Digital Commons Network^™

Computer And Internet Facilities Use In Distance Education: A Survey Of Sandwich Students Of University Of Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria, Samson Oyeniyi Akande

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Education is an agent of transformation and change. Many people who cannot afford traditional educational delivery have opted for distance education.Distance education emphasizes electronic communications and use of ICT facilities, but few studies have been conducted to investigate the level of use of computer and Internet facilities by sandwich students in Nigerian universities. "Sandwich students" take an extra year to complete their degrees. The extra year is spent gaining relevant work experience.This study investigates the extent to which the sandwich students make use of computer and Internet facilities for their programme using the University of Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria, as a case …

Book Availability And Performance Measure In An Academic Library: The Case Of The Walter Sisulu University (Wsu) Library, Mthatha Campus, Gbade A. Alabi

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study evaluates the book availability as well as the performance measure of the Walter Sisulu University (WSU) Library and determines the levels of satisfaction among its users. Attention was focused on four parameters of performance measure, namely: Acquisition (Pa), Circulation (Pc), Users' performance at the catalogue and success in obtaining materials from the shelf (Pu), and, the Library administrative operation (Pm), all of which were independently measured. An overall availability rate of 33% was obtained for the Walter Sisulu University (WSU) Library. This is rather low. This low availability level obtained was associated with the low circulation performance (Pc) …

Newspaper Reading Habits Of University Students: A Case Study Of Chaudhary Charan Singh University, India, Devendra Kumar, Rajkumar Singh, Jamal Ahmad Siddiqui

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The study analyzed the newspapers reading habits of university students of Chaudhary Charan Singh University, India. Structured questionnaires were distributed among P.G. Students, M. Phil. Students, and Research Scholars of Chaudhary Charan Singh University, India. Data was gathered on various aspects of newspaper reading habits of university students including languages read, time spent on newspaper reading; sources of newspapers; and which sections of newspapers are read most.

Reading Culture And Nigeria’S Quest For Sustainable Development, Kingsley Nwadiuto Igwe

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The paper highlights the role of reading culture as an aspect of the educational system in the development of a nation. With Nigeria as the nation in focus, it laments the neglect of its education sector including libraries over the years in terms of funding and inadequate infrastructures for human resource development; and emphasizes on the fact that qualitative and functional education remains the focal point for development. The paper also enumerates constraints to the improvement of reading culture. Strategies for the improvement and development of reading culture in Nigeria were suggested, of which if implemented will see the country …

Library Resources And Services Of Engineering Colleges In Karnataka, B. U. Kannappanavar, K. V. Manjunatha

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This paper highlights the issues concerning library resources and services in the engineering college libraries in Karnataka. The study found that a majority of the colleges are managed by the private institutions. Nearly all are understaffed. Very few college libraries are functioning in a independent library buildings. Most have good collections of books, while journal collections vary. Most provide an array of library services.

Services For Conflict Resolution: The Role Of Nigerian Academic Libraries, Michael Onuchukwu Okoye, Mwabuisi T. Imo, Uche H. Igbo

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Conflict in simple terms, means a state of disagreement, controversy or opposition. It could also mean the existence of a prolonged battle, struggle or clash between two or more parties. Obegi and Nyamboga (2008), quoting Nicholas (1992) described conflict as situations where two people (or groups) wish to carry out acts which are mutually incompatible. He further states that conflict involves, “the pushing and pulling, giving and taking, process of finding the balance between powers”. In either case, conflict is generally characterized by a breach of peace or understanding among parties involved. Various dimensions to the causes of conflicts have …

Factors Affecting Student Use Of Information Technology: A Comparative Study Of Federal University Of Technology, Owerri And Niger Delta University, Amazoma, Joyce Chinyere Oyadonghan, Felix Mmanuoma Eke

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

A survey of two universities in Nigeria explored the use of information technology by students. Registered student users of FUTO and NDU library make adequate use of IT resources. However the return of duly completed questionnaire shows that 500 level students of FUTO and 400 level of students of NDU uses the IT in the library more than other levels as shown in table 1. The use of photocopying machine ranked highest amongst the student of both University. But a similar study on the use of internet and electronic resources by Dental science students at Baba Farid university of health …

Obstacles To Provision And Use Of Development Information In Rural Communities In Nigeria, Amanze O. Unagha, Samuel K. Ibenne

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This paper focuses on the obstacles to development information provision and use in rural communities in Nigeria, where the impact of the oral tradition remains very strong. A review of the Nigerian rural community and its rural information environment is made. Requirements for development process in rural communities are taken into account. The paper discusses those attributes of information that are counter-productive to the development process in Nigerian rural communities, where more than 70% are known to be illiterate. The successful use of information as a resource for development depends in large part on knowledge of the nature of information …

Phylogeographic Structure Of Teretrius Nigrescens (Coleoptera: Histeridae) Predator Of The Invasive Post Harvest Pest Prostephanus Truncatus (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae)., B. A. Omondi, J. Van Den Berg, D. Masiga, F. Schulthess

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The invasive larger grain borer Prostephanus truncatus (Horn) is the most important pest of farm-stored maize in Africa. It was introduced into the continent from Mesoamerica in the late 1970s and by 2008 had spread to at least 18 countries. Classical biological control using two populations of the predator Teretrius nigrescens Lewis achieved long-term and cost effective control in warm-humid areas, but not in cool and hot-dry zones. The present study investigated the phylogenetic relationships between geographical populations of the predator. Ten populations of T. nigrescens were studied using randomly amplified polymorphic DNA polymerase chain reaction (RAPD-PCR), sequence analysis of …

Maintaining And Enhancing The Integrity Of Adr Processes: From Principles To Practice Through People, Kellam, Nadja Alexander, Nadja Marie Alexander, Andrew Bickerdike, Andrew Greenwood, Margaret Halsmith, Norah Hartnett, Ian Hanger Hanger, Tom Howe, Elizabeth Kelly, Stephen Lancken, Gaye Sculthorpe, Lindsay Smith, Warwick Soden, Tania Sourdin

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Nadja Alexander was contributor to the Report as council member of National Alternative Dispute Resolution Advisory Council.In this Report, the National Alternative Dispute Resolution Advisory Council (NADRAC) canvasses particular issues that support the integrity of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) processes, and that are identified in the Terms of Reference. These are: conduct obligations, rules about confidentiality and inadmissibility of communications within ADR processes, and immunity of ADR practitioners from being sued. The Report explains NADRAC’s understanding of the breadth of the concept of integrity as it applies to ADR processes, canvasses the views of interested parties about the integrity of …

Randomly Projected Kd-Trees With Distance Metric Learning For Image Retrieval, Pengcheng Wu, Steven Hoi, Duc Dung Nguyen, Ying He

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Efficient nearest neighbor (NN) search techniques for highdimensional data are crucial to content-based image retrieval (CBIR). Traditional data structures (e.g., kd-tree) usually are only efficient for low dimensional data, but often perform no better than a simple exhaustive linear search when the number of dimensions is large enough. Recently, approximate NN search techniques have been proposed for high-dimensional search, such as Locality-Sensitive Hashing (LSH), which adopts some random projection approach. Motivated by similar idea, in this paper, we propose a new high dimensional NN search method, called Randomly Projected kd-Trees (RP-kd-Trees), which is to project data points into a lower-dimensional …

Stability Analysis Of Anchored Rock Slopes Against Plane Failure Subjected To Surcharge And Seismic Loads, Md M. Hossain

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The stability analysis of rock slopes has been a challenging task for engineers

because the rock mass constituting the slope often has discontinuities in various

forms, resulting in different types of slope failures. The plane failure is one of the

rock slope failures observed in field situations when the discontinuity is in the form

of joint planes. There are several parameters including surcharge and seismic loads

that govern the stability of the rock slope against plane failure in field projects. The

limit equilibrium approach for the estimation of the factor of safety of the rock slope

against plane failure has …

Erst War Es Immer, Und Dann War Es Nicht. Speed And The Poetics Of Movement In Rainer Maria Rilke's Neue Gedichte, Erika Kontulainen

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

No abstract provided.

Suprachiasmatic Nuclei Development: A Characterization Of Transcription Factors And The Influence Of Retinal Innervation And Vip Signaling, Cassandra Vandunk

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

The suprachiasmatic nuclei: SCN) are highly specialized neural structures with an essential behavioral function; creating the rhythm of the mammalian central clock and entraining that internal clock to the external world. The nuclei each consist of approximately 10,000 neurons, each capable of creating near 24 h rhythms, organized into a highly structured network. While the molecular clockwork underlying the rhythm within neurons and network properties have been well studied, how the nuclei are initially specified and how the network develops is poorly understood. Herein, we seek to elucidate the genes and mechanisms involved in the specification and development of SCN …

Reviving Slander, Cristina Carmody Tilley

Faculty Publications

Roman law treated differently speech restricted to small, closed communities and speech within or among large, permeable communities. Intracommunity speech was subject to unlimited tort consequences, while intercommunity speech was subject to central government regulation. As English speech law evolved, slander rules governing spoken speech became a convenient proxy for intracommunity speech regulation, while libel rules governing written speech became a convenient proxy for intercommunity speech. In American law, the conceptual collapse of slander and libel meant that constitutional limits designed to lift central government regulation of intercommunity speech perhaps inadvertently vitiated tort consequences for intracommunity speech. The Supreme Court's …

Empirical Studies For Reliable Home Area Wireless Sensor Networks, Mo Sha

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Home Area Networks: HANs) consisting of wireless sensors have emerged as the enabling technology for important applications such as smart energy and assisted living. A key challenge faced by HANs is maintaining reliable operation in real-world residential environments. In this thesis research, empirical studies on the spectrum usage in the 2.4 GHz band as well as 802.15.4 wireless channels are performed in diversified real residential environments. Based on the insights drawn from empirical studies, network design guideline and practical solution for Home Area Sensor Network are provided.

Molecular Mechanisms Of Itch Sensations, Seungil Kim

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Itch is a sensation which causes scratching response to protect skin against external harmful reagents. Acute itch arises in short time period after insect bites or allergen contact. Chronic itch happens in various skin diseases such as atopic dermatitis: AD) and psoriasis. Chronic itch usually continues for over six weeks and is resistant to commonly used anti-histamine drugs. While pain has caught an early attention due to its severity, the molecular mechanism of itch has not been studied in detail. Itch and pain share common features because they are transmitted by similar neuronal circuits. However, itch is a distinct somatosensation …

Optimal Control For Autonomous Motor Behavior, Tom Erez

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

This dissertation presents algorithms that allow robots to generate optimal behavior from first principles. Instead of hard-coding every desired behavior, we encode the task as a cost function, and use numerical optimization to find action sequences that can accomplish the task. Using the theoretical framework of optimal control, we develop methods for generating autonomous motor behavior in high-dimensional domains of legged locomotion. We identify three foundational problems that limit the application of existing optimal control algorithms, and present guiding principles that address these issues. First, some traditional algorithms use global optimization, where every possible state is considered. This approach cannot …

Relational Selves In Eighteenth-Century Literature, Kate Parker

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

We imagine the eighteenth century to be the time when modern individuals constituted themselves against the forces of communal obligation, when marriage emerged as a union based on singular affection, and when heterosexuality cohered as an ideology. But Relational Selves in Eighteenth Century Literature argues that a libertine logic of communal attraction, spontaneous affiliation, and transitory affection remains central to the literary production of modern selfhood in the eighteenth century. It thus departs from well-established critical narratives that entwine the modern self with the eighteenth-century emergence of sexual complementarity, the companionate marriage, and bourgeois individualism. I show instead how eighteenth-century …

Decoding Brain Activation From Ipsilateral Cortex Using Ecog Signals In Humans, Yuzong Liu

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Today, learning from the brain is the most challenging issue in many areas. Neural scientists, computer scientists, and engineers are collaborating in this broad research area. With better techniques, we can extract the brain signals by either non-invasive approach such as EEG: electroencephalography), fMRI, or invasive method such as ECoG: electrocorticography), FP: field potential) and signals from single unit. The challenge is, given the brain signals, how can we possibly decipher them? Brain Computer Interfaces, or BCIs, aim at utilizing the brain signals to control prothetic arms or operate devices. Previously almost all the research on BCIs focuses on decoding …

Utility-Aware Scheduling Of Stochastic Real-Time Systems, Terry Tidwell

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Time utility functions offer a reasonably general way to describe the complex timing constraints of real-time and cyber-physical systems. However, utility-aware scheduling policy design is an open research problem. In particular, scheduling policies that optimize expected utility accrual are needed for real-time and cyber-physical domains. This dissertation addresses the problem of utility-aware scheduling for systems with periodic real-time task sets and stochastic non-preemptive execution intervals. We model these systems as Markov Decision Processes. This model provides an evaluation framework by which different scheduling policies can be compared. By solving the Markov Decision Process we can derive value-optimal scheduling policies for …

Affirmative Action Plan 2011, Office Of Equal Opportunity, Ethics, & Access

Affirmative Action Plans

Illinois State University Affirmative Action Plan

The Moral Permissibility Of Punishment, Zachary Hoskins

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

This dissertation offers an account of the moral permissibility of criminal punishment. Punishment presents a distinctive moral challenge in that it involves a community’s inflicting harm on individuals, treating them in ways that would typically be morally wrong. We can distinguish a number of different questions of punishment’s permissibility. This dissertation focuses on four central questions:: 1) Why may we punish? Why is it in principle permissible to inflict harm on criminal offenders?: 2) Why should we punish? Is there a compelling reason to do so?: 3) How may we punish? What principles should constrain impositions of punishment? And finally,: …

Design, Synthesis And Characterization Of Lipidated Pna-Peptide Conjugates As Potentialtherapeutic And Diagnostic Reagents, Yinyin Song

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Peptide Nucleic Acids: PNAs), are an ideal choice for antisense and antigene tools and probes because of their stability and high binding affinity, but have limited application as therapeutic and diagnostic agents because of poor membrane permeability. To increase membrane permeability, we conjugated hydrophobic lipids or phospholipid molecules and hydrophilic cell penetrating peptides to the N and C terminus of PNAs, and studied their physical and biological properties. After solid-phase automated synthesis, PNA-CPPs: TAT/Arg9) were coupled with lipids or phospholipids before cleavage from the support and then purified by HPLC. The conjugates were characterized by UV-vis and MALDI, and by …

High Speed Networking In The Multi-Core Era, Benjamin Wun

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

High speed networking is a demanding task that has traditionally been performed in dedicated, purpose built hardware or specialized network processors. These platforms sacrifice flexibility or programmability in favor of performance. Recently, there has been much interest in using multi-core general purpose processors for this task, which have the advantage of being easily programmable and upgradeable. The best way to exploit these new architectures for networking is an open question that has been the subject of much recent research. In this dissertation, I explore the best way to exploit multi-core general purpose processors for packet processing applications. This includes both …

'If We Govern Ourselves, Whose Son Is To Govern Us?': Youth, Independence And The 1960s In Lesotho, John Aerni-Flessner

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Young people in Lesotho worked actively to bring about their own conceptions of the nation in late colonial and early independence Lesotho. These youth drew on a wide range of local, national and international ideas to push for institutional change that would benefit themselves as individuals, and the nation as a whole. Tapping into larger global debates about development, the Cold War and the role of youth in societies, young Basotho actively participated in and wanted a say in the changes coming with independence. This work rethinks African nationalism, seeing a wider range of people willing and able to identify …

The Accuracy Of Initial Trust Judgments, Rachel Campagna

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

This dissertation is dedicated to answer the questions: are we able to achieve accuracy in our initial trust perceptions: study 1) and what mechanism may account for this accuracy: study 2)? The first study conducted was field based, using temporary student teams. I used the social relations model: SRM) to determine how trust perceptions shift over time relative to individual and team perceptions. I found that individuals' perceptions remain moderately consistent over time and calibrated with their teams' perception only in terms of integrity perceptions. Further, individuals were able to achieve meta-accuracy: "I know how much you trust me") at …

The Role Of Ikkβ In Osteoclastogenesis And Inflammatory Osteolysis, Jesse Otero

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Bone homeostasis is essential for health and is altered in many pathological conditions. A balance in the activity of osteoblasts: bone-building cells) and osteoclasts: boneresorbing cells) determines the state of bone metabolism, and a tip in this balance toward either cell type is detrimental to health. In clinical settings, the most common bone diseases favor increased osteoclast activity and include osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis. Heightened osteoclast differentiation and activation in these conditions causes bone loss which results in increased fracture risk, bone pain, and deformity. Understanding the mechanisms by which osteoclasts develop will elucidate important targets for therapy in these …

Han'gul For The Nation, The Nation For Han'gul: The Korean Language Movement, 1894-1945, Daniel Pieper

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

No abstract provided.

Memorializing Destruction: Preservation Of Bombed Churches As Second World War Memorials In Britain And Germany, Julia Reardon

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

No abstract provided.