Digital Commons Network^™

Residential Grid-Tied With Battery Backup Photovoltaic System, Thomas Stobuagh

Electrical Engineering

When power outages occur, many homes are left without power for some time as they are dependent on the power grid. This project aims to design a residential grid tied battery backup photovoltaic system that will provide up to 7.2kW in an area that gets 5.36-5.49 kWh/m2/day [1] to support a home with an average daily usage of 28.4 kWh/day. To effectively use this system the house remains connected to the electric utility at all times, so any power needed above what the solar system can produce is simply drawn from the utility. It includes battery backup or uninterruptible power …

Reassessing The Impact Of Inflation Targeting In Emerging Market Economies, Babatunde Aiyemo

Research Papers

In this paper, we subject a seeming consensus on the impact of inflation targeting in emerging market economies to some robustness assessments. First we report performance along carefully redefined country brackets, we find little evidence to support the notion that economies with inflation targeting policies performed better than non-targeting economies in terms of GDP growth, inflation and economic volatility. In fact, there is a suggestion in the results that amongst certain clusters of economies, certain restrictive aspects of the policy actually inhibit growth

In a subsequent assessment, we control for extent of development using specific country proxies but equally observe, …

Evaluation Of Multiple Schedules With Naturally Occurring And Contrived Discriminative Stimuli Following Functional Communication Training, Kenneth D. Shamlian Psyd

All Student Scholarship

The purpose of this dissertation is to describe a doctoral research study designed to compare use of contrived and naturally occurring discriminative stimuli when using multiple schedules to thin reinforcement following functional communication training and their subsequent efficacy when introduced to novel contexts. Results indicated for one participant training with contrived stimuli was most effective, both contrived and naturally occurring stimuli were similarly effective for a second, and further modifications of a) pairing specific therapists to training conditions and, (b) adding toys during EXT components were necessary for either training condition to be effective for a third. For one participant, …

Deporting The Pardoned, Jason A. Cade

Scholarly Works

Federal immigration laws make noncitizens deportable on the basis of state criminal convictions. Historically, Congress implemented this scheme in ways that respected the states’ sovereignty over their criminal laws. As more recent federal laws have been interpreted, however, a state’s decision to pardon, expunge, or otherwise set-aside a conviction under state law will often have no effect on the federal government’s determination to use that conviction as a basis for deportation. While scholars have shown significant interest in state and local laws regulating immigrants, few have considered the federalism implications of federal rules that ignore a state’s authority to determine …

Determining Diversity Jurisdiction Of National Banks After Wachovia Bank V. Schmidt, Michael Podolsky

Fordham Law Review

   Prior to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Wachovia Bank v. Schmidt, some courts held, for diversity jurisdiction purposes, that national banks were citizens of each and every state in which they had a branch. In Schmidt, the Supreme Court made it clear that this approach was incorrect, but failed to provide an alternative one. Not surprisingly, in the wake of that decision another court split developed. While some courts have found that national banks are citizens only of the state listed on their charters as their main office, others have found that national banks are also citizens …

Unearthing The Public Interest: Recognizing Intrastate Economic Protectionism As A Legitimate State Interest, Katharine M. Rudish

Fordham Law Review

   In Oklahoma, a person must complete sixty-credit hours of undergraduate training and embalm twenty-five bodies before being legally licensed to sell caskets in the state. In Louisiana, in order to sell caskets, one must operate a fully licensed funeral establishment, defined as a place dedicated to preparing bodies for burial. In recent years, these states and others have faced legal challenges to casket sale restrictions by individuals who wish to sell caskets directly to the public, yet who are unable to do so as they are not licensed funeral directors. Courts have grappled with whether these state regulations, which in …

A Pillar Of Democracy: Reflections On The Role And Work Of The Constitutional Court Of South Africa, Kate O’Regan

Fordham Law Review

No abstract provided.

South Africa’S First Five Years On The United Nations Human Rights Council, Eduard Christiaan Jordaan

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

In June 2011, the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) adopted its first resolution on sexual orientation and human rights. Resolution 17/19 expressed grave concern at violence and discrimination committed against people because of their sexual orientation and tasked the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to report on such abuses. In a body marred by regional bloc voting, Resolution 17/19 passed with support from states in all five of the official regions of the UN. South Africa was widely praised for leading such a progressive resolution through the Council, especially in the face of considerable pressure from African and …

Cortical Thickness In Neuropsychologically Near-Normal Schizophrenia, Derin J. Cobia, John G. Csernansky, Lei Wang

Faculty Publications

Schizophrenia is a chronic and potentially disabling disorder with widespread neuroanatomical abnormalities thought to be caused by progressive brain changes (Andreasen, 2010), and an equally wide variety of impairments in cognitive functioning (Palmer et al., 2009). In general, individuals with schizophrenia demonstrate significantly impaired performance on a full range of neuropsychological tasks, often reaching greater than one standard deviation below the norm (Dickinson et al., 2007). One particularly puzzling issue is that approximately 15–30% of schizophrenia patients have been found to perform in the normal range of neuropsychological functioning (Kremen et al., 2000; Palmer et al., 1997). Given hypothesized relationships …

Attributions For Interpersonal Healthcare Mistreatment And Continuity Of Care, Daniel Joel Northington

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Although continuity of cancer-related care increases the use of early detection cancer screening exams (Doescher, Saver, Fiscella, & Franks, 2004), and thereby improves treatment outcomes (Mandelblatt et al., 2009), Latino (Latina) women in the U.S. currently report lower continuity of care than non-Latino White (Anglo) women (American Cancer Society, 2010; Doescher, Saver, Fiscella, & Franks, 2001). Such disparities may be due, in part, to interpersonal healthcare mistreatment (Smedley, Stith, & Nelson, 2003), as well as mistreatment-related attributions and emotions (Betancourt, Flynn, & Ormseth, 2011; Tucker, 2008). Therefore, according to Weiner's model of attribution and emotion (1986) as well as Betancourt's …

Performance Of Number Of Factors Procedures In Higher Order Analysis: A Comparative Study, Marc Thomas Porritt

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) is one of the primary statistical tools available for the verification of the structure of a psychological measure. In the case of a nested test the structure of the higher levels is verified by performing EFA on the factor scores of the lower levels, a process known as higher order factor analysis (HOFA). One of the most significant decisions made during the EFA process is how many factors to extract. A number of methods have been developed to empirically answer this question. These methods have been proven highly accurate under normal circumstances. Since HOFA is an …

Understanding Reading Through The Eyes Of Third-Grade Struggling Readers, Christine Elizabeth Wiggs

Dissertations

AN ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION OF CHRISTINE E. WIGGS, for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in EDUCATION, presented on October 19, 2012, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. TITLE: UNDERSTANDING READING THROUGH THE EYES OF THIRD-GRADE STRUGGLING READERS MAJOR PROFESSORS: Dr. Marla H. Mallette / Dr. Lynn C. Smith Within the vast research base on struggling readers, very few studies address the nature of struggling readers from their own perspectives; that is, how struggling readers experience reading instruction. The purpose of this qualitative case study research was to gain a deeper understanding of how three third-grade struggling readers viewed themselves as …

The Capacity Of A Southern University To Promote And Support Health Literacy Among College Students: A Case Study Approach, Alison Burton Epperson

Dissertations

The primary purpose of this case study was to determine if the university under study had adequate health-related programs, services, and supports in place to develop health-literate young adults. A secondary purpose was to identify strengths and gaps in these university health-related programs, services, and supports, which, if addressed, could increase the likelihood that college graduates would be health-literate. This research study served to answer three broad research questions: 1) What are the health-related needs and concerns among selected university undergraduates? 2) What is the level of awareness and utilization of health-related programs, services, and supports by university undergraduate students? …

Image Bodies, Avatar Ontologies: Rendering The Virtual In Digital Culture, Adam M. Davis

Dissertations

In 2009 five avatar-themed films were released, one of which became the highest grossing film to date, signaling that in addition to their popularity in videogames and virtual worlds, avatars are culturally salient figures which demand scholarly attention. Avatars, virtual environments, and user behavior have evolved significantly since virtual reality captured public and academic attention at the close of the twentieth century, and this dissertation is an attempt to theorize the avatar in contemporary digital culture. By interlacing new media philosophy and analyses of cinematic texts I situate the avatar at the nexus between digital images and interactive bodies, with …

Activity Of The Beta-Cyanoalanine Synthase Pathway Is Associated With The Response To Abiotic Stress By Arabidopsis Thaliana., Marylou Machingura

Dissertations

Cyanide is produced throughout a plant's life cycle alongside the hormone ethylene by oxidation of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid. Production increases during certain developmental stages such as seed germination, seedling elongation, fruit ripening and senescence. Abiotic stresses increase ethylene production giving rise to `stress cyanide'. Cyanide also comes from metabolism of cyanogenic compounds. Cyanide is however, a toxic chemical which readily binds to metallo-enzymes inhibiting primary metabolic processes. Plants have mechanisms to maintain cyanide homeostasis such as the β-cyanoalanine pathway whereby cysteine reacts with cyanide forming β--cyanoalanine, mediated by β-cyanoalanine synthase and cysteine synthase. A dual nitrilase 4 enzyme then converts the …

Peripheral Arterial Disease Affects The Frequency Response Of Ground Reaction Forces During Walking, Denise Mcgrath, Timothy N. Judkins, Iraklis Pipinos, Jason Johanning

Journal Articles

Background—Walking is problematic for patients with Peripheral Arterial Disease. The purpose of this study was to investigate the frequency domain of the ground reaction forces during walking to further elucidate the ambulatory impairment of these patients.

Methods—Nineteen bilateral peripheral arterial disease patients and nineteen controls were included in this study. Subjects were matched for age and gait speed. Participants walked over a force plate sampling at 600Hz. PAD patients were tested before (pain-free condition) after the onset of claudication symptoms (pain). We calculated median frequency, frequency bandwidth, and frequency containing 99.5% of the signal for the vertical and …

Fibulin-2 Stabilizes Tumor Extracellular Matrix And Drives Malignant Progression Of Lung Adenocarcinoma, Brandi N. Baird

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

The ECM of epithelial carcinomas undergoes structural remodeling during periods of uncontrolled growth, creating regional heterogeneity and torsional stress. How tumors maintain ECM integrity in the face of dynamic biophysical forces is still largely unclear. This study addresses these deficiencies using mouse models of human lung adenocarcinoma. Spontaneous lung tumors were marked by disorganized basement membranes, dense collagen networks, and increased tissue stiffness. Metastasis-prone lung adenocarcinoma cells secreted fibulin-2 (Fbln2), a matrix glycoprotein involved in ECM supra-molecular assembly. Fibulin-2 depletion in tumor cells decreased the intra-tumoral abundance of matrix metalloproteinases and reduced collagen cross-linking and tumor compressive properties resulting in …

Simultaneous Induction Of Nkg2d And Nkg2d Ligand For Promoting Immune Surveillance By Il-12 Plus Doxorubicin Treatment, Jiemiao Hu

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

NKG2D (natural killer group 2, member D) and its ligands interaction in tumor microenvironment directs tumor infiltrating immune cells to recognize tumor cells, stimulate cytotoxic effector immune cells, and therefore eradicate tumor cells. IL-12, a cytokine produced by antigen presenting cells, has remarkable antitumor effect by activating innate and adaptive immunity. Doxorubicin, a commonly used chemotherapeutic agent also boosts the host antitumor immune response to cause tumor cell death. Our previous publication suggests that IL-12 plus doxorubicin enhances NKG2D function-dependent inhibition of tumor progression and promotes CD8⁺T cells infiltrating into tumors. The purpose of this study is to …

Fancm And Faap24 Maintain Genomic Stability Through Cooperative And Unique Functions, Yucai Wang

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Fanconi anemia (FA) is a rare recessive genetic disease with an array of clinical manifestations including multiple congenital abnormalities, progressive bone marrow failure and profound cancer susceptibility. A hallmark of cells derived from FA patients is hypersensitivity to DNA interstrand crosslinking agents such as mitomycin C (MMC) and cisplatin, suggesting that FA- and FA-associated proteins play important roles in protecting cells from DNA interstrand crosslink (ICL) damage. Two genes involved in the FA pathway, FANCM and FAAP24, are of particular interest because they contain DNA interacting domains. However, there are no definitive patient mutations for these two genes, and the …

Genetic Interactions Of Factors That Regulate Alternative Rna Splicing In The Male Germ Line Of Drosophila, Shanzhi Wang

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Alternative RNA splicing is a critical process that contributes variety to protein functions, and further controls cell differentiation and normal development. Although it is known that most eukaryotic genes produce multiple transcripts in which splice site selection is regulated, how RNA binding proteins cooperate to activate and repress specific splice sites is still poorly understood. In addition how the regulation of alternative splicing affects germ cell development is also not well known. In this study, Drosophila Transformer 2 (Tra2) was used as a model to explore both the mechanism of its repressive function on its own pre-mRNA splicing, and the …

Differential Activity Of The Kras Oncogene By Method Of Activation: Implications For Signaling And Therapeutic Intervention, Nathan Ihle

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Despite having been identified over thirty years ago and definitively established as having a critical role in driving tumor growth and predicting for resistance to therapy, the KRAS oncogene remains a target in cancer for which there is no effective treatment. KRas is activated b y mutations at a few sites, primarily amino acid substitutions at codon 12 which promote a constitutively active state. I have found that different amino acid substitutions at codon 12 can activate different KRas downstream signaling pathways, determine clonogenic growth potential and determine patient response to molecularly targeted therapies. Computer modeling of the KRas structure …

Design, Calibration, And Evaluation Of Depth-Of-Interaction-Capable Pet Detector Modules, Chad J. Bircher

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

High-resolution, small-bore PET systems suffer from a tradeoff between system sensitivity, and image quality degradation. In these systems long crystals allow mispositioning of the line of response due to parallax error and this mispositioning causes resolution blurring, but long crystals are necessary for high system sensitivity. One means to allow long crystals without introducing parallax errors is to determine the depth of interaction (DOI) of the gamma ray interaction within the detector module. While DOI has been investigated previously, newly available solid state photomultipliers (SSPMs) well-suited to PET applications and allow new modules for investigation. Depth of interaction in full …

Exploring The Impact Of Decreased Ampk Pathway Activity On Brain Injury Outcome, Julia L. Hill

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Each year, 150 million people sustain a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). TBI results in life-long cognitive impairments for many survivors. One observed pathological alteration following TBI are changes in glucose metabolism. Altered glucose uptake occurs in the periphery as well as in the nervous system, with an acute increase in glucose uptake, followed by a prolonged metabolic suppression. Chronic, persistent suppression of brain glucose uptake occurs in TBI patients experiencing memory loss. Abberant post-injury activation of energy-sensing signaling cascades could result in perturbed cellular metabolism. AMP-activated kinase (AMPK) is a kinase that senses low ATP levels, and promotes efficient cell …

Characterization Of A Novel Role For The To Usled- Like Kinase In Kinetochore Assembly And Function In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Jessica M. De Orbeta

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Chromosome segregation is a critical step during cell division to avoid aneuploidy and promote proper organismal development. Correct sister chromatid positioning and separation during mitosis helps to achieve faithful transmission of genetic material to daughter cells. This prevents improper chromosome partitioning that can potentially result in extrachromosomal fragments, increasing the tumorigenic potential of the cells. The kinetochore is a protenaicious structure responsible for the initiation and orchestration of chromosome movement during mitosis. This highly conserved structure among eukaryotes is required for chromosome attachment to the mitotic spindle and failure to assemble the kinetochore results in aberrant chromosome segregation. Thus elucidating …

Evaluation Of Polymer Gel Dosimeters For Measurements Of Dose And Let In Proton Beams, Kevin M. Vredevoogd

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

This project assessed the effectiveness of polymer gel dosimeters as tools for measuring the dose deposited by and LET of a proton beam. A total of three BANG® dosimeter formulations were evaluated: BANG®-3-Pro-2 BANGkits™ for dose measurement and two BANG®-3 variants, the LET-Baseline and LET-Meter dosimeters, for LET measurement. All dosimeters were read out using an OCT scanner. The basic characteristics of the BANGkits™ were assessed in a series of photon and electron irradiations. The dose-response relationship was found to be sigmoidal with a threshold for response of approximately 15 cGy. The active region of the dosimeter, the volume in …

Characterization Of Selective Inhibition Of Adenylyl Cyclase Activity By Small Molecule Inhibitor Nky80, Cameron S. Brand

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

The nine membrane-bound isoforms of adenylyl cyclase (AC), via synthesis of the signaling molecule cyclic AMP (cAMP), are involved in many isoform specific physiological functions. Decreasing AC5 activity has been shown to have potential therapeutic benefit, including reduced stress on the heart, pain relief, and attenuation of morphine dependence and withdrawal behaviors. However, AC structure is well conserved, and there are currently no isoform selective AC inhibitors in clinical use.

P-site inhibitors inhibit AC directly at the catalytic site, but with an uncompetitive or noncompetitive mechanism. Due to this mechanism and nanomolar potency in cell-free systems, attempts at ligand-based drug …

Development Of A Beam-Specific Planning Target Volume And A Robust Plan Analysis To Ol For Proton Therapy, Peter Park

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Proton therapy is growing increasingly popular due to its superior dose characteristics compared to conventional photon therapy. Protons travel a finite range in the patient body and stop, thereby delivering no dose beyond their range. However, because the range of a proton beam is heavily dependent on the tissue density along its beam path, uncertainties in patient setup position and inherent range calculation can degrade thedose distribution significantly. Despite these challenges that are unique to proton therapy, current management of the uncertainties during treatment planning of proton therapy has been similar to that of conventional photon therapy. The goal of …

A Unified Picture Of Breaks And Truncations In Spiral Galaxies From Sdss And S4g Imaging., Ignacio Martin-Navarro, Judit Bakos, Ignacio Trujillo, Johan H. Knapen, E. Athanassoula, A. Bosma, Sebastien Comeron, Bruce G. Elmegreen, Santiago Erroz-Ferrer, Dimitri A. Gadotti, Armando Gil De Paz, Joannah L. Hinz, Luis C. Ho, Benne W. Holwerda, Taehyun Kim, Jarkko Laine, Eija Laurikainen, Karin Menendez-Delmestre, Trisha Mizusawa, Juan Carlos Munoz-Mateos, Michael W. Regan, Heikki Salo, Mark Seibert, Kartik Sheth

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

The mechanism causing breaks in the radial surface-brightness distribution of spiral galaxies is not yet well known. Despite theoretical efforts, there is not a unique explanation for these features and the observational results are not conclusive. In an attempt to address this problem, we have selected a sample of 34 highly inclined spiral galaxies present in both the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and the Spitzer Survey of Stellar Structure in Galaxies (S4G). We have measured the surface-brightness profiles in the five Sloan optical bands and in the 3.6-µm Spitzer band. We have also calculated the colour and stellar surface …

Perfectionism: The Good, The Bad, And The Creative, Benjamin Wigert, Roni Reiter-Palmon, James C. Kaufman, Paul J. Silvia

Psychology Faculty Publications

The influence of adaptive and maladaptive perfectionism on creativity was examined. Initially, six measures of creativity were administered, including creative self-perceptions, behavior, and performance measures. Adaptive perfectionism was weakly positively related to creativity, whereas maladaptive perfectionism was unrelated to creativity across five of the six measures. A follow-up study assessed whether initial findings could be generalized to an everyday problem-solving task. Results indicated that adaptive perfectionism was related to higher quality but not originality of solutions. Further, a curvilinear relationship in the shape of an inverted “U” occurred between adaptive perfectionism and four of eight creativity measures. Overall, adaptive perfectionism …

Neural Responses To Food Pictures And Their Association With Dietary Intake, Edward Christenson

Theses and Dissertations

BACKGROUND: Food-related visual cues may affect eating behavior and energy intake. The purpose of this study was to determine the neural response to pictures of food and whether or not the neural responses were associated with energy intake. METHODS: Using a cross-sectional design, 60 adults participated in this study. Each participant reported to the laboratory in a fasted state, were fitted with a 128-electrode electroencephalogram (EEG) net, and were shown pictures grouped into three categories: high-calorie foods, low-calorie foods, and distractor pictures. These pictures were shown in random order. Furthermore, participants were shown these pictures in one passive condition and …