Digital Commons Network^™

A Numerical Study Investigating Sensitivity Of Radar Wave Propagation To The Marine Atmospheric Boundary Layer Environment, Nathan E. Lentini

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Radar is a remote sensor that is useful in scientific and military applications. The environment affects the accuracy of radar measurements as well as the predictability of a radar system’s performance. Because of the complexity of the dynamic processes occurring in the marine atmospheric boundary layer (MABL), which includes the lowermost troposphere and ocean surface, the impact of the environment on radar is intricate and difficult to assess. To better understand the relative importance of various aspects of the MABL environment on radar wave propagation, this study evaluates the sensitivity of radar wave propagation to the MABL environment using a …

Analysis And Simulation For Homogeneous And Heterogeneous Sir Models, Joseph Wilda

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In mathematical epidemiology, disease transmission is commonly assumed to behave in accordance with the law of mass action; however, other disease incidence terms also exist in the literature. A homogeneous Susceptible-Infectious-Removed (SIR) model with a generalized incidence term is presented along with analytic and numerical results concerning effects of the generalization on the global disease dynamics. The spatial heterogeneity of the metapopulation with nonrandom directed movement between populations is incorporated into a heterogeneous SIR model with nonlinear incidence. The analysis of the combined effects of the spatial heterogeneity and nonlinear incidence on the disease dynamics of our model is presented …

Built For Boyhood?: A Proposal For Reducing The Amount Of Gender Bias In The Advertising Of Children's Toys On Television, Nareissa L. Smith

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

While the last half-century has seen a dramatic increase in the number of US women in the workforce, women remain under represented in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields. For years, researchers and social commentators have tried to explain the persistence of this gender gap. Some have even argued that genetic differences explain women's inability to excel in the hard sciences. This Article asserts that the impact of socialization on children's educational and occupational choices has been greatly underestimated. Specifically, the toys that are marketed to boys teach spatial skills that prepare boys for STEM careers. Conversely, the toys …

The Bee Book, Matt Holbein, Emily Brooks, Foliage Library, Special Collections, Fleet Library

Pop-up and Movable Books

1 volume (in box) : color illustrations + 1 instruction booklet. Statement of responsibility from back cover of book. "The Bee Book is part of the Foliage LIbrary, a series of educational pop-up books by Matt Holbein & Emily Brooks."--Accompanying instruction booklet. "The Foliage LIbrary: Exploring nature through interactive folding books"--Back of box. The artists were inspired by classes on artists' books and pop-up books taught at the RIT Libraries for the creation of this book and others from their company. Funding for The Bee Book was obtained through a Kickstarter campaign. "The Bee Book is an illustrated interactive folding …

Development Of An Automated Method For Identification Of Wet And Dry Channel Segments Using Lidar Data And Fuzzy Logic Cluster Analysis, Chris Rowney

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research into the use of LiDAR data for purposes other than simple topographic elevation determination, such as urban land cover classification and the identification of forest biomass, has become prominent in recent years. In many cases, alternative analysis methodologies conducted using airborne LiDAR data are possible because the raw data collected during a survey can include information other than the classically used elevation and coordinate points, the X, Y, and Z of the plane. In particular, intensity return values for each point in a LiDAR grid have been found to provide a useful data set for wet and dry channel …

Feminist Identities: Career Choices And Experiences Of College-Educated Women, Kerry Diekmann

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This qualitative study explored how feminism as a social identity impacts how women interpret their career and life experiences. The overarching research question that guided the study was: How do feminist-identified women make sense of their feminist identity, life experiences, and career path? The theoretical framework that provided the lens for the study included feminist, multicultural, intersectionality, and career development theories. Two distinct bodies of literature were reviewed to provide a foundation for the study: (a) women's career development, in particular, the supports and barriers experienced, and (b) feminist identity, including influences to adopting the feminist label and factors associated …

"I Looked Here; I Looked There; Nowhere Could I See My Love." The Problem Of "Presence" In The Black Riders And Other Lines, Nat Gustafson-Sundell

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Although the poems of The Black Riders and other lines, by Stephen Crane, have often been treated as if they are simple--easy to interpret and easy to categorize--these poems actually support a multiplicity of interpretations. The multiplicity of interpretations available in the poems informs the possibility of tracing a variety of interrelationships through the poetry. While a few previous scholars have treated the poems as if they are interrelated, the interrelationship of the poetry has not been explicitly and substantially addressed as a feature of the poetry. The poems, in fact, support a combinatorial complexity only previously hinted at in …

Hydrologic And Temperature Regime Influence On Growth And Recruitment Of Fishes In An Upper Midwest Riverine Ecosystem, Brett Donald Nelson

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The natural flow regime is often identified as the primary driver of ecological integrity in rivers. The Minnesota River basin is characterized by a row-crop agricultural landscape with an extensive network of drainage tiles and ditches to improve land productivity. Intensive surface and subsurface drainage alters flow regimes, increasing the magnitude and frequency of high flows. Changes in river hydrology lead to alterations in geomorphology, including increased bank erosion, channel widening, and downward incision that can lead to floodplain disconnection. Disruption of historical hydrology can alter energy flow and connection to specialized habitats subsequently affecting important aquatic communities and populations …

Gis Analysis Of Brownfield Sites In The City Of Minneapolis, Shreya Vaidya

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Brownfield sites have many negative ramifications on a local area which includes loss of economy, decline in land use value and potential hazard to human health and the environment. Despite the efforts on redeveloping brownfields, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) claims that over 10,000 known contaminated or potentially contaminated sites remain across Minnesota and thousands are likely to exist but have not been identified and recorded. The objectives of this study are to map the brownfield sites in Minneapolis based on the information provided by the regulatory sources and to categorize and analyze all the sites on the basis of …

Machining Strategies Exploring Reduction In Energy Consumption, Abdullah Al Mamun

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The main aim of this thesis is to explore machining strategies, analyzing energy consumption using Design of Experiments (DOE) at the material removal rate (MRR), compare to cutting geometrical trajectories according to CNC parameters such as spindle RPM, feed rate, depth of cut per pass and total depth of cut. Spindle RPM, depth of cut per pass, and feed rate are selected as the main three factors and each factor has two levels: low-level (-) and high-level (+). These experiments have been performed at an end-milling machine by using a concept of a constant volume of material removal processes in …

A Migration Analysis Of Demographic Transitions In The Upper-Midwest From 2006-2010, Andrew Brick

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Rural communities in the Upper-Midwest are essential for contributions to agriculture, oil and development of economic networks to larger towns and cities. Concerning rural population stability and transitions, this research study aims to discover complex migration flows by constructing specified groups of Upper-Midwest regions (i.e., Bakken oil, Taconite iron, high agriculture, developing area of rural depopulation and Interstate 94). Research questions on migrant distributions will be answered by investigating (in-) and (out-) flow data by demographic characteristics (e.g., age, gender and ethnicity) on a county-to-county level. By weighing total demographic populations, a more accurate representation of migration trends called Crude …

A Phenomenological Investigation Of Clinical Intuition Among Alcohol And Drug Counselors, Zach Hansen

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This study investigates the experience of clinical intuition among alcohol and drug counselors. Clinical intuition has been acknowledged as an integral component to counseling by numerous influential theorists, and has recently been researched in the context of clinical psychology, and marriage and family counseling. However, little or no research has been conducted on clinical intuition among alcohol and drug counselors. In order to thoroughly describe the essence of clinical intuition among this population, phenomenological research methods were utilized. Five alcohol and drug counselors with varying backgrounds with between 5-40 years of experience participated in this study. Participants were interviewed, and …

Timp-1 Activates A Unique Cardiac Stem Cell Population, Cd63+Ve/C-Kit+Ve, Thereby Enhancing Cardiac Differentiation, And Protects The Heart From Adverse Cardiac Remodeling Following Myocardial Infarction, Latifa Abdelli

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

We previously demonstrated that embryonic stem (ES) cells over-expressing tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) have increased potential to engraft and differentiate into cardiac myocytes following transplantation into the infarcted heart. However, the ability of TIMP-1 to activate endogenous stem cells and enhance their differentiation into cardiac regenerative cell types is still unknown. We postulate that TIMP-1 may additionally activate a stem cell population that enhances cardiac cell type differentiation in the infarcted myocardium. To prove this hypothesis, we isolated c-kit+ve cells from four weeks old C57BL/6 mice and cultured them in vitro in presence of ES conditioned media (ESCM), ES-TIMP-1-CM …

Critical Velocity Is Associated With Combat Specific Performance Measures In A Special Forces Unit, Mattan Hoffman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Over recent years, military research has focused on ways of being able to predict operational success and readiness through the development of simulated operational tasks measuring the physical limits of the soldier. Therefore, to properly prepare the tactical athlete for the demands and rigor of combat, accurate assessment of baseline physical abilities and limitations are necessary. Currently, western armies use a basic physical fitness test, which has been heavily argued to have no bearing on operational readiness, thus they are in the process of transitioning to a more specific combat readiness test. However, specific assessments to predict operational success/readiness are …

Applying Patent-Eligible Subject Matter Restrictions, J. Jonas Anderson

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

The US Supreme Court's difficulty in promulgating a standard for patent-eligibility has not gone unnoticed in the academy. Hundreds of academic conferences, including this one, have been devoted to the topic. The goal of this Article is not to solve the seemingly intractable problem of patent-eligibility doctrine. The goal of this Article is rather more modest. Instead of normatively assessing patent-eligible subject matter doctrine, this Article seeks to identify which foundational theories of patent-eligible subject matter can most readily be applied by courts and the US Patent and Trademark Office via Section 101. In doing so, this Article categorizes the …

Patent-Eligible Processes: An Audience Perspective, Timothy R. Holbrook, Mark D. Janis

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

Many of the problems with modern patent-eligibility analysis can be traced back to a fundamental philosophical divide between judges who treat eligibility as the primary tool for effectuating patent policy and those who take patent-eligibility as nothing more than a coarse filter to be invoked in rare cases. After several years in which the coarse filter approach seemed to have the upper hand, the eligibility-as-king approach now is firmly in ascendancy. This Article resists that trend, exploring more centrist approaches to patent-eligibility, particularly in the context of process inventions. This Article first examines the practice of undertaking an eligibility analysis …

Postbaccalaureate Stem Students’ Perceptions Of Their Training: Exploring The Intersection Of Gender And Nativity, Amy Roberson Hayes, Rebecca S. Bigler

Psychology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The number of international students in graduate school within STEM fields at US institutions has risen dramatically over the last few decades, whereas the numbers of US women attending graduate school in STEM fields has largely stagnated. These trends suggest the importance of intersectionality to understanding individuals’ pursuit of STEM careers. Here we examined doctoral (N = 270) and postdoctoral (N = 27) students' satisfaction with their graduate training at a large, research focused institution in the US as a function of the intersection of participants’ gender and nativity. Participants completed measures of occupational values, perceived fit of their values …

A Comparison Of Secondary Dropout Rates In Rural And Urban Costa Rica, Mary Flynn Doran

Master's Theses

This study examined the issue of secondary school abandonment in Costa Rica. It took the national percentage of dropouts as well as the evident problem of regional disparities in terms of high school completion into consideration while it analyzed the opinions of high school aged students in both a rural and urban area. There were four participant groups in total, two in each location. The groups consisted of 5 enrolled and 5 previously enrolled subjects in both areas and each participant was asked open ended questions about their education, future, opinion on high school in general, and attitudes in regards …

Listening From The Bench Fosters Civility And Promotes Justice, Paula Lustbader

Seattle Journal for Social Justice

No abstract provided.

High Society: Washington State’S Recreational Cannabis Law And Its Effects On Child Custody And Visitation Rights, Dana Petersen

Seattle Journal for Social Justice

No abstract provided.

Learning To Use, Useful For Learning: A Usability Study Of Google Apps For Education, Maury Elizabeth Brown, Daniel L. Hocutt

School of Professional and Continuing Studies Faculty Publications

Using results from an original survey instrument, this study examined student perceptions of how useful Google Apps for Education (GAFE) was in students' learning of core concepts in a first-year college composition course, how difficult or easy it was for students to interact with GAFE, and how students ranked specific affordances of the technology in terms of its usability and usefulness. Students found GAFE relatively easy to use and appreciated its collaborative affordances. The researchers concluded that GAFE is a useful tool to meet learning objectives in the college composition classroom.

Conceptual Model For Successful Implementation Of Big Data In Organizations, Mohanad Halaweh, Ahmed E. Massry

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

The term ‘big data’ has gained huge popularity in recent years among IT professionals and academicians. Big data describes the massive amount of data that can be processed and analyzed using technology to gain business values that will help organizations to achieve competitive advantages. The current paper aims to develop a holistic model that includes the factors that would affect the success or failure of the implementation of big data in organizations. Furthermore, this research examines the opportunities that organizations would attain from implementing big data, as well as the challenges that could hinder this implementation. The proposed model provides …

Realistic Spiking Neuron Statistics In A Population Are Described By A Single Parametric Distribution, Lauren Crow 9370373

UROP Posters

The spiking of activity of neurons throughout the cortex is random and complicated. This complicated activity requires theoretical formulations in order to understand the underlying principles of neural processing. A key aspect of theoretical investigations is characterizing the probability distribution of spiking activity. This study aims to better understand the statistics of the time between spikes, or interspike interval, in both real data and a spiking model with many time scales. Exploration of the interspike intervals of neural network activity can provide a better understanding of neural responses to different stimuli. We consider different parametric distribution fitting techniques to characterize …

A Raman Spectroscopic And Computational Study Of The Effects Of Halogen Bonding On Pyrimidine Containing Systems, Peyton Lindsey Reves

Honors Theses

This thesis involves the study of the effects of halogen bonding on pyrimidine containing systems. Halogen bonding is a type of non-covalent interaction that can occur when a Lewis base interacts with an iodine, bromine, or chlorine atom in a second molecule. The phenomenon of halogen bonding is explained by the presence of a localized region of positive electrostatic potential that exists on the halogen. This positive region is referred to as the σ-hole, and gives halogen bonding its other common name, σ-hole bonding. The magnitude of the positive σ-hole depends on both the type of halogen molecule involved in …

The Wlbs: Women Of Whimsy, Rachel Ellen Banka

Honors Theses

This thesis is an entirely fictional novel about the five members of a women's book club in a small Mississippi town. It is told from three alternating perspectives and spans the course of one month, November, 2013. It is a story of lies, literature, love, and loss; of identity, community, friendship, and betrayal; and of hidden treasure, whatever form that takes.

A Computational Comparison Of The Hydrophobic Pocket Of Neural And Epithelial Cadherins For The Purpose Of Identifying A Selective Inhibitor, Ross E. Straughan

Honors Theses

Classical cadherins are a subfamily of calcium-dependent cellular adhesion molecules that play an important role in the formation of cellular junctions in many tissues. The extracellular portion of cadherins consists of five tandem-repeated domains (EC1-EC5). The critical first step in cadherin-mediated cellular adhesion occurs at the interface between two adjacent EC1 domains in which the transition from monomer to dimer is accomplished by docking the W2 residue of the N-terminal β-strand of one EC1 domain into the hydrophobic pocket of its partner domain. Cancer and many other diseases have been linked to the aberrant expression of Epithelial (E-cad) and Neural …

Properties Of A Fluorescent Deoxycytidine Analog In I-Motif Dna, Sara E. Wingate

Honors Theses

Experiments to determine fluorescence lifetimes and fluorescence quenching constants were performed using oligonucleotides of DNA containing PdC, a fluorescent analog of cytidine, at five different locations in the i-motif. My experiments were chosen in order to better understand the structural characteristics of i-motif DNA, which are thought to have biological importance in cancer and drug delivery. Fluorescent lifetime experiments were carried out using an ISS K2 fluorescence instrument with a modulated LED light source in order to determine if the cytidine bases in DNA replaced by PdC were paired or unpaired in the i-motif structure. The resulting data allowed us …

Modeling Atp-Binding Cassette G2 (Abcg2) Substrate Specificity, Raghav D. Acharya, Aurijit Sarkar, Glen E. Kellogg

UROP Posters

How well can we predict efflux by ATP-binding cassette G2?

It is estimated that there will be about 1.6 million new cases of cancer and half a million cancer deaths in the US during 2015.ATP-binding cassette (ABC) efflux transporters such as ABCG2 are overexpressed in chemotherapy-resistant cancer cells. Anticancer drugs are prone to efflux by these transporters. Being able to identify drugs that are effluxed is of great interest in drug discovery.The current arsenal of methods used to detect efflux are not easily adaptable to high throughput formats and are limited in scope, making experimental analysis an expensive prospect. Hence, …

Icp-Oes Analysis Of The Chemical Composition Of Hypergolic Mixtures, Monique Jones

UROP Posters

Hypergolic mixtures involve a chemical reaction between an oxidant and a fuel source. These reactions are self-igniting and can be performed using common household materials. The ease of access to the reactants, and delayed ignition have increased the occurrence of hypergolic mixtures in arson-related crimes and incendiary devices. Currently, few chemical signatures exist to link hypergolic residues to a perpetrator. This makes it difficult to obtain forensically relevant information from evidence during an investigation. A hypergolic reaction of interest to forensic laboratories involves combustion between a glycol-based fuel source and potassium permanganate. Past studies have determined that one can distinguish …

Regulation Of System XC- By Pharmacological Manipulation Of Cellular Thiols, Rebecca Albano, Nicholas J. Raddatz, Julie Hjelmhaug, David A. Baker, Doug Lobner

Biomedical Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

The cystine/glutamate exchanger (system x_c^-) mediates the transport of cystine into the cell in exchange for glutamate. By releasing glutamate, system x_c^- can potentially cause excitotoxicity. However, through providing cystine to the cell, it regulates the levels of cellular glutathione (GSH), the main endogenous intracellular antioxidant, and may protect cells against oxidative stress. We tested two different compounds that deplete primary cortical cultures containing both neurons and astrocytes of intracellular GSH, L-buthionine-sulfoximine (L-BSO), and diethyl maleate (DEM). Both compounds caused significant concentration and time dependent decreases in intracellular GSH levels. However; DEM caused an increase …