Digital Commons Network^™

A Monte Carlo Study Of The Scaling Of Nucleation Rates In A Lennard-Jones System, Mark Allan Thomason

Doctoral Dissertations

Temperature scaling of the homogenous vapor-to-liquid nucleation rate, J, is examined in a model Lennard-Jones (LJ) system. The model uses the Bennett Metropolis Monte Carlo technique to determine small cluster growth/decay rate constant ratios ß_n-1|α_n at four temperatures (T = 40, 50, 60, and 83.6K) below the argon Lennard-Jones critical temperature, T_c. The ß_n-1|α_n for clusters ranging in size from n = 2 to n = 192 LJ particles are applied to a kinetic steady-state nucleation rate formalism and nucleation rates are determined at the same four temperatures. When these rates are …

Characterization Of Soil Variability For Reliability-Based Design, Sitenikechukwu Onyejekwe

Doctoral Dissertations

"A very carefully planned Missouri-wide field exploration and laboratory investigation program, with a focus on fine-grained soils, was executed with the aim of characterizing the variability of geotechnical parameters statistically with a view to increasing the use of reliability-based design (RBD) among geotechnical engineers. Geotechnical parameters were characterized in terms of both their first and second statistical moments and their coefficient of variation (COV). Their probability distributions and their scale of fluctuation, θ, were also determined. Correlations between difficult-to-obtain parameters and more easily-obtained parameters were developed and the degree of fit of study data to published empirical correlations was investigated. …

Wavelet Based Contrast Limited Histogram Equalization For Contrast Enhancement Of Digital Mammography, Ashish Vighnahar Avachat

Masters Theses

"Mammography has been the most efficient tool for screening of microcalcification and cancer tissues; however, the raw images produced by mammography systems are usually of poor contrast. In order to use these raw images for early diagnosis; their contrast, sharpness and noise need to be enhanced. Among these important enhancement parameters contrast enhancement is critical. A novel algorithm is introduced which blends wavelet transforms with Contrast Limited Adaptive Histogram Equalization (CLAHE) for contrast enhancement. In this algorithm, the input image is decomposed to its low frequency and high frequency components in wavelet domain. Decomposed coefficients from different bands are then …

Spiking Neural Networks Encoding And Decoding Algorithms For Time Series Estimation And System Identification, Sinchan Roychowdhury

Masters Theses

"Artificial Neural networks (ANNs) have increasingly been applied to different system identification, pattern recognition and function approximation problems. The predominantly used neural network architectures are the feedforward and feedback networks. Multilayer perceptrons and radial basis function networks are among the most commonly used feed-forward architecture neural networks and the Elman and Jordan networks are the most widely used recurrent neural networks. These networks are also called as second generation ANNs.

This thesis focuses on the third generation ANNs which are biologically inspired and operate on the same principles as the living neurons. These are also known as biologically inspired artificial …

Sieve Bootstrap Based Prediction Intervals And Unit Root Tests For Time Series, Maduka Rupasinghe

Doctoral Dissertations

"The application of the sieve bootstrap procedure, which resamples residuals obtained by fitting a finite autoregressvie (AR) approximation to empirical time series, to obtaining prediction intervals for integrated, long-memory, and seasonal time series as well as constructing a test for seasonal unit roots, is considered. The advantage of this resampling method is that it does not require knowledge about the underlying process generating a given time series and has been shown to work well for ARMA processes. We extend the application of the sieve bootstrap to ARIMA and FARIMA processes. The asymptotic properties of the sieve bootstrap prediction intervals for …

The Characterization Of Volatiles Associated With Young Stellar Objects, Kari Anne Wojtkowski

Doctoral Dissertations

In the first portion of this work, we searched for differences in volatiles within a single star forming region, Rho Ophiuchi. We determined the amount, temperature, and composition of two ice features, the bending modes of CO₂ and H₂O at 15 µm and 6 µm, respectively, toward 28 Young Stellar Objects (YSOs). We found that more than 50% of the YSOs studied contained a portion of crystalline CO₂ ice. We also found that some sources with Flat or borderline Class II Spectral Energy Distributions (SEDs) have a larger abundance of CO₂ ice with respect to H₂O ice. In addition to …

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 …

Evaluation Of A 21st-Century After-School Program At A Southeastern Elementary School, Timothy B. Hunter

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The purpose of the research was to evaluate a 21st-century after-school program at an elementary school in the southeastern United States. The program focused on the improvement of academic skills for students in Grades 3 through 5 in the academic areas of English and math. Implementation was in response to the high rate of students scoring below average on standardized tests. The Stufflebeam model was used to guide the program evaluation. Interview data were gathered from the after-school coordinator. Survey data were gathered from the after-school teachers and regular-school teachers. Data were also gathered from archival and empirical sources.

Test …

Geomechanical Characterization Of Reservoir & Cap Rocks For Co₂ Sequestration, Sudarshan Govindarajan

Masters Theses

"Geological sequestration of CO₂ has been identified as one method to reduce global emissions of CO₂ and achieve lower levels of CO₂ concentrations in the atmosphere. Geological formations have to be assessed in terms of their capacity, sealing capabilities and economic feasibility before CO₂ sequestration can commence. Potential leakage of injected CO₂ from the reservoir formation could occur due to natural or injection induced faults or fractures in the reservoir or sealing formations. As part of a potential leakage investigation a geomechanical characterization which refers to the assessment of the in-situ stress conditions, rock strength and stiffness properties of the …

Effects Of Four Commercially Available Fxa Proteins On The Fluorogenic Anti-Fxa Assay When Monitoring Unfractionated Heparin, Vanessa Castro-Lopez, Brian Murray, Leanne F. Harris, James S. O'Donnell, Anthony J. Killard

Articles

Four commercially available Factor Xa (FXa) reagents were evaluated in a fluorogenic anti-FXa assay. The four reagents - of which three were of human origin and the fourth was bovine - were compared in terms of the resulting assay dynamic ranges, lag times, CV and R2 values, sum of squares as well as their sensitivity to unfractionated heparin (UFH) within the therapeutic range of 0-1.2 U mL-1. Based on a balance of performance characteristics, an optimum reagent was selected which had the best combination of all parameters. The best performing serine endopeptidase in the fluorogenic anti-FXa assay was found to …

Cooperative Power Control Approaches Towards Fair Radio Resource Allocation For Wireless Network, Liuju Wu

Masters Theses

"Performance optimization in wireless networks is a complex problem due to variability and dynamics in network topology and density, traffic patterns, mutual interference, channel uncertainties, etc. Opportunistic or selfish approaches may result in unbalanced allocation of channel capacity where particular links are overshadowed. This degrades overall network fairness and hinders a multi-hop communication by creating bottlenecks. A desired approach should allocate channel capacity proportionally to traffic priority in a cooperative manner. This work consists of two chapters that address the fairness share problem in wireless ad hoc, peer-to-peer networks and resource allocation within Cognitive Radio network. In the first paper, …

5-Axis Tool Path Generation With Collision Detection For Finish Machining Of Freeform Surfaces, Jomy Francis

Masters Theses

"Research in the field of Tool path generation for freeform surfaces has been done intensively in the past. However, the main challenge that still exists is the computational efficiency related to the tool path generation. Tool path generation for freeform surface involves instantaneous calculation of new tool orientations which does not collide with the neighboring surfaces. Since the collision check of tool and neighboring surface is done repetitively at every instant of the tool, the calculations at every instant are to be computationally as easy as possible.

This thesis is composed of one paper. Paper I presents a novel extension …

Should Any Workplace Be Exempt From Smoke-Free Law: The Irish Experience, M. Mccaffrey, Patrick J. Goodman, A. Gavigan, C. Kenny, C. Hogg, L. Byrne, J. Mcloughlin, Luke Clancy

Articles

Background.

In 2004, the Irish Government introduced national legislation banning smoking in workplaces; with exemptions for “a place of residence”. This paper summarises three Irish studies of exempted premises; prisons, psychiatric hospitals and nursing homes. Methods. PM2.5 and nicotine were measured in nursing homes and psychiatric hospitals, in addition to ultrafine particles in the hospitals. In the prisons, officers (n = 30) completed exhaled breath Carbon Monoxide (CO) measurements. Questionnaires determined officers’ opinion on introducing smoking prohibitions in prisons. Nursing home smoking policies were examined and questionnaires completed by staff regarding workplace secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure. Findings. Ultrafine particle concentrations …

Effect On Diagnostic Image Quality Of 3d Warping Registration Algorithms For Mr Angiography In The Lower Legs, Andrew Fagan, Daniel Foley, Jacinta Browne, Barry Sheane, Dearbhail O'Driscoll, Niall Sheehy, James Meaney

Articles

No abstract provided.

Impaired Cleanance And Enhanced Pulmonary Inflammatory/Fibrotic Response To Carbon Nanotubes In Myeloperoxidase-Deficient Mice, Anna A. Shvedova, Alexandr A. Kapralov, Wei Hong Feng, Elena R. Kisin, Ashley R. Murray, Robert R. Mercer, Claudette M. St. Croix, Megan A. Lang, Simon C. Watkins, Nagarjun V. Konduru, Brett L. Allen, Jennifer Conroy, Gregg P. Kotchey, Bashir M. Mohamed, Aidan Meade, Yuri Volkov, Alexander Star, Bengt Fadeel, Valerian E. Kagan

Articles

Advancement of biomedical applications of carbonaceous nanomaterials is hampered by their biopersistence and pro-inflammatory action in vivo. Here, we used myeloperoxidase knockout B6.129X1-MPO (MPO k/o) mice and showed that oxidation and clearance of single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) from the lungs of these animals after pharyngeal aspiration was markedly less effective whereas the inflammatory response was more robust than in wild-type C57Bl/6 mice. Our results provide direct evidence for the participation of MPO – one of the key-orchestrators of inflammatory response – in the in vivo pulmonary oxidative biodegradation of SWCNT and suggest new ways to control the biopersistence …

Characterisation Of The Acoustic Output Of Three Sonoporation Drug Delivery Ultrasound Systems Using An Acoustic Radiation Force Balance, Tapihwa Mabvaro, Jacinta Browne

Articles

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Fatty Desposits On The Accuracy Of The Fibroscan Liver Transient Elastography Ultrasound System, S. Cournane, Jacinta Browne, Andrew Fagan

Articles

A new generation of ultrasound transient elastography (TE) systems have emerged which exploit the well-known correlation between the liver’s pathological and mechanical properties through measurements of the Young’s elastic modulus; however, little work has been carried out to examine the effect that fatty deposits may have on the TE measurement accuracy. An investigation was carried out on the effects on the measurement accuracy of a transient elastography ultrasound system, the Fibroscan®, caused by overlaying fat layers of varying thickness on healthy liver-mimicking phantoms, simulating in vivo conditions for obese patients. Furthermore, a steatosis effect similar to that in non-alcoholic fatty …

Components That Increase Oral Reading Fluency For Grade 6 Students, Joy B. Simpson

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The primary purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to examine the effect of different strategies that would help (a) oral reading fluency (ORF) development, (b) the pattern of relationships between the pretest and posttest measures of oral reading fluency, and (c) reading comprehension of Grade 6 students who were reading below grade level and who were categorized as high risk of failure. Data collection for this study included a pretest and posttest using both the Maze and state ORF assessments.

The study was conducted for 12 weeks. Twelve students in the treatment group received a total of 12 hours simultaneous …

Factors Associated With Loss To Follow-Up Among Hiv-Infected Patients At An Urban, Hospital-Based Outpatient Hiv Clinic, Timothy J. Friel Md, Anthony Nerino, Lynn Nagel, J D'Aversa, Anthony Strobel, Dorothy Faulkner Phd

Department of Medicine

No abstract provided.

College Of Education Annual Report And Findings, Fiscal Year 2011, College Of Education, Illinois State University

Annual Report and Findings

No abstract provided.

The Clarion, 2012, University High School

Yearbooks

The Clarion of University High School, Normal, Illinois, 2012.

Can The Ceo Learn From The Condemned? The Application Of Capital Mitigation Strategies To White Collar Cases, Todd Haugh

American University Law Review

No abstract provided.

Openline Newsletter, January 2012, Civil Service Council

OpenLine Newsletter

A monthly newsletter for Civil Service employees, Volume XXXVI, Number 7, January 2012.

Undergraduate Catalog, Georgia Southern University

Undergraduate & Graduate Catalogs

No abstract provided.

2012-2013 Graduate Catalog, Armstrong Atlantic State University

Armstrong Office of the Registrar: Graduate Catalogs (Archived)

Academic catalog for Armstrong Atlantic State University.

2012 - 2013 Undergraduate Catalog, Armstrong Atlantic State University

Armstrong Office of the Registrar: Undergraduate Catalogs (Archived)

Academic catalog for Armstrong Atlantic State University.

2- Bromophenyl Salicylate, Donovan Thompson, Sierra Mitchell, Kevin Clarke, Kerry Sarden, Karelle Aiken

Chemistry: Faculty Publications (1990-2023)

2-Bromophenyl salicylate is synthesized from 2-benzyloxybenzoic acid in two steps. The final compound has been characterized by IR,¹H-NMR, ¹³C-NMR and HRMS. The melting point for 2-bromophenyl salicylate is provided.

A General Synthesis Of Bis-Indolylpiperazine-2,5-Diones, Stephen N. Crooke, Christine Whitlock

Chemistry: Faculty Publications (1990-2023)

The one-pot synthesis of three dragmacidin derivatives is reported. Sarcosine anhydride (4) is brominated and immediately reacted with the corresponding indole to produce the products, namely 3,6-bis(5′-methoxy-3′-indolyl)-1,4-dimethylpiperazine-2,5-dione (1), 3,6-bis(7′-methyl-3′-indolyl)-1,4-dimethylpiperazine-2,5-dione (2) and 3,6-bis-(6′-chloro-3′-indolyl)-1,4-dimethylpiperazine-2,5-dione (3), which are characterized by ¹H-NMR.

An Unexpected Stereochemical Insignificance Discovered In Acinetobacter Baumannii Quorum Sensing, Amanda L. Garner, Sook Kyung Kim, Jie Zhu, Anjali Kumari Struss, Richard Watkins, Brent D. Feske, Gunnar F. Kaufmann, Kim D. Janda

Chemistry: Faculty Publications (1990-2023)

Stereochemistry is a key aspect of molecular recognition for biological systems. As such, receptors and enzymes are often highly stereospecific, only recognizing one stereoisomer of a ligand. Recently, the quorum sensing signaling molecules used by the nosocomial opportunistic pathogen, Acinetobacter baumannii, were identified, and the primary signaling molecule isolated from this species was N-(3-hydroxydodecanoyl)-l-homoserine lactone. A plethora of bacterial species have been demonstrated to utilize 3-hydroxy-acylhomoserine lactone autoinducers, and in virtually all cases, the (R)-stereoisomer was identified as the natural ligand and exhibited greater autoinducer activity than the corresponding (S)-stereoisomer. Using chemical synthesis and biochemical assays, we have uncovered a …

The Distribution Of Individual Stock Returns In A Modified Black-Scholes Option Pricing Model, Daniel Lee Richey

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Author's abstract: There have been many attempts to find a model that can accurately price options. These models are built on many assumptions, including which probability distribution stock returns follow. In this paper, we test several distributions to see which best fit the log returns of 20 different companies over a period between November 1, 2006 to October 31, 2011. If a "best" distribution is found, a modified Black-Scholes model will be defined by modifying the Weiner process. We use Monte Carlo simulations to generate estimated prices under specified parameters, and compare these prices to those simulated by the model …