Digital Commons Network^™

Resource Allocation In Realistic Wireless Cognitive Radios Networks, Mahmoud Alayesh

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

Cognitive radio networks provide an effective solution for improving spectrum usage for wireless users. In particular, secondary users can now compete with each other to access idle, unused spectrum from licensed primary users in an opportunistic fashion. This is typically done by using cognitive radios to sense the presence of primary users and tuning to unused spectrum bands to boost efficiency. Expectedly, resource allocation is a very crucial concern in such settings, i.e., power and rate control, and various studies have looked at this problem area. However, the existing body of work has mostly considered the interactions between secondary users …

Control Of An Indoor Autonomous Mobile Communications Relay Via Antenna Diversity, Brian Griffin

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

Presented in this thesis is a motion planning scheme for enabling a quadrotor unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to serve as an autonomous communications relay in indoor or GPS-denied environments. The goal of the algorithm is to maximize the throughput of the end-to-end communications channel. An extremum-seeking controller steers the quadrotor while collision avoidance is provided by artificial potential fields. Extremum-seeking is model-free adaptive control method; it's applicable in situations where there is a nonlinearity in the control problem and the nonlinearity has a local minimum or maximum. The extremum-seeking controller presented here is driven by antenna diversity and attempts to …

The Prospector, August 30, 2011, Utep Student Publications

The Prospector

Headline: Football Takes Center Stage

Polymerization In Emulsion Microdroplet Reactors, Nick J. Carroll

Chemical and Biological Engineering ETDs

The goal of this research project is to utilize emulsion droplets as chemical reactors for execution of complex polymerization chemistries to develop unique and functional particle materials. Emulsions are dispersions of immiscible fluids where one fluid usually exists in the form of drops. Not surprisingly, if a liquid-to-solid chemical reaction proceeds to completion within these drops, the resultant solid particles will possess the shape and relative size distribution of the drops. The two immiscible liquid phases required for emulsion polymerization provide unique and complex chemical and physical environments suitable for the engineering of novel materials. The development of novel non-ionic …

Substrate Rigidity Deforms And Polarizes Active Gels, Shiladitya Banerjee, M. C. Marchetti

Physics - All Scholarship

We present a continuum model of the coupling between cells and substrate that accounts for some of the observed substrate-stiffness dependence of cell properties. The cell is modeled as an elastic active gel, adapting recently developed continuum theories of active viscoelastic fluids. The coupling to the substrate enters as a boundary condition that relates the cell's deformation field to local stress gradients. In the presence of activity, the coupling to the substrate yields spatially inhomogeneous contractile stresses and deformations in the cell and can enhance polarization, breaking the cell's front-rear symmetry.

Overcoming Glial-Derived Inhibition Of Regeneration In Cns Neurons: From Novel Compounds To Novel Uses For Fda-Approved Compounds, Andrea L. Johnstone

Open Access Dissertations

Trauma to the central nervous system (CNS) results in an irreversible disruption of axon tracts, often leading to lifelong functional deficits. Despite a large body of research into the mechanisms that underlie the lack of axonal regeneration after CNS injury, there are currently no effective treatments. One major obstacle involves the presence at injury sites of CNS growth-inhibitory molecules, such as myelin proteins and astrocyte-derived chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs), which act as environmental barriers to axonal regeneration. Our lab recently described the identification and characterization of a novel compound, F05, which promotes growth on inhibitory substrates in vitro. I show …

08-29-2011 Swosu's Ubeidat Receives Nih Research Funding For Second Straight Year, Southwestern Oklahoma State University

THE BARK ARCHIVE 2011

Dr. Muatasem Ubeidat, associate professor of biological sciences at Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford, has received $14,500 in funding from the National Institutes of Health through the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center’s INBRE program for a research study.

Lanthorn, Vol. 46, No. 03, August 29, 2011, Grand Valley State University

Volume 46, July 14, 2011 - June 18, 2012

Lanthorn is Grand Valley State's student newspaper, published from 1968 to the present.

Current, August 29, 2011, University Of Missouri-St. Louis

Current (2010s)

No abstract provided.

August 29, 2011, James Madison University

The Breeze, 2010-2019

The Breeze is the student newspaper of James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

Chemoprevention Of Familial Melanoma, Vidhya Hariharan

Dissertations (6 month embargo)

Bleaching agents 4-tertiary butyl phenol (4-TBP) and monobenzyl ether of hydroquinone (MBEH) have been known to cause occupational vitiligo This project answers whether agents 4-TBP and MBEH can be used for prophylactic treatment of familial melanoma by being specifically toxic to melanocytes and activating an immune response against distant pigment cells. Cytotoxic experiments reveal that similar to 4-TBP, MBEH induces specific melanocyte death. To compare death pathways initiated by 4-TBP and MBEH, classical apoptotic hallmarks were evaluated in treated melanocytes. MBEH induced cell death without activating the caspase cascade or DNA fragmentation, showing that the death pathway is non-apoptotic. Release …

Spiking Patterns And Their Functional Implications In The Antennal Lobe Of The Tobacco Hornworm Manduca Sexta, Hong Lei, Carolina E. Reisenman, Caroline H. Wilson, Prasad Gabbur, John G. Hildebrand

Health Sciences and Kinesiology Faculty Articles

Bursting as well as tonic firing patterns have been described in various sensory systems. In the olfactory system, spontaneous bursts have been observed in neurons distributed across several synaptic levels, from the periphery, to the olfactory bulb (OB) and to the olfactory cortex. Several in vitro studies indicate that spontaneous firing patterns may be viewed as “fingerprints” of different types of neurons that exhibit distinct functions in the OB. It is still not known, however, if and how neuronal burstiness is correlated with the coding of natural olfactory stimuli. We thus conducted an in vivo study to probe this question …

On The Effects Of Graph Based Evolutionary Algorithms For Training Finite State Classifiers, Steven M. Corns

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This work presents a method for evolving finite state machines for the classification of polymerase chain reaction primers in mice using graph based evolutionary algorithms. using these machine learning tools we can compensate for many lab, organism, and chemical specific factors that can cause these primers to fail. using Finite State Classifiers can help to decrease the number of primers that fail to amplify correctly. for training these classifiers, fifteen different graph based evolutionary algorithms were used in two different experiments to explore the effects of diversity preservation on the development of these classifiers. by controlling the rate at which …

Femtosecond Laser Fabricated All-Optical Fiber Sensors With Ultrahigh Refractive Index Sensitivity: Modeling And Experiment, Lan Jiang, Longjiang Zhao, Sumei Wang, Jinpeng Yang, Hai Xiao

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

All-optical fiber sensors based on ultracompact fiber inline Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) are fabricated by side-ablating a Ushape microcavity in a single-mode optical fiber with the fiber core partially removed using femtosecond (fs) laser pulses, in which the two light paths are accordingly formed in the remaining D-type fiber core and the U-shape microcavity. Beam propagation method (BPM) analysis is utilized to illustrate the dependences of good transmission spectra on parameters including the ablation depth, ablation length and the refractive index of Ushape microcavity, which gives some guidelines to optimize parameters for fs laser micromachining and predicts RI (refractive index) sensitivities …

The Collegian (2011-08-29), Rene Cardona Jr.

UTB/TSC Archives - The Collegian [Newspaper]

Vol. 64, No. 2

The Worlds Of Splicing And Chromatin Collide, J. Adam Hall, Philippe T. Georgel

Biological Sciences Faculty Research

Both transcription and splicing take place in a nuclear environment which, at face value, may seem refractory to the efficiency afforded by the coupling of both processes. This environment, chromatin, was once viewed as only a passive packaging system for genetic material, with very little contribution to the variety of nuclear activities occurring within and around it. However, overwhelming evidence now points to the chromatin environment as being highly dynamic, and an active player in nuclear activities.

The Montessori Method In America: Montessori Schools In New York And Rhode Island From 1910-1940, Katari Coleman

Dissertations (6 month embargo)

During the very early twentieth century, Dr. Maria Montessori produced a pedagogical approach that permitted the developmental delayed, socioeconomically disadvantaged, and the youngest of children to advance their cognition and adaptive skills to conventional standards. Her renowned "Montessori Method" was unleashed in 1906 in her home country of Italy and found its way to the shore of the United States soon after. This research will compare the implementation of the Montessori Method in two states, Rhode Island and New York. Both states invested time and money into the instructional ideals of Dr. Montessori in response to the advice of educators …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Tanninsulfonic Acid Doped Polyaniline (Tanipani) - Metal Oxide Nanocomposites For Solar Cell Applications, Venu Gopal Bairi

Theses and Dissertations

Nanocomposites of polyaniline have gained much importance due to their improved electronic properties. The presence of metal oxides in the nanocomposites may enhance the photovoltaic effect and increase the efficiency of solar cells. We have synthesized tanninsulfonic acid doped polyaniline (TANI-PANI) composites in view of preparing metal oxide complexed composites due to the presence of o-catechol in tannin. Tanninsulfonic acid doped polyaniline (TANIPANI)-TiO2 or Al2O3 nanocomposites were synthesized by varying the amount of TiO2 from 10% to 70% (with respect to the mass of aniline) and by carrying out the synthesis at -10° C. Covalent bonding of the metal oxide …

The Effects Of Classical Background Music On The Behavior Of Children In The Elementary School Classroom: An Interdisciplinary Approach, Justin Thomas Anders

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to research the effects of classical music on the behavior of elementary school children. Based upon data collected from an exhaustive literature review, the researcher asserted that classical music was capable of modifying the mood, emotions and performance of elementary students. Classical music was presented to students in a classroom setting as background music and their resulting behavior patterns were noted and measured. As the data from these studies were analyzed, the researcher asserted that classical music was capable of modifying behavior. This study concluded that both student and class behavior improved as a …

A Proposal For Creating A Sports Themed First-Year Writing Course For Student-Athletes, Christopher Osborn Bell

Theses and Dissertations

A sports themed writing course could be a good start to helping student-athletes with their college writing. Studies have indicated that the majority of student-athletes are academic underachievers and are considered to be at a high risk of dropping out when they reach the college level. Many institutions are struggling to find ways to help their student-athletes succeed because colleges depend upon athletic programs to generate revenue and prestige which can also lead to higher enrollments. There is a general agreement that student-athletes aren't getting the same value out of their education as non-student-athletes, but there seems to be a …

Family Functioning's Relationship With Compliance In Families With A Child Diagnosed With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Jackie Edward Ferrell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

The number of children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder [ADHD] is significant and growing (Pastor & Reuben, 2008). For example, the United States Census Bureau survey of medical issues reported that 4.5 million children, representing 7.8% of the population in the United States between the ages of 5 to 17, have been diagnosed with ADHD (National Health Interview Survey, 2006). Compliance in families with a child with ADHD has been a topic of research. A number of studies have specifically investigated medication compliance. It is reported that medication non-adherence can range from 20% to 70% (Stine, 1994). It is not only …

August 29, 2011, The Daily Mississippian

Daily Mississippian (all digitized issues)

No abstract provided.

Longitudinal Analysis Of Arterial Blood Pressure And Heart Rate Response To Acute Behavioral Stress In Rats With Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus And In Age-Matched Controls, David C. Randall, Richard O. Speakman, Dennis L. Silcox, Laura V. Brown, David R. Brown, Ming C. Gong, Abhijit R. Patwardhan, L. Raymond Reynolds, Dennis G. Karounos, Don E. Burgess, Chikodi N. Anigbogu

Physiology Faculty Publications

We recorded via telemetry the arterial blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) response to classical conditioning following the spontaneous onset of autoimmune diabetes in BBDP/Wor rats vs. age-matched, diabetes-resistant control (BBDR/Wor) rats. Our purpose was to evaluate the autonomic regulatory responses to an acute stress in a diabetic state of up to 12 months duration. The stress was a 15-s pulsed tone (CS+) followed by a 0.5-s tail shock. The initial, transient increase in BP (i.e., the "first component," or C₁), known to be derived from an orienting response and produced by a sympathetic increase in peripheral …

Effects Of Re-Emission On The Evolution Of Surface Morphology During Thermal Evaporation Deposition, Mehmet Erdem

Theses and Dissertations

In re-emission process during thin film growth, atoms that do not stick to the surface based on a sticking probability are re-emitted and can stick to other surface points. This process allows atoms to reach valleys of the surface, which are normally shadowed by higher surface points, leading to a smoothening effect. Although re-emission has been applied to sputter deposition and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) growth modeling, which successfully predicts the dynamic morphological evolution, so far, no re-emission based modeling method has been developed for thermal evaporation growth. Thermal evaporation is a commonly used thin film deposition technique especially for …

Of Unsound Mind And Body: A Statistical Test Of The Association Between Intimate Partner Violence And Chronic Physical And Mental Health Outcomes, Darryl Andre Brice

Dissertations (2 year embargo)

A growing body of literature, both academic and in the popular media, has focused on intimate partner violence (IPV) and its consequences. In addition to the acute physical, social, and economic consequence of IPV, IPV clearly causes great stress for IPV women. While research has shown an association between exposure to external stressors and poor chronic physical and mental health, known as the "stress-health hypothesis," few studies have extrapolated this to examine IPV as a stressor. The goal of this research is to do just that using preexisting data from the Chicago Women's Health Risk Study (CWHRS). The CWHRS is …

Left Ventricular Assist Devices: Engineering Design Considerations, Marwan A. Simaan, Eduardo Divo, George Faragallah, Yu Wang

Publications

Patients with end-stage congestive heart failure awaiting heart transplantation often wait long periods of time (300 days or more on the average) before a suitable donor heart becomes available. The medical community has placed increased emphasis on the use of Left Ventricular Assist Devices or LVADs that can substitute for, or enhance, the function of the natural heart while the patient is waiting for the heart transplant (Poirier, 1997; Frazier & Myers, 1999). Essentially, a rotary LVAD is a pump that operates continuously directing blood from the left ventricle into the aorta by avoiding the aortic valve. Generally speaking, the …

Medical School Watercooler Newsletter - August 28, 2011, Lindsey Lyle

Watercooler Newsletter

This is the August 28, 2011 edition of the Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine's newsletter - Watercooler.

Contents Include

• Board of Trustees Visits USA Children's & Women's Hospital

• Five USA Physicians Named 'Top Doctors'

• Clyde Huggins Recipients Announced at 2011 Medical Student Research Day

• 'We Gave Him His Life Back'

• Next Week's DSS - Dr. Indu Ambudkar

• USA College of Medicine Welcomes New Ob/Gyn Chair Dr. David F. Lewis

China: Sustainable Wastewater Treatment, Kimberly Mackowiak, Katherine Sipes

ETHOS Technical Reports

Over the past forty years, the People’s Republic of China has transitioned from an isolated internal market to a country focusing their attention on a the global market economy; overtaking Japan in 2010 to become the world’s second largest economy behind the United States of America. China’s rapid growth in the global market economy has come at an enormous cost to the environment, especially the countries water sources, and to its people, who are still struggling against poverty and subpar standards of living. Like many developing countries in the world, China is faced with the issues of improving sanitation conditions …

Electrochemistry In Neural Stimulation By Biomedical Implants, Zhou David, Greenberg Robert

Journal of Electrochemistry

Advances in biomedical engineering, micro-fabrication technology, and neuroscience have led to many novel and improved biomedical implants for electrical neural stimulation to restore human function and improve the quality of human life. Some examples of such biomedical devices are cochlear implants, visual implants, deep brain stimulators and spinal cord stimulators. One of the key components of biomedical implants is the stimulating electrodes. The electrodes, when in contact with living tissue, form an interface between the electronic device and the biological tissue. This paper reviews electrochemical aspects of neural stimulation implants. A brief introduction on the developments of biomedical implants is …

Study On The Fluorescent Carbon Nanodots With Electrochemical Methods, Bao-Ping Qi, Yan-Min Long, Lei Bao, Cui Liu, Zhi-Ling Zhang, Dai-Wen Pang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Carbon nanodots are a new class of fluorescent nanoparticles with a carbon-based core, which possess wavelength-tunable luminescence, high photostability, resistance to photobleaching, water-solubility, and ease of bioconjugation. Owing to their attractive merits, carbon nanodots like other carbon nanomaterials such as fullerene, carbon nanotubes and graphene, have attracted much attention. In addition, carbon nanodots can be inexpensively produced by electrochemical methods with simple post-processing under mild conditions. Electrochemical approaches have unique advantages in the analysis of surface structures and luminescence mechanism of materials. In this review, recent advances in electrochemical methods used for the synthesis and luminescence mechanism of fluorescent carbon …