Digital Commons Network^™

Bienvenidos, Amigos! : The Tapestry Magazine, Liz Rog

Postville Project Documents

Article on the arrival of 10 men in Decorah after their incarceration from the Postville raid.

Robust Longitudinal Rate Gyro Bias Estimation For Reliable Pitch Attitude Observation Through Utilization Of A Displaced Accelerometer Array, Ryan Weisman

Theses

In this thesis, a novel attitude estimation device is proposed utilizing cost-effective measurement sensors. The device fuses a rate gyroscope with an accelerometer array to estimate and eliminate the rate gyro bias online yielding accurate real time aircraft attitude tracking. Attitude determination algorithms are dependent on instantaneous and accurate measurements of translational and rotational body rates for precise estimation of vehicle orientation in three-dimensional space. Measurement error of instantaneous rate sensors, gyroscopes, is introduced via inherent biases and signal noise resulting in gyro drift. Integration of the rate signal for calculation of a net displacement amplifies these minute measurement errors …

Assessing Podcasting As A Learning Methodology For Digital Natives And Digital Immigrants In The Corporate Learning Environment, Niccole Byrd Chandler

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The researcher examined employee perceptions of pod casting through the use of the Technology Acceptance Model and how those perceptions influenced corporate decision making for the selection of podcasting technologies. The stratified random sample was divided into two groups: digital natives (N = 127) and digital immigrants (N = 128). Both groups consisted of employees that work within learning environments at one of three service-oriented organizations within the United States. The groups answered the survey-based test to determine their perceptions of ease of use and usefulness toward podcasting in a corporate training environment. Results revealed a statistically significant difference between …

Spiral Of Silence And The Iraq War, Jessica Drake

Theses

Discussing controversial issues may be hard for some individuals because they fear they may become isolated. The Iraq War serves as one such controversy in which some individuals might avoid publicly expressing their opinion. Spiral of silence, a communication theory set forth by Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann can be used to explain why some individuals will publicly express their opinion of the Iraq War while others will not. A Web-based survey was distributed to Rochester Institute of Technology faculty, staff and students. This study investigated public opinion expression through interactive forms of media such as discussion forums, blogs and Web sites.

Differences In Self-Reported Perceptions Of Privacy Between Online Social And Commercial Networking Users, Jessie Hughes

Theses

Previous research suggests individual privacy is affected in an online environment, and users’ experiences while on those sites may also have an effect on their perceptions. Users’ personal perceptions of their privacy may be shaped by multiple variables such as the frequency in which they use the site, if they are a social or commercial networker, and their age. The present study investigates users of social and commercial web sites and their self-reported perceived levels of privacy when using those sites. The present study discovered that users showed concern over what information should be given when socially and commercially networking. …

Alagnak Wild River Visitor Use Project: Alagnak Wild River Resident User Study, Douglas Deur

Anthropology Faculty Publications and Presentations

This report represents a thematic summary of findings from the Alagnak Wild River Resident Users Study, the final project in a larger series of studies conducted for the National Park Service (NPS) as part of the Alagnak Wild River Visitor Use Project. The National Park service administers the 56 miles of designated Wild River along the Alagnak in collaboration with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, which manages fish and wildlife populations along the river. The NPS is charged with managing the river’s natural and cultural resources, as well as preserving the river’s lands and resources for current and …

The Effect Of The Amide Substituent On The Biodistribution And Tolerance Of Lanthanide(Iii) Dota-Tetraamide Derivatives, Mark Woods, Peter Caravan, Carlos F.G.C. Geraldes, Matthew T. Greenfield, Garry Kiefer, Mai Lin, Kenneth Mcmillan, M. Isabel M. Prata, Ana C. Santos, Xiankai Sun, Jufeng Wang, Shanrong Zhang, Piyu Zhao, A. Dean Sherry

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Objectives—Recent advances in the design of MRI contrast agents have rendered the lanthanide complexes of DOTA-tetraamide ligands of considerable interest, both as responsive MR agents and paramagnetic chemical exchange saturation transfer agents. The potential utility of these complexes for in vivo applications is contingent upon them being well tolerated by the body. The purpose of this study was to examine how the nature of the amide substituent, and in particular its charge, affected the fate of these chelates postinjection.

Materials and Methods—Complexes of 6 DOTA-tetraamide ligands were prepared in which the nature of the amide substituent was systematically …

Developing A Plan To Disciple International Students, Donald E. Bader

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A current literature review demonstrates that only a limited amount of information is available for missionaries striving to disciple international students attending universities throughout the United States. Therefore, this project attempts to develop a discipleship plan based firmly upon Scripture, focusing particularly on the life and teachings of Jesus as an essential resource for international student ministry. Incorporating these insights, along with the suggestions from discipleship literature and campus missionaries, the plan presents a biblical approach to discipleship that specifically applies to international student ministry in Milwaukee. The project concludes with a thorough evaluation of the plan and several recommended …

Latinos And The 2008 Presidential Elections: A Visual Data Base, Laura Limonic

Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies

Introduction: This report examines the impact of Latino voters on the 2008 presidential election at both the national and state levels.

Methods: All data in this report were derived from the exit polls from Edison Media Research as published by CNN and Pew Hispanic Center’s analysis of the exit polls from Edison Media Research as published by CNN.

Results: Nationwide, Latinos voted overwhelmingly for Barack Obama over John McCain. Obama received 67% of the Latino vote, compared to 31% for McCain. Obama also received the majority of votes from other minority groups. Latinos increased their share of the national vote …

Where Do Latinos Work? Occupational Structure And Mobility Within New York City’S Latino Population, 1990 - 2006, Laura Limonic

Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies

Introduction: This report examines the difference in occupational changes across racial and ethnic groups in New York City as well as across Latino origin groups from 1990 to 2006.

Methods: Data on Latinos and other racial/ethnic groups were obtained from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, reorganized for public use by the Minnesota Population Center, University of Minnesota, IPUMSusa. Cases in the dataset were weighted and analyzed to produce population estimates. All figures pertain to individuals 16 years of age or older.

Results: While there has been an overall increase in employment gains in the management sector, which includes …

La Libertad De La Ciudad, David Harvey

Publications and Research

David Harvey explora aquí la relación existente entre el problema de la reubicación del excedente de capital y las transformaciones del espacio urbano a una escala cada vez mayor. En este artículo, escrito antes de que fuera declarada la crisis económica mundial, Harvey ofrece un análisis espacial que anticipa dicha crisis y analiza las consecuencias que la continuidad del modelo económico vigente tendrá para el futuro de la vida urbana.

In this paper David Harvey explores the existing relation between the problem of surplus capital allocation and the increasing transformations of urban space. The paper, written before the world economic …

General Validity Of Reciprocity In Quantum Mechanics, P.T. Leung, H. Y. Xie, D. P. Tsai

Physics Faculty Publications and Presentations

The concept of reciprocity symmetry for matter-wave propagation is established for nonrelativistic quantum mechanics with previous results in the literature extended to include nonlocal interactions. Examples are given for cases with both local and nonlocal potentials, where we show in particular that reciprocity can be violated for the motion of a charged particle in an external electromagnetic field. In addition, this symmetry is applied to interpret a recent analysis [Phys. Rev. A 64, 042716 (2001)] on the symmetry of transmission through one-dimensional complex potentials, with the emphasis that the validity of reciprocity can go beyond that of time-reversal symmetry, such …

Observations Of The Tapered Element Oscillating Microbalance As Compared To A Gravimetric Method For Particulate Matter Measurement, Gregory Shane Thomas

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

A direct comparison has been made between a tapered element oscillating microbalance (TEOM) and the traditional gravimetric filter method designed per 40 CFR §1065.145. A repeatability test, consisting of multiple emission tests, was also performed for the TEOM system that shows that the TEOM was a consistent instrument. The TEOM was also tested with and without a diesel particular filter (DPF) during an 8-mode test on a 1997/1998 Kubota 2.2L engine to see if the concentration of the particular matter (PM) flowing through the TEOM has an effect on accuracy. The flow rate was varied to find the optimal setting …

Hemodynamics Of Intracranial Aneurysms: Factors That May Influence Occurrence, Francisco Adolfo Pino Romainville

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The formation and growth of intracranial aneurysms are partly attributed to various hemodynamic factors, such as the wall shear stress and pressure. However, the exact nature of the hemodynamic variables responsible for triggering aneurismal growth is still unknown. The conclusions drawn by various studies in this regard are found to be speculative and sometimes ambiguous. This issue is further investigated in the present work using some new insight gained from passive scalar dispersion in the blood flow for realistic aneurysm geometries. Intracranial aneurysms are best visualized using selective catheter angiogram technique where a contrast agent added to the blood flow …

Deindustrialization And The Decline Of Community In The Coalfields: Mcdowell County, West Virginia, 1950--2000, Mark S. Myers

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

During the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, the coal industry entered McDowell County, a predominantly rural county in southern West Virginia. Because of common experiences working and living in the coalfields, workers of significantly different backgrounds created a unique, working-class community in McDowell County. Although the coal industry experienced numerous downturns during the first half of the twentieth century, there was a long-term rise in the number of workers employed by the industry. By 1950, McDowell County had a population of almost 100,000, most of which was impacted by the coal industry.;After World War II, however, the industry began …

Intrinsic And Extrinsic Factors That Influence Instructors' Use Of E-Learning, Salem A. Albalwi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of the study was to determine whether significant differences exist among instructors at King Abdulaziz University's (KAU) Humanities and Scientific Colleges concerning their perceived levels of expertise and current use of e-learning technologies as part of their teaching. The proposed study also assessed influential factors (motivators and barriers) as measured by a survey questionnaire and examined them in terms of sex, academic field, and years of teaching experience.;Statistical methods of analysis for this study used means, standard deviations, frequencies, percentages, factor analysis, a 3-way factorial ANOVA, and Scheffe's Post Hoc Analysis. Based on 227 responses, the findings indicate …

Project Management Tool, Karteek Boyanapalli

Masters Theses & Doctoral Dissertations

In an organization there are many issues regarding project management. Managing the projects and the human resource is becoming difficult day by day. This 'Project Management Tool' is an attempt to solve those issues. It mainly helps project managers to monitor and control projects in an organization effectively. Using this tool superiors can assign projects, modules, tasks to their sub-ordinates and can monitor the status. They can also send E-Mails to their sub-ordinates using the E-Mail generation feature. This project also enables the employees to submit their day-to-day work. This project generates three different reports namely project reports which gives …

The Partisan Politics That Led To The Spanish-American War, Donald E. Thompson Jr.

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This thesis explores how partisan politics played a major role in leading the United States into the Spanish-American War. With the unprecedented economic depression that began in 1893, many American politicians exploited a rebellion in Cuba to distract Americans from their own financial problems. During the administration of Grover Cleveland politicians from all political parties supported American intervention in Cuba on behalf of the rebels. This show of support for the Cuban rebels by politicians was designed to rally the American public around a common cause and highlight the difference between them and the unpopular President Cleveland who opposed American …

Creation Of A Mouse With A Humanized Fpgs Gene Compatible With Normal Development, Linying Xie

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract: Folylpoly-γ-glutamate synthetase (FPGS) catalyzes the formation of polyglutamate forms of the reduced folates and antifolates such as methotrexate (MTX) and pemetrexed; this allows the retention of folates and antifolate cancer drugs inside the cell. The enzyme activity of FPGS is essential for cell proliferation and survival. The mouse fpgs gene contains two promoters spaced 10 kb apart which are activated in a tissue-specific manner. The upstream promoter (P1) and exons A1a and A1b are used in some differentiated tissues, mainly liver and kidney, whereas the downstream promoter (P2) and exon 1 are used in rapidly dividing cells. In contrast, …

Sex Offense Recidivism, Risk Assessment, And The Adam Walsh Act, Jill S. Levenson

Faculty and Staff Publications & Presentations

No abstract provided.

Controlled Release Of Insulin And Modified Insulin From A Novel Injectable Biodegradable Gel, Om Anand

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

The objective of the study was to develop a controlled release dosage form of
insulin, which can provide basal concentrations of insulin in diabetic rats for 1 to 2 weeks after a single subcutaneous injection.
A biodegradable injectable drug delivery gel was prepared by dissolving a
biodegradable polymer, polylactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA), in biocompatible
plasticizer(s), triethyl citrate (TEC) and/or acetyl triethyl citrate (ATEC). Insulin was
then loaded into the blank gel to form an insulin suspension in the polymer solution.
After the insulin-loaded gel was injected subcutaneously, the plasticizer(s) dissolved in the aqueous media and were gradually taken away from the …

Manipulation Of The Moloney Murine Leukemia Virus Envelope Protein In An Effort To Develop Directly And Indirectly Targeted Retroviral Vectors For Use In Human Gene Therapy, Geneva M. Vasser

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Highly effective, targeted therapies against cancer would revolutionize the way people recover from this devastating illness. Gone would be the lingering side effects of the current non-specific treatments and in their place would be faster recovery times, better quality of life both during and after treatment, and less ambiguity about whether or not treatment was effective. This concept will elude modern medicine until treatments can be tailored to the patient's individual and unique disease. This concept of a transient, targeted, and tailored vehicle aimed at cancer cells lends itself to the use of replication deficient retroviral gene therapy vectors with …

Regulation Of The Human Parainfluenza Virus (Hpiv3) Fusion Protein, Amanda Ruth Chapman

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Paramyxoviruses include a number of important human pathogens, including measles virus, mumps virus, and the human parainfluenza viruses (hPIV) 1-4, as well as several animal pathogens, such as Sendai virus, Nipah virus and Hendra virus. The creation of effective drugs and vaccines against this family of viruses would play an important role in decreasing the prevalence of these viruses and contributing to the health of both humans and animals worldwide. The purpose of this work was to determine how the fusion (F) protein is regulated with a focus on the heptad repeat B (HRB) region of the F protein located …

Quantification Of Soluble Organic Fraction Measurement Variation In Diesel Particulate Matter Emissions, John Wesley Hardin

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Heavy-duty diesel engines (HDDE) are the dominate prime movers of goods and services in the United States (US) and the world today. HDDE will continue to lead the transportation sector in the near term because of its superior fuel economy and performance compared to existing alternatives. However, HDDE produce many harmful emissions constituents that include: hydrocarbons (HC), oxides of nitrogen (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), and particulate matter (PM). Due to these harmful emissions, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been entrusted to enforce the Clean Air Act to limit the amount of emissions that can be produced from these …

Optimization Of Magnetic Force Microscopy For Retrieval Of Data From An Erased Or Altered Audiotape, Chandar Prasad Palamadai Subramanian

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Magnetic force microscopy (MFM) has been used to investigate the potential for retrieving information from an erased or altered audiotape. The audiotape recording process, the reasons for the distortion of signals during the recording process are presented. An in-depth study has been conducted to investigate the effects of MFM operation parameters on the data retrieval process. Most importantly, these include interleave height and tip speed. Interleave height (i.e., the height of the MFM tip above the surface) has been optimized for maximum clarity of MFM images. Tip speed studies have been carried out to optimize the data retrieval time and …

Cortisol Response Of Non-Suicidal Self-Injurers Versus Non-Self-Injurers Exposed To A Social Rejection Laboratory Stressor, Patrick L. Kerr

Theses and Dissertations

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSI) represents a growing area of concern in a variety of clinical settings, yet remains a poorly understood phenomenon. An influx of research on the functions of NSI over the past decade has suggested a biopsychosocial emotional regulation model of this behavior. This model proposes that self-injurers engage in NSI to reduce negative emotions, and presupposes that self-injurers are characterized by emotional dysregulation. The present study evaluated the biological component of this model by assessing hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis (HPAA) functioning in a group of self-injurers(n=26) and non-injuring healthy controls (n=28). HPAA functioning was assessed via measuring salivary cortisol levels …

A Meta-Analysis Of Adolescent Rampage Shootings And The Potential Interconnectivity To Gifted/Talented Children With Emotional/Behavioral Disorders, Meghan M. Salyers

Theses and Dissertations

On the tenth anniversary of a series of school rampage shootings in Springfield, Oregon, Littleton, Colorado, and Conyers, Georgia, the purpose of this study was to determine whether there were indications of intellectual, academic, or creative giftedness with emotional/behavioral disorders in the perpetrators. In addition, through historiographical methods, this study was designed to allow for themes to surface from the authentic writings of the adolescent shooters.

Similarities in previous research results are reported in the meta-analysis, and categories derived from my analysis of the writings of Kip Kinkel, Eric Harris, Dylan Klebold, and T.J. Solomon are indicated in the analysis …

Earmstrong, Armstrong Atlantic State University

Armstrong News & Publications: e-Armstrong Newsletter (Archived)

No abstract provided.

Lightness Of Being And The Burden Of Gravity, Emily Don Mixon

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The challenge of the human condition is to bear the loss that comes with every second, moving forward, breathing without thinking; moving forward, through moments that pass so uneventfully that we will not recall them, along with moments that we experience so profoundly that we begin to use them as landmarks in our personal histories. My view of time is of something that surrounds me and becomes a part of my identity. Yet, as I contemplate what it means to BE, I must face the constancy with which that being also changes. Regardless of the things that I remember, or …

"As-Yet-Still-Forgiven Past": Dylan Thomas And Nostalgia, David Bradley Bailey

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Dylan Thomas exhibited a variety of nostalgic influences within his poetry. A careful study of his life will reveal a nostalgia that evolved from adolescent musings upon an ideal past, to a self-destructive urge to return to innocence through death. Thomas incorporates a variety of historical influences within this nostalgia, but his primary influence is ultimately his own tormented past. This study not only focuses on the personal nostalgia of one man, but the variety of ways nostalgia can affect people, history and society as sociological force.