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Teaching Reading In The Secondary Content Area Classroom:Teacher Attitudes And Predictors, Sara L. Norton-Ejnik

Dissertations

Strategic teaching of reading occurs at the elementary level, and students are expected to "read to learn" once they enter high school. The majority of the nation's secondary students do not have all the requisite skills to read and learn from high school texts and materials, and even drop-out rates have been attributed to students' inability to keep pace with the literacy skills demanded by the secondary curriculum. No Child Left Behind legislation now mandates secondary school reading initiatives, from high stakes testing to remediation. Despite the national focus on secondary reading, teachers in America's secondary schools are not teaching …

Modeling Of Diesel Particulate Filter Filtration And Regeneration For Transient Driving Schedules, Di Huang

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Due to their high thermal efficiency, diesel engines have excellent fuel economy and have been widely used as a power source for many vehicles. Diesel engines emit less greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide) compared with gasoline engines. However, diesel engines emit large amounts of particulate matter (PM) which can imperil human health. The best way to reduce the particulate matter is by using the Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) system which consists of a wall-flow monolith which can trap particulates, and the DPF can be periodically regenerated to remove the collected particulates.

The estimation of the PM mass accumulated in the DPF …

Time-Domain Modeling Of High-Frequency Electromagnetic Wave Propagation, Overhead Wires, And Earth, Nils Markus Stenvig

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Prediction of radiated fields from transmission lines has not previously been studied from a panoptical power system perspective. The application of BPL technologies to overhead transmission lines would benefit greatly from an ability to simulate real power system environments, not limited to the transmission lines themselves. Presently circuitbased transmission line models used by EMTP-type programs utilize Carson’s formula for a waveguide parallel to an interface. This formula is not valid for calculations at high frequencies, considering effects of earth return currents.

This thesis explains the challenges of developing such improved models, explores an approach to combining circuit-based and electromagnetics modeling …

Multi-Software Modeling Technique For Field Distribution Propagation Through An Optical Vertical Interconnect Assembly, Matthew D. Howard

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Embedded siloxane polymer waveguides have shown promising results for use in optical backplanes. They exhibit high temperature stability, low optical absorption, and require common processing techniques. A challenging aspect of this technology is out-of-plane coupling of the waveguides. A multi-software approach to modeling an optical vertical interconnect (via) is proposed. This approach utilizes the beam propagation method to generate varied modal field distribution structures which are then propagated through a via model using the angular spectrum propagation technique. Simulation results show average losses between 2.5 and 4.5 dB for different initial input conditions. Certain configurations show losses of less than …

Direction Finding In The Presence Of A More Realistic Environment Model, Irfan Ahmed

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Direction-of-arrival (DOA) estimation is susceptible to errors introduced by the presence of real-ground and resonant size scatterers in the vicinity of the antenna array. To compensate for these errors pre-calibration and auto-calibration techniques are presented. The effects of real-ground constituent parameters on the mutual coupling (MC) of wire type antenna arrays for DOA estimation are investigated. This is accomplished by pre-calibration of the antenna array over the real-ground using the finite element method (FEM). The mutual impedance matrix is pre-estimated and used to remove the perturbations in the received terminal voltage. The unperturbed terminal voltage is incorporated in MUSIC algorithm …

"Army Of One" To "Army Strong" : Visual Media And U.S. Army Recruitment During Bush"S "War On Terror", Shawn Paul Apostel

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

From Bush’s September 20, 2001 “War on Terror” speech to Congress to President-Elect Barack Obama’s acceptance speech on November 4, 2008, the U.S. Army produced visual recruitment material that addressed the concerns of falling enlistment numbers—due to the prolonged and difficult war in Iraq—with quickly-evolving and compelling rhetorical appeals: from the introduction of an “Army of One” (2001) to “Army Strong” (2006); from messages focused on education and individual identity to high-energy adventure and simulated combat scenarios, distributed through everything from printed posters and music videos to first-person tactical-shooter video games. These highly polished, professional visual appeals introduced to the …

Open Top Chambers And Infrared Lamps : A Comparison Of Heating Efficacy And Co₂/Ch₄ Dynamics In A Lake Superior Coastal Peatland, Christopher P. Johnson

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Experimental warming provides a method to determine how an ecosystem will respond to increased temperatures. Northern peatland ecosystems, sensitive to changing climates, provide an excellent setting for experimental warming. Storing great quantities of carbon, northern peatlands play a critical role in regulating global temperatures. Two of the most common methods of experimental warming include open top chambers (OTCs) and infrared (IR) lamps. These warming systems have been used in many ecosystems throughout the world, yet their efficacy to create a warmer environment is variable and has not been widely studied. To date, there has not been a direct, experimentally controlled …

Understanding Michigan Nonindustrial Private Forest Landowners Attitudes And Knowledge About Forest Management, Tõnis Tõnisson

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Approximately one-fourth of the non-industrial private forestland (NIPF) owners in the state of Michigan, who collectively own approximately 50% of the private forested land, have conducted commercial timber harvest in recent years. Previous studies indicated that NIPFs preferred to manage their forest for a sustained yield of high-quality timber, but were limited to even-aged regeneration treatments or conversion for uneven-aged silviculture due to previous cuttings. Improved knowledge about NIPF’s intentions and forest management behavior could be useful for successful implementation of sustained yield management. This study’s objective was to identify more active NIPF’s attitudes towards timber management, their forest management …

Will Whole-Tree Harvest Of Jack Pine (Pinus Banksiana) Deplete Soil Nutrients In Low-Productivity Sand Soils?, Victoria L. Veach

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

In 2009 and 2010 a study was conducted on the Hiawatha National Forest (HNF) to determine if whole-tree harvest (WTH) of jack pine would deplete the soil nutrients in the very coarse-textured Rubicon soil. WTH is restricted on Rubicon sand in order to preserve the soil fertility, but the increasing construction of biomass-fueled power plants is expected to increase the demand for forest biomass. The specific objectives of this study were to estimate biomass and nutrient content of above- and below-ground tree components in mature jack pine (Pinus banksiana) stands growing on a coarse-textured, low-productivity soil, determine pools …

Study Of Accelerometer Assisted Single Key Positioning User Input Systems, Chunming Gao

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

New designs of user input systems have resulted from the developing technologies and specialized user demands. Conventional keyboard and mouse input devices still dominate the input speed, but other input mechanisms are demanded in special application scenarios. Touch screen and stylus input methods have been widely adopted by PDAs and smartphones. Reduced keypads are necessary for mobile phones. A new design trend is exploring the design space in applications requiring single-handed input, even with eyes-free on small mobile devices. This requires as few keys on the input device to make it feasible to operate. But representing many characters with fewer …

Applications Of Finite Geometries To Designs And Codes, David C. Clark

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

This dissertation concerns the intersection of three areas of discrete mathematics: finite geometries, design theory, and coding theory. The central theme is the power of finite geometry designs, which are constructed from the points and t-dimensional subspaces of a projective or affine geometry. We use these designs to construct and analyze combinatorial objects which inherit their best properties from these geometric structures.

A central question in the study of finite geometry designs is Hamada’s conjecture, which proposes that finite geometry designs are the unique designs with minimum p-rank among all designs with the same parameters. In this dissertation, we will …

"Brethren Upon The Same Level" : Membership And Class In Calumet's Masonic Lodge, Brandon Anthony Sexton

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

The Keweenaw Peninsula of Upper Michigan was a ethnic conglomerate of cultures and ideas, with people attracted to the area by the mineral wealth found along the Copper Range. The center of copper mining from the mid 1860s to 1968 was in the vicinity of Calumet Township, home to the world-famous Calumet and Hecla Mining Company. The township depended on the mines and the company’s president Agassiz’s strove to make the area a “model community,” that included groups such as the Free and Accepted Masons. Men from myriad backgrounds arrived in Calumet from the British Isles, Germany, Finland, Eastern and …

Using Water Balance Models To Approximate The Effects Of Climate Change On Spring Catchment Discharge : Mt. Hanang, Tanzania , Randall E. Fish

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

This project addresses the potential impacts of changing climate on dry-season water storage and discharge from a small, mountain catchment in Tanzania. Villagers and water managers around the catchment have experienced worsening water scarcity and attribute it to increasing population and demand, but very little has been done to understand the physical characteristics and hydrological behavior of the spring catchment. The physical nature of the aquifer was characterized and water balance models were calibrated to discharge observations so as to be able to explore relative changes in aquifer storage resulting from climate changes.

To characterize the shallow aquifer supplying water …

Probe Studies Of A Hall Thruster At Low Voltages, Jerry L. Ross

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

No abstract provided.

Post Processing Of Multiple Gps Receivers To Enhance Baseline Accuracy, Eddy H. Trinklein

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Inexpensive, commercial available off-the-shelf (COTS) Global Positioning Receivers (GPS) have typical accuracy of ±3 meters when augmented by the Wide Areas Augmentation System (WAAS). There exist applications that require position measurements between two moving targets. The focus of this work is to explore the viability of using clusters of COTS GPS receivers for relative position measurements to improve their accuracy. An experimental study was performed using two clusters, each with five GPS receivers, with a fixed distance of 4.5 m between the clusters. Although the relative position was fixed, the entire system of ten GPS receivers was on a mobile …

Incorporating Environmental Engineering And Science Topics Into Elementary Education , Jessica G. Billings

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

No abstract provided.

Comparison Of The Effects Of Inquiry-Based Cooperative Learning And Demonstrations In Science Education , John Asiala

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

The reported research project involved studying how teaching science using demonstrations, inquiry-based cooperative learning groups, or a combination of the two methods affected sixth grade students’ understanding of air pressure and density. Three different groups of students were each taught the two units using different teaching methods. Group one learned about the topics through both demonstrations and inquirybased cooperative learning, whereas group two only viewed demonstrations, and group three only participated in inquiry-based learning in cooperative learning groups.

The study was designed to answer the following two questions:

1. Which teaching strategy works best for supporting student understanding of air …

Effects Of Instructional Changes On Student Learning Of Electrochemistry In An Ib Chemistry Course , Deborah Corriveau

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

This study investigated the effectiveness of incorporating several new instructional strategies into an International Baccalaureate (IB) chemistry course in terms of how they supported high school seniors’ understanding of electrochemistry. The three new methods used were (a) providing opportunities for visualization of particle movement by student manipulation of physical models and interactive computer simulations, (b) explicitly addressing common misconceptions identified in the literature, and (c) teaching an algorithmic, step-wise approach for determining the products of an aqueous solution electrolysis. Changes in student understanding were assessed through test scores on both internally and externally administered exams over a two-year period. It …

Improving Learning By Connecting Chemistry Curriculum To Students' Experiences , Nicole N. Olszowy

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

The purpose of the study was to design, implement, and assess the effects of a teaching unit about fuel sources and chemical energy on students’ learning. The unit was designed to incorporate students’ experiences in a way that was aligned with the Michigan High School Content Expectations.

The study was completed with all of the students taking General Chemistry in a rural Michigan high school in the 2010-11 school year. There were 138 participants total. The participants were mostly Caucasian and the majority were in the 11th grade. Of these, 77 constituted the experimental group and were taught the unit. …

Is Virtuality Close Enough To Reality? A Comparison Of The Effectiveness Of Simulations With Traditional Laboratory Activities In A High School Biology Class , Wendelien K. Benya

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Some schools do not have ideal access to laboratory space and supplies. Computer simulations of laboratory activities can be a cost-effective way of presenting experiences to students, but are those simulations as effective at supplementing content concepts? This study compared the use of traditional lab activities illustrating the principles of cell respiration and photosynthesis in an introductory high school biology class with virtual simulations of the same activities. Additionally student results were analyzed to assess if student conceptual understanding was affected by the complexity of the simulation. Although all student groups posted average gain increases between the pre and post-tests …

Occasional White Boarding : Examining The Effects Of Physics Students' Understanding Of Motion Graphs , Tony Schwaller

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

The Modeling method of teaching has demonstrated well--‐documented success in the improvement of student learning. The teacher/researcher in this study was introduced to Modeling through the use of a technique called White Boarding. Without formal training, the researcher began using the White Boarding technique for a limited number of laboratory experiences with his high school physics classes. The question that arose and was investigated in this study is “What specific aspects of the White Boarding process support student understanding?”

For the purposes of this study, the White Boarding process was broken down into three aspects – the Analysis of data …

Comparing Remote Sensing And Ground-Based Methods Of Quantifying Cover Type And Carbon Storage In An Urban Forest, Christine L. Jones

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Understanding the canopy cover of an urban environment leads to better estimates of carbon storage and more informed management decisions by urban foresters. The most commonly used method for assessing urban forest cover type extent is ground surveys, which can be both timeconsuming and expensive. The analysis of aerial photos is an alternative method that is faster, cheaper, and can cover a larger number of sites, but may be less accurate. The objectives of this paper were (1) to compare three methods of cover type assessment for Los Angeles, CA: handdelineation of aerial photos in ArcMap, supervised classification of aerial …

Analysis Of The Making Our Mark Project, Shaughn Kern

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

No abstract provided.

Implementation Of The Conjugate Heat Transfer Code In Kiva-4, Edward Ng

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

KIVA is an open Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) source code that is capable to compute the transient two and three-dimensional chemically reactive fluid flows with spray. The latest version in the family of KIVA codes is the KIVA-4 which is capable of handling the unstructured mesh. This project focuses on the implementation of the Conjugate Heat Transfer code (CHT) in KIVA-4. The previous version of KIVA code with conjugate heat transfer code has been developed at Michigan Technological University by Egel Urip and is be used in this project. During the first phase of the project, the difference in the …

Stochastic Knock Detection Model For Spark Ignited Engines, Yashodeep Lonari

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

This report presents the development of a Stochastic Knock Detection (SKD) method for combustion knock detection in a spark-ignition engine using a model based design approach. Knock Signal Simulator (KSS) was developed as the plant model for the engine. The KSS as the plant model for the engine generates cycle-to-cycle accelerometer knock intensities following a stochastic approach with intensities that are generated using a Monte Carlo method from a lognormal distribution whose parameters have been predetermined from engine tests and dependent upon spark-timing, engine speed and load. The lognormal distribution has been shown to be a good approximation to the …

Synthesis Of Computations And Experiments For Obtaining Pulsatile Gas Flow Rates From Dynamic Pressure Difference Measurements Across An Orifice-Plate Meter, Nikhil Ajotikar

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

The use of conventional orifice-plate meter is typically restricted to measurements of steady flows. This study proposes a new and effective computational-experimental approach for measuring the time-varying (but steady-in-the-mean) nature of turbulent pulsatile gas flows. Low Mach number (effectively constant density) steady-in-the-mean gas flows with large amplitude fluctuations (whose highest significant frequency is characterized by the value f_F) are termed pulsatile if the fluctuations have a direct correlation with the time-varying signature of the imposed dynamic pressure difference and, furthermore, they have fluctuation amplitudes that are significantly larger than those associated with turbulence or random acoustic wave signatures. …

Characterizing A Single Photon Detector, Paul N. Rojas

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

I will present my work about constructing and characterizing a single photon detector. Using the 1550nm laser and second harmonic light generation, I am able to count single photons on a Multi‐Pixel Photon Counter (MPPC) silicon APD. My results show that upwards of 22% quantum efficiency is achievable with the MPPC. Future work will include coincidence detection of correlated photon‐pair.

Four-Window Technique For Measuring Optical-Phase-Space-Time-Frequency Tomography, Rachel A. Blaser

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

A new approach, the four-window technique, was developed to measure optical phase-space-time-frequency tomography (OPSTFT). The four-window technique is based on balanced heterodyne detection with two local oscillator (LO) fields. This technique can provide independent control of position, momentum, time and frequency resolution. The OPSTFT is a Wigner distribution function of two independent Fourier transform pairs, phase-space and time-frequency. The OPSTFT can be applied for early disease detection.

Atp Modeling Of Internal Transformer Faults For Relay Performance Testing, Elizaveta O. Egorova

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Transformers are very important elements of any power system. Unfortunately, they are subjected to through-faults and abnormal operating conditions which can affect not only the transformer itself but also other equipment connected to the transformer. Thus, it is essential to provide sufficient protection for transformers as well as the best possible selectivity and sensitivity of the protection. Nowadays microprocessor-based relays are widely used to protect power equipment. Current differential and voltage protection strategies are used in transformer protection applications and provide fast and sensitive multi-level protection and monitoring. The elements responsible for detecting turn-to-turn and turn-to-ground faults are the negative-sequence …

Nanofluid Optical Property Characterization: Towards Efficient Direct Absorption Solar Collectors, R. A. Taylor, P. E. Phelan, Todd Otanicar, R. Adrian, R. Prasher

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Works

Suspensions of nanoparticles (i.e., particles with diameters < 100 nm) in liquids, termed nanofluids, show remarkable thermal and optical property changes from the base liquid at low particle loadings. Recent studies also indicate that selected nanofluids may improve the efficiency of direct absorption solar thermal collectors. To determine the effectiveness of nanofluids in solar applications, their ability to convert light energy to thermal energy must be known. That is, their absorption of the solar spectrum must be established. Accordingly, this study compares model predictions to spectroscopic measurements of extinction coefficients over wavelengths that are important for solar energy (0.25 to 2.5 mu m). A simple addition of the base fluid and nanoparticle extinction coefficients is applied as an approximation of the effective nanofluid extinction coefficient. Comparisons with measured extinction coefficients reveal that the approximation works well with water-based nanofluids containing graphite nanoparticles but less well with metallic nanoparticles and/or oil-based fluids. For the materials used in this study, over 95% of incoming sunlight can be absorbed (in a nanofluid thickness >= 10 cm) with extremely low nanoparticle volume fractions - less than 1 x 10(-5), or 10 parts per million. Thus, nanofluids could be used to absorb sunlight with a negligible amount of viscosity and/or density (read: pumping power) increase.