Digital Commons Network^™

Examining The Perceived Benefits For Engaging In Cybersex Behavior Among College Students, Delores D. Rimington

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study examined college students’ cybersex use, perceived benefits of use, time spent online, and compulsive cybersex. Participants consisted of students attending Utah State University Spring semester 2007. Data were collected via an online survey, and 262 surveys were used in the correlation and regression analyses.

Results indicated that age, religion and gender are predictive of perceiving more benefits for cybersex participation. A strong positive correlation was found between perceived benefits and compulsive cybersex use. Students’ lack of social skills was predictive of more time spent online. Time spent online for cybersex was predictive of sexually compulsive behavior. There was …

Effect Of Processing And Formulation Conditions On Physicochemical Characteristics Of Food Emulsions, Megan Tippetts

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The objective of this research was to systematically study the effect of processing conditions on crystallization behavior and destabilization mechanisms of oil-in-water (o/w) emulsions. The effects of oil content (20 and 40 wt %); crystallization temperature (T_c = 10, 5, 0, -5, -10 °C); homogenization conditions, such as high shear (HS), very low pressure homogenization (VLPH), and high pressure homogenization (HPH); and cooling rate (0.2 and 30 °C/min) on both thermal behavior and destabilization mechanisms were analyzed. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) was added to VLPH emulsions and its effect on the physicochemical and oxidative stabilities and flavor was studied.

Emulsions …

The Constant Cycle: Day To Day Critical Action Of The Quipped Project, Jennifer M. Medves, Sarita Verma, Teresa Broers

The Qualitative Report

Action research in the critical paradigm involves a process of continual refection in and on action including the research process itself. In the second in a series of several papers we report on the day-to-day management of the QUIPPED project. The aim was to facilitate patient centered care through inter-professional collaboration with health care learners at a Canadian university. Reflections of the continuum from early conceptualization of the project in 2004 through to lessons learned in 2008 are described. Key components include the importance of team development, overall coordination, and attention to logistical and structural issues are explored. The importance …

'Fabrication And Characterization Of Polymer Blends And Composites Derived From Biopolymers', Suraj Sharma

All Dissertations

This research focuses on fabricating blends and composites from natural polymers especially from proteins and natural epoxy, and describing the properties of plastics made from them. Specifically, plastic samples from partially denatured feathermeal and bloodmeal proteins, derived from the animal co-products (rendering) industry, were successfully produced through a compression molding process. The modulus (stiffness) of the material obtained was found to be comparable with that of commercial synthetic materials, such as polystyrene, but was found to have lower toughness characteristics, which is a common phenomenon among plastics produced from animal and plant proteins. Therefore, this study explored blending methods for …

Real-Time Automatic Linear Feature Detection In Images, Guang Zeng

All Dissertations

Linear feature detection in digital images is an important low-level operation in
computer vision that has many applications. In remote sensing tasks, it can be used
to extract roads, railroads, and rivers from satellite or low-resolution aerial images,
which can be used for the capture or update of data for geographic information and
navigation systems. In addition, it is useful in medical imaging for the extraction of
blood vessels from an X-ray angiography or the bones in the skull from a CT or MR
image. It also can be applied in horticulture for underground plant root detection in
minirhizotron images. …

Characterization Of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Mechanical And Frictional Properties Using Atomic Force Microscopy, Jason Hemmer

All Dissertations

A working hypothesis within the Laboratory of Vascular Research is that mechanical loading on vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), especially due to solid contact from endovascular devices, contributes to the development of restenosis. In order to better understand the role of mechanical loading on VSMCs in vascular disease development, it is imperative to understand the mechanical properties of VSMCs themselves. To measure the viscoelastic and frictional properties of living VSMCs in an in vitro setting, an atomic force microscope (AFM) was utilized, thereby allowing for mechanical testing of living cells in a fluid environment. In the first phase of research, …

Aperture Coupling And Penetration In Various Configurations, Jason Keen

All Dissertations

The problem of a slot in a perfectly conducting surface is addressed for a variety of configurations using both integral equation and transmission line techniques. The use of Bethe hole theory to model short slots is discussed and utilized where appropriate. Primary problems of discussion are a slot array, wires coupling through slots in a ground plane, and wires coupling through slots in a bent ground plane. Additionally, the use of the extended BLT formulation for incorporation of slot effects in a transmission line problem is addressed. In this manuscript, the work of Bethe is extended to include cross-aperture coupling …

Human Microvasculature Fabrication Using Thermal Inkjet Printing Technology, Xiaofeng Cui

All Dissertations

The current tissue engineering paradigm is that successfully engineered thick tissues must include vasculature. As biological approaches alone such as VGEF have fallen short of their promises, one may look for an engineering approach to build microvasculature. With the advent of cell printing, one may be able to build precise human microvasculature with suitable bio-ink. Human Microvascular Endothelial Cells (HMVEC) and fibrin were studied as bio-ink for microvasculature construction. Endothelial cells are the only cells to compose the human capillaries and also the major cells of blood vessel intima layer. Fibrin has been already widely recognized as tissue engineering scaffold …

Effect Of Clinically Relevant Mechanical Forces On Smooth Muscle Cell Response In Model Of Balloon Angioplasty, Kara Acampora

All Dissertations

Restenosis remains a common problem affecting the patency of endovascular intervention such as balloon angioplasty and stent placement as treatments for atherosclerosis. Denudation of the endothelial layer and the increased injury from balloon deployment can cause phenotypic changes in surrounding vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs) in vivo. The presented work modeled this mechanical environment in vitro to investigate the role of the altered mechanical environment on the phenotypic response of SMCs. Through the system design and CFD channel characterization, a six-independent-channel system providing low oscillating wall shear stress (WSS) was manufactured to apply concurrent shear and tensile forces with uniform …

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 …

Optimization Of Biodiesel Production From Crude Cottonseed Oil And Waste Vegetable Oil:Conventional And Ultrasonic Irradiation Methods, Xiaohu Fan

All Dissertations

Biodiesel, derived from the transesterification of vegetable oils or animal fats with simple alcohols, has attracted more and more attention recently. As a cleaner burning diesel alternative, biodiesel has many attractive features including: biodegradability, nontoxicity, renewability and low emission profiles.
Although cottonseed oil was the first commercial cooking oil in the U.S, it has progressively lost its market share to some vegetable oils that have larger production and less cost. However, regarding the active researches on biodiesel production from vegetable oils, there is a promising prospective for the cottonseed oil as a feedstock for biodiesel production, which may enhance the …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Macromolecular Layers Grafted To Polymer Surfaces, Oleksandr Burtovyy

All Dissertations

The composition and behavior of surfaces and interfaces play a pivotal role in dictating the overall efficiency of the majority of polymeric materials and devices. Surface properties of the materials can be altered using surface modification techniques. It is necessary to highlight that successful methods of surface modification should affect only the upper layer of the polymer material without changing bulk properties. The processes must introduce new functionalities to the surface, optimize surface roughness, lubrication, hydrophobicity, hydrophilicity, adhesion, conductivity, and/or biocompatibility.
Research presented in this dissertation is dedicated to the synthesis, characterization, and application of thin macromolecular layers anchored to …

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 …

Experimental And Modeling Studies For Optimizing Flocculant-Aided Sediment Retention Ponds, Byung Joon Lee

All Dissertations

Attempts to control sediment-containing runoff and associated water quality problems have involved the establishment of many small to medium sediment retention ponds and the injection of nonionic and anionic polyacrylamide (PAM) flocculants to enhance colloid removal. However, to date use has been driven more by practicing engineers and trial-and-error approaches than by logical and consistent design approaches. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to optimize colloidal clay removal in PAM-aided sediment retention ponds by applying experimental and theoretical methodologies.
Initially, simple measurement techniques for the molecular weight (MW) and charge density (CD) of various PAMs were tested and their …

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 …

Effective Vr: Interplay Of Presence, Perception, Fidelity And Transfer Effects In The Development Of Inspection Training Simulators, Sajay Sadasivan

All Dissertations

Increased emphasis on aircraft inspection to ensure aviation safety has resulted in the need for a better trained workforce of aircraft maintenance personnel. Aircraft inspection is mostly visual in nature. Thus it has led to the development of computer simulators to train human inspectors performing the inspection task. However, the lack of immersion and interaction in such simulators has led to limited effectiveness and adoption. Using advances in graphics and virtual reality technology, there is an increase the sense of involvement in using these simulators. Though technology is available to provide higher levels of immersion, it is expensive. It is …

Computional Modeling Of Precision Molding Of Aspheric Glass Optics, Balajee Ananthasayanam

All Dissertations

In this dissertation, research in two parallel directions is presented; the first involves the prediction of the final size and shape of a glass lens during a precision glass lens molding process and the second introduces a method to compute and quantify the importance of higher order terms in fracture mechanics for different modes of fracture.
The process of precision lens molding has received attention in recent years due to its potential to mass produce aspherical lenses. Aspherical lenses have significantly better optical properties and conventional lens making techniques are limited to manufacturing of spherical lenses only. The conventional technique …

Theoretical And Practical Implications Of A Hedonic Pricing Model: Empirical Observations From Wholesale Automobile Auctions, Jeffrey Roach

All Dissertations

Wholesale auto auctions are convenient structures for economists as they attempt to observe the marginal effects of quality changes on the market-clearing price. However, what may be categorized as a quality change might rather be a market signal of an environment with adverse selection. This dissertation analyzes the effects of seller type and tests their sensitivity to econometric model specification.
General hedonic attributes and their various applications are reviewed. This dissertation explores the basic auto auction environment and dispels inaccurate notions about the auction structure. Following Bartik's (1987) analysis, multi-market data are used to produce hedonic estimates for seller, mileage …

Software Process Control Without Calibration, Oussama El-Rawas

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Software process control is important for large enterprise since it is essential for software project management. Boehm [10, 12--15, 20] argues that the best way to do software process control is reusing old proven models (e.g. COCOMO for effort, COQUALMO for defects, etc) while tuning them to local data in order to obtain accurate estimates. This however suggests that historic data is available related to the use of these models in previous software projects. This is not the case, as the availability of relevant historic data related to the use of the above models in a specific software environment is …

Effects Of The Antimicrobial Agent Triclosan On Bacterial Resistance To Disinfection In Wastewater Treatment Processes, Meilin Liu

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

2-(2,5-Dichlorophenoxy)-5-chlorophenol or Triclosan is a widely used antimicrobial agent included in a multitude of products, such as soap, toothpaste, and personal care products.;The objective of this research was to investigate the effects of Triclosan on the resistance of activated sludge bacteria to conventional disinfection processes applied in wastewater treatment processes, such as chlorination and UV.;Specific Aim 1. A complex bacterial community collected from an active sludge was acclimated over several sub-cultures in the presence of different concentrations of Triclosan (from 0.0 to 20 mg L-1) and then exposed to sub-lethal doses of chlorine and UV irradiation. Determination of bacterial viability …

Design And Implementation Of Dual Database Server And Clients, Asia Ali, Intisar Shaded Chleib, Khalid Tourky Atah

Iraqi Journal of Computers, Communications, Control and Systems Engineering

The aim of this article is to find an efficient method to keep the database of critical tasks correct and update for performing the work of real time processing (such as power or water distributed environment), design and implement dual database server to control access to the database so the client read from one of dual server and update, write to both of them, if one of them fail then the other one must be capable of control and access all the client to its database. When the other server return to work the worked server would be responsible for …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Biodegradable Polyurethanes For Biomedical Application, Changhong Zhang

All Dissertations

This dissertation constitutes the studies about the biomedical materials research of novel polyurethanes. These elastic and degradable polyurethanes exhibited the potential for drug delivery, scaffold fabrication by novel ink-jet printing technology or other biomedical applications. This dissertation includes two parts about two different types of polyurethanes.
In the first part of this dissertation, we studied a polyurethane that was synthesized from methylene di-p-phenyl-diisocyanate (MDI), polycaprolactone diol (PCL-diol) and N, N-bis (2-hydorxyethyl)-2-aminoethane-sulfonic acid (BES). MDI, PCL-diol and BES were polymerized into polyurethane and served as the hard segment, soft segment and chain extender respectively. The effects of the chain extender BES …

Reciprocal Share-Alike Exemptions In Copyright Law, Guy Pessach

Cardozo Law Review

This article introduces a novel element to copyright law's exemptions' scheme, and particularly the fair use doctrine - a reciprocal share-alike requirement. I argue that beneficiaries of a copyright exemption should comply with a complementary set of ex-post reciprocal share-alike obligations that come on top of the exemption that they benefit from. Among other aspects, reciprocal share-alike obligations may trump contractual limitations and technological protection measures that are imposed by parties who relied on a copyright exemption in the course of their own use of copyrighted materials. Thus, fair use beneficiaries should be obliged to treat alike subsequent third parties …

Limitations Of A True Random Number Generator In A Field Programmable Gate Array, Jennifer L. Brady

Theses and Dissertations

Random number generators are used in many areas of engineering, computer science, most notably in simulations and cryptographic applications. There are true random number generators (TRNG) and pseudo random number generators (PRNG). Only a true random number generator is secure because the output bits are non-repeating and nonreproducible. As society has become more dependent on electronic technology the need for true random number generators has increased due to processes that require encryption in everyday use. A fast true random number generator on a field programmable gate array presents digital designers with the ability to have the generator on chip. Since …

Optimal Re-Entry Trajectory Terminal State Due To Variations In Waypoint Locations, William J. Karasz

Theses and Dissertations

The Air Force's Prompt Global Reach concept describes the desire to have a capability to reach any target within a 9000 nautical mile radius within two hours of launch. To meet this objective, much effort is being devoted to hypersonics and re-entry vehicles. Given the limited maneuverability of hypersonic vehicles, computational modeling is used to generate trajectories before launch to strike intended targets. In addition to endpoint (target) constraints, additional waypoints may constrain the trajectory. This research finds the optimal trajectory which satisfies the endpoint and waypoint constraints, and then investigates where else the vehicle can go while still meeting …

Modeling The Economic Impacts Of Large Deployments On Local Communities, Aaron L. Gregory

Theses and Dissertations

The Global War on Terrorism has required the large scale deployment of active-duty troops to support operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. This thesis presents an economic analysis of the impacts these deployments have had on local communities as measured by changes in local retail sales. County level data from Colorado, Kansas, North Carolina, and Tennessee were combined with open source deployment information to construct panel models. Panel model analysis is a form of regression that combines cross-sectional and time-series dimensions. Seasonality and general economic conditions were also incorporated into the model. The goal of this research is to provide an …

Properties Evaluation Of Sodium Nitrite Treated Chitosan-Cotton Fabric, S Srisuk, K Srikulkit

Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

In this study, chitosan coated-cotton fabric was prepared and then treated with sodium nitrite under mild condition, aiming at the partial removal of surface-chitosan in order to solve the problems of surface dyeing and fabric stiffness. The results showed that sodium nitrite treated chitosan-fabric exhibited an improvement of dyeability (higher dye exhaustion and color strength) when compared to untreated fabric. The improvement in dyeability was due to the availability of chitosan amino groups which had an affinity to anionic dyes including reactive dyes. Other fabric properties were evaluated. The results showed that color fastness properties (crocking fastness and light fastness) …

How Does Emotional Intelligence And Shared Vision Affect Teamwork Performance?, Ed Mahon

Student Scholarship

There is a vast literature on the emotional intelligence (EI) of individuals, but comparatively little on team EI. We report findings of a qualitative inquiry involving 36 members of twelve IT teams – half of them effective and half less so – to explore the relationship between team EI and team performance. Trust, conflict resolution skills and team communication are seen to differentiate effective and less effective teams, as is the ability to adapt shared vision to changes in project specification. The research supports that the teams possess emotional intelligence and that it powerfully influences how they function and to …

Conversational Learning And Performance: Interpreting Great Strategic Conversations, Ann Kowal Smith

Student Scholarship

We interviewed seventeen successful leaders to explore their experience of effective strategic conversations yielding innovative outcomes. Although these organizational leaders uniformly espoused emergent conversation, whereby they prefer to collaborate with their teams in an experiential learning process, their conversations were primarily leader-driven directed discussions with specific outcomes in mind. Moreover, they described not single events, but multiple strategic conversations distributed over time, with varied participants and purposes. Successful strategic conversations appear to develop, over time, in a dialectic space formed by the leader's desire for authentic contributions by participants and the experience of organizational and cultural forces that inhibit emergent …

The Relation Between Management's Perception Of Causal Ambiguity In Firm Competencies And Firm Performance: An Empirical Examination In Chile, Richard I. Araya

Student Scholarship

Ambiguity about firm and competitor competencies and resources challenges managerial decision making − especially in developing countries where asymmetric information is higher than in the developed ones. Although a number of scholars have addressed “causal ambiguity” and its relationship with firm resources and competencies, and theorists have suggested a positive relationship between it and organizational performance, these links remain unclear. On one hand, ambiguity may protect a firm because competitors cannot easily imitate it (Alvarez & Antolin, 2005). On the other hand, causal ambiguity may impede imitation of valuable resources within the firm, limiting management ́s ability to manage resources …