Digital Commons Network^™

Computational Modeling Of Heat Transport And Volatile Extraction From Asteroid Materials, Joel C. Sercel, Mark A. Crawford, Christopher Dreyer, Egboche Unobe, Robert Jedicke, Stanley Love, Leslie S. Gertsch

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper presents the results of a program of computational modeling focused on elucidating the physics and chemical processes associated with the extraction of volatile materials from asteroid feedstocks with an eye toward use of the extracted materials for propulsion, radiation shielding, and replenishment of mission consumables. We present a math model of conductive heat transport, chemical processes, and gas escape by Darcian diffusion. Chemical processes in the model include pyrolysis of organic chemical constituents and thermal dehydration and decarbonization of hydrates and carbonates. The model is implemented in a spherical finite difference computational engine that predicts time histories of …

A Novel Ultra-Low Interfacial Tension Nanofluid For Enhanced Oil Recovery In Super-Low Permeability Reservoirs, Derong Xu, Baojun Bai, Ziyu Meng, Qiong Zhou, Zhe Li, Yao Lu, Hairong Wu, Jirui Hou, Wanli Kang

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The exploration and development of super-low permeability reservoirs have become a global focus in recent years. However, conventional flooding systems commonly face problems of high injection pressure and poor displacement efficiency in super-low permeability reservoirs. Thus, it is imperative to find new flooding agents that tackle such problems. In this study, a novel ultra-low interfacial tension (IFT) nanofluid was formulated, consisting of surfactants to achieve ultra-low IFT and silica nanoparticles to reduce injection pressure. The compatibility test between the surfactants and silica nanoparticles in 10,000 mg/L NaCl solution at 90 °C was conducted to ensure their adaption to harsh reservoir …

A Simple Model For Elastic-Plastic Contact Of Granular Geomaterials, Jian Wang, Qimin Li, Changwei Yang, Yidan Huang, Caizhi Zhou

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

We propose a simple elastic-plastic contact model by considering the interaction of two spheres in the normal direction, for use in discrete element method (DEM) simulations of geomaterials. This model has been developed by using the finite element method (FEM) and nonlinear fitting methods, in the form of power-law relation of the dimensionless normal force and displacement. Only four parameters are needed for each loading-unloading contact process between two spheres, which are relevant to material properties evaluated by FEM simulations. Within the given range of material properties, those four parameters can be quickly accessed by interpolating the data appended or …

Multitask Allocation To Heterogeneous Participants In Mobile Crowd Sensing, Weiping Zhu, Wenzhong Guo, Zhiyong Yu, Haoyi Xiong

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Task allocation is a key problem in Mobile Crowd Sensing (MCS). Prior works have mainly assumed that participants can complete tasks once they arrive at the location of tasks. However, this assumption may lead to poor reliability in sensing data because the heterogeneity among participants is disregarded. In this study, we investigate a multitask allocation problem that considers the heterogeneity of participants (i.e., different participants carry various devices and accomplish different tasks). A greedy discrete particle swarm optimization with genetic algorithm operation is proposed in this study to address the abovementioned problem. This study is aimed at maximizing the number …

Nupt St-Data Miner: An Spatio-Temporal Data Analysis And Visualization System, Zhiqiang Zou, Junjie Xiong, Xuerong He, Haihong Dai

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Given the increasing popularity and availability of location tracking devices, large quantities of Spatio-Temporal data (ST-data) are available from many different sources. For the ST-data, reflecting the mobile characteristic of the world, it is essential to build a functional system to perform quickly interactive analysis. In this paper, we present an analysis and visualization system, NUPT ST-data Miner, which facilitates users to visualize and analyze ST-data. It (1) provides a flexible and extensible framework based on cloud computing platform, (2) is able to quickly retrieve specified ST-data, (3) integrated multiple functions for the ST-data. To demonstrate its efficiency, we validate …

Sand Distribution Effect On Three Dimensional Printed Sand Properties, Kip Woods

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to assess the performance characteristics of commercially available round grain silica sand for the use in three-dimensional sand printers. Two different average diameters were selected to examine the effects of screen distribution on printing performance; these diameters were 57-grain fineness number (GFN) and 70 GFN. These sands were a high purity round grain silica and had low trace contaminates, to reduce any possible influence from contaminates.

The resin system utilized in this investigation was a commercially available Furan resin system. Two test specimens were used in this study the American Foundry Society (AFS) tensile …

Instructors' Attitudes And Perceptions Toward Critical Thinking: A Case Study Of Interior Design Instructors In Saudi Arabia, Afnan Al Ramis

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to investigate how critical thinking is defined by interior design female instructors in Saudi Arabia. Also, it aimed to examine instructors’ perceptions and attitudes toward critical thinking. In addition, it served to illuminate potential obstacles and biases that prevent female instructors from teaching critical thinking skills at the schools and universities in Saudi Arabia. The research targeted female Interior Design instructors in particular, to examine their perceptions toward critical thinking. There were three research questions:

1- What are female Interior Design instructors’ perceptions toward critical thinking? Do they teach critical thinking skills in the …

An Exploration Of Teacher Dispositions: Expectation Of Potential, Kathleen Louise Saleh

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This qualitative investigation of three, K-12, in-service special education teachers’ dispositions employs the pillars of Disability Studies in Education (Connor, Gabel, Gallagher, & Morton, 2008) and Villegas’ (2007) definition of disposition to interpret the observational and interview data. Central to the study are the teachers’ beliefs about their students’ learning potential and the impact of those beliefs on their instructional behaviors—dispositions—that support or hinder social justice. Consideration is also given to the educational and life experiences that the educators identify as contributing to their professional disposition. Analysis of the data demonstrated five primary themes. (1) Disposition, although influential in the …

Applying Convolutional Neural Networks For The Source Reconstruction, He Ming Yao, Wei E.I. Sha, Li (Lijun) Jun Jiang

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper proposes a novel source reconstruction method (SRM) based on the convolutional neural network algorithm. The conventional SRM method usually requires the scattered field data oversampled compared to that of target object grids. To achieve higher accuracy, the conventional SRM numerical system is highly singular. To overcome these difficulties, we model the equivalent source reconstruction process using the machine learning. The equivalent sources of the target are constructed by a convolutional neural networks (ConvNets). It allows us to employ less scattered field samples or radar cross section (RCS) data. And the ill-conditioned numerical system is effectively avoided. Numerical examples …

An Investigation Into Trust And Security In The Mandatory And Imposed Use Of Financial Icts Upon Older People, David Michael Cook

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Care needs to be taken to reduce the number of people who are fearful and mistrustful of using ICT where that usage is forced upon them without choice or alternative. The growing incidence of mandatory and imposed online systems can result in confusion, misuse, fear, and rejection by people with only rudimentary ICT skills. A cohort where a high percentage of such people occur is older people, defined in this study as people over the age of 60 Examples of compulsory ICT interactions include some banks limiting bank statement access through online rather than paper-based options. Other examples include the …

Development, Manufacture And Application Of A Solid-State Ph Sensor Using Ruthenium Oxide, Wade Lonsdale

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The measurement of pH is undertaken frequently in numerous settings for many applications. The common glass pH probe is almost ideal for measuring pH, and as such, it is used almost ubiquitously. However, glass is not ideal for all applications due to its relatively large size, fragility, need for recalibration and wet-storage. Therefore, much research has been undertaken on the use of metal oxides as an alternative for the measurement of pH.

Here, a solid-state potentiometric pH sensor is developed using ruthenium metal oxide (RuO2). Initially, pH sensitive RuO2 electrodes were prepared by deposition with radio frequency magnetron sputtering (RFMS) …

Evolving Gameplay Elements Into Virtual Terrains, Andrew Pech

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

With advancements in technology, consumers are expecting higher quality and more detailed video game content. This puts a strain on video game companies and their developers as they are required to manually design and create increasingly complex video game content. Procedural content generation can alleviate this burden by using technology to automatically generate video game content, effectively reducing development time and budget. This thesis presents a novel approach towards procedurally generating video game terrains that meet a set of gameplay requirements as specified by the user. This approach uses a genetic algorithm to evolve a set of modifications that, when …

Next Generation Wireless Communication Networks: Energy And Quality Of Service Considerations, Md Munjure Mowla

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The rapid growth in global mobile phone users has resulted in an ever-increasing demand for bandwidth and enhanced quality-of-service (QoS). Several consortia comprising major international mobile operators, infrastructure manufacturers, and academic institutions are working to develop the next generation wireless communication systems fifth generation (5G) - to support high data rates and increased QoS. 5G systems are also expected to represent a greener alternative for communication systems, which is important because power consumption from the information and communication technology (ICT) sector is forecast to increase significantly by 2030. The deployment of ultra-dense heterogeneous small cell networks (SCNs) is expected to …

Enhancing Lithium Leaching By Mechanical Activation, Nader Setoudeh, Ataollah Nosrati, Nicholas J. Welham

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The lithium (Li) bearing minerals lepidolite and spodumene were mixed with different mass ratios of Na2SO4 and mechanically activated by milling in a planetary ball mill for 5 h. The milled samples were studied using thermogravimetry under an air atmosphere up to 950 ºC. Isothermal heating of the milled samples was undertaken in a furnace at temperatures of 700 ºC and 800 ºC for 1 h. Hot water leaching of the calcines indicated that increasing the calcination temperature had a significant effect on the dissolution of lithium. The leaching of lithium from lepidolite was notably higher than that from spodumene.

Disposable Printed Lateral Flow Electrochemical Immunosensors For Human Cardiac Troponin T, Eithne Dempsey, Dhanraj Rathod

Articles

Here we report an electrochemical ELISA approach for cardiac Troponin T (cTnT) determination based on a lateral flow membrane with underlying screen printed electrodes (<;100 Ω /cm 2 ). The thick film transducer was modified with the anti-cardiac Troponin T antibody via physisorption and the electrochemical performance of the immunosensor was evaluated using cyclic voltammetry. The capture antibody coated immunoelectrode employed for electrochemical determination of Troponin T antigen used a sandwich assay format with horseradish peroxidase conjugated signaling antibodies held in the track of a lateral flow sensor strip. A simple two step procedure realized signal acquisition within <;20 min (total assay time). The lateral flow electrochemical immunosensor response resulted in a calibration curve with linear response (0-700 ng/ml cTnT) with limit of detection of 0.15 ng/ml.

Theoretical And Empirical Studies On Thelife Sciences And Evolution Of Predator-Prey Signals, Divya Ramesh

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Prey animals are known to communicate information about risk in the environment using various signals. Seen across species, these signals are often directed to other prey individuals, but some signals are also directed towards predators and are called pursuit-deterrent signals. These deterrence signals are paradoxical in that the prey performs seemingly high-risk behaviour, such as approaching the predator or increasing its own conspicuousness and potentially reducing its chance of escape, in an attempt to discourage the predator from attacking. This has motivated considerable theoretical and empirical work, however, there are still gaps in our understanding of pursuit-deterrence. Existing theory is …

Is The Development Of Moral Reasoning By College Students Impacted By Online Course Delivery?, Miklozek Heather Dalton

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The development of the college student is influenced inside and outside of the classroom. Research supports that the traditional college experience assists or influences the students identities relating to moral development. More and more students are completing a portion of their course work online. Yet higher Education experts are not aware of how this type of delivery impacts their moral development. In this study, Rests Defining Issues Test 2 was used to compare the moral development of on-campus and online service learning students who were enrolled in general Education and experiential learning courses. Overall findings indicate there is moral development …

Saudi Special Education Teachers' Attitudes Toward The Cognitive, Psychological, And Technological Criteria For Applying Ipad Application In Teaching Students With Asd, Mashael Abdulrahman Alshaer

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research was conducted to present Saudi special Education teachers attitudes toward the cognitive, psychological, and technological criteria for applying iPad applications in teaching students with ASD. Saudi Arabias Ministry of Education (2016) confirmed in rule 54-75 and order 188-194 of the Special Education Law that institutions and programs of special Education at public and private schools should implement the use of technology and computer software for Educational objectives. This research discusses findings regarding using iPad software as assistive technology for students with ASD. This study further attempts to understand how the government can build on the preparedness of teachers …

Should Self-Efficacy Be Considered For Placement Into Developmental Mathematics In Higher Education, April Hay

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a correlation between a students academic self-efficacy, mathematics placement scores, and academic achievement in developmental mathematics. The study investigated the relationship between academic self-efficacy, mathematics placement scores, and student success in developmental courses among incoming freshman at a four-year public university. Seventeen course sections of Math 035 were offered in the fall of 2015 at Indiana State University, with a total enrollment of 317 students. Of the 3,986 freshman cohort, the study originated with 217 first time freshman. The valid sample size used for this study was 131 students. …

The Effects Of The Introduction Of No Child Left Behind On Selected Educational Demographics, Angela Bright

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Educators and the general public are often discouraged by grim reports by the media regarding our nations standing with regard to Education and the policies that attempt to improve that standing. This study examined (a) the percentage of students identified as needing special Education, (b) graduation rates, and (c) dropout rates from a sample of state reported data before and after implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act (2002) to determine if the policy had an effect in these areas. Despite media assertions, no significant differences were found in these variables when comparing data from 2003–2004 and 2007–2008. It …

The Impact Of Small School Systems On The Communities They Serve, Ralph D. Shrader

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Financial concerns and public scrutiny are causing many Educational leaders and community stakeholders to study the district configurations of school corporations, academic preparation, and ideal school size. The purpose of this qualitative case-study research design was to identify and better understand successful small school districts as defined by the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) accountability model. This study also sought to uncover the relationship of successful school districts as an integral partner in the local communities they serve. The results of analyzed data from interviews, observations, and school tours led to the emergence of three themes. The three themes included: …

An Exploratory Case Study On Elementary Education Teacher Candidates' Perception Of The Gender Gap In Science And Exposure To The Topic From Their Educator Preparation Program Curriculum, Bridget Ireland

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite much progress, the gender gap in science still persists, and it is imperative that researchers continue addressing the problem at all levels, in the hope that the combined efforts of all investigations and initiatives will eventually work to close the gap. This qualitative exploratory case study, rooted in a social constructivist and feminist paradigm, investigated elementary Education teacher candidates perceptions toward the gender gap in science, their attitudes and responsibilities toward closing it, and their potential strategies to encourage female student interest in science. It also investigated their exposure to the topic of the gender gap in science from …

Assessment Of Health Data Transformation Capabilities Of Health Information Networks In Early Endorsers Of A Nationwide Learning Health System, Stephanie Bryant

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Health research findings and health practitioner observations are key components in advancing the state of health care delivery and outcomes. Interconnected communications and computing technology can provide efficient means of gathering, analyzing and disseminating information. The Institute of Medicine introduced an early vision of a continuous health data analysis and knowledge generation system and called it a Learning Healthcare System (LHS). A learning health system that incorporates health data analysis and knowledge generation has the potential to provide many benefits to public health and individual health outcomes. The focus of this research is to use a qualitative case study approach …

Maximising The Contributions Of Phd Graduates To National Development: The Case Of The Seychelles, Marina Fatima Confait

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree is the pinnacle of educational attainment and the most respected of the doctoral programs. The degree certifies the holder as an independent researcher, an expert with extensive knowledge about the chosen field of study, and a professional with a wide range of transferable skills . As such, PhD graduates have the capability to make important contributions to knowledge and drive change in society. Furthermore, PhD graduates represent accumulated human capital, a valuable human resource with potential for making significant contributions to a country’s development. This can materialise through enhancing the knowledge of others, performing …

A Study On The Impact Of A Music Looping Technology Intervention Upon Pre-Service Generalist Teachers’ Self-Efficacy To Teach Music In Primary Schools, John Nathan Heyworth

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

In Australia, in the current climate of economic rationalism in which there has been an increasing emphasis on literacy and numeracy, funding for specialised subjects like music has been reducing. As a result, generalist classroom teachers are being given more responsibility for delivering effective music education in primary schools. However, the time dedicated to training pre-service teachers in music education in tertiary institutions has diminished. Further, time constraints involved in building pre-service knowledge and skills in teaching music may impact many pre-service teachers’ beliefs about their ability to teach music.

Within these constraints, digital technology may provide a key to …

The Photographic Other: Paradox In The Cathexis Of Longing, Alex Cilla Bradley

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

A photographic and written examination of paradox in relation to the photograph

This research aims to illuminate the relationship between paradox and photography, elaborated via Julia Kristeva’s notion of the abject. Paradox is considered in relation to photography in terms of repeated and unresolved debates about the status of the photograph as either an ‘index of reality’ (Bate, 2004, p. 1) or as a sign. The significance of this research lies in its re-motivation of abjection in terms of paradox, not in order to resolve such debates but, rather, to illuminate the importance of such unresolved contradictions in terms of …

Comparative Pairs Judgements For High-Stakes Practical Assessments, Hendrati Nastiti

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Assessment of practical tasks, as opposed to that of theoretical tasks, has been considered to be problematic, mainly because it is usually resource intensive and the scoring is subjective. Most practical tasks need to be assessed on site or involve products that need to be collected, stored, or transported. Moreover, because practical tasks are generally open-ended, and therefore subjective, there is concern over the reliability of the scores. In high-stakes assessment, these problems are even more challenging. There is a need for an assessment method that could overcome these problems. In this study, such a method that will be referred …

An Integrated System To Design Machine Layouts For Modular Special Purpose Machines, Uday Hameed Farhan

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This thesis introduces the development of an integrated system for the design of layouts for special purpose machines (SPMs). SPMs are capable of performing several machining operations (such as drilling, milling, and tapping) at the same time. They consist of elements that can be arranged in different layouts. Whilst this is a unique feature that makes SPMs modular, a high level of knowledge and experience is required to rearrange the SPM elements in different configurations, and also to select appropriate SPM elements when product demand changes and new layouts are required. In this research, an integrated system for SPM layout …

The Value Of Animal Behaviour As A Bio-Indicator Of Restoration Quality, Floyd Holmes

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Woodland restoration is a complex endeavour, and restoration ecology as a scientific discipline requires constant re-assessments and adjustments if it is to improve outcomes and better provide for biodiversity. The promise of effective restoration is often used to justify destructive processes that affect many of the world’s ecosystems. It is therefore imperative that those promises can be met, which comes down to restoration ecologists’ and land managers’ capacity to predict and facilitate desirable ecological changes in a timely and socio-economically responsible manner. As perspectives have changed, and knowledge has been gained over the past few decades there have been several …

Rogue: A Novel - And - Wonderlust: The Value Of Wonder For Readers, Writers, And The Vault: A Critical Essay, Amanda Betts

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This thesis consists of an original novel, Rogue, and an exegesis titled Wonderlust: the value of wonder for readers, writers, and The Vault.

Rogue is the second novel of the series titled The Vault, which is a speculative fiction duology for young adults (thirteen and above) with the possibility for crossover into adult readership. Rogue picks up the story of fifteen-year-old Hayley who, after choosing to leave her previous home of an underwater seed vault, finds herself washed onto the cliffs of Maria Island, off the coast of Tasmania. As Hayley ventures further into the terrestrial ‘real world’ …