Digital Commons Network^™

Backflip: A Principled Approach To Online Attribute Verification, Devlin R. Daley

Theses and Dissertations

As traditional interactions in the real-word move online, services that require verified personal information from web users will increase. We propose an architecture for the verification of web user attributes without the use of cryptographic-based credentials. In this architecture, service providers are delegated a user's ability to directly contact a certifying party and retrieve attribute data. We demonstrate that this approach is simple for both developers and users, can be applied to existing Internet facilities and sufficiently secure for typical web use cases.

Thinking Outside The Curve, Part Ii: Modeling Fetal-Infant Mortality, Richard Charnigo, Lorie W. Chesnut, Tony Lobianco, Russell S. Kirby

Statistics Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Greater epidemiologic understanding of the relationships among fetal-infant mortality and its prognostic factors, including birthweight, could have vast public health implications. A key step toward that understanding is a realistic and tractable framework for analyzing birthweight distributions and fetal-infant mortality. The present paper is the second of a two-part series that introduces such a framework.

METHODS: We propose estimating birthweight-specific mortality within each component of a normal mixture model representing a birthweight distribution, the number of components having been determined from the data rather than fixed a priori.

RESULTS: We address a number of methodological issues related to our …

Synthesis And Characterization Of An Oligothiophene-Ruthenium Complex And Synthesis And Optical Properties Of Oligothiophene-Ruthenium Complexes Bound To Cdse Nanoparticles, Nathan A. Bair

Theses and Dissertations

Oligothiophenes are of increasing interest in organic based electronic devices in part due to their high electron and hole mobilities. In an organic photovoltaic (OPV) device, the electronic properties of oligothiophenes make them advantageous as charge transfer junctions. To serve as charge transfer junctions, oligothiophenes must be functionalized to bind to the donor and acceptor parts of the device. The donor and acceptor parts are different materials and the synthesis of asymmetric oligothiophenes is of great interest. Previous researchers in our lab synthesized four asymmetric oligothiophenes, two with two thiophene subunits and two with four. Each set of oligothiophenes contained …

Difference In Scores Between Teacher Certification Program Students With And Without Paraprofessional Experience, Sarah Caroline Dunn

Theses and Dissertations

Demand for highly effective, qualified teachers grew as legislation such as No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) raised the requirements for teachers and paraprofessionals. One suggestion for meeting this demand for teachers who can bring about the required classroom outcomes is to encourage paraprofessionals to become certified teachers—with the expectation that paraprofessionals' prior experience in the school environment will make them likely to excel as teachers. This study examined whether Brigham Young University Special Education teacher candidates with paraprofessional experience differed from candidates without paraprofessional experience in terms of performance scores during a …

Preservice Teachers’ Developing Understandings About Culturally Responsive Teaching In A Field-Based Writing Methods Course, Susan V. Bennett

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

I investigated eight preservice teachers’ understandings about culturally responsive pedagogy as they participated in a writing methods course in which they tutored children from different ethnic, socioeconomic, cultural, and linguistic backgrounds in an afterschool program at a local community center. I also investigated how these preservice teachers demonstrated culturally responsive teaching within the writing curriculum. I recognized the need for research relevant to my own personal beliefs and how to strive for more equitable schools. I want to contribute further to the understandings and insights related to culturally responsive pedagogy. According to the literature, it appears teachers remain unprepared to …

Interview With Crystal Benson, Green Building Services, 2010 (Audio), Crystal Benson

All Sustainability History Project Oral Histories

Interview of Crystal M. Benson by Alex Woolery at Green Building Services Portland, Oregon on August 12th, 2010.

The interview index is available for download.

Aesthetic Self-Reliance: Emersonian Influence On American Art, Adrienne Lynn Rumsey

Theses and Dissertations

This essay is an examination of the influence of Ralph Waldo Emerson on the development of American art through his essays, specifically his writings on nature and self-reliance. Through emphasizing individual potential, Emerson also influenced the visual arts. Instead of following the required formula in Europe of attending certain ateliers and seeking prestigious patronage, American artists, namely the Luminists and the Ashcan School, sought to address the issues of their day and portray life as it existed around them. Each of these groups formed during periods of time when American society was shifting and the American identity was evolving. Through …

Space And Ground Segments Link Performance Verification For Small Satellite Tt&C Transponders , Ahmed Ibrahim, Magdi Fikri

Small Satellite Conference

Verification of low earth orbit (LEO) satellite communication links is required for evaluation and acceptance purposes. Telemetry and telecommand transponder’s bit error rate (BER), which is the main communication link parameter to be evaluated, is required to be verified by measurement rather than by analysis. This paper introduces a novel algorithm for measuring the BER of both space and ground segments. BER could be determined only if a received pattern is compared with a locally generated one. This feature exists for those transponders that utilize direct sequence spread spectrum (DS-SS) technique for purposes of range and range rate measurements, spreading …

The Development Of Lox-Based Magnetic Fluid Technology And Its Impact On Small Satellites , Jeffrey Boulware

Small Satellite Conference

A magnetic fluid system could potentially replace mechanically moving parts in a satellite as a means of increasing system reliability and mission lifetime, but rather than a standard ferrofluid with magnetic particles, liquid oxygen (LOX) may be a more adequate working fluid. As a pure paramagnetic cryogen, LOX is already heavily used in space, but still requires basic research before being integrated into system development. The objectives of the research conducted were to verify LOX as a magnetic working fluid through experiment and establish a theoretical model to describe its behavior. This paper presents the theoretical, experimental, and numerical results …

Deployment System For The Cubesail Nano-Solar Sail Mission, S. Nasir Adeli

Small Satellite Conference

The CubeSail is a nano-Solar Sail based on the 3U CubeSat standard currently being built at the Surrey Space Centre. The CubeSail mission aims to demonstrate the concept of solar sailing and at its end-of-life use the sail membrane for de-orbiting. One of the main challenges in the design of any Solar Sail is the deployment mechanism. This paper proposes a deployment mechanism for the CubeSail. This mechanism consists of four booms and four quadrant sail membranes. The proposed booms are made from tape-spring blades and will deploy a 5m × 5m sail membrane. The paper investigates four possible folding …

Eliminating The Need For Payload-Specific Coupled Loads Analysis, Tom Sarafin, Seth Kovnat, Arya Majed, Ed Henkel, Gerry Murphy

Small Satellite Conference

Through a project recently completed for Operationally Responsive Space (ORS), we have demonstrated the feasibility of a more efficient structural verification process for small satellites. This new process eliminates the need for payload-specific coupled loads analysis (CLA) and simplifies structural testing while not increasing mission risk. The process entails • Derivation of appropriate physical constraints for the satellite (launch-vehicle payload) or the satellite’s payload, including mass, center of gravity, envelope, and natural frequencies. ;Up-front, rapid performance of multiple cycles of CLA for one or more launch vehicles and selected combinations of the payload’s variable physical properties within the derived constraints. …

The Atlas V Aft Bulkhead Carrier - Requirements For The Small Satellite Designer, George Budris

Small Satellite Conference

United Launch Alliance (ULA) developed the Aft Bulkhead Carrier (ABC) system for mounting small satellites onto the Atlas V launch vehicle. Payloads with a maximum mass of 176 lbs and volume of 20 x 20 x 34 in. are viable candidates to fly. ULA has already built flight hardware and is preparing a User’s Guide to document the technical interface information required by spacecraft designers. When working with the rideshare community, primary payload mission managers expect the small satellite programs to meet high standards for requirements, management, and closeout during integration on their mission. Successful integration of small satellites onto …

August 11, 2010 Greenmail, University Of Alabama At Birmingham

GreenMail (student newsletter through 2024)

No abstract provided.

Order On Defendants' Motion To Exclude Certain Opinions And Findings Of John Finnerty And Defendants' Motion To Exclude Certain Portions Of The "Supplemental Report" Of John Finnerty (Ing Usa Annuity And Life Insurance Company), Alice D. Bonner

Superior Court of Fulton County: Metro Atlanta Business Case Division Opinions

No abstract provided.

Hydrogeomorphic Segments And Hydraulic Microhabitats Of The Niobrara River, Nebraska, With Special Emphasis On The Niobrara National Scenic River, Jason S. Alexander, Ronald B. Zelt, Nathaniel J. Schaepe

United States Geological Survey: Water Reports and Publications

The Niobrara River is an ecologically and economically important resource in Nebraska. The Nebraska Department of Natural Resources’ recent designation of the hydraulically connected surface- and groundwater resources of the Niobrara River Basin as “fully appropriated” has emphasized the importance of understanding linkages between the physical and ecological dynamics of the Niobrara River so it can be sustainably managed. In cooperation with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, the United States Geological Survey USGS) investigated the hydrogeomorphic and hydraulic attributes of the Niobrara River in northern Nebraska. This report presents the results of an analysis of hydrogeomorphic segments and hydraulic …

An Exploratory Investigation On How Authentic Writing Affects Students' Attitudes Towards Writing, Kerri Colletto

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to determine how students' attitudes towards writing are affected when authentic writing activities are implemented into the traditional writing curriculum. The students kept Lifebooks for a period of three weeks and there was an emphasis placed on writing that was personal and meaningful. Qualitative inquiry strategies such as my teacher research journal, student surveys, individual interviews, discussion groups and student work were used to collect data. Sorting and categorizing data within and between data sources revealed that the freedom to choose a topic affects what is written, that having a personal connection affects …

Armstrong's New Housing Complex Welcomes Freshmen, Armstrong Atlantic State University

Armstrong News & Publications: Armstrong News Records (Archived)

No abstract provided.

Perpendicular Ion Heating By Low-Frequency Alfvén-Wave Turbulence In The Solar Wind, Benjamin D. G. Chandran, Bo Li, Barrett N. Rogers, Eliot Quataert, Kai Germaschewski

Dartmouth Scholarship

We consider ion heating by turbulent Alfvén waves (AWs) and kinetic Alfvén waves (KAWs) with wavelengths (measured perpendicular to the magnetic field) that are comparable to the ion gyroradius and frequencies ω smaller than the ion cyclotron frequency Ω. We focus on plasmas in which β < 1, where β is the ratio of plasma pressure to magnetic pressure. As in previous studies, we find that when the turbulence amplitude exceeds a certain threshold, an ion's orbit becomes chaotic. The ion then interacts stochastically with the time-varying electrostatic potential, and the ion's energy undergoes a random walk. Using phenomenological arguments, we derive an analytic expression for the rates at which different ion species are heated, which we test by simulating test particles interacting with a spectrum of randomly phased AWs and KAWs. We find that the stochastic heating rate depends sensitively on the quantity ε = δv _ρ/v _⊥, where v _⊥ (v _∥) is the component of the ion velocity perpendicular (parallel) to the background magnetic field B ₀, and δv _ρ (δB _ρ) is the rms amplitude of the velocity (magnetic-field) fluctuations at the gyroradius scale. In the case …

A Monocular Marker-Free Gait Measurement System, Jane Courtney, Annraoi M. De Paor

Articles

This paper presents a new, user-friendly, portable motion capture and gait analysis system for capturing and analyzing human gait, designed as a telemedicine tool to monitor remotely the progress of patients through treatment. The system requires minimal user input and simple single-camera filming (which can be acquired from a basic webcam) making it very accessible to nontechnical, nonclinical personnel. This system can allow gait studies to acquire a much larger data set and allow trained gait analysts to focus their skills on the interpretation phase of gait analysis. The design uses a novel motion capture method derived from spatiotemporal segmentation …

Uncertainty Analysis In Laser Deposition Finish Machining Operations, Jomy Francis, Todd E. Sparks, Frank W. Liou

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The Laser Aided Manufacturing Process (LAMP) from Missouri S&T is a laser based metals rapid manufacturing process that uses machining to improve the final part's surface finish. When free-form machining, the absence of enough deposited material results in inconsistent scallop heights which result in poor surface finish or incorrect geometry in the final part. This paper investigates a probabilistic approach to various uncertainties involved in the deposition and subsequent machining of an arbitrary part. Furthermore, this paper analyses the machine errors which makes the response of Scallop Height to exceed the predefined maximum scallop height when traveling along the tool …

Computer Aided Contour Profiling Of High Strength Deposits, Sriram Praneeth Isanaka, Amar Bala Sridhar, Frank W. Liou, Joseph William Newkirk

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Additive manufacturing processes suffer from the effect of ripples, edge rounding and surface variations. To reduce their effect, ideal process parameters for the laser deposition process were investigated. Also, a new method was identified to analyze deposits by accurately plotting their contours. This was achieved through point cloud data of the deposits generated using coordinate measurement and 3D scanning. Curve fitting was performed on the data in Matlab to generate the contours of the deposit. The intercept values, heights, and contact angle of the curves give an indication of the uniformity of deposits and aid in reducing defects.

Channel Equalization For Single Carrier Mimo Underwater Acoustic Communications, Chengshan Xiao, Jun Tao, Yahong Rosa Zheng, T. C. Yang, Wen Bin Yang

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) underwater acoustic (UWA) channels introduce both space-time interference (STI) and time-varying phase distortion for transmitted signals. in such cases, the equalized symbols produced by conventional equalizer aiming for STI cancelation suffer phase rotation and thus cannot be reliably detected. in this paper, we propose a new equalization scheme for high data rate single carrier MIMO UWA channels. Different from existing methods employing joint equalization and symbol wise phase tracking technology, the proposed scheme decouples the interference cancelation (IC) operation and the phase compensation operation, leading to a generalized equalizer structure combining an IC equalizer with a phase …

Large Mining Projects In The Amazon, Gustavo Negreiros Phd, Academic Director

Fostering Multicultural Competence and Global Justice: an SIT Symposium

In addition to my work coordinating the SIT study abroad program Amazon Resource Management and Human Ecology since 1998, I pursue personal interests in the relation of modern development projects and the social environmental conditions faced by local populations of the region. In 2005, I evaluated the environmental licensing and implementation of Alcoa´s (Aluminum Company of America) mine operation in Juruti, western Pará State, which started operation in 2009. I was invited by the communities impacted and the different actors involved to participate in the team in charge of developing methodologies to valuate the social-environmental externalities faced by the communities, …

Knowing Your Community: Fostering Biodiversity Awareness In Our Students’ Daily Existence, Tony Cummings Bs, Academic Director

Fostering Multicultural Competence and Global Justice: an SIT Symposium

There are strong arguments suggesting that developing students’ sensitivity to local biodiversity and conservation issues is as important as emphasizing an understanding of global conservation issues happening in faraway lands (Ehrenfeld, 2009). Many students arrive at a Study Abroad destination, with a good understanding of theory, but with little field experience at home. Environmental educators in Study Abroad are able to use the novelty and grandeur of our exotic destinations to systematically teach students the patterns and processes of ecological and human communities at our sites, while inspiring a sense of place in our students. By immersing students in the …

Teaching And Learning Process On Renewable Energy And Sustainable Development, Caitlin Brotzmann Ba, Academic Director

Fostering Multicultural Competence and Global Justice: an SIT Symposium

Though the global situation is complex and daunting, education for sustainable development attempts to empower students with the knowledge, values, and ability not only to understand but also to act upon that understanding so that they might create a world in harmony with the environment. In summer 2009, 19 university students from North America came to Iceland to study renewable energy on the SIT Study Abroad (a program of World Learning) program ―Iceland: Renewable Energy, Technology, and Resource Economics.‖ The students traveled around the country, stayed with host families, underwent intensive coursework, visited power plants and policy firms, and conducted …

Colony: A New Business Model For Research And Development , Maj David Shultz, Capt Rebecca Unruh, David Williamson, Col John Anttonen

Small Satellite Conference

Since 2007 the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) has made a significant commitment to leveraging CubeSats to enhance Research and Development activities. SmallSats, CubeSats in particular, allow the NRO to perform research and development at a rapid pace, enabling us to mature a broad spectrum of new technologies for future systems while accepting higher levels of risk. Technology maturation can be conducted quickly and economically using CubeSats, due to their low cost, rapid development cycle, and the potential for more frequent launch opportunities. CubeSats provide the opportunity to keep up with Moore’s Law, advancing on a six to twelve month development …

Environmental Sustainability: Challenges And Opportunities Of Greening Your Study Abroad Program, Sylvia M. Seger Mim, Academic Director

Fostering Multicultural Competence and Global Justice: an SIT Symposium

World Learning’s mission to “… create a more peaceful and just world” by necessity encompasses environmental dynamics, considering that the root causes of most social justice issues and violent conflicts can be traced to environmental degradation and disproportional access to shrinking natural resources. Thus our mission mandates that we employ an ethic of environmental stewardship in all our pursuits and put in place mechanisms to mitigate our environmental impacts.

“We shall never achieve harmony with land, any more than we shall achieve absolute justice or liberty for people. In these higher aspirations, the important thing is not to achieve but …

Dynamic Ionosphere Cubesat Experiment (Dice) , Geoff Crowley, Chad Fish, Charles Swenson, Robert Burt, Tim Neilsen, Aroh Barjatya, Gary Bust, Miguel Larsen

Small Satellite Conference

The Dynamic Ionosphere Cubesat Experiment (DICE) mission has been selected for flight under the NSF "CubeSat-based Science Mission for Space Weather and Atmospheric Research" program. The mission has three scientific objectives: (1) Investigate the physical processes responsible for formation of the midlatitude ionospheric Storm Enhanced Density (SED) bulge in the noon to post-noon sector during magnetic storms; (2) Investigate the physical processes responsible for the formation of the SED plume at the base of the SED bulge and the transport of the high density SED plume across the magnetic pole; (3) Investigate the relationship between penetration electric fields and the …

Two Cubesats With Micro-Propulsion In The Qb50 Satellite Network, P.P. Sundaramoorthy, E. Gill, C.J.M. Verhoeven, J. Bouwmeester

Small Satellite Conference

A network of small low-cost satellites is the only realistic option for multi-point in-situ measurements in the lower thermosphere. The QB50 program, an initiative of the von Karman Institute of Fluid Dynamics (VKI), aims to employ a network of 50 CubeSats built by universities to study the lower thermosphere (90-320 km). All 50 CubeSats will carry identical sensors and will be launched together from a single launch vehicle. QB50 will also study the re-entry process by measuring a number of critical parameters during re-entry. The Delft University of Technology (TUDelft) intends to provide two satellites out of the 50 CubeSats …

G-Lattices For An Unrooted Perfect Phylogeny, Monica Grigg

Mathematical Sciences Technical Reports (MSTR)

We look at the Pure Parsimony problem and the Perfect Phylogeny Haplotyping problem. From the Pure Parsimony problem we consider structures of genotypes called g-lattices. These structures either provide solutions or give bounds to the pure parsimony problem. In particular, we investigate which of these structures supports an unrooted perfect phylogeny, a condition that adds biological interpretation. By understanding which g-lattices support an unrooted perfect phylogeny, we connect two of the standard biological inference rules used to recreate how genetic diversity propagates across generations.