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2010

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Deconvoluting The Link Between Weld Tool Geometry And Process Parameters, Joseph Andrew Querin Dec 2010

Deconvoluting The Link Between Weld Tool Geometry And Process Parameters, Joseph Andrew Querin

Theses and Dissertations

Advancing the process of friction stir welding (FSW) currently relies on a trial and error approach toward selecting tool geometries and determining process parameters. Before a more formalized design process can be established, a methodology for process parameter selection must be developed. In FSW, various flow paths, as influenced by the tool design, have been proposed to explain the formation of a high quality weld. Central to the discussion is whether the metal is extruded around the tool or whether the metal crosses a shear zone which differentiates the stir zone from the parent material. Probing the interaction between the …

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The Conditioning Effects Of Religiosity On The Relationship Between Strain, Negative Emotions, And Delinquency: A Longitudinal Assessment Of General Strain Theory, Christopher W. Purser Dec 2010

The Conditioning Effects Of Religiosity On The Relationship Between Strain, Negative Emotions, And Delinquency: A Longitudinal Assessment Of General Strain Theory, Christopher W. Purser

Theses and Dissertations

Robert Agnew’s (1992) General Strain Theory significantly revitalized traditional scholarship in the anomie/strain tradition by offering a general theory of crime; purported to account for both criminal and analogous behaviors. GST specifically extends anomie/strain theory by introducing new sources of strain (i.e. loss of positively valued stimuli, presentation of noxious stimuli) into the theoretical framework, as well as elucidating the causal pathways (including mediating and moderating effects) leading from the experience of strain to deviant coping mechanisms. An emerging trend within GST is the identification of previously untapped sources of strain (e.g. victimization, discrimination) that ostensibly have deviancegenerating properties. Concerning …

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Effect Of Cooking And Packaging Methods On Consumer Acceptability And Shelf-Life Of Ready-To-Eat Gulf Brown Shrimp, Vimal Vinodchandra Kamadia Dec 2010

Effect Of Cooking And Packaging Methods On Consumer Acceptability And Shelf-Life Of Ready-To-Eat Gulf Brown Shrimp, Vimal Vinodchandra Kamadia

Theses and Dissertations

Shrimp is the most valued shellfish product in the United States, and is highly perishable with post mortem metabolic changes that are deteriorative to its shelf-life. The objective of this research was to utilize GC-MS Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS), Gas Chromatography Olfactometry (GCO), and sensory analysis to determine if the relationships exist between consumer acceptability, sensory descriptors and shelf-life of ready-to-eat shrimp. Three different cooking and packaging treatments were utilized: 63°C/15 s, 85°C/5 min, and 93°C/5 min for vacuum, MAP and aerobic packaging treatments, and stored at 2°±1 for 1, 3, 5, 6, 10, 15, 25, and 50 days or …

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A Comparative Analysis Of Alabama Praxis Ii Examination Scores Between Online And Traditional Graduate Students At An Alabama Institution Of Higher Learning, Winston Donnie Cobb Dec 2010

A Comparative Analysis Of Alabama Praxis Ii Examination Scores Between Online And Traditional Graduate Students At An Alabama Institution Of Higher Learning, Winston Donnie Cobb

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to compare the Alabama Praxis II test score outcomes between students who received degrees online versus traditional students at an Alabama regional institution of higher learning. A random sample consisted of 50 online graduate students and 50 on campus graduate students. The following 2 graduate master’s degree programs were selected for this study: the Master’s of Education (M.Ed.) degree in School Counseling and the Master’s of Science in Continuing Education (M.S.C.E.) degree in Guidance Counseling. A summarization of the research questions for this study include the following: Is there a significant difference between online …

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A Concept Mapping Case Domain Modeling Approach For Digital Forensic Investigations, April L. Tanner Dec 2010

A Concept Mapping Case Domain Modeling Approach For Digital Forensic Investigations, April L. Tanner

Theses and Dissertations

Over the decades, computer forensics has expanded from primarily examining computer evidence found on hard drives into the examination of digital devices with increasing storage capacity, to the identification of crimes and illegal activities involving the use of computers, to addressing standards and practices deficiencies, and to addressing the need to educate and train law enforcement, computer forensic technicians, and investigators. This dissertation presents the concept mapping case domain modeling approach to aid examiners/investigators in searching and identifying digital evidence and analyzing the case domain during the examination and analysis phase of the computer forensic investigation. The examination and analysis …

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A Descriptive Review Of The Development And Implementation Of A Funding Model For The Kentucky Community And Technical College System: The First 10 Years, 1998-2008, Timothy F. Zimmerman Dec 2010

A Descriptive Review Of The Development And Implementation Of A Funding Model For The Kentucky Community And Technical College System: The First 10 Years, 1998-2008, Timothy F. Zimmerman

Theses and Dissertations

Prior to the passage of the 1997 Kentucky Postsecondary Education Reform Act, postsecondary education in Kentucky was governed by the Council on Higher Education. The council was responsible for overseeing the educational activities of the University of Kentucky, the University of Louisville, Morehead State University, Northern Kentucky University, Eastern Kentucky University, Western Kentucky University, Murray State University, and Kentucky State University. At that time, 2-year postsecondary education was segmented among 14 public community colleges under the control of the University of Kentucky’s Community College System and 15 state vocational–technical schools known as Kentucky Tech, under the administration of the Workforce …

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Comparing Detection Methods Of Aflatoxin And Exploring Aflatoxin Decontamination Methods, Rebecca Burgett Singleterry Dec 2010

Comparing Detection Methods Of Aflatoxin And Exploring Aflatoxin Decontamination Methods, Rebecca Burgett Singleterry

Theses and Dissertations

Ethanol fermentation of highly concentrated aflatoxin-contaminated corn (Zea mays) was conducted on a lab scale to determine if aflatoxin concentrated in the distilled ethanol and/or dry distillers grain end-products. Alliquots of fermented mash, distilled ethanol, stillage, and dry distillers grain (DDG) were analyzed via LC-MS/MS and immunoassay detection methods for aflatoxin. Results indicate that aflatoxin does not greatly concentrate during fermentation in the DDGs and is undetectable in distilled ethanol. Addition of binders, MTB-100®, to aflatoxin-contaminated DDGs showed great reduction in aflatoxin concentrations when analyzed via LC-MS/MS. Also, an experiment investigating detoxification of aflatoxin using Clorox® was conducted. Results obtained …

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Cultural Predilection On Design In Planning Ecological Sanitation In Northern Uganda, Charles K. Mccall Dec 2010

Cultural Predilection On Design In Planning Ecological Sanitation In Northern Uganda, Charles K. Mccall

Theses and Dissertations

Poor sanitation and open defecation is a major concern in many parts of the world. Ecological sanitation is a possible alternative to the global issue by using dry toilet systems that allow for recycling the waste for other uses. The purpose of this thesis is to determine the cultural perception and design implications toward ecological sanitation in developing countries. By surveying the local population in the proposed environments and implementing a corresponding system, the sanitation system has a much higher chance of sustainability and success. In Northern Uganda, the population was surveyed through a questionnaire and a Visual Preference Survey …

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Decay And Environmental Studies On Southern Pine, Joseph Martin Dahlen Dec 2010

Decay And Environmental Studies On Southern Pine, Joseph Martin Dahlen

Theses and Dissertations

This work focused on decay and dimensional stability of southern pine lumber and environmental issues associated with emissions released during kiln drying of southern pine. In one study decking boards were treated with a 3% resin acid solution to increase the dimensional stability. The boards were placed on a roof and weathered for two years. The increased water repellency reduced moisture gain following summer rainstorms by one-third compared to untreated matched samples, this significantly reduced splitting by half and cupping by one-third. In one study decking boards from matched samples were weathered for two years in the roof setup described …

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Density Functional Theory And Modified Embedded-Atom Method: Applications To Steel, Magnesium Alloys, And Semiconductor Surfaces, Jeff Lynn Houze Dec 2010

Density Functional Theory And Modified Embedded-Atom Method: Applications To Steel, Magnesium Alloys, And Semiconductor Surfaces, Jeff Lynn Houze

Theses and Dissertations

We performed atomistic modeling to study structural and mechanical properties of materials. We used density functional theory (DFT) for all the studies presented and constructed a method for quickly optimizing semi-empirical modified embedded atom method (MEAM) potentials. In our first study, we show that the reconstruction model in the literature for GaSb(001) is not predicted to have the lowest surface reconstruction energy. A modification was proposed that improves the energy. The second study tries to validate a crystal structure for the Φ Phase of Al-Mg-Zn. The third study deals with plain carbon steel, including some microalloying of Vanadium and vacancy …

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Development Of A Macrostructural Model For Studying The Combined Effects Of Plasticity And Roughness Induced Crack Closure, Justin Mandel Crapps Dec 2010

Development Of A Macrostructural Model For Studying The Combined Effects Of Plasticity And Roughness Induced Crack Closure, Justin Mandel Crapps

Theses and Dissertations

A weight function based modified strip-yield model is adapted to include the mode I effects of roughness induced crack closure. The weight function methodology is verified for arbitrary mixed mode loading conditions under load levels experienced in fatigue crack growth. A rough crack geometry is simulated as a sine wave fitted to a sawtooth defined by an asperity angle and period. Additional mode I crack closure due to mode II sliding of crack faces is calculated and incorporated into the strip-yield model by lengthening and shortening the crack face elements. Simulations of fatigue crack growth using the newly developed model …

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Development Of Current Injection Based Three Phase Unbalanced Continuation Power Flow For Distribution System, Shilpa Toppo Dec 2010

Development Of Current Injection Based Three Phase Unbalanced Continuation Power Flow For Distribution System, Shilpa Toppo

Theses and Dissertations

Voltage stability studies (VSS) of the electric network is a crucial factor to make the system operate in stable region and to prevent power blackouts. There are several commercial tools available for VSS of electric transmission systems (TS) but not many for distribution systems (DS). With increasing penetration of distributed renewable generations and meshed network within DS, shipboard power system (SPS) and microgrid, these VSS tools need to be extended for DS. Due to inherent characteristic like high R/X ratio, three phase and unbalanced operation, DS or SPS requires different mathematical approach than TS. Unbalanced three phase power flow and …

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Distributed State Estimation With Phasor Measurement Units (Pmu) For Power Systems, Qinghua Huang Dec 2010

Distributed State Estimation With Phasor Measurement Units (Pmu) For Power Systems, Qinghua Huang

Theses and Dissertations

Wide-area monitoring for the power system is a key tool for preventing the power system from system wide failure. State Estimation (SE) is an essential and practical monitoring tool that has been widely used to provide estimated values for each quantity within energy management systems (EMS) in the control center. However, monitoring larger power systems coordinated by regional transmission operators has placed an enormous operational burden on current SE techniques. A distributed state estimation (DSE) algorithm with a hierarchical structure designed for the power system industry is much more computationally efficient and robust especially for monitoring a wide-area power system. …

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Helping Prepare Community College Students To Make The Transition From College To Work, Lagena Arlette Bradley Dec 2010

Helping Prepare Community College Students To Make The Transition From College To Work, Lagena Arlette Bradley

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to investigate students’ perceptions about the need for more student training on making the transition from community college enrollment to employment. The hypothesis was that community college students would perceive that additional career counseling services would help them transition successfully into the world of work. Examination of students’ thoughts about career counseling services assisted in finding factors that facilitate and impede students’ desires for career counseling services including career courses. A researcher-developed pen and paper self-report survey instrument was administered to students enrolled in English courses at Meridian Community College during the 2009 fall …

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Kindergarten Through Third Grade Reading Tutors In Northeast Mississippi, Angela Williams Dec 2010

Kindergarten Through Third Grade Reading Tutors In Northeast Mississippi, Angela Williams

Theses and Dissertations

All public schools in the United States have been caught up in educational reform. This has especially been true since the 1980’s. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 was a major component in how schools have changed the process of educating students. In response to reform efforts, many schools have relied on their own knowledge to achieve higher test scores. In the last several years, accountability standards have been increasing. Schools are being assessed according to national standards. Because of this, many schools are using different methods of instruction for students at-risk of failing. One method of instruction …

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Poplar Interactions With Zinc For Use In Bioremediation And Monitoring, Joshua Pope Adams Dec 2010

Poplar Interactions With Zinc For Use In Bioremediation And Monitoring, Joshua Pope Adams

Theses and Dissertations

Plant mechanisms regulating environmental heavy metal interactions are vital for plant survival. Plants must maintain adequate metal levels while preventing excesses. Several mechanisms involved in heavy metal uptake and sequestration have been identified and studied in hyperaccumulating plants such as Thlaspi caerulescens. These plants accumulate large quantities of metals, but their use in remediation is limited by their small size. On the other hand, mechanisms in high-biomass, non-hyperaccumulating perennial species such as poplar (Populus spp.) are unknown. The central goal of this project is to delineate specific mechanisms in poplar regulating the heavy metal zinc (Zn) for potential use in …

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Reaction Of Bio-Oil With Alcohols: Effect On Long Term Stability And Properties Of Bio-Oil For Use As Fuel, Priyanka Bhattacharya Dec 2010

Reaction Of Bio-Oil With Alcohols: Effect On Long Term Stability And Properties Of Bio-Oil For Use As Fuel, Priyanka Bhattacharya

Theses and Dissertations

Bio-oil is produced by the rapid pyrolysis of biomass and is a source of renewable fuel. The increase in viscosity during storage is a major problem that can be controlled by the addition of methanol or other alcohols. The objective of this research was to determine how alcohols stabilize bio-oil by investigating the reactions of alcohols with low molecular weight aldehydes and acids. The reaction of methanol with hydroxyacetaldehyde (HA) and acetic acid to form the respective acetal or ester was catalyzed by the 7 x 10-4 M strong acids such as sulfuric, hydrochloric, p-toluene sulfonic acid, and methylsulfonic acid. …

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Investigations Of Factors Affecting Pine And Cottonwood Pyrolysis Oil Aging, Caitlin Durnin Naske Dec 2010

Investigations Of Factors Affecting Pine And Cottonwood Pyrolysis Oil Aging, Caitlin Durnin Naske

Theses and Dissertations

Studies of aging processes were conducted on pyrolysis oils produced from pine and cottonwood biomass (clear wood, whole tree, bark and needles/leaves). Accelerated aging at 80 °C for up to 504 h was employed to investigate the short and long-term effects of feedstock, phase separation, char particulates, and solvent addition on pyrolysis oil properties. Feedstock containing forestry residue was found to increase water content of neat pyrolysis oil and the collection method (total vs. fractionated) affects all of the properties with the largest impact on viscosity and as produced molecular weight. Post-condensation liquid filtration did not prevent aging-related water content …

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Microstructure-Based Multistage Fatigue Characterization And Modeling Of An Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene Copolymer, Jason Elvin Fountain Dec 2010

Microstructure-Based Multistage Fatigue Characterization And Modeling Of An Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene Copolymer, Jason Elvin Fountain

Theses and Dissertations

In this work, fatigue experiments and observations are used to experimentally and computationally quantify fatigue structure-property relationships and then capture these effects through a microstructure-based MultiStage Fatigue (MSF) model for a thermoplastic Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene copolymer. Completely reversed fatigue experiments were conducted over a range of strain amplitudes at two frequencies (1 Hz and 10 Hz). Scanning electron microscopy of fatigue fracture surfaces was used to quantify the microstructural notch root or initiating particle size for structure-property relations. Results were then processed in an MSF model sensitive to microstructural effects to capture the fatigue lifetimes for the thermoplastic ABS copolymer.

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Organizational, Job, And Supervisory Antecedents And Consequence Of Job Embeddedness: The Case Of Vietnam, Vinh Q. Nguyen Dec 2010

Organizational, Job, And Supervisory Antecedents And Consequence Of Job Embeddedness: The Case Of Vietnam, Vinh Q. Nguyen

Theses and Dissertations

A recent major development in the turnover literature is the introduction of the Job Embeddedness (JE) construct. JE is a multidimensional construct conceptualized as the combined forces that tend to keep an employee from leaving his or her job. Research has demonstrated that JE predicts voluntary turnover above and beyond the variables used in traditional turnover models. However, since it is a relatively new construct, JE has received very limited study, especially across cultures. Further research is needed in order to understand both antecedents and consequences of JE. This dissertation, therefore, investigates a range of presumed organizational, job, and supervisory …

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Physical And Mechanical Properties Evaluations Of A New Engineered Wood Product, Jonathan Michael Linton Dec 2010

Physical And Mechanical Properties Evaluations Of A New Engineered Wood Product, Jonathan Michael Linton

Theses and Dissertations

Finding alternative uses for small diameter raw materials is a critical problem throughout the United States. Insufficient markets for small diameter, southern yellow pine (Pinus spp.) trees from first plantation thinnings are impacting silvicultural practices on millions of acres of land. In western states, the lack of markets for small diameter ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) and lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) creates multiple problems in terms of excess material in the forest. This excess material enhances fire potential and reduces land management practices. This research deals with a new structural composite from small diameter raw logs using a technology called steampressed …

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Production Of Second Generation Biofuels From Woody Biomass, Sanjeev Kumar Gajjela Dec 2010

Production Of Second Generation Biofuels From Woody Biomass, Sanjeev Kumar Gajjela

Theses and Dissertations

Increased research efforts have recently been accelerated to develop liquid transportation fuels from bio-oil produced by fast pyrolysis. However, these bio-oils contain high levels of oxygenated compounds that require removal to produce viable transportation fuels. A variety of upgrading technologies have been proposed, of which catalytic hydroprocessing of the raw bio-oil has appears to have the best potential due to the fact that no fractionation of the bio-oil is required prior to treatment. The objective of this research was to apply two-stage catalytic hydroprocessing to bio-oil with heterogeneous catalysts to produce hydrocarbon fuels. To achieve this objective seven catalysts were …

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Evolution Of The Protein-Coding Genes In The Genomes Of The Mycoplasmatales, Dipaloke Mukherjee Dec 2010

Evolution Of The Protein-Coding Genes In The Genomes Of The Mycoplasmatales, Dipaloke Mukherjee

Theses and Dissertations

The bacterial species belonging to the order Mycoplasmatales have highly truncated genomes, and are thus ideal for studying genome evolution patterns. Fourteen members (twelve species) of this order were selected for study of genome evolution based on gene function and phylogeny. A database was constructed that consisting of the set of genes that are common to all of these species, and these genes were further subdivided based on their functions. A Bayesian phylogenetic tree was also constructed from the 16 S ribosomal DNA sequences from these species and robust clades were identified for testing the influence of selection on gene …

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Full-Scale Evaluation Of Matting Systems For Temporary Roads, Timothy Wallace Rushing Dec 2010

Full-Scale Evaluation Of Matting Systems For Temporary Roads, Timothy Wallace Rushing

Theses and Dissertations

An evaluation of eleven roadway matting systems was conducted to determine their effectiveness in carrying heavy vehicle traffic over loose sand subgrades. Three of the eleven matting systems were also evaluated over soft fine-grained subgrades. Matting products included high-density polyethylene, aluminum, fiberglass, and polyester. System configurations included continuous rolls of material, segmented rolls, and individual panels. The matting products were assembled on test sections and trafficked with a 7-ton, 6-wheeled truck loaded with a 7-ton payload until 20 percent of the mat section was no longer reusable or 2,000 truck passes were achieved. Earth pressure cells were installed under nine …

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Identification Of Measurement Technology For Online Recording Of Transients In Underground Residential Distribution System, Balaji Pushpanathan Dec 2010

Identification Of Measurement Technology For Online Recording Of Transients In Underground Residential Distribution System, Balaji Pushpanathan

Theses and Dissertations

Underground Residential Distribution (URD) power cables are aged due to electrical, thermal, mechanical, and environmental stresses during their service. The recent dielectric conditions of the cables are of much interest for utilities. The existing offline diagnostic method requires forceful disconnection of the URD cable for maintenance. Online recording and Fast Fourier Transform analysis of intentionally created transients in URD is one of the promising method to assess the current condition of the cable. For the bigger goal of developing an online power cable condition assessment, the measurement techniques which are required to be implemented has to be evaluated. In order …

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4-D Modeling Of Displacement Vector Fields For Improved Radiation Therapy, Elizabeth Zachariah Dec 2010

4-D Modeling Of Displacement Vector Fields For Improved Radiation Therapy, Elizabeth Zachariah

Theses and Dissertations

In radiation therapy, it is imperative to deliver high doses of radiation to the tumor while reducing radiation to the healthy tissue. Respiratory motion is the most significant source of errors during treatment. Therefore, it is essential to accurately model respiratory motion for precise and effective radiation delivery. Many approaches exist to account for respiratory motion, such as controlled breath hold and respiratory gating, and they have been relatively successful. They still present many drawbacks. Thus, research has been expanded to tumor tracking. This paper presents a spatio-temporal model for four dimensional CT reconstruction. The method begins with a set …

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2010-12-10, Board Of Regents, Murray State University Dec 2010

2010-12-10, Board Of Regents, Murray State University

Board of Regents Meeting Minutes

No abstract provided.

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A Comparative Study Of Embedded And Anesthetized Zebrafish In Vivo On Myocardiac Calcium Oscillation And Heart Muscle Contraction, Brian S. Muntean, Christine M. Horvat, James H. Behler, Wissam A. Aboualaiwi, Andromeda M. Nauli, Frederick E. Williams, Surya M. Nauli Dec 2010

A Comparative Study Of Embedded And Anesthetized Zebrafish In Vivo On Myocardiac Calcium Oscillation And Heart Muscle Contraction, Brian S. Muntean, Christine M. Horvat, James H. Behler, Wissam A. Aboualaiwi, Andromeda M. Nauli, Frederick E. Williams, Surya M. Nauli

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

The zebrafish (Danio rerio) has been used as a model for studying vertebrate development in the cardiovascular system. In order to monitor heart contraction and cytosolic calcium oscillations, fish were either embedded in methylcellulose or anesthetized with tricaine. Using high-resolution differential interference contrast and calcium imaging microscopy, we here show that dopamine and verapamil alter calcium signaling and muscle contraction in anesthetized zebrafish, but not in embedded zebrafish. In anesthetized fish, dopamine increases the amplitude of cytosolic calcium oscillation with a subsequent increase in heart contraction, whereas verapamil decreases the frequency of calcium oscillation and heart rate. Interestingly, verapamil also …

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Graphs Of Bounded Degree And The P-Harmonic Boundary, Michael J. Puls Dec 2010

Graphs Of Bounded Degree And The P-Harmonic Boundary, Michael J. Puls

Publications and Research

Let p be a real number greater than one and let G be a connected graph of bounded degree. We introduce the p-harmonic boundary of G and use it to characterize the graphs G for which the constant functions are the only p-harmonic functions on G. We show that any continuous function on the p-harmonic boundary of G can be extended to a function that is p-harmonic on G. We also give some properties of this boundary that are preserved under rough-isometries. Now let Gamma be a finitely generated group. As an application of our results, we characterize the vanishing …

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Navigation With Limited Prior Information Using Time Difference Of Arrival Measurements From Signals Of Opportunity, Christopher M. Rondeau Dec 2010

Navigation With Limited Prior Information Using Time Difference Of Arrival Measurements From Signals Of Opportunity, Christopher M. Rondeau

Theses and Dissertations

The Global Positioning System (GPS) provides world-wide availability to high-accuracy navigation and positioning information. However, the threats to GPS are increasing, and many limitations of GPS are being encountered. Simultaneously, systems previously considered as viable backups or supplements to GPS are being shut down. This creates the need for system alternatives. Navigation using signals of opportunity (SoOP) exploits any signal that is available in a given area, regardless of whether or not the original intent of the signal was for navigation. Common techniques to compute a position estimate using SoOP include received signal strength, angle of arrival, time of arrival, …

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