

Collaborative Image Coding And Transmission Overwireless Sensor Networks, Min Wu, Chang Wen Chen

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Faculty Publications

The imaging sensors are able to provide intuitive visual information for quick recognition and decision. However, imaging sensors usually generate vast amount of data. Therefore, processing and coding of image data collected in a sensor network for the purpose of energy efficient transmission poses a significant technical challenge. In particular, multiple sensors may be collecting similar visual information simultaneously. We propose in this paper a novel collaborative image coding and transmission scheme to minimize the energy for data transmission. First, we apply a shape matching method to coarsely register images to find out maximal overlap to exploit the spatial correlation …

A Pda Based Recording System To Investgate Heart Rate, Marcos Efren Bolanos

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Diabetes is one of most afflicting diseases in society which is caused by the inability of the body to appropriately use insulin to balance sugar levels. Type 1 diabetics require monitoring of their glucose levels to ensure a normal glucose level is maintained between 90 and 130 mg/dL (milligrams per deciliter). Unfortunately, current methods of monitoring are based on invasive and painful sampling of the blood. It was imperative that noninvasive and painless methods of monitoring glucose should be explored. A proven noninvasive technique utilizing infrared light to detect the fluctuations in the heart rate was used to determine if …

An Evaluation Of Reserve Component Leaders' Attitudes And Motivation As They Relate To Situational Leadership Theory In A Peacekeeping Operational Environment, Clark C. Barrett

Dissertations

Program. This study investigated the relationships between Reservist leaders' attitudes and Hersey and Blanchard's Situational Leadership Theory (SLT), and Thomas's Integrative Model of Intrinsic Motivation during a 2004 Sinai, Egypt, peacekeeping mission.

Methodology. This descriptive study provided quantitative and qualitative results. Three instruments were used with a convenience sample of leaders within one forward-deployed National Guard infantry battalion. The LEADSelf instrument determined the SLT style of unit officers and non-commissioned officers. The Thomas Empowerment Survey profiled participants' intrinsic motivation. A researcher-developed survey determined preferences for intrinsic versus extrinsic motivator factors.

The study centered on the following issues: (1) Are the …

Integrating E-Books Into The Collection: Some Practical Considerations, John Doncevic, Kathryn Floyd

The Christian Librarian

About five years ago, when many believed digitization would become the panacea for libraries, some of our colleagues predicted that e-books would supplant print. For example, Andrew Pace wrote in 2000: “In five years e-book sales will match those of traditional print; in ten years, e-books will outsell print. There is little doubt left in my mind – e-books are among us and are here to stay.”1 While the proliferation of e-books has not matched the lofty predictions, the availability and usability of e-books is expanding each year. The options for reader and search platforms have increased, more titles are …

The Prevalence Of Borrelia Burgdorferi Sensu Lato In Ixodes Ricinus Ticks In The Sinop Region Of Turkey, Turabi̇ Güneş, Serpi̇l Kaya, Ömer Poyraz, Aynur Engi̇n

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

This study was conducted in order to determine the prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in Ixodes ricinus ticks, which are the primary vectors of this spirochete, as well as to investigate the effect of I. ricinus population density on the prevalence of B. burgdorferi s.l. Ticks were collected by blanket dragging in 13 different forest regions of Sinop, Turkey, and its vicinity. Ticks were identified under a stereomicroscope. I. ricinus (n = 334), I. hexagonus (n = 5), Rhipicephalus spp. (n = 10), Dermacentor spp. (n = 7), and Hyalomma spp. (n = 5) were collected. Direct immunofluorescence was …

A New Approach To The Toxicity Testing Of Carbon-Based Nanomaterials: The Clonogenic Assay, Eva Herzog, Alan Casey, Fiona Lyng, Gordon Chambers, Hugh Byrne, Maria Davoren

Articles

The cellular toxicity of three types of carbon nanoparticles, namely HiPco® single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT), arc dischargeSWCNTand Printex 90 carbon black nanoparticles,was studied on three different cell models including the human alveolar carcinoma epithelial cell line (A549), the normal human bronchial epithelial cell line (BEAS-2B) and the human keratinocyte cell line (HaCaT) using the clonogenic assay. Carbon nanomaterials are known to interact with colorimetric indicator dyes frequently used in cytotoxicity assays. By employing the clonogenic assay, any such interactions could be avoided, allowing a more reliable method for the in vitro toxicity assessment of carbon-based nanoparticles. It could be shown …

Orientation-Specific Immobilization Of Bmp-2 On Plga Scaffolds, Randall K. Hilliard

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

A variety of synthetic bone graft materials such as the polymer poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) have been investigated as alternatives to current tissue based bone graft materials. In this study, efforts have been made to improve the tissue-PLGA interface by immobilizing bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) in an oriented manner on scaffolds using covalently immobilized heparin. The results demonstrated a four-fold increase in covalently immobilized heparin compared to non-specific heparin attachment. Furthermore, the scaffolds with covalently attached heparin retained approximately three-fold more BMP-2 than did either scaffolds with no heparin attached or scaffolds with non-specific heparin attachment. The activity of scaffolds with …

A Framework For Aligning Testing And Development, Colin Onita, Jasbir Dhaliwal

Faculty Publications

Strategic alignment between an organization’s business strategy/capabilities and those of its information technology (IT) unit has been researched extensively and has found significant application in industry in the last decade. Given the critical interdependencies between development and testing groups within a corporate IT unit, this paper presents a similar alignment model for ensuring that these two functions work together effectively in meeting corporate IT goals pertaining to building new systems. This development-testing alignment (DTA) model is described and an overarching research framework  for investigating its value and application is presented.

Making Sense Of A Senseless War, J. Peter Pham

Human Rights & Human Welfare

A review of:

A Dirty War in West Africa: The RUF and the Destruction of Sierra Leone by Lansana Gberie. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 2005.

and

Young Soldiers: Why They Choose to Fight by Rachel Brett and Irma Specht. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2005.

Promotion Of The Concept Of The Rule Of Law Through The Implementation Of The Central America Free Trade Agreement, Phillip A. Buhler

Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press

Quoting the Eighteenth Century philosopher Charles de Secondat Montesquieu, “We are free because we live under civil laws.”

In the summer of 2006 lawyers and businessmen in the Dominican Republic, the United States and most of Central America experienced full implementation of the Dominican Republic – Central America Free Trade Agreement (hereinafter CAFTA). This regional trade agreement, following on the general model of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the parameters of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), is intended to establish a comprehensive legal regime to reduce and eventually eliminate most national barriers to the …

Learning 2.0 At Sjsu And Sjpl, Susan L. Kendall

Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

A Model-Driven Approach To Job/Task Composition In Cluster Computing, Yogesh Kanitkar, Konstantin Läufer, Neeraj Mehta, George K. Thiruvathukal

Computer Science: Faculty Publications and Other Works

In the general area of high-performance computing, object-oriented methods have gone largely unnoticed. In contrast, the Computational Neighborhood (CN), a framework for parallel and distributed computing with a focus on cluster computing, was designed from ground up to be object-oriented. This paper describes how we have successfully used UML in the following model-driven, generative approach to job/task composition in CN. We model CN jobs using activity diagrams in any modeling tool with support for XMI, an XML-based external representation of UML models. We then export the activity diagrams and use our XSLT-based tool to transform the resulting XMI representation to …

Interdisciplinary Research At The University Of Illinois At Chicago: A Campus-Wide Survey Of Climate, Obstacles And Opportunities, Dennis Rosenbaum, Amie Schuck, Mark Mattaini, Ericka Adams

Faculty Publications

In recent years, the administration, faculty and research professionals at the University of Illinois at Chicago have shown considerable interest in facilitating interdisciplinary research on campus. Beginning in 2006, the Office of the Provost and the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research provided seed funding for the creation of several interdisciplinary research (IDR) centers on campus to encourage interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary scholarship and education. This study is a product of one of those centers – the UIC Interdisciplinary Center for Research on Violence. The study was undertaken with three primary objectives: (1) to assess the IDR climate and level …

A Conversation With Michael Joaquin Grey, Thomas Asmuth

SWITCH

In this interview, Michael Joaquin Grey discusses his work at the intersection of art, science, and pedagogy, including the art/science movement of the 1970’s and its counterpart around the year 2000. With a background in both genetics and sculpture, he’s interested in how complex systems like biology, computers, or culture grow and connect. Grey also talks about inventing ZOOB, a building toy that helps kids understand how living systems work. Throughout the conversation, he reflects on why artists don’t always need big institutions to do meaningful research and how early learning and play can shape how we think about the …

Regulating Excessive Executive Compensation - Why Bother?, Jerry W. Markham

Journal of Business & Technology Law

No abstract provided.

Distribution, Causes And Nature Of Natural Landslides In Devon And Cornwall, Claire Foster

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

Between 1985 and 1990 a computerised database was assembled that contains information concerning the distribution and nature of 9000 landslides in Great Britain. The South West accounts for 1,700 of the listed slope failures. Problems have arisen because in many areas the database merely serves as an archive of previous studies and is not a true representation of landsliding in an area. The aim of this research was to identify landslide environments correlated with landslide frequency and character and through this develop a landslide susceptibility map. Analyses were undertaken so that distinct inland and coastal landslide environments could be defined. …

Foundations In Wisconsin: A Directory [26th Ed. 2007], Marquette University - Funding Information Center, Mary Frenn, Jeremy Blackwood, Oana Deselnicu, Alexandria Innes, Sarah Martin, Katie Morrison, Vance Thomas

Foundations in Wisconsin: A Directory

The 2007 edition of Foundations in Wisconsin marks the 26th release of the print directory and the 7th year of the online version (www.wifoundations.org). The directory is designed as a research tool for grantseekers interested in locating information on private, corporate, and community foundations registered in Wisconsin. Each entry in this new edition has been updated or reviewed to provide the most current information available. Most of the data was drawn from IRS 990-PF tax returns filed by the foundations. However, additional information was obtained from surveys, foundation Web sites, annual reports, and newsletters.

Wisconsin foundations continue to grow in …

Educating Lawyers Now And Then: Two Carnegie Critiques Of The Common Law And The Case Method, James Maxeiner

All Faculty Scholarship

The 2007 Carnegie Foundation report on legal education, Educating Lawyers: Preparation for the Profession of Law, is eerily reminiscent of the Foundation's 1914 Report, The Common Law and the Case Method in American University Law School. This article compares the two reports. It commends the 1914 report for its broad comparative civil/common law perspective that is unsurpassed to this day. It shows how the two reports view the case method similarly, but with significantly different emphases. The 2007 report counts the case method as academic, while the 1914 report sees it as practical. It shows how the two reports, while …

Harmonization Through Condemnation: Is New London The Key To World Patent Harmony?, Max Oppenheimer

All Faculty Scholarship

Since 1790, when two U.S. patent applicants have claimed the same invention, the patent has been awarded to the first inventor. Today, the United States stands alone in the industrialized world, and many argue that the United States should, in the interest of world patent harmony, change its system so as to award a contested patent to the first applicant. Of the arguments advanced to justify the change, the only ones that withstand scrutiny are that "all the other countries are doing it" and the hope that some concessions in other aspects of intellectual property or trade might be obtained …

You Take My Space, I Take Your Air: An Empirical Study Of Disabled Parking And Motor Vehicle Laws For Persons With Disabilities, Donald H. Stone

All Faculty Scholarship

Reserved parking and specialized treatment are necessary to permit individuals with disabilities access to goods, services, and employment opportunities on an equal basis with the general public. Why are disabled drivers entitled to disabled parking spots? What is the procedure for an individual with a disability to receive special disability registration license plates? What is the role of the Medical Advisory Board in reviewing the ability of disabled drivers to get behind the wheel? What, if any, obligation or responsibility does a physician treating a disabled driver have to notify the Department of Motor Vehicles of the patient's condition or …

The Evolution Of Language Universals: Optimal Design And Adaptation, Huck Turner

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

Inquiry into the evolution of syntactic universals is hampered by severe limitations on the available evidence. Theories of selective function nevertheless lead to predictions of local optimaliiy that can be tested scientifically. This thesis refines a diagnostic, originally proposed by Parker and Maynard Smith (1990), for identifying selective functions on this basis and applies it to the evolution of two syntactic universals: (I) the distinction between open and closed lexical classes, and (2) nested constituent structure. In the case of the former, it is argued that the selective role of the closed class items is primarily to minimise the amount …

A Generic Architecture For Insider Misuse Monitoring In It Systems, Aung Htike Phyo

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) have been widely deployed within many organisations' IT nenvorks to delect network penetration attacks by outsiders and privilege escalation attacks by insiders. However, traditional IDS are ineffective for detecting o f abuse o f legitimate privileges by authorised users within the organisation i.e. the detection of misfeasance. In essence insider IT abuse does not violate system level controls, yet violates acceptable usage policy, business controls, or code of conduct defined by the organisation. However, the acceptable usage policy can vary from one organisation to another, and the acceptability o f user activities can also change depending …