Digital Commons Network^™

A Computational Investigation Of Graph Reconstruction, David Rivshin

Theses

First proposed in 1941 by Kelly and Ulam, the Graph Reconstruction Conjecture has been called the major open problem in the field of Graph Theory. While the Graph Reconstruction Conjecture is still unproven it has spawned a number of related questions. In the classical vertex graph reconstruction number problem a vertex is deleted in every possible way from a graph G, and then it can be asked how many (both minimum and maximum values) of these subgraphs are required to uniquely reconstruct G (up to isomorphism). This problem can then be extended to k-vertex deletion (for 1 ≤ k ≤ …

Cognitive Dimensions Usability Assessment Of Textual And Visual Vhdl Environments, George Kontos

Theses

Visual programming languages promise to make programming easier with simpler graphical methods, broadening access to computing by lessening the need for would-be users to become proficient with textual programming languages, with their somewhat arcane grammars and methods removed from the problem space of the user. However, after more than forty years of research in the field, visual methods remain in the margins of use and programming remains the bailiwick of people devoted to the endeavor. VPL designers need to understand the mechanisms of usability that pertain to complex systems like programming language environments. Effective research tools for studying usability, and …

A Distributed Public Key Creation System For Ad-Hoc Groups, Brian Padalino

Theses

Ad-hoc networks are on the forefront of technological advances as more embedded devices allow for wireless communications without necessarily requiring a network infrastructure to connect to. One of the larger problems associated with such ad-hoc networks is the lack of being able to access a PKI to create individual secure sessions for these groups being created. For this project, an implementation generating the public and private keys for an RSA public-key protocol has been created on top of the M2MI middleware developed at RIT. In this implementation, as originally described by Dan Boneh, all parties help contribute to the generation …

Interactive Television: Advancing Television Through Integrated Technology, Stephen Gallo

Theses

Television has been struggling to find its position in the evolving world of media. It remains mostly one directional output of content and it needs to fit into a world where people are growing to expect more and more interactivity in their experience. Adding a dense component of interactive options into the television experience could cater to revitalizing this centerpiece of entertainment and sustain its dominant place in our households’ entertainment center. There is a vast array of technology that has arisen that television could easily play off of and integrate into the main experience to revitalize itself. The goal …

Infant Feeding Practices And Beliefs Among Women In Podor, West Africa, Heather Lyn Schwartz

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

In Search Of Unity For The Methodist Church In Indonesia, Paw Liang The

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Dietary Supplement Use Amongst Junior College Athletes, Eliseo R. MuñOz

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Self-Assembled Layer-By-Layer Star Polymers By Electrostatic Interactions, Cecile Semana Bonifacio

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Expression Domain Of Alk2 Bmp Receptor In Chick Embryos By In Situ Hybridization, Maryam Shenasa

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Detection Of Organosilanes With Surface Enhanced Infrared Spectroscopy, Anh Duong

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Role-Based File Archiving, Jean Paul Bourget

Theses

A file server, one of the places where a company stores it data, is a goldmine. In the beginning, we had filing cabinets managed by individuals and departments who had policies for archiving and purging documents over time due to space limitations or organization. This paper explores possible solutions for archiving a network file system. When we switched from filing cabinets to digital data storage, two things were not added to file systems. First, there is a tendency for data to grow at a dramatic rate without the benefit of archiving. This leads to adding more disk space. Clearly, this …

Opportunities For Network Development In Kazakhstan - Wimax, Zhanibek Dossybayev

Theses

The purpose of this paper is to discuss Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (Wimax) technology-based network deployment opportunities in Kazakhstan. To be widely adapted and be profitable, even the very promising technology with advantageous features must experience market testing and meet user needs. This project consists of two parts; the first part consists of analysis while the second part focuses on implementation. In the first part, the telecommunications industry of Kazakhstan is divided into three main segments: fixed communication, mobile communication, and internet & data communication. Some market characteristics are viewed based on data from National Statistics Agency of Kazakhstan, …

English Language & Third Generation Programming Language Pedagogical Practice Analysis, Vincent Falbo

Theses

In an effort to provide better computer programming instruction to more students at an introductory level, pedagogical methods could be improved using a paradigm of instruction based on the same strategies used to teach students spoken languages. Although many different methodologies of instruction have been explored in the past, this document identifies relationships between spoken languages and computer languages that encourage the exploration of the best practices of teaching English Language Arts so that they could be applied to computer programming instruction. Those with backgrounds in mathematics and science initially completed programming tasks. Much literature about the problem solving aspects …

Wrongs Without Recourse: A Comment On Jason Solomon's Judging Plaintiffs, John C.P. Goldberg

Vanderbilt Law Review

No abstract provided.

The African-American Male In Magazine Advertising : A Content Analysis, Patrice Siarras

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Hiv-1 Tat Protein Alter The Tight Junction Integrity And Function Of Retinal Pigment Epithelium: An In Vitro Study., Ling Bai, Zhenping Zhang, Hui Zhang, Xiumei Li, Qiurong Yu, Haotian Lin, Wenhui Yang

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: How HIV-1 enter into the eyes remains obscure. We postulated that HIV-1 Tat protein can alter the expression of specific tight-junction proteins and disturb the blood retinal barrier, and contributes to HIV trafficking into the eyes. This study is to determine the effects of HIV-1 Tat proteins on the barrier function and tight-junction protein expression of retinal pigment epithelial cell (RPE). METHODS: A human RPE cell line (D407) cultured on microporous filter-supports was used. After treating with HIV-1 Tat protein, transepithelial electrical resistance (TER) of confluent RPE cells was measured by epithelial voltmeter. The permeability of the RPE cells …

Malpractice Payouts And Malpractice Insurance: Evidence From Texas Closed Claims, 1990-2003, Charles Silver, Kathryn Zeiler, Bernard Black, David Hyman, William Sage

Faculty Scholarship

Background. This study is the first to quantify physicians' malpractice insurance limits. It also examines the connection between policy size and payments on claims, including the frequency of settlement at the policy limits and the frequency of out-of-pocket payments.

Methods. Statistical analyses using data collected by the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) covering all insured medical malpractice claims against physicians closed between 1990 and 2003 with payment of $25,000 or more (measured in 1988 dollars).

Results. Contrary to conventional wisdom, per-occurrence limits of $500,000 or less were as common as $1 million limits. Nominal policy size was stable over time, …

The Roles Of Standardization, Certification And Assurance Services In Global Commerce, Margaret M. Blair, Cynthia A. Williams, Li-Wen Lin

All Faculty Publications

In this article we examine the rapid emergence and expansion of standardized product and process frameworks and a private-sector compliance and enforcement infrastructure that we believe may increasingly be providing a substitute for public and legal regulatory infrastructure in global commerce. This infrastructure is provided by a proliferation of performance codes and standards, many of which define acceptable social and environmental behavior, and a rapidly-growing number of privately-trained and authorized inspectors and certifiers that we call the third-party assurance industry. We offer reasons for this development, evidence of its scope and scale, and then describe the phenomenon in more detail …

Immigration And Integration In Canada, Mary Liston, Joseph Carens

All Faculty Publications

Like Australia and the United States, Canada is usually considered a ‘traditional’ immigrant receiving country in contrast to many countries in Europe, Asia, and Africa where large-scale immigration is a relatively recent phenomenon. This chapter reviews past and current Canadian immigration policy. Section one provides a brief historical overview of Canadian immigration patterns. Section two outlines current immigration policy, including the changes introduced by Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (2002). Section three discusses the relationship between immigration policy and the integration of immigrants in Canadian society. The chapter concludes with the proposition that, while Canada’s immigration policy converges with …

Postcard From The Edge (Of Empire), Elizabeth Adjin-Tettey, Gillian Calder, Angela Cameron, Maneesha Deckha, Rebecca Johnson, Hester Lessard, Maureen Maloney, Margot Young

All Faculty Publications

This article in scrapbook form represents the endeavour of the eight authors to document a recent, collective, academic journey. The project was one embarked upon as a means to explore tensions between the ideas of embodiment that connected our work, and the rigidities of academic convention. Using various media, this article strives, in substance and form, to provoke, challenge and confront its audience into dialogue, while simultaneously asking questions about the limits of our own legal imaginations.

How Not To Incorporate Voluntary Standards Into Smart Regulation: Iso 14001 And Ontario's Environmental Penalties Regulations, Stepan Wood, Lynn Johannson

All Faculty Publications

In June, 2007 the province of Ontario, Canada, released environmental penalties (EPs) regulations. EPs (or administrative penalties, as they are called in the US) are the environmental equivalent of speeding tickets for facilities that violate pollution laws. They are found in numerous jurisdictions and are widely understood as part of a move toward smart regulation. The Ontario regulations offer reduced EPs to facilities with an environmental management system (EMS) that meets the requirements of ISO 14001 or the chemical industry's Responsible Care initiative. We argue that non-governmental, consensus-based standards such as ISO 14001 can and should play a constructive role …

Influences On Effective Local Wildfire Mitigation Programs, Kimberly Ann Geaghan

LSU Master's Theses

The purpose of this research is to identify key components of community wildfire risk reduction programs and potential influences on the adoption of these program elements. Community wildfire programs have been developed to educate and encourage property owners to adopt “vegetation management” practices such as creating defensible space around structures, landscaping with fire-resistant plants, and removing potential wildfire fuels such as trees and shrubs. The analyses are based on a survey conducted by investigators from Louisiana State University in conjunction with the U.S. Forest Service. This survey was distributed to wildfire mitigation program managers listed on the National Wildfire Programs …

Experimental Study Of A Foam Flow In Horizontal Pipes: Two Flow Regimes And Its Implications, Miodrag Bogdanovic

LSU Master's Theses

Although foam has been widely used in many scientific and engineering applications, the current understanding of foam rheology in pipes is still very limited because of its complex nature. This experimental study, for the first time, investigates the flow rheology of foams in pipes by placing a special emphasis on two distinct foam flow regimes. A wide range of experimental conditions are examined in this study, which include five different surfactant formulations (Cedepal FA-406, Petrostep CG-50, Stepanform 1050, Aquet TD-600, and Ultra-Palmolive), three different surfactant concentrations (0.1, 1, and 5 wt %), two different pipe diameters (0.5 and 1 inch …

Airlift Assisted Wastewater Treatment, Brian Sidney Johnson

LSU Master's Theses

Static low density media (SLDM) filtration has been received with great admiration in the aquaculture industry and consequently spawned into the domestic wastewater setting on the pilot scale. This method of granular filtration uses plastic beads to facilitate the roles of both clarification and biofiltration into one compact unit. The fundamental operating principles utilized in this form of treatment can be greatly enhanced when they are coupled with self contained recirculation from airlift pumps. Recirculation of this type in a SLDM unit has the ability to provide multiple passes of the substrate in the wastewater through the bead bed to …

Experimental Investigation Of Unsaturated Soil Stiffness, Ananth Bukkapatnam Tirumala

LSU Master's Theses

Soil stiffness is a strain dependent non-linear parameter. Stiffness is the measure of soil deformation under a particular working load. It can used for predicting ground deformation in engineering earthworks such as highway embankments and foundations. Non-linear analyses for ground behavior have been widely used for developing models to predict the small –strain characteristics of the soil (Atkinson, 2000). This thesis provides a new insight into the behavior of soil stiffness. We used the wave propagation technique to determine the stiffness and term it as the small strain shear modulus (Gmax) of the soil. The objective of the thesis was …

An Investigation Of Decision-Making Style Of Chinese College Student Online Apparel Shoppers, Yao Zeng

LSU Master's Theses

Internet users in China increased to 210 million with an annual growth rate of 53.3 percent in 2007 (CNNIC, 2008). This dramatic increase of Internet usage in China provides numerous opportunities for online marketers. Thirty-eight percent of Chinese netizens are 18 to 24 years old, among whom college netizens account for a large proportion in China (CNNIC, 2008). Given the market potential of targeting this group, research is needed to understand Chinese college students’ online shopping behavior. The purpose of this research was to better understand Chinese college student online apparel shoppers by investigating their decision-making style and explore the …

Exhibition Next: The Future Of Exhibition Design, Santanu Majumdar

LSU Master's Theses

ABSTRACT The ubiquitous presence of design guides our day-to-day actions, determining our awareness, configuring our environment, and modifying our lives. We must acknowledge the power and the opportunity of this dynamic force of design. “At the very least,” Peter Lunenfeld says, “design research saves us from reinventing the wheel. At its best, a lively research methodology can reinvigorate the passion that so often fades after designers join the profession.” Lunenfeld inspires me to consider the evolution of exhibition design. My thesis is about the future of exhibition design, enabling me to explore the changes this area of design is now …

Feasibility Testing For Salsa Neutrino Astrophysics Project, Jarrod Christopher Marsh

LSU Master's Theses

Research is presented that was performed to determine possible locations for a full scale Salt Dome Shower Array (SalSA) neutrino telescope sensitive to energies from TeV ($10^{12}$ eV), PeV ($10^{15}$ eV), and EeV ($10^{18}$ eV) neutrinos. A detector to test possible site locations was designed around a half-Watt Ham radio to transmit short pulses of 145.500 MHz radiation. The research began by designing the system. Several phases of design took place as the system was refined and calibrated. Once finished, it was taken into a field and tested. The objective was to determine how the signals depended on distance. In …

We Believe In The Systems That Keep Us Alive, Ezra Kellerman

LSU Master's Theses

ABSTRACT We Believe In the Systems That Keep Us Alive is a body of work that uses parallels identified between writing and media critique of contemporary events. The parallels are labeled as four specific systems: nutritional, administrative, life-support, and nurturing. Through a combination of interactive and object based sculpture, each system is represented with visual metaphor and allegory to place the viewer in a direct and specialized paradox. Paradoxes audience members encounter are intended to illustrate to the audience what conflicts can arise by being included in a system where governing agency of any sort does not meet with individual …

Ethanol Production Using Continuous Multi-Staged Microbe Bioreactors: A Laboratory Study, William Bruce King

LSU Master's Theses

Alternative fuels are important for the United States to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels. Currently, ethanol is the only renewable fuel that is produced in commercial quantity. The demand for ethanol is increasing throughout the world. The production of ethanol is limited by the available feedstocks and processing technology. Corn is the primary feedstock for ethanol in the United States. It is processed in either the wet milling or dry milling process. Both processes use either the batch or continuous fermentors. Both batch and continuous systems have operational restrictions with maintaining a good growth of yeast and preventing contamination …