Digital Commons Network^™

A Framework For Collaborative Knowledge Management: Using Distributed Mentoring, Ramaraju Rudraraju

All ETDs from UAB

Knowledge management consists of four key processes, generation, distribution, storage, and application. Today, with the simultaneous growth of World Wide Web and usage of computing devices, including smart phones, tablets, and laptops, knowledge is also being generated and modified by knowledge-contributors, labeled mentors. Output of this process makes its way into various sources, such as wikis, blogs, and Question- and-answer websites. New storage technologies are continuously being evolved in order to efficiently handle huge volumes of this kind of unstructured data. However, distribu-tion of knowledge to knowledge-consumers, labeled mentees, has not been evolved to keep up with the exponential growth …

Two-Phase Forced Convection Heat Transfer In Triple-Concentric Tube Heat Exchangers, Milad Majdi

All ETDs from UAB

Heat exchangers are vital devices and are used in many specific applications such as air conditioning, power production, and waste heat recovery. Throughout the year, a large amount of energy is wasted in air conditioning and refrigeration systems in residential and commercial sectors. At the same time, a huge amount of energy (natural gas and electricity) is used in order for water heating to be supplied to our buildings. The present research project is heat transfer analysis of triple-concentric tube heat exchanger as a component of refrigeration cycle in HVAC systems. This novel design will replace conventional air-cooled condenser and …

A Wavelet Representation For A Fractional Brownian Motion, Robert Mann

All ETDs from UAB

like adequate calcium and vitamin D intake, to prevent osteoporosis and osteoporosisrelated

Iterative Weighted Average Diffusion As A Novel External Force In The Active Contour Model, Ilya Sergeyevich Mirov

All ETDs from UAB

The active contour model has good performance in boundary extraction for medical images; particularly, Gradient Vector Flow (GVF) active contour model shows good performance at concavity convergence and insensitivity to initialization, yet it is susceptible to edge leaking, deep and narrow concavities, and has some issues handling noisy images. This paper proposes a novel external force, called Iterative Weighted Average Diffusion (IWAD), which used in tandem with parametric active contours, provides superior performance in images with high values of concavity. The image gradient is first turned into an edge image, smoothed, and modified with enhanced corner detection, then the IWAD …

The Smallest Non-Autograph, Benjamin Baumer, Yijin Wei, Gary S. Bloom

Mathematics Sciences: Faculty Publications

Suppose that G is a simple, vertex-labeled graph and that S is a multiset. Then if there exists a one-to-one mapping between the elements of S and the vertices of G, such that edges in G exist if and only if the absolute difference of the corresponding vertex labels exist in S, then G is an autograph, and S is a signature for G. While it is known that many common families of graphs are autographs, and that infinitely many graphs are not autographs, a non-autograph has never been exhibited. In this paper, we identify the smallest non-autograph: a graph …

Homotopical Complexity Of Several Billiard Models, Caleb Charles Moxley

All ETDs from UAB

In this dissertation, we include three mostly self-contained papers which each describe the homotopical rotation set of a billiard flow on a three-dimensional flat torus. Each model is discussed in detail, radial estimates are computed for the homotopical rotation sets, and topological entropy is computed using various methods. We also provide proofs of some characteristics of the so-called admissible rotation sets.

A Generalization Of Turaev’S Virtual String Cobracket And Self-Intersections Of Virtual Strings, Patricia Cahn

Mathematics Sciences: Faculty Publications

Previously we defined an operation µ that generalizes Turaev’s cobracket for loops on a surface. We showed that, in contrast to the cobracket, this operation gives a formula for the minimum number of self-intersections of a loop in a given free homotopy class. In this paper we consider the corresponding question for virtual strings, and conjecture that µ gives a formula for the minimum number of self-intersection points of a virtual string in a given virtual homotopy class. To support the conjecture, we show that µ gives a bound on the minimal self-intersection number of a virtual string which is …

A Coin Vibrational Motor Swimming At Low Reynolds Number, Alice C. Quillen, Hesam Askari, Douglas H. Kelley, Tamar Friedmann, Patrick W. Oakes

Mathematics Sciences: Faculty Publications

Low-cost coin vibrational motors, used in haptic feedback, exhibit rotational internal motion inside a rigid case. Because the motor case motion exhibits rotational symmetry, when placed into a fluid such as glycerin, the motor does not swim even though its oscillatory motions induce steady streaming in the fluid. However, a piece of rubber foam stuck to the curved case and giving the motor neutral buoyancy also breaks the rotational symmetry allowing it to swim. We measured a 1 cm diameter coin vibrational motor swimming in glycerin at a speed of a body length in 3 seconds or at 3 mm/s. …

Behind But Not Forgotten: It Is Never Too Late To Learn, Allison Berst Newton

All ETDs from UAB

Educating those who speak languages other than English is one of the biggest conundrums in education today, and literacy acquisition is relevant as more Emergent Bilinguals (EBs) enter public schools each year. For those EBs who struggle with family disruptions and literacy, the problem is even more profound. There is a gap in the literature concerning academic outcomes due to family disruptions. The purpose of this narrative case study was to describe the life experience of a 12th-grade, Hispanic, bilingual student classified as learning disabled in elementary school who was not literate in her native language or the English language, …

Cleaning Protocol For Implant Abutment Screws, Rocio Barocio Torano

All ETDs from UAB

Aim: To develop a time and cost effective cleaning protocol for implant abutment screws that are used throughout the fabrication of an implant restoration in the dental laboratory. Materials and Methods: Ninety (90) implant abutment screws (Biohorizons PXAS®) were collected from different dental laboratories after abutment milling and restoration fabrication. Seventy five (75) of these screws were randomly divided into 5 groups (n=15). Each group was cleaned for 1, 5, and 10 minutes in an ultrasonic cleaner and all screws were observed under 40x magnification before and after cleaning. Any debris was collected and weighed by using paper filters. The …

Meta-Analysis Of Cognitive Performance In Fibromyalgia, Tyler Reed Bell

All ETDs from UAB

Fibromyalgia is a disease that encompasses difficulties with pain, physical function, and emotion, but is also characterized by complaints of poor cognition. Over the last two decades, a vast amount of literature has tested for cognitive differences between individuals with and without fibromyalgia. The purpose of the current study was to conduct a quantitative synthesis on these differences across multiple cognitive domains. After a systematic search of eligible studies, random-effect meta-analyses were conducted on effect sizes (Hedges’ g) derived from 37 cross-sectional studies covering domains of processing speed, memory and executive function. Participants included persons with fibromyalgia (total n = …

A Comparison Of Soft Tissue Topographical Norms For The Local Ethnic People Of Zimbabwe And African American Norms Based On 3dmd Soft Tissue Photography, Elvin Bhaskar

All ETDs from UAB

Introduction: The purpose of this study is to determine the soft tissue topographical norms for the local ethnic people of Zimbabwe and compare them with the African American norms based on 3dMD soft tissue photography. The rationale for the study is to evaluate how the soft tissue drape over the facial skeleton correlates with the different soft tissue analysis widely available today. This study seeks to establish an average base on which clinicians can treat people according to their cultural esthetic perceptions. Previous reported studies only evaluate small numbers of populations and it is well known that different races and …

Clustering Phish Using The Simple Set Comparison Tool, Jason Robert Britt

All ETDs from UAB

Phishing has been a problem since before the early 2000s and has only become more prevalent and diverse since. Phishing countermeasures have been developed and used to prevent or mitigate phishing attacks. However, each countermeasure has pros and cons and not every countermeasure is effective in every situation. Choosing the best suited phishing countermeasure or combination of phishing countermeasures to use and track their effectiveness requires grouping phish based upon common characteristics and tactics used by phish or phish grouping. To be effective phish grouping needs to produce dependable groupings, quickly produce groups, and analyze large volumes of phish. This …

Horyzonty Współczesnego Zarządzania, Marcin Żemigała

Monografie/Monographs

Książka, opracowana z okazji jubileuszu 70-lecia Pana Prof. Jerzego Bogdanienki. Zgodnie

z jego szerokimi zainteresowaniami badawczymi zatytułowano ją „Horyzonty

współczesnego zarządzania”. Trzydziestu jeden Autorów zechciało podarować

nam swe teksty, które próbują zarysować właśnie owe horyzonty.

Human Development As A Core Objective Of Global Intellectual Property, J. Janewa Osei'tutu

Kentucky Law Journal

Global intellectual property obligations shape domestic laws and policies. More than twenty years since the first multilateral trade-based intellectual property agreement, critics contend that global intellectual property law prioritizes intellectual property rights over other interests, and profits over people. Faced with international intellectual-property obligations, nations have been forced to justify laws and policies designed to promote human development in areas such as health and education as exceptions to intellectual property protection. This is the result of legal interpretations that treat the objectives of intellectual property protection and human development as inconsistent with one another. Drawing on the objectives of trade …

Understanding Protein-Protein Interactions In Plantae In Network Biology Utilizing A Novel Y2h Liquid Assay Approach, Jessica Lopez Lopez

All ETDs from UAB

The Yeast-2-Hybrid (Y2H) assay is a heterologous system that is expanding network biology knowledge via in vivo investigations of binary protein-protein interactions. Traditionally, the Y2H protocol entails the mating or co-transformation of yeast in solid agar media followed by visual analysis for diploid selection. Having played a key role in identifying protein-protein interactions for nearly three decades, the Y2H system includes the interaction between two proteins of interest which result in a reconstituted transcription factor allowing a reporter gene to be transcribed. In this thesis, two primary objectives were pursued to expand the knowledge of protein-protein interactions. The primary objective …

Effect Of Polymer Concentration, Rotational Speed, And Solvent Mixture On Fiber Formation Using Forcespinning, Nancy Obregon, Victor Agubra, Madhab Pokhrel, Howard Campos, David Flores, David De La Garza, Yuanbing Mao, Javier Macossay, Mataz Alcoutlabi

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

Polycaprolactone (PCL) fibers were produced using Forcespinning® (FS). The effects of PCL concentration, solvent mixture, and the spinneret rotational speed on fiber formation were evaluated. The concentration of the polymer in the solvents was a critical determinant of the solution viscosity. Lower PCL concentrations resulted in low solution viscosities with a correspondingly low fiber production rate with many beads. Bead-free fibers with high production rate and uniform fiber diameter distribution were obtained from the optimum PCL concentration (i.e., 12.5 wt%) with tetrahydrofuran (THF) as the solvent. The addition of N, N-dimethylformamide (DMF) to the THF solvent promoted the gradual formation …

Slip-Jump Model For Carbon Combustion Synthesis Of Complex Oxide Nanoparticles, A. A. Markov, Mkhitar A. Hobosyan, Karen S. Martirosyan

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

Carbon Combustion Synthesis of Oxides (CCSO) is a promising method to produce submicron- and nano- sized complex oxides. The CCSO was successfully utilized for producing several complex oxides, a complete theoretical model including the sample porosity, fl ow parameters and reaction energetics is needed to predict the combustion parameters for CCSO. In this work, we studied the ignition temperature and combustion wave axial temperature distribution, activation energy, combustion heat and thermal losses for a typical CCSO synthesis for cylindrical samples of Ni-Zn ferrites with high (>85%) porosity. We developed a two level combustion model of chemically active nano-dispersed mixture, …

Improved Analysis Of Gw150914 Using A Fully Spin-Precessing Waveform Model, B. P. Abbott, R. Abbott, T. D. Abbott, M. R. Abernathy, Mario C. Diaz, Soma Mukherjee, Volker Quetschke, Malik Rakhmanov

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

This paper presents updated estimates of source parameters for GW150914, a binary black-hole coalescence event detected by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) in 2015 [Abbott et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 116, 061102 (2016).]. Abbott et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 116, 241102 (2016).] presented parameter estimation of the source using a 13-dimensional, phenomenological precessing-spin model (precessing IMRPhenom) and an 11-dimensional nonprecessing effective-one body (EOB) model calibrated to numerical-relativity simulations, which forces spin alignment (nonprecessing EOBNR). Here, we present new results that include a 15-dimensional precessingspin waveform model (precessing EOBNR) developed within the EOB formalism. We find good agreement with the …

Scientific Reasoning In Preschoolers, Cora B. Causey

All ETDs from UAB

One of the most pressing issues in the field of early childhood is the support of young children’s science learning by using what educators know about how children develop and learn combined with the concepts, tools, and structure of science learning. Science literacy in the U.S. includes not only the knowledge and understanding of scientific concepts but also specific types of abilities: the practices of thinking, reasoning, analyzing, and communicating. Preschool children have the capacity to use reasoning and inquiry skills as they investigate how the world around them works. However, current traditional science curriculum for preschoolers limits opportunities to …

Performance Of Ordinary Least Squares And Heteroskedasticity Consistent Covariance Matrix Estimators In Heteroskedastic Analysis Of Covariance Models, Erica Lynn Dawson

All ETDs from UAB

Ordinary Least Squares Optimization is one of the most widely used methods in statistical analysis to estimate the parameters of a general linear model. Yet, when the assumption of homoskedastic errors is violated, the statistical model is incorrectly specified and alteration of both Type I and Type II error rates occurs. We examine different heteroskedasticity consistent covariance matrix estimators (HCCM) under various heteroskedastic analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) models with orthogonal predictors, and find that under the test of group differences, MacKinnon and White’s HC2 and Davidson and MacKinnon’s HC3 perform reasonably well in terms of Type I error control; and …

Mechanical Properties Of The Growth Plate In A Rat Model Of Obesity, Patrick Neil Estep

All ETDs from UAB

The other group (group 2) of 50 women received the same intervention with heel QUS

Electrospun Polycaprolactone Scaffolds: Mechanical Properties, Alignment Quantification, And Topology Induced Gene Expression, Timothy John Fee

All ETDs from UAB

Producing tissue engineering scaffolds which mimic the structure and mechanical properties of the native extracellular matrix (ECM) is an important challenge in developing synthetic tissue replacements. Electrospinning is a frequently used technique to fabricate 3D nanofibrous scaffolds which match the dimensions of the fibrous elements of ECM. However, the mechanical behavior of electrospun materials is complex and challenging to predict. To aid in understanding the mechanical properties of electrospun materials, a microtensile testing platform was developed. This platform was used to quantify the mechanical properties of arrays of individual electrospun nanofibers. Additionally, this device permitted optical strain recording to visualize …

Factors Of Evidence-Based Coaching Practices Used By Pre-K Coaches In Alabama And How They Relate To Pre-K Children’S Scores In The Areas Of Social-Emotional, Physical, Language, Cognitive, Literacy, And Mathematics In A State Funded Pre-K: A Quantitative Study, Tracye Cutts Strichik

All ETDs from UAB

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (2011), The National Staff Development Council (2012), and the report released by the U.S. Department of Education (2011), recommends individualizing professional development and emphasizing the application of knowledge to practice. To meet the challenges of educating learners from all levels, teachers need professional development that is ongoing and job embedded (Neuman & Wright, 2010; Ochshorn, 2011). A coach can be a valuable resource in leading this high-quality professional development. Coaching provides educators with authentic opportunities to learn from, and with, one another inside the classroom and improves the classroom experience for …

Utility-Scale Solar Energy Use Optimization By Using A Home Energy Management System, Mustafa A. Syed

All ETDs from UAB

Home energy management systems encourages the users coupled to the grid to modify their electricity consumption in response to fluctuating electricity rates. The purpose of this research is to develop a distributed home energy management system for the end-user to employ in order to minimize costs. Using the home energy management system, the end-user will find and optimal start times for their appliances in response to varying electricity prices. First, the cost for each user and time-constraints for the appliance is modeled. Then, an iterative greedy algorithm is employed by the user to create an appliance schedule. The only variable …

The Lived Experiences Of African American Students In A Suburban High School: A Qualitative Case Study., Steven Marlon Tarver

All ETDs from UAB

an association between log(CRP) and smoking, controlling for WC and race. Yet, when

How Does Principal Leadership Influence Improved Graduation Rates In Urban High Schools In The Greater Metropolitan Area Of Birmingham, Alabama?, Chris Aaron Trawick

All ETDs from UAB

HOW DOES PRINCIPAL LEADERSHIP INFLUENCE IMPROVED GRADUATION RATES IN URBAN HIGH SCHOOLS IN THE GREATER METROPOITAN AREA OF BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA? CHRIS TRAWICK EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP ABSTRACT Principals of urban high schools are under extraordinary pressure to improve graduation rates of high school seniors (Zepeda, 2013). According to Layton (2014), urban high schools graduate approximately 55% of students, which is well below the national average of 80%. Greater expectations have been placed on principals to improve student achievement. Marzano, Sims, and Warrick (2014) noted that principals are required to improve student achievement. Zepeda (2013) described the role of principal as the instructional …

Methods For Analysis Of Genetic Differences In Sex And Ethnicity For Complex Human Traits, Yogasudha Veturi Veturi

All ETDs from UAB

In the last two decades, thousands of genome-wide association (GWA) analyses have been published. These studies have been primarily conducted using data from Caucasians and many of the reported findings have not been replicated in other populations, perhaps reflecting that the underlying architecture of effects may vary across ethnically diverse groups. Similarly, the possibility that the genetic architecture of traits may vary between males and females has also been overlooked. We propose a methodology for estimation and testing of effect heterogeneity between groups such as sex or ethnicity that involves modeling genotype-by-group random interactions. Using simulations, we show that the …

Liberty And Collaboration For All: A Case Study On Collective Impact, Social Capital, And Community Inclusion, Laura Peyton Vickery

All ETDs from UAB

Disenfranchised communities often face exclusion at the hands of outside organizations trying to assist. Citizens within the community are excluded and left with few means of actively participating in the conversation and development surrounding these communities. This paper takes the position that the imbalance of power dynamics, where citizens become subjects, does not fully utilize the potential of those inside and those from outside the community. As discussed in Chapter 1, utilizing social capital to build networks and integrate insider and outsider organizations and resources will ultimately create optimization. Chapter 2 uncovers historical examples of civic life and a new …

Effect Of Margin Design On Fracture Strength Of Zirconia Crown, Eleni Voltidi

All ETDs from UAB

Purpose: To compare the fracture load of monolithic Zirconia crowns and E-max crowns with different margin designs and to create a guideline for margin design for monolithic Zirconia crowns. Methods: Digital design of prep maxillary molar tooth was performed with TOC 20 degrees and occlusal reduction 1 mm and axial reduction 1 mm and two different margin designs (group 1: Shoulder 0.8mm group 2: Light Chamfer 0.3mm). Dies were milled using Ultra Crystal material. Monolithic Zirconia crowns were milled (n=9 in group 1 and n=8 in group 2). Crowns were cemented with Rely X luting Plus. The specimens were stored …