Digital Commons Network^™

Lipid Metal Organic Networks, Maria Eugenia Martinez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) first appeared in the literature in 1991 and consist of three dimensional structures constructed by linking transition metal ions together through highly directional bonding with organic ligands. MOF materials offer the ability to choose from variety of metal centers that allow the tailoring of optical or magnetic properties, as well as control, to some extent, the size of the coordination sphere. Another advantage is the numerous organic ligands form which suitable pore geometries may be constructed with customized functionality among many applications in other areas such a gas storage chemical separations and selective catalysis. The primary objective …

Characterization Of The Behavioral And Neurochemical Effects Of Nicotine Withdrawal In Adolescent And Adult Rats., Luis Alberto Natividad

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Previous studies have demonstrated that the behavioral effects of nicotine withdrawal are lower in adolescent versus adult rats. However, the neurochemical mechanisms that mediate these developmental differences are presently unclear. Much work has shown that nicotine reward is mediated via enhanced dopamine neurotransmission in the mesolimbic pathway which originates in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and terminates in several forebrain structures including the nucleus accumbens (NAcc). More recently, studies have shown that nicotine withdrawal produces a decrease in NAcc dopamine transmission, an effect that is believed to serve as a neurochemical marker of withdrawal in adult rodents. The goal of …

The Effects Of Psychopathy And Machiavellianism On Cognitive Dissonance, Ashley Anne Murray

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Psychopathic traits include a lack of guilt, a lack of remorse, callousness and antisocial behaviors such as impulsivity and aggression. The current study examined the effects of psychopathic traits as measured by the Psychopathic Personality Inventory - Revised: Short Form (PPI-R: SF; Lilienfeld & Widows, 2005) and the Levenson Primary and Secondary Psychopathy Scales (LPSP; Levenson, Kiehl, & Fitzpatrick, 1995), and of Machiavellianism (MACH), as measured by the MACH-IV (Christie & Geis, 1970), on cognitive dissonance in a sample of 164 participants. The induced compliance paradigm of cognitive dissonance was implemented by instructing each participant to complete a boring task …

An Enhanced Method For The Existing Bluetooth Pairing Protocol To Avoid Impersonation Attacks, Patricia Aidee Mendoza

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

As the use of the Bluetooth technology in wireless technologies such as computers, cell phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), printers, digital cameras, PC peripherals, and headphones, among others, has enormously increased during this decade, it has also increased the need of employing a more secure and robust pairing protocol that protects the transfer of information between Bluetooth devices.

The existing Bluetooth pairing protocol starts when a Bluetooth device is set to be in discoverable mode and it is found by another device. After this step is completed, it initiates the pairing procedure by sharing some important device information, then by …

Production Of Future Forms By L2 English Learners, Sabrina Mossman

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This study examines forms of future expression used by L2 English learners, which can be different from those used by native English speakers. Three types of data were collected for this study--language produced daily by L2 English learners in an ESL classroom, language produced in response to open questions in an interview, and language produced in a Discourse Completion Task (DCT). Twenty-six ESL learners from multiple language backgrounds participated in the interview and DCT portions of the study. Of these twenty-six, five also participated in the classroom production portion. Twenty-seven native speakers acted as a control group. The results of …

Semi-Automated Frame Transformations Using Fft Analysis On 2-D Images, Francisco Javier Osuna

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Cassini entered Saturn's orbit on July 1, 2004 beginning a four-year exploration of Saturn. In 2008 the mission was extended, and Cassini continues to collect and transmit images and data collected during its mission. In order to accurately interpret images, it is necessary to know the location and orientation of the camera provided the field of view when the image was collected. While the mission managers provide initial estimates of this orientation, scientific analysis requires better estimates than the initial data provided. Navigation is a process for improving the estimation of the true camera pointing vector as determined by features …

Pdi, Reactive Oxygen Species Stress And Polyphenolic Phytochemicals: Implications For Neurodegenerative Diseases, Rituraj Pal

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

PDI, protein disulfide isomerase, is one of the most versatile proteins and highly expressed in mammalian cells because there is a vast number of proteins that must undergo processing before secretion to their final destinations. PDI has several functions: oxidation of nascent proteins and isomerization of existing disulfide bonds. It also possesses chaperone activity and participates in protein degradation. Because of its structure, PDI can exist in a reduced or oxidized form. In mammalian cells it is mostly reduced due to the high demand of disulfide bond shuffling of secreted proteins within the ER, PDI a, a', and b' posses …

A Retrospective Study Of Dust Storms And Respiratory Hospitalizations In El Paso, Texas Using A Case-Crossover Study Design, Yanlei Peng

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Dust storms frequently occur in El Paso, Texas, but little is known about their respiratory health effects. The association between dust storm and hospitalization for respiratory illness will be studied through a case-crossover study design. The goal is to ascertain the effect of dust storms, adjusted for weather and other pollutants, and to explore the potential harmfulness for different subgroups of residents. A case-crossover study allows patients to serve as their own controls, in order to reduce confounding. The history, relationship, and application of the case-control and case-crossover study designs are reviewed in this thesis. The estimating equations for conditional …

Analysis Of Cluster Compute Nodes With Varying Memory Hierarchy Distributions, Jon Valentin Ramirez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This Thesis compares a Compute Node, a cluster compute node that can completely contain smaller processes within, but not larger ones, with a Memory Node, a cluster compute node that can fully contain large processes within main memory. The Compute Node and Memory Node are tested by executing matrix multiplication programs that range in size from small processes similar to jobs that can be run on a single workstation to large processes that would only fit entirely within a Memory Node. Memory was allocated using four types of memory allocation: static, external, dynamic, and automatic. This analysis provides a measure …

Optimization Of Flow For Plastic Pbt With 45% Glass And Mineral Fiber Reinforcement In An Injection Over Mold Process Using Taguchi, Cpk And Mold Flow Simulation Software Approaches, Israel Sanchez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This Thesis analyze the plastic injection molding parameters in order to identify which parameters significantly affects the flow properties of Polibuthylen Thereptalate with 45% glass/mineral reinforcement, and which levels are the best to use for those parameters. With the purpose of optimizing the plastic flow conditions in an injection mold to obtain parts free from short shots (term used to describe a plastic part that is incomplete due to the poor plastic flow in the mold runners and cavities).

The used approach is Taguchi design of experiments to define which parameters have significant effect on the response variable, and the …

Optimization Of A Strapdown Inertial Navigation System, Mario Ruiz

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The focus of this Thesis is to find 21 error parameters in a Strapdown Inertial Navigation System (SINS) that would minimize objective functions or error functions to increase accuracy utilizing an optimization algorithm. The algorithm used is goal attainment by Gembiki which is a multi-objective optimization algorithm proven to outperform other optimization methods in terms of efficiency and accuracy over large numbers of problems. Simulations of a noise-free SINS mounted on an aircraft were done in a stationary and on the move scenario to simulate two conditions in which alignment could become necessary. The error parameters to find were sensor …

Characterizing The Deformation Of Reservoirs Using Interferometry, Gravity, And Seismic Analyses, Cara Schiek

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In this Dissertation, I characterize how reservoirs deform using surface and subsurface techniques. The surface technique I employ is radar interferometry, also known as InSAR (Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar). The subsurface analyses I explore include gravity modeling and seismic techniques consisting of determining earthquake locations from a small-temporary seismic network of six seismometers. These techniques were used in two different projects to determine how reservoirs deform in the subsurface and how this deformation relates to its remotely sensed surface deformation.

The first project uses InSAR to determine land subsidence in the Mimbres basin near Deming, NM. The land subsidence measurements …

An Optimization Approach For The Cascade Vulnerability Problem, Christian Servin

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In inter-connected systems, where several computers share information with each other, problems may arise when inappropriate information starts to flow through. For example, let us consider a simple scenario of a university composed of three departments: payroll, financial aid, and academic services. We know that the payroll department deals with sensitive information, such as social security numbers, dates of birth, amounts of wages, etc. The financial aid department may use information that payroll owns. Similarly, the academic department communicates with the financial aid department. An intruder can take advantage of this network connectivity and create an inappropriate flow of information …

Mexican-American Concepts On Gender And Identity: A Teacher's Perspective In A Fifth Grade Classroom, Cynthia Soto

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This study primarily focuses on fifth-grade Mexican-American students and the factors that influence their views on gender and identity. Gender perspectives in the classroom have the potential to improve instruction and can positively affect students' motivations to learn. Literature can also influence students' gender perceptions and also contribute to gender bias in the classroom. This study works toward creating a non-biased learning environment.

A Tobacco Consumption Diary To Assess The Factors Associated With Smoking In A Light Smoking College Population, Thom J. Taylor

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Limited information exists about the proximal predictors of light smoking fewer than 10 cigarettes per day (cpd). Furthermore, light smokers are not highly motivated to quit smoking. This study examined predictors of light smoking and motivational change toward quitting smoking in 118 light smoking college students. Participants completed a 7 day Tobacco Consumption Diary (TCD) by recording for each cigarette: time and day, location, number of people present, number of smokers present, mood, and whether alcohol was consumed. Carbon Monoxide (CO) feedback was also provided to a random half of the participants at the outset of the study. CO feedback …

Zinc And Copper Isotopes As Tracers Of Anthropogenic Contamination In A Sediment Core From An Urban Lake, Anita Thapalia

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Concentration data alone are often insufficient to resolve metal sources. This study applies stable Zn and Cu isotopes to fingerprint and track the sources of these metals in a sediment core from Lake Ballinger near Seattle, Washington, USA. The base of the Lake Ballinger core pre-dates settlement in the region, while the upper sections record the impact of atmospheric emissions from the nearby Tacoma smelter, as well as Cu and Zn inputs from urban sources. δ⁶⁶Zn and δ⁶⁵Cu varied by 0.42 / and 0.29 /, respectively, over the >300 year core record. Isotopic changes were correlated …

Image-Of-God Motif In The Writings Of Ellen G. White : A Search For A Distinct Voice In Educational Philosophy, Kevin D. Grams

Dissertations

Problem. Ellen White’s image-of-God motif and its influence on Seventh-day Adventist educational philosophy has not been examined thoroughly by thesis, dissertation, or other academic research. This dissertation is a significant effort toward fulfilling this need by examining and contextualizing White’s writings on the image of God as well as examining the educational ramifications of the motif.

Method. This is a historical/analytical investigation involving a search of Ellen White's writings to locate, identify, and examine passages that refer to the image of God, especially as it relates to education. These passages were then contextualized and studied to determine how White used …

Exploring Poly(Ethylene Glycol) As A Suitable Material For Peripheral Nerve Regeneration Scaffolds Manufactured By Stereolithography, Nubia Zuverza

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

One of the challenges in tissue engineering is to have spatial and temporal control over the biological elements within a scaffold used to guide regeneration for example of transected nerves. Some of the physical and chemical characteristics to regulate include incorporation of bioactive domains and release of chemical signals. This study presents the use of stereolithography (SL) to incorporate localized domains for cell adhesion in addition to include releasable nerve growth factor (NGF) in the process of building poly(ethylene glycol)diacrylate (PEGda) hydrogel scaffolds. Besides providing sites for cell attachment, an ideal nerve guidance conduit (NGC) should be able to release …

Why Civil Liability For Disclosure Violations When Issuers Do Not Trade?, Merritt B. Fox

Faculty Scholarship

Civil damages liability for securities law periodic disclosure violations has come under attack, particularly fraud-on-the-market class-action lawsuits for investor losses incurred in connection with trading in the secondary market when the issuer has not sold shares. The main line of attack has been the weakness of the compensatory rationale for such suits. Without a compensatory justification, the attackers suggest, the availability of this cause of action is hard to defend given the very substantial use of social resources involved in the litigation that it generates. The critics are right concerning the weakness of the compensatory justification for civil liability. They …

The Effects Of Asymmetric Vs. Symmetric Probability Of Targets Following Probe And Irrelevant Stimuli In The Complex Trial Protocol For Detection Of Concealed Information With P300, J. Peter Rosenfeld, Monica Tang, John B. Meixner Jr., Michael Winograd, Elena Labkovsky

Scholarly Works

The complex trial protocol (CTP, [J.P. Rosenfeld, E. Labkovsky, M. Winograd, M.A. Lui, C. Vandenboom & E. Chedid (2008), The complex trial protocol (CTP): a new, countermeasure-resistant, accurate P300-based method for detection of concealed information. Psychophysiology, 45, 906–919.]) is a sensitive, new, countermeasure-resistant, P300-based concealed information protocol in which a first stimulus (Probe or Irrelevant) is followed after about 1.4–1.8 s by a Target or Non-Target second stimulus within one trial. It has been previously run with a potentially confounding asymmetric conditional probability of Targets following Probes vs. Irrelevants. This present study compared asymmetric vs. symmetric conditional probability groups and …

Assigned Versus Random Countermeasure-Like Responses In The P300-Based Complex Trial Protocol For Detection Of Deception: Task Demand Effects, John B. Meixner Jr., Alexander Haynes, Michael Winograd, Jordan Brown, J. Peter Rosenfeld

Scholarly Works

The Concealed Information Test (CIT) is a credibility assessment protocol of an entirely different nature than the traditional lie detector test. Instead of attempting to detect actual lying (the goal of the commonly used Control Question Test), the goal of the CIT is to determine whether an individual possesses knowledge of specific details of a crime or event. For example, if a murder was committed at 800 Church Avenue using a .38 caliber revolver, the CIT seeks to determine whether a suspect recognizes the address and type of weapon.

The CIT presents subjects with various stimuli, one of which is …

Do Students Use And Understand Free-Body Diagrams?, David Rosengrant, Alan Van Heuvelen, Eugenia Etkina

Faculty Articles

Physics education literature recommends using multiple representations to help students understand concepts and solve problems. However, there is little research concerning why students use the representations and whether those who use them are more successful. This study addresses these questions using free-body diagrams (diagrammatic representations used in problems involving forces) as a type of representation. We conducted a two-year quantitative and qualitative study of students’ use of free-body diagrams while solving physics problems. We found that when students are in a course that consistently emphasizes the use of free-body diagrams, the majority of them do use diagrams on their own …

Section 8(F) Prehire Agreements And The Exception To Majority Representation: Are Construction Workers Getting The Shaft?, Desiree Leclercq

Scholarly Works

Congress has neglected the federal labor rights of construction workers for half a century. Back in 1959, Congress addressed the needs of construction workers and attempted to ensure that those workers, who were hired by construction employers for erratic and short periods of time, retained the right to organize in unions. To that end, Congress added section 8(f) to the National Labor Relations Act ("NLRA"), authorizing construction employers and unions to enter voluntarily into prehire collective bargaining agreements covering construction workers. Additionally, Congress included a proviso permitting employers to require, as a condition of employment, that their employees join the …

Animated Courseware Support For Teaching Database Design, Meg C. Murray, Mario Guimaraes

Faculty Articles

Database technologies are a core component of computing technology curricula. Their importance will only continue to expand as more and more data are retained in database systems. An effective database system is predicated on a good data model. Database design is the conceptualization of an underlying data model that progresses from identifying user requirements to graphically depicting those requirements and finally mapping the graphical models to a set of tables implemented in a physical database system. The abstract nature of much of database design makes it challenging to teach. This paper presents a set of software animations designed to support …

Procedural Justice In Nonclass Aggregation, Elizabeth Chamblee Burch

Scholarly Works

Nonclass aggregate litigation is risky for plaintiffs: it falls into the gray area between individual litigation and certified class actions. Although scholars have formulated procedural protections for both extremes, the unique danger and allure posed by nonclass aggregation has been undertheorized, leaving mass tort claimants with inadequate safeguards. When hallmark features of mass torts include attenuated attorney-client relationships, numerous litigants, and the demise of adversarial legalism, the attorney-client relationship itself becomes another bargaining chip in the exchange of rights. This Article thus takes the initial steps toward advancing a cohesive theory of procedural justice in nonclass aggregation by exposing the …

Structural Relations Among Negative Affect, Mate Value, And Mating Effort, Beth Randi Kirsner, Aurelio Jose Figueredo, W. Jake Jacobs

Faculty Articles

We compared the ability of models based on evolutionary economic theory and Life History (LH) Theory to explain relations among self-reported negative affect, mate value, and mating effort. Method: Two hundred thirty-eight undergraduates provided multiple measures of these latent constructs, permitting us to test a priori predictions based on Kirsner, Figueredo, and Jacobs (2003). We compared the fit of the initial model to the fit of five alternative theory-driven models using nested model comparisons of Structural Equations Models. Rejecting less parsimonious and explanatory models eliminated the original model. Two equally parsimonious models explained the data pattern well. The first, based …

Winners And Losers In The Panel Stage Of The Wto Dispute Settlement System, Bernard Hoekman, Henrik Horn, Petros C. Mavroidis

Faculty Scholarship

Most research on the role of developing countries in the WTO Dispute Settlement (DS) system has focused on their propensity to participate as complainants, respondents, and third parties. Much of this line of research has sought to examine claims that developing countries are underrepresented as complainants and/or overrepresented as respondents in the DS system. This chapter examines whether the outcomes with regard to legal claims differ between developing and developed countries. It employs a dataset describing various aspects of the DS system that have been compiled under a World Bank project to take a first cut at exploring what the …

Environmental Law, Eleventh Circuit Survey, Travis M. Trimble

Scholarly Works

The United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit decided cases in 2008 that addressed the scope of agency discretion in several contexts. In an issue of first impression under the Clean Air Act (CAA), the court held that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) properly exercised its discretion in not objecting to the issuance of an operating permit to a power company that the agency had earlier formally accused of violating the CAA. In another case, the court held that the Federal Emergency Management Agency had the discretion to protect endangered species while administering the National Flood Insurance Act …

Gonzales, Casey And The Viability Rule, Randy Beck

Scholarly Works

Gonzales v. Carhart upheld a federal ban on intact D&E abortions. The dissenters in Gonzales accused the majority of ignoring the rule that a state may only prohibit abortion of a viable fetus, one capable of life outside the womb. The continuing discord over the viability rule highlights an issue that remains unsettled 34 years after Roe: Why may a state protect the life of a fetus after it reaches viability, but not before? Professor John Hart Ely long ago noted Roe's failure to justify the viability rule, observing that the Court's defense seems to mistake a definition for a …

The Burden Of Knowledge, Christian Turner

Scholarly Works

Sometimes we are better off not knowing things. While we often hear that "ignorance is bliss," there has not been a comprehensive consideration in the legal academy of the virtues of ignorance and its regulation. Though the distribution of knowledge, like the distribution of other goods, is affected both directly and indirectly by law, several characteristics of knowledge distinguish it from other kinds of property. Much has been written about the impact of the nonrival and nonexclusive nature of knowledge on its production and distribution. This Article centers around two other attributes of knowledge that combine to create a special …