Digital Commons Network^™

A New Failure Protection Algorithm For Circuit Breakers Using The Power Loss Of Switching Arc Incidents, Behnam Feizifar, Ömer Usta

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

The principal function of circuit breakers (CBs) is to isolate a portion of the power network from the rest of it in a timely manner following an opening command. Any failure in the opening operation of CBs, especially following a fault condition, will almost certainly result in a catastrophic event. Therefore, the issue of failure detection of CBs is essential and has a vital role in power system protection. This paper presents a novel power-based algorithm for failure detection of CBs. The power loss of CBs due to an arcing event increases as the arcing time gets longer. The arcing …

A Light-Weight Solution For Blackhole Attacks In Wireless Sensor Networks, Bi̇lal Erman Bi̇lgi̇n, Selçuk Baktir

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

Wireless sensors, which are smaller and cheaper, have started being used in many different applications. Military applications, health care and industrial monitoring, environmental applications, smart grids, and vehicular ad-hoc networks are some of the best known applications of wireless sensors. In some applications, especially military, environmental, and health care applications, it is required that the communication between sensor nodes be encrypted to achieve privacy and confidentiality. In this work, some modifications have been made to the ad-hoc on-demand distance vector routing protocol, mostly preferred in wireless sensor networks, to make data communications more reliable. The proposed routing protocol is shown …

State-Space Identification Of Switching Linear Discrete Time-Periodic Systems Withknown Scheduling Signals, İsmai̇l Uyanik, Hasan Hamzaçebi̇, Mustafa Mert Ankarali

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

In this paper, we propose a novel frequency domain state-space identification method for switching linear discrete time-periodic (LDTP) systems with known scheduling signals. The state-space identification problem of linear time-invariant (LTI) systems has been widely studied both in the time and frequency domains. Indeed, there have been several studies that also concentrated on state-space identification of both continuous and discrete linear time-periodic (LTP) systems. The focus in this study is the family of LDTP systems that switch among a finite set of subsystems triggered by known periodic scheduling signals. We address the state-space identification of such systems in frequency domain …

Towards Wearable Blood Pressure Measurement Systems From Biosignals: A Review, Ümi̇t Şentürk, Kemal Polat, İbrahi̇m Yücedağ

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

Blood pressure is the pressure by the blood to the vein wall. High blood pressure, which is called silent death, is the cause of nearly 13 % of mortality all over the world. Blood pressure is not only measured in the medical environment, but the blood pressure measurement is also a need for people in their daily life. Blood pressure estimation systems with low error rates have been developed besides the new technologies and algorithms. Blood pressure measurements are differentiated as invasive blood pressure (IBP) measurement and noninvasive blood pressure (NIBP) measurement methods. Although IBP measurement provides the most accurate …

Ad Hoc Diplomats, Ryan M. Scoville

Faculty Publications

Article II of the Constitution grants the president power to appoint “Ambassadors” and “other public Ministers” with the advice and consent of the Senate. By all accounts, this language requires Senate confirmation for the appointment of resident ambassadors and other diplomats of similar rank and tenure. Yet these are hardly the only agents of U.S. foreign relations. Ad hoc diplomats—individuals chosen exclusively by the president to complete limited and temporary assignments—play a comparably significant role in addressing international crises, negotiating treaties, and otherwise executing foreign policy.

This Article critically examines the appointments process for such irregular agents. An orthodox view …

Persons And The Point Of The Law, Richard W. Garnett

Journal Articles

This short essay is a comment and reflection on a manuscript by Professors John Breen and Lee
Strang, "A Light Unseen: A History of Catholic Legal Education in the United States." It is based on remarks presented at a February 14, 2020 conference, sponsored by the Journal of Catholic Legal Studies and the Center for Law and Religion at St. John's University School of Law. It
addresses, among other things, Breen and Strang's argument that a Catholic law school should have a distinctive "intellectual architecture" and proposes that a distinctive moral anthropology -- that is, an account of what the …

Beauty In Disability: An Aesthetics For Dance And For Life, Aili W. Bresnahan, Michael Deckard

Books and Book Chapters by University of Dayton Faculty

To what extent does dance contribute to an ideal of beauty that can enrich human quality of life? To what extent are standards of beauty predicated on an ideal human body that has no disability? In this chapter, we show how conceptions of proportionality, perfection, and ethereality from the Ancient Greeks through the 19th century can still be seen today in some kinds of dance, particularly in ballet. Disability studies and disability-inclusive dance companies, however, have started to change this. The disabled person can be beautiful, we will show, in dance and in life, under a disability aesthetics that follows …

Oxidative Depolymerization Of Lignin To Low Molecular Weight Aromatics, Yang Song

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

To date, most lignocellulosic biorefinery strategies have focused on optimizing conversion of cellulose to ethanol, leaving lignin as an underutilized biomass constituent. Lignin is engineered by nature with the intent to protect plants from chemical and biological attack; this leaves lignin with high structural irregularity and recalcitrance, rendering conversion of the lignin macromolecule to valuable products particularly challenging. Nevertheless, given that the economics of cellulosic ethanol production are strongly dependent on the value that can be obtained for the lignin co-product, the successful valorization of lignin is a crucial step in the transition towards a bio-based economy.

This thesis focuses …

Studies Of Oxidative Damage, Brain Proteome, And Neurochemical Metabolites In Cognitive And Neurodegenerative Disorders: (1) Chemotherapy-Induced Cognitive Impairment; (2) Parkinson Disease Rat Model, Xiaojia Ren

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

The rate of cancer patients is increasing as the development of science and technology. Twenty million cancer survivors are estimated living in the United States by 2025. However, many cancer survivors show cognitive dysfunction, negatively affecting the quality of life. These cognitive impairments are recognized as chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment (CICI), also called "chemo brain" by cancer survivors, including the diminished ability of memory and learning, hard to concentrate and focus, as well as diminution of executive function and processing speed. The etiologies and pathologies of CICI are complicated, especially in most cases the anti-cancer drug cannot cross the blood-brain barrier …

Investigation Of Amyloid Β Oligomer Dissociation Mechanisms By Single Molecule Fluorescence Techniques, Hope Cook Abdalla

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is currently considered the most prevalent neurodegenerative disease and places a large financial burden on society as healthcare resources are limited and the disease does not have a cure. Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by the presence of amyloid beta (Aβ) plaques and neurofibrillary tangles; however current literature suggests Aβ oligomers are the main aggregating species leading to AD symptoms. Therefore, the underlying cause of Alzheimer’s, accumulation of amyloid beta, is currently being studied in hopes of developing treatment options. Our research aims at determining the mechanism and kinetics of Aβ oligomer dissociation into non-toxic monomers in the …

John’S Gospel And The Ethics Of Freedom And Love, Alexandre A. Martins

Theology Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Development Of Chromatography And Mass Spectrometry Methods For Enzyme Kinetics And Inhibition In Glycolysis And The Methylerythritol Phosphate (Mep) Pathways, Allison Fabino Carr

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on method development for enzymatic activity and inhibition assays for use in screening potential antibacterial compounds. Infection by antibiotic-resistant pathogens in on the rise globally and several enzymes, including the those in the methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) pathway and fructose bisphosphate aldolase, as strong targets for novel pharmaceuticals because they are not present in humans. Several assays exist for the MEP pathway and aldolase, but there is always work to be done to improve sensitivity, increase throughput, and lower cost. This dissertation describes the development of several methods – hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC), liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), and …

Conservation Agriculture In The Heartland: Farmer Perceptions Of Soil Health And The Adoption Of Cover Crops, Lillian Clarissa Cobo

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The benefits of cover crops are widely recognized by those interested in conservation agriculture and soil health. These benefits include soil erosion control, nutrient loss reduction, and overall improvement of soil health. However, while these benefits are well-documented, the adoption rate of cover crops in the American Heartland remains astoundingly low. While some studies have attempted to determine the reasons for this low adoption rate, the information relating to how farmer perceptions of soil health impact cover crop adoption is almost nonexistent. Furthermore, there is a clear absence of mixed method studies in the literature relating to this subject. This …

"Bachelor Buttons": Feminist And Womanist Essays And Poems, Billy E. Clem Jr.

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

In this critical and creative dissertation, I sketch a brief study of selected multicultural hybrid texts in contemporary US Anglophone literary studies; discuss their implications for reading, writing, and teaching; and present my own hybrid text.

Second-wave feminist and womanist theories and practices opened literary and cultural studies to new and exciting ideas and methods for reading, teaching, and writing both canonical and non-canonical Anglophone texts. One genre emerging anew by these theories, practices, and practitioners is the literary hybrid text, a multi-genre form composed of a variety of prose genres, poetry, drama, and/or visual imagery. Hybrid texts ask readers …

The Role Of Rmta In The Opportunistic Pathaogen Aspergillus Fumigatus, Roshan Dahal

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The fungus Aspergillus fumigatus is an opportunistic human pathogen capable of causing

a life-threatening systemic lung infection known as invasive aspergillosis among immune compromised

patients. This group includes individuals infected with HIV, people with hematological

malignancies, solid organ transplant patients, persons with genetic immunodeficiency and cancer

patient undergoing chemotherapy. Due to the medical relevance of this organism, it is imperative

to discover novel genetic elements to design antifungal drugs against A. fumigatus dissemination,

virulence and survival during human infection. Previously, the putative arginine methyltransferase

gene rmtA was characterized in the model organism Aspergillus nidulans and the opportunistic

plant pathogen Aspergillus …

Textile Dyes As A Source Of Groundwater Contamination In Mandalay, Myanmar, Surya Freeman

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Textile dyeing and weaving of traditional longyi garments has traditionally occurred in the Amarapura Township of Mandalay, Myanmar, since 1822, transitioning from natural to chemical dyes in the early 1900’s. With no current wastewater treatment facilities in Mandalay, dye effluents mix with other wastewaters in unlined canals dug near peoples’ homes and discharge into local canals and groundwater. As locals rely heavily on dug and tube wells for drinking, bathing, and cooking, this industry poses a major health hazard to the people in this region. The objective of this study is to identify the previously unknown composition of the textile …

Exploring The Use Of Podcasts On Students’ Language Learning And Change Of Students’ Self-Efficacy About The Use Of Podcasts, Silvia Rehulina Ginting

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Similar to other types of mobile technologies, podcasts are believed to provide many advantages for language instruction, including English as a second language (ESL) learners’ listening skills and pronunciation and changes in their self-efficacy from using the podcasts for learning ESL. The convergent parallel mixed methods design used Mayer’s cognitive theory of multimedia learning and Bandura’s self-efficacy as foundations. It used 11 different instruments to collect quantitative data and qualitative data from two sections of an upper-intermediate ESL class at one university in Midwest United States. Quantitative data were collected using a pre-test, a post-test, and the note taking quizzes …

Effects Of Habitat Disturbance On The Teeth Of Propithecus Diadema In The Forests Of Tsinjoarivo, Madagascar: Implications For Species Viability And Conservation, Katie Susann Heffernan

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The accelerated transformation of Madagascar’s ecosystems is a direct result of habitat destruction which has devastating consequences for the viability of the island’s animals. This dissertation focuses on the critically endangered diademed sifaka, Propithecus diadema, living in the rainforests of Tsinjoarivo, Madagascar. Tsinjoarivo has been heavily impacted by slash and burn agriculture and transformed into isolated forest fragments. Previous research by Irwin and colleagues has demonstrated that the diet and group dynamics of Propithecus diadema differ between continuous and degraded forests, but whether fragmented landscapes provide tougher foods and lead to behavioral changes through increased tooth wear has not been …

Temporal Dynamics Of Human Emotional Response To Aversive Stimuli, Joseph Lawence Kempel

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Emotions are an integral part of human expression and are often communicated nonverbally through behavioral actions. With advancements in electroencephalography (EEG) technology it is now possible to measure the dynamics of emotion generation in an individual on the basis of patterns in their brain activity. This thesis aims to model the temporal dynamics of human emotion generation upon exposure to aversive stimuli and measure the effect of external distractions as a viable emotion regulation strategy.

This research builds on previous work in the literature that has shown that the ability of humans to regulate their emotions intrinsically (based on their …

New Synthetic Methods Using Superelectrophiles, Sean Kennedy

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The work outlined in this dissertation describes new synthetic methods in the synthesis of heterocyclic compounds mediated by superacid catalysis. Superacids are powerful reagents that enhance the reactivity of electrophiles, thereby opening the door to new reactive pathways with very weak nucleophiles. In this work, trifluoromethanesulfonic acid (triflic acid, CF3SO3H) is employed as a superacid catalyst to effect new transformations. These concepts are summarized in chapter 1. Chapter 2 describes a new acid-catalyzed cascade leading to the indolizidine ring system, which is present in a number of natural products. Experiments support a proposed mechanism involving vinylogous keto-enol tautomerization. The synthesis …

The Development Of Scientific Reasoning: Children’S Evaluation Of Experiments And Evidence, Taneisha Vilma

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This investigation examines scientific reasoning among elementary school students by assessing experiment and evidence evaluation. Previous studies have not fully distinguished these two abilities. The present study directly compared experiment and evidence evaluation within the same task and also examined the recognition of confounded variables.

Using a modified version of a science reasoning procedure, students in first-, third-, and fifth-grade (N = 54) were presented with two sets of problems: (a) 1-Variable problems examined recognition of the difference between conclusive and inconclusive tests, and (b) 2-Variable problems further assessed recognition that confounded variables make an experiment inconclusive. For the 1-Variable …

Water Quality And Small Unmanned Aerial System Photogrammetry Of Boeng Cheung Ek Wastewater Treatment Wetland, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Samuel Vesal Mallow

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Boeng Cheung Ek wetland is a large, peri-urban, free water surface, natural wastewater treatment wetland that services approximately 90% of combined storm water and untreated sewage from the city of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, population over 1.5 million. Due to monsoon rainfall and connectivity to the Mekong River, the wetted area cycles between 13 km2 and 20 km2 annually. The objective of this study is to characterize the spatiotemporal variability of contaminants in wetland surface water and groundwater. Dissolved ions including ammonium, nitrate-N (as NO3), phosphate, and chloride, along with E. coli, trace metals, δH, δ18O, and physicochemical parameters were determined …

An Experimental Examination Of Intolerance Of Uncertainty In Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Hannah Faleer Martyn

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Anxiety is considered a fear response to threat, driven by the absence of certainty and elevated perceptions of the cost of harm. It has been suggested that exaggerated responding to uncertainty underlies all anxiety disorders. Although no longer classified under the anxiety disorders section of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM), anxiety still is considered a primary component of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). OCD is a chronic, debilitating condition that affects multiple domains of functioning. The current gold standard of treatment for OCD is exposure and response prevention (ERP), a form of cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy. However, ERP is not effective for all …

Investigating The Effects Of Methylphenidate On Cue Salience And Behavioral Flexibility: Role Of D2 Receptors, Mercedes Mcwaters

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Healthy individuals worldwide are using cognitive enhancing drugs in an attempt to remain competitive in society for education, careers, and athletics. Commonly, these individuals are using prescription stimulants, such as methylphenidate (MPH), due to their known acute neuroenhancing effects. While these neuroenhancing effects have been established using a variety of learning, memory, and attention tasks in humans and rodents, little research has investigated the effects of MPH use on specific components of these tasks, such as cue salience. One process that is important for learning the relationship between a cue and a reward is salience, or the heightened perception and …

The Role Of Sensory And Affective Systems In The Semantic Processing Of Abstract Concepts, Jane Elizabeth Neal

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The role of modal, or embodied, systems in the semantic representation of abstract concepts, which are by nature not experienced by the senses, remains unclear. The experiments presented in this dissertation investigated the extent to which the activation of visual or affective systems may be modulated by context. Experiment 1 examined whether a verbal or visual memory load interfered with the semantic processing of abstract concepts paired with either a low or highly imageable adjective, and whether processing was similarly affected for concrete concepts. While the cognitive loads were effectively maintained, neither load type affected processing times for either concept …

The Hero Never Leaves The Tavern: Complicating Narrative In Dungeons & Dragons, Christopher Nelson

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This thesis aims to explore how Dungeons & Dragons complicates storytelling elements such as the role of narrator and audience and the structure of the hero’s journey. Using the Game Trailers Archive’s Tabletop Adventures series as a case study, I analyze over 50 hours of gameplay along with studying Dungeons & Dragons’s history and what influenced its creation and narrative style. This study is meant as an examination of the role of audience and narrator in Dungeons & Dragons and the game’s narrative elements using the lenses of Wayne Booth’s theories on the narrator as stated in his book The …

Ground Beetle Community Structure And Function In Restored Tallgrass Prairie, Melissa Nelson

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

With the removal and destruction of natural areas for human use, there is a push to restore natural habitats. However, most restoration activities focus on reestablishing plant communities, while less is known about the recovery of organisms in higher trophic levels and their functional roles. Considering functional traits (those that explain an organisms’ response to environmental change and impacts on ecosystems) of restored communities may reveal how communities, and the ecosystem functions they drive, recover. Of particular interest are ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) because of their diversity and important ecological roles as consumers. This study focused on the ground beetle …

International Institutions And Inertia: Unsc Behavior On Myanmar’S Internal Ethnic Conflicts, Matthew Peerboom

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Since the resurgence of Rakhine State's conflict in 2017, and the resulting 750,000 refugees, Myanmar has received increased scrutiny by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). However, some of Myanmar's ethnic conflicts have been continuous since independence in 1948, and thus begs the question: what explains the difference in attention? Three analytical lenses will be utilized to examine UNSC behavior: Bureaucratic Institutionalism, Geopolitics, and the null hypothesis of sheer Magnitude. In the end, it appears Institutionalism has come out as the strongest driver of Council action escalation on Myanmar. For Kayin’s low action period, it met two of the conditions …

Exceptionalism And Transatlanticism In Early American Literature (1760-1860) And Classic Hollywood Cinema (1930-1960), John M. Price

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation explores the seemingly contradictory characteristics of two distinct art forms in two distinct eras. When exploring the period 1760 to 1860, scholars of transatlanticism argue that the literature of Great Britain and the young United States are of one unified cultural identity, and yet this period is also one in which American writers sought to establish a unique national voice. To understand this dichotomy, this dissertation examines the parallels between Early American Literature, or EAL, and classic Hollywood cinema (1930-1960). This exercise in intertextuality demonstrates how both mediums in both periods absorbed influences from other countries and other …

Seabird Threats On Land And At Sea: Measuring Nearshore Response To Invasive Predator Eradications And Storm Petrel Diet Response To Fishing Expansion, Lyndsay L. Rankin

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Seabirds are crucial components of many marine and island ecosystems, and yet they are the world’s most threatened group of birds. They spend most of their lives at sea, where they face numerous threats including climate change, pollution, and fisheries. When they return to land to breed, they are threatened by human disturbance and invasive species. This research examines seabird response to threats on land and at sea using stable isotope analysis. Seabirds provide multiple ecosystem services, such as depositing rich marine-derived nutrients into the islands where they nest. Invasive predators disrupt this bottom-up control by decimating seabird populations. Successful …