Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Digital Commons Network™

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

2010

Discipline
Institution
Keyword
Publication
Publication Type
File Type

Articles 28411 - 28440 of 29169

Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network

Thomas Hoccleve And The Poetics Of Reading, Elon Lang Jan 2010

Thomas Hoccleve And The Poetics Of Reading, Elon Lang

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Thomas Hoccleve, the early fifteenth-century London poet who first promoted the notion that Chaucer was the father of English literature, demonstrates an acute awareness that readers would change the form of his own texts over time. Although many scholars consider Hoccleve's style to be derivative of his English predecessors, I argue that his awareness of readers contributed to an innovative style that casts writing and reading as mutually dependent acts of performance. Thus, in depictions of manuscript production and circulation processes, Hoccleve treats his audiences as his creative collaborators. The rich surviving manuscript history for Hoccleve reveals how his texts …

Go to article

Essays On Macro-Finance Relationships, Azamat Abdymomunov Jan 2010

Essays On Macro-Finance Relationships, Azamat Abdymomunov

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

In my dissertation, I study relationships between macroeconomics and financial markets. In particular, I empirically investigate the links between key macroeconomic indicators, such as output, inflation, and the business cycle, and the pricing of financial assets. The dissertation comprises three essays. The first essay investigates how the entire term structure of interest rates is influenced by regime-shifts in monetary policy. To do so, we develop and estimate an arbitrage-free dynamic term-structure model which accounts for regime shifts in monetary policy, volatility, and the price of risk. Our results for U.S. data from 1985-2008 indicate that: i) the Fed's reaction to …

Go to article

Implementation Of Hypertension Treatment Recommendations, Veronica Shead Jan 2010

Implementation Of Hypertension Treatment Recommendations, Veronica Shead

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

There are currently lifestyle modifications and medications that are highly successful in controlling hypertension. Nevertheless, many hypertensive individuals do not implement lifestyle changes and fail to adhere to medication regimens. The current study sought to understand both sociodemographic and intrinsic factors associated with the implementation of recommended lifestyle modifications for treatment of hypertension. The study represents the first step in the application of the Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills: IMB) model of health behavior and health promotion to hypertension. The primary goal was to provide a profile of the variables relevant for adherence to the multifaceted treatment recommendations for the hypertensive population. 151 …

Go to article

Exploring Tissue Microstructure In Healthy And Diseased Lung Tissue, Michelle Milne Jan 2010

Exploring Tissue Microstructure In Healthy And Diseased Lung Tissue, Michelle Milne

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

This thesis is divided into two parts. The first part examines diffusion in a number of human lung samples, while the second deals with diffusion in the more simplified environment of a single capillary tube. In the lung study we examine various types of lung samples: healthy and diseased) at a variety of diffusion lengths. Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging: MRI) has been a very useful tool in the study of lungs and lung disease, particularly diffusion MRI using hyperpolarized gases, such as helium or xenon. However, since the polarized gas is difficult to prepare and, once prepared, suffers decay of …

Go to article

Implicit And Explicit Racial Attitudes: Moderation Of Racial Typicality Evaluations, Elena Stepanova Jan 2010

Implicit And Explicit Racial Attitudes: Moderation Of Racial Typicality Evaluations, Elena Stepanova

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Previous research has shown that racial images representing more typical Afrocentric phenotypic characteristics result in more negative evaluations, whether assessed by explicit or implicit attitudes measures. However, the factors that define and moderate the perception of racial typicality have not been sufficiently explored. The current research investigated additive and interactive influences of skin tone and facial physiognomy on racial typicality evaluations, as well as the degree to which those effects were moderated by explicit and implicit racial attitudes, ethnicity of participants, and availability of cognitive resources. Using a 6-point scale ranging from very African American to very Caucasian, participants: N …

Go to article

The Mechanisms And Roles Of Neural Feedback Loops For Visual Processing, Debajit Saha Jan 2010

The Mechanisms And Roles Of Neural Feedback Loops For Visual Processing, Debajit Saha

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Feedback pathways are widely present in various sensory systems transmitting time-delayed and partly-processed information from higher to lower visual centers. Although feedback loops are abundant in visual systems, investigations focusing on the mechanisms and roles of feedback in terms of micro-circuitry and system dynamics have been largely ignored. Here, we investigate the cellular, synaptic and circuit level properties of a cholinergic isthmic neuron: Ipc) to understand the role of isthmotectal feedback loop in visual processing of red-ear turtles, Trachemys scripta elegans. Turtle isthmotectal complex contains two distinct nuclei, Ipc and Imc, which interact exclusively with the optic tectum, but are …

Go to article

Design, Synthesis And Characterization Of Synthetic Ion Receptors As Biologically Functional Ion Carriers And Channels, Carl Yamnitz Jan 2010

Design, Synthesis And Characterization Of Synthetic Ion Receptors As Biologically Functional Ion Carriers And Channels, Carl Yamnitz

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

The study of proteins and natural molecules that transport cations and anions across biological membranes has been a major focus of biochemistry and cellular biology for more than a century. The function of ion transporters is vital for all known forms of life. Natural and synthetic transporters can have applications as antimicrobial agents, in nerve impulse transduction and cell signaling. The current work was performed to further the understanding of a diverse array of novel and previously-studied synthetic molecules as membrane-active ion transporters. In the process, important facets such as ion binding capacity, aggregation behavior, ion transport functionality, and antimicrobial …

Go to article

Orientation-Specific Control Of Attention, Feng Du Jan 2010

Orientation-Specific Control Of Attention, Feng Du

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Previous studies have shown that an irrelevant distractor matched to a sought-for color captures attention involuntarily, thus violating either temporal or spatial control of attention. However, whether an irrelevant distractor that matches a sought-for orientation can capture attention is still unknown. A task of rapid serial visual presentation: RSVP) was developed to examine whether an irrelevant distractor oriented in the same way as the target can capture attention. Participants were presented with a sequence of letters at fixation and were required to search for the target letter with a specific orientation. In all five experiments, six peripheral bars flanked the …

Go to article

Frustrated Magnetism In Distorted Triangular Lattice Materials; & Extraordinary Electroconductance In Iii-V Metal Semiconductor Hybrid Structures, Jian Wu Jan 2010

Frustrated Magnetism In Distorted Triangular Lattice Materials; & Extraordinary Electroconductance In Iii-V Metal Semiconductor Hybrid Structures, Jian Wu

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

PART I: We have synthesized a series of spin S = 1/2 distorted triangular lattice materials Cu2(1-x)Zn2x(OH)3NO3and their long chain alkyl carboxylic group intercalated derivatives, Cu2(1-x)Zn2x(OH)3(C7H15COO).mH2O). Their structural properties, magnetic properties and specific heat have been carefully studied in this thesis. We found that antiferromagnetic-type long-range order develops in all the nitrate group compounds below the Neel temperatures TN, which decreases with increasing Zn content. For the organic long chain intercalated samples, the temperature dependence of magnetic susceptibility …

Go to article

Organizational Processes Contribute To The Testing Effect In Free Recall, Franklin Zaromb Jan 2010

Organizational Processes Contribute To The Testing Effect In Free Recall, Franklin Zaromb

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

In educational contexts, tests not only assess what students know, they can also directly improve long-term retention of subject matter relative to restudying it. More importantly, the memorial advantage of testing is not limited to select information that was tested earlier. Research has shown that testing can serve as a versatile learning tool by enhancing the long-term retention of non-tested information that is conceptually related to previously tested information; stimulating the subsequent learning of new information; and permitting better transfer of learning to new knowledge domains. We further investigated the potential benefits of testing on learning by asking whether testing …

Go to article

Teaching News Literacy In The Age Of New Media: Why Secondary School Students Should Be Taught To Judge The Credibility Of The News They Consume, Elia Powers Jan 2010

Teaching News Literacy In The Age Of New Media: Why Secondary School Students Should Be Taught To Judge The Credibility Of The News They Consume, Elia Powers

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

This paper involves two of the oldest institutions in America -- schools and the press -- and the preparation of informed citizens in the age of new media. I examine the manner and ways in which news literacy, the use of critical thinking skills to judge the reliability of news reports and news sources, is taught to secondary school students in the United States. It is axiomatic that a vigorous and independent press is critical to our democracy. Yet news literacy has not historically been included in the public school curriculum and continues to be widely absent, despite states vowing …

Go to article

An Examination Of Oxysterol Effects On Membrane Bilayers Using Molecular Dynamics Simulations, Brett Olsen Jan 2010

An Examination Of Oxysterol Effects On Membrane Bilayers Using Molecular Dynamics Simulations, Brett Olsen

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

My thesis work focuses on understanding the role of biological membranes in cellular processes. I am particularly interested in how small molecules perturb membrane structure and regulate membrane function. Membranes are primarily responsible for segregating different compartments of biological cells from each other. However, they have other roles as well, including influencing signal transduction in the cell, both through associated membrane proteins and directly through alterations in membrane organization. In order to understand how small molecules change membranes, I use molecular dynamics simulations of small simplified membranes to examine, at an atomic-level detail, how the addition of small molecules to …

Go to article

The Effects Of Habitat Corridors And Edges On Sources Of Seed Mortality: Implications For Restoring A Threatened Legume, Melissa Simon Jan 2010

The Effects Of Habitat Corridors And Edges On Sources Of Seed Mortality: Implications For Restoring A Threatened Legume, Melissa Simon

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

No abstract provided.

Go to article

An Environment For Stroke Therapy Game Authoring, Simon Tam Jan 2010

An Environment For Stroke Therapy Game Authoring, Simon Tam

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Stroke is the leading cause of disability in the industrialized world. The disabilities caused by stroke can significantly impact the quality of daily life for stroke survivors. Studies show that a high number of daily body movement repetitions can help recover lost motor functionality. However, many stroke patients do not perform the home exercises needed to reach this high number of repetitions. Games for rehabilitation have been shown to provide motivation to perform home exercises. However, because stroke can leave survivors with different levels of disability, custom games are required. Creating custom games, though, is time consuming and requires advanced …

Go to article

Opium And Insurgency: Development And Decay In Southern Afghanistan, Adam Ebrahim Jan 2010

Opium And Insurgency: Development And Decay In Southern Afghanistan, Adam Ebrahim

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

No abstract provided.

Go to article

Historical Function Of The Fictional Work Of H. J. C Von Grimmelshausen And Essad Bey, Sarah Griesbach Jan 2010

Historical Function Of The Fictional Work Of H. J. C Von Grimmelshausen And Essad Bey, Sarah Griesbach

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

In an historical analysis of Grimmelshausen and BeyΓÇÖs work the disinhibition created by the authorsΓÇÖ hidden identities and writing styles becomes an historical asset. The medium of fiction gave Grimmelshausen and Bey the freedom to shape their narratives as best fit their purposes. The historical usefulness of their texts is buried in their choices for deliveryΓÇöliterary device, character perspective, atmosphere, toneΓÇöand in the messages the authors deliver, intentionally or not.

Go to article

A Study Of The Adjunct Faculty Experiences In The Creation Of A Teacher Work Sample, Anna L. Conway Jan 2010

A Study Of The Adjunct Faculty Experiences In The Creation Of A Teacher Work Sample, Anna L. Conway

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Part-time and adjunct faculty members have been present in institutions of higher learning since the founding of this country. These groups of faculty provide a variety of unique professional experiences to their students; they offer financial savings and scheduling flexibility for their colleges and on many levels, adjuncts offer a range of other valuable contributions to their institutions. The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences that community college adjunct faculty had with college teaching and implementation of the Teacher Work Sample. Another objective was to see how the completion of Teacher Work Sample contributed to the adjuncts' …

Go to article

Geochemical Conditions Affecting Uranium(Vi) Fate And Transport In Soil And Groundwater In The Presence Of Phosphate, Abhas Singh Jan 2010

Geochemical Conditions Affecting Uranium(Vi) Fate And Transport In Soil And Groundwater In The Presence Of Phosphate, Abhas Singh

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Soil and groundwater contamination with actinides like uranium is a serious environmental concern. Phosphate addition to uranium-contaminated soil and groundwater can potentially provide long-term in-situ U(VI) immobilization by precipitation of low solubility U(VI)-phosphates. Reactions at the iron: oxy)hydroxide-water interface can control macroscopic transport and long-term stability of uranium. First, the interactions among phosphate, U(VI), and goethite: alpha-FeOOH) were investigated in a year-long batch experimental study. Dissolved U(VI) and phosphate concentrations were interpreted within a reaction-based modeling framework. U(VI) uptake mechanism varied with the aqueous composition. For most initially supersaturated conditions, chernikovite, H3O(UO2)(PO4)*3H2O(s), nucleated homogeneously, but heterogeneous nucleation probably occurred in …

Go to article

Fluid Dynamics And Scale-Up Of Bubble Columns With Internals, Ahmed Youssef Jan 2010

Fluid Dynamics And Scale-Up Of Bubble Columns With Internals, Ahmed Youssef

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Bubble columns and slurry bubble columns, as multiphase reactors, are favored for a wide range of applications in the chemical, biochemical, petrochemical and metallurgical industries. They are considered the reactor of choice for the Fischer Tropsch synthesis, among other applications, offering an alternative energy source and providing clean liquid fuels as compared to other reactors. Most of the industrial applications of bubble column reactors require the utilization of heat exchanging tubes, the effect of which on the reactor's performance is not fully understood. This study proposes detailed investigations of selected local hydrodynamics in bubble columns with and without internal heat …

Go to article

An Airloads Theory For Morphing Airfoils In Dynamic Stall With Experimental Correlation, Loren Ahaus Jan 2010

An Airloads Theory For Morphing Airfoils In Dynamic Stall With Experimental Correlation, Loren Ahaus

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Helicopter rotor blades frequently encounter dynamic stall during normal flight conditions, limiting the applicability of classical thin-airfoil theory at large angles of attack. Also, it is evident that because of the largely different conditions on the advancing and retreating sides of the rotor, future rotorcraft may incorporate dynamically morphing airfoils: trailing-edge flaps, dynamic camber, dynamic droop, etc.). Reduced-order aerodynamic models are needed for preliminary design and flight simulation. A unified model for predicting the airloads on a morphing airfoil in dynamic stall is presented, consisting of three components. First, a linear airloads theory allows for arbitrary airfoil deformations consistent with …

Go to article

The Makapansgat Hominins: A Descriptive And Comparative Morphological Study, Tafline Arbor Jan 2010

The Makapansgat Hominins: A Descriptive And Comparative Morphological Study, Tafline Arbor

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

The primary focus of this thesis is to extensively describe the cranial, mandibular, and dental specimens from Makapansgat and to compare the assemblage to other South African early hominin samples. The fossils examined here include previously undescribed fossils from the fossiliferous ex-situ breccia piles of the Makapansgat Limeworks. Data analyses incorporated extant humans, gorillas, chimpanzees, and macaques to provide a comparative base with which to discuss intraspecific and interspecific variation in currently recognized taxa of South African Australopithecus. Results support previous assertions that the Makapansgat specimens share morphological similarities with both Australopithecus africanus and Australopithecus robustus and that these taxa …

Go to article

Predictors Of Intercultural Competence Among International Volunteers, Benjamin Lough Jan 2010

Predictors Of Intercultural Competence Among International Volunteers, Benjamin Lough

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

International volunteering and service: IVS) has the potential to promote intercultural competence, or "the ability to communicate effectively and appropriately in intercultural situations based on one's intercultural knowledge, skills, and attitudes": Deardorff, 2008: 33). Although conditions of IVS vary greatly across program models, nearly all claim that volunteering will increase intercultural competence. Contact theory, transformative learning theory, and various stage theories of intercultural learning all suggest, however, that cultural contact will only improve a volunteer's intercultural competence under certain conditions. This dissertation builds on previous scholarship by isolating four characteristics that vary across institutional models, and testing how these variations …

Go to article

Dissolution, Formation, And Transformation Of The Lead Corrosion Product Pbo2: Rates And Mechanisms Of Reactions That Control Lead Release In Drinking Water Distribution Systems, Yanjiao Xie Jan 2010

Dissolution, Formation, And Transformation Of The Lead Corrosion Product Pbo2: Rates And Mechanisms Of Reactions That Control Lead Release In Drinking Water Distribution Systems, Yanjiao Xie

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

As one of the major lead corrosion products in lead service lines, lead(IV) oxide: PbO2) can react with water through reductive dissolution, resulting in elevated lead concentrations in tap water. Limited data are available on the rates and mechanisms of PbO2 dissolution. Information regarding the impact of water chemistry on the rates and mechanisms of PbO2 dissolution can provide potential strategies to control the release of lead from corrosion products to drinking water. The present study investigated effects of water chemistry on the rates and mechanisms of PbO2 dissolution, the equilibrium solubility of PbO2 …

Go to article

The Social Psychological Dimensions Of Us-Iranian Relations, Mariah Levison Jan 2010

The Social Psychological Dimensions Of Us-Iranian Relations, Mariah Levison

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

I argue that the material and strategic factors underlying the US-Iranian relationship do not add up to the actual level of conflict between the parties and that a social-psychological analysis can explain why there is so much conflict between the parties. The social-psychological perspective is a different lens than that provided by more traditional approaches to peacebuilding and can address aspects of conflict that material and strategic analyses cannot account for. Social psychology explains the subjective elements of conflict: perception, cognition, attitude, emotion, needs, and values.

Go to article

Envisioning Morality In Times Of Dynastic Change, Huan Jin Jan 2010

Envisioning Morality In Times Of Dynastic Change, Huan Jin

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

The emphasis placed on morality became increasingly remarkable during late imperial China, especially at the junctures of dynastic change. This thesis explores the problem of the construction of morality, and I focus on two plays in which the idea of morality is presented in complicated ways: the late Yuan play Pipa ji τÉ╡τÉ╢Φ«░: The Lute) which primarily circulated during Ming and Qing Dynasties, and the early Qing play Taohua shan µíâΦè▒µëç: The Peach Blossom Fan) which deals with the late Ming period. In this thesis, I primarily treat these two plays as texts, and I try to answer how ideas …

Go to article

Electromagnetic Tracking For Medical Imaging, Jie Wen Jan 2010

Electromagnetic Tracking For Medical Imaging, Jie Wen

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

This thesis explores the novel use of a wireless electromagnetic: EM) tracking device in a Computed Tomography: CT) environment. The sources of electromagnetic interference inside a Philips Brilliant Big Bore CT scanner are analyzed. A research version of the Calypso wireless tracking system was set up inside the CT suite, and a set of three Beacon transponders was bonded to a plastic fixture. The tracking system was tested under different working parameters including orientation of tracking beacons, the gain level of the frontend amplifier, the distance between the transponders and the sensor array, the rotation speed of the CT gantry, …

Go to article

Bayesian Multilevel Analysis Of Binary Time-Series Cross-Sectional Data In Political Economy, Xun Pang Jan 2010

Bayesian Multilevel Analysis Of Binary Time-Series Cross-Sectional Data In Political Economy, Xun Pang

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

In this dissertation project, I propose a Bayesian generalized linear multilevel model with pth order autoregressive errors: GLMM-AR(p)) for modeling inter-temporal dependence, con-temporary correlation, and heterogeneity of unbalanced binary Time- Series Cross-Sectional data. The model includes two unnested sources of clustering in the unit- and time-dimensions for analyzing heterogeneities and contemporal corre- lation which are salient in the era of globalization. Group-level variations are further explained with unit- and time-specific characteristics. For handling dynamics in pol- itics and political economy, I apply the autoregressive error specification to analyze serial correlation which may not be fully captured by the selected covariates. …

Go to article

Assessing Effects Of Symmetry On Motif Finding, Lala Motlhabi Jan 2010

Assessing Effects Of Symmetry On Motif Finding, Lala Motlhabi

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Identifying protein DNA binding sites like transcription factor binding sites is a key component of gene regulatory networks. The challenging task of predicting and identifying DNA binding sites both experimentally, and computationally suffers from high false positive due to various contributing factors, including misinterpretation of DNA binding site sequence symmetry. Our study seeks to model and compare the ability of three methods of a motif-finding program, consensus, taking into account orientation to accurately predict variable symmetric/asymmetric true binding site models. The three consensus methods included the c0 method which ignores the complement of a sequence. In this particular experiment it …

Go to article

The Ethics Of Forcible Democratization, David Speetzen Jan 2010

The Ethics Of Forcible Democratization, David Speetzen

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Recent wars have led many to believe that the promotion of democracy cannot justify foreign intervention, but this is rash. A government's right to non-intervention should hinge on whether it adequately: 1) protects its subjects' human rights and: 2) represents their collective political will. I argue that when and where the international legal system's ability to enforce human rights matures and the social conditions for better representation emerge, the standards for adequate protection and representation should rise. Since democracy significantly augments both functions of government, eventually the right to non-intervention should depend on maintaining democratic institutions. Failure to do so …

Go to article

Determing The Properties Of Dense Matter: Superconductivity, Bulk Viscosity, And Light Reflection In Compact Stars, Gerald Good Jan 2010

Determing The Properties Of Dense Matter: Superconductivity, Bulk Viscosity, And Light Reflection In Compact Stars, Gerald Good

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

In this dissertation, we investigate the properties of matter, denser than nuclei, that exists inside compact stars. First, we examine a mixed superfluid/superconductor system, which likely occurs in neutron star cores. We derive an effective theory of Cooper pair quasiparticles from a microscopic theory of nucleons, and calculate the coupling strengths between quasiparticles. We then calculate the structure of magnetic flux tubes, taking into consideration interactions between neutron and proton Cooper pairs. We find that interactions between the condensates can lead to interesting phenomena and new phases at the border between type-I and type-II behavior. Next, we examine the response …

Go to article

First Prev Next Last