Digital Commons Network^™

A New Generation Of Functional Polyisobutylenes For Advanced Applications, Corey M. Parada

Dissertations

Polyisobutylene (PIB) is a fully saturated, aliphatic polymer of high commercial importance due to its superior gas barrier properties and high chemical/oxidative stability. One commercial end-use for PIB is in insulated glass windows (IGU), where it acts as a gas/moisture barrier and sealant. Under certain adverse conditions, catastrophic failure of the PIB sealant may result in aesthetic and functional failure of the IGU, which necessitates replacement of the unit. Thus, there exists a need to improve current generations of thermoplastic PIB sealants to be able to withstand the harsh environments found in current real-world applications.

In the first project, we …

Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane-Phosphate Glass Matrix Nanocomposites With Additional Chapter On Phosphate Glass-Poly(Ethylene Terephthalate) Matrix Composites, Kyoungtae Kim

Dissertations

Preparation and characterization of tin fluorophosphate glass (Pglass) matrix nanocomposites incorporating polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) were investigated on the structural, thermal, morphological, mechanical, and rheological properties. Various processes including synthesis, extrusion and sintering processes were applied to prepare the nanocomposite samples. Another application of POSS with hydrophobic functional groups on the well-structured nanoscale silicate cage with three silanol groups was investigated to present the feasibility to use POSS molecule as a coating material on the surface of the hydrophilic inorganic glass. In addition, Poly(ethylene terephthalate) polymer matrix composites incorporating Pglass was studied to present the benefits of the Pglass with …

A New Keynesian, Neo-Institutional Synthesis: Connecting And Explaining Under-Evaluated Risks In Consumption, Trade, And Finance, Todd Barry

Dissertations

The overall research questions addressed in this dissertation are twofold. First, what are the largest, under-evaluated (or unorthodox) factors that cause growth volatility in both the short and long terms? Second, how can one best determine how much risk is being taken across both of these periods, and how can states increase and/or diversify their risks? The principle hypotheses are that finicky consumerism and structural economic changes, undiversified trade, and under-financed investment contribute significantly to growth volatility. Above all, risk taking actions and policies in countries cause economies to fluctuate. Further, the dissertation suggests that the short-term risk characteristics of …

Identifying Barriers To Teacher Implementation Of Evidence-Based Practices In Middle-School Reading, Brenda Fortson

Dissertations

This study explores factors that may be related to Mississippi’s 2015 eighth-grade reading scores, which rank the state in 50^th place (Nation’s Report Card, 2016). Whereas there are likely several factors that contribute to middle-school students’ poor performance on the high-stakes tests, this study examines teachers’ reported knowledge and use of evidence-based teaching practices, sense of self-efficacy in implementing the practices, and concerns regarding high-stakes testing and possible relationship with their implementation of the practices.

All public schools in Mississippi were invited to participate in an online survey of sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade teachers. After data were screened, 187 …

Self-Care Vs. Self-Sacrifice In Medical-Surgical Nursing Culture: A Critical Ethnography, Elise Jordan Juergens

Dissertations

The critical ethnography research examines need prioritization culture among medical-surgical nurses. Grove, Burns, and Gray (2013) define the problem statement as an explicit identification of the research need. Literature search yields scarce ethnographic research on the nursing population as a culture-sharing group, and no qualitative research exists regarding medical-surgical nurses’ self-need prioritization. The purpose of this critical ethnography is to observe medical-surgical nursing culture, related to personal need prioritization, as reflected by behavior and dialogue.

Qualitative research methodology is appropriate where statistical data is not. Research motivation involves seeking insight and sociocultural understanding. Critical ethnography is the chosen qualitative research …

The Challenges And Limitations Of Adapting Mozart's Così Fan Tutte For A Small University Setting, Christopher Lovely

Dissertations

In this dissertation, challenges and limitations related to presenting Così fan tutte within a small university setting are conveyed, as well as offering innovative ideas to create a manageable presentation. I recall my personal experience as Korepititor/Vocal Coach for The University of Southern Mississippi’s 2014 production of Mozart’s Così fan tutte. This document presents topics on the various workings of an opera production: pre-rehearsal preparation, language issues, rehearsal preparation, selection of singers, and production issues. It offers practical solutions to overcome various challenges a small university may encounter. Smaller university opera programs were surveyed regarding their adaptations of …

Tribal Governance In The United States: Adaptation And Change, Michelle Watts

Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to contribute to the body of knowledge on indigenous governance, specifically that of Native Americans and Alaska Natives. This project examined how differing circumstances of Native Nations influence how Native Nations leaders perceive their ability to govern and their relationships with non-indigenous entities. It sought a greater understanding of the cultural adaptations of Native Nations, and how these adaptations influence governance and relationships with state and federal government entities. To gather information, surveys were sent out to all leaders of Native Nations in the United States, according to the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) …

Effect Of Network Structure On Free Volume And Gas Transport Properties Of Thiol-Ene And Epoxy-Amine Networks, Ramesh Krishnan Ramakrishnan

Dissertations

Network parameters such as cross-link density or intermolecular interactions were used as effective parameters to control polymer chain packing or free volume and thereby control the mass transport properties of networks.

A series of polyethylene glycol (PEG) based thiol-ene elastomeric networks having a broad range of molecular weight between cross-links, M_c, (inverse of cross-link density) was prepared. The specific volume of the networks was studied as a function of temperature and pressure using high pressure dilatometry, and the obtained PVT data was fit using Simha-Somcynsky equation of state (S-S eos) analysis. Fractional free volume, quantified through S-S eos …

Hydrogen Bond Mediated Water Structuring, Diffusion, And Elastic Properties In Acrylamide Copolymer Glycohydrogels, April Levu Fogel

Dissertations

Glycohydrogels have recently gained considerable interest as biocompatible and high water content hydrogels that have similar physicochemical nature to the cell membrane, making them ideal materials for targeted biomedical and personal care applications (e.g., drug delivery systems, biosensors, and contact lenses). Regardless of the specific application, water-polymer and water-water hydrogen bonding interactions have been shown to dictate hydration stability and diffusional properties in traditional hydrogel architectures (e.g., crosslinked HEMA). However, due to the development of glycohydrogel materials within the past two decades, most literature focuses on synthetic techniques and general hydration characteristics. Furthermore, scant literature examines the effect of hydrophobically …

Structure-Property Relationships Of Solvent-Cast Organic Thin Films For Model Corrosion Control Coatings, Austin Maples

Dissertations

This dissertation aimed at answering several fundamental questions, specifically: 1) What is the effect of scribing parameters on visual corrosion assessments? 2) What role do molecular weight, residual solvent, and polymer composition have on morphological changes in organic thin films? 3) What alternatives to visual assessments could be implemented to better understand and detect corrosion before macroscopic failure? This research definitively proved that scribes can vary in type and dimensions, and yet are still comparable if the scribe dimensions before exposure are known. Furthermore, it demonstrated that solvents common to a variety of coating industries could become trapped within the …

Mentee And Mentor Teacher Perspectives On The Effectiveness Of School-Based Mentorship In High-Poverty, Low-Performing Schools., Amanda Leigh Santos-Colon, Carlisha Smith Kent

College of Education & Human Development Capstone Projects

This capstone intends to seek a teacher’s perspective on the effectiveness of school-based mentorship in a high-poverty, low-performing school setting. The first study investigates the perspectives of new teachers, while the second study focuses on the perspectives of the mentor teachers. When new teachers complete the undergraduate program, they become certified teachers but have never actually had the opportunity to be alone in a classroom with up to thirty students. New teachers are often prepared to teach the curriculum but unprepared for the student behavior and classroom management. Furthermore, teachers may be assigned a mentor, but the mentor may lack …

Rebel Research: Real Results, University Of Mississippi. Office Of Research And Sponsored Programs

Publications of the ORSP

Research at the University of Mississippi stretches across disciplines, offering insights into artifacts from thousands of years ago, building better Mississippi communities and uncovering new science that reaches the stars.

Uni Grad Student News, V17n2, December 2018, University Of Northern Iowa. Graduate College.

UNI Grad Student News

Inside this Issue:

--Graduate College Events
--Alumni Profile
--Student Profile
--Faculty Profile
--Conferences
--Spring Challenge
--Thesis and Dissertation Reviewer and Digital Publications Coordinator Announced
--Graduate Council Student Representatives
--Alumni Association Benefits
--Student Accolades

Connections 12/2018, College Of Health And Human Services

College of Health and Human Services Newsletter

• A Holiday Message from Dean Cisler
• PA students participated at fall conference
• Alumnus named Social Worker of the Year
• SIHP faculty present research at conference
• Make your nomination for 2018-19 faculty and staff awards
• HHS on Social Media
• In other news

Developing A Non-Cooperative Optimization Model For Water And Crop Area Allocation Based On Leader-Follower Game, Abbas Sedghamiz, Mohammad Reza Nikoo, Manouchehr Heidarpour, Mojtaba Sadegh

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this paper, a mathematical model for conflict resolution among a diverse set of agricultural water users in Golestan province, Iran, is developed. Given the bi-level nature of the distribution of power in the current problem, a combination of Leader–Follower game and Nash–Harsanyi bargaining solution method is employed to find optimal water and crop area allocations. The Golestan Regional Water Authority is the leader in this setting, controlling the total water allocations; and the agricultural sectors are the followers, competing over the allocated water. Two objectives for the leader are (i) maximizing profits, and (ii) maximizing share of green water …

Analysis Of An Inventory Model With Time-Dependent Deterioration And Ramp-Type Demand Rate: Complete And Partial Backlogging, Vandana _

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

The proposed model based on the global market strategies as for how the demand vary of the new seasonal products when they entered in the markets. The model has developed for the seasonal products or new consumer goods. The demand rate has considered Ramp-type based on the seasonal products having a time-dependent deterioration rate. The mathematical formulation of the proposed model is given. The present article consists two inventory model differ to each other as (a) in the first model stock-out situation is considered as completely backlogged; (b) in the second model partial backlogged stock-out situation is inserted. To obtain …

A New Normal For Streamflow In California In A Warming Climate: Wetter Wet Seasons And Drier Dry Seasons, Iman Mallakpour, Mojtaba Sadegh, Amir Aghakouchak

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this study, we investigate changes in future streamflows in California using bias-corrected and routed streamflows derived from global climate model (GCM) simulations under representative concentration pathways (RCPs): RCP4.5 and RCP8.5. Unlike previous studies that have focused mainly on the mean streamflow, annual maxima or seasonality, we focus on projected changes across the distribution of streamflow and the underlying causes. We report opposing trends in the two tails of the future streamflow simulations: lower low flows and higher high flows with no change in the overall mean of future flows relative to the historical baseline (statistically significant at 0.05 level). …

Optimization And Validation Of Efficient Models For Predicting Polythiophene Self-Assembly, Evan D. Miller, Matthew L. Jones, Michael M. Henry, Paul Chery, Kyle Miller, Eric Jankowski

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

We develop an optimized force-field for poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and demonstrate its utility for predicting thermodynamic self-assembly. In particular, we consider short oligomer chains, model electrostatics and solvent implicitly, and coarsely model solvent evaporation. We quantify the performance of our model to determine what the optimal system sizes are for exploring self-assembly at combinations of state variables. We perform molecular dynamics simulations to predict the self-assembly of P3HT at ~350 combinations of temperature and solvent quality. Our structural calculations predict that the highest degrees of order are obtained with good solvents just below the melting temperature. We find our model produces …

Diurnally Active Rodents For Laboratory Research, Roberto Refinetti, G. J. Kenagy

Psychological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Although inbred domesticated strains of rats and mice serve as traditional mammalian animal models in biomedical research, the nocturnal habits of these rodents make them inappropriate for research that requires a model with human-like diurnal activity rhythms. We conducted a literature review and recorded locomotor activity data from four rodent species that are generally considered to be diurnally active, the Mongolian gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus), the degu (Octodon degus), the African (Nile) grass rat (Arvicanthis niloticus), and the antelope ground squirrel (Ammospermophilus leucurus). Our data collected under 12L:12D light-dark cycles confirmed and expanded …

The Tale Of Captain Synagogue, Jake Turner

USU Student Folklore Fieldwork

Captain Synagogue was a wealthy fisherman who fished in the area of Cape Cod, and he owned several houses. Anyway...Captain Synagogue was known for being a high risk-high reward man, and, so, he would always go out fishing no matter the weather. Anyway, one day he met a storm that was to end his life… and while he was on this boat just watching the waves crash over him, as his ship started to sink [3 second pause] he realized this would be the end of him. He grabbed his necklace, and threw it as far towards the shore as …

Vermillion Bicycle Master Plan, Department Of Sustainability, University Of South Dakota

Sustainability & Environment Reports

We can travel substantial distances fast on bicycle, which makes almost no noise, uses no fossil fuels, and produces no emission. Vermillion have developed and maintained the foundation of a strong trail system, created a bicycle culture in which a substantial number of basic transportation trips are made by bike, established an initial system of shared bike routes, and initiated a highly successful pilot bike-share program. This Bicycle Master Plan Study is dedicated to encouraging its citizens to make healthy, low-impact, and intrinsically pleasant transportation a greater part of their daily routines. While we know that most trips will continue …

A Survey Of Virtual Network Architectures, Lenoy Avidan

Computer Science and Software Engineering

With the storage needs of the world increasing, especially with the growth of cloud computing, data centers are being utilized more than ever. The increasing need of storage has led to more use of virtualization to help intra and inter data center communications. The virtualization of physical networks is used to help achieve this goal, but with the creation of Virtual Networks, systems must be designed to create, manage, and secure them. A Virtual Network Architecture is the system design for creating and maintaining virtual network components and the resulting networks they create. Different companies design different Virtual Network Architectures, …

Blokus Game Solver, Chin Chao

Computer Engineering

Blokus (officially pronounced as “Block us”) is an abstract strategy board game with transparent Tetris-shaped, color pieces that players are trying to place onto the board. However, the players can only place a piece that touches at least one corner of their own pieces on the board. The ultimate goal of the game is to place as many pieces onto the board as a player can while blocking off the opponent’s ability to place more pieces onto the board. Each player has pieces with different shapes and sizes that can be placed onto the board, where each block within a …

Degradation Of 3-Nitro-1, 2, 4-Trizole-5-One (Nto) In Wastewater With Uv/H2o2 Oxidation, Amalia Terracciano, Christos Christodoulatos, Agamemnon Koutsospyros, Zhaoyu Zheng, Tsan-Liang Su, Benjamin Smolinski, Per Arienti, Xiaoguang Meng

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

Insensitive Munition (IM) formulations contain 3-nitro-1,2,4-trizole-5-one (NTO), an energetic compound with the highest aqueous solubility (16 g L⁻¹) among all IM explosives, including 2,4-dinitroanisole (DNAN) and 1-nitroguanidine (NQ); as a result wastewater streams from IM processing facilities can be highly contaminated and potentially toxic. The removal of energetic compounds from wastewater streams prior to their discharge in the environment is imperative, and new technology must be developed to efficiently treat high levels of NTO and other IM compounds in these streams. In this study, the treatment of NTO wastewater by a UV/H₂O₂ oxidation process under …

A New Computational Intelligence Approach To Predicting The Machined Surface Roughness In Metal Machining, Ning Fang, P. Srinivasa Pai

Engineering Education Faculty Publications

Machined surface roughness is an important parameter used in the evaluation of the surface integrity of machined parts and components. This paper proposes a new computational intelligence approach to predicting the machined surface roughness in metal machining. In this approach, wavelet packet transform (WPT) is incorporated into artificial neural networks (ANN) to develop two ANN models for predicting average roughness Ra and root-mean-square roughness Rq, respectively. Each model has eight inputs, including the cutting speed, the feed rate, energy of wavelet packets for three cutting force components, and energy of wavelet packets for three cutting vibration components. Forty-five machining experiments …

Privacy Localism, Ira S. Rubinstein

Washington Law Review

Privacy law scholarship often focuses on domain-specific federal privacy laws and state efforts to broaden them. This Article provides the first comprehensive analysis of privacy regulation at the local level (which it dubs “privacy localism”), using recently enacted privacy laws in Seattle and New York City as principal examples. Further, this Article attributes the rise of privacy localism to a combination of federal and state legislative failures and three emerging urban trends: the role of local police in federal counterterrorism efforts; smart city and open data initiatives; and demands for local police reform in the wake of widely reported abusive …

Alumni News | Park Holds Key Position In Department Of Energy, Ohio University College Of Arts & Sciences

All Forum Articles

No abstract provided.

No. 20: Cross-Platform Food Shopping And Household Food Access In Nanjing, China, Cameron Mccordic, Zhenzhong Si, Taiyang Zhong

Hungry Cities Partnership

Modern urban food systems have evolved into international, multi-scalar and complex networks. The historical evolution of the food system in Nanjing, China, exemplifies this complexity. Nanjing’s food system has undergone successive waves of modernization, bringing changes in consumer food sourcing behaviour along with it. Using household survey data, this investigation assesses the cross-platform food sourcing behaviour of households in Nanjing to untangle some of the complex relationships linking food retailers to consumers in the city. The findings indicate that the surveyed households largely prefer purchasing fresh food from wet markets over prepared food from fast food retailers, restaurants and online …

Analyzing Large Workers’ Compensation Claims Using Generalized Linear Models And Monte Carlo Simulation, Fatemeh Davoudi Kakhki, Steven A. Freeman, Gretchen A. Mosher

General Engineering

Insurance practitioners rely on statistical models to predict future claims in order to provide financial protection. Proper predictive statistical modeling is more challenging when analyzing claims with lower frequency, but high costs. The paper investigated the use of predictive generalized linear models (GLMs) to address this challenge. Workers’ compensation claims with costs equal to or more than US$100,000 were analyzed in agribusiness industries in the Midwest of the USA from 2008 to 2016. Predictive GLMs were built with gamma, Weibull, and lognormal distributions using the lasso penalization method. Monte Carlo simulation models were developed to check the performance of predictive …

Fingerprint Database Privacy Guard: An Open-Source System That Secures Fingerprints With Locality Sensitive Hashing Algorithms, Enrique Sanchez

Computer Science and Computer Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Fingerprint identification is one of the most accurate sources of identification, yet it is not widely used in public facilities for security concerns. Moreover, the cost of fingerprint system is inaccessible for small-budget business because of their high cost. Therefore, this study created an open-source solution to secure fingerprint samples in the database while using low-cost hardware components. Locality Sensitive Hashing Algorithms such as ORB and Image hash were compared in this study as a potential alternative to SURF. To test the design, fifteen samples were collected and stored in a database without verifying the quality of the samples. Then, …