Digital Commons Network^™

Use Of Wire Mesh-Epoxy Composite For Strengthening Concrete Beams /Ismail M. I. Qeshta, M. I. Qeshta Ismail

Student Works (2010-2019)

A number of techniques and materials have been proposed for strengthening reinforced concrete (RC) structures. However, the main concern of civil engineers and researchers is to develop an optimum strengthening scheme with materials that are cost effective, durable, and that behave satisfactorily. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of using a wire mesh-epoxy composite for strengthening concrete beams. This composite consists of wire mesh layers and epoxy resin. In the first step of this study, plain concrete beams were bonded with a different number of wire mesh layers and epoxy resin. As a comparison, the concrete beams were also …

Experimental Investigation On Impacts Of Tsunami-Induced Forces On Coastal Structures / Sadia Rahman, Rahman Sadia

Student Works (2010-2019)

The recent tsunamis have showed their terrifying impacts and disastrous destructions to the coastal region. Near shore, infrastructure systems comprising buildings, bridges, highways, other road facilities, utilities etc. are critically at risk of substantial damages by the exerted tsunami forces. Tsunamis are long oceanic waves caused mainly due to the rapid displacement of water induced by the earthquake in the ocean floor. Waves disseminate away from their generating source at significant speed and propagate toward the shore. Upon approaching the shallow water near the coast, their speed and wavelengths reduce; however, their wave height increases significantly. While propagating along the …

Unprecedented Actions: The Federal Reserve's Response To The Global Financial Crisis In Historical Perspective, Frederic S. Mishkin, Eugene N. White

Documents

No abstract provided.

The Economic Viability Of Cocoa Crop Insurance In Ghana, Justin D. Mckinley

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study was motivated by the fact that Ghanaian cocoa producers face lower yields than other main cocoa producing counties which in turn increases food insecurity for smallholder producers. In addition, low yields experienced by Ghanaian producers is a driving factor for forest degradation and deforestation as cocoa producers encroach further into previously undisturbed forests in efforts to increase their incomes. There are currently production methods to achieve higher yields readily available in Ghana; however, many producers choose not to adopt these methods because they are seen as too risky, or simply cannot adopt them due to financial/credit constraints. A …

Assessing Net Returns To Blueberry Production Using A Decision Support Tool, Sokha Sok

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to develop and assess the profitability of four highbush blueberry farming systems in the south: organic field production, conventional field production, organic high tunnel production and conventional high tunnel production. Four baseline budget scenarios, one for each system, are developed for a 15 year production period. The results suggest that under expected production and price conditions for Northwest Arkansas, while all four production systems generated positive present value of net returns, the conventional field production produced the highest present value of net returns across the 15 years. The breakeven years of production were 7 …

Constructing Community In The Central Arkansas River Valley: Ceramic Compositional Analysis And Collaborative Archaeology, Rebecca Wiewel

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the Central Arkansas River Valley, archaeological investigations of the protohistoric occupation in the Carden Bottoms locality of Yell County, Arkansas suggest the interaction of groups from three adjoining regions at the site (the Central Mississippi Valley, the Lower

Arkansas River Valley, and the Middle Ouachita region). Until now, the analysis of whole ceramic vessels associated with the site (derived from looted contexts) constituted the strongest evidence of this process, but this analysis was based on stylistic cues and macroscopic examination of pastes to discriminate between local and nonlocal wares. This project employed instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) as an …

Politics Of Writing: Latin American Testimonio, Brazil's Literatura Marginal And The Question Of Neoliberalism, Ana Maria Todescan Young

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the light of Latin American testimonio theoretical approach, which includes questions such as the cultural production under the intensification of neoliberal policies and the inquiry of the complicity between literary practices and the state as formulated by Rama in The Lettered City, this study examines the novel Capão Pecado, representative work of the writer and cultural activist Ferréz, and the potential relation to the formal elements of the former criticism. By thinking alongside John Beverley's case study on I, Rigoberta Menchú's testimonial narrative and Ferréz, prominent author of the contemporary production of literatura marginal and representative of the expression …

European Consumers' Attitudes Towards Cisgenic Rice, Anne-Cécile Delwaide

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The enhancement of existing plant breeding techniques, such as cisgenesis, allows plant breeders to enhance an existing cultivar quicker and with little to no genetic drag. Cisgenesis is the genetic modification of a recipient plant with natural gene(s) from a sexually compatible plant. Unlike transgenesis, which is the genetic modification of a recipient plant with gene(s) from any non‐plant organism, or from a donor plant that is sexually incompatible with the recipient plant, the results of cisgenesis could occur naturally over time. Currently, both cisgenic and transgenic products are classified as genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and are labeled as such …

Does Who We Are Influence What We Say? The Impact Of Organizational Identity On Responses To Ethical Issues, Amy J. Guerber

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Business organizations frequently face ethical issues which may lead stakeholders to question the competence or integrity of organizational actors. In such cases, the way the organization communicates with its stakeholders can play a critical role in preserving or restoring organizational reputation, financial performance, and trust. Thus, understanding factors that influence organizational communication in the wake of ethical issues is important. Previous research has focused on the impact of situational characteristics on organizational responses and stakeholder reactions to those responses but has not explored the role that organizational characteristics play in shaping firms' responses to ethical issues.

The current study seeks …

Comunicat Informativ Al Băncii De Economii S.A., Banca De Economii

Documents

No abstract provided.

Additional Information Regarding Primary Fund In Liquidation: Date Of Final Distribution December 9, 2014, The Reserve Fund

Documents

No abstract provided.

Declaration Of The Governor Of The National Bank Of Moldova, Dorin Dragutanu

Documents

No abstract provided.

Nbm Returns Control Upon Bem To State, Infotag

Documents

No abstract provided.

Bystanders And Bullying: A Reflective Examination Of College Students' Experiences, Katherine Marie Larsen

Honors Theses

This study examines the individual responses of bystanders to bullying based on situational and personal variables. Using self-report data collected on 935 university students, these variables were used to determine if there was a relationship between the variables and the decision to intervene in a bullying situation for a friend. The results suggested that race, sexual orientation, and direct forms of bullying (physical and cyber bullying) have a relationship between an individual’s choice to intervene in a bullying situation for a friend. The findings failed to support the hypothesis that personal factors such as gender, socio-economic status, and a history …

America's Closet Door: An Investigation Of Television And Its Effects On Perceptions Of Homosexuality, Sara Moroni

Honors Theses

This study investigates the relationship between television and social perceptions. It uses the television shows Will&Grace, The L Word, Queer as Folk, and Modern Family for rhetorical analysis. Then, it uses the information gained from the analysis to hypothesize how and why these television shows both reflect and affect social perceptions of homosexuality.

Using Greet To Analyze Natural Gas Usage In Municipal Fleets, Bradley E. Gibson

Honors Theses

GREET was used to calculate energy consumption and pollutants emitted from specific fuel/vehicle types when given a specific set of parameters. In this case, the parameters were the type of fuel mix from TVA, the selected vehicle year of 2015, the vehicle weight specified in the heavy-duty vehicle range, and type of simulation technique, which was the Hammersely Sequence Sampling. These inputs, along with seventeen fuel/vehicles mixes, specific pollutants, and cost considerations, were used to investigate the environmental impact of the transition from petrol diesel to natural gas in the municipal fleets of Chattanooga, Tennessee. The energy consumption included coal, …

Effects Of A Nutrition Education Intervention On Inner City Children, Stephanie P. Windle

Honors Theses

This paper focuses on nutrition education research conducted between February and April 2014. The researcher’s goal was to determine the effectiveness of a nutrition education intervention on low-income children. The USDA and Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics provided most of the research used to create the intervention. The definition of “healthy” used for this study was defined by the USDA (2014) as “whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fat free or low-fat dairy, and lean meats that are perishable (fresh, refrigerated, or frozen) or canned as well as nutrient-dense foods and beverages encouraged by the 2010 Dietary Guidelines …

The Eu's Cookie Cutter, But Not The Eu's Cookie, Sylvia Zdunek

Honors Theses

The members of the European Union have never had a common identity that has united them together beyond their geographical definition of "Europe." Since the beginning of the European Union and the introduction of the Euro, the decision makers of the Union have been pushing for a collective European identity. The need for this identity comes from the belief that in order for the Union to be economically sound, it needs an underlying homogenous culture. A unity in identity, values, and ideals is stronger than a unity based solely on a common currency as it lacks personal characteristics that people …

Economic Policy Review, Federal Reserve System: Federal Reserve Bank Of New York

Documents

Special Issue: Large and Complex Banks

"I Wasn't Born A Boy – I Was Born A Baby": Best Practices Versus Accepted Practices In News Coverage Of The Transgender Community, Anna Hornell

Journalism

As transgender people and issues have gained prominence in American media over the past few years, more and more journalists find themselves covering a small and marginalized community that they may not have any previous experience with. Using standards set by LGBT media watchdog GLAAD, this study aimed to examine how the prevalence of problematic journalistic practices in covering the transgender community has (or has not) changed in recent years. A content analysis of 1,019 U.S. newspaper articles from 2009 and 2014 revealed some significant changes: almost all GLAAD-identified problematic practices that were studied appeared less commonly in 2014, although …

Beware: Teachers Who Blog, Charles J. Russo

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

A recent case from Pennsylvania, Munroe v. Central Bucks School District (2014), raises fresh questions about the free speech and expression rights of public school teachers as they use the Internet. In Munroe, when a board terminated a high school teacher’s employment for making controversial postings about her students and colleagues on her personal blog—postings that proved disruptive—a federal trial court rejected the educator’s claim that she was dismissed in retaliation for exercising her right to free speech.

Before reviewing the facts and judicial opinion in Munroe, it is worth noting that blogs (a term coined in the late 1990s …

Georgia's Water Policymaking Process And The Role Of Public Participation: Development And Analysis Of A Water Planning Process Evaluation Framework, Anna Eskridge

All Dissertations

This study analyzes the public's role in the regional water planning process that took place in the State of Georgia from 2009 to 2011. Specifically, this dissertation analyzes the extent to which a 'consensus-based' water planning process occurred by 1) examining the public participation plans that governed how the public was to contribute to the plan and policy formation, and 2) analyzing the public comments that were submitted at public meetings and commenting periods. By examining the participation plans and public comments, this study revealed the institutional, policy, legislative, and planning structures that influenced public participation in the regional water …

Shock Incarceration Programs Creative Problem Solving, Djuana L. Munn

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

Abstract of Project

Shock Incarceration Programs Creative Problem Solving

Many women who are incarcerated inside correctional boot camp prisons might have substantial low self-esteem that could worsen due to the stress of the prison environment, confinement, and being far away from their children and family members. Shock Incarceration or “boot camp” male correctional programs are degrading for female inmates: They do not meet the special needs and problems of women. Programs are based on control theory, which implies that an individual’s behavior assimilates to that which is expected by society. Female inmates are taught discipline and responsibility by “breaking down …

Grant Application: Visual Voices, An Arts-Based Assessment Of The Perceived Identity Of Aging Maine Residents, Collyn Baeder, Zoe Hull, Rebecca Masterjohn, Virginia Sedarski, Adrian Jung, Michaela A. Hoffman, Nicole O'Brien

Visual Voices: An Arts-Based Assessment of the Perceived Identity of Aging Maine Residents

IPEC Mini-grant application for funding of UNE student project Visual Voices: An Arts-Based Assessment Of The Perceived Identity Of Aging Maine Residents. This project was designed to investigate the topics of perception, identity, and aging. Between February and May 2015, over the course of twelve sessions, the UNE team met with six female residents of the Park Danforth senior living community in Portland to have conversations and create art about how the residents perceive themselves in contrast to how they feel perceived by important people in their lives, such as friends, family, and healthcare providers.

Assessing Pragmatic Language In Autism Spectrum Disorder: The Yale In Vivo Pragmatic Protocol, Elizabeth Schoen Simmons, Rhea Paul, Fred Volkmar

Communication Disorders Faculty Publications

Purpose: This study compared pragmatic language in youths (9–17 years) with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and those with typical development (TD) on the Yale in vivo Pragmatic Protocol (YiPP), a semistructured, dynamic conversational assessment. Method: Participants (n = 118) were divided into groups based on age and diagnosis. Each completed the YiPP, which included 4 pragmatic domains (discourse management, communicative functions, conversational repair, presupposition). The participant’s response to each probe was scored correct or incorrect; incorrect scores elicited cues from the examiner, and level of cue required for a correction was also scored. Results: The YiPP showed high reliability and …

The Use Of Variable-Bagging And The Cross-Validation Selector In The Prediction Of Alzheimer’S Using The Adni Database., Michael Wayne Godbey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Dimensionality plays a huge part in the modeling process. If there are more elements in a data set than variables in each element then there are very few restrictions in selection of an algorithm. Bagging, bootstrap aggregating (Breiman, 1994), may also be used to improve a model’s prediction capability. On the other hand, if there more variables in each observation than the number of observations in the dataset, the number of usable algorithms is greatly reduced. The recently developed algorithm, support vector machines, was designed for such situations, in comparison to algorithms such as logistic regression which have instability issues …

Cultural Capital And The Family-School Mesosystem : A Multiple Groups Analysis Of School-Based Parent Involvement Types And Their Relations With Early Student Achievement., Emily R. Dickinson 1974-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation study explored the relationship between school-based parent involvement and early reading outcomes by positing that different types of parent involvement activities reflect access to different forms of cultural capital and therefore should be analyzed as separate constructs. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) techniques were used to establish the factor structure underlying measures of school-based parent involvement available in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort of 2011 (ECLS-K: 2011). Also of interest were the variations in the amount of participation in different types of involvement between families from various sociocultural backgrounds, as well as the …

Competitive Evaluation Of Data Mining Algorithms For Use In Cassification Of Leukocyte Subtypes With Raman Microspectroscopy, Adrian Maguire, I. Vega-Carrascal, Jane Bryant, Lisa White, Orla Howe, Fiona Lyng, Aidan Meade

Articles

Raman microspectroscopy has been investigated for some time for use in label-free cell sorting devices. These approaches require coupling of the Raman spectrometer to complex data mining algorithms for identification of cellular subtypes such as the leukocyte subpopulations of lymphocytes and monocytes. In this study, three distinct multivariate classification approaches, (PCA-LDA, SVMs and Random Forests) are developed and tested on their ability to classify the cellular subtype in extracted peripheral blood mononuclear cells (T-cell lymphocytes from myeloid cells), and are evaluated in terms of their respective classification performance. A strategy for optimisation of each of the classification algorithm is presented …

The Formation Of A Sacred Political Site : The Birthplace Of Mao Zedong At Shaoshan, Zhe Dong 1988-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Between 1949 and 1966, Mao Zedong’s cult of personality swelled into a kind of secular religion in China, and his birthplace, the remote village of Shaoshan, became a sacred site and s signal representative of national commemorative culture. This study rediscovers Shaoshan’s memorial projects undertaken during this period and explores how they embody the complex interplay between art/architecture and politics and the artistic tensions between rural and urban settings in post-Revolutionary China. The text focuses on four endeavors: the historic preservation of Mao’s Old House; the urban renovation plans advanced during the Great Leap Forward; the Exhibition Pavilion constructed by …

Pathogenic Role Of Acrolein In Alcoholic Liver Disease., Wei-Yang (Jeremy) Chen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Alcohol is the most socially accepted addictive drug, and it can cause alcoholic liver disease (ALD), which is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States and worldwide. Animal and human studies demonstrate that chronic alcohol consumption causes a pro-oxidant environment in the liver and increases hepatic lipid peroxidation and the accumulation of by-products such as acrolein and 4-hydroxynonenal. Acrolein is the most reactive and toxic aldehyde generated through lipid peroxidation. Also, acrolein is a major component of cigarette smoke, and there is increasing evidence that smoking negatively impacts the incidence, severity, and clinical course of chronic …