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Road To The Green Seal, Milos Cerovic

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Green Seal is one of the most recognized non profit organizations that work closely with companies from all over the country to provide certification of environmentally friendly products used by employees. There are many reasons for product certification process. The most obvious one is to preserve the environment and energy efficiency. Another important reason is to reduce the cost and increase the profit by using products with higher durability and less expensive packaging. Of equal importance is participation in green initiatives which allows hotels and other organizations to capture additional businesses, media exposure etc. InterContinental Chicago is the largest and …

The Wagner-Peyser Act And U.S. Employment Service: Seventy-Five Years Of Matching Job Seekers And Employers, Christopher J. O'Leary, Randall W. Eberts

Reports

This paper provides an overview of the public labor exchange system in the United States, how it came to be, and where it is going. The paper begins by offering a brief history of the development of the U.S. Employment Service, emphasizing the federal-state partnership that has evolved over time and highlighting the differing priorities Congress has placed on the services funded under Wagner-Peyser Act. It then examines the ways workers search for jobs and employers recruit employees. It also shows the role the ES plays in this job matching process. The complementarity between ES services and the broader workforce …

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.

High School Boys' Basketball And The Social Structure Of Suburban, Rural, And Urban High School Communities : A Comparative Case Study., Jason K. Miller

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the relationship between high school boys' basketball and the social structure of a suburban, rural, and urban high school in the lower Midwest. These schools surround a metropolitan area of approximately one million people. The researcher used interviews, observations, and mining of documents to collect data. The study answered four research questions. The first question addressed the social structure of the three schools. Each school contained a group associated with sport participation called "jock" or "athlete." The second research question examined how boys' basketball participation affected social group membership and the associated positive and negative aspects. At …

Rear Impact Crashworthiness Of A Manual Wc19 Wheelchair Occupied By A 50th Percentile Atd., Zdravko Salipur

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For persons with disabilities, access to transportation is necessary for integration into society. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has been instrumental in assuring transportation access to individuals with disabilities for purposes of employment, education, and recreation. A substantial number of wheelchair users may not be able to transfer from their wheelchair to a motor vehicle seat during transportation. It is necessary to afford these wheelchair users the same level of safety as occupants seated in motor vehicle seats. The purpose of this study was to investigate the response of a manual wheelchair used as a motor vehicle seat, while …

St. Ambrose And The Architecture Of The Churches Of Northern Italy : Ecclesiastical Architecture As A Function Of Liturgy., Sylvia Crenshaw Schneider 1948-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis argues that the architecture of the churches of northern Italy that were constructed during the fifth and sixth centuries reflected the influence and vision of Ambrose, bishop of Milan (374-397), whose spiritual authority, theologically and liturgically, militantly extended the ecclesiastical authority of the see of Milan. In particular, this thesis demonstrates that the hegemony of the see of Milan in northern Italy was implemented in the architectural accommodation of the distinctive Ambrosian liturgy of Milan. To develop this argument, this thesis has adopted an integrated approach to the political and ecclesiastical history of northern Italy in the fourth …

Experiences Influencing Degree Completion Articulated By Doctoral Students In Education Administration., David Lee Barnett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Educational literature indicates that approximately half of all doctoral students persist to degree completion. The literature indicates persistence rates among the social sciences are even lower. This study examined factors influencing doctoral student persistence in education administration programs. Tinto's theory of graduate student persistence framed four research questions: Do the demographics of doctoral students persisting to degree completion in education administration differ from those not completing their programs? Do doctoral students in education administration programs articulate experiences of academic integration as influencing their persistence? Do doctoral students in education administration programs articulate experiences of social integration as influencing their persistence? …

Altered Developmental Programming Of The Mouse Mammary Gland In Female Offspring Following Perinatal Dietary Exposures : A Systems-Biology Perspective., Caleb Deen Bastian

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Mishaps in prenatal development can influence mammary gland development and, ultimately, affect susceptibility to factors that cause breast cancer. This research was based on the underlying hypothesis that maternal dietary composition during pregnancy can alter developmental (fetal) programming of the mammary gland. We used a computational systems-biology approach and Bayesian-based stochastic search variable selection algorithm (SSVS) to identify differentially expressed genes and biological themes and pathways. Postnatal growth trajectories and gene expression in the mammary gland at 10-weeks of age in female mice were investigated following different maternal diet exposures during prenatal-lactational-early-juvenile development. This correlated a decrease in expression of …

Modeling The Relationship Between Air Quality And Intelligent Transportation System (Its) With Artificial Neural Networks., Dinesh Kumar Gupta 1965-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Environmental or air quality impacts of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) are very difficult to measure. Some researchers have attempted to quantify the effects of individual ITS application on emissions; yet, the effects of ITS as a whole on ambient air quality have not been investigated. The objective of this research was to model the relationship between ITS and ambient air quality. The multiple Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) training with the data yielded a model for predicting the air quality. In addition, the ANN made the measurement of the effect of ITS on air quality possible. Data pertaining to sixty US …

On The Mutual Information And Power Allocation For Vector Gaussian Channels With Finite Discrete Inputs, Chengshan Xiao, Yahong Rosa Zheng

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this paper, the mutual information and power allocation are discussed for vector Gaussian channels with finite discrete inputs. It is shown that the classic water filling and mercury-water filling policies, which are allocating power to a bank of independent parallel channels, may lead to significant loss compared to the original system without power allocation for finite discrete inputs. a generalized linear precoder, which is a non-diagonal and non-unitary matrix, is proposed for cross- channel power allocation to maximize the mutual information for vector channels. Numerical examples show that the new precoding-Based power allocation provides significant gain for a broad …

Proper Orthogonal Decomposition In The Generation Of Reduced Order Models For Interconnects, Wu Zhong Lin, Yao Jiang Zhang, Er Ping Li

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this paper, reduced order models are generated using the technique of proper orthogonal decomposition (POD), also known as Karhunen-Loève decomposition (KLD) for the simulations of interconnect problems. Model order reduction is achieved by projecting the state-space of the original problems onto a subspace spanned by a few numbers of proper orthogonal modes (POMs) extracted by the POD procedure from an ensemble of system responses at a series of selected frequencies. the proper orthogonal values (POVs) corresponding to the POMs indicate the level of the importance of each POM and provide a guidance for the number of POMs to be …

Secure Virtual Backbone-Based Power Management For Ad Hoc Networks, Hung Yuan Hsu, Ali R. Hurson

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Power saving is a critical issue in wireless ad hoc networks. Many of the existing energy efficient routing protocols utilize the power management feature provided by MAC layer (e.g., IEEE 802.11 PSM). the rationale behind these protocols is to power down (put in sleep) the redundant nodes that do not involve in the packets routing. to keep a low end-to-end latency and preserve the routing fidelity, a group of nodes are selected to constitute a virtual backbone throughout the network. the backbone nodes do not sleep all the time serving for the packets routing while the rest of nodes turn …

Liquefaction Behavior Of Mississippi River Silts, Ali M. Izadi, Ronaldo Luna, Richard Wesley Stephenson

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Civil Infrastructure Built on Alluviums and Recent Deposits, Such as Dams, Contain Significant Amount of Silts. the Static and Dynamic Behavior of These Fine-Grained Soils Has Been Investigated Less Than the Clay-Like or Sand-Like Soils. Low Plasticity Silts (PI = 6) Obtained East of St. Louis in Illinois Are Known as Loess that Has Been Re-Deposited by Water in the Floodplains of the Mississippi River. These Silts Were Reconstituted in the Laboratory by Slurry at Water Content above the Liquid Limit and Then Consolidated to an Initial Effective Stress. the Initial Laboratory Characterization under Monotonic Loading Included a Series of …

Piano Study And Gender Associations: A Query Into The Perceptions Of Children Ages Five To Fourteen, Richard C. Winfree

Music Theses & Dissertations

From its inception, male composers and performers such as Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Rachmaninoff, Cliburn, and Kempffhad dominated piano performance. Recent research suggests, however, that the piano has been designated with a feminine gender stereotype. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of public school children ages five to fourteen years old relative to gender association and piano study to determine if a gender stereotype existed and at what age, if any, the stereotype stabilized.

To achieve this purpose, two surveys were created and implemented by the researcher. The first survey was administered to 879 students in …

A Comparison Of Faculty And Administrator Perceptions Of The Merger Of Kentucky's Community Colleges And Vocational/Technical Institutes., Jason Douglas Warren

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

One of the most nationally-recognized, two-year legislative reform initiatives in the U.S. began in Kentucky with the passage of the Kentucky Postsecondary Education Improvement Act of 1997 (HB1). This exploratory, cross-sectional, correlational study was administered at the 10-year anniversary of the HB1-legislated formation of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS), which originally combined 13 community colleges formerly governed by the University of Kentucky and 25 vocational/technical institutes previously governed by the Kentucky Cabinet for Workforce Development. This dissertation examined faculty and administrator perceptions of the merger of Kentucky's community colleges and vocational/technical institutes that resulted from HB1. Two …

Advancing The Knowledge Of Local Health Care Policy Through The Growth Machine Thesis., David P. Houvenagle 1965-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A disciplined-configurative case study design was carried out to explore whether a growth machine exists and shapes local healthcare policy in Louisville. A historical analysis first explored whether a growth machine existed in Louisville in the past and shaped healthcare policy. Second, a network analysis was used to identify the recent contours of the Louisville growth machine. Third, qualitative interviews were conducted with central individuals as indicated by the social network analysis to assess the degree to which local healthcare policy is shaped and driven by the growth machine. The results show that Louisville has consistently had a growth machine …

Piles Under Earthquake Loads, Shamsher Prakash, Vijay K. Puri

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Piles are preferred type of foundation for supporting structures in seismic areas. their performance is affected by soil, pile and earthquake related parameters. in non-liquefying soils, the shear modulus may degrade, and material damping may increase with increasing strain/displacement. in liquefying soils, the lateral ground displacement may lead to increased lateral loads and moments on the pile leading to pile failure in bending. the loss of lateral support can also lead to buckling type failure. These issues for pile design in seismic areas are examined. © 2008 ASCE.

Obesity And Spatial Context In Appalachia, Roberta J. Alt

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The prevalence of obesity has increased substantially over the past 30 years. Obesity is a multi-factorial disorder, which is often associated with many other significant diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases, osteoarthritis and certain cancers. For these reasons, it is a complex health issue to address. The objective of this study is to identify the factors which are responsible for the spatial variation of adult obesity throughout the Appalachian region. In addition, preliminary examinations are made to identify potential associations between geographic variability in the prevalence of obesity and the characteristics of individuals and places with variable …

Republican Mothers Of And Above Their Time: Abigail Adams And Theodosia Burr Alston, Joanna Lyn Reynolds

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Unique in their time, Abigail Adams and Theodosia Burr Alston possessed intellectual accomplishments, social prominence, and economic status. Also, both women enjoyed supportive marriages with influential husbands as well as proximity to leading male figures of the Revolution and the new nation. Yet, similar to other women of their era, Abigail Adams and Theodosia Burr Alston nurtured their children's educational and moral development, supported their husbands' public service, and kept informed about current events. While marked differences in lifestyle, geographic environment, familial dynamics, and the public and political affiliations of their male family members distinguished them from each other, as …

Exhaled Nitric Oxide. An Emerging Marker Of Inflammation In Respiratory Diseases, Syed S. Habib

Saudi Medical Journal

Fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FENO) is a recently introduced non invasive marker to measure inflammation and oxidative stress in the lung. The numerous roles of NO in respiratory pathophysiology have been extensively reviewed. There is contradictory evidence regarding the exact function of NO in lung diseases. In pathological states, the enzyme inducible NO synthase generates extraordinarily high concentrations of NO when the body faces an inflammatory response by attracting macrophages that generate NO and hence NO participate in host defense against specific organisms. Fractional exhaled nitric oxide measurements have been useful in asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cystic fibrosis, and …

Prescribing Safety In Primary Care. Comparing The United Kingdom And Saudi Arabia, Haya S. Zedan, Anthony J. Avery

Saudi Medical Journal

Most consultations in primary care end with a prescription for medication. As a result, the potential for error in prescriptions and the potential harm to patients must be carefully considered and action taken to increase the safety of patients in these situations. Policy makers and health professionals have an obligation to protect public health. This review aims to compare and critically assess the main policies, initiatives, and guidance that have been developed to improve the safety of prescribing in primary care in the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia. The report also suggests particular areas of need that might be addressed …

In Vitro Testing Of Daptomycin Plus Rifampin Against Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Resistant To Rifampin, Faisal A. Khasawneh, Deborah S. Ashcraft, George A. Pankey

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVE: To test for synergy between daptomycin (DAP) and rifampin (RIF) against RIF-resistant methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates. METHODS: Synergy testing using time-kill assay (TKA) was performed on 6 clinically, and genetically unique RIF-resistant MRSA isolates. The isolates were identified out of 489 (1.2%) samples collected during April 2003 to August 2006, from patients at the Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States of America. RESULTS: Synergy testing of DAP plus RIF by TKA showed that 5 isolates were indifferent, but one isolate was antagonistic. CONCLUSION: Our in vitro study failed to demonstrate synergy between DAP plus RIF, …

Medical Abortion At First Trimester Of Pregnancy With Misoprostol, Sedigheh Ayati, Fatemeh V. Roudsari, Naiereh Khadem, Mohamad T Shakeri

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of medical abortion at first trimester of pregnancy with vaginal misoprostol. METHODS: This is a descriptive analytic study. It was performed on 100 women at first trimester of pregnancy referred to teaching hospitals related to the Medical Sciences of Mashhad University, Mashhad, Iran for termination of pregnancy in 2006. Each patient received first dose of misoprostol (800 μg/vaginal), the second dose (800 μg/vaginal) was administered 24 hours after the first dose if expulsion of conceptus was not successful and curettage was performed if product of conception remained. RESULTS: From 100 patients, 83 women (83%) had …

Oxidative Stress And Antioxidant Status In Neonatal Hyperbilirubinemia, Mehmet Davutoglu, Ekrem Guler, Seref Olgar, Ergul B. Kurutas, Hamza Karabiber, Mesut Garipardic, Hasan C. Ekerbicer

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the possible relationships between plasma bilirubin levels and concentrations of nitric oxide (NO), malondialdehyde (MDA), and erythrocyte antioxidant enzyme activities in newborn infants with hyperbilirubinemia. METHODS: Thirty term (gestational age >/= 37 weeks) newborn infants with indirect hyperbilirubinemia aged less than 10 days were prospectively recruited in the Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam University Neonatal Unit, Kahramanmaras, Turkey, between January and July 2007. Thirty randomly selected healthy newborns who had similar age and without clinical jaundice comprised the control group. Erythrocyte catalase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, and plasma MDA and NO concentrations were measured. RESULTS: Both …

Folic Acid Awareness Among Female College Students. Neural Tube Defects Prevention, Jameela A. Kari, Ekhlas S. Bardisi, Rabaa M. Baitalmal, Ghofran A. Ageely

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the level of awareness among female college students on the importance of preconception folic acid supplementation in preventing neural tube defects (NTDs). We have also studied their response after educating them. METHODS: This is a questionnaire-based study. Five hundreds questionnaires were distributed to the female students of the 3 colleges, namely, Humanities, Sciences, and Health in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in April 2008. The questions included an enquiry on their knowledge regarding the importance of folic acid preconception, and if they will implement what they learned after listening to lectures, delivered by the 4th year medical …

Water Status Of Breastfed Infants During Weaning In Yazd, Iran, Mehrdad Shakiba, Talie Montehaee, Zahra Nafei, Mohamad H. Falahzade

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the state of hydration in infants during the weaning period in dry and hot climates in the center of Iran. METHODS: Using a refractometer, 162 urine specific gravity (USG) was measured from 400 infants, between 4 to 6 months old. They were chosen among infants who visited the primary clinics in the city of Yazd, Iran for routine vaccination during the summer and winter of 2005. A questionnaire was filled out on air conditioning system and diet from mothers. A USG >1.020 was accepted as dehydrated, and a USG <1.010 as well hydrated. RESULTS: Thirty-one percent of the infants were dehydrated, and 34% were well hydrated, infants were more dehydrated in summer (p<0.05). Twenty-seven percent of them started solid food without water supplementation, and dehydration was significant in most of them (p<0.05). We could not determine which type of air conditioning devices now used at home affect water status, but there was a trend toward dehydration in those using both fan and cooler (p=0.096). CONCLUSION: In the desert area in the center of Iran, during weaning, approximately one third of the infants are exposed to the danger of dehydration. Our primary health care provider should consider the priority of water during weaning when water supplementation is safe.

Topical Therapy Of Acne Vulgaris Using 2% Tea Lotion In Comparison With 5% Zinc Sulphate Solution, Khalifa E. Sharquie, Adil A. Noaimi, Mazin M. Al-Salih

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate effectiveness of 2% tea lotion in comparison with 5% zinc sulphate solution in the treatment of acne vulgaris. METHODS: This is a single-blind randomly comparative therapeutic clinical trial carried out in the Department of Dermatology, Baghdad Teaching Hospital, Baghdad, Iraq from June 2006 to December 2007. Full history and clinical examination were studied for each patient regarding all relevant points of the disease, to evaluate the severity of acne. Forty-seven patients with acne vulgaris were divided randomly into 2 groups, and were instructed to use the following solutions twice daily for 2 months; group A used 2% …

Treatment Of Perniosis With Oral Pentoxyfylline In Comparison With Oral Prednisolone Plus Topical Clobetasol Ointment In Iraqi Patients, Adil A. Noaimi, Basman M. Fadheel

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of pentoxyfylline in treatment of perniosis in comparison with prednisolone plus topical clobetasol ointment. METHODS: This is an open comparative therapeutic trial conducted in the Department of Dermatology, Baghdad Teaching Hospital, Baghdad, Iraq between January and March 2008. Forty patients with perniosis were enrolled in this study, and divided randomly into 2 equal groups, according to the sort of treatment. Group A comprised patients who received oral prednisolone 0.5 mg/kg in 2 divided doses, and topical clobetasol ointment for 2 weeks. Group B comprised patients who received pentoxyfylline tablet 1200 mg/day in 3 …

Hepatitis B And C Knowledge Among Saudi Dental Patients, Nahid Y. Ashri

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVE: To explore Saudi dental patients9 awareness of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections and its knowledge of transmission; and to compare the HBV and HCV knowledge and practices of men and women. METHODS: A pre-tested anonymous self-administered one-page questionnaire consisting of 3 parts with 32 different statements concerning basic knowledge of HBV and HCV, their mode of transmission, risk behaviors, prevention, treatment and immunization were randomly distributed to dental patients at clinics and waiting areas of different governmental and private dental clinics. The study was conducted between 2006 and 2007, in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi …

Spatial Modeling Of Malaria Incidence Rates In Sistan And Baluchistan Province, Islamic Republic Of Iran, Masoud Salehi, Kazem Mohammad, Mahmud M. Farahani, Hojjat Zeraati, Keramat Nourijelyani, Farid Zayeri

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVE: To identify the effect of environmental factors on malaria risk, and to visualize spatial map of malaria standard incidence rates in Sistan and Baluchistan province, Islamic Republic of Iran. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, the data from 42,162 registered new malaria cases from 21 March 2001 (Iranian new year) to 21 of March 2006 were studied. To describe the statistical association between environmental factors and malaria risk, a generalized linear mixed model approach was utilized. In addition, we used the second ordered stationary Kriging, and a variogram to determine the appropriate spatial correlation structure among the malaria standard incidence …