Digital Commons Network^™

Novel Vascular Grafts Based On Polyphenol-Stabilized Acellular Tissue Scaffolds, Ting-Hsien Chuang

All Dissertations

The Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) continue to be the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The most common form of CVDs is occlusion of blood flow thus limiting blood supply to specific tissues or organs. Atherosclerosis is a leading cause of coronary heart disease and stroke, which were responsible for more than 25% of deaths in 2004.
The demand for vascular graft is huge. In United States alone, approximately 500,000 coronary artery bypass graft surgeries are performed annually. Synthetic polymers such as Dacron and ePTFE have been successfully applied in large diameter blood vessel prosthesis; however, for small diameter (inner …

Effect Of Impurities On Performance Of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Components, Kitiya Hongsirikarn

All Dissertations

It is believed that proton–exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are going to be exploited as power generation devices for stationary, automotive, and portable applications in the near future because of their high performance and environmental friendliness. Up to the present, wide spread utilization of PEMFCs is not viable because of their cost and durability in the presence of fuel and oxidant stream impurities. These impurities include NH₃, hydrocarbons, CO, CO₂, halogenated compounds, cations, etc. The objective of this research was to investigate the effect of these harmful contaminants containing in the H₂ fuel stream on …

Evaluation Of Factors That Modulate Cellular Adipogenesis For Breast Tissue Engineering Strategies, Cheryl Gomillion

All Dissertations

It is estimated that this year more than 200,000 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer. Treatment for most occurrences of breast cancer will often include surgical removal of the tumorigenic tissue, resulting in a soft tissue defect within the subcutaneous tissue of the skin. Post-surgical reconstruction methods are often sought by patients to restore the aesthetic function of the breast via cellular or non-cellular methods; however, because of complications associated with currently used methods for breast reconstruction, researchers are investigating tissue engineering methods to produce viable autologous adipose tissue for breast reconstruction.
Previous research in …

Sequencing And Functional Analysis Of A Multi-Component Dioxygenase From Pah-Degrading Sphingomonas Paucimobilis Epa505, Renuka Miller

All Dissertations

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are hydrophobic organic compounds consisting of two or more fused benzene rings. PAHs derive from many different sources including petroleum refining, wood treatment, and coal coking industries. Because of their structural stability and water insolubility, PAHs are extremely resistant to degradation. These compounds are also believed to have mutagenic, carcinogenic, and teratogenic effects. Therefore, there are currently 16 PAH compounds on the EPA's list of priority pollutants.
Many species of bacteria have the ability to breakdown these persistent pollutants. However, bioremediation strategies using these organisms have many unresolved issues. While laboratory experiments can easily demonstrate the …

The Preservation Of Archaeological Records And Photographs, Kelli Bacon

Department of Anthropology: Theses and Student Research

Substantive and organized research about archaeological records and photograph preservation, especially those written by and for archaeologists, are few. Although the Society for American Archaeology has a code of ethics regarding archaeological records preservation, and the federal government has regulations regarding the care and preservation of federally owned archaeological collections, there is a lack of resources. This is detrimental to archaeology because not all archaeologists, given the maturity of the discipline, understand how important it is to preserve archaeological records and photographs. Without documents and photographs from projects, irreplaceable information is lost. This thesis adds to the existing body of …

A Distributional Analysis Of Out-Of-Pocket Healthcare Financing In Nigeria Using A New Decomposable Gini Index, Ichoku Eme Hyacinth, William M. Fonta, Abdelkrim Araar

CBN Journal of Applied Statistics (JAS)

This study applies a new method of decomposing total redistributive effect of taxation proposed by Duclos et al. (2003) to assess the redistributive effects of direct healthcare financing in Nigeria. This new framework makes it possible not only to introduce into the conventional Gini Index estimation framework a flexible ethical measure of aversion to inequality but also a novel concepts of horizontal inequity and re-ranking. The empirical results indicate that when the decision to utilize healthcare is always linked to the decision to pay for healthcare, as is the case in Nigeria, out-of-pocket payment, contrary to existing literature, may indeed …

Addressing The Problem Of Non-Response And Response Bias, Fabian C. Okafor

CBN Journal of Applied Statistics (JAS)

Survey planners and analysts in Nigeria have devoted much more attention to sampling errors at the expense of nonsampling errors (non-response and response errors). Sampling error is the degree to which the sample estimate differs from the average value of the characteristic due to chance. The present discussion will be centered on non-sampling error, which may present serious deficiencies in the statistics and render the survey useless. According to Platek and Gray (1986), “Non-response has been generally recognized as important measure of the quality of data since it affects the estimates by introducing a possible bias in the estimates and …

Statistics For National Development, Sani I. Doguwa

CBN Journal of Applied Statistics (JAS)

Good statistics that has been collected according to agreed good practices are crucial as a tool for development. Gross domestic product (GDP) and other measures of economic activity such as Gross National Income (GNI) together with their individual components, show how the economy is responding to government policy and other influences. The balance of payments can demonstrate the requirement for policy adjustments and is also one of the indicators scrutinised by potential foreign investors in the country. Agricultural statistics clearly have implications for longer-term planning, particularly if they show a move away from the land into urban areas or a …

Bridging The Gap: Self-Directed Staff Technology Training, Quinn Galbraith, Kayla L. Quinney, Sara D. Smith

Faculty Publications

Undergraduates, as members of the Millennial Generation, are proficient in Web 2.0 technology and expect to apply these technologies to their coursework—including scholarly research. To remain relevant, academic libraries need to provide the technology that student patrons expect, and academic librarians need to learn and use these technologies themselves. Because leaders at the Harold B. Lee Library of Brigham Young University (HBLL) perceived a gap in technology use between students and their staff and faculty, they developed and implemented the Technology Challenge, a self-directed technology training program that rewarded employees for exploring technology daily. The purpose of this paper is …

Population Characteristics Of Central Stonerollers In Iowa Streams, Scott M. Bisping, Jesse R. Fischer, Michael C. Quist, Andrew J. Schaefer

The Prairie Naturalist

The central stoneroller (Campostoma anomalum) is a herbivore that can have substantial effects on algal communities, nutrient dynamics, and energy flow in streams. Despite its importance in lotic ecosystems, little is known about its population dynamics in streams of the Great Plains. Our objective was to describe age structure, age-specific mortality, and growth rates of central stonerollers in three Iowa streams. We sampled fish from 41 reaches during June-August 2007. We sampled 466 central stonerollers, of which we aged 192. Fish varied in length from 32 to 130 mm and in age from age 0 to 4 years. …

Near Miss Reporting: An Educational Program, William Strub

Nursing Masters

In October 2007, the Medicare system contemplated future introduction of a new policy, which would no longer pay for eight preventable medical errors. With this potential new change in policy it becomes increasingly more important for health care institutions to monitor (track) medical errors and determine what measures can be taken proactively to prevent the occurrence of errors. The errors that might not be financially reimbursed under Medicare in the future include: - Sponges and/or surgical tools left in patients after surgery - Treatment of problems arising from air embolisms or incompatible blood transfusions - Treatment of bedsores developed while …

December 2010 Commencement Program, Bowling Green State University

Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

Not Wythe Standing: The News (Vol. 2, Issue 3)

Student Newspaper (Amicus, Advocate...)

No abstract provided.

Introduction To The Special Issue: Homelessness In Canada, John R. Graham, Jeannette Waegemakers Schiff

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In February 2009, over 700 people gathered for more than three-days at 'Growing Home,' Canada's second national conference on housing and homelessness (www.nhc2009. ca) to explore causes and solutions to this urgent problem. Conference delegates included those who are experiencing or have experienced homelessness, their families, policy analysts, political activists, politicians, professionals, scholars, those in the affordable housing community, and concerned citizens generally. Over 140 academic papers and workshops were delivered by the country's leading researchers and homelessness- serving practitioners.

Perspectives Of Employed People Experiencing Homelessness Of Self And Being Homeless: Challenging Socially Constructed Perceptions And Stereotypes, Micheal L. Shier, Marion E. Jones, John R. Graham

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In a study that sought to identify the multiple factors resulting in homelessness from the perspective of 65 individuals in Calgary, Alberta, Canada who were both employed and homeless, we found that participants' perceptions of being homeless emerged as a major theme which impacts their entry to and exit from homelessness. Four sub-themes related to these perceptions were identified: (1) perceptions of self and situation; (2) impact of being homeless on self-reflection; (3) aspects of hope to consider; and (4) perspectives on having a permanent residence. Analytically, these findings help challenge present stereotypes about homelessness and usefully inform social service …

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 37, No. 4 (December 2010)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

SPECIAL ISSUE ON HOMELESSNESS IN CANADA

• INTRODUCTION TO THE SPECIAL ISSUE: HOMELESSNESS IN CANADA - John R. Graham and Jeannette Waegemakers Schiff, Special Editors
• PERSPECTIVES OF EMPLOYED PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS OF SELF AND BEING HOMELESS: CHALLENGING SOCIALLY CONSTRUCTED PERCEPTIONS AND STEREOTYPES - Micheal L. Shier, Marion E. Jones, and John R. Graham
• THE ECONOMICS OF BEING YOUNG AND POOR: HOW HOMELESS YOUTH SURVIVE IN NEOLIBERAL TIMES - Jeff Karabanow, Jean Hughes, Jann Ticknor, Sean Kidd, and Dorothy Patterson
• OUT OF THE FRYING PAN, INTO THE FIRE: TRAUMA IN THE LIVES OF HOMELESS YOUTH PRIOR TO AND DURING HOMELESSNESS - John …

A Study Of The Perceived Effects Of School Culture On Student Behaviors., Linda Cox Story

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research has confirmed that the behaviors of human beings are influenced by their social environments. The school is the principal social environment of adolescents; thus, the school environment necessarily influences the behaviors of students to some degree.

This research project used the interview method to focus on perceptions of school personnel with regard to the elements of school culture that may negatively influence students' behaviors both inside and outside the school environment. The primary influences of school culture on students' behaviors were found to be peers, teachers, administrators, and parent involvlement. Governmental regulations, including those resulting from the Individuals with …

Power Allocations And Professional Hierarchy In The Illinois Health Care System, Patrick M. Callahan

DePaul Journal of Health Care Law

No abstract provided.

Improvement Of Hydraulic And Water Quality Renovation Functions By Intermittent Aeration Of Soil Treatment Areas In Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems, José A. Amador, David A. Potts, George W. Loomis, David V. Kalen, Erika L. Patenaude, Josef H. Görres

Natural Resources Science Faculty Publications

We tested intermittent aeration of the soil treatment area (STA) of onsite wastewater treatment systems (OWTS) for its ability to restore and maintain STA hydraulic flow and improve the water quality functions of conventional OWTS. Evaluation was conducted on hydraulically-failed conventional OWTS at three state-owned medical group homes in Washington County, RI, USA. Testing was conducted in two phases, with Phase I (before intermittent soil aeration (ISA)) comprising the first 6 months of the study, and Phase II (during ISA) the remaining 7 months. Intermittent soil aeration restored STA hydraulic function in all three systems despite a marked reduction in …

Franklin Boulevard Redevelopment Project Area Market Analysis, Joshua Chapman

Master's Theses

The following Market Analysis is an analysis of the Franklin Boulevard Redevelopment Project Area. The analysis is divided into the following four sections: ♦ Planning Context ♦ Real Estate Market Conditions ♦ Emerging Market Opportunities & Case Studies ♦ Conclusion The report serves as an opportunity to aide stakeholders of the Franklin Boulevard Redevelopment Project Area. Stakeholders include residents, business owners, the City of Sacramento, County of Sacramento, Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency (SHRA), and the North Franklin District Business Association (NFDBA). The stakeholders are continually searching for data and creative examples of how to transform the area into a …

The Effectiveness Of Damage Arrestment Devices In Delaying Fastener-Hole Interaction Failures In Carbon Fiber Polyurethane Foam Composite Sandwich Panels Subjected To Static And Dynamic Loading Under Increased Temperatures, Dominic E. Surano

Master's Theses

A study was conducted to investigate simple, cost-effective manufacturing techniques to delay skin-core delamination, micro-buckling and bearing stress failures resulting from fastener-hole interactions. Composite sandwich panels, with and without damage arrestment devices (DADs), were subjected to monotonic compression at a rate of 5mm per second, and compression-compression fatigue at 50% yield at an amplitude of 65%, under temperatures of 75, 100, 125, 150, 175, and 200 °F.

The sandwiches tested were composed of two-layer cross-weave carbon fiber facesheets, a polyurethane foam core, and an epoxy film adhesive to join the two materials. The most successful method to delay the aforementioned …

Asado En El Cuero (Barbecue On The Leather), Bruno P. Maestrini

Research Papers

This project is a multimedia website that shows a little about one of the most famous traditions of Uruguay, Argentina and the south of Brazil: their barbecue. The custom of eating this food goes beyond the simple please of tasting good meat. The salting and roasting of the meat on the fire is one of the oldest habits in the southern part of the continent. In this project, the tradition of the countryside and the urban regions are shown in a variety of ways. The project documents the tradition of the people and shows how they survive in a always …

The Chi Complex And Ambiguities Of Meeting, Paul Carter

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

In his article "The Chi Complex and Ambiguities of Meeting" Paul Carter develops a discussion of interpersonal encounters by mobilizing an apparatus of references, ranging from Jean Genet to Lévinas, Derrida, Bachmann, Merleau-Ponty, and Arendt. The hypothesis is that meeting another person entails and subsumes a non-meeting; a resistance and a refusal. The article pursues the ambiguity at the heart of encountering the other through an investigation of the urban spaces that are allegedly designed to invite and facilitate meetings. The argument put forward is that these spaces are paradoxically designed to avert encounters. This is especially true in the …

Ambiguity, Children, Representation, And Sexuality, Catharine Lumby

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

In her article "Ambiguity, Children, Representation, and Sexuality" Catharine Lumby considers current and historical scholarly and popular debates about the representation of children, including concerns about their sexualisation in such representations. The article begins by examining images taken by photographers in the Victorian era, including Charles Dodgson and Julia Cameron, and asks not only how the gaze of the photographer frames the child but how the child returns the adult gaze. Lumby seeks to problematize our understanding of the ways in which images "sexualize" children. Drawing on the work of James Kincaid, it examines discourses that frame children as, on …

Conquest, Consequences, Restoration: The Art Of Rebecca Belmore, Kathleen Marie Deblassie

Art & Art History ETDs

Rebecca Belmore (Ojibwa/Anishinabe, b. 1960 in Upsala, Ontario), embraces three themes in her oeuvre: conquest, consequences and restoration.Through the mediums of performance art, installation, video and photography, Belmore confronts Indigenous issues regarding land theft, identity, gender, racism, stereotypes,memory, contested histories, and the recovery and reclamation of a decolonized self. All of these themes are sub-categories that fall under the larger theme of the consequences of conquest. The most significant component of Belmores work, however, is restoration, which embraces themes of healing, self-determination and sovereignty. Traditional art-historical methodologies can and have been used to analyze Indigenous art. This thesis proposes that …

Current Practices In Leadership Development For Front-Line Nurse Managers, Bret Lyman

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Ultrafast Time Domain Optics Of Single-Cycle Laser Pulse Interaction With Materials, Ufuk Parali

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

In this thesis, interaction of an ultrashort single-cycle pulse (USCP) with a bound electron without ionization is studied for the first time. For a more realistic mathematical description of USCPs, Hermitian polynomials and combination of Laguerre functions are used for two different single-cycle excitation cases. These single-cycle pulse models are used as driving functions for the classical approach to model the interaction of a bound electron with an applied field. Two different new novel time domain modification techniques are developed for modifying the classical Lorentz damped oscillator model in order to make it compatible with the USCP excitation. In the …

Modeling And Simulation Of Tunable Photonic Crystals, Weiqing Yang

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Photonic crystals (PhCs) have wavelength scale periodically alternating refractive indexes. Photon in such structures is subject to strong scattering, experiencing distinctive redistribution of energy, yielding interesting properties such as photonic band gaps, field enhancement, strong nonlinear optic effects and photon confinement. The modified fields also alter the propagation of light beams. By proper setup, super collimation could be realized in PhCs where beams can travel long distance without spreading, while no waveguide structure is used. Redirection of light can extend the refraction to negative range, without violating physics rules. This distinguished phenomenon has been envisioned as the core mechanism for …

The Experiences Of Teen Text Messaging In The Context Of Family Communication, Relatedness, And Connection: A Phenomenological Inquiry, Jackie Thayer Craft

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study is a phenomenological inquiry of teenagers' text messaging in the context of family communication, relatedness, and connection. Interviews with teenagers and parent are conducted to investigate the experience of text messaging within the family context. Journal entries are also used as sources of data for this study. Transcripts of the audio recordings for the interviews are analyzed for thematic data. Additionally, the participants and two reviewers evaluated the transcripts and interpretations for accuracy. The data for the teenage interviewees is examined next to the data of the parent interviewees for comparative purposes.

Evaluating Student Perceptions Of Value And Preferences For Online Programs In Skill-Based Learning: An Applied Exercise, Darcy Lynn Stewart

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

In an age where training and knowledge are easily accessible online, textbooks, lecture slides and other class materials have migrated to online programs. Online programs are becoming easier to maintain for professors and administrators and offer some convenience and efficiency that traditional classroom lectures do not. It is widely assumed that students who have grown up with cell phones, email accounts, social media, iPods, Google and laptops easily identify with internet based applications. This research studies a group of over 30 university students seeking to develop skill-­‐sets to prepare them for entering the workforce through participation in an online and …