Digital Commons Network^™

Exploring T. Brucei Hexokinase Biology: Localization And Inhibition Studies, Todd Lyda

All Dissertations

Trypanosoma brucei, the causative agent of the disease African sleeping sickness
in humans and nagana in animals, is a scourge of sub-Saharan Africa. There is a
desperate need for more efficacious therapies for the disease; here we describe research
validating T. brucei hexokinase 1 (TbHK1) as a drug therapeutic target for T. brucei
infection and the identification and characterization of novel inhibitors of the enzyme by
both low throughput and high throughput means. Additionally this thesis introduces
efforts at characterizing a second T. brucei hexokinase, focusing mostly on cell biology
and the determination of localization.
The small molecule quercetin (QCN) …

Polymeric Carbon Nanocomposites - Preparation, Characterization, And Properties, Lucia Veca

All Dissertations

Excellent thermal properties of carbon nanomaterials such as carbon nanotubes and newly discovered graphene make them the filler of choice for the development of thermal management materials. Graphene has been viewed as “ unrolled single-walled carbon nanotube and as a wonder material with many superlatives to its name ” thus there is an excessive interest in developing new synthetic routes towards large scale production of high quality graphene nanosheets.
In this dissertation, we report different methods that could further exfoliate the commercially available expanded graphite to nanometer sized carbon structures, “carbon nanosheets ”, for their use in highly thermal conductive …

Characterization Of Gulf Sturgeon Diel And Seasonal Activity In The Pensacola Bay System, Florida, Beth Wrege

All Dissertations

We assess temporal and spatial distribution and diel variability in activity of Gulf of Mexico sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi in the Pensacola Bay system, Florida, using stationary ultrasonic telemetry. Gulf of Mexico sturgeon (n = 54) migrated through the bay system in fall to wintering areas in the Gulf of Mexico and Santa Rosa Sound. In spring, sturgeon migrated back through the bay system to summering habitats in rivers. Gulf of Mexico sturgeon use East Bay and Escambia Bay primarily as migration routes between riverine areas used in spring and summer and the Gulf of Mexico used in winter. North …

Wide Area Monitoring And Control, Manish Patel

All Dissertations

Today's interconnected power system is deregulated for wholesale power transfers. In 1996 Federal Energy Regulatory Commission provided open access of the transmission network to utilities. Since then utilities are transferring power over long distances to bring reliable and economical electric supply to their customers. As the number of wholesale power transactions taking place over an interconnected system are increasing, system operators in control areas are forced to monitor the grid on a large scale to operate it reliably. Before scheduling such a large scale power transactions, it is necessary to make sure that such transaction will not violate system operating …

The Rheology, Degradation, Processing, And Characterization Of Renewable Resource Polymers, Jason Conrad

All Dissertations

Renewable resource polymers have become an increasingly popular alternative to conventional fossil fuel based polymers over the past couple decades. The push by the government as well as both industrial and consumer markets to go 'green' has provided the drive for companies to research and develop new materials that are more environmentally friendly and which are derived from renewable materials. Two polymers that are currently being produced commercially are poly-lactic acid (PLA) and polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) copolymers, both of which can be derived from renewable feedstocks and have shown to exhibit similar properties to conventional materials such as polypropylene, polyethylene, polystyrene, …

Determination Of Mixed Hydrate Thermodynamics For Reservoir Modeling, Nagasree Garapati

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Natural gas hydrates are likely to contain more carbon than in all other fossil fuel reserves combined worldwide. Most of the natural gas hydrate deposits contain CH4 along with other hydrocarbon gases like C2H 6, C3H8 and non-hydrocarbon gases like CO 2 and H2S. Thus, if CH4 stored in natural gas hydrates can be recovered, the hydrates would potentially become a clean energy resource for the next 10,000 years. The production of CH4 from natural gas hydrate reservoirs has been predicted by reservoir simulators that implement phase equilibria data to predict various production scenarios. Therefore, it is very important to …

Significance Of Design Context And Rationale In Long Term Retention Of Data, Samrat Sarovar

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Mechanical Engineering Design is said to be both; science and art. In the process of designing mechanical systems or components, decisions are typically made to conceptualize, synthesize, and ultimately define the final configuration of a mechanical system or component, through an iterative process that involves design, analysis, performance assessment and experimental validation tasks. In the process, a plethora of engineering methods, analytical tools and technical data are used to yield a final design. Typically, the final design is documented, but in most cases, much (if not all) rationale that led to the final configuration is left undocumented and eventually lost. …

Computational Environment For The Development Of An Faa Compliant Level 6 Flight Training Device, Steven Mullins

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

A flight simulator can successfully achieve its purpose only if equipped with adequate mathematical models of the aircraft, its sub-systems, and the environment. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has instituted stringent regulations to ensure that flight simulators used for pilot training reach desirable levels of accuracy and fidelity. The purpose of this thesis is to present the development and application of a design strategy and the computational environment associated to it for building an aircraft simulation model that meets the FAA regulations for flight simulator performance. The proposed methodology is based on using flight test data in combination with …

Implementing Energy Release Rate Calculations Into The Lamodel Program, Morgan M. Sears

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Mining activity at increasingly greater depths and the tragedy at Crandall Canyon that claimed the lives of nine miners have forced coal bump research to the forefront of mining engineering research. Near the end of the last century, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the former U.S. Bureau of Mines investigated the mechanics, conditions, and mitigation of coal bumps. Unfortunately, the exact mechanics of coal bumps is still not fully understood. Following this period, research into coal bumps in the United States has been limited.;The Energy Release Rate (ERR) calculation quantifies the dissipation ("release") of the …

Aerodynamic Design Of A Tilting Wind Tunnel For The Study Of A Glider In Ground Effect, Andres Felipe Velasquez E.

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

A small, low-speed, open return, tilting wind tunnel has been designed. This wind tunnel is intended to simulate the behavior of an unpowered recreational glider that flies down slopes in ground effect at about 1m above the surface. The required tilting angle is 50°. The wind tunnel has to be capable of holding free-flying models with a recommended scaling factor of 14.2 and with Froude number matching.;The designed wind tunnel uses a centrifugal fan to blow air into the test section through a wide angle diffuser, a settling chamber and a contraction. There are six screens and a honeycomb to …

Stability Of Carbon Dioxide And Methane Hydrates In Water In Presence Of Small Driving Forces Using Md Simulations, Venkata S. Vedam

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Gas hydrates are a potential source of energy as a large fraction of natural gas worldwide is stored in the form of gas hydrates. Methane hydrates are widely distributed in sediments along the continental margins and contain more energy than all other fossil fuel reserves in the world. However, methane is also a potential greenhouse gas which could play a major role in global climate change. Accurately characterizing the stability of methane and CO 2 hydrates in water can help us understand their effects on earth's environment and also the feasibility of long term CO2 sequestration in the sediments under …

The 'Molar Tooth Sign' In Joubert Syndrome, Imaad Ur Rehman, Zablon Bett, Yousuf Husen, Ali Syed Muhammad Akhtar, Faisal Aziz Khan

Department of Radiology

The molar tooth sign is seen in very few conditions and is a very rare paediatric central nervous system congenital anomaly. Molar tooth sign is the result of cerebellar vermis hypoplasia, thick and maloriented superior cerebellar peduncles, and an abnormally deep interpeduncular fossa. In Joubert syndrome this is seen in about 85% of patients. We present a case of 13 months old baby boy with recurrent episodes of fits and hyperpnoea, regression of milestones and developmental delay. MRI examination showed the characteristic molar tooth sign with apposition of cerebellar hemispheres, batwing-shaped fourth ventricle communicating through a thin fissure with foramen …

The Burden Of Stroke And Transient Ischemic Attack In Pakistan: A Community-Based Prevalence Study, Ayeesha Kamran Kamal, Ahmed Itrat, Muhammed Murtaza, Maria Khan, Asif Rasheed, Amin Ali, Amna Akber, Zainab Akber, Naved Iqbal, Sana Shoukat, Farzin Majeed, Danish Saleheen

Section of Neurology

Background: The burden of cerebrovascular disease in developing countries is rising sharply. The prevalence of established risk factors of stroke is exceptionally high in Pakistan. However, there is limited data on the burden of stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA) in South Asia. We report the first such study conducted in an urban slum of Karachi, Pakistan. Methods:Individuals 35 years of age or older were invited for participation in this investigation through simple random sampling. A structured face-to-face interview was conducted using a pretested stroke symptom questionnaire in each participant to screen for past stroke or TIA followed by …

Yale Scientific Magazine: Volume 81, Number 2

Yale Scientific Magazine

No abstract provided.

Eleven Years Of Parima Activities In North-Central Kenya: Impacts On Egerton University And Neighboring Communities, D. Layne Coppock, Abdillahi Aboud, Mark Mutinda, Stellamaris Muthoka

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

The PARIMA project was created to improve the well-being of pastoralists and agro-pastoralists in northern Kenya and southern Ethiopia via risk-management research, training, and outreach. The project began to collaborate with Egerton University’s Department of Natural Resources in 1998 and many joint activities were undertaken over the next 11 years. Among them were regional household research on pastoral risks and their management, a training program for Egerton teaching staff to obtain post-graduate degrees, facilitation of Egerton faculty and staff to attend professional meetings, and provision of computer hardware and software that led to the creation of a GIS teaching and …

Simple Cooling Method Improves The Quality Of Marketed Camel Milk In Northern Kenya, D. Layne Coppock, A. O. Adongo, F. Wayua, I. J. Sagalla, H. K. Walaga, C. Amboga

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

Milk marketing is important for many pastoralists to generate income, especially poor households with little else to sell. Milk is accumulated at pastoral settlements and transported to local markets on foot, by pack animals, or in vehicles. Despite challenges of heat and long-distance travel, pastoralists or traders do not attempt to cool marketed milk and possibly reduce risk of spoilage. Milk spoilage is an important problem that limits urban consumer demand. Our research objective was to determine effects of water-soaked hemp (burlap), wrapped around plastic jerry cans, on reducing milk temperature and enhancing quality of marketed camel milk, a key …

Can Pastoral Linkages To Livestock Markets Be Sustained In Southern Ethiopia?, D. Layne Coppock, Getachew Gebru, Solomon Desta, Seyoum Tezera, Zewdu Edea

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

The PARIMA project has facilitated collective action, empowerment of women, and increased involvement in livestock marketing among pastoralists on the Borana Plateau since 2001. Fifty-nine collective-action groups formed by PARIMA and her partners have been recently merged into market-oriented cooperatives, consistent with government policy. We used focus groups and participatory appraisals to assess the extent that market linkages have been sustained since previously reported in 2006. The markets have been growing, but are volatile. Members report they need access to early warning and livestock market-information systems, as well as more capital, to promote trade. Export firms have imposed added conditions …

Perspectives Of Parents Who Have A Child Diagnosed With An Autism Spectrum Disorder, Lori Ann Kalash

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand the experiences and perceptions parents of a child with an autism spectrum disorder have had. The study addressed the following research question: What were the parents' experiences and perspectives with regard to their child's diagnosis and treatment options?

For this interview study, 12 parents of children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder were ultimately selected and interviewed. The audio recorded interviews were transcribed and then examined for "significant statement" sentences. Next, clusters of meaning were developed into themes. These "significant statements" and themes were then used to create the formulated meanings …

School Emergency Preparedness In North Dakota Public School Districts, Steven Wayne Swiontek

Theses and Dissertations

The basis for this study was to determine: (1) If school districts in North Dakota have an emergency response plan; (2) How comprehensive their emergency response plan is; (3) How well prepared school districts in North Dakota are for any type of disaster; and (4) The extent to which North Dakota LEAD Center school emergency response training and resources have impacted school emergency preparedness in North Dakota.

There were 120 school districts and their superintendents that participated in the Emergency Preparedness in North Dakota Public School District's survey. School administrators who completed the Emergency Preparedness Survey were asked to indicate …

The Fiduciary Constitution Of Human Rights, Evan Fox-Decent, Evan J. Criddle

Faculty Publications

We argue that human rights are best conceived as norms arising from a fiduciary relationship that exists between states (or statelike actors) and the citizens and noncitizens subject to their power. These norms draw on a Kantian conception of moral personhood, protecting agents from instrumentalization and domination. They do not, however, exist in the abstract as timeless natural rights. Instead, they are correlates of the state’s fiduciary duty to provide equal security under the rule of law, a duty that flows from the state’s institutional assumption of irresistible sovereign powers.

Harvesting Corn Silage By Plant Moisture, James Barnhill, Linden Greenhalgh, Clark Israelsen, Michael Pace, Jody Gale

All Current Publications

This publication discusses the appropriate moisture level for ensiling corn silage as a forage.

Introduction To The Central States Law Schools Association 2008 Conference, Cindy Galway Buys

Southern Illinois University Law Journal

A brief introduction to the Central States Law Schools Association (CSLSA), as well as the schools and scholarship involved, by its former president, Cindy Buys.  Buys is an Associate Professor at Southern Illinois University (SIU) Simmons Law School, which hosted the CSLSA in 2008.  The CSLSA provided the means of solicitation for the three leading articles contained in this issue of the SIU Law Journal.

An Argument Against Prudentially Declining To Recognize Standing To Sue For Illegal Immigrants, Jason Gourley

Southern Illinois University Law Journal

Illegal immigration has come to the forefront of political debate, and state legislatures have acted on the issue, passing a multitude of laws addressing the issue in a wide variety of ways.  Opponents of this legislation have challenged the constitutionality of these statutes in court, and they will continue to do so.  A recurring question in these cases is whether a court should even hear a case challenging such legislation if it is brought by an illegal alien.

This Comment argues that courts should not prudentially decline to recognize standing to sue for illegal aliens who challenge laws addressing illegal …

The Relationship Between Procrastination And Intrapersonal Intelligence In College Students, Christa Grant

Theses and Dissertations

Procrastination is ubiquitous, encompasses many domains of life, i.e., school, work, and home, and for many people has negative results. Therefore, researchers, educators, psychologists, and counselors need to discover ways to alleviate the problem. When Gardner's multiple intelligences are used in pedagogical implementation in elementary and high schools, researchers have found positive results. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between procrastination and intrapersonal intelligence as well as the other dimensions of multiple intelligence among students in higher education in order to illuminate possible solutions to the problem of procrastination. Because intrapersonal intelligence is associated with the …

Exergetic And Thermoeconomic Analyses Of The Rice-Husk Power Plant In Thailand, P Peerapong, B Limmeechokchai

Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

The purpose of this study is to analyze a rice husk power plant, and consider the efficiency of the power plant through both the first law and the second law of thermodynamics. The energetic and exergetic performance criteria such as thermal efficiency, exergy efficiency, and exergy loss have been found to be useful methods in design, evaluation, optimization and improvement of thermal power plants. The exergetic efficiency of a power plant shows that the boiler is the major component contributing to total loss, with its exergetic efficiency of 30%, while the steam turbine has the exergetic efficiency of 76%. The …

Influence Of Impurity Ions On Rice Husk Combustion, L Xiong, K Saito, E H. Sekiya, P Sujaridworakun, S Wada

Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

Rice husk (RH) contains various impurity ions such as K+ , Al3+, Fe3+, Mnn+ (n = 2 - 4), and P-containing acid ions. In the present work, some of their oxides, formed in RH combustion, were found to exert a strong influence on the middle- and late stages of RH combustion, and consequently, strongly affected the structure and properties of the final ash. Very recently, we proved for the first time that the existence of the transition metallic ions in rice husk can lead to a decrease of about 70°C in the terminal combustion temperature (Ttc) of RH. This catalytic …

Molecular Confirmation Of The Causes Of Inherited Visual Impairment In Northern Pakistan, Mehreen Adhi, Yasmin Rashid, Syed Hussain Jafri, Chris F. Inglehearn, Martin Mc Kibbin

Department of Medicine

Families with inherited visual impairment were identified and examined from January 2000 to December 2005 and given a clinical diagnosis. Known genes and loci were screened for mutations or linkage at Institute of Ophthalmology and Neurosciences, University of Leeds, in order to provide molecular confirmation. Inherited retinal disease was the most common cause of inherited visual impairment in 38 of 57 families (66.6%) with Leber’s congenital amaurosis, rod-cone dystrophy and cone-rod dystrophy being the most common diagnoses in 22, 8 and 3 families respectively. Anterior segment dysgenesis was diagnosed in 8 families (14%). Mutations in known genes or linkage to …

Wegener's Granulomatosis: A Diagnostic Challenge, Ali Bin Sarwar Zubairi, Hammad Bin Liaquat, Shahid Javed Husain, Kulsoom Fatima

Department of Medicine

Wegener's Granulomatosis (WG) is a necrotizing granulomatous vasculitis that primarily involves small vessels in the body. Patient usually presents in the fourth to fifth decade. The clinical presentation is variable; however, majority of patients (90%) seek medical attention for nasal and sinus symptoms with or without lower respiratory symptoms of cough, dyspnoea and haemoptysis. The typical form of WG tends to involve the triad of upper and lower respiratory tract and the kidneys; while involvement of other organs like ocular, cutaneous, rheumatological, neural, gastrointestinal and lower genito-urinary tract is occasionally seen. A "limited" form with clinical findings isolated to the …

Improving Computer Game Bots' Behavior Using Q-Learning, Purvag Patel

Theses

In modern computer video games, the quality of artificial characters plays a prominent role in the success of the game in the market. The aim of intelligent techniques, termed game AI, used in these games is to provide an interesting and challenging game play to a game player. Being highly sophisticated, these games present game developers with similar kind of requirements and challenges as faced by academic AI community. The game companies claim to use sophisticated game AI to model artificial characters such as computer game bots, intelligent realistic AI agents. However, these bots work via simple routines pre-programmed to …

Fire History And Current Stand Structure Analysis Of A Midwestern Black Oak Sand Savanna, Cody Douglas Considine

Theses

Management and restoration of black oak dominated sand savannas often rely on historic vegetative descriptions (settler accounts, surveyor notes, aerial photographs). It is commonly assumed that fire alone maintains savanna structure and composition, however little information is known about the specific fire frequency needed to maintain these systems. The objective of this study was to quantify and correlate characteristics of stand structure with fire history of the Kankakee Sands savannas in northeastern Illinois. Fire history chronologies were determined through dendrochronological methods from 289 dated fire scars identified on 58 black oak (Quercus velutina) trees located throughout four wooded sites. Tree …