Digital Commons Network^™

Snow Pants, Adam Chalifoux

The Prairie Light Review

No abstract provided.

October's Rain, James Hill

The Prairie Light Review

No abstract provided.

Lno Network Sites Data Training Needs, Long Term Ecological Research Network

Long Term Ecological Research Network

Partial memo answering the following questions.

Does your site have any training needs that are not being covered by the training activities organized by the LNO?

Do you have any questions about the All Scientists Meeting?

Compared to the other 25 LTER sites, how prepared will you be by December 31, 2012 to provide site data to the Network Information System via PASTA, top quarter of all sites, second quarter; third quarter; bottom quarter?

Applications Of Cobb-Douglas Production Function In Construction Time-Cost Analysis, Ashkan Hassani

Department of Construction Engineering and Management: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Cobb-Douglas Production Function was widely used in economics and productivity studies across many sectors. The function’s quantitative modeling of resource inputs and production outputs is appealing to the research domain of construction management. In this thesis we explored this function’s application in construction schedule crashing and project risk analysis related to duration of construction projects. Existing research on construction time-cost tradeoff issues rarely explore the origin of the crashing cost which is defined as the cost needed to shorten the project to the desired duration. In the existing literature crashing cost function was either assumed without much justification, or came …

The Impact Of Training On Small And Medium Enterprises (Smes) Performance, A.Z. Yahya, M.S. Othman, A.L.S. Shamsuri

Research Publications (2011 to 2015)

This study attempts to analyze the factors that impact training in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) based on three perspectives which are manager's, enterprise's and external characteristics. Then, relationship between training and performance is examined. The methods used are descriptive analysis, Pearson correlation, stepwise regression procedures and t-test. The data for the study were collected through mail questionnaires sent out to selected SMEs. Of the total number 500 questionnaires mailed to SMEs in Malaysia, 27.6 percent responded and completed the questionnaires. The empirical information resulted from analyzing the data obtained from the SMEs, suggests that manager's, enterprise's and external characteristics …

Automatic Social Group Organization And Privacy Management, Anna Squicciarini, Dan Lin, Sushama Karumanchi, Nicole Desisto

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

With the dramatic increase of users on social network websites, the needs to assist users to manage their large number of contacts as well as providing privacy protection become more and more evident. Unfortunately, limited tools are available to address such needs and reduce users' workload on managing their social relationships. to tackle this issue, we propose an approach to facilitate online social network users to group their contacts into social circles with common interests. Further, we leverage the social group practice to automate the privacy setting process for users who add new contacts or upload new data items. We …

Search-Based Refactoring: Towards Semantics Preservation, Ali Ouni, Marouane Kessentini, Houari Sahraoui, Mohamed Salah Hamdi

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Refactoring restructures a program to improve its structure without altering its behavior. However, it is challenging to preserve the domain semantics of a program when refactoring is decided/implemented automatically. Indeed, a program could be syntactically correct, have the right behavior, but model incorrectly the domain semantics. in this paper, we propose a multi-objective optimization approach to find the best sequence of refactorings that maximizes quality improvements (program structure) and minimizes semantic errors. to this end, we use the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II) to find the best compromise between these two conflicting objectives. We report the results of our experiments …

Gay Naming In Online Gaming, James Kelley

MSU-Meridian Publications

This essay analyzes the naming strategies of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) gamers and their allies in massively multiplayer online games. The name choices for their characters and for the groups to which their characters belong are informed by game developers’ policies on acceptable and unacceptable language, symbols, and phrases commonly associated with LGBT cultures, and commonplace online hostility toward sexual minorities. These factors often result in creative naming strategies to negotiate the conflicting desire for both openness and protective concealment within the public spaces of online gaming.

Plc Quarterly For December 2012, Office Of The President, Rollins College

PLC Quarterly

No abstract provided.

The Homeschooling Of Scout Finch, James Kelley

MSU-Meridian Publications

Harper Lee's novel To Kill a Mockingbird is one of the most widely taught texts in language arts classrooms through the English-speaking world and is greatly valued by many readers today for its depiction of youth grappling with racism in the American South of the Depression Era. However, the novel’s subtle and sustained critique of public education has remained largely unrecognized. This essay identifies in the novel an underlying nostalgia for the past homeschooling of Southern white aristocracy as well as disdain for modern public institutions and for the democratic values that those institutions seek to instill in youth.

Reassessing The Practical And Theoretical Influence Of Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition, Richard A. Hunt, Bret Fund

The Journal of Entrepreneurial Finance

This paper presents a long overdue reassessment of entrepreneurship through acquisition (ETA). Traditionally considered simply a niche occurrence of small company leveraged buyouts (LBO), ETA is actually a meaningful contributor to a nation’s entrepreneurial capacity and business revitalization. Scholarly understanding of ETA has been severely limited by three factors: the paucity of data related to entrepreneurial acquisitions, the tendency to equate entrepreneurship primarily with new venture creation, and the reliance upon explanatory models for buyouts that are grounded in narrowly conceived notions of 1980s-era, large-scale, hyper-leveraged LBOs. Prior efforts to conceptualize all buyouts based on the large LBO model and …

Winona Currents Magazine, University Advancement - Winona State University

Winona Currents

This magazine published by Winona State University’s University Advancement was intended to inform WSU Alumni, students, faculty, staff and the greater community about Alumni and the university. The cover theme is: Putting their Degrees to Work: Winona State's Young Alumni.

An Overview On The Indium-Thallium (In-Tl) Shape Memory Alloy Nanowires, Zhiping P. Luo

College of Health, Science, and Technology

The binary indium-thallium (In-Tl) alloy is a classic type of shape memory alloy with a low melting temperature. In-Tl nanowires (NWs) were prepared by a simple mechanical injection of liquid metal method using anodized aluminum oxide (AAO) as a template. Sample preparation procedures are given in detail, including the AAO fabrication and mechanical injection techniques. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was utilized to characterize the NWs. It was revealed that the NWs were composed of polycrystals with high crystallinity. By in situ heating the NWs in the TEM, reversible transformations between the parent and the martensite phases were observed in both …

Aggregation And Constitutional Rights, Brandon L. Garrett

Notre Dame Law Review

The article focuses on issues related to constitutional rights and its remedies in the U.S. It discusses the U.S. Supreme Court's judgment in Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Dukes, wherein class action against plaintiff Wal-Mart Stores Inc. seeking remedies under Title VII of the U.S. Civil Rights Act of 1964 was decertified. It mentions that individual cases can be misinterpreted, but when aggregated it can improve clarity, legitimacy, participation, and representation.

Rethinking Anti-Aggregation Doctrine, David L. Noll

Notre Dame Law Review

The article focuses on a new strategy to "anti-aggregation agreements," contractual provisions which prohibit parties to participate in class action. It discusses the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in AT&T Mobility LLC v. Concepcion, suggesting that such agreements should be based on actual regulatory compliance. It mentions that anti-aggregation agreements are applied by default, but in case there will be an irreversible harm occurring to party, such agreements will not be applicable.

The Malleability Of Collective Litigation, Shay Lavie

Notre Dame Law Review

The article focuses on two manifestations pertaining to collective litigation procedures including first, class actions can be avoided by defendants through "individualizing" the prospective class and second, they can selectively contract with victims to reduce their capacity to litigate. It discusses the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Wal-Mart v. Dukes, in which Wal-Mart Stores Inc. avoided collective litigation because the decision for employment was made by local supervisors.

The Shortest Distance: Direct Filing And Choice Of Law In Multidistrict Litigation, Andrew D. Bradt

Notre Dame Law Review

The article focuses on the U.S. Supreme Court's approach in two cases Klaxon Co. v. Stentor Elec. Mfg. Co. and Van Dusen v. Barrack, regarding direct filing, aggregation litigation and choice of law in multidistrict litigation (MDL). It mentions that MDL is very high in federal courts specifically in places of mass wrongdoings or product liability. It explores that the traditional MDL framework is more appropriate with the policies underlying in these cases than the class action.

Profiles, Syndromes, And The Rule 405 Problem: Addressing A Form Of Disguised Character Under The Federal Rules Of Evidence, Michael D. Claus

Notre Dame Law Review

The article focuses on concerns related to scientific and predictive profiling of criminals under the Rule 405 of the Federal Rules of Evidence. It reflects on the Rule 405 in which scientists, doctors and criminologists explain the characteristics of a "convicted murderer profile" and discusses how this profiling can be used by lawyers as evidence against defendants. It mentions that people, who are aggressive, use weapons and living with abusive parents, are more likely to turn murderers.

In Defense Of Rayburn House: Why The Supreme Court Should Recognize An Evidentiary Privilege Of Non-Disclosure In Its Speech Or Debate Clause Jurisprudence, Christopher M. Kieser

Notre Dame Law Review

The article presents concerns regarding privilege of non disclosure in a defendant's speech. It suggests that the U.S. Supreme Court should resolve concerns related to the separation of powers and the independence of the legislative, with reference to the case United States v. Rayburn House Office Building. It also discusses another court case United States v. Renzi, wherein the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court allegedly failed to protect legislative independence and separation of powers.

Doctor's Orders: A New Prescription For Adhd Medication Abuse, Erinn L. Rigney

Notre Dame Law Review

The article focuses on the problems regarding the misuse of medications used in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), a neurobehavioral disorder. It discusses that drug Adderall that is prescribed for the patients of ADHD helps in increasing concentration, memory and focus. It also elaborates that in academic institutions, this drug has been misused by healthy people to perform better than others even after strict guidelines.

Murray Ledger And Times, December 1, 2012, Murray Ledger And Times

The Murray Ledger & Times

No abstract provided.

Three-Dimensional Indoor Rfid Localization System, Jiaqing Wu

Department of Industrial and Management Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is an information exchange technology based on radio waves communication. It is also a possible solution to indoor localization. Due to multipath propagation and anisotropic interference in the indoor environment, theoretical propagation models are generally not sufficient for RFID-based localization. In fact, the radio frequency (RF) signal distribution may not even be monotonic and this makes range-based localization algorithms less accurate. On the other hand, range free localization algorithms, such as k Nearest-Neighbor (kNN), require reference tags to be spread throughout the whole three-dimensional (3D) space which is simply not practical. In this work, a hybrid …

Conductive Concrete For Electromagnetic Shielding – Methods For Development And Evaluation, Aaron P. Krause

Department of Computer Electronics and Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This research investigates the development and evaluation innovative methods for the use of conductive concrete as an electromagnetic shield. New testing methods are developed to determine the best conductive components to use in the design of a concrete mixture for shielding that shows the best promise. The conductive concrete mixture has the potential to provide electromagnetic shielding that is cost-effective in terms of construction, operation, and maintenance compared to conventional approaches. Two testing methods, Small Sample Testing and Large Slab Testing, are developed based on standardized testing methods that have been modified for the testing of conductive concrete mixtures. As …

Protein Nano-Object Integrator (Pronoi) For Generating Atomic Style Objects For Molecular Modeling, Nicholas Smith, Brandon Campbell, Lin Li, Chuan Li, Emil Alexov

Publications

Background

With the progress of nanotechnology, one frequently has to model biological macromolecules simultaneously with nano-objects. However, the atomic structures of the nano objects are typically not available or they are solid state entities. Because of that, the researchers have to investigate such nano systems by generating models of the nano objects in a manner that the existing software be able to carry the simulations. In addition, it should allow generating composite objects with complex shape by combining basic geometrical figures and embedding biological macromolecules within the system.

Results

Here we report the Protein Nano-Object Integrator (ProNOI) which allows for …

Family And Marital Satisfaction And The Use Of Social Network Technologies, Iryna Sharaievska

Publications

The popularity of social network sites (SNS) is increasing among all age groups. Since shared leisure is considered to be one of the key factors that contribute to the stability and quality of marriage and family and life satisfaction, the interplay between the use of SNS by family members, their leisure and their marital and family satisfaction should be examined. The objectives of this study were to: (1) Explore how the use of SNSs by family members influences and is influenced by family leisure and family satisfaction; (2) Examine how the use of SNSs by couples influences and is influenced …

Mechanical Contributors To Sex Differences In Idiopathic Knee Osteoarthritis, Daniel P. Nicolella, Mary I. O'Connor, Roger M. Enoka, Barbara D. Boyan, David A. Hart, Eileen Resnick, Karen J. Berkeley, Kathleen A. Sluka, C. Kent Kwoh, Laura L. Tosi, Richard D. Coutts, Wendy M. Kohrt

Orthopaedic Surgery Faculty Publications

The occurrence of knee osteoarthritis (OA) increases with age and is more common in women compared with men, especially after the age of 50 years. Recent work suggests that contact stress in the knee cartilage is a significant predictor of the risk for developing knee OA. Significant gaps in knowledge remain, however, as to how changes in musculoskeletal traits disturb the normal mechanical environment of the knee and contribute to sex differences in the initiation and progression of idiopathic knee OA. To illustrate this knowledge deficit, we summarize what is known about the influence of limb alignment, muscle function, and …

Twice-Daily Application Of Hiv Microbicides Alters The Vaginal Microbiota, Jacques Ravel, Pawel Gajer, Li Fu, Christine K. Mauck, Sara S.K. Koenig, Joyce Sakamoto, Alison A. Motsinger-Reif, Gustavo F. Doncel, Steven L. Zeichner

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

Vaginal HIV microbicides offer great promise in preventing HIV transmission, but failures of phase 3 clinical trials, in which microbicide-treated subjects had an increased risk of HIV transmission, raised concerns about endpoints used to evaluate microbicide safety. A possible explanation for the increased transmission risk is that the agents shifted the vaginal bacterial community, resulting in loss of natural protection and enhanced HIV transmission susceptibility. We characterized vaginal microbiota, using pyrosequencing of bar-coded 16S rRNA gene fragments, in samples from 35 healthy, sexually abstinent female volunteer subjects (ages 18 to 50 years) with regular menses in a repeat phase 1 …

A Symbiotic View Of Life: We Have Never Been Individuals, Scott F. Gilbert, J. Sapp, A. I. Tauber

Biology Faculty Works

The notion of the "biological individual" is crucial to studies of genetics, immunology, evolution, development, anatomy, and physiology. Each of these biological subdisciplines has a specific conception of individuality, which has historically provided conceptual contexts for integrating newly acquired data. During the past decade, nucleic acid analysis, especially genomic sequencing and high-throughput RNA techniques, has challenged each of these disciplinary definitions by finding significant interactions of animals and plants with symbiotic microorganisms that disrupt the boundaries that heretofore had characterized the biological individual. Animals cannot be considered individuals by anatomical or physiological criteria because a diversity of symbionts are both …

Review Of "Fifty Animals That Changed The Course Of History" By E. Chaline, John B. Jenkins

Biology Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Predicting Risk For Adverse Outcomes Following Distal Radius Fracture, Saurabh Mehta Phd

Physical Therapy Faculty Research

Some individuals remain at risk for adverse outcomes such as chronic wrist/hand pain, falls, and fall-related osteoporotic fractures after distal radius fracture (DRF) remain. This thesis includes five studies that were conducted to establish prediction rules or assessing the risk of these adverse outcomes following DRF.

The first manuscript outlines a theoretical framework (RACE - Reducing pain, Activating, Cognitive reshaping, Empowering) for managing the risk of adverse outcomes, mainly chronic pain, in individuals with DRF. The RACE is one of the first frameworks to suggest a risk-based management approach for individuals with DRF.

The Patient-Rated Wrist Evaluation (PRWE) is a …