Digital Commons Network^™

Capability-Based Task Allocation In Emergency-Response Environments: A Coalition-Formation Approach, Afsaneh Fatemi, Kamran Zamanifar, Naser Nematbakhsh

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

This paper addresses coalition formation, based on agent capabilities, centered on task allocation in emergency-response environments (EREs). EREs are environments that need fast task completion as their main requirement. We propose a team-based organization model, based on an existing organization model for adaptive complex systems. The model has some key characteristics that are beneficial for EREs: agents act in dynamic, open domains; agents collaborate in completing group tasks; agents may have similar types of capabilities, but at different levels; tasks need different agent capabilities, at collective different levels; and agents are supervised in a partially decentralized manner. We formulate task …

Optimal Placement Of Pmus Using Improved Tabu Search For Complete Observability And Out-Of-Step Prediction, Amany El Zonkoly, Samah El Safty, Rana Maher

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

This paper proposes an optimization method for the optimal placement of phasor measurement units (PMUs) for the complete observability of power systems. The proposed method is based on numerical observability and artificial intelligence. The artificial intelligence algorithm used is the improved tabu search (ITS) algorithm. The ITS is used to find the optimal placement for the PMU to keep the system completely observable. In addition, the paper describes a predictive out-of-step (OOS) algorithm based on the observation of the voltage phase difference between the substations. The proposed optimal placement of the PMUs and the OOS algorithm is tested using the …

Classification Of Power Quality Disturbances Using S-Transform And Tt-Transform Based On The Artificial Neural Network, Sajad Jashfar, Saeed Esmaeili, Mehdi Zareian Jahromi, Mohsen Rahmanian

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

The classification of power quality (PQ) disturbances to improve the PQ is an important issue in utilities and industrial factories. In this paper, an approach to classify PQ disturbances is presented. First, a signal containing one of the PQ disturbances, like sag, swell, flicker, interruption, transient, or harmonics, is evaluated using the proposed approach. Afterwards, S-transform and TT-transform are applied to the signal and an artificial neural network is used to recognize the disturbance using S-transform and TT-transform data, like the variance and mean values of S-transform and TT-transform matrices. The main features of the proposed approach are the real-time …

Performance Evolution Of A Newly Developed General-Use Hybrid Ais-Ann System: Aaa-Response, Seral Özşen, Sali̇h Güneş

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

In this study, we have developed a nonlinear recognition system in the artificial immune systems (AIS) field named `AaA-response (artificial neural network (ANN)-aided AIS-response)', which is different from previous AIS methods in that it uses a different modeling strategy in the formation of the memory response. Because it also uses ANNs in the determination of the correct output, it can be seen as a hybrid system that involves AIS and ANN approaches. Unlike the other AIS methods, AaA-response uses multiple system units (or antibodies) to form an output for a presented input. This property gives the proposed system the ability …

A Low-Voltage And Low-Power Sinh-Domain Universal Biquadratic Filter For Low-Frequency Applications, Farooq Khanday, Nisar Shah

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

Sinh-domain CMOS filters have favorable properties, such as a wide dynamic range at low supply voltage, compactness, linearity, and low power consumption. These properties are becoming increasingly important for biomedical applications that require extremely low-power dissipation and neuromorphic circuits that attempt to reproduce the biophysics of biological neurons and synapses. In this paper, a low-voltage sinh-domain universal biquadratic filter circuit is introduced. The circuit, aside from permitting the independent adjustment of pole frequency (\omega_0) and the quality factor (Q), is free from matching conditions, capable of absorbing the shunt parasitic capacitances, amenable for monolithic integration, and composed of merely a …

Hybrid Spr Algorithm To Select Predictive Genes For Effectual Cancer Classification, Aruna Sundaram, Nandakishore Lellapalli Venkata, Rajagopalan Sarukai Parthasarathy

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

Designing an automated system for classifying DNA microarray data is an extremely challenging problem because of its high dimension and low amount of sample data. In this paper, a hybrid statistical pattern recognition algorithm is proposed to reduce the dimensionality and select the predictive genes for the classification of cancer. Colon cancer gene expression profiles having 62 samples of 2000 genes were used for the experiment. A gene subset of 6 highly informative genes was selected by the algorithm, which provided a classification accuracy of 93.5%.

The Archaeological Investigation Of Cedar Bark Basket Trees In Western Montana: Background, Methods, And Trial Study Of Culturally Modified Trees, Dean Sonneah Nicolai

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This thesis explores the potential for archaeological investigations of culturally modified trees (CMTs) in the northern Rocky Mountain region of Western Montana. Culturally modified trees are considered to be living artifacts, representations of traditional culture, and a lasting physical manifestation of long term use by inhabitants. The goal of this thesis is to offer an archaeological perspective for investigation of cultural modifications of the cedar basket tree (Thuja plicata), and to contribute to the development of a method for inquiry and analysis. Two primary research questions were posed: How does the study of behavioral archaeology and the methodological approach presented …

Responses To Climate Change In National Park Service Wilderness: What Is Happening In The Field?, Katherine E. Nelson

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

As scholars debate whether climate change warrants more or less active management in wilderness, this baseline study identifies what is happening on the ground. This study focuses attention on National Park Service units that administer designated wilderness. Representatives who had been identified by the superintendents from each of these units responded to an online survey (with a 94% response rate). Respondents reported on their concerns, monitoring, and management projects driven by climate change happening in their wilderness. Respondents also discussed whether and how these activities affected wilderness character. This is the first study to characterize the response to climate change …

Salmon & Steelhead Hatcheries: Conservation Or Condemnation?, Samuel Hunter Lungren

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Wild salmon and steelhead are as fundamental to the Pacific Northwest as evergreen trees and rain. For thousands of years ecosystems and economies have relied on the bountiful marine nutrients annually running inland from the Pacific Ocean in the form of large, silver fish. Even today, the chance to tangle with one of these wild gems is one of the greatest gifts the Northwest has to offer. Early settlers of the West Coast witnessed seemingly infinite salmon abundance. But as time passed and humans increasingly exploited both salmon and their ecosystems, they found out just how finite salmon really were. …

Lawyering Outside The Box: Confronting The Creativity Crisis, Samantha A. Moppett

Suffolk University Law School Faculty Works

The Great Recession was not only a defining moment in world history and for the United States economy; it was also a turning point for the legal profession. The economic downturn resulted in a long-term structural adjustment in the legal services market that will adversely impact the legal profession permanently. Accordingly, lawyers need to be creative in adapting to the changing realities of law practice.

Yet, despite the need for creative approaches to address the changing legal landscape, a disturbing phenomenon was recently identified; creativity in the United States is declining. Moreover, legal education and the legal practice impose barriers …

Short-Term Exercise Training Improves Insulin Sensitivity But Does Not Inhibit Inflammatory Pathways In Immune Cells From Insulin-Resistant Subjects, Sara M. Reyna, Puntip Tantiwong, Eugenio Cersosimo, Ralph A. Defronzo, Apiradee Sriwijitkamol, Nicolas Musi

School of Medicine Publications

Background. Exercise has an anti-inflammatory effect against, and immune cells play critical roles in the development, of insulin resistance and atherosclerotic vascular disease (AVD). Thus, the goal of this study was to determine whether exercise improves insulin sensitivity in insulin-resistant subjects by downregulating proinflammatory signaling in immune cells.

Methods. Seventeen lean, 8 obese nondiabetic, and 11 obese type 2 diabetic individuals underwent an aerobic exercise program for 15 days and an insulin clamp before and after exercise. Peripheral mononuclear cells (PMNC) were obtained for determination of Toll-like receptor (TLR) 2 and 4 protein content and mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphorylation.

Results. …

The Sad Story Of The Northern Rocky Mountain Gray Wolf Reintroduction Program, Hope M. Babcock

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

A reflection on the past, present and future of environmental law in this 20th Anniversary Edition offers an opportunity to revisit the Endangered Species Act, particularly the Northern Rocky Mountain States federal wolf reintroduction program. Environmental programs that depend on public support for their effectiveness are problematic when the government fails to understand and compensate for this fact. This essay explores the proposition that the federal government's failure to anticipate and respond to the negative reaction of people adversely affected by proposed solutions to environmental problems is contributing to a lack of progress despite great strides in our scientific understanding. …

Women’S Water, Women’S Work: Evaluating Decentralized Management Of Deep Borehole Wells For Improved Rural Water Access In Tawa Fall Village, Senegal, Tenly Elizabeth Snow

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Throughout the developing world, countries face a number of issues regarding the health and welfare of their populations. One issue that stands out with critical and growing importance is the availability-and accessibility-of water. Across the Sahel, access to potable water for domestic use, as well as contaminant-free water for agricultural and animal husbandry purposes is of growing concern. This study evaluates Government of Senegal efforts at improving rural water access through public-private operation contracts to manage deep groundwater resources. In West Africa, Senegal currently counts itself among the few Sahelian countries having sufficient freshwater supplies to support its population’s growing …

Expanding, Refining, And Replicating Research On High School Gay-Straight Student Alliances And Sexual Minority Youth, Nicholas Christopher Heck

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Sexual minority youth are at-risk for engaging in negative health behaviors and for experiencing at-school victimization. Specific benefits of attending a high school with a gay-straight student alliance (GSA), including lower risk for suicide, fewer alcohol problems and lower levels of psychological distress, have been reported. Limitations in the previous research studies, especially the use of retrospective designs, small sample sizes, and samples limited to a single geographic region, call into question the generalizability of these benefits. In an effort to overcome the aforementioned limitations, this analysis of data from 316 sexual minority high school students identified individual/family-, community-, and …

Mechanisms And Cytotoxic Effects Of Nqo1-Directed Lavendamycin Derivatives And Mitochondria-Targeted Anthracenyl Isoxazole Amides As Novel Antitumor Agents, Alison King Kearns

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Cancer is a common, complex, and oftentimes fatal disease. Despite extensive research in the field of cancer drug discovery, there are still improvements to be made in the design of effective anticancer agents. This project involved three separate but related studies that fall under the category of anticancer drug discovery as a whole. The overall goal of this project was to design and investigate the mechanisms of action of new antitumor agents to be used against solid tumors. First, we developed a series of anthracenyl isoxazole amides (AIMs) designed to bind to G-quadruplex DNA and inhibit telomerase. Results from this …

Why Changing Norms Is A More Just Solution To The Failed International Regulatory Regime To Protect Whales Than A Trading Program In Whale Shares, Hope M. Babcock

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

Whales capture the public's imagination like no other wild animal. They have played a central role in "the social construction of modern ecological thought." Indeed, the survival of whales has been a symbol of the environmental movement since the latter quarter of the twentieth century, when the "slogan 'save the whales' was a call to arms to save the planet from humanity's folly. " Stories about whale conservation implicate cultural clashes, interspecies morality, and global politics. They offer lessons in how not to manage a natural resource, and simultaneously show how both governmental and individual activism can overcome this mismanagement …

4-Isoxazolyl-1,4-Dihydropyrirines Bind The Multidrug-Resistance Transporter, Scott Steiger

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The development of multidrug resistance in tumor cells has been recognized as a major obstacle to successful cancer treatment. Tumor cells in vitro and in vivo can develop multidrug resistance (MDR) to the lethal effects of a variety of cytotoxic drugs used to treat cancerous tumor cells. The over expression of multiple drug resistance gene 1 has been correlated with the expression of multi drug resistance protein 1(MDR1, also known as P-glycoprotein or P-gp). MDR1's role in altering uptake, distribution and bioavailability is considered a significant factor when examining drugs for clinical administration, and represents a viable drug target for …

Ancestral And Sex Estimation Using E.A. Marino’S Analysis Of The First Cervical Vertebra Applied To Three Modern Groups, Victoria Marie Swenson

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Developing a biological profile in forensic anthropology is vital for the medico-legal field. Forensic anthropologists have long sought to develop ancestry and sex determination methods using complete and fragmented skeletal elements. Ancestry is most commonly assessed using cranial traits. Sex is assessed using the os coxa and cranial traits. Post-cranial methods for identifying individuals are needed in the field because cranial and pelvic elements are often broken and incomplete. Examining other elements can increase the likelihood of identification of the individual in question. Eugene Marino (1993; 1995; 1997) developed a method for estimating ancestry and sex from eight measurements of …

Chronic Trauma Effects On Personality Trait Trajectory In Police Officers, Jennifer Leigh Wills

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The impact of chronic trauma exposure on personality trajectories over time was examined in a sample of urban police officers. Scores from a personality measure taken in pre-hire psychological evaluations were compared with follow up scores administered for this study five to ten years later. An urban police agency of approximately 1000 commissioned police officers agreed to allow its officers to be recruited as participants. The consulting psychologist who performed the agency’s pre-hire psychological evaluations during the applicable period supplied historical data with participant consent and agency approval. Personality change between the two times was analyzed using hierarchical regression analysis, …

Costs And Benefits Of An Extended Phenotype: Chambers Made By Manduca Sexta Larvae, Jonathan Cooley Sprague

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Extended phenotypes can serve interesting physiological functions and their externality provides ready opportunity to manipulate and examine their functions and costs. One such set of extended phenotypes are below-ground pupation chambers made by a wide range of insects and whose function is unknown and costs unquantified. We use a series of lab and field experiments to examine the cost and benefit of chambers made by the hawkmoth, Manduca sexta (Sphingidae), whose larvae lose up to 60% of their body mass during chamber construction. Our study shows that these chambers provide critically important free space in which individuals transition from larvae …

Estimation And Modeling Of Forest Attributes Across Large Spatial Scales Using Biomebgc, High-Resolution Imagery, Lidar Data, And Inventory Data, Jordan Seth Golinkoff

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The accurate estimation of forest attributes at many different spatial scales is a critical problem. Forest landowners may be interested in estimating timber volume, forest biomass, and forest structure to determine their forest's condition and value. Counties and states may be interested to learn about their forests to develop sustainable management plans and policies related to forests, wildlife, and climate change. Countries and consortiums of countries need information about their forests to set global and national targets to deal with issues of climate change and deforestation as well as to set national targets and understand the state of their forest …

Examining The Impact Of Hepatitis C In Montana: A Descriptive Case Study, Blair Rice Snyder

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The purpose of this study was to gather information about how Hepatitis C (HCV) affects Montanans. Montana specific information was collected about HCV transmission; factors influencing transmission; physical, social and psychological effects of having HCV and undergoing treatment; barriers to prevention and treatment; current available resources to those infected with HCV and ways to improve prevention and treatment. Secondary data consisted of a comprehensive literature review to describe the above factors and epidemiological information. Primary data was collected through key informant interviews and summary reports completed by people living with HCV. The findings suggest that HCV is primarily transmitted through …

Land-Cover Change Within The Peatlands Along The Rocky Mountain Front, Montana: 1937-2009, Joseph Tyler Milbrath

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Aerial photographs of nine peatlands along the Rocky Mountain Front, Montana, were analyzed in a GIS. The boundary of wetland extent was hand-digitized and the area within was classified into land-cover types including: total area, open fen, open water, woody vegetation, and non-wetland/agriculture. Changes in wetland extent and land-cover categories were evaluated from the earliest available imagery in 1937 to the last available imagery in 2009. Images prior to 1995 were orthorectified to correct inherent distortions. Results indicate little change in overall peatland area between 1937 and 2009 despite increasing air temperatures in the region. Open water area and the …

Locomotor Ontogeny And The Evolution Of Avian Flight, Ashley Margaret Heers

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Understanding the origins of organismal diversity is one of biology's most enduring quests. Many authors have posited that modularity, or the developmental decoupling of body parts into discrete functional units, facilitates adaptive radiation by allowing body parts to become independently and functionally specialized without compromising one another. This may be particularly true in birds, which have compartmentalized the single locomotor unit of their ancestors into discrete wing and leg locomotor modules, and exploited terrestrial and aerial environments. Specializing one set of limbs for terrestrial locomotion and one set for flight presumably facilitates navigation of aerial environments without compromising terrestrial locomotion, …

Motivation And Education: Performance, Commitment, And Satisfaction Among Pharmacy Students, Michael Dustin King

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This study examines the relationship between academic motivation and three different educational outcomes: academic performance, commitment, and satisfaction. This research explores these relationships by focusing on pharmacy students at The University of Montana. Pharmacy students tend to be driven by relatively high levels of external motivations (e.g., motivated by money or prestige), especially when compared to other health profession students. In contrast to previous work that simply describes the motivations of students, I uncover the links between motivation and various educational outcomes. This investigation contributes to a better understanding of motivations and their impact on education, especially among the specific …

Developmental Stress In Birds: Phenotypic And Fitness, Ondi L. Crino

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The environment animals experience during development can have important effects on phenotype, performance, and fitness across multiple life-history stages. Environmental cues experienced during development can provide information to animals about the environment they will soon inhabit and promote phenotypic changes which affect fitness. Increasing evidence suggests that physiological stress may be one such cue that conveys environmental information to developing animals. Here, I explore the short- and long-term consequences of developmental stress in captive and free-living birds. In chapter one, I explore the effects of developmental stress on body size and physiological stress responses across life-history stages in zebra finches …

Ensemble Modeling Of Swe Distribution In The Bitterroot Mountains, Montana, Usa, Frederick Kellner

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The spatial distribution of snow remains poorly understood at the landscape scale, particularly at high elevation where snow can be under-represented by our current system of monitoring. The transferability of the processes and physiography that drive the spatial distribution of snow require further study. We apply an ensemble of three semi-independent snow models to the down-sloping side of the Bitterroot Mountains of Western Montana, which features an array of drainages of remarkably similar size and aspect. We modeled the snow water equivalent equal to the maximum snow accumulation plus any positive contributions to the snowpack during the melt season, for …

The Several Faces Of Late-Gothic Eve: Gender And Marriage In The Mystery Creation And Fall Plays, Thomas Flanigan

Quidditas

The critical drive to make fundamental, substantive distinctions between Catholic and Protestant dogma and culture has always been central to early modern English studies, but over the past fifty years a prominent contingent of literary and historical scholars has endeavored more specifically to identify and articulate significant differences between Catholic and Protestant perceptions of women and marriage. According to one familiar, now widely accepted theory advanced primarily by Miltonists, a relatively feminist and pro-marriage Protestant ethic emerged in response to the extreme, aggressively misogynistic attitudes attributed to late-medieval Catholic thought. This paper will seek to demonstrate, through a close comparative …

Water Conservation In San Antonio, Tx: The Economics Of Water Pricing And The Effectiveness Of The Watersaver Landscape Rebate, Mark Wilkinson, Mitch Hagney, Yemi Idowu, Megan Miller

Earth and Environmental Geosciences Student Works

We address the effort to decrease residential water use in San Antonio, Texas, because recent droughts have made water conservation a high priority there. Since the city’s water utility—the San Antonio Water System (SAWS)—maintains water prices below economically efficient levels, demand is outstripping supply. To address this problem, we apply microeconomic analysis to the utility’s residential water pricing structure and the drought restrictions it imposes. We make recommendations for incentivizing water conservation in high-volume consumers by increasing the progressivity of SAWS pricing policies. SAWS also offers water conservation rebates, such as the WaterSaver Landscape Rebate, whose effectiveness we analyze herein. …

Exploring The Future Of Friesenhahn Cave, Dylana Watford, Katherine Banick, Graham Bates, Tori Carey

Earth and Environmental Geosciences Student Works

Friesenhahn Cave in San Antonio, Texas, offers a wealth of paleontological artifacts. The cave is owned by Concordia University and is primarily managed by Dr. Laurence Meissner, professor of biology at Concordia. Since its discovery in the early twentieth century, researchers have discovered numerous Pleistocene fossils; aside from the La Brea Tar Pits in California, Friesenhahn Cave is the most Pleistocene fossil-rich site in the United States. Recently, little research has been conducted in the cave, though it is believed that many fossils remain to be discovered. We propose the establishment of the Friesenhahn Cave Foundation, a non-profit organization whose …