Digital Commons Network^™

Analysis Of The Wicking And Thin-Film Evaporation Characteristics Of Microstructures, R. Ranjan, J. Y. Murthy, S V. Garimella

CTRC Research Publications

The topology and geometry of microstructures play a crucial role in determining their heat transfer performance in passive cooling devices such as heat pipes. It is therefore important to characterize microstructures based on their wicking performance, the thermal conduction resistance of the liquid filling the microstructure, and the thin-film characteristics of the liquid meniscus. In the present study, the free-surface shapes of the static liquid meniscus in common microstructures are modeled using SURFACE EVOLVER for zero Bond number. Four well-defined topologies, viz., surfaces with parallel rectangular ribs, horizontal parallel cylinders, vertically aligned cylinders, and spheres (the latter two in both …

Neonatal Cpr: Room At The Top—A Mathematical Study Of Optimal Chest Compression Frequency Versus Body Size, Charles F. Babbs, Andrew Meyer, Vinay Nadkarni

Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

Objective: To explore in detail the expected magnitude of systemic perfusion pressure during standard CPR as a function of compression frequency for different sized people from neonate to adult. Method: A 7-compartment mathematical model of the human cardiopulmonary system—upgraded to include inertance of blood columns in the aorta and vena cavae—was exercised with parameters scaled to reflect changes in body weight from 1 to 70 kg. Results: Maximal systemic perfusion pressure occurs at chest compression rates near 60, 120, 180, and 250 per minute for subjects weighing 70, 10, 3, and 1 kg, respectively. Such maxima are predicted by analytical …

Protein-Protein Docking Using Region-Based 3d Zernike Descriptors., Vishwesh Venkatraman, Yifeng D. Yang, Lee Sael, Daisuke Kihara

Department of Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Background

Protein-protein interactions are a pivotal component of many biological processes and mediate a variety of functions. Knowing the tertiary structure of a protein complex is therefore essential for understanding the interaction mechanism. However, experimental techniques to solve the structure of the complex are often found to be difficult. To this end, computational protein-protein docking approaches can provide a useful alternative to address this issue. Prediction of docking conformations relies on methods that effectively capture shape features of the participating proteins while giving due consideration to conformational changes that may occur.

Results

We present a novel protein docking algorithm based …

Application Of 3d Zernike Descriptors To Shape-Based Ligand Similarity Searching, Vishwesh Venkatraman, Padmasini Ramji Chakravarthy, Daisuke Kihara

Department of Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Background

The identification of promising drug leads from a large database of compounds is an important step in the preliminary stages of drug design. Although shape is known to play a key role in the molecular recognition process, its application to virtual screening poses significant hurdles both in terms of the encoding scheme and speed.

Results

In this study, we have examined the efficacy of the alignment independent three-dimensional Zernike descriptor (3DZD) for fast shape based similarity searching. Performance of this approach was compared with several other methods including the statistical moments based ultrafast shape recognition scheme (USR) and SIMCOMP, …

Simulations Of Aerodynamic Damping For Mems Resonators, Xiaohui Guo, Alina A. Alexeenko

School of Aeronautics and Astronautics Faculty Publications

Aerodynamic damping for MEMS resonators is studied based on the numerical solution of Boltzmann-ESBGK equation. A compact model is then developed based on numerical simulations for a wide range of Knudsen numbers. The damping predictions are compared with both Reynold equation based models and several sets of experimental data. It has been found that the structural damping is dominant at low pressures (high Knudsen numbers). For cases with small length-to-width ratios and large vibration amplitudes, the threedimensionality effects must be taken into account. Finally, an uncertainty quantification approach based on the probability transformation method has been applied to assess the …

Numerical Simulation Of Gas-Phonon Coupling In Thermal Transpiration Flows, Xiaohui Guo, Dhruv Singh, Jayathi Murthy, Alina A. Alexeenko

School of Aeronautics and Astronautics Faculty Publications

Thermal transpiration is a rarefied gas flow driven by a wall temperature gradient and is a promising mechanism for gas pumping without moving parts, known as the Knudsen pump. Obtaining temperature measurements along capillary walls in a Knudsen pump is difficult due to extremely small length scales. Meanwhile, simplified analytical models are not applicable under the practical operating conditions of a thermal transpiration device, where the gas flow is in the transitional rarefied regime. Here, we present a coupled gas-phonon heat transfer and flow model to study a closed thermal transpiration system. Discretized Boltzmann equations are solved for molecular transport …

The Stability Of Psychopathy Across Adolescence, Donald Lynam, Richard Charnigo, Terrie E. Moffitt, Adrian Raine, Rolf Loeber, Madga Stouthamer-Loeber

Department of Psychological Sciences Faculty Publications

The current diagnostic system suggests that personality disorder categories be applied to children and adolescents in rare circumstances because of expected changes in personality pathology across development. The present study examined the stability in personality pathology, specifically psychopathy, across childhood and adolescence. Using a short form of the CPS and mixed models incorporating fixed and random effects, we examined the reliability, individual stability, mean-level stability, and predictive utility of juvenile psychopathy as a function of age (i.e., from 7 to 17 years old) in over 1,500 boys from the three cohorts of the Pittsburgh Youth Study. If adolescent development contributes …

Non-Marital Romantic Relationship Commitment And Leave Behavior: The Mediating Role Of Dissolution Consideration, Laura E Vanderdrift, Christopher Agnew, Juan E. Wilson

Department of Psychological Sciences Faculty Publications

Two studies investigated the process by which individuals in non-marital romantic relationships characterized by low commitment move toward enacting leave behaviors. Predictions based on the behavioral, goal, and implementation intention literatures were tested using a measure of dissolution consideration developed for this research. Dissolution consideration assesses how salient relationship termination is for an individual while one’s relationship is intact. Study 1 developed and validated a measure of dissolution consideration and Study 2 was a longitudinal test of the utility of dissolution consideration in predicting the enactment of leave behaviors. Results indicated that dissolution consideration mediates the association between commitment and …

Capital Stock Revisions Theory Data, Anwar Shaikh Phd

Archives of Anwar Shaikh

This collection includes:

• No bias in current price stock due to quality adjustment, an unpublished set of handwritten research notes and mathematical tables prepared by Anwar Shaikh, PhD, on May 30, 2009.
• Measurement of capital, a manuscript file folder label inscribed with the identification code NA-23-64, prepared by Anwar Shaikh, PhD, on June 5, 2026.
• Mathematical formulation of capital stock chain indexes and valuation identities, an unpublished set of handwritten equations and index number derivations prepared by Anwar Shaikh, PhD.

Serologic Evidence Of Avian Influenza (H4n6) Exposure In A Wild-Caught Raccoon, Nathan M. Roberts, David J. Henzler, Larry Clark

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Growing concerns about avian influenza, and its effect on agriculture and human health, have highlighted the need to understand the role of wildlife in maintaining and spreading the virus. We surveyed the wildlife inhabiting a poultry farm with recent I-I3N6 and H4N6 avian influenza virus exposure in Pennsylvania, U.S.A. One raccoon (Procyon lotor) tested positive for H4N6 antibodies. This is the first recorded incident of avian influenza exposure in a wild raccoon. We suggest that raccoons may play a role in the transmission of avian influenza viruses and in compromising biosecurity efforts at poultry operations.

An Overview Of Historical Beaver Management In Arizona, Christopher Carrillo, David Bergman, Jimmy D. Taylor Ii, Dale L. Nolte, Patrick Viehoever, Mike Disney

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

In the mid-1820s, Anglo-American fur trappers, known as "mountain men," entered Arizona and began trapping beaver (Castor canadensis). In Arizona there have been a number of famous mountain men such as Sylvester and James Pattie, Ewing Young, Jededia Smith, and Bill Williams who trapped along the waterways in northern and southern Arizona. Although the heyday of mountain men lasted only a few decades due to a population decline of beaver, management of these animals continues to this day. The purpose of managing beavers shifted from monetary gain to controlling wildlife damage. During the late 1900s, beaver were still …

Relating Ten Years Of Northern Raccoon Road-Kill Data To Their Attraction To Sea Turtle Nests, Richard M. Engeman, Alice Bard, Henry T. Smith, N. Paige Groninger

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

One of the primary threats to sea turtle reproduction in Florida is nest predation by Northern Raccoons (Procyon lotor). We examined 10 years of nest deposition data from a high-density sea turtle nesting beach at Sebastian Inlet State Park, Florida, USA, along with data on raccoon road-kills from the adjacent road, and data on park attendance (as an index of local traffic) to make inferences about raccoon activity patterns relative to turtle nesting. Northern Raccoon road-kills diminished during turtle nesting, even though local traffic was higher. Virginia Opossums (Didelphis virginiana), the only other mammal consistently found …

Surveillance For Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza In Wild Birds In The Usa, Thomas J. Deliberto, Seth R. Swafford, Dale L. Nolte, Kerri Pedersen, Mark W. Lutman, Brandon S.. Schmit, John A. Baroch, Dennis J. Kohler, Alan B. Franklin

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

As part of the USA’s National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza, an Interagency Strategic Plan for the Early Detection of Highly Pathogenic H5N1 Avian Influenza in Wild Migratory Birds was developed and implemented. From 1 April 2006 through 31 March 2009, 261 946 samples from wild birds and 101 457 wild bird fecal samples were collected in the USA; no highly pathogenic avian influenza was detected. The United States Department of Agriculture, and state and tribal cooperators accounted for 213 115 (81%) of the wild bird samples collected; 31, 27, 21 and 21% of the samples were collected from the Atlantic, …

Rangelands Use And Management At The Border Area Of Northeast Mexico And South Texas/ Uso Y Manejo De Los Pastizales En La Franja Fronteriza Del Noreste De México Y Sur De Texas, Eduardo A. Gonzalez-V, David G. Hewitt, J. Alfonso Ortega-Santos, Randy W. Deyoung, Tyler A. Campbell, Fred C. Bryant

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Land use in southern Texas and northern Mexico is changing away from traditional livestock production and toward wildlife based recreation as white tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) hunting. The objective was to conduct a landowner survey to document land use patterns along the Rio Grande River in Texas and Mexico. A survey was developed and written in both English and Spanish, and administered to the landowners or managers along the Rio Grande River in Texas and Mexico, during February to June of 2008. In Texas the survey was administered in counties that border the Rio Grande River between Starr …

Landscape Genetics Of Raccoons (Procyon Lotor) Associated With Ridges And Valleys Of Pennsylvania: Implications For Oral Rabies Vaccination Programs, J. Jeffrey Root, Robert B. Puskas, Justin W. Fischer, Craig B. Swope, Melissa A. Neubaum, Serena A. Reeder, Antoinette J. Piaggio

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Raccoons are the reservoir for the raccoon rabies virus variant in the United States. To combat this threat, oral rabies vaccination (ORV) programs are conducted in many eastern states. To aid in these efforts, the genetic structure of raccoons (Procyon lotor) was assessed in southwestern Pennsylvania to determine if select geographic features (i.e., ridges and valleys) serve as corridors or hindrances to raccoon gene flow (e.g., movement) and, therefore, rabies virus trafficking in this physiographic region. Raccoon DNA samples (n = 185) were collected from one ridge site and two adjacent valleys in southwestern Pennsylvania (Westmoreland, Cambria, Fayette, …

Evaluation Of An Epitope-Blocking Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay For The Detection Of Antibodies To Influenza A Virus In Domestic And Wild Avian And Mammalian Species, Heather J. Sullivan, Bradley J. Blitvich, Kaci K. Vandalen, Kevin T. Bentler, Alan B. Franklin, J. Jeffrey Root

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

An epitope-blocking enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (bELISA) was developed for the detection of antibodies to influenza A virus in taxonomically diverse domestic and wild vertebrate species. In contrast to the bELISAs published previously that require reagent production, manipulation by the end-user, or have not been evaluated for use with both mammalian and avian species, this assay is performed using commercially available recombinant nucleoprotein antigen and corresponding nucleoprotein-specific monoclonal antibody and has been shown to work with multiple avian and mammalian species. The efficacy of the bELISA as a serum screening assay was compared to the agar gel immunodiffusion (AGID) assay using …

Humoral Immunity To West Nile Virus Is Long-Lasting And Protective In The House Sparrow (Passer Domesticus), Nicole M. Nemeth, Paul T. Oesterle, Richard A. Bowen

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The house sparrow (Passer domesticus) is a common and abundant amplifying host of West Nile virus (WNV) and many survive infection and develop humoral immunity. We experimentally inoculated house sparrows with WNV and monitored duration and protection of resulting antibodies. Neutralizing antibody titers remained relatively constant for ≥ 36 months (N = 42) and provided sterilizing immunity for up to 36 months post-inoculation in 98.6% of individuals (N = 72). These results imply that immune house sparrows are protected from WNV infection for multiple transmission seasons. Additionally, individuals experiencing WNV-associated mortality reached significantly higher peak viremia …

West Nile Virus Detection In Nonvascular Feathers From Avian Carcasses, Nicole M. Nemeth, Ginger R. Young, Kristen L. Burkhalter, Aaron C. Brault, William K. Reisen, Nicholas Komar

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

West Nile virus (WNV) is a public health threat and has caused the death of thousands of North American birds. As such, surveillance for WNV has been ongoing, utilizing numerous biological specimens and testing methods. Nonvascular (i.e., fully grown) feathers would provide a simple method of collection from either dead or live birds of all ages and molt cycles, with presumably less biosafety risk compared with other specimen types, including feather pulp. The current study evaluates WNV detection in nonvascular feathers removed from naturally infected avian carcasses of several species groups. Feathers of corvid passeriforms had the highest sensitivity of …

Parasite Species Associated With Wild Plateau Pika (Ochotona Curzoniae) In Southeastern Qinghai Province, China, Chengmin Wang, Hongxuan He, Ming Li, Fumin Lei, J. Jeffrey Root, Yanyun Wu, Jianhua Qin

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

A survey was conducted to determine the prevalence and seasonal abundance of egg, larval, and adult stages of helminths; oocyts of protozoans; and ectoparasites of plateau pikas (Ochotona curzoniae) in seven areas of southeastern Qinghai Province, China, during August 2006 and May 2007. Fecal samples collected from 430 plateau pikas were examined by the modified McMaster technique, which revealed that 83% of the samples contained eggs from two or more helminth species. Mean fecal egg counts were generally moderate and showed the same trend irrespective of the age or sex of the pikas. The prevalence and counts of …

Effect Of Deficit Irrigation And Fertilization On Cucumber, Kamal H. Amer, Sally A. Midan, Jerry L. Hatfield

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Soil water budgets are essential in determining the proper timing and amount of irrigation. Organic fertilizers can be substituted for commercial fertilizers; however, information is sparse on the interaction of irrigation management and nutrient source on cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) production. This study evaluated nutrient source and irrigation management on growth and yield of cucumber grown in the arid area of Egypt. A field experiment was conducted using cucumber grown in northern Egypt at Shibin El-Kom in 2006 and 2007 to evaluate water use and fertilizer rate and type. Three irrigation deficits and seven fertilization types were arranged in …

Impact Of Design Parameters On Tapered Resin Injection Pultrusion With Different Chamber Length, Rajiv Mitlapalli

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Spontaneous Heating On Fiber Composition, Fiber Digestibility, And In Situ Disappearance Kinetics Of Neutral Detergent Fiber For Alfalfa-Orchardgrass Hays, W. K. Coblentz, P. C. Hoffman

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

During 2006 and 2007, forages from 3 individual hay harvests were utilized to assess the effects of spontaneous heating on concentrations of fiber components, 48-h neutral detergent fiber (NDF) digestibility (NDFD), and in situ disappearance kinetics of NDF for large-round bales of mixed alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) and orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.). Over the 3 harvests, 96 large-round bales were made at preset bale diameters of 0.9, 1.2, or 1.5 m, and at moisture concentrations ranging from 9.3 to 46.6%. Internal bale temperatures were monitored daily during an outdoor storage period, reaching maxima (MAX) of 77.2°C and 1,997 heating degree …

Efficacy And Safety Of Catnip (Nepeta Cataria) As A Novel Filth Fly Repellent, J. J. Zhu, X.-P. Zeng, D. Berkebile, H.-J. Du, Y. Tong, K. Qian

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Catnip (Nepeta cataria) is known for its pseudo-narcotic effects on cats. Recently, it has been reported as an effective mosquito repellent against several Aedes and Culex species, both topically and spatially. Our laboratory bioassays showed that catnip essential oil (at a dosage of 20 mg) resulted in average repellency rates of 96% against stable flies, Stomoxys calcitrans (L.) and 79% against houseflies, Musca domestica (L.), respectively. This finding suggested that the application of repellent could be used as part of filth fly management. Further evaluations of catnip oil toxicity were conducted to provide a broad-spectrum safety profile of …

Phantom Pains, Cynthia Anne Brandon

All NMU Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Mother Tongue, Amanda Love Giracca

All NMU Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Effect Of Antigenic Site Mutations On The Binding Specificity Of An Anti-Hemagglutinin Antibody To H3n2 Influenza Virus Isolates, Juliana Liambaya Hagembe

All NMU Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Why Can’T They Write Right? Teaching Grammar In The Composition Classroom, Sarah J. Johnson

All NMU Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Reputation Versus Reality: The Impact Of Us News And World Report Rankings And Education Branding On Hiring Decisions In The Job Market, Fausto D. Capobianco

Theses and Dissertations

Typically, leading brands provide benchmarks for constructing consumer preference in the marketplace. Reputation rankings have sustained and advanced the status of brand names in higher education with an implication that the degrees awarded by higher ranked schools have added prestige, a cachet with the potential of facilitating success in the job market. This implication makes reputation rankings a dependable tool for college and university marketing departments eager to increase student enrollment and retention by communicating its superiority among its peers. By examining the influence of reputation rankings on the pre-decision preferences of human resource hiring professionals in evaluating employment applicants, …

An Analysis Of Actual And Desired Roles Of Trustees And Presidents Of Community Colleges Linked To Board-President Relationship And Its Impact On College Effectiveness, Annette M. Gilzene

Theses and Dissertations

This study's primary purpose was to examine whether or not there were differences in the roles community college boards of trustees and presidents said they currently perform and those they said they should perform. In addition, the study sought to determine whether or not the relationship between trustees and the president impacted the effectiveness of community colleges in California, USA. The following research questions were used to guide the study. Was there a gap between what roles trustees of California Community Colleges said they perform and the roles they said they should perform? Was there a gap between what roles …

Factors That Inspire Preadolescent Students To Pursue College And Career Plans, Kamal Vinayak Inamdar

Theses and Dissertations

In the United States, minority students have lower high school graduation rates. This research was carried out to determine factors that influence seventh grade students' perceptions to complete high school, attend college and select a profession. A survey was conducted to determine whether their goals were influenced by factors such as gender, ethnicity and parental level of education. A total of 273 seventh grade students from a middle in Ventura, California, participated in this survey. From these 273, 211 students reported being very sure that they would graduate from high school, while 62 stated that they will most likely complete …