Digital Commons Network^™

Theoretical Study Of Laser Beam Quality And Pulse Shaping By Volume Bragg Gratings, Sergiy Kaim

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The theory of stretching and compressing of short light pulses by the chirped volume Bragg gratings (CBG) is reviewed based on spectral decomposition of short pulses and on the wavelength-dependent coupled wave equations. The analytic theory of diffraction efficiency of a CBG with constant chirp and approximate theory of time delay dispersion are presented. Based on those, we performed comparison of the approximate analytic results with the exact numeric coupled-wave modeling. We also study theoretically various definitions of laser beam width in a given cross-section. Quality of the beam is characterized by the dimensionless beam propagation products (?x???_x)?? , which …

Math Remediation For High School Freshmen, Kambiz Borhon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study is an attempt to address the problem associated with a high percentage of freshman students, at a private Christian high school in Florida, who either fail Algebra 1 or pass with a low percentage rate. As a result, these students either retake Algebra 1 or continue on—being inadequately prepared to successfully pass Geometry and Algebra 2. This study concentrates on the student background knowledge of mathematics, which is among the causes associated with this problem, and proposes remediation. As such, a mathematics remediation course is designed and implemented for a select number of incoming freshmen. This study includes …

Synthesis Of Fluorene-Based Derivatives, Characterization Of Optical Properties And Their Applications In Two-Photon Fluorescence Imaging And Photocatalysis, Grace Githaiga

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The two-photon absorption (2PA) phenomenon has attracted attention from various fields ranging from chemistry and biology to optics and engineering. Two of the common NLO applications in which organic materials have been used are three-dimensional (3D) fluorescence imaging and optical power limiting. Two-photon absorbing materials are, therefore, in great demand to meet the needs of emerging technologies. Organic molecules show great promise to meet this need as they can be customized through molecular engineering, and as the development of two-photon materials that suit practical application intensifies, so does research to meet this need. However, there remains some uncertainty in the …

A Socio-Economic Assessment Of Marine Turtle Eco-Tourism, Kendra Cope

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Marine turtles have historically contributed to economic activity through consumptive harvest for food, tools, and decorative objects. Only recently have they begun to benefit humans economically through non-consumptive roles, primarily as a focal point of educational eco-tourism. In recent years, the annual number of turtle walks conducted around the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge (ACNWR) has risen. This expansion contributed to a statistically significant increase in attendance from 2,162 in 2001 to 3,047 participants in 2014. I examined the regional economic impacts of marine turtle eco-tourism around the ACNWR using social surveys and an economic impact analysis tool. IMPLAN, an …

Making Waves, Mixing Colors, And Using Mirrors: The Self-Regulated Learning Support Features And Procedural Rhetoric Of Three Whole-Body Educational Games, Emily Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the question, "How can the procedural rhetoric of three whole-body educational games improve the understanding of self-regulated learning with digital technology?" It explores three whole-body educational games (WBEGs) using a quantitative study, a case study, and analyses of their procedural rhetoric to better understand the roles these types of games can have in teaching digital literacy and self-regulated learning (SRL) skills. The three WBEGs, Waves, Color Mixer, and Light and Mirrors, are each intended to teach science concepts to players. These games are similarly structured in that they all invite players to immerse themselves in the game …

Conservation Laws And Electromagnetic Interactions, Veerachart Kajorndejnukul

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Aside from energy, light carries linear and angular momenta that can be transferred to matter. The interaction between light and matter is governed by conservation laws that can manifest themselves as mechanical effects acting on both matter and light waves. This interaction permits remote, precise, and noninvasive manipulation and sensing at microscopic levels. In this dissertation, we demonstrated for the first time a complete set of opto-mechanical effects that are based on nonconservative forces and act at the interface between dielectric media. Without structuring the light field, forward action is provided by the conventional radiation pressure while a backward movement …

The Interspecies Family: Attitudes And Narratives, Nicole Owens

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Families are conceptualized and accomplished in increasingly diverse ways in the 21st century. A constructionist framework was utilized to examine a widespread contemporary family form, the interspecies family. This mixed-method approach relied on both quantitative survey data and qualitative interview data. First, survey data from the 2006 Constructing the Family Survey were analyzed to understand who in America counts pets as family. Many social demographics were associated and predicted counting pets as family but gender was one of the strongest associations. However, marital status moderated the relationship between gender and counting pets as family at a statically significant level. Men …

Sage Illusionists: A Historical Study Using Illusionists As A Reflection Of Mass Entertainment, Popular Culture, Anf Change During The Late Nineteenth Century, Clayton Phillips

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

By the late nineteenth and early twenty century both the United States and Europe were experiencing massive shifts in social organization, social attitudes, and global influence due to the effects of the industrial revolution and imperialistic expansion. This birth of a public sphere and the mass entertainment industry was related to a blurring of the lines between traditional social classes. Mass entertainment's growth was directly related to the need to attract large audiences with entertainment that appealed in some way to a broad spectrum of the populace. At the same time, stage illusionists or magicians were one of the most …

Photon Statistics In Disordered Lattices, Hasan Kondakci

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Propagation of coherent waves through disordered media, whether optical, acoustic, or radio waves, results in a spatially redistributed random intensity pattern known as speckle -- a statistical phenomenon. The subject of this dissertation is the statistics of monochromatic coherent light traversing disordered photonic lattices and its dependence on the disorder class, the level of disorder and the excitation configuration at the input. Throughout the dissertation, two disorder classes are considered, namely, diagonal and off-diagonal disorders. The latter exhibits disorder-immune chiral symmetry -- the appearance of the eigenmodes in skew-symmetric pairs and the corresponding eigenvalues in opposite signs. When a disordered …

An Applied Organizational Analysis Of School Factors Affecting Technology Integration Within The Context Of Literacy Instruction, D'Ann Rawlinson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this Dissertation in Practice was to analyze the organizational factors affecting technology integration within the context of literacy instruction at a single school site that was preparing to implement a 1:1 mobile device initiative in all K-5 classrooms the following academic year. This was achieved through conducting an organizational analysis using a multi-frame model developed by Bolman and Deal (2008). This study used a convergent parallel mixed methods research design consisting of teacher and administrator interviews, a quantitative and qualitative survey, and classroom observational data. One main evaluation question was designed to frame this organizational analysis: What …

Quantum Chemical Studies For The Engineering Of Metal Organic Materials, Hector Javier Rivera Jacquez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Metal Organic Materials (MOM) are composed of transition metal ions as connectors and organic ligands as linkers. MOMs have been found to have high porosity, catalytic, and optical properties. Here we study the gas adsorption, color change, and non-linear optical properties of MOMs. These properties can be predicted using theoretical methods, and the results may provide experimentalists with guidance for rational design and engineering of novel MOMs. The theory levels used include semi-empirical quantum mechanical calculations with the PM7 Hamiltonian and, Density Functional Theory (DFT) to predict the geometry and electronic structure of the ground state, and Time Dependent DFT …

African American Head Football Coaches At Division 1 Fbs Schools: A Qualitative Study On Turning Points, Thaddeus Rivers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation was centered on how the theory 'turning points' explained African American coaches ascension to Head Football Coach at a NCAA Division I FBS school. This work (1) identified traits and characteristics coaches felt they needed in order to become a head coach and (2) described the significant events and people (turning points) in their lives that have influenced their career. This study employed a Constant Comparative method in which participants answered interview questions designed for them to elaborate on their educational and athletic careers, and those events and people who were major influences in their careers. Commonalities and …

The Helping Professional Wellness Discrepancy Scale (Hpwds): Development And Validation, Ashley Blount

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Wellness is an integral component of the helping professions (Myers & Sweeney, 2005; Witmer, 1985). Specifically, wellness is included in ethical codes, suggestions for practice, and codes of conduct throughout counseling, psychology, and social work fields (see American Counseling Association Code of Ethics, 2014; American Psychological Association Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct, 2010; National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics, 1996). Even so, wellness in helping professionals is a difficult construct to measure. Thus, the purpose of the research investigation was to develop the Helping Professional Wellness Discrepancy Scale (HPWDS) and examine the psychometric features of …

High Regression Rate Hybrid Rocket Fuel Grains With Helical Port Structures, Stephen A. Whitmore, Sean D. Walker, Daniel P. Merkley, Mansour Sobbi

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Results froma development campaign, where modern additive manufacturing methods are used to fabricate hybrid rocket fuel grains with embedded helical ports, are presented. The fuel grains were constructed from acrlyonitrile butadiene styrene using commercially available three-dimensional printer feedstockmaterial.Gaseous oxygen is used as the oxidizer for this test campaign.When compared to cylindrical fuel ports, significant increases in fuel regression rates were observed, and these increases in regression rate diminished with time as the helical fuel port burns to become progressivelymore cylindrical. Comparisons to the helical pipe flow skin friction correlation developed by Mishra and Gupta indicate that increased skin friction only …

Tpw Management V. Yelp, Vermont District Court

Historical and Topical Legal Documents

No abstract provided.

Abu Maisa V. Flint Mobile, Northern District Of California

Historical and Topical Legal Documents

No abstract provided.

I Want To Find Them, Emilee Chun, Fleet Library, Special Collections

2nd Student Artists' Book Contest 2016

No abstract provided.

The Golden Shield Project/ The Great Firewall Of China, Xiner (Sophie) Jiang, Fleet Library, Special Collections

2nd Student Artists' Book Contest 2016

No abstract provided.

In Memory Of January 28, 1986, Lanxuan (Florence) Liu, Fleet Library, Special Collections

2nd Student Artists' Book Contest 2016

1st PURCHASE PRIZE WINNER $500 | Sponsored by Elkus Manfredi

Dolores & Goliath, Lauren Wiener, Fleet Library, Special Collections

2nd Student Artists' Book Contest 2016

No abstract provided.

Building A Discourse: Bridging The Gap Between New Media's Convergence And Rhetoric And Composition's Multimodality, Katherine G. Aho

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

My dissertation emphasizes the use of narrative structuralism and narrative theories about storytelling in order to build a discourse between the fields of New Media and Rhetoric and Composition. Propp's morphological analysis and the breaking down of stories into component pieces aides in the discussion of storytelling as it appears in and is mediated by digital and computer technologies. New Media and Rhetoric and Composition are aided by shared concerns for textual production and consumption.

In using the notion of "kairotic reading" (KR), I show the interconnectedness and interdisciplinarity required in the development of pedagogy utilized to teach students to …

Envisioning Queer Through Digital Media: Developing A Community-Based Workshop In Media Analysis For Lgbtqia+ Youth, Cynthia Delaney

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

This project consists of a proposed curriculum for a semester-long, community-based workshop for LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans*, queer or questioning, intersex, asexual or ally, "+" indicating other identifications that deviate from heterosexual) youth ages 16-18. The workshop focuses on an exploration of LGBTQIA+ identity and community through discussion and collaborative rhetorical analysis of visual and social media. Informed by queer theory and history, studies on youth work, and visual media studies and incorporating rhetorical criticism as well as liberatory pedagogy and community literacy practices, the participation-based design of the workshop seeks to involve participants in selection of media texts, …

Evaluating The Oil Sands Reclamation Process: Assessing Policy Capacity And Stakeholder Access For Government And Non-Governmental Organizations Operating In Alberta’S Oil Sands, Tyler Patterson

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

By employing interpretive policy analysis this thesis aims to assess, measure, and explain policy capacity for government and non-government organizations involved in reclaiming Alberta's oil sands. Using this type of analysis to assess policy capacity is a novel approach for understanding reclamation policy; and therefore, this research will provide a unique contribution to the literature surrounding reclamation policy. The oil sands region in northeast Alberta, Canada is an area of interest for a few reasons; primarily because of the vast reserves of bitumen and the environmental cost associated with developing this resource. An increase in global oil demand has established …

The Hydrosocial Costs Of High-Volume Hydraulic Fracturing: A Tale Of Two Counties In Michigan, Amanda Kreuze

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

Although natural gas has been praised as a clean and abundant energy source, the varying impacts and uncertainties surrounding the process of extracting natural gas from unconventional sources, known as horizontal high-volume hydraulic fracturing (HVHF) or “fracking,” have raised important concerns. The practice of HVHF is expanding so quickly that the full impacts are not yet known. This thesis project, using a grounded theory methodological approach, explores the risks and benefits associated with HVHF as recognized by the residents of two Michigan counties, one that currently produces natural gas by HVHF (Crawford County) and one that does not (Barry County). …

Engaging Metis: Exploring An African Woman's Negotiation Of Change, Ruby Pappoe

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

African women’s emerging visibility as social and political actors has received a lot of attention in the past two decades. Scholars have explored women’s political movements and sociocultural activism from various perspectives to expose their contributions to social change. Although this scholarship has expanded to incorporate multiple voices as well as expose the contemporary strategies of resistance women engage in to overcome difficult challenges, there seems to be little research on ordinary women as they also confront their daily challenges in hope of improving their situations. This research takes up this gap by exploring a Ghanaian woman’s resistance in the …

Study Of Non-Reciprocal Dichroism In Photonic Structures, Anindya Majumdar

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

Non-reciprocal phenomena are widely used in photonic devices. Important applications such as isolators and circulator waveguide structures depend on non-reciprocal effects. The basis of these phenomena is a difference in phase or refractive index for an electromagnetic wave of a given polarization as it travels through a medium in opposite directions. Generally this applies to the real part of the refractive index. The present report addresses a less studied phenomenon in non-reciprocal propagation, namely differences in optical absorption loss for a given polarization state in opposite propagation directions, a phenomenon we have termed non-reciprocal dichroism. Nonreciprocal dichroism can be defined …

Household Biosand Water Filters: Materials, Capacity, And Temperature Effects On Performance, Nathan B. Arnold

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

The household biosand filter (BSF) is one of the world’s most utilized point-of-use (POU) water treatment tools where drinking water is not reliably potable. The feasibility of using ferrocement for construction, the filter volume, and the effect of temperature on removal are unclear, however. The following field and laboratory research was carried out in Panama and at Michigan Technological University. Field testing of ferrocement biosand filters (FBSFs) in rural Panama yielded average coliform and E.coli removals that compared favorably to plastic and cement BSFs. Parallel testing of a larger-bodied FBSF and a conventionally-sized BSF revealed that the former is necessary …

The Crisis Of Images: A Reading Of Feed A Child’S Controversial 2014 Advertisement, Marcel Tchatchou

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

This work reads Feed A Child’s 2014 South African fund raising campaign advertisement (http://goo.gl/cRboV7) through Stuart Hall’s Encoding/Decoding model of communication. Utilizing concepts from Stuart Hall’s model this paper draws attention to racial questions raised by the commercial. Even though the commercial’s stated purpose is to raise awareness of unequal social conditions in South Africa, its visual elements are racially offensive. The turmoil generated by the commercial is the consequence of the complex structure of its message, and the fact that its meaning is not determined solely by the organization’s stated intentions. This work explores the way that the processes …

Don't Get Testy About It: Can Teaching Critical Thinking Skills Improve Act Scores?, Glenda L. Labruyere

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

Tests are an inevitable component of the educational process and the pressure, for teachers and students alike, can be tremendous. This study was designed to investigate and compare the effectiveness of two different strategies intended to assist students in the preparation for the ACT college entrance exam. One strategy was a continuation of the test preparation strategy that had been in place for several years and the other was a result of research about the type of thinking required to perform well on the ACT exam.

Students in the comparison group prepared for the ACT exam by reviewing the types …

Structural Analysis Of Integration Of A Non-Cylindrical Cng Fuel Tank, Prathamesh Prashant Deshpande

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

The purpose of this study is to computationally model and analyze the vehicle frame which is mounted with a non-conventional, non-cylindrical compressed natural gas (CNG) fuel tank. Integration of this tank in the vehicle underbody will resolve the issue of reduced storage space which is observed in a conventional CNG powered vehicle. This research will ultimately result in making CNG a good alternative to gasoline and reducing the increasing dependency on a single fuel. This tank will be developed in two phases: phase I design of the tank will be a standard rectangular outer box shape with Schwarz P-surface inner …