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Public Hearing Transcripts - Rift Valley - Kajiado - Rtjrc09.12 (Kajiado Ack Church) (Women's Hearing), Truth, Justice, And Reconciliation Commission

I. Core TJRC Related Documents

No abstract provided.

Supercritical Alcohol Processing Of Crude Bio-Oil And Pine Wood Chips, Gang Huang

Theses and Dissertations

Eight alcohols in their supercritical states were used individually to treat crude bio-oil and pine wood chips. All supercritical alcohols studied, with the exception of tertbutanol, exhibited the ability to decrease the oxygen content, acid value and/or remove unstable compounds from the crude bio-oil. For supercritical 1-butanol, its use for upgrading of crude bio-oil resulted in a product with much lower oxygen content, lower acid value and fewer unstable compounds. Two CoMo catalysts were examined for their impact on the bio-oil upgrading process with supercritical alcohol. Their influence on the oxygen content, acid value and concentrations of unstable compounds in …

Uncertainty Visualization Of Ensemble Simulations, Jibonananda Sanyal

Theses and Dissertations

Ensemble simulation is a commonly used technique in operational forecasting of weather and floods. Multi-member ensemble output is usually large, multivariate, and challenging to interpret interactively. Forecast meteorologists and hydrologists are interested in understanding the uncertainties associated with the simulation; specifically variability between the ensemble members. The visualization of ensemble members is currently accomplished through spaghetti plots or hydrographs. To improve visualization techniques and tools for forecasters, we conducted a userstudy to evaluate the effectiveness of existing uncertainty visualization techniques on 1D and 2D synthetic datasets. We designed an uncertainty evaluation framework to enable easier design of such studies for …

Development Of A Grond-Based High-Resolution 3d-Sar System For Studying The Microwave Scattering Characteristics Of Trees, Justin Frank Penner

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents the development of a high-resolution ground-based 3D-SAR system and investigates its application to microwave-vegetation studies. The development process of the system is detailed including an enumeration of high-level requirements, discussions on key design issues, and detailed descriptions of the system down to a component level. The system operates on a 5.4 GHz (C-band) signal, provides a synthetic aperture area of 1.7 m x 1.7 m, and offers resolution of 0.75 m x 0.3 m x 0.3 m (range x azimuth x elevation). The system is employed on several trees with varying physical characteristics. The resulting imagery demonstrates …

A Conceptual Framework For Student Understanding Of Logarithms, Heather Rebecca Ambler Williams

Theses and Dissertations

In the past, frameworks for what it means for students to understand elementary mathematical concepts like addition have been well-researched. These frameworks are useful for identifying what students must understand to have a good grasp of the concept. Few such research-based frameworks exist for secondary mathematical topics. The intent of this study was to create such a framework for what it means for students to understand logarithms, a topic that has been under-researched up to this point. Four task-based interviews were conducted with each of four different preservice secondary mathematics teachers in order to test a preliminary framework I had …

The Relationship Of Adult Attachment Dimensions And Neuroticism To Relationship Self-Regulation, Garret Tyler Roundy

Theses and Dissertations

Self-regulation in the context of a relationship, described as relationship "work," is a powerful predictor of relationship satisfaction. Identifying individual characteristics that predict the practice of relationship self-regulation (RSR) can inform clinical and couple relationship education interventions. Anxious and avoidant attachment have been linked to shortcomings in self-regulation in various contexts, and were hypothesized to be negatively associated to individual practice of RSR; neuroticism, a personality trait characterized by negative emotionality, was also hypothesized to be negatively related to RSR. Neuroticism was also tested as a moderator of the relationship between attachment and RSR. Data from first-married men (589) and …

An Updated Gps Velocity Field For Puerto Rico And The Virgin Islands: Constraints On Tectonic Setting And Internal-Deformation, Desmond Kelvin Ihemedu

Earth & Environmental Sciences Theses - Archive

Puerto Rico and the northern Virgin Islands define the eastern end of the Greater Antilles, while the Puerto Rico trench and the Muertos Trough define the northern and the southern limits of the North American - Caribbean plate boundary zone. Three microplates have been defined: (1) Gonave, to the west; (2) Hispaniola, at the center; and (3) Puerto Rico and the northern Virgin Islands (PRVI) at the eastern end. Global Positioning System (GPS) geodesy was previously conducted in this region from 1994 to 2003. It was concluded that the locus of the highest permissible on-surface deformation in Puerto Rico and …

Stable Isotope Diet Reconstruction Of Feral Horses (Equus Caballas) On The Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge, Nevada, Usa, Megan Kathleen Nordquist

Theses and Dissertations

Feral horse management has become a subject of significant controversy in the United States. This is because of differing opinions and minimal recent empirical data on feral horses. In recent years, numbers of feral horses have increased due to governmental horse removal restrictions (specifically the Wild Horse and Burro act of 1971). With increasing numbers of feral horses on rangelands, land managers are challenged with identifying the appropriate course of action for satisfying groups with differing opinions. The purpose of this study is to characterize diet consumption through the use of stable isotope dietary analysis (δ15N and δ13C). We did …

Chimes: December 9, 2011, Calvin College

Chimes

Campus Fair Trade sale promotes justice by Amanda Elliott

Acton translates Kuyper by Ryan Devries

Choirs worship with LaGrave by Grace Ruiter

Scientists fight bacterial resistance by Jon Hielkema

Paradise Fears impressive by Jess Koster

Soccer team finishes second in the nation by Mark Zylstra

Traces Of Existence, Jayna Brown Quinn

Theses and Dissertations

This project report accounts for my final MFA project, Traces of Existence. This body of work began as an exploration, partially borne of the love of genealogical research translated into visual art by exploring the things my ancestors touched, be it ephemera, the soil they lived on, or artifacts they left behind, and partly as a pathway through which I could learn to understand more about my own identity, all the while finding beauty in the mundane. Although the works are personal, it is my hope that the viewer will respond to them in his/her own way, and that …

From Desegregation To Desexigration In Richmond, Virginia, 1954-1973, Leslee Key

Theses and Dissertations

This investigation explores the relationships and experiences in the urban community that connected black and white women to understand the complexities of Jim Crow, its breakdown, and the subsequent expansion of female activism in Richmond, Virginia. By examining the South’s famous department stores, Thalhimers and Miller & Rhoads, this research attempts to focus on female-created and female-oriented spaces within downtown Richmond, from 1954 until 1973, and draws a line from the Thalhimer boycott staged by African-American women in 1961 to the sit-in performed by white women in the Thalhimers male-only soup bar in 1970. Historical context is developed to show …

Flyer News, Vol. 59, No. 20 (Dec. 9, 2011), University Of Dayton

Flyer News

Student-run newspaper of the University of Dayton.

An Investigative Study Of The Influence Of Religion On Help Seeking Behaviors In The Field Of Mental Health, Kristen Darroch

Theses and Dissertations

The present study was undertaken to assess the influence of religion on help seeking behaviors regarding mental health. Participants (n = 167) were volunteers from three different churches of Christian denominations who anonymously completed questionnaires regarding their religiosity and their attitude toward seeking help from a mental health professional. Analysis of the data found that subjects who belonged to liberal denominations of Christianity were more likely to seek help from a mental health professional for mental health issues than subjects belonging to more traditionally conservative denominations of Christianity. The study also found that subjects belonging to conservative denominations of Christianity …

On The Use Of Image Processing And Pattern Recognition Tools To Enhance High Resolution Satellite Precipitation Estimation Based On Cloud Classification, Majid Mahrooghy

Theses and Dissertations

Satellite precipitation estimation at high spatial and temporal resolutions is beneficial for research and applications in the areas of weather, flood forecasting, hydrology, and agriculture. In this research, image processing and pattern recognition tools are incorporated into the Precipitation Estimation from Remotely Sensed Information using Artificial Neural Networks Cloud Classification System (PERSIANN-CCS) methodology to enhance satellite precipitation and rainfall estimation. The enhanced algorithm incorporates five main steps to derive precipitation estimates: 1) segmenting the satellite infrared cloud images into patches; 2) extracting features from the segmented cloud patches; 3) feature selection or dimensionality reduction; 4) categorizing the cloud patches into …

Educating Mexico In Emilio Fernández's Río Escondido And Rosario Castellanos's Balún Canán, David Scott Dalton

Theses and Dissertations

Following the bloody Revolution of 1910-1917, Mexican leaders took a great interest in rebuilding their devastated, war-torn country. In an attempt to further national unity, the post-Revolutionary regime sought to construct a unified, national identity. Many officials, such as José Vasconcelos, Mexico's first Secretario de Educación, viewed education as one of the keys to redeeming the nation. These government officials, empowered by their ideals and their sense of civic duty, worked to extend educational benefits to even the most overlooked segments of Mexican society. This thesis will examine two fictional texts that consider these efforts to transform and unify …

Looking In The Past For A Discourse Of Motherhood: Birgitta Of Sweden And Julia Kristeva, Laura Saetveit Miles

Medieval Feminist Forum: A Journal of Gender and Sexuality

No abstract provided.

Geochemical Analysis Of Ancient Activities At Two Plazas In Cobá, Mexico, Eric G. Coronel

Theses and Dissertations

Two plazas at Cobá, Mexico, may have been the place of market activity during the classic Maya period. The intense decomposition in the warm, moist soils of the Yucatan Peninsula precludes the identification of organic artifacts in archaeological contexts, but phosphorus and trace elements accumulation in soils may provide evidence of marketing activities. The spatial patterns of P and trace element concentrations were used to elucidate the types of ancient Maya activities that took place in those plazas. Phosphorus concentrations are highly correlated (p-value <0.01) with Fe, Mn, and Zn levels in both Plaza B and D. Although the soil geochemistry of Plaza B does not show a marketplace pattern in comparison with previous studies, the elemental concentrations and distributions within Plaza D join other lines of evidence to support the premise that marketplace activities took place at that location. Soil samples were analyzed using DTPA extraction, Mehlich II, Olsen, and Portable X-Ray Fluorescence (PXRF). Experiments were performed to study the suitability of PXRF for field studies. Aspects that were studied include granule size, soil moisture content, protective plastic films that could interfere with the X-Ray signal when placing the samples on top of the analyzer, and a comparison of certified soil standards to the PXRF elemental concentration readings. The results suggest that a field laboratory could be set up to air-dry and sieve soil samples to a minimum mesh size of #10 (> 2 mm).

The Effect Of Material And Processing On The Impact Strength Of Vapor-Grown Carbon Nanofiber/Vinyl Ester Composites, Glenn William Torres

Theses and Dissertations

A design of experiments methodology was used to investigate the effect of vaporgrown carbon nanofiber (VGCNF) weight fraction, high-shear mixing time, and ultrasonication time on the Izod impact strength of vinyl ester (VE) based nanocomposites. A response surface model (RSM) was developed for predicting impact strengths using a regression analysis approach. The RSM predicts a maximum increase in impact strength of 18% at a VGCNF weight fraction of 0.17 parts per hundred parts resin (phr) (a volume percent of ~0.1) and 100 min high-shear mixing when compared to that of neat VE. The impact strength predictions show an initial increase …

The Effects Of Whole Body Vibration On Dorsiflexion In Chronic Ankle Instability, Lesley Abigail Thalman

Theses and Dissertations

BACKGROUND: Whole body vibration (WBV) platforms are currently used as adjunctive training devices for exercise programs, and have been shown to facilitate flexibility. One of the biggest contributing factors to chronic ankle instability (CAI) is the lack of dorsiflexion after lateral ankle sprains and WBV may be an effective way to increase range of motion in this population. PURPOSE: Determine if WBV done concurrently with static stretching (SS) is more effective then SS alone in improving dorsiflexion ROM in subjects with CAI. METHODS: Subjects were divided into 3 groups (control, static stretch, and static stretch and vibrate). Subjects stretched 4 …

A Framework For Studying The Physical Degradation Characteristics Of Dvds And Their Relationship To Digital Errors, Brian K. Saville

Theses and Dissertations

The methods used to store data on DVD-R discs have been proven to work over the last 15 years. However, there has been a growing concern that these discs will be outlasted by the paper records they were meant to replace. The data on a DVD-R is stored as optical contrasts which have the potential to be misread and even damaged. This damage may occur either on the surface or internally to the disc, especially on the recording layer itself. The literature is saturated with studies attempting to determine the time period in which discs may fail and what the …

Fall Commencement Ceremonies, University Of North Florida

Commencement Printed Materials

Program for the Fall Commencement ceremonies.

Modeling Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymeric Composite Laminates For Piezoelectric Morphing Structures, Darryl Vincent Murray

Theses and Dissertations

Thin unsymmetric carbon fiber reinforced polymeric(CFRP) composite laminates are examined for use of morphing structures using piezoelectric actuation. During fabrication, unsymmetric laminates are able to deform to more than one post-cure room temperature shape. Thin cross-ply laminates will deform to a cylindrical post-cure room temperature shape while thicker non-cross-ply laminates will deform to a saddle shape. Predictions of the deformed post-cure shape will be made by modeling the cure process using analytical and numerical. These models will then serve as expectations for experimental tests. Modeling the fabrication process allowed for characterizing important data such as residual stresses from the cure …

Modified Network Simplex Method To Solve A Sheltering Network Planning And Management Problem, Lingfeng Li

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation considers sheltering network planning and operations for natural disaster preparedness and responses with a two-stage stochastic program. The first phase of the network design decides the locations, capacities and held resources of new permanent shelters. Both fixed costs for building a new permanent shelter and variable costs based on capacity are considered. Under each disaster scenario featured by the evacuee demand and transportation network condition, the flows of evacuees and resources to shelters, including permanent and temporary ones, are determined in the second stage to minimize the transportation and shortage/surplus costs. Typically, a large number of scenarios are …

Numerical Analysis Of Aberdeen Pool Sedimentation, Nathan Dwayne Clifton

Theses and Dissertations

The main objective of this research was to create a two dimensional and three dimensional Environmental Fluid Dynamics Code (EFDC) model using Aberdeen Pool of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway for the purpose of determining the differences in their ability to address sediment transport. These objectives were reached in the results with comparisons of water levels, sediment concentrations, shear stress, and bed change. The models produced very similar results for the majority of the sediment transport throughout both models with the overall trend being deposition except in the upper limits of the Tombigbee River. The main differences between the two models are …

Pedestrian Dynamics: Modeling And Analyzing Cognitive Processes And Traffic Flows To Evaluate Facility Service Level, Hohyun Lee

Theses and Dissertations

Walking is the oldest and foremost mode of transportation through history and the prevalence of walking has increased. Effective pedestrian model is crucial to evaluate pedestrian facility service level and to enhance pedestrian safety, performance, and satisfaction. The objectives of this study were to: (1) validate the efficacy of utilizing queueing network model, which predicts cognitive information processing time and task performance; (2) develop a generalized queueing network based cognitive information processing model that can be utilized and applied to construct pedestrian cognitive structure and estimate the reaction time with the first moment of service time distribution; (3) investigate pedestrian …

Lifetime Characteristics Of Magnet Wire Mw 16-C Under Ac, Dc Voltages, And High Temperatures, Manasi Pramod Gadre

Theses and Dissertations

Polyimide is one of the most heat resistant polymers with high electric breakdown strength, good mechanical properties, and chemical resistance. Polyimide is used in severe environmental condition. Polyimide is commonly applied as electrical insulation in a fine gauge of invertered motor windings and in high voltage coils of encapsulated fly-back transformers. The wire insulation may be exposed to multi-stresses like ac, dc high voltages, temperatures etc. In this thesis, magnet wire insulation properties under multiple stresses are studied under ac, dc voltages and high temperatures. Accelerated degradation test is used to do study of Life -time characteristics of Magnetic wire …

Machine Learning Driven Model Inversion Methodology To Detect Reniform Nematodes In Cotton, Pavan Kumar Palacharla

Theses and Dissertations

Rotylenchulus reniformis is a nematode species affecting the cotton crop and quickly spreading throughout the southeastern United States. Effective use of nematicides at a variable rate is the only economic counter measure. It requires the intraield variable nematode population, which in turn depends on the collection of soil samples from the field and analyzing them in the laboratory. This process is economically prohibitive. Hence estimating the nematode infestation on the cotton crop using remote sensing and machine learning techniques which are cost and time effective is the motivation for this study. In the current research, the concept of multi-temporal remote …

Crusader, December, 9, 2011, College Of The Holy Cross

Student Newspapers

The student newspaper for the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. Articles include coverage of campus events and issues, sports, editorials and special features.

Peripheral Visual Cues And Their Effect On The Perception Of Egocentric Depth In Virtual And Augmented Environments, James Adam Jones

Theses and Dissertations

The underestimation of depth in virtual environments at mediumield distances is a well studied phenomenon. However, the degree by which underestimation occurs varies widely from one study to the next, with some studies reporting as much as 68% underestimation in distance and others with as little as 6% (Thompson et al. [38] and Jones et al. [14]). In particular, the study detailed in Jones et al. [14] found a surprisingly small underestimation effect in a virtual environment (VE) and no effect in an augmented environment (AE). These are highly unusual results when compared to the large body of existing work …

The Beacon - Vol 10 No. 7 - December 9, 2011, Merrimack College

The Beacon

The Beacon - the student newspaper of Merrimack College. Volume 10, Number 7 - December 9, 2011. 12 pages