Digital Commons Network^™

The Conduit, Volume 13, No. 2, December 2013, Annette Summers Engel

The KWI Conduit

Contents: Welcome to The Conduit -- President’s Corner -- KWI Happenings -- Upcoming 2014 Karst Award Banquet, March 1, 2014 -- Upcoming Conference Announcements -- Karst Award Dinner Announcement -- Meet KWI ‘s New Associates -- News about KWI Officer, Harvey DuChene -- Wilson Scholarship in Karst Science Announcement -- Research Focus: East Tennessee Cave Biodiversity

The True Tragedy Of American Power, Isaiah Wilson Iii

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

No abstract provided.

Redirecting Us Diplomacy, James Goodby, Kenneth Weisbode

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

No abstract provided.

On The Biophysics And Kinetics Of Toehold-Mediated Dna Strand Displacement, Bernard Yurke

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Dynamic DNA nanotechnology often uses toehold-mediated strand displacement for controlling reaction kinetics. Although the dependence of strand displacement kinetics on toehold length has been experimentally characterized and phenomenologically modeled, detailed biophysical understanding has remained elusive. Here, we study strand displacement at multiple levels of detail, using an intuitive model of a random walk on a 1D energy landscape, a secondary structure kinetics model with single base-pair steps and a coarse-grained molecular model that incorporates 3D geometric and steric effects. Further, we experimentally investigate the thermodynamics of three-way branch migration. Two factors explain the dependence of strand displacement kinetics on toehold …

Astrophobia: A 3d Multiplayer Space Combat Game With Linear Entity Interpolation, Luke Larson

Computer Science and Software Engineering

Astrophobia is a Descent-like 3D networked multiplayer space combat game with linear entity interpolation (client-side animation between game-state packets to give the illusion of continuous game updates) similar to entity interpolation implemented in Valve Software’s Source engine. Additionally, Astrophobia procedurally generates unique levels, has zero-gravity physics, ship and projectile wall bouncing, hit detection, OpenGL 3D graphics, Phong lighting, ship model and texture, and a simple HUD that provides visualization of health points, aiming crosshair, and player scoreboard.

Tascked: The Sanity Promoting Task Manager, Jake Tobin

Computer Science and Software Engineering

Personal task managers or various forms of to-do lists are abundant in our modern computing age. With the explosion of mobile computing technology, it is easier than ever to take notes digitally and make the data seemingly instantly available anywhere on the Internet. There is a fairly well defined core set of features in personal task managers available for public consumption, but it seems nothing that is publicly available provides feedback to the user or suggestions based on user history. Tascked is a task management solution, which records user history and solicits user feedback on progress. This allows the system …

Testing Virtual Machines For Cadrc Server Hosting, Robin Verweij

Computer Science and Software Engineering

No abstract provided.

Ipulse: December 2013, Lynn University

Student Newspapers

Issues:

• December 2, 2013
• December 3, 2013
• December 4, 2013
• December 5, 2013
• December 6, 2013
• December 10, 2013

Bull In The China Market: The Gap Between Investor Expectations And Auditor Liability For Chinese Financial Statement Frauds, Phillip Barber

Duke Journal of Comparative & International Law

No abstract provided.

Women In The Criminal Justice System In Irleand, Mary Rogan

Conference Papers

This paper examines the use of imprisonment for women in Ireland.

Closing The Rural Mortality Gap? An Examination Of 10-Year Cardiovascular Mortality Trends In Washington And Aroostook Counties, Maine, Christy Daggett

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

This study examines a significant reduction in cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality1 in two rural, white, low-income counties in Maine over 1999-2009: Washington County and Aroostook County. Two similar counties with similarly high rates of CVD mortality– Penobscot and Piscataquis - were selected as comparators. The study considers different factors known to correlate with CVD mortality, including behavioral risk factors, co-morbid conditions, insurance coverage, and social determinants of health.

An Analysis Of Employment Policies And Their Effect On Work-Life Balance For Caregiving Parents Of Children With Special Needs, Sara Panella

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

This capstone addresses the work-­‐life conflict facing employed caregiver parents with special needs children by 1) identifying what employed parents of children with disabilities need from their employer in order to achieve a work-­‐life balance that improves economic security and emotional well-­‐being, and 2) evaluating how well policies address those needs. An investigation of work-­‐family conflict and stress among parents of special needs children is conducted by examining the current literature and conducting interviews with caregivers to explore their work-­‐life balance needs. Policy recommendations are provided, based on an analysis of public and workplace policies currently in use and policy …

Uis Bulletin, Volume 56, No. 1, December 2013, Efraín Mercado

UIS Bulletin

Contents: Editorial -- Message from the UIS President, Dr. Kyung Sik Woo -- New Bureau, New project in the pipeline -- Commission on Informatics -- Commission on Artificial Cavities -- Commission on History of Speleology -- Commission on Karst Hydrogeology and Speleogenesis -- Commission on Speleochronology and Paleokarst -- Commission on Physical Chemistry and Hydrogeology of Karst -- Commission on Arts and Letters -- Commission on Cave Diving -- Commission on Volcanic CAves -- Commission on Pseudokarst -- Commission on Glacier, Firn, and Ice Caves -- Commission on Cave Mineralogy -- Commission on Speleotherapy -- Commission on Cave Rescue -- …

The Texas Caver, Volume 60, No. 4, December 2013, Jill Orr

The Texas Caver

Contents: Farewell to Bob Cowell: You are missed -- Bustamante: Mexican giant gets a new survey -- Huautla: Staging for the expedition -- Arkansas caving: The continuing relationship -- TCR: Photos -- Spring Creek: Survey and caving trip -- Caving tips: Keeping you and your camera lens warm --Norvell’s Cave: The little cave in the burbs -- Multi Ascending System: Instructions for building your own

How Global Is Globalization?, Jac C. Heckelman, Andrew T. Young

Economics Faculty Working Papers Series

We examine a balanced panel of globalization indices for 129 countries over the years 1991- 2010. We report evidence of cross-country sigma convergence in the overall globalization index. Sigma convergence also holds for each of the economic, political, and social globalization indices, as well as each sub-index within these indices. However, the evidence for stochastic convergence, based on panel unit root tests, is only strong for the political globalization index. Regarding the economic and social dimensions of globalization, respectively, we find evidence for stochastic convergence only in the flows and cultural proximity sub-indices. For the OECD subsample, evidence supports stochastic …

Psychometric Properties Of The Adolescent Sleep Hygiene Scale, Amy Storfer-Isser, Monique K. Lebourgeois, John Harsh, Carolyn J. Tompsett, Susan Redline

Faculty Publications

This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Adolescent Sleep Hygiene Scale (ASHS), a self-report measure assessing sleep practices theoretically important for optimal sleep. Data were collected on a community sample of 514 adolescents (16–19; 17.7 ± 0.4 years; 50% female) participating in the late adolescent examination of a longitudinal study on sleep and health. Sleep hygiene and daytime sleepiness were obtained from adolescent reports, behavior from caretaker reports, and sleep-wake estimation on weekdays from wrist actigraphy. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated the empirical and conceptually based factor structure were similar for six of the eight proposed sleep hygiene domains. Internal …

The True Value Of A Law Degree, Or, Why Did Thurgood Marshall Go To Law School?, R. Lawrence Dessem, Gregory M. Stein

Faculty Publications

There has been vigorous debate in recent months over whether a law degree is a worthwhile investment. Much of this discussion has focused on whether the economic costs of obtaining a degree pay off over a lawyer’s career. This conversation has largely overlooked the many non-economic benefits of a law degree. In this essay, we seek to re-introduce several non-economic factors back into this important dialogue. We suggest that prospective law school applicants would be wise to consider these non-economic factors in addition to economic ones.

Coastal And Marine Spatial Planning (Cmsp): An Ecosystem Based Approach To Conservation And Management In Long Island Sound, Christine Ann O'Connell

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Past approaches to ocean management in the United States are no longer sustainable because they were largely reactionary and applied in a piecemeal fashion. A more comprehensive ecosystem-based approach is needed. Ocean policy and management practices should be defined by ecological boundaries, not political ones, and should incorporate all elements and processes in the system, including human uses. Thus, a regional, multi-objective plan, such as coastal and marine spatial planning (CMSP), that addresses the cumulative impacts of current and future environmental stressors, is essential. Coastal and marine spatial plans separate conflicting uses in marine environments based upon an established community …

The Genetic Diversity Of Endangered Fishes In The Northwest Atlantic, Shannon Joy O'Leary

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Genetic diversity is the fundamental building block of biodiversity, harboring the adaptive potential of populations. The magnitude of the two main factors eroding genetic diversity, inbreeding and genetic drift, increases as the effective population size (Ne) decreases. Ne describes the number of reproductively mature adults effectively contributing to the next generation. In populations with overlapping generations, the effective number of breeders (Nb). Loss of genetic diversity has long been a concern for terrestrial and freshwater organisms, but traditionally less so for fisheries management due to the paradigm that marine fish populations are large, panmictic and thus resistant to the erosion …

Coastal And Marine Spatial Planning (Cmsp): An Ecosystem Based Approach To Conservation And Management In Long Island Sound, Christine Ann O'Connell

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Past approaches to ocean management in the United States are no longer sustainable because they were largely reactionary and applied in a piecemeal fashion. A more comprehensive ecosystem-based approach is needed. Ocean policy and management practices should be defined by ecological boundaries, not political ones, and should incorporate all elements and processes in the system, including human uses. Thus, a regional, multi-objective plan, such as coastal and marine spatial planning (CMSP), that addresses the cumulative impacts of current and future environmental stressors, is essential. Coastal and marine spatial plans separate conflicting uses in marine environments based upon an established community …

Nanoindentation Of Piezoelectric Materials, Guang Cheng

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Piezoelectric materials, with their unique electromechanical coupling characteristics, have found widespread use in many applications as sensors and actuators. With a continuing demand for macroscale piezoelectric devices with better performance characteristics, numerous efforts have been made to synthesize " bulk" monolithic and composite piezoelectric materials with better properties. More recently, within the context of microscale devices such as smart MEMS, self-powered sensors, microbatteries, and energy harvesting devices, there is a growing interest in developing " thin-film" piezoelectric materials. While, advances in microfabrication technology have greatly helped the synthesis and fabrication of piezoelectric thin films and structures, there is a continuing …

Physical And Chemical Modifications Of Surface Properties Lead To Alterations In Osteoblast Behavior, Kathryn Elizabeth Dorst

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Proper formation of the bone extracellular matrix (ECM), or osteoid, depends on the surface properties of pre-existing tissue and the aqueous chemical environment. Both of these factors greatly influence osteoblast migration, cytoskeletal organization, and calcium nodule production, important aspects when considering the biocompatibility of bone implants. By perturbing the physical and/or chemical micro-environment, it may be possible to elucidate effects on cellular function. To examine these factors, murine pre-osteoblasts (MC3T3-E1 subclones 4 and 24) were seeded on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrates containing " wide" micro-patterned ridges (20 μ m width, 30 μ m pitch, & 2 μ m height), " narrow" …

Development Of New Generation Of Perovskite Based Noble Metal/Semiconductor Photocatalysts For Visible-Light-Driven Hydrogen Production, Peichuan Shen

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

In recent decades, semiconductor photocatalysis has attracted a growing attention as a possible alternative to existing methods of hydrogen production, hydrocarbon conversion and organic compound oxidation. Many types of photocatalysts have been developed and tested for photocatalytic applications. However, most of them do not have notable activity in visible light region, which limits their practical applications. Development of photocatalysts, which can be activated by visible light provides a promising way forward to utilize both UV and visible portions of solar spectrum. In this thesis, two main methods to advance visible light driven photocatalysis, such as bandgap modification through doping and …

An Exploration Of Alkyne-Alkyne Cross-Coupling Reactions And Attempts Towards Controlled Polymerization Of Diiodooctatetrayne, Allison Black

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Polyynes are one-dimensional rigid carbon rods composed of alternating triple and single bonds. They have attracted much interest due to their electronic, optical, and physical properties. These carbon oligomers can serve as possible precursors to polydiacetylenes or graphitic ribbons, as subjecting ordered aggregates to heat and/ or irradiation can lead to topochemical polymerization. Furthermore, polyynes can act as models for understanding conjugation, and may be used to predict the properties of carbyne, the linear allotrope of carbon. In this work, model Stille and Cadiot-Chodkiewicz coupling reactions using iodoalkyne substrates were thoroughly investigated. Once optimal conditions were determined for each system, …

Designing A New Class Of Electrocatalysts For Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells: Probing Size, Composition, And Structure Dependent Electrocatalytic Performance In High-Quality, One-Dimensional Noble Metal Nanostructures, Christopher Koenigsmann

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

A key challenge in the practical commercialization of PEMFCs is the extremely high cost and relatively poor durability of carbon supported Pt nanoparticle (Pt NP/C) electrocatalysts utilized in both the anode and cathode half-cells. Herein, we synthesize and characterize a new class of high-quality one-dimensional noble metal nanostructures as a potentially new and promising structural paradigm for the next generation of electrocatalyst materials. Specifically, we investigate the nature of the complex interplay amongst size, chemical composition, and electrocatalytic performance in high-quality elemental and bimetallic 1D noble metal nanowire systems with an emphasis on achieving efficient and sustainable methods for catalyst …

Extinction Risk Assessment As A Tool For Biological Conservation, Jessica Carol Stanton

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Effective conservation of biological diversity requires accurate assessments of species extinction risks. Both under- and over-estimating extinction risks can have serious consequences. Overlooking species that are in need of conservation management can result in extinction or expensive recovery efforts. Misidentifying species which have stable populations as threatened can misdirect limited conservation resources or unnecessarily halt economic activity and development. I used a retrospective multi-modeling framework to explore the extinction of a once abundant and wide-spread North American species, the Passenger Pigeon (Ectopistes migratorius). I simulated three different types of anthropogenic impacts: harvest, habitat loss, and nest disturbance. I …

Systematic Modeling And Characterization Of Analog Circuits Using Symbolic And Data Mining Techniques, Cristian Ferent

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Analog circuit design activities mainly depend on designers' expertise and their ability to produce new designs by combining basic devices, sub-circuits, and ideas from similar solutions as the source for innovation. There are very few systematic methods that can characterize similarities and differences between analog circuits while maintaining the correlation between design variables, performance, and trade-offs. Moreover, many computer-aided design tools are focused only on routine tasks, like transistor sizing and layout design. This dissertation presents novel techniques to automatically characterize the analog design space based on feature uniqueness and variety and to perform systematic circuit comparisons using symbolic models. …

Protecting The " House Beautiful" : Eco-Consciousness In The Victorian Novel, Margaret Kennedy

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

This dissertation discusses how literary writers of the Victorian age render toxicity and toxic behaviors visible in order to encourage reform, as well as offering models of healthy environmental engagement. This literary trend reveals what I call a rising eco-consciousness, the awareness of our relationship to the environment and the exchanges between human and nonhuman. This project emphasizes the novel, which offers a rich ground of inquiry by looking at a set of characters interacting with a space over time; in other words, it focuses on how authors mapped a complete ecology into their fiction, participating in a genre that …

The Significance Of Famously Queer Writers In The Book Of Salt And The Hours, Caitlin Nelson

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Monique Truong's The Book of Salt and Michael Cunningham's The Hours include fictional portrayals of famous writers who interact with similarly queer protagonists. These writers, Gertrude Stein, Alice B. Toklas and Virginia Woolf, are significant because of their reputations as iconic queer figures. Stein and Toklas are remembered as a progressive lesbian couple; Woolf is celebrated as an influential feminist writer. While initially it would seem that the protagonists and the writers could unite based on a shared queer identity, the novels imply that the hierarchies that are prevalent in these queer communities prevent the characters from becoming allies. Such …

Milton's Ideal Orator: God And Ethical Eloquence In Paradise Lost, Libby Newhouse

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Modern criticism on John Milton's Paradise Lost has figured the poem as anti-rhetorical in its depictions of God, Satan, and their respective speaking styles. Such critiques, however, reveal a disregard for the rhetorical tradition and Milton's self-proclaimed humanism, and as a result reduce Milton's conception of rhetoric to a rejection of the art form. With an overview of humanist and Renaissance Christian understandings of rhetoric, this paper argues for a reconsideration of the poem's treatment of rhetoric. This paper demonstrates how Milton's depiction of the speech of God and Satan presents the reader with examples of ideal and corrupted eloquence …