Digital Commons Network^™

Delaying Child Marriage Through Community-Based Skills-Development Programs For Girls: Results From A Randomized Controlled Study In Rural Bangladesh, Sajeda Amin, Johana Ahmed, Jyotirmoy Saha, Md. Irfan Hossain, Eashita Haque

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

In Bangladesh, where efforts to prevent child marriage have focused on the enforcement of laws and policies, little research exists on what approaches work best to delay marriage and why. To help fill this evidence gap, in 2012 the Population Council and partners embarked on a four-year study to understand whether skills-building approaches to empower girls can delay marriage in three districts in southern Bangladesh where child marriage rates are high. The BALIKA project reported here is the first rigorously evaluated study to provide evidence on approaches to delay child marriage in Bangladesh. BALIKA results show that programs that educate …

Mathematics Learning Support Across A Multi-Campus Institution: A Prototype Of Virtual Support, Cormac Breen, Ciaran O'Sullivan, Damian Cox

Articles

In this paper, a study on Mathematics Learning Support (MLS) that was undertaken across three institutes intending to form the Technological University for Dublin is outlined. This study consisted of a survey that was circulated to both staff and students in each of the three institutes. The survey had two objectives. Firstly it sought to identify the students’ needs for MLS in each of the three institutes. Secondly, it sought to ascertain the preferred method of provision of MLS, on a scale ranging from exclusively online, to exclusively in person. Following on the results of this survey it was decided …

Development Of Advanced, Clinically Feasible Neuroimaging Methodology With Diffusional Kurtosis Imaging, G. Russell Glenn

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

Diffusion MRI (dMRI) is a powerful, non-invasive tool for probing the structural organization of the human brain. Quantitative dMRI analyses provide unique capabilities for the characterization of tissue microstructure as well as imaging contrast that is not available to other modalities. White matter tractography relies on dMRI and is currently the only non-invasive technique for mapping structural connections in the human brain. In this chapter, we will describe diffusional kurtosis imaging, an effective and versatile dMRI technique, and discuss a clinical problem in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) which is insurmountable with current diagnostic approaches. Subsequent chapters will further develop the …

On A Question About Almost Prime Ideals, Esmaeil Rostami, Reza Nekooei

Turkish Journal of Mathematics

In this paper, by giving an example we answer positively the question ``Does there exist a $P$-primary ideal $I$ in a Noetherian domain $R$ such that $PI = I^2$, but $I$ is not almost prime?", asked by S. M. Bhatwadekar and P. K. Sharma. We also investigated conditions under which the answer to the above mentioned question is negative.

The Drag Language, Weixi Ma

Theses and Dissertations--Computer Science

This thesis describes the Drag language. Drag is a general purpose, gradually typed, lexically scoped, and multi-paradigm pro- gramming language. The essence of Drag is to build the abstract syntax trees of the programs directly and interactively. Our work includes the language specification and a prototype program. The language specification focuses on the syntax, the semantic model, and the type system. The prototype consists of an interactive editor and a compiler that targets several plat- forms, among which we focus on the LLVM platform in this thesis.

Cp-Nets: From Theory To Practice, Thomas E. Allen

Theses and Dissertations--Computer Science

Conditional preference networks (CP-nets) exploit the power of ceteris paribus rules to represent preferences over combinatorial decision domains compactly. CP-nets have much appeal. However, their study has not yet advanced sufficiently for their widespread use in real-world applications. Known algorithms for deciding dominance---whether one outcome is better than another with respect to a CP-net---require exponential time. Data for CP-nets are difficult to obtain: human subjects data over combinatorial domains are not readily available, and earlier work on random generation is also problematic. Also, much of the research on CP-nets makes strong, often unrealistic assumptions, such as that decision variables must …

Preferences: Optimization, Importance Learning And Strategic Behaviors, Ying Zhu

Theses and Dissertations--Computer Science

Preferences are fundamental to decision making and play an important role in artificial intelligence. Our research focuses on three group of problems based on the preference formalism Answer Set Optimization (ASO): preference aggregation problems such as computing optimal (near optimal) solutions, strategic behaviors in preference representation, and learning ranks (weights) for preferences.

In the first group of problems, of interest are optimal outcomes, that is, outcomes that are optimal with respect to the preorder defined by the preference rules. In this work, we consider computational problems concerning optimal outcomes. We propose, implement and study methods to compute an optimal outcome; …

Statistical Properties Of Pseudorandom Sequences, Ting Gu

Theses and Dissertations--Computer Science

Random numbers (in one sense or another) have applications in computer simulation, Monte Carlo integration, cryptography, randomized computation, radar ranging, and other areas. It is impractical to generate random numbers in real life, instead sequences of numbers (or of bits) that appear to be ``random" yet repeatable are used in real life applications. These sequences are called pseudorandom sequences. To determine the suitability of pseudorandom sequences for applications, we need to study their properties, in particular, their statistical properties. The simplest property is the minimal period of the sequence. That is, the shortest number of steps until the sequence repeats. …

Data Persistence In Eiffel, Jimmy J. Johnson

Theses and Dissertations--Computer Science

This dissertation describes an extension to the Eiffel programming language that provides automatic object persistence (the ability of programs to store objects and later recreate those objects in a subsequent execution of a program). The mechanism is orthogonal to other aspects of the Eiffel language. The mechanism serves four main purposes: 1) it gives Eiffel programmers a needed service, filling a gap between serialization, which provides limited persistence functions and database-mapping, which is cumbersome to use; 2) it greatly reduces the coding burden incurred by the programmer when objects must persist, allowing the programmer to focus instead on the business …

An Optical Character Recognition Engine For Graphical Processing Units, Jeremy Reed

Theses and Dissertations--Computer Science

This dissertation investigates how to build an optical character recognition engine (OCR) for a graphical processing unit (GPU). I introduce basic concepts for both building an OCR engine and for programming on the GPU. I then describe the SegRec algorithm in detail and discuss my findings.

Analyzing The Geo-Dependence Of Human Face Appearance And Its Applications, Mohammad T. Islam

Theses and Dissertations--Computer Science

Human faces have been a subject of study in computer science for decades. The rich of set features from human faces have been used in solving various problems in computer vision, including person identification, facial expression analysis, and attribute classification. In this work, I explore the human facial features that depend on the geo-location using a data- driven approach. I analyze millions of public domain images to extract the geo-dependent human facial features and explore their applications. Using various machine learning and statistical techniques, I show that the geo-dependent features of human faces can be used to solve the image …

Mimicking Of Pulse Shape-Dependent Learning Rules With A Quantum Dot Memristor, P. Maier, F. Hartmann, Mariama Rebello Sousa Dias, M. Emmerling, C. Schneider, L. K. Castelano, M. Kamp, G. E. Marques, V. Lopez-Richard, S. Höfling

Physics Faculty Publications

We present the realization of four different learning rules with a quantum dot memristor by tuning the shape, the magnitude, the polarity and the timing of voltage pulses. The memristor displays a large maximum to minimum conductance ratio of about 57 000 at zero bias voltage. The high and low conductances correspond to different amounts of electrons localized in quantum dots, which can be successively raised or lowered by the timing and shapes of incoming voltage pulses. Modifications of the pulse shapes allow altering the conductance change in dependence on the time difference. Hence, we are able to mimic different …

The Pregnancy Penalty, Michele Goodwin

Health Matrix: The Journal of Law-Medicine

Punishing pregnant women increasingly serves as a litmus test in political discourse, inviting more than a metaphor about state sanctioned violence targeted at women. In 2016, candidates for the United States presidency threatened to defund Planned Parenthood if elected and a leading candidate promised he would "punish" pregnant women who seek abortions. Other presidential candidates urged that even victims of rape and incest should be forced to carry their pregnancies to term, imposing yet another penalty or strike against sexually violated women and girls. Local legislatures and governors show equal contempt for and desire to penalize women in the United …

Tantamount To Fraud?: Exploring Non-Disclosure Of Genetic Information In Life Insurance Applications As Grounds For Policy Rescission, Anya E.R. Prince

Health Matrix: The Journal of Law-Medicine

Many genetic counselors recommend that individuals secure desired insurance policies, such as life insurance, prior to undergoing predictive genetic testing. It has been argued, however, that this practice is "tantamount to fraud" and that failure to disclose genetic test results, or conspiring to secure a policy before testing, opens an individual up to legal recourse. This debate traps affected individuals in a Catch-22. If they apply for life insurance and disclose a genetic test result, they may be denied. If they apply without disclosing the information, they may have committed fraud. The consequences of life insurance fraud are significant.

Homeschooling: Choosing Parental Rights Over Children's Interests, Martha Fineman, George B. Shepherd

University of Baltimore Law Review

Homeschooling, the most extreme form of privatization of education, often eliminates the possibility of the child gaining the resources essential for success in adult life. It sacrifices the interests of the child to the interests of the parents, allowing them to control and isolate the child’s development. In addition, homeschooling frustrates the state’s legitimate interest in the child’s receiving a sound, diverse education, so that the child can achieve her potential as a productive employee and as a constructive participant in civic life. This Article uses vulnerability theory as a heuristic frame both to reexamine the dominant rhetoric of parental …

The Update, January-March 2016, University Of Northern Iowa. College Of Humanities, Arts And Sciences.

Update

Inside This Issue:

--CHAS Briefs
--Spotlight – Faculty Kyle Gray
--CHAS News Diversity Training
--Biology Celeste Underriner
--Featured Story: IEEE Demonstration Awards
--Spotlight – Alumni Meghan Reynolds
--Spotlight – Student Alyssa Adamac
--Theater – Rent
--Spotlight – Student Kyle Spurgeon
--ABC Competition
--UNI Construction
--Management Club

The Wright Message, 2016-2017, University Of Northern Iowa. Department Of Mathematics.

The Wright Message

Inside this issue:

-- Dear Alumni and Friends
-- A Tribute for Karen Sabey
-- The 2016 Hari Shankar Lecture
-- Faculty Spotlight
-- Around Wright Hall
-- Alumni Spotlight
-- CTLM News
-- Interview with Allysen Lovstuen
-- Students Spotlight
-- Donor Spotlight
-- Contributions to an Account - Recognition
-- Department Funds

A Frequency Hopping Method To Detect Replay Attacks, Guofu Tang

LSU Master's Theses

The application of information technology in network control systems introduces the potential threats to the future industrial control system. The malicious attacks undermine the security of network control system, which could cause a huge economic loss. This thesis studies a particular cyber attack called the replay attack, which is motivated by the Stuxnet worm allegedly used against the nuclear facilities in Iran. For replay attack, this thesis injects the narrow-band signal into control signal and adopts the spectrum estimation approach to test the estimation residue. In order to protect the information of the injected signal from knowing by attackers, the …

Archean Geodynamic Conditions Using P-T Constraints Of The East Pilbara Craton Ttgs, Andrew Kody Webb

LSU Master's Theses

We know very little about the tectonic setting present during the Hadean, but based on studies of surviving Hadean zircons, we know that a Hadean protocrust must have been established by at least 4.4 Ga (Kemp et al. 2010), and it must have also been able to accommodate minimum melt conditions (Harrison 2005). Tectonic models for Earth during the Hadean and Archean follow two trends: uniformitarianism and non-uniformitarianism. Uniformitarian models (following the famed geological concept that the present is the key to the past) argue that Hadean zircons and Archean rocks formed via processes akin to modern-style oceanic crust production …

Real And Reactive Power Control Of Induction Motor Drives, Juan Rafael Nunez

LSU Master's Theses

Induction motors are considered the workhorse in the majority of industrial applications. Their rugged, low-maintenance, and efficient designs keep finding new forms of use nowadays. In this work, power control strategies of induction motor drives based on principles of Direct Torque Control and Model Predictive Control are investigated. The proposed methods control the real and reactive power flow into/out of the machine by selecting and applying proper voltage space phasors to the stator. First, the impact of voltage space phasors on real and reactive power variations is explored. Based on these observations, two methods to choose the appropriate voltage space …

Methodologies Utilizing Protected Oxyallyl Cations For Molecular Design, Jacob Reuben Stepherson

LSU Master's Theses

This master’s thesis discusses developments of novel organic methodologies utilizing oxyallyl cationic systems in the pursuit of highly functionalized molecular scaffolds. Chapter 1 focuses on the discovery of the oxyallyl cation intermediate, and examines reported transformations. Detailed optimization and substrate studies following exploitation of a protected 2-oxyallyl cation for nucleophilc capture comprises the information in both Chapter 2 and Chapter 3. Chapter 4 extends methodologies performed by my colleagues and establishes a tandem process using 2-silyloxypentadienyl cations to furnish complex structures. In this report, reaction design and optimization are chronicled, followed by exploration into the reactivity, mechanism, and scope of …

Simulating Behavioral Microcystin Impairment In Fish, Nicholas Richard Keeney

LSU Master's Theses

Fish experiencing blooms of the cyanobacteria genera Microcystis and Anabaena acquire microcystin and saxitoxin through ingestion of contaminated food and absorption of dissolved toxin. Even low chronic doses induce sensory and motor impairment—the impact of which is unquantified in wild populations. Here, I introduce Lagrangian particle models for cyanobacteria and fish which test the hypotheses that impairment symptoms suppress movement and growth. This is implemented within the Finite-Volume Coastal Ocean Model (FVCOM). Cyanobacteria particles move vertically according to mixing and buoyancy (a function of cellular reservoirs). Fish navigate the horizontal domain, foraging in high growth areas, and fleeing when toxin …

Evaluating Survival Of Released Ranched American Alligator In Coastal Louisiana, Kristy Durham Capelle

LSU Master's Theses

Since 1986, Louisiana’s American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) ranching program has required the release of alligators produced from eggs collected from wild nests to maintain wild populations. This project assessed long-term harvest data (1991-2010s) to estimate survival of released alligators. First, wildlife and fishery harvest models and general inter-disciplinary survival models were evaluated to determine best fit to the data. Second, once the best fitting model was selected, release length, precipitation and temperature from release sites, and an index of hunter effort were added to investigate influences on survival estimates. Release length was included because over time the proportion and size …

1. Measuring Speed, Ruth Dover

More on Derivatives

Tables of values to measure rates.

Series 05, Ruth Dover

Series

Popular Maclaurin series and using substitution to create new series.

1. Coffee, Ruth Dover

Differential Equations

Newton’s Law of Cooling.

Series 06, Ruth Dover

Series

More manipulation of series – substitution, differentiation, and integration.

Series 02, Ruth Dover

Series

Repeats Series01 with the function y = arctanx.

Alternating Series 1, Ruth Dover

Series

Partial sums of alternating series.

Taylor Review, Ruth Dover

Series

Assorted problems.