Digital Commons Network^™

Comparing Public And Private Schools, Emily Scheper

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

School is an experience shared by most Americans, but each individual’s experience with school is very different. Many people assume that the biggest determinant of an individual’s success in life stems from choosing the right school. Many parents take this choice very seriously, trying to determine the best environment for their child. In most cases, the choice is between a public/city school and a private/religious school that charges tuition. The question is, though, why do parents decide to spend extra money to send their children to a private school when the same education is offered for free at any local …

Commencement Convocation Program, Usf, Baccalaureates, December 14, 2013, University Of South Florida

USF Graduation and Convocation Programs

President's Global Leadership Award - Marlene M. Johnson; Outstanding Graduate - Lianet Vazquez; King O'Neal Scholars - Jillianne Deal, Alyssa Dupere, Jessica Haggod, Ahad Khan, Rachel Powell, Emilio Ruiz-Linares, Mariam Saifee, Christopher Thomas Story, and Brandon Sweeting

Influence Of Initial Position And Stimulus Location Of The Paw On The Nociceptive Withdrawal Reflex In Intact Rats, Christopher Anthony Chrzan Ii

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Animals have the ability react to noxious stimuli from the environment via a reflex pathway known as the nociceptive withdrawal reflex (NWR). The NWR is a spinal reflex that protects the body from stimuli that may be tissue damaging. In addition, the NWR is known to be supraspinally modulated, which alters the strength of response. Previous studies on the NWR have shown an influence of both stimulus location and initial posture on the NWR. The studies regarding the influence of initial position on the NWR, however, are more limited. Most of the research has been conducted on humans, and in …

Euphonium Performance Of Cello Literature, Nathan Seraf Gredler

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

No abstract provided.

Two Genetic Effects At The Irf5/ Tnpo3 Locus Are Independently Associated With The Development Of Specific Lupus Symptoms, Samantha Hawtrey

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disorder that can affect every tissue in the body. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the IRF5 and TNPO3 genes are statistically associated with the development of SLE. My research identified correlations between IRF5/TNPO3 SNPs and specific lupus symptoms. Logistic regression analyses were conducted using 101 genetic variants in the IRF5/TNPO3 region that were genotyped in over 6,000 lupus patients of different ethnicities, with admixture covariates applied. Three clinical phenotypes displayed significant correlation (p < 1.6x10-5) in subjects of European ancestry. For each of these phenotypes, a step-wise conditional analysis was conducted using two lupus associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at this genetic loci. In Europeans, lupus disease onset (p-valueEU=2.44x10-16, OR=0.67*) and the presence of anti-Ro (p-valueEU=2.09x10-7, OR=0.67) and anti-dsDNA (p-valueEU=4.15x10-7, OR=0.75) antibodies were associated with SNPs in the IRF5/TNPO3 genes. SNPs in the IRF5 promoter and those spanning IRF5 and TNPO3 were both associated with disease onset. The presence of anti-Ro and anti-dsDNA antibodies is only associated with SNPs in the IRF5 promoter. Genetic variants at the IRF5/TNPO3 locus are associated with lupus disease onset and production of anti-dsDNA and anti-Ro antibodies in lupus patients. SNPs in the promoter region of iii IRF5 (associated with rs4728142) and SNPs spanning the IRF5 and TNPO3 genes (associated with rs12534421) contribute independently to these symptoms.

Using Art To Promote Peace In The Lives Of Elementary Aged Students, Megan Mcdonald

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Guernica was Pablo Picasso’s most controversial piece, created as a political statement to show the devastation of war in Guernica during the Spanish Civil War. It is the inspiration for the Kid’s Guernica Peace Mural Project, developed as a way for adolescents to visually express their ideas of peace as a global goal. With the completion of a peace workshop and a 3.5m × 7.8m moveable mural, Kentucky is now a participant in the project. The mural illustrates the creative collaboration of sixty fifth grade students, a local artist and myself. It will travel throughout the state of Kentucky during …

An Analysis Of The Application Of Best Management Practices In Collaborative Watershed Management To Community-Based Sustainable Development, Rebecca Holthaus Sappenfield

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

This research seeks to determine if BMPs from CWM can inform the broader concept of CBSD. In order to answer this question, I conduct a desk study, which involves an extensive review of the CWM literature in two areas: stakeholder participation and building trust among stakeholders. I then analyze my research to deduce BMPs for these areas of CWM. As part of this analysis, I also explore how effective environmental communication plays a fundamental role in achieving these BMPs. The culmination of this work is the production of guidelines of best practice for stakeholder participation and building trust among stakeholders …

The Integration Of 18th And 19th Century Subsistence Farming Practices Into The Planning And X-Zoning Laws Of The City And County Of Baltimore, Clayton A. Hayes

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

The Industrial Revolution divorced the majority of urban dwellers from the land in the United States. Today, people rely upon industrial food products from global food systems. These systems cause environmental pollution, land degradation, and loss of biodiversity. Additionally, there is unequal food distribution in these systems with poor farmers growing for production and not consumption. The rigid distribution system through grocery stores often leaves poor economic areas without access to fresh, healthy food. The solution to these problems is a return to local food systems, where people can grow or have access to fresh, local food. However, local food …

A Resilience Assessment Of The Ramla Valley System, Gozo, Mykel Fenech

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

The investigation delves into the application of the resilience concept to the ecological and anthropogenic systems of Ramla Valley, Gozo. The Resilience Assessment, the first of its kind attempted in the Islands, takes a holistic approach to study a system by considering the various system components and related pressures. Components considered include agricultural, ecological, sediment (beaches and dunes) and landscape. Current governance impacting the system was also considered. Methods used in this study were based on guidelines provided by the Resilience Alliance and supported by data derived from previous studies, interviews with interested parties, on-site observations, and comparative studies of …

Commencement Convocation Program, Usf, Graduate, December 14, 2013, University Of South Florida

USF Graduation and Convocation Programs

Honorary Doctorate of Science - Richard N. Zare

Characterization Of Complexes Of 2,2-Cis [Rh2(N{C6h5}Coch3)4] With Nitriles., Megan Ketron

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Complexes of 2,2-cis [Rh2(N{C6H5}COCH3)4] bound to benzonitrile, ortho-tolunitrile, and meta-tolunitrile were synthesized and characterized using X-ray crystallography, IR spectroscopy, and proton NMR. The crystal structures of 2,2-cis [Rh2(N{C6H5}COCH3)4]•2NCC6H5, 2,2-cis [Rh2(N{C6H5}COCH3)4]•2NC{2-CH3}C6H4, and 2,2-cis [Rh2(N{C6H5}COCH3)4]•2NC{3-CH3}C6H4 were solved using a Rigaku Mercury375R/M CCD XtaLab Mini Diffractometer. The 2,2-cis [Rh2(N{C6H5}COCH3)4]•2NCC6H5 complex had unit cell dimensions of a=10.2115(7) Å, b=9.9667(7) Å, c=21.367(2) Å, and β=100.971(7)° with a P21/n space group. The 2,2-cis [Rh2(N{C6H5}COCH3)4]•2NC{2-CH3}C6H4 complex had unit cell dimensions of a=10.3625(8) Å, b=10.0489(7) Å, c=21.611(2) Å, and β=100.868(7)° with a P21/n space group. The 2,2-cis [Rh2(N{C6H5}COCH3)4]•2NC{3-CH3}C6H4 complex had unit cell dimensions of a=10.849(3) Å, b=11.530(3) Å, …

Spatial Analysis Of Air Velocity Distribution As Affected By House Size And Design In Commercial Broiler Production Facilities, Brian David Luck

Theses and Dissertations

Tunnel ventilation is the design practice of placing exhaust fans and air inlets on opposite ends of animal production facilities and moving air through the building via negative pressure. Increasing air velocity within tunnel ventilated broiler production facilities increases sensible cooling and reduces the need for latent cooling (panting), which improves production efficiency. An air velocity measurement system was developed and measurement density analysis for quantifying air velocity distribution was performed in a 12.19 x 121.9 m commercial broiler production facility. Results showed that axial measurement distances of 3.05 m and 40 measurement points per cross-section produced the most descriptive …

Glycosyl Thiocarbamates As New Building Blocks For Chemical Glycosylation, Sneha Chandrashekhar Ranade

Dissertations

Having multiple functions in biological systems e.g. fertilization, blood group determination, cell growth; carbohydrates have remained attractive subjects for the study. They are also involved in various life threatening biological processes, such as viral and bacterial infections, tumor development, etc. Understanding of these involvements/interactions of carbohydrates in such critical processes is essential for the development of carbohydrate based vaccines and therapeutics. Although carbohydrates are present abundantly in nature, their isolation is cumbersome and low yielding, which is why, the synthesis of carbohydrate units has been of interest to many scientists. Efforts have been made to make these synthetic methods more …

164th Commencement, Fall

Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

Transmission Shift Map Optimization For Reduced Electrical Energy Consumption In A Pre-Transmission Parallel Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle, Jonathan Dean Moore

Theses and Dissertations

The use of an automatic transmission in pre-transmission parallel hybrid electric vehicles provides greater potential for powertrain optimization than conventional vehicles. By modifying the shift map, the transmission’s gear selection can be adjusted to reduce the energy consumption of the vehicle. A method for determining the optimal shift map for this hybrid vehicle has been implemented using global optimization and software-in-the-loop vehicle simulation. An analysis of the optimization has been performed using software-in-the-loop and hardware-in-the-loop simulation and evaluates two vehicle modes: regenerative braking active and regenerative braking disabled. The results of these two modes illustrate the successful implementation of the …

Model-Based Autonomic Performance Management Of Distributed Enterprise Systems And Applications, Rajat Mehrotra

Theses and Dissertations

Distributed computing systems (DCS) host a wide variety of enterprise applications in dynamic and uncertain operating environments. These applications require stringent reliability, availability, and quality of service (QoS) guarantee to maintain their service level agreements (SLAs). Due to the growing size and complexity of DCS, an autonomic performance management system is required to maintain SLAs of these applications. A model-based autonomic performance management structure is developed in this dissertation for applications hosted in DCS. A systematic application performance modeling approach is introduced in this dissertation to define the dependency relationships among the system parameters, which impact the application performance. The …

Modeling Dendritic Solidification Using Lattice Boltzmann And Cellular Automaton Methods, Mohsen Eshraghi Kakhki

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents the development of numerical models based on lattice Boltzmann (LB) and cellular automaton (CA) methods for solving phase change and microstructural evolution problems. First, a new variation of the LB method is discussed for solving the heat conduction problem with phase change. In contrast to previous explicit algorithms, the latent heat source term is treated implicitly in the energy equation, avoiding iteration steps and improving the formulation stability and efficiency. The results showed that the model can deal with phase change problems more accurately and efficiently than explicit LB models. Furthermore, a new numerical technique is introduced …

A Dynamic Hybrid Rans/Les Modeling Methodology For Turbulent/Transitional Flow Field Prediction, Mohammad Faridul Alam

Theses and Dissertations

A dynamic hybrid Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS)-Large Eddy Simulation (LES) modeling framework has been investigated and further developed to improve the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) prediction of turbulent flow features along with laminar-to-turbulent transitional phenomena. In recent years, the use of hybrid RANS/LES (HRL) models has become more common in CFD simulations, since HRL models offer more accuracy than RANS in regions of flow separation at a reduced cost relative to LES in attached boundary layers. The first part of this research includes evaluation and validation of a dynamic HRL (DHRL) model that aims to address issues regarding the RANS-to-LES zonal …

Commencement Convocation Exercises - December 2013, Prairie View A&M University

Commencement and Convocation Exercises

No abstract provided.

2013 Fall Commencement, Harding University

Commencement Programs

Program for the Harding University Commencement on December 14.

Commencement Speaker: Steve W. Reeves

Optimization Models For Cost Efficient And Environmentally Friendly Supply Chain Management, Gokce Palak

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation aims to provide models which will help companies make sustainable logistics management and transportation decisions. These models are extensions of the economic lot sizing model with the availability of multiple replenishment modes. The objective of the models is to minimize total replenishment costs and emissions. The study provides applications of these models on contemporary supply chain problems. Initially, the impact of carbon regulatory mechanisms on the replenishment decisions are analyzed for a biomass supply chain under fixed charge replenishment costs. Then, models are extended to consider multiple-setups replenishment costs for age dependent perishable products. For a cost minimization …

Extending The Conversation: A Network Analysis Of Academic Associations In Workplace Spirituality, Monty Lynn, David J. Burns

Management Sciences

Examining academic networks provides insight into boundaries and boundary crossing as well as knowledge diffusion. We examine four academic networks focused on business, spirituality, and religion to identify network boundaries and boundary crossing. Scholars tend to align with networks consistent with the nature of their employing institution, both in its relative emphasis on research and its religious affiliation. Network and religious differences contribute to the relative isolation of research communities, despite shared topical interests and reliance on similar scholarly sources. The use of normative authorities may limit networking, but the relative absence of weak network links across networks may underestimate …

Conventional Pavements And Perpetual Pavements: A Rational And Empirical Approach, Wenqi Wang

Theses and Dissertations

A study has been conducted to compare conventional pavements and perpetual pavements with a particular emphasis on perpetual pavements. One of the main drawbacks of conventional pavements and motivations for this work is the maintenance required for hot mix asphalt (HMA) pavements with sub-drainage systems. Perpetual pavements, as the name suggests, are designed with a long life. However, this is a relatively new concept and there are still many unknowns concerning their performance. This dissertation was written to answer some of the questions. The study examines structural response and performance of perpetual pavements. Also, deterioration and performance of perpetual pavements …

Characterization And Reaction Of An Analog Of The Anticancer Drug Oxaliplatin, Jonathan D. Hendrie

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Oxaliplatin is an anticancer drug that reacts with DNA, RNA, and proteins both in vitro and in vivo. Our research focuses on synthesizing analogs of oxaliplatin and understanding how bulky ligand groups affect reaction with amino acids. (R,R)-N,N’-dimethyl-1,2-diaminocyclohexane platinum(II) oxalate or Pt(Me2dach)(ox) varies from oxaliplatin or Pt(dach)(ox) in that it has one methyl group attached to each platinum coordinated nitrogen. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy has shown that the reactions of N-Acetylmethionine (N-AcMet) with Pt(Me2dach)(ox) and Pt(dach)(ox) proceed at similar rates suggesting that the methyl groups of Pt(Me2dach)(ox) have little effect on the initial reaction. Whereas the reaction of Pt(dach)(ox) …

Public Perception On The State Of Air Quality In Malta, Nikolas Cassar

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Public perception on the state of air quality is an unclear and hazy concept whereby every individual has different opinions and views. In fact, the state of air quality is a major concern in many countries, including in Malta. This problem arises from the emissions of a number of pollutants to the atmosphere from a host of processes such as the combustion of fuel to generate electricity and the internal combustion engines to manoeuvre cars. Amongst these pollutants, there are benzene and nitrogen dioxide, which are very hazardous since they cause problems related to human health and contribute in the …

Improving The Energy Efficiency Of Dehumidification Technology At A Large Facility In Florida, Brandon Willson Hoilett

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

This thesis examines energy use and management of twenty heat pipes used in dehumidification systems at a large (10,000+ acre) facility in Florida. Eleven of the twenty heat pipes use electric strip heaters that, when activated, consume 693.8 kW of electrical power from the grid. Solar photovoltaics, specifically a silicon monocrystalline cell with 22.5% efficiency, were considered as a means to provide an alternative energy source and opportunity for cost savings for 11 of the heat pipes (Sunpower, 2011). The remaining nine heat pipes use hot water heaters for which alternative energy sources were not considered. Data gathered and analyzed …

Potential Energy Savings When Using Saline Water For Cooling Chillers In Malta, Mireille Micallef

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Several cooling systems found in facilities on the coast of St. Julian’s were found to be making use of chillers whose condensers are cooled with saline water as opposed to air. The former practice is advantageous since it results in better chiller performance which can be explained through thermodynamic principles. The principle of operation of water cooled chillers is to reject heat from the condenser to saline groundwater obtained from boreholes through a heat exchanger. The higher temperature saline ground water is then rejected to the sea. Chillers cooled with saline groundwater are subject to the Borehole Drilling and Excavation …

Multilevel Design Optimization Under Uncertainty With Application To Product-Material Systems, Saber Dormohammadi

Theses and Dissertations

The main objective of this research is to develop a computational design tool for multilevel optimization of product-material systems under uncertainty. To accomplish this goal, an exponential penalty function (EPF) formulation based on method of multipliers is developed for solving multilevel optimization problems within the framework of Analytical Target Cascading (ATC). The original all-at-once constrained optimization problem is decomposed into a hierarchical system with consistency constraints enforcing the target-response coupling in the connected elements. The objective function is combined with the consistency constraints in each element to formulate an augmented Lagrangian with EPF. The EPF formulation is implemented using double-loop …

The Role Of Population Growth In An Emerging Multipolar Economic World., Casey C. Horner

Undergraduate Honors Theses

An empirical study presenting the social and economic proof of a global shift from a bipolar economic world to a multipolar economic world. The time period for data and projections is 2010 to 2050. The measurements used are population pyramids, total population, GDP per capita, and total GDP.

Illinois State University, One Hundred And Fifty-Fourth Annual Commencement, December 14, 2013, Illinois State University

Commencement Programs

Illinois State University
One Hundred and Fifty-Fourth Annual Commencement
December 14, 2013