Digital Commons Network^™

Factors That Female Higher Education Faculty In Select Science, Technology, Engineering, And Mathematics (Stem) Fields Perceive As Being Influential To Their Success And Persistence In Their Chosen Professions, Phyllis Bernice Opare

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine factors female higher education faculty in select science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields perceived as influential to their success and persistence in their chosen professions. Females are underrepresented in STEM professions including academia, despite the fact that female educational attainment in all fields have increased significantly.

Four research questions were used to guide this study and they are: 1) What personal factors affect females' ability to successfully persist in STEM faculty positions? 2) What social factors affect females' ability to successfully persist in STEM faculty positions? 3) What academic/institutional factors affect …

A Framework For Delivering Contextually Appropriate Opportunities For Warfighter Practice, Michael Allan White

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Computer-based modeling and simulation has been a training staple in the military domain since the first aircraft simulators were adopted. More recently, virtual environments based on modeling, simulation and serious games, have introduced relatively low-cost, yet high value additions to the learning environment. As these virtual environments have proliferated, many researchers have investigated the relationship between theoretical foundations of learning, learner development and content delivery, and applied their findings in an attempt to bolster learning, yet performance deficiencies continue to exist. This study asserts that performance deficiencies exist in part because of insufficient contextually appropriate opportunities to practice.

This work …

Vortex Patterns Beyond Hypergeometric, Andrei Ludu

Publications

We prove that loop vortices are created by a point-like magnetic dipole in an infinite superconductor space. The geometry of the vortex system is obtained through analytic solutions of the linearized Ginzburg-Landau equation described in terms of Heun functions, generalizing the traditional hypergeometric behavior of such magnetic singularity.

Catalog 2012-2013, University Of North Florida

UNF Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Identification And Visualization Of Electromagnetic Coupling Paths & Nonlinear Capacitors For Esd Protection, Hongyu Li

Doctoral Dissertations

"The first topic of this dissertation focuses on developing methods to identify and visualize electromagnetic coupling paths. The basis of the approach is to utilize an analogy between electromagnetic energy flow and fluid flow. This allows one to apply the theories and algorithms of fluid dynamics to electromagnetics and thereby to visualize the electromagnetic energy flow. This in turn can be utilized to identify the electromagnetic coupling path.

The second topic of this dissertation investigates the nonlinearity of capacitors and suggests improved trade-off between electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection and data bandwidth by using the antiferroelectric (AFE) capacitors as ESD protection. …

Design And Experimental Study Of Turbo Equalization For Multiple Antenna Systems, Amirhossein Rafati

Doctoral Dissertations

"Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless communication systems have attracted a lot of interest in the past decade due to their capability in delivering high spectral efficiency as well as their robust performance against fading. In MIMO inter-symbol interference (lSI) channels, a severe interference problem occurs due to the lSI and co-channel interference. Thus, the error propagation problem becomes more serious, and its mitigation has to be considered when designing the receiver. In this regard, a turbo equalizer which exchanges soft information between the equalizer and the decoder has been shown to be an effective method to combat the lSI caused by …

Friction Stir Welding Of High Temperature Alloys, Jiye Wang

Doctoral Dissertations

"Friction stir welding (FSW) of Ti-6Al-4V alloy, nickel-based and iron-based oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) alloys (MA754 and MA956) has been studied. The main aspects covered include tool evaluation, microstructural evolution, mechanical properties, and correlation between processing, microstructure and mechanical properties. Tool performance study was carried out for Ti-6Al-4V alloy with refractory tools made of W-1.1%La₂O₃ and two different grades of WC-Co based materials. The results showed that tool degradation can be attributed to mechanical and chemical interaction with processed material. The nature of tool-workpiece interaction was tool material dependent and influenced the resultant microstructure and weld quality in the stirred …

Small Sample Inference For Exponential Survival Times With Heavy Right-Censoring, Noroharivelo Volaniaina Randrianampy

Doctoral Dissertations

"We develop a saddlepoint-based method and several generalized Bartholomew methods for generating confidence intervals about the rate parameter of an exponential distribution in the presence of heavy random right-censoring. Butler's conditional moment generating function formula is used to derive the relevant moment generating function for the rate parameter score function which provides access to a saddlepoint-based bootstrap method. Moment generating functions also play a key role in the generalized Bartholomew methods we develop. Since heavy censoring is assumed, the possible non-existence of the rate parameter maximum likelihood estimate (MLE) is nonignorable. The overwhelming majority of existing methods condition upon the …

Investigation Of Different Approaches To Combine Cable Information And Near-Field Scan Data For Radiated-Field Estimation, Keong W. Kam

Doctoral Dissertations

"Near-field scanning is often used to solve EMC problems. Aside from the purpose of visualization of near-fields, measured near-field data can be used to estimate far-field. One of many challenges associated with using near-field to far-field transform (NFFFT) technique for EMC application is the handling of attached cables. The objective of this investigation is to evaluate different methods to add cable information to the near-field data for far-field estimation. The investigation is carried out using numerical experiments in EMCoS EMC studio, which is a commercial MoM (Method of Moment) tool for EM simulation. Measurement results from a test structure are …

Imaging The Subsurface In Karst Terrain Using Electrical Resistivity Tomography, Evgeniy V. Torgashov

Doctoral Dissertations

"Five electrical resistivity tomography (resistivity) case studies are presented. The first case study, entitled "Springfield Underground", includes ERT data acquired with the purpose of imaging the ceiling of an limestone aggregate mine following simultaneous localized roof failure. The interpretation of the ERT data indicates roof rock failure occurred at the intersection of two previously unmapped near-vertical solution-widened fractures.

At the "Chesterfield Dam" site, resistivity data were acquired to identify the zone of seepage through an earthfill dam. The seepage pathway beneath the dam is interpreted as through a solution-widened fracture, the top of which constituted a segment of the original …

Theoretical Studies Of Few-Body Problems, Uttam Chowdhury

Doctoral Dissertations

"Heavy ion collisions with atomic and molecular targets produce many outcomes. The Schrödinger equation is not analytically soluble for more than two mutually interacting particles. As a result, theory must resort to using approximations, the validity of which is determined by comparison with experiment. This work is focused on finding better approximations to describe ionization and capture processes in proton collisions.

Proton-impact ionization of molecular hydrogen is treated as a 3-body problem. Usually the target is treated as an atomic target and the results are multiplied by an ad hoc factor to account for the molecular structure. Measured cross sections …

Modeling And Compressing 3-D Facial Expressions Using Geometry Videos, Jiazhi Xia, Dao T. P. Quynh, Ying He, Xiaoming Chen, Steven C. H. Hoi

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

In this paper, we present a novel geometry video (GV) framework to model and compress 3-D facial expressions. GV bridges the gap of 3-D motion data and 2-D video, and provides a natural way to apply the well-studied video processing techniques to motion data processing. Our framework includes a set of algorithms to construct GVs, such as hole filling, geodesic-based face segmentation, expression-invariant parameterization (EIP), and GV compression. Our EIP algorithm can guarantee the exact correspondence of the salient features (eyes, mouth, and nose) in different frames, which leads to GVs with better spatial and temporal coherence than that of …

A New Efficient Optimistic Fair Exchange Protocol Without Random Oracles, Qiong Huang, Guomin Yang, Duncan S. Wong, Willy Susilo

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Optimistic fair exchange (OFE) is a kind of protocols to solve the problem of fair exchange between two parties. Most of the previous work on this topic are provably secure in the random oracle model. In this work, we propose a new construction of OFE from another cryptographic primitive, called time capsule signature. The construction is efficient and brings almost no overhead other than the primitive itself. The security of our new construction is based on that of the underlying primitive without relying on the random oracle heuristic. Applying our generic construction to the time capsule signature scheme recently proposed …

Quantitative Analysis Of Co-Enzyme A In A Plant Tissues And Cancer Biomarkers In Urine Samples By Using Capillary Electrophoresis And Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry, Yongqing Jiang

Doctoral Dissertations

"Despite continuous effort and progress in cancer detection and therapy, cancer remains one of our greatest health concerns because of its low survival rate and rapid incidence increase. One reason for this is the late detection and therefore pre-cancer diagnosis is crucial. In pre-cancer studies, cancer biomarkers become significant because of the useful information it contains such as possible cancer type and stage. Separation and detection technique plays an important role in cancer biomarker identification.

Coenzyme A (CoA) facilitates more than 100 chemical reactions in cells. Because of its low abundance accumulated in cells, it is critical to develop a …

Plate Kinematics Of The Afro-Arabian Rift System With An Emphasis On The Afar Depression, Helen Carrie Bottenberg

Doctoral Dissertations

This work utilizes the Four-Dimensional Plates (4DPlates) software, and Differential Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (DInSAR) to examine plate-scale, regional-scale and local-scale kinematics of the Afro-Arabian Rift System with emphasis on the Afar Depression in Ethiopia. First, the 4DPlates is used to restore the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Afar Depression and the Main Ethiopian Rift to development of a new model that adopts two poles of rotation for Arabia. Second, the 4DPlates is used to model regional-scale and local-scale kinematics within the Afar Depression. Most plate reconstruction models of the Afro-Arabian Rift System relies on considering the Afar …

Modeling And Synthesis Of Pvdf-Based Dielectrics For Energy Storage Applications, Xuhui Lu

Doctoral Dissertations

"The purpose of this research was to develop dielectric films for high energy density capacitor applications. Also desired was to develop a deeper understanding of dielectric breakdown and electric energy storage related phenomena through simulation, theoretical analysis, and experimental investigation.

An analytical model incorporating Weibull dielectric strength statistics was developed to establish quantitative relationships between material properties and device performance of self-healing capacitors. The model is useful for designing high voltage capacitors and developing dielectric materials where the effects of electric field-dependent permittivity need to be considered.

In the experimental work, solution-cast poly(vinylidene difluoride) (PVDF) homopolymer PVDF films with high …

A Sustainable Model For Business Schools, Howard Thomas, Kai Peters

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The purpose of this paper is to provide insight into the financial models used by business schools, with a specific focus on the cost side of the model. The paper systematically looks at sources of revenue and areas of expenditure under different business school models. The paper finds that the faculty model used by many business schools, with the need to devote significant effort to generate academic publications, is very cost intensive and not efficient. The paper suggests that alternative models can be developed which would make business schools more financially sustainable. While there has been a lot of societal …

Disparities In Weather Education Across Professional Flight Baccalaureate Degree Programs, Thomas A. Guinn, Krista M. Rader, Thomas A. Guinn

Publications

The required meteorology coursework for 22 accredited professional flight baccalaureate degree programs was examined and compared. Significant differences were noted in both the number of required meteorology courses as well as the number of required meteorology credit hours. While all programs required at least one three-credit meteorology course, not all programs required an aviation-specific meteorology course. In addition to the required number of meteorology courses and credit hours, topics within the aviation-specific meteorology courses were also examined. The study showed the topics of “flight hazards” and “aviation weather reports and charts” were identified most frequently in course descriptions, followed third …

Monitoring The Reductive And Oxidative Half-Reactions Of A Flavin-Dependent Monooxygenase Using Stopped-Flow Spectrophotometry., Elvira Romero, Reeder Robinson, Pablo Sobrado

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

Aspergillus fumigatus siderophore A (SidA) is an FAD-containing monooxygenase that catalyzes the hydroxylation of ornithine in the biosynthesis of hydroxamate siderophores that are essential for virulence (e.g. ferricrocin or N", N'''-triacetylfusarinine C). The reaction catalyzed by SidA can be divided into reductive and oxidative half-reactions. In the reductive half-reaction, the oxidized FAD bound to Af SidA, is reduced by NADPH. In the oxidative half-reaction, the reduced cofactor reacts with molecular oxygen to form a C4a-hydroperoxyflavin intermediate, which transfers an oxygen atom to ornithine. Here, we describe a procedure to measure the rates and detect the different spectral forms of SidA …

Glycerin Reformation In High Temperature And Pressure Water, Jason W. Picou

Doctoral Dissertations

"The noncatalytic reformation of glycerin in supercritical water was studied in a Haynes 282 tubular reactor. In order to determine which parameters were the most influential, a 2³ experimental matrix was conducted, with temperatures of 500 and 700⁰C, water/glycerin molar ratios of 3:1 and 13:1, and residence times of 30 and 90 seconds, all at a pressure of 24 MPa. It was found that temperature had the largest effect on the two gasification parameters deemed most important, gasification percentage and hydrogen yield. Based on this, the effect of temperature was further investigated by looking at 5⁰C intervals from 500 to …

Investigation Of Polyurea-Crosslinked Silica Aerogels As A Neuronal Scaffold: A Pilot Study, Firouzeh Sabri, Judith A. Cole, M. Cody Scarbrough, Nicholas Leventis

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

Background: Polymer crosslinked aerogels are an attractive class of materials for future implant applications particularly as a biomaterial for the support of nerve growth. The low density and nano-porous structure of this material combined with large surface area, high mechanical strength, and tunable surface properties, make aerogels materials with a high potential in aiding repair of injuries of the peripheral nervous system. However, the interaction of neurons with aerogels remains to be investigated. Methodology: In this work the attachment and growth of neurons on clear polyurea crosslinked silica aerogels (PCSA) coated with: poly-L-lysine, basement membrane extract (BME), and laminin1 was …

Histological Evaluation Of The Biocompatibility Of Polyurea Crosslinked Silica Aerogel Implants In A Rat Model: A Pilot Study, Firouzeh Sabri, J. D. Boughter Jr., D. Gerth, O. Skalli, T. C. N. Phung, G. R. M. Tamula, Nicholas Leventis

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

Background: Aerogels are a versatile group of nanostructured/nanoporous materials with physical and chemical properties that can be adjusted to suit the application of interest. In terms of biomedical applications, aerogels are particularly suitable for implants such as membranes, tissue growth scaffolds, and nerve regeneration and guidance inserts. The mesoporous nature of aerogels can also be used for diffusion based release of drugs that are loaded during the drying stage of the material. From the variety of aerogels polyurea crosslinked silica aerogels have the most potential for future biomedical applications and are explored here. Methodology: This study assessed the short and …

A Study Of Measurement In The Algebra I Classroom, Ni'shawn Leneigh Stovall

LSU Master's Theses

ABSTRACT The purpose of this research was to supplement and reorganize the existing Unit 7: Measurement of the East Baton Rouge Parish School System Comprehensive Curriculum (EBRCC) to improve student performance. To restructure the unit, I analyzed the Measurement Standards outlined in both the Common Core Standards and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. I also studied the existing structure of the unit to reorganize the topics in a manner that is more succinct and effective in promoting student learning. In addition to reorganizing the unit, I also implemented my own supplements over the three week period. To determine …

From The Editor, Kathleen Moritz Rudasill

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

Welcome to the 2^nd issue of volume 5 of Gifted Children, the electronic journal of the AERA Special Interest Group (SIG) for Research on Giftedness, Creativity, and Talent. It is with great excitement that I announce several major changes to Gifted Children. The SIG leadership decided last year at the annual AERA meeting to change the journal to a peer-reviewed format, with SIG executive committee members serving as editorial board reviewers. In addition, Marcia Gentry worked with Purdue University Libraries to establish online manuscript submission and publication for the journal. As a result, all future issues of …

Examining Associations Between Classroom Environment And Processes And Early Mathematics Performance From Pre-Kindergarten To Kindergarten, Victoria J. Molfese, E. Todd Brown, Jill L. Adelson, Jennifer Beswick, Jill L. Jacobi-Vessels, Lana Thomas, Melissa Ferguson, Brittany Culver

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

One benefit of the No Child Left Behind legislation (2001) has been the increasing attention on the importance of the skills learned in the pre-kindergarten period for later academic achievement (Denton & West, 2002; National Mathematics Advisory Panel, 2008; Whitehurst, 2001). There is a growing awareness that mathematics skills in kindergarten and beyond are influenced by the formal and informal mathematics skills acquired in the pre-kindergarten classroom. Indeed, policy makers, researchers, and educators are now arguing that pre-kindergarten mathematics instruction must be recognized as a critical factor affecting young children’s mathematics learning at school age (Ginsburg, Lee & Boyd, 2008). …

Science, Technology, Engineering, And Mathematics Graduate Teaching Assistants Teaching Self-Efficacy, Sue Ellen Dechenne, Larry G. Enochs, Mark Needham

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

The graduate experience is a critical time for development of academic faculty, but often there is little preparation for teaching during the graduate career. Teaching self-efficacy, an instructor’s belief in his or her ability to teach students in a specific context, can help to predict teaching behavior and student achievement, and can be used as a measure of graduate students’ development as instructors. An instrument measuring teaching self-efficacy of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) was developed from a general university faculty teaching instrument to the specific teaching context of STEM GTAs. Construct and face validity, …

Randomized Controlled Trial Of Intraoperative Goal-Directed Fluid Therapy In Aerobically Fit And Unfit Patients Having Major Colorectal Surgery, C. Challand, R. Struthers, J. R. Sneyd, P. D. Erasmus, N. Mellor, K. B. Hosie, G. Minto

More Faculty of Health Research

Background: Intraoperative fluid therapy regimens using oesophageal Doppler monitoring (ODM) to optimize stroke volume (SV) (goal-directed fluid therapy, GDT) have been associated with a reduction in length of stay (LOS) and complication rates after major surgery. We hypothesized that intraoperative GDT would reduce the time to surgical readiness for discharge (RfD) of patients having major elective colorectal surgery but that this effect might be less marked in aerobically fit patients. Methods: In this double-blinded controlled trial, 179 patients undergoing major open or laparoscopic colorectal surgery were characterized as aerobically 'fit' (n=123) or 'unfit' (n=56) on the basis of their performance …

The Understanding And Application Of The Qar Strategy To Improve Test Scores, Sean Cummins, Melissa Streiff, Maria Ceprano

Journal of Inquiry and Action in Education

The academic landscape has been changing over the last several years bringing with it an emphasis on high stakes testing. Studies conducted over the past several years that have shown the success of the Question-Answer-Relationships (QAR) strategy in helping students develop their comprehension skill. This study looks at the effects of the QAR strategy on a small group of 4th graders. The study shows how the students become more diligent in their efforts to find the correct answers in academic comprehension tasks, including tests.

Alternative Justifications For Academic Support Iii: An Empirical Analysis Of The Impact Of Academic Support On Perceived Autonomy Support And Humanizing Law Schools, Louis N. Schulze Jr., Adam A. Ding

Faculty Publications

This article details the findings of a two-year empirical study on the impact of a law school academic support program (ASP) on law students. The hypothesis of the study was that as students' participation in a well-resourced, open-access ASP increases, students' perception of "autonomy support" and "humanizing" grows as well. The study concludes, based upon statistically significant data, that law school ASPs impact students in positive ways and therefore are worth the investment. This article is the third in a series designed to show that law school academic support measures positively impact students' well-being and lead to a more robust …

Development Techniques For Android Platform Mobile Device Application, Ivan Njunjic

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This thesis focuses on Android application development techniques needed to implement a mobile application portal that consists of features used at Eastern Michigan University. Since there is not a single source available to developers that explains such techniques, this thesis represents a unique manual for such development. Based on the similarity of features, mainly in terms of data nature and access, five techniques are defined in a step-by-step procedural manner. This is accomplished by outlining the development techniques and presenting them “in action” with coding examples from a fully developed demo application. As a result, the demo application demonstrates functional …