Digital Commons Network^™

The Geopolitics Of Rare Earth Elements: Emerging Challenge For U.S. National Security And Economics, Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

Rare earth elements (REE) contain unique chemical and physical properties such as lanthanum, are found in small concentrations, need extensive precise processes to separate, and are critical components of modern technologies such as laser guidance systems, personal electronics such as IPhones, satellites, and military weapons systems as varied as Virginia-class fast attack submarines, DDG- 51 Aegis destroyers, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, and precision guided munitions. The U.S. has some rare earth resources, but is heavily dependent on access to them from countries as varied as Afghanistan, Bolivia, and China. Losing access to these resources would have significant adverse economic, …

The Understanding Of The Formative Assessment Process By Michigan Educators, Victor Bugni

All NMU Master's Theses

Districts purchase assessments to inform teachers as to what students are learning and at which levels they are performing. Black and Wiliam (1998) told us that educators must understand the importance of feedback and student participation in the formative assessment process to enhance learning. Teachers can engage in formative practices to help close the gap between what students know and the learning objectives. This study used a quantitative survey to collect Michigan educators’ awareness of the use of formative assessment components in their classrooms, their skill for the use of these components, their perception of support for using these components, …

Don's Conference Notes-Striking A Balance: The 39th Ssp Annual Meeting, Donald T. Hawkins

Against the Grain

No abstract provided.

Profiles Encouraged-Profiles For 9 People, Two Companies And Four Libraries

Against the Grain

No abstract provided.

The Extratropical Transition Of Tropical Cyclones. Part I: Cyclonic Evolution And Direct Impacts, Clark Evans, Kimberly M. Wood, Sim D. Aberson, Heather M. Archambault, Shawn M. Milrad, Lance F. Bosart, Et Al.

Publications

Extratropical transition (ET) is the process by which a tropical cyclone, upon encountering a baroclinic environment and reduced sea surface temperature at higher latitudes, transforms into an extratropical cyclone. This process is influenced by, and influences, phenomena from the tropics to the midlatitudes and from the meso- to the planetary scales to extents that vary between individual events. Motivated in part by recent high-impact and/or extensively observed events such as North Atlantic Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and western North Pacific Typhoon Sinlaku in 2008, this review details advances in understanding and predicting ET since the publication of an earlier review …

Vireo @ Trecvid 2017: Video-To-Text, Ad-Hoc Video Search And Video Hyperlinking, Phuong Anh Nguyen, Qing Li, Zhi-Qi Cheng, Yi-Jie Lu, Hao Zhang, Xiao Wu, Chong-Wah Ngo

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

In this paper, we describe the systems developed for Video-to-Text (VTT), Ad-hoc Video Search (AVS) and Video Hyper-linking (LNK) tasks at TRECVID 2017 [1] and the achieved results.

Capsense: Capacitor-Based Activity Sensing For Kinetic Energy Harvesting Powered Wearable Devices, Guohao Lan, Dong Ma, Weitao Xu, Mahbub Hassan, Wen Hu

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

We propose a new activity sensing method, CapSense, which detects activities of daily living (ADL) by sampling the voltage of the kinetic energy harvesting (KEH) capacitor at an ultra low sampling rate. Unlike conventional sensors that generate only instantaneous motion information of the subject, KEH capacitors accumulate and store human generated energy over time. Given that humans produce kinetic energy at distinct rates for different ADL, the KEH capacitor can be sampled only once in a while to observe the energy generation rate and identify the current activity. Thus, with CapSense, it is possible to avoid collecting time series motion …

Selective Value Coupling Learning For Detecting Outliers In High-Dimensional Categorical Data, Guansong Pang, Hongzuo Xu, Cao Longbing, Wentao Zhao

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

This paper introduces a novel framework, namely SelectVC and its instance POP, for learning selective value couplings (i.e., interactions between the full value set and a set of outlying values) to identify outliers in high-dimensional categorical data. Existing outlier detection methods work on a full data space or feature subspaces that are identified independently from subsequent outlier scoring. As a result, they are significantly challenged by overwhelming irrelevant features in high-dimensional data due to the noise brought by the irrelevant features and its huge search space. In contrast, SelectVC works on a clean and condensed data space spanned by selective …

Sustainable Change In Public School Districts, Angela Cheri Franklin

Education Dissertations

Reform is a reality for many school districts and schools. When faced with reform movements, districts and schools must address both the immediate implementation and the sustainability of the reform. This dissertation study is informed by two theories centered on reform implementation and sustainability: Organizational Learning Theory by Leithwood, Aitken, and Jantzi (2006) and Coburn’s (2003) Theory of Sustainability. Current empirical research in this field identified particular factors that lead to successful implementation of reform and long-term sustainability. A monitoring tool was used to investigate factors such as: vision for reform, decision making, professional development, innovation and change, effectiveness of …

Using Simple Alternative Hypothesis To Increase Statistical Power In Sparse Categorical Data, Louis Mutter, Steven B. Kim

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

There are numerous statistical hypothesis tests for categorical data including Pearson's Chi-Square goodness-of-fit test and other discrete versions of goodness-of-fit tests. For these hypothesis tests, the null hypothesis is simple, and the alternative hypothesis is composite which negates the simple null hypothesis. For power calculation, a researcher specifies a significance level, a sample size, a simple null hypothesis, and a simple alternative hypothesis. In practice, there are cases when an experienced researcher has deep and broad scientific knowledge, but the researcher may suffer from a lack of statistical power due to a small sample size being available. In such a …

Information Systems: A House Divided?, Alex Stewart, John Cotton, Monica Adya

Management Faculty Research and Publications

Is the IS discipline a single discipline that focuses on both behavioral (BIS) and technical (TIS) topics, or is it two disciplines split between these orientations? Current opinion emphasizes BIS and reinforces the notion that researchers practice research in disconnected silos as opposed to a relatively continuous web. Such silos do disservice to the diversity of scholarly interests, skew productivity expectations in favor of small subsets of journals that often exclude technical- and decision science-oriented journals, and run the risk of creating self-perpetuating journal groupings. Silos disadvantage IS researchers by making the discipline narrower in comparison to other business disciplines …

A Fuzzy Logic Based Method For Analysing Test Results, Vinh Le Xuan, Quan Tran Hong

ASEAN Journal on Science and Technology for Development

Network operators must perform many tasks to ensure smooth operation of the network, such as planning, monitoring, etc. Among those tasks, regular testing of network performance, network errors and troubleshooting is very important. Meaningful test results will allow the operators to evaluate network performanceof any shortcomings and to better plan for network upgrade. Due to the diverse and mainly unquantifiable nature of network testing results, there is a needs to develop a method for systematically and rigorously analysing these results.In this paper, we present STAM (System Test-result Analysis Method) which employs a bottom-up hierarchical processing approach using Fuzzy logic. STAM …

A Micro-Raman Study Of Exfoliated Few-Layered N-Type Bi2 Te2.7Se0.3, Fengjiao Liu, Longyu Hu, Mehmet Karakaya, Pooja Puneet, Rahul Rao, Ramakrishna Podila, Sriparna Bhattacharya, Apparao M. Rao

Publications

Previously we showed that the thermoelectric (TE) performance of bulk n-type Bi₂Te.₂₇Se_0.3 can be enhanced by subjecting it to a combined process of chemical or mechanical exfoliation (C/ME) followed by a rapid densification and restacking of the exfoliated layers via the spark-plasma-sintering technique (SPS). Here, we present a systematic micro-Raman study of two-dimensional flakes of n-type Bi₂Te_2.7Se_0.3 produced by the C/ME process, as a function of the flake thickness. We found Raman evidence for flakes with: (i) integer number of quintuples which exhibited a strong electron-phonon coupling, and …

Scalable Online Kernel Learning, Jing Lu

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

One critical deficiency of traditional online kernel learning methods is their increasing and unbounded number of support vectors (SV’s), making them inefficient and non-scalable for large-scale applications. Recent studies on budget online learning have attempted to overcome this shortcoming by bounding the number of SV’s. Despite being extensively studied, budget algorithms usually suffer from several drawbacks.
First of all, although existing algorithms attempt to bound the number of SV’s at each iteration, most of them fail to bound the number of SV’s for the final averaged classifier, which is commonly used for online-to-batch conversion. To solve this problem, we propose …

An Optimal Milk Production Model Selection And Configuration System For Dairy Cows, Fan Zhang

PhDs

Milk production forecasting in the dairy industry has been an independent research topic since the early 20th century. The accurate prediction of milk yield can benefit both the processor (creameries) and the producer (dairy farmer) through developing short-term production schedules, planning long-term road maps, facilitating trade and investment in the dairy industry, improving business operations, optimising the existing infrastructure of the dairy industry, and reducing operating costs. Additionally, due to the innate characteristics of the milk production process, the accurate prediction of milk yield has been a challenging issue in the dairy industry. With the abolishment of EU milk quotas …

Alternative Mission Concepts For The Exploration Of Outer Planets Using Small Satellite Swarms, Andrew Gene Blocher

Master's Theses

Interplanetary space exploration has thus far consisted of single, expensive spacecraft missions. Mission costs are particularly high on missions to the outer planets and while invaluable, finite budgets limit our ability to perform extensive and frequent investigations of the planets. Planetary systems such as Jupiter and Saturn provide extremely complex exploration environments with numerous targets of interest. Exploring these targets in addition to the main planet requires multiple fly-bys and long mission timelines. In LEO, CubeSats have changed the exploration paradigm, offering a fast and low cost alternative to traditional space vehicles. This new mission development philosophy has the potential …

Validating Sidescan Sonar As A Fish Survey Tool Over Artificial Reefs, Michael A. Bollinger, Richard Kline

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Visual observation methods via SCUBA are commonly used to survey artificial reef fish, although conditions in the Gulf of Mexico often make surveys difficult or even dangerous for divers. In this study, sidescan sonar was used to quantify water-column fish abundance and was compared to the established visual observation methods on SCUBA over four reef sites. Calibrated intensity values measured from sidescan sonar echo returns were used to estimate fish body length and to calculate scaled biomass (g/m2 reef) from a pooled fish length–weight relationship of commonly observed reef fish in the area. Sidescan sonar methods were equivalent to SCUBA …

Total Quality Management Practices And It’S Reflection On Innovation Empirical Research In Middle East Bank For Investment, Nadia Lotfi Abdel Wahab, Anfal Abdul Sattar Abdul Jabbar

Journal of Economics and Administrative Sciences

This research aims to assess the adoption of TQM in the Middle East Bank for Investment, and diagnosis means and techniques of technological innovation that applied in, as well as to determine the nature of the relationship between total quality management practices (operations management, employment relations, customer relations) and technological innovation (the incremental innovation of the service, incremental innovation process, a radical innovation of the service, a radical innovation of the operation), through use the checklists, derived from a study (Kim et al, 2012) the many styles of mathematical and statistical tools was adopted like the percentage, mean, duplicates, as …

Economic And Social Determinants Of Unemployment In Sudan: An Econometric Study Using Principal Components Regression For The Period Of 1981-2015, Gariballa Abdelmageed Abdelgadir

Journal of Economics and Administrative Sciences

Considering the magnitude of its economic, social and political impact, unemployment represents a crucial challenge confronting the majority of the countries of the world. The problem of the study was the high rates of unemployment in Sudan and the inability of economic growth rates to keep pace with the steady increases in unemployment rates during the study period. This study aimed to identify the economic and social variables influencing unemployment rate in Sudan, in addition to measuring the impact of these variables over the period (1981-2015). Data were collected from databases of the World Bank and Atlas of the World's …

Estimate Missing Value By Use Analyses Of Covariance Method For Split Block-Design, Kamal Alwan Khalaf Al-Mashhadani, Ahmed Shahab Ahmed, Simaa Firas Kamel

Journal of Economics and Administrative Sciences

The research aims to estimate missing values using covariance analysis method Coons way to the variable response or dependent variable that represents the main character studied in a type of multi-factor designs experiments called split block-design (SBED) so as to increase the accuracy of the analysis results and the accuracy of statistical tests based on this type of designs. as it was noted in the theoretical aspect to the design of dissident sectors and statistical analysis have to analyze the variation in the experience of experiment )SBED) and the use of covariance way coons analysis according to two methods to …

Comparison Between Some Of The Robust Penalized Estimators Using Simulation, Emad Hazim Aboudi, Ali Hameed Yousif

Journal of Economics and Administrative Sciences

The penalized least square method is a popular method to deal with high dimensional data ,where the number of explanatory variables is large than the sample size . The properties of penalized least square method are given high prediction accuracy and making estimation and variables selection At once. The penalized least square method gives a sparse model ,that meaning a model with small variables so that can be interpreted easily .The penalized least square is not robust ,that means very sensitive to the presence of outlying observation , to deal with this problem, we can used a robust loss function …

Applied Study On Analysis Of Fixed, Random And Mixed Panel Data Models Measured At Specific Time Intervals, Rajaa Kamil Majeed

Journal of Economics and Administrative Sciences

This research sought to present a concept of cross-sectional data models, A crucial double data to take the impact of the change in time and obtained from the measured phenomenon of repeated observations in different time periods, Where the models of the panel data were defined by different types of fixed , random and mixed, and Comparing them by studying and analyzing the mathematical relationship between the influence of time with a set of basic variables Which are the main axes on which the research is based and is represented by the monthly revenue of the working individual and the …

Ginkgo Biloba (Ginkgo/Maidenhair) Id# 44, Christopher J. Mazulis

BIO 140 Arboretum Project

Location: Walgreen Hall lawn

Height: 19 m

Diameter at Breast Height: 66 cm

Radius of Crown: 4.5 m

Condition: Middle condition

Terror On Your Timeline: Criminalizing Terrorist Incitement On Social Media Through Doctrinal Shift, Zachary Leibowitz

Fordham Law Review

The United States faces a barrage of threats from terrorist organizations on a daily basis. The government takes some steps to prevent these threats from coming to fruition, but not much is being done proactively. Any person can log into a social media account to preach hate and incite violence against the United States and its citizenry, and sometimes these words result in action. When speakers are not held accountable, they can continue to incite the masses to violent action across the United States. This Note proposes a new incitement doctrine to prevent these speakers from being able to spread …

Groundwater And Subsurface Water In A Landscape With Shallow Bedrock: Implications For Agricultural Nutrient Export, Laura Kelley, Hunter R. Evans, Reid E. Buskirk, Jonathan M. Malzone, Walter S. Borowski

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Controls on nutrient export from agricultural landscapes include regional hydrological and geological conditions. In many central Kentucky basins shallow fractured bedrock produces focused groundwater discharge and flashy runoff events. Eastern Kentucky University’s Meadowbrook Farm is currently experimenting with nutrient sequestration techniques; however the effectiveness of these techniques given the local hydrogeology needs to be quantified. Our objective was to determine the potential pathways for nutrient export by mapping key hydrologic features and using a watershed approach. The key features mapped were springs, tile drains, runoff channels, land use and the underlying geology. We chose a 0.46 km² watershed to …

Mediation Of Eutrophication Of Surface And Subsurface Water From Non-Point Sources: Nutrient Monitoring At Meadowbrook Farm (Madison County, Kentucky), Walter S. Borowski, Jonathan M. Malzone

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Non-point sources from various human activities such as farming have replaced industrial point sources as contributors of many contaminants in surface and subsurface waters of the United States. Eastern Kentucky University’s Meadowbrook Farm (720 acres, ~2.9 km²; Madison County, Kentucky) is a teaching facility dedicated to improving farming techniques and discovering best practices for farm operations that include minimizing environmental impacts. Agricultural activities on the Farm contribute nutrients to the Muddy Creek (Kentucky River) watershed that promote eutrophication and degrade water quality. Farm management already uses protocols to mediate drainage of dissolved nitrogen off the Farm, but also …

Satellite Observed Water Quality Changes In The Laurentian Great Lakes Due To Invasive Species, Anthropogenic Forcing, And Climate Change, Robert A. Shuchman, Karl Bosse, Michael J. Sayers, Gary L. Fahnenstiel, George Leshkevich

Michigan Tech Research Institute Publications

Long time series of ocean and land color satellite data can be used to measure Laurentian Great Lakes water quality parameters including chlorophyll, suspended minerals, harmful algal blooms (HABs), photic zone and primary productivity on weekly, monthly and annual observational intervals. The observed changes in these water quality parameters over time are a direct result of the introduction of invasive species such as the Dreissena mussels as well as anthropogenic forcing and climate change. Time series of the above mentioned water quality parameters have been generated based on a range of satellite sensors, starting with Landsat in the 1970s and …

Enrichment Of Putatively Damaging Rare Variants In The Dyx2 Locus And The Reading-Related Genes Ccdc136 And Flnc, Andrew K. Adams, Shelley D. Smith, Dongnhu T. Truong, Erik G. Willcutt, Richard K. Olson, John C. Defries, Bruce F. Pennington, Jeffrey R. Gruen

Psychology: Faculty Scholarship

Eleven loci with prior evidence for association with reading and language phenotypes were sequenced in 96 unrelated subjects with significant impairment in reading performance drawn from the Colorado Learning Disability Research Center collection. Out of 148 total individual missense variants identified, the chromosome 7 genes CCDC136 and FLNC contained 19. In addition, a region corresponding to the well-known DYX2 locus for RD contained 74 missense variants. Both allele sets were filtered for a minor allele frequency ≤0.01 and high Polyphen-2 scores. To determine if observations of these alleles are occurring more frequently in our cases than expected by chance in …

Darwin Day In Deep Time: Promoting Evolutionary Science Through Paleontology, Sarah L. Sheffield, Jennifer E. Bauer

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

Charles Darwin’s birthday, February 12th, is an international celebration coined Darwin Day. During the week of his birthday, universities, museums, and science-oriented organizations worldwide host events that celebrate Darwin’s scientific achievements in evolutionary biology. The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UT) has one of the longest running celebrations in the nation, with 2016 marking the 19th year. For 2016, the theme for our weeklong series of events was paleontology, chosen to celebrate new research in the field and to highlight the specific misconceptions of evolution within the context of geologic time. We provide insight into the workings of one of our …

A Geophysical Model For The Origin Of Volcano Vent Clusters In A Colorado Plateau Volcanic Field, Fanghui Deng, Charles B. Connor, Rocco Malservisi, Laura J. Connor, Jeremy White, Aurélie Germa, Paul H. Wetmore

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

Variation in spatial density of Quaternary volcanic vents, and the occurrence of vent clusters, correlates with boundaries in Proterozoic crust in the Springerville volcanic field (SVF), Arizona, USA. Inverse modeling using 538 gravity measurements shows that vent clusters correlate with gradients in the gravity field due to lateral variation in crustal density. These lateral discontinuities in the crustal density can be explained by boundaries in the North American crust formed during Proterozoic accretion. Spatial density of volcanic vents is low in regions of high‐density Proterozoic crust, high in areas of relatively low density Proterozoic crust, and is greatest adjacent to …