Digital Commons Network^™

Upper Jurassic Reefs From The Russian Western Caucasus: Implications For The Eastern Black Sea, Li Guo, Stephen J. Vincent, Vladimir Lavrishchev

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

Exposures of Upper Jurassic reef outcrops in the Russian western Caucasus provide excellent field analogues for possible reef-complex reservoir targets imaged on seismic reflection data from the northern Shatskiy Ridge, eastern Black Sea. The reefs at outcrop can be generally grouped into coral-dominated, siliceous sponge-microbialite and microbialite types. Coral-dominated reefs occur as isolated patchy and massive forms, and can be subdivided into higher-diversity and low-diversity types. The former developed at shallow-water platform margins and in platform interiors, whilst the latter occurred in deeper-water mid-shelf settings. Siliceous sponge-microbialite and microbialite reefs occur as lenses and mounds that were restricted to deeper-water …

New Media Icc Profiles Construction And Concerns, Reem El Asaleh

Dissertations

With the advent of the modern digital technology, users can now capture an image and reproduce it between different media, such as display it on LCD monitor or tablet computer, print it on desktop printer or send it to a printing press. The challenge has been then to maintain the accuracy of image colors during this reproduction, which has led to the development of Color Management Systems. Using these systems, the color reproduction across-media will be accomplished using device ICC profiles that describe each device’s color characterization data in a standardized format based on International Color Consortium (ICC) specifications.

ICC …

Leach-Sm: A Protocol For Extending Wireless Sensor Network Lifetime By Management Of Spare Nodes, Bilal Abu Bakr

Dissertations

Operational lifetime of a wireless sensor network (WSN) depends on its energy resources. Significant improvement of WSN lifetime can be achieved by adding spare sensor nodes to WSN. Spares are ready to be switched on when any primary (a node that is not a spare) exhausts its energy. A spare replacing a primary becomes a primary itself.

The LEACH-SM protocol (Low-Energy Adaptive Clustering Hierarchy with Spare Management) proposed by us is a modification of the prominent LEACH protocol. LEACH extends WSN lifetime via rotation of cluster heads but allows for inefficiencies due to redundant sensing target coverage. There are two …

Experiences That Influence A Student's Choice On Majoring In Physics, Donya Rae Dobbin

Dissertations

Currently the production of college graduates with science and engineering degrees is insufficient to fill the increasing number of jobs requiring these skills. This study focuses on physics majors with an in-depth examination of student transitions from high school to college. Many different areas of influence could affect a student's decision to major in physics. The first phase of this study addresses all of the potential areas of influence identified from the literature. The goal was to identify common influences that might be used to increase students' interest in majoring in physics. Subjects (N=35) from the first phase were recruited …

Debugging Support For Message-Passing Based Concurrent Software, Mohamed Medhat Elwakil

Dissertations

Today, multi-core processors are used in all computing aspects, including embedded systems such as mobile devices. In order for software programs to benefit from the transition to multi-core processors, the programs need to be concurrent.

Recent research shows that programs developed using the message-passing model can scale better than programs developed using the shared-memory model. However, the message-passing model is not widely adopted, partly, because of the lack of debugging tools. Debugging message-passing programs is very intricate due to their inherent nondeterministic behavior; even with the same input, a program may behave differently when executed multiple times. Bugs in message-passing …

Relativistic R-Matrix Theory, Janina Grineviciute

Dissertations

We have developed a relativistic coupled{channel reaction theory in which binary break-up channels satisfy a relative Dirac equation. This theory is developed by extending the R-matrix formalism of Lane and Thomas to the relativistic case and implementing the Dirac oscillator basis. The motivation for this project is testing po- tentials for the dense matter calculations and generating relativistic wave functions for the nal states in the knockout reactions. As an example of the formalism we have calculated observables for the proton scattering on light-to-medium weight nuclei in the relativistic impulse approximation using the relativistic Love-Franey amplitudes of Horowitz. The R-matrix …

Summative Confidence, Paul Cristian Gugiu

Dissertations

Often the singular goal of an evaluation is to render a summative conclusion of merit, worth or feasibility that is based on multiple streams of multidimensional data. Exacerbating this difficulty, conducting evaluations in real-world settings often necessitates implementation of less than ideal study designs. This reality gets further complicated by the standard method for estimating the precision of results via the confidence interval (CI). Traditional CIs offer a limited approach for understanding the precision of a summative conclusion. This dissertation develops and presents a unified approach for the construction of a CI for a summative conclusion (SC).

This study derived …

An Exploration Of Worldview And Conceptions Of Nature Of Science Among Science Teachers At A Private Christian High School, Kara M. Kits

Dissertations

Both worldview and conceptions of nature of science (NOS) are important components in teaching and learning science. However, few empirical studies have examined the interplay between both of these components for teachers or students. Therefore, this study examines the possible relationship between worldview and conceptions of nature of science for secondary science teachers who currently teach at a Christian school.

Qualitative methodologies developed a rich description of the worldview beliefs and conceptions of NOS for teachers in this study. Eight secondary science teachers employed at a private Christian school participated in the study. A Views of Nature of Science (VNOS) …

Robust Adaptive Scheme For Linear Mixed Models, Gabriel Asare Okyere

Dissertations

If the underlying distribution of a statistical model is known then a procedure which maximizes power and efficiency can be selected. For example, if the distribution of errors is known to be normal in a linear model then inference based on least squares maximizes power and efficiency. More generally, if this distribution is known then a ranked based inference based on the appropriate rank score function has maximum efficiency. In practice, though, this distribution is not known. Adaptive schemes are procedures which hopefully select appropriate methods to optimize the analysis.

Hogg (1974) presented an adaptive rank-based scheme for testing in …

Robust Nonparametric Methods For Regression To The Mean Model, Therawat Wisadrattanapong

Dissertations

Regression to the mean is a statistical phenomenon that often confounds treatment effects in experiments. Consider an experiment involving a treatment, in which a response is measured (baseline) on a subject then a treatment is applied and a second measurement is taken. Then under many bivariate models for the pair of responses (including the bivariate normal), the predicted response of the second measurement will regress to the mean. In experiments where the second response is only taken for a select sample, say above a cutoff value, then this regression to the mean effect may mistakenly be thought of as a …

A Review Of The Literature Related To Behavioral Influences Of Subsequent Adolescent Obesity, 1998-2010, Erin Elizabeth Cain

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this research paper is to review the literature related to selected behavioral influences of subsequent adolescent obesity, 1998-2010.

Positive Validations In Camp Adventure Child And Youth Services Day Camp Programming, Jazelle-Aida De Leon Zabala

Graduate Research Papers

Creating positive, uplifting environments for youth is a central goal of any program design in the child and youth services field. Providing a caring, nurturing and supportive environment for childcare, school age care and youth development programs involves structuring the environment in such a fashion that can encourage participants as well as celebrate their successes. Programs that create a positive environment can provide an opportunity to teach children and youth to have a positive outlook on life and help to foster their optimal well-being (Frederickson, 2001, p 218). One way to boost the positive emotion of an individual is through …

Accommodations For Students With Learning Disabilities Within The Library Setting, Alicia J. Patten

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this action research study was to examine strategies to adapt and augment the curriculum and potentially promote participation and progress for students with learning disabilities within the general education setting.

The researcher chose to look at accommodations of library lessons for fourth grade students within her own library instruction. This methodology was selected based upon the researcher's interests and previous experience in teaching students with learning disabilities. The researcher developed lesson plans targeted at library skills within the general education setting and worked to include accommodations and augmentations for students with learning disabilities in accordance with Individualized …

Investigation Of The One Repetition Maximum And Repetitions To Fatigue Methods Of Measuring Bench Press Performance, Jason Jon Mai

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this review is to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of the 1 RM and RTF prediction method for the evaluation of bench press performance as an indicator of upper body strength. A secondary purpose is to determine what factors need to be considered when using a RTF prediction method to estimate 1 RM bench press strength.

Evaluating The Duration Of Post-Lgm Grounding Events In The Glomar Challenger Basin Paleotrough, Eastern Basin Antarctica, Using Sediment Flux Calculations, Boluwatife Owolana

LSU Master's Theses

Previously acquired geological and geophysical data from the eastern Ross Sea outer shelf support the view that the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) deposited three large-volume grounding zone wedges (GZWs) during the relatively short time since the onset of ice sheet retreat began at approximately 11 ka 14C BP. Here, GZW sediment volumes were estimated from seismic data correlations to evaluate the different possible durations of the individual grounding events. The two end-member fluxes used correspond to 1) a modern flux active at Whillans Ice Stream and 2) a larger flux accounting for the larger size of the drainage basin …

A Methodology Towards Comprehensive Evaluation Of Shape Memory Alloy Actuators For Prosthetic Finger Design, Kevin O'Toole

Doctoral

Presently, DC motors are the actuator of choice within intelligent upper limb prostheses. However, the weight and dimensions associated with suitable DC motors are not always compatible with the geometric restrictions of a prosthetic hand; reducing available degrees of freedom and ultimately rendering the prosthesis uncomfortable for the end-user. As a result, the search is on-going to find a more appropriate actuation solution that is lightweight, noiseless, strong and cheap. Shape memory alloy (SMA) actuators offer the potential to meet these requirements. To date, no viable upper limb prosthesis using SMA actuators has been developed. The primary reasons lie in …

Evaluation Of Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (Vmat) Patient Specific Quality Assurance, Gordon Mark Mancuso

LSU Master's Theses

Purpose: The purpose of this work was to perform a comprehensive comparison of fixed-beam intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) patient specific quality assurance (QA) results, in order to investigate the appropriateness of applying IMRT QA methods and action levels to VMAT treatment plans.

Methods: QA measurements were evaluated for the test geometries provided in AAPM Task Group Report 119. The structure sets were copied onto a cylindrical water-equivalent phantom. Using the Philips Pinnacle³ treatment planning system, fixed-beam IMRT and VMAT treatment plans were constructed. The plans were delivered to the phantom and …

West Antarctic Ice Sheet Retreat Chronology Of Two Middle-Shelf Grounding-Zone Wedges In Eastern Basin, Ross Sea, Antarctica, Lenora Nicole Copeland

LSU Master's Theses

This study isolated a small number of large, in situ and reworked foraminifera from diamicts deposited in two grounding zone wedges on the middle continental shelf in Eastern Basin, Ross Sea, Antarctica. All samples were of sufficient weight to yield Holocene dates if the samples were indeed of Holocene age. Of the twelve small samples sent for radiocarbon analysis, the two heaviest were for reworked foraminifera which yielded dates of >22,200 14C BP and >22,500 14C BP. None of the other ten samples yielded radiocarbon dates. The lack of Holocene radiocarbon dates for the six in situ and four reworked …

On The Singular Weyl-Titchmarsh Function Of Perturbed Spherical Schrödinger Operators, Aleksey Kostenko, Gerald Teschl

Articles

We investigate the singular Weyl–Titchmarsh m-function of perturbed spherical Schrödinger operators (also known as Bessel operators) under the assumption that the perturbation q(x) satisfies xq(x) ∈ L1(0, 1). We show existence plus detailed properties of a fundamental system of solutions which are entire with respect to the energy parameter. Based on this we show that the singular mfunction belongs to the generalized Nevanlinna class and connect our results with the theory of super singular perturbations.

On The (Non)-Integrability Of Kdv Hierarchy With Self-Consistent Sources, Vladimir Gerdjikov, Georgi Grahovski, Rossen Ivanov

Articles

Nonholonomic deformations of integrable equations of the KdV hierarchy are studied by using the expansions over the so-called “squared solutions” (squared eigenfunctions). Such deformations are equivalent to a perturbed model with external (self-consistent) sources. In this regard, the KdV6 equation is viewed as a special perturbation of KdV. Applying expansions over the symplectic basis of squared eigenfunctions, the integrability properties of the KdV6 equation are analysed. This allows for a formulation of conditions on the perturbation terms that preserve its integrability. The perturbation corrections to the scattering data and to the corresponding action-angle (canonical) variables are studied. The analysis shows …

Rational Bundles And Recursion Operators For Integrable Equations On A.Iii-Type Symmetric Spaces, Vladimir Gerdjikov, Georgi Grahovski, Alexander Mikhailov, Tihomir Valtchev

Articles

We analyze and compare the methods of construction of the recursion operators for a special class of integrable nonlinear differential equations related to A.III-type symmetric spaces in Cartan’s classification and having additional reductions.

Polynomial Bundles And Generalised Fourier Transforms For Integrable Equations On A.Iii-Type Symmetric Spaces, Vladimir Gerdjikov, Georgi Grahovski, Alexander V. Mikhailov, Tihomir Valchev

Articles

A certain class of integrable nonlinear differential equations related to A.III-type symmetric spaces and having additional reductions is analysed via the Inverse Scattering Method (ISM). The class contains systems of nonlinear evolution equations (NLEEs) associated with a Lax operator (for the time-evolution) polynomial in the spectral parameter. Using the Wronskian relations, the mapping between the potential and the minimal sets of scattering data is constructed. Furthermore, completeness relations for the `squared solutions' (generalised exponentials) are derived. Next, expansions of Q and its variation are obtained. This demonstrates that the interpretation of the inverse scattering method as a generalized Fourier transform …

Antarctic Plant And Phytoplankton Response To The First Phase Of The Mid Miocene Climatic Optimum At South Mcmurdo Sound, Lee Foersterling

LSU Master's Theses

The Antarctic Drilling Program (ANDRILL) recovered 1138.54 m of sub-seafloor marine sediments with 98% core recovery at the AND2-2A drill site in South McMurdo Sound. Biostratigraphy, magnetostratigraphy, and isotopic dating (Acton et al., 2008) indicated that an Early to Middle Miocene section (223-1138.54 mbsf) was recovered. This study focuses on an interval with high concentrations of palynomorphs, located between 460.57 and 403.48 mbsf and dated to 16.7 Ma to 16.2 Ma according to the updated Acton et al. (2008) ANDRILL SMS age model. Palynological results show a pronounced increase in organic microfossils between 434.01 and 431.91 mbsf, compared to levels …

Implementing A Natural Language To Structured Query Language Translator, Kevin J. Shannon

Honors Program Theses

Since the beginning of computing, humans have been trying to make computers understand each other more completely. Humans have always had difficulties encoding their thoughts and computational problems and in tum, computers have had difficulty understanding the subtle nuances of the human mind. The first computers were nothing more than large calculators, but as time went on, they became become more sophisticated. Various technologies and techniques have been created that add features and capabilities to modern computer systems, and many of these will be discussed in this paper.

This paper describes my Honors Thesis project to design and implement a …

Water-Soluble Cuii And Mnii Bis-Phenanthroline Octanedioate Complexes With Unprecedented Nano And Picomolar In Vitro Cytotoxicity As Promising Leads For Chemotherapeutic Drug Development, Andrew Kellett, Mark O'Connor, Malachy Mccann, Orla L. Howe, Alan Casey, Pauric Mccarron, Kevin Kavanagh, Mary Mcnamara, Sean Kennedy, Donald D. May, Philip S. Skell, Denis O'Shea, Michael Devereux

Articles

Dinuclear Cu^II and Mn^II bis-phenanthroline octanedioate complexes exhibit rapid, unprecedented nano and picomolar in vitro cytotoxicity against colorectal cancer lines and are less toxic than cisplatin when examined in vivo. The complexes are potent generators of cellular reactive oxygen species, avid DNA binders and induce O₂ dependent cleavage of DNA. The Cu(II) complex was found to have self-cleaving nuclease activity.

Growth And Characterization Of Nanoscale Thin Films, Erik Thomas Wolter

Honors Program Theses

Thin manganese films were grown by thermal evaporation in high vacuum. The growth rate was varied to determine how the growth rate affects the continuity of ultra-thin films. The resistance was measured with the two-point method in situ and the data was recorded digitally. The resistance was converted to resistivity and this was plotted against thickness. It was found that resistivity decreases exponentially as the film begins to form in islands. The film reaches a critical thickness as the islands coalesce and the data can then be fitted with Fuchs’ equation. The resistivity continues to decrease but the minimum resistivity …

Occupational Exposure To Trichloroethylene And Cancer Risk For Workers At The Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant, Debra E. Bahr, Timothy E. Aldrich, Dazar Seidu, Gail M. Brion, David J. Tollerud

ETSU Faculty Works

Objective: The Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant (PGDP) became operational in 1952; it is located in the western part of Kentucky. We conducted a mortality study for adverse health effects that workers may have suffered while working at the plant, including exposures to chemicals. Materials and Methods: We studied a cohort of 6820 workers at the PGDP for the period 1953 to 2003; there were a total of 1672 deaths to cohort members. Trichloroethylene (TCE) is a specific concern for this workforce; exposure to TCE occurred primarily in departments that clean the process equipment. The Life Table Analysis System (LTAS) program …

Examining Kentucky Public Schools: Gender Differences In An Index Measure Of Accountability For Academic Standards, Khin Thazin Myint

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

The Kentucky public education system has made progress over the past 20 years after a number of reforms beginning in 1990. A stated goal of these reforms has been not only to improve the overall performance of students in a school, but to also ensure that no student groups be allowed to fall behind. To accomplish this, the state has adopted and implemented goals that are shared with those of the federal No Child Left Behind Act, including school accountability and a goal of proficiency for all students by the year 2014. However the most recent analysis of three statewide …

Competition Among Public Schools: An Analysis Of Kentucky Public Elementary Schools, Sarah L. Burns

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

This study relied on data gathered on school identifiers and characteristics, student and teacher characteristics, and index scores of Kentucky public elementary schools, collected from 2001-2008 at the school level. An extensive literature review was completed in order to examine the effects of competition on public schools, both positive and negative.

This paper focused on the impact of public school competition on academic index scores in Kentucky school districts. Competition was measured in two ways: by the number of schools available per student in the district as well as the total district enrollment controlling for the total number of schools …

Public School Performance: Examining The Relationship Between Teacher Training Program And School Achievement, Lindsay Griffith

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Few would argue the importance of providing today‟s youth with a solid educational foundation, yet the United States ranks as low as 25th educationally among 34 OECD developed nations1 . Many researchers have studied the various factors affecting student performance in the K-12 educational system, but mixed, ambiguous, or conflicting results have led to a general sense of uncertainty regarding who to hold accountable. The research has tended to focus on teacher effectiveness or school funding. While those are among a wealth of valid inputs to examine, this study attempted to determine the viability of examining the effect of teacher …