Digital Commons Network^™

The Journey Of An Image: The Western Perception Of Tibet, Diana Martinez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This paper is about how Western travelers perceived Tibetans from 1900 until 1950. It explores the travelogues of Westerners from various national and professional backgrounds to examine how their view of Tibetans had changed.

The Exquisite Pain Of Sunny Afternoons, Jessica Jeanne Miller

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The Exquisite Pain of Sunny Afternoons is a novella exploring one young woman's journey through mental illness. She struggles with many delusions and extreme emotional reactions to these delusions until she finds balance. She finds balance, if not total recovery, through the help of her mother and three young Canadian travelers. The novella begins with an escape from a psychiatric hospital to Oaxaca, Mexico.

Electric Power Distribution Optimization Using Evolutionary Algorithms, Sowmya Parimi

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In the present research, a new evolutionary algorithm is developed to solve the component allocation problem in electricity distribution systems. The problem addresses the upgrade/design of an electricity distribution system with the objective of minimizing expected system downtime subject to cost and repair time constraints. The algorithm is tested on the Dual Element Spot Network (DESN) configuration which is one of the most commonly used configurations by the power industry. This algorithm is demonstrated with two examples.

The Association Of Human Leukocyte Antigen(Hla) Alleles And Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2dm) Among Mexican Americans (Ma), Kantibhai Motiram Patel

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The epidemic of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is ranked as a major public health priority across the United States and especially in the El Paso, Texas region. The risk for the development of T2DM is greater in minority groups, particularly among Mexican Americans (MA) who comprise approximately 78% of El Paso's population. The growing incidence of T2DM in this group is typically attributed to increase in weight (obesity). The incidence of diabetes may also be influenced by genetic factors that are unique to this group. Several earlier studies have identified genetic markers for type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). These …

Cis-Acting Signals For Replication Of Nodamura Virus Rna1, John Joseph Rosskopf

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The family Nodaviridae is comprised of two genera: the alphanodaviruses that infect insects and the betanodaviruses, which have been isolated only from fish. Nodamura virus (NoV), the type species of the alphanodavirus genus, can lethally infect both insects (mosquitoes, honey bees, and wax moth larvae) and mammals (suckling mice and suckling hamsters). In addition, nodavirus RNAs can replicate in a wide variety of host cells, including those of mammalian, insect, plant, and yeast origin, when introduced by transfection. The nodavirus positive strand RNA genome is naturally segregated into two segments. RNA1 encodes the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) that replicates …

Geography Of Pestecide Exposure In The Lower Valley (El Paso County, Texas), Critina Solis Sanchez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Previous studies using GIS have been used to understand the demographics of particular areas of a city and the risks associated with living there. In the Lower Valley (Socorro, Clint, and San Elizario) area of El Paso County (TX), there has been a rapid growth in population. This increase in growth has led to this project about the types of pesticides used in farms and if they are creating possible health risks for people living in this area and which populations are most at risk. To determine population risk, I use existing GIS information, specifically a USDA aerial photograph taken …

Vision-Based Virtual Mouse System, Tom Wanjala Watiti

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This thesis describes a virtual mouse system that utilizes machine vision technology to enable a user to navigate through software window screens on a standard personal computer, access and control software, and/or peripheral devices attached to the personal computer. Utilizing the virtual mouse, the user can execute the standard control functions of the system mouse required to perform software application selection functions and navigation tasks without physical interface with the controlled computer. The machine vision algorithm utilizes a set of four simulated photoelectric sensors, with Gaussian filter sensitivities, to compute and track the mouse location. By utilizing Gaussian filters, instead …

Pressure Induced Phase Transformation Of Sno2: An Ab Initio Constant Pressure Study, Daniel Tesfai Yehdego

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The behavior of SnO2 under rapid hydrostatic pressures is studied using constant-pressure ab initio simulations. The rutile-type SnO2 gradually transforms into the CaCl2-type structure at 15 GPa. At a pressure of about 20 GPa, a phase transformation into a cubic fluorite-type structure is observed. The orthorhombic Pnma cotunnite-structured phase is observed above 150 GPa. The mechanisms of these phase transformations at the atomistic level are discussed.

Development And Validation Of A High Throughput, Elisa Morales

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Not Required

Failure Analysis And Materials Characterization Of Hip Implants, Amanda Marie Bastidos

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This research focused on the microstructural characterization and failure analysis of hip implant components. The main hip components analyzed were the femoral heads and the ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) liners. Previous research has shown that hip implants tend to fail by the PE liners due to adhesive and abrasive wear, delamination, and third body particles (metals, ceramics, and PE). The methods and procedures for analyzing the said failures consisted of non-destructive and destructive evaluations. Non-destructive evaluations included of techniques such as visual characterization and dye penetrant inspection (DPI)-which displayed macroscopic surface details and presented initial clues as to the …

Public Access To Spatial Data On Private-Land Conservation, Jessica Owley, Amy Wilson Morris, Adena R. Rissman

Articles

No abstract provided.

An Integrated Approach To The Toxicity Assessment Of Irish Marine Sediments Application Of Porewater Toxicity Identification Evaluation (Tie) To Irish Marine Sediments, Ailbhe Macken, Michelle Giltrap, Barry Foley, Evin Mcgovern, Brendan Mchugh, Maria Davoren

Articles

An integrated approach to the ecotoxicological assessment of Irish marine sediments was carried out between 2004 and 2007. Phase I Toxicity Identification Evaluation (TIE) of sediment porewaters from two sites on the east coast of Ireland were conducted. Initial Tier I screening of three Irish sites identified the need for TIE after significant toxicity was observed with Tisbe battagliai and the Microtox® assay at two of the assayed sites (Alexandra Basin and Dunmore East). Porewaters classified as toxic were characterised using four manipulations, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) chelation, sodium thiosulphate addition, C18 Solid Phase Extraction (SPE) and Cation Exchange (CE) SPE. …

Reconfigurable End Effector Allowing For In-Hand Manipulation Without Finger Gaiting Or Regrasping, Jacob Ames Ziesmer

Master's Theses (2009 -)

The goal of this thesis is to move a step towards the solution of the bin picking problem. A novel metamorphic end effector is proposed, tested for proof of concept and analyzed using standard techniques of degrees of freedom and graph theory as well as a classical dynamic analysis. Once proof of concept was achieved, the results from the analysis were formed into an optimization program with the hope of finding a more stable, predictable mechanism.

Capillary Perfusion Kinematics In Lungs Of Oxygen-Tolerant Rats, Madhavi Ramakrishna

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Motivation:

Prolonged exposure to oxygen at high concentrations (hyperoxia), a common treatment for hypoxemia, is toxic to the lungs. Rats exposed to 85% O₂ for 5-7 days develop tolerance to the otherwise lethal effects of 100% O₂. Elucidating the factors that contribute to this tolerance could further our understanding of the mechanisms of lung O₂ toxicity. Since vascular remodeling involving loss of capillary volume and endothelial surface area has been reported in lungs from rats exposed to 85% O₂ for 7 days, we were interested in evaluating the effect of this hyperoxia model on lung …

Eeg During Pedaling: Brain Activity During A Locomotion-Like Task In Humans, Sanket G. Jain

Master's Theses (2009 -)

This study characterized the brain electrical activity during pedaling, a locomotor-like task, in humans. We postulated that phasic brain activity would be associated with active pedaling, consistent with a cortical role in locomotor tasks. 64 channels of electroencephalogram (EEG) and 10 channels of electromyogram (EMG) data were recorded from 10 neurologically-intact volunteers while they performed active and passive (no effort) pedaling on a custom-designed stationary bicycle. Ensemble average waveforms, two dimensional topographic maps and amplitude of the beta (13-35 Hz) frequency band were analyzed and compared between active and passive trials. The absolute amplitude (peak positive-peak negative) of the EEG …

Characterization Of The Electromagnetic Fields Inside A Wire Mesh Cage For Biotelemetry, Johnny Bernard Lienau

Master's Theses (2009 -)

A wire mesh cage composed of thin conductive wires will influence the behavior of electromagnetic fields within it. Theory suggests that the cage will behave like a low Q cavity. Many researchers have investigated electromagnetic field behavior in solid walled cavities and waveguides, but little of this work has probed into the effects of a wire mesh. Additionally, few studies have investigated RF communication in these types of environments. The primary goal of this work is to research wireless communication inside a low Q wire mesh cavity in the 200-700 MHz range. Through simulated and experimental results, ideal antenna locations …

The Effect Of Office Chair Backrest Design On The Body's Metabolic Response To Office Work, Stephen H. Freier

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Most office chairs have a backrest that is wider at the shoulders than at the hips. Recently, a new office chair was developed that has a backrest that is narrower at the shoulders and wider at the hips (upwardly tapered backrest). The upwardly tapered backrest should allow users to increase their ventilatory efficiency, compared to a conventional, wide backrest. This new backrest design will hypothetically allow a user to retract their scapulae, increase expansion of the chest cavity, thus allowing the lungs more space to expand. Specific measures of improved ventilatory efficiency are an increase in tidal volume (V_{t …}

Who Says "I Do"? Reviewing Judith Butler & Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Who Sings The Nation-State? Language, Politics, Belonging (2007), Noa Ben-Asher

Faculty Publications

This Book Review offers an analogy between two forms of resistance to legal discrimination by marginalized minorities: singing the national anthem in Spanish on the streets of Los Angeles in the spring of 2006 by undocumented immigrants, and possible future public marriage ceremonies by LGBT people and other marriage outlaws. Based on the conceptual grounds laid by Judith Butler and Gayatri Spivak, and earlier by Hannah Arendt, the Review uses an analogy to the public singing of the anthem in Spanish in order to argue that the performance of public marriage ceremonies by LGBT people and other marriage outlaws may …

Application Of Sensor Fusion To Human Locomotor System, John Kweku Avor

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This research study proposes a multi-sensor data fusion technique to determine the complex interactions between the sensory, muscular and mechanical components of the human locomotor systems (neuromechanics). The object in this work is to demonstrate the viability in using inertial sensors for accurate gait phase determination and to present the acceleration effect specific body segment contributes in order to establish a functional gait. The current method used in determining gait phases consist of combining ground reaction force and angular data, this method is time consuming and cannot be totally reliable. We found out that gait phases can be determined distinctively …

Two-Dimensional Gravity Modeling Of The Rattlesnake Springs Watershed, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico, Nikolay D. Boykov

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

A series of non-invasive geophysical investigations at the Rattlesnake Springs part of Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico, were performed in an effort to better delineate the watershed of the springs. The goal of this project is to determine possible locations of fractures and faults that may control the distribution of groundwater that feeds Rattlesnake Springs. Once the water flow paths are identified, the park will be able to better protect Rattlesnake Springs from environmental hazards, such as oil and gas drilling, as well as from upstream water development. As part of this effort I conducted a precision gravity survey …

Science Versus Religion: Protestant Dominance And Cultural Discrimination In Public Schools, Melissa Marie Brock

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This research offers a critical analysis of the current controversy concerning religion. The study explores the establishment of the public school system under Protestant dominance and use of this dominance to assert authority over minority groups. Legislation and court action have created a position of opposing policy; placing science as the opposite of religion, and Atheists and Christian activists are using curriculum as an ideological battle field. Currently, since 9/11, religious discrimination and hate crimes are on the rise. In order to investigate this controversy, this study explores literature, published surveys, and government documents. The American public school systems are …

The Effectiveness Of Fba-Based Interventions On Social Goals And Behaviors Of A Student At Risk Of E/Bd, Hsin-Ju Chen

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of functional behavioral assessment (FBA) based interventions for improving prosocial goals and behaviors and reducing problem behaviors of a student at risk of emotional and behavioral disorders (E/BD). Specifically, this study was interested in whether the behavioral intervention plans based on the function of behavior had an impact on the student's thought processes impacting prosocial decision making. There was one 11-year-old student who was placed in the behavior intervention class (BIC) participating in this study. Results showed that overall, the student's problem behaviors seemed to decrease during the classroom universal …

Does Type Of Stimulus Influence Task-Irrelevant Evaluative Categorization Processes?, Guadalupe Corral

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The effect of stimulus type on task-irrelevant evaluative categorization was examined in two separate studies by using the P3 component from event-related brain potentials. The first study presented idiosyncratic stimuli consisting of individuals that were rated by participants as either positive or negative within sequences of pictorial and verbal stimuli. The second study presented sequences of novel and familiar stimuli consisting of previously normed unattractive and neutral individuals. It was hypothesized that pictures would elicit task-irrelevant evaluative categorization processes and so would novel stimuli (relative to words and familiar stimuli, respectively). Task-irrelevance was examined by assessing P3 peak amplitude to …

Nonobviousness In The U.S. Post-Ksr For Innovative Drug Companies, Tom Irving, Lauren L. Stevens, Scott M.K. Lee

University of Dayton Law Review

No abstract provided.

Some Turkish Rotifer Species Studied Using Light And Scanning Electron Microscopy, Ahmet Altindağ, Hendrik Segers, Murat Kaya

Turkish Journal of Zoology

A number of records of rotifers from Turkey are discussed. An account is given on trophi morphology in 4 species of Asplanchna Gosse, 1850. Cephalodella segersi De Smet, 1998 is recorded for the second time after its description, and Lecane shieli Segers and Sanoamuang, 1994 is recorded from Turkey for the first time. Both these and a population of Hexarthra polyodonta polyodonta (Hauer, 1957) from the species’ type locality, Lake Van, are illustrated using light and scanning electron microscopic techniques.

First Record Of Mycterodus (Comporodus) Mutuus Logvinenko, 1968 (Hemiptera, Fulgoromorpha, Issidae) From Turkey, With Redescription Of The Species, Veysel Kartal, Ahmet Dursun

Turkish Journal of Zoology

The species Mycterodus (Comporodus) mutuus Logvinenko, 1968 is recorded for the first time from Turkey. This species is redescribed and figured by examination of specimens from northeast Turkey.

Cover And Contents

Turkish Journal of Zoology

No abstract provided.

Phytoseiid Mites Of Hakkâri Province, With Typhlodromus (Anthoseius) Tamaricis Kolodochka, 1982 (Acari: Phytoseidae), A New Record For The Predatory Mite Fauna Of Turkey, İsmai̇l Kasap, Sultan Çobanoğlu

Turkish Journal of Zoology

This study was based on 8 species of 5 genera of Phytoseiidae of the order Mesostigmata (Acari) found in 67 samples. These specimens were collected from Hakkari province in 2005 and 2006. Among the species, Typhlodromus (Anthoseius) tamaricis Kolodochka, 1982 is a new record for the Turkish fauna. The descriptions and drawings of female T. (A.) tamaricis are given in this paper. The distribution of each species, worldwide and in Turkey, is also presented.

Zerconid Mites (Acari, Mesostigmata, And Zerconidae) From Turkey, Raşi̇t Urhan

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Two new species of zerconid mites, Zercon cokelezicus sp.n. and Z. mehmeturhani sp.n., collected from soil in Denizli, Turkey are described and illustrated on the basis of females. Additionally, a key to the adults of the genus Zercon known from Turkey is given.

Cover And Contents

Turkish Journal of Zoology

No abstract provided.