Digital Commons Network^™

Planning With Transaction Logic, Reza Basseda

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

Automated planning has been the subject of intensive research and is at the core of several areas of AI, including intelligent agents and robotics. In this dissertation, we argue that Transaction Logic is a natural specification, experimentation, prototyping, and potentially implementation language for planning algorithms. This enables one to see further afield and thus discover better and more general solutions than using one-of-a-kind formalisms that have been traditionally dominating this field. Specifically, we take the well-known STRIPS planning strategy and show that Transaction Logic lets one specify this strategy and several of its far-reaching extensions easily and concisely. In addition, …

Engineering High-Performance Parallel Algorithms With Applications To Bioinformatics, Jesmin Jahan Tithi

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

Since the beginning of the last decade, plateauing of the clock speed of computer processors has forced us to invest more in parallelism — for both hardware and software. This resulted in improvements in computing technologies that have favored parallelism over increased clock speed. Taking advantage of these improvements requires designing algorithms that can leverage parallelism well. In this dissertation, we show how to take advantage of several algorithm design techniques to harness modern heterogeneous parallel architectures for solving problems in bioinformatics efficiently. Our main goal while designing algorithms is to achieve high-performance in terms of running time and scalability. …

Bayesian Reliability Analysis And Nonlinear System Identification For Complex Particle Accelerator Protection Systems, Prachi Chitnis

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

Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at Brookhaven National Laboratory is used to study primordial form of matter that existed in the universe shortly after the Big Bang. Enormous energy (72 MJ) is stored inside RHIC in the form of ion beams and superconducting magnet currents during operation. The accelerator Machine Protection System (MPS) is used to safeguard against undesirable energy leakage due to the faults developing in the collider, and needs to be highly reliable. The most crucial parts of MPS are the Beam Permit System (BPS) and the Quench Detection System (QDS). The BPS monitors the health of RHIC …

A New Method For Design Of Geometrically Shaped Structures For Prescribed Electromagnetic Field Distribution, Carlos Manuel Pereira

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

The contribution of this research work to the body of existing knowledge is a novel design (inverse) method to compute the distribution of fields when electromagnetic waves interact with surfaces. If given a desired distribution of electromagnetic fields (radiation pattern), the design (inverse) method developed will rapidly allow a designer to determine a unique geometric solution which will provide the desired radiation pattern, which is an inverse problem. The method developed can also be used as an analysis tool to analyze radiating or receiving structures with simple and complex non-linear geometric features. In the extensive literature search provided in this …

From €Œun-Dead†To €Œundeath†: Rehabilitating The Figure Of Dracula, Kaitlyn Frakl

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

The primary goal of this thesis is to offer a way of rehabilitating the figure of Dracula by using Victorian and modern death practices to inform our understanding of Stoker’s narrative. The method I propose is to extend Stoker’s antagonist beyond his construction as an “Un-Dead†being lacking complexity into what I am calling the ideology of “Undeath.†Undeath restores the identity of the Un-Dead being, and seeks to legitimatize the being’s current existence. Victorians were hindered from seeing Undeath in the narrative due to the contemporary tension between religious and secular approaches to death, however, modern scholars have the …

Motherhood And Religious Crisis In The English Novel, 1678-1800, Nicole Garret Marie

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

This dissertation contributes to post-secularist histories of the long eighteenth century, its literary contexts, and the political history of women by examining the intersections of feminist and religious themes in narratives about motherhood. In literary scholarship, post-secularism asks us to reassess the importance of religious faith and religious institutions in past societies and their literature. The eighteenth century, long coterminous with Enlightenment secularism, is a particularly crucial moment for revisionist approaches to the literary history of the West. While important work has been done on the religious foundations of early feminism and the political history of motherhood, this study is …

Genetic And Structural Analyses Of Poliovirus Protein 2catpase, Emmanuel Noble Asare

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

The specificity of encapsidation of members of the genus Enterovirus of the Picornaviridae family depends on an interaction between capsid proteins and nonstructural protein 2CATPase. In particular, in the context of a chimeric virus, the N252 residue of poliovirus (PV) 2CATPase interacts with VP3 E180 of coxsackievirus A20. PV 2CATPase has important roles both in RNA replication and encapsidation, but in the context of just the poliovirus polyprotein, N252 does not function in assembly. The aim of my study was to search for additional residues near N252 in 2CATPase that are required for PV encapsidation. I predicted a three-dimensional protein …

Interaction Of Alu Polymorphisms And Novel Measures Of Discrimination In Association With Blood Pressure In African Americans Living In Tallahassee, Alexis C. Boulter, Jackyn Quinlan, Aida T. Miró-Herrans, Laurel N. Pearson, Nubiana L. Todd, Clarence C. Gravlee, Connie J. Mulligan

Human Biology Open Access Pre-Prints

African Americans are 40% more likely to be afflicted with hypertension in comparison to non-Hispanic, white Americans, resulting in a 30% higher instance of mortality due to cardiovascular disease. There is debate about the relative contributions of genetic and sociocultural risk factors to the racial disparity in hypertension.

We assayed three Alu insertion polymorphisms located in the angiotensin-1-converting enzyme (ACE), tissue plasminogen activator (PLAT), and with no-lysine kinase 1 (WNK1) genes. We also estimated West African genetic ancestry and developed novel measures of perceived discrimination to create a biocultural model of blood pressure among …

Spartan Daily, December 1, 2015, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily (School of Journalism and Mass Communications)

Volume 145, Issue 38

Total Dietary Fiber Content Of Selected Traditional Beverages In Egypt: A Brief Profile, Basil H. Aboul-Enein

Health & Wellness Department Faculty Publications and Research

Escalating obesity rates have become a major public health concern in North Africa and the Middle East. Culturally-congruent dietary health education and strategies continue to be warranted to address this increasing public health crisis. Knowledge and familiarity with traditional foods and their nutritive value would assist public health practitioners in becoming culturally competent when educating on healthy eating patterns. The aim of this study is to provide a brief dietary profile of the total dietary fiber (TDF) contents of selected traditional beverages in Egypt. Five cookbooks for Egyptian food recipes were reviewed for traditional beverages. Beverage recipes (n = …

Cyber-Bullying Portrayals In The News Media, Mary L. Alexander

Theses & Honors Papers

Cyber-bullying is a phenomenon that is widely studied. Researches have examined the characteristics of perpetrators and victims, impacts of cyber-bullying on both the victims and offenders, the development and application of law and the development of programs to stem cyber-bullying. Despite a great amount of research dedicated to these aforementioned areas, studies examining the portrayal of cyber-bullying by news media outlets are rare. An understanding of this portrayal is important as the news media is a significant source of public opinions about a vast array of topics in society. As such, the goal of the present research is to provide …

Student Service Members/Veterans Programs In Erie County Colleges And Universities: Analyzing Programs For Removing Barriers And Facilitating Identity Transitioning, William E. Langer

Public Administration Master’s Projects

Student Service Members/Veterans (SSM/Vs) served their nation in times of peace and in war and in doing so, are eligible for various educational benefits. To assist the SSM/V in adapting to their new role as a student and civilian, most postsecondary educational institutions offer services specifically tailored to the SSM/V population in order to support and assist them in completing their academic program. These services could include navigating benefit programs, financial aid, orientation programs and disability services as needed. In this transformative mixed methods study, a content analysis of the public websites of the schools was first conducted to determine …

Snap And Tanf Administration In New York State Counties: Comparing Case-Based, Mixed Methods And Task-Based Processes, Ryan Gadzo

Public Administration Master’s Projects

The purpose of this study is to examine the administrative style used in New York State (NYS) counties for administering two needs-based federal programs: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). Needs-based federally-funded policies have significant implications for public administration and intergovernmental relations because these programs involve public servants in the determination and delivery of services of federally-mandated programs which states deliver through a variety of models (state, county, or contracting with private or nonprofit agencies). In NYS, counties are given this responsibility. While the numbers of persons receiving TANF has leveled off since the …

Enewsletter - December 2015, College Of Education And Human Development

College of Education and Human Development News

• Two CEHD Faculty Members Recognized for Research
• Assistant Professor has Journal Article Published
• Family Studies Student Wins WMU Study Abroad Photo Contest
• Sport Management Student Completes Internship of a Lifetime
• Associate Professor Invited as University of Nebraska’s Featured Guest
• Three Faculty Members Have Manuscript Accepted for Publication by National Journal

From Fatalism To Mitigation: A Conceptual Framework For Mitigating Fetal Programming Of Chronic Disease By Maternal Obesity, Janne Boone-Heinonen, Lynne C. Messer, Stephen P. Fortmann, Lawrence Wallack, Kent L. Thornburg

Community Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

Prenatal development is recognized as a critical period in the etiology of obesity and cardiometabolic disease. Potential strategies to reduce maternal obesity-induced risk later in life have been largely overlooked. In this paper, we first propose a conceptual framework for the role of public health and preventive medicine in mitigating the effects of fetal programming. Second, we review a small but growing body of research (through August 2015) that examines interactive effects of maternal obesity and two public health foci – diet and physical activity – in the offspring. Results of the review support the hypothesis that diet and physical …

Grappling With Inclusion: Ethnocultural Diversity And Socio-Musical Experiences In Common Thread Community Chorus Of Toronto, Deanna Yerichuk

Music Faculty Publications

This pilot research study explored ethnocultural backgrounds of choristers and their socio-musical experiences participating in Common Thread Community Chorus of Toronto, a community choir that actively pursues cultural inclusion through policies of musical and financial accessibility, as well as choosing repertoire of diverse cultures. A survey of choristers investigated how Common Thread members’ ethnocultural backgrounds informed their perceptions of their musical and social experiences and of the choir’s cultural diversity, working from the assumption that all people have ethnocultural backgrounds. Research findings reveal complex and diverse cultures when singers reflect on their own experiences, but choristers tended to reduce cultural …

Progression Magazine, 2015 Winter, Coastal Carolina University

Progression Magazine

Magazine of the College of Science at Coastal Carolina University.

Reflections (2015 Issue), College Of Health Professions

College of Health Professions Newsletters & Magazines

In the annual Reflections magazine, Dean Patricia Walker and the College of Health Sciences present some of the highlights and accomplishments in teaching, service and scholarship from the past year.

The Ambulatory Care Center Design Tool (Accdt), Clemson Center For Health Facilities Design & Testing

Center for Health Facilities Design and Testing

Overview

This Ambulatory Care Center Design Tool (ACCDT), developed by Dr. Anjali Joseph and Dr. Zahra Zamani from Clemson University in collaboration with The Center for Health Design (CHD), builds upon a series of papers, best practice case studies and in-depth literature reviews conducted by CHD as well as CHD's Clinic Design Post-Occupancy Evaluation Toolkit – Tool 2 Audit of Physical Environment with additions from a thesis by Crews (2013). The tool supports design teams in making key design decisions about ambulatory care centers linked to evidence based design goals and principles.

Detail

The tool is organized around three main …

The Effects Of Nutrition Pertaining To Fitness And Health, Daniel Swem

University Honors Program

The current research is focused on how nutrition influences both fitness and health. It is important to understand the difference between the two terms. Fitness relates to a person’s ability to perform specific tasks whereas health is a condition of being free of disease or illness. Pertaining to fitness, this study primarily focuses on cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, and body composition. (The other components of physical fitness are muscular endurance and flexibility). This research will attempt to answer some highly researched questions. How important is the timing of pre-exercise and post-exercise meals? What foods are beneficial for those seeking to …

Outbreak: Emergency Room Overcrowding, Mary Elizabeth Sum

University Honors Program

A phenomenon referred to as emergency room (ER) overcrowding, which is defined as, “the demand for emergency services exceeds the ability of physicians and nurses to provide quality care within a reasonable time” (Sinclair, 2007), is happening around the world today. This problem causes much grief for the patients trying to receive quality care from the affected hospitals, and therefore hospitals are looking for any solution to solve this problem. The research was conducted by a literary review by utilizing the CINAHL and the Nursing and Allied Health Collection database. It was conducted to discover any evidence of ER overcrowding, …

Human Resources’ Role In Avoiding Conflict In The Workplace, Brad Morris

University Honors Program

Psychologists have proven there are many causes of conflict; the vast majority of these causes can find their roots in displaced anger or a buildup of stress that leads to an unhealthy release, such as a display of hostility. Human Resource professionals are expected to find a way to limit, control, and eliminate these situations before they become a problem. Avoiding situations of work place conflict, especially violence is one of the most important duties for a corporation; these issues can be avoided by the Human Resource Department with relative ease by hiring the right people, as to ensure the …

Multiple Sclerosis And The Benefits Of Exercise, Sydney P. Lovelace

University Honors Program

In this report, the effects that exercise has on multiple sclerosis are presented. Types, symptoms, and treatment options are described in order to give a clear understanding of the disease. The modes of exercise and the benefits that each mode holds will be explained and applied to the life of one living with multiple sclerosis. There will more attention toward resistance exercise, yoga, and tai chi as forms of exercise. Along with the benefits, the ways that poor posture and balance will be identified. With this information, the reader will gain an understanding about how identifying issues in posture and …

Nursing: The Career That Saves Lives [Career Paper], Maggie Flanagan

Undergraduate Research Award

No abstract provided.

Lead Exposure In Children Through Water And Soil, Sravya Maru

Environmental Management & Risk Assessment (PH 560)

Lead is a metal which has the ability to spread in the earth’s crust and has corrosive property. It is a naturally occurring metal which is soft in nature. Lead exposure in children is through various pathways and the major concentrated sources are the soil and drinking water. Children are most susceptible to lead exposure is due to their growing/developing bodies which are very sensitive to lead. Lead poisoning in children is a preventable environmental disease affecting many children around the world. This paper discusses how soil and water plays a major role in lead exposure to children’s routine life. …

Independent - Dec. 1, 2015, Rut Ortiz

The Independent (1988-present)

No abstract provided.

Urinformed December 2015, Urinformed

URInformed: The URI Employees' Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Entrenched In Context: Perceptions Regarding Intimate Partner Violence And Viable Interventions Among Undergraduate Students, Julio Montanez

HIM 1990-2015

Many policies and programs have relevance to intimate partner violence (IPV), such as no-drop policies, firearm-related policies, mandatory reporting, mandatory arrest, and others. IPV affects persons from a multitude of demographics and statuses. Dating violence has its mark on college campuses. The present research studies both attitudes toward IPV and attitudes toward interventions that pertain to IPV. Attitudes toward IPV have been found to relate to a number of explanatory variables: attributions, socioeconomic status, age, class standing, race/ethnicity, religion/spirituality, attitudes toward gender, violence in the family of origin, and previous IPV histories. Perceptions of IPV interventions have been found to …

25 Year Club: 34th Annual Gala, Western Michigan University

25 Year Club

25 Year Club: 34th Annual Gala

December 1, 2015

• New Inductees
• Members
• Retirees

A Critique Of Hobby Lobby And The Supreme Court's Hands-Off Approach To Religion, Samuel J. Levine

Notre Dame Law Review Reflection

Part I of this Essay provides a brief overview for analyzing the Supreme Court’s hands-off approach to religious doctrine. Specifically, this Part presents a summary of problems posed by the hands-off approach, followed by a brief taxonomy of different forms of judicial inquiry into religion. This Part aims to clarify which forms of inquiry are permissible—and typically necessary—for adjudication of a case involving a religious claim, and which forms of inquiry are precluded under the hands-off doctrine. Part II of this Essay applies the hands-off framework to the Hobby Lobby decision, considering the taxonomy of forms of judicial inquiry into …