Digital Commons Network^™

High Throughput Electrospinning Of High-Quality Nanofibers Via An Aluminum Disk Spinneret, Guokuo Zheng

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

In this work, a simple and efficient needleless high throughput electrospinning process using an aluminum disk spinneret with 24 holes is described. Electrospun mats produced by this setup consisted of fine fibers (nano-sized) of the highest quality while the productivity (yield) was many times that obtained from conventional single-needle electrospinning. The goal was to produce scaled-up amounts of the same or better quality nanofibers under variable concentration, voltage, and the working distance than those produced with the single needle lab setting. The fiber mats produced were either polymer or ceramic (such as molybdenum trioxide nanofibers). Through experimentation the optimum process …

On The Uniqueness Of Singular Kaehler-Einstein Metrics, Long Li

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

Bando and Mabuchi proved the uniqueness of Kaehler-Einstein metrics on Fano manifolds up to a holomorphic automorphism in 1987. Then recently Berndtsson generalized the uniqueness result of Kaehler-Einstein metrics to bounded potentials. We give a new proof of the Bando-Mabuch-Berndtsson uniqueness theorem in a different aspect, based on a new technique developed from Chen's C^{1,1} geodesic and Futaki's spectral formula. Finally, the uniqueness of the conical Kaehler-Einstein metrics will be discussed under the assumption of properness of twisted Ding-functional. | 61 pages

Limits Of Real-Normalized Dierentials On Stable Curves, Chaya Rifka Norton

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

A recent approach proposed by Grushevsky and Krichever uses real-normalized differentials, meromorphic differentials with all periods real, to study the geometry of the moduli space of curves. We describe the behavior of real-normalized differentials under degeneration of the Riemann surface, and this analysis allows us to study the limits of zeros of these differentials near the boundary of the Deligne-Mumford compactification of the moduli space of curves. Our explicit description of the behavior of real-normalized differentials near nodal curves provides a tool for understanding common zeros of such differentials which has applications for the study of plane curves. This analysis …

The Kontsevich Space Of Rational Curves On Cyclic Covers Of Projective Space, Lloyd Smith

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

In this thesis we consider the space of rational curves on a smooth cyclic cover of Pn. These varieties are the simplest examples of Fano varieties beyond the classical examples of complete intersections in homogeneous spaces. We show that for a general cyclic cover, the Kontsevich moduli stack of stable curves in X is irreducible and has the expected dimension. Specifically, let X be a general smooth cyclic cover of Pn of degree r branched over a divisor of degree rd, and let M(X,e) be the Kontsevich moduli stack of stable rational curves of degree e on X. We show …

Numerical Modeling And Combustion Studies Of Scramjet Problem, Ying Xu

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

Physical and numerical modeling of turbulent mixing and turbulent combustion in a Scramjet combustion chamber is studied. A high-order finite volume scheme is applied to the flow, accompanied with dynamic subgrid-scale model and local averaging procedure to account for the effect of unresolved small length scales turbulent fluid behavior. The Arrhenius law kinetic mechanism is applied to describe the nonlinearity of chemical reactions. To model combustion, the finite rate chemistry is developed to characterize the combustion process inside the combustion chamber. Results are compared among the finite rate model, the flamelet model/progress variable approach adopted by Stanford PSAAP center and …

On The Dynamics Of Non-Linear Systems And Actuation Devices, Dake Feng

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

The research results being presented in this thesis is divided into two areas. The first area is related to the development of a systematic method for model parameter identification of a large class of fully and not fully controlled nonlinear dynamics systems such as robot manipulators. The developed method is based on Trajectory Pattern Method (TPM). The developed method uses trajectory patterns with feed-forward controls to identify the system model parameters. The developed method ensures full system stability; does not require close initial estimated values for the system parameters to be identified; and provides a systematic method of emphasizing on …

Protein Dimerization Mechanisms Study With Molecular Dynamics Simulation, Yuan Yao

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

Protein dimerization is involved in many essential biological processes like gene expression, allosteric regulation, enzymatic activation and signal transduction. However, our understanding about dimerization mechanisms is limited despite of the progress made. In this work, we applied molecular dynamics simulation with all-atom structure-based model to the investigation often commonly studied regulatory dimers. Through the combinational analysis of intrinsic energy funnels, density of states, thermodynamic free energy landscapes, phi-values of transition states, and kinetic simulations, new and detailed mechanisms of dimerization and their coupling with monomer folding are revealed, in good agreements with existing experimental evidences and suggestions. We found five …

Biomechanical Analysis And Modeling Of Contact Interface As Applied In Tonometry And Bio-Inspired Skin Sensors, Jun Nishiyama

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

The modeling of contact interface, in which two entities are brought to interact with each other, either through direct contact or non-direct contact, is crucial in the understanding of robotics and biomedical research where such interface will determine important engineering properties. The modeling and analysis of direct contact interface and non-direct interface are studied in this dissertation, as applied in tonometry (non-contact) and skin sensors (contact). The stiffness of human organs or tissues is an important factor for medical diagnoses, and the accurate measurement of contact properties are very important. For instance, cancerous tissue has higher stiffness, and stiffer eyeballs …

The Fluid Dynamics Of Mercury Target Delivery And Exhaust For A Muon Collider Particle Production System, Yan Zhan

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

Liquid mercury has been investigated as a potential high-Z target for the production of Muon particles for the Muon Collider project. This thesis investigates the dynamics of mercury flow in a design of the target delivery system, with the objective of determining pipe configurations that yield weak turbulence intensity at the exit of the pipe. Curved circular pipes with various half-bend angles, with/without nozzles in the exit region, and with/without welds on the pipe inner surface are studied. Theoretical analysis is carried out for steady laminar incompressible flow, whereby the terms representing curvature effects are examined. Subsequent simulations of the …

Maintaining Stable Wireless Communication Connections Among Multiple Collaborative Mobile Robots By Intelligent Robot Motion Control, Xu Zhong

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

This dissertation addresses the critical issue of establishing and maintaining desired wireless communication connectivity in a team of collaborative mobile robots, which is highly demanded for reliable functioning of multi-robot systems but challenging in realistic environments. The signal propagation of wireless communications among mobile robots is affected by many issues, including the transmission power, distance, obstacles, robot movement, and other environmental conditions, which result in signal loss, attenuation, multi-path fading and shadowing. Consequently, the communication condition among mobile robots in a physical environment is usually unstable, and it is difficult to accurately predict the actual communication ranges of robots. We …

Enhanced Backbone Dihedral Parameters For Protein Simulations, Carmenza Martinez

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

Molecular Dynamics (MD) and Monte Carlo (MC) simulations of biomolecules have become a supportive tool to experimental methods for structure refinement, protein folding, drug discovery and many more applications. This is due to the increase in computational power and necessity of finding a method capable of describing the forces at work in chemical systems without the need to do extensive quantum calculations. All of these are possible because of the classical definition of the potential force field function. The force field function is essential to perform MD simulations, since this equation carries the physical description of the molecules being studied. …

Beam Energy And System-Size Dependence Of The Space-Time Extent Of The Pion Emission Source Produced In Heavy-Ion Collisions, Alex Muu Mwai

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

The primary goal of high-energy nuclear physics is to develop a thorough understanding of the QCD phase diagram: Its different phases, their boundaries, and the physics they define. Heavy-ion collisions reproduce at a microscale the conditions necessary to initiate the phase transitions of nuclear matter that are only possible at extreme temperatures (T) and baryon chemical potential (\mu_{B}). An important probe utilized in studies of the hot and dense matter created in heavy-ion collisions is the method of Hanbury-Brown and Twiss interferometry. The technique is useful in providing measurements in space and time of the pion emission sources at freeze-out. …

The Influences Of Interparental Conflict And Parenting On Children's Social Competence, Nadia Samad

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

Young children's social competence has profound effects on developmental outcomes (Diener & Kim, 2004). It has been well-established that children's home environments (i.e. | parenting, interparental conflict) are related to children's later social competence (O'Connor, Jenkins, Hewitt, DeFries, & Plomin, 2001; Parke et al. | 2001). A structural model was proposed that posited children's social information processing as a mechanism through which interparental conflict and parenting predict children's social competence. To test the proposed model, 397 families with at least one child between the ages of four and eight participated in the present study. The proposed model was analyzed and …

Piratical Designations: Power And Possibility In Representations Of Piracy, Michael D. High

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

This dissertation analyzes how designations and representations of piracy define, police, and challenge legitimate production and circulation. From antiquity through the present, the labeling of others as pirates has excluded the less powerful from the authorized distribution of tangible and intangible property. Such discursive exclusion not only defines piracy but also creates it, distinguishing it from other, sanctioned forms of appropriation. This exclusion generates political, legal, and cultural subjectivity, thereby allowing so-called pirates to affect the very discourses and processes from which they are excluded. The first chapter traces the term piracy from its linguistic origin in Ancient Greece to …

Performance-Optimized Detection, Tracking And Modeling Of Physical Phenomena In Distributed Sensing Environments, Anurag Umbarkar

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

Cyber Physical Systems (CPS) are distributed systems-of-systems that perform reliable data acquisition in order to build efficient data models. Data models are mathematical expressions that describe the attributes of the observed environments. These models can be used for monitoring, tracking and predicting the dynamics of the physical phenomena. Also, data models aid in formulating decision-making procedures under resource constraints. Data model construction in CPS is challenging because the dynamics of physical environments are hard to track in real-time through a distributed sensing network with limited bandwidth and local memory. Therefore, the limited resources must be optimally utilized to boost performance …

Thermal Emission Spectral Characterization Of Sandstones And Mudstones, Michael Terrance Thorpe

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

Thermal emission spectroscopy was used to determine the mineralogy of sandstone and mudstone rocks as part of an investigation of linear spectral mixing between sedimentary constituent phases. With widespread occurrences of sedimentary surfaces on Mars, the critical examination of sedimentary rocks spectral behavior provides a basis for interpreting the environment controlling the mineralogical history of this planet. Unmixing algorithms for thermal infrared rock spectra have previously proven to be a viable technique, with accuracies better than ~17 vol %. However, sedimentary rocks, with natural variation of composition, compaction, and grain size, have yet to be critically examined. In this work, …

Unmasking The Nation: Disputing Of National Myths In The Work Of Cristina García | Unmasking The Nation: Disputing Of National Myths In The Work Of Cristina Garcã­A, Jaimee Lyn Christinat

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

This thesis examines the ways in which Dreaming in Cuban, Monkey Hunting and A Handbook to Luck, three novels by Cristina Garcia, contradict and deconstruct popular national myths. In each novel, characters move between nations at key moments in each nation's history. Tracking these individuals' movements within a larger geopolitical framework allows for a new understanding of subaltern migration patterns. In each chapter, a specific aspect of movement is studied illustrating ways in which subaltern people are motivated and/or coerced to move from one nation or another, how their story becomes coopted by the larger national myth and where their …

Gender, Number, Nouns & Adjectives: A Study Of Grammatical Agreement In Second Language Learners Of Arabic & Spanish, Anne-Marie Marguerite Poulos

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

This thesis investigates the causes of gender and number agreement errors in learners of both Arabic and Spanish as second languages. Data was collected from each of these groups during beginner level language courses at a university. There were a total of eight tests. The first six were adjective selection activities focusing on a specific noun phrase or sentence structure. The last two were written tests, elicited by images, where students had to produce their own nouns and adjectives. The common first language (L1) of the majority of participants is English, which lacks adjective agreement and does not have the …

Consuming Modernity: Photography In Pre-Colonial Korea, 1876-1910, Heejeong Sohn

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

Postcolonial studies have successfully unveiled the cultural, social, and political networks of imperial and colonial representations embedded in visual documents of the non-Western world. Within this context, the early photography of Korea has been presented as a cultural force imposed on Koreans in relation to colonialism and Orientalism. This dissertation rethinks the representational politics of early photography during the pre-colonial period of 1876 to 1910 by problematizing the master narratives and suggesting alternative ways to interpret this historical material. Through analyzing the historical contexts of photographic materials and practices, this dissertation argues that photography, as a device of cultural expression, …

Mathematical Modeling Of G-Protein-Coupled Receptor Signaling Pathways, Tao Jiang

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

G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) signaling plays an important role in converting extracellular stimuli into cellular responses. Many biological functions are regulated by GPCR signaling, and nearly 40\% of current pharmaceuticals target GPCRs. In this work, mathematical modeling is used to investigate the initial steps of GPCR signaling with two major aims: 1) to understand the causes for non-canonical signaling behaviors; 2) to understand how signaling specificity is reacted to in the individual reactions of the pathway. The classic ternary complex model describing the interaction between a single ligand, receptor and G-protein served as our basic model for the initial investigation. Dose …

Software Tools For Stochastic Simulations Of Turbulence, Ryan Kaufman

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

We present two software tools useful for the analysis of mesh based physics application data, and specifically for turbulent mixing simulations. Each has a broader, but separate scope, as we describe. Both features play a key role as we push computational science to its limits and thus the present work contributes to the frontier of research. The first tool is Wstar, a weak* comparison tool, which addresses the stochastic nature of turbulent flow. The goal is to compare underresolved turbulent data in convergence, parameter dependence, or validation studies. This is achieved by separating space-time data from state data (e.g. density, …

Models And Numerical Algorithms For Hydrodynamics With Atomic Processes And High Energy Density Applications, Hyoungkeun Kim

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

The main goal of the research is the development of numerical equation of state model enabling hydrodynamic simulations of problems involving multiple ionization and it's application in the high energy density physics (HEDP) such as the plasma jet driven magnetoinertial fusion (PJMIF) concept and the pellet injection in Tokamak via simulations studies. For this goal, the mathematical models and numerical algorithms for ionization process has been developed, and they are demonstrated in several simulations with productive result. A numerical model for an average ionization equation-of-state (EOS) for high-Z plasmas undergoing multiple ionization processes has been developed by improving the classical …

Circulation And Transport Across The Iceland Faroes Shetland Ridge, Katelin Childers

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

The pathways and variability of warm Atlantic Water crossing over the Iceland Faroes Scotland Ridge to the Nordic Seas are an important component of the large scale Atlantic circulation. This dissertation presents the spatial and temporal characteristics of the currents crossing the ridge from both an observational and modeling perspective. Previous analyses of the volume flux across the ridge have relied on moored velocity data and standard hydrographic sections. A unique velocity dataset collected weekly by the M/F Norrona along repeated routes significantly improves the spatial resolution of observations between Iceland and Denmark. Output from a global climate model complements …

Population Dynamics Of Juvenile Atlantic Sturgeon, Acipenser Oxyrinchus Oxyrinchus, Within The Northwest Atlantic Ocean, Keith Joseph Dunton

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

The Atlantic sturgeon, Acipenser oxyrinchus, an anadromous long-lived fish has experienced substantial population declines leading to its recent listing under the Endangered Species Act. While this fish occupies and requires both riverine and marine habitats, a lack of knowledge regarding marine distribution/habitat use is hindering conservation measures directed at restoring depleted populations. Currently, concerns exist that Atlantic sturgeon populations are being hindered by incidental captures along their migrations routes within the near shore coastal fisheries. In order to best manage human activities in a way that populations may recover fully, it is necessary to understand the association between Atlantic sturgeon …

Improving Community Case Management Of Diarrhoea And Pneumonia In District Badin, Pakistan Through A Cluster Randomised Study--The Nigraan Trial Protocol, Fauziah Rabbani, Aftab A. Ali Mukhi, Shagufta Perveen, Xaher Gul, Saleem Iqbal Perwaiz, Shamim Ahmed Qazi, Iqbal Azam Syed, Khalid Hussain Shaikh, Wafa Aftab

Community Health Sciences

BACKGROUND:

Diarrhoea and pneumonia contribute 30% of deaths in children under 5 in Pakistan. Pakistan's Lady Health Workers Programme (LHW-P) covers about 60% of the population but has had little impact in reducing morbidity and mortality related to these major childhood killers. An external evaluation of the LHW-P suggests that lack of supportive supervision of LHWs by lady health supervisors (LHSs) is a key determinant of this problem. Project NIGRAAN aims to improve knowledge and skills of LHWs and community caregivers through supervisory strategies employed by LHSs. Ultimately, community casemanagement (CCM) of childhood pneumonia and diarrhoea will improve.

METHODS/DESIGN:

NIGRAAN …

A Teacher's Response To Response, Karen Larson Buechner

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

This study is an examination of instructional practices teachers implement during the drafting and revision process and contends that armed with knowledge of how a student responds emotionally and intellectually to these comments, a teacher can have a lasting impact on a writer's development. To that end, it is critical for the teacher to possess deep knowledge of response protocols and conferencing techniques in order for students to generate and refine their ideas. Areas of investigation include the relationship between response methods and writing improvement, the type and mode of comments that facilitate improvement, measurement of the effect of response …

Teaching And Learning In Fourth Space: Embodying Praxis, Becoming Role Model, Nicole Galante

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

If 21st century students can ask their mobile devices questions and receive nearly instant answers, how then can 21st century teachers enact an engaged pedagogy? One possibility is by learning with and in front of students, thus creating <&ldquo>fourth space<&rdquo>--a space in which teachers embody praxis and become simultaneous models of and participants in education. This dissertation provides a new framework for English Teacher Education that centers on fourth space and the ways that teachers and students can engage in critical contact zones from within it. Drawing on critical pedagogy, combining various perspectives about identity formation and reflection theories …

American Masculinity And Home In Antebellum Literature, Derek Scott Mcgrath

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

The conventional argument in literary and gender studies of nineteenth-century United States culture has been that the home was women's claimed sphere of influence, whereas men were excluded from the home because of their economic, cultural, and societal commitments to the public sphere. Even as Catharine Beecher, Lydia Maria Child, Sarah Josepha Hale, and other adherents to a conservative domestic ideology closely associated the private sphere with women, these same writers identified specific roles and spaces that they expected men to occupy in the home. Hardly only a woman's domain, the home was a powerful force in motivating constructions of …

Canonical Forest, Yu-Chuan Chen

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

In this dissertation, we propose a new classification ensemble method named Canonical Forest. This new ensemble method uses canonical linear discriminant analysis (CLDA) and bootstrap resampling method to create more accurate and diverse classifiers in an ensemble. Although CLDA is commonly used for dimension reduction, we note here CLDA serves as a linear transformation tool rather than a dimension reduction tool. Since CLDA will find the transformed space that separates the classes farther in distribution, classifiers built on this space will be more accurate than those on the original space. To further diversify the classifiers in an ensemble, CLDA is …

On The Subject Of Analyzing Iron And Sulfur Bearing Minerals From Three Extreme Environments: Geological Sequestration, Acid Mine Drainage, And Mars, Elizabeth Christ Sklute

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

The global iron and sulfur cycles are linked to some of the most ancient metabolisms on our planet, and, therefore, possibly other planetary bodies. They are also linked to some of our most pressing environmental problems on Earth. Understanding their interactions and monitoring their occurrence is, therefore, an important aspect of exploring planetary bodies and sustainable resource management. This dissertation reports investigations into the identification and analysis of iron and sulfur bearing phases in three extreme environments: Acid-gas/CO₂ co-sequestration, acid mine drainage (AMD), and Mars. H₂S and SO₂ (acid gases) are often co-contaminants in CO_{2 …}