Digital Commons Network^™

Energy Performance Evaluation Of Aac, Hulya Aybek

All ETDs from UAB

The U.S. building industry constitutes the largest consumer of energy (i.e., electricity, natural gas, petroleum) in the world. The building sector uses almost 41percent of the primary energy and approximately 72percent of the available electricity in the United States. As global energy-generating resources are being depleted at exponential rates, the amount of energy consumed and wasted cannot be ignored. Professionals concerned about the environment have placed a high priority on finding solutions that reduce energy consumption while maintaining occupant comfort. Sustainable design and the judicious combination of building materials comprise one solution to this problem. A future including sustainable energy …

In-Vivo Characterization Of Cone Photoreceptor Packing Density With Adaptive Optics Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscopy In Different Racial Groups, Ernesto Blanco Rivero

All ETDs from UAB

Cone photoreceptors are one of the two types of essential light sensitive cells that initiate the visual process in the human retina. A normal database of the cone density of healthy eyes may provide an important measure for diagnosing retinal diseases that cause photoreceptor loss, for monitoring disease progression, and for evaluating treatment out-come. Recent studies revealed that the foveal pit morphology, retina thickness, retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness, and optic nerve head structure significantly correlated with racial background. We hypothesize that the cone density may be also modified by racial background. To test this hypothesis, I used a …

Resonances And Inverse Scattering, Matthew Bledsoe

All ETDs from UAB

Inverse scattering problems for Sturm-Liouville differential equations find numerous applications in physics, in particular, quantum mechanics. While the theory of these problems has been developed over a number of decades, a more recent concern has been the use of resonances, important phenomena in physics, as data — the inverse resonance problem. In this dissertation, we address this problem in a variety of cases. First, we investigate the full-line Schroedinger equation where the data for the inverse problem include the eigenvalues and resonances. We prove that any two potentials that have enough data points sufficiently close together must also be close …

Ecclesia Semper Reformanda Est: Radical Reformation And The Irs, Mason Powell

Kentucky Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Balancing Donor Intent With Museum Needs: Proposed Deaccession Planning Strategies For Art Bequeathed To Museums, Virginia D. Ryan

Kentucky Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Reactive Self-Heating Model Of Aluminum Spherical Nanoparticles, Karen S. Martirosyan, Maxim Zyskin

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

Aluminum-oxygen reaction is important in highly energetic and high pressure generating systems. Recent experiments with nanostructured thermites suggest that oxidation of aluminum nanoparticles occurs in a few microseconds. Such rapid reaction cannot be explained by a conventional diffusion-based mechanism. We present a rapid oxidation model of a spherical aluminum nanoparticle, using Cabrera-Mott moving boundary mechanism, and taking self-heating into account. In our model, electric potential solves the nonlinear Poisson equation. In contrast with the Coulomb potential, a “double-layer” type solution for the potential and self-heating leads to enhanced oxidation rates. At maximal reaction temperature of 2000 C, our model predicts …

Executive Functions And Cardiorespiratory Fitness In Survivors Of Pediatric Posterior Fossa Tumor, Kelly Ross Wolfe

All ETDs from UAB

As survival rates for pediatric posterior fossa tumor have improved, issues related to survivorship have become increasingly important. Foremost among these are cognitive difficulties, particularly in the domain of executive functions. The first manuscript reports on a systematic, comprehensive literature review of studies examining executive deficits in survivors of pediatric posterior fossa tumor, including the intervention studies that have attempted to ameliorate these difficulties. The second manuscript establishes the safety and feasibility of peak cardiorespiratory fitness testing in a cohort of pediatric posterior fossa tumor survivors. Survivors had lower fitness than typically developing children and children with cystic fibrosis, and …

Uniqueness Of Potential In Schrã¶Dinger's Equation With One Boundary Measurement, Mitchell Wyatt

All ETDs from UAB

Given an open set ­ in RN, N≥2, and a single piece of Dirichlet-Neumann data for a solution u of an equation of the form -\Delta u + \chiAu=0, uniqueness of the set A is proven under some regularity assumptions and under the assumption of a so-called "i-contact" condition.

A Generalized Noisy Communication Channel Approach For Quantum Computing, Fan Xiong

All ETDs from UAB

Quantum computing is considered to be a promising technology for some specific types of computing purposes. Modeling of quantum computing could help study and research of this field. In this dissertation, we approach quantum computing from a communication perspective that is to model quantum computing with a generalized noisy communication channel approach. We proposed a generalized noisy communication channel approach (GNCom) for quantum computing. The proposed GNCom approach is applied to quantum computing as a universal quantum register. GNCom further extended the noisy communication channel framework by associating it with Quantum Electrodynamics (QED). Based on GNCom and QED, we proposed …

Spectral Properties Of Random Block Operators, Jacob Chapman

All ETDs from UAB

Ever since the introduction of the Anderson model in 1958, physicists and mathematicians alike have been interested in the effects of disorder on quantum mechanical systems. For example, it is known that transport is suppressed for an electron moving about in a random environment, which follows from localization results proven for the Anderson model. Quantum spin systems provide a relatively simple starting point when one is interested in studying many-body systems. Here we investigate a random block operator arising from the anisotropic xy-spin chain model. Allowing for arbitrary nontrivial single-site distributions, we prove a zero-velocity Lieb-Robinson bound under the assumption …

Carbon Monoxide Adsorption On Platinum-Osmium And Platinum-Ruthenium-Osmium Mixed Nanoparticles, Nicholas Dimakis, Nestor E. Navarro, Eugene S. Smotkin

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

Density functional calculations (DFT) on carbon monoxide (CO) adsorbed on platinum, platinum-osmium, and platinum-ruthenium-osmium nanoclusters are used to elucidate changes on the adsorbate internal bond and the carbon-metal bond, as platinum is alloyed with osmium and ruthenium atoms. The relative strengths of the adsorbate internal bond and the carbon-metal bond upon alloying, which are related to the DFT calculated C–O and C–Pt stretching frequencies, respectively, cannot be explained by the traditional 5σ-donation/2π*-back-donation theoretical model. Using a modified π-attraction σ-repulsion mechanism, we ascribe the strength of the CO adsorbate internal bond to changes in the polarization of the adsorbate-substrate hybrid orbitals …

Search For Long-Lived Gravitational-Wave Transients Coincident With Long Gamma-Ray Bursts, J. Aasi, Daniel Bessis, Teviet Creighton, Mario C. Diaz, Soma Mukherjee, Malik Rakhmanov, Volker Quetschke, Joseph D. Romano, Robert Stone, Lappoon R. Tang, Cristina V. Torres

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

Long gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) have been linked to extreme core-collapse supernovae from massive stars. Gravitational waves (GW) offer a probe of the physics behind long GRBs. We investigate models of long-lived (~10–1000 s) GW emission associated with the accretion disk of a collapsed star or with its protoneutron star remnant. Using data from LIGO’s fifth science run, and GRB triggers from the Swift experiment, we perform a search for unmodeled long-lived GW transients. Finding no evidence of GW emission, we place 90% confidence-level upper limits on the GW fluence at Earth from long GRBs for three waveforms inspired by a …

Host Genetic Factors Associated With Cervical Human Papillomavirus Clearance, Staci Lynn Sudenga

All ETDs from UAB

This dissertation research focuses on how variants in various host genes are associated with clearance of HPV in three longitudinal cohorts from the United States. I first examined the definition of the intermediate phenotype to cervical cancer, HPV persistence and then I incorporated this phenotype in all my three aims by examining variations in xenobiotic metabolism genes in HIV-1 negative and immune-related genes in HIV-1 positive females and how these contribute to HPV infection outcomes. Several significant variants were associated with HPV clearance for the three aims. For the first aim, in ALTS assessing functional variants within xenobiotic metabolism genes …

A Phenomenological Study Of Principals' Self-Efficacy Beliefs In Alabama Torchbearer Schools, Mark Anthony Sullivan

All ETDs from UAB

A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY OF PRINCIPALS' SELF-EFFICACY BELIEFS IN ALABAMA TORCHBEARER SCHOOLS MARK A. SULLIVAN EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP ABSTRACT The purpose of this phenomenological study was to gain an in-depth understanding of the self-efficacy beliefs of 10 principals of Torchbearer schools in Alabama. Principals who serve in schools that have high concentrations of students who are living in poverty face challenges in improving student achievement. Principals of these schools are required to promote school environments that are conducive to learning for all students. In February 2005, the Alabama State Department of Education began recognizing high-poverty public schools and their principals for overcoming …

Engaging The Homeless Through Technology And Information Literacy, Fannie Cox

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

The University of Louisville (U of L) Libraries' outreach mission is to encourage the development of information literacy (IL) and critical thinking in individuals. In March 2010, a community engagement partnership began between Ekstrom Library and the Wayside Christian Mission for the libraries to provide a basic computer skills class to its clients (referred to as students), many of whom had never used a computer. Now in its fourth iteration, the class named Wayside 100 provides students an opportunity to develop skills that may assist them with increasing their educational level, succeeding in college, as well as overcoming homelessness.

Patient-Centered Medical Homes: An Analysis Of The Effects Of Practice Capabilities On Costs, Mary Temm

All ETDs from UAB

The purpose of this research was to examine the relationship between Patient-Centered Medical Homes (PCMH) practice capabilities and costs. Complexity science theory was used to develop a theoretical framework to address three primary and twelve secondary hypotheses. Secondary data from a consortium of physician organizations participating in Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan's Physician Group Incentive Program and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan's administrative claims data were used to test hypothesized relationships using fixed effects panel regression models. It was found that higher levels of aggregated PCMH practice capabilities were negatively associated with certain costs, specifically average readmission costs. …

The Effects Of High Pressure On Magnetic Transitions In Heavy Rare Earth Metals, Sarah Thomas

All ETDs from UAB

Rare earth metals bear close resemblance to the 5f actinide metals that are critical to nuclear stockpile stewardship research. To better understand these materials, we have studied erbium, holmium, and terbium under high pressure and low temperatures in order to elucidate the magnetic transitions as these materials are compressed to different crystallographic phases. In erbium, we have undertaken four-probe electrical resistance measurements in a diamond anvil cell to temperatures as low as 10 K and pressures up to 20.3 GPa. We have also conducted x-ray diffraction measurements on erbium to 10 K and 20.4 GPa. In the electrical resistance measurements …

Role Of Kca3.1, A Calcium-Activated Potassium Channel, In Cell Migration In The Adult Brain, Kathryn L. Turner

All ETDs from UAB

A limited amount of migration occurs in the adult brain, including migration of neuroblasts during adult neurogenesis and pathological migration of primary brain tumors. Ion channels are commonly utilized during migration to allow shape and volume changes required for cell movement, and we specifically examine the role of KCa3.1 in the adult brain. These channels are well-suited to facilitate movement because they respond to common migration signals, i.e. intracellular Ca2+ changes, and efflux K+, allowing the outflow of water and cell volume regulation. Our findings suggest that KCa3.1 is highly expressed in migratory cells, adult neuroblasts and glioma cells, but …

A Quantitative Study Of Mathematics Teaching Self- Efficacy And Principal Instructional Leadership In Alabama Elementary Schools, Dilhani Uswatte

All ETDs from UAB

Given the current pressure on educational leaders to successfully implement the Mathematics Common Core Standards, which is currently in its infancy stages in Alabama, the possible relationship between mathematics teaching self-efficacy of Alabama elementary teachers and principal instructional leadership was evaluated. The relationship between mathematics teaching self-efficacy and grade level taught, years of teaching experience, gender, and school location were also evaluated individually and as part of a multiple regression model. A representative sample of 144 Alabama elementary teachers completed an on-line survey which contained demographic questions, and questions from two previously validated instruments to measure mathematics teaching self-efficacy (the …

Overcoming The Challenges Of School Improvement: A Phenomenological Study Of Nine Alabama Principals, Corvetta Vann

All ETDs from UAB

EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP ABSTRACT The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of Alabama principals who have overcome the challenges of School Improvement. The signing of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) has led to wholesale changes within the public education system and has had lasting effects on school leadership. The role of principal has become more complex due to the multifaceted responsibilities to which one must adhere. Under the current legislation of NCLB, schools must attain 100% proficiency in reading and math by 2014. Additionally, schools must meet the state goals of adequate …

Classroom Support Strategies For Students With Adhd: Frequency Of Use, Level Of Effectiveness And Roadblocks To Implementation, Angela Walker

All ETDs from UAB

CLASSROOM SUPPORT STRATEGIES FOR STUDENTS WITH ADHD: FREQUENCY OF USE, LEVEL OF EFFECTIVENESS AND ROADBLOCKS TO IMPLEMENTATION ANGELA WALKER EARLY CHILHOOD EDUCATION ABSTRACT The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine how often specific instructional strategies that support students with ADHD are used in kindergarten through third grade classrooms, how effective these strategies are in improving student performance on formative assessments, and what interferes with their implementation. Such a study is important because there is limited information about specific strategies used and their effectiveness. Reasons why teachers do not use effective strategies provides important information for policy makers, teacher …

Visible Learning In A Reggio Emilia Inspired Kindergarten: Parents' Descriptions Of Documentation, Melissa Gibbons Whetstone

All ETDs from UAB

The purpose of this qualitative study was to reveal multiple perspectives and thoughts of seven parents and a family member in a Reggio Emilia inspired kindergarten classroom in a southeastern state of the United States regarding pedagogical documentation, an essential tool for teaching practice and reflection. It served to make knowledge construction visible through children's interpretive concrete work. Throughout the study, pedagogical documentation was defined as both a learning process as well as the products of early childhood content. The content were concrete materials in the form of notes, photographs, audio and video recordings, computer graphics, and examples of children's …

A Walk Down The Red Carpet: Students As Producers Of Digital Video-Based Knowledge., Barry Ryan

Articles

Disengaged and apathetic students are common in many undergraduate classrooms. Learning to these students is a passive process, typified by a consumer-like attitude. One approach to engage students, and enhance the learning experience, is to integrate active learning into the curriculum. The purpose of the pedagogical evaluative study described here was to investigate if student researched, designed and created digital video could act as a viable reusable peer learning resource. Although the use and integration of technology was central to the scope of this project, other ideas such as threshold concepts, the requirement for both active and authentic social constructivist …

When The Human Factor Is At The Core Of The Safety Barrier, Maria Chiara Leva, Catalina Bermudez Angel, Emmanuel Plot, Marco Gattuso

Articles

There are situation in the industry where the human actions are the main safety barriers to abnormal or accidental conditions. In order to maximize the reliability of good human and organizational barriers we need to ensure that the action-plans generated are based on a valid risk assessment of the situation to be addressed and informed by a relevant human factor analysis. This implies that the process needs to be participatory in nature, thus involving end user all the way through. In this paper we present a study in which a critical scenario of vessel overpressure was analyzed using a bowtie. …

Raman Spectroscopy In Nanomedicine: Current Status And Future Perspectives, Hugh Byrne, Mark Keating

Articles

Raman spectroscopy is a branch of vibration spectroscopy which is capable of probing the chemical composition of materials. Recent advances in Raman microscopy have added significantly to the range of applications which now extend from medical diagnostics to exploring interfaces between biological organisms and nanomaterials. In this review, Raman is introduced in a general context, highlighting some of the areas in which the technique has found success in the past, as well as some of the potential benefits it offers over other analytical modalities. The subset of Raman techniques which specifically probe the nanoscale, namely Surface Enhanced and Tip Enhanced …

The Bio-Nano-Interface In Predicting Nanoparticle Fate And Behaviour In Living Organisms: Towards Grouping And Categorising Nanomaterials And Ensuring Nanosafety By Design, Hugh Byrne, Arti Ahluwalia, Diana Boraschi,, Bengt Fadeel, Peter Gehr, Arno C. Gutleb, Michaela Kendall, Manthos Papadopoulos, Iseult Lynch

Articles

In biological media, nanoparticles acquire a coating of biomolecules (proteins, lipids, polysaccharides) from their surroundings, which reduces their surface energy and confers a biological identity to the particles. This adsorbed layer is the interface between the nanomaterial and living systems and therefore plays a significant role in determining the fate and behaviour of the nanoparticles. This review summarises the state of the art in terms of understanding the bio-nano interface and provides direction for potential future research directions and some recommendations for future priorities and strategies to support the safe implementation of nanotechnologies. The central premise is that nanomaterials must …

Electric Field Standing Wave Effects In Ft-Ir Transflection Spectra Of Biological Tissue Sections: Simulated Models Of Experimental Variability, Tomasz P. Wrobel, Barbara Wajnchold, Hugh Byrne, Malgorzata Baranska

Articles

The so-called electric field standing wave effect (EFSW) has recently been demonstrated to significantly distort FT-IR spectra acquired in a transflection mode, both experimentally and in simulated models, bringing into question the appropriateness of the technique for sample characterization, particularly in the field of spectroscopy of biological materials. The predicted effects are most notable in the regime where the sample thickness is comparable to the source wavelength. In this work, the model is extended to sample thicknesses more representative of biological tissue sections and to include typical experimental factors which are demonstrated to reduce the predicted effects. These include integration …

Concept Drift Datasets, Patrick Lindstrom

Doctoral

This zip file contains the datasets used in the PhD thesis:

Lindstrom, P., 2013. Handling Concept Drift in the Context of Expensive Labels. Technological University Dublin. For more information about the datasets please see the README file and the aforementioned thesis.

The Turning, Stretching And Boxing Technique: A Direction Worth Looking Towards, Mark Dunne

Doctoral

3D avatar user interfaces (UI) are now used for many applications, a growing area for their use is serving location sensitive information to users as they need it while visiting or touring a building. Users communicate directly with an avatar rendered to a display in order to ask a question, get directions or partake in a guided tour and as a result of this kind of interaction with avatar UI, they have become a familiar part of modern human-computer interaction (HCI). However, if the viewer is not in the sweet spot (defined by Raskar et al. (1999) as a stationary …

Ultrasound For Improved Crystallisation In Food Processing, N. Misra, Navneet Deora, Brijesh Tiwari, Patrick J. Cullen

Articles

Within the food industry, controlling crystallisation is a key factor governing food structure, texture and consumer appeal, with some foods requiring the promotion of crystallisation in a controlled manner (e.g. chocolate) and others a check (e.g. in honey). Sonocrystallisation is the application of ultrasound energy to control the nucleation of a crystallisation process. The use of power ultrasound provides a non-invasive approach to producing crystals with desired properties. Sonocrystallisation facilitates process control, primarily by modulating crystal size distribution and morphology. This paper details the governing mechanisms of sonocrystallisation. Proven and potential applications of the process in foods, including chocolates, honey, …