Digital Commons Network^™

Absorbing State Transitions In Clean And Disordered Lattice Models, Man Young Lee

Doctoral Dissertations

"Nonequilibrium systems can undergo continuous phase transitions between different steady states. These transitions are characterized by collective fluctuations over large distances and long times similar to the behavior of equilibrium critical points. They also can be divided into different universality classes according to their critical behavior.

This dissertation considers two types of nonequilibrium transitions. First study concerns absorbing state transitions on a randomly diluted lattice. Second study deals with nonequilibrium models with several absorbing states. We investigate two specific nonequilibrium lattice models, i.e., the contact process and the generalized contact process by means of both theoretical and computational approaches.

In …

Effect Of Web Atmospheric Cues On Users' Emotional Responses In Ecommerce, Tanvi Joginapelly

Masters Theses

"The internet has revolutionized the shopping experience. As consumers' emotional responses play an important role in predicting behavioral intentions and satisfaction, it is imperative to study e-commerce from an affective perspective and identify the website design features that influence consumers' emotional responses. This research adopted the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) model to examine the effects of web atmospheric cues. mainly vividness and interactivity, on users' emotional responses in e-commerce, and their influence on users' purchasing intentions.

The study had three stages: First, experts in human computer interaction (HCI) were recruited and asked to evaluate and rate 25 different e-commerce websites on interactivity …

Selective Laser Sintering Of 13-93 Bioactive Glass, Krishna C. R. Kolan

Masters Theses

"Bioactive glasses are promising materials for bone scaffolds due to their ability to assist in tissue regeneration. When implanted in vivo, bioactive glasses can convert to hydroxyapatite, the main mineral constituent of human bone and form a strong bond with the surrounding tissues, thus providing an advantage over polymer scaffold materials. Bone scaffold fabrication using additive manufacturing techniques like selective laser sintering (SLS) provide control over pore interconnectivity during the fabrication of scaffold, which helps in mimicking human trabecular bone. 13-93 glass, a third-generation bioactive material designed to accelerate the body's natural ability to heal itself, was used in …

Modeling Of Novel Coaxial Cable Bragg Grating Sensor By Coupled Mode Theory, Songping Wu

Doctoral Dissertations

"A new sensor based on the novel concept of coaxial cable Bragg grating (CCBG) has been developed for the integrity of civil infrastructure monitoring. In this dissertation work, fundamental research is conducted in sensor modeling and applications, which correspond to the first four papers of the dissertation. A coupled mode theory (CMT) is first applied to establish a physics-based model for CCBG. A numerical solution of the coupled wave equations for CCBG has been derived and validated. As an indicator of sensor sensitivity, the quality factor (Q-factor) of CCBG as a function of sensor structural/material parameters was analytically investigated by …

Illinois State University Annuitants Association Newsletter, December 2011, Illinois State University, Annuitants Association

ISUAA News

Illinois State University Annuitants Association newsletter

Visual Inspection And Ground Penetrating Radar Investigation Of The Historical Pulaski County Poor Farm Cemetery, Ibrahim E. Ahmed

Masters Theses

"This thesis is a comprehensive summary of the geotechnical investigation of the Historical Pulaski County Poor Farm Cemetery, southeast Waynesville, Missouri. This research demonstrates that unmarked graves in an abandoned historical cemetery can be located using visual site inspection and ground penetrating radar techniques.

During the course of these investigations, multiple visual site inspections of Pulaski County Poor Farm Cemetery were conducted and ground penetrating radar data were acquired. Based on the visual site inspections and the interpretation of ground penetrating radar data, a total of one-hundred and fifty-one (151) graves were identified; eighty-seven (87) of the graves were mapped …

Density Determination Of Tristructural-Isotropic Nuclear Fuel Using Multiple Projection X-Ray Radiography, Frank Angelo Strantz

Masters Theses

"Effective methods of enhancing the safety and efficiency of the nuclear power industry embolden its perception and economic viability. Fuel reliability is an essential component of the prosperity of next generation high temperature reactors; as such, an equally dependable quality control method is mandatory. Tristructural-isotropic (TRISO) fuel, the fuel developed for use in these reactors, utilizes density measurement of coating layers as a standard for quality control. Common methods of measuring density, such as sink-float and ceramography are destructive, and as such generate radioactive waste, take a relatively long time to prepare samples, rely on a low sampling rate to …

Impact Of Channel Statistics And Correlation On Underwater Acoustic Communication Systems, Jesse Scott Cross

Masters Theses

"Several statistical properties of underwater acoustic channels gathered from experiment data are analyzed. The baseband channel impulse response (CIR) is estimated using a time domain least squares technique with a sliding window applied to the probing sequences. From the CIR estimation, the probability distribution functions (PDFs) of the magnitude, real part, imaginary part, and phase of the CIR are calculated. Gamma, Rayleigh, and compound k distributions are fitted to the magnitude PDF and the fitness of the distributions are calculated with a two-sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. Other statistics such as the autocorrelation function, coherence time, and scattering function are evaluated. The …

Nano-Enhanced Food Contact Materials And The In Vitro Toxicity To Human Intestinal Cells Of Nano-Zno At Low Dose, Gordon Chambers, Niall Ó Claonadh, Alan Casey, Clement Higginbotham, Sean Lyons, Sanchali Mukherjee

Articles

Nano Zinc Oxide (nZnO) has been shown to display antimicrobial effects which have lead to its application in a number of areas such as antimicrobial surface coatings, anti bacterial wound dressings and more recently in polymer composite systems for use in food contact materials. Concerns have been raised due to the incorporation of nanoparticles in food packaging stemming from the possibility of repeated low dose direct exposure, through ingestion, primarily due to degradation and nanoparticle leaching from the polymer composite. To address these concerns, composites consisting of nZnO and polyethylene were formed using twin screw extrusion to mimic commercial methods …

Mitophagy And Mitochondrial Morphology In Human Melanoma-Derived Cells Post Exposure To Simulated Sunlight, Luciene M. Zanchetta, Amaya Garcia, Fiona Lyng, James Walsh, James E.J. Murphy

Articles

Purpose: To assess changes in mitochondrial morphology and mitophagy induced by simulated sunlight irradiation (SSI) and how these changes are modulated by mitochondrial activity and energy source. Materials and methods: Human malignant amelanotic melanoma A375 cells were pre-treated with either a mitochondrial activity enhancer, uncoupler or were either melanin or glutamine supplemented/starved for 4 hours pre-exposure to sunlight. A Q-Sun Solar Simulator (Q-Lab, Homestead, FL, USA) was employed to expose cells to simulated sunlight. Confocal microscopy imaging of A375 cells co-loaded with mitochondria and lysosome-specific fluorescent dyes was used to identify these organelles and predict mitophagic events. Results: SSI induces …

Role Of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor, Placental Growth Factor And Cytokines On Outer Blood Retinal Barrier Breakdown., Sangeetha Sukumaran

Masters

The aim of this thesis was to investigate the effect of the VEGF family of growth factors and
cytokines TNF- α and IL-1β on oBRB function. The human RPE line ARPE-19 was
employed as an in vitro model of the oBRB. Two-Dimensional gel electrophoresis was
employed to study the effect of growth factors on the RPE proteome. The barrier properties of
the oBRB were evaluated by expression of the TJ proteins occludin or Zo-1, or claudins-1, 2,
3 and 4, determined by western blotting analysis. Claudins 2, 3 and 4 were found to be
significantly up-regulated by TNF-α, while interleukin …

Falling From The Legislative Grace: The Acorn Defunding And The Proposed Restraint Of Congress' Appropriations Power Through The Bill Of Attainder Clause, Andrew Kim

American University Law Review

No abstract provided.

Throwing Out The Threshold: Analyzing The Severability Conundrum Under Rent-A-Center, West, Inc. V. Jackson, Meredith Goldich

American University Law Review

No abstract provided.

How A Narrow Application Of 'Hot News' Missapropriation Can Help Save Journalism, Brian Westley

American University Law Review

No abstract provided.

Laudable Goals And Unintended Consequences: The Role And Control Of Fannie Mae And Freddie Mac, Andrea J. Boyack

American University Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Freedom Of Information Act Trial, Margaret B. Kwoka

American University Law Review

This Article examines the paucity of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) cases that go to trial and courts’ preference for resolving these disputes at the summary judgment stage. Using traditional legal analysis and empirical evidence, this Article explores whether we should expect FOIA cases to go to trial and how the scarcity of FOIA trials compares to the trial rate in civil litigation generally. It concludes that the unusual use of summary judgment in FOIA cases has unjustifiably all but eliminated FOIA trials, which occur in less than 1% of FOIA cases. It further examines how conducting FOIA trials in …

Red Note New Music Festival Program, 2011, School Of Music

Red Note New Music Festival

The RED NOTE New Music Festival at Illinois State University is a week-long event which features outstanding performances of contemporary concert music.

Religiosity In Adolescence And Emerging Adulthood, Carolyn Mcnamara Barry, Larry J. Nelson

Faculty Publications

According to IEA Civic Education Study, approximately half of American adolescents participate in religious groups (Torney-Purta et al. 2001) and half of American 18–24-year-olds report religious beliefs to be important (Inglehart et al. 2004). Thus, religious experiences are an important aspect of the lives of many adolescents and emerging adults (approximately ages 18 to the mid-20s) in the USA. Specifically, adolescents are fully immersed in identity exploration and ideally resolve this search in emerging adulthood. They embark on a quest to solidify their values and beliefs about countless issues, including religiosity. This essay will review the literature on religiosity among …

Drilling For Micro-Foundations Of Human Capital Based Competitive Advantages, Russell Coff, David Kryscynski

Faculty Publications

From the origins of the Resource Based View, scholars have emphasized the importance of human capital as a source of sustained competitive advantage and recently there has been great interest in gaining a better understanding of the micro-foundations of strategic capabilities. Along these lines, there is little doubt that heterogeneous human capital is often a critical underlying mechanism for capabilities. Here, we explore how individual level phenomena underpin isolating mechanisms that sustain human capital-based advantages but also create management dilemmas that must be resolved in order to create value. The solutions to these challenges cannot be found purely in generic …

Hired Guns And Moral Torpedoes: Balancing The Competing Moral Duties Of The Public Relations Professional, Kati Tusinski Berg, Kevin Gibson

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

Public relations helps an organisation and its publics adapt mutually to each other. However, this does not mean that the profession is value neutral or anything goes. There will be cases where professionals have to make discretionary ethical decisions and negotiate their roles and responsibilities, especially when faced with novel or difficult issues. In this conceptual paper, we describe how the notion of professional role morality not only shapes the individual struggles that practitioners endure but also highlights the organisational structures that foster or shun ethics in the decision-making process. Thus we provide a means of assessing professional action that …

Normal Editions Workshop Newsletter, 2011, Wonsook Kim School Of Art And Design

Normal Editions Workshop Newsletter

Annual newsletter for the Normal Editions Workshop, School of Art, Illinois State University.

Openline Newsletter, January 2011, Civil Service Council

OpenLine Newsletter

A monthly newsletter for Civil Service employees, Volume XXXV, Number 7, January 2011.

The Specter Of Nature, Stephanie Clark

Theses

The Specter of Nature is a photographic series that examines the tenuous boundaries between culture and Nature. Through this thesis, I address how, within culture, Nature is defined, distorted, fantasized and then realized through various forms of representation. To this end, Nature historically serves as a backdrop in culturally constructed fantasies and storytelling, as well as historically playing a role in the development of a female identity. The Specter of Nature,examines these concerns through staged photographs of settings created from fabrics and cutouts of decorative papers. By cutting along the patterns embedded in materials such as wrapping papers, wallpapers, scrapbooking …

The State (Never) Rests: How Excessive Prosecutor Caseloads Harm Criminal Defendants, Adam M. Gershowitz, Laura R. Killinger

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

A Usability Study Of A Mobile Content Sharing System, Alton Yeow-Kuan Chua, Dion Hoe-Lian Goh, Khasfariyati Razikin, Ee Peng Lim

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

We investigate the usability of MobiTOP (Mobile Tagging of Objects and People), a mobile location-based content sharing system. MobiTOP allows users to annotate real world locations with both multimedia and textual content and concurrently, share the annotations among its users. In addition, MobiTOP provides additional functionality such as clustering of annotations and advanced search and filtering options. A usability evaluation of the system was conducted in the context of a travel companion for tourists. The results suggested the potential of the system in terms of functionality for mobile content sharing. Participants agreed that the features in MobiTOP were generally usable …

January 2011 Newsletter, Career Center, Illinois Wesleyan University

Career Connections Newsletter

Issue Highlights:

• Alumni Profile of Robert Rave, Class of 1996: Publicist and Author of Spin and Waxed
• The Realities of a Changing Job Market
• Cleaning Up Your Online Presence: Why and How?

Bulletin Of Yale University School Of Nursing 2011-2012, Yale School Of Nursing

Yale School of Nursing Bulletins and Catalogues

Series 107, Number 15

September 5, 2011

Retention Elections 2.010, James Sample

Hofstra Law Faculty Scholarship

Counter-historically, the highest profile judicial election campaigns of the first judicial elections cycle following the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission were retention and ballot measure, rather than contested elections. Retention elections, in which voters cast their ballots either in favor of returning the incumbent judge to office for another term or for her removal, were intended to balance the values of judicial impartiality and accountability to the public.

In Iowa, judicial retention elections-contests normally well beneath the radar even in Des Moines-became a national flashpoint for same sex marriage debates and, more to the point, …

Latino Students’ Perceptions Of The Academic Library, Dallas Long

Faculty and Staff Publications – Milner Library

Library use is strongly linked with student persistence in higher education, and Latino students have lower rates of academic library use and proficiency than other racial/ethnic groups of students. This study explores Latino undergraduate students’ perceptions of the academic library and library staff and identifies the conditions which impede or facilitate the students’ use of the library. Using a multiple case study design, this study describes the experiences and perceptions of undergraduate students who identify as Latino and attend a four-year public research-intensive university in the Midwest. The findings suggest that Latino students use the library through the influence of …

2011 Library Technology Conference [Review], Anne Shelley

Faculty and Staff Publications – Milner Library

This review evaluates the 2011 Library Technology Conference.