Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Digital Commons Network™

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

2013

Discipline
Institution
Keyword
Publication
Publication Type
File Type

Articles 49861 - 49890 of 49976

Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network

Examination Of Hurricane Vulnerability Of The U.S. Northeast And Mid-Atlantic Region, Shivangi Prasad Jan 2013

Examination Of Hurricane Vulnerability Of The U.S. Northeast And Mid-Atlantic Region, Shivangi Prasad

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

Northeastern and mid-Atlantic United States are understudied from the perspective of hurricane vulnerability. In an attempt to fill this gap in research, this dissertation attempted to assess the hurricane vulnerability of the northeastern and mid- Atlantic United States through the construction of a Composite Hurricane Vulnerability Index (CHVI) for 184 counties extending from Maine to Virginia. The CHVI was computed by incorporating indicators of human vulnerability and physical exposure. Human vulnerability was derived from demographic, social and economic characteristics whereas physical exposure was based on attributes of the natural and built up environments. The spatial distribution of the CHVI and …

Go to article

Florida Career And Technology Education, Francis. Serra Jan 2013

Florida Career And Technology Education, Francis. Serra

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

This quantitative study was designed to analyze the percentage of students pursuing selected Career and Technical Education (CTE) vocational courses in schools throughout the State of Florida and to determine if there is a relationship to school district size during school year 2008-2009. The study sought to determine if smaller districts are more likely to have a higher percentage of students enrolled in selected CTE programs that will provide entry into the work force in a skilled, preferably licensed occupation than larger districts. The study also sought to determine the relationship of the number of students enrolled in the CTE …

Go to article

Foreclosure Effects, Cindy M. Shaw Jan 2013

Foreclosure Effects, Cindy M. Shaw

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

The recent financial crisis which has beset the United States has made itself felt in a number of ways, not the least of which has been its adverse effect on the housing market. As foreclosure percentages accelerated, increasing numbers of properties across the country became empty and abandoned, leaving a visible imprint of deterioration in neighborhoods that were significantly affected. Initial GIS analysis of both foreclosed and non-foreclosed residential land in Broward County Florida was conducted, showing that there is a discernible spectral difference in the lawn space of these two types of properties, with foreclosed properties exhibiting more brownness, …

Go to article

From The Horse's Mouth, Jennifer K. Cox Jan 2013

From The Horse's Mouth, Jennifer K. Cox

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

This thesis challenges dualistic human and animal ontologies by interpreting science fiction (sf) literature, and argues that whereas words can equivocate and obscure meaning, bodies do not lie. Linguistics and semiology extend the definition of "language" to include human and nonhuman gestures and movement, and posthumanist theory expands definitions of "human" and "animal" to explore species boundaries. Scrutinizing opposing dualisms ultimately questions Western epistemology and authority, allowing for an exploration of embodied animal communications within the larger discourse on species and speciesism. This perspective results in a more comprehensive understanding of the interdependence of all species: human, animal, and "other." …

Go to article

Functional Aspects Of Behavior And Morphology In The Decorator Crab Microphrys Bicornutus (Latreille, 1825) (Crustacea: Brachyura: Mithracidae), Monique Alexandra Salazar Jan 2013

Functional Aspects Of Behavior And Morphology In The Decorator Crab Microphrys Bicornutus (Latreille, 1825) (Crustacea: Brachyura: Mithracidae), Monique Alexandra Salazar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

Masking or decorator crabs, conceal themselves partially through camouflage, by selecting or indiscriminately attaching materials from their environment to their exoskeleton. Functional aspects of decorating behavior and morphology in this group have not been documented. Using Microphrys bicornutus as a model species, this dissertation demonstrates clearly that decorating is an advantageous phenotype that has evolved to serve several functions. Decorating is a complex behavior that begins when a crab approaches an algal substrate and results in the attachment of algae to hooked setae on the exoskeleton. Once decorated, crabs remain motionless on the substrate until disturbed or until another behavior …

Go to article

Founding Mothers And Movement Mamas: African American Women In The Depression-Era Southern Tenant Famers' Union, Matthew Placido Jan 2013

Founding Mothers And Movement Mamas: African American Women In The Depression-Era Southern Tenant Famers' Union, Matthew Placido

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

This paper explores the lives of poor, black sharecropping women, arguing that the Southern Tenant Farmers’ Union provided an avenue for them to embrace civil rights activism, perform semiprofessional work, and construct a sisterhood of black female solidarity – thus making the union an organization through which lower-class African American women contributed to the Long Civil Rights movement. During the Great Depression, black and white farmwomen from the Delta region worked together to fight the system of racial subjugation and exploitation. Black women represented one of the largest and most important demographic groups within the STFU, frequently serving as secretaries, …

Go to article

Bioinformatic Analysis Of Viral Genomic Sequences And Concepts Of Genome-Specific National Vaccine Design, Sharmistha P. Chatterjee Jan 2013

Bioinformatic Analysis Of Viral Genomic Sequences And Concepts Of Genome-Specific National Vaccine Design, Sharmistha P. Chatterjee

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

This research is concerned with analyzing a set of viral genomes to elucidate the underlying characteristics and determine the information-theoretic aspects of the genomic signatures. The goal of this study thereof, is tailored to address the following: (i) Reviewing various methods available to deduce the features and characteristics of genomic sequences of organisms in general, and particularly focusing on the genomes pertinent to viruses; (ii) applying the concepts of information-theoretics (entropy principles) to analyze genomic sequences; (iii) envisaging various aspects of biothermodynamic energetics so as to determine the framework and architecture that decide the stability and patterns of the subsequences …

Go to article

Binary Neutron Star Mergeres: Simulations With Arbitrarily Spinning Stars, Petr Tsatsin Jan 2013

Binary Neutron Star Mergeres: Simulations With Arbitrarily Spinning Stars, Petr Tsatsin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

The starting point of any general relativistic numerical simulation is a solution of the Hamiltonian and momentum constraints that (ideally) represents an astrophysically realistic scenario. This dissertation presents a new method to produce initial data sets for binary neutron stars with arbitrary spins and orbital eccentricities. The method only provides approximate solutions to the constraints. However, it was shown that the corresponding constraint violations subside after a few orbits, becoming comparable to those found in evolutions of standard conformally flat, helically symmetric binary initial data. This dissertation presents the first spinning neutron star binary simulations in circular orbits with a …

Go to article

Blended, Abbe. Greenberg Jan 2013

Blended, Abbe. Greenberg

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

Blended: A Memoir is the author's recollection of her endeavors to overcome the difficulties that often accompany becoming a stepmother and build a "seamless" family.

Go to article

Ferdinand’S Self-Hood: Lycanthropy And Agency In The Duchess Of Malfi, Connor Boyle Jan 2013

Ferdinand’S Self-Hood: Lycanthropy And Agency In The Duchess Of Malfi, Connor Boyle

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

John Webster’s play The Duchess of Malfi subverts early modern hierarchical structures of matter and life by characterizing the human body as fundamentally deceptive and inferior to the animal body. Through close readings of Bosola’s meditations and Ferdinand’s lycanthropy, I consider how Webster constructs animals as simplistic creatures that enjoy a desirable existence, where body and soul are continuous. Within Webster’s play, the dualist conflict between human body and human soul is a primary subject of discourse. Various human characters see animal existence as preferential, as they view animals as automated creatures that do not suffer the self-consciousness that humans …

Go to article

Exploring Pedagogical Relationships Within A Culture Of Creativity In A Reggio Emilia-Inspired School, Barbara At Becraft Jan 2013

Exploring Pedagogical Relationships Within A Culture Of Creativity In A Reggio Emilia-Inspired School, Barbara At Becraft

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

The current study explores what characterizes the relationship between the pedagogical processes within a school culture of creativity in a Reggio Emilia-inspired school in the Southeastern United States. The questions which frame the study are: 1. How is a culture of creativity fostered within a Reggio Emilia-inspired school? 2. Within a culture of creativity, what characterizes the relationship between the pedagogical processes of curriculum and assessment? The research was designed as ethnography and incorporates multiple data sets which provide layers of rich and descriptive information that reveal how to foster a culture of creativity in a school for young children. …

Go to article

Exploratory Analysis Of The Dimensionality Of The Mechanisms That Drive Private Giving Among Alumni Association Members And Non-Member Donors, Paul. Metcalf Jan 2013

Exploratory Analysis Of The Dimensionality Of The Mechanisms That Drive Private Giving Among Alumni Association Members And Non-Member Donors, Paul. Metcalf

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

This study operationalized Bekkers and Wiepking's (2007, 2011) eight theoretical mechanisms that drive private giving, examining them within the context of alumni donor behavior at a selected public university in the southern region of the United States. The purpose of the study was to determine if the theoretical mechanisms that drive private giving represent distinct psychometric dimensions, and whether they are correlated with one another or essentially independent. A survey with 24 original items was created for this study, and completed by 178 alumni association member donors and non-member donors from the selected university. The study found support for six …

Go to article

Emotion And The Designed Object, Brittany Diane Schade Jan 2013

Emotion And The Designed Object, Brittany Diane Schade

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

This thesis explores the expression of emotion through designed objects. Objects act as vehicles of memory in the same way language is the visible form of thought. In graphic design, the sensory qualities of an object provide a material surface on which information is communicated. The goal is to expose the autonomy of materials and form available to designers in the physical world while expressing emotional meaning beyond original form. By recasting the temporary fragments and observations of life into designed objects imbued with personal and cultural importance, the audience gains insight into others' personal and emotional experiences. Through our …

Go to article

Emotional And Physiological Regulation During Parent-Child Interaction In Preschoolers, Kathryn L. Marsh Jan 2013

Emotional And Physiological Regulation During Parent-Child Interaction In Preschoolers, Kathryn L. Marsh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

The purpose of the current study is to examine physiological and behavioral components of emotional regulation and the development of empathy in preschoolers. It also examines how the parents play a role in their child's development of emotional competence. Behavioral and physiological responses were assessed for the children during stories chosen for emotional content (one happy and one sad story for each parent). Maternal and paternal ratings of self-expressivity were collected using the Self- Expressiveness in Family Questionnaire (Halberstadt et al., 1995). Greater vagal suppression occurred during the sad conditions suggesting that negative emotions require more processing strategies. Greater attentional …

Go to article

Empirical Study Of Children's Enjoyment And Perceived Competence In Physical Education And Its Effects On Their Physical Activity Participation Outside Of School, Keith. Brazendale Jan 2013

Empirical Study Of Children's Enjoyment And Perceived Competence In Physical Education And Its Effects On Their Physical Activity Participation Outside Of School, Keith. Brazendale

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between children's enjoyment and perceived competence in physical education (PE) and the effects these factors may have on physical activity participation outside of school. Fifth through eighth grade (n = 100) school children completed questionnaires pertaining to their enjoyment in PE, perceived competence in PE, and physical activity participation outside of school. Results indicated a positive significant relationship between enjoyment in PE, and perceived competence in PE (p<0.01). Children with higher perceptions of competence in school PE, reported greater physical activity participation outside of the school environment (p<0.002). Enjoyment in PE had no statistical significance in determining physical activity participation outside of school (p>0.05). Understanding the factors which influence physical activity participation can help inform future policies and strategies aimed at providing developmentally appropriate experiences, …

Go to article

Electroreception In The Obligate Freshwater Stingray, Potamotrygon Motoro, Lindsay L. Harris Jan 2013

Electroreception In The Obligate Freshwater Stingray, Potamotrygon Motoro, Lindsay L. Harris

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

Elasmobranch fishes use electroreception to detect electric fields in the environment, particularly minute bioelectric fields produced by potential prey. A single elasmobranch family (Potamotrygonidae) is composed of obligate freshwater stingrays endemic to the Amazon River. A freshwater existence has imposed morphological adaptions on their electrosensory system due to life in a high impedance medium. Because their electrosensory morphology differs from their marine relatives, freshwater stingrays may demonstrate corresponding differences in behavioral sensitivity. The objective of this study was to quantify behavioral sensitivity of the obligate freshwater stingray Potamotrygon motoro to prey-simulating voltage. The voltage produced by common teleost prey of …

Go to article

Evil Done Vulnerability Assessment: Examining Terrorism Targets Through Situational Crime Prevention, Stacy Paton Jan 2013

Evil Done Vulnerability Assessment: Examining Terrorism Targets Through Situational Crime Prevention, Stacy Paton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

Following the events of September 11th, 2001, national attention has been captivated by terrorism and terrorism prevention. Parallel to this time of increased focus on terrorism prevention, adequate funding to support new departments or increased terrorism prevention efforts in existing departments was unattainable. Consequently, a strong need for prevention strategies that are affordable and highly applicable at the local level has resulted. Thus, it is the purpose of this study to examine methods of risk assessment and test the accuracy of such methodologies in order to assist local organizations in effectively applying limited resources for opportunity reduction at vulnerable locations …

Go to article

Affect Coding Within The Therapeutic Relationship, Ashley J. Luedke Jan 2013

Affect Coding Within The Therapeutic Relationship, Ashley J. Luedke

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

This study investigates affect coding within the therapeutic relationship, by exploring the client's and therapist's perception of the relationship and the facial and vocal affect expressed by both parties. A sample of 14 therapy sessions each having 1800 data points was collected. The Working Alliance Inventory Short Form (WAI-S) and Real Relationship Inventory (RRI) were completed after each recorded session. The participants were therapists and clients at a university counseling center in South Florida. Data were analyzed using one-tailed t tests, descriptive statistics, scores from RRI and the WAI-S and percentages of negative, neutral and positive affect. Statistically significant relationships …

Go to article

Amtal Rule, Adella. Irizarry Jan 2013

Amtal Rule, Adella. Irizarry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

In this project, I focus on the function of the "amtal" or test of definition or destruction, in Frank Herbert's Dune. It is my argument that these tests "to destruction" determine not only the limits or defects of the person being tested, but also - and more crucially - the very limits and defects of the definition of humanity in three specific cultural spheres within the novel: the Bene Gesserit, the Fremen, and the Faufreluches. The definitions of "amtal" as well as "humanity," like all definitions, are somewhat fluid, changing depending on usage, cultural context, and the political and social …

Go to article

An Empirical Methodology For Foundry Specific Submicroncmos Analog Circuit Design, Wilfredo Rivas-Torres Jan 2013

An Empirical Methodology For Foundry Specific Submicroncmos Analog Circuit Design, Wilfredo Rivas-Torres

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

Analog CMOS amplifiers are the building blocks for many analog circuit applications such as Operational Amplifiers, Comparators, Analog to Digital converters and others. This dissertation presents empirical design methodologies that are both intuitive and easy to follow on how to design these basic building blocks. The design method involves two main phases. In the first phase NMOS and PMOS transistor design kits, provided by a semiconductor foundry, are fully characterized using a set of simulation experiments. In the second phase the user is capable of modifying all the relevant circuit design parameters while directly observing the tradeoffs in the circuit …

Go to article

Aerodynamic Analysis Of A Propeller In A Turbulent Boundary Layer Flow, Felipe Ferreira Lachowski Jan 2013

Aerodynamic Analysis Of A Propeller In A Turbulent Boundary Layer Flow, Felipe Ferreira Lachowski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

Simulating the exact chaotic turbulent flow field about any geometry is a dilemma between accuracy and computational resources, which has been continuously studied for just over a hundred years. This thesis is a complete walk-through of the entire process utilized to approximate the flow ingested by a Sevik-type rotor based on solutions to the Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes equations (RANS). The Multiple Reference Frame fluid model is utilized by the code of ANSYS-FLUENT and results are validated by experimental wake data. Three open rotor configurations are studied including a uniform inflow and the rotor near a plate with and without a …

Go to article

Evaluation Of Surface Dose Outside The Treatment Area For Breast Cancer Irradiation Modalities Using Thermoluminescence Dosimeters (Tlds), Suraj P. Khanal Jan 2013

Evaluation Of Surface Dose Outside The Treatment Area For Breast Cancer Irradiation Modalities Using Thermoluminescence Dosimeters (Tlds), Suraj P. Khanal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

The purpose of this research is to compare the surface dose outside the treatment area for different breast cancer irradiation modalities using Thermoluminescence Dosimeters (TLDs). Five different modalities are included in this study: Accuboost, Photon boost, Electron boost, Strut-Adjusted Volume Implant (SAVI), and Mammosite Multi-lumen (ML).Six points of interest (POI) on the breast cancer patients had been selected for the TLDs placement. Data from 25 breast cancer patients at Lynn Cancer Institute of the Boca Raton Regional Hospital were included in the study. The measured percentage ranges of the averaged doses at the six POIs for the different modalities are: …

Go to article

Evaluation Of Future Design Rainfall Extremes And Characteristics Using Multiple-Model And Multiple-Scenario Climate Change Models, Celyn Dezmain Jan 2013

Evaluation Of Future Design Rainfall Extremes And Characteristics Using Multiple-Model And Multiple-Scenario Climate Change Models, Celyn Dezmain

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

Climate models are common tools for developing design standards in the hydrologic field; however, these models contain uncertainties in multi-model and scenario selections. Along with these uncertainties, biases can be attached to the models. Such biases and uncertainties can present difficulties in predicting future extremes. These hydrologic extremes are believed to be non-stationary in character. Only in the recent past have model users come to terms that the current hydrologic designs are no longer relevant due to their assumption of stationarity. This study describes a systematic method of selecting a best fit model in relationship to location and time, along …

Go to article

Building A Character, Peterson Elizabeth Marie Cruz Jan 2013

Building A Character, Peterson Elizabeth Marie Cruz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

This dissertation focuses on the elements of performance that contribute to the actress's development of somatic practices. By mastering the art of articulation and vocalization, by transforming their bodies and their environment, these actors created their own agency. The female actors lived the life of the characters they portrayed, which were full of multicultural models from various social and economic classes. Somaesthetics, as a focus of sensory-aesthetic appreciation and somatic awareness, provides a pragmatic approach to understanding the unique way in which the woman of the early modern Spanish stage, while dedicating herself to the art of acting, challenged the …

Go to article

Binary Black Hole Mergers, George C. Reifenberger Jan 2013

Binary Black Hole Mergers, George C. Reifenberger

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

We study the evolution of binary black hole initial data schemes as alternatives to the standard puncture construction. These alternatives are based on post-Newtonian expansions that contain realistic gravitational waves. The first scheme is based on a second order post-Newtonian expansion in Arnowitt, Deser, and Misner transverse-traceless (ADMTT) gauge that has been re-summed to approach standard puncture data at the black holes. The other schemes are based on asymptotic matching of the 4-metrics of two tidally perturbed Schwarzschild solutions to post-Newtonian expansions at different orders. The alternatives are encouraging and lead to quasi-circular orbits and show gravitational radiation from the …

Go to article

Berth Scheduling In Container Terminals, Palomo Maria I Portal Jan 2013

Berth Scheduling In Container Terminals, Palomo Maria I Portal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

Ports and container terminals have very complex and dynamic operations. Effective and efficient berth schedules are essential for profitable and sustainable operations. This research studies berth scheduling under uncertainties in arrival and handling times. Port operators usually face challenges in the development of berth schedules. This thesis presents a model formulation of discrete berth space that accounts for uncertainty in arrival and handling times. The problem is reformulated as a biobjective bi-level optimization berth scheduling problem. A solution approach is presented using evolutionary algorithms and heuristics. The objective of the formulation is to provide a robust berth schedule by minimizing …

Go to article

What Exactly Are Exactions?, Jessica Owley, Stephen J. Tulowiecki Jan 2013

What Exactly Are Exactions?, Jessica Owley, Stephen J. Tulowiecki

Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

Go to article

Newfound Lake, Cooperative Extension Jan 2013

Newfound Lake, Cooperative Extension

UNH Cooperative Extension

No abstract provided.

Go to article

Neural Network-Based Optimal Control Of Mobile Robot Formations With Reduced Information Exchange, Travis Dierks, Bryan Brenner, S. Jagannathan Jan 2013

Neural Network-Based Optimal Control Of Mobile Robot Formations With Reduced Information Exchange, Travis Dierks, Bryan Brenner, S. Jagannathan

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A novel formation control scheme for mobile robots is introduced in the context of leader-follower framework with reduced communication exchange. The dynamical controller inputs for the robots are approximated from nonlinear optimal control techniques in order to track the designed control velocities generated by the kinematic controller. The proposed nonlinear optimal control technique, referred to as adaptive dynamic programming, uses neural networks (NNs) to solve the optimal formation control problem in discrete time in the presence of unknown internal dynamics and a known control coefficient matrix. A modification to the follower's kinematic controller is used to allow the desired formation …

Go to article

Neural Network-Based Adaptive Event-Triggered Control Of Affine Nonlinear Discrete Time Systems With Unknown Internal Dynamics, Avimanyu Sahoo, Hao Xu, S. Jagannathan Jan 2013

Neural Network-Based Adaptive Event-Triggered Control Of Affine Nonlinear Discrete Time Systems With Unknown Internal Dynamics, Avimanyu Sahoo, Hao Xu, S. Jagannathan

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this paper, the design of a neural network (NN) based adaptive model-based event-triggered control of an uncertain single input single output (SISO) nonlinear discrete time system in affine form is presented. The controller uses an adaptive estimator consisting of a single-layer NN not only to approximate the internal dynamics of an affine nonlinear discrete-time system but also to provide an estimate of the state vector during inter event interval. The NN weights of the adaptive NN estimator are tuned in a aperiodic manner at the event trigger instants unlike periodic updates in standard adaptive neural network (NN) control. A …

Go to article

First Prev Next Last