Digital Commons Network^™

Dielectric Constant Measurements Using Atomic Force Microscopy System, Hembathanthirige Yasas Dhanapala

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A new technique to obtain local dielectric constant of thin films was developed using atomic force microscopy system. This technique, in addition to other characterization methods such as AFM imaging and X-Ray diffraction, was used to study, as an example, dielectric constant of thin films of 0.3BiScO3 - 0.7BaTiO3. The thin films were fabricated by using pulsed laser deposition technique under following temperature of the substrate: 6500C, 7000C and 7500C. At each temperature, two different oxygen pressures were used in deposition chamber: 50 mTorr and 100 mTorr. Our goal was to find optimal growth conditions with the highest dielectric constant …

Quantification Of Multiple Types Of Uncertainty In Physics-Based Simulation, Inseok Park

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In general, more than one simulation model can be created to analyze and design engineering systems. Uncertainty is inevitably involved in selecting a single best approximating model from among a set of simulation models. Uncertainty in model selection (called model-form uncertainty in the present research) cannot be ignored, especially when the differences between the predictions by plausible models are significant. Also, each simulation model involves uncertainty in its input parameters and unknown errors in its predictions of system responses. A methodology is developed to quantify model-form uncertainty using the differences between experimental data measured from an engineering system and model …

Change In Shoreline Position For Two Consecutive Years Using Lidar Along The Outer Banks, North Carolina, Rachel Marie Taylor

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The signal of shoreline change for the Outer Banks, North Carolina is non-stationary. A baseline, west of the first line of dunes, is created for each 5 km section and shore-perpendicular profiles constructed every 20 meters in the alongshore direction. The profiles are obtained from two light detection and ranging (LIDAR) surveys performed in June 22, 2006 and July 7 and 8, 2007.

For five selected sections of coast, Fourier analysis of the shoreline change signal indicates the signal is self-affine i.e. the mean is not stationary, but changes with position along the signal (Malumud and Turcotte, 1999) with a …

Inventory Systems With Transshipments And Quantity Discounts, Gregory Daniel Noble

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This research advances knowledge in the area of inventory systems and the relationship between competing retailers and suppliers of goods. This dissertation studies retailers that face uncertainty in the demand for goods and who purchase the goods from a single supplier. A game theoretic methodology is developed to analyze supplier pricing decisions and retailer quantity decisions and interactions in a competitive transshipment system where quantity discounts are offered. The system studied differs from previous work in the subject by introducing quantity discounts from supplier to retailer into a system of competitive retailers that transship stock. Analysis of these systems focuses …

Uhf-Sar And Lidar Complementary Sensor Fusion For Unexploded Buried Munitions Detection, Randy S. Depoy Jr.

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Given the UHF bands properties of foliage and round penetration, a UHF-SAR image contains both above- and below-surface scatterers. The problem of detecting sub-surface objects is problematic due to the presence of above-surface scatterers in the detection images. In case of a single-pass anomaly image or a two-pass change image, the resulting anomalies or changes are due to scatterers above and below the surface, where the above surface anomalies/changes act as confusers. LIDAR digital elevation models (DEM) provide georegistered information about the above-surface objects present in the UHF-SAR scene. Detection of the above-surface objects in the LIDAR domain is used …

Cathodic Deposition Of Triangular Tungsten Clusters From Ionic Liquids: An Explorative Study, Linda N. Ubadigbo

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In the present work, the triangular tungsten clusters {[W3O2(O2CCH3)6](H2O)3}(CF3SO3)2 and {[W3O2(O2CCH2CH3)6](H2O)3}(BF4)2. 5.5H2O were dissolved in both hydrophobic and hydrophilic ionic liquids (ILs) and subjected to a cathodic potential of roughly 2V. It was proposed that successful deposition of these metal clusters on a platinum electrode would yield Pt-supported anodic catalysts which could be used in ethanol fuel cells (EFCs). Visual examination of the electrode surfaces indicated that a film had been deposited, however, the surface with W3(CF3SO3)2 quickly oxidized when removed from the IL. Therefore, SEM imaging and EDX analysis of the W3(BF4)2 surface were performed. The data indicated that …

Degradation Of Chlorinated Hydrocarbons In Groundwater Passing Through The Treatment Wetland At Wright-Patterson Air Force Base: Analysis Of Results Collected During 2001-'06, Annamarie F. Therrien

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Constructed wetlands are an efficient and cost effective means for chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbon remediation, and will therefore continue to gain momentum as an accepted treatment by the US EPA (U.S. EPA, 1995; Amarante, 2000; Lien, 2001; WETPOL, 2009). The treatment options for chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons (CAHs), including wetlands, capitalize on aerobic/anaerobic interfaces in which bacterially mediated reduction-oxidation reactions degrade pollutants (Li, 1997; Bradley, 1998; Lorah and Voytek, 2004; Amon, 2007; Imfeld, 2008). In August 2000, researchers at Wright State University (WSU) combined efforts with the United States Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) to construct a pilot-scale upward-flow treatment wetland …

Optimization Of Spectrum Allocation In Cognitive Radio And Dynamic Spectrum Access Networks, Tao Zhang

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Spectrum has become a treasured commodity. However, many licensed frequency bands exclusively assigned to the primary license holders (also called primary users) remain relatively unused or under-utilized for most of the time. Allowing other users (also called secondary users) without a license to operate in these bands with no interference becomes a promising way to satisfy the fast growing needs for frequency spectrum resources. A cognitive radio adapts to the environment it operates in by sensing the spectrum and quickly decides on appropriate frequency bands and transmission parameters to use in order to achieve certain performance goals. One of the …

Factors Controlling Nickel Bioavailability And Effects On Benthic Invertebrates In Hardwater Freshwater Streams, Kevin Wayne Custer

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Sediments in aquatic ecosystems function ecologically as habitat, food, and refugia that aid in reproduction processes, and chemically as sources and sinks for contaminants. Sediment contamination from metals and organics has been linked to numerous health and ecological effects, extending from fish consumption advisories to endangered species listings. This dissertation research examines Ni bioavailability (simultaneously extracted metal (SEM)/acid volatile sulfide (AVS) models) and toxicity in five separate studies using Ni-spiked sediments in a variety of designs, and mainly with two different sediment types (low AVS, total organic carbon (TOC), and high AVS, TOC).

Two separate streamside mesocosm Ni experiments indicated …

Normal Fault Trace-Length Scaling In A Tectonic Transition Zone In Southern Sedna Planitia, Venus, Andrew W. Lyda

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In this study, fault trace-lengths of normal faults are measured in southern Sedna Planitia, Venus between 27° to 32° latitude and 336° to 343° longitude where smooth, lowland plains transition into highland regions which are broken by basin and range style tectonics. The fault trace-lengths are plotted on a cumulative number verses length plot (CNL) and fit with a power function, exponential function, and logarithmic function to determine which function best describes the trace-length distribution. A power function is the best fit with a scaling exponent of 1.73. This result is compared to previous studies of fault trace-lengths on Venus, …

Entropy Optimal Orthogonal Matrices, Akhilesh Pathak

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The entropy of an orthogonal matrix is defined by the Gadiyar, Maini, Padma and Sharatchandra who have re-defined Hadamard matrices as the orthogonal matrices that saturate the bound for entropy. They also presented numerical results for maximal entropy for dimension n = 3; 5. We prove the results analytically for n 0(mod 4); n = 3 and construct local extremums for n = 5; 6; 10; 2p; 3p, where p is prime. We also provide cojectures on necessary conditions for optimality and optimal matrices based on the prime factorization of the order.

Audit Sampling (2012); Audit And Accounting Guide, American Institute Of Certified Public Accountants (Aicpa)

Industry Guides (AAGs), Risk Alerts, and Checklists

No abstract provided.

2012-2013 Nursing Undergraduate Student Handbook, Morehead State University. Nursing Department.

Nursing Department Publications Archive

2012-2013 Undergraduate Student Handbook of the Department of Nursing at Morehead State University.

Neotectonic Evolution Of An Actively Growing Superimposed Basin In Western Anatolia: The Inner Bay Of İzmir, Turkey, Bora Uzel, Hasan Sözbi̇li̇r, Çağlar Özkaymak

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

İzmir Bay is an actively growing shallow marine basin controlled by active faults trending NE, NW, N-S and E-W, in the West Anatolian Extensional Province. The bay of İzmir is a lazy L-shaped superimposed basin which is topographically divided into an E-W-trending inner bay and a NW-trending outer bay. The Inner Bay of İzmir is an asymmetric graben structure approximately 5-7 km wide and 25 km long containing (i) upper Cretaceous-Palaeocene basement, (ii) an older succession of lower to upper Miocene basin fill, overlain with angular unconformity by (iii) a younger Plio-Quaternary basin fill. The older succession contain a 0.5- …

Computer-Aided Microwave Design System (Camds): Improvement, Verification, And Device Fabrication, Swetha Somshekar Sharma

Electrical and Computer Engineering

This paper presents a review of the Computer-Aided Microwave Design System (CAMDS) as originally developed by Divya Bais. Its goal was to deal with microwave design and analysis problems presented in standard textbooks such as David Pozar’s Microwave Engineering. This work presents improvements to CAMDS and verifies its performance. The paper focusses on passive devices using microstrip transmission lines such as filters or stub tuners. Designs developed with CAMDS are compared with those reported by Pozar, simulated using the Agilent Advanced Design System (ADS), and then fabricated using an ADS layout. In appropriate cases, device performance is checked using independent …

Spontaneous Cooperative Assembly Of Replicative Catalytic Rna Systems, Nilesh Vaidya

Dissertations and Theses

The RNA World hypothesis proposes a period of time during the origins of life in which RNA molecules were the only source of both genotypes and phenotypes. Although a vast amount of evidence has been obtained in support of this hypothesis, a few critical demonstrations are lacking. A most crucial one is a demonstration of self-replication of RNA molecule from prebiotic soup. Previously in the Lehman laboratory, it has been demonstrated that a 198-nucleotide molecule derived from the Azoarcus group I intron can self-assemble from up to four fragments of RNA via recombination. Furthermore, the covalent full-length molecules are catalytically …

Vigilance Versus Complacency: Communication Strategies Used During Fargo’S Recent Major Floods To Confront Risk Fatigue, Matthew Ignatius Attansey

Communication

This study explored and evaluated the communication strategies used by Fargo city leaders to persuade residents to work together as a community to withstand the repetitive flood hazards that threatened the city on a yearly basis, especially in 1997, 2006, and 2009. The literature review explored vigilance and complacency as well as strategies used by high-reliability organizations (HROs) to manage crises with little or no failures. Difficulties in processing multiple messages, desensitization, and fatigue were identified as barriers to remaining vigilant in the face of multiple crises. The communication strategies applied by the HROs to maintain vigilance were shown to …

Smart Move Fargo Moorhead: Communications Plan For The Greater Fargo Moorhead Edc, Lisa Marie Gulland-Nelson

Communication

An economic development corporation is, in many respects, the marketing arm of a community or metro area. The Organization needs to effectively sell the region to prospective companies and residents. The Organization also needs to tell its own story assuring its stakeholders that the Organization is effective. To do that, the Organization needs a communications plan. This paper uses stakeholder theory to evaluate the investors’ roles to drive the communication plan. The paper also reviews economic development theories on marketing effectiveness. Finally, a survey of the Organization’s electronic newsletter recipients was conducted evaluating current communications efforts. A majority of participants …

Biological Effects Of Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide/Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase Activating Polypeptide Receptor 1 (Vpac1) And Vpac2 On Chemotaxis And Its Regulation Of The Tumor Suppressor Ikaros In Leukemic T Cells, Travis Van Der Steen

Chemistry and Biochemistry

One in three children diagnosed with cancer has leukemia. Leukemia patients with mutations in the tumor suppressor transcription factor Ikaros (IK), an anti-leukemic factor that is critical for the development of blood cells; have a poor prognosis despite modern chemotherapy. There is, therefore, a critical need to understand the biology of IK. Research by our laboratory has identified a neurotransmitter, called vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), which blocks proliferation through one of its receptors (vasoactive intestinal peptide/pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide receptor 1(VPAC1)), but blocks apoptosis through a second inducible receptor (VPAC2), while both receptors have chemotactic properties in primary T …

Surface Chemistry Characterization Of Hydrodesulfurization And Methanol Synthesis Model Nanocatalysts, Mallikharjuna Rao Komarneni

Chemistry and Biochemistry

Surface science investigations of model catalysts have contributed significantly to heterogeneous catalysis over the past several decades. The unique properties of nanomaterials are being exploited in catalysis for the development of highly active and selective catalysts. Surface science investigations of model catalysts such as inorganic fullerene-like (IF) nanoparticles (NP), inorganic nanotubes (INT), and the oxide-supported nanoclusters are included in this dissertation. Thermal desorption spectroscopy and molecular beam scattering were respectively utilized to study the adsorption kinetics and dynamics of gas phase molecules on catalyst surfaces. In addition, ambient pressure kinetics experiments were performed to characterize the catalytic activity of hydrodesulfurization …

Influence Of Molecular Interactions On Elastic Properties And Oxygen Diffusion In Polybutylene Terephthalate Polymer: A Molecular Dynamics Study, Muniyamuthu Raviprasad

Civil and Environmental Engineering

In most barrier applications, both mechanical and diffusion properties of the material are important. In this thesis the evaluation of molecular mechanisms responsible for the enhanced elastic properties of Polymer Clay Nanocomposites (PCNs) and the molecular mechanisms of Oxygen diffusion in PolyButylene Terephthalate polymer are presented. Interaction energy between PCN constituents, conformational changes of polymer, interaction energy between Oxygen molecule and polymer, rate of Oxygen and Oxygen diffusion coefficient are evaluated. Molecular simulation studies of PolyButylene Terephthalate (PBT) clay nanocomposite and Nylon6 clay nanocomposite show that a higher crystallinity polymer such as PBT would require higher attractive and repulsive interactions …

Transporting And Disposing Of Wastewater From North Dakota Oil Producers, Qingqing Yin

Agribusiness and Applied Economics

North Dakota’s oil boom is aided by a new technology, fracking. But this technology implies large amounts of wastewater. The methods of dealing with this wastewater are now an issue. Currently, North Dakota locks it into deep injection wells in the Bakken formation. With the development of membrane technologies to treat wastewater, it may be feasible to treat the wastewater and reuse it. This study uses a mathematical programming model to minimize the total cost of dealing with wastewater using three methods - deep well injection, on-site treatment, and off-site treatment. The model results show it is cost-effective to use …

Genes Adopt Non-Optimal Codon Usage To Generate Cell Cycle-Dependent Oscillations In Protein Levels., Milana Frenkel-Morgenstern, Tamar Danon, Thomas Christian, Takao Igarashi, Lydia Cohen, Ya-Ming Hou, Lars Juhl Jensen

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Faculty Papers

The cell cycle is a temporal program that regulates DNA synthesis and cell division. When we compared the codon usage of cell cycle-regulated genes with that of other genes, we discovered that there is a significant preference for non-optimal codons. Moreover, genes encoding proteins that cycle at the protein level exhibit non-optimal codon preferences. Remarkably, cell cycle-regulated genes expressed in different phases display different codon preferences. Here, we show empirically that transfer RNA (tRNA) expression is indeed highest in the G2 phase of the cell cycle, consistent with the non-optimal codon usage of genes expressed at this time, and lowest …

The Association Between Factors Affecting Enrollment Decisions In Manufacturing Occupational Clusters In Two-Year Colleges, Ralph J. Karl

Education

The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationships between factors that affect student enrollment decisions in manufacturing occupational programs in two-year colleges and to describe current enrollment status of these programs. This purpose was pursued by five hypotheses and one research question that addressed the categorical factors that affect student enrollment decisions in a diversity of academic programs in higher education. These factors are: awareness; influence; recruitment; and socioeconomic status. Quantitative data were gathered through an online survey instrument. The target populations were full time instructors, academic advisors, and program directors of manufacturing occupational programs in two-year colleges …

Sustainability Of Professional Development To Enhance Student Achievement: A Shift In The Professional Development Paradigm, Wendi Marie Mizer Stachler

Education

The purpose of this study was to determine the sustainability of professional development--teacher utilization of the Science-in-CTE pedagogical model and science-enhanced CTE lessons--one year following the Science-in-CTE Pilot Study. This study included 27 teachers (15 experimental CTE and 12 science) who participated in the Pilot Study in 2009-2010. This study was a partial replication of the Math-in-CTE Follow-up Study and data were collected using a mixed methods approach. Quantitative data were obtained from online questionnaires and qualitative data were collected from personal and telephone interviews. Data found that a majority of the CTE and science teachers voluntarily incorporated portions of …

The Effectiveness Of Parental Involvement In Preschool Education Programs On Parent Perceptions Of Their Child’S School Readiness, Judith Ann Konerza

Education

The purpose of this study was to determine if the Gearing Up for Kindergarten program created a significant impact on parent understanding of children's development and aspects of school readiness. Parent perceptions of their child's readiness to make the transition to school were also assessed. The study also measured the Gearing Up for Kindergarten impact on children's scores on selected academic measures. A selected sample of 75 parents were surveyed with pre, post, and post post program assessments using the Practical Parent Assessment of School Readiness survey. The survey used Likert scale measures to assess parent perceptions of readiness in …

Examining Portfolio-Based Assessment In An Upper-Level Biology Course, Brittany Ziegler

Education

Historically, students have been viewed as empty vessels and passive participants in the learning process but students actually are active forming their own conceptions. One way student learning is impacted is through assessment. Alternative assessment, which contrasts traditional assessment methods, takes into account how students learn by promoting engagement and construction of knowledge. This dissertation explores portfolio-based assessment, a method of alternative assessment, which requires students to compose a purposeful collection of work demonstrating their knowledge in an upper-level biology course. The research objectives include characterizing and contributing to the understanding of portfolio-based assessment in higher education, examining reflection and …

Motivational And Adaptational Factors Of Successful Women Engineers, Susan Edith Bornsen

Education

It is no surprise that there is a shortage of women engineers. The reasons for the shortage have been researched and discussed in myriad papers, and suggestions for improvement continue to evolve. However, there are few studies that have specifically identified the positive aspects that attract women to engineering and keep them actively engaged in the field. This paper examines how women engineers view their education, their work, and their motivation to remain in the field. A qualitative research design was used to understand the motivation and adaptability factors women use to support their decision to major in engineering and …

Novel Hybrid Polymeric Materials For Barrier Coatings, Erin Pavlacky

Coatings and Polymeric Materials

Polymer-clay nanocomposites, described as the inclusion of nanometer-sized layered silicates into polymeric materials, have been widely researched due to significant enhancements in material properties with the incorporation of small levels of filler (1 - 5 wt.%) compared to conventional micro- and macro-composites (20 - 30 wt.%). One of the most promising applications for polymer-clay nanocomposites is in the field of barrier coatings. The development of UV-curable polymer-clay nanocomposite barrier coatings was explored by employing a novel in situ preparation technique. Unsaturated polyesters were synthesized in the presence of organomodified clays by in situ intercalative polymerization to create highly dispersed clays …

Interaction Of Tackifier Resins With Water-Based And Olefinic Polymers, Puthenkovilakom Rajesh Raja

Coatings and Polymeric Materials

The objective of this research was to investigate the interaction of tackifier resins in water-based and olefinic polymers for potential pressure sensitive adhesive applications. The first part of this research work was focused on evaluating the usefulness of olefinic block copolymer blends with two amorphous polyolefins (atactic propylene homopolymer and ethylene-propylene copolymer) as potential base polymers for hotmelt pressure-sensitive adhesives. Unsaturated and saturated hydrocarbon resins were studied as potential compatibilizing agents and rheology modifiers. Results show that the chemistry of hydrocarbon resins definitely influence the miscibility of the olefinic block polymer and amorphous polyolefin blends. Ethylene-propylene amorphous copolymer based blends …