Digital Commons Network^™

A Modeling And Spatio-Temporal Analysis Framework For Monitoring Environmental Change Using Npp As An Ecosystem Indicator, Robert Crabtree, Christopher Potter, Randall Mullen, Jennifer Sheldon, Shengli Huang, Joshua Harmsen, Ann Rodman, Cathie Jean

United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration: Publications

We present and describe a modeling and analysis framework for monitoring protected area (PA) ecosystems with net primary productivity (NPP) as an indicator of health. It brings together satellite data, an ecosystem simulation model (NASA–CASA), spatial linear models with autoregression, and a GIS to provide practitioners a low-cost, accessible ecosystem monitoring and analysis system (EMAS) at landscape resolutions. The EMAS is evaluated and assessed with an application example in Yellowstone National Park aimed at identifying the causes and consequences of drought. Utilizing five predictor covariates (solar radiation, burn severity, soil productivity, temperature, and precipitation), spatio-temporal analysis revealed how landscape controls …

Creative Drama With Children, University Relations

Campus News Archive

Creative Drama with Children provides a service learning opportunity for both theatre and non-theatre majors who attend the University of Minnesota, Morris.

Incentives For Orphan Drug Research And Development In The United States, Enrique Seoane-Vazquez, Rosa Rodriguez-Monguio, Sheryl L. Szeinbach, Jay Visaria

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Background: The Orphan Drug Act (1983) established several incentives to encourage the development of orphan drugs (ODs) to treat rare diseases and conditions. This study analyzed the characteristics of OD designations, approvals, sponsors, and evaluated the effective patent and market exclusivity life of orphan new molecular entities (NMEs) approved in the US between 1983 and 2007.

Methods: Primary data sources were the FDA Orange Book, the FDA Office of Orphan Drugs Development, and the US Patent and Trademark Office. Data included all orphan designations and approvals listed by the FDA and all NMEs approved by the FDA during …

Delay-Induced Destabilization Of Entrainment Of Nerve Impulses On Ephaptically Coupled Nerve Fibers, Evangelos A. Coutsias, Mohit H. Adhikari, John K. Mciver

Branch Mathematics and Statistics Faculty and Staff Publications

We study the effect of delay on the synchronization of two nerve impulses traveling along two ephaptically coupled, unmyelinated nerve fibers. The system is modeled as a pair of delay-coupled Fitzhugh-Nagumo equations. A multiple-scale perturbation approach is used for the analysis of these equations in the limit of weak coupling. In the absence of delay, two pulses with identical speeds are shown to be entrained precisely. However, as the delay is increased beyond a critical value, we show that this precise entrainment becomes unstable. We make quantitative estimates for the actual values of delay at which this can occur in …

Minority Degree College Libraries In Andhra Pradesh: A Study With Special Reference To Naac Standards, Syamalamba Rani

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study reviews the development of college education and library management at Degree Colleges of the minority-communities in India and Andhra Pradesh. A survey included physical conditions, administrative procedures, human resources management and workforce availability, the quality and variety of services offered, verified whether NAAC library standards are being followed, and studied the extent of computer use or phases of computerization; availability of systems, and type of software being used.

Bayesian Model Averaging For Clustered Data: Imputing Missing Daily Air Pollution Concentration, Howard H. Chang, Francesca Dominici, Roger D. Peng

Johns Hopkins University, Dept. of Biostatistics Working Papers

The presence of missing observations is a challenge in statistical analysis especially when data are clustered. In this paper, we develop a Bayesian model averaging (BMA) approach for imputing missing observations in clustered data. Our approach extends BMA by allowing the weights of competing regression models for missing data imputation to vary between clusters while borrowing information across clusters in estimating model parameters. Through simulation and cross-validation studies, we demonstrate that our approach outperforms the standard BMA imputation approach where model weights are assumed to be the same for all clusters. We then apply our proposed method to a national …

360 Counter Virtual Town Hall: Let's Talk About Assessing Costs, Andrée Rathemacher, Michael Poulin

Technical Services Faculty Presentations

Promotional e-mail from Serials Solutions advertising the "360 Counter Virtual Town Hall: Let's Talk About Assessing Costs." This webinar was presented by Andrée Rathemacher and Michael Poulin on December 15, 2008.

A Multi-Level Parallel Simulation Approach To Electron Transport In Nano-Scale Transistors, Mathieu Luisier Purdue University - Main Campus, Gerhard Klimeck

Other Nanotechnology Publications

Physics-based simulation of electron transport in nanoelectronic devices requires the solution of thousands of highly complex equations to obtain the output characteristics of one single input voltage. The only way to obtain a complete set of bias points within a reasonable amount of time is the recourse to supercomputers offering several hundreds to thousands of cores. To prot from the rapidly increasing availability of such machines we have developed a state-of-the-art quantum mechanical transport simulator dedicated to nanodevices and working with four levels of parallelism. Using these four levels we demonstrate that an almost ideal scaling of the walltime up …

From Nemo1d And Nemo3d To Omen: Moving Towards Atomistic 3-D Quantum Transport In Nano-Scale Semiconductors, Gerhard Klimeck, Mathieu Luisier

Other Nanotechnology Publications

Lessons learned in 15 years of NEMO development starting from quantitative and predictive resonant tunneling diode (RTD) to multi-million atom electronic structure modeling and the path for OMEN are laid out. The recent OMEN capabilities enable realistically large 3D atomistic nano-scale device simulation.

Impact Of Fire-Through And Misfire In Rectifier Valves On A Turbine Generator Neighboring To A Hvdc Inverter Station, Ming-Te Liang

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

The major purpose of this paper is the theoretical elucidation of the corrosion tube growth mechanism of mild steel occurred from the effect of pH value and oxygen corrosion at elevated pressure provided by Riggs et al. [6]. Based on the Nernst-Planck equation, continuity principle, Green's theorem, Stokes's theorem and the equation of Newton's second law of motion, the mechanism of corrosion tube development can be explained theoretically. The Bernoulli sum is contant at any cross-section of tubular corrosion product. The implication of the present results are theoretically enhanced the formation of corrosion tube mechanism.

A New Species Of Gobiid Fish,Luciogobius From Ryukyus, Japan(Teleostei: Gobiidae), I-Shiung Chen, Toshiyuki Suzuki, Hiroshi Senou

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

A new gobiid fish has been collected from Ryukyu Archipelagos of Japan. This species is described herein as a new species, Luciogobius ryukyuensis sp. nov. It is characterized by the following unique combination of features: (1) second dorsal fin rays: I/11 and anal fin rays I/11; (2) pectoral fin rays 16 and with one upper, very short free soft ray; (3) vertebral count 37; and (4) specific coloration: head and body with many rounded light creamy white spots above creamy yellow to yellowish brown background. A diagnostic key to all nominal species of Luciogobius from West Pacific are provided herein.

The Study Of Price Accept Threshold For The ??Lue Highway??Tour Of The North-East Region In Taiwan, Hung-Yen Chou, Jin-Long Lu, Chiang Fu

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

The “Blue Highway” in the NE region of Taiwan includes the tour itineraries of Keelung-Suao, Suao-Hualien and Keelung-Hualien, each with its individual oceanic scenic features and its potential corresponding onshore scenic spots. This study explores the relationship between the “Blue Highway” tour portfolios and price attributes to collect the preference recognition of the public concerning the NE region “Blue Highway” tour itineraries and prices with the stated preference method. The utility function of the discrete choice model assumes the impact effect among attributes to be in a linear relationship plus percentages. The price threshold model improves the assumption of this …

Theoretical Elucidation On The Corrosion Tube Growth Mechanism Of Mild Steel In The Effect Of Ph On Oxygen Corrosion At Elevated Pressures, Ming-Te Liang

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

The major purpose of this paper is the theoretical elucidation of the corrosion tube growth mechanism of mild steel occurred from the effect of pH value and oxygen corrosion at elevated pressure provided by Riggs et al. [6]. Based on the Nernst-Planck equation, continuity principle, Green's theorem, Stokes's theorem and the equation of Newton's second law of motion, the mechanism of corrosion tube development can be explained theoretically. The Bernoulli sum is contant at any cross-section of tubular corrosion product. The implication of the present results are theoretically enhanced the formation of corrosion tube mechanism.

Case Study Of Wind-Resistant Design And Analysis Of High Mast Structures Based On Different Wind Codes, Ching-Wen Chien, Jing-Jong Jang

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

The high mast structure (HMS) has the characters of light weight and high cost efficiency. Therefore, it is widely used in the modern construction industry. It has a large the ratio of height (H) to least horizontal dimension (D) that makes it a particularly more slender and wind-sensitive than any other structures. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to develop the wind-resistant design (WRD) procedure for the slender, tapered support structures of HMS subjected to wind-induced excitation from vortex shedding and gust buffeting. This paper illustrates the theoretical basis and the analytical development of the WRD; including calculating gust …

Variable-Thickness Boundary Layers For Sliding Mode Control, Chyun-Chau Fuh

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

Sliding mode control is a nonlinear feedback control technique which provides good robustness against modeling uncertainties and external disturbances. However, as the uncertainties or disturbances increase, a greater control input is required, and the control signal may cause an undesirable chattering phenomenon. In general, the further the system trajectory from the origin, the more violent the chattering effect. However, as the trajectory moves closer to the origin, the degree of chattering gradually reduces. As a result, even if an attempt is made to eliminate chattering by introducing a small constant boundary layer around the sliding surface, the chattering phenomenon may …

Discrete-Time Output Feedback Sliding Mode Control For Uncertain Systems, Ming-Chang Pai

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

This paper presents a discrete-time output feedback sliding mode control to stabilize a class of linear uncertain systems in which the state is unavailable and no estimated state is required. The proposed sliding mode controller is derived to guarantee the existence of quasi-sliding mode by using output feedback only and the stability of overall closed-loop system is assured. This scheme ensures the robustness against parametric uncertainties and disturbances. Neither chattering phenomenon will occur nor the knowledge of upper bound of uncertainties is required. Simulation results demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed control methodology.

The Manpower Supply Planning And Shift Setting For Mass Rapid Transit Carriage Maintenance In Short-Term Operations, Shangyao Yan, Chia-Hung Chen, Miawjane Chen

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

An effective carriage maintenance plan cannot only reduce the mass rapid transit system operating costs, but is also directly related to its safety and schedule punctuality. Traditionally, the arrangement of the carriage maintenance manpower supply has been based on staff experience, and has been performed manually following simple rules. This is not only time-consuming but often ineffective. Therefore, in this research, we incorporate flexible management strategies, different combinations of principles, and the related operating constraints, to develop a basic carriage maintenance manpower supply plan model. Furthermore, we construct an integrated model by modifying the basic model, which can help an …

Confidence Intervals For A Common Mean With Missing Data With Applications In An Aids Study, Hua Liang, Haiyan Su, Guohua Zou

Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

In practical data analysis, nonresponse phenomenon frequently occurs. In this paper, we propose an empirical likelihood based confidence interval for a common mean by combining the imputed data, assuming that data are missing completely at random. Simulation studies show that such confidence intervals perform well, even when the missing proportion is high. Our method is applied to an analysis of a real data set from an AIDS clinic trial study.

Jewish Family Service Employee Development Plan, Brenda Bothel, Karen Gould, Dorothy L. O'Hagan

Human Resource and Volunteer Management

Working as consultants on behalf of the USD Nonprofit Leadership program, Brenda Bothel, Dorothy O’Hagan, and Karen Gould partnered with Jewish Family Service (JFS) in San Diego, California to redesign and implement a new employee performance evaluation process. The following pages document the steps taken and research used by the USD consulting team in order to come up with a new employee evaluation process for JFS which will be referred to as the Employee Development Plan.

Monitor Newsletter December 15, 2008, Bowling Green State University

Monitor

Official Publication of Bowling Green State University for Faculty and Staff

An Online Learning Approach To Community Building Among Asian Journalists, Ma. Mercedes T. Rodrigo, Violet B. Valdez

Department of Information Systems & Computer Science Faculty Publications

This chapter describes a master's program in journalism designed for professional Asian journalists which has drawn students from 13 Asian countries and is run by faculty members from five countries. The program uses blended learning methods combining synchronous, asynchronous, and classroom-based approaches. An exploratory study was conducted to describe the strategies used by the students and teachers to build a community of learners (Garrison, Anderson, & Archer, 2000) and hence achieve the program's learning goals. The study took into consideration cultural differences, in particular, those referring to educational experiences. Results show that the respondents tended to use the strategies of …

Final Report Unesco-Unevoc International Experts Seminar, Dublin, Aidan Kenny

Conference Papers

UNESCO-UNEVOC International Centre and the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) UNEVOC National Centre Ireland jointly organised an International Expert’s Consultation seminar from 18 to 20 August, 2008 at DIT Aungier Street Campus, in Dublin, Ireland. Since DIT joined the UNEVOC Network in early 2007, Mr. Aidan Kenny, co-ordinator of the National UNEVOC Centre Ireland and Dr. L. Efison Munjanganja, Head, UNEVOC Networks had in conversations and in correspondence been keen about the idea of a consultative seminar on technical and vocational education and training (TVET) and capacity building in the UNEVOC Network. Central to the idea was the stimulation of …

Meeting Of The Federal Open Market Committee On December 15– 16, 2008, Federal Reserve System: Board Of Governors: Federal Open Market Committee (Fomc)

Documents

A joint meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee and Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System was held in the offices of the Board of Governors in Washington, D.C., on Monday, December 15, 2008, at 2:00 p.m., and continued on Tuesday, December 16, 2008, at 9:00 a.m.

The Portland Spectator, December 2008, Portland State University. Student Publications Board

Portland Spectator

Editor: Sarah J. Christensen

Articles in this issue include: Romeo Sosa: The success story of a Guatemalan activist; Resouces for you! Fitness writer shares the secrets of the Stott Center; Vulgarity in TV and film: Keith Moore shows his disdain Hollywood’s use of vulgarity and violence; Dis-unity in our parties: Our writer looks at the power of failure; and Oregon's smoking ban: What this really means for your rights.

Study On Mechanical Properties Of A356 Alloys Enhanced With Preformed Thixotropic Structure, Shueiwan H. Juang, Shyh-Ming Wu

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

A preformed A356 alloys with thixotropic structure (designated SSM-A356) was systematically studied on mechanical properties in order to establish the database for further investigations in forming and heat treatment. Because of the specific microstructure and characteristics, the heat treatment conditions of SSM-A356 were explored through the observations of microstructure and the measurement of micro-hardness. In the investigation of heat treatment, it was observed that the eutectic silicon was refined and spheroidized which is unlikely for conventional processing. The mechanical testing results showed that the yield and ultimate tensile strength of SSM-A356 were respectively around 115% and 34% greater than those …

Assessment Of Ground Shaking In Ilan County, Taiwan, Hui-Mi Hsu, Sao-Jeng Chao, Howard Hwang

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

This paper presents an estimation of ground shaking intensity in the Ilan area caused by two scenario earthquakes. On the basis of seismic activity in the study area, the seismic zones, including Okinawa trough seismic zone section A and Suao-Hualien offshore seismic zone are established. The earthquakes occurring in these two zones are considered as the scenario earthquakes. The hundreds of boring logs are also collected and classified into three site classes as specified in the Taiwan Seismic Building Code. The intensity of ground shaking in the Ilan area caused by a scenario earthquake is then estimated by using an …

The Acs Survey Of Galactic Globular Clusters. Vi. Ngc 6366: A Heavily Stripped Galactic Globular Cluster, Nathaniel E. Q. Paust, Antonio Aparicio, Giampaolo Piotto, I. Neill Reid, Jay Anderson, Ata Sarajedini, Luigi R. Bedin, Brian Chaboyer

Dartmouth Scholarship

We have used observations obtained as part of the Hubble Space Telescope/ACS Survey of Galactic globular clusters (GCs) to construct a color-magnitude diagram for the bulge cluster, NGC 6366. The luminosity function derived from those data extends to M _F606W ~ 9, or masses of ~0.3 M _☉. Unlike most GCs, the mass function peaks near the main-sequence turnoff with significantly fewer low-mass stars even after correction for completeness and mass segregation. Using a multimass King model, we extrapolate the global cluster behavior and find the global mass function to be poorly matched by a power law, with …

Qualitative Researchers In The Blogosphere: Using Blogs As Diaries And Data, Ronald J. Chenail

The Qualitative Report

Weblogs or blogs can provide qualitative researchers with a medium for expressing their thoughts and opinions on qualitative research methods and products as well as serving as the source of data for qualitative studies. Present examples serve as exemplary guides to the potential value of this virtual communication application.

Client Change In Multi-Model Treatment: A Comparison Of Change Trajectories In Group, Individual, And Conjoint Formats In A Counseling Center, Bryan K. Mickelson

Theses and Dissertations

Providing clinicians with a clearer understanding of how clients' recover over the entire course of therapy has important implications for referral and treatment strategies. The present study compares rates of change in 160 clients in group therapy with 6632 clients in individual therapy and 864 clients receiving both individual therapy and group therapy. Therapeutic outcomes were measured using the Outcome Questionnaire-45. Data was analyzed using Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM), also called Multi-Level Modeling (MLM), to produce recovery curves for clients in each group. Recovery curves showed that most change occurred in the early part of group therapy and slowed near …

Evaluating A College Leadership Course: What Do Students Learn In A Leadership Course With A Service-Learning Component And How Deeply Do They Learn It?, Valerie I. Sessa, Cristina Matos, Courtney A. Hopkins

Department of Psychology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The purpose of this study was to evaluate final projects in a freshman leadership course (combining grounding in leadership theories with a service-learning component) to determine what students learned about leadership, themselves as developing leaders, and leading in the civic community, and how deeply they learned these concepts. Students found situational leadership theories, team leadership theories, and leadership principles (Drath, 2001) most relevant to their experiences. Personally, students learned about themselves as individuals, leaders, team members, and community members. Civically, students learned how to apply leadership theories, work in teams, and about the community as a system. In terms of …