Digital Commons Network^™

Developments In Lfm-Cw Sar For Uav Operation, Craig Lee Stringham

Theses and Dissertations

Opportunities to use synthetic aperture radar (SAR) in scientific studies and military operations are expanding with the development of small SAR systems that can be operated on small unmanned air vehicles (UAV)s. While the nimble nature of small UAVs make them an attractive platform for many reasons, small UAVs are also more prone to deviate from a linear course due autopilot errors and external forces such as turbulence and wind. Thus, motion compensation and improved processing algorithms are required to properly focus the SAR images. The work of this dissertation overcomes some of the challenges and addresses some of the …

Impact Of Peer Praise Notes Issued During Recess: Effects On Office Disciplinary Referrals, Elise Ann Teerlink

Theses and Dissertations

School recess can be a problematic setting due to inadequate safety, supervision, and structure. Peer praise notes (PPNs) is a school-wide positive behavior support strategy that was implemented during recess to address these concerns at a Title I elementary school. An ABAB reversal design across all students was employed to evaluate the effectiveness of PPNs. Overall changes in office disciplinary referrals (ODRs) in each phase of the design, an effect size that reflects a highly effective treatment, and a moderately strong and statistically significant negative correlation suggest that PPNs decreased ODRs. Results from social validity surveys completed by eight recess …

Being Transformed By Being A Peer Mentor: An Examination Of High-Impact And Transformative Peer Mentor Experience, Bryce D. Bunting

Theses and Dissertations

This multi-article dissertation explores the potential for the undergraduate peer mentoring experience to contribute to transformative learning for those who serve in peer mentoring or peer leadership roles. While past research has established that peer mentors experience a variety of positive outcomes associated with their leadership experience, there are gaps in the literature with regard to how the peer mentor experience can be intentionally designed as a high-impact practice for student leaders. Through three qualitative studies, as well as a comprehensive literature review, this dissertation addresses this gap by exploring what peer mentors report learning through their mentoring experiences (Article …

Inclusive Recreation: The Malleability Of Attitudes Toward Disability Through Peer Interaction, Megan Fort

Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the malleability of attitudes with the goal of improving social inclusion for a stigmatized group, specifically individuals with developmental disabilities. Contact Theory was used as an intentional structure for meaningful intergroup contact to assess, understand, and improve meanings applied to individuals with disabilities at an inclusive summer day camp. Adolescent volunteers were administered quantitative questionnaires utilizing the Contact with Disabled Persons Scale (CDP) and the Multi-Dimensional Attitude Scale (MAS). Collected data were used to determine the efficacy of involvement in an inclusive recreation program on adolescent participants' attitudes toward disability. After a covariate-adjusted regression analysis, contact with …

Generality Of The Terminal Investment Hypothesis: Effects Of Extrinsic Mortality And Resource Availability On Age-Related Reproductive Investment, Allystair Jones

Theses and Dissertations

A central question in life history theory is, what combination of traits and behaviors will lead to the highest reproductive success throughout a lifetime. The trade-off between current and future reproduction is central to the lifetime reproductive success of an organism. If there is a cost to reproduction, then allocation of energy to current reproduction will come at a cost to future reproduction. We expect young individuals to favor future reproduction over current reproduction and that balance shifts to current reproduction as they age (i.e. terminal investment hypothesis). However, how this transition from an emphasis on future reproduction to emphasis …

Shear-Dominated Bending Behavior Of Carbon/Epoxy Composite Lattice Isobeam Structures, Kirsten Bramall Hinds

Theses and Dissertations

Composite lattice structures known as the IsoBeam™ made with unidirectional carbon/epoxy were manufactured and tested in shear-dominated bending. The manufacturing process consisted of placing tows of carbon fiber pre-impregnated with epoxy resin onto a pin-type mandrel to create members with interwoven joints. The members were consolidated with a half spiral aramid sleeve. The IsoBeam structure consists of two main types of members: longitudinal and diagonal members measuring nominally 0.4 in. (10.2 mm) and 0.2 in. (5.1 mm) in diameter, respectively. The hand-manufactured specimens measured nominally 6 in. (152.4 mm) high by 3 in. (76.2 mm) wide by 2 ft (0.61 …

Evaluation Of Current Empirical Methods For Predicting Lateral Spread-Induced Ground Deformations For Large Magnitude Earthquakes Using Maule Chile 2010 Case Histories, Ginger Emily Tryon

Theses and Dissertations

Improving seismic hazard analysis is an important part of building safer structures and protecting lives. Since large magnitude earthquakes are rarer than other earthquakes, it is harder to model seismic hazards such as lateral spread displacements for these events. Engineers are often required to extrapolate current lateral spreading models when designing utilities, bridges, and piers to withstand the ground displacements caused by earthquakes with magnitudes larger than 8.0. This study uses three case histories from the Maule Chile 2010 earthquake (Mw =8.8) to develop recommendations on which models are most accurate for large earthquake events and how to improve the …

Investigating The Relationship Between High Temperature Flow Stress And Friction Stir Weldability In Hsla Steels, David Jordan Walser

Theses and Dissertations

The feed rate at which a defect free friction stir weld can be run (friction stir weldability) on an HSLA steel plate can vary widely between heats that meet the same specified physical properties. Consequently, every time a new heat of HSLA steel is obtained, exploratory welds must be run to determine the proper feed rate for that plate. Previous research suggests that the varying levels of alloying elements related to high temperature physical properties between the different heats causes the observed change in friction stir weldability. Because of this, it was hypothesized that the high temperature physical properties of …

Latin American Data Drought: An Assessment Of Available River Observation Data In Select Latin American Countries And Development Of A Web-Based Application For A Hydrometerological Database System In Spanish, Stephen Joseph Bolster

Theses and Dissertations

The demand and collection of hydrometeorological data is growing to support hydrologic and hydraulic analyses, and other studies. These data can amount to extensive information that requires sound data management to enable efficient storage, access, and use. While much of the globe is using technology to efficiently collect and store hydrometeorological data, other parts, such as developing countries, are unable to do so. This thesis presents an assessment of available river observations data in Latin American countries in Central America and the Caribbean. The assessment analyzes 1) access to available data, 2) spatial density of data, and 3) the temporal …

Understanding The Diversification Of Central American Freshwater Fishes Using Comparative Phylogeography And Species Delimitation, Justin C. Bagley

Theses and Dissertations

Phylogeography and molecular phylogenetics have proven remarkably useful for understanding the patterns and processes influencing historical diversification of biotic lineages at and below the species level, as well as delimiting morphologically cryptic species. In this dissertation, I used an integrative approach coupling comparative phylogeography and coalescent-based species delimitation to improve our understanding of the biogeography and species limits of Central American freshwater fishes. In Chapter 1, I conducted a literature review of the contributions of phylogeography to understanding the origins and maintenance of lower Central American biodiversity, in light of the geological and ecological setting. I highlighted emerging phylogeographic patterns, …

Ground Forces Impact On Release Of Rotational Shot Put Technique, Niklas B. Arrhenius

Theses and Dissertations

In the shot put throw, the primary power is generated in the form of ground reaction forces as a result of action of the lower extremities (Coh, Stuhec, & Supej, 2008). The purpose of this study was to determine how the ground reaction force and ground contact time during the delivery phase of rotational shot put relates to the predicted distance of the throw. This will allow us to determine the optimal approach of force application for maximum throwing distance (Linthorne, 2001). Eight male subjects were used in this study (age 23 ± 4 y; body mass 123 ± 14 …

Leisure Defined By Free Choice: Ugandan Women's Perceptions Of Leisure, Emilie Adams

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the meaning of leisure among women in the developing East African nation of Uganda. In this study, I evaluated the leisure experiences of 38 Ugandan women of various backgrounds and socioeconomic statuses through semi-structured interviews. I analyzed the data using the constant comparative method. Themes for the meaning of leisure include fortifying leisure, enjoyment, and rest and relaxation. Results point to free choice as the core variable. Finally, I discuss the implications and suggestions for future research.

Comparative Analysis Of Ceramics From Three Great Houses And One Small House Site In Southeast Utah, Rachel Marie Harris

Theses and Dissertations

Ceramics from three Utah great houses, Bluff, Cottonwood Falls, and Edge of the Cedars, were analyzed and compared with ceramics from Three Kiva Pueblo, which is not a great house site but was occupied contemporarily. Data on jar and bowl rim diameters were considered to understand great house feasting dynamics. Cooking jars with large rim diameters were more common at Three Kiva than they were at the great houses. This suggests that Three Kiva residents prepared large batches of food more frequently than great house residents. Distributions of Mancos Black-on-white bowl diameters were very similar at great houses and Three …

Tincr: Integrating Custom Cad Tool Frameworks With The Xilinx Vivado Design Suite, Brad S. White

Theses and Dissertations

The field programmable gate array (FPGA) is appealing as a computational platform because of its ability to be repurposed for a number of different applications and its relatively low design cost. Traditionally, FPGA vendors provide a set of electronic design automation (EDA) tools to assist customers with the implementation of their designs. These tools are necessarily general purpose, and the resulting tool flow does not provide the user much in the way of customization. Frameworks such as RapidSmith and Torc allow for the creation of custom CAD tools that are able to target actual Xilinx FPGA devices. However, they are …

Design And Implementation Of An Inverse Modeling Framework Using The Method Of Anchored Distributions, Carlos Andres Osorio Murillo

Theses and Dissertations

Estimation of spatial random fields (SRFs) such as transmissivity or porosity is required for predicting groundwater flow and subsurface contaminant movement. Similarly, distributed parameter fields such as terrain roughness and evapotranspiration coefficients are required by other areas of environmental and earth sciences modeling. This dissertation presents an inverse modeling framework for characterizing SRFs called MAD#, which is an end-user software implementation of the Bayesian inverse modeling technique Method of Anchored Distributions (MAD). The MAD# framework allows modelers to “wrap” existing simulation modeling tools using an extensible driver architecture that exposes model parameters to the inversion engine. A compelling aspect of …

The Word Problem Factor: Assessing The Ability Of Utah High School Career And Technical Education Students To Do The Math Involved In Formulating And Calculating Energy Cost Factors, Kristen Bentley

Theses and Dissertations

Much research has been done showing the difficulty people have with word problems. This has been shown to be true for many types of word problems and for different demographics. Questions have remained unanswered regarding the reasons for this difficulty. It has been unclear if the word problems were hard because the people had forgotten or had not yet learned how to do the math calculations involved or for some other reason. This study deals with high school students who are currently in a high school level math class. They were given an assessment involving word problems and number-only problems. …

The Roman Riders: Ethnicity And Iconography On Roman Cavalrymen Tombstones, Jessica Colleen Kramer

Theses and Dissertations

The funerary grave stelae of the Roman cavalrymen are large, impressive monuments set apart from their military counterparts by the ornate relief carvings which they exhibit. The two most common motifs featured on these tombstones are the rider relief motifs and the totenmahl motifs. Aspects of both the reliefs and the inscribed epitaphs are distinctly characteristic of the Roman military. Throughout the history of the Roman Empire, men in the auxiliary cavalry units were recruited from non-Roman allied tribes. These recruits brought with them foreign languages, customs, and beliefs. Through a comparative study of Roman cavalry tombstones found in Great …

Relationships Matter: Social Networks Influencing Hispanic American Cadets' Decision To Participate In A University Rotc Program, Marc Earl Boberg

Theses and Dissertations

The Armed Forces of the United States and specifically the U.S. Army seek to have a racial/ethnic mix of officers (leaders) who match the racial/ethnic mix of the soldiers they lead and the country they defend. Currently Hispanic Americans are under-represented in the officer corps especially at senior levels. Social network theory was used to facilitate understanding a potential officer candidate's network of alters (people they interact with) and their relationships when they are seeking to make decisions related to enrolling in college and Army ROTC. When making the decision to enroll in Army ROTC, there is a complex social …

The Effects Of Worksite Health Promotion Programs On Employee Biometric Data, Jamie M. Pratt

Theses and Dissertations

INTRODUCTION: Worksite health promotion programs (WHPP) promote maintenance and changes of health-related behaviors of employees. Some companies opt to contract with a third party provider to implement a WHPP. PURPOSE: This study evaluated the participation rates, availability and use of health coaching, and changes in biometric data over a 2-year time period of employees in 13 companies for whom the WHPP was implemented by Wellness Corporate Solutions (WCS). METHODS: We had 2 years of biometric, health risk appraisal (HRA), or health coaching data on 4,473 employees. The statistical analysis included biometric screening data (percent body fat, body mass index (BMI), …

Spatial Heterogeneity Of Ecosystem Metabolism In A Shallow Wetland, Daniel Riley Rackliffe

Theses and Dissertations

Spatial heterogeneity in ecosystem metabolism may play a critical role in determining ecosystem functions. Variation in ecosystem metabolism between macrophyte patches in shallow wetlands at the extremes of freshwater habitats has not been investigated. We estimated ecosystem metabolism in mesocosms containing different macrophytes using 24-hour oxygen curves to test our hypotheses: (1) net aquatic production (NAP) during spring and summer would be similar among algal patches (metaphyton and Chara), (2) NAP in algal patches would be greater than patches dominated by the vascular plant Potamogeton foliosus, (3) heterotrophy and anaerobiosis would be greatest in patches dominated by Lemna, and (4) …

A Molecular Phylogeny Of Lampyridae With Insight Into Visual And Bioluminescent Evolution, Gavin Jon Martin

Theses and Dissertations

Fireflies are some of the most captivating organisms on the planet. Because of this, they have a rich history of study, especially concerning their bioluminescent and visual behavior. Among insects, opsin copy number variation has been shown to be quite diverse. However, within the beetles, very little work on opsins has been conducted. Here we look at the visual system of fireflies (Coleoptera: Lampyridae), which offer an elegant system in which to study visual evolution as it relates to their behavior and broader ecology. They are the best-known case of a terrestrial organism that communicates through the use bioluminescence. The …

The Effects Of Nebulized Saline Treatments On Diphthongal Vowel Production On Female Subjects With Sjögren's Syndrome, Keri Lynn Perry

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to analyze and quantify the effects of a nebulized saline treatment on speech production in eight females with Primary Sjögren's Syndrome (SS). The duration, formant frequency onset and offset, and slope were measured to determine the quality of participants' production of diphthongal American English vowels. Acoustic data were examined before treatment began, immediately following treatment, and during a one-week follow-up to determine the effects of a laryngeal hydration program that used nebulized saline to increase hydration of structures in the vocal tract. The vowels produced during the initial baseline condition were acoustically relatively similar …

Institutional Adoption Of Blended Learning In Higher Education, Wendy Woodfield Porter

Theses and Dissertations

Relatively little research on blended learning (BL) addresses institutional adoption in higher education. Graham, Woodfield, and Harrison (2012) proposed a framework for institutional BL adoption, identifying three stages: (a) awareness/exploration, (b) adoption/early implementation, and (c) mature implementation/growth. The framework also identified key strategy, structure, and support issues universities may address at each stage. In this series of articles, the authors applied that framework to institutions of higher education implementing BL. In the first article, the authors applied the framework to 11 Next Generation Learning Challenge (NGLC) grant recipients transitioning from Stage 1 to Stage 2 of BL adoption. The authors …

Assessing The Therapeutic Usefulness Of Ricinus Communis: A Multicentric Observational Clinical Verification Study, P Chakraborty, Subhash Kaushik, Pramodji Singh, S Nain, Ojit Singh, S Ramteke, K Das, L Debata, C Nayak

Indian Journal of Research in Homoeopathy

Introduction: Clinical verification is an ongoing research programme of the Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy, under which many symptoms of Indian and rarely used drugs in Homoeopathy have been clinically verified. Objectives: To clinically verify the symptomatology of Ricinus communis as observed during its proving conducted by Council and also to ascertain the clinical symptoms relieved in the process of verification. Materials and Methods: Two hundred and twenty-five patients from all age-groups and both sexes were enrolled from the outpatient departments (OPDs) of the institutes and units of the Council following the exclusion and inclusion criteria as per protocol …

A Proposed Change Leadership Plan For Bimmer Elementary School, Nicole Villaverde

Dissertations

My paper details a Change Leadership Plan (CLP) for a school with the fictious name of Bimmer Elementary School (BME). My study's purpose is to enhance student learning by collaborating with staff to explore ways to maximize time-on-task (TOT) for all subjects. Currently BME has a reading achievement problem and is using pull-out programs for 4th and 5th grade students that take needed instructional time from core academic programs. I used Wagner's As-Is and To-Be charts (see Appendix A) for BME to identify and present the current status and future desired state of the school's culture, context, conditions, and competencies. …

Early Bilingual Education: An Examination Of Purposely Selected Teacher Viewpoints: South East China And San Francisco Area, Shan Chen

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

In the coming years, an increasing number of children in urban Chinese areas are taking a second language at an early age. It leads to an argument about whether it is appropriate for children to learn a second language in an early age Some people disagree that idea, because children are not developed enough to receive foreign language learning.

Learning a second language early is disadvantageous for young children because they should first learn to speak the primary language well. Whereas, other people support that children should start learning second language early for three main reasons: children’s talent for language …

Opportunity And Access: High School Coursework And Its Impact On Student Self-Perceptions, Cassie K. Ferguson

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

The skills taught and the courses offered to the United States’ public high school students have changed drastically over the past 20 years. Career-based electives have given way to college preparatory classes. Gone are the auto shops, construction and home economics classes—courses that many view as outdated, dangerous or unnecessary at the high school level. Arts and humanities-based courses have also disappeared; even courses that can train students to enter the robust fields of healthcare or technology are diminishing (Dare, 2006).

The communities in which many of these courses are disappearing are often diverse and economically disadvantaged. This “second-generation segregation” …

Communication: The Key To Collaboration Between Special And General Education Teachers, Alexandra Slatoff

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

Teachers often do not communicate with one another when working to meet the needs of their students. The purpose of this study is to examine and analyze the need, nature and manner by which general and special education teachers communicate and collaborate to address the educational needs of their students.

A review of the educational literature reveals that a burden is placed on the educational community given the often conflicting statutory obligations to: fully include special needs students in the general classroom, comply with State mandated general education curriculum requirements and implement instructional guidelines required by Individual Educational Plans (IEP) …

Somewhere Amongst The Ashes, Keith Rebec

All NMU Master's Theses

ABSTRACT

SOMEWHERE AMONGST THE ASHES

By

Keith Rebec

This story collection explores how human beings deal with loss. Whether the loss stems from death, the loss of personal innocence, or the loss of love, the characters within are forced to make decisions that he or she wouldn't make if given the choice. Some of the characters, in an effort to prevent the same or a similar type of loss from reoccurring in their lives, desperately seek ways to avoid the issues altogether, which further complicates their troubles. Others, unbeknownst to their impending loss, must make split second decisions that will …

Reformed Worship (Rw) 114 - Lent / Easter (December 2014), Reformed Worship Editors

Reformed Worship Magazine

Features

Worship Series: Metamorphosis by Peter Schuurman....3

Noteworthy: Singing the Meaning of Christ’s Death by Martin Tel....14

Articles

Editorial: Standing in the Gap by Joyce Borger....2

Come and See: Undying Life by Jim Dekker....10

Poem: The Rooster’s Crow by Ben Hulst....37

See with the Eyes of God by David W. Music....38

Punjabi Psalms: An Interview with Eric Sarwar, Part 1 by Emily R. Brink and Eric Sarwar....44

Q&A: Names for Public Worship in a Multilingual World: Playing with Language by John Witvliet....48

Resources

Unto Us a Messiah Is Given by Trudy Ash …