Digital Commons Network^™

How To Drown, Erik Hanson

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This thesis is a collection of short fiction produced during my time as a graduate student at the University of Northern Iowa. As its title may suggest, there is a level of cynicism in the overall theme, but closer inspection will reveal that I have attempted to incorporate elements of ambiguity in the potential outcomes. My intention is that every reader will come away with a unique interpretation based on what they have personally "brought" while reading my stories.

Methods For Fostering Success In The Transition To High School, Debora E. Hanna Porter

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this paper is to examine newly implemented changes in transition supports at a large high school in the Midwest. Factors that affect success include attendance, environment, student characteristics and self-efficacy, socio-economic status and family support, peer pressure, teacher and school support, and race and gender differences. To determine the success of the new transition program, data were gathered regarding achievement and attendance outcomes for transitioning students in intervention and comparison groups. In addition, differences in outcomes were investigated for socioeconomic status 'groups and gender. Student opinions of the school environment, parent/teacher support, extra-curricular involvement, and the "New …

Quantitative Rescattering Theory For Nonsequential Double Ionization Of Atoms By Intense Laser Pulses, Samuel Micheau, Zhangjin Chen, Anh-Thu Le, C. D. Lin

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

Laser-induced electron recollisions are fundamental to many strong field phenomena in atoms and molecules. Using the recently developed quantitative rescattering theory, we demonstrate that the nonsequential double ionization (NSDI) of atoms by lasers can be obtained quantitatively in terms of inelastic collisions of the target ions with the free returning electrons where the latter are explicitly given by a spectrum-characterized wave packet. Using argon atoms as target, we calculated the NSDI yield including contributions from direct (e,2e) electron-impact ionization and electron-impact excitation accompanied by subsequent field ionization. We further investigate the dependence of total NSDI on the carrier-envelope phase of …

When Networks Matter : Mexican Migrants' Access To The Welfare State Through Social Ties, Margaret Louise Ralston

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

In this thesis, I examine the relationship between social networks among Mexican migrants and usage of welfare benefits. For this research, I use the Mexican Migration Project (MMP) dataset and logistic regression to assess whether social capital plays a significant role in connecting individuals to information and resources that affect their access to public systems of social protection, including welfare benefits. Recent welfare reform legislation has made it increasingly difficult for noncitizens to access the welfare state. Following the work of Massey and Aguilera (2003), I have conceptualized social capital as respondents' connection to their U.S. community and their ties …

Does A Sense Of Control Moderate Self-Regulation Strategies And Performance? When Feedback Lingers, Annette Feravich

Wayne State University Dissertations

ABSTRACT

This study examined whether a sense of control moderated the relationship between self-regulation and performance on an anagram task. High school students agreeing to participate in this study completed the Behavioral Inhibition/Behavioral Approach Scale (BIS/BAS) in order to determine individual promotion or prevention chronic self-regulatory strategies, as well as the revised Children's Attributional Style Questionnaire (CASQ-R) to determine a sense of control based on explanatory style. Changes in mood and performance on anagram tasks were measured at three different times during the study: prior to, after, and after discrediting randomly assigned negative or positive feedback. Performance tasks were designed …

Emission Of Low-Energy Photons By Electrons At Electron-Positron And Electron-Ion Colliders With Dense Bunches, Ulrich D. Jentschura, G. L. Kotkin, V. G. Serbo

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

Usually, the emission of low-energy photons in electron-positron (or electron-ion) bunch collisions is calculated with the same approach as for synchrotron radiation (beamstrahlung). However, for soft photons (Eγ

System And Method For Quantitative Imaging Of Chemical Composition To Decompose More Than Two Materials, Xin Liu, L. Yu, C. H. Mccollough

Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

A system and method for decomposing more than two materials in an imaging object includes performing a CT imaging acquisition of a portion of an imaging object using at least two energy levels to acquire imaging data associated with each of the at least two energy levels. A total mass attenuation of the imaging data is expressed as a weighted sum of constituent element mass attenuation coefficients and an effective atomic number and density of the constituent elements in the portion of the imaging object is determined by one of a number of methods. Accordingly, concentration of the constituent elements …

System And Method For Quantitative Imaging Of Chemical Composition To Decompose Multiple Materials, Xin Liu, L. Yu, C. H. Mccollough

Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

The present invention provides a material decomposition method capable of determining the distribution of density and constituent material concentration throughout an imaged object. The concentration, in the form of a mass fraction, mass percent, weight fraction, or weight percent, is determined from CT images acquired at different energy levels. The ratio of attenuation coefficients associated with one energy level to attenuation coefficients associated with another energy level is determined and used as an index in a lookup table to determine the concentration of a given material throughout the imaged object.

The Search For Quantum Critical Scaling In A Classical System, Jagat Lamsal, John Gaddy, Marcus Petrovic, Wouter Montfrooij, Thomas Vojta

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

Order-disorder phase transitions in magnetic metals that occur at zero temperature have been studied in great detail. Theorists have advanced scenarios for these quantum critical systems in which the unusual response can be seen to evolve from a competition between ordering and disordering tendencies, driven by quantum fluctuations. Unfortunately, there is a potential disconnect between the real systems that are being studied experimentally, and the idealized systems that theoretical scenarios are based upon. Here we discuss how disorder introduces a change in morphology from a three-dimensional system to a collection of magnetic clusters, and we present neutron scattering data on …

Cognitive-Linguistic Abilities In Young And Middle-Aged Adults, Jamie Leigh Flatness

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The current study investigated the differences on cognition tests and whether or not an age effect existed between young versus middle-aged adults. Twenty young adults (ages 20-39) and twenty middle-aged adults (40-59) were given four cognitive tests to determine if differences in performance existed across the age groups. Tests included the Ross Information Processing Assessment-2nd revision (RIPA-2; Ross-Swain, 1996), the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RA VLT; Rey, 1964 ), the Wechsler Working Memory (WWM) subtests of the Wechsler Memory Scale, 3rd edition (WMS-Ill; Wechsler, 1997), and the Cognitive Linguistic Quick Test (CLQT,· Helm-Estabrooks, 2001 ). A series of one-factor …

The Whisper Of An Echo And Other Stories, James Timothy Frazier

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

"The Whisper of an Echo and Other Stories" is a collection of short stories written during my many, many years of scholarship at the University of Northern Iowa

The Writer-Of-Violence-As-School-Shooter Stereotype: How Columbine, Virginia Tech, And Public Fear Make Writing Violence Dangerous For Students, Matt Foy

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

In a period when students, parents, teachers and administrators are bombarded with images related to school shooting attacks, efforts to prevent such attacks in the future and to identify students who pose a threat to school safety have intensified. These efforts to fight the seemingly mounting wave of school violence have contributed to the rise of stereotypes of what a school shooter looks, talks, and acts like. This study examines one of these stereotypes: the writer-of-violence-as-school-shooter stereotype. This stereotype, which gained attention after 1990s rampages such as those at Heath High School (Kentucky) and Columbine High School and became highly …

Earth's Heat Source -- The Sun, Oliver Manuel

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

The Sun encompasses planet Earth, supplies the heat that warms it, and even shakes it. The United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assumed that solar influence on Earth's climate is limited to changes in solar irradiance and adopted the consensus opinion of a hydrogen-filled Sun - the Standard Solar Model (SSM). They did not consider the alternative solar model and instead adopted another consensus opinion: Anthropogenic greenhouse gases play a dominant role in climate change. The SSM fails to explain the solar wind, solar cycles, and the empirical link of solar surface activity with Earth's changing climate. The …

Effects Of Periodontal Bone Loss On The Natural Frequency Of The Human Canine: A Three-Dimensional Finite Element Analysis, Li-Kuo Shen, Haw-Ming Huang, Jun-Jea Yu, Sheng-Yang Lee, Chih-Ming Lee, Sung-Chih Hsieh

Journal of Dental Sciences

Background/Purpose Assessing periodontal conditions has always been a concern for dental researchers. In this study, we evaluated the potential of a natural frequency (NF) analysis to detect the health status of natural human canine teeth. Materials and methods Three-dimensional finite element models of the human maxillary canine were constructed. NF values of the canine model were calculated with one-, two- and three-sided vertical bone loss. Results By simulating a modal testing experiment, the NF value for a healthy canine was found to be 2581 Hz. As the bone level was lowered, a strong linear relationship between the frequency and attachment …

Continuous-Flow, Rapid Lysis Devices For Biodefense Nucleic Acid Diagnostic Systems, Robert W. Doebler, Barbara Erwin, Anna Hickerson, Bruce Irvine, Denice Woyski, Ali Nadim, James D. Sterling

Business and Information Technology Faculty Research & Creative Works

Two mechanical lysis devices have been developed as compact, robust components to provide rapid sample preparation for nucleic acid diagnostic systems. One such component, known as the Micro Bead-Beater™ (μBB™, BBTM, Claremont BioSolutions, Upland, CA), is a compact device that is capable of ultrarapid lysis (>90% lysis in 30 s) of micro volumes (< 80 μL) of Bacillus spores in a continuous-flow format or in a disposable single-tube format. The μBB is also capable of processing much larger volumes of solutions containing spores or vegetative cells using a continuous-flow mode. A second mechanical lysis device designed as a disposable component is the microfluidic bead blender, which uses a small electric motor to spin vanes within the bead-laden solution. DNA quantification results using dsDNA-binding fluorescence dyes and real-time PCR are presented, comparing the lysis of Bacillus subtilis spores using the μBB™ with other well-known lysis techniques. Nanoscale imaging results obtained using scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy on B. subtilis spores lyzed using the μBB™ are also presented. © 2009, Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening. All rights reserved.

Seven-Level Shunt Active Power Filter For High-Power Drive Systems, Peng Xiao, Ganesh K. Venayagamoorthy, Keith Corzine

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In high-power adjustable-speed motor drives, such as those used in electric ship propulsion systems, active filters provide a viable solution to mitigating harmonic related issues caused by diode or thyristor rectifier front-ends. To handle the large compensation currents and provide better thermal management, two or more paralleled semiconductor switching devices can be used. In this paper, a novel topology is proposed where two active filter inverters are connected with tapped reactors to share the compensation currents. The proposed active filter topology can also produce seven voltage levels, which significantly reduces the switching current ripple and the size of passive components. …

Distributed Utility-Based Rate Adaptation Protocols For Prioritized, Quasi-Elastic Flows, Sharanya Eswaran, Matthew P. Johnson, Archan Misra, Thomas La Porta

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

This paper considers rate adaptation for streaming multimedia data in a wireless sensor network (WSN) consisting of multiple missions, where each mission subscribes to data streams from multiple sensors, and each sensor's data is utilized by multiple heterogenous missions. We specifically consider the application of the distributed network utility maximization (NUM) framework to a previously unconsidered scenario where the different missions have different priorities, as well as minimum utility demands. When all the utility demands are feasible, we first show that the addition of a penalty for failing to reach the minimum utility demand to the base NUM protocol leads …

Integrated Resource Allocation And Scheduling In Bidirectional Flow Shop With Multi-Machine And Cos Constraints, Hoong Chuin Lau, Zhengyi Zhao, Shuzhi Sam Ge

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

An integer programming (IP) model is proposed for integrated resource allocation and operation scheduling for a multiple job-agents system. Each agent handles a specific job-list in a bidirectional flowshop. For the individual agent scheduling problem, a formulation is proposed in continuous time domain and compared with an IP formulation in discrete time domain. Of particular interest is the formulation of the machine utilization function-- both in continuous time and discrete time. Fast heuristic methods are proposed with the relaxation of the machine capacity. For the integrated resource allocation and scheduling problem, a linear programming relaxation approach is applied to solve …

The Globalization Of Environmental Law, Robert V. Percival

Faculty Scholarship

Legal systems across the globe are responding to environmental concerns in surprising new ways. As nations upgrade their environmental standards, some are transplanting law and regulatory policy innovations derived from the experience of other countries, including nations with very different legal and cultural traditions. New national, regional, and international initiatives have been undertaken both by governments and private organizations. Greater cross-border collaboration between government officials, nongovernmental organizations, multinational corporations and other entities is shaping environmental policy in ways that blur traditional private/public/and domestic/international distinctions. The result has been the emergence of a kind of “global environmental law”-law that is neither …

Ob-Pdcds English, Marianne E. Weiss

Quality of Discharge Teaching Scale

The Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale, Quality of Discharge Teaching Scale, and Post-Discharge Coping Difficulty Scale were developed by Dr. Marianne Weiss to measure nurse-sensitive discharge care processes and patient outcomes. Three versions of the scales were developed concurrently for different patient populations – Adult medical-surgical patients, Parents of hospitalized children, and Postpartum Patient mothers (see Weiss & Piacentine, 2006, Weiss et al., 2007, and Bobay et al., 2018 for description of the development and initial testing). Additional scales and information about translation rights are located at Marquette Nursing.

PERMISSION TO USE

The Readiness for Discharge Scale, Quality of Discharge …

Ob-Pdcds English, Marianne E. Weiss

Quality of Discharge Teaching Scale

The Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale, Quality of Discharge Teaching Scale, and Post-Discharge Coping Difficulty Scale were developed by Dr. Marianne Weiss to measure nurse-sensitive discharge care processes and patient outcomes. Three versions of the scales were developed concurrently for different patient populations – Adult medical-surgical patients, Parents of hospitalized children, and Postpartum Patient mothers (see Weiss & Piacentine, 2006, Weiss et al., 2007, and Bobay et al., 2018 for description of the development and initial testing). Additional scales and information about translation rights are located at Marquette Nursing.

PERMISSION TO USE

The Readiness for Discharge Scale, Quality of Discharge …

Readiness For Hospital Discharge - Adult Patient Form - Thai Translation, Marianne E. Weiss, Sarinrut Sriprasong

RHDS

The Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale, Quality of Discharge Teaching Scale, and Post-Discharge Coping Difficulty Scale were developed by Dr. Marianne Weiss to measure nurse-sensitive discharge care processes and patient outcomes. Three versions of the scales were developed concurrently for different patient populations – Adult medical-surgical patients, Parents of hospitalized children, and Postpartum Patient mothers (see Weiss & Piacentine, 2006, Weiss et al., 2007, and Bobay et al., 2018 for description of the development and initial testing). Additional scales and information about translation rights are located at Marquette Nursing.

PERMISSION TO USE

The Readiness for Discharge Scale, Quality of Discharge …

Ob-Pdcds English, Marianne E. Weiss

Post-Discharge Coping Difficulty Scale (PDCDS)

The Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale, Quality of Discharge Teaching Scale, and Post-Discharge Coping Difficulty Scale were developed by Dr. Marianne Weiss to measure nurse-sensitive discharge care processes and patient outcomes. Three versions of the scales were developed concurrently for different patient populations – Adult medical-surgical patients, Parents of hospitalized children, and Postpartum Patient mothers (see Weiss & Piacentine, 2006, Weiss et al., 2007, and Bobay et al., 2018 for description of the development and initial testing). Additional scales and information about translation rights are located at Marquette Nursing.

PERMISSION TO USE

The Readiness for Discharge Scale, Quality of Discharge …

Salero: Semantic Audiovisual Entertainment Reusable Objects, Charlie Cullen, Georg Thallinger, Gert Kienast

Conference papers

Broadcasters around the world are in desperate need to automate content production as much as possible. This need is twofold on the one side automatic production for good structured program parts is needed on the other hand production for different target devices is an issue. The EC project SALERO has developed a range of tools enabling automatic template based production of animation clips with virtual presenters over the past years. In this paper we describe the workflow devised by the project to automate major parts of media production based on 3D content. This is accompanied by a description by the …

Surviving On Remand: A Study Of How Young People Cope In Remand Custody In Ireland, Sinead Freeman

Doctoral

The fusion of young people to the prison setting has been described as a toxic combination. This is especially pertinent when applied to youth in remand custody. Previous research studies have identified young people on remand as a highly vulnerable prison population and custodial remand to be a particularly stressful prison experience. Despite this, little research to date has examined how young people cope while remanded in custody. This thesis addresses this gap by providing an insight into the issue of coping on remand through the voices of young people in custody in the Irish context. It is informed by …

Italian: As/A2 Digital Listening Practice Tests 2009, Silvia Bertoni, Susanna Nocchi

Books/Book Chapters

AS/A2 Digital Listening Comprehension Practice Tests 2009 consists of a book and audio files with authentic listening material and test questions. This book is ideal for practising, improving and building up students’ confidence in listening skills in preparation for the AS Level,A2 Level, the Irish Leaving Certificate and other advanced level exams.

Italian: As/A2 Digital Reading Practice Tests 2009, Silvia Bertoni, Susanna Nocchi

Books/Book Chapters

AS/A2 Digital Reading Practice Tests 2009 consists of authentic reading material and practice test questions. This resource is ideal for practising, improving and building up students’ reading skills in preparation for the AS/A2 Level exams in the UK.The tests are also suitable practice materials for students preparing for other advanced level exams, such as Irish Leaving Certificate, International Baccalaureate or Advance Placement.

West Bloomington Neighborhood Plan: Roots. Pride. Vision., Teska Associates

Projects

Our neighborhoods, Olde Towne and Gridley, Allin and Prickett (GAP), are long-established areas of Bloomington located directly west of downtown along Market Street. Our area is home to historic housing and long-standing churches, social service agencies and small businesses. In 2007, community and business organizations representing the public, private and nonprofit sectors started discussing the challenges confronting GAP and Olde Towne and the steps that could be taken to revitalize our community. This area was chosen as a target of study for a variety of reasons. First, the City’s Comprehensive Plan identified the Westside as an area of concern and …

Time Reversal Of Continuous-Wave, Steady-State Signals In Elastic Media, Brian E. Anderson, Robert A. Guyer, Paul A. Johnson, Timothy J. Ulrich

Faculty Publications

Experimental observations of spatial focusing of continuous-wave, steady-state elastic waves in a reverberant elastic cavity using time reversal are reported here. Spatially localized focusing is achieved when multiple channels are employed, while a single channel does not yield such focusing. The amplitude of the energy at the focal location increases as the square of the number of channels used, while the amplitude elsewhere in the medium increases proportionally with the number of channels used. The observation is important in the context of imaging in solid laboratory samples as well as problems involving continuous-wave signals in Earth.

Supporting Value Creation By Reducing Cultural Distance As A Barrier To Exporting, Thomas Cooney, Amanda Ratcliffe, Jane Silver

Articles

Value creation at the level of the organisation involves balancing the interests of several different stakeholders, with exporting occasionally viewed as a broad-based strategy capable of achieving such equilibrium. However, while much has been written concerning the logistical and economic challenges faced by SMEs wishing to avail of market opportunities abroad, there remains a dearth of information offering solutions to overcoming cultural distance as a barrier to exporting. An EU project entitled ‘Passport to Trade’ sought to provide greater insight into business culture by collating the customs and subjective norms of all member states within the EU and making the …