Digital Commons Network^™

Applications Of Linear And Cyclic Peptides As Enzyme Inhibitors And Molecular Transporters, Guofeng Ye

Open Access Dissertations

The diversity of amino acids in peptides allows the design of different linear or cyclized compounds. Peptides can be designed to act as inhibitors, probes, or molecular transporters of other molecules. The objective of this dissertation research was to exploit the diversity of peptide structures and focused on developing linear and cyclic peptides as c-Src inhibitors and using the information derived from c-Src crystal structure to design novel peptide-based molecular transporters. A series of peptide analogues of Ac-CIYKYY were designed and synthesized to improve the inhibitory potency against active Src Linear peptide Ac-CIYKF(4-NO 2)Y (IC50 = 0.53 μM) and a …

Forest Management In The Presence Of Harvest Restrictions Around Vernal Pools: A Metaheuristic Approach, Gabriela Dobrot

Open Access Dissertations

The primary objective of this research is to model the economic opportunity costs of alternative harvest restrictions aimed at conserving and sustaining ecological functions of vernal pools. The simulations performed incorporate a series of economic and ecological factors in order to determine: alternative configurations of canopy cover around the ponds which could produce similar adoption costs, in both a non-spatial and a spatially defined forest structure, optimal harvest schedules when a mix of tree species is being introduced on the studied landscape, as well as the sensitivity of this schedule to different stumpage prices. Methodologically, the results in this study …

Statistically Interacting Quantum Gases In D Dimensions, Geoffrey G. Potter

Open Access Dissertations

Chapter 1. Exact and explicit results are derived for the thermodynamic properties (isochores, isotherms, isobars, response functions, speed of sound) of a quantum gas in dimensions [special characters omitted] ≥ 1 and with fractional exclusion statistics 0 ≤ g ≤ 1 connecting bosons (g = 0) and fermions (g = 1). In [special characters omitted] = 1 the results are equivalent to those of the Calogero-Sutherland model, a gas with long-range two-body interaction. Emphasis is given to the crossover between boson-like and fermion-like features, caused by aspects of the statistical interaction that mimic long-range attraction and short-range repulsion. A phase …

Consumer Ubiquity Or Anytime Anywhere Consumption: Scale Development And Validation, Syagnik Banerjee

Open Access Dissertations

The research objective of this dissertation is to develop and validate a scale measure of consumer ubiquity that indicates the individuals' propensity to shop online "anytime, anywhere" given a wireless, internet-based ubiquitous marketplace. Through a focus group, two surveys and a set of experiments we generate items, construct and validate a ten-item three-dimension scale and apply it for segmentation and targeting with different mobile advertising strategies. The scale demonstrates sufficient validity as a predictor of proactive mobile shopping behavior, but its applications in terms of segmentation and targeting for mobile advertising are more complex. Though the more ubiquitous consumers show …

How Do You Stop The Boogeyman? An Evaluation Of A Sexual Assault Prevention Program, Hilary Brooke Jones

Open Access Dissertations

Sexual assault is a widespread phenomenon, and most girls are taught from a young age that it is something they should fear. This fear restricts their freedom, and if their fear is realized, there are significant physical, psychological, and societal effects. Because of this, it is in the best interest of all members of society to try to prevent sexual assault. While much previous sexual assault prevention work has focused on self-defense and risk-reduction strategies for women, recent work in prevention programs has focused on changing gender stereotypes, rape myths, and social norms around sexual violence with the hope of …

Grammatical Errors: Perceptions And Responses Of Students, First-Year Composition Instructors, And Business Communication Instructors, Michelle Niestepski

Open Access Dissertations

While most college writing instructors would agree that grammatical errors should not be students' main concern when writing and revising there is little consensus as to how much focus should be placed on grammatical errors and how best to teach students to avoid such errors. This study looks at how and with what frequency first-year writing instructors and business writing instructors indicate errors on student papers and how students view grammatical errors. Instructors at four colleges and universities were given anonymous surveys to fill out. Part one listed ten of the errors found by Chris Anson and Robert Schwegler to …

Experimental And Computational Study Of The Detection And Stability Of Polymorphs Using Pxrd, Dsc And Solubility, David F. Wells

Open Access Dissertations

Reliable detection of polymorphs and mixed phase crystal systems is an important area of investigation in the development of pharmaceutical (small molecule) ingredients. This work deals specifically with small molecular entities as distinguishable from large or macromolecules, which also are used as active pharmaceutical ingredients. The first manuscript describes a digital band-pass filter for removal of white noise in Powder X-ray Diffraction. The filter reduces the noise by 21% for a real PXRD diffractogram and 40% for a synthetic PXRD diffractogram while maintaining the integrity of diffraction intensities and diffraction angle positions. The solid phase form of an active pharmaceutical …

Evaluation Of A Novel Autonomous Detector For Microbial Water Quality Monitoring, Heather L. Saffert

Open Access Dissertations

Rapid testing methods are needed for monitoring waters for fecal contamination to identify associated health hazards. Today, standard methods quantify the amount of indicator bacteria, E. coli and enterococci, using culture-based techniques that require incubation periods from 18 to 48 hours. For recreational waters, this time lag delays the closure of waters when a potential health hazard exists and prolongs closures after contamination has dissipated. A remotely deployable, autonomous sampler capable of rapid automated data analysis and reporting of fecal contamination would provide a more effective warning system for both managers and the public. An in situ instrument may also …

Short Title: Teacher-Student Epistemological Interplay, Donald Bruce Bierman

Open Access Dissertations

The severe consequences of not achieving Annual Yearly Progress standards established by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 have resulted in schools developing programs designed to address the academic needs of students at risk for failing the assessment. Focusing on one reading class comprised of two teachers and 15 tenth grade students enrolled in such a program, I inquire into the impact students and teachers have upon one another's epistemological understandings, particularly regarding their beliefs about the source of knowledge. Employing grounded theory methodology informed by microethnographic discourse analysis, the author analyzes transcripts of classroom conversations, interviews with …

Ecosystem-Based Management In The Colorado River Delta, Karen Hae-Myung Hyun

Open Access Dissertations

The Colorado River Delta (CRD) is only 8% of its original size and is mainly sustained on agricultural run-off from the Mexicali Valley. Clearly current management of this ecosystem has not been effective and a new paradigm is needed. Ecosystem-based management (EBM), the process of controlling human activities to protect, conserve, and enhance the quality of ecosystems to meet current and future needs, provides a way forward. This study uses nine common EBM principles to analyze legislation, research, management plans, and community actions of six major CRD institutions, establishing a governance baseline. This study also utilizes scenario analysis to depict …

Advances In Global Optimization, Rajeswar R. Gattupalli

Open Access Dissertations

Optimization is an active area of research and an important computational tool in many fields of science and engineering. While many effective global optimization algorithms have been developed over the past decades, there is still a need for improved robustness, reliability and efficiency. Examples where improvements in robustness, reliability and efficiency are needed include finding the global minimum of molecular modeling problems and finding all physically relevant solutions for mathematical models of chemical engineering applications. This dissertation describes two novel advanced global optimization tools--a multi-scale terrain/funneling methodology and logarithmic barrier-terrain method--that provide improved robustness, reliability and computational efficiency for solving …

Paleo-And Environmental Magnetic Studies Of Late Cenozoic Estuarine, Lacustrine, And Terrestrial Sediments, Clifford William Heil Jr.

Open Access Dissertations

Magnetic studies of sedimentary records provide an opportunity to characterize both anthropogenic and naturally-induced climate change and place these changes in a temporal framework in order to understand the timing of these changes and potential forcing mechanisms. The focus of this dissertation is the use of paleomagnetism and environmental magnetism in different environments (estuarine, lacustrine, and terrestrial), that span thousands to millions of years, to characterize changes in depositional environment overtime, identify the mechanisms responsible for those changes, constrain them within the geologic time scale, and ultimately relate those changes to regional and/or global climate. The Chesapeake Bay is a …

Client Nurse Interactions With Schizophrenic Clients: A Descriptive Study, Karen Vincent Pounds

Open Access Dissertations

Social dysfunction is one of the hallmark characteristics of chronic schizophrenia. Social cognition has been identified as having a role in this feature of the disorder. Recent literature and research has focused on facial and vocal affect recognition and social cue perception. Each of these functions influences an individual's ability to respond in a social situation. Despite the growing body of research, little is known about the actual interaction of providers with these clients. This qualitative descriptive research study focused on the interactions of a clinical nurse specialist (CNS) with three clients with schizophrenia in an urban community mental health …

Tandem Conjugate Addition -- Cyclization Reactions Of L-Methyl Prolinate With α,β-Unsaturated Ketones Catalyzed By L-Proline, Sergio Sandoval

Open Access Dissertations

L-methyl prolinate and various α,β-unsaturated ketones were reacted by a tandem sequence of conjugate addition and subsequent autocatalytic intramolecular cyclization to yield 1,3-dicarbonyl-pyrrolizidine ring systems in modest yield. This methodology represents a tandem and green preparative reaction sequence where L-proline is self-generated as an organocatalyst subsequent to the first step and prior to the second step of the process. This sequence of reactions is a one-pot, tandem, and green preparative reaction for the synthesis of various pyrrolizidine derivatives which can be performed in a general and simple way under solventless and room temperature conditions. This methodology is modest yielding and …

Speaking Out: Class, Race, And Gender In The Writings Of Ruth Mcenery Stuart, Edith Summers Kelley, And Harriette Simpson Arnow, Claire E. Reynolds

Open Access Dissertations

This study analyzes representations in American fiction of social issues during periods of national turmoil. Ruth McEnery Stuart, Edith Summers Kelley, and Harriette Simpson Arnow draw characters marginalized by class, gender, race, and ethnicity who negotiate survival amid crisis and adverse socioeconomic conditions. Giving voice to people who could not speak for themselves, the texts perform the work of cultural resistance to a discourse that privileges capitalism, patriarchy, and white supremacy while oppressing the poor, women, and non-whites. Following an introductory chapter, I present the authors and their works chronologically, beginning each chapter with a brief overview of the historical …

Testing The Pecking-Order Theory: Evidence From Chinese Listed Companies, Jinlan Ni, Miaomiao Yu

Economics Faculty Publications

The pecking-order theory of capital structure, which predicts that firms prefer internal to external finance, is one of the most influential theories of corporate leverage. This article examines whether the financial structure of China's listed companies follows a pecking order from debt to equity. Using the entire cross-section sample of China's listed companies in 2004, the authors find no evidence that China's listed companies follow a pecking order when they need funds to finance investment projects. Further subgroup analyses indicate that big companies follow a pecking order and small and medium companies do not. These results suggest that the Chinese …

Economics Of Science, Arthur M. Diamond Jr.

Economics Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Using Acidiphilium Acidiphilium To Bioleach Metals From Printed Circuit Boards, Diana Goglia Arora

Open Access Master's Theses

As many as 500 million computers became obsolete between the years of 2000 and 2007 (U.S. EPA, 2007), due in large part to the increasing rate of technological advances. Printed circuit boards (PCB) are the essential components of most electronic waste. Metals that are contained within PCB are potentially hazardous to the environment. These metals include copper, aluminum, chromium, mercury, zinc, lead, and nickel (Li et. al., 2004). If not contained properly, metals can leach into soils and possibly damage the ecosystem. This problem of growing electronic waste not only exists in the USA, but it also extends overseas in …

A Bayesian Stormwater Quality Model And Its Application To Water Quality Monitoring, Pedro M. Avellaneda

Doctoral Dissertations

Stormwater runoff is a topic of research that over the years has increasingly grown due to its impact on our water resources. Treatment systems have been developed to mitigate this impact by preserving the pre-development hydrologic and water quality characteristics of the drainage areas. Understanding of the systems' treatment capabilities is required for stormwater management. The goal of this research was to study the application of a decay treatment model as a conceptual tool for understanding the pollutant removal characteristics of stormwater systems. Three systems were studied in this research: a sand filter, a gravel wetland, and a retention pond. …

The 2007 Analysis Of Information Remaining On Disks Offered For Sale On The Second Hand Market, Andy Jones, Craig Valli, Glenn S. Dardick, Iain Sutherland

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

All organisations, whether in the public or private sector, increasingly use computers and other devices that contain computer hard disks for the storage and processing of information relating to their business, their employees or their customers. Individual home users also increasingly use computers and other devices containing computer hard disks for the storage and processing of information relating to their private, personal affairs. It continues to be clear that the majority of organisations and individual home users still remain ignorant or misinformed of the volume and type of information that is stored on the hard disks that these devices contain …

Who Is Reading The Data On Your Old Computer?, Vivienne Mee

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

Researchers at Rits Information Security performed a study in how the Irish population disposes of their old computers. How would you dispose of your old computer, or how would the company you work for dispose of their old computers?

The majority of Irish homeowners, would bring their old computers to local civic amenity centres, give it away to a relative or sell it on to another party.

Some organisations would give their old equipment to a staff member, as a gift gesture, others may simply discard in the local civic amenity site.

What is wrong with the methods currently being …

Developing A Process Model For The Forensic Extraction Of Information From Desktop Search, Timothy Pavlic, Jill Slay, Benjamin Turnbull

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

Desktop search applications can contain cached copies of files that were deleted from the file system. Forensic investigators see this as a potential source of evidence, as documents deleted by suspects may still exist in the cache. Whilst there have been attempts at recovering data collected by desktop search applications, there is no methodology governing the process, nor discussion on the most appropriate means to do so. This article seeks to address this issue by developing a process model that can be applied when developing an information extraction application for desktop search applications, discussing preferred methods and the limitations of …

Book Review: Challenges To Digital Forensic Evidence, Gary C. Kessler

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

This issue presents the fifth Book Review column for the JDFSL. It is an experiment to broaden the services that the journal provides to readers, so we are anxious to get your reaction. Is the column useful and interesting? Should we include more than one review per issue? Should we also review products? Do you have suggested books/products for review and/or do you want to write a review? All of this type of feedback -- and more -- is appreciated. Please feel free to send comments to Gary Kessler ([email protected]) or Glenn S. Dardick ([email protected]).

Table Of Contents

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

No abstract provided.

Therapeutic Heat: Effects Of Superficial And Deep Heating Modalities On Hamstring Flexibility, Nicole Lee Lounsberry

All Volumes (2001-2008)

Poor muscle flexibility has often been associated with injury. Therapeutic heating modalities are frequently used to increase the extensibility of the muscle. The purpose of this study was to compare immediate changes in hamstring flexibility following the application of superficial (moist heat pack) and deep (1 MHz ultrasound) heating modalities. Twenty-four college aged subjects met the inclusion criteria and volunteered for this study. Subjects reported to the Athletic Training Lab and received either the ultrasound or moist heat pack treatment. Hamstring flexibility was measured pre and post treatment using an active knee extension test with an inclinometer. An average of …

Trends In Virtualized User Environments, Diane Barrett

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

Virtualized environments can make forensics investigation more difficult. Technological advances in virtualization tools essentially make removable media a PC that can be carried around in a pocket or around a neck. Running operating systems and applications this way leaves very little trace on the host system. This paper will explore all the newest methods for virtualized environments and the implications they have on the world of forensics. It will begin by describing and differentiating between software and hardware virtualization. It will then move on to explain the various methods used for server and desktop virtualization. Next, it will explain how …

Data Mining Techniques In Fraud Detection, Rekha Bhowmik

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

The paper presents application of data mining techniques to fraud analysis. We present some classification and prediction data mining techniques which we consider important to handle fraud detection. There exist a number of data mining algorithms and we present statistics-based algorithm, decision treebased algorithm and rule-based algorithm. We present Bayesian classification model to detect fraud in automobile insurance. Naïve Bayesian visualization is selected to analyze and interpret the classifier predictions. We illustrate how ROC curves can be deployed for model assessment in order to provide a more intuitive analysis of the models.

Analysis Of Information Remaining On Hand Held Devices Offered For Sale On The Second Hand, Andy Jones, Craig Valli, Iain Sutherland

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

The ownership and use of mobile phones, Personal Digital Assistants and other hand held devices is now ubiquitous both for home and business use. The majority of these devices have a high initial cost, a relatively short period before they become obsolescent and a relatively low second hand value. As a result of this, when the devices are replaced, there are indications that they tend to be discarded. As technology has continued to develop, it has led to an increasing diversity in the number and type of devices that are available, and the processing power and the storage capacity of …

Steganography: Forensic, Security, And Legal Issues, Merrill Warkentin, Ernst Bekkering, Mark B. Schmidt

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

Steganography has long been regarded as a tool used for illicit and destructive purposes such as crime and warfare. Currently, digital tools are widely available to ordinary computer users also. Steganography software allows both illicit and legitimate users to hide messages so that they will not be detected in transit. This article provides a brief history of steganography, discusses the current status in the computer age, and relates this to forensic, security, and legal issues. The paper concludes with recommendations for digital forensics investigators, IT staff, individual users, and other stakeholders.

Book Review: The Dotcrime Manifesto: How To Stop Internet Crime, Gary C. Kessler

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

No abstract provided.