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Application Of Two-Photon Absorbing Fluorene-Containing Compounds In Bioimaging And Photodyanimc Therapy, Xiling Yue

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Two-photon absorbing (2PA) materials has been widely studied for their highly localized excitation and nonlinear excitation efficiency. Application of 2PA materials includes fluorescence imaging, microfabrication, 3D data storage, photodynamic therapy, etc. Many materials have good 2PA photophysical properties, among which, the fluorenyl structure and its derivatives have attracted attention with their high 2PA cross-section and high fluorescence quantum yield. Herein, several compounds with 2PA properties are discussed. All of these compounds contain one or two fluorenyl core units as part of the conjugated system. The aim of this dissertation is to discuss the application of these compounds according to their …

An Analysis Of The Difference Between Assessed Instructional Practices, Value-Added Measures, And Learning Gains Of Secondary Reading Teachers, Ronald Fritz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship that exists among instructional practice scores, value-added measures, and learning gains for the Large Urban School District (LUSD) among reading teachers in Grades 6-12 for the 2012-2013 school year. In addition, this study was also conducted to address the perceptions of secondary school principals and assistant principals regarding the relationship of the three variables and their relevance in making personnel decisions. Quantitative data were obtained from school district databases for observation scores, value-added measures, and standardized assessment achievement data to determine the relationship among the variables. In addition, a perception …

A Comparison Of Eighth-Grade Mathematics Scores By State And By The Four Census-Defined Regions Of National Assessment Of Educational Progress (Naep), Laurel Robinson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the information regarding the comparative relationship between the proficient mathematics scores of eighth-grade students on the 2009 state mathematics assessments and the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) mathematics assessment by state, census-defined regions and AYP subgroups. Analysis was completed and six research questions were used to guide the study. A multiple regression was used to assess the relationship between the percentage of eighth-grade students who were proficient in mathematics as assessed by the 2009 NAEP and those who were proficient in mathematics as assessed by their 2009 state assessment. A …

Creation And Application Of Routines For Determining Physical Properties Of Asteroids And Exoplanets From Low Signal-To-Noise Data Sets, Nathaniel Lust

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Astronomy is a data heavy field driven by observations of remote sources reflecting or emitting light. These signals are transient in nature, which makes it very important to fully utilize every observation. This however is often difficult due to the faintness of these observations, often are only slightly above the level of observational noise. We present new or adapted methodologies for dealing with these low signal-to-noise scenarios, along with practical examples including determining exoplanet physical properties, periodicities in asteroids, and the rotational and orbital properties of the multiple asteroid system 2577 Litva.

Broad Bandwidth, All-Fiber, Thulium-Doped Photonic Crystal Fiber Amplifier For Potential Use In Scaling Ultrashort Pulse Peak Powers, Alex Sincore

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Fiber based ultrashort pulse laser sources are desirable for many applications; however generating high peak powers in fiber lasers is primarily limited by the onset of nonlinear effects such as self-phase modulation, stimulated Raman scattering, and self-focusing. Increasing the fiber core diameter mitigates the onset of these nonlinear effects, but also allows unwanted higher-order transverse spatial modes to propagate. Both large core diameters and single-mode propagation can be simultaneously attained using photonic crystal fibers. Thulium-doped fiber lasers are attractive for high peak power ultrashort pulse systems. They offer a broad gain bandwidth, capable of amplifying sub-100 femtosecond pulses. The longer …

Alpine And Other Abandoned Towns Along The Great Northern Railroad Near Stevens Pass, Washington, 1890-1930, Stacy Marie Stanley

All Master's Theses

Despite the wealth of research on the early transcontinental railroads of the West, including certain areas in Washington State, there is little known about the railroad towns, camps and logging communities that arose due to the construction of the Great Northern Railroad in the Stevens Pass area. This thesis summarizes some of the information on the history of the study area, as well as results of a field investigation of archaeological remnants of one railroad town, the town of Alpine. Alpine was a short-lived town established during construction of the railroad ca. 1892 or a little later in 1910, and …

Unintended Outcomes Of Farmers' Adaptation To Climate Variability: Deforestation And Conservation In Calakmul And Maya Biosphere Reserves, Claudia Rodriguez-Solorzano

Dartmouth Scholarship

Minimizing the impact of climate change on farmer livelihoods is crucial, but adaptation efforts may have unintended consequences for ecosystems, with potential impacts on farmers’ welfare. Unintended outcomes of climate adaptation strategies have been widely discussed, however, empirical exploration has been neglected. Grounded in scholarship on climate adaptation, environmental governance, social–ecological systems, and land-use change, this paper studies whether farmers’ climate adaptation contributes to deforestation or forest conservation. The paper draws on interviews with 353 farmers from 46 communities in Calakmul Biosphere Reserve in Mexico and Maya Biosphere Reserve in Guatemala. Farmers in the area of study have implemented adaptation …

Novice Science Teachers' Thinking About The Purpose Of Teachers' Questions, Gwyndolyn Crittenden

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Effective teacher questioning during whole group instruction remains an important pedagogy in science education, especially the importance of helping novice teachers to guide student thinking using effective questions. This study examined how novice secondary science teachers’ understand the relationship between student thinking and teacher questioning. The sample was seven novice secondary science teachers’ enrolled in the University of Central Florida’s job embedded Resident Teacher Professional Preparation Program (RTP3 ). All participants received instruction and guided practice with the use of questions to elicit, probe, and challenge student ideas in the secondary science pedagogy class. Participants completed a questionnaire describing their …

Techniques For Characterization Of Third Order Optical Nonlinearities, Manuel Ferdinandus

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation describes the development of novel techniques for characterization of nonlinear properties of materials. The dissertation is divided into two parts, a background and theory section and a technique development section. In the background and theory section we explain the origins of the nonlinear optical response of materials across many different spatial and temporal scales. The mechanisms that we are most interested in are the electronic nuclear and reorientational responses, which occur on the range of sub-femtosecond to several picoseconds. The electronic mechanism is due to the electrons of a material experiencing a non-parabolic potential well due a strong …

Driving Performance Adaptation Through Practice With And Without Distracters In A Simulated Environment, Marc Gentzler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A preponderance of research points to the detrimental effects of distraction on driving performance. An interesting question is whether practice can improve distracted driving. The results from the few longitudinal simulator-based research studies conducted on driving distraction have been inconclusive. This may be because practice effects could be confounded with participants adapting to driving in the simulator. Therefore, participants in the current studies were trained until performance reached a steady state prior to introducing the distracters. In this dissertation, two single-subject design studies were used to investigate the effects of training on distracted driving. The first study included two participants …

How High School Size Configuration Affects Student Achievement In The State Of Florida, Donald Morrison

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The study was conducted to determine if there were any statistically significant differences in student achievement as measured by the 10th-grade Reading and Mathematics Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) at the school level between the configurations of high schools, controlling for the percentage of minority population and SES. A total of 259 large public high schools within Florida were used in the study; 149 traditional schools and 110 large schools using small learning communities. Because prior researchers have indicated that the number of low SES students and the percentage of minority students can have an effect on student achievement, these …

The Influence Of A Career Planning Stem Explorations Course On Vocational Maturity, Career Decidedness And Career Thoughts For Undergraduate Students, Diandra Prescod

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

According to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), innovation that accompanies careers in science, technology engineering, and math (STEM) create a driving force in the economy and the creation of jobs, yet many positions remain open due to the lack of qualified individuals to fill them (NAS, 2011). Continuing research and innovation proves to be important, yet not enough students graduate with STEM degrees and enter into STEM careers. Career planning courses for undergraduate students increase student confidence about their abilities to make career decisions (Grier-Reed & Skaar, 2010: Scott & Ciani 2008). Vocational maturity and career decision making skills …

Multimaterial Fibers And Tapers A Platform For Nonlinear Photonics And Nanotechnology, Soroush Shabahang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The development of optical sources and components suitable for the mid-infrared is crucial for applications in this spectral range to reach the maturity level of their counterparts in the visible and near-infrared spectral regimes. The recent commercialization of quantum cascade lasers is leading to further interest in this spectral range. Wideband mid-infrared coherent sources, such as supercontinuum generation, have yet to be fully developed. A mid-infrared supercontinuum source would allow for unique applications in spectroscopy and sensing. Over the last decade, it has been shown that high-index confinement in highly nonlinear fibers pumped with high-peak-power pulses is an excellent approach …

A Time-Course Analysis Of Behavioral Plasticity And Differential Gene Expression Patterns In Response To Density In Schistocerca Americana (Orthoptera: Acrididae), Steven Gotham

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Phenotypic plasticity is the ability of the genotype to express alternative phenotypes in response to different environmental conditions and this is considered to be an adaptation in which a species can survive and persist in a rapidly changing environment. Some grasshoppers and locusts are capable of expressing an extreme form of density-dependent phenotypic plasticity, known as locust phase polyphenism. At low population density, the individuals typically have a cryptic coloration as nymphs, are less active, and only seek out conspecifics for reproductive purposes. At high density, however, they develop a drastically different phenotype in which they have a conspicuous coloration, …

Action Potentials As Indicators Of Metabolic Perturbations For Temporal Proteomic Analysis, Aditya Reddy Kolli

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The single largest cause of compound attrition during drug development is due to inadequate tools capable of predicting and identifying protein interactions. Several tools have been developed to explore how a compound interferes with specific pathways. However, these tools lack the potential to chronically monitor the time dependent temporal changes in complex biochemical networks, thus limiting our ability to identify possible secondary signaling pathways that could lead to potential toxicity. To overcome this, we have developed an in silico neuronal-metabolic model by coupling the membrane electrical activity to intracellular biochemical pathways that would enable us to perform non-invasive temporal proteomics. …

Multifunctional And Responsive Polyelectrolyte Nanostructures, Astha Malhotra

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A polyelectrolyte complex is formed by mixing two oppositely charged polyelectrolytes in a solution. The electrostatic interactions between partially charged polymeric chains lead to the formation of a stable complex while avoiding the use of covalent cross linkers. Since complex formation can improve the stability of polyelectrolyte and metal ions in polyelectrolyte can provide various functionalities, PECs incorporated with metal ions are promising candidates for manufacturing stable and multifunctional structures. While the coordination of metal ions and polyelectrolytes has been extensively investigated in solutions and multilayer films, to our knowledge, no research has been performed to study the effect of …

The Influence Of Mesa Activities On Underrepresented Students Nsf Dr K-12 Proposal 1020019, C. Hailey, Chandra Austin Stallworth, Cameron Denson, Daniel L. Householder

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) outreach programs are partnerships between K-12 schools and higher education in nine states. MESA efforts introduce integrated experiences in science, mathematics and engineering to K-12 students from groups that are traditionally underrepresented in the STEM disciplines. This exploratory study examined the influence of selected MESA activities on students' self-efficacy, their perceptions of engineering, and their interest in engineering and other STEM fields. Field trips, guest lecturers, design competitions, hands-on activities and student career and academic advisement were of specific interest in this survey. The project also investigated the relationship between student engagement in MESA and …

Comparison Of Computer-Based And Optical Face Recognition Paradigms, Abdulaziz A. Alorf

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

The main objectives of this thesis are to validate an improved principal components analysis (IPCA) algorithm on images; designing and simulating a digital model for image compression, face recognition and image detection by using a principal components analysis (PCA) algorithm and the IPCA algorithm; designing and simulating an optical model for face recognition and object detection by using the joint transform correlator (JTC); establishing detection and recognition thresholds for each model; comparing between the performance of the PCA algorithm and the performance of the IPCA algorithm in compression, recognition and, detection; and comparing between the performance of the digital model …

Reclaiming Indigenous Narratives Through Critical Discourses And The Autonomy Of The Trickster, Robert D. Hunter

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

How do prevailing narratives about Native Americans, particularly in the medium of film, conspire to promote the perspective of the dominant culture? What makes the appropriation of Indigenous images so metaphorically popular? In the past hundred years, little has changed in the forms of representation favored by Hollywood. The introductory chapter elucidates the problem and outlines the scope of this study. As each subsequent chapter makes clear, the problem is as relevant today as it has been throughout the entire course of filmic history.

Chapter Two analyzes representational trends and defines each decade according to its favorite stereotype. The binary …

Real Time Fuzzy Controller For Quadrotor Stability Control, Pranav S. Bhatkhande

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

In this report, we develop an intelligent adaptive neuro-fuzzy controller by using adaptive neuro fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) techniques. We begin by starting with a standard proportional-derivative (PD) controller and use the PD controller data to train the ANFIS system to develop a fuzzy controller. We then propose and validate a method to implement this control strategy on commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware.

An analysis is made into the choice of filters for attitude estimation. These choices are limited by the complexity of the filter and the computing ability and memory constraints of the micro-controller. Simplified Kalman filters are found to …

Investigation Of Strategies To Promote Effective Teacher Professional Development Experiences In Earth Science, Carol A. Engelmann

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

This dissertation serves as a call to geoscientists to share responsibility with K-12 educators for increasing Earth science literacy. When partnerships are created among K-12 educators and geoscientists, the synergy created can promote Earth science literacy in students, teachers, and the broader community. The research described here resulted in development of tools that can support effective professional development for teachers. One tool is used during the planning stages to structure a professional development program, another set of tools supports measurement of the effectiveness of a development program, and the third tool supports sustainability of professional development programs. The Michigan Teacher …

A Study Of Passenger Car Acoustic Cavity Boom Simulation Methods, Shreerang Dhabe

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

The project objective is the study of acoustic boom phenomenon at 40 Hz in Chevrolet Cruze LTZ and recommend modeling techniques to improve accuracy of model prediction. Acoustic boom is caused by solid-fluid interaction between car structure and air inside the car cavity.

In this report, finite element analysis software Abaqus 6.12-3 is used to simulate the acoustic-structural coupling. The structural and acoustic mesh for the Chevrolet Cruze LTZ are fully coupled and solved using Abaqus ‘strongly coupled’ solution. In order to understand the physics of acoustic boom in a car simple car box models were designed. Simple box car …

Integration Of Instrumentation And Processing Software Of A Laser Speckle Contrast Imaging System, Jacob James Carrick

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

Laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI) has the potential to be a powerful tool in medicine, but more research in the field is required so it can be used properly. To help in the progression of Michigan Tech's research in the field, a graphical user interface (GUI) was designed in Matlab to control the instrumentation of the experiments as well as process the raw speckle images into contrast images while they are being acquired. The design of the system was successful and is currently being used by Michigan Tech's Biomedical Engineering department. This thesis describes the development of the LSCI GUI …

Doing More With Short Period Data: Determining Magnitudes From Clipped And Over-Run Seismic Data At Mount St. Helens, John J. Wellik Ii

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

How can we calculate earthquake magnitudes when the signal is clipped and over-run? When a volcano is very active, the seismic record may saturate (i.e., the full amplitude of the signal is not recorded) or be over-run (i.e., the end of one event is covered by the start of a new event). The duration, and sometimes the amplitude, of an earthquake signal are necessary for determining event magnitudes; thus, it may be impossible to calculate earthquake magnitudes when a volcano is very active. This problem is most likely to occur at volcanoes with limited networks of short period seismometers. This …

On The Digital-Political Topography Of Music, Daniel William Lawrence

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

The persuasive power of music is often relegated to the dimension of pathos: that which moves us emotionally. Yet, the music commodity is now situated in and around the liminal spaces of digitality. To think about how music functions, how it argues across media, and how it moves us, we must examine its material and immaterial realities as they present themselves to us and as we so create them. This dissertation rethinks the relationship between rhetoric and music by examining the creation, performance, and distribution of music in its material and immaterial forms to demonstrate its persuasive power. While …

A Firewall Model Of File System Security, Lihui Hu

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

File system security is fundamental to the security of UNIX and Linux systems since in these systems almost everything is in the form of a file. To protect the system files and other sensitive user files from unauthorized accesses, certain security schemes are chosen and used by different organizations in their computer systems. A file system security model provides a formal description of a protection system. Each security model is associated with specified security policies which focus on one or more of the security principles: confidentiality, integrity and availability. The security policy is not only about “who” can access an …

Static And Dynamic Stress Change At 27 Volcanoes Of The Central American Volcanic Arc After The Mw. 7.6 Costa Rica Earthquake Of 5 September 2012, Lorenzo Gratton

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

Large earthquakes may strongly influence the activity of volcanoes through static and dynamic processes. In this study, we quantify the static and dynamic stress change on 27 volcanoes in Central America, after the M_w 7.6 Costa Rica earthquake of 5 September 2012. Following this event, 8 volcanoes showed signs of activity. We calculated the static stress change due to the earthquake on hypothetical faults under these volcanoes with Coulomb 3.3. For the dynamic stress change, we computed synthetic seismograms to simulate the waveforms at these volcanoes. We then calculated the Peak Dynamic Stress (PDS) from the modeled peak ground …

Remediation Of Tetracycline From Water Sources Using Vetiver Grass (Chrysopogon Zizanioides L. Nash) And Tetracycline-Tolerant Root-Associated Bacteria, Aparupa Sengupta

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

Antibiotics are emerging contaminants worldwide. Due to insufficient policy regulations, public awareness, and the constant exposure of the environment to antibiotic sources has created a major environmental concern. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) are not equipped to filter-out these compounds before the discharge of the disinfected effluent into water sources (e.g., lakes and streams) and current available technologies are not equipped to remediate these compounds from environmental sources. Hence, the challenge remains to establish a biological system to remove these antibiotics from wastewater. An invitro hydroponic remediation system was developed using vetiver grass (Chrysopogon zizanioides L. Nash) to remediate tetracycline …

Development And Validation Of The Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury-Risk-Estimation Quiz (Acl-Iq), Erich J. Petushek

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

Over 2 million Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injuries occur annually worldwide resulting in considerable economic and health burdens (e.g., suffering, surgery, loss of function, risk for re-injury, and osteoarthritis). Current screening methods are effective but they generally rely on expensive and time-consuming biomechanical movement analysis, and thus are impractical solutions. In this dissertation, I report on a series of studies that begins to investigate one potentially efficient alternative to biomechanical screening, namely skilled observational risk assessment (e.g., having experts estimate risk based on observations of athletes movements). Specifically, in Study 1 I discovered that ACL injury risk can be accurately …

Mining And Verification Of Temporal Events With Applications In Computer Micro-Architecture Research, Hui Meen Nyew

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

Computer simulation programs are essential tools for scientists and engineers to understand a particular system of interest. As expected, the complexity of the software increases with the depth of the model used. In addition to the exigent demands of software engineering, verification of simulation programs is especially challenging because the models represented are complex and ridden with unknowns that will be discovered by developers in an iterative process. To manage such complexity, advanced verification techniques for continually matching the intended model to the implemented model are necessary. Therefore, the main goal of this research work is to design a useful …