Digital Commons Network^™

Technology, Transportation, And Scale In The Koyokuk Placer Mining District 1890s - 1930s, Jessica Sarah Peterson

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

The Koyukuk Mining District was one of several northern, turn of the century, gold rush regions. Miners focused their efforts in this region on the Middle Fork of the Koyukuk River and on several of its tributaries. Mining in the Koyukuk began in the 1880s and the first rush occurred in 1898. Continued mining throughout the early decades of the 1900s has resulted in an historic mining landscape consisting of structures, equipment, mining shafts, waste rock, trash scatters, and prospect pits. Modern work continues in the region alongside these historic resources. An archaeological survey was completed in 2012 as part …

Migration Patterns Among Young Adults In The United States: Environmental, Social, And Economic Explanations, Fangming Liu

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Young adult migration is a key factor in community development. The goal of this paper is to study what kinds of places attract young adults and what kinds are losing them. Linear regression is conducted to analyze what place-specific factors explain migration patterns among young adults. These factors include economic, social, and environmental variables. This study finds that social and environmental factors are just as important as economic ones. Specifically, employment in the arts increases young adult net migration. Environmental variables, for example, natural amenities and protected federal lands are particularly important in rural settings in attracting young adults. These …

The Processing Of Aluminum Gasarites Via Thermal Decomposition Of Interstitial Hydrides, Joseph James Licavoli

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Gasarite structures are a unique type of metallic foam containing tubular pores. The original methods for their production limited them to laboratory study despite appealing foam properties. Thermal decomposition processing of gasarites holds the potential to increase the application of gasarite foams in engineering design by removing several barriers to their industrial scale production. The following study characterized thermal decomposition gasarite processing both experimentally and theoretically. It was found that significant variation was inherent to this process therefore several modifications were necessary to produce gasarites using this method. Conventional means to increase porosity and enhance pore morphology were studied. Pore …

Investigations Of Cloud Microphysical Response To Mixing Using Digital Holography, Matthew Jacob Beals

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Cloud edge mixing plays an important role in the life cycle and development of clouds. Entrainment of subsaturated air affects the cloud at the microscale, altering the number density and size distribution of its droplets. The resulting effect is determined by two timescales: the time required for the mixing event to complete, and the time required for the droplets to adjust to their new environment. If mixing is rapid, evaporation of droplets is uniform and said to be homogeneous in nature. In contrast, slow mixing (compared to the adjustment timescale) results in the droplets adjusting to the transient state of …

Computational Prediction Of The Sporulation Network In Clostridium Thermocellum, Changyi Jiang

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Sporulation is a process in which some bacteria divide asymmetrically to form tough protective endospores, which help them to survive in a hazardous environment for a quite long time. The factors which can trigger this process are diverse. Heat, radiation, chemicals and lacking of nutrition can all lead to the formation of endospores. This phenomenon will lead to low productivity during industrial production. However, the sporulation mechanism in a spore-forming bacterium, Clostridium theromcellum, is still unclear. Therefore, if a regulation network of sporulation can be built, we may figure out ways to inhibit this process. In this study, a …

Pesky Pests Of The Great Lakes State: Is Public Participation Influenced By Geographic Differences?, Angela Yu

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

In Michigan, environmental issues, such as invasive species, are not geographically constrained, affecting citizens throughout the state. Regulations and management plans organized by scientists and officials are intended to address issues statewide, but these policies may not adequately tackle the threat from invasive species as it impacts different parts of the state at different times. Participation and contributions from citizens can offer insight into the impacts and changes non-native species have on the local ecosystem. However, chances to participate and contribute may be influenced by geographic location in the state. To understand if this was the case, this research studied …

The Planned And The Emergent: An Alternative Model Of Learning And Literacy, Lori S. Rogers

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Within academic institutions, writing centers are uniquely situated, socially rich sites for exploring learning and literacy. I examine the work of the Michigan Tech Writing Center's UN 1002 World Cultures study teams primarily because student participants and Writing Center coaches are actively engaged in structuring their own learning and meaning-making processes. My research reveals that learning is closely linked to identity formation and leading the teams is an important component of the coaches' educational experiences. I argue that supporting this type of learning requires an expanded understanding of literacy and significant changes to how learning environments are conceptualized and developed. …

The Holographic Detector For Clouds From Trl 5 To Trl 8, Matthew Jacob Beals

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Clouds are one of the most influential elements of weather on the earth system, yet they are also one of the least understood. Understanding their composition and behavior at small scales is critical to understanding and predicting larger scale feedbacks. Currently, the best method to study clouds on the microscale is through airborne in situ measurements using optical instruments capable of resolving clouds on the individual particle level. However, current instruments are unable to sufficiently resolve the scales important to cloud evolution and behavior. The Holodec is a new generation of optical cloud instrument which uses digital inline holography to …

Development Of The Ecocar 3 Proposal And Guidelines For Modeling And Design In Year One Of Ecocar 3, Tyler B. Daavettila

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

This report summarizes the work done for the Vehicle Powertrain Modeling and Design Problem Proposal portion of the EcoCAR3 proposal as specified in the Request for Proposal from Argonne National Laboratory.

The results of the modeling exercises presented in the proposal showed that:

• An average conventional vehicle powered by a combustion engine could not meet the energy consumption target when the engine was sized to meet the acceleration target, due the relatively low thermal efficiency of the spark ignition engine.
  

• A battery electric vehicle could not meet the required range target of 320 km while keeping the vehicle weight below …

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Breaking Codes: Making Theories On Menstruation Accessible Through Third-Wave Feminism, Carole S. Reynolds

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Men and women respond to situations according to their community’s social codes. With menstruation, people adhere to “menstrual codes”. Within academic communities, people adhere to “academic codes”. This report paper investigates performances of academic codes and menstrual codes. Implications of gender identity and race are missing and/or minimal in past feminist work regarding menstruation. This paper includes considerations for gender identity and race. Within the examination of academic codes, this paper discusses the inhibitive process of idea creation within the academic sphere, and the limitations to the predominant ways of knowledge sharing within, and outside of, the academic community. The …

Teaching The Gas Properties And Gas Laws: An Inquiry Unit With Alternative Assessment, Michael Hammar

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

As a chemistry teacher I felt that the gas laws were rather simple concepts to understand. My students, however, felt the opposite. Conceptual issues, as well as mathematical issues were problematic every year. In this study, a unit about gas properties and gas laws was modified to include inquiry-based teaching methods. The research questions focused on how these changes affected student results on a traditional end-of-the-unit test and on an alternative assessment. Students’ attitudes during these lessons were also monitored to see if the inquiry methods improved student perceptions of teaching, learning, and self-awareness. The results of this study showed …

Lattice Boltzmann Method And Cellular Automata Simulation Of Particle Motion And Deposition In 2-D Case, Yichao Deng

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

This technical report discusses the application of the Lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM) and Cellular Automata (CA) simulation in fluid flow and particle deposition. The current work focuses on incompressible flow simulation passing cylinders, in which we incorporate the LBM D2Q9 and CA techniques to simulate the fluid flow and particle loading respectively. For the LBM part, the theories of boundary conditions are studied and verified using the Poiseuille flow test. For the CA part, several models regarding simulation of particles are explained. And a new Digital Differential Analyzer (DDA) algorithm is introduced to simulate particle motion in the Boolean model. …

A Comparative Study Of Heuristic Optimization Algorithms, Rohit A. Bhatia

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Heuristic optimization algorithms are of great importance for reaching solutions to various real world problems. These algorithms have a wide range of applications such as cost reduction, artificial intelligence, and medicine. By the term cost, one could imply that that cost is associated with, for instance, the value of a function of several independent variables. Often, when dealing with engineering problems, we want to minimize the value of a function in order to achieve an optimum, or to maximize another parameter which increases with a decrease in the cost (the value of this function). The heuristic cost reduction algorithms work …

Spring Discharge Monitoring In Low-Resource Settings: A Case Study Of Concepción Chiquirichapa, Guatemala, Stephanie C. Tubman

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Water springs are the principal source of water for many localities in Central America, including the municipality of Concepción Chiquirichapa in the Western Highlands of Guatemala. Long-term monitoring records are critical for informed water management as well as resource forecasting, though data are scarce and monitoring in low-resource settings presents special challenges. Spring discharge was monitored monthly in six municipal springs during the author’s Peace Corps assignment, from May 2011 to March 2012, and water level height was monitored in two spring boxes over the same time period using automated water-level loggers. The intention of this approach was to circumvent …

A Comparison Of Pixel-Based Versus Object Oriented Analysis Of Landslides Using Historical Remote Sensing Data, Ren N. Keyport

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

With recent advances in remote sensing processing technology, it has become more feasible to begin analysis of the enormous historic archive of remotely sensed data. This historical data provides valuable information on a wide variety of topics which can influence the lives of millions of people if processed correctly and in a timely manner. One such field of benefit is that of landslide mapping and inventory. This data provides a historical reference to those who live near high risk areas so future disasters may be avoided. In order to properly map landslides remotely, an optimum method must first be determined. …

Three Hundred Years Of The St. Petersburg Paradox, Keguo Huang

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

The St. Petersburg Paradox was first presented by Nicholas Bernoulli in 1713. It is related to a gambling game whose mathematical expected payoff is infinite, but no reasonable person would pay more than $25 to play it. In the history, a number of ideas in different areas have been developed to solve this paradox, and this report will mainly focus on mathematical perspective of this paradox. Different ideas and papers will be reviewed, including both classical ones of 18th and 19th century and some latest developments. Each model will be evaluated by simulation using Mathematica.

Freestores: What, Why, And How, T. Durr, Roslynn Brain

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

Everyone seems to generate some sort of unwanted possession over the years, whether it be clothes they no longer wear, appliances they no longer use, or books they no longer read. While throwing unwanted items like this away in the trash is convenient and simple, it adds to the amount of solid waste found in landfills and the natural environment. Furthermore, it wastes potentially valuable resources that could be used by others.

A viable alternative to disposing of unwanted possessions in the trash is to donate them to a freestore to be used by others, or if one does not …

The Mentoring-Burnout Relationship And Predictors Of Nurse Mentoring Behavior, Meline Schaffer

All Dissertations

Employee burnout can be costly for organizations as well as employees as it contributes to turnover intentions, lost productivity and negative health outcomes (Aiken & Paice, 2003; Maslach & Leiter, 2008; Shaufeli & Bakker, 2004). The nursing profession appears to be particularly influenced by this stress-related phenomenon and is the targeted population in the current study (Shaufeli & Enzman, 1998). Using the Job Demands-Resources model, mentoring was examined as a factor that may impact burnout among experienced nurses. While positive mentoring experiences could serve as a resource that buffers against burnout, negative mentoring experiences may be a job demand that …

Congress's (Limited) Power To Represent Itself In Court, Tara Leigh Grove, Neal Devins

Articles

Scholars and jurists have long assumed that when the executive branch declines to defend a federal statute Congress may intervene in federal court to defend the law When invalidating the Defense of Marriage Act for example no Justice challenged the authority of the House of Representatives to defend federal laws in at least some circumstances At the same time in recent litigation over the Fast and Furious gunrunning case the Department of Justice asserted that the House could not go to court to enforce a subpoena against the executive We seek to challenge both claims We argue that Congress has …

Originalism And Purpose: A Precis Symposium: Back To The Basics: Originalism And Textualism In Constitutional Interpretation Today, Mark E. Brandon

Articles

No abstract provided.

The Exceptions Clause As A Structural Safeguard, Tara Leigh Grove

Articles

Scholars have long treated the Exceptions Clause of Article III as a serious threat to the Supreme Court's central constitutional function establishing definitive and uniform rules of federal law This Article argues that scholars have overlooked an important function of the Clause Congress has repeatedly used its broad "exceptions power" to facilitate not to undermine the Supreme Court's constitutional role Drawing on insights from social science this Article asserts that Congress has an incentive to use its control over federal jurisdiction to promote the Court's role in settling disputed federal questions Notably this argument has considerable historical support When the …

Institutional Actors In New York Times Co. V. Sullivan Symposium: The Press And Constitution 50 Years After New York Times V. Sullivan: Panel 2: Perspectives On Sullivan: The Justices, The Parties, And The Public, Paul Horwitz

Articles

No abstract provided.

Law's Violence: Derrick Bell's Next Article Challenging Authority: A Symposium Honoring Derrick Bell, Richard Delgado

Articles

No abstract provided.

Federalism Standing Symposium: The Structure Of Standing At 25, Heather Elliott

Articles

No abstract provided.

Rico Trends: From Gangsters To Class Actions, Pamela Bucy Pierson

Articles

This article addresses the question why isn't RICO used much RICO the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act both a crime and a civil cause of action was passed in 1970 with much fanfare The fanfare was deserved RICO was an imaginative criminal justice initiative aimed at complex systemic crime RICO's civil cause of action was viewed as a robust tool for plaintiffs and a vital supplement to strained law enforcement resources After conducting an indepth analysis of RICO opinions reported and unreported rendered by the federal appellate courts during the seven year time period from 20052011 this article has …

Learning Outcomes: A Study Of Student Employees At The University Of Northern Iowa Wellness And Recreation Center, Justin James Holman

Graduate Research Papers

The University of Northern Iowa (UNI) Wellness and Recreation Services (WRS) administration and professional staff have recognized that employment at the Wellness Recreation Center (WRC) can and should be a component of the education that student employees receive as UNI undergraduates. This is clearly supported by Keeling (2005), Caine, Caine, McClintic and Klimek (2005), Stayhorn (2006) among others and a host of sponsored studies by the American College Personnel Association and National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (2004). The purpose of this research is to establish a comprehensive comparative analysis of student employee development through employment with the UNIWRS.

Rational Reprogramming Of Fungal Polyketide First Ring Cyclization, Yuquan Xu, Tong Zhou, Zhengfu Zhou, Shiyou Su, Sue A. Roberts, William R. Montfort, Jia Zeng, Ming Chen, Wei Zhang, Min Lin, Jixun Zhan, Istvan Molnar

Biological Engineering Faculty Publications

Resorcylic acid lactones (RAL) and dihydroxyphenylacetic acid lactones (DAL) represent important pharmacophores with heat shock response and immune system modulatory activities. The biosynthesis of these fungal polyketides involves a pair of collaborating iterative polyketide synthases (iPKSs): a highly reducing iPKS (hrPKS) whose product is further elaborated by a nonreducing iPKS (nrPKS) to yield a 1,3-benzenediol moiety bridged by a macrolactone. Biosynthesis of unreduced polyketides requires the sequestration and programmed cyclization of highly reactive poly-β-ketoacyl intermediates to channel these uncommitted, pluripotent substrates towards defined subsets of the polyketide structural space. Catalyzed by product template (PT) domains of the fungal nrPKSs and …

Giving Meaning To Empty Words: Promoting Tribal Self-Governance By Narrowing The Scope Of Jury Vicinage And Venue Selection In Mca Adjudications, Shannon Rogers

Wyoming Law Review

No abstract provided.

Design And Application Of An In Vivo Reporter Assay For Phenylalanine Ammonialyase, S. Wang, S. Zhang, T. Zhou, J. Zeng, Jixun Zhan

Biological Engineering Faculty Publications

Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) is an important enzyme that links primary metabolism to secondary metabolism. Its efficiency is often a critical factor that affects the overall flux of a related metabolic pathway, the titer of the final products, and the efficacy of PAL-based therapies. Thus, PAL is a common target for metabolic engineering and it is of significant interest to screen efficient PALs for industrial and medical applications. In this study, a novel and efficient visible reporter assay for screening of PAL efficiency in Escherichia coli was established based on a plant type III polyketide biosynthetic pathway. The candidate PALs were …

Graduate Studies Fact Book

Graduate Studies Fact Books (2006-2017)

No abstract provided.