Digital Commons Network^™

Remanufacturing Cleaning Process Evaluation, Comparison And Planning, Ozan Yagar

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This thesis aims to combine previous research on remanufacturing cleaning processes and applications into a single decision-making tool, in the form of software, which a remanufacturer can use to find a cleaning system that matches their specific demands. This thesis will provide an in-depth review of each cleaning process, the chemicals used in those processes, and the contamination types for which they were developed. This research also provides evaluation and comparison that assists remanufacturers in designing their cleaning systems. Finally, there will be a description and demonstration of the software. The ultimate goal is to find correct cleaning process to …

A Case Study For Financial Feasibility Of Automated Costing Support In A Small Machine Shop, Benito A. Gonzalez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

A knowledge-based cost estimating expert system is chosen by a Mexican machine shop. Differences between the traditional experience-based system employed and the automated system are studied. Data is gathered to analyze time effectiveness, accuracy and payback of the software. Data from seventy part models is recorded to study the time experiment, and data from fifty part models is used to study the accuracy and consistency. Data is analyzed by calculating mean, standard deviation, and test of hypothesis. The results indicate that the software is faster than the traditional quoting system; however, the payback point is high. Also, results show the …

Convolution Backprojection For Sar Image Formation, Timothy P. Ray

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Convolution Back Projection (CBP) is an imaging algorithm, which can be applied to data gathered by a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) system to produce high resolution images. The Mathematics of CBP was first studied in the context of tomographic image reconstruction for medical applications. CBP image processing has also been applied to a variety of other fields, such as seismic imaging, sonar, and radio astronomy. In terms of SAR image processing algorithms, CBP is far less efficient than direct Fourier Inversion Algorithms. The purpose of this thesis is to study the CBP algorithm as it is applied to SAR image …

Is Capital Structure Relevant? An Empirical Examination Of Capital Structure Choices, William R. Pratt

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Modigliani and Miller propose a scenario in which capital structure becomes irrelevant. To achieve the condition of capital structure irrelevance, Modigliani and Miller have to assume market frictions such as taxes, information asymmetry, and other factors do not exist. With the acknowledgement of such forces, capital structure irrelevance does not hold and we are left with the question “why do firms finance the way that they do?” Within this dissertation I address this very question. Chapters one and two provide an introduction and review of the extant literature. Chapter three examines data over a period of 1970 to 2010, with …

“That Pregnancy Can Bring Noise Into The Family”: Exploring Intimate Partner Sexual Violence During Pregnancy In The Context Of Hiv In Zimbabwe, Simukai Shamu, Naeemah Abrahams, Marleen Temmerman, Tamara Shefer, Christina Zarowsky

Obstetrics and Gynaecology, East Africa

Background: Globally, studies report a high prevalence of intimate partner sexual violence (IPSV) and an association with HIV infection. Despite the criminalisation of IPSV and deliberate sexual HIV infection in Zimbabwe, IPSV remains common. This study explored women’s and health workers’ perspectives and experiences of sexuality and sexual violence in pregnancy, including in relation to HIV testing.

Methods: This qualitative study was part of a larger study of the dynamics of intimate partner violence and HIV in pregnancy in Zimbabwe. Key informant interviews were conducted with health workers and focus group discussions were held with 64 pregnant or nursing mothers …

Bethune Round Table 2012: 12th Annual Conference: Filling The Gap, A. A. Nasir, F. Niyonkuru, T. E. Nottidge, A. Olufemi Adeleye, S. Ali, E. A. Ameh, A. Bekele, I. Bonet, M. Derbew, S. O. Ekenze

Obstetrics and Gynaecology, East Africa

Background: Our aim was to highlight the impact of collaboration between 2 linked tertiary hospitals in Nigeria and India.

Methods: We conducted a review of a collaboration between the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre (AIMS), Kochi, India, and the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), Ilorin, Nigeria, to exchange personnel for the purpose of further training from August 2007 and December 2011.

Results: One neurosurgeon, 2 pediatric surgeons and 1 orthopedic surgeon had additional exposure at AIMS for periods of 3 months to 1 year. Four neurosurgery and 3 pediatric surgery perioperative nurses have also been trained …

2012 August, Office Of Communications & Marketing, Morehead State University.

Morehead State Press Release Archive, 1961 to the Present

Press releases for August of 2012.

The Geographical Dimension Of The Development Effects Of Natural Resources, Abdur Chowdhury, Fabrizio Carmignani

Economics Faculty Research and Publications

We study the contribution of natural resource intensity to long-term development along different dimensions: per-capita income, institutional quality, and education. We allow natural resources to affect these dimensions differently in different regions of the world. The evidence suggests that natural resources are generally a positive driver of development, but in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) their contribution is almost negligible, if not even negative. We explain these cross-regional differences with the fact that in SSA more than anywhere else large resource endowments are combined with a particularly bad disease environment. Some historical evidence and formal econometric results support this hypothesis.

Effects Of Oxygen Deprivation On Pilot Performance And Cognitive Processing Skills: A Pilot Study, David Francis Shideler

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations, pilots flying above 14,000 ft. are required to use supplemental oxygen. The purpose of this study was to examine how oxygen deprivation below 14,000 ft. affects pilot performance using the Frasca Mentor Advanced Aviation Training Device (AATD), and cognitive processing skills using the Automated Neuropsychological Assessment Metrics (ANAM(TM)) cognitive test. The study was conducted in a Normobaric High Altitude Laboratory at simulated altitudes of 5,000 ft. and 14,000 ft. In this pilot study, only five participants were tested; non-significant results of the analysis were anticipated; however, as oxygen levels decreased and time of …

Identifying Signatures Of Plasma Waves And Reconnection Associated With Kelvin-Helmholtz Activity, Thomas Wesley Moore

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The magnetopause marks the boundary between the shocked solar wind and magnetospheric plasma. Understanding the dynamics of the plasma processes at the magnetopause boundary is crucial to the study of plasma transport into the magnetosphere. Previous studies have shown that there exists a temperature asymmetry in the plasma sheet. During northward IMF, the cold component ions are 30-40% hotter in the dawn flank plasma sheet compared to the dusk flank. However, the mechanisms responsible are still not entirely clear. Recent work has shown that reconnection in Kelvin-Helmholtz vortices can transport plasma into the magnetosphere. Previous studies have also shown that …

Perceptual Framing Of Homeland Security, Linda Kiltz, James D. Ramsay

Security Studies & International Affairs - Daytona Beach

This article analyzes the phenomenon of homeland security through the development of four conceptual lenses that were created out of the existing literatures in criminal justice, public administration, organization behavior, risk management, international relations, and the overlap between them. Using terrorism as a proxy for the homeland security enterprise, these conceptual lenses include: (1) homeland security as a criminal justice problem which views terrorism as a crime; (2) homeland security as a international relations problem which views terrorism as a war; (3) homeland security as an organization design problem which views terrorism as a network of sub-state transnational actors; and …

Perceptual Framing Of Homeland Security, Linda Kiltz, James D. Ramsay

Applied Aviation Sciences - Daytona Beach

This article analyzes the phenomenon of homeland security through the development of four conceptual lenses that were created out of the existing literatures in criminal justice, public administration, organization behavior, risk management, international relations, and the overlap between them. Using terrorism as a proxy for the homeland security enterprise, these conceptual lenses include: (1) homeland security as a criminal justice problem which views terrorism as a crime; (2) homeland security as a international relations problem which views terrorism as a war; (3) homeland security as an organization design problem which views terrorism as a network of sub-state transnational actors; and …

Experiences With Social Services Among Homeless Lgbtq Young Adults, Fallon Kadel

HIM 1990-2015

My findings imply that homeless LGBTQ young adults are very limited in where they can go to find LGBTQ-accepting services. Even though all the shelters that were interviewed claimed they did not discriminate against LGBTQ persons, they do not provide and are not affiliated with services or programs that are considered to be LGBTQ- accepting. Based on the research, shelters would rather have clients conform to their pre-existing structure rather than the shelters conforming to the specific needs of the clients.; The goal of this research is to explore what programs and services are being provided at various homeless shelters …

Post-Mitigation Eelgrass Transplanting Report Hbra Floating Dock, Whelan Gilkerson

Project Documents

Pacific Watershed Associates (PWA) under GHD assisted the Humboldt Bay Rowing Association (HBRA) with eelgrass (Zostera marina) mitigation efforts during the 2012 eelgrass growing season. Eelgrass mitigation transplanting was conducted at the HBRA floating dock in Eureka, California on July 18 and 19, 2012, using the bundled bare root transplanting method (Merkel, 2004). A post-mitigation eelgrass survey was then conducted on August 1, 2012 to confirm the initial success of the transplanting effort by mapping the areal extent and turion density of transplanted eelgrass in the project area.

The Development And Testing Of The Continuity Assessment Record And Evaluation (Care) Item Set: Final Report On Reliability Testing, Volume 2 Of 3, Barbara Gage, Laura Smith, Jessica Ross, Laurie Coots, Tracy Kline, Kate Shamsuddin, Karen Reilly, Judith Hazard Abbate, Zachariah Gage-Croll, Anne Deutsch, Trudy Mallinson

Clinical Research and Leadership Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Synergistic Effects Of Nanosecond Pulsed Electric Fields Combined With Low Concentration Of Gemcitabine On Human Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma In Vitro, Jing Wang, Jinsong Guo, Shan Wu, Hongqing Feng, Shujun Sun, Jie Pan, Jue Zhang, Stephen J. Beebe

Bioelectrics Publications

Treatment of cancer often involves uses of multiple therapeutic strategies with different mechanisms of action. In this study we investigated combinations of nanosecond pulsed electric fields (nsPEF) with low concentrations of gemcitabine on human oral cancer cells. Cells (Cal-27) were treated with pulse parameters (20 pulses, 100 ns in duration, intensities of 10, 30 and 60 kV/cm) and then cultured in medium with 0.01 mu g/ml gemcitabine. Proliferation, apoptosis/necrosis, invasion and morphology of those cells were examined using MTT, flow cytometry, clonogenics, transwell migration and TEM assay. Results show that combination treatments of gemcitabine and nsPEFs exhibited significant synergistic activities …

Smoke And Flowers: An Interview With Olivia Boler, Wei Ming Dariotis

Asian American Literature: Discourses & Pedagogies

No abstract provided.

Nonparametric Estimation Of Conditional Value-At-Risk And Expected Shortfall Based On Extreme Value Theory, Carlos Martins -Filho, Feng Yao, Maximo Torero

Economics Faculty Working Papers Series

We propose nonparametric estimators for conditional value-at-risk (VaR) and expected shortfall (ES) associated with conditional distributions of a series of returns on a financial asset. The return series and the conditioning covariates, which may include lagged returns and other exogenous variables, are assumed to be strong mixing and follow a fully nonparametric conditional location-scale model. First stage nonparametric estimators for location and scale are combined with a generalized Pareto approximation for distribution tails proposed by Pickands (1975) to give final estimators for conditional VaR and ES. We provide asymptotic characterizations of the proposed estimators and present the results of a …

Ultra-Low Voltage Digital Circuits And Extreme Temperature Electronics Design, Aaron J. Arthurs

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Certain applications require digital electronics to operate under extreme conditions e.g., large swings in ambient temperature, very low supply voltage, high radiation. Such applications include sensor networks, wearable electronics, unmanned aerial vehicles, spacecraft, and energyharvesting systems. This dissertation splits into two projects that study digital electronics supplied by ultra-low voltages and build an electronic system for extreme temperatures. The first project introduces techniques that improve circuit reliability at deep subthreshold voltages as well as determine the minimum required supply voltage. These techniques address digital electronic design at several levels: the physical process, gate design, and system architecture. This dissertation analyzes …

Criminal Justice News, Georgia Southern University

Criminal Justice & Criminology: News & Publications (2012-2023)

• Summer 2012 study abroad in London

Women Under National Socialism: The Case Study Of Melita Maschmann, Lynda Maureen Willett

Graduate Masters Theses

The case study of Melita Maschmann shows that despite the deep manipulation and gender discrimination she was subject to in her youth by National Socialism Maschmann made her own free choices as an adult and chose to zealously absorb its political ideology. The general assumption is that National Socialism, and fascism, were male dominated political ideologies in which women played a passive role, such as that professed by Gertrude Scholtz-Klink. However, many women found National Socialism appealing and became active supporters of its ideals. The purpose of this paper is to explore that appeal and analyze why certain women such …

Stability Of Phyllosilicates On Mars, Patricia Gavin

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the stability of phyllosilicates on the surface of Mars through laboratory experiments and analysis of terrestrial analogs. Phyllosilicates are mostly found in the oldest Noachian terrains on Mars and hence hold clues to the planet's earliest aqueous and geologic history. Phyllosilicates relevant to Mars were heated up to ~1100°C for up to 24 hours and impacted with projectile velocities up to ~4.5 km/s. Heated samples were analyzed using x-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy in the near- (NIR, 1.0-2.5 µm) and mid-infrared (MIR, 5.0-15.0 µm) ranges. Impacted samples were also analyzed using Raman spectroscopy …

Cell Bioenergetics In Leghorn Male Hepatoma Cells And Immortalized Chicken Liver Cells In Response To 4-Hydroxynonenal Induced Oxidative Stress, Alissa Laura Piekarski

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Bioenergetic mechanisms responsible for ATP production are essential in carrying out maintenance and cell-specific functions. In this study, hepatocytes (liver cells) were used to test both endogenous and exogenous stress on cellular respiration. The secondary lipid peroxide, 4-hydroxynonenal (HNE), was used because it alters bioenergetics by increasing mitochondrial proton leak that attenuates mitochondrial radical production and, therefore, endogenous oxidative stress. The major objective of this study was to demonstrate effects of HNE-induced oxidative stress on avian hepatocyte bioenergetics. Various chemical which help enable the determination of oxygen (O2) consumption linked to ATP synthesis (oligomycin), maximal O2 consumption (FCCP), and proton …

Reservoir Heterogeneity In A Carbon Sequestration Target: The Donovan Sand Member Of The Rodessa Formation, Citronelle Field, Alabama, Keith Coffindaffer

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The Citronelle field, located in Mobile County, Alabama, has been chosen as a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) pilot site, and supercritical CO2 has been injected for the combined purposes of long-term storage testing and enhanced oil recovery (EOR). The target formation for injection is the Early Cretaceous Donovan Sand of the Rodessa Formation, and is characterized by discontinuous fine- to medium-grained, heterogeneous arkosic fluvial sandstones interbedded with fissile mudstones and micaceous silts. Based upon core analysis of the Donovan Sand, depofacies indicate a fluvio-deltaic/estuarine depositional environment for the Donovan Sand. Probable sources of the …

Japanese Students' Experience Of Adaptation And Acculturation Of The United Kingdom, Yuko Nippoda

Online Readings in Psychology and Culture

Many Japanese students come to the U.K. to study. In general, studying is their primary aim but some have additional reasons such as personal development through exposure to another culture. As a result of the homogeneity of Japanese society, Japanese people are not necessarily used to other cultures especially if they have only lived within Japan. Due to the vast differences between Japanese and British cultures, many students have difficulties in adapting to British society (Nippoda, 2011). This article presents some culturally specific factors that affect students' adaptation based on research (Nippoda, 1993). It focuses on four main points arising …

Japanese Culture And Therapeutic Relationship, Yuko Nippoda

Online Readings in Psychology and Culture

Japanese culture is collectivistic by nature, and there are some culturally indigenous patterns which govern forming relationships in Japan. One of the important patterns is hierarchy. Counselling and psychotherapy are based on Western concepts and the Japanese view them differently. When the Japanese provide or use counselling and psychotherapy services, they generally follow Japanese methods of forming relationships, which results in a hierarchical relationship between client and therapist. In this article, after the hierarchical nature of relationship in the Japanese cultural context is introduced, reflections of this pattern of relationship in the author's therapeutic work with Japanese clients are presented. …

Narcissism And Intimate Partner Violence: An Establishment Of The Link And Investigation Of Multiple Potential Mediators, Samantha K. Fields

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Intimate partner violence (IPV) involves physical, psychological, and/or emotional violence within intimate (e.g., dating) relationships. In this thesis, I examined narcissism as a predictor of IPV. I used an offensive- and defensive-trait framework to come up with 10 potential mediator variables that often typify narcissism and underlie IPV. Correlation analyses confirmed the expected link between narcissism and IPV. Subsequent bootstrapping mediation analysis of IPV-frequency revealed significant indirect effects for 2 mediators - social dominance orientation and the hostile attribution bias-based tendency to retaliate in the face of ambiguous but potentially malevolent social interactions. Bootstrapping analysis of IPV-prevalence also revealed an …

Advancing Global Tobacco Control: Exploring Worldwide Youth Attitudes And Behaviors Toward Tobacco Use And Control, Sreenivas Phanikumar Veeranki

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Tobacco use continues to be the leading cause of preventable death in the world. The disproportionate increase in tobacco use in low- and middle-income countries needs immediate attention. Many smokers begin smoking as adolescents and are most likely to become permanent smokers. Moreover, youth are highly targeted by tobacco industry strategies. However, a gap exists in literature to understand worldwide youth tobacco use and control. The purpose of this study is to 1) identify factors that influence never-smoking youths‟ smoking susceptibility, 2) explore characteristics that influence youth exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) and 3) to delineate key determinants of …

Part I - A Study Of The Formation Of Carbenes By Elimination Of Α-Bromosilanes And Application Toward The Synthesis Of Transition Metal Complexed Quinone Methide Analogs. Part Ii - Development Of Novel 7-Membered Ring Carbene Ligands For Palladium Catalyzed Cross Coupling Reactions., Christian Michael Loeschel

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In part I, we wish to report our approaches toward transition metal complexed ortho-quinone methide analogs. ortho-Quinone Methides are a class of highly reactive compounds with a wide range of chemical and biological applications. Previously, a stable iron complexed benzannulated 5-membered ring quinone methide analog was reported by Allison and Neal27. Herein, we report our approaches to improve the reactivity of that system by removing benzannulation as well as changing the metal from iron to manganese and rhenium.

Furthermore, a methodological study on generating carbenes under mild conditions by elimination of α-halosilanes and its application towards metal complexed quinone methide …

Yeast Surface Display Of Cd154, Iaryna Masniuk

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The CD154 (CD40L) is a member of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) family that plays a crucial role in regulation of both cell-mediated and humoral immunity by activating antigen presenting cells (APCs). Previously, studies in the laboratory demonstrated that yeast surface display system allows the expression of biologically functional antigen, such as subunit HA, against influenza virus. Yeast surface display system seems to be an excellent system to be utilized to develop anti-influenza virus vaccine. Thus, it is of interest to study the adjuvant function of CD154 on the subunit HA vaccine against influenza virus. In this project, the CD154 encoding …