Digital Commons Network^™

Stress-Lifetime Joint Distribution Model For Performance Degradation Failure, Quan Sun, Yanzhen Tang, Jing Feng, Paul Kvam

Department of Math & Statistics Faculty Publications

The high energy density self-healing metallized film pulse capacitor has been applied to all kinds of laser facilities for their power conditioning systems under several stress levels, such as 23kV, 30kV and 35kV, whose reliability performance and maintenance costs are affected by the reliability of capacitors. Due to the costs and time restriction, how to assess the reliability of highly reliable capacitors under a certain stress level as soon as possible becomes a challenge. Accelerated degradation test provides a way to predict its lifetime and reliability effectively. A model called stress-lifetime joint distribution model and an analysis method based on …

Sediment Based Turbidity And Bacteria Reduction Analysis In Simulated Construction Site Runoff, James W. Berry Iii

All Theses

Large construction projects are highly vulnerable to sediment removal by erosive forces. Turbidity, resulting from this excess sediment, has gained recognition as anindicator of pollution in surface runoff from construction activities. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is currently moving toward regulations that would establish a nationwide maximum turbidity effluent limit discharged from construction sites. Research has shown that current sediment control best management practices (BMPs) are often ineffective at controlling elevated turbidity levels in construction site discharges. Additionally, research confirms that sediment basins may act as reservoirs for bacteria, specifically Escherichia coli (E. coli). During rainfall events, resuspension within sediment …

B-Cell Epitope Prediction Through A Graph Model, Liang Zhao, Limsoon Wong, Lanyuan Lu, Steven C. H. Hoi, Jinyan Li

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Prediction of B-cell epitopes from antigens is useful to understand the immune basis of antibody-antigen recognition, and is helpful in vaccine design and drug development. Tremendous efforts have been devoted to this long-studied problem, however, existing methods have at least two common limitations. One is that they only favor prediction of those epitopes with protrusive conformations, but show poor performance in dealing with planar epitopes. The other limit is that they predict all of the antigenic residues of an antigen as belonging to one single epitope even when multiple non-overlapping epitopes of an antigen exist.

Acoustic Scale From The Angular Power Spectra Of Sdss-Iii Dr8 Photometric Luminous Galaxies, Hee-Jong Seo, Shirley Ho, Martin White, Antonio J. Cuesta, Ashley J. Ross, Shun Saito, For Full List Of Authors, See Publisher's Website.

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

We measure the acoustic scale from the angular power spectra of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey III (SDSS-III) Data Release 8 imaging catalog that includes 872, 921 galaxies over ~10,000 deg² between 0.45 < z < 0.65. The extensive spectroscopic training set of the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey luminous galaxies allows precise estimates of the true redshift distributions of galaxies in our imaging catalog. Utilizing the redshift distribution information, we build templates and fit to the power spectra of the data, which are measured in our companion paper, to derive the location of Baryon acoustic oscillations (BAOs) while marginalizing over many free parameters to exclude nearly all of the non-BAO signal. We derive the ratio of the angular diameter distance to the sound horizon scale D_A(z)/r_s = 9.212^+0.416_-0.404 at z = 0.54, and therefore DA (z) = 1411 ± 65 Mpc at z = 0.54; the result is fairly independent of assumptions on the underlying cosmology. Our measurement of angular diameter distance D_A(z) is 1.4σ higher than what is expected for the concordance ΛCDM, in accordance to the trend of other spectroscopic BAO measurements for …

Women's Use Of Violence: An Ecological Systems Model, Sara Byczek

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Cloning And Characterization Of Hypothetical Exported Proteins From Community Associated Staphylococcus Aureus, Haninder Kaur

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Tdma For Wireless Passive Backscatter Networks: An Information Theoretic Approach, Aditya V. Padaki, Maciej Zawodniok

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The passive backscatter technology is increasingly employed in wireless sensor network (WSN) applications. in contrast to existing technologies, it offers several advantages including a battery-less operation, extremely small-form factor, and low costs. Our previous works demonstrated that theoretically such backscatter-Based network outperforms existing solutions. in contrast, this paper presents a new time division multiple access (TDMA) based approach that considers a practical realization of the multi-hop framework. the capacity limits for the proposed scheme are evaluated for two frameworks - (a) single hop with direct backscatter signal and (b) a multi-hop transmission. an analytical comparison shows that the multi-hop transmission …

On Love In The Realm Of Science, Vuk Uskoković

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

In the first half of 2009 I organized a series of talks at University of California, San Francisco. The series was dedicated to observing science from a wider perspective and figuring out where its trains and we as scientists in it are heading to. The final presentation in the series I envisaged as the one drawing threads between love and science. However, my aim was neither for that particular talk to be the one of explaining sensations of love using scientific language nor to be based on pastoral and pathetic eruptions of love about science. What I had in mind …

Library Education And Development Newsletter, Volume 6, Issue 2, Uno Library Science Education

Library Education and Development (L.E.A.D.)

This issue of the Library Education and Development Newsletter features Advice from the Frontlines from Crystal Schneekloth, a Student Spotlight of EmiLee Paul, Announcements, Professional Development, a Tri-Conference Collage, and Things to Consider: "A Match Well Made: The standards’ emphasis on information aligns with librarians’ skills," by Paige Jaeger.

Ralph Raico: Champion Of Authentic Liberalism, Daniel P. Stanford

History Theses

ABSTRACT OF THESIS

Ralph Raico: Champion of Authentic Liberalism

This paper explores the intellectual life and writings of Professor Emeritus in History at Buffalo State College, Ralph Raico. The central thesis seeks to portray Professor Raico as the great modern libertarian revisionist historian, and the great modern champion of historical, classical liberalism. More broadly, the work attempts to solidify Professor Raico’s reputation as a major figure in the modern American libertarian movement.

Raico’s intellectual foundations are fully developed, beginning from grade school at Bronx High School of Science, to his attendance of Ludwig von Mises’s New York University seminar, to …

The Ssn Ontology Of The W3c Semantic Sensor Network Incubator Group, Michael Compton, Payam Barnaghi, Luis Bermudez, Raul Garcia-Castro, Oscar Corcho, Simon Cox, John Graybeal, Manfred Hauswirth, Cory Andrew Henson, Arthur Herzog, Vincent Huang, Krzysztof Janowicz, W. David Kelsey, Danh Le Phuoc, Laurent Lefort, Myriam Leggieri, Holger Neuhaus, Andriy Nikolov, Kevin Page, Alexandre Passant, Amit P. Sheth, Kerry Taylor

Kno.e.sis Publications

The W3C Semantic Sensor Network Incubator group (the SSN-XG) produced an OWL 2 ontology to describe sensors and observations — the SSN ontology, available at http://purl.oclc.org/NET/ssnx/ssn. The SSN ontology can describe sensors in terms of capabilities, measurement processes, observations and deployments. This article describes the SSN ontology. It further gives an example and describes the use of the ontology in recent research projects.

Combating Forced Labour And Human Trafficking In Africa: The Role Of Endogenous And Exogenous Forces, Ambe J. Njoh, Elizabeth N.M. Ayuk-Etang

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

It is widely believed that indigenous culture and tradition are at the root of the human trafficking and forced labour problem in Africa. Adherents to this viewpoint also claim that endogenous as opposed to exogenous forces impede efforts to eradicate the problem. This study employed a loglinear regression model to test the tenability of this claim. It hypothesized an inverse association between indigenous culture/tradition and efforts to combat human trafficking. The hypothesis was rejected. It is shown that anti-trafficking initiatives are less successful where indigenous tradition is dominated, or has been usurped, by imported cultural practices.

Probabilistic Approach To Modeling Lava Flow Inundation: A Lava Flow Hazard Assessment For A Nuclear Facility In Armenia, Laura J. Connor, Charles B. Connor, Khachatur Meliksetian, Ivan Savov

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

Probabilistic modeling of lava flow hazard is a two-stage process. The first step is an estimation of the possible locations of future eruptive vents followed by an estimation of probable areas of inundation by lava flows issuing from these vents. We present a methodology using this two-stage approach to estimate lava flow hazard at a nuclear power plant site near Aragats, a Quaternary volcano in Armenia.

A Systematic Literature Review Of Household Food Security And Overweight/Obese Status Among Low-Income Children, Meaghan A. Clark

Honors Theses

A systematic literature review approach was used to determine the extent of knowledge regarding low-income children’s BMI and household food insecurity. Recommendations were made for impending research, studies, and practices regarding the consensus of current knowledge in relation to low-income children with higher BMIs that come from a food insecure household. Current studies were analyzed, with special attention to methods and findings.

'In A Settled Country, Everyone Must Eat': Four Questions About Transnational Private Regulation, Migration, And Migrant Work, Amar Bhatia

Articles & Book Chapters

This introduction speaks to one of the questions raised by transnational private regulation: is migration always transnational? One quick answer to this question might be ‘no’. If migration is concerned with the international movement of people, then what has been called the approach of methodological nationalism would force out the ‘trans-­‐’ and always substitute the international. Since methodological nationalism is an approach characterized by an overdue emphasis on states and their external borders as the sole arbiters for what registers as movement, then this answer would not surprise anyone. However, if we do not take a monopolistic approach to borders, …

Implementation Challenges And Training Needs For Comprehensive School Counseling Programs In Wisconsin High Schools, Alan W. Burkard, Mark Gillen, Michael J. Martinez, Sarah L. Skytte

College of Education Faculty Research and Publications

The data from this study details the challenges to implementing comprehensive school counseling programs in Wisconsin high schools. Results suggest that current professional development training practices may be ineffective in assisting high school counselors to implement key components of the ASCA National Model in their schools. This article discusses obstacles to conducting more rigorous, statewide evaluations, and describes connections to markers of student success.

Optimization Of Nonlinear Switch Cells For Switching Converters, Bradley Alan Reese

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Switch cells consist of an array of power switches and passive components which can replace the main switches alone in many power topologies, allowing reduced switching loss without altering the power topology directly. This thesis discusses the development of a switch cell topology that utilizes a saturable resonant inductor to reduce the size and power loss of the cell. Additionally, the cell transfers energy stored in the inductor into a capacitor for efficient energy storage during the cell's conduction region. This energy is then transferred back to the system when the cell turns off, thus reducing the total switching energy.

Cytoskeletal Strains In Modeled Optohydrodynamically Stressed Healthy And Diseased Biological Cells, Sean S. Kohles, Yu Liang, Asit K. Saha

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Controlled external chemomechanical stimuli have been shown to influence cellular and tissue regeneration/degeneration, especially with regards to distinct disease sequelae or health maintenance. Recently, a unique three-dimensional stress state was mathematically derived to describe the experimental stresses applied to isolated living cells suspended in an optohydrodynamic trap (optical tweezers combined with microfluidics). These formulae were previously developed in two and three dimensions from the fundamental equations describing creeping flows past a suspended sphere. The objective of the current study is to determine the full-field cellular strain response due to the applied three-dimensional stress environment through a multiphysics computational simulation. In …

A Comparison Of Student Success By Faculty Qualifications, Kristine A. Garner

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Providing the best qualified faculty to ensure the most successful student outcomes is a priority in higher education. The use of adjunct faculty in colleges and universities is continually increasing, especially for lower level courses. Previous research has come to conflicting conclusions regarding the quality of adjunct faculty. Indicators of student success were compared between part-time instructors with professional doctoral degrees and full-time instructors with academic doctoral degrees. Results of statistical analyses of both a comparison of final grade distributions and knowledge of course content determined that there were no significant differences between two comparable groups of students in a …

Pulse Sharpening Effects Of Thin Film Ferroelectric Transmission Lines, Robert J. Sleezer

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Advances in material science have resulted in the development of electrically nonlinear high dielectric thin film ferroelectrics, which have led to new opportunities for the creation of novel devices. This dissertation investigated one such device: a low voltage nonlinear transmission line (NLTL). A finite element simulation of ferroelectric transmission lines showed that NLTLs are capable of creating shockwaves. Additionally, if the losses are kept sufficiently low, it was shown that voltage gain should be possible. Furthermore, a method of accounting for material dispersion was developed. Results from simulations including material dispersion showed that temporal solitons might be possible from a …

Stratigraphic Variations In The Carboniferous Section Across The Arkansas-Oklahoma State Line Arch, Tyler Dean Engelhardt

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The State Line Arch is represented by a structural high that trends through the study area in a loose alignment with the Arkansas-Oklahoma state line. Evidence of the arch extending further to the north includes a structural high and stratigraphic variation at an outcrop on Highway 59 near Evansville Mountain in Crawford County, Arkansas. The exact timing of the formation of the arch remains undetermined, but upper Devonian thinning at the top of the arch indicates the structure is pre-Mississippian. The reason for the development of the arch is poorly understood, but evidence linking Mississippian-aged Waulsortian mounds to Precambrian Spavinaw …

Investigating The Sensitivity Of Goodness-Of-Fit Indices To Detect Measurement Invariance In The Bifactor Model, Jam Khojasteh

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A Monte Carlo simulation study was conducted to evaluate the sensitivities of five commonly used goodness-of-fit indices to detect metric invariance properties of the bifactor model. The fit indices that performed the best in terms of power were Gamma and Mc. In addition, Gamma, Mc, CFI, and RMSEA all held Type I error to a minimum. However, only Gamma and CFI are recommended to use in the bifactor model because the other GOF indices have cutoff values that are too large. For Gamma and CFI values of -.026 to -.045 and -.004 to -.009, respectively indicate a lack of metric …

Habitat Modeling Of Three Endemic Crayfish Species In The Black River Drainage Of Missouri And Arkansas: Factors Affecting Distribution And Abundance, Matthew Stephen Nolen

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Ozark faunal region of Missouri and Arkansas harbors a high level of aquatic biological diversity, especially in regards to endemic crayfish. Orconectes eupunctus, Orconectes marchandi, and Cambarus hubbsi are three such endemics that are threatened by a limited natural distribution and the invasions of Orconectes neglectus. I sought to determine how natural and anthropogenic factors influence these three species across multiple spatial scales. Local and landscape data were used in decision tree analyses (CART) to determine their influence effect on presence/absence and density of the three species. Predictive models were validated using k-fold cross validation. O. eupunctus presence was …

On The Representation Of Inverse Semigroups By Difunctional Relations, Nathan Bloomfield

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A semigroup S is called inverse if for each s in S, there exists a unique t in S such that sts = s and tst = t. A relation σ contained in X x Y is called full if for all x in X and y in Y there exist x' in X and y' in Y such that (x, y') and (x', y) are in σ, and is called difunctional if σ satisfies the equation σ σ^-1 σ = σ. Inverse semigroups were introduced by Wagner and Preston in 1952 and 1954, respectively, and difunctional relations were …

Energy And Spectral Efficient Wireless Communications, Guoqing Zhou

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Energy and spectrum are two precious commodities for wireless communications. How to improve the energy and spectrum efficiency has become two critical issues for the designs of wireless communication systems. This dissertation is devoted to the development of energy and spectral efficient wireless communications. The developed techniques can be applied to a wide range of wireless communication systems, such as wireless sensor network (WSN) designed for structure health monitoring (SHM), medium access control (MAC) for multi-user systems, and cooperative spectrum sensing in cognitive radio systems.

First, to improve the energy efficiency in SHM WSN, a new ultra low power (ULP) …

The Development And Packaging Of A High-Density, Three-Phase, Silicon Carbide (Sic) Motor Drive, Jared Hornberger

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Technology advances within the power electronics field are resulting in systems characterized by higher operating efficiencies, reduced footprint, minimal form factor, and decreasing mass. In particular, these attributes and characteristics are being inserted into numerous consumer applications, such as light-emitting diode lighting, compact fluorescent lighting, smart phones, and tablet PCs, to industrial applications that include hybrid, electric, and plug-in electric vehicles and more electric aircraft. To achieve the increase in energy efficiency and significant reduction in size and mass of these systems, power semiconductor device manufacturers are developing silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductor technology.

In this dissertation, the author discusses the …

New Applications Of Mass Spectrometry For Drug And Lipid Analysis, Elizabeth Lauren Emerson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Mass spectrometry is an important tool used in many different disciplines and settings that include forensics, drug discovery, environmental analysis, and proteomics. Gas chromatography - mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI - TOF MS) are two of the most important instruments used for analysis of compounds. Chapters 1 and 2 of this discussion use GC-MS for the investigation of synthetic cannabinoids in `K2' incense products and the detection of metabolites in urine samples from individuals suspected of consuming these mixtures. Analytical standards were synthesized and used for identification and confirmation of structures. Detection of …

Refractive Index Chemical Sensing With Noble Metal Nanoparticles, Phillip Blake

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Chemical sensing is a key component in modern society, especially in engineering applications. Because of their widespread impact, improvements to chemical sensors are a significant area of research. One class of sensors, plasmonic sensors, is being heavily researched because of their ability to detect low levels of analyte in near real time without destroying the analyte. This work studies a new class of plasmonic sensor that utilizes diffractive coupling to improve sensor performance. Specifically, this work outlines the first study of diffractive coupling sensors with typical nanoparticle shapes. Sensitivity of this new class of sensor is directly compared to typical …

The Lived Experience Of The Parents Of High School Dropouts: A Phenomenological Study, Christine Ann Silano

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to describe the experiences and perceptions of parents whose children did not receive a high school diploma. This subpopulation has been rarely studied. The central question is, "What are the perceptions and experiences of the parents of public high school dropouts as they pertain to schools, their children, and themselves?"

This phenomenological study examined the lived experience of the parents of high school dropouts. Five women and one man participated in the study by sitting for interviews. The collected interview data was transcribed and analyzed using qualitative methodology including open and axial coding as …

Long-Term Effects Of Rice Rotation, Tillage, And Fertility On Near-Surface Soil Carbon And Nitrogen Cycling, Jill Marie Motschenbacher

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Rice (Oryza sativa L.)-based cropping systems are different from other row crops due to the flood-irrigation scheme used from about one month after planting to a few weeks prior to harvest. The frequent cycling between anaerobic (i.e., flooding during the growing season) and aerobic (i.e., generally, the remainder of the year) conditions can influence the rate of soil organic matter (SOM) decomposition, which can greatly influence carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) storage and sequestration in the soil over time. Therefore, a study was conducted on a silt-loam soil (fine, smectitic, thermic, Typic Albaqualf) at the Rice Research and Extension Center …