Digital Commons Network^™

Inorganic/Organic Hybrid Nanocomposite Coating Applications : Formulation, Characterization, And Evaluation, Tsehaye Eyassu

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Nanotechnology applications in coatings have shown significant growth in recent years. Systematic incorporation of nano-sized inorganic materials into polymer coating enhances optical, electrical, thermal and mechanical properties significantly. The present dissertation will focus on formulation, characterization and evaluation of inorganic/organic hybrid nanocomposite coatings for heat dissipation, corrosion inhibition and ultraviolet (UV) and near infrared (NIR) cut applications. In addition, the dissertation will cover synthesis, characterization and dispersion of functional inorganic fillers.||In the first project, we investigated factors that can affect the "Molecular Fan" cooling performance and efficiency. The investigated factors and conditions include types of nanomaterials, size, loading amount, coating …

Examination Of Middle School Students' Perceptions Of Including Democratic Practices In An Environmental Service-Learning Project, Eileen Anne Stocco

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to gather data on middle school students' perceptions of including democratic practices in an environmental service-learning project. The study explored students' perceptions of their inclusion in helping plan curriculum and student participation in civic engagement. Seventh grade students' perceptions of the personal benefits gained due to their participation in the environmental service-learning project were explored. Additionally, the study investigated students' perceptions of benefits to the local community due to students' participation in the project.||Utilizing democratic practices in the classroom plays a critical role in supporting a democratic education; therefore, students were provided with …

Lagrangian Approach To Minimize Makespan Of Non-Identical Parallel Batch Processing Machines, Nurul Mubinah Binti Suhaimi

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Batch Processing Machines (BPMs) are commonly used in electronics manufacturing, semi-conductor manufacturing, and metal-working - to name a few. Scheduling these machines are not an easy task; practical considerations and the exponential number of decision variables involved impede schedulers (or decision makers) from making good decisions. This research focuses on minimizing the makespan of a set of non-identical parallel batch processing machines. In order to schedule jobs on these machines, two decisions are to be made. The first decision is to group jobs to form batches such that the machine capacity is not exceeded. The second decision is to sequence …

Magnetic Circuit Utilizing Soft Switching For Led Driving, Mounika Maligireddy

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

LEDs are the most efficient way to turn an electric current into illumination. Connecting LEDs in either series or parallel is considered to be an option for better lighting and various other applications. Generally, when a large number of LEDs are considered, a parallel connection is opted. Connecting LEDs in parallel leads to current sharing problems as a result different currents flow in different branches. There are many ways in which current sharing problem in parallel connected LEDs can be solved. One such method is magnetic circuit wherein magnetically coupled inductors help resolve the current sharing problem. This thesis proposes …

Magmatic Water Content Of Pacaya Volcano, Guatemala, Determined From A Thermodynamic Model For The Plagioclase-Liquid Hygrometer, Christine A. Knudson

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Pacaya Volcano is an active composite volcano located in southern Guatemala, about 30 km from the nation's capital, Guatemala City. This volcano has variable eruptive styles ranging from non-explosive to moderately explosive. Volcanic rocks from Pacaya are mostly basaltic to basaltic andesite and tend to be porphyritic, containing approximately 25-35% crystals, dominantly plagioclase. Previous data from olivine-hosted melt inclusions in Pacaya's tephras suggest relatively low magmatic water contents for a subduction zone volcano, particularly compared to neighboring composite volcanoes along the Central American Volcanic Arc.||The goal of this research was to use plagioclase phenocrysts in basaltic andesite lavas from Pacaya …

Maximum Power Point Tracking Of A Solar Panel Using A Dc Bus, Rithvi Reddy Sathapur

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

A system is designed to extract the maximum power from a solar panel using SIMULINK software. The main objective of this thesis is to track the maximum power point from a solar panel by using a DC bus and to notice the changes in the voltage, current and power of the solar panel with the change in the irradiation level. The solar panel is designed by considering the standard current and voltage conditions. A maximum power point tracking algorithm is designed in a MATLAB code and the output gives the track of the maximum power point reached by the system …

Measuring Efficiencies In U.S. Hospital Mergers, Sandhya Radhakrishnan

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Using non-parametric approaches, this study investigates the technical efficiencies of U.S. hospitals that have undergone horizontal mergers. Past studies have shown that hospital prices, hospital costs, quality of care provided, and consumer welfare are affected by these mergers. Theoretical studies on mergers propose potential gains from mergers. The results from these studies provide conflicting reports on the efficiencies of the merged hospitals. Hospitals merge in the anticipation of increasing market power by reducing operational expenses and expansion of services. However, many of these merged hospitals have filed for bankruptcy and have shut down in the years following the merger. This …

Mindfulness Meditation In First-Year Composition : Effects On Attention, Metacognition, And Apprehension, Kristin Demint

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Amid ever-growing interest in cognition and learning and demands for pedagogy that channels the attention of increasingly distracted and disengaged learners, this thesis explored the effects of a mindfulness meditation practice on students' attentional control, metacognition, and writing apprehension. Students practiced the instructor-led meditation as a class for five minutes each class session, completing periodic surveys about their experiences and writing weekly timed essays. The repeated mindfulness practice allowed students to become familiar with their mental habits and challenged students to work through mental frustrations as they arose. The weekly writing session following the mindfulness practice allowed them to both …

The Differences Between Iron And Iron-Substituted Manganese Superoxide Dismutase With Respect To Hydrogen Peroxide Treatment, Jianing Wang

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

Iron-substituted manganese superoxide dismutase (Fe(Mn)SOD) was produced using an in vivo preparation method. It’s an inactive enzyme in catalyzing superoxide radical dismutation owing to the mis-incorporation of Fe in the active site evolved to use Mn. To investigate the possible toxicity of human Fe(Mn)SOD proposed by Yamakura, we studied the properties of Fe(Mn)SOD upon H₂O₂ treatment and compared to that of FeSOD. It’s found that the responses to H₂O₂ treatment were different, including the changes of optical spectra, variations of active site coordination and secondary structures. Fe³⁺ reduction was not observed in Fe(Mn)SOD …

Novel Uncharged Local Anesthetics, Rob Hussain

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Bupivacaine is among the most widely used local anesthetics (LAs) for invasive procedures and postoperative pain relief because of its long duration of action and considerable potency. Bupivacaine carries a risk for cardiotoxicity and the relationship between its structure and its anesthetic action is incompletely known. This study was designed to characterize how changes in the aromatic ring of a class of carbamoyl piperidines (CPs), which structurally resemble bupivacaine, alter anesthetic action. In most of the CPs, the carbonyl carbon is directly bonded to the piperidine nitrogen (called the 1N position) and the piperidine nitrogen lacks substitution; bupivacaine, in contrast, …

Addressing Public Health Risks Of Persistent Pollutants Through Nutritional Modulation And Biomimetic Nanocomposite Remediation Platforms, Bradley J. Newsome

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

Due to their relative chemical stability and ubiquity in the environment, chlorinated organic contaminants such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) pose significant health risks and enduring remediation challenges. Engineered nanoparticles (NPs) provide a novel platform for sensing/remediation of these toxicants, in addition to the growing use of NPs in many industrial and biomedical applications, but there remains concern for their potential long-term health effects. Research highlighted herein also represents a transdisciplinary approach to address human health challenges associated with exposure to PCBs and NPs. The objectives of this dissertation research are two-fold, 1) to develop effective methods for capture/sensing and remediation …

One-Directional Normally-On Vertical Silicon Carbide (3c-Sic) Mesfet On Silicon (Si) Substrate, Ramana Thakkallapally

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The main objective of this thesis is to design a one-directional normally-on vertical 3C-SiC MESFET on silicon substrate. The 3C-SiC material has higher carrier mobility, high saturation velocity and high critical breakdown field compared to traditional silicon devices. Epitaxial layer of 3C-SiC can be easily grown on the large area of silicon wafer. Vertical MESFET occupies less than 33% of the area compared to lateral MESFET with same dimensions, and this increases the integration density and reduces the cost. The drain current of vertical 3C-SiC MESFET is 100% higher than lateral structure MESFET with same dimensions. Vertical 3C-SiC MESFETs can …

Outside University Walls : Alexandra David-Neel's Influence In Developing The Field Of Buddhist Studies, Mary Michele

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Alexandra David-Neel (1868-1969) was a Frenchwoman who is known primarily as an adventurer, explorer, and travel writer because she walked across the Himalayan Mountains into the city of Lhasa in 1924 when foreigners were prohibited from entering Tibet. She returned to Europe to write about her experiences in two famous books: My Journey to Lhasa (1993) and Magic and Mystery in Tibet (1971).||David-Neel wrote twenty more books about mystical, philosophical, sociological, political, and historical themes (published on five continents) that reflect discourses that changed over time within different cultures. The discourses about Orientalism and colonialism along with feminist and gender …

Parental And Adolescent Characteristics Predicting Adolescent Disclosure To Parents Across Various Social Domains, Michael Patrick Flores

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The current study examined associations between adolescents' externalizing problem behaviors (EPBs), maternal and paternal parenting characteristics (i.e., parental warmth), and adolescents' disclosure of behavior to their mother- and father-figures across several specific social domains (i.e., personal, multifaceted, moral/conventional, electronic) in order to provide a better understanding of the forces behind adolescent's decisions to disclose. Complete data were collected from 170 ninth and tenth-grade students from a suburban Chicago high school. Based on actual reported experiences disclosing to parents, three social domains that have been previously considered were identified as was an unexpected social domain which was labeled the "electronic" domain. …

Peak To Average Power Ratio Reduction In Stbc Mimo-Ofdm, Kishor Gannamaneni

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) is an advanced 3G/4G scheme which achieves high data rate and combats multipath fading. However, OFDM systems suffer from nonlinear peak to average power ratio (PAPR) and carrier frequency offsets (CFO). These two factors lead to degraded performance and thereby reducing the system efficiency. OFDM with multiple antennas both at transmitter and receiver and space-time block coding is used to increase the channel capacity and receiver diversity. Space-time block coding is used to increase data rate and for reliable communications. With space-time block coding we can take advantage of both space and time. It is …

Performance Evaluation Of Fixed And Variable Zero Padding Length In Ultra-Wideband Receiver Design Using Mb-Ofdm Based On Ecma-368 Standard, Geetha Varna

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Traditional OFDM systems use Cyclic Prefix (CP) in front of an OFDM symbol to maintain orthogonality. Ultra Wide Band (UWB) systems use Multiband OFDM approach in implementing applications of Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN). Federal Communications Commission (FCC) put some regulations on UWB to co-exist with other narrowband and spread spectrum users. MB-OFDM follows OFDM modulation scheme where CP is used but CP introduces a structure into the transmitter due to which the ripples are produced in Power Spectral Density (PSD). Because of this ripples, power back-off is required at the receiver which is as large as 1.5 dB. As …

Performance Evaluation Of Subcarrier Mapping Techniques For Multiuser In Presence Of Doppler In Lte Uplink, Kushal Kumar Ponugoti

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) is an advanced 3G/4G scheme which achieves high data rate and combats multipath fading. However, OFDM systems suffer from nonlinear peak to average power ratio (PAPR) and Carrier Frequency Offsets (CFO). These two factors lead to degraded performance and thereby reducing the system efficiency. In order to reduce the PAPR, the Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SCFDMA) in the Long Term Evolution (LTE) uplink was developed. In this thesis, the Bit Error Rate (BER) and PAPR for Localized Frequency Division Multiple Access (LFDMA), Modified Hybrid Frequency Division Multiple Access (MHFDMA) and Zero Interleaved Frequency …

Poeisis As Political Educator : Aristotle And The Purpose Of Poeisis, Stephen Eugene Clouse

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This inquiry into Aristotle's thought focuses on the relationship between the poetic arts and moral education. Specifically, it looks at whether poetry can be used as a means for teaching moral virtue. Aristotle is clear that the arts, broadly speaking, are inferior to virtue. However, the political context of poetry as well as Aristotle's account of katharsis and the relationship between philosophy and poetry seem to indicate that the purpose of poetry may serve an educative function in the life of the city. I argue that while poetry is not moral education, it serves an educative role by facilitating an …

Marriage Equality Setback In Puerto Rico, Arthur S. Leonard

Other Publications

No abstract provided.

H3k27me3 And H3k4me3 Chromatin Environment At Super-Induced Dehydration Stress Memory Genes Of Arabidopsis Thaliana, Ning Liu, Zoya Avramova, Michael Fromm

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Pre-exposure to a stress may alter the plant’s cellular, biochemical, and/or transcriptional responses during future encounters as a “memory” from the previous stress. Genes increasing transcription in response to a first dehydration stress, but producing much higher transcript levels in a subsequent stress, represent the super-induced “transcription memory” genes in Arabidopsis thaliana. The chromatin environment (histone H3 tri-methylations of Lys 4 and Lys 27, H3K4me3, and H3K27me3) studied at five dehydration stress memory genes revealed existence of distinct memory-response subclasses that responded differently to CLF deficiency and displayed different transcriptional activities during the watered recovery periods. Among the most …

Ilr Masthead Volume 37

ILR Past Mastheads

No abstract provided.

A Bayesian Approach To Compatibility, Improvement, And Pooling Of Quantum States, Matthew S. Leifer, Robert W. Spekkens

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

In approaches to quantum theory in which the quantum state is regarded as a representation of knowledge, information, or belief, two agents can assign different states to the same quantum system. This raises two questions: when are such state assignments compatible? and how should the state assignments of different agents be reconciled? In this paper, we address these questions from the perspective of the recently developed conditional states formalism for quantum theory [1]. Specifically, we derive a compatibility criterion proposed by Brun, Finkelstein and Mermin from the requirement that, upon acquiring data, agents should update their states using a quantum …

Twins At Saint John's, Peggy L. Roske

Archives History Lessons

No abstract provided.

The Trade Adjustment Assistance Program Nears Completion, David J. Goeller

Cornhusker Economics

The Trade Adjustment Assistance Program (TAA) was part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. The modified Trade Adjustment Assistance for Farmers Program provided producers of raw agricultural commodities (farmers, ranchers or fishermen), who had experienced significant declines in price or production because of foreign competition, educational and cash benefits. The Trade Adjustment Assistance Program for farmers and fishermen was reauthorized in 2012, however, it was left unfunded; therefore, TAA benefits will come to an end for farmers and fishermen throughout the United States. The final deadline for completion of the education phase of TAA, designed to …

Putting Your Car Where Your Mouth Is: Diets And Carbon Emissions, Sarah Rehkamp, Azzeddine Azzam, Christopher Rand Gustafson

Cornhusker Economics

In an effort to broaden the focus of sustainability research from work on sustainable production that aims to influence farmer decisions when producing food, to research about sustainable consumption that aims to influence consumer decisions when buying food, we embarked on a research project that looks at environmental and health impacts of dietary choices. In this article, results from some initial work on the environmental impact are reported. Specifically, the energy efficiencies and consequent carbon emissions of the average United States, Japanese, Mediterranean, French and Nordic diets are compared. To put the results in perspective, the carbon emissions were converted …

Towards Sustainable Agricultural Systems: Scope For Economic Experimentation, Simanti Banerjee

Cornhusker Economics

Agricultural systems provide multiple benefits for society. These benefits are derived from crop and animal production, income and livelihood generation, the natural environment and the cultural legacy of farming communities. Sustained delivery of these benefits depends on the clear understanding of agricultural processes fostered by cross-disciplinary collaborations between economists, animal scientists, ecologists, community develop-ment specialists, and agronomists, to mention a few. In this context, economic experiments can play a key role in enhancing the understanding of how people and communities respond to scientific innovations and socio-economic policies intended to safeguard the integrity of agricultural systems.

For-Profit Public Enforcement, Margaret H. Lemos, Max Minzner

Faculty Scholarship

This Article investigates an important yet undertheorized phenomenon: financial incentives in public enforcement. Each year, public enforcers assess billions of dollars in penalties and other financial sanctions for violations of state and federal law. Why? If the awards in question were the result of private lawsuits, the answer would be obvious. We expect that private enforcers—the victims of law violations and their fee-seeking attorneys—will attempt to maximize financial recoveries. Record recoveries come as no surprise in private class actions, for example. But dollar signs are harder to explain in the context of public enforcement. Unlike private attorneys, public enforcers are …

Perspectives On Disability And Community Engagement In Albania: Developing Mutual Understanding Through The Sharing Of Individual Narratives, Lucia Murillo

Doctoral Dissertations

This study explores current perspectives on disability in Albania by bringing into discourse the voice of families and community members in order to learn how history, tradition, and family values influence individual or community response to having or being in community alongside children with special needs.

Research Theory and Protocol

I carried out this research using critical hermeneutic theory. The protocol followed an interpretive approach as outlined by Ellen Herda (1999). This orientation brought the researcher and participants together and used narratives as a medium for participatory inquiry.

Research Categories

The critical hermeneutic concepts of narrative identity, mimesis, and communicative …

Something Old Is New Again: Airline-Airport Consortia And Key Stakeholder Benefits, Janet K. Tinoco, Brian W. Sherman

Management, Marketing and Operations - Daytona Beach

Although consortia in the aviation sector predate deregulation by decades, this type of cooperative agreement, particularly in the airline industry, is experiencing a resurgence of interest from industry participants and academia. Airlines are searching for new innovative ways to reduce costs while airports are searching for private partners to improve terminal facilities and equipment and update services. Passengers, on the other hand, continue to balance price versus performance in their travel experience. This empirical research study finds evidence of positive influences of airline consortia to all key stakeholders; however the majority of benefit appears to be felt by the airlines …

The Southeastern Librarian V. 61, No. 4 (Winter 2014) Complete Issue

The Southeastern Librarian

The complete issue of The Southeastern Librarian v. 61, no. 4 (Winter 2014).