Digital Commons Network^™

Cement Heat Of Hydration And Thermal Control, Ahmadreza Sedaghat

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Heat of hydration is a property of Portland cement and a direct result of the chemical reaction between cement and water. The amount of heat released is dependent upon the cement mineralogical composition, curing temperature, water to cement ratio, and cement fineness. High temperature resulting from heat of hydration (thereon referred to as HOH) of cement can affect the hydration process, and consequently the kinetics of development of the mechanical properties of concrete. One of the main reasons triggering the interest in HOH of cement is its implication in thermal cracking of concrete. The high temperature gradient between the inner …

Characterization Of Random Laser Speckle, Chad Aaron Cannon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

The ability to measure the modulation transfer function (MTF) of optical systems and components was a crucial advancement in optical engineering community. This measurement has been attainable in multiple regions of the electromagnetic (EM) spectrum, including visible, infrared, ultraviolet, and more. Visible to midwave infrared (MWIR) wavelengths are a primary focus of this research, with the anticipation of expansion into longwave infrared (LWIR). MTF estimations of optical systems are proven achievable through several different techniques. Dr. Glenn Boreman developed a process for calculating the MTF of a given optical system through the use of random laser speckle. Although, it was …

Crack Initiation And Propagation Paths In Small Diameter Fsw 6082-T6 Aluminium Tubes Under Fatigue Loading, R Tovo, L Susmel, Mn James, Dg Hattingh, E Maggiolini

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

This paper reports results of fatigue tests of friction stir welded (FSW) aluminium tubes. Relatively small 38 mm diameter tubes were used and hence an automated FSW process using a retracting tool was designed for this project, as the wall thickness of the aluminium tube was similar to the diameter of the FSW tool. This is a more complex joint geometry to weld than the more usual larger diameter tube reported in the literature. S-N fatigue testing was performed using load ratios of R = 0.1 and R = -1. Crack path analysis was performed using both low magnification stereo …

Search For Dark Matter And Unparticles Produced In Association With A Z Boson In Proton-Proton Collisions At Square Root Of S = 8 Tev, V. Khachatryan, A. M. Sirunyan, Marc M. Baarmand, Vallary Bhopatkar, Stefano Colafranceschi, Marcus Hohlmann, H Kalakhety, Daniel Noonan, Tuhin S. Roy, Francisco X. Yumiceva

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

A search for evidence of particle dark matter (DM) and unparticle production at the LHC has been performed using events containing two charged leptons, consistent with the decay of a Z boson, and large missing transverse momentum. This study is based on data collected with the CMS detector corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.7 fb-1 of pp collisions at the LHC at a center-of-mass energy of 8 TeV. No significant excess of events is observed above the number expected from the standard model contributions. The results are interpreted in terms of 90% confidence level limits on the DM-nucleon scattering …

The Assessment Of Scientific Reasoning Skills Of High School Science Students: A Standardized Assessment Instrument, Shane Hanson

Theses and Dissertations

The main goal of science education has been achieving scientific literacy. However, this has been no easy task considering that scientific literacy has many definitions that involve a plethora of activities. This means that assessing the topic becomes quite challenging, especially if this is done with some sort of overarching instrument. Fortunately, Shamos (1995) has characterized the many dimensions of scientific literacy into three levels. These dimensions can then be assessed individually, making the task of assessment less overwhelming. The highest level, true scientific literacy contains dimensions that are discussed in this study, which already have individual assessments. Wenning's Nature …

The Health Impact Fund Proposal: Application In The United States' Era Of Comparative Effectiveness, Katherine Jeanne Racz

Journal of Intellectual Property Law

No abstract provided.

The Ticker, March 21, 2016

The Ticker

The Ticker is the student newspaper of Baruch College. It has been published continuously since 1932, when the Baruch College campus was the School of Business and Civic Administration of the City College of New York.

Fiber-Optic Sensor Assembly, Corneliu Rablau

Physics Patents

A fiber-optic force and displacement sensor includes a mirror comprising a plurality of sectors extending from a center point to a peripheral edge. Each of the sectors has a high reflectance corresponding to only one of a plurality of single wavelength light beams having different wavelengths transmitted from a laser light source. A method of measuring force and displacement includes measuring the radiant flux between each of a plurality of reflected single wavelength light beams that change as the area of the sectors are displaced towards and away from a center of projection of a combination light beam that comprises …

Cseas Weekly Bulletin (March 21, 2016), Center For Southeast Asian Studies

CSEAS Bulletin

No abstract provided.

Grand Valley Forum, Volume 040, Number 26, March 21, 2016, Grand Valley State University

2015-2016, Volume 40

Grand Valley Forum is Grand Valley State's faculty and staff newsletter, published from 1976 to the present.

Detecting And Tracking Attacks In Mobile Edge Computing Platforms, Abderrahmen Mtibaa, Khaled A. Harras, Hussein Alnuweiri

Computer Science Faculty Works

Device-to-device (d2d) communication has emerged as a solution that promises high bit rates, low delay and low energy consumption which represents the key for novel technologies such as Google Glass, S Beam, and LTE-Direct. Such d2d communication has enabled computational offloading among collaborative mobile devices for a multitude of purposes such as reducing the overall energy, ensuring resource balancing across device, reducing the execution time, or simply executing applications whose computing requirements transcend what can be accomplished on a single device. While this novel computation platform has offered convenience and multiple other advantages, it obviously enables new security challenges and …

Two Macalester Seniors Receive Watson Fellowships, Macalester College

College Press Releases

No abstract provided.

Curriculum Minutes 03/21/2016, Curriculum Committee

Curriculum Committee Minutes

In these minutes: Curriculum Changes in the Humanities, the Social Sciences, and Interdisciplinary Studies; and a Preliminary Discussion of a Major/Minor in Medieval Studies

Improving Student Learning Outcomes By Utilizing An End-Of-Life Nursing Simulation Scenario, Carol B. Murch

Biennial Convention (CONV)

Session presented on Saturday, November 7, 2015 and Sunday, November 8, 2015:

Purpose of Capstone Project: To determine whether participation in a newly developed End of Life Nursing Simulation Scenario significantly improves student learning outcomes for providing palliative nursing care.

Clinical Question: In students who are completing an Associate Degree Nursing Program, how does providing education through an End of Life Nursing Simulation Scenario compared to two clock hours of theory education increase knowledge and competency in providing care to patients who are dying?

Significance to Nursing Profession: A nursing student must gain the knowledge and competency level that is …

Too Little Stem Workforce In The United States: Framing The Discourse In A Global Setting, Patrice-Andre P. Prud'homme

Theses and Dissertations

Policymakers and industry leaders are claiming that the U.S. has an insufficient number of STEM graduates. As the rhetoric of a shortage of skilled scholars and employees in STEM-related fields expands, there is a plethora of publications that refers to a phenomenon dating back to the 1950s. Nonetheless, this new paradigm presents a critical challenge to policies and programs that surround STEM education in countries around the world. While STEM, including the underlying human capital component is a major factor of economic growth in the United States, it is also in Australia and Germany. The policy analysis study is presented …

Is Bad Stronger Than Good? The Impact Of Police-Citizen Encounters On Public Satisfaction With The Police, Yudu Li, Ling Ren, Fei Luo

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Purpose

Drawing upon the negativity bias theory, the purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of positive and negative perceptions of police-initiated or citizen-initiated contacts on three distinctive dimensions of public satisfaction with police (PSWP).

Design/methodology/approach

The data were obtained from a random-sample telephone survey of 1,143 residents in Houston in 2012. The OLS regressions were conducted with variables derived from the contact model and neighborhood context model that were often employed in the PSWP research. Particularly, five dichotomous variables were created to tap into the nature and quality of the police-citizen encounters.

Findings

The results confirm the …

Reasons For The Low Uptake Of Adult Male Circumcision For The Prevention Of Hiv Transmission In Swaziland, Charles Maibvise, Thandisizwe Redford Mavundla

Biennial Convention (CONV)

Session presented on Saturday, November 7, 2015 and Sunday, November 8, 2015:

Background and Introduction: Male circumcision (MC), the surgical removal of all or part of the foreskin of the penis in a male, has recently been proven to reduce heterosexual female-to-male transmission of HIV by about 60% (Auvert, Taljaard, Lagarde, Sobngwi-Tambekou, Sitta & Puren 2005). Against this background, efforts are being made to scale up MC uptake in thirteen priority East and Southern African countries that are worst affected by HIV and AIDS, one of which is Swaziland. Swaziland is reported to have the highest prevalence of HIV worldwide, …

Comparing Grade Point Averages And Standardized Test Scores As Predictors Of Successful Completion Of Undergraduate Baccalaureate Programs, Peggy (Margaret) Hernandez

Biennial Convention (CONV)

Session presented on Sunday, November 8, 2015: Intro: Aging population demographics contribute greatly to an unprecedented nursing shortage as many aging RNs are predicted to retire when the demand is highest (Buerhaus, Staiger, & Auerbach, 2000). Replacing those RNs will be very difficult because more than half of current nursing faculty will retire by 2021 (Aiken, 2011). Currently, nursing faculty members serving on admission committees struggle with deciding "how to" identify the best applicants who are most likely to graduate and achieve licensure-on time. This presentation will focus on sharing the quantitative data from one school collected over several years …

A Continuous Formulation For Logical Decisions In Differential Algebraic Systems Using Mathematical Programs Of Complementarity Constraints, Kody Powell, Ammon N. Eaton, John Hedengren, Thomas F. Edgar

Faculty Publications

This work presents a methodology to represent logical decisions in differential algebraic equation simulation and constrained optimization problems using a set of continuous algebraic equations. The formulations may be used when state variables trigger a change in process dynamics, and introduces a pseudo-binary decision variable, which is continuous, but should only have valid solutions at values of either zero or one within a finite time horizon. This formulation enables dynamic optimization problems with logical disjunctions to be solved by simultaneous solution methods without using methods such as mixed integer programming. Several case studies are given to illustrate the value of …

Philosophical Introduction To Set Theory (Book Review), Calvin Jongsma

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

Reviewed Title: Philosophical Introduction to Set Theory by Stephen Pollard. Dover Publications, 2015, 180 pp. ISBN: 9780486797144.

Modeling The Construction And Evolution Of Distributed Volcanic Fields On Earth And Mars, Jacob Armstrong Richardson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Magmatism is a dominant process on Earth and Mars that has significantly modified and evolved the lithospheres of each planet by delivering magma to shallow depths and to the surface. Two common modes of volcanism are present on both Earth and Mars: central-vent dominated volcanism that creates large edifices from concentrating magma in chambers before eruptions and distributed volcanism that creates many smaller edifices on the surface through the independent ascent of individual magmatic dikes. In regions of distributed volcanism, clusters of volcanoes develop over thousands to millions of years. This dissertation explores the geology of distributed volcanism on Earth …

Empirical Outcomes: An Autograph For Our Nursing Care, Pamela Petto, Tangee Pruitt, Renee Roberts-Turner

Biennial Convention (CONV)

Background: Changes in the current healthcare environment necessitate an awareness to and transparency of safe and quality patient outcomes. In nursing, empirical outcomes are becoming increasingly important and are an expectation by several accrediting bodies. Some say the bar is lifted for nursing care; others say there is a stronger emphasis on patient outcomes as a measurement of our care. Both of these statements are true; and with this change, measurement of empirical outcomes provides greater evidence of nursing care within the healthcare system and across all providers. Empirical outcomes and the improvements nurses are able to make through best …

Consistency Analysis For Judgment Quantification In Hierarchical Decision Model, Mustafa Sulaiman Abbas

Dissertations and Theses

The objective of this research is to establish consistency thresholds linked to alpha (α) levels for HDM’s (Hierarchical Decision Model) judgment quantification method. Measuring consistency in order to control it is a crucial and inseparable part of any AHP/HDM experiment. The researchers on the subject recommend establishing thresholds that are statistically based on hypothesis testing, and are linked to the number of decision variables and (α) level. Such thresholds provide the means with which to evaluate the soundness and validity of an AHP/HDM decision. The linkage of thresholds to (α) levels allows the decision makers to set an appropriate inconsistency …

Finding The Missing Links: A Comparison Of Social Network Analysis Methods, Shawn James Mehess

Dissertations and Theses

Too many students leave school without even the essential skills (ACT, 2011), and many others are so drained by the experience they lack a desire to continue on to a post-secondary education. Academic engagement has emerged as a construct representing students’ personal investment in school (Greenwood, Delquadri, & Hall, 1984), and may be a psychological variable which can be intervened on. However, interventions must occur as quickly as possible to maximize their efficiency (Heckman, 2007). Students’ peer groups may be a particularly potent venue of intervention, however several options exist for how to go about measuring their social networks.

In …

The Biomolecule Sequencer Project: Nanopore Sequencing As A Dual-Use Technology For Crew Health And Astrobiology Investigations, K. K. John, D. S. Botkin, A. S. Burton, S. L. Castro-Wallace, J. D. Chaput, J. P. Dworkin, Niles Lehman, M. L. Lupisella, C. E. Mason, D. J. Smith, S. Stahl, C. Switzer

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Human missions to Mars will fundamentally transform how the planet is explored, enabling new scientific discoveries through more sophisticated sample acquisition and processing than can currently be implemented in robotic exploration. The presence of humans also poses new challenges, including ensuring astronaut safety and health and monitoring contamination. Because the capability to transfer materials to Earth will be extremely limited, there is a strong need for in situ diagnostic capabilities. Nucleotide sequencing is a particularly powerful tool because it can be used to: (1) mitigate microbial risks to crew by allowing identification of microbes in water, in air, and on …

Clinical Supervision: Predicting Best Outcomes, Edward White

Biennial Convention (CONV)

Session presented on Monday, November 9, 2015:

Clinical Supervision [CS] has an increasingly established role in the working practices of human service agencies and, in particular, has been widely introduced into public and private health systems across the world. It has shown increasing international promise as a positive contribution to health governance agendas. The continuous measurement of CS efficacy, therefore, has become one of the most important contemporary challenges. The Manchester Clinical Supervision Scale [MCSS] has been adopted as the leading outcome measure of the effectiveness of CS in ~115 licenced Clinical Supervision evaluation studies, in 13 countries, and has …

Nurse Attitudes Toward Patient Advocacy In The Long-Term Acute Care Hospital Setting, Carole D. Liske

Biennial Convention (CONV)

Session presented on Sunday, November 8, 2015:

Advocacy is the essence of nursing's professional commitment to preserving human rights, protecting patients from harm, and providing quality care. In this dynamic healthcare environment with increased patient complexity and clinical acuity, sub-acute transitional care settings flourished. Given the vulnerability of patients in transitional settings such as long-term acute care (LTAC), the essential role of nurses as patient advocates emerged as a cornerstone of nursing practice. Despite the universally recognized importance of nursing advocacy in maximizing patient safety and delivery of quality care, no consensus existed about the concepts comprising nursing advocacy actions. …

An Analysis Of Nursing Preparation To Meet The Demands Of The Largest U.S. Patient Population, Kim K. Kuebler

Biennial Convention (CONV)

Session presented on Sunday, November 8, 2015:

Americans aged 65 and older compared to people aged 20-64 is expected to rise by 80% over the next decade. The oldest of the 80 million baby boomers reached age 65 in 2011 and, more than a quarter of all Americans - or three out of four - are estimated to have at least two or more chronic conditions or behavioral health problems. Currently 75% of the American population is living with and dying from symptomatic chronic conditions contributing to the costliest health care in the US. The Affordable Care Act has provided …

Integrative Strategies To Help Students Lower Their Anxiety, G. Jean Klein

Biennial Convention (CONV)

Session presented on Sunday, November 8, 2015:

When students enter the junior year of this program, they begin their clinical experiences. At this time, faculty requests they begin to "draw on previous course & put it all together". Many students have difficulty making the transition from theory laden course to "real nursing courses". This transition to junior level nursing courses in conjunction with high stake testing often results in high levels of anxiety in the students. This anxiety is palpable in the nursing building & increases prior to testing times. Although the students are aware of their anxiety, sometimes it …

The Use Of Microfluidics And Dielectrophoresis For Separation, Concentration, And Identification Of Bacteria, Cynthia Hanson, Michael Sieverts, Karen Tew, Annelise Dykes, Michaela Salisbury, Elizabeth Vargis

Biological Engineering Faculty Publications

Traditional bacterial identification methods take one to two days to complete, relying on large bacteria colonies for visual identification. In order to decrease this analysis time in a cost-effective manner, a method to sort and concentrate bacteria based on the bacteria's characteristics itself is needed. One example of such a method is dielectrophoresis, which has been used by researchers to separate bacteria from sample debris and sort bacteria according to species. This work presents variations in which dielectrophoresis can be performed and their associated drawbacks and benefits specifically to bacterial identification. In addition, a potential microfluidic design will be discussed.