Digital Commons Network^™

Study Of Structural And Spectroscopic Properties Of Small Zns Clusters By Dft, Venkata Ramana Chaganti

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

ABSTRACT

The small clusters (aggregates of atoms containing a few tens of atoms) of semiconductors and metals often adopt very different shapes than the fragments of these materials in the bulk phase. Due to their large surface to volume ratio and unsaturated bonds, the small clusters often have properties that are very different from their bulk. Semiconductor clusters are extensively studied for their potential applications in a wide variety of systems from opto-electronic devices to spintronics. The present work is devoted to understanding the structural and electronic properties of small clusters of the zinc sulfide ZnnSn where n = 1 …

A Distributed Reconstruction Of Ekg Signals, Gabriel Cordova

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In this Thesis the parallel computing methodology is applied to an algorithm used in the reconstruction of electrocardiographic (EKG) measurements. The reconstructions are being performed to obtain a better understanding of the source and behavior of the electrical activity that generates the EKG measurements. The contribution of this Thesis is to identify and eliminate inefficiencies present in the current reconstruction algorithm. Additionally, this Thesis reduces the computation times of the EKG reconstruction by applying distributed computing through the use of Remote Procedure Calls (RPC). Lastly, it provides an analysis of the speed-up and efficiency of the distribution implemented using parallel …

Unlocking Creativity In The Classroom, Rose Marie De La Cruz-Bechtel

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Creativity is a process involving skills that can be presented and strengthened in a classroom setting. An overview of various research strands regarding creativity since 1950 is included. The pragmatic approach of Roger von Oech forms the basis for a selection of strategies useful for unlocking and encouraging creative thinking in the 4-8 classroom.

Byzantium Beneath The Black Sea, Bridget Buxton, Robert Ballard, Michael Brennan, Dwight Coleman, Katy Croff, Christopher Roman, Dan Davis, Dennis Piechota, Sergiy Voronov

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

This poster reports on the August 2007 Black Sea Expedition of the Institute for Archaeological Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island (IAO) and the Institute for Exploration (IFE), in collaboration with the Department of the Underwater Heritage of Ukraine. This year’s work marks a new phase in a multi-year (2000–2012) archaeological and oceanographic survey of the Black Sea. 2007 fieldwork focuses on two Byzantine shipwrecks. The 10th century C.E. shipwreck Chersonesos A (discovered in 2006) lies at 140 m depth in the suboxic zone off the Crimean peninsula. The ship carried a cargo of one-handled jars of a widely …

Homography Based Multiple Camera Detection Of Camouflaged Targets, Jesus Flores Guerra

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This Thesis proposes an improvement on segmentation of camouflaged objects by combining information from multiple static cameras with overlapping views onto a common reference plane. Previous camouflage detection work relies on a single camera and focuses on pattern recognition, gray level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) computation, convexity detection and operations such as connected components or morphology. These methods make real-time implementation computationally expensive. The proposed work diverges from these techniques, taking advantage of the added information from several viewpoints. Background subtraction is performed on each individual camera and then, the segmentation result is transformed onto a common plane using homography. A …

Evaluation Of An Image Processing Algorithm For Scene Change Detection, Daniel Flores

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Despite the efforts to reduce traffic accidents by government entities and automobile manufactures, the numbers of accidents are not considerably reduced. An evaluation of an algorithm based on the fly's eye is done on this research applying its principles to detect scene change on images for printed circuit boards providing initial steps to implement this algorithm on vehicular traffic to keep track of objects moving on the field for collision avoidance purposes. The effectiveness of the algorithm is addressed through a comparison of its performance with that found in experimental data.

Screening The Phytoremediation Potential Of Native Plants Growing On Mine Tailings In Arizona, Usa, Md Nazmul Haque

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Mining companies have been playing an important role for the utilization of the Earth's natural resources for the prosperity of human society. However, the mining of resources has generated solid wastes called tailings that have become a serious environmental threat worldwide. Technologies such as soil caping have been used to remediate the problem. Nevertheless, the remediation of mine tailings using conventional technologies is costly and environmentally unpleasant. Since the last few decades, a plant based technology known as phytoremediation has appeared as a promising alternative. Several plant species have demonstrated to have phytoremediation capabilities; though, best results have been obtained …

Perspectives Of White/Non-Hispanic Male Superintendents Of Majority-Hispanic School Districts In Texas, Samuel Franklin Hogue

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This study examines the dynamics and challenges which White/non-Hispanic male superintendents face in leading school districts where the majority of constituents come from a different ethnic or racial background than their own; specifically school districts where the constituency is majority Hispanic. It also identifies the career paths and educational experiences of value of White/non-Hispanic males who serve as superintendents of school districts with majority Hispanic student populations as well as ascertains the general leadership theories and/or styles these men subscribe.

This study advances the understanding of school leadership in majority Hispanic school districts that are led by White/non-Hispanic males, how …

Quantifying Anisotropy In Asphalt Concrete Pavements Using An Ultrasonic Method, Monica C. Jurado

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Asphalt concrete is a bonded granular material whose internal structure is anisotropic. Such anisotropy is due to anisotropic particles and void's structure, particle distribution and orientation, and restrain and force pattern used during compaction. Even with this knowledge asphalt concrete design is made considering asphalt concrete as an isotropic material. The biggest difference between an isotropic and anisotropic material is that, an isotropic material is characterized by two independent constants and an anisotropic material could be characterized by up to 81 constants. An extensive research to characterize and quantify anisotropy is only available for some composite materials. Based on the …

A Multi-Tracer Study Of Saltwater Origin, Cross-Formational Flow, And The Geochemical Evolution Of Groundwater In The Southern High Plains Aquifer Along The Western Caprock Escarpment, East-Central New Mexico, Jeff Langman

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Sustainable management of groundwater resources requires sufficient knowledge of the distribution of fresh and saline groundwater and the processes affecting saltwater intrusion that may influence the beneficial use of groundwater. A hydrogeologic investigation that coupled various chemical and isotopic tracers, including 3H/3He, 14C, δD, δ18O, 87Sr/86Sr, and δ11B, with the physical characteristics of the aquifer was conducted to determine source waters, the origin of saltwater and its influence through cross-formational flow, and water-rock interactions in the Southern High Plains aquifer along the Western Caprock Escarpment. Sub-aquifers or local flow systems are present along the Western Caprock Escarpment, and the study …

Allocating Emergency Response Vehicles To Cover Critical Infrastructures, Hao Lei

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Optimal deployment of limited emergency response service units in a metropolitan area is of interests to public agencies. The limited emergency units not only have to respond to the demand for service by residents and businesses, but also cover Critical Infrastructures (CIs). This Thesis formulates an improved optimization model to allocate different types of Emergency Response Service (ERS) units among their candidate base stations. The allocation of units must ensure maximum coverage to CIs, subject to the capacities of the base stations, service standard in terms of time to reach the CIs, and the availability of the ERS units (when …

Exploring Dialectic Tensions In Teachers' Relationships In School Settings, Griselda Rodriguez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This study explored the feasibility of using dialectic theory to study of dialectic oppositions in teachers' school-based relationships. Employing relational dialectics as a theoretical framework, this study exposed several sets of dialectical forces emerging in teachers' relationships. 23 high school teachers were interviewed utilizing a semi-structured questionnaire; interviews were transcribed and coded for analysis. The analysis revealed that the dialectic tensions of control vs. emancipation, empowerment vs. oppression are prevalent in teachers' relationships with administrators; the dialectic tensions of solidarity vs. autonomy and fragmentation vs. unity are common in the relationships of teachers with administrators and colleagues as well; while …

Quality Evaluation Of Portland Cement Concrete At Early Age With Free-Free Resonant Column, Gilberto Wenglas

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

At early age, the behavior and mechanical properties of portland cement concrete changes rapidly with time due to hydration. The hydration process consists of a series of chemical reactions that accelerate nonlinearly with the rise in temperature. The hydration process consists of three stages: the dormant period, the setting time, and the hardening time. Timely opening of roads and resumption of constructions depend of the knowledge of these stages. The initial and final setting times are arbitrarily determined by a standard test (ASTM C 403). Although the setting time has been studied for many decades, the new technologies allow making …

The Effects Of Program Model And Language On Science Taks Scores Among Fifth Graders, Stephanie Leigh Zelenak

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

THE EFFECTS OF PROGRAM MODEL AND LANGUAGE ON SCIENCE TAKS SCORES AMONG FIFTH GRADERS

This study examined the conditions of learning allowing students in one classroom to succeed on the fifth grade science TAKS test whereas students in other classrooms on the same campus do not succeed. It focused on the relationship of program models, specifically as it pertains to the influence of language within the content area of science and student performance on the fifth grade science TAKS scores.

To compare the academic achievement, as measured by the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) test, in grade five …

The Melting Of Patent Law, Eben Moglen

Faculty Scholarship

In this special comment, the author posits that the patent system as it stands is archaic and oppressive, and has neither intellectual nor moral support. Having veered away from its original goals, by virtue of the change in the technological and functional basis of government, it instead serves as a justification for inequalities of wealth distribution. The author argues that substantial reform is required that would shift the balance in patent law from monopolistic greed to public interest, paving the way for access to knowledge.

Eigenvalue Comparisons For Boundary Value Problems Of The Discrete Elliptic Equation, Jun Ji, Bo Yang

Faculty Articles

In this paper we study a boundary value problem for a discrete elliptic equation. The focus will be on the structure of the spectrum of this problem and the existence of a positive eigenvector corresponding to the smallest eigenvalue. Comparison results for the eigenvalues are also established as the coefficients of the problem changes.

Expanding The Database Curriculum, Meg Murray, Mario Guimaraes

Faculty Articles

As database concepts and technologies continue to evolve there exists a need to expand the topics included in database curricula. This is challenging given the restraints on the number of courses that can be included in a typical CS or IS program. While a set of commonly identified core concepts and principles exists, there is little consensus on what supplemental materials should be included in database courses. Through an NSF proof-of-concept grant, we designed and developed courseware incorporating the use of animations to deepen and enrich standard presentations of core database concepts and to complement database teachings as found in …

A Revelation Principle For Dominant Strategy Implementation, Jesse Schwartz, Quan Wen

Faculty Articles

We introduce a perfect price discriminating (PPD) mechanism for allocation problems with private information. A PPD mechanism treats a seller, for example, as a perfect price discriminating monopolist who faces a price schedule that does not depend on her report. In any PPD mechanism, every player has a dominant strategy to truthfully report her private information. We establish a revelation principle for dominant strategy implementation: any outcome that can be dominant strategy implemented can also be dominant strategy implemented using a PPD mechanism. We apply this principle to derive the optimal, budget-balanced, dominant strategy mechanisms for public good provision and …

The Effect Of Road Crossing On Fish Movements In Small Etowah Basin Streams, Paul D. Benton, William E. Ensign, Byron J. Freeman

Faculty Articles

Increased road construction associated with urbanization may result in fragmentation and loss offish populations in streams. In this study, we documented frequency of movement of fishes through three separate types of road-crossings (clear-span bridges, box culverts, and tube culverts) in six small streams using mark-recapture sampling. Upstream movement between areas separated by either box or tube culverts was lower than upstream movement between similar areas not separated by a road crossing. Downstream movement between areas separated by box culverts was also lower than downstream movement between areas without obstructions. Upstream and downstream movement between areas separated by clear-span bridges was …

Separating The Sony Sheep From The Grokster Goats: Reckoning The Future Business Plans Of Copyright-Dependent Technology Entrepeneurs, Jane C. Ginsburg

Faculty Scholarship

In MGM v. Grokster, the U.S. Supreme Court established that businesses built from the start on inducing copyright infringement will be held liable, as judges will frown on drawing one's start-up capital from other people's copyrights. The Court's elucidation of the elements of inducement suggests that even businesses not initially built on infringement, but in which infringement comes to play an increasingly profitable part, may find themselves liable unless they take good faith measures to forestall infringements. This Article addresses the evolution of the U.S. judge-made rules of secondary liability for copyright infringement, and the possible emergence of an obligation …

Experimental Law And Economics, Jennifer Arlen, Eric L. Talley

Faculty Scholarship

This chapter provides a framework for assessing the contributions of experiments in Law and Economics. We identify criteria for determining the validity of an experiment and find that these criteria depend upon both the purpose of the experiment and the theory of behavior implicated by the experiment. While all experiments must satisfy the standard experimental desiderata of control, falsifiability of theory, internal consistency, external consistency and replicability, the question of whether an experiment also must be contextually attentive - in the sense of matching the real world choice being studied - depends on the underlying theory of decision-making being tested …

Biological Control Of Fusarium Oxysporum Wilt Disease Of Tomato By Antagonistic And Plant Growth Promoting Actinomycetes, Nada Mohammed Ibrahim Al-Shugairan

Theses

Soil-borne fungal plant pathogens cause some of the most widespread and serious plant diseases. Root diseases caused by these pathogens such as wilt, root rot, collar rot, foot rot, seedling pre- and post-emergence damping-off are the foremost of problems which are gaining importance from day to day in the world and for which no direct control measures have been evolved so far. Fusarium spp. is a widespread soil-borne plant pathogen and is the causal agents of wilt disease of many economically important crops. Fusarium spp. is a limiting factor in the plant productivity in most agricultural soils. Wilt disease of …

Cover And Contents

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

No abstract provided.

Cover And Contents

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

No abstract provided.

Show And Tell: Learning With Interactive Videoconferencing In Kindergarten, Debra Piecka

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The research investigated how kindergartners make meaning using interactive videoconferencing. The study explored two research questions: 1) What types of meanings are being formed by the kindergartners during interactive videoconferences and, 2) What are the nature of young children's emerging inquiries and dialogue surrounding their use of interactive videoconferencing in their classroom? The study embodied a Vygotskian perspective as the theoretical framework in order to meet demands associated with the young participants' vulnerability, developmental appropriateness, and the students' interactive learning environment. Employing an ethnographic, participant observation methodology, the research design was informed by three criteria: 1) a pilot study, 2) …

Maximizing Special Education Teacher Retention: Teacher's Perceptions Of Administrative Support In Pre K-12 Public Schools As Implications For Improvement, Dawn R. Showers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of special education teachers regarding administrative support provided by their building principals as related to teacher retention, gender, and disability category taught. Research over the course of the past decade indicates that teachers are more likely to leave the teaching profession when they fail to receive an adequate amount of administrative support. A survey questionnaire was used to collect 125 responses from special education teachers working in South Central Pennsylvania public schools. The population sample consisted of teachers from four special education teacher certification categories including classroom and itinerant staff. …

Merging Of Fingerprint Scans Obtained From Multiple Cameras In 3d Fingerprint Scanner System, Deepthi Boyanapally

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Fingerprints are the most accurate and widely used biometrics for human identification due to their uniqueness, rapid and easy means of acquisition. Contact based techniques of fingerprint acquisition like traditional ink and live scan methods are not user friendly, reduce capture area and cause deformation of fingerprint features. Also, improper skin conditions and worn friction ridges lead to poor quality fingerprints. A non-contact, high resolution, high speed scanning system has been developed to acquire a 3D scan of a finger using structured light illumination technique. The 3D scanner system consists of three cameras and a projector, with each camera producing …

Vmi - Gross, Anwar Shaikh Phd

Archives of Anwar Shaikh

This collection includes,

• Shaikh, A. (2007, April 9). Pure and generalized exponential of VMIR/L1–6 [Handwritten notes citing Drăgulescu & Yakovenko]. Manuscript in possession of the author.

• Shaikh, A. (2008, May 5). Arbitrage and inequality [Handwritten notes citing Yakovenko]. Manuscript in possession of the author.

• Shaikh, A. (2008, May 7). Theory of slope of lnR versus ln(1 − G) [Handwritten notes]. Manuscript in possession of the author.

• Shaikh, A. (2008, March 20). Comparing one- and two-earner exponential models [Handwritten notes]. Manuscript in possession of the author.

• Shaikh, A. (2008, April 26). lnR versus ln(1 − G) …

Constructing An Ethic Of Care In Teacher Education: Narrative As Pedagogy Toward Care, Colette Rabin

Faculty Publications

Teacher educators have a civic responsibility to prepare novice teachers to foster relationships across cultural, racial, and socioeconomic divides. Care ethics acknowledges this imperative. This study explores how to cultivate the knowledge, skills and dispositions associated with constructing a caring stance toward the work of teaching. Data come from two preservice teacher education courses. A cluster of course activities sought to foster novice teachers’ core skills for a caring stance. In particular, one assignment, an ethical dilemma case, gave the novice teachers the opportunity to write a narrative about practice and consider any potential moral implications. Since narrative methodology accounts …

The Contributors, Marites Tiongco

DLSU Business & Economics Review

No abstract provided.