Digital Commons Network^™

Vitis Seeds (Vitaceae) From The Late Neogene Gray Fossil Site, Northeastern Tennessee, Usa., Fade Gong

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study focuses on the morphometric and systematic studies of fossil vitaceous seeds recently recovered from the Gray Fossil Site (7-4.5 Ma, latest Miocene-earliest Pliocene) northeastern Tennessee. Morphologically, all fossil seeds correspond to the extant subgenus Vitis (genus Vitis) of the Vitaceae based on the smooth dorsal surface with a centrally positioned chalaza connected with a conspicuous chalaza-apex groove and short linear ventral infolds that are slightly diverged apically. A multivariate analysis based on 11 measured characters from 76 complete seeds identified three types of seeds, each representing a distinct morphotaxon. Based on comparison with modern and fossil vitaceous …

Predicting Flavonoid Ugt Regioselectivity With Graphical Residue Models And Machine Learning., Arthur Rhydon Jackson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Machine learning is applied to a challenging and biologically significant protein classification problem: the prediction of flavonoid UGT acceptor regioselectivity from primary protein sequence. Novel indices characterizing graphical models of protein residues are introduced. The indices are compared with existing amino acid indices and found to cluster residues appropriately. A variety of models employing the indices are then investigated by examining their performance when analyzed using nearest neighbor, support vector machine, and Bayesian neural network classifiers. Improvements over nearest neighbor classifications relying on standard alignment similarity scores are reported.

A Variation Of The Carleman Embedding Method For Second Order Systems., Charles Nunya Dzacka

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Carleman Embedding is a method that allows us to embed a finite dimensional system of nonlinear differential equations into a system of infinite dimensional linear differential equations. This technique works well when dealing with first-order nonlinear differential equations. However, for higher order nonlinear ordinary differential equations, it is difficult to use the Carleman Embedding method. This project will examine the Carleman Embedding and a variation of the method which is very convenient in applying to second order systems of nonlinear equations.

The Role Of Self-Efficacy, Family Support, Family Affection, And Family Conflict On Adolescent Academic Performance., Christine L. Pearson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Department of Education funded this study as a part of a larger longitudinal study to examine the relationship between the role of family environment factors and academic performance among adolescents. The participants included 685 middle school adolescents from rural and semirural public schools. Family environment factors were gathered using the Family Environment Scale (Moos & Moos, 1981) and included family conflict, family support, and showing affection. Standardized test scores across 4 domains and final course grades across 4 domains were collapsed and used as measures of academic performance. The moderating relationship between support, conflict, and academic performance was examined. …

Determination Of The Activation Parameters Of Reaction Between [Fe(Cn6]-4 And K[Co(Hedta)No2]., Sammy Eni Eni

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The kinetics of the oxidation of [Fe(CN)₆]^-4 by K[Co(HEDTA)NO₂] was studied in order to get the mechanism and the activation parameters of the reaction. Using a freshly-made Na₃PO₄ solution as the reaction medium with a pH of 6.00 the ionic strength was maintained at 0.10 M and the buffer molarity was 0.001 M.

The rate constant (k_obs) of the reaction between [Fe(CN)₆]^-4 and K[Co(HEDTA)NO₂] was determined at temperatures of 25.0°C, 27.5°C, 30.0°C, 35.0°, and 40.0°C. We explored this reaction by monitoring the evolution of ferricyanide, …

A Comparative Content Analysis Of Televised Political Advertising In The United States And Canada In 2004 And 2008., Jessica A. Mahone

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Analyzing 195 televised political ads from the United States and Canada in 2004 and 2008, this research studies the use of issue and image ads and the attack, acclaim, and contrast function of ads in presidential and federal elections. Results indicate that there is no statistical difference in the use of issue or image ads and no statistical difference in the function of ads in both nations in 2004 and 2008. Issue ads are found to be more commonly used in Canada than in the United States, but there is no statistical difference in the use of acclaim ads between …

A Use Of Theory Of Constraints Thinking Processes For Improvements In The Merged Beams Experiment At Oak Ridge National Laboratory., Bryan Richard Gross

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Thinking exercises used in the Theory of Constraints (TOC) were used to find and remove constraints at the Merged Beams Experiment at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The goal of this project was to significantly reduce the amount of time used to take a certain type of measurement during an experimental cycle. After the TOC exercises were used, a basic plan for change was discovered. Preliminary data were taken to establish a baseline of performance from which changes were made. Post-Modification was analyzed showing the project was a success.

The overlying reasoning for this exercise was to prove successfully that continuous …

The Struggle Against Pandemic Influenza A (H1n1) 2009, Abdullah Balkhair

Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal

No abstract provided.

A Presuppositional Critique Of Constructivism, Paul R. Rickert

Christian Perspectives in Education

Educational theories have roots. They have roots in broader philosophies, conceptions of the nature of reality, and the theories utilized in classrooms to teach have implications for broader society. The author takes a presuppostitional view and shows that all systems have most basic beliefs that are un-provable. So at the heart of any form of interpretive schema or paradigm is faith in that schema. The author discusses the role of theories of truth, how fact-constructivism embraces a relativist position that is self-refuting, and ultimately is untenable absent a suspension of laws of logic. The author argues in favor of revelation …

Marc-Antoine Charpentier's Messe Pour Monsieur Mauroy, Korre D. Foster

Open Access Dissertations

Marc-Antoine Charpentier's setting of the Messe pour Monsieur Mauroy is the only composition in his oeuvre which was dedicated to a particular person. Each of Charpentier's twelve mass settings is unique; this mass setting is his longest at over 1,500 measures. Charpentier masses are diverse: one composition for women's voices, a mass for instruments only, a Christmas mass, as well as settings of the Requiem text. This document traces the history of the missa concertata up until the time of Charpentier. It examines the intricacies of Charpentier's compositional process: form, melody, harmony, and self-borrowing. This paper also analyzes recent findings …

2009 Winter Boise State University Commencement Program

Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

Ua12/13 Resolution For Education For Sustainability At Wku, Office Of Sustainability, Christian Ryan-Downing

Sustainability Publications and Resources

No abstract provided.

Winter Commencement: December 18, 2009, University Of North Dakota

UND Commencement Programs

UND Winter Commencement program from December 18, 2009.

Fall 2009 Commencement Program, University Of Alabama In Huntsville

Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

Identifying Blood Biomarkers And Physiological Processes That Distinguish Humans With Superior Performance Under Psychological Stress., Amanda M. Cooksey, Nausheen Momen, Russell Stocker, Shane C. Burgess

CVM Publications

BACKGROUND: Attrition of students from aviation training is a serious financial and operational concern for the U.S. Navy. Each late stage navy aviator training failure costs the taxpayer over $1,000,000 and ultimately results in decreased operational readiness of the fleet. Currently, potential aviators are selected based on the Aviation Selection Test Battery (ASTB), which is a series of multiple-choice tests that evaluate basic and aviation-related knowledge and ability. However, the ASTB does not evaluate a person's response to stress. This is important because operating sophisticated aircraft demands exceptional performance and causes high psychological stress. Some people are more resistant to …

University Of Nebraska At Omaha, December Commencement 2009, University Of Nebraska At Omaha

Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

Study Finds Greenhouse Gas Carbon Dioxide Ramps Up Aspen Growth, University Relations

Campus News Archive

Chris Cole, professor of biology, and Jon Anderson, professor of mathematics, and Wisconsin colleagues find a surprising response to carbon dioxide.

Discovery Of Very High Energy Gamma Rays From Pks 1424+240 And Multiwavelength Constraints On Its Redshift, P. T. Reynolds, Et Al

Physical Sciences Publications

We report the first detection of very high energy83Gamma-ray emission above 100 GeV. (VHE) gamma-ray emission above 140 GeV from PKS 1424+240, a BL Lac object with an unknown redshift. The photon spectrum above 140 GeV measured by VERITAS is well described by a power law with a photon index of 3.8 ± 0.5stat ± 0.3syst and a flux normalization at 200 GeV of (5.1 ± 0.9stat ± 0.5syst) × 10–11 TeV–1 cm–2 s–1, where stat and syst denote the statistical and systematical uncertainties, respectively. The VHE flux is steady over the observation period between MJD 54881 and 55003 (from …

Design And Evaluation Of Three Alternative Keyboard Layouts For A Five-Key Text Entry Technique, Barbara Millet

Open Access Dissertations

Despite the increase in popularity of handheld devices, text entry on such devices is becoming more difficult due to reduced form factors that limit display size, input modes, and interaction techniques. In an effort to circumvent these issues, research has found that five-key methods are effective for text entry on devices such as in-car navigation systems, television and gaming controllers, wrist watches, and other small devices. Five-key text entry methods use four directional keys to move a selector over an on-screen keyboard and an Enter key for selection. Although other researchers have described five-key character layouts using alphabetical order and …

Council On Academic Affairs Minutes, Dec 17, 2009, Eastern Kentucky University

Council on Academic Affairs

No abstract provided.

Voting, The Symmetric Group, And Representation Theory, Zajj Daugherty '05, Alexander K. Eustis '06, Gregory Minton '08, Michael E. Orrison

All HMC Faculty Publications and Research

We show how voting may be viewed naturally from an algebraic perspective by viewing voting profiles as elements of certain well-studied QS_n-modules. By using only a handful of simple combinatorial objects (e.g., tabloids) and some basic ideas from representation theory (e.g., Schur's Lemma), this allows us to recast and extend some well-known results in the field of voting theory.

Modulation Of Restriction Enzyme Pvuii Activity By Metal Ion Cofactors, Charulata Bhaskaran Prasannan

Dissertations

Metal ions like Ca2+, Mn2+, Tb3+, Eu3+ etc., can bind at the active site and have varying effects on the enzymatic activity. In a crystal structure with DNA, two Ca2+ ions were bound to the active site of each PvuII monomer, and the metals share the ligands. Ca2+ ions promote DNA binding and not cleavage in many nucleases. We explored the role of Mg2+ and Ca2+ binding at the metal binding sites of PvuII to elucidate the role of each metal site. We monitored the cleavage kinetics of PvuII in presence of mixed metals. The cleavage kinetics data for Ca2+ …

Internationalization Of General Education Curriculum In Missouri Community Colleges: A Faculty Perspective, Gavin Caje O'Connor

Dissertations

Providing global educational experiences for students in higher education has been a topic of discussion for decades. Although there is a common appreciation that students should be exposed to and gain awareness of other cultures, most institutions of higher education in the U.S. fall short in providing such opportunities. To accommodate for this need, some institutions are striving to internationalize the curriculum as well as the culture of the institution. Community colleges play a key role in the higher education system in the U.S. and may be the first, if not only opportunity for students to gain global awareness. This …

Replacing Hydrogen Bonds With Coordinate Covalent Bonds In Coordination Networks, Colin Stewart Rodger

Dissertations

The overall theme of the dissertation is that metal ions such as silver(I) can replace H+ in hydrogen bonded organic frameworks. Because organic solids have been extensively studied, we can insert metal ions into the supramolecular assemblies, thus creating predictable coordination solids of varying dimensions. One example of an organic solid tested involves the organic compounds terephthalic and isophthalic acids. These dicarboxylic acids have previously been shown to self-assemble into tape-like structures via hydrogen bonding, with neighboring dicarboxylic acids located at angles of 180° and 120° respectively. By substituting the hydrogen bonds with coordination metal-ligand bonds similar assemblies are formed. …

Efficient Rotation Algorithms For Texture Evolution, Mark W. Esty

Theses and Dissertations

Texture evolution is a vital component of many computational tools that link structure, properties and processes of polycrystalline materials. By definition, this evolution process involves the manipulation, via rotation, of points in orientation space. The computational requirements of the current methods being used to rotate crystalline orientations are a significant limiting factor in the drive to merge the texture information of materials into the engineering design process. The goal of this research is to find and implement a practical rotation algorithm that can significantly decrease the computation time required to rotate macroscopic and microscopic crystallographic textures. Three possible algorithms are …

Examining The Key Elements Of Effective Adolescent Literacy Practices And Literacy Assessment Proficiencies, Martha Elaine Dodson

Theses and Dissertations

Learning to read and write is critical to a child's success in school and later in life. Although most funding for literacy education has been centralized in the primary grades in the past, the concern for the growing numbers of adolescents continuing to struggle in literacy has gained attention. This is especially true when considering the high stakes accountability measures in place at grades 3-8. The pressure mounted by the No Child Left Behind Act for improved literacy gains for all students is growing more and more intense as school districts are challenged to meet adequate yearly progress. The literacy …

Relationship Between Green School Design And Student Achievement, Attendance, And Student Behaviors, Deborah Lynn Bruick

Theses and Dissertations

Literature is replete with the harmful effects of poorly maintained facilities on building occupants. School district officials are charged with constructing schools of quality while also serving as conscientious stewards of public monies, therefore, school leaders need facility research to support decision-making. The purpose of the study was to examine the impact that schools constructed following Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification standards have on student achievement, student attendance, and teacher's perceptions compared to non-LEED schools. The analysis revealed no significant difference for academic achievement or attendance but revealed a statistically significant difference between LEED and non-LEED teachers …

Student Affairs Administrator And Faculty Perceptions Of Distance Education As Preparation For Employment In Student Affairs, Mary Christina Charlton

Theses and Dissertations

A sequential, mixed-method study was conducted to investigate student affairs administrators and faculty perceptions of distance education as preparation for employment in student affairs. An online survey was administered to both administrators (N = 754) and faculty (N = 69) in order to collect data for quantitative analysis. Variables included participant rating of importance and acquisition of competencies, professional experience, experience with distance education, and philosophical orientation. A one-way ANOVA was used to examine relationships between differing variables, while a MANOVA was used to examine relationships between the two participant groups and corresponding variables. Results from quantitative data informed the …

Annual Report And Accounts 2009, Royal Bank Of Scotland (Rbs)

Documents

No abstract provided.

Survey Indicators For Pygmy Rabbits: Temporal Trends Of Burrow Systems And Pellets, Dana M. Sanchez, Janet L. Rachlow, Andrew P. Robinson, Timothy R. Johnson

Western North American Naturalist

Obtaining estimates of absolute abundance for rare or cryptic species can be challenging. In these cases, methods using indirect indicators such as sign might offer useful indices of population size. Pygmy rabbits (Brachylagus idahoensis) are small, burrowing lagomorphs for which methods for population assessment and monitoring are needed. Current tools for estimating relative abundance rely on detecting and assessing fecal pellets and burrow systems. We evaluated temporal changes in each of these indicators to gauge their potential usefulness as indicators of relative and absolute abundance of pygmy rabbits. Pellet persistence was strongly influenced by environmental exposure, and based …