Digital Commons Network^™

4 Little Tests, 1 Big Change: A Multifaceted Approach To Usability Testing, Stacy Taylor

Library Scholarship

This presentation details the process of usability testing used by the Brooks Library at Central Washington University to redesign aspects of the library website.

Minutes From The December 8, 2016 Meeting Of The University Of Montana Faculty, University Of Montana--Missoula. Faculty

University of Montana Faculty Senate Meeting Minutes

Meeting minutes from the December 8, 2016 meeting of the University of Montana faculty.

The Alestle - Vol. 69. No. 20 - 12/08/2016, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

The Alestle

Vol. 69 No. 19

Polypores And Genus Concepts In Phanerochaetaceae (Polyporales, Basidiomycota), Otto Miettinen, Viacheslav Spirin, Josef Vlasák, Bernard Rivoire, Soili Stenroos, David S. Hibbett

Biology

We explored whether DNA-phylogeny-based and morphology-based genus concepts can be reconciled in the basidiomycete family Phanerochaetaceae. Our results show that macromorphology of fruiting bodies and hymenophore construction do not reflect monophyletic groups. However, by integrating micromor-phology and re-defining genera, harmonization of DNA phylogeny and morphological genus concepts is possible in most cases. In the case of one genus (Phlebiopsis), our genetic markers could not resolve genus limits satisfactorily and a clear morphological definition could not be identified. We combine extended species sampling, microscopic studies of fruiting bodies and phylogenetic analyses of ITS, nLSU and rpb1 to revise genus concepts. Three …

Initiator Trna Genes Template The 3' Cca End At High Frequencies In Bacteria., David H. Ardell, Ya-Ming Hou

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: While the CCA sequence at the mature 3' end of tRNAs is conserved and critical for translational function, a genetic template for this sequence is not always contained in tRNA genes. In eukaryotes and Archaea, the CCA ends of tRNAs are synthesized post-transcriptionally by CCA-adding enzymes. In Bacteria, tRNA genes template CCA sporadically.

RESULTS: In order to understand the variation in how prokaryotic tRNA genes template CCA, we re-annotated tRNA genes in tRNAdb-CE database version 0.8. Among 132,129 prokaryotic tRNA genes, initiator tRNA genes template CCA at the highest average frequency (74.1%) over all functional classes except selenocysteine and …

Predictive Modeling Of A Two-Stage Gearbox Towards Fault Detection, Edward J. Diehl

Doctoral Dissertations

This research presents a systematic approach to health monitoring using dynamic gearbox models (DGM) and the harmonic wavelet transforms (HWT) for vibration response analysis. A comprehensive DGM is developed, the model parameters are identified through correlated numerical and experimental investigations, and HWT analysis is performed to illustrate the fault detection and diagnosis procedure and capability of this approach. The model fidelity is validated first by spectrum analysis, using constant speed experimental data, and secondly by HWT analysis, using non-stationary experimental data. The comparison confirms that both the frequency content and the predicted, relative response magnitudes match with physical measurements. Model …

Quaker Campus, December 8, 2016 (Vol. 103, Issue 12), Whittier College

Quaker Campus

No abstract provided.

Manual And Automated Solid Phase Synthesis Of Peptides For Breast Cancer Cell Targeting, Savannah Carlson

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Four peptides were synthesized using solid phase peptide synthesis. The two target peptides synthesized were based off peptide 18-4 and its negative analog. Each were synthesized once manually, and once using an automatic peptide synthesizer. Peptide 18-4 has a high affinity for breast cancer cells, allowing it to be used to detect circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in blood (Kaur et. al, 2015). Manual solid phase peptide synthesis is performed by anchoring the first amino acid to Wang resin and coupling each Fmoc protected amino acid individually until the target sequence is achieved. To synthesize the peptides automatically, the automated Tribute …

Design And Construction Of A Multispectral Camera For Spectral And Colorimetric Reproduction, Yixuan Wang

Theses

Multi-spectral imaging and spectral reflectance reconstruction can be used in cultural-heritage institutes to digitalize their collections for documentation purposes. It can be used to simulate artwork under any lighting condition, and to analyze colorants that were used. The basic idea of a multi-spectral imaging system is to sub-sample spectral reflectance factor, producing results similar to a spectrophotometer. The sampled data are used to reconstruct reflectance for the visible spectrum.

In this thesis, a wide band multispectral camera was designed and constructed to achieve high spectral and color accuracy as well as high image quality.

Noise propagation theory was introduced and …

Liberalism And Racial Justice In Relation To Disadvantaged African-American Communities, William S. Allen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

An ongoing social and political problem in America is how to bring about full racial justice for African Americans, particularly in regards to disadvantaged African-American communities. Give that American institutions, laws and political culture are rooted in ideas found in liberal political philosophy, it is apropos to investigate how liberalism addresses racial justice and whether it can serve as an effective guide towards fully realizing African-American racial justice. In this dissertation, I use liberal political philosophy in the tradition of J. S. Mill, John Rawls and classical British social contract theorists to provide insight into the socio-political status, and obligations …

“The Indians Gaping Before Us”: Anxieties Of Consumption In Mary White Rowlandson’S Sovereignty And Goodness Of God, Samantha Woodington

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

This paper traces the theme of consumption throughout Mary White Rowlandson’s captivity narrative The Sovereignty and Goodness of God. From Rowlandson’s fear of actual cannibalism at the outset of the work, her obsession with recording the strange foods she consumes, her status as a consumer of Algonquin culture, and lastly, the consumption of the novel by both contemporary and modern readers alike, consumption becomes the leitmotif of the text. A closer analysis elucidates that the fear of consumption truly belies a fear of colonialism and the cultural exchanges taking place at the frontier.

The Effectiveness Of Participation In A Project-Based Learning Project On At-Risk Student Self-Efficacy, Benjamin Aaron Weber

Dissertations and Theses

Project-based learning is a multifaceted approach to teaching in which students explore real-world problems and challenges while working in small collaborative groups. Project-based learning is active and engaging and drives students to obtain a deeper knowledge of the subjects they're studying, and students develop confidence and self-direction as they move through both team-based and independent work. This project endeavored to assess the effect of participation in a project-based learning (PBL) activity of the Wind and Oar Boat School's curriculum on the self-efficacy of at-risk high school students. Twenty students participated in the program for both math and applied arts credits …

Geothermometry Of Two Cascade Geothermal Systems, Donnel Alexander Malkemus

Dissertations and Theses

For this thesis I applied classical and multi-component geothermometry techniques to new water chemistry data from Breitenbush Hot Springs, Oregon and the Wind River Valley, Washington. A total of 20 well, spring, and stream samples from Breitenbush Hot Springs and 4 spring samples from the Wind River Valley were collected and analyzed for major, minor, and select trace anions and cations, as well as stable oxygen and hydrogen isotopes. I used two computer programs, GeoT and RTEst, to conduct multi-component geothermometry reservoir condition estimation on each water sample. Water chemistry data from Breitenbush Hot Springs indicates a range of thermal, …

3d Subject-Atlas Image Registration For Micro-Computed Tomography Based Characterization Of Drug Delivery In The Murine Cochlea, Zhenlin Xu

Theses

A wide variety of hearing problems can potentially be treated with local drug delivery systems capable of delivering drugs directly to the cochlea over extended periods of time. Developing and testing such systems requires accurate quantification of drug concentration over time. A variety of techniques have been proposed for both direct and indirect measurement of drug pharmacokinetics; direct techniques are invasive, whereas many indirect techniques are imprecise because they rely on assumptions about the relationship between physiological response and drug concentrations. One indirect technique, however, is capable of quantifying drug pharmacokinetics very precisely: Micro-Computed tomography (micro-CT) can provide a non-invasive …

Wing Flutter Analysis Using Computational Fluid Dynamics, Jeremy A. Pohly

Honors Capstone Projects and Theses

No abstract provided.

Wealth And Cardiovascular Health: A Cross-Sectional Study Of Wealth-Related Inequalities In The Awareness, Treatment And Control Of Hypertension In High-, Middle- And Low-Income Countries., Benjamin Palafox, Martin Mckee, Dina Balabanova, Khalid F. Khalid, Alvaro Jr Avezum, Ahmad Bahonar, Noorhassim Noorhassim, Jephat Chifamba, Clara K. Chow, Daniel J. Corsi, Gilles R. Dagenais, Rafael Diaz, Rajeev Gupta, Romaina Iqbal, Manmeet Kaur, Rasha Khatib, Annamarie Kruger, Iolanthe Marike Kruger, Fernando Lanas, Patricio Lopez-Jaramillo, Fu Minfan, Viswanathan Mohan, Prem K. Mony, Aytekin Oguz, Lia M. Palileo-Villanueva, Pablo Perel, Paul Poirier, Sumathy Rangarajan, Lei Rensheng, Annika Rosengren, Biju Soman, David Stuckler, S. V. Subramania, Koon Teo, Lungiswa P. Tsolekile, Andreas Wielgosz, Peng Yaguang, Karen Yeates, Mo Yongzhen, Khalid Yusoff, Rita Yusuf, Afzalhussein Yusufali, Katarzyna Zatońska, Salim Yusuf

Community Health Sciences

BACKGROUND:

Effective policies to control hypertension require an understanding of its distribution in the population and the barriers people face along the pathway from detection through to treatment and control. One key factor is household wealth, which may enable or limit a household's ability to access health care services and adequately control such a chronic condition. This study aims to describe the scale and patterns of wealth-related inequalities in the awareness, treatment and control of hypertension in 21 countries using baseline data from the Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiology study.

METHODS:

A cross-section of 163,397 adults aged 35 to 70 …

Kenyon Collegian - December 8, 2016

The Kenyon Collegian

No abstract provided.

Leap-Smeared Representation Of Time For High-Accuracy Applications, Michael Shields

Defensive Publications Series

Civil time is based upon coordinated universal time (UTC), which is synchronized to the length of the day. However, the earth’s rotational speed is slowing over time, i.e., the length of the day is increasing. In order for UTC to keep pace with the growing length of the day, UTC is delayed at pre-announced dates by one second. This delay is effected by adding a “leap second” at the end of the day of each pre-announced date. Although leap second correction achieves synchronization between UTC and length-of-day, computer systems that presume a smooth, always-forward movement of time may malfunction when …

Development Of A Problem-Based Learning Matrix For Data Collection, Shannon M. Sipes

Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning

Few of the papers published in journals and conference proceedings on problem-based learning (PBL) are empirical studies, and most of these use self-report as the measure of PBL (Beddoes, Jesiek, & Borrego, 2010). The current study provides a theoretically derived matrix for coding and classifying PBL that was objectively applied to official curriculum documentation in a content analysis. The results for the level of problem-based learning in two engineering program curricula are presented. By introducing such a matrix, this study offers a tool that can be applied by other scholars examining PBL, creating consistency in methodology, definitions, and language among …

The Role Of Air-Sea Interaction In Structure And Intensity Change In Hurricane Ophelia (2005): Coupled Modeling And Rainex Observations, Andrew W. Smith

Open Access Theses

Intensity and intensity change remain one of the most significant challenges in tropical cyclone (TC) prediction. Instantaneous intensity and its evolution result from complex storm-environment interactions and internal structure changes across multiple time and spatial scales. These interactions truly couple the TC to the ocean as well as the ambient environment, however have been insufficiently observed and are difficult to model. Many earlier studies have demonstrated the impact of air-sea coupling to TC intensity, as well as the physical processes involved in the ocean response to TC passage. More recent work however has shown air-sea coupling affects both structure and …

X - Miscellaneous Kentucky Place Names, Robert M. Rennick

Robert M. Rennick Manuscript Collection

Miscellaneous Kentucky place names.

Terrestrial Ecosystem Process Model Biome-Bgcmuso V4.0: Summary Of Improvements And New Modeling Possibilities, Dóra Hidy, Zoltán Barcza, Hrvoje Marjanovi´C, Maša Zorana Ostrogovi´C Sever, Laura Dobor, Györgyi Gelybó, Nándor Fodor, Krisztina Pintér, Galina Churkina, Steven Running, Peter Thornton, Gianni Bellocchi, László Haszpra, Ferenc Horváth, Andrew E. Suyker, Zoltán Nagy

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The process-based biogeochemical model Biome- BGC was enhanced to improve its ability to simulate carbon, nitrogen, and water cycles of various terrestrial ecosystems under contrasting management activities. Biome-BGC version 4.1.1 was used as a base model. Improvements included addition of new modules such as the multilayer soil module, implementation of processes related to soil moisture and nitrogen balance, soil-moisture-related plant senescence, and phenological development. Vegetation management modules with annually varying options were also implemented to simulate management practices of grasslands (mowing, grazing), croplands (ploughing, fertilizer application, planting, harvesting), and forests (thinning). New carbon and nitrogen pools have been defined to …

Stochastic Optimization Of Adaptive Enrichment Designs For Two Subpopulations, Aaron Fisher, Michael Rosenblum

Johns Hopkins University, Dept. of Biostatistics Working Papers

An adaptive enrichment design is a randomized trial that allows enrollment criteria to be modified at interim analyses, based on a preset decision rule. When there is prior uncertainty regarding treatment effect heterogeneity, these trial designs can provide improved power for detecting treatment effects in subpopulations. We present a simulated annealing approach to search over the space of decision rules and other parameters for an adaptive enrichment design. The goal is to minimize the expected number enrolled or expected duration, while preserving the appropriate power and Type I error rate. We also explore the benefits of parallel computation in the …

Personal And Cosmic Dimensions Of The Hypostatic Union In Jesus Christ: Dialogue Between Christology And Buddha Body Theory In Shin Buddhism, Yuichi Tsunoda

Jesuit School of Theology Dissertations

This work conducts a comparative study of the hypostatic union of Christ and the theory of the Buddha body in Shin Buddhism, focusing on the personal and cosmic dimensions of salvation in the two traditions. The goal of this approach is ultimately to gain new insights into Christ's hypostatic union and thereby elucidate the salvific dimensions of the union for the entire cosmos.

Founded by Shinran (1173-1263) in Japan, Shin Buddhism is a branch of the Pure Land School of Mahayana Buddhism. Christianity and Shin Buddhism share certain core elements in terms of their faith in a personal divinity (God …

Physician In The Vietnam War, Julia R. Wright Miss

Vietnam

The interview was conducted in one session on November 1, 2016 and lasted approximately 45 minutes to an hour. It was conducted over the phone because the interviewee does not live in the state. Only the interviewer and interviewee were present.

Bill Bryan was born in Takoma Park, Maryland on April 9, 1942. He was a physician in the Vietnam War in the 25^th infantry division in 1969. The topics covered in the interview range from his initial draft into the army to life after the war.

Minutes Of The Faculty Senate Meeting, December 7, 2016, University Of Arkansas, Fayetteville. Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Minutes

No abstract provided.

Emu Today, December 7, 2016, Eastern Michigan University

EMU Today

No abstract provided.

The Lumberjack, December 7, 2016, The Lumberjack Staff

2016

The student newspaper of Humboldt State University

Birth Weight And Risk Of Ischemic Heart Disease: A Mendelian Randomization Study, Shiu Lun Au Yeung, Shi Lin Lin, Albert Martin Li, C. Mary Schooling

Publications and Research

Low birth weight is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. However, the association could be confounded by many factors. We used Mendelian randomization to clarify the role of birth weight in ischemic heart disease (IHD) and lipids. We used all 7 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) independently contributing to birth weight at genome wide significance (p < 5 × 10−8) in separate sample instrumental variable analysis to estimate the effect of birth weight on IHD using the CARDIoGRAMplusC4D 1000 Genomes based GWAS case (n = 60,801)-control (n = 123,504) study and on lipids using GLGC (n = 188,577). Higher genetically predicted birth weight was associated with lower risk of IHD (odds ratio (OR) 0.96 per 100 grams, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.93 to 0.99), but the association was not robust to sensitivity analyses excluding SNPs related to height or use of weighted median methods. Genetically predicted birth weight was not associated with low density lipoprotein cholesterol or triglycerides, but was associated with lower high density lipoprotein cholesterol (−0.014 standard deviation, 95% CI −0.027 to −0.0005) and the association was more robust to the sensitivity analyses. Our study does not show strong evidence for an effect of birth weight on IHD and lipids.

Prospectus, December 7, 2016, Matt Moss, Scott Wells, Emma Gray, Peter Floess

Prospectus 2016

EIGHT PARKLAND FACULTY FACE NON-RENEWAL OF CONTRACTS; Humans of Parkland: Destiny Norris; Giertz Gallery exhabition highlights the art in drawing; Cobra basketball teams fighting hard in 2016-17 season; Trump taps former campaign rival Carson as housing secretary; Teens, young artists among California warehouse fire victims; After Trump rift at Liberty University, students find unity; McDonald's CEO: Chain still plans to expand in the US again; During first look at wildfire rubble, residents in a daze; Family pushes for cyberbullying laws after teen's suicide; Moments from Parkland's Charlie Brown Christmas