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2008

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Modeling And Control Of Piezoactive Micro And Nano Systems, Saeid Bashash Dec 2008

Modeling And Control Of Piezoactive Micro And Nano Systems, Saeid Bashash

All Dissertations

Piezoelectrically-driven (piezoactive) systems such as nanopositioning platforms, scanning probe microscopes, and nanomechanical cantilever probes are advantageous devices enabling molecular-level imaging, manipulation, and characterization in disciplines ranging from materials science to physics and biology. Such emerging applications require precise modeling, control and manipulation of objects, components and subsystems ranging in sizes from few nanometers to micrometers. This dissertation presents a comprehensive modeling and control framework for piezoactive micro and nano systems utilized in various applications.
The development of a precise memory-based hysteresis model for feedforward tracking as well as a Lyapunov-based robust-adaptive controller for feedback tracking control of nanopositioning stages are …

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Fluorescent Conjugated Polymer Dots For Single Molecule Imaging And Sensing Applications, Changfeng Wu Dec 2008

Fluorescent Conjugated Polymer Dots For Single Molecule Imaging And Sensing Applications, Changfeng Wu

All Dissertations

While single molecule imaging and sensing hold the promise of providing unprecedented detail about cellular processes, many advanced applications are limited by the lack of appropriate fluorescence probes. In many cases, currently available fluorescent labels are not sufficiently bright and photostable to overcome the background associated with various autofluorescence and scattering processes. This dissertation describes research efforts focused on the development of a novel class of fluorescent nanoparticles called conjugated polymers dots (CPdots) for single molecule fluorescence detection. The CPdots contain highly fluorescent π-conjugated polymers that have been refined over the last decades as the active material in polymer light-emitting …

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Development And Characterization Of Moisture- And Heat- Activated Oxygen Scavenging Nanoparticle, Youngjae Byun Dec 2008

Development And Characterization Of Moisture- And Heat- Activated Oxygen Scavenging Nanoparticle, Youngjae Byun

All Dissertations

Alpha-tocopherol and a transition metal, iron, mixture was evaluated as a possible oxygen scavenger. The effects of moisture, amount of transition metal, and thermal processing on oxygen scavenging capability were also investigated. Results showed that alpha-tocopherol and transition metal had 6.72 cc oxygen per gram of oxygen scavenging capacity and 0.11 cc oxygen per gram per day of oxygen scavenging rate.
Nanoencapsulation technology was adopted for the possible oxygen scavenging activation system. Alpha-tocopherol-loaded poly caprolactone (PCL) nanoparticles were prepared by oil in water (O/W) emulsion solvent evaporation with ultrasonification. The effects of PCL concentration, solvent in oil phase, and ultrasonification …

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Synthesis, Characterization, And Application Of Ag Nanostructures, Stephen Hudson Dec 2008

Synthesis, Characterization, And Application Of Ag Nanostructures, Stephen Hudson

All Dissertations

Noble metal nanoparticles (NPs) have been used for many centuries; however their properties were not truly scrutinized until Michael Farady's investigations in the 1850's. Advances in the field of nanotechnology over the last three decades have enabled insights into the properties of materials as their dimensions are reduced to the nanoscale. The repercussions of these insights are seen in many modern applications.
In this dissertation, properties of novel nanostructures based on Ag NPs are presented and discussed. The exceptional optical properties of Ag NPs stem from the collective oscillations of the conduction electrons known as plasmon resonances. The excitation of …

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Novel Xanthine And Oxanine Dna Glycosylase Activities In Yeast And Mammalian Systems, Liang Dong Dec 2008

Novel Xanthine And Oxanine Dna Glycosylase Activities In Yeast And Mammalian Systems, Liang Dong

All Dissertations

DNA that stores genetic information is frequently damaged in cells. The DNA bases carrying an exocyclic amino group [adenine (A), guanine (G), cytosine (C)] encounter deamination even under physiological conditions. Xanthine (X) and the newly discovered oxanine (O) are derived from deamination of guanine; they are potentially cytotoxic and mutagenic lesions. However, in yeast and eukaryotes, studies on the enzymatic repair of these lesions are limited.
In the yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe thymine-DNA glycosylase (Spo TDG) is homologous to human thymine-DNA glycosylase (hTDG), an enzyme that removes thymine from T/G pair. It was reported that Spo TDG contains uracil DNA glycosylase …

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Infestation Of Tsuga Canadensis And Tsuga Caroliniana To Hemlock Woolly Adelgid And Possible Insecticidal Management Strategies, Mark Faulkenberry Dec 2008

Infestation Of Tsuga Canadensis And Tsuga Caroliniana To Hemlock Woolly Adelgid And Possible Insecticidal Management Strategies, Mark Faulkenberry

All Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the development rates of hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) infestations on sites containing primarily eastern hemlock, sites that contained predominantly Carolina hemlock, and sites where the two species occurred together, and to quantify the relationship between HWA density and canopy thinning in hemlocks. The study was conducted at 11 sites in DuPont State Forest near Brevard, NC, one site in nearby Caesar's Head State Park, Cleveland, SC, and one site near Whiteside Mountain, near Highlands, NC. In the second year of the study, one of the three Carolina hemlock sites was treated with …

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Dna Deamination Repair Enzymes In Bacterial And Human Systems, Rongjuan Mi Dec 2008

Dna Deamination Repair Enzymes In Bacterial And Human Systems, Rongjuan Mi

All Dissertations

DNA repair enzymes and pathways are diverse and critical for living cells to maintain correct genetic information. Single-strand-selective monofunctional uracil DNA glycosylase (SMUG1) belongs to Family 3 of the uracil DNA glycosylase superfamily. We report that a bacterial SMUG1 ortholog in Geobacter metallireducens (Gme) and the human SMUG1 enzyme are not only uracil DNA glycosylases (UDG), but also xanthine DNA glycosylases (XDG). Mutations at M57 (M57L) and H210 (H210G, H210M, H210N) can cause substantial reductions in XDG and UDG activities. Increased selectivity is achieved in the A214R mutant of Gme SMUG1 and G60Y completely abolishes XDG and UDG activity. Most …

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The Influence Ofattribute Performance Appraisal, Emotion And Time On The Satisfaction Response Of Golf Travelers, Brian Krohn Dec 2008

The Influence Ofattribute Performance Appraisal, Emotion And Time On The Satisfaction Response Of Golf Travelers, Brian Krohn

All Dissertations

Golf travel has been shown to be a strong component of the economy for regions that rely on tourism for generating revenue (Flowers, 2006). As a reflection of the importance of this component of the tourism industry, researchers have examined the components of the golf travel experience (Petrick & Backman, 2002). One methods to examine the quality of the experiences is to examine variables such as perceived value (Hutchinson, Lai & Wang, in press), loyalty (Backman, 1991) and satisfaction (Petrick & Backman 2001, 2002b).
Consumer behavior research has looked at satisfaction as a gauge of the quality of the experience …

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Vascular Tissue Engineering: The Creation Of Living, Non-Thrombogenic, Functional Blood Vessels Based On Elastin Scaffolds, Aditee Kurane Dec 2008

Vascular Tissue Engineering: The Creation Of Living, Non-Thrombogenic, Functional Blood Vessels Based On Elastin Scaffolds, Aditee Kurane

All Dissertations

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide. Blood vessel replacement is a common treatment for vascular diseases such as atherosclerosis, restenosis and aneurysm, with over 300,000 bypass procedures performed each year. However, vein grafts are limited due to their availability. Although synthetic vascular replacements have been successful for large diameter arteries, they have shown minimal success in arteries with diameters <6mm. This is because most synthetic materials induce thrombus formation which, within a few months of implantation, causes failure of the vascular graft due to occlusion. Tissue engineering is a promising approach to the fabrication of non-thrombogenic vascular grafts, but a reliable and expandable cell source for tissue-engineered vascular graft (TEVG) has not been established.
The work presented here is motivated by the current unavailability of an ideal tissue engineered blood vessel replacement. Our overall goal is to create a living tissue engineered vascular graft that is biodegradable, non-thromobogenic, presents low antigenicity and …

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Ecm Stabilization Strategies For Bioprosthetic Heart Valves For Improved Durability, Devanathan Raghavan Dec 2008

Ecm Stabilization Strategies For Bioprosthetic Heart Valves For Improved Durability, Devanathan Raghavan

All Dissertations

Abstract
Approximately 85,000 heart valve replacement surgeries are performed every year in United States and about 300,000 surgeries worldwide. It is estimated that half of them are mechanical valve replacements and the other half bioprosthetic valve replacements. The use of bioprosthetic heart valves is slowly increasing. Bioprosthetic heart valves are made from porcine aortic valves or bovine pericardium. Commercially these bioprostheses are currently crosslinked using glutaraldehyde (GLUT) to prevent tissue degradation and reduce tissue antigenicity. GLUT crosslinks these bioprostheses by stabilizing the collagen present in the tissue via a Schiff base reaction of the aldehyde with the hydroxylysine / lysine …

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Institutional Culture, Performance, And Learning In A Two-Year Technical/Community College, Vicky Maloney Dec 2008

Institutional Culture, Performance, And Learning In A Two-Year Technical/Community College, Vicky Maloney

All Dissertations

The environments of higher education institutions have undergone significant changes in the past twenty years as a result of concerns expressed in prominent reports. These external concerns and initiatives reflect contemporary criticisms by the public about the efficiency and effectiveness of the performance of institutions. The response from research, legislatures, and the institutions has been to implement practices aimed at improvement and borrowed from business and industry. Research indicates that this performance orientation to change in higher education has largely failed, due in part to the lack of attention given to the culture of the institution.
Emerging research indicates a …

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Topographic Analysis And Predictive Modeling Using Geographic Information Systems, Steven Hall Dec 2008

Topographic Analysis And Predictive Modeling Using Geographic Information Systems, Steven Hall

All Dissertations

This dissertation describes three GIS models developed to better model topographic features and the occurrence of mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia) in the southern Appalachian Mountains. The first study presented 'A LiDAR based GIS model to calculate Terrain Shape Index on a landscape scale', attempts to develop a GIS based model to calculate the Terrain Shape Index (TSI). TSI is typically collected in the field using a series of elevation measurements to determine the average elevation change within the study plot. In this study, a GIS model is developed and TSI values compared to those collected using conventional methods. The second …

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Sarah Higley, Hildegard Of Bingen's Unknown Language: An Edition, Translation And Discussion. (The New Middle Ages Series.) Palgrave Macmillan, 2007, Sandra Ballif Straubhaar Dec 2008

Sarah Higley, Hildegard Of Bingen's Unknown Language: An Edition, Translation And Discussion. (The New Middle Ages Series.) Palgrave Macmillan, 2007, Sandra Ballif Straubhaar

Medieval Feminist Forum: A Journal of Gender and Sexuality

No abstract provided.

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Planning With Ifalcon: Towards A Neural-Network-Based Bdi Agent Architecture, Budhitama Subagdja, Ah-Hwee Tan Dec 2008

Planning With Ifalcon: Towards A Neural-Network-Based Bdi Agent Architecture, Budhitama Subagdja, Ah-Hwee Tan

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

This paper presents iFALCON, a model of BDI (beliefdesire-intention) agents that is fully realized as a selforganizing neural network architecture. Based on multichannel network model called fusion ART, iFALCON is developed to bridge the gap between a self-organizing neural network that autonomously adapts its knowledge and the BDI agent model that follows explicit descriptions. Novel techniques called gradient encoding are introduced for representing sequences and hierarchical structures to realize plans and the intention structure. This paper shows that a simplified plan representation can be encoded as weighted connections in the neural network through a process of supervised learning. A case …

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Situating Emotion: A Critical Realist View Of Emotion And Nonconscious Cognitive Processes For Law And Legal Theory, David J. Arkush Dec 2008

Situating Emotion: A Critical Realist View Of Emotion And Nonconscious Cognitive Processes For Law And Legal Theory, David J. Arkush

BYU Law Review

No abstract provided.

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2008 December, Office Of Communications & Marketing, Morehead State University. Dec 2008

2008 December, Office Of Communications & Marketing, Morehead State University.

Morehead State Press Release Archive, 1961 to the Present

Press releases for December of 2008.

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Central Florida Future, Vol. 40 No. 109, December 1, 2008 Dec 2008

Central Florida Future, Vol. 40 No. 109, December 1, 2008

Central Florida Future

Homelessness to rise as the economy sinks; Blaze of despair; Gay day strikes for equality; Graduate schools see more interest; Boba tea time around UCF.

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The Issues Of Carbon Sequestration, Francisco M. Pati, David Clay, Gregg Carlson Dec 2008

The Issues Of Carbon Sequestration, Francisco M. Pati, David Clay, Gregg Carlson

SDSU Extension Fact Sheets

No abstract provided.

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Cultural Scenarios Of The Fantastic, Asunción López-Varela Dec 2008

Cultural Scenarios Of The Fantastic, Asunción López-Varela

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

In her article, "Cultural Scenarios of the Fantastic," Asunción López-Varela Azcárate explores the relationship between technological development, the materiality of objects, the concept of ontological presence, and the emergence of abstract and fantastic models. López-Varela Azcárate argues that since the early twentieth century there has been a return to the fantastic in literature and that this is related to neo-baroque attitudes whose foundations are a systemic way of knowing that unveils a world understandable from an epistemology of complexity and ambiguity. In postmodern neo-baroque aesthetics, with its focus on technological re-mediating, that is, transferring information across different media, originality is …

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Nano-Raman Spectroscopy And Surface Nanostructuring Using Near-Field Optics, Kaijun Yi Dec 2008

Nano-Raman Spectroscopy And Surface Nanostructuring Using Near-Field Optics, Kaijun Yi

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

To satisfy the development of nanoscience and nanotechnology, techniques to characterize and fabricate nanostructures and nanodevices are in great demand. Laser, as a unique monochromatic and coherent light source, meets the needs because it exhibits the potential to reveal some vital information of the materials. However, the applications of laser technology to nanoscience and nanotechnology are facing a severe challenge: the spatial resolution cannot be further enhanced to achieve nanometer scales due to the optical diffraction limit associated with conventional optics. In response to this challenge, near-field optics has been emerging as a new scientific area to deal with optical …

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Food Resources Of Carnaby’S Black-Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus Latirostris) In The Gnangara Sustainability Strategy Study Area, Leonie E. Valentine, William Stock Dec 2008

Food Resources Of Carnaby’S Black-Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus Latirostris) In The Gnangara Sustainability Strategy Study Area, Leonie E. Valentine, William Stock

Research outputs pre 2011

Carnaby’s Black-Cockatoo is an endangered species, with less than 50% of the original population remaining (Garnett and Crowley 2000). A major threatening process includes habitat fragmentation and the removal of critical feeding resources (Cale 2003). The GSS study area in an important foraging area during the non-breeding season for Carnaby’s Black-Cockatoo. Both native banksia woodlands and pine plantations have been recognised as an important food resource (Perry 1948; Saunders 1974b; Saunders 1980). Expanding urban populations and agricultural development has resulted in the removal of approximately 50% of native vegetation in the GSS study area. Within the remnant vegetation, the energetics, …

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Release Of Roadside Native Perennial Grasses Following Removal Of Yellow Starthistle, Stephen L. Young, Victor P. Claassen Dec 2008

Release Of Roadside Native Perennial Grasses Following Removal Of Yellow Starthistle, Stephen L. Young, Victor P. Claassen

West Central Research and Extension Center, North Platte

The ecological benefits of a roadside native perennial grass stand are compromised when invasive species become established. We evaluated the potential to regenerate existing native perennial grass stands populated with yellow starthistle (Centaurea solstitialis) on a roadside planting in the lowland hills of the interior Coast Range of northern California. The experiment was designed to determine the effects of mowing, burning, or herbicide spraying, alone and in combination, on the vegetative cover and density of native perennial grasses and C. solstitialis. The study site contained blue wildrye (Elymus glaucus) and purple needlegrass (Nassella pulchra) as well as C. solstitialis. Burn, …

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Seasonal Changes In A Eutrophic Lake (Wilgreen Lake, Madison County, Kentucky) From Summer Stratification Through Fall Turnover, Richard D. Stockwell, Walter S. Borowski Dec 2008

Seasonal Changes In A Eutrophic Lake (Wilgreen Lake, Madison County, Kentucky) From Summer Stratification Through Fall Turnover, Richard D. Stockwell, Walter S. Borowski

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

No abstract provided.

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The Extra-Territorial Reach Of U.S. Patent Law On Space-Related Activities: Does The "International Shoe" Fit As We Reach For The Stars?, Kurt G. Hammerle, Theodore U. Ro Dec 2008

The Extra-Territorial Reach Of U.S. Patent Law On Space-Related Activities: Does The "International Shoe" Fit As We Reach For The Stars?, Kurt G. Hammerle, Theodore U. Ro

Journal of Space Law

No abstract provided.

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Reflections Upon The Notion Of Liability: The Instances Of Kosmos 954 And Space Debris, Andrew Brearley Dec 2008

Reflections Upon The Notion Of Liability: The Instances Of Kosmos 954 And Space Debris, Andrew Brearley

Journal of Space Law

No abstract provided.

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International Space Exploration And Critical Transparency Of Basic Research: Impact Of The U.S. International Traffic In Arms Regulations, George S. Robinson, Eric Mcadamis Dec 2008

International Space Exploration And Critical Transparency Of Basic Research: Impact Of The U.S. International Traffic In Arms Regulations, George S. Robinson, Eric Mcadamis

Journal of Space Law

No abstract provided.

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Biological Invasions And Biocultural Diversity: Linking Ecological And Cultural Systems, Jeanine Pfeiffer, Robert Voeks Dec 2008

Biological Invasions And Biocultural Diversity: Linking Ecological And Cultural Systems, Jeanine Pfeiffer, Robert Voeks

Faculty Publications

Study of the ecological and economic effects of invasive species has paralleled their progressively pervasive influence worldwide, yet their cultural impacts remain largely unexamined and therefore unrecognized. Unlike biological systems, where the ecological consequences of biological invasions are primarily negative, from an ethnoscientific standpoint, invasive species' impacts on cultural systems span a range of effects. Biological invasions affect cultural groups in myriad, often unpredictable and at times contradictory ways. This review groups case studies into a conceptual matrix suggesting three categorically different cultural impacts of invasive species. Culturally impoverishing invasive species precipitate the loss or replacement of culturally important native …

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Carolyne Larrington, King Arthur's Enchantresses: Morgan And Her Sisters In Arthurian Tradition. I. B. Tauris, 2006, Kristin Bovaird-Abbo Dec 2008

Carolyne Larrington, King Arthur's Enchantresses: Morgan And Her Sisters In Arthurian Tradition. I. B. Tauris, 2006, Kristin Bovaird-Abbo

Medieval Feminist Forum: A Journal of Gender and Sexuality

No abstract provided.

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Si Cycle In The Cariaco Basin, Venezuela: Seasonal Variability In Silicate Availability And The Si:C:N Composition Of Sinking Particles, Robert C. Thunell, Claudia Benitez-Nelson, Frank E. Muller-Karger, Laura Lorenzoni, Mary Scranton, Ramon Varela, Yrene Astor, Kent A. Fanning Dec 2008

Si Cycle In The Cariaco Basin, Venezuela: Seasonal Variability In Silicate Availability And The Si:C:N Composition Of Sinking Particles, Robert C. Thunell, Claudia Benitez-Nelson, Frank E. Muller-Karger, Laura Lorenzoni, Mary Scranton, Ramon Varela, Yrene Astor, Kent A. Fanning

Marine Science Faculty Publications

A 9‐year time series of water column and sediment trap measurements was used to examine silicon cycling within the anoxic Cariaco Basin. The dynamic hydrographic regime within Cariaco Basin results in strong seasonal changes in nutrient availability and the Si:C:N of sinking particles. Upwelling in early winter injects silicic acid (Si(OH)4= ) and nitrate (NO3−) rich waters into the photic zone which stimulates primary production and results in opal fluxes in excess of 4 mmol Si m−2 d−1. However, even during upwelling, surface waters tend to be depleted (<1 μM) in …

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Sequence Alignment With Traceback On Reconfigurable Hardware, Scott Lloyd, Quinn O. Snell Dec 2008

Sequence Alignment With Traceback On Reconfigurable Hardware, Scott Lloyd, Quinn O. Snell

Faculty Publications

Biological sequence alignment is an essential tool used in molecular biology and biomedical applications. The growing volume of genetic data and the complexity of sequence alignment present a challenge in obtaining alignment results in a timely manner. Known methods to accelerate alignment on reconfigurable hardware only address sequence comparison, limit the sequence length, or exhibit memory and I/O bottlenecks. A space-efficient, global sequence alignment algorithm and architecture is presented that accelerates the forward scan and traceback in hardware without memory and I/O limitations. With 256 processing elements in FPGA technology, a performance gain over 300 times that of a desktop …

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