Digital Commons Network^™

Estimations On The Generalized Exponential Distribution Using Grouped Data, Hassan Pazira, Parviz Nasiri

Journal of Modern Applied Statistical Methods

Classical and Bayesian estimators are obtained for the shape parameter of the Generalized-Exponential distribution under grouped data. In Bayesian estimation, three types of loss functions are considered: the Squared Error loss function which is classified as a symmetric function, the LINEX and Precautionary loss functions which are asymmetric. These estimators are compared with the corresponding estimators derived from un-grouped data empirically using Monte-Carlo simulation.

Applying Multiple Imputation With Geostatistical Models To Account For Item Nonresponse In Environmental Data, Breda Munoz, Virginia M. Lesser, Ruben A. Smith

Journal of Modern Applied Statistical Methods

Methods proposed to solve the missing data problem in estimation procedures should consider the type of missing data, the missing data mechanism, the sampling design and the availability of auxiliary variables correlated with the process of interest. This article explores the use of geostatistical models with multiple imputation to deal with missing data in environmental surveys. The method is applied to the analysis of data generated from a probability survey to estimate Coho salmon abundance in streams located in western Oregon watersheds.

...Of Cabbages And Kings, May 2010, Emeriti Society, University Of The Pacific

Emeriti Newsletter: "...Of Cabbages and Kings"

"...Of Cabbages and Kings" is the newsletter of the University of the Pacific Emeriti Society. Read more about the Emeriti Society of Pacific by clicking here.

Student Honors And Awards Program 2010, University Relations

UMM Honors and Awards Ceremony

In recognition of students who demonstrate academic excellence and enrich campus life

A Place For Famous Market Niche Trade And Service Marks Wihtin Federal Trademark Dilution Law, Katherine D. Jochim

San Diego Law Review

The principal focus of this Comment is to advocate expansion of the fame requirement to encompass trademarks that are known across the entire United States and within a broadly defined product or service market niche. Part IV proposes a set of guidelines for defining market niche fame. It also presents an affirmative argument as to why this particular group of marks deserves access to the dilution cause of action. To confront popular arguments against niche fame, Part V addresses how state dilution statutes and the infringement cause of action offer inadequate protection for nationally famous market niche trademarks.

The Association Of Type-D Personality And Prognosis Following Diagnosis Of Cardiovascular Disease: A Review And Meta-Analysis, Kelsey O'Dell

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Type-D personality is characterized by the stable traits of negative affectivity and social inhibition. In recent years, a body of studies has examined the relationship between the presence of Type-D personality and prognosis in cardiovascular patient populations. The present meta-analysis, investigated relationships between Type-D personality and three different outcome measures: major adverse cardiac events, quality of life, and biochemical markers of disease. A random effects meta-analytic model was utilized to calculate omnibus effect sizes for each set of related studies. Tests of homogeneity were conducted, and all studies were coded for the presence of potential moderators. A total of 14 …

Conspicuous Space: Parking Lot Suburbanism, Ian Nicholson

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

What can be accomplished without a car? In a city: everything. In a suburb: nothing. Without a car, one cannot escape the city. Without a city, one cannot escape the car. Neither city nor suburb is an ideal habitat. The city has no nature. The suburb has no culture. What’s good about the suburbs over the city? According to economics: houses.

The American dream has long been “one’s own house with a private yard” (Nelesson xi); an acre and a mule for every free citizen. But this dream has created distance; a nightmare of endless commutes and oil addiction. What …

Urban Fabrication: The Architectural Heightening Of The Urban Tactile Sensibility A Fiber Arts Fabrication & Exhibition Center In Dublin, Ireland, Elizabeth Fallon

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

The discipline of fiber arts has been in existence since the beginning of civilization to produce both functional equipment as well as aesthetically driven art pieces. The craft, at times highly specialized, often produces elements at the scale of the human body, due to the personal level by which fiber artifacts are produced. The making of artifacts and implementation of fiber art strategies have simultaneous cultural, environmental, formal, and gender-related relationships and implications. The design, construction and experience of buildings and inhabitable space at all scales can benefit from these relationships.

It is the contention of this thesis to merge …

Theatre For A New Theater: A Play On Architecture, Alexander Coulombe

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Not Included

Investigation Of Near-Infrared Fluorescence And Photobleaching Of Human Volar Side Fingertips In Vivo: Antioxidants And Melanin, Colin Wright

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Noninvasive in vivo blood glucose determination in the skin of volar side of human fingertips by near-infrared (NIR) Raman spectroscopy relies on fluorescence to quantify blood volume. Fluorescence does not only come from blood, which is composed of plasma and red blood cells; in fact, most fluorescence produced by human fingertips originates in the static tissues, e.g. skin, interstitial fluid, etc.. It will soon be possible to quantify the precise contributions of red blood cells, plasma, and static tissue to the overall fluorescence emission. Observations reveal a systematic decay in fluorescence, which, if not caused by blood movement, challenges our …

The Role Of Cuticular Hydrocarbons In The Pre-Mating Isolation Of Two Pissodes Species, Stephanie L. Teale

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Pissodes strobi and P. nemorensis are weevils (Coleoptera, Curculionidae) that infest pines (Pinus spp.) and spruces (Picea spp.). Previous studies indicate that they are able to hybridize. In the spring, breeding site specificity maintains reproductive isolation, but in the late summer, both species occupy lateral branches of host trees. Aggregation pheromones for P. nemorensis have been identified but the mechanism for late summer isolation is unknown. Cuticular hydrocarbons have been shown to play a role in the chemical recognition of species, sex, kin, and caste in many groups of insects. The large number of possible compounds and the …

The Molecular Analysis Of Hemoparasite Burdens Of Free-Ranging Lions (Panthera Leo) In The Kruger National Park, South Africa, Jamie R. Sherman

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Hemoparasites, or parasites of the blood transmitted by arthropod vectors, are commonly found in domestic animals and wildlife all over the world. Although hemoparasites can cause serious illness in domestic species, they often persist at low levels in wildlife without compromising general health. Current reports on wildlife parasitemia, specifically in lions (Panthera leo) are obtained from zoological parks and managed game reserves. However, few studies have examined parasitic burdens of free ranging lion populations. This study aims to semi quantitatively evaluate the presence of four representative hemoparasites including Babesia sp., Theileria sp., Cytauxzoon sp., and …

Mtor In Cell Signaling And Size Enlargement As A Target For The Chemico-Physical Therapy Of Cancer, Gabriela Krawiec

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

mTOR is a kinase protein meaning it phosphorylates target proteins affecting their cell signaling properties¹. The drug Rapamycin, analogs of Rapamycin, and cell signaling proteins that interact with mTOR control the activities mediated by mTOR¹. mTOR is located in the cytoplasm at a convergent point of many signaling pathways that regulate a multiplicity of cellular processes including metabolism that precede cell enlargement (cell “growth”), cell proliferation (cell division), and angiogenesis^1,2. Cells with mTOR inappropriately activated can proceed with cell enlargement and cell proliferation in the absence of normal cell signaling². Rapamycin and …

The Effect Of Exogenous Estrogens On Primordial Follicle Assembly In Vivo, Jenna Rose Karavan

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

During embryogenesis in the mouse, primordial germ cells develop, move to the genital ridge of the embryo, and form germline cysts as the ovary develops. The cells in these cysts are linked by intercellular bridges. The cysts then undergo a breakdown process which ultimately results in primordial follicles, each of which consists of a single oocyte surrounded by somatic cells called granulosa cells. During this cyst breakdown process, approximately one-third of the original oocytes become enclosed in primordial follicles, the amount of which is representative of the number of eggs a female will have available to her during her reproductive …

Innovation In Academic Institutions: How A Pharmaceutical Company Capitalizes On University Connections In Its Board Of Directors, Ryan Fannon

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

This study attempts to identify the types of pharmaceutical companies that utilize university employees as directors on their boards and if in fact having university connections on a pharmaceutical board impacts company performance. Board-level data from 2009 and firm-level data from 2008 was gathered for 109 pharmaceutical companies that varied greatly in size and geographic location. The key findings of this study were that the larger the pharmaceutical company and the greater the R&D expense of that company the more likely the company would have university connections on its board of directors; the larger the company, the better the universities …

Gender Socialization In Toys By Parents, Christina A. Simmons

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Substantial research in child development focuses on the formation of gender identity and how socialization in the home contributes to the acquisition of gender-linked behavior; however, there is not much recent discussion of the parents’ influence in the formation of gender stereotypes, specifically of those regarding toys, in Spain. Research indicates that children are able to identify the gender appropriateness of certain toys at early ages (between 2 and 4 years of age) and their interest in playing with stereotyped toys varies as a function of the toys' gender appropriateness. This study focused specifically on gender and toys and how …

Waste To Work Using Eccrine Sweat Battery Modules To Enhance Pedestrian Safety, Lauren J. Vesty

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

There is a need for increased pedestrian visibility. Improved athletic clothing with built in visibility features would enhance a roadside athlete’s safety. This experiment aims to create such an athletic shirt, while incorporating wearable biotechnology. A sweat battery that produced a voltage of 0.49 V and a current of 5.16 mA was created to power the visibility aspects of the shirt. The battery uses an aluminum anode, a carbon cathode, a sponge block as the container and semi-permeable membrane, and the body’s eccrine sweat as the electrolyte solution. The battery cells were arranged into blocks to produce an optimal current …

A Comparative Look At The Post Cold War Chinese And Us Arms Trade, Conor Byrt

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

The arms trade involves the international sale or importation of conventional arms. This means the proliferation of any non-nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons. Today the global transfer of arms is a multi-billion dollar a year industry. The US has the world’s largest military expenditure and is known as the world’s greatest proliferator of conventional weapons. China in the past few years has maintained a position as one of the world’s largest importers of arms, and has recently taken the spot as the world’s second largest military expenditure.

Data from watchdog organizations suggests that the world is currently in a period …

Gender Identity And Social Networking: A Queer-Feminist Critique Of Facebook, Gregory David Sides

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

The purpose of my project is to foster critical discussions of the on-line social networking site Facebook by analyzing gender politics as mechanisms used on Facebook to include or restrict acceptance of users. I implement a gender-queer methodology in my work. This methodology complicates traditional understandings of sex and gender, and views them as a fluid continuum where one might exist anywhere between male and female, and beyond. In lieu of a traditional academic paper, I have made the conscious choice to execute my methods, methodology, and critique into an art piece. This serves an important purpose of making my …

Strength And Failure Of Fibrin Fiber Branch Points, Christine C. Helms, E. A. Sparks, C. Der Laughian, Martin Guthold

Physics Faculty Publications

Blood clots form rapidly in the event of vascular injury, to prevent blood loss. They may also form in undesired places, causing heart attacks, strokes, and other diseases. Blood clots can rupture, and fragments of the clotmay lodge in distal blood vessels, causing, for example, ischemic strokes or embolisms. Thus, there has been great interest in understanding the mechanical behavior and failure mechanisms of blood clots and their constituents. To develop a mechanically realistic model of a blood clot, knowledge of the mechanical properties of its constituents is required. The major structural component providing mechanical strength to the clot is …

Annual Rainfall And Seasonality Predict Pan‐Tropical Patterns Of Liana Density And Basal Area, Saara J. Dewalt, Stefan A. Schnitzer, Jérôme Chave, Frans Bongers, Robyn J. Burnham, Zhiquan Cai, George B. Chuyong, David B. Clark, Corneille E.N. Ewango, Jeffrey J. Gerwing, Esteban Gortaire, Terese Hart, Guillermo Ibarra-Manriquez, Kalan Ickes, David Kenfack, Manuel J. Macía, Jean-Remy Makana, Miguel Martinez-Ramos, Joseph Mascaro, Sainge Moses, Helene C. Muller-Laudau, Marc P.E. Parren, Narayanaswamy Parthasarathy, Diego R. Perez-Salicrup, Francis E. Putz, Hugo Romero-Saltos, Duncan W. Thomas

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

We test the hypotheses proposed by Gentry and Schnitzer that liana density and basal area in tropical forests vary negatively with mean annual precipitation (MAP) and positively with seasonality. Previous studies correlating liana abundance with these climatic variables have produced conflicting results, warranting a new analysis of drivers of liana abundance based on a different dataset. We compiled a pan‐tropical dataset containing 28,953 lianas (≥2.5 cm diam.) from studies conducted at 13 Neotropical and 11 Paleotropical dry to wet lowland tropical forests. The ranges in MAP and dry season length (DSL) (number of months with mean rainfall < 100 mm) represented by these datasets were 860–7250 mm/yr and 0–7 mo, respectively. Pan‐tropically, liana density and basal area decreased significantly with increasing annual rainfall and increased with increasing DSL, supporting the hypotheses of Gentry and Schnitzer. Our results suggest that much of the variation in liana density and basal area in the tropics can be accounted for by the relatively simple metrics of MAP and DSL.

Responses Of Problematic Algae To Algaecide Exposures, West Bishop

All Theses

Excessive growths of algae can cause significant disruption of critical water resource usages including: drinking, irrigation, recreation as well as be aesthetically displeasing. Water resource managers are often compelled to take action to mitigate these nuisance algal infestations. Algaecides can be efficient and effective management options to rapidly suppress algal blooms and restore water usages. However, laboratory and field data are required to accurately predict responses to an application as well as potential risks to non-target organisms. Laboratory experiments were used to measure the responses of problematic algae to algaecide exposures and evaluate the margin of safety to sensitive, non-target …

Electrokinetic Manipulation Of Particles And Cells In Microfluidic Devices, Christopher Church

All Theses

With the recent advancement in micro-fabrication technology, lab-on-a-chip devices have been developed in order to perform biological analysis through cell manipulation. Microchannels used in these lab-on-a-chip devices have been demonstrated to accurately perform many different cell manipulation techniques such as focusing, separation, trapping, and lysis. Although there are many methods available for these techniques, electrokinetics has been rapidly gaining popularity due to the simplicity of application and removal of the need for in channel micro-structures. This thesis studies the use of electrokinetic flow and accompanying phenomena in various structured microchannels to perform focusing, separation, trapping, and lysis of cells. Three …

Interpretability Analysis Of Function Structures At Various Levels Of Abstraction: A User Study, Jonathan Thomas

All Theses

Function models are used during the conceptual design phase of the design process to model the intended use or objective of a product, independent of the products physical form. Function models also aid in guiding design activities such as generating concepts and allocating design team resources. Recent research efforts have focused on the formalization of functional models through a controlled vocabulary and archival of functional representations in computer-based repositories. However, the usefulness and interpretability of these function models has not been rigorously evaluated.
This thesis presents the results of two controlled user studies to ascertain the interpretability of functional representations …

Cougar Resource Selection In Two Mountain Ranges In Utah: A Study On Scale And Behavior, Wendy R. Rieth

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

An understanding of habitat relationships is essential for managing hunted species, such as cougar, that are difficult to census. In the first phase of this study, I used aerial telemetry data to examine diurnal cougar resource selection at 2 scales, and compared results between 2 study sites, the Oquirrh Mountains and Monroe Mountain, Utah. In the second phase of this study, I used conditional logistic regression models and GPS collar data from the Oquirrh Mountains to determine whether cougar resource selection varied over 3 behaviors (prey caching, resting at a daybed site, and nocturnal activities) and 2 scales.

Results from …

Rural Life Census Data Center Newsletter: Birth And Infant Mortality In South Dakota, Saileza Khatiwada, Jake Cummings, Diane Kayongo-Male

Census Data Center Newsletter Archive: 2007-2010

The joy of birth and the sorrow of losing a newborn are profoundly personal experiences. Still, to some extent, both infant births and deaths are associated with numerous social and environmental factors. These factors include maternal health and level of access to, and quality of, health care (MacDorman and Mathews 2008). Moreover, infant mortality has been recognized as a relatively reliable marker of societal well-being (Gortmaker and Wise 1997). Therefore, it is important that we examine infant mortality rates throughout the state of South Dakota.

Generational Affiliation As A Component Of Culture: Focus Group Perspectives Of Three Generational Cohorts, Elisabeth Anne Nesbit

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the multicultural elements related to generational affiliation. Much of current generational literature is anecdotal and does not empirically explore the culture of each generation. A constructivist ground theory approach was applied to the study of three generational cohorts (Baby Boomers, Generation Xers, and Millennials) using focus groups to (a) explore the values, beliefs, and worldview inherent to each generation, and (b) extend theory on multiculturalism Data from nine focus groups, three for each generational cohort, were analyzed for key themes within each generational cohort. Results indicated that, in keeping with the American …

Biogeography And Microhabitat Distribution Of Myxomycetes In High-Elevation Areas Of The Neotropics, Carlos Alonso Rojas-Alvarado

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Myxomycetes are a group of amoeboid organisms with the capacity of forming fruiting bodies that resemble some macrofungi. The ecology and global distribution of species within the group have been studied only during the last half century. For this reason, a number of questions regarding the nature of the interactions that exist between myxomycetes and their environment still lack the empirical evidence required to obtain complete answers. In the Neotropical region, species assemblages have been moderately well studied, but their biogeography and macroecology have received little attention. In high-elevation areas of this region, the situation is especially precarious, due the …

Dna And Due Process, Brandon L. Garrett

Faculty Scholarship

The U.S. Supreme Court in District Attorney's Office v. Osborne confronted novel and complex constitutional questions regarding the postconviction protections offered to potentially innocent convicts. Two decades after DNA testing exonerated the first inmate in the United States, the Court heard its first claim by a convict seeking DNA testing that could prove innocence. I argue that, contrary to early accounts, the Court did not reject a constitutional right to postconviction DNA testing. Despite language suggesting the Court would not "constitutionalize the issue" by announcing an unqualified freestanding right, Chief Justice Roberts's majority opinion proceeded to carefully fashion an important, …

Differential Gene Expression And Protein Abundance Evince Ontogenetic Bias Toward Castes In A Primitively Eusocial Wasp, James H. Hunt, Florian Wolschin, Michael T. Henshaw, Thomas C. Newman, Amy L. Toth, Gro V. Amdam

Peer Reviewed Publications

Polistes paper wasps are models for understanding conditions that may have characterized the origin of worker and queen castes and, therefore, the origin of paper wasp sociality. Polistes is ‘‘primitively eusocial’’ by virtue of having contextdependent caste determination and no morphological differences between castes. Even so, Polistes colonies have a temporal pattern in which most female larvae reared by the foundress become workers, and most reared by workers become future-reproductive gynes. This pattern is hypothesized to reflect development onto two pathways, which may utilize mechanisms that regulate diapause in other insects. Using expressed sequence tags (ESTs) for Polistes metricus we …